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Destiny Islands

Sora and Riku are now respectively 20 and 21 years old, and they both wear the same tattoo that their mother wore on their upper right arms. It has been ten years since Radiant Garden broke apart. In that time, the brothers have met and bonded with a young woman and fellow Radiant Garden native named Kairi. She is 20 years old and is in a relationship with Sora. Kairi is also the granddaughter of Ansem.

While Sora sleeps on the beach, he dreams of a place called the "Station of Awakening". In the dream, Sora hears the voice of Aqua, who delivers a cryptic message. Then a group of shadowy beings appear. Sora recognizes them as "Shadows", the most basic form of Heartless.

The Kingdom Key then appears in Sora's right hand. He recognizes it as his mother's keyblade. While Sora is distracted, a Shadow attempts to attack him. However, Aqua's voice warns him, and he routs it.

After taking care of the remaining Shadows, Sora encounters a giant Heartless called a "Darkside", the most powerful of the purebloods. Sora triumphs over it, only for the Kingdom Key to disappear, leaving him helpless as darkness swallows him. It is then that he wakes up with Kairi standing over him. She playfully chastises Sora for his laziness, and he describes his dream to her.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi have procured a spaceship to find Hollow Bastion. They are to leave the next day, and Kairi assigns Sora to a supply-gathering task. One of the places where Sora searches for provisions is a cave called the "Secret Place". The cave contains a strange wooden door with raised gold accents, but there is no obvious way of opening it.

Sora also encounters a hooded figure in a black coat in the cave. This is Ansem, having lost his physical form after what happened a decade ago. Like Aqua in Sora's dream, Ansem utters a cryptic message and disappears. While perplexed, Sora completes his task.


That night, a black and purple sphere of darkness appears above the islands, and with it comes the Heartless. Sora leaves his home to find Riku and Kairi. As Sora evades the Heartless, he finds Riku, who says something about "the door" opening and how they can now return to Hollow Bastion.

Riku holds out his hand to Sora as the former disappears into darkness. Sora attempts to take it, but the Kingdom Key suddenly appears in Sora's right hand, just like in his dream. Riku sees the keyblade as he disappears, his eyes wide with surprise.

Sora then sees an apparition of his mother. The apparition points toward the Secret Place, and Sora looks, noticing that white, pearlescent doors have appeared in front of the entrance. Sora looks back to see that the apparition is gone.

Sora approaches the door, opens it, and enters the cave. He sees Kairi standing in front of the strange wooden door. He calls to her, and she turns to look at him, but her eyes are soulless.

"Sora," she says as she attempts to approach him. However, the door bursts open, and the escaping darkness pushes Kairi toward Sora. He holds out his arms to grab her, but she disappears when she reaches his body. The darkness then pushes Sora out of the cave.

Sora lands on what is left of the island, and a Darkside appears to challenge him. Sora defeats it, but then the sphere pulls him in.


Disney Castle

King Mickey Mouse of Disney Castle is a Keyblade Master taught by the sorcerer Yen Sid, another friend of Eraqus's family. Yen Sid later succeeded Eraqus as headmaster of the Academy of the Keyblade, after the latter became governor of Radiant Garden.

After Mickey became king, he realized that his castle and its corresponding town did not have names. Out of reverence for his teacher, he chose the names "Disney Castle" and "Disney Town". Of course, "Disney" is "Yen Sid" spelled backwards.

Mickey was also a friend of Eraqus's family, and was with Aqua that tragic day at the Keyblade Graveyard. While Mickey insisted on going with Aqua to confront Xehanort in Hollow Bastion, Aqua told him that it was personal.


Donald Duck, the royal court magician, is visiting King Mickey in the castle's throne room when he discovers that he is missing. The king's canine companion, Pluto, is there with a letter in his mouth.

Donald reads the letter; panicked, he rushes to Captain Goofy of the royal guards, who is asleep in the central gardens. Donald wakes him and swears him to secrecy about the letter and the king's disappearance. However, Queen Minnie Mouse and her lady-in-waiting, Daisy Duck, overhear him.


Donald, Goofy, Queen Minnie, and Daisy go to the library to read the king's letter. Paraphrased, it says:

I am sorry to leave without telling anyone, but there is trouble brewing. Just recently, I witnessed through my telescope the destruction of several worlds via black and purple spheres, including the Destiny Islands and the Keyblade Graveyard. I remember Aqua telling me that she left her sons, Sora and Riku, there with relatives.

The spheres that destroyed these worlds were similar to the one that appeared above Hollow Bastion a decade ago and caused Radiant Garden to split. However, unlike that sphere, these spheres completely consumed the worlds, whereas the first simply left Hollow Bastion in ruin.

Donald and Goofy, I need you to go to Traverse Town. As you may recall, it is a special world that exists between the realms of light and dark. Hearts with strong wills may end up here and will usually regain their physical bodies if their hearts were not consumed by the Heartless. This could also happen if they could not find, or chose not to enter, Kingdom Hearts.

If you find Sora and/or Riku, ask them about a keyblade called the Kingdom Key. This was Aqua's keyblade. I was, unfortunately, unable to find her in Traverse Town, so I can only assume that she is gone. I also hope that she was able to pass on the Kingdom Key beforehand. I would do this myself, but I have other matters to attend to. I am counting on you!

P.S. Please say sorry to Minnie for me. Thanks!

Taking Jiminy Cricket along as the royal chronicler, Donald and Goofy head for the hangar. In the hangar is a spaceship called Highwind, whose namesake, designer, and builder is Cid Highwind, a famous engineer from Radiant Garden. Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy board Highwind and make way for Traverse Town.


Traverse Town

Sora wakes up in a hotel room. Standing over him is a female ninja named Yuffie Kisaragi, who, at first, he thinks is Kairi. With Yuffie are Squall "Leon" Leonhart, Cid Highwind, and Aerith Gainsborough. Like Sora, they are all from Radiant Garden. While Sora is unfamiliar with them, they are familiar with Sora because of his lineage.

Sora sits up and asks about Riku and the remainder of his family, but they all look down and shake their heads. Sora was alone when they found him unconscious in the alley beside the accessory shop where Cid works. Looking down, Sora notices the Kingdom Key sitting next to the door where Leon is standing. Leon picks it up, only for it to disappear from his hand and reappear in Sora's.

Studying the keyblade, Sora tells them what happened the night that his home was destroyed, expressing confusion over why the Kingdom Key appeared to him instead of Riku. Usually, the oldest inherits the weapon. Aerith guesses that when Riku willingly gave himself to the darkness, the keyblade bypassed him. Sora rests his head in his hands, exasperated by everything that has transpired. The others then offer to leave him alone, so that he may rest.

Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy arrive in Traverse Town. Almost immediately, they see a star disappear from the night sky, indicating that another world has fallen into darkness. They then enter the accessory shop, where Cid is working the counter. He greets them, asking them how everything is. They tell him about the king's disappearance, the star that just vanished, and that they are looking for the sons of Terra and Aqua. Cid then directs them to the hotel where Sora is staying, explaining that Riku is missing.

They arrive at the hotel to see Yuffie and Leon engaged in battle with the Heartless just outside of it. Donald and Goofy join them, while Jiminy hides and watches from one of Donald's pockets. Jiminy notices that among the Shadows are armored, artificial, "emblem" Heartless called "Soldiers". After the Heartless are gone, Donald asks where Sora is. They tell him that Sora left to confront the leader of the invasion: an unfamiliar emblem Heartless.

Exhausted, Sora is backed into a corner by the aforementioned giant Heartless. It resembles a purple suit of armor whose arms, legs, and torso can operate independently. The head, however, always remains with the torso. A group of Shadows surround Sora, preparing to steal his heart. Fortunately, Donald and Goofy arrive in time to save him.

After conquering the Heartless, Jiminy is assured that it is safe, and he comes out of Donald's pocket. The trio then introduce themselves to Sora and tell him of their plight, with Leon encouraging Sora to go with them. He also recommends heading to the world of Olympus, as one of the gods of that world may have an idea of where Riku is. However, he warns that getting that information may not be easy.

The foursome board Highwind and make way for Olympus. Jiminy opens his journal and chronicles what happened, and figuring that the giant Heartless that Sora and company fought had no name, the cricket calls it "Guard Armor".


Hollow Bastion

Riku finds himself in an area of Hollow Bastion called the "Rising Falls". Ages ago, a meteor impacted Radiant Garden's ocean in an area with weird gravitational anomalies. Waterfalls formed as the seawater began to fill the crater. However, the wonky gravity caused the waterfalls to start "rising", hence the name.

As Riku stands, he realizes where he is. He smiles, but concern for his brother and Kairi causes it to fade quickly. He calls to them in vain and sighs sullenly. A dark portal then opens in front of him. Apprehensive, Riku watches as a dark witch named Maleficent emerges from the portal.

"If you want answers, come with me," Maleficent offers and reenters the portal. Riku is uncertain if he should trust her, but as he has nowhere else to go, he reluctantly follows her.

As Riku emerges from the portal on the other side, he realizes that he is in the Chamber of the Ark, where Kingdom Hearts once resided. Standing around the ark's former pedestal are beings that can best be described as the "villains" of their respective worlds. They are:


Hades: god of Olympus's underworld
Jafar: royal vizier of Agrabah
Ursula: a dark witch from the aquatic world of Atlantica, who has octopus tentacles instead of legs
Captain Hook: commander of the pirate ship Jolly Roger in Neverland
Oogie Boogie: a sentient bag of bugs from Halloween Town


Maleficent introduces them to Riku. When she tells them that he is the oldest son of Terra and Aqua, Hades and Captain Hook recognize the former's name, as they met him during his pursuit of Xehanort and Vanitas.


Traverse Town→Olympus

Sora recounts some of what he learned in Traverse Town to Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy. Much of Xehanort and Ansem's research was destroyed ten years ago, but what was recovered offered some interesting insights.

Normally when someone dies, their heart, in the form of a sphere of light, leaves their body, and the body disappears. Depending on the heart's strength of will, it will either fade into oblivion or continue to exist. A heart without a body is in a sort of "purgatory" and will instinctively seek out a physical "vessel" to reside in. If the heart cannot find one, it will wander until it happens to enter a "betwixt world" like Traverse Town. However, if a betwixt world was their home when their physical body died, the heart will not regain physicality unless they enter another one.

Depending on its nature, the heart may try to "possess" others, essentially "stealing their bodies" if the target is weak-willed enough. The more pure-hearted will simply use another's body as a "home", and those being used as such may never be aware of it. Indeed, Kairi's heart entered Sora's body at the Destiny Islands, as her heart was too pure for the Heartless. Sora, of course, is not conscious of this.

The Mage Guild not only constructed Kingdom Hearts so that they may learn ancient knowledge, but also to offer a home to those strong-willed hearts that had no bodies. In many ways, Kingdom Hearts was a sort of "heaven".

Regarding the Heartless, Xehanort and Ansem discovered that there were two subtypes of "pureblood" Heartless. "Type I" are the "purest of the purebloods", as they are "literally born without a heart", hence why they are referred to as "Heartless". "Type II" Heartless are created when a heart is stolen by either type, and the darkness in that heart manifests itself physically. However, if the heart is too pure, it is rejected. Therefore, a Type II Heartless is not "truly without a heart", and defeating one will release the heart.

The "machine" that Xehanort and Ansem designed uses a heart's instinct to seek a new vessel against it. Kingdom Hearts radiates a special "aura", which allows hearts to find it, and the machine emits a similar one to fool unsuspecting hearts. When hearts enter the machine, dark magic is used to trap them and then extract any darkness from them, which is then used to create artificial Heartless. To distinguish these from purebloods, they are given emblems.


Olympus

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy enter the lobby of the Olympus Coliseum. A satyr named Philoctetes, or "Phil" for short, is standing on a pedestal, working on a plaque announcing the "games". They announce themselves and ask about the games. Phil apologizes, for only those with passes are allowed to enter them.

As they leave the coliseum, Hades appears to them. Introducing himself, he mentions Sora's father and gives them a pass to enter the games. The god of the Underworld tells Sora that if he can get through the preliminaries, he will tell him what happened to his family.

Cloud Strife has been contracted by Hades to kill Hercules during the games. Cloud, like Sora, is from Radiant Garden. Hades appears to Cloud, telling him to kill Sora. Cloud is reluctant, considering that his contract only requires him to kill Hercules. However, Hades reasons that he has to kill Sora anyway to get to him.

Whether Sora or Cloud wins, Hades unleashes Cerberus. Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeat the guardian of the Underworld, and Phil and Hercules present them with an award for their heroism. As they board Highwind, Sora realizes that he never learned what happened to his family from Hades.


Wonderland

Highwind lands in a very verdant meadow just outside a forest. Sora, Donald, and Goofy enter the forest while Jiminy remains behind to catch up on his journal. While exploring the forest, they encounter a male white rabbit with a pocket watch. The rabbit is panicking, for he is "late for a very important date". The trio chase him to what is presumably his rabbit hole. They look down the hole, but it is pitch black inside.

Donald wonders if they should follow him, but before the duck can even blink, Sora impulsively jumps in after the rabbit. Donald and Goofy shout to Sora and then look at each other. Sighing, they follow him.

As they fall down the rabbit hole, their descents slow until they gently touch the ground in what appears to be the interior of a distorted house. They are now in the chaotic world of "Wonderland". They proceed further until they reach a kitchen that looks "normal". In the center of the kitchen is a table with two bottles on it. There is also a door in the kitchen that is, unfortunately, too small for them to enter.

Sora complains that the door is too small. Using its keyhole as a "mouth", the doorknob responds, "No, you are simply too big. Why don't you try the bottle over there?"

Taken aback by the talking doorknob, the trio look behind them at the bottles on the table. One has a red label and the other, a blue label. The doorknob tells them to drink the liquid from the latter. Doing so, they shrink.

Alice is one of seven special maidens called the "Princesses of Heart". They are known to have the purest of hearts and have special powers that even they are unaware of. The other six princesses are:


Aurora from the Enchanted Dominion
(which is also the origin of Maleficent and has since been destroyed)

Belle from the world where the "Beast's castle" is found
(this world has since been destroyed)

Cinderella from the world with a castle that she refers to as the "castle of dreams"
(this world has since been destroyed)

Jasmine: princess of Agrabah

Kairi: granddaughter of Ansem and native of Radiant Garden

Snow White from the world containing the "dwarf woodlands"
(this world has since been destroyed)


Alice has been falsely accused of attempting to steal the heart of the Queen of Hearts. However, before her sentence can be carried out, Alice is kidnapped by Maleficent. Sora and company, with guidance from the "Cheshire Cat", later do battle with the "Trickmaster", another "boss" Heartless whose name was coined by the cat.

After defeating the Trickmaster, Jiminy contacts the trio via holographic communicators, expressing relief over finally reaching them. Apparently, the Heartless was interfering with communications. The doorknob, who was attempting to sleep, mutters something and yawns. As it yawns, light pours from its "mouth", and the Kingdom Key reacts to it.

Remembering something about "keyholes" from Xehanort and Ansem's research, Sora points the keyblade at the doorknob's keyhole. An iridescent beam then emits from the tip of the blade. Upon the cessation of the beam, there is a locking sound, and the light from the keyhole dissipates, as the doorknob finishes yawning. Afterward, the Cheshire Cat shows the trio a way out of Wonderland.


Deep Jungle

Highwind's sensors register a foreign object on a world covered in tropical vegetation. The ship lands in a clearing near a giant tree with a treehouse. While Donald and Goofy perform maintenance on Highwind and Jiminy works on his journal, Sora visits the treehouse. As he explores it, he is caught off guard by a large, female leopard.

As the leopard lunges at Sora, a shirtless man in a loincloth, wielding a spear, swoops down from the ceiling. The man beats the leopard back, and she flees. The man identifies the leopard as "Sabor" and indicates that she is dangerous. Sora introduces himself and shows his gratitude, and the man gives his name as "Tarzan". Unfortunately, his communication skills are limited, as he was raised by gorillas.

Sora et al. later meet Jane Porter, a naturalist studying the gorillas, who is also teaching Tarzan how to speak. She is accompanied by a man named Clayton, who is there ostensibly to serve as her bodyguard but is really there to hunt the gorillas.

It turns out that the foreign object detected by Highwind is located in the gorillas' nesting grounds. The nesting grounds are sacred and entrance is forbidden to all except gorillas. Tarzan pleads with Kerchak, the leader of the gorillas, to allow Sora and the others to go there, but Kerchak is distracted by something.

Clayton's bloodlust and desire for dominance eventually summons a Heartless that resembles a giant chameleon. Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeat the chameleon and Clayton. Afterward, Kerchak allows them to enter the nesting grounds, where they find the foreign object, a data storage device, and the world's keyhole. Sora seals the keyhole, and they leave.


To be continued—eventually . . .