SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR (MOST) DISCLAIMERS

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGE (CHARACTER PAGE IS NOW GONE)

-CHAPTER START-

Radiant Garden

Once everyone had taken a nice, long, healing-magic-assisted nap, the first thing they did was head to Radiant Garden. Word had been spread that Demyx had switched sides and had delivered the empty Replica that was once Dark Riku's vessel to Even/Vexen, so that they could use it for Naminé! As the core Guardians entered the lab, Ansem the Wise turned to face them, a smile on his face as he prepared to speak…

There was a flash of light as Roxas summoned his Keyblades, and then he leapt at Ansem the Wise with an expression of utter hatred and fury twisting his face. Ansem barely leapt back in time to avoid being cut apart, the grazing slash from Roxas' blades cutting across his chest. As Lea and Mickey moved to try and contain the situation, Kairi rushed in as well… brandishing Naminé's "Sweet Memories" as her Nobody took control of their currently-shared body, joining Roxas in attacking the man who'd caused them both so much pain and anguish.

It took a great deal of effort to restrain Roxas and Kairi-Naminé, and not before Ansem was battered, beaten, and had almost lost an arm. Even after Sora & company eventually talked them down, it was abundantly clear that the two Nobodies would never forgive the man for what he did to them back when he was consumed by vengeance against Xehanort. Aeleus and Dilan escorted him out, back to his old castle, leaving Even/Vexen, Demyx, and Cid in charge of transferring Naminé's Heart into a new body.

-Break-

Mysterious Tower

"The threat of the Seekers of Darkness is over" Yen Sid proclaimed. "But we still have villains to deal with. In particular, the alliance between the three sorceresses and their underlings is an unknown variable – we do not know what they are planning next."

"I still can't believe Maleficent is a multi-world threat now…" Terra said.

"Fortunately," Yen Sid continued, "we now have many more Keyblade wielders amongst our numbers. And Flora, Fauna, Merryweather, Merlin, & I have come up with a way to make them even stronger. As you all know, Sora, Erika Swanson, Madoka Kaname, and Illyasviel von Einzbern all have access to what are known as 'Drive Forms' – transformations that increase their power in certain ways, using the magic of the Keyblade. Sora and Erika are able to do this thanks to enchanted outfits we made for them, whilst Madoka and Illya are able to use the magic of their transformation outfits as a base. We should be able to replicate these methods, so that all of the Dimensional Defense Forces' Key-bearers shall have access to Drive Form transformations. We will begin working on this task at once."

"Meanwhile," Riku said, "those of us with more experience with the Keyblade will do what we can to help teach the new wielders how to use their new weapons & abilities."

"Hey Sora" Roxas spoke up. "Something's come to me. Kairi is able to wield two Keyblades since she was carrying Naminé's Heart in her for a while, and Naminé is a Key-bearer…"

He looked at the recently-freed Naminé, the blonde girl conjuring her "Sweet Memories" Keyblade as 'emphasis' while Kairi, seated beside her, called forth her "Destiny's Embrace" and another instance of Naminé's blade.

"And I can wield two Keyblades thanks to being the Nobody of someone who carried other bearers' Hearts – you. So… doesn't that mean that you should be able to dual-wield, too? I mean, in your base state, without going into a Drive Form."

"…Huh" Sora scratched his cheek. "Y'know, I never thought to try…"

"And… Terra, right?" Roxas looked at his doppelganger's friend. "You were carrying your old Master's Heart around for a while, so…"

"Hm…" Terra pondered. "Might be worth a shot."

"Wait, what about Madoka?" Lea asked. "I'm pretty sure she's not carrying that Malia girl's Heart…"

"I think Malia's Heart briefly 'passed through' Madoka on its way to the afterlife," Aqua replied, "just long enough to ensure her Keyblade was passed on to her."

"Y'know what else we should do?" Goofy spoke up. "We should try to find the 'Somebodies' of Marluxia, Larxene, and Luxord. I mean, since they were all survivors from the First Keyblade War, they might know a lotta interestin' stuff!"

"And we could try to make sure Demyx's Somebody's Heartless has been vanquished," Donald added, "so we can 'recomplete' him and bring his whole-self back; he's a Key-bearer, too! We could do that for Vexen, too, if he wants."

"Speaking of things from back in the Age of Fairytales," Ventus said, "do you think Maleficent & Pete ever found that box they were looking for?"

"I really don't wanna think about leftover problems from hundreds of years ago right now" Sora griped. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's just chill and celebrate! With Xehanort gone, we're in the clear for now!"

-Break-

Keyblade Graveyard

Amidst the dust and echoes, the ancestral Keyblade previously wielded by Master Xehanort was impaled into the dead earth, another grave-marker for another bearer who met their end in this desolate place. …That is, until a black-coated hooded figure walked up to it and pulled it out of its resting place.

"Finally, back where it belongs…" the figure murmured.

Dust and space-time swirled in front of the cloaked figure as a person appeared from nowhere – a person thought dead for hundreds of years. Around him, three other figures appeared, approaching the hidden man with a large black box sitting on the ground beside his feet.

"…Did you summon us back?" Foreteller Ira asked the black-coated figure.

The figure nodded. "Yep."

Ira looked down at the familiar Keyblade. "Is that you, Luxu? You look different."

The black-coated figure chuckled softly, reaching up and pulling back his hood to reveal grey-streaked black hair, a scarred face, and an eyepatch over his damaged right eye.

"I haven't heard that name in a long while" the man known to modern times as 'Braig' or 'Xigbar' replied. "These days, they call me Braig or Xigbar, but hey, whatever suits you guys."

"Is it… really you?" Invi asked.

"Yeah," Luxu/Xigbar replied, "but some time ago, I had to cast my old form away. Been through plenty more semblances since, but it's still me underneath it all."

"What happened?" Aced asked, irritated. "Why are we here? Tell us!"

Luxu/Xigbar looked at his Keyblade. "I had a role to play. And after all these centuries, it's done."

Invi tilted her head. "What role?"

Unnoticed by them, a dark fae sorceress and her beefy minion looked upon the gathering from afar, then departed…

"I guess Ava didn't make it after all…" Luxu/Xigbar looked around.

"Meaning what?" Gula asked.

"I told her, clear as day, what it is I had to do."

"And is that why you decided to exclude her?"

"As if. Ava had her own mission, and she carried it out."

"I've heard enough!" Aced snapped. "Luxu, what was your role?!"

Luxu/Xigbar sighed, taking a seat on the big black box his Master had entrusted him. "I hope you guys like looong stories…"

-Break-

Ruby Rose was pulled from her thoughts regarding the recent climactic adventure by her new Omnitool informing her of a secure incoming transmission. Curious, she called up the screen… and felt like her heart briefly stopped when the face of a dead girl appeared, smiling at her.

"Surprise! Salutations, my friend!"

"P… Penny?" Ruby choked out. "H-How… I saw you…"

"My superstructure was heavily damaged," the gynoid replied, "but my A.I. core – my 'Heart' – was intact! And so, after they salvaged me from Amity Coliseum, my father and the DDF constructed me a new body! Don't I look good with longer hair, Ruby?"

Tears in her eyes, Ruby giggled at her old friend's exuberance. "Y-You sure do. So much has happened, Penny…"

Penny nodded. "I know. General Ironwood has filled me in. He has also told me and Miss Winter about Salem – he said we needed to understand what we were truly up against…"

"That's… That's great! That means you can come help us, right?"

Penny's smile faded. "I would love to, Ruby. Unfortunately, I am needed here. Grimm attacks on Mantle's borders have been increasing lately. I have taken the role of Mantle's chief protector against the incursions. If I'm not here, it will be harder to protect the people against the Grimm. I wish I could join you out there, but…"

Ruby shook her head. "No, I understand. Saving lives is most important. But we'll be able to keep in contact, right?"

"Of course! And it will be even easier to do so once the General's next big plan comes to fruition!"

"Big plan?"

"…Sorry, Ruby. But even though this transmission is supposedly secure, the General suspects that Salem counts a skilled hacker amongst her ranks, one with inner knowledge of Atlas' infrastructure and systems. We can't risk them finding out what we have planned."

Ruby nodded. "Okay, got it. Well, now that I've got a Keyblade, I've got some new training to get to. We'll talk later?"

"Absolutely, my friend! I look forward to seeing how much stronger and more skilled you'll be when we next meet in person! Take care, Ruby."

"Same to you, Penny…"

As the transmission ended, Ruby sighed and looked up at the sky. She couldn't help but wonder what Salem, Dyspear, & Maleficent were up to, what they had planned next…

-Break-

Realm R8-3Y – Remnant – Salem's Fortress

"So, that flippant, easygoing marksman was a Foreteller all along…" Salem said. "He had everyone fooled, even Master Xehanort."

"The question is: What is his plan?" Dyspear pondered. "What did helping Xehanort cause all that strife do for him? How did it lead to the resurrection of four other Foretellers? And what happened to the last one, Ava? Or the Master of Masters, for that matter?"

"We may need to wait until they make their move before we can find out" Maleficent replied. "In the meantime, we have more immediate concerns. Many more Key-bearers amongst the Dimensional Defense Force, including little Rose…"

Seated at the table, Cinder seethed. Her hair had been cut to shoulder-length, an eyepatch covered her left eye (or what was left of it), and her left sleeve was rolled up where her arm used to be.

"At least we know where the box is now" Close remarked. "Actually getting our hands on it, though, will be a lot harder than we anticipated…"

"Still no word on where the Spring or Summer maidens are hiding" Hazel reported. "The Winter Maiden is safe deep in Atlas; it'll be Hell trying to get to her anytime soon."

"I have something in the wings for that" Salem replied. "Not for a little while, though. In the meantime, I have a few ideas for new Grimm designs that I'm going to try implementing soon; Dyspear, Maleficent, care to help me fine-tune them?"

"Gladly" Dyspear smiled. "And we can work on a Grimm-based prosthetic limb for dear Cinder, too, while we're at it."

"And what about her eye?" Mercury spoke up. "Not sure putting a Grimm-thing inside her face wouldn't be too risky…"

"I believe I can help with that" a new voice chimed in. "It should be a simple matter to construct a mechanical replacement optic."

"Ah," Maleficent smirked, turning to face the source of the smooth, deep baritone voice, "our newest member has arrived. Pete and I freed him from imprisonment, explained things to him. We intended to just let him do as he would, but…"

"But after Maleficent explained things further," the new figure slowly walked in with the faint sound of servos whirring, "I decided that I'd love to join this little alliance. Especially since my old foes are counted among the Dimensional Defense Force's numbers… It should be interesting working with intellectual equals, for once. Of course, I'll need some underlings of my own if I am to contribute…"

Maleficent grinned. "I can reach through time, pluck some of your deceased subordinates' souls out from the points just before their deaths, and perhaps construct new bodies for them to inhabit. Though, some of them may be beyond my reach, at least not without causing paradoxes. And perhaps you can scour your homeworld for new recruits as well."

The figure nodded. "Yes, I'm certain there are some who would agree with my goals and be willing to work with us." He looked down at his current form, feeling the power within him that would allow him to switch between this and his larger, more powerful body at will.

Salem smirked. "Let's get to work, ladies and gentlemen. We have much to do before we make our next big move."

The new member of the evil alliance took a seat on one of the spare chairs. The secondary eyes on his purple chestplate glowed red to match his primary optics, and the massive tail cannon on his right arm was rested on the reinforced table as he pulled his hand out, steepling his fingers with a grin.

"Ah, I can already tell this is going to be a fruitful partnership!" the Predacon crime kingpin decreed happily. "I think things are going to get very exciting rather soon. Yesss~…"

-BOOK 37 END-

And that's that for this Book. I might be going on a bit of a break now, or at least slowing down on working on updates. See, I have an Archive Of Our Own account, primarily used for… well, "adults-only" works (which have no connection to Teana's Travels, though maybe I'll make a "Travels sex scenes" fic at some point), and I wanna work on a couple fic ideas over there. Rest assured, though, that the Travels-verse will continue.

Next up: the DDF finds the world of Goblin Slayer.