#khχ

The game begins with the Player customizing their own Keyblade Wielder, and selecting one of five Unions: Unicornis, Vulpes, Leopardos, Anguis, or Ursus. Each Union is a faction in the conflict to collect Lux, crystallized light. After the character creation, the Player wakes up in Daybreak Town’s Fountain Square, where they are rescued from a Darkside by their Union’s Foreteller, and are introduced to a small, talking plush cat, named Chirithy.

Chirithy explains that the Player was chosen to become a Keyblade Wielder because of their dedication to the light, and has them collect “fragments (Cards in the original game, Medals in the current one). A Moogle takes the Fragments the Player finds, and makes them pay for them as a tutorial for the shop system. As soon as the Player has their first set of “Fragments”, they now utilize them in combat against the Shadows in the area, collecting Lux from every Heartless they defeat. At this point, the Foreteller returns, and comments on how some Heartless can’t be taken on alone, calling in six other Wielders to help the Player take down the returning Darkside. Upon the Darkside’s demise, the Foreteller warns the gathered Wielders that though their are four other Unions fighting the darkness and collecting the light, not to trust anyone not from their own Union, as each of the Foretellers has their own personal agenda.

After the Foreteller leaves, Chirithy tells the Player that the Lanes Between are open, and tells the Player to use their Keyblade to open a gateway to the Lanes Between so that they can gather Lux from other worlds. 

After the Player collects Lux from Dwarf Woodlands, Wonderland, and Agrabah, they return to Daybreak Town to find Donald and Goofy in the park with a wrecked Gummi Ship. As it turns out, the Heartless have been absorbing Gummi Blocks to grow stronger. The Player agrees to fight the Heartless to get the Gummi Blocks back for Donald and Goofy (whom lost their weapons in the crash), and is given a Gummi Radar to help with the collecting. After journeying across all the worlds they have access to in search of Gummi Blocks, the Player is ambushed by Heartless and rescued by King Mickey. The two head back to Donald and Goofy as the King has a Star Shard, which allows for travel between worlds without a Gummi Ship. However, the Anguis Foreteller, Invi, had witnessed the King’s arrival.

That plot point goes absolutely nowhere but is the only time the Anguis Foreteller appears regardless of the Player’s Union. Alas poor Invi, I did not know her at all.

After Donald and Goofy leave, the Player receives a “Power Bangle” from Chirithy, which can be used to apply a “Guilt Bonus” (or “Special Attack Bonus” for international players) to the Player’s Fragments. After Chirithy leaves, Chirithy approaches from the staircase, confused at seeing another Chirithy talking to the Player.

After this, the Player goes looking for their own Chirithy (guess they just missed eachother), and when they find their Chirithy, learns the story of Chirithy’s origin. Chirithy was created by the Master of Masters, whom trained six apprentices. Five of them received copies of the Book of Prophecy, becoming Foretellers, while the sixth did not receive a book, nor was he granted a Union. Moreover, the final page of the Book of Prophecy filled the Foretellers’ hearts with dread.

“On that land shall the darkness prevail, and the light expire forever.”

In order to prevent this from coming to pass, the Foretellers each formed a Union with the purpose of collecting Lux. The Master and his sixth disciple, meanwhile, both vanished without a trace.

Chirithy then shares some startling news, the Heartless each come from the worlds you’ve been visiting, and they send you to track down the source of the latest Heartless species, the Darkballs, and to collect more Lux to contribute to the cause of preventing the end of the Universe. Seeing how this is a couple years before a Keyblade War destroyed the universe, you can guess how well that goes.

Upon returning to Daybreak Town, the Player’s Chirithy meets with another Wielder’s Chirithy, and the two have a chat about their Wielders, feeling a mix of exasperation and amusement at their Wielders’ antics. The Player, meanwhile, meets with three other Wielders from their Union, and teams up with them to take on a Neoshadow Outbreak before it gets out of hand.

Tragedy strikes, as only the Player survives the mission, with one of the Wielders’ Chirithy passing on a message, their Wielder’s final words:

“I’m sorry.”

The other Chirithy then bids the Player farewell and teleports away, dying a few minutes later, as Chirithies cannot survive without their Wielders. The Player’s own Chirithy converses with the Player’s Foreteller, whom implies that their is a traitor among the five. Chirithy’s reaction reveals that their have been rumors of a traitor for quite some time.

Chirithy, in order to keep the Player calm, puts on a fake smile and sends them off to the Worlds to collect more Lux, as now more than ever it is essential that Lux not fall into the wrong hands.

When the Player returns to Daybreak Town, they have a dream where a man in a black coat speaks with the five Foretellers. They can’t make out what is being said, but are swallowed by darkness. The Player jerks awake, but Chirithy assures them it was just a bad dream, and encourages them to go back to sleep and forget whatever it is they saw. Another Chirithy appears in the windowsill, and the two converse, with the one in the windowsill being the source of the dream, and the Player’s Chirithy promising them that they won’t get away with whatever it is they’re trying to do.

The following morning, the Player fights Heartless in the park, and saves a boy named Ephemer from an Invisible. The two introduce themselves, but turn out to be from different Unions. Ephemer doesn’t see why that should be stop them from being friends, and shares a secret with the Player as thanks for saving his life. Turns out, all the Disney Worlds in this game are holograms, created from the Book of Prophecies, meaning that all the Disney Characters and Heartless are living holograms as well, and that all the Lux the Player has been collecting from the Disney Worlds is actually the light of Daybreak Town. The reason for this? Well, there are other worlds connected to Daybreak Town by land, but they’re too far away to realistically send the Keykids too. Ephemer then reveals that he knows that the Foretellers are keeping other secrets, and wants to find out just what their deal is. The Player, also very curious thanks to the dream they had the previous night. He and the Player set off to investigate, much to Chirithy’s concern. Meanwhile, the Chirithy from last night arrives, their fur now a darker shade of gray from a regular Chirithy’s silver fur. Chirithy expresses shock and concern at the fact that the other Chirithy has changed color, but nothing more comes of this as Ephemer and the Player decide that, since walking right up to the Foretellers’ front door is a good way to get executed for high treason, they’ll just sneak in through the underground waterway, which can be accessed via a pool of water that’s drained since the Player was last in Daybreak Town. Ephemer lights the way with a candle, and he and the Player fight through Heartless after Heartless to venture closer and closure to the Foretellers’ domain, however, after the Player is nearly killed by an Invisible, Ephemer returns the favor from the park, and decides that it’s getting late, and he and the Player can continue their investigation tomorrow, after completing their missions, the two agree, and the Player returns to their room, excited at having made a new friend, while Chirithy is concerned about, but supportive of, their bond with Ephemer. Speaking of Ephemer, he sneaks into the Foretellers’ domain while the Player is sleeping, apologizing to the Player under his breath, and doesn’t meet them in the Fountain Square the following day. But the Player waits from sunrise to sunset, starting out eager but gradually growing more and more disappointed until they realize that Ephemer broke his promise and has no intention of meeting up with them again. Chirithy shows up again, explaining that the Player didn’t show up for their missions and the others are worried. The Player isn’t that responsive, devastated by the fact that Ephemer ditched them. Despite not liking Ephemer, Chirithy assures the Player that Ephemer must have had his reasons, and quietly wishes that they had friends. The Player, in an incredibly adorable moment words cannot do justice too, states that Chirithy is their friend, picks them up, and hugs them, revealing the Spirit Emblem underneath Chirithy’s cape. The Dream Eater is flattered that the Player considers them their friend, and the Ephemer arc comes to a close.

Also, according to the mobile game, this is when a girl named Strelitizia first notices the Player before starting to run into them everywhere but hiding before they can notice her and gradually developing a crush on them (regardless of whether they’re male or female), and while it’s not important to the plot of the browser game I just figured I’d bring it up here because otherwise Strelitzia just kinda comes outta nowhere toward the end of Union Cross’s prologue which was a poor way to introduce the character and I am going to give this adorable child the spotlight she deserves.

Anyway, the next time the Player is in Daybreak Town, we see a flashback that the Player does not, where Ephemer converses with the Vulpes Foreteller, Ava. She’s incredibly personable, due to being in the same age-range as the Union Members, and when she confesses to Ephemer that she’s feeling kinda down due to tensions between the others (understandable considering the fact that there are rumors of a traitor in the ranks), Ephemer tries to get her to talk about the Book of Prophecies, both to see if it will cheer her up and to learn more about the Foretellers because he’s kinda tired of how shady they are. Ava doesn’t fall for it, and lucky for Ephemer she’s more amused than offended by him trying to pry knowledge of the Book of Prophecies from her. Ephemer does mention that he made a friend earlier that day (the Player), and that he plans to meet with them tomorrow, revealing that no, he didn’t ditch them willingly. He bids Ava farewell, and she has the following to say:

“Fly free my Dandelions.”

Cut to later that evening, when Ephemer was investigating the Foretellers’ domain without the Player, and we see him get approached by a shadowy figure. All he has to say before the fade to black is “It’s you!” with a frightened look on his face.

Meanwhile, in the present, the Player is really worried about Ephemer, though a nameless NPC tells them not to worry about it, because people disappear all the time in Daybreak Town! The Player then goes on a massive investigation across all of Daybreak Town and even a few Disney Worlds to see what they can learn about Ephemer. One wielder mentions that they saw him talking with Ava and another mentions rumors they heard about Ava seeking out strong Wielders, from all five Unions, which she isn’t supposed to do.

Uh oh.

Believing Ava to be responsible for Ephemer’s disappearance, the Player heads back into the waterway to see if there’s anything in the Foretellers’ domain that’ll help them find Ephemer, only to bump into Ava. Ava very casually and subtly interrogates the Player, tricking them and their Chirithy into revealing that they were investigating Ephemer’s disappearance. And believe her to be responsible. Realizing the jig is up, the possibly evil Foreteller summons her Keyblade and attacks the Player, the two battle, but Ava is ultimately victorious, reveals she wasn’t even using her full power, and was only testing the Player’s strength. She heals the Player (but they’re still on the verge of passing out because fighting a Foreteller is like fighting a tank armed with only a toothpick), and explains that she had heard of them through Ephemer and that he’d be flattered to know how much the Player’s cares for him, but tells them to stay out of the Domain of the Foretellers, as the others will not be as forgiving as she was. She drops by to visit later that night, and drops some cryptic words of advice to Chirithy, asking that they guide the Player because things are going to get worse before they get better.

The next time they’re in Daybreak Town nothing important happens. They just help a Keykid discover the power of friendship with the help of his ambiguously gay friend and fight an evil snowman. Oh and also the Foretellers are getting so desperate for Lux and power that they’re sending literal children into Realm of Darkness to fight Heartless on their home turf, literally sending kids to Hell for profit. Moving along.

This time, when they’re in Daybreak Town, the Player finally bumps into Ephemer at the Fountain Square, who apologizes for the being two years late to their meeting, and states that he got a little held up, to put it lightly. The two then rush back to the waterway to continue where they left off, only for Ephemer to comment that no, the Player isn’t ready, and dissolves into dandelion seeds, prompting the Player to wake up. Confused by what happened, but convinced that their dream was a message from Ephemer (because this is a fantasy setting and they got their Keyblade in a dream), they mention how strange this is too Chirithy, only to bump into a girl from Ephemer’s Union named Skuld. She knew Ephemer, in fact he was the first person to join her party and was her closest friend. Well, he was, until one day, after Skuld’s party reached the maximum number of people you can have in a party (I think fifty wielders in the Mobile Game), when Ephemer decided Skuld didn’t need him anymore and did what he did best, vanish without a trace. However, since all of Skuld’s party members were really only in the Party because Ephemer is the most popular character in the game, and didn’t really care about Skuld because kids are jerks, and pretty much ditched her en masse once Ephemer left.

Ouch.

Anyway, Skuld downplays just how heartbreaking this was for her because she only shared her tragic backstory with the Player to provide context for something that happened: Ephemer spoke with her in a dream, and told her about the Player, including saying that she should meet with them. The two then agree to head off to investigate the Foretellers, because why not, but are interrupted by a disturbing sight. The Foretellers of the Ursus and Anguis Unions, Aced and Invi, fighting on the rooftops. At which point Skuld mentions something else Ephemer told her. The world is going to end, and soon. This startles both Chirithy and the Player, and things go from bad to worse when the Dark Chirithy from earlier appears again, but this time it’s changed again, into a red-eyed, purple Nightmare Chirithy.

Nightmare Chirithy then monologues about how the light has caused all this strife, and how it plans to take the light away to make the fighting stop. It then summons three Heartless, one of whom speaks.

“Lux... Give... Lux...”

These Heartless are more humanoid then the others, looking like purple children in black costumes, with yellow glowing eyes and jagged grins. These are the Darklings, and, according to Nightmare Chirithy, you’ve met them before.

Remember those three Keykids who didn’t survive the Neoshadow hunt?

When Chirithy asks who Nightmare Chirithy’s Wielder is, they answer “Closer than you think.” and sics the Darklings on the Player and Skuld. The two fight off the Darklings, who don’t die so much as get annoyed and flee into the Lanes Between so that they can return and wreak havoc whenever they want. Nightmare Chirithy doesn’t seem to be disappointed by the Darklings’ failure to destroy the Player, however, and continues monologuing about darkness, the end of the world, and how the Foretellers are idiots, before finally leaving. The Player and Skuld, with renewed desparation and resolve, finally infiltrate the Foretellers’ Clocktower, fighting their way through a veritable swarm of Darklings, each one simply getting bored and leaving as opposed to dying when they’re defeated, revealing just how many Wielders have fallen to the darkness and become soldiers in Nightmare Chirithy’s legion.

The two reach the Foretellers’ study at the top of the Clocktower, and snoop around to try and see if they can find anything that’ll help them learn more about Ephemer and Nightmare Chirithy, only for the Player’s Foreteller (Or Ira, the Unicornis Foreteller, if the Player is in Vulpes because the scene wouldn’t work with Ava) to arrive, and ask what’s going on. Chirithy tries to take the fall, before the Player admits that they were looking for answers regarding what happened to Ephemer, at which point the Foreteller states that Ephemer only befriended the Player to spy on their Union, and that they killed him, and will do the same to the Player and Skuld if they don’t forget that he ever existed. Enraged, the Player gives an epic speech about why they’re a Wielder, about how, until now, they’ve treated the Lux collection as a friendly competition, and battled the Heartless to protect innocent people, how even if Ephemer had broken his promise, he was still their friend, and that they would never forgive themself if they let this injustice stand. They then summon their Keyblade, and tell their Foreteller to do the same, not caring if they die, because Ephemer would’ve done the same for them if the roles were reversed. Inevitably, the Player loses, but the Foreteller praises the Player’s courage, before a flash of light reveals that the Foreteller’s Study was an illusion, that the Player, Chirithy, and Skuld are still in the Waterway, and that the Foreteller was Ava in disguise. She praises the Player’s and Skuld’s courage, then finally explains what happened to Ephemer. He’s still alive, and is in an “Unchained State” to wait out the world’s last days. It’s too late to save this world, but Ava has created an Organization with powerful Wielders from all five Unions to ascend to the Unchained State, sleep through the Keyblade War, and create a new world out of their dreams, and she was testing the Player’s and Skuld’s resolve with the illusion, and they both passed even though Skuld didn’t do anything. Well, okay, we learn why Skuld passed in the Mobile Game, but until them, she invites both of them to join the Dandelions. Skuld accepts the invite without question, because she has no one and nothing in this world to live for and being a Dandelion would give her purpose, while the Player declines, stating that they have friends who they don’t want to abandon. Ava makes it clear that the invitation still stands, and this trip to Daybreak Town ends with Ava addressing a crowd of Dandelions (including Skuld and the ambiguously gay wielders I mentioned a couple paragraphs ago), explaining that once they enter the Unchained State they’ll go through their training from the start all over again, and that when the fighting starts, they’ll have to flee to the Unchained State, even if their friends fall to darkness, and even if she herself cannot join them. So, all’s well that ends well right?

Wrong.

In the browser game, the Player went to Agrabah to tie up the final loose ends on the Disney side of things, and then had a timeskip to a few months later, while the mobile game had the Player visiting the Castle of Dreams, running some errands in Daybreak Town, then returning to the Castle of Dreams (with girl players getting a hilarious cutscene where the Archduke tries to have them put on the slipper only to be unable to have them try it on because they can’t take off their shoes, and in the montage of times the Player didn’t see Strelitzia we see that she actually did take off her shoes to try on the glass slipper but her feet were too small. It’s as adorable as it sounds) to resolve the Cinderella plot. Regardless, when they return to Daybreak Town in after the timeskip/ball, they and Skuld see two Wielders from rival Unions fighting over Lux, the Player hopping in to break up the fight, with Chirithy pointing out that they’re supposed to use their Keyblades on the Heartless, not their fellow Wielders, at which point each one accuses the other’s Union of being a pawn of the darkness, just as bad as the Heartless they slay and deserving of the same fate, at which point both Wielders get reinforcements. To make a bad problem even worse, Aced, the Ursus Foreteller, arrives, and encourages them to keep fighting, because he’s a Social Darwinist, and believes that only the strong deserve to live. He’s not concerned with collecting Lux anymore, he’s more concerned with collecting powerful wielders so he can destroy the other Unions, banish and/or kill the other Foretellers, and take over the world, ensuring that he will be the strong one who preys on the weak. To make matters worse, he knows about the Dandelions, and when Skuld confronts him on the issue, he notes that she’s one of Ava’s Dandelions, and claims that they’re just Ava’s way of becoming stronger, because selflessness is an alien concept to him. When the Player announces that they’re not a Dandelion, Aced asks what their Union is. Even if they’re from Ursus, he’ll attack them, and demand that they summon their Keyblade and fight. After the battle, Aced declares that they’re too weak to be worthy of the Keyblade, but the Unicornis Foreteller, Ira, arrives and stops Aced from killing the Player. Ira calls Aced out for attacking the Player, and Aced does what he does best when faced with someone who can actually beat him in a fight, and lies to save his own skin, stating that he was merely testing their strength. When Ira remarks that he could sense Aced’s bloodlust all the way from the clocktower, Aced concedes, and admits that he plans to kill Ira, destroy Daybreak Town, and rebuild it so he can rule it as a god, before departing. Skuld asks what the point of fighting in the Keyblade War is if there will be no victor and no survivors, and Ira states that he will fight to ensure that there is no victor, because that is the only way to be absolutely sure that the winner doesn’t destroy the world. He apologizes for how bad things have gotten, and tells everyone in the Fountain Square to go home, before the Player blacks out.

In the Player’s dream, they have a premonition of the clash of seven and thirteen at the Keyblade Graveyard, where the seven Guardians of Light will clash with Xehanort’s Thirteen Seekers of Darkness. All of the figures are silouhetted, so nobody can make out who any of the Guardians and Seekers are, but there are actually nine Guardians of Light, implying that Donald Duck and Goofy will be helping the Seven Guardians of Light in their battle with Xehanort. Regardless, to the two factions are only on screen for a second before they all vanish in a flash of light, and the light of Kingdom Hearts shines down on the Player, confirming that Xehanort will succeed in summoning it. The Player then wakes up, and states that they have to find Ava and get some answers. Skuld explains that nobody’s seen Ava for months, and that the Dandelions’ membership has dropped as a result of several Dandelions losing faith in Ava or doubting that the Keyblade War will be as bad as she says it is. The Player then asks if there’s anyone who could help them find Ava, and Chirithy mentions that she was good friends with the Leopardos Foreteller, Gula, who’s been known to hang out in abandoned warehouses instead of the Clocktower. The three head out, when they find Gula, he tells them of the Lost Page of the Book of Prophecies, which tells of the traitor.

Meanwhile, Ava meets with a figure in a black coat on the outskirts of town, stating that she’s been looking for him, and asks him what he’s doing. The hooded figure is Luxu, the sixth apprentice, who states that he’s been watching, as the Master instructed him to do. He then stands up and speaks with Ava, stating that the Master is not concerned with the future of this world, and goes on to say that the Keyblade War will destroy everything, and there’s nothing they can do to stop it. Ava asks him if he’s the traitor, and he summons his Keyblade. Xehanort’s Keyblade.

Gula then explains that one will betray the five, and misenterpret the truth, and deliver the first strike of the Keyblade war, dooming the world. When we cut back to Luxu, he says “That’s the truth of the traitor”. Ava doesn’t believe him. Gula then explains that the clock tower’s bells won’t chime until the first strike of the Keyblade War has been delivered. Cut back to Ava and Luxu where Ava, consumed with rage, attacks Luxu, releasing a shockwave that can be felt all over Daybreak Town, and causes the Clocktower’s bells to chime. The Keyblade War has begun.

Chirithy asks if it’s okay for Gula to tell them all of this, and his response is that it doesn’t matter anymore because everyone is going to die anyway, before stating that they should go to their own Unions and hear what their Foretellers have to say. Skuld and the Player leave the Warehouse, depressed that all their hard work was for nothing, with Skuld stating that she’s going to join the Dandelions because they’re going to be leaving soon, and begs the Player to come with her. The Player is still reluctant to abandon their friends, and tells Skuld that they’ll think about it. Skuld, believing that she will never see the Player again, bids them farewell, and leaves with a heavy heart, believing that she’s lost another friend. This time, for good. The Player asks Chirithy what will happen to them if they die. Chirithy confesses that they’ll perish as well, as all Chirihty are linked to their Wielders. They then state that, even if they weren’t bound to the Player’s lifeforce, that they still want them to join the Dandelions. Not just because they’ll die if the Player dies, but because it breaks their heart to see their friend in so much pain and they don’t want to watch them die. The Player, realizing that they can’t really do anything for the Wielders sticking around to fight, agrees to join the Dandelions, rationalizing that they might as well save the one life they can, only for a familiar voice to comment “Isn’t that the same as running away?” Nightmare Chirithy is back, and the Player, fed up with it’s cryptic behavior, asks it who it’s Wielder is.

“You mean you still haven’t figured it out? You are my Wielder.”

Chirithy is horrified by this and asks one question, “Why?” Nightmare Chirithy then explains that it used the sins of the Heartless to become a Nightmare, so that it could cease to be a Spirit bound to a mortal child, but a Nightmare who can live freely. Chirithy doesn’t know what a Spirit is despite being one themself, and Nightmare Chirithy reveals that the “sins” it consumed to become a Nightmare goes by another name, “Guilt” (Or “Special Attack Bonus” in English). That’s right, the Player was using the powers of darkness when Guilting their Fragments and, what’s more: Nightmare Chirithy is the one who gave them the Power Bangle three years ago. However, the Player has outlived their usefulness, as Nightmare Chirithy has accomplished what it wanted to, and sics the same three Darklings on the Player again. Despite being alone this time, the Player actually manages to defeat the Darklings, who fall to the ground in a lifeless heap after they knock the trio out. Nightmare Chirithy isn’t disappointed however, instead stating that the battle has only begun, absorbs the defeated three Darklings and GOOD LORD KILL IT WITH FIRE! Ahem, the Player, after a grueling battle, defeats Nightmare Chirithy, whom reverts back to it’s demon plushy form, and comments that this isn’t the end for it. It’ll come back, and fades away with perhaps the most ominous dying words in this franchise, ever.

“See you in the next dream.”

Realizing that they’re the one thing tying Nightmare Chirithy to the mortal coil, the Player decides to take part in the Keyblade War, to ensure that Nightmare Chirithy can never return.

The Player is horrified by what they see when they arrive at the battlefield. None of the Wielders present care that they’re fighting former friends, and all of them are consumed with absolute hatred, wanting nothing more than to kill everyone who isn’t in their Union. Once their internal monologue ends, a boss rush begins, and the Player fights the four enemy Foretellers.

If the Player isn’t in Ursus, Aced will be enraged that the Player even dares to fight after he deemed them unfit to wield the Keyblade. The Player raises their weapon in defiance of the Mad Foreteller, who states that he wants that daring in his Union. The two clash, and Aced comments that the Player has grown stronger. Too strong, in fact, as now they’re actually a threat to his plans. He stops holding back and knocks the Player off their feet, before going in through the killing blow, the Player forcing themself to slide away from him being the one thing that stops him from slitting their throat.  Ira steps in, blocking the strike, and tells Aced that this ends here. Aced screams in rage at Ira constantly getting in his way and the two clash. The Player gets back up, and encounters the next Foreteller.

If the Player isn’t in Leopardos, Gula will give the Player a friendly greeting, before challenging them to battle, stating that they are in a warzone and on opposite sides of a war. The two clash, and Gula is impressed with the Player’s strength, wishes them luck, and leaps away. Uh...

If the Player isn’t in Anguis, Invi will comment that she recognizes the Player and knows what Union they’re in, even though the Player and Invi never interacted. The Player is about as unnerved as anyone would be at a complete stranger knowing so much about them, and Invi summons her Keyblade after continuing to be a bit of a creep. They clash, and Invi remarks that the Player’s Foreteller trained a good one, tells the Player to live on and casually walks away.

If the Player isn’t in Unicornis, Ira will state that he regrets having to strike down such a promising Wielder, but can at least give them a good send off, before attacking. While Ira is impressed with the Player’s strength following the clash, he hasn’t changed his mind, and decides to use his full power to give the Player a quick and hopefully painless death, only for Aced to ambush Ira, and restate his plans to destroy everything and everyone so that he can remake the World and rule over it as a god, cementing in the fact that he’s pure evil. Ira decides that killing an innocent Keykid for being on the wrong side of a war isn’t as important as killing a madman with a god complex, and the two continue their duel to the death.

If the Player isn’t in Vulpes, Ava serves as the final boss. The Player calls her out for taking part in the battle when she presented an alternative, and asks where the heck she’s been these past few months. Ava doesn’t answer them, but wordlessly summons her Keyblade, telling the Player to fight. Ava is consumed with guilt over starting the Keyblade War, and wishes to die in it as atonement. When she realizes that the Player isn’t strong enough to kill her, she begs them one last time to flee the battlefield and join the Dandelions, before walking away to find someone who can finish her off.

She succeeds, as the Player ends up being the sole survivor of the Keyblade War, surrounded by the Keyblades of their fallen friends. Lying on the ground in pain, and mortally wounded, the Player awaits the end, their Chirithy arriving to comfort them in their final moments. However, a bright light shines on the Player, and Skuld appears, though the Player, in their half-delerious state, mistakes her for a goddess. Ephemer also arrives, and the Player, tears in their eyes, bitterly states that he broke his promise. Ephemer admits that he knows, and offers the Player his hand, saying “We’ll go together.” The Player takes his hand, and the credits roll.

Eons later, the Player wakes up in the Enchanted Dominion, and Chirithy tries to pass off the last few months leading up to the Keyblade War as a bad dream the Player keeps having. They remark that things have been hectic since the Player joined the Dandelions with Ava, and that they had decided to take a nap in the woods. The two walk off to try and find an adventure, only to find black thorns blocking their way forward. Maleficent’s Raven flies overhead, and Chirithy remarks that it would be nice to be able to sprout wings and fly.

On the other side of the bridge, Diablo perches on Maleficent’s shoulder. She wonders where Pete is, before stating that it doesn’t matter, because Sora and his friends can’t stop her now. She laughs maniacally as she walks away, Kingdom Hearts χ closing with the reveal that Maleficent has found her way into the Unchained State post KH3.

In the mobile game, however, things diverge prior to the battle with Aced, with the Player joining four other Keyblade Wielders to fight Heartless in the Waterway. Victorious over the Heartless, we then get a flashback to the Master of Masters, whom assigns Ava the task of gathering the Dandelions, and gives her a list of names, the five Wielders he wants to serve as the new Union Leaders after the Keyblade War. One of their names are circled in red, and that one will receive a copy of the Book of Prophecies to remake the world with later. However, the other Union Leaders are not to learn of this, as it would cause chaos. Additionally, the Dandelions are to forget that the Keyblade War ever happened, why burden them with the memories of so much hurt?

Ephemer is one of the assigned Union Leaders, and the shadowy figure he encountered in the Waterway was Ava, who passed onto him the Book of Laws each of the Union Leaders would receive to guide them in their new roles. He’s disturbed by the idea of erasing everyone’s memories, but Ava asks if he’d still feel that way if he were to see just how horrific the Keyblade War would be. As the Mobile Game is set immediately after the Keyblade War, he did concede upon seeing how much pain his friend the Player was in. Ephemer isn’t the only Union Leader, however, as Skuld was also granted a Book of Laws, and he’s surprised yet happy to see her. And we get more blatant ship teasing between the two as they fall right back into what was clearly their old routine. Ephemer wonders if he’ll recognize anyone else, but a voice from off screen comments that he doubts it, because he has no clue who they are. Ephemer invites him to come on over and introduce himself, holding out his hand to welcome the new Union Leader, introducing himself. The New Wielder also introduces himself.