||Episode 2 - Epilogue: The Beginning of Our Journey||

When peace returned to Traverse Town, we stayed another night at the hotel to get some rest. It was a hard ordeal against the Heartless, and we were all exhausted from the fighting. We had our refreshments and waited until the next morning to get ready to go. Leon and the others were waiting out in the First District for us. Today was the day we were going with Donald and Goofy to other worlds.

I wonder if they'll really help us find Riku and Kairi... I wondered to myself as we met Leon's group outside the cafe. It was a little too good to be true, but I knew it was our only way off this world right now. We needed all the help we could get. If it turns out to be a bad idea, then I'll find another way for us to travel the worlds.

"Good, you're all here," Leon folded his arms and nodded. During our last stay, I got to meet everyone who helped Sora, Donald, and Goofy. These three were good people - Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith. They were also the ones we could always get in touch with whenever we visited the town again. "Make sure you're prepared for the journey ahead of you. We don't know how far the Heartless have spread."

"While you're at it, check out the shops here," Yuffie added. "They've got some pretty neat stuff!"

"Here, this is from all of us," Aerith handed me a small pouch of munny. It was for us to spend as we saw fit. But, there was something else she had to give us. Leon was looking away for some reason as though it was an embarrassing thing. "This is from Leon, too."

"Good luck!" Yuffie grinned. "We hope you find your friends!"

"Look out for each other," Leon said, actually smiling a little. "Keep your spirits up."

They left shortly after giving us some encouragement. Donald went off to buy some healing potions and ethers for our journey, which was a good idea considering how we would be on our own. As for Goofy, he went to Cid's shop to buy some equipment to help us endure the Heartless attacks.

I never realized how useful those things were. There were apparently some unique qualities these items had such as giving resistance to magical attacks. I equipped myself with an Obsidian Ring. Goofy told me about how it was supposed to have some power against the darkness, but that was just what he was told. Might as well make use of it. Donald gave me a bag to hold all of our supplies so that they wouldn't get lost, but everyone was able to hold onto a couple things for individual use.

Now we were ready to head out and go to the next world. I was getting excited now that we were on our way to finding the others. At the same time, I was curious about what the other worlds were like. Would they be like the islands or this town?

"The gummi ship is just outside town," Donald said, pointing at the exit. "We'll head out through that gate to get to it."

"The what?" Sora asked.

"That's our ship," Donald explained. "We use it to get to other worlds."

"Oh, boy!" Goofy cheered. "Wait 'til you see it!"

"Hold on," Donald waved his hands. "I just remembered something. You two can only fight with your Keyblades. Let me teach you a little spell to help you."

"You mean like that fireball you used to fight the Heartless?" I inquired, and Donald nodded. The concept of magic seemed impossible, but that was because I never met anyone who could do it back on the islands. Although, having seen it with my own eyes, I realized that there really was nothing strange about it. It was actually amazing that we were going to learn how to use magic.

Donald went through the lesson a little quick, but Sora and I were able to wrap our heads around the basics. I practiced it with myself and formed a small ball of fire in the palm of my hand. It burned brilliantly and radiated with warmth. Fire was all I had to say to command the magic as I focused my power. So this was what the ethers were for, Donald explained to us. They'd help in keeping our magic power up so that we could use more spells.

"It'll be important for you kiddos to maneuver in our next battles against the Heartless," Goofy came up to Sora and I. He taught us how to roll effectively out of the way of incoming attacks. "Guess we ought to learn how to better protect ourselves when we get out there."

"I guess you're right," Sora nodded. "C'mon, you guys. Let's get going!"

Sora was being impatient, earning him a good scolding from Donald. I laughed to myself and ignored his behavior. He was being the typical Sora as if nothing had ever happened. This was always how he acted with Riku and Kairi. Deep down, I hoped Sora never changed.

"Well, I can see big adventures coming your way!" someone said. Looking around, I could see no one standing around us. It seemed to be all in my head until I felt something on my shoulder. There was a little cricket standing there, and he wore very fancy clothes. He even had a tiny umbrella in his hand. "The name's Jiminy Cricket! Leave it to me to keep track of everything in my journal."

And with that, we were off to the gummi ship. Donald and Goofy led us down a road through a forested area. That was where we saw their vessel, and it was amazing. My eyes were sparkling with fascination, and Sora was just as amazed. This was the first time we ever saw a gummi ship.

"You'll have time to explore once we blast off," Donald said, opening the entrance to the interior of the ship. "Come on, you two, we've gotta get going!"

Sora and I hurried inside to the cockpit, where we found our seats. The pilot seat was all for Donald and Goofy sat in the one right next to him so that they could manage the controls together. In a matter of moments, they got the gummi ship into the air and flying toward space. My legs went weak, but I found the experience incredible. At this rate, finding Riku and Kairi would be a cinch!