Chapter 138

The Lore of the Duat

After saying their good-byes, the party beamed up to the Gummi Ship, intending to resume their quest and head to the next world. As they had not decided on where to go, the Naughty List tracking device did not provide them with a helpful direction, and they were exhausted after a full day of fighting and sparring, they elected to call it a night and plan their next move in the morning.

After a few hours of sleep, Kairi found herself roused by a creaking sound and mumbling. Waking up, she quickly determined the source of the disruption to be Aqua having a fitful slumber.

"Ven. What did you... come here to tell me? I know… I promised to wake you up. I'm… sorry," Aqua mumbled.

Kairi frowned. It hurt her to see Aqua like this. She wished that there was a way to help her. She wondered if there was a way to help her. To wake Ventus up.

She turned over and went back to sleep, deciding that she would ask the others about it in the morning.

At breakfast the next morning, when Mickey asked if there were any ideas for where to go next, Kairi broached the topic. "Actually, your Majesty, I've been thinking," she began, "maybe we can look into finding a way to bring Ventus back."

Aqua tilted her head quizzically, wondering what had brought her to that topic. She then gasped, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I was talking in my sleep, wasn't I?" she asked. Kairi nodded. Aqua retreated into her chair as much as she could.

"It's okay, Aqua. You know we're all here for you," Kairi assured her. "You're hurting, and it's your friend who's lost. You shouldn't have to keep that quiet."

Sora nodded. "She's right," he agreed. "Besides, I think we really should try to help Ventus." He turned to Mickey. "So, do you have any ideas, your Majesty?"

"Hmm…" Mickey clutched his chin as he considered the suggestion. "Gosh, I don't understand the situation enough to really judge. I wish I did, though."

"Then why don't we ask Master Yen Sid?" Donald suggested. "He understood what happened to him and had an idea for how to save him all those years ago. He might be able to help us now."

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Goofy said. "Yeah, I'm sure Master Yen Sid will know what to do."

"Sounds like a plan," Sora agreed.

"Really?" Aqua smiled. "Sure. Let's do it."

"Alright then, fellas. Let's go pay a visit to Master Yen Sid," Mickey said.

They finished breakfast and returned to the cockpit, then plotted a course and flew to the Mysterious Tower.

Aqua tilted her head quizzically as she laid her eyes on the sorcerer's tower. "Did he remodel it?" she asked, noticing that the architecture looked somewhat different.

"I know, right? It looks completely different," Donald remarked.

Aqua and Mickey looked at him in confusion. "Um, not really. It's just leaned to the other side a bit, with a spire or two added in different places. Otherwise, it isn't unrecognizable," Aqua argued.

Sora crossed his arms and shot Donald a questioning look. "Yeah. You've been here before my first visit. How come you didn't recognize this place?" he asked.

Donald thought hard about what could have caused his confusion, then let out a resigned sigh. "Maybe my mind was fuzzy after our long sleep," he guessed, embarrassed.

"It might be after seeing Magica's tower, the Castle of Illusions, and the Mysidia tower, you probably saw that it didn't look quite like the tower you remembered and figured it was just another magic tower," Mickey suggested.

Donald stroked his chin. "Hmm… Could be."

Sora shrugged. "I guess that makes sense," he said. "Well, come on. Let's head inside."

They reached the top of the stairs and approached the door leading into Yen Sid's chamber. Aqua knocked, and the door creaked open. Taking this as a cue to enter, they did so, whereupon they found Yen Sid sitting at his desk, his eyes closed in meditation. They gathered in front of him, and when he opened his eyes to behold them, all seven bowed before him.

Yen Sid bade them to rise. "I trust all goes well on your journey." He laid his eyes upon Aqua. "Aqua, I am relieved to see that you have returned to the Realm of Light. I had sensed your star reappearing, among those of your friends." He glanced over at everyone else again. "You have all done well to see her returned." Riku opened his mouth to interject, but Yen Sid continued. "I will admit, I had concern for your safety, but even when it was possible to turn our attention to your rescue, I feared that at the power they had at the time, and with our lack of understanding of the terrain, it would be too dangerous a task to risk. Therefore, I had to hope that you would be able to take care of yourself until a rescue mission could be performed."

Riku deflated. He had a point: if they had not collaborated with the researchers at Radiant Garden to create a map and a means of tracking Aqua's rough location, they might not have been as successful. In addition, their only means of getting into and out of the Realm of Darkness laid with Naminé, and Kairi had very little experience the last time they convened with Yen Sid, and especially when they had defeated Xemnas. Kairi had even been endangered in the face of the hostile wildlife. He had to admit to himself that Yen Sid was right to keep Aqua's fate from them until he felt that they were prepared.

Aqua nodded. "I understand. Master, we want to help Ven, find a way to wake him up. But we're not sure just how we can do that," she explained. "Might you be able to help us?"

"Ah, yes, Ventus. It ought to have been a somewhat simple matter to locate him, at least when the damage was fresh," Yen Sid lamented. "When Mickey brought you and him to me, his heart was fractured and lost in the aether, but it could still be recovered." Aqua's face fell as she interpreted what that statement implied. "I can sense that Ventus' heart still lives in this realm. However, in the time since, it seems to have buried itself away someplace, and my eyes cannot discern where."

"So does that mean he's safe?" Aqua asked, feeling hopeful at the news.

"I believe so, for some definition of 'safe'," Yen Sid replied. "Nevertheless, without knowledge of his heart's whereabouts, I fear we will not be able to return it to his body."

The room fell silent as Yen Sid's words sank in. Ventus' heart was buried somewhere? Where could it be? Would they be able to get it back and put it back where it belongs?

Kairi put her hand to her chin in contemplation. "Hmm… I guess it makes sense. If his heart was lost, it would want to find a safe place so that it wouldn't be consumed by darkness, or go to wherever hearts go when you die," she mused. "When I lost my heart, it went to Sora for safekeeping."

"So, how do we find Ven's heart?" Mickey asked. "And how do we get it out and put it back in his body?"

"I will attempt to trace his path. In the meantime, in order to restore his heart and return it to his body, you will need to acquire a new power, a power to free a heart from its sleep," Yen Sid said.

Mickey gasped. "You don't mean—?"

Yen Sid nodded. "You will need to attain the Power of Waking."

The room fell silent once again, although while Mickey, Donald and Aqua gaped in shock, the others looked around in confusion. "So, um, what is the 'Power of Waking'?" Sora asked.

"It's the ultimate light magic," Aqua explained. "Only the most powerful and experienced Keyblade Masters have been able to use it, but no one has actually needed to in several generations, so no one alive actually knows how to use it."

"At this point, it's only theory," Donald added. "There's enough in the tomes and journals to know what it's supposed to do, but not enough to teach it."

"Okay, I guess we can start from there," Riku said. "But once we understand what it is, then what? How can we learn to use the Power of Waking?"

Yen Sid closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After a lengthy pause, he opened his eyes again. "The river of dreams," he finally said. There was another befuddled silence, as not even Mickey, Donald or Aqua knew what he was talking about. Picking up on this, he began to elaborate. "Legend tells of a river that exists parallel to the physical realms, known as the Duat, which flows through the Realm of Sleep. When one sleeps, their heart dips into the river, and the Duat fills their slumber with dreams, drawing on memories or imprinting thoughts that are carried with the current. You have seen evidence of this in your visits to your Stations of Awakening."

"Oh yeah. I think I read about the Duat somewhere before," Donald mused. "But it was more of a scant mention. I'd heard that almost all research on it was lost centuries ago."

Sora crossed his arms in contemplation. "So, what are we supposed to do? Go into our Dives and find a way to jump into the river?" he asked.

"Nothing so reckless," Yen Sid replied, stroking his beard. Sora shrugged, indignant at the choice of words used in reference to directly asking for a sensible option. The sorcerer waved his hand and caused a tome to materialize on his desk. "With Merlin's aid, I was able to compile remnants of the original research on the Duat. I would advise that you read it thoroughly."

Donald picked the book up and examined the cover, then gasped. "These are the original notes written by the Grand Mage Unei!" he exclaimed.

Aqua gasped. "Really?" she asked, excited.

Kairi tilted her head in confusion. Sora cleared his throat. "You know, not everyone here is a magic scholar. We don't know who that is," he remarked.

Aqua let out a laugh, embarrassed. "Right. Of course. Unei was one of the first sorcerers, and one of the earliest pioneers in the study of magic. The first Keyblade Masters relied on the work of her and her contemporaries," she explained. She took the tome from Donald and gingerly opened it, admiring the pages. "These are some of the oldest notes on magical research in existence. As far back as the Age of Fairy Tales was from our time? Their time was that far back from then."

"Wow," Kairi said, amazed.

"Within those pages, Master Unei had mapped out the Duat and marked the locations in which it pools closest to the physical realm," Yen Sid said. "I believe that the same pools still exist in the worlds that those locations became after the World became divided. I believe that if you follow the Duat and visit the worlds where these pools exist, you will be able to uncover the secrets of the Power of Waking."

Aqua closed the book and tucked it under her arm, then gave Yen Sid a bow. "Thank you, Master."

"Um, excuse me, Master," Kairi interjected, raising her hand awkwardly as if trying to get the teacher's attention in class. "There's something else that I wanted to ask you about." Yen Sid nodded, granting permission to speak. "When we were in Arendelle, the whole place was covered in a magic winter."

Yen Sid nodded. "I am aware of that. It is quite fortuitous that you were able to help in restoring the land, however it occurred."

"Anyway, I couldn't help but notice that Sora's clothes shifted to protect him from the cold," Kairi continued. "And also that they repaired themselves from any rips and tears that they suffered. I was wondering if Riku and I could have some magic clothes too."

Yen Sid closed his eyes pensively. "I understand. Although the three good fairies are occupied with business on their own world, I do know someone who would be able to help with your request. If you would wait a moment…" He stood up and walked through the wardrobe door, closing it behind him.

The party stood around, patiently waiting for Yen Sid to return with whoever he said would provide Riku and Kairi with new garments. Aqua opened the tome and started reading it aloud, for her own benefit and for the other Keybearers to hear. Donald listened as well, fascinated to hear about one of the first sorcerer's research. Goofy, having nothing to tie his interest to the lore of the realm of sleep, searched the shelves until he found a book that caught his interest and started to read that.

After some time, Yen Sid returned through the wardrobe portal. "She is ready for you," he said. Kairi smiled and nodded. She and Riku stepped through the wardrobe, with their friends following.

The room beyond had been remodeled. A circular table sat in the center, surrounded by four black lounge chairs. Mannequins were strewn about, the figures resembling muscular males and slender females, some of them dressed in form-fitting colorful costumes. Goofy chuckled as he examined one, thinking that it would make a better Halloween costume than a pajama onesie. Sora, Riku and Kairi laughed, thinking back to cartoons and comic books from when they were children. Aqua raised an eyebrow, oddly reminded of Captain Justice. There were also glass tubes that contained a crackling, swirling light that Sora recognized as Drive energy.

"Yes, come in. Come, come, dahlings." They turned to the source of the voice, and were surprised to see a diminutive woman with a disproportionately large head, a round nose, brown eyes, and black hair in a bob haircut that made her head look even bigger. She wore large, circular glasses, a top that resembled sheets of blue-purple fabric layered over one another, black leggings, and black dress shoes. She sized everyone up and down with a stern, focused gaze. "I have been told that you require my expertise. Now, which of you are my clients?"

Kairi and Riku each took a step forward and introduced themselves.

"Wonderful, dahlings, wonderful. I am Edna Mode," the woman said. She ran around them, taking their measurements with a tape measure and writing them down on a sketch pad. When she was unable to reach their arms, she cleared her throat. Two step stools materialized on either side of Riku and Kairi, the clouds of smoke that prefaced their appearance indicating that they were Yen Sid's doing. "I see, dahling. Your clothes are very stylish," she told Kairi as she measured her arm length and head circumference. "Ill-suited for live combat and intense scenarios, and I don't quite understand what these zippers are for, but very stylish indeed. Might I presume this to be a part of your preferred color scheme?" Kairi nodded. Edna scribbled notes on her sketch pad, then moved over to measure Riku. "You, however, are bland."

"Excuse me?" Riku blurted, offended.

"Traditional denim is of suitable quality for walking down the street or blue collar work, but not for running into disasters and battling with supervillains. I am amazed that this has not yet been shredded to the point where it looks like you've forgotten that pants are meant to protect your legs from the elements," Edna remarked. She took a closer look at his and Kairi's garments and realized that there were stitches in several places, confirming that their clothes had indeed suffered that kind of damage. "No, no. You will need a new outfit, not this hobo suit." She flicked his arm right below the shoulder of his jacket. "Especially if the environment disagrees with you even more than I do."

"Hobo suit?" Riku parroted. He shot a glare back at Sora, who was chuckling at his expense.

Edna saw Sora and smiled appreciatively. "You, young man, come. Let me take a look at the material of your clothes." Sora stepped forward, and Edna began examining his jacket and pants with a magnifying glass. "I see, yes. This is a product of the fairies, conjured so that it fits your own personal style. It is no work of mine, but it is far superior to anything tailored by Galbaki. A thin, layered weave of different aramid materials. Waterproof, resistant to bullets, fire, friction, and piercing, a jack of all trades, and it's breathable. Let me feel this here… Ah, yes. I see it is a secure conduit for radiation, quantum energy, and magic. And from what I have been told, it shifts to better suit extreme environments. I can certainly take inspiration from this." Edna stepped down from the stool and started to draw sketches of the clothes that Kairi, Riku and Sora were wearing.

"You can really make clothes with those properties?" Mickey asked, amazed.

"Of course, dahling. I've provided stylish costumes with the requisite resilience for men and women who see as much action as you and who perform similar feats," Edna replied.

Sora's eyes shot wide open as her words set in. He took another look at the colorful costumes on display, the costumes that looked as though they would not be out of place in a comic book. "Whoa—wait! Do you mean you make costumes for actual superheroes?" he asked.

"Yes, yes, the true pride and joy of my line of work," Edna said in a dismissive tone. "The old days and recent times far outshine the last decade-or-so."

"You weren't making superhero costumes for all those years? How come?" Kairi asked.

"Feh. Legal nonsense. Particular regional governments outlawing superheroes," Edna replied bitterly as she began sketching ideas out on a fresh page in her sketchbook.

"What?!" Sora blurted. "Why would anyone make it illegal to be a hero?"

"Too many clashes, rescues, and assists in other worlds. Politicians and nobles don't approve of foreign heroes affecting more than they say they should. They allowed opposition to threats that they could not handle on their own, but they drew a sharp line at rescuing ships in storms and assisting in construction work. On top of lawsuits being written in their hometowns—injuries in train rescues, prevented suicides, those kinds of things, it soon became illegal to be a superhero and even looked down upon to even be super."

Riku winced at the last part. "But… it's not like that anymore?" he asked.

"In the last few years, supers were able to come out of retirement to conduct hero work in secret. Then danger arose that only supers could quell, so they started to regain public support. Finally, by your calendar I would say nearly two years ago, it became known that all of the worlds were saved only by the intervention of a hero going beyond his borders, so with encouragement from a growing movement and a supportive organization, those worlds' governments signed an accord to make supers legal again. I'm sure you know what that crisis was."

"The Heartless," Sora realized. He grinned, feeling a swell of pride at his unknowing contribution to heroes everywhere. "So, what will you be designing? Are you going to make costumes for Riku and Kairi like the ones you made for all the others?" he asked as he watched Edna sketch out rough designs. "What, will you put Riku in tights and Kairi in a catsuit and throw big, flowing capes on them?" Kairi playfully slapped him on the arm in response to his joke.

"No capes," Edna said bluntly, ripping out a blank page, crumpling it up, and throwing it at his head. "Other details will depend on their preference, but no capes."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked. One thing he knew about superheroes was, with a few exceptions, a common theme between them was a flowing cape that made them look majestic.

"Pretty on paper, death trap in reality. An example: Thunderhead. Tall, storm powers, nice man, good with kids. All was well, another day saved, when his cape snagged on a missile fin," Edna clarified.

Riku winced. "That had to have been rough," he remarked sympathetically.

"Stratogale! Cape caught in a jet turbine," Edna continued. Kairi gasped in horror. "Meta-Man, express elevator. Dynaguy, snag on takeoff. Splashdown, sucked into a vortex. Duck Avenger, fan in an air duct." Donald gulped, and Goofy looked at him in confusion. "No capes!" Sora took a step back, rubbing his throat self-consciously. With her rant finished, Edna resumed her sketching.

"I guess it's a good thing that I was never able to get the cape to pop out on my Keyblade Armor, then," Aqua mused.

"What do you think, dahling?" Edna asked as she showed a page of design sketches to Kairi.

Kairi stooped down to examine the sketches. "Ooh! I like this one. And the ears on this hood are so cute!"

Edna nodded appreciatively and circled the approved thumbnails. "So, B with C?" She turned to the next page and showed it to Riku. "How about you?"

"Hmm… I like this one."

"Yes, yes. Thank you. I will work on more refined designs and color arrangements. Now go. I'm sure now you should go back to see your magical mentor." With that, Edna turned around and left through a wardrobe door on the opposite side of the room.

"Thank you, Ms. Mode," Kairi said appreciatively.

"The pleasure's all mine, dahling," Edna replied before closing the door behind her.

"'Hobo suit'?" Riku muttered as he looked down at his clothes self-consciously. Kairi and Donald giggled.

"Well, you heard her. Let's head back to Master Yen Sid," Mickey said.

They reentered the study, where Yen Sid was waiting for them. "Before you begin your exploration of the Duat," the sorcerer began, "I would recommend that you study Master Unei's research until you thoroughly understand it. As your other objective is time-sensitive, I will open a gateway into the Mirage Arena so that you will be able to study to your hearts' content without worry for the passage of time. Edna Mode will also work on your new garments in that station as well."

"Cool. Thank you, Master," Riku replied.

"I suppose you still won't tell us what you know about what the bad guys are after," Sora remarked.

"It is not my place," Yen Sid admitted. Mickey wondered if he could sense a hint of shame in his tone. "However, although your enemies have gathered many of the artifacts they seek, you have successfully protected several as well over the course of your journey. Follow the trail of your enemies, and your instincts, and victory will be in your hands."

Sora traded glances with his friends. They supposed that it was a good enough course of action to follow, and it encouraged them to hear that they have thus far been successful in safeguarding the artifacts. From what they understood, if they could secure even one artifact, then they would be able to thwart the villains before they get what they want.

In the meantime, they could focus on saving someone separate from this whole debacle.

Sora nodded. He picked up the tome of Duat research. "Okay, then. Let's focus on finding a way to wake Ventus up," he said.

Yen Sid nodded. He waved his hand and willed a rift to open behind the party. They bowed, then stepped through the rift and into the Mirage Arena. The rift then shrank to a small pinpoint, just as it had before. With that, Yen Sid sat back down in his chair.

Only if it is of the utmost necessity, then I will tell them everything that they would need to know, he thought.