Hollow Bastion

After many hours of traveling we find Hollow Bastion. As annoying and assholeish Donald Duck can be he’s a great pilot. Goofy is just an all around dependable and great guy. I’m glad to have them with me during my journey. We land, there’s a towering castle in the distance. We decide that’s our destination. On our way there we find Riku, he seems to be talking to a large humanoid creature with brown fur. We hang back and listen to what they’re saying. “No vessel, no help from the Heartless. How did you get here?” Riku asks.

“I believed I would, nothing more to it. When our world had fallen to darkness Belle was taken from me. I vowed I would find her again, no matter the cost.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense. But whatever, you want Belle back, take her if you can!” I thought he was bad back on the pirate ship but Riku’s become a full on antagonist. The beast leaps forward to attack Riku but he successfully dodged the attack. Riku goes in for the counterattack when I made my presence known, blocking his attack. He’s taken aback at first, but soon his surprise subsides. “You finally made it. I’ve been waiting for you. We always were rivals, weren’t we? But that ends now. There can’t be two Keyblade masters.”

“I highly doubt that, Riku.” I counter his ridiculous notion.

“Oh yeah?” He holds out his hand and the Keyblade disappears from mine, reappearing in his. “Maleficent was right, you don’t have what it takes to save Kairi.”

“You bastard.” I try summoning my Keyblade but it doesn’t work, it stayed with him.

“Your part is over, go find another world to play hero in.” He walks away. I wasn’t sure what to do. I can’t save Kairi without the Keyblade. Falling to my knees, Goofy walks toward me and puts his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s get going, Goofy.” Says Donald. “We have to remember our mission.”

“I know the King told us to follow the Key but…” Donald continues forward. He turns and says. “Sorry, Sora.” Goofy gives a heartfelt nod before they follow after Riku.

It takes me a few moments to comprehend what just happened. All of my aspirations just disappeared over the course of a couple minutes.

The beast I was able to protect earlier approaches me. “You came here for the same reason as me, right?” He walks forward. “Usually I fight alone but I will fight. It’s all I can do. I won’t leave without her.” He’s right. I’ve come so far, I can’t stop now. Standing back up, I start wishing I had let Donald teach me those spells he knew.

We pursue Riku, Donald, and Goofy. There are Heartless everywhere outside the castle. I let Beast deal with them while I explore the foyer, where it seemed the trio are waiting for us. “You should quit while you can.” Riku says, trying to sound menacing. “I’m not leaving without Kairi.” I tell him.

“Then the darkness will destroy you!” He says as his clothes transform into a blue and black bodysuit. “Nice clothes.” I say sarcastically. “Better than yours.” I can’t argue that point.

“Now, let me show you my power.” He extends his arm toward me and unleashes a dark projectile. I try to dodge but I can’t move. I’m stuck in place. I close my eyes, anticipating the blow, but it doesn’t come. I open my eyes and see Goofy standing in front of me, shield drawn. “Sora won’t be going anywhere.”

“You’d betray your king?” Riku asks.

“Not on your life, but I’m not gonna betray Sora either. He’s become one of my best buddies after all we’ve been through. See ya later, Donald. Could you tell the king I’m really sorry?”

“Hold on Goofy, we’ll tell him together!” Says the duck as he waddles his way to my side. I’m pretty surprised. I could see Goofy coming to my aid but Donald too? “How will you fight without a weapon?” Riku’s agitated voice cuts through my thoughts. “Honestly? I don’t have a single clue. But I do know I have my friends with me. They’re my power!” Moments of uncomfortable silence pass as the Keyblade disappears from Riku’s grip and reappears in mine. Riku backs away, retreating up the foyer steps, with only the look of confusion on his face. The beast walks through the front door and comments on the situation.”So your heart won this battle.”

“My heart?” I question but he doesn’t answer, he's not the talkative type. Something to ponder for later I guess. We continue further into the castle. Defeating corridor after corridor of Heartless. Reaching a hall that ends in a circular room. We’re confronted by a woman with pale skin, wearing a black robe, and holding a staff.

“I’m afraid you’re too late. Any moment now and the final Keyhole will be unsealed. This world will be plunged into darkness. It is unstoppable.” I’m starting to get fed up with all these interruptions. “Listen, I can only state my intentions so many times so listen. We will stop you and I will rescue Kairi!”

“You poor fools, you think you can defeat me?” She fires a large fireball at us but with the power of the Keyblade I deflect it causing it to engulf her as well as blow away the room’s right wall. Revealing a secret passage leading out the room. The woman, shocked by her easy defeat, slinks away into a portal behind her. Not wanting her to get away we charge in after her.

The portal leads to a larger room.The woman is in the middle of the room, clutching her chest. Riku’s with her, carrying what looks like a Keyblade of his own. Donald questions him about it. “Yes, this is a Keyblade. But unlike yours this Keyblade holds the power to unlock hearts. Allow me to demonstrate.” He quickly turns around and stabs the woman in the chest. A look of horror forms on her face as she transforms into a dragon! The dragon attacks us. This is a much tougher opponent and requires all the strength I acquired over the course of my journey. After we beat the dragon it catches fire, leaving only a scorch mark on the ground.

Riku reappeared, only to taunt her. “How ironic, Maleficent was just another puppet after all. She failed to notice the darkness eating away at her. A fitting end for such a fool.” He rubs the toe of his shoe into the mark that was left over before receding into the darkness. Having nowhere else to go we turn back through the portal and continue on into the wall that was blasted open earlier. We continue on through a pair of double doors, a room with two sets of stairs leading to an elevated platform. Before the stairs there are six women lined along the walls and encased in crystal. Two of the women I recognise as Alice and Jasmine. Donald makes a sad “aww” noise and we continue up the stairs. We reach the top and Kairi is lying in the middle of the platform. I run toward her. Donald and Goofy try to follow but are stopped by a forcefield.

I kneel next to her and hold her in my arms. This is the first time I’ve been this close to her since this journey began, I wish things weren’t so dire. “Kairi! Come on Kairi, open your eyes.”

“It’s no use.” Riku is standing near a giant emblem, pulsating with magical energy. “That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up.” That girl? Riku wouldn’t address Kairi that way. Could he be possessed by the Heartless? What does he mean she lost her heart? I pick up Kairi and carry her away from the center of the room. “The Keyhole cannot be completed as long as the last princess of heart sleeps.”

“Kairi is a princess?” I ask.

“Yes, and without her the Keyhole will remain incomplete. Thus you must give her back her heart, it resides in you.” He points his Keyblade at me and I feel a pain in my chest, where my heart would be. “See, her heart is responding inside you. It’s been there this whole time!”

“Kairi’s been inside me?” That’s… different from the usual. I double over in pain “Who...who are you?”

“It is I, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness!” He closes the distance, Keyblade still pointed at me. “I will release you now, princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door and lead me into everlasting darkness!” He raises his weapon to strike me down when I hear her voice, warning me against his attack. I summoned my Keyblade and deflect his. “I won’t let you take Kairi’s heart!” A battle begins and it’s my most difficult trial yet. Riku and I would always have mock battles back on the islands and I would hardly ever win. But I had to win this time, something more important than pride is on the line.

I land my last blow as Riku, or rather Ansem, disappears. “Sora, we need to seal the Keyhole!” Donald squawks from the sidelines. Goofy replies “But the Keyhole isn’t finished yet, we may need to wake Kairi up.”

How do we do that? Ansem’s Keyblade is still lying on the ground. I kneel down and pick it up. “A Keyblade that unlocks people’s hearts?”

“Sora, hold on!”

“Yeah wait!”

I look over at my two companions. “If this goes wrong will you two tell Kairi I… Nevermind, forget it.” I turn the blade on myself, placing it over my heart. I insert the blade, the weapon disappears. Seven balls of light emerge from my chest, returning to the princesses, Kairi included. My vision is blurry. I see Kairi wake up, my legs give out and I’m falling, she’s running toward me. She tries to catch me but before she can I’m surrounded in darkness. I float there in that darkness unaware if I’m dead or alive.