Chapter 8: Stronger than Darkness


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Darkness.

The word plagued me, worse than any disease, more constant than the almost-permanent weariness which had settled on my shoulders, and with it came the unanswerable questions.

Was it good? Was it bad? Could I use it—or would it just use me? Could I contain it, or would I succumb to it? Was there a way to escape it, bring it under control—or was it permanent, would it haunt me forever?

Who was I to believe: Master Eraqus, or Master Xehanort?

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I spent very little time in the Lanes Between this time. Even though nothing had changed in the endless tunnel of stars, it felt darker—hostile, almost—and as beautiful as the glittering lights were, everything inside of me thrummed with a weird desire to get out, to hurry, there's not a lot of time left. How I knew that, why I felt so keenly the restlessness of a deadline, I had no idea. I just cast a Portal to wherever I needed to be, and emerged into the light.

The portal had barely closed behind me before the Unversed made their presence known.

I had just enough time to take stock of the plain, sandy square surrounded by stone pillars and walls which I had entered before the sounds of a fight met my ears. I turned, noticing the Unversed immediately.

First, I saw what looked like a Bruiser, except that it was purple instead of navy blue, wore what must have been a domed helmet, and held two golden shields. I scowled. This was going to be fun.

Next, I saw the Floods. There were a good ten of them, surrounding the armored Bruiser, and in front of them was a boy, maybe a couple years younger than me, who was trying to hold them off. The orange-haired kid swung a wild punch at the Bruiser, but the Unversed retaliated before the boy could regain his balance, and he flew back, landing hard on the sandy ground.

I summoned Earthshaker as I ran towards the group, thankful that the part of town I'd arrived in was deserted of other people, and drew up next to the boy as he struggled to his feet.

I glanced at him quickly before placing myself in front of the skinny fighter. "Stay back," I instructed, readying my Keyblade, trying to figure out how I was going to take care of the giant thing in front of me. I probably couldn't attack from the front, not with those shields…

I glanced back, checking that the boy was out of the way, before starting the fight.


Yeah, so my original guess that the armored Bruiser was going to be tough?

That was 100% accurate.

Not only did the shields and helmet make it impossible to attack from the front, the Unversed had to throw them too—and he could hit me from at least ten feet away while I tried to keep the Floods at bay.

So that wasn't very fun.

Throwing my weapon didn't work, because losing my weapon for even a second would leave me to fall into the waiting claws of the mass of smaller Unversed, so I was stuck between the Floods, who were evidently suicidal (and with good reason: every one I killed was only replaced seconds later), and a nearly invulnerable Bruiser. Great.

My thoughts flew to my Wayfinder, thinking that maybe if I could steal some of Ven's speed or Aqua's magic for a minute, I could take out the Bruiser, but something inside me rebelled at the idea. I wasn't so inept that I couldn't take care of a few Unversed. I'd just have to get creative, and not let the Bruiser decapitate me with his deceptively sharp shields. That was all.

I started trying to edge my way around the Bruiser, slashing through Floods as I went, but the Unversed was smarter than that and spun with me, slinging its shields in my direction every time the urge struck it, and summoning them back as though they had a string tied to the top. I managed to stumble it with a blast of Fire, but that was all it did—stumble. Seriously, this was just getting more annoying by the second.

I decimated two Floods with one blow, and, grabbing onto the first strategy that made any sense, stepped closer to the Bruiser. As I hoped, it retained its shields and readied for my attack, gleaming red eyes examining my every move. I slashed high, feeling my blade rebound off the shield, and then spun, sweeping low. Unfortunately, it had fast reflexes, and blocked my strike just in time. I drew back just a bit, waiting for its attack, repressing satisfaction when it swung its fists out, aiming to knock me back with the shields. I ducked to the left, spinning around the Bruiser before it could make any other moves, and brought Earthshaker down through its back, achievement rushing through my veins as the Bruiser careened sideways, and I got in another hit before the Floods were upon me.

I slammed two together and set a third aflame, scowling as one leaped towards my weapon arm, and barely brought my hand back before the Flood made contact, but was distracted when a shield whistled past my ear, close enough for me to feel the wind from the speed. I dodged sideways before the shield flew back to its owner, and speared a nearby Unversed as I moved. A second shield caught my armored shoulder briefly, and I faltered.

I cursed mentally when the Floods took advantage of my distraction and rushed forward. I brought Earthshaker up, bracing for them, but something came up behind me so fast I didn't have time to turn. When I looked, I saw that the boy had gotten up, his fists up in a tense guard, preparing to take on the Unversed with me. I opened my mouth to warn him back, but it was too late; the Floods were already there, and I saw the Bruiser draw back a shield for a throw.

I stabbed out, tossing three Floods back and reaching over with my other hand to shove the fighter out of the way as the Bruiser's shield whistled through the air where his head would have been, then cast Flame in the big Unversed's direction. I didn't stop to see if it worked, instead slashing through the closest Flood, relieved when another didn't immediately appear to take its place.

I took out two more Floods, seeing another one disappear as the boy attacked it, and turned back to the Bruiser. Dodging another flying shield, I dashed closer, making it under its guard just before the shield came speeding back and managed to slash across the bulging belly of the purple Unversed. I ducked back to avoid two wild swings, and again danced around to the Bruiser's back, landing two strikes before it turned and I had to retreat a step.

To my surprise, the boy had taken care of the last two Floods while I was occupied, and he advanced warily on the Bruiser as well, looking slightly unprepared.

The Bruiser looked at the two of us, and I was pleased to see it hesitate. Then, coming to the same conclusion I thought it would, hurled a shield at the boy and lunged at me, other fist swinging around to clock me over the head. I blocked and stabbed out, as I heard the boy shout in surprise and topple over just in time to miss the attack.

With a grunt of effort, I slammed my Keyblade into the Unversed's hide one last time, casting Fire as I did with the vague hope it would speed up the Bruiser's demise. Thankfully, the Bruiser relied more on its shields than actual resilience, and it scattered into nothingness.


I made sure that no Unversed popped up to follow the Bruiser before turning back to the boy and dismissing my blade. Now that I had time to look, I realized he might be about Ven's age, if a little older, with wavy orange hair and gangly limbs. I recognized the white thing he wore as a toga, and he had simple sandals on his feet.

I extended a hand to the boy. "You okay?"

He looked up at me, almost surprised, and smiled. "Yeah, thanks." He took my hand, and I helped him back to his feet.

The boy sighed and crossed his arms after standing, shaking his head dispiritedly. "Guess they were too much for me…" Then he raised his head, blue eyes lighting up, a determined smile making it to his features. "I'm just gonna have to train harder!" I repressed a grin. He reminded me a lot of Ven.

The boy looked more closely at me. "But you're pretty tough—really handled those things. Are you here to enter the Games?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What Games?"

The boy looked as though it were obvious. "The 'Games' games. To see who's strongest!"

I felt something within me tighten.

He was still speaking, an eager spark lighting up his words. "One day, I'm gonna win 'em all, and become a true hero." Before he could continue, or I could respond, a gruff voice sounded from the staircase to my left.

"Herc, where are ya?" The boy turned. "Front and center right now, or I'm tackin' on another 1000 laps!"

There was a figure walking past the entrance to the square where "Herc" and I stood, and I peered closer. What was that? At first glimpse I just thought it was a really short man, but… did he have horse hooves? And horns? A satyr? Master had mentioned creatures like that before…

Herc gulped. "Uh-oh. Gotta go." He took off running after the creature which could only be his trainer, but he called back to me. "The Coliseum is just up ahead. I hope I get to see you fight there sometime!"

The boy disappeared around the corner.

I waited a moment, weighing my options. A competition… My mind flashed back to the world I'd just left, the darkness which still lingered under my skin. Maybe I could find out how strong I really am… I both wanted to know and wanted to live in ignorance about it for the rest of my life. I wasn't here to enter competitions, necessarily, but… it sounded interesting.

I could check it out, anyway. There were Unversed here, for sure, so I needed find out if they were terrorizing the people.

I looked down the path Herc had just left on, noticing the golden statues flanking the road. My eyes caught on a mountain just outside the city, which was shrouded in a swirling, purple mist, and I headed towards this "Coliseum".


...

Hades stalked out of the Coliseum, hand on his chin, flaming hair burning brighter than usual. "Geez Louise, what is wrong with those chumps in there? It's like a who's who of decathlon disasters... All I need is one measly warrior tough enough to give Zeus a jolt of his own medicine! Is that too much to ask for?"

But Hades ranted to the empty air. The pitiful group who were entering the Games that time around had decided to show off what few skills they had before the main event, as usual, and the crowds were all gone inside the Coliseum, leaving Hades alone in the outer courtyard.

Or at least, he thought he was. But as the Lord of the Dead glanced around the silent area outside the Coliseum, he caught sight of a figure—an unfamiliar presence who stood just beside the gate and wore foreign clothing. "Wait…"

Apparently, the foreigner hadn't heard Hades' grumbling. He was examining one of the winning plaques on the wall, almost like he'd never seen them before. The guy had armor on his left shoulder, and was much more muscled than anyone else in the wimp contest he'd just left. Hades didn't even have to stretch his magic senses to feel his inner power from across the room. In addition, the darkness in the young man's heart was a wildfire, bleeding out and barely contained in bars of iron will.

"Dark, moody, powerful…" He mused, analyzing the foreigner with a gleam in his yellow eyes, then grinned. "Yes! He's perfect."

...


Terra's POV

I found my way to the Coliseum easily. It was a giant building, preceded by a wide sand lot which was decorated with several iron braziers and the occasional brown pot. Two large statues of golden warriors stood on both sides of the doors to the Coliseum, which were decorated with lightning bolts. There were green plaques on the walls, inscribed with golden letters, and I stepped closer to one, realizing it must be a ranking line for "the Games" that Herc had talked about. The plaques were older, the contests already determined and winners inscribed in big letters at the top. A new, empty plaque stood near the door I had entered through, and a temporary, paper roster labeled "The West" was tacked to the empty space. There were a lot of names on the roster, but there were still several blank spots on the list.

I took a deep breath, trying to figure out just what I was doing here, whether these Games would be worth it. I needed to find the Unversed, talk to some people, try and find Vanitas. I wasn't sure if Vanitas would be here at all, but since Aqua, Ven, and I had defeated the Trinity Armor, we'd stopped his plan to mess up the balance there—or so I hoped. He must have moved on from Radiant Garden after that. So now I had absolutely nothing to go on, no way to know how to find him.

And these Games… what if they could show me how strong I was? I had to learn how to fight the darkness.

"How sad is this?" I jerked back, startled, when a man's voice sounded right next to me. Repressing the urge to summon Earthshaker, I glanced to my right, but the courtyard was still empty. "Pains me to see it." The man's voice continued, but now it came from my left, and I turned, off-guard at the sudden appearance of a tall figure who had not been there a second ago.

"All that power going to waste." The man had blue skin, and his hair… for a second I thought his head was on fire, but it must have been that his hair was fire? He wore a dark toga, much more elaborate than Herc's, and it was draped over a dark, long sleeved shirt. The clasps holding the toga closed at the shoulders were gray skulls.

"Who are you?" I asked, cautious.

He turned to me, his yellow-rimmed eyes exasperated. "What, can't you recognize me? The name is Hades—Lord of the Dead, god of the Underworld, all-around stand-up guy, beloved of all people… the list goes on. How ya' doing?"

He didn't give me a chance to reply. Hades looked at me, piercing me with his dark gaze, analyzing me as though I were a puzzle. "I don't recognize you either, so… newbie in town, bright-eyed and all excited for the Games you've heard so much about, right?—but you're not here to watch, no… lemme guess: You're here to see your inner strength—trying to put the kibosh on the darkness inside you." He spun, walking slowly towards the Coliseum, but kept talking without letting me answer. "Am I right?" He shrugged, like it was a stupid question. "Of course I'm right." Then, he refocused, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"But anyway, that's a bad idea."

"Wait," I looked after Hades in confusion. "What?"

The "Lord of the Dead" turned back to me, holding a casual hand out in a calming motion. "Okay, stay with me here—you don't really like the darkness inside you, don't quite get along with it, right?" I was almost tempted to nod, but suspicion stopped me from answering. The blue-skinned man continued, his strange eyes locked on mine unwaveringly.

"But, you see, darkness, it's inside… everybody. Nothin' to be ashamed of." His voice was casual and matter-of-fact. "You play nice with it, and the darkness will be your best friend. It'll help you out of all those nasty scrapes you find yourself in, stick with you forever, never let you down, all that good fun stuff."

I scoffed out a breath, shaking my head slightly. I was wary of the stranger, with his strange aura and disarming manner, but his words were what set alarm bells ringing in my head. This was nothing like what Master Eraqus taught. Hades was wrong.

The man continued walking past me, now towards the gate I'd entered through. "But, if you go and get all self-conscious and refuse to face it, the darkness will run over you like a debutante at a toga sale."

But it was like what Master Xehanort spoke about. I had seen the power of darkness myself. It was dangerous, yes, but what if I could still use it to do good? I shook my head again.

"And then where are you? Nowhere!" Hades appeared at my back with a rustle of clothes, slim, spider-like hands finding my shoulders, smiling.

"Now me, I look at you, and I see potential." He leaned closer, almost too close. "That's right, kid. You got the potential to conquer the darkness inside you." He threw his hands up, almost as though saying "it's the truth."

"And… I'll even give you some pointers." Hades chuckled, and his voice implied that that was an offer I couldn't refuse. "I mean, believe me, if anybody knows conquering, I know conquering."

I drew back slightly from Hades' touch, but felt myself drawn to his offer despite the foreboding in my gut, and the fact that I barely even knew who he was. His words spoke to the insecurity which wouldn't stop flickering in the back of my mind, dangling a hope which I'd chased my whole life. Could I conquer the darkness inside me? Could I suppress it, break the power it held over me? The prospect was enticing, sure, but it wasn't enough to erase my common sense. I wasn't sure about this Hades character yet. I took a deep breath, still unable to banish the hopeful thoughts. What if I could? What if he could help me conquer the darkness?

"Well," I said, suspicion overridden by recklessness and desire, "Let's hear it then." Couldn't hurt to ask him, right? "What am I supposed to do to conquer the darkness?"

Hades grinned, and I saw something satisfied in the expression, before releasing me and turning to gesture at the Coliseum. "Easy. You sign up for the Games." Hades looked back to me, putting on a façade of confusion. "I know, I know—'Please, Lord Hades, the Games? What's that supposed to do?'" He dropped his fake air, and switched back to his normal, suave tone. "But hey, you'd be surprised what you can learn in the heat of battle. And don't worry, I'll be right there to guide you every step of the way."

He exposed his sharp, gray teeth in a smile again, holding up a hand in modest appraisal. "I'm kinda what you'd call an expert in the art of darkness." Hades' eyebrows went up, both in satisfaction and in a challenge.

Then, he gestured back to the building behind him. "Oh, and you have to decide fast, kid. This is a limited-time offer. But I'll be nice and let you think it over first."

Before I could respond, the Lord of the Dead stalked away, leaving me to my choice.


There really wasn't much of a choice to be made. I knew Unversed were here, and if Herc's minimal description of these Games were accurate, then I could probably find out what was happening best if I entered them. I wasn't quite sure if I trusted his words, but Hades had offered me a chance. My hesitance couldn't compete with my desire to be free of the darkness.

Hades waited for me in the vestibule. He caught sight of me with a grin. "Time to settle this deal. You gonna take up my offer?"

Without bothering with preamble or an outright answer, I shot out, "When are you going to actually explain how to conquer the darkness?"

Hades turned away, but I saw the hint of a satisfied smile just before he looked away. "Hold your chariot horses." He walked a couple steps away, and held out his hands. Two identical plumes of smoke rose from his palms, and a piece of parchment and a quill sat in his hands once the plumes faded. "You would not believe the bureaucracy involved with these things."

Hades placed the quill to the paper and began to fill out what must have been the registration form. "Name?"

"Terra." I responded shortly, eyes on Hades's back.

"Kind of earthy, but all right." He mumbled, but moved on. "Now… height and weight?" He glanced back at me as he spoke, assessing, but went back to writing before I could reply. "And… Country of origin?" I froze momentarily, mind fumbling. What was I supposed to say? I had no idea of the geography of this world. I tried to come up with an answer as the silence stretched, and I felt Hades' eyes on me for a moment. He came to his own conclusion after a second. "Touchy subject? Eh, no problem. 'Elsewhere.'

"Weapon?" I glanced down at my hand, and summoned my Keyblade. When he looked, I gestured to it. Hades grinned. "Fancy. Never seen one of those before. 'Personal blade.'"

"What's this?" The Lord of the Dead looked surprised at the next question. "'Favorite god?'"

Then he laughed, and wrote an answer, again without consulting me. "Pfft, come on. 'Hades.'" He scribbled the last with an angry flourish, then looked the paper over once more. "There, ba-boom. Easy-peasy." The paper and quill disappeared in smoke.

Hades walked back to me. "Now, I sense you've already started to get all warm and fuzzy with that darkness inside you, finding out what it really can do and seeing the potential in the power. Am I right? It's sweet, really. And hey, by the time you win the final match here…" He gestured at the looming patch of shadow which led into the arena. "I guarantee, you'll have figured out how to conquer it for good." With the last, overly encouraging words, Hades swooped over to me, hooking his arm around my shoulder in a loose embrace. He looked me in the eye as he continued, his gaze full of confidence and some secret amusement. "And don't worry; anything goes wrong, I'll make it all go away."

He ended with an eager smile of sharp teeth. "Service with a smile."

I shoved out of his hold, unsure of where my distrust of the man stemmed from, but I was tired of his overly-helpful attitude and the way he seemed to be covertly manipulative. "I got it."

Outside, a loud gong sounded, which I assumed signaled the beginning of the Games, and I strode out, away from Hades and into the waiting arena.


The arena was gigantic. That was the first thing I noticed. Rows upon rows of stone seating rose to my left and right, stretching out on either side of the large, raised center arena. Far across the room, another cage door entered into the opposite wall, where a group of guys in sloppy armor stood.

Second, it was packed. People were crammed into the stone seats, their combined, raucous chatter filling the air. Officials in golden uniforms clustered around the arena and held back the crowd, adding to the noise and bustle.

A grouchy man approached me shortly after I entered, frowning as he took in my appearance. "You a competitor?" He asked shortly, and at my nod, consulted the roll of parchment he held. "Looks like you're the last of the bunch. Please wait in the combatant's area until your match is announced." He pointed to the edge of the arena where the group of scruffy-looking warriors stood.

The official turned away before I could reply, and I headed over there as the same loud gong sounded. A figure detached itself from the combatant's group, stumbling out of his buddies' encouraging hands, and sauntered up to the sandy platform, waving jauntily at the cheers of the crowd. He spun into a couple mediocre moves, swishing his mace this way and that, grinning as the crowd roared louder. I waited for his opponent to step up, but none came from the group or the Vestibule I had just left.

The gong sounded again, and an announcer stepped up. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, beasts and spirits of all ages! Are you ready for today's exciting matches?" The crowd ramped up their cheering, overwhelming all other sounds and shaking the floor. "The rules are quite simple, as I'm sure you all know. The only way to win a match is to knock your opponent out of the ring, or disarm them and strike them down! The only way to get to the finals and win everlasting fame is to win all your matches!"

The mace-wielder pumped his fist in the air, and the crowd roared.

"And, without further ado, let the West Games begin! First up: Titus 'The Slayer' vs. The Speed Team!"

To my astonishment, it was not a group of people who stepped up.

Unversed appeared on the stage, popping out of thin air opposite Titus. There were five of them, all Scrappers, and their red eyes gleamed eagerly.

For a moment, the crowd was struck dumb. It seemed that they had never seen Unversed before, and no one seemed to know what to think. But after a bare second, cheers rang out again. I had paused when the Unversed first appeared, mind whirling, and I hadn't realized that I had unconsciously fallen into my stance, and was a second away from summoning Earthshaker.

But the Unversed didn't make a move towards me, or any of the civilians. They waited on the stage, confronting the now-apprehensive Titus, oblivious to the crowd around them. The crowd continued cheering as my confusion mounted. What were Unversed doing in the Games?

Before I could figure out what to do, the annoying gong rang through the clamor, and the match started.

Titus had gotten over his surprise, and rushed forward, meeting the Unversed with a yell. I had to admit, he was fair with the mace, which was an unwieldy weapon, but he had never faced Unversed before, and didn't know what to expect. The Scrappers split as soon as their opponent started forward, two engaging him from the front while the others slunk around to attack from behind. He managed to slam one backwards, his heavy weapon making quick work of the Unversed, and the Scrapper disappeared. The crowd roared in approval. But their support of Titus didn't last long, as he was knocked over when a Scrapper barreled into him, and another raked sharp claws against his weapon arm. With a cry, he released his mace, and the gong split the air, cheering growing.

"The Speed Team wins!"

I let out a breath as the remaining four Unversed folded in on themselves and fell into darkness as a medic bustled over and bound Titus' arm. Were the Unversed really just here to… compete? How had they gotten into the Games in the first place?

"Weird, right?" I jumped, and turned. One of the other competitors had wandered over when the match ended, observing the cleanup of the ring with interest. He was shorter, with a bow strapped to his back, and had stringy brown hair which flopped over his forehead.

"Those monsters," he clarified, and I nodded. "Where are they from?" I asked, hoping he knew more.

But the archer shrugged. "No idea." He responded breezily, then gestured to the officials at the edge of the field. "I overheard one of them say that some weird kid in a mask came by and entered a whole bunch of them in the Games, both the East and the West rosters." My blood ran cold at "kid in a mask." Had Vanitas been here? Was he still here?

"No one's ever seen them before—but I guess there have been some rumors that the monsters are from across the Sea." I nodded as though the name was familiar to me, but mostly tuned out his words. Why had Vanitas entered the Unversed into the Games? Was this just some joke? Or did he think that they could cause the most chaos by winning the Games? From what everyone was saying, winning the Games was a pretty big deal. "I guess their leader wants to get the word out about them. I mean, if one of the monster groups wins, everyone would know about it."

"Huh." I watched the cleanup crew finish sweeping the ring. I guess that made sense. They'd get a lot more attention this way, and everyone would hear about the "new monsters." And if they could beat the best warriors in the Games… what could the other citizens do?

"My name's Theo, by the way." I looked over at him, and shook his outstretched hand. "I'm Terra. Thanks for letting me know about those monsters."

Theo shrugged again. "You just looked pretty surprised by the whole thing—and not just the monsters. First time at the Games?"

At my nod, he grinned. "Figured. Takes some getting used to, but it's the most fun you can get around here, unless you're into risking your neck crossing the Sea or discus throwing, so… It's always overwhelming the first time around. I wouldn't worry, though. You sure look like you can handle most any of the rabble over there." Theo gestured to the rag-tag group behind him.

"Thanks," I told him, then asked, "Is there anything I should know, about the Games? The guy who entered me didn't tell me much."

"If you're looking for training, I might be able to set you up with somebody—"

"No," I cut him off. "Just, you know, basics. Any implicit rules, or…?"

Theo laughed, brown eyes flashing. "Eh, not much. Anything goes. Magic, dirty tricks—the officials pretty much allow anything, and the bloodier the battle, the more the crowd loves it. If you get in a spot of trouble, you're allowed to call in a friend to back you up."

I tried not to think of Aqua's accusing glare, the last time I'd seen her. Theo continued, "Once the match starts, there's no stopping until someone wins. No re-dos, rematches—though you're welcome to corner anyone after the Games and take revenge. You're only allowed one weapon, but the officials will accept bribes to let you bring in an extra one, or to look the other way if you use something really underhand. But that's about it. Basically, just do whatever you have to do to win."

I nodded, forcing away guilt. "Got it. Thanks, again."

The archer grinned wider. "Don't mention it." He jerked his head back as the gong sounded once again. "You wanna come join me and my friends? There's a list back there, so you can see when your match is."

Theo's smile was genuine and inviting, and I dipped my head. "Sure."

We passed the next combatant as he made his way up to the stage, holding a long, curved sword. The new guy's armor was polished until it shone, but as he started twirling his sword to the praise of the crowd, I noticed the inexpert grip in the hilt and the slight hesitation before stepping. He wasn't very experienced, though he wanted to look like he was. I smirked inwardly, knowing how the match would end. "All the way from Rome, give a big round of applause to Quintus! Aaaand, his opponent: Flame!"

Four puffs of flame, and Red Hot Chilis appeared to challenge Quintus, jerking spasmodically. Theo let out a low whistle, looking impressed. "Who knew they came in fire?" I chuckled almost before I could stop myself. Theo looked proud of himself, and gestured to the match, just before the gong rang. "Five denarii on Quintus."

I took one look at the slightly wobbly way the Roman was spinning his weapon to draw the crowd's attention, and disregarded the fact that I had absolutely no money, much less any of their currency. "You're on."
The words were only out for a second when a Red Hot Chili knocked Quintus over, breaking his thin strand of balance and setting the edge of his cloak on fire. Between his panicked, shrill screams, another Chili tore the sword from his hand, and the gong sounded.

I didn't stop the grin from breaking over my face at the look of incredulity on Theo's. "B-but… he—he won last month!" The archer spluttered. "How was—how did… so fast!" He gaped at me, and then shook himself. "How did you know that?"

As he dug in his pocket and drew out five bronze coins, I shrugged. "His stance was poor, even if he knew how to swing his sword. He used more intimidation than anything else, and the Unversed won't fall for that." I flinched when I realized that I'd let "Unversed" slip, but Theo was too busy goggling at me to take much notice.

Then, with a bright, eager grin, Theo grabbed my arm. "Can you do that again?"

"What, see who over there is a complete idiot when it comes to weapons?"

He took that as a yes, and rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Oh, Terra, this is gonna be good. C'mere—we can make a lot of money off this." Then, without the barest bit of hesitation, dragged me towards the back of the combatant's tent and slammed himself down in front of a big, hairy satyr who was evidently in charge of the bets.

The gong sounded, and two guys headed up this time, heading to opposite ends of the ring. One was wiry and held a long staff, and the other was a brawny spearman.

Theo turned to me. "Who's gonna win?"

I blinked at him, suppressing amusement, and looked back at the two contestants as their names were called. "Killian vs. 'The Minotaur'!"

I took a moment to analyze their stances. The spearman relied on bulk primarily, but his stance was steady, fairly experienced. I was about to cast my bet on him, but a flash of something hidden in Killian's sleeve distracted me. I peered closer, and saw a bit of silver—a hidden dagger. The self-assured way that he held himself told me that he knew it was not allowed, and knew he probably had a plan.

"Killian." I said, as Theo gestured for me to hurry up. He placed the bet just before the gong rang, and whispered to me, "I hope you know what you're talking about."

I laughed to myself, and settled against the table as the match began. It went smoothly enough, and from the beginning, it was obvious "The Minotaur" had the advantage. Although the length of his staff allowed Killian to attack without getting in the spearman's reach, he made up for it with pure brawn. The battle waged for two minutes before I saw Killian make his move. He let his opponent knock him backwards, almost over the edge of the ring, and wobbled forward to regain his balance—more than was necessary. He got close before the Minotaur could do anything else, and I saw his hidden blade slip out and slice partially through the spear's shaft. I raised my eyebrows, impressed at his intelligence.

The Minotaur didn't sense anything off at first, but when Killian danced out of the way and the spearman was forced to extend his grip, exposing the half-break, and slammed his spear into Killian's staff with his usual, overwhelming strength, the weapon couldn't stand the opposing forces and cracked. The Minotaur looked in astonishment at his broken spear only until Killian rammed his staff into his temple, and then he crumpled.

Over the ear-shattering cheers, Theo patted me on the back, grinning excitedly. "We just won sixteen denarii! Where have you been for the past year?"


My first match wasn't scheduled for another hour, at least, and so I lounged near the betting tables with Theo and his friends, who were all going up together, the match after mine. I hadn't realized it at first, but there was a food table set aside for the combatants, and the repressed hunger I had ignored overwhelmed me. Theo quizzed me eagerly as I consumed whatever food was within reach, and I gave him my thoughts on who would win the next battle. Six times Theo placed bets on matches per my advice, and six times he came back, grinning wide, coin pouch jingling.

Although there were several matches with Unversed, they never went up against each other. They were only defeated twice by the teams around me, once by a skilled magician and the other by two swordsmen, who only won because they were against a single Bruiser. I watched the Unversed carefully, but they only ever attacked their opponents, and not once did I see them even look at the crowd around them, or the officials nearby. They all disappeared right after their respective matches, leaving me to wonder why Vanitas had gone to all this trouble, and what his plan was.

There was a short break just before my match, and I rose finally from my seat, rolling my shoulders and taking deep breaths. I wasn't particularly worried, but I made sure to stretch my arms out as the cleanup crew dragged a semi-conscious warrior of the pitch, and threw his broken weapon to the crowds, who scrambled to claim the prize, voices pounding in my ears.

Theo clapped me on the back a minute before I was supposed to go up, his signature bright grin encouraging. "I can't wait to see the crowd's faces when you knock your opponent out of the ring in record time! I have never been more excited to see a newbie go up for their first match!"

I chuckled, and accepted the punch he shoved against my arm. "Thanks."

Theo continued, rubbing his hands together. "Almost no one has bet on you, since you're new. I'm gonna make so much when you win!" It was then I saw that his bulging money pouch was empty, and I furrowed my eyebrows. "Wait, did you just bet all your denarii on me?"

The archer nodded definitively. "Why would you do that? What if I lose?" Theo waved that aside so vehemently I thought his arm would fall off. "You're not gonna lose!"

I was spared having to reply when the gong sounded, and he pushed me onto the stage. "Go Terra!"
I took my place, shaking it from my mind, the crowd's cheering overwhelming me. "And next: Newcomer Terra vs. The Knight!"

As I had guessed, my opponent was an Unversed. I barely made out the sound which marked the Unversed's arrival through the cheering of the crowds, and watched as another, great big purple Bruiser appeared on the other side of the ring. There was a half-breath of silence as the crowd got over their shock, and then the cheering was back, louder and more excited. I made no move as the Bruiser watched me, clinking its two shields together in a challenge.

I didn't summon Earthshaker yet. Not until the match started. I wasn't interested in gaining the crowd's approval, wasn't going to try and earn their respect with fancy moves.

Any indecision I had had about being in the Games was gone. There were Unversed in the roster, battling against the other warriors, and I needed to take them out, since most others here weren't able to. And, if, along the way, Hades' promise came to pass, I would be that much closer to making it up to Master, and Aqua. But I could still accomplish something even if Hades had lied to me.

And then the gong rang, and I felt my focus sharpen, tuning out the jeers and yells of the crowd, Keyblade appearing with a crackle of magic in my hand.

The Bruiser threw one shield straightaway, aiming straight at my head, but I ducked and raced forward, hoping to get this done and over with as soon as possible. I dodged a punch and swung out for the exposed side of the Unversed, scowling when Earthshaker was repelled at the last second by a hasty guard. I blocked the next two punches, and spun around to behind the Unversed while it was still preoccupied trying to hit me, and slammed into the Bruiser from the back, pushing it slightly off-balance, and taking advantage of its stumble with another strike.

Then the "Knight" turned around again and surged forward, and I dove under the attack, landing another hit under its arm.

I danced back, away from a spinning shield throw, and cast Freeze to distract it momentarily, then jumped back towards it with a yell. Vaguely, I became aware of increased cheering, and thought I heard Theo's voice among the others shouting my name.

I shook away the voices and concentrated on the Bruiser, deflecting a sharp punch and spinning around to hammer two quick blows on the opposite arm, and then dropped to avoid another thrown shield. The Bruiser's exposed side practically had a target on it, and I tossed my own weapon, suppressing a smile when it made contact, then hurriedly summoned Earthshaker back as the Unversed's other shield sailed towards me.

I blocked and threw myself back at the Bruiser, bringing my Keyblade down across the outstretched left shield, curving around to slash one last time at the Unversed's back.

The Unversed had disappeared before I had even finished my blow.

I took a moment to drag a deep breath in, then stood up straighter, the crowd's exalting cheering once again making its presence known, overwhelming my hearing so that I barely heard the gong. "Winner: Terra!"

I dismissed Earthshaker as the roar grew louder. Turning to exit the ring, I let my gaze wander to near the Vestibule, and caught sight of a shadowy figure who I recognized immediately—Hades. The Lord of the Dead had a self-satisfied smile, and when I caught his eye, he raised his eyebrows and grinned wider. I looked away in time to accept Theo's clap on the shoulder, as he ranted about how all the other combatants had looked so surprised and how he was sure I'd end up winning the Games. When I looked back, there was no one there.

Even though Hades had disappeared, an ominous feeling still prickled across the back of my neck, almost as though his creepy yellow eyes still lingered eagerly on me.


To say I breezed through the rest of the battles would have been an understatement. I never felt truly challenged, not even when seven of the blue Red Hot Chilis confronted me, or when two Bruisers attempted to beat me to a pulp. And my few opponents who weren't Unversed were just as easy, if not easier. Before I knew what had happened, I was straightening as the last of a group of Scrappers disappeared, the crowd's cheers mounting higher and higher around me, and I realized that I had just beat the semi-finals: I was going up against the champion of the West Games next. I had won the East Games.

If I could have distinguished a word through all of the clamor, I knew that it would be my name, chanted over and over in the rolling mass of shouts, repeated in the harsh, congratulatory way only crowds could achieve. They'd done it every match, every time as I emerged the victor after Unversed and increasingly-skillful opponents, and it both bolstered and subdued me. The cheers felt wrong, foreign to the shame which had plagued me since leaving Radiant Garden, and yet somehow, they encouraged me.

In addition to the crowd's cheering after my every match, Hades was always visible just after I won, wearing the same satisfied, secretive grin. He'd catch my eye and then disappear, and my mistrust of him only grew with each passing match.

By the time he smiled leeringly at me after the semi-final, irritation was beginning to scratch at me every time I saw him, and I knew that if I didn't keep it in check, it would grow to anger, which I was determined to repress. Hades wasn't blaringly malicious, or sinister, like Maleficent or the Queen had been, but something about him just set my nerves tingling and my skin crawling when I was near him.

So when I was finally able to shrug off Theo's congratulatory and exultant presence, and the Lord of the Dead beckoned silently to me from the entrance to the Vestibule, I stalked over with rising annoyance.

It was almost a relief to step into the dark, cool Vestibule, where the crowd's cheering and the official's bustling faded, were it not for Hades' immediate descent upon me.

"If I had known your fighting skills, I might've snuck over to that grumpy satyr and gotten some denarii off of you," It sounded like a joke, but the way he said it was far too flippant. "Gotta say, you're quite the fighter, Terra."

I leaned away from him, almost unconsciously. I didn't acknowledge his compliment. "Well? I made it to the finals. And I don't feel any closer to defeating the darkness than I did this morning."

He was still smiling at me, though I knew that my irritation had shown in my tone. Hades' eyes were gleaming with almost greed as he observed me. "I did say you'd know once you've beaten the final match, didn't I? Still got that one to go."

I scowled at him, anger flaring briefly before I forced it back. Just being near him sparked something in me, something that I had been able to repress during the matches and when I talked with Theo, the same something that had been almost vindictive about my defeat of Braig in Radiant Garden. I wasn't sure if it was mistrust, or dislike, or what, but it made me want to either punch him or leave the room.

He raised up a hand to calm me. "I understand your frustration. And your impatience, to a point. But do you really believe I could lie to you?" Hades looked wounded, but there was something behind the expression that made me think he was smiling inside. "I'm a man of my word. The final match will definitely show you how to defeat the darkness inside of you—not that I think it's a good idea, but you'll know how."

I mostly ignored his last comment. "Fine. But I expect you to explain once I've won."

The man's grin didn't seem strained or forced, but his next words had a slight tone of annoyance, slight enough that I couldn't be sure if I was imagining it or not. "I won't need to explain anything to you, believe me. This is the big one, the most-anticipated part of the Games, and if you survive it, you'll come out much wiser than you walked in. Everybody agrees."

"'If I survive it'?" I repeated. "What makes you think I won't win?"

Hades only smiled wider at me, his sharp, gray teeth unnerving. "You sure you're ready for this, pal?"

A scowl threatened to make its way to my lips again, but I tried to cover my irritation. "Yeah."


...

Hades watched Terra stalk out of the Vestibule, barely trying to keep his irritation under wraps. Once Terra was out of sight, however, he let go of any restraint.

"Okay…" he began with a long exhale, frustration flaring. "This is not what I had in mind." Terra wasn't supposed to be hesitant. He was supposed to bend to Hades' will and slowly submit to the slight meddling of Hades' magic. But somehow the boy's resistance had only become stronger as Hades' influence increased. How was he supposed to control a kid with a will like that? His plan was worthless, now.

But Hades' anger started to die down though, after a moment, and he placed a hand to his chin in thought. "But hey, I can improvise. Time for plan beta…" Well, more accurately, it was time to figure out what plan beta was, because his plan was useless without the aid of a hero, who happened to be in short supply around there. Terra really had been the best candidate for the job. Hades had checked out all the idiots in the West roster, and they wouldn't come even close to what he needed. Think of how fast Terra had defeated them! Not a single one of them would stand a chance against a god. Who else would be strong enough, but still have the untamed darkness within them that Hades could manipulate?

His train of thought was interrupted as, behind him, a voice cleared the way for its speaker. "Pardon me, comin' through. I'm gonna miss my match."

Hades turned, stepping away from the center of the room, and found himself facing the youth who must be the other finalist, the guy who had won the East Games. Terra's opponent wasn't the tallest of men, or the brawniest, but Hades could tell he wasn't a shrimp either. Spiky black hair stuck out obstinately from underneath a gleaming silver helmet, and matching shoulder guards sat atop fairly muscled arms. But even more important than the steady gait of a fighter, or the broadsword strapped to his back, was the inner strength and magic bleeding from the youth, and deep underneath that, a vein of darkness, one which seethed and gnawed at the rudimentary cage that had been inexpertly restraining it.

Hello, plan beta! A grin found its way back to Hades' face, eliminating the previous frustration.

"Hey, kid!" Hades stopped him just before he entered the hallway.

The youth turned, confused, and Hades' satisfaction grew. Easily put off guard. Perfect. "Over here—c'mere. Got some time for a last-minute tip or two? I'm rather experienced in these kinds of things."

...


A/N: Yeah, this one's long too. Sorry.

And again, this one is COMPLETELY UNEDITED by anyone other than myself. So I know there are a lot of errors. Believe me, I know. And I would really appreciate it if you would point them out to me whenever you notice them, so I can fix it, since I'm oblivious half the time.

As soon as my beta and I can get caught up, I will definitely be posting the edited version of this, but until then, you'll have to read this bad version. Sorry again.
In other news, we finished chapter 6! minor edits are posted! We are still working on chapter 7, and haven't even started chapter 8 (I'm impatient and really hate being inactive. sorry. I really do want to wait until its edited to post it, but... I just can't stop. And I promised it'd be posted around now.

Have I mentioned that I love KH villians? Because I love KH villains. Seriously. I noticed it last chapter with Braig, who I adore, and then now with Hades! They are so much fun to write. I promise I'm not totally evil.

(hey, shameless self-promotion here, but I may be posting an unrelated KH one-shot soon! no idea when, but when it's up I'd love if you'd read it. Okay, I'm done self-promoting.)

So, like every other chapter, I don't own the story. What I DO own is Theo. I claim proud responsibility of that gambler kid. anyone can totally take him, I just threw him in there so that there'd be somebody to explain this stuff.

NEXT CHAPTER is like maybe 1/3 done, so it could be a couple months before i'm finished, sorry! I think, at the latest, hopefully April. It would be great to be done before then but no promises.

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Wow, the response to the last chapter was great! Thanks for all the views, guys!

Thank you so much to TerraxAqua and miano53 for their reviews! I appreciate it so much!

Thank you Axormin, for favoriting and following!

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