Oo boy well this one ended up being longer than I wanted it to. But only because lot happens in it, including several things that will be pretty important later on, so you'd do well to pay close attention! Either way I like how it turned out, so let's finish off the second half of our Atlantean adventure with a bang and get started!
Chapter 24: Where the Dream Takes You
Where the dream takes you
(Where the dream takes your heart)
Where your heart longs to be
(Your dream will lead you on)
When you finally find that place
You'll find all you need
Where the dream takes you
By some miracle or chance or something else entirely, Sora somehow finds the wits about him to roll out of the path of the armored figure's Keyblade just before it can land its devastating blow. He's still soaking wet, still completely out of breath, and still under attack as the armored figure pulls its weapon back up to come in for another strike. Its movements are swift and precise and deadly, or at least they would be if Sora didn't haphazardly scramble to his feet to avoid yet another heavy swing. It says nothing outside of its original remark, one that Sora's still largely reeling from as much as he is from this sudden, daunting encounter in general. He hasn't even seen this armored figure in quite some time, not since the first decisive battle he'd fought against it alongside Donald and Goofy, a battle the trio had barely even managed to win, much less make it out of alive. As a result, Sora knows all-too well just how incredibly powerful and steadfast this unknown warrior is, even if its motivations for coming all the way here and assaulting him out of the blue like this are a complete mystery.
Sora absently summons his Keyblade on instinct, though he makes no move to attack or even defend against the warrior's maneuvers. Instead, the most he can do is narrowly dodge them, his mind and heart both racing with rising fear and panic. Briefly, he glances around for any sort of assistance he can find, hoping to see Donald and Goofy rushing to his aid, but instead he quickly realizes the dock they're on is more or less abandoned. Which means that he has to fend off a threat that could very easily destroy him in a matter of minutes entirely alone.
While he normally would try his hardest to brazenly fight back against such a threat, Sora knows that doing so now will only lead to devastation, especially with his strength as limited as it currently is. So instead, he decides to utilize a different tactic instead, one that, by all accounts, is every bit as risky as fighting back would be.
"W-wait!" he finally speaks up, his voice hitching in fear that he doesn't even try to hide. His Keyblade trembles in his uncertain grip as he takes a large step backward. The warrior slowly continues its approach, its own weapon ready for its next attack even as Sora makes an anxious attempt at reasoning with it. "I-I… I don't want to fight you!"
"No," the warrior responds simply. There's not a single hint of any sort of emotion in its tone as it raises its Keyblade high once again. "You don't."
Sora gasps, having no time to react as the warrior brings its Keyblade down in a strike that actually lands this time. The dull side of the broad weapon hits him hard in his side, sending him flying back until he crashes into the crumbling ruins of a broken statue. The impact alone is agonizing, but Sora forces himself to ignore the pain so he can pick himself back up before the warrior besets him once more. He makes good use of the brief bout of time he has to put some distance between himself and the warrior, slipping out of sight behind a nearby column as he shakily continues his nervous appeal. "W-why are you doing this?" he asks, pressing tightly against the pillar as the warrior begins searching the area for him. "What do you even want?!"
"You know exactly what I want," the warrior speaks, its mighty Keyblade tearing through another one of the courtyard's pillars. Fortunately it isn't the one Sora is hiding behind. "My body, my heart… Xehanort… It's time for you to give them both back!"
Sora shudders as the warrior mistakes him for Xehanort once more, not even needing to wonder about how it's able to make that connection considering what he now knows. Still, that doesn't mean he has to accept such an accusation willingly. "I… I am not Xehanort!" he retorts as firmly as he possibly can.
"...You're lying," the warrior responds after a beat of silence amidst his hunt. "I can feel his darkness in your heart, just like I felt it inside my own."
"You… what?" Sora doesn't have time to pursue this question any further as he hears the warrior's Keyblade slam into the column he'd taken refuge behind. He barely manages to run out of the way of the falling debris, but he quickly finds he still isn't in the clear as the warrior suddenly appears directly behind him. He only has time to move his Keyblade to block its next blow, though it does little against such a powerful swipe. The force of it alone tears the Kingdom Key from his grip, leaving him defenseless as he begins to fall backward. But before he can land, the warrior suddenly catches him, reaching down to tightly grasp the front of his shirt before it harshly yanks him upward into the air.
Sora tries his best to struggle against the armored figure's hold, but there's ultimately nothing he can do to stop the warrior from using its other hand to secure a tight, unyielding grip around his throat. It restricts that grip almost immediately, and it isn't very long at all until Sora finds himself gasping for air he can't receive as the warrior slowly yet steadily begins to strangle him while he dangles helplessly from its hand.
"S-stop…" he chokes as loudly as he can, his hands tightly clenched against the much larger one holding onto his neck.
"No," the warrior doesn't even flinch at such a desperate plea. "I won't stop. Not until I take back what you stole from me."
"I-I… I don't… I c-can't…" Sora tries to argue, though by this point, every single breath he tries to take is a struggle. His limbs turn weak and numb and eventually still as the edges of his vision grow dark and blurry, his head light and his thoughts distant as hot tears well up in his eyes. "S-stop… please…" he begs one last time, his voice practically inaudible as consciousness begins to slip away from him. Yet just before it can, a sudden echo rings out from the depths of his heart, an echo he only barely manages to make known in a fading, feeble whisper. "T-Terra…"
The warrior's reaction to this is sharp and immediate. In an instant, it releases its oppressive hold on Sora completely, allowing him to fall to the ground at its feet. The moment he's free, Sora wastes no time in taking in a large gasp of air to try and make up for what he'd lost as he listlessly lies against the stony ground, his mind in a distant, foggy haze. Still, when he manages to steal a breathless glance up at the warrior, he notices it taking a step back from him, its manner largely unreadable as ever, though its body language almost seems to reveal some sort of genuine surprise. And that surprise almost, almost spills into its tone as it speaks once more. "No… It can't be…" it shakes its head as it stares down at Sora incredulously. "Ven…?"
Sora gasps again, though it isn't for air this time. His vision suddenly shifts, the armored warrior's appearance taking on that of a friend, one who would never hurt him, who had always strived to protect him, even when he stubbornly, foolishly believed he didn't need that protection. He had chased after that friend from the very start, eagerly following his lead in the hopes of showing him that he could be just as strong, just as brave, just as dependable as he was. And now, years later, after so much loss and separation, even if neither of them are really as they should be, he's finally, finally found him again.
"When I really need you, Ven," he had said so long ago now. "I know you'll be there."
"I'm here now, Terra," he wants, needs to say, but the words won't come. "I'm here…"
And just like that it's over, the connection broken as reality sets in once more. Sora has no idea what to say as he continues trying to catch his breath, staring up at the warrior in dumbfounded silence all the while. For its own part, the warrior also keeps its sights trained on him, its Keyblade gone though it's still clearly on guard for something, though Sora has no idea what. "How can this be…?" it's hollow voice fills in the newfound silence between them. "Xehanort… and Ven…? Who… What are you…?"
As shaken and shellshocked as he is, Sora struggles to so much as even speak to answer this question, to finally set the record straight. "I… I'm-"
"Sora!" Donald and Goofy's shared, distressed outcry echoes through the area, a sure sign that they're finally on their way. While Sora would normally be immensely relieved by their arrival, now he thinks they couldn't have come at any worse of a time as the warrior prepares to retreat.
"This isn't over," it says, stopping short as it turns away from him. "I promise I'm either going to stop you… or save you, whoever you are."
In a matter of seconds, the warrior calls upon its powerful Keyblade once more, tossing it into the air as it somehow transforms into some sort of glider-type vehicle, one that it deftly leaps onto. "Wait!" Sora shouts after it hoarsely, trying and failing to pick himself up off the ground to pursue it. "Don't… go…"
He trails off into a disappointed sigh as the warrior jets off into the air, making its retreat just in time for Donald and Goofy to arrive. The pair rush to Sora's side as soon as they spot him, both of them readily fretting over him as they notice how beaten and disheveled and stunned he is. "Sora! We're so glad we found you!" Goofy exclaims, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok?"
"Look at your neck!" Donald starts, noticing the rather dark bruises the warrior had left on Sora's throat. Bruises that the magician quickly casts a timely, generous healing spell over. "What happened to you?!"
For his part, Sora doesn't answer or really even regard either of his companions. Instead, he keeps his sights silently set on the sky, or rather on the armored warrior as it flies further and further away. All the while, he can't feel his own heart brim with a kind of grief he doesn't quite understand, one that's still potent enough to nearly draw out tears as some small part of him wordlessly begs the warrior to return. For his friend to come home.
By now, Donald and Goofy notice the retreating warrior themselves, even if it's far enough into the sky to the point that it's barely even visible from their spot on the ground. "Say…" Goofy squints to get a better view of the distant warrior. "Isn't that the armored fella we fought that one time…?"
"I think so…" Donald agrees, confused. "What's he doing all the way out here?"
Sora jolts at this, grounding himself back in the present as much as he possibly can as he finally addresses his companions' wonderings. "I… I think that was… Terra…" he said softly, sadly.
"What?!" Donald and Goofy exclaim in unified bafflement.
"How do ya know?" the captain asks, aptly bewildered.
"I didn't," Sora admits as he gently skims a hand over his heart. "Ventus did…"
The pair exchange a bewildered glance, neither of them sure of what to make of this news as they try to simply make sense of it above all else. "But… that's impossible!" Donald counters. "You heard what the king and Riku said: the Organization has Terra! How could that guy be him?"
"I know what I felt," Sora protests firmly as he accepts Goofy's aid in standing. "And what I heard. It said… it said Xehanort stole its heart and body. So maybe… what's in that armor is what's left of Terra's mind? Or his memories or something..."
"Gawrsh… if that's true then Terra must be pretty strong for a piece of him to have survived all this time!" Goofy notes, quite impressed.
"Yeah…" Sora agrees, frowning as he looks to the now-empty sky. "...We've got to help it."
"You want to help it? Right after it attacked you!?" Donald asks incredulously.
"It only did that because it thought I was-" Sora stops short just before he can say too much. The warrior's cold accusations about who it had believed him to be still chill him in a way he doesn't dare let show to his companions. "It… didn't know who I was. It stopped as soon as it started thinking I was Ventus. I guess it must have sensed his heart in mine."
"Well, shucks, Sora, we definitely wanna do whatever we can to help Terra," Goofy says earnestly. "Where do you think we should start?"
"I… don't know…" Sora sighs once more, looking to his heart for answers only to receive no feedback from it this time around. "I don't think Ventus does either. B-but, there's gotta be something we can do! We just need to figure it out."
"Aren't you forgetting something? Again?" Donald asks, crossing his arms. "We still need to find that Key, remember?"
"I know," Sora agrees, finally taking on something of a hopeful smile. "But who says we can't do both at once?"
While the magician lets out a bit of an exasperated grumble at this, the captain can't help but let out a small, jovial chuckle as he mutters to him, aside. "Well, at least it looks like he's finally getting some of his optimism back."
"I think you mean his bad meddling habit back…" Donald retorts dryly.
"Speaking of the Key," Sora speaks up as he starts to lead the way out of the area. "What happened to Milo and Kida?"
"They went ahead to keep lookin' for the Heart of Atlantis," Goofy informs. "They were both pretty worried about you after that crash, but we told them we'd find you and catch up with them later."
"Yeah, we figured we might as well take charge in coming to your rescue, as usual," Donald teases lightly, though the joke hardly strikes a chord with Sora.
"You didn't come to my rescue," he clarifies harshly, turning away from the pair. "I didn't need to be rescued to begin with."
Donald and Goofy exchange a nervous glance at this, their shared levity quickly fading at their young companion's almost bitter response. They both nearly speak to it in the hopes of easing his apparent frustration, though before they can get a word out, a sudden blast, a loud gunshot to be exact, rings out across the entire city. It's followed in rapid succession by several more, all topped off by a momentous explosion to finish the heavy racket off.
"W-what was that?!" Donald exclaims, aptly alarmed.
"It sounded like it was coming from near the palace," Goofy points out, concerned.
"Let's go check it out," Sora continues pressing on ahead, his companions following not too far behind.
The trio doesn't know what to expect as they approach the palace, though their first shared suspicion goes to Vexen or the horde of Nobodies he's brought along with him on the attack once more. Yet, as they make it to the center of the city itself, all is eerily quiet, almost as if the peaceful Atlanteans who live there had been forced to hide away out of sight. When the trio sneaks their way into the palace and toward the throne room, they're quick to find that this new round of danger isn't coming from any sort of Nobody or Organization member. Rather, the threat is from the very crew they'd come to the city with in the first place.
The scene the trio finds is one of chaos and upheaval. The large stone doors leading to the throne room have been blown to bits, the king's guards forced to stand down as the crew spreads out to search the room with no sense of civility whatsoever. But what's most surprising are the deadly weapons each of them toted, guns and knives alike as they pilfer the area violently. And at the center of it all stands Rourke and Helga as they use their own weapons to threaten a very upset, quite distressed Milo and Kida.
"You're not applying yourself, son," the commander coldly accuses the linguist, forcefully shoving the Shepherd's Journal at him. "There's got to be something else!"
"Look, I already told you, this isn't a good idea," Milo retorts, shifting a brief, worried glance over at Kida, who's being tightly restrained by Helga, despite her brazen struggle to escape. "You don't know what you're tampering with here, Rourke."
"What's to know?" Rourke shrugs, unconcerned. "It's big, it's shiny, it's going to make us all rich."
"That's not true," Milo argues. "You think it's some kind of diamond, I thought it was some kind of battery, but we're both wrong! It's their life force; that crystal-that heart is the only thing keeping these people alive! You take that away and they'll die."
"Well, that changes things," Rourke says almost mockingly. "Helga, what do you think?"
"Knowing that, I'd double the price," Helga remarks, ignoring Kida's resilient attempts to lash out at her.
"I was thinking triple."
"Rourke, don't do this," Milo desperately protests once more. "You can't just-"
"Hey!" Sora interrupts as he, Donald, and Goofy fully step into the room. Their weapons are already drawn as everyone turns their attention to them. "What's going on here?"
"Sora!" Milo exclaims, clearly relieved. "Donald! Goofy! Boy, am I glad to see you guys!"
"So am I," Rourke interjects as he presses past the linguist, holding him back all the while. "You boys made it just in time. I was just thinking we could use some backup to help us speed things along…"
"Speed what along?" Sora asks suspiciously.
"Do not listen to him!" Kida suddenly speaks up, harshly pulling against Helga's hold. "They are trying to take-" Before the princess can get another word out, the lieutenant quickly silences her by slapping her free hand over her mouth. Yet that doesn't stop Milo from picking up where she'd left off.
"They tricked us!" the linguist explains as quickly as he can. "They're after the Heart of Atlantis, they want to steal it! You guys can't let them-" Milo doesn't get a chance to finish either as Rourke puts an end to his brief retelling by pointing his pistol directly at him, much to the trio's immense alarm.
"That's enough, son," the commander remarks condescendingly, ignoring the linguist's angry glare as he looks back to the trio. "Now, you fellas did agree to help us out down here… didn't you?"
"We agreed to help you fend off the Nobodies," Sora objects, upholding his offensive grip on his Keyblade. "We didn't agree to help you hurt people."
"Yeah, that's right!" Goofy readily agrees.
"Let Milo and Kida go!" Donald adds just as adamantly.
Rourke, however, hardly cares for their resistance as he instead meets it with an almost disappointed sigh. "I really hate it when negotiations go sour… Guess we'll have to tie up these loose ends after all." Almost as soon as he says this, without any warning at all, the commander turns his gun around and fires off a round of shots directly at the trio. They barely even have time to react to the sudden attack, though while Goofy manages to block the brunt of it with his shield and Donald narrowly evades it by leaping out of the way, Sora isn't so lucky. One of the bullets catches him across the shoulder, only lightly grazing it but leaving behind a heavy sting and a bleeding wound that nearly knocks him off his feet entirely.
"Stop!" Milo shouts. He doesn't hesitate to race forward to try and stop this senseless violence, only to come to a grinding halt as Rourke turns his gun back on him. Thankfully he doesn't fire it this time, though only really because he has a clear and present use for the linguist, at least for now.
"Let's try this again," the commander says, holding up the journal's missing page for Milo to see. At the same time, he snaps his fingers, prompting Helga to position her own gun in turn, aiming it at Kida as an extra form of reinforcement. "Where is that treasure?"
Milo sets his jaw at this, sending Rourke a hateful scowl that only wavers as he glances away from the commander. Kida keeps her sights on him, her eyes betraying the fear her otherwise severe expression hides away as she shakes her head silently, even despite the weapon pressed tight against her back. At the same time, Donald and Goofy focus their attention on tending to Sora's relatively minor injury, with the magician casting a potent healing spell to mostly patch it up, though that hardly sets any of them to ease after what had just happened. All the while, a handful of the surrounding crew members watch on with expressions that almost seem to convey sympathy and concern, though none of them make so much as a single move to stop or oppose Rourke's aggressive tactics.
"Look," Milo lets out a relenting sigh as he looks over the lost page once more. "I don't know where the heart is. All it says is 'the Heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of her king'."
"Well, then maybe Old King Cole here can help us fill in the blanks," Rourke roughly shoves Milo aside to approach the king himself. The mostly-recovered trio moves to stop him, only for Helga to keep them where they are by strong-arming Kida once more, silently reminding them just how delicate and uncertain this entire situation really is. "What about it, chief?" the commander interrogates the king as some of his masked cronies crowd around him. "Where's the crystal chamber?"
"You will destroy yourselves," the king advises, gripping his staff firmly.
"...Maybe I'm not being clear." With this, Rourke lashes out, landing a brutal blow to the king's abdomen, one that easily sends the already feeble ruler falling to the ground. Kida lets out a harsh outcry in Atlantean at this, fiercely protesting such a vicious, unnecessary attack against her defenseless father, and this time, she isn't the only one to oppose it.
"Rourke, this was not part of the plan," Dr. Sweet speaks up as he leans down to check on the heavily injured king.
"Plans change, doc," Rourke says as he moves to take a seat on the now-empty throne. "I suggest you put a bandage on that bleeding heart of yours. It doesn't suit a mercenary. Same goes for you three," he addresses the trio, wryly brandishing his pistol once more. "Unless you want more where that last round came from."
"Go ahead!" Sora challenges, perhaps a bit too brazenly, especially after the almost dangerous scrape he'd gotten last time. "Do your wor-"
"Sora!" Donald and Goofy both snap to silence him, knowing that his resilient, reckless attitude is doing nothing for them right now.
Fortunately, Rourke largely ignores his outburst as he aims his gun toward the king instead. "Well, as usual, diplomacy has failed us," he remarks, smirking coolly all the while. "Now, I'm going to count to 10, and you're going to tell me where the crystal is. One… two…" The commander cocks his gun, pointing it directly at the weakened king, much to the genuine surprise of several of the surrounding crew members as they realize just how far he's going with this. To violent, malicious lengths that none of them had really expected or agreed with. "Nine… Te-"
Rourke pauses as he happens to glance just past the king, toward the center of his throne room instead. There, lying in the shallow water covering most of the chamber, lies a set of stones, specifically arranged into a familiar symbol. The very same symbol that rests on the cover of the Shepherd's Journal itself. "The Heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of its king…" he repeats with a growing, greedy smile. "This is it. We're in." Without skipping a beat, Rourke marches toward the center of the room, carelessly tossing the journal back to Milo along the way.
"Rouke, for the last time, you've got to listen to me!" Milo argues intently, even if he knows it wouldn't do any good. "You don't have the slightest idea of what this power is capable of!"
"True, but I can think of a few countries who'd pay anything to find out," Helga pipes up, tightening her hold on Kida as she drags her along after Rourke. Milo finds he had no choice but to follow, largely for the princess's sake more than anything else. Though if there's any chance that this madness could be stopped somehow, he knows he'd gladly take it along the way.
Sure enough, the entrance the commander has been looking for indeed rests at the center of the throne room. As he steps on a previously concealed platform, it begins to rumble and lower into whatever lay below it. "You three! Get on!" Rourke shouts to the trio, using Milo as leverage to force them to comply as he yanks him onto the platform and holds him at gunpoint. "There's no telling what we'll find down there. And like I keep saying, we can always use the extra muscle."
Though the trio has no desire to aid in this twisted campaign, they join the group all the same, hoping they can at the very least protect Milo and Kida if nothing else. The platform slowly lowers itself underground, into a deep, dark, cavernous chamber, one that's hardly empty. For floating high above the small pool far below it, is a bright, radiant blue light, surrounded by a collection of large, carved stone masks floating gently around it, protecting the very life-giver of the lost empire itself:
The Heart of Atlantis.
As the platform reaches the bottom of the cavern, just about everyone stands in awe of such an unbelievable sight, all except for Rourke, who simply smirks in satisfaction at the prize he's just found. "Jackpot," he remarks, more than ready to make this incredible treasure his own.
At the same time, Kida lets out a small, soft gasp, especially as she realizes exactly who the stone masks surrounding the heart depict. "T-the kings of our past…" she whispers, tears welling up in her eyes. Instantly, she collapses to the ground, bowing in deepest reverence to the homages of these past rulers as she utters a quiet Atlantean prayer in their memory.
Still, Rourke hardly cares for the princess' show of respect as he simply sneers in her direction. "Thatch, tell her to wrap it up," he tells Milo unsympathetically. "We got a schedule to meet."
Though Milo glares after the commander as he continues to approach the heart, he still does as he was told, approaching Kida as he breaks her out of her worship as gently as possible. "Um… Kida?" he says, slowly helping her back up. "I'm sorry…"
Meanwhile, the trio hangs close together amidst both this new discovery and the tense straits they're under, knowing there's little they can do so long as Rourke and Helga still have the advantage, and the firepower, above them all. Even so, they still have their own mission in mind, even if that mission has grown much more complicated in light of what they've just gotten themselves into. "So… if this is the Heart of Atlantis…" Goofy begins, aside. "Then where's the Key?"
"No idea…" Donald shakes his head. "Any ideas, Sora?"
For a long moment, Sora says nothing, his sights set on the Heart of Atlantis high above them. When he does speak however, his voice is strangely soft and subdued and every bit as distant as his mind suddenly feels, as everything else around him suddenly feels, save for the heart and the heart alone. "It's here…" he says, his eyes never drifting away from the heart.
"It is?" Donald asks dubiously. "Where?"
"Here…" Sora repeats, his voice even quieter this time to the point that it's barely above a whisper.
"...What?" the magician asks, still not following in the slightest.
"Say, don't you usually have to feel some certain kind of emotion to get it to show up?" Goofy asks Sora, who hardly seems to be listening at all. "Maybe you just gotta feel whatever that emotion is right here in front of the heart!"
"That's not how it works!" Donald argues.
"Garwsh, then how does it work?"
"Well, it… uh… mm… I don't know! Ask Sora! He's the one that found the first three to begin with!"
"Ok, then what do you think, Sora?" Goofy asks, only to not receive any sort of answer at all.
Because instead of even being remotely tuned into his companions' conversation, Sora is still completely transfixed by the Heart of Atlantis, largely unable to look at or even think about anything else. Donald and Goofy try garnishing his attention once more, going as far as to lightly pull on his arm to try and rouse him, only to no avail.
They don't get much of another chance, however, as the Heart of Atlantis suddenly sparks bright red above them, reacting in response to Rourke absently kicking a stray rock into the sacred pool below it. The heart's once calm blue glow takes on a fiery, angry aura, one that dully covers the rest of the cavern and everyone in it its crimson glow.
"Come on, let's get this over with," Helga mutters to the commander. "I don't like this place."
"Alright, Thatch, what's next?" Rourke asks, turning to the linguist expectantly.
"Ok, well, there's a giant crystal hovering 150 feet above our heads over a bottomless pit of water," Milo begins, bitter sarcasm filling his tone. "Doesn't anything surprise you?"
"The only thing that surprises me is that thing's not on the truck yet.'
As the pair continue bickering, the others all fail to realize the large beams of light the heart emits, beams that hover around the cavern almost like spotlights in search of something. One of those spotlights happens to pass over Sora, instantly shifting back to its previously gentle blue glow as it does. At the same time, that glow transfers to his eyes as they stay set on the heart, banishing any hints of unnatural gold that have found a place within them as it instead floods them with its own radiant blue, one that's much brighter and much more otherworldly than their usual blue could ever be. And as it does, everything else around him completely fades into obscurity altogether, nothing else mattering in the slightest but the heart and the connection his own heart has somehow managed to make with it.
Another one of the heart's lights settles on Kida, namely catching onto the crystal hanging from her neck, almost as if it's calling it toward its source. The princess smiles softly as she feels its familiar warmth resonate with her, and, much like it already has with Sora, it also overtakes her eyes with its gleaming light. Though the biggest difference for her is that it actually begins beckoning her toward it, in an unspoken voice that was so familiar she could swear she'd heard it somewhere before. And it offers her a call, a summon that tugs on her heart so strongly that she couldn't resist it even if she wanted to.
"Now, move it!" Rourke continues, issuing his impatient order at Milo.
"I don't know how to move it," Milo insists, severely annoyed. "I don't even know what's holding it up… there…" He trails off as he notices Kida suddenly step past him, still engulfed in the heart's light as she continues staring up at its enthralling light all the while. Milo doesn't hesitate to try to stop her, though Rourke holds him back before he can even take a single step as the princess keeps going.
"Talk to me, Thatch. What's happening?" the commander says as almost everyone turns to watch Kida instead of the heart. Everyone except for Sora, who's still every bit as captivated by the heart as the princess herself is.
"L-look, all it says here is the crystal is alive somehow," Milo begins, motioning to the Shepherd's Journal. "It… I-I don't know how to explain it. It's their deity, their power source."
"Speak English, professor."
"They're a part of it, it's a part of them," Milo concludes with a heavy sigh. "Look, I'm doing the best I can here!"
"Well, do better," the commander scowls as he starts to pull his pistol out once more.
"Oh, I know, why don't you translate and I'll wave the gun around?!" the linguist counters harshly, only to be interrupted by none other than Kida herself.
The princess speaks in Atlantean, her voice steady yet devoid of any sort of emotion as she turns to face the group on shore. Her eyes are still aglow with the heart's mysterious power as she says something only Milo, with his years of experience studying the language, can understand. "All will be well, Milo Thatch," she says, her vacant eyes settling on the linguist in particular. "Be not afraid."
Milo barely manages to hold back a small sigh of relief at this, especially as Rourke glares back at him. "What'd she say?"
"I-I don't know," the linguist lies. "I… didn't catch it."
At this, Kida turns back toward the heart once more, still following its call even out onto the pool itself as she steps out not just into the water, but onto it. She walks upon its surface, never once sinking beneath it as she slowly but surely continues to approach the heart, much to the genuine awe of everyone watching from the shore. Once the princess reaches the center of the pool, she stops directly under the heart itself, the stone effigies surrounding it starting to slowly pull themselves away from it just for her. As they part, they reveal a complete view of the Heart of Atlantis, though the heart itself is still largely focused on Kida as its multiple beams of light all converge on her crystal, dilating over it before its power spreads through her from it. And still its clarion call continues, to the point that the heart begins to draw the princess toward it, pulling her up from the water and ascending her into the air, slowly, carefully holding her in its thrall so she can come to meet it. When she does, the heart welcomes her openly, pulling her into the orb of sacred light composing it and enveloping her with that light completely. The stone masks reconverge around them both at this, spinning faster and faster as the heart takes on a practically blinding glow, one that eventually dims only somewhat to reveal the crystal that is the mythical Heart of Atlantis itself.
Or rather, the entirely new form the heart has taken on.
The masks slow once more and floating gracefully, peacefully in their midst, is none other than Kida. Her entire body shines blue and transparently crystalline, brimming with pure, raw, commanding energy. To the awestruck, bystanding group far below her, she hardly even seems to be human, and by all accounts, she isn't, at least not anymore. For not only has the Heart of Atlantis called her to it; it's bonded with her, infused itself with her, intertwined with her in every way possible.
The Heart of Atlantis has, quite literally, become the heart of its princess.
She descends slowly, her entire form still aglow with the heart's power as she lands to the water below her once more. As soon as she's somewhat within reach once more, Milo makes the first move to approach her, desperate to know if she's even remotely alright after what just happened to her. Yet before he can take so much as a single step, Rourke quickly stops him, his tone just as unimpressed and callous as ever, despite the incredible event he'd just witnessed. "Hold your horses, lover boy."
Milo crossly ignores him, returning his focus back to the princess, who remains still and silent as she hovers just above the surface of the water. "K-Kida…?" he dares to venture, unsure of what kind of response he might get. She doesn't speak to answer him, though she does open her eyes, completely blank, bright voids of light, devoid of any sort of expression or emotion or anything that makes Kida herself. "Kida…" Milo shakes his head, wondering and worrying if there's anything really left of the princess he's come to grow quite fond of at all.
Her movements are still just as steady and sedated as she begins to walk forward across the water. As she does, the stone masks begin to collapse from their spot in the air, crashing down into the pool and creating heavy, towering waves that never once hit her. She remains unphased, her sights set ahead of her as she reaches the shore and the group standing upon it. Rourke reaches out to restrain her, though Milo immediately protests, unsure of how safe doing so would actually be. "No, d-don't… don't touch her…" he cautions, still watching her to see where she'll go or what she'll do next.
She finally does come to a stop, however, directly in front of Sora. From the moment they'd first arrived in the underground chamber, he's kept his focus solely on the Heart of Atlantis, something that hasn't changed even as the heart itself has. His own eyes are nowhere near as empty as the princess's are, but they do reflect the same sort of ethereal glow to accompany their similarly vacant expressions. Her manner is still all but unknowable as she slowly turns to face him, offering him what almost seems to be a small, but respectful bow paired with an unspoken message only he can somehow hear:
You are not where you belong…
"I know…" he softly answers aloud, some very small, practically obscured part of his heart speaking for him. All the while, he still remains completely entranced, even as the princess begins to move on and even as his companions finally take notice of the full extent of whatever spell the heart has put him under.
"Sora!" Goofy exclaims, aptly alarmed as both he and Donald stop their young companion short as he tries to follow the princess and the heart. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?!"
"Something is wrong! Just look at his eyes!" Donald pipes up adamantly. Sure enough, Sora doesn't spare so much as a single glance at either one of them, his bright, practically glowing eyes still watching the princess, still watching the heart even as they both walk away. "Snap out of it, will you?!" Donald shouts to Sora as Goofy tries waving a hand in front of his eyes to break his intense focus, but it's to no avail. Instead, he simply steps past both of them, opting to silently trail after the princess as she slowly makes her way back to the platform that leads up to the surface.
"Gee, it looks like he wants to follow the princess," Goofy notes fretfully.
"He's not the only one," Rourke says, pressing onward as well. "Time to pack it up. We've got what we came here for."
"C-commander, are… are you sure about this?" Helga asks, uncomfortably shifting her gaze over to the princess.
"Let's not lose our nerve now, lieutenant," Rourke says simply. "Not when we're so close to cashing in…"
"Rourke, wait," Milo protests tensely. "You… you can't do this, not now. The heart isn't just some crystal anymore, i-it is Kida! I don't know how but… but it's like it's bonded with her or something! Don't you get it? They're one and the same."
"So?" Rourke scoffs, unconcerned. "I hardly see how that changes anything."
"It changes everything! She's a living, breathing person, just like you and me. Are you really, really going to take her all the way back up to the surface and try to pawn her off to the highest bidder?"
"That's about the long and short of it, son," Rourke concludes with a greedy smirk. He says nothing more on the matter as he prepares to leave the chamber, though not without meeting some resistance first.
"There's no way you're ever gonna get away with a plan like that!" Donald brazenly proclaims, brandishing his staff as Goofy likewise takes up his shield to oppose the commander.
"Yeah! Not on our watch!" the captain soundly agrees.
Rourke is hardly phased by their brave resistance, however, as he instead simply continues past them, pulling his pistol out as he slowly, tactfully approaches not the princess, but Sora instead. "Oh, I think you two will let me do whatever I want," he grins, looking back at the pair as he presses the tip of the gun directly against the boy's back. Sora remains completely still and silent, his focus only on the princess and the heart alone, with the sudden, immediate threat on his life completely lost on him. "At least… as long as his life is on the line…"
All Rourke needs to do to show he's serious is cock the weapon, and that alone is enough to get Donald and Goofy to quickly back down, knowing it's the most they could do to defend Sora in a moment like this, when he's unable to do so himself. Despite being satisfied that this cruel tactic is working, the commander still doesn't pull his pistol away, keeping it trained on Sora as a form of leverage against Donald, Goofy, and Milo alike as they all make their way back up to the throne room. It's hardly any surprise that the rest of the crew is waiting just outside the palace, standing by a sturdy metal crate, one that's meant to contain the Heart of Atlantis, though it's clear none of them had expected that heart to essentially be a person. Still, none of them protest Rourke's commands to seal the still-silent princess, or rather, the very prize they'd come all this way to obtain, up in the container to take her away from the world she's from, the world that needs her heart to survive.
The very instant the last of the crates walls restrains the princess behind their cold, concealing metal, Sora finally manages to break out of the longstanding trance the heart had held him under. He lets out a sharp, startled gasp as he abruptly stumbles and nearly falls forward, only for Donald and Goofy to catch him and keep him upright just in time. "Sora! You're back!" the captain lets out an allayed sigh.
"About time!" the magician chastised impatiently as they both help their young companion properly stand.
"B-back…?" Sora repeats, confused as he places a hand against his head to clear it. The abnormal glow in his eyes has finally faded, his gaze finally allowed to drift away from the now-captive heart as he looks to his companions in apt bewilderment. "W-where did I go? What's going on?" He quickly gets his answer as soon as he glances up to see the crew hauling the metal crate onto a large truck, and though his immediate, captivating connection to the Heart of Atlantis has largely been severed, he can still feel traces of its power radiating within its prison. "The heart!"
"No, not just the heart," Milo clarifies as he joins the trio. "Kida's in there."
"What?" Sora asks, even more alarmed upon hearing this. Refusing to simply stand by and watch such an injustice take place, he's the first to make a move to stop the crew, Milo readily joining him, only for both of them to be repelled by a handful of Rourke's heavily armed henchmen.
While Sora falls back to Donald and Goofy to look for another way to help the princess, Milo lingers, addressing the members of the crew he used to be a part of as they passively carry out their duties, none of them seeming to even care about the grave travesty they're about to willingly help commit. "So… I guess this is how it ends, huh?" the linguist asks them, his tone openly bitter and cold. "Fine. You win. You're wiping out an entire civilization, but hey… you'll be rich. That's what it's all about, right? Money."
Though the other members of the crew intentionally avert the judgemental glare Milo sends their way, Rourke remains just as proud and arrogant over his crooked victory as ever. "Get off your soapbox, Thatch," he says, strolling over to the linguist. "You've heard of natural selection. We're just helping it along."
"No, Milo's right; what you're doing is wrong!" Sora speaks up sternly. While normal he, Donald, and Goofy would be the first to draw their weapons to stop this theft in its tracks, they refrain, if only for the sake and safety of Milo and the crowd of Atlanteans who had gathered to mournfully watch their princess be taken away from them. "You're stealing a heart from a world that needs it to survive. What could possibly be worth more than the lives of so many innocent people?"
"I can think of plenty of things that are," Rourke sneers dismissively. "And maybe you could too if you grew up and took a step out of whatever fantasy world you're living in, kid."
"Commander, we're ready," Helga calls from the truck, fully loaded and ready to go.
"Yeah, yeah, give me a minute," Rourke responds with a wave of his hand. "I know I'm forgetting something… I got the cargo, the crystal, the crew… Oh yeah." Suddenly, the commander spins around, lashing out to deck Milo square in the jaw with the full force of his fist. The blow easily knocks the linguist off his feet as he reels back in pain, barely aware of the round of stunned, appalled gasps that come along with the vicious punch from everyone standing by. "Look at it this way, son," Rourke mocks, briefly picking Milo's fallen glasses up before carelessly tossing them back at him. "You were the man who discovered Atlantis, and now, you're part of the exhibit."
By now, several members of the crew finally turn their attention Milo's way as he recoils from the sharp sting of Rourke's heavy punch and harsh words alike. Even as the commander issues the order for them to finally move out, more than a few of them find themselves hesitating as the growing doubts and regrets about their mission as a whole slowly but surely start to reach their tipping point. Until that point is not only reached, but broken through completely.
Audrey is the first, letting out an annoyed, disgruntled sigh as she hops out of one of the trucks. Every ounce of her better judgement advises her against this foolish, downright stupid course of action, but in the end, her conscious rings out just a little louder as she marches over to Milo and joins Sora, Donald, and Goofy in helping him off the ground. As soon as the linguist is back on his feet, Audrey then turns her focus back on her fellow crew members, not even needing to say a word as her severe, yet earnest glare speaks millions for her.
Under that glare, it doesn't take long for Vinny to waver as he breaks off from the others, coming over to place a supportive hand on Milo's shoulder. Cookie is next to jump out of the truck, offering Mole an expectant look before they both mutually agree to join the fledgling group, giving up potentially untold riches in the process. Even Packard, upon taking a long draw of her cigarette, sighs tiredly before tossing it aside to get with the program. "We're all gonna die," she deadpans, though still goes to take her place among the others.
"Oh, you can't be serious," Rourke scoffs upon glancing back at the stalwart crowd of defectors behind him.
"Dead serious, Rourke," Audrey replies crossly. "It's just like Sora said: this is wrong and you know it!"
"We're this close to the biggest payday ever, and you pick now of all times to grow a conscience?" the commander huffs in bitter disbelief.
"We've done a lot of things we aren't proud of," Vinny remarks. "Robbing graves, plundering tombs, double parking… But nobody got hurt. Well, maybe somebody got hurt, but nobody that we knew."
"Well, if that's the way you want it, fine," Rourke concludes coldly, still stubbornly set in his own choice, however greedy and malicious it might be. "More for me."
With that, Rourke and Helga shift their vehicles into motion, the remaining cronies in their crew following suit with the captive princess still securely locked on board. A handful of those henchmen have a fully loaded blaster mounted on the back of one of the trucks, one that's trained on the group they're leaving behind just in case any of them have any ideas about following. Which means the most any of them can do is sullenly, sadly watch as Rourke makes a clean getaway across the bridge that leads the way out of the city, taking both the Heart of Atlantis and its princess right along with him.
The effect is immediate; almost as soon as the princess is pulled away from her people, the crystals they all wear swiftly begin to darken and dim without the heart that keeps them empowered. The surrounding Atlanteans look to each other worriedly, unsure of what they'll do without the energy that has managed to miraculously keep them and their families alive for so long. Energy that they all largely feel powerless to keep from slipping away from them completely.
And even despite the apparent danger, Milo refuses to merely allow something like that to happen to such a special, spectacular place and its people. "We can't let them do this!" he proclaims, brazenly running forward only for Vinny to swiftly pull him back.
"Wait a second," he cautions, eyeing the bridge just as Rourke and his crew make it to the other side. No more than a second later, the structure, which had been planted with copious amounts of dynamite, is completely blown to bits, ensuring once and for all that there is no way to stop them. "Ok, now you can go," Vinny remarks simply.
"Milo!" Dr. Sweet, who had also stayed behind to tend to the injured king, calls down from the palace steps. "Better get up here."
The linguist doesn't hesitate to follow the doctor's lead, eager to see how the king is faring and much less eager to let him know of his daughter's fate. The other remaining crew members are quick to follow, and while the trio prepares to do the same, they're suddenly stopped by the all-too familiar sound of a dark corridor opening up behind them.
"Well, well, it seems as though the prize we're all after has already been claimed," Vexen says with a cool, calculated smile, one that only widens as the trio turns to face him, immediately on guard. "Or at least, it's been claimed for the time being, but worry not; that's something I have every intention of changing very soon…"
"So do we," Sora counters rigidly as the Kingdom Key flashes into his hands. "The only difference is once we get it back, we're not going to let you get anywhere close to the heart or that Key!"
Vexen simply lets out a sinister, mocking chuckle upon hearing this. "Bold words from the boy who can't even face a simple pack of mindless Nobodies without falling apart," he says, clearly taking enjoyment in the obvious rise he gets out of Sora from such a callous, cutting remark. "Fortunately while you were aimlessly wandering around this decaying waste of a world, I was actually out getting genuine answers about its many mysteries. And in my in-depth research, I happened to uncover quite an intriguing piece of information that I'm sure you three would simply love to hear."
"Yeah, right," Sora scoffs. "Just like I'm sure you'd love to lie to us about whatever it is."
"To throw us off track!" Donald adds angrily.
"Yeah! Everyone knows Organization never tells the truth!" Goofy asserts just as brazenly.
"Oh, now that's where you're wrong about me," Vexen retorts, still upholding his confident, smug smirk. "I'm a researcher, a man of pure science. Which means that, unlike some of my other… colleagues, the last thing I deal in is lies."
The trio takes pause at this, exchanging an uncertain glance before setting their mutually distrustful sights back on the researcher. "Fine. Then what's this super important information you dug up?" Sora asks, his expression set in a suspicious glare.
"I am so glad you asked," Vexen grins proudly. "It appears that the heart of this world and the Key that's allegedly tied to it have much more in common than one might think. That crystal does indeed keep this city and its people alive, but it's quite the symbiotic relationship, really. For as it provides its protection to them, it feeds off of their thoughts, their memories… their emotions. Now, doesn't that sound… familiar?"
"The Key!" the trio exclaims in a shared, startled gasp.
"Indeed," Vexen nods. "It seems as though you three aren't as dull as I thought. Which is why it's so unfortunate that none of you will ever get to see the splendor of the one that's tied to this world. For you see, I've already concocted an ideal plan to obtain it; and the best part is, all that's required to carry it out is that heart alone."
"Whatever your plan is, it's not gonna work!" Sora snaps resiliently. "Because we're going to stop you, save the heart, and get that Key! Right, you guys?"
He briefly glances back at Donald and Goofy, neither of whom actually offer a response as they meet his question with genuine surprise. While normally they would be in firm agreement with such a bold, courageous sentiment, they instead exchange something of a wary glance before looking back to their young companion in apparent concern, catching him off guard and cutting down his confidence with clear confusion instead.
"Yes, go ahead and try to stop me," Vexen says, nonchalantly calling upon another dark corridor to leave through. "I'd be immensely fascinated to observe such a doomed effort. If you manage to even get that far, of course."
Without sparing the trio another word, the researcher steps into his dark portal, more than eager to carry out his mysterious, devious plan, whatever it might be. At the same time, Donald and Goofy keep their focus on Sora, their expressions equally fretful as they think about the conversation they know they'll have to have with him. "Sora, why'd you say that?" the magician asks with something of a disgruntled sigh.
"Uh, because we're going after the heart, duh," Sora turns to them, frowning. "...We are going after it… aren't we?"
The pair doesn't answer right away as they instead look to each other apprehensively once more, unsure of how to deliver the conclusion they've both come to quite some time ago. "W-we are," Goofy begins hesitantly. "But-"
The conversation is abruptly interrupted, however, as they notice Milo emerging from the palace alongside the crew. The linguist's manner is severe, yet determined, his expression carrying a resolute kind of anger that every bit matches the sense of clear purpose in his step as he trudges down the palace steps.
"Where are you going?" Dr. Sweet asks as he and the others trail after him.
"I'm going after Rourke," Milo answers shortly, simply.
"Milo, that's crazy!" Audrey protests as everyone else looks at him incredulously.
"I didn't say it was the smart thing," the linguist shrugs. "But it is the right thing."
The rest of the crew can't really argue with that logic as they make the move to join him. "Come on," Audrey huffs, irritated. "We better make sure he doesn't hurt himself."
"Are you fellas with me?" Milo asks the trio as he passes by them.
"You bet we are!" Sora is quick to enthusiastically agree, though Donald and Goofy stop him short as he does.
"Uh, Sora?" Goofy interjects cautiously. "Do you mind if we have a quick word with ya? Alone?"
"Oh, um, sure?" Sora raises a curious eyebrow before briefly turning back to Milo. "We'll be back to help in just a minute."
"Right," the linguist nods, glad to accept all the aid he can get in what will certainly be a deeply dangerous quest.
Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy manage to pull Sora aside as the rest of the crew comes down to assist Milo, hoping to get a bit of much-needed privacy for a conversation that won't be easy to have under any circumstances. Especially not these. "So, are you guys finally going to explain why you're acting so weird?" Sora asks, hanging his arms behind his head as he looks between his companions.
"Um… well, ya see, Sora…" Goofy starts, trying to tread carefully. Something that Donald doesn't care nearly as much about as he blatantly blurts the sum of the matter instead.
"You're not coming with us to take back the heart!" he exclaims firmly, authoritatively.
For his part, Sora is aptly caught off guard, confusion filling his features as he lets out a small, involuntary laugh, almost as if he thinks they were joking. "W-what do you mean? Of course, I am!"
"No, you're not," Donald reiterates. "You can't. It's not safe!"
"Not safe?" Sora rebuffs, clearly baffled by such a claim. "Since when has that ever mattered? In case you haven't noticed, we're always getting ourselves into danger. It'd be weird if we weren't for a change! And we're always able to handle it just fine; I'm able to handle it just fine."
"Well, yeah, but… that was before… you know…" Goofy trails off worriedly.
"Before Maleficent captured you!" Donald finishes, knowing they simply can't dance around the subject any longer.
Sora flinches at this, his entire body tensing up at the mere mention of his horrendous captivity alone. Still, he quickly masks any remnant fear he has with anger; genuine, unsettled, palpable anger. "Of course that's what this is about…" he mutters, his voice low and harsh. "You guys just won't let that go! How many times do I have to tell you? I'll be fine! I-I'll figure out a way to get over it and then everything will go back to the way it used to be!"
"But you haven't yet, and that's the whole problem!" Donald counters just as severely. "It's just like you said: you aren't ready to be here! Did you just forget how you completely froze up when we were fighting those Nobodies?!"
"Or how hurt you got facing off against that armored fella who might be Terra?" Goofy adds much more calmly, yet every bit as sincerely as the magician.
"Or how you blanked out again when you saw the Heart of Atlantis?!"
"Whoa, hold it right there," Sora interjects crossly. "I did not blank out over the heart."
"Yes, you did!" Donald argues. "Your eyes were glowing and everything!"
"T-they were?" Sora is quick to shake his surprise over that alarming fact away. Even though he knows he probably shouldn't. "Whatever. That doesn't matter. What does matter is that it wasn't like before with the Nobodies. This was… different. I-I don't know how to explain it, it was almost like the heart was… trying to talk to me or something…"
"Really?" Goofy asks, intrigued. "What did it say to you?"
"...I… it… all it really said was… 'you're not where you belong…'" he answers, lightly pressing a hand against his heart as he remembers just how it had resonated with that of this world.
"Huh?" Donald asks incredulously.. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know," Sora shakes his head. "But I want to find out. I want to save the heart, and Kida, and Atlantis, and I want to get that Key! I don't care if it's dangerous and I don't care if you don't think I'm ready for it; I'll be ready when it matters most."
"But Sora," Goofy reasons earnestly. "You don't know that. Neither do we. Anything could happen out there. And after everything that happened a month ago… w-we just don't want anything else to happen to you."
"And that's exactly why you're staying right here while we go help the others," Donald asserts, a bit calmer this time, but still just as resolute. "We'll get the heart back, figure out how to get the Key, and then when we're done, we're going right back to Radiant Garden until you're completely healed, inside and out!"
"No, we're not!" Sora shoots back, making no effort to hide just how angry and upset he is over this whole debacle. "Did you just forget about the rest of the Keys we need to find? We can't afford to keep wasting time on stupid stuff like-"
"Like you getting better?" Goofy interrupts with a frown. "That's not stupid, Sora. It's important to us, and it should be important to you."
"I-it is important to me!" Sora lies. Because when it really comes right down to it, his own long term recovery isn't significant at all. Not in comparison to the momentous, potentially worlds-saving responsibility he knows he has to fulfill instead.
"Then act like it," Donald concludes, making the first move to leave. "Stay put until we get back. No more arguing about it, that's final."
"But I-"
"Final!" Donald snaps succinctly as he begins to walk away.
Goofy lingers behind for just a moment longer, if only to offer some small form of comfort to ease Sora's obviously dejected frustration. "Aw, sorry, Sora…" he places a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "You know we don't want it to be this way either, but… we're only tryin' to do what's best for you."
Sora simply responds to this with a bitter scoff, crossing his arms as he glances away coldly. The captain retracts his hand upon seeing the sheer look of betrayal on his face, unsure of what else to say that could possibly smooth this tense situation over as he instead goes to follow the magician. Both of them leaving Sora behind on a mission he feels like he should be a part of, he knows he should be a part of, but, in the end, he isn't.
By now, Milo has led the rest of the crew to an entire collection of flying Atlantean vehicles, catching the attention of more than a few of the city's residents along the way. Enthusiastic to help their princess, they eagerly volunteer to join the cause, watching as Milo demonstrates how they can use their crystals to get the vehicles started. And, with something of a miniature army of their own assembled, they all feel just a bit more ready to take on Rourke's. Even if they're all still well aware of just how dangerous and daunting the impending battle might be.
"All right, this is it!" Milo calls to the others as he leads the way on his own vehicle. The remaining members of the crew, the Atlantean volunteers, and even Donald and Goofy follow not too far behind, all of them determined to do whatever they can to set things right. "We're gonna rescue the princess, we're gonna save Atlantis, or we're going to die trying! Now, let's do it!"
A round of excited cheers rises up at this, and not just from the group heading out to battle either. The Atlanteans who stay behind see the courageous crowd off with fond waves and well-wishes, all of them confident that their princess and their heart will be returned to them before it's too late.
However, the bold procession isn't entirely met with levity and cheer as it leaves the city. Sora stands alone on the edge of a platform near the palace, his sights set to the sky as everyone soars high above him, making their way to the dormant volcano Rourke had retreated to earlier. While he's already quite frustrated to begin with, he only finds himself becoming more infuriated upon spotting Donald and Goofy stealing a glance down from their shared vehicle as they pass him by. Sora quickly glares away from his companions as they leave, though all the same he makes sure the anger, the disappointment, and the disdain in his expression are all clear to see.
In many ways, Sora does in fact, understand why Donald and Goofy insisted upon him staying behind like this. Because he had indeed lost his nerve against a simple pack of Nobodies, he had only narrowly managed to escape from his confrontation with the armored warrior with his life, and even then it was only because of his connection to Ventus rather than his own merit. Really, ever since they'd left Radiant Garden, Sora knows he hasn't successfully engaged in any sort of battle or fight at all. And in light of that fact, it's really was no wonder why Donald and Goofy seem to believe he can't hold his own in a fray anymore. He's not so sure he can himself, at the moment.
Yet that still doesn't mean he'll never be able to again and it certainly doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve the chance to try. It would be a risk, certainly, but it's a risk Sora wants to take, one he needs to take if he ever wants to fully regain his lost strength again. But that hardly seems to matter to either of his companions, who outright refuse to let him take that risk, refuse to let him regain that strength, refuse to see him as anything other than a liability, someone who needs to be restrained and held back and watched over and protected.
Someone who is weak.
Sora gasps as a sudden spark of familiar energy surges through him, his building fury quickly forgotten as he releases the tight fists he hadn't even realized he'd been holding his hands in at his sides. Yet as he looks down at his hands, he's surprised to see vibrant, visible magic equally composed of radiant light and dark shadows, swirling heavily around them both. Magic that, after over a month of being suppressed and forced to the wayside, is practically begging to be unleashed now.
However, Sora is quick to reject that silent plea, drawing his hands in close to him to try to extinguish the forbidden power surrounding them. It does dull somewhat, but it doesn't disappear, still brimming with magic that tugs on his heart and leans on his mind, its haunting, unspoken call ringing louder and clearer on both with each passing moment. It's such a tempting, tantalizing call too, especially when he remembers just how capable, just how unstoppable, just how strong he'd whenever he'd used it in the past. But each of those memories also comes with just as heavy of a reminder: the briefest flash of his own reflection, his eyes drenched in a blazing gold that doesn't belong there, gold that only remains in traces now but can only stand to grow if he makes any wrong moves. As much as he wishes it wasn't the case, this new power, this unknown, alluring, yet dangerous magic, will only end up pulling his heart further down into the darkness that the Organization is all-too eager to watch him fall under.
And yet… this magic isn't theirs; it's his. It's power he discovered, power that emerges from his own hands, his own heart. Really, when it comes right down to it, wherever this power has come from, whatever sparked it in the first place, it's as natural to him as summoning his own Keyblade is. Denying that power, power that's his and his alone by right, would be like denying a part of himself.
And if there's a chance that power can help him get back on track toward regaining his strength, strength he wants, needs to reclaim, then is it really all that wrong to use it? As long as he can control that magic-which he knows very well that he can, even as unpredictable and mysterious as it is-then is using it to his advantage too much of a problem? He could use it sparingly, slightly, just enough to break through the mental barricades that bar him from fighting on his own until he doesn't need it anymore at all.
And even then, how likely could it possibly be that he'll actually end up slipping into the darkness if he only uses that power when he really needs it the most?
Sora takes in a deep, calming breath as he opens his hands up once more, watching with equal worry and curiosity as darkness and light bloom above them once more, intermingling with each other in what almost looks like a strange, yet beautiful dance. He's acutely aware that what he's about to do is far from the smartest, or the safest course of action, and when Donald and Goofy inevitably find out, they'll throw a fit for sure. But he can't, won't stand idly by on the sidelines anymore. Not when innocent lives are at stake, not when his friends are in peril, and certainly not when he can still feel the stolen heart of this world and the Key connected to it calling desperately out to his own.
So he swiftly turns, marching off toward one of the city's lower levels in the hopes of finding a spare vehicle along the way. The crew had taken off with most of them that had been lying out in the open, but Sora figures there has to be at least one left for him to use somewhere. And though it takes a bit of searching, sure enough, he happens to find one, abandoned in one of the city's many hidden coves as it rests against a withering structure, practically buried by vines and foliage. However, it's only as he pulls all that off of the vehicle and briefly checks it over that he realizes he has no way of actually getting it started.
"Oh, that's right!" he huffs in annoyance as he places his hand against the inscription pad, only to get no results. "If only I had one of those crystals or… or some kind of…" He gasps in realization as he remembers what he does have in place of that crystal. "Some kind of key!"
In an instant, the Kingdom Key is in his hands, and though Sora doesn't really know if this impromptu plan will work, he points its tip toward the vehicle all the same. A beam of light pours out from the Keyblade, connecting with the vehicle as it surrounds it in that same sort of glow. And, when he lowers his weapon a moment later, Sora is immensely relieved to see the vehicle roar to life, raising off the ground a bit to a low hover just before he eagerly hops onto it.
"Sorry, guys," he says to Donald and Goofy, even though he knows they wouldn't hear him. "But I have to help."
And with that, he pushes the vehicle into motion, steering it up above and out away from the city as fast as it can go. He had watched the others fly toward the cavern they had entered Atlantis through before, and now he wastes no time in following their lead, hoping to catch up and offer whatever assistance he can. Yet as he reaches the lava-filled chasm that stands between the city and the cavern, he's suddenly met with an obstacle he had hoped he wouldn't run into, but should have been expecting all the same.
A flock of winged Nobodies surrounds the entrance to the cavern, hovering around it largely aimlessly until they happen to spot Sora approaching from afar. When they do, they quickly turn all their attention on him, speeding toward him with the intent of launching a wild attack. Sora flinches when he sees them, nearly stopping his vehicle dead in the air as his breathing hitches while the first signs of fledgling panic begin to pound through his chest. He nearly falls victim to that panic too, at least until he notices the darkened light still weaving its way around his arms.
Acting on sheer impulse alone, he lashes out suddenly, not even bothering to call upon his Keyblade as he swings his arm out wide, raw magic flowing out from it all the while. The broad, uncalculated wave of energy strikes the Nobodies evenly, completely slicing through them and dissipating their forms in an instant. As the next small horde of monsters comes at him, Sora follows suit with the same maneuver, throwing another heavy blast of magic their way to the same results. As he does, he pressed onward toward the cavern, deftly taking out any Nobody he sees along the way, many times before any of them can even notice him pass by. In such a way, none of them ever manage to get close to him before he defeats them, maintaining a safe distance that Sora can't help but take some level of comfort in.
And that isn't the only reassurance he receives from that brief encounter either; for as he finally passes into the narrow cavern, he strangely finds himself smiling, exhilarated, elated even, by just how easy that encounter had been. When he had tried to rely solely on his Keyblade, he hadn't been able to take so much as a single swing of it out of fear over what could go wrong. But now, using his powers in their place, he'd not only survived, but thrived, creating a feeling of steady confidence and pride he hasn't been able to experience in quite awhile. And, perhaps best of all, on top of that, he feels strong, unquestionably, unflinchingly strong in a way he can't remember feeling since before that strength had been taken from him in the first place. Which is why he decides to relish that strength for all it's worth, knowing just how much he had yearned for it when it had been gone.
Pushing the vehicle on ahead, it doesn't take long for Sora to reach the battle that's already well underway. Rourke is in the midst of trying to make his escape through the top of the supposedly dormant volcano by way of a massive hot air balloon, to which the crate containing both the princess and the heart has been securely tethered to. However, that escape faces clear opposition from the airborne group of rebellious crew members and Atlantean volunteers that have come to stop them. Their vehicles circle the balloon, dodging and fending off the barrage of rifles, missiles, and attack bi-planes the commander has at his disposal. Both sides of the hectic brawl have already faced quite a bit of destruction, but the main members of the crew seem to still be in the right in the heart of the action, evading shots from even Rourke and Helga as they try to defend their prize from the deck of their balloon.
Amidst all this chaos, Sora briefly spots Donald and Goofy across the other end of the cavern, with the captain piloting their vehicle while the magician fires off a barrage of spells at the horde of Nobodies that have also found their way into the mix. Knowing that the last thing he wants is to be spotted by his companions this soon, Sora steers away from them, turning his focus to the crate containing the princess instead. Audrey, Mole, and Dr. Sweet have already reached it, fortunately out of Rourke's notice as they try to saw through the chains latching the crate to the balloon that's slowly but surely taking it away.
"I thought you said this thing could cut through a femur in 28 seconds!" Audrey snaps at the doctor, rushing the saw across the sturdy chains.
"Less talk, more saw," Dr. Sweet retorts as he tries to hold the crate steady from his vehicle.
"You guys need some help?" Sora calls as he pulls his vehicle up to theirs.
"Hey, there ya are, kid!" Dr. Sweet greets with a casual grin. "I was starting to wonder if you got lost or somethin'."
"Sure, knock yourself out," Audrey says, offering him her saw. "Just try not to break this thing, it's the only saw we've got."
"Thanks, but I won't need it," Sora assures as he summons his Keyblade. Certainly, with its unique ability to open just about any lock, it'll make easy work of whatever's keeping the crate sealed. Yet, before he can actually use it, the suspended crate happens to turn in just the right way that he catches sight of the box's lone porthole, revealing a glimpse of the princess securely locked inside it. At that moment, the heart that had bonded with her powerfully resonates with Sora's once more, dimming everything else, including the explosive battle happening all around him, into obscurity.
"Uh… are you gonna unlock this thing or not?" Audrey asks, confused as she peers down from her spot on top of the crate.
"Sacre bleu!" Mole exclaims, his jaw dropping in shock. "His eyes! Look at his eyes!"
"Whoa!" Dr. Sweet gapes, noticing just how unnaturally brightly blue Sora's eyes have suddenly become as he stares straight at the crate ahead of him. "Kid! You ok?!"
As captivated as he is by the heart, Sora doesn't answer, his focus locked only on the heart, even as trapped as that heart currently iis. And, just as it had before, it offers him another an unspoken message through the princess, a simple statement that seems to mean so very much at once:
Release the heart to forge the Key.
At that exact moment, a sudden explosion rocks the crate and everyone surrounding it as one of the airship's anchors, intentionally released by Helga from above, strikes Audrey's abandoned vehicle. The crate is pushed aside by the ensuing blast, and though it nearly sends the crew members flying, the sudden rough movement actually does succeed in knocking Sora, still distracted by the heart, off his vehicle entirely. The moment he's thrown back away from the crate, his awareness returns to him in full-force, especially as he begins freely plummeting through the open air toward the ground far below him.
His fall only lasts seconds, however, before he miraculously lands hard onto one of the vehicles flying by. One that just so happened to have been claimed by none other than his own companions. "Sora!?" Donald shouts furiously no more than a second after he lands. "What do you think you're doing here?! We told you to stay behind!"
"Yeah, but come on," Sora huffs, annoyed, as he sits up. "You honestly didn't think I'd actually listen, did you?"
"...Well, we at least hoped you would've…" Goofy notes, briefly glancing over his shoulder from his spot at the vehicle's controls.
"Gah! But we should have known you wouldn't! You never do!" Donald snaps harshly. "Well, as long as you're here, keep your head down and--don't do that!"
The magician practically panics as Sora outright stands up on the tail end of the vehicle, a precarious perch on its own, made only more dangerous as he brandishes his Keyblade and begins openly swinging at whatever Nobodies happen to stray too close. "Sorry, what was that?" Sora asks, sending back a particularly snide grin Donald's way. "I couldn't hear you; I was too busy helping like I told you guys I could do from the beginning!"
Donald is more than ready to fire just as cross of a retort off, though before he can, Goofy catches the pair's equal attention with an aptly startled cry. "Fellas! Look!"
They do so, only to see one of the vehicles, the one that Milo seems to be on, crashing clean into one of the three main balloons keeping Rourke's airship afloat. Fortunately, the linguist jumps off it to clamor onto the largest balloon just in time, but the effect of the impact is immediate as the entire ship begins to sink instead of sail through the air.
"We're losing altitude," Rourke scowls, glancing over the ship's railing. "Lighten the load."
Helga does exactly that, tossing whatever unneeded supplies over the edge as she can before glancing back over at the commander. "That's it, unless someone wants to jump."
"Ladies first," Rourke suddenly hoists her up, abruptly throwing her over the edge entirely. Helga narrowly manages to avoid her end by latching onto one of the ship's lower railings, using it as leverage to throw herself back on board, delivering a swift kick to the commander's jaw in the process.
"You said we were in this together!" she snaps, infuriated as she lands several more heavy kicks in quick succession. "You promised me a percentage!"
Before Helga can land yet another brutal blow, Rourke quickly recovered, catching her foot and stopping her in her tracks. "Next time, get it in writing," is all he says before he tosses her overboard once more, this time for good. "Nothing personal!" He calls over the edge as he watches his lieutenant fall to her apparent demise with a smug, jeering grin.
At the same time, Milo, still tightly clinging to the side of the balloon just above the commander, decides that it's either now or never for him to make his move. Mustering up all of the courage he can, he pulls the rope he's holding onto loose, using it to swing in to Rourke, barreling into him and sending them both falling over the edge of the railing. The two grapple as they both fall across the rope, slamming into one of the ship's lower mechanisms and making a narrow landing on whatever sparse space was there.
Rourke groans in aggravation as he picks himself up, but even so, he quickly resumes his usual haughty grin as he moves in to finish the bothersome linguist off. "Well, Thatch, I gotta hand it to you. You're a bigger pain in the neck than I ever thought possible."
For his part, Milo also stands, lashing out to land a punch on the commander, only for him to easily catch it and turn it right around back on him. The blow nearly ends up knocking him off the ship entirely, though he does manage to catch himself on a piece of collapsed railing just before he can fully fall. That railing does, however, get caught in the ship's propeller, abruptly stopping both it, and the balloon's ascent entirely.
"I consider myself to be an even-tempered man," Rourke continues as he comes to stand high above him. "It takes a lot to get under my skin. But congratulations, son, you just won the solid-gold medal when it comes to getting on my nerves!"
The commander is just about to reach down to finish the linguist off, though he's stopped in his tracks by the sudden burst of fire that's lobbed right past him, barely missing his head. Rourke turned, scowling to the air just above him, only to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy flying by, the former two more than ready to make use of magic again to come to Milo's aid. "Ugh, and so did they…" the commander hisses, pulling out his pistol to open fire on the trio. None of his shots land, however, as they easily fly out his range, though as set off as he is, that still doesn't stop him from trying.
At least, until an unexpected explosion from somewhere far below tears through his remaining balloons entirely.
"N-nothing… personal…" Helga mutters, her last words from her spot on the ground as she fires off the devastating blast. One final act of vengeance against her former boss before she goes out.
The airship erupts into flames, chasing any lingering planes and vehicles away from it for their own safety. Even so, Rourke chooses to ignore his sinking ship to pursue a vicious act of vengeance as he takes up the onboard axe to go after Milo, who's still clinging onto what's left of the ship for dear life. A crazed look fills the commander's eyes as he takes his first swing, one that Milo barely manages to avoid as he drops down onto the crate, unable to do anything else but try to keep his wits about him in a battle he isn't sure he'll really win.
"Ha! Tired, Mr. Thatch?!" Rourke taunts as he throws his axe down, breaking the crate's porthole in the process. "Aw, that's a darn shame, because I'm just getting warmed up!"
Milo ignores him as he instead glances at the broken glass of the portal, which, much like its exterior, radiates with the same mysterious energy as the Heart of Atlantis itself does. Still, the linguist hardly thinks anything of it as he carefully retrieves one of those broken glass shards, swiftly cutting it deep across Rourke's arm as he snatches him and hoists him up into the air. As the commander recoils in pain, Milo quickly makes his escape, climbing back up toward the lower platform as the cut begins to spark a stark chain reaction. As the crystal's energy mingles with his bloodstream, Rourke's arm begins to crystallize from the inside out, hardening and glistening as it starts to overtake his entire body. Milo watches the entire agonizing process in alarm as he clings onto the ship's rails, though as Rourke seems to freeze up entirely in apparent defeat, he can't help but let out a small sigh of relief.
"Oh, thank heaven…" he shakes his head tiredly, glad to see that it's finally over. Except it isn't, because if Rourke is nothing else, he's determined, even amidst his own doom. His form has all but become completely crystalized, his veins shining starkly against the heavy blue stone that was now his skin. Yet even still, he continues his almost feral pursuit against the linguist, climbing up to reach him as he lets out a fierce, inhuman roar. Unsure of what else to do, Milo acts quickly, flipping over the railing he's hanging from in the hopes of avoiding a vicious attack. This maneuver, however, just so happens to place Rourke directly in the path of the ship's propeller, which has started moving again now that the obstruction halting it has been cleared. And as soon as it strikes him, Rourke shatters, his crystalline form breaking into millions of iridescent pieces, ending his greed-driven madness once and for all.
The resounding explosion is finally enough to snap the chains keeping the crate connected to the airship. Milo quickly takes notice of this and hops into the box as it starts to fall, fortunately not too far to the ground as the ship itself is already well on its way there. They both land roughly, though Milo finds there's still no time to recover as the flaming remains of the airship begin plummeting his way at a rapid speed. He only has mere seconds to shove the crate aside before jumping out of the way himself as the ship comes down in yet another brutal, fiery explosion.
Amidst this barrage of disaster however, Milo is more than happy to see a friendly face as he spots Sora, Donald, and Goofy pulling in to meet him. "Need a lift?" Sora asks with a grin, offering a hand out to help him.
"You bet I do…" Milo sighs, exhausted yet allayed. Yet, there's no time to celebrate their success as a sudden rumble shakes the entire foundation of the cavern. The linguist turns back to the airship's wreckage with a gasp, his eyes wide with alarm as he begins to notice the sizable cracks forming in the ground just underneath it. By now, the rest of the crew arrives, all of them realizing the peril they're in now as Mole aptly proclaims it aloud.
"The volcano!" he cries frantically. "She awakes!"
"Hey, I had nothin' to do with it," Vinny remarks, tossing aside a spare stick of dynamite.
"This here, would not be a good place to be!" Cookie notes anxiously.
"N-no, wait!" Milo rushes to grab onto the crate's chains, even as lava begins spilling out from the cracks ahead of them. "We've got to get her back or the whole city will die!"
"And if we don't get out of here, we'll die!" Audrey snaps, pulling Milo out of harm's way.
"Quick! Everyone!" Sora calls to the rest of the crew as they begin to scramble forward, Donald and Goofy doing the same. "Let's hitch this thing up!"
"And hightail it outta here!" Goofy adds urgently.
"A-and let's hurry!" Donald exclaims, eying the emerging lava in the distance nervously.
None of the others hesitate to get to work, hoisting the crate's chains around the largest, most sturdy vehicle they have. As soon as they're sure the box is securely fastened to it, they take off, pulling the crate up off the ground just as the fissures underneath it begin to burst open completely. From there, the entire volcano starts to erupt in short order, magma spilling out into the cavern from underground in heavy, deadly waves. The group pushes their pack of vehicles as fast as they can possibly go to outrun it, making it out of the cavern just as the lava begins to out of its entrance entirely.
Without its heart to provide its life-sustaining light, Atlantis stands awash in darkness, its citizens gathered near the palace to anxiously watch and see what will become of them and their city. Their spirits are instantly lifted, however, upon seeing the courageous group returning with the princess and the heart in tow, though even as they land, there's little time for celebration. Almost as soon as Milo makes sure the crate is securely settled on the ground, he tries and pry it open with a discarded spear, though it to little avail, even despite his best, somewhat frantic efforts.
"The fissure! It is about to eject its pyroclastic fury!" Mole gasps, pointing to the volcano as magma pours down its sides.
"Milo! Mole says the wall's gonna blow!" Dr. Sweet translates quickly.
"I-I'm…. working on it!" the linguist grunts, pulling as hard against the spear as he can to open the crate. All in the hopes that the heart inside it can somehow protect its people from the devastation that's about to befall them.
"Here, let me try," Sora offers, rushing in to help. Milo readily lets him, stepping aside as Sora summons his Keyblade and takes aim at the crate. Knowing that he can't afford to be distracted this time, he tightly closes his eyes and lets the Kingdom Key do its job, unlocking the crate in a matter of seconds. Yet as the heart's light begins to pour from the now-opened box, he finds that he can't resist its radiant, entrancing glow for long, especially as the princess pushes the walls that had once contained her apart completely.
Everyone else watches in awe as the heart's power flows freely into Atlantis once more, flooding into the ancient runes that cover the city, all the way down to its very core. Called upward by the heart's power, the stone effigies of Atlantis' past kings emerge from the underground chamber, bursting out of the ground as they surround the princess, ascending along with her to rise high above what lay below. Their combined energy sparks vibrantly, their light piercing the sky to reach several sets of waterlogged ruins along the edges of the city. However, as those ruins rise up from the water, what they really are becomes clear: massive, titanic stone guardians, an entire legion of them, called to life by the Heart of Atlantis itself to protect it, to save it.
By now, the volcano's eruption is about to reach the city, with flaming rocks catapulting their way toward the town from the force of the rushing magma. Though a few of them strike the emerging automatons, they're hardly phased, their study bodies marching on to the very edges of the plateau Atlantis rests upon. And, as the eruption grows even more violent and uncontrollable, the guardians spread their arms out wide, forming large shields of raw energy that quickly combine to stop any flames that come their way. That shield rises over the city, enveloping it in its sturdy, unbreakable might just as a full sea of lava begins to flow toward it. The molten magma crashes against the force field, frightening the citizens within it, yet it never touches them, even as it washes over the city in what otherwise be an obliterating wave. For all the while, the guardians, the very Heart of Atlantis, continues to defend its own, just as it had once before, thousands of years ago.
Even amidst all this unfolding chaos, from his spot on the ground, Sora remains completely transfixed with the heart, his eyes glowing every bit as brightly as it is once more. Since Donald and Goofy had rushed to help the other crew members escort the terrified Atlanteans to safety, he largely stands alone, absolutely captivated by the heart's continued call to his own. Yet strangely, that call slowly starts to shift, as does everything else around him, the heart loosening its tight hold upon him to allow him to see the familiar golden light surrounding him. A light that comes along with a soft, still unknown voice that Sora can't help but find immense comfort in hearing once again after all this time away.
"Do you seek the truth?"
It's a strange question, to say the least, though hardly any stranger than anything it's asked him before. And really, the answer to it is a simple one, especially when he thinks about his unique connection to the heart of this world, among others before it. About that armored warrior who had mistaken him for Ventus and Xehanort all at once, who itself could be a long lost piece of Terra. About his own relatively newfound light and dark magic, about where it came from and what it can do. All mysteries, all problems to solve upon still so many others questions he yearns to find the answers to. All matters that can, perhaps finally be settled, if he somehow manages to find the truth behind each one.
"Yes," he answers evenly, certainly, already extending an open hand out in anticipation for the Key that's about to fill it. "I do."
Sure enough, Key appears in a vibrant flash of light, its palpable warmth and power washing over him as the light itself fades away. And as it does, the Heart of Atlantis catches his full attention once more, the newly-claimed Key still in his grip as his hand falls slack at his side. However, as enthralled by the heart as he is, he doesn't even notice the dark corridor opening up just a few feet away from him.
"Ah, I do love it when everything goes perfectly according to plan," Vexen remarks with a broad grin as he steps out of the portal. "And here I thought, based on what I've heard from a few of my fellow members, that this whole ordeal would actually be something of a challenge! But it turns out that, as usual, the hands-off approach is the best way to go seeing as how I barely even had to lift a finger to get what I came here for. I really can't thank you enough for doing all of the heavy lifting for me, Sora…"
Despite this smug remark, Sora says nothing to respond to it, largely since he didn't even hear it to begin with amidst the heart still holding him in its trance. Vexen raises a confused eyebrow and takes a step closer, hardly paying any mind to the ongoing cataclysm far above the city himself, even as that disaster begins to die down. "What's the matter, boy? Nothing to say in light of your inevitable defeat?" the researcher asks dryly, just before he notices the unnatural glow still brimming in Sora's eyes.
"Hm… how peculiar…" Vexen muses, briefly waving a hand in front of his face in a failed attempt to get his attention. "You seem to be completely out of it… Ha! This is going to be even easier than I thought! In fact, since your bothersome friends don't seem to be anywhere in the vicinity…" His icy grin grows as he glances around for any signs of the captain or the magician, or anyone else who might try to stop him, but ultimately finds no one at all nearby. "I see no reason not to take both you and that Key back with me. After all, I'm sure I'd earn high praise from the master if just so happened to reign his supposed thirteenth vessel in a bit earlier than anticipated…"
Eager to carry his sinister plan out without any interference whatsoever, Vexen reaches forward to grab Sora by the arm to pull both him and the Key through the dark corridor behind him. Yet just before he can, his approach is brought to a swift and sudden halt as a massive Keyblade comes completely out of nowhere, slamming down and wedging itself squarely into the ground between the researcher and his proposed pair of prizes.
"W-what in the worlds?!" Vexen stumbles backward out of both fear and surprise. He's abruptly pulled back even more, quite harshly at that, by a strong, heavy hand, one that tosses him to the ground just as hard. All the while, Sora never tears his gaze away from the heart, not even as the armored warrior itself comes to reclaim its Keyblade, positioning itself almost protectively in front of him. From his spot on the ground, the most Vexen can initially do was stare up at the intimidating warrior in aptly terrified disbelief until he blurts out the most obvious question first. "What… w-who are you supposed to be?!"
The warrior doesn't offer an answer as it instead pulls its Keyblade up, pointing its tip directly at the researcher. "You are not welcome in this world," it says shortly. "Leave. Now."
Vexen lets out a harsh, appalled scoff at this as he picks himself up off the ground, calling upon his pointed shield as a means of defense against the warrior. "Excuse me? I'm not going anywhere! At least not without that Key and that boy! Now, if you would so kind as to step out of my way so I can-" He cuts himself off with a tight, squeak of a gasp as the warrior's Keyblade suddenly slams hard against his shield, knocking it out of his grip and nearly sending him collapsing to the ground all over again.
"I said leave," it reiterates coldly, clearly prepared to engage in an all-out brawl if it has to.
"N-noted…" Vexen gulps timidly, turning to retreat through his dark corridor. "All those weeks of waiting around for the boy to recover, all of us sitting around doing nothing, for this? What a joke. I'm never going to hear the end of this one…" He mutters bitterly, though all the same he leaves, the threat of the Nobodies he'd brought to this world disappearing right along with him.
By now, the eruption has calmed, the guardians' shields slowly falling, though the automatons remain standing guard in their spots around the city, now finally safe from harm. Likewise, the light of the heart starts to dim, its purpose fulfilled as a cover of clouds rolls in to conceal its radiance. From his spot near the palace, Milo keeps his sights set to where it had been, especially as a soft beam of light pours in through those clouds. And, slowly, gracefully descending from that light, is Kida, no longer bound to the heart as she had been but still every bit as beautiful as ever, at least as far as the linguist is concerned. He steps in to catch her, gently holding her unconscious form as she lands safely into his arms. He watches her closely, waiting a moment or two as she takes in a deep breath before her eyes finally flutter open, meeting his almost as soon as they do.
"M-Milo…?" she mutters, offering him a small, tired, but warm smile. One that he readily returns, especially as she suddenly, happily throws her arms around him, locking him into a tight, tender hug. Perhaps the best thanks she could ever give him for saving her life and her city.
At the same time, the armored warrior happens to turn, glancing behind it to see Sora, the heart no longer influencing him as he instead stares up at it in stunned amazement. "Y-you… you came back…" he says softly, briefly checking to make sure the Key is still in his hand before devoting his full attention back to the warrior. "You helped me, didn't you?"
For what seemed like ages, the warrior says nothing, simply staring down at him without any sort of expression or intention at all. When it does speak, its tone is still just as unreadable as ever, but the words it says are enough to convey just how apparently confused it really is. "When I look at you… I can sense Xehanort's darkness. But… I can also feel Ven's light. I also know you're neither of them. So… who does that make you?"
Sora sighs, though he ventures the slightest of friendly smiles all the same. "I'm Sora, actually."
"Sora…" the warrior repeats almost thoughtfully.
"Y-you're Terra, right?" Sora asks, even if he largely already knows the answer.
Yet even so, the warrior shakes its head. "Almost. I'm all that's left of him, his thoughts, his memories… but without his heart and body, I am nothing more than a hollow, empty shell that was only left behind to ultimately wither away."
"I won't let that happen! My friends and I are gonna figure out some way to help you and-"
The warrior puts up a hand to stop him. "If you were smart, you'd worry about yourself first."
"Well, I'm not!" Sora proclaims, though he's quick to realize what he'd just said. "W-worried about myself, I mean. I am smart."
The warrior shakes its head once more as it takes a step closer to him. "Xehanort is trying to take over your heart, isn't he?" it asks, peering directly down at him. "If you're not careful, you could just as easily fall victim to the same fate I met years ago. Do not let his darkness in willingly; don't make the same mistake I did… It might already be too late for me, but it's not too late for you, Sora."
"It's not too late for you either," Sora insists earnestly. "I still want to help you somehow, I just… don't really know where to start…"
"...Start with Ven," the warrior says after a moment of hesitation. "If your heart really is connected to his, then you should be able to find him. Aqua too. On my own, there's little I can do to reclaim what I've lost, but with the help of my friends… there might still be a chance to set things right."
"Got it," Sora nods, resolved. "One of my friends is already out there looking for Aqua, so in the meantime, I'll find a way to help Ventus. And then, once we've got them back, they can help us help you, right?"
"...Right," the warrior agrees, tossing its Keyblade up into the air so it can take on the form of a glider once more. "Thank you, Sora. And good luck."
Sora sees the warrior off with a genuine smile, knowing that it's likely setting out to continue its search for its lost friends on its own. So he lets it go, in the hopes that the next time they meet, perhaps they'll both be free of the darkness Xehanort is so intent on oppressing both of them with.
Against all odds, Atlantis has been saved, its heart restored and its light and life right along with it. Its people herald its bold band of saviors as heroes, especially since the mysterious monsters that had beset them even before their arrival have also vanished from the city entirely. Yet all the crew asks for in return for their courage, is a vehicle to take back up to the surface… as well as plenty of treasure to stow onto it, treasure that the Atlanteans are more than happy to bestow them with. Kida also makes sure to gift each of them their own crystal as keepsakes of their journal and something of a medal of honor for their selfless valor.
"Atlantis will honor your names forever," she says as she hands them out while the crew prepares to pack up to leave. "I only wish there was more we could do for you."
"Uh, you know, thanks anyway, but I think we're good," Vinny notes, nodding over to the large pile of gold and jewels the Atlanteans are loading onto their ship.
"Those crystals will take you as far as the surface, for sure," Milo informs, holding up his own as he states by Kida's side.
"We're really going to miss you, Milo," Audrey says with a fond, genuine smile.
"Gawrsh, are ya really sure about staying here, Milo?" Goofy asks, hanging out on the fringes of the group alongside Sora and Donald.
"Yeah, you know, there's a hero's welcome waiting for the man who discovered Atlantis," Dr. Sweet adds with a smirk.
"Ah, I don't think the world needs another hero," Milo chuckles with a wave of his hand. "What I'm not sure I understand is why you guys aren't going back up to the surface with them…" His grin fades into slight confusion as he glances over at the trio.
"Oh, w-well, uh… let's just say we, um… have our own ride back home," Sora says, being careful not to give too much away.
"You would be welcome here if you decided to stay as well," Kida smiles, lightly holding onto Milo's arm as she does. "Atlantis would do well to have brave, courageous warriors such as yourselves."
"Thanks, but… we have to go," Sora reiterates as he allows the Key to flash into his grip. "After all, we got what we came here for."
"You earned what you came here for," Kida reaffirms as she offers Sora a thankful, thoughtful nod.
"I'll say you did," Milo adds just as encouragingly. "Thanks, you guys. I'm not so sure we could have done this without your help."
"You're welcome!" Donald proudly quips.
"Aw, c'mon now, Donald," Goofy says with a small laugh. "Don't let it get to your head."
"Seriously," Sora adds wryly, crossing his arms.
"Hey!"
"Can we go home now?" Packard speaks up, as deadpan and bored as ever.
"C'mon, ya'll," Dr. Sweet encourages, leading the way to the ship. "Let's get one last shot in front of the fish." Everyone gathers around the pile of treasure the crew is getting ready to leave with as one of the Atlanteans snaps one last photo of everyone all together. And once that picture is taken, another round of final goodbyes spreads throughout the group as the crew begins to board their vessel. Milo, Kida, and the trio stand by to see them off as they embark upon their voyage back up to the surface, and once they leave, it isn't long before Sora, Donald, and Goofy do the same, though not without plenty of fond farewells toward their new friends first. And with those farewells, the trio is off once more, readying themselves to leave the lost empire entirely, though not without one final, much-needed discussion on the way out.
"Sora," Goofy speaks up, breaking the silence between the three of them as they near the edge of the city. "Before we go, we… we gotta talk."
Sora stops short, his back turned to the pair as he lets out a long, despondent sigh. "What's there to talk about? You guys don't think I can do anything anymore so we might as well just go right back to Radiant Garden like you said so everyone can go on and on about how sad and weak and useless I am all over again. That's what you both want," he glares back at the pair bitterly. "Right?"
"Of course it's not!" Donald quickly denies such a broad claim. "We want you to be ok!"
"Ok?!" Sora scoffs incredulously as he turns to face them. "You really think I'll ever be ok again after-" He swiftly stops himself, his hands clenched in tight fists as he looks away before he can say anything more.
Yet even so, both of his companions immediately understand exactly where he had been going. "Sora…?" Goofy begins gently. "It's ok. Like we said before, y-you can always talk to us about it. You know you can."
"I don't want to talk about it!" Sora snaps, tightly gripping his arms as he shuts his eyes to block the tears from coming. Even if they're still well on their way all the same. "I don't even want to think about it! I don't want to think about how scared I was or how much it hurt or how hard it was-how hard it still is just to feel like myself again! But you guys just won't stop bringing it up! You won't stop reminding me about just how far I fell and how I just can't pick myself back up to where I used to be, no matter how much or how hard I try!"
"S-Sora…" Donald attempts to speak up, but Sora is far from finished yet.
"Neither of you have any idea just how much I want things to go back to the way they used to be before all this," he finally chokes out a small, miserable sob. "I… I just wish I could forget any of it ever even happened…"
"But you can't…" Donald interjects calmly, softly even.
"That's right," Goofy agrees just as solemnly. "The only thing you can do now is keep movin' forward…"
Sora glances up at both of them, the tears in his eyes clear now as he shakes his head mournfully. "...Then why won't you let me?"
The pair takes pause at this, genuinely caught off guard by such a question. "W-what do you mean?" Donald asks, confused.
Sora makes a meager attempt at wiping a few of his stray tears away, though it's clear he's still absolutely dejected in just about every way. "I-I… I know you guys are just trying to protect me, but… you can't keep making me wait on the sidelines anymore. I get it, I still have a long way to go before I get all my strength back, but it will happen, I know it will. A-and in the meantime, I want to do whatever I can to help. I just… I want us to be a team again... Please…"
"We are a team, Sora," Goofy affirms, though the realization soon dawns on him all the same. "We just… haven't really been including you in that team lately… have we?"
"No… You haven't…"
"We weren't trying to make you feel left out," Donald counters earnestly. "We just… we don't want to see you get into trouble again."
"But… that's what you guys are here for, right?" Sora asks, finally cracking the smallest of smiles, even amidst his slowly-fading tears. "To keep me out of trouble?"
"That's our job, alright," Goofy chuckles easily.
"And we take it very seriously," Donald adds with a firm, yet playful grin. "But… maybe we've been taking it too seriously lately. So… What do you want us to do, Sora?"
"What do I want?" Sora repeats, quite surprised. "I can't believe it. You're asking me that question, Donald? Really?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it," the magician huffs, crossing his arms.
"What I want," Sora continues evenly, holding onto a small, hopeful smile all the while. "Is just to feel like I'm a part of the team again. I want to be allowed to actually fight again, a-and if it looks like it might be too much for me, then you're more than welcome to bail me out. But we have to keep going." At this, he takes their newly-claimed Key out once again, holding it up for both of them to see. "We may have gotten this one, but we still don't know how many more the Organization might have by now. Not to mention we still need to help Roxas, and Ventus, and now Terra too. We've already made it this far. There's no use in turning back now."
"Are you sure, Sora?" Goofy asks. "There's no telling what we might run into next out there. So if you don't feel like you're ready, then there's no shame in going back and waiting until you are."
"To be honest, I don't know if I'll ever really be 'ready'," Sora replies evenly as he lets the Key disappear. "But… the way I see it, I have to try to work my way to that point somehow, right? Besides, I know that if I do end up falling apart again-"
"Then you can count on us to pull you back together!" Donald chimes in encouragingly.
"That's right!" Goofy soundly agrees. "You can count on us to be right here by your side, no matter what happens!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Sora replies with a warm, genuine laugh. It's enough to brighten both of his companions' spirits as they all begin to set out once more, ready to head out, not back to Radiant Garden, but to wherever their search for the Keys might take them next. And as they do, Sora can't help but share a soft, steady smile with both of them, immensely grateful to have their support and solidarity on his side once more. Because though they've been running into more than a few setbacks as of late, what really matters is that as long as they're together, as long as they're the team they've always been, certainly there's nothing, not even all of the danger and darkness the worlds and the Organization alike could throw at them, they can't handle.
Right?
Ahah well I figured I'd leave you on a mostly hopeful note in this one, cause the next Disney world is certainly going to... not have that. But instead of heading right to that Disney world, we're back on track with our usual schedule of interval chapters between them, so next time around we'll be hearing from someone we really haven't seen in this story yet, so that'll be exciting! But for now, please feel free to let me know what you thought of this one in the REVIEWS! Until next time!
