Flix led the Warrior's out of their familiar territory and into the run-down slums just inside the southern wall of Daybreak Town. He was the fastest and most nimble of the bunch. Was quiet on his feet too and had become the team's unofficial scout. Much to the amusement/disdain of his comrades, this meant he was also quick with a prank. Most just laughed along with them, but Jax took them personal; which only made it more fun for him. Flix could only assume it was the fiery brute's crush on Mercy that kept him from taking a swing at him. He and the gang's only female grew up together and were practically siblings.

The slums looked deserted as they passed quietly through. The occasional door or window slamming shut betrayed nervous citizens. The Union's and Gangs battles often had unintended consequences. Shops smashed, buildings burnt, civilians caught in the crossfire; collateral damage. Over the months people had learned to give Keyblade wielders a wide berth. Once the people were happy to see them, they were heroes. Now locals trembled in terror of the guardians of light, taking shelter in the shadows. The protectors had become jailers.

As they neared the gate, Flix caught sight of something that made the whole trip worth it. Nine pretty faces standing outside an apartment building smiled and waved. All of them in mid-to-late teens, all seemingly pleased with what they saw. The young men returned the waves with whistles and winks. Flix even saw Swan give them a firm nod, which inspired an eye-rolling frown from Mercy. The scout stopped short as he realized they were minus two.

"Where's Jax and Cowboy?" he gasped. Cleo and Swan spun around just in time to see their wayward brothers rush around the previous corner to catch up. Pausing, of course, to wave at the pretty faces.

"You get lost?" Cleo grumbled with a bitter smirk.

"We figured what's the hurry? You know we'll have to wait for the train anyway!" Jax huffed. Cowboy grimaced like he was about to say something then thought better of it. Something about the look on his face didn't sit right with Flix, but Cleo didn't give him time to ask.

"Let's move out!" he snapped. Flix led them out the opened gate and to the crowded train station. Various gangs stood chatting or twitching in anticipation for the only train that could shuttle them out to the edge of the badlands. Flix sighed, he had suggested they just leave in the afternoon and hoof it the whole way. A thought none of the others were interested in.

"It's the middle of flipping summer!" Jax had grumbled back at the hideout. "It's hot enough as it is!" Things could get even hotter there at the station if anyone's sword hand got itchy. The Fountain Furies stood testily at the end of the line, apparently the left right before the Warriors, which explained their absence at the fountain they passed along the way. Ironically, the North Gate Rangers stood proudly on the platform, obviously the first to arrive. Behind them stood the ever-sullen Sewer Rats, who ruled the labyrinth of pipes and grating below the streets, were next in line. They kept to the rooftops and came down upon unsuspecting gangs and the occasional isolated Union member. Numerous gangs and gaggled Unionists waited in various degrees of unrest and irritability. Spread out among them were roving Unicornis Unionists, occasionally getting between glaring wielders and reminding them of the truce.

The Warriors kept to themselves as the night dragged on. The line grew smaller each time the train returned. The electric train was powered by a line of enchanted electric pylons along the track for miles. Each trip to and from the edge of the badlands took about twenty minutes. Plenty of time for something to go wrong. Flix was relieved that nothing came of the venomous glared between Jax and some of the other gangs. A few times gaggles of the Vuples Union greet him and Mercy. Ursus Unionists greeted Jax with a firm but friendly huff, he returned with a silent nod, for old time's sake.

Eventually it was just the Warriors and a handful of Unicornis soldiers, who respectfully asked if Cleo minded they ride the train with them; each gang had been riding alone to decrease the chances of brawls. Cleo had no objection, if the others did they kept quiet. Soon the train returned and the Warriors climbed aboard with half a dozen Unicornis. The doors slid shut and they were off.

The thick wall of trees flew by as the high-speed vehicle carried the gang to destiny. Next stop the badlands, and the conclave. Flix and most of the others took their seats and made small talk. Jax, as always, blustered bravado loud and clear for the silent and stoic Unicornis to hear. When they took no notice he began to playfully punch the handholds dangling from the train ceiling. Mercy chuckled, "Take it easy, Jax! I'm sure they're impressed but the handholds didn't do anything to you!"

"I don't know," Jax snickered. "This one looked at me funny!" he pounded away. Swan only shook his head with a frown. Flix and Swan had been friends long before the gang came together. Swan and Jax, on the other hand were long-time rivals. Not even just over Mercy. In every tournament between the Unions those two butted heads. Both were about the same height, built like brick outhouses and both with slightly reddish brown hair, though Swan's was a bit curly. Swan had always been the more serious one, but since the war broke out he had been brooding more than usual. Like the discord and chaos had taken away his hope.

Jax held no such sentiments. As far as he was concerned, the Unions were a thing of the past, obsolete. The Warriors were Jax's family now, and he felt better off for it, at least outwardly. Even though Flix and Jax had never been on particularly good terms, he knew Jax had his back in every battle. Jax had made some kind of peace with the current state of affairs, Swan hadn't.

Raphael sat quietly and fiddled with his spray paint can in boredom. "Don't worry, Raph," Flix said with a pat on his shoulder. "On the way back I'll cover for you, you can leave our mark wherever you want." Raphael smirked, he knew better than to try anything with the Unicornis members around. He was a quiet boy, had been separated from his Anguis Union group after one particularly nasty fight, Mercy insisted on taking him in. Raphael could hold his own in a fight, but was smaller and weaker than most. The only time his emotions seemed to come out were when he was painting. Not just the red "W" that had become the gang's calling card, but various artwork he sprayed on the walls of the hideout, he even kept a small notebook of sketches stashed behind a loose brick in the wall of the hideout. A dreamer. One of the few left in the gang who still dreamed.

Apache, Rodent, Flurry, Cowboy and Jax spent rest of the train ride laughing and joking. Flix occasionally joined in, but kept one eye firmly on the Unicornis Unionists, who gazed back in equal suspicion. A glance to Cleon and Swan told Flix his two leaders were equally wary.

Thankfully the ten minutes sped by, the trees gave away as the train slowed to a stop at a scanty wooden platform on the sun-scorched earth at the edge of the badlands. The Warriors and Unicornis got out without a word and marched off into the desolate wastes. The cool night air chilled the Warriors to the bone but none complained. Flix could see Mercy struggling not to complain. Swan and Jax both stood on either side of her, as if to shield her from the frigid winds. Flix snickered at the irony; people generally think of the desert as blazing hot, they never consider how cold the nights out there get when the sun went down.

Several minutes went by as they made their way through the dirt, dust, and darkness. The hum of chattering voices soon became audible on the wind and after scaling a high bluff they found themselves in a sandy basin filled with Keyblade wielders. Thousands upon thousands filled the vast desert arena, crested by a steep rocky plateau against which Flix's keen eyesight could pick out Ira. The Unicornis leader stood tall atop a long, flat rock, serving as a podium. Beside him stood Invi. Aced was nowhere to be seen. Flix hoped the hot-headed Ursus leader would show up. Without him it was hopeless.

The Warriors casually merged into the crowd but stayed within eye-shot. Flix was impressed, not a single fight had broken out. Apart from a few suspect glances and grim faces, everyone seemed calm. In fact there was a contagious sense of relief about the whole affair. Flix himself was surprisingly at ease. He figured everyone was tired of the fighting. Having so many keyblade wielders together at once must have reignited their hope. Even Jax didn't look more than slightly sullen. Nodding seriously but not unfriendly to familiar faces and greetings.

The gang settled into a general area near the middle of the basin. Some casually chatted with the neighboring wielders, other stood in thoughtful silence. Flix again found himself marveling at the congregation. Ahead of them in the middle and lowest point of the basin stood the Sewer Rats. Further along, closer to Ira were the North Gate Rangers. Atop the basin near the edge of the cliffs stood a thundera-powered bus topped with a massive bull skull, around which glared the Raging Bulls. The Fountain Furies stood stoically about fifty yards behind and uphill of the Warriors; Jax shot their long-time rivals plenty of glares inviting them to make trouble. The all-Leopardo Alley Cats snickered casually at the harlequin grins of the clown-painted Kefkas. Nobody so much as raised a fist.

"FRIENDS!" Ira's voice thundered. The low hum of the horde died down instantly. "BROTHERS, SISTERS, Keyblade wielders! Hear me now in the name of peace! For too long we have squabbled among ourselves! For too long we have abandoned our Unions! For too long we have neglected our duties and abandoned the true conflict in favor of pointing fingers at one another! For too long, we have let darkness run rampant to horde light for ourselves!" Flix felt himself and all others swallow hard at Ira's words. There was plenty of blame to be shared for the current crisis and impending doom.

"CAN ANYONE OF US STAND UP TO THE DARKNESS ALONE?" Ira asked. "Can any single Union, gang, or even lone wielder stand against the darkness?"

"We could," Flix heard Jax mutter under his breath. A sharp elbow from Cleo shut him up.

"SOME OF US MAY LIKE TO THINK SO!" Ira went on. A brief chill went through Flix. Could leading Foreteller have heard Jax? "For a time, I thought I could. I was wrong! And I paid the price for it! I almost lost my friends. The Master of Masters chose me for a reason! He trusted me and my fellow Foretellers with the truth for a reason! He told us before he left, there was no stopping the Darkness. I don't know why he left us, or why he would warn us if there was never any hope of stopping it. But I do not believe it is hopeless! Maybe we can't stop the Darkness which even now looms around us. But we CAN preserve the Light! We CAN rescue hope for the future! We CAN save Kingdom Hearts! But we CAN'T do it alone!"

"ACED! GULA!" Ira cried out, pleadingly. Ahead towards the podium, some figures were shifting around in the crowd. Moments later the Foretellers of the Ursus and Leopardo Unions emerged to stand on opposite sides of Ira. Flix turned to see Swan and Jax exchanging glances. A faint rumble of apprehension went through the crowd.

"We all had our part to play," Ira went on. Aced and Gula's eyes were locked on each other. "I understand now that not all of us needed to know the other's part. I should have trusted you both. And now here we stand on the precipice of disaster. Ava is nowhere to be found, she who was always against this bickering and suspicion! I can't say I blame her for going away. But we can still make amends, we can still come together, we can still preserve the Light! Just like Master said. So friends, comrades, BROTHERS…will you both come back?"

Stark silence rippled throughout the crowd. The loudest silence Flix had ever heard! Aced seemed to tremble with emotion. Gula was still and serene until he stepped forward with an outstretched hand. Aced took a half step back, as if certain the Leopardo was about to summon his keyblade. No keyblade appeared, only the young man's bare hand beckoned him. Gingerly, Aced stepped forward and accepted his friend's hand. Ira stepped between them to place his hand over theirs. Instants later Invi's hand softly topped the other three.

What started as a faint clicking noise slowly but surely became a rippling round of applause. Soon there wasn't a silent pair of hands for a mile or more. Cheers of joy rang out amid the deafening claps. Flix turned to see all the Warriors had joined in with him. Even Swan had managed to crack a smile on his stoic face. Surprisingly, even Jax was clapping. Only his face more resembled Swan's usual demeanor. His face was somber, almost apologetic. The fiery brute's eyes seemed almost to glisten, could he be on the verge of tears? Flix resisted the urge to stare longer and find out.

Again he scanned the crowd of beaming wielders. Then a still, unmoving figure caught his eyes. Several yards to the gang's right stood a short figure in jet-black overcoat. A shiny purple sphere helmet covered his whole face. His hands were at his sides, having none of the joviality shared by all. A moment later the black figure's arm came up, stretched out past the unsuspecting figures around him, and a keyblade appeared in his hand. Flix could only stare in shocked silence as an emanating pulse of darkness surrounded the masked figure. The darkness was hypnotizing. Channeled from a pit of mesmerizing evil and now being directed at the recently reunited Foretellers on the stone podium. Flix realized what was happening too late!

"NO!" Flix gasped in vain amid the roar of the crowd as a projectile of darkness burst from the dark figure's keyblade like an arrow. The missile of doom struck Ira like a lightning bolt, spreading to the other three with protruding sparks of darkness. Tentacles of death and despair enveloped the only remaining Foretellers and in instants they were gone! Vanished into a dark void. The deafening silence reclaimed the badlands in an instant.

Flix turned back to the assailant, only to see the remains of another puff of black ethereal smoke where he once stood. Cries of shock and horror rang out in a domino effect.

"THEY'RE GONE!"

"DESTROYED!"

"WHERE DID THEY GO?"

"WHO CAST THAT SPELL?"

"WAS THIS A TRICK?"

Too many scattered questions rounded the basin for anyone to answer. Soon the crowd began to shuffle. Drastically turning to and fro for the source of the dark magic spell which claimed their leaders. Flix understood in an instant. He had been to the badlands before, a long time ago. Had seen one of the locals behead a venomous snake with the swift swing of an axe. The head chomped momentarily in vain as the body twitched a few instants and went still. The way to kill a snake was to cut off its head. Now the heads of all the Unions were gone!

"DARKNESS!" one coherent cry rang out over all the rest along the rim of the basin. Flix turned to look up in horror at the surrounding foe. Twisted shadowy figures menaced at the top of the basin, herding the terrified keyblade wielders down into the natural bowl. Flix's eyes nearly shot from his skull at the realization. It was a TRAP!

Pandemonium ensued as wielders screamed in terror. The bravest readied their weapons and rushed up the slope to face the enemy. Many scampered backwards in blind panic. "NO! DON'T RUN! Cleo shouted over the cacophony of chaos. "EVERYONE STAND TOGETHER!" Swan and Jax were at his side in an instant. Flix and the others quickly came together to stand firm, keyblades drawn. But the retreating crowd pushed them deeper into the basin. They had reached the bottom by the time the huddled mass of magical warriors stood still.

The shadowy, blazing-eyed Heartless minions had them surrounded. The outer rim of keyblade wielders swung and slashed at the encroaching menace, keeping them at bay for the time. Again Cleo began to shout orders, trying to reign in the chaos. Flix and the others kept quiet, not wanting to interrupt the one voice of reason in the sea of panic.

"THERE HE IS!" All eyes turned to a young man in a black overcoat, his eyes wide and his finger pointing like a spear. Flix knew the youth in an instant, even without the shiny purple helmet. He knew the figure's height, his coat, and the veiny muscular pattern of his clothes underneath. "THAT'S HIM! HE'S THE ONE WHO CAST THAT SPELL! HE KILLED THE FORETELLERS!" his yellow eyes blazed with frenzy below his raven hair. The youth bellowed his lies with convincing urgency.

"LIES! THAT WASN'T ME!" Cleo snapped back.

"WE SAW HIM!" they youth grabbed a taller man in an identical overcoat. A man with short black hair and a strange mark down his face, making his sneer all the more intimidating.

"THAT'S RIGHT! HE DID IT!" the taller man stabbed a finger towards Cleo with a growl.

"IT WAS HIM! HIM AND HIS GANG!" the youth cried as he drew his own keyblade. "THE WARRIORS DID IT! THE WARRIORS KILLED THE FORETELLERS! THE WARRIORS DID IT!" he charged Cleo in fury and swung wildly. Cleo deflected his attack with ease and swung his own blade into his attacker's face, knocking him to the ground.

All around them more accusing shouts rang out. "SEE THEM! THEY DID KILL THE FORETELLERS!" the tall man with the marked face roared.

"THEY'RE THE TRAITORS!"

"THEY'RE IN LEAGUE WITH THE DARKNESS!"

"KILL THEM ALL!"

Before Flix knew it he was deflecting multiple blows from dozens of attackers. Cleo swept away half a dozen wielders in a single swing then cast a thundara spell to stun a dozen more. Flix saw Mercy grasp little Raphael and hold him close. Swan, Jax, and Flurry formed a protective barrier around the two of them while Apache, Cowboy, and Rodent brawled with the surrounding gang members and Unionists. The tall man and the youth were gone, vanished! Flix seethed in rage that there was nothing he could do. The mob had turned against them. They had no choice but to fight their way out!

Flix frantically scanned the area between swings and parries. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw a weak spot in the Heartless's line. A v-shaped opening as the Heartless encroached further, downing more wielders as they went. For all the Heartless' strength and scariness, they lacked the brains to coordinate an orderly attack.

"CLEO!" Flix turned to cry out. He nodded in the direction of the soon to be broken Heartless line once his leader caught his glance.

"SWAN! JAX!" Cleo roared, both his soldiers turned to him at once. "THERE! CLEAR THE PATH!" the leader stabbed his keyblade in the direction of the weak spot in the encroaching wave of darkness. Neither one of the brutes needed to be told twice. With twin roars they broke formation and barreled into the mixture of panicked and raging wielders. Knocking them over like bowling pins until they reached the Heartless, then hacked mercilessly at the shadowy foes. "WARRIORS! AFTER THEM! GET OUT OF HERE!" Cleo shouted needlessly, the others had already gotten the gist. Flix was following when he turned to check on Cleo. His eyes widened in horror as a swarm of wielders swept over him. Stabbing and beating him even as he toppled to the ground!

The next several instants felt like hours as Flix stood frozen in shock! Cleo was the greatest keyblade wielder he had ever known. He was brave, smart, strong, everything Flix had ever aspired to be. Now slain by the very people he was trying to protect! Flix nearly went dizzy at the realization. This was it! The end! The darkness had come and chaos was consuming the whole world!

With a feral cry Flix turned to rush past the frenzied wielders after his friends. Sweat poured down his face as he ran over countless corpses through the breach Swan and Jax had broken. He was grateful no one would notice his tears. Up ahead he saw Raphael stumble only for Mercy and Apache to instantly drag him to his feet as the exited the basin. The nine of them kept running into the desolate landscape, the cries and clashes of the battle echoed behind them.