Chapter 18: The Ties That Bind Part 1

(2 things. 1: I apologize for being late, I was in the process of moving and was unable to get work done for quite a while. 2: I have to warn you that this chapter does contain content that represents severe memory-based trauma, if this sort of thing is sensitive to you, you have been given prior warning. Without further ado, please enjoy.)

James and Aqua are flying through the space between worlds looking for the next World when suddenly, a bright light starts shining in front of them, and getting brighter by the minute. "What's that light?" Aqua asks.

James shields his eyes, "It can only be one thing! A bequeathment!" He answers. Aqua has no time to ask more because the light transports them to a small island.

Aqua and James found themselves walking on a wooden bridge, "What is this world?" James asks.

Aqua shrugs, "I don't know. But it doesn't look like there are any Unversed here." She tells him.

James turns and sees a path to the other side of the island, "Yeah, well I'm gonna do a perimeter sweep just to be sure." He says as he walks off.

As he walks, he scopes out the place. It's a very small island with little room for no more than maybe two dozen occupants at most. As he walked, he felt a chill in the air that he had since come to recognize as the Entity. He summoned Starlight and turned to face his enemy, only to so shocked by their appearance, that he drops Starlight.

The Entity had chosen to take a more specific form this time.

They took the form of Master Ava of Union Vulpes.

James takes a shaky step back from the Entity, "Why?" He asks, "Why are you taking that form? What do you know about her!"

The Entity points at him, "Must… return… home…" They say dryly, "Back... to where…. all…. began…."

James glares, "What are you talking about?!"

The Entity summoned a weapon that mirrored the image of Ava's Keyblade, "Face… past… protect… future…" And just like that, the Entity vanishes into the shadows.

James fell to his knees, "Daybreak Town? That thing… wants me… to go back to Daybreak Town… but…" He pauses for a long time, until he eventually shook his head, "No." He says, letting out a shaky breath, "I… I can't… I can't go back there…" After re-composing himself, he gets back up and goes to find Aqua.

When he catches up with Aqua, he sees two young boys running just out of sight. He walks up to her, "Who were they?" He asks her.

She smiles at him, "They're Sora and Riku. I think they met Terra." She tells him, "I think you'd like Sora. He's like the spitting image of Ven." She then stops and takes a look at James' face and can clearly see something happened, "Are you ok, Jim?" She asks in concern.

James sighs and shakes his head, "It's nothing, I just… got stuck in my own head for a minute there." He says before summoning Starlight and donning his armor, "I haven't seen any sign that the Unversed being here, so let's hurry and keep searching for Ven and Terra."

She nods, "Yes."

The two returned to the space between worlds and resumed their search for their friends. As they fly side-by-side, James notices a light in the distance that they were fast approaching, "Aqua! What's that, dead ahead?"

Aqua leaned her head forward, "Is that… Mickey?" They got closer and saw Mickey unconscious, floating aimlessly in the void. James sped up and grabbed him as Aqua caught up, "How'd this happen?" She asks.

James nudges Mickey, "Hey! Mickey, can you hear us?" He calls out.

Mickey starts mumbling in his sleep, "Master Yen…Sid…" he mutters.

James looks to Aqua, "You know where he lives?"

Aqua nods, "Yeah, I can take us there."

James nods back and follows after her, "Hang in there, Mickey."

They arrived quickly at the Mysterious Tower and hurried up the stairs, meeting Master Yen Sid, as well as two Anthromorphs, Donald and Goofy, they called themselves. James set Mickey down gently on the floor as Goofy and Donald immediately rush over to him, "King Mickey." They say to him.

Meanwhile, James and Aqua are speaking with Yen Sid. "Aqua, James, the stars bring me grave news. Master Eraqus' star has blinked out. I am afraid that means he has been struck down."

James was shocked, but Aqua was completely speechless, "The Master? But- who is responsible?" She asks fearfully.

Yen Sid closes his eyes and lowers his head before looking back out his star-shaped window, "Master Xehanort…" He pauses, "and Terra."

James' eyes widen, "What?!"

Aqua shook her head furiously, "No!" She slams her hands on his desk.

James leans forward, "Terra was struggling sure but… he'd never turn his Keyblade on Eraqus!"

Aqua nods, "Jim's right, that's absurd!" She screams with tears welling up in her eyes, "Terra would never!"

Yen Sid simply turns back to face them, "I hope with all my heart that you are right about your friend. There are some things even the stars cannot tell me."

James' eyes narrow, "Xehanort! That old wretch is responsible, he has to be! He manipulated the guy, it's the only explanation!"

Aqua grit her teeth, "Where is he? Where can I find Terra?" She demands.

"Terra's heart is leading him to the ancient Keyblade Graveyard, where wielders of those weapons once waged war."

Aqua nodded, "All right. We have to go after him… and see if it's true. Are you-Jim?!" She asks in shock as she turns to see her friend.

It all rushed back to him.

All of it.

Every single detail.

All the things he had been suppressing for the last few years.

The moment Yen Sid mentioned the Keyblade Graveyard, it all shot to the surface. His body began to tremble, fingers twitching uncontrollably. Face sweating profusely. He mumbled the names of every wielder he killed during the war. He began hyperventilating even worse than when he was at the Dwarf Woodlands. Aqua shouted his name, shook him as hard as she could, but nothing could draw him out of the horror he was currently re-living. Everything around him felt like it was going black and he couldn't bring himself to fight it.

He nearly allowed himself to be consumed by his inner Darkness, when a voice spoke out in his mind, "Don't give up now!"

Inside James' Heart

James opens his eyes and the Darkness recedes away from him as he finds himself staring at Master Ava. "You can't afford to stop fighting now," she tells him, "not with everything at stake."

James shakes his head, "But, Master… what does it matter?" He asks her, "Nothing has changed! Keyblade Wielders turning against each other because of the Darkness corrupting us! Why should we bother to keep fighting if it always ends the same!?"

Ava smiles, "Because it won't always be that way. I have seen what will come. I have found the hope for Light. The one that will always stand against the Darkness no matter the odds." She walks closer to him, summoning her Keyblade, Vulpes, and places it in James' hand, "And that person is you."

James pushes the Keyblade back in her hands and steps back, "No! No, I can't… I can't do that again… I…"

Ava nods, "You are stronger than you realize. And one day," she places her Keyblade on the stained-glass-floor, "You will finish, what I started." She then rises into the air, getting enveloped by light, "For now, your friends need you. And I know you well enough to know that you won't abandon your friends. Go now, and May Your Heart Be Your Guiding Key."

Back in the Tower

James finally jolts upward and looks at Aqua, who has been trying to get his attention for thirty minutes, "Jim! Are you ok? What's wrong? Talk to me, please!"

James stood up slowly on his shaky legs, his breath still deeply labored, "I… I know… that place…" He says slowly.

Aqua tilts her head, "You've been there?"

James shook his head, "No… I lived there."

He turns slowly to face her, "That world was once my home. Daybreak Town." He says as tears start pouring from his eyes, "All of them, everybody I killed… their all in that wasteland…"

Aqua didn't know what to do-didn't know what she could do, so she simply stood there, offering what support she could as she let him get all this that he's been bottling up out of him.

Soon enough, he took a long, deep breath and nodded his head, "Alright. Let's go get Terra. And find out the truth." And so, they hurried on their way, to face the Destiny that awaited them all.

(A/N: That's it for this chapter! The finale is already being written so expect it to be up in about a week or so—I hope—from today. I apologize again for being late—and yes, I know I do that a lot, things have been very hard for me lately, but I'm pushing on and doing what I can for you guys. Lemme know what you think in a review. Later guys!)