Thread:EternalNothingnessXIII/@comment-1515645-20140528224548

Upon his return to the Radiant Garden, Lea goes back to Ansem the Wise's castle, where he tells Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo about Master Xehanort's rebirth. Believing this to be the same Xehanort who convinced them long ago to betray their master in return for knowledge and power only to be betrayed themselves, Even and Ienzo agree to devote all of their time to researching a means of stopping the elderly Keyblade Master in hopes of exacting their revenge. They predict dark forces will soon be coming to stop them, and they instruct Dilan and Aeleus to secure the surrounding areas with Lea, who reveals his Keyblade-wielding abilities to them, as their leader.

Eventually, Lea is separated from Dilan and Aeleus, and the town is attacked by both the Heartless and the Nobodies, true to Even and Ienzo's prediction. The creatures are too strong for Lea to hold back on his own, and knowing of his connection to Sora, who is his last hope, he uses strength of heart to call out to the Keyblade wielder across the worlds. Sora comes to his aid, and the boy helps Lea to save Dilan and Aeleus from the Heartless and Nobodies attacking Ansem's castle. Upon the creatures' destruction, Lea, Dilan, and Aeleus decide to give Ienzo and Even a status report. They allow Sora to come with them, and upon seeing the young Keyblade wielder, Ienzo and Even tell him about their research and how it has prompted them to investigate the Heartless and Nobodies' return. They also demand to know more about Master Xehanort's revival to improve the efficiency of their work. When Ienzo detects a powerful dark presence in the town square that seems to be the source of the Heartless and Nobodies infesting Radiant Garden, Lea and Sora rush off, Keyblades at the ready, to destroy it.

When they reach the town square, Sora and Lea are shocked to see the "dark presence" Ienzo had sensed is none other than Saïx. Lea, who is still convinced that the figure standing before him is none other than his former best friend Isa, demands to know why he attacked him back in The World That Never Was. The Nobody calmly states that it is because he is the enemy and "it is what the Master wanted," and he stresses that his name is not "Isa" as Lea believes, but "Saïx." Lea refuses to accept this, and he tries again to call out to his best friend's heart, sensing that its light still shines faintly in the depths of the cold shell containing it. However, Saïx laughs at the futility of Lea's efforts, and he explains that the only one who can access his heart now is Master Xehanort. The Nobody reveals his master plan to conquer all worlds in Master Xehanort's name and stand beside the elderly Keyblade Master as his equal, and relishing Lea's pain, he goes as far as to state that their "so-called friendship" never existed in the first place. However, this only triggers Lea's determination to save his friend from Master Xehanort's clutches before it is too late. Lea convinces Sora to aid him in battle against Saïx, and upon their victory, the Nobody opens a Corridor of Darkness and vanishes. Lea, however, is unwilling to let his friend escape now that he has finally found him again, and he gives chase, disappearing into the Corrdior of Darkness as well despite Sora's pleas for him to remain behind. Soon after, Sora returns to Ansem the Wise's study to tell Even and Ienzo that the Radiant Garden should be safe from the darkness for the time being. They ask what became of Lea, to which Sora states that he does not know but will do all in his power to find him.

At the end of his journey, Sora is approached by Saïx at the Keyblade Graveyard. The Keyblade wielder demands to know what he has done with Lea, to which the Nobody smirks and calmly states that "the fool has been dealt with." When Sora demands to know why Saïx would dare go as far as to eliminate his best friend, he reveals that it was all because of his false assumption that Lea was one of the Seven Guardians of Light who needed to be destroyed if Master Xehanort and the true Organization XIII were ever to reach the seven Princesses of Heart and, through them, forge the χ-blade. Determined to avenge Lea's sacrifice, Sora engages Saïx in a climatic battle. While he initially has the upper hand, the Nobody channels Master Xehanort's power to summon the elderly Keyblade Master's Keyblade. He manages to overpower Sora, and as the boy's consciousness starts to fade, a bright sphere of light emerges from his chest and takes shape before him as Lea's spirit. The spirit tells Sora not to pity him, and that he will live forever thanks to Sora's memories of him and through their connected hearts. Lea's spirit then transforms back into a sphere of light and merges again with Sora's heart. Lea's voice echoes in Sora's head, claiming that Saïx is not his friend after all, but a monster who must be struck down once and for all. The voice promises to give Sora its remaining power, and with it, the young Keyblade wielder is finally able to destroy Saïx and the piece of Master Xehanort's heart within him. 