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Castur's mind kept repeating the name "Agrabah" over and over. As he looked down at the scarab in his hands he could only imagine that there was a catch to holding onto such a thing. It would have been stupid to pocket it but perhaps it was more stupid to not find out where this would lead him. He turned when he heard Silver's voice and slowly pocketed the scarab. "Yeah. What a strange man. Investigating him should be worth my time." Castur spoke casually. "And Jim? Honestly I got separated from the others. I imagine a spacefaring explorer like yourself would have better luck finding him than me."

"So you really do have a soft spot for the cabin boy don't you?"

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Castur had turned to find his way back to the others when a voice spoke to him. A slow low tone beckoned to him and caused him to turn to look at the sudden appearance of a lanky man with an impressive goatee. The man's gaunt face, his black and red color scheme, the all too smooth way of speaking, and the cobra-themed staff he held gave off a particular vibe. But, to be fair, Castur had seen uglier heroes before. "Jafar...Agrabah...hm... Well, Jafar, you seem to know your way around the worlds." Castur held up his keyblade. "And you know what this is." He called off the blade. If Jafar wanted a fight he doubted that they would be talking right now.

"The name's Castur and yes, I know what Kingdom Hearts is. Though if you're looking for a sellsword my rates are pretty high." He mused, thinking back to when Lea brought him into the Black Coats and got him into this mess in the first place. "Just what does a vizier from a far off world want with a keyblade wielder like me?"

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Castur felt power surge through him and in the heat of the moment he reached for that power that was just bursting to get out. "The time has come," Castur smirked as he struck Scroop again with his keyblade and by now the alien crab pirate could not even lift his own body due to the increased weight he was now experiencing. Castur then finished with one last upwards strike which then shifted gravity upwards, "AND SO HAVE I!!" He shouted as Scroop, with a mixed expression of fear and confusion on his ugly face, began to speed upwards towards the sky with a yell while desperately trying to snatch Castur on his way up.

Castur lowered his blade and took a step back, looking up as Scroop flew ever higher until he became little more than a black dot in the sky and then vanished from view presumably floating all the way into the atmosphere and maybe even beyond. He coughed and shrugged his shoulders to regain his composure and called off his keyblade. "Ladies and gentlemen, Scroop has left the building." He spoke with a chuckle.

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Castur flinched upon feeling what felt like pebbles strike the back of his head before harmlessly falling to the ground. Without turning to face his assailant he looked down to see the food that had landed on the earth beneath him and chuckled when he heard the crab-alien's threat. "Thanks for the snacks, Scroopy. But I'm not in the mood for garbage pirate food. Especially not since you touched it with your big. Meaty. Claws." Without skipping a beat Castur immediately ducked low and called his keyblade to his hand. It's go time, ugly. A blackish purple orb of gravity magic erupted from Castur as he attempted to force Scroop prone with the force of his own weight.

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Castur narrowed his eyes at Aux knowing exactly why he was keeping such a close eye on him during their little boat escape. Jim and Faris were definitely going to be the weak links if they got into a fight and though he was sure they'd be tracked down sooner or later he stepped forth to agree with Kel. "We don't need to fight them head on. If they're looking for us we can use that to our advantage. We can take a look around, figure out where they're coming from, and ambush the enemy if the come near. It'd be better than standing outside waiting for an old school bloodbath." He suggested.


4/20

He raised an eyebrow, more than a little surprised that Aria went around him to take the lead. Even though she hid it well he could tell that she wasn't exactly comfortable being here. He couldn't blame her. It took him years to get over the creep factor this place held and even then he always felt like something was watching him any time he neared the crypt entrance. An active imagination hardly helped with those feelings as a child.

Torrin held up his hand as blue flames circled around it, bathing the surrounding area in a bright glow that blended with the dim glow the wisps were already giving off. "That should make it easier for you to see." He trailed behind Aria as their footsteps echoed while they descended. Eventually Aria finally reached the lowest level where the ceiling opened up a bit with an archway that lead into a large circular room surrounded by twelve standing statues situated in elevated alcoves. Each one of the armored statues was adorned with a golden crown and had their hands placed on top of a stone replica of a keyblade. Beneath each statue was a dusty engraving that spelled out the names of each king.

"Try not to stand too close to the center. It'll probably creep you out more than you already are." Torrin mentioned, eyeing the way the statue's heads were positioned so that they were staring directly at the center of the room, their faces angled downward slightly as if waiting for a would-be king to call upon them. Torrin held his hand higher and looked up at the ceiling, narrowing his eyes at the cracks that had not been there the last time he stood here years ago. "A little dustier than I remembered. Guess maintaining this place is a low priority these days..." He sighed.





Once he was sure that the town's population had retreated to safety he headed down after Qamar and Lumen, sealing the door above him. Rather than immediately answer her Somna snapped his fingers causing wisps of blue flames to float in midair around them casting a very faint light in what was clearly a safe room lined with rows of supplies. One of the walls had a rune carved into the stone and it too was faintly glowing. "Seeing in the dark is handy but even we like having the comfort of some light. Although I bought this house off of the Duke who used to own it this whole town still belongs to him." Somna began to head over to one of the shelves and retrieved two canteens before offering them to Qamar and Lumen so they could have some water to drink while waiting out the horde. "But since he's a general he has little time to be out here looking after this town. Instead he's left me in charge of his land until the war ends or until his heir comes of age."

The man leaned against the wall and sighed lowly. "And...to answer your question..." He looked up slowly at Qamar. "I can assume she did not survive." He spoke quietly.

Torrin offered a wave to Enzo then, realizing the issue with that, he patted Enzo on the shoulder before leading Aria down another hallway that eventually led to a stairway that brought them down a floor. "The common folk know some of the story about the kingdom's founding, the nobles know a little more, but the royal family? Well surprisingly even we don't know the whole story. A lot of that portion of history has been lost because it happened so far back...before the Keyblade War, before the War of Realms, before a lot of things. Basically..." As they descended down yet another flight of stairs Torrin snapped his fingers causing wisps of blue flame to appear out of thin air to light their way forward while Torrin slowed his pace to explain to Aria why he was taking her to where he was going.


"Way back, there were thirteen rulers whose hearts were of the purest darkness. They reached a decision to end the wars between them by joining together to form a single kingdom. They decided to rule together and for a while that system worked. I can't imagine how complicated it would be to have thirteen kings at once but the legends say they were so wise that they just knew how to make it work. So after a few years of peace one of these kings, believing himself to be the most powerful of his peers, decided that he no longer wished to share in the spotlight with his fellow rulers and betrayed them all. A great battle ensued and their clash shook the Realm of Darkness. By the end of it there were no survivors. All thirteen kings perished. The kingdom was in shock and without a ruler to guide them. But...that's where things start to get really mysterious. There's been several versions of the rest of the tale spoken of but each one holds something in common. A woman who had been known to be a close personal friend of the kings revealed that she had carried the heir of one of those kings. A son whose father she refused to share the identity of. The strength of the boy's heart was so apparent that no one doubted she had told the truth of the child's royal parentage." And down another flight they went.


"Anyway...since no one knew who that child's father was, it was just accepted that the twelve kings who defended the realm were collectively considered as the ancestors of what is now my family line. It's said that their power is the reason why a king of this realm can call on the powers of all the knights who have fallen in battle to the service of the kingdom." Torrin paused and stopped walking as the walls came closer the further they went. "So...that leads me to the last part of the story. I'm not sure how you feel about this but we're heading down to the crypt. It's well taken care of just...dark and a little stuffy. You see, supposedly anyone in the line of royal succession can ask the founder kings for wisdom in times of need and I figured what better place to ask than where they're memorialized?" Torrin laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I...I know how you feel about cramped spaces so if you want to wait upstairs then that's fine."





"Yes. I remember that dagger..." Somna spoke as he began to approach Qamar. He examined the blade carefully then the picture the girl carried, his eyes widening as he looked back from the picture to Qamar and back again. "It can't be...I searched so long for you...I gave up my post years ago just to continue the search." Tears welled up in the man's eyes. "Is that you...? Qamar?" He took yet another step closer, gripping the girl by her shoulders to look her in the eyes to see if there was some cruel deception at play. "I...I..." Before he could finish forming the words that his mind was struggling to come up with the ground rumbled and the sky had began to darken until it was becoming pitch black. "Oh no. Nonono..." He released Qamar and called out to the town, "Everyone! They're coming! Take shelter underground now! Do not leave until I come for you!" He shouted as loud as he could. On those words the town bell rang signalling everyone to retreat into their basements.

"You two," he spoke to Qamar and Lumen, "with me. Now. There's no time to waste." He went around his home and led them to the back where he knelt down and lifted a heavy metal trapdoor that had a ladder that led straight down at least thirty feet. "In. Now. We're not safe up here."





"You morons! What are you doing!? Get out there and destroy those rogue mechs before they ruin the place!" A muscular man shouted from his position in a guard tower as he oversaw the destruction below.

"B-but Mister Quinton our guns are ineffective against them!"

The blond man gripped the security officer by the collar and easily lifted him off his feet, the facility's sirens blaring as Chrono, Chrys, and Gladio unloaded their arsenal in the hangar while Gigas security opened fire on them with machine guns whose bullets ricocheted harmlessly off of the mechs. Behind his shades the man glared and tossed the goon aside. "Glorified mall cop." He hissed. "Have your men hold off those mechs as long as possible while I get in the Boss's own prototype. Do NOT screw this up. Capiche?"

"Y-yes boss!" The man scrambled to his feet and took off to call in more reinforcements to open fire against the three mechs. In moments Gigas security armed with rocket launchers began to arrive on scene. One fired at Chrys's mech and managed to strike at its leg, the explosion doing enough damage to force the mech into an awkward limp and hamper its mobility.

Spoiler

Torrin began to lead the way and placed his hands in his pockets. "There's a history lesson I'd have to give you in order to answer that question." He responded to Aria. "Basically...I need advice." He stated simply. The trio arrived at the castle gate and were allowed in as soon as Torrin was seen approaching although he could sense the tension coming from the guards as they walked by. Torrin pushed through the massive castle doors which led to a massive hall lined with black stone that was so finely polished that they could see reflections of themselves on the floor and walls. Dim light filtered through the blue stained glass and from where they stood was a maze of branching halls leading in every direction. Directly ahead was the path to the throne room which was behind two golden doors that stood at least three times the height of Torrin.


"I didn't live in the castle but I did spend a lot of time here." Torrin shrugged as he took a moment to glance at the walls which were adorned with dozens upon dozens of portraits of royal families who had once called this castle their home. Torrin even spotted a portrait of his uncle Joch standing Torrin's mother and his other uncle. "Anyway...Enzo, I think the kitchen is..." Torrin paused, having to recall where exactly it was. "I think it's down this hall." Torrin walked over to the entrance of the hall leading to the upper right that he was referring to. "There's usually at least one cook working there so if you want something just tell them you're a friend of mine. The fact that you're in here and not dead should be proof enough that you're allowed to be here at all."


"Aria and I won't be far but just call if you need something. It shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes before we rejoin you."












As the two spoke the man turned his head to look off in the distance, his eyes fixed on a dark cloud looming in the distance. "Hm..." He almost did not hear Lumen when mentioned that they were searching for the owner of the house but after a moment he caught on and spoke once more, though he still did not turn his head towards the two strangers. "A general? No...not quite. And I haven't been in the military in some time. You two should not be searching for a retired officer when a storm is brewing." Even as he spoke the wind began to pick up and a dull rumble could now be heard on the horizon.

"One so close to the capital is rare." He mumbled to himself before turning towards Qamar and Lumen. "Both of you, do you live nearby? Otherwise you will have to use my basement for safety." The man stepped closer and as he did so Qamar would have been able to recognize him as the same man from the picture she carried albeit with touches of gray in his hair and sporting a few more wrinkles. This was Somna Zalam.

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"Typically nothing good comes out of someone wearing a black coat." Castur glanced down at his own choice in fashion and, realizing the irony of the statement, made a quick addendum, "but only when that coat also has a hood." He folded his arms and leaned against the wall, allowing Aux to do the hard work mopping since it seemed like he was already in the groove even though he seemed to be struggling with a weird pink stain.

"Anyway Jim, it's Jim right? Anyway...just be careful with that map of yours. I wouldn't carry it around so openly amongst the kind of company you're keeping. That yellow-eyed multi-legged monstrosity looks like someone who wouldn't mind getting his big meaty claws around our necks."

3/20

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"If it was, they wouldn't be sneaking around talking about space maps." Castur shrugged in response to Kel. "Not unless they gained some new hobbies while we've been away." He added in sarcastically.


2/20

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"Treasure? With the loot of a thousand worlds there's bound to be something useful there." Castur commented, having only caught the part of Jim's excitement when he arrived. However useful a planet full of treasure might be, there still remained the fact that someone it a "black coat" was involved on this world. Castur eyed the map in Jim's possession and folded his arms as he mulled over why someone would have told Jim how to use the map but not attempt to use it for themselves.

1/20

Torrin looked up at Aria then down at the flowers laid down at the grave. "Thank you." He spoke quietly as he stood up and took a step back towards Aria. "She always liked flowers. She liked a lot of things that weren't common around here." Torrin commented while keeping his eyes fixed on the gravestone. He looked up and narrowed his eyes at the darkening sky but whatever vague sensation he had just picked up at that moment vanished as quickly as it came. Thinking it to be nothing but his imagination or old paranoia kicking in he shrugged it off and turned towards Aria. "I bet you two would have gotten along."

"Come on. There's something back at the castle I need to do. You'll get a chance to see something no outsider ever has." He smiled and gave one brief glance over at his mother's grave before motioning for Aria to follow after him while calling out to Enzo, "Hey! We're heading back to the castle. You're welcome to come along and grab a bite to eat."





There was a long silence after Qamar arrived and no answer came from within the house. One minute passed. Then two. Even if she knocked there would still be no answer. After over ten minutes of waiting a man came walking down the road from the opposite direction of the city, a sheathed sword strapped to his hip and heavy-looking bag slung over his shoulder. He was dressed in civilian clothing though it appeared to be in far better shape than the handful of travelers Qamar and Lumen had passed along the way. The man began to approach the house and quickly noticed the two waiting there, one in a black cloak obviously an outsider and the other a girl wearing foreign clothes even though it appeared that she was from this realm. "And who might you two be?" The man spoke, stopping just a few feet away from the house.









With everything settled Gladio readied his mech and began to lead the way to their target. Large thick concrete walls surrounded the compound with only a single gated entrance situated at the front. As the three mechs lined up to enter they were each scanned by a beam or red light which flashed green upon recognizing the mechs and opened the gate allowing them through. Within each of the four corners of the compound was a watchtower manned by two of Gigas's security personnel while the rest of the facility had armed guards patrolling the area. Gladio radioed the other mechs that Chrono and Chrysanthemum were piloting. "We're almost in the clear." He turned his mech towards the hangar and had his mech take a step in its direction. "That should be where we're supposed to dock these things. Once we get there our first priority is to destroy everything there. Docked mechs, repair stations, and anything else that looks important. The last thing we want is for these guards to get in their own mechs." Gladio looked down at his controls to ensure that his weapons were fully operational. Aside from being able to switch out its hands for electrified blades, each of the mechs had two energy weapons mounted on its shoulders which should have been enough to make short work of the docked mechs.

Torrin watched as Aria picked the weeds from Ezekiel's grave. It was a kind thing of her to do and he was glad it was done just before Enzo arrived. "Hey." Torrin greeted simply as he kept his eyes on the stone as Enzo reminisced about the man who was memorialized here. The rough nature of the man made Torrin smile, reminding him just a little of the Watts the blacksmith. He wondered how the two might have gotten along if they had ever met. Torrin could only imagine the arguments that could have occurred.


"He sounded like an interesting man." Torrin acknowledged, looking over at Enzo. "I'm glad you're part of this team Enzo. As strange as you are, you keep things interesting." Torrin responded in kind to Enzo's compliment. He clasped his hands hands behind his back and nodded slowly when Enzo had mentioned his mother. Though they had both lost family Torrin had felt Enzo had lost more still. After all, Enzo could 'no longer sing falsetto' and as Enzo began to sing in a soft melody Torrin took in the somber words. Enzo's soothing melody served as another reminder that his mother would never return but with its final verse came a clarity that all was not lost. Amidst all the family drama it was that kind of reminder that he needed.


"Thank you Enzo. Really. You're a good friend. That was a beautiful song." Torrin placed his hand on Enzo's shoulder and looked over to his mother's large gravestone knowing what he had to do next. He wasn't sure he was ready but he wanted to be. "I need to say a few words to her." He spoke quietly. Torrin gave a pat on Enzo's shoulder and glanced at Aria with a faint smile across his face as he stepped forward and began to walk towards his mother's grave. He took a deep breath and knelt down to touch the bare earth with his hand.


"I...I'm sorry mother." Torrin whispered as he lowered his head. "I've let everyone at home down. I was a coward and now Nora is taking advantage of that to seize the throne. I don't blame her. I really don't. I abandoned our people for so long. I abandoned my best friend." He let out a sigh and fixed his eyes on the black stone where his mother's name was inscribed. Mara Solus. "I may not be worthy right now but I will prove myself ready for the throne. Our people have been at war long enough." Torrin's face soften as he took another deep breath. "But that's enough about that...there's something else I wanted to tell you. It only took sixteen years but I found a Flammie. They're real. At least one is. She's a beautiful creature, mother. Friendly too. There's just been so much I want to tell you. A lot has happened since I last spoke to you. I made some new enemies, the fate of the realms are at stake, I've made new friends, and..." He paused and chuckled. "Maybe...maybe this should be saved for another time. As bad as things are at home, it's still good to be back."

Chrono and Tinarah gained 7 Levels!
Aria and Boreas gained 6 Levels!
Enzo, Illiana, Qamar, and Takehiko gained 5 Levels!
Lumen gained 4 Levels!
Torrin gained 3 Levels!
Chrysanthemum gained 2 Levels!


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Torrin looked over at Aria, glad to see that she had been able to learn more about where she had come from. After having felt like the trip would result in nothing but bad times for everyone he was pleased to know that not everyone had such massive family issues. "That's good Aria. Really, it is. Maybe some other time you can show me that book." He looked at the graveyard before them and let out a quiet sigh. "Yeah...I suppose the name is deceptive." Torrin pointed over at an obelisk made of obsidian standing just as tall as himself about a hundred feet away. The grave had an open space around itself separate from the others and was surrounded by fresh flowers. There were several such obelisks scattered throughout but none of them were as well taken care of as the one Torrin was pointing at.


"That over there, you see? That's where my mother is. Or at least...that's where it's been marked in remembrance of her. She was of royal blood so she gets one of those obsidian markers." Torrin spoke solemnly. "I'm...I'm glad to see that my father's made sure to see it's still taken care of." A part of him wanted to go to say something to her but now he saw little point in it. With things between his family and him as strained as they were, he did not feel like he had earned that yet.


He cleared his throat and used the back of his hand to wipe the stray tear that had begun to form in his eye. "Best not to dwell on those kinds of thoughts." He said aloud though he directed it to himself rather than Aria. "Come on. This Ezekiel guy can't be too far." And he wasn't. A few steps farther and Torrin caught sight of a small stone nearly covered by overgrown weeds. "Eze..." Torrin knelt down and pushed the weeds aside to get a better view of the name. "...Kiel. Ezekiel. Yeah...that's our guy. Poor guy. Stone wasn't even big enough to fit his family name on it." Looking over in the direction he had left Enzo at,
Torrin whistled loudly to get Enzo's attention and call him over.

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Castur took a deep breath and grumbled lowly. "Getting the stuffings squeezed out of me wasn't fun." He muttered. It still stung but it wasn't anything a Cure spell couldn't take care of. If Silver had come in just a moment later Castur would have retaliated against Scroop and that would have led to a mess. In a way, he was glad he waited it out as long as he did...even if it put him uncomfortably close to Scroop.

"Thanks for the assist, Silver." Castur spoke as he rubbed his arm. "I was hoping that would be more enlightening but I did learn something." He gave a slight wave towards the cyborg and smirked as he walked by the man. "Guess your heart was something you couldn't replace, huh?" Castur said nothing more of it as he made his way to return to the others and take his mop back from Aux. He didn't start cleaning but instead leaned against the mop and eyed Jim curiously.

"Hm. They can fit two people if you're willing to squeeze. I didn't see you squeezed so I assumed you didn't want to. But if it means that much to you, you can have mine." Gladio responded to Take. "Just make up your mind soon. If need be I can stay behind to back you up when the fighting starts. Either way, there won't be much to do until those of us riding in the mechs take out the inactive suits inside the hangar."

Torrin touched one of the keyblades planted in the ground, reading the name of the inscription of the stone by it. A name he did not recognize that probably belonged to a knight from a bygone era. "Enzo...I...yeah." Torrin nodded slowly. "I'm sorry about your mother. Believe me I know what that's like." Torrin placed a hand on Enzo's shoulder while his mind worked on some mental math to figure out when Enzo could have lost his mother. A town getting caught in the crossfire was not unheard of and in fact that's exactly how not one but two of his aunts had died but as he tried to sift through everything he had ever read his mind was drawing on a blank. There were just too many battles and even if he had memorized the names of every town ravaged by the war he still did not have a solid time frame regarding Enzo's family.


"Hm...Ezekiel?" If it was a name Torrin had heard before it was something he had forgotten. Another mystery for another time. Torrin looked over his shoulder to see Aria arriving on the scene at that moment. "Alright, Enzo. I'll check around. And hey," he gave Enzo a pat on the back, "Even if you'll never sing falsetto again, you've still got friends." Torrin smiled and stepped away to leave him be as he headed over towards Aria.


"Keep an eye out for the name Ezekiel. Enzo's looking for someone. I'm not sure who this Ezekiel is to him but I think it's important to him." Torrin glanced over at the area and sighed. "They call it the Sleeping Keys because of...well you can see how many keyblades are at rest here. Not everyone who's remembered here were keyblade wielders but those that are...well they're said to be at rest until their King calls for them in times of need. I've never seen them called upon before but apparently my uncle's done it before." He scratched the back of his head and motioned for Aria to walk with him as he looked down at the stones marking each grave. Some were cracked and some, unfortunately, looked pristine and looked as if they had been there for only a few days.


"So...what did you find over with Quinna?" He asked after a moment.





"Glad to see you made it all in one piece." Gladio spoke as he leaned against the leg of the mech he had secured while watching as the others arrived. He eyed their mechs and it seemed like they were barely even scratched. "Good work. Was worried you would have trouble piloting these things but you guys seem to have it handled. I'll take the fact that we're not being chased right now as a sign that your guys' mission went simple and clean." Gladio went to unlock the cockpit and climbed in to his own mech.

"Now we're going to stroll in through the front gate, head to the hangar where they would expect us to dock the mechs for maintenance, and then we'll give 'em a taste of their own medicine. Easy as cake." Gladio turned his mech towards Take and Tinarah who were the only ones not in mechs. "You two are going to need to wait nearby for the fighting to break out before jumping in as backup. With any luck this should be all over before backup arrives. Any questions?"


"With pleasure." Koa nodded at his sister and raised his keyblade to strike. Before he could bring it down a hand gripped the blade and held it still preventing him from moving it an inch. "What!?" Koa's eyes widened as he looked to see who had stopped him and to his surprise it was the hooded figure of his master. In an instant his master had just appeared before them and Koa had never even noticed until he had been stopped from fighting Ardyn.

"Enough of this. I will not have my subordinates fighting amongst themselves." The Light Chaser spoke with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"But Master! Ardyn–"

"But nothing." Koa fell silent and gulped. "Ardyn, I did not give you any orders to eliminate the opposition. You were sent merely to observe."

"What? Me? Kill her? Perish the thought! I was merely reminding the girl to not interfere in your grand scheme. I never meant to permanently harm her. And the boy merely had an accident. We're all friends here, right Koa?"

"Like hell we are!"

"The only reason I required you here was because I had more important matters to take care of and the only other member of my team with experience in Magitek was indisposed. I have completed my work and have no need for you on this world. Return to Null and continue your assignment there."

"Of course. As you wish." Ardyn tipped his hat to the Light Chaser and bowed at the man.

"And Ardyn...one more thing." A flash of light shot forth from the Light Chaser's hand, striking Ardyn in the shoulder and cleaved his arm from his body. Black smoke spewed from the wound and Ardyn cried out like a wounded animal, black streaks forming on his face as his eyes darkened in rage. "The next time you raise your hand to one of my own will be your last. Now pick that up and leave my sight." Ardyn scowled but obeyed as he picked up his arm and reattached it to his body with his black magic. The streaks on his face disappeared but the scowl remained as he glared at the three before stepping back into a dark corridor and vanishing from sight.

"He would have killed you both had I not stepped in." The Light Chaser spoke as he clasped his hands behind his back. "It is nice to meet you Illiana but perhaps you should be joining your friends." He pointed in the direction of the Gigas mech facility. "They may need your assistance and your brother has other matters to attend to."

"I...I do?" Koa asked in confusion.

"You do." With a snap of his finger Koa vanished in a flash of light with no words of goodbye to Illiana or so much as one last look at her.

Torrin scratched the back of his head and wondered what Enzo could possibly have meant by having a pick me up when he wanted to go to the Sleeping Keys. "Hm...yeah. I know where it is." He spoke with some reluctance. Torrin was tempted to ask Enzo why he'd ever want to visit there but knowing him he'd just deflect the question. After a long pause Torrin nodded and almost motioned at Enzo to follow him before stopping himself. He cleared his throat and said it instead. "Just follow me."


"The Sleeping Keys was the last place I visited before going to the Realm of Light six years ago." They began walking along a path that would lead them through town and to the opposite side of the castle. Along the way Torrin noticed people giving him odd looks and occasionally even giving Enzo a quizzical look but no one said anything as the two walked by. Torrin was unsure if silent stares were better than hushed whispers behind their backs but either way he did his best to ignore it. "When I was younger sometimes I'd sneak out at night to go there. I'd always be back before dawn but it was always good to get some fresh air and be able to speak with my mother. Even if the conversations were always one-sided." After several minutes of walking the density of buildings decreased and the branching paths disappeared leaving the two with only one clear road forward within the city walls. That road led to the Sleeping Keys, a large open field with hundreds of rows where keyblades were planted in the ground, the sound of their swinging keychains ringing in the air softly. Every keyblade rested in front of a gravestone but not every stone was placed with a keyblade.


As they stood in front of the cemetery Torrin looked over at Enzo and asked, "Is there someone here you're looking for?"










A red blade knocked Illiana's keyblade away and deflected her spells as she cast them. "How obvious." Ardyn spoke with disappointment as he vanished in a flash of red light and reappeared behind Illiana as she attempted to kick him hitting nothing but open air. "Keep your eye on the ball." The man spoke from behind her as a wave of darkness blasted the girl directly in her back. "If you were to stay still you might thank me for granting you a swift release of your life."

"That's enough out of you!" Koa had recovered by now and leapt at Ardyn, bringing his keyblade down on the man and just narrowly missing as Ardyn stepped back out of reach.

"Careful with that. You could cut yourself." Ardyn scolded.

"Shut it!" Koa looked over at Illiana and held a hand out towards her to help her up. "Come on. We can handle him."