Chapter 5: Sephiroth Returns
The space cruiser landed smoothly outside the entrance gates to the Olympus Coliseum. Sora, Jaron, Donald and Goofy exited out of the vessel and walked through the entrance into the Coliseum itself. Sora and King Mickey’s followers remembered the place like they had only been there yesterday. They remembered all their previous victories. They had won the Phil, Pegasus and Hercules Cups as well as the biggest one of them all: the Hades Cup.
The trio had defeated every opponent there was to fight here and won every competition there was to enter.
The coliseum wasn’t exactly a world in great peril but the trio had visited it numerous times nevertheless. It helped a great deal in terms of training and exercise and they had received many words of wisdom, which helped turn them into heroes. Also, Hades was there. A dangerous adversary and one that had to be dealt with, which they did.
“My father had often dreamed of competing here”, spoke Jaron, “He told me great stories about the heroes who came here to fight evil monsters.”
“I never knew your dad was a hero”, said Sora.
“He was a remarkable warrior. He’d always felt he should compete here but he had his hands full with other things.”
“Like what?”
“Maybe I’ll explain some other time”, said Jaron, “You said you won every competition here?”
“Yup!” said Goofy; “We beat everything they threw at us!”
“We proved that we’re heroes at this place!” This came from Donald.
“Come on”, said Sora, “Let see if Hercules is here”.
The four entered the lobby of the Coliseum. When they entered, they saw Phil, the satyr and trainer of heroes, cleaning the lobby of the coliseum. He had his back turned and didn’t notice the four entering. Sora walked up to him.
“Hey, Phil! Have you seen…”
“Nice timing, Herc!” said Phil, who was still cleaning with his back turned, “Help me clean up will ya? We’ve gotta get ready for the games.”
“Uh…Phil?”
“What?!”
“It’s US.”
Phil stopped cleaning and swung round. He instantly recognised the person in front of him.
“Oh, hey kid!” greeted the satyr, as he shook hands with Sora, “Long time no see! So what brings the undefeated champions back to the coliseum after a two year absence?”
“Business. We need to talk to Hercules, Phil. It’s urgent.”
“Sorry, kid, but he’s off visiting his dad. Can I take a message?”
“We really need to talk to him in person”, said Jaron, “What we have to say is something he needs to hear for himself.”
Phil just stared at Jaron. He looked at him from head to toes and then at his face for a few seconds before erupting into laughter.
“Nice outfit, kid!” said Phil as soon as he stopped laughing, “But this place is for heroes only, not for those looking for the nearest fancy dress party!”
“Hey, he’s a hero just like us!” argued Donald.
“He looks it, Donald, I’ll admit that. But I’ve had dozens of clowns, claiming they were heroes, who got dressed up nice only to get their butts handed to them by monsters who made them cry just by lookin’ at ‘em!”
“I’m different.”
“Oh yeah? How?”
“Give me a chance”, asked Jaron, “And I’ll show you.”
“He’s the Saviour”, said Goofy as he put his hands on Jaron’s shoulders, “You’ll be pleased with what he can do.”
“Okay, I’ll put him to the test”, relented Phil, “Come with me to the arena.”
The five of them exited the lobby and walked out into the arena itself. Phil walked over to a lever and pulled it. Several stone platforms and pedestals emerged out of the ground. The satyr then walked over to another lever pulled it and dozens of barrels rolled out. Phil spent the next few minutes stacking barrels on top of the pedestals and platforms as well as on top of each other. When he was finished, he walked up to Jaron with a stopwatch in his hand.
“Okay, kid. There’s a hundred barrels there. You got thirty seconds to destroy ‘em all.”
“What?!” exclaimed Sora, “I only had twenty or so barrels to deal with and you gave ME thirty seconds when I was training for the games!”
“Yeah, well you set a new standard of competition, Sora!” explained Phil, “If the standard of the competition increases, so does the standard of the training! Besides, some rookies who entered the games passed this trial.”
“Some?!”
“Yeah, feather-brain, some! I’d say about three passed this trial and the best time was twenty-nine seconds.”
“That’s fine with me”, agreed Jaron.
“Okay, kid. Ready…Go!”
Jaron didn’t waste time. He leapt to the highest platform and with one swift swing of his sword, destroyed all six barrels that were on top of the platform. He leapt off the platform and threw his sword to one side. It tore through ten of the barrels that were in its path like they weren’t even there. He hurled a shower of ninja stars at the four barrels that were in front of them which exploded instantly. He somersaulted towards the next lot of barrels and landed on top of two of them, crushing them with one foot each. With a flurry of kicks and punches, he quickly destroyed ten more barrels. He jumped high into the air again, back-flipped in mid-air unleashing a shower of orbs on barrels below that weren’t under Jaron directly. Twenty-eight more barrels were destroyed. Sora, Donald and Goofy continued cheering the Saviour on whilst Phil just stared with his mouth wide open in awe.
The Saviour rolled towards his discarded sword, and jump-slashed eight more barrels that were stacked on top of one another. He then plunged his sword into the ground and a trail of light spread across the ground destroying another twelve. Jaron then hurled his sword towards another row of barrels. Another ten were destroyed whilst the sword was impaled in the wall at the far end of the arena. The Saviour then used his agility to leap from platform to platform to pedestal to pedestal. The remaining ten barrels that were scattered over the arena were eliminated one by one in a matter of seconds with punches and kicks.
Jaron landed on the floor of the arena to be greeted by the approval and congratulations of his friends. Phil came out of his trance as soon as Jaron had finished and stopped the timer on the stopwatch he’d been using. The satyr’s eyes widened as he looked at the time displayed.
“And my time was?” asked Jaron.
“S…seven seconds.”
Jaron smiled as Sora and the others shook his hand and congratulated him even more. The Saviour then held his hand out as looked to the wall at the far end of the arena and his weapon freed itself and returned to the grasp of its master. Jaron then put away his sword and turned to Phil who only looked at the sixteen-year-old in amazement.
“Holy Hannah.”
“Are you satisfied now?”
“Okay, so I put my hoof in my mouth!” shouted Phil, regaining his composure, “I gotta admit, kid, that was really somethin’! You could be a real hero one-day. You’re more than welcome to enter the games.”
“I would appreciate the honour”, thanked Jaron, “But that will have to wait some other time. We need to talk to Hercules. It’s very important.”
“I haven’t a clue when he’ll be back but you four are more than welcome to wait for him.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do”, said Sora, “In the meantime, I’ll think we will enter the games, get some practice in.”
“There’s a match available that you might be interested in. It’s up against a few mystery opponents.”
“Who are they?” asked Goofy.
“Two words”, said Phil, “I haven’t got a clue. Now are you interested in participating?”
“Uh-huh!” said Donald.
“Then I’ll go and clean up for the battle. You guys get ready in the lobby.”
The four exited the arena to get ready whilst Phil cleaned up all the remains of barrels that were left. Whilst entering the lobby, Jaron asked Sora, “I’m just curious. Can he count properly?”
“He tries to sum up things in a few words and rarely achieves it”, explained Sora, laughing.
Meanwhile, whilst Phil was cleaning up, Hades had observed the entire exercise and the conversation with glee. A crooked smile slowly began to creep up on his face as he looked behind the bars of the gate that allowed combatants to step into the arena to meet any challengers and heroes. He walked away from the gate and ventured into the darkness to confer with his partner.
“We got our first challengers, bud”, said the god of the Underworld, “and I’ll give you three guesses who they are and the first two don’t count.”
Sephiroth just stared at Hades. He walked past him and looked behind the gate to see Sora and friends step out of the lobby, ready for battle. The One Winged Angel sneered at the sight of the Keybearer. He then turned around to Hades.
“Do whatever you want with the Saviour and the king’s fools”, spoke Sephiroth, “But understand this: the Keybearer is mine.”
“You’d be surprised at how many times I’ve heard that”, replied Hades, “Why it’s been about…wait a minute, you’re the first one I’ve heard to say that the KEYBEARER is yours! First time for everything I suppose. Still, I suppose it surprised you…being the first.”
“I don’t find you amusing.”
“Oh, come on, man! Live a little! You got a job to do that Sharak knows you’ll enjoy, so be happy that you’ve got it!”
“I am extremely thankful that the emperor has given me this opportunity”, replied Sephiroth, “But I’ll enjoy it my own way.”
The One Winged Angel left to prepare himself. Hades just looked at him whilst he exited.
“And I thought that kid Cloud lacked personality.”
Back in the arena, Sora and the others were discussing tactics for whatever possibilities might occur.
“If it’s Heartless, I say we split up and take them on a group each”, said Sora.
“And if it’s something else?”
“Simple. We’ll improvise.”
“I’m not sure if improvisation will be enough”, doubted Jaron.
“We have experience at the coliseum, Jaron. We know what we’re doing.”
“If you say so.”
“Just stop worrying and trust us, will ya?”
“Donald, you know I trust all three of you with my life.”
“Then stop worrying, pal!” said Goofy; “We’re undefeated! And we’ve got you to help us! What could possibly go wrong?”
“I am so, so, sooooooo glad you asked that”, answered Hades. The Keyblade Master, the Saviour and King Mickey’s followers swung round to see the god of the Underworld, smiling and waving at them.
“How ya doin’, kid? Still tickin’? Bad, bad.”
“Still using the coliseum to try and get rid of me, huh?” said the Keybearer, “Very repetitive and unoriginal, Hades.”
“Yeah, well…it works for me.”
“Like the time you tried using Cloud?” asked Sora.
“Or the time you unleashed Cerberus?” asked Donald.
“Or the time you hosted the Hades cup?” asked Goofy.
“Or the time…”
“ENOUGH!!!” roared Hades as he turned red and exploded into a towering inferno. The references to his previous schemes to eliminate Sora hit him harder than an asteroid. The last time they met, Hades had devised many schemes to get rid of the Keybearer and his friends so he could rule all worlds. And all of his schemes had failed. Sora’s persistence had infuriated the god of the Underworld time and time again, and he didn’t like being reminded of it. Hades relaxed but still breathed heavily with smoke trailing from him.
“Okay, okay, I’m chilled, I’m fine.”
“I don’t mean to nit-pick but all your schemes failed before”, said Sora, “What makes you think this one will work?”
“Well I have a new friend and he’s kinda on the helpful side. Added to the fact that I’m being backed by royalty, I’d say the cards are stacked in my favour.”
“If Sharak thinks that sending only two of his allies to eliminate us is going to be successful”, said Jaron, “He’s sorely mistaken.”
“Well, let’s find out as we all get geared up for tonight’s thrilling main event!” declared the god of the Underworld, “In the red corner, the challengers. The unbeaten champions of Olympus Coliseum, the goofiest circus clowns in all of goofland…the Keybearer, the king’s jesters and some kid in a playsuit! And in the cool blue corner, the king of kings. Unquestionably…one of the greatest manipulators and masterminds of them all, the great god of the Underworld, the one, the only…HADES! And to a lesser extent, his tag team partner, Sephiroth.”
A great light appeared in the night sky and a column of light focused in on the spot next to Hades. The light faded and before Sora and the others, much to the their shock, was the One Winged Angel, knelt down besides Hades with his back turned on his adversaries. He rose slowly and then turned around to face the Keybearer. He held his arm out and his enormously long sword appeared in his hand. He glared at Sora in silence, who in turn, looked back at Sephiroth in seriousness. The Keyblade master knew that this would be extremely difficult. The last time he fought Sephiroth, it had proven to be a long, hard-fought and enduring battle. Sora had barely managed to survive, let alone triumph.
After several seconds of silence, Sephiroth spoke. “Over the last two years, there has never been a day when I haven’t dreamt of this moment.”
“So Sharak decided to resurrect you too, did he?”
“Who said I was dead in the first place?”
“Well I saw you die”, replied Sora.
“Things are never what they seem, Keyblade master. Even the awesome power the Keyblade possesses isn’t enough to rid you of me. Unfortunately for you, I can rid myself of you because I don’t take humiliating defeats lightly.”
“You know, you’re a really sore loser, Sephiroth”, taunted Sora as he and the others revealed their weapons and readied themselves for battle. The One Winged Angel teleported and struck Sora from behind with his sword. The Keybearer felt the immense pain of Sephiroth’s sword slashing him in the back and immediately fell to the floor only for his adversary to teleport in front of him and kick him in the face. Jaron rushed to help Sora whilst Donald and Goofy attacked Hades.
Sephiroth continued his relentless assault on Sora, teleporting in and out of thin air striking the sixteen-year-old with viciously powerful sword strikes. Sora lay almost lifeless in front of the One Winged Angel. Sephiroth held his sword high above the Keybearer, ready to cut him in two. Before his sword could come down though, Jaron stunned Sephiroth with a vicious kick to the back of the head. The Saviour cast a heal spell on Sora, who recovered instantly and joined his friend in their attack on the enemy.
Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy continued their attack on Hades. The Chief Magician used his magic primarily for healing purposes and Blizzaga attacks. They had proven most effective in “cooling down” Hades before and were once more doing the job. Goofy charged the God of the Underworld with his shield and then hit him repeatedly with his Tornado attack. Angered by the attacks he was receiving, Hades turned bright red again. Donald and Goofy tried striking him but their attacks were in vain. They had forgotten that when Hades was bright red, he was invulnerable to any attack. He erupted into flames again and chased after the notorious duo, rotating with his arms outstretched with flames ten feet long fanning out from each arm. Donald and Goofy tried running but the god of the Underworld was too fast for them. He clipped them with the fire he was emitting many times. Donald tried using his heal magic to help him and Goofy recover from the severe burns but Hades swatted the Royal Wizard to one side with his fiery hand, burning him even more. Hades reverted back to his greyish blue self and launched a fireball at Goofy. The captain of the Royal Knights blocked it with his shield and charged the god of the Underworld again. This time, Hades was ready and allowed Goofy to literally pass through him. Goofy skidded to a halt and was punched in the back of the head by Hades’ fiery hand.
Sora and Jaron continued their joint attack on Sephiroth. The metal of each other’s weapons struck each other fiercely, with sparks flying all over the place. Sora swung his weapon at the One Winged Angel but he teleported out of harm’s way. The Keybearer knew what to expect this time and rolled away safely from the sword strike from behind. He turned around and unleashed a Ragnarok attack on Sephiroth. The One Winged Angel staggered backwards from the attack and Jaron took advantage with a sword uppercut. Sephiroth was propelled upwards from the attack only to back-flip in mid-air and land on his feet. The Saviour threw ninja stars at his opponent, only to be swatted back at Jaron with a sword strike. Jaron somersaulted backwards to avoid his own weaponry being used against him and Sora unleashed a Sonic Blade attack on the One Winged Angel and Sephiroth retaliated by summoning a fire storm, nearly incinerating the Keybearer in the process.
Jaron ran towards Sephiroth, rotating his sword in a propeller-like fashion. Sephiroth teleported out of the way again and reappeared behind the Saviour. Jaron sensed the One Winged Angel behind him and back-flipped over Sephiroth’s sword swing. In response to the attack attempted on him, Jaron swung his own sword, clipping the wing on Sephiroth’s back. He seethed in pain and swung around, wildly hitting Jaron in the face. The Saviour fell to the ground, bleeding from the mouth, the blood staining his mask. He tried to get back up only for Sephiroth to sprint towards him and kick him in the gut. Jaron rolled with the attack, his hand instinctively held over his mid-section, trying to bear with the pain.
Sora recovered and delivered a Strike Raid. Sephiroth screamed as the Keyblade plunged deep into his spine. It then disappeared and returned to its master’s grasp. Sora ran forward and leapt at the One Winged Angel and struck him in the head with the Keyblade. Amazingly, Sephiroth didn’t go down. He staggered forward, teleported for the umpteenth time (this time away from Sora, so he could distance himself away from his enemies) and delivered an Angel attack to Sora. The Keybearer tried to stop the attack taking place but it was too late. His magic vanished instantly and he became weaker and weaker. Sephiroth ran towards his weakened opponent and swung his sword again at the Keyblade master. Sora barely managed to high jump out of the way and heal himself and replenish his magic with an Elixir.
Hades continued throwing his fireballs at Donald and Goofy. The Court Guard managed to block most of them whilst the Chief Magician responded with more Blizzaga spells but Hades’ temper continued to flare. His invulnerability was proving very effective, as was his ability to emit ten feet long flames that fanned from his arms. Donald and Goofy were being burned badly, despite the fact that their Elixirs and Curaga spells helped them recover.
Donald and Goofy realised that magic was their best chance of defeating their immortal adversary but they were running out of magic fast. Physical attacks were paying off when Hades was calming down but the intense heat the god was using in his attacks was proving too much for them. They were beginning to tire all too quickly and they eventually ran out of potions and magic to help revitalise them. Donald leapt at Hades to strike him with his staff but the king of the Underworld turned his left arm into a trail of smoke, which curled around the Royal Wizard by the neck and began choking the life out of him. Goofy ran at Hades but he too received the same fate as his comrade. The god of the Underworld strangled both of the king’s followers, slamming them hard against the arena’s walls whilst doing so.
Jaron recovered to see Donald and Goofy in trouble. He reached into his belt, only to discover he’d run out of ninja stars. Fortunately, he still had some exploding orbs left and threw one at Hades. The orb exploded onto Hades’ back and the light didn’t help matters either. Hades was forced to release his grip on the king’s followers as he turned around with a look of crazed pain and anger on his face. Jaron used an Elixir on both Donald and Goofy. They recovered instantly, fully revitalised. The Saviour sprinted towards Hades and swung his weapon at him. Hades avoided it, grabbed Jaron by the throat, lifted him high above his head and slammed him hard into the ground several meters away.
Hades was just about to launch another fireball, this time at Jaron, when a Blizzaga spell struck him on the hand. Hades screamed in pain as he felt the intense cold strike him and force him to lose control of his fire attack. Goofy took advantage and charged him again. With Hades disorientated, the Court Guard unleashed another Tornado attack, repeatedly striking Hades again and again.
Jaron struggled to get up. After a few seconds, the Saviour was standing again. He sensed Sephiroth attacking but was unable to counter-attack or avoid harm. Before he could do anything, an Angel attack drained his magic and weakened him even more. Sephiroth kicked the Saviour in the face and then in the gut again. A firestorm injured him even more and Jaron soon fell to the ground. The One Winged Angel grabbed Jaron by his mask and held his sword against his throat, ready to decapitate the Saviour. Before Sephiroth could finish him off, Jaron was saved when Sephiroth fell victim to an Ars Arcanum attack from Sora.
The Keybearer knew he had to finish this quickly. He had no potions or Elixirs left and his magic had deteriorated. He looked to see how well Donald and Goofy were faring. He smiled when he saw that the notorious duo were no longer having problems with tackling Hades. With Sephiroth weakened, Sora realised that he had him right where he wanted him. He charged at him and tore into the One Winged Angel again and again. The Keyblade struck Sephiroth more and more viciously each time it hit him. After several continuous hits, Sephiroth finally went down. Donald and Goofy used both of their weapons to strike Hades with as much power as they muster. The god of the Underworld was sent flying across the arena and landed besides Sephiroth.
The two villains groggily rose and stood before Sora, Donald and Goofy. Jaron slowly began to stand up and walked up besides the three. The four of them, still wielding their weapons, breathed heavily. They were exhausted but still in more of a fighting condition then their enemies were. Sephiroth sneered and seethed with hatred. He was determined not to be defeated again. Hades flickered between being blue and red. Likewise, he was determined not to let another of his schemes to be rid of the Keybearer fail.
“You’re good, kid”, admitted the Underworld’s king, “You’re very good.”
“Ready to call it a day?” asked Sora.
“I would rather die than surrender to you”, replied the One Winged Angel.
“Then I guess we’ll just have to beat ya”, said Goofy.
“Easier said than done, fool.”
“Yeah, right!” said Donald.
“You think so, fuzzboy? Well let’s find out!”
Using whatever he had left, Hades slowly began turning red. He started burning and burning, charging himself to unleash another attack. Sephiroth followed suit and formed a shield around himself. Meteors fell from the sky, surrounding Sephiroth. Sora and the others ran out of the way, avoiding the meteors that fell from heaven. The meteors then started spinning around Sephiroth, in an attempt to strike anything in their way. Hades’ invulnerability prevented him from being harmed by the incredible impact made by the meteors when they came into contact with others. Sora had suffered this attack the last time he fought Sephiroth. The meteors were almost impossible to avoid and had nearly killed him in their last battle. The Keybearer knew that this time he wouldn’t be so fortunate. He tried to avoid the meteors as best as he could as did the others but their efforts were all for nothing. They were too tired. The meteors only lasted for a few seconds but a few seconds was all Sephiroth needed. Sora and the others were hit hard by the meteors and were in no condition whatsoever to avoid or block the onslaught from Hades as he finished charging and unleashed a blazing inferno on the four of them, nearly incinerating them.
Sora, Jaron, Donald and Goofy were on the floor of the arena, barely conscious. Hades and Sephiroth fell to their knees, severely weakened by their last ditch efforts. Sephiroth stood up and stumbled towards Sora, grabbing him by the hair and holding his sword right against his throat. Hades just crawled towards the person nearest towards him, which was Jaron.
“Now that”, said Hades, wearily, “Is what the people really wanted to see.”
“I never thought”, said Sephiroth, also weary, “That I would find the need to spill your blood as great as the need to spill Cloud’s. But like Hades said, there is a first time for everything.”
“And this…is my favourite part of the game”, explained the Underworld’s king as he grabbed Jaron by the head, getting ready to set him on fire, “Sudden death.”
“You were a worthy opponent, boy, but not quite worthy enough.”
Sephiroth held his sword high above his head, getting ready to decapitate Sora.
“Goodbye, Keyblade master.”
Before Sephiroth’s sword could come down though, a blur came out of nowhere and a fist crashed into the One Winged Angel’s face. Sephiroth was sent flying through the arena wall. Hades looked in astonishment at what happened to his ally. He looked to one side to see who was responsible, as if he didn’t already know.
“Aw, no!”
Hercules’ fist connected with Hades’ jaw and he too was sent flying across the arena. The only difference between his fate and Sephiroth’s was that Hades went crashing through the gate at the far end of the arena. Hades slowly got up and groggily walked out to see the demi-god standing erect with his arms folded. He gave potions of his own to Sora, Jaron, Donald and Goofy and in seconds, they slowly got up with their weapons readied. Hades sighed at the sight of the five heroes before him. He’d had enough. He exited the arena through the hole in the wall that Sephiroth had been sent through, hoisted the unconscious One Winged Angel onto his shoulders and exited via a portal, taking the two of them back to Sharak’s world.
“Let’s get ‘em!”
“No, Donald”, said Jaron, “We’re in no condition to chase after them.”
Sora turned to Hercules, “Where did you come from?”
“Just got back from visiting my father”, replied the Olympian, “And from the looks of things, I’d say not a second too soon.”
“You can say that again!” said Goofy.
The next morning, Sora and the others woke up fully refreshed. They spent the night in the lobby and after breakfast, they had their conversation with Hercules. The former god listened with interest with what the four of them had to say about Sharak and his plans.
“And so you see, Hercules, we really need your help”, finished Sora.
“I can understand why, Sora. My father, Zeus, told me that he once had a run-in with the source of all darkness many millennia ago. From what I’ve heard, he’s very bad news.”
“Needless to say he must be stopped”, said Jaron, “We need the assistance of every hero we can find if we’re to survive. Can we count on your help?”
“You don’t even have to ask for my help, Jaron. I’m in.”
“Just make sure you bring him back in one piece for the next games, will ya?” shouted Phil, as the five of them exited the coliseum.
“You can count on us, Phil!” reassured Donald.
“Hey, kid!”
Sora turned around as he saw the satyr push a crate towards the five of them. The Keybearer looked at it in curiosity.
“What’s in here?”
“Potions and Ethers”, explained the trainer of heroes, “Been savin’ ‘em for a rainy day. Figured you might need ‘em.”
“We appreciate it, Phil”, thanked Jaron.
“Oh, I got something for you too, Jaron.”
Phil handed the Saviour a slip of paper. Jaron looked at it and smiled.
It was a hero’s license. The kind that proved the holder of it was a true hero.
“Your friends have got one”, smiled the satyr, “They’re true heroes and you are too. Best to make it official.”
“Thanks, Phil”, smiled Jaron.
Phil shook hands with Jaron, Donald and Goofy. He gave his goodbyes to the three of them and Hercules. The four of them exited the coliseum ready to board their space cruiser for the next world. Donald and Goofy carried the crate to the vessel. Sora stayed behind momentarily because Phil had something else to say to the Keybearer.
Phil slowly nodded his head as he looked at Sora and said, “You’ve become stronger, you know that, kid?”
Sora smiled and replied, “Thanks, Phil. That means a lot to me.”
The two shook hands and Sora left to rejoin his friends.
“Good luck, Sora!”
The Keyblade master waved goodbye as he exited the coliseum. Phil turned around and walked back to the lobby.
“You’ll need it,” Phil said to himself.
Back in Sharak’s throne room, Sephiroth and Hades had fully recovered and were now knelt down before the emperor. The One Winged Angel didn’t care if the creature destroyed him or not for his inability to kill Sora. He was only thinking about the fact that he’d been denied retribution. His desire to destroy the Keybearer became greater than ever. Hades on the other hand was saying how swimmingly everything was going until Hercules interfered. Sharak didn’t pay attention to what the god of the Underworld was saying. He just stared at the two of them from his throne for several minutes before finally speaking.
“Rise.”
Sephiroth and Hades stood up before the emperor. The source of all darkness rose out of his throne and walked down the stairs towards the two of them.
“There will be no punishment”, declared Sharak, “Because there is no failure. Although the possibility that Hercules would interfere was always there, the exact time that he would take matters into his own hands was unknown to us. Lack of preparation for this eventuality is only a minor setback. We have learned from this. Next time we will take precautions.”
“What about the kid?”
“There will be other times. He still remains unaware of the exact details of our plan. Our forces continue to grow, worlds continue to become ours, and the princesses are falling into our hands one by one. So far we have the advantage.”
Sharak and Hades started to walk out of the throne room. Sephiroth stood still for a few moments before turning around to speak.
“Send me back, Sharak. I wish to try again.”
The emperor stood still and sighed.
“And what exactly makes you think that they will still be at the coliseum?”
“I wasn’t referring to the coliseum. What I meant was that you send me back to find the Keybearer and slay him.”
“Patience. You will get another chance.” Sharak’s back was still turned.
“WHEN?!” roared the One Winged Angel.
“Some day.”
Sephiroth, in a fit of rage, withdrew his sword and decapitated ten of the statues in the throne room with one strike. The creature turned around, his eyes burning red light, looking as though he was ready to unleash fury.
“My authority is absolute and unquestioned, Sephiroth!” roared Sharak, “I will NOT tolerate dissension, disloyalty and rebellion! Do I make myself clear?”
The One Winged Angel stared and sneered at Sharak. Then bowed to the creature.
“Yes…emperor”, he answered in a calm, obedient voice.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of, One Winged Angel”, said the source of all darkness as he walked up to him, “I have nothing but the greatest respect for your talents. They are of great value to me and will play a huge role in the recreation of my empire. And they will be of great use in this assignment I have for you.”
“Which is?”
“I am in current need of a new general. One that can lead an army of thousands of Heartless to conquer worlds. If you want the job it is yours.”
“Why are you offering me this?” asked Sephiroth, “Hook is doing exactly the same as what you’re proposing.”
“The captain’s skills are first-rate”, explained the emperor, “But there’s so much to do and so very little time to accomplish it. I need my work to be completed as fast as possible. That is where you come in. Success in this will provide you a most generous reward.”
“I understand and accept. When am I to leave?”
“Immediately. Unlike the captain, you will have the honour of leading my NEW breed of Heartless to conquest and victory. Your vessel awaits in the hangers below. Jafar will fill you in on further details.”
Sephiroth left the throne room, leaving Sharak and Hades alone.
“So what happens now?”
“You will remain here.”
“Uh…okay”, said Hades, confused, “Where are you going?”
Sharak’s eyes changed position to give Hades the impression he was smiling. His eyes glowed bright red. And he turned away to walk into another portal.
“A trip to Hollow Bastion is in order.”
| 
