Chapter Nine
Power's Protector

Here I am; this is me.
There's no place in this world I would rather be.
Here I am, so proud and strong.
Right here in the place where I belong.

It's a new world, it's a new start.
It's a live with the beating of a young heart.
It's a new day, it's a new plan.
And it's waiting for me... Here I am.

Here I Am
Bryan Adams

"Your majesty?"

Looking over his shoulder, the small mouse held a finger up to his mouth, indicating he wanted silence. In his other hand rested an oversized key, its handle within the King's grasp. Reaching into his black cloak, the King drew out a small pouch, throwing it to Sora.

"Shh, you gotta board the train and leave town! The train knows the way."

Without waiting for an answer, Mickey Mouse, King of Disney Castle took off, heading down the hill and deeper into Twilight Town. Frowning, Sora watched as the small figure disappeared from sight.

"Your majesty..." Donald Duck quacked softly.

Looking down at his companion, Sora's frown deepened. "The King, was that really him?"

Coming up next to the teenage boy, Goofy inclined his head as he too looked in the direction King Mickey had gone. "It coulda been..." Straightening, as if a particularly happy though had occurred to him, he nodded, a smile spreading across his features. "Yep, I know it was!"

"Now we know he's okay!" Donald said; the thought cheering him up like it had Goofy.

"The King was locked in the realm of Darkness, right?" Sora suddenly interrupted, a look of understanding beginning to dawn on his face.

"Uh huh."

"But we just saw him." Sora said slowly, more to himself than the other two.

"Yep."

"And if the King is here-" Sora exclaimed, his voice beginning to fill with excitement. "-that means Riku's here!"

Donald thought about that for second. "He's gotta be!"

Opening his mouth, as if to continue his excited rant, Sora was suddenly cut off when the Keyblade appeared in his hand. Looking down at it with a small frown, his attention was drawn up to the sky high above their heads. Small meteors showered down, each shimmering with a vivid, pearly white light.

"No way." Sora said softly, looking back down at the Keyblade. "The World Walls are gone?"

"Gawsh, this must be bad." Goofy murmured to himself, looking up at the raining Gummi pieces. "The last time the World Walls fell, the Heartless..."

"Invaded every world." Sora finished grimly. "Come on, we have to get to that train."

Turning on his heels, Sora led the way into the train station. Looking around for a window to pay for a ticket, Sora rolled his eyes when he saw a guard glaring at him from behind a glass screen. Heading over, Sora opened the pouch, gasping as he saw the amount of Munny it held. "Um, three please." He said absently to the guard. In response, three tickets whirred out.

"That'll be two hundred munny." The guard stated in a gruff voice. Handing over the currency, Sora stopped when his hand bumped against something cool. Grabbing a hold of it, he drew it out of the pouch, looking at it. A clear, blue crystal nestled in his palm. Squinting, he peered into it, and all at once, the orb filled with a variety of images. Training his eye, he could see the King assaulting some Heartless; clear waters lapping against the beaches of what had to be Destiny Islands; and a young girl his own age, with blonde hair.

"Sora! The train is leaving!" Donald's voice broke into his thoughts. Jumping, Sora risked a look back at the orb, disappointment welling through him when he saw it was empty.

Tucking the crystal back into the pouch, he ran the short distance to the departing train. Hurtling himself through the air, he passed through the open door into the carriage, feeling the vibrations of the engine under him. Giving a relieved sigh, he looked around, frowning when he saw the empty carriage.

"Where is everyone?" He asked, confusion riddling his voice. Looking idly around, Goofy turned back to Sora, shrugging.

"Not sure. Maybe we're the only ones needing this route?"

Shaking his head, Sora got to his feet. The scenery through the windows was normal enough; fields, city, everything, coated in the golden glow of a setting sun. It was with a sudden rush that sent a jolt throughout Sora's body that the surroundings changed. Now a field of stars lay where the meadows had been before. Blinking in surprise, Sora bit his lip. The screeching of the breaks informed him that the brakes were being applied, and with a jump, the train came to a stop. The door slid open, and Sora, Donald and Goofy were left looking at a small walkway that led up to a tower. Stepping out timidly as Goofy and Donald followed him, Sora turned to look at the train as he left it, and with a flash of light, it disappeared.

"Well, there goes our ride." Sora murmured nervously.

A faint chuckle reached his ears. By the tower, a large creature stood, looking through a crack in the door. Covering his mouth as he chuckled again, he didn't notice Donald, Goofy and Sora dash up behind him.

"What's goin' on?" Donald asked curiously, looking up at the creature.

"I sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of this here tower's as big and tough as they say. Word is, he's a real powerful sorcerer, which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See, it don't matter how tough he is, once he's a Heartless, he'll do as I say!" The answer came without the creature turning around.

"A Heartless!?"

The creature suddenly stiffened, looking over his shoulder at the group. Arching an eyebrow at the creature, Sora crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, a Heartless. They're those things that come out of the darkness in people's hearts. Once we get a big crowd of dem, me and Maleficent are gonna take over the Universe!"

Turning around completely, the creature suddenly jumped as it saw Donald and Goofy.

"Gah, it's you!"

"Pete!"

Looking between the two yelling parties, Sora shook his head. "You know this guy?" He questioned Goofy.

"We sure do! Pete's been causing trouble for ages! His Majesty banished him to another Dimension a long time ago! I wonder how he escaped?"

Giving a darker chuckle, Pete shook his head. "You wanna know, eh? Well, Maleficent busted me out, that's how!"

Giving a giggle, Sora smirked, looking up at Pete. "Sorry Pete, but you're wrong. Maleficent is toast.

"How do you kno-." Pete stopped suddenly. "It was you!"

Giving a modest shrug, Sora grinned. "We mighta had something to do with it."

Shaking with rage, Pete stood up taller, his bulk causing an imposing figure. "Heartless squad, round up!"

Small orbs of darkness surrounded Sora, Donald and Goofy, before one seemed to squeak. Without any other sign, the Heartless disappeared, leaving the four by themselves again.

"Heartless, round up!" Pete repeated. "Gaw, why aren't they listenin' te me?"

"Weird." Sora muttered. With a flash of light, the Keyblade reappeared in Sora's hand. Levelling it up to point at Pete's face, Sora's eyes narrowed. "So, who lives in this tower Pete?"

"Oh, ya don't know, eh? Well, it's old Yen Sid. 'Course he's probably a Heartless by now!"

"Mast Yen Sid lives here?" Donald cried, before dashing up into the open door of the tower. Looking at Sora, Goofy gave a grin.

"Yen Sid is the King's teacher!"

"Wow, sounds powerful!"

And without a further word, they too entered the tower, leaving Pete to rub his throat where the point of the Keyblade had rested. Muttering to himself about Heartless that didn't come when they were called, he waddled off down the path leading away from the tower and out of sight.
Within the tower, the three dashed up a flight of stairs. Reaching a landing, Sora inhaled, slightly out of breath. Seeming to want to take the chance, three Heartless jumped from pools of darkness in the ground. With a yell of surprise, Sora summoned the Keyblade when three purple bolts shot from his heart; spearing the Heartless and making them disappear. Raising surprised eyebrows, Sora looked around, trying to find where they had gone. All he could see, however, were Donald and Goofy looking at him like he had grown an extra arm.

"What was that?" He asked, looking at his companions. In return, they shrugged. Frowning, Sora looked down at his body, seeing no place that the tendrils could have come from. "You know, maybe it's a good thing we're off to see the wizard."

"Well, let's see him then." Donald said cheerfully. Fixing Sora with one more, odd, look, Donald turned on his heel, resuming his dash up the next flight of stairs. Giving a sigh, Sora followed him, wondering how many stairs the tower could possibly fit.

He got his answer only minutes later when, after four sets of stairs, he found himself outside a door with a star on it. Gulping, he stretched out his hand, nudging the door open.
Behind a desk, a wizen old man sat, looking down at a book with a stern glare. As the door opened with a deep groan, he fixed it with one, penetrating glare that refused to soften, even when Donald, Goofy and Sora entered. Walking to stand in front of the desk, Donald and Goofy bowed to the wizard.

"Master Yen Sid, it's an honour!" Donald said quietly, looking at the floor. Looking between the two, slightly confused, Sora raised an arm in welcome.

"Hi there!"

"Sora!" Donald burst out, shock filling his voice. "Show some respect!"

Waving his hand, Yen Sid shook his head. Fixing his look on Sora once more, Yen Sid huffed slightly. "So, you are Sora, the Keyblade Master and the newly crowned Protector of Power."

Sora blinked in answer. "Uh, yes?"

Staring at Sora a moment longer, Yen Sid's gaze dropped to the book in front of him. On it, a scene played out, showing Sora, Donald and Goofy running up the stairs of the tower. "As you may notice, I've been watching you. Please, sit."

With another wave of his hand, the wizard conjured three chairs. Looking at his dubiously, Donald glared at Sora as the boy instantly slipped into the one closest to him.

"Thanks." Sora said, giving a sigh of relief as he took his weight off of his feet. Eying Yen Sid warily, Sora opened his mouth tentatively. "What did you mean, Protector of Power?"

Yen Sid stiffened, inhaling sharply as he did so.

"You do not know?"

Shaking his head, Sora wondered what there was to know. That had been the first time he had been called the 'Protector of Power'. The 'Keyblade Master' was something he was more used to. Yen Sid sat, pondering, from the looks of things. When he opened his mouth, Sora leaned forward expectantly, reclining backwards in disappointment when the wizard closed his mouth.

"I shall explain it all in due course." Yen Sid replied. "Until then, I must get you prepared to meet your new companions." Lifting himself to his feet, Yen Sid paced over to a bookcase, pulling a small tome from its shelves. "You are aware that the Heartless have not been vanquished, not entirely. Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness; make no mistake about that. However, the Heartless are darkness made real, and darkness lingers yet in every heart. The Heartless are fewer. But while darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them."

Waving his hand, Yen Sid conjured up an image of a Heartless. "Your quest to destroy the Heartless was the second such invasion in history. However, it seems that was only a test, to see how many protections this Universe has. The influx of Heartless that fled from you today was the shock troops of a third invasion, this one using the full might of the darkness."

"Why did they run away? I mean, the Heartless have never run away from me before. They've never had the, uh, brains." Sora stammered, searching for the right words to describe the Heartless.

"That is because the Heartless are creatures of instinct. While the Keyblade, and the Heart wielding it, are a very tempting target for the Heartless, there have been many changes in the Universe since your last adventure. To counter the third invasion, the Gods have created a group of elite warriors who have the ability to sow the seeds of light in people's hearts, bringing it to the foreground."

Straightening up, and noticing Goofy and Donald doing the same, Sora's eyes took on an interested look. "Really? Who are they? Will I get to meet one?"

"These Warriors, known as the Crest Holders, each represent a quality of the Light in a person's heart. With this quality, they are capable of generating enough power to open the Door to the Light."

Time seemed to freeze within the tower. Excitement filled Sora's heart, as well as contentment. Finally, there was someone else to deal with the Heartless. Finally, he could rest on Destiny Island with Kairi and Riku.

Yen Sid suddenly froze, looking up at the sky as if communicating with someone. With a nod, Yen Sid waved his hand, turning the image of the Heartless into a strange creature, one that Sora, Donald and Goofy had fought before the King had interfered.

"Now, these are a new enemy to you. These are Nobodies. When a Heartless is created, a Nobody may sometimes be created, but only if the person in question had a strong will. This willpower will fill the empty shell of the Nobody, forcing it to move. These creatures are without hearts, without souls, without emotion. The ones who are high-level may act like they can feel, but do not be deceived." Raising his hand a third time, the picture changed to a scene, showing a two young boys, a man and a woman, talking to each other from across the table. "Three of these people are Crest Holders. However, currently they are stranded on one world. The young boy there has the ability to link the worlds, creating Highways that anyone may cross. However, he does not have the knowledge about how to do this. To this effect, they will need transport between the worlds."

Sora grimaced. "You're talking about a Gummi Ship, right?"

"Correct." Raising his arm, Yen Sid turned to a window overlooking the starry landscape. As he did, a red shape rose. It was the Gummi Ship Sora, Donald and Goofy had used to get from world to world.

"And you want me to take it to them." Sora said, disbelief filling his voice. He wanted to return home, but he was interested in meeting the Crest Holders. Giving a sigh, he raised his hands. "Fine."

"But, before you go, I believe you will need new clothing. Those look a bit too small for you." Turning to a door in the chamber, he waved towards it. "In that room you will find three Good Fairies. If you ask, I'm sure they'll create suitable garments for you. Garments fit for the Protector of Power, one of the Chosen Crest Holders."

Sora froze. "Wait, what?"