The scene begins in the Dark World. The Realm of Darkness has been a place of mystery and superstition. Some say it's a hostile place inhabited by the darkest of creatures. Others, that it's a prison, for those who've been outcasted. Regardless, all agree on a common word to describe it; Hell.
Deep in this place, two wielders of light were walking down, searching for their friend. They were Riku and King Mickey. The two kept walking until Riku suddenly stops.
Mickey: what's wrong, Riku? Are you tired? Do you need a break? We can stop.
Riku: no, just... I've been here. I should know this place. But that all seems like another life.
Mickey: (walks over to him) well, gee. Think of all you've seen! All the feelings you've felt. Why, you've done years of growin' in almost no time at all.
Riku: (doesn't respond immediately) I remember my first time here. I was so scared. (Tcst) but now, my doubts and fears are gone. If anything, I feel exhilarated. (Places hand on his heart) and it's not because there's darkness in me— I know too well what that rush is like. This is different. And it's not adrenaline either. I know Aqua needs us... but I'm ready.
(A little over ten years ago, three Keyblade wielders, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, all fought against Xehanort. But, it resulted badly for them. Terra's possessed by the madman himself, Ventus lost his heart and is now in a coma, and Aqua was sent into the Dark World. She had a chance to escape, but gave it up to save Riku's life.)
Riku: I'm in control now. (Tsct) maybe it's because you're with me this time.
Mickey: (shakes his head no) it's not me. I think it's because you've finally found inside you that special strength to protect what matters.
Riku: what?
Mickey: sometimes you care so much for somebody that other feelings disappear. And then, there's no room for fear or doubt.
Riku: is that it?
He then has a flashback to years ago when he met Terra. On the day he was passed the power to. Originally, Riku was chosen to wield the Keyblade, but when he gave into darkness, he lost his power. But, with the help of Sora and his friends, Riku gained a new power.
Riku: "Strength to protect what matters"... it reminds me of a promise I made.
Mickey: to who?
Riku: just someone I once met. Can't tell.
Mickey: sounds like a good memory.
Riku: yeah... (beat) while we're reminiscing— Mickey, does any of this look familiar?
Mickey: (looks around) sort of, but the realm of darkness has changed since I was here with Aqua.
Riku: yeah, it's different from what I remember.
Mickey: usually, I'd just follow my heart, and Aqua would show me the way. But the closer I get, the hazier our connection feels.
Riku: you mean...
Mickey: (knowing what's he saying) maybe, but we can't give up hope.
Riku: yeah.
They resumed walking and eventually found themselves at the dark shores. If there was one common thing about this realm, is that no matter what direction you go to, you always wind up back here. After the final battle from their last adventure, Sora and Riku had found themselves on this shore. This was also the last known location Aqua was at.
Riku: this beach...
Mickey: (walks ahead) it's gone.
Riku: huh?
Mickey: I'm positive Aqua was here. But now...her trail's gone dim.
Riku: I've been here, too. With Sora.
Mickey: really?
Riku: this is where we found our way back to the realm of light. Hey, maybe Aqua did too!
Mickey: (shakes his head no) Aqua... has fallen into an even darker abyss— somewhere I can't see her. And I don't think we're equipped to dive any deeper than we already are.
Riku: so then...
He didn't get to finish his question, when they were suddenly surrounded by Heartless. Reacting quickly, Riku summons Way to Dawn, and Mickey summons Kingdom Key DX.
Mickey: Riku...be careful. Even the least threatening Heartless are stronger in this realm.
Riku: I got it.
The shadows then started to merge together and become a massive swarm in the form of a tower. This was the Demon Tide.
They fought it for a while, and managed to disperse it, but more spawned to form a new one. It erupts from the ground, and with little time to react, Riku gets swallowed up by it.
Mickey: Riku!
Inside, it was like Riku was drowning, and yet he could breath normally. He clenches his chest, and hears a voice in the darkness.
???: didn't expect to see you again.
Riku: (looks around) what...?
???: why did you even come here?
Riku: because somebody needs me.
???: do you want some help?
Riku: who are you?
???: me? I'm...
He never got an answer as he passes out. When he woke up, he was beside Mickey and they were back on the shore. And, aside from his hair changing a little, he was alright.
Riku: (turns to Mickey) where's the Heartless go?
Mickey: I got more than half of 'em, and the rest vanished. But, they spit you out first.
Riku: (stands up) thanks. I owe ya.
Mickey: I know you feel invincible, but we're not.
Riku: are you alright, Mickey?
Mickey: yeah, thanks to the new gear. But... your Keyblade...
Riku: (sees his blade) oh.
Sure enough, when Riku saw his trusty weapon, the general base of it was intact, but half of it was broken off. Unfortunately, unlike Arc's Two Become One, this one has almost lost all its magic. There was some left, but not enough for Riku to wield it in battle.
Mickey: the Heartless here are stronger than what we expected. I guess we probably should've powered up our Keyblades before we came in here, huh? I think we need to go back to Master Yen Sid's tower so we can regroup.
Riku: but, Aqua's still down here, alone. (Walks down to the shore) Facing enemies like that.
Mickey: I know.
Riku: (stops) what if she's feeling as scared and alone... as I felt the first time I came here? How long are we supposed to keep her waiting in this awful place?
Mickey doesn't respond immediately, and just walks over to his side.
Mickey: but Aqua... she's like Sora.
Riku: (thinking something different) whaaat?!
Mickey: (quickly) no no no. Strong like Sora!
Riku: (sighs in relief) okay... good. Then I guess she's gonna be alright. Sora could fall into any darkness and swim his way out.
Mickey: besides, we won't be long.
Riku: right.
Before they leave, Riku removes the keychain off of the hilt, puts it in his pocket, reverse grips the blade and plants it in the ground. Mickey's confused, until Riku explains.
Riku: can't use this Keyblade anymore. Might as well leave it here... for the other me.
Mickey: wha...?
The two then exit the realm to return t the tower. Unfortunately, little did they knew, that Aqua was in far more trouble then they realize.
*MYSTERIOUS TOWER*
Back at Yen Sid's tower, Sora and the gang were informing Yen Sid of what happened at Olympus.
Yen Sid: I see... You cold not regain your strength.
Sora: aw, no biggie. I still learn a lot.
Yen Sid: regardless, Sora, you will need the power of waking.
Sora: (sighs in depression)
Goofy: it can't be gone forever. Maybe something'll trigger it real soon.
Sora: like, what exactly?
Donald: I know! How about a bonk on the head?
Sora: hey! (Glares at Donald)
Yen Sid: perhaps it could be something this is as simple as that.
Arcturus: (confused) what do you mean?
Sora: wait, you think so too?
Yen Sid: whenever you are in need, magic happens. That is your greatest strength, Sora.
Sora: you make it sound like an accident.
Arcturus: you should think of it as a great deal of luck.
They then heard knocking and hear the door open. They see Mickey and Riku enter the room to give their report.
Mickey: we're back, Master. (Sees everyone) oh, wow. You guys are all here! And, even our new Keyblade wielder's here, too.
Sora: we were here before, but you didn't wait.
He then gets pushed aside by Donald and Goofy. He tries explaining what happened, but the others keep pushing him back. They explained about the mission, and of how they didn't have much luck. Riku then walks over to Arc to meet him.
Riku: so, you're our new wielder. What's your name?
Arcturus: I'm Arcturus. Call me Arc for short. I've heard about the exam, congratulations on achieving master by the way.
Riku: thanks.
Yen Sid: Arcturus was sent here to help us in our battle against Xehanort. Especially now that they know of his power.
Arcturus: which mean, my rival, Cronos, is with them. (Helps Sora up) but, I'll explain that later. Did you guys at least find where Aqua is?
Riku: we know Master Aqua made it as far as the beach that Sora and I once visited, but that's where her trail ends.
Sora: meaning...
Mickey: all traces of her vanished into the great abyss...beneath the realm of darkness.
Arcturus: if that's the case, she won't survive long.
Sora: (turns to him) what do you mean?
Arcturus: there's a reason that place is considered Hell to many cultures. Many souls that have been killed in the Dark World don't make it to the Astral Plane. Instead, they get lost, deep into the abyss. And, the longer they stay there, they loose everything about themselves. Including their light, their sanity... Even their humanity can be destroyed.
Everyone looked at him with concern, and it wasn't until Clara materialized by his side and places a hand on his shoulder.
Clara: Arc...
Arcturus: (looks at her) sorry, guess I got carried away.
Clara: yeah, but... The way you were speaking. It was almost like you were there.
???: in a way, he has.
Everyone looks in surprise to see Summer Rose standing beside Yen Sid.
Arcturus: you're back!
Summer: (smiles) it's good to see you again, Sapphire Speedster.
Donald: who's this?
Yen Sid: this is Arcturus's mentor. She was the one who informed me of his arrival.
Arcturus: that explains how you knew me this time. (Looks at Summer) but, what did you mean by I was there.
Summer: you're beginning to gain the vessel's memories. With every vessel Shiro has had before, not only do you gain his power, but also the memories of the previous vessels. Some have even been to that abyss... Very few escaped.
They further explained to everyone on who Shiro was, including Kuroi, and their curse. When they finished, this still left a puzzling question in their minds.
Donald: does that mean Master Aqua's gone?
Riku: no. Sora was dragged into the abyss during his exam. And I went in after him. And, Shiro has been there before as well. So I think if we find someone who was really close to Aqua, and they make the dive, they could reach her down there.
Mickey: (looks sadden) I'm not sure who's even left to ask. Ventus is hidden, and Aqua's the only one who knows where. Plus, nobody's seen Terra in ages. Aqua was the last.
Riku: so Aqua—she's gonna be the key to finding all three.
Yen Sid: yes. (Everyone faces him) their teacher, Master Eraqus, would have been another possibility, had Xehanort not mercilessly struck him down.
Everyone is in silence. Not knowing what to do, they were lost. Sore then felt a strange feeling in his heart, and without realizing it, he spoke in complete confidence.
Sora: I'll save her.
Everyone: huh?
Donald: you can't!
Goofy: but Sora, that's gonna be super hard since you don't have the power of waking.
Sora: (snaps back to normal) huh? Sorry... I have no idea why that just popped out.
Clara: interesting.
Arcturus: what is it?
Clara: I'm not sure, but it was almost like we were speaking to a different person.
Mickey: well, it was pretty convincing.
Riku: yeah, better not let us down.
Yen Sid: Sora, you must focus on regaining your lost power of waking. Mickey and Riku, I recall that Master Aqua journeyed to many worlds, and connected with others who could be the link we need.
Mickey: good plan, sir. Riku and I will retrace her steps and see if we can find any sort of clues, but first...
Yen Sid: hmm?
Mickey: we got hit pretty hard in the realm of darkness. My Keyblade was damaged, and the Heartless broke Riku's clean in half. So, we're gonna need to get replacements before we can continue.
Yen Sid: in that case, rendezvous with Kairi and Lea. They are continuing their training under the tutelage of the wizard Merlin.
Mickey: (him and Riku bow) yes sir.
Yen Sid: also, I would like you to deliver these for me.
On his desk, three suitcases appeared. One was for Sora, and the others were for Kairi and Lea
Yen Sid: special vestments to shield Kairi, Lea and Sora from darkness.
Summer: and, after your mission in Olympus, I took the liberty of making all of your outfits friction proof. This way, Arc doesn't set anyone on fire.
Arcturus: (chuckles sheepishly)
Yen Sid: and Sora, yours possesses special powers, so it took extra time to prepare them. In addition, there is a gift from Chip and Dale inside.
Sora: (picks up the suitcase) cool, thanks!
Yen Sid: now, you are all ready to proceed.
Under the master's desk, a little cricket in a suit, a top hat, and holding an umbrella hops up and runs to them. This was their chronicler, Jiminy Cricket.
Jiminy: hey, wait! Don't forget about me!
Sora, Donald and Goofy: Jiminy!
Jiminy: every journey worth goin' on needs a cricket to keep track of it. And I can't let ya start this one without ol' Jiminy Cricket by your side.
Goofy: the whole team's back!
Sora: yeah.
Donald: yeah!
Arcturus: awesome!
Clara: mmm-hmm.
Yen Sid: good. Now, to mark the beginning of a new journey, I wish for you to have this Sora.
His Sora's hand, an purple object with the symbol of the Dream Eaters appeared.
Sora: what's this?
Yen Sid: that is a Heartbinder. Think of it as a good luck charm made just for you.
Summer: like your summon charms, you can call upon allies with your heart. You're special with connecting to others, so think of this as a way to make it stronger.
With all of that said, everyone stands at attention and bows in respect. They also heard Yen Sid and Summer whisper "May your heart be your guiding key" before leaving.
*WORLD MAP*
The FireFly was passing through the world map to prepare for their next destination. From one of the room, Sora exists after getting dress in his new red and black flannel pattered outfit, along with a slight change in hairstyle. He then sits in a chair and relaxes a bit.
Sora: so Arc, where are we going?
Arcturus: we're going to pay a visit to an old friend. If we're gonna get the rest of the gang together, we'll need to travel around to other worlds. And, I know just who can help us.
Suddenly, they then heard ringing. Sora then feels something in his pocket and pulls out a ringing smartphone.
Sora: where'd this come from?
Arcturus: isn't that your phone?
Sora: nope.
Donald: well, make it stop.
Sora: (hits answer and puts it to his ear) uh...hello?
Dale: hurray! You picked up.
Sora: Dale?
Dale: hey, Chipper, I finally got him! Hurry up Chip!
Arcturus: Sora, switch it to FaceTime mode. (Sora switches)
Chip: well! It's about time.
Sora: Chip? Wait, is this the gift Master Yen Sid told me about?
Dale: yep. We gave you this so we can give you updates. We got lots and lots of important stuff we want to tell ya!
Chip: that's why we asked Master Yen Sid to make sure you got this Gummiphone for ya. So we'd be able to stay in touch with you at all times.
Dale: and it takes pictures.
Jiminy: oh, you finally finished it! Say, with this Gummiphone, we can talk to each other across worlds. In fact, I might even try writing my journal on it.
Arcturus: so, this is a special smartphone for Keyblade wielders.
Chip and Dale: yep!
Sora: wow! This will come in handy. So, what's up?
Chip: back when you and Riku quested through the Sleeping Worlds, Riku recovered something secret research data that Ansem the Wise hid inside you.
Dale: Ansem's code!
Clara: that's right. I've been working on some of it as well, and from the looks of it, a big chunk of it is encrypted.
The screen suddenly changes to show Ienzo, formally Zexion, in Ansem's lab on Radiant Garden.
Ienzo: correct. We only managed to deciphered some of it.
Sora: huh? Who are you?
Ienzo: oh... I guess we haven't spoken since the castle. I'm Ienzo. (Sees Aeleus) Aeleus is here too.
Aeleus: ...
Ienzo: Aeleus, whatever's between you and Roxas is in the past.
Aeleus: maybe so, but those memories are still fresh in my mind. (Exits)
Ienzo: (sighs and gets back to the phone) Sora, the reason we're here is because you and your friends defeated our Nobodies, thereby "recompleting" us. We cast off our hearts by choice, make no mistake, but we didn't know that Xemnas—or rather, Xehanort—was deceiving us.
Sora: huh? Xemnas?
Goofy: aw, he's with them!
Ienzo: not anymore. Xemnas and Xehanort have no hold over us now. We're just students of the heart, exactly the same as we were before all of this began.
Arcturus: (looks closer) he's telling the truth.
Donald: how do you know?
Arcturus: I can generally tell when a person's lying, even a really good one. Besides, isn't Axel on our side now?
Ienzo: correct. You must be the new wielder we've been told about. Arcturus correct?
Arcturus: just Arc for short. Anyways, why come to us with all of this? What do you get in return?
Ienzo: we have friends we want to bring back to this world, just the same as you. To do that, we have to work together. In that spirit, Sora... (types on the computer) we found some intriguing data in the bit of code we deciphered.
Sora: is it about me?
Ienzo: yes. In order to piece your memories back together, our teacher, Ansem the Wise p, took a close look at your heart. And what he found... is that your heart doesn't belong just to you.
Donald and Goofy are surprised, but they see Sora doesn't have much reaction.
Arcturus: you don't look surprised, Sora.
Sora: yeah. Honestly, I suspected as much. There's another heart inside mine. I think it's Roxas's. Just like Naminé is still inside Kairi's.
Ienzo: interesting... Well, no one knows your heart better than you. To be honest, we still have a plethora of questions on our side, but... the idea has merit. It's incredible enough that you and your Nobody are able to coexist. If you share a heart... no wonder someone as remarkable as you caught Ansem the Wise's eye. We'll keep investigating based on your hypothesis and share the data with Clara for future updates. I'll be in touch. (Ends call)
Dale: (resumes their call) okeydokey, we'll give you fellas a ring if there's anything else. Remember, me and Chip, the guys at Radiant Garden, and everybody else are never far away.
Sora: thanks guys. Talk to you later. (Ends call and pockets phone)
They then hear beeping, and Arc sees they arrived to a familiar friend; the World Lion Turtle. The others are surprised, but Arc smiles.
Arcturus: hey buddy!
Sora: what is that?
Arcturus: say hello to the World Lion Turtle.
Goofy: hello.
Donald: so, what do we do now?
Arcturus: I'm going to talk to him. (Walks to the door)
Everyone: whaaat?!
Arcturus: he can show us the way to more worlds. I've seen it happen. If I ask for permission, he'll show us the way.
Sora: so, how are you going to talk to him?
Arcturus: he speaks a dead tongue that no one else understands. Except me.
Donald: yeah right.
Arcturus just simply smiles and puts on his armor. He walks outside and speaks to the great one. The two conversate for a bit, and when Arc goes back inside, he grabs the ship a starts pushing it to the side.
Sora: woah! W-what's going on!?
Arcturus: (deactivates armor) he's putting us in the right direction. He also said, trust in yourself Sora, and you'll unlock the power you seek.
The moving stops and everyone gathers themselves back up. They then see multiple worlds coming into view, and this makes Sora think of something. He needs to find Roxas, Naminé, and the rest of their friends and save them.
Sora: I have an idea.
Arcturus: what's the plan?
Sora: the others are following Aqua's heart, (looks up) so I'll follow Roxas's heart!
Everyone: (nods their heads in agreement)
Goofy: trust the guidance that your heart gives ya, Sora. That's what Master Yen Sid said.
Donald: so, where to?
Sora: oh, that's easy. Arc, set a course for Twilight Town.
Arcturus: (presses controls) you got it!
With the new pathways, the ship takes off to their destination and now their new journey truly begins.
Kingdom Hearts III: Dragon War
Author's note: the journey officially begins.
So, I originally had written down the second part of Olympus here, but decided to change it back to the previous chapter. Though, for future reference, I'll probably have these worlds in two chapter with the amount of dialogue.
Riku and Mickey meet Arc. They'll be journeying together later.
Our friend the World Lion Turtle returns. I still don't know what to name him.
Summer returns, too. She'll make more appearance in the future, especially when they return to Remnant.
Also, side note, I don't like on what they did to Sora a little bit in the game. Especially of the simple stuff, such as not know Hercules is a god, and operating the Gummiphone that basically an iPhone. I'll be changing that in the story, cause realistically, he should at least know this stuff in like school or something.
With that out of the way, the team will find all of their friends. But, I'm changing up on how they'll be saved.
Next chapter: same town, different changes.