Terra flew through The Lanes Between, knowing he had to find another world soon. This mission was taking longer than he was hoping it would, and he knew that Vanitas could only be stopped by someone with a Keyblade. He still had his own personal journey, of course, but the Unversed being stopped came first on the list of priorities, of course.
He wondered if Ven and Aqua were still okay and staying out of trouble. Terra would be devastated if something happened to them because he went on his own. The only reason he separated himself from them was for their own protection, after all.
Sighing to himself, Terra looked up to see he was approaching another world. This one was a bit different, however. For one thing, it was very small! So much so that walking around the entire thing would take a week, maybe two. Another thing that was noticeable was a great deal of the world was made up of dense forest. There were farmlands and small settlements that Terra could spot, but a majority of the world was still forest.
Given how small the world was, Terra decided to stop there. If Vanitas was there somewhere, it wouldn't take as long to find him, or to rule out that he was elsewhere. Picking the forest to land in, Terra descended to the ground and dismissed his glider and armor.
The first thing he noticed as the armor went away was that the air was pretty chilly. It seemed it was late Autumn, about to bleed into Winter by the feel of it. It was late evening at this point in time, the sun barely up at all. Though that hardly mattered given how tall the surrounding trees were and how many of them there were.
Another thing that Terra noticed was an unusual feeling of being watched. He wasn't sure if it was just in his mind, however. Looking around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Woodland creatures such as squirrels or chipmunks were present, but little else. Nothing that made him think this world was anything but normal.
Picking a direction at random, and summoning Earthshaker, Terra walked forward. There was no telling if Unversed were somewhere in the world, or if there were other dangers he had yet to see, so he had to be careful.
It didn't take long before a sound reached Terra's ears. This sound was rhythmic and repeating, echoing across the woods. It was the distinct sound of an axe hitting against a tree somewhere ahead. Heading in that direction, the young man came across a small clearing, a light emanating from it.
This light came from a lantern carefully placed on the ground. Its burning night illuminated an old man in heavy clothing and a top hat, a bundle of reddish sticks and branches on his back. He was grunting, mumbling to himself as he chopped away at a tree. Looking closer, Terra realized just how odd the tree was.
Horrifically, the tree seemed like it had a face! In its bark were holes resembling eyes and a mouth in a wide and open grimace. There was even a hole for the nose in the middle. Out of the eyes and mouth, a strange oil-like substance stained the bark. Was it some kind of odd syrup or sap? Terra had never seen such an unusual tree before!
As Terra crept closer, a twig snapped loudly beneath his foot, causing the stranger to flinch and turn towards the young man. "Who's there?!" The axe wielding man shouted. "Who are you?!"
Terra flinched as well, not expecting such a violent reaction. "Excuse me, sir…" He replied, keeping his voice level as he tried to diffuse the situation. "I didn't mean to startle you." He kept Earthshaker in one hand, just in case, though he kept it pointed towards the ground.
The old man lifted the lantern, pointing its light at Terra as he squinted, as if studying the young man. "What are you doing out here alone at night? Do you have a death wish?!"
Was the forest really that dangerous? The air felt a bit eerie…and Terra had the sensation he was being watched, but aside from that, he was perfectly fine. Unless…Unversed were within this world? "Death from what?"
This caused the older man to scoff, as if he couldn't believe that Terra didn't already know. "The Beast! You've never heard of him?! He lurks within these woods at all times, singing his haunting melodies, it only grows worse at night! And those creatures have been appearing in The Unknown lately…"
So, there was some sort of menace stalking the woods called The Beast…and the woods were called The Unknown? A very odd name, but what caught Terra's attention the most was the mentioning of creatures. "What sort of creatures are these, sir?" Had to be Unversed…
"I'm no expert! They make one feel anger or misery just by their very presence! Surely minions of The Beast!" The stranger replied, very fixated on The Beast, clearly.
That description confirmed Terra's concerns, the young man nodding. "I see…and have you seen a boy in a mask? His name is Vanitas…"
"No, never met anyone like that…" The older man said without hesitation. "You've yet to tell me why you're here! Who are you, anyway?"
"My name s Terra, and I'm looking for that boy I mentioned." A shame this man hadn't seen him. "What about you? What is this awful tree here, woodsman?"
The Woodsman grumbled to himself for a moment. "The Edelwood is very rare…its visage is terrible, but the oil it secretes lights my lantern." He jostled said lantern lightly for emphasis.
"Aren't you afraid of this Beast you mentioned, though? Why go out here just for lantern oil?" Terra sure wouldn't risk his life for something like that.
"You don't understand anything!" The Woodsman scolded, not seeming too entirely right in the head. "I know what I'm up against, and you clearly aren't! If you ever confront The Beast, you must turn tail and flee!"
Terra was really starting to wonder just what this Beast was truly like. Not that he actually wanted to run into him. "I understand, I'll do that. My mission is just too important to leave, though, so I have to keep looking."
"Well, I can't stop you…if you choose to go out there after my warning, that's your own problem." The Woodsman replied, huffing angrily as he started to walk off. "As for me, I'm heading home. Good luck to you, stranger, and keep an ear out of the song of The Beast…"
Without even waiting for Terra to reply, The Woodsman skulked off into the trees, the light of his lantern soon fading away. The young man had to wonder if the stranger he just ran into was mentally well. The way he spoke had just seemed so…off, and he seemed very obsessed with The Beast. Maybe, though, this Beast was worth obsessive over and was truly that dangerous.
Gaining nothing by standing around, Terra kept walking forward through the woods, apparently called The Unknown. As he went, he used a bit of magic at the tip of Earthshaker to form an orb of light. Just bright enough to act as his own lantern so he didn't trip over tree roots or something.
Terra had seen settlements and farmland from above, but he also noted that a great deal of this world was made of up forest. The small size of the world still surprised him. Aside from Disney Town, it was the smallest world he visited by a longshot.
As he went, the young man ran into nothing of interest as time slowly went by around him. He still had the vague sensation of being watched, but he felt like that was just a common sensation when alone in the woods at night. Though after talking with The Woodsman, he wondered if maybe a certain Beast was keeping its eye on him…
It didn't take too long before Terra came across civilization. Or at least a small slice of it. In a clearing he saw a two story brick building. There wasn't much else to it except a small stable built into the side, but one that was devoid of actual horses. As he approached, the young man heard loud conversation and merriment from inside. Was it someone's house? Or a tavern of some sort?
Not wanting to just barge into someone's home, Terra peeked into the window. Inside he saw a number of people chatting amongst themselves with empty plates before them and mugs in hand. So, it was a tavern of some sort. The young man found that a bit odd since there was no sign on the building and no other sign of civilization around, just this sole building.
Still, more people meant a better chance that if Vanitas was in this world, someone would have seen him. Terra dismissed his Keyblade and entered the building. A few of the patrons glanced his way, but most of them were wrapped up in conversation. Stepping over a large, snoozing sheepdog, he quickly took a seat.
Terra figured he should look to see which of the patrons looked the most conversive. He didn't want to just wander from table to table and bother people. That…and the young man wanted to just rest his feet for a bit. It seemed like he hadn't stopped moving at all since he left The Land of Departure. There were a few times he got to take short breaks, such as between rounds at the Metro City tournament, but it didn't seem like enough…
As Terra spaced out lightly, a portly woman in a dress, shawl, and apron approached the table. "Never seen you around here before!" She observed, tone friendly as she looked Terra over. "Who are you?"
Snapping out of it, Terra looked over to the kindly woman. "My name's Terra. And I'm new around these parts."
That seemed to lightly confused the woman, who frowned a bit. "Yeah, but who are you?"
This, in turn, made Terra confused. "Pardon? Like I said, I'm Terra. I don't understand…"
"Yeah, but who are you? I'm The Tavern Keeper." The woman replied. She gestured to some of the other patrons in the building. "There's The Toymaker, The Cobbler, The Tailor…and so on." The woman looked to a jovial man in a red cap, a woman fussing with a shoe, and a very depressed looking man in glasses respectively. She rattled off a bunch of other folks too, including, The Master and Apprentice, The Butcher, The Baker, and even The Midwife.
Oh, so…she was asking his occupation? The way The Tavern Keeper talked; she made the professions like their entire identity. "Uh…well…" What was he supposed to say? He just call himself The Keyblade Wielder or something like that.
"You've got to have something! Or do you not have an identity?" The Tavern Keeper asked, hands on her hips. This started to get the attention of the other people within the room.
"Maybe he's just simple." The Master declared, oddly keeping The Apprentice by a rope tied to the poor boy.
"Maybe we can help!" The Baker suggested, walking over to Terra, and studying him. "He's built like an ox, maybe he's The Builder."
"Or maybe he's The Farmer. That really works the muscles, so I hear." The Cobbler piped up.
Terra could see this was getting out of hand. His mind racing, he cleared his throat and interrupted. "No, no. I know what I am." He said, getting the attention of the small crowd that started to form before him. "I'm…The Warrior." That was the closest thing to his actual 'job' that he could think of. Really, he just wanted this odd bunch to settle down.
Unfortunately, this had the opposite effect. The crowd seemed to get even more excited, ogling at Terra and The Butcher even clapping him had on the back as he spoke. "Yeah! Yeah! That makes sense! Big guy like you could fight really well!"
"You've probably fought a lot of monsters, eh?" The Toymaker chirped with a grin. "If you'll stay still, I can make a toy of you yet, mister!"
"Uh…I suppose I've fought a few…" Terra was playing along, though that was pretty true. Even aside from the Unversed, he did slay that monstrous parasite within Jabu-Jabu back in Hyrule.
"Maybe he could even slay The Beast!" The Apprentice spoke up, quickly changing the mood again. Rather than happy, things got solemn, and the patrons looked more nervous than anything.
Terra noted the changed mood. "Is The Beast really that dangerous?" It seemed no one had confidence that he had any chance.
"You really don't know?" The Tavern Keeper asked, eyes widening. "The Beast lurks out there, looking for those far from home…" She said ominously, several of the patrons nodding in agreement. "He'll turn you into a tree of oil, using you to keep his lantern burning!"
That…was very familiar. But…it was The Woodsman with the lantern cutting down an Edelwood tree! "Can The Beast change shape?" Was that man really The Beast in disguise? If so, why would he warn Terra about himself? To scare him? And…did this mean Edelwood was made from people? It had that horrible visage…
"Who knows? If you see anyone suspicious…just avoid them, Warrior!" The Tavern Keeper warned. "If you feel your will begin to spoil, The Beast s nearby!"
His will? On top of turning people into trees, it was apparently able to sap people's wills. Clearly this Beast was more than just some monster like Terra initially thought. "I'll…keep that in mind. Say, I was actually hoping for some help. Have any of you seen a boy in a mask? His name is Vanitas. He's…The Outlaw." Since the people of this tavern seemed to react to titles better, Terra gave it a shot.
The crowd murmured amongst each other before a depressed voice spoke from the back, The Tailor. "I saw him." He groaned out sadly with a sniffle. "The other day I saw a frightening masked boy…"
Standing up quickly, Terra walked over to The Tailor. "Really? Where did he go?!" Finally, a good lead!
Getting out of his seat slowly, The Tailor approached a window and pointed out into the woods. "That way…I believe…"
That last bit was shaky, but this was the best lead Terra had in quite a while, so he took it. "Thank you, sir! I need to get going!" Without hesitation, the young man went over to the tavern door and went out into the darkness.
"Beware The Beast, Warrior!" The Tavern Keeper yelled from the doorway, shutting it as Terra walked off into the woods.
Terra summoned Earthshaker once he got into the woods proper, using it to light his way again. The Tailor did say 'the other day' so it was possible that Vanitas already left. Still, Terra had to at least try and follow up on the only lead he had gotten since Master Xehanort directed him to Radiant Garden.
The young man felt like he was being watched the second he stepped into the actual forest, once more wondering if it was his imagination, or if The Beast was lurking nearby. Was The Woodsman truly another form of the horrid Beast that the folks in these woods feared? Or, perhaps, it was a misunderstanding. Well, if Terra saw the axe-wielding man again, he'd certainly ask him a few questions.
As Terra walked on, it seemed like hours passed. The sky didn't grow any brighter to signify dawn approaching, but the Keyblade wielder wasn't even sure if that much time had even passed. He suddenly stopped in his tracks when he heard a voice calling from the woods around him. It was a man's voice…singing?
Tra la la la, tra la la la!
Chop the wood to light the fire!
Tra la la la, tra la la la!
'Tisn't much that I require!
Was that The Beast? The Woodsman had mentioned that the dark entity would sing, but Terra wasn't expecting something so…human. Who else would be in the middle of a forest at night singing? Tera looked about but saw no source of the singing…and even worse was that he wasn't able to pinpoint the direction it was coming from either. It seemed like it was coming from all around him!
Not knowing what else to do, Terra simply started to walk faster, to his relief the singing started to fade away as he went. Whether that was The Beast or not, it was no longer a problem. And, thankfully, the young man soon ran into civilization once more.
For a second time, this slice of civilization was made up of one building. Unlike the tavern, though, this building was absolutely enormous, a mansion unlike anything Terra had seen before! As he approached, he noticed the eerie hedge animals standing in the mansion's courtyard. A lion, a deer on its hind legs, and even a fish among other things. It was as though they were standing guard.
Yet the false creatures didn't move as he reached the mansion door. He was planning on knocking, yet as he approached he noticed that the door was actually open! Not wide open but left lightly ajar as though by a careless owner. It could've easily been human error…or maybe the Unversed forced themselves inside!
A bad feeling in his gut, Terra slowly opened the door wider and peered inside. Like the suffocating forest behind him, the inside of the mansion plunged Terra into darkness. He'd have to continue using Earthshaker as a source of light. Peering about, he noticed no lightbulbs, so this wasn't a building with electricity.
Almost childishly, Terra felt too nervous to actually call out. It was like when one was a child home alone at night. It seemed…wrong to break the deafening silence of the darkness. So, the young man slowly made his way through the halls, the light from his Keyblade showing countless paintings along the walls and pedestals with expensive items of luxury such as vases.
Aside from his own muffled footsteps on the carpet and his own breathing, Terra didn't hear any noises. Was the mansion, perhaps, abandoned? No…with all the works of art and riches left behind…that seemed unlikely. Unless it was abandoned in a hurry, of course.
This silence was so suffocating that Terra nearly leapt out of his skin when it was broken. Ahead of him, around the corner, he heard a man's voice rambling and getting louder. Terra peeked around the corner to scope things out. Going down the hallway and towards him was a strange group.
Leading it, a candle in hand, was a wealthily dressed man with grey hair and a red top hat. He seemed rather frazzled and was mumbling something to those he was with. The only other person was a young boy with messy brown hair and green overalls. On his head was…an upside down tea kettle? In his hands was a rather large frog that Terra swore was half the boy's size. Even stranger was the last part of the group which was a fully grown horse fit with a saddle and reigns. It was just walking alongside the humans like nothing was odd.
Not knowing what else to do, Terra dismissed Earthshaker and stepped out from around the corner. He still needed to ask about Vanitas, and he knew there had to be Unversed around if that masked menace was in this world as well.
That wasn't the best idea, the older man immediately yelling out. "There! A specter! A-A-A ghost!" He screamed, stumbling over his own words, the hand holding the candle shaking violently.
"That's not a ghost, Unky!" The boy exclaimed, pointing at Terra. "That's a burglar!"
Shaking his head, Terra raised his hands to show he had no weapons or meant any harm. "No, no, I'm neither of those things!" He clarified. "The front door was open…"
"Open?!" The older man exclaimed, rubbing his chin. "Mmm…yes, perhaps I forgot to close it…mmm…ah…I-I-I suppose that was foolish of me, may have let the ghost out!" He rambled on; his nerves apparently so frayed that he couldn't talk clearly.
That was the second time the man had mentioned a ghost, making Terra curious. "Are you guys hunting a ghost? Have you actually seen it…?"
"My Uncle has! We're going ghost hunting!" The boy exclaimed, apparently trusting Terra entirely given how excited he sounded about looking for spirits. "The woman in the painting, right Uncle Endicott?"
The older man nodded, glancing about as though expecting a specter to float out of the walls at any moment. "Yes, yes…oh…I don't know…perhaps she's not even real. Maybe the doctors were, ah…w-w-were right! Mmm…You! You can call me Quincy, young man! Who are you?!" He pointed an accusing finger at Terra, his mind jumping all over the place.
"My name is Terra. Sorry I scared you guys." Terra wanted to ask about Vanitas, but this Quincy fellow really seemed…out of sorts. "What about you?" He asked, looking to the boy as he approached the group.
"I'm Greg, and this is Mr. Esquire! He's a distinguished gentleman!" Greg declared, holding up his frog. He pointed to the horse. "And that's Fred. He's a horse!"
The horse looked directly at Terra and, to the young man's surprise, spoke! "Hello. You're really not a robber, huh?"
It took Terra a second to register what just happened. "Did…that horse just talk?"
"Darn right I did. You never met a talking horse before?" Fred asked, getting no reaction from Greg or Quincy, so this was clearly normal for them.
"…Can't say I have…" Terra replied, still a bit shocked. He supposed anything was possible in other worlds, he just didn't expect to run into a talking horse. "So, this ghost…it's troubling you, Quincy?"
Quincy flinched, as though startled just by Terra talking to him. "Hm?! Oh! No…just the opposite! I-I wish to see her again! Mmm…yes! Ah…very much so! I'm enamored by her, you see! Mmm…you're not another nephew of mine, are you?!"
Terra was really starting to worry about Quincy's mental health. "In love with a ghost? And…uh…no, I'm not." He did recall Greg calling him 'Uncle' though.
"Ah…a shame…but yes, I saw the ghost once…or I thought I did! Oh, I may have been going mad, I may still be! This was a terrible idea! Let's go back to the parlor!" Quincy exclaimed, starting to walk in the opposite direction.
"But Unky, you can't just give up so easily!" Greg argued, grabbing hold of one of the old man's coattails. "If you don't try, you'll be sad later, won't you? Ghosts aren't too bad; they're as scared of you as you are of them!" He pulled a rock out of his pocket with a messy face painted on it. "And that's a Rock Fact!"
"Yeah…and there's no reason to go back to the parlor! It's…uh…boring back there…" Fred said, seeming oddly nervous for some reason.
That stopped Quincy in his tracks, who looked back in the original direction the group was going. "Mmm…Yes. Yes. I suppose…Yes! I-I must steel my nerves! Yes…" Without further prompting, he starting walking forward again.
As the rest of the group followed, so did Terra. In all honesty, he was kind of nervous about leaving Greg alone with Quincy. "Is your Uncle…okay?" He asked the boy quietly, the wealthy man too far ahead to hear.
"Oh? Him? He's okay! But if you're not a robber, why are you here, Terra?" Greg asked, seeming rather chipper.
"I'm looking for someone, actually. The mansion's front door was open, so I juts let myself in." Terra explained. "Have you seen anyone in a mask? His name's Vanitas…" The Tailor had pointed Terra in this direction, so maybe Greg had run into Vanitas at some point…
Greg hummed loudly in thought, but then shook his head. "Nope! What a silly name! Mr. Esquire, maybe that can be your name!" He said to the frog. "Vanitas! Dunno how to spell it, though…"
Well, that wasn't too helpful. If Greg hadn't seen Vanitas, Quincy probably hadn't either. Terra was a bit more hesitant to ask him, though, given how…odd he was.
Just as the young man was thinking about Quincy, the wealthy man piped up. "Ah! Look, we've arrived in my…in my garden! The source of my tea products!" He announced, opening the door in front of the group, and opening it to a lovely, quiet greenhouse. It was a lot more calming and serene than the dark and somewhat creepy mansion. "Perhaps we should just stay here a while and bask in the peaceful atmosphere, hm?"
"But what about the ghost?" Terra asked, wondering if the spirit was even real. With the supposed nature of The Beast and a talking horse, a ghost was hardly out of the realm of possibility.
"B-B-But…well…I'm frightened! What if she isn't real, nephew?!" Quincy replied to Terra, apparently forgetting that the young man denied being related to him. "If I go and find that out…it means I'm…er…mad! Yes! Quite mad!"
"Come on, Uncle Endicott, we already decided to go! We went all this way, right?" Greg said, trying to encourage the older man.
Quincy kept fidgeting in place, and as he did so, half a dozen Unversed suddenly appeared! They were all Scrappers, standing between the group and the door they just entered. "Ghosts! Oh, I knew it!" Fred exclaimed, whinnying in fear as he backed away.
"See! They were real the whole time!" Greg said, not seeming nearly as frightened as he should be.
Getting between the Unversed and the group, Terra summoned Earthshaker. "These aren't ghosts, they're Unversed!" He exclaimed. "You guys go ahead; I'll hold them off here!" With Greg and Quincy clearly not combatants, and Fred's terrified nature, they'd be sitting ducks. Best for them to run somewhere else in the mansion instead…
Thankfully, they all heeded his words and ran ahead, Quincy seeming the most terrified. Terra started slashing at the Scrappers, too fast for them to have a chance of counterattacking properly. Before he knew it, the Unversed were gone…yet more appeared almost instantly! A dozen more Scrappers materialized, charging Terra with their claws at the ready.
The Keyblade wielder fought on and on…it seemed like he fought no less than a hundred Scrappers before they finally stopped appearing. He was careful not to use magic, not wanting to damage the mansion, so he had to fight them off with just the Keyblade itself.
Not long after the last Unversed was vanquished, a scream of terror echoed down the hallway Greg, Quincy, and the animals went down. It was followed by the older man's yell. "She's come for meee…!"
Was the ghost attacking him?! Terra quickly sprinted towards the sound of the voice, going down another dark hallway. Thankfully, the sun was starting to slowly break over the horizon, so he wasn't in pitch blackness.
This didn't stop Terra from bumping into someone, though. A young boy bolted from a room that the Keyblade wielder was about to pass by, running smack dab into him. With a startled noise, the boy fell to the floor.
"Are you okay?" Terra asked, getting over the impact, and looking to the person he bumped into. The boy was older than Greg, seeming to be a young teen. Like Greg, he had a bit of an odd outfit, with a blue cloak and a large red pointed hat.
Before the boy replied, a bluebird flew from the room, hovering in front of Terra. "And who are you? A burglar?! Wirt, you should run!" The bird asked in a distinctly female voice.
Another talking animal?! Could all the animals in this world talk? Terra wasn't as phased as before and answered right away. "N…No. I was with Greg and Quincy, looking for that ghost, but we got separated…" He didn't know who this new kid was, but Terra assumed he was acquainted with the other group.
"Uh…okay…" The boy, Wirt, replied, standing up. "Look, there's not even a ghost. I figured it all out. I guess you can come if you know the others…" He seemed in a rush, dashing ahead of Terra, the bird staying with Terra.
"Great…he just let a robber get away…" The bluebird bemoaned.
Terra shook his head. "Like I said, I'm not a robber. I'm looking for someone, actually."
"Adelaide?" The bird replied, seeming a bit worried for some reason.
"Uh, no. I don't know any Adelaide…" Terra replied, chasing after Wirt, the bird flying beside him. "I'm looking for a masked boy named Vanitas…ring any bells?"
"That's a weird name…not familiar at all, robber." The bird said.
"I already said, I'm not a robber, my name is…" Terra trailed off as they came across Wirt and a fainted woman on the floor, one wearing a very expensive looking dress. "What…?"
In the room just ahead, Greg's voice rang out. "Unky! Wake up, the ghost fainted!"
This caused the woman to stir. "Ghost…?" She asked, eyes opening. Standing up, she looked to Quincy, who was apparently just coming to as well. "I'm no ghost! He's the ghost!"
"I assure you, madam, I'm flesh and blood. Either way, I welcome you to my home!" Quincy replied, bowing lightly.
At this point, Terra glanced above Quincy and saw the woman in a large painting. "Wait, so she's real…?" He murmured to himself.
"Exactly!" The woman replied, having heard Terra. "And this is my home, not his! I'm Margueritte Grey, and this is my mansion. I can prove it!" The group all converged; Terra, Greg, Fred, Mr. Esquire, Quincy, Wirt, Margueritte, and the bird. They all went back to the garden, the supposed ghost moving some vines out of the way. There was a plaque, which Margueritte read aloud. "Margueritte Grey Tea Company. See?"
Quincy's eyes widened as his head slowly shook. "But…this is my garden! See?" He went over to another set of vines on the wall, revealing yet another plaque that he too read aloud. "Quincy Endicott Brand Tea!"
"So…they both live here?" Greg asked, seeming unamused. "I don't get it…"
Wirt cleared his throat. "Both of their mansions are so huge, and they kept adding more and more, that they just sort of…connected." He explained.
"My…so that ghost I saw…was you." Quincy said, a small smile forming.
"That dashing specter…was you…" Margueritte replied, seeming equally as pleased, the two coming together and holding hands.
"Hm…But what of those…odd creatures that appeared here?" Quincy asked, looking about nervously.
Terra spoke up this time. "They're Unversed…but I took care of them, don't worry." Hopefully no more appeared, at least. With Vanitas having been sighted in this world, it hadn't shocked him to see his creations about. As for Quincy and Margueritte…it all ended well, he supposed…
As dawn started to properly break outside, the large group met outside the mansion, Quincy and Margueritte both seeming as happy as could be. "Greg, you kept pushing me, and because of that, I found the 'ghost' I had looked for." Quincy remarked. "I can't thank you enough! You've got good sense, and for that…" He reached behind Greg's ear and pulled out a coin. "…take this penny and start your own fortune!"
Bending down, Margueritte handed Greg a penny too. "And take one from me as well, young man!"
"Good job, now we can ride the ferry…" Wirt half-whispered to Greg. "We can finally get to Adelaide of the Pasture, The Good Woman of the Woods."
Fred nodded, the action looking a bit odd for a horse. "You guys go on without me. I'm going to stay here and get a real job delivering tea."
"You sure, Fred?" The bluebird asked.
"Yeah, robbing mansions isn't as fun as I thought…" The horse replied.
Quincy went over to Terra. "And here, you said you smote those creatures, eh? Take a penny of your own, young man!" He said, handing a third penny to Terra.
"Oh, uh, thank you. I'll use it well." Terra wasn't sure how much these were worth, but he couldn't really use it back home…
With that, Quincy and Margueritte went with Fred back into the mansion. As they walked off, Wirt went over to Terra. "So, who are you exactly? Really not a robber?"
"Really not a robber." Terra clarified. "I'm looking for someone and was pointed in this direction. The mansion's door was open, so I let myself in…not really a good idea."
"An idiot, huh? You and Wirt will get along great, then." The bluebird snarked.
Giving the bird a momentary glare, Wirt looked back to Terra. "Just ignore her. Beatrice has no idea what she's talking about. So, what are you going to do?"
"Keep looking, I guess. I don't know where to go, though." Terra supposed he could just keep wandering, but that would probably be futile.
As they talked, Greg went over to a fountain, looking somewhat annoyed. Reeling his hand back, he threw the pennies at the water. "They're wrong! I've got no sense!" He exclaimed.
Eyes widening, Terra reached out and used a light Magnet spell. Small enough that he didn't even use his Keyblade as a conduit, but it was enough for the two pennies to fly to his palm. "Whoah there…you need these, right?" He asked.
"What the heck was that?! Magic?" Beatrice exclaimed.
"Sort of…" Terra had acted without thinking, but he was surprised a talking bluebird would be so amazed. "Like I said, you need these, right? To get to someone named Adelaide?"
Wirt took the pennies, a shocked Greg watching the exchange. "Yeah, that's right. I'll hold onto these." A sudden thought seemed to occur to him. "Hey, Adelaide might be able to help you, that's why we're going to her. We just have to take a ferry ride, and that's it."
"Uh…maybe that's not a good idea." Beatrice suddenly butted in, seeming nervous about something.
"Why? She can help us, so she should help…uh…what was your name?" Wirt asked, looking to the older boy.
"Terra. But if this Adelaide can help, I'd like to tag along, if that's really okay." Apparently Beatrice didn't like it, but still…
Greg nodded, giving Terra a bit friendly grin. "Yeah! You can show us more magic on the way! Come on!" He started to march ahead, Wirt following behind as Beatrice feebly tried to argue the case.
Terra wasn't sure what the deal was, but he followed along, wondering if this Adelaide was some sort of witch. Maybe, like Kammy, she could use magic to see whatever was asked of her. He sure hoped so, at least…
Things remained mostly quiet as the group made their way to a river, the sun peeking over the horizon properly by the time they got there. To Terra's surprise, the ferry was manned and boarded entirely by humanoid frogs. They were as tall as regular people were and wore clothes too! Oddly enough, though, they didn't seem to speak at all, just croaking instead. Either way, they still accepted the pennies, with the three boys getting their tickets while Mr. Esquire and Beatrice got to travel along for free.
It was when the group sat along the back of the boat that Terra asked something that was weighing on his mind. "So, why are you guys traveling alone? No parents or anything?"
"We're lost!" Greg declared in an oddly chipper manner as he played with Mr. Esquire's legs. The frog didn't seem to care, just lying in place. "Wirt got us lost!"
"I did not!" Wirt shot back. "I don't know how, but we found ourselves in these woods, The Unknown. But Beatrice said that Adelaide, The Good Woman of the Woods, can help us home." The bird was resting on Wirt's shoulder, and she let out a light sigh. "What's up, Beatrice? I thought you'd like that we're getting out of your hair, huh?" Wirt said in a joking tone.
"Nothing. Just…thinking." Beatrice replied, not even looking Wirt in the eyes as she spoke.
"But hey, why don't you show us more magic!" Greg pressed, letting go of his frog's legs. "I know Captain Ribbit would love that!"
Terra frowned lightly. "Uh…Who…?"
Greg gestured to the frog. "You know, Captain Ribbit!" He emphasized.
"He's been naming the frog something new since he found him." Wirt explained. "I liked Kitty the best, honestly."
The younger boy nodded, lifting his frog about. "Hey, how do you do that magic anyway? Are you a wizard, Mister Wizard?"
"Terra's fine." The Keyblade wielder replied. "And…I was just taught that. It's hard to explain. But I'm kind of concerned, how did you two get lost? Is there something wrong with these woods?" Terra wondered if somehow he'd be prevented from leaving. If one could find their way in The Unknown without their knowledge was leaving an easy feat?
"Heck if I know." Wirt shrugged. "We're from Aberdale, and I don't remember any location like this being near it…"
"Yeah! We both live there!" Greg piped up. "We're brothers, after all!"
Wirt rolled his eyes. "Half-brothers. But yeah."
That got the Keyblade wielder wondering if, maybe, Wirt and Greg were from another world. The two seemed a lot more…levelheaded than the humans Terra had met so far. Their outfits were odd, and Greg was childish, but aside from that, the two were far more normal. "Mmm. Well, I hope you two get back, then."
"And I hope you find that guy you were looking for. What was his name?" Wirt asked, watching as Greg started to dance with Captain Ribbit, apparently forgetting about Terra showing off more magic.
"Vanitas. Say, have you two encountered any weird creatures in The Unknown?" Terra asked, recalling how Greg seemed unfamiliar with the Unversed in the garden earlier.
Wirt shook his head but smirked lightly at the bird on his shoulder. "No, just Beatrice." When the bluebird didn't react, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "But uh…no, not really. Why?"
"It's Vanitas…he's behind them. Greg saw a few when I was with him. I was just wanted to tell you to be careful." Though if Adelaide was going to send the boys home, it'd hardly matter. It was lucky that the previous night was the only time they encountered the Unversed.
"Well, we won't have to worry about that!" Wirt said with a grin as if reading Terra's mind. "Once we get to Adelaide, we're on our way home!"
The three would make small talk as the ferry went on, Beatrice remaining oddly quiet. At one point, Terra lied down by the boat's edge and took a nap. It felt like it had been weeks since he got a full night of sleep, so he was going to take advantage of it.
"Hey…Hey…Wake up Mister Wizard!" Greg's voice called, stirring Terra awake.
The young man was surprised to see it was evening, the sun having just set back over the horizon. "Oh…didn't mean to sleep for so long…" It had to have been a few hours. Terra stood up to see the ferry was docked, the frogs departing and…plopping down into some mud at the riverbank, gleefully sinking inside.
As the humans, and Beatrice, approached the plank off, the bluebird spoke. "You know, we should wait until tomorrow." She quickly suggested. "It's so late, we don't want to bother Adelaide so late at night…"
"Well, what are we going to do? Just sit in the mud all night?" Wirt asked, gesturing to the clothed frogs doing the same thing.
"Better than camping out in the woods." Terra remarked, remembering the warnings about The Beast.
"Camp! We'll make camp!" Greg yelled, running down the plank with Captain Ribbit in his arms.
Terra started to gather some dry wood and rocks. "I'll handle that, you guys just settle in…as much as you can, at least." Not really anywhere comfortable to sit after all.
Still, before long, Terra had a fire going, even using magic to light it, much to Greg's delight. The Keyblade wielder leaned against a tree, still feeling exhaustion weighing him down. Could Adelaide actually help him out with Vanitas? Was the masked youth still even in this world at all? As Wirt and Beatrice talked about someone named Jason Funderberker. His eyes grew heavier and heavier…and once more, Terra was asleep.
"Come on, Greg!" Wirt's voice called out, stirring Terra from his sleep.
The urgency's in the boy's voice made Terra quite alert, the Keyblade wielder quickly standing up and looking about. The fire had long since extinguished itself, the surroundings still dark, as the sun hadn't yet risen. Beatrice, Greg, Wirt, and Captain Ribbit were all gone.
In the distance, Terra saw the boys running towards…somewhere. Without a moment to lose, the young man gave chase. The two had gotten quite a head start on him, so it was hard for Terra to catch up, especially in the dark, doubly so as they went through tall grass and became a lot less visible.
Did something happen? Did The Beast emerge, the three running off in a panic? Or did they actually still think Terra was a robber or dangerous somehow? No, surely not. They all seemed so calm around him! Unfortunately, the young man lost sight of the boys before long, at no point even having seen Beatrice at all.
He felt a panic rise in his heart, knowing he'd never forgive himself if something bad happened to either of his temporary companions on his watch. While, yes, Terra hadn't known them long, but they were innocent kids that he felt he had to protect as long as he was traveling with them!
In a stroke of luck, however, Terra came across a home. It was made of stone, built into a hill, the lights on. Was this Adelaide's home? Did the three make their way here? Peeking into the home, the young man's heart dropped at the sight. Beatrice, Wirt, and Greg were in there…but the boys were tied up in strings of wool!
Also in the small home was a sickly looking old woman in a heavy dress and a pointed hat. Beatrice was saying something to her, but the woman was smiling wickedly. Was that actually Adelaide, or…?
It didn't matter.
Earthshaker in hand, Terra kicked the closed door right off its hinges, the object landing harmlessly away from anyone in the room. Teeth clenched; he pointed his Keyblade right at the woman's heart. He could feel darkness pooling in his heart, trying to burst free. "Who are you?!" He demanded, practically growling it out. "Let those two go! Now!"
This caused the woman to yell out in alarm, backing away from the door. "Oh! No! No, the door! The night air is poisonous!" She wailed horribly.
Beatrice flew to a nearby window, forcing it open with a grunt of effort. "Well, take some more, Adelaide!" She called triumphantly, glaring at the old woman.
To Terra's horror, smoke started billowing out from somewhere beneath Adelaide's clothing, starting to fill the small home up. "What the…?! What is she?!" The young man exclaimed, eyes tearing up as he started coughing violently. Through his tears, he watched as the old witch started to melt, her skin boiling as she collapsed into a heap on the floor.
"She really wasn't kidding!" Beatrice exclaimed, flying about, and trying to avoid the smoke as she too coughed. The smoke just got worse, Terra going to help the boys only to find that the wool traps were empty, Wirt and Greg having gotten away. Beatrice called their names, flying out after them.
Still coughing heavily, Terra stumbled out of the home, looking around as he blinked the tears away. He might have seen a bluebird dash off into the trees nearby, but in his half-blind state, he couldn't be sure. Not knowing where else to go or seeing anyone in any other direction, he followed the maybe-bluebird he had seen.
Using Earthshaker as a light, he ran into the woods, panting as he looked about fruitlessly, calling the names of Beatrice, Wirt, and Greg. What had happened? Adelaide had been nefarious the entire time? In the brief moments he was near the witch, he had sensed a deep darkness within her…
Time passed, the nature of The Unknown making it hard to tell just how much, and Terra was hopelessly lost. Dense trees in all directions, and no sign of any sort on where his companions had gone. He stopped to gather himself, looking about as the light from Earthshaker seemed to be swallowed by the darkness.
Terra flinched, nearly yelling out, as he noticed a figure was standing right in front of him. Somehow, he hadn't noticed it in the numerous seconds he had been staying still, as if it had simply blinked into existence right at that moment.
The figure was eerie, to say the least. To be honest, Terra could barely make anything out of it, even with the light from his Keyblade. It was tall, taller than Terra himself, even! It was humanoid, two arms and two legs, and seeming to be wearing a cloak of some kind. From its head sprouted two twisted antlers. Aside from those things, the only clear feature was the two glowing white orbs it had for eyes as it stared directly at Terra, as if looking straight through his heart.
"You…who…what are you…?" Terra asked, readying his Keyblade. Was this The Beast? It was certainly radiating a strange aura…
"And…if I am? Will you strike me down?" The entity responded, standing perfectly still, not seeming intimidated at all by Terra's posture. "But, yes, that is what some call me. Does that frighten you?" Oddly enough, its voice was very soothing, deep, and confident, as if it held all the answers life could possibly offer.
Frighten? Despite everything…it actually did. Not so much so that Terra was powerless to do anything, but he was certainly hesitant. He had no idea what kind of creature The Beast truly was. The fact he couldn't even get a good look at it just made it worse. "Why are you here? What do you want?"
"You." The Beast informed, pointing right at Terra. "As it happens, I've been watching you, ever since you arrived."
"Ever since…you mean the very moment?" The young man asked, still keeping Earthshaker ready to cast a spell at any second.
"Yes. The very moment. I won't pretend to understand the odd craft you rode in on. I do know you are from far beyond The Unknown." The figure started walking, staying the same distance from Terra, but strafing around him.
Terra turned as The Beast walked, not letting it out of his sight for even a moment. "So, you've been following me since. Is that right?"
"Indeed. And I could sense your fear. I'm sure The Woodsman's words got to you, didn't they?" The Beast asked, stopping once more, its head tilting in apparent curiosity.
"Him and the people in the tavern…they told me all about you, how you turn people not trees." Terra felt he should just attack The Beast that very second…but he just couldn't move his legs.
"And you believe them? Why? They clearly don't understand me. They fear me. So, they say anything to make me a monster." The Beast replied, not sounding all too beat up over something like that.
The young man was hesitant to believe that. "…And I'm to take your word for it? Everyone was just lying all as a group?"
Once more, The Beast tilted its head. "You'll take their word, correct? Humans fear what they don't understand. You should know that. I'm sure there are those that fear the darkness in your heart. You aren't about to tell me that everyone is fine with it, are you?"
"…You're right. Not everyone accepts something like that." Not even Master Eraqus, Terra's father figure, did.
"You and I are more alike than you know. People fear us…solely because they don't understand us." The Beast demeaned, his calmer demeanor sounding more diminished and saddened. "Because they don't understand us, they push us away. I felt you nearly give into your darkness just minutes ago within that witch's cottage. Yet, you held on. I doubt many would see it that way."
The Beast was entirely right on that…Master Eraqus frowned on Terra when he nearly gave into darkness as he and Aqua fought. Nearly. Despite suppressing it, it was still a horrible thing in his Master's eyes. Terra had felt so angry when he saw Wirt and Greg tied up, and the darkness almost overflowed his heart…yet he pushed his rage down and kept himself controlled. Somehow, he doubted Master Eraqus would consider that a victory at all. "You remind me of someone I know, to be honest. Master Xehanort says the same things."
"That name isn't known to me, but it seems we're not alone on this, which makes me quite happy." The Beast said with a light chuckle. "Such a strong will you have…despite the hardships of life, you still haven't given up."
Terra was feeling calmer, wondering if maybe The Woodsman and those in the tavern were wrong. Maybe, like himself, The Beast was simply misunderstood. The Tavern Keeper had even mentioned a lantern that The Beast wanted to keep lit, yet here the entity stood without any such thing. Maybe Edelwood had a more mundane origin as well! "I can't give up…not know or ever." He sighed, lowering Earthshaker. "…That reminds me. You clearly have eyes and ears all over…have you seen a boy in a mask? His name is Vanitas…"
"That thing…more of a beast than myself." The Beast remarked, a hint of disgust in its voice. "It left The Unknown before you even arrived. A strange darkness took the thing away, that's all I know, Terra."
The young man nodded, not even surprised at The Beast knowing his name. It had been keeping an eye on him, apparently. Terra changed his mind on the entity, not seeing it as an evil creature. It, like him, seemed to just be misunderstood. Misunderstanding breeds fear. Fear breeds paranoia. Paranoia breeds lies. Maybe it all started from some folktale that twisted and grew until it was out of control…
Either way, if Vanitas was gone, there was no reason for Terra to stay. He felt better about Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice with that witch gone and his opinion of The Beast changed. The three were long gone by this point, and there was a very slim chance that Terra would be able to find them again…and he still had to carry on his mission. He wished the two boys on getting home, he really did…but they'd have to do it alone, he still had a lot he had to do.
"Thank you, Beast. I hope things can improve for you." Terra remarked, still unsettled by the entity's presence, but he doubted that The Beast did this on purpose. Given that the figure had seen him arrive in the world, he saw no reason to worry about it seeing him leave. Without further hesitation, Terra summoned his glider and donned his armor. He soon lifted off to the sky, leaving The Unknown behind.
The Beast watched Terra fly off, not stopping until he vanished from sight completely. "Such a strong will, a strong heart. Such a thing is contagious. With him about, those two boys would never surrender…" The entity murmured to itself, walking through the forest.
Tra la la la, tra la la la!
Chop the wood to light the fire!
Tra la la la, tra la la la!
'Tisn't much that I require!
There are three families of Keyblades: The Keyblades of Light we wield, Keyblades of Darkness, and Keyblades of Heart.
The first and second families differ only in origin; Keyblades of Darkness are found in the Realm of Darkness and are counterparts to the Keyblades we use in the Realm of Light.
The third type of key, the Keyblade of Heart, came into existence when the World was reorganized after the Keyblade War. Without this key, Kingdom Hearts is forever beyond a person's reach. Only by gathering together seven hearts of pure light, hearts completely devoid of darkness, may one forge a Keyblade of Heart and open the door to Kingdom Hearts.
And, as stated before, opening this door arguably gives that person control over all worlds and all people.
I have uncovered the Keyblade's ultimate mystery. You see, besides the three families of Keyblades, there is another "Key Blade." While it may sound the same when spoken, it is notated uniquely: "χ-blade." And make no mistake, while it resembles a normal Keyblade, it is something altogether different.
Keyblades are said to be man-made counterparts to Kingdom Hearts. The χ-blade, however, coexists with Kingdom Hearts.
It is only forged when two hearts of equal power intersect: One heart of pure darkness, one heart of pure light. At the time of its forging, Kingdom Hearts appears. It must be noted, though, that this Kingdom Hearts is special. Unlike the Kingdom Hearts brought about forcibly and artificially through the collection of hearts, THIS Kingdom Hearts is a perfect and complete union of ALL the worlds' hearts. Surely it was over this that the ancient Keyblade War was fought.
If so, the walls that divide the worlds today are of little consequence. With the χ-blade, all their hearts could be instantly reunited, and the Keyblade War, refought.
A/N: The final Not-Disney world before the endgame starts. Like I said, way more mainstream than Astro Boy. And I know the nature of The Unknown is left intentionally vague, but I always saw it as a sort of purgatory/afterlife thing that truly exists. In my version of the Kingdom Hearts Universe, any sort of alternate planes of existence or realms or even afterlives will just be separate worlds that can be visited by a Keyblade Glider or a Gummi Ship. And knowing Kingdom Hearts, even if The Unknown was just a dream, it'd still probably truly exist because that's just how the franchise is.
And I was going to include Terra's trip to Destiny Islands here, but decided not to. I'm gonna hold off on all that and other endgame stuff until everyone's gone through The Unknown.
Also, for those unaware, this story has a Tropes page if you're interested in checking that out. Sadly, this site is weird about links, so I put as close to a proper link in my profile as the site will allow me.