The World That Never Was
First Appearance: KINGDOM HEARTS (2002)
This world at the edge of Light and Darkness is divided into two. The city, resembling a modern age metropolitan, stands desolate and abandoned. The bright neon lights shine on nothing as rain pours down. Hovering above is the Castle that Never was, home to Organization XIII, a group of unique individuals all donning black coats and masters over the elements that make up the universe.
Roxas, the 13th member, joins the Organization and is looked after by number VIII, Axel. A week later a girl about Roxas's age joins, called Xion. Both she and Roxas are chosen by the Keyblade. Roxas begins going out on missions with various members of the Organization. He works with Number XI, Marluxia; Number VI, Zexion; Number XII, Larxene; Number IV, Vexen; Number V, Lexaeus, and Axel until all those members are sent to Castle Oblivion, another of the Organization's strongholds. Saix, number VII and the second in command, sends Axel on his way with a warning - there are traitors amongst those sent to Castle Oblivion, and Axel is to deal with them.
In Axel's absence, Roxas works with Xion who is as mute. Eventually she begins to communicate with Roxas and even reveals her face which she kept hidden up to that point. Several days later news arrive, telling of at least one member that met their end in Castle Oblivion. Roxas will not have too long to worry over Axel as that very same day he falls unconscious and will not wake up for a month. Saix and Xemnas discuss the events taking place in Castle Oblivion and blame Roxas's conditions on the actions of a girl called "Naminé". Roxas will wake up, should she strip "the hero" of all his Memories. Xemnas comments how sleep has taken Roxas again. Meanwhile, Xion collects Hearts for the Organization, as she too has a Keyblade.
Roxas dreams of a boy in red disappearing in a white pod and finally wakes up to the sound of a girl's voice which sounds like Xion. Roxas then learns that all those sent to Castle Oblivion are lost, and as a result he is to work on his own. The news are proved as false on Day 72 however as Axel comes back. Saix demands a report out of him, but save for taking out Zexion for a common goal between him and Saix, he has nothing to show for his efforts as he found nothing of what he was sent to search for, and Naminé is now missing.
Now that Axel's back, he's sent with Roxas to look for Xion who went missing shortly after Roxas woke up. It appears she lost control of her Keyblade and to cover up that fact, Roxas goes with her on her missions. Their efforts pay off a Heart shaped moon appears in the skies - Kingdom Hearts, the Organization's ultimate goal.
Xion finally regains her Keyblade on Day 96, but in his efforts to help Roxas and Xion cover the truth up, tension increases between Axel and Saix, who seems to have known the truth all along. It escalates to the point Saix demands Axel spies on Xion for him, and to give him incentive to do so he taunts him about how both of his "favorite people", Naminé and Xion, originated from Castle Oblivion. He is therefore to go on missions with Xion and report to Saix, as well as be sent to Castle Oblivion again. Both Saix and Xemnas are after the Chamber of Waking which is supposedly there, and finding it will tell them everything Xemnas wouldn't. For the sake of their common goals, Axel took down both Vexen and Zexion in Castle Oblivion, and he will search the Castle again to find the answers Saix wants.
Things progress partially without events until Day 149 where news come of an Organization impostor, one wearing the coat but not belonging to the Organization. Having failed her mission to dispose of him, Xion is shaken as the man called her Keyblade a shame. Saix calls her a failure, and his attitude towards her worsens noticeably. She fall into a coma on Day 172 after another failed mission. Saix tells Axel the girl has no right to be in the Organization and fails to see what Roxas and Axel see in that 'thing'.
Xion finally wakes up after a dream about a boy in red and a redheaded girl that looks like her, and she joins Axel and Roxas on their mission. They return with her unconscious, and Saix is only too happy to mock the fallen Xion. Axel tells him to shut up and Saix is awed - Axel has changed to the point their past means nothing to him anymore - a past where he learned Axel's true name, "Lea". He blames it on something in Castle Oblivion.
Xion's dreams continue to escalate and shake her until in a desperate attempt to find answers she hacks into the Organization's computers. Saix, Xigbar and Xemnas are aware of this but Xemnas decides to do nothing. He seems pleased with how things are unfolding. Xion goes missing altogether the next day but Xemnas orders that no one goes looking for her unless he himself gives the order.
Axel and Roxas look for Xion regardless but cannot find her. As a result, when the impostor is sighted in Castle Oblivion again on Day 297 Roxas volunteers to go hunt him down, as the Castle is the last place they haven't looked in. They fail in both missions and Xion is declared a traitor for working with the impostor. Roxas is to go after the impostor again while Axel is to bring Xion back - dead or alive. He does, but having done so violently, Roxas is mad, saying there had to have been another way.
Despite being brought back, Xion is still out of sight. Roxas approaches Xemnas himself about it. Xemnas reassures Roxas about Xion before the boy recalls a time he met the man on a beach in the Realm of Darkness. Xemnas called him 'Sora' then and when asked, Xemnas explains that Sora is both what connects Roxas and Xion, as well as why Xion was let into the Organization from the start. That, as well as Xemnas's lenient attitude towards Xion is explained to Saix in a meeting later that day. Thanks to being around Roxas, Xion gained powers over the Keyblade, and then began to receive Sora's Memories through Roxas - Sora's Nobody. She is effectively keeping those Memories hostage and thus, keeps Sora from waking so long as she is near Roxas. So long as she doesn't come into contact again with the impostor, Riku, there is nothing to worry about.
Roxas dreams again on Day 321 of when the boy in red lost his Keyblade to Riku. The same day, Xion talks to Axel about Roxas who has been growing weaker, while she only continues to gain strength. Axel explains that it is because Xion is a replica, made to copy Roxas and his Keyblade. She is taking from him more than she should, resulting in the lack of balance in powers. He refuses to do anything about it and leaves the decision up to her as both she and Roxas are his friends. She then asks him about the boy in her dreams and wonders if it's Sora.
Xemnas decides then they only need one. Either Xion takes all Roxas has left to give, or Roxas destroys her and takes back what's his. Either way, Sora's Keyblade will be the Organization's.
Realizing she's about to ruin everything, Xion thinks back to her meeting with Riku several months before. He gave her time to figure things out for herself and she decides to make the most of that time. That very day she and Roxas are tricked into fighting each other on their missions, but Axel intervenes.
The following day, Xion escapes and Axel lets her. Roxas cannot forgive him, even when Axel explains that Xion was basically killing Roxas. The only way to save Roxas is to eliminate Xion. The same thing is said by Xemnas and the truth about Xion being a replica of the Keyblade Wielder is revealed to the entire Organization. Axel is ordered to bring her back, and the distrust Roxas has towards him only deepens.
Roxas eventually leaves the Organization as no one is willing to tell him the truth about himself and his Keyblade. He defeats Saix and doesn't even look back when Axel calls out to him.
Shortly afterwards Axel succeeds in bringing Xion back, but she meets her demise at Roxas's hands not too long after. Now wielding two Keyblades, Roxas returns to the city. He is intercepted by Riku. Roxas wants to free Kingdom Hearts and find Sora, so that he can go back to eating ice cream with Axel and Xion again. Riku needs Roxas as he now has all of Sora's Memories inside him. As they fight, their Memories of Xion begin to fade, yet being a part of Roxas now, she manages to call out to Riku through the Oblivion Keyblade Roxas let him wield. She begs Riku to stop Roxas as going after the Organization will be his end. Riku accepts Roxas as Sora's Nobody as the boy began acting like Sora on instinct, and in a desperate measure to bring Roxas down, Riku transforms into Xehanort - Xemnas's Heartless. As he falls, Roxas completely forgets about Xion who manages still to speak to him. Memories of their time together will always be inside Sora, as they are both parts of him.
Roxas wakes up the following day in a small room in Twilight Town after another dream about him - the boy in red. He opens the window and looks out at the town before running out shortly to meet his friends. Maybe, just maybe... they'll finally hit the beach. Only seven days to go, after all, before their summer vacation is over.
