Sora, Goofy, and Donald all held their breath, too. Everything was going to be okay! “Anna! Elsa!” they shouted as they ran toward the sisters, until dark shadows caught them once again. This wasn’t the same as last time, however. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were trapped within a black dome, and outside it, time came to a halt. The one who stepped out of the darkness to confront them was Larxene. “So, love has filled both their hearts with light,” she remarked, watching the two sisters, and then turned away. “Two in one world… Definitely didn’t see that coming.” “First Marluxia, now you. What’s this all about?!” Sora asked as he stepped closer to Larxene. He couldn’t hide how frustrated he was. “Oh, I see, so you bumped into Marluxia. Then why am I explaining this again? I told you before: the New Seven Hearts. If you mess up and don’t find your seven guardians of light, we’re gonna need another group to fall back on.” “Leave innocent people out of it!” What does Organization XIII even plan to accomplish by dragging Anna, Elsa, and Rapunzel into their little schemes? Sora was furious with them. “Ohh, look at this tough guy. Such a big boy now. Well, maybe you should do your job, and find the other guardians of light,” Larxene taunted as she leaned forward and pointed at Sora. This is getting so old! Quit bossing me around and ragging on me! “Please, like you’ve found your thirteen. The king said you’re one seeker of darkness short,” he retorted, remembering what Mickey had told them when he returned from the Sleeping Worlds. Even the true Organization XIII should be missing a member. But Larxene’s mouth curled into a sneer. “Oh no, we’re set.” “Huh?” he gasped. He wasn’t expecting that. Larxene ignored him and vanished in a shroud of darkness without another word. The dome imprisoning them faded away, too. “They have all thirteen?” Sora said to himself. “Then if we don’t find our seven, they’ll go after Elsa and Anna.” The sisters were hugging each other joyfully after overcoming their many hardships. Goofy and Donald walked over to the anxious Sora. “It’ll be okay. They’re strong.” “And now, it’s our turn!” His two friends had stuck by him through thick and thin; they knew what they were talking about. “You’re right,” Sora said as he looked at the sisters. “They have each other.” “Anna…” “Oh, Elsa.” The two embraced, reassured by each other’s safety. “You sacrificed yourself for me?” Elsa took her younger sister’s hands in her own. “I love you.” Anna returned Elsa’s gaze. “An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart,” said Olaf in awe from off on the side. “Love…will thaw. Love…,” Elsa repeated, then smiled as the pieces came together. “Elsa?” Anna gave her a curious look. “Of course. Love!” Elsa beamed at Anna, at her little sister who loved her more than she loved anyone else, and spread her arms wide. What came from her hands this time was a warm breeze, which began to melt the ice. The ice danced glittering and twinkling into the air, clearing the skies and thawing the frozen kingdom until it was restored in all its lush, verdant glory. “Yes!” Sora, Donald, and Goofy cheered at the sight of Elsa and Anna standing side by side. This world is gonna be just fine! C’mon, guys. It’s time to go. “Sorry we’re late.” After Riku and Mickey had called them back to the Mysterious Tower, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had rushed straight over from Arendelle. “It’s okay. You got here as fast as you could.” Mickey was already waiting for them there, with Riku right next to him. The five of them and Yen Sid were happy to see one another again, but Sora got right down to business. “The Organization claims to have their thirteen darknesses.” “Do we believe it’s true?” Mickey asked thoughtfully. “Umm…I don’t know, but there’s something else they keep mentioning. They’re after a ‘New Seven Hearts,’ which seems to be code for ‘let’s go bother more princesses.’” “Well, as the original princesses of hearts’ time for protecting the pure light has ended, they have passed the light to others. Our enemy must certainly be cognizant of this. If the ‘New Seven Hearts’ is what they wish to call it, then so be it,” Yen Sid added upon hearing Sora’s report. Seven new princesses. He had met Rapunzel, Anna, and Elsa— “But Kairi hasn’t passed on her power. Is she one of the new seven?” Sora asked uneasily. “She must be. But still, she chose to wield a Keyblade and fight on with us as one of the guardians of light,” replied the king. Kairi was currently training with Axel. “Yeah…” Kairi was both a princess and a guardian. The fact that she could use a Keyblade was reassuring, but with the way things were going, there was no telling when the Organization might choose to go after her. While Sora was thinking to himself, Donald spoke up apologetically. “We haven’t found Terra yet.” “Hey, at least we’ve tracked down Ventus. Vanitas told us that he’s in Sora’s heart,” Goofy said, informing the others about one of the discoveries they had made on their journey. “And so did Ansem the Wise in his data, so it almost certainly must be true,” Jiminy chimed in. While Ventus’s name was the only one mentioned in Ansem’s data, this finding could join with the other things they knew to bring them closer to the truth. Mickey seemed pleased. “That’s great!” he said to Sora. “Now we can save Ven.” “Maybe, except Aqua’s the only one who knows where he’s hidden,” Riku reminded them gravely. “We still have to find her first.” Sora opened his mouth. “I’ll go,” he declared firmly. Donald and Goofy shared a worried glance. I’ll go. I have to save Aqua. But this feeling—does it come from Ventus? “Is that wise?” Mickey asked uncertainly, but Yen Sid had the real question. “You need the power of waking, Sora. Do you have it?” “Uh…no? Probably not.” Sora looked at the floor, confused by his own heart. “Without that power, you are not ready to face the realm of darkness,” the sorcerer told him sternly with a shake of his head. “C’mon…” Sora refused to back down. He may not have the power back, but he was well aware of how dangerous the realm of darkness was. Plus, his heart was calling out to him, telling him he had to help Aqua. And then Riku let out a laugh. “What’s so funny?” Sora asked him, visibly annoyed. “Sorry. Master Yen Sid knows you a little too well. He said you’d try to stage a half-baked rescue,” Riku explained, still grinning. Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and Mickey all started laughing, too. Everyone knew how Sora was. “Yeah! Laugh it up!” Sora’s face fell, but then Riku continued, gentler this time. “Sora, I know you’re volunteering because you’re worried about me and Mickey.” “Yeah…” Riku laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Well, thanks. But the power of waking’s important. You can come to the rescue once you’ve got that. Sound fair?” “Yeah. All right,” Sora replied, finally accepting what Riku was trying to say. I’m sure Ventus will understand, too. This just isn’t the right time. “But be safe. No reckless stunts,” he said, looking up at him. Riku answered with a firm nod. “Yes, sir.” The other three had been watching this exchange from a little bit away and started whispering among themselves. “Sora’s the reckless one.” “No, not exactly. He just doesn’t think.” “If only he listened to Master Yen Sid the way he listens to Riku. That would be a good start.” As Sora’s constant companions on his adventures, Donald, Jiminy, and Goofy knew him all too well. “I’m listening now!” Sora warned them, turning around. After everyone had a good laugh, Yen Sid looked over the assembled team and issued instructions. “Very good. Sora will continue his journey to build his powers, while Mickey and Riku will focus on the search for Aqua.” “Yes, sir!” they all answered, their hearts and voices as one. In the barren wasteland, dust swirled through the air amid thirteen stone columns. “So, why are you back?” Marluxia asked. “Nice way to greet your old partner in crime,” Larxene retorted, but Marluxia only laughed. “So, why do you think the old geezer took us back? He must know we backstabbed the Organization while Xemnas was running it.” Back in Castle Oblivion, Marluxia and Larxene had betrayed the Organization, but they were vanquished before they could realize their ambitions. Marluxia calmly explained. “Xehanort doesn’t care about you or me. To him, we’re nothing but empty husks. The old Organization was the same. Xehanort needs thirteen vessels to hold his essence.” “Husks? Not me,” Larxene complained. She never was good at taking orders. “You up for another coup?” “Oh, please,” said a third voice. “You couldn’t do it last time. You gotta play it smart, like me.” Marluxia turned to see Demyx, the former number nine, standing on the next pillar over with a sitar in his hands. “What?! You’re not smart!” snapped Larxene, slightly startled. “Well, you heard what Marly said. I don’t have to be smart.” Demyx had always been known as a slacker since the days of the old Organization. He even had a nickname for Marluxia. “Or capable, or likeable, or attractive. A cereal bowl would make a better vessel,” Larxene snapped, jabbing a finger in his direction. But he didn’t seem to care; he just merely stopped playing his sitar for a moment to scratch his nose. “Whoa now, you are way out of line. I am extremely imposing…when I want to be. Which is, admittedly, almost never.” Larxene still wasn’t having it. “Why haven’t you gone to any worlds? Are you slacking?” “‘Course not. I got benched,” Demyx admitted coolly. “Huh?” Marluxia joined the conversation between them. “Saïx brought Vexen on board. They must be planning to use Replicas.” “Those windup toys?” Larxene looked disgusted by the idea. In her opinion, the plan with the Riku Replica at Castle Oblivion was a total bust. “Oh, no. The Replicas are way more real than you remember,” said Demyx. “I mean, one stole my spot!” Larxene burst out laughing. He was worse than a Replica? “Of course it stole your spot. You’re dumb as a brick.” “Har-dee-har,” Demyx muttered in a voice too soft to hear over Larxene’s cackling. “Vexen’s latest Replicas are no mere puppets. The Riku Replica we used in Castle Oblivion was just a prototype. The next Replica, the one crafted from Sora’s memories, was real enough to join our ranks. And Vexen claims the new ones will be human in every way. If he ever finishes them.” “Oh… The thing is…I kinda told Sora and his nitwits that we’re ready. My bad.” Larxene had a tendency toward impulsive behavior—just like Demyx, actually. Then a fourth member joined the meeting. “Let them believe as much,” a voice commanded as another Corridor of Darkness opened on a pillar. “Ugh. Xemnas,” Larxene remarked with unbridled disgust. Xemnas ignored her and kept on speaking. “If they think that we have all thirteen darknesses, then they will panic. And panic leads to a lack of preparation.” “Yeah, totally.” It was hard to tell whether Demyx actually agreed, but he was clearly uninvested either way. “Why is this thing a member again?” Larxene asked, aiming a finger at him again. “Hey now! Pointing is rude,” Demyx retorted, still strumming his sitar. “The first six members of the original Organization were all apprentices to Ansem the Wise, and the seventh and eighth members joined thereafter. The thirteenth member was Roxas, a Keyblade wielder. So. How about you? How do you suppose I chose numbers nine through twelve?” Numbers VII and VIII were Saïx and Axel, respectively. Numbers IX through XII were, in order, Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, and Larxene. “Because our hearts are über powerful,” Larxene offered. Xemnas shook his head. “Wrong. You have been brought together for another purpose.” “What? So that we can rot away on the bottom rung?” The reply came from the darkness gathering on top of another, unoccupied pillar, and Luxord stepped out. “You’re in, too? What is this, Organization Rehash?” Larxene said, rolling her eyes at the whole situation. “I happen to play an important role. No one ‘benched’ me,” Luxord informed her. “You were listening? So not cool,” commented Demyx as he tuned his sitar. “One must hold one’s cards as long as necessary,” Luxord replied confidently. He closed his eyes for a moment. But Larxene challenged him to show his hand. “What ‘important role’? That stupid box that Xigbar claims is real but won’t tell us a thing about?” “You’ll just have to ask Xigbar about that. Now, then… Xemnas, what is this ‘purpose’? You didn’t invite us back for old times’ sake,” Luxord said, deftly playing with his cards. “You four are going to reveal your greatest secret: the ancient Keyblade legacy that slumbers within you.” All four of them gave Xemnas their attention.
Chapter 21
12 min read