The air remained still on the barren landscape. I stood motionless, taking in my surroundings. A fallen body. The clang of a keyblade hitting ground before vanishing. The sticky sensation on my hands as they were coated with fresh blood. I never would've imagined things to turn out like this.
I shakily regained my balance as the bright flash of light came to a stop. Just a few minutes ago, my friends and I had been taking a rest at Master Yen Sid's tower, waiting for some sort of sign to tell us what our next move should be: our next move in combating Xehanort and his seekers of darkness.
Xehanort… The man seeking to bring all of the worlds into darkness. The man hoping to start another keyblade war just to satisfy his own curiosity. The man who had torn apart the lives of me and my best friends. The man responsible for Aqua's descent into the realm of darkness and Terra's disappearance. Thinking about his goals and past deeds sent chills down my spine, and I honestly hadn't thought I would be awake to possibly see his plans come about.
It wasn't as if I regretted waking from what I had believed to be an endless slumber. On the contrary, it had allowed me the chance to search for my friends. Not only had I managed to reunite with Aqua in my newest journey, but I was able to become reacquainted with Mickey, Donald and Goofy as well as make new friends in Kairi, Riku and Sora. Over the past couple of weeks, we had all traveled to countless different worlds, preventing the spread of creatures called the heartless, making new friends, and occasionally coming across one of Xehanort's vessels. After enduring many triumphs and failures, tearing down multiple obstacles, and learning new skills for combat, we were still nowhere close to finding my second friend, Terra.
Shortly after awakening from over a decade's worth of slumber and finding Aqua, she let me know about how Xehanort had possessed Terra's body shortly after our battle at the keyblade graveyard. I was hit by a sense of denial when I first heard this; there was no way Terra would ever lose to him! Those feelings only intensified once I learned that Xehanort had gained this hold over him due to Terra giving in to the darkness in his heart. I had never thought he'd use darkness. Actually, a small part of me still can't believe it. Master Eraqus taught us that darkness was our enemy. Why would Terra give in to that power? After recovering from the shock of what had happened to my best friend, I had promised myself that I would find him and break Xehanort's hold. However, after coming to several different worlds familiar and new, I was beginning to have doubts. It wasn't until we had chosen to regroup at the Mysterious Tower that we finally found out where to find him.
It had occurred shortly after meeting with the old keyblade master to discuss our latest excursion. He had instructed us to wait there until further notice, and while I wasn't pleased with this, I reluctantly decided to wait outside, hoping that staring up at the sky would calm my nerves. Who could blame me? Somewhere in those worlds, Terra was hurt, being held prisoner by that madman! I didn't want to just stand by and let him suffer! We had to find him as soon as possible!
It was out on those front steps that it happened: a faint cry. It was hard for me to put into words, but it was as if I could hear him calling for help, somewhere. And I know I wasn't the only one, for as I walked into the tower to inform the others, Aqua came forward, saying that she had the same feeling. She told me and the others it had been identical to a moment years ago, where she had left me in that empty castle to sleep while she searched for Terra.
Knowing that Master Yen Sid would not approve of us rushing blindly into possible danger, I had convinced my friends to not inform him of this, and rather than take the gummi ship, another idea had crept into my mind. After a little searching, I had found Mickey's old star shard. I admit, in hindsight, I was probably acting rashly, but I wasn't going to ignore this feeling. Not wanting to bring others into this, Aqua and I had planned to leave together, but Sora was just as stubborn as me that afternoon, insisting that he and his friends had to come with us as well. Actually, he was even more stubborn, because I was unable to say no to him. After making sure we were all supplied for what we could be getting ourselves into, we all grabbed hands, and while focusing on our desires to find Terra, I grabbed onto the star shard and allowed its magic to lead us to, hopefully, the world where we would find him.
Once my eyes adjusted from the disorienting light and the sudden trip between worlds, they immediately widened in surprise. The star shard had led us to an empty landscape. Around us were rocky cliffs, with no sign of life, plant or animal, anywhere. Curiously, I mumbled to myself, "Where are we now?"
Looking behind me, I noticed Aqua and the others observing our surroundings as well. Their silence told me that they had no clue about our location, either.
"Are you sure the star shard worked?" Kairi asked hesitantly. "It doesn't look like anyone is here."
As much as I didn't want to admit it, she had a point. Aside from us, it didn't seem like any people were here waiting. I let out a sad sigh, thinking that maybe I hadn't used the star shard correctly. Just as I was about to voice this, however, there was a sudden chill in the air. It wasn't like a drop in temperature, though. It was something that I had picked up over the countless battles I've had: almost like a sixth sense. Among our number, Riku voiced what was going through my mind in that instant.
"Someone's coming. Be ready!"
On instinct, we each called forth our keyblades and faced the direction where we felt this sinister presence. Sure enough, on the horizon, we spotted a man wearing a black cloak we were all too familiar with. His hood was drawn up, preventing us from seeing his face, and he seemed to take his time as he strode forward to meet us. Once he came within ten feet of our group, he halted his advance and stood in silence, no doubt observing us.
"Who are you?" Riku demanded.
No response came from the hooded figure. Instead, he turned his gaze towards Aqua and me. Instantly, we stepped back and prepared for him to strike. Instead of rushing at us, however, the man simply said, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Aqua and I gasped in shock. Although the voice sounded a bit gruffer than when we last heard it, it held a familiar ring. At that moment, a mixture of emotions filled my being, causing me to tremble. Feelings of hope, dread, joy, and sadness threatened to overcome my ability to remain on guard. Slowly, the man pulled off his hood, and our suspicions were proven correct. Before us stood a man with gray hair, bangs hanging over his golden eyes and locks that lay against his shoulders. While Sora and his friends would see him as just another vessel of the ancient seeker, Aqua and I knew better. His eyes and hair may have a different color right now than before, but there was no mistaking Terra. This was him; we finally found our friend.
"Terra…"
No response came from Terra. Despite what I had been told before this point, I felt my breath hitch in my throat. Was he still under Xehanort's control? Or had he come back? Hoping to get a response from him, I spoke up again, trying to keep control of my voice. "I-Is that really you? Terra?"
I lowered my keyblade after realizing he wasn't going to attack, but as I moved forward to approach him, I felt a gentle hand on my arm, holding me back. I turned to see Aqua, standing behind me with a worried expression. "Aqua, that is Terra, isn't it?"
I stared into her eyes, hoping to find a sign that things were okay: that all of our efforts to traverse the worlds paid off and we could finally have things be similar to how they were before. Instead of seeing joy or even relief, her eyes expressed concern. Looking back towards our long-lost companion, she said, "Yes, that's Terra alright. And yet…"
Suddenly, a low chuckle came from our friend, and we faced him to see his lips form a malevolent smirk. "It seems you two are as sentimental as ever. And yet you hesitate to come forward. I thought we were friends."
Aqua's stare hardened as she said coldly, "We aren't friends with you, Xehanort. We've come here to rescue Terra. Now, return his heart to him or face all of us."
"You seem to be mistaken, Master Aqua," the dark seeker responded. "Terra's heart has been extinguished years ago. His darkness has consumed him, preventing him from ever returning to the realm of light."
At hearing the old man's words, I found myself biting my lower lip nervously: a habit I managed to pick up over the past several days. Could his words be true? I refused to accept that! My eyes must have been showing my emotions, for Xehanort followed his statement with, "You doubt my words?"
My reaction was instant as I spoke back harshly, "You're lying! Terra would never lose to you! He isn't gone!"
Xehanort chuckled darkly, as if entertained by my violent outburst. This was shortly followed by another outburst: this time coming out of Sora to my left. "Ven is right! He and Aqua said they heard Terra calling them! And if Riku can come back from the darkness, then so can he!"
"Hm, and what makes you so certain of that, Sora?"
I watched Sora take a step forward, grasping his own keyblade firmly in his hand before answering the question with confidence. "Because we're all here to help save him from you and your darkness."
"And you believe you'll succeed in releasing him from my control when you were unable to rescue yourself from my clutches during your own Mark of Mastery Exam?" I didn't even have to look at Sora to know that he was scowling darkly at Xehanort. As for me, I couldn't help but mirror that expression, infuriated that he would target one of my friend's insecurities. It was how Xehanort worked; he would find someone's weakness and use it to break them. But he would find that Sora wouldn't break so easily. Neither would I, and neither would our other friends here.
After a long period of silence, Xehanort, still in control of Terra's body, raised his arm and called forth his own keyblade. I was unsure if I should be happy that it wasn't Terra's keyblade, the Earthshaker, that the old master was using. Either this was a sign that despite all of the years that passed by, he couldn't use all of Terra's assets or a sign that Xehanort still had a firm grip on his heart. Calmly, Xehanort told us in a voice that was calm yet deadly, "Very well then. Let's see how your feeble hearts fare against me."
Our grips on our weapons tightened, and we each grit our teeth, waiting to see who would make the first move. Several seconds passed by in uncomfortable silence before a slight gust of wind blew by, prompting us to begin the battle. Xehanort made the first strike, sending a dark fireball our way, and we each quickly evaded by jumping or rolling to the side. Then, with Sora leading the way, we each began to try and hit the dark seeker with any spell, ability, or slash that we had in our arsenals.
The battle went back and forth between both sides for quite some time. One of us would go in for a close-up attack while another would try to hit Xehanort with a spell, and whether we hit or missed, he in turn would respond with some dark magic. This pattern went on and on, but we didn't seem to make any progress. While I couldn't speak for Aqua or the others, I knew I felt some hesitation in my movements. I was distraught over this. I know Xehanort is awful; why was I hesitating? I momentarily stepped back from the battle and watched as Riku came in to make an aerial slash. However, Xehanort made a rare attack with his keyblade, automatically catching Riku's blade with it and pushing him back with a terrifying amount of force. It was in watching this movement that I realized why I was holding back. Despite the horrible things he had done and was doing, and despite him controlling someone else's body, attacking Xehanort still felt like attacking Terra. And it wasn't like one of our friendly spars of the past that we would use for training; this was a fight where we had to actually try to seriously hurt Xehanort, and in turn, hurt Terra. I suddenly felt uneasiness form in the pit of my stomach; what if we couldn't free Terra from Xehanort's grasp? Would we have to… Would I have to…
Before my thoughts would finish, I was abruptly brought back to reality by a sudden blast. A fireball aimed towards me hit me square on the chest, causing me to cry out and fall back.
"Ven!" Aqua cried out from a few feet away where she was healing Kairi with a cure spell.
Xehanort came towards me as I propped myself off of the ground with my elbows. He stopped right in front of me, presenting his keyblade before me, as if ready to strike. With a cold glare that I didn't think I'd ever see on Terra's face, the dark seeker said, "Pity. After having undergone keyblade training with me and Eraqus, you're still the same weak, little boy you've always been."
Xehanort's words, especially while possessing Terra, did hurt, but I did my best not to show it. Instead, I looked up at him and decided to try and get through to my friend. "Terra! Don't let him do this! I know you're in there!"
"Heh, I've told you before, boy. Terra has fallen; your pleas are in vain." As he finished speaking, I noticed something behind him. It was Sora, in the air and ready to strike him from above. However, just as he swung and let out a battle cry, Xehanort suddenly vanished from sight. Wait, something about this felt very familiar. It was like when I tried to fight the old master at the…
I let out a gasp as I realized what was about to happen. However, this realization came too late, as Xehanort suddenly appeared from behind and roughly grabbed Sora's head, causing him to let out a surprised and pained yell. Fear coursed through my body. This was exactly like when Xehanort had caught me off guard those years ago in the keyblade graveyard, only Sora lacked the helmet I had worn back then, so he no doubt felt more pain. If the old man was planning to do the same thing as before and freeze him, I had to act fast to prevent it.
"Hey! Let him go!" I shouted, pushing myself off the ground and aiming my blade towards him. Sadly, just as I got close enough to do some damage, Xehanort had used his free hand to hit me with a powerful blast of wind magic. My body tumbled across the flat surface, and once I finally came to a stop, I was left watching one of my friends flail in the man's grip. In the distance, I could see Sora's friends stare horrified at the sight before Kairi ran towards them. Seeing her terrified expression made my heart hurt for her; I suppose this reaction was typical around someone who was a princess of heart. Sadly, Xehanort, with no hesitation whatsoever, suddenly used a blizzaga spell – the same one he had used on me at the keyblade graveyard – and tossed Sora's frozen body aside.
Once he had hit the ground, our reactions were immediate. Kairi continued her rush towards Sora, cradling him in her arms as she reached him. Riku, in a fit of fury, used a magical blast similar to Xehanort's dark spells and began attacking with more ferocity. As these attacks caused Xehanort to jump back, Aqua swiftly ran in, threatening him with slashes of her keyblade. I hardly noticed their persistence, however, because all of my focus lay on trying to hit that monster across the face with whatever I could. It was bad enough that he messed up our lives and tore us apart from each other years ago, but to put Sora through that and to make me relive that horrible day from a different perspective added fuel to the fire that had built in my heart.
With our actions fueled by rage, the three of us managed to land some blows against the dark seeker, and Xehanort was now more on the defensive than moments ago. We each made our own strikes until finally, I was able to blast Xehanort in the face with an aero spell. Jumping on the opportunity given, I lunged at him and cried out as I prepared to stab our opponent with my keyblade, the Wayward Wind. Just before my attack could connect, however, my anger melted away at seeing his pain-stricken face. In that instant, I was once again reminded of the truth of things. We were fighting Terra, and he was trapped in there somewhere. He had to be!
Slowly, I lowered my weapon, and instead of thinking about attacking Xehanort, my mind scrambled for a method to reach my dear friend. However, in this moment of thought, I suddenly heard Riku shout, "Ventus! Get back!"
Just as I felt Riku grab the back of my jacket to pull me back, I saw that malevolent smirk return on Xehanort's face. A sick feeling hit my stomach, somehow telling me his next attack wouldn't be pleasant. Around us, I felt a strange aura encircle us, and the air became suffocating. What was he planning now? Roughly, Riku shoved me to the side before I could become overwhelmed by this sensation, and I looked back to see Xehanort envelop Riku in a shroud of darkness. Dark tendrils shot up from the earth, trapping Riku until the darkness completely hid him from our sights. Seeing this caused me to gasp. Just what was this attack going to do? Would Riku be alright?!
A few seconds passed, dragging for what seemed like forever, and then, much to my relief, Riku sliced through this evil sphere of darkness, facing my possessed friend with a cold stare.
"Excellent move, Master Riku," Xehanort said, taking a moment to observe the young master. "Had anyone else been trapped in that darkness, they would find themselves overtaken by it, trapped until I saw fit to free them or until they withered away into nothing. But with your resistance to the darkness, you knew you were the only one who could stand up to it."
"Enough talk, Xehanort," Riku stated coldly. "You've let this fight go on long enough. Now you will give Terra control of his body again. If you don't, I'll have no problem putting a stop to you myself. You're a threat to the balance of light and darkness, and I won't just let you get away."
"Hm, such confidence, but even you foolishly continue to believe that Terra still exists. It's as I have said; only you could stand up to my darkness and live to fight another day. Terra's heart, on the other hand, was weak. It has slowly diminished in strength for the past twelve years, until finally, the last light in his heart went out. Will you still fight a pointless war when all you have left to save is an empty shell of a man with no heart, no mind, no memories, and no light or darkness?"
Xehanort's words buried themselves in my brain as I sat on the ground, struggling to ignore the words he was saying to us. While I found it hard to believe Terra would give in to the darkness, it was even worse to think about Terra possibly fading away to this darkness or losing all memories of us. As for Riku's response, all I could see from him was a tightened grip on his keyblade before he said, "So long as there is some hope of him existing still, I will keep on fighting."
With that, Riku charged in for another attack. The next couple minutes passed by without me really participating or paying attention. All I could do was remain rooted in place and linger on Xehanort's words. As horrible of a man as he was, he did have some semblance of a point. It had been over a decade since he took control of Terra. Did Terra fight back at all during those years? If so, how long had he tried before Xehanort had claimed this firm grip over his heart and mind? Did he truly fight until his strength give out? Could he, really be… dead?
I looked up from my spot to see the battle had taken a turn for the worse. Riku had been severely injured, his head having been slammed harshly against one of the cliffsides. Kairi was healing him, but her clothes had been torn a bit, no doubt from Xehanort attacking her on the way. And now Aqua, one of my two closest friends and the only one I knew for sure still existed, was prostrated on the ground, knocked down from one of his attacks. I watched as he slammed his keyblade into the ground, causing the earth to shake as she dodged to the best of her ability. Aqua seemed like she was slowing down, and I could see a noticeable limp in her step.
Things couldn't end like this. Terra couldn't be gone. He'd never let this happen. He couldn't have just forgotten about us! He couldn't have forgotten about the bonds we formed all those years ago! Our unbreakable connection, as Aqua called it. I couldn't accept this! I didn't want to lose him!
"NOOOOO!"
In a sudden burst of overwhelming emotions, I got up and on impulse, sprinted at my possessed friend. Once I got close enough, I leapt towards him and latched onto him. Being caught up in his attacks against Aqua, Xehanort was actually caught off guard and fell towards the side, in the direction I had lunged. As he lost his balance, the two of us tumbled down the slight dip in the ground. From the way we hit the ground, I wouldn't be surprised if our bodies would show signs of bruises, but right now that didn't matter. After we finished rolling, I placed myself on top of Xehanort – no, on top of Terra – and let out all of my pent-up emotions in a stream of words.
"Terra! Please! You can't be gone! You have to remember! Think back to all of those fun times, you and me and Aqua shared together! Even if you can't remember everything, that's okay. So long as you show me a sign that you're still with us!" As I felt myself remembering my own past, tears finally began to prick at the corners of my eyes. "I still remember, after Xehanort dropped me off at the Land of Departure, those first few weeks… They were tough. I knew memories were missing, and you guys tried so hard to convince me I had lived there my entire life. But, I didn't mind. It was okay. Because, when I was with you and Aqua and the master, I felt happy. When I was with you guys, I felt like we…. Like we were a family. Like I…"
Finally, I let my tears loose as I finished the thought that had been forming in my mind. "Like… I had a home…" Sadly, I placed my forehead against his chest, sobbing quietly. "Please, Terra… Tell me you didn't let those happy memories go… Tell me you remember us…"
Weakly, I allowed my left arm to drop to Terra's side in a failed attempt to prop myself up while my right hand gripped at his coat. I felt so lost. What could I do to help Terra? How could I find out if he was okay? Can I still break through to him?
Suddenly, cutting out of my thoughts, I felt a hand place itself on my head. I glanced in the direction of this hand to find my possessed friend staring back at me, only the eyes weren't as cold as before. They seemed a little blank, and perhaps it was my hopeful heart, but for a brief second, I thought I saw a glimpse of blue in those eyes. Quietly, his voice whispered out, "Ven…"
"T-Terra…" I continued to sob, hoping that the fighting previously had just been a nightmare. The sobs softened as I felt the hand rustle my hair slightly before reaching my cheek, wiping away tears.
"Ven… tus…"
"Yeah… That's right…" I tried to make a semblance of a smile, but it was rather difficult with me trying to control my crying as well. So far, this was the only sign I had received that Terra still possibly existed, and that childish side of me that hadn't been able to grow up, even after over a decade's worth of sleep and over a week's worth of adventures after waking, took control of my mind as I hoped for a return to simpler times where our friendships weren't being driven apart by darkness or Xehanort or other outside forces. For a while, I felt relieved, hoping that Terra would finally fight back and gain control. Hopeful, until…
"VEN!"
Aqua's sudden cry of distress called me back to harsh reality, and my eyes shot open to see that Terra had lowered his hand from my face and now had a tight grip around my neck. I took a sharp intake of breath from the sudden pain, and my friend, still under possession, slowly stood up and lifted me off the ground so we were at eye level to each other. I struggled to breath and gripped at his arm, hoping to loosen his hold. As my legs lightly kicked the air, a small part of my mind silently cursed the fact that I hadn't grown at all during my slumber.
While my struggle continued, Xehanort said, "You are a fool, Ventus. What use do I have for memories of a man that no longer exists?"
I refused to give him an answer, not only because I was focusing on making sure he didn't cut off my air supply, but because I know what I saw earlier! For that one moment, I saw Terra! I knew he couldn't be gone now! There had to be a way I could reach him!
"Although…" The sudden pondering tone caused me to stare back at the dark seeker with slight suspicion and concern. "Yes… There is one memory coming back to me…"
With his free hand, Xehanort summoned back his keyblade and said, "Before our fight at the keyblade graveyard, you seemed so broken… Not quite so much as when I split your heart, but still… It was an upsetting time for you… You were so frightened by the prospect of fighting your darker half. To the point where I believe you had asked your friends to 'put an end' to you?"
I let out a quiet gasp and began to attempt to kick Xehanort so he could put me down. I could already tell where he was going with this, and from the sounds of protest I heard from my friends in the distance, so could they. With a slight smirk, the old man finished, "Well, your friends couldn't follow that request, so perhaps I should do so for them. I would've preferred having you and your friends create your seven guardians of light first, but I always have the seven princesses of heart to fall back on."
Realizing that my kicks were doing nothing to help free me from his iron-grip, I instead clenched my eyes shut, dreading the moment he would run the blade through me. However, just as I was about to give up, an angry cry traveled through the air, and we were greeted with another sudden turn in the tides of this battle. Instead of using his blade against me, Xehanort was forced to guard against this sudden attacker. Opening my eyes, I noticed it was Sora, brandishing the Kingdom Key firmly in his hand and glaring towards Xehanort with rage that seemed very unlike him. As their keyblades locked together, I could tell from the shakiness that Sora was struggling to hold his opponent at bay, but he stayed firm, refusing to back down.
"Well, this is a surprise," Xehanort mumbled with a frown casually, as if he wasn't even involved in a battle. Noting the bits of frost still stuck in Sora's strands of hair, he stated, "That blizzaga spell should've held you longer than this. Perhaps you actually have become stronger, after all."
"Drop. Him. Now." Sora pushed back angrily, not even acknowledging what Xehanort had said.
"Come now, am I not allowed to make sure a friend's promise is fulfilled?"
"I said drop him!" Sora shouted furiously. "You've already hurt Aqua and Ven enough! You're fighting me now, Xehanort!"
Xehanort's glare hardened even more towards the brunette, and with venom added to his voice, he said, "You wish to throw your life away for friends you've barely gotten to know? Perhaps I should take back my previous words. But if this is what your hearts truly desires…"
In that instant, he released his grip on me. After hitting the hard ground, I coughed violently and spent a moment rubbing my aching throat. Above me, I heard an angry growl from Xehanort and the sound of him knocking Sora away. My head snapped upward, worried for my friend's safety, but while he had been caught off-guard, Sora had managed to stay on his feet. He quickly led Xehanort away from my position and went to get some assistance from Riku and Kairi.
Recalling the serious blows that Xehanort had dealt to us earlier, I got onto my knees and prepared to stand so I could join them and help protect these newer keyblade wielders. Once again, though, something else caught my attention as a glimmer on the ground drew my eyes to it. The sunlight seemed to catch onto a small object on the ground. That wasn't there before; did it come from Terra's pockets? Carefully, I reached over and grabbed it. Upon looking at it, I gasped. Isn't this…?
"Oh my gosh, Ven! Are you okay?"
Aqua came up to me and held me close as my hand clamped tightly around the object I had picked up. Hoping to calm her mind, I responded, "Yeah, I'm fine."
We both looked in the distance to see Sora and his friends in fierce battle with Xehanort, using newfound abilities and powerful spells. It was clear that the three of them had grown in this adventure. The real question was would it be enough to make it out alive? I suddenly heard Aqua give a slight sigh before she murmured, "Oh, I'm not sure what we can do. No matter how hard we fight or what we say to him, it doesn't seem like Terra can hear us. I hope Sora and the others can find a way to break through to him."
From the tone in her voice, I could tell Aqua was losing hope. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. With how long we had been fighting, not seeing any sort of progress would make anyone upset. With newfound determination, I stood up; I knew what to do now. Aqua looked back at me, clearly startled. "Ven?"
"Don't worry, Aqua. Terra's still in there," I told her calmly. I felt better, knowing that I had a reason to believe in those words now. With my latest discovery, I had a way to bring him back. "I have to face Xehanort one more time."
"No, Ven! I won't allow it!" Aqua got up and turned me to face her. She kept a firm grip on my shoulders, and while she gave me a stern look, I could also see the fear in her eyes. "You saw what happened just now. He tried to kill you! You really think I'm going to let you put yourself in danger like that? I don't want to lose you, too!"
"You won't lose me, Aqua. And we haven't lost Terra, either. I've got a plan to bring him back," I explained to her as I gently pulled her arms away from my shoulders. "Please, you have to trust me."
I stared into her eyes for a long moment. While she said nothing, I could somehow see her internal struggle with her own thoughts being expressed in her deep blue eyes. Hoping to ease her thoughts, if only a little, I gave her a small smile and said, "Don't worry. It'll be all right."
She stared back at me for a little bit before slowly but surely backing away. With a small nod, she said, "Alright, go ahead. But please, Ven. Be careful."
I nodded back to her, and then after taking a deep breath, I turned and began to make my way towards Sora and the others. I started at a brisk walk, but as I watched the three of them charge in with a team attack, that walk turned into a jog. And when Xehanort used a powerful wave of dark magic to push them back, and in doing so separating them from each other, the jog turned into a run. When I reached them, Sora was facing Xehanort alone, his friends having been pushed back out of the arena they had created. Sora had taken a knee and was using his keyblade to prop himself. One look told me that he was on his last legs.
"And so it ends," Xehanort stated calmly. "Light gives way to the darkness."
Before he could make a move, however, I stepped between the two of them, facing the dark seeker. Xehanort frowned at my actions, but he said nothing. Perhaps he was wondering what made me re-enter the fray. Sora was more vocal on what he was thinking, as he said, "Ven, get back! It's not safe!"
I spared Sora a side glance and a smile, but I didn't explain my actions. Somehow, just from looking into each others' eyes, I could tell he understood that I didn't show up for no reason. It was something that I knew I couldn't explain to myself: not now, and probably not ever. I suppose it came from our pasts, where our hearts first connected, years before we ever met each other.
"You must truly long for self-destruction, Ventus," Xehanort stated, catching my attention and causing me to look him in the eye. "Had you stayed back, I may have considered sparing you and Master Aqua. I suppose you've finally accepted that Terra is gone and now wish to join him."
"You're wrong, Xehanort," I stated calmly. "Terra is still alive, and we will break him free."
Instead of sending back some cruel retort, the old seeker of darkness stared back at me in silent scrutiny. He must be trying to read my thoughts. I know he has a talent for reading someone's emotions since that's what he uses to manipulate others. My confidence was finally being displayed, and I was pretty sure he was trying to figure out where it came from. After a moment of observation, he finally said, "So, you're still sticking to your childish beliefs. I wonder if you'll still have faith in them once I strike you down and you take your final breaths."
"Childish, huh? Alright, Xehanort. How about we do this then? I'll ask you one question. Once you answer it for me, we can continue fighting, and we'll see who's right and who's wrong. But know this; until you answer that question, I won't let you lay a hand on my friends."
I stood firm with confidence, waiting for my former master's response. As the seconds ticked by, I wondered if he would accept or deny my idea. From his perspective, he probably had no incentive to listen. Finally, he said, "Foolish boy. I could easily destroy your friends one by one and have you watch, and you would be unable to do anything to stop me. Still, seeing as how you are my former apprentice, I suppose I can humor you for now. So, go ahead. Ask me your question."
The fact that Xehanort was accepting my terms made me feel so excited that I was unable to prevent a small smirk to come across my face. Confidently, I said, "Alright. So, if what you say is true and Terra truly is gone forever, what is your reason for keeping this?"
With my final word, I brought out the object I found laying out in the open a moment ago and presented it before him. Clasped in my left hand was a small charm: a charm all too familiar to me, Terra and Aqua. The charm was in the shape of a star, and the particular one I held was orange. It was Terra's wayfinder.
For a moment, Xehanort stared hard at the object in my hand. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, a gasp escaped from his mouth. Suddenly, he began to grunt, grasping his head as if trying to get rid of a headache, and the grin on my face became bigger. I had him! Terra was finally coming through!
"A-Aqua… Ven… My… M-My friends…" He dropped down to a knee, and I decided to risk taking a few steps forward.
Knowing I had to take advantage of the moment, I spoke out to him. "Terra, you are in there. I know it. If you had truly given up like Xehanort has been saying, there wouldn't be any need for you to keep this. But you couldn't let him throw it away. Because you value our friendship! You care too much about me and Aqua to give it up! Please, Terra! Fight back! You can do it!"
"Ven… you…" Terra let out another painful groan, and I feared for my friend. Xehanort was still trying to keep control, and in a sudden moment, he took back control. Quickly, he stood up and called his dark keyblade back, shouting, "You insolent little brat!"
My friends called out my name in fear as the dark seeker rushed at me with inhuman speed, especially for Terra's body, and even I let out a shout of surprise and dropped the wayfinder I held, leaving its strap wrapped around my wrist. Quickly, I drew forth my own keyblade and managed to catch his weapon at the last second. I struggled to hold him back as the much larger weapon threatened to knock mine out of my hands. Still, Xehanort's hold on it was shaky: a sign that Terra was still trying to fight back.
Cutting into my thoughts, I heard Terra weakly say, "Ven… Run…"
"What?"
"You… have to run… I can't… hold him off…" Terra grunted again, and to my surprise, Xehanort's weapon transformed back into my friend's signature keyblade, the Earthshaker. However, it changed back just as fast. There must be some major battle for control going on inside Terra's heart. I had to convince him to keep fighting.
"I'm not running, Terra!" I shouted back, thinking that if I stayed with him, perhaps he'd start fighting harder. "I looked everywhere for you with Aqua and the others! I'm not giving up now, and you can't, either!"
"No… Ven… Run… RUN!" Suddenly, Xehanort took back control violently and used his keyblade to catch my weapon and knock it out of my hands. Then, he brought down his weapon hand, hoping to strike me. Without any time to come up with a counterattack or strategy, I just did the first thing that came to mind. I tightly gripped Terra's wrists and did my best to hold him back. It felt like I was walking a tightrope in this moment. While he would be unable to retreat as I tried to help Terra regain control, I was now unable to run. If I made the wrong move, Terra's keyblade (which kept switching back and forth between Xehanort's and his own during the chaos) would deal a major blow against me. Fortunately for me, Terra continued to do his best to hold Xehanort back, allowing me to move his keyblade-wielding arm down and to the side so he could no longer strike me in the head with it.
"Ventus! Hold on!" I heard Sora call out to me and get up, running towards us. All of a sudden, I heard his footsteps stop and a strange sound. Now that I think about it, the sound was similar to the noise that Terra's keyblade was making as it kept changing forms. Given my current position, I was unable to completely turn back and see what caused Sora to stop running. So, I decided to try and use my peripheral vision to see what was going on. It was hard to see his face, although I felt like he was probably in some sort of shock. However, what I could see was the keyblade that he held, only it wasn't the Kingdom Key. No, this keyblade was more white, like marble, with a slightly blue tint in the light of the sun. Quickly, my mind processed this and realized what this was.
The Key to Return Hearts.
I remembered seeing it for a brief instant when Sora first woke me up in that white room. Everything had been so blindingly white in there, and despite his presence, the room had felt so empty. I must have forgotten that keyblade because I didn't want to remember waking up in such a lonely place, but now that my mind was frantically working due to the dangerous situation I was in, I came to realize it hadn't even come out after that day until now, even when Sora tried to bring it out. Before I could think about a reason for why this was the case, my arms began to shake as Terra's limbs began to fight back. So, I decided to shout to Sora the first thing that came to mind, now that I knew the Key to Return Hearts was out.
"Sora! Use the Key to Return Hearts! I think it's the only way to free Terra!" I grunted as I felt Terra's strong body threatening to overtake me. "Hurry!"
This seemed to knock Sora out of his shock, and thought I couldn't see him, I knew he nodded as he replied, "R-Right!"
Knowing that Sora was about to make his move, I turned my focus back to Terra and holding him back while keeping a firm grip on his wrists. Both of us were shaking, and I knew we were both struggling to keep the dark master at bay: me in the physical sense and Terra in a more abstract sense. In the midst of our struggling, Terra let out a loud grunt of pain at the same time as I let out a pained gasp. Looking down, I noticed a light shooting through my heart towards his heart. Seeing this confused me to no end. "What is…"
I gave a short cry of pain as I felt a heavy sensation pushing against my chest. No… Wait, it wasn't my chest feeling the pressure. It was my heart. It was almost like, I was feeling darkness pressing on my heart. Staring at the light hitting Terra, I saw tendrils of darkness escaping from his chest. As I struggled to keep my grip on my friend, I slowly came to realize what was going on. The reason the Key to Return Hearts appeared now and only now. The pressure I was feeling on my heart. The beam of light crossing through my body into Terra's. It was suddenly becoming clear to me. This keyblade must require the help of two or more hearts to release another heart from the darkness. After this dawned on me, I smiled a little. Sora and I would free him together. I knew we were capable enough to do it. Ever since our hearts touched and we had finally met, I knew we had a special power when we worked together. Xehanort wouldn't be able to fight against it.
Focusing on this pressure in my chest, I decided to put some energy into fighting that. I would pull Xehanort's dark heart away from my friend's heart. Terra would finally be back. As the struggle became more difficult, I could hear Terra's voice, hoarse most likely from this difficult battle, speak out to me. "G-Get away, Ven. He's… really pissed off now…"
"I'm not leaving, Terra! Not when we're so close!" I tightened my grip, trying to hold off his blade while focusing on freeing his heart.
"N-No…" His voice sounded warped now, as both Terra and Xehanort were desperately clawing for control of this one body. "Get away… GET AWAAAAAAAAAY!"
Suddenly, just as Xehanort's blade turned back into the Earthshaker, his blade arm suddenly shot forward, and caught off guard, my hand holding onto this arm slipped. I let out a sudden pained yell, and a sharp stabbing sensation took a hold of my body. It felt difficult to breath, and I feared what it was that just happened. However, I decided to confirm my fears and looked down to find Terra's keyblade plunged deep into my side. I could already see blood beginning to soak my clothes at the point where the keyblade dug into my body.
"VENTUS!"
My name was cried out in terror by all of my friends around me, and were they not so worn down by the fighting beforehand, I'm sure they all would have run towards me. As it stood, only Sora would be capable of doing that. As I looked down at the bloodied wound, something else caught my eye. The beam of light that was connecting me and Terra was beginning to wane. I knew the light wasn't mine; it belonged to the Key to Return Hearts. I let out a gasp of realization before I suddenly coughed up a little blood. The blood hardly phased me, though. Keyblades were tied to the hearts and emotions of the wielder. If the light from this keyblade was fading, that meant…
With adrenaline pumping through my body, I used my now free hand to take a firm grip of Terra's keyblade and gathered up some extra strength to shout back, "SORA! DON'T STOP!"
I heard my friend gasp behind me, and I continued, "Don't worry about me! Just focus on freeing Terra! If we stop now, all of that hard work will have been for nothing! Keep going!" After seeing no change in the beam of light, I added urgently, "NOW!"
A couple of seconds passed before the light coming from Sora's new weapon returned to its former brightness. Pleased with this, I focused back on the darkness that was still surrounding Terra's heart, doing my best to ignore the pain enveloping my entire chest. As the struggle carried on, the beam of light grew brighter. It eventually got to the point where I had to squint my eyes shut for fear of going blind. The pain escalated and escalated until suddenly…
Everything came to an abrupt halt. Cautiously, I opened my eyes and gasped at what I saw, or rather, what I didn't see. Instead of the desert-like canyon we had been fighting in, I found myself floating in an empty black void. Any sign of my injuries had simply vanished, and I felt a strange sense of peace in this empty space. Just where did I end up?
Wait, I've been in this sort of space before… What did Master Yen Sid call it? A dive to the heart? But, I know I'm not in my own heart, and I didn't travel back to Sora's. So where was I? Whose heart was this?
I looked up and noticed a bright light. Before moving towards it, I decided to close my eyes and attempt to feel out this light. After a moment, I recognized the familiar presence of Sora's light. Oh, I see now. The Key to Return Hearts must have pushed my heart into Terra's so I could fight off the darkness from the inside. So if I dove further in, perhaps I'd be able to find the source of the darkness and banish Xehanort from my friend's heart and body once and for all.
With a semblance of a plan formed in my mind, I turned away from the light for a moment and dove down, or at least the direction that felt like down. As I progressed further down, more dark tendrils appeared, attempting to wrap around me. I fended them off with my keyblade at first, but once they began appearing in overwhelming numbers, I cast an aeroga shield on myself to keep them at bay.
Eventually, I finally hit ground. At first, I thought I had landed in pure darkness, as the platform I stood on looked completely black. However, upon closer inspection, I could see small specks of color on the ground, being covered by the dark fog on the ground. Once I gained my balance, I decided to begin searching for something that would tell me what to do.
"Terra!" I shouted. "Where are you?"
Suddenly, my foot hit something, and I nearly tripped over it. Looking down, I noticed a big lump, shrouded in the dark fog. As my eyes traveled along the mound, I saw more dark tendrils, wrapped tightly around this form on the ground, and upon reaching the end, I finally realized what this mound was.
"Terra!" I ran towards my friend. His eyes were shut, and nearly his entire body was completely blanketed by this darkness. Only his head and shoulders seemed to show. I hesitated for a moment, wondering what to do. I decided to try and cut at these tendrils with my keyblade first. While it did make contact, the tendrils only budged slightly before moving back into position, almost like they were alive. Giving up on that idea, I tossed my keyblade aside and got to my knees before tearing the tendrils away with my bare hands. It was a bit difficult at first as the tendrils seemed attached like duct tape onto Terra's skin. However, after finding weak points, it became a little easier.
After freeing most of Terra's upper arms, my friend finally stirred. I looked at him momentarily as he gained back awareness and noticed me. "Ven? What are you doing in here?"
"I can't explain now," I answered, getting back to the task at hand. "I'm going to save you!"
"No, it's too dangerous. The darkness will take you, too!" my friend pleaded, almost sounding afraid to my ears.
"I'm not leaving you here!" I insisted as I finally freed one of Terra's arms completely from the dark tendrils. I let out a sudden shout of surprise before I could finish his second arm. Upon looking at my legs, I noticed the tendrils were now latching onto me, seeming to try and root me in place. I quickly summoned the Wayward Wind back and sliced at these newly forming roots. However, mere seconds after cutting them away, they came back and latched on even tighter. Gritting my teeth, I looked back to see the roots were going back to Terra's recently freed arm.
"Oh no you don't!" I shouted as I smacked the darkness away, preventing them from reaching their destination. Realizing that these tendrils would reform quickly if I didn't work fast, I focused on Terra's other arm and ripped the roots away to the best of my ability.
"Ven, please stop!" Terra shouted. "This darkness is relentless! I don't want it to trap you here!"
"Well, I don't want you trapped in here, either!" I shouted back as I felt the tendrils creep up my body slowly. "If I end up stuck in your heart, so be it! We'll fight this darkness together!"
It was at this point the dark fog decided to roll in as well, limiting my vision. The way it came in, it felt more like an ocean of darkness than a fog. I was beginning to feel suffocated, and I decided to clench my eyes shut, focusing on ripping out the dark roots and trying to keep the light in my heart strong to fend off the darkness covering me now. Just as I felt like I would pass out from the overwhelming power of the dark, I felt a sudden arm wrap itself around me: Terra's arm. The one I had recently freed.
"Hear this darkness; you can take me, but I won't let you hurt my friend!"Terra pressed me closer to his chest, and to both of our surprise, we felt something burst away from us. A familiar feeling from when the Key to Return Hearts shot its light towards us became present, banishing the darkness. After the feeling passed, I finally took a shaky breath, proud to be able to breathe normally, and dared to open my eyes. Terra was now sitting up, holding me tightly and feeling a little bit cold and clammy. I guess he was even more scared than I was during that fiasco. I slowly broke away from him as he opened his eyes as well, and I stared at the ground.
Master Yen Sid once told us how everyone's heart had a "station of awakening" – a place where keyblade wielders would awaken their ability to wield the keyblade and a representation of the things one holds deep in their heart. Curious, I stared down at the platform, previously covered by darkness but now showing its true form. The majority of tiles on the platform seemed to show a brilliant shade of orange. Terra's image was presented on the left side, and there were a few faces on the side. Xehanort's image and the dark blue-purple shades of dark magic lined the area of platform underneath Terra's picture. There's no way that man could be so important to him, but then again, darkness did influence Terra's life severely. Looking off further on the platform, I noticed three faces close to my friend's image and smiled as I recognized them all.
It was Master Eraqus, Aqua and me.
Terra let out a small breath, calling my attention back to him. He stared back at me in awed shock for a while before letting out a tiny laugh. "Wow, Ven. You… You did it."
As I continued to smile, I decided to correct him. "No, we did it."
"Yeah… I guess so…" We each let out shaky laughs, and overwhelmed with joy, I finally gave in and jumped on my friend, embracing him in a tight hug. Terra seemed to hesitate before sighing and placing a hand on my head gently. We sat like that for a while until I finally felt a tugging at my heart. I stood up, staring skyward at the light looming above us.
"Ven?"
"I have to go," I stated calmly in a quiet voice. "Aqua and the others are waiting for us."
"Oh, right…" I heard Terra stand up behind me and turned as he spoke up again. "Sorry I caused so many problems for you guys."
I took in his words and what they meant before sighing and shaking my head. I looked back at him with a small smile and said, "Don't worry about it. We know it wasn't your fault. But if you really want to apologize, save it for when you wake up. As close of friends as we are, I've already spent over a decade sleeping in someone's heart. I wouldn't want the same thing to happen to me again."
Terra stared back at me in bewilderment. I laughed as I realized he probably wouldn't know about that happening to me. As I felt myself float off the platform and glide back towards the light, I said, "Don't worry. I'll explain it to you later. See you soon."
Terra didn't respond for quite a while. As he became smaller and smaller in my vision, he eventually did respond with a slight smile and a wave of his hand. Yes, we would see each other soon, and it wouldn't just be meeting in one of our hearts. It would be for real. As I turned back towards the light and allowed myself to be blinded and enveloped by it, I was grimly reminded of the state of things before diving into my friend's heart. Well, the worst of it was over now. Surely, things would be better upon going back to my own body…
Just as the light cleared, I felt myself blinded suddenly by the clouds of darkness rapidly shooting out of Terra's body. It passed for several seconds, causing my hair to blow around wildly until finally, the waves of darkness died down. Opening my eyes, I saw the remainder of Xehanort's darkness seeming to evaporate off of Terra's body. Not only that, but as the darkness melted away, his hair seemed to slowly change color, too, the grey transforming into the familiar brown locks I was used to seeing on Terra. For a second, his body swayed, as if disoriented. Then, he slowly fell backwards, and I let out a loud scream as his keyblade was pulled away from me, ripping through my side violently. Immediately, I pressed a hand on the open wound, hoping to stop the bleeding.
The air remained still on the barren landscape. I stood motionless, taking in my surroundings. A fallen body. The clang of a keyblade hitting ground before vanishing. The sticky sensation on my hands as they were coated with fresh blood. I never would've imagined things to turn out like this. Of course, I expected things to be hard, but to think that things would go this far, that I would end up so horribly injured…
Suddenly, I heard another body fall, and my head turned to see Sora, collapsed and beginning to prop himself on his elbows. "Sora!"
I tried to take a step towards him but cried out as my side twisted painfully in protest. My legs began to feel heavy as the stress on my body began building. I probably wouldn't be standing for much longer. Worried, I looked towards Terra. After all of that hard work, after diving into his heart, would he be able to wake up? Weakly, I began to take a baby step, but even that seemed to cause me to wince at the throbbing pain this brought about. So, I simply decided to stare at his face. I needed a sign: something to know that he was okay!
Then, it happened. A small twitch in his hand. Then, a slight scrunching of his face. I squinted my eyes to see better, and once Terra began to open his eyes, I let out a relieved sigh.
Blue. His eyes were blue. Xehanort's cold, golden eyes were gone. We had succeeded. I let out a weak smile, happy with this sight. "We… We did it…" I turned my head behind me at Sora, not caring that he was staring at me with fearful concern, nor the fact that Aqua and the others were in the distance, running towards us. "Aqua… Everyone… W-We won…"
An exhausted breath escaped my lips, and in my moment of relief, my knees finally buckled. As I felt my body fall towards the earth, I could hear my friends calling my name. While I'm sure they were shouting, their voices sounded faint to me as my aches and pains were luring me into a state of weariness. I didn't even feel it when my knees slammed into the hard, rocky surface of the canyon floor. Satisfied with what I had accomplished with my friends, I closed my eyes, and for the first time in days, I felt ready to fall asleep. However, before I could fall unconscious and let sleep take me, a voice broke through.
"VEN!"
I knew that voice; the voice of a dear friend. Before my face could hit the ground, I felt a body catch me. I was turned so I was laying on my back across his lap, and strong hands – the same hands that had strangled me minutes ago – held me in their grip. It was a strong yet gentle grip. The weariness, still threatening to make me pass out, prevented me from opening my eyes right away, so my friend's voice prompted me, "Ven… Ventus! Open your eyes!"
With a labored breath, I did as he said and came face to face with Terra, my best friend, staring down at me with sheer fright. "Terra…"
"Hold on, Ven! You'll be alright!" Terra's eyes went towards my bleeding abdomen, and I vaguely wondered how bad I looked. In the background, I could hear Riku asking our other companions if anyone had any potions or magic leftover for healing.
I ignored these shouts, however, and just focused on Terra. Having not seen him in years, to say I was overjoyed would be an understatement. I shakily reached a hand up to him and whimpered out, "Hey… W-Welcome back…"
"Don't talk, Ven," Terra ordered, his voice bordering between stern and panicked. He quickly grasped my outstretched hand and gave it a surprisingly gentle squeeze. "You need to save your strength."
"I-It's okay… You're… finally back…" I suddenly felt a shiver go through my body. Why did I suddenly feel so cold?
Just as I heard the rest of our friends panic over the fact that they had no possible way to heal my stab wound, I heard more extra voices approaching us. That familiar pitch… Was that, Mickey? Another voice squawked out a "curaga", and I felt magic wash over me. It helped to numb the pain, but it didn't vanish like it usually would. I could hear the voices above and around me saying something about how simple curagas wouldn't be enough and that we needed to go to a real doctor (and also, something about not having much time, but what did that mean?). How did Mickey and the others find us? They must've taken a gummi ship to find us the instant they realized we were gone. At least, that was the only explanation I could come up with in my tired state.
A sudden fearful thought entered my mind: something that didn't cross it earlier for some reason. What would happen if I fell asleep? Would I ever wake up? Would this whole battle turn out to just be a dream? I wasn't sure which idea scared me more. Without much thought, I whispered out what I was feeling. "S-Scared… I'm scared, guys…"
Taking labored breaths, I looked around to see all of my friends looking back at me. Terra was still holding me, his lips in a tight frown and his blue eyes fully expressing his concern and slight hints of guilt. Next to him stood Aqua, worried tears in her eyes and a hand on Terra's shoulder. Riku stood a little further down. He seemed to be looking at my wound with thought; perhaps he was trying to judge how serious it was. On my opposite side, I could see Kairi with an arm around Sora as he leaned on her. Maybe the Key to Return Hearts required a lot of energy to use, because Sora looked exhausted. Both seemed to look scared for me as well. Mickey, Donald and Goofy were across from Riku. While Donald and Goofy seemed to look at chest and question what else they could do to help, Mickey responded to my weak whimpers. "Don't you worry, Ven. Donald used a curaga spell on you. It won't be a permanent fix, but you won't have to worry about dying. So you can sleep just fine."
"No… It's not that…" As everyone looked back at me with concern and curiosity, I continued, "What if… Wh-What if, none of this is real? What if I wake up… at Master Yen Sid's tower, nowhere close to finding Terra? Or what if… What if I wake up… w-w-wake up… there?"
Before I could elaborate my last question, I broke down into fearful tears. I didn't want to fall asleep: not now! I couldn't stand the possibility of waking up to find out this was a dream. What if I woke up back in that empty, white room at that castle? What if I woke up and found out that my attempts to find Terra and Aqua were all for nothing? I didn't want to be alone again!
"Ventus, look at me."
Reluctantly, I opened my eyes again, only to find Terra staring straight into them. While the fear was still there, I also saw a sense of strength in them. They were eyes I remembered from my memories. He always looked like this when he tried to say something to cheer me up. Calmly, Terra said, "Listen. This is no dream, Ven. This is real. If it were just a dream, this would've turned out perfectly. There would have been no fighting, no tears, and you wouldn't be bleeding right now." With a forced smile, he said, "It's like something Aqua said once after one of our training sessions; it wouldn't be a normal day if I didn't screw something up."
I realized after a moment that he was trying to lighten the mood to alleviate our fears. It was difficult to say if it worked, but I knew he was trying regardless. I let out a weak, broken little laugh, although it was hard to do so when I was still crying. Seeing this, Terra wiped away some of my tears and said, "And hey, you want proof that this is real? The next time you wake up, Aqua and I will be right beside you."
Deep down, I was pretty sure this promise was pretty shaky. After all, people can't really judge when another person will wake up, and surely there would be other things they had to do. Still, Terra said it with such conviction that I was tempted to believe him. Still a little unsure, I whimpered out, "Promise?"
Terra took a deep breath before laying my hand back onto my chest. "I promise."
Hearing this promise made me smile. I could trust Terra. I could trust all of my friends. With this relief hitting me, I finally felt myself lose consciousness. It was relaxing to know that we were able to fix our bond.
My hand fell to the side, and the backs of my fingers felt the rim of Terra's wayfinder (surprising that the strap didn't slip off my wrist during that incident). Wait, perhaps our bond never needed fixing. Even when trapped by Xehanort or darkness or slumber, we never forgot about each other. Our lights even helped us find one another in the end. I knew I would sleep peacefully with this knowledge.
An unbreakable connection indeed.
If you guys were brave enough to read this over 10,000 word fanfic in one sitting, you guys are amazing and have earned a gigantic bowl of virtual cookies (with chocolate chips). Normally, I do notes and my disclaimer at the beginning of my stories, one-shots and multi-chapters alike. However, in this case, I wanted you guys to jump straight into it and immediately get a feel for the story. I hope you guys had fun with it. Seeing as how it was my first time writing not only Kingdom Hearts fanfiction but in a first-person POV, I had a blast typing it out.
In my summary, I stated that this was a possible scenario I could see happening in Kingdom Hearts 3, but to let you guys know, I am 99.99% sure that this WON'T happen in the game (at least, not exactly). I know there are certain details I'm overlooking, such as the Lingering Will and the fact that Xehanort possessed Terra to be his main body. So for all I know, the actual freeing of Terra (if it happens) will be a lot different and much more difficult. Still, this idea had been in my head for over a year, and I had to get it out before we get more trailers for KH 3 that could potentially ruin it. And I did leave a lot vague on purpose since some elements of KH 3 are left unknown (plusbecauseIlackconfidenceinwritinggoodaction). So any vague bits in this one shot are left to your interpretation.
Now, if you stayed to read those comments, you can add some virtual ice cream with those virtual cookies. Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful morning/day/afternoon/night!
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is the property of Disney and SquareEnix. While I own a prop keyblade, I do not own this franchise.
On a final note, I am personally dedicating this fanfiction to the brilliant fanfiction writer and deviantart user, Lord Cavendish, whose writing and most recent updates on have inspired me to finally get this story uploaded (his deviantart story, Dedication, in particular, inspired me to try using first-person POV).
(P.S. If you stayed to read THAT note, feel free to throw in some virtual cake. And no, it's not a lie. XD)