"Hey Riku! I found her!" A young voice jolted Velle from her sleep.
"Aw, man! I wasn't supposed to fall asleep!" She grumbled to herself. She'd been practicing from the book all night and must have exerted her energy and passed out. "I need to get stronger than this…" She mumbled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"Sora? Where are you?" Another voice called.
"In here!" Velle looked up to see the young brunette boy she'd met the day before. The other boy, Riku, was just crawling into the cave. He stood when the cave mouth opened and walked over to Sora and Velle.
"Hiya, sleepy angel!" Sora grinned.
Velle snorted and pushed her mane of purple hair to the side, " I told ya already, I'm not an angel. My name's Velle."
"Hiya, sleepy Velle!" Sora corrected himself with a cheeky grin. The violet haired keyblade wielder couldn't help but grin, something about the little boy reminded her so much of Ventus.
"Hiya Sora, Hiya Riku," She greeted with a silly grin, the silver haired boy waved.
"Whatcha doing in here?" Sora asked, he locked his hands behind his back and rocked on his feet.
"I was reading...but I must have fallen asleep." Velle explained, she looked around for the book of magic and was relieved to see it lying beside her. She sighed and picked it up, "What are you guys doing in here?" Velle asked in return.
"Sora wanted to come look for you, he wanted to see if you were real." Riku rolled his eyes with a smirk. The little boy reminded her of Terra, she grinned at him too.
"Um, um, um…." Sora stammered. "Since...you are real...do you wanna play with us?"
Velle raised her eyebrows and Riku scoffed, "Of course, she doesn't wanna play with little kids Sora. Leave her alone."
"Sure!" Velle chirped.
"Really!?" Sora exclaimed, his eyes growing large with excitement.
"Yeah, why not? I could use a break." She replied. "I'll be right out behind you, I just have to do something really quick." Velle watched them crawl out and then summoned her keyblade. She held it above her head and closed her eyes. "Conceal!" The book slowly retreated into her bracelet and she dismissed her keyblade. Velle crawled out from the cave after them and stretched with a groan. She cracked her neck from side to side and bent down to the little boys level. "So whaddya wanna play?"
Sora immediately held up a wooden sword, "Sword fight!"
Velle's eyes widened in surprise before she giggled, "Sure!...But I don't have a sword."
Suddenly there was a wooden sword thrust in her face, "Here, you can use mine, if you promise to play a round with me next." Riku offered, he was looking away with a blush on his cheeks.
Velle's eyes crinkled with her smile, he must have been shy. "Of course!"
Velle took the wooden sword in her hand and stood opposite of Sora. The excited brunette boy grinned and Riku stood on the side. "I'll start the countdown," he stated. "Three...Two...One...GO!"
Sora sprinted towards Velle, he jumped up and thrust the wooden sword at her, "Hyah! Take that!" he squeeked.
Velle backed up in surprise and blocked his attack, the child was a pretty heavy hitter. She was taken aback at his speed, when he pulled the sword back and hit her in the shin. "Ow! Oh, now you're askin' for it!" She teased.
"You lost your leg, you have to hop!" Sora chirped.
Sora charged at her again but Velle hopped to the side, she stuck him in the ribs lightly with the sword. He fell to the ground dramatically , "I win!" Velle grinned.
"Aw...you got me!" Sora croaked as he pretended to die.
"Alright Sora, it's my turn." Riku stepped up to them and took a hold of the 'dead' brunette's sword. "Ready?" He asked.
"I'll count you down!" Sora exclaimed abruptly, he hopped to his feet and ran over to the sidelines. "Three...Two...One...GO!"
"Here I come," Riku said as he ran up to Velle. She was shocked by the boy's speed, who were these two kids? The silver haired boy thrust his sword forward but Velle bent over into a backflip to get away from him.
"Hey! She's really good!" Sora yelled with excitement.
"Hn." Riku jumped and swung the wooden sword at her and Velle quickly blocked it. He kept hitting her with it as fast as he could. Unbeknownst to her, he was backing her up to the edge of the ledge they were fighting on. One more hard hit, she blocked him and took a step back. The older violet haired girl gasped when she felt nothing underneath her and she fell into the ocean.
"Ah!" She shouted. Velle's head dunked under the water and she bobbed to the surface to see Sora and Riku peering over the edge.
"Are you okay?" Riku asked with a grin. "By the way...I win!"
Velle glared at the young boy and spat a stream of water at him before floating on her back. "That was a cheap shot."
Sora giggled and dove into the water with her , "Come on Riku! The water's fine!"
He sighed, "I'd love to, but we gotta go."
"Aw, so soon?" Velle asked.
Riku nodded "We'll be back after school though."
"Aw...do we gotta?" Sora pouted.
"Yes. Come on, now you gotta dry off too." He frowned at the brunette.
Velle and Sora waded back to the shore, she waved goodbye to them while they rowed away in their little boats. Velle sighed and looked out at the horizon, this small island was truly beautiful. She turned and her gaze fell on the Paopu tree and her smile faded. Right, she was here for a reason. She needed to get back to work, needed to practice the magic in the book.
Velle trudged towards the cave, she stopped in her tracks when her eyes fell on a mysterious hooded figure. The figure was hunched and wore a black coat identical to the one Braig and Vanitas would give her to get her through the dark corridor.
"Who are you!?" She demanded, summoning her keyblade. The figure began to chuckle and Velle's eyes widened in realization. "Xehanort!"
She turned on her heel and ran in the opposite direction, sliding to a halt when the hooded Xehanort reappeared in front of her holding his keyblade. "Come now, Vellum. You can do better than that, can't you?" He thrust his keyblade forward shooting balls of darkness toward her.
"Reflecta!" Velle shouted. A sudden barrier appeared around her and bounced Xehanort's attack back, stunning him briefly. She ran towards the cave again, surely he didn't know about it. Velle dropped to her knees and crawled through the entrance of the cave. When she stood she gasped, her former master was standing in front of the mysterious door with his hood down, revealing his smirk.
Before she could move he grabbed her throat and lifted her in the air, "Too slow...you still have a lot to learn Vellum. Now...come along with your Master, we have work to do." He sneered.
"I'll never help you! Let me go!" Velle screamed as she felt unbearable pain overcome her, her body was engulfed in darkness.
"Hn." Xehanort dropped her to the ground and when the darkness dissipated Velle was left huddled on the cave floor. Velle's hair was silver, she lifted her head to look at Xehanort. Identical yellow eyes met, "Welcome back. Time to go, Vellum."
Xehanort held his hand up and summoned a dark corridor. Velle stood to her feet and robotically walked into the portal, followed by her former Master.
...
Those little boys…
...
I've met Riku and Sora?
...
There's something more that I'm missing...
...
I can feel it in my heart.
…
But what is it?
...
The next memory that resurfaced Velle found herself back in Traverse Town standing on the roofs of one of the many buildings, near the first district. She was still possessed by Xehanort by the looks of her silver hair, beside her stood a taller hooded figure. The moon was full and large as it shone down on the traveler's town. Velle's gaze fell on a fountain, with a smirk she turned to the hooded figure.
"It's only a matter of time before he comes this way." She spoke in an even voice. "And then the Guard Armor will finish him for good. Every light we snuff out will benefit the Master's end goal."
"I don't know...I think the little kid's got spunk. He might prove you wrong," The hooded figure spoke, Velle recognized the voice instantly, it was Braig.
She turned around with a blank expression, "Hn. We'll see about that."
A young boy sprinted into the second district, he had brown spiky hair and toted the Kingdom Key in his hand. A white duck in blue and a lanky dog in green rocketed off of a balcony and onto the brunette. Braig smirked beneath his hood, he turned to Velle and put a hand on his hip.
"Well, now's your chance if you want to start the party." He prattled.
Velle didn't respond, but she raised her arm and stone pillars raised around the trio below, closing them in. She flicked her hand, summoning several heartless to attack. The two stood on the rooftop and watched the battle unfold hidden from view.
…
Sora, Donald, Goofy!
…
Why are Donald and Goofy here?
…
Sora's so much older.
...
This must have been years after I was captured.
…
Why is he so important?
...
Velle's eyes narrowed when the trio finished off the last heartless. She raised her arm again and summoned the Guard Armor. Sora looked up, his bright blue eyes widened seeing something large falling from the sky. Piece by piece, the armor hit the ground and then bounced into place. Velle felt a hollow smirk pull at her lips as she watched Sora, Donald, and Goofy fend off the Guard Armor. In truth Velle was horrified, she would never have attacked the adorable little boy who used to call her an angel.
As the fight continued, Velle's jaw clenched, the trio was doing much better than she thought. She knew Braig wore a smirk beside her because he was right and she was wrong. She grimaced when Sora slammed his keyblade into the heartless one last time. It disappeared in a flash of light, leaving a pink crystalline heart floating into the atmosphere. The brunette keyblade wielder gasped as his keyblade raised against his will.
"Huh? What's going on?" Sora asked, bewildered. His arm raised and pointed directly at the hidden Velle and Braig. The keyblade began to illuminate, a beam shot out from the tip and hit Velle directly in the chest. "What's happening!?" Sora shivered, he felt like someone else was controlling his body.
"Ah!" Velle fell to her knees and clutched her chest.
"Velle!" Braig exclaimed. He looked back and forth between Sora and Velle, something about the boy seemed familiar to him. "Ventus? That's you, isn't it?" He muttered under his breath with a smirk.
"Ergh!" She growled. Her eyes shut tight and suddenly something inside her broke. Velle's eyes snapped open and the yellow shrunk away to reveal green. Velle's hair started to fade back to purple starting at her roots until finally the transformation travelled down to her ends. She gasped for air and used her arms to hold herself up. "Is this real?" she exclaimed, sitting back and looking at her hands. "Am I really in control?"
"Velle! Welcome back to the land of the living!" Braig quipped.
"Br-Braig?" she groaned.
"S'not Braig anymore." He removed his hood to reveal a long black and gray ponytail and his signature eyepatch. "The name's Xigbar now."
"How long have I been out?" Velle grumbled, standing to her feet.
Xigbar winced, "...Uh...something like...ten years?"
"What!?" Velle shouted. "You mean I've been under Xehanort's possession for ten years!?" She jumped down to a balcony and looked at her reflection in the window, "But I look exactly the same…"
Xigbar landed beside her, "Magic'll do that to ya."
"I have to go." Velle turned, but froze when she felt Xigbar grab her wrist. "Braig let me go," She warned.
"Now, hold on a sec. And I told you it's Xigbar now-"
"Fine. Xigbar... let me go." She summoned her keyblade, she felt power coursing through her veins. Relief washed over her, being able to finally wield her weapon under her own free will. She had gotten a lot stronger since that fateful day in the Keyblade Graveyard.
Xigbar let go of her wrist, "I'm not tryna stop ya, kid!"
"Then what is it?" She asked, turning to face him.
"Once you split the old man'll start looking for you again, he's hell bent on using your light, little lady. It's made things excruciatingly easy for him up until now." Xigbar explained.
"What's that supposed to mean? What's so special about my light?" Velle asked, looking at the palm of her hands as if she could see a difference.
"Doesn't matter right now. The point is, all those spots you know, will be watched by him." Xigbar finished.
"What am I gonna do, Xigbar?" Velle asked hopelessly.
"There's a world I found, it's pretty far from here, I think you'll be safe there for a while." He informed her. "Plus, I gotta run over there frequently for missions so I'll be able to check up on ya."
Velle narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "I don't get it...why are you being so helpful?"
Xigbar rolled his one visible eye, "I told ya, I owe ya. That debt's not gonna be paid until we get you back blondy."
"Alright, tell me where I need to go." Velle consented.
"It's called the Land of Dragons. Do you still have the book?" Xigbar asked with a raised eyebrow.
Velle's eyes widened, she thrust her keyblade into the air, "Reveal!" She piped. Purple stars rained down on her from the tip of her keyblade and encircled her. The book appeared at her feet and she scooped it up in relief. "Yes, I do." She breathed.
"I see you've learned some tricks too, good. Go to the Land of dragons and train, master the spells." Xigbar encouraged. Velle nodded and tapped her armor, summoning her glider and a portal before zooming off towards the Land of Dragons.
She touched down in the new strange world, she found herself in a small village. One look around and Velle knew she stuck out like a sore thumb, the townspeople looked at her and would whisper to each other behind their hands. Velle continued through the village quickly, she needed to get away from the people so she could focus on training. She trudged through the marketplace and reached a small development. The violet haired girl paused for a moment and admired a beautiful blooming Magnolia tree.
A sudden rooster crow caught her attention and her head shot towards a particular home.
"Little brother!? Little brother!" She heard a woman shouting and then the door opened and a small dog came bounding out of the house. The dog had a bag of chicken feed attached to his back and was running after a bone that was hanging over his head attached to a stick. Velle giggled to herself and noticed a woman with long black hair walk out of the house.
"That's pretty clever," Velle remarked to the woman.
She turned to her with a surprised expression before it melted into a smile, "Oh hello! Thank you, are you new around here?"
Velle blinked, "Um...yes. I'm just looking for a nice quiet, private spot to train. My name is Vellum but you can call me Velle."
The woman looked interested, "Hi Velle, I'm Mulan...Fa Mulan, and this is my family's home. What are you training for?"
"I'm...I'm a soldier." Velle lied quickly.
"A soldier? You really must not be from around here, it's forbidden for women to join the Imperial Army." Mulan chuckled.
"I-i...I'm not, I'm just here for some peace and quiet so I can train and then I'm going to go back home." Velle explained.
"Oh well there's a secluded wood just up ahead. If you'd like I can show you where it is when I'm done my chores." Mulan offered.
Velle smiled, "I would really appreciate that, thank you!"
She nodded, "I'll be back in a bit."
Velle watched the woman retreat before turning to look back at the Magnolia tree, it was truly a beautiful sight. She remembered sitting under the Paopu tree with Ventus and felt herself frown. She needed to stop getting distracted and get down to business. In truth, Velle was scared, she was scared that even her best effort would be useless. Xehanort was an ominous presence and his power frightened her. He'd taken control of her body several times.
"Does that mean, I have darkness in my heart like Terra?" Velle wondered aloud. There was a puddle left over from a previous rainfall in the middle of the dirt road. She leaned over it to look at her reflection, "I don't feel evil...I don't look evil...hm…" She thought for a moment. What exactly did evil look like? Her mind immediately snapped to Xehanort, her former Master was definitely sinister. However, her thoughts flickered to Vanitas. He was the incarnation of darkness and yet she still loved him. "But Vanitas was different-" Velle whispered to herself. "He cared about me...I think, otherwise he would have just killed me...right?"
Velle chewed her lip in thought, "If he's capable of that then maybe Master Xehanort is-...No! What the hell am I thinking!? Vanitas is special because he's part of Ven, the two are nothing alike!" She scolded herself. Honestly, she was thankful there was no one near her because she would have looked insane. Velle leaned over the puddle again and examined herself, she tucked a piece of purple hair behind her ear. Her once bright green eyes were now dull and pained. The violet haired girl sighed and pinched her cheeks, pulling them slightly to give them a little color. "Come on, Vellum, look alive!" She whispered.
"Sorry it took so long, I had to talk my father into letting me go. I have to go meet the matchmaker later today and he's worried I won't be prepared." Mulan called from behind her.
Velle turned around and smiled, the brunette girl was jogging towards her. "I didn't even notice! Thank you for taking me to the woods, are you sure you'll be prepared for your meeting? I don't want to burden you."
Mulan grinned and lifted her wrist, the sleeve of her hanfu slid down slightly to reveal something written in a language that Velle couldn't read. Mulan winked, "Yeah, I'll be fine!"
Velle raised an eyebrow as they walked down the road away from Mulan's home. "What is that?" She asked curiously.
"It's cheat notes," Mulan smirked.
"Oh!" Velle grinned, she thought for a moment, "Hey, Mulan?"
"Hm?"
"What's a matchmaker?" Velle asked suddenly.
"You don't know!?" Mulan exclaimed. Velle shook her head, confused. "Where are you from again?"
Velle swallowed, "Oh...you know...around..." She smiled nervously at Mulan as they walked under a large wooden archway and into the trees.
"Right…" Mulan said suspiciously. "Well, it's tradition here for families to send their daughters to the matchmaker to find a husband at a certain age."
Velle's jaw dropped, "What!? You can't choose who you want to get married to!?"
Mulan's smile faltered and she shook her head sadly. "I don't particularly feel strongly towards it one way or the other. I'm just not like other girls, I'm not poised and dainty...I'm just...well...I'm just me."
Velle snorted and shrugged, "Hey, don't sound so upset! I don't see anything wrong with you, you seem nice enough to me."
Mulan smiled, "Thanks, Velle. I'm just scared that I won't do well, no one really has that much faith in me...I just don't want to dishonor my family."
Velle looked at the long haired brunette, she wore a sad smile as she peered into the woods. The lush greenery tickled Velle's exposed skin while she continued down a path beside Mulan. It occurred to her that Fa Mulan needed someone to believe in her just like Ventus did. Velle grinned, "Don't worry Mulan, I'm sure you'll do great things! I believe in you."
Mulan's face brightened, "Thanks, Velle!" She turned and pointed up the path. "It's right this way, no one will bother you here."
Velle walked underneath a branch that Mulan held for her, she ducked and stood straight when she reached a clearing. There was a cliff that provided an awning that she could take shelter under and a large green moss field. "This is perfect!" Velle exclaimed.
Velle gasped as four shadow heartless rose from the ground, "Heartless! Mulan, stand back!" She summoned her keyblade and charged towards them, Velle skidded to a halt when two Soldier and three Emerald Blue heartless appeared alongside.
"Velle, what are they!?" Mulan exclaimed, running up beside her.
"They're dangerous, just stay back, I'll be fine." Velle twirled her keyblade. She slashed at a shadow who suddenly shrunk back into the ground. "Damnit!" she cursed, Velle used the momentum from her attack to swing her weapon back and slam it into a soldier. She flipped forward and aimed her keyblade at a group of heartless. "Terror!" A light shot out of her keyblade and the heartless scattered.
Velle took the opportunity to cut down each one until she was left with one Emerald Blue. She narrowed her eyes and thrust her keyblade in the air, "Firaga!" The heartless was engulfed in flames, it exploded in a flash of light and released the crystalline heart inside. Velle snorted, proud of herself, and blew the smoke from her keyblade before it also disappeared.
"Wow! That was great!" Mulan exclaimed while jogging towards her. "What were those things?"
"They're called heartless, stay away from them, they can really hurt you." Velle explained, she tossed her hair to the side and dusted off her clothes.
"You really are a soldier, aren't you!" Mulan bubbled.
Velle smiled, "Something like that, yeah."
"Wow, that's amazing! Well, I need to get going, my mother will be furious with me if I'm late to the matchmaker. There's a waterfall just a few yards back that way if you need anything to drink." Mulan informed her as she turned to run back to the village.
"Wait! Mulan!" Velle exclaimed, the brunette turned. "Don't tell anyone about me...some people might not understand me."
"I won't, I promise!"
"Good luck!"
"Thank you! I'll come tell you about it when I get back!" Mulan waved over her shoulder and jogged out of sight.
Velle turned towards the cliff and summoned her keyblade again, she held it above her head and bellowed, "Reveal!"
She spent the next few months in the Land of Dragons with no contact from Xigbar. Her friendship with Mulan grew stronger. She began to master more and more of the magic from the book she'd received from Daybreak Town. Velle was sometimes shocked at how easy it was for her to pick up these spells, almost as if she'd known them all along.
Velle sat beside the waterfall behind her camp, it was raining but she didn't mind, she admired the power of the flowing fall. "Okay…" Velle exhaled heavily, "Time to train again." Slowly she waded into the water walking closer and closer to the fall. She was now shoulder deep and could feel the water splashing onto her face. It was cold but she welcomed the refreshing feeling. Velle found that she could increase her physical and mental endurance by meditating under the waterfall. She climbed carefully under the rushing water and sat cross legged. She exhaled again and placed her hands carefully in her lap while she cleared her mind.
Velle found her mind often wandering to the story of the Keyblade War her father had told her about when she was young. Even if Xehanort swore she didn't have a father, she remembered the story. The ultimate battle between light and darkness and what it would mean if either side one. She'd fought many heartless in the Land of Dragons and recently she'd seen new foes. Weird white slippery creatures that were stronger than the heartless. She didn't have much trouble defeating them, but they'd taken her by surprise the first time. Even this world, as far as it was from The Land of Departure, was touched by the darkness. Something had to be done to save it. She had noticed more heartless than usual.
"Velle!" Mulan's shrill voice startled the violet haired girl, her eyes snapped open to see her frantic friend.
She stood and dove into the water, swimming to the shore. "Mulan, what's wrong?"
She was soaked to the bone, her hair plastered to her forehead. "I need your help!"
Velle stood beside her, "What happened?"
"It's my father! The imperial army has drafted him. The Huns have invaded the land!" Mulan explained.
"They did what? But he's an old man, that would be a death sentence!" Velle sputtered.
"One male from every family must go if they are called, my father is the only man." Mulan replied.
"But-"
"I have a plan, but I need your help." Mulan cut her off.
"What kind of plan?" Velle asked skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest. She'd gotten to know Mulan well enough to know that, as grand as her schemes were, they were often not thoroughly thought through.
"I'm going to go in his stead, I just want you to help me learn how to wield this-" She revealed a sword from behind her back.
Velle took a step back, "Mulan...where did you get that?"
"It's my father's sword…" She mumbled.
"You stole your dad's sword? Mulan!" Velle scolded. "This will never work, you said yourself that the Imperial Army doesn't allow women to fight."
Mulan pulled her hair to the side and unsheathed the sword, in one swift motion she cut her hair. She took a green ribbon out of her hanfu and tied her hair in a bun. "I look like a passable man when I put the armor on, I swear."
Velle furrowed her brows, "What if they find out!?"
"They won't! I'll be extra careful, I just need your help with swordsmanship. I need to look like I've at least held a sword before." Mulan pleaded.
"I can't, in good conscience, let you go. I'm coming with you." Velle decided.
"What!? No way! They'll definitely be able to tell if you come. No offense, Velle, but you look like a little girl." Mulan countered.
"No way, I'm coming, we're friends, Mulan. We go to war together, I won't let you go alone. And wait, hold on, let me show you." Velle braided her hair into a long braid like she'd seen some of the village men wear. She looked at her reflection and grimaced, she still looked like a little girl. She picked up a handful of mud and smeared it on her face to make it dirty.
"What are you-" Velle looked at Mulan, "Well...I mean...kind of if I squint." She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.
"Shut up, Mulan, you're not going alone." Velle glared.
"Fine, but I leave tonight so we have to take Khan." Mulan agreed reluctantly.
"Where is Khan?" Velle asked, looking around for the black horse.
"Back at your camp, come on, we need to move before my father finds out." Mulan led Velle to Khan, they hopped atop of the poor horse and galloped towards the Imperial camp.