Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
The Imbalance of Reality
By
Daniel Wood
Chapter 5: Sora
So much has changed.
The world we once knew…it no longer exists.
I had it all.
Only to lose it forever.
That which once was…can never be again.
Survival demands it.
My name is Sora.
I'm the Keyblade master, chosen by fate.
I have lost what I hold dear.
And I have much more to lose.
But deep down, I know I MUST lose it in order to regain that which is really important.
My true memories.
What I remember for sure, is that once upon a time, I was living on the Destiny Islands, along with my best friends, Riku and Nami…
NO.
I mean, Riku and Kairi. Naminé was…
…sigh…I'm getting ahead of myself.
I lived on the Destiny Islands, with my best friends, Riku and Kairi. We played together, talking about what it would be like to visit other worlds. We all thought it would be the most awesome thing that could ever happen to us.
And in a way it was. It would be the biggest life-changing experience any of us could encounter, which led to so many incredible adventures and great memories.
It also led to meeting two great new friends, Donald and Goofy, who like me, were searching for someone really important to them. We really bonded and had some great times.
Our adventures eventually led us to Castle Oblivion, where I remembered another old friend of mine, who lived with me, Riku and Kairi. She was called Naminé. We all played together but one day, she just left when I was little. I never saw her again until years later, when we arrived at this castle, looking to save our friends.
We were finally reunited after battling our way through relentless Heartless and these bad guys wearing black trench coats, which we later learned were called The Organization. But my memories of Naminé turned out to be not what I wanted them to be.
I discovered Naminé was a witch who implanted false memories into my heart as a means to control me. She was forced to do this by Marluxia, who wanted to control me so he could overthrow the Organization. If she refused, he would keep her locked away forever. And she had been locked away for so long.
I was torn apart when I first heard how I had been used. I wasn't in the least bit happy that Naminé had screwed around with everything that I cherished, but I can't exactly hold it against her for doing something she was forced to. Besides, even though she made me forget Kairi, who is the one I hold most dear, I still felt good about myself for knowing Naminé.
When me, Donald and Goofy arrived at Castle Oblivion, we were warned right at the start that the further we progressed, the more memories we'd lose. When we made it to the thirteenth floor, where we defeated Marluxia and sealed the Keyhole, we had forgotten so much. The only things that any of us could really remember were our adventure at Castle Oblivion.
Naminé said it was her turn to help us. She never destroyed our old memories, she just rearranged them. So she could just resort them to how they were, but at the cost of the memories we had of this castle. I chose to reclaim my real memories. It was no contest, really. I had to remember Kairi, all my friends.
But at the cost of forgetting Naminé.
As I sleep, I find myself forgetting more and more about her and the events at Castle Oblivion. And more about my past. How ironic that it was once the other way round.
Even though I dream, I'm still fighting. One journey has ended; another, more important one has begun. I fight to regain my memories of Kairi. However, I know that not all my memories can be great. I know I have bad memories, too. Plenty of them.
What else will come back to haunt me?
Something already has.
Something…awful invaded my dreams. Something dark and sinister that I definitely know…but can't remember.
Yet.
But…as one memory tried to destroy me…another tried to save me.
Memories…countless memories…both good AND bad.
Forgotten, but not lost.
"No! You won't get him! I won't let you!"
"Foolish…child," sneered Sharak, his body once again being ravaged as he approached Naminé. "You could not…stop me from…destroying him even…if you tried!"
Sharak backhanded Naminé, knocking her out cold onto the floor. He staggered towards the chamber Sora was sleeping in.
""Fortunately for you, he is of more value to me alive. For the moment."
Sharak put his hands on the glass, grinning inanely, looking as though he was going to enjoy what he was about to do.
"Once I have helped the Keybearer along, there will be no need for me to return to this castle ever again."
The blade cleanly cut off Sharak's right hand. Startled, he backed away from the chamber. Amazingly, he didn't scream. Shockingly, he didn't feel any pain. But he did feel a sense of apprehension.
He slowly looked to his side. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"NO…"
The newcomer was dressed in boots, grey jeans with a few holes torn in the knees, a battered trench coat, brown gloves, a white, sleeveless shirt and a black ninja mask. The teenager looked sixteen, about the same size and build as Riku, sporting short black hair. He wore a chain around his neck with a peace symbol attached it. The most distinguishing feature was that he had a scar on the left half of his face that trailed down his eye.
Sharak instantly recognised him.
"Get out," ordered Jaron, wielding his swords, ready for battle.
Sharak's eyes narrowed and blared brightly. He lunged for the Saviour, ready to kill. Then out of nowhere, the pain of Sharak having his hand cut off surfaced, causing him to scream. The delay of pain was completely unexpected, and it caught Sharak off guard.
As he stood howling like the crazed animal that he was, nursing his wrist, struggling greatly to regenerate his lost hand, Sharak fell prey to a kick to the face, knocking him off his feet.
The Saviour closed in for the kill.
Holding his weapons up high, Jaron prepared to deliver the deathstrike.
Sharak grinned.
Jaron realised he was too late.
The creature regenerated. The light subsided and the demon resumed his normal guise. Fully healed and in control, Sharak was able to catch the swords with his bare hands just in time. Jaron's eyes narrowed as the monster chuckled and violently threw him towards the farthest wall. Jaron landed feet-first against the wall, where he spring boarded off the wall, rolled in mid-air and landed safely on the floor.
Only to see Sharak make a dive towards the restoration chamber.
The Saviour knew he was too far away to stop Sharak. He could only watch as the creature phased through the glass and dived straight into Sora's heart. A bizarre distortion waved in the chamber, making Sora ripple like he was made of water. The distortion was brief and quickly subsided, but Jaron knew it wasn't over. Sharak was no doubt in Sora's heart, corrupting him and altering his memories. Trying to make him his personal slave.
It reminded Jaron of how Sharak had corrupted his heart. Made him the monster's glorified lackey.
The memory burned deep into the Saviour's consciousness, insulting him. Making him more determined than ever not to let history repeat itself.
You haven't won yet, thought Jaron. He noticed Naminé lying hurt on the floor by Sora. He sheathed his swords and darted over to Naminé, kneeling down beside her, lifting her head up gently.
"Naminé! Naminé, are you alright?"
The young witch groaned as she started to come to. Jaron helped her up.
"What…what's happening?" she asked.
"Sora needs help."
They both looked at the chamber, Sora was still sleeping peacefully. But for how long was anybody's guess.
"If Sharak interferes…," began Naminé, her fear growing.
"Nothing bad will happen," vowed Jaron. "Not while I'm here."
"But what can you do? Sharak has entered the one place you can't follow!"
Jaron contemplated his next move.
Turning round to the witch, he asked if she could use her powers to send his consciousness into Sora's heart.
Naminé was shocked by the request.
"Can it be done, yes or no?" asked a desperate Saviour.
"It…it can be done…but I have never attempted such a venture before. The risk factor is too high. You could be lost in the darkness of Sora's heart forever!"
"The risk is worth it."
"Jaron…I cannot determine…"
"Naminé…" interrupted the Saviour "…I trust you with my life."
With that, Naminé nodded, her focus and determination growing. Grabbing a chair, her sketchpad and a pencil, the young witch sat down. She asked the Saviour to remain still as he stood before her. In a matter of minutes, she had drawn a picture of Jaron fast asleep in the memory restoring contraption. Seconds later, a bizarre flower trap materialised out of the floor, ensnaring the sixteen-year-old. Soon it was fully formed. Jaron had remained motionless as the chamber formed around him. He looked at Naminé, who nodded.
Knowing that she was ready, Jaron closed his eyes and slept.
Naminé turned the page over on her sketch pad, and began pencilling the next image.
"Hurry, Jaron. Hurry."
Sora slept as he flew backwards, high-speed, non-stop over the fierce ocean. The clouds were dark and vast, with thunder echoing inside, along with the flashes of lightning.
The Keybearer had slept so peacefully over the last few days, after seeing all his friends and loved ones appear before him, he flew over the ocean, weary over how much he had recovered so far.
Yet even as he slept, flying uncontrollably over the fierce seas, he knew deep down that there was much more to recapture. So many more memories to remember.
Both good and bad.
And he knew he would have to fight for a very long time in order to regain what he had lost.
Yet he was confident that somehow, he would find a way.
He always did.
The lightning flashed as brightly as it could, the roar of thunder then followed.
Sharak materialised out of nowhere. Chuckling evilly, he saw Sora zoom past him. Chasing after the fourteen-year-old Keybearer, the demon flew alongside him, matching the speed of the sleeping hero. Then overtaking him and hovering in front of him. The dark creature held his hand in front of him and Sora stopped flying. Using his telekinesis, Sharak rotated Sora's body so the unconscious boy was now upright and facing the monstrosity.
"My existence was everything it was destined to be," spoke Sharak to Sora, not caring that the adolescent couldn't hear him. "I was perfect, formidable, powerful…totally invincible. I was the undisputed king of everything. I had reached my throne, earned my crown. And then it all fell apart. Because of you."
Sharak's eyes blared as he wrapped his hand round Sora's throat. Yet, surprisingly, he didn't choke him. He wanted to kill him slowly and painfully from within. And savour every moment of it. But Sharak knew that this wasn't about destroying the Keyblade master from within. This was about building for the future.
So he just calmly had a slack, pressure-less grip on Sora that was nowhere near enough to disrupt the scheme.
"You are my downfall." The tone of Sharak's voice became darker and sinister. "You are my scourge. Everything bad that has happened to me…has been because of you! YOU HAVE DOOMED ME, SORA!!! YOU HAVE CONDEMNED ME TO A LIVING DEATH!!!"
Sharak's mouth grew. He smiled evilly, not caring that his disease was flaring up again.
"And now I have you. Defenceless. All alone. Vulnerable. I would love nothing more than to put you through what I have suffered. Regretfully, you're of much more use to me alive…and as healthy as can be. If I am to build for the future. So I can conquer it."
Sharak ignored the light about to burst out of his chest. Instead, he enlarged his fingers to twice their normal size and altered the tips into razor-sharp claws.
"Do you know the best part about all this, boy?" the monster asked innocently. "This time…there is no one to save you now. NO ONE."
This time, Sharak screamed as soon as Jaron's swords struck him. Impaled through his chest, the blades flung the demon away from Sora. The unconscious Keybearer just remained motionless in mid-air. The Saviour assumed his fighting stance as he hovered in mid-air, protecting Sora.
Sharak backed away, his ravaged, maniacal form consuming him.
"I won't tell you again, Sharak," glared Jaron, menacingly. "GET…OUT."
"AS IF YOU COULD MAKE ME!!!" yelled the crazed monstrosity as he lunged for his arch-nemesis. The Saviour blocked the first claw strike with one of his swords, and then blocked the second strike for his face with his other sword.
The light that plagued Sharak also fuelled his power. The bright light shone out of his hands to signify his growing powers. At the cost of what was left of his health. And his mind.
Jaron struggled enormously against his deadliest foe. The Saviour had reincarnated in a more powerful form, whereas Sharak's reincarnation was greatly imperfect, and much lesser than what it had once been. Yet the anomaly that Sharak had become was more than enough to compensate him in some way. The creature's desperation and madness, in some inexplicable way, boosted his abilities, making him both deadlier and weaker then ever at the same time.
The two adversaries released from the deadly grapple and both of them backed away to renew their offensive. Jaron crossed his swords together, charged his power into them and then swung them away, releasing a powerful energy projectile that headed for Sharak. The creature teleported out of harm's way, cackling uncontrollably as he outstretched his arms to four times their normal length, morphing them into wild, flailing tendrils, radiating vicious, wild electricity.
Sharak span rapidly towards the Saviour, who used his amazing reflexes to block the wild tendrils with his swords. As Jaron's arms motioned to safeguard him, they left behind a trailing blur, because they were so fast.
As the two combatants continued their war, Sora still remained motionless in a vertical position.
And all this was happening in mid-air.
Above the fiercest of all seas.
And below the fiercest of all thunderstorms.
Meanwhile, Naminé looked back through her drawings. She had drawn both Sora and Jaron fast asleep in their chambers, with the haunting spectre of Sharak above them, linking them together under a common banner. Next she had drawn a picture of Sharak and Jaron fighting over the ocean, with Sora's well-being, his memories, everything hanging in the balance.
As Naminé continued to draw, using her powers to keep Jaron in Sora's dream state, being careful not to tear his memories asunder, and make his heart collapse, she realised that she could not use her powers to simply eliminate the anomaly inhabiting Sora's body. It was too powerful, going beyond her witchcraft. Jaron was really the only one who could expel Sharak from Sora's heart. While this was going on, Naminé was still continuing with the restoration of Sora's memories. If Sharak harmed him in this dream state, the damage done to his memories would be irreparable, and there'd be no telling what would happen to Sora. But both she and Jaron knew that it wouldn't be good.
Naminé began working on her next picture, trying desperately not to think about how Jaron could expel Sharak from Sora's dream state, if not destroy him. There was also the grave problem of how Jaron himself would be able to escape the dream world. It had been easier than expected to get in, but it would be much harder to get out.
The Saviour will find a way, Naminé reassured herself. Now concentrate. FOCUS.
Using her powers, and taxing her concentration to its fullest, Naminé did all she could to keep Jaron in the dream state, and safeguard him as much as possible. Whilst trying to restore Sora's memories at the same time.
Leaving the Saviour to do his job. And that was fight the battle.
"You're doing much better than last time, Jaron," smiled Sharak as he slashed the teenager violently across the chest, forcing him to back away in pain. "But you know that I'll kill you again. And that this time, you'll stay dead."
Sharak charged in for another strike. The Saviour easily evaded it, retaliating with a devastating kick to the side of the monster's head, staggering him.
"Don't waste your breath, Sharak," smiled Jaron. "You haven't got that much of it left."
Sharak roared as he threw a shower of fireballs in the direction of his nemesis. Jaron swatted them back at the creature with his weapons. The returned fire stunned Sharak, making him back away in pain. The teenager flew towards the hostile demon, swords held out in front of him. The blades impaled through the monster's chest yet again, only this time, Jaron's power was coursing through his weapons, which surged through Sharak's body, aggravating his disease.
The strike increased the monster's agony tenfold. Along with his rage. As the light nearly engulfed Sharak, his deafening howls became louder and more frightening then ever. The shining mass in his chest consumed him entirely, growing beyond his control, looking as though his destruction was imminent.
Jaron knew better though, and remained on his guard. Sharak painfully managed to sprout a small, sly smile.
"Going…down," he nodded to Sora. The Saviour's eyes widened when he span round to check on Sora.
The Keybearer had fallen out of the sky and into the ocean.
"NO!" exclaimed the Saviour as he pulled his swords out of Sharak and made a dive into the sea.
"Yes," grinned Sharak, the light subsiding immediately as he reverted to normal, regenerating instantly. He grabbed Jaron's ankle and his darkness soon spread, enveloping the Saviour. In seconds, the sixteen-year-old was eclipsed entirely in thick, hazy smoke, struggling to rid himself of it.
Jaron was in ungodly pain. The darkness of Sharak's being, and the chaotic war between that and the light that plagued the monster, made the Saviour an unfortunate victim of that war. Sharak's darkness was nothing new to Jaron. He had experienced it before, all too many times, so he knew how to endure it for as long as he wished.
But the chaotic struggle of two opposites, so intertwined with each other, and thus making it impossible for one to survive without the other, overwhelmed Jaron, setting his mind on fire. The pain of centuries of war, with very few moments of true peace, had made countless people wonder what the point of it all was.
But the Saviour knew there was always a point. Even if people didn't know what it is, there was something that inspired them to carry on.
Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there, thought the teenager as he carried on fighting, trying to drive Sharak out of his body, but still failing.
Jaron was becoming desperate.
Naminé…please…help us.
Naminé was sweating, trying to steady her breathing. Trying desperately not to succumb to panic and remain focused. She looked up to see Jaron's body writhing in pain as he slept, experiencing some form of seizure. Sora was still sleeping peacefully.
A little too peacefully.
Naminé could feel Jaron's anguish, the sheer torment he was going through as Sharak was consuming him. She could also feel Sora drowning in an abyss, knowing that he could never ever awaken if he was too submerged in the darkness of his own memories.
Wait, that's it! beamed Naminé.
Turning over another page, she began work on her next drawing. She knew that Sharak didn't want to destroy Sora from within. He wanted to alter his memories to some degree, tainting the Keybearer in a way so that Sharak would have an advantage in the future. Because the monster had seen the future, he knew how to plan for it, and help present events along.
Naminé knew that whatever Sharak's reasons for wanting not to disrupt the course of time, could not be beneficial to anyone. Which is why she had to make sure that Sharak was not victorious today.
She remembered Sora's dream. She remembered how Sora had fallen through water, sinking deeper and deeper at a great velocity, before landing on his feet when he had reached the seabed. Then as soon as he took one step forward, the floor exploded into light, as dozens and dozens of turtle doves flew off into the pitch-black sky.
And Sora found himself standing on a large platform, made of beautiful stain glass, featuring pictures of Snow White, one of the seven princesses of heart, and the seven dwarfs that loved her.
If Naminé could recreate that dream in some way, so Sora would have a vague idea of what he was destined for, then no doubt he could aid Jaron in taking the fight to Sharak, without seriously endangering the memory restoration process.
If the Saviour could keep the contaminated darkness occupied for long enough.
Just hang on, Jaron, thought Naminé as she drew as fast and as carefully as she could. Just hang on.
Sora knew this place.
He'd been here before.
He remembered fighting Heartless here once upon a time…
…once upon a time…
A voice had spoken to him.
A terrible disease threatens you.
Sora was confused. Did he know this voice? Was it time to continue his journey?
Questions are irrelevant for the moment. In order to cure yourself, so you can reclaim that which you have lost, you need to remember.
The Keyblade appeared in Sora's hand. He looked at it, and then the Shadows appearing before him.
All over again.
The Heartless pounced for the Keyblade Master. Effortlessly, he carved them up.
Fight for your life.
On the edge of the Snow White platform, beautiful stain-glass steps appeared. As Sora advanced towards the steps, he noticed cracks appearing on the platform. It started to shatter, leaving the Keybearer no other choice but to make a run for the steps.
He got off the platform just in time. As he darted up the steps, not knowing where they would lead, Sora fought off the Heartless that ambushed him out of nowhere. Sora never looked back. With the steps falling apart, he knew he couldn't look back on how his life had fallen apart.
Do not look back, continued the voice. If you want to survive, you must fight on. Go forward…or lose everything.
More determined then ever, Sora raced up the endless stairway, fighting through the Shadows that relentlessly ambushed him.
Never lose sight of who you are…and what you should be.
"Your true destiny is nigh, Jaron," taunted Sharak as he continued to consume his arch-nemesis. "Why can't you accept the inevitable?"
"Why can't you?" seethed the Saviour in contempt.
"Because everything is mine. I make the rules. I decide who lives and who dies."
"I would…die an infinite number of times…if it meant ridding all worlds of you. Unlike you…I'm not afraid."
"Oh, really?" asked Sharak as his dark aura closed in on Jaron's heart. "We know each other intimately. I know for a fact that you fear losing everything near and dear to you. You fear becoming like me. You fear failure."
"That was then."
As soon as the darkness touched Jaron's heart, Sharak fled in pain. The light exploded, cancelling the darkness, forcing the monster into a retreat. When the light subsided, the Saviour stood tall. Summoning his swords, he resumed his stance.
"My fears do not rule me now."
The creature regenerated, startled by the fact that the Saviour had been reborn with a pure heart. His bewilderment soon evolved into angry focus as he renewed his offensive. The Saviour blocked the monster's attacks, countering with powerful strikes of his own. Many of them failed to connect as Sharak was able to use his powers to shield himself from/dodge the attacks. But those that did connect, Jaron made sure that they counted.
Jaron knew he had to finish this as quick as possible, not just for his sake but for the sake of his best friend as well. With him drowning in the tide of memories below, only Naminé was Sora's hope for resurfacing now.
And Sharak no doubt was using his greater power to make Naminé's job a lot harder. Which made the Saviour fight harder then ever, to try and expel the creature from the Keybearer's consciousness.
As Jaron dodged another fierce claw swipe, Sharak anticipated the Saviour's next move. As the sixteen-year-old held his weapons up high, ready to carve his arch-nemesis in two, the creature teleported before Jaron could even blink. Knowing where Sharak would be before he did, the Saviour kicked his foot out backwards, predicting that he would reappear behind him.
His prediction was correct. As soon as the contaminated darkness reappeared, he felt a sharp pain inflicted on his stomach, winding him.
But Jaron soon lost the upper hand. As he closed in to finish the job, his left hand wrapped round Sharak's throat, ready to administer the killing blow, he realised too late. As he looked deep into the creature's eyes, he realised too late.
That Sharak had conjured up a petty imitation that Jaron was about to destroy.
Leaving himself wide open in the process.
The fabrication vanished into nothingness as soon as Sharak's claws dug right into Jaron's spine. The Saviour screamed in ungodly pain. Memories came flooding back of how Sharak had beaten him to within an inch of his life. Then denied him an honourable death, by enslaving him, making him attack his own friends.
The humiliation and pain caused was unbearable.
And now it was happening again.
"Whoever it was," sneered Sharak, as he held Jaron high above his head, corrupting the Saviour once again, "that said in dreams no one and nothing can hurt you…was lying through their teeth."
The creature chuckled as he intensified the teenager's pain. The Saviour still refused to surrender to fear, but he did not know if he could resist Sharak's attempts at assimilation again. Although the boy's heart was pure, it was still highly prone to falling to darkness.
A darkness he knew all too well, one that had given him so much despair and suffering.
One that he had spent his whole life opposing.
One that was relentless and inevitable.
"I came to recruit a pawn," chuckled Sharak again, "and I recruit two instead. A delicious bonus. By foolishly entering Sora's dream state, Jaron, you've only opted for the same fate as your friend. Unsurprising. Only the weak can be blinded by the ludicrous concept of friendship. And fall prey to darkness."
The memories of Jaron's enslavement at Sharak's hands were near crippling. The Saviour tried to resist but the creature had caught him off-guard. Now he had the advantage and he was pressing it to his fullest, not giving the teenage warrior anytime to recover.
"It is pointless to resist me, Saviour. It always is. I've won. Just like always."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! I've heard it all before!"
Sharak's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked to his side.
"NO."
The Keyblade tore an enormous chunk of mass right out of the demon, forcing him to release the hold he had on the Saviour. Jaron, near a state of unconsciousness, fell out of the sky. Sora, using his ability to fly, caught Jaron with his right arm and hoisted him up onto his shoulder, whilst catching the returning Keyblade with his left hand.
Sharak held his hand over his vicious wound. Light was 'bleeding' out of the wound, soon spreading onto his hand, eating away at the insidious, maniacal creature. He removed his hand off the wound and stared at it in cold, numbing shock.
"This is not possible…"
The Saviour regained consciousness. Sora set him off his shoulders, allowing him to hover in the air. Jaron was amazed when he looked to see Sora as well as can be. He was even more amazed to see the critical blow the Keyblade master had landed on Sharak.
"Sora…you're…"
Without saying a word, the fourteen-year-old hero held the Keyblade up high. And then pointed it at Sharak. Sora shot outward a huge beam of light energy that engulfed Sharak.
"NOOOOOOO!!!"
Cracks appeared all over Sharak's body, like a shell about to explode open like a bomb.
"YOU WILL NEVER BE RID OF ME!!! I PROMISE YOU!!!" declared the fanatical demon.
Sharak exploded and fragmented into millions and millions of pieces.
Everything went light.
Sora and Jaron were the only two persons remaining.
The Keybearer turned to look at the Saviour. His eyes narrowed in confusion.
"I know you…don't I?"
Under his mask, Jaron smiled. He turned to face him and replied, "Yes. You do."
Jaron could hear Naminé talking to him and him alone, telling him it was time to go. The Saviour nodded and began to fade out of existence.
"Wait," protested Sora as he held his hand out. "Don't go. Please."
"I know there is much you still don't understand," explained the Saviour. "But you will remember. You have all the time in the world, Sora. Rest. The answers are coming."
"But…"
"Both he and I were not meant to interact with you too soon. I am only here because I had no other choice. He had to be stopped. All the answers cannot come to light all at once. It is too much for anyone to digest. Remember that patience is a virtue, my friend. Remember that."
"At least give me a clue to start remembering who you are!" pleaded Sora.
Jaron thought about it, looking away from the Keybearer.
Naminé?
The witch gave him her opinion. Jaron smiled as he looked back at Sora.
"I told you…that you are the best friend I ever had."
Jaron held his hand out and Sora accepted it. Although confused, Sora smiled as the two teenagers both shook hands. Then the Saviour disappeared. The Keybearer then fell sleepy.
Then fell backwards.
Back in Castle Oblivion, the memory restoration chamber opened and Jaron, shaky and even more tired than he'd been before he stepped into the contraption, stepped out and walked towards Naminé. The chamber dissolved into the floor, and Naminé looked at the picture of Jaron and Sora shaking hands, before closing her sketchpad, standing up out of her chair, and walking towards the Saviour.
The teenager fell to one knee, visibly exhausted. Naminé helped him up to his feet.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine," he smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. "Sharak?"
"Gone again," the witch answered sadly, shaking her head. "Where to this time, I have no idea."
"He'll undoubtedly return," replied Jaron. "With this string of devastating defeats he has recently suffered, he'll spend a long time planning anew. At least, Sora is safe."
Jaron turned to look at the slumbering Keybearer.
"How did you manage to rescue Sora? And get him to fight off Sharak without putting his memories in serious jeopardy?"
"When he fell into the ocean in his dream," Naminé explained, "I was able to use my powers to recreate his dream of fighting Heartless. He had this dream just before his home was destroyed, when he started to become aware of his true destiny. By making him fight in that dream, I was able to inspire him to remember enough to fight for what was his by right."
"His memories, I assume?"
"Of course. Sharak would no doubt do what I did to make him a slave."
"Using those visions of the future to implant in Sora's memory," thought Jaron out loud. "Disastrous effects, I'm sure."
"I don't know if Sharak would have done that to make him his pawn, Jaron."
"Perhaps…but it sounds like the sort of thing that he would do."
Turning back to Naminé, Jaron asked how she was able to bring him back.
"When Sharak was defeated, a great peace filled Sora," she explained. "When there is peace, no obstacles in the way, you can do anything with ease. With Sharak no longer around to interfere, I was able to call to you and reach out to you. Because his darkness could not deafen the words of hope.
Jaron smiled and understood.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," smiled Naminé.
They both looked to Sora.
"He's sleeping peacefully now," explained the witch. "He's on the right path to reclaiming his lost memories."
After a pause, Jaron asked, "What do you suppose he's thinking about right now?"
'I'm the best friend he ever had?'
I never saw his face when I started to regain my memories of all my friends.
Yet I KNOW that I know him from somewhere. He seemed so familiar.
Just like that…that THING that tried to kill him.
That thing wasn't a Heartless. It was unlike anything I've ever faced before. Like my worst nightmare.
Maybe because it was…IS my worst nightmare. One that'll come back to haunt me.
It tried to destroy me, I know it. Just like that other guy tried to save me.
As I dream, flying over these endless oceans, I fight to regain my memories.
I fight in my sleep, struggling to recapture that which I once lost.
Only to lose my precious memories of Naminé.
Wait a minute…
Was this what that guy at the crossroads was talking about?
"Ahead lies something you need – but to claim it, you must lose something dear."
I need my old memories to finish my quest. Yet, to get them…I must lose my dear memories of Naminé.
And then I feel something that frightens me.
Naminé suddenly starts to feel unimportant compared to memories of Kairi. Along with memories of those guys that fought each other with my life hanging in the balance.
I suddenly start wanting to forget about Naminé, hungering to relearn the knowledge I forgot. Even as I sleep peacefully, I am fighting a war for a prize.
A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory.
A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream.
I want to line the pieces up –
yours and mine.
…
Have I lost control?
What's happening to me?
…
Everything is coming back to me, the true…
NOT THE END.