Our assembled heroes stood in front of Master Yen Sid, who at present was holding one hand to his face deep in thought.
"Roxas you must continue Sora's journey to attain the power of waking." He concluded finally resting his hands back in his lap.
"I can't do that I don't have Sora's heart, or his strength." Roxas claimed dejectedly, his head falling. "I don't even have my own keyblade."
"But don't you?" Riku questioned. "You had your own keyblades back before you joined with Sora."
"But that was just me mooching of Sora's power, they don't really belong to me…" Roxas stopped as duel keys appeared in his hands, Oathkeeper and Oblivion returning to him. "But these belong to Sora."
"Perhaps they once did, but now they are yours. The keyblade chooses its wielder carefully, and these have chosen you. They represent your strength and struggle, the light of heart that you held despite the darkness of the nobody." Yen Sid explained. "Therefore you're fit to carry out this task, you must attain the power of waking to save Sora."
Roxas's keyblades vanished as he placed one hand over his own and closed his eyes. "Ok, if it means I can save Sora I'll do it."
"Very good, Donald, Goofy can I count on you too keep him safe." Yen Sid asked.
"Yes sir." They replied in unison snapping to a stiff salute, practiced from many years of service.
"May your heart be your guiding key." With that Roxas and his new companions set off to continue on the path a nearly identical trio had started only a short while ago.
Elsewhere a new yet suspiciously similar set of eyes awakened. Though they almost wouldn't have known, the area was drenched in a darkness unlike anything they had ever encountered.
"I see you've awakened brother." A sarcastic voice rang out.
"What, what's going on? Where am I?" The boy asked.
"Why Ventus, you're home." The other remarked. Ventus's brain kicked into overdrive as he grasped at the end of his knowledge for answers, one minute he had been safe in Sora's heart and now… Sora! Ven searched his heart and yet he still felt the warm light of Sora, though it seemed slightly dimmed, as though someone had thrown a sheet over it.
"Vanitas show yourself!" Ven demanded rising to his feet as best he could considering he had no idea where the ground was. The darkness flew away as Ven's surroundings were reworked, he now stood on top of a tall glass pillar depicting himself and Vanitas, each flipped in perspective of the other. Vanitas himself stood across the pillar over Ventus's glass face.
"You called?" Vanitas cooed.
"What did you do? How did you get here?" Ven demanded.
"Calm down brother, I simply freed you from your prison within the other boy's heart and reunited us." Vanitas's mask and jaw piece were absent and Ventus was barely aware of the fact that his other appeared somewhat different, though he was somewhat preoccupied.
"What happened to Sora? I can still feel his heart, you must be lying." Ventus shouted summoning his keyblade ready to fight.
Vanitas held up his hand in a peace gesture. "What reason would I have to lie to you? I've already gotten everything I want. We're one again and my heart is finally complete, lying to you now would only serve to weaken our bond. I did free you from within Sora's heart that part is true. But I figured you would take to your new surroundings better if I made them more comfortable, so I brought Sora along with us."
Vanitas waved a hand and a third section of the pillar Ventus hadn't even noticed before unveiled itself. This section held a depiction of Sora also asleep, and actual Sora floated on his back in a bubble of darkness, a weak light glimmering from his chest every few seconds.
"Sora!" Ventus shouted. "What have you done to him?"
"Again nothing, how many times do I need to repeat myself? He's just taking some time to adjust to his new surroundings, once he's ready he'll be able to join us here as well." Vanitas rested a glance on Sora as he spoke then turned again to Ventus. "Now calm down, you're safe he's safe, you don't need to worry."
"That's rich, I don't need to worry? You forced me out of my body, forced Sora and myself here and above all that you expect me to just be ok with that?" Ventus resummoned his keyblade and jumped at the other bringing it down in a quick arch. Vanitas didn't even bother summoning Void Gear simply using a wall of darkness to block Ven's blade.
"No, really this is what I was expecting, I had simply hoped you wouldn't." Vanitas remarked blasting Ventus away with darkness causing him to smack down on the pillar, hard. "In all honesty you needed Sora. I was the part that was taken away, he was the part you needed to be whole. We are brothers together that make a greater whole."
"You have no right to keep Sora here, just let him go." Ventus demanded. "This is between you and me, not him."
Vanitas took a breath in. "Even though I just explained it." He stage-whispered. "And where do you propose we send him? Here his heart is protected by ours, safe from Xehanort's grasp and the dark abyss of death. He cannot return to his body since it now belongs to another of your… roommates. If we release his heart it will die untethered from a form."
"Give him my body." Ventus suggested. "I know this isn't it I can feel it. Give him my body and he can go on."
"Only one little caveat to that stunning logic brother, I don't know where it is."
Back with Roxas, Donald, and Goofy
The trio settled in seats on the gummyship with Donald at the helm, Goofy and Roxas seated behind him.
"Where to now?" Roxas asked, as he twitched somewhat excitedly, somewhat nervously ready to go find Sora. Donald in turn was downcast.
"I don't know, all the old gates are closed, only Sora was able to open new gates using his keyblade." He said dejectedly. Roxas jumped to his feet and made his way next to Donald.
"Why don't I give it a try? See if I can open a gate?" Roxas suggested summoning Oathkeeper. Donald slid from the seat and moved behind. Roxas stretched out one arm pointing Oathkeeper at a point on the horizon and focused. After a few seconds a beam of light shot from the end and created a wormhole.
Everyone jumped back into their seats Roxas now at the helm as the ship speed through the gate off to worlds unknown.
Oh, more Ven and Van. Can Ven save Sora or is all their hope lost? Come along with me as we see where this story takes us on the roller coaster that is Kingdom Hearts 3. Until next time, I bid you all adieu.