Authors Note:
Heres the first part of our characters first 'non-tutorial' worlds! Enjoy this chapter and remember, reviews are always appreciated! :D Sorry for how long this took by the way! I've been working on other projects, as well as life and University and all that.
Does anybody else get super emotional listening to Chikai? And re watching the trailers, especially that new one!? I keep watching the 2.8 opening and tearing up because of how tragic it all seems now. They deserved better. T_T Also, the cover art was released! 3
ALSO, I have a theory for the actual canon Kingdom Hearts storyline but I cant say what it is but it pertains to my story too! I'll just say this. Realm of Sleep.
Sora groaned as he came to, blinking several times as the cloud covered sky above him slowly came into view. Forcing himself to sit up despite a considerable headache, he grimaced as his entire body protested and was reminded of the injuries he'd suffered on Olympus thanks to giving into what he now knew as the Darkness within his Heart. His eyes went wide as he realized he was surrounded by a literal sea of Keyblades, each one unique and jammed into the dry ground. He seemed to be in some kind of canyon, surrounded by high and jagged cliffs and hills. It was also quite cold.
Rising to his feet despite the searing pain across his body, Sora stepped towards the nearest Keyblade and picked it up. It was startlingly cold, much unlike the Keyblades he wielded which always felt arm in his grasp. Frowning, he wondered why that was.
"These Keys are all dead." Sora dropped the Keyblade in his surprise as he heard an unknown voice and spun to see a bald old man standing there all of a sudden. The friendly smile on the mans face made his nerve settle a little, however his glowing amber eyes ensured that Sora's guard remained completely up. "Any spark of Light that once sustained them was snuffed out alongside their wielders many years ago, during the Keyblade War."
"Keyblade War...?" Sora muttered, studying his elder who had his hands clasped behind his back. "Who are you? Where are my friends?"
"Your companions are nearby." The man's smile faltered for a moment before he spoke once more. "As for who I am, let's just say that I am somebody who wishes to help you."
"Help me?" Sora raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling he shouldn't trust the man, but shook it off. "Help me with what?"
"Your injuries for one thing." The man brought forth one of his hands, which was encased in a white glove. A faint green glow appeared in his palm and formed into a ball which darted towards Sora. It hit Sora in the chest and a wave of magic burst out around the young Keyblade wielder who let out a sigh of obvious relief. His smile deepening, the man clasped his hands behind his back once more. "I had a suspicion that your injuries were unintentionally self inflicted."
"How did you do that?" Still feeling the rush of ecstasy that came from a healing spell, Soras eyes were slightly unfocused as he spoke. However, he couldn't believe that his injuries were gone so easily.
"I have some experience with young people who recklessly give in to the Darkness within their Hearts. Its not something normal magic can heal." The man replied smoothly, his eyes narrowing somewhat in clear amusement. "You appear to be uneasy my boy. Is something the matter?"
"I just..." Sora considered his words. "I'm worried about my friends."
"They should be here any moment." The man purred calmingly, moving forward suddenly until he was standing only an arms length from Sora. Even though he stood in a hunched manner, the elder still towered over the teenager. "Tell me something. Why give into your inner Darkness? Did failing your Mark of Mastery exam anger you?"
"Of course not! It's just tha-" Sora stopped mid sentence, narrowing his eyes suspiciously and stepping back. "Wait, how do you know about me failing my exam?"
The elderly male chuckled and summoned a Keyblade, swinging so fast that Sora only barely managed to leap back in time. Summoning Oblivion, Sora clashed with the old man who easily pressed back against Soras two handed grip with only one hand, the other balled into a fist behind his back. Gritting his teeth, Sora pushed harder and fell forwards suddenly as the old man disappeared. Instead of keeping his balance, Sora used the momentum to roll forward as his instincts screamed at him and felt the old mans Keyblade slicing through the air where his head had just been. Coming back up to his feet, Sora spun to face his mystery opponent but found that he was gone again. A chill ran down his spine as he felt a presence appear behind him.
"Hmm..." The old man hummed disapprovingly as he dismissed his Keyblade while Sora turned towards him, a frown appearing on the elders wrinkled face. "No formal training obviously, but you have keen battle instincts and quick reflexes. I also sense a strange presence coming from that Keyblade of yours. But none of this explains how you defeated my remnants."
"Who are you!?" Sora demanded, staying comfortably in his battle ready position and glaring at the male.
"I would think that should be obvious to you by now." The elderly male smirked. "My name is Xehanort, Master of the Keyblade."
"X-Xehanort?" Sora swallowed heavily, his eyes widening slightly as he reevaluated his sworn enemy.
"Down!" Ignis' voice came from behind Sora.
Sora dropped to the ground and looked up as Ignis sailed overhead and swung his Keyblade at the air where Master Xehanort had just been standing. Then suddenly the dark Keyblade Master was back and the two of them clashed weapons violently. Bringing himself back to his feet, Sora smiled at Donald and Goofy as they arrived on either side of him with their weapons drawn. Ignis broke off from the deadlock and swung wildly at Master Xehanorts right which was blocked, then at his left which was parried. Changing tactics, Ignis suddenly flipped over Master Xehanort and jabbed at his exposed back but found nothing once more as the old man disappeared from sight.
"Intriguing..." Master Xehanorts voice came from behind Sora, forcing him to turn around yet again. "You haven't aged a single day since the last time I laid eyes upon you, Ignis."
"That's Master Ignis, Xehanort." Ignis spat, stepping in front of Sora protectively and activating his Keyblade armor.
"If you are going to demand I use your title child, then you should consider employing my own." The elderly male snapped, showing irritation for the first time in the conversation. "Enlighten me as to how you've managed to retain your youth."
Instead of replying, Ignis lunged towards Master Xehanort but before he could swing his weapon, he was knocked to the side by another person wearing both a mask and an Organization XIII coat. The masked man summoned a Keyblade and pursued Ignis, the two of them exchanging fierce blows that sent out shockwaves around them. Master Xehanort appeared entirely pleased with himself before a look of utter disdain appeared on his face and he looked at something behind Sora and co.
"Vanitas! We're leaving!" The Dark Keyblade Master spared one final glance at Sora before stepping backwards into a door to the Darkness.
Vanitas managed to knock Ignis to the side and dove through the portal. With a growl of frustration, Ignis leaped after him but it was too late as the door closed. Ignis turned to Sora, his helment disappearing and he opened his mouth to say something but instead his mouth hung open in shock. Sora turned to look at what caused this expression and took in the form of a figure wearing Keyblade armor, a large Keyblade grasped in his right hand and a long cloak flowing in the wind. Sora frowned at the armored figure, who watched them silently before a voice seemingly sailed towards them on a gust of wind.
You do not belong here.
"The Book of Prophecies!?" Mickey exclaimed, drawing everybodies attention as he slowly picked himself up off of the floor. "How do you have it?"
"To be clear, this is only a copy. However, it is quite complete." Lauriam stated, letting the book disappear as he frowned at the replica. "Judging from your vacant expression, you obviously have no idea what it is."
"What is it?" Riku questioned, eyeing his replica who was glaring holes into the floor.
"It is a book authored by the very first Keyblade Master known as the Master of all Masters." Lauriam explained. "Long ago, the worlds were once a single construct instead of the fractured mess you have come to know. During this time, this Master of all Masters became the first guardian of Kingdom Hearts and the Light it radiated. I suppose you could even say that this Master of all Masters created the concept of the Keyblade itself, as well as the Keyblade Unions that would eventually come to guard the worlds."
"I don't need a history lesson right now." Riku growled. "What does this Book have to do with anything?"
"Temper temper." Lauriam let out a short chuckle before speaking once more. "The Master of all Masters had the ability to gaze into the future. With this ability, he wrote the Book of Prophecies so that the leaders of his Keyblade Unions would know of future events and ensure that every action they took would see that the future played out as intended."
"How do you know that Book isn't a forgery?" Riku raised an eyebrow.
"I know." Lauriam replied coolly.
"You just said it was written a long time ago, by a man you can't even prove actually existed." Riku pressed earning a chuckle from his Replica.
"He's right." The replica added, raising his head to look at Lauriam with a smirk.
"From what Master Yen Sid used to tell me, the Book of Prophecies was just a legend." Mickey chimed in.
"To be perfectly honest, anybody could have written that boo-" Riku grunted as Lauriam knocked him on his but with a blast of his magic.
"Your ignorance is astounding." Lauriam stated, letting his free hand drop to his side. "Now shut up and listen to me. I have been in possession of this book for quite some time, since before I was originally killed and my Heart and body split. It has accurately depicted every event that has happened in recent years. The fall of Terra. Soras defeat of Xehanorts Heartless. My nobodies destruction in this very castle. Xemnas' fall and Master Xehanorts return. Riku becoming a Keyblade Master. Everything. However, as the Book comes into our current time, the passages become more and more vague."
"Give it to me..." The Replica interrupted, his eyes starting to glow. The next time he spoke, his voice had changed. It was like two people were talking at once. "GIVE ME THAT BOOK!"
An explosion of Darkness blasted out from the Replica, sending Riku and Mickey flying backwards. Rolling up to his feet, Riku watched as Lauriam took several steps back and eyed the Replica who had summoned a Keyblade that wasn't his own. Riku frowned, wondering why his weapon had changed so drastically but judging from Lauriams expression, the pink haired male recognized it. As the vines crumbled around him, the Replica dashed towards Lauriam and swung his Keyblade. Rikus eyes widened as Lauriam summoned a Keyblade of his own and batted the Replica away.
"I don't think so." Lauriam stated, clearly unaffected by the power radiating off of the Replica all of a sudden.
"WHAT!?" Even the Replica was surprised by this and took several steps back. Letting out a growl, he summoned a door to the Darkness and dove through.
"Who are you!?" Ignis was the first to respond to the disembodied voice, the Keyblade master stepping protectively in front of Sora, Donald and Goofy. When the armored figure didn't respond, Ignis growled impatiently. "That armor means you're a member of the Keyblade Union right?"
I sense Xehanort. And also, something else. Someone familiar...
The voice flowed once more on a shivering breeze that washed over the four warriors. Slowly, the armored figure took a step towards them. Then another. As the figure broke into a jog towards them, taking the large keyblade in both hands, Sora and the others took a battle ready position. Unlike Xehanort, the armored figure didn't use teleportation to disorient them and instead stuck to it's straight line, reaching Ignis and clashing blades with the red head. To the surprise of everybody, the blow actually forced Ignis to slide back several feet and the Keyblade master summoned his helmet to cover his head once more.
"Not bad." Ignis disengaged swiftly, sliding to the side and swinging his weapon towards the figures left shoulder.
He hit his intended target but it didn't seem to phase his opponent who responded by shoulder barging him and sending him falling to the ground, before bringing down the large keyblade towards the now prone Ignis. Sora moved quickly, blocking the strike but grunting under the strength behind the figures slow, methodical blow. Ignis was back on his feet, right back on the attack with another swing at the armored figures head. Again the blow struck its target, but the figure merely absorbed it, swinging its weapon in a swift upwards arc that caught Ignis on the leg. The Keyblade Master let out a howl of pain and fell to the ground once more, rolling up to his feet and growling again.
"That hurt." Ignis winced, now positioned behind the Armored figure who had taken up a casual, defenseless stance between the two other Keyblade Warriors as it appeared to stare at Sora.
Ven...? What did you do to him!?
A wave of power suddenly flowed out of the armored figure and it moved swiftly, spinning around to attempt a strike at Ignis. Barely bringing up his weapon in time to block the attack, Ignis was sent flying backwards from the force. As he was, the armored figure continued it's motion and brought its Keyblade down on Oblivion, Sora gritting his teeth with clear effort as he defended against the attack. He too was knocked back, but he wasn't left alone as the armored figure leaped into the air and slammed its knee hard into Soras back, eliciting a choked cry of pain from the teen. The force of the blow was enough for Sora to release his control of the Keyblade and Oblivion disappeared. Before the armored figure could continue, it absorbed a full power Thundaga from Donald, stopping its movements and letting itself fall back to the ground onto its feet. Goofy caught Sora in his arms and looked down with concern at the boy whose face was contorted in pain.
"Get on that ship!" Ignis ordered, dashing towards them engulfed in flames.
As Goofy and Donald complied, summoning the Gummi Ship to their location, Ignis engaged in a fierce duel with the armored figure. Despite his best efforts however, he couldn't seem to gain the upper hand, as all his attacks were absorbed with little apparent affect on his opponent. He did manage to occupy the enemy however, long enough for the other three to get on the ship.
"GO!" Ignis demanded, swinging his weapon with all his strength at the armored figure who barely flinched at the attempt.
Reluctantly, the trio complied and the Gummi Ship took off. As soon as it was far enough away, Ignis leaped back from his engagement and threw his Keyblade up into the air, summoning a transport similar to some sort of hover bike. Jumping up onto it, he sped after the Gummi ship without looking behind him. However, he was shocked when he heard the familiar sound of another Keyblade Glider and spared a glance back to see the armored figure racing after him. But then suddenly, the armored figures glider disappeared and it began to fall back down towards the hard ground. Not wanting to waste the opportunity to escape, Ignis sped after the Gummi Ship as it roared into the upper atmosphere of the world.
"Wake up! Kairi, wake up!"
Kairi opened her eyes slowly, one of her hands going immediately to her aching head. She blinked several times, her vision going from completely blurred to slightly blurry. She felt like she'd just been put in a blender, which was pretty close to the actual situation as she recalled it. Lea was kneeling beside her, concern written all over his face.
"Where is everybody?" Kairi mumbled, rubbing her forehead.
"Aerith has Tifa, Leon and Yuffie resting at an inn down in the square." Lea informed her, helping Kairi to sit up. "Cloud went off somewhere, and Merlin and Aeleus headed to the lab to meet up with Ienzo. Nobodies seen Sephiroth."
"So every-bodies okay?" Kairi asked, smiling as Lea nodded. "Thank goodness."
"It's not the end of our problems though." Lea observed with a darkened tone. "Xehanort knows we're here and that younger version of him was definitely after you. I thought we'd be safe here, at least until we'd trained for a bit."
"I don't think we're safe anywhere." Kairi frowned, moving to stand up with Lea's assistance. "I'm fine Lea. Just a little light headed."
"We should head to the lab." Lea ordered.
Kairi nodded and the two began to head towards the door that would lead them in that direction. However, they both stopped in their tracks as a brilliant white portal suddenly appeared in the center of the throne room. Kairi reflexively summoned her Keyblade in the hand that wasn't clutching her head and Lea instinctively stepped in front of her, summoning his own Keyblade. They were both surprise at who emerged from the portal. Five of the other six Princesses of Heart gradually stepped through, with the notable exception of Alice. They were flanked by Prince Florian, Genie, Prince Adam, Prince Charming and Prince Phillip.
"Kairi!" Jasmine was the first to notice them and rushed over as the portal closed, with the rest of the party close behind.
"Jasmine!" Kairi exclaimed in reply, stepping up beside Lea. "What are you all doing here?"
"Yen Sid collected us and sent us here." Jasmine explained.
"Something terrible has happened." Snow White stated, her expression showing a great deal of sadness.
"What is it?" Kairi asked, her tone betraying how worried she felt from the looks on every-bodies faces.
"Alice is gone. So is Wonderland." Snow White bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes.
"Gone!?" Lea's eyes were wide. "How?"
"We're not sure, but we can't focus on that right now." Belle stepped to the front of the group, wearing a mask of bravery. "Yen Sid sent us here for a reason. Where is Merlin?"
As the Gummi Ship zoomed through the open space and away from the Gummi Ship, Sora winced while Donald cast Curaga on him. The spell was easily the best way to fix somebodies wounds suffered in battle, but the downside was that the person it was cast on had to feel their body realigning and stitching itself back together. His mind went back to Master Xehanort and how the spell the older male had cast on him didn't cause those effects. It was painless and quick. It made Sora wonder if Xehanort had access to some unknown elevation to the Curaga spell or if the dark Keyblade Master was just THAT powerful. Either way, it wasn't good for them.
"That should fix ya up." Goofy remarked from the pilots chair.
"That was a close one." Donald added, looking Sora over before nodding. "The Curaga should be finished in a couple of minutes."
"Thanks." Sora replied quietly. This wasn't the first time that day that he'd had to be stitched up or defended by somebody else and it was wearing on him. He didn't like the feeling of helplessness.
"What was that thing anyway?" Donald wondered, moving to sit in his own seat. "It had a Keyblade and didn't seem to feel any pain."
"And it sure was powerful." Goofy added, earning a nod from the duck.
"It's power kinda felt like Xemnas." Sora muttered, shaking his head. That couldn't be possible, could it?
"Xemnas never used a Keyblade. And he definitely didn't fight like that." Donald dismissed the idea.
Everybodies eyes went to the airlock of the Gummi ship where there was a knock. Goofy pressed a button to bring up a screen with the cameras and everybody gasped as an armored figure on the other side of the door knocked again. After another look, they realized it was Ignis and breathed a collective sigh of relief. Closing the outer door of the airlock with another button, Goofy then opened the inner door and Ignis stepped in, the Keyblade Master letting his armor disappear. He glared at them before he groaned and fell heavily to one knee.
"Damn it." Ignis grumbled, his voice sounding weak. "I've really been pushing it too far today."
"I've got you." Donald stated, summoning his staff and pointing it at Ignis. "Curaga!"
"..." Ignis breathed silently for a few moments as the spell was absorbed into him before he slowly stood up and offered a small smile. "Thanks." The red head looked around the interior of the Gummi Ship and his smile turned into a frown of curiosity. "What is this thing?"
"A Gummi Ship." Goofy replied. "It lets us travel to other worlds using the lanes between worlds."
"Interesting. They definitely didn't have these where I came from." Ignis stated thoughtfully, struggling over to a fourth chair. "Where are we going?"
"According to the computer, it's unknown." Goofy replied. "There are no worlds nearby that are in the system."
"Makes sense. The Keyblade Graveyard marks the center of the Overworld." Ignis explained, stroking his chin. " Now that I think about it, the Land of Arrival should be nearby."
"Land of Arrival?" Sora, Donald and Goofy all asked in unison.
"It's one of the original worlds. The Keyblade Academy is located there and the world itself acts as a bridge between the Realm of Light and the Realm of Darkness." Ignis chuckled. "My mentor used to say that it was pretty much the Keyblade Graveyard on a good day."
"Can you direct us there?" Sora asked. He wanted to visit this place, mostly because of the idea that a Keyblade Academy could exist. Though it was weird Master Yen Sid hadn't mentioned it.
"I uh... I don't think I can." Ignis shrugged at the disappointed expressions from the others. "I think Ive been in the Realm of Darkness for a long time guys. The worlds have changed while I've been gone."
"Speaking of which, what were you doing in the Realm of Darkness in the first place?" Donald questioned, an undertone of suspicion in his words.
"I was trapped on a world that was dragged into the Realm of Darkness." Ignis replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. Sora couldn't tell if it was from irritation or anger. " Now that I've seen him for myself, I can tell that Xehanort has aged a lot. If I had to guess, I'd say that I was stuck there for at least twenty years. Maybe thirty."
"What!?" The trio exclaimed in unison once more.
"How did you survive?" Sora asked.
"I am a Keyblade Master. I was trained to survive." Was the reply from Ignis.
"Why haven't you aged?" Goofy was the next to ask a question.
"Time flows differently there. And you can't tell." Ignis visibly shivered. "Honestly, it feels like I was there for way longer than a couple of decades"
"Why aren't you corrupted?" Another hard hitting question from Donald Duck.
"I had my Keyblade Armor. Since it's made from the same stuff as Keyblades, it is directly infused with Light. As long as my Heart remains strong enough, it can fight off the effects of darkness." He paused before continuing. "But I wont' lie to you guys. I was close to succumbing before that old man found me. That place changes you." Another pause. "It changed me."
"What do you mean?" Sora pressed. He didn't want to pry, but he also wanted to know.
"I..." Ignis reached for words before letting out an exasperated sigh and shook his head. "I can feel the Darkness in my Heart now. Its fighting for control of me." He looked pointedly at Sora with a knowing look. "It wants to devour my Heart, but luckily for me, I was trained in how to resist it."
"Oh." Sora frowned, before offering a hopeful smile. "My friend Riku managed to beat the Darkness and he's a Keyblade Master now. I'm sure you can too!"
"I guess we'll see." Ignis looked away, an unreadable expression on his face.
"Hey guys?" Goofy interrupted, drawing all eyes to him. "We're approachin' a world."
Everybody looked out the viewport at the fast approaching world. It appeared to be a fairly normal world, but then, they all did from space. Goofy pressed a few buttons and half of the viewport became a screen that presented information about this world. It was apparently called New York based on multiple signs on the world, had a rating of four stars, a Darkness rating of three stars and had several notable locations including a large tower with a massive A on the side of it.
"Three star Darkness rating huh?" Sora read before looking to the others. "Lets check it out."
"You have a Keyblade!?" Riku and Mickey exclaimed in unison.
Lauriam shot them a smirk and let his pink Keyblade disappear in a wave of flower petals, his gaze going to the cover of the Book of Prophecies. Making a dismissive sound, Lauriam also transported the book somewhere else in a flurry of flower petals before he began to head towards a door at the end of the room.
"This will lead us to where we need to go." Lauriam stated cryptically.
"Answer our question." Riku growled, the two Keyblade Masters following after the mysterious male.
"I have always had a Keyblade. Just because my nobody didn't use it, somehow it's a surprise that I have one?" Lauriam chuckled sardonically. "Not that either of you would know anything about Marluxia."
"Ya mentioned that you were the master of this Castle." Mickey recalled.
"Indeed." Lauriam waved his hand as they reached the door and it opened to allow them to pass through. It led into a long, white hallway. "Xemnas put me here to keep me out of the way. The fool didn't realize that this is exactly where I wanted to be."
"That boy you mentioned." Mickey spoke again, the seriousness in his voice causing Riku to glance at his friend. "Who is he?"
"Heh, I see you've caught on little King." Lauriam ran a hand through his hair as he continued to stroll down the hallway. "The one who slumbers here is a Keyblade Master known by the name of Ventus."
"Keyblade Master? You're wrong. Ven was just an apprentice." Mickey shook his head.
"No, you are wrong." Lauriam put emphasis on the word you and glanced over his shoulder at Mickey. "You don't think that Xehanort was interested in just any random boy do you?"
"I..." Mickey hesitated before his jaw hardened. "Xehanort chose Ven because his heart was split down the middle with Light and Darkness. He wanted to use it to create the X-blade."
"You have yet to ask why Ventus' Heart was so evenly distributed between the Light and Darkness." Lauriam stated.
"Alright why?" Riku cut in impatiently.
"Long ago, when time was still new, there lived a certain man called the Master of all Masters. He wrote the Book of Prophecies. I suppose you could say that he 'invented' the Keyblade." Lauriam scoffed. "What he really discovered was how to weaponize the strength of ones Heart. Like you Keyblade warriors of today, the Master trained fix of his six apprentices to wield the Light to oppose the Darkness. The five he trained to wield the Light went on to train many others and would go on to become known as the Foretellers. These Foretellers created Unions of the Keyblade, gathering the Light of the world known as Lux in preparation for a cataclysmic event foretold in the Master of all Masters Book of Prophecies." Lauriams voice had taken on an almost nostalgic tone, as if he was reciting memories instead of just a story. "One of these Foretellers was known as Ava. As relations broke down between the Foretellers and war reached the horizon, Ava chose to hide away her Union of Keyblade wielders in the Realm of Sleep, under the leadership of five Union Leaders who would divide up those Keyblade Warriors in the Realm of Sleep and train them in mastering both Light and Darkness in hopes they could emerge from the Realm of Sleep after the Keyblade War and restore balance to the worlds after the conflict. She called these people her Dandelions."
"Does this story have a point?" Riku interrupted, growing more and more impatient with every step. He didn't understand what any of this had to do with Ventus, though a glance at Mickey told him that the King was intrigued by everything Lauriam was saying.
"You'll see." Lauriam responded calmly before continuing. "With their bodies safely hidden in the Land of Arrival, the Dandelions spirits were taken to the Realm of Sleep where they trained to one day return to the Realm of Waking and save the worlds. Among them, only the Five Union Leaders knew the truth due to the fact that each possessed a complete copy of the Book of Prophecies which detailed this occurrence. That the Dandelions were locked in an endless loop, destined to relive the events leading up to, and during, the Keyblade War until they successfully managed to prevent it." Riku noticed that Lauriam had clenched his hands into fists. "One of the Union Leaders named Ephemer chose to alter this path after several cycles and informed one of the Dandelions of the truth, assisting them in leaving the Realm of Sleep and returning to the real world with an unknown mission. Ephemer disappeared shortly afterwards."
"What happened after that?" Mickey prodded after Lauriam fell silent for several moments.
"Ephemers idiocy resulted in the Darkness of the Realm of Waking being able to slip into the Realm of Sleep and corrupt the Dandelions over the next few cycles. Realizing that the plan had to change, one of the four remaining Union Leaders suggested taking the Book of Prophecies to the outside world and hunt down the Master of all Masters sixth student named Luxu who had been tasked to survive the Keyblade War and bear witness to the reconstruction of the worlds afterwards." Lauriam let out a short, low growl. "The other three Union Leaders did not agree with him. Ventus was one of those three."
"What!?" Mickey exclaimed. "I-I don't believe you."
"I do not require your belief little King." Lauriam spat. "The lone Union Leader destroyed all but his copy of the Book of Prophecies before attempting to escape into the Realm of Waking, but he was confronted by the three others. A savage battle between the four caused some sort of imbalance in the system and the Dandelions themselves began to disappear from the Realm of Sleep. Eventually, the four remaining Union Leaders also disappeared from the Realm of Sleep. Of those, two of them found themselves back in the Realm of Waking. One in the Realm of Light, the other in the Realm of Darkness. Xehanort found Ventus somewhere in the Realm of Light and preyed on his vulnerable, amnesiac state. He couldn't believe that one could possess such even percentages of Light and Darkness within themselves and mistakenly took it as a sign that the X-Blade could be forged from him." Another scoff. "Imbecile."
"So you're trying to tell us that this Ventus person is actually some kind of legendary Keyblade Master who was tasked with saving the worlds by one of the original Keyblade wielders?" Riku said slowly, shaking his head at how absurd it all sounded.
"I'm not 'trying' to do anything." Lauriam snapped. "The two of you need to understand how important this is. With the Dandelions missing, the only way to save the worlds lies in the hands of the two Union Leaders that we know survived. According to the Book of Prophecies, Darkness will prevail and bring about the end of everything. With the Union Leaders reunited, we may be able to change that.
"So if Ventus is supposedly one of them, where is the other one?" Riku inquired. "The one trapped in the Realm of Darkness?"
They reached the end of the hallway to find another door. Riku scowled as Lauriam didn't answer his question and watched as the pink haired male placed his hand on the door. It lit up vibrantly before disappearing completely. Behind the door was a chamber, where two figures were engaged in a fierce battle, one of them wielding a Keyblade. Mickey dashed past Lauriam and Riku with a shocked expression.
"Aqua!"
Master Xehanort returned to the Castle that Never Was, stepping out of the Door to the Darkness on the platform that stood high above every other structure in the world, at the very height of the castle. He raised an eyebrow as he found one of his Organization members waiting for him, a slight smirk appearing on his aged face as he dismissed Vanitas with a wave of his hand, sending the shell of his one time apprentice to follow after Sora. Once the embodiment of Darkness was gone, the other member spoke.
"Did you get what you wanted out of that meeting?" Her voice was clipped as usual, no mincing of words or breath wasted on formalities.
"The boy is truly an anomaly. His fighting technique is mediocre at best and with his powers drained almost entirely, he is not much of an adversary." Master Xehanort paused for a moment. "I am intrigued however."
"Why?" Another clipped reply.
"I sensed the presence of others within him during our short meeting. Including Ventus." His mention of the Keyblade warrior got the desired reaction from the woman whose eyes widened in shock. "Did your book of Prophecies not account for this?"
"Ventus was never meant to survive his encounter with you." The female shook her head with obvious irritation. "The cryptic way that the Master of all Masters wrote things leaves it far too open for interpretation. Though, we could use this to our advantage."
"How so?" Xehanort frowned.
"We can separate these 'presences' you felt within Sora from the boy. When he is left with only his own meager power, he will see how inadequate he is and that could drive him to despair." The female narrowed her eyes slightly. "If only the Book offered more guidance."
"You rely too much on that Book." Xehanort shook his head. "At first you were insistent on Riku being integral to our plans. Now you are focused entirely on Sora. To what end?"
"It has to be one of those three that becomes the thirteenth." The female replied simply, turning away to look over the city below with a heavy sigh. "The Book tells us that much at least."
"We have another problem." Xehanort stated, moving to stand beside the female with his gaze sweeping over the buildings far below. "A Keyblade Master from the past has resurfaced."
"You mean Ignis?" Xehanort tried to hide is surprise, but clearly failed as the female chuckled before continuing. "His involvement has been foretold in the Book. If things work out as I have interpreted them, we may find him to be quite useful."
"He is powerful. Far more powerful than the last time I faced him." Xehanort's frown deepened.
"His power is exactly what will be the cause of his eventual downfall." The female answered, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Is he one of the Seven Lights?" Xehanort questioned, inclining his head to look at the females impassive expression.
"Perhaps. It doesn't matter." Sadness flashed across the females face for the briefest of moments before the mask was back once more. "All that matters is the end result, not how we get to it."
"On that, we agree." Xehanort nodded, folding his hands into one another behind his back. "It is only a matter of time."
"Something has shifted in the balance of the Worlds, but I can't tell what it is from here." The female's face hardened with resolve. "I'm going to go to the Realm of Light and find out."
"Are you certain that is wise?" Xehanort raised a cautious eyebrow, his eyes lighting up in amusement. "You know what will happen if you remain outside of this place for too long while the Organization remains incomplete."
"I'll be back before that happens." The woman assured him, turning to leave.
"Of course you will." Xehanort replied coolly, continuing to look out at the World that Never Was as the females footsteps retreated. Once he was alone, he felt a smirk creep across his aged face and let out a short bout of laughter. "Foolish girl."
As a group Sora, Donald, Goofy and Ignis stepped onto the warp pad within the Gummi Ship. It was the way they usually transported themselves down to a World's surface so that the didn't attract too much attention by flying a space ship down instead. It was an awfully useful piece of technology, that Chip and Dale prided themselves on and deservedly so. In a bright flash of light, the area around them suddenly changed. They were on a sidewalk in the middle of a bustling street, massive buildings all around them. There were huge screens with various, almost glowing advertisements on them and the sky above was a clear blue.
"Oh my gosh!" A girl screamed excitedly, pointing at them. "Its the Avengers!"
Sora looked as his companions in confusion, realization setting in as he took in the new outfits his friends were wearing. Donald was encased in some kind of advanced looking armor, the only sign of his identity being that the helmet he was now wearing jutted out to make room for his bill. The armor was red and silver, with glowing white eyes and a glowing circle on Donalds chest. Goofy was wearing a blue bodysuit that covered every part of his body, with brown gloves and brown boots covering his hands and feet. He also wore a blue cowl, which covered most of his face except his eyes, nose and mouth. The cowl had a white G on the forehead and there was a white heart on the chest of his bodysuit. Ignis meanwhile, was wearing a black, very form fitting bodysuit that was unzipped down the front to his waist, exposing his pale torso underneath. He was also wearing black boots and gloves and his hair seemed to be blowing in a wind a little, even though there wasn't a breeze.
"Uh..." Ignis was the first to speak, looking down at himself with a raised eyebrow. "This never used to happen when we visited worlds."
"It's part of the warp process." Donald explained as a group of teenagers rushed towards them in obvious excitement for some reason. "So that we don't upset the secrecy between the Worlds."
"Can we get a picture?" One of the teenagers asked as the crowd reached them.
"Um..." Sora looked at his friends before nodding slowly. "Sure?"
"Thanks Thor! You're my favorite." The teen said, stepping in close to Sora with a small device and holding it up and away from them. "Cool haircut by the way."
"Thanks?" Sora said, blinking as the teenager shot away, replaced quickly by another one. He looked down at himself. He was wearing a dark brown, sleeveless tunic with matching pants and boots. He had a gauntlet on his right arm, and several leather straps wrapped around his left forearm. Craning his neck, he also noticed that he now had a cape that flowed off only his left shoulder for some reason.
"I'm so glad you're one of the good guys again Cap." Another teenager said to Goofy.
"Uh yup. Always." Goofy replied, clearly as confused by the situation as everybody else.
"I thought Black Widow was a girl?" Another teenager stated, pointing at Ignis while talking to several other teenagers.
"I'm not too worried. He's cute." A female replied, stepping towards Ignis with a flirty smile. "I love the way you wear that bodysuit."
"Believe me, I'd do it up if it let me." Ignis replied, trying multiple times to zip up the bodysuit to no avail before shrugging. "Oh well. I'm used to showing a bit of skin anyway."
There was an explosion across the square and the group all looked on as various dark creatures began to appear. The teenager crowd scattered as the Heartless began to attack various pedestrians and Sora summoned Oblivion, the others also summoning their weapons in unison. As one, the group ran towards the Heartless, but stopped short as somebody flew out of the air, taking out a Heartless with a single punch.
"What the-?" The figure exclaimed as the Heartless disappeared. It was a male, dressed in yet another form fitting bodysuit, this time one that was a mix of blue and red. He was wearing a mask that had weird eyes that weren't real, but moved and he had spider logo's on his chest and back. "Thats a new one... Oh no." The male leaped high into the air as another Heartless tried to swipe him from behind, flipping backwards and landing face to face with Sora and the others. His masks eyes went with in surprise, then narrowed slightly. "Your cosplay is pretty good guys. Almost thought you were the real avengers."
"Move!" Ignis shoved the male aside and cut down a Heartless that had rushed up with a swing of his Keyblade, cutting down another with a reversal of his previous action.
"Whoa!" The costumed male's 'eyes' went wide again. "What kind of sword is that?"
"Thundaga!" Donald exclaimed, summoning his staff to take out several more Heartless as the creatures began to surround their group.
"W-was that magic!?" The costumed boy exclaimed in obvious disbelief. "What the heck is going on?"
"We'll tell you after this." Sora informed the costumed boy, spinning to cut down three Heartless at once. He could feel Roxas' power flaring within his chest and it gave him confidence.
"Okay sure." The boy replied, kicking a Heartless in the head and causing it to disappear before leaping headfirst towards a group of the dark creatures of Darkness.
"The Cornerstone of Light hmm?" Merlin stroked his chin. Everybody had gathered in the Lab, much to the obvious annoyance of Ienzo.
"Yes." Belle nodded, standing strong beside her husband Adam. "He said that we are safest together and with a shard of the Cornerstone of Light, we can create a barrier around this World that will keep us and everybody else safe from those who want to harm us."
"But one of your rank has not made it sadly." Merlin observed grimly.
"Yen Sid said that only one of us would be needed for the enchantment." Belle replied, her voice hardening slightly at the reminder of the loss of Alice. "But the more of us there are, the stronger it will be."
"Well, I'll go get this shard then." Kairi spoke up, drawing the gazes of everybody in the room.
"I don't believe that is the best idea." Ienzo shook his head. "We know that Xehanort is after the Princesses of Heart, so sending one of you away from here is not the best idea."
"On the contrary, it has just been proven that we are quite vulnerable. Without this enchantment, I do not believe that we can hold off Xehanorts forces again." Merlin stated grimly, sighing heavily. "Kairi, I will allow you to travel to fetch a shard, with two guardians."
"Ill go." Lea immediately volunteered, casually placing a hand on Kairi's shoulder with a wide smile. "It only makes sense that I go where she does."
"Indeed." Merlin nodded, casting his gaze over the others present. "Do we have any volunteers?"
"I'll accompany you both." Prince Phillip spoke up, embracing Aurora tightly before moving to stand beside Kairi and Lea.
"Are you certain? It is highly likely that this task will involve great danger." Merlin cautioned the prince.
"I will do anything I can to protect Aurora. If that means I have to be apart from her for a time, I can pay that price." Phillip responded confidently and Kairi smiled. The devotion that the two royals had towards one another was heartwarming.
"Very well then. Do you still have the Star Shard?" As Lea pulled out the container for the mysterious relic, Merlin nodded and held up his hands towards the three of them. "Before you go, I shall grant you this."
The wizards hands lit up and suddenly, Kairi, Lea and Phillip were all engulfed in a swarm of multi colored lights. Kairi felt her body warm up as the lights entered her body and surrounded her, feeling a change occurring. After about a minute, Merlin dropped his hands and Kairi looked at both herself at the others. She was now wearing white shorts and light pink boots that reached up to her calves, with black knee high socks. She was also wearing a black T-shirt under a sleeveless pink coat that flared outwards at her waist and reached down to her knees. The coat was pulled in at her waist by a black belt with a white heart shaped buckle and a matching black choker around her neck with a white, heart shaped charm in the center. She could also feel that her hair was now pulled up into a high ponytail, with bangs falling over the left half of her face.
Lea's coat was now gone, replaced by an entirely new outfit. He wore black and bright orange sneakers and baggy, tan colored shorts with an orange belt. He also wore a sleeveless white shirt underneath a yellow poncho that had a black checked pattern across it. He also had two bracelets crossed over on his left wrist, one blue with a half moon charm and the other orange with a charm shaped like one of his chakrams. On his other wrist was a thick black and white wrist band, also with a checkered pattern. Phillip now wore a dark grey t-shirt under a red leather jacket with black sleeves. His lower half was now covered by faded jeans and black combat boots, and he had a necklace around his neck with a silver charm shaped like Aurora's crown.
"Much better." Merlin nodded in self satisfaction. "Those clothes are enchanted to play to your strengths and give you a boost in combat. I expect that you will need all the help you can get."
"Thank you Mister Merlin." Kairi smiled, before reaching out and taking both Phillip and Lea's hands. "Let's go."
"Right." Lea nodded, holding up the container with the Star Shard in it and closing his eyes. Moments later, the three of them disappeared in a volatile blaze of blue magic.
Sora threw himself into the battle, cutting down Heartless after Heartless in rapid succession. The power coming from his chest seemed to intensify as he cut more of the creatures down, giving him more adrenaline. He smiled. It was nice to be able to actually help the others fight, instead of being a hindered. As he sliced through several more Heartless, he looked to see how everybody else was doing. Donald and Goofy had grouped up, slowly but surely bringing down the creatures of Darkness with practiced teamwork. Ignis was a hurricane of activity, cutting down the creatures effortlessly and with a speed that impressed Sora. Meanwhile, the costumed boy was definitely holding his own, flipping around the enemies and attacking when he could.
Within minutes, the five of them had defeated all of the Heartless and Sora let Oblivion disappear, breathing heavily as his Heart beat in his chest but standing triumphantly with a bright smile.
"Alright." The costumed boy drew everybodies attention as he spoke. "Time to fess up. I know you're not the Avengers and I've never seen anybody fight like you guys before. Who are you?"
"I'm Sora." Sora replied, his smile brightening further as he gestured at this others. "This is Donald, Goofy and Ignis."
"Dude. Your name literally means fire." The costume boy chuckled, pointing at Ignis who raised his eyebrow. "Weird. I never thought that Latin class would ever actually help me out."
"Latin?" Ignis questioned, eyebrow still raised.
"It's a language that's not English. Theres like... hundreds of them." The costumed boy responded, before reaching out towards Sora to shake hands. "I'm Spiderman by the way."
"Spiderman?" Sora felt the confusion appear on his face as he shook the boys hand. "That's a weird name."
"It's my made up nam- I mean uh... it's my hero name." Spiderman replied, shaking the other three's hands as well. "All the big heroes have one. Iron-Man, Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Thor, Scarlet Witch etc. Except, I guess Thor is Thor's real name so I don't know how that works."
"Is this Iron-Man really made of iron?" Ignis asked.
"Uh nope. He wears this awesome suit, kind of like Donalds." Spiderman replied, his 'eyes' narrowing slightly. "Speaking of which, that thing is fully functional. How did you manage to replicate Mr Starks tech?" He shook his head, speaking again. "Actually, what were those swords you guys were using? They looked pretty cool."
"Oh this?" Sora summoned Oblivion to his hand and holding it out to Spiderman. "This is a Keyblade."
"Keyblade?" Spiderman took the weapon. Sora leet the costumed boy look it over for a few moments before summoning it back in his hands, causing Spiderman to jump in surprise and laugh. "Oh wow thats awesome! How does it work?"
"Its a weapon that can be used to defeat the Heartless and protect the Worlds." Sora blurted out, realizing that he'd just completely broken the secrecy of the Worlds. Ignis fixed him with a scathing glare.
"He means world." Ignis cut in, summoning his own. "They are magic."
"Oh magic huh? Are you guy's from Asgard?" Spiderman asked, studying Ignis' weapon from a far before adding. "Wait, is that what those black things are called? Heartless?"
"Yup." A voice familiar to Sora said and the group all turned to look at a helmeted male wearing an Organization coat. He waved his hand and around them all, Darkness sprang up. The world slowed down and Spiderman, Donald and Goofy all froze in place, as well as the few civilians that remained on the street. "Been a while Ventus."
"Ventus?" Sora raised an eyebrow, recalling the name of the male connected to his Heart. He also recalled what Master Xehanort had called the masked boy before him and gasped. "You're Vanitas!"
"You know my name?" The boy's voice held clear curioisty before he lifted his hands up and pulled off his helmet, tossing it to the side. Unlike the Vanitas that Sora had met inside his Heart, this one's hair was white like Xemnas', his eyes a burning golden and his skin was a darker shade than his counterpart. Sora couldn't believe how much the Dark Keyblade wielder looked like him, it was downright unnerving. Vanitas sneered, pointing at Sora. "The little rat really is in there, isn't he?"
"You won't win Vanitas!" Sora exclaimed, raising his eyebrows in surprise as words that were not his own left his mouth. He raised his free hand to his chest, looking down and wondering if that had been Ventus' influence. In his hand, Oblivion disappeared, replaced moments later by a different Keyblade. It was a white Keyblade with some red, black and grey accents and the weapon was almost angelic in structure. In the back of his mind, Sora heard Ventus' voice whisper Lost Memory.
"Hiding away like the scared, insignificant little speck that you are." There was clear hatred in Vanitas' tone as the white haired male summoned his own Keyblade. He glared at the Keyblade now in Sora's hand as he dropped into a battle stance similar to Riku's. "I'll cut you down and tear him out of your Heart!"
"I don't think so." Ignis growled, stepping up to stand by Sora and glancing at the other Keyblade Warrior. "Let's take him together."
"Right!" Sora nodded, dropping into his own battle stance.
"It doesn't make a difference how many of you there are!" Vanitas declared, leaping towards the two with wide eyes and and a bout of crazed laughter.
Kairi gasped as they arrived at Disney Castle, shaking as the magic from the Star Shard unfurled itself from her and retreated back into the artifact. She wasn't the biggest fan of travelling via that means, but it was easily the fastest mode of transportation available to them and speed was important. She looked around the world unknown to her, finding that they were in a throne room of some sort. Directly in front of them were two females, both of them dressed in regal attire and of the same species as Donald and Mickey.
"Oh my!" The female mouse exclaimed, a small tiara atop her head. "It appears we have visitors."
"Is that the Star Shard?" The female duck inquired, looking at the contained artifact in Lea's hand. "Did Yen Sid send you here?"
"We were sent by the wizard Merlin." Kairi replied with a smile. "I'm Kairi. This is Lea and Phillip."
"Kairi? You're one of the princesses of Heart!" The female mouse appeared to be both surprised and confused. "I am Queen Minnie and this is Daisy, my handmaiden."
"Oh! Forgive me your majesty." Kairi curtsied. Phillip followed the gesture with a deep bow and Lea just waved awkwardly.
"It's fine. You're obviously all in some sort of rush if you're using the Star Shard to travel." The Queen seemed to speak from experience. "But why would Merlin send a princess of Heart here? Isn't Xehanort looking for you?"
"Yes but I'm also a Keyblade wielder and it's my duty to help protect the worlds." Kairi replied confidently. "We need a shard of the Cornerstone of Light in order to create a magical barrier to protect the other princesses on Radiant Garden."
"Of course. This way please." Minnie replied, heading for a massive door that dwarfed everybody present.
As it turned out, the door in fact had a much smaller and more practical door build into it that the group passed through. As they were led through a court yard, Kairi looked around in wonder. The interior of the castle was beautiful, complete with the most stunning gardens she'd ever seen. They were led up to a large hedge shaped like the King and Minnie waved her hand, casting some type of spell on it. Moments later, the hedge shifted to the side, revealing the entrance to a long hallway.
"We moved the Cornerstone of Light from it's previous location after Maleficent attempted to corrupt it one year ago." Minnie explained as she led the group down the well lit hallway. "Something as powerful and crucial cannot be left at risk."
"Maleficent was here?" Kairi asked, recalling the involvement that the Dark Fairy had in the unbalance the worlds now found themselves in.
"She was indeed." Daisy said. "She's come here a few times now, always looking for different things."
"It is my fault she continues to cause such misery." Phillip chimed in, guilt in his tone. "I failed to properly put an end to her on my world all those years ago."
"Oh, it's not your fault dear. She has come back from the dead more times that should be possible, thanks to her dark magic." Minnie clearly did not approve. She pushed open a door at the end of the hallway. "Here it i-"
"Why hello there." Maleficent stood beside a massive crystal structure that was glowing vibrantly which Kairi assumed was the Cornerstone of Light. The witch held a staff in one clawed hand and a victorious smile was painted on her villainous face. "I was just admiring your Cornerstone of Light. It really is quite a magnificent thing." The woman let out a deep, horrid laugh that sent chills down Kairi's spine. Chills that only intensified as the woman's emerald gaze fell on her and then Phillip. "And you've brought a princess of Heart with you as well as the pitiful child who once thwarted my well laid plans. My, what a glittering assemblage, Queen Minnie."
Ignis blocked Vanitas' first attack and Sora dashed forward, swinging his weapon at the prone Organization member. Vanitas twisted suddenly, dodging Soras attempted strike and leaping backwards as he continued to laugh. Sora and Ignis both followed him, closing in on either side of their opponent. Together, Sora and Ignis began to attack Vanitas, initiating a fast and furious flurry of Keyblade strikes that Vanitas expertly parried but never counter attacked.
Together Sora and Ignis pressed Vanitas, forcing him to begin to step backwards. The laughter from the male faded, replaced by a somewhat irritated growl. Suddenly, Vanitas lashed out, slamming his foot into Ignis' side while swinging his Keyblade at Sora. Sora blocked the attempted strike, only for Vanitas to bounce off his defense and swing for Ignis' now exposed neck. Luckily, Ignis seemed aware of this and ducked at the last second, tackling Vanitas to the ground. Vanitas smirked, flipping Ignis off him and jumping back to his feet. Sora found himself defending from a sudden burst of attacks that were almost too fast to see, one of them making contact on his hip and causing him to cry out in pain.
"Good Ventus. Sing for me." An ugly smile appeared on Vanitas' face as Sora jumped back to avoid another strike, which caused the dark Keyblade warrior to growl in frustration. "You can't run!"
"ENOUGH!" Ignis declared, activating his Keyblade armor and re-entering the fray.
Sora took a moment to gingerly rub his newly sore hip as Ignis savagely attacked Vanitas. The Keyblade Master slammed his weapon into Vanitas' with such force that Vanitas was knocked off his feet, something that clearly surprised the dark warrior. With his opponent in the air, Ignis jumped up and attempted to swing his weapon down into Vanitas' abdomen, but the white haired male raised his Keyblade at the last second to absorb the blow. Regardless, Vanitas was slammed into the ground with enough force to shake the area they were in and Vanitas' Keyblade bounced away. Ignis pointed his Keyblade at Vanitas from high in the air above the prone enemy, magic gathering in his weapon.
"Firaga!" Ignis chanted, sending a massive ball of flame from the end of his weapon towards Vanitas. It impacted against their opponent and the explosion from the impact sent out a shock wave. Ignis landed near Vanitas, deactivating his Keyblade armor and looking down at the seemingly unconscious male with a victorious smirk. "This is the best Xehanort can do?"
Vanitas moved suddenly, his eyes opening as he swept Ignis' legs out from under him. As Ignis fell, Vanitas found his feet as he placed a hand on Ignis' chest and summoned some kind of Dark magical attack that blasted Ignis across the street. The Keyblade master slammed into a building, crashing through the stone wall as if it was paper. Sora watched on with wide eyes.
"Now then..." Vanitas brushed some rubble from the path off his shoulders, summoning his Keyblade back to his hand as he turned towards Sora. "Time to carve you up, Ventus."
Riku watched Aqua battle the armored figure, the blue haired female summoning a magical barrier to defend against several swift and precise strikes from the armored figure. It was obvious that she was fighting a losing battle and it stood out to Riku very clearly that she was not wielding a Keyblade for some reason. Mickey immediately leaped into the fray, driving off the armored figure much to the obvious shock of Aqua.
"Mickey?" The female's voice was shaking as she turned to see Riku and Lauriam standing there. The studied them for a moment, before smiling. "You're that Riku boy."
"I am." Riku nodded, running up to stand protectively between Aqua and the battle. Mickey seemed to be overwhelming the armored figure with fierce and swift strikes. Riku had never seen his friend fight like that before. "Why aren't you using your Keyblade?"
"I-I haven't been able to summon my Keyblade while I've been trapped in the Realm of Darkness." Aqua admitted. "I was using the Keyblade of my Master, Eraqus. That's his armor that I've been fighting."
"His armor?" Riku frowned. "You mean there's nobody in there?"
"It's a precaution that I put in place before I left here." Aqua explained, pointing to a throne where a boy who looked like Roxas sat, his eyes closed. "I wanted to make sure Ven would be safe, so I enchanted the Masters armor to respond violently to anybody who came here. I didn't account for the fact that he would summon the only thing I had to defend myself if I came here."
"If you came here?" Lauriam finally approached. "You speak as if you did not intend to come back here Aqua."
"Who are you?" Aqua asked, narrowing her eyes slightly and tensing up.
"I am your ally." Lauriam replied cryptically before summoning his Keyblade. "Allow me to prove my worth.
The pinked haired male leaped into the fray to join Mickey. Riku and Aqua watched on in awe as the King and mysterious male swiftly drove back the armor of the Master, driving it into a corner within moments. Lauriam was the one to strike it down, thrusting the end of his weapon into the armors chest and breaking the enchantment placed there. The armor fell to pieces and the Keyblade disappeared, appearing back in Aqua's hand.
"Amazing." Aqua complimented with a shocked expression. "I guess I was foolish to think that I could use a simple enchantment to protect Ven. If that had really been my Master, you guys wouldn't have stood a chance."
"Master Yen Sid said that Master Eraqus was one of the greatest Keyblade wielders in terms of combat." Riku stated. "Even better than Master Xehanort."
"He was." A hint of sadness laced Aquas words and the female sighed. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We're here to rescue you Aqua." Mickey stated with a smile. "Except, we kinda don't have a way outta the Realm of Darkness."
"That's why I came here." Aqua responded, walking towards Ven. "After talking to Ansem, I realized that I couldn't stay here any longer. Even though it puts Ven at risk, I have to go back to the Realm of Light and help."
"How are you going to get back?" Riku asked.
"This world isn't what you think it is." Aqua explained, leading them around to the back of the throne. "It's actually the Land of Departure, a place that exists as a bridge between the worlds." Sadness again washed over her words as she continued. "It was also my home."
"Then what are we here for?" Riku asked, feeling irritation begin to slip into his tone. "We came to save you from the Realm of Darkness because we thought you were trapped here, but now that we're here, you tell us that you could have left whenever you wanted!?"
"Riku." Mickey's voice was a mix of concern and disapproval.
"This is ridiculous!" Riku growled, feeling the familiar feeling of the Darkness begin to warm his body. Even though Maleficent had enchanted his clothes to hold back the Darkness, which he could feel working, he just couldn't ignore the negative emotions that had built to a breaking point within him. "We left Sora and Kairi in the Realm of Light because we thought you needed saving! Kairi is completely untrained, Sora has lost most of his power and they are both being targeted by Xehanort!"
"I-I didn't..." Aqua trailed off as Riku slammed his hand into the back of the Throne, shocking everybody present.
"Do you know what we've been through these past few years!?" Riku glared daggers at Aqua. "Our home has been threatened, I was torn apart from my friends and the Worlds have been in danger!" He wanted to stop, but he couldn't, egged on by a silent voice in the back of his mind. "You've been gone for thirteen years Aqua! Thirteen years! Moping around in the Realm of Darkness when you could have been out there stopping Xehanort!"
"I didn't know how long it had been." Aqua tried, but her words fell on deaf ears.
"Bullshit!" Riku swore, surprised at himself. He hadn't sworn out loud before. His parents had used to do it all the time, particularly his dad, but he always made sure not to. It just felt gross to him. "You can't seriously think that any of this is okay!"
"In Aqua's defense," Lauriam chimed in. "Castle Oblivion itself was locked for quite some time. The Organization had to wait before gaining access."
"I made sure that it was inaccessible for ten years." Aqua confirmed, her tone measured despite the attack on her person. "And besides, when I was actually trapped here, I was left without my own Keyblade or my Keyblade Armor. I have had to walk across the entire Realm of Darkness to get here. I also spent some of that time, helping you guys out."
Riku fell silent, recalling how he'd closed the Door to Kingdom Hearts with Sora, not knowing at the time that Aqua had saved his life from the shadows. Letting out several shuddering breaths, he slowly but surely calmed himself down before looking at Aqua apologetically.
"I-I'm sorry." Riku shook his head. "Being here... It isn't good for me."
"On the contrary," And all too familiar voice interrupted, causing everybody to turn and look at Xehanorts Heartless who was standing across the room with his arms folded and a disgusting smirk on his face. "I believe it brings out the best in you, Riku."