Chapter 44: Promise of Friendship

The bright light starts to dissipate in the foyer and the group see that the shadowy humanoid figure is in fact who they think it is and it's Ky completely restored back to how he was before he sacrificed himself and Ky looks the very same but the only difference about him is his hair which is now gold instead of dark brown and Ky has his eyes closed until he opens them showing pure blue eyes and Ky looks around the foyer and then he sees his friends and he smiles at them while they all see him and they're happy to see Ky again alive and restored.

"Hey, guys." Ky said and Elena hugs Ky.

"KY! You're back! This is a miracle!" Elena cheered as she's crying happily this time and Ky hugs her back.

"I'm happy to see you, Elena." Ky said.

"KY!" The group cheered.

"PIKA!" Storm cheered as he runs to Ky and hugs him.

"Hiya, Storm." Ky said petting the Pikachu who nudges Ky happily.

"YOSHI!" Lucky cheered as he also runs to Ky and licks him making Ky laugh.

"Hey, Lucky." Ky said also petting the dinosaur.

"You're finally back! That's awesome!" Griff said.

"Hi, Griff. I'm happy to see you too." Ky said and then he turns to the white cloaked figure. "You're the same guy that saved me when that Black Xeti attacked me. You also gave me that power as my birthday gift." Ky said.

"Yes. Indeed." The white cloaked figure said.

"Thank you for bringing me back." Ky said.

"Your gratitude is not necessary, Ky. It is I who should be grateful for what you have been doing throughout your quest. You have demonstrated excellent valor, made new friends in your quest, and have been protecting the hearts and happiness of others. Your destiny will be fulfilled in due time." The white cloaked figure said as he disappears in light.

"Guys, I'm sorry." Ky said.

"For what? You did what you had to do to complete the Keyhole." Tails said.

"Yeah. Besides, you're back. That's all that matters." Zatch said.

"Thanks, everyone." Ky said.

"I like your new hair color by the way." Elena said.

"Huh? My new hair color?" Ky asked as he goes for the fountain to look at his reflection and looks at his new gold hair. "Wow. It's not dark brown anymore. Guess it's an effect of my revival." Ky said.

"You still look fine, no matter how you looks." Elena said.

Just then Phantom Black Xetis and Shadow Heartless appear but Kim and Ron arrive and attack them.

"You have to go now!" Kim said.

"But your mission is complete and..." Ky was cut off by Kim.

"It's true, but more Black Xetis and Heartless will keep appearing." Kim said.

"Speaking of which, more are coming. Hurry and go." Ron said.

"I think they're right. We do have to get outta here." Ky said as he uses Dawn of Hope to create a light portal.

"Where are we going?" Max asked.

"Back to Justice City. I need to talk to Jeremy about what happened." Ky answered and he enters the light portal and the others follow him to the light portal leaving Void Citadel.

The group return to Justice City and they find Jeremy and Colleen at the training field.

"You're back? What happened?" Jeremy asked.

"Well..." Ky starts explaining everything that happened in Void Citadel from Ky's Keyblade being destroyed, saving and reuniting with Sophia, confronting Zervik's minions Kaos, Poena, and Tortus and defeated them, fought and defeated Pavor and returned him back to Pax, fought against the Black Xetis and Heartless through the castle, encountered the Horned King, confronted Zervik, learned the truth that Zervik had manipulated the Deadly Alliance the entire time, learned that Ky is in fact Virtus the Prince of Light and the last key to completing the Keyhole, fought Zervik and defeated him, Zervik explaining he is working for a master, Ky sacrificing himself with Endless Fear in order to release his heart and complete the Keyhole, and was brought back by the white cloaked figure.

"That's quite a story." Colleen said.

"So now the darkness is flowing out of the Keyhole." Jeremy said and just then his communicator is going off. "Brian, what is it?" Jeremy asked.

"Jeremy! There are too many Black Xetis and Heartless all over the city!" Brian said.

"Damn. More and more keep appearing." Jeremy said.

"I know how to end this. That Keyhole in Void Citadel has to be sealed." Ky said.

"That might be true, but no one knows what'll happen after it's sealed." Jeremy said.

"It's better than not doing anything at all! Zervik is still out there and will still try to cause trouble!" Ky said.

"That's right. You might have stopped Zervik from bringing eternal darkness, but he's still has something planned. Zervik tried to corrupt the Light Crystal's power to help plunge everything in darkness while also using the Dark Gem's power. Of course, without Virtus' heart and as long he still existed, the Keyhole remained incomplete." Jeremy said looking at Ky.

"Now it's completed and who knows what will happen." Bentley said.

"Don't worry, Ky. If anyone can stop the darkness, you can." Jeremy said and Ky nods.

"Let's go back to Void Citadel." Ky said.

"Wait. You need to plan something before you something reckless. Void Citadel might be crawling with more Black Xetis and Heartless." Colleen said.

"You could be right. In the meantime, let's deal with any Black Xetis and Heartless." Ky said and they nod.

The group move through the city and fight off against Black Xetis and Heartless around the city and the Black Xetis and Heartless tougher than the last time but the group keep fighting back and they continue through the city and fight off against more tougher Black Xetis and Heartless in their way while still going through the city and they arrive at the clock tower district and they confront more Black Xetis and Heartless and the group defeat them and they continue to look around and while exploring Ky has a look of worry.

"...Hey, guys..." Ky said.

"What's wrong, Ky?" Elena asked worried.

"You know...I'm kinda scared..." Ky said.

"Scared? Of what?" Kiyo asked.

"...Of losing all of you. Things are getting even more tough now and I'll might..." Ky was cut off by Griff.

"Don't say anything like that. Nothing bad'll happen to us." Griff said.

"You guys have been with me for so long. What if something DOES happen to you? What if..." Ky was cut off by Elena holding his hand.

"I promise we'll all be fine. We're still here, still together, still friends. Even when things get tough, we'll still pull through in the end." Elena said smiling.

"Okay then...in that case, let's make a promise to each other." Ky said.

"What kind of promise?" Murray asked.

"If any of us are in trouble, separated, or find ourselves in a dangerous situation...whatever happens to any of us, we're all friends! We'll always find our way through any tough spot and will prevail over any enemy that's dangerous." Ky said as he takes his hand out.

"I agree. Friends!" Elena said putting her hand on Ky's.

"Yeah!" Griff said also placing his hand on Elena's.

"Yep!" Max said placing his hand on Griff's.

"I'm with you until the end." Tails said placing his on Max's.

"I too promise." Blaze said placing her hand on Tails'.

"Hmph. Good enough." Shadow said placing his on Blaze's.

"Pika!" Storm said placing his hand on Shadow's.

"Zatch?" Kiyo asked as he places his hand on Storm's.

"You bet!" Zatch said as he places his hand on Kiyo's.

"Yoshi!" Lucky said placing his hand on Zatch's.

"You know, I'm in too." T.J. said placing his hand on Lucky's.

"Together." Sly said placing his hand on T.J.'s.

"Affirmative." Bentley said placing his hand on Sly's.

"Yeah!" Murray said placing his hand on Bentley's.

"C'mon, let's go find Jeremy and ask him what our plan should be." Ky said and they nod.

The group start finding Jeremy through the city while fighting off more Black Xetis and Heartless in their way and later on the group arrive at Professor Vulkan's laboratory and they find Jeremy, Colleen, Brian, and Laura.

"So, have you guys come up with a plan yet?" Ky asked.

"Yes we have." Laura answered.

"This is risky, but it's the best one we can come up with." Colleen said.

"It seems that the path to Void Citadel and the castle itself are swarming with Black Xetis and Heartless." Brian said.

"What we're gonna do is draw most of them away from the castle so that way, you can get there and seal the Keyhole." Jeremy said.

"Wait, what? Master, do you not realize that regular attacks won't work on them? Only Ky's Keyblade is capable of defeating them." T.J. said.

"I said DRAW them out, not FIGHT them." Jeremy said.

"We'll act as decoys to occupy the Black Xetis and the Heartless." Colleen said.

"How?" Max asked.

"Professor Vulkan has created Gummi ships for us so we can get out of this world and go to the path to Void Citadel and distract them." Jeremy answered.

"Okay. We'll let you draw them out and we'll get back there and I'll seal the Keyhole." Ky said.

"Again, it's not easy." Brian said.

"What? Why?" Elena asked.

"We detected that there is a dark barrier all around Void Citadel. It must have been created by the darkness of the Keyhole." Laura said.

"Okay, how do we take the barrier down?" Sly asked.

"We met someone in a white cloak while you were fighting some Black Xetis and Heartless in the city. He told us that he saw several Black Xetis emerging from the Keyhole and are probably the ones responsible for the dark barrier." Jeremy said.

"You met the guy in the white cloak?" Ky asked.

"Yeah. He didn't tell us who he was though." Brian said.

"He told us that if those Black Xetis that emerged from the Keyhole are destroyed, then the barrier should be down." Colleen said.

"Okay, but where can we find those Black Xetis?" Ky asked.

"We managed to find out where they are and they are in each world that you've probably been to throughout your adventure. That's what our world radar says." Jeremy said.

"In that case, we'll go back to the worlds we've been to, find those Black Xetis, and destroy them." Ky said.

"Sounds good, but be careful, according to the white cloaked guy, those Black Xetis are stronger and more dangerous than the others you've been fighting." Jeremy said.

"We'll keep that in mind." Elena said.

"Also, know this, Ky, that you're not alone. I'm sure you've made some friends in different worlds during your journey." Jeremy said.

"Yeah. That's right. I've made lots of friends." Ky said.

"I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help you guys out with those Black Xetis when you fight them. You'll might need help you can get." Jeremy said.

"Yeah. I'll let them know about that." Ky said.

"Okay. Good luck, Ky. We'll do our best and drive those Black Xetis and Heartless out." Brian said.

"Got it." Ky said.

"And T.J., your friends are coming with us. They'll need to help us too." Jeremy said.

"Yes, Master. And I'll stick with Ky and help him against those Black Xetis." T.J. said and Jeremy nods.

"Hey, Griff, I'd like you to help Jeremy and his friends deal with the distracting." Ky said.

"You sure, Ky?" Griff asked and Ky nods.

"They'll need more help and I think you'll be capable of lending them a hand with drawing the Black Xetis and the Heartless away." Ky said.

"I can't help you?" Griff asked.

"Griff, you have helped us, remember? And even though we're gonna be apart, we won't be alone." Ky said

"Okay. I'll go with them and then I'll see you guys at Void Citadel." Griff said and Ky nods.

"We'll look after him." Colleen said.

"Thanks." Ky said.

The group leave the lab and they go through Justice City again.

"Well, guys, it looks like we're gonna face off against intense battles." Ky said.

"We have to be ready for anything." Tails said.

"Are you nervous, Ky?" Elena asked.

"Well, a little, but I know that as long as we all stick together, we can handle anything." Ky said.

"You seem confident." Shadow said.

"Hey, no matter strong the darkness is, I'm sure the light will prevail over it in the end." Ky said.

"You really think so?" Zatch asked.

"Yeah. When I was fighting Zervik and when he was using his dark powers to try and destroy me, a light shined within me and I managed to push his dark powers back and prevailed over him." Ky said.

"Oh, right. That was how you defeated Zervik." Elena said.

"Yeah and when I released my heart and ended my own existence, I was lost in the darkness and I couldn't find my way. When I was drifting through the darkness, I started forgetting my friends and who I was and the darkness almost swallowed me. Then the guy in the white cloak brought me back, but not only that, but you guys missed me after I was gone." Ky said.

"Of course we missed you, Ky. We didn't want to forget you and stop thinking about you." Elena said.

"I think I know now! The light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light when I was lost. That's what saved me when I was being restored. No matter how deep the darkness is, a light will shine within and will guide us." Ky said.

"That means a lot coming from the Prince of Light." Max said.

"And as the Prince of Light, I think it's my responsibility to stop the darkness from destroying anything and make sure that the light will protect the worlds." Ky said.

"And we'll help you do just that." Elena said and the others nod.

"Thanks, guys. I'm glad I've met all of you. You remember our promise?" Ky asked.

"Of course. We're all friends, no matter what." Tails said.

"That's right. I know for sure we have no trouble together because our hearts are connected and if we think of each other, our hearts will be one!" Ky said.

"Agreed." Blaze said.

"So, are we ready to go?" Bentley asked.

"I am if you guys are." Ky said.

"Believe me, I'm ready." Elena said.

"So am I." Max said.

"I've been with you and I'm gonna stick with you." Tails said.

"You've helped me value friendship more so I shall stay by your side." Blaze said.

"Hmph. This will sound fun. I'll handle any challenge thrown at me." Shadow said.

"Pikachu!" Storm said.

"Zatch and I are ready for anything." Kiyo said.

"Yeah! Nothing'll scare us!" Zatch said.

"Yoshi!" Lucky said.

"I want to prove that I'm a good warrior and I'll still fight like one." T.J. said.

"There's no challenge that has me running so I'm still in." Sly said.

"I'm not gonna run from anything tough and I'll help out with anything." Bentley said.

"I'm so pumped and ready to bash any Black Xeti skulls." Murray said.

"Great. Let's do this together!" Ky said as he uses Dawn of Hope to create another light portal and the group go through it and leave Justice City again.

The group leave Justice City and are back at the space area and the group look around and they see Void Citadel and it does have a dark barrier around it.

"There's Void Citadel and it's covered in the dark barrier." Ky said.

"Let's find out where those Black Xetis that escaped from the Keyhole and deal with them." Elena said.

"They're supposed to be in the worlds that you've been to before." Tails said.

"Then let's go to them and find them out." Ky said as he looks around and sees the worlds he's been in during his adventure. "I think know where to look first. Let's go." Ky said as he points Dawn of Hope at one of the worlds and creates a light trail and then creates a light portal and the group follow the light trail and enter the light portal and go into a world.

Okay, I know what you guys are thinking. Yes, this was short and I'm sorry, but this is what I could think of right now. I hope this was enjoyable, nonetheless. So, here's my plan. Ky and his friends are going to the worlds that Ky has been in before. This is almost gonna be similar to one of the author, Monkey D. Jurabi's stories, Hinata Hyuga the Keyblade's Chosen One, where he has made a chapter with the optional bosses and junk, except in this case, Ky and his friends will be returning to every world they've been to already and fight the strongest Black Xetis. Now then, next time, Ky and his friends go to one of the worlds and find and fight against one of the strongest Black Xetis. If you have suggestions for the strongest Black Xetis bosses, please let me know, via review or PM me. That's all. I'll see you in the next chapter. Goodbye, take care, and don't forget to review. See ya!