Kingdom Hearts: Saving Life in Another World

by GreenWarrior291

After having defeated Xehanort and managed to have saved Kairi from her fate, Sora disappears into a dark abyss of Darkness. Just as it seems like it'll be an endless sleep for having abused the Power of Waking, an outsider manages to teleport the young keyblade wielder into a different world.

75. A war to come

Chapter 71: A war to come

Reinhard, Wilhelm, and Crusch all three stood in front of the council of elders, waiting for a response from them. The three warriors had explained the situation with Subaru and Sora as carefully as they can without making it sound like the Vollachia empire had anything to do with them ending up there while also avoiding mentioning the Witch of Vanglory, knowing that this could set them off to try and do something reckless or even straight up deny the request.

While they waited for a bit, the three hoped that their request will be allowed since they know that time is short, and their friends could be in even more danger as each second passes. Crusch had been informed by the two on what is going on prior to speaking with the council of elders. She was motivated to help since she values Sora and Subaru, seeing the two has important people for Lugnica but also close friends she cares about.

The three waited for a bit until finally Miklotov turned towards the three to say,

"We have heard your request but we cannot allow it."

"That's...to be expected..." Reinhard said in a low tone of voice, disappointed since he knew that they won't accepted their request. Wilhelm was also disappointed, yet he wanted to know what the council's reason is. Before he said something, Crusch beat him to it by asking in a respectful yet stern tone,

"Mind if you tell us why?"

"Crusch-sama, you must understand that having you, a royal candidate, be in a place like Vollachia would put you in danger. Especially with the witch cult's possible involvement."

"Not to mention that having Reinhard in another kingdom could have Vollachia declare war on us. Either that or Kararagi and Gusteko will view us as a threat and send both the Admirer and the Mad Prince to take us out." Said the council member Bordeaux.

Miklotov looked at his fellow council member and nodded as he along with the others agreed with this thought. He turned towards the three to continue what Bordeaux was saying,

"Until we know the status of the knight known as Natsuki Subaru and the Keyblade Master, Sora, we cannot send you out. If the Vollachia Empire has held them captive, then we will declare war on them and send Reinhard van Astrea. Otherwise, we will just have to wait for them to avoid causing a mess with the other kingdoms."

Crusch, Reinhard, and Wilhelm all three understood what they were saying yet knowing that an actual witch is involved and targeting their friends, they had to go no matter what. Just as one of the three was going to mention that detail, someone enters the throne room which catches everyone's attention.

"Who goes there?"

"Someone who should've been here!"

Reinhard knew the voice and realized that Felt would eventually wake up from her long sleep to find that they started without her. She walked with anger in her eyes, having felt betrayed in a sense for having been left behind by her knight. She approaches him and tries to land a kick on him yet he manages to block the attack effortlessly.

"Pardon my Felt-sama. You were in deep sleep. I didn't want you to be disturbed as you once requested—"

"That was different! I didn't want to be bothered with boring stuff but this...this is for big bro and my hero's sake! I wouldn't have gotten mad this time because it was more important!"

Felt spoke out as she wanted to do her best to help the two boys from a far. Reinhard apologized once again to which Felt accepts while annoyed before turning her attention at the council figuring that they denied their request.

"You all are idiots!"

"Excuse me?!" Bordeaux said as he dislike the tone Felt was having towards him and his fellow council members.

"Yeah, you heard me. You are all idiots!"

"Felt-sama, please don't insult the council of wise men."

"I don't care who they are, stupid people should be called out!" Felt said to Reinhard, having had enough of being told what she can and can't do. She turns back towards the council to continue her ranting like state. "You all should know that not doing anything will cause both boys to get hurt or worse. Especially with a witch on their tail!"

"Witch?"

"What witch?"

"What is she talking about?"

The council of wise men all turned their attention towards Crusch, Reinhard, and Wilhelm, all wanting to know what exactly Felt was meaning by 'witch'. Crusch, Wilhelm, and Reinhard all three figured that this would happen with Felt though they were hoping that one of the three would've said it since they would've worded it in a much calmer way. Crusch took the opportunity to answer the council men's similar questions by saying,

"We believe that a witch, one that wasn't in record, is tailing Natsuki Subaru and Sora because of what they possess."

"The Keyblade." One of the council members spoke, having recalled that weapon managing to go toe to toe with the Sword Saint and his Dragon Sword Reid. The other council members along with Bordeaux and Miklotov had to rethink everything since this new information changes things.

The Witch cult alone with their remaining Sin Archbishop wasn't worth sending Reinhard since they figured the two keyblade wielders would be able to handle it but hearing of an actual witch involvement completely changes everything since they are aware of how dangerous this can mean.

There was a silence with each council member being in deep thought for a moment before Miklotov broke it with his words.

"If a witch is involve. It is more reason for you, Crusch-sama, and you, Felt-sama, to stay in Lugnica. We can send troops to face off bring the knight Natsuki Subaru and his master, Sora, back—"

"I will have to disagree with that."

The council turned their attention at Reinhard, all of them surprise that he would speak up against what Miklotov, hell, even cut him off. Crusch and Wilhelm were shocked by this except for Felt, she felt proud since she would've done the same had he stayed silent a few more seconds. Reinhard continued to speak in his usual respectful manner,

"Apologies but...that witch is the one responsible for the death of Theresia van Astrea, my predecessor."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Silence. It consumed the room as the council of wise men were left surprise.

"Wait, I thought that—" Bordeaux tried to speak but Reinhard cut him off.

"I understand you'd think the White Whale would be responsible but...we learned that it wasn't. This witch is the one that did it. The witch known as Pandora, the Witch of Vanglory."

As the Sword Saint said this, everyone was left silence since that name caused fear to enter some of their hearts. While analyzing this new information, this left them thinking that something like this could've been possible, a witch that could take out the Sword Saint.

"We will need a moment to discuss this. Please wait here." Miklotov said as the council members began to leave their chairs to go discuss in a private room on what they had just learned. While they left, Wilhelm patted Reinhard in the back to show how proud he is.

"You did well."

"Thank you...grandfather..."

"Yeah! I'm so proud of you, Rein!" Felt shouted as she was happy to see her knight have some backbone instead of staying silent like a loyal servant. Reinhard couldn't help but have a smile on his face when hearing this, happy to hear her say that she is proud of him although he was feeling like he was being disrespectful.

Crusch crossed her arms while having a smile on her face, having a feeling that what Reinhard had done would be something Sora or Subaru would do if their positions were reversed with any one of them.

'Those two are just...so influential.'

While she thought of this, she turned her focus back on the group when she overheard Felt ask the three of them,

"Do you think...that big bro and my hero will be alright?"

Reinhard and Wilhelm were caught off guard by this question. Crusch was also taken a back by this but unlike the two astrea men, she was able to respond to Felt's question in a calm and collected manner.

"They will be okay. As long as those two have each other, they will survive."

"True but that witch—"

"Will be stopped."

"Hm?"

The four of them all turn to see that the person speaking was Julius, standing alongside Yabuto, Kishida, and Waraki.

Felt and Crusch both smiled since they figured that the Emilia camp would take action though they were curious on who Julius was. Kishida and Wilhelm both noticed each other and couldn't help but nod at each other since it had been a while since they interacted.

Yabuto couldn't help but smile at the Sword Saint, always happy to see the strongest knight in Lugnica. As the four knights start to approach Reinhard and his group, Crusch asked,

"Where is Emilia-sama?"

"She will be joining shortly, she is just setting in."

"Aside from that, any luck with the council?" Kishida asked as he along with his two best friends figured that they had been informed of the situation. Wilhelm was the one to respond his question by saying,

"We are still working on it. Learning of the Witch of Vanglory being involve might help get Reinhard into Vollachia to get Subaru-dono and Sora-dono out of there safely."

"Well, assuming that works, we will need a plan." Yabuto says, knowing that going in with no plan could cause trouble. Wilhelm, Crusch, and Reinhard looked at one another, not having thought about this part since they weren't sure if the council will even allow Reinhard to go.

Yabuto continued, "This is the easy part, the hard part is getting Reinhard into Vollachia."

"How do you propose we do this?" Felt ask, curious on what the green haired knight will respond with. Yabuto looked at his two best friends for a moment before looking forward to answer Felt's question.

"Unless Reinhard has some divine protection of deception or something around like that, we would need to distract the guards long enough for our Sword Saint here to get in."

"That or go through the river." Waraki added, seeing that the river would be the easiest yet longest way to enter the empire of Vollachia. Reinhard, Wilhelm, Felt, and Crusch all four of them looked at one another for a moment, seeing that those are two ways of getting Reinhard into the empire.

"That is a fairly good plan but we must get approval of the council first." Reinhard said to which Felt glanced at him, not liking what he said.

"And why should we care about this? We need to save our friends!"

"I understand your frustration but there is a reason for the Reinhard law." Wilhelm responded to what Felt had said, wanting to make sure the royal candidate understands fully the situation of breaking such a sacred law. "Should we do as you wish and Reinhard gets caught, the three nations will view this as a declaration of war."

"And? Reinhard is super powerful! He won't lose against the other three nations!"

"I appreciate the vote of confidence Felt-sama but I do not wish to do something like that."

"But—" Yabuto interrupted Felt.

"Felt-sama, please. I know you want to get Subaru and Sora back but we must be smart about this."

Felt was annoyed that she was the one they were targeting yet she understood. She stood silent while walking towards Reinhard to stand by his side. Just as this happened, the eight of them heard a door open, indicating that the council of wise men had finished their discussion.

They all turned to see the council men sit in their chairs. As they do this, one of them notices that more knights have arrived.

"Ah. Seems like we have an audience."

"Pardon us, we came to speak with Reinhard van Astrea. We don't mean to bother this meeting. If you'd like, we could leave." Julius said while bowing with respect at the council, wanting to show both respect and cooperation. The council men appreciated this yet they noticed that this was a knight they were unfamiliar with due to the effects of gluttony.

"Kind young man, we appreciate that but...what is your name?"

Julius paused himself for a moment, having recalled that he is still forgotten by the world. This was still hard on him since all of the hard work he had done over the years had been overwritten thanks to the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before standing tall in front of the council of wise men.

"My name is Julius Juukulius, proud spirit knight of Anastasia Hoshin-sama."

"Spirit knight, that's rare." Miklotov said as he was impressed by the knight. Julius nodded with respect by this. Miklotov turned back towards Reinhard and his group to give them the verdict of the council of wise men.

"We have discussed the situation. Considering that a witch is involved, no doubt the witch cult could be in Vollachia. We accept that Reinhard can go but the royal candidates must stay."

"That's fine." Reinhard said despite both Crusch and Felt not liking this, both of them feeling like they are capable of handling themselves on this dangerous mission.

Felt wanted to argue that she can handle herself but surprisingly Crusch was the one to stop her by placing her hand on the little girl's shoulder to get her attention.

Felt turned to see a serious Crusch looking at her, slightly intimidating her. The atmosphere was temporarily heavy until finally Crusch spoke to her,

"I understand what you feel. Personally I would want to go and help those two boys but we are important figures. We carry the possibility of being the King of Lugnica."

"But I don't care about that! I want big bro and my hero to be safe! That is more important than my safety!"

Felt shouted as she was getting fed up of being put in the sidelines. Reinhard wished he could do something to convince Felt that this is the best course of action but he knows that whatever he says on the matter, she will be stubborn about it. Before anybody could say anything, Waraki turned towards the council to ask them,

"Is it possible to have Felt-sama join the Sword Saint on this journey?"

"Waraki, what are you doing?" Yabuto whispered to his friend, questioning his friend's motivation. Waraki looked at the green haired knight for a brief second before returning his focus on the council.

"A knight should always be with their royal candidate. Considering that the Sword Saint is in charge of taking care of Felt-sama. Should people realize that Felt-sama is without her knight, they might try to do something. Besides, Felt-sama would still go regardless."

The council of wise men were silent as they heard this, all of them not liking how true it is that Felt would be a reckless one to go into Vollachia regardless of what they say. Though the knight makes a point, a royal candidate without their knight might be dangerous. The council members all looked one another for a moment before agreeing with just a simple nod. Miklotov turned towards Felt to ask her something.

"Felt-sama, mind if I ask, why do you wish to go to Vollachia? How important is the knight Natsuki Subaru and the Keyblade wielder Sora to you?"

"They are...most important to me. I don't want them getting hurt. After having saved my life...I just can't stay in the sidelines any longer! I won't ask to let me go, I'll go no matter what because I care about them!"

Miklotov stood silent as he got the response from Felt. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before making his own conclusion on the matter. He opened his eyes while turning towards Crusch Karsten,

"I do not enjoy saying this but I will ask for one request, Crusch-sama. Take care of Felt-sama."

"But Miklotov..."

"I understand your concern, Bordeaux, but I have a feeling that Crusch-sama will be needed to protect Felt-sama."

"But are you sure?"

Miklotov took a moment to think real hard on what Bordeaux had asked. He himself wasn't sure either but something in him was saying that this needs to happen.

"I'm positive."

The other council members didn't like this but trusted Miklotov's judgement. Felt and Crusch were surprised by this yet appreciated that they are able to go. Crusch, Reinhard, and the others all left the throne room. As they did this, Felt approached Waraki to tell him,

"Thank you, knight. You really helped."

"You really did, Waraki. I also appreciate your assistance."

Crusch spoke with appreciation in her voice. Waraki nodded at the two since he didn't really have any words to respond to the two royal candidates' appreciation. Yabuto and Kishida both couldn't help but comment on what their friend had done.

"You honestly worried me there." Yabuto said first,

"How come?" Waraki asked.

"Just didn't know what you would say. You are the most unpredictable of the three of us." Kishida said, answering for Yabuto. Waraki stood silent for a moment before looking at his two friends.

"I get it, my obsession in wanting to kill the Witch cult can be...blinding."

"Blinding is one word to put it." Yabuto said which caused Waraki to glare at him for a moment before continuing on.

"The three of us care for Natsuki Subaru, he has become a part of our little pack. Sora as also become our friend, one that helps us become stronger. They matter to us so when I see that Felt-sama wants to help those two, I just couldn't have the council slow her down."

"So you did it for the girl's sake? Now isn't that sweet." Kishida says in a teasing like manner.

"Shut up!"

"Careful now, Reinhard might get jealous."

"Shut it!"

Yabuto and Kishida couldn't help but laugh a little as they are teasing their friend. Waraki eventually chuckles for a bit before the three join the others in heading outside the castle. Once the group is reunited, they all start to form a plan.

"Emilia-sama and Roswaal will eventually arrive. Reinhard van Astrea, you along with Felt-sama, Crusch-sama, Julius, and Wilhelm should start making your way to Vollachia."

"Wait, what about the three of you?"

"We have some business here. We need to inform Marcos of what's going on before we can leave."

Reinhard and Julius both immediately understood what Kishida said, causing the two to nod in unison.

"When we get there, how will we meet up?" Julius asked, being a bit curious on the plan of the three knights. The trio all turned towards one another before having smirks on their faces. They turned towards Julius with Waraki being the one to answer with,

"We are all drawn to Natsuki Subaru and Sora, that's where we will find each other."

"Hmph. You aren't wrong." Wilhelm spoke as he agreed with what the brown haired knight had said. Waraki noticed this and couldn't help but nod with respect. Yabuto smiled at Reinhard's group and with a thumbs up he said to them,

"Good luck out there and be safe."

"Likewise."

Reinhard said to the three knights before him and his group left the three, all of them prepared for the hell that awaits in Vollachia. As they leave, Yabuto and Kishida both turned towards Waraki to speak of a matter privately.

"Assuming this witch of vanglory is there, will you be able to keep your impulses in control?"

Waraki paused himself as he heard Kishida's question, having noted that he along with Yabuto are concerned for his well being. He looks down for a brief moment before closing his eyes, recalling the night that he lost everything.

("I'm going to fucking kill you!")

("Hahaha! Nothin' can kill this lovely lady you pathetic meatbag!")

("I'M...GOING...TO FUCKING KILL YOU!")

Waraki's anger boiled as he recalled seeing that woman back when he lost everyone he knew. He was also aware of her involvement on both the attack on the Mathers mansion and on Priestella. This anger was something that his friends fear since it clouds his judgement, making him aware on why Kishida would ask this question. He took a deep breath before he responded with,

"I'll be honest, I just can't hold back those dark impulses. If I see that bitch, I will do everything I can to kill her."

"That's what we expected but don't worry, we got your back."

"Yeah, that crazy ass sin archbishop won't know what will hit her."

Both Yabuto and Kishida said this, figuring that Waraki won't be able to hold back his hatred towards the one that destroyed his home and those he knew. Waraki was shocked by this yet he had a smile as he appreciated how his friends will have his bag.

"Thank you guys."

"Yeah, now let's go save Subaru and Sora from that witch."

"Agreed!"

The three knights all nodded at one another before making their way towards Marcos' location.

---

("...we need...to find...S-Subaru...")

'Subaru...!'

Sora woke up suddenly as his mind set was in looking for his friend. Just as he woke up, his entire body hurt since it still felt tired out from everything he had given in his fight against Zarestia.

'I should really be careful. I don't want to...wait...where am I?'

He noticed that he wasn't outside anymore, prompting him to look around. It only takes him a few seconds to see that he's back in the Vollachia camp. Sora sighed for a moment before closing his eyes, thinking back on everything that had happened.

'Darn, I can't believe I passed out during the fight...maybe the fight with Satella really did do damage to my power...'

This thought caused him to think back on how he had to regain his strength after almost becoming a seeker of darkness during his mark of mastery.

Reminding himself that he needs to rebuild his strength somewhat discouraged the keyblade master for a moment, feeling inadequate until he remembered how hard Subaru fought even without the keyblade, bring back the moment when Riku took his keyblade which helped him realize how his friends are his true power.

While he was thinking about this, he turned towards his right side to see that Louis was there, still asleep. Seeing this caused the boy to jump off his bed to check up on the blonde teen girl, worried since it for sure has been more than enough days for her to wake up.

'What could've happen to you Louis? Did you lose your heart as well?'

Sora thought this as he recalled when Rem had fallen in a deep sleep at the hands of Lye Batenkaitos, making him ponder if the same thing is happening to Louis. While he thought of this, he debates whether or not he should use the power of waking to finally help Louis wake up.

As this was something he was debating, he began to think of Zarestia and the fight with her once again. Sora can say that she is a powerful foe but something she said as his attention at the moment.

("Hm? Do you not know who I am?")

'She sounded genuinely surprised by that...and after a bit she stopped fighting while Todd tried to attack her from behind...I have to be careful with him.'

Sora figured this since the orange haired Vollachia soldier was someone he had felt some darkness from in their first official meeting. Although at first he wasn't sure since Sephiroth was way more of a threat to focus on, his small time with Todd confirmed that he's not to be trusted.

While he was on the thought of the Vollachia soldiers, he started to think about Larkin. He thought on how the Vollachia archer was similar to Todd in terms of distrusting though he was more honest on what he was thinking.

That can be an advantage but also a disadvantage since he distrusts him. Turning his focus on Jamal, he isn't the same like Todd and Larkin. He was not as critical thinking but he is very strong headed.

'Reminds me a bit of Subaru back when we first met, back when he first learned to use a keyblade.'

The Keyblade Master couldn't help but smile as he remines the first few training days, how Natsuki Subaru would push himself beyond what he was capable of. He smiled for a moment before turning that happy facial expression into one of a serious one.

He looked at Louis for a moment, thinking about doing the power of waking. As this was something that he thought of as a possible solution to helping the blonde teen girl, he recalled something he was told by Young Xehanort.

("It's for traversing hearts to reach worlds. Not for traversing worlds to reach hearts. There's a high price to pay for wielding such power foolishly.")

'I could use the power of waking to restore Louis' heart just like I did with Rem but...' Sora pauses his train of thought as he looks at his hand, fearing that something might go wrong. Knowing full well on the consequences of abusing the power of waking, he knows what could happen if things go wrong. 'I don't want to disappear...not when I have to stop Xehanort and the Organization, Sephiroth, and the Witch Cult. I can't leave now.'

Sora pulled out Kingdom Key, having determination in his eyes as he not only wants to save Louis but he also wants stay in this world to at the least help stop the threats that threaten his friends. Before he pointed his keyblade at Louis to try and use the power of waking, he could hear someone call his name.

"Sora-san. You are awake."

"hm..."

Sora turned to see that it was Naoko, surprised to see her for a moment before having a friendly smile.

"Naoko, good to see you."

"It's good to see you awake..."

"Yeah..."

Sora felt awkward since he knows that Subaru's mother is probably more concerned about her son than him. Before he could say anything about Subaru, he wanted to confirm one thing.

"How...long was I out?"

"Just for a day this time."

"A day..."

Sora was surprised by this, making him realize that he is getting weaker. While this was on his mind, he remembered how Subaru hasn't return. This prompted him to bow in respect towards the woman known as Natsuki Naoko while he says,

"I'm sorry Naoko. I should've come back with Subaru but...I failed. He was left behind and I...passed out during the battle...I'm sorry."

Naoko was left at a pause for a moment, surprise that Sora would do this yet she appreciate it. She approached the keyblade master and gave him a hug, wanting to make sure that he feels both comfortable and less guilty about the situation. There was a moment of silence before she managed to tell the boy,

"I know you did your best, Sora-san. You are always working so hard to protect everyone, like my baby boy. So I understand your frustrations but we must have faith in my son that he will be alright."

"Yeah, you are right..."

Sora looked down as he thought on Subaru, how his apprentice had grown over the past year. This made him smile briefly before making a realization that Naoko isn't with Kenichi, prompting him to ask,

"Where is Kenichi?"

"He is..." Naoko paused herself for a moment, looking around which caught Sora's attention. She looked and looked until she felt safe to continue her sentence. "...he is looking for the right chance for us to leave."

"Leave?" Sora said in a low voice.

"Yes...we just can't stay here. These people are..."

"...brutal."

"...yes..."

Sora understood why Kenichi and Naoko felt the way they do about the Vollachia soldiers.

He crossed his arms while thinking more about the situation, seeing that if the Shudraq people are like Zarestia, he might want to get him, Subaru's parents, and Louis out of the Vollachia camp as fast as possible.

Before he could say anything, both him and Naoko turned towards the entrance to see that it was just Kenichi.

"Is something wrong dear?"

"Something's going on. We have to get ready to go." Kenichi said as he approached the two, looking like he is in a hurry. Sora and Naoko both noticed this, prompting the two to go to the entrance to take a little peek. As they look outside, they see that every soldier was running around as if they are being attacked.

"Do you know what might be happening, dear?"

"Not sure but this is our chance to get out of here and look for our son."

Naoko nodded and quickly went to grab some supplies, seeing that this might be needed while Kenichi goes to carry Louis. Sora holds Kingdom Key with a tight grip, preparing for any form of battle heading their way. After a few minutes, the three with a sleeping Louis leave the tent to make their way out of the camp. Just as they leave to the outside, the three look to see that it is a complete bloodbath. Vollachia soldiers fighting against not only some women like tribe warriors but also the heartless.

'These women...are they Shudraq?'

As Sora thought this, he felt an intense darkness approaching their position in great speed.

At first Sora thought it could Sephiroth again or maybe a powerful heartless but once he focused on this darkness, he realized that it was an organization member. He looked forward to see a corridor of darkness appear for a moment to reveal Xehanort and Xigbar both come out of said corridor of darkness.

Sora couldn't help but feel his blood boil a bit, preparing himself for a fight despite the odds. Xehanort and Xigbar both look around for a moment before looking at the corridor of darkness, seeing Luxord join them before the corridor closed.

"I was wondering if you were going to join us." Xigbar said to Luxord in a sarcastic like manner. The blonde haired organization member just looked at him with a glare for a moment before turning his attention towards his surroundings.

"What is the reason for being here?"

"Questioning the old coot's plan?"

"I'm just curious to know what exactly am I gambling here."

"Well old coot, what are we doing here?"

"Hm. To test out our little 'trick'."

As Xehanort says this, he turns around to spot Sora and his group. At first the old Keyblade Master was unfazed but only for a moment before he had a sinister smile. He pointed towards the young Keyblade wielder's location while saying,

"You shall test out our experiment, Sora."

"..." Sora stood silent with his keyblade ready for battle, seeing that he is put in a position where he has to fight. Xehanort looked at Luxord, signaling him to use their trump card. Luxord nods and starts to make his way towards Sora's position.

"Naoko. Kenichi. Get yourselves and Louis out of here!"

"But—"

"Trust me on this."

Kenichi and Naoko were both hesitant on this but seeing that they need to find Subaru, not only that but also they need keep Louis safe, prompting the two to accept Sora's order.

They both wished the keyblade master to be safe before starting to make their way towards the forest. While Naoko and Kenichi left to safety, Luxord was a few feet away from Sora when he stopped on his tracks. Sora looked at Luxord closely, noticing that he was pulling out a card.

"Sora, do you want to play a game?"

"..."

"I'll take that as a yes." Luxord said as he threw a card up on the air. Sora was on his guard while Todd and Jamal noticed after the pair had taken down a couple of soldier type heartless.

The three looked as the card glowed for a brief moment before finally a wolf human was shown to appear, wearing a black kimono. Sora was unsure on who this person was while both Todd and Jamal had an idea on who this was.

"The hell's the Admirer of Kararagi here?"

"A good question, Jamal." Todd said with his mind moving quickly, trying to puzzle everything together. Meanwhile Sora looked at Luxord with a curious facial expression,

"Who is that?"

"Someone that we wish to test on you, Sora." The second Luxord finished speaking, he snapped his fingers. This prompted the wolf human to turn his attention towards Sora. The Keyblade Master noticed this and quickly got himself ready for a fight.

The wolf human landed in front of Sora and for a moment everything went silent for the two, both staring at each other with some hostility until the wolf human pulled out his pipe to smoke his special herb. Sora was a bit unsure by this since the way the wolf human was looking at this moment was friendly. He also didn't sense any darkness in him, prompting him to ask in a curious and respectful manner,

"Who are you?"

"The name's Halibel. What is your name kid?"

"I'm Sora."

"Sora? That's quite a unique name."

"Y-Yeah..." Sora said with a hesitant tone, unsure on how to approach this friendly conversation. "Why are you here?"

"Ah yeah, I guess you are my opponent. So pardon me if ya get hurt. I ain't doing this cause I want to."

"Wait wh—"

Before Sora could ask his question, he noticed Halibel pull out his kunai in one second before throwing it in another with intense speed, catching the keyblade wielder off guard. He quickly deflected off the attack just barely only to leave himself open for a kick to the gut. Sora was sent flying a few feet, completely caught off guard by the attack.

"You are quick, So-san, but your defenses are lacking."

"D-Don't worry, I won't be caught off guard like that again."

Sora said as he got himself into his fighting stance. Halibel smiled at Sora before throwing his kunai again in rapid speed, wanting to see if this time the boy will do something different. Sora noticed this and was able to quickly block off the kunai before managing to dodge Halibel's kick.

"Impressive."

Halibel said as he pulled out a few throwing stars, preparing to use them. Sora noticed this and quickly responded by pointing his keyblade at the wolf human while summoning Firaga.

As a powerful fireball was being created on the tip of the keyblade within seconds, the keyblade master fires it directly at him. Halibel notices this and was able to dodge the attack with ease, feeling that it would be too dangerous to block such a powerful attack.

As he dodged the attack, Sora managed to close the gap by charging at the wolf human, landing a hit on Halibal's chest area, sending him flying a few feet away. Halibel managed to land on his feet all the while holding his chest area with a curious look, surprise that the boy was able to land such a powerful hit on him.

"That was really amazing, So-san. You really are a formidable fighter."

"Is this all you got?" Luxord said as he could tell that Halibel isn't going all out. Halibel took note of this, causing him to turn to glare at Luxord for a moment before looking back at Sora.

"Alright So-san, I'll be going all out now. Hopefully you can keep up."

"I will."

Sora said with a confident smile on his face, seeing now that this person in front of him is only fighting him because the Organization is making him fight. Halibal clones himself into four of himself, surprising Sora for a brief moment before the Keyblade Wielder prepares to face off against the four clones of the Admirer. While the two sides were fighting, Todd and Jamal looked at the fight for a moment, seeing just how strong Sora is.

The two Vollachia soldiers looked at the battle for a moment before being forced into going back into fighting themselves once a few powerful looking heartless charge at the two. Three shadow type heartless take on Todd while four soldier type heartless take on Jamal, providing no real challenge to the two warriors since they were a lot stronger than these version of the heartless.

As the two Vollachia soldiers were able to easily take down the heartless, Todd looks at Xigbar and Xehanort, noting that those two are a much higher threat than even Sora.

"Shall we attack those two?" Jamal asked as he was ready to attack the two Organization members. Todd looked at him for a moment before looking back at the two Organization members, sensing something off about them.

"Hold off on that Jamal, we don't know how dangerous they are."

"And? That's what makes it a worthy battle."

"Yes but what—" Before Todd could finish what he was about to say, he felt the sharp sword his ally was holding tap on his neck.

"You dare finish what I think you are about to say, and I'll cut your damn throat."

"...Then you should know that you need to stay alive."

"...fuck you, Todd Fang."

Jamal says this as he moves his sword away from his ally's throat, hating that he always brings up his sister when he wants him not to do something. As he puts his sword away, he questions the orange haired Vollachia warrior, "What's the plan then, jackass?"

"We should get out of here and warn the closest city."

"Leave? As in retreat like a fucking coward?!" Jamal said as he was preparing to attack Todd. Todd noticed this and quickly responded to Jamal's question by saying,

"We aren't retreating like cowards. We just need to warn the divine generals that the Admirer of Kararagi is here for some reason. Consider this as a new mission for us."

"I suppose you have a point...but know that I fucking hate the idea of leaving."

"I know."

"If you guys are doing this, allow me to join."

A voice spoke to the two Vollachia warriors, causing the two to be on their guard for a moment before they noticed that it was Larkin.

Jamal didn't really care if Larkin joined since he did respect the archer's ability to hold his own while Todd was a bit skeptical at first, knowing that the archer isn't someone to take likely though he rather have an extra person to use as bait to keep himself and Jamal alive in the case they encounter more heartless or even Sephiroth.

The three make their way out of the fight with one of the Shudraq fighters noticed this. Before she could try and stop the Vollachia soldiers from running away, another Vollachia soldier was attempting to sneak attack her until someone knocked the soldier to the ground.

"Please watch out Kyda, I don't want you getting hurt."

"Th-Thank you...Natsuki Subaru."

Subaru nodded at Kyda before joining forces to face a few neoshadow type heartless charging at the two. He switched his Starlight keyblade into his Rebirth keyblade, wanting to make sure that he has a powerful keyblade against the neoshadow heartless.

Just as the fight started, Subaru turned towards his right side to notice that Sora was facing against four wolf human clones.

'Huh? Who is Master Sora fighting against?'

Subaru was puzzled but before he could think any further into it, one of the neoshadows was about to hit him in the face only for Kyda take that heartless down with her spear.

"You shouldn't let your guard down so easily."

"Haha...my bad."

Kyda had a smile on her face before turning towards the heartless to continue her fight with Subaru by her side. While the two were fighting side by side, Sora continued his fight against four Halibels while Xehanort, Xigbar, and Luxord all watch with some intrigue.

"Seems like the wolf human's got the kid beat, wouldn't you say old coot?"

"Seems that way...yes."

"Sounded hesitant there for a second." Xigbar said in a teasing like manner but also in a serious manner, knowing that this is something rare. Xehanort just gave Xigbar a look before looking back at the fight. Sora managed to keep up with the four Halibels for a bit until he was eventually kicked on his side by one of them while he was blocking off another Halibel's attack.

This send the boy flying only a few feet, prompting him to start use his master form as he felt that using his double form or even his final form could cause him to pass out quickly like he did after the fight with Zarestia.

The four Halibels noticed Sora's clothes change into a more yellow and black color scheme with the boy having one of the keyblades floating as it is being held in place by a yellow aura surrounding the boy's hand meanwhile the Keyblade he is physically holding seems to have deep yellow electricity flowing through it.

The four Halibels looked with interest at the boy, seeing that he isn't just some ordinary fighter but while they were amazed, Sora took the opportunity to charge at the four head on with incredible speed. The closest Halibel was caught off guard by this, being the first to be attacked.

Sora using his secondary keyblade, being Jungle King, to land a strong hit to Halibel's chest area before using Kingdom Key to land a secondary attack which resulted in this Halibel clone to be send flying into a couple of trees. The other three Halibels reacted to this by attacking Sora in unison.

The Keyblade Master waited for a moment before creating a barrier to push the three Halibel clones back long enough to attack one of the three. He closed in on the one on his left side, landing a barrage of attacks which ends up sending this Halibel into the chaos that is the battle between the heartless, Vollachia, and Shudraq.

The two remaining Halibel clones couldn't help but be impressed by the power Sora was giving, causing the two to quickly hide in the shadows, seeing that this is a better strategy than going head on. Xigbar and Xehanort were both somewhat impressed by this but their attention would be turned towards elsewhere when they hear another boy with a key say to them,

"You two aren't getting away with this!"

"Well, I was wondering when our paths would cross." Xehanort said as he was hoping to speak with Sora's apprentice, Natsuki Subaru. Both Organization members turned to see that it was indeed speaking with Natsuki Subaru, who was also being accompanied by the Shudraq warrior Kyda.

Subaru couldn't help but look at Xehanort with a hostile like manner, not trusting whatever the old keyblade master as to say.

"What do you want?"

"You are a unique keyblade wielder."

"And why is that?" Subaru asked while having his Rebirth keyblade ready for a fight.

"You have this darkness in you, this potential to do so much with it but you are wasting it with a foolish keyblade wielder like Sora."

"Don't badmouth Master Sora! He is one of the best keyblade wielders I have ever seen! Besides, I know what you want. Another vessel to manipulate, just like how you manipulated Terra!"

As Subaru said this, he looked back on what he saw in Vanitas' book of the dead, how Xehanort had manipulated events which caused the lives of Ventus, Aqua, and Terra. Xigbar and Xehanort were a bit surprise that Subaru would know this information yet it didn't phase the two too much.

"What now old coot?" Xigbar said, curious to know what Xehanort will do. The old keyblade master gave him a look before looking back at Subaru.

"Hm. Even so, I'm more qualified to be your master than Sora. You should consider if you want to protect those you consider your friends."

"Like I will trust you!"

As Subaru finished speaking, he charged at Xehanort with his wrath authority activated. Xehanort looked at the boy with a calm expression, noticing that Subaru had an odd aura around him. Just as Subaru's keyblade was about to hit Xehanort's head, the old man pulled out No Name and was able to easily deflect off the attack.

Subaru expected this and quickly tried to use invisible providence to land a sneak attack on the old man only for him to destroy the unseen hand with ease as well.

"Hm. That power isn't your own. If anything...it isn't natural."

"Hm? What the hell are you talking about, old coot?"

Xigbar asked with a confused and concerned tone of voice, completely lose on what Xehanort was rambling on about while Subaru was full aware of what the old keyblade master was referring to.

'So he is aware that the Invisible Providence isn't something natural...damn!'

Subaru managed to land on his feet with Kyda on his side, ready to also fight Xehanort. Subaru stood silent for a moment, giving the old keyblade master a glare before saying,

"I will never side with you."

"That is unfortunate. You had great potential but if you choose this route, then you will suffer like the rest."

As Xehanort finished speaking, Subaru and Kyda were about to attack him together until they noticed a couple of arrows pass by the pair. This caused the two to turn to see that it was a couple of archery type heartless attacking them with also a few neoshadow type heartless making their way towards their position.

This forced the two to turn their focus on the heartless. Xehanort watched for a moment before he opened a corridor of darkness, signaling to both Luxord and Xigbar that it is time to go.

As the two Organization members were alerted of this, Sora managed to push the two Halibel clones back as the two were trying to attack the boy in two separate directions. Sora was able to dodge and deflect every attack before managing to land a hit on one of the two Halibel clones, forcing the other to jump back.

Before he could counterattack, all four halibal clones turned into small cards which surprised Sora for a moment. These four small cards eventually united into a regular size card with Halibel being the main face of the card.

"What did you do?" Sora questioned while preparing for whatever Luxord was up to. The organization member looked at Sora with a smile before closing his eyes.

"A gamble that paid off. We shall cross paths once again, Sora. I hope you'll be ready for the next game."

"Wait!"

Sora tried to stop Luxord from leaving but he was too late, the three Organizations had entered the corridor of darkness just as it closed. Sora looked at the position that the corridor of darkness was once located, seeing that the Organization are up to something.

'Halibel...I'll free you from the Organization.'

As Sora thought this, he turned towards Subaru's direction to see that he was alright. This brought a smile on the Keyblade Master's face before he went on to assist his apprentice in facing the remaining heartless.

He waited until the right moment before jumping in on the fight, taking on a few neoshadow heartless attempting to sneak attack Subaru and Kyda from behind. The keyblade master jumps in and takes the heartless out within a few seconds, catching the attention of Subaru and Kyda.

"Master Sora."

"Subaru. Glad you are okay."

"Same to you."

The two keyblade wielders and the Shudraq warrior were able to take a momentary break when all the heartless were taken down. Mizelda and her people all cheered as they won while Abel, Sora, and Subaru all three looked around to make sure there weren't any more threats around. While the three were being cautious, both Sora and Subaru felt that something was around, something dark.

"Do you feel that?"

"I do."

"But what could it...?"

Before Subaru could finish his sentence, both him and Sora turn towards one specific area of the destroyed Vollachia camp to see that a large heartless as appeared. This large heartless' main body is a decrepit, black coffin with pale gold lining.

This coffin is surrounded by a large, silver chain, has two large, silver nails driven partway into it and has a small hole near its top where a single, glowing yellow eye peers out. Along with this heartless came out a couple of black creature lined by thorns.

The Shudraq warriors put their focus on the tentaclaws while Subaru, Sora, and Abel all three put their focus on the large heartless.

"This is not like any heartless we have faced." Subaru said, seeing that this might be the hardest heartless the pair of Keyblade Wielders might face.

"Doesn't matter, the two of us can handle this." Sora said in response since he was confident that their combined strength can pull off. Before Subaru could say something in response, Abel joins in by approaching the two while saying,

"Impressive show of bravery, allow me to assist in this battle."

"Oh right, Master Sora, meet Abel."

Sora turned to look at the mask man, sensing a strong power within the man. Before he could say anything to the mask man, the heartless started its attack by creating another tentaclaw to attack the three while the other tentaclaws were focused on the Shudraq warriors.

Sora, Subaru, and Abel all three responded by jumping out of the way of the tentaclaw's attack. While they did this, Sora decided to charge in at the coffin heartless right from the get go.

As Sora was closing in, still in his master form, the coffin heartless turned itself in a specific way where the claws inside of the coffin attacked the keyblade master. Sora was caught off guard by this and ended up getting hit all over his body, causing him to be send flying towards the forest.

"Master Sora!"

"Hey! Focus on the fight!" Abel said as he manages to block off the tentaclaw's attack from striking Subaru. Subaru looked at the tentaclaw and quickly pointed his Rebirth keyblade at it, preparing to use magic. As he was about to attack, another tentaclaw appears behind the boy.

"You have to be kidding me!"

Subaru stopped himself as he turned his focus on this new tentaclaw, seeing that he has to deal with this one. Before he acted Abel said to him,

"Focus on that new creature, I'll take care of this one."

Subaru nodded at what Abel said as he started to charge at the new tentaclaw. As Subaru was closing in, he managed to dodge the attack thrown at him before he landed a fatal blow on the tentaclaw, easily destroying it.

Abel used his skills to also take down his tentaclaw before joining the keyblade wielder in facing off against the main heartless. The two prepared to charge at the coffin like Sora did only for three tentaclaws to appear in front of the duo.

"This is getting annoying!"

Abel and Subaru both managed to dodge the attacks thrown at them from the three tentaclaws. Subaru pointed his keyblade at the middle tentaclaw before firing a powerful fireball. This fireball managed to land a hit on the tentaclaw, destroying it in the process. Abel took notice of this and quickly put away the sword he was using before summoning a different sword, one that caught the boy's attention.

Some of the Shudraq warriors noticed this and were surprised by this since they recognize this sword. Before any could say something about it, the Shudraq lead by Mizelda returned to focus on the fight against the tentaclaws, all of them managing to take down a couple of them. Meanwhile, Subaru and Abel took on a specific tentaclaw of their own.

Abel held his own quite easily as he was able to dodge every attack thrown at him by the tentaclaw he was facing.

When the creature tried to swallow him up, he took this chance to slice it in half with his much powerful sword. Subaru on the other hand was struggling a bit. He was able to keep his distance yet everytime he attempted to close the gap, the tentaclaw would force him to jump back since this one was oddly faster than the previous one he faced.

'This is annoying! I need to finish this and fast.'

He wanted to take the creature down with his keyblade though seeing the he doesn't have time to waste, he fired another fireball in hopes that this easily takes it down. To the boy's surprise, the tentaclaw dodged the attack before trying to attack the boy.

"The hell?!"

Subaru was confused by this, seeing that he underestimated the tentaclaw. Before he could react, Abel used this chance to destroy it with one hit of his regular sword, seeing that the creature was distracted trying to attack the keyblade wielder.

"Get your head out of your ass, foolish idiot."

"My freaking bad, I didn't think that the damn thing was going to dodge my attack."

"Your first mistake was not having a proper plan."

Subaru just glared at Abel before looking at the large heartless, seeing that it is staying still for some odd reason.

"That one right there. He has to be the one creating those dark creatures." Subaru said to which Abel also figured after having noticed the large heartless just staying on the same position for the whole fight.

"Then we should take out the source."

"Agreed."

Both Abel and Subaru charged at the large heartless, both of them aware of what it can do after seeing Sora's attempt. The two were getting closer and closer towards the large heartless. Eventually the two were close enough to prepare their attacks. Just as they were about to launch their offense, the coffin moves once again in an attempt to attack the pair only for Sora out of nowhere to come in and land a few hits on the coffin.

The large heartless was stunned by these attacks, allowing both Subaru and Abel to also land a couple of their own offense attacks, doing enough damage that some of the tentaclaws that were facing off against the Shudraq warriors all of a sudden were destroyed. The three noticed this and quickly continued attacking the coffin with everything they had.

Eventually the heartless' top area fires a poisonous mist which forces the three to keep their distance from the large heartless. The moment they do this, the coffin moves itself once again to a specific position to try and use its arm-slash to try an hit the three. Since Subaru, Sora, and Abel were all three together, Subaru used this chance to create a strong Reflecta.

This caused a barrier to protect them from the large heartless' attack before the three all charged together to land a few powerful attacks. The moment they closed in, Subaru briefly activated his wrath authority once again to land the strongest hit he can while Sora used all of the remaining strength he had in his master form to also create the strongest attack he could muster.

With all three attacking in unison, the heartless didn't stand a chance as the combined strength of Subaru with Canis Majoris, Sora in his master form, and Abel using a unique and familiar sword. This three attacking the coffin with this much power was enough to cause the large heartless to collapse to the ground. As it collapsed, a heart started to appear just as the large heartless alongside the tentaclaws were disappearing.

As the heart was send flying up on the sky for a brief moment before disappearing, the large heartless disappeared as well with its tentaclaws. This allowed Sora, Subaru, Abel, and the Shudraq warriors to take a momentary break after the fight. During this break, Subaru turned towards his master to see that he reverted from his master form into his regular form.

"You really give it your all, Master Sora."

"Y-Yeah...though I shouldn't pass out this time."

"Hopefully." Subaru paused himself as he noticed Abel looking at Sora with a critical look. This prompted the boy to get him and the keyblade master to be properly introduce. "Master Sora, this is an ally I met in the forest. His name is Abel."

"Hello Abel, my name is Sora."

"Sora...what a unique name. A presume that you are more skilled with the keyblade than...this boy here."

"Yes. I've used the keyblade longer." Sora said with a serious tone, having a similar feeling he had with Todd when he was questioned by him. Abel took this information and couldn't help but see that he had just gained another ally for what he is planning.

"There seems to be a lot of powerful heartless around here." Subaru said as he wanted to change the subject.

"Yes, that is a problem."

"What could be the main source of this?" Subaru questioned since he figured that the heartless aren't just popping out on their own. Sora also thought this since he hadn't seen the heartless appear this much. Before Sora could say something regarding to this, Abel responded with,

"Ever since those two newcomers had their battle in the capital, things have been like this."

"Wait, what two newcomers?" Sora asked as he is suspecting Sephiroth to be one of the two. Abel looked at Sora for a moment, analyzing him once more. Sora took note of this and quickly did the same, having some odd feeling that the person in front of him is more important than he looks. The two do this for a moment before Abel turned around, having analyzed the keyblade master completely.

"There was a fight that randomly broke out. The divine generals tried to stop it but their continuous fight brought these creatures out of hiding."

"Then I assume there is a location where the heartless are all gathered?"

"Heartless? Is that what those creatures are called?" Abel asked Subaru as he took note of the name. The mask man paused for a second before answering the boy's question. "Lupghana, capital of the Vollachia Empire. That's where we need to go but first we will need an army."

"An army?" Sora questioned.

"Yes. Even with the Shudraq assisting us won't be enough to retake the city. We will need to find the scattered divine generals. Their strength will help in regaining the city."

"Where do we start?" Subaru asked as he crossed his arms. Abel took note of this question, prompting him to stay quiet briefly as he thought of the best way to start this plan. After a few seconds, he turned towards the two keyblade wielders to give them a proper response.

"The closest city we find, that's where we will create a small base. This small base will be the foundation of our battle against these heartless."

Sora and Subaru nodded at what Abel had said, seeing that this could provide them a chance to not only fight back against the heartless but also deal with the threats like the Organization and Sephiroth. As the duo took this moment to stay calm, Subaru eventually had something on his mind.

"Master Sora, where are my parents?"

"They went into the forest to keep their distance from the fight."

"We should go looking for them."

Sora nodded before the two went towards the forest. Prior to heading there, Sora had something in his mind that he wanted to confirm.

"Subaru...have you...looped?"

"As in recently?"

"Yes."

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Master Sora. For now we should focus on finding my parents."

"Alright, just let me know if well...it happens. I want to help you out."

"I know Master Sora...it's still all new that you know...but I promise to tell you when I loop again."

"Okay, but I will hold you to that promise."

"Hehe, alright Master Sora."

As the two managed to get this sorted out, they decide to go inform both Mizelda and Abel that they are going to search for Subaru's parents. They all allow this with Kyda and the small shudraq girl, Utakata, joining the two. Subaru and Sora appreciate this before heading towards the direction Kenichi and Naoko had gone with Louis. While this happened, Mizelda approached Abel to question him.

"Why do you wield the Yang Sword Vollachia? Are you the Emperor himself?"

Abel stood silent as he looked at Mizelda, noticing the slight hostility she was giving him. Normally he wouldn't accept this kind of attitude but seeing that his identity was being called into question, he took off his mask to reveal himself to be the Emperor himself, Vincent Vollachia.

"Yes, I'm your Emperor. I suggest you keep that attitude in check."

"Pardon me but what is an emperor doing, hiding in those rags?" Mizelda asked as she wanted to know what was going on in Vollachia's more political side. The emperor looked at the leader of the Shudraq for a moment before looking up at the sky with a serious facial expression.

"During all this chaos, one of my own tried to kill me. For now, I need to stay hidden until I can find the one that tried to betray me so I can kill them myself."

"Understood." Mizelda stood silent as she looked at the direction Subaru had gone with Sora, Kyda, and Utakata, a bit worried for the four of them since she has a bad feeling. Meanwhile, Vincent thought deeply on Subaru's master, seeing the person he is by just looking at his eyes.

'Those two are similar, naïve, too kindhearted for their own good, and letting their weaknesses be shown. Despite this though, they will prove to be my way back to my throne.'

Vincent smiled as he sees himself back at the top, with all of his divine generals standing behind him.

---

During the events of Sora starting his fight with Halibel, Naoko and Kenichi with a sleeping Louis began to enter the forest. While they were running, Naoko turned back to see the Vollachia camp start to catch fire, signaling just how chaotic things have gotten there. This made her worry for Sora's sake, knowing that he isn't at full power.

'Sora-san, please be careful.'

As Naoko was thinking this, the two eventually encountered a couple of shadow heartless in their escape path. Kenichi pulls out his sword in order to protect his wife and the sleeping teenage girl in their care. While Kenichi prepared to face off the five shadow heartless, Naoko says to her husband,

"Let's just go. We can't stay here for long."

"..."

Kenichi stood silent as he heard what his wife had said, knowing that she is worried for his sake. Before he could respond back, the five shadow heartless all jump together in unison to attack the older Natsuki household member. Kenichi responded by dodging the unison attack of the five heartless before beginning his fight with them by going on the offense.

He slashed at two of the heartless with some of his swordsmanship skills from Japan, allowing him to take the two out with a few hits. The other three heartless spread out in order to try and attack the older knight in different locations. Kenichi became aware of this and quickly had his guard up, starting up a strategy to take care of the three shadow heartless.

He waited for a minute or two before the three all tried to jump him in different direction. He awaited the closest one to his left side before managing to grab it by its hand. While he did this, he blocked off the shadow heartless to his right side. The heartless in front of him almost got a hit yet he was able to dodge the attack just in the nick of time.

As he was able to dodge the attack, he used the shadow heartless he was grabbing as a weapon, throwing it as hard as he could. Once both heartless collided, they were destroyed in an instant while the other shadow heartless moved away from Kenichi for a moment. While this happened, the older Natsuki member and knight stood still for a brief moment before charging in at the remaining heartless.

He closed the gap between the two and started to go on a barrage of attacks, overwhelming and defeating the heartless. With the heartless taken care of, Kenichi quickly said to his wife,

"Let's get going before more of these creatures pop out."

"Okay."

Naoko nodded at her husband before following him deeper into the woods, trying her hardest to not look back since she is still worried for Sora's sake. The two ran and ran until they were so far away from the camp sight that they couldn't see the fire.

This gave the pair a chance to rest up, prompting Kenichi to help Naoko to set Louis to the ground. Once this happened, Kenichi started to make his way deeper into the woods on his own which caught Naoko's attention.

"Love?"

"Stay with Louis-san, I'll go find our son."

"Wait, we should go together."

"..." Kenichi paused as he knows that this would make the search much easier but he also knows how dangerous it could be along with how dangerous it is to leave her all alone. "I just...don't want you getting hurt in the search."

"I understand but we have to stick together. I also wish to find our son!"

Naoko's motherly motivation and strong determination was enough to cause Kenichi to stop himself from going off on his own. Just as he decided to stay, a powerful heartless with a shield that had a dog's face on it.

'Well, this is a problem.'

Kenichi once again pulled out his sword, preparing to fight while also thinking on how lucky he was to have stayed with his wife.

'Had I gone off on my own, I would've left her to this creature.'

Appreciating fate for keeping his family safe, he feels himself with a strong desire to fight for his family. He charged in to begin his dual against the defender type heartless, his strategy being that he gives a few forward attacks before trying to attack from behind.

He swings his first attack which gets block by the shield, just as he expected. Same with his second and third swing, both being quick attacks that did nothing but get blocked away by the shield. Just as he was going for the fourth swing, the dog from the shield attempted to bite the knight with the defender moving the shield directly towards his position. Kenichi barely was able to react in time to jump back, effectively dodging the attack

'Shit! That was too close for comfort!'

Once he got his composure in check, at first he looked confidently before he slowly started to sweat a bit, having seen that he is working with a creature that has a strong priority on defense.

'Okay, so long as I keep a good distance, I should be able to force an opening to this threat.'

Kenichi prepared to try an attack from a distance only to see the defender type heartless to fire a fireball directly at him.

'Okay, change of plans.'

Before Kenichi was about to dodge the attack, he thought of something. He noticed a broken branch to the bottom left side of him, prompting him to quickly put away his sword before grabbing onto this broken branch. As he does this, he sets himself up, ready to swing the branch is if it was a baseball bat.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Naoko asked as she was a bit puzzled. Kenichi couldn't help but give her a confident smile.

"Going to hit a homerun!"

As Kenichi says this, he swings the branch with everything he has, somehow managing to send the fireball back while the branch exploding in the process. The fireball heads straight towards the shield, managing to push the defender back for a brief moment before it slowly started to walk towards the knight's position. Kenichi stood his ground, ready to give it his all until suddenly the heartless exploded with flames of fire surrounding the area that the heartless was once located.

"What in the—?"

"Seems like you owe me now, commoner."

"What?"

Kenichi turns towards his right side to see someone he hadn't seen in a long while. A young woman with long red blonde hair shinning as if it was the sun itself, wearing exquisite clothing that matches her crimson eyes. Next to her, on her right side was a tall buffed up man with an arm missing and wearing a helmet. Lastly on her left side was an older man with red hair similar to Reinhard's, looking like an important alcoholic. Naoko noticed the woman and instantly knew who she was.

"Priscilla Barielle-sama, what are you doing here?"

"Hm? Who are you, commoner? You speak as if we are acquainted."

Kenichi and the one-armed man both turned towards Priscilla, Kenichi annoyed while the one armed man a bit disappointed by the way his lady was acting. Naoko was taken aback for a moment yet she continued to keep a respectful composure.

"Apologies, Priscilla-sama, you might not recongize me because we normal chat while I'm on my maid uniform. My name is Natsuki Naoko, one of the maids of Roswaal L Mathers, mother of the knight and Keyblade Wielder Natsuki Subaru."

"Ah, the keyblade wielder's apprentice's mother. What would someone like you be doing so far away from Lugnica?" Priscilla asked as she was curious on why a maid would be this far out.

Before she could get her answer, a couple of heartless appeared all around them with some being soldier type heartless and others being shadow type heartless. Priscilla's two allies looked around with their swords out, having noticed that they are surrounded. Kenichi also got his sword ready for combat, appreciating fate for giving him and his wife some allies they can rely on.

"These creatures are very persistent." Kenichi said which caught Priscilla's attention, even for a brief moment.

"Hmph. You commoners seem to not handle stress at all. Lucky for you, I'm here."

Kenichi couldn't help but be annoyed by what he was hearing, not liking the way Priscilla spoke yet he couldn't complain. Considering that he has her and her two allies to help him protect Naoko and Louis, he would have to just ignore her self-boasting.

The four waited before the heartless initiated the fight by charging at them. The one-armed warrior took on three of the soldier type heartless and two shadow heartless by dodging at a couple of their attacks before going all out, not wanting his battle with the heartless to drag on.

The red haired alcoholic warrior took on mostly the soldier type heartless, deflecting each of their attacks before going on the offensive. Kenichi stayed near his wife and the sleeping teenage girl they have been protecting, making sure those two are safe before going into battle. He looks around and notices that his opponents are mostly a few shadow heartless and one soldier heartless.

'Compared to the one with the shield, these ones are easy.'

With that in mind, he charged at the heartless and clashed with them by blocking a few attacks, dodging others, and then attacking when he saw his opening. Meanwhile, Priscilla looked at the heartless charging at her with disgust in her eyes, seeing these creatures nothing more than nuisances to her.

"You creatures are even lower than commoners. Get out of my sight!"

As she finishes speaking, she moves her small fan with rapid speed, destroying any single heartless that dared to attack her with just one move. As she finished off the heartless first, her ally with the helmet was the second to finish up the heartless he was facing. Kenichi and the alcoholic warrior finished off the heartless they were up against around the same time. With all the heartless taken care of, Kenichi turned towards Priscilla to ask her,

"Can you help us find Natsuki Subaru?"

"Hmph. And why should I?" She asked in an annoyed way, disliking the way Kenichi had asked.

"Because Sora-san would appreciate it." Naoko responded in Kenichi's stead since she knows Priscilla respects Sora above most people. This catches Priscilla's attention.

"Are you saying the Keyblade Master is in the Vollachia Empire?"

"Yes, we were all teleported here." Kenichi said, causing Priscilla's attitude to change a bit. Seeing that this is another opportunity to not only get in good with Sora but also try to get him on her camp, she chose to assist the two Natsuki parents in their quest to find their son.

"Alright. I shall help you commoners find your missing child. Be grateful."

"Thank you Priscilla-sama." Naoko said as she bowed in respect. Kenichi just gave a simple nod before they all left the area, having a bad feeling that more heartless will appear. While they are leaving, Naoko carried Louis while turning to ask the two men that were accompanying Priscilla,

"What are your names?"

"Just call me. Heinkel."

"Heinkel, not a bad name." Kenichi said which caught Heinkel's attention.

"Seeing that you are the father of Natsuki Subaru, I take it you are the other knight, Natsuki Kenichi."

"Yes." He said with a confident smile.

"Impressive. Your son as done a lot of amazing work."

"Thanks. He got that from my amazing wife and I."

"I'll bet." Heinkel said with a bit of jealousy in his voice, thinking on something that made him feel disappointment. Naoko turns towards the one-armed man to ask,

"And what is your name?"

"Al."

"Al, what an adorable name."

"...thanks..."

Al continued to remain silent which caused Naoko to refrain from speaking to him, feeling like she might have done something. Priscilla also noticed this little detail, knowing that something is wrong since Al doesn't normally stay silent with people who want to speak with him. Although she would normally ignore this, she had a feeling that finding this out would lead her to find something amusing though she will wait, knowing that her first priority is assisting Natsuki Subaru.

While the group were leaving off, they hadn't realized that three warriors from Vollachia had been eavesdropping the entire time. Todd, Jamal, and Larkin were going to assist Kenichi in his fight against the defender until they notice it explode as well. This prompted the three to observe events from a distance, learning things they wouldn't have learned otherwise.

"So they are from Lugnica...how disappointing." Jamal said as he was looking forward to working with Sora and his group, especially after seeing their strength. Todd figured that they were lying though not to this degree, making him view each of them as a threat that needs to be taken care of.

"Let's go."

"Where to? Aren't we going to kill these guys at least?" Jamal questioned, seeing that this was the best chance to strike.

"No. Let's first deal with the problem of these creatures. We can deal with the liars from that bastard of a kingdom later."

"Agreed." Larkin said since he figured that the heartless should be the first priority. Jamal was annoyed with this but seeing how Kenichi and his new group were attacked by a large amount of heartless, he understood that they take the most priority.

"So, where are we going?"

"To the nearest city. We will need more reinforcements if we are going to accomplish our original mission and this new one."

"Understood."

The three Vollachia warriors went out into the woods, in search of the closest city to them while hoping to not deal with too many heartless on the way.

---

Sephiroth walks around the forest with the heartless all surrounding him yet not making a single movement on him. He was silent and calm while he thought about his previous fight with Sora and Subaru.

With Sora, he did enjoy his rematch but he had noticed that something had drained his power since he wasn't going at his full potential intentional.

Meanwhile in his fight against Natsuki Subaru, he noticed that there was an odd shift with him.

He knows that the boy was extremely weak but for some reason, he suddenly had a power surge of darkness. It was as if someone was controlling him. Either way, he didn't really care since neither of the two were his priority.

'Hm...Cloud...where are you?'

Sephiroth thought back of his fight with the spikey blonde hair warrior in the heart of the empire they are in. He recalled that his counterpart was fighting with the power of light, how their clash had caused the spark of a billion heartless to spawn in and attack everyone on sight.

("I will defeat you, Sephiroth!")

("Is that so? Well then, show me that you are capable of defeating me then, Cloud.")

'No matter how many attempts Cloud, I'll always haunt you.'

Sephiroth thought this as every time his counterpart had tried to kill him, he failed. He continued to stay silent until he suddenly felt two distinctive auras. One of them being a powerful dark being while the other was one that he wasn't too sure, causing his curiosity to grow as this was not like any aura he had felt before.

He opened his eyes and was about to look at the direction where he felt these two auras only for the first thing he saw was all the heartless that were previously surrounding him to be suddenly gone without a trace.

He was tempted to pull out his sword since this kind of thing isn't the work of any normal person or even the heartless just leaving on their own accord since they had been following him since his fight with Sora and his group.

Before deciding to be on his guard, he observed the area he sensed the two auras to see that nobody was there. At first he was confused before just taking a moment to glare at the area, having a feeling that he wasn't wrong to suspect that someone powerful is around. He looked at the same direction for a minute before looking forward and continuing his walk, seeing that he should return for his search for Cloud.

He walked a mile before stopping on his tracks once again, having sensed the power from before only much closer now. He closed his eyes while he kept a calm composure.

"If you wish to fight, then come on out. Otherwise, leave me be."

…

The one winged angel got no response which prompted him to wait a moment before continuing his walk, assuming that the two powerful auras backed off only to eventually sense them once again only much closer than before. The one winged angel stopped on its tracks once again to see if this powerful foe was going to do something. He gave them a minute and a half to do something, leaving his defenses down and all but they did nothing.

This bothered him a bit since not only was this distracting but also a waste of both their times. He continued to walk for the third time, keeping his calm composure despite being a tad bit annoyed. He walked and walked until he felt the dark power approach him in rapid speeds, causing him to see that one of the two unknown auras are finally acting.

He waited for a brief moment before finally acting, pulling his sword out in rapid speeds to deflect the attacker approaching him. The moment he turned around with his sword out, his weapon clashed with another sword.

Sephiroth took a look at the attacker to see that it is a boy with a unique attire along with a powerful dark aura surrounding him.

The two were in a blade lock for a moment before Sephiroth's superior strength slightly overwhelmed the boy, forcing him to gain his distance by jumping back a couple of feet away.

The two stood silent for a moment as they stare each other down. After a moment, the one winged angel pointed his sword directly at this boy while saying to him,

"Took you long enough. I do question why you took your time to do anything but first, who are you?"

"..."

"Hm. I see. Silent type."

"Now Bishop Riku, you shouldn't be rude." Another voice spoke out which caught Sephiroth's attention.

He looked at this other voice to see that it was a young woman with a small delicate body, long straight platinum hair that looked seemingly transparent, and wearing a single sheet of white fabric that covered her torso and traipsed over her like a poncho.

The one winged angel just looked at these two and could tell that the woman, despite her looks, was the most dangerous one between the two. He lowered his guard while putting his attention at the woman.

"And who are you suppose to be?"

"An observer." The woman spoke in a voice that caught the one winged angel's attention. He could tell that something was odd about the woman yet he chose to ignore it since it's not really affecting him. He turned around and started to walk away, catching more of the woman's interest.

"Where are you going?"

"Looking for someone."

"Oh. The keyblade wielder?" The woman asked with a curious tone of voice. The one winged angel paused for a moment before he continued his walk into the deep forest. He continued his walk for a minute before sensing once again the boy trying to attack him, only this time he felt a dark fireball thrown his way. He turned towards the attack and with the wrist of his hand, he simply hit it away with ease. Riku looked at Sephiroth with a serious facial expression while saying in a threatening like tone,

"You should answer her, if you know what's good for you."

"..."

Sephiroth just stared at Riku before pulling his sword out.

"You two seem to be in my way. Considering that I'm a bit bored, I could use you two for entertainment before I find Cloud."

"Cloud?" The woman spoke out in a curious tone to herself, seeing that there is yet another person she wants to meet. Riku waited for a moment as he wanted to make sure his boss allowed him to go and fight the one winged angel.

She did notice this and just gave a simple nod to her new Sin Archbishop of Pride, signaling him that he can attack. Pride nodded at her with respect, showing appreciation before he turned towards Sephiroth.

The two warriors had a minute of just staring each other down before their fight sparked with Pride charging in with his left hand slowly creating a fireball while his right hand holding his sword.

Sephiroth waited until the boy closed in before starting his barrage of attacks.

Just as Pride closed in, the one winged angel moved his sword to try and stab the boy in the throat to end the fight in one hit only for the boy to deflect off the attack with his sword while having his left hand prepare a powerful dark fireball. After a few seconds, Pride didn't hesitate to throw it directly at the one winged angel's face, trying to end him in one close range hit.

The one winged angel noticed this and quickly teleported away, avoiding such a lethal attack. The Sin Archbishop of Pride took notice of this and quickly waited for a moment before reacting to Sephiroth's attack.

He deflected the attack before attempting to go on the offense by throwing a barrage of attacks. The one winged angel blocked off each attack with ease, seeing this opponent nothing more than some kid wanting to show off. He waits for the right moment to grab the boy's face the second he saw his opening. Pride was caught off guard by this.

"Is this the best you got? How foolish."

"D-Don't you dare...underestimate me!"

Pride teleported out of the one winged angel's hand to a few feet away, allowing him to recover quick enough to come up with a new strategy.

'This guy thinks I'm beneath him...I'll show him!'

Pride stood still for a moment as the witch's scent increased alongside the darkness he holds in his heart, catching Sephiroth's interest. Pride waited for a moment before teleporting on the air, right above the one winged angel. Sephiroth saw this and quickly tried to stab the boy only for him to dodge the attack while performing his on attack by creating red lighting from the ground.

Sephiroth got hit by this yet it did not phased him. He attempted to stab the boy again only to see that he pointed his sword towards the ground before slamming to the ground. The second the sword it the ground, a shockwave came along which did pushed Sephiroth back a bit, long enough for Pride to create a couple of totems to surround his opponent.

The one winged angel was curious by these things yet he can sense how dangerous it is being close to them. He looked around to see that he was surrounded by totems though he wasn't afraid or intimidated by this.

He waited to see what the boy's next attack, seeing that the ground was starting to turn dark for some unknown reason. Sephiroth waited until he noticed the scythes attempting to hit him from the ground.

Once he spotted them, he jumped high enough to not only avoid them but also be out of the radius of the totems' explosions. While he did this, the boy teleported next to Sephiroth to try and land a hit on him.

The one winged angel deflected off the attack while having a fire based projectile on his free hand, preparing to throw what would be an equivalent of gigaflare. He waited a second before it was ready to throw the small fire projectile near the boy's location.

Pride noticed this and at first he was going to ignore it in order to go straight for the opening he saw on Sephiroth until he realized that the small little projectile was about to explode. With his quick reflexes, he was able to create a barrier strong enough to withstand the blast.

Sephiroth expected this to happen, allowing him to create a barrage of dark spheres all around the boy while he was still in his barrier.

"Let me show you despair."

"Tsk!"

The one winged angel snapped his fingers, signaling the dark spheres to all gather together in order to blow the boy up. Waiting until the last second, Pride took down his shield in order to use his strength to teleport away from the area he was in.

That exact second he teleported, the spheres all exploded in unison. Sephiroth looked at the smoke of the explosion for a brief moment before looking at the ground, seeing that the boy had survive the blast by teleporting out of there.

He looked at him for a moment before slowly floating back towards the ground, seeing that this kid is an interesting foe.

Compared to Sora and Cloud, this one not only accepts the darkness in his heart but he also noticed another element that is increasing his strength, speed, and possibly his fighting intelligence. Once on ground level, the two warriors once again stared each other down only this time they were planning their attacks.

'This boy is interesting. I'll need to see if he can handle all the things Cloud and that Keyblade Wielder have dealt with. I need to see where he compares to the two.'

'This guy...he better see now that I'm not just better than the real Riku but my own person...I, Sin Archbishop of the Witch's cult, representing Pride!'

Both Pride and Sephiroth charged at each other the moment their thoughts were complete, with the one winged angel going all out to see just how formidable this boy is while the Sin Archbishop of Pride wants to prove to himself that he is his own person by beating the threat in front of him. The two clashed swords a couple of times, both seemingly looking to be on equal strength and speed. While the two were giving it their all, the young woman continued to observe the fight with her heart pounding, completely excited by what she was watching.

'This fight is amazing...amazing amazing amazing.'

As the young woman had a few tears in her eyes, she started to compare this fight to the one her and her sin archbishop of pride had seen between the one winged angel and Sora's group, how despite how hopeless the situation was, the Keyblade Master showed that he was ready to fight to the bitter end.

'Bishop Riku is proving to be just as amazing as Sora. This is splendid. Bishop Riku fights for a new identity, a selfish desire. Sora, the Keyblade Wielder, fights for those he cares for, a selfless desire. Regardless, both share something similar. In the midst of desperation, comes strength. But there is something different between Bishop Riku and Sora, the Keyblade Wielder...'

The young woman paused as she remembered seeing something in Sora's fight that still has her attention. During the fight, Sora was backed into a corner, completely outmatched by the one winged angel's overwhelming strength only to suddenly have gained a power that not even she understands. This causes her to tear up a bit more, tears she considers of happiness. 'Sora, you are just so... very very special.'

The young woman had a smile on her face with her eyes being filled with love, a twisted sense of love towards the Keyblade Master. While this happened, Pride and Sephiroth continued their battle with Sephiroth slowly gaining the upper hand. The Sin Archbishop of Pride noticed this, prompting him to jump back while throwing a powerful dark fireball in order to keep Sephiroth from attacking him while he tries to keep his distance.

The one winged angel noticed what the boy was trying to do, causing him to tank the hit as if it was nothing while pressuring his opponent into making a mistake. Without a second thought, Pride didn't hesitate to create a totem in front of the two to keep the one winged angel from trying to back him into a corner. Both took the impact of the totem explosion, allowing Pride to gain his distance with some damage while the one winged angel was a bit annoyed by the random attack.

There was a few seconds of pause in their battle before Sephiroth started to throw meteors at the boy, seeing that he will need to show his opponent that being far away from him won't save him from being attacked. Pride looked up to see the meteors approaching his position with great speed, prompting him to respond by slicing each meteor with everything he had in him.

Seeing that the boy was distracted doing this, the one winged angel held his long sword with a tight grip before rapidly charging at the Sin Archbishop of Pride, trying to take him out while he was distracted taking care of the meteors he send to him. Pride continues to do this until the right moment where he dodges Sephiroth's attack while preparing one of his own. After a few seconds, Pride once again attempting to land a deadly blow with another dark fireball only for Sephiroth to block off the attack.

"Is that all you got?"

"I'll beat you! No matter what I'll beat you!"

"We shall see."

The two clash swords multiple times once again, showing that regardless of what the other does, they are in a stalemate. The young woman also noticed this which prompted her to wait until both her Sin Archbishop of Pride and the one winged angel have a distance from each other before telling her minion to refrain from continuing to fight.

She waited and waited until both Pride and Sephiroth push each other away while preparing their long-range attack with Sephiroth preparing a gigaflare while The Sin Archbishop of Pride was preparing an extraordinarily powerful dark fireball, powered by the strength of the witch's scent.

The two sides were about to give it their all until Pride felt the young woman give him a signal that he needs to withdrawal from the fight. Pride was conflicted since he wants to win but at the same time, he knows that he must listen.

It took a moment before finally Pride put away his sword while also stopping his attack from continuing.

Sephiroth took note of this, withdrawing his attack as he is curious to see what his opponent is up to. He watched to see the young woman return to the scene, having forgotten that she existed.

"Hm?"

"I commend you, one winged angel, for showing an amazing fight."

"..."

Sephiroth was silent as he didn't care for the compliment he was given. Seeing that his opponent has withdrawal from the fight, he puts away his sword and begins to turn around in order to leave.

"Where are you going?" The young woman said in a puzzled facial expression, surprised by this action.

"This fight was fun but I have someone to find."

"Then allow me to help you out." The woman said with a calm tone. Sephiroth ignored this and continued to move forward which prompted the woman to continue talking. "You are in search of the one called Cloud. I can help you find him."

"And why should I get your help?"

"Because. You will allow us to help you."

"Hm?"

Sephiroth turned towards the duo only to see that the young woman was only a few feet away from him. He was impressed by this speed but only for a second before slicing off the woman's head off.

"Hm."

The one winged angel couldn't help but feel nothing when he did this, not expecting anything but death to someone so calm. He looked at the boy to see if he would react and yet he was surprised that he didn't. Pride stood standing without a hint of shock or anger coming from him. This did confuse the one winged angel but only for a moment before deciding to move on forward. He turned around and to his surprise, he saw the woman he killed a minute ago.

"Well, this is new."

"What?" The woman asked in a curious tone. At first, Sephiroth was left speechless but after a few seconds of thinking deeply on what could've happened, he couldn't help but smile before wanting to test something.

Without warning, he sliced off the young woman's head once again though he also sliced up her body into different amount of pieces. After doing this, he lifts his free hand up to create three large pillars of fire, burning the body to the point where there was nothing left but ash. Once the fire pillars died down, he looked around his area to see if there was any traces left of the young woman. Once he confirmed to himself that there was none, he continued to walk forward.

"You should really let us help you."

"..."

Sephiroth could feel but annoyed at this, causing him to react by throwing his most powerful fire projectile at the young woman, wanting to see if she will even react to this attack. The young woman just stood there, standing still with a warm smile on her face as a deadly projectile was moving towards her position.

She waited and waited all the way towards the explosion becoming deadly if not fatal to those that stand too close to its radius. As the dust settled, he saw that her body wasn't found, prompting him that she could literally be dead. He waited a couple of minutes to make sure before turning around, only to see that the young woman once again was in front of him, not fazed or hurt at all.

"This is certainly annoying."

"Why is that?"

"Normally when I take someone out, they normally stay dead."

"Ah yes. Your eyes deceive you then."

"Is that right?" As Sephiroth asked this in a sarcastic tone, he proceeds to stab the woman through the head, killing her once again. As his sword went through the forehead of the woman, he pulled it out while throwing a basic fireball to disintegrate the body in one simple attack.

He waited to see if the young woman was going to return once again. Having a feeling that this could be it, he tries once again to leave only to see her once again in his way. Without saying a single word, he attacked her over and over again while Pride stood watching, seeing that his boss was starting to get under Sephiroth's nerves.

'So this is your power, Pandora-sama.'

Pride said as he was curious to know what else can Pandora do, seeing that cheating death is one of her abilities alongside manipulating reality. Sephiroth continued to kill Pandora a couple more times, each one more annoyed than the last until he finally saw that this was completely pointless overall. He saw Pandora once again though this time he put away his sword and walked past her.

"What's the matter?" She asked with her voice sounding curious although Sephiroth interpreted this as mocking. He ignored her and continued to walk deeper into the forest, wanting to focus his attention in finding Cloud. He walked and walked until he ended up bumping into both Pride and Pandora. He closed his eyes has he tried to keep a calm composure, not wanting to show weakness to the duo. Once he calmed his mind, he asked the two,

"What do you want?"

"To help you." The young woman said in a calm and respectful manner. This annoyed the one winged angel since he doesn't know a legit reason on why they would help him. Even so, he doesn't require any assistance from anyone though he was curious on something.

"Why do you want to help me? What do you get in return?"

"Your assistance."

"In what?" The one winged angel asked in a serious and slightly intimidating tone. Pride did not like that kind of tone thrown towards Pandora, causing him to pull out his sword only for Pandora to tap him in the shoulder, signaling that he should stand down.

Pride acknowledged this and quickly put away the sword, showing his loyalty towards the young woman. As he did this, she responded to Sephiroth's question with,

"To capture someone."

"Hm?" Sephiroth looked with a curious facial expressions since he wanted to know who did this young woman wanted to capture. "And who might that be?"

The young woman paused as she stood silent, smiling as she thought of the boy she wants to meet again. Sephiroth was a bit annoyed of the silence and was about to say something until he got the name of the person she wanted to capture. "Sora."

'The Keyblade's chosen one...now that is interesting.'

Sephiroth was intrigued by this, curious to know why this young woman wanted the Keyblade Wielder.

"For what reason would you want him?"

The young woman stood silent as she couldn't help but smile as she thought of the boy, showing her twisted love towards him. Sephiroth noticed this, prompting him to backtrack on his question.

"Doesn't matter."

"So, shall we work together?" The young woman asked.

"For now."

"Splendid."

"Just don't get in my way."

The young woman simply nodded to this while watching Sephiroth walk towards the forest. While this happened, Pride approached her to ask,

"Pandora-sama, is it safe for us to trust him?"

"Bishop Riku, you should know by now that you can trust me. I do see you as your own person."

"I am aware, Pandora-sama. And I do appreciate it."

"Then we are in an understanding."

"Yes."

The two understood each other or so it seemed. Pandora was aware of how much this meant to Replica Riku, feeling that he is his own person along with wanting to trust someone. Although she does view him as an interesting person, he is in the end, a means to an end.

The two proceed to follow their new ally, curious to know where he is going.

---

Author's note:

I definitely want to say Happy Christmas Eve. A lot has been on my mind for this story, for sure so many plot threads going on but rest assured that I'm going to do my best to conclude each thread in a satisfying way. For now, I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter.