This page recapitulates the stories Kingdom Hearts χ and those related to it, meaning Kingdom Hearts χ, Back Cover, Union Cross, and Dark Road.
For the sake of convenience, the character that the player names will be referred to as "Player".
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χ[chi]
As Player stands at the Dive to the Heart, five insignias rise up from the pedestal, and the game asks which Union your heart belongs to. These five insignias represent the Unions that five Keyblade Masters, known as the Foretellers, have created to combat the darkness: Unicornis, led by Master Ira; Anguis, led by Master Invi; Ursus, led by Master Aced; Vulpes, led by Master Ava; and Leopardus, led by Master Gula (for gameplay's sake, one can change their Union at any time). After their selection, darkness begins to surround them, which they slice away at using the Keyblade. They are met by their Union's leader, who tells them that the Keyblade offers great strength on its own, but to truly combat the darkness, they will have to work with others (something that you know people will forget later on...). Accompanying Player, and every other Keyblade wielder, is a Spirit Dream Eater named Chirithy, who is tied to their existence and is a reflection of their progress as a Keyblade wielder.
Player travels across many worlds to gather their "Lux" (light energy). As Chirithy explains, this all started once the Foretellers, reading through the prophetic tome known as the Book of Prophecies, saw that, according to the end of the book, "On that fated land, a great war shall transpire. Darkness will prevail, and the light expire.".note Thus, they decided to call on the powers of the Book to protect the light, materializing "Medals" that utilize the existences of those from the future. Chirithy further explains that, though the Foretellers all have the same goal, they don't all follow the same path. Now you might find that odd, as that means the Unions would end up fighting over Lux. Which makes no sense: if the Unions all share a goal, why would they need to compete over it? There's a reason for it, don't worry, but let's set that aside for now....
Chirithy later gives them the "Power Bangle" as a gift, which grants them even greater strength by channeling the Medals' "Guilt" Bonus. As the creature leaves, another Chirithy is seen far from behind, wondering what they just saw...
The darkness grows stronger, seemingly in response to the defenders of light growing stronger. Chirithy wonders if there really is a traitor, to which the Player's Union leader responds that they aren't willing to believe it yet. Player eventually experiences a dream involving the Foretellers speaking to a figure in a black coat; seeing at it is the Foretellers' chamber in Daybreak Town's clock tower, Player would never be allowed inside, but that doesn't stop them from wanting to investigate. The Chirithy that gave Player the Power Bangle speaks to Player's Chirithy as they continue sleeping, with the two questioning each other on their motives...
One day, they meet a wielder named Ephemer and rescue them from a Heartless attack. After the two introduce themselves, they realize that they're part of differing Unionsnote . Ephemer brushes that aside and declares that he is "Union-free" for the day, as he has been looking into something aside from his duties. He asked the question you might have asked earlier: why do the Unions compete instead of working together? He did some digging and found out that worlds they travel to are merely projections from the Book of Prophecies: the Lux they collect is not actually from the future, but is instead the light of the present day Daybreak Town, so they aren't actually protecting the light at all! Player then decides to tell Ephemer about their dream, suspecting that the Foretellers may know what's up. As the two make haste for the clock tower, Player's Chirithy speaks with the other Chirithy again; the former notices the latter's darker color and can only wonder what it means...
Though they make it pretty far in, Ephemer reasons that they have been gone for too long and should return before the others grow suspicious. Ephemer makes a promise to meet with them the day after and search for the room. Ephemer later speaks to Foreteller Ava, who herself always wondered why the Unions have to compete, and tells her about meeting a friend from another Union. Ava is delighted to hear this, and happily sees him off. Alone, she comments on being happy to leave the fate of the world to people like him, the "Dandelions".
The next day, Player waits, and waits, and waits...
Unfortunately, Ephemer stood them up, upsetting Player who had waited for him all day; when Chirithy attempts to console them, Player hugs it tightly, declaring it their friend. Unbeknownst to them, Ephemer went straight back to the tower after they parted ways, but before he could go any farther, he encountered someone... But that's okay! Because the next day, Ephemer does show up. He apologizes profusely for standing them up and agrees to explore the clock tower properly this time. They come to the same point, but Ephemer says that they're "not ready yet" and vanishes in a gust of dandelions. Player wakes up, shocked to see that they were dreaming.
Player spends the next day looking for clues on Ephemer's whereabouts. Though none of the other wielders offer a definitive answer, they speak about a lot of other things: apparently, Ava has been gathering wielders independent of their Unions for...something, and Ephemer was seen talking to her. Player decides to go directly to Master Ava for answers, finding her in the clock tower. Ava admires their honest explanation for why they came, and wants to see the strength of their heart... in battle. Expectedly, they are no match for a fully trained Keyblade Master and collapse. Ava comments that, though they have a strong resolve, they also have sadness in their heart, sadness that can plant seeds of darkness. As she sends them off, she says to herself that Player "is the friend you told me about". Ava speaks to their Chirithy later that same night, saying that Ephemer has fallen into the "Unchained" state in pursuit of the truth, and that their meeting in the realm of sleep means that Player is close to discovering this truth as well.
Player continues on their missions, which have escalated in difficulty thanks to the stronger darkness. It exhausts them, but Chirithy reminds them that it must be done, and neglecting it will lead to the other Unions stepping ahead. Another Keyblade wielder arrives, again questioning why that even matters if they all are trying to protect the light. The wielder introduces herself as Skuld, who previously shared a party with Ephemer when they both started out. She tells Player that Ephemer spoke to her in a dream and asked her to seek out Player. Shocked to hear this, Player immediately tells Skuld of their own dream. Now realizing that something is definitely up, the two resolve to go to the room from Player's dream.
Just as they hear a loud bang.
To their horror, Foretellers Aced and Invi are clashing in the streets. Skuld reasons that this was what Ephemer warned her about: the world will fall from the defenders of light turning on each other. The rogue Chirithy from before appears again, this time sporting a much darker color scheme than before. The "Dark Chirithy" summons strange beings known as "Darklings" that crave Lux. Skuld and Player are horrified to learn that they are wielders that have been completely consumed by darkness and thus no longer have access to the power of light. Player's Chirithy wonders whom Dark Chirithy belongs to, to which it ominously warns it that they are "closer than you think" before departing...
Continuing into the tower, despite Chirithy's protests, it agrees to guide Skuld and Player to the Foreteller's chamber. There is no one and nothing inside, much to their disappointment; as they turn back and exit, however, they are confronted by a Foretellernote . The Foreteller comments on Ephemer's earlier arrival and ridicules Player for trusting someone from a different Union that merely wanted information. But now, Ephemer is gone and cannot interfere with them any longer.
Both Skuld and Player are shocked to hear this; before they step away and admit defeat, however, Player steps forward. In one of the few times they speak, they deliver a "No More Holding Back" Speech about how, up until now, they had followed their orders without question. When they met Ephemer, their eyes were opened to a greater truth, and Player is hurt that he is now gone. Knowing that Ephemer would have done the same, Player raises their Keyblade against the Foreteller, to which they respond by raising their own. Once again, Player is no match, but the Foreteller congratulates them for showing them the strength of their heart, revealing themselves to really be Ava in disguise.
Ava explains that Ephemer's hunt for the truth made him the perfect candidate to lead the Dandelions, Keyblade wielders with especially strong hearts regardless of Union, that will carry light into the world after. Those not fortunate enough to join will have to take part in the "Keyblade War", which the Foretellers will also have to take part in to ensure that no one emerges from the war as a winner. Ava offers Player and Skuld positions among the Dandelions; Skuld promptly accepts, as it is the only way she will get to see Ephemer again. However, Player hesitates, as they do not want to leave the other wielders behind: Ava gives them time to think it over. Ava later gives the Dandelions, including Skuld, a speech on their mission: they must not fight in the Keyblade War, but carry their hearts to the world after so light may live on. She concludes the speech with a crucial phrase of advice: "May your hearts be your guiding key.".
Days later, Player is strolling through Daybreak Town, but is horrified to see Keyblade wielders raising their weapons against each other. Despite Player getting some help from Skuld, it only escalates as more Keyblade wielders get involved. Player is approached and challenged by Aced, who declares that they are not worthy of being a wielder upon their defeat. Ira shows up, exchanging bitter words with his former comrade, before declaring that they will settle this on the battlefield. As the rest of the wielders depart, Player collapses from exhaustion.
Skuld and Chirithy later comment on the situation, horrified at how bad things have gotten. She has been gathering wielders to join the Dandelions, but even they are losing hope thanks to Ava's disappearance. Skuld and Player decide to look for Ava, with Chirithy suspecting that Gula might know something since he and Ava were close. When they find him, Gula applauds them for doing the right thing, but notes that nothing they do will avert the coming war. He explains that Ava has gone looking for the Master of all the Foretellers, a man known as the "Master of Masters", who was the black coated figure Player saw in their dream and disappeared shortly before the Unions were created. Or in lieu of that, Ava will seek out Luxu, the Master's sixth apprentice, who went missing shortly before the Master did. Given the futility of it all, Gula decides to read to them a passage from the "Lost Page" of the Book of Prophecies:
"Imbalance observed, strength misplaced, a future filled with sorrow.
Words of truth misunderstood as they explore the secret of tomorrow.
With a single strike, toll the bells and herald the end, bringing war upon us, as fate did intend."
He explains that this passage speaks of the one who will galvanize the end of the world; he was tasked by the Master of Masters to find this person, but ultimately failed. In the meantime, Ava discovers Luxu, who explains that, per his orders, he has spent all this time "watching". He explains to Ava that he was not given a copy of the Book of Prophecies like the others, but must continue on to the future spoken of in the book. He states that the Master's true intentions are written on the Lost Page of the book that none of them are supposed to have (which you might find odd, because, as mentioned prior, Gula has the page... Hmmmmm....). Ava is horrified to learn the truth about the "traitor", declaring that Luxu is twisting the Master's words, and raises her Keyblade against him. Luxu, wielding the Keyblade that Xehanort would one day wield, clashes with her; the impact creates a shock wave that triggers the bell tolls spoken of in the Lost Page. Gula, overhearing this with Skuld and Player, suggests that they get a move on.
As Skuld rushes back to the Dandelions, Player asks Chirithy what they should do. Chirithy is understandably hesitant, as its ties to its wielder means that it will perish along with Player. Dark Chirithy arrives to taunt them once more, claiming that the Dandelions are merely taking the light for themselves and leaving the rest in the dust. Furthermore, they reveal that the Power Bangle converts the sins of others, i.e. darkness, into power, and Player has been unwittingly doing so all this time: they are literally "guilty". Dark Chirithy, thus to their horror, comes from Player's darkness. Merging itself with Darklings to become "Nightmare Chirithy", the being challenges Player. Upon its defeat, it says that it will see them "in another dream"...
Months pass after this event. Player laments how people now turn their Keyblades not on darkness but each other - their friends. But knowing that the heart will not give up until the very end, Player, clad in armor, prepares to fight. They fight four of the five Foretellers, skipping the one that leads their Union: the fight leaves them beyond exhausted, and they are griefstricken to see all the Keyblades planted on the ground and the hearts floating towards the sky. After fighting all four, they finally collapse, ready to pass on. Just then, a bright light envelops them: Skuld and Ephemer arrive, the sight of the latter making Player cry as they admonish him for breaking a promise. Ephemer sticks a hand out, promising that they will "go together" this time.
In a post credits scene, Maleficent is shown in her homeworld, gleeful that Sora will not get in her way....
Player travels across many worlds to gather their "Lux" (light energy). As Chirithy explains, this all started once the Foretellers, reading through the prophetic tome known as the Book of Prophecies, saw that, according to the end of the book, "On that fated land, a great war shall transpire. Darkness will prevail, and the light expire.".note Thus, they decided to call on the powers of the Book to protect the light, materializing "Medals" that utilize the existences of those from the future. Chirithy further explains that, though the Foretellers all have the same goal, they don't all follow the same path. Now you might find that odd, as that means the Unions would end up fighting over Lux. Which makes no sense: if the Unions all share a goal, why would they need to compete over it? There's a reason for it, don't worry, but let's set that aside for now....
Chirithy later gives them the "Power Bangle" as a gift, which grants them even greater strength by channeling the Medals' "Guilt" Bonus. As the creature leaves, another Chirithy is seen far from behind, wondering what they just saw...
The darkness grows stronger, seemingly in response to the defenders of light growing stronger. Chirithy wonders if there really is a traitor, to which the Player's Union leader responds that they aren't willing to believe it yet. Player eventually experiences a dream involving the Foretellers speaking to a figure in a black coat; seeing at it is the Foretellers' chamber in Daybreak Town's clock tower, Player would never be allowed inside, but that doesn't stop them from wanting to investigate. The Chirithy that gave Player the Power Bangle speaks to Player's Chirithy as they continue sleeping, with the two questioning each other on their motives...
One day, they meet a wielder named Ephemer and rescue them from a Heartless attack. After the two introduce themselves, they realize that they're part of differing Unionsnote . Ephemer brushes that aside and declares that he is "Union-free" for the day, as he has been looking into something aside from his duties. He asked the question you might have asked earlier: why do the Unions compete instead of working together? He did some digging and found out that worlds they travel to are merely projections from the Book of Prophecies: the Lux they collect is not actually from the future, but is instead the light of the present day Daybreak Town, so they aren't actually protecting the light at all! Player then decides to tell Ephemer about their dream, suspecting that the Foretellers may know what's up. As the two make haste for the clock tower, Player's Chirithy speaks with the other Chirithy again; the former notices the latter's darker color and can only wonder what it means...
Though they make it pretty far in, Ephemer reasons that they have been gone for too long and should return before the others grow suspicious. Ephemer makes a promise to meet with them the day after and search for the room. Ephemer later speaks to Foreteller Ava, who herself always wondered why the Unions have to compete, and tells her about meeting a friend from another Union. Ava is delighted to hear this, and happily sees him off. Alone, she comments on being happy to leave the fate of the world to people like him, the "Dandelions".
The next day, Player waits, and waits, and waits...
Unfortunately, Ephemer stood them up, upsetting Player who had waited for him all day; when Chirithy attempts to console them, Player hugs it tightly, declaring it their friend. Unbeknownst to them, Ephemer went straight back to the tower after they parted ways, but before he could go any farther, he encountered someone... But that's okay! Because the next day, Ephemer does show up. He apologizes profusely for standing them up and agrees to explore the clock tower properly this time. They come to the same point, but Ephemer says that they're "not ready yet" and vanishes in a gust of dandelions. Player wakes up, shocked to see that they were dreaming.
Player spends the next day looking for clues on Ephemer's whereabouts. Though none of the other wielders offer a definitive answer, they speak about a lot of other things: apparently, Ava has been gathering wielders independent of their Unions for...something, and Ephemer was seen talking to her. Player decides to go directly to Master Ava for answers, finding her in the clock tower. Ava admires their honest explanation for why they came, and wants to see the strength of their heart... in battle. Expectedly, they are no match for a fully trained Keyblade Master and collapse. Ava comments that, though they have a strong resolve, they also have sadness in their heart, sadness that can plant seeds of darkness. As she sends them off, she says to herself that Player "is the friend you told me about". Ava speaks to their Chirithy later that same night, saying that Ephemer has fallen into the "Unchained" state in pursuit of the truth, and that their meeting in the realm of sleep means that Player is close to discovering this truth as well.
Player continues on their missions, which have escalated in difficulty thanks to the stronger darkness. It exhausts them, but Chirithy reminds them that it must be done, and neglecting it will lead to the other Unions stepping ahead. Another Keyblade wielder arrives, again questioning why that even matters if they all are trying to protect the light. The wielder introduces herself as Skuld, who previously shared a party with Ephemer when they both started out. She tells Player that Ephemer spoke to her in a dream and asked her to seek out Player. Shocked to hear this, Player immediately tells Skuld of their own dream. Now realizing that something is definitely up, the two resolve to go to the room from Player's dream.
Just as they hear a loud bang.
To their horror, Foretellers Aced and Invi are clashing in the streets. Skuld reasons that this was what Ephemer warned her about: the world will fall from the defenders of light turning on each other. The rogue Chirithy from before appears again, this time sporting a much darker color scheme than before. The "Dark Chirithy" summons strange beings known as "Darklings" that crave Lux. Skuld and Player are horrified to learn that they are wielders that have been completely consumed by darkness and thus no longer have access to the power of light. Player's Chirithy wonders whom Dark Chirithy belongs to, to which it ominously warns it that they are "closer than you think" before departing...
Continuing into the tower, despite Chirithy's protests, it agrees to guide Skuld and Player to the Foreteller's chamber. There is no one and nothing inside, much to their disappointment; as they turn back and exit, however, they are confronted by a Foretellernote . The Foreteller comments on Ephemer's earlier arrival and ridicules Player for trusting someone from a different Union that merely wanted information. But now, Ephemer is gone and cannot interfere with them any longer.
Both Skuld and Player are shocked to hear this; before they step away and admit defeat, however, Player steps forward. In one of the few times they speak, they deliver a "No More Holding Back" Speech about how, up until now, they had followed their orders without question. When they met Ephemer, their eyes were opened to a greater truth, and Player is hurt that he is now gone. Knowing that Ephemer would have done the same, Player raises their Keyblade against the Foreteller, to which they respond by raising their own. Once again, Player is no match, but the Foreteller congratulates them for showing them the strength of their heart, revealing themselves to really be Ava in disguise.
Ava explains that Ephemer's hunt for the truth made him the perfect candidate to lead the Dandelions, Keyblade wielders with especially strong hearts regardless of Union, that will carry light into the world after. Those not fortunate enough to join will have to take part in the "Keyblade War", which the Foretellers will also have to take part in to ensure that no one emerges from the war as a winner. Ava offers Player and Skuld positions among the Dandelions; Skuld promptly accepts, as it is the only way she will get to see Ephemer again. However, Player hesitates, as they do not want to leave the other wielders behind: Ava gives them time to think it over. Ava later gives the Dandelions, including Skuld, a speech on their mission: they must not fight in the Keyblade War, but carry their hearts to the world after so light may live on. She concludes the speech with a crucial phrase of advice: "May your hearts be your guiding key.".
Days later, Player is strolling through Daybreak Town, but is horrified to see Keyblade wielders raising their weapons against each other. Despite Player getting some help from Skuld, it only escalates as more Keyblade wielders get involved. Player is approached and challenged by Aced, who declares that they are not worthy of being a wielder upon their defeat. Ira shows up, exchanging bitter words with his former comrade, before declaring that they will settle this on the battlefield. As the rest of the wielders depart, Player collapses from exhaustion.
Skuld and Chirithy later comment on the situation, horrified at how bad things have gotten. She has been gathering wielders to join the Dandelions, but even they are losing hope thanks to Ava's disappearance. Skuld and Player decide to look for Ava, with Chirithy suspecting that Gula might know something since he and Ava were close. When they find him, Gula applauds them for doing the right thing, but notes that nothing they do will avert the coming war. He explains that Ava has gone looking for the Master of all the Foretellers, a man known as the "Master of Masters", who was the black coated figure Player saw in their dream and disappeared shortly before the Unions were created. Or in lieu of that, Ava will seek out Luxu, the Master's sixth apprentice, who went missing shortly before the Master did. Given the futility of it all, Gula decides to read to them a passage from the "Lost Page" of the Book of Prophecies:
"Imbalance observed, strength misplaced, a future filled with sorrow.
Words of truth misunderstood as they explore the secret of tomorrow.
With a single strike, toll the bells and herald the end, bringing war upon us, as fate did intend."
He explains that this passage speaks of the one who will galvanize the end of the world; he was tasked by the Master of Masters to find this person, but ultimately failed. In the meantime, Ava discovers Luxu, who explains that, per his orders, he has spent all this time "watching". He explains to Ava that he was not given a copy of the Book of Prophecies like the others, but must continue on to the future spoken of in the book. He states that the Master's true intentions are written on the Lost Page of the book that none of them are supposed to have (which you might find odd, because, as mentioned prior, Gula has the page... Hmmmmm....). Ava is horrified to learn the truth about the "traitor", declaring that Luxu is twisting the Master's words, and raises her Keyblade against him. Luxu, wielding the Keyblade that Xehanort would one day wield, clashes with her; the impact creates a shock wave that triggers the bell tolls spoken of in the Lost Page. Gula, overhearing this with Skuld and Player, suggests that they get a move on.
As Skuld rushes back to the Dandelions, Player asks Chirithy what they should do. Chirithy is understandably hesitant, as its ties to its wielder means that it will perish along with Player. Dark Chirithy arrives to taunt them once more, claiming that the Dandelions are merely taking the light for themselves and leaving the rest in the dust. Furthermore, they reveal that the Power Bangle converts the sins of others, i.e. darkness, into power, and Player has been unwittingly doing so all this time: they are literally "guilty". Dark Chirithy, thus to their horror, comes from Player's darkness. Merging itself with Darklings to become "Nightmare Chirithy", the being challenges Player. Upon its defeat, it says that it will see them "in another dream"...
Months pass after this event. Player laments how people now turn their Keyblades not on darkness but each other - their friends. But knowing that the heart will not give up until the very end, Player, clad in armor, prepares to fight. They fight four of the five Foretellers, skipping the one that leads their Union: the fight leaves them beyond exhausted, and they are griefstricken to see all the Keyblades planted on the ground and the hearts floating towards the sky. After fighting all four, they finally collapse, ready to pass on. Just then, a bright light envelops them: Skuld and Ephemer arrive, the sight of the latter making Player cry as they admonish him for breaking a promise. Ephemer sticks a hand out, promising that they will "go together" this time.
In a post credits scene, Maleficent is shown in her homeworld, gleeful that Sora will not get in her way....
Back Cover
This hour long movie goes into detail about the Foretellers' actions during the events of Kingdom Hearts χ, and references numerous plot points in the game's story. For this reason, it is recommended to experience the story of Kingdom Hearts χ first.
The movie opens with two people wearing the black cloak, the Master of Masters and his apprentice Luxu. The Master summons the Keyblade that would one day land in Xehanort's hands and gives it to Luxu, the first step in the Master's grand plan...
As Chirithy narrates, and as Ephemer stated in χ, this was a time when all of the worlds were one, an "age of fairy tales". The Master of Masters wrote the Book of Prophecies, a collection of passages detailing the world's future, and hands it to those who would be known as the Foretellers. Each of them would receive a different role that would help address the disaster written of in the Book's last page....or so they had been told.
Case of Ira - Ira goes to discuss the contents of the Book with the Master, with the former expressing disappointment with the Book's grim ending. Though Ira proclaims that he and his comrades will seek to prevent the War from taking place, the Master reminds him that the plan is not to account for what happens before the war, but what happens after the war, as there is no way for them to avert what they know will happen. The Master also warns Ira that he "may" disappear and appoints him as interim leader before departing.
Long after the Master and Luxu have departed and the Unions have been formed, Ira goes to confront his fellow Foretellers with the statement that there is a traitor among the five. He shows them a Chirithy which has been corrupted by darkness, which harkens back to a warning they had all received from the Master when he first introduced the Chirithy to them: if a Keyblade wielder is tainted by darkness, their Chirithy Spirit will turn dark and become a Nightmare. Ava wonders how Ira can be so sure one of the Foretellers is responsible, to which Ira responds that the Nightmare has been handing wielders the Power Bangle, which converts the sins / darkness of others into raw power. Given the difficulty in acquiring a bangle, Ira accuses the others of collusion.
Needless to say, it doesn't go well. Aced outright calls him foolish for thinking his accusations would get a traitor to just fess up and departs, after which Ava and Gula follow. Invi is perplexed by his actions, finding it out of character; Ira responds by saying that this incident was not in the Book, and worries that their might be a "Lost Page" that only one of the Foretellers is in possession of. Invi wonders if the Master planned for this, but Ira laments that they'd have no way of knowing since the Master is no longer with them.
Case of Invi - The Master gives Invi a seemingly simple role: the mediator. She finds herself doubting if it's even doable, especially without the Master or Luxu, but the Master assures her that she'll be up to it when the time comes. After all, whenever in doubt, her heart will know the way.
Ava sits by Fountain Square, hoping that the Foretellers wouldn't begin turning on each other, when she is confronted by Ephemer. In the ensuing conversation, Ava admits that she was always skeptical of the Master's orders to not work together, but conceded to do so as it was still an order. As a prelude to the scene in which they talked in the original χ, Ephemer asks Ava to open up about the Book, but she denies it, and sees him off as he enthusiastically waits to meet up with his new friend.
Gula confronts Aced a few months later, deciding to call off the alliance due to the lack of any serious incidents in the time since the first one, and Aced's refusal to rally anyone else for the cause. Although Aced begrudgingly allows him to do so, Gula lets slip that Invi told him to break the alliance, though he remarks that he still made the decision on his own, as he can't trust anyone but himself anymore. Aced remarks that Invi will regret this as Gula departs.
Case of Aced - The Master assigns Aced the role of Ira's Number Two, a role Aced is visibly disappointed by since he desired the leadership position. Nevertheless, the Master assures him it's the most important role, as if Ira's leadership at any point comes to be insufficient, Aced can take charge in his stead.
Over a year after this conversation, Aced lunges his Keyblade at Invi, declaring that the Master's teachings must be defied to stop his prophecy from coming true. Ava and Gula run in, with Invi declaring that she has found the traitor. Gula and Ava ready their Keyblades and charge at Aced.
Case of Gula - The Master shows Gula the "Lost Page", a page from the Book that none of them are in possession of, and tells Gula that his role is to identify and stop the traitor mentioned in the passage. Gula quickly puts together that the Master gave them all different roles since anyone that deviated from them could be outed as a traitor. The Master, though upset at Gula for "stealing his thunder", confirms his suspicions and directs him to trust no one but himself.
Gula goes to confront the weakened Aced and informs him of his role. Aced grows furious at Gula for knowing there was a traitor and just watching their relationship collapse: in the ensuing clash, Aced knocks Gula to the ground. Ava rushes just in time before Aced can deal the final blow, and he agrees to leave them be.
Ira then converses with Aced, admitting that he has chosen to trust him given they cannot afford to lose any more lights to the darkness. When Aced relays Gula's possession of the Lost Page, Ira leaves him be and goes to find Gula. Ava, knowing Ira's intentions are far from benevolent, refuses to let Ira near him. Though Ira is disappointed by this, he accepts it and departs. Ava speaks with Gula, who relays to her the truth about the Lost Page, admitting he was a fool for basing his actions entirely around its ambiguous wording. Gula declares that he is going to summon the Master back by breaking his rules, doing so by gathering Lux until he can summon Kingdom Hearts. He asks Ava to help him, but she denies, again wanting to follow the Master's teachings, and watches Gula depart. Invi and Ava converse a few days later: with Gula out to collect Lux, Aced and Ira have begun scrambling for it as well to maintain the balance. Invi decides to do the same and urges Ava to do so as well, even if such will only delay the inevitable war.
Case of Ava - The Master tells Ava that she is the only hope left to keep the last page of the Book from coming true. She is to gather Keyblade wielders regardless of Union and send them off like dandelions to the next world. Ava can only wonder if she's the right person for this, to which the Master responds that she is the only person for this. The next scene depicts Ava giving her speech at Fountain Square, ending it all the same with the Master's favorite words.
Case of Luxu - The Master's Keyblade, which Luxu jokingly calls "No Name" due to its lack of a name, contains the Master's eye, and Luxu must see it passed down to an apprentice, and then to that apprentice's apprentice, and that apprentice's apprentice, and so on, so the information it sees can come back to him. Luxu realizes that this is how the Master was able to write the Book of Prophecies, and means that Luxu will succeed in his role. Regardless, Luxu must now stay out of sight, and must especially stay away from the Book, lest he create a temporal paradox by reading it. Before he departs, the Master gives him a black box that he must lug around with him and never open. Luxu is bubbling to find out what's inside; the Master whispers it in his ear, to which Luxu expresses shock, and the Master assures him that he'll one day see its purpose. Luxu is later shown in the Badlands with the Keyblade and the Black Box, looking up to the sky and uttering "May my heart be my guiding key".
Reconnect - KINGDOM HEARTS
The movie opens with two people wearing the black cloak, the Master of Masters and his apprentice Luxu. The Master summons the Keyblade that would one day land in Xehanort's hands and gives it to Luxu, the first step in the Master's grand plan...
As Chirithy narrates, and as Ephemer stated in χ, this was a time when all of the worlds were one, an "age of fairy tales". The Master of Masters wrote the Book of Prophecies, a collection of passages detailing the world's future, and hands it to those who would be known as the Foretellers. Each of them would receive a different role that would help address the disaster written of in the Book's last page....or so they had been told.
Case of Ira - Ira goes to discuss the contents of the Book with the Master, with the former expressing disappointment with the Book's grim ending. Though Ira proclaims that he and his comrades will seek to prevent the War from taking place, the Master reminds him that the plan is not to account for what happens before the war, but what happens after the war, as there is no way for them to avert what they know will happen. The Master also warns Ira that he "may" disappear and appoints him as interim leader before departing.
Long after the Master and Luxu have departed and the Unions have been formed, Ira goes to confront his fellow Foretellers with the statement that there is a traitor among the five. He shows them a Chirithy which has been corrupted by darkness, which harkens back to a warning they had all received from the Master when he first introduced the Chirithy to them: if a Keyblade wielder is tainted by darkness, their Chirithy Spirit will turn dark and become a Nightmare. Ava wonders how Ira can be so sure one of the Foretellers is responsible, to which Ira responds that the Nightmare has been handing wielders the Power Bangle, which converts the sins / darkness of others into raw power. Given the difficulty in acquiring a bangle, Ira accuses the others of collusion.
Needless to say, it doesn't go well. Aced outright calls him foolish for thinking his accusations would get a traitor to just fess up and departs, after which Ava and Gula follow. Invi is perplexed by his actions, finding it out of character; Ira responds by saying that this incident was not in the Book, and worries that their might be a "Lost Page" that only one of the Foretellers is in possession of. Invi wonders if the Master planned for this, but Ira laments that they'd have no way of knowing since the Master is no longer with them.
Case of Invi - The Master gives Invi a seemingly simple role: the mediator. She finds herself doubting if it's even doable, especially without the Master or Luxu, but the Master assures her that she'll be up to it when the time comes. After all, whenever in doubt, her heart will know the way.
- Master of Masters: "May your heart be your guiding key". I say it all the time; you ultimately need to do what your heart feels is right.
Ava sits by Fountain Square, hoping that the Foretellers wouldn't begin turning on each other, when she is confronted by Ephemer. In the ensuing conversation, Ava admits that she was always skeptical of the Master's orders to not work together, but conceded to do so as it was still an order. As a prelude to the scene in which they talked in the original χ, Ephemer asks Ava to open up about the Book, but she denies it, and sees him off as he enthusiastically waits to meet up with his new friend.
Gula confronts Aced a few months later, deciding to call off the alliance due to the lack of any serious incidents in the time since the first one, and Aced's refusal to rally anyone else for the cause. Although Aced begrudgingly allows him to do so, Gula lets slip that Invi told him to break the alliance, though he remarks that he still made the decision on his own, as he can't trust anyone but himself anymore. Aced remarks that Invi will regret this as Gula departs.
Case of Aced - The Master assigns Aced the role of Ira's Number Two, a role Aced is visibly disappointed by since he desired the leadership position. Nevertheless, the Master assures him it's the most important role, as if Ira's leadership at any point comes to be insufficient, Aced can take charge in his stead.
Over a year after this conversation, Aced lunges his Keyblade at Invi, declaring that the Master's teachings must be defied to stop his prophecy from coming true. Ava and Gula run in, with Invi declaring that she has found the traitor. Gula and Ava ready their Keyblades and charge at Aced.
Case of Gula - The Master shows Gula the "Lost Page", a page from the Book that none of them are in possession of, and tells Gula that his role is to identify and stop the traitor mentioned in the passage. Gula quickly puts together that the Master gave them all different roles since anyone that deviated from them could be outed as a traitor. The Master, though upset at Gula for "stealing his thunder", confirms his suspicions and directs him to trust no one but himself.
Gula goes to confront the weakened Aced and informs him of his role. Aced grows furious at Gula for knowing there was a traitor and just watching their relationship collapse: in the ensuing clash, Aced knocks Gula to the ground. Ava rushes just in time before Aced can deal the final blow, and he agrees to leave them be.
Ira then converses with Aced, admitting that he has chosen to trust him given they cannot afford to lose any more lights to the darkness. When Aced relays Gula's possession of the Lost Page, Ira leaves him be and goes to find Gula. Ava, knowing Ira's intentions are far from benevolent, refuses to let Ira near him. Though Ira is disappointed by this, he accepts it and departs. Ava speaks with Gula, who relays to her the truth about the Lost Page, admitting he was a fool for basing his actions entirely around its ambiguous wording. Gula declares that he is going to summon the Master back by breaking his rules, doing so by gathering Lux until he can summon Kingdom Hearts. He asks Ava to help him, but she denies, again wanting to follow the Master's teachings, and watches Gula depart. Invi and Ava converse a few days later: with Gula out to collect Lux, Aced and Ira have begun scrambling for it as well to maintain the balance. Invi decides to do the same and urges Ava to do so as well, even if such will only delay the inevitable war.
Case of Ava - The Master tells Ava that she is the only hope left to keep the last page of the Book from coming true. She is to gather Keyblade wielders regardless of Union and send them off like dandelions to the next world. Ava can only wonder if she's the right person for this, to which the Master responds that she is the only person for this. The next scene depicts Ava giving her speech at Fountain Square, ending it all the same with the Master's favorite words.
Case of Luxu - The Master's Keyblade, which Luxu jokingly calls "No Name" due to its lack of a name, contains the Master's eye, and Luxu must see it passed down to an apprentice, and then to that apprentice's apprentice, and that apprentice's apprentice, and so on, so the information it sees can come back to him. Luxu realizes that this is how the Master was able to write the Book of Prophecies, and means that Luxu will succeed in his role. Regardless, Luxu must now stay out of sight, and must especially stay away from the Book, lest he create a temporal paradox by reading it. Before he departs, the Master gives him a black box that he must lug around with him and never open. Luxu is bubbling to find out what's inside; the Master whispers it in his ear, to which Luxu expresses shock, and the Master assures him that he'll one day see its purpose. Luxu is later shown in the Badlands with the Keyblade and the Black Box, looking up to the sky and uttering "May my heart be my guiding key".
Reconnect - KINGDOM HEARTS
Unchained χ / Union χ[Cross]
NOTE: This recap assumes you know the story of Back Cover. You have been warned!
As Player stands at the Dive to the Heart, five insignias rise up from the pedestal, and the game asks which Union your heart belongs to. These five insignias represent the Unions that five Keyblade Masters, known as the Foretellers, have created to combat the darkness. After their selection, darkness begins to surround them, which they slice away at using the Keyblade. They are met by their Union's leader, who tells them that the Keyblade offers great strength on its own, but to truly combat the darkness, they will have to work with others. Accompanying Player, and every other Keyblade wielder, is a Spirit Dream Eater named Chirithy, who is tied to their existence and is a reflection of their progress as a Keyblade wie-
...Wait a second, hang on. Doesn't this all seem familiar?
That's because it is. After the Keyblade War, all of the Dandelions were put back at the beginning of their journeys, reliving every moment, beat for beat. This all continues up until the moment Ava gives her speech. As they all fear the start of war....it doesn't come, and any existing tensions eventually fizzle out.
In a flashback that serves as an extension of the "Case of Ava" scene from Back Cover, the Master of Masters instructs Ava to grant five individuals he specified in a memo the titles of Union leaders after the Keyblade War is over and the Foretellers are gone, with rulebooks each should follow. These five are also the only ones who will have any knowledge of the Keyblade War, as the Master says he wishes to not burden them with knowledge of the tragedy. Ava is also to give a specified Union leader a copy of the Book of Prophecies, which will help shape the world of the future. Another set of flashbacks shows what happened to Ephemer after his initial escapade at the clock tower. Ava told him about his role and the rules he must follow; though Ephemer does not like the idea of hiding the truth from everyone, Ava shares the Master's statement that they do not need to burden themselves with that knowledge.
The five were arranged to not speak until after the war, at which point they would convene. Ephemer is the first to arrive, and Skuld arrives shortly thereafter. The third person later shows up: Ventus, who is very surprised to have been chosen as he does not consider himself to be good at much and had barely spoke to others, let alone Master Ava. As Ephemer declares that they are all friends, the fourth person shows up: a boy named Brain. Fitting his name, he is quite analytical about the situation, asking the others if they should even trust Ava given that she forced them to lie to everyone. Though they agree to be skeptical, they concede that rules are rules, and patiently await for number five.
Another flashback from before the war chronicles the adventures of a wielder named Strelitzia. She had been infatuated with Player ever since the day they were stood up by Ephemer and began to see them everywhere. She admired their search for the truth, and wished she had the courage to speak to them. One day, Strelitzia is approached by Ava, who appoints her one of the new Union leaders and gives her a rulebook. Strelitzia contemplates her new role, and eventually realizes that Player is not a Dandelion. Against the protests of her Chirithy, Strelitzia begins to scour the town for them, but in her pursuit, she is struck down by a shadowy figure that steals her rulebook and leaves her to die...
After the flashback is over, the four, having been waiting for quite a while, stop short of looking for them when the fifth leader finally arrives: a man named Lauriam.
As part of the plan to erase the Dandelions' memories, they are placed in a data recreation of Daybreak Town which will make reliving their journeys much simpler. They are also all given pets that will consume their traumatic memories. But this data world serves another purpose: without the Foretellers or the Masters, wielders cannot access the projections from the Book of Prophecies. As a failsafe, the data world houses read-only copies of all the worlds they visited before the war, as well as two new ones, that wielders can access to continue their tasks. The data world also houses copies of all the wielders, which is used to address the rulebook's stipulation about having them fight one another.
One being learns this the hard way. Maleficent, having travelled back in time after Riku split her heart from her body during the events of Kingdom Hearts, is frustrated to learn that her defeat cannot be overturned. The Master knew this would happen, and omitted the creation of one world containing a heart of pure light (Radiant Garden) to ensure that Maleficent stayed unsuccessful. A being known simply as "Darkness" confronts her about this, relaying all this information, and states that Maleficent must be returned to her original time. Though she laments that travel into the future is impossible, Darkness orates that there is in fact a way.
Lauriam later realizes that someone he knows was supposed to be a Dandelion is nowhere to be seen and confronts one of her former party members about it, a girl named Elrena. He asks her if there's anything he knows about her... about his sister, Strelitzia. Elrena knows nothing, as they only ever spoke about their missions, but her Chirithy comments that Strelitzia was always looking for "someone" that wasn't much of a talker and didn't join the Dandelions. Lauriam relays this information to the Union leaders: Brain notes the oddity of Strelitzia wishing to invite others to the Dandelions despite being hesitant to join herself, and Ephemer quickly realizes that the person Strelitzia was seeking out was Player.
NOTE: Everything after this point assumes you know the story of Kingdom Hearts III. You have been warned!
Ephemer and Lauriam speak with Player, although they know little about Strelitzia as well; he leaves Player and Ephemer alone to spend the day together. Meanwhile, Brain tells Ven and Skuld that, though the Keyblade War escaped the Dandelions' memories, the world is still programmed to fall, and Brain plans to become a "virus" to overwrite this program. After he leaves, Ventus and Skuld, still pondering his words, see they see a glitchy apparition of the Master of Masters and Ava; Ventus seeks out Brain for answers. Elrena, who has decided to conduct her own search, encounters a glitch of Strelitzia in her final moments and informs a shocked Lauriam about it. Ephemer and Player notice the glitches emanating from the tower and make their way there.
The two of them meet with Ventus and find Brain at the control room, where he tells them that a new world, one that doesn't exist in this place or time, has somehow been forcibly connected to Daybreak Town and trapped everyone in the data world. Though Brain could not cut the connection, he was able to stabilize it, and suggests that Player explores the new world to investigate it, which they agree to despite some initial hesitance. As they do so, the Union leaders regroup and discuss their next step, as they have no idea how much of this Ava foresaw. Brain retreats to investigate alone, pulling out the Book of Prophecies...
The scene flashes back to Brain receiving his role from Ava, who asks him if knowing what the future holds and thus trying to avert it would lead to an unknown. Brain quickly realizes that she is talking about the Book of Prophecies, after which Ava hands him the book, saying the Master ordered her to hand it him, while also placing the Master's memo inside. In the present day, Lauriam greets Brain, reflecting on what he has learned about his sister's actions and what Brain said. Lauriam reasons that Strelitzia must have found out that the Keyblade War was about to become a reality, even after becoming a Dandelion, but he isn't sure as to why. Brain immediately becomes suspicious; asking Lauriam to give him some time alone, Brain finds the memo, and his suspicions are confirmed.
Brain meets with Ephemer and comes clean about the Book, revealing he was not meant to receive it, and that Strelitzia was supposed to be a Union leader. Though he ascribes the former to Ava, he thinks the latter might be part of another plan, as Ava would have at least ensured Strelitzia was safe. The two speak to Ventus and Skuld, leaving Lauriam behind to not alarm him, and they reveal that Ventus' name isn't on the memo. A shocked Ven was so sure Ava spoke to him, but attempting to recount their conversation makes him recall Strelitzia's near lifeless body for a split second; he collapses and the Union leaders are forced to carry him to his room.
While this is all going on, Darkness takes Maleficent to Daybreak Town: it tells her that an incomplete device in the basement of the clock tower known as the Arknote will, after using the one in the data world to use the one in the real Daybreak Town, sever her heart from her body and allow her to cross time, so long as there is someone to remember her and a medium to reform her body. Maleficent is unconvinced that it will work, to which Darkness responds that it knows Maleficent will exist in the future because it has read the Book of Prophecies, albeit not every passage in it.
As they venture into the tower, Maleficent is intrigued at how much Darkness knows and why it is so insistent to get her out of the past. Darkness explains that it is an "old friend" that needs her in the future so that those of this time period would have someone in the future to find, a "waypoint". Maleficent questions the need for that, but disregards it as she arrives at the room, showing a device last seen in the End of the World. Just as she opens one of the seven pods to leave, Lauriam arrives and questions what she is doing here. In the ensuing clash, Lauriam is left battered, one of the pods is broken, and Maleficent uses another to escape the data world. Back in the real world, before she departs for the future, Maleficent wonders if Darkness will be accompanying her, given it has no body to hinder the trip. It responds that she doesn't need any more darkness and has its own business to take care of...
As Lauriam is unconscious, he dreams about a conversation she had with Strelitzia about joining the Dandelions, where she assures him that she will "carry him through battle". The memory is cut short by a gust of wind, after which Lauriam finds his sister wearing a white coat and floating away. The dream shocks him awake; Lauriam is barely able to collect himself and limp out of the room. Ven also dreams as he is unconscious in his bed: he recalls when he encountered Strelitzia and, under the possession of Darkness, violently lashed out at her. Darkness has Ventus pick up her rulebook as it departs with him, taking on Ava's form in the process: the realization makes Ventus tear up as he wakes.
Back upstairs, Skuld, Ephemer, and Brain comment on Ven's condition, concluding that he must have been there during Strelitzia's last moments. Ephemer reasons that this was the handiwork of "Darkness", who must have been working under their noses this entire time, though Brain cannot fathom what the point of getting rid of Strelitzia was...which is precisely when Lauriam comes in. Overhearing their conversation, he demands to know what happened to her, even swatting Ephemer away in his search for answers. It then clicks for Brain: Darkness is trying to divide and conquer the Union leaders by intensifying their negative emotions. As they calm Lauriam down and try to explain the situation, Ven suddenly arrives, admitting his part in Strelitzia's death. Lauriam is beyond enraged, raising his Keyblade at the boy, but eventually Ventus collapses and Darkness emerges, glad that the Union leaders are now aware of "them".
NOTE: Everything after this point assumes you know the story of all the other games released up to November of 2020, including Kingdom Hearts III: Re𝄌Mind, Melody of Memory, and the first three chapters of Dark Road. You have been warned!
Darkness explains that it has no goals nor aspirations like humans and simply exists. It acted upon Ven's wish for friendship and power by making him a Union leader, with it not caring for how they were obtained. Lauriam is infuriated, as it means his sister died for nothing, but he is easily fended off in his attack and knocked to the wall. Brain asks it several questions: it says that it was never really hiding, only that the Union leaders did not take notice of it until now. Darkness chose to inhabit Ven because it was written in the Book of Prophecies that he would harbor darkness; when asked how it knows this, it explains that it had watched the Master, its "old friend", write it. The Union leaders are shocked to hear that the two are aware of each other, but disregard it. Darkness further explains that it is the only one with them despite the existence of others.
For the first time, Brain summons his Keyblade, the Master's Defender, and rallies the others into battle. In spite of their best efforts, Darkness effortly knocks them all down. Just as they contemplate giving up, Brain senses that they must have a goal, as they would not have appeared to the Union leaders otherwise. Darkness admits that they seek to expand by "infecting" the datascape. As it declares that nothing the Union leaders do will stop it, Player jumps in from a portal and readies themselves for combat. When Lauriam declares that they will defeat it and return to the real world, Darkness ridicules them for how little they know. It explains that the Ark is in fact a last ditch defense mechanism to trap the darkness: upon its use, Daybreak Town will be destroyed and the datascape will be shut down, and thanks to Maleficent's earlier usage, the process has already begun. As the Union leaders ponder if they had truly been set up from the start, Ephemer declares that it doesn't matter, as he believes Ava had faith in them all.
Player and the Union leaders battle Darkness, but they still fail to put a dent in it: Darkness has no form and thus cannot be defeated. Ventus gets up and emits a bright light: as his heart is pure light, he can take the darkness back and give it a form that can be defeated. The others beg him not to, but he plunges himself into darkness anyway.
While this is all going on, in the real Daybreak Town, Luxu watches the beginning of Daybreak Town's destruction, and mentions that the Dandelions' time is running out. He reflects on the conversations he had with the Master of Masters: the Keyblade War dates back to the Master's childhood, when it was simply the conflict between light and dark. The war began when Darkness took on the form of the beings of light, and it has been waged ever since. The war spoken of in the Book of Prophecies is not the beginning, but its potential end: the world will be destroyed, and the defenders of light, i.e. the Dandelions, will pick up the scattered remains of light and rebuild it. Luxu asks him if they can at least go home, to which the Master replies that not all of them will be so lucky...
Luxu, at first, is very unwilling to follow the plan, believing that they were just giving up and let darkness consume everything, something that they'd have to repeat in every world they end up in. The Master admonishes Luxu for overthinking the situation, jumping to conclusions, and treating his little pet theory as the answer, while declaring that anything he doesn't understand has no answer. The Master says that Luxu will understand one day, as long as he keeps pushing forward, which only frustrates him more because of how long he'd have to wait just to understand the plan, let alone defeat the darkness...
Regardless, he still shows great concern for the Dandelions and the chance of them fighting Darkness. The Master assures him that they'll be fine, as the Book speaks of a light filled future, although he concedes to not having looked through what happens to each individual person. Knowing that Luxu wouldn't drop his concern, he agrees to let Luxu keep an eye on them, so long as he doesn't directly interfere. A scene that serves as an extension of the "Case of Luxu" scene from Back Cover elaborates on the Black Box and what the Master plans to do with Daybreak Town. Once the Ark activates, Luxu must see the world's destruction to the end, then escape. Daybreak Town's whole purpose was simply to strengthen the seeds of light and send them to the future via the Ark. The Master further elaborates that 13 beings of Darkness came to exist after it discarded its form. Though they cannot be destroyed in this state, they also will eventually lose their will, and thus seek to possess people to maintain it. But, once they do, they are vulnerable, and so the Master plans to use that to his advantage.
Luxu, the Foretellers, and the Union leaders were all raised for this purpose.
The Master used the passage about the Traitor to sow discord among the defenders of light, to set the Foretellers up as bait for the Darkness to overcome and take. The strife will ultimately culminate in the Keyblade War, where the Foretellers will take the Darknesses down with them, which is what the war is actually for. The remaining Darknesses are to take over the Union leaders and escape into the future with them. Luxu is utterly horrified to learn that they have been set up to be killed just so darkness can be destroyed and lashes out at the Master for it, but the Master rebukes him for being sentimental and reminds him of how much the darkness took from him when he was just a boy. The still frustrated Luxu accepts the terms and leaves, with the Master assured that Traitor Luxu will do the right thing...
Back in the present day, the Darkness that left with Maleficent is about to check on the datascape when Luxu arrives, carrying a body in a white cloak. He puts it into the pod and sends it away, explaining to Darkness that it is the "true Dandelion". In the ensuing conversation, Darkness affirms that it is the only one there with him: the other five Darknesses are in the data world. Luxu declares that, though he cannot help the Dandelions, he can help himself, and thus summons his Keyblade and lunges toward the Darkness...
Back in the data world, Ventus is asleep in his bed, with Lauriam inside his room apologizing for his actions. Skuld, Ephemer, and Player are outside, not wanting to intervene per Lauriam's wishes. It is then that Elrena arrives, looking for Lauriam. Her Chirithy says it saw what appeared to be Strelitzia walking through town with someone in a black coatnote , a claim that leaves them all utterly baffled, especially since the only two people that would fit the other description, those being the Master of Masters and Luxu, as far as they know, are gone. Brain has a think about it, reasoning that Strelitzia's data must have existed this entire time and simply hadn't been accessed until this point. Seeing as the only way they'll get more answers is going back to the real world, everyone heads to the Ark.
Unfortunately, thanks to Maleficent's clash, only five pods remain for them to use. They are hesitant to leave two behind, let alone all of the other Dandelions, but see that the real Daybreak Town is already crumbling, which would shutter their only escape route and thus leave no surviving Keyblade wielders for the world after. Brain and Ephemer agree to split, with Brain hoping to get all of the Dandelions out at once from the real world. Elrena insists that she stay behind, since she isn't even a Union leader, but Lauriam asks her to come along, as she gave him hope in finding Strelitzia. Player chooses to stay with Ephemer, as he does not want to leave Ephemer behind again, to which Skuld agrees as she also stays. As Lauriam carries Ventus into the pod, Brain hands Ephemer his Keyblade and the Book of Prophecies, which were intended for Ephemer from the start. With Ventus, Lauriam, Elrena, and Brain in the pods, the Ark activates and takes them out of the data world.
In the real world, Brain attempts to reverse the connection to get all the Dandelions out, but is stripped for time. He falls back to a separate plan to rescue Ephemer, Player, and Skuld by sending two of the pods back, but not before getting Elrena, Lauriam, and Ventus out of Daybreak Town. Now alone, Brain is approached by Luxu; the latter is stunned to see him, but Luxu sets that aside and asks Brain what he intends to do. Brain intends to get his friends out of the data world and spend the rest of his life trying to get the Dandelions out. Luxu tells him that it won't work, as the data world was meant to cage the darkness if it could not be defeated. Nevertheless, he admires Brain's tenacity, and says that "It's a shame this lifetime is the only one you've got"...
Back in the data world, the remaining four Darknesses confront Ephemer and the others, requesting that they open a gate for the Darknesses to leave and infect the data worlds. Ephemer refuses, but suddenly Player lashes out at them, saying that their heart has been fully consumed by darkness. A distraught Ephemer and Skuld are forced to raise their Keyblades against their friend, while the Darknesses watch. Player emerges victorious, and is about to deal the final blow when Ephemer shoots his Keyblade straight through their heart and hurls them into the gate, which the Darknesses follow before Ephemer shutters it. The pods that Brain sent back arrive, and the exhausted Ephemer and Skuld get in, with Ephemer looking on at the pod meant for Player. In the real world, Ephemer and Skuld take one last look at the collapsing Daybreak Town before reentering the pods, both with tears in their eyes. The pods shutter and activate moments before the clock tower crumbles.
Inside the portal, the Darknesses urge Player to discard their dying body...only for them to begin laughing, surprised at how easy it was to fool them. Commenting on how inconvenient it is that they require Keyblades to get to other worlds despite having no form, Player locks the other end of the portal that Ephemer shuttered. The Darknesses are furious that Player tricked them into thinking they were possessed and swarm the confines of the portal. An exhausted Player falls to the ground and holds their Chirithy as a bright light envelops them.
Two flashbacks set throughout this depict a conversation the Master of Masters had with Darkness. Darkness wonders if he came to Daybreak Town just to destroy it, to which he replies that he didn't, but it was vital to send the light to the future. Darkness ridicules him for wasting his time despite having the Book of Prophecies; the Master, in turn, ridicules it for thinking the Book is omniscient. It contains only a handful of events seen by the Gazing Eye, and if it really was important, then he wouldn't have let Darkness have a peek. The actual purpose of the Book is to help the Master find his waypoint in the future. By using Luxu's memories and the Keyblade given to him, the Master can materialize at any point written of in the Book of Prophecies, which is just an important step in his grand plan. The Master laments how much he's tried to escape Darkness by continually expanding the world, only for it to come right back to him. But, through his eye, he's come to know of a world that he can't even conceive: a world beyond the confines of light and darkness, where no voice or sight can reach. Such a world is so unheard of that it must be a world of fiction.
As the datascape shuts off, the Dandelions are put to sleep, and their Chirithies take their hearts and morph into the Spirit Dream Eaters from Dream Drop Distance. Player watches this all happen, and wonders if they too will go to sleep; Chirithy tells them that if they don't, their heart will melt into another's. The Player has a vision of the person their heart will go to: Xehanort. The boy will be born in Scala ad Caelum, given away by his mother to a hooded figure that takes him to Destiny Islands and watches him grow to adolescence until the figure dies, and eventually return to Scala after encountering his future self and find a friend in Eraqus. Content with this next life, Player shuts their eyes and declares that "It's not over yet". Chirithy wishes them good night and puts itself in Player's arms as their body dissolves and their heart leaves.
The first post credits scene sheds light on those that boarded the Ark. Ephemer's pod swims in the sunken remains of Daybreak Town, Maleficent's robe is carried by Diablo to the Mysterious Tower (referencing her return in Kingdom Hearts II), Lauriam awakens in a field of flowers, Elrena lies out cold on a thundering cliff, and Ventus lies in the badlands where he is then found by an unknown person; Skuld's fate is unknown. Luxu is shown with the Gazing Eye and the Black Box in the badlands, uttering "May your heart be your guiding key" before removing his hood, revealing Brain's face.note
The second post credits scene shows Brain waking up in Scala ad Caelum. He is greeted by a man named Sigurd, who hands him his hat and says that Brain's arrival in this city was decided. Brain is confused by all this, especially when he doesn't know what happened to the others, to which Sigurd promises to explain everything at the city's headquarters. On the way there, Brain sees a statue depicting the "first Keyblade Master" and founder of the city, Ephemer with the Master's Defender. Brain, with tears in his eyes, says "He was a good friend".
An Oath to Return - KINGDOM HEARTS
As Player stands at the Dive to the Heart, five insignias rise up from the pedestal, and the game asks which Union your heart belongs to. These five insignias represent the Unions that five Keyblade Masters, known as the Foretellers, have created to combat the darkness. After their selection, darkness begins to surround them, which they slice away at using the Keyblade. They are met by their Union's leader, who tells them that the Keyblade offers great strength on its own, but to truly combat the darkness, they will have to work with others. Accompanying Player, and every other Keyblade wielder, is a Spirit Dream Eater named Chirithy, who is tied to their existence and is a reflection of their progress as a Keyblade wie-
...Wait a second, hang on. Doesn't this all seem familiar?
That's because it is. After the Keyblade War, all of the Dandelions were put back at the beginning of their journeys, reliving every moment, beat for beat. This all continues up until the moment Ava gives her speech. As they all fear the start of war....it doesn't come, and any existing tensions eventually fizzle out.
In a flashback that serves as an extension of the "Case of Ava" scene from Back Cover, the Master of Masters instructs Ava to grant five individuals he specified in a memo the titles of Union leaders after the Keyblade War is over and the Foretellers are gone, with rulebooks each should follow. These five are also the only ones who will have any knowledge of the Keyblade War, as the Master says he wishes to not burden them with knowledge of the tragedy. Ava is also to give a specified Union leader a copy of the Book of Prophecies, which will help shape the world of the future. Another set of flashbacks shows what happened to Ephemer after his initial escapade at the clock tower. Ava told him about his role and the rules he must follow; though Ephemer does not like the idea of hiding the truth from everyone, Ava shares the Master's statement that they do not need to burden themselves with that knowledge.
The five were arranged to not speak until after the war, at which point they would convene. Ephemer is the first to arrive, and Skuld arrives shortly thereafter. The third person later shows up: Ventus, who is very surprised to have been chosen as he does not consider himself to be good at much and had barely spoke to others, let alone Master Ava. As Ephemer declares that they are all friends, the fourth person shows up: a boy named Brain. Fitting his name, he is quite analytical about the situation, asking the others if they should even trust Ava given that she forced them to lie to everyone. Though they agree to be skeptical, they concede that rules are rules, and patiently await for number five.
Another flashback from before the war chronicles the adventures of a wielder named Strelitzia. She had been infatuated with Player ever since the day they were stood up by Ephemer and began to see them everywhere. She admired their search for the truth, and wished she had the courage to speak to them. One day, Strelitzia is approached by Ava, who appoints her one of the new Union leaders and gives her a rulebook. Strelitzia contemplates her new role, and eventually realizes that Player is not a Dandelion. Against the protests of her Chirithy, Strelitzia begins to scour the town for them, but in her pursuit, she is struck down by a shadowy figure that steals her rulebook and leaves her to die...
After the flashback is over, the four, having been waiting for quite a while, stop short of looking for them when the fifth leader finally arrives: a man named Lauriam.
As part of the plan to erase the Dandelions' memories, they are placed in a data recreation of Daybreak Town which will make reliving their journeys much simpler. They are also all given pets that will consume their traumatic memories. But this data world serves another purpose: without the Foretellers or the Masters, wielders cannot access the projections from the Book of Prophecies. As a failsafe, the data world houses read-only copies of all the worlds they visited before the war, as well as two new ones, that wielders can access to continue their tasks. The data world also houses copies of all the wielders, which is used to address the rulebook's stipulation about having them fight one another.
One being learns this the hard way. Maleficent, having travelled back in time after Riku split her heart from her body during the events of Kingdom Hearts, is frustrated to learn that her defeat cannot be overturned. The Master knew this would happen, and omitted the creation of one world containing a heart of pure light (Radiant Garden) to ensure that Maleficent stayed unsuccessful. A being known simply as "Darkness" confronts her about this, relaying all this information, and states that Maleficent must be returned to her original time. Though she laments that travel into the future is impossible, Darkness orates that there is in fact a way.
Lauriam later realizes that someone he knows was supposed to be a Dandelion is nowhere to be seen and confronts one of her former party members about it, a girl named Elrena. He asks her if there's anything he knows about her... about his sister, Strelitzia. Elrena knows nothing, as they only ever spoke about their missions, but her Chirithy comments that Strelitzia was always looking for "someone" that wasn't much of a talker and didn't join the Dandelions. Lauriam relays this information to the Union leaders: Brain notes the oddity of Strelitzia wishing to invite others to the Dandelions despite being hesitant to join herself, and Ephemer quickly realizes that the person Strelitzia was seeking out was Player.
NOTE: Everything after this point assumes you know the story of Kingdom Hearts III. You have been warned!
Ephemer and Lauriam speak with Player, although they know little about Strelitzia as well; he leaves Player and Ephemer alone to spend the day together. Meanwhile, Brain tells Ven and Skuld that, though the Keyblade War escaped the Dandelions' memories, the world is still programmed to fall, and Brain plans to become a "virus" to overwrite this program. After he leaves, Ventus and Skuld, still pondering his words, see they see a glitchy apparition of the Master of Masters and Ava; Ventus seeks out Brain for answers. Elrena, who has decided to conduct her own search, encounters a glitch of Strelitzia in her final moments and informs a shocked Lauriam about it. Ephemer and Player notice the glitches emanating from the tower and make their way there.
The two of them meet with Ventus and find Brain at the control room, where he tells them that a new world, one that doesn't exist in this place or time, has somehow been forcibly connected to Daybreak Town and trapped everyone in the data world. Though Brain could not cut the connection, he was able to stabilize it, and suggests that Player explores the new world to investigate it, which they agree to despite some initial hesitance. As they do so, the Union leaders regroup and discuss their next step, as they have no idea how much of this Ava foresaw. Brain retreats to investigate alone, pulling out the Book of Prophecies...
The scene flashes back to Brain receiving his role from Ava, who asks him if knowing what the future holds and thus trying to avert it would lead to an unknown. Brain quickly realizes that she is talking about the Book of Prophecies, after which Ava hands him the book, saying the Master ordered her to hand it him, while also placing the Master's memo inside. In the present day, Lauriam greets Brain, reflecting on what he has learned about his sister's actions and what Brain said. Lauriam reasons that Strelitzia must have found out that the Keyblade War was about to become a reality, even after becoming a Dandelion, but he isn't sure as to why. Brain immediately becomes suspicious; asking Lauriam to give him some time alone, Brain finds the memo, and his suspicions are confirmed.
Brain meets with Ephemer and comes clean about the Book, revealing he was not meant to receive it, and that Strelitzia was supposed to be a Union leader. Though he ascribes the former to Ava, he thinks the latter might be part of another plan, as Ava would have at least ensured Strelitzia was safe. The two speak to Ventus and Skuld, leaving Lauriam behind to not alarm him, and they reveal that Ventus' name isn't on the memo. A shocked Ven was so sure Ava spoke to him, but attempting to recount their conversation makes him recall Strelitzia's near lifeless body for a split second; he collapses and the Union leaders are forced to carry him to his room.
While this is all going on, Darkness takes Maleficent to Daybreak Town: it tells her that an incomplete device in the basement of the clock tower known as the Arknote will, after using the one in the data world to use the one in the real Daybreak Town, sever her heart from her body and allow her to cross time, so long as there is someone to remember her and a medium to reform her body. Maleficent is unconvinced that it will work, to which Darkness responds that it knows Maleficent will exist in the future because it has read the Book of Prophecies, albeit not every passage in it.
As they venture into the tower, Maleficent is intrigued at how much Darkness knows and why it is so insistent to get her out of the past. Darkness explains that it is an "old friend" that needs her in the future so that those of this time period would have someone in the future to find, a "waypoint". Maleficent questions the need for that, but disregards it as she arrives at the room, showing a device last seen in the End of the World. Just as she opens one of the seven pods to leave, Lauriam arrives and questions what she is doing here. In the ensuing clash, Lauriam is left battered, one of the pods is broken, and Maleficent uses another to escape the data world. Back in the real world, before she departs for the future, Maleficent wonders if Darkness will be accompanying her, given it has no body to hinder the trip. It responds that she doesn't need any more darkness and has its own business to take care of...
As Lauriam is unconscious, he dreams about a conversation she had with Strelitzia about joining the Dandelions, where she assures him that she will "carry him through battle". The memory is cut short by a gust of wind, after which Lauriam finds his sister wearing a white coat and floating away. The dream shocks him awake; Lauriam is barely able to collect himself and limp out of the room. Ven also dreams as he is unconscious in his bed: he recalls when he encountered Strelitzia and, under the possession of Darkness, violently lashed out at her. Darkness has Ventus pick up her rulebook as it departs with him, taking on Ava's form in the process: the realization makes Ventus tear up as he wakes.
Back upstairs, Skuld, Ephemer, and Brain comment on Ven's condition, concluding that he must have been there during Strelitzia's last moments. Ephemer reasons that this was the handiwork of "Darkness", who must have been working under their noses this entire time, though Brain cannot fathom what the point of getting rid of Strelitzia was...which is precisely when Lauriam comes in. Overhearing their conversation, he demands to know what happened to her, even swatting Ephemer away in his search for answers. It then clicks for Brain: Darkness is trying to divide and conquer the Union leaders by intensifying their negative emotions. As they calm Lauriam down and try to explain the situation, Ven suddenly arrives, admitting his part in Strelitzia's death. Lauriam is beyond enraged, raising his Keyblade at the boy, but eventually Ventus collapses and Darkness emerges, glad that the Union leaders are now aware of "them".
NOTE: Everything after this point assumes you know the story of all the other games released up to November of 2020, including Kingdom Hearts III: Re𝄌Mind, Melody of Memory, and the first three chapters of Dark Road. You have been warned!
Darkness explains that it has no goals nor aspirations like humans and simply exists. It acted upon Ven's wish for friendship and power by making him a Union leader, with it not caring for how they were obtained. Lauriam is infuriated, as it means his sister died for nothing, but he is easily fended off in his attack and knocked to the wall. Brain asks it several questions: it says that it was never really hiding, only that the Union leaders did not take notice of it until now. Darkness chose to inhabit Ven because it was written in the Book of Prophecies that he would harbor darkness; when asked how it knows this, it explains that it had watched the Master, its "old friend", write it. The Union leaders are shocked to hear that the two are aware of each other, but disregard it. Darkness further explains that it is the only one with them despite the existence of others.
For the first time, Brain summons his Keyblade, the Master's Defender, and rallies the others into battle. In spite of their best efforts, Darkness effortly knocks them all down. Just as they contemplate giving up, Brain senses that they must have a goal, as they would not have appeared to the Union leaders otherwise. Darkness admits that they seek to expand by "infecting" the datascape. As it declares that nothing the Union leaders do will stop it, Player jumps in from a portal and readies themselves for combat. When Lauriam declares that they will defeat it and return to the real world, Darkness ridicules them for how little they know. It explains that the Ark is in fact a last ditch defense mechanism to trap the darkness: upon its use, Daybreak Town will be destroyed and the datascape will be shut down, and thanks to Maleficent's earlier usage, the process has already begun. As the Union leaders ponder if they had truly been set up from the start, Ephemer declares that it doesn't matter, as he believes Ava had faith in them all.
Player and the Union leaders battle Darkness, but they still fail to put a dent in it: Darkness has no form and thus cannot be defeated. Ventus gets up and emits a bright light: as his heart is pure light, he can take the darkness back and give it a form that can be defeated. The others beg him not to, but he plunges himself into darkness anyway.
While this is all going on, in the real Daybreak Town, Luxu watches the beginning of Daybreak Town's destruction, and mentions that the Dandelions' time is running out. He reflects on the conversations he had with the Master of Masters: the Keyblade War dates back to the Master's childhood, when it was simply the conflict between light and dark. The war began when Darkness took on the form of the beings of light, and it has been waged ever since. The war spoken of in the Book of Prophecies is not the beginning, but its potential end: the world will be destroyed, and the defenders of light, i.e. the Dandelions, will pick up the scattered remains of light and rebuild it. Luxu asks him if they can at least go home, to which the Master replies that not all of them will be so lucky...
Luxu, at first, is very unwilling to follow the plan, believing that they were just giving up and let darkness consume everything, something that they'd have to repeat in every world they end up in. The Master admonishes Luxu for overthinking the situation, jumping to conclusions, and treating his little pet theory as the answer, while declaring that anything he doesn't understand has no answer. The Master says that Luxu will understand one day, as long as he keeps pushing forward, which only frustrates him more because of how long he'd have to wait just to understand the plan, let alone defeat the darkness...
Regardless, he still shows great concern for the Dandelions and the chance of them fighting Darkness. The Master assures him that they'll be fine, as the Book speaks of a light filled future, although he concedes to not having looked through what happens to each individual person. Knowing that Luxu wouldn't drop his concern, he agrees to let Luxu keep an eye on them, so long as he doesn't directly interfere. A scene that serves as an extension of the "Case of Luxu" scene from Back Cover elaborates on the Black Box and what the Master plans to do with Daybreak Town. Once the Ark activates, Luxu must see the world's destruction to the end, then escape. Daybreak Town's whole purpose was simply to strengthen the seeds of light and send them to the future via the Ark. The Master further elaborates that 13 beings of Darkness came to exist after it discarded its form. Though they cannot be destroyed in this state, they also will eventually lose their will, and thus seek to possess people to maintain it. But, once they do, they are vulnerable, and so the Master plans to use that to his advantage.
Luxu, the Foretellers, and the Union leaders were all raised for this purpose.
The Master used the passage about the Traitor to sow discord among the defenders of light, to set the Foretellers up as bait for the Darkness to overcome and take. The strife will ultimately culminate in the Keyblade War, where the Foretellers will take the Darknesses down with them, which is what the war is actually for. The remaining Darknesses are to take over the Union leaders and escape into the future with them. Luxu is utterly horrified to learn that they have been set up to be killed just so darkness can be destroyed and lashes out at the Master for it, but the Master rebukes him for being sentimental and reminds him of how much the darkness took from him when he was just a boy. The still frustrated Luxu accepts the terms and leaves, with the Master assured that Traitor Luxu will do the right thing...
Back in the present day, the Darkness that left with Maleficent is about to check on the datascape when Luxu arrives, carrying a body in a white cloak. He puts it into the pod and sends it away, explaining to Darkness that it is the "true Dandelion". In the ensuing conversation, Darkness affirms that it is the only one there with him: the other five Darknesses are in the data world. Luxu declares that, though he cannot help the Dandelions, he can help himself, and thus summons his Keyblade and lunges toward the Darkness...
Back in the data world, Ventus is asleep in his bed, with Lauriam inside his room apologizing for his actions. Skuld, Ephemer, and Player are outside, not wanting to intervene per Lauriam's wishes. It is then that Elrena arrives, looking for Lauriam. Her Chirithy says it saw what appeared to be Strelitzia walking through town with someone in a black coatnote , a claim that leaves them all utterly baffled, especially since the only two people that would fit the other description, those being the Master of Masters and Luxu, as far as they know, are gone. Brain has a think about it, reasoning that Strelitzia's data must have existed this entire time and simply hadn't been accessed until this point. Seeing as the only way they'll get more answers is going back to the real world, everyone heads to the Ark.
Unfortunately, thanks to Maleficent's clash, only five pods remain for them to use. They are hesitant to leave two behind, let alone all of the other Dandelions, but see that the real Daybreak Town is already crumbling, which would shutter their only escape route and thus leave no surviving Keyblade wielders for the world after. Brain and Ephemer agree to split, with Brain hoping to get all of the Dandelions out at once from the real world. Elrena insists that she stay behind, since she isn't even a Union leader, but Lauriam asks her to come along, as she gave him hope in finding Strelitzia. Player chooses to stay with Ephemer, as he does not want to leave Ephemer behind again, to which Skuld agrees as she also stays. As Lauriam carries Ventus into the pod, Brain hands Ephemer his Keyblade and the Book of Prophecies, which were intended for Ephemer from the start. With Ventus, Lauriam, Elrena, and Brain in the pods, the Ark activates and takes them out of the data world.
In the real world, Brain attempts to reverse the connection to get all the Dandelions out, but is stripped for time. He falls back to a separate plan to rescue Ephemer, Player, and Skuld by sending two of the pods back, but not before getting Elrena, Lauriam, and Ventus out of Daybreak Town. Now alone, Brain is approached by Luxu; the latter is stunned to see him, but Luxu sets that aside and asks Brain what he intends to do. Brain intends to get his friends out of the data world and spend the rest of his life trying to get the Dandelions out. Luxu tells him that it won't work, as the data world was meant to cage the darkness if it could not be defeated. Nevertheless, he admires Brain's tenacity, and says that "It's a shame this lifetime is the only one you've got"...
Back in the data world, the remaining four Darknesses confront Ephemer and the others, requesting that they open a gate for the Darknesses to leave and infect the data worlds. Ephemer refuses, but suddenly Player lashes out at them, saying that their heart has been fully consumed by darkness. A distraught Ephemer and Skuld are forced to raise their Keyblades against their friend, while the Darknesses watch. Player emerges victorious, and is about to deal the final blow when Ephemer shoots his Keyblade straight through their heart and hurls them into the gate, which the Darknesses follow before Ephemer shutters it. The pods that Brain sent back arrive, and the exhausted Ephemer and Skuld get in, with Ephemer looking on at the pod meant for Player. In the real world, Ephemer and Skuld take one last look at the collapsing Daybreak Town before reentering the pods, both with tears in their eyes. The pods shutter and activate moments before the clock tower crumbles.
Inside the portal, the Darknesses urge Player to discard their dying body...only for them to begin laughing, surprised at how easy it was to fool them. Commenting on how inconvenient it is that they require Keyblades to get to other worlds despite having no form, Player locks the other end of the portal that Ephemer shuttered. The Darknesses are furious that Player tricked them into thinking they were possessed and swarm the confines of the portal. An exhausted Player falls to the ground and holds their Chirithy as a bright light envelops them.
Two flashbacks set throughout this depict a conversation the Master of Masters had with Darkness. Darkness wonders if he came to Daybreak Town just to destroy it, to which he replies that he didn't, but it was vital to send the light to the future. Darkness ridicules him for wasting his time despite having the Book of Prophecies; the Master, in turn, ridicules it for thinking the Book is omniscient. It contains only a handful of events seen by the Gazing Eye, and if it really was important, then he wouldn't have let Darkness have a peek. The actual purpose of the Book is to help the Master find his waypoint in the future. By using Luxu's memories and the Keyblade given to him, the Master can materialize at any point written of in the Book of Prophecies, which is just an important step in his grand plan. The Master laments how much he's tried to escape Darkness by continually expanding the world, only for it to come right back to him. But, through his eye, he's come to know of a world that he can't even conceive: a world beyond the confines of light and darkness, where no voice or sight can reach. Such a world is so unheard of that it must be a world of fiction.
As the datascape shuts off, the Dandelions are put to sleep, and their Chirithies take their hearts and morph into the Spirit Dream Eaters from Dream Drop Distance. Player watches this all happen, and wonders if they too will go to sleep; Chirithy tells them that if they don't, their heart will melt into another's. The Player has a vision of the person their heart will go to: Xehanort. The boy will be born in Scala ad Caelum, given away by his mother to a hooded figure that takes him to Destiny Islands and watches him grow to adolescence until the figure dies, and eventually return to Scala after encountering his future self and find a friend in Eraqus. Content with this next life, Player shuts their eyes and declares that "It's not over yet". Chirithy wishes them good night and puts itself in Player's arms as their body dissolves and their heart leaves.
The first post credits scene sheds light on those that boarded the Ark. Ephemer's pod swims in the sunken remains of Daybreak Town, Maleficent's robe is carried by Diablo to the Mysterious Tower (referencing her return in Kingdom Hearts II), Lauriam awakens in a field of flowers, Elrena lies out cold on a thundering cliff, and Ventus lies in the badlands where he is then found by an unknown person; Skuld's fate is unknown. Luxu is shown with the Gazing Eye and the Black Box in the badlands, uttering "May your heart be your guiding key" before removing his hood, revealing Brain's face.note
The second post credits scene shows Brain waking up in Scala ad Caelum. He is greeted by a man named Sigurd, who hands him his hat and says that Brain's arrival in this city was decided. Brain is confused by all this, especially when he doesn't know what happened to the others, to which Sigurd promises to explain everything at the city's headquarters. On the way there, Brain sees a statue depicting the "first Keyblade Master" and founder of the city, Ephemer with the Master's Defender. Brain, with tears in his eyes, says "He was a good friend".
An Oath to Return - KINGDOM HEARTS
Dark Road
