Kingdom Hearts: Unleashing The Beast Within in Gamer's Gaming

The Road So Far…

Sora, Donald, and Goofy have come a long way in their fight with the Heartless and the evil coalition that controls them. They have defeated Jafar, Ursula, Oogie Boogie and Captain Hook. Only Hades and Maleficent remain to oppose them. Maleficent has a nasty wild card in this game though: Sora’s friend Riku, who she has guided and taught the ways of darkness. Riku believes he is obtaining power in an effort to help save Kairi, who seems to have lost her heart. Meanwhile, though Donald and Goofy have found mention of their king, Mickey, within the pages of Ansem’s Report, there has been no sign of the king anywhere in all the worlds they have traveled to. In the most recent stop, the trio’s gummi ship was captured by Captain Hook’s ship. Hook and the Heartless were on board, along with Riku and Kairi. Sora had trouble believing the state his friends were in, but before he could do so much as talk to Riku, he was dropped into the hold of the ship. In the hold, the trio met Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, denizens of Neverland who were attempting to save Peter’s friend Wendy, much to Tink’s chagrin. After fighting through the Heartless below deck and an AntiSora, created by Riku, in Hook’s Cabin, the group managed to free Wendy and get her to safety. Finally reaching the deck of the ship once more, the group faced off against Hook himself, along with a smattering of Heartless enemies. The group wasted no time in defeating Hook and sent him into the sea to be chased off by the crocodile that had eaten his hand. With Hook defeated, the group made their way to the Clock Tower in London, where Peter had left Wendy. Sora sealed the Keyhole that appeared here and made off with some new equipment, some new friends, and Tinker Bell along for the ride. The group returned to Traverse Town to have Cid install their new found navigation gummi and, after a quick stop at the Olympus Coliseum to win another Games and brush up on their fighting skills, the group made off once more, this time to a place where they hoped to finally end the Heartless menace: Hollow Bastion…

Now…

The crew set out from Neverland and made their way toward the new world that awaited them. Sora believed it was Hollow Bastion based on some comments made by Riku as well as the stories that Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith had told them. The flight from Neverland to Hollow Bastion was the most difficult they had yet encountered, but finally, the group managed to arrive at a world covered almost entirely with a large, warped castle. They had arrived at Hollow Bastion. Readying their equipment and their nerves, the trio disembarked onto the new world. The trio found themselves dropped onto a platform suspended within a circular waterfall. Goofy immediately noticed something. He pointed toward a great castle in the distance. Sora recognized this place from a dream, it seemed. Sora believed he felt a great warmth inside himself all of a sudden, but Donald told him that he was just hungry. Sora turned on him, telling Donald he was serious. All three turned their attention upward, however, as a great roar sounded out in the distance. Sora told them it was time to go and the group started their way up out of the waterfall. As the group made their way up to a small arch on one of the suspended platforms, they came across Riku standing above, talking down to a giant, hairy beast. Riku seemed impressed that the beast had made it to Hollow Bastion without a vessel and without help from the Heartless. He asked the beast how he had gotten there. The beast replied that he had simply believed. He explained that when his world had fallen into darkness, a girl named Belle had been taken from him. He vowed that he would find her no matter what. Since he had ended up in Hollow Bastion, he figured that Belle must be there. Beast declared that he would have Belle back. Riku challenged him to take her if he could. Beast leaped up and swiped at Riku, but Riku backflipped out of harm’s way and attacked, knocking Beast to his knees. Sora arrived on the platform just then and told Riku to stop. Riku told him that it was about time he had made it. Riku had been waiting for him. Riku pointed out how he and Sora had always been rivals. Sora had always pushed Riku and Riku had always pushed Sora. But, Riku said, that all ended here. There could not be two Keyblade masters (again, not true). Sora asked what he was talking about. Riku raised his hand and said that it was time for the Keyblade to choose it’s true master. Suddenly, the Keyblade disappeared from Sora’s hand and reappeared in Riku’s hand. Riku declared that Maleficent was right: Sora didn’t have what it took to save Kairi, but he did. Only the Keyblade master could open the secret door and change the world. Sora said that what happened was impossible. He was the one who had fought his way there with the Keyblade. Riku mocked him, saying Sora was just the delivery boy and his part in this story was over now. Riku tossed a wooden toy sword at Sora and told him to run along and play with that. As Sora collapsed to his knees under the weight of what had happened, Donald made to follow Riku. He told Goofy to remember what their mission was: to find and follow the Keyblade wielder. Goofy seemed reluctant to go, but in the end, both he and Donald followed Riku off to the castle in the distance. Donald said that they were sorry, but continued on. Just then, Beast regained his feet and started shambling in the direction of the castle also, but collapsed once more. Sora got to his feet and ran to Beast, telling him to take it easy. Beast asked why Sora had come to Hollow Bastion. He had come to fight for Belle and even though he was on his own, he would fight. He wouldn’t be leaving without her. Sora remembered that he was there because of his friends and grabbed the wooden sword. He stood beside Beast and told him that he was there for the same reason. With a shared goal, the pair took off towards the castle.

As they approached, Sora and Beast found that the castle gates were shut to them. Off to the right, there was an area with two crystalline switches. One switch set a platform in motion high above. The other switch raised a platform from below, which Sora and Beast got on, hoping to find a way to open the castle. In the area below, where the platform dropped them off, Sora and Beast found a waterway. Using a series of bubbles to move through the watery areas and with Beast’s strength able to break through some of the walls, the duo moved on farther into the area. Making their way through the labyrinthine area, the duo finally came across a switch that controlled a series of gears and wheels. Somewhere up above them, the duo heard what sounded like a giant door opening. Figuring that it was the castle gates, the duo made their way back in that direction. Sora and Beast made their way through a few Heartless and back to the castle gates, opening the doors and making their way inside. Further on inside was a frightening sight: princesses could be seen imprisoned inside crystal structures. As Maleficent climbed a set of stairs, Alice and Jasmine could immediately be seen alongside Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, and Belle. In the middle of the room, Kairi lay motionless inside her own prison. Maleficent called for the purest of hearts to reveal the Keyhole to her. Six pink beams of light came from the six princesses lining the chamber and came together to form one beam which shot towards a giant, shimmering Keyhole in the back of the room. Elsewhere, Sora and Beast made their way into the castle. In the entrance chamber, Beast warned Sora to be on his guard as the Heartless were close. Sora started forward into the chamber, but Beast spun around suddenly and saw Belle. However, Belle’s image faded to reveal a Shadow. Enraged, Beast rushed the Shadow and a door closed behind him, leaving Sora on his own. Riku appeared behind him, telling Sora to leave while he still could. Donald and Goofy stood close by. Sora said he wasn’t leaving without Kairi. Suddenly, Riku shimmered and was clothed in a new costume, all purple and black with the symbol of the Heartless on the front of it. Sora told Riku that he was wrong. The darkness may destroy his body, but it would never touch his heart. Sora’s heart would stay with his friends and would never die. Riku chuckled and said that they would see about that. He cast a spell at Sora that sent ball of darkness in his direction, but at the last second, Goofy leaped in front of Sora and deflected the spell with his shield. Goofy said that Sora wasn’t going anywhere. Riku asked if he was betraying his king. Goofy said he never would, but he certainly wasn’t going to betray Sora either. They were far too good friends after everything they had been through together. Goofy told Donald to tell the king that he was sorry. Donald yelled back to hold on, that they would tell him together. Donald ran up to Sora and told him that it was all for one, and one for all after all. Goofy said he guessed Sora was stuck with them. Sora thanked them for being his friends and standing by him. Riku yelled out, asking how he was going to fight without a weapon. Sora said that he no longer needed the Keyblade. He had a better weapon: his heart. Riku chuckled once more. Riku asked what a weak little thing like Sora’s heart could possibly do for him. Sora said that although his heart may be weak, it is not alone. It had grown with each new experience and had found a home with all the friends he had made. Sora said that he had become a part of their hearts just as they had become a part of his. If his friends thought about him now and then and didn’t forget about him, their hearts would be one. He didn’t need a weapon. His friends were his power! Suddenly, the Keyblade disappeared from Riku’s hand and returned to Sora. Shocked and angered, Riku charged the trio of friends and the fight was on! Riku had grown incredibly strong, but the onslaught of the newly reformed trio was far too much for Riku to overcome alone. Riku, no longer strong enough to keep up his dark armor, retreated farther into the castle. Beast emerged from a doorway nearby. He was impressed at the strength of Sora’s heart and that it was strong enough to win the battle with Riku. With that victory, the trio learned how to activate the final trinity marks, the White Trinity. In the back of the Entrance Hall, the group found a doorway that seemed to have four indentations. The door would not open and Sora figured that the indentations must have pieces that fit in them. The group found one other door in the Entrance Hall and walked inside the next room to find the keys to getting through the locked door. Inside the Library, the group found themselves stuck amongst the bookshelves, their way blocked. However, nearby lay a red book. The group picked it up and looked for it’s matches on the shelves. Around one corner, they found the series that matched the book they had found. Placing the lone book back amongst the rest, the bookshelf slid back to reveal another part of the library. In the back, under a set of stairs, Sora was astonished to see a table that looked just like the one from his vision of Kairi and the old woman he had back in Traverse Town. Sora and company progressed through the Library, finding other books and restoring them to their shelves. One such book opened a door on the Library’s second floor. Before leaving the Library, however, the group found a green trinity mark that helped them access a book that had been sitting high on one of the shelves. With nothing else to do in the Library, the group took the second floor exit back out to the Entrance Hall. On the right, Sora saw a statue flanked by two pots. Destroying both of them cause the statue to sink into the ground, activating a fountain down on the first floor which spit something out into the basin. Further along the group found a red trinity mark in front of another statue. Activating it knocked the statue to the lower level, shattering it and revealing a shaped plate. Another statue had a plaque that tasked someone to prove their strength by moving the statue. Sora did just that and this statue also sunk into the floor, causing a treasure chest to reveal itself. As the group circled around the second floor, they also found a series of four gargoyle heads with candles on each side. Sora used his Fira spell to light all eight candles. On a chandelier in the center of the room, a fire that had been on a platform in the middle of the chandelier died out, revealing a piece of something. Sora and company jumped to the chandelier and retrieved the first emblem piece before dropping down to the first floor. They retrieved the second emblem piece from the center of the room where the statue had shattered and retrieved piece three from the fountain. Opening the treasure chest that had appeared on the outer walkway, the group found the fourth emblem piece. With all four emblem pieces in their possession, the group returned to the locked door and placed the four pieces. The door blinked out of existence and the group walked through the doorway. Further on in the castle, Riku ran through a hallway, wondering how the Keyblade could have chosen Sora. From behind, a low voice called out to Riku. It told him that the heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade. A dark figure in a robe, paradoxically glowing with darkness, approached from behind. Riku couldn’t believe that this man was saying that his heart was weaker than Sora’s. The man told him that, for that instant, it was. However, Riku could become stronger. After all, Riku had shown no fear in stepping into the door to darkness. The figure advised that Riku should dive deeper in the darkness and his heart would grow even stronger. Riku asked what he should do. The figure told him to open himself to the darkness and let his heart, his very being, become darkness itself. Riku began glowing green as the scene jumped back to Sora and company. They had found their way into a new area of the castle. Immediately, the group was confronted by a whole new host of Heartless: Wyverns, dragon-like Heartless that attacked from the air; Wizards, Heartless able to cast any spell on the group; Darkballs, giant spheres of darkness that could zoom all around a room in no time flat; and Defenders, giant armored Heartless that carry a shield that can shoot fireballs and ice gusts as well as bite. The Heartless had taken the attack to a whole new level, but the group proved to be up to the task this time. The group made their way through the giant puzzle that was the castle, using moving platforms both on the interior and exterior of the castle to make their way higher and further along through the castle. One giant platform moved across the entire front of the castle and dropped the group off at a platform that held a blue trinity mark, which showered the group with magic bubbles and a few restorative items. After an incredibly long climb up the castle, the group finally reached the Grand Chapel area. In another part of the castle, Riku approached Maleficent and stood beside her. He spoke in a voice that sounded like two voices joined. He commented that the path had been opened at last. Maleficent said that it had indeed been opened. The Keyhole to the darkness had been revealed. He told her that should she unlock it, the Heartless would overrun Hollow Bastion. Maleficent wondered why she should care. After all, the darkness held no power over her. Instead, she would use it’s power to rule all worlds. Riku mused that she had much confidence and extended his arm. Suddenly, a Keyblade appeared in his hand! She claimed that it was impossible. The Princesses of Heart were all there. She turned around and looked at Kairi, figuring that it was because of her. Double Riku said that, without her heart, she would never be able to release her power. A door opening in the distance got the attention of both of them. Maleficent told Double Riku that the king’s fools had arrived and she would deal with them herself. She told him to stay there and guard the princesses. As she wandered off, Riku glowed with dark power. Meanwhile, the group had wandered into the chapel only to be confronted by Maleficent. She told them that they were too late. Soon, the entire world would be plunged into darkness and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Sora assured her that they would stop it. There was no way they had come so far and were going to let this world be destroyed. Maleficent looked bemused. After all, as she said, there was no way the group could defeat her. Maleficent raised her hands skyward and the platform she was on floated into the air. Sora, Keyblade in hand, led Donald and Goofy into battle once more. Maleficent floated around on her platform, casting spells and summoning Heartless into battle, but Sora and crew had grown incredibly strong. First, they damaged her platform, causing it to sink to the ground. Then they unleashed their strongest attacks on the evil sorceress. After a short battle, the group stood triumphant…well, almost. Maleficent, weakened but not defeated, created a hole of darkness and disappeared. Donald received the Cheer ability and the group got ahold of Ansem’s Report 5. Sora decided to read the report before pursuing Maleficent. In the report, Ansem told of an experiment he had done. He picked a Heartless out to study it’s behavior. The Heartless seemed to sense something and took off deep into the castle. In the deepest part of the castle, the Heartless stopped and a strange door appeared. It had a large Keyhole, but did not seem to be locked. So, of course, Ansem opened the door. Ansem did not describe exactly what he saw, but wondered what the powerful mass of energy was. That night, he observed a great meteor shower. Was it related to the door he had opened? Sora believed it was and filed the new information away in his memory before setting into the darkness to defeat Maleficent once and for all.

Inside this new location, Maleficent appeared all but finished. Riku emerged from his own dark hole and asked if Maleficent needed help just as the group arrived to finish off the evil sorceress. Sora called out to Riku. Riki turned and Donald noticed the weapon in his hand. A keyblade indeed. Unlike Sora’s Keyblade, this one held the power to unlock people’s hearts. Riku said he would demonstrate. Suddenly, he wheeled around and pierced Maleficent’s chest with the his Keyblade. Riku forced Maleficent’s heart open to the darkness and told her to become the darkness itself. Maleficent laughed, ecstatic at the increase in power that she felt as she glowed a bright green. Maleficent began to change form, becoming a giant, black dragon. With perhaps their most powerful enemy ever staring them down, the group launched in to attack the evil dragon. While the dragon cast green fire, swatted with her tail and stomped around, causing damaging shockwaves that covered the entire room, Donald did his best to keep the group healed while Sora and Goofy attacked when they could. At times, Donald and Goofy both fell unconscious, but Sora managed to keep his health up and timed his attacks until finally, the black dragon collapsed and was consumed by green fire. Riku arrived back in the room. He was amused how ironic it was that Maleficent herself was just another puppet after all. Donald asked what he meant. Riku told him that the Heartless were using Maleficent from the beginning. She had just failed to notice the darkness eating away at her. A fitting end for such a fool, he said. A black hole appeared behind Riku and he stepped back into it, disappearing once more. In what little remained of Maleficent, Sora found a small red gem, called the Fireglow. Another summon gem, he thought, and packed it away for their next trip back to Traverse Town. All that remained was to stop Riku and perhaps the darkness would be defeated for good. Heading back through the dark hole they had come from, the group reemerged into the Grand Chapel. Nearby, one of the walls gave way and a passage opened up beyond. The group, with no other way to go, made their way down the dark passage. The group arrived shortly thereafter at the Grand Hall. This was the hall where all the Princesses of Heart were located! Sora spun around in horror, seeing Alice and Jasmine, as well as the other Princesses that they did not know. Sora steeled himself for a coming confrontation, angry that anyone could do this to people. The group made their way up the stairs in the back of the hall and to the platform that stood before the Keyhole to the darkness. Sora immediately spotted Kairi laying on the floor before the Keyhole. He ran to her and lifted her upper body off the floor, begging her to open her eyes. Riku’s voice came from the direction of the Keyhole and told Sora that it was no use. Then the Double Riku voice rang out, telling Sora that the girl had lost her heart and could not wake up. Sora eased Kairi back down to the ground as he realized something startling. Even though the boy looked like Riku, Sora knew that it was not his friend speaking. Double Riku ignored this, saying that the Keyhole could not be completed as long as the last Princess of Heart slept. Double Riku floated down from above the Keyhole to stand before the group. Sora seemed confused. Kairi was a princess? Double Riku told him that it was true and reiterated that, without her power, the Keyhole would remain incomplete. Sora told Double Riku to let his friend go and to give him back his heart. Double Riku told him that first, he must give the princess back HER heart and swung his Keyblade forward. Sora grabbed at his chest, reacting to the power of Double Riku’s Keyblade. Sora collapsed, confused about what was happening. Double Riku asked him if he understood yet. He said that the princess’s heart was responding. It had been there all along. So it was that Sora finally understood why he had been having visions since the destruction of the Destiny Islands and why he was reacting to the Keyblade now. Kairi’s heart had never been taken by the Heartless. It had found a safe haven within Sora’s heart all along! Sora asked Double Riku who he really was. Double Riku revealed that he was actually Ansem, the seeker of darkness. Ansem had possessed Riku as Riku gave himself up to the darkness to gain strength! Ansem walked toward Sora. Donald gave out a war cry and charged, only to be flung away by Ansem and off of the platform. Ansem pointed the Keyblade at Sora and called out to Kairi’s heart within Sora. He called for it to answer him, to open the door and lead him into everlasting darkness. Riku raised his Keyblade and swung downwards with a deathblow. Suddenly, Sora heard Kairi call out to him. Renewed, he raised his head and Keyblade simultaneously, blocking the blow from Ansem. Ansem used all of his power to push Sora down, but Sora raised up from his knees and regained his feet, telling Ansem there was no way he was taking Kairi’s heart. Sora finally got a foothold and shoved Ansem backwards. With Ansem staring down at him from his friend’s body, Sora raised his Keyblade and attacked. Sora and Ansem danced in battle, somersaulting, their Keyblades clashing loudly as they traded blows. Ansem was definitely the far stronger combatant, but Sora fought for Kairi, his friends, and all the worlds he had saved. With a final might slash, Sora managed to defeat Ansem. Winning the battle taught Sora the Ragnarok skill.

Sora called out to Riku, whose body fell to the floor. Donald and Goofy yelled out to Sora, telling him to look at the Keyhole. Sora raised his Keyblade to seal the Keyhole away, but nothing happened. They Keyhole was not yet complete! Sora wondered what they should do and Goofy suggested that they try to wake up Kairi. Sora believed he was right. He knew all he had to do was free Kairi’s heart from within his own, but how? Sora spotted Ansem’s Keyblade laying on the floor. Remembering what Ansem had said about how that Keyblade was used to unlock hearts, Sora walked back to the Keyblade and picked it up. Donald and Goofy both realized what Sora had in mind, but they were too late. Sora turned back and smiled at them before stabbing himself with the Keyblade, unlocking his heart. Suddenly, six hearts emerged from the Keyblade as it faded to nothingness. The hearts flew around the room and returned to the other six Princesses of Heart. A final heart came out of Sora himself and returned to Kairi’s prone body. Sora began to shimmer and shine with a bright light, falling backwards. Donald ran to catch him before he hit the ground. As Kairi awakened, she saw Sora falling backwards. She leaped to her feet and got her arms underneath Sora’s falling body, but suddenly, Sora burst into a million shining balls of light and dispersed. Donald cried out for Sora to come back, but the balls of light floated upwards and out of sight. In the darkness, Sora’s heart fell into the darkness, wondering what was happening. Kairi stood by with Donald and Goofy, watching her friend fade away. She couldn’t believe what had just happened before her very eyes. She refused to believe that Sora was gone. Suddenly, the voice of Ansem came from a dozen feet away. A tall man with silver hair, dark skin, and the symbol of the Heartless had appeared out of nowhere. He welcomed Kairi back and thanked her for serving her purpose: completing the Keyhole. Donald and Goofy stepped in front of Kairi to protect her. Donald shouted at Ansem not to make another move. Goofy whispered to Donald, asking if they could really stop him all by themselves. Donald said he didn’t know, but just then, some invisible wall stopped Ansem from reaching Kairi, Donald, and Goofy. Ansem claimed it was impossible, but the spirit of Riku appeared in front of him, sayin that he was not going to use him to hurt his friend. Spirit Riku held Ansem back and told Kairi to run. The Heartless were coming! Suddenly, the group was surrounded by Shadows, but they managed to escape down a nearby staircase and run out of the Grand Hall. Goofy asked about the Keyhole, but Donald said they just needed to get out of there. One lone Shadow stood and watched the group run off. The Shadow decided to follow the group. Jumping along the outside of the castle, falling many floors at a time, the tiny Shadow finally managed to reach the Entrance Hall, where Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Beast awaited. Kairi had fallen behind the rest of the group and Goofy yelled to her to hurry. Kairi told him that she couldn’t leave Sora and Riku behind. Donald told her that they couldn’t stay here. Goofy yelled up that there was a Heartless after them as Kairi made her way towards the exit. The tiny Heartless appeared in the hall and Donald said that he would take care of it. The tiny Heartless leaped down towards the group, however. Donald smacked the Heartless in the head with his staff, but the Heartless would not disappear. Suddenly, a group of Shadows appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the group. Donald and Goofy started fighting the Shadows off as Kairi stood in front of the odd little Shadow. Something told her that the Shadow was actually Sora! She told him that it was her turn to protect him as the Shadows charged. Kairi turned and wrapped her arms around the Sora Shadow as the Heartless engulfed them. Donald and Goofy turned around, calling to Kairi when suddenly, a light shone forth and dispatched the Heartless. Before their very eyes, Sora reappeared, holding Kairi, and thanked her for protecting him. As more Heartless emerged within the Entrance Hall, Beast leaped to a higher point and let out a mighty roar before leaping into battle. Sora told Beast to go with them, but Beast refused, saying he had told Sora he wouldn’t leave without Belle. He yelled at Sora to go, more Heartless were coming. Sora relelnted, knowing he could not change Beast’s mind, and told the group that they were getting out of there. The crew managed to get back to the gummi ship and immediately made their way back to Traverse Town to find the refugees from Hollow Bastion.

The scene returns with Sora talking to Leon. Leon asked Sora to tell him everything that had happened. Sora, Donald, and Goofy did there best to recount the story of their exploits at Hollow Bastion. Leon seemed to understand, saying that Heartless must be flowing out of the Keyhole. Aerith reasoned that must be the reason there were more and more Heartless everywhere. She said that there was only one way to stop them. Sora chimed in, saying that all he needed to do was seal the Keyhole. Leon said maybe, but nobody would know what would happen once the Keyhole was sealed. Sora grew frustrated, saying he couldn’t just stay there. He had to do something for Riku, who was still back in Hollow Bastion. Leon agreed and assumed that Riku’s Keyblade must have been born from the captive princesses’ hearts, just like the Keyhole. After the Keyblade was destroyed, all the princesses’ hearts should have been freed. Leon told Sora not to worry because if anybody could save Riku, it was Sora. Leon mentioned that Jasmine had not yet returned to Agrabah, but since they had been set free, the princesses must still be in the castle at Hollow Bastion. The group made their way out of the Small House and decided to stop by to see Merlin. Outside, however, the trio got their first taste of the changes the refugees were speaking of. In the Third District, where once they had been attacked by Air Soldiers and Shadows, the trio was now attacked by Darkballs and Defenders. The group managed to make their way to Merlin’s House, however, and spoke to the Fairy Godmother, who released the spirit from the Fireglow gem, a small dragon spirit named Mushu. With all of the summon spells learned, the Fairy Godmother rewarded the group with Donald’s Lord Fortune staff. The Fairy Godmother told the trio to take good care of the spirits and the trio spoke to Merlin, asking him to send them down into the secret cavern where Sora found Leon training, once upon a time. In the cavern, the group activated their first white trinity mark, receiving a chest with an Orichalcum in it. Back in the First District, the trio spoke to Cid, asking if he could find them a path back to Hollow Bastion. Cid told him that he didn’t think he could let him do that. He said that the Heartless there were multiplying by the minute and they would eat his ship up. Sora asked what they should do. Cid suggested going around them instead of through them. He suggested installing a new navigation gummi in their ship. Sora asked where they would find one. Cid told them to go to the secret waterway. He said that when they had arrived in Traverse Town nine years ago, he had put the navigation gummi there in case they ever needed it. The trio made their way back to the waterway and walked down what seemed like a dead end. However, before, the mural on the way had been a picture of the moon. Now it was the sun. As the trio stood close to the mural, the picture flashed and a gummi piece emerged from the wall. As the trio went to leave the waterway, they found Kairi waiting for them. Sora suggested that they return to town and rest up for the journey ahead. Kairi commented about the light at the end of the tunnel, both figuratively and literally. Sora remembered the story he had heard Kairi’s grandmother tell her in his vision. Kairi told him that he was right. Sora said that the funny thing was that he had searched for her all over, but it turned out she was with him the whole time. But finally they were together, and now it was time to go get Riku back. Kairi wondered if it would ever be the same between the three of them ever again. Sora reminded Kairi that when he had turned into a Heartless, she had saved him. He told her that when he was lost in the darkness, he stumbled along and began to lose himself, forgetting who he was, forgetting his friends. The darkness almost swallowed him, but it was Kairi’s voice that had brought him back. Kairi told him that she hadn’t wanted to forget him. Sora then realized that all of their hearts were connected and the light from their hearts had broken through to him in the darkness. It was that light that had saved him. Even in the deepest darkness, a light still shone through. Sora guessed that Kairi’s grandmother’s story was more than a fairy tale after all. Kairi said that they should go. Sora balked, saying it was way too dangerous for Kairi to go back to Hollow Bastion with him. Kairi pleaded with him, reminding him that it was their friendship that had protected them both. Sora told her that, even if they were apart, they were always together in their hearts. Kairi wished she could help somehow, but Sora joked that she would just get in his way. Kairi relented, but handed a star shaped charm to Sora. She told him that it was her lucky charm and he better bring it back to her. Sora promised that he would. Kairi told him to never forget, no matter where he went, she would always be with him. With that, Sora obtained the Oathkeeper Keyblade.

Elsewhere, on a path in the darkness, Riku could be heard apologizing to Sora and Kairi. Riku stumbled along, wondering if this was the end. His spirit shimmered, but Riku held himself together, saying that he wanted to see Sora and Kairi one last time. From somewhere in the darkness, a voice called out to Riku. The voice said that it would be there soon. Riku asked who it was and the voice responded that it had the other Keyblade, the one that belonged to that world. It had been trying to get through to Riku, but the darkness in his heart had kept the voice away. Riku asked where the voice was and what had happened to him. The voice told him that his heart had won the battle against the darkness, but it was too late for his body. That was why he was where he was: in a place of darkness where hearts are gathered. Riku asked what he should do. The voice told him that the Door to Darkness would open soon, but it was a door that they could not enter. It needed to be closed from both sides. To do so required two keys and two hearts. The voice suggested that maybe Riku was there for the same reason that it was. Maybe it was fate. Riku seemed amused almost and asked that if the voice knew everything, were Sora and Kairi okay? The voice asked him if he didn’t feel the echoes of their hearts within his own. He already knew the answer, he just had to look inside his own heart. Riku said okay as the scene jumped back to Sora and company in Traverse Town. The group returned to Cid and the grizzled pilot set off to install the navigation gummi in their ship. It wasn’t long before Cid returned to tell them they could leave whenever they were ready. Cid wished the group good luck and told Sora that he wished someone so young didn’t have to face all this danger. With the gummi ship ready to make way back to Hollow Bastion, the group gave Traverse Town one last look and made their way to their ship, setting course for a showdown with Ansem…