A call to arms
Donald and Goofy were walking in a dark space, the only illumination coming from Donald's staff.
"I wonder where he is?" Donald wondered, eyeing their surroundings warily. For all their enthusiasm when they had set off this place was still remarkably creepy. It was not a very good place for them to be. Especially without Sora. As much as they teased him their friend had actually made quite a difference in the fights they had faced during their adventures.
"I don't know, but I sure hope he can help!" Goofy said, evidently far less concerned.
Because of their exchange they failed to notice the blue flame igniting behind them.
"Hey!" A third voice said sharply. It startled them, both of them going stiff.
"Where do you think you're going!?" The voice said, the flame expanding turning into an angry red color.
Screaming, Donald and Goofy jumped on each other's arms as the fire rapidly approached, closing the distance between them.
"Got to hand it to you. You've got some nerve. You've caused NO end of headaches for me. Including but not limited to causing eighteen years of hard work to go up in SMOKE! And now you somehow decide it is a good idea to wander into MY neighborhood!?" He roared at them, fires flashing brighter at each emphasis. But just suddenly the flames abated, a look of puzzlement on his face.
"Wait a sec… where is the number three clown? The short kid?" He wondered, glancing around himself.
"Couldn't be on his own could he? Nope, not likely. Never seen this trio more than ten meter apart. Probably lurking somewhere close by, looking to spring a trap or something. Ha! Like that would work…" He muttered to himself.
"Right! You two! You have five seconds to explain before I cook you where you stand. What are you doing traipsing around my underworld? And where is that pest of a kid?"
"Um, we don't mean any harm!" Donald said hastily.
"We were just looking for Auron!" Goofy joined in.
"Auron? That guy? Going to give you a freebie and tell you he is not here anymore. Far too much trouble that one. So I had him kicked out. Don't much care where he is now as long as it's not here." Hades said.
He sighed, shaking his head. "What is it with people coming to this place and asking after dead people? It's not like I have visiting hours around here. You'd think people would have would have got the message after what happened to the last group who came asking, but nooo…"
"So what did you want with that problem case?" He asked. "And by the way you still haven't answered my question about the brat. So that whole five second thing? Getting kinda short from where I'm standing." He added with unmistakable menace in his voice.
"It's, er, actually related! We… we were just hoping he could help us find Sora!" Donald blurted out.
That caught the Lord of the Underworld by surprise. "Find Sora? That menace has gone missing?"
He then became thoughtful. "But wait just a second. Something just doesn't add up here. Might be a bunch of clowns you lot, but I don't think you'd be quite dumb enough to wander into my place without a good reason. So what made you think coming here was a good idea? Grasping at straws are you? Nah, don't think so. In that case you'd have any number of less risky places to check first."
"And… and. You spoke about Auron specifically. Now why would that be? Except of course… he was here in the first place because we was a walking dead guy." He continued. "And if you wanted his help to find Sora, then that could mean… Sora has kicked the bucket!?"
"He has hasn't he!?" He guessed without bothering to wait for an answer. "Whohoo! Finally! Took him long enough. Somehow I just knew this was going to be a good day. Oh yeah, this rocks! Too bad I didn't get to do it myself that, but oh well. Take what you can get I say." He celebrated, not even trying to hide his elation.
Donald and Goofy watched the display with increasing concern.
"And speaking of taking what you can get…" Hades continued, turning his eyes back to the duo.
"So, um… since Auron isn't actually here then, uh… I guess we will just be going!" Donald said, taking a step back.
Hades looked at then incredulously, then burst out laughing.
"You? Leave? Ha! Not likely. Getting rid of that kid is good news. But getting rid of his little helpers is going to be even better. And since you have oh so eagerly returned to the underworld… how about I give you permanent resident status here!?" He said, his flames reigniting.
"Sorry. That aint gonna happen." A new voice said from behind Hades accompanied by the sound of a keyblade appearing. He turned around eyes shifting about in confusion until the thought to glance down.
"Your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy shouted in relieved unison.
"Your Majesty? Huh. I suppose with a duck and dog critters a mouse king isn't so weird. But I didn't know monarchs came in pocket sizes…" Hades muttered.
"You guys ok?" Mickey asked of Donald and Goofy, to which the two nodded.
"So I suppose you are meant to be the last minute rescue. Classic trope, love it. Only there is an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny thing you're forgetting: This place is mine. Here I'm the only king that matters. You aren't going to be able to do anything to me here, mousey boy. And the best part is that it doesn't work the same way the other way around. I can do plenty to you." Hades said.
"Don't count me out just yet, Hades. I'm tougher than I look." Mickey said.
"Better be if you look like that." Hades muttered.
"But I only want them. Let me leave with them and we won't bother you further. Otherwise we are going to have a problem here." Mickey said, ignoring the jab.
Hades scoffed. "So just let 'em go, no strings attached? Sure… sounds like such a great deal. Let me think about it. Nope, still think I'm going to pick the hard option there. Those two and their idiot friend have wrecked a few too many schemes of mine. And the fewer of Sora's meddlesome buddies are still running around the happier I'll be about it. So if you want to find your dear departed friend then maybe I'll be generous and reunite the lot of you!"
Just as things were about to escalate into a fight a wave of sorts passed through the underworld, causing and almost imperceptible tremor around them.
Hades turned, his eyes locked in the direction the wave had come from.
"Now what exactly was THAT supposed to be?" He wondered, so captivated he completely forgot what he had been about to do. Noticing how distracted Hades was, Mickey motioned for his friends to back away slowly.
"Well… what do you know? Looks like someone is having a really bad day out there. Haven't felt a spike of darkness that potent since… well I don't think I ever have. And considering my place of residence that is saying something. Might be worth looking into whatever caused that. Could be something of value." Hades mused.
"Oh, hold on. Wasn't I just…?" He asked, looking around for Mickey and the others.
"Oh no, really? What is the world coming to? Can't a bad guy even have their villainous monologue anymore without their would-be victims scurrying away? Well… time enough to fix this mishap at some other time. Hm. Note to self: don't get distracted by a random cataclysmic event when you're about to wipe the floor with annoying pests."
"So Sora is done and dusted. Hades old chap, this deserves a good long thinking over. Now, granted his other friends are still running loose and would likely be their own kind of headache. But still, there might be some opportunities that didn't exist before. Could be an opportunity for a comeback. At least I might get to settle the score with the rest of Sora's band of idiots. Got to make it count though. Have to plan this with care. Hopefully it won't take eighteen years this time around…"
And so he went on and on, muttering about his plans and schemes, wandering into the shadows of his home.
Mickey, Donald and Goofy meanwhile had returned to the surface world, walking down the backstreets of Thebes.
"Guys… that was reckless. Big time." Mickey scolded the others.
"We… were just trying to help…" Goofy said, sounding remorseful.
"I get that. And I know you want to find Sora. We all do. But wandering straight into Hades's lair without any backup… and you didn't even say where you were going. Thank goodness I managed to figure things out before anything bad happened. But really, you shouldn't take a risk like that on your own. You help nothing and no one if you go missing too."
"You're saying you wouldn't have risked it?" Donald inquired, sounding dubious.
"…I might." He admitted. He couldn't deny it. He had pulled stunts like this when he thought the need was great enough. And in hindsight many of those instances had been poorly thought out. Had he not been willing to charge after Riku the instant he had learned he was gone, only held by back by words of Yen Sid and the same two friends he was now scolding for similar behavior?
"Look… I was just worried guys. I don't want any more friends at risk. Riku is on the case. I trust him to get it done. And Sora… if there is any way for him to come back he will find it. And if it's there is an impossible one he will find a way to make it possible." Mickey told them.
"Yeah. We just thought that if we were able to get to them we might be able to lend them a hand." Donald said.
"We did promise him. That he would never be alone. That the two of us would always be there for him. And we can't right now." Goofy echoed glumly.
"…And I can't fault you for wanting to keep that promise. But please, at least talk to the rest of us before doing things like this. Otherwise next time I might not get there in time. And I'd hate for that to happen." He told them.
A Gummiphone rang in the King's pocket and he went to answer:
"Master Yen Sid? Didn't expect to get a call from you today. Has something… wait, what? So that's what it was… okay, we'll get going at once. But what about the others? You'll tell them? Right. We'll get a move on here and meet up with the rest of them when we get there."
"We need to get to the Dwarf Woodlands right now. Where's your ship?" Mickey said to Donald and Goofy, returning the phone to his pocket.
"It's not far. We'll show you. But what's happened?" Goofy said.
"Yen Sid noticed a massive shift in the balance between light and darkness, centered on the Dwarf Woodlands. There is something very wrong over there. We need everyone there right now to fight the problem."
"Come on, let's go!" he urged as they rushed through the streets.
"So that's what the mirror told you? Now I get why you wanted our help to figure it out. Whatever does any of that even mean?" Aqua wondered, grasping her chin.
"So… it doesn't ring any bells then?" Lauriam asked.
"Hmm… the furnace part might be referring to Kingdom Hearts. I've seen it described as such in some philosophical texts speculating on its nature. An engine of creation that creates the hearts in all things that exist. But the rest of it though… I'm not sure I've ever heard of any *lands of the unreal*. And I don't who this Child of Destiny might be. Sorry."
"The bit about buildings has to mean a very big city. But there are any number of places that would fit that description. And I don't remember any of them being described as lands of the Unreal. And somehow this does not sound like your typical world anyway." Terra said in turn.
Lauriam's face fell. But then Kairi walked over with hesitant steps.
"Wait. Did you just say *lands of the unreal?* As in Unreality?" She asked.
"I did. Why? Does that mean something to you?" Aqua asked.
"Uh-huh. Because that is the way Ansem the Wise described-" Kairi said before being cutting off mid-sentence, falling to her knees with a pained scream, startling everyone. A wave of sorts rushed past them, causing a rustle amongst the trees. But it had not been the wind.
Terra happened to glance at Aqua, to his alarm noticing she was trembling, covering her face with her hands. Then she… flickered. For a brief moment her appearance changed, to one of whitened hair and blackened clothes. Her appearance switched back and forth half a dozen times in the space of a few seconds before her normal appearance seemed to reassert itself. But that much was enough to send a wave of ice coursing through his veins. Instantly he was at her side. Elrena had noticed Aqua's change as well, staring at her with renewed concern. Lauriam's attention meanwhile was on Kairi's wellbeing.
"Aqua, are you alright? What happened?" Terra asked, his.
"I… I think I'm good. For now at least." She replied, nodding and taking a shaky breath.
"You're sure?" Terra insisted.
"Yeah. It passed." She reassured, then turned her eyes to her student. "But… Kairi, what was that? It was like your light dimmed for a moment."
"I don't know. There was just this pain in my heart. It felt like a hot iron piercing my chest." Kairi said, rubbing her chest all the while.
"Are you better now at least?" Lauriam asked as he helped her get back on her feet.
"…Mostly, yeah. But… something is still wrong. Out there, among the worlds." Kairi said.
"So something happened out there and you felt it all way over here?" Aqua asked in frightened awe. This was potent, whatever it was. But what could possibly have happened?
Her phone rang. "Yeah? Yes, this is Aqua. W-what? Right. Understood. We will get there at once."
"The Dwarf Woodlands are under attack. Yen Sid said there was massive spike of darkness that may have unleashed who knows how many Heartless."
"What caused this?" Terra asked.
"Unknown. But we need to get there, before it's too late." She replied.
"Get yourselves ready. Find the Twilight Town gang and tell then what's going on. Make sure everyone is ready for a tough fight." She ordered.
With that everyone scattered about to get themselves battle ready. Aqua herself disappeared into her tent for a moment. As she was rummaging through her things her thoughts were racing. This looked to be it. Time to put their training to a real test. She hoped she had done enough for the others. The concerned knot in her stomach was doing its damnedest to convince her otherwise. She wished she had had time to finish all the armor sets by now. But too late to worry about that now. They had to make do with what they had.
She also spared a thought on how Kairi's light waning had affected her. A stark reminder of how dependent of it she was now. As if there weren't enough of those already. Going into battle in such a state… it worried her, but she decided it was more important to focus on the here and now. She was needed, and she was going to be doing her part.
And Terra… she had seen how scared he had been by what had happened to her. She did not blame him. It had been a scary moment for her too. There had been a moment there she had thought she had run out of time...
She supposed once this danger over she needed to reassure Terra that she was ok… like she needed to reassure herself. But right now there just wasn't time.
Once she emerged from the tent she was wearing her Black Coat. The pad controlling her armor was now attached to one of the sleeves. Elrena saw her emerge and nodded at her. She already understood the idea Aqua was going for.
Aqua spotted Naminé next and went to her. "Naminé… don't know if you were told already, but we are heading out into battle. I'm sorry but… you'll have to stay here."
"I know. I'd just get in the way in the middle of a fight. I wish it wasn't the case though. I just…. good luck. I'm sorry I can't do more to help." Naminé said.
"You've done plenty. Don't blame yourself for having to stay behind." Aqua reassured.
Naminé nodded, though she still looked glum. Aqua meanwhile noticed the others were starting to gather around.
"Is everyone ready to go? Good. Let's move!" She said, leading the others into a portal.
Left on her own, Naminé wandered the now empty camp, eventually sitting down on a fallen tree trunk.
"Just remember to come back, all of you. Please. Don't leave me here all alone." She said to herself, wringing her hands. Since her beginning she had hated being alone. And she hated not being able to fight at their side as they plunged into danger. But that had never been her strength…
"And you double checked the readings?" Even asked of Ienzo.
"Of course. The second measuring produced an identical result. I'm quite certain of my findings." Ienzo replied.
"Hmm. That is troubling. Alright. Let's integrate your measurements to the rest of our analysis and continue onwards.
"Is something the matter?" Ventus asked. Much of what Ienzo and Even had been talking about since his return had been technical jargon alien to him. But that last bit had certainly caught his attention.
"There seem to have been some structural changes in your heart since you were last here. Not a very significant change mind you, but still a measurable one. Personally I'm still hesitant to jump to a conclusion right now, but we may be on a stricter timetable than I had realized." Even explained.
Ventus was just about to ask if they had come up with any ideas yet when he was interrupted by a voice in his head. "You really think these eggheads are going to save you, brother? Do grow up."
"Shut up. You're no brother of mine. I know that know. And once Even and Ienzo finish their work you'll be destroyed for good." He thought back angrily.
"You really believe that? Just listen to them. They offer you nothing. And why would they? You're just a curiosity to them. They'll poke you around with test after test until it's too late. They lied to your friends so they'd get you as their lab rat. That's all they wanted from you in the first place." Vanitas replied.
"You're the liar here, and I don't want to listen to you!" Ven countered.
"You want to get rid of me? You don't need to wait on their empty promises. Your keyblade can unlock hearts. Just use it to tear me out of you and I'll be gone from your life forever." Vanitas told him.
"Do you think me an idiot!? Do you think I don't know you'll just turn around hurt my friends the moment you are loose and formless again?"
"It's not as if you're going to keep them safe as things are either. If you remain as my vessel I'll get control at some point. Already happened once. And then I'm definitely going to hurt them. But if you let me go then maybe I'll feel merciful. We could even cut a deal. Let me out and I promise they won't ever see me."
"Ven? Ven! Don't you listen to him!" The sound of Chirithy snapped him back to awareness. The spirit was standing on the armrest of his chair their paws on his arm.
"You can hear him too then?" Ventus asked quietly, taking care not to be overheard by the scientists. Somehow he just didn't feel like having them be involved.
"I can, though I don't want to any more than you do. And you shouldn't be paying it any mind. You know it can't be trusted?"
"Of course I know it. Don't worry, no way I'm going to let him out. I know what would happen. I know better that to trust anything he says.
"Now that just hurts my feelings, brother." Vanitas commented smugly.
"Shut it!" Ventus snarled.
"Um, Ventus? Everything alright between you and your spirit friend?" Ienzo asked, sounding concerned, and Ventus realized had spoken too loudly.
"Y-yeah. We're fine." He replied.
Ienzo squinted and might have questioned him further, but then an alarm blared on one of the computer screens in the lab.
"What's that? What's going on?" Even asked.
Ienzo was already at the responsible computer, tapping at the keyboard.
"It looks like something set off our perimeter equipment. Our defense systems have been activated." He said after a moment.
"Are we under attack then?" Even asked.
"I don't think so. Systems are active, but our defense network isn't detecting any attacking Heartless. Current scanning cycle shows all clear aside from some residual darkness readings. Hmm… one moment." Ienzo replied.
"According to our scanners our world was struck by what might best be described as a shockwave of darkness. The defense system interpreted that as an attack." He explained.
"A shockwave? Where did it come from?" Even asked.
"Outside our world by the looks of it. I'm backtracking to see if I can't find a point of origin." Ienzo said.
"Outside our world? Is that not impossible?" Even asked.
"It should be." Ienzo agreed. "Yet that is precisely what our systems is showing. I can only guess the amount of power that went into causing this."
"There. This blast originated in the Dwarf Woodlands." He said after some more moments of tapping his keyboard. "And… it seems there is still Darkness radiating from that location."
"So something is still going on there?" Even said. He nodded to himself. "I'll inform Master Ansem of this at once."
His eyes turned to Ventus. "You had best get yourself to the Dwarf Woodlands as soon as possible. Your friends are no doubt going to be investigating this. They may need your help."
"Right." Ventus said, leaving without another word. `Chirithy jumped up and disappeared.
"Troubling… truly troubling…" Even muttered to himself.
"I shall notify Master Ansem of this situation. And afterwards I may need your help with a possible solution I have come up with. Like I said time may be of the essence and errors would be unacceptable. So I may need a second set of eyes spotting errors in my work in a timely manner." He told Ienzo.
"A solution? You've thought of something? What is it?" Ienzo asked.
"You'll see soon. But before you do I need you to promise me you won't mention it to Ventus." Even said.
"What? Why not?" Ienzo asked, confused.
"Because he has an extra passenger, and we can't assess how aware it is. I believe conserving the element of surprise is the better course." Even explained.
Ienzo nodded his understanding.
In the Keyblade graveyard the Foretellers had gathered together to process themselves more light. But suddenly they paused in their efforts turning to look in the same direction.
"Can you all feel that?" Ira asked.
"It's Gula. I has to be. He's the only one of us not here currently." Invi said.
"Light dammit, what has the kid gone and done now? Right, we'd best get to him before this gets any worse. Find him and get this sorted real quick."
"But wait. Something like this and the Guardians have to be investigating. There is a chance we will run into them again." Invi pointed out.
"We'll have to chance it this time. The way it fells… this could be going really ugly. And if the Guardians are going there then its all the more reason to make sure are there too. We need to make sure they survive this." Luxu said.
"You would have us save them? Oh the irony." Aced commented.
"It has to happen. You know why. We need them alive." Luxu countered.
"Then we should not waste any more time." Invi said, opening a portal.
"Wait. Should one of us stay behind to watch the box?" Ira asked, motioning deeper into the cave.
"Never mind the box now. This is more important. Its contents won't matter unless we get this sorted." Luxu said before leaving through the portal.
"Right…" Ira said and hurried after the others.
On a cliff overlooking the Foreteller camp Maleficent smiled. "Finally. I was starting to worry our adversary would never lower their guard."
"Go now, Pete! Go and retrieve our prize!" She urged.
"But… are you sure its safe? There could be more of them guys there, or a trap or something…" Pete hesitated.
"Get going you fool! We won't be getting a better chance than this and I won't have you squander it." She snapped impatiently. But as Pete went lumbering toward the cave her smile returned. Not even her bumbling helper could sour her mood today. Such a long time spent in this dreary wasteland and now their patience was finally about to be rewarded. Just a few moments more and she would have the box and its contents all to herself. And then the true work could finally begin…
Aqua emerged into the Dwarf Woodlands. Immediately on arrival she was set upon by two Heartless. Only barely was she able to intercept them with her keyblade. The others streamed behind her immediately after, launching themselves at their enemy, destroying many.
"Armors up!" She shouted a command, calling for hers. She was pleased to note her idea worked, her armor overlaying the Black Coat.
"So I can get the benefits of the coat and can still switch to the armor when I need to. Good to know." She thought to herself before swinging her keyblade to take down another opponent.
Those of her friends who had armor followed her example, then resumed the fight. They all fought well, each in their chosen styles, destroying Heartless upon Heartless. Their training paid off in moments of synergy, combining their techniques to take down harder opponents. But for every opponent defeated more were converged upon them from all sides. They had not seen their enemy command numbers like this since the battles of the Second Keyblade War. And the world itself… it was shrouded in grey, skies covered by thick clouds, the sun itself pallid weak, barely offering any illumination. Shreds of darkness were sweeping over the landscape, coming from somewhere off in the distance. More and more Heartless were being deposited on this world through those shreds.
"The source of that Darkness… that's where we need to go to put a stop to this." Aqua realized. But how? With so many Heartless here they were hard pressed just holding their ground, let alone moving in any direction.
Above them a second portal opened. Looking up the Guardians were gladdened to see Ventus flying to them on his glider, touching down and joining their fight.
Ven was a welcome addition, but one more ally was not enough to change the tide of the battle. Despite their best efforts the Guardians were starting to lose ground before the sheer mass of their enemy.
"Close ranks! Don't let them divide us up!" Aqua commanded. Shortly they were all drawn up in a defensive circle. Their enemy surrounded them, pressing towards them in all directions.
"This… is starting to feel a little too familiar." Lea commented.
"Yeah! Really hoped we wouldn't find ourselves in a holdout like this again!" Kairi said before unleashing a cone of light destroying half dozen Heartless at once.
"We can't give up! Hold your ground!" Isa shouted.
The others nodded and redoubled their efforts.
The Foretellers were next to arrive, emerging in another portion of the battlefield. Like the Guardians they had to start fighting the moment they arrived, scores of their enemy falling before them.
"Damn! This is even worse than I thought!" Luxu cursed between strikes of his keyblade.
"There! In the castle! That's where the disruption is coming from! I think that's where Gula is." Ira said, pointing.
"But look there!" Invi said, pointing in a different direction. In the distance there were flashes and sounds of fighting, a large number of Heartless heading in that direction.
"The Guardians…. they're already here. Damn. Damn!" Luxu said.
He paused to think.
"Ira, Invi, go help the Guardians. Aced, you and I will make for the castle." He then said.
"Will the two of you be enough? With all this?" Invi asked.
"We will have to be. Just keep the Guardians alive in the meantime. We will stop this somehow." Luxu replied.
Aqua gritted her teeth as she fended off another Heartless. Terra was to her right, Kairi to her left, the others somewhere in the periphery of her vision. She took a step back only to bump into Xion. They exchanged glances before they had to turn their attention back to the battle. They were all fighting frantically, spells and strikes following each other without pause. She had already lost track of how many creatures she had dispatched, her arms starting to feel tired. But there just didn't seem to be an end to them. The world around then seemed a little bit darker with every passing moment…
A sense of despair was starting to settle in. Had they made a mistake in coming here? Had they wandered into a trap?
Despite herself she considered ordering a retreat. She did not want to abandon this world or its peoples, but they were simply overrun. She looked around herself, gauging the possibility. But even that momentary distraction was almost too much as more Heartless tried to attack her. Their enemy was too close. If they tried to retreat… it would cost someone among them, she just knew it.
They needed more help here. She thought of Mickey, regretting she had not made sure he knew what was happening. But Yen Sid had to have done that. He had to have! She hoped Mickey was on his way and would arrive soon. Otherwise there might be nothing left of them by the time he got here.
In his exhaustion Roxas missed a strike. The Heartless pounced immediately, a dozen of them piling on him, pushing him to the ground and trying to wrench him out of his armor. Lea and Isa reacted at once, working to destroy the Heartless on him, while Xion helped him back on his feet. Having seen the moment from the corner of his eye Aqua bit back a curse. They were getting too tired, starting to make mistakes.
Ever more Heartless were joining the battle several Darksides now arriving and starting to stride toward them. She gasped when she saw them. This was more that they could handle. Dammit, what did they need to do here? They couldn't run away and it did not seem likely they'd win against so many. They couldn't even move from this spot!
The first of the Darksides reached their position, raising a fist. Aqua braced herself, about to shout a warning to the others. But just before the blow landed the body of the Heartless was pierced by a blindingly bright beam of colored light. The beam swept onwards from Darkside to Darkside, destroying each in turn and many more Heartless besides as the beam scythed a line on the ground.
"What the...? That's…" She heard Elrena gasp.
Looking to where the beam had come from she saw a woman dive through the air. A woman in robes and wearing a mask. She landed, causing a shockwave that sent Heartless flying through the air. Moments later a second Foreteller arrived in a similarly explosive fashion before laying into the Heartless with precise blows from his keyblade.
"The Foretellers? But why are they…?" Aqua wondered before shaking her head. "No, never mind. We fight on!"
As unexpected as this help was Aqua was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. They were not out of this yet. The sudden reinforcement had eased the pressure around them, but some Heartless were still getting through.
The sudden assistance of the Foretellers was confusing given everything they had been told. And by no means did this meant they were their friends. But all that could wait until they were out of danger. For now it was enough that the Foretellers were not attacking them.
Elrena had stopped fighting, staring at Invi, her weapon limp in her grasp.
"Elrena! Wake up! Focus!" Lauriam shouted, fending off a few enemies that tried to take advantage of her distraction. She snapped out of her trance and rejoined the battle. One more thing that would have to wait…
