Ihe dimly lit fines of Ansem’s closed-off b, the air hummed with a strange, almost sinister presence. tai fields lihe walls, eae housing a dark creature that shifted restlessly withiransparent barriers. What had once been a lone Shadow Heartless had multiplied; now, there were ten Soldiers in their respective tai fields, their armored forms looming ominously. And among them, a new, more imposing figure had emerged—a Knight Heartless. The Knight was thin and humanoid, encased from head to toe in sleek, bd silver armor, with a spherical, pitch-bck head encased in a helmet. Its glowing yellow eyes peered from behind a visor marked by two red spirals, an eerie trast to the polished surface of its armor. It clutched a sword with a gleaming golden guard, poised as though waiting for an opportunity to strike. A crimso emblem was embzoned on its abdomen, marking it as an artificial creature of darkness.
Even sat at a nearby desk, scribbling furiously into his notebook as he observed the behavior of the Heartless in their tai fields. His notes detailed theories, observations, and tless ideas about the transformation process that seemed to occur when a person’s heart was overtaken by darkness. He wrote about how the characteristics of each creature appeared to be influenced by the strength and nature of the hearts they had ed, and how these variations gave rise to different forms. The new armored Knight, he noted, dispyed a ferocity and resilienlike the Shadows and Soldiers—a clear indication that the heart it had emerged from was different.
“Iing,” Even murmured, tapping his pen against his notes. “If hearts from different-minded individuals produique variations in these creatures, then fies, like Helios or Subject X, could potentially lead to entirely ypes of Heartless. The question, then, is if these creatures further evolve and if so; how far they evolve.”
Just as he fihat thought, the b door slid open with a hiss, and Xehanort stepped inside. His golden eyes sed the room, ing to rest on the Heartless tained within their fields. A thin smile crossed his face as he took in the sight of the creatures writhing and shifting, their glowing eyes watg his every move with a predatleam.
“They’ve grown wonderfully,” Xehanort remarked, his voice low and approving. He walked up to Even, casting a sidelong g the scribbled notes. “You’re doting the variations in their forms, I assume?”
Even nodded, looking up from his work. “Yes, Xehanort. It seems the heart’s strength and nature py a signifit role iermining the resulting form of the creature. This Knight, for instahere’s something different about its core. The transformation process seems… influenced, almost personalized, by the traits of the heart it’s derived from. Maybe the heart of a defensive and aggressive personality.”
Xehanort houghtfully, his gaze returning to the Heartless. “Then we may have something truly groundbreaking here. If we uand how these transformations work, we could, in theory, manipute them, craftiless tailored to specifieeds. And as for the heart extra experiment?”
Even’s expression shifted to one of mild frustration. He sighed, “It’s… progressing, but slowly. Extrag a heart without shattering it is proving difficult. Most hearts simply ’t withstand the process. They break uhe pressure, dissipating into darkness before we tain them.”
Xehanort’s eyes narrowed slightly as he sidered this setback. “Then it seems we need subjects with stronger hearts,” he mused, crossing his arms. “What resources remain? How ma subjects are still avaible?”
Even’s gaze shifted back to his notes, flipping through them before responding. “We have two left. Not an ideal number for extensive experimentation, but if we proceed cautiously—”
A familiar voiterrupted, dripping with a casual sarcasm. “As if, there’s no way that’ll be enough.” Braig strolled into the b, a smirk pying on his lips as he took in the se before him.
Xehanort raised an eyebrow, uurbed by the interruption. “And what brings you here, Braig?”
Braig shrugged, leaning against a nearby sole with a grin. “Just thought I’d help solve the ‘resource she’ you’re having. I rounded up eight more orphans from the town. Ienzo’s processing them as we speak.” He cast a sidelong g Even. “Though, I gotta say, it’s kinda twisted bringing in a kid like Ienzo on this projed keeping him in the dark about what’s really going on. Don’t you think?”
Xehanort’s gaze hardened, but his voice remained calm. “Do you have a problem with our arra, Braig?”
Braig raised his hands in mock surrender, a mischievous grin on his face. “As if. Just making an observation, boss.” He looked over at the tai fields, his eyes gleaming with a morbid curiosity as he watched the Heartless shifting within their barriers. “So, eighteen subjects, huh? That’s a det start. Though, holy, calling them ‘creatures’ feels a little… me.”
Even looked up from his notes, a slight frown on his face. “I fail to see the relevance of what we call them. What matters is the data we’re gathering.”
Braig snorted, shaking his head. “Oh, e on, Even. Have a little creativity. I mean, didn’t our fearless leader here decide to call them ‘Heartless’? Or was that just a passing thought?”
Xehanort let out a quiet chuckle, his eyes glinting with dark amusement. “The name felt appropriate,” he said, his gaze fixed on the writhing shadows within the tai fields. “Heartless… a fitting term for creatures born from the absence of a heart, wouldn’t you agree?”
Braig ughed, pointing a thumb at himself. “Hey, and here I thought I was the creative one around here. Got the idea from me, didn’t you?”
Xehanort’s smile grew, though his eyes remained cold. “Think of it however you like, Braig.”
Eveuro his notes, his hand moving swiftly as he jotted down observations. He paused, looking up as if sidering a question that had li the back of his mind. “If we tinue as we have, we’ll soon reach the limit of what these… Heartless reveal to us. Extrag the hearts, studying the transformation—they’re only the beginning. What do you io do once we’ve exhausted these initial experiments?”
Xehanort’s gaze drifted over the Heartless once more, his expression ptive. “The heart holds secrets far beyond simple transformation,” he replied, his voice soft, almost reverent. “Once erfected the extra process, we begin experimenting with focused solely on the heart itself. Test ower the heart has in maniputing memories and willpower.”
Braig, who had been watg the versation with a smirk, chimed in. “So, what, we’re gonna start makiless out of people’s memories ? Sounds like a whole new level of creepy.”
Xehanort’s eyes gleamed with a dark, quiet iy. “Not memories alone, Braig. If we trol the heart’s true essehe very nature of what makes a being who they are—we could shape these mindless Heartless into something useful. Imagine having a creature which boasts the strength of 10 men helping move objects.”
Even’s hand paused mid-note, his gaze sharp with intrigue. “You’re suggesting we create… specialized Heartless?”
“Precisely,” Xehanort replied, his voice filled with a dangerous ambition. “Heartless that not only embody darkness but carry with them specific traits—strength, speed, resilience—all determined by the nature of the heart they are born from. And if our theories hold, fs could offer new, unique abilities. Imagihe potential of creatiless from entities like Subject X… or that boy Helios.”
The name lingered in the air, casting a cold shadow over the b. Braig’s smirk deepened, his gaze flig over the Heartless with a gleam of dark fasation. “So, boss… when do we get to see these ‘specialized’ Heartless in a?”
Xehanort’s smile was cold, his eyes fixed on the creatures before him. “Soon, Braig. Very soon. But first, we must tinue refining our teiques, ensuring that every Heartless we create is perfected to the limits of our uanding. After all, we wouldn’t want our ‘instruments’ to be anythiharaordinary.”
As the b settled into silehe Heartless stirred restlessly within their tai fields, their glowing eyes fixed on the figures before them. It was as if they uood, in some primal, instinctual way, that they devour everything. And as Xehanort, Even, and Braig tiheir work, the creatures watched with an unblinking iy, awaiting the moment when they would finally be unleashed.
