The Tides Go Out

by Regiss

Four months later, the war between Maleficent's Heartless and Braig's Nobodies threatens to consume all worlds. In the middle of the conflict, Sora, Xion, and their friends continue the search for Riku while also dealing with Vanitas, who will stop at nothing to get Ven's heart. Sequel to Remember the Tides.

59. Dig a Little Deeper

Chapter 59: Dig a Little Deeper

Bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum!

Bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum!

Bum bum bum bum, bum bum bum bum!

Over the beat and sounds of battle, Naveen's voice called out: "I am really getting sick of their singing!"

In retrospect, the Heartless attack should not have caught them off-guard as much as it had. Following Ray's song and the impromptu dance number, the gang had double back the way they came. With Louis losing his spot as navigator and Ray now leading the way, they weaved their way through the bayou and the night. Minutes turned into hours, conversations dying down and several members of the group opting to take a nap on Louis's scaly hide. And so they continued down the waters as the stars above them vanished and the night sky began to brighten with the coming morning.

Or…that's what should have happened. But no matter how long they went, how far they traveled, it never grew any brighter. The moon had lowered under the horizon long ago, the stars following it, but the sun was still not out and the sky was an inky pitch black that matched the dark water Louis swam through. On more than one occasion Ray stopped to slap his backside and turn on his light, but no matter what he did it always seemed just a bit too dim.

When a singing tiki mask suddenly appeared in front of Louis, the alligator's screams of terror awoke everyone only moments before he leaped out of the water and sent them all toppling off of his back. Xion, Sora, Donald, and Goofy recovered from the fall immediately and, despite being soaking wet, took to battle as swiftly as they could while the others stayed back for safety.

"NAVEEN!"

Tiana's scream echoed across the bayou, and Xion whipped around in response. As she turned she knocked aside a doll Heartless that attempted to blast her with its drumbeats, then followed up with a Pearl spell that, for a brief moment, lit up the night. In that moment, the reason for Tiana calling his name became apparent: a mask Heartless had snagged Naveen, using its powers to grab him by the shadow. Naveen clawed at the wet earth as it dragged him deeper into the woods, but his webbed hands couldn't get much traction.

"I'm coming!" Xion shouted, taking off in a sprint down the muddy pathway that Naveen had been pulled. But though she ran as fast as she could muster, it wasn't really very fast at all. The wet, thick mud stuck to Xion's boots, dragging her legs down and forcing her to put more effort into slogging through the mud and pulling her legs out of it with each step than on how fast she was going.

A doll Heartless took the chance to jump in Xion's way and slam on its drums, playing its maniacal beat and sending shockwaves her way. Knocked off-balance, Xion slid this way and that as she tried to regain her composure and avoid falling into the loose earth on the bank of the river. Digging the tip of Two Become One into the mud, Xion used it to stabilize herself and held on tight as the doll's attack connected.

Quickly pulling her Keyblade out of the mud, Xion leaped with a boost from Aero and pierced the Heartless's drum. The doll shuddered and kept pounding, this time at Xion herself instead of its ruined instrument. Hanging on to the hovering Heartless by its stitched legs, she swung the Keyblade in a wide arc and decapitated the Heartless. Falling back into the mud as it faded away, Xion paid no attention to the vanishing pink heart and instead turned toward the direction Naveen had been taken.

The doll Heartless had done its job: Xion had been delayed. But they weren't out of the fight yet, and though those at such a tiny stature couldn't hope to catch up with Naveen and his kidnappers in time, they didn't need to.

The earth shook beneath Xion's feet as a frantic Louis chased after the frog prince. Arched forward and head low, the mud was no problem at Louis's height and he could cover much more distance in a single step besides. Beside him flew Ray, his light gradually increasing in brightness as they moved down the road.

The road eventually gave way to another stretch of river. When Louis was only feet away from Naveen, mere moments before he could save him from the Heartless…he fell. He wasn't watching where he was going and toppled right over the edge of the shore into the murky water. Sputtering and coughing as he spat out water, Louis attempted to untangle himself from a mess of algae and reeds that he had crashed into.

Ray, however, simply ignored the fall from up in the air. Flying past the struggling Louis, Ray was quickly closing in on Naveen and the Heartless. Unfortunately, the Heartless's companions were having none of that. Singing masks appeared before him, extending their shadows outwards to snag Ray just as they had Naveen.

"Don't make me use my butt!" Ray shouted as his light flickered and brightened. The Heartless recoiled, but only for a moment. As Ray aimed his rear end threateningly at them, they swerved around and shot their shadows out at him from behind. Pulled backwards, Ray was forced out of his flight and plummeted downwards toward the water, saved only by a timely leap from Tiana.

The Heartless that had Naveen, meanwhile, had been accelerating to keep them all off of its tail. As they chased after it the best they could, it and Naveen were already beginning to disappear into the thick, murky fog that was blanketing this part of the bayou. Through the fog Xion just barely made out Naveen desperately cling to a fall branch, but the wood snapped in two from the force of the Heartless's pulling. The shadows and the frog flew out into open water, Naveen's body skipping across the surface.

"We're not gonna make it!" Goofy hollered, even as Tiana had already dived into the water and was swimming out toward the Heartless.

"I'm not giving up on him!" Tiana called back over her shoulder.

"Neither are we, but…" Sora turned and looked to Louis, who had finally gotten a hold of himself and was now making his way toward the others. He turned back toward the foggy waters. "Only you two can swim even close to fast enough."

"Then what do you suggest we—"

Tiana was cut off by a bolt of light that pierced the veil of fog. The bolt spiraled forward until it pierced right through the Heartless that held Naveen. As the bolt broke through the other side and dispersed into sparkles of golden light, the Heartless appeared to disintegrate. Like a piece of paper burning up in a fireplace, it collapsed in on itself as the edges of its vanishing form shone with a burning light. Soon after the glowing pink heart rose into the sky, dozens of bolts just like the one that had slain the Heartless shot through the veil in a circular formation.

"Is that…Ragnarok?" Xion asked with a gasp.

The lights weaved through the air, spreading out from their circular pattern and flying every which way as they homed in on the nearest Heartless. Dolls and masks alike fell to the spell—the spell that was by all appearances the very same Ragnarok that Xion and Sora had used so many times before. When at last the Heartless were gone from the bayou and Naveen slowly made his way to the rest of the group, the light began to fade, but only just. Dawn was arriving at last, turning the surrounding fog a warm orange.

And within that fog, something else was taking shape. A great shadow, greater than any of the Heartless they had encountered thus far, fell over the group. It grew larger and larger as the owner approached the edge of the sun-kissed fog. A high pitched sound accompanied the oncoming stranger, one that took Xion far too long to recognize: laughter.

The shadow returned to respectable size as the mysterious Heartless-slayer showed herself. A small, fat woman walked the area with her bubbling laughter, spinning the green object in her hand as it glowed with a golden light. Her dark, wrinkly skin was contrasted by the spotless white clothing and golden jewelry that she wore. And why was she wearing sunglasses in the middle of a dark bayou?

"Not bad for a hundred-ninety-seven-year-old blind lady!" Her laughter died down, and with it the spinning of her weapon. Holding the tip of it up to her lips she blew out the golden light it was coated in, finally revealing its shape. Gasps of shock rose out among the group behind them at the sight, for they all knew what it was this blind old woman held:

A Keyblade.

It couldn't be mistaken for anything else. It appeared to be made out of plants of the bayou, with leaves, vines, and flower stems forming the weapon's body. But it had the telltale handguard, and at the end of the blade the Keyblade's teeth were formed by pink flower petals that glowed with a soft light. A small frog token dangled from the chain at the other end.

Could this be…?

"Mama Odie!" Ray shot past the rest of them, straight up to the old lady. Laughing, the woman held up her open palm and Ray gave her a high-five. Her reaction confirmed it, then. This was the Mama Odie that they were searching for. She…wasn't what Xion had been expecting.

"Good to see ya again, Ray. How's your Grandmama?"

"Oh, she's fine. Got into a little trouble fo' flashin' the neighbors again."

Mama Odie barked out a laugh. "Ooh, I like that gal's spunk!" Dismissing her Keyblade, Mama Odie turned to the rest of them. Marching up to the group, the old woman grinned and seemed to know right where they were despite her claims to blindness. "Well now, Keybearers! Did Yen Sid send you, dearies?"

Sora and Xion exchanged glances at each other. Not only could Mama Odie apparently tell where things were while blinded, but she knew they had Keyblades too? And why would she have thought that Yen Sid sent them anyway? Sora shook his head slowly. "No, but… You know Yen Sid?"

"O' course! Who do ya think taught him his magic?" Holding her hand out, Mama Odie conjured up balls of Thunder, Fire, and Blizzard that orbited around each other before evaporating into those golden sparkles she seemed so fond of. As Louis, Naveen, Tiana, Donald, and Goofy began to gather around her alongside Xion, Sora, and Ray, however, Mama Odie put her hands on her hips and leaned forward. "Now which one o' you naughty dearies been messin' with the Shadowman?!"

Immediately, all eyes fell on Naveen. The froggy prince grinned sheepishly and stepped forward. "Mama Odie," he gave a deep bow, "we have been searching far and wide to find you. I am pleased to see a woman of your, er…health, in such a ripe old age!"

Mama Odie let out another high-pitched laugh. "Oh you are just a flatterer, aren't you, dearie? And I s'pose you come lookin' for Mama Odie's help, haven't y'all? Gotta get big, gotta get human…" She turned to Donald and Goofy and shuddered. "Eugh… 'specially you two!"

As Donald shouted and Goofy restrained him, Naveen hopped up into Mama Odie's hand. "So, can you help us, Mama Odie?"

"Well, let's jus' see, shall we dearie? But first, this bayou's getting' to my old skin an' bones. Let's move somewhere more homely." Pulling aside the leaves of a nearby willow tree, Mama Odie revealed what Xion could only assume was her home. Standing in the middle of the water and silhouetted against the rising sun was a massive tree, with, somehow, a boat that had gotten wrecked on top of it.

The climb up it was simple, as despite their small stature the gang was able to ride up Louis while he scaled the weathered old trunk. As for Mama Odie, while she stepped like someone who clearly was blind and would have no idea where she was going, the old lady somehow managed to climb up without slipping up once.

The inside of Mama Odie's humble abode was falling apart and covered in all sorts of knickknacks and trinkets, ones that Xion couldn't be sure were for spellwork or just Mama Odie's already obvious eccentricity. A rusting bathtub of bubbling gumbo sat in the corner, and the ship's mast in the center of the room broke through the hole in the ceiling and up into the tree's branches.

"Don't you dearies worry 'bout the Keyhole, Yen Sid locked it up years ago!"

"Huh?" Xion and Sora spun around to question Mama Odie further on her sudden statement, but she was already wandering off without them. Naveen and Tiana were hopping behind her, trying to keep up with the surprisingly quick-footed woman.

"We're so glad we found you, Mama Odie," Tiana said happily. "Ray and Louis here have been telling us all about you. We've been traveling quite a long way, and we heard that you—"

"JUJU!" Mama Odie's sudden shout shocked all of them. At her call, a yellow snake dropped down from one of the multitude of shelves that lined her walls. "Haha! Come on over here, you bad boy. Give a little suga now." Mama Odie gave the snake three wet, sloppy kisses, and behind the group Louis made a noise of absolute revulsion.

But a moment after cooing and petting her apparent pet, Mama Odie stood up straight and turned her head toward the tub in the corner. "JUJU! Why didn't you tell me my gumbo was burnin'?!" Tossing the snake aside, Mama Odie rushed over to the tub and grabbed a ladle sitting nearby it.

Xion shook her head in absolute bewilderment. "This…can't be the right old lady. How did she ever get a Keyblade?"

Sora turned up to Ray. "Are you sure this is the right blind Voodoo lady who lives in a boat in a tree in the bayou?" Ray just shrugged helplessly.

Naveen and Tiana quickly joined her as she began to stir the dish. "Ooh, what a mess…gotta do everythin' 'round here…"

Climbing up to join Naveen and Tiana, Donald thrust a finger into the air and pointed at Mama Odie. "Hey! Don't you think you should listen to—"

"Taste this!" Mama Odie shoved a spoonful of the fresh gumbo into Donald's beak, filling him up with the stuff. As Donald staggered back and swallowed the scalding hot stew, Mama Odie grinned at him eagerly. "Well? You all try it, dearies."

Sora dipped a finger into the tub of gumbo and licked it off. Smacking his lips as he tasted it, he smiled up at Mama Odie. "It's good, but I think it could use some spice."

Xion, on the other hand, found herself struggling to eat the stuff. "Could use a little—more than a little—sugar." She laughed awkwardly and rubbed her neck. "I guess I'm more into sweets."

Tiana tried some herself and hummed thoughtfully. "Hit it hard with a couple of shots of Tabasco and it's the bee's knees. Now—"

"JUJU!" At Mama Odie's call the snake popped up with a bottle of tobacco in his mouth and poured nearly half the contents into the tub. After mixing it for a moment, Mama Odie grabbed a spoonful for herself and took a sip. Laughing once more, she jumped into the air and clicked her heels. "Woo, that's got some zing to it! That was just what it needed. Now…" She turned to Tiana and Naveen. "Y'all figure out what you need?"

Tiana, who had been rubbing her face in exasperation, sighed. "It's just what you said outside, mama Odie. We need to be human."

"HA!" Mama Odie shouted right up in their faces, sending the group toppling over the edge of the tub and onto the floor below. "You ain't got the sense you was born with! Y'all want to be human, but you blind to what ya need!"

Naveen, after recovering from his fall and climbing back onto the edge of the tub, grinned disarmingly. "What we want, what we need… It's all the same thing, yes?"

"It's the same thing? No!" Mama Odie whapped Naveen on the head with her Keyblade and then, laughing, hopped back a couple steps. "Riku loved this song. You listen to your mama now!"

Once again seemingly lost in her own little world, Mama Odie started moving in an odd, bouncing way; she was starting to dance! Flamingos flew into her ship-house from across the bayou, dancing and even playing instruments along the wooden walls.

"Don't matter what you look like
"Don't matter what you wear
"How many rings you got on your finger
"We don't care!"

"No, we don't care!" The flamingos added happily.

Summoning her Keyblade one more time, Mama Odie beckoned over Juju and scratched his neck…and then whapped him on the head with the blunt side of the weapon.

"Don't matter where you come from
"Don't even matter what you are
"A dog, a pig, a cow, a goat," She smacked Juju in time with the lyrics, and with every whack he transformed into a different animal.
"Had 'em all in here!"

"We had 'em all in here!" chimed in the flamingos.

"And they all knew what they wanted
"What they wanted me to do
"I told 'em what they needed
"Just like I be telling you!"

Mama Odie's baffling song continued, singing about what you want, versus what you need. Constantly she brought up one recurring line: 'Dig a little deeper.' The meaning was lost on Xion, and not just on her: throughout Mama Odie's singing and dancing, Naveen and Tiana were getting tossed around left and right with bewildered expressions on their faces the entire time.

That said, the confusion at yet another of Mama Odie's eccentricities didn't stop Xion from recognizing what was in front of her: it was a very catchy song! And she wasn't the only one to think so; Louis, Ray, and Goofy had gotten into the beat and danced around with tambourines in their hands. Sora and Donald were laughing at the sight, and she couldn't help but join in.

In the middle of the song, Mama Odie slowed down for a moment to approach Tiana. Carrying her over to the tub of gumbo and waving a glowing hand over it, the blind old Voodoo witch spoke to her in hushed tones; Xion vaguely picked up a few words about Tiana's father. Soon after they were done talking, Mama Odie scooped a surprised Tiana up and walked over to the crow's nest that sat in the middle of the platform.

"You gotta dig a little deeper
"For you it's gonna be tough
"You gotta dig a little deeper
"You ain't dug near far enough"

Juju started to crank a lever with his tail, and the crow's nest rose up like an elevator.

"Dig down deep inside yourself
"You'll find out what you need
"Blue skies and sunshine guaranteed"

Moving out onto the branches of the large tree that held her home, Mama Odie raised her hands into the sky and called out to the flamingos. "Open up the windows, let in the light dearies!"

At her command the flamingos parted the hanging leaves of the willow tree, revealing the golden light of sunrise reflected through a myriad of sparkling and shining glass bottles that hung all around them.

"Blue skies and sunshine
"Blue skies and sunshine
"Blue eyes and sunshine!"

"Guaranteed!"

Applause and laughter rose into the bayou as dawn gave way to daylight, but for Mama Odie she seemed to hop out of her song and dance routine as quickly as she had hopped into it. "Now then, y'all here 'cause of the Shadowman, ain't that right?" She spoke as she made her way back to the elevator and down into her house proper.

"Uh… Yes, ma'am." Xion, put off by her sudden shift, followed Mama Odie down alongside the others. "Not only did he turn Tiana and Naveen into frogs, but he's also using these things called Heartless."

"Oh, so those are Heartless! Yen Sid never said they had such good taste in song! I'm gonna have to talk to that boy sometime 'bout proper warnings."

"To Master Yen Sid?" Goofy asked.

"No!" Mama Odie whipped around. "I'm talkin' bout the Shadowman—Facilier! That naughty child's been messin' 'round with dark forces too long. Not only his perversion o' Voodoo, but now the Heartless? I wouldn't be surprised if he's got a portal to the Realm of Darkness in New Orleans at this rate!"

"The Realm of Darkness?!" Donald shot over to Mama Odie and climbed up onto a nearby shelf so that he could speak to her at eye level. "We're looking for the Realm of Darkness!"

"Well you ain't gonna find it by askin' me, dearie! Best bet is the Shadowman. Speakin' o' which, we need to help the two of you." Mama Odie motioned for Tiana and Naveen to follow her as she made her way over to her tub of gumbo. "Facilier's Voodoo spells are kids' stuff! If y'all want to break the curse, ya just gotta get a kiss from a princess."

"I knew it!" Naveen exclaimed happily.

But despite the cheers that rose up at the simple solution, Tiana grimaced and slapped a hand over her face. "And where on earth are we going to find a princess in New Orleans?"

If Kairi were with us, I wonder if a Princess of Heart would count, Xion wondered to herself, though she didn't voice it; she didn't need to upset Sora by reminding him of the situation.

Mama Odie let out another one of her signature laughs. "I got ya covered." Turning to her cooking dinner, she picked up the ladle and began to mix it slowly while waving a glowing hand over it. "Gumbo, gumbo, in the pot… We need a princess! Whatcha got?!"

Like it must have when Mama Odie was speaking to Tiana a few minutes ago,the gumbo began to glow and shimmer. A circle of gold appeared on the surface and shined brightly, giving way to an image of a sleeping blonde girl in a large, fluffy pink bed. The room was extravagantly decorated, but the girl herself was hardly the image of a princess; her snores were loud and drool dripped from her open mouth.

"Lottie?" Tiana peered over into the gumbo with surprise and, maybe, a bit of awe.

"'Lottie'?" Goofy repeated. He scratched his head and then snapped his fingers. "Oh, this is that Charlotte girl! Your friend, right, Tiana?"

Still confused, Tiana gave only a slight nod of the head in answer to Goofy's question. Shaking her head to bring herself back to her senses, Tiana turned to Mama Odie. "But Mama Odie, Lottie's not a—"

"Hush up and look at the gumbo," Mama Odie hissed.

Within the vision, the door to Charlotte's room suddenly opened and a man dressed in regal clothing that wouldn't have looked out of place in the Enchanted Dominion stepped inside. In his hands was a red velvet pillow, and on top of it a diamond-studded tiara. Charlotte, hearing his approach, snapped wide awake and immediately jumped out of bed, darting to the man and the tiara with childlike glee.

"That's right…" Tiana muttered. "Big Daddy, Lottie's father, is the king of the Mardi Gras parade. So that'd make Lottie a princess."

"…Does that count?" Xion asked. It sounded like it was a title in name only, so she couldn't believe that it really would.

But Mama Odie looked right over to her. "Yes it does, but only 'til midnight—when Mardi Gras's over." Waving a hand over her gumbo, Mama Odie conjured up an image of two frogs transforming into humans. "So hope along, y'all only got 'til then to get her to kiss Prince Froggy. When she does—BOOM! Y'all both turn human."

"Midnight?" Sora shook his head and looked outside. "But how far is that? It's dawn now, but it took so long to get out here in the first place..."

Donald sighed. "It's too far away!"

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" Mama Odie snapped. Juju coiled around the lot of them (barring Louis of course) and picked them up in his tail's grasp before carrying them out the door and dropping them on Mama Odie's front porch. Behind them, the old woman herself came while shoving Louis through the slightly-too-small doorframe. "There's a lot of river between here and New Orleans! Y'all best get to swimming."

Xion stumbled onto the wooden planks and recovered only just barely in time to avoid Louis stepping on her as he stumbled on out. Turning her gaze out on the early morning bayou, she scanned the horizon for even a hint of where to go. Which direction even was New Orleans from here? "…Hey, Mama Odie, which way should we—"

"AAA-AAAAAAHHH!"

As Xion turned around to question Mama Odie, she instead got a view of a green blur rocketing right past her at sonic speeds. Instinctively jumping back, it took her far too long to realize the screaming that accompanied the blur was Naveen's. A moment after the realization hit her, the Keyblade appeared in Xion's hand. Heartless! Spinning around, she looked out over the water to see a singing mask Heartless dangling Naveen by his shadow.

"Get back here!" Goofy hollered, tossing his shield at the Heartless. The mask evaded his attack and, still singing, began to retreat into the bayou.

"After him!" Tiana cried. She shoved Louis in the leg, and immediately the alligator leaped into action—and off of the boat. Landing in the waters down below with a resounding splash, the gang didn't even wait for the ripples to settle before jumping down onto his back.

Above them, Ray zoomed through the air ahead of the rest of them and into the trees. "We're comin' for ya, Princey!"

From her spot on her front porch, Mama Odie stood out over the bayou and watched—as well as a blind woman could watch—as this all occurred. She stood unmoving as they chased after the Heartless and left her home behind. And then, several long moments later, she broke into laughter.

"JUJU!" The snake poked its head out of the front door and Mama Odie looked back over her shoulder. "Fetch me my motorboat!"

x-x-x

From his spot in the rafters of Facilier's back-alley fortune shop, Diablo fluttered down to the creaky wooden floor and looked around with unblinking eyes. Snoring was coming from the next room over, the room behind a slightly ajar door. Facilier was sleeping, but it was morning now and he wouldn't be asleep for much longer. He'd have to make this quick.

Staying in raven form, Diablo hopped over to the door and slowly nudged it open—slightly, just enough to slip inside. Taking into the air, he flew as slowly as he could up onto Facilier's bed. The skull-carved totem that bathed the room in a soft red glow hung around his neck. Before making any other move, Diablo searched a moment for the Shadowman's animated shadow. It rested on a chair across the room, as unconscious as its owner.

The coast was clear, then.

Grasping the string of the totem in his yellow beak, Diablo lifted it up and over Facilier's neck. Tilting his head to see the carved skull, Diablo narrowed his eyes. The magic within was eerily familiar, but he just could not place where he had felt it before. He almost could, but it just felt…off. Something was ever so slightly different that was throwing off his memory.

But that could wait for later. Making sure it was secure in his beak, Diablo took off through the window and out into the early morning light of New Orleans. He didn't go far; with Facilier's Heartless still looking for Naveen, he didn't dare go into the bayou and have them find him. No, Diablo moved only into an alleyway a few streets away from Facilier's. He would not be long. He just had to figure out what this thing was, and how Facilier could bargain with the Heartless using it.

Dropping it on the dirty cobblestone, Diablo shifted back into his human form. He picked the pendant up in his pale hand and stared at the skull carving for several minutes with an ever-growing frown on his face. He could sense the Voodoo magics he had experienced Facilier using, but that wasn't what he had found familiar about it. No, the Voodoo was almost like a second layer on top of whatever was the true power of the amulet…whatever was causing that glow.

Now that he had identified the Voodoo, he could identify what was underneath it. The Voodoo was only there to modify what really lay within… Taking a deep breath, he shut his eyes and concentrated. He peeled back the magical layers, shoving aside Facilier's handiwork and looking for the truth within it.

And when he found it, the absolute shock quite nearly made Diablo lose control of his spellwork and revert to his true form.

"No…" He whispered, his hands shaking as he stared at the empty eye sockets of the tiny totem. It seemed to beat in time with his own quickly hastening heart, for which Diablo grew increasingly uncomfortable. "But, it makes so much sense… Too much sense. It can be nothing else."

Yes, he knew now beyond a shadow of a doubt what Facilier had sealed inside of this insignificant-looking trinket:

His heart.

In retrospect, it made perfect sense. That was how Facilier was able to attract the Heartless, and the Voodoo magic coating his heart allowed him to strike deals with the Heartless as he would the Loa; it was a deal, not control. Facilier was in as much debt to them as he was to the Loa, and the Heartless would turn on him in an instant if this pendant shattered and his heart returned to his body.

But Diablo did not shatter it then and there, as there was still one question needing to be answered. "How did he learn how to do this…? No one in this backwater little world should have the knowledge."

Click.

Diablo froze at the sound behind him. A firearm preparing itself. He wasn't alone. Slowly turning around, Diablo found himself face to face with a one-eyed man and staring down the barrel of a spiky purple gun.

Braig grinned. "Looks like you dug just a little too deep."

---

I'm really, truly sorry for this. I believe this is the longest wait for a chapter there's ever been. I hit a serious case of writer's block, and that combined with moving into a new house and also that Disney worlds just tend to take longer for me to write… Well, it all kind of piled up.