They were getting nowhere. There was no way of telling if they were really moving, and they spent quite a bit of time not even trying to move. It was the duck. Terra didn't know how anyone could stand Donald. He was annoying, he was fussy, he was absolutely useless- so how was he considered to be so darn important? Just being near him made Terra wonder if he wasn't going to fall to darkness again simply so he could put the duck out of their misery.

It was ironic that Riku's somewhat twisted sense of humor- which normally did not sit well with Terra- was the one thing keeping him sort of calm. It was hard to stay angry at Donald when Riku was finding ways to turn him into one big joke.

But still, their lack of progress grated on Terra. If they weren't stopping because Donald was tired, then Riku was insisting they stop because he thought he'd heard Sora, or there was yet another issue with the wayfinder.

The wayfinder. Why was it letting him down now of all times? Was it because of the other two? Had they thought of different people after all? Why else would the wayfinder be sending them this way and that, as if it couldn't make up its mind whether to send them here or there. If the wayfinder weren't so precious to him, he'd throw it.

"Hey, check this out?" Riku yelled, bringing them to yet another stop. Terra sighed. What now?

Riku was staring at something. Terra and Donald gathered on either side of him. At first Terra didn't see anything noteworthy. Just more of that same gray that had been surrounding them for however long it had been since they got here. Finally, he realized that there was a small area of gray that was a little lighter than the rest. In fact, if he looked carefully, it was a small light; a heart that was ever so faintly shining.

As they watched, the heart zipped off, and he felt the pull of the wayfinder drawing him in the direction the heart had gone.

"After it!" he yelled. He only just heard his voice over similar yells from Donald and Riku. Even without the wayfinder, they were going to follow the heart because it was the first new thing in this grayness that they had come across.

The three of them pelted off in the direction of the heart. Surprisingly, Donald was sort of keeping up, and he wasn't complaining either. They were so intent on chasing after the heart that they almost ran over the figure crouched in their path.

"Hey, kill the motor guys. Yeesh." The figure who rose to his feet in front of them was a man with graying hair pulled back in a ponytail, a scarred face, and an eyepatch. He wore the black cloak that had once signified a member of Organization XIII, and later came to signify the darknesses. However, he had added a personal touch to his outfit with a red bandana around his neck. Somehow, Terra didn't think the look was about to become a trend.

"Braig," Terra said. His brows drew together into a glare. He had first met Braig in Radiant Garden, before the man had become one of the darknesses, and even then Braig had not been a pleasant person.

"Yo, Terra old man. Eraqus wanted me to tell you guys something."

"Which was?"

"Y'know, being face to face with you and all, I'd rather not say."

"Braig, tell us now!" Donald demanded, stalk-waddling closer.

"Oo, scary! Shame Lea isn't here. I find myself having a hankering for some roast duck."

Terra held out a hand to stop Donald from going any further, and prayed the duck would have the sense not to cast any spells. He didn't. Braig sidestepped Donald's firaga spell.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I never intended to pass on Eraqus's message, since I certainly wouldn't do it after that. You've got to think about the consequences of things. Someone comes to you with a message. You try and use magic against him. He doesn't give you the message. Who is surprised? No one! I don't know how you guys were ever a threat to us when you're all such idiots."

"If you weren't going to give us the message, then why did you come?" Riku asked.

"Well, let me think. Oh yeah. To kill you. Just because I'm no longer Xehanort doesn't mean I approve of you lot getting in the way of his plans."

Braig pulled out his crossbow guns, but Terra was already knocking Donald and Riku aside. Riku rolled and recovered, and attacked. Terra did too, but had to pull back almost immediately to avoid a poorly aimed spell of Donald's.

For all that he was older than them, Braig was quite agile. He nimbly dodged their attacks and countered with shots of his own. They were able to counter some of his projectiles, but with little success. Terra wasn't sure they could win like this. Even with Eraqus's help, he'd still gotten injured the last time he and Braig fought. Riku was good, but he wasn't Eraqus, and Donald was just as liable to hit them with some friendly fire as he was likely to make a successful attack on Braig. He hoped the duck ran out of magic soon.

"Need some help?" A voice asked by Terra's ear. He leapt back so that he could search for the speaker at a safe distance from the fighting. He didn't see anyone, but that made him no less nervous, because that voice was not unfamiliar.

A keyblade sprouted from Braig's chest.

"Sorry old man, but I'm siding with them," the newcomer said. The keyblade vanished, and Braig fell forward, revealing a boy with dark hair and yellow eyes and strange armor.

"That armor," Riku said, his voice hoarse.

"Riku get back," Terra ordered, raising his keyblade. Vanitas may have killed their attacker, but there was no way Terra was falling for any of his tricks.