Ansem's Reports

Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. That knowledge
has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that. I am blessed with my
people's smiles and respect. But though I am called a sage, there are things I
do not understand. I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how
pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I
have witnessed it many times. Darkness...Darkness of the heart. How is it born?
How does it come to affect us so? As ruler of this world, I must find the
answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the
darkness.

It is my duty to expose what this darkness really is. I shall conduct the
following experiments. Extract the darkness from a person's heart. Cultivate
darkness in a pure heart. Both suppress and amplify the darkness within. The
experiments caused the test subjects' hearts to collapse, including those ofthe
most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatments produced no signs if
recovery. I confined hose who had completely lost their hearts beneath the
castle. Some time later, I went below and was greeted by the strangest sight.
Creatures that seemed born of darkness... What are they? Are they truly
sentient beings? Could they be the shadows of those who lost their hearts in my
experiments?

The shadows that crawl beneath the castle... Are they the people who lost their
hearts, or incarnations of darkness? Or something entirely beyond imagination?
All my knowledge has provided no answer. One thing I am sure of is that they
are entirely devoid of emotion. Perhaps further study will unlock the mysteries
of the heart. Fortunately, there is no shortage of test samples. They are
multiplying underground even as I write this report. They still need a name.
Those who lack hearts... I will call them the Heartless.

The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I've provided them
both living and nonliving samples. They've responded only to the living. They
seem to multiply after absorbing something from the living creatures. Their
prey vanishes without a trace. I believe the Heartless are taking hearts. They
are born from those who've lost their hearts, and thrive on hearts seized from
others. The hearts taken by the Heartless become Heartless themselves. Though I
lack proof, I am confident in this hypothesis. I must study their behavioral
principles. Though they lack emotions, they do seem to have some intelligence.
How to communicate with them? It's just occurred to me: Could they be the
darkness in people's hearts?

To study Heartless behavior, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its
antennae and, as if sensing a target, headed deep into the castle. In the
deepest part of the castle, its antennae began vibrating, as if searching for
something. Suddenly, strange door appeared. I'd never known of it's existence.
It had a large keyhole, but didn't seem to be locked. So I opened the door.
What I saw on the other side mystified me. What was that powerful mass of
energy? That night, I observed a great meteor shower in the sky? Could it be
related to the door that I have opened?

A massive core of energy lay beyond the door sought by the Heartless. It may
well be the ultimate goal of all Heartless. But what is that energy? I have
devised a hypothesis, based on my observations of the Heartless. The Heartless
feed on others' hearts and they yearn for that energy core. That thing beyond
the door must be a heart, too--the heart of this world. There is no proof, but
having felt that immense energy, I am certain. That was the heart of the world.
The Heartless are trying to take hearts not only from all living creatures, but
from the world itself. But what do they mean to do with the heart of the world.

I am now studying material from the meteors that rained down that fateful
night. What a find! The material is foreign to our world. It is elastic to the
touch, and when two pieces are combined, they bond easily. None of the records
I've scoured even mention such a substance. Was it introduced to this world
when I opened the door? I wonder how many other such materials drift through
the atmosphere of this tiny world...I wish I could soar off and find out! Could
there be uncharted worlds up there? My curiosity never ceases to grow. But I
should stop speaking of such unrealistic dreams. For now, there is no way to
venture outside this world. My people and I are all but prisoners of this tiny
place.

There is no doubt that the Heartless are deeply connected to people's hearts.
Further study may unravel both their motivations and the mysteries shrouding
the heart. As a start, I have built a device that artificially creates
Heartless. By recreating the conditions that spawn the Heartless naturally, I
should be able to produce them artificially. This device is the culmination of
all my research thus far. The machine's test run successfully created a
Heartless. This may be a step toward creating a heart from nothing. The
artificially and naturally created Heartless showed nearly identical traits.
but the two types should remain distinct for the purposes of this experiment.
So, I will mark the ones that are created artificially.

Simply astonishing! Today I had a guest from another world. he is a king, and
his vessel is built of the material that composed the meteors. He called the
pieces "gummi blocks." It seems that my opening that door has opened a path to
interworld travel. We talked for countless hours, but one story in particular
caught my interest: that of a key called the "Keyblade." The Keyblade is said
to hold phenomenal power. One legend says it's wielder saved the world, while
another says that he wrought chaos and ruin upon it. I must know what this
Keyblade is. A key opens doors. It must be connected to the door that I have
opened.

Just as people have hearts, so do worlds. The same can be said of stars in the
night sky. And deep within each world lies a door to its heart. The Heartless
desire those hearts. Born out of the darkness in people's hearts, they seek to
return to a greater heart. Yes, that's it. The Heartless come from people's
hearts, as does the darkness. is the core of the world's heart the world of the
Heartless. I will pursue the answer there, and become all-knowing. My path is
set. I will seek out the wielder of the Keyblade, and the princesses. My body
is too frail for such a journey, but I must do this. I will cast if off and
plunge into the depths of the darkness.