Namine had snuck back into the Palace via Corridor of Darkness directly to her private bathroom. As she left the bathroom, she quietly removed the coat, revealing the standard white dress of the Sisterhood underneath. She then turned the coat inside out, showing that it was completely reversible with a solid white interior on one side and solid black on the other. She was just zipping the coat back up, white side out, just as she heard a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Namine asked.
"Second. You have a mission from First." Second replied from the other side of the door. Namine gave a light sigh, heading for the door. As she opened it, she saw Second seated in her glass-sedan-chair-on-wheels in the hall.
"Come. First has a mission for you and the abhorrent child." Second said as Namine quietly climbed onto the back of Second's chair which started rolling down the hall towards Prishe's cell on the lower floors. The chair didn't have any difficulty rolling down any of the stairs, the wheels adapting to them on their own so the ride was as smooth as if they were rolling down a flat surface. There was a period of awkward silence before Namine finally spoke up.
"Second…" Namine said.
"Hmm?" Second replied.
"Can I ask you a question?" she asked as Second shrugged.
"Sure, I guess."
"When did First lose her eye?" Namine asked as Second sat back in her chair, thinking slightly.
"It's been about…seven years now I believe." Second replied.
"Seven years?" Namine asked, mildly surprised.
"Yeah. That Keyblade Master from Sublime got her back for damaging her own eye during the same fight. An eye for an eye in its most literal sense I suppose." Second explained.
"I see. Is that why we're fighting the Keyblade wielders? For revenge?" Namine asked. She was probing for clues to help further protect Nixe and to stop the Sisterhood. Second merely laughed.
"What? No. The Keyblade wielders want to deny us our independence. They want to force us to give it up. We merely want to gain hearts and remain independent. Gaining a heart is the only way to ensure it." Second replied.
"And how close are we to getting them?" Namine asked.
"That I don't know. First has a theory about Keyblades and their wielders but she hasn't shared much about it with us. I know she plans on using that girl, Nixe I think her name is, as a test subject. I only hope this plan is successful." Second explained. Namine blinked in alarm at this.
"This plan? How many plans has she had already?" Namine asked.
"Quite a few actually. None have been successful however. It's something of an experiment. We're trying to see what will and won't work but First believes she might've stumbled upon the correct method for us to attain a heart." Second replied as they arrived at Prishe's cell.
"Go get the horrid brat. I'm in no mood to deal with her shenanigans." Second ordered, Namine quietly climbing off the chair and approaching the door. She was about to knock when the door opened itself, Prishe standing in the doorway, smirking towards Second.
"Sup' Two? I see you're as crappy as always." Prishe said, Second scowling at her.
"Get over here you horrid child." She hissed as Prishe shrugged towards Namine and headed for the chair, Namine following after her.
"So which world are we terrorizing now, Massive Dos?" Prishe asked, deliberately making fun of Second's number, further aggravating her.
"Nomanisan. There's a special mission for the two of you to undertake." Second replied as a Corridor of Darkness opened before them. The chair proceeded to roll into the Corridor. Within seconds they found themselves in the control room in another world. Namine looked around and saw a number of monitors showing recorded footage of a fight that occurred between a large spherical robot with five mechanical arms against two figures, a muscular man in a red costume and a boy that Namine recognized: Sora. Namine quietly exhaled in minor annoyance, frustrated that she had missed Sora on that world. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a man's voice from nearby.
"Oh hey! You're back! Glad you could make it! Just in time too!" Syndrome greeted as he approached.
"Syndrome this is our Seventh Sister, the Lady of Gluttony. The wretched child, you already know. They are here to provide whatever assistance you may require." Second introduced. Syndrome merely smiled appreciatively towards the two.
"Good. Man you Sisterhood types really get going." Syndrome commented as Prishe stood staring at him with a curious look on her face.
"What does the 'S' stand for?" she asked as Syndrome glared at her.
"Uh, Syndrome?" Syndrome replied.
"Really because I thought it was short for bullsh-…" Prishe was suddenly hit by a blue stream of cyan colored energy, caught in a stasis field by an annoyed Syndrome who threw her into a nearby wall, smashing her through it, alarming Namine but earning an annoyed glare from Second.
"Don't bother losing your temper over her, Syndrome. It does you no good." Second said as Syndrome scowled towards the hole in the wall where Prishe had been sent.
"Anyway, as I was saying. It seems Mr. Incredible managed to escape the version 9 Omnidroid. I want you to make sure he's dead." Syndrome said to Namine who cleared her throat.
"Okay." She replied as Prishe approached, knocking some sediment out of her ears by hitting the side of her head.
"One dead super, coming right up." Prishe said as she and Namine headed out.
…
Namine and Prishe were walking through the jungles of the island, Namine with her hood up. As they walked, Namine would occasionally glance towards Prishe.
"So…Seven years huh?" Namine asked, Prishe's ears perking up slightly.
"Huh?" she asked back.
"You've been First's prisoner for at least seven years. Her eye wasn't damaged until seven years ago and you were her prisoner before that. So eight years by your own admission." Namine commented as Prishe smirked slightly.
"That's an interesting way of figuring that out. How'd you get that far?" Prishe asked.
"It's not important. I also want to apologize for earlier." Namine said but Prishe gave her a dismissive wave.
"Nah. You were just trying to keep from getting blasted. Can't blame you. I should've known that First would order you to keep me alive." Prishe said, confusing Namine.
"Why would First want her kept alive? I've seen her survive bullets to the chest. Does it have something to do with her secret?" Namine pondered as they kept walking, neither one aware that Neku was watching them from amongst the trees, quietly observing their actions. Soon they made their way into a cave, illuminated by glowing blue rocks.
"Well this place brings me back." Prishe mumbled.
"Hmm?" Namine asked.
"I was here not that long ago. Got hired to off another of Syndrome's 'guest's' when he got too nosey." Prishe explained, Namine looking towards Prishe curiously. When she did, she noticed something move behind one of the rocky pillars in the cave.
"What exactly is Syndrome's goal here?" Namine asked.
"He's obsessed with becoming a hero." Prishe replied, confusing Namine.
"A hero? But if that's the case, why is he working with us?" Namine asked, earning a smirk from Prishe.
"They really don't tell you anything, do they?" she asked as Namine shook her head.
"I don't think they fully trust me yet." Namine replied.
"Well that's lame. Okay, here's the deal with ol' B.S. up there. He's got this wild plan to make himself a superhero but he's not willing to share the spotlight. He's been tricking ex-superheroes to this island and forcing them to fight against a machine called the Omnidroid. If the hero wins, he uses the information from the loss to build a newer Omnidroid and the new version typically wins and the hero…" Prishe said, running a finger across her throat in a "slitting-the-throat" motion. Namine gave her a grim expression.
"I see. So when will this Omnidroid be ready?" Namine asked.
"When it kills the hero at the top of Syndrome's list. A guy named Mr. Incredible. Apparently, the geezer was Syndrome's idol in his youth but he got disillusioned somehow so now Syndrome's on a revenge quest. Wipe out the world's heroes with a big weapon that only he can defeat, use the same weapon to create a panic, then swoop in and safe the day. Instant hero worship." Prishe explained as Namine glanced towards the figure in the shadows.
"And what of this Mr. Incredible?" Namine asked.
"Well apparently, Syndrome found him and got him here. Now he probably knows too much and that's why we're here. To make sure he doesn't interfere." Prishe replied as Namine swallowed nervously.
"I see. So where do we find Mr. Incredible?" Namine asked. Prishe smirked and slipped on her plated knuckles.
"Oh he's lurking behind me right now." Prishe replied before spinning around and hurling a large bullet of light magic towards the pillar or rock, smashing it and revealing Mr. Incredible, ducking behind the pillar. (Battle Music Cue: 13th Struggle – KH2/Re:COM) Mr. Incredible quickly popped up, his fists raised and ready to fight.
"You sly dog! Thought I'd not notice?!" Prishe asked with a grin. She immediately launched towards Mr. Incredible who caught her fist in midair and proceeded to deliver a powerful, inhumanly strong, punch, launching her through the walls of the cave, leaving a large hole. Namine was stunned by his sheer strength and quickly summoned her Keyblade to defend herself with. The minute Mr. Incredible saw the Keyblade, his eyes widened.
"I've seen one of those before!" He remarked as Namine's eyes widened and looked at her Keyblade. She quickly dodged an attack from Mr. Incredible as he smashed the ground near her, leaving a large dent in the ground. Namine quickly threw up a reflega shield just as Mr. Incredible scooped and threw a large cluster of rocks and dirt from the ground at Namine, the debris bouncing harmlessly off of the shield but before she could move, Mr. Incredible had leapt forward and delivered a powerful blow to the shield, collapsing it in one hit. Namine quickly backed away.
"GIVE ME STRENGTH!" She exclaimed as she entered Brave Form, quickly moving with greater speed and agility so as to avoid his attacks. Unfortunately for her, it didn't quite work out as she hoped as his speed was simply too great, and he caught up with her, grabbing her by the right arm, the force of his grip causing her to drop the Keyblade.
"Where did you get that?!" He asked. She looked up at him in fear but her expressions were hidden by the shadow her hood cast over her face and the cave's own dim lighting. She quickly looked into his memories, searching his surface memories and sure enough, she found a memory of him and Sora fighting a large metal monster: the Omnidroid. Sora had already been there. Before Namine could do anything with this knowledge, Mr. Incredible was suddenly blindsided by a white blur. Prishe had launched in and smacked him hard across the jaw.
"Ooh, you pack a mean wallop! I think I like you!" Prishe said with a grin as the slightly dazed Mr. Incredible blinked at her in surprise.
"What?! But how did-?!" he stammered, amazed at how Prishe was able to survive his attack but before he could finish his sentence, Prishe quickly flew in again, intent to attack. Mr. Incredible quickly threw Namine into her path, Prishe quickly catching the airborne Nobody, her hood falling back in the process.
"I gotcha!" Prishe exclaimed, helping Namine to her feet. When Mr. Incredible saw Namine, he blinked.
"Blond hair, mid-teens, white clothes…could it be her?" he pondered softly. Namine heard him, her eyes widening. She had to get rid of Prishe, for a moment and she had an idea.
"I've an idea. I can finish him off but I need you to distract him." Namine whispered. Prishe grinned and winked at her.
"You got it." She whispered back. Prishe then launched towards Mr. Incredible again but he was ready for her, ripping a stalactite from the roof and using it to bat Prishe towards the cave entrance, launching her at least a mile away, the stalactite shattering upon impact. (End Battle Music) Mr. Incredible then turned towards Namine, ready to keep fighting but Namine threw down her Keyblade, raising her hands in surrender.
"Stop! I'm on your side! I'm a friend of Sora's!" Namine exclaimed, Mr. Incredible pausing, still in his fighting stance. Namine's clothes reverted to normal, her Brave Form fading away, as she approached.
"Sora? You mean you're the girl he's looking for?" he asked as Namine gave a meek nod.
"My name is Namine. I'm being forced to work with the Sisterhood of Seven against my will. We don't have long to talk. Prishe will be back at any moment. So I need to work fast if I'm going to keep you alive." Namine said as she motioned for him to lean forward which he did. She quietly placed a hand to his head, closing her eyes as she entered his memories. She quickly learned that Sora had helped him defeat the Omnidroid but after Sora left, Syndrome had built a new one which nearly killed him and drove him into hiding. His survival is why Prishe and Namine had been called in.
"Mr. Incredible. You must forget that I was here for now. You must hold out hope that you can defeat Syndrome. You must stop him or your world is doomed. Saving the world is what you do, Mr. Incredible. Fight Syndrome, and win! Win for your family. After all, the bad guy should never win!" She said in his mind. She then subtly planted a memory that would trigger when he saw specific symbol. At this, she left his memories, looking around to see that in that time, they had moved deeper into the cave and Mr. Incredible was sitting slumped against a wall, unconscious, behind the skeleton of another dead superhero sat facing the opposite wall. Namine quietly smiled to herself and pulled the hood up over her head, rushing back towards the area where they had been fighting earlier. When she reached the area, she saw Prishe rushing back inside. When Prishe saw her, she slid to a stop.
"Wow you aren't messing around, are ya Sev?" Prishe asked as Namine walked on past her.
"Just doing my job." Namine replied.
"So it's done then? The hero's dead now?" Prishe asked as Namine gave a nod, hiding a pleased smile.
"Mr. Incredible is no longer our concern." Namine said as she opened up a Corridor of Darkness, the two passing back into the Palace of Eternity.
"Glad to see you're taking the job so seriously." Prishe said as they found themselves in the main meeting room of the palace but there was no one present.
"Where is everyone?" Namine asked.
"Probably all out doing their own jobs." Prishe said as she stretched. Namine immediately saw an opportunity but needed Prishe out of the way.
"Prishe, if you'd like to go exploring, I'm not going to stop you. You did well and you deserve a reward." Namine said, earning a surprised yet curious look from Prishe.
"Really? Huh, I've never gotten rewarded like that before. But I'm not gonna pass this up. Ciao Sev!" Prishe called as she ran for the doors. Namine watched her leave with a quiet smile. At this, Namine snuck out into the hall, making her way towards one of the Sister's rooms, one in particular: First's.
She soon reached the doors marked with the large number one on them and quietly pushed the door open, looking around and seeing no one inside. First's room was laid out almost exactly like Namine's except instead of a Seven on the large stained glass window it was a One. There was one thing that was different. There was a desk set up against the wall to the right of the doors. The desk had a corkboard mounted above it, with notes and papers all posted on it. Namine quietly approached the desk and looked at the corkboard. Some of the papers were mathematical formulas and calculations with diagrams of hearts drawn on them. They were First's theories on how to gain a heart but Namine immediately recognized something about the theories that alarmed her.
Each of the theories required that the hearts be taken from others, stolen and then absorbed by the Nobodies to become whole beings. Fortunately, by the looks of things, none of First's experiments seemed to show any positive results but there was one theory marked: "Results Pending" and a note to refer to "Correspondence with B" for more information. Namine then noticed a book on the desk that was open to a pair of blank pages but when she turned back by one page, she quickly realized that First had been making Reports, much like Xehanort, Xemnas, Ansem Seeker of Darkness, and Ansem the Wise had done with their own experiments.
She quickly began to read the latest report, dated a few days prior to her abduction, which read…
"Our attempts to perform our experiment in the other worlds has failed. The Keyblade Wielders there have put an end to the experiment and no viable results could be recovered. No results were reported anyway by that bumbling buffoon of a Freeshooter, even though we gave him all he needed to acquire what he so coveted. His desire to wield a Keyblade led to his death at the hands of the other worlds' Keyblade Wielders. However, our experiment remains unaffected, only delayed. He would only have been the test bed to see if my theories regarding the heart of one of the Keyblade's Chosen proved true. His fate would've been sealed regardless. On a different matter, we now know where the Seventh has been hiding. Interestingly, she is hiding within a Keyblade Wielder which makes me wonder if, perhaps, my theory can indeed work after all. If there is one piece of information to be learned of all this, it is that forcing a Keyblade upon another is impossible. The weapon truly does choose its wielder and cannot be forced into the hands of another. So it seems that he furthered our cause without ever even realizing it. Pity poor Braig didn't succeed regardless."
Namine was stunned.
"Braig?!" she gasped. Braig, the Other of Xigbar, the former number two of Organization XIII, the Freeshooter, had been an accomplice of First's! Worse, this single report implied that First was ultimately responsible for the Neo-Being incident that ended with Braig's death, that First was using Braig to perform her experiments, and planned to betray him after he finished. But why would First be so interested in Braig acquiring a Keyblade? Namine looked back at First's notes regarding her theories and began to wonder what it was. She then noticed something out of the corner of her eye. First's wardrobe was partially stuck open. Namine quietly approached the wardrobe and opened it, looking inside and finding something which confused her.
It was almost an exact duplicate of Namine's own white Organization XIII coat only not reversible like Namine's was, and this coat was a larger size. Namine then realized that this coat belonged to First and had recently been worn as it had been haphazardly tossed into the wardrobe. Namine immediately began feeling ill at ease, needing to leave the room quickly. She quickly set everything back the way it was but as she did, she spotted something else on the desk which caught her attention. It was a photograph, an old one, of several people outside of a mansion, dated roughly eleven years ago. Among them was a woman Namine recognized as a younger First, both of her eyes in perfect shape and she was wearing a white dress. As she examined the photograph she spotted something that made her blink.
"Prishe?" she asked, confused, as she saw the Abhorrent Child in the photograph. Prishe looked exactly the same ten years ago as she did now, the only difference being the clothes she wore. This was something she needed to get to the bottom of. The fact that Prishe hadn't aged at all in eleven years boggled her, plus considering that she easily walked away from a bullet to the chest and getting punched through several feet of solid rock and not even having a single scratch to show for it, was making Namine very curious as to what Prishe's secret was. But she needed more information, information that only Riku could provide.
Namine quickly headed out of the room, unaware that a small black dragon hatchling sat overhead on the chandelier, having watched her every move. As she reached her own room, she immediately knew she wasn't alone but she knew who was with her and smiled.
"It's okay. No one else knows you're here." Namine said as a short figure in a black coat stepped out from behind the table in her room.
"I'm glad you found me. I hate to ask this of you but there's something I need you to do for me." Namine said as the figure pulled back the hood, revealing a certain Mouse King underneath it.
End Chapter 33
You probably knew this already but this is more-or-less confirmation that First is indeed the enigmatic one-eyed figure that is responsible for the events of Dark Reflections. So now you should be asking yourself what they hoped to accomplish and how getting Braig a Keyblade would've benefitted them in the end.
Oh and one final voice actor change. This is the last time I swear! Instead of Jen Taylor as Si'Lea, I've replaced her with Vanessa Marshall. Examples of Marshall's work includes Black Canary in the tragically short lived Young Justice, Black Widow from Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and as Hera Syndulla in Star Wars Rebels. She's also done voice work for Kingdom Hearts, providing the voice for Nala in Kingdom Hearts II. Her portrayal as Hera though is what made me think of her for Si'Lea. Like I said, this was the last cast change, at least as far as this story goes.