DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts but I do own my generals.

Chapter 42

Hour of Darkness

"No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within."

-Sora

Riku sat in the darkened cell of Crown Fortress near the lower levels. He was silent, slightly at peace save for the lurking shadow on his mind that was beginning to consume him. He had taken the first few hours not only examining the fortress' dungeon but also trying to find a way to escape. He should have known that he couldn't. This was where the Keyblade wielders had once ruled, powerful and just. They wouldn't just allow their prisoners, wielders of the Keyblade or not, to escape. However, the prison wasn't without comforts and was probably much more comfortable than any other kind of prison, especially (as Riku hoped Sora and the others wouldn't go to) the dungeons of Annuvin.

It had a nice high backed ceiling that arched above him and the room was quite spacious with a nice bed in the corner that didn't feel crappy under his weight but was quite comfortable. Gentai would often stride by three times a day at the same exact time in order to give him some food. But he never spoke, never even really acknowledged his existence save for the food. Most other hours of the day Crown Fortress had been completely silent and he could only wonder if Gentai was in the upper floors of the castle or if he had left the castle entirely. Well, we can only hope that he doesn't decide to go hunting after Sora and the others…they've probably got enough trouble with the Horned King right now as it is. But still, Riku was worried that was exactly where he was going. At this current time, he had been in the dungeon at least two nights and he had his back against the wall and he got to thinking.

How had Gentai caused him so much pain just by looking at him. The scar on his back had burned with a ferocity unimaginable and he almost felt a word lash out at him, a sentence, a phrase he had not heard for so long. It sounded like his voice and yet at the same time it had not. Open your heart! Surrender it to the darkness! Become darkness itself! And then that pain had shot through him. Riku knew that Gentai understood the residual darkness in his heart but he had never thought that Gentai would end up using that to exploit him. Could Gentai control the darkness despite his light? Or was he delving so far deep that nothing mattered to him anymore?

The light in the cell began to darken and Riku knew that his third day in the fortress' dungeon was drawing to a close at last. He hoped Sora was faring better than he was…that hopefully the Horned King was gone from Prydain at last. He was with Edge. To be honest with himself, he didn't mind Edge so much anymore. Edge had fought on against Royal Pain even when Riku was down. He had kept watch over him while Sora and Will had been dueling her. He had even helped in rescuing Disney Castle from that bomb there. He had laid it all on the line, he had discovered theories before both him and King Mickey. So who was Riku to call Edge a coward anymore? He closed his eyes, wanting sleep to take him for that night but he heard footsteps approaching from the hall. That was an odd hour for Gentai to come and see him. And yet, it was gentai who stopped outside the bars of his cell and stared in, his green eyes glinting in the pale patch of moonlight shining through. Riku got up and walked over to him and stared at him through the bas with nothing less than a scowl on his face.

"What do you want?" Riku spat but Gentai's nonchalant and neutral face did not change in the slightest. He was silent for a moment.

"Your friends have defeated the Horned King, his power is no more." Gentai said calmly and Riku breathed easier knowing that they were alive. But his thoughts now quickly turned to himself.

"How long are you planning on holding me here?" Riku asked, the corners of his mouth twitching in anger.

"We'll know about thirty six hours from now. I am making a bargain with Disney castle tomorrow morning. Should they accept it, you will go free. However, if they don't…you could be here a very long time…or none at all." Riku was shocked that Gentai could say such a thing so calmly and with no change in his face. He then walked away. What bargain was he making? But overall, Riku noticed a subtle difference in Gentai: He was no longer filled with livid rage.

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Sora and Kairi returned to Disney Castle, disheartened. The peace they had in their heart was small and slim compared to overwhelming pain they were feeling. Sora knew it would only last till after the funeral for him, but the pain was still there and would always be there. But Maleficent was gone for now…and that was good enough for now. All they had left to deal with was Gentai. Sora held anger at Gentai in his heart, blaming him for all these terrible things happening. He could no longer blame Edge, whose body he was carrying, who had sacrificed everything in his life to break the Horned King's power, to break Maleficent and send her to a black abyss. Sora had no one else to blame but Gentai…and possibly the other nine generals. Nevertheless, the burden of Edge's body was one that Sora proudly bared as they entered the portal back to Disney Castle.

King Mickey was the first to see the limp and lifeless body of the commandant of the Order of the Crown. Inside he was sad, and yet, he knew that truly Edge had been seeking a place to die all along to atone for all the sins of omission due to his order. Thus it was that he promptly arranged the funeral which would took place at night before Edge's body was to be burned…a fitting ending for one with such a name as "The Flaming Edge". Kairi, had withdrawn to her visitor's room to cry and Sora figured that he should just let her be and instead took to walking around the sunny grounds of Disney Castle. He almost smiled to himself being in the peaceful embrace of the courtyard. The worlds hadn't cried like they did when he had "died" but a year ago and the World That Never Was didn't count since it was always raining there.

Sora eventually found himself in the shadow of one of the trees in the courtyard that he leaned against. He knew that he should be feeling sad but his thoughts had actually seemed rather free. But still, Sora couldn't draw his sight or thoughts away from Edge's open eyes as he died…as though he was keeping a watch on the worlds, or seeing what had become of them. Sora almost felt himself lazily drifting to sleep when suddenly a shadow was cast over him. His eyes opened a crack and he saw three men standing before him: one with brown hair and green eyes, and two who looked identical with long, black hair and hazel eyes.

"Um…may I help you?" Sora asked, confused as to why these three men, who Sora now remembered as Marcus, Antonio and Donato from the ten generals, were standing before him.

"You are Sora, I presume?" one of the twins said and after Sora saw the A embroidered on his clothing he figured that this was Antonio. Sora nodded. "We have spoken with His Majesty the king about how Edge died and what he said to you."

"And what do you care?" Sora said, getting up from the shade of the tree and beginning to walk away from the three men. "If you guys hadn't shot down all of his suggestions to go out and fight in the worlds, he wouldn't be dead now!"

"You misunderstand." Marcus said and Sora stopped. "We are the only three that advocated the fight." Sora turned around now to face the generals with a confused look on his face.

"You see," Donato began, "the generals work as a democracy. Majority rules. We were the three who supported Edge but the other six, for whatever reason, did not."

"Thus, we needed to know how our leader died and what he said upon his death. From what His Majesty said, Edge named one of you, Kairi, or Riku as the supreme commandant of the Order of the Crown." Antonio said, cocking his head towards Sora a little. Sora folded his arms.

"And, what does that mean for me?" Sora asked, arching his eyebrows towards them a bit.

"That no matter what, we will secure you and your friends as leaders of the Order when the time comes." Marcus said with a smile. "We will not allow scum like Onyx or Cothius, who wish to sit and hide in their chambers, to lead the Order." Sora laughed at that. There were men loyal to the cause of defeating Maleficent and saving the worlds.

"So Edge was like a president who can't do anything without the senate's approval?" Sora asked, to clarify his view and they nodded. Then Sora shook hands with the three of them, glad that he had people on his side.

That evening there was the funeral procession through the town near Disney Castle. Many people and residents, even if they didn't know Edge turned up to watch the procession. It was a sad procession for many but Sora still found hope burgeoning in his chest that maybe they would be able to help the Order and the worlds. He himself was at the front of the line with Mickey, Kairi, and all the rest of the generals. Many of the other Keyblade wielders filed in behind the generals, though Donald and Goofy had joined them up front. At the end of the procession, Sora and the others formed a circle around Edge's body as Mickey lit it on fire to cremate his body in a proper way. Sora stared into the flickering flames and once more felt the burden of the worlds on his shoulders. And yet, he knew that somewhere within him was the strength to fight till the very end. Opposite him, through the flames was Onyx, the man that Edge had called his best friend. He had his hands behind his back and stood there looking at his deceased former friend with no emotion in his eyes, his pupils being like those of boring black holes. But Sora turned away from that thought and instead held Kairi in order to comfort her.

Despite his great loss, he slept peacefully that night and in the morning, woke up rested and proceeded to join Mickey and Kairi in the Audience Hall. Mickey himself was pacing nervously as Sora and Kairi looked at each other, sitting in their chairs near the king's throne. But one thought was all that was filling Sora's head.

"So…what now?" Sora asked and Mickey stopped his pacing for a moment. "Maleficent is gone for the moment…should we track her down or…?"

"Where's Riku?" Kairi said quickly, her input cutting across Sora's small babble. Mickey looked at them and sighed.

"I don't know, fellas. We haven't heard from him since you two left for Prydain. I don't know where he could possibly be…" Mickey sighed out. Unfortunately for all of them, another voice answered Mickey's question.

"I can answer that." came Gentai's voice and there was a burst of light in the Audience Hall. From the portal of light, Gentai emerged and all three of the Keyblade wielders quickly summoned their Keyblades. Gentai held up a hand as if commanding them to stop. "I didn't come here to fight you. I came to make a bargain."

"Bargain?!" Sora spat, remembering that so much of this was Gentai's fault. "What bargain do you think you could possibly make?"

"I hold Riku's life prisoner in Crown Fortress." Gentai stated bluntly and all three looked as though they had the wind knocked out of them. "This is the bargain I'll make with you: the throne of Disney Castle for Riku's life. If you name me king, I'll let Riku go free…refuse, well…" Gentai chuckled and evil chuckle but Sora could see there was no smile on his face at the thought of it. "Let's just say he won't live much longer."

"We won't bow to you Gentai!" Kairi yelled to the sixteen year old. He nodded his head a bit before he summoned his Keyblade and opened a portal of light behind him.

"I figured that you would say that…and for that reason I'll give you twenty four hours to contemplate what it means. The allegiance of the worlds to me in exchange for Riku's life…'tis more than a fair exchange." With that, Gentai backed into the portal of light. Sora quickly ran at him and managed to leap through the portal just as it closed. Gentai was nowhere in sight, but he didn't care. He quickly opened a portal back to Disney Castle and entered there, returning to both Kairi and the king. He quickly explained that he needed to go to Crown Fortress so that he could create a portal there for later.

"So, now that we know Riku is being held captive…we have to free him!" Kairi said quickly and Sora nodded but placed a thoughtful finger to his chin.

"But if those creatures from before are there…I mean, we barely know what they are, how can we face them?" Sora said exasperatedly when a new, and yet still familiar voice, called out.

"I believe that I can help with that." Yen Sid said as he appeared in the room, adorned in his blue robes and he strode forward to the trio in the Audience Hall. Sora and Mickey quickly bowed acknowledging his presence and Kairi followed in suit. Yen Sid waved it off as he summoned a chair with a flick of his fingers and sat in it. "Gentai has summoned creatures known as the Unbirths."

"Unbirths…" Mickey said thoughtfully, as though pulling forward a deep memory. "I remember that name…"

"You should, Your Majesty, those are the creature which the original Round of the Crown, and you yourself, fought many years ago before the time of the Heartless. They were thought to have become extinct around the same time that both the Heartless and the Nobodies emerged into the world." Yen Sid explained to all of them and Sora nodded his head in understanding. But Sora still had one unasked question.

"But…what are they?" Sora asked and Yen Sid turned to face him gravely.

"There are three parts to existence: the heart, the body, and the soul." Yen Sid said slowly and deliberately. "The Heartless are the heart surrounded in darkness, but this you know, just as you know that a Nobody is the body and the soul remaining from the Heartless. Yet the Unbirths are what appears when it is merely the soul that exists…They are the opposite of birth and therefore the opposite of life: death." Sora gasped, at last understanding Gentai's words to them in Radiant Garden. "They appeared so many years ago because darkness had not yet found a way to manifest itself from the heart and so worked its way to the soul. The soul became twisted and thus formed the Unbirths. Gentai is much the same…he has no darkness in his heart…and yet, because he has committed such dark deeds, it is his soul that was affected and gave rise to the Unbirths."

"So now we have three types of enemy to deal with. Great…" Kairi said sarcastically. She looked at Yen Sid. "Is there any way to eliminate them?"

"It is said in ancient lore that three enemies will arise, and that when all three are vanquished and gone at the same time, no darkness, and no evil shall ever step forth again. But it has been years since I last heard that prophecy. However, I cannot tell you of any way that all three may be vanquished for the Unbirths are very resilient. You see, Gentai's soul was so twisted that it brought the Unbirths into existence…however, should someone else's soul be twisted, even if less so, they will continue to exist even if they do not owe their allegiance to them."

"So…let me get this straight. The Unbirths are born from one's soul being twisted. They feed on death and all in order to grow on strength and are sustained as long as one's soul is twisted but only owe their allegiance to one whose soul is beyond even twisted…like Gentai?" Yen Sid nodded, affirming the truth of what Sora had just said. "Then they can still be divided and leaderless, and the only way we can do that is…"

"Defeat Gentai." Kairi said simply, finishing Sora's thought. He nodded fiercely. "Then we're going to Crown Fortress and freeing Riku while also stopping Gentai?"

"You know it!" Sora said and he turned to King Mickey, practically asking for his blessing. Mickey nodded his head slightly and Sora smirked. He wasn't going to let Gentai sit around and do these things anymore. Yen Sid shifted around behind Sora, and it seemed that he had done so uncomfortably but nobody really noticed other than the sound. However, this did trigger something in Sora's memory. "Oh yeah…Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch say hi!" Yen Sid gave a start and smiled at Sora.

"Ah…how are those three lovely ladies doing?" Yen Sid with a smile which made Sora confused as to why he was.

"Umm…as pungent as ever…How do you know them?" Sora asked, having been wondering on this point for a while.

"Ah, you see, when I was young and my magical powers began manifesting themselves, as a teenager I took to wandering and met them…they honed my magic powers for a time and I went on my way." Yen Sid still smiling, as though thinking of fond memories. But his tone change. "Did they give you anything, Sora?"

"Uhh…yeah…" Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out the golden Keychain that he had received from the three witches. "I gave them my crown pendant in exchange for this. Then they gave me this saying that they were testing me for something. Do you know what they meant?" Yen Sid chuckled and shook his head in humor.

"Oh yes…you see, back in the day, Keyblades were passed down from house to house of kings, especially in Radiant Garden. However, long before the time of Ansem they lost their Keyblade and it passed on and their Keyblade was lost for ages. That is their Keychain, only given when their line of kings is broken." Yen Sid smiled warmly at Sora. "Only one who gives up the only thing that belongs to him could be handed the lives of a world of people and therefore could be handed the throne of Radiant Garden and the Keychain known as Kingdom's Crown." Sora scratched his head and Yen Sid then dropped the bombshell on Sora.

"You, Sora, are meant to be the king of Radiant Garden."

Author's Note: CLIFFHANGER!! Are you surprised? Lord Moldybutt, you shouldn't be…I'm just sayin'. In any case, there is part of the exposition I promised you and my theory behind the Unbirths. I'm probably wrong…but I think them being the soul isn't unreasonable. This also sheds some light on other members of the Order. I'm starting to build towards Fear of the Darkness now as well…and yes, now you finally understand the title of this story (which took a full 42 chapters to get to). We've come pretty far, haven't we? In any case, next chapter is the emotional climax of the story and following that chapter is the ACTUAL climax of the story so buckle up and get ready cause we end this story this week. Please review and Dare to Be Silly.