Chapter 39

"Where are we?" said Sora.

The group found themselves near a forest. They all felt sweaty and uneasy.

"Gwarsh, we should be inside of the planet-" Goofy started to say.

"We know that," said Cloud. "Where are we in?"

"We seem to be in some sort of polluted planet," concluded Axel, pointing up. Smoke covered the forest. The smell of fire seemed to linger somewhere. Screams were heard nearby.

"What was that?!" cried Donald.

Sora and Cloud ran to the sound of the scream, seeing several people running from the heartless.

"Sora! Quickly!" Cloud hit some of the heartless, while Sora dashed to the people screaming. They were huddled in a corner, terrified.

"You'll be alright," said Sora. "We're here now." As he said that, multiple heartless appeared, shaped like samurai.

"More heartless types?!" cried Donald, who just ran there. "C'mon!"

The heartless decided to attack Sora and Cloud, but before they could, Axel threw multiple flames at them. "Well, look who is on fire today!" remarked the red-headed warrior.

As the battle ended, though, Sora caught a glimpse of someone. He was dressed in white, staring at Sora with complex eyes. He nodded his head, muttering something, and ran into the direction of the smoke.

"Hey! Come back!" cried Sora. He was stopped by Cloud.

"Look, let's attend to these people first before heading off to find that guy."

Sora nodded hesitantly, only because the people were calm enough to talk to.

"So," asked Goofy, "Are you alright?"

"Y-y-yess, we are," muttered one of the people.

"We are newcomers here," said Donald. "Who are you guys?"

"Are you from another world?" croaked a woman.

"We sure are," said Sora. "How do you know that?"

"Once, our race used to communicate with other planets," said a different person. She was dressed in a battle uniform, covered in bruises and injuries. "Suddenly, someone in a black coat was discovered summoning creatures into our planet. He took over the planet, the government...everything."

"Did you see the face of the person behind the coat?" asked Axel.

"No. We only know that the person who did so had other friends."

"So, is this Organization XIII's fault?" asked Sora.

"Most likely," answered Axel. "However, since anyone can get that cloak, we can't confirm that this is true until we see the guy."

"Are you crazy?" the woman warrior shouted. "Those things were powerful enough to rip through our power, and you-"

"Calm down!" said Cloud. "We handled these situations before. We know what to do."

The woman calmed down, looking down in sadness. "What is your name, by the way?" asked Axel.

"Blue. They call me Blue."

"Nice. I'm-"

"'I'm Axel, got that memorized?'" imitated Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Cloud started to giggle, while Axel looked angry.

"Hey, what's the big deal?!" cried Axel.

"You say to everyone, you know?" Sora said as he was laughing. His laughter set off an reaction, and the other people started to laugh too.

After the laughter, Blue looked at Sora. "Anyways, who are you guys?"

"I'm Sora, this is Cloud, Donald, and Goofy."

"Well, I should show you where our base is," she said.

She led everyone to another location. Only Sora and Cloud stayed behind, having explained that they were heading after the mysterious man in white.

"Blue said to just head back here once we are done with our search," Cloud said.

"Alright, let's go!" Sora and Cloud went to the smoke, only to see a portal.

"Is this...where that guy went?" asked Cloud.

"Only one way to find out." Sora tried to enter the portal, but he was pushed back.

"You okay?" asked Cloud.

"Yeah..." Sora was puzzled until he looked at his keyblade. "That's right!" He moved back, pointing his blade at the portal. The keyblade was turned into a new design, a keyblade colored black and white. The light from the keyblade pierced the portal, opening it.

"Should we wait for the others?" asked Sora.

"We could...but who knows how long the portal will stay there," said Cloud.

Sora decided to go in, rushing forward with Cloud. A bright light flashed, surrounding them, flashing brighter and brighter until it engulfed them.

When Sora opened his eyes, the light moved away. He was in the same forest, but in a different part of it. He and Cloud look confused.

"So...where are we now?" said Cloud.

"We must be in a different part of the forest," concluded Sora.

"I am afraid not."

The voice drew Sora and Cloud to look behind them, spotting the man in white. He had piercing blue eyes, looking at the keyblade wielder with interest.

"Who are you?" asked Cloud.

"I will answer that after you answer a question. How did you enter in that portal?"

"Well, it was open," said Sora.

"I see...you think that it was your keyblade that allowed you to follow me. Am I right?"

"Well, yeah," said Cloud. "The keyblade unlocks any lock."

"Not every lock. The keyblade cannot unlock every barrier made, as there are certain ways to reduce or diminish its unlocking capabilities. One of those ways is to make a doorway that tunnels through a spiritual dimension."

"So how does that not get unlocked by a keyblade?" asked Sora.

"The keyblade has its limitations. It cannot go from one universe to another. You can only access those worlds if they ended up close to the borders of this universe."

"What are you talking about?" asked Sora. Noticing the swords, Sora suddenly thought of something. "Are you...a shinigami?"

"Not quite, keyblade wielder. I am a Quincy, the opposite of a shinigami. I prefer the term Sternritter, the term bestowed upon my leader."

"Leader?" asked Cloud.

"A Quincy, eh..." Sora remembered someone who said they were a Quincy, but who...?

"Like Ishida!" cried Sora.

The Quincy only stared at Sora. "Yes, he is a Quincy. I assume that you must have been in contact with that man, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"You know Ichigo?" asked Cloud.

"Yes. He and I used to be enemies, but that is another story for later. I now know why you were able to get into this portal...that man must have shared his spiritual reiatsu with you. Your keyblade must have stored and contained that energy. Keyblades have never been known to store spirit energy inside of them, but you are the exception to this rule."

"So what?" asked Sora. "What are you going to do now? Who is the one who is destroying this place?"

"I have no care as to what is going on here...but..." The Sternritter drew his blade. "I am interested...in seeing the potential of the keyblade wielder."

"Well, bring it on then!" shouted Sora. He and Cloud drew their blades. Sora looked behind the sternritter, noticing two other sternritter behind him.

"I will let my comrades test your power before wasting my time with you." He put his blade in his case, teleporting into a different dimension.

"Wait, where are you-" Sora started to say before seeing the other Sternritter pull a fighting stance.

"I know, rude of him to run off like that, right?" said the one with the red mohawk. "Anyways, we know you. I'm Bazz-B, Sternritter letter H!"

"And I am Askin Nakk Le Vaar, Sternritter letter D! Nice to meet you!" The other Sternritter looked out of place, looking like he would rather not fight.

"You take the back seat, Askin!" Bazz-B smiled, staring intensely at Sora. "I hope that you had fun being in one piece, keyblade wielder! After I am done with you..." Bazz-B moved his hand, with wisps of flames curling at the end of his fingertips.

"There won't be nothing left. Only ashes."