Eventually the brightness of the white void Sora stepped inside settled, allowing his vision to clear. As he opened his eyes, he found himself walking up a flight of cobblestone stairs. He stopped to look around to see his surroundings, which appeared to be in the back alley of something similar to a Victorian-age town. The sky was also dark and filled with stars, everywhere. Something about this place...felt eerily familiar.

"This can't be right..." Sora muttered. But as he looked around, double checking the architecture, the paved streets, the night sky, he realized...There was no doubt about it. He knew this place very well. It was the place where his adventure with Ruby, Donald, and Goofy began. "We're in Traverse Town!" he exclaimed. But how could that be? They were just in that Castle Oblivion place. How did they get back here?

"What you see isn't real."

Sora flinched with shock as he turned around, seeing that strange geyser of darkness for a brief moment before it vanished. The voice of the hooded man was right behind him, yet he was nowhere in sight.

"This town is an illusion created by your memories ingrained in that card." The hooded man's voice rang out behind him again, causing Sora to turn around to see him standing there. And speaking just as cryptically as before.

"My memories?" Sora asked uncertainly. The town was created by his memories in the card he used? Did that mean they technically were they still in the castle? Their hooded host did say it was an illusion, so...

"Forget about that, Sora!" Jiminy said as he jumped out of Sora's hoodie and hopped on the ground in front of him. "We lost Donald and Goofy!"

Sora's eyes widened with shock at the chronicler's words. He was so focused on somehow being back in Traverse Town that he didn't notice the other two friends of his precious group of four were gone now! "Donald? Goofy? Guys, where are you?" Sora called out, only to receive no answer. He turned to face the hooded man, glaring furiously as he asked him, "What did you do with them?!" If he did something to them like what he must have done with Ruby, then so help Sora...

"When you first came to this world, you didn't have them by your side," the man said, calmly approaching Sora with a much more ominous air about him. "And you were still relatively new to combat. Show me how capable you are, after you've forgotten everything you once knew."

Sora grunted angrily as he drew his Keyblade. If this man wanted to fight him, then Sora was more than willing. Though, a fight was not quite from what the man intended. And not simply because the two of them were very clearly on different levels after Sora had forgotten every technique he learned. The entire time, masked man weaved around the boy, testing Sora's reflexes and reactions. He at least seemed to have the basics intact in his memory as the Keyblade struck the man. Or more accurately, struck his raised hand which barely seemed to budge in the wake of the strikes it received.

That is until that hand suddenly grabbed ahold of the Keyblade, stopping Sora's assault in its tracks. Sora's gasped in shock, realizing that this man was much stronger than he was letting on. But HOW strong was the question.

Suddenly, the man simply released the Keyblade, making Sora stumble for a moment before righting himself. "You still remember how to use your strength. Good." he observed with a pleased tone. Even if his abilities were gone, Sora's instincts were still refined from his adventures. It seemed, much to his frustration, that would likely be his saving grace in this place.

As the man lowered his hand, Sora lowered the Keyblade, still glaring at him. The sound of footsteps from behind caught Sora's attention. He turned to look behind him, and to his relief, it was Donald and Goofy!

"Are you two alright? Where have you been?" he asked with relief and worry in equal measure.

Goofy scratched his head uncertainly while Donald stomped his foot indignantly at the question. "You tell us! When you opened the door we saw this strange light, and the rest is just…blank." His indignant tone gradually shifted to one of confusion as he struggled to remember. Yet, like he said...there was nothing after they entered that door.

Jiminy hopped out of Sora's hood with an exasperated sigh. "Gee, that doesn't help. Try hard to remember! I have to keep my journal up to date!" He

Before either of them could try to fill that blank space in their minds, Goofy noticed something different and asked. "Hey, Donald, where'd I get the clothes?"

Donald looked at Goofy with an expression of surprise, then looked at himself in response to Goofy's words, letting out a surprised, "Wak! Me too!"

Sure enough, they were no longer clad in their normal outfits, but the traveling gear they wore when they first arrived in Traverse Town.

Sora turned toward the hooded man and asked, "Could it be the cards again?"

The hooded man merely shrugged as he answered. "That is for you to ponder. Remember your forgotten skills and make your way through the castle. But from here, you walk alone."

"Alone?!" Goofy exclaimed in concern. "We can't let Sora go alone!"

"Yeah! Sora can't do anything without our help!" Donald added, just as concerned as Goofy.

His choice of words however made Sora to turn and face Donald with a look of narrow-eyed annoyance "Thanks a lot, Donald." he grumbled.

Despite the sarcasm in his tone, he seemed quite serious, much to their surprise. "You sure you'll be okay?" Goofy asked, ever so concerned

"Of course!" Sora, smiling reassuringly. He had every ounce of faith in his friends imaginable, especially after everything they'd been through. But if he had to go alone, then he would. "You want me to go alone? Fine. I can take care of myself." he said to the hooded man.

"Hmph. The hero speaks boldly," the hooded man said quietly to himself for a moment of amusement. "Go then. The rest of Castle Oblivion awaits. Walk the avenues of latent memory, and you shall meet someone dear to you."

With that all said, the man was gone in another wisp of the momentary rise of darkness. Jiminy's face was dominated by unease in the wake of their unknown host's ever cryptic attitude and turns of phrase. "I've got a bad feeling about this..." he said, his worry just as evident in his voice.

"Relax, Jiminy. I'm ready for any tricks he's got up his sleeve. How hard can it be to figure this all out? I did it once, I can do it again!" Sora said confidently as he turned and looked down the alleyway with a carefree smile. "I'll just explore and see what happens." He remembered Traverse Town well after all the time they'd spent here. What was the worst that could happen?

He walked off, enjoying the quaint scenery but not before Jiminy hopped back into his hoodie. Despite the confidence he tried to display for his friends, and their mysterious host, Sora couldn't deny he felt a bit apprehensive. Everything he learned over the course of his journey was gone. He had to learn everything all over again.

But if that was what he needed to do to find Riku, Ruby, and the King, he'd do it.