Chapter Twenty Nine: Knowledge

Journal: Day Eight

I've been here for over a week. Looking back at my first entry in this book, it's incredible how much I've changed. Not to mention how I was before coming here.

Back then, I didn't really care much about anything. Maybe ice cream and learning more. That and wanting to stay alive.

It's silly writing it. Of course people want to survive.

But there's so much more now. Trying to help free Naminé. Keeping Sora and Kairi safe. Trying to stop whatever Marluxia and Larxene are up to. There's so much at stake that I can't just go on unthinkingly. I have to find a way to help everyone.

Even if I still have no idea what to do.

Roxas wasn't sure what exactly a mermaid was, hoping he'd know when he saw whoever Ariel was. The answer came when he heard a voice call out for Ariel to slow down. A voice that was getting closer. Soon, A blue and yellow fish and what seemed like a young woman with a fish's tail instead of legs came swimming in followed by a crab. A crab that panicked as soon as he saw Roxas and his friends.

"Relax, Sebastian," Ariel chuckled as she saw him swim behind her. "They don't look like one of them. Right, Flounder?"

The fish peeked out from behind her and mumbled, "I don't know. There's something weird about them."

Axel glanced at the four of them walking on the ocean floor and back to the mermaid and muttered, "You don't say."

"Shush." Zexion whispered as Ariel swum closer. From what Naminé had explained, the magic of the memory would mostly cover for them as far as keeping whatever disguise Sora and his friends had conjured up. Even if it wouldn't be perfect.

"They do seem a little different." Ariel made that point clear with her pondering as she swam around the four and asked,"Where are you from?"

Roxas knew the basic story to give here, so he explained, "We're travelers from far away."

Ariel's eyebrows raised and she came to a stop. "Really? We don't get many visitors in this part of the ocean nowadays."

Naminé looked over to the entrance of the cave as she asked, "Why not?" Though the tone indicated she had a good idea of the reason.

Said reason soon swam into the cave they were in, heartless in the form of jellyfish. Sebastian panicked at the sight and frantically swam for cover. "Because of those! Let's get out of here!" He and Flounder dove into a large empty clamshell and closed it behind him. Ariel however turned to face the coming heartless, nervous yet with magic gathering at her fingertips.

Calling his keyblade, Roxas ran toward the creatures shouting, "Don't worry! We can take care of this!" Strange as the jelly-like heartless were, it was hardly a real fight. With a few swipes of the keyblade from him and blasts of cold from Naminé, the swimming heartless were slowly dispatched. As the last few gathered together, Ariel took the chance to cast a spark of lightning and zapping away the last few heartless.

Looking back at his other two companions as the darkness scattered, Roxas raised an eyebrow. "You're not helping?"

Axel shrugged at the question as he looked over the cleared cavern. "Well for starters, you're both training and need to learn how to handle yourselves. Second, you two seem to have things under control."

Zexion gently waved a hand with a smile. "We'll step in if the situation is sufficiently dire."

Flounder slowly peeked out his head from the giant clam with wide eyes. "That was amazing!"

"Really? Er, I mean," Naminé quickly composed herself and answered, "Glad to help."

Sebastian however, was still concerned as he swam up to Ariel. "Wait, what if more of those monsters decided to head to the palace?!"

Stricken, Ariel murmured. "Daddy, no!" It made enough sense to Roxas. She was a princess, so of course she was concerned about her father. She swam up to him and Naminé while pleading, "I'm really sorry, but could you come with us to help? You two are the only ones who have been able to fight those monsters."

It was a chance to do some good with the power he had. Roxas would have said yes, mission or not. And judging from Naminé's firm nod, she was on the same page.

The journey to Atlantica's palace took longer than expected, with them getting turned around a few times in the caverns of the ocean floor. But eventually they all reached the palace plaza and fought off the heartless gathering there. Of course, the fear that some heartless managed to sneak inside was enough to get Ariel to head to the throne room to check on her father.

Yet as they caught up, Roxas realized they had all been followed. They turned to face the heartless that had followed them in, only for a bolt of lightning to blow the monsters away. Having shielded their eyes from the flash, Roxas and his friends saw it had come from the throne.

An older but well built merman sat there aiming a golden trident at where the heartless once were. "That was too close," he sighed as he held the glowing weapon at his side. "As long as I have my trident, I will not tolerate those creatures inside this palace."

Nervously eyeing the trident Axel muttered,"You can say that again." Zexion was no less worried as he clutched his book, while Naminé sidled to Roxas' side. He could hardly blame them being afraid in the face of power like that.

Ariel was far less perturbed at the show of force as she swam up. "Daddy!"

"Oh, Ariel!" Though at Triton's admonishing tone, she cringed. "When will you listen? It's dangerous out there!"

Clearing his throat, Sebastian swam next to the throne and announced, "Behold: You swim before the ruler of the seas, His Majesty, King Triton."

As Triton looked over the four of them, Roxas couldn't help but flinch as he instinctively stood at attention while the king asked, "And who are they?"

"They helped us fight off those creatures."

"They aren't familiar."

"We're travelers from afar." Roxas tried to maintain his composure under Triton's stern look.

Steeling herself with a nod, Naminé moved beside Roxas and offered, "We're here to resolve the monster problem."

Triton raised an eyebrow from his seat as he asked, "And how would you do that? Even with my power, their numbers do not thin."

Roxas glanced to Axel and Zexion, who both gave a nod. Holding out his hand, he called his keyblade in a flash of light. "We fight them with this."

Triton tightened his grip on the armrest as he eyed the weapon. Eventually he ordered, "Ariel, leave us."

She didn't move and tried to plead, "But—"

Only for Triton to cut her off with a glare as he shouted, "This is for your own good child!" Screwing his eyes shut, he shook his head. "This is something I pray you never learn more about. Just stay in the palace where it's safe."

Ariel lingered for a moment before swimming off in a huff. Naminé watched her as she left with a sigh. Roxas began to wonder if she knew more, but his line of thought was cut off by Triton's cold voice. "Boy, do you even know what that is?"

Glancing at the weapon in his hands, Roxas hesitated for a moment. Because what was a keyblade, really? A manifestation of the heart's power is what he heard Xemnas call it, but hearts were something Nobodies didn't have. And yet he and Naminé were able to wield its power. Of course, that wasn't anything he could get into here and now, so he settled with answering, "It's a keyblade, and it can defeat heartless."

Triton's eyes narrowed as he pointed toward the sword in Roxas' hands. "It is a weapon of horrible power that can destroy worlds."

Zexion cupped his chin as he replied, "That sounds more like hearsay. Legends and rumors might not be the best basis to make decisions."

Even as he rested his hand on his throne, Triton's gaze never left the keyblade. "This one you may know. Long ago the worlds were one, united under the light. Until people fought with it in a war that shattered worlds."

"The Keyblade War."

At the grave proclamation, Axel tapped Naminé on the shoulder and whispered, "You have any idea why he's talking about this?"

Roused from the story the memory told, she quietly answered, "Triton was probably thinking of it when he was afraid of Sora. It's a memory he has of him, so it got picked up in this illusion."

Axel eyed the king who was watching Roxas standing across the room as if he had a knife to his throat. He shook his head and muttered, "The way he's talking, this seems more than a rumor or legend." Zexion nodded an agreement.

Whether Naminé altered the memory of King Triton or if he couldn't genuinely hear them was unclear. But his decree was. "The Keyblade brings destruction and ruin. And there is no place for it in my ocean."

Though Roxas still held the keyblade in his hands, his face had grown far more stricken. This idea that a keyblade could be something that could cause such harm, that it had caused great destruction. It stood in opposition to everything he knew. It was what Sora used to save people, a power that Naminé had put her faith in, the strength he had that gave him a chance to be more than a simple Nobody.

But blades could hurt as much as they could help. Ansem as Riku was more than enough proof. And he was sure Marluxia and Larxene had their own weapons.

If they got their hands on something like this?

Roxas tightened his grip. It was all the more reason to keep fighting. So he met Triton's stern look and answered, "So you're just letting the heartless run amok? They're not part of your world either!"

The King sighed yet remained silent as he faced the one inescapable fact. The heartless were a problem that only the keyblade could solve. Looking at the crab still sitting near the throne, he asked, "Sebastian. Have you tracked the source of the monsters?"

Giving a bow, the crab reported, "Yes, Your Majesty, as you suspected, they are coming from Ursula's grotto."

Looking aside, the king muttered, "It seems exile has taught her nothing."

Perking up, Naminé stepped forward and offered, "Maybe as a show of good faith, we can stop whatever she's planning with the heartless?"

The four of them watched as the king mulled the idea over before nodding, "Maybe. Once Ursula is handled we shall determine what comes next."

The memory of Triton sat on the throne as he watched the strangers depart. Sebastian crawled closer and asked, "Your highness, what about Ariel?"

The king sighed. For all his talk of keyblades and heartless, there was one concern that was always in the forefront of his mind. One he didn't quite know how to handle. "I don't know. Part of me worries for her safety, even though her desire to help is admirable." Lost in thought, he began to ponder, "Perhaps once the crisis is over—."

"There will be no afterward for you."

The stranger's voice caused him to leap to attention. Reflexively he reached for the source of his power, only to find it gone from where he placed it. "What?! My trident?!"

Panicking, he saw a boy with silver hair and a dark bodysuit holding the golden weapon."The power of the sea given form," the boy marveled as he began to vanish into darkness. "I can think of far worthier hands."

As they were leaving the palace, Roxas looked over and asked, "Axel, do you think anyone else in the Organization knows about the Keyblade War?"

Scratching the back of his head, Axel looked to the side as he considered, "I doubt it. A story like that sounds like something that comes out in 10 years."

Zexion tapped his time as he mused, "Or given the scope of the event, someone is invested in it staying buried."

Naminé was quiet, her mind considering the memories of those tied to Sora. Trying to see if anyone else knew more of this Keyblade War besides stories and legends. Granted, as she was working to keep up this illusion, she couldn't really go too far into it. Letting the memories act more like themselves instead of running off a script was almost more taxing in that regard. But in any case, her train of thought was cut off as she spotted a familiar red-headed mermaid peeking out from one of the columns. "Ariel?"

Glancing around to see if there was anyone else, she quickly swam up to the four and pleaded, "Take me with you."

Axel and Zexion glanced at each other in surprise, while Roxas pointed out, "Your father said it was dangerous."

Crossing her arms with a huff, Ariel shook her head. "He treats me like a little girl. He never wants to let me do anything." Sighing, she looked up the corridor leading to her father's throne room. "Even if I want to find a way to help, he tells me I have to stay here."

Naminé looked aside and rubbed her arm as she muttered,"I know how that can be. You can't go where you truly want to, and even if you want to help people don't listen."

"I can't just sit around here and do nothing." Ariel glanced out to the path leading from Triton's palace. "And if I can prove I can take care of myself by helping deal with these monsters, then maybe he'll see he doesn't have to keep me locked up here."

Furrowing her brow, Naminé faced Ariel. "There's going to be some fairly strong heartless there. Are you sure you can handle it?

Her hands sparked for a moment as Ariel pointed out, "I've learned a bit of Daddy's magic, so I can help in a fight."

Axel looked from Roxas and Naminé to Ariel, all of them with hopeful eyes, and conceded, "If you're willing to face the danger, then I guess you can come with us."

Even though Ariel wasn't at the level of a keyblade wielder or the other Organization members, she could hold her own with her magic. More than a few times, she could zap a stray heartless Roxas or Naminé had missed, or used some healing magic to keep them going when things got hairy. The five of them followed a path through the ocean floor to the depths. Fathoms below Atlantica and the sun that illuminated it.

Yet as they passed through the monstrous opening to Ursula's grotto, Ariel did have one advantage. She didn't have to make her way through the strange creatures writhing on the cavern floor. Roxas couldn't help but squirm as he tried to make his way through. "What are these guys?"

Flinching as one of the creatures moaned, Naminé murmured, "They aren't heartless, their eyes are different."

Axel shuddered as they reached the end of the passage. "I don't think we want to know."

"Ursula was in the habit of making deals with her magic," Zexion pointed out as he pulled his cloak from one of the worms that latched onto it and was pulling. "What sort of punishment do you think she would inflict on those that couldn't pay?"

Roxas furrowed his brow as they arrived at the exit. "Good thing we're not here to make a deal."

Finally, they arrived at a large chamber. Potions, ingredients, and tomes lined the wall of the round room. In the center, was a large cauldron bubbling with a strange shimmering liquid that Ursula was focused on. Yet as she sensed the presence of her guests, she looked up and her intense concentration quickly changed into an almost sickening smile. "Why hello dearies! What brings you to my humble abode?"

Ariel swam up next to Roxas and Naminé and declared, "We're here to stop the heartless."

Axel chuckled and pointed to Ursula. "And probably you too."

Rolling her eyes, Ursula picked a bottle from the shelf and scooped up some of the potion brewing in the cauldron. "Oh, that rabble? I do apologize, they have been loitering the past few days."

Zexion crossed his arms at Ursula's dismissal. "Unfortunately, your king isn't taking kindly to your freeloaders."

The witch waved a hand as she made her way to the wall with the potion. "Triton doesn't know as much as he thinks he does." With a flick of her wrist, she flung the potion at the cavern. And when it broke against the stone there was a flash.

And for a brief instance, she revealed the marble white walls of Castle Oblivion

"For instance, I know this isn't real."

Naminé staggered back in horror at Ursula's sneer and stammered, "W-What?! How?!"

Chuckling, Ursula's tentacles brought her closer to the five of them, "Dearie, I'm a very good witch. I know an illusion when I see one." As Roxas, Axel and Zexion summoned their weapons, Ursula leaned closer to Naminé's face. "And you've let this one grow rather large, haven't you?"

Zexion hissed as he opened his book. "Naminé, get her under control."

Ursula held up a hand as she backed away. "Are you sure you want that? I think you'll find I can offer you quite a bit."

"Like what?" Ariel watched Ursula warily as the witch made her way back to the Cauldron in the center.

"Freedom," Ursula hissed as she gathered darkness to her hand. "I have crossed worlds dealing with Maleficent. And I know that you all desperately want it."

Roxas tightened his grip on his keyblade, yet couldn't bring himself to move forward. "So you're making us an offer?"

With a wave of her hand, Ursula conjured a corridor of darkness. "One portal to anywhere you want in the universe. All I ask is that you let this illusion continue."

Zexion's eyes widened as he connected the dots. "Effectively letting you become real, so you can carry on whatever plans your old self failed at."

Ursula chuckled as she summarized, "One freedom for another."

Naminé trembled as she saw the portal. A chance to run away and finally leave. Roxas could hardly blame her for considering the idea. It was a solution to their dilemma that had escaped them.

Though surprisingly, Ariel was the first to speak. "I've wanted to see other worlds for so long. But just leaving Daddy and my sisters while you go free..."

Tilting her head with a smirk, Ursula offered, "A rather equitable trade, yes?"

"No. It's not the same at all!" And with Ariel's shout, that smirk was wiped away. "I came here because I wanted to help make things right!"

And with those words, Naminé gasped in realization along with Roxas as they both realized the only answer they could really give.

Naminé called her keyblade to her hand. "You're right. We've got unfinished business we need to settle here."

Roxas tightened his grip as he shouted, "And we won't go until we do!"

Neither of them could turn their back on what was happening here. Not on Marluxia and Larxene's scheming, Ansem's plotting, or Sora and Kairi in peril. Freedom wasn't worth the price of leaving those be.

"I offer you a bargain and you spit on my hospitality!" Ursula snarled as she dispelled the portal and the cauldron began to bubble and churn. "Well if a fight is what you want, then I'm more than willing to provide!"

"You stand outnumbered, witch." A voice echoed through the chamber that stopped Roxas and Naminé in their tracks. Ansem's voice that caused Axel and Zexion to look around frantically. "But there is a way left for your triumph."

Yet it was Ursula who spotted the possessed Riku first. "You're that boy Maleficent found!"

"The boy is no more. All that remains is the shadow of ambition." With a snap, Riku summoned Triton's staff to his side "And I would see yours fulfilled!"