Kingdom Hearts III - Alternate Ending

by GhostWriterX

I had been developing my follow-up story, which takes place after KH 3, before the game came out. Because of that, I had to write and post my own version of KH 3's ending so my story makes sense. My ending follows the game for the most part, with the changes getting more noticeable as the chapters go on. The "Preface" section explains myself further if you're interested.

4. Chapter 3 - Saving Ven and Roxas

The Radiant Gardens, formerly known as Hollow Bastion, the world used by Maleficent as the base of her operations when she was more directly involved with the Keyblade wielders. Now the central hub for one of the factions of the warriors of light who aim to take down Xehanort. Ienzo is staring at the screen, dissatisfied at his progress.

"We've come a long way toward reconstructing Roxas's heart. But a vessel, without that…" Ienzo continues to ponder and mutter to himself, "Yeah right. Bodies don't just grow on trees, Ienzo."

Beside him is Cid, sitting and intently at work. "I tell ya, kid" Cid grumbled in between puffs of his cigarette, "your teacher did a damn good job at locking this stuff, I haven't busted my crack this hard since Shinra."

Ienzo turned to him with a disgusted look, "I thought I told you to keep your smoking AWAY from this environment!" Cid then stopped his work and faced the young scientist with equal disgust, "and I thought I told YOU where you can shove it! I agreed to help you, but from what I understand, we still don't entirely like you yet!"

Appalled, Ienzo said, "Wha- I'll have you know that I was working in this facility long before you did!"
Standing up so that he towers over him, Cid replied, "And I'll have YOU know that I've been living on this rock LONG before you set foot in this here building to begin with!"

"Guys, enough, we've got work to do", came a voice from out in the hall. It was Leon, who had taken to be the leader of the Radiant Gardens Restoration committee, and agreed to supervise the return of Ansem's former associates. Standing beside him was the skinny and plucky ninja Yuffie.

"I told you they'd be at it again if we left them for a sec!" the lanky ninja exclaimed. "You'd think ol' Cid would warm up to another techie, but noope, now he's gotta prove who the bigger gearhead is!"

Ignoring her, Leon asked, "Any progress, guys? We've got to come up with something for Sora, after all he's done for us."

Both Ienzo and Cid turned back to the monitor, and both out a frustrated sigh. Ienzo spoke first "Unfortunately no, but even if we did, we'd need a vessel to place this heart in, and since Vexen is on their side again, the chances of procuring a vessel are slim."

"No need to worry about that," said a voice from thin air. This startled all of them, and a light portal materialized in the room. From the portal came Merlin and Archimedes. Then Merlin spoke to Ienzo "Vexen's been dealth with, so he won't be making any more pesky copies to fill out Xehanort's ranks. As for the heart you're looking into, we already have a vessel, the original one it belonged to, we just need to find it."

Everyone looked at Merlin with slight shock, it was Leon who spoke first, "Merlin, is that you?" If it wasn't for Archimedes perched on his shoulder like they've seen him do lately, they wouldn't have been able to register the fact that the vibrant white wizard standing before them was the old and blue-cloaked Merlin they came to know.

Then Merlin continued, "Before anyone says anything else, I have someone else here with me." He moved out of the way, and allowed Ansem to step through the portal, then it closed out of existence.

"Master Ansem!" Ienzo cried. Ansem couldn't help but smile, as this was a warmer reception than the one he dreaded. Then he responded his pupil, "Ah, well met, little Ienzo." From behind Leon and Yuffie, Aeleus and Dilan came running, and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw their old mentor again.

Ienzo was on the verge of tears, but tried to hide them and looked away from Ansem's eyes. "They told me you'd gone mad. That you abandoned us. I was just a boy… but I should have known better! I am truly, deeply sorry!".

Ansem then walked up to his youngest pupil, who now looks just as young as he did when they first met. Placing his hands on Ienzo's little shoulders, Ansem reassured him, "I think what matters is that you recognize the mistake. Peace Ienzo." Ienzo then worked up the courage to look up at his master again, before Ansem continued, "It was I was consumed by hatred – who failed you in my obligations as your mentor. Forgive me." Ienzo smiled as tears continued to run down his face.

Off to the side, Aeleus and Dilan were also in tears of joy to see Ansem again, while Leon and Yuffie try their best to stay calm and let the scene play out.

Then Merlin spoke up, "Well then, Leon, I leave him in your care, alright?" Leon took a second before nodding to Merlin, but then Ienzo interjected, "W-wait, Merlin! Did you say that you already had a vessel for the second heart inside Sora? The 'original vessel' as you put it?"

"Yup" Merlin replied, "so thanks so much for decoding that, now we know for sure where Ventus's heart is." But Ienzo looked concerned. "Hmm, I don't know of any Ventus, but the readings here indicated that the memories contained in this heart, many of them anyway, are that of Roxas. There are some other memories in here too, though we haven't finished decoding them. Honestly, I was surprised how much content was in here, but if these memories belong to someone called Ventus, then that explains one thing, but…" Ienzo trailed off.

Irritated, Merlin persisted, "But?" Ienzo continued, "I can already say now that it'll be difficult to separate the memories of this Ventus, and that of Roxas, considering how intertwined they are. Like Sora, this Ventus may get more memories than he's used to, but unlike Sora, it might be more than he can bear. Does Ventus, by any chance, resemble Sora or Roxas?"

"From what I can tell" Merlin answered, "Ventus and Roxas are identical in appearance. The reason Roxas was assumed to be Sora's nobody was because he's what popped up when Sora lost his heart, and since nobodies looked somewhat like their original forms, the fact that Roxas resembled Sora was just a massive coincidence. The fact is, though, Roxas took the form of Ventus because, well, I guess he had Ventus, and only Ventus's heart, inside him. As for what Sora's actual nobody would look like and sound like, who knows?"

Ienzo, nodding at Merlin's words, then said, "I only fear for how this Ventus will take these new memories, and how it'll affect his personality."

"Let us worry about that" Merlin said. "You guys are done here, where as I have one more stop to make." And with that, Merlin summoned up another light portal, and disappeared. Ansem, now alone, faces his former students, as well as Leon and Yuffie. "We have much to discuss", the wise man said, "but I promise you this, I will atone for my sins. But now, I must venture back into my virtual world, and retrieve Subject X."

Ω

The Mysterious Tower, a world that has managed to avoid the ever-growing threat of the Heartless and the Organization. The central hub for the other faction of light, a small band of Keyblade wielders led by former Keyblade Master Yen Sid, who, together with the equally capable wizard Merlin, has taken the lead against the forces of Master Xehanort.

It is here that Aqua shared her story with Yen Sid, while Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey listen on as she catches everyone up from her point of view.

After a short while, Yen Sid responds, "Hmmm, well, we are of course glad to see you back among us, Master Aqua. It pains me that we were not able to aid you sooner."

But Aqua smiled and shook her head, "Thank you, but don't worry about me. I'm grateful that you took me in and restored me back to good health, but now I must go see to Ventus, he's still all alone where I left him. Once he's safe and sound, only then can we see to Terra."

Sora then spoke up, "Well, I just got a message here on the Gummiphone from Ienzo and the guys back at Radiant Garden. He said they can confirm that I have Ventus's heart as well, so I'll go with you when we wake him up, ok?" Aqua smiled and nodded, and then a voice came from outside the room.

"I'd like to come to", the doors opened as the voice said that, and in came Axel. Behind him was Kairi, and another man as well. With joy, Sora and Riku went to Kairi to greet her, with Sora embracing her in his arms. Kairi hugged him back tightly, before the two let go so that Riku could greet her with a brief hug as well.

"Well look at you" Riku said, "before you know it, you'll be the one saving us". Kairi chuckled, "I hope so, I don't want to be a burden to you guys ever again. From now on, I want to keep you safe." She turned to Sora, and he said, "There's no one else I'd rather have watching my back." Sora and Kairi then gazed longingly into each other's eyes, before the third man who was with her and Axel broke the mood with a clearing of his throat.

"Hm-hmm, now that that's all settled with, I believe the Keyblade maiden here was making the point to go and save another one, and the more we have on our side, the better." Sora now got a chance to get a good look at the guy. He had tanned skin and white, spiky here, though not as spiky as Sora's. His clothes consisted of a sleek armor-like black tunic from his neck all the way to his feet, with markings on the chest and stomach that somewhat resembled a heart symbol. On top of that, the man wore a red cloak that seemed to be two separate pieces of clothing upon further inspection; the top half covered his arms and part of his back, while the bottom half covered the back of his legs. His voice was low and gruff, as if he was battle-hardened, and from the looks of it, Sora could believe he was.

Axel then groaned in frustration at the fact that the man had interrupted their reunion. "Ugh, for God's sake man, learn to read the room before you ruin the moment." Kairi chuckled again and went to Axel to calm him down. "It's ok, Axel, Archer didn't mean anything by it." But Axel snorted, "you're too sweet on him, you know that? If he was as tough on you as he was with me, you wouldn't be so easy on him."

The man, Archer, then spoke up, "Well if you were as committed to this as she was, I wouldn't be up your ass as far as training goes."

Axel replied furiously, "YOU STAY OUT OF MY ASS FROM NOW ON, GOT IT!?" The rest of the group, minus Yen Sid and Archer, laughed at Axel's remark. As the laughter died down, Aqua finally managed to get a good look and Kairi, and registered that Kairi was the little girl that she saw all those years ago. She then walked up to Kairi, and examined the necklace she wore. "Incredible! It is you."

Kairi could only respond confusingly, "Huh?" then Mickey walked up to them and asked, "You know her?" Aqua turned to face him, "When you and I first met in Radiant Garden, the Unversed tried to attack a little girl. Do you remember?" Mickey rattled his memories, and eventually recalled the situation Aqua spoke of with surprise. "Oh gosh!" the King said, "that little girl was Kairi?"

Kairi continued to look dumbfounded as they spoke, then Aqua said with joy, "I guess it must've worked – the spell that I cast on you." Kairi looked sad when she replied, "I'm sorry, those days are hazy for me." Then her mood changed, and she said "But it sounds like I'd have been in trouble without you. So, thank you" she finished with a bow.

Aqua raised her hand in reply, "Please. You were really, very little. Anyone would forget, hazy memory or not. Then Axel was the one who interrupted the reunion with a loud clearing of his throat, but before he could speak, Archer said, "Oh, so YOU can do that?" Everyone else chuckled while Axel briefly turned to Archer, pointing a finger at him that implied to keep silent. Then Axel turned back and faced the group, saying, "Look, this is actually all very touching, but now we have a problem. According to what I've been told, Ven looks just like Roxas, or is it Roxas looks just like Ven?" The group pondered at his statement, then he continued, "Which, now that I realize, I'll have to explain all of this to him, which is in itself a very long story…and apparently everybody else already knows everyone, and this is an insane amount to get memorized!"

It was at this point that Jiminy Cricket decided to jump out of Sora's pocket and onto his head, catching Axel off guard, "Huh? NOW WHO?!" Jiminy then addressed everyone, "Not to worry, folks. To help us out, I've given each of you a Gummiphone. They've got summaries of everything that's happened so far. That way, you can read up, if you'd like. And if anyone has any questions, we can call each other!"

"That's our Jiminy!" Donald said, impressed. "He's always prepared!" agreed Goofy, joyously. "Mmm hmm!" replied Jiminy, pridefully.

Axel then responded, "I'll admit, this will be very useful, but…. What are we gonna do about them? It's likely that Sora has Ven's heart, not Roxas. In the end, Roxas, regardless of what he looks like, is Sora's nobody, but the spare heart inside Sora, that's Ventus. What will happen to Roxas once Ventus comes back? Will all trace of him disappear once Sora and Ventus exist simultaneously?"

Then Archer placed a hand on Axel's shoulder, and said reassuringly, "Don't worry about that, Merlin told us before he released us from the training grounds at the Garden of Avalon that Roxas's memories will likely merge in with Ventus. And since the two look alike, you'll get to see your friend again, anyway." Archer ended with a smirk, which actually cheered Axel up. Archer's expression then changed as he took his hand off of Axel, and said, "If anything, we'll have to monitor the boy when he wakes, up, make sure he's stable, since he'll be juggling two identities up here," when he finished, he pointed his finger to his own head. Then he continued, "The circumstances from which Sora's nobody came about are extremely unique, as the nobody ended up serving as a spare vessel for Ventus's heart. And his treatment at the Organization didn't do the heart any favors. Just keep that in mind when you go to retrieve him, he'll could be in a very delicate state".

Yen Sid agreed with Archer's statement with a grunt, then addressed both Aqua and Axel when he said, "Indeed, are you two prepared for what happens when Ventus wakes up, Aqua? Axel?"

Aqua nodded with confidence, while Axel said, "I have to see him again, I have to be there when he wakes up. After what I did to him, how I lied to him, then blamed him for leaving, despite the fact that I held things from him and drove him away, I just can't wait anymore. I know this'll be weird, since he'll primarily be Ventus, but… I just HAVE to go with them to wake him up, this is the only chance I'll get to say I'm sorry…."

Axel finished with his head downward in shame, then Kairi walked up to him and held his hand, "Don't worry, Axel. He'll remember you, and more importantly, he'll forgive you. Once he learns how helpful you've been lately, he'll understand." Then Sora stepped up and said, "Something tells me… he already does understand. When you and I fought, in fact, whenever I met people that Roxas knew, I'd feel something. So… when Ventus wakes up, he'll be able to tell you that himself!" Sora ended with a smile and a thumbs up.

Axel looked up at them and smiled, "Thanks guys, really…" They smiled back at them. With that, Aqua, Axel, and Sora were heading out. Archer then spoke up, "I'm going with you too. The rest of them will be safe here, but I doubt the coast will be clear once you reveal Ventus's location. With Riku and Mickey backing up Yen Sid, this place will be fortified. The enemy doesn't know about me yet, and I can conceal my presence rather well."

Aqua nodded in agreement, "I'll appreciate any help you can give us, Archer. Sora gave one more look at Kairi and Riku, then Donald and Goofy, and then the group headed out.

Ω

Castle Oblivion, a construct that defies logic, a place that slowly stole Sora's memories the last time he ventured deeper into its halls. Here, amidst a dark environment, the group beams down from the Gummiship, and approaches with caution.

Aqua then spoke up, "Hmm, I said I'd be right back, but I'm not even close. I'm in for an earful."

"Not as big of an earful that I'll get, promise you that" Axel replied.

Then Sora spoke up, "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you guys, regardless. He'll understand, he has to."

Archer grunted "Don't be so sure, Sora. He might be vaguely aware of what's happened while he slept, but it'll be another thing entirely when he wakes up for the first time in a decade, and all those memories rush back in to a mind and body that's been inactive during that time. We don't know how he'll react, so expect the unexpected."

But Sora wouldn't budge, "I get that, but… I have faith in him. We'll be there to help him when he wakes up, and then he'll be happy to see Aqua and Axel again." Archer frowned in irritation, "Kairi mentioned how painfully altruistic you are, but my God, you're worse than me when I was your age."

Sora merely smiled and laughed at the comment, then the group finally approached the gate to the castle. Aqua took a deep breath, then stood still and silent for a few moments. Finally, she summoned her keyblade, pointed it at the Castle, and deactivated the lock with a violent burst of energy and wind, causing the others to stand fast and prevent themselves from being blown away. The Castle and environment then changed shape, with extra rooms bursting from the sides of the castle walls, and the dark and dreary atmosphere gave way to a bright and sunny environment, with mountain ranges and a clear blue sky. The ground they were standing one was revealed to be tall platform, one of many, and the last one that leads into the castle. Axel and Sora took in the atmosphere in surprise, while Archer took the opportunity to scan the environment. Then Aqua, Axel, and Sora walked up the stairs and entered the Castle, oblivious that Archer had already concealed himself elsewhere.

Inside the castle, the three Keyblade wielders look upon a large and brightly lit hallway, with symbols decorated on the floor. Aqua turns to Sora and Axel and asks, "Ready?" The two nod in affirmation, and the trio head down the hall to a fork end, with stairs on both sides. The three pick a side and run up the stairs. They then run down another long hallway before finally entering a large empty room, except at one end where, on a slightly raised surface, a boy sits, peacefully asleep, on a large thrown-like chair.

Aqua lets out a gasp, then runs straight to the boy, with Axel and Sora not far behind her. Aqua finally reaches the chair and reaches out to the boy, "Ven…" she caresses his cheek, but no answer. She tries to hold in tears and holds his head to her own, "I'm sorry it took so long." But still the boy would not respond. Now all three of them were getting nervous, with Aqua especially concerned. She tries harder now to get a response and grabs Ven's shoulders "Ven, wake up. Open your eyes, please!" But still, the body would not respond, and now Aqua didn't care about the tears, and let them rush down her face. Axel and Sora stood helpless, none of them know exactly how to transfer the heart from Sora to Ven, and yet they've come so far to see the two reunite. Aqua continued, "Why? Can't you see heart found its way home?" The three then stood there, hoping to get some form of response, until they got one, but from another person behind them.

"That was a neat trick!" the voice said, and all three of them turned around to see Vanitas walking up to them, this time without the Organization cloak that Sora saw him wear at Monstropolis. Now, he only wore his biosuit, which resembled a dark-red version of the suit Sora saw Riku wear when he was corrupted by Darkness. Vanitas spoke again, "No wonder no one could find him."

Sora spoke up first, "Vanitas!" Both he and Axel summoned their keyblades, while Aqua ran in front of Ven's body as if to shield him, and addressed the dark warrior, "Why are you here?"

Vanitas replied, "Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt your touching reunion." Axel interrupted with "Yeah, that's been happening a lot lately." Then Vanitas resumed, "But surely you wouldn't begrudge me a moment with my brother?" Ignoring his question, Sora and Axel charged at Vanitas, who only laughed and phased through the two boys, catching them off guard. They all looked around, until Aqua heard him teleport to the top of the chair were Ven lay asleep. "What?" Aqua said, shocked.

"So Venty Wenty wants to keep sleeping" Vanitas said mockfully, "What am I ever going to do with you?"

"Shut up!" Aqua replied, and summoned her Keyblade and prepared to attack him. She jumped up and lunged at the dark warrior, but he remained in place and casually blocked her Keyblade with his own. While she was still mid-air, Vanitas said boastfully, "You better settle down there, Master!" and with a motion, shoved her back. Aqua did a backflip and landed gracefully on her feet, with Vanitas landing in front of her, his back now towards Ventus.

Sora spoke up, "Aqua, I'll handle him!" Then Axel responded, "Don't be crazy! We'll all handle this guy!" But Aqua shook her head, "No. I'm ending this."

Axel objected again, "Honestly, Aqua, you may be at full power now, but it'd be better if we all ganged up on him!" But Aqua motioned them to stay back, then turned to them, "Sorry, but you've seen me too weak, too often. Now it's my turn to shine." With that, she turned back to Vanitas, and conjured up a massive barrier, separating her and Vanitas from Axel and Sora.

Sora called out to her, "Aqua!" Axel continued to object, "Dammit Aqua, don't do this!" as he banged on the barrier. But she didn't respond to them anymore, she faced Vanitas, as he changed into his battle stance, his sword-arm held back, with the blade pointing towards his enemy, parallel to his free arm, a stance very similar to Riku's…

Aqua charged at Vanitas, who shot out 3 Firaga balls. Aqua cart-wheeled around all of them, and engaged Vanitas directly, who blocked her attack and shot another Firaga ball at her, sending her back. Vanitas then jumped up and vanished, while the three Firaga balls from earlier homed in on Aqua. With a quick activation of Reflega, the fire balls hit her barrier harmlessly. Once her Reflega barrier disappeared, Vanitas rematerialized and jumped back down, intent on cutting down Aqua.

She barely managed to avoid the attack, causing Vanitas to strike the ground instead, and the shockwave from the impact sent her back. But as she let herself be pushed back, she pointed her blade at Vanitas and fired off her own Firaga spell, catching him before he could raise his blade and defend himself.

Then Aqua landed on her feet and jumped back towards Vanitas, and unleashed a flurry of graceful swings on the helpless dark warrior. But on the last swing, Vanitas appeared to phase out of her site, his body falling slowly into the ground. Distracted by this, Vanitas ended up teleporting behind her and, with the same cutting motion last time, landed a direct hit on Aqua before once again landing on the ground, and another shockwave sent her flying back in pain.

"Aqua!" The two boys yelled out from beyond the barrier. Aqua managed to get up, despite the pain, and activated her shot-lock command, only for Vanitas to vanish into the floor and rise again near her with an eruption of Firaga spells in all directions. Aqua only managed to block a few with her blade, then decided to risk it by activating her shot-lock command again, while Vanitas was still airborne. She managed to lock on to him, and fired a barrage of multi-colored energy beams that slithered through the air and homed in on Vanitas, blowing up spectacularly every time one landed on him.

Vanitas tried to stay standing, but it appeared he took a lot of damage from that last attack. Aqua prepared another volley from the shot-lock, while Vanitas prepared another flurry of Firaga balls. "You wish!" Vanitas boasted, implying Aqua will not hit him a second time. The two then shot their respective spells toward each other, with the spells cancelling each other out in the space between them in a spectacular fashion.

Then the two charged at each other again, each trying to get a strike at the other, but only to be blocked by the other, or otherwise missing each other entirely. "Give it up!" Vanitas screamed, but Aqua persisted, until finally the two stopped trying to attack each other and retreated a few steps to give each other distance. Then Vanitas tried to use his teleporting-pounce move again on Aqua, but this time Aqua waited for him. As soon as he appeared above her to strike down, she dodged at the last second and activated her Ghost Drive ability. Axel and Sora looked in on amazement as they saw Aqua move with incredible speed, so much so that she left after-images all around Vanitas every time she struck him from a different angle. After 6-8 strikes, the after-images and Vanitas were engulfed in a powerful explosion.

Aqua landed away from Vanitas, and in the midst of the smoke from the explosion, she heard him grunt, "I'll… let you have this one" falling to one knee as he yielded the battle to her. As Aqua stands triumphantly, Vanitas quickly rises back up, turns around, and unleashes more Firaga spells, this time toward Ventus. While the barrier Aqua erected stops the fire balls, the barrier takes noticeable damage. Vanitas laughs and tries again, but this time Aqua jumps in front of the broken section of the barrier with barely enough time to block the attack, as the fire balls land on her full force.

Vanitas laughs as he approaches the helpless Aqua, now lying on the ground after taking the full force of his last attack. Axel and Sora are barely heard screaming her name in the background, while Vanitas prepares to end her life by raising his keyblade just above her chest. Just as he lowers his blade to pierce Aqua's body, an arrow-like object flies through the broken barrier and pierces Vanitas right in the heart. He lets out a pained grunt as he's pushed back from the force of the stab.

Sora and Axel see Vanitas pushed back and fall to the ground, and as the rest of the barrier starts to crumble, Vanitas grabs hold of the arrow that pierced his heart, and sees that it's actually a long red spear with runic markings. Then he hears a voice talking to him, as well as steps creeping closer to his body. "Gae Bolg, a crimson spear that is said to inflict wounds that will never heal naturally, and even when using magic, the wound will never heal completely." Vanitas then turns his head to see Archer standing next to him, his intense face staring down at Vanitas's damaged helmet. Archer then continued, "when its name is called out, it strikes the target without fail, and will destroy your body from the inside once the heart is pierced. You were foolish to come alone, and now you'll die alone."

Vanitas responded with a gargled laugh, as blood filled his lungs and mouth. "You…got lucky this time." Archer scoffs and steps on Vanitas' helmet with intense force, breaking the helmet entirely, and partially crushing Vanitas's skull. With the rest of the barrier broken down, Sora is able to see the face of Vanitas, and is horrified to see a warped version of himself, staring back at him with yellow eyes and an evil grin, the last expression that face will every make. Sora take a step back, unable to breath, but Axel sees this and grabs Sora, "Hey, kid, snap out of it! Aqua and Ven need our help, come on!" Dazed, Sora tries to respond, "Uh….right."

Then Axel turns around and runs toward Aqua, calling out her name. "Aqua!", and when Sora hears that, his heart thumped with more force than before, and all went white for Sora. Then Sora found himself back in his inner world, and not far from him, another was suspended in the air. It was Ventus, sleeping. Then the sleeping Ven said, "I…. have to wake up…" Sora responded gleefully, "Yes! Tell me what to do!" Ven responded, "The power of waking…"

Sora lamented at this, "I can't…I still don't have it yet…" But Ven reassured him, "You never lost it… it sleeps… until someone needs it. Call to it." Sora replies with conviction, "I am calling to it… with all my heart…" then, while still in the inner world, Sora summons his keyblade, and points it toward Ven's direction. The tip lights up, and the floor of the inner world erupts into light, revealing a keyhole. As the floor is lit up again, Sora notices that it changed from a portrait of himself, to that of Ventus. Sora points his keyblade at the new portrait, and fires another beam of light at the heart of the Ventus portrait.

"Thank you…. For always keeping me safe, Sora…." Said Ven from the portrait. Then a ball of light rose from the portrait, and shot up into the sky, leaving the inner world.

As Sora comes to, he sees Axel beside Aqua, and then notices beyond them at the sleeping boy Is also awake, still in the chair. Archer, Axel, Aqua, and Sora then notice Vanitas's body start to evaporate, as the last traces of Ven's essence join back to him. Sora catches a glimpse of Vanitas's dead face one last time, before it too disappears from site, relieving Sora greatly. Then Axel and Archer help Aqua up, and all four of them head toward Ven, who has slowly risen out of the chair.

Sora addresses Aqua first, "Aqua, are you alright?" Aqua faces him and responds with little pain, "Yes, I'm fine Sora." The newly awakened boy hears Sora's name uttered, and turns to face Sora directly. For a second, he see's Vanitas's face in Sora, but then realizes that this boy is nothing like him. This boy has a kind face, with no trace of malice. This is the boy that saved Ven's life all those years ago. "Huh? You're Sora?" "Yup" Sora replies casually, "Hey Ventus!"

Sora extends his hand to shake Ventus's…. Ven…. Am I still Ven? The boy thinks to himself, feeling not whole... but… fractured, overflowing. "Ven" doesn't sound quite right to him anymore, he's lived another life, with another name, a name that, he admits with some resentment, he identifies better with. After a short and awkward silence, the boy finally speaks up again, "I get it. You're my second chance." Sora appears puzzled, "Huh?" But the boy laughs and extends his own hand to shake Sora's.

Then he speaks again, "Call me Roxas, that's my name now." The others look at him with mild shock. Then Roxas resumed, "Ven…. Ven died a long time ago… he was too weak to keep up with his friends and protect them… But Roxas, as him I can help you guys, and I won't fail again." At his remark, both Aqua and Axel start tearing up, Aqua because she heard her friend say that he's changed, while Axel cries because he hears his own friend's name uttered from someone who looks so painfully familiar to the one he betrayed not that long ago…

The boy calling himself Roxas faces Aqua first, and holds her hand reassuringly, "Don't worry Aqua, you kept your promise. I… well, I hardly felt the time at all" he said with a smile, and Aqua pulled him closer and hugged him tightly. Roxas then hugged her in return, and the two stood there for a few moments, with Sora, Axel, and Archer looking toward them. Aqua then finally said, "Good morning, Ven" before loosening up her hug a bit and placed her hand on his head, petting his hair. Roxas responded, "Good morning, Aqua", and wiped away her tears with his own free hand. Then, after coming to terms with Sora's age from the first time he connecte with him, and the stress on Aqua's face, Roxas states, "You look a little older… how long has it been really?" Aqua hesitates before answering, "10 years, Ven- um, Roxas. It's been 10 years…." But her face lightens up a little again, "You haven't changed at all, like being in the chamber of waking had stopped your aging…"

Then the two released each other from their embrace, and Roxas faced Axel. Neither of them said anything, until finally Axel gave in and said, "Listen, buddy, I'm….I'm so sorry for….for everything. I lied to you, then I drove you away….. and then I got mad at you for leaving, even though it was my fault. And then…..I messed up your new life in Twilight Town. I don't expect you to forgive me, I just want you to know….. I… I-" but Roxas interrupted his sob-riddled apology and rushed in and hugged him. Catching him by surprise, Axel falls to his knees, dragging Roxas down with him, and hugs him back. The two boys hold each other while crying. This causes Aqua to tear up again, while Sora looks on smiling and lets out a grunt of approval, and Archer observes with a neutral expression.

Then Roxas finally spoke, "Stop apologizing, I got it memorized". Axel chuckles at this, then responds "Alright, then, just making sure you got the message". The two then laugh again, then release each other and stand up. Roxas, wiping is tears, then gives a single look at Aqua, Sora, and Axel, before noticing Archer.

After a silent and awkward look, Archer decides to answer the boy's confused face by offering his hand, "We haven't met, I'm Archer". Roxas then looks down at his hand, and accepts the invitation by offering his own, and the two shake. "Nice to meet you, Archer, I'm… Roxas". Archer noticed the slight hesitation when he said his name, then the two let go. "Yes, it appears you are" Archer observed, 'how are you feeling?"

Roxas looks at all four of them now, as they share a look of concern. Then Roxas answers the question, "I…. it's weird. I was asleep, but… I dreamed. At least that's what it feels like. But the dreams, they… also feel like memories." Sora then asks, "What do you remember?"

Roxas thinks hard before answering, "I….. I remember fighting Vanitas, before going to sleep. I remember the Organization… I… I think I remember…." For a second, Roxas sees what appears to be Xion's smiling face flash in his head, before it disappears. Then he resumes, "Hmm, I'm starting to remember quite a lot. Eraqus, Terra, Master Xehanort, Xemnas, Hayner, Pence, Olette….. oh God…." Aqua, Axel, and Sora rush to comfort Roxas as he starts to break down again. But he composes himself and reassures them, " *sniff* It's ok, it's just, a little overwhelming…."

Archer responds, "Then let us all return to the Tower. There, you can rest, and heal up. After that…. We'll have a lot to talk about now that enough of us are gathered." The others nod in agreement to his suggestion, and Roxas nods too. The group, first 4, now 5, depart from Castle Oblivion, now the Land of Departure.