#i think when i was designing thalassa originally i wanted her to look like how i wanted to do apollo?

[dreamsy990]

some more aa wof au stuff for cringetober day 3 (fandom au!!). ive been messing with my apollo for this au for way too long trying to come up with a design i liked so uh!! his design might change in the future if i end up doing more with this au idk.

bonus: young thalassa

[percabeth4life]

i want to know the original version of hades and persephone story. there are so many versions I've read and i wanted to know which one do you believe in or which one do you think is the real one?

Okay so to start with. If we wanna really go back, Hades came into existence after Persephone. But alas, we aren't speaking of this version.

We are talking about the version where Hades sweeps Persephone away without so much as a hello.

The problem is a lot of the stories of Ancient Greece are well... They're lost. They were primarily shared through oral tradition, and written down over time. And so many stories we may not know. On top of that, many that were written down were lost, destroyed or just vanished, to time. Plus, we don't know how to translate Linear A, but we do Linear B, and there may be a version somewhere in Linear A. Overall, it's just possible we don't know the earlier versions.

But the earliest version we do have is from the Homeric Hymn, from the 7th or 6th B.C.E. This hymn is actually one to Demeter, not Hades or Persephone. The myth, while speaking of the two, is actually about Demeter.

It is, for the time period it is from (and you must keep in mind the culture of the time to understand the myth) a feminist myth.

So the culture of the time.

In the time period women did not have the greatest of rights, something improved upon today, but it means that the Father (and/or King) had full rights to hand their daughters off to another man.

That is what happens in this myth, Zeus tells Hades he may have Persephone's hand... But Persephone did not wish to go. And likewise Demeter was not informed.

By the culture of the time that does not matter, but Demeter *makes* it matter. She searches for her daughter first, then when she discovers where Persephone was taken and who was the cause (Zeus) she is angered.

Demeter then refuses to step upon Olympus, not allow any plants to grow, until she sees her daughter again.

This is obviously a problem, so Zeus sends Hermes down to retrieve Persephone (who btw was unhappy and missed her mom). Persephone leaps up with joy to see her mother again and Hades agrees immediately. But he secretly feeds her pomegranate seeds just to be sure she would return.

The reason this is a feminist myth is because of Demeter, because she refused to accept her king and her daughter's father handing their daughter off in marriage. And she refused to such an extent that they had no choice but to compromise with her (and had Hades not forced Persephone to have the pomegranate seed she wouldn't have even had to compromise).

For the culture of the time, Zeus and Hades were taking actions that were more than okay, nothing they did would be considered wrong. But Demeter stood against it.

Demeter stood for her daughter to not be married off, and demanded she be returned, and Persephone (tho she came to love Hades) was relieved to return to her mother.

Many of the "new adaptions" have Persephone wanting to leave Demeter, wanting to be with her husband, and Demeter being overbearing. But originally it was mutual love, Mother and Daughter missing each other and the Mother fighting to get her daughter back when everything of the time said she had no right to.

And so the myth as we know occurs. This is the myth I ascribe too, being the oldest we have, and I do wish more realized how Demeter's actions are why the myth is so important.

I have copied the Hymn in it's entirety below the cut. It is fairly long and four parts. If you have questions about it, feel free to ask!

Homeric Hymn 2 to Demeter (abridged) (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th or 6th B.C.) :

I. HAIDES ABDUCTS PERSEPHONE

"[Demeter's] trim-ankled daughter whom Aidoneus [Haides] rapt away, given to him by all-seeing Zeus the loud-thunderer. Apart from Demeter, lady of the golden sword and glorious fruits, she was playing with the deep-bosomed daughters of Okeanos and gathering flowers over a soft meadow, roses and crocuses and beautiful violets, irises also and hyacinths and the narcissus, which Gaia (the Earth) made to grow at the will of Zeus and to please Polydektor (Host of Many), to be a snare for the bloom-like girl--a marvellous, radiant flower. It was a thing of awe whether for deathless gods or mortal men to see: from its root grew a hundred blooms and it smelled most sweetly, so that all wide heaven (ouranos) above and the whole earth (gaia) and the sea's (thalassa) salt swell laughed for joy. And the girl was amazed and reached out with both hands to take the lovely toy : but the wide-pathed earth yawned there in the plain of Nysa, and the lord, Polydegmon (Host of Many) [Haides], with his immortal horses sprang out upon her--the Son of Kronos (Cronus), Polynomos (He Who has Many Names).

He caught her up reluctant on his golden car and bare her away lamenting. Then she cried out shrilly with her voice, calling upon her father [Zeus], the Son of Kronos, who is most high and excellent. But no one, either of the deathless gods or mortal men, heard her voice, nor yet the olive-trees bearing rich fruit: only tender-hearted Hekate (Hecate), bright-coiffed, the daughter of Persaios (Persaeus), heard the girl from her cave, and the lord Helios (the Sun), Hyperion's bright son, as she cried to her father, the Son of Kronos. But he was sitting aloof, apart from the gods, in his temple where many pray, and receiving sweet offerings from mortal men. So he [Haides], that Son of Kronos, Polynomos (Of Many Names), Polysemantor (Ruler of Many) and Polydegmon (Host of Many), was bearing her away by leave of Zeus on his immortal chariot--his brother's child and all unwilling.

And so long as she, the goddess, yet beheld earth and starry heaven and the strong-flowing sea where fishes shoal, and the rays of the sun, and still hoped to see her dear mother and the tribes of the eternal gods, so long hope clamed her great heart for all her trouble . . . and the heights of the mountains and the depths of the sea ran with her immortal voice : and her queenly mother heard her.

II. DEMETER SEARCHES FOR PERSEPHONE

"Bitter pain seized her [Demeter's] heart, and she rent the covering upon her divine hair with her dear hands : her dark cloak she cast down from both her shoulders and sped, like a wild-bird, over the firm land and yielding sea, seeking her child. But no one would tell her the truth, neither god nor mortal man; and of the birds of omen none came with true news for her. Then for nine days queenly Deo wandered over the earth with flaming torches in her hands, so grieved that she never tasted ambrosia and the sweet draught of nektaros, nor sprinkled her body with water. But when the tenth enlightening dawn had come, Hekate, with a torch in her hands, met her, and spoke to her and told her news : ‘Queenly Demeter, bringer of seasons and giver of good gifts, what god of heaven (theon ouranion) or what mortal man has rapt away Persephone and pierced with sorrow your dear heart? For I heard her voice, yet saw not with my eyes who it was. But I tell you truly and shortly all I know.’

So, then, said Hekate. And [Demeter] the daughter of rich-haired Rheia answered her not, but sped swiftly with her, holding flaming torches in her hands. So they came to Helios (the Sun), who is watchman of both gods and men, and stood in front of his horses: and the bright goddess enquired of him : ‘Helios, do you at least regard me, goddess as I am, if ever by word or deed of mine I have cheered your heart and spirit. Through the fruitless air (aitheros) I heard the thrilling cry of my daughter whom I bare, sweet scion of my body and lovely in form, as of one seized violently; though with my eyes I saw nothing. But you--for with your beams you look down from the bright upper air (aitheros) over all the earth and sea--tell me truly of my dear child if you have seen her anywhere, what god or mortal man has violently seized her against her will and mine, and so made off.’

So said she. And the Son of Hyperion [Helios] answered her : ‘Queen Demeter, daughter of rich-haired Rheia, I will tell you the truth; for I greatly reverence and pity you in your grief for your trim-ankled daughter. None other of the deathless gods is to blame, but only cloud-gathering Zeus who gave her to Aides, her father's brother, to be called his buxom wife. And Aides seized her and took her loudly crying in his chariot down to his realm of mist and gloom. Yet, goddess, cease your loud lament and keep not vain anger unrelentingly : Aidoneus Polysemantor (Ruler of Many) is no unfitting husband among the deathless gods for your child, being your own brother and born of the same stock: also, for honour, he has that third share which he received when division was made at the first, and is appointed lord of those among whom he dwells.’

So he spake, and called to his horses: and at his chiding they quickly whirled the swift chariot along, like long-winged birds. But grief yet more terrible and savage came into the heart of Demeter, and thereafter she was so angered with [Zeus] the dark-clouded Son of Kronos that she avoided the gathering of the gods and high Olympos. She [Demeter] vowed that she would never set foot on fragrant Olympos nor let fruit spring out of the ground until she beheld with her eyes her own fair-faced daughter.

III. THE RETURN OF PERSEPHONE

"Now when all-seeing Zeus the loud-thunderer heard this, he sent Argeiphontes [Hermes] whose wand is of gold to Erebos, so that having won over Aides with soft words, he might lead forth chaste Persephoneia to the light from the misty gloom to join the gods, and that her mother might see her with her eyes and cease from her anger. And Hermes obeyed, and leaving the house of Olympos, straightway sprang down with speed to the hidden places of the earth. And he found the lord Aides in his house seated upon a couch, and his shy mate with him, much reluctant, because she yearned for her mother. But she was afar off, brooding on her fell design becuase of the deeds of the blessed gods. And strong Argeiphontes [Hermes] drew near and said : ‘Dark-haired Aides, ruler over the departed, father Zeus bids me bring noble Persephone forth from Erebos unot the gods, that her mother may see her with her eyes and cease from her dread anger with the immortals; for now she plans an awful deed, to destroy the weakly tribes of earth-born men by keeping seed hidden beneath the earth, and so she makes an end of the honours of the undying gods. For she keeps fearful anger and does not consort with the gods, but sits aloof in her fragrant temple, dwelling in the rocky hold of Eleusis.’

So he said. And Aidoneus, ruler over the dead, smiled grimly and obeyed the behest of Zeus the king. For he straightway urged wise Persephone, saying : ‘Go now, Persephoneia, to your dark-robed mother, go, and feel kindly in your heart towards me : be not so exceedingly cast down; for I shall be no unfitting husband for you among the deathless dods, that am own brother to father Zeus. And while you are here, you shall rule all that lives and moves and shall have the greatest rights among the deathless gods : those who defraud you and do not appease your power with offerings, reverently performing rites and paying fit gifts, shall be punished for evermore.’

When he said this, wise Persephoneia was filled with joy and hastily sprang up for gladness. But he on his part secretly gave her sweet pomegranate seed to eat, taking care for himself that she might not remain continually with grave, dark-robed Demeter. Then Aidoneus Polysemantor (Ruler of Many) openly got ready his deathless horses beneath the golden chariot. And she mounted on the chariot, and strong Argeiphontes [Hermes] took reins and whip in his dear hands and drove forth from the hall, the horses speeding readily. Swiftly they traversed their long course, and neither the sea nor river-waters nor grassy glens nor mountain-peaks checked the career of the immortal horses, but they cleft the deep air above them as they went. And Hermes brought them to the place where rich-crowned Demeter was staying and checked them before her fragrant temple.

And when Demeter saw them, she rushed forth as does a Mainas (Maenad) down some thick-wooded mountain, while Persephone on the other side, when she saw her mother's sweet eyes, left the chariot and horses, and leaped down to run to her, and falling upon her neck, embraced her. But while Demeter was still holding her dear child in her arms, her heart suddenly misgave her for some snare, so that she feared greatly and ceased fondling her daughter and asked of her at once : ‘My child, tell me, surely you have not tasted any food while you were below? Speak out and hide nothing, but let us both know. For if you have not, you shall come back from loathly Aidao and live with me and your father [Zeus], the dark-clouded Son of Kronos and be honoured by all the deathless gods; but if you have tasted food, you must fo back again beneath the secret places of the earth, there to dwell a third part of the seasons every year: yet for the tow parts you shall be with me and the other deathless gods. But when the earth shall bloom with the fragrant flowers of spring in every kind, then from the realm of darkness and gloom thou shalt come up once more to be a wonder for gods and mortal men. And now tell me how he rapt you away to therealm of darkness and gloom, and by what trick did strong Polydegmon (Host of Many) [Haides] beguile you?’

Then beautiful Persephone answered her thus : ‘Mother, I will tell you all without error. When luck-bringing Hermes came, swift messenger from my father the Son of Kronos and the other Sons of Ouranos, bidding me come back from Erebos that you might see me with your eyes and so cease from your anger and fearful wrath against the gods, I sprang up at once for joy; but he secretly put in my mouth sweet food, a pomegranate seed, and forced me to taste against my will. Also I will tell how he rapt me away by the deep plan of my father [Zeus] the Son of Kronos and carried me off beneath the depths of the earth, and will relate the whole matter as you ask. All we were playing in a lovely meadow, Leukippe and Phaino and Elektra and Ianthe, Melite also and Iakhe with Rhodea and Kallirhoe and Melobosis and Tykhe and Okyrhoe, fair as a flower, Khryseis, Ianeira, Akaste and Admete and Rhodope and Plouto and charming Kalypso; Styx too was there and Ourania and lovely Galaxaure with Pallas who rouses battles and Artemis delighting in arrows: we were playing and gathering sweet flowers in our hands, soft crocuses mingled with irises and hyacinths, and rose-blooms and lilies, marvellous to see, and the narcissus which the wide earth caused to grow yellow as a crocus. That I plucked in my joy; but the earth parted beneath, and there the strong lord, Polydegmon (Host of Many) [Haides] sprang forth and in his golden chariot he bore me away, all unwilling, beneath the earth : then I cried with a shrill cry. All this is true, sore though it grieves me to tell this tale.’

So did they then, with hearts at one, greatly cheer each the other's soul and spirit with many an embrace: their hearts had relief from their griefs while each took and gave back joyousness. Then bright-coiffed Hekate came near to them, and often did she embrace the daughter of holy Demeter: and from that time the lady Hekate was minister and companion to Persephone.

IV. GIFT OF AGRICULTURE & THE ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES

"And all-seeing Zeus sent a messenger to them, rich-haired Rheia, to bring dark-cloaked Demeter to join the families of the gods (phyla theon) : and he promised to give her what rights she should choose among the deathless gods and agreed that her daughter should go down for the third part of the circling year to darkness and gloom, but for the two parts should live with her mother and the other deathless gods. Thus he commanded. And the goddess did not disobey the message of Zeus; swiftly she rushed down from the peaks of Olympos and came to the plain of Rharos, rich, fertile corn-land once, but then in nowise fruitful, for it lay idle and utterly leafless, because the white grain was hidden by design of trim-ankled Demeter. But afterwards, as spring-time waxed, it was soon to be waving with long ears of corn, and its rich furrows to be loaded with grain upon the ground, while others would already be bound in sheaves. There first she landed from the fruitless upper air (aitheros) : and glad were the goddesses to see each other and cheered in heart. Then bright-coiffed Rheia said to Demeter : ‘Come, my daughter; for far-seeing Zeus the loud-thunderer calls you to join the families of the gods, and has promised to give you what rights you please among the deathless gods, and has agreed that for a third part of the circling year your daughter shall go down to darkness and gloom, but for the two parts shall be with you and the other deathless gods: so has he declared it shall be and has bowed his head in token. But come, my child, obey, and be not too angry unrelentingly with the dark-clouded Son of Kronos; but rather increase forthwith for men the fruit that gives them life.’

So spake Rheia. And rich-crowned Demeter did not refuse but straightway made fruit to spring up from the rich lands, so that the whole wide earth was laden with leaves and flowers.

Then she [Demeter] went to [the leaders of Eleusis] . . . she showed them the conduct of her rites and taught them all her mysteries . . . awful mysteries which no one may in any way transgress or pry into or utter, for deep awe of the gods checks the voice. Happy is he among men upon earth who has seen these mysteries; but he who is uninitiate and who has no part in them, never has lot of like good things once he is dead, down in the darkness and gloom. But when the bright goddess had taught them all, they went to Olympos to the gathering of the other gods. And there they dwell beside Zeus who delights in thunder, awful and reverend goddesses. Right blessed is he among men on earth whom they freely love: soon they do send Ploutos (Plutus, Wealth) as guest to his great house, Ploutos who gives wealth to mortal men.

And now . . . queen Deo, be gracious, you and your daughter all beauteous Persephoneia, and for my song grant me heart-cheering substance."

[advocatewrites-blog]

Simple/Clean Chapter 12

Simple/Clean: An Original Character’s Story

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts (1, with mentions of other installments)

Synopsis: There are many worlds, but they share the same sky. One Sky, one Destiny. And when that destiny is threatened, the universe calls on one hero to save the day. Or, more like, five. When the Earth is consumed into Darkness, Danielle Scott and her friends are given the Keys between light and darkness. If they are going to save the worlds and find her brother, they are going to have to go on a multiverse-wide road trip to find the Door to Light. If only they had a better weapon than keys.

Rated: +K for violence and occasional language

Disclaimer: The Kingdom Hearts series was created by Tetsuya Nomura and owned by Square Enix. The Final Fantasy series was created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix. The films depicted were created by the Walt Disney Animation Studios and owned by the Walt Disney Company. Any other work mentioned or homaged are property of their respective owners. This is a non-profit fan-based work that only seeks to entertain. Please support the official releases.

Chapter 12 of 12

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Chapter 12: And I Feel Fine

The Gummi Ship, already as small as it was, had never been this crowded before. Most everyone had to take up standing room in the space between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat that served for storage and kitchen space. Those that managed to secure seats usually had another person on their lap or at their feet. Space had been made by the fact that the Heartless that was Dim was more than comfortable clawing his way onto the ceiling. Space had been lost because of the Beast.

Of course, nobody really cared about the size of the ship at the moment. There was too much going on that they had to care about. The joy that Sora was back to life. The adrenaline of escaping the ending planet. The end of the planet.

Hanna had found some TS Eliot to read in her English textbook, but that didn’t seem to do much good. Katie had tried to play Taps by literally tapping on the English text book, but that seemed to do less.

“Where do we go now?” Sora asked.

For just a moment, Donald looked as lost as he sounded and she felt. “I suppose…we should head back to Traverse Town. At the very least, we need to drop these ladies off somewhere safe.”

“And after everything we’ve been through, why should I leave Sora?” Kairi asked.

“We still need to fight Ansem, and restore all the worlds.” Sora said. “It’s not safe for you out there.”

“Besides,” Dani spoke up. “Maybe it’ll help if we talk to Squall. He might know something about that guy who called himself Ansem.”

“I literally have no idea what’s going on anymore.” Leon said.

“We had always thought that Ansem passed away with our world.” Aerith said. “I had hoped that was the case. Ansem’s heart and body was eaten by the Heartless a long time ago.”

“Not that it matters. That place hasn’t been Radiant Gardens for a long time.” Leon sighed. His eyes looked upwards, not wanting to meet anyone else’s. “Why is it that you four have singlehandedly disproved everything we have ever known for sure?”

“It’s not our fault.” Katie shrugged. “None of us are pretending to be Ansem. By the way, apparently only Sora has the Keyblade and we’re just borrowing it.”

Leon looked like he was about to have a conniption.

Yuffie jumped in. “So what do we do now? Hollow Bastion was supposed to be the last Keyhole you had to seal to save the universe.”

“Well, there are other worlds, right?” Nadine asked. “The Princesses all came from somewhere. Maybe one of those worlds has the answer.”

Leon shook his head. “They aren’t connected to the other worlds the way Hollow Bastion was. Besides, you’re assuming they haven’t fallen into Darkness as well.”

“What made Hollow Bastion so special?” Hanna asked.

“How do you think it was destroyed in the first place?” Leon looked like he didn’t want to answer. “That Keyhole…Ansem tinkered with it. He wanted to link every world together, create a bridge that could connect the whole universe. It was practically gift-wrapped for the Heartless.”

“Is that a particularly bad thing?” Alice asked from the sidelines.

Aerith started to explain, but all of a sudden, Katie didn’t care anymore. There it was. That was so obvious. Why hadn’t she thought of that before?

“We are all idiots.” She breathed.

Everyone turned to her.

“Sorry, but think about it! This entire trip, the entire time, we’ve been complaining about one thing. Alice, where are you from?”

“W—Westminster, but—”

“And we don’t know where the Darling family lived, but it wasn’t Neverland and they have the same accent!” Katie continued. “Olympus Coliseum was Greece. The Deep Jungle was an unspecified African rainforest. Agrabah was fantasy-land Persia; Genis said as much! All of these things were familiar to us, as citizens of Earth, but not to Sora, a citizen of Destiny Islands, or to Donald and Goofy, citizens of Disney Castle. And if Hollow Bastion really was the Keyhole that connected every world to itself, how were we able to get back here once it went kabloowey?”

“It did what?” Leon snapped.

“Nevermind that, I’m being a genius right now! It’s not Hollow Bastion we’re looking for. It’s Earth.” Katie said. “A bridge between the worlds.”

“Assuming we believe that, how do we get there anyway?” Nadine asked. “It was destroyed with the Heartless just like Hollow Bastion.”

“We’re gonna need a telescope.”

“Do you ever think it’ll be the same between us?” Kairi asked. “I mean, Riku’s lost his—”

Without turning to her, Sora put his hand on hers. He didn’t look at her, trying too hard to think of what to say. “You helped me find my Heart. I was so lost in the Darkness. But I knew that you would come to help me.”

“I didn’t want to just forget about you, Sora.” Kairi said, almost defensively.

He interlocked his fingers into hers. “Our Hearts are connected. Yours, mine…Riku. We’ll bring him back. I promise.”

Kairi’s grip loosened. Sora, afraid he did something wrong, let go completely and turned to her. He barely had time to spit out an apology before he felt something forced into his hand. Thalassa charms, bound together to look like a star. A smiley face and a crude approximation of his hair had been carved on the top shell.

“That’s my lucky charm.” Kairi said. “Be sure to bring it back to me, okay?”

“Promise.”

Sora turned back ahead. Ahead was something that wasn’t there before. A figure cloaked entirely in black. Exactly like Dani had said the other Ansem had been.

Sora jumped to his feet and summoned his Keyblade. The figure lazily looked over towards him. It stared, as much as a being without a face can. Finally, it moved to lower its hood.

You make a good other.

Then the figure was gone, leaving nothing but raw sewage in its wake.

There were two telescopes in Traverse Town. One was Gepetto’s, a basic thing that was really only able to see that other worlds existed. The other was more in line to the needs of Traverse Town. Designed by the great Ludwig von Drake, its image could reach planets as far back as Hollow Bastion. It could give perfect vision to the surfaces of other worlds.  If it were able to move about and weren’t mounted to the rooftop of Huey, Dewey and Louie’s shop, then it might as effective as the Hubble.

It could find Earth, no problem.

“That’s your world?” Leon asked. “That’s a world for whales.”

“Actually, whales freely roam through the depths of space.” Katie said. “But we did have whales once.”

Earth was surprisingly intact considering the last time they had seen it, it was exploding. However, it was clear to see the glue that held the world together. The streaks of white clouds were now Dark. Oceans churned. Orbs of Darkness sat on the landmasses, occasionally letting out a ripple of energy.

Leon pulled away from the telescope. He didn’t notice the red circle that lined his eye now, or Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s laughter. “Where do you even start to search on a planet that big?”

“That one’s easy.” Katie said. “Home.”

“Why home?”

“Because when our world was destroyed, we were attacked by a big scary Heartless. Why would that Heartless be in some nowhere’s-ville resort town if it didn’t have something it wanted?”

“I hate to say it, but you have a point.” Nadine said. She leaned into the telescope herself and focused on where her hometown would be. The town was…fine. The buildings were intact and no mass pandemonium hadn’t taken over the streets. Actually, the streets were empty. That’s what made Nadine nervous.

Out of curiosity, she focused the view to Italy. The telescope panned through Darkness for a while, before finally settling on a coliseum where a blonde superhero was talking to a short minotaur. She panned over again.

“They’re all there. Why are they there?” Nadine asked aloud. “It looks like Agrabah and England are dealing with some big scary Heartless, but they’re there.”

“The worlds have been connected.” Cloud said. “And tied to the Darkness. Your Earth is now holding every world it can in place.”

“Maybe once we defeat Ansem, the Heartless will go away.” Sora said.

“We will lend you our strength.” One of the Princesses, Aurora, she thinks, spoke up.

“Save it for yourselves. You might need it considering how things might go.” Hanna said. “Maybe you could do something about my brother.”

“You better.” Cid scoffed. “He’s been playing with my Gummis like they’re tinker-toys. I’d complain more, but he’s the best assistant I’ve ever had.”

“Then let’s head off!” Sora said. “The sooner we get all of this fixed, the sooner we can all celebrate together.”

And all of a sudden, the rooftop fell silent. The members of Traverse Town looked at each other, trying to search for the person with the best people skills.

“The worlds were never meant to be connected.” Aerith spoke up. “Once you seal the Final Keyhole, and restore all the worlds, they will become separate again.”

“Even the Gummi Ship won’t do the trick.” Leon said.

The group fell silent for a minute. Leon seemed to think to himself for a minute, before walking over and putting a hand on Sora’s shoulder. It was a grossly kind action, and it looked like it pained him a lot to even do that, but he continued.

“We may never meet again, but we’ll never forget each other. Our Hearts will always be connected, even when we’re apart.”

That one, surprisingly, was sincerely kind.

It was ruined slightly as Cid started to cry. “You damn kids are startin’ to grow up!”

“—ck?”

Light enveloped the room, and where the Heartless was Dmitri now stood.

He was very confused.

“What?”

One of the women tried to approach him, but Dim couldn’t care right now. His mind reeled with his last memories. Dani and Hanna, and Riku…what happened? Where were his sisters?

He hadn’t realized he said that aloud until one of the younger girls spoke up. “I’m sorry, but they already left.”

“Where to? Take me to them!”

The woman in front of him, a brunette woman with a yellow ballgown, made a face. “I’m sorry, but it’s far too dangerous—”

“Then give me a ship and I’ll find them myself!”

“Like hell you will!” A new voice, obviously male and gritted, spoke up. “MOG! HIDE THE SHIPS THE KID MADE!”

“Kupo!”

Dim sighed and tried to clear his head. Panicking was going to get him nowhere. “You don’t understand. I have to help them.”

He would do it for his sisters.

Earth was, surprisingly, exactly the way they had left it. Yet there was stillness in the air. No cars roamed the streets, no people played outside, and no signs of activity could be seen through the windows to buildings. Aside from the seven of them, the town was empty. Earth was empty.

That worried Dani a lot more than what happened next.

Before anyone could think to ask what was going on, the ground shook violently under them. In seconds, the peaceful town was under fire. Dani felt herself fall, and fall even further into the Earth.

Sora caught her by the hand. He hovered above her, pixie dust flaking off of him. “Got any happy thoughts left in you?”

Christmas, Dani decided. Think Christmas.

Sora pulled, and she flew.

Once she got her bearings, she looked towards the source. The town crumbled. The mountains parted. And in her way, there was this…thing. Two enormous wings unfolded, and revealed the beast underneath. Two golden eyes lit up and focused on her, and it smiled.

“Okay, so I think that’s the devil—” Dani started.

The beast known as Chernabog attacked.

No one in Traverse Town really knew what to do next. The next few moments would decide the future: either return it to Light, or damn it to Darkness. The more common citizens returned to their homes. The Princesses continued to pray within Cid’s shop. The others stayed on top of the ducks’ shop, and watched.

Cloud resumed his brooding. He had never gotten a chance to see Traverse Town for very long. It had always passed in a blur of emotions. Grief. Defeat. Fear. Guilt. Rage. Foolhardiness. A sense of determination that he could change things that was clouded by the hindsight that he just made it worse.

Mostly rage.

But that did not make it a bad town. And now perhaps because the possibility that his old one could be returned, he decided to see it for the first time. It was a pleasant world. They had probably had to work to keep it that way, but the work shone through. Aerith would like it here.

Tifa would like it here too.

Somebody joined him. He was prepared to glare them away, but stopped as he saw who it was.

“It’s peaceful out here, isn’t it?” Aerith asked lazily.

His wing twitched. He gave a noncommittal grunt. Aerith sat down next to him, and he panicked.

“We’ve all missed you.” She said. “We thought you had passed away along with Radiant Gardens.”

Oh whatever god or lifeforce decided to take him, this was not the conversation he wanted to have oh no no no

He shrugged. “Got a bit lost along the way.”

“Oh?”

She fortunately decided not to press any further. That was the one saving grace in this entire conversation.

“I wonder if anyone else was able to make it.” She thought aloud.

Cloud didn’t answer.  Did she know? Aerith always had a way of knowing things nobody told her. If she knew, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

“Miss Katie said that when they found you, you were looking for something. Have you found it yet?”

Cloud hesitated. “I don’t want you involved.”

“You don’t want our help?”

Memories of what could have been flashed before his eyes. “I don’t want you hurt.”

“I’m stronger than you think.”

“I know. And that’s why I don’t want you hurt.”

Silence fell over them. Just faintly, he could hear the sounds of crashing from within the building. Considering it was run by ducklings, he didn’t pay it too much mind.

“Alright. I’ll trust you. But make sure to come back to us, alright?”

And Cloud, take care of yourself. So you don’t have a breakdown, okay?

He had seen her die too many times, in worlds that were real and worlds that weren’t.

“Yeah.”

Something caught his attention on the town below. The boy, the one the others had been so worried about. He scrambled out of the shop and into a Corridor of Darkness. Cloud jumped to his feet, prepared to do something, but it happened too fast. He was gone before Cloud could even turn around.

“Where did he go?” Aerith asked. That was good, at least; she had never seen a Corridor of Darkness.

“At this rate, he could be anywhere.” Cloud turned his gaze to the stars above. “Let’s hope those kids fix this before he gets too far.”

“I thought only the light of God could destroy the Devil.” Hanna said.

“Hanna, have we ever stepped foot in a church?” Dani asked.

Neither of them really noticed Sora approach the portal that stood in Chernabog’s place.

“Sora?” Goofy asked.

“I know this place…” Sora said. He put one foot inside.

“What are you doing?” Dani asked. “You don’t know where that place leads!”

“Yes I do!” Sora said. “Just trust me, alright?”

Hanna didn’t exactly have a choice. She jumped in quickly after him.

This was not Earth. It looked a lot like Earth, or at least what Earth had become. Yet the skies were purple, not blue, and clouds hovered around like they were trying to block something. The ocean beside them stayed still. No sun hovered above, even though it looked to be in the middle of the day. There was no breeze to feel, nor salt water or sand to smell, and she really didn’t want to try tasting anything here. Only what she could see, and hear.

“This is my home!” Sora said. “This is Destiny Islands!”

“…kinda a dump.” Nadine said.

“Hey, I don’t make fun of you for your homeworld, so—”

“Look at this tiny place.”

They turned to the source. Ansem stood by the water, looking positively bored.

“To a Heart seeking freedom, this is nothing but a prison. No wonder the boy decided to embrace the Darkness within.”

“You give Riku back!” Sora said.

Ansem glanced over his shoulder just to give them a condescending look. What a jerk. “Even if I desired to, it’s no use. His Heart has returned to Darkness, as will all Hearts in the end. That is the nature of the universe you decide to explore. That is the Heart’z true essence.”

“That’s not true!” Sora said. “Yes, the Heart may be weak. And sometimes, it may even give in. But I know that there’s a Light that never goes out!”

“You still understand so little.”

The ground shattered under them. It was actually an improvement, considering they were walking on sand.

“EVERY LIGHT MUST FADE! EVERY HEART RETURN TO DARKNESS!”

The rest of Destiny Islands shattered. In its place…

Darkness.

Darkness.

Darkness as far as the eye couldn’t see. No thing to interact with. No path he could travel. No person he could talk to.

At first, Riku thought he was in some kind of afterlife. He then decided that if he were, he wasn’t there for a good reason.

He wanted to apologize. Take everything back. Start all over. Even if he could, there was no way to escape this abyss. For the first time in a long time, Riku was actually alone.

And just as he realized it, he wasn’t alone anymore.

“Riku!”

Dmitri? Save for light signs of exhaustion, he looked the same as the last time Riku had seen him…whole again. Still, he wanted to make sure…

“Hey! Cut that out!” Dmitri swatted his hand away from his face.

“Why are you here?” Riku asked. “You were never a real Heartless, you should’ve been fine!”

“I wanted to find you.” Dmitri said.

“Why?”

“Because you’re my friend, and you’re hurting right now, and I don’t think you should be left alone.”

“I don’t have a Heart anymore! Or a body, for that matter! There’s no way I’m going to just escape with you!”

The revelation hit Riku. He struggled to maintain composure.

“You’re better off just forgetting about me.” He finished.

Dmitri was silent for a minute. Riku thought he had given up until he felt the weight of Dmitri’s hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not going to leave my friend behind.” He said. His eyes sparked with light and hope and determination.

Riku? Can you hear me?

“That is the silliest disembodied voice I’ve ever heard.” Dmitri muttered to himself.

“Who are you?” Riku asked instead. “Where are you?”

You were right when you said you lost your body. But you recovered your Heart. Because of that, it became trapped on this side of the Darkness.

But this isn’t quite as bad as it sounds! Two Hearts were always needed to close the Door, on both sides.

Two Hearts, and Two Keyblades.

Maybe you were destined to come here, just like me.

The world was ending.

Every world was ending.

The Darkness grew. Yet Light still shined in Dani’s Heart. They could still fight.

Oh, this is going to get so metaphysical! Dani thought as she summoned her Keyblade.

The real fight began.

From the Darkness, Ansem conjured Heartless. Legions of Shadows, Soldiers, Large Bodies, and a bunch of other funny names she didn’t quite remember to protect him with, and a larger one that hovered around him. The smaller ones were sliced through by Goofy’s shield and Donald’s magic. Bits of earth of worlds that were formed around them, making a path Dani could run on. She dashed along the platforms, and whatever Heartless she didn’t slice through was taken care of by Hanna.

Katie and Nadine made quick work of the familiar Heartless. Dani’s Keyblade slashed through him.

Ansem shifted again. He grew, to the size of worlds themselves (though most worlds were still rather tiny). Darkness engulfed him, in crude caricatures of muscles and body structure. The still human figure stood on the body, nearly consumed by his structure.

“Gross.” Nadine said.

“Can we shapeshift with the powers of Darkness too?” Katie asked.

“Let’s figure that out later!” Dani said as comets were fired towards them.

She flew through the comets, through the Darkness, through everything Ansem had to throw at her. When she landed, she landed on the writhing mass of visceral. She wasn’t going to stay there for very long. She launched towards Ansem, Keyblade at the ready.

He was a better swordsman than her, probably due to having actual training. Yet he could not stop three Keyblades. Or four. Or more.

“You’re wrong.” Sora said. “I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts is light!”

And the world turned to Light.

Ansem could not stand the Light. He burned. His body, both real and constructed, his Heartless, his Heart. In an instant, there was nothing left.

Except a door.

There was ground underneath them now so Dani allowed herself to stop flying and drop. In that time, she saw what lied on the other side of the door.

Darkness. More Darkness then there was now. And if it stayed open any longer—

Nobody wasted any time. They rushed towards it, and pushed. Even with all of the power of their teamwork, the Doors were massive. Not even Hercules could have closed these easily.

“This thing’s gonna have to be locked from the inside!” Nadine shouted. “Any ideas?”

“If we can get it closed, I’ll let you in on something!” Dani shouted back.

“Don’t give up!”

That was Riku’s voice. Something moved on the other side of the door.

Something tugged on the door Dani was pushing, and she could catch just a fragment of brown hair.

“We’ll close it together!” Dim’s voice.

“Don’t worry! There will always be another door to the light! Now let’s close this one for good!”

Not a voice Dani recognized. But judging by Donald and Goofy’s expression, they did.

“Your Majesty!”

“That’s your King?” Dani tried to poke her head in what remained of the open doors, but thought better of it. She could see a small figure, silhouetted in the Darkness, and gold Keyblade.

The three tugged at the opposite end of the door, and the seven resumed their pushing.

“Take care of her.”

The doors latched.

Sora jumped away from the group to pull out his Keyblade. The tip ignited in light and magic. A clicking sound echoed through the void as the Keyhole was sealed, then another as the one on the other-side followed. The Door faded.

And then there was nothing.

The adrenaline faded rather quickly when Dani realized there was nothing but they were still there. She glanced around in search of a path or something they could follow.

“Oh hey Sora your girlfriend’s here.” Nadine said nonchalantly.

“What!”

That seemed to startle Sora more than anything that had happened. He ran to her, jumping across the bits of world that remained and were reforming themselves.

“Kairi!”

“Sora!”

The ocean of Destiny Islands formed around Kairi’s feet and the ground shook. Sora grabbed her arm before she could fall all the way down.

“Remember what you said to me! I’ll always be with you too!” Sora said.

The worlds were repairing themselves. Destiny Islands was whole again, yet that was not where Sora was going. Sora’s grip on her arm loosened down to her hand as the worlds drifted apart.

“I’ll come back to you! I promise!”

Fingers clasped onto fingers. Kairi’s feet dug into the ground, desperate to hold on.

“I know you will!”

They let go.

For a while, Dani watched the stars form in the sky. She watched life be replaced on the other worlds as they flew past her, palm trees spring into life and people resume their ordinary lives unimpeded by the end of all things. She watched as they drifted away from her, into the unknown.

She didn’t know what happened after that.

“So…where are we?”

“Who knows?” Donald grumbled. “Probably some backwater planet that won’t have a town for miles!”

That looked to be the case, although Sora probably would have phrased it differently. They had walked the path for some time, and Sora no longer realized if they had walked that path as soon as the worlds had been restored or if he just woke up there. He no longer knew what happened to the other members of his group.

“Where do you think Riku and the King are?” Sora asked.

“Well, they’re probably still on the other side of that door.” Goofy said.

“But what about Dani and the others?”

Nobody quite had an answer for him. He sighed.

“We’ll just have to keep looking, then.” He said.

“Where do you suppose we’ll find them?” Donald asked.

The road had changed from Darkness to the absence of anything to rock and earth to dirt and grass. Yet up until now, there wasn’t anything on it except for the three of them. Now, a yellow dog crossed the road.

“Pluto?” Donald asked.

“Hey, Pluto, where’ve you been?” Goofy asked.

The dog froze, and turned to them. Something had been put into his mouth, but Sora could’t quite make it out. It looked like an envelope, sealed with a figure of three circles. The same figure on the back of his Keyblade, and Dani and Hanna’s for that matter. And it kinda looked like the King’s head…

“That’s the King’s seal!” Donald exclaimed.

“Hey, have you seen King Mickey?” Sora asked.

Pluto turned and ran.

Sora started after him. “Guys, let’s go!”

They ran towards their next adventure.

Dani woke up, and had no idea where she was.

That was becoming very common, recently, and she wasn’t sure if she liked it.

Forest surrounded her. Damp earth, thick trees, cool grass, yet nothing that she could identify for sure. Actually, it really looked like—

She stopped as she realized the cutest thing she had ever seen in her life sat in front of her.  It looked like a fox, yet it was small enough to be a housecat. Its ear were nearly as big as it was, and from its head, a small horn protruded.

It dropped whatever was in its mouth, and Dani was surprised to hear it land to the ground with a thud. Hesitantly, she reached out for it. It vibrated in her hand. An icon told her she had one unread message.

CARBUNCLE: Hello? Can you read this?

CARBUNCLE: In front of you!

Dani’s gaze lowered to the fox.

CARBUNCLE: This is the land of your Dreams.

The story will continue in… Flights of Fantasy: An Original Character’s Story

Author’s Note: And we are done! This is it! If you have read all the way to the end, thank you so much. I am very proud of this project and I am so glad that it is out there now. Flights of Fantasy will start next summer around this time, but there will be more from the Original Character's Series in the meantime on here and on my blog.

Yes this is the end. Totally.