Chapter 6

Chapter 3 Mysterious Tower “I THOUGHT…I HEARD HER VOICE IN THE DISTANCE.” In Yen Sid’s Mysterious Tower, King Mickey’s long tale came to an end. Kairi looked over at Riku. His head was still lowered, even after the story was over. “She sacrificed herself to save me?” His hands balled into fists. He knew Mickey had been behind him when he tried to close the Door to Darkness two years ago, but he’d never heard about the other Keyblade Master. An ache filled his chest, and he pressed the king for answers with uncharacteristic force. “Why did you keep it from me for so long?” “I had to respect her choice,” Mickey replied quietly with a shake of his head. “What about us? You could’ve given us a choice. We could have gone and helped her!” “I know…” Kairi was still watching them. This was the first time Riku had ever spoken so harshly to Mickey. But Yen Sid stepped in before he could continue. “Do not be rash, Riku. As Mickey told you clearly in his story, reaching the realm of darkness the first time was not a simple task. And even if we had found a way back in, regrettably, none of us possessed the necessary means to get Aqua back out safely. So I forbade Mickey from telling you, let alone going after her.” “Why keep it secret?” Riku asked the sorcerer, still struggling to understand. Yen Sid’s owlish eyes opened even wider “That much is obvious,” he replied. “If not you, then certainly Sora would have staged a reckless attempt at a rescue.” “But now we can help Aqua. You and I—we’re gonna go find her!” Mickey declared. Riku’s response was equally enthusiastic. “Yeah! Count me in!” Kairi smiled at the sight of him. “Who’s this new Riku, and where’s the old one?” “New me?” Have I changed? I’m older, sure, and I cut my hair— Is there more? “Yeah. You’re more like Sora?” Kairi observed, giggling. “Should I be flattered?” Riku asked. A gentle smile rose on Yen Sid’s face as he watched the exchange. Y’know, maybe she’s right. Maybe I really am different. “I try too hard to be the role model. It’s more fun to just listen to my heart. Which is…Sora-esque.” “Well, we still like you.” Riku grinned back at her and nodded. Kairi stepped toward Yen Sid. “Master, I came here because I wanted to help somehow. What can I do?” “I have entrusted the wizard Merlin to oversee the training for our new Keyblade wielders, yourself and Lea.” “Lea?” she asked. She didn’t know who that was. “He means Axel,” Mickey explained, and Kairi stepped backward in surprise. “What?!” she yelped. Axel was the one who had kidnapped her while he was a member of Organization XIII. But Riku had encountered Axel several times during his journeys, and he believed something had changed about him as well. “He’s a regular person now. He even saved Sora for us. You can trust him!” Mickey informed her. Kairi turned to Riku questioningly, and he nodded back at her. “C’mon, Riku. It’s time for us to go. First, we gotta find an entrance to the realm of darkness.” The king walked toward the door to the chamber, eager to depart, while Riku and Kairi started after him. Yen Sid wasn’t quite finished, though. “Mickey, take these along with you. The three good fairies asked that you be presented with them. They are new vestments that will shield the both of you from the darkness.” The sorcerer held his hand over his desk, and two rectangular cases appeared in a burst of light. There was a small brown one for Mickey and a blue one for Riku. The two took their bags and thanked the master, then looked at each other and nodded. “Okay, let’s go!” Mickey said with fire. And that was how the two of them ended up in the Dark World. Riku and Mickey were wearing the new outfits they had received from Yen Sid. Their pants had matching checkers at the cuffs, but Mickey’s pants were red where Riku’s were blue. Their jackets also had a similar design, complete with hoods for concealing their faces. Riku kept a cautious eye on their surroundings as he walked slowly forward. He had been down here two times in the past: once when he closed the Door to Darkness, and then again when he found himself here with Sora. “Do you need a break? We can stop,” Mickey asked, turning to Riku when he noticed his comrade lagging behind. “No, just… I’ve been here. I should know this place. But that all seems like another life.” Not much time had actually passed since his last visit, but still. “Well, gee,” Mickey said, walking over to Riku. “Think of all the things you’ve seen! All the feelings you’ve felt. Why, you’ve done years of growin’ in almost no time at all.” “I remember my first time here. I was so scared. But now, my doubts and fears are gone. If anything, I feel exhilarated. And it’s not because there’s darkness in me—I know too well what that rush is like. This is different.” Riku placed and a hand on his chest and closed his eyes for a moment. He remembered the boy he had been when the darkness had nearly taken his heart. Light and darkness will always be two sides of the same coin, so all that matters is to keep myself from swaying toward the shadow again. Darkness exists in everything, but it won’t tell my heart what to do. “And it’s not adrenaline, either,” he continued. “I know Aqua needs us…but I’m ready. I’m in control now. Maybe it’s because you’re with me this time.” He finished his little speech with a smile. Mickey returned the smile and shook his head. “It’s not me. I think it’s because you’ve finally found inside you that special strength to protect what matters.” “What?” Mickey’s observation caught Riku by surprise. “Sometimes you care so much for somebody that other feelings disappear. And then, there’s no room for fear or doubt.” Riku looked down at his right hand as a faint memory from his childhood suddenly came back to him. “Strength for what?” “To protect the things that matter. You know, like my friends.” Who was that guy back then? That was the day I first held a Keyblade… “Is that it? ‘Strength to protect what matters’? It reminds me of a promise I made.” “To who?” “Just someone I once met. Can’t tell.” Riku curled his hand into a fist. That was our secret promise— I remember he said the magic would wear off if I told anyone. “Sounds like a good memory.” “Yeah…” Maybe, just maybe, that promise still bound them together to this day… “While we’re reminiscing…,” Riku said. “Mickey, does any of this look familiar?” “Sort of, but the realm of darkness has changed since I was here with Aqua.” Mickey’s head swiveled back and forth. “Yeah, it’s different from what I remember,” Riku agreed. He didn’t remember any of this from his first and second visits. The realm of darkness was huge, though, and any new worlds it had taken could have changed its appearance. “Usually, I’d just follow my heart, and Aqua would show me the way.” Mickey started walking. There was a serious look in his eyes as he gazed off into the distance. “But the closer I get, the hazier our connection feels.” What would be causing that? “Either way, we can’t give up hope,” Mickey reminded him, turning around. Riku gave him a nod. “Yeah,” he said, following him. It was easy to let your mind wander in the constant murk of this world, and the two of them continued in silence. After seeing the same unchanging view for so long, you might start to think it would never end. If Aqua’s been lost in here all by herself this whole time, I can imagine how alone she must feel. Even a Heartless would be a welcome sight. The sheer loneliness of this place was crushing. But Riku had Mickey with him. Suddenly the landscape opened up, and the sound of waves reached their ears. It was a beach in the dusky gloom. A hazy light hung over the water in the distance. Perhaps it was a setting sun; perhaps a moon. “This beach…,” Riku murmured in spite of himself. He had been here before. “It’s gone,” Mickey whispered, and Riku looked at him curiously. “Huh?” “I was positive Aqua was here. But now…her trail’s gone dim.” “I’ve been here, too. With Sora,” Riku told him. They had arrived here together after defeating Xemnas. “Really?” “This is where we found our way back to the realm of light. Hey, maybe Aqua did, too!” Hope began rising in his chest. Back then, Sora and I sat here and talked through some things—really important things—and then that letter took us back to the realm of light. Maybe something similar happened to Aqua— However, Mickey shook his head sadly. “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 are,” he said, gazing out over the water. “So then…” Riku sighed, just as a pack of Heartless sprouted up from the ground. “Oh no!” “What?!” The pair summoned their Keyblades, but they were already surrounded. “Riku…be careful. Even the least threatening Heartless are stronger in this realm.” “I got it.” Riku tightened his grip on his Keyblade at Mickey’s warning. The Heartless swarmed together in a gigantic black tornado, then went on the attack. Riku sprang right into the middle of the mass of creatures and started fighting them off with his Keyblade. Meanwhile, Mickey used magic to break the horde apart. “It’s not over. Be careful!” “Oh no!” Just as Riku landed on the ground, a wave of Shadows crashed down on him from behind and completely swallowed him up. “Riku!” He was floating in dark water—an abyss of perfect blackness. He couldn’t breathe. Is the darkness going to—? No, that’s not possible. Didn’t expect to see you again. There was a voice. “What…?” Riku opened his eyes in the water. He couldn’t see who was speaking. This voice—is it…mine? Why am I hearing my own voice? Why did you even come here? “Because someone needs me,” Riku answered. He could sense whoever was there with him wavering slightly. Do you want some help? “Who are you?” Riku asked. Me? I’m… Riku ran out of air before he could hear the rest of the reply. You’re— Yeah, it must be you. “Riku… Wake up… Riku!” His eyes opened gradually as Mickey called to him, and he saw the king looking at him with worry. Riku sat up. “Are you okay?” “Where’d the Heartless go?” “I got more than half of ’em, and the rest vanished. But they spit you out first,” said Mickey. “Thanks. I owe ya.” Riku pressed down on his temple. His head still hurt a bit. That voice… That was…him. The one I met back in Castle Oblivion. “I know ya feel invincible, but we’re not,” Mickey admonished him, bringing him all the way back to reality. “Are you all right, Mickey?” Riku asked. “Yeah, thanks to the new gear. But…your Keyblade…” The king was looking at the weapon in Riku’s hand. The tip of Way to the Dawn—the Keyblade he had used all this time—had snapped off. “The Heartless here are stronger than what we expected. I guess we should have 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 examined the broken key. “But Aqua’s still down there, alone. Facing enemies like that.” “I know…” Riku slowly approached the edge of the water. “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?” he said, staring out across the sea. Mickey walked up alongside him. “But Aqua… She’s like Sora.” “What?!” Riku exclaimed. Of all the things he was expecting to hear, it wasn’t that. You’re telling me the master who saved me back then has her head in the clouds like him…? Mickey hurriedly added, “No, no, no… Strong like Sora!” “Okay… Good. Then I guess she’s gonna be all right. Sora could fall into any darkness and swim his way out.” Riku returned his gaze to the horizon beyond the sea. “Besides, we won’t be long.” “Right,” Riku agreed firmly, then planted the broken Way to the Dawn in the sand. “Can’t use this Keyblade anymore. Might as well leave it here…for the other me.” “Wha…?” Mickey glanced up at Riku curiously. Yeah, for the other me—the one who’s wandering down here alone. Riku and Mickey put the sea behind them and made their way back to the realm of light. And now we return for a third time to the Mysterious Tower, where Sora and his friends had arrived after their visit to Hercules. “I see… You could not regain your strength,” Yen Sid mused gravely, but Sora and his smile were unfazed. “Aw, no biggie. I still learned a lot.” I learned about protecting what matters—the people you love most. Donald and Goofy were also smiling next to him. “Regardless, Sora, you will need the power of waking.” “Oh… Hmm…” Sora paused to think. “Your strength can’t be gone forever,” Goofy said, trying to encourage him. “Maybe something’ll trigger it real soon.” “Like what, exactly?” Sora said in frustration. Goofy’s boundless optimism wasn’t really helping. “I know!” Donald chimed in. “How about a bonk on the head?” Sora glared at him, and Donald glared right back. “Perhaps it could be something that is as simple as that,” Yen Sid murmured. “Wait, you think so, too?” “Whenever you are in need, magic happens. That is your greatest strength, Sora.” “You make it sound like an accident,” Sora said, deflated. Yen Sid’s assessment was taking the wind out of his sails, and Donald and Goofy kept laughing at him. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. “We’re back, Master!” Riku and Mickey entered the chamber. “Oh, wow. You guys are all here!” “We were here before, but you guys didn’t wait.” The argument was quickly forgotten, and Sora, Donald, Goofy, the king, and Riku were simply happy to see one another again. Sora and his companions filled in the other two on the results of their mission, and when they were finished, Mickey replied, “But honestly…we didn’t fare any better.” Donald and Goofy shared a look. “Did ya manage to find out where Aqua is?” Goofy asked. “’Cause Master Yen Sid said that’s why you fellas left.” “Not even a hint?” added Donald. Riku and Mickey shared a look of chagrin, and the king nodded sadly. Riku began to elaborate. “We know Master Aqua made it as far as the beach that Sora and I once visited, but that’s where her trail ends.” Apparently, the situation was more dire than they had realized. “All traces of her vanish into the great abyss…beneath the realm of darkness,” Mickey added. “She’s gone?” Donald asked weakly. “No. Sora was dragged into the abyss during his exam. And I went in after him. So, I think if we find someone that was really close to Aqua, and they make the dive, they could reach her down there.” Riku clearly believed there was some way to save her, but Mickey only shook his head. “I’m not sure who’s even left to ask. Ventus is hidden…and Aqua is the only one who knows where. Plus, nobody’s seen Terra in ages. Aqua was the last.” As long as they were unable to locate Ven and Terra, Aqua would never return to the realm of light. And unfortunately, they had no means of tracking down either of them. “So Aqua— She’s gonna be the key to finding all three.” Riku fell into thought. “Yes,” said Yen Sid. “Their teacher, Master Eraqus, would have been another possibility, had Xehanort not mercilessly struck him down.” The sorcerer’s gaze lowered just the barest amount—a rarity for him. Sora was the one who broke the silence. “I’ll save her.” Everyone in the room turned to him, surprised by his forcefulness. But he couldn’t help speaking up—the feeling had welled up so suddenly, squeezing his heart tight. I will save Aqua. “You can’t!” “But, Sora, that’s gonna be super hard, since you don’t have the power of waking.” Donald sounded a bit annoyed, and Goofy merely worried. “Huh? Sorry… I have no idea why that just popped out.” Sora scratched his head, also confused by the sudden surge of emotion. “Well, it was pretty convincing.” “Yeah, better not let us down.” Mickey and Riku smiled. “Okay,” Sora affirmed with a grin of his own. “Sora,” Yen Sid said, “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.” “Good plan, sir. Riku and I will retrace her steps and see if we can find any clues, but first…” Mickey stepped before the sorcerer, and Riku did the same. “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 replacements before we can continue.” “In that case, rendezvous with Kairi and Lea. They are continuing their training under the tutelage of the wizard Merlin.” Riku and Mickey bowed. “Yes, sir.” “Also, I would like you to deliver these for me.” Yen Sid waved his hand, and two cases appeared on his desk, one red and one black. They were of a different size and color from the ones the sorcerer had given Riku and Mickey for their journey to the realm of darkness. “They are the same as the ones I gave you. Special vestments to shield Kairi and Lea from the darkness.” “We got ’em.” Riku and Mickey each took a bag. “What? No fair! What about my outfit, Master?” Sora cut in. Donald was quick to admonish him. “Sora, don’t bug him like that. It’s inconsiderate.” However, the sorcerer was merely amused. “Settle down. I have new clothes for you, too, Sora. A gift from the good fairies.” Yen Sid held out his hand, and one more suitcase appeared on the desk. Sora beamed. “I knew you’d come through for me. Thanks!” Donald seemed disappointed that he and Goofy didn’t get cool new clothes, too. “These are no ordinary garments, Sora. Like before, they have very special powers, so it took extra time to prepare them. In addition, there is a special gift from Chip and Dale inside.” “Cool. Okay!” Sora replied gleefully, shifting the big bag from his shoulder to his back. “Now, you are all ready to proceed,” the sorcerer announced just as a diminutive figure hopped onto his desk. “Hey, wait! Don’t forget about me!” “Jiminy!” Sora and his friends exclaimed. The dapper cricket had been their constant companion on all their previous journeys. As always, he had his top hat and umbrella. “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.” Jiminy swept off his hat and bowed. “Good. Now, to mark the beginning of a new journey, I wish for you to have this, Sora.” With another wave of Yen Sid’s hand, a bangle set with a purple stone appeared in Sora’s hand. It was engraved with the symbol for Spirits—residents of the Sleeping Worlds who ate nightmares. “Okay?” “That is a Heartbinder. Think of it as a good luck charm made just for you. You have a gift, Sora, for connecting with others, and this makes that gift stronger.” Sora clutched the Heartbinder tightly and nodded. “It’s time to go!” Mickey cried, and everyone stood at attention and bowed. Sora, Donald, and Goofy strained their ears to hear something. Goofy was right—Yen Sid was definitely whispering a certain phrase: “May your hearts be your guiding keys.” “See?” They all shared a look and smiled. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in the Gummi Ship. Sora was wearing his new outfit from Yen Sid, a mostly black and red jacket and pants with checkers on the lapels. “Okay, where to?” Donald asked, but Sora still had his arms crossed behind his head in thought. “Oh, come on. Would you get serious?” “Gimme a break, okay? I told you. These things take time.” “Gawrsh, is it just me, or is this becoming a routine?” Goofy remarked, watching the scene play out again. Just then, an unfamiliar melody began playing from somewhere. “Huh? What?” Everyone searched around them for the source of the sound, until Jiminy hopped onto Sora’s shoulder and pointed at his pocket. “It’s comin’ from you, Sora!” he said. Sora shoved his hand into the pocket and found a square, palm-sized device with a screen. Near the bottom was a button with Mickey’s symbol on it. “Can you make it stop?” “I don’t know how. Maybe…this.” Sora touched the green button on the screen, and a very familiar chipmunk appeared. “Hooray! He picked up,” Dale cried. “Huh? Dale?” “Hey, Chipper, I finally got him! Hurry up, Chip!” Dale shouted, and the other chipmunk leaped into the image. “Well! It’s about time,” Chip said. The two chipmunks appeared to be calling from the study of Disney Castle, and they explained in turns. “Ya gotta answer the phone, Sora, or we can’t give ya updates. We got lots and lots of important stuff we want to tell ya!” “That’s why we asked Master Yen Sid to make sure you got this Gummiphone we made ya. So we’d be able to stay in touch with you at all times.” “And it takes pictures.” So this gadget was called a Gummiphone? “Oh! You finally finished it,” Jiminy chimed in cheerfully. “Say, with this Gummiphone, we can talk to each other across worlds. In fact, I might even try writing my journal on it.” “Wow! Sounds like it’s pretty handy, guys.” Sora inspected the Gummiphone closely. “So, what’s so important?” “This! Back when you and Riku quested through the Sleeping Worlds, Riku recovered some secret research data that Ansem the Wise hid inside you—” “Ansem’s Code!” Dale cried out in the middle of Chip’s reply. Ansem’s Code—the fruits of Ansem the Wise’s research, entrusted to Riku when he overcame Sora’s nightmare during the Mark of Mastery exam. “Mm-hmm,” added Chip. “We’ve been workin’ our tails off tryin’ to crack it and see what it says.” A second later, the screen switched over to a young man with silver hair and blue eyes wearing a white coat with a purple ascot tie. His long bangs obscured one side of his face. “The data has been encrypted, so we’ve only deciphered some of it.” “Huh?” He seems familiar somehow, but… “Oh… I guess we haven’t spoken since the castle. I’m Ienzo. Aeleus is here, too.”