Night had fallen over Scala ad Caelum and most everyone on 713 was fast asleep; which was exactly what Sera was waiting for. She arose from her bed with the intention to sneak out of the castle and infiltrate Castle 666. As she hugged the walls in a vain attempt to be stealthy; she realized her build wasn't doing her any favors as she knocked over a vase with her hips by accident. She winced as the sound of shattering glass seemed to echo throughout the whole castle and she prepared for everyone and their mothers to catch her. But nobody came.
"Jeez. What do I have to do in this place to be noticed."
As if on cue, she bumps into Fide who was still in full armor; which led her to believe he either never sleeps...or he sleeps standing up in a hall somewhere to mimic a statue. Both seemed equally believable to her.
"W-what are you doing up so late, Mr. Fide?"
"I could ask the same of you. Let me guess. You're looking for a bathroom?"
"Uhh...Yes. YES! Absolutely."
"Alright. I will escort you."
Her face froze. She couldn't tell if he was just being chivalrous or he was calling her bluff.
"N-no. That won't be necessary."
"Nonsense. You are a guest in this castle and you are still learning your environment. It would be poor form to leave a lady such as yourself alone to aimlessly waffle about. Everyone in this castle is under MY watch."
"G-great."
She accepted his offer and let him escort her to a nearby bathroom as he stood guard outside.
"I….can't go if I know someone is right outside."
"...Understood."
He left his post and she waited a while before peeking out the door to see him at the far end of the hall still watching the door. Now she was convinced he was doing this on purpose. But she questioned whether he was doing this because he was suspicious of her or if Xehanort had asked him to keep an eye on her.
After a few minutes of pretending to use the bathroom, she eventually came out to him and he began taking her back to her room. He only stopped to stare at the broken vase and then look back at Sera who rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Heh. Sorry about that. It's dark and I have a wide load. Beep. Beep. Beep."
Her imitation of a semi truck going in reverse was a half-baked attempt at a joke and reflected in Fide's reaction. In that he had NO reaction. He simply stated:
"...I'll instruct one of the maids to clean it up in the morning."
They soon arrived back at her room and she opened her door before stopping halfway. She then whispered to him.
"Am I a prisoner?"
"...No. What gave you that impression?"
"I don't know. Maybe the fact that I can't go anywhere without being followed."
She intended to storm into her room and slam the door behind him. But he put his foot in the door.
"But you can go ANYWHERE."
Her frustrated expression flipped to one of surprise as she turned to look at him while he continued his counter.
"As I said: Everyone in this castle is under my watch. But that doesn't mean my protection does not extend beyond these walls."
"W-what are you saying?"
He pushed the door back open.
"Xehanort had informed me of your intention to visit one of our neighboring castles and that I should keep you from going alone. So, I shall accompany you. After all, it would be poor form to leave a lady such as yourself to aimlessly waffle about."
She couldn't see his face at all, but she liked to imagine he had a smug grin on his face right now not too unlike the one she was wearing right now.
"Sweet! But...are you dressed for stealth?"
"Not to worry. I'm not carrying as much of a 'wide load' as you."
Wait. Was that a joke? This guy was full of surprises.
Meanwhile in the future, Vanitas wanders through the Badlands of the Keyblade Graveyard and settled down on a rock to sit on. As he sat there in silence and deep in thought, he summoned all of his Unversed to him. He then tossed the Heartbinder to the Unversed out of curiosity to see what they would do with it. To his surprise...they all seemed to like it.
Vanitas couldn't understand how these beings of pure negative emotions could all share a positive experience with a single object. But wait...they represented HIS emotions. Why did he feel this way towards something so trivial as a gift.
His only gift. The first thing that someone gave to him.
"Is this...joy?"
The same feeling Ventus had when he received his Wafinder from Aqua. Something precious from someone else. The feeling of joy was alien in his own dark heart. Like a square block being shoved into a circular hole; it just DIDN'T BELONG.
"That woman. Who was she? Why did she know my face? And why do I feel...this hint of...no. NO! LOVE?!"
The word practically burned his tongue to speak it out loud. The realization of it was throwing his Unversed into a confused and chaotic mess as they started tearing each other apart like they didn't recognize each other anymore. Vanitas couldn't comprehend it. His heart was always filled of just one thing, but now he's at war with himself.
She wanted to let him stay, but didn't have the authority. There's someone above her.
"May ? have mercy on me?"
Even now, he still didn't understand the word, but it must be the being above her.
"I will have none for you."
Vanitas needed to destroy that thing above the Seraphim. This thing that prevent him from entering Kingdom Hearts...and from seeing her again.
"I'll kill you. Whoever or whatever you are; I will kill you."
Then, through a dark corridor that appear behind him; a familiar voice spoke to him.
"If you cannot best the servant...what chance do you have against the Master?"
Vanitas turns in a rage to see Noro Star walking through the ravaged remains of the self-mutilating Unversed bodies.
"You felt something, didn't you? I knew you would. I just didn't plan on you going to face her alone."
Vanitas stands up and starts leering towards Noro Star with the intent to strike him down.
"It's your fault, isn't it?! That feeling I had…it was too pure to be my own. It was too strong for Ventus either. It had to be because of my connection to Sora, right?"
Noro Star doesn't flinch as Vanitas headbutts him and locks eyes.
"...Correct. You possess something from Sora that I do not. A feeling so pure, that it could create something that would rock the very foundations of Kingdom Hearts itself. That Heartbinder she gave you is proof of the connection."
"Why? What does Sora have to do with that woman?!"
Noro Star puts a hand on Vanitas shoulder to calm him, but it only serves to aggravate him more.
"I'll tell you. But first, we need to go back to Twilight Town. There's someone I want you to meet. ...And someone I believe you owe an apology to."
Vanitas slaps Noro Star's hand away and reluctantly enters the dark corridor as Noro Star chuckles and follows behind.
Meanwhile back in the past, Sera and Fide get off the gondola after arriving on island 666 and begin looking for a way to secretly enter the castle. Fide leads her to a manhole near the town square with word 'Daybreak' written on it.
"Daybreak? What does that mean? Is this not a sewer system?"
Fide proceeded to lift the manhole cover.
"A story for another time. All you need to know is that it leads through the ruins of an older town and those ruins connect to a secret passageway into the castle."
Sera shrugs and accepts it as she gets ready to go down the ladder, but she is stopped by Fide who seems extremely cautious.
"Listen to me. Down there is different side of this world. Like the other side of a coin. It's made of the same parts and follows the same rules, but things will not look the way they should. So, I need you to promise me that no matter what you see or hear down there….DO. NOT. TOUCH. ANYTHING."
"W-Why? What will happen?"
She gets spooked like a kid during a scary campfire story as he only responds with one word.
"...Glitches."
