Diluc and Roxas had filled Jean and Venti in on the true nature of the Abyss Order.

"The Abyss Order-no, the Heartless...they're humanity's greatest enemies," said Diluc. "Even the best underground networks rarely find information on them. That said, I managed to dig up a few clues."

"That quickly, eh?" said Venti. "You've really got the right connections, huh?"

"Hey, come to think of it, mister big strong Anemo Archon...why exactly are you asking us mortals for help?" asked Paimon.

"Hmm...how do I put this..." Venti thought for a moment. "Each of the seven Archons presides over their own respective part of Teyvat - that is, the nation they either rule or reside in. We can obtain power by doing our duty of ruling our people...but, well, I'm not a fan of ruling Mondstadt as an absolute overlord, or even at all for that matter. Mondstadt probably wouldn't be a fan, either."

"'Go forth and establish a city of freedom without absolute autocracy,'" Jean quoted. "We never forgot that."

"You sure you're not just lazy?" Roxas prodded.

Venti stuttered. "W-Well, um...whatever the case, I haven't been in Mondstadt for a pretty long time. That means I'm now probably the weakest Archon of the seven."

"And yet you seem proud of that," said Roxas.

"I don't need that much power," Venti replied. "I left Mondstadt in the hands of its people, and they''re free to do as they please."

"Such a humble god," Diluc mused. "But is that a blessing...or a curse? Well, we digress. Let's get back to the topic at hand: the enemy of mankind, the Abyss Order. Or...should we just call them the Heartless? Apparently, Roxas found that Hilichurls, Mitachurls, and the like are Heartless, too. Anyway, we've tracked the Abyss Mage to an area not far from here."

"And we can't let it escape," Jean added.

Roxas summoned his Keyblades. "I don't plan on it."

Oathkeeper ripped through the Hydro Abyss Mage's body, releasing the freed heart into the heavens.

"I just noticed something," Venti informed everyone. "Roxas, you said that the Heartless are physical manifestations of the darkness within hearts, right?"

Roxas nodded.

"I think that the very nature of that darkness is also what's forming the barrier around Stormterror's Lair."

"The dragon has a bachelor pad?"

"In a way," said Venti. "And it seems the Abyss Order has channeled darkness to create a barrier around the ruins, not unlike a storm that once cut off Mondstadt from the outside world."

"And...if it's darkness...then that means I may be able to get rid of it with my Keyblades!"

"My thoughts exactly!"

"So...we're actually going to confront Dvalin, then," said Diluc. "Fine with me, but...Jean..."

"I'm on board, too," said the Acting Grandmaster. "If slaying Dvalin is our only option, I will lead the charge."

"Oh, don't worry! We're not going to have to kill him!" said Venti. "After all...the Holy Lyre isn't our trump card. Roxas is!"

"Because I can actually go toe-to-toe with him?" asked Roxas.

"Not just that," replied Venti. "The impurities of the Teardrop Crystals, the darkness corrupting Dvalin's heart, and the barrier around Stormterror's Lair...they're all one and the same: darkness. And Roxas bears the Keyblade. Which means..."

"Tone-Deaf Bard! Are you crazy!?" Paimon shouted. "You've seen how Dvalin gets! Roxas may be strong, but he'll get swallowed whole before he can land a hit! Even at his peak, Roxas can't handle this!"

"Well...if I can't beat him at a hundred percent..." Roxas slammed his fist into his palm, "...then I'll just have to go beyond that!"

"I am with you, Honorary Knight." Jean saluted.

"Oh, so we've just gotta kill a bunch of monsters born of raw darkness...and a whole freaking dragon!" Paimon was exasperated. "Yeah, sure, no pressure!"

"Humans aren't without their strengths," said Jean, "especially Keyblade wielders."

Diluc nodded. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Roxas interjected. "Before we do...I want to stop back in town first. There's...someone I want to talk to."

BGM: Distant From You - Kingdom Hearts 3

"Roxas!" A silver-haired maid ran over to greet her Keyblade-wielding friend. "What a surprise! Did you need something from me?"

"No," said Roxas. "But...there's something I want to tell you. You remember how I'm helping deal with Stormterror, right?"

Noelle looked concerned. "Yes...?"

Roxas clenched a fist, exhaling. "I'm about to head to his lair. And...well, I'm sure you know why."

"O-Oh..." Noelle's hands shook a little. "I...I don't know what to say..."

"You don't have to say anything," Roxas assured her. "But...just in case I don't return...I wanna give you something."

Roxas unzipped his signature black coat, revealing his casual white jacket underneath. He shrugged off the coat and handed it to the maid before him. "Sorry if it smells a little."

"Roxas, I..." Noelle was stunned. "I...I can't bring myself to take this from you."

"I want you to have it," said Roxas. "For now. If I do come out in one piece...I'm gonna want that back."

"Understood," said Noelle. "Besides, black isn't really my color. But I don't want to let your gift go without reciprocation, so I'll give you something, too."

Noelle reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like an origami rose. "Here...I made this for you the other day. In Mondstadt, roses have a special meaning: 'as wine bottles are corked, so too are lips sealed.' I...I want these things we share to remain in my heart and...become a secret between the two of us..."

"Noelle..."

Roxas reached forward and pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"Even if I don't return...you don't have to think I'll be really gone," he said. "We're friends, after all. Our hearts are connected, so if this is the last time I'm here in person, it won't be the last time I'm in your heart. And it sure as hell won't be the last time you'll be in mine."

"R-Roxas..."

Noelle gripped the white fabric of Roxas's jacket as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Maybe I didn't realize it, but that may have been another reason I gave you that paper rose...because I want your memory to live on in my heart."

"That's why I gave you my coat," said Roxas.

"If...If you do fall..." Noelle sounded like she would cry, "...I'll wear it in your memory."

"You can try it on now if you want," Roxas offered. "Again, sorry if it stinks."

Noelle nodded, breaking away from the hug to reveal that tears were indeed forming in her eyes. She slipped her arms through the sleeves of Roxas's coat, moving the zipper down to secure it around her rather petite frame. "It's a little big," she said. "My arms don't even come out of the sleeves. But even so...it's oddly comfortable. I feel...I feel like it could help me brave even the deepest darkness. Roxas...thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"Hey, lover-boy!" Paimon's shrill voice called out at him. "Are you coming or not?"

"Guess that's my cue," said Roxas. "See ya, Noelle."

"Farewell...Roxas."

Roxas turned to join Paimon and the others but stopped. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Noelle still standing there. He smiled at her.

"May your heart be your guiding key."

BGM: The Silent Forest - Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

"Here it is," said Venti. "The barrier. Roxas, you're on."

Roxas nodded, summoning Oathkeeper and pointing it at the barrier. A beam of light shot from its tip, forming a glowing keyhole in the surrounding darkness. With a burst of light, the keyhole unlocked the barrier, expelling the darkness and allowing entry.

"Hey, it worked!" said Paimon. "Good job, Roxas!"

Roxas dismissed Oblivion. "We should watch ourselves," he cautioned. "With the barrier gone, the Abyss Order is probably gonna send Heartless after us."

"And now there's a wind barrier here," said Roxas. "Can't unlock that."

"I would be able to use a lyre to will the wind to let us pass," said Venti, "but...I forgot it."

"Well, crap." Roxas sighed.

"Guys, look!" Paimon pointed. "There's a wind current over there. Jean, Diluc, and the Tone-Deaf Bard can use that to climb up. Roxas, you follow on your little flying machine."

Roxas nodded, summoning his Naught Glider as Jean, Diluc, and Venti unfurled their Wind Gliders and rode the updraft to a higher part of the ruins. Meanwhile, Paimon joined Roxas, gripping his jacket to stay with him.

"Do you think there'll be Abyss Mages in the ruins?" Paimon asked him.

"Absolutely," replied Roxas. "But there's more to the Abyss Order than a few mages. They're Heartless, after all. And there are thousands of types of Heartless."

Roxas held down the buttons on the Naught Glider's handlebars, letting loose a barrage of lasers to clear out the Hilichurls for Jean, Diluc, and Venti.

Once a camp of Hilichurls had been cleared, Venti found a strange mechanical-looking part in a smoldering wooden crate. "Hm? What's this?"

"Wait...why isn't that Ruin Guard attacking us?" Roxas had summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"It seems to be deactivated," replied Jean.

"Good," huffed Diluc. "One less pain in the rear to deal with."

The party made their way to the top floor.

"We can't get inside," said Venti. "Seems like some ancient seals are blocking our path."

"Dvalin's doing, no doubt," Roxas mused.

"Actually, no," Venti corrected. "These ruins were once an old city - in fact, they were the original Mondstadt. Dvalin's just nesting here right now."

"So he's squatting."

"Basically. But anyway, these ruins go back even further than the Four Winds." Venti sighed. "Mondstadt doesn't have a ruler now...but that wasn't always the case. Long ago, there was a ruthless tyrant in power. But I'll sing you that story another time."

"The markings on this seal..." Diluc took a closer look. "If my rusty archaeology is anything to go by, this is the work of a Light Actuator. That one over there, actually." He pointed. "If we reintegrate any missing parts, it should be up and running. Venti, what about that thing you found in that Hilichurl camp?"

"I can try it."

Venti went over to a small pillar with a glowing blue light atop it and inserted the part he'd found. Sure enough, the Light Actuator glowed as one of the four seals disappeared.

"It worked," said Jean. "But there's three barriers left. Which means we still have to activate three Light Actuators."

"Paimon can see one from here!" Paimon pointed towards the ground not far from the tower.

"We'll split up," said Diluc. "Venti and Roxas can each take care of one while Jean and I take the third."

"You sure you're not just sneaking off to make out somewhere?" Roxas teased.

"Says the young casanova who seems to have won the heart of Mondstadt's best maid."

BGM: The Rustling Forest - Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

While Jean, Diluc, and Venti went to repair the other two Light Actuators, Roxas found the third.

Before he could insert the three missing parts, however, strange monsters appeared in bursts of darkness, bearing hunched backs and beady yellow eyes. Some stood straight and had very portly bellies.

"Crap!" Roxas summoned his Keyblades. A swarm of Neoshadows and a few Large Bodies stood between him and the Actuator.

"Paimon's never seen monsters like this before!" exclaimed the faerie.

"These are Heartless!" Roxas cut down two Neoshadows and barely dodged a belly flop from a Large Body. "And they're some of the ones I'm more familiar with!"

The Neoshadows were easy kills. It was just the three Large Bodies that remained. They'd be a bit of a problem.

One of the Large Bodies tried to belly-flop him into the ground. He dodged to the side, leaping onto its back and driving his Keyblades into its spinal area. He repeated the attack until the Large Body disappeared.

Another Large Body ran at him and managed to land a punch on Roxas's abdomen before he could retaliate. Roxas fell back, clutching his stomach. "That may have cracked a few ribs..." He raised Oathkeeper. "Heal!"

Green energy flowed through him, healing his broken rib cage.

He pointed Oblivion at the Large Body that had punched him. "Firaga!"

A ball of flame penetrated the Large Body's otherwise impregnable front, burning it away.

The third and final Large Body attempted a running belly flop. Roxas gracefully somersaulted over its head, hurling Oathkeeper and Oblivion into its back. He recalled the Keyblades to his hands and darted at the Large Body, slashing its back until it could tank nothing more.

End BGM

"Ya know, I'm thinking about turning these adventures into song once we're done here," Venti mused.

"Well, we've been through a lot in the barely two weeks I've been here," Roxas agreed.

"Agreed," said Venti. "And I hope that the song I write will be sung for many generations into the future, like The Legend of Vennessa."

Jean smiled. "That one's a childhood favorite of mine. Anyway, I'm fully confident that we can do this. It's thanks to all of us that we've gotten this far. Diluc's connections, Roxas's...unique abilities..."

"Don't forget your sense of duty," Roxas added. "I'd bet a good deal of the other Knights would've crapped their pants just at the thought of having to come here."

"And let's not forget Diluc, either," said Paimon. "He only got involved accidentally, but then he stuck to it until the very end."

"Well, you shared your secret with me, so I thought it was only fair to return that same trust," replied Diluc.

"But what about Venti?" said Roxas. "What drove him here?"

Venti hesitated. He exhaled. "Freedom."

"What do you mean?" asked Paimon.

"Roxas, when you first arrived from Mondstadt, what did Amber call it?"

"The City of Freedom."

"And that it is!" said Venti. "Its citizens enjoy more freedom than any of the other nations! And now...I want to set Dvalin free."

"From the darkness within his heart."

"Not just that," said Venti. "No one should've lied to him that Mondstadt betrayed him...and no one ever should've told him that it was his eternal duty to protect this land. He has the right and freedom to live his own life, just like any citizen of Mondstadt."

Roxas summoned his Keyblades. "I'll set him free, Venti. I promise."

Venti smiled. "Good. Well then, Roxas, may the thousands of years of wind that have blown through Mondstadt be at your back and carry you to victory."

Roxas summoned his Naught Glider.

BGM: Attacking Divine Beast Vah Ruta - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The battle was fought in what seemed to be a sort of pocket dimension.

Roxas had his Naught Glider at full throttle, but he was just barely able to keep up with Dvalin. The dragon let out earsplitting roars, signaling its lack of intent to welcome its unwanted guest.

"Roxas!" Venti's voice rang in the former Nobody's mind. "See those two shiny spots on Dvalin's back? I think those are blood clots! They were corrupted by the darkness that's within his heart after the blood coagulated on his wounds. The corruption in those wounds must be affecting Dvalin's mind!"

"What about his heart?" said Roxas. "How do I get rid of the darkness there?"

"You are," Venti replied. "The little pocket world you're in right now...it's Dvalin's heart!"

Roxas could see it appearing now: a stained glass pillar, depicting Dvalin flying, happy as can be.

"Aim for those blood clots!"

Roxas nodded. "Opening fire!"

White lasers burned through the air and gradually began searing through the rearmost blood clot on Dvalin's back. The dragon screeched with pain.

"I'm sorry, big guy," Roxas said, his voice oddly calm. "But this is the only way!"

He continued to pepper his target with laser beams.

Dvalin shrieked, exploding into the distance with a great sweep of his two sets of wings.

"He's getting away!" Roxas shouted, hoping Venti would hear.

"Oh, I know this move," said Venti. "Just hold out a little longer. I should be able to help you out."

Roxas let go of the laser triggers and put full focus on dodging an incoming barrage. Fragments of coagulated blood had broken off of Dvalin and were hurtling towards Roxas like a hailstorm.

"Roxas, I've got an idea!" said Venti. "I'll try extracting Anemo energy from the projectiles. That way, I can turn them into wind currents that should give you a speed boost. Keep your eyes peeled!"

"Right!" A projectile barely missed Roxas's head.

Roxas saw a ring of green Anemo energy up ahead.

"Over there!" Venti exclaimed telepathically. "Full speed ahead!"

Roxas veered for the ring and felt himself charge forward. "You wait until I catch up, dragon breath," he muttered. "That darkness inside you is in for a world of pain!"

BGM: Rage Awakened - Kingdom Hearts 2.5 ReMix

"You got one!" said Venti. "You should be able to land somewhere and take down the other."

Roxas nodded, landing on the stained glass pillar - Dvalin's Station of Awakening.

The dragon roared, soaring down to meet his opponent.

"KEYBEARER..." Dvalin growled. "YOU ARE TRULY HERE TO BATTLE ME?"

"No..." Roxas summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion. "I'm here to save you!"

Dvalin roared, swooping low and slashing at Roxas with his claws. The Keyblade wielder barely managed to evade the attack.

With another scream of earsplitting volume, Dvalin fired off a volley of compressed wind. The projectiles were powerful enough to rip a hole in flesh. Roxas thanked Kingdom Hearts he was able to avoid the barrage.

Dvalin flew back, shrieking louder than ever before.

"Ah, Dvalin's ace in the hole!" said Venti. "Caelestinum Finale Termini! I came up with that just now."

"Can you stop naming his techniques that could absolutely kill me and tell me how to make sure I don't die?"

"Just avoid the spots that are glowing green," Venti replied.

"The entire platform I'm standing on is glowing green!"

Dvalin roared. A torrent of wind bullets rained on the platform. Roxas had to leap off the edge and mount his Naught Glider.

The torrent stopped. Roxas landed.

Dvalin slammed into the side of the pillar, shaking the entire thing. Roxas barely managed to stay standing. The dragon clutched the edge of the pillar, craning his neck to roar at Roxas.

Dvalin let out a stream of forceful winds strong enough to crush Roxas, who took the chance to let loose a myriad of strikes on Dvalin's claws.

Dvalin cried out, slamming onto the pillar.

"Now! Get at that blood clot!" Venti exclaimed. "Finish this once and for all!"

Roxas nodded. Oathkeeper and Oblivion glowed with white light.

The two Keyblades fused, forming a single Keyblade: Two Become One.

Roxas leaped at the blood clot on Dvalin's neck, raising Two Become One over his head. "I won't let you suffer any longer!"

Two Become One shattered the blood clot to pieces. Dvalin roared louder than Roxas thought possible.

End BGM

Dvalin flew in place near the pillar. The darkness no longer corrupted his mind. "KEYBEARER-NO, YOUR NAME IS...ROXAS. YOU HAVE SET ME FREE. I THANK YOU."

"BUT...I MUST KNOW...WHY?" asked Dvalin. "WHY DID BARBATOS NOT ASK ME TO PROTECT THE LAND...LIKE LAST TIME?"

BGM: Roxas - Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded

"He may have told you not to listen to the Abyss Order," said Roxas, "but that doesn't mean you have to listen to him. Freedom isn't freedom if someone demands it of you."

"...I SEE. SO THIS IS THE TRUE MEANING OF FREEDOM..."

Roxas nodded. "I once longed for freedom, too," he said. "Dvalin...can I tell you a story?"

"YOU MAY...ROXAS."

"Okay...it all started when I woke up one day..."

"SUCH A COURAGEOUS YOUNG MORTAL DOES NOT DESERVE SUCH SUFFERING."

"And I got it anyway," said Roxas. "But when life gives you salt, you make sea-salt ice cream. Even so...I'm still a little depressed about it. But I won't let that stop me. I have the freedom I wanted so much, and now, I want you to have that freedom, too."

"FROM WHAT YOU HAVE TOLD ME," said Dvalin, "IT SEEMS AS THOUGH YOU LEARNED THAT FROM THE ONE YOU CALLED SORA...THE PERSON FROM WHOM YOU WERE CREATED."

Roxas nodded his head. "He taught me a lot of things. He's a bit impulsive sometimes, but his heart's in the right place. The best place, in fact. But...I don't want to keep you any longer, Dvalin. Go...and be free."