In the wake of the battle with Axel, Sora, Donald, and Goofy took a moment to rest and collect their thoughts. Thoughts that, as it was, they already had no idea what to do with. First they were walking down a grassy road, Ruby was kidnapped in the night, they found this castle, their techniques were forgotten upon entry, and now they were coming face to face with places and people from their memories. Memories which seemed to present riddles upon riddles, nevermind the people they spoke to in the waking world.
"Gawrsh, ya think there's more like Axel and that other guy?" Goofy wondered with a worried grimace. They could see that even when holding back, Axel was quite formidable. The thought of MORE of those robed figures, and each of them being as powerful, was NOT something they needed right now.
Donald however decided to be the optimistic one for once, as he interjected with a confident pound of his hand upon his chest. "If we meet Axel again, you can leave him to me!"
Sora smiled at Donald's assurance and nodded. "Thanks Donald," he said, earning another smile from the duck. "You too, Goofy." he added, yet again earning a smile from the other friend.
Sora's gaze turned back to the card Axel gave him, and his eyes widened as he felt something...shift. It was almost like there were suddenly multiple versions of the card in his hand. All of them lined up like a small, neat stack. Each one had a different picture on the front. Perhaps each room they went through in this castle would bring them to another world from his memories? Whatever the case, the trio pressed on towards the stairs, continuing their search for King Mickey, Riku, and Ruby.
In another part of Castle Oblivion, another black coat with matching gloves and boots as Axel and the first hooded man stood before a large computer monitor. He sported dirty blond hair that was quite long if the bangs framing his face were any indication. Under the hood, his rather large, bright green eyes were fixed upon what the screen, which stood underneath an equally large keyboard attached to the waist-high desk. The interior of the room he was in was much darker, with barely enough light to see, even without the other than the electronic glow of the machine. He was looking through a series of computer files bearing paragraphs upon paragraphs of data with a curious yet composed expression, before opening a smaller televised projection at the upper corner of the screen. Each time he pressed one specific button, it showed moments of static before changing from one room throughout the castle.
He stopped as he noticed one particular image that caught his attention. It was of...Sora, Donald and Goofy walking up a flight of stairs. "Hmph. So the true chosen one of the Keyblade has arrived, has he? How droll. I suppose this confirms our suspicions about what those fools upstairs are planning." the man said, seemingly unbothered by the development. That is until he noticed something...no...someONE missing from the trio. "Hold on. Where's the silver-eyed huntress?" he wondered as his his left hand rose up to his chin, stroking it curiously. "The reports clearly stated she was traveling together with them. I find it unlikely they could have gone separate ways. Especially with no way for her to get back to her world without a vessel...So where is she?"
A small beeping sound caught his attention as he turned to see a small light bulb blinking at the top of the computer monitor at the same time as the noise. Words above it on the panel of his keyboard spelled out 'Basement Meeting Room', making him scowl. "Zexion, no doubt. Whatever he's calling me for, it had better be important. I cannot let even the slightest detail or discrepancy slip past my notice." With a few clicks on the mouse, the scowling figure put the computer on sleep mode before surrounding himself in a geyser of darkness identical to that which his fellows utilized, and disappeared within seconds.
"M… Mmnh… Mmh? Where… am I?" Ruby groaned as she opened her eyes and pushed herself up. She wasn't sure how long she was out, but of all the things she expected to see when she awoke, this strangely ornate, pure white chamber was not one of them. It was nothing like any place she'd been before with Sora, Donald, and Goofy.
"Wait… Sora!… Donald?!… Goofy!?" she called out, only to receive no answer. The last thing she remembered was running after Pluto down that grassy field. Then she and Sora went out together at night, talking about her need to go home. And now suddenly, she was here. Wherever 'here' was, with neither her friends nor Crescent Rose in sight.
But how? She couldn't remember anything else after her walk with Sora. It was just blank. And all she was left with...was the chilling realization that she was all alone. "Oh no… What am I gonna do?" she said to herself most worriedly. She would have preferred the irritation of her first partnering with Weiss than...this.
"Okay, Ruby. Stay calm. This isn't the first time you've been by yourself in a strange place… or been captured in a place you've wandered into when you shouldn't have. You can find your way out of here. No problem… I think." she mumbled, trying to cheer herself up. An attempt that was a struggle in and of itself. She didn't even know where to start. And yet, her legs were already carrying her down along the hallways of alabaster white. An impulsive decision that...rarely went well for her back home. Regardless, she couldn't well stand around and do nothing. So off she wandered, her mind drifting to the others with every step she took.
"I hope you guys are okay… wherever you are."
Meanwhile, further down in the main ascending halls of the castle, the trio in question was making their way along the path set before them. One that was filled with nothing but questions, vagaries, and suspicion. Yet if they were going to find Ruby, King Mickey, Riku, or whoever that 'very special' someone Axel alluded to as. They had no choice but to keep moving. A small, contemplative, "Hmm..." caused Sora to look over his shoulder and see Jiminy sitting in his hood...looking oddly pensive. "What's wrong, Jiminy?" Sora asked.
Hopping up from Sora's hood, Jiminy landed up on his shoulder to explain what he was pondering. "Well, ya see, what Axel said back there worries me. What could he have meant by 'You may no longer be who you are'?"
"I may no longer be me?" Sora repeated with confusion before cheerfully smiling. "How can I be anyone else?" he asked, remarkably unconcerned. And why should he be? He was himself, and couldn't be anyone else.
The upbeat behavior made Jiminy chuckle, glad to see that Sora wasn't letting Axel's unsettling riddles get to him. "Of course," The smile turned back to concern. "Still, you can't be too careful." he warned. After all, they knew very little about this place, and even less about those who were apparently testing them.
Goofy agreed, nodding as he and Donald looked around the room they were in. "Yep. Feels like just about anything can happen here in Castle… Oblivi… Oblivi… Obliv…"
Like many times before, Donald knew Goofy was having difficulty recalling the exact name or phrases of things. And just like those many times, it fell to him to correct or finish his friend's intended statement. "Castle Oblivion." he reminded much more gently than usual.
"Oh yeah! Now I remember!" Goofy said with a grateful smile toward Donald's reminder.
"We'll be okay. Whatever it is they're cooking up, we'll be able to handle it together." " Sora stated optimistically. After all they'd been through, they'd be able to take on whatever this place threw at them. Old tricks forgotten or no.
"Course we will, that creepy castle we explored together. The one with all those weird contraptions." Goofy said optimistically.
Sora and Donald's smiles faded as they crossed their arms and tapped their feet with confused expressions. A castle with weird contraptions. "Mmmm, when was that?" Sora asked, trying to recall what Goofy mentioned.
"Uhhh, I can't remember." Donald said with a shake of his head. If they'd been to such a place, surely they would remember the name, at least. Just like they remembered Traverse Town. "What was it called?" he asked Goofy.
"Gawrsh," Goofy replied, surprised neither of them remembered that place as he thought back to it. "Oh it was, uh… Holla… Holly… Holler…" Now he felt embarrassed at his own inability to recall the name as he sheepishly scratched the side of his head. "Sorry. I can't remember." he apologized.
"Wak! Stop goofing around!" Donald yelled with annoyance, thinking this was just another case of Goofy's silliness rearing its ill timed head. They had work to do! Precious people to find!
While not annoyed like Donald clearly was, Sora couldn't help feeling skeptical about the guard captain's "Goofy, sure you didn't make it up?"
"I don't think so," Goofy said, his voice filled with contemplative confusion. "I think it was… Harrow… Halo… Hmm… That's funny. Why can't I remember?" Contemplation which sadly did not result in anything meaningful as he began mumbling to himself. Yet...he was certain it at least began with an H.
Donald's annoyance surged as Goofy went on and on, trying and failing to remember a place that may very well not exist. "We'll be here all week if we wait for Goofy to remember!" he groaned impatiently to Sora.
And the duck was right. They didn't have time to wait around for Goofy to remember some place they may never have been. If Riku and King Mickey were here along with Ruby, they had to find them soon. Or whoever that 'someone special' Axel mentioned was. So Sora ascended the staircase and just like before, held the card up to the door. This one bore the image of an opulent, golden domed palace of some sort. Sora felt as if he'd seen this before, but he couldn't quite remember where. If it was a world from his memory, then maybe he'd recognize it when he went into it, like with Traverse Town.
As he held the card up, the door opened once again, revealing a void of light behind it. If it was anything like the first time, then the world would be waiting within. Steeling himself for what awaited within, Sora stepped forth into the light with Donald and Goofy at his side.