Kingdom Hearts: Another Side, Another Story

by TheLoneStar6

Sora, along with Donald and Goofy, must traverse a very different set of worlds as they attempt to thwart the Heartless. Second in my "Another Side, Another Story" series.

11. Ritual of the Mahjarrat

Sir Tiffy let out a noise of unease as he read over the material the quartet collected from Kethsi's ruins. Naturally, the second the four arrived back near Falador, they rushed to the elderly man and let him know everything that happened. He read the letter from Robert the Strong first, then the journal detailing how the Dragonkin destroyed Kethsi.

"It's far worse than I thought…" The old man bemoaned as he closed the old journal. "They had the Stone of Jas on their side, and they still lost! If they couldn't beat back the Dragonkin, what hope do we have?"

As hopeless as the situation seemed, Sora had recalled something important from the journal and what the Dragonkin said back on the beach. "It looks like they just get mad if someone uses that Stone of Jas thing. So, we just have to stop this Lucien guy from doing that, right? He's a…what did you say he was, Zamansis?"

"A Mahjarrat. They're a species of skeletal humans that need to perform a ritual to keep their power. Only problem is each time, they have to sacrifice one of their own." Zamansis explained. "I've met a few of them, some nice and some I've had to fight off like Lucien."

"This is very troubling indeed…" Sir Tiffy emphasized. "I think you should go talk to Akrisae, Thaerisk and Idria in Falador Castle for help. They'll know how to aid you more than I."

Zamansis nodded, turning to the trio. "They're all allies of mine." He quickly explained, starting to lead the group towards the massive castle in the middle of Falador.

"How are they gonna help us? These Dragonkin can destroy entire worlds!" Donald exclaimed, wondering if this had to do with the stars going out. Except…while destroyed, Kethsi was still intact. Was that an exception to the rule or totally unrelated?

"Well, Sora was sayin' that if we get that Stone thingamajig away from that Lucien feller, those Dragonkin will settle down. That sound right, Zamansis?" Goofy asked.

Once more, the adventurer nodded. "That's right. It's our only hope, at least. If the Dragonkin just destroyed worlds on a whim, why would they wait until now to start attacking Gielinor? It's too convenient to be a coincidence. I think if the Stone stops getting used, they'll calm down and leave us alone!"

"So, we either find it or take down Lucien…" Sora commented, crossing his arms as they walked. Given how he kept using some sort of extremely powerful artifact, that sounded far easier said than done. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was all they had!

With that, the group made their way to Falador Castle, crossing a stone bridge to get there. Up close, it seemed bigger than life, like the tops of the tallest towers were about to kiss the clouds! Somehow, being so close to a castle seemed…familiar to Sora…but he couldn't pinpoint why. In his heart, there was a sense of a mysterious déjà vu…

The knights and soldiers of the castle, all clad in brilliant white armor, didn't impede the quartet as they answered. Clearly, Zamansis was known on sight and was trusted enough to bring outsiders. The adventurer led his companions through numerous rooms and up a few staircases until they reached a room with a circular table with a map of what seemed to be Gielinor along with numerous old looking books. On top of that there were three people there, all clad in robes. One of them was a woman while the other two were men, one relatively young while the other was elderly. Notably, the young man seemed to have a sort of religious symbol, a golden star, on his robes.

"These are who Sir Tiffy was talking about. Akrisae, Thaerisk and Idria." Zamansis said, gesturing to the young man, the elderly man, and the young woman in order. "Guys, these three are Sora, Donald, and Goofy." He further introduced, gesturing in turn.

"It's not every day you bring company like this." Idria pointed out, giving a polite nod of greeting to the trio. "Is there something you need, Zamansis?"

The adventurer sighed, letting his stress really show. "It's pretty bad…Lucien is abusing the Stone of Jas for his selfish, dark needs. What we just found out concerning that is it's triggering a race known as the Dragonkin to go berserk and attack human settlements! At this rate, the entire world will be wiped out!"

"Saradomin help us! First the Lucien problem and now this? Are they behind those odd dark creatures that keep attacking too?" Akrisae asked, a look of defeat already on his face.

"Ah, I can perhaps help with this!" A new voice rang out. Startled, the seven in the room looked to see that a newcomer was standing off to the side as if he just appeared from thin air! He was a bearded man that was dressed more for a desert than a place like Falador.

"What?! Who are you?! Someone get the guards!" Thaerisk called, taking a step back from the stranger.

Before anyone could draw their weapons or get the guards, Zamansis spoke up. "Hold on! This is a friend of mine!" He assured, looking at the stranger as he introduced the other six to him. "…And this is Ali the Wise and he knows a lot about the Mahjarrat. I'm surprised you're here, Ali, you usually hang around in Nardah."

Ali didn't seem worried about the treatment he got, standing in place casually as everyone calmed down. "Yes, it's good to see you Zamansis, even if the circumstances aren't ideal. I've been consulting my research and looking at the stars, and I believe the Mahjarrat Ritual is sooner than we thought. I've not quite pinned it down exactly, but it will likely happen any time now."

"So that means Lucien would be there, right?" Sora asked. "He'd need to, right? Or does he not need to because of that Stone of Jas thing?"

"I'm sure he'll be there, this rejuvenation is…let's say it's special. He'll need it to return to his complete form, so even with the Stone of Jas, Lucien will show up." Ali the Wise said confidently. "In any case, we should use this to our advantage. Other Mahjarrat will be there, obviously, and I'm sure a number of them will want to pick a fight with Lucien…"

Akrisae let out a startled noise, shaking his head with a glare. "No! Not a chance! I'd never fight on the same side as the Mahjarrat! Wicked beings with hearts full of darkness!"

Zamansis shook his head at that. "Hey, I've met a couple of Mahjarrat and they're not all bad! They're just like humans are! Some are good and some are bad. You can't just toss them all in the same group!"

"You're a fool to think that. Just because they don't openly perform dark actions doesn't mean they have good hearts!" Akrisae argued, going steadily red in the face as his anger increased. "They can be sneaky too!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Sora snapped, glaring at Akrisae. "It's like Zamansis said, you can't just group them all together like that! It's not fair!"

Goofy nodded along with Sora, but as typical of his more passive nature, he wasn't so angry. "Besides, Zamansis is trustworthy, so wouldn't ya think anyone he trusts is good too?"

"We don't have a choice anyway!" Donald exclaimed, joining Sora in his glaring. "Do you have a better idea?! The whole world's at stake, so don't be so petty!"

Being ganged up on like that clearly wasn't what Akrisae expected, the red in his face becoming more like a blush of embarrassment. "W…Well…I…um…" He stammered before clearing his throat and composing himself. "I'm…afraid not. I suppose if there's really no other option…"

"So, we're all in agreement. I'm not so fond of it either, but I too see little choice." Idria said, Thaerisk nodding along with her. "But we don't know where the ritual site is…"

Ali the Wise, who had remained calm during the argument, spoke back up. "I've recently come across some ancient writings that suggests there's a tunnel leading to the site underneath Ghorrock Fortress. It's at a snowy plateau you could drop a rope from so more troops can sneak there to aid you."

"The one north-west of the Wilderness?" Zamansis asked, humming in thought. "I've been there before, but never saw a tunnel. I guess my new friends and I could check again…"

Akrisae piped up again. "The Stone of Jas might be near there too, Lucien hiding it near such an important place for him. You should look for it, and use these teleorbs to move it away from him." He looked through his cloak and pulled out what looked like several crystal balls which he handed over to Zamansis, the latter putting them in his bottomless bag.

"And we might be able to make use of Arrav's heart in this situation. Zemouregal will probably bring him as backup for the ritual." Ali said, taking an unusually ominous looking container from a pocket in his robes. It looked like a burial urn of sorts, very plain in design, but it just resonated an unusual energy…

"His…heart?!" Sora exclaimed, staring at the urn. "What does that mean?!" Arrav had to be a person, right? If his heart was in that urn…did that make him a sort of Heartless?

"Arrav is a long-dead hero, with Zemouregal being a Mahjarrat using his corpse to fight for him." Zamansis explained, taking the urn. "What exactly would we need this for, Ali?"

"I've been studying organ magic, and there's a spell that can be used to free Arrav, but his heart will have to be close to his reanimated corpse." Ali the Wise said as Zamansis put the urn in his bag. "Hide it somewhere near the site, and try to draw Arrav to it if he indeed shows up."

Idria looked at the interaction, pale in the face. "You just…had the heart of Varrock's greatest hero in your pocket?!"

"Only so I could one day aid him." Ali the Wise insisted, dismissing Idria's concerns. "I will say I'm not entirely sure of the nature of the spell that Zemouregal has cast on Arrav. He might have ways of strengthening his control, which may mean I can't free him. You should snoop around that horrid Mahjarrat's fortress for clues."

Donald huffed, tapping his foot impatiently. "Any other errands you want us to run?" He asked sarcastically. This was turning into a lot of steps!

"Just one." Ali the Wise said, ignoring Donald's attitude. "You should talk to our mutual friend, Azzanadra. He's the most likely to be our ally in this battle."

"That is a lot." Zamansis agreed, but nodded along with Ali the Wise's suggestion. "We'll go talk to Azzanadra first." He turned to Sora, Donald, and Goofy, taking a golden necklace with a shining ruby in it out of his bag. "Hold onto me, we'll be teleporting again." When the three did as told, he rubbed the ruby and the quartet were whisked away.

They reappeared at a dig site of sorts near the coast, the ocean to their east and the four of them appearing in front of some official looking building. To their north, there were numerous areas where archeologists were slowly, carefully going through areas with their specialized tools.

"Your friend is here? Is he one of them arky…archea…digger fellers?" Goofy asked, looking around at the area.

"Not exactly. He's another Mahjarrat." Zamansis explained, once more leading the group. He started to head towards one of the dig sites, one with a large hole with a winch and rope leading down into it. "There's a temple to a god that a number of the Mahjarrat worship and follow named Zaros underneath the earth here where he resides."

"Do these gods actually exist?" Sora asked, wondering if such powerful beings really existed in other worlds. He had read about gods, both good and bad, in stories growing up and seeing them in movies or shows.

"Oh, they exist. That's undeniable." Zamansis said with complete confidence. "The reason why the Wilderness is the way it is resulted from a war between numerous gods. They can't enter our realm anymore, not directly, so they have followers do their bidding."

So, what's why the Wilderness was so torn apart! The power of those gods must have been something else to cause such damage! Sora shuddered at the thought, following Zamansis as he went down the rope into the hole.

The four soon found themselves in a dimly lit cave system, a very simple one with a single path. Walking along it, they quickly came across a large room that certainly looked like a temple! Pillars, a circle with a cross on it on the floor, a religious altar to the far wall, and oddly there was lava flowing through waterways in the floor, helping light the area up well. Standing in the center, looking at the visitors, was an ordinary looking man with red hair and beard wearing clothes fit for an explorer or archeologist.

"Hm? Zamansis?" The man asked, looking at the adventurer curiously. "What brings you here? And who are these three?"

"They're friends, Azzanadra, I trust them. And they know you're a Mahjarrat." Zamansis explained, giving a quick introduction to Sora, Donald, and Goofy as the four approached. "I'm sure your human disguise threw them off."

Sora was actually sort of eager to see what one of these Mahjarrat people actually looked like, so he was a tad disappointed. "Yeah, we're here because that ritual you guys do is about to happen!"

Azzanadra seemed a bit taken aback, but then quickly got over it. "I see. Well, if Zamansis trusts you, I do as well. He's been quite some help to me. And you all know of the ritual? Very well informed you are…"

"It was his friend Ali the Wise that tipped us off." Goofy explained, looking about the temple. It was awfully spooky, and the knight, along with Sora and Donald, felt like something unseen was watching them…

"He must have good reason, then. He's not one to make foolish choices or give out information unnecessarily." Azzanadra mused, looking the three newcomers over as if studying them.

"A very good reason. Lucien has the Stone of Jas, an artifact that gives great power to its user. Its abuse is putting all of Gielinor in danger!" Zamansis declared.

"I knew he had another powerful artifact, the Staff of Armadyl, but I've not heard of this Stone of Jas." Azzanadra admitted. "It seems my imprisonment really made me miss out on a lot…" He said, speaking of his sealing away in a pyramid during the God Wars. Thousands of years he spent in there until Zamansis himself freed him.

Zamansis sighed. "I don't know much of it, except apparently it helped Zamorak ascend more than the Staff of Armadyl did. Touching it gives a lot of knowledge and strength to the user. I myself touched it once and it was…something else…" He shook his head, clearing away what seemed to be an uneasy memory. "In any case, I have more allies that will help take down Lucien during the ritual, and we were hoping for your aid."

"I can see the strategy in that. Of course I'll aid you, I just need a favor." Azzanadra informed, ignoring a grunt of annoyance from Donald. The disguised Mahjarrat took four odd objects out of his pack. Stone objects with crystals embedded in them. "My Lord grants me power within this temple, but not far outside it. I've stored some divine energy in these beacons. Just hide them around the site so I can properly aid you."

Taking yet more objects to aid with, Zamansis placed them in his bag. "I'll do it, don't worry. We'll see you at the ritual site! Come on guys, we have to teleport again." He said to the trio.

"All this teleportin' sure does make a guy dizzy…" Goofy murmured as Zamansis started another salt circle. Still, he stepped in it along with Sora and Donald as the quartet were teleported again. They arrived in a cold, sparse area near another coast. Nearby was a canoe that Zamansis seemed to know would be there, probably leaving it there himself for occasions such as this.

The four got in it and rowed along the coast, ending up in a snowy, mountainous area. "S-Sure is c-cold up here!" Donald exclaimed, rubbing his arms as he sputtered from the low temperatures.

Sora was doing way worse, having grown up on a tropical island. His teeth were chattering, and he felt goosebumps all over his body! "S-So the ritual site is up here in the cold?"

Zamansis didn't seem nearly as bothered, but still shivered a bit. "Sorry guys, but it's not so cold that you'll be in danger. Come on, we're right near Ghorrock Fortress." Once more, he walked at the front of the group, leading them uphill towards a large, abandoned stone fortress. It was covered in ice and snow, and looked as though it hadn't been entered in decades. The foundation was crumbling, and it gave off an air of loneliness. Around it, to the shock of Sora, Donald, and Goofy, were dragons! Not Dragonkin, but dragons as they appeared in old fairytales! They were quadrupedal with large wings…and they seemed to be made of metal! Some were iron, and some steel. "Don't worry, these Iron and Steel Dragons won't bother you unless you strike first." Zamansis quickly explained.

The outsiders seemed hesitant to believe him, the massive creatures roaming about, stopping to look at the four visitors…but did little else. Maybe they didn't see the four as worth any effort, or maybe they were just peaceful to some degree? "Still pretty freaky…" Sora murmured.

"Hold on!" GLaDOS' voice chirped, Donald taking her out of his pocket. "I sense the same energy as a Keyhole! I know it!"

"Wait, really?" Sora asked, leaning in to listen closely to the A.I.. "You're not messing with us, are you?"

"Trust me, I want to get away from this world as much as the loudmouth that carries me around." She responded, ignoring Donald's glare. "All these magical properties are exhausting on my sensors. But I sense what must be the Keyhole to our south!"

"South…?" Zamansis muttered, looking to some ruined pillars and stone in that direction. As he looked closer, he saw there was a tunnel in the nearby ice wall. "Hey, there's an opening! I guess I never noticed it last time I was here. I was more focused on the main fortress!"

Goofy hummed, looking at the tunnel. "Maybe that ritual site is where that there Keyhole is? Or near it? It'd be a pretty big coincidence otherwise…"

"Remember Dimple? He knew he'd get some sort of power from the Keyhole, so maybe the Mahjarrat use a power like that?" Sora suggested.

"That's actually logical of you, Clown Shoes." GLaDOS sarcastically praised. "You should all investigate it then."

As Donald stuffed GLaDOS back in his pocket, the group went through the short tunnel, finding themselves on a large, snowy plain. Off to the west were some pine trees with another, less abandoned-looking fort standing in the cold. But the four were more intrigued by what was in the center of the plain. There, standing on its own, was a disturbing looking stone structure. It seemed unbelievably ancient and had the visage of a screaming face with an extremely long, gaping mouth. It gave off a disturbing and very noticeable energy.

"That's probably the ritual marker…" Zamansis remarked. "Once we stop Lucien, we'll look around here for the Keyhole, okay? Let's get things ready first!" The group went about the area, performing the tasks asked of them. Four beacons were hidden around rocks and dead trees about the site. Zamansis hid the urn containing Arrav's heart by some rocks near the disturbing marker. Then, finally, the adventurer tied a rope by a dead tree leading to the area where the canoe dropped them off. "So now we go to Zemouregal's Fort and-"

"I knew you'd show up here." A familiar voice called from behind the quartet. They whipped around to see that unusual blonde man with the massive sword they briefly encountered in Keldagrim. "With what Sliske told me, he and I were sure you'd come here by the end of today."

"What? Who are you?!" Zamansis asked, quickly getting his sword and shield ready. He had a bad feeling about this guy. "And Sliske? I swear I read that name somewhere, but where…?" He wasn't able to recall it, but Sliske was mentioned in a list of Mahjarrat that Zemouregal had written down that the adventurer had come across in a previous quest of his.

"It doesn't matter who I am." Cloud replied, taking his sword off his back and wielding it with shocking ease given its size. "I'm only after you, Zamansis." His cold blue eyes scanned Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "If you three leave, I won't chase you. If you get in my way, I'll cut you down."

The three summoned their respective weapons, all getting ready to fight. "Are you nuts?! Zamansis is our friend! What do you get out of killing him anyway?!" Sora demanded, ready for when the stranger would assuredly strike.

Cloud shook his head. "It's not your business. I'll give you one last chance to move away."

"Like that'll happen! How about you beat it?!" Donald exclaimed, aiming his wand at Cloud and shooting off a ball of Fire at the blonde man.

Moving quickly, Cloud slashed his sword at the oncoming projectile, destroying it before it had any chance to deal damage. The man then charged the group, aiming for Zamansis and letting out a cry of effort as he swung vertically at the armored warrior.

Zamansis, Sora, and Goofy all worked together to block the attack, using their blades and shield to stop Cloud's strike from doing any damage. Even with all three of them working together, they still struggled under the surprising strength of their opponent. "We don't have time for this…!" Zamansis groaned out. "We're trying to-"

The adventurer's words were interrupted as Donald shot another ball of Fire at Cloud, aiming for the man's side. Jumping backwards, the blonde swordsman swung his massive blade in a horizontal arc to keep Sora, Goofy, or Zamansis from charging him. After he leapt back several more times, he lunged at his main target once more! This time, he held his sword ready for a stab, but was intercepted as Sora jumped at him and aimed a swing of the Keyblade at his head.

As Cloud dodged Sora's attack, Goofy's shield came hurtling, thrown like a discus. The projectile hit the blonde man on the forehead, causing him to stagger as the shield bounced away. Zamansis took this time to run forward and swing his own blade at Cloud. Recovering just in time, the assassin blocked the attack, and was held in place as the armored adventurer held his ground and tried to push his blade forward more.

Seeing a chance to help, Sora lunged at Cloud and swung his Keyblade at the attacker. To his surprise, the blonde man actually let go of his sword's hilt with one hand, catching Sora's weapon with his gauntlet-clad hand. This stopped Sora in his tracks, and he was able to swing the teen into Zamansis, swiftly knocking both to the ground.

Not wasting time, Cloud raised his sword, ready to stab down at Zamansis when Sora raised his Keyblade and pointed it right at the opponent. Remembering some of the spells Donald used, he tried to call upon a new one in the heat of the moment. "Thunder!" The brunette cried, causing a bolt of magic to strike Cloud from above, causing him to grunt in pain and freeze in place from the electricity for a brief moment.

This was all Zamansis needed to recover, rolling around to Cloud's rear with surprising agility. "We don't have time for this!" The armored man called, pointing his blade at the assassin. As he did this, he conjured up an Air Surge spell, a massive gust of wind shooting forth at Cloud. It was so powerful that it actually lifted the blonde man right off his feet and sent him flying all the way off the snowy plain and into the freezing water off the shore. Standing up, Zamansis pointed to the fort partially hidden by the trees. "While he's recovering! Let's get inside! We'll need your Keyblade, Sora!"

With the assassin temporarily disposed of, the four ran through the trees and came across the second fort. It was, of course, far more intact than Ghorrock Fortress and a great deal more sinister. This second building had dark spires, pillars with large, menacing flames on top at either side of the entrance, and a massive stone skull built into the wall above the front door. Darkness was practically pouring off the stone itself!

"A bit on the nose…" Sora muttered as he used his Keyblade to unlock the fort's front door. Normally, they would have had to use number strips and solve an annoying puzzle to open it, but the Keyblade thankfully overrode that! After the quartet entered, the door was slammed shut. Automatically, it audibly locked behind them.

They took a second to catch their breath, the main foyer of the fort thankfully empty. It was very fancy, lit by torches on the wall and decorated with empty suits of armor with a very fancy rug. There were several doorways along the walls and staircases leading upwards. "Who was that guy? You sure you don't know him?" Donald asked.

"I really don't recognize him. But that name, Sliske, is just so familiar…but I can't remember where I heard it…" Zamansis answered. "Either way, he probably didn't see where we went. Even if he did, he'd have to break that door down to get to us. For now, let's quietly look around for clues about the specific spell used to keep Arrav under Zemouregal's control."

Remaining silent, the four went into several rooms on the bottom floor and searched for any clues. They looked on desks, in crates, on shelves…but found nothing. Thankfully, the fort didn't seem exactly guarded. Apparently being in such a remote, dangerous area was enough to keep Zemouregal at ease.

While they searched, a deep and hostile voice rang out from the next room over. "Who goes there? I can sense your presence!" It called, causing the quartet to freeze in place. After a moment, the voice went on. "No, no, that's no good. Too clichéd. How about…? I know you're there! Face me and my minions of darkness" The voice was clearly talking to himself, Zamansis mouthing the name 'Zemouregal' to the others.

After a moment, a second voice called. "Master? Who are you talking to?"

Zemouregal was heard clearing his throat. "What? Nobody! I'm just…practicing for the ritual. Those new minions I discovered will really strike fear in the others!"

The quartet let out a collective, silent breath of relief. "I thought he had sensed us." Donald whispered, feeling his heart slam away at his chest.

"Me too." Sora confessed, frowning a bit. "It sounds like Zemouregal can summon Heartless. That's not good…"

The four left it at that, not wanting to risk being overheard. They went to a different room and saw a note on the desk there. Zamansis took it and read aloud.

Matters of the Heart

The soul of Arrav is more troublesome than I'd originally thought. If I move him too far from my base, I can feel him fighting against my will. I must find a way to strengthen my hold over him to subjugate him further, else it would be better to destroy him and be done with it.

I had been working on an enhancement prism, but the results with ordinary glass weren't enough - I needed a better material.

Thankfully, I believe I have found what I need in a volcano on Karamja - a rare black mineral called obsidian. I'll construct a new prism from this.

The prism works and my spell is enhanced! Now, I can make better use of Arrav against Varrock. In life he was its protector, in death its destroyer... an example to all of the fates of 'heroes'. The prism is very fragile though, so I'll need to lock it away from those clumsy zombies.

"I bet that prism is somewhere nearby!" Goofy exclaimed. "I feel bad for that Arrav feller. Under control of someone else like that…"

"We'll have to smash that prism, going by these notes." Zamansis informed. "We'll do that, then quickly get out of here…"

And that's just what the group did. Going through the mostly empty fort, they searched more of the rooms, most locked and needing Sora's Keyblade to open. They didn't talk too much, afraid that Zemouregal or his unseen minion may overhear them. Eventually, they found one tucked away in the basement that held a pedestal with a shiny black stone on it. Wasting no time, Sora smashed at it with his weapon, cracking the object in two with a single blow!

"I hope this really helps Arrav." Sora said, feeling really bad for the guy despite not knowing him. Forced into being a heartless entity and under the thumb of someone like Zemouregal…! The teen's empathy made his own heart ache a bit out of pity.

With their mission done, the four swiftly left the fort out the main entrance, looking about as they closed the door behind them. "I don't see that assassin anywhere. I wonder if he gave up or something?" Zamansis asked as the group went back towards the ritual site.

"I don't know, he seemed pretty strong and determined…" Donald argued, keeping his staff out just in case.

At just that moment, as the four reached the snowy plain again, a voice called from behind. "Ah! Zamansis!" It was a male's voice, but distinctly older than Cloud's.

Still, the four whipped around, weapons drawn! Before them, however, was a rather harmless looking old man in a black, hooded cloak. Zamansis eased up, but only lightly. Not poised to strike, but hardly happy to see the man that had appeared. "Movario? Still working for Lucien, huh?"

The man, Movario, scoffed and shook his head. "Not a chance! After helping him find the Stone of Jas and all the research I did for him, he left me behind! He thinks I only want it for myself!"

"Well, do you?" Donald asked, not trusting the cloaked man. First that assassin and now this guy? This location sure drew a lot of weirdos!

"Yes…er…but only to research!" Movario insisted. "Lucien just uses it to grow in strength, not understand the artifact!"

"What are you even doing here? This is pretty out of the way." Zamansis asked, calming down further at Movario's admittance of working alone.

Movario scoffed again. "What else? I'm here to find the Stone of Jas, and I've come so very close…"

"And what if I find it for you? We're here to take out Lucien, as it happens." Zamansis suggested.

"As if that worked so well last time!" Movario all but barked…but then sighed. "I suppose two heads are better than one. Or five, I guess." He glanced at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, but hardly seemed interested in them. "I have detected some shadow magic nearby, but aside from that, I'm stumped."

Zamansis nodded, turning away from Movario. "That's helpful. You keep doing whatever, and we'll be on our way."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy followed suit, all of them keeping an eye out for Cloud as they walked, but so far he seemed to not be around. "So, you trust that guy?" The teen asked, glancing back at Movario who had started to wander in a different direction, murmuring to himself.

"Trust is a strong word. He's pretty harmless, though." Zamansis answered with a shrug. "Besides, he gave us a fantastic hint!" Fishing through his bag once more, he took out a simple gold ring. It had no decorations or markings of any kind, yet something seemed off about it. Just looking at it gave the other three a nasty feeling. "This ring will help us out. It helps me see things normally invisible." With that, he slipped it on and he started to look about.

The three others looked at each other, then back at Zamansis as he started to wander around. "So, did it work? Do ya see somethin'?" Goofy asked, looking about as well as though he could somehow help.

At first, Zamansis didn't respond, then he suddenly pointed to an icy wall nearby. To the others, it just looked like a wall. "I never saw that cave before! Do you guys see it?" To that, they shook their heads. "Good. That means it's hidden by shadow magic. You guys can't see it, but you can follow me."

To the astonishment of the trio, Zamansis walked to the ice wall and just passed on through a part of it! Quickly, they walked through the same spot and found it was like going through empty air. In an instant, the quartet was in an icy cavern, and before them stood a massive object.

It sat on an ancient pedestal and was a large white stone with hexagon patterns on it. Just looking at the object filled the quartet with a sense of awe and wonderment, as if they were gazing upon something twenty times as large as what it truly was. A faint hum seemed to fill the air, an invisible power that they all felt in their bones.

"What is that?!" GLaDOS piped from Donald's pocket. For once, she seemed truly astonished. "I can sense so much energy from that stone! It could power my facility for thousands of years by itself!"

"That's the Stone of Jas." Zamansis replied simply, approaching the object as the other three trailed behind him. "It's a good thing Lucien isn't here…" As he reached the object he, as if compelled, placed his hand on it. When he did this, he froze in place and his eyes went unfocused. At the same time, however, a surge of visible energy surged from the stone and into Zamansis. It was unusual and almost impossible to describe, but the adventurer became more…solid as the energy surged. Like somehow he had been transparent before, but now he was becoming more real and tangible.

With a gasp, the armored man took his hand off the Stone of Jas, looking around like he didn't know where he was. "Are you okay, Zamansis?" Donald asked, looking between his friend and the ancient artifact in worry.

"I…I think so." Zamansis replied, looking at the hand that had touched the Stone of Jas. "I saw a vision of…the past, I think. I saw Saradomin, and-" Before he could go on, a voice rang out in the icy cavern.

Intruder detected!

Intruder detected!

Initiating emergency extraction spell!

Dumping intruder on the plateau.

Thinking quickly, Sora reached out and placed his palm on the Stone of Jas! His line of thinking was that if they were to beat Lucien, they'd need every advantage! He thought it had been odd that the Dragonkin were after those that used the artifact…but they ignored Zamansis when he was mere feet from them! Just one touch couldn't be bad, then, right?

This contact only lasted for a second, and less energy was transferred to Sora, but he still felt a surge go through him. Somehow, he felt like it should've hurt, but it didn't. If anything, it gave him energy unlike he had ever felt before! As Donald and Goofy called his name in worry, the teen saw a vision for the briefest moment.

A massive, slumbering figure in the dark, green skin with large horns that connected behind its head.

Just as quickly as the vision came, it went, and the quartet was teleported back to the ritual site. When they arrived, they saw they weren't alone. Sir Tiffy and a number of knights clad in white armor were there. Alongside them were Akrisae and Ali the Wise. When the four appeared, Sir Tiffy jumped a bit and exclaimed. "Ah! Old beans! How did you all get here?!"

"We're not sure ourselves. It's good that you're all here, though." Zamansis replied, looking at the allies that had arrived. He also saw that there were other figures off in the distance in the plains, ones that seemed to be fighting…

"And we got everything set up like you wanted!" Sora added on, getting his Keyblade ready for the trouble that was about to come their way. He felt so in the moment, so…focused! It was hard to explain, but it was like he had been sleeping before suddenly waking up!

"Hey, you okay, Sora?" Donald asked quietly. "Why did you touch that thing?"

Sora replied just as softly. "I thought it'd help us against Lucien. I actually feel really good…!"

"It's a good thing you've got things prepared. The ritual is to start at any moment." Ali the Wise asked. "We have the Temple Knights here along with some druids and Guardians of Armadyl. Some Mahjarrat troops have arrived, and they're holding them back in parts of the plain."

"Yes, so we've no time to lose!" Sir Tiffy exclaimed. "We're going to the marker, so let's hurry!"

Before the large group could move much, a figure appeared between them and the ritual marker. It was Sora, Donald, and Goofy's first look at a Mahjarrat. His name was General Khazard, a hulking figure in armor adorned with a large skull on his chest. This seemed appropriate as his face was also skeletal with glowing red pupils in the eye sockets. "Ah, so the vermin are all gathered together! Makes the slaughter far easier…" The Mahjarrat commented, waving a hand as a dozen Soldier Heartless appeared.

At that, everyone in the group readied their weapons as the Heartless awaited a command to attack. "I already beat you once, so you might as well just let us by!" Zamansis warned. "This is one of the Mahjarrat, and one of the worst ones I've encountered…" He explained to Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Don't you have a ritual to get ready for anyway? Why waste energy on us, General Khazard?" Ali the Wise asked, the only one in the group without an actual weapon.

General Khazard ignored Zamansis and sneered at Ali the Wise. "Wahisietel? Didn't think I'd see you with Saradominists!"

"Wahi…who?" Goofy asked, looking about. "That's Ali the Wise!"

Without responding to Goofy, the Mahjarrat summoned a dark blade and pointed it at Ali the Wise. At this, a surge of energy shot at the man and he transformed! Standing in the human's place was another Mahjarrat, one that was wearing a set of green robes. Like General Khazard, this one also had a skeletal face. By that point it was clear to the trio of outsiders that all of the members of that species simply looked like that.

"Ali?! What's going on?!" Zamansis asked, gawking at the towering figure that took the place of his friend.

"An abomination like that has been at our side this whole time?!" Akrisae exclaimed, looking at Wahisietel with open disgust.

Wahisietel didn't seem perturbed by the outburst. "Save your holy crusade for later. Yes, Ali the Wise was just a disguise I wore, but I'm still on your side!"

"Something had always seemed off about him, but I never expected this specifically…" Zamansis murmured. "Either way, he's still my ally and friend!"

General Khazard was clearly joyous at the revelation, cackling as more Heartless appeared, this time being squads of Shadows, Large Bodies, and Red Nocturnes. "You'll make the perfect sacrifice, Wahisietel! Just as soon as these vermin are taken care of!" With that, the dastardly Mahjarrat thrust his sword forward, ordering the Heartless to attack!

What followed was a large skirmish on both sides. The Temple Knights, Sir Tiffy, Akrisae, and Wahisietel fought off the Heartless as they came with the latter two using magic to dispel the beings of darkness. Of course, even when most of the Heartless were gone, more simply took their place.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Zamansis focused on General Khazard. Several Large Bodies stayed by the nasty Mahjarrat, serving as a buffer to reaching him. Donald and Goofy took these on, the sturdy Heartless serving their purpose well. Sora and Zamansis broke through, the former even slashing right through one of the Large Bodies in a single swipe! The energy he got from the Stone of Jas wasn't as much as Zamansis got, but it made a notable difference!

As the two reached General Khazard, he sneered and swiped at them, forcing them to keep their distance as he launched orbs of darkness at them. Using their shield and Keyblade to block the attacks, Sora and Zamansis closed the gap and both swung at the Mahjarrat, who barely managed to block the attacks. Snarling, the otherworldly being's frame shook as two stonetouchers struggled against him.

"It's two against one! Just let us pass!" Zamansis urged, glaring daggers at the Mahjarrat. "Like I said, I already beat you once!"

The Mahjarrat scowled at that, pushing back against his two opponents. Despite their enhanced strength, he was still able to at least hold them off. "That was sheer luck!" General Khazard insisted. "And as for two against one…Bouncer would state otherwise!" As he said this, his eyes glowed red and the spectral figure of a demonic dog appeared at his side. "Bouncer! Attack this pest!" He ordered, glaring at Zamansis.

Obeying his master, the ghostly canine lunged at the armored man, biting at his leg. Zamansis yelped, the specter's teeth phasing through his armor, but hitting his skin perfectly fine! "Get off! Seriously?! A ghost hellhound?!" Zamansis exclaimed, backing away from Bouncer and slashing at him with his sword to little effect as the creature kept snapping at the warrior.

This just left Sora and General Khazard with their clash. Without Zamansis' help, things were far more even between the two. Though the teen had a boost from the Stone of Jas, it was a lot less than what Zamansis got, and he was still a novice when it came to fighting anyone that weren't some kids with wooden swords. The Mahjarrat seemed to realize things wouldn't quite go Sora's way and cackled. "Stronger than you look, brat! An unusual weapon too! But I can already feel you getting weaker!"

General Khazard was right! Sora already felt the energy he got from the Stone of Jas leaking out, like a balloon slowly letting out its air. It'd still be some time before he lost it all, but the teen was still getting weaker with every passing moment! Gritting his teeth in effort, Sora leapt back and pointed his Keyblade right at the Mahjarrat and let out a cry as a blast of flames shot out! It was larger than his usual Fire spell, the spell given extra power from the Stone of Jas.

Letting out a cry of pain, General Khazard backed away from the onslaught of fire as he readied his blade for a strike. He was too slow, though, as Sora closed the gap as soon as the flames died down and slashed the Mahjarrat across the chest. The Mahjarrat retaliated with a blast of darkness that sent Sora staggering backwards. It would've normally sent him flying, but clearly the Stone of Jas boosted his resistance to damage as well!

By this time, Zamansis had gotten rid of Bouncer, luring the ghostly beast over to Wahisietel who used his magic to dispel the nuisance. The Heartless were starting to wane as well, Donald and Goofy approached with their weapons draw. "Sora, ya okay? That was a pretty nasty hit!" Goofy called out.

"I'm fine! It didn't do a lot!" Sora replied, readying to attack General Khazard again. Before he could, the Mahjarrat started to walk backwards, sword at the ready, but eyeing the quartet closing in on him. Even the Temple Knights and Wahisietel were about done with their own Heartless…

"Bah!" General Khazard spat. "I don't have time for this anyway! I'll see you at the ritual, Wahisietel!" The dark Mahjarrat exclaimed, fading away before everyone's eyes as he fled.

With the last of the Heartless defeated, the Temple Knights and Wahisietel rejoined the quartet. The kindlier Mahjarrat shook his head. "Ignore that pitiful Mahjarrat's cowardice. I'm not surprised he turned tail once the numbers weren't in his favor."

"His cowardice aside, at least the path's open. Come on, everyone!" Zamansis urged, the group approaching the ritual marker. On other parts of the snowy plain, there was still combat between the forces of light and groups of Heartless called in by other Mahjarrat. Leaving the capable fighters to their skirmishes, the main group reached the eerie marker in no time. The problem was, though, that there was no one around it. No Mahjarrat or anyone!

"Wait, shouldn't Lucien be here?" Sora asked, looking about. "Shouldn't a bunch of the Mahjarrat be here?" He at least assumed they'd have to gather at the blatantly important marker for their ritual.

The others spread out, weapons at the ready as they cautiously surveyed the immediate area. "I sense a Mahjarrat here…" Wahisietel mentioned, picking up on something that no one else could. "Khazard, are you hiding away?!"

From thin air, a deep voice let out a harsh laugh. "Khazard? I'm afraid not." The voice said, not seeming to come from any particular source. Without warning, a new Mahjarrat appeared. This one was taller than both Khazard and Wahisietel, this new one wearing a hooded cloak and wielding a dangerous looking staff. Off of his body, a visible aura of darkness emanated, sending a shiver throughout all the non-Mahjarrat in the area. He had that same, solid look that Zamansis had after touching the Stone of Jas, yet the new Mahjarrat seemed even more solid.

"Lucien…!" Wahisietel gasped out, taking a small step back from his kin. It was clear from the good Mahjarrat's reaction that Lucien's strength had grown a great deal since the two had last met, whenever that was. Truly the Stone of Jas was working well for the dark being.

Stepping forward rather than back, Zamansis snarled at the staff-wielding Mahjarrat. "Lucien, you murderer! I'm going to get you back for what you've done!" He yelled, recalling how the creature had slaughtered several of his friends and companions with ease.

Lucien glanced over at Zamansis, looking more amused than anything. "And you're going to take me down? You even brought help! A weak Mahjarrat, a faltering priest, an old man, a half-pint magician, a lanky shield-wielder and…" His gaze fell onto Sora, or rather his Keyblade. "…well, that's interesting…but no matter…" At that last part, he was mostly speaking to himself. The dark Mahjarrat was far more knowledgeable of such matters than others of his kind, with the exception of a certain user of shadows…

"We're more than enough for you! We'll stop you right here!" Sora exclaimed, glaring daggers at Lucien. Just his abuse of the Stone of Jas and endangering the world was more than enough to make the teen want to beat him senseless. But he murdered Zamansis' friends too, and that was unforgivable! The warrior hadn't mentioned too many details about Lucien when he spoke of his past adventurers earlier, and given how painful the memories must be, who could blame him?

The dark Mahjarrat scoffed at that, shaking his head. "You dare speak to a god like that?! That alone will seal your fate, human! It seals all your fates!"

Wahisietel scoffed right back, getting over his initial fear. "It's laughable to call yourself a god. You're just a petty thief."

Off to the side, Sir Tiffy was murmuring into an orb. "Tiffy to base, Tiffy to base…" He murmured into it.

"Are you summoning reinforcements?" Akrisae asked as Lucien raised an arm and summoned a multitude of Heartless. It was an onslaught of bulky Large Bodies, dozens in number! The group of dark creatures thumped their chests, ready for a battle. And right at that moment, Idria with half a dozen Guardians of Armadyl showed up, ready to fight.

Before the clash could start, however, a new voice rang out. "Ah, looks like a big brawl is breaking out!" Everyone turned to look to see that a new Mahjarrat had joined in, yet it seemed like he had just blinked into existence while no one was looking. He was about the size of Wahisietel and a bit slimmer. Everyone froze at his arrival, even Lucien and his forces pausing to see what happened.

"Gah! Where did you come from?!" Zamansis exclaimed, jumping in place at the spontaneous arrival. Everyone else was shocked too, even the other two Mahjarrats were mildly startled.

"Oh, Sliske! You always show up at just the right time! Praise Zaros!" Wahisietel said with a breath of relief.

That name made the main quartet's blood go cold, instantly thinking of that assassin from earlier. "Wait, Sliske? You're another Mahjarrat?!" Sora exclaimed, brandishing his Keyblade.

Sliske eyed the weapon, the user of shadows having grown much more familiar with the weapon since he met Aqua. Some digging here, some world-hopping there and he learned a lot more than he expected. "Ah, another one of your kind." He said to Sora, but didn't take his gaze from the Keyblade. "A shame she won't be here too."

Sora blinked in confusion. His kind? A human, he meant? And who is she? "She…? You mean Kairi?!" No, that couldn't be, could it…?

"Kairi? No idea what you mean! But since Zamansis is also here…" Sliske said, looking to the armored adventurer. "There's some unfinished business!" As he said this, the assassin from earlier simply stepped out from behind him, despite such a thing seeming impossible. It was as if the blonde man just stepped out from some pocket space. "Cloud, Zamansis is right here for you!"

Cloud didn't seem much worse for wear considering what had happened to him before, the assassin brandishing his sword. "This time, he won't get away. Just remember what you promised."

Wahisietel was now confused, looking between Cloud and Sliske. "Hey, what's going on? Zamansis is my friend, you know. Whatever grudge you have with him will have to wait! This is hardly the time!"

This didn't stop Cloud, however. He dashed, remarkably fast, past Wahisietel and towards Zamansis. The adventurer raised his shield and blocked the swing of Cloud's massive blade, the Stone of Jas' power making the clash easier on Zamansis. "It's okay! I'll deal with him! You all take down Lucien!"

"Hey, we're going to help you too!" Sora said, charging at Cloud along with Donald and Goofy. The assassin leapt away, slashing horizontally at all four of them, forcing them back and away from all the other fighters by the ritual marker.

Lucien scoffed, and even seemed mad at the interruption. "Sliske won't be any help. He alone won't tip the scales in your favor!"

"Who said anything about being alone?" Sliske casually asked, almost seeming uninterested in the entire situation which apparently included setting an assassin onto Zamansis. Taking a few steps back, the shady Mahjarrat focused his energy, and before him appeared six warriors, wights in ghastly, rotten looking, yet oddly powerful armor and weapons. They were the Barrows Brothers, six wights of immense strength wielding a unique weapon each. A warspear for Guthan, a magical staff for Ahrim, a greataxe for Dharok, a crossbow for Karil, a set of two warhammers for Torag, and a mace for Verac. The wights said nothing, their free will gone and only puppets for whatever Sliske desires.

It was at this point that Lucien set his Heartless upon his foes, the Large Bodies charging as the opposing army fought back. Sliske simply stood where he was, allowing the Barrows Brothers to do all the battling for him. Trying to shake off the actions of Sliske unleashing Cloud, Wahisietel focused on Lucien, the two engaging in a duel of magic as they set spells back and forth at each other.

Off a ways, Cloud and the main quartet were still fighting. Donald and Goofy were more off to the side as support, using spells and well timed shield throws in aid. With the power of the Stone of Jas, Sora and Zamansis were a lot better handled against the blonde assassin. Though the artifact's power grew weaker with each moment, the two stonetouchers still had enough of the extra strength to make Cloud really struggle. The mysterious blonde man kept getting parried and blocked, no matter how hard he swung that massive blade of his. If it frustrated him, he didn't show it as he continued to try and take his opponents down. Still, he remained mostly unharmed, dodging or blocking the attacks from Donald and Goofy while keeping out of Sora and Zamansis' reach when they counterattacked.

"Why are you doing this?! What's in it for you?!" Zamansis demanded, blasting a fire spell at Cloud, who used his blade to block the attack entirely.

"He'll help me in a way no one else can." Cloud answered cryptically. With that, he used a new technique. With a cry, he slid forward, stabbing out his sword in a forward thrust. Sora and Zamansis barely dodged, but the assassin cried out as he repeated the move, this time sliding right for his main target. Zamansis used his shield to block, but with the Stone of Jas' power fading, Cloud was strong enough to knock him to the side.

The Sonic Blade technique unleashed, Cloud repeated his sliding stabs at the quartet numerous times. Luckily, the attacks were either dodged or blocked, though the latter resulted in whoever the attack was aimed at being knocked away. The technique only ended when he aimed for Goofy, who leapt above the stabbing and slammed his shield into Cloud's face, causing him to stagger.

At last, this seemed to truly frustrate Cloud, leaping away from the quartet as darkness started to visually rise off of him. The man himself even started to rise off the ground, a single black wing appearing out of his left shoulder. Immediately, he flew towards Zamansis, darkness radiating off of his body as he went on the offensive.

With a battle cry, Cloud swung hard at Zamansis, the warrior dodging as he shot a flame spell at the assassin. The magic attack hit, but it barely seemed to damage Cloud at all despite the man not even blocking! Like before, the assassin started to attack at random, soaring at Donald, who unleashed a Thunder attack that struck Cloud as he swung at the mage. While Donald's attack hit, Cloud barely missed as the duck leapt out of the way. Like before, though, the spell didn't seem to do much to the assassin. When Cloud went for Goofy, the knight got his shield at the ready, the massive sword slamming into it. Without damaging the shield at all, Cloud sent his target flying, landing in the snow.

Sora sprinted at Cloud as he went for the downed Goofy, who was mostly uninjured save for being a bit dazed. With heightened strength from the Stone of Jas, the teen kicked off the ground at a high speed, intercepting Cloud by striking him in the head with his Keyblade. Unlike all the other attacks, the brunette's weapon pierced through Cloud's defenses of darkness and knocked him right out of the air, his single wing vanishing.

After landing harshly on the ground, Cloud stood up, but Sora was at the ready. Not giving the assassin time to breathe, the teen slashed his opponent across the chest, causing the blonde to fall to one knee, using his sword as a support. Panting, Sora looked to Cloud as he felt the last of the Stone of Jas' strength ebbing away. "Whatever Sliske promised you, it's not worth it! Just…let us be, okay?" He was ready to strike again if Cloud made him, but he didn't want to. There was never any malice to the mysterious man's words or actions. If anything, he seemed almost desperate to take out Zamansis, not because he was actually evil or anything.

"I…I'm not done yet…" Cloud said between pants of his own. Despite his words, he remained on one knee, using darkness the way he did draining him.

"You look done to me!" Sliske's voice called, the Mahjarrat fading into existence off to the side. The quartet and Cloud looked at him as Donald helped Goofy to his feet. "Three chances, and you blew them all! Yes, I'm counting that time you didn't even bother to fight!" The unusual figure scolded, shaking his head like he was talking to a disobedient child.

"Just one more chance…! I said I'm not done!" Cloud insisted, managing to stand up straight, but his legs were shaky and weak. He hadn't eaten or slept since Sliske gave him his mission, the assassin foolishly going into battle in a weakened state in his obsessive pursuit…

The Mahjarrat scoffed, shaking his head again. "Too bad! The deal's off!" He coldly declared, looking at Cloud like he was mud on the bottom of his shoe. In anger, the would-be assassin managed to get up and swing his blade at Sliske, who faded away before the blow was struck, the mysterious being appearing a few feet away, causing Cloud to fall to the ground. "Now, now. No need to be sore…"

"Why do you want me dead anyway? What did I ever do to you? We never even met!" Zamansis asked, at that point remembering he read Sliske's name in some of Zemouregal's notes.

"Oh, for the fun of it. To see what would happen." Sliske answered in such a casual manner that it was hard to tell if such a petty nothing of a reason was truthful or not.

While this all went down, the battle against Lucien and his Heartless raged on. The Heartless were far more numerous than with General Khazard, Lucien showing just how much more powerful he was. Still, the amount of Large Bodies had dwindled, the Barrows Brothers cutting through their foes with great ease. As for Lucien himself, he and Wahisietel were continuing their dule, with the latter Mahjarrat looking worn out. If their battle had damaged Lucien in the slightest, he wasn't showing it.

By the time Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Zamansis arrived at the scene as they decided going for Lucien was of better importance than whatever Sliske wanted, the last of the Large Bodies had fallen. The four left Cloud behind, who was recovering and watching things unfold from a distance. Donald could have healed him, but he wasn't about to waste his magic on someone that just tried to kill them! Lucien snarled at the forces against him, glancing back at the ritual marker as Wahisietel stopped his spell-flinging and Sliske teleported closer to the marker. Everyone else stood ready, waiting to see what the empowered Mahjarrat would do. "Enough of this!" Lucien spat. "There's nothing you can do to stop me! We have more pressing matters like the ritual! It is time for me to choose a sacrifice!"

As if waiting for such a statement, a new Mahjarrat appeared, a female one in a dark red cloak named Enakhra. She glared at Lucien, ignoring all others present. "Just because you're the strongest doesn't mean you get to decide on your own, Lucien!"

Lucien let out a harsh, barking laugh at that. "Of course it does! Who will stop me? Do you wish to, Enakhra?"

That quickly changed Enakhra's demeanor as she quickly shook her head and took a step back. "N…No! I was just thinking we should think this through. This affects us all, remember?"

Once more, as if waiting on a cue, another Mahjarrat appeared. A male in an orange cloak and eternal rival of Enakhra named Akthanakos. "You just want the choice to be me. You're too weak to defeat me, so you want everyone to just sacrifice me!"

Zemouregal then appeared, a hulking figure of Mahjarrat about as large as Lucien himself. "Getting rid of a Zarosian like yourself would be a good thing, Akthanakos. Wouldn't you say, Lucien?"

Yet another Mahjarrat appeared, Azzanadra, now in his normal form. He wore a horned headpiece, not acknowledging Sora or his friends. "You're that scared of those who follow Zaros? Pathetic…"

General Khazard teleported in next, seeming a bit weary after his battle from earlier. "Why not make it Wahisietel? No one cares about your rivalry, Enakhra and Akthanakos!"

"It needs to be her! I demand it!" Akthanakos snarled, shooting daggers at General Khazard.

Yet another Mahjarrat seemed to pop into existence, one with unusual horns that the others all lacked. Hazeel, awoken by his cult despite Zamasis' efforts to stop his revival from a state of topor he had been put in ages ago. "I agree with Khazard. Make it Wahisietel."

Roaring, Lucien raised his staff and slammed it to the ground, shutting everyone up as they looked at him. "Be silent!" He demanded, looking ready to strike down the next one to speak up. "I will decide and it will be a Zarosian! The weakling to be sacrificed is not before us…but beneath us!"

"Oh, no…" Zamansis murmured, knowing exactly who Lucien meant. But how had he known…?

Lucien waved his hand, and out of the snowy ground erupted a frozen Mahjarrat, Jhallan! He wore a gold circlet, and with another wave of Lucien's hand, the top half Jhallan unfroze, which instantly made him regain consciousness. It was clear from his body language that he was all but drained of his strength. If it weren't for the ice on his lower half, he'd surely collapse. In fact, Jhallan didn't even speak, simply looking to Zamansis with pleading eyes. After all, Zamansis had aided Jhallan in the past, agreeing to freeze the heavily weakened Mahjarrat underneath the ritual marker in hopes he'd get rejuvenated without hassle.

So much for that plan…

Zemouregal cackled with a nod. "A fine choice! Such a worthless Mahjarrat that I didn't even notice he wasn't here!"

"I see nothing wrong with this choice either." Sliske chimed in, speaking for the first time since the ritual began.

"No, it should be Enakhra!" Akthanakos screamed, jabbing a finger at the other Mahjarrat.

Enakhra scowled at her rival, smacking his hand away. "No! You're the worthless one here, Akthanakos! It should be you!"

Sora watched, baffled as the Mahjarrat started to squabble, pointing at each other and demanding that someone else be the one to die. All the while poor Jhallan panted, barely able to stay conscious as others decided his fate. It was so…horrid…the way the Mahjarrat acted.

"Hey!" The brunette screamed, causing the Mahjarrat to stop bickering and look at Sora in shock, as if they just realized he was even there. "Why does one of you have to die? You're all a group, right? Why does one of you have to die? Isn't there another way?!"

Most of the Mahjarrat grew angry at Sora's outburst while most of the others looked at him in a sort of tired disappointment. "Don't talk about what you don't understand, human!" Hazeel hissed.

"This is the eighteenth time we've done this. Do you think we'd do it if there was another way?" Akthanakos added on. "You know nothing of our race, do you?"

"Just be silent, human, or I'll make sure you can never speak again!" Zemouregal barked, really looking like he was going to wring Sora's neck at any moment.

"That's how our species survives." Azzanadra said, mellower than the other Mahjarrat. "If we don't pick a sacrifice, we'll simply grow weak and fade. It's one of us or all of us."

Was there really no other option? Why did they have to do this in the first place? It was just such an awful situation and it made Sora's heart ache seeing the Mahjarrat bicker along with Jhallan's pitiful nature. "What about the Stone of Jas? Can't that give you enough power?"

"And you think I'd share?!" Lucien demanded, very nearly sounding amused beneath his rage. "It is mine and mine alone! I will ascend to godhood myself! Even then, I still need the ritual to be properly rejuvenated."

Not even that stone could help? Sora felt at a loss, wanting to help the Mahjarrat, even though some of them were so steeped in darkness. It was a pitiable situation no matter how some of them acted. "But…" Was all Sora was able to mutter before Lucien slammed his staff into the ground.

"Enough bickering! I will choose! Don't let the worthless human distract you!" Lucien snarled, pointing his staff at Jhallan, who reached out to Sora as if the teen could help.

"No! It must be you, Lucien!" Wahisietel demanded, shooting off a fire spell at Lucien, who literally smacked the offensive magic away.

This triggered an intense fight to break out amongst the Mahjarrat and allied forces! Lucien roared, summoning more Large Bodies to fight. Wahisietel and Azzanadra started to cast spells at the dark Mahjarrat, none of which seemed to do much, if any, damage. Hazeel went for Sir Tiffy, the elderly man getting aid from Akrisae as they held the horned being back. The other soldiers fought the Large Bodies that Lucien had summoned. Meanwhile, Akthanakos and Enakhra started to fight each other, using fire and ice magic as they summoned Heartless of their own, Bandits, to fight one another. Wight Knights and Search Ghosts were summoned by Zemouregal as General Khazard brought forth more Shadows and Soldiers. It seemed that most of the Mahjarrat chose to control the Heartless, really making Sora wonder how many of them had good hearts…

While this happened, the quartet watched as the Barrow Brothers quickly carved their way through the Heartless protecting Zemouregal, who glared at Sliske. "You fool!" The brutish Mahjarrat spat. "You think your undead warriors are a match for mine?! Come, Arrav!"

Yet another new figure was brought forth to the ritual sight! A human, a man, but one that was clearly not normal. Arrav was mountainous, taller than just about everyone there by a good head. He was donned in powerful looking armor on his lower half, notably mostly exposed on his upper half, save for a gauntlet on one arm and a horned helmet covering his face. On top of that, there was a bit of armor over his heart where a ghastly green hole resided, no doubt a side effect from when Zemouregal removed his heart. In one hand he wielded a blade so massive that it'd take anyone else there two hands to wield, yet he lifted it like it was nothing. His skin was an unnatural, unhealthy grey color, really showing that he was a man that had long since passed on.

"That's Arrav?!" Akrisae asked, going pale in the face at the sight.

"It…must be…" Idria responded, equally as horrified at the figure that had appeared.

"Remember the plan. We have to get him close to the heart…" Zamansis said to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Thankfully, its hiding place was pretty close.

Sora looked at the heartless man, feeling horror and pity over his situation. He was a true Heartless, yet he was still lacking something so crucial. "We won't have to hurt him, will we?"

"Uh, I don't think that'll be a problem…" Goofy pointed out as the Barrows Brothers rushed Arrav. The mighty, ancient warrior swung his mighty blade at the wights, knocking Guthan and Dharok off their feet and onto their backs. Arrav then stuck his sword into the ground, grabbing Verac and Karil by the heads and slamming them into each other with great ease before tossing the wights away like they weighed nothing at all. Torag tried to slam one of his warhammers into Arrav, but the warrior caught the weapon with his bare hand before tearing it from Torag's grip. Arrav then slammed the warhammer into Torag's face, before doing the same to Ahrim, sending both of them flying.

And it all happened in just a few seconds.

Donald raised his staff, aiming it at Arrav. "As long as we keep our distance, we'll be fine!" He assured, shooting a fireball at the heartless warrior. The attack hit Arrav on the right shoulder, but he didn't flinch. Yet the attack still got his attention, grabbing his sword and started to walk towards Donald and the others.

"Come on! To his heart!" Zamansis ordered, he and the other three running from Arrav as he gave chase. He only moved at a quick walk, but his long strides made him start to catch up quickly!

Thankfully, this didn't present a problem. By the time Arrav caught up with the quartet, they had reached his heart. All of a sudden, the ancient warrior froze in place. "My…" He murmured, looking at the heart's hiding place. "My…heart…?"

Wahisietel looked over at the scene, magic pouring from him and towards Arrav, the curse breaking! "That's right! You're free now! Become Varrock's hero once more!"

"You can get revenge on the Mahjarrat responsible! He's here with us!" Zamansis added on, pointing Zemouregal out, the dark being unaware of what was going on as he sent out more Heartless.

Arrav groaned, but then he unfroze and turned to glare at the Mahjarrat that had controlled him in the first place. "ZEMOUREGAL!" Arrav roared, running to the one who had previously controlled him. With mighty swings of his sword, he effortlessly sliced through any Heartless in his path as he reached Zemouregal, who started to back away and try to fight back with little results.

Zemouregal looked to Lucien, who was still mostly unharmed by his duel with Wahisietel and Azzanadra. "Lucien! Help me! We're on the same side, remember?!" As he spoke, Arrav sliced him down the chest, causing him to stagger. "You traitorous rat!" He roared, looking about the area. "Wahisietel was right! It has to be Lucien! Everyone! Attack him! Attack!"

Miraculously, all the Mahjarrat seemed to agree with Zemouregal, and their attention turned to Lucien. Zemouregal himself had to dodge around Arrav's furious blows, but the rest all started firing their magic at the lone, powerful Mahjarrat. Even Donald let loose some fireballs, all of them hitting Lucien, but to little, if any, damage.

Lucien snarled, once more slamming his staff into the ground again, knocking all but the Mahjarrat away from the ritual stone and destroying all remaining Heartless. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Zamansis, Arrav, the wights, Sir Tiffy and those he brought with him were all forced back. "That's enough!" Lucien roared. "Jhallan will face the void and we shall be rejuvenated!" With one hand, he sent an unusual spell at all the Mahjarrat in the form of what seemed to be a dark skulls, one for each of them. They all then repelled these skulls back onto Jhallan, who was only able to let out a cry before a flash of light enveloped the area! By the time it faded, the sacrificed Mahjarrat had disappeared entirely. At this time, all the humans were briefly lifted off the ground, a strange power running over them as an eerie red mist appeared over them. This levitation only lasted a moment before they touched back down on the ground, the mist vanishing too.

"What…was that? How odd!" Sir Tiffy remarked, mostly to himself.

Meanwhile, the Mahjarrat were being affected far more than the humans. They gripped at their chests, purple mist emanating from their faces! After a few moments of this, each Mahjarrat, one by one, started to change! Their faces started to morph from their skull-like appearance changing to flesh and muscle. Still, their faces were clearly inhuman, some having ridges and most having odd jewel in their foreheads. Each one changed into these new forms, their power noticeable to all the humans present, with Lucien being the last to change.

Letting out a relieved sigh through his nose, Lucien looked down at his free hand and clenched it into a fist. "That's morel like it! Much better!"

"What do you mean by that?! You just killed one of your own!" Sora cried, remembering the words of the Mahjarrat earlier, but unable to contain himself. "You don't even care!"

"Why would we? He was worthless! Barely worth giving a second thought to!" Lucien snapped in return, showing no remorse at all for Jhallan's demise.

Glaring intensely at Lucien, Sora raised his Keyblade and brought down a Thunder spell which hit the Mahjarrat directly! However, the attack did nothing. He didn't even flinch! "He's too strong…" The teen murmured.

Azzanadra stepped between Sora and Lucien, the latter looking like he was going to strike back. "Morality aside, we all have our new strength, Lucien! With mine, I'll strike you down with the power of Zaros!" Gathering the energy from the beacons he had the quartet place, Azzanadra raised both hands and shot forward a powerful spell at Lucien! Its very presence made the hairs of the humans stand on end, the spell itself a black mist filled with purple, crackling lightning.

It hit Lucien dead center in the chest, but all it did was make him take a step back and grunt in pain. However, it wasn't nearly enough to stop him. "I actually felt that!" He admitted, smirking at Azzanadra. "I didn't want to take the lives of more than one Mahjarrat, but you've forced my hand…!" With that, he waved his staff, and before him, the Stone of Jas appeared! He placed his hand on the relic, energy flowing into him. "I am the only one that can use it! It's mine in its entirety! I am a god, and you are all mere insects compared to me!" Lucien gloated, removing his hand, having grown even more powerful in that brief amount of time. No one could stand up to him, Sora and Zamansis even having used up all the energy that the Stone of Jas gave to them…

Right at that moment, three figures flew in from the sky. Dragonkin! The same from the beach! Sithaph in a red cloak, Strisath in purple, and Sakirth in green. The reptilian beings radiated fury as Shadow Heartless started to melt from the snowy ground, the Temple Knights rushing to hold them off.

"Those must be the Dragonkin…!" Sir Tiffy observed, gasping at the sight.

Idria stood by Sir Tiffy, nodding. "They must be. They surely want to dispose of Lucien, so we should be on the same side!"

Sithaph hissed at Lucien, his awful gaze honing in on Lucien. "A god? No, False User, you are just a fool like all the others that abused the Stone's power!"

"Is the False User aware he called us?" Sakirth asked, speaking of Lucien like he was a worm, unaware of that he was being talked about.

Stepping forward, much to the horror of everyone else, Idria bowed politely to the Dragonkin. "Excuse me, guardians of the Stone…?"

Strisath shook his head, ignoring Idria entirely. "No, he seems entirely oblivious. Just as all False Users are…" He replied, speaking in that same dismissive tone as Sakirth.

Sithaph growled, darkness coming off of him in a mist. "My anger grows…he still uses the Stone! We must destroy him here and now!"

Once more, Idria bowed. "Excuse me! Guardians of the Stone, we seem to be after the same thing. We could join forces…" She tried again, speaking louder.

"Idria, get back here! You don't know what you're doing!" Zamansis called, but stayed where he was.

At this point, Sithaph looked to Idria, as if just noticing her existence. "The creatures addresses us. That angers me. Her too?"

Strisath nodded. "Yes. All should know what their fates shall be!" Without hesitation, the Dragonkin opened its maw and shot a fireball at Idria, striking her! She didn't even have time to scream before her body was reduced to ash!

Sora stared at the pile of soot where Idria once stood, clenching his Keyblade as a cold, nasty shock shot through him. That creature just destroyed her like it was nothing! Every fiber of his being called for him to retaliate…but he remembered that the Dragonkin destroyed an entire world that had the Stone of Jas in its use while Sora couldn't even harm Lucien. What would he accomplish by attacking…?

Lucien let out a cruel bark of laughter. "An interesting display of power! None to match my own, of course." He bragged, looking at the Dragonkin with mild interest.

Strisath snarled at the Mahjarrat. "False User, your power is taken from the Stone. Our power IS the Stone! Your destruction is at hand!"

That was the final straw for the Mahjarrat, clearly. "I've had enough of those lower than me thinking they can mock me! I'll crush the three of you with ease!" He roared, readying his spear and charging the Dragonkin.

Sithaph charged right back, but was quickly knocked aside by Lucien, falling to the ground. The Mahjarrat turned, his back to the other two Dragonkin, as he prepared to stab the fallen one through with his spear. A terrible mistake, as Strisath unleashed a fireball at Lucien, striking him in the back. Unlike literally everything else thrown at him that day, that attack clearly hurt! He yelled out in pain, back scorched and smoking as he fell to his knees. Taking the opportunity, Sakirth swooped in front of Lucien, backhanding him across the face. This forced the Mahjarrat onto his back, letting go of the staff. Before he could do anything, Sakirth grabbed the weapon and stabbed it through Lucien's chest, right where his heart was! The Mahjarrat's jaw opened in a choked, almost silent scream before he went limp.

The other Mahjarrat stared in horror at how easily Lucien was taken out. Enakhra gulped, shaking her head. "We were just rejuvenated, I'm not about to share Lucien's fate!" Without another word, she teleported away, Akthanakos following suit.

General Khazard took a step back, clear fear on his face despite himself. "I have…matters to attend to." He quickly said, vanishing along with Hazeel and Zemouregal.

Azzanadra let out a breath of relief. "Not how I expected things to turn out, but…" Trailing off, he quickly teleported away as well, leaving Wahisietel and Sliske as the only remaining Mahjarrat.

Strisath sighed, as if calming down…though he still sounded angry. "The False User is defeated."

Getting up, Sithaph nodded. "Yes. The pain subsides a little." As he said this, the visible darkness on all the Dragonkin faded, the Heartless no longer appearing. He turned to those that remained. "Know this, watchers, we only answer to the Stone. All will pay for its misuse!" With that, the three Dragonkin flew away, Sakirth taking the Staff of Armadyl with him.

All the humans let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding in. However, Akrisae quickly began to fret. "All is lost! Lucien is defeated, but a more powerful enemy has threatened us! And…Idria…" He bemoaned, looking to the ashes that remained of his friend.

"It's not over yet! Don't lose your cool!" Donald snapped, looking as the Barrow Brothers rose from the ground and rejoined Sliske. Arrav remained in place, looking weakened. Cloud was still where off to the side where he was left. An assassin, his boss, and six wights. Things still seemed so dangerous…

"Donald's right." Zamansis agreed. "We have to do something about the Stone. We can't let someone else abuse it!"

"Good luck with that." Sliske said, smirking at the others. He ignored how Sora, Donald, and Goofy readied their weapons and glared at him.

Wahisietel raised a brow at Sliske. "Didn't expect you to stick around, Sliske. You usually slink off to the shadows after these rituals."

"Ah, but I have a reason to stay." Sliske insisted, gesturing to the Barrows Brothers who all obediently stood in line. "I've been watching Zamansis' progress for some time now. I even sent an assassin to test him, and be passed with flying colors. So…I want to add him to my collection. A Keyblade wielder also sounds delightful!"

Sora flinched. How did this guy know about the Keyblade? And those wights…is that what he meant by adding them to his collection? "Who are you?! What did you mean that you knew someone like me?! Is it Kairi? Riku?"

Sliske shook his head. "I told you I have no idea what you meant! Now hold still!" He readied a spell, firing it at Zamansis and Sora so it'd hit them both at the same time. Quickly, Goofy got in front of them, raising his shield. However, as Goofy did that, Akrisae acted as well, diving into the spell to prevent it. Instantly, he fell to the ground, his cloak turned a sickly green. Slowly, he rose up, his face obscured by his hood, glowing green eyes all that was visible of his face. "Drat! I didn't expect someone to get in the way! Oh well, you'll do just as well for now…" With that, Sliske, along with the seven wights of his, vanished into shadow.

"Wait! Hold on!" Sora called fruitlessly, leaping at where Sliske was and slashing his Keyblade…which of course only hit open air. "We have to do something, Zamansis!" First Jhallan, then, Idria, and now Akrisae…

"I don't think we can do anything…" Zamansis replied, voice heavy. "The Barrow Brothers have been wights for years and years, yet no one's broken their spell. Who knows where Sliske went?"

Wahisietel sighed, shaking his head. "Sliske's actions make sense only to him. He should never be trusted, and I apologize for what he did. As for me, I must go back to Nardah. You all must take care of the Stone, as I won't let you think I may betray your trust by watching what you do with it." Without another word, the last Mahjarrat teleported off.

Sora felt so disappointed in himself, wishing there was something he could do! One day, he'd try and come back to help…but who knew if there was even a way? "So, what do we do?"

As it turned out, Sir Tiffy had a good idea. Using that communication orb again, he called Thaerisk to the site. Through some complex magic, the three used a combined teleport spell, each thinking of coordinates to ensure the Stone wound up somewhere out of the way and obscure so no one could find it. And so, the relic faded. Thaerisk took his leave while Sora informed Sir Tiffy that they knew where the Keyhole was, much to the man's delight as the Temple Knights hadn't been able to get much research done in such a short time. He then departed with his soldiers, leaving only the main quartet, Arrav, and Cloud on the snowy plains.

Speaking of Cloud, the would-be assassin walked over to the group, now able to at least walk. "I know there's no excuse for what I did. I regret it, though. He lied to me, and I lost sight of my light and fell into darkness in my desperation."

"What did he promise you anyway? What did you want so badly?" Sora asked, feeling a bit sorry for Cloud. Despite his actions, at least he didn't seriously injure anyone…

"Let's just say I'm looking for a certain man. He promised to help, but I figure even I killed Zamansis, he wouldn't have helped." Cloud replied, looking at his ex-target. "Sorry it had to end up like that."

Zamansis sighed, shrugging at Cloud's words. "It was foolish to trust someone like him, but no one got hurt…not because of you, anyway." Two deaths and a corruption still occurred, along with Lucien's demise, but that was a positive. "No hard feelings."

"Yeah, and maybe we can have a real spar sometime!" Sora insisted, remembering the fun he had fighting against Riku, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie.

Cloud turned away from the others. "I think I'll pass." He said simply before walking away. His voice had no malice, acting more aloof than anything else.

Donald huffed, crossing his arms. "He just walks off like he didn't try to kill us!" The mage grumbled.

"Aw, but he didn't want to!" Goofy argued lightly, not nearly as mad as Donald. "And he apologized…a bit..." It was hardly an apology considering his actions, but…

As the four conversed, Arrav walked to them, the only one there aside from the group. Zamansis looked over at him, surprised. "Arrav? You're still here?"

"Yes…but not…for long…" The mighty warrior said, sounding weakened and exhausted. "My body is thousands of years old…soon…I'll be dust."

Sora's eyes widened, and he stepped forward. "There has to be a way to save you!" Three innocent people died or were corrupted! He couldn't let a fourth die too!

Arrav shook his head. "But you already did. My time has long passed. With the spell broken, I can rest easy. I just wanted to say…thank you…" With that, he collapsed, his body and armor disintegrating into dust, his body, heart, and soul freed…

"Rest easy, Arrav…" Zamansis said with a light sigh. It was both such a sad, yet happy occasion. Turning to Sora, Donald, and Goofy, he quickly remembered something. "So, that Keyhole is nearby, right? The one you wanted?"

"That's right!" Sora exclaimed, getting his Keyblade ready. With the Stone gone, the familiar energy of the Keyhole was noticeable, and it seemed right under their feet. Trying something, Sora walked in front of the ritual marker and raised his Keyblade high above his head. In an instant, a massive keyhole formed in the ground, the Keyhole they had been looking for! Doing the same thing as last time, the Keyblade glowed as the Keyhole vanished, locking up tight.

Donald cheered, hopping up in celebration. "Finally! It's sealed! We can get moving now!"

Zamansis looked down at the mage. "What, you want to get away from me that badly?" He asked, heavy sarcasm in his voice.

"We just have a mission to do, that's all!" Donald explained, clearing his throat.

Sora was about to agree, but he thought of something first. "…Zamansis, can you take us to that Oracle first. She might be able to help us. Just one last favor, that's all."

"You think that's a good idea? She speaks in cryptic ways…" The armored warrior replied.

Donald sighed, but actually agreed with Sora. "If it helps us even a little…I guess it's worth it. Let's just make it quick, okay?" Better to have some idea of where to go than wander around worlds blindly…

Zamansis nodded and teleported the group to Falador as a starting point before helping them reach the Oracle. It was a long trip, the group having to climb up Ice Mountain. There was a simple tent and a dead, leafless tree. In front of the tent stood an odd looking woman. She wore tattered brown clothes, and had skin as white as the snow around her as well as red paint on her face. "Oracle, these three need your help." Zamansis said, gesturing to Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"That's right! We're looking for Kairi and Riku! My friends!" Sora announced, shivering from the cold, but willing to put up with it for the sake of some help.

"We're looking for King Mickey too! We don't know where he is!" Donald added on. "You can help us, right?"

The Oracle looked between the three, her gaze seeming to pierce their bodies and hearts. With little hesitation, she began to speak, first to Sora. "One is close, in your heart, but her form is elsewhere. Another with a man with golden hair." She then turned to Donald. "Your King is in the darkness, his journey not at an end. In due time, he will meet an old friend."

The four paused, blinking at the Oracle's words. "That's…all? But that didn't help!" Sora retorted. Kairi was in his heart, of course, he always thought of her. And Riku was with a blonde man? Cid? Or someone else?

"Aw, phooey! That wasn't helpful!" Donald agreed, crossing his arms. At the darkness? Like a place that was literally dark? A dangerous place? Who was this old friend?

"Don't be rude!" Zamansis exclaimed, yet the Oracle herself didn't seem to even notice the harsh words. "I said it wouldn't be a guaranteed help. Thank you, Oracle." He said the last part to the odd woman before turning back to his friends. "Now come on…" Not wanting to stay in the cold much longer, he teleported them to Falador once more. "Sorry that wasn't too helpful, guys."

Sora sighed, but shrugged. "It was worth a shot. Thanks for everything you've done, Zamansis. I wish we could help with all the stuff that happened…"

"It's not your world, remember? You don't need to worry about us." Zamansis assured kindly. "And you sealed that Keyhole, which could be linked to those Heartless if my theory was true. I take it this means you're all heading out, right?"

"Yeah, we gotta keep looking for our friends!" Donald exclaimed with an eager nod. "We've been in this world too long!"

Goofy nodded, letting out a short guffaw. "It sure was nice meetin' ya, though! I hope your adventures go well, Zamansis!"

Zamansis took off his helmet, nodding at the trio with a smile. "I hope you all find what you're looking for as well. Good luck out there…!"

So, trying not to seem too eager, Donald took the remote from his pocket and pressed the button, teleporting the group out of Gielinor, Zamansis watching them go with a wave…

"So, they locked another Keyhole. They're making quick progress." The man with red hair and black armor noted. He and the others in Dio's group watched the progress with their magical table.

"He still has plenty to go. He'll never get them all!" The man in the purple suit casually tossed out. "That world was of no use to us anyway."

The woman of the group harumphed. "We could have used that skeletal man. He looked like was cooking up some plan!"

"Dio already approached him, but Sliske wasn't interested. I wouldn't trust him for a second, so no loss." The man with the long blonde hair said with a scoff.

Grunting, the man with the hook hand looked to the blonde man. "Speaking of trust. Can we trust you to take care of these whelps? They're getting close to your world."

Dio let out a small laugh, looking between the five before him. "I trust each one of you is capable of taking care of Sora if need be. But it does seem he's getting close to your world." He said to the long-haired man.

"I'd never fall to a group like that. Don't worry." The blonde man assured with a confident smirk.

"Hey, how abouts I just take care of 'em?" A new voice called. In strolled Pete, still working with Dio after all these years. He wore a sort of red and blue battle suit, ditching his disguises ages ago.

Dio shook his head. "No, Pete. I still need you to gather more Heartless for my army. And did you get Riku to his room?"

Pete sighed, but still nodded. "Yeah, I did. But fine, I'll go get more of them there Heartless for ya."

"Excellent. And don't return until I call for you. Just keep amassing them, okay?" Dio said, getting a nod from Pete before the large cat slinked away. He then turned his attention to the blonde man again. "And you should be getting ready for their arrival."

The man with the long hair held back a scowl, not liking being ordered around by Dio…but was still willing to work with him. "You're right. And you can all watch me take down that brat and his two friends…" With a nasty smirk, the man left the room as well, preparing for his journey for home…

The shadows that crawl beneath the castle...Are they the people who lost their hearts, or incarnations of darkness? Or something entirely beyond my imagination? All my knowledge has provided no answer. One thing I am sure of is that they are entirely devoid of emotion. Perhaps further study will unlock the mysteries of the heart. Fortunately, there is no shortage of test samples. They are multiplying underground even as I write this report. They still need a name. Those who lack hearts...I will call them the Heartless.

---

A/N: Now THAT was a long chapter. But I knew I had to wrap up this world, no matter what. I admit I rushed a few bits like teleporting the Stone of Jas and the trip to the Oracle. Granted, I find it fair to skip over long travel periods. The Gummi Ship sections serve as reflection time as it is, so Sora can look back at what happened in the last few chapters next time. One thing of note is how Sora essentially copied Donald for his Thunder spell. I like the idea that Sora copies techniques and spells he sees his allies or opponents use. It's somewhat canon, like with the Sonic Blade, and in Kingdom Hearts II, he seems to like to copy and overpower the Organization members using their own tricks against them. It can sort of be like a more literal version of his friends being his power. Of course, not every ally he meets will have a technique he can copy, like the main partner for the next world. And yes, a member of the council will go down a bit quicker than in the game, but not everything can be 1:1. Sort of like how Pete made a cameo.

And also, the Oracle for sure was telling Sora that Kairi's heart is within his own, he just didn't realize it. The second time someone told him the twist, only to vaguely for him to pick up on it. Also, for those who are into RuneScape, Sora indeed got a glimpse of Guthix when he touched the Stone of Jas. It may or may not be important later, I just knew he had to get some sort of vision so I threw something together.

In any case, next chapter brings us to a new world. One that will be rather...unique compared to the others.