Chapter 5

I awoke with a pounding headache. I couldn't complain, though. At least I was alive. I looked around to see if I could gather where I was at, but to no avail. I was in some kind of pale white room. No windows and no doors, just white as far as the eye could see.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and I instantly sprang to my feet, summoning my keyblade as I went. "Who's there?" I called out.

"Do not be frightened," I turned around to see if I could locate the source of the voice. Nothing. "This prison will only detain you for a while longer."

"I want out now!" I said. My life had become a mess over the past few days and now it seemed to be at its peak. I had lost all of the C.o.K., including my dad and Lior, Cethin turned out to be a pawn in Mesna's plan to control me, and now this freaking white light was making my headache even worse! I sat down hard (not a good idea when you have a headache) and put my head in my hands. All I wanted was my life back, but instead I kept getting farther away from it.

After what seemed like hours, I looked up and realized that the light was fading. The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the steps leading into the castle. I stood up and looked around. Everything was still black as night. I sighed, wishing that this whole ordeal was simply a dream. Suddenly, a man appeared next to me. It was Aros, the old man who had helped me after my first encounter with Cethin.

"I bet you wish that this was all a dream, don't you?" He asked me.

I simply nodded in reply.

"We have much to talk about, but first, let us return to my house."

He turned to exit the courtyard and I followed. After walking a ways, he turned to me and held up his hand in the universal "stop" gesture. Suddenly, the Aros' house appeared around us as if out of thin air. I quickly found a chair and sat down, weary from the weeks events.

"You said that we have much to talk about," I said. Aros nodded. "Well, I have some questions that I want answered."

"And I will answer them to the best of my ability." He replied.

I thought for a moment. "Who is Mesna?" I asked.

"Mesna is a Possessor. A Possessor comes into existence when a Nobody returns to his former self just as Roxas returned to Sora. The memory of that Nobody then turns into a Possessor, a creature with the ability to take control of any being he desires. Unfortunately, he desired to take control of you, the new keyblade master."

"What can he do to me?" I asked.

"A Possessor, if left unchecked, can control your thoughts and actions. That's exactly what he did to poor Cethin and what he would've done to you, had I not stopped him."

"How exactly did you stop him?"

"I sealed him into the depths of your heart. The only way he will be able to control you is if you give in to your anger and hatred. If that happens, it will be very difficult to shut him out again without killing you, and nearly impossible to do without harming you in some way."

I nodded as I took in everything he said. After thinking things over, I asked him one last question. "What happened to Lior when Cethin shot the dark orb at her?"

"She was sent into the distant worlds. Not worlds that are far off by means of time, mind you, but worlds that have yet to be discovered. I have not come across any of these worlds in my travels, but I do know a way to reach them.

Aros paused and then continued. "There is something else you should know, Axel. When Cethin destroyed Lior, her heart was released. Had he not been killed at that very moment, he would have received her power, but since you were the only living being present, you received the use of her keyblade. This is a good thing, because when you find her, you will need to return her keyblade to her, or else she will never wake from her slumber. Also, since Cethin was the destroyer of the other members of the C.o.K., their hearts will wander in space until their bodies are returned to the near worlds."

My face lit up with excitement. "You mean, I might still be able to save them?" I asked with excitement in my voice.

"It is quite possible. Remember, though, there is no telling what you will find in the distant worlds and it is quite possible that you won't be able to return. Are you sure you wish to continue on this quest?"

I stood up from my seat, eager with anticipation. "Of course I do! Besides my mom, I'm the only keyblade master left! It's my duty to save the worlds from the Heartless or any other force that threatens them!" What happened next surprised even me. I began to glow white. Aros looked at me with an expression of shock on his face. After a few minutes of this, it stopped.

"What was that?!" I asked

Even Aros looked puzzled. "I don't know, but I will dedicate my time to finding out. In the mean time, you'd best be getting to work. You need to find the keyhole in this world. Through that, you should be able to gain access to the distant worlds."

"Got it!" I turned quickly and ran out the door.