A Rebirth Into Oblivion (Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories) in Gamer's Gaming

The Road So Far…

If you have been following along to this point, you have just finished reading about Sora, Donald, and Goofy, and their trip through Castle Oblivion. The Organization, a mysterious group of robed individuals, used the castle and a young witch named Namine to draw Sora in an attempt to capture the power of the Keyblade or destroy it’s user altogether. Four members reared their heads. Axel, the fiery chakram wielder sent by the higher ups in the Organization to help obtain the Keyblade and weed out any traitors to their ultimate goals. Vexen, one of the Organization’s senior members, who created a replica of Riku and set him against Sora to test his abilities and those of his creation. Vexen was ultimately destroyed by Axel at Marluxia’s command. Larxene, the Savage Nymph, wielder of knives, lightning, and biting sarcasm. Sora ended her existence after his last battle with the Riku Replica. And, last but certainly not least, Marluxia, commander of the castle and leader of it’s forces. Marluxia used Namine in an attempt to weaken and destroy Sora’s heart, turning him into a shell of his former self to be used as a weapon in an attempt to overthrow the leadership of the Organization. Marluxia was ultimately defeated by Sora on the castle’s top floor. In an attempt to fix the damage she had created, Namine put Sora, Donald, and Goofy into pods to let them sleep while she repaired the chain of memories within their hearts. At what point Sora will wake up, we cannot say at the moment. But…is there something troubling all of you about this as it does me? What about the rest of the Organization? What about hints that there was more to the castle than even Sora saw? How did Vexen come by his information about Riku that allowed him to recreate Sora’s best friend and confidante? Well, good friends, there IS more to this story. After all, this is not just Sora’s story. This is a story of all those who fight for the light and battle the darkness to the bitter end. Some of them are just much closer to plunging into the darkness themselves. One of these is Sora’s best friend, Riku. After closing the door to Kingdom Hearts and leaving himself and King Mickey in the darkness, what happened to Riku and Mickey? Have they managed to escape? Perhaps, just maybe, I have some of the answers. But to find them, we will need to find Riku himself…

Now…

Riku laid suspended in shadow. His eyes opened and he looked around, wondering where he was. A voice boomed out all around him, telling him to stay asleep. Riku shot up and asked who was there! The voice told him that he should remain asleep, here between the light and dark. Riku wondered what the voice meant and where he was before realizing something else was missing. The King! Where was Mickey!?! Together, they had closed the door to darkness. After that, Riku couldn’t remember. The voice told him that he had come drifting here by himself. He had not had the strength to overcome the darkness… or maybe, he had been close to it. Riku scoffed and said that he wasn’t a demon. The voice chuckled and told him to turn from the light and shut his eyes. Here, blanketed by the darkness, sleep was safety. Sleep was eternal. Suddenly, a light shone out in front of Riku and a blue world card appeared before him. Riku asked what it was. The voice told him that it was a door to truth. Take it, and his sleep would end as he took his first steps toward the truth. The voice warned him, however, that the truth would bring him pain and asked if he would still go. There would be no return to the security of sleep. Riku reached forward and grabbed the card, saying that this seemed like a boring place to take a nap anyway. The voice told him that that was very well said. Light shot forth from the card once more, blinding Riku. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the stark, gray halls of a castle. Riku wondered about the card being a door to the truth. The card said Hollow Bastion on it. Looking at his journal, Riku saw that he was in Basement Floor 12. Where was he exactly? Well, he may wonder, but we know exactly where he is… Castle Oblivion! Realizing there was nothing to do but move forward, Riku walked up to the doorway in front of him, activating the Hollow Bastion card and moving into the rooms beyond.

Riku walked through the door and found himself standing in front of the main doors into the castle at Hollow Bastion. A voice told him that what he saw was not real. It was the world of his memory. The things he remembered from his time at Maleficent’s castle became a card and that card had made this world. The voice asked if he had seen everything here before and Riku said that he had. Riku asked what now? Was he going to learn something or meet someone? The voice told him that he would meet the people in his memories. Ordinarily. Riku asked what that meant. However, the voice went silent. Riku yelled out that he was asking a question, but nothing came. Riku said fine, but it had better the the person behind the voice that he ran across next. With that, Riku turned and ran towards the front doors of the castle, receiving the Key of Beginnings card. Riku made his way through the first room of the castle and headed north with a Moment’s Reprieve card. In the next room, he checked his deck and realized that it was set. He wouldn’t be able to make any changes to it. With nothing else to do, Riku went to the east door and used his Mingling Worlds card to open the next room. The card created a Teeming Darkness room for Riku to practice his battle technique in. When all the Heartless were defeated, Riku made his way to the room’s eastern door, the Key of Beginnings door. Riku used his newly found card and moved on in.

Inside, Riku found a small room with some bookshelves, a couch, and a table and chair. Riku commented how everything was exactly as he remembered it, even this room. The voice came back, saying how nice it must be being back in his old bedroom, and told him to think of all the memories. Riku said he could do without these memories. Maleficent had given him this room, after all. The voice admitted that she did and reminded Riku that he had lived here, tempted by the darkness she had offered. He had cast away his home, his friends, everything… but at least they gave him a nice room. Riku yelled at the voice to stop talking and ran out of the room, receiving the Key of Guidance card. Back in the Teeming Darkness room, Riku ran to the north door and used a Black Room card to move forward. Inside the room, Riku face down a number of Black Fungii and, although they proved challenging when turning themselves to stone, Riku prevailed and moved to the room’s lone door in the west. Riku used a Tranquil Darkness room card and moved on to the next room. Riku’s strength allowed him to defeat the Heartless easily. He found there were three doors out of this room. The one to the south led back to the Moment’s Reprieve room. The one in the north led on, but the one to the west was the Key of Guidance door. Riku gave up his card and moved on into the next room.

Riku found himself overlooking the front entrance hall of the castle. He commented how nobody was there either. It seemed to him that there was nothing but Heartless in this castle. Riku leaped down into the foyer and yelled out for the voice. Riku said he knew the voice was watching and commanded him to explain this. Where were the people from his memories? The voice asked if he really wanted to see them. Riku said that he did, of course. The voice reminded Riku that he was the one who had cast them aside. After all, Riku had dreamt of the outside world. He had passed through the door to darkness. Behind him, he had left family, friends, home, everything, all in pursuit of darkness. Riku argued that he had cast that aside too. The voice asked what he had to show for it. First his home, then the dark. All Riku’s heart knew was to cast away. It was empty, just like the room Riku was in. Like his memories. That was why he didn’t meet anyone. His heart was hollow, except for the residual darkness. Riku denied it, saying he had rejected the darkness. The voice mocked him, asking if he really had. Riku sprinted off to explore more of the castle, receiving the Key to Truth card and returning to the Tranquil Darkness room. Riku moved on to the north door and used another Tranquil Darkness card to move on. After finishing off the Heartless here, as well, Riku moved to the only other door left, the Key to Truth door. Riku used the card and moved on into the next room.

Riku found himself in the castle’s chapel where Maleficent stood waiting. She said that she knew Riku would return. Riku was stunned that Maleficent was alive. Maleficent reminded Riku that he needed to pay attention. She was but a figment of his memory. Riku responded that, of all the people he could run into, it had to be her. She said of course. After all, Riku’s heart was steeped in darkness. Riku could only see those that existed in that same darkness. Riku tried to deny it, but Maleficent told him to be grateful he had someone to keep him company. His heart was empty, after all. Were it not for the darkness it contained, Riku would be completely alone. Riku said that that sounded pretty good right about now. Maleficent told him to come off it. He had once turned to her to sate his hunger for darkness. He wanted her here. Who but her could grant him the darkness he longed for? Riku admitted that there was a time he wanted her around. He had surrendered his heart to the dark. But never again. She and her darkness had nothing to offer. Riku walked past the witch and told her that all he had done was lose himself. Empty himself. He was finished with all of that. If he was stuck seeing people like her, people of the dark, he would just take them out, one by one. Maleficent told him that he mustn’t forget to destroy himself last. For, like her, he was one of the dark. Riku said that was fine with him. He had turned to darkness because his heart was weak. He hated that weakness. It was as if he was his own enemy and seeing people like her embrace the darkness just made it worse. Riku was finished with talking. Maleficent noticed that he hated the darkness enough to fight it. She said, since it must cause him such anguish to hate what he was, she would end his pain forever! Maleficent turned into a giant black dragon once again. Dragon Maleficent tried to attack and snap at Riku, but Riku was far too powerful and took out Maleficent with ease, earning the Dragon Maleficent card. Riku returned to the Tranquil Darkness room after the battle, but noticed that now, a new door had opened to the north. Riku made his way through it to his own Conqueror’s Respite room. Riku made his way to the northern part of the room where the door back into the halls of Castle Oblivion lay open. Looking back one last time, Riku nodded to himself and walked through the doorway.

The voice spoke out once more as Riku arrived in the hallway and asked him why he shunned the darkness. Riku scoffed and said he knew the voice had heard every word he had said to Maleficent. The voice told him that darkness was his weapon and it was time Riku learned that he must accept it. Riku asked what the voice meant. The voice told him to stop resisting and accept the darkness. He had no choice. A dark portal opened before Riku and there stood Ansem! He said that Riku had to accept the darkness if he was going to serve Ansem again. Riku said that he thought the voice had been him. All the voice had been talking about was the darkness. Riku figured Ansem wanted to pull him back in so Ansem could play puppet master. Ansem admitted that Riku was clever. Ansem told Riku he knew Riku would be the one to most appropriately serve him and now, it was time to surrender to him again. Riku told him that he was crazy and that there was no chance as he drew his weapon and charged Ansem. Ansem raised his hand and knocked Riku back with magic. He mocked Riku, asking if Riku really thought he could harm Ansem. Even a weakling like him couldn’t defeat Sora, and Riku had had the darkness on his side. Riku lifted himself up and said to excuse him for being weak. Ansem told him that he WAS weak. He needed darkness and commanded Riku to surrender. Bow to darkness. Bow to him! Riku said that would never happen. Ansem told him that only the darkness could offer him all of the strength that he needed. A voice yelled out that Ansem was wrong. Suddenly, a bright ball of light appeared from the ceiling and circled around Riku. Riku recognized that voice… it was the voice of King Mickey! Mickey told him he was right and reminded Riku that he was never alone. Mickey told Riku that the light would never give up on him. He would always be able to find it, even in the deepest darkness. Riku said that he understood and raised himself to his feet. He said that he would not lose to darkness. Not today. Ansem chuckled and asked if Riku really thought that feeble little light would be able to save Riku from the darkness that he commanded. Ansem told Riku that he would feel the darkness everywhere. Riku told Ansem to give him everything he had. Riku said he would give it right back. Ansem attacked with some basic attacks, but Riku managed to counter all of them. Ansem was surprised that Riku hadn’t given up yet and wondered how much Riku could take. Riku said he was just going along until Ansem gave up. Ansem landed a few blows, but Riku again managed to fight him back. Riku asked if that was all Ansem had. Ansem said that it seemed Riku was intent on resisting the darkness. Ansem told him, since he was so intent, he could see it for himself. He removed a card from his pockets and told Riku that it was a card created from his memory. Advance through the world it created, and soon, Riku would understand. Chasing after light wasn’t the way. It would not give him any distance from the darkness. There was no running from the darkness. Riku told him that he wasn’t running. He would enter the world and, in the end, if he hadn’t given in to the darkness, then he would win. Ansem tossed him the card and said he had one more gift for Riku. Ansem balled up his fist and a dark hole appeared on Riku’s chest. Riku stumbled momentarily and asked what Ansem had done. Ansem said that he had simply tempered the darkness that remained in Riku’s heart. Riku asked if Ansem still thought he relied on darkness. Ansem said to use it or not would be Riku’s choice. Ansem said that he wold be waiting for Riku to sense it and give in to the darkness in his heart. Ansem then disappeared into a dark portal and left Riku alone in the hallway with four new world cards and a new Dark Transformation mode for Riku to use in battle. Riku looked at the cards he had available. He found cards for Traverse Town, Agrabah, Monstro, and Neverland. With his new cards, Riku made his way up to Basement Level 11.

In another part of the castle, a robed figure with blue hair stood alone, contemplating something. A dark portal appeared beside him and a giant of a robed figure appeared with his arms crossed. The figured shook his head and spoke up, asking Lexaeus, the giant, if he even warranted a hello. Lexaeus stood silent as another dark portal opened and another robed figure appeared. This one is certainly more familiar to us. It was Vexen! He approached the other two and, addressing the blue haired boy as Zexion, asked what was going on here. Zexion told Vexen that it was nice to see him too. Zexion said that it was such a shame. The Organization used to be the rope the bound them together. Vexen told him that he was only number six and how dare he. Lexaeus told Vexen to let it go. Lexaeus turned and asked Zexion to tell them what he had detected. Zexion said that they had visitors. He had picked up two scents in the castle’s lowest basement. One of them had been Maleficent. Vexen told him not to be absurd. The witch was gone. She couldn’t return from the realm of darkness of her own volition. Zexion said that, if Vexen would let him finish, he was about to say that the scent belonged not to Maleficent, but a very convincing double. He couldn’t say much beyond that, however, since the double was no more. Their other visitor had seen to that. Lexaeus asked who that was. Zexion said that he didn’t know for sure, but the scent was very similar to that of their Superior. Vexen posited that it was similar, but not quite the same. He said that this truly piqued his curiosity. Zexion said the next question was what to do. Lexaeus said that they would wait and see what developed.

Back on basement level 11, Riku arrived to notice that something smelled funny. What was that scent? It was so familiar… then it hit him. Darkness. It was the smell of darkness. Riku couldn’t believe what was happening. The darkness had even seeped into his skin. Mickey’s voice called out to him and told him not to worry. Suddenly, Mickey took a spectral form right in front of Riku. Riku asked what had happened. He could see right through the King. Mickey said it was funny, but it was because he could only send a bit of his power to this place. That was why Mickey had a request for him. Mickey told him to listen up. Just because darkness held him didn’t mean he should let go of who he was. Riku had to fight the darkness inside of him. Mickey knew it wouldn’t be easy to do, but he wanted Riku to remember that even in the deepest darkness, there was still a light to guide them. After all, Riku and Mickey had seen it. The welcoming light inside the door to darkness. It was the light of Kingdom Hearts and it would show Riku the way. Mickey asked Riku not to give up on the light. That was his only request. Riku said that he would do his best. Mickey told him that he would try to find a way to reach him. He would get there. He promised. Mickey’s spectral form disappeared and Riku was left to work his way through the basement floors of the castle. Riku walked up the nearby world door and raised the Traverse Town card in front of it, opening the door and allowing him to move on further into the castle…