The portal shoots us out somewhere very high up. It takes me a second to realize that we are still in Radiant Garden. I can see the backwards waterfall and the massive palace. I can see around us in every direction. We're on top of the Black Fortress.
"Kingdom Hearts, open for me."
We all look up and see Xemnas floating in the air. A weird light is surrounding him. It's like something is pulling light from the air to swirl around him. The light is getting brighter and brighter.
Sora throws his Keyblade at Xemnas. It never makes it to him. The light surrounding him acts like some sort of force field. The Keyblade bounces right off it and falls back to the floor.
"It is no use, Keyblade masters. Kingdom Hearts has filled me with its power. It heals me and makes me stronger. Soon it will make me whole. You cannot stop me. You are doomed to watch. Very shortly, I will break through the lock on the Door to Darkness without the help of the seven princesses."
There has to be a way to stop him. We all didn't come this far to let Xemnas get a hold on Kingdom Hearts. I did not just almost die so he could win.
"What are we going to do? We can't break through to get to him. There has to be a way. Kingdom Hearts, how do we stop him?" Sora says this last part in barely a whisper, like a prayer.
Could Kingdom Hearts actually have a way to protect itself from this happening? Of course it did. The Keyblade. I understand now. The Keyblades were made to protect Kingdom Hearts. They were made to be powerful, to be able to stop any threat. But it's not strong enough to break through. At least one of them wasn't, but what about… "All six of them?"
"What?" Roxas catches his Keyblade in the air after trying again to get to Xemnas.
"What if we try to combine the power of all the Keyblades? They would be more powerful than anything ever before. Maybe that will give us enough power to stop Xemnas from getting through the door. Isn't it possible to do that?"
"I don't know. I think it might be. It's almost like the same thing that happens when I use my Drive forms. I can use the power of two Keyblades at the same time."
"It's worth a shot, isn't it?" I don't know if Roxas really believes in my idea or it's just a last resort, but I'm glad someone agrees with me. "Right now, it is the only idea we have."
We all stand facing each other in a circle. I can see the fear on everyone's face, even Sora's. I'm sure they are all just reflections of what is showing on my mine. If this doesn't work, then there is nothing that we can do to stop Xemnas. He will get Kingdom Hearts and have unlimited power. Who knows what he will do with the worlds when he has control over all of them?
We point our Keyblade to the middle of us. The tip of each blade touches the one of the person to the left of us. We concentrate, focusing all the power in our Keyblades to the tip. If all the power comes together in the middle than maybe all the Keyblades can become connected.
My hand is shaking. I don't feel anything. Maybe this isn't working. What if I'm wrong? What if we can't combine the Keyblades? What do I really know anyway? I'm just a Nobody who can barely keep his memories straight. What do I know about Keyblade abilities?
In the very middle of where the Keyblades are touching, a small light is starting to form. Small bolts of lightening flash across the blades. I stare right into the light, refusing to break my concentration. Beads of sweat roll down my forehead as the light gets bigger and bigger. The handle of my blade starts to feel warm.
"I think we're supposed to let go." Sora is looking at everyone, telling us that we should all listen to him.
Slowly, I loosen my grip on the handle. I'm nervous about letting go. What if that breaks our concentration and we lose the energy that we've already established? 'Dexlin, there are too many what if questions here. You have to trust that this will work.' My fingers slowly being to unwrap until I'm not even holding the handle anymore. And I slowly pull my hand away.
Instead of falling, all six Keyblades stay in the air. The light between them is growing brighter and brighter. They start to move, spinning around the light, staying connected the whole time. They spin faster and faster until they all blur together. We all back away from the spinning blades, moving farther away from each other.
A beam of light shoots up from the Keyblades, flying directly at Xemnas.
"No! You will not stop me! You are not strong enough!"
The light is growing brighter and the Keyblades are spinning faster. All we can do is just stand there in shock. Suddenly, the Keyblades shoot up, following the spear of light leading up. There is a horrible sounding explosion as they break through Xemnas's shield and hit him directly. His scream echoes through the air.
Holding my hand up to block out most of the light, I can barely make out Xemnas in the middle. His mouth is still open in a scream, but no sound is coming out anymore. It looks like the light is dissolving his body. Small pieces of him are flying away in the wind. He's dying.
The Keyblades shoot out of the light, no longer connected. They do not fly back to us, but each one going in a separate direction. They fall over the side of the roof, lodging themselves into the ground.
The light starts to fade, but there is no sign of Xemnas. He's gone. I know it. He couldn't have escaped that. We won.
I look over at Roxas and see him smile. So do the others. They know that we've won. They know that Xemnas is no longer a threat. We saved the worlds. It's a good feeling.
I'm knocked off my feet by a violent rumbling. The whole Fortress is shaking. My face slams into the roof. "Not again." I can see cracks forming along the roof. The others are on their knees as well. The shaking is too violent for us to even stand on our feet.
A large chunk of the roof falls off, leaving a gaping hole. I can see all the way down to the place where Xemnas and I were fighting. At the rate that the Fortress is falling apart, there isn't enough time for Sora and Roxas to open the Door to Light, even if they could stand up to do it.
I hear Kairi scream and another chunk of the roof falls. I reach out and grab her hand, but the part of the roof that I'm on collapses too. We are all falling. The whole building has crumbled. I need a portal. I opened one while falling before. If can just get one to appear, I can save us.
I'm concentrating as hard as I can, but nothing's happening. I can't open it. I look over to where Roxas is falling. He's staring directly at me. His mouth starts to move. I can't hear his voice, but I know what he's saying.
"I love you too."
No. It cannot end this way. I won't let it. This can't be our reward for saving the worlds from Xemnas. It just can't be.
Everything seems to be moving in slow motion. I can't take watching us fall to the ground. I will be able to see us all die. I don't want to have that be my last memory.
"Please."
"You have a great light inside of you, Dexlin. It will be a great protection for you…and others if you chose it to be."
A mysterious voice echoes inside my head. It's a woman's voice. I've never heard it before, but the sound of it gives me comfort. She's calm. It makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.
"What do I have to do? Help me save them, please."
I feel warm, like a warm wind is surrounding my body. I close my eyes, not thinking about the fall or the ground. I focus on the feeling in my chest. It's a heartbeat. My heartbeat. This is the first time I can ever remember feeling my own heart pump. What does this mean?
"Please. Save them. They are the only family that I have ever known. They don't deserve to die."
"Would you trade your life for theirs?"
"Yes!"
I feel a sudden sensation of relief. It feels almost like I'm releasing something that I have been holding on to for a long time. Something is exploding out of me and filling the surrounding air. It feels like I'm leaving my body to expand and occupy every piece of space.
I open my eyes to find that I am surrounded by light. I can't see anything around me. Not the others. Not the ground. Am I even still falling? I can't tell anymore.
The feeling of relief stops. Now I just feel empty. Tired. I can't…keep my…eyes open. Sleep.
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The light can be seen from every corner of Radiant Garden. It starts off as a single point near the Black Fortress and then it spreads across the sky. It even blocks the sun from view. It's brighter than bright. No one can explain it, not even the people in the palace who are good at having an answer for most things.
Some are scared by it, thinking that it means there will be another invasion from the Heartless. But most embrace it, letting the light fill their hearts with warmth, and smile. They know that the last time they felt like this was long before the world was known as Hollow Bastion.
But no one knows that the light came from a teenage boy named Dexlin. They don't know that it was done as a last resort to save the ones he cared about most. They don't have an idea of the high price that he had to pay for it.
Hours later, some of Radiant Garden's best scientists are still examining data only to find that they are no closer to understanding what they saw than when they started. While they work away in a laboratory, a man named Leon and a man named Cloud make their way through the Crystalline Gardens to where the Black Fortress used to stand.
"It must have been destroyed during their battle with Xemnas." Cloud tries to keep the worry out of his voice. Worrying can be considered a weakness and Cloud is anything but weak.
"But where were they when the Fortress disappeared? If they were inside, then we might be too late." Leon doesn't bother to hide the worry. He's known those kids for way too long not to be worried.
Reaching the edge of the gardens they find a big open area. This is where the Black Fortress should be. Or at least the ruins of it. But there is nothing. No lingering debris from when it crumbled. Nothing. In the middle of where the remains should be lay six teenagers.
Cloud and Leon run over to where they are. They look peaceful, like they just decided to take a nap on the ground. Leon bends down over Sora. "They're alive."
"This one barely is." Cloud reached under the boy and lifts him into his arms.
Leon looks up. "Dexlin."
"Leon, send a message to Aerith. Tell her to get a medical cart out here. We need to get them to the medical wing at the palace."