Will took a good look at the door ahead of her. The ruby-haired dark warrior cast a glance at the world cards that Xehanort had given her.

"Why is Xehanort still trying to take over my heart? I already told him that I'm never giving into the darkness again..." Will wondered.

"I promised Nick and Irma..." Will continued, blushing heavily and giving a dreamy sigh at the thought of the two people she'd made her promise to. At the climax of the previous journey, after her defeat at Hollow Bastion, Xehanort had abandoned her, leaving her to die in the World's End. Thankfully, Nick and his party had found her, and they'd all worked together to destroy Xehanort once and for all. During that short time, Will had realized that she had fallen in love with both Nick and Irma, due to the inescapable fact that they had never given up on her, despite everything she had done while under Xehanort's influence.

She really wanted to see those two again, but she knew it would have to wait until she'd completed her own journey to cleanse the darkness within her. Only then could she face her friends again.

"I won't forget my promise," Will stated, holding the first world card up to the shimmering door in front of her.

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(They say that those who cannot do, follow someone and learn.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:
W.I.T.C.H.: Keys of Memory
Story Created: March 12, 2008
This Chapter: September 25, 2008
Summary: Directly following the events of Key to Her Heart, Nick journeys to Castle Oblivion, still on the search for his missing friends. What he finds in this castle may tear his very world apart... Meanwhile, Will, still on her path to cleanse the darkness inside her, also finds herself in Castle Oblivion, hoping to find a way to erase Xehanort's still-standing influence on her...
On Today's Episode: Will begins her own journey through the card worlds, ready to fight to the very end in hopes of defeating the darkness that still dwells within her...

Also, I don't own ANY franchises used in this story. They belong to whoever created them. This story is copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger (me), March 2008.

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Chapter 2-B: Soon to Be Completely Eclipsed

As Will came out on the other side of the door, she noticed familiar surroundings. Had she been here before?

"Wait a minute, now I remember! This must be the Alfea School of Magic!" Will exclaimed. "If my memory is correct, this was the first world that Nick and his friends went to..."

Will hadn't noticed it for a few seconds, but she found herself blushing again at the mere mention of Nick's name. She quickly shook it off.

"Get it together, Will!" the dark warrior chided herself. "You can swoon later. Right now, I've got some memories to travel."

After a little while of exploring and Heartless slaughtering, Will made her way to the Key of Beginnings room, where she encountered Icy, the witch who constantly harassed this world's defenders, the Winx Club.

"ICY?!" Will exclaimed. "Of all the people I could run into, it had to be you..."

"Well, well, just in time, my dear dark warrior," Icy stated. "I've got a little task for you."

Will smirked. "You can go shove it," she shot back. "I'm following my own path now, and that doesn't include you."

Icy growled, her aforementioned magical power concentrating in her palms. "How dare you mock me, you little brat!!"

Will simply brought the Soul Eater into a fighting stance. "Let's go, if you think you can take me."

That seemed to be it for Icy, who let out a roar and charged forward, aiming ice bolts for Will, who easily dodged each one of them. The ruby-haired warrior responded to this by performing a graceful combo attack with the Soul Eater that knocked Icy flat on her back.

Not one to be discouraged, Icy picked herself up and slammed her palms onto the floor, sending out a wave of ice energy that would have made Will slip and fall had she not jumped in time.

Icy looked up at Will, only to notice that she was slowly being covered by a cocoon of darkness. When Will came out, she was in her dark form, and the Soul Eater had shifted into the Dark Keyblade. The only difference was that Will didn't have the evil look in her eyes anymore.

I bet Nick would think I look sexy in this outfit, Will thought, then mentally slapping herself. Where the hell did THAT thought come from?!

Will landed on the ground, only to immediately bring the Dark Keyblade up to block a powerful attack from Icy.

"You really think that's going to work on me?" Will taunted, nailing Icy with a Dark Wave attack, then hopping behind the ice witch and attacking with another graceful combo.

Leaping back to her starting position, Will began focusing her dark powers before zipping off into the air.

As Icy looked around for her opponent, Will came crashing back down, slamming the Dark Keyblade into Icy's head, then jumping skyward again. She repeated this a few times until Icy was thrown on her back.

Will smirked, gripping the Dark Keyblade tightly. "Okay, then!! It's time I put an end to you!!" Will exclaimed, driving the Dark Keyblade into Icy's back and charging it with dark energy, much like she had done against the Dragon in Hollow Bastion.

This motion filled the room with an extremely bright light, and when it cleared, Icy was gone. Will grinned and let the Dark Keyblade drop to her side as she returned to her normal self, the Soul Eater taking the place of the Dark Keyblade.

"That was fun," Will stated, heading for the world's exit.

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"I've identified the scent. It's Will," Zexion noted after the battle with Icy had died down.

"Will?" Vexen responded, still a little confused. "How could she have escaped from the realm of darkness?"

"She once shouldered the darkness..." Zexion pondered.

"I see, and perhaps that made her half-dark. The dark power given to her facilitated her escape from the realm of darkness," Vexen proclaimed, spinning his shield around.

"What I want to know is why she appeared here."

"That's simple. Her existence resonates with that of another hero."

"Then Nick's in the castle, too?"

"Yes, he arrived earlier. Marluxia is already using Naminé to meddle with Nick's heart."

"And he didn't consult us about it."

Vexen smirked. "It seems he's dying to control the Keyblade master. How stupid of him. Nick and Will's existence may be interesting, but the one most valuable to us is Will, the hero of darkness."

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Next time:

Chapter 3-B: As We Fly Towards Destiny

Will continues her journey, and eventually runs into a member of the Organization, who seems to know a lot about her...

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"So, what are the Unbirth, exactly?" Haruka asked Timber once the battlefield had calmed down.

"GOD, those things put up one hell of a fight," Maylin stated, rubbing her sore shoulders.

"You looked pretty cute out there, even though you were getting creamed," Haruka admitted, blushing madly.

"Please don't remind me of that, Haruka-chan," Maylin stated. "That's one butt-kicking I don't ever want to relive."

Timber looked down at his records. "From what we gathered, the Unbirth are not created from light, darkness, or twilight, but from an unknown element that's got even the Nightwatch befuddled..."

"Whoa. Creepy, huh?" Maylin noted.