Ephemer has sent Brain, Lauriam, Elrena, and Ventus to the real world, temporarily leaving himself, Skuld, and the protagonist stranded in the currently self-destructing data world. There weren't enough lifeboats left for the three of them — let alone the rest of the Dandelions — to escape with Brain's team, so the hope is that Brain will figure out a way to simultaneously save them all in the real world. Unfortunately for Ephemer, though, the data world still holds some formidable enemies.
Quest 979 is the final quest in the Kingdom Hearts Union Cross storyline, and its cutscenes "To Keep Light Alive," "I'll Figure It Out," "Fall to Darkness," "Separated," and "A Way Home" show Luxu meeting Brain in the real world while the protagonist fights one last boss battle. This writing is the second entry in a four-part series covering quest 979, and it behaves as an interpretation of the events in the mentioned cutscenes to clarify the Kingdom Hearts Union Cross finale.
To Keep Light Alive
Brain believes he found a way to move all of the Dandelions from the data world to the real world, but performing the method would risk everyone being caught up in the apocalypse before they could all escape into the future. Luckily, while Brain can't move everyone, he does believe he can save Ephemer's group, but first, he wants to send Lauriam, Elrena, and Ventus on into the future.
Once he sends the trio on their way, he'll send the last two pods back to the data world. Ephemer's group can then use them in conjunction with the pod they already have to join Brain in the real world. But just in case this plan goes horribly wrong, Brain wants Lauriam to leave first. That way, he'll know for certain that one of the Union leaders made it into the future. He has no idea when or where they'll all land in the future or if they'll even land together, but he believes this will be the best way for Lauriam to see his sister again.
Lauriam hesitates at first but agrees to Brain's plan after understanding his resolve. He also firmly believes that this is his best chance at finding Strelitzia. When he didn't find her in the data world, he didn't think digital copies existed. Now that he knows better, he's confident he'll see her again, just as confident that he'll see Brain again. His confidence diminishes, though, when Brain officially launches him in his pod, as with only two pods left, the world's collapse speeds up, and the last Lauriam sees of Brain before departing is him stumbling in an earthquake.
I'll Figure It Out
When Brain recovers, he encounters Luxu, and after explaining to him what happened to the other Union leaders, he informs him that he doesn't plan to use any of the lifeboats for himself. He will send his three friends currently in the data world into the future and then spend his remaining time waking up the rest of the Dandelions stuck in the digital world after it falls to darkness, as Ava told him that the world and its inhabitants fall asleep when that happens.
Unfortunately, Luxu pokes several holes in Brain's plan. For starters, while it's true a world and its inhabitants enter the realm of sleep when taken by darkness, the data world is different. It's a trap designed to seal Darkness away, so once it falls, there's no recovering it or anyone trapped inside. On top of this, the lifeboats destroy their user's body, and the only way for a user to recover said body is to have a medium and someone with memories of them waiting in the future, and Luxu doubts Brain has these.
However, Brain's response earns him Luxu's respect. While Brain admittedly didn't know anything about the data world's irreversible destruction, Luxu's impressed that he was vaguely aware of the criteria for future travel and that while he doesn't have a plan for it, he's working as best he can, given his circumstances, to figure out a way to secure his friend's safe travel no matter how long it takes. Too bad — Luxu notes — Brain only has this one lifetime to live, and it's quickly ticking away from him.
Fall to Darkness / Separated / A Way Home
Four Darknesses still roam the data world. The Darkness that helped Maleficent escape told Luxu there were five of them before the two brawled, but one just escaped into the future through Ven. The other four never made their presence known — until now. Now, all four Darknesses have appeared before Ephemer, Skuld, and the protagonist, interrupting their last peaceful moment together.
However, the Darknesses have no interest in fighting the group. All they want is for them to open a gate to the rest of the digital worlds before they depart to the real one. As the Darkness who killed Strelitzia told them, their goal is to spread throughout the data world. However, to do that, they need portals leading to the digital worlds outside virtual Daybreak Town, portals that only Keyblade wielders can open. Right now, they're asking nicely; should the group refuse, they'll simply take over their bodies and force them to do it.
The group refuses. They square off against the Darknesses, but Ephemer knows it's an unwinnable fight. As such, he whispers to the protagonist to jump into the last escape pod once the fight breaks out. Ephemer and Skuld are Union leaders; they're responsible for the protagonist's safety regardless of whether they see themselves as a Dandelion. There's one pod left, and if any of them are going to take it and live on, Ephemer wants it to be the protagonist.
The protagonist understands all of them won't make it out of the situation, but besides Chirithy, Ephemer and Skuld are their first real friends; they saved them from feeling isolated, so the protagonist makes their own decision. Never having had a sense of self-preservation anyway, they copy Darkness' mannerisms and, pretending to be possessed, force Ephemer to defend himself. Fooled, Ephemer and Skuld attempt to reason with the protagonist but fail. "Darkness" will only give their friend back if they open a gate, but Ephemer still refuses.
The Darknesses move to assist the protagonist, but having fooled them too, they convince them to stay back and watch. The protagonist then engages in one last fight, battling Skuld and Ephemer simultaneously. However, while both are Union leaders, the protagonist is the only wielder alive to have faced at least four of the Foretellers in succession and survive, so they defeat both of them despite the duo's best efforts.
With Skuld unconscious, the protagonist moves to "execute" her, leaving Ephemer no other choice. He skewers them with a gate, causing it to yank them and the rest of the Darknesses into the unknown before closing. In the silence, Ephemer cries, apologizing to open air, but after a while, the last two pods of the real world appear, and once he places Skuld in her's, he takes one last regretful look at the protagonist's unused pod before escaping.
Kingdom Hearts Union Cross is on IOS and Andriod.