Aqua and Si'Lea raced into the Fifth District of town, passing the spot where Sora had first appeared and reaching a spot where Si'Lea stopped.

"Okay, this is it. From this point on, the Heartless are going to be increasingly strong." Si'Lea said as she summoned her Keyblade.

"You're still using Bright Crest?" Aqua asked as Si'Lea nodded.

"It's served me well over the years. I can't complain." Si'Lea said with a shrug before she noticed Aqua was holding Mark of Mastery, Master Eraqus's Keyblade.

"I see you've switched to using Master Eraqus's Keyblade." Si'Lea said as Aqua held the weapon in both hands.

"It was Master Eraqus's last wish for me to wield his Keyblade. I honor his memory as such." Aqua said as Si'Lea nodded.

"He was a good man, and a great Master." Si'Lea said respectfully. Aqua then noticed a pair of Soldier Heartless walk past in front of them. They were quickly obliterated by a Fission Firaga spell from Si'Lea.

"Hmm…that's odd." Aqua said as she tapped her chin.

"They're Heartless. They've nearly overrun this district." Si'Lea said but Aqua shook her head.

"No, it's not that. One of Sora's apprentices, a boy named Riku, once explained to me that there are two distinct breeds of Heartless. Pureblood Heartless and Emblem type Heartless. Pureblood are the ones like Shadow, Neoshadow, Dark Ball and onward and are created naturally by people who lose their hearts. Emblem Heartless are identified by the Heartless symbol on them and are practically manufactured by machine but serve the same purpose and are more widespread than the Pureblood Heartless. But the problem I'm having is that according to Riku, the factory that manufactured the Emblem Heartless was supposed to have been shut down and repurposed several months ago. How did these Emblem Heartless get here?" Aqua asked as Si'Lea tapped her chin.

"Hmm, I suppose it has to do with First's chief henchman. He has the power to create Heartless." Si'Lea replied as Aqua's eyes widened.

"How does he do that?" She asked confused as Si'Lea sighed.

"I'm not exactly sure. I do know that it involves that one henchman. I've never seen the process before but I know it's possible." Si'Lea explained as Aqua activated her armor and they both walked into the darkened Sixth District together.

"But there has to be some way he does that. No one person should hold the power to create Heartless." Aqua said as Si'Lea nodded.

"You're right about that. Commanding them is easy. They simply react to the person whose Heart is the darkest. Creating them is a different issue. To do that, you'd need two things. First, an abundance of hearts stolen from innocent people and second, a device that can make them into Heartless. If a person tried it on their own, they'd succumb to the Darkness themselves and lose their heart in the process but with a device to do it for them, it's easy as pie." Si'Lea said as they reached the center of a ruined intersection.

"I thought the Heartless were supposed to be abundant in this district." Aqua said as Si'Lea furrowed her brow.

"You're right. They seem to have vanished since we arrived. I have a sinking suspicion that we've walked right into a-…" Si'Lea said before a sudden burst of flames erupted in front of them, causing them to leap back in surprise. Suddenly a figure appeared in the flames. It was a figure dressed from head to toe in a tattered red cloak and hood but with a pair of large deer-like antlers sticking out from the back of the hood and the tips of a pair of brown boots sticking out from beneath the robes. Around the collar was a maroon fur cloak that dangled down the back. The cloak was clasped together by a moon shaped buckle on the left side. The figure's face was easily seen and it was a withered and rotting skull like face with a pair of empty black eyes. The fires then died down as Si'Lea snarled.

"Horned King!" she hissed.

"Ah, the Master of Sublime City. Such an honor to remake your acquaintance." The Horned King (From Disney's The Black Cauldron) said with a gravely man's voice.

"Spare me the pleasantries Horned King! What are you doing here and in the broad daylight?" Si'Lea asked angrily.

"I was not here looking for you, Master Si'Lea, but I am here seeking another wielder of the Keyblade and this one will suffice." Horned King said as he turned to Aqua whose helmet disappeared.

"I am Master Aqua of the Keyblade, now state your purpose here!" Aqua ordered as the Horned King grinned a hideous grin.

"Ah, another Master. How quaint. I bring a gift for you from the First Sister and the Sisterhood of Seven who bids you welcome to these worlds." The Horned King said as he reached into his sleeve with a withered and boney hand and pulled out a small white bundle of cloth and tossed it to Aqua who unfolded it, revealing it to be a small white dress similar to the one Kairi wore underneath her pink outfit.

"What am I to make of this?" Aqua asked curiously.

"Why it belongs to the girl you came here to rescue. It is evidence that we have her within our grasp and soon…she will be ours to command." The Horned King said as Aqua snarled angrily.

"You monsters!" She yelled.

"What's First planning, Horned King!" Si'Lea growled as she pointed her Keyblade at the servant of Darkness.

"I have said all that I will of the matter. We'll be in touch." Horned King said as he backed away and three Behemoth type Heartless suddenly appeared behind him.

"Uh-oh!" Aqua exclaimed as she summoned her helmet again and both she and Si'Lea dropped into their battle stances.

"I hope you enjoy my pets." Horned King said with a dark grin. Aqua was about to move but Si'Lea motioned to wait.

"I have a message for First when you see her." Si'Lea said as she aimed her Keyblade at the Horned King.

"I am no messenger boy." The Horned King said but Si'Lea didn't care.

"And I don't care! This is my message to HER!" Si'Lea shouted as a large blue fireball appeared on the tip of her Keyblade. Horned King slowly backed away as the Behemoths moved in between him and the two Keyblade Masters.

"I see I shall have to…step up my plans." Horned King said as a large pillar of flames erupted beneath his feet, causing him to disappear just as Si'Lea fired off one of her Shot Locks…Mega-Flare. A blinding flash of blue light sent a pillar of blue flames so high, it could be seen from the First District.

"Hmm…seems like the Master is having fun." Ludro said as he and Sora marveled at the sight of the towering flames. Back in the Sixth District, all three Behemoths had vanished, replaced by three glowing hearts that quickly vanished. Aqua and Si'Lea were both unscathed by the attack.

"I had forgotten about your Mega-Flare shot lock." Aqua said as she dusted some soot off her armor.

"Blast that Horned King. He'll eat flare one day." Si'Lea grumbled.

"So who was that guy?" Aqua asked as Si'Lea turned towards her.

"Remember that henchman of First's I told you about? The one that can create Heartless? That was him. The Horned King." Si'Lea said, motioning with her head towards where the Horned King had disappeared.

"The Horned King? What's he King of?" Aqua asked curiously.

"I don't really know for sure. I think he caused his own world to fall into Darkness. He's more of a sorcerer than a King though. He's the one responsible for the creation of all these Emblem Heartless, as you call them, through the use of a mixture of alchemy and magic. But he's obsessed with finding something that will allow him to create Heartless much quicker and in greater quantities. An ancient device called, the Black Cauldron." Si'Lea said as she turned towards the Fifth District and started walking back towards the First District.

"The Black Cauldron? What's that?" Aqua asked as she started following Si'Lea.

"Not much. I know it can be used to create Heartless. That's it. The Horned King is desperately searching for it and apparently the Sisterhood has agreed to help him find it in exchange for his loyalty." Si'Lea answered.

"I see. Well, at least we know now that we're in the right set of Worlds. Sora's going to be relieved when he hears that." Aqua said as she held up Namine's dress.

"What about when he hears that she's in First's clutches?" Si'Lea asked.

"He won't like it but the fact alone that we're on the right track will be of great comfort to him." Aqua said as Si'Lea nodded.

"Good to hear. He kinda strikes me as the giddy, naïve type." Si'Lea replied as Aqua chuckled.

"Yeah, but he's got a heart of gold. He's been a good friend and not just to me, but to everyone." Aqua said.

"I suppose that's one reason why he wants to find his girlfriend so bad." Si'Lea said as they walked on.

"Maybe, but that's just Sora for you. He's very protective of his friends. He'll even protect someone he doesn't know without question or thinking twice about it. Plus we have to remember, a part of him is in love with Namine and that part is Roxas, his Nobody who's probably worried sick about her." Aqua said.

"I know I'd be worried about Nixe if she got kidnapped." Si'Lea replied, her mind drifting as they continued on towards the First District, not noticing the two white hooded figures that watched them from the shadows.

In the Palace of Eternity…

Namine stood within a large circular domed room with grey stone walls and a second balcony railing. She was surrounded by a number of Shadow Heartless. She held her Keyblade, Lunar Eclipse, in her battle stance, which mimicked Sora's perfectly. She then took a swing at one heartless and struck it head on, causing it to disappear in a blue flash. They weren't actual Heartless, but strange illusions created through some way. As she continued fighting the Heartless, Second and Sixth stood on the balcony, watching her progress. Second stood with her eyes gently shut.

"How goes her training?" First asked as she entered with her arms crossed.

"Quite well, actually. She claimed initially that she didn't know how to fight, yet she seems to be fighting quite well." Sixth answered, continuing to watch as Namine cut down the fake Heartless.

"I imagine her constant proximity to the hearts of Keyblade wielders has allowed her to gleam some fighting knowledge from them. But the fact she has a Keyblade alone could be useful in the gathering of hearts for us. According to our source in the other worlds, it's been done before so we could easily adapt that strategy here." First said as she watched the young Nobody practice.

"She's too kind. We've already given her a test but she didn't know it. Second created an illusionary kitten and sent some of those fake Heartless after it. Seven defended the animal." Sixth explained as First rolled her visible eye and sighed in frustration.

"Idiots. You should have used something else, something nondescript like a person." First said as Sixth shrugged.

"It was only our first test, dear sister. We have many more we wish to try on her." Sixth replied.

"Very well. Make sure that she continues to improve. Horned King reports that those two Keyblade wielding miscreants have come to these worlds after her. We only need to make sure she fulfils her purpose before they find her." First said as she turned and started to walk away. Namine had her back turned to them but she had heard what First had said and she knew, deep inside where her heart should be, that there was only one person who would risk his very life in search of her.

"Sora…Roxas…you came for me."

Back in Sublime City…

Sora was walking back towards the Mansion with Ludro. He watched as Nixe leapt from the top of the tall central steeple of the mansion, bounced off of a drain pipe on the roof, then bounced off the side of the steeple between the second and first story and then land feet first on the ground in front of the doors without a scratch. Sora had just entered the courtyard and was about to run towards her when suddenly he heard a familiar voice.

"Sora…Roxas...you came for me."

"Namine?" Sora asked as he skid to a halt and looked around.

"Something the matter, Master Sora?" Ludro asked.

"Did you hear that? Did you hear someone call my name just now?" Sora asked as he looked around frantically searching for any sign of Namine but he found none.

"No, I don't think so." Ludro said as Nixe approached them.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"I believe Master Sora is hearing things." Ludro replied with a shrug.

"No, it's the girl I'm looking for. I heard her voice calling for me just now. I'm sure it was her!" Sora said.

"There's no one here but us, Master Sora." Nixe said, earning a sigh of frustration from the Keyblade Master.

"Oh, well I guess it was just my imagination then, huh?" Sora said.

"Don't doubt your senses."

"YAH! Vincent! Don't sneak up on us like that!" Nixe yelped as she punched the red cloaked gunman in the arm but he didn't even flinch.

"What did you just say?" Sora asked him curiously.

"Don't doubt your senses, Master Sora. Your connection with this girl is probably the best chance of your finding her." Vincent said as Sora looked down with a hand on his chin in thought.

"Then, what should I do? Si'Lea wants me to stay here while she and Aqua search, but I can't do that!" Sora said.

"I cannot tell you what path you should take. No one is qualified to do so. You must take the path that you feel is the right one." Vincent said before he turned and walked off, passing Si'Lea and Aqua as they ran into the Mansion's courtyard. Aqua had something clutched in her hand.

"Sora!" Aqua called as they approached.

"Aqua! What is it?" Sora asked.

"We've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is, we know your girlfriend is here in these worlds." Si'Lea said as Sora hesitated.

"And the bad news?" he asked as Aqua held up Namine's dress.

"The bad news is, that the Sisterhood of Seven has her." Aqua said sadly as Sora reached out and took the dress, holding it with a somber expression.

"Master Sora, I'm so, so very sorry." Nixe said as she put her hand on Sora's shoulder.

"She might be in a very dark place right now…but she's alive. I know she is." Sora said as Aqua knelt down to his level.

"Sora, we have no idea what condition she's in. But we will find her. I don't think I have to tell you not to lose hope, now do I?" Aqua asked as Sora took a deep breath before giving one of his trademark smiles.

"I'm not giving up hope, Aqua. In fact, I think she's been trying to contact me." Sora said, earning a surprised look from Aqua and Si'Lea.

"What? Really?" Aqua asked as Sora nodded.

"Yeah, I heard her voice calling for me just a second ago." Sora said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out Kairi's lucky charm.

"I remember a promise I made to protect her. I know she might have put that memory in me, but to me it's as real as can be. So I'm going to keep my promise." Sora said, pocketing the charm once again.

"Then…I'll let you and Aqua go look for her. I'll remain here, where I'm needed." Si'Lea said but Sora shook his head.

"No, I can't do that to you. You and Aqua haven't seen each other in over eleven years. I can't keep you two from catching up. Besides, I'm a Keyblade Master and I need to follow the clues on my own." Sora said as Aqua smiled understandingly.

"Then what's your first move, Sora?" Aqua asked as Sora held up the dress.

"I remember what Master Yen Sid told us to do during that whole incident with the Keyblades a few weeks ago. He told us to have them analyzed by Ansem the Wise. I feel like her dress might have some clues, but since Ansem's not here, I'll have to talk to someone just as smart." Sora said as Si'Lea smiled.

"That would be Professor Von Drake. He's bound to have the equipment to analyze that dress. His lab's in the basement of the Mansion." Si'Lea said.

"I'll show you the way personally if necessary." Ludro said with a humble bow.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Sora said with a smile.

"Well, Si, I guess that means we're free to roam about the worlds." Aqua said as Si'Lea nodded.

"We should keep our eyes peeled for Mickey. He's bound to be somewhere in the worlds." Si'Lea added.

"Forgive me, Master, but what about us? What shall we do while you're away?" Ludro asked as Si'Lea paused in thought for a moment.

"Hmm…rally the troops in the ballroom; I'll deal with that right now. Nixe, you too." Si'Lea said as Nixe saluted.

"Yes ma'am!" she replied before running into the mansion with Ludro and Vincent close behind.

"You guys take care of what you need to here in town. I'll be in the ballroom if you need anything." Si'Lea said before walking into the mansion.

"Are you sure you'll be alright Sora?" Aqua asked as Sora nodded.

"I'll be fine. I've got Roxas and Xion with me. I won't be alone. Besides, if I need help, I can simply D-Link with you, right?" Sora asked as Aqua reached in her pocket and pulled out her own blue star shaped lucky charm.

"Yep. Hmm…I wonder what would happen if we tried to D-Link with our friends back home." Aqua said.

"I dunno, let's see what happens." Sora said as they closed their eyes and attempted to establish the D-Link.

End Chapter 10.

A/N: Okay I know that Mega Flare is an ability that Ven, Terra, and Aqua can use in Birth By Sleep (and its one of my favorite moves to use against clusters of enemies) but for the sake of the story, let's say that their version is simply, Flare, while Si'Lea has Mega Flare (It's one of her Shot Locks).

Now as in Dark Reflections, I gave my suggestions for who I'd pick for Sora's OC parents. Well I got to thinking and I think I have my selections for Si'Lea, Nixe, and the 6 Sisterhood members. Mind you these are my merely suggestions as to who I'd have voicing these roles. However at the time I cannot come up with decent voice actresses to match Second through Sixth so only Si'Lea, Nixe, and First are the only ones I've got right now.

Si'Lea - Jen Taylor (Cortana - Halo, Zoey - Left 4 Dead)

Nixe - Kristen Bell (Princess Anna - Frozen, Veronica Mars - Veronica Mars)

First - Marina Sirtis (Councilor Deanna Troi - Star Trek: TNG, Demona - Gargoyles, Benezia - Mass Effect)