CHAPTER LXXIV

THE KEYBLADE'S FOIL

Deep beneath the altar of the cathedral, Lae, Yod and Heiro assembled a long table with a long, tattered scroll rolled out across it. Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Riku and Sora stood back, watching the three men light candles and shift them into odd formations.

"What's going on…exactly…" Sora said, his head reeling from all the excitement. He was at least relieved to know that Mickey, Aerith and Cloud had not only destroyed Ember, but also had recovered the Boulder Bear and Vincent Valentine…it was definitely good news that he sorely needed after losing the Frozen Eel…

"So we've said before that Nobodies go to the Graveyard when they die doing noble acts…right?"

"According to the Chaser's religion…" Riku pointed out, not trying to start another argument with Lae.

"Well, we've been praying to the Almighty to let us into the Nobody Graveyard. He answered – watch," he said, spreading his hands outward.

Yod and Heiro started to chant in a strange, low tongue that none of them could understand. Lae clapped his hands together and read several strange words from the scroll on the table, almost melodically, like a song that was painful to sing…

"Wex Payrx Ouxy, Mexak Uxs Loxhew…" muttered Axel, over and over, Heiro and Yod joining in later. A stunning grey light filled the room as a door that dwarfed the door to Timeless River appeared. It was twice as large and three times as ornate – in the center of the door stood four icons, forming a beautiful diamond shape…

Sora recognized three of them at once; the crown he wore around his neck, the Heartless emblem, the Nobody insignia and a small, circular shape that sprouted four bulbs like a flower.

"What's that one?" Sora said, pointing at the last sign he didn't recognize.

Lae gestured for Sora to come over to the scroll – they read a small list together, with Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy around the other side of the table.

The first picture of the broken heart with brambles splitting it in four said beneath it in large, stylized letters "HEARTLESS."

The next, an upside-down heart with a jagged, pointy top, read "NOBODY."

The crown that hung from Sora's neck, complete with three small baubles on the top, read "COMPLETE."

And beneath that, a picture of the circle sprouting four bulbs, each resembling the top portion of a heart, read "CHASER."

When they looked back at the door, a closer inspection showed them something new – four identical keyholes, each inside one of the icons.

"The Almighty has shown us the door…yet it is sealed, preventing us from entering. The ancient texts maintain that to open the door, one must tread the four paths…yet in all of our studies, we have yet to discover what they really mean…"

Sora drew his keyblade in a cocky manner, pointing it at the Complete insignia – the door clicked, but didn't budge. Motioning for Riku and Kairi to help, they also drew their keyblades. Kairi thought about Namine as she pointed her keyblade at the Nobody logo…Riku gritted his teeth when he thought about Xehanort possessing his body, as he pointed his blade sharply at the Heartless sign…

The door clicked again, but still yielded no results. When Sora pointed his keyblade at the Chaser keyhole, nothing happened…

"Hey…not bad…" said Lae, rubbing his chin. "Maybe…there's another one of those keys out there somewhere…"

"Mickey," Sora said, turning away and unsummoning his keyblade. "Look, Lae – I know we just got here…but we have a friend that can help us open the door. If Axel's in there, we can make you whole again…and maybe we can find everyone else's Nobodies, too…" Sora said, thinking back to all the friends that the Legion had turned into Heartless.

Riku and Kairi silently nodded.

Sora tapped his micro-com. "King Mickey? Can you meet us…" he started to say, but his micro-com shook and rattled with static as Mickey's voice was barely audible from the other end.

"Sora! We've crash landed…a Legion ship came outta nowhere and clipped us…"

"Are you alright!" Kairi shouted into Sora's micro-com, not concerned with his delicate eardrums.

"Yeah…we're alright…but this place is weird…I feel awful small…even for a mouse…" he said warily. "BACK OFF! I'm warning you…" Mickey shouted, terminating the transmission. Obviously, something strange had threatened him…

"Mickey? Mickey! We need your coordinates!" Riku shouted. Cid chuckled on the other end of the line.

"Don't get yer panties in a bunch, kiddo…got 'em uploaded into the Barrett already – bon voyage!"

Sora turned and smiled at Lae, Yod and Heiro. "We'll be back – and we'll have one more keyblade master with us," he said, running off toward the Barrett with Donald, Goofy, Kairi and Riku at his heels. "Take good care of Biggs and Wedge!"

Lae smiled for the first time since the news about Axel's death, waving at his saviors as they ran off to save their friends. Clapping Yod and Heiro on the back, he headed toward the extra cabin, eager to see his old companions Biggs and Wedge, and his new friend Eddy, fast at work steadily healing them back to full…