Reconstruction of Lurolona Village and some other areas of New Hyrule had progressed swimmingly over the course of the few weeks Aris had been governor.

"I'm starting to fall in love with this place," he mused. "Well...not to the degree I have with Raphtalia. It would be quite strange for a man to be romantically enamored with a town rather than one of its people."

Two young Demi-Human children ran by, one of whom bumped into his left leg. "Ah, sorry, governor!" the one who had bumped into him apologized.

"You needn't worry," Aris assured them. "Just be careful."

"Right!" the two children ran off, still laughing.

"Come on, Rishia!" Elrasla Grilaroc instructed. "Keep that balance, let your ki build up in the pit of your stomach!"

Rishia trembled, barely able to balance, but somehow still standing. "L-Like this?"

"Yes, exactly like that!" Elrasla cheered. "You keep this up, and you'll be a master of Hengen Muso in no time at all!"

"Good afternoon, everyone." Aris arrived on the scene.

"Ah, if it isn't the young governor!" Elrasla said jovially. "How are things?"

"Restoration is progressing swimmingly, as always," Aris replied. "I trust you're keeping Rishia going with Hengen Muso?"

"You bet!" said Elrasla. "And let me tell ya - this young whippersnapper has a real knack for it! She's like nothing I've ever seen before!"

Rishia bent over, panting like she had just run a hundred miles. She shed her aviator jacket to cool off. "Now that I think about it, I probably should have taken that off earlier..."

"Probably," Elrasla agreed. She turned back to Aris. "Judging by some leveling up she and I did the other day, her stats seem lower than average."

"I'll have a look." Aris held his right arm out to Rishia, scanning her with his Soul Energy. Indeed, her stats were low, but multiple bonus indicators were displayed alongside them. "They are low, yes, but I imagine her inner Persona and Phantom Thief garb are both working to boost them."

"Oh, yes, that reminds me," said Elrasla, "you said she still needs further Persona training from Joker, Violet, and Morgana."

"She does," a new voice agreed, "but not much."

Morgana showed up, a smirk on his face. "Andromeda here has been mastering the use of her Persona like it's nothing!"

"Andromeda?" asked Aris.

"M-My codename," Rishia explained. "The other Phantom Thieves all have codenames, so Joker and Violet came up with one for me."

"It comes from the mythology of an ancient civilization in Joker's and Violet's home world," Morgana explained. "Andromeda is the name of a princess. And the name of her Persona, Zephyrus, is the name of a minor god from that same mythology."

"Fascinating," Aris remarked. "I might study this mythology in the future."

"Totally!" Morgana agreed. "Joker and I read up on it for an assignment once, back when he and Violet were still in school. It's pretty interesting stuff."

"Governor Aris!" two voices exclaimed in unison.

Keel and Rifana ran over. Keel held a wooden training sword while Rifana held some small, round object that seemed to be attached to some string./

"Hello," Aris said to them. "Rifana, what do you have there?"

"It's called a yo-yo, apparently," she explained. "Ness gave it to me. He said I could use it as a weapon."

"A weapon?" Aris almost chuckled. "It...looks more like a toy."

"I'm planning on having Loretta modify it so that it can be more deadly," Rifana explained. "I wanna be able to do some serious damage on those monsters during the Wave. I'm...thinking about retractable blades that come out when I throw out the yo-yo."

"Ah, about that," said Elrasla. "I'm afraid you two won't be able to fight during the next Wave."

"What!?" Keel exclaimed. "Why!?"

"There's not even a week left before it arrives," Elrasla explained. "And you two are still in the early stages of your training. Granted, you can hold your own against a few Heartless, but what about an army of them?"

"What about the Wave after the next one?" Rifana suggested. "We'll be a lot more skilled by then."

"That sounds like a plan!" said Elrasla. "But I expect you two to train your hardest!"

"Governor!" a voice shouted.

Aris looked to see an elegant woman with strawberry blonde hair running over, sword in hand.

"Ah, Eclair," he said. "Is something happening?"

"Yes," Eclair said, stopping short of bumping into Aris. "An anomalously large swarm of Heartless was approaching the village."

"'Was?'"

"Yes, 'was,'" said Eclair. "Raphtalia, Filo, Melty, and Sora are dealing with it right now."

"What about your swordplay class?" asked Aris. "Shouldn't you be teaching it?"

"I have Cloud doing so in my stead."

"Very well."

Raphtalia cut down a swath of Dual Blades and Armored Knights. Crystalline hearts were released from the defeated Heartless, ascending skyward.

A swarm of Vaporflies swooped in, attempting to overwhelm her. Sora leaped into action, his Keyblade slicing and dicing the aerial assailants. Raphtalia finished off the stragglers.

"Charge, Filo!"

Filo charged into battle with Melty on her back. The young princess lifted Waters of Justice overhead, letting out something akin to a battle cry. She finished off the last of the Dual Blades.

"Guys!"

Aris arrived on the scene, Master Sword drawn.

"You can put away the sword," Melty quipped as she dismounted Filo. "We took care of them."

"Yeah!" Filo sang happily. "We beat you to it, papa!"

Aris chuckled. "You certainly did."

"Hey...guys?" Sora said, sounding a little worried.

"Sora?" said Melty. "Is something wrong?"

"Maybe," replied Sora. "Something about that swarm of Heartless...it felt...off."

"What do you mean?" asked Aris.

"Okay, lemme explain something first," said Sora. "There's two types of Heartless: Purebloods and Emblems."

"What's the difference?" inquired Raphtalia.

"Purebloods are...naturally-created Heartless, if you could call it that," Sora replied. "They're born when a person loses their heart to darkness."

"And Emblems aren't natural?" said Aris.

Sora shook his head. "They're created artificially, so they're rarer. At first, I thought all the Emblem Heartless we've been fighting are just stragglers left over from a...certain incident I had to face."

"So you're saying that's changed?" Melty put in.

Sora nodded. "I think. You see...that entire swarm was all Emblem Heartless. Not a single Pureblood."

"Which means something must be creating them artifically," Raphtalia concluded.

"Or someone," Sora added. "Which means this could be a repeat of the Seeker of Darkness situation..."

"Seeker of Darkness?"

"A guy named Ansem. Or at least, that's what he called himself," Sora explained. "He was the guy I had to stop on my first ever journey with the Keyblade. He was creating Heartless to plunge the worlds into darkness, but my friends and I stopped him."

Suddenly, Aris checked his status display. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Aris?" Raphtalia said, now just as worried as Sora.

"The countdown..." Aris panted, anxiety flooding his mind. "It's...It's stopped...! And now there's this...number replacing it."

Suddenly, the wind around them whipped up, nearing hurricane speed. A distant roar echoed through the air.

"Thank you for answering my call on such short notice," said Queen Mirellia to the four Cardinal Heroes. "I wish to discuss something of utmost importance with you."

"Those new Heartless breeds, right?" Ren remarked.

"Yes, them," the queen affirmed.

"I found 'em, too," Motoyasu added.

"As did I," chimed in Itsuki.

"I noticed something else, as well," Aris posited. "The Wave countdown within my display...it stopped."

The queen narrowed her eyes. "So, it is just as I feared..."

"What is?"

"The legendary Spirit Tortoise has reawakened," said the queen. "It does so every few centuries to wreak havoc upon the world."

"That still doesn't explain the strange Heartless," Itsuki pointed out.

The queen shook her head. "No, it does not. But the halting of the Wave countdown is enough for me to know that the Spirit Tortoise has returned."

Ren sighed. "And of course it chooses now of all times to wake up and choose violence."

Itsuki stood up. "We'll see what we can do."

The Bow Hero left the room.

"I'll be going," Motoyasu said, also getting up. "Got some stuff I need to get done."

"And I guess I'll be leaving, then," Ren added, also leaving along with Motoyasu.

Aris was the only one who remained.

"So," said Aris, "the Spirit Tortoise."

"Yes," said the queen.

"We'll stop it," Aris promised her. "One way or another."

Queen Mirellia smiled at him. "It seems I did not even have to ask that of you."

Her smile turned into a somber frown. "The Spirit Tortoise has already destroyed several territories and important checkpoints on its journey to the capital. Because of this, many have already fallen. Even more remain injured."

"Where is it right now?" asked Aris.

"It is to the far east," replied the queen, "but it won't be long before it reaches us here. When that happens...I fear that it is more than likely to strike New Hyrule."

Aris clenched a fist. "I can't let that happen. And I won't."

"Good," said the queen. "How is Melty, then? I trust her Keyblade training is going well?"

"Very," answered Aris. "She and Sora train for a good portion of the day. I've also placed her and Eclair in charge of Lurolona Village whenever I'm away."

The queen smiled again. "It seems her time with you has matured her greatly."

"Not just me," Aris mentioned. "The pirates aboard the Black Pearl likely had a hand in her growth, as well. Perhaps her time within the mouth of Monstro did, too. But regardless...I'll fight the Tortoise. And I will either defeat it with the help of my friends, or die trying."

Aris returned to Lurolona Village via his teleportation skill. His party stood there, awaiting him.

"Hi, papa!" said Filo. "Lorie wanted to tell everyone something!"

Aris approached his sister. "What is it, then?"

"I have a gift for all of you," said Loretta. She reached for a small box and opened it. From the box, she produced a small number of strange devices. She handed them out to the party, one for each member. "These are some new things I built a few nights ago. Communicators, I call them. They will allow us to stay in contact even when apart."

"Nice!" said Ness.

"I gave some to Melty and Eclair, as well," Loretta added. "That way, we can stay in touch with the village while we're away."

"So, with that taken care of," said Cloud, "what'd the queen wanna talk to you about, Aris?"

Aris took a breath and filled everyone in. "To summarize, an ancient monster called the Spirit Tortoise has reawakened and caused the Waves to halt. It wreaks destruction across the world and is on its way here."

"Then we can't let that happen," said Sora.

"That is exactly what I said," Aris agreed. "Not long after I left, the queen also mentioned that the other Heroes are going ahead of some allied armies to perform reconnaissance. We will meet with the queen closer to the Spirit Tortoise. However..." He paused.

"What?"

"I will need some of you to remain here in Lurolona Village to defend it in case a Wave somehow does arrive, or something else happens. Do I have any volunteers?"

"I'll stay," Cloud put in.

"I was just thinking about asking you." Aris smiled.

"C-Can I stay?" Rishia stuttered.

"Nope, you're coming," Joker refuted. "I'm going, and you are too."

"So am I!" Violet chimed in.

"I'll stay if Melty's staying," said Ness.

"I'll go with papa so I can pull the wagon!" Filo sang.

"Any others?" Aris asked.

No one spoke.

"Very well," he said. "Cloud and Ness will remain here. Everyone else will join me to fight the Spirit Tortoise. We leave early tomorrow morning."

At sunrise the next morning, Aris loaded up Filo's wagon with supplies. Morgana shifted into his automobile form and everyone loaded in. Joker took the driver's seat. Everyone waved goodbye to the party as they set off for the Spirit Tortoise.

So began Aris's favorite part of any journey: traveling. It was his favorite time to grow closer to his companions, especially Raphtalia. It was also a time to have fun together - a brief respite from the dangers that came with their responsibilities as defenders of the world.

It was also a time to sharpen his culinary prowess using new and unique ingredients. One night, he put together a stew made from rabbits' meat and vegetables, with a side of some wild berries.

This respite, however, was short-lived.

One evening, the wagon and bus passed by a group of civilians, all carrying things on their backs. They looked sullen, melancholic, like they had been made to bear witness to destruction beyond their wildest dreams.

These civilians were the first topic of conversation around the evening campfire later that night.

"Those people must have been survivors of the Spirit Tortoise's destruction," Raphtalia reasoned, sitting down on a log next to Aris.

"That means things are getting real bad..." Violet sighed. "We have to stop it."

Filo's voice suddenly interrupted, muffled by the fabric roof of her wagon. "Oh, you mean papa? Yeah, he's here! Okay, I'll ask him."

The Filolial Princess's head emerged from the wagon. "Papa, Fitoria wants to know if you're actually going to fight the Spirit Tortoise."

"Fitoria?" Aris was confused. "She is here?"

Filo shook her head. "She can talk to me through my hair!" She motioned to the cowlick on her head, which wiggled. "She says hi!"

Aris chuckled. "Hello, Fitoria."

"Oh, she can't hear you guys," Filo pointed out. "Only me. But I can tell you what she's saying."

Joker laughed. "Her cowlick's a radio antenna!"

Filo spoke again. "Fitoria says that this is the choice she told you about, papa. If the Heroes can't work together, you have to do something about the Spirit Tortoise."

"But why is the choice relevant to the Tortoise?" asked Aris.

Filo relayed Aris's question to Fitoria.

"She says not to ask her," Filo replied. "And to think about it yourself."

"What's she talking about?" asked Joker.

"You see," said Filo, "if papa and the other Heroes can't work together..."

"Fitoria will be forced to kill us," Aris finished for his surrogate daughter.

"That's...extreme," said a perturbed Morgana. "I don't trust her."

"I can't say I blame you," Aris agreed. "But, regardless of whether or not you trust her, we're going to head for the Spirit Tortoise tomorrow. Everyone, get some sleep."

The party passed through a border checkpoint the next morning. A crowd of refugees was present as they passed by.

"Didn't you hear?" said one. "The capital's already under attack."

"Is it?" said another. "Then that means it'll be here soon..."

"I heard Melromarc's allying with the afflicted countries in an effort to stop it," said a third refugee.

"I heard that, too," said the first. "Even the Cardinal Heroes are joining the battle."

"The Heroes?" said yet another. "Didn't three of them try to fight it and die?"

Rishia gasped within the Morgana bus. "S-Sir Itsuki..."

Outside, Filo looked up at her cowlick. "Fitoria...did the other three Heroes really die?"

The cowlick wiggled.

"Don't worry, guys," said Filo. "I asked Fitoria, and she says all the Heroes are alive."

"Good," said Aris. "That means them being dead is a mere rumor."

"Hey, over there!" Violet pointed out the window.

A horde of Armored Knights and Dual Blades - both Emblem Heartless, once again - was charging down the mountain toward the checkpoint.

"Everyone out!" Aris shouted.

Everyone loaded out of the Morgana bus.

"Phantom Thieves, get the citizens to safety!" Aris commanded. "Everyone else, with me!"

"On it!" Violet, Joker, and Morgana left with Rishia - Andromeda, as they called her - to evacuate the civilians.

Aris drew the Master Sword. Raphtalia drew her own blade. Sora summoned his Keyblade. Filo got into a fighting stance.

"Loretta?" said Aris. "Where is your weapon?"

"I have a new one." Loretta revealed her new bracelets and anklets. "M. A. I. A., activate armor."

Glowing blue energy seeped from the anklets and bracelets, engulfing Loretta. Tendrils of it washed over her like water.

The light died, revealing a suit of Sheikah armor. A robotic, feminine voice spoke within her helmet. "Armor activated."

"Where'd all that come from!?" Sora exclaimed.

"It's something I recently finished," Loretta answered. "But there isn't any time to explain right now. Only time to fight!"

A swarm of flying Heartless - Aris's display identified them as Wyverns - soared in overhead. "I'll handle the flying ones!" Loretta said, her voice augmented by her helmet. "You all take out the grounded Heartless!"

Aris led the charge against the horde.

"Shield Prison!"

A chained sphere of shields ensnared a gaggle of Dual Blades. Aris thrust his right arm toward it. Tendrils of Soul Energy lifted the Shield Prison off the ground, allowing Aris to hurl it into the air.

Filo vaulted after it. "Spiral Strike!"

A powerful kick sent the Shield Prison right back down like a meteor, destroying a group of Wyverns in its wake and another group of Armored Knights and Dual Blades upon landing.

Raphtalia and Sora charged together, sword and Keyblade cutting down Heartless after Heartless.

"Filo!" Aris called out. "Double Blade Tornado!"

"Coming, papa!" said the Filolial. She stood beside him, spreading her wings. "Drifa Aeroga!"

"Tornado Shield!"

The two whirlwinds they produced became one, engulfing the Armored Knights and Dual Blades.

Aris charged for the powerful twister, allowing himself to be swirled into its center. He held out the Master Sword, which spun with him. The sacred blade cut down all of the Heartless engulfed within the tornado.

That, however, did not stop the tornado from launching Aris into the wall of the checkpoint. He cried out in pain.

Luckily, the combined attack he and Filo had performed was enough to finish the last of the Heartless.

Aris staggered to his feet. "Ngh...ouch..."

"Papa!" Filo cried. "Are you okay?"

Sora held out his Keyblade. "Heal!"

Curaga engulfed Aris's body in healing magic, easing his pain and wounds. "I am now," he said. "Thank you, Sora."

The healing didn't stop Raphtalia from running over and hugging her new lover. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Raphtalia, dear, I'm quite alright," Aris assured her. "You don't need to worry."

Raphtalia reluctantly released him. "If you say so."

Loretta cleared her throat. "Would you two get a room?"

Aris blushed. "S-Sister!"

Suddenly, Sora turned around, readying his Keyblade. "Someone's here!"

Everyone looked.

Nearby stood a woman in a hooded coat. "I...presume you are the Swordsman Shield Hero. Am I correct?"

"You are," said Aris. "But who are you? What do you want."

"I want you..." said the woman, "...to kill me."