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Epilogue: The Secret Ending

'This life as you now live it, and have lived it,
you will have to live once again
and innumerable times again;
and there will be nothing new in it,
but every pain and every joy
and every thought and sigh
and everything in your life
unspeakably small or great
must return to you…
The eternal hourglass of existence,
turned over again and again,
and you with it, 'O speck of dust!
~Friedrich Nietzsche

There were once many Keyblades. Hundreds. Thousands. Manifestations of Kingdom Hearts, they and their wielders flourished; protecting and upholding the interconnected world.

But that Age ended.

There exist now only five.

The only survivors.

The First belongs to a young boy. He currently wields it with a shocked defensiveness against his friend as they share a friendly contest on the beach. His face is contorted by concentration, attempting to balance making the duel a challenge without hurting his companion.

"Hey…wait…Kairi…!"

The Second belongs to a young girl. She wields it with ferocious offense against the young boy, honing her skills. She shares no such reservations as he, laughing cheerfully with every advantage she gains.

"C'mon…keep up, Keyblade Master!"

The Third belongs to the young man watching his two friends fight from his seat in the sand. He chuckles knowingly as they stumble too close to each other and the boy blushes, before the young girl ably and triumphantly trips him into the sand—much to his protests.

"Nice."

The three are too busy to notice a small bottle wash up on shore, bearing the insignia of the Fourth wielder, who rules a world far away.

There is a Fifth, isn't there?

Yes, there is.

And while each blade might change its form with the application of a token, it retains a single essence; its original form. Millenia old, it is in this form that each blade traveled from wielder to wielder.

It was in that form that these blades survived the Keyblade Wars.

For these wielders were not the Keyblade's first servants.

The Lightseeker

Eraqus Nixe frowned at his master from across the oaken table. He was still yet a young man and here he was, unable to search out the light after decades of waiting.

"Master, please—I must go!" Eraqus implored, bowing slightly to emphasize his dedication.

His master sighed, "I do not consider it wise, my son, to go chasing after the myths I told you as a boy."

"But, sir," Eraqus replied with his practiced response, "If there are yet still three surviving Keyblades in the worlds, then their wielders are lost on their own with no one to guide them." He frowned, "They could easily be lost to darkness."

"'If' Eraqus, 'if'".

Eraqus pressed forward, "Master, with all due respect, I must insist. There is only so much good that can be done; so little light to be found here in your tower." He met his master's eyes directly, "If I may not leave for this, then what was the point for which you trained me, even to the loss of your own blade?"

"Mind what you speak," came his master's sharp reply. "You were trained to uphold tradition, to face reality, not legends."

Eraqus shook his head, it was time to play his ace, "I have reason to think the blades have met wielders."

His master raised a single enough, a serious expression of shock for , "But certainly I would've known?"

"Unfortunately, Master, without your Keyblade—" Eraqus trailed off, calmly.

"I see." His Master paused, stroking his beard, "If you insist then, Eraqus—go: find, and comfort these new wielders." He released a heavy sigh, "If Kingdom Hearts sees fit to continue to grace this cosmos with its manifestations, then we must ensure its care."

Eraqus, a thrill running through him, tried to discipline his excitement, "Thank you, Mas—"

"But please, I beg you-take care of yourself, my son." His master interrupted.

With another bow, and another as he backed through the door, Eraqus smiled wide.

"Without question, Master Yen Sid!"

The Kingdom Key

Aqua Fidelium rapped firmly on the great door that served as the enormous main entrance to the Bastion. As she waited, she straightened her jacket, double checked her posture and adjusted her hair. Visiting the Castle required a certain decorum, she believed, that too many did not consider. Who could tell—she might run into the King or Queen and to appear before them, as one of the Keyblade Wielders, looking anything other than perfectly presentable? That would reflect terribly on Master Eraqus.

Within a minute, the door creaked open a sliver.

"Who's there?" came a young voice.

"Wielder Aqua," she responded, voice confident, although she could not see who it was, "I am here to see—"

"Are you sure?" the voice interrupted.

"W-what?" Aqua replied, her poise somewhat disturbed.

"Are you sure that's who you are?"

Confused, she began to reply, "I, well, yes, of course I—"

"Who is at the door, Ienzo?" came a deep voice, curious, "Who do you trouble today?"

Suddenly, the tall door was pulled open and before Aqua stood both a young boy, just about Ven's age, with silver hair brushed over his right eye—the youngest of the Lord Protector's apprentices. Behind him stood a much taller man, with piercing amber eyes and long, nearly white, hair. The Lord Protector's foremost apprentice. Both were dressed sharply in white coats over grey vests, matched with purple ascots tucked over their breasts.

"Ah! Aqua!" Xehanort greeted with smile, "Lord Ansem has been awaiting you. I expect you have brought the histories that he asked of Master Eraqus?"

Aqua nodded firmly, lifting the folder of papers under her arm, "Indeed."

"Well, come in, come in!" He took the younger apprentice, Ienzo, by the shoulder and guided him back into the Castle. Aqua followed after as Xehanort led ahead.

She had wanted to admire the inner architecture of the Castle, as she often did when she visited, but instead she now kept her eyes glued ahead. The young Ienzo had continued to stare at her and she didn't want to acknowledge it. It was certainly disconcerting—and sad that she couldn't appreciate the exquisite castle comfortably.

Soon enough, Xehanort paused before the great doors of what she knew to be the library. With a flourish, Xehanort pushed through them, bowing to allow Aqua to pass before him.

Aqua held back a smile as she entered the beautiful athenaeum. Tall cases of books surrounded her on both sides, until they opened into a wide, almost cul-de-sac-like center wherein sat tremendously comfortable chairs—or so she was told—and great long tables. From that center, the bookcases, bursting with literature of all kinds, branched off into the distance. The smell of must and paper filled her nostrils. Yes, she certainly had to restrain her smile.

Walking forward, she returned the nod of the giant man delicately picking through books on the first shelf—Aeleus. His quiet, but thoughtful, acknowledgement of her was greatly appreciated. The book in his hand, looking almost like a toy in his grasp, was immediately placed down as he caught sight of Ienzo behind her, who he moved to speak with.

Beyond him, she noticed—down one hallway of books-the skeletal Even and intimidating Dilan speaking in hushed tones. They quieted as she approached, only Dilan nodding slightly at her. Even's face maintained its perpetual scoff. From somewhere in the library's lovely maze, she heard the voice of someone speaking far too loudly. In her mind, it could only be Braig—for only he was so impertinent as to speak so loudly in such a place.

Finally, seated in the center of the cul-de-sac, was the Lord Protector himself. He was reading a colorful tome to the young, auburn haired child grinning in his lap: the crown Princess.

Aqua unconsciously stiffened as she approached, standing quietly until the Lord Protector finished the sentence he had been amid and looked up to acknowledge her, a contented smile still on his face.

"Wielder Aqua," he greeted, "It is good to see you."

"Lord Protector," she tilted her head, before looking to Princess Kairi and curtsying, "Your Majesty."

The young princess-just shy of four years, if she remembered what the little one had boasted to her last she was here—only giggled and waved in response.

"I have brought the papers you requested," Aqua reported, "Master Eraqus has finished compiling all that he recalls."

"Excellent!" the Lord Protector exclaimed, absently poking at the Princess to keep her occupied, "Please do share my gratitude with him for his work."

Aqua nodded, "I most certainly will."

"Yes, indeed, and mine as well!" Xehanort added, suddenly appearing behind Aqua, "Such knowledge of the cosmos is most essential."

"It is, of course," Aqua started slowly, not wanting to show any disrespect, "Highly…sensitive. Were the general populace to know—"

The Lord Protector waved his hand, "Yes, yes, worry not. All present are aware."

"These old walls hold many a secret," Xehanort encouraged, "And hold them well."

"Secret! I wanna know a secret!" Princess Kairi suddenly exclaimed.

"Well, then, my child, let's read a bit more, shall we?" The Lord Proctector suggested with a wide smile.

"Read, read, read, read…" the Princess hummed to herself, as her brow furrowed at the open pages.

"Aeleus, will you see Wielder Aqua out?" the Lord Protector motioned for the tall, fiery-haired apprentice as Aqua handed off the thick folder of papers to Xehanort.

Aeleus, marching up from his place beside Ienzo at the entry, offered his arm to Aqua, "Certainly."

Aqua one again bowed to the Princess and Lord Protector and, with only a moment's hesitation, took Aeleus' arm and was led from the library; Ienzo still watching her the whole way.

The Way to Dawn

Terra Fortis sighed, tapping his foot impatiently as the gravity-magic elevator traced its way up the thin beam of purple energy. He didn't like standing still. He'd have much rather taken the stairs, if Shinra's pushy secretary hadn't basically shoved him into the elevator.

With another sigh, he turned to look out the all-glass paneling of the elevator's far side. At least he got a good look of the city with all its glistening waterfalls and blooming greenery; although he didn't care much for the height. It was all much nicer up close. Why'd Shinra have to make such a tall building, anyway? It wasn't like he'd be able to compete with the Bastion.

The elevator slowed, and Terra turned to face the door it had stopped at: the top floor. He reached for the knob, but it was turned first, forcing him to step back to avoid its wide swing.

"Ah, the PKF's special ops," sneered a pale man with long, greasy black hair who nearly walked into Terra, "Eraqus could've at least sent the pretty one. What was her name again?"

Terra frowned as he pushed past the unsavory man, labcoat hanging so loosely it almost looked like a blanket. He took a small pleasure in being a little bit rougher than necessary, "No one you need to know, sounds like."

"Brute." The man muttered again as Terra closed the door behind him and heard the hiss of the energy beam descending.

"Ah, Wielder Terra—" came the smooth voice of Rufus from across his wide desk. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Terra took a few steps into the sparsely decorated office. A few trophy weapons hung on the walls, along with what he guessed to be very expensive paintings—although, he'd hardly call them "art". With a nod, he acknowledged the line of suited Turks who stood behind the President; Tseng, Elena, Rude, and Vincent. The black of their suits struck a sharp contrast with the pure white of Rufus' double-layered ensemble.

"I think you should know," Terra responded. "Master Eraqus has given you plenty of time to explain something as simple as how Deepground terrorists got their hands on Shinra weaponry."

"Mmm…" Rufus nodded, gesturing for Tseng to take a stack of papers from his desk, "An unfortunate combination of theft and scavenging from the Cauldron War." He sighed, resting his chin on his hand, "It is a big, wide world after all."

Terra nodded in thanks as he received the papers from Tseng, who remained close to him. Terra made a show of shuffling through the report, while doing his best to memorize the room and everything in it—from the stains on the carpet to the other papers on Rufus' ornate desk. Everything could be helpful to the parallel investigation.

"Is that all?" Rufus asked.

Terra lifted his head to nod, but was interrupted by the elevator door.

"Hey, who pissed in Hojo's coffee?" came a cocky voice, " 'cause I wanna give that guy a medal—"

"Reno." Tseng interrupted. "We have a guest."

Terra turned and acknowledged the last of Rufus' Turks. With a little half-salute, Reno returned his greeting. "Howdy, boss."

Terra nodded back to the Rufus, "Yes, Mr. Shinra, I think this is all I came for."

Rufus inclined his head in return, flashing a thin smile, "We here at the Shinra Defense Corporation are happy to oblige."

The Oathkeeper

Ventus Recuro sighed happily, eyes closed, as he leaned back in his booth at the Seventh Heaven and listened to the musicians play. The curt "ahem" of a waiter impatiently dragged him back, but with a smile and good-natured wave, he was able to again send him temporarily away. Ven immediately regretted that, though, as the person he had been waiting for stumbled through the tavern doors.

"Hey! Hey, Zack!" Ven called out with a wave, gesturing for the tall, raven-haired young man to stop trying to regain his utterly lost composure and just come over to him.

Flashing a smile, Zack Fair slid into the booth beside him, "Got any food yet?"

"Not even a hello?" Ven smirked, taking a sip of his drink.

Zack snorted, "Right, hello, weirdo chocolate milk drinker—hey, hey, waiter!" Zack flashed a hand, "Could I get a cold ale over here?"

"So how's the promotion?" Ven asked, taking another, long, sip.

Content that his order had been heard, Zack leaned back in his seat, spreading out widely."Y'know, being an Investigator is pretty good. Way better than a footsoldier,"

Ven nodded, "And we need them, too. Maybe you'll get to the bottom of all this."

"Right-o, I'll get on it ASAP." Zack flashed a thumbs-up.

"And how's Aerith?" Ven asked.

"She's great, as always!" Zack smiled widely, "I'm running out of space to keep all the flowers, though…" he waved a hand, "And before you ask, yes, Merlin is as grumpy about me as ever."

Ven chuckled. "Have Squall and Rinoa announced a date yet?"

"You think he'd tell me?" Zack shrugged, "Nah, I'll probably be the last to know. Unless Rinoa tells Aerith."

"And what about Cloud and Tifa?" Ven raised an eyebrow, sipping again at his milk.

"What's with the interrogation, Ven?" Zack grinned, before lapsing into a somewhat more serious tone. "I'm…y'know, we're all still worried about him. He has good and bad days. Tifa's taking care of him, though…" he sighed, "I wish he'd talk more—but he's only a kid, really, so we'll see."

"Aren't we both kinda just kids, too?" Ven asked, with a slight knowing smile.

"Heh, yeah, I guess." Zack responded, "Squall's the only man around here!"

"What about Merlin?" Ven smirked.

"It'd be unfair to count him; he's old as dirt, he'd throw off all the averages."

Ven chuckled with Zack for a moment, "And how's Vincent's work?"

Zack opened his mouth to respond before his eyes widened and he snapped his fingers, "Hey! Did you think you could just slip that in with all those other questions and I wouldn't notice?" he tapped his forehead, "I'm smarter than that. I know you all are looking into Shinra—I've told you everything I know!"

Ven grinned and sighed, leaning back, "What can I say? I'm bad at espionage. You got me."

"Well, try harder next time, eh?" Zack asked, thanking the waiter as he dropped off his ale. "Besides, enough about me—what's with all your secret stuff? What's the Master got Aqua and Terra up to?"

"Trade secrets?" Ven asked, eyebrows raised.

"Fine, fine…" Zack waved it.

"Well, he put Terra on Shinra instead of me and he's making some plans with the Lord Protector about something I don't even know about." He shrugged, "Not that I mind—I'm pretty sure Aqua knows about it, though."

"Of course." Zack nodded.

"Yup!" Ven responded with another long slurp, "And if she knows, then I know I don't have to worry."

"Mhmm…" Zack responded, taking a long swig.

"Your turn." Ven said.

"Eh?" Zack raised an eyebrow, still drinking down.

"Secrets! Remember?" Ven prodded, with a chuckle.

"Oh, right, yeah—" Zack put his drink down, face twisted in thought, "Well, I've heard whispers from the higher-ups that we might be making some big move against Wutai—"

It was then that the first explosion went off.

No Name

Each story and blade goes further back ;
manifestations of the light of Kingdom Hearts
eternally recurring,
the gift of her beauty.

"So this is it?" the first intoned, looking over the crater's lip, Keyblade in hand, "You indicated there'd be more than a rock. I was expecting a fight."

"I can only tell you what I saw—a meteor." The second responded cheerily, "I, for one, am glad there's no fighting!"

"Nonetheless, this incursion was worth our inspection." Their leader interrupted, taking his first steps into the enormous depression.

"A sample of a meteor this size will be worth it, at least." the instigator of the trip added, as he followed their leader onto the sizzling, still smoking, ground.

"Lightning is right." The third came up behind the first, still wielding his blade, "Keep your guard up."

"You're so pessimistic, Auron!" the second shook her head, pouting.

Lightning stepped away as she and Auron descended into the crater, as well, "Only because you saw fit to take all the optimism."

As the two ahead approached the enormous meteor, still lightly glowing with a green shimmer, the instigator took out a small pick and began to tap away at the rock. Their leader stood behind him, looking about warily.

Sighing, Ilfana descended into the crater after her partners, looking up in awe at the pitted rock. "I've never seen one up close before!"

"You'd never seen one at all before last week." Lightning murmured before turning to address the instigator, "Are you almost done? I don't think any of us are comfortable being so far from Kingdom Hearts; especially since—"

Suddenly, Lighting was interrupted by the final chip of the small pick knocking off a chunk of the meteor. Just as it did, however, the entire, enormous sphere shook and the green shimmer became even harsher and more noxious.

"What did you do?" Auron exclaimed, dashing forward with his blade drawn.

Before the instigator could respond, Ilfana saw a concentration of green fumes emanate from behind the chipped rock. It was getting brighter and more solid. Her blood ran cold with instinctual fear, but before her mouth began to work, she could tell their leader noticed, too. His eyes widened as he leapt forward with his enormous speed to shove the instigator out of the way.

In time to save him, but not himself, the green light exploded around Sephiroth, completely removing him from view for a moment. Without a noise, he was blown back toward the edge of the crater. His Keyblade clattered to the smoking earth beside him, as his body came to a convulsing stop.

Ilfana cried out as she ran to his collapsed form, as Lightning and Auron warily dragged their fifth member back, blades drawn, carefully watching the quaking meteor. The reaction had spread, now beginning to crack and splinter up its sides. Luminescent green light seemed everywhere.

As she ran, Ilfana looked back in terror at the instigator, whose face was an unresponsive image of shock,

"What have you done, Xehanort?!"

Kingdom Hearts Null: The Tragedy of Hollow Bastion