CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

My scream stirred Aqua. Her eyes fluttered open. "Ven!" she cried as she sat upright.

"Gosh, I hope you're okay." a familiar, high-pitched voice said. I looked and gasped when I saw Mickey standing next to us.

"Mickey, what are you doing here?!" I said.

Mickey turned to me, wearing a determined scowl. "I came because I was needed,"

I nodded slowly, and we all stood up. I looked back to the platform, where I saw Ventus standing alone on it. Relief flooded through me. Did Ventus do it? Did he defeat Vanitas?

A chill rushed through my spine as I thought back to my time. No... he couldn't have...

"Oh, thank goodness, Ven!" Aqua said. "You're safe!"

The three of us ran over to the boy. My eyes caught hold of the large weapon in his hand. Ventus stood silently, his head bowed to the ground. As my brain processed the weapon, I gasped. The weapon was larger than any Keyblade I had seen. Two Kingdom Keys crossed together in an X with the teeth facing outward, with a long blade extending out between them. Filigree shaped around the Kingdom Keys' blades.

The χ-blade. I thought, my eyes widening.

"Ven?" Aqua said, crouching down to try and meet the boy's gaze, oblivious to the powerful weapon in his hands.

Ventus lifted his head, and I cried out. The ocean blue of his irises had been chased away by sinister yellow. He chuckled and brought back the χ-blade.

"Aqua, look out!" I cried.

As Aqua stood, frozen in shock, Ventus thrust the χ-blade at her chest. Mickey and I lunged, Keyblades in hand, and blocked the attack. Aqua stumbled back, and Mickey and I stood in front of her.

"That's not Ven!" Mickey said.

Darkness covered Ventus's body, and his Keyblade armor melted away, revealing Vanitas's red and black bodysuit.

"Correct. I am not Ventus. His heart has become a part of mine now." The voice speaking to us was a combination of Ventus and Vanitas. My stomach churned and my heart trembled. Ventus-Vanitas raised the χ-blade up to the sky. "This χ-blade will open a door- one that leads to all worlds! Then, Keyblade-bearing warriors will flock here from every one of them, to battle for the light within Kingdom Hearts! And just like the legend says, the Keyblade War will begin!"

"No!" I cried. "That's enough from you!"

"Give Ven his heart back!" Aqua said.

We summoned our Keyblades- Stormfall, Ultima Weapon, and Star Seeker- and we struck our battle stances. Ventus-Vanitas's body and the χ-blade glowed. He slammed the weapon down, created columns of dark light that uprooted from the earth and came at us. We jumped out of the way. He jumped in the air and slashed the χ-blade, creating a large blue wave of power that knocked into Mickey and Aqua. Ventus-Vanitas thrust out his hand, and Unversed appeared around us. They ignored me and turned to my friends.

I knew what he was doing. He wanted to lure Mickey and Aqua away from the battle so he could confront me personally.

Well, he was going to get his wish.

"Mickey, Aqua, you guys take care of the Unversed!" I said, striking my battle stance and glaring at Ventus-Vanitas. "I'll take care of the apprentice."

Mickey and Aqua glanced at me, then at each other, before they reluctantly agreed and lured the Unversed away.

"You are powerless now. I hold in my hand the weapon capable of destroying all worlds!" Ventus-Vanitas said. "You should just give up before you attempt to 'save the day'."

I scowled and stared at the χ-blade in his hand. I remembered the first time I set my eyes on the χ-blade, during the final battle against Xemnas in The World That Never Was. As things were starting to look bad for me, Sora, and Riku, I called out to my friends for strength. As a result, my Keyblade had momentarily transformed into the χ-blade.

A thought occurred to me. If I could wield the χ-blade then...

A smile stretched across my lips as I recalled a certain day many months ago.

"Ah, the χ-blade..." I said. "A mysterious and mystical weapon, capable of unveiling immense power to the one who wields it, even granting it access to the greatest being in the universe: Kingdom Hearts. And you? Holding that very weapon in your hands? Someone please, help me! I'm so afraid!"

I pretended to quake in my armor before I laughed. Ventus-Vanitas's eyes widened, unaware of where I was going with this. His grip tightened on the χ-blade; a rookie mistake.

"There's just one teensy little problem..." I glared at the evil mutt with a foreboding expression. "The χ-blade is mine."

Ultima Weapon vanished from my side. I shot my hand out towards Ventus-Vanitas. Power flooded through my veins. The χ-blade trembled in Ventus-Vanitas's hand.

"What?!" he cried out as the χ-blade lurched, taking him with it, and he struggled to pull it back.

My hand tensed, and with a grunt, I shot out my arm further. There was a flash of light, and Ventus-Vanitas stumbled forward as the χ-blade disappeared from his hand. A river of dark light shot towards me, and as it got closer, it lightened. By the time it reached me, the light was as pure and white as a choir of angels. I closed my hand around the light, and the χ-blade appeared in my hand. My eyes widened at the sight; that actually worked. I looked up and at Ventus-Vanitas. I noticed the contour of his body glowing with darkness. Was that there before?

"Now... Don't make me say it again..." I said, striking my battle stance. "Give Ventus his heart back!"

Ventus-Vanitas scowled and summoned Void Gear. "If you can find it, buried underneath my darkness. That wuss's pathetic excuse for a heart cracked under my power. If you want it so badly, you'll have to take it by force!"

I looked down at the χ-blade. "This isn't my battle; it's Ventus's. I know he's fighting inside you. I know he will win, despite the horrible consequences that will follow. I'm here to help stop Xehanort's plan. Kingdom Hearts doesn't belong to him. It doesn't belong to anyone!"

"Correction... it belongs to you," Ventus-Vanitas said. "You hold in your hand and your heart the strongest weapons ever known to man. Kingdom Hearts' power flows through you. You are connected to it. Now that you have the χ-blade, why not do Xehanort's bidding and properly use it. Use it to begin the Keyblade War!"

"No!" I cried. "Get it through your thick skull! As long as I live, I will do whatever it takes to stop Xehanort's plans. I will protect Kingdom Hearts until the end. I am the Light's guardian, and I'll use its power to rid the worlds of darkness scum like you!"

I gripped the χ-blade in both hands. The weapon began to glow, and the ground rumbled.

"Stop!" Ventus-Vanitas cried. He charged towards me. He leaped in the air and slashed his Keyblade at me. I smirked, and with a grunt, I swung the χ-blade as hard as I could. The weapons clashed together, so powerful my arms vibrated like jelly. The χ-blade's blade cracked. "What?!"

I shoved Ventus-Vanitas back and threw the χ-blade into the air. The mythical weapon glowed as it spiraled in the air, shooting beams of light everywhere. Beams of light struck the ground, causing it to rumble.

"Hallie!" Aqua cried as she returned to my side. "What happened?!"

"I destroyed the χ-blade," I said.

"No, I mean what happened to you?!"

I stared at her, perplexed. Aqua reached out her hand and summoned Barrier, allowing me to catch a glimpse of my reflection. My stomach dropped to my feet. My hair was no longer brown, neither were my eyes amber. Both had changed to a glowing, bright blue. I turned back to Aqua and, seeing her more closely, noticed her contour glowed with light. I looked to Mickey, seeing him glowing as well. I looked up at Kingdom Hearts. The light shining from its contour looked so warm and inviting. My hair and eyes were now the same color as it.

A mark of the chosen Guardian of the Light.

A column of light crashed down beside me. I shielded my eyes from the light and turned. "Ventus!"

Vanitas's bodysuit melted from Ventus's body, revealing his Keyblade armor. His body was void of light or darkness- he looked so empty. The light pulsed over him, continually shooting beams of light. I charged forward.

"Hallie, wait!" Aqua ran after me.

I sprinted towards Ventus. The χ-blade shattered, and the brightness and power of the light expanded and intensified. The light created a force that swept me off my feet.

"Ventus!" I cried, reaching out to his unconscious body as we all spiraled in the air. Extending with all my might, I managed to snag his hand. "Aqua!"

The bluenette reached for me and grabbed my hand. As I glanced up to the sky, I saw the clouds swirling back together, covering Kingdom Hearts. I sighed deeply as the area filled with light.

We did it. We really did it.

But with it... came terrible consequences.

Consciousness gripped me. As the memories of previous events filled my mind, adrenaline pumped back into my body.

"Ven!" I cried. I leaped to my feet and I cast my eyes to the wall. My eyes passed over a window, and I caught a faint glimpse of my reflection. I was slightly relieved to see my original appearance had returned, perhaps because I was no longer within Kingdom Hearts' reach. Ventus sat against the wall, his shoulders slouched and his head bobbing peacefully. His hands rested limply in his lap. I gasped quietly as I knelt next to him. "No..."

"Hallie, you and Aqua lost consciousness. Fortunately, Mickey found you two and Ventus drifting in the Lanes Between, and brought you back to me to receive proper care," Yen Sid said as the sorcerer approached me.

I heard Aqua gasp as she regained consciousness. She sat up and shifted her eyes between the four of us.

"What about...?" she said.

"I am sorry, but there was no sign of Terra," Yen Sid said.

"I see..." Aqua knelt opposite of me on the other side of Ventus. She placed her hand on her shoulder and gently shook him. "Ven! Ventus!"

"He's not going to wake up," I whispered. Aqua turned to me, and I looked at her with tear-filled eyes. "His heart is gone. The fight with Vanitas damaged it. It left to find refuge in someone else."

Aqua gasped quietly. "When will he wake?" she said, hoping in my time it would or would have happened.

I shook my head and looked at Ventus. "I don't know... Even in my time, Ventus sleeps."

"It may very well be that he may sleep for all eternity," Yen Sid said.

I clutched my Wayfinder. Please, don't let that be.

"No..." Aqua said. She turned to Yen Sid with a determined scowl. "I'll keep him safe until he wakes. Forever if I have to."

"I will tell you what your friend needs right now. It is not your protection. He needs you to believe," Yen Sid said. He made his way back to his seat. "You see, Ventus's heart hangs in the balance. It sleeps in the place between light and darkness. From all I can perceive, that means he will be looking for a friend- one who believes in him, to show him the way home. Just as long as you love him... then Ventus will be able to find you when he wakes. He can follow that love back to where he belongs- the realm of light."

"Don't you worry, guys. I believe in Ven, too," Mickey said. "Gosh, he's been as good a friend to me as anybody. And if all of us believe in him with all our hearts... then he'll have three lights to follow instead of one."

"Four lights," Aqua said, and Mickey looked at him with a puzzled look. "Terra."

"But... Terra's gone. Maybe for good," Mickey said.

"No... that's not true," I said. "When I return home, it'll be time for me and my friends to prepare to fight Xehanort again. We're going to save Ventus and Terra. We're going to save you, Aqua."

"Me?" Aqua said. She gulped. "What's going to happen to me?"

I looked away. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

Aqua nodded. She pulled out her blue Wayfinder and cupped her hands over it.

"I think... I know how to find Terra," she said. She turned to Ventus. "But first... we need to find someplace for Ventus to sleep."

I nodded, knowing he and I already had a place in mind. Aqua lifted the boy onto her back and walked towards the door.

"Master Yen Sid... Mickey... Thank you," I said.

"Gosh, I guess I'll be seein' ya real soon!" Mickey said. "Twelve years, in fact."

I smiled and nodded. A dreadful thought came to me. I touched the scars lining my forearm and grimaced.

When darkness consumed Radiant Garden, Xehanort used his power to lock away my memories and those from my childhood. When Vanitas bestowed those cursed cords to me, Roxas told me that the darkness caused all memories of me to be wiped clean from the people who ever met me. A chill rushed down my spine. Would this affect them all still? Would this entire adventure, all my memories with Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Master Yen Sid, and Mickey vanish when I returned home? Would they all forget about me?

I pinched my arm, forcing myself to banish the thoughts. No. I knew it wouldn't be so. I knew Xehanort's darkness couldn't touch most of the hearts. As I thought back to my first journey, I remembered those who remembered me, despite the dark events that followed: Aqua, Terra, Mickey, and Yen Sid. This adventure would live in all my friends' hearts forever. Not even the deepest darkness could touch our memories.

Comfort filled me, and my smile returned.

"Goodbye... for now," I said, nodding to the wise sorcerer and mouse king.

Aqua and I left the tower. As Aqua shifted Ventus's sleeping body draped over her back, she sighed.

"Ven needs a safe place," she said.

A few moments later, I saw Ventus's hand twitch in my peripheral view. Aqua and I gasped as his arm slowly lifted, and Wayward Wind appeared in his hand. A beam of light shot out from the tip of the Keyblade, creating a portal of light. His hand drooped once again.

"All right... If that's where you want to go," Aqua said.

We walked towards the portal of light. As we crossed into the other side, the portal closed, and Aqua gasped as we looked up at the destroyed Land of Departure. Pain stung my heart as I remembered the events that took place before this happened. I looked at the place where Master Defender laid. I walked over and picked it up.

"Master Eraqus..." Aqua whispered.

I nodded sympathetically. We entered the large castle, into the main room. Memories filled my mind of when light flooded through the stain-glass windows, which were now shattered. I remembered the clashing of Keyblades as Ventus and I watched Terra and Aqua's Mark of Mastery exam take place. One by one, each of my memories in this place piled up in my heart until I felt like I couldn't breathe. I wiped my eyes and watched Aqua place Ventus in the middle throne. She turned to me, a blank expression on her face. She reached out her hand, and I placed Master Defender in it. I followed her to the back of the middle throne. Gripping the Keyblade in both hands, Aqua slowly lifted it up. She paused and looked to me.

"Aren't you going to help me?" she said.

"With what?" I said.

Aqua smiled and held Master Defender to me. I walked to her side and gripped the handle, next to Aqua's hand. Together, we thrust the Keyblade towards the back of the throne. A keyhole shined on the back of the chair, and a gust of wind blew our hair and clothes back. Aqua took a deep breath, positioned her feet, and shoved the Keyblade forward towards the keyhole. Light filled the room.

After a few moments, the light subsided, and it had transformed the room. We stood in a white, circular room. The floor and walls were covered with patterns of the Keyblade Master emblem. Chains connected to the ends of the emblems and glowed occasionally in an ombre effect. The throne in the center of the room transformed to white. I gasped as I looked around the room, remembering the first time I had stumbled upon this room. Aqua and I circled the throne from opposite sides. Aqua bent down and stroked Ventus's hair as he slept.

"I know it's a lonely place, but you'll be safe. Terra, Hallie, and I will be back to wake you up before you know it," Aqua said.

It would be at least twelve years before that anticipated event happened. I felt guilty that I would return home with all that time passed away, while my friends suffered through their fates, waiting for their rescue to come.

Aqua met her eyes with mine and smiled.

"I'll give you some alone time," she said, and she turned and walked out of the room.

I hugged my arms and looked down at Ventus. I couldn't find the strength to speak as I focused my energy on blinking back my tears. I imaged Sora sitting in that throne, remembering when he went through the Mark of Mastery exam and almost lost his heart to Xehanort. His slumber was nothing compared to the comatose Ventus would now experience while his heart rested inside him. I swallowed hard and hurried out of the room.

I met with Aqua outside, and we both turned and looked up at the castle standing before us.

I gasped. The Land of Departure had transformed into Castle Oblivion.

"Aqua... Put an end to me..." Terra's voice filled mine and Aqua's minds. My eyes widened, and I looked to Aqua as she turned and looked down the narrow path that winded into the darkness.

"Aqua..." I whispered.

Aqua looked to me and smiled assuringly.

"Everything will be all right," she said. "But... I think it's time for you to go home."

"But how?" I said, my bottom lip quivering. "Throughout this entire journey, I've found no hint as to how I'd be able to return home. I'm so scared, Aqua. What if I'm never able to return home? What if I'm trapped here forever?"

The bluenette threw her arms around me and pulled me close.

"It's okay. If destiny can bring you here, then it can take you back to your time." She pulled away and studied my face, her hands softly gripping my shoulders. "Thank you, Hallie. I'm glad I could experience this with you. Even though it didn't end as well as I hoped, I wouldn't change it any other way."

A tear streamed down my face. I nodded and heaved a sobbing breath. I took her hands off my shoulders and held them tightly in mine.

"Thank you," I whispered, pouring out all the sincerity of my heart. "Thank you... for everything. You helped to pave my way and lead me out of the deepest of darkness. I'll never be able to repay you for all you've done."

Aqua smiled and squeezed my hands.

"Goodbye, Hallie," she said. "We'll meet again. One day."

"Yes," I said, nodding rapidly and sincerely. "We will. I'll make sure of it!"

Aqua nodded, and I watched her as she walked down the pathway, where her fate awaited her at the end of the road; her imprisonment in the Realm of Darkness. I clutched my Wayfinder as tightly as my strength allowed me and held it to my heart.

And then there was one...

"Hallie?" a voice called in my mind.

I gasped and turned to face Castle Oblivion. "Ventus?"

Light filled my vision.