Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Opening: Simple & Clean

A young boy with blue eyes and spikey brown hair picked himself up, finding that he was in some kind of strange black void while standing on a large platform reminiscent of a plexiglass mural.

“So much to do, so little time…” A mysterious voice spoke up. “Take your time. Don't be afraid. The door is still shut. Now, step forward. Can you do it?”

The boy, Sora, took a few slow steps forward. A light suddenly shone down from above as a large stone pedestal rose from the platform in a shower of light and magic. Two more pedestals rose, each of the three showing a different weapon: a sword, a rod, and a shield.

“Power sleeps within you…” The voice spoke again. “If you give it form…It will give you strength. Choose well.”

Walking over to the sword, Sora picked it up.

“The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?”

Sora nodded silently, which the mysterious voice seemed to receive as a confirmation.

“Your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?”

Sora looked between the rod and the shield before pointing toward the rod.

“The path of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You give up this power?”

Sora nodded as the rod vanished in a flash of golden light.

“You’ve chosen the power of the warrior. You’ve given up the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose?”

Sora nodded. The three stones suddenly sank into the floor, knocking him back onto the platform. The ground suddenly rumbled as the edges crumbled, followed by the entire platform shattering like glass. 

Sora fell through the darkness before landing on another platform.

“You gained the power to fight. Use this power to protect yourself and others.” The voice said.

Suddenly, small, shadowy creatures with antennas and beady, yellow eyes emerged from the platform and glared at Sora.

“There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong.”

With sword in hand, Sora fended off the creatures before they eventually faded back into the floor.

“Behind you!”

Hearing the voice’s warning, Sora spun around and cut down the creature that had tried to pounce on him from behind. Suddenly, A black void appears in the center of the platform and sucked him into it.

Sora tried to struggle to escape, only to find himself sitting on a new platform with a door in front of him. Walking over to it, he found out that it was locked.

A treasure chest manifested next, and he went over to check it, only to see that it was empty. A crate and a barrel appeared as well, which he smashed with his sword.

As if that was a prerequisite, the door was unlocked. Sora opened the doors as light flooded out. Bracing himself, the boy walked through before finding himself on a small bridge with three shadows standing around.

“Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself.” The voice said.

It was at that point that the first shadow spoke up.

“What's most important to you?”

“Friendship.” Sora answered.

“Is friendship such a big deal?” The first shadow asked before disappearing.

“What do you want outta life?” The second shadow asked.

“To be strong.” Sora answered.

“To be strong, huh?” The second shadow noted with a nod of acknowledgement before disappearing.

“What are you so afraid of?” The third and final shadow asked.

“Being indecisive.” Sora answered.

“Being indecisive? Is that really so frightening?” The third shadow asked before disappearing.

“You want friendship. You want to be strong. You're afraid of being indecisive. Your adventure begins in the dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your journey's end.” The voice said. “The day you will open the door is both far off and very near.”

Suddenly, the area became engulfed in light as Sora found himself back in the void on another new platform. A bridge manifested for him as he walked across, only to be surrounded by the shadowy monsters from earlier.

Swiftly, he defeated them all, only for a glowing green circle to manifest, power radiating from it. Walking into it, Sora found whatever ailments he had vanishing.

The light then split off toward the edge of the platform, and stairs of stained glass appeared. Sora quickly ran up the stairs onto another platform, only to come face to face with a gigantic, shadowy behemoth.

“The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes.” the voice said. “But don't be afraid. And don't forget…”

The behemoth slammed its fist into the ground, creating a void of darkness that began sucking Sora in as he struggled to get out.

“...you hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don’t forget… You are the one who will open the door.” The voice finished as everything went black.

On a bright sandy beach, Sora yawned as he slowly opened his eyes after the weird dream he had just had. He was about to resume his nap when he saw the face of his best friend, Kairi, staring at him.

With a yelp, Sora jumped back up and turned around as Kairi giggled.

“Gimme a break, Kairi.”

“Sora, you lazy bum. I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here.” Kairi playfully said.

“No! This huge, black THING swallowed me up!” Sora insisted. “I couldn't breathe! I couldn't--”

Kairi rolled her eyes as she flicked him on the forehead, eliciting a yelp of pain from him.

“Are you still dreaming?”

“It wasn't a dream!” Sora argued before pondering. “Or was it? I don't know.”

He looked off toward the ocean, seeing the clouds billow in the sky.

“What was that place? So bizarre…”

“Yeah, sure,” Kairi said.

Sora just pouted before a question came into his head.

“Say, Kairi, what was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up.”

Kairi was silent for a moment as she stared out into the ocean.

“I've told you before, I don't remember.”

“Nothing at all?” Sora asked.

“Nothing.”

“You ever want to go back?”

Kairi seemed to think for a moment before shrugging.

“Well, I'm happy here. But you know... I wouldn't mind going to see it.”

“I'd like to see it too. Along with any other worlds out there.” Sora smiled. “I wanna see 'em all!”

“So what're we waiting for?” Kairi asked.

“Hey!”

Hearing the voice of an older boy, the two friends turned to see the third member of their group, Riku, approaching while carrying a log.

“Aren't you guys forgetting about me? So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft.”

He tossed the log to Sora, who fell over with a yelp as he gave an accusing look to Kairi.

“And you're just as lazy as he is!”

“So you noticed.” Kairi giggled.

“So, what are you three troopers up to?”

The three kids noticed the only two adults on the island, there to provide supervision. Martin, a tall but lithe man with scraggy brown hair, blue eyes, and lightly tanned skin, and Ben, a similarly tall and scraggly young man with curly and unkempt black hair, red eyes, glasses, and pale fair skin.

“Sora was just lazing about instead of working on our project,” Riku joked.

“Or maybe he was just daydreaming. Building a raft is hard work, y’know.” Ben pointed out.

Martin and Ben were considered honorary older siblings to the three kids, their parents trusting them to look out for them.

“Alright, we should get back to work,” Kairi said. “C’mon, guys, I’ll race you.”

“What? Are you kidding?” Riku asked as he flopped on the beach.

Sora rolled his eyes and threw some sand in his friend’s eyes, inciting him to get up and chase after him and Kairi as they ran ahead. Ben and Martin chuckled before looking at each other with serious expressions.

“Sora developed early,” Martin said. “He somehow completed the Dive to the Heart. I knew he was marked as a potential keybearer by Master Eraqus, but I thought Riku would develop first.”

Ben nodded. “And Kairi has potential, too. It’s faint, but it’s there. Then again…”

“Let’s focus first on our important assignment,” Martin cut off. “We still haven’t found this world’s door. Until it’s locked, it’s vulnerable.”

“I just hope the kids are prepared…” Ben sighed. “And if the Heartless somehow manage to drag this world to darkness…”

“We already have an evacuation in place if that happens,” Martin assured his best friend. “Still, we wouldn’t be in this mess if Aqua and Terra hadn’t disappeared.”

Ben simply sighed, but he would trust Martin’s judgement. He just hoped Sora, Riku, and Kairi were prepared for the destiny that awaited them.

Chapter Text

After the end of their race, Sora met up with Kairi, who gave him a list of supplies they’d need.

“Okay, here's what you need to go find: Two logs, one cloth, and one rope. Bring everything back here. If you need help, just ask. I'm counting on you!”

Sora smiled and nodded as he ran along the beach collecting logs before running into another of his friends, Selphie.

“Ah, the breeze feels great,” Selphia said with a smile. “So, Sora, what are you up to these days? We never see you.”

“Maybe you would if you didn’t spend so much time hanging around the Encanto where Ben and I live,” Martin said as he came over.

“Hey, I like the food there,” Selphie pointed out. “And Bruno’s funny. It makes me wonder why no one talks about him.”

Sora chuckled.

“If you wanna catch up, we can have a quick duel. Like back at the dojo Martin owns.”

“A challenge on variable terrain would do you both some good,” Martin decided, “Alright, I’ll referee.”

Selphie used her jump rope as a makeshift whip, showing some impressive fortitude with it. However, Sora eventually got the upper hand by timing his sword swings to knock the rope end right into Selphia, eventually giving him the win.

“Aww, I can’t believe I lost!” Selphie whined.

“Well, they say failure is the best teacher.” Martin pointed out. “Check where you can improve from this.”

Sora then noticed Wakka nearby.

“Hey, what's happening, man? You up for a round?”

“I’m feeling pretty good today,” Sora explained, “I think I could go for another round or two.” 

“Well, if you’ve got the time, I’d love to see how you’ve been improving your skills. Especially with all the new moves the adults have been teaching you!”

Sora nodded as he and Wakka sparred, which Sora readily won by timing his swings to knock back Wakka’s blitz ball.

“I see you’ve been perfecting the parry move we taught you,” Martin noted, “That will come in handy when you finally make your journey.”

With that out of the way, Sora went to a small tree hut and found some cloth. He also found a coil of rope among the high boards, only to dodge an incoming wooden sword swing from Tidus.

“Hey, Sora! You feelin' lucky today!”

Sora grinned. “I’m feeling like I can take on the world!”

Sure enough, Sora beat Tidus, parrying his attacks and countering until he knocked Tidus down.

“Man, I’m really off today.”

“Well, Ben and Martin are giving lessons if you want.” Sora offered.

As Tidus nodded and headed off, Sora made his way through the Seaside Shack and across the bridge to the small island, where he found Riku waiting by a log.

“Saw you school our island friends. Think you can take on a real challenge now?”

“What? Against you?” Sora asked. “Come on, Riku! That’s not fair!”

“Hey, you gotta prove you're tough enough for the trip, right?”

Sora sighed as he readied his wooden sword, and Riku got out his own. It was a closer fight, but Sora eventually managed to pull it off.

“Wow, not bad,” Riku panted as he picked himself up. “Of course, I was holding back.”

“Sure you were…” Sora said with a roll of his eyes.

“Riku, remember what we taught you,” Ben said, “Never make excuses for losing. Simply take it as a lesson and be better for next time.”

With all the supplies gathered, Sora made his way back to Kairi.

“Thanks, Sora! I found something today, too. Here, it's yours.”

She handed Sora a Hi-Potion, though he was confused.

“Why would I need this?”

Kairi giggled. “Just in case, y’know?”

It was getting late, and the sun was setting, so Sora, Riku, and Kairi decided to watch it together.

“Hey, kids!” Ben said as he and Martin came over. “Enjoying the sunset?”

“You know it.” Kairi smiled. “It’s one of my favorite times of the day.”

“Well, if you guys are really set on this big adventure, this might be the last one you see for a while.” Martin pointed out. “Best to enjoy it while you can.”

The five sat together, watching the sunset in peace.

“So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?” Sora asked.

“Could be. We'll never know by staying here.” Riku said.

“There’s a ton out there, Riku,” Martin said, “Worlds that defy imagination.”

“Yeah, there are a lot of places out there with endless possibilities.” Ben smiled. “Some of them are the kind you’d definitely enjoy.”

“But how far could a raft take us?” Sora wondered.

“Yeah, I mean…” Ben began, only for Martin to elbow him.

“Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else.” Riku said.

Martin and Ben gave each other knowing looks, as they knew of two surefire ways to traverse the boundaries between worlds safely.

“So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?” Kairi wondered.

“Well, I haven't really thought about it,” Riku admitted. “It's just... I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds... Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could've just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?”

“It’s one of life’s greatest mysteries, isn’t it?” Ben noted. “Why are we here? I mean, is there some big primordial being with a plan for us and stuff or is it just the wheels of fate?”

“Hey, Martin, Ben, you two come from another world, right? What’s it like?” Sora asked.

“Honestly, I can’t remember,” Martin said, “Truth is, I’ve been to so many other worlds, I can’t even remember which one is mine.”

“My home is where my friends are. I couldn’t care less where I came from.” Ben said.

“Well, just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go.” Riku said.

“You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?” Kairi noted.

“Thanks to you. If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this.”

“You're welcome.” Kairi playfully replied.

“Hey, what are we, chopped liver?” Ben quipped.

“Ugh, I hate the thought of eating animal organs…” Martin groaned.

“I don’t. I eat meat all the time.” Ben said.

“Tongues are meat, animal hearts are meat, heck even animal stomachs are meat,” Martin said, “Liver is not meat. I’m not even sure it’s one-hundred percent safe to consume.”

The sun had finished setting and was making way for nighttime. As everyone headed back home, Riku stopped Sora before tossing him a star-shaped fruit.

“You wanted one, didn't you?”

“A paopu fruit…” Sora realized.

“If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what.” Riku explained. “C'mon, I know you want to try it.

“What are you talking–“ Sora asked before Ben patted him on the head.

“Come on! You know how much you’ve been crushing on Kairi since she first came here.”

Sora blushed before throwing the paopu fruit into Ben’s face in embarrassment, before running off as Riku laughed before chasing after him.

“I may have deserved that…” Ben admitted.

“Yes,” Martin said. “Yes, you did.”

Meanwhile, in the world of Disneyland, the Court Wizard of Disney Castle, Donald Duck, walked proudly through the halls before entering the throne to greet the King, Mickey Mouse.

“Good morning, Your Majesty.” He began. “It's nice to see you this morn--"

He suddenly let out a squawk of alarm when he saw that the throne was completely empty. As he wondered where his king and best friend could have gone, Mickey’s loyal pet dog Pluto came out from behind the throne, a letter in his mouth.

Taking the letter, Donald opened it up and read it, taking a minute to reread it a few more times to make sure what he saw was correct. After a brief moment, he bolted out of the throne room in a panic, coming to the gardens where Goofy, the Royal Captain, was taking a nap.

“Wake up, Goofy, wake up! This is serious!”

However, Goofy continued to snore the day away. Annoyed, Donald cast Thunder, shocking his friend awake. 

“Hey there, Donald. G'morning.” Goofy greeted, as if he hadn’t just been hit by lightning earlier.

“We've got a problem, Goofy! But don't tell anyone…”

Goofy looked interested.

“Prime Minister Oswald?”

“Well, maybe him,” Donald admitted. “He is the king’s brother, after all.”

“Queen Minnie?”

“No, not her!” Donald insisted.

“Daisy?”

“No, it's top secret!”

“G'morning, ladies and gent!”

It was at that moment that Donald realized Goofy hadn’t been looking at him and turned around awkwardly to see Queen Minnie Mouse, Prime Minister Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and Donald’s girlfriend and the Lady-in-Waiting, Daisy Duck. Donald gave a sheepish chuckle, realizing they had to have heard the whole thing.

“What do you need to tell us, guys?” Oswald asked.

Back on Destiny Islands, a brand new day had begun, and Sora was making his way to the cove when he bumped into Riku.

“Hey, Sora. Our raft still needs a name. Let's see... How about Highwind? What would you call it?”

“Me? Well...hm... Excalibur!”

“Hey, how about…”

“The usual?”

“Let's do it!” Riku smirked.

“You guys at it again?”

Sora and Riku turned to see Kairi on the nearby wooden bridge. Ben and Martin were also with her.

“All right, I'll be the judge. The usual rules apply. Take any route you want... First one to tag that tree and make it back here wins.”

“Personally, I would have gone with Thousand Sunny,” Martin whispered to Ben.

“If I win, I'm captain!” Sora said excitedly. “And if you win..."

“I get to share the paopu with Kairi.”

Sora looked confused and flustered when he heard that.

“Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi.”

“Wha... Wait a minute…!” Sora tried to protest.

“Okay! On my count!” Kairi called out.

Sora shook his head, realizing he’d have to shelf those thoughts as he and Riku began to race as soon as Kairi said go.

Sora and Riku were neck and neck, but the sheer adrenaline Sora was feeling from the challenge Riku gave him earlier made him reach the tree first as he cheered.

“Now the score’s 2 to 0!”

“Man, lighten up. It’s just a name, after all.” Riku said.

“I dunno about that…” Ben smirked. “You did kinda threaten to steal his girl after all.”

“Ah, such youthful innocence,” Martin said with a roll of his eyes. “Maybe let Kairi decide who she wants to eat the fruit with?”

Sora made his way over to Kairi, who needed help with collecting provisions for the trip.

“Let’s see. Sora, you’re looking for... One seagull egg, three mushrooms, two coconuts, three fish, and fill this bottle up with drinking water. But not from the ocean! Bring everything back here. If you need help, just ask.”

“How are those kids even gonna survive on just that?” Ben asked Martin.

“We may need to ask Julieta to make them a few days' worth of lunches,” Martin decided.

Sora found a mushroom behind a rock and another amongst the bushes. He crossed a hole in the rocky wall, where fresh water was trickling out, and filled up the empty bottle Kairi gave him.

As he made his way back, he bumped into Selphie, who seemed to be thinking about something.

“Hey, Sora. Have you heard about the legendary power of the paopu fruit? They say if you share it with someone you really care for, it binds you together forever and ever through eternity! It's so romantic. I gotta try it sometime.”

“Well, I know you’ve been looking at Tidus a few times…” Sora whispered to himself.

“I heard that!”

Sora made his way to the river and caught some fish before swimming over to the small island, where Tidus was practicing.

“Man, Ben and Martin are tough but fair. I think I’ve gotten stronger thanks to them.” He noted. “But I doubt I could match you and Riku, though.”

Sora walked across the bridge and climbed a tree to retrieve a seagull egg and some coconuts. He then entered the Seaside Shack and walked down the stairs to the beach floor, where Wakka was practicing with his blitzball.

“Me and Tidus, we are gonna do a little explorin' today. You know, to the secret place at the base of that tree. There's gotta be something there, ya?”

Sora figured he’d get a head start and went to the secret place, heading through an underground tunnel. He soon reached a room made of walled boulders with chalk drawings scrawled on them. The only light is from a small hole in the ceiling.

As he picked the final mushroom needed for the provisions, Sora noticed an old chalk drawing he and Kairi had drawn of each other when they were little.

Recalling Riku and Ben’s words, Sora took a rock and began carving some new additions onto the drawing; him giving Kairi a paopu fruit.

Suddenly, a dark chill filled the air as Sora shivered slightly, looking around nervously.

“Wh-who’s there?”

“I’ve come to see the door to this world.”

“Huh?”

“This world has been connected.”

Sora turned around and saw a tall, black armored figure with a cape.

“Wh-What are you talking about?” Sora asked the figure, wondering how the heck someone like him got here.

“Tied to the darkness... Soon to be completely eclipsed.” The man said, refusing to clarify anything else.

“Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this!” Sora demanded.

“You do not yet know what lies beyond the door.”

“So, you’re from another world!” Sora realized.

“There is so very much to learn. You understand so little. But soon, that will be remedied. Know this, however. Knowledge does not equate to freedom."

“Oh, yeah? Well, you’ll see. I’m gonna get out and learn what’s out there!” Sora said defiantly.

“Yes, you will, gallant youth.” The figure said. “But can you handle what you are destined to learn?”

Sora then looked toward the board in the wall and realized it resembled a door, but it had no lock or doorknob. As he turned back to the armored figure, he realized that he had vanished.

More than a little creeped out, Sora decided to get out of the secret cave and returned to the mast, finding Kairi there fiddling with something.

“Hey, Kairi, what’s up?”

“I’m making a necklace of thalassa shells,” Kairi explained. “In the old days, sailors always wore thalassa shells. They were supposed to ensure a safe voyage.”

She presented what she was working on, which was a star-shaped charm made out of the shells.

“It’s a charm to help us find each other if we ever get separated. The three of us will always be together.”

She placed the Wayfinder in her pocket as Sora handed over the provisions, receiving another Hi-Potion as a reward.

“Tired? Want to call it a day?” Kairi asked.

“Yeah, let’s go home,” Sora said.

“Okay, tomorrow’s the big day. We should rest up!”

Later, during the sunset, Sora and Kairi sat at the edge of the dock alone without Riku, Martin, and Ben.

“You know, Riku has changed,” Kairi noted.

“What do you mean?” Sora asked.

Kairi looked like she wanted to reply, but bit her lip as she looked away for a brief moment. Sora started to get worried.

“You okay?”

“Sora, let’s take the raft and go—just the two of us!” Kairi said.

Sora was greatly confused as Kairi giggled at his reaction.

“Just kidding.”

“What’s gotten into you?” Sora wondered. “You’re the one that’s changed, Kairi.”

“Maybe…” Kairi admitted. “You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I’m ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?"

“Yeah, of course!” Sora smiled.

“That’s good,” Kairi said before frowning. “Sora, don’t ever change.”

Sora was once more confused as Kairi took a final look over the ocean.

“I just can’t wait. Once we set sail, it’ll be great.”

Unbeknownst to the two, Ben and Martin were watching from nearby.

“They are so cute together, Martin.”

“So when are you gonna propose to Luisa?” Martin quipped, “Didn’t you want to share the paopu with her?”

“No comment.” Ben retorted. “Unless you agree to spill about that midnight date with Isabela.”

Martin choked on his water.

“You saw that…?”

Meanwhile, in the libraries of Disney Castle, Donald had read the note he received to everyone.

Donald,

Sorry to rush off without sayin’ goodbye, but there’s big trouble brewin’. Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin’ out, one by one. And that means disaster can’t be far behind. I hate to leave you all, but I’ve gotta go check into it. There’s someone with a “key”—the key to our survival. So I need you and Goofy to find him and stick with him. Got it? We need that key or we’re doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Leon. He’ll point you in the right direction.

P.S.

Would ya apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks, pal.

“Oh, dear! What could this mean?” Daisy wondered worriedly.

“We’ll just have to trust the king,” Minnie said.

Oswald nodded. “Mickey knows what he’s doing. My brother is one of the strongest Keybearers there is. Actually, the key he was referring to may be another Keybearer, one that’s still active out there somehow.”

“Gawrsh, I sure hope he’s all right,” Goofy said.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find the king and this 'key'.” Oswald promised.

Minnie smiled in gratitude.

“Thank you, both of you. Oh, and to chronicle your travels, he will accompany you.

She pointed toward the desk as a small anthropomorphic cricket in a top hat and waistcoat hopped onto the table.

“Cricket’s the name. Jiminy Cricket, at your service.”

“We hope for your safe return. Please help the king.” Minnie said.

“I better head out as well.“ Oswald added. "Something tells me Mickey's gonna need an extra hand on deck for this."

Donald and Goofy headed into the courtyard leading to the Gummi Ship Control Room, which allowed the people of Disneyland to explore the interconnected worlds.

“Gawrsh, Jiminy, your world disappeared, too?” Goofy asked.

“It was terrible. We were scattered.” Jiminy sadly said. “And as far as I can see, I’m the only one who made it to this castle.”

“Goofy?” Donald spoke up sternly.

“Oh, right... I gotcha. Ya mean, while we’re in other worlds, we can’t let on where we’re from. We’ve gotta protect the world border.”

“Order.” Donald corrected.

“I guess we’ll need new duds when we get there,” Goofy suggested.

Making their way to the hanging control booth, the launch bay was being manned by gremlins.

“Ah, excellent timing!” The leader, Gus, said. “Chip! Dale! They’re ready!’

Donald and Goofy were brought onto the Gummi Ship, Donald being annoyed that the boarding system got them upside-down, getting ready to set off as the shaft opened and dropped the ship into the space that connected all worlds together.

Meanwhile, Sora sits alone in his bedroom, his thoughts drifting back to his conversation with Kairi.

“I wonder what Kairi’s world is like?” He thought.

Suddenly, he was snapped out of his musings by the sound of thunder. Looking outside his window, he saw lightning flashing near the small island where the raft was.

“Oh, no, the raft!”

Sora quickly jumped out the window and ran for the raft to save it from getting burned down by lightning. However, he then saw a giant orb of energy hanging low in the sky, wind swirling in its dark depths.

“What’s that?” He wondered in shock.

Ben and Martin had seen the orb, too.

“Crap, they found it before us!” Ben said. “We need to get the people evacuated! This world is about to be consumed!”

“Hold on, Sora’s out there!” Martin realized.

Sure enough, the two saw Sora running out to the boats, where shadows were beginning to gather until they manifested as the monsters from his dream.

“What are these things?”

Sora tried to hit them with his wooden sword, but the attacks did little to no damage. Seeing no other option, he ran for it, eventually finding Riku standing at the small island across the bridge, facing the orb in the sky.

“Where’s Kairi? I thought she was with you!”

“The door has opened…” Riku said cryptically, much to Sora’s confusion. “Now we can go to the outside world!"

“What are you talking about? We’ve gotta find Kairi!” Sora insisted.

“Kairi’s coming with us!” Riku replied. “Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There’s no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can’t let fear stop us! I’m not afraid of the darkness!”

He held out a hand to Sora as a pool of darkness formed at his feet. Sora rushed to try and pull Riku away, but it was too late as the darkness consumed him, leaving the boy alone. More of the Shadows began to appear and attempted to attack Sora, who panicked as he held out his hand, and a flash of light emitted from it.

“Keyblade... Keyblade…”

Confused by the mysterious voice, Sora suddenly saw himself holding what looked like a giant skeleton key with a long silver keychain and a mouse-earred token on the end. The blade and teeth of the Keyblade were silver, the rainguard was blue, and the guard was bright gold. The teeth of the Keyblade formed the outline of a crown.

“Sora!” Martin called out.

A Shadow leaped at him, only for Martin to slice it with a weapon just like the one Sora was now holding. The weapon looked like it was forged from solid carbon and brimstone, the key’s teeth jutting out like smiling jaws, and the keychain was a grinning skull and crossbones.

“What the heck?” Sora asked.

“It’s a long story,” Ben said, also holding his own key-shaped weapon.

It was predominantly colored in different shades of blue and was decorated with elaborate, spiked shapes. The tip of the blade appeared to be a stopwatch, while the teeth were diamond-shaped spikes that were connected by a black web structure. The keychain appeared to be an hourglass.

“We were hoping to have more time to get you used to this, but it looks like the Heartless made the decision for us,” Martin said. “Just focus on us and use what we taught you!”

Despite still being horribly confused, Sora joined Martin and Ben in chopping down the Shadows until there were almost none left.

“Where’s Riku?!” Ben asked.

“He disappeared into that black void thing,” Sora explained.

“There may still be time!” Martin said. “You find Kairi! We’re getting everyone else out of here!”

Sora nodded and ran to find Kairi, eventually finding her in the secret cave, where she was standing in front of the door-like wall that Sora had found earlier.

“Kairi!”

Kairi turned to face Sora, an almost dead look in her eyes.

“Sora…”

Suddenly, the doors swung open, and a massive gust of wind blew her towards Sora. He tried to grab Kairi, only for her to suddenly vanish like a ghost. The winds continued to blow, launching Sora out of the cave and onto a chunk of land that had been upheaved from the island and was being sucked into the giant orb.

To make matters worse, the giant behemoth shadow from his dream rose up. Despite his fear, Sora readied his newfound weapon and rushed toward it, avoiding its giant fist as he climbed up its arm and slashed it across the neck, causing it to bleed a shadowy mist.

“Want some more?!”

Sora continued hacking and slashing the giant beast. Eventually, it fell to its knees, seemingly dying as its body was sucked into the orb. Sora then realized he was being pulled in as well and tried to hang on to something, only to be pulled into the vortex, screaming for help…

Donald and Goofy were in a large town. Goofy looked up and pointed.

“Look! A star’s goin’ out!”

Martin and Ben were nearby, having successfully evacuated the people of Destiny Islands.

“There goes another world…” Martin sighed.

“We gotta find the source of those Heartless and fast…” Ben said.

“Let’s start by finding Sora, Kairi, and Riku,” Martin said. “They can’t have been sent far.”

Donald and Goofy were walking just nearby.

“Where’s that key?” Donald wondered aloud.

“Hey, y’know, maybe we oughta find Leon,” Goofy suggested before noticing Pluto walking off nearby. “Hey, Donald, I betcha that–”

“Ah, what do you know, ya big palooka?” Donald said dismissively.

Little did Donald know, the alley Pluto had just gone down happened to have Sora in it, out cold but alive after getting whisked away. Martin and Ben had noticed, however, and followed the dog to where Sora was. Martin grinned.

“You wanna do the honors, or may I?”

“Hey, you’re fire, I’m water here.”

Ben then swung his Keyblade and splashed Sora with a gout of water, causing him to wake up with a sputter.

“W-What’s going on?!”

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!” Ben quipped.

“I thought that was Princess Aurora,” Martin noted.

Sora was still freaked out and confused as Martin sighed before getting down on one knee and putting a hand on the younger boy’s shoulder.

“Take a deep breath. You’ve just been through a forced world transfer.”

Sora was confused.

“Wait... What about the islands!?”

“Gone, I’m afraid,” Ben said sadly, “But we managed to get everyone here to Traverse Town. It’s what we call a hub world, a crossroads between multiple worlds.”

Sora then realized something.

“Kairi… She just vanished.”

“We’ll get her back,” Martin promised. “Now there’s probably a lot of questions you might have…Ben and I will do our best to answer them. For now, though, let’s take you on a tour of this place. You wanted to see a new world, Sora. Well…”

He brought Sora out of the alley.

“Now you’re gonna get your chance.”

Chapter Text

“Wait…” Sora began as he processed what Ben and Martin had finished telling him. “You’re telling me that I’m now part of a group of people who wield these Keyblades to protect worlds from dark forces?”

“You remember that dream you were telling us about?” Martin asked. “Well, that was no dream. It’s what we call a Dive to the Heart. A call to action that lets a potential keybearer know they are ready for the responsibility of protecting numerous worlds.”

“We were honestly expecting Riku to have that dream first. But I guess your heart was stronger.” Ben noted. “Kairi also has the potential, but since we don’t know where she and Riku are…”

Sora frowned, saddened at the mention of his missing friends as Martin placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll find them. But first, let’s get you used to this hub world. Traverse Town has a number of shops we can make use of.”

He first brought Sora to a small item shop, headed up by Huey, Duey, and Louie.

“Hey, boys! How’s your Uncle Donald and Uncle Scrooge?” Ben greeted.

“We haven’t heard from Uncle Donald for a few days now,” Huey admitted.

“But Uncle Scrooge is working the real estate nearby to help all the new arrivals get affordable housing,” Louie added.

“That mallard always knows how to generate long-term profit,” Martin noted.

“No wonder he’s the richest duck in all the world.” Ben quipped.

“Uhhh…” Sora muttered.

“Oh, these are Huey, Duey, and Louie, the nephews of a couple of friends of ours,” Martin explained. “They come from Disneyland, one of the world bastions of light.”

“Pleased to meetcha!” Duey said, “We’re taking up Uncle Scrooge’s business model to start our own item shop. Making money the same way he did. By working smarter, not harder.”

“Uncle Scrooge always prides himself on being sharper than the sharpies and tougher than the toughies,” Huey said, “And making his fortune square.”

Sora tilted his head.

“But not fair?”

“Sometimes you gotta play dirty to get things done,” Ben said. “But that doesn’t mean you stoop to the worst levels.”

After purchasing some Potions, Ethers, and a Tent, the three headed into another large shop.

“Hey there,” the man behind the counter said, “How can I– Well, I’ll be a greased pig. Marty and Benny-Boy.”

Ben and Martin laughed as they each shared a hug with Cid.

“Good to see you again, Cid,” Martin said, “Sora, this is Cid Highwind, a skilled engineer.”

“Didn’t know you boys adopted a kid,” Cid noted as he looked Sora over.

“I'm not a kid!” Sora huffed.

“Sora’s one of the refugees that came in recently,” Ben clarified, “Only he’s got something more special than the others. Oh, is Squall here?”

“Y’mean Leon?” Cid asked. “He changed his name after what happened back then. Considers himself a failure, no matter how much his wife tells him otherwise.”

Martin winced while Ben sucked his teeth. Sora just looked confused and maybe a little concerned.

“Anyway,” Martin began. “It looks like you have a consecrated circle in your shop.”

“Well, things have been getting rowdy as of late,” Cid said, “I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.”

“What’s a conse-whatever you call it?” Sora asked.

Ben brought Sora over to a glowing green circle.

“These places are designed to remind you when you step on them. Should you wind up taking fatal damage, time will literally rewind to the most recent moment you touched such a circle. Trust me, these are going to be important going forward.”

Sora gulped nervously at the mention of the word “Fatal”.

“Well, I got a little something for the kid,” Cid said. “Here, take this Protect Chain. Half off, since I’m feeling nice due to him losing his world and all.”

Sora accepted the Protect Chain as Ben and Martin paid for it. Heading outside, the trio headed for the Second District. There, they saw a man fall over, a heart flying out of his frozen body as an armored dark figure appeared.

“Heartless!” Martin said. “And it looks like they’ve started using Emblems. This one’s called a Soldier.”

“Emblems?” Sora asked as he instinctively summoned his Keyblade, which he had decided to call Kingdom Key.

“They are a type of Heartless that have more of a personality,” Ben said. “I’m not really good at explaining it, so let’s just kill it!”

The Soldier disappeared, replaced by Shadows.

“Or we can take out these ones,” Martin said. “That works too.”

The three together were able to dispatch the Heartless easily. Sora was slowly starting to get the hang of his new weapon as Ben patted him on the back.

“You’re learning, kiddo. Good job, but you can still do better.”

They headed back to First District, where a new figure started to approach.

“They'll come at you out of nowhere. And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade.”

Martin rolled his eyes as he and Ben turned around to face the man who spoke.

“Hey, Squall…or should we call you Leon now?”

Leon gave them a curt nod before turning to Sora.

“But why…? Why would it choose a kid like you?”

“Hey! What's that supposed to mean?” Sora demanded.

“I mean, do you know the average age for new keybearers?” Ben asked. “Because it’s ten to eleven.”

“Sora, this is the Squall guy we mentioned earlier. Or Leon, as he prefers to be called now.” Martin told Sora. “Don’t mind his attitude. He’s like that to everyone he meets for the first time. And he has a habit of internal monologues.”

“Yeah, a real edgelord type,” Ben smirked. “The kind of people who didn’t get enough attention when they were little.”

“That’s kinda mean to say…” Sora pointed out.

“Especially to an orphan,” Leon added.

‘Right, sorry, what was I thinking…” Ben grumbled. “Sheesh, some people just can’t take a joke…”

Leon sighed.

“Listen, kid. Martin and Ben seem to vouch for you. But I still need to know you’re skilled enough to use that weapon. So…”

He drew his gunblade.

“Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Sora realized that Martin and Ben were backing away and instinctively drew his Kingdom Key. Dodging Leon’s slashes and deflecting his fireballs, Sora eventually had Leon down to one knee. But then he passed out.

“Aww, he’s all tuckered out…” Ben said as he moved to carry the boy.

It was at that moment that a girl dressed in green and yellow ninja clothes came over.

“Aw, you're slipping, Leon.”

“I went easy on him,” Leon said before frowning. “It looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse.”

“And?” Martin said with a grin.

Leon smirked.

“And it looks like you trained him well. Kid fought smart, knew better than to try rushing me without thinking.”

Meanwhile, Riku woke up to find himself in a void of darkness

“Where…am I?” He wondered, fear gripping his heart. “Sora! Kairi!”

“They are not here, child. You are alone in this void of darkness.”

It was at that moment that Riku saw the same black armored figure Sora had met earlier, now being accompanied by another armored figure in brighter colors but still with a menacing and towering appearance.

“Who are you two?” Riku demanded.

“Worldly travelers like yourself. I am Golbez Harvey.” The dark armored figure said. “This one is known only as Exdeath.”

“Your desire to see other worlds has brought you only to this void,” Exdeath said. “The remains of a world in ruin, but not yet destroyed. There is a great destiny before you, young man. But do not mistake your place in it. Come, we will show you.”

Seeing no other option, Riku followed the two men as they led him through the realm to a dark castle. Nearby, a figure with green skin and dressed in black robes observed them.

Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy were in an alleyway of Traverse Town.

“Gawrsh, there's nobody here. Sure is spooky!” Goofy noted.

“Aw, phooey. I'm not scared.” Donald huffed.

“Excuse me.”

Donald let out a comical squawk of terror, leaping onto Goofy’s back.

“Did the king send you?”

The two toons turned to see a pair of girls there. The first was a beautiful brunette with a red ribbon in her hair, and the other was a tough yet lovely girl with long black hair and red eyes.

Sora groaned as he opened his eyes

“You okay?”

“I guess…”

“Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade. But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade.” The girl said.

“I'm so glad that you're okay, Kairi.”

“Kairi? Who are you talking about?” The girl asked. “I'm the great ninja Yuffie.”

It was then that  Sora got a better look to see it was the ninja girl who was with Leon.

“I think you might have overdone it, Squall,” Yuffie said.

“That’s Leon,” Leon reminded her. “Only Rinoa has the right to call me by my old name anymore.”

“W-Where are Ben and Martin?” Sora nervously asked.

“Right here, little buddy,” Ben said, sitting beside the bed with Martin.

“We had to dash away real quick while Leon and Yuffie got you here,” Martin explained. “Turns out the Heartless are drawn to any Keyblade wielders by their own weapon. 

“Yeah, you would not believe how hard it was for me and Martin when we started out.” Ben chuckled mirthlessly. “Back in the days before the Heartless, when we only had to worry about the Unversed. Those damn things are attracted to us like metal on magnets.”

“Still hard to believe that you, of all people, are the chosen one,” Leon noted. “But I suppose beggars can’t be choosers.”

“There is no ‘chosen one’, Leon,” Martin reminded him. “Anyone with a strong enough heart can wield a Keyblade.”

“Unfortunately, that also means BAD people…” Ben muttered with a long-suffering sigh.

Next door, the girls that Donald and Goofy met, Aerith and Tifa, were explaining things to them.

“Okay, you know there are many other worlds out there besides your castle and this town, right?” Tifa noted.

“Yeah.” Donald nodded.

“But they're supposed to be a secret,” Goofy said.

“They've been secret because they've never been connected. Until now.” Aerith explained. “When the Heartless came, everything changed.”

As it so happened, Sora was having a similar conversation with Martin, Ben, Leon, and Yuffie.

“The Heartless?”

“The ones who attacked you, you remember?” Yuffie pointed out.

“Those without hearts.” Leon clarified.

“The darkness in people's hearts, that's what attracts them,” Ben said.

“And there is darkness within every heart,” Leon said.

“For every light casts a shadow of darkness,” Martin said. “One could even say the light creates the darkness.”

“Hey, have you heard of someone named Ansem?”

Ben and Martin both cringed at the mention of that name.

“Ansem?” Goofy asked.

“He was studying the Heartless. He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report.” Aerith explained.

“Gawrsh, uh, can we see it?”

Tifa shook her head.

“No dice. The pages were scattered everywhere to countless worlds.”

“Oh, then maybe the king went to find 'em,” Goofy suggested.

“Yes, those were my thoughts exactly,” Aerith said with a nod.

“We've gotta find him quick!” Goofy said as he began to stand up.

“Wait!” Donald cried, stopping his friend. “First, we need that "key"!”

“That's right. The Keyblade.” Aerith said.

“So... this is the key?” Sora asked as he summoned his Kingdom Key.

“Exactly!” Yuffie smiled. “Martin and Ben have them too!”

“As you probably already saw,” Ben said. “The Heartless hate these things since it’s the only weapon that can permanently kill them.”

“That's why they'll keep coming after you no matter what,” Leon said.

“Well, I didn't ask for this!” Sora protested.

“Hey, nobody does.” Martin pointed out. “But the Keyblade chooses its master. And it chose you. So tough luck.”

“But it does come with some good benefits. Besides being a weapon, the Keyblade is also a universal key.” Ben added. “It can unlock any lock and lock them up once again. And this even works on conceptual locks.”

“So what happened with the island?” Sora asked.

“The Heartless found the heart of Destiny Islands,” Martin explained. “And when they took it, it caused the world itself to vanish. Luckily, we’ve seen this sort of thing happen before. Only the world itself vanishes, not the people within it. 

“Which means they can be evacuated and regroup on other worlds.” Ben added. “Martin and I had been searching for the heart ourselves to lock it and keep the Heartless from finding it. But we were too late.”

“So Kairi and Riku might still be out there!” Sora realized, “Hold on… What does the heart of a world look like?”

“Usually it involves finding a door with a keyhole of some kind,” Martin said.

“The door in the cave!” Sora gasped. “Where I found that armored guy!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up! Armored guy?” Ben asked, “And the keyhole was right under our noses the whole time?! We must have checked that cave dozens of times!”

“Sora, I need you to think back very carefully.” Martin said, nervousness in his tone. “Did this guy have a large cape and carry a weapon as tall as he was?”

“Y-Yeah?” Sora answered, worried about Martin’s reaction.

Martin calmly stood up…then yelled angrily as he began banging his head against the nearby wall.

“That’s a good way to kill brain cells,” Yuffie quipped.

“Sora, you’re lucky to be alive right now!” Ben said. “That was Golbez Harvey, a member of Chaos! A group of ten individuals who seem intent on causing problems for other worlds!”

“W-Wait, was he with the Heartless?!” Sora asked.

“Not exactly, but they are able to use the darkness in their hearts to control them.” Martin explained. “Though this is the first time I’ve heard of one of their visits to another world preceding its destruction. Someone else must also be controlling them.”

“Or this is all part of a much larger plan.” Ben pointed out. “Can’t leave any possibilities out, y’know?”

“Well, we should meet up with the girls,” Leon suggested, “Tifa and Aerith are with two other guests.”

Suddenly, a Soldier appeared inside the room. Martin was quick to slice it down with his Keyblade, Grand Kahuna.

“That was close!”

“There’s more outside!” Yufie gasped.

“Must be a large Emblem controlling them!” Ben realized. “We’ve got to find and destroy it!”

“Well, Sora, nothing better than a trial by fire!” Martin said. “Follow us!”

He bashed through into the other room, unknowingly hitting Donald against the wall on the way out. Tifa glared at Ben.

“We coulda been naked…”

“Not my fault that Martin went Leeroy Jenkins!” Ben argued defensively. “Poor man just ran right in…”

“At least I had chicken!” Martin called out from afar.

Sora headed outside to see a huge horde of Shadows, alongside a couple of Soldiers.

“Don't bother with the small fry!” Leon said. “Find the leader! Let's go!”

The search took the group to the Third District. Sora looked around, then suddenly heard an explosion and the most bizarre holler he’d ever heard.

Before the boy could react, he was pinned to the ground by two boys while still clutching onto his Kingdom Key. It was then that he heard the two figures on top of him gasp in delight.

“The key!”

“Well, well, well, Donald Duck and Goofy, two of the Three Musketeers.” Ben chuckled. “Where’s Mickey?”

“Howdy, Ben! You too, Martin!” Goofy greeted them as he and Donald got off Sora.

Donald looked at them.

“Wait… Did they always have their own keys?”

Martin facepalmed. Suddenly, the entire area was encircled by rising stone pillars. A number of Soldiers appeared to attack.

“Uh-oh,” Goofy said, “That’s a lot of Heartless!”

“It gets worse! Look!” Ben called out.

Suddenly, several armor pieces fell to the ground, arranging themselves in a humanoid formation.

“A Guard Armor!” Martin realized.

“That’s a Boss Emblem!” Ben said. “It must be the leader calling in the other Heartless!”

Donald and Goofy quickly got on guard, drawing their weapons, the Mage’s Staff and the Knight’s Shield, respectively. Once enough of the armor parts were destroyed, the Guard Armor shuddered, the helmet falling to the ground as a heart flew out of its body.

“Emblem Heartless that are slain by the Keyblade release the hearts they’ve collected,” Martin explained. “We assume to return to their original owners. But we don’t know for sure.”

“So, you were looking for me?” Sora asked Donald and Goofy, who nodded.

“They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade,” Leon said.

“We heard about them from King Mickey,” Tifa added. “He asked us to explain about Ansem as well. Apparently, they’ve met before.”

“Hey, why don't you come with us?” Goofy offered. “We can go to other worlds on our vessel.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Martin said, “With things as they are, the corridors between worlds are too congested with Heartless to risk using the Keyblade to travel. Even if Sora was trained enough to be able to do that.”

“I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi…” Sora wondered hopefully.

“So the Big Mouse has gone missing, huh?” Ben noted as Donald nodded.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Martin said. “Mickey’s gotten out of bigger scraps than this. But I wouldn’t mind searching for him anyway. I’ve met Ansem as well, so I’d like to get Mickey’s perspective on his research.”

“Well, that’s just swell!” Goofy smiled. “We could use you guys’ help to make sure he’s alright.”

“Sora, go with them,” Leon said. “Especially if you want to find your friends.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Sora said, still a little down.

“But you can't come along looking like that.” Donald said. “No frowning. No sad face. Okay?”

“Yeah, ya gotta look funny, like us!” Goofy smiled.

“This boat runs on happy faces!” Donald said.

”Sora, I won’t lie,” Martin said, “Things are gonna get dark. But you can’t let that get to you. Because the second you do, dark becomes bleak. And that’s not something we can abide by. So go ahead and follow Donald’s advice.”

“That’s the mark of true courage. Smiling even through the tough times.” Ben said. “Even when you’re scared, even when all hope seems lost, never stop fighting.”

Sora pondered on everyone’s words before looking down, then giving the goofiest grin imaginable.

“Cheese!”

There was an awkward silence as Yuffie, Aerith, and Tifa giggled, while Ben, Donald, and Goofy burst out laughing.

“That’s one funny face!” Goofy said.

“And he would know,” Ben said, “Goofy’s the master of the slapstick.”

“You would not believe how many times he’s hit his head.” Martin chuckled.

“Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys.” Sora said, now feeling much better.

“There ya go!” Ben smiled.

“All for one and one for all!” Goofy declared.

“And Heaven bless the land!” Martin added.

“I don’t think I’ve heard that part of the creed,” Donald noted to Goofy, who shrugged.

“Well, it fits!”

Unbeknownst to the heroes, they were being watched by a group of sinister figures in shadows.

“That little squirt took down that Heartless! Who'd have thought it?”

“Such is the power of the Keyblade. The child's strength is not his own.”

“Why don't we turn him into a Heartless? That'll settle things quick enough.”

“And the brat's friends are the king's lackeys. Swoggle me eyes, they're all bilge rats by the look of them.”

“You're no prize yourself.”

“Shaddup!”

“Enough.”

The powerful, authoritative voice caused the other speakers to turn to the one who was leading them.

“The Keyblade has chosen him. Will it be he who conquers the darkness? Or will the darkness swallow him? Either way, he could be quite useful.”

Golbez and Exdeath joined a cadre of their allies in the Forces of Chaos.

“You missed a true moment of triumph,” The figure in golden armor known as Mateus said, “Our newest Keyblade wielder has defeated quite the powerful Heartless.”

“Wonder why Sephi ain’t here to share the tender moment.” The clown-like man known as Kefka Palazoo wondered while floating absentmindedly in the air with one leg crossed over like he was in a hammock.

“You know how he is,” The woman known only as Darkness said, floating over to Exdeath, “He’s focused purely on his nemesis Cloud.”

“Why am I not surprised?” A burly man named Jecht scoffed. “That boy is all he’s obsessed with. Honestly, aside from his mommy issues, that guy is a loose cannon.”

“So the child has already grown accustomed to the Keyblade,” Exdeath noted, “His strength is already impressive. You were right about him, Golbez.”

“Destiny has chosen him to seek out the means to save all worlds,” The leader, Garland, noted, “But will he find that elusive world that rules over all others, I wonder?”

“Quite the overture, I must say,” An effeminate young man named Kuja said. “If this is his power now, I can’t wait to see how he will fare when the finale arrives.”

“A shame I cannot simply go to Traverse Town and eliminate Leon myself.” The witch-like woman, Ultimecia, noted. “But it’s not as fun to kick him while he’s down. He lost almost everything when Hollow Bastion was ruined, after all.”

“That is what separates us from those moronic fools led by that arrogant witch, Maleficent,” Garland said.

“That and they underestimate the power of a Keyblade wielder,” Mateus said, “They think it’s all in the Keyblade itself. But the boy’s strength is in his heart.”

“Not to mention the two Keyblade Masters are guiding him,” Exdeath noted. “He will no doubt grow to new heights quickly with them at his side.”

“I couldn’t help but notice the king’s court magician and captain of the guard are there as well,” Golbez said. “So King Mickey is making his move.”

“Why should we worry about those screwballs?” Kefka scoffed. “They’re a bunch of clowns! Barring yours truly, of course.”

“I hesitate to call you a clown,” Darkness muttered. “You can’t even understand happiness, let alone spread it around.”

“Ooh, that’s gotta sting,” Jecht smirked, delighting in Kefka’s indignant look before frowning. “But my kid, Tidus…Ben and Martin do have my respect for getting him off that island before it was swallowed up by darkness.”

“Don’t let sentimentality hold you back now, Jecht,” Exdeath said. “Don’t forget we have an obligation. Even if our benefactor has… Other matters to attend to for the moment.”

“Make sure you're prepared for the journey ahead of you. We don't know how far the Heartless have spread.” Leon warned.

“Check out the shops here. They've got some pretty neat stuff!” Yuffie said.

Aerith handed Sora a satchel full of Munny.

“This is from all of us. Spend it as you see fit.”

“And this is from Leon,” Tifa said as she handed Sora an Elixir. “As a reward for managing to get him to take a knee earlier.”

“Good luck!” Yuffie smiled.

“I hope you find your friends,” Aerith said warmly.

“Look out for each other. Keep your spirits up.” Leon said.

“You’re not coming with us?” Sora asked.

“We still need to make sure Traverse Town is safe,” Tifa said. “Until this world’s heart can be locked away, it’s vulnerable.”

“But don’t worry, we promise we’ll join you the moment this world is safe and sound!” Yuffie assured him.

“Oh, Sora!” Donald spoke up. “This is for you!”

He handed Sora a spell orb.

“Good thinking, Donald,” Ben said. “Another important facet of the Keyblade is that it can also cast spells. It’s like a sword, a key, and a magic wand all at the same time!

“This one is for the Fire spell,” Martin explained. “It’s pretty basic, but it’ll do well against cold-themed enemies.”

Goofy also handed Sora a scroll.

“This is for a special skill. We learn all kinds in the royal guard.” He explained. “It’s called Dodge Roll. Should come in handy.”

“Alright, the Gummi Ship is just outside that gate.” Donald said, pointing

“The what?” Sora asked.

“That’s what they call their vessel.” Martin explained. “Gummi ships are one of only two ways to traverse the corridors between worlds safely, the other being Keyblades that are mastered enough to change into vehicles. Gummi ships have a large advantage over this second method in that they are typically armed with munitions that can deal with enemy ships infesting the corridors.”

“Well, I see big adventures coming their way!” Jiminy noted. “Looks like it's up to me to keep track of it all in my journal!”

“Hold on, before you guys go, there’s something I need to say.” Leon said. “There are Dalmatians named Pongo and Perdita living in the Second District.”

“What’s wrong?” Sora asked.

“Don’t tell me they lost their puppies?” Ben asked. “That’s the second time since they became parents.”

“Squall can't stop worrying about them.” Yuffie giggled. “He really is a big ol’ softie, y’know?”

“Call me Leon.”

“Sora, would you look for the puppies?” Aerith asked. “Help them out?”

“We’ll keep an eye out,” Sora promised.

“As I recall, they tend to stick in groups of three or four,” Martin noted, “So it’s not like we’ll have to search for all 99 individually.”

“99?!” Donald squawked out in shock.

“Before you get confused, only 15 are their actual kids. The others were sort of adopted.” Ben clarified.

“Please make those poor little puppies are okay.” Tifa said worriedly. “Poor Pongo and Perdita must be worried sick.”

Sora decided to test his new Fire spell on a door that had a flame symbol, revealing the way to a dilapidated building.

“Well, what have we here?” Ben noted.

Heading inside, the party found a cottage surrounded by a cave lake as they checked it out, looking around before Sora heard a familiar voice.

“There’s something about this musty place.”

Sora gasped when he turned around to see Kairi walking up to him.

“It reminds me of the secret place back home, where we used to scribble on the walls. Remember?”

“K-Kairi?”

“Sora?” Goofy called out in concern.

Sora turned around to see the others looking at him in concern. When he turned to look back at Kairi, she was gone.

“You kinda zonked out there for a second,” Martin noted. “You feeling alright?”

Before Sora could answer, an old man’s voice suddenly chimed in.

“Well, well. You’ve arrived sooner than I expected.”

Everyone turned to see an old man who appeared to be some kind of wizard, carrying a case in one hand and a magic wand in the other.

“Merlin!” Ben greeted happily. “How’ve ya been, ya old coot? Things alright in Camelot?”

Merlin chuckled. “Oh, they’ve been going smoother now that Wart is all grown up. Seems to have set his eyes on a young maiden for his queen. A rather nice girl named Guinevere.”

“You knew we were coming?” Sora asked.

“Of course. As you probably already guessed, I am the wizard Merlin from the world of Camelot.” Merlin introduced himself. “I spend most of my time traveling to other worlds, though, so it’s nice to have a place to stay now and then.”

“So what are you doing here?” Martin asked, “I know you have a regular residence here in Traverse Town, but I wasn’t expecting to actually see you.”

“Ah, there’s a good reason I returned earlier than normal,” Merlin explained, “King Mickey contacted me requesting my help in aiding you. Hold a moment while I get unpacked.”

He walked up to a large podium in the middle of the building and opened his bag. Then he cleared his throat.

“Higitus Figitus Zumbagazing! I want your attention, everything! Time to unpack now, everyone out and back to normal size.”

To Sora’s shock, several pieces of homeware popped out of the bag and gradually grew from practically microscopic to normal size, until the entire house was completely refurbished.

“There now, much better,” Merlin said.

He turned to Sora.

“The king has asked me to train you in the ways of magic. I see you already have a spell on hand. Whenever you’re ready, we can start practicing. Ah, yes, and there’s one other thing.”

He turned to a small carriage that looked partially like a pumpkin. Suddenly, a sparkling flash of light revealed a sweet old lady in hooded robes.

“Fairy Godmother?” Martin asked. “Where’s Cinderella?”

“I wish I could say, dears,” Fairy Godmother said, “But I lost track of her some time after the incident with the Unversed. Her husband is just fraught with worry.”

“I can only imagine…” Ben muttered. “So, you’re here to help, too?”

“Of course,” Fairy Godmother said, “King Mickey requested my help when I went to Disney Castle in search of assistance.”

“Sounds like we’re getting quite the support network,” Martin said with a grin. “See, Sora? This is why Traverse Town is considered a hub world.”

Chapter Text

The Gummi Ship was parked just outside the gates of Traverse Town.

“What a piece of junk!” Ben complained.

“Thank you, this was my sister’s.” Donald sarcastically replied.

“We’ll have to get some new items to upgrade it,” Martin decided, “Blasting enemies and debris will give us plenty of salvageable Gummi Blocks to improve it.

“So, where are we going first?” Sora asked.

“The Gummi’s nav system shows Wonderland as the nearest world,” Martin noted.

“Be careful, Sora. Every which way is backward there.” Ben warned.

After flying through a few rings and blasting several small ships, the Gummi Ship soon approached the odd-looking planet with a large castle on it.

“That’s a world?” Sora asked.

“Worlds look like planets while in the corridors between them,” Ben explained.

The group disembarked the Gummi Ship, finding themselves floating down a large rabbit hole that opened into a massive, decorated tunnel.

“I can never get used to this…” Martin said as he saw a clock float up past him.

The group soon landed on the ground, Goofy falling on his face since he had decided to kick back in the air like he was in a hammock.

“Oh, my fur and whiskers! I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!”

Much to Sora’s confusion, a small white rabbit in a waistcoat with a pocket watch ran past.

“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! I’m here, I should be there!” He said in a panic. “I’m late, I’m late, I’m late! The queen, she’ll have my head for sure!”

“Well, better follow the White Rabbit.” Ben quipped.

The group followed the White Rabbit through a door that led to a smaller door, requiring everyone to carefully crawl through it.

Finding their way in a bizarre kitchen room, the group saw the White Rabbit having shrunk himself as he ran through a small door.

“How did he get so small?” Sora wondered.

“No, you’re simply too big.”

Sora, Donald, and Goofy yelped when the doorknob revealed itself to be alive.

“That’s a matter of perspective,” Martin pointed out.

“Must you be so loud? You woke me up.” The doorknob yawned.

“Good morning!” Goofy greeted.

“Good night!” The doorknob huffed. “I need a bit more sleep.

“Wait, what do we have to do to grow small?” Sora asked.

“Here in Wonderland, animals of all sizes converse,” Ben explained, “So they build doors of various sizes to accommodate. And they craft food and drink that can change size in order to converse on even footing.”

Martin gestured to a table with two drink bottles. He then drank from the blue one and started shrinking to the size of a bean.

“Ta-Dah!”

Following his example, the rest of the group shrank down. But as they got off the table, new Heartless that looked like red bells appeared.

“Uh-oh,” Ben said, “Red Nocturnes. Careful, they use fire magic liberally.”

“Fight fire with fire?” Sora suggested.

“Nope,” Martin said. “But hitting them hard enough always works wonders.”

After taking care of the Heartless, the party made their way through a hole in the wall past a bed that could be pushed right into the other wall. 

This led the group to a large courtyard with numerous guards that looked like playing cards. Standing at a podium was a blonde girl in a blue dress, and on a taller podium sat a rather large and cantankerous-looking royal figure. The White Rabbit ran up a flight of steps with a trumpet and blew on it.

“Court is now in session!”

“I’m on trial?” The girl on the podium asked. “But why?”

“Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding!” The White Rabbit announced.

The Queen of Hearts presented herself as the various Card Guards cheered. A small man in a king's robes with a large crown tugged on the White Rabbit’s coat as he sighed.

“And the King.”

“Hooray!” One of the Card Guards cheered.

“What’s going on here?” Sora wondered.

“This girl is the culprit. There’s no doubt about it.” The Queen of Hearts said. “And the reason is...because I say so, that’s why!

“Gee,” Martin said, “Where are the kangaroos?”

Suddenly, a member of the jury cleared his throat, and Martin saw it was an actual kangaroo.

“I am so sorry,” Martin apologized.

“That is so unfair!” Alice complained.

“Well, have you anything to say in your defense?” The Queen of Hearts asked.

“Of course! I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong!” Alice huffed. “You may be queen, but I’m afraid that doesn’t give you the right to be so...so mean!”

“Silence! You dare defy me?” The Queen of Hearts snapped.

“Hey, guys, we should help her out,” Sora suggested.

“Yeah, but we’re outsiders, so wouldn’t that be muddling?” Goofy pointed out.

“Meddling!” Donald corrected.

“Well, now hold on,” Martin said. “Let’s first hear what the crime is supposed to be.”

“The court finds the defendant... Guilty as charged!” The Queen of Hearts declared. “For the crimes of assault and attempted theft of my heart… Off with her head!”

“Okay, now we can step in,” Martin said.

Alice became terrified as the Card Guards gathered around her, only for Sora, Ben, and Martin to step in.

“Hold it right there!”

“Who are you?” The Queen of Hearts demanded. “How dare you interfere with my court!”

“Excuse me, your royal grace!” Ben said, being as polite as possible. “But we know who the real culprit is!”

“Uh-huh. It’s the Heartle—“ Goofy began, only to quickly cover his mouth.

“You can say it,” Ben said, “If the Heartless are involved in this world’s affairs, then we can intervene.”

“The what now?” the Queen of Hearts asked.

“To put it plainly,” Martin said, “The defendant is incapable of stealing a heart. Her own heart is too full of light. Surprisingly so, in fact. Not a trace of darkness. Rare in a living being.”

“In other words, she’s not the one you’re after!” Sora said.

“That’s nonsense.” The Queen of Hearts scoffed incredulously. “Have you any proof?”

“Wow, she does not listen,” Ben said.

“Um, dear.” The King of Hearts said. “These gentlemen seem to know more about this than we do. So perhaps we should give them the chance to prove their case?”

The Queen of Hearts huffed but agreed to her husband’s request as she had Alice put in a cage before making her demands.

“Bring me evidence of Alice’s innocence! Fail, and it’s off with all of your heads! Gather as much or little evidence as you please. Report back here once you’re ready.”

Sora went over to Alice’s cage to make sure she was okay.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Sora.”

“I’m Goofy, and that there’s Donald,” Goofy said.

“And we’re Ben and Martin.” Ben chimed in.

Pleased to meet you, though I do wish it were under better circumstances.” Alice said. “I’m sorry you got mixed up in this nonsense.

“Why are you on trial in the first place?” Sora asked.

“I should like to know the very same thing! Apparently, I was guilty from the moment I took the stand!” Alice said.

“That’s crazy!” Sora said in sympathy. “So, where are you from?”

Alice frowned. “I can’t quite remember. You see, I found this mysterious rabbit hole. When I tried to peek inside, I tumbled in head over heels... And I found myself here.”

“So you’re from another world!” Sora realized.

“Hardly,” Martin said, “Wonderland is just the deepest part of this world at large. Alice is probably from the surface part.”

“Enough!” The Card Guard standing watch barked. “The defendant will be silent!”

The party headed out, arriving in a large forest 

“Well, well, well, what have we here?”

Ben and Martin got on guard, standing in front of Sora protectively as Kefka revealed himself.

“Who are you?” Sora asked.

“Just a former soldier and god now bereft of his power and prestige,” Kefka said, “Trust me, I’m no threat to you. Not yet, at least.”

“Nice try, Kefka.” Ben sneered. “But we know you’ve always got an angle.”

“Tut, tut, Benjamin, even I can do restraint,” Kefka said, “Especially when so pure a heart of light is at stake.

“So you’re with the guys who took Riku and Kairi!” Sora snapped. “What have you done with them?!”

“Me no,” Kefka said, “We took nothing. They tumbled into darkness, and we just so happened to find one of them. But you shouldn’t be worrying about them just yet. Trust me, they are far safer than that Alice girl.”

“What do you want with her?” Martin asked.

“Who said I want anything from her?” Kefka laughed. “It’s what your other enemies want that matters! You do know who the true culprit in this case is, correct? Evidence of their presence can be found everywhere if you know where to look. But be warned, this world is even crazier than I am. And I once torched a castle while inviting its king to a fancy barbecue!”

“You always were sick and demented…” Ben muttered.

“I try my best!” Kefka proudly said. “Ta-ta for now. And young lad… Don’t go disappointing Golbez now. He has high hopes for your progress.”

With that, he disappeared in a flashing magic light.

“We need to hurry and rescue Alice,” Martin said. “I’ve got a bad feeling.”

Suddenly, the sound of singing was heard echoing through the trees.

'Twas Brillig
And the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the mome raths outgrabe

“What was that?” Sora wondered.

“Lose something?”

The party then noticed a floating grin above a tree branch. Suddenly, two yellow eyes dropped down before the teeth began playing like accordion keys.

“Hello, Cheshire.” Ben greeted genially. “You’re looking large and life and twice as ugly.”

The Cheshire Cat revealed his whole body, grin still ever present.

“Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she’s not guilty of a thing!”

“Not if we have anything to say about it,” Sora said.

“What you say matters not nearly as much as what you do,” the Cheshire Cat said, “The Queen listens not to any counsel but her own. If you wish to convince her, you’ll need evidence overwhelming. And by chance, the true culprits have left four distinct pieces. Three are easy to find, the fourth takes some work. Find them all, and I’ll offer you something useful. Just be careful, the Queen hates it when trials don’t go her way. If not for her husband, everyone would have lost their heads by now!”

“Nice to know the King keeps some semblance of order in this chaotic world.” Ben quipped.

The party took care of any Heartless that came their way as they searched for the evidence needed to prove Alice’s innocence.

“So where should we look first?” Sora asked. De

“Every way that matters,” Martin said. “Even upside-down if we have to.”

“And inside out if we must!” Ben added.

“We can do that here?” Goofy asked in confusion.

“In Wonderland, ANYTHING is possible.”

The search soon picked up several Shadow footprints, a Heartless stench, a Red Nocturne’s antenna, and a Soldier’s claw marks. A nearby chest also revealed 3 dalmatian puppies.

“Hey, some of the Dalmatians!” Donald noted.

Martin used his Keyblade to create a small doorway for the pups to go through, taking them back to Traverse Town.

“That should give Pongo and Perdi some comfort.”

It was at that moment that the Cheshire Cat reappeared.

“Well, look what you’ve found. Nice going.”

“Now we can save Alice,” Sora said in relief.

“Don’t be so sure! She may be innocent, but what about you?” The Cheshire Cat asked.

“What do you mean?” Sora asked.

“As I said before, the Queen hates being challenged. She will try to find you guilty just for proving her wrong. But I’ll give you something that should help.”

The Cheshire Cat flicked a blue spell orb with his tail to Sora, who caught it.

“That’s the Blizzard Spell,” Donald noted. “It’ll help you cast Ice Magic.”

“Red Nocturnes will take extra damage from that,” Ben added.

With the evidence collected, the party prepared themselves as they returned to the Queen’s Court.

“Are you ready to present evidence before the queen?” A Card Guard asked.

“You know it,” Sora said.

“Very well. Counsel, step up to the podium.”

Sora stands at the defendant’s table while Ben, Martin, Donald, and Goofy sit in a separate box.

“Well, at least we’re a jury of our peers,” Ben noted.

“Not that it matters when the Queen is stacking the deck against us, almost literally,” Martin said.

“Now, show me what you have found.” The Queen of Hearts said.

“Here you go!” Sora said, presenting the four items he had collected.

“Well, that’s certainly a lot of evidence,” The Queen of Hearts admitted. “But I’m still not impressed. Cards! Bring forth my evidence!

Her Card Guards placed down a fifth box as the King of Hearts spoke up.

“Rule 38: The Queen is allowed to present her own evidence.”

The boxes were suddenly mixed up.

“Hmm, checking all five would only be a waste of time.” The Queen of Hearts said. “All right, then. Choose the one you wish to present. I’ll decide who’s guilty based on that evidence.”

“What? After all the trouble of collecting it?” Sora demanded.

“You dare object!?” The Queen of Hearts snapped. “Then you will lose your head! Now, choose! One box!”

“She really is off her rocker…” Sora thought as he opened one of the boxes, yelping when a Soldier Heartless popped out and killed it with his Keyblade.

“What in the world was that?!” The Queen of Hearts gasped.

“There’s your evidence!” Sora said. “Alice is innocent!”

The Queen of Hearts growled in frustration.

“Silence! I’m the law here!”

“Rule 29: Anyone who defies the queen is guilty!” The King of Hearts said.

“That’s crazy!” Donald protested angrily.

“Not to mention lopsided in terms of Articles of the law,” Ben added.

“Seize them at once!” The Queen of Hearts ordered. “Off with their heads!”

“Off with their heads, off with their heads!” The King of Hearts called out to the Card Guards. “By rule of the Queen, you heard what she said!”

A Card Guard ran over to a nearby tower and pulled on the gears, raising Alice’s cage at the bench as several more of the Card Guards leaped into battle.

“Alright! I’ve been itching for a fight!” Martin smirked as he drew Grand Kahuna.

“Get them, you fools! Quit joking around!” The Queen of Hearts barked.

“Yoink!” Ben said.

Waving No Name, Ben fired a small thunderbolt at the Queen of Hearts, making her flip over and expose her heart-patterned bloomers. Donald laughed so hard he nearly missed dodging a guard’s polearm.

“Oh dear, save the Queen!” The King of Hearts gasped.

“Someone’s head will roll for this…!” The Queen of Hearts fumed, her face turning red as she recovered.

As Donald and Goofy held off the Card Guards, Sora, Martin, and Ben whacked away at the tower with their Keyblades, lowering Alice’s cage until it finally dropped all the way down when the tower shattered.

“Don’t worry, Alice! You’re safe now!” Ben said.

However, everyone was shocked when they saw that the cage was empty.

“She must’ve gotten kidnapped while we were fighting!” Donald realized.

“You think it was that Kefka guy?” Sora asked.

“Hard to say,” Martin said. “I doubt he’d tell us.”

“You fools!” The Queen of Hearts snapped. “Find the one who’s behind this! I don’t care how!”

The Card Guards all scurried in various directions at the queen’s orders. One of them stayed behind as he talked with Ben.

“I just looked away for a moment, and…”

“You might want to keep your head down. Don’t want you to lose it.” Ben said.

The Card Guard gulped and nodded as the party headed back into the Lotus Forest, where the Cheshire Cat was waiting for them.

“Cheshire, we need your help,” Ben said. “Did you have an idea of where Alice went?”

“This way, that way, every which way. Gone from this world, that much I can say.

“It must have been the Heartless,” Martin sighed. “Which means they took her through a dark corridor.”

Nearby were some Heartless, including the new Large Bodies.

“Hit ‘em in the back, Sora!” Martin advised.

“Excuse me, dearies.”

Hearing a feminine voice, the group saw an anthropomorphic rose with a wand.

“How is the Golden Afternoon, Rose?” Ben asked.

“Quite alright, but sadly, those horrid creatures have been putting a damper on things.” The Rose said. “If you can give me a Potion, I’ll be able to make you bigger so that you can find your way back out.”

Sora obliged, and the Rose waved her wand as everyone grew to normal size. Martin pushed a boulder into the pond, opening the way to another chest with three puppies inside. Passing through a large tea party room, the team returned to the Bizarre Room, now standing on the ceiling. The Cheshire Cat was nearby, leaning on the ceiling like it was perfectly normal.

“What riddle do you have for us next, Cheshire?” Martin asked.

“Want to find the shadows? Try turning on the light.”

“He means the lamps.” Ben realized.

Sora, Martin, and Donald used their Fire spells to light the lamps as the Cheshire Cat reappeared.

“All the lights are on. You’ll see the shadows soon. They’ll arise in this room, but somewhere else. The shadows might go after that doorknob, too.”

With that, he disappeared again as Martin and Ben looked to the doorknob in thought. Suddenly, Kefka appeared once more.

“He sure loves his riddles, doesn’t he?”

“You again!” Sora angrily said. “What have you done with Alice?!”

“As I said before, I’ve no interest in her,” Kefka cackled. “But someone wants her, that’s for certain. What I’m truly interested in… Is seeing how you fare against a truly bizarre foe!”

He then snapped his fingers and clapped his hands as a tall, lanky Heartless that appeared to be made of black paper with an accordion-like head flipped out of the fireplace and began juggling a pair of maracas.

“Alright, Trickmaster! Don’t forget tomorrow is payday, let’s earn those coins!” Kefka said. “Beat those light losers to a bloody pulp!”

“Trickmaster…” Martin muttered. “Why does that make so much sense for a creep like Kefka?”

The Trickmaster was a crafty foe, forcing the party to jump on the table to get within striking distance. The Heartless also lit its maracas on fire to attack, but Sora was able to extinguish it with his new Blizzard spell. Eventually, the party was able to cut it down as it collapsed, the top of its head popping open as a heart flew out.

“Somehow I figured you’d beat it,” Kefka grumbled. “Though I’m annoyed my masterpiece was destroyed. Still, you’d best not get full of yourself. There’s far more powerful Heartless out there, and a number of villains who want you to fall to darkness. You’ll be meeting the real evils of this reality soon enough.”

With that, the wicked clown mage disappeared, his evil laughter echoing throughout the room as Sora shuddered.

“He gives me the creeps…”

“Yeah, Kefka is easily the most depraved of all of Chaos.” Ben said.

The Doorknob yawned as everyone turned to face him.

“What a racket. How’s a doorknob to get any sleep?”

As he opened his mouth to yawn again, a keyhole was shown glowing inside. Sora suddenly felt a pull from his Keyblade as it fired a beam of light from the tip, hitting the keyhole. A locking sound was heard as the doorknob finished yawning.

“You did it, Sora!” Ben said. “You sealed the door of this world!”

“The door?” Donald asked.

“That was the door to this world,” Martin said. “Now that it’s locked, the Heartless can’t claim it. They’ll still invade, trying to steal the hearts of the denizens. But stealing a living being’s heart is much harder than stealing a world’s heart.”

Suddenly, a small green object fell to the ground in front of them, which Goofy caught.

“This gummi ain’t like the others. No, sir.”

“It could be useful,” Ben noted. “What say you, Martin?”

“Anything that can help us get through the corridors to other worlds.”

“Okay, I’ll hold onto it,” Donald said as he pocketed it.

It was at that moment that the Cheshire Cat reappeared.

“Splendid. You’re quite the hero. If you’re looking for Alice, she’s not here. She’s gone! Off with the shadows, into darkness.”

“Didn’t you tell us that already?” Sora asked.

“Already, never, it’s all the same here,” Cheshire said. “What’s important is that you find her. Not quickly, mind. She’s been spirited off somewhere far. But find her you should, however long it takes.”

Sora looked down sadly as the Cheshire Cat disappeared, but Ben patted him on the back.

“We’ll get her back. I can promise you that much.”

“Come on, we should head to the next world,” Donald said. “We can use the consecrated circles to return to the gummi ship.”