Darkness….. It was all Terra saw.
It seemed like an eternity since he had seen anything that just remotely resembled light. His memories had faded and seemed so distant, like distant long forgotten dreams.
Had any of it ever been real? Or had this eternal darkness been all there ever was…
Terra had been torn away from the light, he was now a mere shadow that was one with the darknes.
No… Less than a shadow… Less than a heartless… Less than a no-body.
A fleeting thought in the sea of worlds, barely even holding on.
Xehanort had stolen his body, taken over his mind and will. Then tore himself up into two, a heartless and a no-body. It was Xehanort whom had been torn into two though… Terra was just… Nothing.
Sometimes he thought he could hear a voice… A female voice calling his name, her voice was the only reason he still even remembered that name… Terra.
It was in those few instances he seemed to wake and he started to struggle, struggle for control just the tiniest bit.
He had no body, he didn't even have a mind of his own, all he had was his lingering will but every single little thought he was allowed would be a struggle on its own.
He wanted to reach for her, that woman whom called his name.
Her voice, it was so soft and kind, yet filled with so much sadness. He seemed to remember, those kind blue eyes, her smiling face. Long ago… For-ever ago.
"Terra!" The voice shouted in the darkness. "Ven!"
Terra could not see… He couldn't even really hear. Yet he heard her… How?!
Oh yes… They were connected, they could communicate through their hearts. Their hearts… Terra still had a heart! His heart at least was his own he tried to turn around but there was only more everlasting darkness. Still… He felt her.. Like she was so close. Her name? It was… "Aqua." he spoke. "You're."
"Terra!" The voice replied in deep surprise. "You spoke!"
Terra felt the shock in his being. How could she know? He had no body, he was a fleeting thought. A lingering will. "Can you see me?" he finally asked in confusion.
"Of course!" Aquas voice replied. "I see Ven too!"
Ven! Terra remembered, the young boy Ven! He had sworn to always look out for that kid! Ven was… His friend. "Ven?" he asked. "He's here?" he asked as he tried to search with his heart, reached out in what-ever direction he could but felt nothing… Only Aqua.
Though as he felt her, things became clearer. Memories returned to him, sounds of days long gone by… Darkness wasn't all there was. He had known something else ones upon a time. "Where are we?" he asked.
"A world darkness has consumed." Aqua informed. "It's enchanted dominion."
"Consumed?" Terra asked as the memories washed over him… Aurora and Snow white… Cinderella and her castle. "The worlds fell?" he asked as his heart sank.
Then suddenly he felt Aqua move away from him, her heart distancing itself. "What's gotten into you?" she asked her voice suddenly defensive. "How do I know that you're Terra? And not the weakness in my heart.. Playing more tricks." the pain in Aquas voice was clear… And the pain in her heart.
Terra wished to reach out to her… To touch her… But he didn't even have a body to touch her with and that's when he realized, when he remembered… It was true. He wasn't Terra, Terra did not exists in this world anymore. He was only a shadow of what had ones been.
"Ven!" Aqua called out in desperation reaching for another heart, but this time there was no response. "Please say something." she asked, but there didn't seem to be anything to reach in that direction.
"Aqua." Terra spoke, trying to reach out to her. How could he make her understand? "Listen. I promise this is me. But I am not myself."
The shock from Aquas heart was clear.
Terra… He knew… His body was out there but it was no longer his. It didn't even look like him anymore. How-ever that meant. "You're using the name Terra." he tried to explain. "That means you are seeing me the way you remember me! But your heart is just painting the picture it so wants to see." he tried to explain… It was in truth the only way she could possible be able to see him. "The real me is lost in shadow."
"Then you are here." Aqua breathed, a spark of hope enlighten in her heart. "In the realm of darkness."
"No." Terra replied, his heart breaking. How could he explain it? His body… his mind… taken over and then torn into two. "My heart has ties to the dark." he then finally explained. "That must be why we can talk. But I can't see anything Aqua!" he informed trying to hide the pain in his voice. "If you say Ven is there then he's like me! An illusion created by your heart."
His words were a blow to Aquas light, but then she grabbed on and hope seemed to bloom again. "I understand. Then you and Vent are safe in the outside world?" she asked.
"I think." Terra replied.
"That's good! But, how did you find me?" Aqua asked.
"I looked here." Terra informed as he felt his own heart and the little bit of light that had started to shine. "And heard you in the darkness."
"Right. But why does your heart have ties to the darkness now?" Aqua asked confused. "What did you mean 'lost in shadow'?"
More memories returned to Terra, now not only his own… But Xehanorts, the man whom controlled his body. Xehanort had allowed him to wake up, wake up enough to talk to Aqua but why? Then he realized and he reached to Aqua. "Forget about me!" he asked as he tried to push her away. "Aqua! Xehanort is trying to locate Ven!" he shared his realization.
"He'll never find him." Aqua assured. "I hid Ven well."
Just then Terra felt the rise… Xehanort! Xehanort had observed them. Of course he had, he was always with him now. And Xehanort was angry, Terra had woken up more than Xehanort had anticipated, thusly he reached in. Terra hissed as he felt Xehanorts dark grib trying to grab his heart.
"I think the reason he is not talking to me here is because he is still there sleeping." Aqua continued.
Aqua! No! Stop talking! Terra wanted to shout out, but Xehanort was entwining his heart like a sticky black spider web tying down the light. "No!" he called out. "I can't control!" he shouted as the dark web tied him down, demanding that he go away again and suddenly another spoke, using the connection he had formed with Aqua.
"This place." The other spoke. "Is it the chamber of waking?"
"Yes." Aqua spoke but then gasped in shock, her heart filled with fear as she had to be seeing something else. "Who are you? Really." she asked.
The other was amused, seemed like he wanted to laugh, his intend to hurt was very real. "You don't know?" he asked. "My name!"
And Terra found it! A crack, an escape from the web and he jumped out then tried to grab the other! Xehanort! "AQUA!" he shouted. "GET BACK!"
"Terra!" Aqua gasped. What was she seeing? What was her heart projecting?
"I messed up!" Terra tried to tell her. "Xehanort is now a part of me! Now he's using me, so you'll tell him where you hid Ven!"
"SILENCE!" Xehanort shouted angry that the tables had been turned and Terra was now the one trying to tie him down.
"I wont give in!" Terra exclaimed. "Aqua! You have to!"
Then suddenly, the darkness which was Xehanort boomed, Terra felt himself engulfed by it ones more. "Still you struggle!"
Yes! Until there wasn't anything left of him, Terra would struggle! He would not give in!
Then suddenly Xehanorts darkness spread, now it not only grabbed Terras heart but also Aquas! Grabbing her as it tried to take her to. "Now you can be one with the darkness!" he shouted.
No! Terra could not allow it to happen, would not! He was already lost to the darkness but she wasn't! Not her! HE WOULDN'T ALLOW IT! "THAT'S ENOUGH!" he shouted as he reach out with all his might, tying down Xehanorts darkness keeping him away from Aqua as she floated away.
This was good, their connection, it was breaking. She was on her way out.
"Why.." Xehanort seethed. "Why do you still struggle? You already lost ten years ago!"
Ten years? That was a lot less than Terra had thought, for him he could might as well have been a hundred or a thousand years. When you are trapped in darkness time itself doesn't seem to work the same way. "As long as there is still light." Terra hissed. "As long as my friends are still out there. There's a part of me whom will never stop! NEVER!" he shouted and then he realized… She was gone. Aqua was gone, safe from Xehanorts grasp.
"You fool." Xehanort whispered, his voice almost sweet. "You will never be able to escape the darkness and neither will she. I already have you, and I will have her. Then I will have Ventus and complete the set."
"No." Terra stated. "You wont win, someone will come." he stated. "And I shall call for them… As a key bearer my heart is connected to many. It is our power and duty to connect worlds… When the time comes and someone with a strong heart calls for me I will answer, and I will aid that person. You will not win you old fool. You cannot kill the light!"
At that, Xehanort felt amused, his very soul was laughing and then a bitter grin. "We shall see!" he stated as suddenly tentacles of darkness came and grabbed Terra, pulling him down… Further down into darkness.
"Now go back to sleep." Xehanort asked. "You were useless even now."
Terra struggled, he struggle with all of his might but there was no fighting the darkness that dragged him down further and further until ones again… There was nothing.
No light… No voices… No hearts… No sounds or sights. Nothing.
Only darkness.
That is until suddenly a voice sounded, a new one… One belonging to a boy. "Don't give up. Hold unto the light. Those your heart is connected to. They will guide you, I will help you."
Terra groaned as he felt his conscious fading. "Who?" he asked.
"My name is Sora. We are connected." The boy informed.
Connected? … right… They were all…. Connected.