Aqua lunged at the shadows with her keyblade. "Intruders!" she shouted. She turned back toward Sora and his group. "Did you just see that?"

"See what? All I saw was you going ape at the pillar." Sora answered. Aqua looked around, but whatever she had seen, it was gone now.

"I swear there was someone here just a second ago," she said.

"Don't worry, Master Aqua, we cleared this place years ago, there couldn't be anyone here." Donald explained.

"That's what you think, but there is worlds of possibilities out there." Aqua warned. "Be sharp, all of you." Then she began to lead them.

After awhile, Sora indeed noticed that something or someone was watching them, but whenever he turned to look directly at them, they vanished. He never got a clear look at them. Eventually Aqua led them to a wall. "Why are we stopping?" Sora asked. Aqua lifted her keyblade up to the wall. A beam of light came off of it, and the wall turned into a door in a flash of blinding light.

"Come on." Aqua said, and pushed the door open. That was when Sora noticed the thing in the shadow come nearer. It took the form of a person.

"Ah, so that was where you where it was hiding." the person said. Then it became fully viewable that it was a man in a lab coat. "The Chamber of Awakening. That one that the Superior was looking for." That was when Sora realized who it was.

"Vexen?" he cried. The man shook his head.

"Ah, Sora. You're looking for the Ventus as well?" the man looked at the group. "I was waiting for visitors, but not of this kind. I am not the man you know as 'Vexen', but the one who was called Even."

"Even?" Sora was completely and utterly confused.

"Even, why are you looking for Ven?" Aqua asked. Two more shapes came out of the shadows.

"'Who wouldn't be looking for him?' is my question." Even stated. The shapes in the shadows came into the light, and were revealed as two other people, both men. Who are they? Sora thought. "The Superior desired to find this place, and now you brought me to it."

"You do know that your 'Superior' is gone now, right?" Sora lied. Aqua and the three men looked at him.

"What are you talking about, I can still sense his presence in the worlds." Even said. Crap! Sora thought. His lie had been discovered.

"Who is this 'Superior' anyway?" Aqua asked.

"Master Aqua, isn't it?" Even laughed. "Of course you don't know who the Superior is, you've spent too much time in the Realm of Darkness." That was another surprise to Sora. She was in the Realm of Darkness? he thought. "His name is Xemnas. You probably don't recognize that name. Xehanort." Even said. "His other name was Xehanort." Sora could hear Aqua gasp.

"Xehanort?" she cried. "That bastard! Where is he?"

"Aqua, I told you, Xemnas is gone." Sora said, trying to calm her down. He felt pity for her. She had been stuck in the Realm of Darkness for how long? He had only been stuck there for what felt like merely minutes. She fell to her knees, crying.

"That bastard was the one who took Terra from me!" Aqua sobbed. "I'll kill him when I see him!" Donald sighed, showing pity for Aqua. He must have been very important to her. Sora was thinking. She's getting so mad over losing him.

"Stand aside, Miss Aqua." Even said. When she didn't, he forced her to move and walked into the open chamber. When Sora heard the man gasp, he ran in after him. Inside, he found Even against a wall, with a boy who reminded him of Roxas holding a curved keyblade to Even's throat. Aqua stood up and walked into the chamber as well. When she saw the boy threatening Even, she gasped.

"Ven, stop!"

"Say what?" Sora exclaimed. The boy turned toward him, and dropped his keyblade. The key disappeared in a beam of light.

"Sora." the boy said. Then Aqua walked up next to the boy, and put her arm around him. "Aqua." He stared blankly at Aqua, then Sora and Aqua again. Donald and Goofy walked into the chamber, and jumped up in surprise at Ventus. "Donald. Goofy." Ventus said. He turned to Even. "Even. How dare you trespass. You know this castle is special to the keyblade wielders." He summoned his keyblade again to strike the man when Aqua went in front of him and blocked the attack with her keyblade. He pulled back his keyblade, and went again to strike Even.

"Ven, don't do it!" Aqua cried.

"Why?" Ventus asked. He lowered his keyblade. Even scurried away.

"You're giving in to the darkness. To hate." Aqua explained. "Just like Terra did." She saddened when she said Terra's name, as did Ventus.

"Terra." Ventus said. "What happened to Terra?"

"Terra... you know Xehanort's plan, right Ven?" Aqua said. Tears streamed down Ventus' face. He definitely knew.

"I read his reports. I know, but I didn't think it would work." Ventus said. Tears were still running down his cheeks. "Terra's gone, isn't he Aqua?" He didn't wait for her to answer. He fell to his knee and covered his face with his hands. "Terra's gone. I can't believe it. Terra's gone."

Now Sora felt pity for Ventus. The boy had lost his best friend, while Sora still had one. "Yes, Terra is gone. But Xehanort's plan was fouled, thanks to you, Ven. He never got to see his Kingdom Hearts. His purpose for possessing Terra was obsolete."

Then a thought came to Sora. If Xemnas is still around, there might be hope for Terra to be around too.

"Aqua, I couldn't let Xehanort get his way." Ventus said. "I had to destroy Vanitas." He looked back at one of the thrones in the chamber. "Now I have to go back to sleep."

"Sleep? Ventus, I didn't even know you could wake up!" Aqua said. Ventus began to walk toward the throne. "Wait Ventus, I need you to stay!" That made Ventus stop. "Is there anything we can do to keep you awake?"

"I am a shell, one without a heart." Ventus said. A nobody, Sora thought. Then the boy pointed to Sora. "You, you are the one who received the part of my heart not broken. If I can get that part back and the shattered part together, then I will not go to sleep." That is a very special nobody, if he can't stay awake without a heart. Sora thought. Why did he give me his heart, though?

"Sora, can you do that for me?" Aqua asked.

"I don't know. Wouldn't that mean I would lose my heart?" Sora pointed out.

"You had heart before I gave it to you. All you have to do is give the part I gave you back. Then repair the rest. Understand?" Ventus explained. Sora nodded. "Good. Now go to the Keyblade Graveyard. There will be fragments there. Collect them and bring them back, and I'll handle the rest."

"Okay... um, where is the Keyblade Graveyard?" Sora laughed sheepishly.

"I can show you." Aqua said. She reopened the door and walked down the hall.