Heartiel

Philia had finished her dance training, and was resting on the ship deck, a bowl of fried rice in hand. She technically didn't create the dish, but found a frozen meal to make. She made a tiny bowl for Tinker Bell to eat.

"This isn't too bad for a quick-make meal." Tink noted.

"You're right about that." Philia agreed, taking another bite with her chopsticks. She then put down her chopsticks and looked around the place, thinking to herself. Finally, she muttered, "It is rather quiet in here." she muttered.

"Oh, really?" Tink asked, "Well, we can talk a bit, if you want."

"That's not what I mean." she argued, looking down at her food, "I'm just thinking...how lonely it kind of is, here on this ship."

"What do you mean by that?" Tink asked, putting down her bowl and flying up into her face, looking a bit hurt, "Are you saying that I don't count as someone on this ship?!"

"No, not like that, at all!" Philia defended, waving her hands as she denied her assumption, "I mean, I'm just use to more people around me in a Gummi ship." She lowered her hands as she muttered, "Before, I had Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy to be with as we shared a ship. But now, they are away from us, and without more people around me, the Gummi ship feels...pretty lonely."

"Okay, I kinda get that." Tink understood, seeing her reasoning, "I mean, it was fun with them being around. And before that, I was fine being with Peter Pan all the time, but I didn't mind the Lost Boys coming around to make things more entertaining, as well. Just as long as there were no other girls near him."

"You mean like Wendy?" Philia asked with a smirk.

"ESPECIALLY her!" the pixie replied strongly, getting a giggle from Philia. She calmed herself as she asked, "Well, whaddya wanna do about it? You do have those summons on hand. You could give them a ring and…"

"Reminder they're made for fighting than conversation starters." The treasure huntress argued, "And remember what Sinon warned us not to call her unless fighting is involved. So we can't call upon her." She thought back to when she first met her, and she had signs that she was from the same world as she was. "…Even though I want to…" she admitted lastly.

"Then it'll just be the two of us for the time being." Tink told her, settling down on her shoulder.

"I guess…" Philia answered, looking up at the dome roof of the Gummi Ship, "I get that we can't involve others in other worlds, as per world order. But I wish we could still have people join us in some way."

(Insert 'Catch the Moment' Amalee cover)

Music intro

(In the darkness, gold coins started to fall into a black darkness, with the words 'A story that takes place during Sword Art Kingdom II: Dimensional Bonds', followed by a blue Star Shard light that bounced about the falling screen, before hitting the center of the screen, and with a burst of light, the reveal the title.)

I sigh, saying that I'm fine with every breath of mine
This regret, it leaves another bitter taste, Yeah

(SAK: Heart's Origin Philia started off walking along a path of light in the darkness, the memories of her first adventure showing, her expression going from happy to painful, before stopping as she stops in front of the capsule of the sleeping Sora, before turning as tears fell from her, and she instantly donned the Organization's cloak.)

Why does the sun shine but only when I slip and make a new mistake?
'Cause I hate the feeling it's all a waste

(Philia is running along that path of light, as the many people of her past started to fade away, not remembering about her, with only Riku, Mickey, Naminé, DiZ, and Kairi the remaining people watching her run away. She suddenly found herself on the dirt path of the open grasslands, reaching the crossroad.)

If I could cut away my fate with this blade
I would if that'd let me re-start
But something tells me if that happened
I might not see you there

(Philia turns to one path, where Riku and Mickey in black coats were walking away from, before looking the other way, seeing PHox standing there, before looking behind to see DiZ and Naminé behind her. She looked down to the ground, thinking what the best path is, before Tinker Bell appears, flying in her face, and waving her to the path straight ahead, where Gretinal is standing. Philia smiles as she races towards her, she points to the path ahead as Philia takes off her Organization coat, unveiling her new attire.)

I'm only held by the limit inside my soul
The voice in my heart
I trust it will break the mold that it holds

(Philia summons her Keydagger, and starts slashing and casting magic onto the standard and Cyber Heartless that got in her way. She unleashed Soul Burst: Sora, her dagger becoming the Kingdom Key Keyblade, which she threw in a Strike Raid, before tossing up three Summon Charms, which shines to reveal Sly, Sinon, and Tinker Bell in front, her hands held up high)

It will never end;

(The darkened appearance of Maleficent, Pete, Heartless Oberon and Vanitas appear.)

May it never end

(Dr. Tenma and the hooded Tears stand together, with Cyber Heartless and hidden allies behind them appear.)

No matter what's in store

(PHox appears, with fifteen more shadows behind him, as he pulled out his butcher knife weapon, and spun around, swinging it with blood red energy that unveiled his maniacally-enjoying face.)

We must be faster 'cause right now there's no more time
I fear at this rate, the world will leave us behind - And so I

(Philia runs along a starlit path, with the images of Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Mickey, Kirito, Asuna, Yui, Leafa, Recon, and Kairi passing by her, their smiling faces appearing as she passed them, followed by any characters she met since coming to the new dimension, with the rest in black outlines.)

Wonder how long I have left with you, in this life?
There's not a minute we should waste
Catch the moment

(In a dark, rocky environment, Philia and the hooded Tears fought one another in a powerful battle, with Tears striking her back with her greatsword, only for Philia to skid to a halt, before launching back and unleashing an Armor Pierce Dagger Skill that sent Tears flying away. However, she flipped in the air, and landed on a gigantic, shadowed monster, who roared down at Philia, causing her to brace herself.)

So will you seize today with me?
Because it's fleeting, like a dream
Catch the moment

(Philia tightened her grip on her Keydagger as she glared up at the monster, before leaping at the monster, her body glowing a white hue, as her weapon shined brightly, and she brough it down at the head of the monster. Upon the strike, the scene shifts to the black atmosphere with the falling gold coins, shifting from a top-down view to a face forward view of it falling into a treasure chest with a gold heart emblem on the front, before revealing Philia closing the lid of it, embracing it in her arms, holding it close to her heart, before the heart shine, blinding the scene.)

There was an alert in the room, indicating they were reaching the next world. The world composed of a kingdom-like land, but it wasn't medieval in the slightest. In fact, it was very urban and city-like, segmented into different sections, with a focus on the megacity, with a blue glowing aura within.

"This place seems like a big area to explore." Tinker Bell noticed.

"It is pretty large, but let's see what Mistress Gretinal has to say." Philia answered, pulling up the said Keyblade Mistress's hologram over the Star Shard container.

"Hello, Philia. I see you made it to the next world, New Meridian." she explained, "It's actually a city in the middle of Canopy Kingdom. Do not be fooled by its beautiful scenery. It's actually quenched in darkness, all of which revolves around something called the Skull Heart."

"Skull Heart?" Philia echoed.

"A living relic that can grant you any wish you want, at the cost of your own heart being corrupted." Gretinal explained, "And something the Heartless will be attracted to. Maybe even the cyber variety."

"Understood." Philia answered, "Then I'd guess I'd better hunt down the Skull Heart before it causes problems!" Mistress Gretinal's image vanished as Philia activated the Star Shard, which shined brightly, causing her and Tink to be encased in its light, before shooting down to the world below.

When they next appeared, Philia found herself in a suburban area, with maple-colored trees all along the streets. It was rather peaceful, all things considered. A sign nearby told them they were in a place called 'Maplecrest'.

"Pretty quiet place." Tink noted.

"Yeah." Philia agreed, "But it's not too bad. Let's explore a bit." Tink dove into her pocket as the treasure huntress walked along the streets, looking about the place. The separate houses were not really out of the ordinary, nor was the place odd in any way, shape or form. Nothing seemed to be damaged, so she wondered where the Heartless were really at.

After several minutes of walking about, Philia heard the first sound of conflict, which included pistol shots and explosions. "Got something!" Philia called out, before charging down the street, going around the corner, going an extra block down, and finding the source of the conflict. And...it was sort of strange. On one hand, there was a group of military-looking soldiers that were fully clothed and armored. On the other side was a bunch of living inanimate objects, such as bombs, anvils, weights, and stuff, with limbs added to them.

Between the two groups were a pair of characters, both of which were female. One of them an hourglass beauty with long red hair and bangs that covered her right eye, while her left orange eye was showing. She a black, thick, tight black dress that was long-sleeved and just barely reaching the thighs of her bare legs, black heels, and a silver upside. She also carried a black umbrella with a sharp end, and a silver pistol in the other.

The other looked like a young girl, but she was clearly not normal. For one thing, she had black sockets for eyes, and metal teeth. She had short brown hair, a maroon top hat, an old-school dress that matched her hat, complete with white frills and a red bow, black shoes, and stringy metal arms with three sets of eyes sticking out like feathers going down the limb, and oversized, white-gloved hands. She had a bird on her head, and held a cartoony pistol in one hand.

"Listen, fuzz, I ain't havin' any of this!" the odd girl told them, "I've got a Skullgirl to crush, and you're in the way!"

"You are causing too much of a fuss to be left alone." the redhead answered, "You may be one of Lab 8's experiments to destroy the Skullgirl, but considering your creation, your connection to Big Ben, and the destruction you and your companions have been I will need to speak to you and Dr. Avian in for questioning."

"If you try to do anything to harm the doc, I'm gonna blow your brains out!" the odd girl growled, whistling for one of her living bombs to hop over into her free hand, while she raised her pistol.

"If you wish to make it difficult, then I'll test your abilities, and how inferior they are!" the woman stated, raising her parasol like a rapier and holding her gun at the ready to raise and shoot.

"This looks bad." Tink noted, seeing the fight that was gonna take place.

"No joke." Philia agreed. Suddenly, she saw something appearing in between them and the combatants; Heartless. Soldiers and Large Bodies, to be exact. "Looks like those two girls aren't the only ones looking for a fight!" Philia declared, drawing out her Key-dagger, and charging forward.

One of the soldiers, a young man with gray-brown hair, looked to one side, seeing the monsters approaching, and shouted, "Commander! Incoming!" The redhead turned to see the Soldier leap at her, and she almost got caught off guard. However, Philia threw her dagger at the Soldier, striking it in the back. It didn't destroy it outright, but it lost its momentum. The woman saw it fall to the ground aways from her, before seeing the dagger disappear, looking to Philia, who magically recalled her dagger.

"Guys, seize fire, and focus on these monsters!" she ordered the two girls, racing over to them, and readied herself to fight. She launched into the fight, unleashing her attacks and magic onto the opponents, doing as much as she could against them alone.

"What are those things?!" the redhead questioned.

"They ain't right!" the odd girl answered, seeing a Large Body come at him, only for her to throw her bomb friend at it, causing it to detonate the Heartless. Miraculously, the bomb character reappeared, completely fine.

"These monsters. Didn't we get reports of them attacking civilians around town?" the redhead asked a glasses-wearing female soldiers, seeing the Soldier Heartless get back up, and with a couple jabs of her parasol followed by a high kick that not only destroyed it, but she showed her undergarments in the process.

She lowered her leg as she turned to the girl, Molly, as she replied, "Affirmative! They started to appear the moment reports of the Skullgirl appearing! There is an extreme possibility they are connected.

"Then let us take care of these creatures, before they run amock!" she ordered her troops, and they went to work, along with the other girl and her gang of living cartoon characters. Together, the three sides cleared the Heartless in the area.

Once things had calmed down, Philia got in between the two girls that were fighting before, asking, "Thanks for the save, both of you. But now that things are calmed down, can we take a moment to breath?"

"Just who do you think you are talking to?!" one of the hazmat-masked soldiers demanded to her, "You are in the presence of the princess of this kingdom!"

"At ease, soldier." the redhead stopped him, "You clearly aren't from Canopy Kingdom. What is your name, and where did you come from? The Chess Kingdom? Gigan Nation?"

"My name is Philia." she introduced herself, already use to the question, "I'm actually not from any of those places. I come from a hidden village in the east, trained to fight off the creatures you just witnessed; the Heartless. When I'm not doing that, I'm actually a treasure huntress. Now that I've introduced myself, can I get both of your names?"

The redhead and the odd girl looked to one another, before the latter gave a fanged grin as she answered, "You're somethin' else to act so casually around us folks, but I'll play the script. The name's Peacock, toots. My job; crushin' Skullgirls, and making it back before the commercials are over."

"My name is Parasoul." the redhead greeted, placing her umbrella weapon in front of her, "As my men informed, I am the princess of this kingdom, as well as the leader of the Black Egrets, the military force whose goal is to protect our city and defeat the Skullgirl."

"The Skullgirl?" Philia echoed, "Is that connected to the Skull Heart, by chance?"

"The Skull Heart grants someone a wish." Parasoul explained, "But in exchange, they merge with them, typically a female, turning them into a Skullgirl, corrupting them into wanting to destroy the world." She looked down guiltily as she muttered, "Just like mother did once..."

"I see." Philia understood.

"Now I've got a question, Philly Cheesesteak." Peacock stepped up, "What's the deal with those ink blots with the shiny eyes were were fightin'? Are they related to the Skull Heart?"

"The Heartless are drawn to those with darkness in their heart." Philia explained, "They won't stop until they consume the world in darkness. The only way we can stop them is if we put an end to the source of the darkness they are drawn to. And odds are your Skullgirl is the number one suspect. So that means we all have the same goal; stopping her."

"So it would seem." Parasoul agreed.

"Hang on. Do I look like I wanna take part in this little crossover of comrades?" Peacock asked, "In case you didn't notice, I was DESIGNED to put an end to the Skullgirl. No extras needed apart from my gang here."

"Yeah, so why don't you guys stay out of our way and let us deal with her!" an anvil character with a shark face demanded.

"Listen, I get you guys are tough, and maybe you are prepared to deal with the Skullgirl." Philia admitted to Peacock, "But this is different. The Heartless are also involved, and you only got rid of the ones we were dealing with because I was here with you. There's no guarantee you will get lucky again."

"If you feel that badly about makin' sure those Heartless are off my tail, then I guess I don't mind you taggin' along." Peacock told her, pointing to Parasoul, "But I'd crown that princess one way instead of another."

"I am less than comfortable working alongside one of the Anti-Skullgirl experiments." Parasoul noted, "Especially since they are not even suppose to be in operation."

"Could you guys put your differences aside?" Philia asked, "I don't get what goes on in this town, nor do I know either of your backstories. All I do see is a couple of girls with hearts filled with reasons to stop a villainous threat. So please, let's work together." She knew both Parasoul and Peacock were characters with strong hearts filled with light. She had to get them to agree on a similar goal. Apart from that, she didn't want to take on this threat alone without either one. She was really lonely.

"Okay, okay. No need for the motivational speeches!" Peacock stated, "Fine, I'll behave if she doesn't get in my way."

"Commander?" the man in Parasoul's group asked, as she looked unsure of whether to agree with the alliance or not. Finally, she replied, "If you say the Heartless are that big of a threat, then I guess there is strength in numbers. Very well, I will partake in this temporary alliance with you and Lab 8's creation."

"Hey, the name's Peacock!" the cartoony girl huffed.

"Fine. Peacock, then." Parasoul sighed.

"Thank you, Princess Parasoul." Philia replied, "So...do you have any clues as to where the Skullgirl might be?"

"Just Parasoul, thank you." the redhead replied, "As for information, I have heard she has a sort of connection to the Medici Mafia."

Medici Mafia, huh?" Philia echoed, while Peacock growled in anger from the name, "I'm guessing they're not sitting around eating pasta all day, are they?"

"What kind of idea is that?" Parasoul asked, "But no. They're an underground crime syndicate. I've been slowly trying to gather them up, but they've proven far more difficult to catch or convict."

"We saw one of the Medici family's members, Cerebella, at Little Innsmouth." Molly informed them, "Our sources say she is after a target in that area."

"Good. Let's intercept and capture her!" Parasoul answered.

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers answered, rushing on ahead.

The redhead turned to Philia as she told her, "You aren't familiar with where it is, so I will lead you there. It's south of here, along the bayside."

"Right. You girls lead the way." Philia told her and Peacock, and they raced down the pathway southbound.

As the trio traveled with their companions, fighting the Heartless along the way, Philia introduced the pair to Tinker Bell, which Peacock found quite enchanted by, while Parasoul was almost enamored by, as well, like a child who first found light in the darkness. Philia explained to the pair that she wasn't just hunting down the Heartless, but also searching for her past. She was really trying to say this so she would earn their trust. Between a princess and a designed Skullgirl killer, she wanted them to know she wasn't a threat.

"So you agreed to defeat Heartless in order to find a way home." Parasoul understood, when learning Philia's agreement with Gretinal, who she called her village chief.

"Yep, that's right." Philia answered, looking to Peacock, "So what about you two? You said you were designed to kill the Skullgirl?"

"Yep! Doc saved my life, and helped repair me so I can kill off that Skullgirl." Peacock answered, lighting up a cigar, and taking in a smoke, "They fitted me with all sorts of techno-whatsits and a pretty sweet set of gear. Brains a little scrambled, but who's isn't nowadays, eh? They may be a little cuckoo, talk too much, but Lab 8's family to me, especially the doc. They let me even watch cartoons all night, if I really wanna. My favorite is Annie of the Stars." Parasoul looked like she was lit up by the title, but tried to remain composed soon after.

"Sounds like you had it rough before you met them." Philia understood.

"You don't know the half of it, Philly." she argued, pointing to fingers to her socket eyes, "These weren't made by the doc, ya know? Them Medici's are responsible for that!"

"Oh...I'm sorry." Philia apologized.

"If anyone's needin' for apologizin', it's them!" Peacock answered, "If they need forgivin', it'll only be after I see their insides out!"

Parasoul looked rather shameful for hearing about this, before looking to Peacock as she asked, "I'm sorry. I know you were among those in the No Man's Land. This is my kingdom's fault for allowing actions like that to happen to you. And I understand what it means to protect your family."

"Oh? Are you talking about your parents?" Philia asked, "If your a princess, they must be the king and queen here."

"They are...or they were." Parasoul answered.

Philia knew she hit a landmine, and asked, "You mean that your parents are... Crap, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay. I know you didn't know." she replied, "My father made this land prosperous, but not through...the most appropriate means."

"Meaning he started wars and ruled with iron fists like tyrants you see in them old shows." Peacock bluntly argued, "Which also led to the No Man's Land, mind you."

"That's not...!" Parasoul started, but stopped herself, not able to deny what she said was false.

"And your mother?" Philia asked.

"She wished for peace in our kingdom and our neighbors. She wished on the Skull Heart for it. It worked for a time, but she ended up turning into the next Skullgirl as a result."

"Yep. The worst Skullgirl in history, if doc's books say right." Peacock noted, "Quite a massacre, from what they say. I've wanted to painted the town red, but she took it to a whole new level."

"I could do without the extra information!" Parasoul argued, "But she was right. It took the efforts of many, my father and myself included, to put an end to her. My father sacrificed himself as a result of that action. Now it's just myself and my younger sister, Umbrella."

"So stopping the Skullgirl is more personal to you than that." Philia understood.

"My own personal feelings do not overshadow the importance of protecting the kingdom." Parasoul retorted.

"It still doesn't mean part of the reason you do this is for your family, too." Philia retorted, "You want to protect your honor, and your sister."

"My honor isn't that important." she argued, "But my sister...she mustn't allow herself to be even close to the Skullgirl." She left it at that, walking ahead, while Philia and Peacock looked to one another, before they and Peacock's allied followed her from behind.

Little Innsmouth

The crew made it to the wharf of the bayside town, which looked like many houses built on top of one another, It was a fishing village, that's for sure, and the people that were around there were not normal human beings. Some almost looked like they had animal traits or were somewhere in between man and animal. According to her companions, they were called 'Dagonians'.

"Our source, a local detective named Irvin, told us that there have been recent kidnapping of children, and have linked them to the Medici Mafia." Molly informed her.

"Definitely sounds like them." Peacock growled.

"Let's see if we can't find a connection between the Skullgirl and Medici, then." Philia told the girls, who nodded in response.

Suddenly, they heard a commotion far ahead of them, and they raced along the pier towards its destination. When they arrived, they found themselves arriving on a scene against two character. Philia saw no extra characters with them, but the two were rather odd. The first was a cat girl, complete with cat ears and claws, wearing a skimpy attire designed for her to be more mobile without resistance, and scars all about her limbs and neck. The other was a girl with teal hair, well-endowed, and dressed like a performer. However, she had an odd choice of headgear, which was orange, and looked like two muscular arms draped on either side of it, with a bone face with long horns.

"I taught I taw a putty tat!" Peacock pointed out.

"And there's our target; Cerebella." Parasoul locked onto her target.

"Forget that! They're fighting!" Philia pointed out, seeing the two going at it. Turns out, the hat Cerebella was wearing was alive, and was as muscular as it showed, punching and slamming at the girl that was nimble enough to evade and scratch and kick at the girl. However, she got caught off guard while in midair, and was upside down falling when the girl's hat punched her straight in the face. The force was so strong, that it cleanly was knocked off her shoulders, falling to the ground a good distance away. "GAH! She punched her head off her shoulders!" Philia exclaimed, with Tink flying out at this point, and gagging as she covered her mouth with her hands.

Cerebella huffed as the cat girl's body nearly hit the floor, but suddenly spun around, landing on all fours, still moving. "Whoa! What cartoon is this?!" Peacock exclaimed, as Philia and Tink gasped in shock, while Parasoul was surprised, but not totally caught off guard. The cat girl's body turned around and leapt towards the head, which looked clearly alive, grabbed it, and placed it back onto her neck again, going back to normal.

"So it's true." Parasoul understood.

"What's true?!" Philia asked, baffled by what she saw.

"I heard rumors that a surviving member of the Fishbone Gang was still around, after the Medici family killed them off." she explained, "I also heard she had swallowed the Life Gem, and had become immortal."

"Crazy..." Philia muttered.

"Just give it up!" the cat girl called out, "Tell me what you did to the kids around here, now!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Cerebella barked back, "I'm here on Vitale's orders, and he wants me to take that Life Gem, even if I have to squeeze it out of you! And the last thing I wanna do is disappoint him!"

"Looks like we have our target!" Parasoul told them, the three girls approaching the battle taking place, "Hold it! Cerebella of the Medici Mafia, we are taking you in for questioning!"

The two fighters stopped and turned to the trio standing there. "Oh, great. If it isn't the Renoir Princess herself." the arm-hat girl huffed, "As if I had enough troublesome characters to deal with."

"You Medici goons got a lot to pay for!" Peacock huffed.

"The only ones that need to pay are the Renoir family for how much destruction they did to my family!" she rebuked, "The air raid you did last week on one of our groups was too much!"

"It was a necessity I felt needed to be done." Parasoul argued, "We only did that after we evacuated the citizens within that vicinity."

"But you didn't bother even considering THEIR lives?!" Cerebella demanded, "Your family already made my life miserable with the war that destroyed my home! The Medici family were the ones who saved my life afterwards. True, you aren't responsible for the wars, but what you did to my family afterwards... You call us evil, but you're no better!"

"That's-!" Parasoul started, but Philia raised a hand, stopping her from saying anything more. She already had enough of listening to everyone.

"Whatcha gonna do, Philly?" Peacock asked, wondering what she had planned.

"I'm letting my heart be my guiding key." Philia answered, walking forward, putting herself centered between Cerebella, the cat girl, Peacock, and Parasoul, "It's telling me everyone here is a victim. Victims of war, victims of families, victims of loss. Honestly, I don't see anyone good or evil among any of you. You're all doing what you think is right. So I'll do what I think is right in this situation..."

She summoned her dagger, pointing it at Cerebella, "You may be right in some things you say, but your 'family' is still kidnapping children, and it is connected to the Skull Heart in some way. You probably don't even know they really do that. So I'll do you a favor, and make you see the truth of what your family really does!"

"Excuse me?!" Cerebella asked, "Just who do you think you are, marching into this situation, spouting nonsense like that?! I know what Vitale does, and I don't have a problem with it!"

"Parasoul." Philia didn't turn her head back to her, but turned her eyes to her direction, "I'm gonna fight and beat this girl so you can arrest her. However, I want you to swear to me that she is treated fair, and that she learns the full truth of the Medici family, no matter how painful it will be for her to hear. She has to be put along the sidelines and cool her jets before she does something she regrets!"

"Philia..." Parasoul muttered. She wasn't seeing her as a Medici member, but a victim, as she said. She hardened her heart to do things she knew were inhumane, but she felt it was right. Now, there was someone here who was doing what her heart says, and trying to save someone from herself. Finally, she closed her eyes, and answered, "Very well. You have my word. I will my inform my soldiers of this, as well."

"Look, you guys can do what you want." the cat girl states, "But I still need to find where those children are!"

"We'll help you, but first, I got a literal musclehead to deal with." Philia answered.

Cerebella looked really ticked as she growled, "You want me to be put on the sidelines, like some kind of warm-up act? Newsflash: I'm the star of the show! Everyone loves my performances, and I'm gonna stay that way, thanks to Vitale! I'm gonna pummel you until there's nothing but paste dripping into the water for the sharks!"

She launched forward, her hands pulled back before she chopped at Philia, trying to attack her. Philia backstepped from the attack, avoiding the hand to hand battle, before finding her opening and slashing a couple times with her dagger, before ending with a Fire spell.

"Lucky shot!" Cerebella scoffed, going into an elbow bash with her living weapon, which Philia blocked with her Keydagger, but failed to evade the hammer fist that came afterwards, hurting her and knocking her into the air a bit. Philia raised her dagger high as she shouted, "Thunder!", just as Cerebella had her muscle arms spread out, before clapping them together on Philia, just as the lightning bolt struck her. Both girls got injured and crashed to the ground, but got back up again.

"Try this out!" Philia roared, unleashing a slashing combo with her Keydagger onto Cerebella, who took the first few hits, but blocked with her headgear afterwards. Philia reacted by pulling her dagger back, which glowed, before unleashing an Armor Pierce Dagger Skill, shattering her opponent's defenses, and knocking her back. Cerebella was able to react in response when her living weapon slammed its hands on the ground to stop her midflight, and she pulled out a hidden dagger from her footwear, and thrust it at Philia, who ducked to evade the attack. 'Hidden blades in her feet?!' she mentally exclaimed, 'This girl's a performer through and through!'

"On with the show!" Cerebella shouted, flipping back onto her feet again, rushing at Philia as the bone face on her living weapon turned into ram horns, and she bashed right into her, knocking her flat on her back. She jumped and thrust her feet down, summoning long blades to pierce her, only for Philia to roll to one side, nearly falling off the pier into the water, before get back up, getting away from her. "Titan Knuckle!" She roared, unleashing a straight punch with her fist, just as Philia raised her guard up, getting sent skidding backwards towards Parasoul and Peacock.

"Let us in the ring!" Peacock shouted.

"Thanks, but I should handle this right now." she replied, "This is a one-on-one battle." 'Although, my skill really have been weakened since I came to this dimension.' she mentally added, 'That's no excused, however. I have been in tight battles before like this, and I've pulled through. This is no different!' She launched herself at Cerebella, who had gained a cocky grin at how she felt she had the upper hand against her, and launched at her.

Philia could tell she was a really tough fighter, experienced in it, too, just like her. She was strong her self, what with her trained hands and feet, complete with acrobatic techniques and hidden daggers in her heels. However, the biggest asset she had was the living weapon on her head, and its muscle arms. She was completely in sync with it, as if it was part of her body, and delivered all sorts of attack with it. Philia had to be smart, and was able to fight back a bit, but in her standard state, she was outmatched.

"I think its' time I try this out!" Philia declared, "Soul Burst! Zidane Tribal!" She raised her dagger high, summoning the of the monkey-tailed thief, before he dove into her dagger. It then transformed into the double-ended blade, which she twirled around, splitting it into twin blades, before readying herself to fight.

"What the what?!" Cerebella exclaimed, shocked at the new set of gear.

"Kay, it's time for round 2!" Philia exclaimed, rushing forward, turning her twin blades back into the double-ended blade form, and swiping past Cerebella, who tried to chop her with her hand. Philia dodge the attack as her free hand glowed, swiping as she passed her, skidding to a halt as she held energy in her hand, before placing it over her chest, making her body glow.

"What did you do?!" Cerebella asked, looking weakened for some reason.

"Stole your strength." Philia answered, before flipping a coin, "Along with some of your wallet."

Cerebella growled as Philia glowed while asking, "What's wrong? Can't deal with someone you just had the upper hand on for a while? I thought you were gonna teach me a lesson for the sake of your Medici family." She was actually activating her Annoy technique, which was a thing, as she was getting under her skin, aggravating her. It was working, as she was in an enraged state, launching forward as she punched her muscular arms forward, which Philia avoided, spinning her weapon to deal a buzzsaw attack in her face, before transforming her weapon back into twin blades, and slashed her numerous times, knocking her back.

Philia continued her attacks, her style of combat transformed thanks to the Soul Burst, and her strength boosted from what she stole. With her nimble nature, she was making it difficult for Cerebella to get a hit in on her, no matter what tricks she tried. Even when she performed one of her better attacks, rotating her muscle arms in front of her to do repetitive pounding at her, Philia avoided getting hit by back-stepping from her attack.

"You are really getting on my nerves!" Cerebella growled, looking down underneath the wooden planks they were fighting on, seeing a rock below. "I'm gonna show you my best trick..." She reached down and grabbed the large rock with her muscular arms, pulling it out, breaking the plank wood as she did so. "Diamonds are... FOREVER!" she roared, tossing the rock up and punching it as it fell, making it fly towards Philia.

Philia launched forward, meeting the attack, but sliding right underneath it, her forehead just barely grazing the rock as it passed over her. She flipped herself back on her feet, keeping up her momentum, while Cerebella looked shocked at her quick evasion.

"You showed me your best, now here's mine!" She unleashed her Soul Finisher, Thievery. She produced a magical coin, flipping it high into the air, before it transformed into a treasure chest, coming down in front of Cerebella. It opened itself up, and she was blinded by a light, shortly followed by an explosion that sent her reeling backwards in pain. She crashed to the ground, unable to continue.

"Shows over! You lost!" Philia called out, her weapon reverting back to her Keyblade. She walked forward, seeing her struggle to get back up with her living weapon.

"Black Egrets, seize her!" Parasoul shouted, with her soldiers going forward, "And make sure she and her Living Weapon are separated from one another!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the soldiers answered as one, grabbing Cerebella and her weapon, separating them from one another by force, restraining both of them with force. They had sturdy steel cuffs for the the weapon, while Cerebella was forced to her knees, her hands behind her back.

"Let me go!" she growled, struggling to fight back, "I have to accomplish my task! I must claim the Life Gem for Vitale! If I don't, he won't..."

"Sorry, but you lost." Philia answered, approaching her, "Besides, he's not the nice person you think he is. I'm sure you'll learn what crimes he's ACTUALLY committed once you are taken in."

"You're wrong!" Cerebella shouted, pulled to her feet and dragged away, "He's not the nasty man you say he is! He's not!" As she passed by Peacock and Parasoul, she glared at her as she growled, "You think this is justice?! You're family is responsible for so much in this kingdom, including why I was alone in the first place! You are no better, now!"

Parasoul didn't bother looking back at her, but she paused before answering, "I do what I must for the sake of protecting this kingdom and its people. However, I will not go my parent's path. I swear I won't let that happen to me or my sister." Cerebella was dragged further away, going to an armored police truck to be taken away back to headquarters.

"Nice work out there, Philly." Peacock told Philia as she approached them.

"Thanks. I'm glad you trusted me to deal with that mess." she replied. She looked down, her expression showing sadness as she asked, "I know she wasn't a bad person. But I think she was brainwashed by the Medici Mafia. She was being used for their goals. I just hope...she learns to accept the truth."

"You're too kind for your own good, Philly." Peacock noted.

"She's right. You're not like most people in this kingdom." Parasoul pointed out, "Tell me, why are you trying so hard to help her out?"

Philia paused for a moment, thinking back to Castle Oblivion, before she answered, "Maybe it's because I know what it's like when people try to manipulate you to become someone you don't truly wish to be deep down. I have the ability to see whether a person has light in their heart or not. So, I just make sure those with light in them won't go down a road they'll later regret. In other words..." she looked at the two with an innocent half-smile, finishing, "I'm just like you two; a broken girl looking for a way to do good things."

Parasoul could now understand what she meant, while Peacock couldn't help but smile at her. "So you're just part of the same club as we are!" she understood, stretching her noodle arms out and wrapping them both around Parasoul and Philia's waists, pulling them in close to her, "Guess that makes us three 'P's in the same pod. I wasn't sure about ya before, but now I know ya guys are good. Let's go crushin' that Skullgirl and blow a new hole in Medici, while we're at it!"

Philia smiled as she answered, "Sure. I mean, that's what we're here for, along with stopping the Heartless."

"We did agree to this alliance, anyway." Parasoul pointed out, smiling slightly, "And I see no reason to doubt it."

"Are we interrupting something?" said a male voice, and the three look to see the same cat girl approach them with a black-haired man, in casual attire, but wears a leather guard with a pair of guns in holsters.

"You're Irvin, correct?" Parasoul asked.

"Yep. I was working together with Ms. Fortune here on uncovering the case of the Medici's human trafficking." he told them, addressing the said cat girl next to him.

"Hey, you guys really made my day with that arrest of the Medici hitman, or hitgirl." Ms. Fortune commended them, "Guess the Renoir family isn't so bad as rumors say."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Parasoul answered, before turning to Irvin as she asked, "Do you have any clues on any connections between the Medici and the Skullgirl?"

"I do have something." he answered, "It seems like there had been recent sightings of the Skullgirl at the River King Casino, owned by Medici. You might find your target there."

"The Medici even own a casino, huh?" Philia asked, "It better be a legal place."

"I appreciate giving me that information." Parasoul thanked them, "Also, do you have any information on where Big Bang might be?"

"Sorry. Can't give you that info." Irvin answered, "I know he's a freelancer nowadays, but you gotta give him a break, Princess. He's doing all he can for the kingdom like you are."

"His freelancing justice is unnecessary." Parasoul answered, "The Anti-Skullgirl Labs reopened themselves without the kingdom's consent. I merely want to take him in for questioning."

"Hey! If it weren't for the labs openin' up, I wouldn't be alive here!" Peacock argued, "And neither would the big guy, either."

"Say what you will, but with how crazy the kingdom is, sometimes it takes some questionable actions like that to put an end to the Skullgirl." Irvin answered, turning around, "But that's just a personal opinion, as well as a detective's intuition. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta get going."

"Hey, if you have any plans to take on the Medici Tower, give me a ring, and I'll join in on the action." Ms. Fortune told them, before racing after the detective.

"We should probably get going." Philia told the girls, "Where is the River King Casino?"

"It's in the heart of New Meridian." Parasoul answered, "Let us depart." With these final words, she led the team out of the Innsmouth. Parasoul had a motorcycle at the ready, while the others were in a car that drove them into the city of New Meridian.

New Meridian

The team finally made it into the supercity of the kingdom. They were getting closer to their destination when they came to a halt, and for good reasons; Heartless were abundant. Not just the normal kind, but ones likes Soldiers with mechanical appendages, and Shadows with the same thing. There were even new Heartless, which looked insectoid, what with their six steel legs with black-shelled bodies with eyes peeking out of it.

"More of these things?!" Peacock demanded, her and her gang ready for a brawl.

"And ones with hi-tech gear equipped." Philia recognized, "Could these be the Cyber Heartless I was warned about?"

"Cyber Heartless?" Parasoul echoed.

"Modified Heartless." Philia answered, "If they're here, then that means there is more than just the Skullgirl in control of them!"

The trio went to work against the Heartless. Philia learned not just the new kind of Heartless were called Scuttlebugs, but that they were just like the others, and were Cyber Heartless. The modified Heartless were stronger and more enduring than the regular, but not as nimble or able to blend into the shadows like normal Heartless. Philia had to fight harder against them, but she, Peacock, and Parasoul were able to clear out the Heartless in the area.

"Those were a lot tougher than the ones we faced so far." Parasoul noticed.

"Those tin cans were a lot more of a headache than another metal-head I know." Peacock compared.

"So that's how tough a Cyber Heartless is." Philia panted, regaining herself, "They are no joke. Who can even modify them in the first place?"

"Let's think about that later. We have to get to the River King Casino." Parasoul told the group, "It's only a couple blocks down. Let's get moving!" She led the charge with Philia, Peacock, and their other comrades behind them.

Getting there took them a few swarms of Heartless to deal with, which was good experience for all of them, but still tough, as more Cyber Heartless were mixed into them. Philia even tried one of her summons, bringing out Sly Cooper onto the field to help them out.

"Let's give them some hell to deal with." Philia declared.

"Let's do it!" Sly agreed, and the two launched forward to fight the swarm, with Sly coming in from behind a Cyber Soldier Heartless, knocking it into the air, before hooking it with his cane, slamming him to the ground. He also created smoke bombs that hid both himself and Philia from view, before doing his sneaking skills to get behind his opponents to do the same trick again. He was also so nimble, he could even jump on top of enemies and hop about them without them getting caught.

For their final trick, Sly came to Philia, linking her Keydagger and his hooked cane together, before the former threw the raccoon into the air. He held himself in midair with his paraglider, tossing down a sleuth of smoke bombs that covered the field, confusing all the Heartless. Philia raced away from out of the smoke as Sly dropped down and did an Air Smash technique, dispersing the smoke and damaging all the Heartless in the smoke, destroying many of them. Philia came back to Sly's side, showing off the treasures she scooped off of the Heartless, including material shards, metal material, and munny.

"You got the makings of a great thief, yourself." Sly told Philia.

"I just hunt for treasure. But I will steal from those who deserve it." she replied. He tilted his hat to her, and vanished in an instant.

"I knew raccoon were bandits, but that's just ridiculous." Peacock stated.

"He's pretty useful, that's for sure." Philia acknowledged, putting the Summon Medal away, before pulling out Sinon's Summon Medal, "Wonder what she could pull off for me. I'll find out later on." With that, they pushed onward, heading to the casino.

They were finally able to make it there, but stopped as they saw people panicking as they were leaving the casino. From what they could hear, there seem to be a fight going on inside the casino.

"Great, ANOTHER fight?!" Philia asked.

"They're happenin' up the wazoo around here!" Peacock exclaimed.

"Could be the Skullgirl." Parasoul warned them, "Everyone, get ready!" The trio led the charge into the casino, ready for whatever they encounter.

Going inside, they found the place quite what they expected for a casino; glitzy and glamorous, with table games and slot machines all over the area. However, in the open area of the casino, they saw five individuals, two animal men and a woman facing a couple of young girls. The animal men were muscular, had suits on, one of them was a dog-like character, while the other was avian-esque. The woman in between them was dark-skinned, blue-eyed, a black-haired bowl cut, wearing an headpiece that was decorated in gold and jewels, with an Egyptian look. She wore a revealing black dress with broad coattails going down her, white sash underneath around her waist, a long gold ribbon that looked around above and behind her, tied in the form of a cross-like shape, black high heels, and a golden staff.

The two girls, who looked worse for wear, didn't look like the average characters. One of them was red-eyed, and wore a sort of school uniform; a white button-up uniform with buttoned cuffs and a black tie, a black skirt, black thigh-high stockings, and brown Mary Janes. However, it was her black hair that was the most unusual, as it was alive, with yellow eyes, broad fangs that stuck out of the mouth, and the hair fell into tendrils.

The other girl had a thin figure, very goth-like, red eyes, as well, with medium black hair that covered her left eye, and her mouth sewn up with four stitches. Her attire was a purple and black tight dress that reached her ankles, a skull ornament covering her chest, detached red and white bell sleeves that frayed at the end, and shoes that matched her sleeves. She also had a long, boney snake-like character that seem to go right through her head, circling around her body.

"More girls fighting?!" Philia demanded, "And what's with that hair monster and the snake?!"

"Parasites." Parasoul noticed, "Seems like those attached to their owners. Not in the same way as Peacock had her Parasites placed into her body. Looks like one of them is an undead that was revived by the Skullgirl!"

"Wait, one of them is a zombie?!" Philia gasped.

"Ma'am, I know the other one!" Molly explained, "She's a celebrity named Eliza! She's the star diva at the nightclub, Bastet's Den!"

"How are you aware of that?" Parasoul asked suspiciously.

Molly looked a little nervous, then answered, "It's because I had gone there once with friends... Their idea, not mine."

"Not too convincing." Tink muttered, while Philia concentrated on the fight.

"Looks like Eliza is stopping the Skullgirl minion. I bet that other Parasite user is also working with her." Parasoul told the pair, readying her weapon, "Everyone, prepare to protect her!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Peacock answered, ready to fight.

"Wait!" Philia stopped them, spreading her arms to stop both of her comrades. She was focusing on the girls, feeling their hearts.

In the fight, the hair monster on top of the schoolgirl growled, "You doin' okay, kid?"

"She's...really strong." the girl answered.

"Squigly, you must stay strong." the snake creature stated.

"I'm...I'm trying, but..." she answered through telepathy, catching her breath.

"You two never stood a chance against me." Eliza told the pair, "You should've just submitted to me before I covered you in bruises. Samson, Leviathan, your hosts are hardly worth your time. I can take care of them for you, and find more suitable hosts for the pair of you."

"Sekmet, you foul deceiver!" the snake she addressed as Leviathan hissed, "You dare to part me from dear Squigly? You have no right!"

"Don't you dare touch her!" the hair monster she addressed as Samson barked, "I will fight till my last breath!"

"You have no say in the matter." Eliza muttered, her eyes turning a sinister yellow as she produced a forked tongue, "Now prepared for your hosts to be drained of their blood!"

"I knew I could feel something from her." Philia growled, while Parasoul and Peacock looked a bit surprised at this, "That woman, Eliza, has a heart filled with darkness. The girls and those monsters aren't as sinister, so we should help THEM instead!" She launched forward, with Peacock and Parasoul looking at one another, before following her from behind.

Once Philia got in close, she raised her dagger to the two worn girls, shouting, "Heal!" Using her Cure spell, she washed the pair in the healing energy, who were startled at their injuries disappearing, before seeing their rescuer come in between them, ready to fight.

"Well, that wasn't very nice." Eliza told Philia, "Just what are you trying to do, interfering with a couple of fans of mine?" She then notice her two companions appear right behind, joining as Squigly and the schoolgirl got to their feet.

"Ma'am, this looks bad for us." the owl character muttered.

"Now we got an Anti-Skullgirl weapon and the princess of the kingdom getting in our way." the dog character stated.

"Not the most ideal, but nothing I can't handle." Eliza answered, "After all, we have an assortment of blood to choose from. It's hard to choose what to start off with first."

"What a sick and twisted character you have." Philia growled, "The minute I saw you, I could tell you had a sinister heart."

"Oh, really?" she asked, before doing something that was even more grotesque than anyone imagined; her face and body started to peel off, revealing the bone interior, which was not that of a normal humans, but almost a cat-like face, with her chest being heart-shaped, with a glowing red interior. "How about you have a better look at my heart, before I suck away your very soul?!" she hissed.

"That's...disturbing!" Philia said, almost ready to throw up, "First Ms. Fortune's dismembered head, now a living skeleton inside a woman?!"

"She's bonded with a Parasite, too!" Parasoul gasped.

"Plot twist!" Peacock exclaimed.

"That's Sekmet." Leviathan growled, "She the whole reason why we, Parasites, are given a bad name."

"Yeah. She's nothing but a true monster!" Samson growled.

"No wonder the Heartless were abundant around this area." Philia growled, "Do you have anything to do with the Cyber Heartless about here?!"

The body re-wrapped itself around the skeleton as Eliza answered, "Wouldn't you like to know? The most important thing right now is if you can get away with your lives intact!" She readied her staff as her men flexed their muscles, while Philia and her companions, old and new, readied to fight this new threat. She was dangerous, and they had to put her down.

Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom: Treasure Memories:

The Skullgirl's Identity! Sinister Shadows!