Chapter 13
"What happened?!" cried Xehanort over the phone.
"That spiky haired boy took the girl away! You should have done something when you had the chance! Thanks to you, my expensive good robes are ruined! Ruined! They cost me over 50,000 gil!" complained Kefka on the other line.
"What of Maleficent? Did she wake up?" asked Xehanort.
"Another one! That woman demanded that I shut up! Did she not see how distressed I was!" cried Kefka.
"I thought you lived for chaos. All this sounds like a chaotic situation to me." sneered Xehanort.
"It's funny when it happens to other people. But when it happens to ME?! NO! I won't allow it!" cried Kefka.
"Useless circus clown! You're fired!" cried Xehanort.
"Curse you, you bald old goat!" cried Kefka as he hung up.
Xehanort put down his phone, not caring for Kefka's insult. He was far more worried about what transpired down stairs. Namine was gone, and in the safe arms of Sora. Xehanort exhaled. He didn't need to worry. Sora was tame. And he absolutely has no power over him. Vanitas on the other hand is a wild card. A weapon slash tool for him. Ventus was also dangerous. Those two brothers could use weapons whenever they liked. Sora and Roxas? No, those two were unarmed. And there is absolutely nothing they can do. So what if Namine is saved? It wasn't like he needed her. He kept her locked up because of the truths she carries. But what could Sora? What exactly? If he knew the truth about Oblivion, it made no difference. All he had to do was wait and watch.
Now onto another matter. Denzel and Marlene. How was Xehanort going to explain things? The phone rang and Xehanort answered.
"Yes?" he said.
"Hello Xehanort." speak of the devil.
"Sephiroth. It's been a long time." said Xehanort.
"I have heard from a certain ex-employer of yours that Denzel and Marlene are longer in your care?" said Sephiroth.
"You mean Kefka. Look, the fool messed something up. I had to fire him. Now about the children, I assure you they are in safe hands." said Xehanort.
"Oh really? With one of your men?" asked Sephiroth.
"There is no point in lying to you. You always find out things. They are in the custody of one of the students here in Oblivion. He has a brother that works for me. He will keep them safe in his care for now." said Xehanort.
"I see. Well then, this is good news for me. I don't care where they are or what they do, but I will say this… keep them away from their fathers." said Sephiroth.
"Their fathers are not here. They are not in Oblivion, I assure you." said Xehanort.
"Good. Keep it that way. I wouldn't want Cloud Strife and Barret Wallace to know where their children are at. Especially when things are crumbling all around you my good man." said Sephiroth.
"I am not letting things crumble around me, I assure you! I have everything under control!" said Xehanort.
"Do you now? You know there are people who are against you at that school. People who long for justice and peace. It's only a matter of time when your empire falls. Who knows? I might be there when it really happens." said Sephiroth.
"Not if I have anything to say about it! I have a weapon that can neutralize anybody who stands in my way! A weapon so horrible, nothing will stand a chance!" declared Xehanort.
"Oh my. Daring today are we?" asked Sephiroth.
"Just wait Sephirtoh. I am ready for the end of all things." said Xehanort.
"You are becoming a menace." said Sephiroth.
"Are you threatening me?" asked Xehanort.
"Yes. I am." said Sephiroth.
"Then come! Come to Oblivion and we shall see who will be the victor! Come and face my weapon. You will find that not even YOU can stop it!" declared Xehanort.
"Now this is something that has piqued my interest. Very well. I shall arrive and I can't wait to see this "weapon" you are so very proud of." said Sephiroth.
…..
Sora arrived with the kids and Namine to his room. The journey back was not easy. They had to endure the constant stares of their classmates and a few teachers. Sora knew that certain enemies and perhaps allies had seen them. But it didn't matter right now. All Sora wanted was to help Namine. As they entered the room, Sora texted Riku and Kairi to come quickly. Only Kairi was able to arrive in the nick of time.
"Please help her wash up. She needs help with that." said Sora.
"Of course. I'll help her." she then turned to Marlene and smiled. "Would you like to help me?"
Marlene nodded and the girls went in to help Namine. Denzel and Sora waited for a while. He turned on the TV so Denzel would distract himself. He was hoping something good would be on. Instead, there was static.
"Weird. There's usually something on." said Sora.
The door opened and Kairi walked out. She pulled Sora to the side and whispered to him.
"She needs a doctor. She has wounds all over her. And she is going to need some rest." said Kairi.
Sora gasped. "B-but… she's here now! She can answer our questions!" he protested.
"No Sora. She needs to see the nurse! Clarabelle would help her! I trust her." said Kairi.
Sora wanted to protest some more. He was so close to getting what he needed, yet he seemed far away from his answers still. He nodded reluctantly and Kairi went over to help Namine. Indeed she was now clean, wearing some of Kairi's comfortable fuzzy PJs. They were pink with yellow stars all over.
"I'll take her to the nurse." said Kairi.
"I'll go with you. Xehanort might see us." said Sora.
"Xehanort? What do you mean?" asked Kairi.
"It was him. He had her locked up." said Sora.
"And he beat her?!" cried Kairi.
"Perhaps…" Sora was saying, not knowing what to say.
"She was beaten by something very ugly." said Marlene.
Denzel spoke as well. "I don't know what it was. It was something that Xehanort called forth to punish Namine. It was awful." said Denzel.
"That horrible old man." said Kairi, holding Namine's arm.
"It is too dangerous for us to go." said Namine weakly.
"But you need help." said Kairi.
"Your nurse… call her here. Clarabelle, yes? She's an angel. I trust her." said Namine.
Kairi nodded. "Done! I'll get her!" said Kairi.
"Please be discreet. I don't want Xehanort to get you." said Namine.
"If that old man ever comes to find me, he'll be sorry!" said Kairi. She helped Namine to Sora's bed and pulled a blanket from Sora's closet, without his permission of course. All of Sora and Roxas's underwear was tumbling down from the closet and Sora cringed in the corner of the room. Kairi said nothing and pulled the blanket for Namine.
"I'll be back with Clarabelle. Sora, you stay put. Marlene and Denzel, you stay here as well." Kairi gave them all a thumbs up and walked out the door.
"She's nice." said Denzel.
"Yeah. She reminds me of Tifa." said Marlene.
"Tifa?" asked Sora. Another familiar name.
"Yes. She's my Godmother. She watched over me whenever my father had to go on missions. That was a long time ago." said Marlene sadly.
She sat down while Denzel went to the bathroom. Sora stood, and Namine opened her eyes slowly.
"You're desperate for the answers are you?" she said.
"I wouldn't say desperate. I'm just very confused." said Sora.
"Yes. Me too." said Namine.
"What do you mean "me too?" asked Sora, rather impatiently.
"Sora…" Marlene was about to say, until Sora spoke up.
"Namine, please tell me what's going on! I'm so sorry you had to go through a lot. But I need to know the truth. Why are my dreams so familiar? Why are you involved? What is going on with this place?! I know there is something bad! I could feel it everywhere I go in this school. Even outside school grounds, I could feel evil all over! Is there something I should know about? Is there something I can do to stop this? Can you help me? To help you? I know I sound selfish, but I NEED those answers Namine!" cried Sora desperately.
"Sora! That is so very rude!" cried Marlene.
"You're right. You deserve the truth. I should tell you what's wrong. And why you see dreams come to life. But I will ask you, Sora. Are you prepared? Will you be willing to accept whatever answer I give you? Because what I'm about to tell you will shatter everything you know. Its just as Kefka told you a while ago, you may not stomach the truth." said Namine.
"I'll take my chances." said Sora, clenching his fists tightly. In reality, he wasn't sure if he could handle it. Namine made it sound like he was about to learn something he wasn't supposed to know. It was like watching a movie or reading a book that was considered really bad and perhaps "unholy" to some.
"None of us were supposed to exist." said Namine.
Sora nodded. He heard this before. Perhaps in another dream or nightmare. But what Namine told him was very familiar. However, he didn't remember where in his sleep he heard this.
"We live in a world that was created by the power of imagination." said Namine.
"Imagination?" asked Sora.
Namine continued.
"I'll explain. I started to have nightmares and dreams like you, Sora. I had dreams that were so familiar and scenarios were playing over and over again in my mind. The people I met were the same people from my dreams, but I knew them all too well. And then, whenever I would draw on my sketchpad, I found myself drawing my dreams and nightmares. I knew something was wrong. So, I researched far and wide for the truth. I even wrote some work about it and it became my obsession. Every week became long and I had to dive deep into the library for anything.
One day, after months of searching, I found a book that I felt I shouldn't even read. It was titled "Kingdom Hearts." I read it, and it was your story. I was in it. Roxas was in it. Kairi, Riku, Ventus, Vanitas. Everyone you know and love was in it. I was going to check it out, but when I looked to see it, the book changed. It turned into a generic fiction novel and everything I saw was lost. I continued my research, and I discovered more books that kept appearing out of nowhere. Books that were retellings of the dreams. Stories like "The Lion King," "Snow White", "Lady and the Tramp," "The Black Cauldron" and "Cinderella." They were all storybooks for children! And then, as soon as I put one down, they vanish.
I was starting to lose my sanity over finding the truth, so I dived deeper. Not in the library, but with other methods. In one of my dreams, I confess that I'm a witch, with power over memories. I decided to read about the matter. I then found that memories and hearts are connected. All of this was in the Kingdom Hearts book and in a new one titled Final Fantasy. Those books appeared to me while I was organizing my bookshelf in my room. I never put them down. I read them both inside and out, but they were all fairy tales and fantastical.
I was then very desperate and lost. So, I decided to look up at the wizards and witches I heard so much about. Wizards like Merlin and Yensid haven't been seen in over a long time, and the Fairy Godmothers and fairies are also nowhere to be found. I didn't know why YET, but I turned to the one person I knew that had magic and perhaps could help me.
I turned to Maleficent. She was the only person that was close enough to have powers in the level of Yensid. I spoke with her and she wasn't much help. But I suspected she kept things hidden from me. So one night, I snuck into her lair in town, and I found three new books. A movie book, a video game book and as crazy as it sounds, a superhero book that had the word Multiverse written on it. I read all three and I was shocked to find out what we were. What we all are. Where we all came from.
The reason why you, me, and some of our friends have nightmares is because we are connected to another dimension. A dimension where some of us are from video games, movies, and TV shows. Our dimension was created because of imagination. The imagination of children. This will sound very strange, but in the other dimension, where we are fictional, the light in children's hearts are very strong, for they live in a dimension where children suffer everyday because of terrible problems. This dimension is called Earth. The light that comes from children's hearts from Earth were able to cross into the Multiverse, and it found a safe haven, a nest if you will, to create a dimension where their imaginations and purity exist. However, once this dimension existed and became its own place, our dimension's ties with Earth were cut and we were able to live and grow here, as our own realm.
But because the light came from a very dark place, evil found its way into our dimension in the form of the villains. And one of these villains learned the truth about the dimensions and he found a way to slightly connect them both. This being wishes to be reborn as a God and destroy everything we know. He hates our reality and he intends to destroy light and life as we know it. His name is Sephiroth, the One Winged Angel!
Upon learning about Sephiroth's terrible scheme, I tried to warn Xehanort. I was hoping that telling him about our school being destroyed, perhaps we would all do something to stop him. But instead, he threw me in that underground place, for he knows the truth as well."
Namine breathed in and sat up in bed. "I know you may think I'm crazy telling you all this. But this is the truth. Sephiroth must be stopped before he destroys our dimension. This is our home. Where we come from, or how our realm was created does not matter. We all live here, and we all have lives! And to make matters worse, Xehanort knows the truth. And perhaps, maybe even Maleficent! Which is why we need to…."
"STOP!" cried Sora.
Namine shut her mouth and Marlene walked over to Sora's side.
"Enough. T-this can't be true. Namine… did you hit your head? Are you sure this is…." Sora was dumbfounded. Marlene then held his hand and squeezed it softly.
"Sora, please calm down. I know it's painful and perhaps mind boggling to know this. But Namine is telling the truth. I know, because my father also knew." said Marlene.
Sora turned to her and Marlene continued.
"It's true. My father, along with Denzel's parents, Cloud and Tifa, formed an alliance to stop Sephiroth. We all knew about how our realm was created. You see, a friendly angel told us about it. Her name is Aerith." said Marlene.
Sora's head began to hurt. He pictured Aerith in his mind. In his dreams, Aerith was a girl from one of the towns of his dreams. But in another dream, she was a flower girl from a city….
That was when Sora's chest started to hurt. He remembered Fievel from Acme Acres. He never met the young mouse, but he knew his story.
He knew Aladdin's story.
He knew Simba's story.
He knew Mulan's story.
He knew Alice's story.
He knew Peter Pan's story.
He knew their stories by heart. And the book he found the other day. The "Disney storybook." Sora then started to cry.
"But I have memories. Memories of my parents and growing up with them." said Sora.
"Yes! Those memories are real! We weren't created like in some big bang or something like that! No! The light formed this dimension and as the years passed, life slowly grew. Everyone in this dimension formed their own identities, and their own lives, even though we mimic who we are from the stories of people on Earth." said Namine.
"Sephiroth grew alongside my Dad, Cloud and Tifa. He was a school bully to them. However, like Namine, he too found out about the dimensions and that was when he decided to do evil. Not because in his story he does that. He did it by his OWN FREE WILL." said Marlene.
Sora relaxed a little. "So then, if we take down Sephiroth, what would happen?" he asked.
"Then the connection to Earth that he is doing will be lost and we'll be free to live on." said Namine with a smile.
"This is so unreal. Then why do we have dreams? Why us?" asked Sora.
"Because this dimension was created to mimic the universe of Kingdom Hearts. On Earth, Kingdom Hearts is a video game. And the hero of the video game, the one who saves the day and fights evil is you, Sora." said Namine.
"In other words, you are kinda like a chosen one. Like Luke Skywalker!" said Marlene.
"Who?" asked Sora.
"I know this is too much to bear. But perhaps, we can keep the dimension stuff under wraps from everyone. We could simply say that our world is going to be destroyed by a power hungry evil warrior and we are chosen to stop him." said Namine with a smile.
Sora didn't know either to laugh or be angry. "I could have accepted that instead of the long complicated history of our world." said Sora.
"Imagine how I felt when I read all that. I couldn't handle it well either. And I don't even know who even came up with the video game "Kingdom Hearts." said Namine.
"This story is so confusing." complained Sora.
Namine then laughed. She was still weak, but she still laughed. "Really? I hope you don't get to read the novelization on Kingdom Hearts. Now that is a truly complicated story." said Namine.
"How so?" asked Sora.
"Xehanort time travels and you get to fight multiple versions of him throughout time. Also, Roxas is supposed to be you, but another you after you lose your heart. And I'm supposed to be tied to your memories. Xion was your memories, but in human form. And then…" Namine kept on saying.
"Oh my gosh! Stop! Point taken." said Sora.
"You see? I told you." said Namine.
"I think I'm going to stare at a wall for a while after this." said Sora.
"A while? It took me a couple days." said Namine as she laid her head on the pillow.
The door opened and Roxas walked in. He sees Namine and Sora standing with an unreadable yet miserable face.
"Uh.. did I miss something?" asked Roxas.
Sora grinned, but he didn't look all too pleased. "You might want to sit down for this one." he said.
He looked at Namine and waved at her nervously. "Is it that bad?" he asked.
"You want me to tell him, or you?" asked Sora.
"You tell him. I'm tired to be honest." said Namine as she closed her eyes and Marlene sat next to her, placing her head on her shoulder.
"Yes. Get some rest. Roxas, can I offer you a soda? Drink first, then I'll tell you. It's better if you knew too." said Sora.