I was finally able to complete this episode under a half-working brain. The other half is on sick leave. Anyways, I was able to do it, with a lot of fun, and many new kinds of surprises, plus a shocking twist that will have all of you saying, "WHAT?!". Enjoy!
(I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Sword Art Online. All I do is form my imagination from both stories, and share it with the world!)
Asuna's Team so Far
Necho Cat (Pina) MAXED
Magic
Thunder
Time Bomb
Sleepra
Stat Boost
Thunder Boost (x3)
Magic Haste (x4)
Magic Boost
HP Boost
Sleep Block
Confusion Block
Spirit Ability
Support Boost
Tatsu Steed (Babaru) MAXED
Magic
Bind (Sacrificed for Hawkeye)
Blizzara
Mini (Sacrificed for Leo)
Blizzaga
Stat Boost
Bind Block
Confusion Block
Blizzzard Screen (x3)
Blizzard Boost (x2)
Magic Boost (x2)
Magic Haste (x3)
Wheeflower (Petal) MAXED
Magic
Blizzard (Sacrificed for Ashika)
Blizzara (Sacrificed for Babaru)
Blizzaga
Esuna
Stat Boost
Magic Haste (x2)
HP Boost
Cure Boost (x2)
Water Screen (x3)
Magic Boost (x2)
Bind Block
Sleep Block
Chef Kyroo (Flambé) MAXED
Magic/Techniques
Cura
Aerial Slam
Blitz
Fira
Firaga
Stat Boost
Fire Boost (x2)
Attack Boost
Magic Boost
Defense Boost
Fire Screen (x2)
Item Boost (x3)
Support Ability
Air Combo Plus
Eaglider (Hawkeye)
Magic/Technique
Firaga
Aerial Slam
Stat Boost
Attack Haste (x2)
Slow Block
Bind Block
HP Boost
Attack Boost (x2)
Fire Screen (x2)
Fire Boost
Aura Lion (Leo)
Magic
Curaga
Stat Boost
Magic Haste
Juggle Pup (Ashika) MAXED
Magic
Baloonra
Blizzaga
Balloonga
Slot Edge
Stat Boost
Blizzard Boost
Attack Haste
Blizzard Screen (x3)
Item Boost (x2)
HP Boost
Magic Haste
Magic Boost
Attack Boost
Support Ability
Leaf Bracer
Chapter 1: Asuna's Climb Begins
Asuna found herself going through another dive to another world. "This is it, the last one." Asuna told herself, "Now, what do I need to do in this world's dive?" Asuna saw the gate up ahead, and the task to achieve in passing through it; 'Collect 12 Sun Stones'. "Sun Stones?" Asuna questioned, "What might those be?" Asuna passed through the gate, and saw the path ahead, examining anything that might look like a sun. Finally, she found one, though it looked more like a sunflower with golden petals and a blue, green and yellow colored jewel in the center. "Found it!" Asuna stated, steering herself towards the jewel and snatching it, "Now to get the rest."
Asuna began steering herself down the path that looked similar to the one Kirito had taken before; composed of vines and thick clouds, only instead of grassy plains, there were deep purple, diamond-cut jewels that blocked Asuna's path instead, spinning in the air as they dazzled in the background's light. Asuna had to make sure not to confuse them with the Sun Stones, and steer away from them and the other obstacles that came in her path, all the while gathering the needed stones to progress ahead. It took a couple minutes, but Asuna managed to gather all twelve Sun Stones, and use them to open up the path ahead, into the new world.
When Asuna opened her eyes, she looked down and saw that she was standing on top of the Dreamstalk, just as Kirito did before, only she was above Kirby's house rather than below. She noticed the house below her, then she noticed just how high up she was from the ground below.
"Whoa!" Asuna gasped, seeing the land so far down below her, "How did I end up all the way up here?" Asuna could feel the wind pass by her, but she noticed that the stalk didn't sway in the least. "This stalk has to be pretty strong to sustain against these winds, let alone bind and hold up that house." she stated, "I wonder who lives there?" Deciding to investigate, she descended down the vines towards the house, like how Kirito did as well.
(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 wandered down the vine until she approached a window on the house. She peered inside it, and saw two characters inside. One was a pink-balled character fast asleep on its' bed, a dark aura surrounding it. The other was what looked like a Wheeflower with buds on its' head and hair that looked like a lily with small sprouts. It had a leafy skirt and a pearl on its' chest.
"Is that…a Dream Eater?" Asuna questioned, seeing the flower creature float about, worried, "And who is that in the bed?" Asuna examined the pink ball, then remembered. "Hold on…wasn't that thing one of the competitor at the last Yusnaan tournament? What was its' name? Oh yeah: Kirby."
The flower creature then turned and saw Asuna at the window. The two stared at one another for a second, then the flower asked, "You aren't one of those monsters, are you?"
"A monster? No way!" Asuna answered back, "Hold on, I'll come in. It's way too weird to talk like this."
Asuna entered the building, which seemed pretty spacious despite the size of it from the exterior. The flower creature waited right next to Kirby's bed, looking up and down at Asuna.
"You don't look like one of those weird monsters at all." it mentioned, "Although, that emblem on your cloth is similar to them."
Asuna looked down at the Dream Eater Spirit symbol on her hanging cloth. "This emblem? Oh, you must mean the Nightmare's emblems." Asuna realized. She pulled out two cards, and summoned Petal and Babaru to her side. "These two have the same symbol as me. They're Spirits, and they take out the Nightmare one." she explained. Asuna then looked back down at her Spirit emblem on her cloth. Come to think of it, why did she have that emblem on her? She had it since the very beginning of the Mark of Mastery, but she didn't think about it until now.
"Well, it seems you are a nice person." the flower creature stated, "I'm the White Sky Fairy. I am one of the residence of these lands in the skies."
"My name is Asuna. These two are Petal and Babaru." Asuna introduced herself and her Spirits. She then looked at Kirby. "Tell me, why is there an aura on him?"
"You mean your lower land's hero." the White Sky Fairy stated, turning to Kirby, "Someone placed a curse on him, and he is trapped in this sleep state."
"That's terrible…" Asuna muttered, looking at Kirby. Looking at his face, Asuna could see that this was no ordinary sleep. "He looks like he might be having a nightmare." she noticed, "Could that be part of this curse?"
"If only someone was strong enough to defeat the monster that placed this hero in his sleep." the White Sky Fairy wished, "It might be the only way to wake Kirby up. I would go, but I'm too weak."
After a pause, Asuna said, "Don't worry. I can go up there and defeat the monster."
The Sky Fairy turned to her, surprised. "You are willing to do that?" it asked.
"Sure. I'm sure I have the strength to defeat whatever monster did this." Asuna answered.
"Thank you so much!" the Sky Fairy thanked her eagerly, "I can tell you have a pure and honest heart. I'm sure you'll be able to stop it!"
The White Sky Fairy led Asuna outside of the house, towards the end of the stalk. "The Dreamstalk had carried Kirby all the way up here, but we are still far from where the monster is at." the fairy explained, "My power cannot directly take you there, but if you save some of my people, I'm sure our combined power can make the Dreamstalk grow all the way up to the monster."
"Okay, then." Asuna understood.
The White Sky Fairy sprinkled some of its' magical powers onto the Dreamstalk, and it started to shake and grow. Asuna held on as the Dreamstalk climbed higher into the sky. It stopped close to a floating island that looked like it was made completely out of sweets and toys.
"What is this place?" Asuna asked questionably.
"This is the Lollipop Land." the Sky Fairy answered, "Somewhere on this island, one of my people is trapped because of that monster. If you can save them, they can use their power to carry you higher to find more of my people, and get you closer to the monster."
"Sounds like a plan." Asuna understood, walking off the Dreamstalk onto the land. "Be careful! The monster placed its' kin onto this land." the fairy warned her, "They are pretty strong."
"Don't worry. I can do it." Asuna assured the fairy, and she departed into the land with her Spirits.
The environment in the beginning looked like anything and everything around her was a kind of sweet, whether it be the cookie and candy road, the wafer strip bridges, the cupcake bushes and cookie sandwich trees, or the cotton candy that hanged in the sky like clouds. Asuna refrained herself from eating anything, and considering there were Dream Eaters that were attacking her all around the area, she had an excuse not to eat anything.
Asuna found herself at a point where there was a huge mudslide made of cake in front of her path, but she discovered that it started to glow pink when she approached it. "Looks like it's time to perform a Reality Shift." Asuna stated, "Drift!" Asuna dove out of reality, and discovered the star in front of her. After several seconds, she realized what she had to do, and started spinning the star, sucking in the entire mudslide in one go. Asuna popped into reality again and saw the star shoot out in front of her, carrying everything it sucked up with it, and disappearing. "That was pretty useful." Asuna stated, "Gotta remember that trick."
She continued on her path, changing out her Babaru for Ashika. The area transitioned from sweets to toys, and now found herself on a building brick road, surrounded by buildings made of building blocks, dice and puzzle pieces. "This has got to be the strangest place I have ever been." Asuna stated, looking about at her environment, then she recalled, "Wait, that world in the past that Merlin gave us access to was probably weirder."
The environment was unusual, but Asuna had to deal with the fact that the Dream Eaters here were tougher than the ones he had ever faced, composed of Electricorns, Thunderaffes, Me Me Bunnies, and Escarglow. The Electricorns and Thunderaffes, as their name emphasized, were thunder-type fighters, and quite quick ones, at that. The Escarglow did look like snails, but they were tough, especially when they went into their shells and started racing around like a speedy wheel.
Asuna had to take a break in the middle of the battling, so she rested herself and her Spirits in a safe spot in the corner of one of the buildings. "I didn't think that a cheery-looking place like this would be so tough to go about." she sighed, "That just proves you can't judge a book by its' cover. Still, I wonder what kind of monster was it that put Kirby into that deep sleep?"
Just then, her pad started to vibrate, and she pulled it out to reveal something sent by Kirito. "Hey, did Kirito send me something to me?" she asked herself, "I wonder what it might be?" Asuna pressed the transfer icon, and revealed the Sonic Blade technique. "Sonic Blade?" Asuna read, "Hold on, I remember Sora using this move before!" She recalled Sora using the move, realizing how it fit her style of combat. "Kirito gave such a strong attack for me? It does take up two Command Slots…" Asuna thought about it, but she showed an expression of seriousness as she stated, "It is a strong attack, and Kirito knew I would be better with it. I should use it for his sake!" Asuna swapped out her Firaga and Blitz for Sonic Blade, and placed her Command Pad away. "Okay, I'm well rested, and have a strong technique under my belt." she told herself, summoning out Ashika and Petal for the battles ahead, "Let's keep moving and save that Sky Fairy's friends."
Asuna first tested out the Sonic Blade technique on a set of Electricorns that got in her and her Spirits' way. Asuna quickly charged up and unleashed lightning-fast piercing dashes, going back and forth at all angles around the Nightmares. To Asuna, it felt a lot like using multiple Shooting Star Rapier Skills at a rapid pace, ending with a final thrust that sent a shockwave from her that tossed all other Nightmares away and destroying all of her targets. "Kirito, this technique is going to be really useful." she told herself, looking at her Keyblade, "Thank you so much. I love you a lot."
After a few minutes more of traveling through the toy central of the land, Asuna discovered, on the far side from the point she entered this land, a patchwork circus tent, with the entrance right in front of her. "Is that the circus?" Asuna questioned, "I've never actually been into one before." Asuna approached the tent entrance, where she saw a sign right by it. It said 'Come see the fascinating creatures!', and there was a picture of a familiar creature in between the words. "That looks like that Sky Fairy." Asuna noticed, seeing the picture, then to her Spirits, "Looks like we know where to find the White fairy's friend."
Asuna entered into the tent, examining the area. It was the usual circus, containing stands that circled the large circus ring. In the middle contained two sets of trampolines, a pair of swinging bars hanging from the ceiling, and a tightrope connected between two poles with ladders. Hanging above the tightrope was none other than the Sky Fairy in a cage, who had blue petals for its' hair with green stripes on the bottom sides, and it sprouted like a violet. The gemstone on its' chest was a sapphire.
"Hey! Are you one of the Sky Fairies?!" Asuna shouted up to the fairy. It looked about, and saw Asuna down below.
"Yes, but who might you be?" the fairy asked.
"My name is Asuna. I'm sent by the White Sky Fairy to save you guys!" Asuna explained.
"White sent you?" the fairy realized.
"That's right. Now hold on a moment while I get up to you!" Asuna called out, racing towards the ladders.
"No, wait! This place is booby-trapped!" the Blue Fairy shouted.
No sooner did the fairy warn her did the trap activate. All of a sudden, mirrors suddenly appeared in front of the entrance, preventing escape. They then started to appear all around the arena, preventing access to the stands or the ladders. Asuna looked about, finding herself trapped in the central arena, looking about for any kind of trouble.
She suddenly looked at the mirrors, and was horrified to see a Ghostabocky suddenly appear on the reflection, floating right next to her. She turned to where the Nightmare should be, but it was not there. Asuna then saw half a dozen more Ghostabocky showing up on the mirrors, all around Asuna and her Spirits, but they weren't showing in real life. Asuna was nervous.
"I wish I didn't have to deal with these things again, but now I do." Asuna muttered in a scared voice, "Now, they're invisible!"
Suddenly, Petal called out to Asuna, who looked to her Spirit. She watched it point to the mirrors, and saw one Ghostabocky approaching Asuna, about to attack. Asuna panicked, and swung her Keyblade at the spot where the Nightmare was coming at. She struck something, and the Ghostabocky became opaque as it fell to the floor. Asuna looked at the Nightmare, then at Petal, who did a propellor strike on another invisible Ghostabocky, hitting it and making the Nightmare reveal itself.
"I get it. All we need to do is use the mirrors to find them, and take them out!" Asuna realized, "Okay, let's go!"
Asuna, Petal and Ashika began going about, taking out the Ghostabocky by looking at the reflections of the mirror, and striking them wherever they were at. Asuna had to hold back her fears for the moment, and used her powers to take them out. The trampolines and swinging bars did help Asuna activate her Flowmotion, allowing for some strong and wide-area damage. Unfortunately, it wasn't just Ghostabocky that Asuna had to deal with, but Jestabocky and Zolephants, too. Asuna wasn't as fearful of those, so she was easily able to dispatch them.
Once the area was cleared, Asuna huffed, "Okay, I have had enough." She leapt over to one of the trampolines, using it to bounce high into the air to grab ahold of one of the swings, grasping ahold of it with her Keyblade, and causing herself to started spin around and pull on the swing to arc herself higher and higher. At the peak of the swing, she let go of the swing, and flew high up towards the tightrope. She managed to land onto the rope, and her Flowmotion made her start to grind along it. She then leapt up at the fairy's cage, and grasped ahold of the lever underneath, pulling it down, and opening up the cage, freeing the fairy. At the same time, the mirrors suddenly disappeared, returning the circus back to how it was before.
Asuna landed back down to the ground, with the Blue Sky Fairy floating down next to her. "That was an amazing show to watch!" the fairy told her, "I had no doubt you could save me. Thank you!"
"It wasn't a problem." Asuna replied happily, "Although, I think that next time, I'll check who owns the circus before entering in it." The fairy giggled at this. "Come on, we'd better get out of here." Asuna told the fairy, and they exited the tent.
It took a while before Asuna's team and the Blue Sky Fairy made it back to the Dreamstalk again. Without a word, the Blue Sky Fairy floated up and sprinkled down her magic powers onto the stalk. Asuna felt it shake, and it started to grow higher into the sky again. When the Dreamstalk stopped, Asuna found herself staring at a new floating land, containing a tropical jungle surrounding ancient ruins.
"Is this where the creature that put Kirby to sleep is at?" Asuna asked.
"No, I'm sorry." the Blue Sky Fairy apologized, "This is the Wild World. It should contain another one of my captured people within it. Be careful, though. The ruins contain dangerous traps, and that's not including those other monsters."
"I'll be careful." Asuna assured her, walking off the Dreamstalk, "You head back to Kirby's house and stay safe." The Blue Sky Fairy thanked her, and departed down the Dreamstalk.
Asuna started through the jungles of the land, seeing the stone path that led towards the ruins. Although there were broken parts and blocks of the ruins about her, nature had already cracked and formed around them. "I wonder what kind of civilization lived here?" Asuna asked, "Could they have been the ancient ancestors of those Sky Fairies?"
Asuna had finally made it to the entrance into the ruins, which almost seemed to come from the Mayans. At this point, Asuna wished she still had her Soul Drive so that she could use Fluer Soul to tap into Nico Robin's archeological understandings. She just had to make due with the powers and wisdom she already had, while also making sure not to cause too much damage to the ruins. The ones that didn't care what happened to them were the Nightmares, which started popping up again, hoping to take Asuna and her Spirits down.
"This place needs to be better protected!" Asuna cried out as she took on the Nightmares while preventing collateral damage to her surroundings.
When Asuna saw an opening, she entered the ruins by using her Flowmotion to climb up a wall and enter the door high up on the wall. Upon entering, Asuna was surprised to see how well lit it was inside. She also noticed that the floor was moving like a conveyor belt, with a large gap in the center of the massive room. Asuna stayed put as she was carried along with the conveyor belt. What Asuna didn't notice was the red beam of light that her feet cut across, activating the trap. Suddenly, a large cobra head rose up to the platform's level, and started firing fireballs at Asuna. She ducked and avoided the fireballs anyway she could, all the while having to deal with Nightmares that suddenly appeared before her. She did use the trap to her advantage by having the fireballs hit the enemies rather than her.
Asuna had to deal with this combined ordeal of conveyor belts, fireball-spitting cobra and Dream Eaters while going about the exterior of the room before reaching the next floor beneath. "This is crazy! I can't believe how difficult it is just to free a Sky Fairy!" Asuna said exasperatedly.
Both Petal and Ashika were exhausted as well, and they looked like they wouldn't last much longer at this point. "You guys take a break. I'll have the others take care of things from here." Asuna told them, and she switched them out, bringing out Hawkeye and Babaru in exchange.
Asuna took a bit of a breather before she looked out to see what was ahead. There were more conveyor belts ahead, going straight along the wall ahead of her, but they stopped midway to turn and go straight through the center of the room, where two stone cobras waited, followed by a door to another room. "I might need to just skip the battles against the Nightmares in order to preserve myself, and race all the way to that door." Asuna stated, then she thought up of an idea that also came in handy. She pulled up her Command Pad, and swapped out her Neutron Rapier Skill for the Shooting Star. "Let's hope this works." Asuna prayed.
Asuna inhaled deeply, then exhaled, then she charged along the conveyor belt with her Spirits by her side. She had just made it to the turn when the cobras activated, and turned towards her. Asuna also saw a bunch of Nightmares blocking the path between her and the door.
"Here goes!" Asuna shouted, and she charged in, pulling back her Keyblade as she started to charge up her Rapier Skill. Her Keyblade glowed bright blue, and Asuna thrusted her Keyblade, soaring straight forward at breakneck speeds. The attack either pierced and defeated the Nightmares, or sent them flying over the edge of the conveyor belt. The fireballs the cobra spit were way too slow to hit Asuna at this rate. Within ten seconds, Asuna had made it from one side of the room all the way to the other, sliding to a halt as she reached the door. Her Spirits caught up with her, and she exited the large room with them.
The room she was in was a square room, pretty small, but safe. The only thing Asuna could see where Dream Eaters might pop out was from a Portal in the corner of the room. "Looks like we found another Portal." Asuna stated to her team, "After all the troubles he had to deal with up till now, this had better be a good one. You two ready?" Hawkeye and Babaru nodded in saying 'yes'.
Asuna approached the Portal and placed a hand on it. Asuna could visualize a young lady with gray eyes, long raven hair decorated with a golden headpiece. "So your name is Tharja, and I can already feel that foreboding feeling with you." Asuna muttered, "The goal here is to use Link attacks several times." Asuna backed off as the Portal floated up, and produced the Nightmares, containing Halbirds and Keeba Tigers ready to fight.
"Okay, Hawkeye, let's do it together first!" Asuna told her Spirit, "Link Style! Fire Raid!" Asuna fused with Hawkeye, surrounding herself in a fiery aura. Babaru backed off as Asuna started throwing fiery Strike and Circle Raids at her opponents, keeping them a distance from her as she did this. The Keeba Tigers were probably the more difficult ones to deal with, considering their strength and stamina. Not only that, but once Asuna finished off the Halbirds, Ryu Dragons suddenly appeared to take their place and attack, and they had some resistance to fire-based attacks. Once Asuna Fire Raid was done, she fused with Babaru next to unleash 'Link Style: Wavesurfer', and started striking down the enemies with water-based attacks with her surfboard Keyblade. The Ryu Dragons were definitely weak to this assault, and they, along with the Keeba Tigers, were taken out by the assault.
Asuna sighed in relief as she and Babaru divided up, and the Portal showered down the prizes onto them. "I was right to have that foreboding feeling about this Portal." Asuna stated, "Whoever Tharja is, she had better not have me do that again." Her Dream Eater book started to glow, and Asuna pulled it out to see that she had gained a new recipe for the 'Pegaslick' Dream Eater. "I'll actually get a pegasus for myself? That does sound fun." Asuna stated, smiling at the new Dream Eater she would get.
Asuna gathered up all the drops from the Portal, and looked at the recipe book to see she had enough to make a powerful version of the Spirit. She placed down Brilliant and Lofty Fantasies in a circle, then added an Aerial Slam for the boosted power. "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.
As a pegasus, Asuna's new Spirit was a winged horse, though upon closer inspection, the wings weren't actually connected to the main body. Its' tail looked like it was a wing, too, with smaller wings near the hooves. There were small pink hooked spikes on its' cheek and ribbons producing from its' hair. It was shaded in a multitude of bright colors, with the Spirit emblem on its' lower neck.
"I'm glad to have you with me, Pegaslick." Asuna greeted her new Spirit, "Now, what should I call you." Asuna thought back to when she met Hercules' partner Pegasus, back in the Olympus Coliseum, and started to think of a name from there. "Let me see…how about 'Olympia'?" Asuna asked, "Does that work for you?" The Pegaslick whinnied in agreement. "Olympia it is, then." Asuna stated.
She pulled out her Spirit cards that have not fully maxed out their link boards, which were Hawkeye and Leo, and noticed that after all the tough battles she and her Spirits endured, she had actually gained about 900 Link Points.
From Hawkeye, Asuna gained practically everything left for herself to gain, which included a boost to stamina, boost to attack speed, an extra boost to midair combo attacks, and a new magic spell called Firaga Burst.
From Leo, Asuna gained a triple resistance to light-based attacks, a boost to healing spells, a boost to attack power and speed, a double boost to stamina, and the techniques Limit Storm and Sacrifice.
Finally, from Olympia, Asuna could only gain a little resistance to light-based attacks and a move called 'Prism Windmill'. With all of that set, Asuna examined all that she had gained, along with the attacks she gained access too. Asuna could see that Limit Storm and Sacrifice were attacks she could not use herself, but that Kirito would be able to use. Asuna figured that later on, she would send them to him. As for the other attacks, Asuna decided to try out her Firaga Burst and Prism Windmill out. With everything set, Asuna's attacks were now Curaga, Balloonga, Sonic Blade, Firaga Burst, Neutron Rapier Skill, and Prism Windmill. As for her Spirits, Asuna wanted Olympia a chance to fight, with Pina alongside and Flambé in reserves.
"There we go." Asuna sighed in relief, "I think rested long enough. Now it's time for me to find that Sky Fairy in this ruin." With her team and attacks all set up, Asuna exited the room, with her Spirits following her out.
The next part of the room had a pulley weight system made for it, where Asuna had to balance the platforms out using herself and her Spirits as weight, or by removing the weight on the other platform, which usually meant Dream Eaters. During this point, Asuna figured out how her two newly added attacks worked. The Firaga Burst was quite powerful, in which Asuna raised her Keyblade above her head and summon a large fireball that showers over a dozen smaller fireballs towards her opponents. Meanwhile, the Prism Windmill was a dashing attack in which Asuna spins her Keyblade like a windmill in front of her, producing energy similar to her Light Barrier, and launching herself towards her target, hitting multiple times while protecting herself. Both attacks were quite strong and very useful in their own natures.
After Asuna dealt with the pulley system, she raced along a downward conveyor belt, and found herself at a large archway that led outside. Asuna came out of the ancient ruins to find herself standing at another Mayan-like temple, this one seemed to be made out of gold.
"This is amazing!" Asuna gasped, seeing the temple, "If Liz were here, she would be trying to find ways of carrying this thing off." Asuna raced towards the temple steps, and ran all the way to the top entrance, into the interior.
Inside, the temple, Asuna raced up and down some interior steps, and with the help of her Spirits, she pushed open a pair of large stone doors. Entering inside, Asuna found herself looking at a large room, containing a floor level with the entrance that filled half of the space, and five pillars with aqua green aura glowing inside them on the other half, with a pool of glowing liquid of the same color beneath them.
Coiled at the edge of the floor was a large stone snake, and in its' fangs was the cage containing the captured Sky Fairy, sleeping. This one's petal hair was as red as a rose, with one petal covering all of her right eye, and a bud sprouting on top. The gemstone on its' chest was a ruby.
Asuna looked about, seeing if the coast was clear. Once it was, she approached the cage in the snake's mouth. "Hey, there." Asuna called out to the fairy, "I'm here to save you." Asuna got up directly close to the cage, but the fairy didn't wake up. "Hello?" Asuna asked, examining the fairy. It didn't look like it was in the same sleep as Kirby, but it was still in a deep one.
Asuna reached up and pulled the lever, freeing the fairy. The Fairy stirred, and it fell to its' side, roll over, and fell out of the cage. Asuna caught it into her arms before it fell to the floor. "Hey, are you okay?" Asuna asked, seeing its' face scrunch up.
It then yawned, stretched its' arms out, and floated upwards. "Oh, my. Who has awakened me from my beauty sleep?" the Sky Fairy questioned, rubbing her right eye from underneath her hair, and gazing at Asuna with her left.
"I'm Asuna. I was sent here to rescue you." she answered.
The Red Sky Fairy looked about, then realized it wasn't in the cage anymore. "I had no idea I was set free!" it gasped.
'Still a little groggy, I see.' Asuna thought with a sweat-dropped expression.
"Well then, I must thank you." the Red Sky Fairy told her, "Excuse me for not realizing it sooner. I had been trapped up there for so long, that I felt I needed to take a nap. My people say that I'm quite the heavy sleeper."
"I could see that, but Kirby is in a worse sleep than you." Asuna pointed out.
"Oh, yes. The lower lands' hero." the Red Sky Fairy stated, now fully awake, "Well, if you are here, I guess that means the Dreamstalk must've carried you up so far. We must act quickly if we are to reach the monster that placed Kirby in such a state of sleep. We can't have that, now can we?" Asuna could clearly see that this Sky Fairy had a sort of British tone to her voice.
"Let us move on, deary. No time to lose!" the Red Sky Fairy stated, flying to the entrance. Asuna watched her leave, shrug at the change from sleep to hurried, and raced after the Sky Fairy.
The Red Sky Fairy fortunately knew a shortcut back to the Dreamstalk, and led Asuna through the dense jungle back to it again. She was lucky, since she hadn't planned how to bring the Sky Fairy back through all those traps and obstacles she had to endure before. It took less than half the time from entering for Asuna to get back to the Dreamstalk with the Sky Fairy.
"Now, then…" the Red Sky Fairy muttered, looking about, then crying out, "Ah! Here they come!" Asuna looked down to see the White and Blue Sky Fairies approaching them from the lower parts of the Dreamstalk.
"That was pretty quick." Asuna muttered, "How did they know that I freed the Red Sky Fairy?"
"Call it a sixth sense amongst us Sky Fairies." the White Sky Fairy answered. "In any case, now that the three of us have gathered, let us see if we are able to bring the Dreamstalk all the way up towards where the monster is at." the Blue Sky Fairy suggested.
The trio of Sky Fairies rose into the air above Asuna, and started to dance about, showering their magic energy down onto the stalk. Asuna gazed up at wonder at the Sky Fairies, watching them dance, then felt the Dreamstalk start to shake beneath her. She felt the plant starting to grow upwards, heading into the sky. Unfortunately, just as Asuna passed the Sky Fairies, the Dreamstalk slowed down until it came to a halt.
"What's going on?" Asuna asked.
"I'm afraid our powers aren't enough." the White Sky Fairy explained, "We can't bring you up any further until we can get more help."
"Are there any other Sky Fairies that can be saved?" Asuna asked.
"There are, but…" the Red Sky Fairy started, but the Blue Sky Fairy stopped her with a gasp. She pointed down below, and Asuna, looking down, saw three more Sky Fairies approaching. There was a pink one, followed by a purple one and a yellow one that resembled a sunflower.
"They're here!" gasped the Blue Sky Fairy, and it led the Red Sky Fairy over to greet the trio that had arrived.
"How is this possible?" the White Sky Fairy asked, "I didn't expect them to be freed."
Asuna didn't need to think twice before realizing how they came to be here. "Kirito." she muttered.
"Who?" the White Sky Fairy questioned.
"He's my boyfriend, as well as a hero to me." she answered with a sweet smile, "He is capable of doing crazy stunts and unleashing incredible powers, and pulling off miracles so much easier than any other person. Plus, he has always been there to save me and so many others in times of need."
"You sound like to care for him a lot." the White Sky Fairy, "But I believe that with all that power, he wouldn't be able to do anything if he didn't have people like you supporting him." Asuna looked questionably at the White Fairy, but realized that it was right. Kirito would be pretty much lost without her. They supported one another, and that's what helps them become so strong.
(Cue Sword Art Online OST: 'Dance With Me')
Once the meet and greet between the six fairies were done, they floated upwards above Asuna once again, and prepared themselves. They then begun to dance, circling about and moving so elegantly as they combined their magic together, unleashing a mist of magical energy onto the Dreamstalk. Asuna was amazed at this, holding her arms out to feel the happiness of the six Sky Fairies. All of a sudden, the Dreamstalk started to grow upwards again. Asuna was carried along as the plant grew at a much more rapid pace, carrying her high into the sky, pushing through the clouds as it did so. Asuna had one last look at the Sky Fairies waving up at her before she disappeared into the clouds.
When the Dreamstalk stopped, Asuna found herself standing underneath the night sky, near several floating gems that acted as stepping stones, leading towards a large castle door. Asuna's pad started to vibrate, and she pulled it out to see she had gained a new move; the Double Impact move.
"Time to see who's putting Kirby to sleep here." Asuna stated, placing her Command Pad away. She skipped over the gems, using her Keyblade to open the castle doors, and entering within.
Asuna wandered through a main hall, surrounded by pillars, with a multicolored-patterned floor, the starry sky glowing off in the distance from her. The area seemed to be void of Dream Eaters, so Asuna was safe to keep going through the halls, but she had a suspicious feeling something was gonna happen the moment she reached the end.
Asuna suddenly noticed another large pair of doors, held closed by gears around it, and stain-glass windows all around it, with the picture of something that looked like a monster queen bee formed on the glass. Asuna approached it with caution, looking about.
"This definitely feels like I'm entering into a boss room in Aincrad." she told herself, "Well, here goes…" Asuna reached out and touched the door. The gears started to move around her, making the door open upon her touch. Asuna was blinded by the bright light that shone through the door, but once her eyes adjusted, she walked through the door, and it closed behind her.
Asuna walked along the red carpet that led to the balcony-like throne room, only there was no throne at the end. Instead, there was a floating dark ball, and incased it, slightly in a half-sleep state, was a fat penguin-like character, blue in body color, with an orange beak, and almost Asuna's height. It wore red royal finery, with a red cap with a golden rim and white ball on top, and a red and yellow belly-warmer. It had a pair of yellow mittens and boots on its' flippers and feet. There was someone standing in front of the orb with the half-sleeping character, his back turned to the entrance. Asuna recognized the green, bob-cut hairstyle. It was Recon, still dressed in the dark coat.
"Recon?!" Asuna gasped, racing up close to his position, "What are you doing here?"
Recon ignored the question. "You really don't care much for Leafa, do you?" he asked.
"What?" Asuna questioned, shocked that he would say something like that.
"You care more for this stupid Mark of Mastery rather than assuring Leafa's safety." Recon told her, turning around to face her, "That's just how much to care for her."
"No…" Asuna muttered, "No, you're wrong! I want to find Leafa, and I know she is in trouble. I'm trying to find out where she is, but I haven't found any clues."
"You haven't been looking hard enough!" Recon barked, "All this time, you've been too busy helping out others, ignoring Leafa's assistance. Well, if helping others is more important to you, then I'll just have to take care of Leafa myself. You go on with your stupid trials!"
"What happened to you, Recon?!" Asuna asked, frightened, "You aren't acting like your normal self."
"I told you; people change when they have been trapped in the Realm of Darkness." Recon answered, turning away from Asuna and looking at the penguin in the dark orb, "For example, I even developed new powers that can even change others."
"What do you…" Asuna started, then she looked up at the character in the dark orb, "Did you do that to him? Were you the one that put Kirby in that sleep?"
"This thing is suppose to be a mighty ruler of the lower lands by the name of 'Dedede'." Recon explained, ignoring Asuna's questions again, "Let's see what happens when I feed it some darkness…"
Recon whipped his hands up, and a dark energy emanated from him, entering into the penguin's body. Suddenly, it started to move, and it curled up tightly before spreading out, freeing itself from the dark orb, but possessed with a new power. A metal mask suddenly appeared and was placed onto his face, making him look more menacing than before. It reached back behind his back, and suddenly pulled out a mechanical mallet with star pictures on its' head.
(Cue Kirby Triple Deluxe OST 'Masked Dedede theme')
Recon lowered his hands, and turned to the shocked Asuna, smirking. "Enjoy yourself." he told her, and he opened up a Corridor of Darkness, and entered in.
"Wait!" Asuna shouted, racing towards him, but as the portal closed, Dedede suddenly slammed down his mallet, sending a shockwave that tossed Asuna back. She landed on her feet and skidded to a halt, seeing the evil king now standing there, with its' mallet in one hand. Olympia and Pina came to Asuna's side. She looked to the both of them, then to the king, and whipped out her Keyblade. She had to take care of this opponent first.
Asuna rocketed forward, and unleashed her Prism Windmill technique while dashing forward, striking Dedede repeatedly. It didn't make him flinch one bit, and he was about to slam her with her mallet again. Olympia unleashed a dashing assault, countering the mallet as best as it could, but it was damaged by the swing nevertheless. Asuna managed to get out of the way, shouting, "Olympia!" She then launched back at Dedede again, unleashing several close-ranged thrusts with her Keyblade. Pina used its' musical bolts at Dedede from the other side. The king retaliated by turning to Pina, lifting its' mask, and suddenly inhaling so strongly, Asuna thought it was using the same skill as this world's Reality Shift. Pina got sucked in by the attack, right into Dedede's mouth. It then turned to Asuna with his mouth shut, and shot Pina in a star right at her, striking her hard and sending the two flying.
Asuna got back onto her feet, using Curaga to heal herself and her team. The King lowered his body, and sprang high up, heading towards Asuna and Pina. The two leapt out of the way, and the King slammed heavily to the ground. He didn't stop there, and leapt back up into the air, aiming for Asuna again. Asuna continued to run as Dedede slammed down again, leapt up once again, and slammed down to the ground.
Asuna turned to see Olympia charge in, its' body encased in a ring of electrified white light. It struck Dedede with its body, damaging him pretty strongly. Dedede tried to tackle Olympia, but it got out of the way, and he toppled over. Asuna saw this as a chance, and unleashed her Firaga Burst, sending a storm of fireballs at Dedede.
He rose to his feet as the fiery attack continued, and all it did was make him mad. He started spinning about with his hammer like a tornado, pivoting on one foot and moving about the room. Asuna, Pina and Olympia had to do their best as Dedede's hammer spin was making him bounce all over the place. Once he had stopped, he was so dizzy, he wasn't able to move for a moment. Pina unleashed a musical burst of energy from its' tail up close while Olympia unleashed Sparkga and Asuna used Balloonga from afar. All three attacks collided, and although they knew it did serious damage, it shook Dedede out of its' dazed state, and it continued the battle.
Asuna figured out that Dedede was a heavyweight, utilizing its' body weight and strength with his mallet to his advantage. It continued to attack Asuna and her team with lunging tackles, hammer swings, strong inhales, triple-leaping stomps, and hammer tornadoes. It also had a way of dealing with long ranged assaults by producing rockets from his mechanized hammer, shooting them at the team. While active, Dedede was unflinching to any of the team's attacks, but if his lunging tackles missed, or after his continuous hammer tornado, he would be dazed for a short period of time, giving Asuna and her team a chance to attack.
"We still have this!" Asuna shouted to her team after a while of combat, "Let's keep this up!" As Pina and Asuna charged in for another assault, Dedede suddenly got enraged and his clothing turned a purple aura. It dropped its' hammer and leapt over to a pillar that had a pair of sharp, yet decorated axes. It grabbed one of them, and bursted with a surge of energy.
Asuna saw it turn towards her and Pina, and she shouted, "Look out!" The two leapt over a horizontal swipe of the axe from Dedede, and he turned to Asuna, swiping at her repeatedly. Asuna got slashed a couple times and she fell to the ground. She saw Dedede close in on her, continuing his axe combo, and Asuna placed up her Light Barrier to endure the attack as best as she could. Dedede continued his assault until he unleashed a charging swipe, which somehow pierced through Asuna's defenses, and sent her flying.
Pina and Olympia charged in to help Asuna, who used her aerial recovery and retaliated with her Payback Thrust. Dedede charged up his axe with dark energy, and unleashed and under-stroke that sent orbs of dark energy that flew in an arch, hitting the Spirits, but Asuna barely avoided. She struck Dedede with her Payback Thrust, but for some reason, it didn't seem to do anything. Instead, Dedede started an axe tornado that unleashed a cyclone of dark energy around him, causing Asuna to fly into the ceiling and come crashing down to the ground, seriously damaged.
She saw that Pina was starting to glow. The last attack nearly took it out. Asuna used her Curaga spell on her and Olympia, and came to Pina's aid, using her own powers to heal it. She managed to resurrect Pina again, but Asuna was frightened. She had almost lost one of her partners. Asuna turned around to Dedede, who continued his axe tornado assault, and she glared at him determinately. "Recon, I don't like this new power that you gave him one bit." she muttered, "I don't know how you became this cruel, nor possess this kind of power, but rest assured, I won't let you have your way with this!" Asuna, Pina and Olympia came together, ready to continue their fight.
Dedede, still spinning, now changed the position of his axe, spinning with it above his head, and he suddenly lifted off the ground, flying in the air. "Pina, get to a safe area, now!" Asuna told her partner, "Olympia, let's fly!" Pina ran away while Asuna hopped onto Olympia's back, and it took off into the sky. The two started flying about, avoiding getting hit by the spinning king's attack. They continued this dance in the air until Dedede twirled back to the ground, so dizzy that it accidentally tossed the axe away from him, and he fell right next to his hammer.
"Now's our chance!" Asuna shouted, leaping down and unleashed her Sonic Blade technique, charging from all different directions at Dedede, causing him damage. After her attack, Dedede got back up to his feet, panting from exhaustion. It was almost down. "Let's go, Olympia." Asuna told her partner, "Link Style! Thunderstorm!" Asuna fused with Olympia, and started to emanate a electrified, bright yellow aura.
Asuna launched forward at lightning speeds, unleashing lightning-based damage that started with a spinning slash, followed by a dash, then a thrust that shot electricity from her Keyblade. Asuna continued this pattern once more, which was too quick for Dedede to even counter. He attempted to leap at her, but she quickly dodged the attack, retaliating by finishing her combo by thrusting her Keyblade high into the air, sending lightning falling from her Keyblade in all directions. Dedede felt the shock of the attack, and stumbled back. Asuna roared as she charged forward, and thrusted her Keyblade directly at the metal mask. The metal conducted the electricity, paralyzing Dedede for a moment. There was a pause where no one moved. Then all of a sudden, the masked cracked, and it shattered in to pieces as Dedede fell backwards, falling to the ground, unconscious. Dedede was down for the count.
Asuna and Olympia came out of the Link Style, both relieved the battle was over. Pina rushed over to Asuna, meowing in happiness. Asuna turned to see Pina leap up and into her arms, nuzzling her chin. Asuna giggled as she felt the appreciation of her Dream Eater.
"Thank you, guys." Asuna thanked her and Olympia, "My first and last Dream Eater I have ever made, working together with me to this point." Olympia and Pina cried out in response, showing their appreciation for her.
"Asuna!" shouted a high voice. Asuna turned to the entrance to see the White, Blue and Red Sky Fairies flying towards her.
"What are you three doing here?" Asuna asked.
"We wanted to tell you that the monster has been slain, and that the hero of the lower lands has reawakened once more." the White Sky Fairy.
"The monster is defeated?" Asuna asked, "How did that happen?"
"Apparently, you weren't the only hero from the lower lands that came to our aid." the Blue Sky Fairy pointed out.
"It must've been that boyfriend of your's that did it." the White Sky Fairy guessed with a smirk.
While the Red and Blue Sky Fairy looked confused at this, Asuna giggled. "Yeah, it must've been him." Asuna agreed, "So I guess that it wasn't Recon that put Kirby to sleep after all."
"Huh?" questioned the White Sky Fairy.
"Never mind." Asuna dismissed, "All that matters is that Kirby is safe."
Asuna heard the groaning of Dedede as he stirred on the ground. Asuna and the Sky Fairies all turned to watch him moan, and rise up off the ground into a sitting position. "Isn't this the king of the lower lands?" the Red Sky Fairy asked, "He was sent up here, too, mistaken as one of the heroes."
Dedede looked about, then saw Asuna looking at her, and hopped onto his feet. He grabbed both of Asuna's hands, shaking her as he laughed happily in a deep tone. "He's thanking you for saving him." the Blue Sky Fairy told her.
"N-No problem." Asuna responded, slightly dazed at the shaking.
Dedede turned to the fairies, thumping his belly and holding up a different hammer from before, which was a large, wooden version. "He looks like he wants to help you out." Asuna told the fairies.
"Indeed, he does." the Red Sky Fairy agreed, "Although he was unintentionally brought up here, he still intends to help us."
"It's the same with Kirito and I." Asuna agreed, "Life does work in mysterious ways, but nothing is done unintentionally done. I've learned that during all the ordeals I had up to this day. Maybe Dedede here was sent up by the Dreamstalk to help you guys out, too."
"Who knows." the White Sky Fairy replied, "But even we have no idea the intentions of the Dreamstalk. Perhaps there is some truth to what you say."
"Come! We mustn't waste any time, then!" the Red Sky Fairy told the others, "We should hurry and aid Kirby in our fight." The others agreed, and the Sky Fairies led King Dedede out of the throne room, leaving Asuna behind to watch them leave.
There was a sudden bright light behind Asuna, and she turned to see the Sleeping Keyhole suddenly appear in the moonlight above her. "This is the seventh Keyhole." Asuna told herself, "Once I unlock this one, I'll have all seven Keyholes unlocked, and be complete with the Mark of Mastery. Now all that is left to do is find Leafa."
Asuna had to think about all that she had to go through up to this point, with several questions on her mind. "I wonder how Gouxus is still alive after I was able to defeat him before?" Asuna asked, "And more importantly, what happened to Recon to make his intentions so…dark? There are so many questions left unsolved from this, and I need to know more. Kirito, we have to keep going if we're to find Leafa again."
Asuna waved her Keyblade towards the Sleeping Keyhole, and a beam of light shot out of the tip. It struck the Keyhole, making the area around it shatter, sending rays of light out, awakening the world. Asuna lowered her Keyblade, and closed her eyes as she was taken away from this world. For Kirito and Asuna, this trial was yet to be over for them.
Realm of Arrival: Gretinal's Office
It took a while for everyone to gather up, but Gretinal now had Yui, her three students, and the parents of the Keyblade wielders in her office. The crystal by Gretinal showed those who were gathered in Yen Sid's study, containing Yen Sid, Mickey, Donald and Goofy.
"How goes Axel's training?" Gretinal asked Yen Sid, "Do you believe that he is able to do it?"
Yen Sid brushed his beard as he answered, "It is clear you cannot teach a cat to bark. But Merlin and the three good fairies are aiding him in a place that's more…temporally flexible. My hope is that he can at least learn to wield it. He certainly has fire, so I suppose it depends now on how strongly it burns."
"But what about you, Yui?" Goofy asked, "Are ya able to do it?"
"Not yet." Yui answered, "My training is tough, but I hope to believe that I am able to wield one myself, soon." Gretinal nodded back at her in agreement.
"So why have you gathered us here in the first place?" Yen Sid asked Gretinal, "You said there was something you wished to speak with all of us about."
"Of course." Gretinal answered, "But first, I wish for you to tell me something truthfully and honestly; You know that the X-Blade had been separated into twenty pieces, seven of light and thirteen of darkness. Is that all that you truly know about what happened to the X-Blade?"
"Yes, that is all that I know of it." Yen Sid answered, "But why do you ask of this?"
Gretinal sighed, and closed her eyes, thinking. "It is as I thought. There was no other way he would have known…" Gretinal muttered.
"What do you mean?" Mickey questioned.
Gretinal looked to everyone before starting, "The fact is, there is more to that story than what you believe." Everyone looked to one another, surprised. "You see, what you know is only part of the truth, Master Yen Sid." Gretinal continued, "The twenty pieces you spoke of did come from the X-Blade, but only the blade, itself. The fact is that the entire X-Blade was shattered into not twenty, but twenty-seven; Twenty from the blade, and seven from the X-chain."
Everyone was shocked by this. "You mean there were more pieces than what we know?" Yen Sid questioned, "But how do you know of this?"
"It is unclear how the ancestors were able to keep this a secret only to this dimension, but all that I know is that the eleven Keyblade Guardians managed to hide the fact that there were seven more pieces that came from the X-blade." Gretinal explained, "In truth, for a while, I had no idea about the twenty pieces from the blade, either. That is, until I watched Sora's ordeals using my foresight, and I managed to put the pieces together. I believe this was used as a trick, so that neither dimension could ever discover the true Kingdom Hearts, and use it for evil intentions."
"But how many pieces of light and darkness were said to forge the X-chain?" Mickey asked.
"According to the history passed down by the Keyblade Masters, there were three pieces of darkness and four pieces of light that, when forged together, formed the ultimate X-chain that could bring about the weapon that unlocks Kingdom Hearts. However, no one was able to create it, as hard as they could. There was a reason for this; because they were only given half of the recipe to make the all-powerful X-Blade. I believe Master Xehanort tried to forge his own pieces of light and darkness using the instructed materials told in your dimension. However, just like those in our dimension, his ended in shambles. The X-Blade could never truly be forged because neither side had the full amount of light and darkness."
"So if Xehanort doesn't know about the proper amount of light and darkness he needs, he could never make the X-blade after all!" Yui realized, "That means we're safe, right?"
Gretinal shook her head. "When Heartless Oberon attacked my school, he went in search for the amount of Keys of Darkness that he needed to gain in order to reach Kingdom Hearts. When he did this, he stumbled upon the truth that we have hidden away for so long. And if he looks carefully to our dimensions history on how Kingdom Hearts was sealed, he would know everything there is to know about how to create the true X-Blade. If it was the truth that Xehanort and Sugou's Nobody and Heartless are back together, then we can believe that Xehanort also knows this truth, too."
Everyone was quiet for a while, nervous. Xehanort and Sugou have now joined forces, and a secret kept between dimensions was now fully unveiled. "Why didn't you tell us this in the first place?" Yen Sid questioned Gretinal, "If we were to know of the full truth, we would have made extra intentions to stop the darkness from ever discovering."
"If there were more people who knew the truth, that would mean that there would have been more chances for the enemy to know." Gretinal responded, "It was a risk I could not take. However, under the circumstances, I believe that it is impossible to stop this from happening. I am deeply sorry for deceiving all of you."
"Ah, it wasn't your fault." Mickey answered, "You were just doing what you thought was right. But now, I'm more worried about Sora, Riku, Kirito, Asuna and Leafa."
"I agree." Shouzou responded, "What about the children? Do you think this Master Xehanort and Sugou are able to interfere with their test?"
"Well, if we are running on the assumption Xehanort knew what we were planning, then he still would need to have been there, back in the very place and time when the part of Aincrad DiZ made or the Destiny Islands were lost to darkness. Otherwise, the five of them would have been beyond his reach."
Both Latias and Goofy started to think to themselves as Mickey asked, "Gee, do you really think it's possible Xehanort and Sugou could have planned things that far in advance?"
"No, as a matter of fact, I do not." Xehanort answered.
"I doubt he would have entered DiZ's creation in Aincrad." Gretinal corrected, "There would have been no other possible way. But the Destiny Islands…it might have been possible, IF he were there."
Goofy stopped thinking, and asked, "But what if he did the same thing as Sora and Riku did, and he jumped through time?"
"No, that's impossible." Latias answered, "I've read about time travel after the Mark of Mastery begun. In order for that to work, there needed to have been a version of himself both at source and the time and place he wished to go. Otherwise, it's not possible to accomplish."
"That is correct." Yen Sid answered, "Not even Xehanort can transport his whole body across vast reaches of time."
For a while, no one could figure out any way for Xehanort could have been there. Then suddenly, Mickey gasped, "Oh…Oh, no. I remember; Xehanort did give up his body. It was a version of him that was possessing Riku."
Yen Sid and Gretinal were startled at this horrific truth. "No! It cannot be." Yen Sid gasped, "Could he be that cunning, possess that kind of foresight?"
"As unbelievable as it may sound, the pieces fit." Gretinal followed, "That means he really could have entered the Mark of Mastery, and brought along Sugou and whoever he has allied with beside him." All those, besides the two Masters, Mickey and Yui, were looking to one another, worried. The five Keyblade wielders really were in danger.
"If it's all right with you, can I go help everyone out?" Mickey asked Yen Sid.
"How? You cannot enter the world of a dream." Yen Sid reminded him, "Where will you go?"
"If Xehanort really is behind all this, then they won't stay in the dream worlds forever. Eventually, they're gonna reappear somewhere that we can go reach 'em. And we can even probably guess the place. 'Follow the hearts, and you'll find the way.' That's something Master Aqua told me once."
Yui walked up next to Gretinal's desk, amazed. "Mama's sister told you that?" she asked. Mickey looked to Yui, and nodded. Shouzou and Kyouko looked to each other, wondering about Aqua's words.
"King Mickey…" Donald started.
"We're goin' too." Goofy finished.
"Ah, fellas, you're my best pals." Mickey told them, "But this time, I really do need to go it alone. The dangers are greater than anything we've ever faced before. If something were to happen to Sora, Riku, Asuna, Kirito, Leafa and me, why you'll be the only ones left to keep this world safe." Donald and Goofy sighed in depression.
"Mickey, I can't let you do it alone." Yui called out, "I want to come with him, and save everyone anyway I can."
"Sorry, Yui, but it is too dangerous." Gretinal told her, "Besides, you are still in the middle of your training. If you go right now, you are only able to do so much."
"I know that." Yui understood softly, "But if it is as dangerous as you say, and mama, papa, Sora, Leafa and Riku are all in danger, then that's all the more reason for me to help out! My heart is connected to all of them, and like auntie Aqua told Mickey, I will follow them. Please, Mistress Gretinal, Mickey. Let me come with, and I'll do whatever it takes to save them."
Gretinal, along with everyone else, stared at Yui, seeing and feeling the determination she was emanating from her. Finally, Gretinal smiled. "You are just as strong-willed as your mother, and stubborn to help people out like your father." she muttered, "Very well, then, Yui. I think I know a way to bring you to everyone's side."
Gretinal turned to Yen Sid, "I am having trouble indicating where Leafa is, and Kirito and Asuna's locations are still a bit hazy." she told him, "If we are to believe that Xehanort is the ring-leader, then I believe that the five of them might be showing up in a world in your dimension. Are you able to detect where Sora and Riku are?" Yen Sid paused as he concentrated, then he answered, "I was not able to locate Sora, but I sense Riku's presence in the realm between. Trust your heart, and I know you will find him."
"Once Mickey is close to where Riku and or any one of the Keyblade wielders, I will send in Yui after you." Gretinal followed, "I will do it so that she will also be able to come back here, should things be too much for her, but I believe she is capable enough."
"Thank you." Mickey and Yui thanked simultaneously.
"I promise we'll bring them all back safe and sound." Mickey followed, full of determination.
"And it is a promise we will keep." Yui added, serious about fulfilling this duty.
"Will you be okay on your own?" Jackson asked, "I mean, if you need a hand…"
"Don't worry." Yui answered, smiling at him, "As long as our hearts our connected, then that will be strength enough for all of us." Everyone looked set and ready to go as the objective at hand was set; bring the five Keyblade wielders home.
Next Time on SAK FF:
Asuna: Arun? Why am I back in Alfheim Online again?
Kirito: Hold on, this is the one made by RECT Progress. This is Sugou's Alfheim Online!
Asuna: Then that means we have to fulfill the Grand Quest of Alfheim; climb the World Tree!
Kirito: The truth to all of this has to be at the top of the World Tree, and hopefully Leafa, too.
Asuna & Kirito: We'll reach the top together!
On the next 'Sword Art Kingdom: Falling Fantasy'
RECT Alfheim! Fly to the World Tree!
Kirito & Asuna: The Dreams have yet to be discovered!