So I hope you've all had a happy holidays so far, be it whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or just, you know, a happy weekend in general. That said, here's my own little present and I go into full gear with getting this story done.


Chapter 58

The Trickster

The tribes' current troubles started roughly three months ago, the group learned from Chief Powhatan. As soon as he had mentioned a strange fog that came and left every few days, Sora had a good idea of where the story was going.

"Within the fog, our hunters, those who provide for their families, they were picked off one by one. As time went on, the demons that attacked grew in number and strength. You did not have to be in the fog to be attacked. The women in the fields, the children playing outside… they all became vulnerable. Despite this, the demons do not go within the walls of this village. It is our only sanctuary, our only protection. We considered migration, moving to another part of the land and settling there, but this winter has been particularly harsh."

"And with all the women and children, it wouldn't exactly be the best thing to do right now," Riku said. The Chief nodded and walked to the entrance of the hut, Sora and the others following behind.

Chief Powhatan continued, "They're so comfortable with their lives here. To take that away from them now would be the greatest tragedy. Yet I can't help but wonder- Is it worth keeping them locked within these walls to protect them? What if the time comes when food can no longer be gathered in safety?"

"This fog will disappear if we seal the keyhole to this world, I think. That's what happened in the Pride Lands. So, that's all we need to do, right?" Luna said.

"Even if that were true, that's easier said than done. Finding a keyhole is no easy feat and it doesn't just show up for anyone. Only people like us can find them and it could be anywhere. I'd rather not search an entire forest just to find one," Riku replied.

"But there's no point complaining about it either. If we want everyone here to keep living their lives here in peace then we have no choice," Kairi said.

"What is this about keyholes?" Chief Powhatan asked slowly.

Luna's eyes grew big and she gave an exaggerated clearing of the throat. "Oh, it's nothing you have to worry about. Listen, those creatures… you mustn't be afraid of them. The worst thing you can do now is falter when your people need you most. I'm not sure how much we can do to help but what you can do is lead. Whew, that came out way better than it sounded in my head."

"Thank you, but I'd rather not put all our burdens on strangers who we've only just met."

"Oh, no need to be so considerate. Helping people is Luna's speciality," Sora told him, patting Luna on the head mockingly.

"Hey, don't think I'm doing it alone!" Luna said, pushing Sora's forehead and his body away with a finger.

"You don't mind if we stay for the night at least, do you? It's starting to get dark outside," Kairi said.

"Of course. We would be honored to have you as our guests. Do make yourselves at home. Explore the village to your hearts' content. We'll call you when tonight's feast is ready. They shall be in your honor," Chief Powhatan said cheerfully. He held the cloth hanging to the hut entrance to the side allowing the group and Pocahontas to exit.

Sora, who was the last one to leave, stopped just outside, turned around and asked, "There hasn't been anyone suspicious wandering about or near the village, has there? We're looking for a group of people who are nothing but bad news."

"Not as far as I can recall. I would immediately know of any people looking to make trouble if they had come to the village," the chief answered after some consideration.

"That's a good thing then. At least I won't have them breathing down my neck here," Sora mumbled the last sentence to himself before leaving with the others.

The nature-surrounding smell of the trees and dirt outside of the village walls wafted their way inside, hitting Sora's nostrils in strong bursts whenever he got too close to the edge of the village. He could admit that he wasn't much of a nature admirer, but he couldn't help but also be fascinated when Luna occasionally pointed something out. He had remembered how she had dug up the soil back on Nomanisan Island and when she did so in front of him, he grinned and eagerly pointed out that she was testing for the richness of the soil.

Kairi soon met up with them after the two went to the centre of the village to wash Luna's hands. Sora's expression became glum when he saw that Kairi's face was paler than usual.

"Hey, guys. Luna, you remember when you told Yen Sid and Neuge that I'd be useful in detecting other candidates?" she reminded Luna.

"She did?" Sora asked, looking from one of them to the other.

"That's how I convinced the Master to let them come along with us. I didn't really have much of a convincing argument for Riku but I guess she may have just made an exception because of my birthday," Luna explained. Her hands found their way down to the tantō Neuge had given her which was strapped to her waist. Sora had come across her trying to practice with it and had he even tried using it but neither of the two could ever get close to the way Neuge had used it during their training. It wasn't as if wielding a short blade was the same as wielding a Keyblade so that only made sense, but being able to experience actually wielding one and noticing all the differences made them appreciate Neuge more than ever.

"Well, I felt it. It was as if my heart started beating faster all of a sudden. I noticed it when we were in the hut with the chief and Pocahontas and I wanted to confirm it, so I went to talk to Pocahontas alone and… I definitely felt it. She has potential," Kairi said.

"Well that was quick," Sora said, none too pleased with this revelation. "Are we really going ahead with this? We're just going to ask a girl to leave her home, especially when the people of her village are being attacked daily by the Heartless."

"We can search somewhere else. The last thing we want her to think is that we're befriending her out of some ulterior motive to ease her into leaving. I feel like we'd be sending their hospitality right down the drain," Luna said.

"And that's how we'll feel about the next world, and the one after that. We're kidding ourselves if we think this is going to be easy. We're taking someone away from their home, their family. There's no point hiding it from her if we're considering it. Let's… let's just deal with the fog first if we can," said an irritated Sora.

Luna nodded and bit her lip. "I think if we question all the hunters in the village, we're bound to gather some information. That should take up the rest of the time until dinner."

"Good idea. Where's Riku?" Sora asked.

Kairi laughed. "Where else? Getting a head start on you, Sora."


After interrogating hunters in different portions of the camp, Sora and the others regrouped at the feast to discuss what they had learned, which was really only little but interesting nonetheless. A few of the hunters had each claimed to have witnessed seeing something in the fog while they were hunting.

The most important piece of information however came from the injured man who had just woken up. Riku had been waiting for a chance to speak to him and learned that the man had encountered the monster first hand and had barely escaped with his life. That much was obvious, given that his injuries had resulted in his leg having to be amputated. Though he had been unable to make note of the finer details due to the thickness of the fog, he had described his attacker as having the firm hind legs of a lion with the head, talons and wings of an eagle.

"A griffon! Oh my, never in all my years did I think I would be meeting one so soon. They're legendary creatures with rumoured to move at fantastic speeds of up to one-hundred-forty miles per hour," Jiminy popped out of Sora's breast pocket to say.

"ONE-HUNDRED AND- How are we supposed to take down something like that?" Sora asked stunned.

"Oh, that's the least of your worries. It would rip you to shreds with its talons before it would even need to achieve that speed. It's a miracle that guy even came out alive," Jiminy replied.

"Not exactly inspiring confidence here, Jiminy," Luna said.

"The guy said he was right at the edge of the fog when the creature attacked so he was able to escape. I guess it doesn't wander out of the fog then. If we ever do fight that thing, we better hope we're right at edge," Riku said.

Kairi nodded and pulled out a syringe from her pocket. She set it down on the ground and Riku, guessing what she was getting at, reached into his pocket and pulled out the other half of the puzzle, a case containing five hypodermic needles.

"So then Even's finished with his trial runs?" Luna asked.

"No, since he didn't exactly have any subjects to test it on. We'll be doing that for him. If this thing is a Chimera then hopefully we won't need to fight it so much as sneak up behind it and inject this into it when it's not looking," Riku answered.

Luna looked at him grimly. "I'm not too sure this'll work out. You said it worked on Quasimodo, but he was still human, or he might have even shared a similar blood type to mine. Second, trying to sneak up on one of these things is insane! It's a massive risk and it could all end horribly if it goes wrong. Third, even if it does work, we won't know how long it'll take to change them back. You said Quasimodo got worse before he got better, right? Do we really want to know what worse means in the context of a fully turned Chimera?"

The expression on Riku's face was inscrutable, and Luna had the feeling he was conflicted himself though he an expert at not showing it.

"It's the best chance we've got," he said simply, though their situation was anything but. It was fortunate that the commencement of the feast served as a healthy distraction for the group, who ate and talked amongst their hosts as if they were naturally part of them. After finishing the food on their trays, which included the corn Nakoma had given them earlier that day, they went their separate ways, not to gather information but for casual interaction.

"There's an island that exists deep in the minds of children that they visit when they dream. It's a luscious island with sparkling blue waters and is inhabited by fairies, mermaids and most especially children like yourselves," Sora said softly and pointed to the group of children gathered around him. "Those children, they believed in the island's innocence and purity so much that they never grew up. The children saw they could build a tropical paradise, where the kids, fairies, mermaids and all the other creatures on the land could co-exist. It was how the island came to be named Never-Never Land. But there were some who did not wish for such a peaceful co-existence. Those who were tainted by greed and fed off the land for profit, namely one Captain Hook. He sailed the Jolly Roger across the sea, feeling no one could rival him—that was until someone proved him wrong. One day, Hook looked to his flag high above the ship's mast to see it cut cleanly through in the shape of a boy. He was a boy no different than any of you, but he was pure of heart and indulged in the sense of adventure along with his crew, The Lost Boys-"

Sora stopped and turned around to see Kairi listening from behind. He got up and stepped backwards.

"Kairi! Nice to see you here!"

"Were you gonna tell the part where I was unconscious too and you had to rescue me?" she asked with a wry smile.

"Actually, I was just talking about when Donald, Goofy and I went to Neverland this one time. I kind of fairy-tailed it in a few parts but it's still pretty faithful," Sora said.

"Well go ahead then. I'm listening," Kairi said and sat down with the same gleeful expression as the children. Sora nodded and continued on with his story. He described what in his mind he felt was an epic tale of pirates and Lost Boys doing battle and ending with the conclusion of Peter Pan pricking Hook in the rear with his sword sending him into the ocean.

"Ever since his first encounter with Pan, Hook had been subjected to torturous sounds of a ticking clock. This time was no exception. He scanned the area until he saw it, the source of his discomfort. The crocodile who had taken his hand. Hook screamed and swam for dear life, the Crocodile following closely behind. The Lost Boys and Peter Pan, on the other hand, emerged victorious and celebrated throughout the night and not once did the fireflies that occupied the lamps in their treehouses go out. The end."

Sora's story was met with an ecstatic applause from his audience, with Kairi joining in and whistling. The children dispersed as it neared their bedtimes, leaving only the two friends together. The two leaned against the tall wooden logs that made the fortification of the settlement and watched as people passed by.

"How did that happen?" Kairi eventually asked in wonderment.

"They were all playing with my hair and I told them that I'd tell them a story if they settled down," Sora said.

"I told you a haircut would help," Kairi said proudly.

Sora mumbled something incoherent under his breath and then said. "I am really full right now. That was some feast, huh?"

"You ate like a pig. Is that really how you eat corn?"

"Is there any other way?" Sora asked with a playful wink. Kairi chuckled and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Sora, have you ever liked someone?"

"What do you mean? As in like someone? Or like like someone," Sora said uncomfortably.

"The second option, of course," Kairi replied.

"This… this question isn't… I mean, I don't really have time to think about that kind of stuff. I have enough love anyway since the Heartless have a unique way of showing it," Sora lied. It was more a lie he told himself than it was to Kairi but it was one that was necessary. He had no time to be bogged down in anything like that even if he wanted to. Just having to imagine the ways in which something like that could be used against him was terrifying alone. He looked down before asking, "Er, what about you? Is there someone you like?"

"I think so. But we're usually always so far apart and even when we're close he doesn't seem to really notice, probably because of everything else that's going on in his life," Kairi said.

"Well, once we're done with all this I'm sure you two can be together again. You just need to have courage, take the griffon by the reins and show him you're the boss," Sora said.

"Take the griffon by the reins? Did you just say that?" Kairi said while laughing.

"Would you prefer a chocobo?" Sora asked. He watched as she threw her head forward to meet her arms where she continued to laugh.

"Hey!"

Sora and Kairi looked up to see Luna running over to them while waving. She stopped in front of them and looked behind her.

"The village Shaman asked me to gather us all around the fire. He wants to tell us something," she said.

"Village shaman?" Sora asked. Put together, the words sounded incredibly strange to him and he stifled a laugh. "Shaman? You mean to do with the occult and stuff?"

"That's what he told me. Maybe he can speak to ghosts or something! That'd be cool. Wouldn't you like to talk to ghosts?" Luna asked eagerly.

"Not really, but I can't deny that I'm interested to see what happens. Let's go," Sora said.

Luna led them to the centre of the village where families gathered around the flickering flames, their embers floating off and disappearing under the starry sky. The trio joined up with Riku who was situated in between Nakoma and Pocahontas. Nakoma seemed engaged in a non-stop round of questions to the silver-haired youth who looked as if he really didn't want to be there. Sora grinned, sneaked in, puckered his lips and made kissing noises in Riku's ear. Riku tried to grab at him but Sora was quicker and managed to evade his arm's reach.

"Immature as always..." Kairi shrugged her shoulders at this and Luna snickered.

"Boys will be boys," she replied, sitting down cross-legged next to Pocahontas along with Kairi. Sora soon joined them, making sure to sit on Luna's side rather than Kairi's who was next to Riku.

"I thank you all for attending today and I would to once more give a warm welcome to our guests. I do admit, I had my doubts when you first arrived, but we know better than to judge others for all brothers and sisters were born from the same soil and must one day also return to it," Chief Powhatan started once the crowd had quietened down. There murmurs here and there of approval and Luna in particular found herself particularly embarrassed by having pairs of eyes stare at her yet again. However, they were different eyes from the ones that had stared at her so strangely when she had first come here. Warm and enthusiastic. She wasn't good at being the center of attention but she was appreciative nonetheless of being in the company of new friends.

The chief continued, "I would like to share with our guests a tradition that has long since brought us together. After special feasts such as this, we always gather around the fire and share the stories that have been passed down by our forebears."

"And we thank you for being willing to share some of your culture and history with us. I'm really looking forwards to hearing about it," Luna said, her eyes shining in the same way that they had many times when Sora had told her about his previous adventures.

"I'm glad to hear it. Then without further ado, let us begin!" the chief declared. He allowed way to an old man with silvery hair who stepped forward, a warm smile plastered on his face. He had in his hand what appeared to be spices of some sort, but the group only had a brief chance to see them before they were cast into the fire.

"That's the shaman?" Sora whispered across Luna to Pocahontas, if only because he had realized that he hadn't really talked with the chief's daughter since they had first met.

"His name is Kekata. He also works with medicine and healing the wounded such as the warrior you met earlier," Pocahontas whispered back. Sora's eyes widened, not at what Pocahontas had just said but at the fire suddenly coming to life. Smoke rose up from this fire and drifted around in the air for a while. It gave off not the scent of what Sora would normally expect from a fire but a rather sweet and plant-like smell instead. The smoke soon began to swirl and became as thick as gray clouds before separating and forming different shapes.

"Many moons ago," began the shaman. "Those who came before us had scrambled out of the darkness of the world underneath our feet and into the light of day. They saw the land before them and the many possibilities that were available to them and so the age of light began. The sun was not to forever shine on these inexperienced hearts though, for with such inexperience comes impatience. Those who came before knew not how to divide the land amongst themselves and they could not live together for their opinions and beliefs differed greatly amongst them. Even so, they still worked together despite these differences to explore the rest of the land, for more than their beliefs, they were adventurers first and foremost and it was this passion that kept them together. Then one day, as each of the forefathers travelled through a forest individually on their way to meet up with each other, they came across a man, but not just any ordinary man for he was an individual who possessed the power of the many elements. Fire. Water. Earth. Air. After showing them his power, he said onto each of them: 'That I have shown you the powerful magic I possess is no coincidence. You are destined to bring true light to the world and I shall give you the tools to do so.' The man then further added: 'You must keep this new power of yours a secret for your peers scheme to take your piece of land away from you. If you intend to see the true light return then you must not give into the darkness of your allies.' Of course, none of the forefathers had intended any such thing from the start. The man was no human but rather a demon in the shape of man. No one has seen this demon in its true form, though tales have spread of a monster cloaked in smokeless fire. The fire burns so brightly that it blinds for life anyone who sets their sights on it."

"The trickster," Sora heard Nakoma say under her breath.

"The trickster's words had been the final straw for our forefathers. The damage had already been done. From that day onwards, the brothers could no longer trust each other. Their relationship had been splintered and they only served to take care of their own factions with the powers that had been given to them. In the eyes of the flying eagle, he sees no difference in land, no cut-offs, only a single world. In this single world, the eagle would see what would appear to be small ants who all looked the same. In the eyes of those on the ground however, they could see not what the eagle could and they certainly did not believe they were all the same. The land fell into conflict and those who were once friends became enemies. It no longer became about protecting their own but taking from the others, all to bring about the true light that they had so desired even if that meant sacrificing their own to do it. The trickster watched from afar as the land and air that had once been pure became corrupted with greed and hatred. As the world became weaker, he became more powerful. As fire raged across the world destroying everything in its path, it seemed as if all hope had been lost, but one of the forebears saw through the deception and treachery before it was too late. He went back to the forest where they had first seen the trickster and confronted him. In the end it was his light that was enough to seal the trickster away and restore the land to its previous state. It is said that even to this day, the wrath of the trickster is only dormant, ready to be awakened at any moment. The next time he appears, he may take the form of man or perhaps even something else. But the lesson our forebear taught his descendants and those after is never lost. Even when the sun goes out, when the crops die and the wind stops, we must not give up hope. When those things die, we must take their place. We must become the sun, try to grow the crops, be as free as the wind. As long as we have courage and hope in our hearts, the light will never truly die out."

As Kekata finished, the fire also went out leaving a small mountain of charred twice. Sora would have thought it a pretty funny coincidence, if not for something in his mind telling him that it had been intentional.

The crowd including their guests burst into a round of applause. Sora could tell that everyone had been enthralled in the story even if hearing it before, and he suspected that it was partly due to Kekata skills as an orator and also partly due to the respect the village had for him. As the crowd dispersed, Sora heard Kairi call to Kekata and watched as she ran up to him.

"That was an amazing story. My grandmother used to tell me stories like this and yours was pretty similar. I was wondering about the true light that you mentioned," she said.

Kekata smiled and gave a nod to Powhatan assumedly to tell him that he would be with him in a minute before looking back to Kairi.

"I'm glad you asked about that. I myself would like to know what it is meant by a 'true light'. These stories were passed down from our ancestors and yet the meanings behind them have been lost. What was literal to one generation becomes metaphorical to our own. I suppose the true light could really be something that needs to be sought but is there really an objective definition of a 'true light'? Surely what one expects the light to be differs from person to person, after all the brothers in the story are said to be different in all ways but their love of exploration. Another theory is that this was another trick set up by the demon to get those who came before to fight. It does fit with the context after all. In that case, maybe there never was a true light to begin with or maybe there is but it was lost as soon as the conflict started. The story puts emphasis on how the conflict corrupted the pure land and air. In that case, it may be the true light was right under their noses the entire time, but they chose to ignore it in the belief that they could find something better."

"The true light was the world itself, which became contaminated by humans' greed for more?" Luna asked, showing that she too was paying attention.

"That would be a good guess. In any case, I would probably not worry too much over the details. It is just a story after all. Hopefully that answers your question. Is there anything else?" Kekata asked.

"No, but if there's any others that I have I'll be sure to ask you. Thanks again," Kairi said flashing a smile. The shaman returned this before walking off at a brisk pace to catch up to the chief.

"You don't actually think that story's true, do you?" Sora asked her as she came back.

"What, that it's related to the Keyblade War? Why couldn't it be?" Kairi asked. "Not that it really matters how it started. Obviously wasn't exactly like that just like the stories from my grandma don't exactly depict the full picture. It's like Kekata said. It's just a story."

"Just like Atlantis then?" Riku asked.

"But we know that's real. All the evidence we have so far points to it, or does the book we find in the catacombs with Atlantean symbols mean nothing?" Kairi defended.

"There are plenty of crazy fanatics out there devoting their lives to all sorts of things. Frollo wasn't exactly right in the head either," Riku said.

"Frollo? Atlantis?"

Sora snickered. Riku and Kairi had been so absorbed in defending their points of view that they had failed to remember that Pocahontas and Nakoma were watching them with confused expressions.

"It's nothing," Sora answered Pocahontas question before his something else caught his eye. "Luna, is everything alright? You look pale."

The others, alerted by Sora's assessment of the situation, turned to look at Luna who was covering one side of her face with her hand.

"I feel kind of sick actually. Weird, I didn't feel this way before," Luna said with a voice full of fatigue.

"Food poisoning, maybe?" Sora asked.

"What? No. We're all fine. One moment." Kairi walked over to Luna and put the back of her hand against her forehead, withdrawing it almost immediately. "Wow! You're burning up. We need to get you to bed immediately."

"But she said she didn't feel this way before, right? Is it normal for her temperature to go up so quickly?" Nakoma asked.

"Let's… try not to make her worry even more," Sora said before asking Kairi, "Do you want some help?"

"No, no. I'll need to get her changed and well… you know."

"Oh, yeah, right," Sora said, blushing a little. He looked up into the night sky and said, "Well in any case. I think it's about time we all get some rest. We'll sleep on the whole fog problem and maybe we'll get an epiphany or something. Hope you feel better tomorrow, Luna."

"I hope so too. G'night," Luna mumbled to them before being escorted away by Kairi.


Neuge looked down at the New Orleans River as it glowed and reflected the bright lights of a bustling and jazzy city home to what seemed to be a large community of people from the few locations she had visited so far. A week ago, she wouldn't have even imagined that she would be here let alone anywhere else other than in a bar in Radiant Garden.

She ran over her targets again in her mind. There was Dr. Drakken and Yzma, both of who they knew were KRONOS' main researchers on the weapon to turn an entire population into Chimera in one go. It was truly a weapon deserved to be called world ending and while Neuge couldn't say she wanted to get involved, there was still a part of her left from her days of being a Keyblade wielder that told her that couldn't just stand by. Seeing as how they were targeting Sora and his friends as well, she figured she was effectively killing two birds with one stone anyway so she might as well do something.

"Out of curiosity, why exactly did you pick this world to go to, Neuge? Maybe I'm wrong, but it felt like you really wanted to come here," Mickey asked. The mouse had to jump and hang onto the railing in order to peer across the river as well, leaving his feet and tail to wiggle about.

"I've been here before actually. The shadowy corners of the city are perfect for gathering information on anyone at any time of the day moving through this city and doing shady deals. I'm not saying KRONOS might be here but if you want information this is one of the first places you come to," Neuge explained. "Aside from that, if you want swinging and dancing and boats along the river then you've also come to the right place. They call this place 'The City That Care Forgot', just because of the city's gentle and easy-going way of life. Let loose and have fun, Mickey, because that's what this place is all about."

"That sounds wonderful! The river here kinda reminds me of the one I used to sail down. You wouldn't mind if I suddenly had the urge to sail one of these things, would ya?"

"Planning a change of profession to crime now, your majesty? I suppose it must be tiring having to rule over your subjects, but then again, you usually leave that to the queen nowadays, don't you?" Neuge threw a sly joke at him.

"Well, I suppose it's true that I haven't exactly been the most kingly of kings, although Minnie's family is technically the one in line to the throne. I don't think I would have picked sailing down the waterway as a job if I was born into royalty," Mickey answered.

"And they allowed royalty to marry someone with barely any status? That's interesting. Isn't it usually through inbreeding?"

Mickey almost fell over the railing at this but Neuge caught him by his shirt and set him down on the ground. "Er, you certainly don't pull your punches, do ya?"

"I didn't survive all these years by pulling my punches, no," Neuge replied dryly.

"Well, at least I know I'll be in capable hands. Should we get going?"

"So you're not taking one of the boats then?" Neuge enquired.

Mickey looked at the boats longingly for a few seconds before shrugging. "Maybe later, but we have an investigation to do first. Let's get going, shall we?"