Chapter 19: My friends are my power!

Subaru dodged as many of Vanitas's attacks as best as he could yet he eventually received a strong hit that sent him flying again, injuring his right arm all over again. As he continued to get up, Vanitas eventually grew tired of the fight and threw a fireball at his direction with no hesitation, causing Subaru to try to dodge it only for his entire left hand to get burned by the attack. As Subaru felt the pain and wished to be laying on the ground, he knew that he had to hold the pain in and keep fighting. He continued to use his broken sword to hold back Vanitas until both Waraki and Kishida returned back into the fight to assist Subaru.

'Honestly, I'm glad to have them by my side along with Yabuto...' Subaru thought to himself as the two knights were able to push Vanitas back for a moment before the dark keyblade user simply brushed the two aside with ease. As the knights were sent flying, Waraki threw his sword at Subaru in hopes of being able to assist his friend before landing very harshly alongside Kishida. Subaru grabbed the sword and quickly went on an offense towards Vanitas once again yet this time he was only able to last for a couple of seconds before he was kicked by his opponent in the gut very harshly. This caused him to be sent flying back once again while his air had been all blown out of him. As he was sent a couple of feet away from Vanitas, the dark keyblade user started to speak with annoyance in his voice,

"You still think that you even stand a remote chance against me? You are pathetic! What makes you think that you can even hold me back longer than a minute? You have no powers. You don't have a keyblade! You are nothing but a pathetic pile of trash!"

"I know I am...but I won't give up...I will never give up…"

Subaru grabbed his sword tightly before charging at Vanitas once again, showing his opponent that no matter how many times he is beaten down, no matter if he is facing death in the face, he will not stop fighting. After all he had gone through in this new world with his friends, his master, and the girl he loves, he refuses to give up. While Subaru continued to fight Vanitas with everything he got, Sora quickly ran towards the Dark whale's position with everything he had alongside Wilhelm while Puck and Emilia provided the two cover, knowing that they need to give them an opening for the two to reach the dark whale to inflict damage on it.

"Sora! Wilhelm! Lia and I will give you all a chance to get a clear shot at gluttony, don't miss this opportunity!"

"Don't worry, great spirit, Sora-dono and I will not miss!"

Puck nodded at Wilhelm before both Emilia and him started to fire a barrage of icicles to counter the Dark Whale's attacks. As Puck and Emilia did everything in their power to create an opening, Sora turned towards his left side to see Julius joining him and Wilhelm on their path to attack the Dark Whale head on.

"Julius?"

"Don't think I was just going to let you and the sword devil have all the fun without me."

"Hehe good to have you here with us then."

Julius nodded at Sora before the three of them used the opportunity Emilia and Puck gave them to jump past the harsh defenses the Dark Whale set itself before managing to jump onto it. As the three were on the Dark Whale, a couple of unversed appeared in front of the trio, forcing them to turn their attention at them first. A couple of stronger unversed targeted Sora while the more weaker once focused on Wilhelm and Julius. The three were able to take them out without a problem but just as they were going to attack the Dark Whale, a corridor of darkness appear to show Marluxia and Larxene appear out of it.

"Marluxia! Larxene!"

"You are not going to beat me this time!"

"I have finally found you, Sora. Time to repay you for the damage you caused me."

Sora had his kingdom key ready for a fight yet he was stopped when Julius having his spirits prepared for battle stood in front of the keyblade wielder. Marluxia noticed this and quickly thought for a moment before remembering Julius from their fight in the capital.

"If it isn't the knight from the capital, Julius was it? Now why don't you step aside, my battle is with Sora."

"True but our fight was left off prematurely. Allow me to continue that fight uninterrupted."

Julius got his sword out and waited for Marluxia's response, surprising the organization member for a moment. Marluxia pulled his scythe out and prepared himself for a fight.

"As much as I would want to see your skills, Sora is my priority."

"Sorry but I'm the one you will be facing first."

Julius quickly charged at Marluxia, beginning their fight on the offensive and slightly pushing the organization member back. As he does this, Larxene quickly gets her eight throwing knives out and ready for another fight with the keyblade wielder.

"This time I will defeat you, you little twirp!"

Sora and Wilhelm both prepare themselves to face off Larxene as she prepares to go all out on the person she most despises. As she quickly charges at the keyblade wielder, she senses something try to attack her from her right side and quickly manages to barely dodge the attack. They all looked and noticed that the object that Larxene dodge was Rem's flail, causing both Sora and Wilhelm to look more to their left to see Rem joining them up onto the Dark Whale.

"Rem, how did you get up here?"

"A demi human known as Ricardo used his strength to throw me up here while Emilia-sama and her spirit, Puck, helped me get her safely."

"What are you doing here?"

"To help you, Sora-kun. I saw that her and the other one appeared and knew that you needed some help."

Rem's smile while she spoke to the one she loved made Sora feel happy to have her fight by his side, getting a smile to form. Larxene noticed this and quickly gained her balance before angrily yelling at Rem.

"How dare you stupid maid! How dare you help that twerp—!"

Larxene's focus was now on Rem, charging at her and beginning their duel with Rem wanting this to give Sora and Wilhelm an opening on the Dark Whale. Rem dodged a couple of Larxene's attacks before quickly pulling out her horn in order to keep up with her opponent's speed. As Rem dragged Larxene away from both Sora and Wilhelm, the two quickly started to attack the Dark Whale's body. The amount of damage they were doing was almost enough to kill it yet a bunch of unversed along with nobodies appeared and started to attack the two, preventing them from truly finishing off the Dark Whale. The two quickly turned their attention towards the new threat with Sora deciding to take on the nobodies while Wilhelm took on the unversed.

Julius continues to go on the offensive against Marluxia using his spirit arts, somehow impressing the organization member since he didn't believe someone in this world could actually prove to be a competent warrior. His curiosity peeks when he notices Julius attempting to strike him down in one hit, causing him to lower his defenses to see how much damage can he cause him. Julius notices this and quickly uses the opportunity given to him to strike down Marluxia, knowing how big of a threat the scythe user is. As Julius's sword hits Marluxia with everything he got, he managed to do some damage to the scythe user but not enough to leave an impact on him.

"Now isn't that disappointing and here I thought you would do some damage to me."

"Don't underestimate me just yet!"

Julius sent his red spirit towards Marluxia's direction, causing the area to explode fire which did some damage to Marluxia. He managed to use his wind abilities to heal himself before looking at Julius with a serious look, showing that he won't be holding back now. The knight noticed this and started to deflect each attack as best as he could while dodging those he could not block off. Julius examines the way Marluxia is fighting and quickly concludes that he is much tougher and much faster than he thought yet he wasn't going to allow himself to lose. He used another one of his spirits to assist him on defense, blocking attacks that Julius missed. Julius continued to barely hold his own until he used a powerful magical firestorm known as Fell Goa to push Marluxia back.

"Now that is quite an interesting attack, knight."

"I know you are much more powerful than you perceive but I won't be backing down."

Using his magic swordplay, Julius reaches his peak of his swordsmanship with the spirits enhancing his skills, allowing the spirit knight to be able to keep up with Marluxia's 25 percent of his speed and strength.

With Julius managing to keep up with Marluxia's attacks, Rem manages to keep Larxene focused on her by constantly attacking her when she attempts to return her focus back to Sora. This forces the organization member to create a duplicate of herself in an attempt to have the duplicate distract Rem while she goes to attack Sora. This backfired when Rem immediately punched the duplicate Larxene hard enough that it caused it to disappear before using her flail to attack the real Larxene, forcing her to take a defensive approach. During a barrage of offensive attacks towards Larxene, she uses Ul Huma which she materializes three pillars of ice to attempt to take down Larxene. As she fires the three at the organization member, Larxene quickly manages to dodge the attacks before throwing her eight throwing knives at Rem, confident that one of them will hit her. Rem notices this and quickly attempts to dodge all of the attacks yet one of the knives hits her left arm and causes all of her body to get shocked.

"Ha! I got you now, stupid maid!"

Larxene summons all eight of her throwing knives once again in an attempt to take down the blue haired maid yet Rem managed to push through the pain and quickly dodged the attack before punching Larxene in the face hard enough that it sent her flying back a few feet. Larxene landed on her feet and was completely confused on how Rem was able to handle the shock she had received.

"How did you pull that off? Not even the twirp that you care about could easily recover that fast from one of my attacks."

"I will not give up!...I will continue to fight for my hero...for the one I love...I will continue to fight on behalf of Sora-kun!"

Rem strengthens herself before summoning Ul Huma once again to continue their battle, beginning to go on an all out offensive to assure that her hero and the Sword Devil get their chance to take down the Dark Whale. Larxene quickly realized that she wasn't going to have an easy fight on her hands, forcing all the anger she has towards Sora to be directed towards Rem in an attempt to gain some strength to be on equal terms with the blue haired maid.

As Larxene and Rem continue their battle to the death, Sora and Wilhelm both manage to finish their fight with the nobodies and the unversed, returning their attention back to the Dark Whale. As the two returned to do damage to it, Sora allowed Wilhelm to deliver the finishing blow, causing the whale to start falling towards the ground at rapid speed. This forced everyone to start jumping off the whale with Larxene and Marluxia both using the corridor of darkness to escape the battle. Sora quickly put his keyblade away and started to carry Rem in order to get her out of the Dark Whale safely with Julius and Wilhelm both tagging along. Rem looked at her hero as she was being carried like a princess, making her heart beat faster. She moved her head near Sora's chest to hear the boy's heartbeat, making her smile while Sora looked around for a place to land safely with Rem.

Subaru was eventually knocked to the ground with one eye swollen and his entire right arm broken yet he didn't hesitate to get back up. Vanitas got annoyed by this and quickly kicked him in the face before speaking in disgust at the boy.

"You still keep fighting despite how pathetic you are...that is sickening! Accept that you are weak and die!"

"It is not weakness!"

Kishida with his sword quickly stepped into the fight to protect Subaru from being killed while barely being able to push Vanitas's attack.

"Impressive but you stand no chance against me, pathetic knight."

"Kishida…"

"Don't worry Subaru, I got your back!"

Kishida smiled at his friend and gave him a thumbs up before with everything he charged on an offensive towards Vanitas only to be easily hit in the stomach by one of Vanitas's keyblade attacks. As Kishida was sent flying back with a broken rib, Subaru got up and held his broken sword, ready to fight till the very end. Vanitas was preparing a strong attack to kill Subaru but first he was curious to know why the boy kept fighting a losing battle. Subaru looked at his broken sword given to him by the knights as he thought on what Vanitas said.

"Because I care about everybody. I know I'm weak but even so I will not give up, I will continue to fight even if it kills me! My friends...Emilia...all of them are my strength! They are my power!"

As Subaru said this caused his heart to strengthen before a random light appeared in front of the two, surprising both of them as they have no clue what is with the bright light. Once the light finally died down, Vanitas looked at his opponent with a bit of a surprised facial expression hidden under the mask he was wearing. Subaru opened his eyes and he started to smile with pride and enjoyment when he saw that he regained the Starlight keyblade once again.

"Hmm, so you are worthy of a keyblade. I am quite surprised but I will prove the keyblade that it made a mistake giving you, a pathetic weakling, the power of such a weapon."

Vanitas charged at Subaru in an attempt to take him out in one blow yet somehow the boy was able to deflect the attack by using Reflect which blocks Vanitas's attack. As the barrier broke, a couple of light explosions happened around Vanitas, doing some damage to the organization member. Vanitas jumped back to gain some distance and just as he was going to fire a strong fireball at Subaru, he felt a couple of icicles hit him on his back. He turned around to see both Emilia and Puck, both determined to stop him from harming Subaru.

'Such annoyance!' Vanitas thought to himself before attempting to attack the two yet he was unable to when Subaru charged at him and managed to reach him. The boy with keyblade in hand tried to sneak attack him yet the dark keyblade user dodged the attack and threw Subaru towards Emilia's position. With the power of the keyblade, Subaru was able to land on his feet and quickly casted Blizzard to counter the fireball heading towards their direction. As both attacks countered each other, Subaru quickly casted Reflect once more as he could feel that Vanitas was going to sneak attack them. He was correct as Vanitas was quickly charging at Subaru to attempt again to strike him down yet the keyblade's power was somehow blocking the organization member's attack.

"You are not getting me off guard!"

"Hmm...impressive, for a weakling!"

Vanitas quickly summoned lots of unversed to take care of the trio while he escaped, knowing now that the battle was over and that staying would certainly be a death sentence. As the unversed appeared and started attacking Subaru, Emilia, and Puck, Vanitas quickly created a corridor of darkness to escape in.

"Where the hell are you going?"

"Leaving, there is nothing fun here now, weakling."

"I won't let you leave!" Subaru attempted to get through the unversed to get to Vanitas but he was overwhelmed by the numbers. Vanitas looked at Subaru and smiled within his helmet, sensing the slight darkness lingering in the boy's heart yet he couldn't stay any longer as he could tell that Sora would appear soon. He smirked at the boy before leaving the area, letting Subaru and his group take down the unversed he had put in their path. As Subaru was taking down each unversed with his keyblade, he was a bit curious on what type of creatures these are since they are similar to the heartless yet different.

As the three took down the unversed with everything they got, Subaru fell to the ground from slight exhaustion yet happy that he won back his weapon. As he smiled on the ground exhausted, he noticed Emilia heading towards his position and beginning to heal him while the sky started to clear from all the smoke the White Whale created. Once the Dark Whale having reverted back to the White Whale crashed into the floor, Wilhelm quickly charges at the White Whale once again to make sure he does the finishing blow. As he starts to damage the white whale with fury and rage, he starts to recall the moment he won Theresia's heart.

Xehanort and Eraqus both tagged along with Young Wilhelm after the three defeated a couple of powerful heartless together, the three heading into the throne room. As the three entered, Young Wilhelm challenged Theresia without even needing to speak a single word. All the knights looked at the trio with Xehanort and Eraqus both summoning their keyblades and warning if anybody interfered that the two would stop them without hesitation. The knights all saw this as disrespect to their honor and quickly attempted to attack the duo but were subdued with ease, allowing Xehanort to look at them with annoyance.

"I thought knights are good thinkers, not brutes."

The knights all looked at Xehanort with anger in their eyes yet they could tell that if they tried to do something, all it would lead to is their eventual defeat. As the two keyblade wielders controlled the knights, Theresia and Wilhelm both began their duel with Wilhelm taking the offensive side of the battle, wishing to end it as soon as possible. As the two were in the heat of combat, Wilhelm was managing to overpower Theresia with the fighting style of Xehanort yet the divine protection of the Sword Saint was making it harder and harder to actually disarm her. This forced him to use a power he borrowed inside by both Eraqus and Xehanort, allowing him to glow for a moment and easily disarm the sword saint's weapon while at the same time shattering his entire sword. He had his sword directly at Theresia's neck with every knight completely shocked by this.

"I win. As a weaker swordsman, you no longer have reason to hold a sword."

"If I don't hold it, who will?"

"I shall inherit your reason for wielding the sword."

Xehanort and Eraqus both smiled as they heard this, seeing as Wilhelm's resolve is clear yet they wanted to make sure that he was truly being serious in taking over the sword saint's responsibilities. Eraqus steps up to the two and begins to speak in a serious tone,

"Wilhelm, should you actually inherit the reason for her to fight, what exactly is that reason you are wielding a sword."

"Because...she is my reason for wielding a sword."

Theresia was silent and surprised by this, not imagining that Wilhelm would have her be the reason he fights while both Xehanort and Eraqus smile as they are cheering for their friend in their minds. Theresia stood silent for a few seconds after Eraqus left the two alone before approaching Wilhelm.

"Hey, do you like flowers?"

"I don't hate them anymore."

"Why do you truly wield a sword?"

"To protect...you" Wilhelm went to kiss Theresia without hesitation or regret, catching everybody by surprise except both Xehanort and Eraqus. Both of them caught on that Wilhelm had feelings for Theresia during their training and quickly made sure to advise him to go for it when the opportunity opened, both wishing the two to get together. The two kissed for a couple of seconds before their lips separated from each other.

"Do you love me?"

"...You know that."

"I still want to hear you say it sometimes."

"Come on Wil, tell her already." Eraqus chimed in, wanting his friend to say the words that Theresia wants to hear. Wilhelm looked at Eraqus annoyed and was going to say something until he heard Xehanort from behind side with Eraqus.

"You should say it, after all it doesn't hurt saying it to the ones you care for."

"Oh come on Xehanort, I thought you would have my back on this."

"I do...but I also have Eraqus's back as well so you are out of luck."

There was a silence before the three boys began to laugh amongst themselves leaving Theresia a bit confused for a moment before pouting for being excluded on their laughter moment. Wilhelm nods at them before turning towards Theresia, who is waiting for him to say the words she wants him to say. He looks away at first in embarrassment before finally speaking,

"Very well. Someday...When I feel like it."

Wilhelm kisses Theresia once again yet they were interrupted when a light appeared behind the four of them. This is the same light that brought both keyblade wielders into the world, which made them realize that they must return back to their world. Xehanort and Eraqus both said goodbye with Eraqus making a promise to the two that he will return back to them someday while Xehanort looked at Theresia and quickly whispered a promise to Theresia which got both Wilhelm and Eraqus's attention. The two asked what promise did Xehanort make to Theresia only for Theresia to tell them that it's between the two.

"Xehanort, tell me!"

"Sorry Eraqus but it's a secret."

"What? I'm your best friend, I should know."

"Secret is a secret."

Eraqus whined for a bit before the two friends laughed it off as they said goodbye to their two friends.

Wilhelm continued to attack the white whale with everything he got, causing a lot of massive damage until he finally killed the beast with a finishing blow. As he did this, he looked up to see the sun shining bright at them.

"It is finished, Theresia. At last...Theresia, I...I...I love you!"

"The White Whale has fallen! The mabeast of fog, which has terrorized the world for four centuries, Has been defeated by Wilhelm Van Astrea and by Sora!" Crusch spoke with honor and with confidence, causing everyone to start cheering with most of the warriors all throwing their hats up in the air, Subaru smiling up at the sky with everyone while Emilia healed him, Sora holding Rem with the two of them having a smile on their faces, and with everybody else cheering the word "Victory". After a moment of cheering, they all went to make sure they could help the ones hurt by the battle, leaving the three knights Subaru fought alongside to each be taken care of. Waraki was still strong enough to continue fighting alongside Yabuto yet Kishida took a strong hit from Vanitas, forcing him to be with the wounded.

During this, Subaru asked Emilia to give him a moment alone to which she allowed while telling him to not do anything rash. As he was on his own, he looked up at the sunrise and all his mind can think is about how he managed to defeat the white whale thanks to everybody, including Sora. He felt that without Sora, they might not have been able to win. He pulled out his keyblade and started to smile when he saw it once again on his possession.

I know that it took me dying to reach this point but I'm glad to have you back on my side. I just hope to be worthy enough to keep using you in the future.

Subaru continued to smile before Emilia approached him a few minutes after leaving the boy alone. She was a bit concerned about his well being which caused her to ask if he was alright. He turned towards her and his first thought that came to mind was how he ended up killing her by accident in the previous loop which made him hesitate to even speak about Return by death. Although it was possible for him to reveal it with Sora's help, he did fear that they would become worried of his wellness since the trigger was death. All he could do is push forward on his own, valuing the loop he is in and fighting with everything he has to protect the loop until the bitter end.

"Don't worry Emilia, I'll be alright."

"You sure? You've been acting weird."

"Hehe sorry, just have a lot on my mind."

"Well whatever it is, you can count on me to help you." Subaru noticed what Emilia said and looked at her, reminding himself why he fights harder despite the odds being stacked against him. He smiled back and told Emilia that together they will overcome everything before the two just stood there watching the sunrise. As the two were enjoying themselves, they heard Crusch calling them before approaching their positions.

"I'm actually happy you made it alive, Crusch-san."

"I am, yes. But our losses are not few. With the White Whale's defeat, those who have vanished will not return."

"I think you did great, Crusch-san. Your popularity should shoot through the-Wait, did I just give you a boost in the royal selection that I shouldn't have? Oh no!"

Crusch and Emilia both laugh as Subaru starts to panic that he might have betrayed Emilia's side by having boost Crusch's popularity. As Subaru starts to panic a bit, Crusch adds in a bit of something to calm the boy down.

"You look gloomy for the hero who took down the white whale."

"Dang it I'm such an idio-...What did you call me?"

"The hero who brought down the White Whale. I would not wish to be shameless enough to claim your achievement as my own."

"You really did do all of this, Subaru."

"No, I really didn't do anything."

Emilia and Crusch both smiled at Subaru, giving the boy an impression that they both have a strong opinion of him. He stopped himself to think of this before he smiled at them, happy that he is able to prove himself.

"It sounds like your opinion of me has improved a lot, Crusch-san. I'm surprised."

"You have proven yourself in the capital and you have proven yourself here, you are a worthy knight, Natsuki Subaru."

Subaru smiled at hearing this before Crusch and he shook hands with the two agreeing that should they be on opposing sides the two would remain friendly towards each other. As they shook hands, Crusch turned her attention to Emilia to speak with her.

"You have your knight here fighting by your side and his master, who fights for everybody. Although we haven't talked much, I do hope to remain friends with you even if we are on opposing sides. You are, after all, the one who helped us out against the White Whale. You deserve some credit for this battle as well."

"That's nice words of yours, Miss Crusch. I do hope that we can remain friends even after the royal selection."

Crusch and Emilia smiled and shook hands as well before Crusch stated that she will be taking the white whale to the capital for proof. Subaru made a statement that the white whale was a secondary priority which caught both the royal candidates attention.

"I hate to say it but I think I would need help. I don't want to ask for it since we took a toll from the previous fight-"

"In that case, why not make use of this old man?"

Wilhelm approached Subaru and kneeled before the young boy, surprising him while he continued to speak.

"Natsuki Subaru-dono, with this subjugation, it was because of you that I was able to carry out my reason for living all this time. I thank you...I thank you. I thank you with all that I am."

Subaru was completely unsure on what to do yet all he could say is that it was all possible thanks to Wilhelm, knowing that he played a key role in the fight against the White Whale. As this happened, Crusch informed Subaru to take Felix and some of the soldiers with him on his fight against the witch cult which prompted both Yabuto and Waraki to join in the conversation, informing their friend that they are still in this fight. Subaru smiled and quickly thanks everybody for everything before they all have done for him.

Meanwhile Felix had informed both Sora and Rem that Rem took too much damage and should rest up. Rem was upset by this and tried to convince Felix that she could fight yet the maid was still too injured to keep on going. Sora helped her move a bit in order for the two to talk in private.

"Sora-kun, let me go with you."

"I wish to, Rem, but I don't want to push you too far. Besides, I don't want the organization to hurt you again."

"I can still fight..."

"Rem, I know you are strong but I have to face them alone. It is my responsibility."

"Sora-kun...You are not alone. You are strong. You are kind. You care about everyone and you fight for everyone."

"You guys are my strength. That's why I will fight to make this world a better place."

"What happens once you make this world peaceful, will you be returning home?"

"Unsure Rem, I don't know if I can even stay here...but maybe a part of me wants to stay...for you..."

Rem looked at Sora with her heart racing, seeing that she is winning Sora's heart yet she can tell that something is bothering him.

"What's wrong, Sora-kun?"

"...I honestly miss my friends. Although I have grown a strong bond with all of you here, I do wonder if I will ever see Donald, Goofy, Riku...Kairi...I just don't know how I'll beat Organization XIII once again."

"You can do it...you are my hero, Sora-kun, I believe in you."

"...What would happen after we finished the Organization? What if I don't return back home but I end up staying here for good? What would I do...?"

"I would like you to be with you, Sora-Kun."

Sora looked at Rem and saw the smile she was giving to him which warmed his heart in a way that is similar to when he thinks about Kairi.

"Rem, should I stay here then what would we do together?"

"Hmm well we would end up getting a house with us getting a job. Fortunately, thanks to Roswaal-sama, I have received an education, so I can easily find a job. He would also help us get a place as well and assist us with a bit of the expenses as well. You might have to either look for manual labor or as a knight since you do have the skills of a knight. Once we had a stable income, we could look for a better place to live. In the meantime, you could study for perhaps a year, so that you can find a better job should you not choose the knighthood. We would work together. And once we had enough money, perhaps we could buy a mansion like the Roswaal mansion. Once our jobs are on track...um...it's embarrassing to say, but we could have a child. It would be half-demon and half-human, so I'm certain it would be feisty. Whether we have a boy or a girl, twins or even triplets, I know they would be adorable. I know that this is the future I wish for Sora-kun...I just hope it is one that you might like..."

Sora was completely out of words for all that he heard, seeing just how much Rem cares for him which made him see a step in how love functions. He smiled at her and quickly responded to the idea of being stuck in the world forever.

"Should I not be able to return home, I think I would enjoy being by your side Rem."

"I love you, Sora-kun."

Sora smiled and before he could react, Rem kissed him on the lips, causing Sora's heart to slow down drastically for a bit since he has never felt this kind of expression before. It felt that the burning sensation of life was coursing through his veins, the taste of life. The two kissed for a few seconds before Sora looked at Rem with a surprised yet a happy smile to which she responded with a smile as well.

"I know that you don't know much about love but I care about you more deeply than ever, Sora-kun. I wish to stand by your side forever so please, don't cast me aside."

"I promise you Rem, that I will always be there with you no matter what. After all Rem...I care about you a lot as well." Hearing those words come from his mouth made the keyblade wielder feel at ease with himself before the wagon informed Rem that they have to start moving out. Rem and Sora hugged with the two promising each other to reunite after the battle with the witch cult is finished. Sora wanting to give Rem hope in her heart, he kissed her on the cheek and smiled, leaving Rem beyond than happy as she sees that she has slowly been winning her hero's heart.

As Crusch was taking many back to the capital with Rem being a part of them, Sora rejoin with the others to see Subaru with Ricardo the Dog Man, Mimi and her brother, Felix, Julius, Felt, Old Man Rom, Subaru, Emilia, Puck, Waraki, Yabuto, and a bunch of other warriors. Sora turned towards Felt and asked her where Reinhard was, to which she had a red face. Subaru noticed this and spoke out his concern,

"Please tell me you alerted him that you would be here."

"Hehe."

"Felt!" Both Sora and Subaru spoke in unison, both knowing how crazy the girl can be.

"I left him a letter, Okay! Besides, I have Old Man Rom here to take care of me!"

Felt pouted at the two which made both Sora and Subaru laugh for a bit before they began their meeting with everybody else.

"Okay everybody, we will be facing the witch cult now. They are going to be tough but we can take care of them together."

Everybody looked as Subaru started to take the lead with confidence, causing everybody to pay attention to the boy in front of them. Subaru explained the plan before they began to move out towards the mansion, confident that together they will be able to stop Petelgeuse for good.

Don't worry Master Sora...Emilia...I will save you both from whatever the sin archbishop will throw at us!