It didn't take long for Ventus, Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd to reach the desert's edge. The four of them were greatly relieved as the sand and dust made way into grass and dirt. Not long after that, a noticeable decrease in temperature caused the quartet to sigh in relief.
"Oh, that's so much better!" Ninten exclaimed, fanning himself lightly with his own hat. "I never want to go there again!"
"We'll have to on the way back, won't we?" Ana brought up, not seeming too thrilled. "At least we won't have to drive around in that hot tank…though Ven's powers really helped with that."
Lloyd seemed a bit disappointed at the lack of tank driving. "Yeah…but hey, Ana, do you know how far Youngtown is?" As he asked this, the group started to pass by an area increasingly populated by trees. Not quite a forest, and there was a distinct path where no foliage was in the way.
"It shouldn't be too far away." The girl replied, walking ahead of the group and clearly in a rush. "I don't think…I only saw it from a map. I've never actually been there."
Ventus really felt bad for the girl, only being able to imagine having a parent go missing and not knowing if they were okay or not. He'd move quickly too, causing Ninten and Lloyd to quickly pick up the pace as well.
The quartet moved in silence for several miles, just focusing on moving ahead as quickly as possible. It was simply more trees for a while, the area becoming increasingly like a forest as they went. They started to wonder if this was even the right direction when they saw something unusual.
Between two trees was a sort of wall. Though calling it even that was pretty generous. It was more like a massive pile of sticks, rocks, and mud that had a doorway-sized opening in the middle. "Is that the way into Youngtown? Looks pretty ineffective." Lloyd remarked as the four approached the wall.
Before they could enter, a child no older than six or so emerged and blocked the doorway. "H…Halt! Who are you?!" He demanded loudly, looking rather afraid.
Once more feeling pity, Ventus took charge. "Hey, we're not here to hurt you or anything." The teen said gently, leaning down with his hands on his knees as he talked to the boy. "Why are you guarding this wall?"
The boy seemed surprised at the answer he got, but then when Ventus asked his question, his face scrunched up as he started to cry. Before the quartet could say anything, he ran off beyond the wall.
"What was that about? Was that kid alright?" Ninten asked, frowning heavily. "Let's see what's going on here…"
Doing just that, the four went through the makeshift wall as well. Before them was a small community. Houses were scattered about a massive opening within the trees. There weren't any roads or sidewalks, just grass instead. The ground was overrun with weeds, and it was clear no groundskeeping had been done for weeks at the very least.
Wandering about were children, most of them very young. Even the oldest ones were barely ten, if that. The kids all looked dirty, as if they hadn't bathed or showered in a while. Some of them had holes in their clothes, and a lot of them looked hungry too. When the kids saw the quartet, they started to approach, some crying as they did so.
"Hold me!" One little girl said, no older than three.
"No, hold me!" A boy the same age begged.
"Where's my mommy?"
"Please help us!"
"I'm so hungry…"
"Play with me!"
The kids started to call out whatever their thoughts were, surrounding the outsiders. Ana stepped forward, a distraught expression on her face. "Where are your parents?" She asked, looking about desperately. "There…are adults here, right? I knew there were some disappearances, but…"
"They're all gone…" A boy replied, the oldest of the surrounding kids. "One night, they just all vanished…"
Ventus was horrified, stepping forward as well. "Well…who's been taking care of you, then?"
The same boy shook his head with a sniffle. "No one…"
That explained the condition of the area and the kids themselves. The poor children had been fending for themselves for a while, clearly! "That's so awful…" Lloyd murmured. "Is there something we can do to help? Do you know where your parents went?"
Once more, the older boy spoke up, the other kids quieting down, though a few sobbed to themselves. "We don't know…One night there were eerie lights and it felt like the ground was quaking. Then they were all gone! And the Garrickson baby is acting weird, and we don't know how to help him!"
"A baby?!" Ventus exclaimed, mortified at what was going on. "What's wrong with the baby? Is he okay?!"
"We don't know…" The boy repeated, seeming to be at the edge of his emotional rope as he started to sniffle more. "He won't cry at all, but babies are supposed to, aren't they?"
Vents had no idea how to care for babies, he had never actually encountered one as far as his memories served. Still, he couldn't just ignore this! "Where is this baby?"
The boy pointed to a nearby house, its door wide open. "In there…his sister is there too…"
"We should go take a look!" Ninten remarked, concerned as the rest of the quartet.
"This is just awful…" Ana murmured as the four made their way to the house. "These poor kids…and no one even knew! All I ever heard was there were some disappearances, but not all the adults…"
"And no way of knowing what happened to your mom." Ninten said, putting a comforting hand on Ana's shoulder. "I'm really sorry…"
That got a small, solemn smile from Ana. "Thanks, Ninten. You're awful sweet."
His cheeks tinting lightly red, Ninten retracted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "I dunno about that, but…" He trailed off, clearing his throat.
Entering the home, the four saw a young girl about six or seven standing on a chair so she could look into a crib. In it was a baby in a red onesie, fidgeting lightly but entirely silent. The girl looked at her visitors with wide eyes. "Wh…Who are you?"
"Don't worry, we're here to help. Your brother isn't crying at all, right?" Ventus asked, wondering if the baby was sick somehow. Could a Cure help in that? Master Eraqus had always taught that it healed wounds, but never really mentioned sicknesses…
Sniffling, the girl nodded. "Yeah…babies are supposed to cry, right? But he hasn't in days! It's scary…"
Ninten perked up a bit, as if he felt something. Ana did so as well, but this feeling was lost on Lloyd and Ventus. The black haired boy stepped towards the crib. "Let me try something…" Leaning in, he lightly touched the tip of his finger to the baby's forehead. He remained silent, closing his eyes. After a few moments, his brows raised in surprise, and he gasped out as he stepped away.
"What is it? What's wrong?" The girl asked, looking to Ninten with pleading eyes.
"Don't worry. Your baby brother is fine. I used my Telepathy to read his mind and communicate with him. He's got awakening PSI abilities…it's why he's been so quiet. His brain is probably just really advanced, so he outgrew crying." Ninten explained.
"Oh! R…Really? You actually have powers? I didn't know those were real!" The girl said, seeming quite relieved.
Ana stepped up, raising a finger, and making a tiny flame appear. "That's right. See? I have them too, and I can vouch for Ninten."
"Thank goodness!" The girl remarked, looking at her baby brother with a sigh of relief. "That was really nice of you to help! Thank you!"
Ninten chuckled lightly. "Well, I didn't do much, really. He also helped awaken a power in me. Teleportation."
"What? Really? I didn't know my baby brother was so amazing!" The girl remarked, getting back on her chair to dote at her sibling.
"You can teleport now?" Ana asked as the quartet left the house. "That'll be helpful! How does it work?"
"Well…I have to imagine the place n my mind. So, it has to be somewhere I've been." Ninten explained. "Then I just book it, and I can teleport us."
Lloyd cleared his throat. "That's interesting and all, but what do we do here? There aren't any adults. We can't just leave the kids like this…"
"You're right. We need to tell the authorities." Ana agreed, sighing lightly. "I just wish there was a clue about my mom…nothing here helped…"
"Hey, don't worry." Ventus piped up, trying to sound optimistic. "I'm sure your mom is safe and sound. I bet the adults from here are all okay too." He wished he had something to base that off of, though.
Ninten nodded. "Yeah, he's right. We'll get these kids some help, and then we'll find your mom!" He hesitated before going on. "First…we just need to make a detour?"
"What? Where? Where do you want to go?" Lloyd asked, not sounding too happy at the idea of a distraction.
Once more, Ninten hesitated before speaking. "You remember that dragon I told you guys about? In Magicant? I think I need to go back to him. Something about that baby unlocking a new power for me just…sort of made me realize this is the time."
"Mmm…if your heart is saying this is important…" Ana hesitantly agreed.
"Don't worry!" Ninten assured. "After we see the dragon, we'll go to Merrysville and get help for the kids. It's a lot closer than Podunk, so I think it'll help more."
That lifted both Ana and Lloyd's spirits, Ventus going along with what the others wanted. The teen was there to help out, not to lead. "If you think that's best…" Ventus said. "So, you'll use that hook you mentioned, right? How does it work?"
Ninten took the object from his pocket. "I'm…not sure. You guys should get in close. I'm not sure if you have to, but I'd hate to accidentally leave you behind." He jumped a bit as Ana gently took his hand. Lloyd put a hand on her shoulder, and Ventus did the same to Lloyd. "Okay…maybe if I just concentrate…"
The boy closed his eyes. Whatever it was he did, it worked. The quartet felt a lurching motion, as if they were fish on a hook. A flash of pink light obscured their vision, and before they knew it, they were in Magicant. The four ended up in the same place as Ninten and Terra did when they went, in front of the odd pillar-like structure.
The three newcomers to Magicant looked around, mouths open a bit in shock. "Wow…it's really a lot more spectacular than I imagined!" Lloyd exclaimed, looking to the pink and cloudlike ground.
"It's so pretty!" Ana chirped, seeming to really cheer up. "I feel so…calm here. It's like nothing can hurt us!"
Ventus was pretty amazed too, Magicant by far being the most alien world he had encountered so far. He looked at the ground and sky, then at some of the nearby citizens and their odd clothing. Several of the people looked at the quartet, some even offering a wave and all of them seeming quite happy. It was gorgeous to look at, though he had to wonder just how it came to be and why it was connected to the three kids' homeworld.
"Yeah, it's really something, huh?" Ninten said with a smile before getting more serious. "We should be careful, though. The Crystal Cavern place is dangerous, keep that in mind. I don't know what this dragon will do…"
"Well, that giant robot was pretty tough, but we handled it." Ana said as Ninten started to lead the group through the settlement.
Lloyd seemed pretty nervous at the reminder of the dragon. "We had that tank, remember? Without it, I don't think we could've won, even with Ven's help."
"I've gone against some pretty powerful monsters." Ventus remarked, recalling the King Dodongo he helped Link fight against. "A dragon shouldn't be too bad."
"What? Really? What kind of monsters?!" Ninten asked, pretty excited to hear some sort of story of battle.
"Um…Maybe later. It's not something I like to really talk about at length…" Ventus said, dodging the question. He didn't know how to really describe the situation without giving away he was from another world. Who knew what was possible back where he had just been? Something like a Dodongo may not exist in that world, so even forgoing the name might make the others suspicious of the story.
"Aw…Well, it's fine. We should concentrate on the dragon…" Ninten relented, leading the quartet off towards the entrance to the Crystal Cavern.
The trip through the cavern wasn't as eventful as the time Ninten went through with Terra. They encountered more of the unusual eyeball creatures, but most of them just wandered away from the group. Any of the odd beings that actually attacked were quickly dispatched.
Before too long, the quartet came across the massive dragon. Just like before, it lied curled up, slumbering peacefully.
"You sure about this?" Lloyd whispered, his laser gun in his hand. "That thing's not as big as the robot, but it's pretty big…"
"We've got this. Don't worry!" Ninten replied, seeming quite confident. Maybe it was him putting on a brave face, but either way he stepped forward to the beast.
As if sensing the boy's presence, the dragon's eyes opened. It let out a yawn and slowly uncurled, standing up properly. The beast was tall enough that it had to bend its neck down a bit, otherwise its head would hit the cavern ceiling.
Its nostrils flared as it looked over the group. Ninten had his bat ready, Ana her pan, while Lloyd gripped his laser gun. Its gaze fixated on Ventus for a moment, who had Wayward Wind out. After that, it looked to Ninten once more, clearly more interested in him than the rest.
To the surprise of the group, a deep voice echoed within their skulls, very clearly the dragon somehow communicating with them, though its mouth remained still. "You must defeat me to earn my musical note." It said, its tone making it clear there was no room for negotiation.
"I had a feeling! Let's go, dragon!" Ninten called, charging forward with his bat at the ready, slamming the weapon into the creature's leg. That actually seemed to damage the dragon, or at least frustrate it, as the creature lifted its limb and attempted to stomp down on the boy.
In an attempt to at least distract the beast, Ventus kicked off the ground and slashed at its chest with Wayward Wind, even its tough-looking scales unable to completely guard against the attack. This caused it to roar out and start to shoot flames from its mouth at the Keyblade wielder.
"Ven! I've got you!" Ana called, raising a protective barrier around the teen, causing the flames to harmlessly hit the shield rather than Ventus.
While this was happening, Lloyd stayed away from the action, firing at the dragon with his laser pistol. Each individual shot did very little, but they were singing its scaled, and chances were the damage would build over time…or so the white haired boy hoped…
The dragon was getting overwhelmed. Ventus landed on the ground, the fire breath having done zero damage to him. As soon as his feet hit the cavern floor, the Keyblade wielder leapt at the dragon again, aiming an attack to its head. Ninten and Ana stayed on the ground, jumping over the beast's tail as it swiped across the floor while Lloyd stayed away and shot at the dragon.
Ana used PK Freeze on the dragon, the attack really causing the monster to roar out as it focused its head on Ventus. It jerked its head forward, attempting to bite the teen as he went towards it. Using a burst of Aero magic, Ventus went to the side a bit in midair, just enough to dodge the attack and counter with a slash across the dragon's face.
This caused the beast to breathe more fire, this time it came as a wave that went past Ventus and down around it. Ninten and Ana brought up shields for themselves, but Lloyd wasn't so lucky. He saw the attack coming and ran, but some of the flames got to his legs, causing him to cry out and fall to the floor.
Angered, Ninten and Ana doubled down on their attacks. The boy slammed his baseball bad down on one of the dragon's claws, causing it to cry out as the girl unleashed a powerful PK Thunder attack. The bolts of PSI powers struck the dragon, causing electricity to coat its body as it thrashed about, its tail hitting Ventus as it whipped up and sent him down to the floor.
"Lloyd! Are you okay?!" Ventus called after recovering from the attack. It was enough for hm to shake off, so he was far more worried about the white haired boy.
"My legs…!" The burnt boy shouted back. "They hit my legs, but it's only first degree!" It was clear he was trying to sound tough and couldn't hold back a sniffle as his voice cracked a bit near the end.
"Ana! Let's use or Blizzard attacks together! I think that first one you used really got to it!" Ventus called, feeling angry at the dragon for hurting his new friend.
"R…Right! I'll try my best!" Ana replied as Ventus ran to her side, the girl holding out her palms towards the dragon. The teen held Wayward Wind towards the beast and the two unleashed the full might of their Blizzard attacks as Ninten ran behind them.
A frigid air seemed to instantly consume the cavern. The biting cold erupted from the two attackers, ice starting to form on the floor and ceiling as large ice crystals formed and shattered against the dragon as what was essentially a blizzard started to consume it.
The dragon could do little in the cavern tunnel that, for the great beast at least, was rather cramped. All it was able to do was breath pillars of fire which were overpowered and extinguished by the Blizzaga's power as it flailed uselessly. After a few moments, the two ran ceased the attack, watching as the dragon was coated in ice and frost, unmoving.
"Oh…you guys didn't kill it, did you?" Ninten asked with worry, shivering with light frost on his clothes and hair. "We need it alive so it can teach us a melody!"
"I hope not! This is why I don't like using my powers!" Ana cried with wide, fearful eyes. "Even doing that small flame in Youngtown felt wrong, but I wanted to assure that poor girl…"
Before anyone else could put out their thoughts, the dragon flinched lightly. Then it did it again. After a third time, it erupted from the ice, lashing its tail at Ventus and Ana, hitting the girl and sending her into the wall while the teen dodged.
"Ana!" Ninten cried, gritting his teeth. "Ven…I think I need to finish this. I need your help!" The boy said. "This is all…connected to me somehow, I just know it. It was my great-grandfather's journal that got me to Magicant in the first place, the citizens know my name…and the first melody was in my house…" He sighed, seeming unsure. "I think, maybe, I have to give the finishing blow."
Ventus wasn't really sure about all this, but his words made sense. Ninten would know more about these feelings than him. "I have an idea! Put a barrier around yourself! Keep it up until the last moment!"
Ninten nodded, doing as Ventus said and putting a sphere of protection around his body. The Keyblade wielder got to work, smacking the barrier and Ninten up into the air. He then leapt up and slammed Wayward Wind into the barrier once more, sending it and the boy careening towards the dragon, who was lightly dazed after being partly frozen.
With a cry, Ninten followed Ventus' advice and kept the barrier up until the last moment as he approached the dragon's head. With a shout of effort, he slammed his bat down on the creature's head, the adrenaline from his anger and the momentum from being shot forward causing the impact to practically echo through the cavern.
As the boy fell to the ground, Ninten caught him, the two watching as the dragon stayed perfectly still for a moment. With a groan, it fell forward and collapsed onto the floor, eyes closed.
"Did…did you beat it?" Ana asked. Ninten and Ventus turned to see she and Lloyd were up and approaching the two. The girl had used her healing powers to heal herself and Lloyd as the combination attack went underway.
"I sure hope so…" Ninten murmured, looking at the dragon with worry.
No sooner did those words escape his lips did the dragon stir. It got back up again but made no hostile movements. Instead, it raised its head as high as it could within the cavern and bellowed out eight elongated, deep, gorgeous notes. The melody seemed to resonate within the four observers, all of them feeling it in their very bones.
With that, the creature curled up once more and closed its eyes…soon falling right back to sleep.
"W…We did it…" Lloyd breathed, putting a hand over his chest. "That was so scary! I thought for sure it was going to attack us again!"
"That melody was so beautiful…" Ana remarked, almost seeming to forget that the dragon had tried to kill them mere moments ago.
"It was…" Ninten agreed with a slow nod. "I just wish I knew where we should go now…where the seventh melody is."
Ventus looked over to the black haired boy. "Don't worry too much about it. I'm sure your heart will guide you in the direction you need to go. Just gotta learn to listen to it."
"Well…right now, it's telling me we have to go back to Merrysville. We have to tell the police about those kids!" Ninten announced. "Come on, everyone form a line behind me, and I'll Teleport us there!" The other three did as told. Ana got right behind Ninten, Lloyd behind her, and Ventus at the rear. "Alright, just follow me!"
With that, Ninten started to sprint forward, the other three sort of pulled along with him. They picked up speed as they went, going faster than they normally would. When the quartet started to approach a wall, the three followers started to get worried. "Uh…Ninten? Is this really okay?!" Lloyd asked, his feet nearly a blur.
"Almost…there…!" Ninten called, energy crackling around them as the wall got closer and closer. The world seemed to start to almost ripple around them as they started to run out of room to go and then…!
They crashed.
Or rather, Ninten did, and a burst of energy blew back in their faces. This stunned the quartet, a layer of loose soot covering them as the PSI ability failed to properly activated. Coughing harshly, Ventus started to shake and brush the black material off of him. "What…was that…?" He asked between hacking out his lungs.
"I don't think we…had enough room…!" Ninten started to cough very violently, fumbling in his pocket. He took out an inhaler and started to take a few puffs, Ana patting his back as he did so.
"Are you okay? That must've been awful for your asthma!" The girl declared with a frown. "With that soot and all…"
Lloyd was wiping off his glasses as he coughed up small black clouds. "Eugh…I think I swallowed some…" He bemoaned.
After getting his condition under control, Ninten cleared his throat as he put his inhaler away. "Let's…try again outside…"
With no argument from the other three, the group made their way out of the cavern and to the seemingly endless stretches of Magicant. Once more, Ninten took the lead and the four started to run onward to the pink horizon of the unusual world.
This time, there were no obstacles, and the four sprinted ahead undisturbed as energy built and crackled around them once more. Just like last time, as they started to run faster than they ever had before, the world started to ripple around the quartet.
In an instant, Magicant melted away, and the four found themselves in a town along a sidewalk. A few citizens jumped out of the way as the quartet slowed to a stop, looking to the kids and teen in bewilderment.
"It worked!" Lloyd exclaimed, looking about. "It really worked! We're back in Merrysville!"
"Well, now know how much room we need…" Ninten said with a sigh of relief. "We should go to the police station, then. It'll take a while to get this settled, I think. A couple of days…"
Ventus perked up at that. A couple of days? As much as he wanted to help…he didn't have that kind of time! The teen still had to at least try and find Vanitas again, he had to keep going to more worlds to look. Ventus hadn't forgotten his secondary quest, to try and understand friendship more, but this world hadn't helped him.
With a sigh, the Keyblade wielder spoke up. "Listen…you three…I'm gonna have to go my own way now."
"What? Why? You just joined up!" Ninten said with a frown. "Do you need to meet up with Terra or something?"
"It's…something like that. I know you three will be in good hands, though, with the police helping you out." The teen replied, really feeling guilty. "And the three of you handled that dragon very well, you'll be able to push on without me, I just know it!"
Ana and Lloyd didn't seem too happy either, though they had looks of understanding on their faces. "I hope you'll come visit again soon." The girl remarked.
"Yeah, you've been a really good friend, Ven." Lloyd added on, perking up a bit.
"I hope I can. Good luck on everything you three." Ventus was deathly curious about Magicant and the melodies among other things…but he had to keep moving on. A small part of him wondered if Aqua would go to this world too. He only thought that because the two of them ran into each other twice already by chance, and she had also been to Disney Town before he went there. Maybe Aqua would find here way here as well…? Ventus had a good feeling about it, but he didn't want to accidentally lie to Ninten or the others, so he kept his mouth shut about it.
"Okay…well, we can't stop you. Good luck on your own trip, then." Ninten said with a small smile as Lloyd started to lead the other two to the police station.
Ventus let out another sigh as he waved the kids off, still feeling really bad. The whole thing with Youngtown could take days, or even longer. Then there was getting the other melodies. Who knew how long that process would take? As much as the teen wanted to stay and help, he felt he had no choice but to leave. He still believed Aqua would help, he felt it in his heart, but he still felt bad.
Going in the opposite direction, Ventus walked until he left the borders of Merrysville and entered a forest nearby. Only then did he don his armor and summon his glider. As he rose up to the sky and left the world behind him, the teen felt more pangs of guilt. He still had a mission to do, both to hunt down Vanitas and regarding his own personal journey.
His heart told him this was the right choice, but…was it really true…?
Much time has passed since I left the home of my youth behind, and in the myriad worlds I have since visited, I have gained much knowledge. On these pages, I intend to record a portion of that knowledge, and put the course of my life to paper.
Upon reflection, my life underwent the most considerable sea-change when I arrived at that place. Yes, it began when I found a Master, and another I would later call my brother…when I found a new home.
Then there was the Keyblade. For what purpose was it begotten, and by whom? During my training as one of its wielders, the precepts offered a clear answer: the Keyblade existed so that we who watched over the light could protect the world from the shadows.
But was that the TRUE answer? Could there not be more to it than that? My heart sought knowledge, and so I sometimes visited other worlds, though such travel was forbidden unless duty required, and found what my heart sought.
Terra looked around as he entered the arena, the crowd cheering loudly as he and Zog had been announced over the loudspeaker by Notaarin. The arena itself was heavy with damage already. Scratches in the floor from buzzsaw attacks, scorch marks, even miniature craters. Terra wasn't worried, though. He felt strong enough to handle even something as large as Zog.
Speaking of which, the massive robot was barely able to fit through the door into the arena itself. Terra had a black box strapped to his chest, an antenna and a blinking red light present on it. Zack had explained that it sent out a signal to robots that allowed them to attack him despite being a human. The squathappy fighter didn't seem to really know how the specifics worked, though, not that Terra needed to have all the details. He was warned, however, that the robots would see him as a robot, essentially, so they would try and kill him as the fighters were normally allowed to fight until the other was scrapped.
Zog managed to squeeze into the arena proper, practically making the building shake with each footstep. Its gaze was focused on Terra and him alone. If it was capable of giving him an intimidating stare, it surely would be.
Once more, Notaarin spoke over the loudspeaker. "Now this is exciting, eh folks?! Our second human contestant will get a chance to show his strength today! But can he handle the titanic might of Zog! Contestants! Prepare yourselves!" He paused, the crowd cheering as Terra readied Earthshaker. "FIGHT!"
It was the Keyblade wielder that acted first. Zog may have been several times larger than Terra, but there was no way it could outpace him. It raised its cannon arm as its opponent approached rapidly, but the young man was too quick. Terra leapt up into the air, Zog trying to shift its cannon at the same speed, but failing, it just moved too slowly.
As he reached the robot, Terra slashed across its chest with his Keyblade, the gash not as deep as he'd like, but still going from shoulder to hip and causing some sparks to spurt out of the wound. It, of course, didn't react to the wound, being just a robot. Zog stomped towards Terra as he landed, lifting a foot to try and crush him flat.
Rather than dodge out of the way, Terra stood his ground and raised Earthshaker in defense. As the metallic foot came down, his knees buckled as Zog tried to reduce him to dust. The audience was nearly silent as the young man fought back against the machine.
With a loud cry, Terra fought back and forced his Keyblade up. His strength was so immense that it propelled Zog's foot up, along with the rest of his body, and allowed the Keyblade wielder to cut the appendage in half, the two metal remnants of the foot falling to the floor. As this happened, the audience started to go while, cheering loudly for Terra as he almost effortlessly tore his opponent apart.
This caused the awkwardly shaped Zog to become off balanced. As it tried to compose itself, Terra leapt towards the massive cannon arm that its creator surely thought would give it the win. With another cry of effort, he sliced through the massive weapon with only a bit of effort, the front half of the limb falling uselessly to the ground.
Terra would normally never be so hard on an opponent of his, whether he was fighting a human or some kind of beast. But he kept thinking about the robots back on his own homeworld. While he never had to personally encounter one, he head countless stories of the atrocities they performed. As far as he was concerned, robots couldn't ever have hearts. They were just unfeeling metal constructions, so why worry about how damaged they got?
Zog was once more off balance due to its massive right arm being sliced in half. It managed to get itself upright but couldn't properly attack Terra easily with its only long-ranged attack now nullified. It hopped on one foot towards its opponents, a feat that was impressive given how immense the robot was.
"One more strike and this is done…" Terra murmured to himself. The young man wasn't going to give Zog any chance to do any sort of proper attack. Once more, he leapt up into the air, this time aiming higher. He jumped towards Zog's head, where it was totally defenseless. With one last cry of battle, he slammed Earthshaker down on the robotic cranium, denting it horribly and causing something within Zog's body to screech and creak violently.
As Terra landed on the ground, Zog's head swiveled back and forth constantly, something severely broken from the impact. The young man watched as Zog started to teeter back and forth before its head simply blew right off, landing near the arena wall as the gigantic robot fell down to the side, unmoving.
The audience went wild, most of them standing up in their seats as they cheered Terra on. Over the loudspeaker, Notaarin gave his thoughts. "I think I speak for all of us here when I say that was amazing! I guarantee you all that I spoke up close and personal with Terra and I insist that he is in fact human! With that performance, though, I have to say I'm starting to wonder how true that is! Either way, he is the victor of the match! Congratulations, Terra!"
Not one to soak in acclaim and praise from strangers, Terra made his way back to the fighters' room as cleaning robots came out to take care of the mess. Almost as soon as he entered, Zack ran up to him, his eyes wide.
"That was amazing, Terra!" The young man exclaimed. "I had a feeling you were strong, but not that strong!" Once more, he started doing squats on the spot. "Man, I'm really gonna have trouble when we fight! But I won't hold back!"
Smiling lightly, Terra took the device off of his chest and handed it back to Zack. "I hope you don't, I won't hold back either. Good luck on your next match."
So, the tournament continued.
Robots fought each other in the ring while Zack and Terra would get their turns as well, swapping the black box back and forth. Thanks to the large screen in the room, they were able to see how the other fought pretty well. The Keyblade wielder saw that Zack wasn't as brutally strong as he was but was swift and a clear expert with his sword. When they weren't fighting, the two would watch the robot matches, making comments and observations as they rested and had some food and water provided by Notaarin free of charge.
With the matches generally pretty short, the semifinal matches went underway within an hour of the fight with Zog ending. Terra won his own match without much trouble. Zack had a bit of difficulty with his own foe, a robot named Atlus, but got through it without too many injuries. When the black haired fighter went back to the fighters' room, he flashed Terra a grin.
"Well, we're the last two, huh? I knew we would be!" Zack said with a laugh. "Kind of funny…I entered here to fight nothing but robots to show how strong I am…but my last match is against another human. You are human, right? I've heard the mechanics and inventors in here wondering that since your fight with Zog."
"As human as you are." Terra replied, really not liking being compared to robots, but he knew Zack didn't mean it as an insult. "Are you ready for our match?"
Zack gave a confident smirk, but his tone was jovial and friendly. "You bet! I've gotta prove myself to someone, and I intend to do it!"
That made two of them, though Terra assumed for very different reasons. Before long, the two were buzzed into the arena again as Notaarin announced the final match. He built the two up, yet still apologized that the robot tournament ended with two humans fighting.
Given the roar of the crowd when Terra and Zack entered the arena, it was apparent that the apology was unnecessary. As the two went to their proper places and readied their weapons, Notaarin went on. "Now the rules here will be a bit different given the combatants are human! Unlike all the other matches, no killing of the opponent is allowed! The fight goes on until one fighter surrenders or is knocked unconscious or is otherwise ready to fight! Now then, contestants! Prepare yourselves for the final match!" He paused once more for dramatic effect. "FIGHT!"
Terra and Zack sprinted towards each other, as soon as Notaarin gave the signal. As they drew near, they Keyblade wielder attacked first, swiping Earthshaker in a horizontal attack. Zack was nimble, though, and leapt right over it and landed behind Terra. The younger warrior attacked his opponent from behind, but Terra was too fast for that, spinning around in an instant and blocking the blow.
"Power and speed? That just isn't fair!" Zack lightly joked as the two clashed, the black haired youth pushing his sword as hard as he could to little effect.
"I said I wouldn't hold back!" Terra reminded, forcing his Keyblade not a swing, which caused Zack to skid backwards, almost making him hit the arena wall. The older fighter had decided not to use any spells for this tournament. Not just against Zack, but when fighting the robots too. For a true test of his strength, he took all of them down with nothing but Earthshaker and his own power. He even resisted against using darkness to aid him!
Without giving him time to recover, Terra closed the distance between the two and gave another horizontal swipe to his opponent. This time, Zack blocked it, but just wasn't strong enough to resist the attack entirely and was sent to the ground. As Terra approached to strike again, Zack countered swiftly.
The black haired fighter pushed himself off the ground feet-first, slamming into Terra and jumping off of him and back into a standing position. While the older fighter was distracted from the attack, Zack sprinted forward and slashed Terra across the chest with a single swipe.
Grunting out in pain, Terra stood his ground and slammed his Keyblade into Zack's side, knocking the wind out of the opponent and sending him sprawling to the ground. Zack managed, however, to roll into the fall and got back onto his feet, apparently good at recovering from blows.
This time, Zack was the aggressor as he attacked Terra with a flurry of quick swipes from his blade, forcing the older fighter to go on the defensive. He stood his ground, using Earthshaker to block each attack, but with every blow, he felt his Keyblade jerking back and forth from the force. The risk of his weapon being knocking out of his hand from increased with each swipe.
To Terra's surprise, Zack changed things up entirely. After a strong swing, he leapt straight up and pointed his sword downward, as if to skewer his opponent. Eyes widening, Terra got out of the way, further shocked he'd use such a dangerous attack.
As it turned out, this was part of a ruse. Zack knew Terra would never get hit by such an obvious strike. As soon as he hit the ground, the younger fighter spun about in a swift strike that caught Terra across the upper leg, making him hiss out in pain and prompting him to jump backwards and put a distance between the two.
"Have to…show…I can do this…" Zack murmured, eyes glazing over.
Terra's brows rose at this, starting to sense something within Zack. The teen seemed more serious than before, and the Keyblade wielder quickly deduced why. Terra began feeling darkness emanating from the black haired fighter. Was he so ambitious, so desperate to win, that his heart was clouded with darkness?
Before Terra could ponder further, Zack sprinted at him, going faster than he had previously. Not only that, but the strike from his sword was a lot harder as well, Terra barely able to block it and keep himself from buckling under the pressure.
The Keyblade wielder wondered if this was why he was drawn to this world. Was this a test? To combat a wielder of darkness? Zack wasn't a bad person; Terra could tell that. This was just momentary weakness, so either way, he had to bring his opponent to his senses!
Refusing even at that point to use magic, Terra once more forced Earthshaker into a swing, knocking Zack backwards. He followed this with a quick, but strong, second attack which struck the black haired fighter in the arm, stunning the younger fighter. Crying out, Terra slashed his opponent across the chest, panting as he watched Zack collapse to the ground.
Watching his downed foe, Terra felt the darkness start to dissipate. It made him stronger and faster but made him sloppy. Zack should've been able to dodge that last attack, but he was too blinded by his darkness. Was that something that could happen to Terra himself…?
After a few seconds passed without Zack moving, Notaarin came back onto the loudspeaker. "I…I think it's over! Zack Fair is still breathing, but I think that last blow knocked him out! Terra is the winner of the tournament, ladies and gentleman! What a show they gave us!" As he shouted this out, the audience cheered wildly, very clearly loving the show they just witnessed.
Concerned, Terra cast a Cure spell on the both of them, getting them healed up. "Hey, Zack, are you alright?" The young man asked, kneeling down to his fallen opponent as he dismissed Earthshaker.
Groaning, Zack rolled over and sat up, clutching his head. "What happened…? I lost, didn't I…?"
Helping the younger fighter to his feet, Terra nodded. "I'm afraid so. Are you okay? I felt…darkness inside of you."
"…" Zack sighed. "So that's what that was. I wanted to win so badly…to be like my hero, and I guess my heart just lost control." His hands clenched into fists. "After all that, and I'm still this weak!"
Shaking his head, Terra put a friendly hand on Zack's shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. Every heart has darkness in it." Well, aside from the Princesses of Heart, but no need for semantics. "You just have to learn to maintain a balance. Keep working on yourself, and something like that won't happen again!"
Faster than Terra expected, Zack brightened up with a toothy grin. "Yeah! I guess you're right! I can do it, right?"
Well, he sure kept himself optimistic. "Exactly. I'm in the process of doing something like that myself, so I know how it feels."
As the two talked, Notaarin came into the arena, a microphone in his hands. "And look at that, ladies, and gentlemen, the two finalists clearly having no ill will towards each other!" He pulled Terra away from Zack. "Tell me, how does it feel to win?!"
Oh. Uh. Well, Terra didn't like this. Crowds weren't his thing. Still, he cleared his throat and answered. "I was glad I got this opportunity. I'm also glad the audience enjoyed it." A bit awkward, but he wasn't really sure how to respond…
"And what will you be doing with the prize money?!" Notaarin excitedly asked, a wide grin on his face.
Prize money? Notaarin hadn't mentioned that! Terra had no use for money. Even if he kept it, it'd never be usable in any other world. "I don't need anything like that. I'll let Zack take the prize."
That really shocked Notaarin, who blinked a few times in surprise. "A…Are you sure?!" Terra gave a nod. "How generous! Zack, you may have lost the fight, but the prize money is yours!"
Zack was shocked at that as Notaarin approached him with the mic. "Me! No…I didn't earn it!" He replied, flummoxed. "I wasn't in it for the money anyway. I wanted to just test my strength. So…I guess the money can go to the various scientists that built these fighting robots. They can improve their fighters, and I can go against them in the ring!"
"I can't believe it!" Notaarin announced to the cheering crowd. "These finalists are so generous! Never have I seen such a thing in all my years!"
Terra left soon after that, Notaarin shaking his and Zack's hands and thanking them profusely. The young man saw no reason to stick about and decided he should leave the world. Well, he wanted to do one quick thing first…
"Hey!" A voice called from behind Terra. Turning, the Keyblade wielder saw Zack running towards him. After he caught up, he beamed at the older fighter. "What? You're just gonna leave already? What's the fun in that?"
"Well, there's something I had to check on." Terra replied. "After that, I have to keep moving."
Zack rubbed the back of his neck as the two kept walking. "That's a shame. We could've been sparring partners, maybe."
"Afraid not, though I wouldn't have minded it." And Terra meant that, too. He had taken a liking to Zack. A bit of the younger fighter reminded him of Ventus.
"Yeah..." Zack replied with a shrug. "So, what are you checking on anyway? Something important?"
"Sort of. It's just something that'd bother me if I didn't do it." Terra said, leading Zack further from the stadium. Before long, the two arrived at a certain street corner. There stood Tobio, the boy still alone! "Hey! Tobio, your dad still hasn't found you?" Terra called as he and Zack approached.
Tobio turned to the two, not seeming too concerned about being alone. "No, not yet. But if I stay here, he'll surely come and find me!"
"You know this kid?" Zack asked. "And you're lost? How long have you been waiting there?" He turned to Tobio with a frown.
"Over an hour, but that's okay. My father has a lot of errands today, so maybe he's doing some before finding me." At the very least, Tobio sounded optimistic. "Who are you, by the way?" The boy asked, looking to Zack. "My name is Tobio!"
"My name's Zack. Zack fair. Is it really okay for you to wait here?" The black haired teen said, still frowning a bit.
Nodding, Tobio gave a reassuring grin. "It's okay! Terra passed me by earlier, and here I am still safe! My father will come soon, I know it!" He glanced at the sword on Zack's back. "Say, is that a weapon?"
Apparently forgetting his concern for Tobio, Zack glanced at his sword with a grin. "Yeah, you bet! I'm the first human to fight in the robot arena, you know! I even came in second! Shame Terra here entered, or I would've won!"
"Wow, that's amazing!" Tobio declared, eyes widening. "Do you think I could enter too? I don't like fighting much, but…"
"With proper training, anyone can fight. Come on, show me what you have!" Zack said, crouching down so he was sitting on his heels. "Punch me in the stomach here, as hard as you can!"
Terra cleared his throat. "Uh, Zack…I don't think that's a good idea…" He still recalled how much that handshake earlier had hurt!
Zack laughed. "What? He's just a kid, it'll be fine!"
"Okay, here I go!" Tobio announced, approaching Zack. Without hesitation, he punched the teen in the stomach. It wasn't even a proper punch, really. If anything, Tobio just sort of extended his arm straight out, his fist colliding with Zack's stomach. Still, it was a mighty blow, sending the teen backwards, rolling along the sidewalk and making onlookers stare.
Groaning, Zack got to his feet, clutching his gut as he looked to Tobio in shock. "Wh-What was that?!" He asked, slowly walking back to the two. "I didn't think you'd punch so hard!"
Tobio frowned, a look of guilt on his face. "I-I'm sorry! I held back a bit, I didn't want to hurt you! I thought you'd be fine since you're so strong!"
"I told you not to let him do that." Terra said, a light smirk on his face. "He really hurt my hand during a shake earlier."
"Oh, now you mention it…" Zack muttered. "Still, that was unreal…but…" He frowned. "You're not a robot, are you? You just hurt a human…"
Looking shocked, Tobio stepped back. "Uh…um…yes. I am…" He admitted, apparently deciding that lying wouldn't be believable.
Terra's eyes widened. The kid was a robot?! Wait…that explained more than just his strength. As he noticed before, Tobio's face and hair were so oddly perfect. So much so it was almost unnatural, which it was! He had no blemishes or marks or stray hairs because he was designed not to!
This…really made him ponder things. He felt a sort of light, like from a heart, when he looked at Tobio. But he was a robot! Realistic looking, yes…but still a robot. Less than an hour ago, Terra was destroying robots left and right without care…so, was that wrong? They had no hearts, he felt nothing towards them, but Tobio was somehow different.
He had no idea what to make of it.
"That's amazing! I had no idea robots could look so realistic!" Zack exclaimed, apparently forgetting the punch and the pain already.
Putting a finger to his lips, Tobio shushed Zack. "Please, not so loud…! It's a secret…or it should be. Father said to try and not let people know…"
His smile wiped away; Zack nodded. "Oh…sure. I mean, if it's a secret, we won't…"
"Tobio!" A man's voice called, the three turning to see a man approaching. Dr. Tenma, not that Terra had any way of knowing, walked up to the corner. "There you are! Where have you been?!"
"I'm sorry, father. I got lost!" Tobio replied, seeming both relieved and guilty. "You said if we got separated, I should wait where we last were, so I did that!"
Dr. Tenma stared at Tobio, perplexed. "I…did? Are you sure?"
Tobio nodded. "Positive! I remember it word-for-word!"
The man cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed. "Oh. I see. Well…you did a good job then, Tobio." He turned to Terra and Zack. "Were you two looking after him while he waited?"
"You could say that." Zack replied. "I'm just glad you came back; I was getting a bit worried for him."
Smiling lightly, Dr. Tenma nodded. "Yes…well…thank you both. Sorry to be a bother. Come along, Tobio." He said, taking the boy's hand. "Let's go home and continue our studies."
"Yes, father!" Tobio chirped, walking happily alongside Dr. Tenma as they went off.
Terra watched the whole thing with amazement. Tobio looked so…happy. He was just like a real boy with his father, even though he was a robot. It really started to make him second guess his actions in the arena…as well as what could and couldn't have a heart…
"Well, that ended perfectly!" Zack said with a laugh before wincing. "Ow…hurts to laugh…"
The Keyblade wielder shook away his thoughts. "Well, at least you didn't ask him to punch you in the face, right?"
Zack snorted as he chuckled. "Yeah, that's true! I'd have lost a tooth for sure!" He paused. "So, that means you'll be leaving, right?"
"Afraid so." Terra replied, looking about for an alley to duck into so he could leave as undetected as possible. "I'll try and come back someday. You'd better be the arena's champion by then, alright?"
Grinning, Zack nodded as he started doing some squats. "You'd better believe it! I'll even beat you next time, I guarantee it! No more darkness for me, either. We'll fight fair and square!"
With a smile, the two exchanged farewells. Zack went back towards the arena, and Terra went off to a nearby alleyway. Having to help a fighter with his darkness as it took over and the revelation of a robot with a heart…it was a lot more than the Keyblade wielder expected. As he donned his armor and summoned his glider, he took off into the air.
He was glad he kept his own darkness in check with this world, but he refused to use it. Terra wanted to use his own strength without magic or darkness. Just him and his Keyblade. Maybe in the next world he'd test the waters more…and perhaps he'd ponder more about the revelation with Tobio. It still felt so strange to him…
With these thoughts on his mind, Terra flew off, leaving Metro City behind him.
Our Master instructed us to don armor while traveling between worlds, so that we might shield ourselves from the darkness. But there, in the Lanes Between, I could feel the force of it, the power, and from then on, I forwent my armor's "protection." I had been told the darkness would devour me, but what terrors could it possibly hold, so long as I found the strength to control it?
The World is vast, and the worlds within the greater World, uncountable. Like little islands, they dot a great Ocean Between which keeps them ignorant of each other, uncorrupted.
Each world had its own order. Unlike us, they could not know of the World in its entirety, and we were never to enlighten them.