Chapter 80
Fata Morgana
As Sora woke up to a new day, his mind immediately went to the events that had transpired yesterday, as it had before he had fallen asleep. He had made a new friend in Jayne, having talked with her about various things on their way to her home. Among those mentioned was inevitably his reluctance to use the Keyblade. Confirming that he was retired, Jayne expressed her dismay at this, but was appreciative that he came to her rescue and even more so that he had found such a 'cool' way of defending her from the Heartless.
His mind also wandered to Salome's appearance. Right now, he wasn't sure what to think of her. She looked and behaved less hostile than her peers but he what he kept telling himself was that they were Keyblade wielders and professional ones at that. Unlike him, they were trained in espionage and blending in to other worlds. He took what she said to him with a grain of salt. Then again, if he was this paranoid, was he really free of the chains that had bound his life until now?
Changing clothes, Sora set out first for Huey, Dewey and Louie's item shop where Scrooge would be waiting. Luna had mentioned before leaving that she had spoken to the business tycoon about work for Sora. He had been happy to invite Sora over to his workshop, located in the shop's attic.
He quickly made his presence known to the ducklings, who opened up a hole in the ceiling from under the counter. Sora climbed up the revealed ladder towards the attic but stopped with half of his head poking around the room. He couldn't help but grin. Little gadgets that he had never seen before and had no idea what they were for were laid out on a long table that went all the way around the room like something out of a buffet. Machines were also strewn across the room, performing many different functions, some of which he knew from Mickey to be involved in the production of Gummi Blocks.
"Wow, Scrooge, you've got yourself something here, that's for sure," Sora made himself known to the duck who had his back turned.
Scrooge turned around and let out a chuckle. "Ah, you're here, lad! Just in time, as well. Come see this."
Sora climbed out fully and walked over to Scrooge, looking down at the table. On it was a small green Gummi Block and something that looked like a sewing machine towering over it, its fine needle pointing downwards at the small object.
"What's this?" Sora asked.
"You, my spiky haired friend, are looking at the very first machine that can cut through a Gummi Block. Despite its elasticity, until now it has been physically impossible to cut through a Gummi Block. A knife, a saw, a power drill, nothing works. They all just slide right off like butter as soon as they make contact," Scrooge explained. "This machine I've invented has a powerful laser that I'm sure will be able to cut through the Gummi Block's material."
"Well, that's cool I guess but… what's the point?" Sora was hesitant to ask. He knew how prideful Scrooge was of his inventions and he didn't mean to sound disinterested but he honestly didn't understand the significance of cutting a Gummi Block or what that would accomplish in the long run.
"Oh, don't be such a dafty. Understanding the Gummi Block's composition is the key to knowing what we can and can't do with it. Think of how many fields in everyday life we could improve if we applied Gummi technology to them. Right now, we've only scratched the surface with what we can accomplish such as travelling to other worlds for instance. Now imagine this stuff being used to aid in medical research and the like. The possibilities are endless but none of them out of reach. This kind of advancement can make me a lot of money."
"Ah, there we go, I was waiting for that," Sora said, nodding his head. "Always with the money. Do you even spend that stuff?"
"Eh? If you spend it, it leaves your pocket. Pretty silly to me," Scrooge said.
"And here I thought money was meant for spending. Nice to know I've been doing it wrong all these years," Sora said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. And here he had told himself he needed all those Hi-Potions.
"You laugh now but we'll see how you feel when you have nothing on a rainy day. Alright, let's see what sweet Lassie can do, shall we?" Scrooge said, fumbling with the controls on the machine.
"Ah, so you even named the laser?" Sora asked. He watched as Scrooge twisted a final dial before flicking the switch at the top of the device. A red line shot out of the needle and hit the Gummi Block. A moment later, Sora looked up. The lightbulb hanging from the ceiling had started flickering on and off. The sounds of various machines snorting and gurgling as they turned on and off also made him feel uneasy.
SNAP!
Sora looked upwards to see that the lightbulb had shattered, its pieces falling onto the floor. He looked back at the laser to see it faltering for a few seconds before completely stopping. The Gummi Block remained as it had been before the experiment, completely unmarred and in one piece.
"Ach, phooey! Another failure," Scrooge said.
"Yep. Looks like old Lassie was no match for the power of the Gummi Block," Sora said, reaching upwards to stretch in a faux lazy manner.
"Ah, but at the very least, it's not a complete failure. It did tell us something," Scrooge said with a finger pointed upwards.
Sora's hands converted to folded arms and cocked his head to the left. "It did?"
"Of course it did! There's some kind of force acting upon the Gummi Block, repelling thing that may threaten its stability. It's almost like it has a mind of its own, or maybe it's programmed in such a way to absorb energy and then unleashing that stored energy right back as if it's recoiling," Scrooge theorized. He quickly grabbed a notebook and pen that were set aside and began writing furiously on the page. Sora looked over the duck's shoulder to see many notes and diagrams over just two pages. He visibly shivered at the thought that this book contained hundreds of pages dedicated to everything that went on in Scrooge's wacky yet creative mind.
"I was kind of looking forward to seeing the inside of a Gummi Block. So nothing can cut through it then?" Sora asked.
"Who can say? I have perseverance and patients, the two key components of eventual success," Scrooge said, thumping his own chest proudly. "I'm sure I'll find a way."
"That's pretty admirable," Sora praised before remembering why he had come here in the first place. "Er, Luna said you had a job for me?"
"Aye, maybe you can help me with something. See, I have a rather secret project underway which I think will change the way we communicate forever," Scrooge said.
"You mean, other than the laser?" Sora asked. Curiously, he put his hands up to touch the machine but Scrooge quickly slapped his hand away.
"Because lasers are good for communicating with," Scrooge said, rolling his eyes. "No, what I'm talking about is more like a kind of satellite, one that renders the walls between worlds useless. I see a future where everyone, regardless of where they are, knows about the existence of other worlds. Interworld communication, I call it. We'll be able to contact other worlds and vice versa and who knows? It may even pave the way for space travel." Scrooge painted the future he saw on an invisible canvas in front of him with his hands.
"So then everyone really can be connected? And you're sure this 'satellite' can help?" Sora asked with a grin. The idea of worlds finally communicating with one another was a tempting one that he wanted to see come to fruition.
"Sure as the lucky dime in my pocket," Scrooge said.
"Then I'll help. Of course I'll help! What do you want me to do?" Sora asked.
By the time the clock struck twelve, Sora had seriously considered crawling back into bed and remaining there for the rest of the day. Over the course of three hours, Sora had been dragging himself back and forth across the town, delivering packages specifically from the science department of Xanatos Enterprises. The packages varied in size and weight, some wrapped, some not so. From the ones which were unwrapped, Sora could tell that he was handling very advanced and sensitive equipment.
Having listened to Scrooge's plan in detail, he knew that their first obstacle would be getting the satellite into orbit. The first satellite would be able to connect directly to one somewhere near Disney Town. Of course, launching them into orbit was their first priority, something that would be made easier by David Xanatos' funding.
"Alright, that's all for today. The real work begins tomorrow so make sure you're on time," Scrooge announced to Sora's relief.
"You mean that wasn't the real stuff?" Sora groaned with the appearance of a zombie. He grabbed his jacket and said goodbye to Scrooge and the ducklings before leaving hastily for the shopping district. Arriving a few minutes early outside of the café, Sora leaned against the side of the building next to it and began whistling to himself.
Her shift over, Jayne left the café to receive a shock as Sora sneaked in from behind and whispered, "Boo!" in her ear.
"Oh, you are just childish. Did you want to put me in hospital?" Jayne breathed out shakily, still recovering from Sora's scare.
Sora laughed. "I was in hospital for a few weeks myself actually. The food's not all too bad."
"Because you were in there just for the food," Jayne said, leading the way. She had told him yesterday that she had successfully auditioned for a role in a theatre production called The Muppets. Apparently it was a really big thing to kids back in the day. She had invited him over to watch a rehearsal performance of the show, the actual performance taking place this Saturday evening. If he remembered correctly, Stephanie and Colette had also gotten tickets for the first performance.
"How do you know I wasn't? Free food? Yeah, I'm not complaining," Sora said.
"Of course you wouldn't, you glutton. Speaking of which, do you want to go get something to eat? You're looking roughly at a one hour performance here," Jayne said.
"I'll grab a sandwich set from the convenience store. That should tide me over," Sora answered. "How about you? Did you get anything to eat?"
"I had coffee. Does that count, mom?" Jayne asked.
"Not in the slightest. Well, it's just a rehearsal like you said. Still, it's your big chance to break away from the life of a café maid. You must be feeling pretty anxious," Sora said.
"Actually, that's the thing. I'm feeling pretty calm at the moment. I'm sure that'll change when there's a whole audience in front of me. Then again, when you get into your role you just get lost, you know? You drown out all the eyes, all the stage lights… you concentrate on making your own performance the best it can be," Jayne told him as they reached the theatre building. "And if you're not satisfied, learn from your mistakes. Accept failure and allow it to make you stronger."
"Heh, right…" Sora said, his eyes suddenly finding the ground attractive. He and Jayne proceeded into a furnished oak reception room with a set of grand stairs leading to a second land to the right of the reception desk.
"This was apparently Ansem the Wise's favorite place… well, the old building anyway. They rebuilt this place on the same plot of land, the same size, same aesthetics and atmosphere. Anyway, I hear he always came here to watch the plays. It's amazing to think there's so much history to this place. I want to carry on that legacy, even pass on the torch if I can," Jayne said.
"Look at you. Have your entire future set. I'm jealous," Sora said.
"Oh, you wish. I'm still putting one foot in front of the other. Besides, I'm twenty two. You're sixteen. You have another six years before you can start complaining," Jayne said, flicking at the top most spike of his hair. As the two neared the desk, the receptionist ushered Jayne over.
"Hey, Derek, what's up?" she asked him.
"It's a nightmare, Jayne, an absolute disaster! Erin twisted his ankle in the morning," Derek explained in a frenzied tone.
"You're twisting my panties. You can't be serious!" Jayne asked. Sora raised a brow at her questionable phrasing. "What happens now then?"
"Er, sorry, who is Erin?" Sora asked, completely lost.
"Who's Erin? WHO'S ERIN? He's only the main character of the show. He plays alongside Miss Piggy as Kermit," Derek screamed at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh, then what happens to the production?" Sora asked, choosing to ignore the obnoxious screaming receptionist and focus on Jayne instead.
"Not sure. Let's head to the dressing room," Jayne said. Sora could see a worrying frown start to appear on her face so he took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze as she guided him up the staircase and to a room on their immediate right as opposed to the double doors that most likely led to the main hall.
They went down the long corridor before arriving at a door on the left side. Entering, Sora was greeted to the sight of the other cast members. There were eight people gathered around the couch, and at the sound of the door opening, they all turned their heads and got up.
"Oh, Jayne, it's horrible!" said one of the cast members, an older woman probably in her thirties.
"Yeah, I just heard from Derek. So what do we do?" Jayne asked.
"I… don't know. The other guy we had as a replacement isn't able to make it either. It's a shame, really. And we put everything into this tenth anniversary," replied the man farthest from them.
"You can't mean…"
"Oh, I do. We might have to cancel the production, or at least push it back a month," he replied with a sigh. "I know you all worked so hard to make this happen and I'm sorry. I know some of your children were looking forward to watching you up on stage but there's not much we can do under the circumstances," he said. He placed his hand on the nearest person's shoulder for support before looking at Jayne. "I'm sorry, Jayne. This was supposed to be your breakthrough role. I'm sure you must have been anticipating this moment."
"It's okay, I guess. I just have to wait a little bit longer, right?" Jayne said. There was clear disappointment in her voice despite her obvious attempts to hide it and put on a smile. Sora was reminded of himself for a bit just then. That's when he came to a decision.
"Jayne, it's okay. You'll get your chance. This production isn't ending here," Sora said, before turning to the others. "I can take Erin's place."
Everyone turned their heads, looking at each other for a few seconds. Then, to Sora's confusion, they burst out laughing.
"I'm sorry, er, Sora? Can I call you that?" asked the man.
"That's my name, last time I checked," Sora said.
"Well, Sora, I'm thankful for what you've done for us and all but… learning a script takes a while. We only have three days left. Also, do you have any acting experience?"
Sora scratched the back of his head. "Not exactly. I was in a musical once if that counts."
The man seemed to consider this. At this point Sora assumed that he wasn't actually a cast member so much as the director of the production.
"He's capable. I'll help him as much as I can," Jayne suddenly said, knocking the director out of his rumination. "I pretty much have all my lines down anyway so I'm free to help him out. Please give Sora a chance. I don't want to let everyone who was looking forward to this down."
The director thoughtful concentration melted into a small smile and he nodded. "Okay, Sora, you're in but you're going to have to learn quick."
"Thank you, thank you. I won't let you down, I promise!" Sora yelled ecstatically. The director walked over to the couch and picked up a binder with a thick stack of white in between. He handed it over to Sora who opened it quickly and flicked through the pages. He looked back up and gave a silly smile which he felt could fall off his face any second. "Oh my… that's…."
"Yeah…" The director agreed with a sly smile and a nod.
Over the next three days, Sora practiced as hard as he could with Jayne and the other members of the group. Not experienced with The Muppets in any way, Jayne proposed that he stay over hers for the three nights to watch as many videos as possible of previous episodes and performances so he could try and emulate it.
His Kermit impression ended up coming off as slightly fake but he had managed to get most of the mannerisms down. He had also received recommendations from the other actors in the play, mainly that he shouldn't try to remember every line but try to condense it to make it easier to digest. Either way, as Sora read through his lines several times over, he found that it wasn't as bad as originally thought. Within the one hour that was the total run-through of the play and despite Kermit being a main character (and the protagonist being Jayne, the only human character in the show), the lines were evenly spread and he had enough time off stage to look back on his script for the next scene.
The day before the show, Sora went over to Stephanie's house to play with her at lunch. They ended up playing Hide and Seek around the house at first, with Sora searching for both the young girl and Colette. The latter, it turned out, was horrible at finding good hiding places. The first time he had found her was in the closet near her bedroom and the second time he was chosen to be seeker, she was found hiding in the bathtub, shower curtains concealing her that hadn't been closed when he had looked in the bathroom their first time.
Stephanie was sneakier. The first time he had found her was underneath her mother's bed but Stephanie was actually nowhere in the house when Sora's second turn came around. He spent a while looking around for her after finding Colette, but even through his double checks, he came up with nothing.
He was about to leave Stephanie's room the second time when he noticed something. Pooh's storybook was lying on the floor, a complete exception from Stephanie's otherwise well-kept room. Mulan had probably brought the Princesses of Heart back from the book world on Yen Sid's orders but it seemed that she had let the book stay with Colette and Stephanie.
She wouldn't have… that little cheater. A smile escaped Sora's mouth and he went over to the book and opened it up. He felt the familiar sensation as his vision melted like ink dribbling down a page and eventually he was sucked in. Sora found Stephanie peering over a lone log in the middle of the green meadow.
"Huh? How did you find me?" Stephanie asked with a pretend pout.
"Well I realized your room was looking more unscrupulous than usual and I just couldn't help but satisfy my curiosity," Sora said grinning.
"Unscroopy- don't use your big words on me!" Stephanie attacked with an accusatory finger.
Sora laughed. "Sorry. I was being a bit disingenuous with what I meant. There was really only one thing that was lying on the floor anyway."
"Disin- Stop it!"
"He he he, okay, okay. Let's head back. Your mom might get worried if she realizes your missing," Sora said.
"Can we go together and meet Pooh and everyone else sometime soon?" Stephanie asked.
"Of course. Next week sound good?"
"It's a date," Stephanie agreed. The two continued to walk until they reached the edge of the scenery, where they stepped into the white light ahead of them. They soon found themselves back in Stephanie's bedroom.
Sora picked up the book from the ground and placed it on the bed before heading downstairs with Stephanie. The nine year old retreated to the kitchen table to do her homework while Colette brewed some tea for Sora and herself.
"Are you still on those pills?" Colette asked, setting the two steaming mugs on the table.
"No, I stopped since coming here. I'd like to think that ever since choosing this life, I've felt happier and I don't need them because of it. That's the thing, I guess. It feels like I had a choice," Sora said.
"You mean that you've never felt like you've had one?" Colette asked.
"It's not that, it's… I don't know how to put it. This might sound silly but… there's this boy, and he goes out and helps people and saves worlds. Somewhere along the line, that boy becomes more than just a person. He becomes a story, an icon. When you think of his name, it is the very example of hope. At the same time, the boy starts to buy into these stories about him. He's such an inspiration for others that he can't let them down no matter what. There's this… disparity that starts to grow between him and the person everyone expects him to be. I can't say I'm Sora anymore, because I'm not. Sora wouldn't run away. Sora wouldn't abandon his friends just to make himself happy. Sora wouldn't constantly be so angry and depressed all the time. I'm the things he isn't, and he's what I'm not," Sora finished, choosing to look anywhere else but Colette. He went for the mug and took a sip.
"I know what you mean," Colette soon replied to Sora's surprise.
"You do?"
"Well it's not anything like your struggle obviously. Mine is a smaller scale. But at one point in my life there was a disconnect between my role as a mother and what I actually wanted to do at the time which was just lay in bed all day and cry. You see, here's what I believe. Destiny is a funny thing. We can all say that it's written… as predetermined as an author who tells his or her story. We can all say it's something we write for ourselves. I don't know about any of that, but what I do know is that in the end we do what we have to with no regrets and for you Sora, I believe that's helping your friends. I know it's hard, painful even to get back up after all you've seen and felt and I'm not telling you to just forget it. It's unfortunate, but life isn't without its hardships and sometimes in order to gain something you'll have to lose something first. That pain stays with us, but you know what? We use it to make us stronger. Even if the world hates you, even if it's you alone, even if you've lost someone you've loved, we do what we have to do and we don't let that pain keep us down.
"I don't think it's any coincidence that you received the Keyblade just as I don't think it a coincidence that Ansem the Wise chose my husband and I won't lie, I hated him for it. I remember pressing my face against my bedroom window and looking down below every single day, hoping I would see him again. Then one day, the rain fell hitting against the window and I finally let my tears out along with it. I couldn't handle it. But I soon realised that instead of forcing myself into depression I had something far more important to protect— my daughter. I couldn't let her suffer through my own weakness so I stood up and from that day onward I smiled. Even when I didn't feel happy, I smiled if not for my sake, then for Stephanie's. Maybe that's why the Keyblade chose you, because it believed you could overcome any pain you faced."
Sora's eyes didn't leave the murky brown in his cup as he spoke. "Well… believe it or not, the Keyblade didn't really choose me. It was supposed to go to Riku but-"
"It stayed with you. My point stands," Colette said, chuckling as Sora looked up at her. "You may feel like you're powerless but Stephanie and I can prove you wrong. It's true that people with great power and ambitions have sometimes led the world to the brink of ruin. As much as I don't like to admit it, Ansem the Wise did give rise to Maleficent and the Heartless. But then the opposite must also be true. People with great power have changed the world for the better. You've fought with everything you had to preserve the world as it is today. There's no reason you can't make it better either. No one can tell you what to do with your own power except you. And this may just be my opinion but any future you create is one that I know Stephanie and I wouldn't mind living in at all."
Sora focused in on the table in front of him. His vision was beginning to blur. Even after he left their house and began practicing again with the others, his mind was elsewhere, pondering what he needed to do. The problem was that he feared if he decided to go off again, he would never be able to come back from it.
"Sora, are you okay?" Jayne asked, noticing Sora's absent-mindedness.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's just… just a lot on my mind right now," Sora answered.
"Hmm? Wanna talk? I am a good listener. We don't have a lot of those these days," Jayne said.
"That we don't. No, don't worry about it, it's silly really. Let's concentrate on knocking this out of the park first, yeah?" Sora assured her with a grin.
Jayne chuckled. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
The evening of the big show soon came and Sora found himself at his dressing room table, looking into the mirror. He had long since donned his Kermit costume and all that was left to put on was the head. He had tried the costume out in the final run-through yesterday and knew from the hour he had spent in it in that it could get hot and stuffy after a while. Still, the few times he was off stage would give him some much needed cool air.
"Okay, breathing exercises, just like Jayne said," Sora whispered to himself. He closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled a few times, just like he did in his meditation. He opened his eyes again and grinned. "Time to make a fool out of myself."
Over the next hour, Sora moved on and off stage in front of the large audience. It was the first Muppet show performance since before the Heartless took consumed Radiant Garden and so there was a massive amount of pressure, not just for him but everyone else involved in the production to do justice to the revived franchise. The story was an interesting one and, strangely enough for Sora who had never seen a single show of the series before this, a rollercoaster of emotions.
Disbanded after seeing their ratings slowly go down the drain, the play time skips to ten years later where the Muppets are forgotten to the rest of the world. As they attempt to live normal lives, Gonzo runs into the one girl (Jayne) who seems to remember them. Together, they work to convince the rather pessimistic and depressed Kermit and from there on the other Muppets to regroup and perform another show.
The show ended off with a song, though Sora couldn't pull off his Kermit voice as convincingly while singing. Sora looked around him one final time in appreciation before nodding back at the audience.
"I guess friends really our irreplaceable. Well, they're more like family to me now," he said through Kermit's voice.
"Hey, Kermit, get over here!" Sarah, played by Jayne, called over. She had a big camera in her hands.
"Coming!" Sora yelled and ran over to the other Muppets, taking Miss Piggy's hand with his left and Rizzo's with his right.
"Say 'cheese'!" Jayne exclaimed, she lifted the camera up and the Muppets repeated her words with smiles on their faces. The red curtains fell signalling the end of the show and Sora heard a massive round of applause and cheers from the audience.
He walked over to Jayne who was bent over in disbelief and put his hand on her shoulder. "So how does it feel to be a star?"
Jayne looked up at him, her eyes struggling to hold back tears. "Thank you."
"Ah, you give yourself too little credit. You've worked so hard for this that you deserve it. If anyone should be thanking someone, it's me," Sora said. Jayne was about to ask what he meant when a third voice interrupted their conversation.
"Hey you two, we still have to do the curtain call," the director whispered at them from around the corner. That was right, Sora had almost forgotten about that. He wasn't home free yet and neither was Jayne.
The curtains soon opened again for the curtain call and Jayne, Sora and the other Muppets held hands and gave their final bows to a standing audience. The cheers and whistles affected Sora more than he had expected them too. It was an incredible standing ovation unworthy of him, he felt. He felt a euphoria that he had never felt before, not because they were congratulating him, but because he had been able to make them smile.
He eventually caught sight of Stephanie and Colette along with David Xanatos at one table. He felt right then and there that his heart was about to stop from seeing their elation. When he waved back at the crowd, he was waving at them specifically.
The curtain soon fell one final time and Sora returned to his dressing room, taking the head mask off and setting it down on the chair. His hands gripped the table as he thought back to the exhilarating performance. What was this he was feeling deep in his chest? Remorse? Sora suddenly couldn't help but think that it was a mistake to give up using the Keyblade. To him, their smiles, every single smile that had just been thrown his way, were precious. He wanted to protect those smiles more than anything else. The way he had been fighting before, he had no reason to really do so.
"I don't want their smiles to disappear, so I should fight, but with if those smiles disappear because of me choosing to fight? What if they disappear because I don't fight?" Sora muttered to himself. The way he saw it, he was truly sitting on a double edged sword. Sora looked to look at his own reflect, but he gave a jump instead and spun around. "You? How can you be here? This is impossible."
"You're a boy who accomplishes the impossible. Is it truly that hard to believe?" Mirage asked. She tucked a strand of her moonlight blonde hair behind her ear. "That was quite the performance. Do you do this often?"
"You were watching?" Sora asked. Of course she was. How else could she possibly have known where he would be? "How long has it been since we last met? You were working with KRONOS then. Are you still working with them?"
"I do recall saying that I was not privy to the inner circle of KRONOS. I was simply connected to Syndrome. Anyway, let's just say you showed me light I had once lost," Mirage said. "I worked with Syndrome because I thirsted for power. I considered it to be an interesting thing. Very few of us have it but either don't know it or misuse it in the most unfitting of ways. Once every blue moon comes an exception, the deviation that uses it as it was meant to be. The most curious thing isn't the person so much as the form this power takes. It's different every single time. That's what I had thought anyway until I met you and Mr. Incredible. You both are truly exceptional, and there are others like you. You opened my eyes to a whole new world, seeing that the person behind the power is just as important as the power itself, maybe even more so."
"Well… glad I could help," Sora said, not sure of how to really respond. He was more taken aback by the surprise spiel. "But if you've come here to tell me something else, you're talking to the wrong person. I'm not a Keyblade Master anymore, or a wielder for that matter."
"Did something happen?" Mirage asked.
"A lot of things. What, you weren't watching my every move?" Sora asked. He had said that a little ruder than he had actually meant to. He quickly followed up with a question, "So the question is how did you get here, Mirage?"
"Not my real name," Mirage corrected.
"Then what is it?"
"Not important."
"Okay, 'not important'. At least answer my question," Sora said. Mirage chuckled and showed off her wrist. There was a device as small as a watch strapped around it.
"An easy question. This device is called a Warpinator. A rather silly name, I know, but Syndrome was never one for creativity when it came to names. I'm pretty sure most of KRONOS have this device in their possession. It allows them to get around, provided that they have the co-ordinates to do so."
"So that's why that armored guy and the Chimera were there in Atlantis…" Sora mumbled. Mirage picked up on it.
"I take it you found Atlantis then?" Mirage asked. "Then that puzzle box fulfilled its purpose. I'm glad. You saw the note inside, yes?"
"Yeah, I did but-" Sora cut himself off and glanced at her inquisitively. "How did you know there was a note inside?"
Mirage smiled at him and Sora's mouth fell open. There was no way… surely she couldn't have…
"How did you like my riddle?" Mirage eventually asked once she had been fully satisfied by Sora's dropping jaw.
Sora shook his head. "I don't believe this. You've had the puzzle box all this time. You knew how to open it. You knew it would take whoever opened it to Atlantis."
"Not 'whoever'. The box opens only for the purest of hearts. When they seek refuge, the box gives it to them in the form of Atlantis," Mirage said.
"The purest of hearts… Kairi!" Sora realized. Back on the Gummi Ship, Kairi had been in possession of the puzzle box when the dust storm had happened. It had probably recognized Kairi as a Princess of Heart and opened having perceived that she was in danger.
"After learning that she was friends with two Keyblade Masters, I wanted to bring her specifically to Atlantis. You've seen the 'truth' mentioned in the riddle, yes? I imagine it played some part in your apprehensiveness to use the Keyblade. Do you know then why I specifically wanted Kairi to see Atlantis?" Mirage asked.
"Because of the Kairi from Atlantis. Are they really the same person?" Sora asked.
"Not precisely. More like a reincarnation. Her and the other Princesses' hearts have been born and cleansed again and again, finding their way to a new host every time. Their hearts are some of the oldest in existence, probably exceeded only by the Atlanteans," Mirage explained.
"I see… and just how old are you exactly?" Sora asked. He was finally beginning to piece things together.
"So you've caught on. I'm Atlantean, born and raised," Mirage said.
"Not just that. You were also the one who wrote that book, right?" Sora guessed. He didn't necessarily think that was a leap in logic to assume. After all, the woman in front of him seemed indulgent in showing him things only leaps and bounds.
"Yes. I thought by joining KRONOS I could find the power to bring back the Seers. To that end, I suppose you could say I had a grudge against the Keyblade and its wielders. Who knows? I might still have one," Mirage said, looking away uncomfortably.
"That book, some of the pages were missing near the end, like they were torn out," Sora told her.
"That's strange. Maybe someone else came across it before you?" Mirage asked.
"Is that even possible? Without the box, I mean," Sora enquired.
"All the box does is transport you to the co-ordinates inscribed. It's possible someone found it, although incredibly unlikely. Atlantis exists outside the conventions of time," Mirage said. "That said, it's not important right now. We can talk about it after. I came here to tell you that Luna is in danger."
"Luna? What's wrong with Luna?" Sora asked desperately.
"She's being held at Alexander Police Station, waiting to be interrogated. She was linked with the deaths of all the scientists at the Turm des Himmels. They found her at the crime scene, the only one unconscious. Not only that, but her prints and copious amounts of blood have been found on the weapon that carried out the act. A short blade or a tantō, I believe it's called. The evidence is… decisive," Mirage concluded while keeping her eyes on Sora. Sora looked up in horror. That was the same knife that Neuge had given Luna for her birthday.
He shook his head. "She didn't do it."
"I agree. I'm pretty sure it's a trap set by KRONOS. They might be trying to get rid of her. They might be using her to lure you in," Mirage agreed.
"Then I'll have to take the bait," Sora decided, guilt wracking his face. He should have been there. Because he wasn't there, she was all alone. How could he be so selfish and stupid? As long as people like KRONOS existed, they would do whatever they could to ruin other people's lives. His self-centered attitude had resulted in Luna being put in danger where she might not have.
"It'll be dangerous. KRONOS' objective stems mainly from their dislike of you. To that effect, they'll stop at nothing to destroy you."
"That's the understatement of the year. I could very well be walking into a trap. I could very well make things worse somehow. But if I don't try, I'll never know. I'm going to prove Luna's innocence," Sora said, flashing Mirage a smile. "Thank you for telling me."
"Then I'll be waiting for you both to return. That's when I'll tell you everything." Mirage showed the wrist with her Warpinator attached. "I'll take you there as soon as you're ready. Just one problem."
"There's always a problem," Sora muttered.
"I can't bring you and Luna back once you've resolved your situation. I'm a busy woman," Mirage explained.
"Then I'll need to figure a way back to Radiant Garden on my own…" Sora said. An idea suddenly flashed in his head. Two, even. "I'll need an hour. Do you think you can wait for me by Merlin's house?"
"Sure, but what do you need the hour for?" Mirage asked.
Sora smiled. "Over preparing."
So at the most, there's about ten chapters left. I say at the most because depending on how much is in each chapter, anything could change. Also for those wanting to know Mirage's name, the chapter name might provide some hints if you know what it means. Anyway, leave a favorite and a review if you'd like and I'll be getting on with those final chapters in the meanwhile.
