Another chapter I had to basically completely rewrite in my edits. Before we begin, a brief disclaimer: for the sake of Keys Lore as I like to call it, just assume that Anti Form is not a thing/something Sora has never experienced before. Make things more... interesting if you do :3 Enjoy!


Chapter 4: Hero to Zero

He was a no one
(A zero, zero)
Now he's a honcho
(He's a hero!)
Here was a kid with his act down pat!
From zero to hero in no time flat!
Zero to hero just like that!

Sora, Donald, and Goofy are certainly no strangers to Olympus Coliseum. Despite having only been there twice, the trio is more than familiar with the grandiose stadium where only the greatest of heroes go to duke it out for glory in the games. Beyond that familiarity, the world is a favorite among the many they've traveled to for the close friends they've made and the adventures they've had there. Tirelessly raining to measure up Phil's rousing regimen, bravely rushing to protect Meg from the perils of the Underworld, fearlessly fighting alongside Hercules to foil Hades' sinister schemes. They're expecting more of the same this time when they embark from the Gummi Ship to venture into the iconic coliseum.

Only to find themselves halfway up an unfamiliar mountain instead.

The coliseum's statue-guarded entrance is nowhere to be seen as the trio glances around the lush outcropping they arrive on. The rest of the mountain rises high above them, its peak stretching so far into the clouds that it can't even be seen. It's a serene setting, something Sora senses something special about almost as soon as they get there. And yet, he can't quite place what that something is, which is why he doesn't bother bringing it up to Donald and Goofy. Instead, he poses the most obvious question, one that his companions are already largely thinking.

"So, where's the coliseum?" he asks, hanging his arms behind his head as he glances around.

"You tell us!" Donald huffs impatiently. "You're the one who brought us here!"

"Well, I guess I overshot the coliseum just a little bit," Sora shrugs. "Looks like we gotta walk a little to find it. That's not a huge deal, is it?"

"No, but it is a waste of our time," Donald scowls, crossing his arms.

"Maybe it won't be as much of a waste if we can find somebody to ask directions from," Goofy suggests, pointing out a path leading further up the mountain.

"Or better yet, we can find Hercules along the way…" Donald grumbles as he begins to follow the captain's lead.

Sora does the same, though he does stop short upon taking a brief glimpse out at the vast hills and valleys stretching out beyond the mountainside. "Whoa…" he gasps, running over to look out over a small stretch of fencing. "Herc's world is so huge! I can't believe we've never seen any of this before!"

"Well, the past few times we've been here, we were pretty busy," Goofy says as he briefly joins him in sightseeing. "Guess we didn't get much of a chance to go explorin'."

"That's a good thing!" Donald asserts, beckoning them to get back on the path. "The less exploring we do, the less of a chance we have to mess up the world order by mistake! And by we, I mean you, Sora."

"Hey! Why are you singling me out?" Sora spins around with a protesting pout. "After all the worlds we've been to, I'm a total pro at this whole world order business by now."

Donald and Goofy can't help but exchange a dubious glance as Sora presses past them. Because if there's anyone who knows just how much of a tendency Sora has to "meddle" in the affairs of other worlds when they really should be leaving things well enough alone, it's both of them. "Er… if ya say so, Sora," Goofy grins a moment later as Donald lets out a small, snarky snicker. "So what are we supposed to do when we find Hercules anyway?"

"You heard what Master Yen Sid said," Sora glances back over his shoulder, his tone casual and largely unconcerned with their mission. "We gotta find Herc, ask him for a few pointers about how to get my strength back or something, and then we can head out."

"So you think just talking to Hercules is just going to magically make you strong again?" Donald deadpans, raising a critical eyebrow.

"Gawrsh, I don't think it'll be that simple…" Goofy agrees.

"Fine," Sora sighs, rolling his eyes. "Maybe we'll go a few practice rounds in the coliseum, if we really need to. But even then, this whole getting my strength back thing shouldn't take too long. It's not like this is even the first time I've had to start from scratch before, remember?"

"Yeah, but last time it was just 'cause we had all been sleeping for a real long time," Goofy points out.

"Not because your heart was almost taken over by Xehanort," Donald adds a bit more sharply, far from pleased about Sora's lax demeanor over such a serious matter.

"Ugh, yeah, almost," Sora counters, disgruntled by yet another unnecessary reminder. "That means it wasn't, which means I'm fine. Except for the whole strength thing, but that problem will take care of itself once we find Herc, I'm sure of it."

"Uh, well I don't know about Herc," Goofy pipes up, suddenly pulling both Sora and Donald aside. "But I think we might've just found someone else!"

Confused, the pair peers out to where the captain is pointing. A sizable plateau awaits them just ahead, and pacing around that plateau is none other than a familiar foe that the trio recognizes the moment they see him. After all, it's hard to forget the lord of the dead himself, as much as they might wish they could. "Alright. Ok.I dotted my I's, crossed my T's, zeroed the hero. There's a 100% satisfaction guaranteed chance this whole shebang is gonna work this time. The only thing that could possibly get in my way is-"

"Hades!"

"...Huh," Hades turns, his tone and expression both largely bored when he sees the trio brazenly rushing out into the open to confront him. "Gotta admit, you three yutzes weren't who I was expecting. Doesn't mean you're any less of a migraine than Jerkules might've been. Oy vey..."

"You bet we are!" Donald proclaims, calling upon his staff and raising it threateningly.

"Yeah, if you're here to cause trouble, then we can take you on even without Herc's help, easy," Sora says, an air of challenge in his tone as the Kingdom Key flashes into his hands.

"Speakin' of Herc," Goofy interjects, not summoning his own weapon as quickly as his companions had. "Where is he anyway?"

"What is everyone's infatuation with that DOLT!?" Hades growls, his flames suddenly spiking red hot with rage at the mere mention of the hero. He's quick to calm himself down again, however, slicking his fiery hair back into its usual blue blaze. "You know what? Never mind, never mind. I'm cool, I'm good. 'Cause Wonderboy will be outta my hair soon enough…"

"Aha! So you really are up to no good again!" Sora accuses, assuming a battle stance as Donald and Goofy do the same alongside him.

"Whoa, easy," Hades raises his hands. "What is this-Sparta? I'm kind of on a schedule here. Don't have time to toss around the ol' fire and brimstone. The whole cosmos is basically waiting for me to, y'know, conquer it. So I better not leave it hanging."

Despite this grand ambition, not a single member of the trio takes it seriously as they exchange a set of broad, knowing smirks instead. "Aw, how sad," Sora remarks rather teasingly. "Poor Hades actually thinks he can pull it off this time."

"He's gotta know that the three of us and Hercules are gonna stop him," Donald adds just as confidently.

"Yup, just like we did before," Goofy nods, assured.

"Not this time, you're not!" Hades fiercely shoots back as he turns his gaze up towards the towering mountain. "Where are my Titans?!" he calls commandingly. "Show me your power!"

Despite their previous doubts, Sora, Donald, and Goofy all jolt in surprise as the stony ground beneath their feet starts to tremble violently at this demand. Likewise, the gentle blue skies ahead turn dark and stormy, heralding the arrival of not one, but four massive, unimaginable terrors. Nature itself seems to go completely haywire at their arrival, the ongoing earthquake still rattling the mountain as deadly molten lava spills down from its peak. A frigid, icy chill, carried by a brutal, blustery gust tears through the air and in the center of all this chaos stands Hades, absolutely reveling in the sheer destructive potential his Titans are showing. "Ah! I just love the breeze!" he sighs with a wide, sinister grin as he looks behind him again. "Don't you, fellas?"

The trio doesn't have much of a chance to respond amidst the practically deafening winds. The force of the supernatural gale is relentless, and despite their best efforts to stand their ground against it, it soon proves to be too much for them. In one fell swoop, they're all thrown clear off the mountain, the winds catapulting them upward and out towards what will likely be a painful landing in the distant valley miles below.

Just as quickly as the elemental chaos began, it's brought to a swift end solely on Hades' command. "Nice work, fellas!" he calls up to his collection of Titans with a satisfied smile. "Now that pest control is over with, why don't we get back to that whole cosmic coup thing, huh?"

As always, the Titans loyally heed their lord's command, trudging their way back up to the home of the gods on the mountain's peak to take it as their own. Hades gladly sees them off, though his aggravation returns in full force when he senses a dark corridor open up not too far behind him. "Ugh… really?" he asks with an irritated sigh. "Are you kidding? Geez louise, when it rains it pours. Ok, who's here to get on my last nerve now?"

"Hey, now! That ain't no way to say hello, 'specially to your old friends."

"Oh perfect…" Hades scowls, turning to face the pair stepping out of the dark portal. "Now I gotta put up with you two."

While Pete pouts at this cross reception, Maleficent remains as calm and collected as ever as she addresses one of her former cohorts coolly. "You needn't worry. We've no intentions of wasting your no-doubt… valuable time."

"Yeah, we just dropped by to ask ya somethin' real quick," Pete adds, picking up a brazen smirk.

"Oh yeah?" Hades raises an eyebrow. "Funny, I don't remember either of you two doing me any memorable favors. So you can keep your Heartless this time, and your cockamamie questions to yourselves. I'm going back to my original plan. All right? So… toodle-oo! Exit's thataway! Hey, it was great seein' ya. Happy traaaaails!"

"We're not here to aid in your small-minded schemes," Maleficent counters. "I have my own business to attend to. All I need to know is if there is a distinctive… black box… somewhere in this world."

"Black box, huh?" Hades repeats boredly. "Hm… black box, black box, black box… Wait. Don't tell me… you're after the one Zeus hid on Earth?"

"…Possibly," Maleficent says vaguely. "If I were, where might it be?"

"I dunno," Hades shrugs apathetically. "Somewhere down in Thebes, I guess. Not sure what a power-hungry broad like you would want with some dumb ol' trinket of a box like that though."

"Huh? Are you sayin' that this box is tiny or somethin'?" Pete asks, dismayed as he turns to Maleficent. "I thought you said what we're lookin' for is supposed to be this big sorta treasure-chest type thing!"

"Quiet, you fool," Maleficent hisses, not wanting to tip Hades, or anyone else for that matter, off to what she's really searching for. "Its size and appearance matters not. After all…" she keeps her voice low as she smirks darkly. "The most unassuming vessels can often hold the most unpredictable power within them…"

"Hey, not that this isn't an absolute blast or anything," Hades interjects impatiently. "But I kinda have things to do, enemies to thrash, the whole nine yards, you know how it is. So… are we done here?"

"Yes…" Maleficent nods as she summons another dark corridor to take her leave. "I believe we are."

"Great, see ya around," Hades deadpans with a halfhearted wave as he finally leaves, though not without ranting to himself the entire time. "Geez, not even a thank-you for the tip about the stupid box? Getting outta her payroll was one of the best things you ever did for yourself, Hades, that's for sure…"

"So…" Pete speaks up once Hades is out of earshot. "Ya really think that box he was talkin' about was the one we're after?"

"We shall see for ourselves…" Maleficent says simply as she walks into the dark portal, her henchman hurrying right along after her. "Come along, Pete. I believe our search has only just begun…"


The city of Thebes is a vast, sprawling Grecian metropolis, sitting in the safety of the shadow of Mount Olympus itself. However, that safety does nothing for it now as the town lies in a state of complete and utter upheaval. Hades launched a devastating attack upon it, sending fire raining down from the sky and monsters out to scour the streets. The city's already seen substantial damage in the past several hours alone, with plenty of structures having fallen victim to the ongoing chaos. Thebes' citizens are in just as much of a panic, scrambling to find any safe haven they can to shelter themselves from the torrential destruction ravaging their home. And yet, amidst this grave devastation, the people are still able to rely on one last hope to rescue them from it all and restore peace once again: Hercules.

The legendary hero is in the midst of doing just that as he finishes saving a group of civilians from a dangerous street fire. Hercules stands perched atop a nearby building to take the briefest of breathers before throwing himself back into the frantic fray, knowing that a hero's work is never done. However, just before he can return to his regularly-scheduled rescuing, his attention is diverted by the emerging noise of three very distinct, very familiar cries of fearful alarm. And upon turning towards the source of these screams, Hercules doesn't hesitate to leap into action to save his three peril-ridden friends.

In one swift, deft leap, Hercules catches both Sora and Goofy, halting their freefall and making a safe and stable landing with the pair in tow. "See? Told ya we'd find him!" Sora proclaims only mere seconds after that landing.

"Yeah, guess this counts!" Goofy adds, chuckling.

Hercules offers the pair a brief nod of greeting, though before he really has much of a chance to say hello, his attention is garnished by the only member of the trio he hasn't successfully caught. "Hey! Get me down!" Donald squawks, struggling to free himself from the maw of the massive lion statue he'd managed to land on.

"Just a second!" Hercules calls, promptly setting Sora and Goofy down to retrieve the frustrated magician. As soon as everyone is safe and settled on the ground, a proper reunion between the trio and the hero is finally able to take off.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy! It's good to see you guys again!" Hercules exclaims with a bright grin. "You three literally dropped in. Gotta say, I'm impressed."

"Not as impressed as we are by that catch," Goofy returns.

"Yeah, thanks, Herc," Sora nods, grateful for the timely save. "But… what's going on around here?" he asks, noting the destruction-ravaged streets around them, smoldering piles of rubble still burning bright in just about every direction.

"I'll give you one guess," Hercules sighs, crossing his arms. "Starts with an H…"

"Ohhh…" the trio muses in unison, hardly surprised.

"Yeah, we actually ran into Hades on the way here," Sora informs. "He, uh… kinda tossed us off a mountain."

"And he said something about conquerin' the whole cosmos," Goofy adds, his tone a touch more serious.

"All of it, huh?" Hercules asks with a sardonic smirk. "Nice of him to show a little self-restraint. Well, whatever he's planning, I'll send him running back across the Styx!"

"Yeah!" the trio lets out a shared, excited cheer.

"And we'll be right there to help you do it!" Sora volunteers, pumping his fist with an eager grin.

"I'll be glad to have you guys along for the ride," Hercules chuckles, amused by the younger boy's zeal. The levity is quick to fade, however, when he spots a sinister horde of creatures rising up out of the shadows of the nearby city square, terrorizing any civilians that still happen to be roaming about. "I'll definitely appreciate a few extra hands when it comes to dealing with them."

"Heartless!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy exclaim when they notice the familiar monsters swarming too. Several more soon join the starting group, raining down from above in a storm of blazing brimstone. One such impact strikes the side of the town's centerpiece, a large, finely-sculpted statue of Hercules himself, built to honor the hero and his many brave labors. Despite its sturdy structure, it easily topples over from the blow, slamming to the ground and adding even more destruction onto what the already rampaging group of Heartless is bringing as they scatter through the surrounding area.

"Looks like we'll have to take a short pit stop before we track down Hades," Hercules tells the trio as he takes up an offensive stance. "You three ready for a good warm up?"

"You know we are!" Sora smirks as his Keyblade flashes into his grip.

"Anytime!" Donald adds as he whips his staff out.

"And anywhere!" Goofy finishes, brandishing his shield.

"Good," Hercules nods as he starts leading the charge into the fray. "Then let's get to it!"

With that, the fight is on. As soon as they spot the group racing for them, the Heartless hurry to meet them, many of them still flaming as they surge toward their new foes. Despite their numbers, however, they're met with a team that's more than used to facing them by now. Already riding a wave of adrenaline from protecting the city all day, Hercules easily mows several of the Heartless down right off the bat, using his sheer physical strength alone. He hoists a handful of them up, tossing them around as though they're little more than dead weight as he lets them collide with several more creatures still on the ground. At the same time, Donald and Goofy also quickly get back into the swing of things as the captain plows his shield into several shadows, while the magician blasts off a rapid barrage of spells to send even more of them flying.

Initially, Sora rushes into the battle just as confidently, his Keyblade at the ready to fight just as deftly as he always does. And yet, even as early as his first swing, he notices something is strangely off. He can't quite place it, but it comes in the form of his attacks coming slower and softer, his Keyblade feeling just a bit heavier in his hands. It's enough of a shift to throw off the rhythm of his attacks, to the point that he only narrowly remembers to duck out of the path of one of the Heartless lunging for him. He tries to quell that same Heartless' flames with a well-timed water spell, but instead of a mighty wave, it only comes out as a weak splash that doesn't do much to stop the burning creature at all. Sora makes several similar attempts with other types of magic: ice, fire, wind, lightning, but none of them are really enough to whittle down the creatures wildly skittering around him, much to his swiftly rising frustration. As distracted as he is by a handful of Heartless immediately in front of him, he doesn't even notice another one creeping up from behind him. Nor does he see the flaming burst it launches his way until the brief second he happens to glance over his shoulder to see it coming straight for him.

Fortunately, it doesn't hit him, instead squarely striking Goofy's shield as he launches himself between the Heartless and Sora. As soon as the creature's flames are snuffed out, the captain launches his shield at it, defeating it easily. "Look alive, Sora!" he reminds before rushing off to help Donald square off against another group.

"That's funny, I thought I was…" Sora mutters with a small, irritated sigh. All the same, he readies himself once again, gripping his Keyblade with both hands as he tries to stay focused, tries to stay steady, tries to even just stay standing as his energy swiftly starts to wane. As he finally realizes that the sudden loss of his strength might be far more serious than he initially thought.

Eventually, the horde begins to thin out, though largely more thanks to everyone else's efforts rather than Sora's. By the time the battle is over, he can count how many Heartless he'd taken out during it on one hand, an underwhelming, embarrassing performance against a group of monsters so measly. But even beyond that, he finds himself absolutely winded, even after such a short scuffle, his breathing short and his body tired as he essentially leans against his Keyblade while digging it into the cobblestone ground. He's relatively uninjured, despite the few blows he suffered in the brawl, but the light scrapes and burns he's sustained are still enough to add onto his weariness, something he races to shake off as soon as he sees Donald and Goofy so much as glance over his way.

"Sora?" Goofy frowns, watching as Sora swiftly puts his Keyblade away, only to sway somewhat without its support. "Are you ok?"

Sora forces a bit of a diffident smile at this, a light hand placed against his head as he chases the sudden dizziness away. "Y-yeah! I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?" Donald asks, eyeing him critically.

"You seem kinda tired…" Goofy notes, concerned.

"Who, me?" Sora scoffs as steadily as he possibly can. "No way! I… I'm just a little… a little out of practice is all! But I-I'll get over it! Like I said earlier, I'm fine."

By now, even Hercules has noticed Sora's rather obvious exhaustion, the signs of which aren't exactly new to the hero. He's suffered from burnout himself before, but even so, he can't deny it's something of a strange look on Sora, especially after all the spectacular feats Hercules has seen the younger boy pull off before. "I don't wanna be nosy, Sora," he begins tentatively, patiently. "But… did something happen since the last time you were here? Getting this worn out fighting just a handful of monsters… isn't really like you…"

"...You're right, it's not," Sora sighs, glancing away. "A-actually, that's why we came here. I need your help, Herc."

"My help?" Hercules asks, surprised. "With what?"

Sora hesitates, looking over at Donald and Goofy, who both prompt him onward with encouraging nods. And yet, even though this is the very purpose they came all this way for, he still finds he has to swallow a bit of his pride in order to ask what he knows he needs to. "So, uh… speaking of last time, you remember how you were feeling down and out? What'd you do to get your strength back?"

Hercules pauses for a moment to think over the question before offering the most earnest answer he can. "Well… I didn't get it back until Meg was in trouble. The second I saw that she was, I didn't think, I just… did whatever I had to so I could save her. And when I did, somehow that's when my strength came back; though it's not like I could really tell you how it came back exactly…"

"Oh…" Sora sighs, disappointed. Because even after coming all this way to seek Hercules' aid, it seems as though even the hero himself isn't able to explain the rise from his past fall. And if he isn't, how is Sora supposed to follow his footsteps and do the same thing for himself?

"Let me guess…." Hercules notes. "You were hoping for more?"

"Yeah…" Sora nods, glancing down. "Something happened not that long ago and, uh… I guess it made me lose all of my strength too. That's why I wanted to find you—I was hoping you might have a solution or some advice or… something."

"Oh…" Hercules frowns sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Sora. But… for what it's worth, I'm sure you'll find a way to regain that lost strength of yours somehow. After all, I've seen you pull off crazier things than that."

Despite his still prominent worry, Sora does perk up at least slightly upon hearing the hero's vote of confidence. Likewise, Donald and Goofy both show him a set of supportive smiles, meant to carry the message that they'll be there to help him work his way back to his usual strength and skill, however long that might take.

"Hercules!" The touching moment is soon interrupted, however, by a sudden panicked cry from somewhere up above. The source of that cry does indeed come from the skies, more specifically from Meg as she rides high over the square atop Pegasus' back, Phil also clinging onto the flying steed for dear life. They see anything but smooth flying, however, thanks to the cluster of winged Heartless relentlessly chasing right after them.

"Augh! Will ya annoying little schmucks get outta here already?!" Phil yells as he tries to swat several of the swarming creatures away.

"How about a little help up here, huh?!" Meg calls to the group below as she does her best to steer Pegasus to safety.

"Hang tight, you guys!" Hercules calls up to them. "Help is on the way!"

Pegasus heeds this reassurance with a spirited neigh, sweeping in low to allow Hercules to clock several of the Heartless trailing him clean out of the air. Sora, Donald, and Goofy all rush in to assist him, though once again, only the latter pair really makes much of an impact. Sora slashes and swings away at the creatures as fiercely as he possibly can, not utilizing any sort of restraint in the hopes that raw brute force will be enough to make up for the strength he currently lacks. But even then, it takes him far too many hits to take even as much as a single Heartless down, and by the time he does, he finds that his friends have quickly and easily ousted the rest in his stead.

"I might as well not even be here…" he mutters to himself, sourly glancing away as he lets his Keyblade disappear.

"Did ya say something, Sora?" Goofy asks, barely managing to hear him.

"Uh, n-nope!" Sora quickly shifts into a large, complacent smile. A smile that does a sufficient job of masking just how frustrated he's starting to get with his newfound loss of strength, as well as the inhibiting weakness that he's left with in its place.

With the Heartless cleared out, Pegasus is able to come in for a clean landing. As soon as his hooves touch the ground, Meg hops off of him, running over to Hercules before locking him into a tight embrace. "I'm glad to see you're ok, Wonderboy," she smiles, placing an affectionate hand against the side of his face.

"I'm ok?" Hercules laughs as he returns her hug. "I feel like I should be saying that; you guys were the ones who were almost knocked out of the sky just now."

"Eh, we would've been just fine with just me smackin' them freaks around," Phil remarks, his fists raised as he mimics his attempt at fighting the Heartless off. "Not that I won't give ya any points for the flashy rescue, kid," he jokes, elbowing his former pupil's leg playfully.

"Yeesh…" Meg frowns, glancing around the decimated square as she and Hercules part. "Whatever happened here doesn't look so fun…"

"No, not with the Heartless involved," Hercules shakes his head before he glances over at the trio. "But at least we have a few extra hands to help keep them at bay."

"Well, whaddaya know?" Meg said as she offered the trio a wry smirk. "Sora, Donald, Goofy. I wasn't expecting to see you three turn up, but I owe you a big thank you for coming all this way to help Hercules out."

"Well," Donald begins. "That's not really why we're here, but-"

"We're always happy to lend a hand!" Goofy chimes in much more cheerfully.

"Or at least try to…" Sora mumbles, still far from pleased with how he'd fared in the past two frays.

"Oy, kid, you ain't lookin' so hot," Phil notes, commenting on Sora's still rather battle-worn appearance. "You sure you've been keepin' up with your hero training like I told ya to the last time you were here?"

"What? Of course I have!" Sora protests defensively. "In fact, that's why we came here in the first place: to get stronger."

"Like Hercules!" Donald adds zealously.

"Aw, cut it out, you guys…" Hercules rebuffs with a humble chuckle.

"Yeah, well luckily for you, I trained the best of the best," Phil concludes, looking to the hero with a proud smirk. "Who knows? Maybe someday you three will end up at least getting' somewhere close to catching up to 'im."

"Hey!" the trio exclaims in faux offended unison.

"Alright, alright, the last thing we need is another fight breaking out around here, you four," Hercules interjects, putting some space between the trio and his trainer.

"Speaking of fights, that's why we came down here to find you," Meg interjects, her manner suddenly serious. "There's trouble up at the temple."

"There's a whole mess of Heartless runnin' around the place like they own it!" Phil huffs crossly. "Bunch of pesky, no-good puntzes, they are…"

"And what's worse is that there are people still trapped inside!" Meg exclaims worriedly. "We tried to do what we could to help them, but… this might be something that requires more of a hero's touch, if you catch my drift."

"I sure do," Hercules nods, determined to help. "Pegasus is the fastest way up there, but, uh…" he smiles somewhat awkwardly as he glances back to the trio. "I don't think he has enough room for all of us." Pegasus is quick to confirm this, shaking his head as he lets out an indigent snort. Hercules laughs, warmly patting his companion's neck before hoisting Meg onto his back.

"Don't worry," Sora reassures. "We can catch up to you on foot."

"And we can keep on fighting any Heartless we run into along the way!" Goofy adds resiliently.

"Sounds like a plan," Hercules agrees as he climbs onto his steed, making sure there's enough room for Phil to squeeze in as well.

"Don't keep us waiting, you three!" Phil calls impatient as Pegasus lifts off. "Remember, rule 18: heroes are never late!"

"We won't be!" Sora shoots back confidently as the others take off to the skies. As soon as they're gone, he turns back to his companions, his determination renewed by the new task at hand. A task that he can only hope will help him prove he still has some small shred of strength left to spare after all. "Well, you heard 'em. Let's head out!"

Donald and Goofy exchange a worried glance as they watch Sora begin to run on ahead through the ruined streets, though they're quick to trail right after him all the same. "Are you sure you're up for this?" Donald asks as they fall in line with his steady pace.

"Up for what?" Sora asks, confused.

"Tryin' to fight more Heartless," Goofy elaborates. "We already got what advice we could from Hercules; which means we don't have to stick around any longer if you-"

"Are you kidding?" Sora scoffs, appalled by the mere suggestion his companions are alluding to. "We can't leave now! People are in trouble, and Herc needs our help to save them!"

"Hercules would be just fine on his own, and you know it," Donald calls his bluff. "Just admit it, Sora; you wanna stay so you can risk getting hurt by acting like you aren't starting from square one again."

Sora suddenly comes to a complete halt at this, his hands snapping into tight fists at his sides. His companions are also quick to stop, both of them noticing how he intentionally refuses to so much as glance back at either one of them. "Donald…" Goofy chastises the magician for his last comment in a disapproving whisper.

"What?" Donald counters flippantly. "It's true. He's never gonna get stronger if he keeps throwing himself into fights he can't handle anymore."

"W-well, ya never know. A little bit of practice might do him some good."

"Or it might get him hurt, just like I said. There's only so much my healing magic can fix, you know."

"Hm… you might have a point there… Maybe we oughta head out, 'least until he's back to where he can fight on his own again…"

"Exactly what I was thinking. Sora, we're-"

"No," Sora sharply interrupts, having heard the entire whispered conversation his companions just held behind his back.

"Sora?" Goofy questions, concerned.

"We're not leaving," Sora says simply, his voice so low it's barely audible. He continues walking forward, his fists all but trembling at his sides, his sights set straight ahead, and his blue eyes flickering, only for the briefest of seconds, with another color entirely. "Not yet."

And with that, he refuses to hear any further arguments on the matter. He trudges on ahead, and despite their countless reservations when it comes to sticking around, Donald and Goofy find that they have largely no choice but to follow him. Fortunately, they don't really run into any Heartless as they ascend to one of the city's higher levels, but who they do end up encountering is much more troublesome by far.

"Well, well… if it isn't Sora and the king's pawns…"

As the tense silence between them is suddenly broken by this condescending greeting, the trio turns in equal alarm to find a dark corridor forming in the open space behind them. And out of the shadows steps a pair of foes they're far too used to facing by now, a duo that they aren't even that surprised to see here and now, despite how abrupt their appearance might be.

"Maleficent! Pete!" Donald and Goofy exclaim harshly, both of them swiftly summoning their weapons.

Sora doesn't do the same though, instead letting out an irritated groan as he fixes the pair with a surly scowl. "Great… just what I'm not in the mood for… Let me guess: you two are the reason why the Heartless are here, aren't you?"

"Certainly not," Maleficent denies evenly. "We've come to this world on much more important business than merely spreading mindless chaos."

"Oh yeah?" Sora counters, his tone suspicious to match the stern glares his companions are sending their way. "Like what?"

"That is absolutely no concern to you," Maleficent rebuffs haughtily.

"Then why are you here bothering us?!" Donald snaps, raising his staff, just in case.

"We just figured we oughta poke our noses into your business before you go pokin' yours into ours," Pete asserts with a broad smirk.

"Like we care about what you guys are doing," Sora scoffs, crossing his arms.

"Your motives for coming here are hardly of any interest to us either," Maleficent returns, her tone dismissive as she turns to leave. "So long as you stay out of my way, then we've no reason to quarrel, at least not for the time being."

"Aw, you mean we don't get to rough 'em up a bit?" Pete asks, disappointed. "I was hopin' we'd get a good chance to put thee punks in their places! 'Sides," he leans over to whisper to Maleficent, though he's still loud enough for the trio to easily hear. "I dunno about his sidekicks, but Kid Keyblade here looks way punier than the last time we saw him. I say we finish him off while we still can. It'd be a piece of cake for sure!"

Upon hearing such callous, cruel remarks, Sora says nothing, despite how much he wants to fiercely argue against them. Hearing his newfound weakness called out by Donald and Goofy is one thing, but to have it pointed out by the likes of his foes is another matter entirely. He wonders how it can be so apparently obvious to just about everyone, including even Maleficent and Pete, that his strength has been sapped to such an extensive degree. He can feel it, of course, in just how much of a struggle taking out even the most mundane of monsters seems to be for him now, just how much even the tiniest battles succeed in tiring him out, just how much he's falling behind when he shouldbe able to stand strong. So how then, is literally everyone else able to simply see that he isn't even half the Keyblade wielder he knows he can be anymore?

"Waste no time with the boy," Maleficent says coldly before Donald or Goofy can say anything to Sora's defense. "He's inconsequential, as are his companions. We have a far more pressing matter to attend to."

For a moment, Pete's admittedly confused by this, until he happens to remember why they'd journeyed to this world in the first place. "Oh yeah! We gots to find that black box!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to be silent, you fool!" Maleficent snaps harshly before her henchman can get another word out. Her anger is still apparent as she glances back at the trio, her longstanding disdain for them apparent through her expression alone. "As for you three: we shall meet again… when I have time for such trifles…"

And with that, she leaves through the darkness from whence she came, with Pete quickly following after her as he calls one final taunting remark back at the group they're leaving behind. "Yeah, and you better get your act together before then! Later, twerps!"

"Ugh, good riddance," Sora says crossly once they're gone. His perturbed mood is soon penetrated with confusion, however, when he catches the concerned glances his companions are both sending his way. "What?" he asks, raising an eyebrow as he looks between the two.

"You don't have to be so upset, you know," Donald tells him, his tone far more genuine than it had been before.

"I-I'm not upset!" Sora protests, suddenly flustered. "I'm fine. Everything's fine."

"Garwsh, it sure doesn't sound like it," Goofy says knowingly. "Did Pete sayin' those mean things bother ya?"

"No!" Sora exclaims, crossing his arms and glaring away. "Who cares about what he said? Like I said, I'm fine! I can take it."

"Yeah, you can!" Donald agrees as assuringly as he can. "You're gonna get strong again sooner or later, so don't let it get to you!"

"I'm not, I just-"

"We've seen you start from the bottom and work your way up before," Goofy adds just as encouragingly. "And we know you can do it again now, Sora!"

"I know that too, but I-"

"Even if it takes a little time and a little work," Donald continues. "You'll get it eventually."

"Ok, well I-"

"And we'll be right here by your side to help ya out until you're right back to where you used to be!" Goofy chimes in with a warm smile.

"T-thanks, but can we just-"

"Just as long as you're smart about things instead of reckless, like you usually are."

"Can we please-"

"You don't have to push yourself so hard, Sora. One step at a time is plenty."

"Do we really have to-"

"So quit moping around about this and focus on what's important."

"Will you guys just-"

"Yup! And what's important now is getting your strength back-"

"I know!" Sora suddenly snaps over the pair, far beyond tired of being drowned out. After all, it's bad enough that their enemies are going around calling him out for his missing strength. But to be talked down to, essentially treated like nothing more than a pitiful child, by his very own companions like this? It's almost more than he can take, despite their kind intentions behind it. "Ugh… Can we just… stop talking about this already?" he sighs tiredly, turning away from the surprised pair. "We still gotta meet back up with Herc and the others, remember?"

Donald and Goofy can't help but share a worried glance as Sora presses his way past them, his expression bitter and his body tense as he continues on ahead. Neither of them can really blame him for being so upset; only now do they realize they both might have come on just a bit too strong in their attempts at cheering him up. But they are still somewhat perplexed that attempt hadn't even worked in the slightest, if anything, it only made things worse. Of course, they both still strive to do whatever they can to support Sora, just as they always have. Only now, they're suddenly faced with a problem that neither the captain nor the magician know how to solve, a problem that plagues the two of them almost as much as it plagues Sora himself. And for as much as Donald and Goofy both want to help, they both fretfully realize that all they can really do, at least for now, is to stand by their young companion's side. Whether he wants them to or not.


The rest of the trio's trip through Thebes is, unsurprisingly, a perilous one. Sure enough, they manage to find and save several still-straggling townsfolk and escort them out of harm's way. The Heartless and the city's own crumbling infrastructure offer plenty of obstacles all their own as the trio dodges fire, falling pillars, and the shadowy monsters alike. While they do their best to try to avoid the Heartless altogether to save precious time, the few occasions in which they are forced to engage in combat against them are far from smooth encounters.

The creatures are fierce and plentiful, and with the trio already somewhat out of sync with each other as they are, fighting them only seems to do them more harm than good. For as many Heartless as they take down, the more hits they take, particularly Sora, who still clearly lags behind despite his best efforts to get ahead. Making matters even worse is that he more or less refuses any direct assistance from either Donald or Goofy whenever they offer it, save for the occasional bout of healing here and there to keep things going. But outside of that, he chooses to force himself to push through his pressing weariness to keep going, to prove both of them and perhaps even to himself that his strength isn't completely gone after all. A mission that doesn't work out very well as the only thing Sora really accomplishes is running himself more and more ragged with each and every battle. Whenever either Donald or Goofy urge him to slow down, he either ignores them or stubbornly rebuffs them with clear, continued annoyance. But even so, despite his mounting frustration and his obvious exhaustion, Sora charges on ahead relentlessly, all in the hopes that his hard work will somehow pay off in the end. That it'll somehow be enough to get him past the weakness that he has no idea how to overcome otherwise.

As they begin to venture up to Thebes' uppermost levels, the trio gets their first glimpse of some of the more extensive damage the city has suffered under Hades' attack. Just about every building in sight has caught fire or crumbled completely as the Heartless continue to run rampant, eagerly chasing down any innocent civilians they happen to see. Before the trio can rush in to help any of them, however, they soon receive a sudden call from somewhere up above.

"There you three are!" Phil's voice rings out above the din of destruction nearby as he and Meg fly in on Pegasus. "'Bout time ya showed up! What'd I say about bein' late?"

"Ignore the goat," Meg rolls her eyes. "You're actually right on time. The temple's just up ahead; Hercules is already there, but I don't know how much longer he'll be able to hold out on his own."

"Don't worry," Sora assures as confidently as he can. "If he's in trouble, we'll be there to bail him out."

"More like Hercules will be bailing us out of trouble…" Donald whispers to Goofy, aside.

"Thank you," Meg breathes a sigh of relief as she begins to pull Pegasus back up into the sky. "We'll check the rest of town to see if anyone else needs saving. Be careful, you three."

"Yeah, and mow down a few of them Heartless jerks for me, will ya?" Phil smirks, waving back down to the trio as Pegasus flies off.

Without wasting any further time on talk, Sora takes off once again in the direction the pair had pointed out, urging his companions to do the same. "C'mon! We've gotta get to that temple."

"Sora!" Donald fusses, far from pleased by his usual tendency to run headfirst into danger. Especially now when he's clearly no longer equipped to face such danger.

"Wait for us!" Goofy calls as both he and Donald run after Sora, hoping to catch up with him before he can get hurt.

By the time the trio arrives, the temple has already fallen apart significantly, with flames and rubble filling its once pristine, sacred space. A few civilians had made an attempt to take up refuge there, only to have their shelter assaulted on all fronts by fires and monsters alike. As a result, the entire building stands on the brink of collapse altogether. In fact, the only thing keeping it from that collapse is none other than Hercules himself as he stands, strong yet struggling to hold the temple's final, integral support beam from falling on them all.

"Herc!" Sora exclaims, instantly alarmed to see the hero in such a plight.

"S-Sora!" Hercules calls back as much as he's able to, even as the temple shakes once again. Just as Meg had said, it's clear that neither the hero nor the building will be able to hold out for too much longer, which is why the trio doesn't hesitate to hurry forward to help in any way they can. "H-hurry! We have to save these people!" Hercules orders, his voice strained as he pushes back against the immense weight of the pillar bearing down upon him.

"Right!" Sora nods as Donald and Goofy hurry ahead to pull a few townsfolk out of immediate danger. "We'll be right back to help-" Sora cuts himself off as matters suddenly go from bad to much, much worse. The temple shudders once again, only this time, the quake comes as the direct result of the horde of Heartless materializing directly in between the hero and the trio, a horde with only one intent alone: to cause even more destruction and disaster in their shadowy wake.

"Ok, seriously?!" Sora exclaims, exasperated as he summons his Keyblade for the oncoming fray. "I swear, the Heartless have the worst timing!"

"Get a move on, Sora!" Donald urges impatiently. He and Goofy do their best to keep the terrified townsfolk calm while still inching their way past the Heartless towards the door. "We gotta get these people out of here!"

"Then go ahead and get them out already!" Sora retorts sharply as he turns back towards the struggling hero. "Herc, can you hold the building?"

"N-no problem!" Hercules assures with the most genuine grin he can muster, even despite the circumstances.

"Good," Sora smiles back as he takes up a determined, offensive stance against the encroaching creatures. "Then I'll handle the Heartless!"

"What?!" Donald and Goofy both gasp upon hearing such a risky plan. A plan that both of them are completely adamant against from the start.

"Sora, you can't take on that many all by yourself!" Goofy exclaims as he shields the group civilians from a fiery attack. "Not now!"

"Let us help you!" Donald adds, having no qualms about showing his disapproval with Sora's downright dangerous idea.

"You guys are busy!" Sora calls back as he manages to land a hit on one of the Heartless. "Just get those people to safety, ok? I'll be fine on my own!"

"But Sora-" Goofy tries one more attempt at dissuading their young companion, only to be swiftly cut off.

"I said, I'll be fine!" Sora practically shouts, clearly set off by their continued doubts as he rams his Keyblade into yet another Heartless. There's raw, genuine anger behind that hit, to the point that Donald and Goofy can easily hear in his tone alone. Anger that's been building for quite awhile now, anger that they're both guilty of contributing to at least to some extent by trying to hold him back and coddle him. And now that he's so clearly reached a tipping point when it comes to that anger, they both already know there will be no arguing with him, not on something like this.

And so, as much as they don't like the idea of leaving Sora alone at a time like this, the duo does as he says anyway, taking advantage of the distraction he's providing them with to skirt around the Heartless with the endangered civilians following right behind them. All the while, Sora forces himself to remain steady and alert, running on adrenaline more than anything else as he takes the marauding creatures head-on. For the most part, he holds his own well enough, or at least better than he had before as he lands plenty of impactful hits on the Heartless in relatively fast succession. Of course, he really can't credit his starting success to grit alone. Because throughout the entire battle, he quietly reassures himself, knowing that it's the most he can do to keep himself from faltering, from failing anymore than he already has.

"I can do this…" Sora whispers to himself as he slashes through one of the Heartless, miraculously defeating it altogether. Of course, several more appear to take its place, but he refuses to let that phase him as he keeps on fighting, occasionally sparing brief glances over at Hercules, who does his part to hold everything else together on his end.

"I can do this," Sora tells himself, a bit louder this time as he narrowly blocks a ball of fire with the broad side of his Keyblade. He retaliates by lashing out at the Heartless that had sent it, tearing through its shadowy form with a single deft swing. It's enough to give him some much-needed confidence as he keeps himself going, not even noticing as Donald and Goofy successfully finish escorting the civilians out and away from the temple while he keeps up his consistent pace.

"I can do this!" he smiles as he obliterates another shadow, his heart racing with the thrill of battle. Though he knows he still has a ways to go before he returns to anywhere close to where he had been before the Mark of Mastery, he can't help but hope that fighting fearlessly and passionately like this will eventually be what gets him back to where he knows he needs to be. That it will help him prove everyone who's been doubting him since that exam, everyone who's been looking at him as if he's weak and damaged, everyone who thinks he can't rise to whatever challenges await him next absolutely, unquestionably wrong.

That is, until everything inevitably falls apart.

It begins when he points his Keyblade to cast water to douse the flaming Heartless surrounding him. He calls upon the spell and, though somewhat dulled from the strength it should have, it still stuns several of the creatures close by. Sora resumes his usual position as he prepares to tackle the vulnerable group, running forward while repeating his ongoing mantra one final time. "I can do-"

He never gets a chance to finish. Right as he's about to complete his confident statement, the waterlogged Heartless he's rushing into attack sparks back to fiery life out of nowhere. Several similar monsters suddenly crowd around it, forming a fearsome ball of flame that Sora has no time to react to before they all ram straight into him. The force of the impact alone is enough to send him flying toward the other side of the temple, his head striking its stone first before the rest of body follows just as painfully. He barely even feels himself land on the ground, with his mind swimming in an agony-induced haze for what feels like far too long. Somewhere in the distance, he thinks he hears Hercules call out for him in alarm, though he makes no attempts to answer back. The crumbling temple around him and even the Heartless still gearing up for another attack all seem to fade out thanks to his dulling senses as he lay limply on the floor, largely out of it entirely.

But, if there is any one thing he's fully aware of, it's heat; a vast, deep, pinching kind of heat that only worsens with each passing second as it sparks along parts of his torso and his upper arms, the very same places the Heartless had hit him at. And as the acrid stench of ashy smoke begins to mingle with that heat, Sora, ironically enough, freezes up completely as he realizes exactly where they both are coming from.

A fire. But not just the fire plaguing the temple as a whole. Because now, he's the one that's on fire instead.

A strangled scream tears through his throat as the flames swiftly singe through his clothes before they begin burning his skin itself. Unable to do much else, he curls in on himself, his hands trembling as he tries and fails to douse the fire covering him. It spreads to his hands as a result, his palms scorched bright red and raw as tears start to spark in his eyes, tears that will do nothing to extinguish the fire that's quickly starting to claim him completely. He's unable to stop his own tight, terrified sobs from coming after this, sobs he all but chokes on thanks to the heavy smoke starting to cloud his already constricted lungs. As a result of his rising panic, his body suddenly lashes out involuntarily, stirring up a clamor in the scattered rubble and rocks underneath him. He doesn't care that the noise will no doubt attract the Heartless, can't care about much of anything else at all just as long as the pain, the heat, the smoke, everything just stops somehow-

And, by some miracle that's initially beyond him entirely, stop is exactly what it does just in the nick of time.

"Water!" Donald's fierce shout rings out across the crumbling temple, angry and protective, as he casts his magic quickly. The spell isn't for the Heartless, but rather for Sora, as a cool, refreshing torrent rains down upon him, soaking him to the bone but thankfully, finally putting out the fire. It does little to heal the rather significant burns left behind all over his body, but Sora's immensely grateful for it all the same as Donald helps prop him up against the wall while Goofy keeps up the defensive against the Heartless.

"See!? We told you that you couldn't take them on all by yourself!" the magician fusses hotly. "And now look what happened! Why do you always have to be so… so stubborn!?"

Sora flinches, both from the pain and from the severity of Donald's rant, knowing that though the magician is prone to regular anger, he only ever gets this angry on the worst of occasions. "I-I… I was just-"

"Save it!" Donald huffs, cutting him off sharply. "There's no time! We have to get you outta here so I can heal you the right way!" the magician urges, knowing that such a potent spell needs enough time to cast. And with daunting, disastrous conditions such as these, that sort of time isn't something they have at their disposal.

"What? No!" Sora protests, weakly trying to rise to stand on his own. Ultimately though, his legs are unable to keep him steady as he collapses against the wall, leaning against it for support as its rough surface only serves to aggravate his raw skin even more. "We… we can't go! We gotta-" he pauses to let out a small groan of agony as he presses his free hand against his scorched shoulder. "W-we have to stay and help Herc!"

"No, you don't!" Hercules shouts from his spot on the other side of the temple. Despite the immense burden he's struggling to maintain, his expression is stern as he looks to the trio, even as his knees begin to buckle under the weight working against him. "Donald, Goofy! Get Sora out of here and fix him up! I-I can handle this!"

"You heard him!" Goofy agrees. He rushes over to help Donald support Sora so they can escort him out, since he's clearly in no condition to walk out on his own as injured as he is. "It's time for us to go!"

"B-but we can help!" Sora protests as he tries pulling away from his companions to stand on his own. It's a short-lived effort, however, as he almost instantly collapses to his knees, lightheaded and unsteady. Pain sparks across his burnt palms as he uses them to catch himself, but even still, he stifles a cry of anguish so he can plead with the heavily-labored hero once more. "I—we… we want to help! Please, Herc, you gotta let me, I-I mean us-"

"I said no, Sora!" Hercules chastises, though his tone is quick to turn sympathetic when he spots the distraught look the younger boy is sending his way. "Y-you just gotta trust me on this… ok?"

"B-but…" Sora begins quietly, desperately. "But I-"

"That's enough!" Donald shouts, furiously grabbing Sora by the arm.

"We gotta amscray before this whole place falls apart!" Goofy urges as he goes to Sora's other side, his concern a stark contrast to the magician's fury.

"We can't!" Sora cries, trying his hardest to pull away from the pair as they begin dragging him towards the door.

"Sora, stop fighting us on this!" Donald snaps fiercely. "We're trying to save you!"

"I-I don't need to be saved!" Sora argues bitterly. By this point, he resorts to thrashing to try and get out of his companions' steady hold, though even so, with his strength as limited as it is and his body so badly burnt, his stubborn efforts don't accomplish much.

"I'm sorry, Sora, but right now… you kinda do," Goofy counters rationally.

And yet, despite his companions' best efforts to help him see reason, Sora refuses to come anywhere close to agreeing with them, especially as they reach the threshold of the fire. "Why?" Sora shoots back, glaring fiercely over his shoulder at the pair. If either of them could stop to return the glance, then they might have spotted a certain glint, the slightest discoloration in his eyes that would have certainly made them stop dead in their tracks. But in their rush to escape the temple, that flash of warning yellow goes unnoticed. For now, at least. "Because I'm not 'strong enough' to save myself!? Because I'm too weak?!"

"Sora…" Goofy begins, exchanging an uneasy glance with Donald as they finally slip past the temple doors and into the yard in front of it. Out of the frying pan, and yet apparently still not out of the fire, even as they let their injured, angry young companion go.

"That's just what everybody thinks anymore, isn't it?!" Sora asks harshly, his pent-up frustrations all starting to pour out of him, the floodgates pried opened by pain and doubt and despair. "It's not even my fault that all my strength is gone, but everyone just loves to act like it is!"

"Sora!" Donald cautions as Sora slowly begins to pick himself up off the ground, even despite his still very-pressing burns.

Sora largely ignores both of his companions as he stands, his legs shaking along with the rest of his body, from both ongoing agony and incensed rage. "But what nobody wants to see is that I'm trying!" he shouts, more to himself than anyone else as he turns to face the quaking temple again with renewed resolve. "I'm trying to get stronger! I'm trying to be better! I'm trying to get things back to the way they were before that stupid exam! But no matter what I try to do, it's just… never good enough!"

"Sora-" Goofy reaches towards their young companion in an attempt at comforting him. That attempt is completely denied, however as Sora takes an unsteady step forward, relentlessly staring down the horde of Heartless still swarming about in the violently trembling temple just a few feet away.

"But I don't care…" he says, his tone rigid as he somehow manages to summon his Keyblade, even despite his unattended wounds. "Because I'm gonna do it anyway. I'm going to get stronger, so that nobody—not you guys, not the king, not Axel, not Kairi or Riku or anyone else will have to save me ever again!"

"Sora!" both Donald and Goofy shout in alarm as they notice something that Sora, in all his intense frustration, doesn't. Before he can so much as even take another step, the pair grabs him once again, jerking him back hard and pulling him out of the way just in the nick of time.

Almost exactly as they do, something within the temple finally snaps: the support beam. The thinning thread keeping the practically decimated building together slams down into the structure's interior, and the moment it does, everything else falls apart along with it. Goofy rushes to cover his companions with his shield as they all fall to the ground from the resounding quake, thick dust flying up from every direction as the building before them begins to crumble to pieces. It starts slowly, a few pillars toppling over, bricks and mortar coming undone, but all too quickly the destruction unfolds in a devastating torrent.

And, in what seems like seconds, the entire temple collapses completely… with only Hercules still trapped inside.

Even after the temple's uproarious fall finally stills, the dust and smoke stirred up by it still hang heavy in the now-silent air. Though the musky fog conceals most of the damage, it does nothing to change or undo what has been done, something that Sora, Donald, and Goofy all feel just as heavily as they try to take it all in. For quite awhile, none of them say anything as they all sit in apt shock before the ruins of the temple, the painful realization that Hercules is pinned, or more accurately crushed beneath those very ruins hitting them all at the same exact time.

Donald and Goofy are the first to shakily rise to stand, both of them remaining cautious as they approach the fallen temple to check for any signs of the hero amidst the wreckage. "Hercules!" Donald calls as loudly as he can. "A-Are you ok?!"

"Hey, Herc! Can ya hear us!?" Goofy shouts, just as concerned. The pair pauses for a moment, waiting and watching for any sort of shift in the rubble that might herald a response from the hero. However, as seconds begin to pass into minutes without any such sign, the gravity of the situation becomes all too clear. "Gwarsh, fellas…" Goofy mutters sadly, removing his hat out of respect for their supposedly fallen friend. "I don't think he's-"

"Why?" Donald and Goofy quickly glance back at Sora upon hearing this, both of them taken aback by just how intense his tone is. He's still sitting on his knees, his burns still quite apparent as his hands dig into the grass below him. His expression is tight and agonized and most of all angry, focused on neither of his companions but rather at the ground in front of him as he continues just as harshly. "Why didn't you just let me help him?!"

"…Aw, Sora…" Goofy begins fretfully as both he and Donald fully turn to face him. Neither of them are able to get anything else out, however, as Sora suddenly snaps his gaze up, allowing them to see the tears starting to brim in his eyes.

"If you guys had just let me stay and fight those Heartless, this never would have happened!" his voice hitches to a shout, grief mingling into his fury. "I could have bought Herc enough time to get out!"

"And you would have been crushed instead!" Donald argues back, though he does make the effort to reign his own frustration back a bit. "You were hurt; you're still hurt! We had to get you out of there before things got any worse!"

"Well, it's way too late for that since things just got much, much worse!" Sora snaps, his face red hot as his tears begin streaking down it.

"Aw, c'mon, fellas," Goofy attempts to interject upon seeing Donald twitch with incoming anger in response to such a fierce remark. "We shouldn't be fightin' at a time like thi-"

"We were just trying to save your life!" the magician cuts him off as he addresses Sora sternly. "Why do you have to have such a problem with that?!"

"Because I never asked you to!" Sora protests defiantly. "I can do things on my own! I don't need you guys to always rush to my rescue!"

"Well sometimes you do!" Donald counters. "If you're not gonna take care of yourself, then someone has to! We promised we'd keep an eye on you, and that's exactly what we're gonna do, whether you like it or not!"

Sora is more than prepared to keep this argument going, but before he can get another word out, the temple ruins suddenly once more. The trio quickly turns back towards them with a shared gasp of surprise, each of them watching with wide eyes in the hopes that Hercules will somehow emerge from the rubble unscathed. However, what does end up popping out of the structure's devastated remains is just about the exact opposite of the hero, much to the trio's immense disappointment.

In sudden, furious succession, a multitude of Heartless, the very same flaming creatures that had been in the temple at the time of its collapse, bursts out of its wreckage, clearly more incensed than ever before as they land before the trio, ready to attack anything and everything in their path. "They're back?" Goofy asks, aptly alarmed as he preps his shield for the fight ahead.

"Of course, they'd survive!" Donald huffs as he brandishes his staff. "Sora! Go find somewhere to take cover! I'll heal your burns when we're done; and no arguing with us about it this time!"

Surprisingly enough, this time Sora doesn't argue, though he makes no effort to move, even as his companions engage the Heartless in combat. Instead, he stays where he is, watching the beginning battle and growing angrier and angrier the more he realizes just how unfair every single part of it all is. It's unfair that they hadn't had enough time to help Hercules get out of the temple alongside everyone else. It's unfair that these mindless, vicious Heartless had survived when someone as noble and brave as the hero seemingly hadn't. But what Sora quickly realizes that the most unfair thing of all was that he can't do a single thing about any of it. Not only is it too late to help Hercules now, but even if it wasn't, that doesn't change the fact that he's still heavily injured, still weak and worn from his loss of strength and power as a whole. And to make matters worse is that Donald and Goofy, his own companions and friends, are the ones most intent on keeping him out of the fight. He understands that their protectiveness comes from a place of caring, but when push comes to shove in a time such as this, Sora can only find such concern frustrating, suffocating even. They're limiting him, holding him back from working towards the strength he knows he has to regain, keeping him from reaching the potential he's already having such a hard time attaining again. And the more he thinks about their doubts in him, in everyone's doubts really, the more upset, the more outraged Sora becomes.

To the point that soon, that rage can no longer keep itself contained at all.

Donald shouts out another demand for him to flee the scene of the battle, though Sora hardly hears it as lost in his own furious thoughts as he is. Though his thoughts aren't the only thing distracting him as a sudden, sharp, bitter chill suddenly surges through his entire body, spiking at his heart in particular. It's similar to what he'd first felt back on the islands, though it's far more noticeable this time, far more intrusive and invasive as it begins to grip him, refusing to go away as quickly and easily as it had before.

He lets out a small hiss of pain through his teeth as he places a gentle hand over his aching chest, only to glance down to find a sight that's much more alarming by far. His entire hand is covered in darkness, a black, inky shade of shadow that rises up his arm at an unsettlingly steady pace. "W-what…?" he gasps, choking out another groan of pain as his hands suddenly begin to shift and change before his very eyes. His fingers lengthen, thinning out until they taper off into deadly sharp points, until they're no longer fingers at all-they're claws. All the while, the darkness continues its creep over the rest of his body, paining his skin and clothes alike in its nightmarish pallor as it makes an obvious beeline for both his mind and his heart.

"D-Donald! Goofy!" he cries, his former anger replaced with bone-chilling terror. He reaches a trembling, claw-bearing hand out to the duo as they continue battling the Heartless, though that fight is all but forgotten when they both notice what's befalling their terrified young companion. "S-something's wrong! I'm… I-I can't-"

"Sora?" Goofy gapes, shocked upon seeing the shadows swiftly swelling over Sora.

"What's going on?!" Donald starts in equal alarm.

"I-I don't know!" Sora cries, struggling to breathe, struggling to move, struggling to think. Panic quickly overtakes him as the shadows curl around his throat, practically strangling him as the rest of his body turns bitter cold. A heavy, horrific haze starts to cloud over his mind, obscuring his thoughts and slurring his speech as he tries to repeat himself when his vision begins to blur. "I don't know!" he yells, his voice a pitch deeper, tinged with something unnatural, inhuman. He digs his claws into his blackening hair, desperate to escape this madness, whatever it is, desperate to not become a prisoner inside his own body, even though he somehow already knows that's what he's about to be. "I-I don't-"

He cuts himself off with something between a scream and a howl when the darkness finishes covering his body, his unknown, unrelenting transformation becoming complete. And the moment it does, his mind is muted, his thoughts falling away, his senses stifled by shadows that suppress every part of who he is, every part of who he's supposed to be.

Shadows that suddenly, somehow, make Sora cease to exist altogether.


Oooo so yeah! Rage Form enters the picture! And unlike in KH3, it'll actually be very plot relevant here! That'll be fun for sure :3 Anyway we'll continue this Olympian adventure next time, don't forget to leave a REVIEW letting me know what you think! Until next time!