It had been several hours after Jacob had woken up, and everything seemed normal. Jacob was getting ready for some real sleep until the intercom on the wall came alive.

"Jacob, wake up. We need you in Ansem's place." Zack's voice said over the intercom. Jacob got out of bed and walked over to the intercom wearily.

"I'm sorry guys, but can't it wait till morning? I am tired." Jacob replied.

"We're sorry too, but this needs your attention as well as ours or we wouldn't bother you for a while. Please get down here as soon as possible" Jacob sighed to himself.

"What seems to be the problem, if you don't mind me asking."

"We can't discuss it over the intercom. Jacob, just get down here and avoid contact with the other guards." Jacob wasn't so tired anymore. The sheer urgency in Zack's voioce caught his attention.

"Be right there." Jacob raced back to the bed and retrieved his pants. Not even caring to put his shoes on he opened the door and looked both ways down the hallway. He didn't see anyone so he ran as fast as he could down the hallway, trying to be as quiet as absolutely possible. He was halfway out when he heard footsteps behind him. He spun around and saw four guards walking heavily his way. He tried to keep running but he saw even more had gathered at the other end, trapping him between the two lines.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Jacob asked, smiling. They didn't believe his fake smile, it felt to him like they were staring right through him.

"Our orders are to capture you." one of the guards said. Jacob's smile was wiped from his face, leaving a cold as stone mask in it's place.

"Who's orders?"

"Captain Hanks." the guard replied, still walking towards him no brandishing handcuffs. Jacob looked at them once and felt that it was fight or die.

"You guys really don't want to try to catch me. I don't play nice with the bad guys." They ignored his comment and sped up. "My final warning, I have Something I have to do for a friend, and i won't let you stop me." The guards behind him grabbed his wrists and tried pinning them behind his back. He retaliated by kicking the guard's knee sideways. Inwardly he flinched at the sound of a snapping bone, it was different fighting humans than fighting Heartless. The guards pulled their weapons and charged Jacob, meaning to take him by submission. Jacob materialized the Keyblade and deflected the first of the many blows and deftly dodged the others. Somehow fighting these guys was easier than fighting Heartless. One of the guards hit Jacob in the side with a club, but Jacob reacted differently than they thought he would.

He grabbed the club while the guard still held it and lifted him off the ground, and continued to use him as an extension of the club, beating him into walls and the other guards that charged him. Finally the guard let go and went careening into a wall to be knocked unconcious, and with less weight on it Jacob threw it at the guard just off to his right. The guard flew from the sheer force of the hit and came to a sliding halt on the ground. The one Jacob had maimed by kicking his knee out grabbed Jacob by his leg, and reflexively Jacob kicked the man again with his free leg. Jacob looked over at the others and held his Keyblade in both hands and gave them a look that put the fear of god in them.

"Let me by." It was not a request. The others fled in fear of Jacob. Had they been Heartless Jacob would have pursued them, but it didn't feel right to be even fighting them. They had left him no choice. Jacob kept his Keyblade in hand as he raced towards his destination. On the way something occured to him, that maybe the Keyblade's power was not originally intended for fighting Heartless. He would look into it later when he had more time. He exited the building and started down the cobblestone road when he distinctly heard orders coming from behind him. The man issuing them had a gruff voice, maybe by age or by years of yelling Jacob couldn't tell. But there was definately more than a note of authority in his voice. He turned his head just for a moment and saw hundreds of people closing the main gate to the castle, not to keep people from leaving no doubt, but from coming in.

It didn't take Jacob long to find his way back to Ansem's place. When he arrived he didn't bother knocking. He put his shoulder to the door and started pushing. He noticed that it was extremely heavy, but doors to Manor's usually are. He started to hears clicks and snaps as something started to break. When there was enough room he slipped inside and continued down a corridor that he heard talking from. The huge table that had been used for eating earlier, was now sprawled with maps and charts. The room was alive with activity, what looked like soldiers running around the room relaying orders and the status of something. Among the commotion was Zack, Sephiroth, and Ansem. Jacob approached Zack.

"What is going on here? Explain that to me." Jacob asked, rather flustered. Zack looked over to Jacob only momentarily and then went on talking with one of the other soldiers. "Someone here better explain things!" Sephiroth looked over to Jacob, and then motioned to one of the other's to take over what he was doing.

"It's a riot. They have the King, Queen, and their daughter." Sephiroth said. Jacob held his breath for a moment and calming down some.

"Then why did they want me?"

"Leverage. Purely leverage. If they had one of the cities Heroes along with the Royal family they knew it would make it more difficult for us to fight them. Along those lines, I'm glad you made it out." Jacob took in the positive vibes that Sephiroth radiated.

"What do they want? Who's doing this?"

"The Captain of the guard is the one that started this. He has a substantial force behind those doors. His numbers are greater than ours by at least five times. And what does he want? Power, obviously. That's why he wants us to submit to his will or he's going to release Maleficent from her prison beneath the castle." Jacob didn't know who that was.

"Who is that? Is that person dangerous?" Jacob asked. Ansem paled and like a bolt of lighting was over at Jacob's side.

"It's not WHO is that, it's WHAT is that. And yes, it is dangerous. It took everything our world could offer just to imprison her. Detroying her is impossible, no matter how many times she fell she kept coming back like a reacurring nightmare." Ansem said pale as snow.

"I get the picture. Sephiroth, what good am I going to be in this? I only know where the Throne room is and the bedroom, other than that I don't know anything."

"That's all you need to know. Before you came Zack and I were discussing a course of action." Sephiroth guided Jacob over to where he had been originally and showed him maps and layouts of what appeared to be the castle blueprints. "Zack was going to take a force and go through the main sewer line and come up from the cellar east of the Kings chamber's. All in all he's in charge of getting the Royal Family out of there. My job is to go in there and distract them with my forces, hoping to lure Captain Hanks out into the open so we can dispatch him easily."

"What's my job?" Jacob asked looking at the maps, trying to understand the layout. Zack and Sephiroth looked at eachother for a moment and then looked at Jacob.

"Actually, you're part of the main force. We didn't know of anyone else who could do it alone." Zack said. Jacob heard the word alone, and he figured that the part he was to play was probably more dangerous than they were letting on. "We need someone to go in there and attack the main body of his forces, take out there larger groups so we can actually get in there without too much worry."

"Fine." Jacob said flatly. "If that's what I have to do then it what I'm going to do." Jacob was already committing it to memory his role and mission, although he was worried. He didn't want to lose his head in the fight and make another explosion, potentially harming, if not killing his allies. "When do we start?"

"An hour from now."

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Jacob had himself outfitted with one of the soldier's uniforms and a pair of military boots issued to him. They chaffed from him not having socks but this was not a time to be worrying about comfort. Jacob waited patiently, or at least he looked like it. He was a storm inside, a storm of questions and angry thoughts. He didn't understand what happened, why this was happening now. It could've happened to any other person and any other time, but it had to happen while he was here. He was tired of this test of abilities, he just wanted rest. He thought of Kyle and his reasons for wanting to stay on Destiny Island, and suddenly it dawned on him that maybe the only Keyblade wielders that get to rest are either dead or they were forced to earn it.

"Jacob..." Zack said, taking Jacob from his thoughts. "It's almost time. I just wanted to give you something before the opperation goes forward." Zack reached into his pocket and retrieved a cellphone. "Take it, my number's in here. If you need help at all just give me a ring and I'll come get you." Jacob reached a hand out and grabbed it and nodded solemnly to Zack.

"You do the same. I'll come find you and help you out of a jam, after all I owe you right?" Jacob said. Zack laughed.

"Actually I think we're even. You helped me and the other's escape earlier and I returned the favor is all. In my book we're even." Jacob just nodded. Sephiroth walked forward and held something in front of Jacob. It was in a small box so he couldn't see it.

"After tonight I think you've earned it." Jacob took the box and opened it. Inside was some kind of Crest, but he didn't understand it's value besides being a gift. "After tonight if you wish I can have you an honorary member of Soldier, our country take great pride in it. Myself and Zack are in it, it's a rare honor." Radios all around the room came alive.

'Everyone get ready, we only have one chance at this.' Someone's voice said over the radios.

"I don't know right now about that, but what I do know is that after tonight I need to contact Chris and Sandra. We have some unfinished business."

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Jacob stood in front of the main door, trying to concentrate. The only problem was he had a song stuck in his head, the one that played the night he met Kyle and the others. He actually found himself singing slightly, even though he couldn't see why he was. He materialized his Keyblade and heard people laughing on the other side of the door, as if they thought he wasn't going to get through. There was a loud BOOM that erupted from behind him, and he felt the wind whip by as something large passed him. The projectile struck the door and blew it into hundreds of pieces, one of the larger one's flew at Jacob, who easily sliced it in half and with the song still stuck in his head charged into the castle.

The smoke started to settle letting Jacob see more clearly, and them see him easier as well. There was hundreds of them, but he found no anger in his heart, only sorrow for what he had to do. He charged them, and once he was within reach of them brought his Keyblade down hard. The first man fell to the ground, never to get up again. Something inside him broke as he realized he had taken a life, and once again he thought of Kyle. What atrocities would Jacob have to endure just to understand how Kyle felt, whatever it was he was beginning to want no part of it.

Jacob did his best to not get distracted, but as he struck more and more of them down it began to weigh on him. Fighting Heartless was his calling, not people.

'Heartless used to be people.' Jacob thought to himself. A cold rush overcame him as this thought creapt it's way into his head. What was he to do? He was the only one that COULD do anything about it. One of the soldiers threw his arms around Jacob in a tight bear-hug and lifted Jacob off the ground. He kicked at the soldiers that kept coming towards him as he angrily struggled to free himself from his captor. Flexing to the extent that he could he managed to get his feet on the lower abdomen of the soldier who had him, and kicked off him with all the force he could. The soldier that had him was unable to hold onto him, and Jacob vaulted into the air above the heads of the others. Grasping some of the power inside of himself, he landed quickly yet gracefully on the shoulders of one of the guards, and as he leapt deftly from shoulder to shoulder he slashed his Keyblade at the soldiers. He tried to ignore the looks of terror the soldiers had as he killed them handfuls at a time, and the feeling he got when he would look into the eyes of the soldier he was about to kill.

A sword came into view above the heads of the soldiers, spinning violently as it made its way to him. He dove for it instead of trying to dodge it, and grabbed it with his free hand. He ducked and rolled as he hit the ground, but he wasn't even phased by it and cleaved his way through the enemy forces with both blades. He was not as good with his offhand as he was with his good one, but he still looked like the Grim Reaper wielding the blades that brought down Judgement and execution. As he parried an attack with the normal blade, it shattered the soldier's that had attacked him. His thoughts were interupted as the ground shook from an explosion. many of the enemy forces fell from the force, even Jacob had to keep himself from falling.

'I need to hurry, there's no telling right now if they need my help or not. Better just to end it quickly.' Jacob thought to himself. Gripping harder on the Keyblade and sword he rushed the lines of enemy forces like a madman. He rammed his shoulder into the nearest soldier and knocked him out of the way, leaving a small path for him to enter their lines. He tried dodging around as many enemies as possible, trying to minimize the casualties. Someone grabbed him by the back of his uniform and threw him backwards. It had taken him by surprise so he had no time to react to it. He fell to the floor and skidded to a halt just outside their lines.

"Hey, this one's a distraction! More are coming through the Cellar!" one of the Soldiers yelled. People started filing out to meet the men coming from the Cellar.

'No choice now.' Jacob said to himself. He stood up as quickly as possible and dropped the sword, gripping the Keyblade with both hands. He concentrated on where all his enemies were and his next actions that he would have to take. What soldiers hadn't left charged him with Zealous eyes. Jacob grabbed the power within him, and braced himself. When they were no more than two feet away from him, he called for the mercy of light so that this fight may be over soon. Slashing like a frenzied Berserker with the speed that even the word Haste falls short to describe, he slew those in front of him and continued on beyond them. Although he could not see every face or every man he hit with his Keyblade as he passed by, he could feel every light blink out around him as their lives were extinguished. When he saw that he had gone through the forces completely he turned to face the others and was frightened to see few still standing, or even alive. Those that were alive stared at him horrified. Holding the Keyblade at a readied stance, he stared the few left standing in the eyes and hoped that they would not continue their advances.

"Please leave. Drop your weapons and go back out the door till you see the other soldiers. I don't have to kill you." Jacob said, meaning every word of it. Immediately the remaining soldiers dropped their weapons and ran for the door. Sighing with relief he looked around him and sized up the carnage he had done. Many men were slain, most destroyed by his might beyond recognition, and others still with fear frozen on their faces. He felt numb, but also like he was falling inside himself, as if into a pit that had no end. A pit that held the faces of the fallen and screamed with their voices. A terrible sadness gripped him as he saw many of these soldiers weren't much older than him, still merely children just like him.

He dropped the Keyblade beside him, and it crashed to the ground loudly, but to Jacob the sound were as distant as the waves on his home island. His head dropped and looked at his hands.

'Why? Why must we do this? Fighting Heartless, fighting something made of evil, is just not the same as fighting humans. Fighting flesh and blood enemies. Enemies that feel fear, that are ALIVE.' His hands began to shake with frustration. 'If this is my destiny, to slay others like myself, KIDS my age? I want NO PART OF IT!!!' It was at this moment, at the peak of his pain understand broke into his mind like a brick through a misty window. 'We fight so that no one else must. We fight for the hope of survival, we fight for peace. Some of us fight... because there is nothing else we CAN do. I understand now... Kyle.'