AN: Okay, I know it's been a little while (not nearly as long as it has been for some of my other stories, mind you), but no need to worry any more, because I am proud to announce that we are in fact back once again, with another chapter in...Hearts of Avengers!

[audience applause]

Iron Man: Well, it's about time. I was starting to think you'd forgotten all about some of us Marvels.

AN: You say that like I haven't updated any Marvel based stories in ages.

Wasp: Well to be fair, you haven't exactly done much work on any stories that most of us were involved in. I mean, sure, you did update Avenging Normandy, but that was more of a Captain America story than it was an Avengers one. And yeah, we had a chapter in RWBY Meetings, but that was ages ago. Sure, there was a couple chapters featuring the Avengers over in Keyblade Legion, but again, that was a while back. And let's not even forget to mention how you just recently started that SLVR Chibi story, along with Enter the Spider-Verse: A Code Avengers Story.

Hawkeye: Wait, wait, wait! What was that last one.

Wasp: Enter the Spider-Verse: A Code Avengers Story? It's his latest release.

Hulk: You're starting another story?!

AN: Technically it's more of a spin-off story. Kinda like SLVR Chibi and that other Code Avengers series one-shot, Code Resolution, and I have mentioned that I was going to do it for a while, since it was taking so long to get to the point in the Code Avengers series that it takes place during. Plus, I had a lot of Spider-Man on the brain, which led to thinking about anything that featured the Spider-Verse in some way, shape, or form, including the Spider-Verse movie, and then one thing led to another, and well...

Yuffie: Okay, okay. We get the point. It's been made very clear that your mind's a crazy, all-over-the-place, maze of a mess.

AN: Wow. Just gonna hit with all the bluntness of a baseball bat, huh? Anyways, there's other things to consider too. You know, like the fact that I started up a YouTube channel recently (It's called Studio Fandom, in case you haven't already heard about it. Check it out when you get the chance if you haven't heard until now), and I am trying my best to update all the stories that haven't had much attention in a while, and making sure the stories that have been getting a lot of attention lately still get updated too, but between that and everything else going on, I'm sure you all get why I'm a little all over the place.

Captain America: Just do your best, son. We haven't seen you fail to deliver on something you said you were going to do yet. I don't expect you to start now, lyokoMARVELanime.

AN: Thanks Cap. Oh, and by the way, you can just call me lyoko Prime now. It's something of a new nickname that I've decided to run with. Mainly because it's less of a mouthful.

Sora: Hey, did you guys happen to hear the big news? You know, about how Kingdom Hearts is going to be getting a series on Disney Plus?

AN: Yes, Sora, we've all heard by now, but I'm not going to buy it just yet.

Sora: Why not?

AN: Because one, there hasn't been any official confirmation from either Disney or Square Enix themselves, and two, I've yet to see so much as a teaser trailer for it. No confirmation, no trailer, no belief from me. I think that's a reasonable stance to take, don't you? Besides, I've heard people saying that kind of thing was going to happen before, and been let down. Can we please not try and get my hopes up, even if someone did say that the Disney voice actors were signed on for the thing?

Sora: Okay, I guess that's fair. So are we going to answer some reviews now?

AN: What are you, crazy? If I answer the reviews now, people will probably just ignore them in favor of seeing the long-awaited new chapter. We'll be answering them in the ending note.

Riku: I just want us to get started so people can start waiting for the future chapters. You know, like the one where I finally get to meet...

AN: And there it is! DAH! SPOILER! [hits the control]

Riku: Oh come on! Why is it always me lately?! [suddenly gets catapulted into the path of a speeding steam train and run over]

AN: Ooh! That one looked like it hurt. You know, maybe I should make sure he's okay this time. [pauses to think] Nah, I'm sure he's fine. Studio's like Looney Toon world anyway. Moving along, let's hit that disclaimer and get things going, Avengers.

I do not own anything from either the Kingdom Hearts or MARVEL franchises or any other franchise mentioned in this story.

Chapter XV

Everyone at the mansion was expecting the days following the Masters of Evil's attack to be very exciting, to say the least, and that was just going off the fact that the mansion had a new house guest. Now that Sora had reunited with Riku, no one was surprised that the two best friends were determined to stick together, right to the point where Sora had insisted on Riku being made a part of the team. No one really had a problem with it of course, seeing as the others did not have any intentions of letting Sora be separated from his best friend again, and after the way he had fought alongside of them against the Masters, Riku was certainly a welcome addition, but some of them were still a little hesitant in letting the silver haired boy join up just out of the blue like that. Sure, Sora had vouched for him, and they had let Black Panther, Hawkeye, and even Yuffie join up pretty easily, but some of the team felt like there was something about Riku that felt off. They could not really explain it, though; they only real explanation they could offer was that there was something that felt off to them about the Keyblade Riku used. It did seem to have a kind of ominous air around it, and the dark colors it possessed did make some of them a little wary.

Still, it was clear as day that having Riku around again put a smile on Sora's face that was different from any other they had seen from the kid before, and it was not like they could just turn him away. Much like Sora, Riku had nowhere else to go, unless he decided to join up with SHIELD, which they highly doubted, and they were more than happy to open the mansion's doors to Riku for that reason alone. None of them had really considered making Riku a part of the team until the kid himself asked them to let him join. It probably should have been expected after hearing what he said during the aftermath of the Masters' attack, but still, no one was really expecting Riku to want to join up with them. If anything, they were sure that he would want to start hunting down the people responsible for what happened to Destiny Islands, much like how Hawkeye was in regards to Black Widow. Still, the kid had proven he was able to hold his own in a fight, even without anything that Sora said in his favor, and given the threat that the Heartless posed, the Avengers could hardly say no to having another Keyblade wielder on board, so they were more than happy to add him to their roster, granting him his own ID card and everything. The only real complaint that Riku had about the whole thing was the fact that he still had to go to school, much like Sora and Yuffie, but no one was surprised by that. It was probably the only thing they expected to happen that actually came true.

Even with most matters regarding Riku settled, there were still the other odd occurrences of that day to worry about starting with the one thing that was not related to Heartless or Keyblades: this Ava Starr person. Most of the Avengers did not really seem to know too much about her, and there was not much information on the girl herself when they looked either. It was a much different story when they did a search on her alias of Ghost. Apparently, she was at least suspected, if not a confirmed participant in various robberies of high-end science divisions of various companies, including, but not limited to Oscorp, Stark Industries, Roxon, and a number of other names. Not only that, but apparently, SHIELD also had her flagged as a possible suspect in the deaths of some of their agents, well-off individuals, and even a few major political figures. Beyond that though, there did not seem to be any solid pattern that they could use to find her. In point of fact, until now, no one had ever really had a true, full-fledged encounter with her. The girl was called Ghost because that was exactly what she appeared to be: a ghost that no one could ever find or capture.

The only Avengers that seemed to have any real knowledge about her seemed to be Wasp and Ant-Man, but for some reason, the two always went really quiet when the subject was brought up. The most that either of them ever said was that the matter was really personal and they did not want to talk about it, but that was not what made things concerning for the team. What was concerning was the way Wasp seemed to act whenever they tried asking her about Ghost, because every time they did, they always saw an angry scowl slowly take shape on Janet's face. This was different from the times when she got upset that Sora went off to other worlds without her, though; from what they could tell, it looked like the very thought of anything related to Ghost truly angered her in ways that were far from normal for Wasp. The one time when Tony broached the topic of tracking Ghost through anything relating to this Elihas person, Janet had instantly shut it down by snapping at him, and then stormed out of the room without another word. After that, Hank insisted that the others not try and ask Janet anymore about the matter, and the group decided to just let it drop until the size-changing pair was ready to talk about it on their own.

Moving back to the matters that did involve anything relating to Sora, Riku, and their task as Keyblade wielders though, one would always find that the first point of interest was the massive Heartless attack. Everyone had already agreed that it was no coincidence that the attack happened at the same time as the Masters of Evil's attack on Avengers Mansion, and they could all agree that it was meant as a way of keeping Sora busy. The only thing that did not make sense was how all those Heartless could appear in one place without any of the Avengers picking up a trace of them beforehand. Tony and Hank had made more than enough scans of the dwellers of darkness to set up special scanners that would alert them of any attacks like that, and yet, they had received no heads-up whatsoever until Miles had intercepted the emergency call about them appearing. With that in mind, the two geniuses had set to work fine-tuning the existing programs or just creating new ones to better track down the Heartless. Hulk had even let Banner out in the hopes that the gamma scientist could help somehow, but sadly, the only way they would know for sure if this worked would be if the Heartless appeared again.

The other problem they faced in regards to the Heartless was the idea that Sora and his two spider-powered friends had not gotten all of them, even with Riku's last minute arrival. In an attack that big, there was always a chance that some stragglers survived and escaped, so it only made sense that Sora would take to patrolling the city after school before going back to the mansion to do things like homework and such. Riku, Gwen, and Peter even helped out as much as they could, despite the latter two having to already juggle the kinds of stuff Peter already ran across on a regular patrol of his, and sure enough, they did find more than a few small groups of Heartless. It was hard to really say for sure if they were actually stragglers from that big battle or not, but whatever the case, Heartless were still Heartless, so they needed to be dealt with as soon as possible, preferably before anyone else lost their heart to them.

Finally, there was the one matter involving Sora and Riku that did not involve the Heartless, and that was relating directly to the arrival of Doctor Strange at Avengers Mansion. Hulk had already explained this to Sora once before, but the other Avengers quickly learned that the big guy had called Strange in the hopes that the Sorcerer Supreme would be able to help Sora better get a handle on his new magic powers. As Strange had explained when he first appeared, he had not responded until now because he was handling another matter in some place called the Dark Dimension, but once he had confirmed that there was a Keyblade wielder on this world, he had immediately dropped everything to come and help better train Sora in his magic. Sure, he now had to include Riku in said training, but Strange did not seem to mind too much. They would have even started right away had it not been for the fact that the Avengers had just survived being attacked in their own home by supervillains, with Sora and Riku being especially exhausted after dealing with the Heartless attack in the city. Thankfully, Strange was understanding enough to let them all rest, recuperate, and deal with any other matters that needed attending to, and simply left the boys his address so that they could pop by once they had everything settled

It was not until several days later when Sora and Riku would finally be able to start magic training with Strange. Both boys had wanted to start the very next day, but they ended up holding off when Tony and several of the others pointed out that Riku needed time to get used to the new routine that he would have while he was staying with them, and Sora was one of the best people to help with that. Sure, one could argue that Yuffie would make a good candidate as well, but given the ninja's approach and thoughts on being in school, they figured that Sora was the better option. Sure, he did not like it that much more than Yuffie, but they also figured that Sora would not try to get Riku to skip out on going to class like Yuffie had tried to do at first. Even with getting used to new routines, Sora and Riku still did not go straight to Doctor Strange's house when they thought they had both adequately settled into their respective routines. No, they also stopped and dealt with some small time criminals along the way too, which also included fighting some small groups of Heartless as well.

They had just finished helping Spider-Man and Spider-Woman with wrapping up another group of thugs, most of which were speaking Mandarin, and who were working with the Heartless when the matter was finally brought up by their friends. "So, you guys excited for your first magic lesson with Professor Dumbledore," Spider-Man asked.

"I have no idea who that is, but yes, we're more than ready to see what Doctor Strange has to teach us," Sora grinned eagerly with confirmation.

"You don't who…How do you not know who Professor Dumbledore is? Headmaster of Hogwarts? From the Harry Potter series," Spider-Woman questioned.

"The what series," Riku asked on both his and Sora's behalf, while his best friend just gave the newest wall-crawler a weird look.

"Oh my god, you're serious, aren't you," Spider-Man gasped in disbelief. He then shook his head and said, "Next chance you get, you two need to mention this to the rest of your teammates so they can either check out all the books in that series from the library or marathon the movies, because you both have clearly missed out."

"And we should also probably get back on that pop culture lesson that you said we were going to give Sora a while back," Gwen added.

"Yeah, whatever you two say. In the meantime, we should probably get going to Strange's place," Riku stated.

"Riku's right. I don't want to make Strange wait on us any longer than he already has. He did say that he basically dropped everything else he was doing just so he could teach us more about magic," Sora agreed. He then summoned his Keyblade Glider and allowed Riku to climb onboard with him. For some reason Riku had not been able to access that particular power with his Keyblade, but Sora did not seem to mind having to chauffer his friend like this too much. Before they took off, Sora glanced to his two friends again and asked, "You two gonna be okay on your own if you run into anymore Heartless?"

"No worries, Sora. We're good," Spidey promised. To better emphasize his point, he then pulled out his Avengers ID card, and said, "Besides, we've got a direct line to the other Avengers on the off-chance that we do run into some Heartless that are too much for us to handle."

"And in failing that, Miles will probably call them for us," Spider-Woman added on.

"Hey! Can you not refer to me by my real name?! Just because I don't have a costume and cool powers, doesn't mean I want you guys broadcasting my name to everyone," Miles complained over their comms.

"Well, we haven't really had much luck thinking of something to call you," Spider-Man replied.

"How about Spy-D?"

"Uh…I'm already called Spidey."

"No, no. Like Spy and the letter D. 'Cause I'm working with Spidey One and Spidey Two, and basically being like a superspy's eye in the sky."

The four who were out on the street just looked at each other for a brief moment before Gwen finally shrugged and said, "Good enough for now. And don't ever call me Spidey Two again."

"Hey, you're the one who hasn't come up with another nickname besides Spidey," Riku argued in Miles's defense. He then looked to his friend and said, "Alright Keyblade Samurai, let's hit it!"

"You've got it, Riku," Sora confirmed, and with that, the two best friends took off in the direction of Doctor Strange's house.

The two spiders watched their friends go for a little while, until Spider-Man finally said, "You know, I'm kind of surprised that no one's really tried to give Riku a superhero name yet like how everyone has for both Sora and Yuffie."

"I know, right," Spider-Woman agreed as she and her boyfriend proceeded to web-swing away. "Maybe it's because he's still new to the superhero scene or something."

"You think Sora's brought it up with him yet?"

"Probably."

"Why are you bringing this up again," Riku tiredly asked of his friend as they continued their flight through the city.

"Because if me and Yuffie need to have superhero names, then you do too," Sora insisted. "It may not have happened yet, but sooner or later, people are going to start trying to give you some kind of fancy name, so you might as well get a head-start and come up with one yourself."

"Why can't I just go by my real name," Riku countered.

"You think I didn't try that? No matter how many times I insisted, everyone just kept trying to call me things like Samurai Key, Key-Guardian, and Key Fighter, just to name a few examples. The only ones I know of that have actually been able to completely get away with using their real names as hero names are Thor and Hulk, and the reasons are pretty self-explanatory."

"Considering who we're going to meet, I think you may have a third person to add to that list," Riku pointed out. He then glanced about for a few seconds and asked, "Speaking of, are we getting close to Doctor Strange's house yet?"

"Almost. We should be able to see it any second now," Sora informed him after checking the GPS readout on his helmet's visor. Not even a handful of seconds after he said that though, Sora's helmet let out a small ping to signal their arrival, and he announced, "Scratch that; we're here."

Hearing that, Riku immediately jumped off, allowing Sora to dismiss his Keyblade Glider and fall to the ground after his friend. Both boys were expecting many things when they arrived at Doctor Strange's house, all incredibly fantastic, weird, or just completely out of the ordinary like most would expect from a wizard's home, but while the sight was out of the ordinary and weird, neither boy would say that it was in a way that they had expected. Resting before them was an empty, fenced off, vacant lot that seemed to be piled with various pieces of garbage and dirt, indicating that no one had been inside of it for several years. It was hard to even tell if something was supposed to have been built in this location or not, because the signs hanging on the fence were so faded that any company logos on them were now completely illegible.

Glancing around at the empty, dirty lot, and then turning this way and that in an attempt to find a place that was a little closer to what their destination should have been, Riku eventually had to ask, "Are you sure this is the right place?"

Sora took his time answering, even going so far as to retrieve Strange's card from his pocket and check the address again. When he confirmed that the address printed on the card and the one he inputted into both his helmet and smartphone's GPS all matched perfectly, Sora just simply confirmed, "Yeah…Or at least, this is the right address."

"Well I don't see any sign of any kind of house, wizardly or otherwise, so there must be some kind of mistake, or we just missed something," Riku stated.

Sora was not sure what to think either, but that did not stop him from helping Riku to try and take a closer look at their surroundings. As they did though, Sora also took the time to study Riku's new appearance, and he had to admit, it did seem to suit him pretty well, so it was safe to say that Wasp had done it again. In place of his old shoes, Riku now wore a more size-appropriate pair that was white with black laces and yellow lining just above the soles, and he had traded out his old, baggy blue pants for a white-blue pair that was held up by a silver buckle. You could not see the shirt he wore, because it was completely hidden by the sleeveless white, zip-up vest with black trimmings, which had yellow lining on the sides and a black high collar. On the back of his vest, was a black colored, Avengers logo, much like the ones that Sora wore on the shoulders of his jacket. The only thing that Riku kept from his old look were his black wristbands, and the final touch to his look were the gauntlets and helmet he were that were almost identical to Sora's.

Overall, it was a very good look for Riku, and certainly helped him fit in on this world much better than his old Destiny Islands style did, but regardless of how impressive either of the boys' appearances were, it did little to help them in figuring out where their magic teacher's home was. No matter where they looked, nothing seemed to be really out of place, and there was not a single thing that would stand out in this part of town, as far as they knew could tell. Then again, neither one of them was entirely sure as to what would qualify as something that could stand out in New York City, having heard various times from their friends at Midtown and even some of the Avengers that strange was often considered to be the city's middle name, but regardless of that, they were both starting to feel a little silly.

"Why couldn't he have left a phone number on that card so that we could let him know that we were either on our way or even at the address that was written down," Riku eventually asked, starting to give up any chance of finding the place.

"Maybe we should just try calling out for him," Sora suggested.

"What, like shouting his name up to the sky? Sora, we'd look ridiculous," Riku dismissed.

"Uh Riku, we fight supervillains and shadow monsters with swords that look like giant skeleton keys. I think we lost any and all chance of not looking ridiculous a long time ago," Sora easily countered.

"…Good point," Riku hesitantly admitted.

"Nice to see you two can agree on that at least," a new voice spoke up, startling both boys to the point of summoning out their Keyblades in anticipation of an attack.

The man responsible for surprising the two boys did not seem the least bit phased by the fact that he had two key-shaped swords being pointed at him, and that was not the strangest thing about him. Aside from the fact that he just seemed to appear out of nowhere, the man was also bald and dressed in what could only be described as the attire of a typical monk, right down to the robes, seemed to carry a staff on his back, and he just regarded both boys with a neutral look that did not show any signs of amusement or annoyance, making it hard for either Sora or Riku to tell if he had been joking when he made his earlier comment. Not that they would have been any less suspicious of him if he had just been joking around.

"Now, now boys. While I must admit that I am eager to see two Keyblade wielders at work, I would rather it not be at the expense of my well-being," the monk calmly soothed.

"Then maybe you shouldn't sneak up on people like that. You're less likely to have them freak out and attack you," Riku advised.

Sora on the other hand was still a little lost on a few other matters. "Where did you even come from? Who are you?"

"My apologies. I am Wong, a humble mage and aid to Master Strange," the monk replied with a bow. "We've been expecting your arrival. The doctor asked me to be here for when you arrived, but I got a little tied up with ensuring that some of the artifacts and other magical items that we keep here were both secured and safely contained while I waited. My apologies for any confusion you may have dealt with in my absence."

"Uh…No, its fine," Sora hesitantly shrugged. "Nice to meet you, Wong."

"Likewise, young Sora. Now then, shall we go in? It is much more comfortable inside than it is out here," Wong offered, turning to the vacant lot that Sora and Riku had been studying previously.

"Go in where? There's nothing here but junk," Riku pointed out.

"First lesson in magic, young one: there is always more to find beyond what your eyes can see," Wong stated sagely. He then raised his hand up towards the lot, and the boys watched as a magic circle of some kind formed in his palm, sending out some kind of signal that caused the air in the lot to start shimmering like glass in the sunlight. A brief moment later, the lot vanished and was replaced by a large, elaborate mansion with a large, circular window in the roof that held an intricate design to it, and even without seeing this structure suddenly appear before them, the awestruck pair of boys could feel a mysterious presence coming from the house just by standing this close to it. "Welcome my friends, to the Sanctum Sanctorum."

"Whoa…" Riku and Sora breathed in awe, and even as they followed Wong up the stairs and through the door, they could not stop staring with wide eyes. It did not help that the main entrance hall of the Sanctorum was such a lavish and massive area that seemed big enough to fit one, or even both of their houses back on Destiny Islands inside of it, but that was probably more due to the various different items that they saw all around the room.

"Now that you have both seen this place, you will both be able to enter it without need for myself or the Doctor to wait at the door for you. All you would need to do is approach and allow the Sanctum to sense your powers as Keyblade wielders. Though I do ask that you call ahead first, otherwise, the defensive spells may think you are intruders," Wong stated. He then pulled a couple things from the sleeves of his robes, and handed one to each of the boys and said, "Oh, and this will also be of great help to you as well while you are here."

Accepting the new cards that Wong was handing out to them, the boys saw that there was only one word written on them, and Riku could only think of one thing that it could be. "Is this some kind of magic password we would need to get in here or some specific part of the house?"

"No, it's the Wi-Fi password. We're sorcerers; not savages," Wong corrected.

Sora and Riku just nodded in response, and quickly pulled out their phones so that they could log on to the Wi-Fi as quickly as possible. "Anything else we should know while we're here," Sora asked after pocketing his phone again.

"Yes. Do try to avoid touching anything unless the doctor or I say otherwise. Many of the items in the Sanctum hold great and often dangerous magical power. We wouldn't either of you getting eaten by a cthulhu or some other kind of foul beast from the Dark Dimension, or really any other foul dimension ruled by malevolent beings and spirits," Wong advised.

Both of the young Keybearers were quiet for a second, until Sora finally asked, "You're joking, right?" When Wong did not reply, Sora started losing confidence in that belief. "Right?"

"It would be safer for you to assume that I am not."

Sora turned to his best friend after that, and upon seeing the look he was being given, Riku could only say, "Hey, you're the one who said we should come here. Anything happens that gets us killed while we're in this place is on you."

"Thanks Riku," Sora stated flatly, and with that, the two boys started following after Wong again.

The journey through the Sanctum Sanctorum felt like it lasted quite a while, but somehow, Sora and Riku got the feeling that it was all just in their heads. Either that or there was just some kind of enchantment on the place that changed the flow of time for everyone inside. Given that they were dealing with sorcerers, anything was possible, as the house itself had proven when it just appeared out of nowhere in a place that should have been a vacant lot. Neither boy was sure if they should be creeped out or getting excited by the kinds of things that Strange could teach them if that was the case, but they did not get the chance to think on it for long, as they found themselves arriving at their destination at last: a large room that looked a lot like a study with the various bookshelves that lined the walls, and the comfy looking chairs and desk that sat within its confines.

"Doctor Strange, your guests have arrived," Wong announced with a small bow.

"Thank you, Wong. I believe we have it from here," Strange nodded, making the boys turn to see Strange by one of the bookshelves, flipping through one of said books before returning it to where he got it from. "My apologies, boys. I was just doing some last minute reading up to see if there was anything vital I may have missed that could help you in your magic training."

"Oh, no its fine," Sora nodded.

"Glad to hear it," Strange's voice suddenly said from behind Sora, making both him and Riku spin around to see the sorcerer had somehow come to stand behind him.

Looking back and forth between where Strange was now and the spot where he had been when they first showed up, Riku could not help but stutter, "What…How did you…Weren't you just…?"

"Won't you both have a seat," Strange offered with a wave of his hand, neither boy really feeling like they could say no after that sudden display of magic. Right when they sat down, Strange had appeared in front of them again, seated across from them with a teapot that they could swear had not been in the room before. "Tea?"

"No thank you. I don't drink tea," Sora politely declined. Riku did the same but silently.

"You must keep your energy up for any training you pursue, magic or otherwise, and after all the Heartless and crime fighting today, you both should really have a drink before we get started," Strange insisted. "What would you like to drink?"

"Not tea," Riku insisted. The next thing he knew, there was a cup in his hand that was filled with a drink that looked very familiar to him, and he just had to take a sip to see if he was not just seeing things. As soon as the liquid washed over his taste buds, Riku's eyes widened to the size of small dinner plates, and he asked, "Is this Paopu Punch?!"

"Indeed it is," Strange confirmed with a smile. "I had a feeling you two might like a little something from your home world."

Glancing to his hand, Sora found a cup of the exact same drink in his grasp, and he did not hesitate to take a few gulps of the drink as well. "Whoa," Sora gasped in awe. "How is this possible? I thought the paopu fruit only grew on Destiny Islands, never mind anything that's made with them."

"You'll find that the Sanctum Sanctorum, no matter which one it may be in the world, acts as nexus between this world and the many others that make up reality as we know it. Many different items have been collected in each one over the centuries. I've long suspected that there are even some things in here that have been present since before the time of my own master, the Ancient One, but I never had the time, nor the opportunity to ask before his passing," Strange explained.

"So does that mean you can go to other worlds like I can," Sora asked, getting even more excited already just from the idea that there could be a way to reach other worlds without the use of the Keyblade.

"To a certain extent," Strange confessed. "I cannot travel to all worlds, nor in the same way as a Keyblade wielder can, but I am capable of reaching other realms so long as I have the right incantation. Of course, there are certain rules that even I must follow, and even without that, I can only reach a limited number of other realms and worlds. A number that is far less impressive compared to that which you and your predecessors could reach."

Riku and Sora seemed to be following along rather well with what Strange was saying, the former more so than the latter, but there was something about the way he was wording all of this that caught both their attention. Riku was quicker to pick up on it than Sora though. "The way you talk about other worlds, it almost sounds like you think of them like they're other dimensions or something," the silver haired boy commented.

"In a certain sense, that is exactly what many of the worlds you know of are," Strange explained. "As I recall, it was one King Mickey Mouse who alerted Nick Fury to the threat of the Heartless, yes?" Both boys nodded in response to this. "Well, the fact of the matter is, Mickey Mouse exists in a world that comes from outside what we know to be reality. Not necessarily a parallel dimension, but not the same dimension that we all know to be home either. One could say that the same is most likely applicable to all the realms which the Walt Disney Movies took place in. While of some these places do exist in the same realm of existence as this world, others are spread out in a much larger, grander scale than many could ever dream of traveling without the aid of magics like my own, or the power of a Keyblade wielder."

"But…that can't be right," Sora muttered to himself, drawing a confused hum from Strange. "If those other worlds can only be reached with magic powers like yours and the ones that we have, then how is it that Donald and Goofy can get to other worlds? They said that they don't use magic, but a ship to do it."

"Interesting," Strange mused. "Perhaps there's just something about their ship that makes it unique compared to what you might have been thinking of?"

Sora was not sure what to say, so he shook it off so they could return to the previous topic. "Either way, from what you're saying, it sounds like when the Keyblade zaps us to other worlds, we're not just flying through space, but some kind…inter-space as well?"

"Exactly, and some of our lessons here will help you to master that power so that it can become something you can harness as more than an instinctual reaction on your Keyblade's part," Strange confirmed. With a wave of his hand, Strange then summoned one of his books to him, which he began flipping through as he requested, "So, to start things off, how about you both tell me just what kinds of magic each of you have been able to use so far, aside from traveling to other worlds I mean?"

"Uh, Sora's the only one between the two of us that's actually traveled to other worlds with his Keyblade so far. I don't think it really counts for me since I only just got mine pretty recently," Riku admitted. Strange gave him an expectant look, and Riku knew that his comment had landed him in the hot-seat for going first. "Although, in terms of other magic…I once shot out a large fire blast from my hand, and…that's about it, really. I've heard about some of the other spells that we can use from Sora, or at least the ones he's been able to use, but I haven't really been able to get them to work for me just yet."

Hearing that Sora had more magic in his arsenal of spells, Strange instantly turned to said boy, prompting Sora to take his turn in explaining his magical skills thus far. "Okay…well, I've shot fire, ice, and lightning. I've also figured out how to heal myself and others, turn my Keyblade into a flying motorcycle to get around on, teleport over short distances…Um, and when I was actually able to get it to work, I've also frozen people in time. Oh, and I've also created a reflective barrier that keeps people safe from harm a couple of times…on instinct."

Hearing Sora say all of that, part of Strange would admit that he was a little impressed. The kid had apparently learned how to cast some magic that was more advanced than the usual spells that most Keybearers could even attempt this early on of their wielding, namely the time and reflect magic, and even the advanced movement spell teleportation, but at the same time, it was also not what he was hoping to hear. From what he understood, at least one of these boys had been wielding the Keyblade for at least a couple of months now, so even if he had been going off of instinct and self-taught skills, he should have been able to discover more than this by now, or at least be able to cast his spells with minimal trouble or even no trouble at all. From the sound of things, Sora was still having difficulty in that regard, so you could not blame Strange from quietly sighing, "Oh boy."

It was not quiet enough though, because both Sora and Riku could hear him, and they both grew a little cross at what they both felt was serious criticism on their learning curves thus far. Only one of them actually said something in their defense though. "Hey, if we knew everything about how this stuff works, we wouldn't be asking for help," Sora snapped. "I've just barely managed to get my fire, ice, and lightning magic to work right when I need it to, and I think I'm lucky to have mastered the special attacks that I've learned so far. That's got to count for something, right?"

"There's a difference between the special attack moves like the various Strike Raids and Sonic Blade and genuine magic, young man," Strange lightly scolded, getting Sora to shrink back a little. Strange's tone turned lighter as he said, "That said, it is impressive how many spells you have learned to cast so far, be it intentionally or on instinct. I was merely hoping that you had better grasp on your magic, since it would make things a little easier."

"A better grasp? You mean like understanding how it works," Sora asked.

"Something like that," Strange admitted.

"But I do have something like that," Sora confessed, earning questioning looks from both of the other two men. "From what I understand, the magic Keyblade wielders use is as simple as wanting something to happen, but it can be easier to control when you think about the things that matter most and then use that to better focus their inner strength."

The statement left Riku in contemplative silence, but Strange on the other hand was a different story. When he heard those words leave Sora's mouth, the Sorcerer Supreme's mind immediately went back to something he had once read during his training with the Ancient One, and he just had to bring it up. "That sounds a lot like something I once read from the teachings of Master Eraqus, but I was under the assumption that he had died several years ago. Where did you hear that?"

Sora had not expected this to come up so soon, but he was glad that it did, because he wanted to address this matter just as much as he did his magic problems. "Ever since I got the Keyblade, I've been having visions of the past. Some of them have helped me to figure out some of my current powers, while the others were just about random moments, but the one thing they had in common was that they were all about one or more of three previous Keyblade wielders. The last Keyblade wielders to visit this world; Ventus, Aqua, and Terra."

Strange slowly started stroking his beard in wonder, thinking over this new information, though neither he nor Sora seemed to notice how Riku's eyes widened a little when Sora mentioned that last name. The chance went as quickly as it came though, as Riku managed to school his features soon after, all the while thinking at a mile a minute on what his best friend just said. Not that anyone could ask him what it was that had made him become so preoccupied, as Strange was back to questioning Sora soon after.

"Curious. Experiencing visions is not an uncommon occurrence among those who wield magic in any manner, but normally it consists of cryptic messages, or even about things that have yet to occur. I believe this may be the first time I have ever heard of someone experiencing visions relating to events of the past, and around three specific individuals." Strange seemed to think this over a little more, before he said, "Is there anything about any of these visions that are especially unique, Sora?"

"I'm not sure," Sora pondered. He did not really know all that much about visions like these, so he doubted he could really notice anything that stood out or made them unique beyond what Strange had just told them. At least, not right away. "Actually, now that you mention it, in some of the visions, namely the ones that Ventus is in, I always seem to view them through his eyes, somehow. Do you think that might mean something?"

"Possibly, but I can't say for certain just yet," Strange cautioned. "Why mention this at all though? Are they causing you any sort of pain when they occur?"

"Besides the occasional headache every now and then, not really, but they do have a tendency to happen at really random moments, so we're all a little worried that it might happen while I'm in the middle of a fight or something like that," Sora explained. "Do you think you could help me figure out a way to better deal with them?"

"Hard to say. Maybe if we're lucky, you'll have one such vision while you are here. Should that happen, I may be able to trace them to their source, or at least something close to said source, but until then, I can only speculate," Strange admitted. With that said, he finally stood up from his chair and declared, "For now, what's say we get to work on helping you boys out with mastering your other magic powers?"

Sora and Riku both nodded in agreement to this, and quickly finished off their drinks before standing as well, summoning their Keyblades into their hands to showcase their readiness. A quick spell from Strange allowed the room to be cleared of anything that would impede or prove unnecessary to their training, and the three set to work. Unfortunately, the boys were so captivated by the sight of Strange's spell setting up their training space, and Strange so focused on performing said spell, that none of them seemed to notice a faint flicker of what could only be described as black lightning outside the window, which was immediately followed by a ghostly image of a person appearing for a brief time before they vanished once again, grinning sinisterly the entire time.

Thanks to Doctor Strange's tutelage, Sora was able to not only master the fire, ice, and lightning spells he already knew, but also became able to use more powerful versions of them too, and after that, helping Riku to master those same three, basic spells was as simple as walking. Then again, unlike Sora, Riku seemed to pick up on his magic powers much more quickly, and he even got the hang of using healing spells and the basic Strike Raid ability just as easily. Not that Sora was too surprised; Riku was the one who taught him some of the basics on how to fight with a sword, and the guy was known as the best fighter on Destiny Islands for many different reasons. Sure, he was a little jealous that Riku was proving to be such a natural at this stuff, but Sora did some comfort in the fact that Riku still could not cast even one time or reflect spell, and that the older boy was still unable to summon a Keyblade Glider like him, so it was not like Riku had too much to boast about.

At the same time though, they did not really seem to make too much progress in helping Sora to master all of his magic. Sure, that may have been mostly true in regards to his time and reflect spells, but at the very least, he was able to get both spells to work more often now than he was before, and on more than just instinct at that. They were not too concerned about that right now, though. Sure, it would be nice to be able to cast a reflective barrier whenever he wanted, but Sora was more determined to master the magic that allowed him to travel to other worlds, at least to the point where he would not be dragged off to another world before he was ready. Unfortunately, any lessons that the doctor provided them on that front could not really be tested in a controlled environment. When it came to the magic that allowed a Keyblade to sense when a world was in danger and automatically send its wielder to said world, the most tutelage that Strange could provide was to meditate so that the boys could find and master the state of mind necessary to keep them from being zapped away in an instant. Anything more than that would just end up being a trial by fire, so they would just have to settle for what they could do in the here and now.

The only real problem that Sora had right now was that nothing they did seem to help solve the mystery of his visions. He meditated for what felt like hours, used each of the abilities he learned from those visions a thousand times over on the basis that it could stir some residual energy from the respective vision, and even allowed Strange to use a sleeping spell on him since he had a good number of these visions while asleep or unconscious, and yet nothing. It truly did seem like they would have to wait for one of these visions to occur on their own before they could come close to solving that puzzle, and Sora was not all that thrilled about it. Still, he was determined to figure out an answer to his visions before he left the Sanctum Sanctorum today, and he was not going to let anything stop him. Assuming that the place did not end up creeping him out anymore than it already had.

At the moment, Sora and Riku were in the midst of performing what could be confused as various martial arts forms, while Strange instructed them on how to better understand magic. "While part of your magic is about making things you want to happen a reality, it also helps if you understand all the limits on just what types of magic you can do. Yes, there is a limitless amount of power and types, but understanding the exact forms that the magic can be shaped into can be of great benefit," Strange explained to the boys as he circled around them, watching as the two performed various movements that he himself had done at the beginning of his training. "The easiest types will always come in the form of the various elements, and that is because any aspect or characteristic of a human being can be shaped or related to one element or more."

"What do you mean," Riku asked, pausing for a second when he heard that.

"I assume you have both heard of sayings like 'fire of courage,' 'thunderous spirit,' and the like, correct," Strange asked, getting nods from both boys. "Well the reality is that those sayings have more truth to them than you realize. Our will, strength, anger, and determination can often be connected to fire; our spirit, focus, and reflexes, lightning; our resolve and academic curiosity, ice; even our ability to improvise, adapt, and flow with change can be connected to water. The only difference between wielders of the Keyblade, is figuring out which of these various aspects of their character is the greatest contributor in their ability to cast each spell."

"And how do we figure that out," Sora asked.

"If I knew that, I would tell you. Only you can determine that for yourselves. Maybe by thinking about what state of mind you held when you cast a specific spell, or when that spell seemed to be at it's strongest. After all, one person may be able to start a fire easily by rubbing sticks together, while another could only do so with a lighter." Before Strange could go any further, a soft knock was heard at the door, and they all turned just in time to see Wong stepping into the room. "Is something the matter, my friend?"

"Oh, no. My apologies for the interruption, Doctor, but I was merely looking for something I seemed to have misplaced and thought it might be in here. I will be just a moment," the sorcerer assured him.

Oddly enough to Sora and Riku, Strange's eyes narrowed suspiciously when he heard that answer. "Could it not wait? I gave very specific instructions that we were not to be disturbed while Sora and Riku were here unless the hour had grown extremely late or something truly grievous came about."

"Ah, yes, but you see, this item is very important and needs to be properly contained quickly, as if it were left out for long, it could bring grave catastrophe," Wong explained, and they probably would have believed that if his answer did not sound so hastily thrown together.

More than that, Wong seemed far less composed than he was the last time Riku and Sora saw him, so that meant either he was trying to hide something, or this item he had misplaced really was that dangerous. Not knowing which was more likely, the two boys exchanged a silent nod with one another to signal that they were already thinking of the same thing, and Sora took that as his cue to step forward. "Maybe we could help you look for it? I mean, this could be a good chance for us to take a break, right," the spiky haired boy offered.

This was a typical tactic for Sora and Riku to use in situations that seemed off to them. Since Sora normally came off as gullible and overly trusting, while at the same time wanted to help others without a second thought, it was only natural for him to step forward and act like nothing was wrong while Riku used the distraction to either move into a more suitable position to strike from or better analyze the person he was addressing. It was a strategy that the boys had used many times back on the islands to find out when someone was trying to surprise them with some kind of party, or even learn when their parents were trying to keep a big secret from them. The only one it never actually worked on was Sora's mother, and it worked Kairi almost just as rarely, but everyone else always seemed to fall for it, hook, line, and sinker. This time was going to be no different.

"No! No, that won't be necessary, young master. It will only take me just a quick moment, and then I'll be out of your hair," Wong hastily assured.

The quick answer, combined with how nervous Wong seemed to become after Sora offered their assistance was enough to prove that something was very wrong here, but it did help a little bit when someone else suddenly burst into the room. "Doctor! Young wielders! The Sanctum has been breached by a dark sorcerer," shouted…Wong?!

"What the," Riku and Sora both gasped, while Strange narrowed turned to glare at the first Wong.

"As I suspected," the Sorcerer Supreme snarled. He then waved his arms while shaping his hands into a specific gesture and chanted, "By the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, I restrain thee, foul imposter!"

In an instant, several dark red, energy ribbons shot out from Strange's hands and proceeded to tie up the first Wong that arrived, prompting Sora and Riku to summon their Keyblades while the second Wong summoned a staff into one hand and a sword into the other using some magic of his own. Not that it stopped the first Wong from speaking, "No, Doctor, wait! I am the true Wong. He is the imposter! This is why I was searching for the artifact I spoke of earlier. A dark being had escaped from containment and taken on my form. Only the artifact I am seeking can stop him and reveal the truth."

"If that is the truth, then just how did this being come to be within the Sanctum," Strange questioned, his hands glowing with prepared magic.

"I ashamed to admit it, but…I was careless in some dusting I was performing and accidentally knocked something over," the first Wong confessed.

"And that right there is proof that you're a fake. The real Wong could never be careless in any form of cleaning, let alone dusting. He's far too diligent for that," Strange informed him. "I would've thought you of all people would already know that, Mordo."

The restrained Wong sneered a little at Strange the minute that name slipped past the Sorcerer Supreme's lips, and in a flash of light, he transformed into a black man in dark grey and green robes. The dismissal of this spell also ended up having the side-effect of allowing Mordo to break free from his restraints, but at least now they did not have to worry about telling the difference between him and the real Wong anymore. They just had to capture him again before anything he did something really bad.

"Very clever, Strange, but don't think that your cleverness can help you to stop me or the power that I now possess," Mordo promised, a series of green magic seals appearing around him as he cast a few spells.

Strange easily intercepted the magic blasts with some magic seals of his own acting as shields, giving Mordo, Sora, and Riku the chance to close in and attack. Since Mordo had been so focused on blasting Strange, he was not entirely prepared to fend off the three charging him, and only just managed to avoid some of their strikes by the skin of his teeth. When he finally caught a break, Mordo summoned a short staff into his hand, and upon swinging it at Sora, the staff expanded into a whip of some kind that seemed to spark with energy. Sora quickly discovered that the energy the whip was imbued with stung like electricity when it struck him in the side, and sent him flying across the room.

Hearing his friend cry out in pain caused Riku to lose focus on the battle and end up getting blasted by Mordo's next spell, leaving Wong to fight on his own. At least, that was what it seemed like until Strange suddenly flew in to attack as well. The three sorcerers then proceeded to battle it out with magic spells and weapons alike, switching between the two options as swiftly and fluidly as a rushing stream of water. While Strange and Wong had the advantage in numbers, Mordo seemed to have the power to make that inconsequential, and thus was able to either hold his ground or push the two back for a moment's breath. He knew that it would not last forever though, and when he saw Sora and Riku had gotten up again, with the former using a healing spell to relieve them of their injuries, Mordo knew that his chances of victory were going to grow much more slim at any second. So instead of continuing to battle, Mordo uttered a quick incantation that summoned another series of green magic seals, and cast a powerful blast of light that blinded everyone in the room.

"You will not keep me from the prize I seek, Strange! I promise you, I will have the key to my revenge soon enough, even with your fledgling Keybearers aiding you," Mordo's voice echoed around them as the light continued shining.

When it finally died down, everyone took a moment to make sure they were all okay. There was no reason for them to look around for any signs of Mordo; they were all well aware that he had used that magic flash-bang to escape, so they figured it would be better to check for any injuries that their party may have received. At least, that was what Wong, Sora, and Riku were doing. Doctor Strange on the other hand, was preparing another spell for casting, and once he was ready, he clapped his hands together and spread his arms out wide. There was a faint ringing sound around them, while the room seemed to shimmer like glass, but when it all passed, nothing about their surroundings seemed to have changed as far as Riku and Sora could tell.

"Uh…was that supposed to do something, because I think your spell was a dud," Sora commented after a few more second.

"I just brought the entirety of the Sanctum Sanctorum into the Mirror Dimension," Strange explained. Seeing the looks on the boys' faces, Strange elaborated, "This is parallel realm is an ever present, but undetected realm in which many sorcerers train their magical talents, survey the world for threats, and in some cases, even contain the threats of a more magical nature, even if only for a moment. In most cases, it is inescapable if you do not possess a magical tool known as a Sling Ring, but some are able to enter and exit this realm without one. Mordo and I are two such people."

"What about us? Could Sora and I get out of here with our Keyblades," Riku inquired.

"I'm afraid I don't know. Not to worry though, you're both safe so long as you stay near me, but it will only be a matter of time until Mordo realizes what I have done. We must stop him before that happens," Strange insisted, and he immediately proceeded to lead the others in rushing out of the room to find the intruder.

His rush did not stop Sora or Riku from asking their questions though. "Who is this Mordo guy, anyway, and what's he doing here?"

"Baron Mordo was a pupil under the Ancient One, like myself and Wong," Strange began to explain as he led their group down the elaborate halls of his home, with both boys noticing how a few different things seemed to have been reversed from the position they were in before. "He had been training with our master for years, but overtime, he began gain a thirst for greater power than the Ancient One could or even would teach him. As such, he was taken in by the promises of the fire demon, Dormammu, and in exchange for greater magical power, he agreed to kill the Ancient One and open a path for Dormammu to enter our realm through."

"And aside from the whole fact that he is a demon, I guessing it would be bad if Dormammu got into our realm," Sora deduced.

"Indeed. If Dormammu were to ever cross into our realm, he would destroy everything we know, and absorb the souls of those he felled," Strange confirmed. "It is my greatest duty as the Sorcerer Supreme to keep Dormammu at bay so that he may never enter our realm. A duty that I inherited from the Ancient One when he passed on, and that I have yet to fail in upholding."

"You mean, Mordo managed to kill the Ancient One," Riku asked.

"No, my young friend. Mordo's attempt at killing the Ancient One failed due in part to the doctor discovering his plot and warning the Ancient One before it was too late," Wong revealed. "Because of that, and the fact that the Ancient One intended to pass on the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme to Doctor Strange instead of him, Mordo has held a deep-seated hatred for the doctor, and has longed to take revenge ever since."

While they were glad to hear all of this history, given that it did explain why Mordo had showed up and attacked all of a sudden, there were still a few things that Riku and Sora did not quite understand and just had to ask about. "Doesn't this place have defensive spells to keep out intruders? I mean, that's what Wong said when we first got here, so how come they didn't keep Mordo out," Sora asked.

"Maybe it's because he used to be a student of the Ancient One," Riku guessed.

"A reasonable deduction, Riku, but it is not for that reason. After Mordo's betrayal and subsequent banishment from his teachings and all the Sanctums, the Ancient One had quickly modified the protective spells so that they would no longer recognize Mordo as so much as a friendly visitor," Strange assured them, but both of the Keyblade wielders noticed that he did seem rather troubled. "Still, to have been able to slip in and go unnoticed for such a long period of time…there must have been some great magic that overpowered the Sanctum's protective barriers, or even something that caused an imbalance in this world's magical energy."

Sora and Riku shared a brief look between them before Sora asked his best friend, "You don't think that this is our fault, do you?"

"I mean…the Keyblades do hold a lot of magic power in them, and it can't be too good for the house's protections to have both of us here at the same time, could it," Riku reasoned out, just as worried as Sora.

"No, my young friends. This is in no way the fault of either of you. Master Strange and I ensured that the spells were properly fortified and adjusted for your impending arrival. Whatever the cause of this may be, it is certainly not either of you," Wong confidently assured both boys.

"Agreed…I sense this must be something else," Strange deduced. "Something just as if not more malicious than Mordo, and possibly even capable of upsetting the natural balance with its mere existence."

Hearing Strange say that instantly made only one thing click into Sora and Riku's minds, and both boys were praying that they were wrong, even as they shared another look with one another. "You don't think…" they both started to ask each other.

Right when the two Islanders were about to finish their shared question, Wong turned about abruptly, and exclaimed, "Doctor, boys! I believe that we have found our cause!"

The other three all spun around, and saw, much to their dismay, a familiar squadron of dark dwellers materializing before them from the shadows which they drowned others in, all while drawing two words out of Sora and Riku both. "The Heartless!"

"Yes, that would probably do it," was all that Doctor Strange said before he used his magic to create an energy sword and engaged the Heartless in battle alongside Wong and the boys.

Although there were a good deal of Shadows among the Heartless' number, among other Heartless that Sora had seen countless times before, no one could miss the number of Wizards that were now before them as well, or how many other Heartless with a sorcerer or some other magic-related theme in their design, and that seemed to make things a little harder for Strange and Wong. Seeing as Wizards were magic-proof, it came as no surprise that the doctor and his friend were unable to do anything to them, since even their regular attacks had some degree of magic in them, but thankfully, Riku and Sora were able to help them out in that regard. With the boys handling the magic-proof enemies, the two sorcerers were able to handle a good deal of the rest of the Heartless, taking the pressure off Sora and Riku so that they could focus their attacks better.

Not that they did not change things up every now and then, but only Wong seemed capable of damaging the magic-proof Heartless at first. Not too surprising, since he actually fought with weapons that were not made of magic like most of Doctor Strange's seemed to be, but when the Heartless were dwindled down to just Wizards and the Keybearers began to believe that Strange would need to fall back and stick to providing the rest of them support, something completely unexpected happened. Strange glanced at his red cloak and with a slight nod of his head, the red cloth shot off of him and began to attack the Heartless on its own, usually wrapping several of them up to use as a blunt weapon against the others until they were all destroyed.

Things only continued to grow weirder when the cloak suddenly flew over to Sora, latched itself onto him in the same way that it had Strange, and then lifted the Kingdom Key wielder up into the air, giving Sora a height advantage and allowing him to reach several Heartless much more quickly. Not that Sora was doing so intentionally; he had not been expecting the cloak to suddenly grab him and then lift him into the air, so any hits he landed had been little more than blind luck on his part. Riku could only stare with a gaping expression on his face as he saw his friend being flown and thrown around by what he had originally assumed was a normal piece of clothing, right to the point where he had even forgotten that he was in the fight too. He probably would have ended up being pounced on by several Heartless had Wong not intervened in time. Thankfully, those and the ones that Sora had been dragged off into fighting were the last Heartless in the area, so no one was too upset about any sudden lapses in focus mid-battle.

Apparently, the cloak also realized that the fight was over, as it soon dropped Sora, far less gently than he would have liked, and returned to its original owner. Given that he was being held a few feet up in the air when the cloak finally released him, Sora was not happy at all about his rough landing, and his frustration at both that and suddenly being dragged around like a ragdoll was enough for him to temporarily forget their situation and start demanding answers. "What the heck just happened?! Did you just try to kill me with your cape?!"

"First of all, it's a cloak. Second, I didn't do anything. The Cloak of Levitation simply acted as it saw fit in order to aid us in battle," Strange clarified.

"You seriously expect us to believe that your cloak is alive or something," Riku questioned skeptically. That earned him a small look from both sorcerers, one that he knew was asking if he had suddenly forgotten where they were and all that was going on at the moment, and Riku could not do anything but let out a sigh of defeat. "Okay, fine. Point taken."

"And it's not the only point we need to address," Strange informed them. "If the Heartless have breached the Sanctum, whether it be with Mordo's aid or on their own, it is now more imperative than ever that we find what he's looking for and stop him from retrieving it."

"Hold on. Shouldn't we make sure that he can't get out even if he does get it," Riku asked. "I mean, I know you said that he can escape without one, but who's to say that he won't still try to use one in order to save his energy or something?"

"A very astute observation, Riku," Strange agreed. "Though there are many other artifacts that he could likely try to use in order to escape from here, this artifact he's seeking likely being one of them. Even so, it will be difficult to truly determine which one it is that he's after, given the number of magical tools and artifacts that are held within the Sanctum, and how dangerous many of them…can…" The other three all took notice of how Strange had trailed off at the end of his last sentence, but what really bothered them was how he pale his face was starting to become right now. "No…It couldn't be…He wouldn't dare, would he," Strange muttered.

"What's the matter? Do you have an idea as to what he's after," Sora asked.

"I have a hunch, but I truly hope that I'm wrong," Strange confessed, looking more distressed than he ever had in the time that Sora and Riku had been here, and that was saying something, considering that both boys had nearly blown him up with fire spells at one point or another during their lesson. "Wong, take Riku and secure the Sling Rings. We can't allow anyone or anything access to them so that anything other than us can escape the Mirror Dimension. Sora and I will head for the chamber holding the eye."

"Doctor, you don't mean to say that you think," Wong started to ask.

"As I said before, I hope that I'm wrong to think so," Strange pre-empted.

Wong nodded in understanding and then waved for Riku to follow him, leaving Sora to chase after the Sorcerer Supreme. "Uh…What's this eye you're talking about," Sora asked as he tried to keep up with Strange. A slight challenge given that Strange was actually flying there with aid from his cloak, and at the fastest speed he could manage while inside. "Is it really that important?"

"More than you realize. If the Eye of Agamotto were to fall into the wrong hands, the results could very well be disastrous," Strange revealed, sending a terrifying chill through the air that could shake even the most hardened of cold hearts.

Sora could even feel his goose bumps getting goose bumps just from hearing that, and for some reason, he could swear he even felt a sense of worry coming from Kingdom Key too. With all of that in mind, he did not see any better reason to pick up his pace so that he could get to this chamber they were heading to faster.

Riku and Wong had a bit more trouble getting to the room where all, if not most of the Sling Rings were kept in, mainly because of the Heartless. If it was the traditional variety, they probably would not have too great a problem, but after a few battles, they started taking notice of a few imbued with a green energy that was way too similar to Mordo's magic to be a coincidence. Needless to say, it was all the proof that they needed to know that Mordo was aligned with the Heartless. Sure, they still did not know if he was working with them before he came into the Sanctum Sanctorum, but the signs that they were working together at all were clear enough, and that was all that matter for now. Riku figured that they should just ignore most of them, given how important their task was, but Wong insisted on destroying every Heartless they came across. When Riku asked why, Wong explained that it was best to deal with them before they happened upon anything that would give them even more problems than they already had, but Riku was not sure how they could possibly find any additional problems to what they were already facing.

At least, that was his line of thought until he saw some Heartless ducking into one of the rooms, and immediately chased after it. Wong only just caught sight of where Riku was heading after slaying another Runemaster Heartless, and tried his best to warn him, shouting, "No! Do not open that door!"

It was too little, too late, as Riku had already grasped the doorknob by the time Wong had said something, and opened it only to find some sort of horrible, squid-like creature devouring all the Heartless that had slipped into the room. When the creature saw him looking in, it immediately lunged forwards as if intending to swallow him as well, and Riku instantly slammed the door shut, bracing his back against it just in case the beast tried to push through. Taking a brief breath to relax again, at least as much as he could, Riku looked to Wong and demanded, "What the heck was that thing?!"

"That was a cthulhu. The door you just opened leads to the realm they reside in, and had you not closed it in time, it likely would have devoured your soul," Wong calmly explained, acting as though it were an everyday occurrence to find something like that in one of the rooms of your house. "I did warn you not to go touching anything without telling myself or the doctor in advance."

"Well I didn't think that applied to doors too," Riku exclaimed. He took a breath to calm his nerves again, and once he was sure that he would not be screaming anymore, he calmly said, "Okay, lesson learned. Don't go opening any random door."

"It would also probably help if you read the signs on the door. It is clearly labeled as one that should not be opened unless you are desperate," Wong stated, indicating the door behind Riku.

Hearing that the door had a label on it, Riku turned back to it again to find that there was a sign on it. There was just one small problem with it. "You call that 'clearly labeled?'There's no way I could've been able to read what it says if you hadn't just told me," Riku shot back.

He was not wrong, because the words on the sign were written in a language that was definitely not English, and it did not even seem like a language that existed anymore. Still, Wong seemed a little confused by Riku's claim, because the next thing he said was, "I thought that the Keyblade bestowed its wielder with the ability to read other languages so that they would not stick out on other worlds?"

"Well maybe it just hasn't kicked in for me yet. Did you think of that," Riku retorted, flailing his arms about in exasperation as he did. As a result, he did not notice the box on a nearby pedestal until it was too late, and ended up knocking it off, causing the lid to pop open when it fell to the floor. The next thing they knew, a large number of tentacles suddenly sprung out and began lashing around as if to either attack or grab anything within their reach, including Riku and Wong. The two did not let the tentacles get any such hold on them though, as they batted and swatted at the appendages coming out of the box with their weapons and magic until they finally forced them back inside. Wong instantly snapped the lid on the box shut before returning the box to its pedestal and turning to give Riku a small look for his carelessness. All Riku could say in response was, "That wasn't there before."

"Yes it was. Please try to be careful from now on," Wong almost begged.

Riku could only nod in agreement as he allowed Wong to take the lead again, only this time, he made sure to give everything around him a very wide berth, and anything he could keep his distance from he regarded with a cautious eye, as if expecting it to jump out and attack him at any second. This seemed to work for a while, until he heard a soft humming sound coming from close by. He was not sure how or why, but for some reason, it seemed to soothe his every nerve, and he slowly turned to see that the source appeared to be a beautiful young woman. If he had been able to think straight, Riku probably would have wondered where she had come from, but there was just something about her humming that made him forget about being suspicious and focus on her wavy, black hair, sparkling smile, hypnotic green eyes, and amazing figure that would make even the most beautiful supermodels jealous instead.

The woman just continued to smile at him, until she motioned with a petite finger for him to come closer, and Riku slowly obeyed without a second though, like he was in a trance. Not that he seemed to notice, until he felt something lasso around his waist and pull him away. He landed roughly on the floor, and just sat up in time to see Wong blasting away at the woman, who had changed to take on a more horrifying appearance while releasing an earsplitting shriek as Wong forced her back into a glass orb in a nearby cabinet.

After hitting her with enough spells, the woman burst into a plume of smoke that eventually wafted into the orb, letting them know that the danger had passed. Wong then turned to help Riku up as he said, "You should really try to relax. Much more dangerous things than that siren could take advantage of you again if you're too tense."

Riku was unable to move, as he could only glance between the orb and Wong's retreating figure, until he finally let out an annoyed growl to show he had finally started to snap, and shouted, "What is wrong with this place?!"

Sora was not having a much better time of things in Doctor Strange's house than Riku was, but at the very least, he could say that nothing had tried to eat him…yet. Unless you count the Heartless that he and Strange had ended up fighting on their way to their destination, but Sora was pretty sure that they do not eat people, even when it seems like they would. Then again, they do devour people's hearts to drown them in darkness, so maybe…Either way he had gotten away without something trying to take a bite out of him. Plus having refined his control over his magic, Sora was now able to be much more effective in the fights that they got into, a fact that Strange easily picked up on, so all they had to worry about now was reaching this Eye of Agamotto before Mordo did, assuming it was what the evil sorcerer was after.

After slaying yet another Neo-Shadow with Kingdom Key, Sora would admit that he was starting to get a little tired, and he was not even sure if they were getting closer to their destination or not. Heck, for all he knew, even Strange did not know if they were getting closer, and he was the one that was supposed to be leading them there! Seeing a nearby doorway, Sora proceeded to head over to it and ask, "Is there any chance that one of these doors is a shortcut that we could use to get there more quickly?"

Strange was about to answer when he saw that Sora was already about to open the door he was approaching, so instead of his original answer, he quickly stated, "I wouldn't open that if I were you."

Sora must not have heard, because he still opened the door anyway, and was immediately greeted to what looked like a scene of an old, black and white movie. What really got his attention though, was that said scene depicted a steam train heading down the tracks straight for him, and given how the loudly the whistle was blowing and that he could actually feel a bit of heat coming from the steam, Sora was inclined to believe that it was not just an illusion, so he promptly slammed the door shut before the train could run him over. Thankfully, closing the door seemed to remove the threat, because Sora did not hear any signs of a crash coming from the other side. He was still pretty freaked out though.

"What the heck was that," Sora shouted in a still panicked voice.

"That was a doorway that led to one of the many Timeless Rivers of existence," Doctor Strange explained, earning him a confused look from Sora. "Think of them as a historical time period that takes the appearance of a black and white movie or cartoon. Some of them can be the actual past of a world, while others are just memorable black-and-white movies that are caught in a time-loop, independent of the world they originated from. There's never any real way of knowing for certain unless you travel to it directly from a world that it may hold ties to."

"Uh…Good to know," Sora hesitantly replied, not sure if he really believed that himself, even as he slowly moved away from the door. Any anxiety he felt was not helped by the sudden suspicion that he was being watched, and it only grew stronger the further down the hall they went. Finally, Sora could not take it anymore and turned to where he felt the gazes coming from, only to pale when he saw that the walls literally had eyes, all of which were locked directly onto him. Seeing that, Sora did the only thing a sane person would do in such a situation. He screamed and made a run for it, not stopping until he was on the other side of Doctor Strange.

"Th-th-that wall was looking at me," Sora exclaimed, still really freaked out.

"Yeah, some of the walls here will do that sometimes, at least with people that are new to the Sanctum," Strange shrugged like it was no big deal.

Sora was about to demand how Strange could handle such insanity when something suddenly jumped at him from behind. Looking to his attacker, Sora was expecting another Heartless, but instead found a large, grey beast with no eyes, claws, and big horns on its head, and the only thing keeping it from chomping his face off at the moment was Kingdom Key. Sora was starting to think that his Keyblade would be snapped in half by this thing's jaws, or that his arms would give out from trying to hold it back, but thankfully, Strange came to his rescue soon enough. Just in a way that surprised the young Keybearer.

"BLIGY, NO! Bad Bligy! Sora is not a meal, or a snack! He's a friend! Get off," Strange scolded the beast, acting as though it were just an average dog. Surprisingly, it actually listened, and then whimpered like it was ashamed of how it had been acting. "I know, I know. You didn't mean any harm, but this is why I always have you shut up when we actually have guests," Strange soothed it. He then turned to Sora, who was still a little pale, but now with a mix of perplexed in his eyes, and said, "Sorry about him. Bilgesnipes love to wrestle, and can make very good guard dogs."

"Uh…What," Sora tried to ask, only for the question to stop at just the first word.

"Is it doing here," Strange finished for him. "Well, I found him abandoned during one of my travels between realms, and well, I just couldn't leave the poor boy there. One little trip back here and a nice meal later, and he just wouldn't leave again. Not that I was trying too terribly to get him to leave, mind you."

Sora just stared in silence for a while, before he finally said, "Okay, first off…what is wrong with this place?! Second, what the heck even is a…Bilgesnipe?"

"It is an Asgardian beast. I thought you would have heard of it by now, given that you live under the same roof as the prince of Asgard," Strange commented. "Didn't Thor ever tell you about them?"

Right when Sora was about to say no, a familiar sting suddenly struck in his head, prompting a surprised cry from him that got both Bilgy and Strange's attention. Before he knew it, Sora was once again seeing another vision in his mind's eye, and as such, he failed to notice how Strange had quickly recited the incantation needed to trace his visions to their source, once and for all. Not that it would have mattered even if he had.

"WHOA," he cried out in shock as one of the grey skinned beasts tried to jump him, his Keyblade popping into his hand on instinct. "When you said we were going to go handle some rampaging monsters, I didn't think we'd be dropping down right in the middle of them!"

"HA! That is half the fun, my young friend," shouted a boisterous voice, and he turned just in time to see the blonde Asgardian he had only met moments ago land in the middle of the fight, an explosion of lightning bursting forth when his hammer struck the ground. Upon standing again, Thor grinned eagerly as he spun his hammer around as he proceeded to rush in and start bashing Mjolnir into various monsters left and right. "Besides, why wouldn't you want to jump right into a fight with a pack of bilgesnipes as soon as possible?"

"Maybe because you could avoid being eaten that way," was the answer that Thor received before the Keyblade wielder turned and started slashing at another bilgesnipe that decided to take advantage of his pause to talk with the Asgardian. Thankfully, a quick blast of wind magic forced it back, but at the same time, it also allowed him to see that the Asgardian beasts were not the only monsters that they had to deal with. "And now the Unversed are here, too. Just what we needed."

"Worry not, young Ventus! Sif, the Warriors Three, and I shall handle the bilgesnipes while you deal with those foul invaders," Thor assured him.

"Got it," Ventus nodded, only to pause when he realized that there was one name that he left out. "Wait, what about Loki? What's he going to do?"

"He's already doing it. He's preparing a spell that may soothe their minds and make them easier to coral. Which is why we must keep them away from him for as long as possible," Thor explained, nodding over to a man with long, black hair dressed in green and gold robes who had his hands folded as he muttered something unheard to them.

Ventus nodded and turned his attention back to the Unversed, charging in to attack before any of them could try and go after his new friends. Not that he did not have to fight off at least a few bilgesnipes as well, mind you, but he did try his best to focus only on the Unversed like Thor had asked him too. All the same, he could not help but mutter, "You just had to go and keep chasing after Aqua and Terra, while looking for some new friends, didn't you, Ven? On the bright side, at least there aren't any crazy, evil scientists with electric whips basically betraying their nation this time around. Fingers crossed in the hopes that I don't have to deal with another Doctor Vanko again anytime soon."

Coming out of the latest vision to hit him, Sora only took a minute to shake his head before he noticed a faint glow around him, and he could only think of one reason behind such a thing right now. When he turned to Doctor Strange, he found out that he was right, because the sorcerer's hands were still glowing with the magical energy of the spell he had just cast, only for the magic to fade away seconds later, indicating that he had finished his work. It was hard for Sora to tell if the results were good or bad though, as the expression on Doctor Strange's face gave very little away, save for one thing. Whatever his spell had revealed to him must have been quite the surprise, because now it was Strange's eyes that were the size of dinner plates.

Seeing the Sorcerer Supreme so shocked made Sora worried about what it was he had discovered, but all the same, the Keybearer needed to know one way or the other if Strange's spell helped him to discover the source of Sora's visions. So, despite any reservations he may or may not have had, Sora decided to ask the question. "Well…Did you find anything?"

"…Yes. Yes, I did," Strange confirmed after a breath of silence. "That and possibly even so much more. But I'm afraid that what I discovered will have to wait for now. Especially in the face of our current problem."

Sora was about to protest, feeling like he had already been forced to wait way too long to get some explanation behind his visions, but he knew that Strange was right. They had to stop Mordo and get the Heartless out of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Still, anyone could see the hesitance in his eyes when he nodded his agreement to Strange, but Sora did not see the new concern that had come to take shape in the doctor's as his gaze followed after the Keybearer before him.

Riku and Wong's mission to secure the Sling Rings went by without any further incident; even if it did leave the former looking over his shoulder every few feet or so, but despite the ease of their success, Riku still had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. That did not get any better when Wong insisted that they both take a Sling Ring for themselves. Riku had tried to argue that it would be pointless for him to take one since he had no idea how to use it, but Wong stated that it was better safe than sorry, and their did not seem to be any arguing with the monk. It was actually just after Riku had pocketed his Sling Ring that the Heartless made another move on them, this time in a full-frontal assault.

Wong and Riku both met this attack with weapons and powers blazing, and it was only a simple matter of time before the two had cut down the initial attack force of Heartless in half, but at that point, the two were starting to tire. It was only natural, of course, considering that they had been forced to fight off Heartless left and right as they made their way through the magic house, combined with all the harrowing experiences that Riku had been forced to deal with while doing so, but this latest run against the Heartless had been no help whatsoever. Even so, they managed to persevere through the attacks and hold up for a while, until a sudden blast of green magic energy suddenly came from out of nowhere and knocked Wong out.

Turning to the responsible party, Riku was instantly met with a sinisterly smirking Mordo, with green magic seals still readied in his hands as he came closer to the silver haired boy. "A very clever tactic on Strange's part, I must admit. Trapping the entire Sanctum Sanctorum in the Mirror Dimension, but he forgets that I was once a pupil of the Ancient One as well, and as such, I know this house just as well if not better than he does," Mordo boasted. "Even if he were to manipulate the realm to his advantage in any way, I would still find this place and the prize that I seek, and nothing will stand in my way, let alone some mere boy."

Riku glanced around the room at the Heartless, Mordo, and the unconscious Wong, taking in every detail of his current surroundings, and even going so far as to activate the helmet that Stark had given him, which matched the one Sora wore to the letter just to make sure he had not missed any details, before he finally narrowed his eyes at the evil sorcerer and softly proclaimed, "I am no mere boy."

He should not have been intimidated, or felt the chill that now ran through the air as a result, but for some reason, after hearing Riku speak, Mordo could not deny that he felt all of that and more. It was almost as though the boy's very presence had somehow changed with a flip of a switch, and he himself had become something or even someone very different. Mordo could not comprehend how that was possible for someone that was just a novice at magic, Keyblade wielder or otherwise, or even why he was feeling so worried and, dare he say it, afraid. He never even got the chance to regain his bearings, because Riku had already begun to strike.

Upon raising his Keyblade, an aura of dark energy seemed to pulse out from Riku's body, and then he suddenly vanished. The sound of a sword slicing through the air rang out around the room, and before Mordo knew it, almost every single Heartless had been destroyed, and Mordo himself felt a searing pain running through his torso. It was so great that he ended up losing the focus he needed to continue holding his magic, and dropped to one knee on the floor, only to have the black and red Keyblade that Riku wielded appear at his throat, signaling the boy's reappearance. When he was forced to look up at him, Mordo saw something far more sinister in Riku's eyes, for somehow, they had become not those of a boy. Instead, they became more akin to a being far more sinister and maybe even powerful than anything he had ever known.

"What's the matter? Scared," Riku mocked. "As you should be in the face of true darkness."

"What…What are you," Mordo gasped.

Riku only smirked in reply, until he heard Wong beginning to stir. Just like that, the power and presence Riku had suddenly conjured up vanished, and was replaced with that of what he had been before, albeit slightly more disoriented and uncertain. Seizing his chance, Mordo quickly blasted Riku at point-blank range, knocking him into Wong and causing them both to fall unconscious. Even after seeing his foes defeated, Mordo needed a minute to pull himself together again, a minute that he spent studying the silver haired boy that had just dominated the fight in barely more than a few moves. He was not sure what it was he had just witnessed, but he figured that he should consider himself lucky that Wong had come around when he did, otherwise…Well, Mordo was not sure what would have happened. He likely would have been killed, but somehow, he got the feeling that much worse was also in the realm of possibility.

"Either way, this boy is dangerous. Perhaps even someone who bears watching," Mordo noted aloud as he plucked Wong's Sling Ring off of his person and proceeded to gather up the two so that he would have some leverage when he next met with Strange.

Sora was not sure what he was expecting. If he were being totally honest, he was not even sure what to expect after hearing about this chamber that held the Eye of Agamotto, but if he did have to name any one thing he should have been expecting, it was certainly not a simple chamber with a lone pedestal in the middle, upon which rested a golden amulet of some kind, with the same symbol he saw on the window outside right in the center. That was what he found though, and he was actually pretty glad that it looked to be a simple room. Then again, after all the stuff he had seen in Strange's house so far, he was not convinced that something was not going to jump out and try to eat him until they left, so he kept his guard up. Sure, he was keeping an eye out for the Heartless too, but it never hurt to be ready for anything, especially after all the insanity that he had stumbled upon in this house.

Strange on the other hand was much more focused on the amulet before them, waving his hands this way and that while his eyes did the same, all in a similar manner to Sora had seen Tony using whenever he was hard at work on something involving his armors or really just any of his tech. Sora did not know what it was Strange was looking for right now, but he did know that the doctor was trying to find something, assuming he had not already found it and was in the process of doing something with it before his eyes.

He was just about to voice a question regarding the Sorcerer Supreme's actions, when Strange finally stopped what he was doing and announced, "He hasn't been here."

"Huh? Is that what you were checking for," Sora asked in confusion. "I mean, the thing is still here, isn't it? Shouldn't that be a sign that Mordo hasn't been here yet?"

"Nothing in the realm of magic is ever what it first appears to be, Sora, remember? For all we know, Mordo could have already been in here and at least attempted to take the Eye, and yet, none of the defenses around this room, let alone the Eye itself have been activated or tampered with recently," Strange explained. He then plucked the Eye of Agamotto up from its resting place before hanging it around his neck by the cord it was attached to, clearly intending to keep it close for better protection, and said, "I was so sure he was after this, and even while in the Mirror Dimension, he should still have been able to come here and make an attempt at stealing it, or at the very least, we should have run into him by now. What are you scheming, Mordo?"

"I'm glad you asked, Strange," Mordo stated, before he suddenly appeared before them both in a flash of green light, a smug look of triumph on his face. "I knew that the moment I appeared you would pull us into the Mirror Dimension, just as I knew that the protective wards around this chamber would not bow to anyone but you. So, I simply had to wait and bide my time until you opened the door for me, and now, you are going to give me what should have been rightfully mine."

"Never. The Eye of Agamotto has long been the responsibility of the Sorcerer Supreme, passed down from master to student just as the Ancient One had entrusted it to me, and even if that does not happen, it shall always remain only with those it deems most worthy. But so long as I draw breath, it will never fall into the hands of anyone that I do not choose," Strange promised. He then conjured up a set of magic seals as he stated, "No matter how much you may want it, you won't even be able to pry it from my cold, lifeless hands."

"And even if that was possible, you'd still have to get through me to get him," Sora promised right after.

Mordo must have been expecting these kinds of answers, as he said, "Oh, I don't need to kill you, Strange, or were you not listening? I said you were going to give it to me, and you will." He then waved his hand, and before anyone knew, the Heartless materialized around the room, while a captive Wong and Riku were deposited right at his side, much to Sora and Strange's horror. "Unless of course you do not wish for any harm to befall your little friends here."

"Riku," Sora called out, hoping that getting his friend to wake up might be enough to help him and Wong escape. He even prepared to cast a healing spell to further help the process, but he stopped short when Wong raised a hand to Riku's head, indicating that he would blast the silver haired boy if Sora did anything rash.

Seeing that they were backed into a corner, Strange could only grit his teeth and growl, as he snapped, "Hiding behind hostages now, Mordo? This is a new low, even for you."

"All in the name of both my master, and to ensure that I am the most powerful sorcerer to ever live. Our world needs a strong hand to secure it against the coming threats, Strange. You know it as well as I do! Surely you saw this to be true when you've used the power of the Eye in the past," Mordo snapped.

"What I may or may not have seen matters little, for there is no excuse for tampering in dark magic like you have," Strange shot back.

As the two sorcerers continued to argue and bicker, each feeling the other out as if in an attempt to buy for time so they could turn things better in their favor, Sora was thinking a mile a minute to try and come up with some idea of his own to help. No matter how much he tried though, he could not think of anything. He did not have any spells he could easily use that would be of help to Riku and Wong, and any attempts he made at attacking put the two at even greater risk. Not only that, but even if he did save their friends, what was to stop the Heartless from killing them all right after? There was just no way out as far as Sora could see. He was beginning to think it was hopeless.

Just thinking that for a second made Sora lower his head in sorrow, which would make anyone who knew him think that Sora was giving up. In truth, he was right on the verge of doing so, because no matter what Strange said, there was no way he could risk his friends like this. Even if it was for the sake of many others, Sora refused to let anyone else get hurt, but there was no way that he could see to save everyone this time, and if that was the case, Sora had to wonder if there was even any point to him trying.

It was right at that moment that he heard someone speaking to him, but it was not any of the people in the room. More than that, this person seemed to be speaking directly into his head. "So you're just going to give up without a fight? Even after all you've been through already, and all that you've seen and heard that me and my friends did," this person asked, his voice sounding very familiar to Sora.

"What else can I do? Nothing I have could possibly help everyone," Sora countered. He was not entirely sure if he was saying this or thinking it right now, but for some reason, he found that he did not care.

"That didn't stop you from helping me. I was hurt and alone, but you let me stay here with you, making sure that I wasn't alone while I healed, and you didn't have anything of real value to offer me than your companionship. Besides, you do have one thing you could try, and I can guarantee that it will turn the tables in your favor," the person informed him, only this time, Sora could see them drawing closer. Close enough to where he could catch a glimpse of his feet.

Upon looking, Sora could hardly believe who it was standing before him, and gasped, "You? You're…Are you really…?"

The blonde haired youth with green shoulder armor just indicated one of Sora's jacket pockets, and said, "The gem that Noctis gave you…Now's the time to use it. Now take your stand, and don't ever think of giving up again, Sora. You've always got a power that can't be beaten by anything."

Before he knew what was happening, the blonde boy had disappeared, and it was at this point that he took notice of the world around him. For some reason, the entire time Sora was speaking with the blonde, nothing appeared to have really happened, almost like time had frozen. A small glance to the Eye of Agamotto hanging around Strange's neck allowed Sora to see that the amulet was glowing with a faint green light, and made Sora think that maybe that was the case, but he shook it off and quickly reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out the gem that Noctis had given him back at Olympus Coliseum. He was not entirely sure how he was even supposed to use this thing, given how little Noctis had said about the item, but for some reason that blonde boy had stated that it could help him. Sora just had no idea how that could be possible, at least not until another voice rang out in his ears. This one being much more familiar to him.

"Sora! Use your magic on the crystal! Hurry," Kairi's voice cried out in his head, making Sora look up just in time to see a Heartless lunging towards him.

He did not know if the Heartless had acted without orders or not, but whatever the case, Sora was not going to just stand around and let it hit him. Instead, he rolled out of the way, slashing the Shadow that dared to attack him as he went, and then did as he had been told to do by channeling as much magic energy into the crystal as he could. He still found it odd that very few people were paying attention to him right now, but he did not let it bother him for long. He needed to focus on what he was doing here and now.

What happened next surprised both Sora and everyone else. Right after he had channeled his magic into the gem, there was a brilliant flash of crimson light, mixed in with a hazy blue mist, and after a brief explosion, followed by the sound of shattered glass, several Heartless were suddenly vanquished, while Mordo was blown away from his hostages. After the light had faded, Sora and Strange were treated to the sight of Noctis himself standing before them, his Engine Blade at the ready as he stood between Mordo and his former captives, and while Strange seemed a little bewildered by where this new arrival had come from, Sora could only beam happily at the sight of his kingly friend.

"Hope you don't mind, but I'm cutting in," Noctis informed the room at large. He then spared a quick glance to Sora and said, "Glad to see you finally decided to make use of that summon gem I gave you."

"That's what this thing is," Sora questioned while looking between Noctis and the gem in question. "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place? It would've been so helpful to know before now!"

Noctis just let out a short huff of laughter before he replied, "I kinda figured you would at least be smart enough to figure that out on your own. Guess I shouldn't have set the bar on my expectations so high."

At that point, Riku and Wong had finally come around again and freed themselves from captivity, and the former had spent a good deal of that exchange looking back and forth between his friend and the young king feeling completely out of the loop. "Uh, Sora, who is this guy," he eventually asked.

"Oh, right! You haven't met yet," Sora remembered. "Riku, meet King Noctis Lucis Caelum. He helped me, Thor, and Hulk fight off Hades when we went to Olympus Coliseum and met Hercules. Noctis, this is my best friend, Riku. He's a Keyblade wielder, like me."

"Nice to meet you," Noctis nodded.

"Likewise, your highness," Riku nodded in return.

Noctis huffed a little upon hearing that, and said, "Just call me Noctis. Never did like hearing people calling me things like 'your highness.'"

Riku nodded in response while his face gained a new smirk, and said, "I like this guy."

"Yeah, I kinda figured you would," Sora said.

"ENOUGH!" Mordo shouted, reminding everyone that he was still there. "I will not be thwarted by a bunch of pathetic, sniveling brats! The Eye of Agamotto and its power will be mine!"

"I wouldn't bet on that, Mordo," Strange stated as he cast another spell. "By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth!"

That one spell allowed Strange to vanquish several more Heartless, driving the remainder and Mordo from the room, and just like that, the battle was on again. This time around, Mordo was outnumbered five to one, and even any aid the Heartless could provide him was insignificant, as Noctis was able to slay several of them at once thanks to his Armiger powers. With Sora and Riku aiding Noctis in battling the Heartless, Strange and Wong were able to fend off Mordo's attacks far more easily and swiftly, while at the same time, using their powers to turn the fight to their advantage at every turn.

They made good use of the fact that they were in the Mirror Dimension too, as seen when the walls and floors started bending and twisting about, often times in ways that Mordo was not expecting or prepared for, and even when Mordo started to manipulate the dimension as well, Strange and Mordo were able to adapt quickly enough to keep their footing again. The fact that Strange was still wearing the Cloak of Levitation was probably a huge help in that regard. Even so, it did not make it any less weird for the other three to be seeing the three battling it out along what had once been a wall, or blasting each other with any and every spell in each of their arsenal while they twisted around the ground beneath their feet like it was just a sliding puzzle piece.

Eventually, Noctis caught a break to watch all of this happen, and could not help but comment, "I have seen, harnessed, and battled against the power of the Astrals, but even that was nowhere near as weird as this."

"Be glad you haven't had to put up with all the other stuff we've dealt with since coming into this house," Riku remarked after slicing through another Runemaster. He then glanced back at the fight and said, "There's no way they can keep that up forever though."

Sora had to agree with that analysis, but at the moment, it was not like they had many better options right now. Summoning Noctis when he did had left him feeling drained to the point where he would be surprised if he could cast so much as one spell right now, but after thinking over what Riku said, something started to click in his head. "I've got an idea."

"I have a feeling I already know what you're thinking," Riku nodded in agreement.

Back in the fight between the sorcerers, Mordo appeared to be getting the advantage, much to Strange and Wong's ire, until Noctis suddenly teleported in between them, summoning a powerful shield to block Mordo's next series of attacks. He then switched out his shield for a staff of his own, and began to face Mordo in a field of combat that the evil wizard was at least a little familiar with, all the while forcing Mordo away from Strange and Wong. It eventually reached the point where Mordo even lost sight of the other two, but he proved that his weapons were far more than what the young king was used to. Not that Noctis needed to be used to any one style of weapons combat. He had a plethora of others to use, and he proved it when he drew exchanged his staff for a crossbow, and proceeded to rapidly fire several small arrows at Mordo once it was loaded and ready for action.

Mordo just barely managed to deflect Noctis's attacks before he was forced to dodge the massive blade that the Lucian had summoned during his barrage, but as he continued fighting, Mordo noticed that Noctis was slowing down. More than that, it seemed as though he was fading in and out of existence, indicating that it was only a matter of time before the spell used to summon Noctis wore off, and that made Mordo grin a little as he started to press a counterattack. Noctis did not seem too concerned though, as he just kept going like nothing was wrong, even powering up his Armiger again so that he could try and overpower Mordo. In the end though, Noctis's time ran out before he could deliver a finishing blow, and Mordo was sure that he had secured victory now that his opponents had suffered a drop in numbers. At least, that was his line of thinking until he noticed the confident smirk on Noctis's face. It hardly made any sense as to why the young king still believed he could win when he was already being forced to return to wherever he was summoned from, but he started getting something of a clue when he heard Sora shouting at him.

"Hey Mordo! You still want this," Sora shouted, making Mordo turn to see Sora actually holding the Eye of Agamotto in one of his hands. The boy just smirked before he turned and began to run as he shouted, "Well come and get it!"

The fact that the boy was actually attempting to flee from battle like a coward angered Mordo, but not as much as seeing the Eye in Sora's hands. Had Strange actually entrusted one of the most powerful artifacts in existence to this brat? To an utter novice in all forms of magic, including the magic he was expected to know and master?! Such an insult would not stand for Mordo, which he proved when he took off after Sora like a rocket. Even at his fastest though, Mordo still had to be careful when making his way through the house, a problem that Sora did not seem to share, as he was able to keep ahead of the wizard just by simply continuing to run on foot. Then again, Sora had been the fastest runner on Destiny Islands for years now, and from what he could tell, having the Keyblade had only helped make him stronger.

Much as he loathed to admit it, Mordo was actually impressed that this child was keeping ahead of him through sheer physical strength alone, but it was only a matter of time before he finally tripped up somewhere. That time came after Sora rounded one last corner, and slipped on a rug that had been laid down on the floor. The only thing that was worse than how he had crashed into the wall was that he had dropped the Eye of Agamotto along the way, placing it right within Mordo's reach. Sora propped himself up against the wall, but ended up being forced back down again by another one of Mordo's spells, forcing him to watch as Mordo claimed his prize at last.

"A valiant effort, but you can never hope to match the power of a true sorcerer, child. And now, the ultimate power that should have been mine is in my hands at long last," Mordo boasted. He then proceeded to hang the Eye of Agamotto around his neck, expecting to feel some kind of rush to fall over him, but to his surprise, he felt nothing at all. Not even the weight of the amulet against his chest, and he looked down in confused wonder to figure out what was going on. "What? I don't understand. Why can't I…" Mordo questioned, only to receive an answer when the artifact suddenly vanished. "What?! An illusion?!"

"First lesson of magic: there's always more to find beyond what your eyes see," Sora smugly quoted. "Riku, now!"

Mordo turned around just in time to see Riku ripping open the door that held the cthulhu within, and the minute that it was open the beast had reached out and grabbed Mordo so that it could proceed to start dragging him in. Mordo did his best to scramble for any kind of solid thing to hold onto in a vain effort to save himself, but the only thing he succeeded in grabbing onto was Riku as the boy had passed him while attempting to get clear of the cthulhu's reach, and Riku had managed to kick him off pretty easily. Even with that setback, Mordo was determined to not go down without some kind of struggle, and ended up grasping the doorframe to prevent himself from being pulled further in.

Sora did not let Mordo remain there for long, as he simply aimed his Keyblade at Mordo, and called forth one final, new spell. This one caused a cascade of water to form around him in a sphere before shooting directly at Mordo and pushing the evil sorcerer further inside along with his captor. Once they were sure that it was okay to move close again, Riku and Sora instantly ran forward and slammed the door shut again, trapping Mordo and his new friend inside.

Seeing their work was done, Riku and Sora slid down the recently closed door with heavy sighs of relief, and remained sitting there as they tried to get their breath back. They likely would have missed Doctor Strange and Wong's arrival, and how the former had cast the spell to take them out of the Mirror Dimension, had Strange not spoken up. "Quite the impressive deception, you two."

"Indeed. Though tricking Mordo into believing that Strange had passed the power of the Eye onto Sora may have been too big of a gamble for my tastes," Wong admitted.

"Well considering how fixated he was on the thing, we figured that seeing it in either of our hands would be enough to get his attention and make him chase us through this insane building you two call home," Riku panted in reply.

"All the same, Mordo will return eventually. I've believed him beaten before, only to discover he had found a way to survive," Strange noted.

"Might be a little hard for him to do without this," Riku remarked, producing the Sling Ring that Mordo had stolen from Wong for all to see. "I swiped it off him when he grabbed me earlier."

"Still, how did you decide on who would be the bait in your plan," Wong asked.

The two shared a quick look before Sora crossed his arms in a huff, while Riku proudly declared, "Rock-Paper-Scissors. I won, in case it wasn't already obvious."

"You cheated," Sora grumbled.

"How am I supposed to cheat at Rock-Paper-Scissors?"

"You can figure that out at a later date," Strange interrupted before the two could proceed any further in their argument. "I believe that all this excitement is quite enough for your first magic lesson."

"Just the lesson? Haven't we had enough for the next week," Sora questioned.

"No, because there's one other matter that we need to discuss, Sora: the source of your visions," Strange reminded him.

"You mean…You figured out how and why he's getting them," Riku asked.

"I believe so, and I also believe that the rest of your team should be present to hear this as well," Strange revealed.

Whatever Strange had learned must have been really serious if he was saying that the other Avengers needed to hear about it as well, so it was only natural that Sora and Riku both nodded in reply, and then silently followed Doctor Strange after he used the Sling Ring to open a portal back to Avengers Mansion again. After the day they had both had, they were sure that nothing could shake them up anymore. Boy, were they in for a surprise.

It took about an hour or so to gather the Avengers together in the Assembly Hall, but only because everyone did have their own things to take care of. The only reason why they gathered so quickly was because Sora mentioned that Doctor Strange had discovered the source of his visions, and it was only natural that they would rush through everything they had been doing at the time to get together. Some of them more than others, as evidence by some of their appearances. For example, Steve was still dressed in his workout clothes, having been in the midst of some basic exercises in the Training Room, T'Challa was dressed in his traditional Wakandan robes, due to the fact he had just come from some government meeting regarding Wakanda's current state of affairs and some other stuff that a few of the others did not really get, and Tony was in the casual business attire he always wore when he had some work to do at Stark Industries. The only ones that were actually decked out in their usual hero outfits were Janet, Hank, Clint, Yuffie, Thor, and Hulk, but then again, the last three were almost always wearing their hero suits, mostly because those were their everyday appearances.

Once they had all gotten seated in the Assembly Hall, Sora, Riku, and Strange went into an explanation on the events that took place at the Sanctum Sanctorum, though the boys made it a point to leave out a lot of the details regarding the truly crazy stuff they found while in the doctor's home. Partly because they were not sure if the other Avengers would have believed it and partly because they did not want to get another magic versus science argument going between Tony and Thor again. The parts they did tell got Wasp a little upset and worried over the boys' wellbeing, practically drawing out a motherly nature from her that left Riku and Sora feeling a bit uncomfortable, but it did not delay the big news for very long. When Doctor Strange did reveal what he discovered to be the source of Sora's visions, the others seemed to take the news pretty well.

"VEN'S INSIDE OF SORA," shouted a truly astonished Tony, barely paying any mind to the wide-eyed looks of his teammates and friends.

"No, Ventus's heart is inside of Sora," Strange corrected. "And I suspect that it has been for years now."

"But how…Why…When did that even happen," Janet eventually managed to stutter out.

"I could not say for certain, but from what I could tell, it has been there for many years," Strange confessed.

Hearing that made Riku cross his arms in thought for a little bit, as he soon recalled, "Maybe, since way back then…"

That got the attention of everyone else in the room, even before Hawkeye asked, "What? You think you know something about this, Riku?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think so," Riku admitted. "Sora, remember that one night when we had gone out stargazing for a little while about ten years ago when we were kids?"

"Um…You're going to have to be more specific. We went out to do things like that a lot when we were kids," Sora reminded his friend.

"It was that one night when you suddenly started crying a little out of nowhere for some weird reason. You even called it strange yourself, and said that it felt like something was squeezing you inside," Riku elaborated. "I told you about how every world out there was connected by one big sky, and how I figured that someone out there who was really hurting and waiting for you to help them."

"Oh yeah," Sora remembered. "You suggested that I try and open my heart and listen for them when I asked if there was something I could do. I think something happened afterwards, but I always thought it was just some weird daydream."

"What exactly was it that happened, Sora," T'Challa asked.

Sora crossed his arms in thought, and steadily began to recall the events that had happened after he had opened his heart and listened that night. To be honest, he had not thought about it in years, and yet, somehow, he found himself able to remember it much better now than he had before.

A young Sora found himself standing in a strange place, with dark clouds all around him, and the floor beneath his feet looking like a stain glass window with various odd like pictures. Things like some of his favorite toys, the paopu fruit, and a bunch of other stuff he normally found on the islands, but he was a little more interested in finding the person who Riku thought was waiting for him to help them. Looking around for a little bit, Sora could not see anyone out there, but somehow, he just knew that he had come to this place for a reason, and he knew that it had to be related to that person who was hurting. So, he kept looking, until finally, he caught sight of something glowing in the distance.

Thinking that it was the person he was trying to reach out to, Sora did not think twice before he called out, "Hey! Can you hear me?"

Much to his surprise, the small light began to draw closer, until it revealed itself to be a small orb of light that soon came to rest in Sora's hands, all while a strange, yet somehow familiar voice said, "I heard your voice. It cut through the darkness around me. All alone, I followed the sound into a sea of light, and found myself here, with you." Sora did not really get what some of that meant, but what he did understand was that he had helped this person, so he simply nodded, allowing the person to continue speaking. "You gave me something back when I needed it most. A second chance."

"I did," Sora asked, not really remembering when or even if he did something like that for this person.

That did not seem to matter to this guy, because it seemed like he still had something else he needed to worry about. "But…now I have to go back to sleep again."

Hearing that made Sora a lot more worried than he normally would be about someone who was going to sleep. There was just something about the way that this guy had said it that made Sora feel upset, and he got the sense that this guy was not too happy about it either. So, he could not help but ask, "Are you sad?"

The light did not say anything in reply right away, but it did eventually ask, "Would you mind…if I stayed here, with you?"

Without any hesitation, Sora happily nodded and said, "Sure, if it'll make you feel better."

"Thank you," the voice in the light orb seemed to breathe in relief, and before Sora knew it, the orb was steadily floating towards him.

Not that Sora was too bothered by this, as he happily welcomed this orb of light, and let it float up and into his chest. Just after the light had entered him, Sora could feel an entirely new warmth overcome him, almost as thought his light had given him a special gift in exchange for his help, and Sora just had to voice his next promise out loud. "I promise, I'll keep you safe for as long as you need me too."

Since the light orb had vanished, Sora was not really expecting any response, but he still got one, as the voice that came from the orb then stated, "And I'll do whatever I can to help you as well. That's my promise to you."

"…After that, I felt like a huge weight had lifted from my shoulders, and I told Riku that I thought it worked," Sora finished.

The others were nothing short of amazed. From the sound of things, Sora had been helping people and basically being a hero since he was just a kid, and he had never even realized it until now. Riku was the only one who was not surprised, given that he had known Sora for so long, but he would admit that part of him was a little frustrated that he had not realized something like that a little sooner. As far as he knew, Sora had never met someone like Terra and received that same ceremony like he had, but then again, it was not like it was too crazy to assume that it still could have happened.

Still, as great as that story was, some of the others still needed to make sure that they had understood correctly. "So you're telling us that Sora's been getting those visions, along with a bunch of tips and shortcuts on how to use his powers, because he welcomed one of the three Keyblade wielders we all keep hearing about into his heart when he was just a kid," Hawkeye asked.

"That does seem to be the case, yes," Doctor Strange confirmed. "But it is not just Ventus that I discovered inside of Sora's heart."

"You're not about to tell us that Aqua and Terra are there too, are you," Wasp asked.

"No, Ventus is the only one of those three who is in Sora's heart, but there is another heart inside of him. One that is far more vital to the survival of all the worlds," Strange revealed. "From what I could tell, it seems that right now, Sora's heart is acting as the safe refuge for the heart of a princess of heart."

"A princess of heart," Captain America repeated in question, voicing the confusion that the rest of his team had. All but one of them at least.

"Odin's beard! Do you mean to say that the legend is true, Sorcerer," Thor gasped.

"Indeed it is," Strange confirmed, not surprised that the Asgardian of the group knew what he was talking about. That did not stop him from explaining the details to the others. "Since the beginning of the worlds as we know them, as I'm sure you know, everyone holds both darkness and light within their hearts. That is but a natural part of life; however, there are exceptions to this."

"Yeah, I think we've noticed, given all the bad guys we fight, and all the encounters we've had with the Heartless," Yuffie pointed out.

"I'm not just talking about in terms of darkness. While it is easy for one to become a being of pure darkness, what I'm referring to are those whose hearts are of pure light," Strange corrected. "Since the dawn of our worlds, there have been seven maidens with hearts of purest light, not a trace of darkness to be found within. We call them the princesses of heart, and while they have not always been the same seven maidens, their duties, be it known to them or not, have always been the same. To help maintain the balance between light and darkness."

"And how do they do that if they don't know about their big job," Tony asked.

"If all goes well, they don't need to do anything, other than entrust that those they care about, and who truly care for them in return, will keep them safe. However, should they and their power be discovered, there is a real chance that dark forces would seek them out for many different reasons," Strange explained.

"So basically, keep the princesses safe, and nobody ends up screwed," Hulk simplified.

"Essentially, yes."

"But that still leaves one question; how did the heart of one of these princesses end up inside of Sora," Hank asked. "As far as we know, the only princesses he's ever met are Shuri and Kida, and last I checked, they were both still fine."

"The name 'princess of heart' is only given to these maidens because a majority of any incarnation of the seven have been princesses. It is not a requirement for one to be an actual princess in order to be a princess of heart," Strange clarified.

"So the heart inside him could belong to any girl that Sora's ever met, huh? Well, that narrows it down," Clint sarcastically commented, and no one could find a way to argue with him.

"Doctor, is there any way of finding out for sure whose heart it is," Captain America asked on the team's behalf.

"I may be able to," Strange confessed. "But the spell required would pry into the memories tied to both Sora's heart and that of the heart inside of him, so I would prefer to have Sora's permission to do so."

"Hey, you don't even need to ask. I'd rather know who I'm trying to keep safe, and who I need to find so I can give their heart back to them as soon as possible," Sora insisted.

The others than watched as Strange set to work, uttering the incantation he needed as magic seals glowed at his fingertips and around Sora's body. For a brief time, nothing really seemed to happen, and as it dragged on, the others started getting a little nervous. When Sora's face began to scrunch up in worry, frustration, and even a hint of fear, their worries began to grow a little more, but the concern only hit the roof when Sora's eyes snapped open again and he promptly shoved Doctor Strange away.

"Enough! What does any of that have to do with the princess of heart inside me," Sora demanded angrily, and everyone quickly went started moving to either hold Sora back or stand between him and the doctor, thinking that he was likely about to attack Strange at any second.

"Hey! Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Sora," Tony tried to placate. "What happened?"

"What did you see," Janet asked.

Sora needed a moment to recollect himself before he replied, "I…I saw the night when the Heartless appeared on my island. When Destiny Islands was swallowed up in the darkness. More specifically, the last moment…the last moment I saw Kairi."

Now it was Riku's turn to get mad at Doctor Strange. "Why the hell would you show him that of all things?"

"I think you and I both know the answer to that," Doctor Strange calmly replied, confusing everyone a little more. Seeing this, Doctor Strange decided to spell it out for them. "Your friend, Kairi is the princess of heart whose heart is currently residing within Sora."

"What…She's…Kairi's a princess," Sora gasped in awe, and Riku was not really doing any better. Sure, he and Sora had both long since agreed that Kairi was pretty enough to be royalty, especially after seeing her in a dress for the first time, but this was a whole new, unexpected twist.

"Whether or not she is an actual princess, I could not say, but as far as being a princess of heart goes, yes, she is," Doctor Strange replied.

Everyone was quiet after they heard that, until Hawkeye finally said, "You know, that actually explains a lot." When everyone turned to him for a broader explanation, Clint did not have any problem giving it. "Remember when we were on Spira with Spidey and his pals? Sora said that he saw Kairi at one point. If she really is in his heart in the same way that Ventus is, wouldn't it make sense that he would see her in a vision of some kind too?"

"Maybe. I mean, it's not like it's outside the realm of possibility at this point, but regardless of that, we now have a new lead on how to find Ven and Sora's friend," Tony informed them. "We just need to find some way to get them out of Sora's heart, and then we follow the trail back to them."

"I wouldn't recommend that," Doctor Strange cautioned. "You may know where their hearts are, but releasing them now comes with a much greater risk."

"Well, wouldn't it be a bigger risk to just leave their hearts inside of Sora? I mean, he's fighting Heartless and supervillains everyday! I'm not saying he can't be careful, but what if something happens to him and they're affected by it as a result," Janet pointed out.

"That is true, but there is one other thing you need to consider as well, and just how much greater the risk is with that factor in mind," Doctor Strange insisted.

No one really got what Strange was driving at right away, but Hank did eventually put the pieces together. "Their bodies," Ant-Man gasped. "We may know the location of their hearts, but we still don't know where their bodies are. Best case scenario, they may be somewhere safe, secure, and where they would be able to contact us or someone else for help, but at worst…"

"They could be right in the middle of enemy territory with no allies or even any means of defense readily available to them," Captain America finished for the size-changing scientist.

When they heard that, the Avengers instantly knew what that meant: they now had another thing to add onto their to-do list. Sure, it was a little annoying, realizing that they now had to go looking for something else after somewhat solving one of the problems that their original Keyblade wielder had, but none of them were about to back out and refuse to help. "Guess we'd better get to work," Tony stated. "JARVIS is still running a search for Kairi, so we just need to redouble our efforts there. At the same time, I can get him working on a search for Ventus as well, but that will only cover everything on our world. I'm pretty sure I can't extend the search to others."

"Good thing we've got some friends out on other worlds who can help with that," Sora reminded him. "I'll call Donald and Goofy to let them know what we found, and ask if they can help out with that first chance I get."

"And I shall do what I can to assist as well," Strange offered. "After the day I put you both through, I feel it is only fair that I assist you with this. Besides, I can't exactly leave one of the seven pure lights at risk, now can I?"

"Thanks, Doc," Sora nodded. "But…about our next magic lessons…"

"Not to worry, I'll make sure to double up the security of the Sanctum Sanctorum for your next visit," Strange assured him, thinking that was where Sora was going with it. He was wrong.

"Actually, is there any chance we could just have them here in the mansion's training room? I think I speak for both me and Riku when I say that we've had about as much of the insanity in your house as we can take," Sora practically pleaded.

Riku on the other hand did not have any problem flat out begging. "Please say yes! I do not want to go back in that place knowing there's a chance something may jump out and try to eat me again!"

If anything about today had been any different, Strange probably would have been a little confused by the boys' attitudes and requests, and maybe a little offended. Lucky for them, the events of today did happen, and helped him to understand why they were so opposed to going back into the Sanctum Sanctorum again anytime soon. "Very well. I suppose it would be better to hold your magic training here until further notice anyway," Strange agreed. "Given that my house is something a nexus for many magical realms and even other worlds, it would likely be best to hold those lessons elsewhere, if only for the sake of the hearts Sora holds inside of him."

Both boys breathed a sigh of relief hearing Strange agree to their suggestion, and like that, all the Avengers began to feel like they had dodged a bullet in not being able to join the two for their first magic lesson.

Later that day, Doctor Strange was returning the Eye of Agamotto to its resting place, having not had the chance until now, and then swiftly sealed the chamber back up again. Only this time, he made sure to add a few more protective enchantments just to be on the safe side, a sight that Wong seemed very happy to see. "It was rather risky of you, keeping it out in the open for so long like that, Doctor," Wong lightly admonished. "The last thing we need right now is to have an Infinity Stone out in the open. Especially given all the madness that is currently plaguing the worlds."

"I agree, my friend, but given the circumstances, it was safer to have it with me at the time, and given what happened today, I may have to keep it on me much more often," Strange informed Wong as the two set to work cleaning up the mess that the Sanctum had been left in cleaned up.

While Wong could see why his friend and master would feel that way, he could also tell that there was something else on his mind, and just had to inquire about it. "Is there something else that troubles you, Doctor?"

"I'm afraid so, my friend," Strange confessed. "You are certain that we took every precaution to secure the Sanctum against the Heartless? Both when they started appearing on this world and before the boys came here today?"

"Absolutely. I helped you to double check them several times over, myself."

"And yet some of the dwellers of darkness still found a way inside, and even pursued us into the Mirror Dimension," Strange pointed out. "Even with all of his power, Mordo would have been overwhelmed by their darkness long before the battle's conclusion, and I highly doubt that he could have found a way to break the enchantments keeping them out so quickly."

"Yes…You do have a point," Wong admitted after thinking about it a little. "But that would mean that someone inside of the Sanctum let them in."

"Exactly. I know that neither of us would do so, and I hesitate to suspect Sora or Riku, but that still begs the question…who was it that permitted the Heartless entry?"

Wong was not sure if he wanted to answer that question, even if he did have so much as a guess, and from the look on his face, Doctor Strange felt the same way. Whatever his plans may have been, it was clear that the Heartless were a last minute addition for Mordo. Something or someone far more terrible had been in play during this whole scheme, and they both shuddered to think of who or what it might have been.

AN: Okay, so a lot happened this time around, and I'm gonna do my best to cover it all and give out those review answers. Shall we begin with the topic of Riku's new look. When you get right down to it, he's wearing his sleeping worlds attire from Dream Drop Distance. Just replace the Dream Eater emblem on his back with the Avengers logo. My reasoning for giving Riku his Dream Drop Distance look as opposed to his KH2 look like I did with Sora...Well, I wanted something that seemed simple and yet still close to what Riku wore in the first game, while still looking like something that everyone would find as normal in the Avengers world. Plus, I wanted Riku to have his KH2 look in the sequel story, so DDD look was the best option. And yes, he does have a Tron Legacy helmet and repulsor gauntlets like Sora, in case anyone was wondering about that. Oh, and as for why Riku doesn't have a Keyblade Glider, well...that will become a little more clear as time goes on. If not, I'll better explain that when the time comes.

Riku: [groaning a little from his run-in with the train] Meaning...what?

AN: Again, when the time comes. As in when there isn't a strong chance of spoilers.

Moving on, regarding the other folks to come from the world of Doctor Strange, yes, Wong and Mordo both have their movie appearances, and that is mainly how most of the Doctor Strange magic works in this series. Nuff said there. As for the Sanctum Sanctorum, think of it like a mix of the classic/iconic version of the place and the movie version. Which is why we saw both the Mirror Dimension and all the crazy doors and artifacts appearing during Sora and Riku's time there. Yeah, needless to say, it's going to be a long, long, long time before we go back to Strange's house again for anything. I'm pretty sure that our boys are a little scarred for life.

Sora: Speaking of things that happened while we were there, what happened to Riku during his and Wong's fight with Mordo?

AN: Well, I could tell you...But I won't say more than this...Foreshadowing.

Hawkeye: How about the fact that you made the Eye of Agamotto into the Time Stone here? Can you talk about that?

AN: Yes I can. That is the actually the real reason why time seemed to have stopped during Sora's little moment, or at least a huge part of that reason. And more importantly, I kinda liked the idea of Strange being a guardian for one of the Infinity Stones, along with a lot of the other ways that the Infinity Stones appeared and were used in the MCU, so expect a lot more similarities between the MCU Stones and the ones in this story. Oh, and you should probably expect Sora and the others (Or at the very least just Sora) to have a few more run-ins with the Infinity Stones as time goes on, both in this story and the next one.

The final thing to talk about, and I think the biggest, would be everyone learning that Ventus and Kairi are inside of Sora, much earlier than anyone did in the original canon. Yeah, you all knew or at least suspected that it was going to be found out eventually, right? Well, since the whole matter was a magic related situation, who better to help discover this than Doctor Strange? It's not like they would figure out because of some random scan that Tony did. And by the way, that little bit at the end with Strange and Wong, can anyone say more foreshadowing for ya? Cause guess what that is?

Wasp: I don't really think it needs to be pointed out that badly, so how about we just skip to the part where you answer reviews at last?

AN: Wow, you are being no fun today, Jan. I mean, what's up? Did you not drink your coffee this morning or something?

Wasp: I did have my coffee, thank you very much! I just feel like there are some questions that people really need answered, and you need to stop putting it off, given how many reviews there are to give answers to!

AN: Okay. Okay! Just chill out. Sheesh, someone's bitter about not being able to go to the next world.

Wasp: What was that?

AN: Oh nothing! Moving on to those review answers...

First off is "Gamelover41592", no, Loki did not kill off Maleficent. She's just pursuing other means of seizing power over all the worlds right now. Either that or she's still licking her wounds from her battles against Ventus and Aqua.

Also, as a general response to everyone who commented on how surprised they were to find out that Riku and Night Hunter were two different people, I had a feeling that I'd get your minds whirling with that little surprise. But the answer behind that mystery won't be coming for a little while longer. Then again, maybe there's a clue to the answer in today's chapter.

Ant-Man: Are you sure about that?

AN: Pretty sure. That said, some of you also have a few theories on what the real deal is with Riku and Night Hunter, and while I would love to either confirm or deny the validity of those theories, I'm afraid that I cannot at this time without giving away a very crucial spoiler. So sorry on that.

Anyway, next review to answer. "Dragon Rider 66", glad to hear you enjoyed all the little references and homages from last chapter, and as far as last names for Ventus and Roxas goes...I actually haven't thought about that yet. Then again, we're still a long ways off from when they both finally appear in this story, so there's plenty of time to make a decision on those matters. As for how I do the curved x for whenever I write the name x-blade, I usually just insert the symbol using the Microsoft Office Word program I normally use for writing my stories.

Guest reviewer "Johnathen", Sora will have form changes in this series, but we likely won't see them happening for a little while longer. Mainly because most of if not none of the worlds I plan on having Sora visit will require him to change forms.

Next is the guest reviewer "RAX", namely in regards to your second review. Not to worry, your first review was very welcome, and a perfect showcase of the kind of initial reaction I expected everyone to have after reading that particular part of the previous chapter. As far the Keyblade of Heart and how he got it goes, I'm afraid that question has a very spoiler heavy answer, so can't answer it just yet. But in terms of how long Riku's going to be with the team...Well, all I can say is that it's going to be a very long time. Like long enough for him to experience a good deal of the adventures that the Avengers went through in Season 1 of EMH, and then some. Also, your theories about Night Hunter...Well, I suppose that I can at least say that the one about Ansem is pretty close to an accurate guess, but that's as far as I'll go.

"Luna Lillyth", I think it may be a good idea for you to hold onto that suspicion of yours, because there is most definitely something fishy going on here. That much I can certainly confirm.

Hawkeye: As if the story hasn't done that already.

AN: Moving on. "Ham1999", the Power Rangers are not appearing in this story, and I'm sorry to say that neither are Tom and Jerry. I've already got a set lock on all the special guest stars and worlds that you should expect to see in this story, and I'm afraid that it won't be changing. Sorry buddy.

"Twisted Pxl", the reason why it's different here is because...well, it wasn't as necessary. Plus there's also the fact that Mickey Mouse has already appeared on this world as himself, so apparently the world order decided that it was unnecessary for Donald and Goofy to change appearances now. Not to mention people would probably think that they're just people wearing costumes and not bat an eye over it. I mean, a majority of their adventures do take place in New York, so...yeah. As for your concerns about the summon gems, well here's your answer today. Noctis gave Sora a summon gem, and Sora's now used it. He just hasn't used it until now because A) He didn't even know what the dang thing was, and B) he didn't really know how to use it until just now.

Moving along to the guest reviewer "Guest31 UK", one, it's kinda hard to get suckered by Maleficent when she's not even involved with the big plot this time around, you know. Two, you're not anywhere close to spoiler territory with most of, if not all of those guesses, so consider yourself safe from spoiler gags.

Riku: Seriously! You don't want to willingly subject yourself to them! Take it from someone who was just hit by one!

AN: Oh grow up, you big baby. You've been hit by way worse things. As I was saying, yes, in the comics, Yuriko Watanabe is in fact the woman who becomes Wraith, but you don't have to worry. She's not going to be going down that road in this series. She's really more based off the version we saw in the Spider-Man PS4 game. Or at least the way she was before the DLC story had happened, so she's gonna be sticking with the good guys and doing good the whole time she's here. But based on what I've seen and heard of what Wraith has done, I kinda have to agree with you on not wanting to know what her Heartless would end up being like. So, no need to apologize for what you had wrote, especially since there really wasn't anything wrong with it as far as I could see. It's all good.

Next up "PHL360", it's a little hard for me to really say whether or not Sora will make anymore villains switch sides just yet, as most of the other bad guys Sora will encounter in the story from this point on will be strictly villains, and not the redeemable kind either. As far as any Inhumans go, well, he's already met at least one Inhuman, but as far as others, be it Lockjaw or any of them really, if that does happen, it won't be for a very long time. Like, third story in the series long time.

"Althea Sirius", I'm glad to hear that you're so willing to offer your services as a sounding board for ideas, and your suggestion about Sora's Keyblade Glider is very interesting. Sadly, I won't be working it into this story, mainly because Sora's going to be using the flying motorcycle of a Keyblade Glider for a long time to come. That doesn't mean we won't see one like the one you thought of in the future though.

Rolling on over to "Triforce Dragons", yes, Riku is technically speaking, Sora's official partner now. And don't worry, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Wasp will all get their chances to go to other worlds soon enough. It may be a little longer for those last two than others, but it will happen.

Next up is the guest reviewer "Anti Hero", and the answer is very simple. If by "turn heel" you mean will Sora leave the team for good after Season 2 has concluded, no, he will not. At least, not entirely. More like he'll become similar to Thor, in that he's still part of the team but can't be around all the time. His training's going to get a bit more extreme after that, and likely going to involve a little something we all know as the Mark of Mastery Exam, but either way, Sora was an Avenger right from the start, and as we all know, Sora's never one to abandon his friends. Plus, he'll have a few other reasons to stick around with the team soon enough. You'll find out what those reasons will be when the time comes.

"Guest' of 4/15/2020, I don't really think about what Sora's parents' names would be all that much. Mostly because the only actual parental figures we've ever really seen in the Kingdom Hearts series for the most part would be Eraqus, and maybe Yen Sid. Sure, we heard Sora's mom's voice in the first game, and it's been implied that Kairi's adopted father is the mayor of Destiny Islands, but after that, there's just no mention of any of them, so I don't usually see much reason to think on it too much.

And finally "Guest" of 5/28/2020, yes, the entire Avengers team will join Sora on a mission to another world. It will be a long time before it happens (and I mean a really long time), but it will happen in this story. You'll just need to be a little patient for when the moment finally comes.

Phew! I think that's everything at last. So all we've gotta do now is get them all rolling along.

Sora: Rolling along to what?

AN: What else? Onto the Preview!...

Fresh off of one magical adventure, Sora and Riku find themselves being thrown right into another, this time with Iron Man along for the ride, and a huge amount of sand. Add in a selfless street-rat, a pickpocketting monkey, and a familiar face with phenomenal cosmic power but itty-bitty living space, and it's no mystery as to where the Keyblade has sent them this time. What is a mystery though is what will actually happen when they find out that Night Hunter and his boss are sticking their noses into Jafar's schemes, and that another princess of heart is on this world. Will these three Avengers be able to help their new friends achieve all their goals and dreams? Can they keep the bad guys from getting their hands on this world's resident princess of heart? There's only one way to find out: hop a carpet and fly to another Arabian night, in the next thrilling chapter.

Aw yeah! You know who's coming next chapter!

[you know what song to cue up]

Readers and reviewers, have a wish, or two, or three~! I'm on the job~, you big nabob~. You ain't never had a friend~, never had a friend~! You ain't never had a friend~, never had a friend~! You ain't NEVER~! Had a~! FRIEND...LIKE...ME~!

Genie: [suddenly appears out of nowhere] You ain't never had a friend like me~! HA!

AN: Until then though...

Please read and review, and see ya real soon, fellow true believers!