KHWiki:Sandbox

A rough outline example of the best way to get the whole Timeline business underway!

The Age of Fairy Tales
	The Master of Masters writes the Book of Prophecies and gifts it to five of six of his apprentices, the Foretellers.
	The Unions are created in Daybreak Town, each led by a Foreteller, with the aim to recruit Keyblade wielders and collect Lux to. battle the Darkness.
	The Master tasks each of his Foretellers a crucial role they must carry out should he vanish, dim or fade. Luxu however is given a special task: To observe the events to come with the No Name and ensure the Book of Prophecies is written, pass it along to worthy apprentices down the generations, and safeguard a mysterious Black Box.
	The Master of Masters vanishes without a trace, leaving the Unions to carry on without him..
	Player is recruited into one of the Unions. Together with his/her chosen Union, and newfound friends Ephemer and Skuld, they experience many adventures in Daybreak Town and the Hologram Worlds created by the Book of Prophecies.
	The Foretellers discover a traitor in their midst with the appearance of a Nightmare Chirithy. Due to the loss of a security blanket in the Master's guidance, and their own ineptitude and incompetence in carrying out their roles, they begin to suspect one another of treason. The squabbling eventually turns into all-out battles among the Unions, all but ensuring the coming of the prophesied Keyblade War.
	Master Ava forms the Dandelions, an organization of gifted Keyblade wielders, meant to avoid the Keyblade War and work to rebuild the new world to come. Ephemer and Skuld join, however Player refuses.
	Strelitzia, Lauriam's sister, one of the chosen leaders of the Dandelions, secretly tries to recruit Player into their ranks. She is murdered before she has the chance to, and her Rulebook is stolen by her shadowy assassin.
	Ava defies her Master's orders by gifting the Book of Prophecies to Brain, one of the chosen leaders of the Dandelions, instead of his own personal pick.
	The First Keyblade War takes place in the badlands of the Keyblade Graveyard. Tens of thousands of Keyblade wielders lose their lives in the battle - Player however is rescued by Ephemer and Skuld and taken with them. The Foretellers disappear sometime before the War ends. Luxu watches from a distance with the No Name in hand as thousands of Hearts are engulfed into Kingdom Hearts.
	The five leaders of the Dandelions gather in the Keyblade Graveyard: Ephemer, Skuld, Lauriam, Brain and Ventus.
	Daybreak Town is rebuilt as a Hologram World to serve as the new home to the Dandelions. All of its residents have their memories of the Keyblade War erased, as if it never happened. Maleficent appears from the future following her demise in Hollow Bastion, showing up in one of the Hologram Worlds.
	The leaders of the Dandelions try to figure out their roles and how to rebuild their world. Meanwhile, Maleficent is approached by a shadowy entity known only as "Darkness", who promises to return her to her own time.
	Lauriam begins his investigation into his sister's murder, while Brain concocts his own plans to thwart the Master's vision of the future. "Darkness" informs Maleficent of a device known as The Ark, which can purportedly return her to her own time. Lauriam confronts her, but she defeats him and manages to escape in one of the pods.
	Brain discovers that Ventus was never meant to be of the Dandelion's leaders. Together with Ephemer, they confront him to try and ascertain as to who appointed him among their ranks.

Indeterminate Years
	Daybreak Town is eventually rebuilt into the picturesque city of Scala ad Caelum, the "city of Keyblade Wielders." The head Masters of the city are bequeathed the No Name, and continue to pass it down through the generations.
	On the Destiny Islands, a young Xehanort is approached by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, one of his future selves, and recruited into the Real Organization XIII, destined to take part in the Second Keyblade War.
	Xehanort is returned to his proper place in time, with his memories of the future gone. He somehow finds his way to Scala ad Caelum, and together with his friends Eraqus, Hermod, Bragi, Urd and Vor begins his training under the dutiful eye of Master Odin.
	Seven upperclassmen from Master Odin's class disappear while hunting for Heartless. Xehanort and his friends are tasked to finding their whereabouts.
	Four years after the incident regarding the upperclassmen, Xehanort and Eraqus visit a cemetery in Scala ad Caelum. Xehanort places a flower on four gravestones, with a determination to see other worlds before undertaking the Mark of Mastery exam.
	During his travels, Xehanort encounters the Master of Masters and is gifted the Black Coat, which will shield him from darkness and allow him to see even more worlds.
	Xehanort returns from his travels, now jaded and cynical of what he has seen of the worlds and of human nature. He confides the results of his journey with the Master, and with a little bit of coaxing from him, is now determined to become the Dark Seeker, with the aim to save the worlds from a "false light" and return balance.
	Xehanort and Eraqus both pass their exams and earn the Mark of Mastery. Xehanort is bequeathed the No Name and begins his dark journey as a Seeker. Eraqus takes the role of a Guardian, and begins his dutiful watch over the Land of Departure.
	Many decades pass, with Xehanort and Eraqus both growing into old men. In the Land of Departure, Xehanort reveals his intentions to restart the Keyblade War and learn its many secrets. Eraqus, outraged by his recklessness, confronts him and in the ensuing clash Xehanort scars his old friend's face. The two part ways on bitter terms.
	Some years later, Xehanort discovers Ventus and trains him as his apprentice. Ventus fails to meet his expectations, and thus Xehanort extracts the darkness from his heart, creating the being Vanitas. This severely damages Ventus's heart, and leaves him in a comatose state.
	Still comatose, Xehanort decides to lay Ventus's body to rest on his homeworld of Destiny Islands. Ventus, however, manages to regain some of sentience back, summoning his Keyblade. Xehanort, now seeing opportunity once again in the young Ventus, takes him to Eraqus where the boy can train with his old friend's apprentices, Terra and Aqua. Meanwhile, what is left of Ventus's heart forms a connection with another young heart - of a boy named Sora. With Sora's help, Ventus is slowly able to heal his own heart.

The Search for Master Xehanort
	Terra and Aqua prepare to take their Mark of Mastery exam. Eraqus, wanting to bury the hatchet with Xehanort, invites his friend to observe the exam. Xehanort accepts, but unknowingly to Eraqus, kickstarts his plans into motion.
	Aqua passes her exam, while Terra fails his. Seeing opportunity in his instability, Xehanort coaches the young man into channeling his darkness, not resisting it, as the surest way of obtaining more power.
	Shortly after, Xehanort disappears while Yen Sid informs Eraqus of a new threat: The Unversed, monsters who feed on negative emotions and have been causing a ruckus on a number of worlds. Eraqus tasks Terra and Aqua to deal with the threat, presenting Terra with a second chance at proving himself. Secretly, however, he tasks Aqua to observe and keep an eye on him, and to immediately bring him back should he be seduced by the darkness. As Terra departs on his mission, Vanitas appears before Ventus and taunts him regarding Terra's wellbeing and future. Worried about his friend, Ventus rushes after him to Eraqus's shock. Eraqus tasks Aqua to immediately bring him back as she departs.
	Throughout a series of adventures on multiple worlds, Aqua and Ventus both try to catch up to Terra to no avail. Terra, however, has been in contact with Master Xehanort multiple times. Xehanort explains that Vanitas is the source of the Unversed and a monster of his own making, begging him to stop him at all costs. As Terra departs, Xehanort can only laugh at the young man's naivete as his plans grow closer to fruition.
	Ventus encounters Vanitas for the first time in the Keyblade Graveyard, but loses the battle. Yen Sid's apprentice King Mickey comes to his rescue, and the two manage to fight him back. Slightly more satisfied with the second result, Vanitas places Ventus "on probation" and departs. The Star Shard Mickey used to reach Ventus begins to malfunction once again and throws him out into another world.
	All of the players gather in the city of light, Radiant Garden. Aqua encounters the young girl Kairi, a Princess of Heart and devoid of any darkness. In a fight against a pack of Unversed with Mickey, she unintentionally bequeaths Kairi a Keyblade. After Terra, Aqua and Ven fight together against a powerful Unversed, their friendship begins to crack as Terra's insecurity clashes with Aqua's apparent callousness. Terra continues his mission on his own while Ventus continues to chase after him, leaving Aqua to ponder just how much her own task has hurt them.
	Terra encounters the rough-and-tumble ruffian Braig, one of Radiant Garden's guards. The mystery man has apparently taken Master Xehanort hostage, hoping to wrest a Keyblade for himself either from Terra or Xehanort. In the ensuing battle, Terra gives into the darkness and horrifically injures Braig, forcing him to flee. Terra, horrified at what he has done, accepts that he can no longer return to his home as he is. Xehanort comforts him and accepts him as his own apprentice, naming him "Master Terra." After Terra departs, it is revealed that Xehanort and Braig were in cahoots the entire time.
	Aqua encounters Vanitas in Radiant Garden. Despite barely winning, the masked boy laughs in her face and confesses she is a "backup" in case Ventus turns out to be a failure, then disappears into a Dark Corridor.
	Ventus, depressed and despondent, encounters the exuberant Lea and his sarcastic best friend Isa. He is immediately challenged into a friendly fight with Lea and wins. His spirits lifted from the banter between the friendly Lea and Isa, Ventus returns to his own mission of finding Terra.
	Much to the annoyance and dismay of castle guards Dilan and Aeleus, Lea and Isa repeatedly infiltrate the castle dungeon where they meet and befriend a mysterious young girl, dubbed merely "Subject X." The two swear and oath to break her out one day.
	During his journey, Terra comes across two young boys on Destiny Islands - Sora and Riku. Sensing the earnestness and sense of justice in Riku's heart, Terra performs the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony, ensuring the child will one day wield a Keyblade of his own, and makes him promise to keep their meeting a secret. Shortly after, Aqua meets the two boys herself. Sensing that Terra has already passed a Keyblade to Riku, she makes the two boys promise to always look out for each other.
	Ventus learns of his origins from Vanitas, that he is one-half of Xehanort's plan to recreate the Keyblade War and forge the χ-Blade. Confused, he returns to the Land of Departure and confronts Master Eraqus, demanding to know the truth. Once again heartbroken over Xehanort's intentions, Eraqus steels himself to eliminate Ventus, seeing that as the only choice to stop his plans.
	Master Xehanort informs Terra of Eraqus's intention to kill Ventus. Rushing to his friend's aid, Terra engages in a fierce duel against his Master, fully giving into the power of darkness in the process. While he wins, it is Xehanort who appears and murders Eraqus, stabbing his friend in the back with his Keyblade. As his Master - and father - fades away in Terra's arms, Xehanort appears before Terra to gloat of his intentions. Summoning a large orb of darkness, he lays waste to the Land of Departure before vanishing. Meanwhile, Aqua learns of everything that has transpired from Yen Sid.
	The three friends meet at the Keyblade Graveyard, ready to confront Xehanort and their own demons. As Xehanort and Vanitas appear before them, a fierce battle ensues that shakes the very foundations of the land. In the distance, Mickey appears ready to lend a hand.
	Terra confronts Master Xehanort, enraged and ready to slay him. After they fight, Xehanort reveals that he planned on losing to begin with: With Terra succumbing to the darkness, his body has now become the perfect young vessel to host his Heart. With the power of the No Name, Xehanort extracts his own Heart and inserts it into Terra, his Keyblade Armor falling to the ground dismantled. Now Terra-Xehanort, the old Master begins to walk away to enact the next stage of his plan when he is suddenly engulfed in a cage made of pure energy - Terra's own armor has taken a life of its own. Now nothing more than a Lingering Will, full of hate and regret, it engages Xehanort and defeats him. As they are engulfed by a powerful light, the Will vows to set things right.
	Ventus engages in battle against Vanitas, however he is not able to defeat him. With the requirements to forge the legendary weapon now met, Vanitas merges with Ventus and creates the χ-Blade. However, in his own Station of Awakening, Ventus engages with Vanitas one more time. He defeats and destroys his darker half, but in the process, also damages the χ-Blade and his own heart.
	Aqua prepares to assist Terra in his fight against Xehanort, but ends up in a fight against Braig instead. Despite losing, the thug reveals that his only goal was to buy Xehanort enough time to possess Terra and promptly skedaddles. Aqua is suddenly attacked by Vanitas and knocked out. When she comes to, she discover Ventus holding the χ-Blade, but her friend is not himself: He has been completely taken over by Vanitas. Mickey shows up and comes to her aid and the two battle and defeat Vanitas. With his defeat by Aqua's hand on the outside, and Ventus's hand from within, the χ-Blade shatters and blows them all away out into the Ocean between the worlds. Aqua however managed to hold onto Ventus, protected by their Armor.
	Now safe in the sanctuary of Yen Sid's Mysterious Tower, Aqua finds herself unable to wake Ventus. She resolves to return to the Land of Departure, the one place where she can keep him safe. Recalling a certain trick Master Eraqus has taught her, Aqua uses Eraqus's Keyblade and transforms the Land of Departure into Castle Oblivion, a labyrinthine world said to be impossible to navigate to anyone but her, content that Ventus will be safe there.
File:Return my friend's heart 01 KHBBS.png	Sensing a strong darkness emanating from Radiant Garden, Aqua makes her way to it, discovering Terra in a complete daze, his hair now white. Despite repeated attempts to reach out to him, Xehanort once more takes over his body and engages Aqua in combat. She wins, however, and with a little bit of help from Terra, lands a definitive blow. However, Terra begins to sink into the darkness. Desperate to save her friend, Aqua sacrifices both her Armor and her Keyblade to spirit him away out of the darkness, condemning herself to the dark abyss instead.
	Terra's body is discovered by the leader of Radiant Garden, Ansem the Wise, but identifies himself as Xehanort. Devoid of all of his memories, the young man becomes an apprentice scientist of Ansem, growing close to Braig in the process - who himself is suspect of the amnesia. The Sage-King Ansem however looks upon this "friendship" with uneasy eyes. Unknown to everyone inside, deep within Terra's heart, the young man and Master Xehanort continue their "property dispute", debating over who will ultimately take control. Xehanort reveals that Terra is simply one of many seeds he has planted for his future plans, while Terra reveals that Eraqus's heart has taken refuge in Terra's.
	Aqua wanders the barren Realm of Darkness aimlessly, with her hope of getting out fading with each day. Upon being confronted by numerous Darksides, Terra and Ventus's Keyblades suddenly appear to her rescue, renewing her sense of hope. After battling the vicious Dark Hide, she discovers to her horror that the Castle of Dreams has fallen to the darkness.
	Lea and Isa continue their infiltrations into the castle to rescue Subject X. However, one day, Braig appears before her and proceeds to take her away. The two become despondent to discover she is no longer there.
	Mickey appears before Ansem the Wise, warning him that his experiments are treading into dangerous territory. Ansem, now aware of the horrors he could have unleashed, orders Xehanort to immediately halt their experiments.
	Lea and Isa are finally welcomed into the castle as Ansem's apprentices.
	Xehanort defies Master Ansem, not only continuing their ghastly human experiments, but ultimately betraying him and even stealing his name. With the help of Braig, Even, Dilan, Aeleus, and Ienzo, the six of them banish Ansem to the Realm of Darkness. Shortly after, Xehanort turns his Keyblade on everyone else, transforming them and himself into Nobodies. Simultaneously, his Heartless - Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness - is born.
	Radiant Garden, overrun with Heartless, is turned into nothing but a ruin, now known as Hollow Bastion. Leon, Yuffie, Cid and Aerith manage to escape and find sanctuary in Traverse Town, while Maleficent takes Hollow Bastion as her own.
	Xehanort's Heartless, Ansem, travels nearly 70 years back in time, to visit his younger self on Destiny Islands. Teaching him the method of time travel, both become members of True Organization XIII.

The Dark Seeker Saga - Part 1
	Aqua continues her lonely trek throughout the Realm of Darkness. As time moves differently in this realm, ten whole years pass on the outside.
	"I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like if any of this is for real, or not." Sora finds himself at the mysterious Station of Awakening. He is assaulted by monsters - Heartless - and must choose a weapon to which to defend himself with; the Sword, Shield, or Staff. After battling a Darkside, he finds himself drowning in darkness...
	...Only to discover it was all a dream. Sora, Riku and Kairi plan to sail away from their small island and see what lies beyond. Together, they build a raft that will take them past their own shores.
	Riku, however, grows impatient. He opens the Door that protects the Heart of their world, and allows a swarm of Heartless to render it asunder. Riku vanishes into the Darkness while Kairi disappears without a trace. Sora once more fights against a Darkside with a new weapon in hand - the Keyblade, but is whisked away to a brand new world - Traverse Town.
	King Mickey has been investigating the disappearances of the stars - signs of worlds fading to the darkness one by one. He tasks Goofy, captain of his royal guard and Donald, his court magician, to head to Traverse Town and locate a man named Leon, who will lead them to the "key."
	Sora runs into Leon and Yuffie, while Donald and Goofy converse with Aerith on the state of the worlds. They learn that Sora is the bearer of the Keyblade and only he can fight the Heartless, while a man named Ansem may hold the truth to everything. Together, they set out to find King Mickey and Sora's friends.
	The three half-pints experience a wondrous adventure through many different worlds, meeting many different faces - some familiar, some not; from the wild Tarzan to the cold soldier Cloud Strife As they journey to seal the keyholes and prevent the Heartless from ruining the worlds, Maleficent gathers her own forces - the Villains - to plot her domination and get in Sora's way every once in a while. She manages to manipulate Riku into serving her, under the pretense of being able to save Kairi. As Sora continues his quest, he begins to have mysterious hallucations of Kairi.
	Sora and Riku reunite in Traverse Town. However, Riku has seemingly grown jealous that Sora simply "replaced" him and Kairi with new friends. With further goading from Maleficent, Riku abandons Sora altogether.
	Sora and the gang continue their quest, with Riku now treating them with outright hostility. Everything culminates in a fateful encounter aboard Captain Hook's ship in Neverland. Riku reveals that Kairi lost her heart and he has been safeguarding her lifeless body. Now possessing control over the Heartless and the darkness, Riku summons a shadowy copy of Sora to attack them while he returns to the ruins of Hollow Bastion with Kairi in tow.
	Sora confronts Riku in Hollow Bastion. Riku reveals that he was the original bearer of the Keyblade, with Sora as nothing more than a mere delivery boy. He takes his weapon, and along with it his companions, who are promised to whoever wields it. Beast arrives, determined to rescue Belle from Maleficent, joins forces with Sora to reclaim what they have lost.
	Goofy and Donald betray Riku, and along with the strength of his heart, Sora reclaims the Keyblade. They battle and Riku loses, but he manages to flee. They learn that Maleficent plans to use the Princesses of Heart to open the keyhole in Hollow Bastion, granting her greater control over the darkness. They manage to foil her, and she is destroyed - somehow traveling millenia back in time to Daybreak Town. Sora once again confronts Riku, discovering that his friend has not been himself for a very long time. Xehanort's Heartless, known as Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, has taken Riku's body as his own, and from the power of the princesses, has forged his own Keyblade of heart. They battle, and Sora narrowly wins. He realizes that Kairi's heart has been inside him the entire time - and the reason why has been seeing visions of her. He uses the power of the Keyblade of heart to free hers, but in the process turns into a Heartless.
	In Twilight Town, Sora's Nobody is born in the process. Unable to remember - or feel - anything, he is approached by Xemnas, Xehanort's Nobody. He is given the name Roxas, and inducted into Organization XIII.
	Sora, as a Heartless, wanders around Hollow Bastion for a short while until he runs into Kairi, Donald and Goofy. Despite his nature, he refuses to attack them and Kairi quickly realizes what - or who - the Shadow really is. Protecting him from the rest of the Heartless with an embrace, Kairi restores Sora's human form and the four escape the castle back to Traverse Town.
	With Cid's help, the trio return to Hollow Bastion, as they must seal the keyhole and stop the outpouring of Heartless from it. They discover the Princesses have been freed, but alarmingly they sense a strange power other than darkness. Upon entering the Castle Chapel, Sora, Donald, Goofy and Beast are confronted by Xemnas, who tests Sora's strength before disappearing. The trio seal the keyhole while Leon and his friends return to Hollow Bastion, their old home. They learn that Ansem has fled to End of the World, and to truly stop the Heartless, they must travel there and put an end to him. Elsewhere at the End of Sea, Xemnas informs Roxas that he has been to see Sora.
	Sinking further into Darkness, Aqua is rescued by King Mickey, who has arrived there to find the Keyblade from the Realm of Darkness - the Kingdom Key D. He explains that they must close the door lest ruin will befall more worlds. The two fight against wave after wave of Heartless to protect Riku as races to the Door. They successfully protect him, but in the attack Aqua is once again stranded in the Realm of Darkness.
	The trio arrive at End of the World and confront Ansem in a series of epic battles. Ansem summons Kingdom Hearts, intent to take its darkness for himself. Sora, however, is certain that Kingdom Hearts is truly light. With the door open, the light engulfs and destroys Ansem, but they must close quickly it to begin restoration of the worlds destroyed. King Mickey and Riku arrive to help, but the only way to close it fully is from both sides, trapping the latter two in the Realm of Darkness. The door is successfully closed, and Destiny Islands begin to return - with Kairi already back on the beach. Sora, however, is on the other side and cannot reach her, only promising her that he will return one day. Finding themselves on an expansive plain, the three catch glimpse of Pluto with a letter in his mouth - bearing the Hidden Mickey symbol, and begin to chase after him.
	In the middle of the grassy plains, Sora is confronted by a man in a Black Coat - Marluxia, and goaded into setting foot in Castle Oblivion, with the potential of maybe finding Riku or King Mickey inside. As the three journey up the castle and experience the memories of their past adventures, their memories are slowly being rewritten by the witch Namine, while a copy of Riku, the Riku Replica constantly confronts them. Marluxia, along with Larxene, plot to use Namine's power to turn Sora into their puppet in an attempt to initiate a coup within Organization XIII. However another member, Axel, actively betrays and undermines their efforts. It all culminates in a fierce battle against Marluxia at the top of the castle, and the powerful Nobody is destroyed. Namine, however, has completely disrupted Sora's memories and replaced Kairi with herself in his heart. They all agree to restore his original memories, but to do that he must sleep inside a pod for potentially a long amount of time. Meanwhile, Axel takes the Riku Replica with him to enact the next stage of his plan.
	As Sora ventures upwards in Castle Oblivion, Riku is spirited away to its basement levels by an unknown "voice." Three other members of the Organization, Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen are aware of Marluxia's treachery, and plot to turn Riku into their own puppet of darkness as a countermeasure, but they too are foiled at every step. One by one they fall, until Marluxia is finally defeated. Zexion confronts Riku in a final bid to turn him, but fails and is then executed by Riku Replica at Axel's behest. Riku defeats and destroys the Replica and proceeds onward, intent on not letting the darkness consume him. Finally reunited with King Mickey, the voice is eventually revealed to be a man named DiZ, who needs Riku to make a certain "choice." With Namine's help, Riku faces the darkness in his heart - Ansem - and triumphs. Choosing the "road to dawn", Riku and Mickey don the Organization's black coats and ready themselves to protect Sora as he sleeps to regain his memories.

The Dark Seeker Saga - Part 2
	Roxas, devoid of all memories of his past life, tries to enjoy the last week of his summer vacation in the Simulated Twilight Town. Shadowy forces are at work however: Axel, desperate to get his friend back. Diz, a man thirsting for revenge against Organization XIII. Day after day, they continue to upend his life until it culminates in his memories returning to him and a fateful encounter with Sora. Roxas has no choice but to become one with him again, if Sora is to ever regain his memories and awaken. Roxas's summer vacation has come to an end.
	Sora, Donald and Goofy wake from their slumber in Twilight Town, meeting some friendly faces with Hayner's gang, and some not so friendly ones in Seifer's crew. After getting their bearings from Master Yen Sid, and a little bit of help from King Mickey, the three set off on another adventure, determined to stop Organization XIII's machinations. Maleficent also revives back to her old self, having returned back to her natural timeline following her sojourn in Daybreak Town. Oh, and Pete is there too, Maleficent's latest flunky. While he does have control over the Heartless, he's just a few cans shy of a six-pack to be much of a threat.
	The pint-and-a-half trio reunite with Leon's gang in Hollow Bastion. They have been working hard to rebuild the world back to Radiant Garden, and have officially invited Sora and his companions to be the Restoration Committee honorary members. The celebration is short-lived however, as Xemnas and the rest of the survivors of the Organization confront the Keyblade bearer.
	The trio begin their latest quest to protect the worlds from the darkness. Throughout their journey, they encounter many new friends, villains, a few members of the Organization, and foil Pete's many pathetic schemes at every turn.
	Axel goes rogue and plots to turn Sora back into a Heartless, seeing this as the only way to reunite with his best friend Roxas. His latest scheme involves kidnapping Kairi, however she manages to get away from him and find herself in Hayney's hideout. The sanctuary is short-lived however, as Axel quickly finds her and takes her. His own victory too is short lived, as she is promptly taken away from him by Saix, the Organization's second-in-command. Sora and returns to Twilight Town and learns of her appearance - and disappearance there. He confronts Saix, who reveals that Axel is no longer acting in the Organization's best interests and has become a threat to them both. Sora returns to his quest, determined to foil the Organization, find the King and Riku, and rescue Kairi.
	A great darkness approaches Hollow Bastion. Facing an impending attack, the team returns to Leon's gang to help out. On the way, they are reunited with Cloud Strife, meet the perky Tifa, and at long last find King Mickey. Leon's group has discovered Ansem's computer, which they feel will give them some information on Organization XIII. Sora's careless handling of the computer however results in the three of them getting zapped into Space Paranoids, the world that happens to be the operating system that runs the entire castle. After a short adventure with Tron, the three find their way back to the real world.
	King Mickey drops a major bombshell on everyone: The man they had defeated at End of the World wasn't Ansem at all! He was in fact his apprentice, Xehanort, and had taken his master's name and work shortly after banishing him. Some time later, he turned himself and the rest of the apprentices into Nobodies and Heartless. The Nobody that was created in the process, Xemnas, is now the leader of Organization XIII.
	The encroaching darkness has finally arrived at Hollow Bastion. A wave of over a thousand Heartless appears and begins to attack. Everyone begins to work together to fight off the invasion. Sephiroth appears before Sora and begins to seek out Cloud, intent to settle the score.
File:Room of Sleep Aqua's Armor.png	While everyone is busy dealing with the invasion, Xemnas sneaks into the castle's computer room and accesses a hidden spiral staircase that leads to some sort of prison or dungeon. At the end of the hall, he enters the Chamber of Repose, where Aqua's rusted armor has been laid to rest. He sits down on the large and chair and is once more reunited with his "friend."
	As they run to where the Heartless are gathering, Sora and the gang are confronted once more by Demyx, the cowardly Organization member they had a brief encounter with in Olympus Coliseum. Sora's dismissive attitude, however, seems to trigger an emotional response from Demyx. The Melodious Nocturne snaps, and relentlessly attacks the "traitor." After a difficult fight, Demyx is defeated and begins to fade into the darkness, while is left to Sora wonder what had just happened.
	The Battle of the 1000 Heartless begins, as Xemnas removes his hood at long last and reveals his face, gleefully overlooking the battle.
	After the long and arduous battle, the trio and King Mickey confront Xemnas. Xemnas knows nothing of Kairi's whereabouts, however he leaves behind a cryptic clue that Mickey may know something about Riku. Xemnas disappears into a Corridor while Mickey jumps in after him. Suddenly, Axel appears behind them, disappointed that Sora has so easily fell into the Organization's trap. He reveals that their true aim is to use Sora to destroy Heartless and set their Hearts free, thereby allowing Xemnas to create his own artificial Kingdom Hearts. With it, they will have the power to be whole at last. Axel however is forced to flee when Saix appears. Saix cruelly taunts Sora and attempts to goad him into destroying more Heartless, but help arrives from the most unlikely of places: Maleficent comes to their aid and buys them time to escape! Shortly before leaving, Sora finds himself in the Realm of Darkness, with a hooded man gifting him with a white box. Inside the box, a photograph and a bar of sea-salt ice cream. The three depart to continue their quest.
	The trio continue ever onward in their journey, determined to rescue Kairi, Riku, Mickey and foil the Organization - despite the group raising the stakes more than ever. As they revisit the many friends have have made, they make some encounters with the Organization as well. In Beasts's Castle, the group runs into the vicious Xaldin, who attempts to turn Beast into a Heartless and Nobody, but is defeated and destroyed. In Port Royal, the group also meets Luxord, the affable and gentlemanly gambler who has been conducting experiments on the Cursed Medallions.
	A return trip to Hollow Bastion, and to Space Paranoids, finally allows Leon's group to truly begin work on restoring Hollow Bastion to what it truly was - the city of light, Radiant Garden. Later, Sora encounters Sephiroth, who wishes to test the Keyblade bearer's mettle, curious if it will choose him as its new wielder. Despite the master swordsman's formidable skill, Sora ekes out a victory, but Sephiroth shrugs it off and claims only Cloud can defeat him and requests Sora bring him along. Once Cloud arrives, a fierce battle ensues. Tifa appears and tries to help, but the two fly off into the sky and continue their clash. Tifa departs, still determined to find Cloud.
	A strange portal opens in Disney Castle. Sora and the gang pass through it and find themselves in the middle of a dusty badland - the Keyblade Graveyard. There, they encounter the Lingering Will. The Will senses the power in Sora, but confuses him for Xehanort and attacks in a blind rage. Despite the nearly insurmountable odds of facing against the Will's strength, Sora manages to claim victory. The Will however claims it has nothing to give Sora but its sheer hatred for Xehanort, and returns to its rest.
	Something strange is afoot in Twilight Town - Chip and Dale's scanners are picking up two Twilight Towns! The trio returns to investigate and find that Mickey has located Ansem the Wise. He believes that he has infiltrated the Organization's world and plans to enact his revenge plot. The trio, Mickey, and Hayney's group locate the computer that DiZ used to create the Simulated Twilight Town where Roxas resided. Once they enter, they located the portal to the Organization's homeworld, [[The World That Never Was. On their way there, they are attacked by countless Nobodies but Axel appears to lend a hand. In an explosive attack, Axel eliminates all of the Nobodies but fatally injures himself in the process. As he fades away, he admits to Sora that he made him feel the same way Roxas did, and dies with content. The group passes through the gateway and arrive in the alley of a dark city, the Organization's homeworld at long last.
	The group makes their way through the Dark City when Sora is suddenly attacked by a young man in a Black Coat, and transports him to the Station of Awakening. Summoning two Keyblades in hand, a battle ensues with Sora narrowly scraping out a victory. Content with the result, the young man lowers his hood, revealing himself to be Roxas, and admits to Sora that "you make a good other." Sora returns to the Dark City, leaving Donald and Goofy confused as to what just happened.
File:The Freeshooter Xigbar 02 KHII.png	The group finally arrives at Xemnas's castle, and encounter one member of the Organization after another: Xigbar, who appears to know a lot more about Sora and the Keyblade that he lets on; Luxord, who seemed genuinely distraught at "Roxas" slaying him; and lastly, Saix, desperate for a Heart. Along the way, Kairi escapes and finally wields a Keyblade of her own, Riku reveals himself to Sora at long last - still wearing Ansem's face back from his battle with Roxas - and Mickey encounters DiZ, who removes his bandages to reveal he was Ansem the Wise all along. Realizing how much damage his quest for vengeance has hurt the people around him, Ansem departs with Mickey intent to stop Xemnas and atone for his actions. Meanwhile, Maleficent and Pete have also infiltrated the castle, intent to take it for themselves.
	After a battle of ideologies with Xemnas, Ansem sacrifices himself and destroys his Kingdom Hearts. The explosion manages to restore Riku to his true form, and the group pursues Xemnas to the top of the Castle. They defeat him, but Xemnas manages to absorb what is left of Kingdom Hearts for a last ditch effort to destroy Sora and his friends. After a difficult struggle, the group finally defeats Xemnas - seemingly for good.
	The group prepares to depart the Castle when Sora and Kairi are suddenly approached by Roxas and Namine. As their respective Nobodies, the two decide to finally return from whence they came and become one with them. Xemnas, however, is not done, and by summoning a massive Dragon-like machine, isolates Sora and Riku and confronts them in a series of battles. The two eventually win, though Riku sustains some injuries. The two are stranded in the Dark Margin and nearly resign to their fates until Riku chances upon a message-in-a-bottle Kairi had written earlier. This opens a door of pure light that allows the two to finally reunite with everyone in Destiny Islands.
	Following the explosion of his device, Ansem once again finds himself on the shores of the Dark Margin, the place where Xehanort had initially exiled him too. He encounters Aqua, and the two converse. He reveals to her that the worlds had nearly fallen to darkness multiple times, but each time a boy with a Keyblade in hand saved the day. Aqua wonders if this boy was either Terra or Ventus, but Ansem confirms it was neither of them - that it was instead a boy named Sora. Aqua recalls her encounter with Sora, and she smiles as tears of joy stream down her face, he sense of hope renewed at long last.
	Jiminy Cricket discovers a strange message in his journal that he does not recall writing: "Their hurting will be mended when you return to end it." Mickey, Chip and Dale digitize the journal into data in an attempt to decipher the meaning of the message, while Donald and Goofy stick around to see what the fuss is about. The data ends up being corrupted by numerous bugs, so they summon a Data-Sora and try and fix it. Data-Sora relives many of Sora's own adventures from his first journey, though with some differences here and there: The bugs, along with attempts by Maleficent and Pete to to conquer the Datascape. Eventually, it is revealed that a data copy of Namine left that message behind. Sora's own Heart contains painful memories that do not belong to him. If he is to help the people to whom the memories belong, he must endure the hurt. As Data-Sora was capable of enduring it, Mickey departs knowing a difficult new journey lies ahead. Elsewhere, Maleficent confides in Pete that the Journal and the "Date Escape" is strikingly similar to the worlds created by the Book of Prophecies, and intends to take its powers for herself.
	Mickey returns to Yen Sid's tower to explain everything that had transpired. Upon learning that both Xehanort's Heartless and Xemnas have been felled, Yin Sid realizes that this has paved the way for the real Xehanort to revive - Master Xehanort. He orders Mickey to summon Sora and Riku at once, to begin their real training and and earn the Mark of Mastery. Shortly after, the letter from Mickey makes its way to Sora, Riku and Kairi. Realizing that the stakes have never been higher, Sora resoundly answers the call, determined to save everyone hurt by Xehanort's machinations and put a stop to him.