Chapter 12

Dark World

SORA, DONALD, AND GOOFY WERE LOOKING FOR THE next world in the Gummi Ship when a familiar ringtone suddenly filled the cockpit.

“Huh?” Sora pulled the phone out of his pocket.

“Sora, somebody’s callin’ us on the Gummiphone,” said Jiminy Cricket as he hopped onto Sora’s shoulder to better see the screen. Donald and Goofy crowded in from either side, eager to find out who was calling, and Sora hit the button.

“We got baaad news!” Dale squeaked from the screen.

Chip quickly pushed Dale off to one side. “We’ve totally lost contact with the king and Riku! They’re all on their own in the realm of darkness!” he reported.

Everyone on the Gummi Ship cried out in shock. “Whaaat?!”

“See? I knew we shoulda gone!” Sora complained.

“Chip, how do we get to ’em?” asked Donald.

“Now we can ask?” Sora said, reminding him of what happened the last time this came up.

As always, Goofy kept them focused. “It’s not like we can use that big door anymore. It’s completely gone.”

“Yeah, we closed it after beating Ansem,” Sora said, now directing his irritation at Goofy.

Jiminy paused thoughtfully. “And we certainly can’t ask the king or Riku.”

“’Cause you wouldn’t let me ask,” Sora snapped back.

Before they could argue further, Dale interjected. “Only King Mickey can open a door to the realm of darkness.”

“Huh?”

“It’s because he has a special Keyblade of darkness. He figured out how to make it open the way,” Chip told everyone as he struggled with Dale to stay in front of the small screen.

“Oh…” Sora contemplated the situation for a moment.

“Gawrsh, what’ll we do, then?” Goofy asked dejectedly.

Sora turned his eyes forward.

If the king’s Keyblade can open doors to the realm of darkness…

“May my heart be our guiding key. It’ll show us the way,” he said, then called his Keyblade to his hand and pointed it out before them. The Keyblade began to emit light, and just as when they opened the way to Olympus, a portal appeared within the Ocean Between.

“A gate!” they exclaimed.

“But where does it lead?” Sora asked.

“It doesn’t matter! Go!”

“Hurry, Sora!”

Donald and Goofy urged him.

“Okay,” Sora replied, then took the helm of the Gummi Ship and guided them through the gateway.

They arrived on a beach among clear skies, blue seas, and the sound of waves—the Destiny Islands, the very same small place where Sora and his friends’ journey had begun.

“Why do you think that gate took us here?” Sora wondered as he, Donald, and Goofy walked along the beach. Nothing appeared to be any different than ever—except for what he’d just spotted lying in the sand.

“A Keyblade?”

He picked up the weapon, which must have belonged to someone else.

“It looks so old,” Donald commented.

Sora inspected every inch of the Keyblade—he’d never seen one like this before. The color of it was quite dark, and he didn’t recognize the shape on the key chain.

“How did it end up here?” he murmured, turning it this way and that.

“Hmm, maybe it’s another guiding key,” suggested Goofy.

“Sure, but to guide us where?”

Sora took the Keyblade in hand and listened to where his heart told him to point it. A beam of light gathered at the tip of the blade and headed straight into the entrance to the Secret Place. As the light faded away, it revealed…

“A door!”

“Let’s go.”

Donald and Goofy were raring to go, but then Sora stepped in front of them and said, “Not you guys.”

Donald and Goofy were shocked. “Huh?!”

Sora approached the door alone. “The realm of darkness—it isn’t safe for you.”

Donald and Goofy weren’t going to take this sitting down, though.

“Forget it. I’m going.”

“Yeah. You can’t make a whole pint without us.”

Sora turned back to face them. “Come on, guys, think about it. Even the king and Riku struggled in the realm of darkness. Someone needs to stay out here, just in case. If something happens to the rest of us, you two need to carry on.”

Donald and Goofy looked crestfallen.

“Sora…,” Donald said softly, and then more angrily: “Stop it!”

Goofy wasn’t ready to give up, either. “We understand, but we don’t want you goin’ someplace dangerous on your own.”

Sora only gave them a smile. “Thanks, guys. But I’ll be fine. I’ll make sure Riku and the king are safe. Trust me.” He punctuated the reassurance with a heroic pose.

Goofy and Donald looked at each other, then turned back toward Sora.

“You promise to be good?”

“And come home nice and safe?”

“Yeah,” Sora said with a firm nod to his worried friends.

Meanwhile in the realm of darkness, at the edge of the water, Riku and Mickey were locked in battle with a Demon Tower. It wasn’t going well; when Riku was distracted by Mickey in trouble, he was swatted across the beach.

“Riku!”

The swirling mass of Heartless didn’t miss the opening Mickey left in his defenses as he started to run for his friend. The Demon Tower swallowed the king up, sending his Keyblade tumbling to the ground.

“Mickey!” Riku shouted from the sand.

The king was completely immobilized, trapped inside the pitch-black mass. Then, from within the darkness stepped forth a figure hidden by a swirling shroud.

“This Keyblade…”

The figure picked up Mickey’s fallen weapon.

“Is it her?” The king gasped as the darkness fell away to reveal her face.

“Mickey… You’re too late.”

“Aqua?” Riku said, almost to himself.

The woman who turned back to face them had pale-blue hair and golden eyes—the golden eyes of someone consumed by darkness.

“What happened?” Mickey asked sadly.

Aqua’s grip tightened around the Keyblade. “You abandoned me, that’s what. Left me in this shadow prison for more than a decade, knowing what it would do to me…”

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.” Mickey’s face was filled with sorrow; he couldn’t even look at her.

“I reached this shore after endless wandering,” Aqua hissed as she walked over to the edge of the water. “Waited forever for help to arrive. But no one ever came. I lost my Keyblade. Had no means of fighting my way back through the Heartless. You should have known I was stranded.” As she spoke, she walked over to the edge of the water.

“Do you have any idea how lonely it is here? How frightening it is to have no one? All that’s left in my heart is misery and despair…and now, you can share it!” she shouted, turning to face him.

Riku stepped forward. “There’s no need,” he said. “Got my own.” He closed his eyes for a moment, sensing the presence of another version of himself. Not long before this second trip into the realm of darkness, they had met right here at the Dark Margin. Riku, and who he used to be—his Replica.

And this Replica was with him now—had been with him all along.

Will you come with me? I know, I don’t have to ask. Where one of us goes, the other follows. You’re the darkness in my heart, so you’ll always be with me. I wouldn’t be who I am now without you.

Riku opened his eyes and focused them on Aqua.

The power welling up within him transformed into a Keyblade.

Quietly, he stepped toward the fallen master awaiting him beneath the light on the water. But the Demon Tower moved to block his path, Mickey still in its clutches. This battle wouldn’t be easy.

“Get lost!”

Riku attacked the Demon Tower with all the power surging within him. The Tower itself was a huge mass of smaller Shadows merged together. It swirled about like a vortex, occasionally rising up in a huge column that swiped at Riku. He wasn’t about to let it defeat him, though—he would save Aqua from the darkness that had taken hold of her.

The Demon Tower burrowed into the ground to reveal Aqua. She attacked him with magic, but he deflected the spell and chased after her. Aqua swung her Keyblade at Riku and used the recoil of her blade against his to put some distance between them, just as the Demon Tower boiled back up out of the ground and knocked Riku away. Now that Aqua was nowhere to be found, he charged at the colossal mass of Heartless again.

Riku struck with his Keyblade again and again, putting every ounce of strength he had into each blow. But no matter how many Shadows he destroyed, more arrived to take their place. He wasn’t getting anywhere like this.

“Sora…” Riku didn’t know why the name left his mouth as he gasped for breath.

A door opened in the sky, releasing a blinding light and—Sora himself.

He flew down and dropped to the ground next to Riku.

“I made it!” Sora exclaimed with a smile, which Riku returned. The connection between the two took visible form as a brilliant halo around them. Their Keyblades merged, producing a powerful torrent of light.

The Heartless were no match for the devastating blast and scattered, finally freeing Mickey from his prison. Riku tried to run over to the king, but Aqua was hot on his heels. Just before her Keyblade could strike his back, Sora jumped between them and blocked the attack.

“How, Sora?” Riku asked.

Sora showed him the Keyblade he’d found on the Destiny Islands. It was also the one Aqua had once wielded herself—the Master’s Defender.

“I…had a little help,” Sora replied. “Watch over the king. I’ve got this.” He turned to face Aqua with the Keyblade at the ready.

“Okay.” Riku hurried over to Mickey.

Sora watched him go for a moment, then devoted his full attention to Aqua.

I’m finally meeting her for the first time, but it doesn’t feel that way. Not because of the darkness—there’s something deep in my heart that knows her.

I have to find a way to stop her here.

Aqua came flying at him, and Sora held her back with his Keyblade. The blow made his hands go numb, and he gritted his teeth against it. With a small smirk, Aqua put some space between them again.

He couldn’t afford to go easy, not even a little. Not only had she embraced the darkness, but she was also a Keyblade Master.

Sora charged at Aqua, but just as he reached her, she split into three copies. He couldn’t tell which one was real. He tried magic on the Aqua closest to him, and the copy burst into specks of darkness. He just barely managed to get his Keyblade up in time to intercept a downward slice by another Aqua from the side—just as the third Aqua darted in from behind and knocked him upward.

Sora managed to recover in midair just before he landed. That was apparently what the two Aquas had been waiting for, though, because they were both on him instantly. A spell from Sora made quick work of the attackers, which meant all that remained was the real Aqua. He parried her Keyblade, then used the momentum to get in close and land a solid hit. Aqua dropped to her knees, clutching her chest.

Light radiated from the Keyblade in her hand as a dark fog enshrouded her body, and Mickey’s Keyblade slipped from her fingers before vanishing in a brilliant flash.

Aqua fell onto the surface of the murky water and began to sink.

“So…this is the end,” she said softly, then closed her eyes.

“Aqua!”

Suddenly, Sora reached for her.

What was it that she saw? Was it light? Or was it…?

“Sora…”

Aqua reached out to take his hand, and then the world went white.

For so long, the waves were the only sound out here on this beach.

Just waves crashing in the darkness. Nothing else. I thought I would never hear anything else again.

No one would come to save me. After all, I couldn’t save anyone else. I broke my promise. I failed.

I’m sorry.

I can feel myself sinking deeper and deeper into this darkness. Soon I’ll be too far gone, and no one will ever find me again.

“Aqua!”

I hear a voice calling my name. Ventus’s voice.

“Aqua!”

Terra, too. Oh, they look so worried. And the sky behind them is…blue. And so bright.

What’s happened to me?

“Ven… Terra…”

I say their names, too.

Maybe I can keep my promise after all… I have to, no matter what.

The darkness is behind me…and I’m awake.

“Aqua!”

Sora and Riku peered at Aqua’s face. They were on the Destiny Islands with her and Mickey, right at the edge of the waves, as they had been the last time the two returned from the Dark Margin.

Aqua’s eyes opened slowly, and she sat up. “It’s you…” Confused, she took in her surroundings.

“Thank goodness! You’re awake,” Mickey said to her.

“Mickey…”

The barest hint of understanding began to dawn on Aqua’s face. “Are these…the Destiny Islands?”

“That’s right,” Mickey replied.

Aqua still seemed a little dazed. “When did they fall to darkness?” she asked, but Riku shook his head and smiled.

“You’re in the realm of light.”

As Aqua looked up at him, tears began welling in her eyes.

“You’re home,” said Sora, extending a hand to her.

The tears spilled over, and Aqua wept with joy.

“You’re home!”

“Welcome home.”

Donald and Mickey ran up and embraced her, Sora and Goofy joining shortly after. Riku hesitated, then slowly joined them, too.

The lonely silence was finally over.

The welcoming sun of the Destiny Islands shone down upon everyone.

Aqua walked toward her former training grounds, accompanied by Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The terrain was uneven, and the sky was filled with dark, heavy clouds.

She had only just returned from the realm of darkness, however, and Goofy was worried about her. “You sure about this, Aqua?” he asked as Castle Oblivion loomed before them.

“If you want, we can take you back to Master Yen Sid’s tower to rest with Riku and the king?” Sora suggested, with Donald nodding his approval.

But Aqua only shook her head and smiled as she kept walking. “Thank you. But…Ven’s expecting me. I promised to wake him. Said I’d be right back, but I’m not even close. I’m in for an earful.”

She came to a stop before the imposing castle.

This was once the Land of Departure, where she and her friends had once trained, but it was unrecognizable now. It had existed as Castle Oblivion ever since the day Aqua had sealed off the land in order to keep Ventus safe.

Aqua took a deep breath, summoned her Keyblade, and pointed it at the gates of the castle.

A large Keyhole appeared, and when the light from her Keyblade reached it, they were struck by what felt like a powerful gust of wind. There was a large boom, followed by the sound of a door opening.

The entire structure of Castle Oblivion began to reorganize itself until it looked entirely different, and even the clouds dispersed to reveal a clear blue sky. Before long, the castle was the home she knew again.

“Ready?” Aqua asked, and they headed inside.

The place was just as she remembered it, but Aqua hurried through it without even stopping to take it all in. She eventually reached a large entryway, which revealed Ventus seated on a throne in the back of the hall.

“Ven.” Aqua ran to her friend and took him in her arms. “I’m sorry it took so long.”

Ventus showed no indication of waking up, though.

Aqua took him by the shoulders and shook him. “Ven, wake up. Open your eyes, please! Why? Your heart never found its way home?”

But the answer came from a voice none of them had expected to hear here. “That was a neat trick. No wonder no one could find him.”

Everyone spun around in surprise, ready for a fight.

“Vanitas!” Sora shouted.

Aqua stood upright and placed herself in front of Ventus protectively. “Why are you here?”

“Oh, I’m sorry for interrupting your touching reunion, but surely you won’t begrudge me a moment with my brother?”

Sora, Donald, and Goofy charged at Vanitas with weapons in hand, but he lithely spun around them and perched himself on the back of the throne where Ventus slept.

“So Venty-Wenty wants to keep sleeping. What am I ever going to do with you?” he said, a touch of humor in his voice.

“Shut up!”

Aqua sprang into the air and swung her Keyblade down at Vanitas. But he simply blocked the blow with his own Keyblade, not even bothering to stand up.

“You better settle down there, ‘Master.’” Vanitas shoved Aqua back, then leaped after her as she flew through the air. They both landed in the center of the hall at almost the same time.

“Aqua, I’ll handle him!” said Sora.

“No,” she replied over her shoulder. Her voice was firm. “I’m ending this.”

“But…you haven’t recovered yet.”

“Sorry, but you’ve seen me too weak, too often. Now it’s my turn to shine,” she answered with a smile, then turned to face Vanitas again, erecting a barrier around the two of them. He wouldn’t be able to harm Ventus, but Sora and the others couldn’t help her, either.

“Aqua!” Sora shouted.

Shutting out their concern, Aqua charged at Vanitas and struck. He swatted away her Keyblade and knocked her back, but Aqua didn’t miss a step as she quickly threw herself back on the offense. When Vanitas tried magic against her, Aqua responded in kind.

Their Keyblades clashed together, flew apart, and then came together again, over and over.

How long would this go on? Fatigue was taking its toll on them both.

Vanitas shook off his weariness and cast another spell—but this time, he aimed for Ventus.

The barrier cracked.

Vanitas fired off another round of magic.

Aqua had to do something, or Ven would get hurt…

She rushed forward and threw herself in front of the spell, taking the full brunt of it. As she lay on the ground, Vanitas walked slowly to her and stood over her.

“Aqua!!” Sora yelled—and then he heard a voice.

I…have to wake up…

It sounded like it was coming from the deepest reaches of his heart.

Sora called back. “Yes. Tell me what to do.”

The power of waking…

“I can’t. I still don’t have it yet,” Sora said. I’m still nowhere close…

You never lost it…

It sleeps…until someone needs it…

Call to it…

“I am calling…with all my heart,” Sora said softly, thinking of what lay beneath the darkness.

I have to save everyone.

Thank you for always keeping me safe, Sora.

A blinding light enveloped Ventus and the throne he sat on—and in the blink of an eye, that light had pierced the barrier.

The light was Ventus, awake at long last.

“Aqua!!”

Ventus and Vanitas clashed together, and the barrier shattered and fell to pieces.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy hurried over to protect Aqua, while Vanitas leaped away to safety. “Three guardians are more than I care to face,” he spat. “But now that Brother is awake…I’m just certain he’ll come to visit.” He opened a path to the Corridors of Darkness behind himself and made his escape.

Ventus helped Aqua to her feet.

“Aqua, are you all right?” Sora asked worriedly as he walked over.

“Yes. I’m fine, Sora,” she replied with a smile.

Beside her, Ventus was eyeing Sora with some bemusement—why did he look so much like Vanitas? “Huh?! You’re…Sora?”

“Yup. Hey, Ventus.” Sora held out his right hand.

“I get it,” Ventus said softly. “You were my second chance.”

“Huh?”

But instead of explaining further, Ventus just reached out and shook hands with Sora. “Call me Ven.”

Sora nodded. Once they had finished shaking hands, Aqua reached out and gently placed her own hand on Ventus’s head.

“Good morning, Ven.”

“Good morning, Aqua.”

Ventus returned her smile.

It was a moment of joyful relief for everyone—and now the true battle could begin.

INTERMISSION

Secret Talk

MEANWHILE, IN THE PLAZA IN RADIANT GARDEN, two men were holding a conversation.

“WHAAA—?!” Demyx yelped.

Vexen hurriedly slapped a hand over the other man’s mouth. “Quiet, you dunce!”

“But, dude, why would you pick me?” Demyx whined once Vexen removed his hand.

Vexen scowled at him. “I cannot let the chosen catch wind of this, understand?”

“Oh, I see! It’s because I got benched!” Demyx retorted indignantly.

“I got ‘benched,’ too!” Vexen snapped, and it was Demyx’s turn to clap a hand over his mouth.

“Wha—? Hey! Quiet!”

After Demyx released him, Vexen cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Okay, man, look. Real talk? Backstabbing those guys would be stupid. If they find out, we are yesterday’s toast. I mean, what’s in it for me?”

“Forgiveness,” Vexen answered softly.

“Huh? For what?”

“Men like us—in the pursuit of science, we sometimes make terrible mistakes. Lose sight of our mission to help people. But now I can help someone with my research. Now I can atone,” Vexen confessed with utter sincerity, his gaze focused on some far-off point.

However, Demyx was less than interested.

“I’m not a scientist,” he stated matter-of-factly, then waved good-bye and made to leave.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Vexen put a hand on Demyx’s shoulder and pulled him back.

“C’mon, dude. I’m useless; I’m chicken. We’re not friends. I can count the number of times you and I have hung out on one hand—less than one hand! I didn’t even know you in the old life!”

“Fine, fine! But listen,” Vexen said, then beckoned him closer with a gesture. He whispered something into Demyx’s ear. The suspicion on Demyx’s face soon changed to surprise.

“Huh? No way!”

“It’s true. The whole thing was his idea.”

“Huh? No stinkin’ way.”

Whatever information Vexen had just shared with him, Demyx apparently found it difficult to accept.

“He wants to atone, too. But he is one of the chosen, so his hands are tied. Hence my actions on his behalf, hence my need for you to act on my behalf should all go awry. As you said, we are far from friends. No one would ever suspect you.”

“Hmm…”

Demyx mulled over the idea for moment. “So I’m not doing any fighting?”

“Correct. And more importantly, no benchwarming.”

That brought a smile to Demyx’s face. “Ha! Yeah, baby! Sign me up,” he crowed, hopping into the air and striking a macho pose.

Vexen wasn’t impressed.

“Yes! Demyx time!” Demyx said with a grin as he went on his way.

Meanwhile, in Ansem the Wise’s laboratory, also in Radiant Garden, Ienzo stood deep in thought before a screen, as he often was.

“We’ve come a long way toward reconstructing Roxas’s heart. But a vessel… Without that…,” he said to himself, his eyes closed.

We already have the data, and the analysis provided by the king’s servants has proven quite helpful. We simply don’t have a vessel—and a living person is out of the question. It’s the backup data plan or nothing now. As long as we have a backup, Roxas should be able to exist as data.

“But…the backup plan isn’t a true solution,” Ienzo muttered to himself, when suddenly a dark portal opened behind him.

“Finally. ’Bout time.”

Startled, Ienzo spun around just as Demyx stepped out of the gateway with some sort of large object slung over his shoulder. An object that looked to be human shaped.

“Ooh. Nice place.”

“Demyx? Is that you?!” asked Ienzo. He was from the Organization; how could he have made it all the way in here…?

“Hey, Zexion! Long time!” Despite Ienzo’s apprehension, Demyx cheerfully lifted a hand in greeting, then set his burden on the floor. “How’s humanity treatin’ ya? I rejoined the Nobodies, but, like… I just can’t shake the feeling that I’ve been sweet-talked, y’know? We have sooo got to have a chat.”

“Whoa, back up. What?” Ienzo was slightly confused.

Perhaps intending to confuse him even more, Demyx continued: “Oh! Sorry, sorry. I’m gettin’ ahead of myself. I’m actually here on a top secret mission. Apparently, I’m so off everyone’s radar that I’m just the guy to handle a special delivery.” The dark portal behind him was still open, and Demyx gestured back toward it with a flourish. “Ta-daaa!”

Someone stepped out of the corridor. That someone was—

“Master Ansem!” Ienzo gasped.

“Ah, well met, little Ienzo,” Ansem the Wise said with a gentle smile as he slowly stepped into the lab.

Dilan and Aeleus burst into the room, alarmed by all the commotion.

Ienzo’s eyes drifted to the floor, and his shoulders trembled. “They told me you’d gone mad. That you’d abandoned us. I was just a little boy, but I should have known better. I am truly, deeply sorry.”

Ansem the Wise quietly placed his hands on Ienzo’s shoulders, then lifted the boy’s face so he could see his eyes.

“I think what matters is that you recognize the mistake. Peace, Ienzo. It was I who was consumed by hatred—who failed you in my obligations as your mentor. Forgive me.”

Ienzo, Dilan, and Aeleus listened in silence.

“So, uh…are we cool to get on with things here?” said Demyx as he popped his head between Ienzo and Ansem, ruining the quiet moment. He now had everyone’s attention, at least. “Got ya a present from Vexen. One was all he could manage for the time being, but hey, he figured you guys would know what to do with it.”

“A vessel!” Ienzo exclaimed as he examined the bundle Demyx had delivered.