"Let the flames burn you!"
"Uh, why?"
"What do you mean, 'why'? We're fighting!"
-unknown
Chapter Nineteen: Dreams or Reality?
"Are you sure you're okay, Lenne?" Chao asked as they took the ship, the S.S. Liki, towards Besaid Island.
The purple-wearing summoner sighed, sitting on some stairs near the bow of the ship. She was shaken up by Lady Mashka's words as the woman was right. Quality guardians over quantity was the name of the game and the most famous of summoners, Lady Yunalesca, only had her husband, Lord Zaon, as one. Shuyin and Arya were against that, as they kept repeatedly telling her that each person she chose to be on that journey with her had their own quirks and abilities.
Jackson, one of her father's previous guardians, was a heavy hitter and was one of two "tanks", taking great damage and retaliating in kind. The second was Ryoma, a half-Wutai, half-Bevelle samurai that joined her father in his journey. His attacks were quicker and he performed many counter attacks. Shuyin was the third of her guardians, the quick hitter and "Time Mage", as he had abilities that stopped and sped up time, useful against Unversed that were quick on their feet. The fourth was her cousin, Arya of the Bedouhls, a people who had a knack for technology, but were virtually useless in Artes besides martial. The last one was the Heim prince, Chao. His attacks were darkness based and quick, but he was a heavy hitter like Jackson. And the Keyblade he wielded, the Darkgnaw, was very useful in Unverse slaying.
But they weren't like Lord Zaon, who had a variety of abilities, but not the one of the Keyblade. And Lady Yunalesca. She could summon powerful aeons such as Alexander, Yojimbo, Odin, the list was massive.
"Seriously, you're a powerful summoner in your own right. I can sense it," Chao told her.
"How so? Are you sure it's not the darkness playing tricks?" Lenne asked.
Chao was offended, telling her, "My darkness isn't like that…"
"You know what I meant," Lenne said.
"Not really. Anyway, I can sense that you have great potential and your getting that Ifrit, what was it…'Ohalland'?" Chao asked.
Lenne nodded and he said, "Well, that Ifrit warmed up to you quickly, despite being quite young and a bit rebellious. And I can tell that it'll get stronger with you."
"Hey! I'm a boy not an 'it'!"
A ball of flame appeared at Chao's right and took shape of a horned, humanoid half-dog covered in fire. He glowered and said, "You're mean, Mister Prince!"
"Chao, that's my name," Chao told him.
"And mine's 'Ohalland'! My dad gave me that name after that summoner guy that used to summon him! And I'm not 'repellous'!" the Ifrit said proudly.
"'Rebellious'…" Chao corrected.
Ohalland the little Ifrit growled, muttering, "Stop that!"
"Stop what?" Chao asked innocently.
"Stop correcting me! I know how to talk human!" Ohalland shouted.
"The 'Spiran' dialect…" Chao corrected once more.
The Ifrit fumed, his flames growing hotter and brighter. With a huff, the aeon folded his arms and said, "That's it. You're on your own until Mister Mean Guy goes away!"
He disappeared, leaving a few sparks behind. Chao grinned, telling Lenne, "He'll be fine. He just had to cool that hot head of his."
Kilika Island, pilgrimage road…
"Whoa, so this is the temple?" Ven asked.
He looked up, seeing the winding path of stone steps leading to the summit of the island. In the distance were dark clouds and a building with several spires pointing up at the heavens. Purple light came from them as well as great danger. Ven had to stop himself from backing away and running to Tia Dalma's hut as the feeling was suffocating.
"You feel it too?" Yuna asked him.
Ven turned to her and nodded. Riku's face was pale and the other, nicknamed "Monkey", muttered, "Why does it feel more dangerous than usual? Almost like something…horrible is watching us?"
"Serious, Rikku, don't give it ideas!" Tidus said.
Yuna took the first step and the winds of darkness started pushing her back. Tidus caught her and the winds became even stronger. Cracks appeared in the ground and a fissure closed the path back to the jungle. Purple flames burst out of it, discouraging any from attempting to jump over it.
"Whoa! What's happening?" Rikku screamed.
"What's going on?" Yuna cried out.
A roar and an explosion, sending debris and even more violent winds and black mist their way, was heard. The last thing Ven saw was a dark beast with razor sharp teeth lunging towards the five and their Animi.
"Um, so he just had to come after us like that."
"Hey, it's not like he knows he did. Remember, the darkness took over everything."
"Yeah…don't remind me."
"Oh, he's waking up. Good morning!"
Ven opened his eyes, finding himself laying in the middle of an empty street. The buildings were very tall, with bright lights with various letters on them. The thought came to him that they were called "neon signs" and Ven could've sworn he had seen something like that before. Even thought it wasn't possible as he never left Traverse Town before meeting Sora and Riku. But something was telling him that he had…a long, long time ago.
"Hey, move! C'mon, move out of the way!"
Turning, Ventus saw a man in sunglasses dressed quite oddly for the weather. He was dressed in casual clothes, but looked more dressed up for the northern climates than for an island paradise. Or what could've been in the darkness didn't engulf the place.
Suddenly, more people appeared and they all surrounded him, holding up odd devices that flashed and others talking into them. Ven had no idea what was going on and the flashes nearly blinded him. He covered his eyes heard, "Alright, move it! He seems okay. Stop crowding him! You're gonna suffocate him!"
He was lifted up to his feet and pulled away, with his eyes trying to readjust to the light. Or whatever light he could find that wasn't artificial in that darkened city. When he finally regained his sight, Ven saw a redhead dressed in black, an ashen blonde in dark blue and white and an azure-haired young man in black, white and blue. The ash blonde young woman checked his eyes and said, "Well, his pupils aren't dilated and he seems alert. So, I guess he's okay."
"But a trip to the hospital would be a better idea, Fjorm…" the azure-haired one said.
Fjorm wasn't too worried, saying, "If he starts to feel sleepy, then we'll take him, Saix. Is that okay with you, Axel?"
"As long as he doesn't pass out on us again, then yeah," Axel said.
The trio's names sounded familiar, but Ven didn't get why. He never met such people before. He was so sure of it. But why did they…?
"C'mon. Ylgr's waiting for us with dinner," Fjorm told them.
They led Ventus to a machina, called a "car" apparently, and entered. Ven tried to hide his wonder, not knowing how a massive machina like that would work. Axel put a key near a wheel in the front where he was sitting and turned it. The machina revved up and Ven gasped as it took off with great speed.
As the car drove off, a shadow appeared, stepping out from behind a nearby lamp post. Despite the light it radiated, the darkness surrounding the figure was deep. Dressed in a white hood and in a black armor overlay, the figure stared and asked, "What is going on? Why is he here?"
The people walking past in the streets didn't pay any attention to him, as if he was invisible. He took a few steps into the street, unfazed as a car zoomed right through him like a ghost, and looked at the darkened heavens. The moon, oddly shaped as it was in the shape of a heart, shone its pale light on the city and gave no comfort to the figure.
"Why are you here, Ventus? You're not supposed to be here. Not at all. What's going on?" the figure asked.
The scenery distorted for a few moments and he gasped, muttering, "I gotta get him out of…No, not him too! We have to get them out of here, Sora! Seriously, are you listening to me?"
He disappeared into darkness, intent on getting the young Keybearer to safety.
With Riku…
"The flames…the dark flames…flickering…"
Waking up in an abandoned chapel, Riku jumped as he heard a voice off in the distance. At the far end of the room was a large altar where someone sat in a chair, facing it. A tattered red rug led up to the ruined altar and old pews were in rows on both sides. Torches were on the pillars that supported the structure and burned with a blue flame. The light was eerie and the terrible feeling he got from the altar didn't help.
Getting up, heading towards the aisleway and carefully turning around made Riku find an exit. But there was a problem. The exit was blocked off by a grey mist that radiated the same dangerous feeling.
"You…see it too? Can't you…? The darkening flames…?"
"That's not Kiba's voice…" Riku muttered, hearing the ancient sounding voice and noticing Kiba was nowhere to be found, raising his anxiety levels.
Feeling as if he was being watched, Riku sighed, feeling if he turned around, then he'll meet his end. So, he said, "Why are my bad feelings usually right?"
He slowly turned, seeing the seated figure's chair had turned to face him. The figure was covered in black and grey robes, a hood over his eyes. A mask, reminiscent of a dog's mouth restraints, covered their mouth. They were chained to both the chair and the floor and Riku wondered how they were able to turn to face him.
"You…I know you."
"Well, I don't. So, if you can just tell me where the exit is, that'll be great," Riku said to him…or it…he couldn't really tell from his distance.
"We…It was supposed to stop…but he won…he won."
'I really shouldn't ask…' Riku thought, knowing that Kiba would've warned him to try to run.
So, he did, taking a few steps backwards and nearly tripping over a fallen lamppost. He was getting close to the mist and heard the voice speak again.
"They said 'it'll be fine'. 'We'll find a way to purge the dark. But it took everything.'"
Before he knew it, Riku dove underneath a nearby pew, hiding as he heard footsteps coming from behind the mist. A hooded woman, dressed in dark blue and wearing what looked like a Sanctum nun's robes, headed for the altar where the mysterious figure sat. She held a blue Keyblade in her hands and said, "My friend…what troubles you?"
"He won…He won…"
The voice sounded sad and the woman asked, "Yes, he did. But he lost at the same time. We defeated him, remember? And you took what he wanted, the world."
"The world…it's…gone…all of it…"
"Yes, it is…We of the dark are the only ones left. Sora shouldn't have bothered to make anew," the woman said.
'Sora? She knows Sora?' Riku thought.
"He was a fool for thinking he could use the Keyblade to bring the worlds and Kairi back. Instead, the worlds are ruined and we stuck in this state…" the woman told the voice.
"But…we could've…"
"No! We couldn't have! Not after the darkness came like that! And what happened to you…it wasn't meant for you! It was meant for him! He was supposed to turn, not you!" the woman shouted.
Riku looked at the door and saw that the mist was gone. He had the idea to take off, but…
"Who's there?"
A near lightning fast arc of energy came, destroying a section of pews behind Riku. Rolling out from underneath, the silver-haired one ran for the door when the woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She slashed at him and Riku immediately summoned the Way to Dawn, blocking the strike. He pushed her back and she countered with Blizzard. Riku blocked, following up with quick dodging at the woman started swiping and releasing arcs of powerful energy.
He kept running, hiding behind columns as the attacks were too strong to block. But each column he hid behind was turned to rubble after three strikes. The last column he sought refuge under fell to the same fate and he dove behind the chair the sitting figure was in. He figured that the woman wouldn't attack as it seemed she was talking to him, as Riku was close enough to tell.
Kiba would've told him it was a bad idea as the woman phased into existence behind Riku. He turned, blocking and barely holding his own as she was quite strong. He saw her eyes, glowing a burning yellow, like a Heartless and she seemed quite young. But her attacks and how powerful she was betrayed any youthful features she had. That…and she looked familiar to Riku, despite not meeting her before.
"Why are you fighting…? Stop…Stop it…He's a friend…a friend…"
"He's no friend! He's…!" the woman said, knocking Riku to his knees.
"HEY!"
Riku's saving grace came in the form of a blue and black fireball, rocketing towards the nun. She blocked and Riku was scooped up by someone. As he was carried away, someone else in black was fighting the nun with a red and black Keyblade and fierce flames. A scream and Riku could see the seated figure was trying to free himself from his restraints. The nun held her own against the fiery attacker and the one carrying Riku said, "Cover your eyes!"
Without a second thought, Riku did as he was told and a blinding light filled the area.
With Ven…
Ven was taken to a small apartment in town and it was Fjorm and her sister's. It was modest, blue in color tone and had many things Ven never seen in a home in Traverse Town. But some machina he did recognize from Master Matoya's books. One being a sphere screen, another a 'computer'. The rest he couldn't make heads or tails of them. So, he was a bit dumbfounded.
Plopping on the couch, Axel said to Ven, "So, Roxas. You feelin' okay?"
'Um, how do I respond? My name isn't Roxas,' Ven thought.
He then realized that Paolo wasn't to be found, nor was his voice heard in his mind. So, he was worried and didn't know if he was in a dream or in reality. But everything looked too familiar, despite not really knowing where or when he was. It felt as if he was trapped, stuck in two places at once. It was weird and he really wanted to go home.
"He's looking a bit pale. Maybe a bit of food will help," Fjorm said, stepping into the next room.
Saix found a lounge chair to sit in and asked, "Are you sure you're fine? I don't have to call an ambulance?"
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine," Ven replied, hoping that it would be okay.
He continued to stand, confusing the older two. Axel sighed and said, "You're acting really weird, buddy."
"Well, he did suddenly faint in the middle of the street…" Saix told him.
"Okay, so, do you remember anything before that?" Axel asked Ven, or Roxas.
Ven took a seat on the couch, at the opposite end of where Axel sat and shook his head. Saix then pulled out his phone from his pants pocket and said, "That's it. Calling an ambulance."
"No, wait! I mean…um, I don't think you'd believe me if I told you," Ven said.
"So, what happened? We were just talking and you stopped suddenly. Then you fainted. So, what happened?" Axel asked.
Ven was about to explain when there was a crash, followed by a bloodcurdling scream. Fjorm yelled and a blast of mist came from the kitchen. Axel and Saix jumped up, ready to fight. Ven was about to summon his Keyblade when a speeding fireball struck him in the chest and sent him flying through a portal.
He landed in a void, made up of what seemed to be light and darkness, swirling about. The fireball that brought him bobbled up and down and Ven summoned Wayward Wind. He went into a battle stance and a voice told him, "Hey, I'm not the enemy here! Look behind you!"
The translucent image of a figure clad in armor appeared; the armor colored black and red. A blood red cape fluttered behind them and he was armed with a Keyblade, one called the Chaos Ripper. Ven backed away but it was useless as there was nowhere to run.
"Aren't you a Keybearer? Fight, Mister!" the ball of flame told Ven.
"I-I can't!" Ven yelled.
The armored figure rushed forward, swiping the Keyblade at Ven's neck. Ven ducked just in time, rolling several times out of the way as the figure kept swinging his weapon and narrowly missing their target. The fireball followed and the figure didn't take notice. Yelling, it asked, "Why aren't you fighting back? He'll kill ya if ya don't!"
"He's trying to kill me now!" Ven screamed.
The void vanished, changing to a single platform in the middle of swirling red, black and purple mist. The figure fighting him leapt into the air, crashing down just as Ven rolled out of the way again. He summoned Wayward Wind, taking a single swipe and having the Keyblade bounce off the figure's armor with a plink.
Face turning pale, Ven ran, screaming, "OH MOTHER OF LIGHT! HELP ME!"
"Well, that didn't work!" the fireball told him.
"YA THINK?!" Ven shouted.
"Then I'll try…this! Hellfire!" the orb shouted.
It stopped, forcing the figure to slide to a halt as it created a barrier protecting Ventus. The flames surged, encasing Ven in its fiery barrier. The boy then saw a fiery humanoid that looked like the ancient texts called a djinn. Ifrit was one and Tia Dalma did say to find…
"I'll help, kid. Just get ready when I weaken him!" the Ifrit told him as he blocked the armored figure's Keyblade attacks with his claws.
Ven didn't get what to do as he tried attacking before, but nothing happened. And if that Ifrit didn't weaken him enough, then Ven was as good as dead.
'Man, where is Paolo when I need him?' Ven thought.
"Burn, burn, burn baby!" the Ifrit yelled.
Ven, a bit confused, wondered why that Ifrit sounded like…
"Hey, ow! Ven? What are you doing?"
Riku had appeared, a bit burnt from entering the flames through a portal, but fine. Shaking off dizziness, he saw the Ifrit fighting a vicious battle with the clad figure. The two Keybearers watched as the Ifrit clawed the armored individual eight times, only to get struck hard with a single swipe of the man's Keyblade.
The fight seemed familiar and someone said, "Chao fought an Ifrit on that day. Defeating it and taking its form."
A hooded man in white and black appeared, standing behind Riku and Ven. He placed his hands on their shoulders and said, "This Ifrit can only do so much. Come. You can't fight him now."
With little effort, he threw the duo backwards off, through the fire barrier and into the swirling abyss. His yellow eyes stared as they went tumbling down.
"Not yet. You can do nothing now. Go back to Tia Dalma with the Ifrit. Tell her that seal's already broken."
"Roxas! Roxas!"
The car they were in was suddenly struck by a beam of darkness, sending Roxas flying out one of the windows and it tumbled several times before stopping in a ditch. They were supposed to be on their way to the airship docks outside of Zanarkand, but something came and attacked them. Hurt, but thinking that their assailants were Unversed, Roxas summoned Wayward Wind and limped his way out of the street.
He headed for the car, hoping that everyone inside was okay or managed to get out. Luckily, they were, with Axel helping Ashley and Saix helping Fjorm, who only joined as a guardian. Using healing abilities, Ashley channeled light to heal her friends. But that same light attracted black monsters with yellow beady eyes.
Roxas was the first to see them, striking one and Axel summoned his Keyblade, Frolic Flame. Fjorm fired off ice from her hands, freezing several that lurked towards the overturned car. She did the same to the ones that were behind her and Saix summoned his weapon, lunging towards them and swinging wildly.
Ashley stayed closed to Fjorm and Roxas could've sworn she started humming. Her humming quickly turned to singing and more light came from her.
"Sing with me a song of dark entwined fates; the fiend's seal cracks from its wake! Night consumes the day…" Ashley started singing.
The light surrounded Roxas and friends, but the young man yelled, "What are you doing? Stop singing!"
A monster tried to stab him with its claws, but it was repelled by the light surrounding him. He turned to Ashley, who began hovering next to Fjorm as her body began glowing with powerful light. She kept singing, saying, "It embraced the dark and lost its home. Gazing at empty white thrones, cycles of lies...in familiar disguise…"
Pillars of light came raining down upon the battlefield, striking and destroying the many black monsters. As her singing became filled with fervor, the light from her body became blinding and Roxas could do nothing but cover his eyes. The others did the same, hearing Ashley's echoic singing and the monsters' dying shrieks.
After a loud wooshing sound and the final shrieks were silence, the light faded and Ashley fell from the sky. Saix caught her and she was unconscious. He looked to Axel and Roxas, who said, "I dunno what just happened, but…"
"It's because she's a 'Princess of Heart'. I heard they have an inherent ability of singing and playing music, causing all kind of effects to happen. And that song…that was…" Fjorm said.
"Really dark?" Axel asked.
She nodded and an explosion was heard off in the distance. Zanarkand was set ablaze and the four stared with wide eyes. Their adopted home was on fire and the feeling of dread welled up within them. Roxas looked to Ashley, pulled out his phone and muttered, "I hope she didn't just sing our doom…"
"No, no…No!" Ven shouted in his sleep.
Riku, who had woken up hours earlier, joined Yuna, Tidus and the other Rikku in the boy's room as they had been rescued by Tia Dalma's students. They told them that they found the five passed out on Pilgrimage Road, surrounded by Heartless. They drove them off, but none would wake for days. And when they did, each had reported having a strange dream.
Yuna dreamt that she was a singer named Lenne, who was a pop star in a great and powerful city of machina. Tidus had a dream where he was a blitzball star named Shuyin in a similar city. Rikku had one where she was Lenne's cousin and confidant, who helped make all her clothes as well as stage props and machina. Riku himself had one where he found a couple that was willing to kill him, only to get rescued by a man in white and black.
Tia Dalma heard all their stories and said nothing, wanting to wait for Ventus to wake up. It had been three days since the attack, Menphina 25th, and the boy still hadn't awakened. On his chest was a sleeping Paolo and the falcon Animus didn't stir those three days. Kiba looked to Riku and asked, "You think he's okay?"
"I dunno. But he's been talking in his sleep ever since I woke up…Wonder why that happened," Riku said, going deep into thought.
His dream greatly deferred from the others as he didn't have one where he was named someone else. And those in the dream actively wanted him out, so…It was odd and he didn't get it. It didn't feel like a dream, more like a vision.
"ASHLEY!" Ven yelled, nearly jumping out of bed as he woke up.
He was in a cold sweat and Yuna asked, "A-Are you okay?"
Ven looked to her and then to Tidus and Rikku. Then to his Riku. As if feeling Paolo's weight, he looked down and said, "It…It was just…It was just…But no! I was there! I saw it!"
"Saw what?" Tidus asked.
"I…I saw you guys…and then…explosions and fire and…" Ven replied.
Tia Dalma entered the room and said, "Ya finally awake. We need to talk."
She pulled out the crystal ball from before and threw it into the air. A wave of light came over them and Tia Dalma asked, "Ya can still hear me?"
"Yeah. Loud and clear. Yes," Tidus, Rikku and Yuna told her.
Tia Dalma held her hands out and a book appeared. Flipping the pages, she asked, "How much ya know of de Dark One?"
"'Dark One'?" Ven asked.
He looked at Riku and Riku remembered a few stories his family used to tell. They weren't supposed to repeat it as they believed remembering it would bring back the creature. And the Sanctum was terrified of it, spreading lies that the nomads were trying to bring the worlds destroyer back to life. But everyone agreed on one thing: the Dark One/Beast could not return or else it'll destroy the world.
Yuna, her cousin and guardian had the same thought. But they believe that he was one of thirteen versions of the darkness. After hearing all of what everyone said, Tia Dalma told them, "I see dat he not forgotten in de worlds. But, we need to know if he comin' back."
"What do you mean? We couldn't even get close enough to that seal to check," Riku told her.
Ven immediately blurted out, "The seal's broken…"
"What?" Tia Dalma said, not believing what she heard.
"The seal's broken! The monster's out! We're doomed!" Ven shouted.
He then went on a rant, screaming, "He's nothing but the ultimate evil! He'll eliminate everyone and make the Heartless the dominate species in the Worlds! And he'll destroy us all to make it happen!"
"Oh no…" Riku said, the rant sounding familiar.
"Calm down, guy! We'll…" Tidus started.
Ven, in a very loud and terrified voice, screamed, "DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY OF ALL!"
Riku grabbed Ven and screamed, "Dude, calm down!"
He kept screaming and Al Bhed Rikku slapped him on the back of the head, yelling, "Stop that! We're not gonna die!"
"Yeah, but…if he's really out then…" Yuna started.
Tia Dalma said nothing, instead looking through the book. Moments later, she stopped on a page that had the image of a dark-haired, Sanctum priest. Riku and Ven quickly blurted out, "Father Lyon?"
"Dis be de last form he took 120 years ago. Father Lyon DeSouza of Florem. He destroyed de town, turnin' all into Heartless. He'd been stopped by a group of SOLDIERs and imprisoned in a waterfall cave in south Saronia," Tia Dalma explained.
Riku knew something was off about that man. He thought he was an Unsent as he didn't have an Animus or was a friendly Heartless. But the Dark One himself? There was no way. He was too nice.
She then turned to another page. That time it was of a serious-looking man dressed in all black, wearing similar clothes to Father Lyon. Tia Dalma then told the five, "Dis be Lord Soren Manualli of Mysidia. Three hundred years ago, he lost de love of his life, Lady Azura of Fynn. He attacked de Sanctum, destroying Cocoon and nearly destroyed de World of Twilight. He was sealed away after years of terror by de mages of Mysidia…but awakened when Father Lyon went lookin' for de Tower."
'So, not only he was the Dark One reborn, he accidentally awakened an "old him",' Riku thought.
Flipping another three pages, Tia Dalma showed them the image of an old man, dressed in bronze armor and a red cape. He looked like a knight and she said, "Five hundred years ago, a knight from Fynn was found to be de Dark One. Fredrik Sigismund…lost his mind after losin' his Princess Hildegarde. He fought against de World of Twilight's Sanctum, nearly reducin' de continent of Eden to dust. SOLDIER stopped him, sealin' him underground, in an old abbey."
"So, we were told right. The Dark One does have thirteen versions of himself walking around," Yuna asked.
"Or more like he's reborn constantly," Riku told her.
Tia Dalma didn't answer, going back to the book. She kept flipping to the point she was in the middle of the book. Showing them the image of a child dressed like an islander, Tia Dalma said, "Dis be de one sealed away in Kilika Temple…"
Riku caught a small, but sad smile on Tia Dalma's lips. He didn't bring that to her attention as he listened to her. She explained that the boy appeared 650 years ago in the World of Endless Seas. He became a dark torrent after losing both mother and father to the seas, nearly destroying the world with powerful tidal waves. He was sealed by the Temples of Yevon, the religion sacrificing their beloved temple of fire to the creature.
"And his was the seal that broke, right?" Rikku asked.
Tia Dalma nodded, turning to Ven and Riku. With a sigh, she said, "Go back to ya world. To get dere, find Cap'n Jack Sparrow. He'll be in town."
"Knowing him, he's probably at the pub…Just like my old man…" Tidus said, giving an exacerbated sigh.
"Find him and give him dis," Tia Dalma said, summoning a jar of dirt to her hands.
She handed it to Riku, who asked, "What's this jar of dirt for?"
"Ya fee. Give it to him and he'll know," Tia Dalma replied.
"So, is the jar of dirt gonna help?" Ven asked.
Tia Dalma glowered, saying in a strict tone, "If ya don't want it, den give it back."
"Uh…no. We're good…" Paolo said.