Chapter 18

Re Mind

A MAN IN A BLACK COAT SAT ALONE ON A BOULDER in the Keyblade Graveyard, while another similar figure walked slowly over to him.

“So?” the seated man asked.

The other man removed his hood and revealed—a younger Xehanort.

“Yeah. It wards off darkness. It’s useful,” Xehanort said, looking over the coat in question.

“Told ya! So how’d it go? The tour,” the other man asked in a cheerful tone.

Xehanort took a seat next to him. “I learned…the reason for my existence.”

The man threw his head back dramatically, then turned to peer into Xehanort’s face with interest. “Ohhh? Tell me more.”

Xehanort lowered his gaze and obliged. “All around the world, people live seemingly peaceful lives. They believe themselves to be moral and virtuous, but it’s all an act. Darkness lurks in the pit of everyone’s heart. Their light is a total farce.”

The man listened to it all intently. “Sounds like your trip around the world opened your eyes, but you got a little more than you anticipated. Must’ve seen a lot of darkness,” he commented.

Xehanort leaned back and looked up at the sky, which was thick with clouds. “Those who are weak, and who desire greater power, simply strip the strong of their power and convince themselves they’ve earned it. That’s how people become tainted by darkness. They believe what they want to believe, using hollow reasons as justification. They repeat this cycle, and their darkness grows.”

“So you’re saying the weak feel the need to justify their actions to maintain a sense of self. Can’t let that slide?” the man said.

Xehanort remained where he was. “No, it’s better they be ruled by darkness.” He returned his attention to the other man, then elaborated. “People carry delusions of having power, but it’s a lie. They are but sheep pretending to be wolves. Though I admit I can understand why.”

“Oh, never heard that one before, a Keyblade wielder willing to side with the darkness? Why not just let them be until the darkness consumes them?”

While the mysterious man seemed unconcerned with the matter either way, Xehanort laced his fingers together and lowered his eyes to the ground, his expression resolute.

“Because left alone, the world would fall to chaos. There needs to be order.”

“You sure about that? Why not just sit back and watch it play out?” the man asked, standing up.

Xehanort, however, did not look up as he answered. “Understanding hearts is difficult, more so the emotions within. I simply realize that it’s easy to dismiss what you don’t comprehend.”

“All right, all right… The world needs you, I’ll grant you that one,” the man said, his back to Xehanort.

“I don’t know what I can do, but I will act. What comes next is too important,” Xehanort stated.

Then man turned around. “I suppose letting false light dictate the future might be a pretty lousy move. So? You can make a change. You have that power. What do you want for the world?”

“Power, eh…?” Xehanort finally took his eyes off his feet, then said, “Who knows? My training’s coming to an end, and the exam’s not far off. Maybe I can gain some clarity then.”

“You’re letting the exam decide? Listen to me, the results don’t matter. You believe the world needs you. Sounds like you already know where you’re headed,” the man advised.

Xehanort gazed down at his hands. “It’s funny. Somehow, I can sense where I’m supposed to go and what I’m supposed to do. Yes, even this coat, there’s something familiar about it, as if I’m meant to wear this—”

“Hmm… No…you’ll ditch it soon.” The man cut him off before he could say any more, pointing at the coat.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that one day you’re going to outgrow it.”

Xehanort couldn’t understand what exactly that meant. “How so?”

“If you truly possess great power, the darkness can’t control you. You won’t need a silly old coat to stay safe. In fact, you’ll be the one controlling the darkness instead. Me, on the other hand, I’m too much of a scaredy-cat to ever take mine off.” The man’s melodramatic pantomime of fear made it difficult to take his claim seriously.

Xehanort did not play along. After all, this wasn’t their first time talking together, and the man always behaved this way. “Who are you really? Some kind of fortune-teller?”

The man looked up at the sky for a moment as he pondered his answer, then turned away and said, “Well, I could lie and tell you that’s what I am, when I’m actually a brilliant artist, or even a scholar. I could tell you that I dream of world peace, when I’m actually waiting for its destruction. The truth is what you see with your eyes, not what you hear.”

“So your name?”

The man spun back around. “What did I just—?” he started to complain, staring at Xehanort beneath his hood.

But then…

“Never mind, I guess there’s no harm. My name is .”

After revealing his name, the man turned away again.

“I’m a Lost Master.”

“Lost…Master…,” Xehanort repeated softly as the man slowly walked off.

“May your heart be your guiding key,” he said by way of farewell, then vanished.

Some seventy-five years later, back in the Keyblade Graveyard…

Xehanort—now a Keyblade Master and much, much older than before—had closed his eyes in thought. He smiled. The wind danced about him, just as it had that day long ago.

“What’s so funny, old man? Mind sharing with us?”

The question came from Xigbar, who stood with Saïx beside him.

“I stand here today because of a fated encounter very many years ago, when I was still a young lad. I never learned who he was, and perhaps I never will. But I see now the truth he spoke of.”

Xehanort’s reminiscence earned a derisive snort of laughter from Xigbar.

“We don’t have time for bedtime stories. Without the kid, we’re still down a thirteenth vessel, and as for the other twelve, only three of us are here right now. Are you absolutely sure the others made their way back to their respective times?”

At Xigbar’s tirade, Saïx turned his attention to the thirteen stone columns that stood off in the distance. He teleported himself to the top of one, and Master Xehanort and Xigbar soon warped up after him to columns of their own. Saïx lifted a hand, then three of the other columns were filled by phantoms of other members of the real Organization XIII.

All this reminded Master Xehanort of something else. These pillars had been here even back then. All thirteen of them. Could I have known the significance of that number even back then?

“Marluxia and Larxene are both here in this time, attempting to locate the New Seven Hearts,” said Saïx. “Luxord is also somewhere about in this age, but after our last meeting, he went in search of something, per your order. Isn’t that so?”

“Oh, that! Right…” Xigbar shrugged, trying to brush off the prying question. “Well, let’s just say that what he’s doing will benefit us in the long run, but it’s really of no importance right this second. Go on.”

“Playing your cards close as usual,” Saïx commented, then looked over at Master Xehanort. The old man apparently didn’t have anything to say about Xigbar’s behavior.

“All right. The hearts of Ansem, Xemnas, Vanitas, Riku Replica, and Young Xehanort returned to where they came from and reassembled once more. Each of them is seeking a guardian of light.”

Images of all those mentioned except for Riku Replica appeared around Master Xehanort.

Xigbar looked them over, then turned to the phantoms on the stone columns again.

“So the ones who turned human and then back into Nobodies again are me, you, Luxord, Marluxia, and Larxene—that’s five. The ones from the past transferred into Replicas are Ansem, Xemnas, Vanitas, Riku Replica, and the old man’s younger self. Then we add the old man in, the total comes up to eleven. I think we’re still missing two.”

Once Xigbar had given a rundown of the state of Organization XIII, Master Xehanort took the reins. “Now we must discuss why we have assembled here today. My incarnations from past times, vessels into which I transferred my heart, my essence, were destroyed. Thus, I was restored to what you see now. For one to completely disappear, their heart and body must be restored to their original form. That is one reason why I distributed my heart into several vessels. Ansem and Xemnas originated from Terra, or rather his young form—and it, too, was restored. However, my heart was returned to me, while his is yet lost. I decided to fill this hollow vessel with my heart—indeed, the very same heart that previously resided in young Terra.”

An image of Terra-Xehanort appeared in front of Xehanort.

“So that makes twelve. Then who do we get to replace the kid?” Xigbar wanted to know.

“Twenty Replicas were created by Vexen. The first twelve were nothing more than puppets, barely human. The prototype model was the Riku Replica, and then No. i was made. That leaves us with six. Ansem, Xemnas, Vanitas, Riku Replica, and Young Xehanort’s hearts—five vessels, one left. Vexen and Demyx are candidates, but backups at best. The plan for the last Replica is to give it a heart that is connected to Sora’s.”

An image of Vexen took form, flanked by Riku Replica and No. i.

Xigbar had never seen the second, smaller figure before. “Connected to Sora? Anyone in mind?”

“The second prototype that was created, No. i. Though erased from memory, it remained in Vexen’s records. Its existence is greatly linked to Sora’s memories, and thus could prove to be more than adequate for our needs.”

All memory of No. i had been erased from the world, and Saïx was no exception. But strangely enough, the records had somehow survived this purge.

“No. i… Any imaginary number, how fitting,” Xigbar muttered as he looked at the Replica in question.

“While Young Xehanort is occupied with transferring hearts, I must go fulfill my duty. I will go and retrieve Vexen,” Saïx explained.

Xigbar couldn’t help but smile. “Reliable as always. It sounds to me like you’ve got everything dependably under control. Well, I’m off to do my part.” He shrugged, then stepped through into the Corridors of Darkness.

“The plan, as we agreed upon,” Saïx said to Master Xehanort, then made his own exit.

Now alone, Master Xehanort spoke softly to himself. “May your heart be your guiding key.”

“This is…”

As far as Sora could tell, this was only his second visit to this place, this world of sky and sea. But unlike the last time he was here, Sora was whole and no different from normal.

Then, a speck of light drifted down from the sky, calling out in a cute and very familiar voice.

“Chirithy,” Sora said.

“Back so soon?”

It was indeed Chirithy—the little creature that looked like a cross between a cat and a plush toy.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well…” Sora then explained everything that had happened up to that point, and about how he wanted to find Kairi.

A troubled look came over Chirithy’s face. “Even with the power of waking, you can’t just bring someone back.”

“But Kairi’s heart hasn’t been lost yet. She’s still with us, right?” Sora asked desperately.

“Maybe, but this time, I’m afraid the situation is a lot worse,” said Chirithy, its paws holding his head.

Sora had seen Kairi’s physical body shattered with his own eyes—but that didn’t mean her heart was done for, too. “Hey, I’ve already restored six hearts. What’s one more?”

“But that’s not how it’s supposed to work at all. The power of waking is meant to be used to wake and restore sleeping hearts, not to restore them after they’ve completely faded away from existence. You’ve done that six times before, and as a result, you’ve managed to greatly alter the course of history itself. You’ve broken a nature taboo.”

“Taboo…?” Sora repeated the unfamiliar term.

“A forbidden act. Break a taboo of nature, and you’ll end up paying an extraordinary price.”

“You’ve paid the price. And it lies at the bottom of the abyss.”

Young Xehanort had said something similar in San Fransokyo, back when Sora was tracking down his friends’ hearts. It was like an omen.

“I’ve heard that before… So what’s the price?”

“You’ll lose your powers. You won’t be able to use the power of waking,” Chirithy warned him.

Sora smiled. “That’s all? No problem.”

Not like I haven’t already lost the power of waking once before. All I need to do is go learn how again.

Chirithy still had a grave look on his face. “But that’s not all. You yourself…will vanish from this world. And without your powers, you can’t return to the world you came from.”

That gave Sora pause. But he soon fixed Chirithy with a determined gaze. “I don’t care.”

“What?!” Chirithy squeaked in shock.

“There’s a lot I don’t understand, but I know that this is all I can do right now. I have to do everything I can to get Kairi back. That’s the whole reason behind my journey.” I know what I feel about this, and nothing will change it.

“…I can’t stop you, can I?”

“Nope, I have to follow my heart,” Sora said back with a grin.

“Hmm… Well, then this really is good-bye, so listen carefully to me.”

Sora indicated he understood, then allowed his Keyblade to open the way forward.

As he traversed the roads of time, Sora thought back on what Chirithy had told him.

“You’ll return to the past again, but you won’t be able to rewrite it this time. No matter what happens, you have to accept it and move on.”

Sora found himself standing in the Keyblade Graveyard back when all nine of them had just arrived, right before Ventus spotted Terra.

Chirithy’s advice continued to run through his mind:

“The heart you have now—it already existed during that time. It went back into that past earlier. Nothing can change that fact. The place where you’ll return is the tear in the fabric of that time that was created when you changed your destiny, then changed it once again. In order to not stray too far from the true power of waking, you’ll enter and pass through the hearts of the guardians until you reach Kairi’s heart.”

Terra arrived, and Ven ran over to him.

“Every emotion that each of the guardians felt…sadness, anxiety, fear, kindness. Everything they saw, and everything that they felt then, you’ll clear a way through it, traverse across their hearts, and dive ever deeper inside.”

Then Aqua, who had been wary of Terra from the moment of their reunion, took Ventus by the shoulder.

This was another scene from the past Sora had witnessed firsthand.

“I can’t be sure what’s waiting for you at the end, or what you’ll actually be able to do, but by following the connection of hearts, you’ll come to discover a greater truth—one that’s sure to help you.”

Terra’s hair turned silver, revealing that he was Terra-Xehanort all along.

“But…in this flow of time in the past, you’ll only have up until the moment you left for this place, so you’ll have to find and restore Kairi’s heart before then. That’s all the advice I can give you. Beyond that, I can only say ‘May your heart…be your guiding key.’”

Up until that moment, Sora had been inside his past self, but when Terra-Xehanort struck Ventus with his Keyblade, he made his exit. And as he did so, he noticed a small glimmer near his chest.

“This…is Ven’s heart…”

When Ventus lost consciousness, his heart had come here. Sora tried to speak to the light, and he found himself in a dark, dark place. A place that greatly resembled the one he had dreamed of before his journey began, in fact.

“Ven! Ven!” Sora shouted desperately.

No, leave him be.

The words hadn’t been spoken aloud, or even directly into his mind, but Sora somehow still knew them.

“What?!”

He’s too pure…and a pure heart can be most careless.

“Who are you?” Sora asked the source.

…Darkness.

“Darkness? …Vanitas?” Sora called, but darkness surged up from below him.

When Sora came to…he was standing alone on the wastes of the Keyblade Graveyard. None of his friends were there for some reason.

The darkness that had overtaken him was gone, too—but not for long. This time, it flowed into a vortex that gradually transformed into a Heartless with swords in each hand—Dark Inferno χ.

Sora blocked its first attack and shoved the swords away, then delivered a blow of his own with his Keyblade.

What…what is this thing?

Sora didn’t let that question bother him too much, though. While Dark Inferno χ put up a tough fight, Sora was still able to defeat the monster. It left this world just like a normal Heartless would—in a flash of light.

Then Sora himself was overtaken by the light, and he could hear faint voices speaking.

“That’s it!”

“Axel!”

“No! Sora!”

“Donald, don’t!!”

“Zettaflare!”

“Ven…”

The last voice Sora heard clearly—it belonged to Aqua.

Suddenly, Sora was back where it all began, in that dark place inside the heart.

“Is this…Aqua’s heart?” Sora said as he looked around. While Ventus’s heart had been peaceful, Aqua’s…was full of fear. Still inside Aqua’s heart, Sora found himself back on the wasteland.

“This can’t be real.”

I’m talking to myself.

“Pull it together, Sora! We haven’t lost them. They still have their hearts. But we have to protect them,” Riku said as more Heartless appeared. This was another scene from the past.

Aqua looked up at the Demon Tower and whispered, “It can’t be… No…”

The terror within her poured into Sora, and through the eyes of her heart, Sora could see an army of anti-Aquas flying through air.

I get it now. Aqua had to fight the Heartless over and over and over down in the realm of darkness, and that created fear in her heart. And then it came back again—that’s why she couldn’t do anything.

“So…this is the fear and despair that Aqua feels… And now…I feel it, too.”

The Demon Tide swept over both of them, and then…Sora and Aqua stood on the Dark Margin. The anti-Aqua with eyes of glowing gold lunged for him.

So this is what the fear in her heart looks like. I have to get rid of it!

Sora caught the terrifying anti-Aqua’s attack with his Keyblade, then fought back with spells and strikes of his own.

Before long, anti-Aqua lay defeated, and the light overtook him and the real Aqua again.

This was when the despair got to me, too—when I lost my friends and completely broke down. After this, I met Chirithy and went to go find everyone’s hearts, right?

“Terra! We found you!”

“Terra, please say you’re in there.”

“What gives, Aqua?”

“I know that you’re not him. Now, let our friend go!”

Once more, Ventus spotted Terra—or the one he believed was Terra.

Oh yeah… I was already back when this happened.

But when Sora opened his eyes, all he saw was that same dark space. I know this place, though. This is my heart. Did I pass through the tear…?

Sora was still wondering what was going on when a light drew near, gentle and peaceful. He soon saw that it was actually a girl.

“Sora?!”

“Naminé?!”

Yes—it was Naminé.

“What are you doing here? Have you lost yourself like I did?” she asked, hovering in Sora’s heart.

“Well, it’s a long story. But tell me, why haven’t you returned to Kairi’s heart yet?”

“Today is the day you all lose.”

Sora heard Terra-Xehanort’s declaration from somewhere outside this dark place. The pale light of this realm illuminated both of them as he spoke to Naminé.

“Because…I’m still not able to. But…I’m calling out to Terra’s heart, and I brought him here.”

“Terra?”

“No, Terra’s heart is too steeped in darkness. Instead, I’ve brought out Terra’s most personal and powerful thoughts. This is Terra’s sadness, anger, lament…”

“Terra’s thoughts…?”

“How I’ve waited for this moment.”

Beyond the dark place, the Lingering Will had made its entrance on the field of the Keyblade Graveyard. It was the manifestation of those powerful thoughts of Terra’s, and Naminé had led it here.

The Lingering Will stopped Terra-Xehanort in his tracks.

“Wretched spirit!” Terra-Xehanort spat.

The Lingering Will responded by holding out its Keyblade. “As long as Master Xehanort resides within you, you’re a threat to Aqua and Ven.”

“How noble. You would give your life for theirs?” Terra-Xehanort sneered.

“You must be removed from existence…at all costs.”

The Lingering Will charged, Terra-Xehanort did the same, and the two came together with a vicious clash.

As Sora stood beneath the pale light with Naminé, he could hardly stand to just watch.

“Naminé, can you call out to Terra?”

“No, his rage is too strong. He won’t respond to me,” she answered, unable to conceal her own anxiety.

“No matter who gets hurt, it’s bad for Terra,” said Sora. “Either way, you have to leave. Go to the world of ocean and sky.”

“And you?”

Sora turned back to Naminé and flashed a grin. “I got this.”

“Begone!” Terra-Xehanort shouted. In the same instant, the Dark Figure rose up behind him and seized the Lingering Will by the head, trying to crush its helmet.

That was when Sora returned to the world in a blinding burst of light—and just in time, by the look of it.

Sora charged in at lightning speed and knocked the Dark Figure away with enough force to scatter it into mist.

“How can you be here?!” Terra-Xehanort exclaimed as he regained his balance.

Sora smiled. “Hey, I can travel to different times, too, you know. Did you think you were the only one with that power?”

“You dare…!”

The flippant explanation had Terra-Xehanort trembling with rage. He hurled himself at Sora with ferocious speed.

Though he wore Terra’s body, his moves and skill with a Keyblade were all Xehanort. His Keyblade met Sora’s with terrible momentum, enough to drive Sora to one knee. While Terra-Xehanort had his attention, the Dark Figure suddenly rose behind him, taking him into its clutches. Sora was helpless as Terra-Xehanort rushed in to deliver what would most certainly be a fatal blow.

But then, he was shielded from the attack.

The fatal blow meant for Sora shattered the Lingering Will’s helmet, and the rest of the armor fell to pieces that vanished in a brilliant burst of light.

“Terra!”

“Seeing that you have also taken the forbidden path, you too must be ready to make the ultimate sacrifice,” Terra-Xehanort said with an arrogant smirk, then swung his Keyblade toward Sora, creating a dark wave.

Sora withstood the attack, and when it dispersed, there was Terra-Xehanort right in front of him.

With a laugh, Terra-Xehanort struck Sora with his Keyblade and sent him flying back. But as soon as he landed, Sora quickly jumped back up and got right back into the fray.

Sora was about to land an attack of his own when the Dark Figure intervened.

“Outta the way!”

Sora fired off a spell, taking the Dark Figure out of the picture and allowing him to focus on Terra-Xehanort.

The battle didn’t last much longer. Terra-Xehanort staggered back, exhausted for the moment—but not entirely.

He let out a roar, calling the Dark Figure forth again to attack Sora.

“Darkness awaits you!” he shouted with rage as the Dark Figure grabbed Sora and lifted him off the ground. Sora could see the darkness billowing upward from his enemy’s body.

What happened to us after that? Oh yeah, we went into that labyrinth, and then we split up.

Me and Riku beat Xigbar and Dark Riku, and then I took down Marluxia, Larxene, and Luxord with Mickey. After that, I fought Terra and Vanitas with Aqua and Ven—but wait, didn’t that thing behind Terra end up saving us?

The one I was fighting just a moment ago?

I’m pretty sure I lost back there, so why am I here alive now?

Sora was slowly sinking, sinking down into water that was terrifyingly dark.

What…happened to me…? I leaped out of Terra’s thoughts… And we fought Terra-Xehanort together…

Sora looked in the direction he was sinking and saw that there was light below.

That’s it! This is Terra’s heart… He must’ve protected me!

Sora slipped into his own heart and went back to Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.

He watched as the three of them were united once more, then went off to meet Kairi and Axel. They were facing Xemnas, Saïx, and one other person—a girl he didn’t recognize.

“It’s all right…”

Xion.

Sora already knew the name he was going to say there, but he wasn’t the one who said it. That was someone else inside of him—Roxas.

There inside his heart, Sora encountered Roxas’s heart.

Roxas’s heart… The light it gave off fluttered away like birds, flying free to go wherever they wanted. He was surrounded by Roxas, Axel, and Xion’s most treasured memories.

Roxas’s voice had made everyone remember again.

Sora tried to open a Keyhole, but for some reason, it wouldn’t appear.

“Why…?”

Sora…

That was Roxas’s voice.

I need your help…

There’s…something me and my friends have to reclaim, something that connected our hearts.

That’s what’s binding me to this world…the last key.

I need your help to get it back.

“Got it. I have an idea. Wait for my signal,” Sora answered in a firm voice, then set Roxas’s heart free with his Keyblade. This time, it worked.

Sora was returned to his past self, and Roxas had made the journey back with him.

Then came the moment Sora had been waiting for throughout the entire fight. Kairi was taken away…right after Roxas came back. I’m sure of it.

“Roxas! Now!”

Sora swung his Keyblade at Xemnas, who parried the attempt and swatted him to one side. That was Roxas and Xion’s signal to leap into action. Saïx tried to intercept them, but Axel stepped in to keep him occupied. Roxas hammered Xemnas with his Keyblades, and then Xion did the same with hers. She spun around to one side to continue the offensive, but that gave Xemnas a moment to get his Ethereal Blades up and knock them away.

And then Kairi came down from above with her Keyblade raised to strike.

Xemnas was able to avoid her blistering series of attacks with a quick backstep.

Brambles of dark energy emanated from his hands and bound Kairi in place, and when Sora tried to help her, he was entangled, too.

“Now watch…as your friends slowly vanish into nothing,” Xemnas said, his eyes on Axel, Roxas, and Xion. “These useless pawns must be cleared from the board!” he shouted.

Saïx rushed at Roxas and the others. Sora hung unconscious in his bonds, but a small orb of light left his body, carrying his heart to Roxas.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to do this the hard way… C’mon, Isa, snap out of it!”

Roxas and Xion ran to engage Saïx at Axel’s prompt. After a grueling fight, Axel’s flames finally brought the battle with his onetime friend to an end.

“Roxas! Xion!” Axel yelled, and they nodded back. “He’s got something that belongs to us!”

The three of them hit Xemnas at once.

He clutched his chest, groaning in pain, as something that resembled the letter X emerged from within him.

The symbol split into three, with a piece each flying to Roxas, Axel, and Xion.

“Is this…is this the sigil?” Xion asked as she watched the X-shaped light go into her chest.

“Yeah. That’s the mark Xemnas gave us. It’s what connected us from the start. It’s the…foundation…of the bond we all share,” Axel explained. It was a sigil shared by all three of the former Organization members.

“The mark will disappear along with Xemnas, and that’s fine. I just wanted to reclaim it for myself. It’s how our bond came to be,” Roxas added.

“This… This is the connection we needed,” said Xion as she looked at her sigil fondly.

“That’s why I needed Sora’s help. So that we could end this battle once and for all!” said Roxas, as Sora and Kairi’s bonds fell away along with the barrier around the battlefield.

Sora’s heart left Roxas and returned to his own body.

“I don’t need hearts. I will scatter them to the winds!”

But only a moment later, Kairi was taken away by Xemnas once again.

Then Saïx fell, and Sora returned to somewhere even deeper within his heart.

I’ve visited the hearts of five guardians—Ven, Aqua, Terra, Roxas, and myself. I should be able to find Kairi if I can make it to the other two.

Question is, when’s the right moment…?

The battle wasn’t over yet; as before, Sora faced Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort atop the platform that lay beyond the maze.

But Kairi’s body shattered just as it had the first time.

I can’t watch this happen again… Why…? Why?!

No. I knew this part of the story. I’ll have my chance. I know I will.

Again, Master Xehanort froze time with a spell, and Kingdom Hearts appeared in the sky.

…Sora.

A voice called out to him.

“Your Majesty…?”

It’s me! I’m glad my voice is reaching you.

Mickey was speaking to him somehow.

“Your Majesty! Kairi’s…”

I know, but we can still save her.

All the heroes gathered around to discuss the dire situation, while Sora continued to listen to Mickey speak deep inside his own heart.

“What’s happening?” Sora asked the king.

Master Xehanort’s got a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

Kairi’s one of the seven hearts, which is why he crystallized her—so he can use her as insurance until Kingdom Hearts is opened. She’s his last resort.”

Mickey and Riku explained as they had in the past, telling him about Master Xehanort being a portal.

That portal…

This was when Xion told Sora something very important.

“Kairi will be all right. I can feel it.”

But that still didn’t tell Sora how exactly to get Kairi back. So the final battle ended, and Kairi didn’t return. Even if I continue to search with my past self, I won’t find her. What should I do…? Kairi, where are you?

Then Sora realized something.

He had jumped through Master Xehanort’s portal back then. If he was going to find Kairi anywhere, it was probably in there.

“That’s it!”

Sora launched himself into the portal even faster than his past self. He knew what lay ahead of him. It was that city—Scala ad Caelum.

Sora arrived just where he thought he would, only before his past self and the others.

He headed into the city streets, and before long, he spotted Kairi. When he chased after her, he came upon a pack of Nobodies and Heartless, one of which was glowing with an inner light. He made sure to catch it.

A brilliant crystal rose from the Heartless once he defeated it and flew into Sora’s palm.

“I can feel Kairi’s heart…”

Now that he had a piece of her with him, Sora proceeded farther into the city in search of more images of Kairi. All kinds of puzzles and Heartless awaited him among its avenues, but one by one he found the shards of Kairi’s heart. Most of them, anyway. Let’s see…

“That’s five… How many more?” Sora asked himself.

“There are two more,” a voice answered.

Sora spun around and found Master Xehanort standing there.

“Why are you here…?!” Sora called his Keyblade to his hand, but Xehanort merely smiled.

“I am the one who hid the fragments of Kairi that you seek. Of course I am here. No matter—did you come alone?”

“Yeah.”

Master Xehanort chuckled. “Are you prepared to pay the ultimate price?”

“Enough! It’s only two! I’m saving Kairi!” Sora yelled in frustration.

Xehanort looked out over the city. “Unfortunately, you’re a little too late.”

“Oh no…”

“It appears you have failed to retrieve Kairi in the time to come. So here you are, once again, in times already passed. However, now that the other ‘you’ has arrived, you’re doomed to repeat the same fate.” Master Xehanort laughed at the worry on Sora’s face. “Whatever can you do? You are nearly out of time.”

Sora watched his other self approach the city. His only option here was to merge with his past version again and fight. And merge with himself he did, holding his Keyblade.

He was facing twelve Xehanorts—or rather, Replica Xehanorts.

“Ready?”

After the battle with the Replicas, Sora returned to the depths of his heart.

Okay, so I fought in my own body this time, but what am I supposed to do next? If I don’t figure this out now, I’ll never get Kairi back. Two more fragments… Just two more…

Wait! What if…? What if I can trace the hearts of two more guardians…

But how…? Everyone always told me to just follow my heart, but… Follow my heart…? Hearts are all connected… Maybe I can just follow the connection…

“That’s it!”

Sora raised his Keyblade skyward. The hearts of the last two guardians…Riku and King Mickey.

Back in the Keyblade Graveyard, the eight remaining guardians held their Keyblades up at Kingdom Hearts, firing eight lights into it.

“Everybody, be strong!” Mickey called out to the others, who all acknowledged him a bit anxiously.

“So…if we can’t stop him, what happens?” Axel asked.

“I don’t know… But…there’s no question in my mind that that’s not the true Kingdom Hearts. I can’t…imagine what’ll happen if he succeeds,” Aqua said.

“If we hold it back, it might vanish,” Ventus said.

“No,” Terra corrected. “Only the χ-Blade has the power to stop it.”

“But…,” Ventus said dejectedly.

However, Riku remained calm. “We all need to trust Sora.”

“That’s right!” Mickey agreed with a smile.

“Look!” Xion said loudly, directing everyone’s attention toward the darkening Kingdom Hearts. They all dismissed their Keyblades for the time being, deciding to wait and see how this change played out.

“Do you…see that?” Axel asked.

The words had hardly left his mouth when twelve Master Xehanorts—the Replica Xehanorts—came streaking out of Kingdom Hearts like black comets.

“Get ready!” Riku warned, but suddenly a dark tornado swept them all up into the air.

Kingdom Hearts was pitch-black now, and the sky around it filled with Keyholes.

Axel finally managed to right himself. “Whoa, whoa, this is some serious trouble.”

Nearby, Xion was almost carried away on the wind into one of the Keyholes until Roxas caught her hand.

“Xion!”

“Thanks, Roxas!”

The twelve Replica Xehanorts had the eight guardians surrounded in midair.

“We’re trapped!” Ventus cried.

“Come on! We all have to work together!” Terra called out to him.

“Trust our bond!” Aqua added encouragingly.

Mickey asked, “Riku, are you ready?”

“Yeah…we can do this!” Riku answered, and then the battle was underway.

Guardian and Replica swooped through the sky in a chaotic melee, constantly switching opponents. Even the guardians who had only just met fought with the teamwork of old friends.

As Riku bore down on several of the Replica Xehanorts, blocking their combined attack with his Keyblade, Sora was in his heart. Together, they turned the tables on their foes.

A sixth fragment of Kairi fell into Sora’s palm.

But eventually the Replicas managed to send each of the guardians into one of the Keyholes in the sky, until Mickey and Riku remained in the end.

“Oh no, the others!” Mickey tried to catch his friends, but one of the Keyholes was pulling him in…

“Mickey!” Riku flew over and pushed him out of the way, and Sora moved from Riku’s heart into Mickey’s just as Riku was dragged into the Keyhole.

Now all alone, Mickey collapsed. He wasn’t ready to give up just yet, though.

Mustering the last bit of fight left in him, Mickey got up again. He was one with the light, and with Sora.

“No…I can’t give up!”

Mickey took up his Keyblade and stumbled toward the Keyhole. The Replica Xehanorts didn’t make it easy for him, but he blocked and rebuffed their attacks as he pushed his way forward.

One step at a time.

All the Replica Xehanorts joined together to create a laser attack.

“No matter how far…the light will connect our hearts!” he shouted as he bore the brunt of the onslaught on his Keyblade. Sora popped out of Mickey from behind and helped him hold off the beams, and then threw them back on the Replicas.

“We are—all of us—together!” Sora and Mickey said in unison.

With the Replica Xehanorts vanquished, the king was at last able to fire light into the Keyhole.

As he began to fall from the sky, utterly drained of strength, Sora reached out and lent him a hand.

“Sora… What are you doing here? Is it…really you?”

“I traced the connection—from me to Riku, then Riku to you.”

The last fragment of Kairi floated free from Mickey, and Sora claimed it.

“That’s seven—all the lights I needed, including yours. I’ll handle the rest.”

And with that, Sora flew into the Keyhole.

Sora floated in a night sky filled with hundreds—with thousands of Keyholes.

“Where am I…?”

A brilliant streak of light raced by Sora as he tried to get his bearings. It arrived at a Keyhole, then abruptly shifted directions and headed for a different one. The thread of light repeated this process again and again, binding several of the Keyholes to one another.

“That light… It’s the king’s light!”

The light was streaking toward Sora, and when it collided with him, it pulsed brightly for a second before fading away.

Sora noticed that there was now a Keyblade in his hand.

Somehow, I know what to do. I need to open the Keyholes and connect them with the light of this Keyblade—and that’ll bring back hope for all of us.

Sora took the Keyblade in both hands and released a particularly powerful stream of light that passed from Keyhole to Keyhole, tracing out constellations across the whole sky.

At last, Sora’s light passed through the Keyholes the guardians had fallen through and connected with them on the other side.

The guardians regained consciousness, summoned their Keyblades in hand, and released their own light.

The seven fragments of Kairi, shaped like pink flower petals, appeared before Sora’s chest, and the light from the guardians converged upon them, swelling brighter and brighter as the crystal fragments merged to form a single flower.

The crystal flower flowed up into the heavens, causing one last larger Keyhole to take shape.

Once more, Sora released light from his Keyblade to unlock it.

There was a flash, and then someone slowly drifted free.

“Kairi!”

“Sora!”

She flew toward him, her arms open wide. Sora reached out for her, too, and the two pulled each other into an embrace beneath the stars.

I finally found you.

Now, let’s end this battle once and for all!

They had barely been reunited when darkness began swirling into a storm above them. Sora turned around.

“Kairi, are you ready for this?”

“…Yes.”

Sora and Kairi leveled their Keyblades at the black bolts of darkness.

The clouds converged and materialized as a new foe wearing a goatlike helmet, while a platform composed of arcane symbols took shape beneath their feet.

Sora and Kairi moved forward to confront Xehanort, who had twelve identical Keyblades at his back and a thirteenth in his hand.

“Vanish!” the armored Xehanort roared as he shot down from the sky at the two heroes with his Keyblades. Columns of flame erupted from the ground like gouts of lava and chased them around the battlefield.

“Darkness consumes you!” Xehanort roared as he summoned a giant Keyhole in the sky that belched forth blackness. Kingdom Hearts and the moon gleamed brightly above as huge meteors came hurtling down toward Sora and Kairi. The armored Xehanort roared with laughter.

“Insolence!”

“You’re going down!” Kairi cried, but she was knocked away by one of the meteors’ impacts.

Sora reached out for her. “Kairi!”

Their hands linked, and they rose into the sky together.

“Light!” Sora and Kairi shouted as one, and their wishes were manifested as great, glowing wings.

Hands still clasped, they flew at Armor Xehanort.

Kairi’s hand was warm and just a little sweaty. Sora looked into her eyes, and they both smiled. The two let go of each other and raised their Keyblades overhead. As their Keyblades crossed, there was a brilliant pulse of light.

Seven Keyholes opened in the sky. Each released a glowing orb that danced through the air and transformed into a person above Sora and Kairi. It was the guardians—Aqua, Terra, Ventus, Roxas, Xion, Axel, and Riku.

Riku stepped away from the others as he spotted Mickey falling, wreathed in light, and reached out to grab him.

Finally, they were all together again.

The assembled guardians touched down on the platform in the wasteland, and they all held their Keyblades aloft. The light each key produced came together to make a blinding beam that flew into Armor Xehanort.

“My friends…are my power!” Sora shouted.

The radiant flood swept over Armor Xehanort, leaving no trace of him behind.

With the fight now won, Sora and Kairi disappeared in a burst of light.

Suddenly, Axel had a realization. “Where are Sora and Kairi? They were here.”

“They were, but as long as they’re together, they’ll be all right,” Riku told him with a smile as he looked into the sky. Kingdom Hearts was fading away overhead.

“Now, let’s go follow Sora’s heart!” said Mickey.

A gorgeous circle of symbols like a kaleidoscope appeared in the air, with a giant Keyhole at the center. The guardians—Aqua, Terra, Ventus, Roxas, Axel, Xion, Riku, and Mickey—all transformed into orbs of light and flew inside.

Their hands linked together, Sora and Kairi landed in the realm of sky and sea.

“It’s so pretty…,” Kairi whispered as she looked at the shimmering horizon, where the two blues became one. Sora examined the palm of his free left hand. For a brief second, it looked transparent, just as it had when he first visited this world, but then it was back to normal.

Sora closed his hand into a fist and turned to the girl next to him. “Kairi. Come on. Everyone’s waiting.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

We have to go back home. Everyone’s waiting.

“Oh!” Sora then exclaimed and let go of Kairi’s hand.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well… My friend should be here, but… Heeey! Chirithy!”

Chirithy appeared not from the sky this time, but right next to him.

“Whoa!” Sora yelped. “Hey, why didn’t you say something?”

“I was just trying to give you some privacy,” a miffed Chirithy retorted.

Kairi examined the creature curiously. “Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, likewise! I’m glad you’re okay.” Chirithy looked away shyly.

“Chirithy, we’re heading home,” Sora said. “You should come with us.”

“Whaaat?” Chirithy hopped back and shouted.

“Take it from me, it’s not enough to wait for someone you care about. It’s true that hearts are connected wherever you are. If it’s impossible to be together, then all you can do is wait. But if it’s possible to be together, then that’s how it should be.”

Kairi looked over at Sora quietly as he explained.

“Sora…,” Chirithy murmured.

“You know, this really is a beautiful place. But you’d enjoy it so much more with someone you care about. Before, when I was looking around with Kairi, I remembered how important it is…to share moments with friends. That’s why you’re coming with us. I’m taking you to see your friend, Chirithy.”

Chirithy finally nodded, now on the verge of tears.

Sora extended a hand to him.

“Okay! Let’s go!”

Light swept over the world, and over Sora.

Now back in Disney Castle, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy were welcomed home by Minnie and Daisy, and one very excited Pluto. Yen Sid arrived a short time later with Chip and Dale on each shoulder, and fireworks burst in the sky above the castle.

Holding hands on one of the battlements, Sora and Kairi watched the display as Chirithy bounced around happily to one side.

Next was the Land of Departure, restored to its former glory.

Master Eraqus’s Keyblade, the Master’s Defender, had been plunged into the ground with a wreath of flowers hanging from it. Aqua, Terra, and Ventus stood before it, each holding their Wayfinders.

Chirithy observed from some ways away, slightly nervous. But when Ventus caught sight of him, Chirithy ran over and jumped into his outstretched arms. Aqua and Terra called him back over, while Sora and Kairi watched happily.

Axel and Roxas watched the sunset from the clocktower in Twilight Town. Neither of them wore their black coats. Xion arrived and sat down beside them, and she was wearing new clothes, too.

Soon after, Saïx showed up carrying four bars of ice cream. He handed one each to Roxas and Xion, then sat next to Axel.

But then Hayner, Pence, and Olette joined the party. They had brought their own ice cream, too.

Up a little higher than everyone on the clocktower, Sora and Kairi also enjoyed the Twilight Town specialty as they watched the sunset.

The Gummi Ship cast a shadow on them as it passed overhead.

In the laboratory of Radiant Garden, Naminé was sleeping in a white chair while Ienzo looked on. Ansem the Wise and Vexen were busy working on something in front of a monitor.

Sora and Kairi were nearby, too. Sora pressed his Keyblade to Kairi’s chest, and light flowed out of her.

Finally, Naminé woke up, and Dilan and Aeleus led her out of the laboratory.

The Gummi Ship landed outside the castle, and Riku reached out a hand to her as flower petals fluttered through the air.

After a moment, the Gummi Ship took flight.

The last stop was the Destiny Islands.

Riku, Terra, and Ventus raced one another to the docks while Aqua and Mickey watched them. Elsewhere on the beach, Lea, Isa, and Roxas tossed a disk back and forth between them. Xion and Naminé were collecting thalassa shells down along the shore. Hayner, Pence, and Olette built a sandcastle with Donald and Goofy on the beach.

Riku looked up for a moment.

On the small island across the bridge, Sora and Kairi sat holding hands on the limb of the paopu tree.

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy followed Riku’s gaze, and soon everyone else was watching the two of them.

Sora was saying something to Kairi, and a tear slid down her cheek.

And then, Sora was gone.

Gone, as if he had melted away into the sunset.

Sora was no longer part of the world.