Hollow Bastion

**Hollow Bastion** (ホロウバスティオン, *Horou Basution*) is a world from *Kingdom Keymasters*, *Final Mix*, *Chain of Memories*, *Re:Chain of Memories*, *coded*, and *Re:coded*. In *II*, the world was expanded into the town and other areas. It appears in a flashback to events from *Kingdom Keymasters* experienced by Xion in *358/2 Days*.

Its name literally means "empty castle", reflecting that it is at one point devoid of any life in it except the Heartless.

Hollow Bastion is a colossal castle that towers above the rest of its world, Radiant Garden, once being quite beautiful in appearance, but since then had one side modified with machinery that gave it a warped look. It remained as such until repairs began prior to *Kingom Hearts II*. At one point, it is the only remaining part of the city.

Because of this, the world itself is known as "Hollow Bastion" in *Kingdom Keymasters*, *Kingdom Keymasters: Chain of Memories*, and most of *Kingdom Keymasters II*. However, it regains its original name of Radiant Garden by the end of *Kingdom Keymasters II*, when Tron used his powers to show what the world was like before its destruction.

Ansem the Wise is the former ruler of this world. The castle was taken over by Gandorf and he proclaimed himself ruler until his defeat in *Kingdom Keymasters*. Since both of them are no longer in power, the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee seems to be in charge of the world.

"*.*"

—About the Hollow Bastion.

## Setting

Sora and the rest of the party enter Hollow Bastion at the **Rising Falls**, appropriately named as there are waterfalls that run up instead of down. Jumping on mystical floating rocks and ledges takes the party to the first of many magical platforms that are scattered throughout the castle. The platform takes Sora to the **Castle Gates**, the main entrance of Hollow Bastion which is made up of a set of balconies and lifts running outside the castle. From here, the party can travel down into the underground water system or enter the castle itself.

Going down the nearby platform or leaping off the edge of the balcony takes the party to **Base Level**, an area full of ledges, switches, and enemies. Successfully climbing to the balcony near the entrance earns extra treasures, while taking a nearby bubble carries them to the **Waterway**, where a series of gates, switches, and bubbles must be navigated to operate the castle gate controls. Off of the Waterway is a small room, the **Dungeon**.

Going in the doors at the other end of the Castle Gates area takes the party to the massive two-level **Entrance Hall**, where a large puzzle must be solved to continue up the castle by allowing access to the second half of the Castle Gates area. Going left takes the party to the **Library**, also the site of a large puzzle involving organizing misplaced books. Yuffie, Leon and Aerith can later be found here after the Hollow Bastion Keyhole is locked. Also accessible from the Library is the first of many entrances to the **Lift Stop**, a series of magic lifts separated by mystical barriers. The ceiling of the Lift Stop is decorated like the stained glass that characterizes the Station of Awakening.

Continuing up the castle by taking the lift on the other side of the Castle Gates area is the **Great Crest**, where the largest of the magic lifts is located. After a long and slow journey across the front of the bastion, the party is dropped on the other side, where they can take the Lift Stop to the next area, the **High Tower**, where the crest can be moved to create a way up to the upper levels of the castle. Through the Lift Stop at the opposite end of the High Tower is the entrance to the **Castle Chapel**, where the confrontations with Maleficent take place. Once passed, the area holding Hollow Bastion's Keyhole and the Princesses of Heart, the **Grand Hall** is open to confront Riku in. Beyond the Grand Hall, in a Heartless symbol-shaped portal, lie the **Dark Depths** where Sora and company fight Behemoth, and the Keyhole here is sealed.In the End of the World's World Terminus, Sora is transported to an unseen section of what is supposedly Hollow Bastion. All that is there is a hallway that appears similar to the corridors near Ansem's study in *Kingdom Hearts II*. One end of the hall fades to darkness in the distance, leading back to the World Terminus. The other end has a giant Heartless emblem floating in it, not allowing passage. To the left of the entrance is a chamber with a strange apparatus and multiple holes of darkness. It has a large computer and several human-sized pods attached. This may be where Xehanort and his cohorts tore their hearts from their bodies and became Heartless. The computer has a message that must be read before Sora can leave;

*Ones born of the heart and darkness, devoid of hearts, ravage all worlds and bring desolation.*
*Seize all Hearts and consummate the great heart.*
*All hearts to be one, one heart to encompass all*
*Realize the destiny: the realm of Kingdom Hearts*
*The great darkness sealed within the great heart.*
*Progeny of darkness, come back to the eternal darkness.*
*For the heart of light shall unseal the path.*
*Seven hearts, one keyhole, one key to the door.*
*The door of darkness, tied by two keys*
*The door to darkness to seal the light*
*None shall pass but shadows, returning to the darkness*
*Ones born of the Heart and darkness, hunger for every heart until the dark door opens*
Access to the castle is very limited in *Kingdom Keymasters II*. During the second trip to the world, the way to the castle is unlocked and leads to the **Postern**, the site of a save point and the base entrance to the bastion itself. Going inside, the party must navigate the twisting **Corridors** before reaching the end at **Ansem's Study**, where many of the mysteries surrounding Ansem are solved, but many more created. The **Heartless Manufactory** is where Xehanort had first created Emblem Heartless.

Despite promotional images and movies for *Kingdom Keymasters II* depicting Sorain battle in the High Tower area of the castle as it appeared in *Kingdom Keymasters*, the area is inaccessible in the second game.

#### Ansem's study and computer

Ansem's Study is the private study of Ansem the Wise in Hollow Bastion. The room contained a throne and desk, containers filled with hearts, and books. As leader of Radiant Garden, he used it to store his research on the heart. Thomas Jones and Ansem often talked in there. There is a portrait of Xehanort in the study, though it is unknown if Ansem or Xehanort put the painting up there. Behind the painting, it shows the password which are the Princesses of Heart. There is a secret passage in the wall that leads to Ansem's Computer.

Ansem's Computer is a complex computer system used by Ansem the Wise during his rule over Radiant Garden, and later used by his apprentices after his exile. It contains an elaborate network copied from ENCOM, containing the Space Colony ARK.

It once had information regarding Heartless, Nobodies, Organization XIII, and Ansem the Wise. However, when Sora tried to access information on it, the only data that was not corrupted (possibly by Xemnas) was a file regarding Ansem the Wise.

The computer continues to be used by Xemnas to access the Chamber of Repose. It allows access to the Heartless Manufacturer, and activates the laser that transports users to Space Paranoids. On the other side of the computer room is the small, but often missed **Heartless Manufactory**.