DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!

A/N: To Start off, I'll be Honest. This is the LAST Chapter for the world of CAMELOT.

Fortunately, that ALSO means there are STILL More Worlds To Come! However, let's save THAT Topic until the END of This Chapter.

By the way, I actually finished this particular Chapter earlier this week, but I decided to hold it back until TODAY.
Why you ask? Because Today is the ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of when I first published Chapter 1 of THIS STORY!
Therefore, I thought it would be a FANTASTIC Idea to celebrate with yet another Chapter!

That's all I REALLY needed to say here. I'd rather not keep you from Reading Chapter 32 any longer.

Go Ahead! Read AND Review - PLEASE!

CHAPTER 32
A Duel And Future King

Violet was both in shock and feeling significantly perplexed. If what Archimedes had just said was true, then the woman in the room was named "Madam Mim". Although Violet was unable to understand precisely the reason why the owl was showing symptoms of going into a total state of panic mode, she was able to detect a patch of Darkness radiating out from the woman inside. For that matter, the Darkness appeared to be rather strong compared to what the Angel of Dreams had expected one individual was capable of producing on their own. Her eyes grew wide and alert when Archimedes had revealed the woman's identity. "So," the angel said at last. "What is 'Madam Mim' intended to be?"

Archimedes' face was full of concern. "She's a witch," he rushed in his explanation. "Uses black magic!"

Violet was alarmed. That would definitely explain how Mim was covered in such a strong, powerful Darkness. "What should we do?"

"Come on," Archimedes called out as he took to the air. "We have to get Merlin! He'll know what to do."

Although unsure how Merlin could be of any assistance to them, Violet took off back into the sky. It wasn't long before she had caught up with Archimedes and the pair were soaring in the direction of the not-too-distant castle.

Riku was both appalled and horrified. One look at the ugly woman was all it had taken for him to recognize who she was. Before his eyes stood the sorceress, Madam Mim. He sighed deeply as he remembered the rest of the story he had wished he would never have had to recollect. Back when he was in the Darkness, he had been sent to another world by Maleficent's request to enlist another few members for her Council. Unfortunately, almost all of those attempts resulted in disaster and a couple of worlds were consumed in Darkness.

He closed his eyes as he knew one of those worlds had been the same world he was currently situated within. In fact, Riku had tried to forget that fateful day when the landscape he had strolled through crumbled away into the Darkness. Once he had seen Sora defeat Ansem, the silver-haired Keyblade wielder was certain every world would be restored to its original state. Therefore, he would never have to worry about reliving any of his past experiences. That remained true… until now. Not only had Camelot been lost to Darkness, but now it was trapped in a deep slumber. To make matters even worse, Riku knew there was only one person to blame for such a catastrophe — himself.

If only he hadn't wished to see the outside world. If only he had never opened himself to the Darkness. If only he hadn't accepted Maleficent's help in rescuing Kairi. If only he had never been forced to fight Sora and the others. If only….

After Wart had explained to Mim how both Riku and him had been transformed into birds by Merlin's magical powers, the sorceress seemed excessively excited. She inquired, "Don't tell me you've never heard of the marvelous Madam Mim?"

Wart was at a loss for words. "Well… no."

Riku remained silent, not wanting to interfere with this world ever again. All he could do was continue watching from his perch beside Wart on the wooden table in the middle of the room.

Mim was taken aback. "Why," she stated happily. "I'm the greatest! I'm simply marvelous! With only a touch, I have the power to wither a flower. You see? Black Sorcery is my dish of tea."

"Oh," Wart exclaimed in alarm. "That's terrible!"

"Thank you, my boy," Mim said in return. "But that's nothing — nothing for me. Cause I'm the magnificent, marvelous, mad Madam Mim!"

All Riku could do was shake his head and roll his eyes. This was exactly how he recalled Mim behaving long ago. He watched as Mim leaned in close to Wart; her eyes filled with anticipation. "So, she questioned. "Who do you think is the greatest now?"

"Well," Wart stammered, unsure how to answer the query posed on him. "Merlin's magic is always… useful. For something good."

Mim looked not the least bit thrilled at hearing this statement. Riku believed she appeared much more annoyed than he had ever seen her before. After Mim slammed a window closed, she turned around with a sorrowful look on her face. "That means he sees something good in you, too. In my book, that's bad. So, I'm afraid I'll have to destroy you two."

Wart leapt back in shock and surprise. "D-Destroy?!"

Riku rushed forward as he summoned his Keyblade in his beak. "Not a chance!"

As Riku started to circle Mim's head with his Keyblade drawn, the latter began swinging her arms around in irritation. More than once she attempted to knock the golden sparrow out of the air, but every time Riku successfully dodged her arms. He smiled, knowing all that practice of flying as a fairy back in the now-awakened Pixie Hollow was paying off.

"That does it!" Mim shouted in a state of outrage after Riku veered away from her head and prepared to defend Wart. "When I get my hands on you, I'll—"

A sudden blast of wind blew into the room. Turning to where the front door had just burst open, Riku and Wart were filled with astonishment. Standing in the doorway was the unmistakable form of Merlin the wizard. Behind him perched Archimedes on Sora's shoulder with Violet last in line.

"Mim!" Merlin hollered in anger. "W-What are you up to?!"

From what Riku could make out, Sora was clearly as speechless as everyone else in the room. From all accounts, Riku was well aware of how Sora had informed him how calm Merlin tended to be. Seeing the wizard about to blow a fuse straight into the middle of next year's calendar, Riku had to give a smirked grin on his beak. His Keyblade vanished seconds after.

"She said she was going to destroy us!" Wart declared from his perch on the table. Beside him, Riku nodded in agreement.

"And just what are you going to do about?" Mim snorted in fury. She started slapping Merlin's face. "Want to fight? Want to have a 'Wizard's Duel'?!"

Once Mim had stopped slapping, Merlin readjusted his glasses. "As you wish," he snorted in reply.

"Alrighty then," Mim snapped. "March out, ya old goat!"

Merlin bowed politely. "After you, Madam!"

Once Mim had marched outside, Merlin was only moments behind her. The two proceeded to march ferociously into the forest. At the same time, Sora and Violet ran after them as Archimedes, Riku, and Wart took to the air. The procession continued on for nearly twenty minutes or so.

Before long, the group reached their destination. While Riku, Wart, and Archimedes set down upon a branch of a half-dead tree lacking any indication of leaves, Sora and Violet stood at the base of the trunk. Turning his head to gaze upon the local scenery, Sora took into account how they had ended up in a large, open field on the edge of the forest. A number of small patches containing dry, yellow grass indicated how there had not been any rain or water for an extensive amount of time. A slight mist was starting to fill the air, reminding the brown, spikey-haired youth of the "Forbidden Mountains" he had trekked all over with his friends back in The 100-Acre Wood. The only difference was how there was not a single sign of any mountains or hills of any sort for miles around. In fact, the entire region looked much more like a desert plain than a field of low-lying grass and half-dead trees.

All of a sudden, Violet asked, "So, what exactly is a 'Wizard's Duel'?"

The angel turned her eyes to Archimedes. The owl replied, "It's a battle of wits. The players turn themselves into different things in attempt to destroy one another."

Sora's eyes filled with shock and alarm. "Destroy?!"

Riku peered down at his friend from directly overhead. "I'm sure Merlin will survive," he stated. "I'm betting on it."

"Yeah," Sora agreed as a smile formed on his face. "You're right as usual, Riku."

Riku's smile was still present on his tiny beak. "Yeah!"

It was at that exact moment when both Mim and Merlin reached the others and the two stopped marching. Mim turned around, shoving Merlin's beard out her way. "Now first of all, if you don't mind," she snorted, wrapping Merlin's beard around his upper body. "I'll make the rules."

"Rules indeed," Archimedes scoffed in anger. "Why, she only wants rules so she can break 'em!"

Sora assumed Mim had overhead the brown owl's insult as the sorceress turned and glared straight at him. "I'll take care of you later, featherbrain!"

Now Archimedes was the one shocked at receiving such a rude statement. All Sora could do was shake his head. He had already heard Donald say a large handful of mean things about Goofy. According to Goofy, Donald was just as lazy as he was clumsy. This had made Donald really upset when he overhead their snickering once. The incident had nearly caused a quarrel to break out between Sora and Donald. Thanks to an interruption from Jiminy Cricket, the brawl had been avoided. Even so, Donald continued to hold a grudge against the brown-haired Keyblader for the remainder of their mission in the current world.

Turning back to face Merlin (who had just finished unwinding his beard from around his body), Mim proceeded to state the rules for the duel. "Rule one, no mineral or vegetable — only animal," she instructed. "Rule two, no make-believe things like, oh… 'pink dragons' and stuff. Rule three, no disappearing!"

"Rule four," Merlin added. "No cheating!"

"Aright, alright," Mim snorted in annoyance as she waved her arms around wildly. "Now pace off ten!"

Once the two were back-to-back, Merlin started off for his ten paces while Mim marched in place. She counted off, "One… two… three… four… "

By the time Mim had reached "four", Sora and the others were startled. The sorceress had faded entirely out of existence. "Merlin!" Sora called out. "She's disappeared!"

When the words reached his ears, Merlin whirled around and saw what Sora had claimed was accurate. He glared in the direction of where Mim had been. "Now, Mim," the wizard snapped. "You made the rules!"

"Doesn't mean she'll follow them," Riku muttered under his breath. The whole idea of expecting an eccentric witch to obey rules she had established herself was no different than expecting Maleficent's lackey, Pete, to successfully conquer a world using the Heartless. He gave a slight smirk when the memory of his first meeting with Pete came to mind. Even at that point, the oversized cat seemed to be extremely fearful of being punished by Maleficent for failing to accomplish a "simple" task. Nothing could prevent him from cowering beneath a table when the witch's furnace of fury exploded, causing shards of green fire to go flying all around. Riku had once witnessed such an event, and he thought it was one of the best and worst things he had viewed in his entire life — besides the time he had dared Sora to kiss Kairi in front of everyone in the class. The humiliation had caused Sora to seek revenge for months, until Riku learned how Kairi had actually enjoyed the kiss. The silver-haired teenager had nearly slapped himself for getting Kairi to like Sora more than him. Boy was he upset after that…

A shout broke Riku's recollection; Sora blurted out, "Merlin!"

"Look behind you!" Violet shouted, cupping her hands to project her voice.

Merlin swung his head around in time to see a large, pink crocodile looming in on him. Judging from the messy hair and the creature's wild eyes, Sora instantly realized the crocodile was Mim having transformed herself. In a flash of blue smoke, Merlin turned into a small, blue snapping turtle and bit down hard on Mim's claws. As the sorceress wailed in pain, Merlin found himself slowly wobbling away. With a fury in her eyes, Mim rapidly pursued.

From the tree, Wart called out, "Change into something else, Merlin!"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes," Merlin called back. "Give me time to think!"

"Try something speedy," Violet suggested. "Hurry!"

A second later, Merlin transformed himself into a small, blue bunny that gave a strong resemblance to Rabbit back in the now-awakened 100-Acre Wood. It was then Mim slammed her jaws shut, only to grab Merlin's white, fluffy tail. When he took note of the absence of his tail, Merlin rushed back and began pulling it out. At the same time, Mim transformed herself into a pink fox. Merlin fled for his life, leaving Mim to give chase. When two began dashing about in circles, the sight made Sora start to feel a tad dizzy. After almost thirty seconds of nonstop chase, Merlin and Mim rushed into the dark interior of a fallen tree. An audible SLAM filled the spectators' ears as the log vibrated for a couple seconds.

Sora paused in anticipation. Was Merlin alright? Had Mim gotten him? He quickly tossed the second thought into his mind's recycle bin.

An eerie silence followed for a few minutes, making even Violet question what had occurred. Had Merlin been injured? He had stated very strongly about how much he opposed the usage of "black magic", which it was quite obvious was Mim's forte. Then again, Sora had made it well-known how Merlin was intelligent enough to handle groups upon groups of Heartless single-handedly. Was the spikey, brown-headed sixteen-year-old simply showing off? Or was he being serious? The very concept of seeing an old wizard easily vanquishing multitudes of monsters on his own appeared to be especially far-fetched and well beyond exaggerated… or were those the same thing? Either way, the Angel of Dreams had her doubts about the truthfulness of any of Sora's claims — primarily those about being a real hero instead of some random person who took the credit from someone else. Yet, like Riku had already informed her more than once, there was more to Sora than met the eye. That was one fact Violet would have an extremely difficult time challenging against.

"Merlin?" Mim's voice finally echoed from within the log. "No disappearing!"

Through a quarter-size hole in the top of the log, Sora believed he could see a tiny, blue caterpillar crawling out. He pointed it out to the others. They all agreed; it was Merlin. A moment later, a loud "Aha!" filled the air. A large, pink chicken came darting out of the log.

Sora was alarmed; how would Merlin succeed in avoiding Mim when she was so huge and he was so tiny? Of course, Merlin probably had a handful of tricks still situated in his sleeve. Once Mim had spotted Merlin, she chomped her beak down on him, causing the small caterpillar to be flung straight up into the air like a catapult. Mim waited excitedly below for her prey to descend. When it did, however, the sorceress got much more than she had anticipated. Merlin had transformed himself into a humungous, blue walrus and landed directly onto of the pink chicken below.

From the tree, Sora and Violet winced at the sight; the pain Mim had to have felt by such an impact was no different than when Donald and Goofy had first landed upon Sora in the plaza back in Traverse Town. Although Sora hadn't been injured, the impact had apparently sent a notification for a group of Heartless to appear, followed by their leader; a robotic creature named "Guard Armor". After a super-swift battle, Sora had his first meeting with Donald and Goofy; Goofy had even used the phrase, "All for one, one for all." Of course, Sora was still wondering about why Goofy had uttered the same motto the former had read in a book he had read for class; The Three Musketeers. Was Goofy a fan of that book, too? Even Donald seemed to enjoy it — a lot. Why was that the case? Whatever the reason was, Sora was determined to discover it sooner rather than later.

"Mim?" Merlin wondered aloud when he realized the sorceress had seemingly vanished from plain sight. "Mim? A-Are you… "

His answer came in less than a moment when an enormous, pink elephant grew from beneath him. He was suddenly snatched by the neck when the elephant's trunk grabbed him. Mim's cruel eyesight glared at the walrus. "You," she snarled. "You big blimp, you!"

A puff of blue smoke appeared in the time it took for Sora to blink his eyes and miss it. In place of the walrus was a tiny, blue mouse. The little creature waved its arms around wildly as it made a weird noise. In a state of terror, Mim dropped the animal and started running. The mouse, who Violet had realized was Merlin, gave chase until Mim unexpectedly turned herself into a large, pink tiger with purple stripes. The chase reversed, Merlin was now being pursued as he darted into a hole just the correct size for a mouse. Mim stopped beside the house and reached in, her tongue licked her lips with delight. From behind, Merlin clambered out through an adjacent hole and lifted Mim's tiger tail. Before he bite down on it, the tail transformed. A voice said, "Un-uh-uh, Merlin!"

Spotting the pink rattlesnake Mim had transformed into, Merlin ducked as she tried to snatch him in her jaws. At the last instant, Mim found herself biting her tail instead. A loud "Ouch!" could be heard as Mim's anger intensified.

"Bravo!" Archimedes cheered from the tree.

"Yeah," Riku approved. "That was a good move!"

"Keep it up!" Sora added.

"You are doing excellent!" Violet stated in turn.

The duel was not over. Merlin dove back into the hole, only to have Mim follow him behind. A few seconds passed before Merlin emerged from below. He placed a large rock on top of the hole, causing Mim to slam straight into it. To take advantage of his adversary's inability to escape the hole, Merlin transformed into a small, blue crab with sharp pinches. When Mim reappeared, she gasped at the sight of Merlin; the crab just missed the chance to snap the snake's neck in two. This same movement continued for several seconds; Sora started to wonder if anything else was going to happen.

A moment later, a large, pink horn stuck out of the hole. As he had been doing, Merlin pinches the hole, only to cling on as the ground below started to break apart. To the surprise and alarm of everyone in the area, a gigantic, pink rhinoceros came out from the ground. Merlin started to swing around the horn of what happened to be Mim; the witch snapped, "So, you want to play rough, do you?"

Turning her eyes upon a tree overlooking a nearby cliff, Mim charged for it. She hollered, "Alright, Merlin! I'll smash you good, you old crab!"

Seeing where Mim was headed, Merlin's eyes filled with shock; he exclaimed, "Jehoshaphat!"

"Merlin!" Sora shouted from afar. "Jump!"

At the last possible second, Merlin leapt from Mim's horn, resulting in the rhinoceros getting herself stuck in the tree's trunk. The plant started to list over a large lake below the cliff.

Stepping back, Merlin transformed himself into a blue, goat with curved horns. "Here I come, Mim," he declared aloud. "Ready or not!"

As Merlin charged over, Riku thought he could sense a trickle of fear in Mim's eyes. "Merlin!" she screamed in panic. "You wouldn't dare!"

Sora stared in astonishment as Merlin slammed his horns into Mim, knocking the tree and the rhinoceros over the cliff and into lake below. Merlin smiled proudly as a loud SPLASH came from below.

"You did it, Merlin," Sora cheered excitedly. "I knew you could!"

"Yeah," Riku nodded in agreement. "Isn't it obvious?"

Violet shook her head at the sight. "I am certain all of us would approve of Sora's statement."

Even Archimedes and Wart had to show their agreement with the others.

The excitement was short-lived. A sudden glow formed in the lake a couple minutes later. Violet pointed it out. "Look at that!" she indicated.

Everyone watched in wonder as the glow grew bigger. All at once, a titanic-sized purple dragon rose from the water; an evil smile on its face. Sora was taken aback; the dragon had the same messy hair and creepy eyes all the pink animals had possessed. It was quite clear to everyone — the dragon was Mim.

Merlin was horrified. "Now Mim," he yelled in shock. "N-no dragons! Remember?"

"Did I say no 'purple' dragons?" Mim snapped back. "Did I?!"

With each word, Mim unleashed a series of purplish-green flames. The flames landed upon the various patches of grass; setting off a huge blaze. As Merlin fled, Mim climbed out from the lake and started to chase him around the now-burning field.

Sora was in a state of total panic and concern. With wide eyes full of horror, he exclaimed, "We need to do something!"

He summoned his Keyblade and started to run.

"No!" Archimedes shouted, forcing Sora to halt in his tracks. "Only wizards can partake in a 'Wizard's Duel'. You don't qualify and it's against the rules to join once the duel is underway."

"'Rules'?!" Sora countered as he spun around. "What 'rules'? Mim's been breaking every one of them since the beginning!"

"And she made them," Riku added. "You said yourself she wanted rules just to break them!"

Archimedes was speechless at hearing this counterattacks. "Well… it-it's simply too dangerous."

"I have to agree with him," Violet stated firmly. She gestured at the enormous fire; the flames were already spreading to the nearby trees. "You cannot dash around with a wildfire about. You will get burned up."

Sora shook his head. "I can't just sit around and watch Merlin become that monster's victim."

"You heard her," Wart spoke up. "You'll be set on fire."

"My heart is telling me to do this," Sora declared as he placed his left hand to his chest. "Let it decide."

Without any counter-arguments against him, Sora nodded before turning back to the growing flames. With his Keyblade clutched tightly in his grasp, he darted hurriedly across the field. A snarl of determination was evident on his face.

Once Sora had vanished into the smoke, Violet gave a sigh. Perhaps there was some significance in what Sora had just said. She hadn't thought about it much before, even when the brown-haired youth had told her how friends were power. With a flap of her wings, the angel lifted into the air. Seeing this, Riku exclaimed, "Violet?! Where're you—?"

"My heart is requesting I assist Sora," Violet interrupted. "I will return."

Before Riku, Wart, or Archimedes could protest, the angel soared off in the direction of the enormous dragon. As he watched in amazement, Riku thought he heard Archimedes mutter, "She's really something special… "

Riku had to shake his head and smile. He knew what the owl was saying was completely accurate.

By the time Sora had reached Mim's dragon form, the villainess was laughing with an eccentric tone to it. Seeing how Merlin was now cowering upon a tree in the form of a small, bluebird, Sora's glare intensified. "That's enough!" he yelled.

Mim's eyes fell upon the sixteen-year-old and his Keyblade. "Oh?" she murmured to no one in particular. "What have we here?"

"Mim," Sora scowled with a fiery look in his eyes. "I won't let you do this!"

Mim snorted out a cloud of black soot from her nostrils. "Such manners!" she scoffed. "I guess I'll just have to destroy you, too."

Sora set his Keyblade into his preferred fighting position. As Mim raised her giant foot, she hovered it over Sora's head. Before the foot could set down, Sora rolled to the left as a large shockwave struck the field. In a state of fury, Sora leapt into the air, landing upon Mim's right knee. He slashed his weapon into her side, making Mim howl with pain for a brief moment. In turn, the dragon lowered her claw and flicked Sora into the air.

Unprepared for such an action, Sora found himself circling in the air. As he was about to begin a descent into the flames below, the spikey-headed Keyblade wielder was grabbed in midair. Gazing back up to see his rescuer, Sora noticed the individual's violet hair blowing around as a strong wind started to pick up. He smiled and exclaimed, "Violet! You saved me!"

"Yes," Violet acknowledged. "You saved me before, so now I am returning the favor. Also, I believed you needed some assistance anyway."

Sora shook his head as the pair drew in close to Mim's dragon form. Spotting her enemies coming closer, Mim ferociously declared, "You annoying, little pests!"

"I am an angel!" Violet shouted in return.

"And I'm Sora," Sora stated proudly. "And I'm a Keyblade wielder!"

Mim seemed somewhat surprised when the two successfully avoided her swinging arms. "No fair!" she yelled in frustration. "You're moving around too fast!"

When the duo were just five feet from the dragon's fiery eyes, Sora called out, "C'mon, Violet! Let's finish this!"

Violet gave a nod. "I am ready any second!"

"Go!" Sora shouted with a smile.

A few moments later, Violet spun around like a top as she clutched Sora's ankles. After witnessing a couple of spins, Mim was puzzled beyond understanding. "What the devil?"

"Now!" Sora hollered louder than ever before.

In the blink of an eye, Violet released her grip on Sora. The latter soared like a bullet straight into Mim's dragon face — his Keyblade pointed directly at her frightened eyes. A loud wailing of agony echoed about the field as the blade of Sora's weapon struck Mim's face.

As the impact finished, Violet swooped lower and caught Sora before he could land onto the still-burning ground. The two started to soar away when they noticed how Merlin was no longer perched on the tree where they had last seen him.

"Merlin's gone!" Sora exclaimed as the two returned to the tree where Riku, Wart, and Archimedes had been watching.

"He disappeared!" Archimedes realized as Mim approached.

The flames of the field subsided as Mim strode over. Sora re-summoned his Keyblade when Merlin's voice filled the air.

"I have not disappeared. I am very tiny."

Everyone glanced about this way and that. To the perplexity of all, there was no sign of the wizard's existence. The voice spoke again.

"I'm a germ. A rare disease."

"That explains a lot," Sora murmured to himself.

"And you caught me, Mim!"

Mim was appalled beyond recognition. "What?!"

Archimedes and the others started to chuckle as a sudden wave of amusement descended upon them. Merlin's voice continued.

"First, you break out into spots. Followed by hot and cold flashes. Then, fiery sneezing."

As Sora and the others watched intently, Mim's purple skin turned green. One by one, a series of reddish spots appeared across her dragon body. She turned red before blue. After a clattering of teeth, she turned green again before letting out a violent sneeze. A burst of flame was sent hurtling at the tree. Sora and Violet ducked as Archimedes covered both Wart and Riku with his wings. The flame struck the top of the half-dead tree — incinerating it to charcoal in less than an instant.

Sora was amazed. "Just like a volcano… "

"So," Riku stated as he perched upon Sora's left shoulder. "You did learn something in school."

"Yeah," Sora admitted. "But just a little."

This led to a series of snickers and chuckles amongst the group. They were cut off when Mim started yelling in agony. "Merlin! Y-You… "

The disease had already started to take its toll on the sorceress; she laid down against one of the few tree still standing in the area. With a puff of blue smoke, Merlin reappeared in his old, wizard getup. He waved his wand and turned both Wart and Riku back into themselves.

"I hope you won't miss flying," Merlin chuckled.

"That's alright," Riku said. His eyes fell upon Violet. "I've still got Violet to do it for me."

As these words filled her ears, Violet nearly blushed. Sora covered his mouth to prevent a snicker from leaving his lips.

A few hours later, the group was all gathered inside Mim's house. The sickness Merlin had inflicted was more than enough to keep the sorceress in bed. As Merlin removed a thermometer from Mim's mouth, he stated, "It's not too serious, madam. You should recover in a few weeks and be as good — I mean as bad as ever."

Overhearing Merlin correcting himself, Wart and Archimedes covered their mouths as they started snickering. Even Sora started to laugh when the thought of Mim being good crossed his mind. Riku shook his head as he imagined Maleficent turned to the Light. All Violet could do was watch and roll her eyes at such a random occurrence.

As he poked a role in the thatched roof above Mim's head using his cane, Merlin explained, "I would suggest plenty of rest, and lots and lots of sunshine."

With bright sunlight bearing down upon her face, Mim frantically shrouded it out with her purple hair. "I hate sunshine!" she declared. "I hate horrible, wholesome sunshine!"

All the screaming did was force Merlin and the others to cover their ears as they headed for the door. Outside, Merlin shut the door to block out the noise.

As the group started away from the house, Wart turned to Merlin. "You were really great, Merlin. But you could've been killed."

"Yeah," Riku approved.

"So," Violet inquired. "Why did you accept such a hazardous challenge?"

"It was worth it," Merlin replied. "If Wart learned something from it."

Wart paused for a few seconds. "Knowledge and wisdom is the real power."

"Right you are, Wart," Merlin agreed with a grin. "So stick to your schooling, boy."

"Oh, don't worry, sir. I will," Wart admitted. "I will."

As Merlin smiled at Wart, the two strode through the trees and off into the sunshine beyond the forest. Archimedes swooped through the trees above before setting down upon Merlin's hat.

Sora gave a gigantic smile. "Well, there he goes."

"One atypical wizard," Violet approved.

"And," Riku paused in thought. "What was that boy's name?"

"Wart," Sora immediately answered.

"No," Violet disagreed. "Everyone at the castle referred to him as 'Wart'. He said his true identity was 'Arthur'."

"Arthur?" Sora said. He slid to a halt in his footsteps. "What a minute. As in 'King Arthur'?!"

"You know," Riku thought aloud. "Maybe it was."

Sora's eye were full of amazement. He stared in the direction where Merlin, Wart, and Archimedes had headed. "Then that means… "

"It means," Violet elaborated. "Merlin knew Arthur would one day become king."

"Wow," Sora awed. If what he believed was true — and he was certain it was true — Merlin was the same wizard from the story Sora had always enjoyed hearing as a child; The Legend of King Arthur. Therefore, one day that same boy Sora had met would become one of the greatest kings of England. To top it off, Sora's very own friend, Merlin, had been there to lead Arthur to his rightful place as king. It would only be a matter of time before the actual reign of King Arthur would take place in this very world. "I'll have to ask Merlin about this when I see him again."

"Do not forget," Violet reminded the others. "This Merlin was an illusion. The real Merlin has no memory of us ever being here."

Sora's smile faded. "True," he admitted. "But I'll ask him anyway."

Violet shook her head. "Your heart has decided, correct?"

Sora gave a nod of approval.

By this point, the two had taken notice of how Riku was being extremely quiet. When the silver-haired Keyblader saw how the pair were staring at him, he questioned, "What?"

"You've been acting weird this whole world," Sora replied.

Violet nodded. "Is there something on your mind?"

Riku froze; he had long wanted to keep the secret of his past hidden. Unfortunately, it appeared such a task would be impossible to accomplish. It was time to reveal the truth to his friends, Sora and Violet.

"It's like this," Riku started after a deep sigh. "Back when I was struggling with the Darkness, I teamed up with a witch named Maleficent."

"Why would you do something like that?" Violet asked.

"She convinced me Sora was busy with his new friends," Riku stated.

Sora's mouth was wide open. "Why would you believe a thing like that, Riku?!"

"It's just… " His voice trailed off. After a few moments, the seventeen-year-old Keyblade wielder continued. "She promised to help me find Kairi if I helped her bring a few princesses to her."

"So that's what happened to Jasmine!" Sora concluded, slapping his right fist into his left palm. "And Alice, too!"

"Yeah," Riku admitted. "I was sure Maleficent was helping me. Until she sent me to some others worlds to recruit more members for her team. One of those worlds… was… "

"This one?" Violet finished.

Riku nodded. This sent a sharp shock down Sora's back. "What're you getting at, Riku?" the latter questioned.

Riku continued to explain. "I tried to ask Madam Mim to join along, but she was too excited about destroying me. So I left her and came to the edge of the castle's moat."

"That would explain why you were staring at it," Violet summarized.

"As I sat down beside the water," Riku added. "I saw something glowing in the grass. When I looked over, I noticed a large keyhole in the ground. Before I could take a better look, a small Heartless rose from the ground several feet from me."

"A keyhole… " Sora muttered softly.

"The Heartless jumped and I ducked," Riku explained. "When I looked back up, the keyhole was covered in a smoky fog. As I stood, a ball of Darkness appeared above. I was visited by Maleficent a moment later. She told me how the Heartless had invaded the world and I was responsible for it. All I could do was watch as the world before me crumbled apart like my island had."

As Riku finished his tale, both Sora and Violet were speechless. Based on the given information, Riku had once been to Camelot on a mission for Maleficent. When the mission failed, Riku had let a Heartless enter the keyhole and consume it in Darkness. Now not only was that sleeping, but Riku felt he was to blame for the catastrophe.

"You see?" Riku sighed. "I'm the reason this world is here. I let it fall to Darkness. It wouldn't be asleep if I—!"

"That cannot be accurate," Violet blurted, preventing Riku from completing his last sentence. "I know you, Riku. You would never have done such a terrible action. Your Light is too strong."

"Yeah," Sora approved. "So you let one Heartless slip through. That's no big deal. I've done that many times."

"But all those Heartless didn't destroy an entire world!" Riku countered. "I had the chance to stop it and I didn't!"

"I know why," Violet stated. "You were under the influence of this 'Maleficent'. I know about her; she often has Nightmares plaguing her dreams and will not allow me to eliminate them for her. Her Darkness is so powerful even I cannot deal with it."

As she leaned in close to Riku's face, the Angel of Dreams said, "She was controlling your Darkness, Riku. Do not allow that to prevent you from walking the Road to Dawn."

Riku stared at Violet for a couple minutes. Deep down inside, he knew the angel was telling the truth. Still, how would he succeed in keeping all that Darkness under control and prevent anybody like Maleficent or… or Ansem from manipulating it again? The only option left was to keep fighting and stick by his friends.

"You're right," Riku finally said. "I'll just have to follow the Light. It'll lead me down the Road to Dawn."

Violet nodded as she stepped back. A decent-sized smile appeared on her lips.

Sora nodded in agreement. "That's the spirit!"

As Riku smiled, Sora's enormous grin came into view. A bright Light started to shine from above. As it peered in through the treetops, Sora, Riku, and Violet found themselves staring through an opening high above their heads. In the bright, blue sky above was the unmistakable shape of a Keyhole.

Sora summoned his Keyblade while Violet summoned her own. They placed theirs side-by-side moments before Riku did the same. They all nodded before pointing the tips of their weapons at the Sleeping Keyhole. The long-awaited beams of Light shone out from the Keyblades and merged several inches before the Keyhole. The gateway unlocked in a gradually-brightening flash. The tunnel of Light the three had been looking forward to seeing again came into view.

"Let's go!" Sora proclaimed.

"Yeah," Riku agreed. "Time to follow the Light."

Violet smiled. "Perfect word choice, Riku."

Riku gave a nod back. The three leapt into the sky before diving straight into the tunnel of Light. As the corridor closed up behind them, they all gave another sigh of relief. As for Riku, he was grateful to know he had just awakened the same world he had let be consumed in Darkness. The world of Camelot was no longer trapped in sleep, and would now be restored to its proper place in the Realm of Light.

If Yen Sid's alarmed eyes weren't enough, the words from Lea's mouth were plenty to make King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and even Launchpad jump up in surprise.

"Absolutely not!" Mickey declared.

"Why not?" Niccole asked from where she was leaning against the wall of the study.

"Welp, I, uh… " Mickey's voice trailed off. It had been just seven minutes since the group had come to the Mysterious Tower with Lea and Niccole. Already, Lea had requested something of such colossal magnitude, everyone was now almost speechless.

"Proves my point," Niccole stated.

"I had sensed something was amiss," Yen Sid said as he bowed forward and closed his eyes. "The moment Sora and Riku departed, I was afraid something terrible was about to transpire."

"What do ya mean?" Goofy questioned.

Yen Sid reopened his eyes and gazed up Lea; the young man was towering over the desk. "As you can see, the Organization's members are complete people again."

"Not all of them," Lea stated with a smirk. "Braig and Isa are missing. And… I'm not sure about the others."

"Hey," Donald spoke up. "What do you mean, ya big palooka?"

Launchpad looked surprised. "I thought I was the 'big palooka'!"

Donald glared at the pilot. With a finger to his lips, the magician blew a gust of air. "Shh!"

"Aw gee… " Launchpad grumbled softly as he crossed his arms. A scowl could be seen on his face. Only Donald knew it was directed at him.

"What I meant was," Lea continued. "Even, Dilan, Aeleus, Ienzo, and myself are around. It's Braig, Isa, Demyx… Luxord… Marluxia… Larxene… and Xehanort who are still unaccounted for."

Yen Sid nodded in acknowledgement. "Xehanort will be no different. I'll tell you again, the road ahead will not be an easy one."

Lea didn't look the least bit concerned. "Fine," he snorted in return. "Let's jump right in."

He turned his focus to Niccole. "Shall we?"

Niccole rolled her eyes before letting out a sigh. "Okay," she complained. "Let's just get this whole ordeal over with."

A/N: So... All's Well That Ends Well!
I Sincerely Hope You Enjoyed This Chapter - ESPECIALLY since some of you REALLY wanted to see the "Wizard's Duel" unfold! I ALSO hope you Liked how I got Sora and Violet involved in it! Gave a nice TWIST, didn't it?

I'm certain you've understood what I was leading up to with Riku in these last few Chapters. I am considering writing another story in which I expand on what Riku would've been doing back when he worked with Maleficent.
Please Let Me Know IF You Would Like To See That Particular Story, Too!

So, without further ado, here is a HINT leading to the next world in THIS Story!
HINT: "OLD AND NEW FRIENDS WILL WORK TOGETHER UNDER 'ALL FOR FUN, AND FUN FOR ALL'!"

I highly doubt THAT HINT was much of a Challenge, Correct? Nevertheless, IF you believe you know what world I am referring to, please post your answers in the Reviews section for THIS Chapter!

The SECOND to last thing I will say today is how I have heard rumors that many people are not sure how to write "ELABORATE REVIEWS".
To that end, here's a technique I learned that might be able to help many (if not all) of you out.
THREE PARTS OF A WELL-WRITTEN REVIEW:
(1.) PRAISE: Comment about what you liked and/or worked well.
(2.) QUESTION(S): Ask and/or wonder about what is hard to understand or doesn't seem to make sense.
(3.) IMPROVE: State your opinion on what area(s) could be improved.

Of course, I am NOT "FORCING" You to Review NOW. This is just a few pieces of ADVICE in case you ever want to Review ANYTHING Out There!

Last, But Definitely Not The Least, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!

This is SoraLego278 saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!"