It took almost all the energy Terra could muster to trudge from room to room, and when he reached his destination, he curled up on the bed within and simply laid there as he stared at the wall, his mind feeling dull. Everything wrestling within him all added up to one thing: He was tired. He'd been tired for days, and yet he couldn't sleep- not because Eraqus had him out hunting, but because his heart jumped at every sound, every gust of wind outside, every creak of the walls and floors. And when he could finally close his eyes, his dreams only served to refresh the anguish and grief that strangled his chest. Even he woke up to find himself shedding silent tears.

This time, he'd managed to make his way to Aqua's room and sat down inside, the dust tickling his nose. He looked at the broken mirror on her desk where he'd left it months before, still wondering how it had broken in the first place and tried to ignore that a sliver of his blood still remained dried on it. His eyes scanned over everything again and again, looking for some sign or other of a disturbance, or anything, that explained why she had disappeared. But neither her room nor Ventus's yielded anything- not that scan, not any other. They had vanished, and he had no idea why or how.

He forced his mind to clear, even if only slightly, as he tried to turn over the facts in his head. They had both disappeared after confronting that black-haired demon called Vanitas, who in turn was obviously working either for or with Xehanort. Vanitas himself rather obviously wanted Ventus dead for one reason or another, or simply didn't care if he lived or not. But at the same time, he didn't seem like he cared enough to actually come after Ventus just to finish the job- unless it was about his pride, which he was overflowing with. Perhaps that was it: He had no intention of letting his prey escape, or at least not permanently. But would he really come to the hallowed grounds of the Land of Departure, the home of one of the greatest hunters in their hidden history and his apprentices?

Terra sighed heavily and braced his forehead against his interlocked fingers, fidgeting his leg as he tried to fight back another wave of grief. Eraqus had only one apprentice now. He was the only one left, and he had no idea why or how. Nothing of Aqua had turned up since she had disappeared, and he had a sick feeling that the same would be true for Ventus. The brown-haired youth frowned as he pondered the boy, shifting his chin to his hands as he stared at the air in front of him.

He and Eraqus had traded off shifts keeping the peace in the castle so Ventus could rest without fear. It was a duty they'd all shared when one of them ended up with a bite on their body. While the victim rested, the others and Eraqus would take turns holding a vigil in the throne room to assure nothing disturbed him- or her, in Aqua's case. Much as he loathed admitting it, even Terra had been bitten once or twice, and Eraqus once told him that he'd had to draw out the poison in his body to assure his survival. He didn't remember the event, likely because he'd fallen unconscious. But he'd become much more wary and fought more defensively than he had before, hoping to assure it wouldn't happen again. It couldn't happen again, now that he was all that was left.

His thoughts returned to Ventus. How had the boy just up and disappeared? Neither Terra nor Eraqus had seen or sensed any unwanted visitors, and he had been too weak to go anywhere on his own... wasn't he? And even if he wasn't, he wouldn't have left without letting them know. He was too smart to go after Vanitas on his own, especially so soon after he'd been nearly killed.

Terra's lips pressed into a thin line as he thought about when he had last seen Ventus. He'd been babbling incoherently when he wasn't silent as stone as his body worked to replace the blood he'd lost, and even after he'd rested for a while, he still couldn't say much to them other than promising he would be okay and hoping that he wasn't being a burden on them. Both Eraqus and Terra had assured him with soft and warm smiles that he wasn't by any means, and that seemed to satisfy him. But before that, and even after when Terra crept into his room to assure he was sleeping peacefully, he mumbled Aqua's name every now and again.

The apprentice's gaze fixed itself on the wall and his shoulders tightened. Was that it? Had Ventus, in some delirious state, somehow left in search of her? He was never one to give up hope, even when both Terra and their master were ready to admit defeat. But even if he'd somehow managed to leave, he wouldn't have gotten far, and a chill in Terra's body made him tremble. In his weakened state, he would have been no match for Vanitas or Xehanort or any other blood-leeching demon that haunted the Worlds. And even if it wasn't some supernatural occurrence that got him, simple exposure and exhaustion could have been more than enough to finish him off. Unless he had somehow found shelter somewhere, there was a disturbingly large chance that he was dead for one reason or another.

"Ven..." Terra mumbled as he fell back against Aqua's bed with a bit of a flop, covering his face with his hands and letting out a shaky sigh against them. "You wouldn't do that... would you?" He removed his hands and stared at the ceiling. "Where are you?" he pleaded, but he received no answer from the blank whiteness above him. Again, he sighed and shut his eyes. "Wherever you went... please tell me you found her." All the hope he could muster in his heart came from the thought that, wherever he was, Aqua was there too, so at least he could be reunited with her. And if something had happened to them, if their lives had been cut short, he prayed they were watching over him and would lend him their strength.

He opened his eyes and sat up at the sound of footsteps, and he looked up as Eraqus came to stand next to him. He extended his hand and rested it on his apprentice's shoulder, and said nothing for a while.

"Do you think he's alive?" Terra finally asked him, and his sorrowful expression answered better than his words did.

"I would like to think he is," he replied. "Both him and Aqua." He sighed and, somewhat surprisingly, sat down at Terra's side. "I have failed them. And I have failed you, Terra, for being unable to protect those closest to you." Terra shook his head.

"I should have been able to," he said glumly. "I should have kept a closer eye on Ven. I never should have let those monsters get between us."

"You did as you should have," Eraqus insisted, resting his arm gently over the youth's shoulders. "You chose to escape rather than stay and fight. It isn't your fault that he's... not here."

"But why isn't he?" Terra demanded, wringing his hands together and staring at nothing. "Where did he go? How could anyone take him?"

"I don't know," the master sighed. "But I do know this, Terra. I will do everything in my power to make sure you do not suffer the same fate." He lowered his head. "I wouldn't be able to bear losing you as well. You're all I have left, and I would rather let the demons ravage the Worlds than see harm come to you." Terra looked up weakly to meet the master's gaze.

"I won't fail you again, Master," he vowed, and Eraqus smiled weakly as he gently shook his head.

"I couldn't be more proud of you. You've done everything I could ever ask of you and more."

"But I couldn't protect Aqua and Ven," the apprentice said, his voice breaking, and Eraqus again shook his head before he pulled the boy in for a soft embrace. Terra hesitated for a heartbeat before clinging to his master and sobbing quietly into his chest as his body trembled. They remained that way for some time, not as master and apprentice but as father and son, and Eraqus stroked Terra's hair gently in an attempt to comfort the grieving boy. Once he'd composed himself again, he pulled back and met Eraqus's gaze once more.

"We are going to put an end to this," he told his apprentice firmly. "You and I will not let this continue. Together, we can strike them down. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir," Terra dipped his head, his voice shaking.

"Then we'd best begin planning. Xehanort and Vanitas will not fall easily, and we will be matched two for two- masters and apprentices. Do you think you can face Vanitas in battle on your own?"
"He won't stand a chance," Terra said. Eraqus smiled a bit and nodded.

"Good. But I want you to understand this, Terra. I ask only because it is a possibility. If we can, I want to eliminate them one at a time. We will fight together, not apart. That should be enough to bring them down." He paused in thought. "Given their habits we've observed thus far, there will be no period of weakness for us to exploit. They hunt for sport along with feeding. We will have to be prepared to face their full might."

"We'll have to find a way," the apprentice said with a soft and heavy sigh. "It's gonna be either them or us, isn't it?"
"It may very well," Eraqus agreed. "Hunters are a dying breed, unfortunately. Many do not see the truth in the legends of bloodthirsty demons that haunt the night, and if they do, it is only when undeniable evidence is placed in front of them. At that point, they are too frightened, understandably, to fight back, and those that do often find themselves easily outmatched. Even if there are other hunters out there, they may not see themselves able to challenge Xehanort or Vanitas, let alone both."

"Not to mention they're Keyblade wielders," Terra grumbled. "And they've opened themselves to Darkness. That's pretty much the worst combination we could ask for."
"Yes, it is. But we will have to defeat them. And we can, as long as we are careful."

"We should go on a night with a full moon," Terra suggested. "That way we have as much light as possible." Eraqus nodded.

"Very good. That is an excellent idea. It will also give us time to prepare and train."

"Train, sir?" Terra wondered, tilting his head to the side.

"I've taught you to fight, but not alongside me," Eraqus elaborated. "And when we utilize each others' strengths, we'll come out that much stronger." He smiled softly. "And should things go well, perhaps you will be ready to call yourself a master in your own right." Terra's eyes widened, and he smiled as well.

"I will make you proud, Master Eraqus," he replied. "Thank you."

"I am already so proud of you," the master said warmly. "You will do great things, Terra. I have faith that you will keep the Worlds for many years to come."
"I will not fail," the apprentice vowed. "Never again."