Armageddon

The power the demon lord had amassed was greater than ever imagined. Though valiant, the Four were not enough to end the demon lord's reign. Then six keys appeared, offering their aid against the demon lord while stealing the magical weapons the demon lord had hoarded, offering them to the three magicless members of the Four.

The Ocean Knight agreed.

The four, now backed by six keys were able to match the demon lord's strength…And they managed to imprison the demon lord within the depths of his dark kingdom. Together, they made sure only seven keys could undo the prison…

Xxx

The five entered the darkened cavern, staying close to Aqua and they all saw how the Grimm refused to attack her.

It was amazing considering how the Grimm had been a threat from the very beginning but Aqua's story about the God of Darkness ordering the Grimm to ignore her was apparently true.

Which meant her story of naming the Gods was true as well.

"So you stood up for them and got to keep your magic and Grimm were told to leave you alone." Somnus recalled.

"Pretty much." Aqua shrugged as they walked through the ruined remains of the Emerald Kingdom.

"I guess someone had to be lucky through all of this." Somnus muttered.

The five then stopped before a ruined gate leading up to the Dark Tower, which Artura gave a glare full of anger.

This was once her kingdom before it was destroyed by Surtr who even placed his tower where her castle resided, as if to mock her and forever remind her of what she had lost.

That demon would pay.

"Let's go." The former king said to everyone.

Aqua glanced at Artura but nodded and led the group past the ruined gate and into the Dark Tower. Curiously no guards or Grimm came to stop them but they figured that Aqua's presence kept them away.

They journeyed deeper into sheer darkness until they came upon a pair of grand majestic door. Artura immediately opened them up and they stepped into an enormous but grand chamber. It appeared to be around five stories tall, looking like a cathedral. Lining the walls were the golden magical weapons Erebus had created to use against Aqua, now displayed like trophies along with many other magical artifacts. At the very end of the chamber was what appeared to be an altar with a very posh and ornamental looking chair resting in the center.

And on the chair was none other Surtr whose eyes blazed when he saw them. "You…"

Aqua stepped forward, glaring at the demon. "Yes, it's me, Sidorak."

"Sidorak is no more, there is only Surtr." The former human now turned into a humanoid Grimm of sorts stood up. "I admit, I am actually pleased to see you are still alive…If only so I can kill you myself for all you have done to me."

Aqua summoned her Keyblade. "Easier said than done."

"Easier than you think." Surtr replied as the new jewel in his armor shined brightly and caused a powerful aura to surround him.

(Kingdom Heart Birth by Sleep OST Forze dell' Oscurita)

Surtr raised his hand and dark lightning cackled around the fingers. Aqua immediately created an energy shield made of a hexagon pattern as sparks from the lightning shot everywhere. The barrier cracked but held up against the attack.

Surtr snarled, seeing his enhanced power was still not enough to break Aqua's barrier. "Impossible! My magic has been enhanced beyond my previous capabilities."

Aqua lowered her barrier and jumped up, pointing her Keyblade at Surtr as a sphere of multi-colored light appeared at the end. The single sphere broke into dozens of smaller spheres that shot at Surtr like rockets. The demon snarled and unsheathed Twilight, swiping at the group with his large flaming sword. Gilgamesh jumped over the flaming blade and slashed at the demon, jumping back as it tried to grab him.

Aqua landed on the ground and pointed at Surtr. "Thunder!"

A bolt of lightning hit Surtr but he shrugged it off as he glared at her with a snarl. Artura took notice of the golden weapons lining the wall and got an idea. She immediately grabbed the nearest one, the Fan of Wind and swung it, releasing a gust of wind that struck Surtr.

"Grab the golden weapons, they're magical!" The former king shouted.

Somnus immediately rushed and grabbed the Spear of Ice while Aera took the Scythe of Earth and Surtr growled. "You dare steal from me?!"

"Time Splicer!" Aqua shouted and disappeared.

Just like that, she was gone.

"Where did she go?" Aera asked.

"Time…" Artura's eyes widened in realization. "She can use a form of time magic!"

Her suggestion was clarified as Aqua appeared and attacked Surtr several times, leaving behind an afterimage that he struck and left himself unguarded as she attacked from another angle several times.

"Suddenly this might not be as hard as I thought." Somnus commented, sharing a look with Aera as he charged forward.

He shot forward as Surtr roared and thrust his spear forward, summoning a giant spear made of ice. Surtr grunted as he blocked the spear. Gilgamesh ran up the spear and slammed his feet into the demon's face, kicking off and landing perfectly on the ground.

"Enough!" Surtr slammed his sword into the ground, creating a fiery shockwave.

Somnus plunged the Ice Spear into the ground, creating an ice wall that protected him and Aera from the fire. Gilgamesh jumped over the incoming flames and ran straight at Surtr, striking him in the side. Surtr snarled and slashed at Gilgamesh who held his ground with his sword out in front, blocking the strike. Artura swung the Fan again, creating another gust that pushed Surtr back.

"ENOUGH!" The demon roared that actually caused them to step back.

His black and purple body began to blaze with an intense purple colored fire as he held up his sword, his eyes glowing with rage.

"What is going on?" Aera asked.

"He's powering up." Aqua answered, looking at the shining gemstone on Surtr's chest armor.

She could sense a great power along with rage and bloodlust. The others could feel it too as even Gilgamesh looked nervous.

"I will destroy you here and now!" Surtr shouted, holding his sword in both hands.

Aqua immediately stepped forward. "No, you won't."

She raised her hand, conjuring a barrier around her and her comrades.

Artura looked to the others. "Quick, help her! Use our weapons to enhance her barrier!"

Somnus raised his spear, conjuring a layer of ice over Aqua's barrier while Aera raised the Earth Scythe, creating a dome of stone around the ice. Artura finished by waving the Fan and creating a tornado around the dome, completing the shield just as Surtr let loose his attack with a loud demonic roar. His body flared with purple fire while his eyes glowed like twin stars and just as the group created their shield he released it all series of fiery explosions that slammed into the shields.

One by one, the shields shattered until Aqua's barrier was left and she was struggling to keep it up even as it began to crack.

Just as it seemed it was about to shatter, leaving them to be burned there was a slash and the fiery attack was swallowed up.

Aqua looked up, seeing some sort of spatial rift swallow Surtr's attack and she immediately recognized it.

"A fine effort." Aqua tuned her head, seeming a man dressed like the rest of the Foretellers but one she hadn't met before. "Don't feel ashamed. You have fought well against this monster."

"You…" Aqua trailed off as she saw the rest of the Foretellers appear around her and her allies. "Why are you all here?"

"Because, you are a fellow Keyblade Wielder." Ava answered, looking over at Aqua with a small smile. "And you are fighting against the darkness…Like we all have been trained to do."

Surtr just stared in slight surprise, seeing seven more enemies appear alongside the woman he sought to kill. He growled, the dark purple flames left behind by his attack staring to blaze. Invi stepped forward first as he released another blast of fire and summoned a gust of water that cancelled out the attack. She then conjured the elements of fire, wind, ice and thunder and fired them all right at Surtr, hitting him head on and damaging his armor as he staggered back. Shrugging it off Surtr roared and charged forward, swinging his fiery Twilight through the air.

Gula shot forward, moving past Invi and moving so fast that Surtr was moving in slow motion compared to him as he easily side stepped his fiery sword, giving him an opening to deal a few but quick and precise strikes. Surtr staggered forward and spun around, facing Gula before he tried to attack. Just as he raised his blade Aced shot forward and swung his Keyblade, summoning a spatial rift right as he made contact with the demon's arm. Surtr howled as the rift cut off his arm and leaving his sword to fall to the ground. Aced then swung his Keyblade, dealing several strikes to Surtr as he screamed.

The gem on his chest armor glowed bright, allowing him to create an aura of purple flames that blasted out and knocked Aced back. He looked down and watched as purple crystals sprouted from the stump where his right arm used to be and immediately grew into a new arm. Flexing this new arm for a second, Surtr turned to his opponents and snarled with renewed hate and confidence.

Ira pointed his Keyblade at Surtr who tried to charge at them, summoning pillars of light around the demon. The light blinded the demon and he seemed to be feeling pain from his close proximity to the pillars. The pain would only grow as Ira's pillars shattered and released a shockwave of light that slammed into Surtr, making him scream in agony. He staggered back, the power of the God Stone embedded in his armor allowing him to heal.

"That gem!" Artura pointed at the glowing gemstone. "It's the source of his power. We have to remove it!"

"On it." Aqua stepped forward, sharing a look with Ava. "Can you cover me?"

Ava nodded, holding up her Keyblade.

Aqua was then shrouded in light. "Command Style: Ghost Drive!"

She shot forward, becoming a blur as she slammed into Surtr several times before finishing with a powerful strike to the head that produced a shockwave, knocking him down. Aqua then landed on his chest grabbed the God Stone, grunting as she could feel the immense power coming from it.

"NO!" Surtr shouted, trying to blast Aqua off him.

Ava shot in and slashed the newly grown crystalline arm away while Artura swung her fan, creating a blade formed from a vacuum that cut off Surtr's other arm. Aqua grabbed the gem with both hands and with one mighty shout, pulled the gem out of Surtr's chest.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Surtr screamed, feeling the loss of power.

Aqua stepped back, grunting as she felt the immense power from the God Stone flow through her and she quickly threw it away.

"He's powerless!" Somnus shouted, holding up his Ice Spear.

"No." The reply came from the sixth member of the newcomers, a man in a dark coat similar to the Master but Aqua could tell they were not the same man. "He can't be slain like a normal mortal or monster. He must be sealed away. Use your Keyblades to seal him."

"Where do we seal him?" Gula asked.

Aera stepped forward, holding up the Earth Scythe. "I know what do. I saw this in my vision."

She slammed the scythe into the ground and a cave instantly formed behind the throne, leading deeper underground.

"Get him down there!" Aera shouted.

"Wielders! Use your Keyblades!" Ira immediately spoke.

The five foretellers along with Aqua pointed their Keyblade at Surtr while Luxu summoned his. Luckily Aqua had her back to him or she would have recognized it as the same Keyblade used by Master Xehanort. From the tips of each blade came a beam of light that all connected with Surtr's chest as the demon screamed. The darkness making up his body seemed to evaporate as he was lifted off the ground and the seven wielders moved forward, forcing the demon down the newly formed staircase and into what appeared to be a crypt that Aera had used the Earth Scythe to make with a tomb open and ready.

"NO! NOOO! THIS IS NOT MY DESTINY!" Surtr screamed as he forced into the tomb, the darkness gone and leaving behind a purple flaming specter. "I WILL NOT LET THIS BE MY FINAL MOMENT!"

He was forced into the tomb and Aera used the Earth Scythe to manipulate the stone lid to close over the tomb, trapping the demon. The Keyblade Wielders then pointed at the tomb, releasing seven more beams of light that caused chains and seven glowing locks to form around the tomb, trapping Surtr inside. Once the seven locks were formed, the Keyblade Wielders dismissed their magic and Luxu immediately dismissed his Keyblade, looking upon the tomb.

(Kingdom Heart Birth by Sleep OST Forze dell' Oscurita Ends)

It was over.

Surtr had been sealed away.

Aqua sighed in relief as she fell to her knees. "Finally, it's done."

"Yes." Artura whispered, looking upon the tomb. "My kingdom and people have been avenge."

Xxx

After the demon lord was sealed away, the six who appeared disappeared from the world and so would the Ocean Knight for a time. The remaining three would take the remaining weapons left behind and scattered them across the world so no one would find them. The Founding King would gather the survivors of his home village and take the spear of ice with him deep into the north.

Xxx

With Surtr sealed away, the Grimm he had gathered to be his army scattered, many of them being slain by the warriors who had bested their master. Aera had said that the Dark Tower must be sealed away to make sure no one could find it. So she used the Earth Scythe to fill the large hole that been made when the Dark Tower sank under the surface with what remained of the Emerald Kingdom. It took some time but she had the help of the others.

Gilgamesh had taken Surtr's sword Twilight that had been dropped during the battle and the God Stone was placed in a chest with Aqua using her Keyblade to lock, ensuring that nothing other than a Keyblade could open it and find the powerful object inside. Aera used the Earth Scythe to create a vast field that would one day grow into a forest over the ruins of the Emerald Kingdom so that one would find it and Surtr's palace.

Speaking of Surtr's palace.

The Foretellers and Aqua watched as Aera handed Artura the Scythe and the former king used it to seal the Dark Tower behind an unbreakable wall of earth, creating a massive door that would be the only way in.

The reason why was simple: so Aqua and the Foretellers could seal it.

Once the door was formed, the Keyblade Wielders raised their keys and seven beams of light touched the door, creating seven locks. Luxu was again careful to make sure Aqua didn't see his Keyblade and dismissed it when they were done. The power of the Keyblade combined with the Earth Scythe made it so Surtr's palace was completely sealed away and even if the door had been found, no one could open it.

It took seven Keyblades to seal it and it would take seven Keyblades to unlock it.

With their work done, the Foretellers departed without much of a word to anyone, even Aqua.

Xxx

The Emerald King, would take the Scythe east, deciding she could no longer stay on the land she had once ruled. It is said she journeyed to the great mountains in the east and lived a solitary life in the mountains.

Xxx

"So where will you go?"

Artura had packed all her things and seemed ready to go when Aqua asked that question. "I don't know. I only know I can't stay here anymore. Even if I have avenged my kingdom, I know I'll never be able to let go of the guilt of being one the few survivors."

Aqua looked sadly at Artura but the former king surprised her when she grasped her hands. "Artura…"

"There is still one last thing I need to do though." Artura said with a small smile. "My last duty as king."

She pulled out her sword, pointed it at Aqua.

"Artura." Aqua stepped back, looking nervous.

"Kneel." Artura said simply, her face now adopting the stern gaze of the former king.

Aqua looked in her eyes and saw no intent to harm her so she knelt down.

"For your time of service, for your bravery and courage, I Artura, the former king of the Emerald Kingdom hereby dub thee, Lady Aqua of the Emerald Kingdom, Ocean Knight and member of the knights of Midgard." Artura placed her sword on Aqua's shoulders. "You may rise."

Aqua slowly stood up, staring in surprise. "I…I don't know what to say."

"Say nothing then." Artura said with a small smile. "Though the world has lost magic and have been left vulnerable to the Grimm, you stayed and helped fight against them and Surtr when you didn't have to. I may not fully understand who you are or where you come from but I know this, you have the heart of a brave warrior and someone I am glad to call friend."

Aqua was touched by that proclamation. "I…You give me more credit than I deserve. Sidorak became Surtr because Ozma and I didn't finish him off when we had the chance."

"And you both faced him once before in defense of my kingdom and you faced him again. The God of Darkness made him a demon, not you and it was the Gods who forsook us because of the crimes of one woman." Artura rebuked. "Because of you, we have a chance to start over and perhaps we can rise from the ashes of this."

Aqua looked surprised at the fact that Artura didn't blame her for what happened to her kingdom or the rest of the world, even though she felt somewhat responsible.

"Good bye, Aqua." Artura turned around. "I hope you find what you are looking for."

Aqua watched as Artura walked away down the path into the forest, knowing this would be the last time they would see each other.

Xxx

The Blademaster would accept the demon's Sword of Fire as payment for his services and continue his journey of finding new warriors to fight. He would disappear into the west with the sword, remaining unfound since then.

Xxx

Gilgamesh held the sword of fire, Twilight in his hand that he had taken from the Dark Tower. With Surtr vanquished he was free to continue his quest of finding great warriors to battle.

Xxx

The Spear of Ice would be left in the hands of the man who took it in battle against the demon and he decided to travel north.

Xxx

Somnus used the Spear to take down numerous Grimm attacking villages and he gained many followers who believed he could protect them. Sharing a look with Aera who smiled, he sighed and allowed them to follow him on his journey north.

Xxx

The fan of wind, would remain in the hand of the former seer who had accompanied the man who wielded the Spear of Ice for a time. She eventually left and traveled west with the fan, deciding it was best that the four elemental weapons would remain separate from each other.

Xxx

Aera gave a final hug to Somnus before departing with the promise to return one day. She kept the Fan of Wind with her, wanting to make sure it was somewhere else that was far from the spear and separate from the others.

Xxx

After the demon lord was sealed away within his own castle the world was allowed room and time to recover. For years, no one would come near the land it had once ruled over but as time passed, entire generations would unfortunately forget…And legends would rise, speaking of an underground kingdom home to legendary treasure, unaware of what truly slept in the deepest places of the worlds.

Xxx

Aqua sighed as she looked over the now peaceful looking land but knew that the people would have a hard time living in this new world with no magic to protect them from the Grimm. She considered staying to protect them but knew her time here was over.

She decided it was time to return to Drasil and figure out a way back to the Realm of Light in her time.

"Drasil." She uttered softly.

And just like that, a golden door appeared before her, similar to a Door of Light that would take her back to Drasil's realm.

She took one last look at the world and then entered, leaving this brave new world behind.

Xxx

Though the demon lord had been sealed away, the four knew there was a chance it would one day be released…So they left behind a map to the underground kingdom and to make sure no one misused the map it was locked in a treasure chest that only someone with the right Key could open.

Xxx

"This is it."

At last she had made it.

Salem had finally made it back to the Land of Darkness. It had been a long journey, filled with pain. Everyone knew what Salem had done when she tricked humanity into turning against the Gods. They had denounced her as the source of their troubles and the loss of their magic, many of them attempting to kill her for what she had done. More than once, Salem had to fight off angry mobs of people with some managing to capture her…

"Burn her!"

"Burn the witch who dared to attack the Gods?!"

"We lost our magic because of your!"

"My family is dead because of you!"

Salem had used her magic to kill many of the people who had come after her, but a quick arrow to the head had left her disorientated enough that they managed to grab her.

Then came the pitchforks, the swords and the spears stabbing her.

And when that didn't work, they decided to burn her.

Salem screamed as they burned her alive but even that didn't kill.

In fact it made her so angry she lashed out with her magic and used the fire to kill her tormentors, burning them alive.

Salem had made sure to kill anyone who crossed her path after that as she made her way to the Land of Darkness.

She cursed the Gods for cursing her.

She cursed her father for locking her away.

She cursed humanity for casting her out and torturing her.

She even cursed Aqua for standing in her way and Ozma for dying.

She cursed everyone but herself for she had refused to believe she had done anything wrong. She only wanted to be with Ozma.

That was why she was here now.

She stood over a cliff, staring down at the dark pool that gave birth to the monsters that now plagued the world. She closed her eyes…and leapt down into the pool. She smiled as she landed in the pool, waiting for death to claim her.

If the pool of life from the God of Light made her immortal than maybe the pool of destruction from the God of Darkness would take that immortality away.

She could finally be with Ozma again.

She waited…

Only to feel a great pain engulf her…

Instead of destroying her, the pool of destruction changed her which was shown as she slowly crawled out from it.

Her skin and hair had become pale white, her nails pitch black and her eyes changing to black and red, matching the colors of the monsters the pool still birthed.

Salem was no longer just an immortal being.

In fact, she was likely no longer human.

She was now an immortal being of pure destruction.

And in time, she would find her adversary.

Only it would not just be one.