As much as I know you guys love the witty remarks I make in the beginning of each chapter that no one reads, I'm not in the mood for formalities. Let's just get this over with.

Tell me, what is Darkness? What do you believe it to be? Any one child would say that it is evil, but that is not the case, o ye ignorant fools. Darkness is one of the two forces that uphold the balance.

Without a shadow, is Light truly there? Is it not truth that the stronger your Light is, the greater your shadow is cast? Light… Darkness… They are but two sides to the proverbial coin. Why should there be something inherently 'bad' about the dark? Fear not the dark, but what lies within, as I say. Rage, sorrow, emptiness, the negative force come to soothe these torments, only to be abused for the sake of retribution. And it is for this reason that humans forsake its power in favor of cowering in the light. Darkness and Light, Discord and Order, Chaos and Cosmos must go together, hand in hand! In spite of this fact, even the gods force against the true nature of things, instead going about their petty squabbles. But there is no point to my words. What is the purpose of speaking to the deaf, after all?

There was a small town a ways from the castle. It was more of a rural place than urban, but the inhabitants did not need a heavily industrialized place. For them, everything was fine as it was. The town was littered with plain brick houses, almost all of which had porches out front. In some of these porches, children ran about in a wild fashion playing "tag" or, "pin the tail on the youngest kids' butt." The adults didn't mind much; the children were having fun, and that was all that mattered.

A couple of elderly gentlemen were having a stroll, just enjoying the sights and smells as they ambled down the road. One man looked up into the sky and admired its consistency. Always blue in the morning, always black at night, and it would never change. "Isn't it beautiful Statler?"

The man on the right, Statler, looked to the scowl and his face contorted into a strangely familiar grimace. "Aw, nothing is beautiful you old coot! Don't go soft on me before we get to the theater."

Waldorf turned to glare at the other man. "How could you say such a thing? Of course I'm always ready to harass that stupid bear."

"Oh yeah? Prove it and heckle that dark menacing storm cloud that is slowly but surely overtaking the city."

His words rang true. There was one cloud, but it had the girth of thousands of others, bearing a sunken shade of Grey, and was creeping across the sky. It was strangely tranquil; a silent storm of lightning that never touched ground. Those who were curious enough to stare at the sky were then stricken by fear upon seeing that the cloud was pulsing akin to a dying animal. Many dying animals it seems, for there was not just one pulse but many, hundreds in fact, all surrounded by frequent errant sparks, and they were moving, sliding into one great mass in the center. A minute had passed, a minute silent as death. This is when the panic ensued, the townspeople could feel it in their bones- this sphere of cloud and lightning was evil, it was death. And it was coming for them.

Eraqus shook violently for a brief second, his eyes wide as they were bloodshot. He dropped his spoon and looked at the door, saying "shut up," almost under his breath.
Terra decided that questioning him on his behavior would be a bad idea. The master was never like this, so maybe the wisest course would be to let it fade out on its own.

Of course maybe he was wrong as Aqua, in her wisdom, picked up on the Master's anxiety without looking from her plate. "Is there something wrong?"
Eraqus looked to Aqua. "You don't know?" He seemed confused. "How could you not have noticed? It is such a presence that... Of course it could, but I have more faith than that, Master. "
Now terra was certain that he was not well, he was speaking to some "Master" that was not there."Sir, perhaps you should have a lie down. Maybe Aqua's cooking is affecting you in a strange way," he spoke, ignoring a look from Aqua.
"I am not ill, Terra," the Master replied unconvincingly. "Could you two get dressed and go into town for me? I need an errand to be run.
Aqua had just finished her breakfast and stood. "Of what sort, sir?"
He looked to the door again. "You'll know when you get there."
The students looked at each other, as if hoping to find the answers that were not there. With no further instruction given, they went about their task.

"Oh, dear."

Eraqus turned to see Xehanort standing at the window, having just teleported in. The sky had rapidly grown dark and there was a giant egg shape forming in the clouds, beating rhythmically and coursing with electricity. "Xehanort! What is the meaning of this?"

There was a silence as Xehanort considered the best possibilities and understood that none of them were answers. "It appears that we are in a state of distress."

"Of what sort?!" Eraqus needed confirmation of what he already knew.

Xehanort faced Eraqus. "The Heartless sort."

As if on cue the chains holding together the floating castle shook. The sky grew even darker and the lightning began to thrash about more wildly. The lights in the castle flickered. Whatever was coming was certainly powerful, given that its mere presence was enough to cause local energy anomalies.

"Of course," Eraqus breathed. "How could I have been so blind?" There were very few explanations for why the other wielders were being eradicated. "These monsters have been slowly killing off our allies. But of course you already deduced that, haven't you, Xehanort?"

Eraqus shared a look with his old friend, one that spoke volumes more than his own explanation could have. That momentary locking of eyes recounted stories of their youth, of how they had learned one another's strength and weaknesses. While Eraqus had inherited his father's fathomless wisdom, Xehanort had obtained a nigh incomparable intellect. There was no way that he could have missed the return of the Heartless, especially given their decided roles.

Xehanort looked away. "Yes, I have done my own studies into this matter. And as such, I take full responsibility for these horrible occurrences."

"As you should." Master's voice resonated through their thoughts.

"Calm yourself, Master. I'm sure it wasn't his fault."

"Ah, but if I only had as much faith in myself," Xehanort said. "I should have acted as soon as I suspected this tragedy was unraveling. I instead intensified the training of my protégé, in the event that something like this would happen. I am proud to say that he is now my near equal, and should have no trouble defending himself from the forces of evil. But at what cost? I have let down who knows how many of our allies."

Eraqus wore a sympathetic smile. "Your heart was in the right place friend, there is no need to be ashamed." He then looked to the skies. "Now. What do we do about this?"

Xehanort looked to the window once more. "I believe that your disciples will prevail against this beast. But as for the long term? We may have need to consult our other colleague."

"Hm." Eraqus hummed his assent. "Yes, I believe you're right." He looked back to his friend. "I believe that it is time for a grand event."

Xehanort turned and gave a determined smile. "Though it will not be for the likes of us."

Eraqus returned the smile. "Our time is over and one."

Both of their Keyblades summoned themselves and spoke in unison. "The torch," came Master's high and clear voice. "Must be passed!" finished the low powerful roar of Tranquil Chaos.

A wild Plot appeared! What? I never promised regular updates. I also never promised that you would be satisfied by what I typed. If you think it was good, great! If you think it sucked, well your loss. Either way, tell me what you think so I can work based on feedback. Supreme King is out!