CHAPTER FOUR

Keep going. Don't stop, no matter what. Even when you find yourself buried under the evils of the darkness, the light will always be there to guide you out. You hold within your heart the salvation of those who suffer. They're counting on you, Hallie, to mend what was broken and heal their pain. Keep walking.

Don't ever stop...

And don't ever forget..

You will be the once who will save us all.

"Is she okay?" a young male voice said.

"Do you think she's sleeping?" The second voice sounded more mature.

"Shh! She's waking up!" The third voice belonged to a woman. All the voices sounded eerily familiar.

I felt the presence of a person as sleep fled from my mind. I groaned and my eyes steadily fluttered open. They took their time to focus and restore, and I blinked several times. As my vision returned, I realized someone stood over me.

Not someone. Someones. Three people, two boys and one girl.

The oldest and tallest of the three had messy brown hair, with vertical spikes and bangs framing his face. He had blue eyes and slightly tanned skin. He wore a black, skintight, high-collared shirt that accentuated his muscles and dark grey and tan hakamas kept up with a black belt.

The second person, a woman, had short, messy, blue hair and blue eyes. She wore a black and blue, high-collared halter top, black shorts, white bell-sleeves, tan, fingerless gloves, and thigh-high black stockings. Two strips of blue cloth draped over her hips, with a smaller, white strip of cloth tied around her waist.

The youngest of the three had blonde, spiky hair and ocean blue eyes. He wore a jacket that looked split down the middle, with the right side white and the left side black, a gray vest underneath, with a high-necked black shirt as the third layer. He also wore caprice pants that ballooned at his knees and had shades of gray, black, and white, and a black and white checked bracelet adorned his left wrist.

All three of their outfits had similarities. They all had criss-crossing suspenders over their chests, respectively, in red, pink, and black. They all had the same symbol on their clothing, which looked like the combination of a heart and a sharp-edged cross; the young boy and woman wore one on their suspenders, right above their hearts, but the older man wore the symbol as the buckle on his black belt. Finally, they all wore pieces of armor on their bodies. The oldest had it covering his right arm in shades of dark grey, dark red, and gold, with a segmented piece of armor on his left shoulder. The woman had segmented pieces on each of her upper arms. The boy had a chunk of dull green and blue armor underneath his gray vest, with another piece on his left shoulder. All of them also wore armored boots.

My eyes flew between each of their faces... and I screamed. The three flinched from my sudden outcry. I crawled back until I was trapped against the wall and hyperventilated.

"Whoa, easy now." the oldest said. "Didn't mean to scare you."

The woman reached out her hand to me. I stared at it for a moment before looking between the three people again.

"Is this... is this a dream...?" I mumbled.

The youngest shook his head. "I don't think so." He patted his torso. "Nope."

The woman patiently kept her hand extended to me. Slowly, I reached up and took it, and a thousand memories flushed into my mind as she helped me stand. I dusted myself off with trembling hands.

"Who are you?" the woman said.

"Me...?" I said. "Uh... my name is Hallie."

"It's nice to meet you, Hallie." the oldest said. "My name is Terra."

"I'm Aqua." the woman said.

"And I'm Ventus! Call me Ven, if you'd like." the boy said.

This couldn't be happening. This had to be a dream. Was it really possible that I jumped back in time twelve years during the time of these three Keyblade wielders? I mean, sure, I really did want to meet them, but not like this! I remembered back on Destiny Islands, when that strange blue light pulled me inside the door. Was that responsible for sending me back in time? Thinking about all this made my head and heart throb. At this time, Sora and Riku still lived in Destiny Islands, and Kairi lived in Radiant Garden.

But they were all little children. None of our adventure had happened. I hadn't even met the other Keyblade wielders yet, and I wouldn't for another twelve years. The thought of screwing up the timeline and changing the future brought such horrible pain to my heart. I gripped the sides of my head.

"Are you all right, Hallie?" Aqua said.

"Uh..." I said. I stood up straight and looked at the three. "How, exactly, did I get here?"

Terra crossed his arms. "I don't know... All of a sudden, a weird portal appeared, and you kind of fell out."

I nodded, yet his words did nothing to answer the questions burning in my brain.

"Let's take her to Master Eraqus. Maybe he'll have an answer." Ventus said. He turned his ocean blue eyes on me and flashed me a smile. "Come on!"

The four of us walked down the path together, me wedged in between Ventus and Aqua.

"So, where are you from?" Aqua asked.

I crossed my arms and tried to think of how I could word my answers without giving away that I'm actually from the future. "I've been to many places, but my real home is in Radiant Garden."

"Maybe you were somehow sucked into space, and the currents carried you to here!" Ventus said. Aqua chuckled and Terra bonked Ventus on the head. "Hey, I'm just trying to help."

I smiled at the blonde's child-at-heart nature. Ventus looked at me and smiled back.

"See, it worked! I got her to smile!"

At the end of the path, I paused to look up at the giant castle looming in the distance.

"Come on." Aqua beckoned to me.

I nodded and followed the three up the long staircase. They led me to the largest room in the building, which was adorned in shades of blue, gold, white, and green, and covered with complex filigree. Curved arches lined the walls, with two stain-glass windows at the opposite end of the room. Three chairs with long backs and armrests sat at the end of the room. A man stood in the center of the room with a Keyblade in hand. He had long, black hair, some collected in a high ponytail and a strand dangling over his face, with a mustache and a small soul patch under his bottom lip. He wore a white and red-lined haori with a hood, with light-colored hakama. Underneath his haori was a navy blue shirt with a large white X pattern on the front and a dull blue-green chunk of armor that covered his abdomen, similar to Ventus. On his feet, he wore black and gold armored boots. The man swung his Keyblade around, remaining poised and concentrated.

"Master Eraqus." Terra said.

Eraqus stood up straight and turned around. His brown eyes set immediately on me.

"Terra, Aqua, Ventus, who is this girl?" Eraqus said.

"This is Hallie." Aqua said. She softly nudged me forward, which ended up in an embarrassing stumble. I stood up straight in attention and tried to swallow the wave of humiliation from acting so foolishly in front of this seasoned Keyblade Master.

Eraqus nodded to me and I relaxed. "Welcome, Hallie."

"Thank you." I said. "Um... may I talk to you? Alone?"

"Of course." Eraqus looked at the three behind me. "You are dismissed."

Terra, Aqua, and Ventus nodded and left the room. I fumbled with my hands in front of me.

"You possess the power of Keyblade Armor, yet you are not of this world." Eraqus said, glancing at the pauldron on my left bicep. "Tell me, where are you from?"

"Um... see, that's the thing..." I said. "I'm not from around here... and by here, I mean I'm not from this time."

Eraqus's eyebrows raised. I explained to him my situation, how I am really from twelve years into the future. I explained the light I was sucked inside, transporting me here, and the three Keyblade wielders found me and suggested that he could muster up a reasonable answer.

Eraqus cupped his chin in his hand and grumbled to himself.

"I can't say I have the slightest idea as to what could've made this happen." Eraqus said, and my spirits drooped. "Is there anything else you wish to add?"

"Yes..." I took a deep breath. "I know the fates of Terra, Aqua, and Ventus."

Eraqus nodded slowly, and I was impressed at how calm he appeared. I'm sure he was a bundle of confusion inside, but I couldn't say for sure. He assumed by my expression that his apprentices were in store for something bad.

"I wish not to know." Eraqus said. "But I believe you were sent here for a reason."

"And that reason is...?"

"I cannot say for sure, but destiny has decided to place you here." Eraqus said. "And while you are here, I advise that you do not tell anyone that you are from the future, unless it is necessary. You also mustn't tell my apprentices of whatever may be in store for them."

"Of course." I nodded. "Do you have any idea how I can go home?"

Eraqus shook his head. "I don't know. But you are welcome to stay here under my watchful eye. Are you familiar with the Keyblade?"

I nodded and reached out my hand. Ultima Weapon appeared in my clutched hand. Eraqus approached me and studied my Keyblade.

"Very intriguing." Eraqus said. He studied me once again, and his face showed signs of surprise. "I've never met a Keyblade Master at such a young age."

"You can tell just by a glance?" I said.

"I am a perceptive person. I will ask Aqua to make sure you are settled in. She'll take you to our spare room."

"Thank you, Master Eraqus." I bowed and started walking away.

"Hallie." I stopped and turned back around. "If what you say is true, and you really are from the future, then you must be very careful with what you do here. I'm not familiar with the concept of time travel, but I can assume that any dramatic actions done in the past could drastically change the future."

I gulped. "Believe me, I wouldn't want to risk changing anything."

Eraqus nodded and I left the room. I rubbed my arms as I walked down the hallway.

"Hallie!" I jumped back as Ventus's face suddenly popped up in front of me.

"Ventus! You scared me!" I said, placing a hand over my heart in attempt to calm its rapid beating.

"Sorry." Ventus snickered. "So, what did the Master say?"

"He said I could stay here until I found a way to go back home."

"Great! We're gonna have so much fun! The Master is a great teacher! Terra and Aqua are training to become Keyblade Masters, you know. He says I could be close to becoming one, too."

I chuckled to myself. I didn't expect the blonde boy to be such an excited little kid. That is, the only real side of him I knew of was after he'd been sentenced to indefinite slumber.

"Ven, go and get some sleep." Aqua said as she approached the two of us. "We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Ventus pouted. "Okay, fine. See you tomorrow, Hallie!" Ventus ran down the hall. Aqua chuckled and shook her head.

"Ven can be such a little kid sometimes, but he's got a big heart." Aqua said to me.

Yeah, too bad it's destined to be damaged by his own darkness and sent to find refuge in Sora. Sora's face suddenly filled my mind and my heart deflated. What was happening in my own time? That is, if it was happening.

"Come on, I'll take you to your room." Aqua said, snapping me out of my reverie. I followed her to a small spare room. It had a bed propped up against the wall with a window hanging over it and a big, light blue blanket draped over its white sheets. There was an empty bookcase propped in the corner with a wooden desk placed next to it. On the other side of the room was a large chest. I peeked inside, only to find it empty. "I hope it'll be enough for you."

"It will." I said. I turned to Aqua and looked her straight in the eye. "Thank you."

Aqua smiled and nodded. "I hope you'll enjoy your time here. You should get some sleep."

I realized how exhausted I was. I nodded, barely able to keep my eyes open. Aqua wished me sweet dreams and closed the door behind her. I fell onto my bed. I held my pillow tightly in my arms and buried my face into its soft, white cover. I did nothing to keep in my hopeless sobs.

Except for Kairi, all my friends don't even know I exist. As far as I know, I've never been on my adventure. I never met Sora and Riku. I never met Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey. Callum doesn't exist, and wouldn't exist until my home would be swallowed by darkness and I would be cast into its deepest depths, doomed to rot as one of its pathetic creatures. Oh, Sora. How am I ever going to get home?