Editing Realm of Darkness

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The {{nihongo|'''Realm of Darkness'''|闇の世界|Yami no Sekai}}, also translated as '''Dark World''' in its playable incarnation in ''[[Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-]]'' and ''[[Kingdom Hearts III]]'', is a realm made up of [[darkness]] in people in every world. Unlike the [[Realm of Light]], the passage of time does not exist here. As a result, anyone trapped in the Realm of Darkness does not age or need food and sleep.{{storylink|Secret Ansem Report 5}} If one who strongly resonates with darkness passes away, their soul ends up here,{{storylink|Chain of Memories}} although they can later be resurrected.{{storylink|Kingdom Hearts II}}

The Realm of Darkness has its own natural landmasses, often stone-like with blue glowing cracks in them. However, when [[Heartless]] devour a world's [[heart]], it is swallowed into this realm and becomes connected to other worlds the Heartless attacked; although this sometimes help create new worlds like [[Traverse Town]] and [[End of the World]]. As with the Realm of Light, this realm has a [[Keyblade]], [[Kingdom Key D]], which chose [[King Mickey]] as its wielder. It is where [[Ansem, Seeker of Darkness]] formed the [[Kingdom Hearts of Worlds' Hearts]], and is the home of all Pureblood [[Heartless]].

After defeating [[Terra-Xehanort]], [[Aqua]] awakes within an immense, eerie cavern known simply as the {{nihongo|'''{{a|Realm of Darkness}}'''|闇の世界|Yami no Sekai}}. Starting at the cavern's {{nihongo|'''{{a|Middle Zone}}'''|中層|Chūsō}}, she ventures through the {{nihongo|'''{{a|Lower Zone}}'''|下層|Kasō}} and {{nihongo|'''{{a|Upper Zone}}'''|上層|Jōsō}} before finally finding a way out. These caves are infested with Heartless and strange rock formations, as well as geysers and barriers formed from pure darkness. In the Upper Zone is a path towards a spiraling purple and violet light. Following this path leads to out of the cavern and to  the {{nihongo|'''{{a|Valley of the Dark}}'''|闇の狭間|Yami no Hazama}}, a twisted and decaying forest drenched in darkness.  

[[File:Minimap (Realm of Darkness) KHBBS.png|350px]]

Past the valley is the '''Dark Cinderella Castle''' in the distance, which can be reached through a crumbling forested path sparsely lit with lanterns. Surrounding the castle is the '''Castle Town''', which is filled with empty houses, business stalls, and a fountain frozen in time in the center. Pieces of buildings float around the area. At the edges of the Castle Town, the remains of the world are crumbling into blue crystals. Beyond that is the remains of the seven Dwarfs' cottage from [[Dwarf Woodlands]], and a mirror leading to the {{nihongo|'''{{a|World Within}}'''|鏡の中世界|Kagami no Naka no Sekai|lit. "the World Within the Mirror"}} the Magic Mirror, which resembles both the realm of the Spirit of the Magic Mirror and the Queen's dungeon. Past the mirror is the {{nihongo|'''{{a|Forest of Thorns}}'''|茨の森|Ibara no Mori}}, a corruption of the dark forest of [[Enchanted Dominion]] which ends at the Forbidden Mountain. From there, a portal leads to similar cavernous area known as the '''Depths of Darkness'''. At the end of the path is a sandy terrain leading into a bright light; it leads to '''[[End of the World|Homecoming]]''', where [[Kingdom Key D]] is hidden.

[[File:Deep Dive 02 KHFM.png|thumb|left|200px|The Dark Margin.]]

At the furthest reaches of the Realm of Darkness, on the border between it and the Realm Between<!--cite to Director's Secret Report XIII-->, is a moonlit shoreline called the {{nihongo|'''Dark Margin'''|闇の海岸|Yami no Kaigan}}. Like the caverns, this beach is littered with strange, almost organic rock formations.

[[File:Realm of Darkness Gameplay (Aqua) 01 KHBBSFM.png|thumb|right|Aqua fighting Heartless in the Realm of Darkness.]]

While wandering lost through the Realm of Darkness, Aqua is confronted by a [[Darkside]]. She prepares to fight it, but three more Darksides join the fight and she loses hope. However, she is rescued by the [[Earthshaker]] and [[Wayward Wind]] Keyblades, which make quick work of the Darksides and renew her hope. She looks at her Wayfinder and remembers all the friends she has made throughout her journey across the worlds. Smiling, Aqua vows to escape the Realm of Darkness.

However, as she moves onward, a crack of light forms in the cavern's roof and a beam of darkness fires through it. Aqua's Wayfinder stops glowing and she senses something is wrong. Aqua ventures deeper in the Realm of Darkness and comes across the [[Heartless]], enemies she does not recognize. As residents of the Realm of Darkness, these enemies prove to be stronger than the Unversed, but Aqua manages to fight her way through them until she reaches the [[Dark Hide]]. Although the beast is vicious and powerful, Aqua finally emerges victorious after a lengthy battle. Venturing forward, Aqua is horrified when she spots the destroyed [[Castle of Dreams]] jutting out of a sea of darkness in the distance.  

Aqua continues her journey through the Realm of Darkness, passing through the remains of [[Castle of Dreams]], [[Dwarf Woodlands]] and [[Enchanted Dominion]]. Aqua questions what happens to the people who have lost their worlds to darkness, while finding herself thinking back to when she was with her friends. She is eventually confronted by [[Phantom Aqua]], an illusion created from the doubt in her heart by the darkness. Once it is defeated, Aqua finds manifestations of [[Terra]]'s and [[Ventus]]'s hearts; Terra is able to converse with her, while Ven remains comatose. However, [[Master Xehanort|Xehanort]] attempts to use this [[Terra-Xehanort|link]] to find out where she hid Ven. Terra fights off Xehanort, accidentally summoning a [[Darkside]], which pulls Aqua into darkness.

Aqua is rescued by [[Mickey]], who informs that an entire decade has passed since [[Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep|the battle with Xehanort]]. Mickey informs her they need to find [[Kingdom Key D]], to help Sora and Riku seal the [[Door to Darkness]] to keep the [[Heartless]] from escaping and destroying the worlds. Upon finding the Keyblade they need, the duo find [[Demon Tide]] attempting to attack Riku; Aqua tethers it with her magic, getting pulled into a secluded part of the Dark Realm. Mickey is left to focus on sealing the Door and hoping to find Aqua again. Once she defeats the Heartless, Aqua rests; she is content to wait for her rescue, knowing now that the Realm of Light is safe with Sora and Riku there.

Riku awakens from his slumber in the Realm of Darkness when an unseen presence, later revealed to be [[DiZ]], gifts him a magic world card and asks him to choose between slipping back into sleep, or taking the card and making his way toward the truth. Riku decides that going back to sleep would be boring, and confidently takes the card. He is taken by the card through a corridor of darkness to the lowest basement of [[Castle Oblivion]]. As Riku makes his way through the castle, he is contacted by Mickey, who is still trapped within the Realm of Darkness, but encourages Riku to persevere. As Riku reaches the top of the castle, Mickey finally finds a way out of the Realm of Darkness in the form of another card, which showed him Riku's heart and led him through a corridor of darkness constructed by Organization XIII.<ref>{{storylink|Secret Ansem's Report 11}}: "It seems my friend, fighting in the realm of darkness, appeared in Castle Oblivion through a corridor of darkness constructed by Organization XIII. My new ally Riku also effected his return via one of these corridors."</ref>

 

When they encounter [[Saïx]] at the [[Battle of the 1000 Heartless]], Sora even begs Saïx to let him into the Realm of Darkness, but the Nobody coldly refuses and prepares to attack. [[Maleficent]] begrudgingly rescues Sora and his friends by transporting them to the Realm of Darkness, where they run into a disguised [[Riku-Ansem]]. He leaves them a [[sea-salt ice cream]] bar and a photo of Roxas in [[Twilight Town]] as clues to get to [[The World That Never Was]], rescue [[Kairi]] and destroy Organization XIII. They follow the clues to the [[Old Mansion]], hoping that the [[Simulated Twilight Town]] will have another path to the Realm of Darkness.

After defeating Xemnas within his "[[The World of Nothing]]", Sora and Riku end up at the Realm Between's side of the Dark Margin.<ref>'''''[[Director's Secret Report XIII]]''''', p. 27-28; '''Interviewer''': "Is there a possibility that blank points in time and settings that haven't been shown in detail such as the "Realm of Darkness" etc will be depicted in the future? Was the beach that appeared at the beginning and end of ''KHII'' the "Realm of Darkness"?" / '''Tetsuya Nomura''': "At present, I think there are four broad stories you could say are blank: "King Mickey's period of absence", "Riku's period of absence", "Roxas's days with Organization XIII", and "Xehanort's past". In that case, "King Mickey's time of absence" would be a story set in the Realm of Darkness. I have been considering over and over how I ought to tell these four stories, so perhaps someday they will be told in some way. That place that appears at the beginning and end of ''KHII'', called the Dark Margin, is the tip of the cape of that world, and it is not strictly part of the Realm of Darkness but a boundary-like place between Darkness and Between. This means that in the ending Sora and Riku are looking at an ocean in the Realm of Darkness from a beach in the Realm Between. This also means that the scene of the door appearing in the ocean of darkness at the end was symbolic of Sora's "deep down, there's a light that never goes out" line from the first game." Translation via Goldpanner.</ref> They patiently wait there until [[Kairi's Letter]] washes up on the shore. The [[Door to Light]] appears as they read it, allowing them to return home to Destiny Islands.

[[Ansem, Seeker of Darkness]] enters the Dark World, finding [[Ansem the Wise]] with [[Aqua]] at the [[End of Sea]]. The Heartless asks his former teacher to reveal the whereabouts of [[Subject X]], to which Ansem the Wise denies knowledge. The Keyblade-less Aqua attempts to protect Ansem the Wise, but the Heartless summons [[the One Behind]], imbuing Aqua with darkness and tossing her into the sea. A distraught Ansem the Wise is then taken by his former pupil.

Some time afterwards, [[the King]] and [[Riku]] enter the Dark World after receiving their new outfits to shield them from its corrupting power. They follow the path from where Mickey left Aqua the previous time to the End of Sea. Believing Aqua to have fallen into an even darker part of the Dark World, they prepare to return until a [[Demon Tower]] attacks and swallows Riku. The disembodied heart of the [[Riku Replica]] helps free Riku from the Heartless, but at the cost of [[Way to the Dawn]] breaking in half; Riku leaves it behind for his replica to claim, returning to the [[Realm of Light]] with Mickey to seek a replacement Keyblade.

Riku and the King's return trip to Dark World is meet by a new Demon Tower, now commanded by the corrupted [[Anti-Aqua]]; stealing [[Kingdom Key W]], Anti-Aqua prepares to ditch them in the Dark World and return to the Realm of Light. However, Riku engages her in battle, stalling her long enough for [[Sora]] to arrive via [[Master's Defender]]; [[Combined Keyblade|combining their powers]], the duo destroy the Demon Tide, freeing Mickey. Sora takes on Anti-Aqua, purging the darkness from her. The trio take the unconscious Aqua back to [[Destiny Islands]].

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