CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

My heart slowly made its descent into my stomach with each step taken inside this trap of inevitable doom. As Ventus and I stepped out into the great and spacious plain on the other side of the canyon, I nearly vomited out of horror. Hundreds, thousands, of lifeless Keyblades laid embedded in the ground- a graveyard dedicated to the legendary war that took place thousands of years ago. My insides trembled at the sight of the rusted weapons. How many people died here because of the dark greed that consumed their hearts?

"Come on." Ventus said, placing his hand on the small of my back and guiding me forward.

We walked down the long aisle. I couldn't take my eyes off the Keyblades while I thought of the future that laid ahead of this. Would Xehanort's Keyblade be found in this place after the battle? Would my friends' Keyblades be found here? Oh, please, don't let that happen.

Aqua and Terra stood in the distance, at the intersection where our three paths met together. They both turned to us, mostly zeroing in on Ventus. He brought his hand back to his side and bowed his head.

"Xehanort wants me and Vanitas to fight, and make some kind of 'χ-blade'." he said. "But the Master said we can't let that happen... and he tried to destroy us for it."

"χ-blade?" Aqua said.

"I still don't know exactly what it is. But... it scares me to death. Even just the thought of it." Ventus said, laying his hand over his heart.

"Relax, Ven. We're here and we're going to take care of you." Terra said as the two grown-ups stepped up to us.

"I may have to fight Vanitas after all. If I do, guys... I want you to-"

Terra laid a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "The four of us can never be torn apart, all right? I'll always find a way."

"Will you...?" I said quietly, avoiding my friends' eyes. "Do you really think you have what it takes to face off against Xehanort?"

"What do you mean, Hallie?" Aqua said. "This journey has made each of us stronger. If we work together, we can-"

"No." I looked up at all of them, my face hardening to stone. "You can't. You want to know why you can't? Because Xehanort is a devious tactician who is capable of planning years into the future. Because where I come from, this has already happened, and you have all been doomed to the fates that he waits to toss you into!"

"Hallie..." Ventus said.

I ignored him. The rage that had been building up inside of me couldn't stay contained any longer. "Because, where I come from, this so-called 'Master' is called by many names, but do you know what I know him as? Hmm?! I know him as my grandfather!"

The air grew as intense as death. Terra, Aqua, and Ventus all stared at me with eyes filled with petrified horror. I gasped slightly and stepped back.

"Hallie... That can't be true..." Ventus said, shaking his head slowly.

I clenched my fists and bowed my head. "I wish it wasn't, but it is. I was born from the madman who threatens to destroy everything. In this time, this me doesn't exist. One day, twelve years in the future, I was sucked into a strange portal of light, and destiny spat me out in the Land of Departure, where I met you guys. Where I was doomed to witness the travesty that would happen."

I waited for the rage. I waited for them to turn their Keyblades on me. But, instead, what I felt were arms surrounding me.

"That was you. The little girl we saw at Radiant Garden." Aqua said, tightening her hold around me. I nodded.

"Your past doesn't define who you are. Who you've become is something far greater than Xehanort could accomplish. Your light is strong." Terra said. "Maybe Xehanort will cause things to happen to us. That's not going to stop me from trying."

"Me neither!" Ventus said.

"Me too." Aqua said.

Terra and Ventus joined in the hug, and feeling their arms around me brought tears to my eyes. I sighed in relief and wrapped my arms around them.

"Thank you... for letting me be part of your story." I said.

We pulled away and smiled at each other. Suddenly, the wind began to pick up, throwing dirt and pebbles in our direction. We turned and saw Xehanort slowly stepping towards us. There was a flash of light, and Vanitas walked alongside him with Void Gear in his hand. Xehanort scanned each of us until his eyes landed on me. I gulped. My friends stepped in front of me and collectively glared at Xehanort.

"Behold... These lifeless keys used to be full of power- united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat as a great Keyblade War raged. Countless Keyblade wielders gave up their lives, all in search of one ultimate key. And it will soon belong to me... χ-blade!" Xehanort raised his hand and dramatically pointed his finger, landing on Ventus. His finger moved to me. "We have a special guest here. My beloved granddaughter, Hallie, who managed to go against the flow of destiny and launch herself into the past. We can only thank Kingdom Hearts for being responsible in bringing her back to witness the tremendous events that will take place on this day. A light stronger than any ever created in the history of time. A direct connection to countless lives... leading back to Kingdom Hearts itself!"

I gulped. Yen Sid mentioned that I was connected to Kingdom Hearts, and now I know Xehanort knew about it, too. Could this be one of the reasons he wanted so badly to turn me into a vessel of darkness? If he seized power of me, would be able to seize power of Kingdom Hearts?

"But her light will be the first of many who will fall into my darkness." A wicked grin grew on his face. "It has been growing in your heart, pulsing through your veins, slowly overwhelming you... until your heart finally collapses and belongs to me, as my vessel of darkness!"

"NO!" my friends cried.

My friends and I touched the orbs resting in the center of our armor. There was a flash of light, and when it subsided, we all wore our Keyblade Armor, our Keyblades in hand. Ventus took a step forward, but Terra grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. He charged towards Xehanort and Vanitas. As he jumped in the air to attack, Xehanort waved his hand, and a giant plateau of earth surged up, causing Terra to stumble onto it. Xehanort and Vanitas shot up into the air on another platform. Vanitas jumped down and summoned dark lightning that absorbed into Terra's armor, leaving him temporarily paralyzed. Vanitas landed on the ground in front of Terra, and Aqua and Ventus charged after him. Terra cast his eyes up at Xehanort and charged towards him.

Xehanort waved his hand in the air and the ground began to rumble. A thick layer of clouds rolled in so quickly, it took me a moment to realize the sunshine had disappeared.

"Hallie! Run!" Aqua cried.

I snapped out of watching this horror movie and remembered that I was a main character in it. I took off running. Where I once stood, a tunnel of swirling Keyblades shot out and chased after me. I glanced back and gasped as Vanitas jumped onto the Keyblade tunnel and rode it like a surfboard towards me. When the Keyblades were close enough, I jumped in the air and slashed my Keyblade at Vanitas. He blocked it and shoved his foot into my stomach. I fell back and landed on the ground. New adrenaline rushed through my body, and I scrambled back to my feet. Hitting my head against the ground caused my helmet to crack clean off. Ventus and Aqua were pitted against Vanitas, and the tunnel of Keyblades chased after Terra. They were all being tragically beaten up. The tunnel of Keyblades knocked Terra over the edge and he tumbled down the rocky cliffside. Using Ends of the Earth, he dug the teeth of the Keyblade into the earth to slow his falling, but his Keyblade snagged a piece of weak earth that broke away and fell to the ground with Terra underneath. Aqua watched the same thing from some ways away when the tunnel of Keyblades shot out from underneath her, rocketing her into the air. The Keyblades smacked into Terra and carried him through the air inside the vicious and painful tunnel that sliced at him.

"Terra!" I cried. I thrust my Keyblade towards him, and a beam of light traveled to him. Another light met with mine, creating a bigger light; I assumed it was from Aqua. The light exploded, creating a Barrier around him that stopped the Keyblades. The Barrier exploded, and Terra tumbled to the ground, landing on the platform Xehanort stood on. I ran to Aqua, who created a giant crater from the impact of her fall. "Aqua, are you okay?"

Aqua used Stormfall to hoist herself up. Her helmet had broken away from the fall, leaving only a piece at the nape of her neck. "Yes..." she panted. She cast her eyes up and gasped. "Ven!"

My eyes flew up to where she looked, and many things happened before my eyes. I saw Terra falling to the ground as another Keyblade tunnel sliced at him. I saw Xehanort and Vanitas standing at the edge of the platform, observing us from up above. I watched Ventus as he flailed in the air, Xehanort's hand tightly gripping his helmet. He paused to look down at us, silently pleading for help, when dark ice spread over his body in the blink of an eye, freezing him. Xehanort released him, and Ventus began to freefall to the ground.

"Ventus!" Aqua and I cried.

We sprinted across the rocky plain and watched as Ventus tumbled down the cliffside and to the ground. As he was nanoseconds from smashing to the ground, Aqua lunged and caught him. They skidded across the ground. Aqua sat up and held the frozen Ventus in her arms. His helmet had been destroyed from the fall, revealing his face. His hair, skin, and body were covered with magical ice.

"Ven, are you okay?!" Aqua said.

Because of the magical ice, Ventus couldn't utter any words. He could only groan and shift his ocean blue eyes between me and Aqua.

"Ventus..." I whimpered, cupping his cheek in my hand.

An intense blue light slowly spread over us and showered the land. I cast my eyes up and gasped. The clouds separated, revealing a tremendous, light blue, heart-shaped figure in the sky.

Kingdom Hearts.

I never thought I would ever see the thing with my own eyes. I had only heard stories about it when I was young from my grandfather, imagining the great being with the details provided in his words. I heard its name through the lips of many villains, those who sought to capture it and use its power for their own selfish desires.

Here it was. I felt as if my entire body had grown numb. I wasn't so much paralyzed with fear, but more so with awe. I could feel its power running through me. I finally tore my eyes away from Kingdom Hearts and looked to Xehanort, who gazed up at the object in the sky with a wide grin. He had done it. He had summoned Kingdom Hearts.

"What... is... that?" Aqua said, stricken with shock.

I gulped. "Kingdom Hearts..." I whispered.

"How 'bout you leave the popsicle with me, so you can go have your little fight with Terra." a familiar, scruffy voice said that shot my nerve level up higher than it already was. I looked up and gasped as Braig, the Somebody of Xigbar, stood a few feet away from us. He was Xehanort's accomplice, second to Vanitas. He wore the guard uniform Aeleus and Dilan wore in Radiant Garden. His hair was completely black and much shorter, slicked back and cut to the nape of his neck. He had the jagged scar on his left cheek and the black eyepatch on his right eye. His left eye was yellow, the symbol of someone who accepted Xehanort's heart and became one of the Seekers of Darkness. "You can't be too happy about him deep-sixing your Master."

Braig glanced up at Kingdom Hearts before looking back at us and chuckling.

"Who are you?" Aqua said.

Braig only smiled, shifting his yellow eyes momentarily at me. I glared at him in disgust.

"You think you all have some grand role to play." Braig said. "As if. You're only here so that when I finish you off, Terra will succumb to the darkness. So... who wants to go first?"

Ventus, seething with rage, trembled in anger in Aqua's arms. "Shut up!" he cried.

"Oohhh, so this kiddo thinks he's a full-fledged Keyblade wielder? He's got the angry look down."

And just like that, many vague comments said by him suddenly made so much sense to me.

"Go ahead if you want to waste your time. Keep trying to drive us apart with your mind games. It'll never work!" Aqua said. She gave Ventus to me and stood up, summoning Stormfall to her side. Ventus struggled to move underneath Xehanort's magical ice. "Terra will prove he's stronger!"

Aqua charged at Braig.

"Aqua!" Ventus called to her, but she ignored him.

I heard a faint warping in the distance, and I followed my eyes to the sound. I watched Terra as he flew up in the air on his glider towards the platform of land Xehanort and Vanitas stood on. Memories of Roxas showing me the events of this place came back to me, and I widened my eyes.

"No..." I whispered breathlessly as I watched Terra disappear over cliffside. This was it; the last time I would see him as his normal self. This would be when Xehanort forced his heart into his body and possessed him. A tear slid down my cheek. "Terra..."

I finally brought my attention to Ventus, who continued to struggle to break free of Xehanort's magic.

"Ventus... It's okay." I said.

Ventus looked to me. The scowl he wore faded, showing the fear he had underneath.

"What did Xehanort mean with you being connected to Kingdom Hearts?" he said.

I shook my head. "I don't know entirely... but Yen Sid said the same thing before. First starting out, I wouldn't have understood what they meant, but my adventures have given me the strength and wisdom to know the truth." I lifted my head up and gazed at Kingdom Hearts. "I can feel its power running through me. Kingdom Hearts... I'm starting to understand now. I remember all those times when people with bad intentions mentioned its name, wishing and wanting to seize the power it holds and use it for their own purposes. I used to get so mad, usually to the point of charging head-on to teach them a lesson. Maybe... it was because I was defending it. Because... that power belongs to me..."

Ventus gazed at me the same way I did at Kingdom Hearts: awestruck. His ocean blue eyes searched my face. Nearby, the clanging of Aqua's Keyblade ceased, and Braig stumbled back, panting hard.

"I keep forgetting: don't mess with Keyblade wielders. But you know what? That just means I made the right choice! He wanted me to stall, and I'd say he got it." Braig said. Aqua charged at him. Braig shifted his eye to me. "Catch'ya later, Hallie! Looks like we've got a serious future coming our way. Can't wait to see you again."

I growled and watched as Braig turned around and ran away. Aqua stopped and sighed. Remembering the boy frozen in my arms, she whirled around. "Ven! Hallie!"

"It's okay!" I called.

Ventus continued to struggle. His ocean blue eyes found something in the distance and he gasped. "Aqua, look out!"

I followed Ventus's eyes, and I gasped as I saw Vanitas falling through the air towards Aqua. He somersaulted and brought his Keyblade back, ready to strike.

"Aqua!" I cried, accidentally dropping Ventus as I scrambled to my feet. I sprinted towards her, reaching out to her. Time seemed to slow down as Aqua turned around and looked up. I watched as Vanitas slashed his Keyblade down. A shocked gasp escaped Aqua's lips as she fell to ground. Stormfall fell out of her hand and clattered against the ground, shortly following Aqua. I cried out in shock and stopped in my steps. Vanitas held Void Gear in both his hands and hovered the tip of the teeth over Aqua's chest. "NO!"

I lunged at Vanitas and body slammed him. Catching him off guard, he tumbled to the ground. Void Gear slipped from his hand and spiraled in the air. I leaped into the air and grabbed the handle of the Keyblade. As I flipped into a backhand spring, I scooped Stormfall from the ground. As Vanitas climbed back to his feet, I pointed Stormfall and Void Gear at him, mustering up the nastiest scowl I could create. As we stared at each other, I quietly brought my breath back to its regular rhythm.

Vanitas scoffed. "You can't defeat me."

"You're the one with two Keyblades pointed at your chest. I think I'm at a pretty fair advantage." I said.

Vanitas chuckled. "Are you?"

My body was overwhelmed with searing pain. My right arm felt like it was on fire. I dropped to my knees, letting go of the Keyblades in my hands to clutch my burning arm. I sucked in a breath, which came out as a bloodcurdling scream.

"Hallie!" I heard Ventus shout behind me.

Red spots dancing in front of my eyes. Blood pounded in my ears. I tried to calm myself with deep breaths, but they were all released in painful shrieks. I ripped off the armor piece covering my right arm and gasped audibly. The cords around my arm pulsed deeply with darkness. It had seeped into my skin, causing it to darken. My screams lessened to agonizing groans. My heart felt as if someone filled it with rocks and lit them on fire.

"Your greatest mystery throughout your entire journey. Your grandfather filled me in on the details. Ever since you woke up in the Realm of Darkness, those cords had been wrapped around your arm. You wondered about their origin and what they meant." Vanitas said.

"Yeah, you gave them to me, twelve years from now!" I said. I dug my nails into my arm to try and distract the pain, but to no avail.

"True. They were a special present from Xehanort." Vanitas slowed walked towards me. "He knew you were a threat to his plan, so he either wants you as one of his servants or left for dead. Since destiny steps in and intervenes every time, he knew he had to take more subtle measures. He cursed those cords and sent me to make sure they reached you. Very slowly, the darkness pumped into your heart, to the point where that precious spell your friend cast on you couldn't handle it. Soon, that darkness will overwhelm you and your heart. You will be the perfect vessel for Xehanort."

"All this time, darkness has been poisoning me..." I said, staring at the brown cords. I clenched my fist and looked up at Vanitas. "But not anymore!"

I dug my fingers into the cords, hooking underneath them. More pain burned in my arm, similar to my first journey when Sora accidentally grabbed my cords. But I kept pushing it. The red spots gradually spread over my vision, and I screamed in pain as I tugged at the cords with all my might.

There was a snap, and my arm burned one final time, as if I stuck it into a bonfire. After a few seconds, the pain ceased. My heart lightened. I sighed deeply and fell back on my butt. I looked down at my arm and stared at the deep, cord-shaped scars stretching from my wrist to just below my elbow; Xehanort's final imprint on me. I ran my fingers gently across my arm and cringed, for the skin was very warm and tender.

I looked up and watched Vanitas walk towards me. Void Gear returned to his side.

"I guess it was only a matter of time before even that failed." Vanitas said. He lifted his Keyblade. "But why wait twelve years, when I can destroy you right now!"

Vanitas slammed his Keyblade down, and I quickly rolled out of the way. I scrambled to my feet and summoned my Keyblade. I winced from my aching arm.

"NOOOOO!" a voice cried. I turned and watched Ventus climb to his feet, Wayward Wind in his hand. He had broken free from Xehanort's magic. Looking at him, I wondered if it was because of the boiling hot rage he openly expressed. "Leave her alone! It's me you want!"

"Ventus, no!" I said, widening my eyes at him. We both knew what would happen if he fought Vanitas.

"What other choice do I have?!" Ventus said.

"Now, that's more like it." Vanitas said as the two boys struck their battle stance.

Ventus started off with his Shotlock, shooting thin bolts of light at Vanitas, followed by a series of quick and powerful strikes. Vanitas summoned dark lightning. It smacked into Ventus's chest, and he flew back. He climbed to his feet and casted Cure on himself. Vanitas charged at him and slammed his Keyblade down, but Ventus brought his weapon up and blocked it. He shoved him back. Ventus crouched down in his battle stance as a circle of light gathered around him, with smaller circles lining the giant circle.

"Light!" Ventus cried, and the circles exploded with light. I winced and shielded my eyes from the light.

Vanitas knelt on one knee. His body glowed with darkness. He slowly stood up and dispelled Void Gear.

"You've done it, Ventus." Slowly, Vanitas's helmet melted away, and I swallowed hard. I gazed at his spiky black hair and yellow Xehanort eyes. He had Sora's face. The sight of it, like innocence that had become corrupted, made me feel sick. "Now that my body is about to perish... you and I will have to join together! The χ-blade will be forged!"

Darkness emitted from his body and into the ground, creating a circle of darkness around Ventus. Floods shot out from the ground and wrapped around Ventus, trapping him in his spot. I gasped.

"The Unversed... come from you?!" Ventus said.

Vanitas chuckled. In the darkness pulsing from him, Unversed of all different kinds appeared around him. "It happened when you and I were split into two. The negativity took shape as these monsters. They are what I feel- a horde of fledgling emotions under my control. I released them in all the worlds I could, hoping to lure you away from home and isolate you from your Master. We needed to make you stronger. The Unversed were the perfect opponents. And better yet, no matter how many times you defeat them, their negativity flows right back into me." Vanitas now stood in front of Ventus, looking down at him with a smirk as he struggled to break free from the Floods latched onto him. The Unversed had streamed back into him. "You never stood a chance against us, Ventus!"

Vanitas took one more step towards Ventus, and a powerful light exploded, covering them. Ventus's screams filled my ears.

"Ventus!" I cried. I charged towards the light, but the impacting force swept me off my feet and flung me off the platform, right next to Aqua's unconscious body. I looked up and watched as the light exploded into a thick beam of power that shot up into the air. "NO!"