"It's my turn now. My own adventure." Kairi spoke softly.
Lightning cracked across the sky and thunder rumbled into the earth. Yuna shivered in awe of the dark world, scared and shocked, but then, she didn't know this wasn't how the World that Never Was usually looked.
"What… happened?" Xigbar whispered in shock. He was shaking too. It was just … so horrible.
In what looked like black blood, like the substance that made Heartless, was written on the side of a towering building "Death Valley". And beneath the watch of Memory's skyscraper, amongst the visitors to the dark city…
Were nobodies.
They seemed to be frozen, non-moving, and fading as if someone had frozen time just as the nobodies had been destroyed. It was horrifying; imagine looking around to see thousands of humans dying but frozen in time so that they will simply be dying forever, stiff as mannequins and lifeless.
That was the sight that greeted our heroes; thousands of dusks and lesser nobodies, trapped in never ending death under the greeting of "Death Valley".
"What – what is this?" Marluxia gasped out. "Our – they – what?" He spun around, looking frantically to his teammates.
"How could this happen?" Demyx whispered. Xaldin looked up with pained eyes, his gaze flowing from Demyx to a group of dragoon nobodies, frozen in death.
Xemnas stepped ahead of the group. A crash of thunder echoed as he began speaking.
"Only something terribly powerful could annihilate our brethren and freeze the speed of time in one moment. And to have the power to kill thousands of us at once. Whoever did this… is to be feared." He finished with a sigh. Anger filled his disturbingly calm eyes.
"Now what?" Yuna asked solemnly.
"We go kick butt, that's what!" Yuffie cheered. Demyx smiled at her foolery.
"No." Namine spoke out in the silence. Lightning followed her words. "We wait for Auron. Remember?" Demyx put his hand on his chin.
"Once you understand everything that is going on, you will have to return to the World that Never Was. There, I will give you one fourth clue before departing. That clue will lead you to the last item; the key to freeing Axel."
"Oh yeah." Demyx laughed slightly. Xigbar walked up behind him and slapped the back of his head.
Namine stood ahead of the group amongst the frozen bodies of dusks under the broken heart moon. Stoic and solemn, her eyes flashed at the sight of them; countless beings that were once as human as any normal being, now cursed to darkness and hollow, and even frozen in an eternal death. Her kind – her people.
Kairi silently strode up to Namine and the two stood at the base of Memory's Skyscraper.
"Can we save them?" Kairi whispered. Namine closed her eyes, letting the unnatural wind of the Never world caress her.
"Not normally. But maybe – we might be able to make them a bit more – human. Like the others – humanoid – perhaps with hearts even. It all depends on the outcome of this battle." Kairi nodded with a bit more hope in her eyes.
Riku pulled a cell phone out of his pocket that was flashing light. With a smirk he flipped it open. Before talking to whoever was on the line, he spoke to Tifa.
"Auron's on the line." Riku said before turning away to speak to Auron; Tifa walked up to the stoic Xemnas and told him that Auron had made contact.
Saix stared to the broken moon.
"You okay?" Goofy asked him. Saix came out of his reverie.
"No, I won't be – until Mitsuka is." Saix clenched his fists. "I don't remember my past completely – but I love her, my little sister. And I will not let anyone harm her anymore." And with that declaration, Saix slammed his fist into the ground, and with a scream let out some of his anger. The fury shook up the frozen nobodies around him and surprised some of his teammates.
All of a sudden, clapping began. Someone was clapping nearby, as if what Saix had done had been for show! The impudence!
"What a racket, really; caused more trouble than this lot combined." Saix looked around and knew the mysterious boyish voice meant the frozen nobodies.
"And who are you? The welcoming committee?" Demyx cried. The person laughed.
"Technically I'm not a committee – but I'll welcome you nonetheless."
A person came into view on top of the hue skyscraper known as Memory's Skyscraper. He thrust his hands into the air and cackled.
"Welcome – to the Dark City! Welcome – to Death Valley!" The boy's cackles rumbled with the thunder and lightning. Saix felt rain coming on.
It started slow, and then accelerated until the rain was pounding harshly – and then as the thunder and lightning calmed, so did the rain until it was a light yet steady drizzle.
The person on the skyscraper bowed as if he were a peasant among lords.
"I am Kyohaku, the Polaris of Midnight!" The boy cried with defiance. He had baggy clothes on, with chains – and even from a distance his eyes seemed to shine and sparkle like stars – like stars fluttering with a dead light.
"Kyohaku translates to star." Namine spoke.
"I'm beginning to see a trend." Marluxia muttered.
"Oh really?" Xigbar retorted.
"Trend?" Kyohaku threw his head to the side as if to say "What?" "There's a reason behind the sky metaphor if you know what I mean. Lady Hinode and Tsuki were always as different as the sun and moon, but unable to live without each other. My story is one that you need not know, but I came into milady's care the way a falling stars cries out to the earth."
"And now, without further ado!" Kyohaku cried, swinging his arms for effect. " – your doom!"
Kyohaku leapt with grace and elegance from the pinnacle of Memory's Skyscraper and descended down to the group. As he did, Xigbar summoned his weapons and raised them to aim, concentrated and poised. Riku hung up his phone in a hurry and pulled Xemnas to the side.
"Superior!" Riku greeted. "Here – the riddle to releasing Tsuki and Axel. They won't wake up unless we figure this out." Xemnas nodded as Riku spoke.
Kyohaku landed like a meteor leaving an enormous indentation in the earth, shattering it like a knife through butter. Xigbar began firing even when the boy was in the air, but the ample child twisted and spun and flung his body about like a ballerina, keeping grace and dignity as not a single shoot grazed his flesh.
"Hey." Xigbar taunted as he reloaded. "The child's no novice."
Kyohaku landed like a cat ready for the pounce, and slowly but surely raised his head to look at his opponents. His deadly eyes full of mischief, they locked onto Xigbar.
"You. You first." He decided, leaping into the air and completing a back flip and spin before landing only feet ahead of Xigbar and launching at him. Xigbar let his guns disappear as he analyzed the boy's abilities.
One upholds the path of light, one, unsure, stands alone.
One keeps to the path of night, one holds to shimmering home.
Last is the sun's fading rays; the sign of the final dying days?
But will you find what you thought be actually the one that is naught?
"What does it mean?" Riku asked the Superior. Examining it a final time, Xemnas muttered.
"That's what we're to find out."
Xigbar blocked a right hook and then brought his knee up, but Kyohaku lightly pushed off Xigbar's knee with the palm of his hand, flipping until he grabbed hold of a building. Pushing off the ground, Xigbar leapt up to the building with him, summoning his guns once more. With a flurry of attacks, Xigbar charged Kyohaku.
The boy spun on his heel and clapped his hands; and with that he disappeared. Xigbar kept alert, using his powers to stand upright on the side of the building. The rain was all he heard.
"Okay, guys, while he's fighting, let's look this over." Yuffie commanded.
"I'll aid Xigbar." Xaldin spoke before flying off into the sky.
"Alright, does anybody have any clue as to what the hell this means?" Tifa asked exasperatedly. Everyone was silent. "That's what I thought." She sighed.
"I think I might." Namine muttered. Everyone looked to her in surprise. Yuffie snatched the paper from Riku – "Hey!" He complained – and passed it to Namine in a hurry.
"We don't have much information. But to the best of our knowledge, Tsuki wrote this –"
"Or someone working for her did." Kairi finished, catching on.
"So, to the best of our knowledge, she could have based this on anything. Also to our knowledge, she could know any or everything about us and what's happened to us. In other words –"
"This could be referring to us." Roxas finished.
"Hey, 3!" Xigbar cried out as Xaldin flew up. Just as he did, a crack of thunder – and Kyohaku appeared out of nowhere and slammed into the larger man. With a cry, Xaldin spun and summoned his lances. With a smirk, Kyohaku caught one with his bare palm, but another gutted him. His smirk never fading, Kyohaku threw Xaldin into the side of Memory's Skyscraper, where he latched onto it.
Xigbar leapt over to them, realizing they were getting further away from the others. Either Xaldin had led him away, or Kyohaku had a plan.
As he leapt, Xemnas and Xigbar's eyes met. With a nod, Xigbar smirked and leapt into the fray.
"Well, thinking of it that way, who holds up the path of light?" Tifa inquired.
"Simple. Sora." Riku said. Xemnas shook his head.
"Look at the last line." He pointed out. "It says that what we think is the opposite of what is."
"But does that apply to the light part, to all of it, or what?" Demyx asked. "Maybe it's just to freak us out! Or maybe it's really a contradiction to itself –"
"Leave the thinking to the smart people." Yuffie silenced him, shoving him away by pressing the palm of her hand to his face.
"Wait." Saix silenced them. "What if that's true? It could be a contradiction." Demyx grinned proudly.
"I was right!" He cried.
"Maybe." Saix said. Taking the paper, he read it over.
"Notice." He said. "In the last line, it pretty much says what you think is not what is. But notice the spelling. 'Not' is spelt 'Naught'."
"As in the Altar of Naught?" Marluxia questioned.
"As in a nobody, perhaps. Whichever part is not what it seems has to do with a nobody." Riku stated.
"Alright. We know Sora has to be the light. Now, who's directly connected to Sora?" Xemnas asked.
"Riku." Roxas said.
"Kairi." Namine stated.
"And Namine and Roxas are connected to them too. And since the riddle refers to five people, we can assume these five are who are referred to." Saix finished and gave the note back to Namine.
"Die, freak!" Xigbar cried out as he shot a flurry at Kyohaku. The boy dodged them all even with his wound, running like the wind with fire on his heels. With a cartwheel he landed on the ground, smirking up at his opponents.
Summoning the rest of his lances, Xaldin glanced at Xigbar.
"Star. What sort of powers would a star have?" He asked.
Kyohaku smirked and lifted his hands above his head. The palms were ridged and stiff, and light was glowing in them.
"Would you know, perhaps, what a supernova is?" Xigbar questioned with worry in his voice.
"I'm a scientist, fool." Xaldin retorted.
"So am I!" Xigbar fought back.
Kyohaku slowly lifted a few inches above the ground as the light grew.
"Oh boy." Xigbar sighed.
"So, to begin, we'll say Sora is the light." Kairi said. "What about the next part?"
What is going on!
"I think its referring to me there." Roxas stated. "When I didn't know about Sora, and was in the other Twilight Town."
"That makes sense." Demyx added.
"So, Sora is the light, Roxas is the screwed up one" Marluxia began. Roxas glared at him. "But what about the next ones?"
"The sun's fading rays could refer to Riku falling into darkness; you know, fading away."
"Or it could be Kairi, as the princess."
"Wait!" Demyx cried. Everyone was silent.
"What if Kairi is the light, Sora the fading rays, Roxas the screwy one", Roxas sighed. "And the last part is Riku or Namine?"
"That could work." Saix muttered.
"Let's repeat the riddle." Riku said.
One upholds the path of light,
"Kairi." Namine murmured.
One, unsure, stands alone.
"Me." Roxas stated.
One keeps to the path of night,
"I believe that's me." Riku sighed. "Unless I'm the one unsure from when I was in darkness, and this is Roxas." Roxas shook his head.
"I don't think so, but I guess it's a possibility."
One holds to shimmering home.
Last is the sun's fading rays; the sign of the final dying days?
But will you find what you thought be actually the one that is naught?
"So who's the fading rays and which one holds to home?" Kairi asked.
"Look. At the end, it says 'the sign of the final dying days' as if it were a question. As if it's unsure; they could be, or maybe not. So who do we know whose fate is unsure?"
"The key keeper." Saix said. "He could bring ruin or destruction."
"Or Namine. She could be called princess of darkness; when Sora fell into night, she could have left him or saved him." Riku added.
"Silent." Xemnas uttered. "You are thinking too literally. The final dying days; what if they are not what they appear to be?"
"What…?" Demyx asked. Xemnas shook his head.
"We haven't enough information yet to solve the riddle. Come; into the Castle!" Xemnas cried.
"RUN!" Someone up ahead shouted.
Suddenly, the entire area was enveloped in light and sound as blaring sunlight rained down on them and a screech seared their eardrums.
Kyohaku unleashed the soaring starlight and enveloped his opponents in seething energy. Even from a distance, the others felt the gist of it. But Xigbar and Xaldin felt its full fury.
Xigbar wouldn't let anything stand in his way. Sure of Xaldin's position, Xigbar unleashed his fury against the star boy and screamed along with the screeches of Kyohaku's attack.
The light faded to show Xaldin and Xigbar slumped on the ground trying to stand. Kyohaku was before them…
The boy was floating above the ground, bathed in light. Kyohaku's skin was shimmering and his eyes seemed like endless black voids sucking in light.
"That was fun." Xaldin muttered. Xigbar sputtered in laughter as the two got to their feet. With a smirk, Xigbar murmured.
"Now, the real fun begins!"
SULHADAHNE SAYS HI. SHE ALSO SAYS SHE TRACKS OUT IN TWO DAYS. SHE ALSO SAYS THAT THERE WILL BE NO MORE SNEAK PEAKS OF THE SEQUEL BECAUSE SHE IS TOO BUSY WORKING ON IT.
So, goodbye! Take care! May the hot people be with you!
SULHADAHNE