Chapter VI: The Corrupted
Goofy breathed in the warm, tropical night air as he lead Naminé down to the shore where the Highwind, Sora's well worn gummi ship hovered just a few inches off the sand. The ship, the size of a city bus, was completely silent save for the slight whistling of the levitation drive. The girl seemed fascinated by it, eagerly exploring the sleek, gleaming hull. "Well, this is it. This is a gummi ship. Your dad, Donald and I went to all kinds of different worlds in it."
Naminé halted her examination of one of the ship's many gun ports and looked at Goofy in shock. "Father went to another world?"
"Ayup, a whole mess of em at that." Goofy's brow furrowed, "Gawrsh I wonder why he never told you." He gave a jovial smile, "Well don't you worry, one of these days we can sit down and he can tell you the whole story. Would ya like that?"
Naminé nodded, "Yes sir, I would like that very much."
The knight gave a mock scowl, "Well now who taught you that you call your friends, sir? You can just call me Goofy." He stuck out a hand.
Naminé took his hand with both of hers and shook it energetically. Clearly trying to reciprocate she responded, "Well you can call me Naminé."
Goofy gave a hearty laugh, "Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Naminé." He paused, "You know, I knew another Naminé once. She was a very brave girl, I couldn't think of any better namesake." Goofy paused, "I need to check on a few things, but just give me one minute and I'll show you the inside." He opened a side hatch and began to climb into the ship. "Don't worry about breaking nothing, there ain't nothing anywhere what can hurt this gummi ship."
Goofy stepped inside and made his way to the bridge, looking for some spare gummi blocks with which to keep the child occupied. He couldn't help but wonder what was transpiring back at the house, but reassured himself that he had made the right decision. From the look on Sora's face, whatever may have happened to Riku was not meant for the ears of a child. From a small stash near the passage to the engine room, Goofy found a box filled with a number of small gummi blocks that the King's chipmunk mechanics used to make minor repairs. He stepped out of the vessel onto the soft, white sand. Even in full moonlight, compared to the well lit gummi ship, the beach seemed ominously dark "Naminé," he called out, "I've got something for you." He circled the gummi ship looking for the girl. "Naminé?" he called again. Goofy heard a shrill shriek and turned to face the sound.
Naminé stood in the moonlight, encircled by dozens of heartless. Their antennae squirming and their glowing eyes leering. Standing beside the girl was a figure of titanic size and shrouded in a black cloak. One hand was clamped over the girl's mouth. The other was on the grip of an enormous axe like weapon.
Goofy drew his shield and eased his way into a combat stance, doing his best not to appear too aggressive and provoke the Nobody. "You sure don't quit." The hooded man remained eerily motionless, it was almost like staring down a statue. "Let Naminé go, we'll fight fair."
The silent warrior looked down at the small, trembling girl as though noticing her for the first time. In a single motion, he lifted her off the ground and tossed her aside. She landed, whimpering, in a patch of sand. Goofy was upon him in an instant, driving his shield into the man's solar plexus with both hands. The effect was something like striking a brick wall. The nobody barely flinched but the impact sent shockwaves of pain through Goofy's arms but he was quick to rebound. He cocked the shield back behind him and swung. The edge of the shield connected with the side of the hooded man's head. Something about the way the man made no attempt to evade the blow sent shivers down Goofy's spine. The force of the blow knocked the man's head back, allowing the black hood to slide off his head and reveal a face Goofy had never seen before.
He had strong, angular features with a straight nose and a square jaw. The rest had been warped into something barely human. His gray, wasted skin was pulled tight across the bone. He was bald save for a few clumps of spiky auburn hair which stuck out at odd angles. His eyes and mouth were stitched shut with black thread. Naminé screamed and Goofy recoiled in horror. He swung again and again in frenzied panic. Every strike hit its mark perfectly but the creature did not even flinch. As Goofy reached back to strike again the Nobody grabbed his arm. Goofy's bones made a horrible crackle as his foe crushed his arm to bloody pulp. He forced Goofy to his knees. The knight stared into the monster's empty eye sockets and got the unnerving feeling that it could see him with no difficulty. "Sora," he shouted, finding himself unable to look away from the creature, "Help!"
The familiar eerie howl of shadow portals closing carried through the halls of Castle Oblivion. Xemnas watched his followers depart, hidden in the shadows, a stack of books in his arms. "At last," he said, "No more distractions." He made a motion and the books spread themselves out in the air before him. He selected a thick, nondescript, leather bound volume which could have just as easily been a dictionary and with a wave of one hand, the remaining books deposited themselves in a neat stack on a nearby table. He hiding his work from the others, but he was not entirely convinced that they were all to be trusted. Certainly not when it came to exposing his Achillies heel.
Xemnas descended into the deeper basements of the castle, the book in one hand and a lantern in the other. As he made his way deeper and deeper into the catacombs, the extent of the evil that had once walked the halls became apparent. The white stone walls were dark with some kind of purple-black algae and thorny, twisted vines congregated in the corners. In the dim lamplight, it seemed as though they were slowly writhing. A handful of decorative statues were broken to pieces, yet the shards hung suspended in the air, slowly turning as though dangling from unseen strings. The air was thick with a vile, smoky haze. It was not worth it, Xemnas decided, to cleanse the darkness from the lower floors. Besides, he thought, it kept inquisitive nobodies out of places they did not belong. Xemnas flipped open the book to a marked page and studied it for a moment. Lately he had needed the encrypted map less and less, but then again he was not confident enough to leave it behind. Besides, he wouldn't have put it past the magic of Castle Oblivion to change the hallways on him. There was a sharp hiss and a skittering sound as a dark shape flitted past his field of vision. A stray heartless, Xemnas thought. He muttered an incantation and a dozen or so crackling red beams appeared in a circle around him. He finished the spell and they shot outward, briefly illuminating the entire room. There was vile chorus of hisses as several of the ethereal blades found their marks. Four neoshadows were pinned to the walls, writhing as the disruptive void energy ate into their bodies before dispersing into bursts of light. Xemnas shrugged and continued walking, content that any surviving creatures knew by now he was not to be trifled with.
He came at last to his destination. In ages past, in happier times, the room had born the trappings of a ballroom, with a large wooden dance floor, expensive looking tapestry draped over the walls and lamps and false windows cleverly arranged to make it appear as though light were coming in from outside, although the room was deep underground. Unlike the other rooms in the lower levels of the castle, the ballroom was more neglected than corrupted, more forlorn than frightening. The castle's more recent inhabitants had seen fit to overlook it. He couldn't help but marvel at the absurdity of Lexaeus struggling through a waltz with an increasingly reluctant concubine or Zexion trying with little success to hammer out a song on grand piano which sat forlorn on a disused stage, a grim charade of their old lives as apprentices at hollow bastion. The amusement passed quickly, as did all emotions his mind tried in vain to conjure. Xemnas gave a snort of contempt and returned to the task at hand. He levitated onto the stage and set the lantern down on the closed top of the piano. He strode up to the wall, took a glance behind him and then spoke, "Another." No sooner had the word left his mouth than the old stone began to crack. Two great slabs opened to reveal a cleverly concealed entrance to a long hallway.
Dozens of lights flickered into being, illuminating the newly revealed chamber, Xemnas winced as the light that reflected off the polished white walls stung his eyes, which had grown accustomed to the darkness. The short hallway lead to another small chamber. The room was small by Castle Oblivion standards, only about the size of a walk in closet. A large white throne sat off to the side, next to it there was a small wooden table set with a bottle of scotch whiskey and two crystal glasses. The whole affair was arranged to face the centerpiece of the room. A set of burnished bronze armor lay on its back with its hands clasped over its chest. In its hands was a stunningly accurate replica of the keyblade.
Xemnas took his seat and poured himself a glass of scotch and downed half of it in a single swig. He waited for a long time, holding the glass in one hand and staring down at the motionless armor. He placed the glass back on the table and leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs. He took a deep breath, then spoke, "Hello again," he paused, "Old friend."