Sword Art Kingdom: Falling Fantasy

by Jacob Pendra-Huth

The Mark of Mastery has begun for Kirito, Asuna and Leafa, where they must unlock the seven Sleeping Keyholes. However, trouble follows them into their trials, making their test more of a challenge. The Organization already got Leafa in their sights, and are attempting to bring down Kirito and Asuna, too. It is up to the two to get to the bottom of this, and save Leafa.

6. Sleeping Aurora! True Heroes!

Asuna's Team so Far

Necho Cat (Pina)

Magic

Thunder

Time Bomb

Stat Boost

Thunder Boost (x2)

Magic Haste (x2)

Sleep Block

Confusion Block

---

Wheeflower (Petal)

Magic

Blizzard

Esuna

Stat Boost

Magic Haste

Water Screen

Magic Boost

Bind Block

---

Chef Kyroo (Flambé)

Magic

Cura

Stat Boost

Fire Boost

---

Asuna woke up once again, diving down a path towards a new world. Asuna looked ahead, and saw the gate's rule of entrance: 'Defeat 15 enemies'. Asuna nodded in understanding, spun in midair, and dove down to face the challenge.

The dive was similar-looking to how Kirito dove, but not only were there star energy to collect, monsters started appearing in front of Asuna, which were composed of Fin Fatales and Komory Bats. Asuna did her best to avoid the jets of water and supersonic waves the Nightmares delivered, and retaliated with attacks of her own. She also snatched a Mega Flare magic spell as it passed by. Within minutes, Asuna was able to take out more than fifteen enemies during her dive, allowing her to open up the gate and enter into the next world.

---

When Asuna opened her eyes, she found herself standing in the middle of the dirt road, surrounded by a vast plains, and a castle in full view in front of her. The same plains that Kirito had once fought the Wargoyle in when he visited her. However, there were no signs of their battle anywhere around. Why? Because it had been over sixteen years since that day.

Asuna looked around at her surroundings, seeing the settling behind the castle. It was going down. Sunset. "Who owns that castle?" Asuna wondered, seeing the large castle close by. Pina and Flambé instantly produced themselves next to her, making their cries.

As the wind blew in from behind Asuna, it fluttered some of her hair into her face. Asuna was brushing it off when she saw that her hair had turned light blue. "My hair…" Asuna gasped, looking at the strands of hair in her hands, "Why is it blue?" Flambé croaked at Asuna, getting her attention. It raised its' pot top shield towards her, and Asuna could see her face's reflection off of it. It wasn't just her hair. Her eyes were the same color, and her ears were pointy. She looked like she was in her Undine form in ALFheim Online.

"What happened to me?" Asuna asked, touching her face as she knelt down to looked at her reflection, "Am I suppose to look like this, now? Or is this the world's rule?" Asuna stood up again, and turned to the castle. "Well, if I look like this, then maybe this world might have some similarities to ALFheim." she deduced, "Only one way to figure this out. Let's check out that castle."

---

(Insert 'Ignite' TV Size by Eir Aoi)

Without hesitating, Take the world of paradoxes,

(The scene opens with Kirito's face fading in from the left-hand side, his eyes opening as the symbol of the Original Keyblade wielders appear in the center. Kirito's face fades out as Asuna's face fades in on the right-hand side, opening her eyes as the Dream Eater Spirit symbol replaces the Original Keyblade wielders symbol.)

And shoot it with your hands

(Asuna's face fades out as Yui's and Leafa's faces fades in, back to back as they looked towards either side while Sora's crown pendant appeared between them. The crown shines brightly, then showing the title of 'Sword Art Kingdom: Falling Fantasy', with the Sword Art Kingdom symbol right behind it.)

In the warmth of fallen tears
We should've learned kindness

(The scene opens to Asuna standing on top of the school rooftops, looking out in the distance with a solemn expression. She looks down at the white Wayfinder in her hand, the ghostly image of Aqua passing by her. She closes her eyes as she clutches the Wayfinder tightly, then she looked seriously ahead, ready to proceed.)

So why do we keep hurting each other
And give birth to more hatred?

(Kirito is sitting on the porch outside his house, holding one of his kendo stick Keyblades he made in his hands, looking down at it with a serious expression. He then stands up and whips it around before stopping in his fighter's stance, as the ghostly image of Terra in his battle stance stood behind him.)

From the stinging pain I learn to be strong

(The first scene shows Gretinal at her desk, with Yui on one side, and Jackson, Latias and Cypress on the other, all looking at the screen. The next scene shows Yen Sid at his desk, with Donald, Goofy and Mickey on one side, and Sora and Riku on the other side.)

And gently blanket the future

(The next scene shows Leafa closing her eyes as she fall backwards into the black screen, only to be scooped up by the large hand of Young Xehanort. He waves his other hand forward as Heartless Oberon, Gouxus, Saïx and a black coat Recon stand around him, grinning maliciously. The screen distances from them to where Kirito and Asuna stood, angrily looking back as they charged.)

Without hesitating, Take the world of paradoxes,

(The scene next shows Kirito using Flowmotion to move around the city of Alne in Alfheim Online, taking out Nightmares that came at him, then slamming his Keyblade into the ground, causing a shockwave of energy that blasts away nearby Heartless.)

And shoot it with your hands

(Asuna appears leaping across the rooftops at high speeds with her Eaglider and Pegaslick at her side, unifying together into Dual Style: Bladecharge, and swinging her energy-extended Keyblade around, sending all Nightmares around her flying away.)

I ever so softly embrace, The sorrow that is covered in red tears

(The scene shifts to Asuna and Recon fighting with one another within the experimental lab at the top of the World Tree, Sora and Leafa's minds showing behind the two as they fought. Then it shows an open room within the top of the World Tree, and Saïx is going into Berserk mode as he faces Kirito, who roars in rage as he charges at him, determined to defeat him.)

Just as the ringing vibration, Marks the sound of the beginning

(The scene ends as Asuna and Kirito race forward towards the golden bird cage where Leafa was, surrounded by darkness and fast asleep, with Heartless Oberon and Gouxus standing in front of the locked gate, waiting for the two. Asuna and Kirito leapt at the two, producing their Keyblades to fight. Heartless Oberon and Gouxus produce their own weapons and leapt at the two, Oberon going after Kirito while Gouxus went after Asuna, and the frame freezes as they near each other, ready to attack.)

---

Asuna was so close to the castle, it took her about ten minutes to arrive there on foot. During that time, she had time to recognize her surroundings. She could see the mountaintops that surrounded the Moors in the distance, though she did not know about the Moors in any case. She also discovered that her wings appeared whenever she did Flowmotion, as she learned when fighting a couple waves of Nightmares.

She arrived on the long bridge towards the castle, heading to the large doors ahead. As she continued to walk, she stumbled upon a group of Dream Eaters that blocked her path. Asuna got herself ready to fight, along with her Spirits. She examined her foes, seeing Sir Kyroo, Escarglow, and Yoggy Rams blocking her path. "Sorry, but I have to take you out!" Asuna declared, ready to fight.

The Nightmares were relentless, attacking Asuna and her Spirits, while at the same time preventing her from moving forward. Asuna wasn't sure why they would be doing that, but whatever was inside, she knew the Nightmares didn't want her to get it.

Flambé finished off an Escarglow with its' frying pan before croaking to Asuna, who had knocked a Yoggy Ram over onto a Sir Kyroo. Asuna turned to her Dream Eater, seeing it hop up and down anxiously. "Want to combine as one?" Asuna asked, "Okay, then, let's do it!"

Asuna and Flambé focused as one, and the Spirit entered Asuna's body. "Link Style! Fire Raid!" Asuna shouted, and she bursted with an orange, fiery aura. Wisps of flames were emitting from her body and Keyblade.

The Nightmares attempted to attack, but Asuna threw her Keyblade at them in a fiery Strike Raid, almost like Axel's chakrams. She did this again, now replicating her Keyblade to do a double Strike Raid. Asuna charged forward as she started going through the swarms of Nightmares that blockaded the bridge, creating multiple fiery Keyblades around her, making them spin around her like a ring of flames. She did this a couple more times until she finally swung three Strike Raid Keyblades forward, clearing the path of the Dream Eaters.

Asuna and Pina continued on this path, Asuna repeating the same pattern as before, unleashing a flaming storm of attacks onto the Nightmares. By the time she had reached the door, Asuna's body glowed brightly, and she reverted back to normal, with Flambé at her side. "Wow, that almost felt like I was acting like Axel there." Asuna compared, "At least I know what kind of powers I can do with each of you."

Asuna was about to knock on the doors when she turned to see something; A Portal floating to one side of the door. "Another one!" Asuna realized, "Well, can't let this one go to waste." Asuna placed her hand on the Portal, wondering who the dreamer was, and what the task was.

Asuna saw the image of a man with short, messy green hair, orange eyes and a long scarf. "This person's name…is Sothe." Asuna noticed, "And I have to fight the Dream Eaters while blocking five attacks." The Dream Eaters popped out of the Portal, which comprised of half and half of Drak Quacks and Juggle Pups, which Asuna learned about later on. "Bring it!" Asuna declared, and she charged in, unknowingly watched from above.

Both kinds of Nightmares were quite difficult to deal with. The Juggle Pups were more like seals, bouncing about and tossing dice that did multiple affects to Asuna and her Spirits. The Drak Quacks were pulling off multiple moves, including chomping attacks, slobbering, and using multiple kinds of fireworks to attack, from explosive ones to the Nightmare being pulled into a charge by them.

Asuna was enduring all she can as she attempted to block the unusual attacks. Asuna replaced Pina with Petal so that both it and Flambé would be there to heal her as she endured. After she counted five blocks, Asuna went on the offense, unleashing all the attacks she could muster against the targets. After a while, she and her team finished off the Nightmares.

The Portal exploded, sending munny and Dream Pieces everywhere, along with healing Asuna and her team. "That was a bit rough." Asuna sighed, pulling out her Dream Eater book, "So, did I get anything?" She started flipping through the pages, but they then flipped themselves onto one of the Dream Eaters she had just fought; Juggle Pup. "Guess my enemy now becomes a friend." Asuna chuckled.

She was about to start the creation ceremony when the doors to the castle suddenly opened up by her. Asuna was startled as she and her Spirits backed off. She paused as she looked into the dark, torch-lit interior. No one was there. "Someone's asking me to come in." Asuna guessed, but the look of concern showed that she believed she was walking into a trap. Petal and Flambé came to Asuna's side as she closed the Dream Eater book. "I'll wait until it is safe, then I'll summon my new Dream Eater." Asuna told herself, and she walked into the castle.

---

She entered within, looking about. The entryway was large and circular, lit only by torches and the setting sun outside. There were two levels to this room, and Asuna could see multiple paths and stairs that led further into the castle.

Asuna had only taken a few steps before another Dream Eater appeared before her; A Ghostabocky. The monster's sudden appearance and type scared Asuna so badly, she shrieked in terror as she backed away. She still had a bad fear of ghost and plasma-based monsters in ALO. Two more Ghostabocky appeared right next to the first. Asuna shuddered in panic as she backed off, and her Spirits got in front of her, ready to fight the Nightmares.

"Enough!" boomed a man's voice. The Ghostabocky stopped approaching, and turned around. Asuna and her Spirits watched as a man entered into the room. He looked in his thirties or forties, with brown hair that reached his shoulders, along with a full beard on his face. He was dressed in a sort of half-armor, half-royalty garments. By the looks of the man, Asuna could see that this guy was a commander of some army, possibly the castle's guard.

The man stepped forward as the Ghostabocky parted to let him through. "I can see you are no human." the man told Asuna, "What are ye? Some magical creature from the Moors?" Asuna was hesitant on answering, partly because of the monsters behind him. "Answer me!" the man barked, making Asuna jump.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Asuna responded, "Please, can you send those things away. They scare me!"

"Only if ya send those creatures away as well." the man answered, pointing at Asuna's Spirits.

Petal and Flambé got angry for some reason, but Asuna said, "Don't worry. I'll take care of it." She pulled out their cards, and recalled the Spirits. When she placed the cards away, the man snapped his fingers, and the Ghostabocky vanished.

Asuna sighed in relief, then said, "Now that we have both lowered our guards, let us speak properly. My name is Asuna Yuuki. I…well, I am an Undine." Asuna guessed that due to her physical looks, she should play it safe than to call herself human.

"You still haven't answered my other question, yet." the man told her, "Are you a creature of the Moors, sent here by that foul fairy leader of yours?"

"I don't know anything about the Moors." Asuna stated, "I have only arrived on these lands just recently."

The man glared at Asuna, not sure whether to believe her or not. "I don't believe in you." he stated, "Is this a trick that Maleficent told you to do?"

Upon hearing her name, Asuna gasped in horror. "Maleficent?!" Asuna gasped, "You mean, she's here, too?!"

"So you know that evil fairy." the man scowled, "You were lying to me, after all!"

"No, I wasn't!" Asuna replied hastily, "I don't know anything about the Moors, at all. As for Maleficent, I do know her well, and I assure you she is no friend of mine. She has attacked me and my friends plenty of times."

After a moment's pause, the man said, "I see…I can see that look of anger upon hearing her name. The same anger that runs in my veins. She is a wingless devil that will attack my kingdom."

"Your kingdom?" Asuna questioned, "Does that mean…you're the king of the castle."

"Indeed, I am." the man answered, "I am King Stefan, lord of this kingdom and castle."

Now knowing who he was, Asuna was hesitant on what to do. "I'm very sorry, sir!" Asuna apologized, slowly kneeling on one knee to Stefan, "I didn't mean to approach your castle like this, knowing you feared people like me."

"There's no need for that." Stefan answered, "All you magical creatures try acting innocent, but have caused trouble for me, my kingdom, and my daughter."

"Your daughter?" Asuna questioned again, "What happened to your daughter?"

Stefan looked at Asuna with a stern expression, then replied, "Follow me. I'll show you what Maleficent has done to her." He turned around and led Asuna further into the castle, up the stairs. Asuna watched King Stefan from behind. While she could see that this guy was a foe to Maleficent, who's presence was hard to believe, she still felt something from the King. A dark sense of vengeance that seemed to emanate from him.

Asuna followed King Stefan as he led her through the corridors of the castle. Despite Nightmares appearing once in a while, they didn't seem to attack Stefan. On the contrary, they seemed to avoid him and Asuna.

"Why aren't the Nightmares attacking?" Asuna asked in confusion.

"They listen to me." Stefan answered, "When I was searching for a way to stop Maleficent, these creatures came to my side." Asuna looked about at the Nightmares. It was possible to make Spirit Dream Eaters obey you, but Nightmares? Asuna felt that maybe they would obey people in a different factor.

After several minutes of wandering through the castle, Stefan showed Asuna into a wooden double-door. Opening them, the two walked in to see a room that was highly decorated, made for someone of royalty. In the center of the room, three familiar fairies were flying in front of an open-curtained bed, which was occupied by someone. As Asuna drew closer, she saw a beautiful girl a couple years younger than her, with long-blond hair and a blue dress, motionless in the bed, with the sheet covering most of her body.

The three fairies turned to see who entered within. 'Are those the good fairies of Yen Sid's Tower?' Asuna thought to herself, 'They do look a lot different than before.'

"Your Majesty!" squeaked Knotgrass, who ushered Thistlewit and Flittle to her side. Stefan ignored them completely, leading Asuna to the bedside.

"Is this your daughter?" Asuna asked, seeing the girl's face.

"Yes. Her name is Aurora." Stefan answered. Asuna heard the name, then recalled something. According to Sora's dimension, Aurora was suppose to be one of the Princesses of Heart.

"Is she…dead?" Asuna asked, examining her.

"No, but she might as well be." Stefan answered, staring at her, "Sixteen years ago, Maleficent placed a curse on her. When the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she'll prick her finger on the needle of a spinning wheel, and fall into a sleep like death."

Stefan snarled, glaring at the three fairies. "The three of you were suppose to bring her back a day AFTER her birthday." he told them, "And yet, she came a day too early. Now, she sleeps."

"So, her birthday was today…" Asuna realized, seeing Aurora in her sleep. When she arrived, she saw the sun set. So the curse had only been placed on her moments ago.

"But she's only sleeping." Knotgrass assured him, "It could've been worse."

"She's only sleeping?" Stefan echoed in a hush tone, then barking, "She's only sleeping FOREVER!" This outburst frightened the three fairies.

"Is there any way of awakening her?" Asuna asked, "Surely, we can find a way to reverse the curse."

"Maleficent made it so no power in this world could break the curse." Stefan retorted, "She will never wake up from this sleep, ever again."

"Oh!" gasped Flittle, "But there is a way! True love's kiss."

"Yes, of course!" Knotgrass realized, "Maleficent made that the only way to wake Aurora from her sleep! We need someone to give her true love's kiss."

Asuna looked back at Aurora. For some odd reason, she imagined herself in Aurora's position, and Kirito standing over her. She blushed as she imagined him lowering himself to Asuna's lips, about to kiss her awake. That was when Stefan's words woke her from her imagination.

"True love doesn't exist." Stefan answered, "That's why Maleficent chose that as the only way to wake her up. She intends to torment me with discovering that cure for my daughter, knowing full well that there is no such thing."

"But it is the only way of waking Aurora up, your Majesty!" Thistlewit begged. Stefan scowled, then backhanded the blue fairy away. The blush marks that were on Asuna's face from her daydreaming disappeared, replaced with a frown. The king didn't have to go that far on hurting them.

"I don't want to hear any more from the lot of you!" Stefan snapped, "I must prepare the castle for when Maleficent arrives."

At this, Asuna looked confused. "What? Why would Maleficent come here?" she asked, "If the curse was done, what more will she want to do here?"

"She intends to torment me more, strip me of everything I have!" Stefan answered, "I will not let her do that. I will set up the traps, barricade the walls, and prepare my army for when she arrives!" Stefan whipped his head to Asuna. "As for you, if what you say is true, you will protect Aurora here. Do not step out of this room. Should Maleficent arrive, defend her with your life!" Asuna nodded in understanding. With that, Stefan walked out of the room, closing the doors behind him and locking them up, preventing the others to escape.

"The king certainly is full of vengeance for Maleficent." Asuna noticed, "I get the feeling that there is more to his anger than just his daughter sleeping like this." She turned to the three fairies, who were comforting Thistlewit with her injury. "Are you okay?" she asked the blue fairy.

"She'll be fine." Knotgrass answered.

"Ooh, who does that king think he is?!" Thistlewit moaned, "I know he was upset about Aurora, but even so…"

"Tell me, how well do you know the king and Aurora?" Asuna asked the trio.

"You see, King Stefan has been the ruler of this kingdom for over sixteen years." Flittle answered.

"Yes, and when Aurora was born, we came here to give her gifts of beauty and grace." Knotgrass added, "However, Maleficent also came and place the curse upon Aurora, as well. The king then issued a proclamation to burn every spinning wheel, and send us with Aurora to take care of her in secret for sixteen years and a day."

"So you have been taking care of her all this time?" Asuna asked, looking at Aurora, "But why did you bring her here a day too soon?"

"We didn't!" Thistlewit answered, "She arrived home one day when we were about to celebrate her birthday, when she said she will be living on her own from now on! After everything we had done for her for so long!"

"So we had no choice but to tell her then about the curse upon her." Knotgrass followed, "She did not take it well, at all. So she returned to the kingdom again on her own."

"So in other words, it wasn't your fault." Asuna summed up, "But things really don't add up. If Aurora knew about the curse, why would she return to the castle? And why would Maleficent want to come here?"

"Because Stefan did something to Maleficent in order to make him king." Flittle answered, "He took Maleficent's wings."

"Wings?" Asuna questioned, "I didn't even know she had any." After a moment of silence, Asuna recalled that she was gonna make the Dream Eater. "I guess while I'm waiting, I can set up my team a bit." she told herself, going into an open part of the room.

She pulled out the Juggle Pup recipe, and placed the necessary Dream Pieces to make it, which composed of Vibrant and Wondrous Fantasies. She didn't have a lot of either, so she added one of her Blizzard spells to the mix. Afterwards, she backed off, ready. "Dream Eater, beckon to my side." Asuna chanted, "Come forth, and fight with me against Nightmares!" The ingredients spun around and came together, then there was a flash of light, a puff of smoke, and Asuna's new Dream Eater appeared.

The Juggle Pup Spirit was similar in body structure as the Nightmare versions. It was a seal-like creature that had flippers for arms and legs, and stood on two feet. Its' face, ears arms and the tips of its' feet were dark brown. It looked like it was wearing a skin-tight suit and hood that was yellow, magenta on the top half, blue down to its' legs, and the Spirit symbol on its' belly. Its' eyes were blue. It wore a bright bowtie under its' chin, and a yellow-striped ball in one hand.

The Juggle Pup bounced on its' belly as it appeared, then looked to Asuna, and rubbed its' head in embarrassment. "You are a cute Dream Eater, much better looking than your Nightmare versions." Asuna pointed out, "Now what should I name you?" The Juggle Pup started balancing the ball on its' arms, then tossed it up, and placed it on its' nose. "How about I call you 'Ashika'." Asuna asked, "In Japanese, it means 'sea lion'. Does that sound good to you?" The Juggle Pup bounced the ball up, and swallowed it. It rubbed its' belly, then with one hand, produced another ball. "I'll take that as a yes." Asuna assumed.

Asuna pulled out her Dream Eater cards, and pulled each of their link boards up. From the battles in Nanoha's world to the ones she dealt with here, each of her Spirits racked up about 600 Link Points each, with the acception of Ashika.

Asuna started with Pina. She boosted her own stamina and magic power, boosted magic speed twice, increased thunder-attack damage, and gained access to the Sleepra spell. This left Asuna with two more powers to gain from the Link Board, one of which she needed to link with Pina once more to gain access to.

Asuna worked next on Petal. She boosted her stamina again, increased magic speed, increased her healing spells twice, resistance to water attacks twice, and gained the Blizzara and Blizzaga spell, leaving only one power remaining to gain on Petal's Link Board.

From Flambé, Asuna could see that, like Pina, she needed to link with the Spirit once more in order to gain access to another part of the board. While she couldn't do that, she instead went another route on the board. She boosted her attack, magic and defense power, boosted item's strength twice, improved resistance to fire attacks twice, increased fire-based attacks power, and gained access to the Aerial Slam technique.

Finally was Ashika. The Spirit's Link Board was completely confusing, composed of mystery panels. Asuna tried one route, but it went nowhere. She tried another, which led to the Baloonra spell to gain. She used the last bit to unlock two mystery panels, in which one went nowhere while the other gained a new route to an ability she couldn't gain yet.

With the Link Boards set up, Asuna checked to see what she got on her Command Pad. She noticed that she could only increase her magic speed at a max to five times, despite gaining it four times from Pina and two times from Petal. She could also see that Sleep Block can only be used once, despite Pina and Petal both having it. This drew the conclusion that Asuna should organize her team when she needs to in order to get an appropriate balance of strength from the three Dream Eaters that'll give her the stat boosts. However, since Ashika didn't have any stats for Asuna to gain boosts from, Asuna kept Petal and Flambé still out, with Pina in reserves, and Ashika to hold off until it gains more experience and Link Points.

As for her attacks, Asuna knew that she had plenty to choose from, with only able to pick five. She definitely chose Cura and her Linear Rapier Skill, and chose Thunder for the great Thunder Boosts she got. She also chose Blizzaga due to how strong she knew the third-level spells were, and couldn't decide between Aerial Slam, or Baloonra. In the end, she knew she was better with magic, so she chose Baloonra, deciding to use Aerial Slam when she gained a new Command slot.

Asuna looked outside. Night had fallen. "I know King Stefan told me to stay here, but I also know how dangerous Maleficent is." Asuna pointed out, turning to the fairies, "Do you think Stefan can really beat her?"

"I believe so." Thistlewit answered, "I noticed how much iron Stefan fortified the castle with, which means he knows that iron burns fairies." Asuna didn't know about that weakness.

"Even so, I can't just stand around here all night." Asuna pointed out, turning to the door, "I got to get out there and fight Maleficent, too." Asuna knew she could just unlock the door with her Keyblade, but she also knew that Stefan had those Ghostabocky in the corridors, as she witnessed. They would not only scare Asuna, but also alert Stefan to what she was doing.

"Hey, look at this!" cried Flittle. The group turned to see Flittle lifting up one side of the large tapestry hanging across one wall, revealing…

"A secret door!" Asuna gasped, racing to Flittle's side.

"Well done!" Knotgrass commended Flittle, then to Asuna, "With this, I'm sure you will be able to sneak around those terrible monsters!" Asuna nodded in agreement. She opened the door slightly, and squeezed herself out. It was time to find Maleficent before she would complete whatever she came here for.

---

Asuna found herself in a small room, her body shadowed from view from the corridors outside of it. Asuna crept along the wall, and peered around to see the main door to Aurora's room. She was right not to go through, as two Ghostabocky were guarding it. Asuna sighed in relief, then looked ahead into the dark corridors. Asuna noticed a Ghostabocky roaming the corridor ahead.

"I can't just race down the corridor willy-nilly." Asuna told herself placing herself back into the shadows, "Those ghosts will definitely find me." She looked around the corridor again, and saw where all the torch-lit areas were in the corridor, along with where all the dark parts were. "Maybe it's time for a little stealth." Asuna muttered, pulling out her Command Pad, "And just in case, I'll add the Sleepra spell into my attacks. I'll replace it with Baloonra for now, and return it, later."

Asuna snuck out of the place she was hiding, racing towards the shadows. She made it to one part, then scurried over to another shadowy part of the corridor. Asuna could see the Ghostabocky closing in on her position. She was terrified, and placed her hands on her mouth to prevent being heard. The Ghostabocky stopped nearby, looked about, then continued to move along the hallway. Once it was far enough off, Asuna crept away from her spot, thankful the Ghostabocky didn't see or hear her.

It took Asuna a while as she snuck around the place, avoiding any Nightmare eyes from seeing her. She almost alerted a Ghostabocky when she stumbled on some loose carpeting, but she used her Sleepra spell to avoid getting seen. She also could not use any flashy attacks, including Flowmotion. She also couldn't summon her Spirits at any given time. Either way, she was on her own for the moment.

It felt like an hour later before Asuna made it to the stone walls with holes that showed the outside. Asuna looked along the path ahead. No Ghostabocky, or any other Nightmares. "Finally, some rest." Asuna sighed, fully relaxing herself after tensing up throughout the sneaking. She pulled out her Command Pad, and returned Baloonra back to her attacks.

Asuna looked out the window. She could see the front of the castle, along with the castle bridge she fought across. "Good, I can get a clear view of what's going on around here." Asuna told herself, "Now all I have to do is wait."

Asuna quick-stepped along the corridor, going from open window to window as she got a better and better view of the front bridge. She stopped at one window that was directly above the bridge, watching and waiting.

As she waited, she started to think about the whole situation she was in. She was teaming up with a king that had the power to make Nightmares obey him, and was protecting one of the Princesses of Heart from Maleficent, who according to Stefan was suppose to arrive tonight. While several things seemed out of place, Asuna had one clear thought about something Stefan said before. "Why did the king believe that true love doesn't exist?" Asuna voiced her thoughts, "Surely, if Maleficent casted a curse that had a way to wake Aurora up, there must be such a thing as 'true love', right?"

"That's the thing about villains." said a voice next to her, "They never play fair, now do they?" Asuna tensed up at this. She knew that voice. However, unlike Gouxus' voice, this one was familiar in a good way. Asuna turned slowly to her left. Standing next to her, dressed in the Organization's coat, was a boy with light-green hair cut in a bob-like style, with a pair of strands on top that looked like fountain streams.

The boy turned and smiled at Asuna, who looked shock as she saw him. "Recon!" she gasped.

"It's been a while, Asuna." Recon told her.

"How…I mean, where did you come from?!" Asuna gasped, "Last time I heard, you got sealed up behind the Doors to Darkness."

"Yeah, well I managed to get out thanks to somebody." Recon answered calmly, "He's helping me achieve my goal right now to protect Leafa, and that's why I'm here."

Asuna was amazed at this. Was this possible? Could Recon really have entered the Sleeping Worlds? Who was it that saved him from the darkness? Why was he wearing the Organization's coat? And how could he be so calm after seeing Asuna? There were too many questions circulating Asuna's head.

Before Asuna could start questioning, Recon said, "Look, here she comes." Asuna looked towards where Recon was looking. Nearing the castle, walking along the bridge, was none other than Maleficent herself, dressed in black attire and a cloak wrapped around her. Walking along with her was a man with messy black hair, dressed in his own dark attire. Floating unconscious behind the two was a young man who's attire looked like he was made for royalty.

"It's Maleficent." Asuna noticed, "Looks like Stefan was right. But still, I wonder why she would come here?"

"To torment the king of the castle, of course." Recon answered simply, "He intends to protect his daughter with every bit of arsenal he has, including you. And yet, he doesn't believe his daughter will awaken. It kinda reminds me of how I would protect Leafa, no matter what condition she was in."

Asuna looked confused as she turned to Recon. "Are you doing okay, Recon?" she asked, "You sound different than how I remember."

"The darkness gives you time to reflect on your own personality, and change it in some ways." Recon answered, "I had to do so in order to survive. But none of that matters now. Maleficent is the bigger deal here."

"I guess." Asuna agreed haphazardly, "But even if we stop her, that won't help us wake Aurora up."

"Not exactly." Recon retorted, "Remember, she's the one that casted the curse. So if she were defeated, surely the curse would lift, right?"

Asuna thought about it. In some cases, what Recon said did make sense. If Asuna took care of the source, the curse would probably lift. Even so, something about all of this felt wrong. Mainly because of Recon. His presence, and his attitude were things she didn't expect to see. However, as she noticed how close Maleficent was approaching, Asuna knew she had to act.

"I'd better stop her, now!" Asuna decided. She squeezed herself through the open window, landing on the ledge below it, and leaping off to descend in front of Maleficent. She landed directly between the evil fairy and the door, crouching from the fall, but standing herself up straight again.

Maleficent and her cohorts stopped in their tracks, surprised at Asuna's sudden appearance in front of them. "You stop right there, Maleficent!" Asuna shouted at her, producing her Keyblade.

"Get out of my way, girl." Maleficent ordered, then said, "Hold on, you are not human. Why are you protecting this kingdom?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Asuna snarled, "I don't know why you're here, but I do know your evilness stops here!"

Asuna unleashed her Blizzaga spell towards her, which was a much larger chunk of ice than it was when it was Blizzard. Maleficent raised her hand, unleashing fire towards her attack. The two attacks collided, canceling each other out.

Asuna charged forward, making her Keyblade glow as she prepared a Linear attack. Maleficent raised her staff, and suddenly, Asuna was pushed back by an unknown force, flailing in the air and over the bridge. Asuna saw herself descending, recovered in midair, and air-slid back onto the bridge again.

"I won't fall for a trick like that!" Asuna barked, raising her Keyblade, and sending a Thunder spell right on top of Maleficent, shocking her and making the two men back away. "Now!" Asuna declared, unleashing Balloonra. She summoned multiple large balloons around herself. She waved her Keyblade towards Maleficent, and the balloons homed in on her. She just recovered from the Thunder when Maleficent saw the attack coming. She produced a wall of green flames to protect herself. It stopped four of the balloons, but they dissolved the flames, allowing the other Balloonra attack to hit Maleficent, making her topple over.

Asuna stood at the ready as Maleficent struggled to get back onto her feet again. "Maleficent!" the man with black hair called out.

"This isn't your fight, Diaval. Stay back." Maleficent retorted.

Asuna stood there, ready to continue fighting. But then, she lowered her guard. "Something's off, here." she spoke up, "You don't have the same evil aura as I remember. In fact, I feel as if you aren't the same Maleficent I know at all. You won't let that man interfere with our fight, nor have you summoned any backup. Plus, the fact you are coming to this castle is also strange, too. Aurora is already asleep, so what more do you have to gain?"

Maleficent looked at Asuna, wondering if she should answer her question. Finally, she said, "I don't know what you think of me as 'evil'. I only wish to gain something that I don't want to lose, and that's all."

"What would that be?" Asuna questioned her.

"Aurora." Maleficent answered, "I wish to wake her up again."

Asuna was taken aback. "You…want to wake her from the sleep YOUR curse put her in?" she questioned.

"That's right." Maleficent answered, turning to the unconscious person, still floating in midair, "This boy is a prince. He had met Aurora at one point before. Diaval believes he might be able to break the curse." The man called Diaval nodded in agreement.

"I don't buy it." Asuna retorted, "Why are you trying to wake her up?"

"Because she, too, took something precious from me." Maleficent answered, looking up at the castle with a sympathetic gaze, "Something that made me regret ever putting her in that sleep in the first place."

Asuna was now both confused and hesitant. Maleficent, regretful? She couldn't believe one bit that Maleficent would ever be such a person. Then again, Asuna vocally pointed out that something was completely off about her. It was as if she was a completely different person from the Maleficent she knew before.

"Maleficent, the guard has been recalled within the castle." Diaval warned her, "If we enter in there, there's a high chance we might never make it out alive."

"Then don't go." Maleficent answered, "I can enter in there on my own. At least…" she turned to Asuna, "…if you would let me pass."

Asuna glared at Maleficent for a few seconds. Finally, not sure if she was making the right decision, she turned to the large doors into the castle, and waved her Keyblade. A beam of light shot out, hitting the doors, and they slowly opened up for them. "This doesn't mean I believe in your words." Asuna assured Maleficent harshly, "However, if you think you can wake Aurora from her sleep, then I'll lead you there. I just hope you won't make me regret it." She walked right into the castle again, with Maleficent, Diaval and the sleeping prince following her from behind.

---

Up at the window, Recon watched Asuna leading Maleficent in. "Guess we'll see whether Asuna is gonna trust her enemy, or backstab her." he told himself, "Oh, well. I can't stay around too long. I got to go see Leafa again. I can't let her be lonely in this trial." Recon produced a black portal, and he leisurely walked into it, closing the portal behind.

---

Asuna led Maleficent, Diaval and the sleeping prince up the stairs, onto the floor where Aurora's room was at. She snuck around the corner, seeing the Ghostabocky still floating about, and hid back in the shadows. "Dang it! Those Nightmares are still roaming about." Asuna whispered, "If we alert those things here, we'll be in big trouble."

Maleficent rounded the corner, seeing the monster aways from her, then whisked her hand forward, sending a yellow dust at the Ghostabocky. It suddenly fell asleep, floating in midair. "Well, I guess there's that way." Asuna assumed, and she joined up with Maleficent, with the boys following behind.

"Seems to me Stefan isn't too keen of you, either." Maleficent stated.

"Yeah, well it wasn't that." Asuna retorted, "I was put on guard duty inside Aurora's room, but I snuck out to find you. He doesn't seem to like anyone who isn't human, no matter how much they look the part."

Maleficent continued to put the Nightmares asleep as they continued down the corridor, mainly in silence. "Tell me something." Asuna broke the silence, "What was it that Aurora took that was so precious, you regretted ever putting her to sleep?"

Maleficent paused as they reached a corner. "She took the last bit of happiness I have ever had." she answered, "You see, although I did place that curse on her, she came to me, without fear, calling me her fairy godmother."

Asuna looked to her incredulously. "Okay, I know you are joking." Asuna stated, "Did she really know you were the one that had cursed her?"

"No. She didn't know about the curse until only recently." Maleficent answered, "I watched her grow, with grace, beauty and kindness. I ended up starting to care for the little beastie. I even so much as tried to reverse the curse myself."

"What happened?" Asuna asked, "Couldn't you have done it?"

Maleficent shook her head. "I made it so no power in this world could stop it, not even my own." she explained, "Even so, Aurora wanted to stay with me in the Moors, spend time with me. She said she would tell her aunts that she would be doing just that."

'So THAT must be what she meant when she said she wanted to live on her own.' Asuna realized.

"However, when she returned, she had learned too much…" Maleficent stated, looking ahead of her.

---

(Flashback) Aurora had just approached Maleficent on the edge of the Moors, looking concern. "When were you going to tell me that I was cursed?" Aurora asked her, sad by the news she gained, "Is it really true?"

Maleficent looked down at her for a second before replying, "Yes, it is."

Aurora looked down, recalling what the three fairies explained to her. "They said that it was an evil fairy that placed a curse on me when I was a baby." she muttered, "It was hard to remember her name. What was it?"

This time, Maleficent was the hesitant one, then she answered, "Maleficent."

Aurora looked up at her, tears forming in her eyes. "Is that you?" she sobbed, "Are you really Maleficent?"

The fairy closed her eyes, then opened them. "Aurora, I…" she started to reach out.

"Keep away from me!" Aurora barked, backing away, "You're the evil that is in this world! It's you!" She turned and ran off, disappearing into the forest, leaving Maleficent standing there, feeling remorse for what she had done. She had to do something. Diaval, in raven form, was standing on a branch near her.

"Find the boy." she ordered the raven, who nodded and took off. Maleficent looked back at where Aurora left. She had to undo what she had brought upon her. (Flashback end)

---

Asuna looked at Maleficent's face, seeing her close her eyes, recalling that painful moment. She opened them again. "I made it so that only true love can break the curse." Maleficent stated, "Though, I don't think such a thing exists in this world." Diaval looked at Maleficent with concern.

"We'll find out soon enough, shall we?" Asuna stated, walking along the path, "I may not know what true love is, but I know it exists."

Maleficent watched Asuna leave, with Diaval right next to her. "At least she has hope for her." he told Maleficent. "I can only hope you are both right about the boy." Maleficent told Diaval before following Asuna again.

After a while, Asuna and Maleficent rounded another corner to see the two Ghostabocky standing guard over Aurora's room. Asuna was about to let Maleficent have a go at them when suddenly the two Nightmare screeched, and more Nightmares, comprised of Komory Bats and Sir Kyroo, appeared at the doors. Asuna waved Maleficent back, then watched and listened carefully on the Nightmares. "I think they're going to enter Aurora's room!" Asuna realized, "They're going by their nature, and taking away her dreams!" Asuna raced towards the Nightmares, summoning Petal and Flambé to her side. "Take care of the ghosts! I'll handle the rest!" Asuna ordered her Dream Eaters before going in.

The battle didn't take very long, what with Asuna's powerful magic and her Dream Eater's teamwork. After a short minute, the trio cleared out the doorway. Asuna had placed her Keyblade away, when she saw the prince floating towards her thanks to Maleficent's magic. Asuna looked to Maleficent, then realized what she was planning.

Asuna crept next to the door, and knocked softly. "Hey, it's me, Asuna!" Asuna whispered inside.

On the other side of the door, both Flittle and Thistlewit were sitting with their backs to the door, and Knotgrass was flying back and forth. They perked up when Asuna called to them. "It's her!" Flittle gasped.

"She's returned!" Thistlewit followed, the three fairies grouping together at the door.

"Have you fought against Maleficent?" Knotgrass asked, "Did you defeat her?"

"Well, yes and no, and in that order." Asuna answered, looking back at Maleficent and Diaval, and to the prince floating behind her, "But that can be explained later. I think I have a way of breaking Aurora's curse."

Just then, Maleficent waved her fingers, and the prince awoke. A second later, he fell to the floor, grunting from impact. Asuna flinched from the abrupt awakening. 'Not the most subtle way of waking someone, Maleficent.' she thought to herself.

The prince tilted his head around, and saw Asuna. "Who are you?" the prince asked.

"I'm Asuna." she answered, "I need your help with something."

Just then, the fairies opened the door, revealing each group to one another, excluding Maleficent and Diaval. The prince looked at everyone, then rose to his feet. "I dare say, where did you bring me to?" he asked.

"This is King Stefan's castle." Asuna answered.

The prince looked about, realizing where he was. "I was suppose to come here to see the King." he stated, "My father is King John of Ulstead. My name is Phillip."

"He's a prince." Asuna told the fairies, "Maybe he might be able to break the curse."

"A prince!" gasped the three fairies.

Asuna ushered Prince Phillip into the room, then without anyone noticing, Asuna turned to Maleficent and her servant, signaling them to take the side route before entering into Aurora's room, closing the door behind.

The fairies were pushing the prince over to Aurora's bedside. Asuna joined the group as Phillip saw the sleeping girl's face. "I know her." he realized, "It's Aurora."

"He knows her." Flittle realized.

"Why is she sleeping?" Phillip asked.

"She's trapped in an enchantment." Knotgrass explained.

"She won't wake up unless someone gives her true love's kiss." Asuna followed. She turned to see Maleficent and Diaval sneak into the room, hiding behind a foggy glass dress screen.

"Do you want to kiss her?" Flittle asked the prince.

"But I barely know her." Phillip answered, "I only met her once."

"Haven't you ever heard of love at first sight?!" Thistlewit asked, "Go on, kiss her!" Phillip looked to the three fairies, then to Asuna, and down at Aurora. He paused for a second, then slowly lowered his head to her, and kissed her on the lips. It was sweet and gentle, and only last for a second. The girls waited baited breath for any signs of movement from Aurora. However, there was nothing. She was still asleep.

"It didn't work?" Asuna asked, puzzled.

"You didn't do it properly!" Knotgrass scolded the prince.

"It was suppose to be a kiss of true love!" Flittle moaned. Prince Phillip looked up at Asuna, who closed her eyes, sad that it didn't work. The three frustrated fairies were pulling on Phillip, taking him out of the room. They opened the doors, threw him outside, and followed him as they closed the door behind, leaving Asuna, Maleficent, Diaval and the sleeping Aurora alone.

Asuna looked up as she heard Maleficent round the screen into view. "I told you it doesn't exist." she told Asuna, who glared back at her.

"Don't blame me for it not working." Asuna retorted, stepping towards the evil fairy, "At least I believe it exists. You caused her to be placed in this state."

Maleficent looked back at Asuna's face, then looked to Aurora with a sympathetic expression. She walked past Asuna as she approached the princess' bedside. Diaval walked right next to Asuna, both of them watching her as Maleficent looked down at Aurora's face.

"I will not ask for your forgiveness, because what I had done to you is something that cannot be forgiven." she muttered to Aurora, "I was blinded by my hatred and revenge for what this kingdom had done to me. I lost so much of my heart, and what was left was given to you. Now I lost you, and I cannot bring you back. I swear to you that no harm will come to you, as long as I live. And not a day will pass when I don't miss your smile."

As Asuna heard Maleficent's speech, she started to see more and more of who Maleficent was. The more she heard, the more she felt sorry for Maleficent. After all the things she had heard about Aurora and Maleficent before, from the king taking Maleficent's wings, to Aurora's love, to the curse that was placed in revenge, and to the regret that the caster had felt, Asuna could truly see the chain of events that had transpired, and knew that Maleficent was not the same evil one as she knew. This was also proven as she saw Maleficent shed a tear for the sleeping princess.

Maleficent lowered herself to Aurora, kissing her on the forehead. Asuna looked to Diaval, who looked down, feeling sad for Maleficent's loss. Asuna turned to Aurora as Maleficent turned away from her bed, then gasped. Aurora's eyes opened up.

She looked up at Maleficent, then muttered, "Hello, godmother."

Maleficent stopped and turned to Aurora, and a motherly smile grew on her face. "Hello, beastie." she stifled back. Aurora smiled brightly, happy to be awakened. Maleficent was just as much so.

Diaval and Asuna were enjoying this reunion of the pair. "Maleficent broke her own enchantment." Asuna stated.

"There was no truer love." Diaval added.

Asuna looked to Diaval, then back at the pair. He was right. True love doesn't just come from two lovers. True love also can be made by a mother and her daughter, whether they were biologically one or not. Asuna smiled at this. "And she even thought there was no such thing as true love." Asuna muttered, amused and grateful for Maleficent, who she finally was able to trust.

Maleficent helped Aurora out of her bed, and walked her over to Asuna and Diaval. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Asuna greeted the princess, "I know you don't know me, but I'm here to help you. I'm Asuna."

"Pleasure to meet you." Aurora greed her. Asuna looked at Maleficent, smiling.

"Looks like we're done here." Asuna told Maleficent, "We'd better leave before King Stefan finds out you're here." Maleficent agreed with this. Together, the team left the room, not knowing of what was to come next.

Going outside, they noticed the three good fairies weren't around outside. Nor was Prince Phillip. Not even the Ghostabocky that were wandering the corridors were stationed there anymore.

"I got a bad feeling about this." Asuna muttered, summoning Pina and Flambé to her side.

"This might not be anything, but I found this." Diaval stated, handing Asuna something, "Perhaps you might be able to use it." It was a ball of light that entered her Command Pad. Asuna pulled it out, revealing a new attack.

"It's my 'Quadruple Pain' Rapier Skill." Asuna noticed, "I know that will come in handy for me." Asuna replaced her Linear with her Quadruple Pain.

Aurora looked to Maleficent. "Are we going back to the Moors?" she asked her.

"If that is what you wish." Maleficent responded.

"We might be attacked if we attempt to escape." Diaval warned the group.

"Then let's not take the direct route." Asuna stated, looking towards the direction that did not lead to the front doors, "We should see where this way goes." Asuna led the team as they quietly walked through the corridors.

The walk through the castle was quiet and still. Nothing could be heard but what came from the team's footsteps. Maleficent had Diaval turn into a raven just to be safe. There were no signs of Nightmares, nor any sign of guards. All was still. Asuna could clearly see that this was a trap. Question was, where was the trap gonna be?

Asuna and Maleficent led the team into one of the higher levels of the castle, into a marble-floored room. Based on the small steps towards the decorated chair in front of a stain-glass window, she could see that this was the throne room. Asuna quietly walked ahead, looking about to see if it was all clear. She couldn't see anyone else here. Maleficent was close behind her, and Diaval flew above them. Maleficent turned to Aurora, waving to have her come with her.

Asuna had just passed the center of the room when she detected something. Asuna stopped, and looked up. She heard the sound of something being released from above. It was a large, iron net. It collapsed itself onto Maleficent, causing her to collapse onto the floor. The iron started to burn Maleficent's body as she roared in pain.

"Maleficent!" Asuna cried as she and Aurora came racing towards her.

Just then, multiple Nightmares started appearing all around the three ladies. Asuna and Aurora turned around, seeing the enemies around them. Along with the Sir Kyroo and Ghostabocky, there were also Yoggy Ram and a new Dream Eater called a Peepsta Hoo. Maleficent was struggling to lift the heavy net off of her, but the weight combined with burning pain made it impossible for her to break free.

"We gotta protect Maleficent and Aurora!" Asuna told her Spirits. Diaval crowed angrily, ready to do something to help.

Asuna started attacking the Nightmares left and right, unleashing every technique she had under the book to take them out, from the magic spells to her Quadruple Pain Rapier Skill, which not only struck four times on a single opponent very quickly, but also stunned the targets. She also utilized the Flowmotion by spinning around the columns or leaping off the walls towards the Nightmares. She even performed the Reality Shift 'Rageblaze', which sent green flames crossing every which-way depending on where she set them. The Nightmares just kept coming, attempting to attack Maleficent and Aurora.

After several minutes, Asuna was still seeing multiple Nightmares surrounding them, still going after their targets. "There is just no end to them!" Asuna cried out exasperatedly. Aurora tried helping Maleficent with the chains, but they were too heavy for her.

Maleficent was in so much pain, she had begun to grown dizzy. She was barely keeping consciousness as she saw Diaval flying above her view. She shakily rose a hand and muttered, "Into a dragon." Her hands glowed yellow, and Diaval instantly grew into a monstrous size. Diaval transformed into a real-life dragon, complete with scales, horns, large wings, and of course, fire breath. Asuna and Aurora were shocked at this sudden transformation.

Diaval looked disbelievingly at his transformation, then quickly adapted, shooting flames out at the Nightmares, destroying all of them. Asuna and Aurora ducked under the flames, then moved out of the way as Diaval used its' newfound strength to lift the iron net off of Maleficent with his teeth, freeing her.

Asuna and Aurora were at the stairs as they saw Maleficent rise to her feet. She turned to see more Nightmares appearing, along with a larger, more threatening Nightmare that looked like a gargoyle with rainbow-colored wings that resembled the stain-glass windows of the castle. Underneath that flying Nightmare was a man wearing heavy iron armor, flailing a long chain in one hand, and carrying a sword in the other.

Due to the destructive power of Dragon Diaval, Asuna and Maleficent worried for Aurora's safety. "Asuna, take Aurora and run!" Maleficent ordered. Asuna nodded, and she pulled Aurora away with her, racing up the stairs towards the higher floors.

Maleficent turned back to the horde, seeing the man slowly enter the room with his Nightmare above him, which looked like it was gonna challenge Diaval. 'Stefan.' Maleficent realized, knowing who was wearing that full armor.

"Time to meet your end, Maleficent." the King said through the helmet, readying to attack.

---

Up the stairs, Asuna and her Spirits led Aurora into a small room. Asuna let Aurora further in. "I'd better go and help Maleficent." Asuna told Aurora, "You stay here."

"But I can't just stand here and do nothing." Aurora retorted, "I want to help my godmother."

"I understand completely." Asuna responded, "But Maleficent and Diaval won't be able to handle long against those beasts, especially that big one. Besides, Maleficent wants you to be safe, so do just that." Aurora wasn't satisfied with that. She wanted to help out more.

Just then, Petal cried out to the girls. They turned to see Petal bouncing up and down, then looking up at a glass case with a wooden frame above it. The two looked at what was inside of it. It looked like a pair of large, feathery wings, hung like a trophy.

The two creeped closer to the wings, amazed. "What king of bird had these wings?" Asuna asked, seeing them.

"They're not bird wings." Aurora realized, "They're fairy wings."

Asuna looked from Aurora to the wings. For a second, she didn't know what she meant. Then suddenly, it dawned upon her. "Of course! These were the wings that Stefan took from Maleficent!" she gasped, recalling what the fairies told her.

Aurora stepped forward to wiped the glass to see the wings. She examined them for a second, then without warning, the wings started to ruffle on their own, startling the girls. "They're still alive!" Asuna cried out, watching the wings desperately attempting to free themselves from the container.

Aurora looked all about the cage, then turned to Asuna. "We need to release these wings." she told her, "They might return to their master."

"Maleficent will be given her wings, huh?" Asuna questioned, "Okay, then." Asuna readied herself, then unleashed her Quadruple Pain on the glass container. She struck quickly and strongly, shattering the glass and the wood frame, releasing the wings. They started flapping in the air by themselves.

"Return to my godmother!" Aurora begged, "She needs you again!" The wings responded by flying out of the room.

"C'mon! Let's see from a different level!" Asuna told Aurora, and the two took off out of the door, heading to the floor above.

---

Meanwhile, down below, things were not looking so good. Diaval was being overwhelmed by the large beast that was controlled by Stefan. It has used its' chains and gun arms to bind and hold down Diaval. Maleficent couldn't escape the surrounding Nightmares, which had formed a circle around her and the armored Stefan, who had removed his mask.

"How does it feel to be a fairy creature without wings, being defeated by creatures who are just as foul as the rest of ya?" Stefan taunted Maleficent, "You don't belong in this world! It is time I take you out!" Stefan whipped his chain at her, sending her flying over the Nightmares, collapsing onto the steps of the throne.

Maleficent rose onto her knees, injured by the iron-weapon attack. Stefan pulled out his sword, ready to strike her with it. She knew she was defenseless. Diaval wasn't able to help. Asuna was helping Aurora. She was too injured to move. Stefan's angry face drew near, about to plunge it into her.

Just then, Maleficent gasped as her back grew brightly. Her wings have arrived, fusing themselves back into where they were before. They spread themselves out as Maleficent rose to her feet. The wings then began to flap, lifting Maleficent into the air. She looked at them, amazed and happy to see her wings back where they belong.

"How in the…?" Stefan started, looking about.

"King Stefan!" shouted Asuna's voice. Up in the balcony of throne room, Asuna and Aurora stood there, hanging over the ledge to see everything that had transpired. Everyone looked up at the two. Stefan was shocked to see Aurora, awake and well, and see the fairy girl next to her.

"There's no need for this!" Asuna told the king, "Aurora's awake thanks to Maleficent. The wings you stole from Maleficent are returned back to their proper owner. You have no more quarrel with one another! Let this battle end!"

Stefan looked from the two in the balcony, to Maleficent, and back to her. "What right do you have to tell me it is over?!" Stefan roared, pulsing with a dark aura, "You are just a blue-haired, traitorous fairy creature!" The Nightmare's eyes flashed, and it recoiled its' arms and chains, freeing Diaval. It flew itself up to the second level, roaring at the two girls.

"Aurora!" Maleficent called out, about to fly to her aid.

"Not so fast, you!" barked Stefan, whipping its' chain out, wrapping it around her leg, preventing her to reach the others.

The Nightmare roared as it charged at Asuna and Aurora. Asuna pulled a yelping Aurora down as it shot over them, blasting out of the glass doors and windows, causing a large, gaping hole leading outside. Asuna rose to her feet. "I'll end this beast!" Asuna snapped, and she charged out to face the best.

She arrived on the castle's upper bailey, the Nightmare flapping over the side of it. Asuna pulled out her book, revealing the Nightmare's identity. "The Wargoyle, and the winged type." Asuna noticed, "Based on what the book says, you're a tough customer." The Nightmare roared out as Asuna summoned Petal and Flambé to join her. "Bring it!" Asuna shouted, the team ready to fight the Nightmare.

(Cue KHDDD OST 'Majestic Wings)

The Wargoyle started out by shooting large, diamond-shaped bullets down at Asuna and her Spirits. She dodged them, with Petal and Flambé avoiding the attack, as well. It shot the same bullets a few more times, redirecting its' aim every single time towards Asuna. It was finally able to strike Asuna, sending her flying backwards. Asuna skidded to a halt, and fired a Blizzaga spell right back, striking hard and damaging the Wargoyle.

The Wargoyle flew in with, igniting its' flames. It brought its' fist down upon Asuna, but she avoided it in time. Asuna then retaliated with a Thunder spell, followed by a double attack of fireballs from Flambé and explosive dandelions from Petal.

Wargoyle whipped its' tail around, striking the two Dream Eaters and taking off into the sky again. Asuna raced after it, but the Wargoyle turned around and ignited its' whole body this time, and barreled at the tricked Asuna, sending her flying. Asuna cried out in pain, and Petal heard the cry. It healed Asuna with its' Curaga spell, restoring Asuna's strength.

"Thanks!" Asuna thanked her partner, "Now to retaliate!" She did a midair dash towards the Wargoyle, who readied to attack again. Asuna unleashed her Balloonra spell, and sending the balloons homing in on the Wargoyle, who fired a spiraling fireball. It clashed, causing a massive eruption. However, one balloon was able to survive, and hit the Wargoyle. It didn't do much, but it did enrage the beast.

Asuna kept firing from a distance with her spells, while the Wargoyle kept going back and forth from close range to long range, from fiery punches, tail whips and barreling charges, to firing diamond-shaped bullets and fireballs from afar. Asuna could see that this Wargoyle was fast, powerful, and preferably wanting to attack over the side, which prevented Asuna from getting in close. Even her Dream Eaters couldn't reach it with their attacks all the time.

"There has to be a way of getting to that beast in the air." Asuna told herself, "If only I had a pair of wings, too." The Wargoyle ignited itself, and was just charging at Asuna when a blast of rubble came from below. It was the Dragon Diaval, punching a hole through the wall with its' body. It breathed flames up at the Wargoyle, who stopped its' attack to avoid getting hit. Once he was mostly out, Diaval spread out its' wings, and flapped himself into the air. He was a little wobbly at first due to his size and how he flew, but got the hang of it.

"Diaval, you just got me an idea!" Asuna stated with a grin. She backed off a bit, then she charged forward, running as fast as she could. With a single jump, Asuna leapt off the bailey, and onto Diaval's back. Asuna summoned her Spirits onto Diaval's back as well. "Diaval, I need you to be me wings on this guy!" she told the dragon, who nodded in response. Now it was time for Diaval and Asuna to team up against the Wargoyle.

Now in pursuit of the Nightmare, Asuna could now get close enough to the Wargoyle thanks to Diaval. She was able enough to even unleash her Quadruple Pain at one point, causing it to falter back on its' attack. The Nightmare continued its' assault, now with an extra twist to its' attack. For one, it started charging with a dark flame aura, to which Asuna avoided at all times. On the other hand, it didn't only just started shooting one fireball, but now multiple fireballs at Asuna and Diaval from its' arm guns. The attacks were causing damage onto Diaval, who had a hard time holding on.

"Just hold on, Diaval. It's almost out!" Asuna assured the dragon, patting the back of it. Asuna looked up to see the Wargoyle come charging in with a dark aura. This time, Asuna got struck, and the Wargoyle scooped her up into its' tail. Asuna struggled as it carried Asuna back to the bailey. It then flipped around and slammed Asuna hard into the rocky floor of the bailey. Asuna gasped in pain, and laid there, motionless.

Diaval roared to her. The Wargoyle charged up its' arm guns, ready to fire more fireballs from them. Asuna slowly opened up one eye just in time to see the attack unleash down at her. However, Diaval and the Spirits weren't gonna let her down. Diaval grabbed the Nightmare from behind to stop it. The Spirits leapt off of the dragon's back, over the oncoming fireballs, and landing between them and Asuna.

"What are you…?" Asuna started, watching her Dream Eaters. Flambé twirled its' frying pan around, then with a determined glare, it started swinging at the fireballs, blasting them out of the way before they could reach Asuna. The attack did damage Flambé, but Petal was there, using its' healing powers to restore Flambé's stamina midway through. Asuna's stamina was also healed thanks to Petal.

"Thanks a bunch, you two!" Asuna thanked her Dream Eaters. Both of them cried out in gratitude. "Now that we've got that out of the way, let's go take out that Nightmare, together!" Asuna followed. She and her Spirits focused together, and the two Spirits entered Asuna's body. "Dual Link! Rising Wing!" Asuna shouted, and her body bursted with a bright blue aura. She sprouted her Undine wings behind her, which were smaller than before.

Asuna leapt off the bailey again, this time gliding through the air thanks to her powers. The Wargoyle attempted to attack her with more diamond-shaped bullets, but Asuna unleashed her Blizzaga spell onto it, stopping it before it could attack. Asuna then dashed into it with her attack. She then started using her aerial movements to perform scooping slashes, followed by a couple spiraling sweeps, then finally, creating a whirlwind around the Wargoyle, slashing it repeatedly. Asuna backed off, landing on top of Diaval again as he glided around the battle.

The Wargoyle tumbled backwards and fell to the ground below, its' wings detaching from its' body. It roared in agony as it fell, and disappeared into the darkness. The Wargoyle was finished. Asuna sighed in relief. "That monster was pretty tough." she sighed, "I hope I don't have to deal with another flying battle like that again."

Diaval took off back to the castle bailey, where Asuna and her Spirits split up again. Diaval transformed back into a human again. Asuna felt her Command Pad vibrate, and she pulled it out to see a new technique in her roster. It was a reprisal command called 'Payback Thrust', which was Asuna's Shooting Star Rapier Skill should she be ever knocked back in the air. "We'd better find Maleficent." he told the exhausted Asuna. She nodded in agreement, and the two took off to find her.

---

While Asuna was fighting the Wargoyle, Maleficent was having her own battle with King Stefan. After her leg was wrapped in his chain, Maleficent used this opportunity, and started pulling Stefan around, who had his arm wrapped around the chain, similar to the chains around the Wargoyle. This was a bad mistake on his part, as he was sent sliding across the floor while Maleficent flew, and she spun right through a stain-glass window, shattering it, and carrying Stefan out of the throne room, having him hang onto the chain. They were up pretty high.

Maleficent flew around for a bit before dropping Stefan onto one of the towers, then landing on the far side of the tower from Stefan, pulling off the chain. Stefan rose to his feet, terrified by Maleficent. He charged at her, but Maleficent knocked him back with one of her wings.

She stepped closer to Stefan, and grabbed him by the throat, thrusting him into the wall. She was seething with anger at the man before her, who was gasping for air at her grip. Maleficent paused, looking at the man's face, her eyes glowing with rage. She then remembered the kindness of Aurora that she had given the fairy, and the happiness that she once had from Stefan. Her eyes stopped glowing, but she looked angrily at the man. "It's over!" she told Stefan, and she tossed the King to one side. He gasped and choked, massaging his throat.

Maleficent turned and started to walk away. Stefan looked at her leave, his anger and vengeance for her still coursing through his veins. He charged forward, grabbing Maleficent from behind and started to wrestle with her. Maleficent struggled, attempting to throw him off. Unfortunately, all they did was tumble over the side of the tower, and started falling down to the ground, Stefan still trying to wrestle with Maleficent, grabbing her wings to prevent her from fleeing the fall.

Maleficent was able to free her wings from Stefan's grip, and spread them out wide, stopping the fall abruptly. Unfortunately, this also caused Stefan to lose his grip of Maleficent, causing him to fall solo, his angry face looking up at the flying fairy as he plummeted to his doom. Maleficent flapped her wings as she stayed airborne, watching Stefan fall to the ground, the drop causing his death.

Maleficent descended down to the ground, directly at Stefan's feet. She looked down at the man she once loved. Somewhere in her heart, she felt sympathetic for the man she had just killed. She also felt discouraged that he wouldn't give up a fight that wasn't worth continuing. She had wished Stefan was the same young boy she had once knew to laugh and play with her in the Moors.

She heard a roar, and looked up to see the Wargoyle that Asuna was fighting plummet to its' doom. It disappeared passed Maleficent, and into the moat, where it vanished. She looked up to see Asuna and Diaval, now human, racing along the bailey. They stopped to look down, and could recognize the scene below them. Asuna gasped in shock at the man dead before Maleficent's feet, but she could also tell what had happened.

Asuna heard footsteps behind her, and she turned to see Aurora walking up to her and Diaval. She looked worried, hoping Maleficent was okay. Asuna smiled and nodded, assuring her that her godmother was okay. Aurora smiled gratefully. The battle was over for them.

---

By the time the team joined Maleficent at the bridge, the sun was starting to rise up again. They looked out across the bridge, towards the Moors. They heard a familiar trio of voices, and turned to see Knotgrass, Thistlewit and Flittle flying out of the castle towards them. "It's Aurora! She's awake!" Flittle cried out in relief.

"We heard what happened to the King." Knotgrass followed, "What happened?!"

"Maleficent!" gasped Thistlewit, seeing the fairy in black clothing, "You have your wings!"

Aurora looked to Asuna and Maleficent before answering, "We might need to explain it to you along the way back home." She turned to Maleficent as she added, "Is that okay, godmother?" Maleficent smiled and nodded.

"If that is what you wish." She answered. Aurora smiled at this. Together, with Diaval and the three fairies, they left for home, leaving Asuna standing there, watching them leave.

"Maleficent regained her loving heart through the kindness of Aurora and the help from Diaval." Asuna told herself, "I was too quick to judge that she could be different to the one I knew." She turned back to the castle, looking up to where the throne room was. "Stefan never regained that love. His heart was clouded in vengeance. Maleficent wasn't tormenting him. He was already tormenting himself, believing she would cause him more pain, and that caused his mind to go insane with power. In this world, the roles of villain and hero had been swapped. Not only that, but I can now understand what true love is suppose to be, too."

Asuna continued to look up, then saw a light. The Sleeping Keyhole appeared above her. Asuna produced her Keyblade, and waved it to the Keyhole. There was a beam of light, and it connected with the Keyhole. It shattered into light, and Asuna got swallowed in the light.

"To think that this all happened once upon a dream." Asuna told herself before drifting off to sleep.

---

Realm of Arrival, Courtyard

Yui was worried about her parents, but she knew she couldn't do anything to help them right now. Gretinal suggested that she went outside for a bit, maybe find her other students and see what they were up to. Yui did just that, with the agreement that if Gretinal found anything, she would report it back to her. Yui was wandering about, hoping that her family was safe.

"Why the frown?" asked a voice. It was Jackson, wandering over to her.

"Just worried about my family." Yui answered, "Gretinal said that something was wrong with their exam. I just wish I could do something to help."

Jackson pondered for a second before responding, "You know, whenever I'm worried about something, I usually just smile it off." Yui looked at him, confused.

"Smile it off?" she asked.

"Yeah! I smile, I train, and soon, all those worries disappear." Jackson explained, "You should try doing that. It always works, I guarantee ya! If it doesn't, you can have your money back!" Yui chuckled at the amusing comment Jackson made. "There, ya see?!" Jackson said, pointing at Yui's smile, "Doesn't that feel bladin' better than worrying?"

Yui was surprised at first, then smiled again. "I guess you're right." Yui answered, "Still, I want to do that'll help my parents out if they need me."

"Then I guess you should start training yourself. Make yourself strong enough to protect others." Jackson answered, "How 'bout we go over, grab a couple of practice Keyblades, and we'll square off against one another?"

"I don't know how to use the Keyblade." Yui responded, "I don't even know how to use a sword properly."

"You got parents and friends who have shown their sword skills to ya, right?" Jackson asked, "You must have learned a thing or two from them."

"I guess…" Yui answered.

"Then let's get started!" Jackson declared, grabbing Yui's hand and pulling her abruptly along. 'He certainly is determined for me to train with him.' Yui thought to herself, 'I guess this is his way of trying to cheer me up. Still, I hope mama, papa and Leafa are doing okay.'

---

Leafa's Story

Within a familiar town, Leafa was taking down several Aura Lion and Majik Lapin Nightmares with her partners, Kooms the Kooma Panda and Wowzer the Meow Wow. Leafa had unleashed her Slow spell onto them, slowing them down. She then got struck from behind by an Aura Dive from one of the Lions. Leafa got up from the attack, and unleashed a Circle Raid technique, slashing the multiple enemies around her.

She recalled her Keyblade as Kooms and Wowzer joined her side. "Let's do it!" Leafa declared, "Dual Action! Whomperstomp!" Wowzer began to inhale deeply, and sucked up Kooms into its' body, making it into a monstrous size. Leafa held tight on top of her partner as it started bouncing around, flattening the enemies and creating large shockwaves. The attack knocked all the remaining Nightmares out.

Leafa panted in exhaustion as she and her Spirits ended their link, and she looked about. "Why did I end up here?" she asked herself, "Could this world really be asleep?" It was Central Arun in ALFheim Online, but not the one she remembered before. It looked more like the Arun that was in the ALFheim that Sugou created.

"What's going on?" Leafa asked, "I've been searching for that Sleeping Keyhole, but so far, I haven't found it."

"That's because this world is not asleep." said a voice behind her. Leafa turned to see who told her that. Walking towards her was a young man about her age, dressed in the Organization's black coat. He had dark skin, silver hair that had bangs hanging on the sides of his face, and golden eyes.

"Who are you?" Leafa asked, having a bad feeling about the man before her.

"How foolish you must feel, fighting all of these creatures, believing you are drawing closer and closer to your goal." the man spoke, ignoring Leafa's question entirely, "You don't even notice the bread crumbs we are leaving are bringing you closer and closer to us."

"Closer to who?!" Leafa demanded, "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Leafa!" called out another voice. Leafa turned again. It was Recon, walking his way over to her.

"Recon!" Leafa called out, "I'm glad you're here! This guy doesn't look like a good person to me."

"What are you talking about?" Recon asked, walking right by Leafa calmly and turning back to her, "This man is the one who saved me from the darkness."

Leafa looked surprised at this, looking from Recon to the young man before her. "You saved him?" Leafa asked the man.

"In a matter of speaking." the man responded.

"Okaaay, but what are you trying to do here?" Leafa asked hesitantly, "And what were all those things you were saying to me before about?"

"If you want the answer to all of those, then I'd suggest you'd head up there." the man answered, pointing up the World Tree, "There, you will find something that'll change you forever."

"Trust him, Leafa." Recon assured her, "He knows what he's doing. He's even helped me be able to protect you. I bet you'll become even stronger if you go up there!"

"I don't understand, Recon." Leafa stated, "Why are you siding with him?"

"He saved me." he answered, "Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing bad happens to your heart. I promise!"

"Come, Recon. We must leave." the man ordered Recon.

"Of course." Recon answered, turning to him. The two produced a portal, and disappeared within it.

"Wait!" Leafa shouted, but too late. They were gone.

"Something's wrong here." Leafa muttered, "That man gave off a really bad vibe to me. Plus, Recon seems way more different than before. It's like he's a different person entirely." Kooms and Wowzer joined next to Leafa, looking at her.

She looked at her two Dream Eaters, then looked up at the World Tree. "If this is really ALFheim, then I have to accomplish the goal, and reach the top of the World Tree." she told herself, "Not only Recon and that man were telling me to go there, but I was wondering if I should go there myself. The Sleeping Keyhole might be up there."

Leafa looked even further up, into the sky. "Kazuto, Asuna, please be safe." she told to those far away from her, "I can only hope that I'll be able to see you guys again." With her mind set, and her courage at full, she raced towards the entrance into the World Tree, hoping to find out what in the world was going on, and more importantly, how to escape.

---

Next time on SAK FF:

Asuna: The new world I arrived in is digital, just like the VRMMO worlds. However, this one has monsters that are alive, and these Tamers have their individual partners. However, not all the monsters are good, and those guys need to evolve their monsters in order to fight them. I worry that if they have them evolve for the wrong reason, it could cause trouble. What is the right reason to evolve?

On the next 'Sword Art Kingdom: Falling Fantasy'

Digital World! Heart of Evolution!

Kirito & Asuna: The Dreams have yet to be discovered!