Twilight Town, a place rivaled only by the refugee world Traverse Town that evokes a sense of romance and lethargy, a place where the worst of your troubles would be whether all the "seven wonders" had already been discovered, or the train running late while on its commute between districts. If there was a place in our world that could come close, it would have to be a combination of Paris and Venice, if the two also had a hint of steampunk architecture. The best time of day to visit this peaceful town would be in the hours of dusk, when the sun is about to sink into the mountains just before the horizon.

It is here where the wizard Merlin, and his pet owl Archimedes, currently reside, just outside the new Scrooge McDuck's new Bistro, finding a moment of respite from training Lea and Kairi in the ways of the Keyblade. A sorcerer unrivaled in the mastery of the magic arts, save maybe for Yen Sid, a former Keyblade Master and King Mickey's mentor, Merlin's life is steeped with mystery, misdirection, and contradiction, so it is difficult to determine just how old he really is. It is said that his mother was a princess of Atlantis, but it is also said that his father was supposedly a supernatural incubus who lived in the space between worlds.

Merlin initially rose to fame through his unique ability to see into the future, an ability few others can match without utilizing dangerous means. It said that during his youth, it was this ability, along with his wisdom, that allowed him to aid many historical and mythical kings of old, including but not limited to King Arthur of Britain, King Charlemagne and his Twelve Paladins, and Exalt Chrom of Ylisse. These days, Merlin can now travel through time seemingly without consequences, but tries to limit himself to using such power for personal site-seeing purposes, lest he change history for the worst.

The mysterious Wizard was enjoying his cup of tea while safe-guarding the book of Winnie the Pooh that not too long ago was visited by Sora. Beside the book are numerous pages of the Secret Reports gathered over the years, with notes and other scribbles written on them, indicating they've been read and analyzed numerous times. Merlin appeared to be lost in thought, "Hmmm, it should be any time now, those kids with more courage than I've seen in normal folk, trying to intervene in affairs far over their head."

"Who? Whoooooo?!" cried Archimedes while perched on Merlin's right shoulder. The grumpy and sarcastic owl then did a short glide onto the coffee table to address Merlin more directly. "I'd like to know who!"

"Now now, my dear Archimedes" Merlin said, trying to calm down his old friend, still trying to enjoy a moment's peace before he had to get back to the events at hand, namely the fight against Master Xehanort. "These children", he continued, "They not like our dear Keyblade students, in fact they have no powers to speak of. And yet they have taken it upon themselves to aid Sora in trying to bring back their lost friend of theirs, the nobody Roxas."

Archimedes scoffed "Hmph, but I was under the impression that, being a nobody, Roxas had returned to the body of who he came from, which you told me was this boy, Sora. I couldn't believe when Yen Sid told us that that silly boy thinks he can bring Roxas back, even though Nobodies and Heartless are incomplete beings, and can only cause trouble".

"Perhaps", Merlin agreed, "and yet certain Nobodies are said to retain a human like form, if the hearts of their previous life were strong enough. We cannot deny that this Roxas boy lived a life of his own, however brief it was. But alas, you are correct, I don't see how this could end well for Roxas. Do not fret, however, as there is still the chance of Roxas' memories surviving either through Sora, or the other boy that he shares a connection with, namely Eraqus's third student, Ventus."

Archimedes let his face get contorted in frustration, "Assuming neither Sora or this Ventus fellow start getting their memories confused from the life that Roxas lived." Merlin again showed his agreement with a sad nod. "Yes, and poor Lea still cannot forgive himself for how he treated Roxas during his final days with the Organization. Even now he beats himself up over it, and then he started talking about this girl within the Organization as well."

Archimedes' face turned side-ways, like a dog when it hears something curious, "Oh? Is it that lightning rod of a wench, Larxene?" Merlin let out a chuckle, "No no, silly owl, no, but Lea seems to be having trouble describing this girl. He can't remember her face, or even her name, only that she resembles Kairi in some way."

"Are you sure it was wise to leave Lea and Kairi under the care of Archer? That man is hardly suitable as teacher, let alone one for Keyblade wielders". "Archer has a versatile skillset", Merlin recounted, "One that will be useful for preparing Lea and Kairi for the various threats they will be facing in the near future, if they are to hold true to their promise to aid Yen Sid's band against Xehanort. His powers of projection and reinforcement allow him to use a variety of weapons, which makes him not only a good sparring partner, but also a valuable ally for us."

Archimedes remains unimpressed, "Hmph, that man always appears unstable. I don't know what he did before you summoned him, but it's quite clear that he cannot be trusted, he keeps too much too himself, how do we know he won't betray us? How do we know Xehanort didn't summon him first, and then sent him to you as a spy?"

"You worry too much, Archimedes," Merlin replied, now tired of arguing with the owl. "Archer has the right to keep some aspects of his life to himself, who are we to pry? How would you like it if-" Merlin pauses suddenly and stares into space, as if he barely noticed something in the distance, "Oh dear", he said.

This did not help with Archimedes' already short temper, "What, who? What-what?"

"It's starting," Merlin said. "The events I've seen are coming to pass….oh well, time to head off, old friend, it seems our break is over…. I was hoping I didn't have to use this form outside of training with Archer, Lea, and Kairi, but alas, it seems I must once again get directly involved in messy affairs."

Archimedes scoffed and replied, "Ha! One would think you'd know that, what with you seeing the future and time-travelling and all that."

Merlin let a smile slip onto his face, and began to glow a bright white light, his features changing but barely visible within the light, and then both he and Archimedes disappeared, and the light flicked out.

Ω

Not too far away from the Bistro, at the Old Mansion, a portal to darkness opens. Xehanort's heartless steps out, followed by Ansem the Wise, his former mentor in a previous life. The two looked at each other and groan in contempt, all the memories spent at this house rush back into both their minds, and it's clear they are unpleasant for both of them.

Unbeknownst to them, the three kids Hayner, Pence, and Olette, watch from a distance behind a tree, just outside the gate into the Old Mansion's estate. The chubby boy, Pence, can barely contain his excitement, "It's about time!" The slimmer boy, Hayner, rushes to him and covers his mouth, Pence yelled that out a little too loudly, "Hey, shut it!" Hayner whispered angrily.

The three kids looked back out to see if the two men heard them, they didn't. The three sighed in relief, "Come on" Hayner declared, and the three kids headed closer towards the mansion.

Just before Ansem and Xehanort head to the front door into the mansion, Ansem stopped in his tracks, unable to take another step. Xehanort caught wind of this, turned to face his old mentor whose name he stole, and his impatience skyrocketed, "What now?"

Ansem looked up, and stared at the window on the upper far-left floor of the mansion, with a face that spoke volumes of his guilt over his past experiments. What he did in the name of research, to be called "Ansem the Wise", was inhumane. How was he any better than the Organization, a group of intergalactic terrorists hell-bent on acquiring Kingdom Hearts for their own ends? At least Ansem felt the guilt, and would not stoop to their level anymore.

"Please," Ansem begged, abandoning his calm composure from when he was taken from Aqua, before she fell into darkness. "I have created enough victims.

"Yes, you have" Xehanort agreed. "All the children sacrificed in the name of your research…. So make things right."

"I told you I did not take her", Ansem persisted. "Her disappearance was why I put a stop to the research."

"And that makes you honorable?" Xehanort scoffed, not falling for any attempts from the old man at gaining sympathy. "You used Roxas and Namine and threw them away. I doubt there's a merciful bone in your body! You took the girl, and hid her." Xehanort turned back to the mansion and commanded, "Now, show me the data you are hiding here."

Ansem thinks back to those two kids used by the Organization, and countless more used under him, "Roxas and Namine… If there is any reason that I still draw breath, it is to atone for what I did to them."

Just outside the estate, Pence and Olette gasp at the mention of their friend Roxas. Well, not their friend, but according to Sora, who they reunited with a little while ago, Roxas was a boy who lived in a virtual version of Twilight Town, and was close friends with that version of Hayner, Pence, and Olette. After hanging out with Sora, and hearing about Roxas, the trio agreed that he seemed like a cool guy, and vowed to help bring him back, no matter what.

Pence whispered, "He said Roxas!" "Yeah" Hayner replied, hiding on the other side of the gate into the mansion estate. Olette chimed in, "That man needs us!", referring to Ansem. The two boys agreed, and the trio then resumed spying on the two cloaked men.

Ansem resumed, "If you do find the girl, what is it that you expect will happen?"

Xehanort replied, "The child's memory holds a mystery to unravel – one concerning the battle we seek between light and darkness. You know something, and that is why you stopped the experiments."

Now Ansem was done acting weak in front of his former apprentice, and was not to be talked down to anymore. "You are completely deluded, Xehanort."

But Xehanort only smirked, he knows his former mentor too well, "We shall soon see". He reached forward and grabbed the old man, and tried to shove him into the house.

Then, while their backs turned, Pence runs out into the open, "Yoo-hoo!" The two men were slightly startled and stopped in their place. "Excuse meee!" Pence continued.

Xehanort's impatience rose even further, and turned around to address this foolish and untimely development. "Who are you?" he groaned.

Pence, who wasn't expecting the younger man to address him so casually, awkwardly tried to continue the conversation, "Oh well, I'm looking for a friend who used to live here." As the two men faced the young boy, Olette had snuck into the estate by climbing on the walls, and quietly made her way towards Ansem.

"No one lives here, begone!" Xehanort declared. Pence dared to continue to keep his attention, and took a few steps closer to Xehanort "Um… but sir…"

Now Xehanort looked concerned, and in an out-of-character like manner, tried to warn the boy away "No-no-no! Not one more step. Get out!" But it was clear he would have to physically force the chubby boy away, so he went towards him. Using this opportunity, Olette sprang forward to grab Ansem by the hand.

"This way!" Olette whispered to the startled elderly, and pulled him away. Xehanort hear this and turned around, completely irritated and confused at how this whole situation unraveled. Hayner then jumps out into the open, and runs toward Xehanort while his back was turned, intended to kick him right in the face. "Hey loser!" Hayner cried out, declaring what was supposed to be his surprise attack.

But suddenly, Xehanort's guardian, a frightening heartless-like creature that resembles a black genie with large horns, materializes and catches Hayner by the foot while he was still mid-air. "Ooorr not!" Hayner cried out again. "Ughh, Hayner!" Pence groaned.

The guardian threw a screaming Hayner towards the wall of the estate, but before his body was able to land on the hard brick border, a white rope-like object slithers out of no-where and catches Hayner, wrapping him in a secure hold and safely landing him on the ground. Then more of these rope-like entities emerge from all around the group, before materializing into Dusk nobodies, and surround Xehanort and his guardian.

Pence lets out a surprised gasp, "The squiggly things?" Then the white rope that had saved Hayner unravels, setting him loose, before also materializing into a Dusk nobody, and proceeds to join its kin in keeping Xehanort at bay.

Hayner could not understand what he was seeing, as he remembered these things had terrorized Traverse Town not too long ago, but now, "They…. protected me" he remarked. But Pence was the one thinking clearly now, and he grabbed his friend by the arm, "Hayner! Get a move on!"

"Oh, okay" Hayner replied, still startled, but he managed to rise to his feet, and the two boys ran off into the woods.

Xehanort now addressed the Nobodies in a commanding tone, "I serve the Organization. This is treason." But then he smiled, as if he realized something. "I see what is happening. Have it your way then."

Ω

In the sewers, Ansem and Olette are catching their breath, confident that they made enough distance from Xehanort. Shortly after, Hayner and Pence arrive behind them. "Are you guys ok?" Olette asked concerningly. Hayner answered first, "Yeah, I think."

Pence took over, "Nobody knows the twists and turns of Twilight Town better than us."

Ansem took this time to study all three of the kids who risked their lives for him. Then he spoke, "You are Roxas's friends?"

"That's right", Hayner replied, "So you know him, too?"

"Oh yes, quite well", Ansem recalled.

"Pay dirt", Pence said with satisfaction. "Guess it was worth staking out the old mansion after all, because this guy here is what I call a lead." He then pulled the photo of him, Hayner, Olette, and Roxas that was taken in the virtual Twilight Town.

Olette speaks up, "That's the only proof we have that Roxas was our friend."

The three then look to Ansem, and Hayner asks, "Tell us about him. We wanna know him better."

But the group is interrupted by another voice further in the sewers, and it called out sarcastically, "My dear master. You are safe." It was Vexen, one of the smarter students under Ansem's tutelage, rivalled only by the younger and prodigious Ienzo.

"Who's there?!" Hayner yelled out defiantly, facing the new enemy. But Ansem asked calmly, "Even, is that you?" Vexen stood there in silence, so Ansem surmised, "So… those nobodies were your doing?"

Behind Vexen, four more Dusk nobodies appeared, two on each side of him, causing the three kids to shriek in terror.

Vexen finally speaks out, "It seems dear Xehanort is falling to his other persona again, the Keyblade wielder Terra. I haven't seen it this bad since before we did our coup on you. Part of the keyblade apprentice still lurks in there somewhere, and he was going to ensure that we lost Subject X forever."

The three kids stare at him in confusion, but Ansem recognized that term all too well. Vexen continued, "But Xehanort's actions do bring up a good point, if we finally acquire her, the amount of data we could gain from her would be unfathomable as far as not only completing our goal of activating Kingdom Hearts, but discerning the truth of the past, about the Keyblade War, about the One World, all of it! Now, tell me where did you hide her?!"

The three kids again looked at Vexon in confusion, while Ansem remained stoic and silent. Again, Vexen continued, "I don't know exactly when you did it, but who else could've had access to her cell? Who else would be foolish enough to do away with her after catching some sense of guilt or a conscience?"

"You will never use her again, Vexen. If I die keeping her location from you, then my only regret would be that I did not atone for all my sins before my passing."

Vexen groaned in frustration, but then laughed hysterically. "Fine then, I will make you tell me, then I will rise above the ranks of the Organization even further!"

Vexen motioned his hand towards Ansem and the kids, and at his silent command, the 4 Dusk nobodies charged at the group. Ansem was not as powerful as he once was, and he no longer commanded the powers of Darkness enough to defend himself or the kids. But still, he charged in front of the kids, raised his hands on either side, and attempted to defend them from the upcoming charge.

But then, before anyone could react, a bright light shined forth in between Vexen and the group, and a single slash in the air obliterated all 4 Dusk nobodies. It took a second for everyone to register what had happened, since the light temporarily blinded them. When the light finally went out, a single figure where the nobodies were slain. The figure wore a white robe and a hood covering its face, while inside the robe the figure wore a black tunic, with gold cross-like markings on the legs-coverings of the tunic. In its left hand was an odd-looking staff, part of which curved inward towards the top, making a shape similar to a question mark, with the tip of the curve straightened out like the rest of the staff below it, only in a spiral-like motion. Attached to the staff was an empty scabbard, and in the figure's right hand was a sparkling golden sword.

The owl Archimedes then appeared from above, and landed on the figure's right shoulder, "Alright then, Merlin, stop showing off and save these people already." The man smiled and turned to face the group, and they saw his youthful beardless face and silver-white hair from underneath the hood.

Merlin then addressed them, "My friends, Archimedes here will escort you out, while I deal with this nuisance.

"Stay out of this, wizard!" Vexen cried in frustration, but Merlin calmly turned back toward the black-cloaked scientist and pointed his sword at him. "Oh, trust me, I wanted to stay out, fighting like this is no longer my style, not since I was no longer too lazy to utter spells instead of just smacking people with my sword and staff. But hey, not everyone gets what they want."

Archimedes took off from Merlin's shoulder and flew towards the group, "Come along young ones, my good sir. None of you want to be here for this."

Pence protested, "But I do! This looks like it'll be awe-" but was interrupted by Archimedes, who landed on his head and started pecking on it with his beak. "No, no, no! Foolish boy, when I say move, you MOVE!" The group then made their way towards town, leaving Merlin and Vexen alone, finally.

"You will regret this!" Vexen cried out.

"Oh, what are you gonna do, throw a microscope at me?" Merlin replied nonchalantly. Vexen then summoned his shield, Frozen Pride. The shield was round at the top but formed a sharp point at the bottom, and was a blue color with silver borders, with five sharp arrow-like protrusions along the top.

"Ladies first" Merlin declared, and with that, Vexen charged at him with an angry groan. Merlin charged forward as well, and the two met each other with a furious clang of their weapons. The two, now inches from each other, stared into each other's eyes intently. Then the two break away and retreat backwards, with Vexen taking the opportunity to form an ice-like sword from the shield to match Merlin in physical combat.

Merlin then shoots three energy balls from his staff, and Vexen shoots three Blizzaga shards at them to counter. Once the two spells finish cancelling each other out, Vexen looks down to see Merlin gone form his spot, only to sense Merlin coming up behind him. Vexen barely managed to block Merlin's blade striking his left side, and then attempted to swing his ice sword onto Merlin's left side, only to be blocked by Merlin's surprisingly sturdy staff.

"Something tells me you don't fight very much, do you?" Merlin surmised cheekily. "You seem to rely more on your shield and ice magic, while your data replicas do the dirty work, am I correct?"

Vexen responded with hurt pride, "One such as myself should have no need to dirty my hands interacting with the likes of you!" With a screech, Vexen summoned three more Blizzaga shards above him, and hurled them towards Merlin. The white wizard notices this and back away safely, the shards hitting the ground and breaking apart.

Merlin than stands up straight, "Well, looks like I'm gonna have to finish this quickly, and I can't do that here."

Vexen looks at the wizard with contempt, "You over-estimate yourself, you hack!" But Merlin merely smirks, then, with his sword still in his right hand, grabs his staff with both hands and uses its base to hit the floor, and suddenly light spreads from the point the staff touched the ground, enveloping both Merlin and Vexen, forcing the latter to cover his eyes.

When the light finally died out, Vexen uncovered his eyes to see that he was no longer in the sewers of Twilight Town, but in a field of blooming flowers. A tower was seen in the distance behind Merlin, and Vexen finally gathered that the wizard was going to prepare for a powerful attack, otherwise he wouldn't have transported them both away from civilians.

Holding his shield up, Vexen hissed, "You would get along with Marluxia."

Merlin's eyebrow raised, "Oh? A fellow botanist, is he?" Before Vexen could answer, Merlin raised his sword-hand straight up, and the sword began to glow a brilliant yellow, getting more intense as the seconds go by. "It's a shame you went down this path," Merlin stated, "had you chosen another route, you could've been on the winning side, but I guess it just didn't work out for you this time?"

Vexen gritted his teeth and yelled at the wizard, summoning countless blizzaga shards, all pointed at the wizard. With his shield still up, Vexen motioned the shards toward Merlin, while Merlin finally released the energy built up in his sword.

"EX….CALIBUR!" with that word, Merlin swung his sword down, and a massive amount of energy burst forth from the sword and shot towards Vexen, annihilating all his ice shards and overwhelming his shield. Vexen let out one more cry, and then ceased to be. The remains of the energy from the sword died out, and all that remained was a massive scar on the field. Merlin then looked dissatisfied, "Ugh, now look what you made me do… all my flowers…."

Ω

Back at their hideout, the three kids, Ansem, and Archimedes sat patiently, waiting for Merlin to come to them.

Hayner finally broke the silence, "Are you sure that guy knows where to find us?" he asked the owl.

"Oh, trust me young fellow", Archie responded, "it's hard to hide from that man. He'll find us soon enough, and don't about him, he can take on that effeminate goon without a hitch."

Ansem then spoke up in a solemn voice, "I thank you again, all of you, for risking yourselves for me. I was afraid I would have lost my life before I had the chance to atone for my sins."

The three kids and the owl stared at him, with the kids all letting out a sad sigh. But then Pence said in a reassuring tone, "Whatever you did, it couldn't have been too bad! It sounded like those other guys just tricked you into teaching them stuff, then kicked you out before you could stop them!"

Ansem appreciated his words, but could not bring himself to accept them. "If only it was easy as that, young one. Subject X was an attempt at replicating another's abilities and memories, even if said person had been deceased for a long time. Due to the difficulties we had of regaining her lost memories, it was then decided to use a replica, a human doll-like contraption of our making, to absorb her memories, and perhaps even her abilities in the process. The theory was that the replica would then be able to present the memories in a fashion more readily readable for us. Unfortunately, it was here when we discovered that the replicas could also be used as weapons, due to their abilities weakening the host, draining them of their life force. As you can see, the experiment had dangerous applications outside of scientific and historical discovery. It could be used as an interrogation technique, or even a weapon to steal whoever it is you sought to dominate, and it would become an obedient doll, provided you could control the memories absorbed along with the powers of the individual."

Ansem paused to observe the reactions of the kids and the owl as they listened to him, expecting them to be frightened or disgusted at what kind of man he was, but to his surprise, they looked at him without judgement, while Archimedes looked at him sternly, but otherwise Ansem couldn't get a negative reading out of them. With that, he continued, "The idea of a replicating doll absorbing another's life force was actually introduced to me by someone else, a man equally gifted in the ways of science, no, I dare say he surpassed even me." The kids and owl all let out a surprised gasp. "He was a traveler, not unlike Sora and his friends, and while I didn't ask the traveler to train under me like with Xehanort, he instead wished to share knowledge with me, deeming me 'worthy' as such. Initially, I thought he was an arrogant young man, but his knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, astrology and astronomy, all the scientific fields, utterly blew away my expectations of him. This was before I took in Ienzo, a prodigy in his own right, and even though I was ecstatic to work with him, he insisted that he could not stay long, that he had other plans."

Archimedes interrupted, "Young man, eh? Couldn't have been Master Xehanort, unless it was his past self, travelling around and mucking things up. But from what I gathered from Merlin and Yen Sid, you didn't meet him until he was possessing that poor boy's body"

"Indeed", Ansem agreed, "The man you described, this Master Xehanort, is not someone I recognize. But the Xehanort I worked with was quite young when I first met him, and by then I had Ienzo and several others working under me. While I was trying to perfect my replica program, this traveler told me of another, more efficient process of storing energy and memories called Homunculi"

"Humma-what?" Pence blurted out, and Hayner and Olette looked at him angrily for interrupting Ansem. "What?" blurted Pence again.

But it was Archimedes who took over the exposition, "Ah, a homunculus, the representation of a small human being, at least that's what the original concept was when alchemists brought it up centuries ago. Ancient alchemists theorized that all organisms were created at the same time, and were 'pre-formed' as miniature versions of themselves, before eventually progressing and maturing into what you are used to seeing today in people and animals. This was an early attempt to explain the origins of creation, and of course others believe that only certain species of organisms came about first, after the creation of the Original World from which all worlds today supposedly split apart from. In order to prove this theory, alchemists, and eventually mages as well, would try to artificially create homunculi based on what they thought were the conditions that brought them about in the first place. After many years, though, it became more apparent that this idea preformationism was losing its validity as more evidence came about that discredited the theory, namely ancient civilizations and the forms the inhabitants and animals had at the time."

Ansem stared at the owl, impressed, "You are very well read, master Archimedes".

Hearing adoration from a fellow intellectual pleased the owl, "Well, I'm the smart side of Merlin after all, I'm surprised he gets on at all without me around. Anyway, while the theory of preformationism died out, the creation and use of homunculi only rose in popularity. Since the only evidence of a homunculus was the experimental beings created by alchemists and mages, the term eventually became affiliated with an artificial life form, as opposed to the miniature precursor of all-natural life forms. Alchemists and mages discovered that their homunculi had unique properties, namely they could store power and information, making them valuable for manual labor as well as research. Their human-like appearance made them easy to get along with, while their lack of true emotions made them expendable, and therefore did not apply to any laws protecting any rights of those considered 'living beings', at least, not at first. Back then, alchemists and mages seemed to have more efficient means of extracting the life force as well as magical energy, and storing them into a homunculus, but their specific methods have been lost. What we do know is that at some point, using a homunculus became illegal, as the lines between what makes someone a life form, and therefore have certain rights, became blurred, and the higher ups of the time warned of dangerous notions on how homunculi could change the very foundation on how we view ourselves and the universe around us. At the time, very little information was available on how we were created, since the discovery and use of homunculi was after an event called "The Great Cataclysm" that seemingly created all the worlds from the One, so people got all philosophical about our origins, and what the nature of the homunculi implied of us. People were afraid that we would all worry that we were descendants of someone else's creation, left to fend for ourselves, and that we could no longer justify our lives, or something along those lines. Quite frankly, I always assumed someone got cozy with a homunculus, and then got misty eyed when that person heard the homunculus was 'misused', and made a whole debacle of it. If you can't tell the difference between a human and a homunculus, then you're a damn fool!" the owl ended with a hoot.

Ansem then spoke up, "Be that as it may, I did not possess the means to procure a homunculus of my own, but with the tools I had at the time, the replicas were the closest I was able to achieve."

Olette then chimed in, "Excuse me, you said something about a Great Cataclysm?"

"Yes" the owl responded, "for now it seems that the Keyblade War of long ago might be the great cataclysm that Merlin and I discovered in our research not too long ago, which of course, would then completely change the timeline of when the Keyblade war supposedly took place. Those of us who are aware of it have been told that it took place barely a couple of centuries ago, which of course was suspicious even then. And yet that's what everyone was told to go along with, as if they were all compelled to leave the matter alone. I suppose I can understand the nature of forbidding certain knowledge, such as the homunculi, but for historical purposes, you'd think we'd want more detail on the War, so as to not repeat it. And quite frankly, I'm surprised that your wandering genius knew about the Homunculi, master Ansem, let alone suggest them for your own work with the replicas. Only certain Keyblade masters knew of this information, and even then, they were tight-lipped about it. If it wasn't for Merlin's reputation that helped him gain a strong professional relationship with the Keyblade Masters via Yen Sid way back then, even he wouldn't have stumbled upon this information, which we only recently were able to discover now that the situation has become dire enough for us to desperately search through all the Secret Reports Yen Sid was able to salvage in the Mysterious Tower for anything useful. Did this traveler mention anything else about him? Where he came from, his goals, anything? Could you describe his physical features?"

Ansem thought hard for a little while before finally answering, "The only other matter he brought up to me, and this was when he was about to resume his travels, was that he had to look for a black box, and that the conditions must be right to obtain the box if he was to learn the truth. As for his appearance, he kept his face hidden behind a mask or helmet, and otherwise wore a cloak with a hood. It seems customary these days to hide your appearance as such."

The kids and the owl then stared intently at Ansem, contemplating his words. "A black box?" Archimedes said, "Nothing else? Did you ask about what this box was?"

Ansem shook his head, "He would not elaborate anymore, that's all that he was willing to share with me, if only to enlighten me somewhat on what he was searching for during his travels."

Then a voice came from outside the hideout, startling all but Ansem and Archimedes, "A black box, you say?" It was Merlin, still in his younger form, and he cackled silently when he saw that he shocked the kids so suddenly. "Well, from what I've been told by my sources, the evil fairy Maleficent is looking for a black box these days, and that she was led on this merry goose chase by a cloaked man."

Archimedes, unamused, addressed Merlin casually, "I take it you dealt with the so-called scientist member?"

"Indeed" replied Merlin, "and I surely hope you don't have anymore information on replicas stored anywhere, do you Ansem?"

"Indeed not" the wise sage replied, "I would not have another poor soul, artificial or otherwise, but put to horrid use. I took the blueprints and had them destroyed."

Satisfied, Merlin said, "Well, in that case, we might as well secure you in your old residence, the Radiant Gardens, so that you're no longer at risk by the Organization. I've already let Leon and Ienzo know that we're coming"

Ansem looked away and contemplated Merlin's plan. "To go back to my home, after all these years…. And Ienzo is there, you say?"

"Indeed" confirmed Merlin, "Once we secure you there, I'll relay everything you guys talked about here with Yen Sid back at the Tower." Ansem nodded in agreement, then Merlin continued, "And uh…. Sorry kids, we're gonna have to wipe your memories of this, can have top-secret stuff in your heads."

All three kids then yelled out in protest, but it was Pence who said, "Aww! You don't trust us?!"

"I mean, I kinda don't" Merlin replied, "but not because I think you'll be announcing to the whole town everything you heard here with a microphone or anything, assuming you understood an iota of what Archie or Ansem said?" The kids then chuckled nervously. "It's because there are people out there who would love to have information like this, and they have very nasty means of getting it out of you. Even if you kids don't remember everything you heard now, if someone bad finds out that kids like you know even a little bit of this, they won't be kind to you when the rip the information out of you, and they'll be able to get all the information out of your head, whether you personally remember it all or not."

The kids then reluctantly agreed, but before Merlin was about to obliviate their minds, Hayner asked, "Wait! What about Roxas? And the virtual Twilight Town? We were hoping to find enough data in there to maybe… I don't know…. Rebuild Roxas and bring him back somehow. We sent what data we could to that Ienzo guy, but we haven't heard back yet…."

They all faced Ansem, who then answered, "You will not find anything useful in there, I assure you. What little information there is concerning Roxas, you will not be able to revive him with that."

"And besides" Archimedes interrupted, "Roxas is a nobody, so he's already where he's supposed to be. If anything, it's Ventus that we need to worry about, but that's none of your concern, children."

"But don't fret", Merlin said, taking over, "We've found out that Sora is housing another heart inside him, and if it's who I think it is, you will see Roxas again in some form, and I'm sure he'll be glad to see you all as well." With a smile on each of their faces, Merlin waved his hand and sent the kids to sleep, memories wiped of the last couple of hours. Merlin then faced the wise sage, beckoning him to follow the wizard and owl outside the little hideout, "Ansem?"

Ansem then stood up straight and responded, "Lead the way, Merlin" and the two headed into a bright portal conjured by the white wizard, and disappeared.