The Three Wayfinders

Chapter 4: Evil Among Us

"Terra! What are you doing here?!" Zack exclaimed.

Terra gave a ghost of a smile as he remembered the guy that addressed him.

"I guess I could say the same thing..." Terra smirked.

"Haha, so how you been?" Zack asked with a huge grin as he and his two friends walked over to him.

"Not too good actually, I'm looking for my friends." Terra informed.

"Really? Well that could be problem with the Heartless about. But otherwise, you sure do have the best timing." Zack stated.

"Why's that?" Terra inquired.

"You're a perfect addition to our Heartless Extermination Squad or H.E.S for short! And you'd be our sixth member." Zack explained. "We were waiting for two more guys then all head down to the Outer Gardens. I heard there was a big Heartless horde coming our way."

"Who are your friends?" Terra asked.

"Oh, these are my friends Cloud and Squall, our other two members that we are waiting for are... oh, there's one of them now!" Zack pointed. "Isa!"

Terra turned around to meet the familiar boy as he joined their group; he had blue hair and was carrying his claymore, ready for combat.

"Are we ready to go?" Isa inquired until he noticed Terra. "What are you doing here?"

"He's going to help us out with the Heartless." Zack answered.

"Right... I remember you, about time one of you guys showed up. And I guess strength in numbers." Isa agreed.

"Where's Lea at, Isa?" Squall asked.

"He's going to meet us in the Outer Gardens, said he recognized another one of his friends and just ran off." Isa informed.

"Works for me. Let's head out guys." Zack began the march until Terra stopped him.

"Wait Zack, I came here to find my friends, so after I help you guys out with these Heartless, can you return the favor?" Terra asked.

"Of course, what are friends for?" Zack happily agreed.

So the five of them began their march to the Outer Gardens so that they could meet up with Lea, and to quell the possible Heartless horde that is amassing there.


Elsewhere in Ansem's Castle, Aqua used her memory from her last trek in this labyrinth of corridors to make it to Ansem's Study, and there was one of the royal guards who was maintaining his post in front of the door.

"Stop! Who goes there?" Aeleus warned.

"It is I, Master Aqua, keyblade wielder." She decided to be formal to avoid a confrontation.

"...You may enter Aqua, Wise Ansem is expecting you." Aeleus stood down and allowed her to enter.

"Thank you, sir." Aqua said as she entered.

Ansem was regarding some diagrams on his desk with little Ienzo right by his side. He looked up to see the blue-haired keyblader with eyes of despair...

"We meet again, Aqua." Ansem greeted.

"I was told that you needed my help." Aqua replied.

"Now more than ever, only one chosen by the keyblade can be the solution to our problem." Ansem responded.

"What needs to be done?" Aqua inquired.

Ansem stood up from his chair and walked over to the far wall where the entrance to his lab was still hidden. He then turned his back to Aqua as he began to confess.

"I'm afraid I am to blame... I'm a fool..." Ansem admitted.

"What? ...What do you mean?" Aqua worriedly asked.

"...My research has brought ruin upon us all..." Ansem confessed.

"You can't blame yourself for all of this. What happened?" Aqua assured.

"...Not long ago, a few months after Xehanort's demise, I started experimenting on the darkness in people's hearts. I only realized the danger until it was too late. I unintentionally open a portal from the Realm of Darkness and released countless Heartless." Ansem explained. "...I am sorry..."

"...Why... why were you experimenting in the first place?" Aqua held back her frustration.

"Before all this occurred, someone appeared in my study... and he taunted me with a dark apocalypse, I needed to know how the darkness affected people's hearts... to understand the workings of the heart to hopefully have the advantage of this great danger." Ansem revealed.

"Who was this someone?" Aqua asked.

"I do not know... he blinded me and kept himself hidden. So, his identity remains a mystery to me." Ansem answered.

"Ansem... what you did was an accident, but I'm here to help you and save your city." Aqua consoled.

Ansem the Wise finally turned around to face the Keyblade Master with a scholarly grin on his face.

"Thank you Aqua, for showing an old man such compassion and mercy." Ansem thanked.

"No problem, it's my job." Aqua returned the smile. "What do you think we should do first?"

Ansem then pressed the secret button to open the entrance to his computer room.

"Heartless seek other hearts, and so they will also be searching for the heart of this world. The only way to secure this world from the Heartless is to lock this world's keyhole with your keyblade." Ansem explained.

"So where is this keyhole?" Aqua inquired.

"I found it in our basement. Take the elevator and you will find it there. We will discuss further steps when you return successful." Ansem informed.

"Alright, I'll be back soon." Aqua reassured as she left the study.


"There's nothing here, Zack." Cloud said as they all came out to the Outer Gardens.

"Hold on a moment Cloud, we just got here." Zack argued.

"We shouldn't all be in one place. Some of us need to be posted at the local residences." Squall advised.

"You know, you're right, Squall and Cloud, head back and protect the town. We got this here." Zack ordered.

The two fighters nodded and agreed as they headed back to Town, leaving Terra, Zack, and Isa to face the apparently non-present Heartless Horde, but not even a minute had passed when a spiky red-head came running towards the three of them.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Lea greeted as he joined the small group but then he recognized Terra. "Oh, hey Terra, I just saw Aqua, she's been looking for you!"

"Wait, you saw Aqua? Where did you see her?!" Terra asserted.

"Uhh... at the Castle. She said she needed to see Ansem the Wise." Lea informed.

"Aqua's here too? Then I'm sure she'd love to join our group." Zack grinned.

"Uhh... guys?" Isa quietly pointed towards the fountain in the center of the Gardens.

"I need to find her. Zack, are you guys okay here without me?" Terra asked as all three of them were ignoring Isa.

"Uhh... guys!" Isa tried to get their attention, but was again ignored.

"Terra, Aqua can wait, the Heartless cannot. We need you here for just a little while." Zack responded.

"GUYS! LOOK!" Isa shouted which they finally addressed their attention to center fountain which had a dark corridor on top of it ominously smoking with black wisps of fire...

"What is that?" Zack asked as they all summoned their weapons.

"Well looks like we're going to find out!" Lea stated.


Aqua was coming back up from the elevator and then it opened up to the computer room level only to find Even on the floor unconscious and a dark corridor close shut and disappear. She ran to him and tried to wake him up, and he began to stir. Aqua called out for help and Ansem the Wise came to aid.

"What has happened?"Ansem demanded.

"...Someone was... hacking our database..." Even weakly informed them.

"Even, tell us, who committed this atrocious crime?" Ansem inquired.

Even could not answer as he fell back into unconsciousness and before either of them could say anything else, Dilan ran into the room.

"Master Ansem, I witnessed from the top tower a huge darkness emanating in the Outer Gardens. We must respond!" Dilan begged.

"Go then, take Aeleus and Aqua with you to take out this threat, and hurry!" Ansem complied.

"Don't worry, the keyhole is locked and your world is safe from being devoured in darkness." Aqua reassured. "We'll take care of it."

Aqua and Dilan left the computer room to pick up Aeleus and head to the Outer Gardens.


Back to Terra, Zack, Lea, and Isa, they could only watch in awe as they witnessed the self-proclaimed Mistress of all Evil, Maleficent emerge from the dark corridor in front of them in a flurry of green flames.

"Ah... this Castle is perfect for my new domain... but it's a little too... bright for what I have in mind..." Maleficent evilly examined.

"Maleficent!" Terra and Lea exclaimed.

"Why what's this? A welcome party? How flattering..." Maleficent smirked. "And it seems that some of us are... already acquainted."

"You're not welcome here! I can sense that you use dark powers!" Zack warned.

"Humph, it seems that you all need to learn some manners." Maleficent stated. "I have some time to spare, and I am sure you all have the potential to entertain me."

"What do you mean?!" Terra asked in anger.

"Why Terra... you should know..." Maleficent ominously said as her scepter glowed green.

"...oh no..." Terra knew what was going to happen next as all four of them began to steam with their own darknesses.

Play the Extreme Encounters Battle Theme on a second tab.

"Hahahahaha. Never underestimate the power of darkness!" Maleficent shouted victoriously.

Terra was trying to resist all he could from Maleficent's control. He could do this! He knew he could. Then instinctively, his mind went to his friends... Ven and Aqua... they still needed them... and Master Eraqus... Riku, Sora, and Kairi. There's no way Terra would let any of them down. NO! No more!

"The darkness will not have me!" Terra finally broke her spell.

"What's this...? Terra, have you developed a resistance to darkness since we last meet?" Maleficent said in disbelief. "No matter, I'm sure your friends won't be as... fortunate."

Terra looked on as he saw Zack, Lea, and Isa steaming with dark auras and their eyes were glazed over, with no light in them at all.

"No... guys! Wake up!" Terra pleaded as he raised his keyblade towards his comrades.

"They can no longer hear you Terra; they are my pawns to do with as I wish. Now my puppets, put this pest in his place!" Maleficent commanded.

Zack charged at Terra, with Lea and Isa following close behind. Terra blocked Zack's sword from cutting him, but he was quickly swarmed by his other two opponents. Terra jumped up into the air to avoid being overwhelmed and surrounded, but he came back down with a critical impact attack to force a shockwave and separate them and get some distance between them. Terra got back up to face down his opponents once again...

"Three against one... this isn't good." Terra said worriedly then an idea came to him. "...Guess I'll just take out the puppet master!"

Terra dashed at Maleficent herself and fired a beam of light at her with his keyblade. Maleficent saw this coming and smirked as she commanded Zack to take the beam for her. Zack fell to the ground with the dark aura around him gone.

"So... that is what you do to your allies?" Maleficent taunted. "I'd love to see what you do to your enemies."

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough." Terra smirked.

"What?!" Maleficent's eyes widened as Zack got back on his feet, completely normal.

"Ouch, that really hurt!" Zack rubbed his chest.

"What is the meaning of this?" Maleficent said frustrated.

"The beam of light was only lethal to darkness. It can cut the strings you used to control Zack. Just one of the skills of a Keyblade Master." Terra explained. "You really should learn some new tricks."

"I will not be made a fool of! GO!" She ordered Isa and Lea to attack.

Zack came into action and blocked Lea's chakrams as Terra took on Isa and his huge claymore.

"Was this the re-match you've been looking for Lea?" Zack joked.

Isa slashed at Terra with his claymore, but the Keyblade Master just overpowered the blue-haired boy with brute strength. Terra's keyblade collided with the claymore and it was knocked out of Isa's hands. Terra then pushed Isa to line up with Lea which Zack was taking care of as well and fired another beam of light through the two boys's chests, effectively ending their dark influence from Maleficent.

"I will not allow you to stop me from taking over this world! When I'm done with it, Radiant Garden will just be a hollow bastion!" Maleficent declared.

Zack and Terra realized they had to end Maleficent's reign of terror here and now! But Terra then noticed that Lea and Isa were still unconscious.

"Zack! Get Lea and Isa to safety. I'll take care of her. Go! NOW!" Terra ordered.

"I guess I should expect nothing less from a true hero." Zack smirked. "Put that hag in her place."

And with that, Zack grabbed Isa and Lea in his arms and ran back behind the walls towards the Town Square, leaving Maleficent and Terra alone to fight or so Terra thought...

"You are a fool! Do you think you can defeat me?! The Mistress of all Evil!" Maleficent shouted as she summoned 50 Heartless to surround them both!

"Hmm, might be tougher than I thought..." Terra second-guessed himself.

"TERRA!"

"Huh?" Terra turned around and couldn't believe who it was!

It was Aqua! Along with two of the royal guards, they were running towards him and Maleficent ready for battle!

"AQUA!" Terra exclaimed as they joined them.

"Radiant Garden will not fall to the likes of you!" Dilan addressed to the witch as he and Aeleus took on the Heartless.

"We will see about that." Maleficent challenged. "Now see for yourself all the powers of Hell!"

The Dark Witch erupted in a volcano explosion of green and black flames as she transformed into her large, black, dragon form and took flight to devour the city of light in fire.

"We have to stop her!" Aqua stated.

"Together!" Terra agreed as he and Aqua summoned their armor.

As Aeleus and Dilan did their jobs and took care of the Heartless on the ground, Terra and Aqua summoned their Gliders and took flight after Maleficent who was flying towards the city...


Mickey was at Destiny Islands as he continued his search for Ventus. This must have been the tenth world he searched for his blond friend, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Where are you Ven?" Mickey wondered.


A/N- Terra and Aqua have been reunited to take down Maleficent with a battle in the air. Will they be successful and will any of them find Ven?And Zack is back and joins with the other Final Fantasy Friends. Find out next time! It certainly is far from over. Please comment and review:)