Chapter 3: Allied With the Saviour
Traverse Town.
A world that can be described as the focal point as to where residents of other worlds meet one another. A long time ago, when worlds ceased to exist because of the Heartless, most of the residents of those lost worlds who survived ended up here. People began repairing their lives by building new homes for themselves in this quiet, almost peaceful town. Residents of old worlds met with one another here.
Despite the fact that Heartless occasionally attacked, this was considered to be a safe little sanctuary. Anybody who had lost his/her home could rest here and could also recover from any horrors caused by the memory of losing his/her home. The Heartless that invaded this mysterious town were very few in numbers and didn’t take that much interest in the conquering of this world compared to the interest they had in conquering other worlds. Those who stood for what’s right easily dealt with those who did invade. Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy protected the innocent, as did Leon (Squall Leonheart), Yuffie Kisaragi and many more heroes. The residents of Traverse Town knew that as long as the light shone over them, they had nothing to worry about.
That was then. This is now.
People in Traverse Town have never been so afraid in their lives. People now lock themselves indoors and are afraid to come out of their houses. People know that those who have the courage to step outside get consumed.
By the Heartless.
Ever since the Heartless were banished two years ago, nearly everybody returned to their restored worlds, including the heroes of the universe. Without the Heartless, there was no need for Traverse Town to be protected. People didn’t care. With those hideous creatures gone, people had nothing to be afraid of.
For the moment.
The Heartless’ return drove the world’s residents into a panic. In a matter of hours, dozens of people had had their hearts stolen from them. Countless loved ones were lost, heroes had their own problems to deal with that prevented them from helping those in peril and this once safe haven of a world was being threatened more than ever before. For weeks, the Heartless had terrorised this world’s people simply for Sharak’s amusement as well as their own. Without heroes or light, life in Traverse Town had turned from peaceful tranquillity to living nightmare.
One family was living that nightmare as they were running for their lives. Hiding from the Heartless for several days had wiped out whatever food supplies they had. Lack of food and drink had forced them to go grocery shopping. This happened to almost every family in Traverse Town. People were forced to live on whatever rations they had for as long as possible in order to avoid being consumed themselves. Some people lasted only a few days, whereas others lasted weeks, even months staying indoors.
But no one can hide forever.
Sooner or later, people have to step outside and face their demons. People had to get out of their houses and to the nearest grocery store if they wanted to carry on living. The Heartless knew this and they knew it was just a matter of waiting. Some people usually survive attacks from the Heartless and manage to make it back to their homes in safety.
But luck doesn’t always hold out forever.
This family knew that. Ever since the Heartless’ return, they had barely managed to survive being consumed. They had the courage to step out of their house and do whatever needed to be done in town. They also had the intelligence to figure out how to escape from the creatures of darkness and retreat to their homes if they ever encountered them but they knew they couldn’t keep it up forever.
This time as soon as they left the grocery store, a pack of Heartless Soldiers stood outside waiting for them. They ran towards their house in the second district and nearly made it to the front door when more Soldiers appeared out of nowhere in front of them. The mother and father dropped the bags they were carrying, picked up their two children and ran towards the alleyway, hoping to lose the Heartless and at the same time, seek sanctuary in another neighbour’s house. When people were running for their lives, neighbours who saw them allowed them to stay in their houses for brief periods of time so they would be safe.
This time it didn’t work.
As soon as they entered the alleyway, Shadows materialised out of the ground and chased after the family. They ran to the other end of the alleyway only to reach a dead end. They turned around to see ten Shadows and ten Soldiers staring at them and twitching and shuddering like some Heartless commonly did as a force of uncontrollable habit.
The two children were crying like never before and the parents tried to put on a brave face but deep down they were terrified as well. They knew their luck had finally run out. The four of them huddled together, hugging each other as tightly as they possibly could, silently telling each other how much they loved one another. They knew this was the end.
But no matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within.
As the Heartless advanced forward, a scream sounded. The Heartless stopped and looked to see a sixteen-year old boy jump from the rooftops and into the alleyway. He landed in-between the family and the Shadows and Soldiers. The family looked at the boy in astonishment whereas the Heartless looked at the boy in curiosity. He was dressed up like a ninja and had a vicious scar on his face that could only be partially seen underneath his mask.
The outsider revealed his sword and readied himself for combat.
“This senseless slaughter has gone on far too long”, declared the stranger, “It is time for it to stop. You creatures and your masters will face judgement for your sins.”
With that, the boy ninja charged towards the Heartless. He rotated his sword in an ultra quick motion whilst running towards the creatures and as soon as the spinning blade made contact, Heartless flew in all directions. All of the Shadows were destroyed instantly, whereas the Soldiers were sent flying further down the alleyway. The ninja knew he had the advantage. With more space, he could do more damage to the creatures of darkness. Reaching into the pockets on his belt, he grabbed a handful of orbs and threw them at three of the Soldiers. The orbs exploded with light, immediately eradicating the three targets.
The seven remaining Heartless began kicking wildly. The Soldiers specialised in wild, spinning kick attacks. The outsider just simply jumped high over them hurling a shower of ninja stars onto those below. Four of the remaining seven ceased to exist.
The final three Soldiers surrounded the stranger and leapt at him. He rolled out of the way, back-flipped over them towards the wall as they landed, wall-kicked himself towards the confused creatures with his arms outstretched, speared one of the Soldiers into the wall and then roll-threw the stunned creature into the other two.
The ninja charged his sword with the power of light and plunged it into the ground. A trail of light emerged from the sword and forwarded towards the three-mismatched Heartless. A tower of light erupted from the spot where the remaining Heartless stood and consumed the Soldiers in a second.
The family looked at the teenager in amazement. Faces of despair turned into those of relief, happiness and gratitude. They looked at the ninja in thankfulness as the light subsided and the outsider withdrew his sword.
“Thank you”, said the father, “Thank you for saving us.”
“It was my pleasure”, replied the stranger as he turned around to face the family, “I’m so glad to see that you and your family are safe.”
“Not that we’re ungrateful”, replied the mother, “But why did you risk your life to help us?”
“Those who follow the path of light have an obligation to care for the innocent. It’s the right thing to do. No one should ever turn his back on another’s pain and despair.”
“I don’t know how we can ever repay you.”
“You don’t have to”, smiled the outsider underneath his mask, “The only reward I seek is the knowledge that innocent people are safe.”
“Thanks, mister!” said the children in unison.
“You’re more than welcome”, smiled the boy ninja, “The four of you and everyone else in this town no longer have anything to fear. Take care.”
With that, the teenage outsider leapt high into the air and onto the rooftops. He ran across the roofs of houses and hotels to return to his home in the third district.
I think it’s time to see how my guests are getting on, he thought to himself as he somersaulted from one roof to another.
Meanwhile, Sora was having problems. Massive problems
“Kairi!”
The Keybearer looked in horror as Sharak was strangling her. He brought out his Keyblade and ran towards the creature. He swung his weapon at the source of all darkness only for Sharak to catch it with one hand and sidekick Sora, sending him flying several feet away. The Keybearer recovered only to see Sharak still strangling Kairi with one hand and now holding the Keyblade in the other. Sora couldn’t believe his eyes as the creature broke the Keyblade clean in two with one hand and the remains of his weapon just disappear into absolute nothingness.
Shocked but undaunted, Sora raced towards Sharak again only for the emperor to raise his hand in front of the teenager. A barrier appeared out of nowhere and prevented him from saving Kairi. Sharak, still strangling the princess, turned to see Sora trying to break through the barrier but to no avail. The creature laughed at the boy and his desperate attempts to save the girl he loved.
“Leave her alone!” yelled Sora.
“I’m afraid your request is completely out of question”, replied the emperor, “The princess is of great importance to me. She is essential to my plans, which are of course, first priority. She was destined to be in my possession.”
“You can’t take her! I won’t let you!”
“You are helpless before me, Sora. You have no power, no friends and no chance.”
A wave of Heartless materialised behind Sora. He turned around to see them running towards him. He tried again to break through the barrier but it was no use. Sharak opened up a portal and walked through it, taking Kairi with him.
“There is absolutely nothing you can do to stop me”, said the emperor as he returned to his home world, “There is nothing you can do at all.”
“Kairi!!!!!”
Sora cried as he saw Kairi vanish from his eyes once more. He didn’t even care about the Heartless as they jumped at him and consumed him. He’d lost everything that mattered to him. He had nothing left to live for.
Sora screamed in horror as he woke up. He breathed heavily as he looked around him to see he was still in that room that he’d been in when he woke up first time round after his real battle with Sharak. He breathed a sigh of relief; happy to know that it had only been a nightmare but tears soon fell from his eyes as a very nasty thought occurred to him.
What if Sharak had invaded the Destiny Islands? What if he had kidnapped Kairi right now?
No, thought Sora, I can’t think that for a second.
“Are you all right, Sora?” asked Donald.
Sora turned to see Donald and Goofy looking deeply concerned about him.
“Just had a really bad nightmare, that’s all.”
“It looks like ya just saw a ghost”, said Goofy.
“No”, replied the Keybearer, “I saw something far more haunting.”
“D’ya wanna talk about it?”
“No, not right now”, replied Sora, “Thanks all the same. When did you guys wake up?”
“Only a few minutes ago”, said Donald, “But how we woke up in here, I don’t have a clue.”
“I thought we were goners fer sure!” said Goofy, “That…whatever nearly cooked our gooses!”
“Who saved us?” asked the chief magician of Disney Castle, “And what was that thing?”
“Well I woke up before you did and saw this guy who was dressed like a ninja. He said he saved us, told us to get some rest and that we’d be safe here.”
“Where is this ninja?”
“He jumped out of the window and said he’d be back soon. He also said he could answer our questions.”
“How long ago was this?” asked Goofy.
“I don’t know”, replied Sora, “I went back to sleep after he left.”
“I was gone for half an hour”, answered the stranger as he entered the room through the window, “You were asleep for three hours after I bought you here, and then you woke up to see me. You then fell asleep again after I left and now I’ve returned to see that all three of you are fit, well and awake after your brush with death.”
Sora, Donald and Goofy turned around to see the outsider standing before them. Sora sat up off the bed he’d been sleeping on and stood alongside his friends, as the three of them looked at the ninja perplexingly.
“How are you all feeling?” he asked.
“Uh, fine thanks”, responded Sora.
“Yeah, me too”, said Donald.
“I’m okay”, said Goofy.
“Where did you run off too?” questioned the Keybearer.
“There were innocents that needed my help”, replied the stranger, “I’m sorry I left you but I had to assist them.”
“Why?”
“Because it is my responsibility and it is because I care. Just like you.”
“Oh.”
The Keyblade master, the Chief Wizard and the Court Guard stared at the outsider for a few seconds. Then they finally found their voices.
“Look, just who are you?!”
“How did you know we were in danger?!”
“What was that creature that nearly killed us?!”
“Why did you save us?!”
“Where are we?!”
“How did we get here?!”
“My friends, please calm down”, soothed the ninja, “I’ll do my best to answer your questions but they can wait for a few more minutes. Before I can shed some light on the situation for you, I first need clarification on a few things myself.”
“Such as?”
“Confirmation on who you are and what your roles are”, said the stranger. He turned to Sora, “Now I know that you are the Keybearer but I am uncertain about you two”, he said as he looked at Donald and Goofy, “Tell me. Am I in the presence of the followers of his majesty, King Mickey?”
“Sure are!”, confirmed Goofy. The stranger looked deep into Goofy’s eyes and instantly knew that he was telling the truth.
“Good”, smiled the outsider, “I feel much more at ease now that I know I am amongst those I can trust. Now it is time for a more personal introduction. What are your names?”
“I’m Sora.”
“Donald Duck.”
“Name’s Goofy.”
“Please. Sit down.”
They all sat down and made themselves comfortable.
“My name is Jaron”, introduced the stranger, “I am the current holder of a mantle that has been passed down through countless generations. The mantle of the Saviour.”
“You’re the one King Mickey told us to find?”, asked Goofy.
“I take it you received his letter shortly after Ansem’s death.”
“How do you know about Ansem?” enquired Sora, “We’ve only just met, and Ansem didn’t mention you in his report or speak of you.”
“I can assume that Ansem didn’t know about me”, answered Jaron, “And until recently, I didn’t know about him. I was too busy defending my own world from the Heartless to know who was leading them and I can also assume that the seeker of darkness had more important things on his mind then to research the legend of the Saviour.”
“How did you know the king had sent us a letter?” spoke Donald.
“I received a letter myself from the king two years ago. He warned me of an old threat that would return one day to wreak havoc across the entire universe. I’ll read it out to you.”
Jaron took an envelope out of his pocket. It had the King’s seal on it. He opened up the envelope, took out the letter that was inside and read it out loud.
Jaron,
As I’m sure you know, the threat of the Heartless has ended for now. The worlds have been disconnected and restored to how they once were but unfortunately, darkness still exists. I have no idea how long this era of harmony will last but I know that it won’t last forever.
The source of all darkness still exists. I can feel it. It’s been healing itself ever since its destruction. It’s been feeding off the darkness in people’s hearts. That’s how it’s been able to regenerate itself.
A time will come when it will no longer be able to restore itself by merely feeding and it will be forced to ally with others and rely on its children. When that day comes, all worlds will be in dire peril.
I’m sure you know how this source was destroyed the first time. In order to destroy it again, you must follow in the footsteps of your ancestors. To prevent it from ever returning to the universe, you must seek out the one with the “key”. He will know how to wipe it out of existence and forever prevent it from coming back.
You cannot contact the Keybearer nor reach him at this moment in time. He is in a world that at present, can only be reached by those who possess the power of darkness, and no one does in this current situation.
When he is in mortal danger, you will be able to sense the peril that he is in, and therefore be able to reach him and save him. When you finally do meet him, take him to Traverse Town. Together you’ll be able to formulate a plan and decide on how to defeat this entity.
You’ll recognise the boy who holds the key when you meet him. He is currently with my two most loyal followers and most trusted friends. They will also be expecting you and shall be of great help when you finally confront this creature.
Take care, Jaron.
King Mickey.
“Sounds like you’ve known King Mickey for a long time”, stated Sora.
“I come from the Council of Light”, replied Jaron, “The council has been allied to the king for years. I met him when I was ten, when I started my training. That was the only time I had the honour and the privilege of meeting him face-to-face.”
“How come we’ve only just heard of this “council”? asked Donald, “The king never told us about it before.”
“The council’s existence was to be kept a guarded secret. Only those that were most trustworthy and were sworn to oath could know of its presence. Your king was one of those most trusted individuals.”
“Uh, why did it have to be kept secret fer so long?” This came from Goofy.
“The council was responsible for keeping the worlds separate. They were also the ones responsible for establishing certain rules. One of them being that one must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds. As a failsafe, walls were created by the council to prevent people from coming into contact with those from other worlds. This was necessary to protect the world order. There is always the dangerous possibility that if others visited different worlds and interfered in their running, war could start or people could gain power that was too dangerous to wield.”
“Not everyone is as evil as that, Jaron”, reassured Sora.
“I know”, said the Saviour, “There are good people who have no intention of starting war or becoming a universal threat, but it was necessary to keep the worlds divided in case such an event should happen.”
“The walls were eventually destroyed and people were able to visit other worlds when Ansem opened the door to his world’s heart.”
“I know, Sora. I learnt of Ansem’s report and read about it shortly after.”
“Uh, ya still haven’t answered my question”, said Goofy, “Why did the council have to be kept secret?”
“My apologies, Goofy. I’m sure that you and Donald, as the king’s followers, know that worlds had to be kept secret from one another in order to keep the peace and protect the world order. Like I said earlier, the council made those rules and created the impassable walls to prevent war. If people knew that, then there was a chance that the council would be destroyed and the universe would disintegrate into total chaos. If people didn’t know for sure that the council and the other worlds existed, then the peace would be preserved. That is why the council had to be kept secret like all worlds.”
“And that’s why only the most trustworthy could know about the council.”
“Correct, Donald”, confirmed Jaron, “Those who can be trusted the most represent the greatest good. They are kind, noble and understanding. Your king is one of those individuals.”
“The Heartless have come back”, revealed Sora, “I saw them being summoned by that monster.”
“I know. They are what I had to save that family from. They are what I have been fighting for the last five years.”
“How come they came back?” asked Donald, “They were sealed behind Kingdom Hearts.”
“True, but that creature you have just met is the reason why they have returned. In fact, he’s the reason why they existed in the first place.”
“Huh? No, you don’t understand”, countered Sora, “It was Ansem who…”
“Created the Heartless whilst researching the darkness in people’s hearts?” asked Jaron, “You’re only half right, Sora. Ansem did create the newer, deadlier artificial Heartless during his experimentation but he only RESURFACED the natural Heartless such as Shadows, Darkballs, Invisibles and Darksides during his study of darkness.”
“So that creature we fought created the original Heartless? Who…what is he?”
“That inhuman, sadistic monstrosity? That would be Sharak.”
“Sharak?”
“The source of all darkness”, continued the Saviour, “He has existed since the dawn of time. When the universe was created, darkness was created naturally as an opposite to the light that shone all over. The darkness immediately gained sentience after its birth and viewed itself as the superior of all. It despised emotions such as love and friendship and also despised those who value life. Anything that followed the path of goodness and light was considered inferior and weak. It immediately began a crusade to destroy those who refused to accept and embrace darkness. The light was powerful but as the years passed more and people gave in to the darkness. The light faded, war raged, people died and carnage filled all worlds.”
“Gawrsh!”
“In the end, the light seemingly disappeared, and the darkness ultimately conquered the universe. All worlds fell under its control and people trembled before it. When it had everyone and everything under its control, it crowned itself emperor and took the name of Sharak.”
“Go on”, said Sora, who like Donald and Goofy, was becoming more and more intrigued by this story that was being told.
“Sharak ruled for millions of years”, continued Jaron, “He put darkness in people’s hearts so that he could know everything about his people. He could also know where they were and what their thoughts and feelings were. If he could sense mutiny, treachery and contempt in people, then he would have them destroyed. People lived in fear of him and nothing more. As long as Sharak existed, happiness could not.”
“That’s awful!” said Donald.
“But as I’m sure you three know, deep down there is a light that can never ever be extinguished. Light existed in warrior slaves that even the emperor could not crush. These warriors escaped from Sharak’s watchful eye by retreating to a small part of the universe that was brimming with light. These warriors then saved others from those under the emperor’s rule and as time rolled by, the light grew strong again. The warriors had gradually formed an army of billions. These heroes represented the light. They cared for each other and those around them. They valued life and were proof that people can be strong by accepting love, happiness and hope. Five million years after Sharak had taken control of the universe; the heroes attacked the darkness and came into contact with the Heartless. Creatures that had been spawned from the source of all darkness to be his army of warriors, enforcers and slaves. Many lives were lost in the titanic conflict that followed. However, goodness ultimately prevailed and the Heartless were destroyed, along with Sharak.”
“How?”
“Not all of the light faded during the darkness’ take-over”, explained Jaron, “There was light that it could not destroy, so he sealed it behind a door with darkness. When he seemingly had the upper hand in the war with the heroes, the emperor became too cautious and used too much darkness to keep the door shut, forgetting that not even the strongest darkness can prevent a light from guiding us in our darkest hour. The door opened and the light consumed the darkness and the Heartless. Darkness was removed from people’s hearts, slaves were freed and happiness followed.”
“Where is the door to the light, Jaron?”
“I don’t know, Sora.”
“Well that’s just great”, muttered Donald sarcastically.
“How’d he manage to come back?” asked Goofy.
“Although the light from the door succeeded in destroying Sharak, a small atom of darkness was able to survive. It couldn’t regenerate itself and was in no condition whatsoever to return and reclaim the universe, yet it couldn’t be destroyed completely. Sharak is darkness like no other. Even the immense light from the door can’t destroy the creature completely. He existed as an atom for more than twenty thousand years following his destruction. Incapable of doing anything except lying comatose and unnoticed. During that time, the surviving heroes founded the Council of Light, setting up rules and constructing walls to keep the peace and preserving this new era of harmony. People loved the light and this era of happiness and as the millennia passed, people forgot about the darkness. They forgot that it ever existed, much to the delight of the council. Everyone was happy as could be but happiness doesn’t last for very long.”
“Why, what happened?”
“Two hundred years ago, people began fighting over the light”, continued the outsider, “They wanted to keep the light for themselves. This fighting didn’t go unnoticed by Sharak. The hate he could sense bought him out of his coma and he immediately began feeding off people’s hatred. A century later, he became powerful enough to once more put darkness in everybody’s hearts. This darkness consumed the people that were fighting and shattered the world they inhabited. Small fragments of light survived in the hearts of children however, and they were able to rebuild the lost world. Sharak on the other hand, still continued feeding off the darkness in people’s hearts and gradually regenerated himself. He once more knew about everything associated with darkness and the people that had darkness in their hearts. Recently, he became unable to regenerate further by consuming others, and he has now had to adopt a humanoid form in order to survive.”
“And his humanoid form is what we saw when we fought him?” asked Sora.
“Correct”.
“How d’ya know all of this, Jaron?” asked Goofy.
“I was told from the council…and Sharak.”
“WHAT?!” shouted Sora, Donald and Goofy in exclamation.
“I’ll explain some other time”, said Jaron as he wiped a small tear from his right eye, “But not right now. It’s too painful.”
Sora wanted to know more. He could understand how Jaron had learnt about all of this from the council but how Sharak had told him some of the story was a complete mystery. How had the Saviour come into contact with the creature? That was something the Keybearer really wanted to know about. He was tempted to pressure him about the emperor but Jaron had been more than helpful enough already. He’d answered a lot of questions and still had other, more important answers to give. Sora decided to let the subject drop as it was unimportant.
For now.
“I can understand why you saved us now”, said Sora, “You need our help in stopping Sharak.”
“That’s only part of the reason”, responded the Saviour, “I can’t allow you three to suffer at Sharak’s hands like I have.”
“Uh, thanks”, said a confused Donald.
“But how can we be of use?” asked Goofy, “Sharak nearly totalled us when we fought him.”
“The source of all darkness takes all threats seriously. You three have defeated many incarnations of evil, and ultimately saved the universe. What you have done once, you can easily do again. I know this and so does Sharak.”
“But he’s so powerful.”
“True, but he’s nowhere near as powerful as he once was. At the moment, his power is only a tenth of what it was previously. He is limited in what he can do.”
“What exactly are his limitations?” asked Sora.
“When he was at his prime”, replied Jaron, “His power was infinite. He never tired and could go on forever. Now that he’s at a fraction of his full potential, he can actually exhaust himself and his powers. At the moment, he can only reclaim a tenth of the universe before he gets exhausted and starts degenerating. If he succeeded in retaking a small portion of the universe, it would require great concentration and effort to hold onto those worlds he has captured. At the moment he possesses neither.”
“Anything else?”
“The darkness he put in people’s hearts. He can still sense whether people are alive or dead and he can also read people’s souls so that he knows everything about them but he can no longer discover what people are doing.”
“Does he know where we are?” asked Donald.
“Yes but he can only discover the worlds that we are on. He is unable to pinpoint our exact location.”
“What kinda powers does he have?” spoke the court guard.
“He can lift anything above his head; he can run incredibly fast, he can teleport, he can use telekinesis to levitate, harm and destroy objects, he can use telepathy to read people’s minds when he’s face to face with them, he can extend his limbs to any length he chooses, he can solidify his body into razor-sharp stabbing and hurling weapons, he can morph into any predatory animal he chooses, he can fly, he can open up portals and travel himself and others to any world in the galaxy, he can open and close almost anything he chooses, he can resurrect the dead, he can psychically attack others, he can shoot fireballs and lasers from his eyes, he can summon Heartless, he can change the environment he’s in to some small degree, he can unleash thunderstorms and meteor showers and he is a master in many forms of sorcery.“
Sora, Donald and Goofy looked at Jaron with their eyes and mouths wide open, trying to digest what the Saviour had just said.
“You’ve gotta be kiddin’!” said the Royal Wizard.
“I don’t joke, and you know that I’m telling the truth. You’ve already seen for yourselves just how powerful he is.”
“But he can get tired, can’t he?” asked Goofy.
“For the moment, yes”, said Jaron, “But if he manages to completely restore himself, he won’t know the meaning of the word.”
“You said he can’t restore himself by consuming others anymore”, stated Sora, “How can he get back to how he was?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then what can he do?”
“The Heartless alone are not enough to help him”, the Saviour answered, “If he is to do what he has in mind, he must form alliances with other evil beings.”
“You mean he has to bring back Ansem from the dead?”
“Yes. The power that the seeker of darkness wields would help Sharak immensely but he needs more.”
“You’re talking about Maleficent and all the other villains we faced.”
“You’re correct, Sora. The most powerful beings in the universe would be a great help to Sharak, and they would benefit highly from serving under him.”
“This is not good”, said Goofy.
“You’re right, but I know that we can beat this thing”, said Sora, “If we believe, we can do anything.”
“Your words are worthy and true, Keyblade Master”, smiled Jaron, “I believed I could save you, and I did.”
“Yeah!” cheered Donald, “We’ll show Sharak who’s boss!”
“He’s sure gonna be sorry he messed with us! Hyuk!” cheered Goofy.
“Are we all ready to continue our quest?” asked Sora.
“You know I am, my friend.”
“You betcha!”
“Sure are!” said Goofy, “But uh, what exactly are we gonna do?”
“We’re gonna do what those guys did all those years ago”, replied the Keybearer, “We’re gonna find our friends and form an army of our own. And we’ll deal with Sharak, the Heartless and all those villains for good!”
Sora ran towards the window, opened it, and got ready to leap out of the room. Jaron, Donald and Goofy followed.
“Let’s go, guys!”
The Keybearer, the Saviour and the king’s followers leapt out of the window, into the third district of Traverse Town. Sora, Donald and Goofy glided to the centre of the district, whereas Jaron somersaulted off the window’s ledge to join his new friends.
The four stood back-to-back as twenty Soldiers appeared in front of them. They all charged towards the four, only to fly in all directions as Sora and friends retaliated by unleashing the power of their weapons on them.
Sora and the others decided to take them on five apiece. They all split up, taking the battle to the enemy. The Keybearer immediately tore into his five by unleashing his Sonic Blade on the Soldiers, going straight through them, back and forth three times. They withered and died in seconds.
Donald jumped high into the air and cast a Firaga spell on the Heartless he was attacking. The immense fire caused by the magic forced the Heartless to writhe in pain, long enough for the Chief Magician to finish them off with a Thundaga spell. Donald smiled and calmly blew the smoke away from his staff.
Goofy charged into his enemies, shield first. They all went flying into the air and landed in a heap. The Captain of the Royal Knights turned around and unleashed his Tornado attack on the highly outclassed creatures. Spinning in circles with his shield directed at his targets, Goofy ploughed into the stack of Soldiers. They all flew high into the air again but never came back down to earth as they disintegrated a few seconds after being struck by the shield.
Jaron back-flipped towards the remaining five Heartless, then spun around with his sword outstretched. The Saviour weapon easily destroyed four of the Soldiers but one of them had managed to escape being caught by the blade. The creature managed to run around the destruction of his fellow Heartless and behind the ninja seemingly unnoticed. It leapt at Jaron, whilst his back was turned.
Sora looked to see the Soldier jumping at the Saviour.
“Jaron, look…”
The Saviour just threw his sword behind him with one arm; his back still turned on the Soldier. The sword impaled the Heartless and thrust the creature into one of the walls of the third district. The sword stuck into the wall with the Heartless still impaled. The Soldier then disappeared into nothingness.
“…out”, said Sora in astonishment.
“Your warning was greatly appreciated, Sora”, thanked Jaron, as he held his hand out and the sword pulled itself out of the wall and retreated to its master’s grasp, “But unnecessary. I can hear an attacking enemy nearby no matter how silent they are.”
“Well, that was easy!” said Donald.
“A little too easy if you ask me”, said Sora suspiciously.
“I think you’re right”, said Jaron, as he looked up to the sky.
The Keybearer and the king’s followers looked up to see a bundle of assorted body parts come crashing down from the sky and onto the ground. Four more bundles of body parts fell from the sky. The piles of heads, torsos, arms and legs soon rose high into the air and the gauntlets and hammerlegs connected with torsos. The heads then landed on top of their bodies and in a matter of seconds, Sora, Donald, Goofy and Jaron were surrounded by five Guard Armour Heartless that towered over them.
“I think we might be in trouble!” shouted Donald.
“So what do we do?” asked Goofy.
“We’re outnumbered”, said Sora.
“And they’re too powerful for us to split up and take on individually”, added Jaron, “With their ability to separate into individual components, they could very easily get the better of us if we decide to take on one each and save one for us all to attack.”
“Maybe we should take them on one at a time, whilst ignoring the others when they attack”, suggested Sora.
“That won’t be easy. They could all gang up on us if we try and isolate one of them.”
“Got any better ideas?” asked Donald.
“None”, replied Jaron.
“We’re a lot faster then those clunky things”, said Goofy, “I know that we can avoid what they can throw at us! I say we go with Sora’s plan!”
“Me too!”
“What do you think?” asked the Keybearer.
“I personally think that if we had time, we could come up with a more effective plan”, answered the Saviour, “But time is something we don’t have, and I can’t think of anything else. Very well, Sora. We’ll play it your way.”
During the four’s tactical discussion, the Guard Armours had just stood around them, waiting for their prey to make their move. They knew how futile their situation seemed.
The four rushed towards one of the Guard Armours. It started walking towards its attackers in turn, with its brothers closing in on them. The huge Heartless spun its gauntlets around its body, hoping to strike its enemy. Sora, Donald and Goofy had great experience in fighting the Heartless, and despite the fact that they hadn’t faced them for two years, they still remembered the different attack patterns of each type of Heartless. They just ran around the rotating gauntlets, whilst Jaron leapt above them and nailed the Guard Armour, with a ferocious kick to the head. Meanwhile, the other Guard Armours had separated their limbs from their torsos and were now zeroing in on their enemy.
Sora knew that the legs of the Guard Armours were more dangerous then any other part of their bodies. He thought it would be best to take them out first, so he hacked and slashed at them. Donald and Goofy decided to take out the arms whilst Jaron concentrated on the head and torso. They knew that if they each concentrated on a different section of the Heartless’ body, then it would be destroyed a lot more quickly.
The other body parts of the other Guard Armours were still closing in on them. The hammerlegs all jumped into the air towards Sora whilst he was still slashing away at the Guard Armour that was still intact. He turned around to see eight hammerlegs just about to land on him. He quickly rolled out of the way and ran away from the group of feet that was now chasing him and trying to kick him out of existence.
Donald and Goofy still continued their own onslaught on the Heartless that they and Jaron were still isolating. The notorious duo were using their superior speed to good advantage and they avoided the punches the Guard Armour was throwing, whilst unleashing their attacks on the Armour’s arms. They saw the other gauntlets rotating at top speed and heading straight towards them. They glided out of danger and went straight back to work on the isolated Heartless.
Jaron continued his relentless attack on the creature’s head and torso. He was pulling out all the stops by rapidly striking the head with his sword and hurling a shower of ninja stars and exploding orbs at the torso. The Saviour was determined to hit the creature so fast that it didn’t have time to recover from his attacks, whilst making sure that everyone of them counted. He could sense the other spinning torsos heading towards him and turned around and threw more exploding orbs at them, knowing the light emitted from the explosions would be enough to temporarily keep them at bay.
Sora had managed to weave in and out of the kicking hammerlegs and returned to attack the Guard Armour that was now completely helpless. Jaron’s kick to the head had staggered the creature, and it was now being pressurised so much that it hadn’t the time to separate, let alone retaliate. Thundaga spells from Sora and Donald damaged it even more and a Tornado attack from Goofy finished off its arms. Sora delivered a Strike Raid on the legs, which disintegrated after the hurled Keyblade found its mark. Jaron then unleashed a jumping uppercut attack with his sword that put a deep slash in the Armour’s torso. Light filled the Heartless’ wound and it exploded in an instant.
“One down!” shouted Sora.
The remaining Heartless decided to remain separated. If one of them joined back together, then it would be isolated and destroyed. The other body parts wouldn’t be able to tag the attackers due to their quickness. If they remained separated, their enemies wouldn’t know which body parts to attack and in the confusion, they would get beaten to death.
Jaron instantly knew what to do however; “We’ll attack a body part at a time! If we concentrate our attack, destroy a section quickly enough and avoid and ignore all other attacks, we will undoubtedly prevail!”
The others agreed and all four of them went straight to work on the nearest gauntlet. They all unleashed their most devastating attacks on the body part whilst avoiding all the fists, kicks and spinning attacks from the other body parts. As soon as they dodged any incoming harm, they immediately went after the specific body part and kept on pursuing it until it was no more.
The Guard Armours were undeniably powerful but what they lacked was speed and agility. Something that Sora and friends possessed more than enough of. They all used their quickness to their advantage. They moved so fast and struck so hard and quickly that the Heartless never got a shot in. In a matter of minutes, four gauntlets, four hammerlegs and two torsos were destroyed.
The remaining body parts returned to their torsos and two Guard Armours stood before the four heroes. They realised that if Sora and friends continued at this rate, then it wouldn’t be long before they were decimated as well. They decided to even the odds.
The two Guard Armours bent over with their hands touching the ground. Their heads changed their position on their bodies and then all of a sudden, the Guard Armours were standing in a sort of handstand position. Their torsos were now upside down, their arms were now being used for their legs and their legs were now being used for their arms. The visors on their heads then dropped down to reveal sinister yellow eyes.
They were Guard Armours no more. They were now Opposite Armours.
“Uh oh!”
“Don’t worry, Goofy”, said Sora, “There’s only two of them! If we can just carry on doing what we did before, we’ve got nothing to worry about!”
They all rushed to attack one of the Heartless but before they could strike, one of the Opposite Armours flew towards them with its gauntlet legs rotating in a propeller fashion. The spinning gauntlets made hard contact with the Keybearer and his friends and they all flew hard against the wall. Although Opposite Armours were modified versions of Guard Armours, they were far more powerful. They were stronger and faster; they could fly and could unleash more devastating attacks.
“Okay, maybe we can’t carry on doing what we did before”, admitted Sora.
“We still have the advantage!” encouraged Jaron; “We outnumber them two to one!”
“Uh, but there are four of us and two of them”, said Goofy, confused.
“No!” said Donald, “What Jaron means is…”
“You’re right, Jaron”, agreed Sora, “If two attack one each, we should be able to handle it.”
“Okay, you and Donald take the one on the right, me and Goofy will take the one on the left.”
“Let’s get to it!” shouted Donald as he and Sora ran to attack.
The Armour separated as the Keybearer and the Royal Wizard approached it. Its hammerleg arms punched Donald as he leapt to attack it and its head circled in vertical fashion towards Sora. The Keyblade master saw the attack coming and blocked the head with his weapon and then struck hard with an attack of his own. However, the incoming attack from the Heartless had only served as a distraction, and one that had left the Keybearer wide open. The rotating gauntlet legs caught Sora from behind and he was nearly knocked unconscious from the surprise attack.
Jaron and Goofy were currently having more success than their friends were. The Court Guard’s defensive capabilities were of high standard and he was putting his shield to good use, blocking the Opposite Armour’s attacks and defending himself and Jaron from what the giant Heartless could dish out. The Saviour on the other hand was once again using his arsenal of weaponry both offensively and effectively. The grenades he was throwing were once more causing damage to the Heartless, and weakening it enough to momentarily stun it.
The ninja then leapt at the giant Heartless, readying his sword to put another deep slash in another Heartless. The Opposite Armour knew what to expect this time and separated before Jaron’s sword could connect. The Saviour had anticipated the possibility of the creature avoiding his attack, so he rolled in mid-air and landed on his feet to avoid injury.
He turned around to see rotating gauntlets approaching him. The Saviour threw his sword at the propeller-like attack, only for it to just bounce off ineffectively against the fast-spinning gauntlets. The sword was flung back from the incredible force of the attack and spun fast towards Jaron. The ninja jumped above the deadly blade and caught the rotating sword safely by the handle with his hand. He landed a few meters away from the gauntlets that were still advancing quickly towards him and were now too close for him to jump over. He quickly rolled to one side to try to get out of harm’s way but was unable to avoid the spinning arms completely as his right leg came into contact with the spinning force of one of the gauntlets. He heard a crack and then screamed in pain as he held his hands over his broken leg. Jaron was now at the mercy of the Heartless and looked to see the Armour’s torso line up in front of him. A purple light started to appear out of the torso as it shook violently, and then a bazooka blast soon followed. Goofy saw what was happening and sprinted to try and protect Jaron from the blast but was far too late to save him. The Saviour screamed again in agony as the powerful bazooka blast made contact with him. As soon as the explosion cleared, a crater appeared with an unconscious Jaron lying in it.
“Jaron!” shouted Goofy.
His concern for the Saviour distracted him long enough for the Armour’s hammerlegs to take advantage of the situation by repeatedly striking the Court Guard hard and fast. In a few seconds, Goofy passed out from the pain.
Donald and Sora recovered and turned to see their friends out of the fight. They put aside their concern for them as they had other problems to deal with for the moment. The Keyblade master and the Chief Magician now had two Opposite Armours to deal with instead of just one. And they were moving too fast to allow either Sora or Donald to cast a Curaga spell on both Jaron and Goofy.
Sora knew that he and Donald were running out of magic and fast. They could replenish their magic by physically attacking but the Heartless weren’t giving them the opportunity to do so and with no Ethers or Elixirs available, the chances of using magic attacks were becoming increasingly slim.
As were their chances of survival.
Sora knew that he had enough magic left for an Ars Arcanum attack. If he could destroy one of the torso bazookas, the chances of his and his friends’ survival would become higher. The Ars Arcanum consisted of a combination of powerful Keyblade attacks, and would certainly play a huge role in destroying a torso.
“Donald, you got enough magic for a thunderstorm?”
“Yeah!”
“Use it on a torso! I’ve got an idea!”
Donald used all of the magic he had left on the nearest torso. A vastly powerful Thundaga spell struck the torso just as it was charging to unleash another bazooka blast. The sudden ferocity of the Chief Wizard’s spell forced the body part to lose the control it had on its charged blast, causing it to explode inside the armoured torso. This was the opening Sora needed as he unleashed his Ars Arcanum attack on the disorientated and damaged Heartless body part. The Keybearer struck hard and fast with his devastating combo. The Keyblade tore into the armoured torso again and again. In a matter of seconds, it too vanished along with the head that was attached to it.
Without magic, Sora and Donald decided to change tactics again. They ran to the nearest gauntlet and physically attacked it. As soon as another body part came near them to attack, they moved out the way and then turned their attention towards the body part that decided to close in on them. Although Opposite Armours were faster than Guard Armours, they weren’t quite fast enough to match the speed of their adversaries. Donald and Sora used their speed to their advantage once again and quickly scurried around attacking different body parts at random whilst avoiding any incoming blows from the Heartless. Although it was far more difficult avoiding Opposite Armour attacks due to their improved quickness, the Keybearer and the Chief Wizard were still able to avoid most of the attacks.
Slowly but surely, their random attacking began to pay off. Two more hammerlegs and gauntlets were eventually destroyed and all that was left was one complete Opposite Armour but Sora and Donald were now completely tired and exhausted. All of their constant running and attacking had taken its toll on them and they hadn’t been able to avoid all of the Heartless’ attacks. Although the majority of the creatures’ blows had missed, the ones that landed took more than enough out of the two of them. Although the lone Opposite Armour had taken severe damage as well, it was in more of a condition to fight than the Keybearer and the Chief Magician were.
Sora and Donald’s magic had been partially replenished due to the physical attacks they had exhibited. They didn’t have much magic but it was enough to revitalise them or Jaron and Goofy, who were still out of the fight.
The two looked at one another and then at their fallen comrades. They looked back at each other and nodded. They decided to cast their heal spells on Jaron and Goofy but before the spells could be completed, a fierce kick from the Opposite Armour sent the two crashing into the wall. It was all Donald could take and he too blacked out. Sora looked wearily at the Heartless as it separated for the umpteenth time and its torso bazooka began charging up to finish off the Keybearer. Sora hadn’t the strength to move out of the way. He’d given his all long ago and he just simply didn’t have anything left.
The torso bazooka was just about to fire when a familiar sword flew through the air towards it. The sword was brimming with the power of light and it cut through the armour like a knife through butter. The power of the sword overloaded the charge blast inside the torso, causing it to explode internally. The Opposite Armour reassembled itself and turned to see Jaron and Goofy fully healed. The Heartless shuddered violently from the damage caused by the Saviour’s weapon. It was incapable of attacking and it was now using all its power to literally hold itself together. Goofy charged the creature’s legs with his shield, forcing them to disappear. He then spun high into the air rotating his shield, taking out the arms for good.
All that was left now was the torso of one Opposite Armour, and it had now taken such horrific punishment that it could do nothing except be destroyed, which was what happened when Jaron performed another brutal sword uppercut. Jaron and Goofy smiled and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. They had won.
Jaron took an Elixir out of one of his belt’s pockets and handed it to Goofy.
“Give this to Donald. I’ll take care of Sora.”
The two ran over to help their friends. Goofy gave the Elixir to Donald and Jaron, likewise, did the same for Sora. The two immediately recovered and the four walked away to the first district. The Heartless had now retreated from Traverse Town. They could sense the destruction of their brothers caused by the Keybearer and his friends and they decided to flee whilst they still could. They had great fear of the Keyblade alone but the appearance of this sword wielded by the Saviour was just too much power for them to comprehend. They had never encountered anything like it before so they decided to retreat from this combined power of weaponry before it destroyed them.
Later on in the evening, people came out of their houses and a massive celebration took place. People danced and partied for hours. Music from bands played, jokes were told, laughter and joy sounded and everyone was happy. People knew that this happiness wouldn’t last. They knew that the Heartless would come back but they didn’t care. Their faith in heroes and the light had been restored.
The citizens of Traverse Town cheered for Sora, Jaron, Donald and Goofy. They thanked them again and again for their help. They thanked them for saving their world and freeing the hearts of those that had been taken by the Heartless. They were invited to join the celebrations and enjoyed themselves.
Later on, Jaron was invited to make a speech. The Saviour was honoured and knew that he couldn’t possibly refuse. The people of Traverse Town cheered for him and then fell silent as they listened to what he had to say.
“My friends”, began Jaron, “And citizens of this world. No one is more pleased than I that peace has been restored to Traverse Town. The Heartless have been forced to retreat and people do not need to suffer from fear anymore. I give my most sincere apologies to those who have lost their loved ones because of these remorseless animals but I hope I can comfort you when I say that their hearts have been rescued. Your loved ones can now truly rest in peace and not in the possession of these nightmarish monsters. I am fully aware that this may not be of any consolation to you but you must understand that they are never lost from you. No one is ever truly gone as long as we remember them always. Our hearts are connected. Nothing will ever change that. Although we all lose the people we love, they will forever live on in our hearts because we love them, because we remember them and because we will never forget them for being the fine and decent people that they are, have been, and always will be.”
The crowd cheered and applauded as Jaron said this.
“The Heartless”, continued the Saviour, “Still exist unfortunately. As I am sure that you are all undoubtedly aware, they will be back. We have won a huge battle today but not the war. The war is far from over. There are still many a great threat to contend with, and as long as these threats still remain, true peace can never exist. But that does not mean, under any circumstances, that you should give into despair. I promise each and every person here today that a time will come when darkness will no longer plague our universe. All incarnations of evil WILL cease to be and they will all pay for their unforgivable crimes committed against us. They can make us suffer time and time again but they will never win because we won’t let them and because the light can NEVER be extinguished!”
The crowd continued to cheer as loud as they could.
“As long as the light exists, we have nothing to fear! There will always be a light to aid us in the deepest darkness and for that reason, there will never be a reason to lose hope! There will never be a reason to lose faith! There will always be heroes to help you! You can all be rest assured that as long as we exist, your faith in the light and the hope that goodness will ultimately prevail will always be justified! We promise that in the end, our dreams of true peace will become total reality…BECAUSE WE WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN!”
With that, the crowd burst into cheers once more and proceeded to give the loudest ovation imaginable. People applauded, cheered, shouted and whistled their approval at Jaron’s speech. It had been said to restore faith and it had worked. It had come from the heart and it had been totally sincere because it was what the Saviour truly believed.
Jaron stepped down and took a bow. He smiled at the hundreds of happy faces before him. He was happy because people were no longer afraid and they were ready for anything. Today had made everybody stronger.
He walked to Sora, Donald and Goofy and smiled. Out of all the people that had been listening, they were the ones that had cheered the most. They already believed in what Jaron had said prior to his speech but they enjoyed it because it was simply captivating and it had made everyone believe. They were still displaying their approval even though the people’s own cheering had subsided.
“What did you think?” he asked.
“That was just simply awesome!” said Sora.
“I take it you’ve done this sorta thing before!” said Goofy.
“Never”, replied Jaron, “This is the first time I’ve given a speech.”
“Well ya handled it like a pro!” congratulated Donald.
“I just said what I truly believe in”, said the Saviour modestly, “I’m glad that everyone in this world now believes as well.”
“You were right when you said this war isn’t over”, said the Keybearer, “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
“Yes. We’re going to need a lot more help if we’re to succeed in destroying Sharak.”
“But I know that we’ll find it!” said Goofy, “After all, we got a great army of friends! Hyuk!”
“Do you want to know something really ironic, Goofy?” asked Jaron, “A few hours ago, you asked what use you three could be to me. Now I strongly believe that I‘m the one that should be asking you that question.”
“Uh, what d’ya mean?”
“I broke my leg when fighting the Heartless, remember? And it was all because of carelessness. My mistake nearly cost us the battle and our lives.”
“You’re wrong, Jaron”, countered Sora, “It wasn’t carelessness and it wasn’t a mistake. It was a simple accident. These things happen. The Heartless are unpredictable. Nobody’s perfect and nobody can prevent these things from happening, not even you.”
“True, but too many accidents can be the scourge of us.”
“Aw, quit being too hard on yourself!” said Donald, “You kicked butt today!”
“He’s right”, said Goofy, “Without you, we wouldn’t even be here.”
“We owe you our lives, Jaron”, said Sora, “In more ways than one.”
“You did save me, remember? I thought I was going to die today after that bazooka blast from that Opposite Armour hit me. If you hadn’t healed me in time, I honestly don’t think I would be standing right now. I think it’s safe to say that we’re even”.
“Well, I think its time we made our team official”, said Sora, “Welcome aboard, Jaron.”
Sora, Donald and Goofy stood in a circle and laid out their hands on top of one another in the centre of that circle. They smiled at Jaron and waited for him to place his hand on top.
“Thank you, Sora, Donald, Goofy”, smiled Jaron underneath his mask, “Today was our first battle side-by-side. To be honest, it was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed and one that I am most looking forward to repeating. That is, if you’re still willing to accept me as one of your own.”
“You know we are.”
With that, Jaron placed his hand on top of those of his new friends.
“All for one, one for all!” said Goofy.
Meanwhile, in a world far away from Traverse Town, the celebration of its people and the union of Sora, Donald, Goofy and their new ally and friend Jaron had not gone unnoticed. Hades’ temper was flaring like crazy. Whenever he lost his cool, his skin turned from greyish blue to blazing red, as did his fiery hair. Burning fire also covered Hades when he lost his temper and today was certainly no exception. He then screamed, completely incinerated two Defender Heartless and then erupted into a towering inferno. He turned back into his usual blue self with black smoke trailing from him and he was breathing heavily whilst trying to calm himself down.
“Brother, somebody PLEASE give me a hankie!” roared the god of the Underworld both sacarstically and angrily, “Also give me a barf bag before I throw up!”
“Calm yourself, Hades”, said Jafar, “This is only a temporary setback.”
“I just can’t believe that kid”, explained Hades, “No matter what we throw at him, he always finds a way to hit it back at us! And it’s really starting to tick me off!”
“I concur. The boy’s refusal to die really is quite irritating. Still, he and his friends have only cleared one hurdle. There are many more. Some that are extremely difficult and ones that they can’t possibly hope to clear.”
“It’s bad enough to contend with that punk and his circus friends. Now with that kid who’s playing dress-up to help them, this is gonna make things a lot more difficult.”
“Yes. That mysterious outsider will have to be dealt with”, agreed the Royal Vizier, “Sharak will need to know of this.”
“Where is the boss anyway?”
“Currently making new friends.”
Neverland.
A world where children’s laughter and happiness is infinite because the children that exist in this world never grow up. At the moment, one of the few grown-ups that inhabited this world was still running and fearing for his life.
He’d been running from the crocodile for two years. Ever since the defeat that had been handed to him by Sora and Peter Pan, Captain Hook had been running from the infernal reptile that had taken his left hand ever since. The crocodile had really enjoyed the taste of the vicious pirate’s hand and since then, it was determined to eat him whole. He didn’t care how long it took, he was going to devour the captain and he wouldn’t rest until he did.
Hook had nothing. The interference of Sora and friends had cost him everything. His alliance with the Heartless, his chance to rule all by Maleficent’s side, his command over Mr. Smee (who had retreated during the battle), his revenge against Peter Pan, everything. Everything except his life.
He’d managed to stay alive for two years but he knew now that this was the end. The crocodile had chased him to a cave on a deserted island and it had him backed up against a dead end. Hook whimpered as the crocodile slyly smiled at him and licked his lips. It was just about to move in for the kill when it noticed a dark shadow eclipsing it. The reptile turned around to see another crocodile. It was four times its size and was coloured black. The reptile’s eyes narrowed in fear as it trembled before this new monstrosity.
The black crocodile devoured the green one whole and then licked its lips.
“Ridiculous reptile”, remarked Sharak as he reverted to his humanoid form, “A primitive, brainless creature like that should belong in prehistory instead of here and now. An unnatural abomination and undeserving of being called life. But it was a succulent meal nevertheless.”
The source of all darkness looked at the frightened pirate that cowered before him.
“There now, my friend”, soothed the emperor, “You no longer have anything to fear. That crocodile was the source of all your fear, and now it has gone. You now have no reason to be afraid, and without fear, you are at the peak of your abilities. Without limitations and under my leadership, all your dreams can now finally be realised.”
Hook stopped cowering and looked at the creature in confusion.
“Are…are you a Heartless?” he asked.
“Your confusion with myself and my spawn is understandable, my dear captain. After all, my children share so much in common with me, but no. I am far more than any Heartless. I am far more than anything else that has existed or will ever exist. I am Sharak and I come to offer you…an alliance.”
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