Nixe had gone inside the manor as per Vincent's instruction, making her way through the back hallway. She decided to take a detour through the ballroom, a shortcut that she used all the time. It was quiet as she made her way through the ballroom, something which gnawed at her.
"Is there anybody else here?" Nixe asked into the darkened ballroom.
"Only me, mon ami." A voice said from nearby. Nixe flinched in alarm before turning towards the west wall, her Keyblade summoned defensively but quickly relaxed as she saw the towering wall of pipes belonging to none other than Maestro Forte.
"Oh, Forte, you scared me!" Nixe said, Forte allowing a light chuckle.
"Ah, Nixe. I say, I'm quite surprised to see you back here. The Master has been most anxious to find you." Forte said with a coy smile, playing some soft organ music.
"Actually, I'm not really here, I'm all an illusion." Nixe said while trying to back away, heading for the door. Forte merely tightened his smile while playing a soft flute-like melody from his pipes, causing a long neon green measure of music to flow from one of his pipes towards the door, slamming them shut.
"Now-now, Nixe, you know what the Master has said." Forte said as Nixe sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on, Forte, I'm trying to help the people of Sublime! That includes you!" Nixe said as Forte rested back against the wall, glancing away, disinterested.
"Yes. I know." He replied.
"Yeah, well, did you know that some of the Heartless that've been attacking Sublime come straight from a place in the Fourth District?" Nixe asked, earning a curious look from Forte.
"Do they now? And where, pray tell, did you learn this?" Forte asked, leaning forward slightly with a coy smile.
"I got it off of one of the Sisterhood members themselves. Well, I didn't find it…okay Riku found it but-." Nixe stammered as Forte scoffed.
"Riku? Oh Nixe, you haven't gone and fallen for some random passerby?" Forte asked.
"He's no passerby. He's a friend. I mean we might've gotten off on the wrong foot but he's been protecting me this whole time while I've been out in the worlds." Nixe said, earning a skeptical look from Forte.
"Protecting you for what reason? Why would he protect you?" Forte asked, earning a glare from Nixe.
"Well someone's asking for peanut butter jammed down their pipes. Riku's a nice guy. He's protected me from the Sisterhood on several occasions. He's not asked for anything in return." Nixe said as Forte sneered.
"No one does something for nothing. He is a friend, you say? A cher ami? And you trust him implicitly?" Forte asked, causing Nixe to look up at him confused.
"What are you trying to say, Forte?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing. I mean it's not like he's ever lied to you, caused you harm, or allowed you to come to harm, has he?" Forte asked as Nixe raised her hand to tell him off but paused.
"Well…now that you mention it, he did lie about who sent him to protect me. He attacked me when we first met, and while I have gotten into a few fights, it's always been in spite of his efforts to protect me and I can't blame him for that. He can only do so much." Nixe said as Forte smiled coyly towards her.
"And who exactly sent him to you?" Forte asked as Nixe swallowed nervously.
"He-…he said that the girl Master Sora came to rescue sent him. Namine sent him. I think she did, but I don't know why. But I've no reason to not believe him, really." Nixe replied.
"And why did he attack you, I wonder?" Forte asked.
"He said he wanted to test my skills, and I believe him. I believe he truly does have nothing but my best interests at heart…although…there's something about him that just seems strange. I feel like I know him somehow. Like I've known him for a long time and yet at the same time I only met him a few days ago. I also feel like he's not even real at times." Nixe said as Forte scowled.
"So he's a friend, then. He wants nothing more than to frolic away the hours protecting the helpless little Nixe who can hardly defend herself." Forte commented with a sarcastic laugh, earning another glare from Nixe.
"Now up to peanut butter and jelly down the pipes. Don't assume you know him, Forte! You know nothing about him! You know nothing about how I love him! I-…" Nixe said but froze when she realized what she had just said.
"I…I love him?" she asked herself, almost stunned, blushing in realization. Her thoughts were disturbed when Forte suddenly blasted loud music into the ballroom, causing the room to shake violently for a moment before he stopped, the blast knocking Nixe onto the floor.
"Don't be absurd! So you fall in love with him! What guarantee do you have that he feels the same way?! If he cared for you, why wouldn't he have come of his own accord?! Why did he have to be sent to protect you?! Hmm? Answer that!" Forte challenged as Nixe climbed to her feet.
"You don't know him!" Nixe argued as Forte started playing a strange tune on his pipes. (Music Cue: Don't Fall in Love – Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Christmas)
"Oh? Then why is he out there speaking with Valentine while you're in here? Don't you see? He'll abandon you once he has what he's after. Listen to your old friend, won't you? Have I ever steered you wrong, led you astray? No! But Riku…" Forte sneered before starting to sing, the neon music flowing from his pipes down to the floor…
"The quickest way to break your heart,
make you depressed and ill,
is to get tangled up inside,
the side effects could kill."
The neon music coated the floor, turning it solid green beneath Nixe's feet…
"All passion is a waste of time,
a deadly game pour vous.
I am your friend, your cher ami,
I wouldn't lie to you!"
Nixe looked up at him skeptically as Forte's music picked up the tempo…
"If you must love someone, may I suggest,
you love yourself! Just think it through!
You'll never leave and you will find
you'll get more rest.
You'll always feel as good as new."
Forte sang as Nixe gave a dismissive wave and headed for the door only for the green measures to block the door, flowing towards her, forcing her back as Forte continued…
"Your freedom is the most,
important thing, my friend.
You must be strong, you mustn't bend!"
Nixe spun towards him as she saw more measures of music flowing from Forte's pipes…
"Don't talk for hours,
don't send flowers,
don't write poems,
don't sing songs and dance
beneath the stars
that shine above!
Don't fall in love!"
Forte sang, the measures exploding into glowing green flakes that slowly descended towards the ground around her.
"Oh don't do it!" Forte laughingly pleaded as Nixe crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance, Forte continuing to sing, the tempo slowing down again…
"As soon as your heart rules your head,
your life is not your own.
It's hell when someone's always there."
Forte sang as a glowing green outline of Riku appeared, emerging from the ground and smirking at her, causing Nixe to step back confused as Forte sang…
"It's bliss to be alone.
And love of any kind is bad,
a dog, a child, a cat!
They take up so much precious time,
now where's the sense in that?"
Suddenly the Riku outline multiplied, surrounding her with dark smiles on their faces. Nixe quickly summoned her Keyblade, preparing to defend herself as Forte picked up the tempo once more…
"Love takes the wildest heart and makes it tame!
If you're turned on, then just turn off!"
Forte sang as the Riku Copies leapt at her only to be blasted away by a Blizzaga spell but more appeared from the ground.
"Emotions are a thing all great men overcame!
Please, don't make this your catastrophe!
Don't get attached to anyone or anything!
There's nothing worse than things that cling!"
Forte sang as Nixe fought off the Riku Copies, suddenly getting surrounded by a series of fast flying measures which circled around her, lifting her off the ground and towards Forte's face, his empty black eyes glowing with green energy…
"You'll go to pot,
you'll turn to drink,
you'll never rest,
you'll end up mad and
looking like some
poor demented dove!"
Nixe looked up at him worriedly as Forte smiled down at her…
"Don't fall in love!"
Forte sang, lowering Nixe back towards the ground, the ground now back to normal with none of the Riku copies. Nixe turned towards the now opened doors, hurrying towards them…
"Don't! Fall! In love!"
Forte warned as Nixe slammed the doors behind her, leaving Forte smiling grimly towards the doors, chuckling to himself, beginning to play a dark toccata like tune to himself.
"I hope she wasn't the only one listening to my little chef-d'oeuvre." Forte commented, noticing a Corridor of Darkness opening behind a stack of his pipes, Sixth emerging from the Corridor with her hands behind her back and a dark smirk on her face as she stared at the door.
"Bravo, Maestro. You have played your part well. Soon you will get to play the grand finale of this little story." Sixth said as Forte smiled down towards her.
"It has been an honor to serve, Madame. A pity you couldn't have met my old Master instead of the girl you resemble." Forte commented as Sixth turned towards the evil pipe organ with a coy smile of her own.
"Flatterer. I do bear new orders from my eldest sister. Don't let the Apprentice leave. Make sure that Master and Apprentice meet face to face. We are waiting…and we are watching." Sixth said before disappearing in a Corridor of Darkness, Forte smiling darkly to himself as he immersed himself within his music.
At the Manor Gates…
Riku and Vincent were just approaching the gates as Nixe came bolting out from inside.
"Nixe? Something wrong?" Riku asked, earning a suspicious look from Nixe as she slid to a halt near the gates.
"Uh…no. Just need to stock up on peanut butter, jelly, and I'm throwing some yogurt in for good measure." She replied, confusing Riku.
"Huh?" he asked.
"Never mind, let's just find this Heartless Source." Nixe said as Vincent drew his gun and held it at the ready.
"This way. Move quickly." Vincent said, the three hurrying off through the empty streets. Most of the people were indoors by now and the guardians were up on the front lines near the fifth district so the three were able to get through without detection. They would hear the occasional sound of fighting further ahead, indicating the Guardians were at work dealing with the Heartless. A Shadow, Soldier, or one of the small magic using Heartless would appear in their path on occasion but would quickly be gunned down by Vincent without breaking his stride.
"So any ideas on what we'll find inside of this place?" Nixe asked as they rounded a corner, Flynn's Arcade just ahead.
"I'm not sure. But I do know you will find Flynn in there." Vincent replied.
"Whoa wait, you mean that old guy who ran the arcade before it got overrun? I thought he was dead!" Nixe exclaimed.
"According to Sora, he's still alive. You'll see when you get inside." Vincent said as they entered the arcade, the hidden door leading to the secret room standing open.
"Here. You'll find your way inside from here." Vincent said, motioning to the door. Nixe and Riku both nodded towards him.
"Thanks, Vincent. We owe you one." Nixe said as Vincent gave a quiet nod, moving to stand guard over the door to prevent any heartless attacks. Inside the room, they found the old desk, a prompt on the screen reading "Activate Digitizer Beam" and the option to pick "yes" or "no."
"Wait, I don't get it. Where's Flynn?" Nixe asked as Riku looked around and saw the beam emitter, pointed towards where they were standing. He then smirked.
"Oh, I get it. Hang on, Nixe. This is about to get a little weird." Riku replied, hitting "yes" on the controls, the beam beginning to power up.
"Uh…what's going on?" Nixe asked, confused, noticing the emitter starting to glow.
"We're going to pay Flynn a visit." Riku replied just before the beam fired.
Back at Sublime Manor…
Two flashes of bright light appeared near the manor, depositing an armored Aqua and Si'Lea behind.
"So according to the Reaper's Game, all of the 'at-risk' worlds have been secured now." Si'Lea commented.
"Even the Black Castle?" Aqua asked as Si'Lea gave a nod.
"Yeah although…Beat and Rhyme gave a report that…it's kinda concerning yet encouraging." Si'Lea said as Aqua turned towards her.
"What's that?" Aqua asked. Si'Lea looked disconcerted in her expressions.
"They said that Master Sora was ambushed by First, and yet he singlehandedly forced her into a retreat. I don't know if he legitimately scared her off or if this was all part of some scheme. She's a cunning one." Si'Lea explained as Aqua smiled and crossed her arms over her chest.
"It might be that both are true. Sora's no weakling. He's very powerful. I'd even be willing to state that he's stronger than even Mickey, perhaps." Aqua said, earning s surprised look from Si'Lea.
"That impressed with his abilities are you?" she asked.
"You've never seen him fight before." Aqua added.
"Then perhaps you could help me with a couple of conflicting reports I've gotten about him. Beat and Rhyme, and even a few of the people who watched Sora fight Second, have reported that he fights with not one, but two Keyblades. I've even heard reports of there being four." Si'Lea said as Aqua nodded.
"Sounds about right. Sora's an anomaly. He's the only person I know who's gained the ability to wield more than one Keyblade at a time. The most I've ever seen him with is four." Aqua said as Si'Lea blinked in astonishment.
"Four Keyblades at once? I didn't even think that was possible! Do you have any idea how much strain that would put on the heart?! I'm amazed he doesn't keel over after every fight he uses more than one Keyblade in." Si'Lea said as Aqua pondered.
"Well now that you mentioned it, he's had that kind of trouble before, but lately he seems to be able to handle it for much longer periods of time. Like the more often he goes all out, the longer he can last the next time around." Aqua explained as Si'Lea looked perplexed.
"How does he do it, though? How does he have four Keyblades at all? Do you have any clue?" Si'Lea asked as Aqua gave a smile and a nod.
"Sure I do. It's because of Roxas and Xion." Aqua said, confusing Si'Lea.
"Who?" she asked. Aqua merely smiled and summoned her Keyblade, using it to draw in the dirt. She drew a heart and put an inverted Y through the center, dividing the heart up into three portions. In the center she put an S, the left she put an R, and to the right she put an X.
"Roxas is Sora's Nobody, the one who longs to rescue Namine the most. Namine is Roxas's girlfriend. Xion is a Replica of Sora and a friend of Roxas's. Now, as it was explained to me, Roxas and Xion both served in Organization XIII, an organization of Nobodies with similar goals to the Sisterhood of Seven, only Roxas and Xion went rogue. Xion was eventually absorbed by Roxas and Roxas eventually reunited with Sora. Together they give Sora the skill to wield two Keyblades, and their combined memories create one of Sora's Keyblades: The Two Become One Keyblade." Aqua explained.
"That explains how he has one extra Keyblade, not how he can wield them." Si'Lea commented.
"Actually it does. I've seen how he wields more than one. His heart is in almost a perfect balance between himself, Roxas, and Xion, the three working together to wield all four Keyblades, but the strain of their powers going in different directions is what strains his heart. It's not so much Sora wielding all four on his own, but the three working in tandem. Roxas gives him the skill to wield two in melee combat. Xion can jump in whenever she's needed but usually only in a defensive role. He can even lend his strength to others in combat. He once loaned me some of Xion's power during a fight some months ago against a large Heartless, enabling me to wield the Two Become One Keyblade in addition to my own for a time." Aqua explained.
"That's unbelievable. But what about the other two Keyblades?" Si'Lea asked. Aqua proceeded to draw two smaller hearts in the dirt, writing "Ri" into one and a "K" into the other. She then drew a squiggly line between the two smaller hearts and Sora's.
"You remember some of our early studies on the Keyblades? How some legends told of Keyblades being forged from the bonds we forge with others? Well they're not legends. Sora has two of them. Oathkeeper and Oblivion. They're Keyblades that are the manifested forms of his two strongest friendships. Oblivion represents his friendship with Riku, his best friend. Oathkeeper represents Kairi, the Princess of Heart and his girlfriend." Aqua explained as Si'Lea looked at the hearts drawn in the dirt.
"Three beings…one body, one heart…" she mumbled.
"Si'Lea?" Aqua asked.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just doing some thinking is all. But if he has the power to wield four Keyblades, then maybe there's more truth to the story that he forced First into a retreat than she just fled as part of a preconceived plan…only, if that's the case, then how did he withstand First's powers?" Si'Lea asked as Aqua shrugged with a smile, kicking dirt over her drawings.
"Can't help you there. I don't know what goes on in Sora's head sometimes." Aqua replied as Si'Lea chuckled.
"Yeah. Come on, we need to speak with Professor Drake about-…huh?" Si'Lea asked as they heard Forte's music echoing from within the mansion.
"Something wrong?" Aqua asked, Si'Lea cocking her head to one side slightly. The music Forte was playing was loud and haunting.
"Forte's trying to get attention. Come on, better go see what he wants." Si'Lea said as they hurried into the mansion, making their way into the ballroom.
"Forte! FORTE! We're here!" Si'Lea called, the massive pipe organ coming to a stop and smiling down towards them.
"Ah, Master. So glad you could return." Forte greeted.
"What was that you were playing just now?" Aqua asked as Forte chuckled.
"Oh come along, it's merely an opera…" He replied before he released a blast of loud music, startling the two Keyblade Masters and causing the ballroom to shake, one of the windows cracking.
"…to bring…the house…down." He added before stopping, chuckling as small pieces of debris fell from the ceiling. Si'Lea glared at the organ with an annoyed glare.
"Forte! How many times have I told you never to play that loudly?! This old mansion just can't take it!" Si'Lea said but Forte merely smiled coyly.
"Oh, I do apologize Master, but I do believe I know something that will give you…encouragement to grant me clemency for this recent transgression." Forte said, causing Si'Lea to roll her eye.
"Enough with the fancy wordplay, Forte. What's the information you have for us?" Si'Lea asked, Forte smiling down at them.
"Why, that is simple, Master. Nixe has returned to Sublime. I believe I overheard her mentioning that she and that strange boy, the one with the white hair, were headed towards some place in the Fourth District and that Vincent was escorting them." Forte said as Si'Lea blinked in surprise before an angry look appeared on her face.
"I see. Thank you Forte. That's just what I needed to hear." Si'Lea said as she and Aqua headed for the door.
"So Nixe's here?" Aqua asked as Si'Lea gave a nod.
"Yes, and the two of us are going to have a little chat."
End Chapter 54
The song above was a very slightly reworked version of "Don't Fall in Love" from Disney's Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas.