Chapter 17: Castle Sharak

Sora stood all alone on the cliff. He looked at the world below him. It was absolutely horrible. The environment he was in reminded him of the environment he had fought Sharak in for the first time and the present condition of Agrabah, only more so. All the mountains, trees and buildings that surrounded the castle were a towering inferno, the sky was a fiery red colour and everywhere was teeming with darkness. The Keybearer’s eyes narrowed in anger. This was just further proof that Sharak had to be destroyed.

"Hey, Sora!" yelled Adam, "Wait for me!"

Adam ran up to the Keybearer and the two looked at the carnage below in horror and disgust.

"This is your home?" asked Sora.

"Yeah. Not the Ritz anymore, huh? Sharak is one messy housekeeper. Too messy."

"All this should be gone though when Sharak’s destroyed, right?"

"That’s the theory", agreed Adam, "I hope it’s true."

"It has to be", said Sora, "Anyway, whatever happens, too many people have suffered because of Sharak. He has to be stopped once and for all."

"Any ideas how we’re gonna do that?"

"I’ll think of something."

"You’ll mean we’ll improvise?"

"Um...yeah."

"That’s an excellent idea!" agreed Adam.

"I don’t find this funny!" yelled Donald as he and Goofy joined them. All the others soon followed.

"Neither do I", said Adam.

"Yeech!" said Yuffie, "You weren’t kiddin’ when you said Sharak made a mess of your home."

"All the more reason why he has to be stopped", remarked Leon.

"Can we actually DO that?" asked Goofy, "He was bad enough before, but now he’s more powerful! And he’s bonkers too!"

"We have to at least try", said Beast, "So much depends on all of this."

"Our homes, our loved ones", agreed Cloud, "Sharak has already taken too much away from us. There’s no telling how far the darkness will go."

"Which is why we have to put a stop to this senseless violence", finished Hercules.

"It’s sure not going to be easy", said Jack Skellington.

"It never is", replied Aladdin, "But it can be done."

"I certainly hope so", wished Peter Pan, "I honestly do."

"Faith needed", spoke Tarzan, "Faith all you need."

"That can be said for all of us", agreed Genie.

"Okay, then", said Sora, "Everyone ready?"

"Whenever you are, my friend", replied Adam, "Whenever you are."

They all made their way down the cliff and headed towards the castle. Sora, Donald Duck, Goofy, Adam, Hercules, Tarzan, Aladdin, Genie, Carpet, Jack Skellington, Peter Pan, Beast, Leon, Yuffie Kisaragi and Cloud Strife went through the burning town that surrounded Castle Sharak. There were no human residents left. They had all died when the Heartless and Sharak invaded eleven years ago. All of Adam’s friends and family were no more; he was the only living resident of Castle Mahanah still alive.

After passing through the town, Sora and friends followed the long path that led to the main gates of Sharak’s fortress. They were a quarter of the way there when tens of thousands of Heartless materialised and surrounded the heroes. Virtually every type of Heartless was at the castle. Almost every Heartless that they had all seen before was there, ready to kill and maim. Everyone looked in shock around them.

"Whoa!" said Goofy.

"Heartless everywhere!" yelled Tarzan.

"Where did they all come from?!" shouted Peter, "How did..."

"AH, WHO CARES?!" yelled Adam as he ran up to the nearest Guard Armour, leapt at it and punched a hole right through it. The gigantic Heartless shuddered violently as the torso disintegrated and Adam destroyed the other body parts in seconds. Everyone looked on in astonishment as Adam continued tearing through the Heartless like they never existed.

"Come on, Heartless slime!" roared the Saviour’s brother as he grabbed a Stealth Sneak by its tail, swinging it round and round, sending all the other creatures flying as he battered them with the giant chameleon, "You can all do better than this!"

Adam let go of the Stealth Sneak after swinging it above his head at top speed. It fell on some Powerwild Heartless, flattening them into nothingness instantly.

"Come on, guys!" laughed Adam as he finished off some Bandits, "Party-Hearty!"

"You heard the man!" laughed Sora as he eradicated some Soldiers with one Keyblade strike, "Don’t be shy!"

All the others soon joined in the battle. Donald used his Graviga magic to flatten some Invisibles before turning towards some Darkballs and casting a Thundaga spell on them, decimating them in an instant. He then cast Blizzaga spell after Blizzaga spell on some Red Nocturnes, laughing his head off as they fell one by one.

"This is the most fun I’ve ever had in my life!" laughed the Royal Wizard.

Hercules ran up to a nearby boulder, hoisted it above his head and hurled it at the Heartless. Many Shadows were flattened. The demi-god then noticed a boulder that was bigger than the biggest house in the town.

"Hey, Beast, give me a hand!"

Beast finished eradicating some Wyverns with a Furious Bellow and ran over to help the demi-god. Using their combined strength, Hercules and Beast lifted the enormous boulder up over their heads and threw it far towards a group of Darksides. They were flattened instantly.

Up in the sky, Genie and Peter Pan battled against the Air Soldiers, Air Pirates, Battleships and Gargoyles. Jack Skellington boarded Carpet and the two took off into the sky. Carpet’s amazing speed allowed Jack to use his powerful magic on the Heartless in the sky with tremendous speed. Genie and Peter were also using their powerful magic to good effect. One by one, the dark creatures were falling out of the sky.

Cloud glided around at top speed, destroying dozens of Defenders with one sword strike. He continued to do so for the next several minutes before landing and speed dashing all over the place with his sword held outwards in front of him. He then proceeded to jump high into the air, plunging his sword down into the ground whilst landing and creating enormously powerful shockwaves that decimated hundreds of Soldiers.

"Here I come!" shouted Aladdin as he unleashed his Sandstorm attack on several Black Funguses. The mushroom-like Heartless were easily obliterated. Aladdin then delivered his Crescent attack on several Wyverns that dived down on him. They were easily destroyed. The prince of Agrabah continued hacking and slashing away as some Pot Spiders charged towards him, only to be shattered to pieces.

Leon shot powerful blasts from his Gunblade, which wiped out many Search Ghosts. After destroying a few more Wight Knights, Leon charged up his Gunblade. The weapon enlarged with tremendous power and the twenty seven-year-old wielder of the Gunblade ran towards more Heartless, obliterating hundreds and hundreds of the dark creatures with the ungodly power of the charged weapon. Energy blasts destroyed many Opposite Armours and many more sword strikes finished off several severely injured Behemoths.

After eliminating many Wizards with ninja stars, kicks and punches, Yuffie took a page out of Leon’s book and charged one of her ninja stars. It enlarged with tremendous power and easily tore a path through many Stealth Sneaks as soon as Yuffie threw it. It span through the Heartless, tearing many of them apart, before returning to Yuffie. The weapon returned to its normal size and the female ninja carried on with her "hit and run" tactics.

Tarzan used his amazing agility and quickness to dodge all the attacks coming from the Savages and used his spear to make short work of them. Cut-throats ran in to the attack only to be impaled as the jungle hero threw his spear at them. After recovering his weapon, Tarzan cast an Aeroga spell on himself and went back to the attack. The powerful wind magic eradicated any Shadows that were stupid enough to attack the jungle hero whilst he took care of some Bouncywilds.

Goofy charged dozens and dozens of Hybrids. As soon as they were no more, he delivered a Tornado attack on some Barrel Spiders, smashing them into splinters. The Court Guard then proceeded to bulldoze through some more Hybrids, sending them flying in all directions. He continued ploughing through the Heartless, shunting them into oblivion.

As for Sora, well he was having no problems at all. All Heartless were devastated by the awesome power of the Keyblade. The Sonic Blade attack dashed through many a Shadow and the Strike Raid easily wiped out the Soldiers that came after Sora. The Keybearer then unleashed a Ragnarok attack on a Darkside. The combination of destructive Keyblade strikes tore into the giant Heartless and the Impact shots that followed soon felled it.

"Are you watching us, Sharak?!" shouted Sora as he and the others continued tearing through the gigantic army of Heartless, "Are you watching us with FEAR?! Well, you should. Because when we’re through with the small fry...WE’RE COMING FOR YOU!!!"

On a balcony, hundreds of feet high on top of the castle, Sharak watched the titanic conflict. He just stared aimlessly at Sora and his friends as they decimated his children. The source of all darkness knew that the final battle was coming closer and closer to actually happening. He was lost in deep thought as he planned his next move.

"Emperor", said Jafar as he walked up to the creature, "I..."

"Interrupt me again and I’ll devour you from the inside", spoke Sharak calmly, "Can’t you see I’m thinking?"

The creature then smacked his hand hard on his head continuously.

"Think! Think! Think!"

"What about the last piece of the puzzle?"

"I’m GETTING to that", replied Sharak, "I’m just thinking about medicine, that’s all."

Jafar looked at Sharak in total disrespect. He greatly preferred the source of all darkness the way he was originally. Brilliantly intelligent, focused and...well, sane. Ever since taking the darkness from the keyhole at Hollow Bastion and his defeat at Sora’s hands, he had changed into an insane creature who still had the same aims but acted like he belonged in a mental institution. The genie knew that there was nothing he or any other member of the Council of Darkness could do to rehabilitate their formerly sane, focused and brilliant leader. His refusal to accept what had happened at Hollow Bastion drove him over the edge and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"Emperor", began Jafar, trying as best as he could to disguise his disgust, "We’re losing a staggering number of warriors. Those fools are greatly outnumbered and yet they are...going through the Heartless like they don’t even exist. As your most trusted advisor, I must highly recommend that we proceed in continuing your regeneration. You alone are powerful enough to open the door by yourself in seconds. I must insist that you do so before the Keybearer and his army get inside the castle and ruin everything."

Sharak turned around with a smile on his face.

"There, there now", replied the creature, "Uncy Sharak won’t let anything bad happen. I just want a chance to perform the greatest show in the universe. You’ll see what I mean later on."

The two left the balcony and entered the throne room. They were on their way down to the conference room when they past Hades and Oogie Boogie. The god of the Underworld and the demon looked at Sharak as he walked past.

"Still flipped", whispered Hades, "He’s got a crack in his head that just can’t be sealed."

"He just can’t accept the fact that he got beat by that little punk", agreed Oogie Boogie, "It happened to us and he just can’t admit that it happened to him as well. The so-called "superior of all".

Hades and Oogie Boogie sniggered. Unfortunately, their sniggers, or whispers for that matter, were not silent enough to avoid Sharak’s hearing. He leapt at the two, kicking Hades across the room where he crashed against the wall and choking Oogie Boogie.

"I...DID...NOT...LOSE!!!" screamed the emperor, "That so-called "battle" didn’t count! He didn’t stop me from making the mission a success! That makes him the loser! NOT me!"

"You...you can still...beat him!" replied the demon as he gasped for air, "You can...still...kill him!"

"I ALREADY BEAT HIM, YOU WORTHLESS SACK OF INSECTS!!!" roared Sharak, "I ALREADY KILLED HIM!!! I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN!!!"

Sharak then threw Oogie Boogie at Hades before erupting into a towering inferno and nearly incinerating the two. They stood blackened before falling flat on their faces, completely unconscious.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DAYS WHEN PEOPLE JUST LAID DOWN AND DIED??!!" bellowed the source of all darkness, "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DAYS WHEN EVERYBODY FOLLOWED THE RULES??!! MY RULES!!! THIS UNIVERSE IS BROKEN!!! IT DOESN’T WORK PROPERLY ANYMORE!!! EVERYTHING’S GONE MAD!!! MAD, DO YOU HEAR??!!"

All the council members just stared at him.

"Now, if there is anyone else who wishes to disagree with me, let them speak now..."

Sharak’s eyes burned brighter then they had ever done before as he charged all his power into his right fist and showed it to the council.

"...IF THEY WANT TO ROT IN THE REALM OF DEATH!!!"

No one did say anything. They didn’t dare.

"Good", said Sharak as he calmed down, "Now return to your duties and proceed to the dungeon when I call for you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, emperor", said the council.

"I can’t hear you!"

"Yes, emperor!"

Sharak turned and walked out of the throne room. Jafar healed Hades and Oogie Boogie and all except two left to carry on what they were doing.

"What do you make of all this, Maleficent?"

"Clearly, you were not exaggerating, Sephiroth. Sharak’s paranoia concerning the Keybearer has reached unprecedented heights. This could prove very damaging to our cause."

"The emperor’s current state of mind leaves us with two options", said the One Winged Angel, "Either try and repair this mental instability he has suffered, which is next to impossible, or destroy him and follow in his once brilliant footsteps, which really, is the only option available to us."

"You are wrong", replied the mistress of all evil, "Anything is possible. If we can destroy the Keybearer and help him succeed in reclaiming what was once his, then Sharak’s sanity should be restored. Still, you are also right. The only other option is remove him and take his place but that will be extremely difficult. He was more powerful than any of us to begin with, and now that he’s in this condition, he’s proving far too dangerous for us to stand up against."

"Whatever choice we make will be a most difficult one", said Sephiroth, "The ultimate question is: which option do we go for?"

"A very good question indeed", answered Maleficent, "But then again, maybe we won’t have to choose. Sharak can do it for us."

"Explain."

"If Sharak can bring his plan to fruition, then he will be cured and we will still glory by ruling all in his name. On the other hand, the Keybearer has defeated Sharak once before and can possibly destroy him. If that should occur, that is when we shall act."

"I understand", replied Sephiroth, "If it looks like the Keybearer will destroy the source of all darkness, then we will enter the battle alongside him and complete the kill. With him shocked by our...assistance, we can take advantage of the confusion and be rid of him and his friends once and for all, leaving this universe ours for the taking. If it does not happen that way, then things shall proceed as planned. Whatever happens, we win."

"Indeed", smiled Maleficent, "Another thought has just occurred to me, though. Do we include the others on this? They too share the same...let us say, temporary loathing for the creature."

"No. They are fools. They believe Sharak to be the ultimate power. They do not understand that WE are greater then even the almighty source. Far more intelligent and understanding then ANYONE. They cannot appreciate that. They do not deserve to share with us."

"So it is settled. We shall continue to watch the proceedings. With great interest, of course."

Maleficent and Sephiroth smiled as they left the throne room. In the dungeon, a figure looked in front of him. He didn’t know what to make of the environment he was in. It was like he had only just been born. He looked to see countless Heartless bow down before him. The man instantly recognised the creatures but he didn’t recognise the eight-foot demon that stood in front of them and walked up to him with a smile on his face.

"At last!" smiled Sharak, "The final part of the collection that I’ve wanted for so long! The missing piece in the jigsaw! The CD I’ve needed to complete my heavy metal selection! The...well, I’m sure you get the idea."

The man looked at Sharak. He could tell this was the ultimate darkness before him. More powerful than anything he had ever encountered.

"Supreme darkness", remarked the man.

"Got it one, my friend", smiled the emperor, "I owe you so much. Your reputation alone makes you more than worthy to be in my house, let alone a part of the glorious truth that total darkness shall conquer all worlds! As well as making everything look soooooo much nicer."

Sharak held his hand out to the man.

"Make your dreams come true with me, my friend", smiled the source of all darkness, "I can help you find what you’ve been looking for all your life. Please say "yes". I’m your number one fan. I’ve got loads of your memorabilia. Could you sign it all for me, please?"

Hours passed.

All the Heartless had been completely wiped out. Sora and everyone else made it to the main gates and they all entered inside. They went through the main entrance hall to see what Sharak had done to Adam’s home. Adam looked at all the paintings of Sharak killing his greatest opponents. He sneered to see Jaron and Mahanah included in the paintings. He thought the ranking concept was just ridiculous. Sharak had ranked Mahanah at the bottom and Jaron at the top. This didn’t mean anything to the late Saviour’s brother. He just seethed in hatred and thought how pathetic Sharak was being.

"Easy, Adam", said Leon as he put his hand on Adam’s shoulder, "Easy."

At the end of the hall, Sora looked to see another shock. Everyone else noticed the being standing by the window, looking out of it. They all ran up to her.

"Kairi!" shouted Sora.

Kairi giggled and giggled. Her giggles then turned into horrible, maniacal laughter. One that everyone knew all too well. Everyone skidded to a halt. Sora couldn’t believe all these sick and tedious "jokes" he was enduring.

"What’s the matter, Sora?" asked Kairi. Her voice sounded identical to the one Sora knew so well, "Aren’t you happy to see me alive? Don’t you want to kiss me..."

Kairi turned round to face the others. Her mouth was exactly the same as Sharak’s. "She" smiled evilly and spoke in the usual voice. Where it sounded like it was more than one person talking.

"...because you’re afraid I’m gonna bite?!"

"Kairi" morphed into the eight-foot demon form of Sharak.

"KAIRI!!!" screamed Sora as he tried running over to Sharak. Donald and Goofy were doing everything they could to hold him back.

"You’re wasting your breath, kiddo!" smiled Sharak, "She can’t hear you. She’s mine now. I have to admit she was very tasty. She looked tasty and she was tasty."

Sharak belched. The Keybearer nearly went berserk but only the calming influence of his friends prevented him from giving into rage.

"Still refusing to give in, huh? You’re only delaying the inevitable. You ALL are. Everyone has to give into darkness sooner or later, whether it be hatred, death or any other form of darkness. Why, was it not the great Ansem himself who spoke about all hearts returning to little old me when they expire? Was it not Jaron who realised what an idiot he had been to try and fight darkness when he gave in to it in the end? Wasn’t it Riku who realised how weak people are when they accept the light? Darkness is the heart’s true essence. I put it there to make people realise that. The people I mentioned have and so have others. Yet you idiots clearly won’t. Why?"

"Because we know you’re wrong", said Sora, "Everything you’ve said is a complete lie. Not everyone gives in to darkness. We haven’t. True, Ansem did and so did Riku and Jaron but they both overcame it. The heart may be frail and it may give into darkness but it CAN overcome it. Strength given by family and friends can make the heart more powerful than any darkness in the universe. It amplifies a light that can never be extinguished. Darkness may shroud light but it can’t ever erase it. Darkness on the other hand, CAN be erased. Light cancels darkness. It always has and it always will. Light stopped you before and it can stop you again. And it can erase you, your creations, and all the other damage you’ve caused from this universe forever. And in the end, that’s the truth."

Wings sprouted out of Sharak’s back and he flew off the ground a little.

"Wow", said the source of all darkness as he clapped his hands, "That was an impressive speech. I find it so hard to believe that you managed to tie it in all so nicely with what I’m about to say. Sixteen years. It’s been sixteen whole years of life for you, Sora. In all that time, you would’ve thought you would’ve understood everything by now. But clearly you don’t. You’re still as stupid now as you were when you were first born. You still understand nothing. You’ll never be able to comprehend anything. That long-winded speech of yours is further proof of that. EVERY light has to fade!!! EVERY heart belongs to me!!!"

"Oh yeah?!" shouted Donald as he brought forth his staff and prepared for battle, "Says who?!"

Everyone else readied himself or herself for the upcoming conflict.

"You’re outnumbered, Sharak", remarked Cloud, "You’ve got no chance."

"Yeah, right!" laughed the creature, "I could send you all six feet under with my eyes closed and all my limbs cut off if I was on my own! But then, it’s not much fun playing without a friend. I’d much prefer to play with a friend, especially if it’s my kindred spirit and highly cherished idol."

"Huh?"

A familiar figure entered into the hallway. Everyone who knew him gasped in shock. Sora couldn’t believe it.

"Ansem?!"

"Keybearer."

Everyone couldn’t believe it. Sharak was bad enough but with the seeker of darkness resurrected, and probably at the peak of his powers, to help him, this was going to be a lot tougher then they expected.

"And now, Ansem, old buddy, old pal", smiled the emperor, "Do a favour for your biggest fan and kill all those little, insolent pains in the butt. Pretty please with sugar on top?"

Sora and the others braced themselves for whatever Ansem might do. What he did do though, was totally unexpected and took everyone completely by surprise. Ansem ripped the Heartless emblem off his cloak and threw it to the floor. Sora and the others couldn’t believe it. Sharak’s eyes widened in shock and his mouth dropped when Ansem swung round to reveal what he had done. Shock soon turned into pain as Ansem charged his hands with the power of LIGHT and unleashed a powerful blast on the source of all darkness. Sharak screamed as the immense light tore through him and sent him crashing through the window.

"Did...did...did you just see that?!" asked Sora.

"I saw it", confessed Adam, "But I sure as heck don’t BELIEVE it!!!"

Ansem smiled and turned round to see all the surprised faces looking at him. He then bowed to them all.

"Alright", said Yuffie, "What’s going on?!"

"I can understand the resurrection part", said Sora, "But that..."

"I was mistaken", explained the former ruler of Hollow Bastion, "Everything you said about light and darkness two years ago was absolutely true."

"What?"

"When Kingdom Hearts opened, I thought darkness would emerge. I was wrong. It was light. As I was destroyed, my soul and heart was cleansed of evil and darkness. What remained of me after my death was purged of what had corrupted me in my previous life. Sharak resurrected me, clearly unaware of what had happened."

"He’s lying!" yelled Goofy.

"It’s gotta be a trick!" agreed Donald.

"No", said Leon, "He’s not lying. It isn’t a trick."

"Huh?!"

"This is how he was before the darkness took over him", explained Cloud, "Kind, gentle and noble. Always putting his people as well as others before himself and his needs."

"We know this is how he was when he embraced the light", continued Leon, "Always thinking of the welfare of those he cherished. He’s returned to his old self."

"Our leader is back", agreed Yuffie as she, Cloud and Leon bowed down before their one-time ruler. Ansem smiled at all of them.

"Squall, Cloud and Yuffie", the researcher remarked, "It is good to see you all again."

Ansem then turned to Sora, who along with Donald, Goofy and everyone else, couldn’t believe this was all happening.

"I’m not going to ask for your forgiveness...Sora", spoke Ansem, "I don’t deserve it. My actions are irredeemable."

Sora stopped gaping in surprise and then smiled.

"Look, two of my best friends went down the same path that you took", explained the Keybearer, "They were both used and manipulated by the darkness. It can easily happen to anyone. You weren’t used or manipulated, you accepted the darkness. But you admitted that you were corrupted and you acknowledged your actions as a mistake. Maybe you can’t redeem yourself but you at least took a step in trying to do so. You took the biggest step imaginable and that means you’ll forever have my respect."

Sora held his hand out and Ansem accepted it. The two shook hands, buried the hatchet between them and made peace with their past differences. All the others soon smiled and forgave Ansem. Then all of a sudden, a powerful laser blast sent everyone flying in all directions across the entrance hall. Sora groggily looked up to see a very "ticked off" Sharak making his way back in to the room with a look of pain, insanity and rage across his face. His eyes widened with anger and glowing bright red, his teeth grinding against one another and a hideous growl coming from his mouth.

"I am starting", said Sharak, "Just starting to really lose my temper now."

"Aw", said Genie sympathetically, "Is the big, bad, nasty Sharak gonna start CRYING?"

"THAT DOES IT!!!" roared the source of all darkness, "I’M GONNA RIP YOU ALL INTO PIECES SO SMALL THAT YOU’D NEED A MICROSCOPE TO SEE ‘EM!!! I MEAN IT THIS TIME!!! I’M REALLY GONNA..."

Sharak didn’t finish his sentence. Adam leapt in and punched him so hard that he sent the creature flying through the wall into one of the nearby museums. Everyone joined in the attack. Fists, weapons, magic, phenomenal cosmic power, supernatural strength all came into contact with emperor as he screamed like never before.

"You’ve said enough, big mouth!" yelled Peter.

"Yeah, some of us needed to bring extra barf bags for every time you talked!" agreed Jack.

"And a couple of sleeping bags as well for you’re indescribably long speeches!" agreed Genie.

"Simply put, Sharak", said Adam, "Everyone’s sick and tired of you! No pun intended, of course."

Sharak knew that he was being weakened fast. Too much power was being inflicted on him, resulting in him being unable to mount some form of counter-attack. As he was being decimated all throughout his castle, Maleficent and Sephiroth watched with interest. Sharak was becoming ripe for his fall.

"Shall we participate?" asked Maleficent.

"No", said Sephiroth, "Let’s see how well the "superior of all" fares for a few more minutes."

The slaughter then proceeded to the dungeon. Sharak fell to the centre of the enormous room, critically wounded. Sora approached him, ready to finish the job. At long last, it would be over.

"You’ve had this coming to you for a long time, Sharak", said Sora, "Too long."

Sora held the Keyblade high above Sharak, ready to bring it down and destroy him forever. A sly smile slowly crept on the injured emperor’s face.

"Ever...been...had?" grunted the source of all darkness innocently.

"Huh?"

A colossal roar sounded. Everyone looked around them in sheer shock as five twenty-foot creatures surrounded the heroes. They were like giant humanoids, pretty similar to Hybrids except there wasn’t a trace of human presence inside them. They were the same colour as Darkballs but were the same shape and build as fully-grown humans. They possessed yellow point-blank eyes, a horrible looking mouth and a sort of arrowhead shaped head that pointed downwards. Putting it simply, they were like present and past versions of Sharak combined in one. They all opened their mouths and a purple light flickered inside them. Sharak chuckled as he knew what was going to happen next.

"Gotcha."

Sora and friends screamed as the immense power of the creature’s unleashed a powerful and combined energy blast that nearly destroyed them where they all stood. They all fell to the ground, injured and unconscious. Sharak regenerated and smiled at his fallen enemies.

You can all come down to the dungeon now, spoke Sharak to the other council members via telepathy, I think you’ll all be pleased with the surprise I’ve got in store for you.

Everyone made their way down to the dungeon. Maleficent and Sephiroth walked down together, discussing their next move.

"Maybe we should have interfered", spoke the One Winged Angel.

"Perhaps", replied the mistress of all evil, "But his intelligence still remains. Maybe there is hope for him, after all."

"Only time will tell", said Sephiroth, "But it will be most interesting to see exactly how we’ll come out of this victorious."

"Indeed it will, Sephiroth", smiled Maleficent, "Indeed it will."