Kingdom Hearts III: Xehanort's Ambitions
Chapter 7
A New Journey Unfolds
Greetings readers.
Once again I am back from another long hiatus that hast been preventing me from writing this story. So I'm going to be realistic here, life does happen and no I'm not going to promise weekly updates or anything like that on this story, but I definitely think two years of it sitting on here with no real sign of moving forward is too long. So I'm sorry, again.
I can say that the difference between me putting up this chapter and all the other times is that this time I actually have a full story chapter summary written up now so I know exactly what I want to do with this story now and the writer's block should cease to exist. But I do have a busy life now, so I will try my best to put aside time on a regular basis to get this thing done before Kingdom Hearts III actually comes out. That much I CAN promise.
And without further ado. Chapter 7. Happy Reading.
"Man, I almost forgot how many stairs were in this freaking tower!" Said Sora gasping for air as the two of them crossed the last floating step.
"C'mon Sora it's not that bad." Said Riku with a mischievous grin on his face. Sora rolled his eyes and keeled over to quickly regain himself. They crossed the final circular room towards the aged wooden door, beyond it laid the study of the great Master Yen Sid. Riku glanced back at Sora to make sure his comrade was alright. "You good to go Sora?" He asked.
Sora sighed and pulled himself back up into an affirmative standing position. "As good as I can be." They quickly nodded to each other and Riku proceeded to knock on the door when it suddenly swung open on its own accord.
"I have been waiting Sora and Riku." Boomed the voice of Yen Sid from within the room. The two boys entered and found the elderly wizard sitting in his favorite throne styled green chair, his fingers gently stroking his gray beard. With his free hand he swiped the air as if he were conducting an orchestra and the door swung shut once more. "Now then, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked with his signature inquisitive eye brow raising stare.
Sora nervously cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Well you see Master…ever since we came back from the dream world I've been having some issues when it comes to fighting."
Yen Sid gave his usual contemplating sigh and nodded for him to continue
"Ok…well Organization XIII, no. The REAL Organization XIII that Xehanort recently formed has made several appearances in our daily lives since we came back. One of them cornered me in Traverse Town, another time at Destiny Islands they came after Kairi and I and stole her lucky charm. And every time they show up around me… I suddenly get very weak, and there's a painful burning sensation in my chest and then…I black out." Said Sora sheepishly.
The wise wizard pondered this for a moment before responding.
"Sora, aren't you forgetting something?" Piped in Riku as he pointed to his heart.
"Oh." Mumbled Sora shamefully. He quickly shed his navy blue tux and unbuttoned his matching sapphire vest and white dress shirt. He then tossed them aside to reveal the inflamed Recusants Sigil that had formed upon his chest.
Yen Sid's eyes widened in shock. "No…Impossible. Xehanort didn't even place a piece of his heart within you!" The wizard exclaimed. Even Sora and Riku were slightly frightened by his tone. Never had they once heard Yen Sid yell. Yen Sid then quickly calmed himself down. "But we mustn't trouble ourselves with such negative talk this could mean many different things Sora. However I do believe that this sigil and your black outs are connected to one another. I can only reason that your trauma suffered at the hands of Xehanort in the dream world caused these symptoms, and possibly what is happening is that he exposed your heart to darkness, leaving you in this frail state."
The blood had now drained out of Sora's face, he appeared to be very pale. "Are you saying that I'm starting to succumb to the darkness?"
Yen Sid nodded gravely. "Unfortunately this is a possibility where in order to guarantee that we won't lose you, we must fight fire with fire!" He then suddenly stood up and summoned his wand. He started to swirl it upon his desk until a mysterious looking white light formed. He then gave it a sharp tap and green star shaped pendant fell upon the table. "Attach this key chain to your Keyblade, it will transform it to one of pure light. This should aid you in your resistance to the darkness and the blackouts should hopefully cease to exist."
Sora held out his right arm and summoned his Kingdom Key and proceeded to attack the chain to its hilt. His Keyblade suddenly became engulfed in a white light and formed into what appeared to be a unique looking Kingdom Key. Its dark grey blade curved backwards with a forked end and a one sided golden hilt to match. "What kind of a Keyblade is this?" He asked?
"That is the Keyblade of someone who is very close to your heart. It belonged to Ventus, it is known as the Wayward Wind. Oh and just so you don't embarrass yourself, it is meant to be used back handed." He added with a warm chuckle. Riku gave Sora a smirk as he stopped playing with it and held it the correct way. "Good, now that we have that all settled there is something I wan-"
Yen Sid was suddenly cut off by the appearance of three blue shadowy creatures that immerged from the darkness. They looked and acted like shadow heartless, but they clearly were anything but that. Their skin gleamed a dark blue with jagged antennae's and sinister red eyes. Sora and Riku quickly summoned their Keyblades to attack them with.
"What are they?" Riku asked Yen Sid, who appeared to be in severe shock.
"I can't believe it, they haven't existed in over ten years but here they are. These are the Unversed!" Yen Sid boomed darkly.
Riku charged at one of them and attacked with a downward slash. The little fiend jumped out of his path and snapped back at him. Sora then came flying in with an upward swipe and took it out instantly. Within less than a minute the other two had been pummeled back into the abyss. The two boys then looked back to Yen Sid for an explanation only to find him no longer by his chair.
Everything had fallen eerily silent as Yen Sid walked over to the edge of the room and gazed out of his ceiling high windows into the starry skies.
"Sora although you failed to pass the Mark of Master Examination there is one thing you can do to redeem yourself. And it is a task no other person can perform other than yourself." Said Yen Sid.
Sora hesitated to speak, so Riku kicked him in the back of his leg to get him to talk. "I would be honored to accept this task Master. Just name it and it will be done." Said Sora in a very professional like manner.
Yen Sid continued to gaze out of the window intently but continued to speak. "The day you were born the boy I mentioned earlier, Ventus lost a rather large piece of his heart. This was the result of Master Xehanort's handiwork and he had every intent of ditching this poor boy's body on Destiny islands and leaving him to die. However at the last moment he was saved by you Sora. Your hearts merged that day and became one allowing Ventus to live on and prosper." Said Yen Sid in a grave tone. He then turned around to face Sora.
"It is because of Ventus you gained the ability to wield the Keyblade on that fateful night your home was destroyed Sora. Later on he along with two other noble Keyblade wielders met their demise at the hands of Xehanort. Tragically, those three were not the only ones harmed by Xehanort. Several other innocent people over these past ten years have suffered due to his nefarious schemes as well. And due to this connection you have with Ventus all of their hearts are connected to yours. You alone Sora are the only one who can save all of these people, but to do so you will need the aid of a Keyblade that only one other person ever in existence has been able to wield." Said Yen Sid.
Sora stepped forward. "And what Keyblade is that Master?" Asked Sora.
"Sora, you must find The Key that Returns Hearts if you ever want any chance of finding these poor people and defeating Xehanort once and for all." Spoke Yen Sid grimly.
A quizzical look formed on the young heroines face. "The Key…that Returns Hearts?"
"Yes Sora. A wondrous blade that is able to return a person's heart back to its body at will. It is the only thing that a wielder can do to reverse the freeing of a heart by the hands of another Keyblade."
"Where are we going to find something like that?" Asked Riku.
"You should start your search in Radiant Garden, go to Ansem the Wises study and see if you can find any other information that Xehanort may have left behind their. He undoubtedly knows of its existence. If he tried to forge the X-blade all of those years ago then I'm certain he's known there was a way to counter act it." Replied Yen Sid. "I have one more gift for you before you go." He said as he waved his wand once more and created two armor like items that guided themselves over into Sora and Riku's open hands. "Put them on your left arm." The master instructed.
The boys did as they were told. Sora inspected his closely. It was a solid gold toned piece that covered most of his left forearm. In the center of the armor like piece was a sapphire stone. Sora glanced over at Riku who was investigating his which was a sleek platinum with a teal colored stone in the center of his. "Now listen closely, take your right hand and quickly strike the stone on the armor piece to activate its powers." Said Yen Sid.
The two of them hesitated at first because of how ridiculous this sounded, but again they listed to the master and followed orders. As they struck the stones a white light shrouded their bodies. When it finally vanished they found themselves cloaked in full body suits of armor. Sora's armor was themed around a multitude of gold tone colors with a splash of sapphire here and there and Riku's followed suit with the platinum and teal color scheme.
"These are awesome!" They both exclaimed joyously. Yen Sid gave a genuine smile.
"I'm glad you like them. Theirs one more thing you need to know about them."
"What's that? How could this possibly get better?" Asked Sora excitedly.
Yen Sid chuckled." When you step outside summon your Keyblade and throw it up into the air while wearing your armor, it will transform into your Keyblade Riders. They will allow you to travel in the lanes between worlds and have the ability to repel sustainable amounts of darkness. Of course you are always welcome to continue using light portals, the gummi ship, that beloved shooting star of mine that no one knows how to properly work…"
"Hey we found our way here with it just fine tonight!" Said Riku.
"That's because I directed it to bring you here." Said Yen Sid slyly.
Riku sighed as Sora got a kick out of it. Yen Sid then turned to Sora. "Sora, I need to have a word with Riku in private, why don't you go back to Destiny Islands and inform Kairi of the journey you're going to be taking, and that this time, she's included. I will be sending Riku along with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy when we are wrapped up here." Yen Sid ordered.
"Sweet! I can't wait to tell her! Thanks for everything Master Yen Sid!" Hollered Sora as he ran down the steps to depart for home.
As soon as the door swayed shut the Master turned to week Riku. "Unfortunately I did not keep you behind for a very pleasant talk. I'm afraid your friend is in a much greater perilous situation than he realizes for darkness lies deep within his heart." Said Yen Sid gravely.
Riku took off his armor head and sighed. "I know it's there, but what can I do about it?"
"There is nothing you can do to prevent him from falling deeper, you can only continue to be his supportive friend and keep a tight watch on him from now on. In order to stop this, he must save himself from succumbing to the darkness."
Riku shuddered at the thought of his friend rolling down the dark path he took a few years ago. "Sora saved me from myself when I became one with darkness, so I won't ever let him give in. That's a promise."
…
Meanwhile Back on Destiny Islands
"THIS IS AWESOME!" Sora shouted gleefully into twilight skies. He had just arrived back on the islands on his newly discovered Keyblade rider that strongly resembled the Keyblade that Yen Sid had given him, except that his had a splash of sapphire in certain spots. As he broke through the clouds he spotted their hangout spot island, he continued to descend more and more rapidly. Just before he was about hit the ocean he quickly pulled back up and barely skimmed over the surface of the water until he reached the sandy shore.
"FSSSSHHH!" Was the sound of the sand grinding him to halt on his rider. Sora quickly slapped the sapphire stone on his left arm and in a flash of dazzlingly white light everything had been put away. Leaving him still in his dress clothes from the previous night.
"Get away from me you freak! Help!" A familiar female voice shrieked. Sora gazed up at the island that could only be accessed by the bridge and saw Namiri cowering in fear as an Organization XIII member slowly crept up to her. They turned their head slightly and stared hungrily at her, as if they were a ferocious lion seconds from pouncing upon their prey.
"Hold on Namiri! I'm coming!" Sora called out to her. He darted towards the ledge near the shack and rebounded off of it to land upon the roof where he immediately dropped onto the bridge and dashed towards the member, Keyblade in hand ready to strike it upon them. "Keep your hands off of her you creep! AAAAHHHH!" Sora yelled as he charged towards them. The Organization member broke off its gaze with Namiri and watched as Sora leapt high into the air ready to strike him down. He then quickly held his arm in front of his face as if to defend himself from the blow. Just seconds before Sora was about to hit him though, a huge sapphire blue diamond shield materialized over the members arm and deflected his attack.
"What!" Sora exclaimed as he fell back onto his feet. The members hood had fallen off during the backlash, his long smooth blond hair blew gently in the islands morning gale.
"Why hello Sora. I do believe it's been quite some time since we properly met one another, although back then you simply knew me as Vexen, the frozen scholar of Organization XIII." He said prudently.
Sora was lost. He knew he had seen this member before, but had no memory of meeting them ever in his life. "What do you call yourself now?" He asked.
"My real name is Even. Try not to strain yourself to hard trying to remember where you have seen before though Sora. For you won't remember!" Even said with a wicked grin on his face.
Sora held his Keyblade in a battle stance, moments from using strike raid to wipe that smirk off his foul face. "Why not!" He demanded.
"Because last time we met was in Castle Oblivion. Where Marluxia and Larxene plotted to overthrow the Organization by using Namine's powers to erase your memory so they could attempt to crush your heart to pieces and use you as their pawn against the rest of us." Said Even.
"Well it doesn't matter now! Strike Raid!" Sora cried out as he hurled the wayward wind towards Even at a blistering speed. He merely warped to dodge it but found himself struck in the back with it moments later.
"Ugh! You little twit! I'll make you pay for that!" He snarled. He then swayed his shield and an avalanche of ice crystals started to chase after him until he leapt off the bridge. Even pursued him, casting several rounds of blizzard magic until the sand beneath their feet had nearly become covered with snow. Sora dodged his frozen icy blasts and launched a Firaga at his back.
Even howled in agony. "It's time to put you on ice! Deep freeze!" He screamed. Just as Sora was about to swing his blade at him he became frozen in a solid prism of ice. Even quickly darted towards him and slammed his oversized shield into the ice prison, obliterating it and greatly damaging Sora. Sora quickly healed himself and did a sliding dash towards Even. When in Even warped out of his way he dealt a triple round of Firaga to his back.
"Gah! I give! I can't take any more of this!" Gasped Even. Heavily panting he turned towards Sora, appearing to accept defeat. "You win you little brat! I forgot how tough you and that friend of yours were."
Sora huffed. "Then get out of here! And leave my friends alone!" He said as he walked towards Namiri, who had just jumped off the bridge and ran towards him. "You ok? Did he hurt you?" Sora asked in a concerning manner.
"Yes I'm fine. Just a little shaken is all." She said with a soft smile.
Sora grinned. "Well that's good. Why was he after you anyways?"
She reached into the pocket of the simple short grey dress she was wearing and pulled out a book. "He was after this. My journal. The only thing that I ha- SORA LOOK OUT!" She screamed as Even leapt into the air behind them and was seconds from crushing Sora with his almighty shield. Namiri quickly shoved Sora out of the way and held her arms before her to take the strike for him. Just as he was about to strike her down however, a bright white light sparked from her hands and blinded them all. There was a deafening clang of metal on metal and Even leapt back and gazed at her in awe. A Keyblade had formed in her hands and it was the spitting image of Kairi's with a whole new color tone. Her blade had a solid grey frame with black and white flowers ensnaring it here and there.
Sora was awestruck at what had just unfolded before him, but he was quickly overrun by an immense amount of anger however, as that cursed voice in his head returned once again.
"What a cheap shot! Alright you rotten little fool. IT'S TIME TO PAY!" It snarled menacingly.
Sora's line of vision slowly faded to black entirely as he found himself involuntarily running towards Even. When he regained himself he was staring straight at the ground with his head bowed and his Keyblade held high into the air behind his back. He quickly broke free of this pose and looked behind him. He found Even buckled over clutching his face with a very horrified looking Namiri standing before him.
"GAAAAHHHHH!" Even screamed. He then turned towards Sora and glared at him venomously as he clutched his face. A large gash was now upon his right cheek, a dark aura pulsed from it. Sora was astounded. He couldn't believe what had just happened, had he really just used the powers of darkness to do that to Even?
"E-Even. I'm S-" Sora started but was cut off by him.
"You're what? Sorry? Save your breath! Just remember Sora, this isn't the last time well bother you! This is only just the beginning!" Even spat at him as he summoned a dark portal and made his retreat.
Sora continued to stand in the same spot in shock. Namiri slowly approached him with her Keyblade still withdrawn. "Sora, are you alright?" She asked him cautiously.
"Namiri…what did I do?" He asked fearfully.
"After I blocked his sneak attack on you. Your eyes suddenly glinted yellow and your Keyblade gave off a dark aura as you charged and slashed at Evens face." She said quietly.
Sora gulped. He knew something was wrong with him when he heard the voice near Namiri last night, and now that he was near her again the voice came back and made him do something awful. He knew it couldn't be a coincidence. Namiri walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey it's going to be alright, you did save me after all. And for that, Thanks." She said as looked up at his face with her warm glowing amber eyes.
Sora noted how they matched the color of the orange toned sky as the sun began to rise above the ocean, it was now dawn. Morning had finally arrived. Sora gently grabbed her hand off his shoulder and held on to it. "R-right. I did save you. But I gotta ask. Have you always been able to wield a Keyblade?"
Namiri shook her head. "No, that was the first time that ever happened. I didn't even know I was capable of doing that till just now."
Sora sighed. "Ok then. I believe you. Perhaps we should get back to the islands?" He suggested.
Namiri nodded with a smile. "I agree. I haven't slept all night."
"Neither have I." Sora said with a chuckle as she got into the row boat. Namiri giggled at this fact but quickly resumed being silent again. Sora grabbed the oars and they set off for the main land. A couple minutes into their trip, Namiri decided to break the silence with the question that had been on her mind since the battle.
"So what happens to us now?" She asked Sora.
Sora waited a moment before responding. "Well Namiri, I still stand by what I said last night at the restaurant. I'm with Kairi. It would be wrong of me to cheat on her."
"Oh." Namiri said as the smile faded from her face and was replaced with a stoic expression.
"But." Said Sora.
"But?" Namiri echoed him.
"I'm actually about to embark on a journey with some old friends of mine, including Kairi. And I think you should join us." Said Sora.
Her warm little smile quickly returned. "I'd like nothing more than that. However, wouldn't that be awkward for you? With everything that happened last night?" She questioned him.
Sora's face grew slightly red. "Well, yes, it would. But I'm willing to look past that. Besides with me knowing now that you can wield a Keyblade and that Organization XIII is after you, I can't let you go back out on your own until I know you're safe."
Namiri chuckled. "Alright then. You win. I'll join you on your little crusade to…do what exactly?"
"My friends and I are going to Radiant Garden to search for any information on the Key that Returns Hearts." Replied Sora.
"The Key that Returns Hearts… Sounds…interesting." Said Namiri slowly. Trying not to sound like she had no idea what he was talking about. She quickly rearranged her silky smooth platinum hair as it blew into her face from the sea breeze.
Sora stifled a laugh as she shot him a look. "Relax. Were just about to land on shore." Sure enough moments later they waves gently pushed them onto the sand. Sora helped Namiri out of the boat and pulled it further up shore.
"It's about time you made it back!" Riku called out to Sora from the distance. Sora and Namiri looked up at the source of the noise and found Riku and Kairi walking towards them. Both of them with very inquisitive looks upon their faces.
"Hey Riku! Kairi!" Said Sora sheepishly.
"Where have you been? I got back here before you did apparently and filled Kairi in on everything already. Were you having too much fun on your new Keyblade Rider or something?" Riku said with a laugh until his eyes fell on Namiri. "And you are?"
"Namiri." She said curtly. "I was out on the islands when suddenly this man in black coat attacked me. If it wasn't for Sora arriving in the nick of time, I might not be here right now." She explained, saving Sora the trouble.
"Well thank goodness you're ok." Said Kairi as she went up to Sora and ruffled his spiky hair. "That's my boyfriend for ya. Always saving the day. Right?" She said looking up at him.
Sora looked down at her and kissed her forehead. "You bet." He said with a smile. Sora then looked back up at Riku. "I actually have a proposition for you two."
"And that would be?" Asked Riku with his eyebrow raised.
"I would like Namiri to come with us on our little adventure to find The Key to Returns Hearts. She discovered during my little scuffle with Even out there that she can wield a Keyblade and I think it would be beneficial for her to tag along with us just in case the Organization comes after her again. Show them you're Keyblade Namiri." Said Sora as he motioned her to hold her arm straight out forward. Namiri mimicked his motion and sure enough her Keyblade unveiled itself.
"Whoa! That's neat! Hey Sora doesn't it look a lot like mine?" Said Kairi as she summoned hers and held it alongside Namiri's.
"They sure do look similar. That's odd." Said Riku as he gave Sora an inquisitive look. Sora just chuckled awkwardly.
"Well I think its great idea to have you join us Namiri." Said Kairi cheerfully.
"You really think so?" Asked Namiri.
"Sure why not. Any friend of Sora's is a friend of ours. Welcome aboard." Said Riku with a sly chuckle.
"Thanks you guys. I appreciate it. "Said Namiri with a big grin on her face.
Suddenly the deafening roar of a gummi ship rocket engine came flying over them and moments later they saw the familiar little red contraption begin its descent on the other island.
Sora chuckled awkwardly again. "Looks like were rowing right back out on to the island then."
Riku laughed. "You bet. Let's get going."
And so the four of them sailed back out to the island to begin what would be the final journey.
…
Chapter 8 Sneak Preview!
A young man with spiked brown hair clad in bronze and red armor laid flat on a dark earthy surface. He appeared to be very still, but he quickly gasped in the cold shrill air of his unfamiliar environment and coughed a few times. His earthy brown eyes flickered open and he slowly gained the strength to push himself off the ground.
"Where…am I? He questioned aloud to vast darkness around him. Before him stood a castle that appeared to be made of ice. Its many jagged roofs pointed in illogical directions and it appeared to be one big cataclysmic mess. The young man put his hands to face. He gasped again.
"I'm…alive?" He stuttered. He quickly reached his hand underneath his armor and pressed against his chest. His heart pounded heavily against his fist. "I'm alive!" He cried out joyfully. His happiness quickly faded though, as recalled his last few moments before ceasing to exist. Many faces flooded his mind, but their names were evading him. He recalled being in a graveyard with a blue haired young woman and a blond spiky haired young boy. He knew they were his closest friends and they were fighting against a great evil that day.
A tear suddenly rolled down his face. "V-Ven. Aqua. What happened to us?" He asked the darkness that would never respond. Through the tears he continued to recall that fateful day. He remembered flying up high on his Keyblade and landing to face and bald old man in a trench coat. He had a frayed grey goatee and a wicked grin upon his face. He defeats him, and suddenly the old man turns his blade himself and frees his heart from his ancient body and sends it hurdling towards him. He quickly defends himself, but it's no use. He became possessed. A painful flashback of him holding Aqua off the ground by her neck crosses his mind.
"N-no! What…did I do…this isn't me… it's his fault." Terra sobbed to himself, but the man's name still evaded him.
"Terra! Fight him. Please!" Aqua pleads in his flashback before he drops her.
"X-….Xeh…" The name was on the tip of his tongue. Terra almost remembered what this foul man's name was.
"He wants me and Vanitas to fight… and make some kind of X-blade." Ventus said depressingly in another one of his flashbacks.
"Xeha-…" But it still wasn't enough. He was getting so close to the truth.
"And now your darkness shall be the arc that sustains me!" The wicked old man hollered as he sent his black putrid heart straight at him.
"Xehanort….XEHANORT!" Terra shouted angrily into the darkness, but he knew the truth now. No one was there to listen or help him now.
…Or so he thought…
Well. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and the preview. As always feel free to review or inbox me on anything. My goal is to be back within the month with the next chapter. But we shall see what life has in store for me. Until then.
Thanks for reading!
