So this is a quick update, because I had some motivation. So let's get on with the next chapter.


There were so many variables. The Organization, Xigbar, the fallen Worlds. The anthropomorphic animals, the Heartless that was destroyed by a new Light. Where was all this coming from? Each new thought made his head hurt and the pain lead to anger. Anger lead to bloodlust.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Tenebrae cut down Heartless after Heartless. He needed to feel something, but only the rage persisted. He wanted answers but was only met with more questions. All of it pissed him off!

"Burn to CINDERS!" An explosion rocked the Realm of Darkness. Tenebrae stood in the epicenter.

It had been a few weeks in the Realm of Darkness. How long was that in the Realm of Light? He didn't care. The more time away from there the better.

'I'm not able to leave easily,' he thought, 'If I leave via a portal, I need to come back to recharge. There needs to be a way I can crossover with little side effects. But how?'

He spent a lot of time traveling to and from Traverse Town. The population of Heartless was vastly different than the ones in the Realm of Darkness. There were more in Traverse Town with the Emblem on them. The Emblem of the Heartless.

"Why is the Darkness growing in that Realm? What is happening?"

Tenebrae was in the Realm of Darkness again. He decided to travel for a bit and see if there were any new areas to explore. With more worlds falling to the Darkness, it would only be a matter of time before the Realm was filled. The thought excited and worried Tenebrae.

As he traveled through the Realm, Tenebrae felt like there were eyes on him. It wasn't Heloa, that feeling was familiar. The eyes looked at him with the curiosity of a child and the blood lust of a monster. It had a feeling of Darkness to it.

"Are you lost?" A new voice asked. It sounded young and feminine. It giggled as it said, "Because being lost here, could mean your life."

Tenebrae rolled his eyes as he said, "Oh yes, I'm very lost. And I would love to have some help."

Tenebrae summoned his Keyblade and parried a strike to his back. A figure flew past him, attempting to destroy him. He turned quickly to the new figure and was surprised with what he saw. A girl! No… a young woman, no older than him. She had ditry blonde hair in pigtails, they looked like some weird antenna. She was wearing a yellow top with blue shorts. Darkness shrouded her shoulders and arms. What shocked Tenebrae the most were her facial features; she had yellow eyes and cracks on her forehead.

Her movements were erratic, even while she was standing still. Tenebrae sensed great Darkness from her, but also something else. He didn't have enough time to analyze her before she struck again.

The newcomer came flying at Tenebrae. She fought barehanded, clawing and slashing at him. Occasionally she would kick, but mostly used her hands. It almost looked like she had once wielded a weapon.

Tenebrae blocked, dodged, and parried her attacks. With the way the girl fought, she left no openings. But her style was erratic and wild. She did seem to understand the need to protect her weak points. The newcomer did overextend, Tenebrae took the opportunity to counter.

His eyes widened as he felt her claws in his chest. 'She got past my guard!? But SHE overextended! How did she?'

Tenebrae looked into yellow eyes that were filled with glee and bloodthirst. There was something very wrong with her. And that was enough to make his rage and bloodlust boil.

Tenebrae grabbed the arm in her chest and released his Keyblade. Grabbing her face, Tenebrae slammed the newcomer to the ground.

"BURN TO NOTIHNG!" Purple flames erupted from him. The light illuminated the Realm of Darkness.

When the flames receded, Tenebrae looked down and smiled. There was nothing left of her. He wiped some blood off his chest and licked it. There was something delicious about his own blood.

"Sloppy!"

Tenebrae felt something pierce his back. He looked down and saw the girl's arm, through his chest. The Darkness surrounding her arm was more sinister with his added blood. But what caught his attention was how it flickered, like a glitch.

The arm was ripped free as Tenebrae fell forward. Tenebrae lay on the floor of the Realm. He saw the girl walk in front of him. She was licking his blood off her arm, but other than that, was unharmed.

"Why did he pick you?" She kept licking his blood but had the gall to use an innocent voice. "You aren't like us. You still have a heart, and…" she hissed the next word. "LIGHT."

She raised her arm, poised to strike again. "I guess I'll just need to get rid of it."

"Enough!"

Tenebrae recognized the voice. Heloa appeared next to the girl. He stroked he chin, and she practically melted. "Hello again, old friend."

Tenebrae spat some blood on the ground. Why was this shadow still following him?

"No need to glare like that. I saved your life." Heloa crouched in front of him. "I know you are stronger than this. You were waiting for a chance to let Second Chance activate and strike down my ally. That is just like you."

Tenebrae stayed silent. Of course, Heloa would see through his plan. But the girl catching him off-guard was not part of it. She was strong, there was no doubt there.

"Come Hashley," Heloa said as he stood and walked away. The girl, Hashley, followed behind like a lovesick puppy. "Be grateful, Tenebrae, you get to live another day."

Tenebrae waited until the pair left. He released his mana and his wounds healed. The Curaga worked to near perfection. "Good thing I studied Healing magic. It worked out when she struck me from behind. But why was this Hashley attacking me in the first place? And why was she with Heloa?"

Tenebrae rubbed his chest and saw his clothes regenerate as well. It was a good thing his mana was infused with most of his items. He still felt any damage, but at least he didn't have to worry about his laundry.

The battle did drain him. He went to a safe zone and slept. He used more mana than usual, and for the first time in a while, he fell asleep. -

-Tenebrae, Tenebrae~~~-

-Why did you leave me? –

Tenebrae saw a visage of pink and purple. He felt tears run down his face as he stared at her. The only person who made him feel like he belonged. The one person who entered his heart. The only person he loved.

She walked up to him. She placed her hands on his cheeks. A warm smile was on her face, that then became bloody. Her hands became warm.

-We'll be together again. Isn't that great? – The flames from her hands erupted, covering him.

Tenebrae yelled in shock as he woke up. He was sweating badly. He felt his face and noticed tears. He wiped them away quickly and hardened his features. He got up and walked around.

The landscape seemed to change again. Tenebrae was still in the Realm of Darkness. He knew some time had passed, because every few weeks or so, the Realm would change. He must have needed a lot of time to recover. But the dream was on the forefront of his mind. He put it to the back as he proceeded.

Tenebrae felt a shift in the wind. Something was going on in the Realms. The Realm of Darkness was getting stronger, someone was causing it. Tenebrae realized it by how much stronger the Heartless became. He was finishing some recon when he heard something.

Someone gasped behind him. He turned to the source and saw a young woman, who had a weird resemblance to Hashley. She wore the same coat as Xigbar, with a black hairband holding back straight dirty blonde hair. Her Violet eyes were looking at him in shock, or more specifically his Keyblade. She had one as well, the blade was pink and purple with a crown topped with hearts, the hilt was red with a guard the shape of a heart.

Tenebrae turned to the girl and asked, "Who are you?"

The girl readied her weapon. "No, you first!" She demanded.

'Oh, she is vastly different from the other. He smiled at her. "My name is Tenebrae." He placed Kingdom Key D on his shoulder, showing he had no intention to fight.

"I'm Shaylex," the girl lowered her weapon. "What are you doing in the Realm of Darkness? You don't look like a Heartless, and I can sense a heart in you, so you aren't a Nobody."

'That term again. Nobody. And she can sense hearts.' Tenebrae nodded. "Right on all accounts. "I'm not a Heartless and I'm not a Nobody, but I'm not exactly whole either. You seem to be a full-blown Nobody. You retained your body even after losing your heart." Just like Xigbar. "And judging by the coat, you're a part of Organization XIII?"

Shaylex nodded. "You're correct. So, you heard of us then?" Xigbar came to mind.

"Stories here and there. I'm not one to get mixed up in stuff like that. I came here to further my studies into the Darkness. Heard tales of an ancient Keyblade of Darkness. This one to be exact, and I came looking for it." He lifted the Kingdom Key D and admired it. Shaylex seemed to have mixed feelings about it. "Why are you here?"

Shaylex looked down and seemed sad. "I came to get away from everything. Today hasn't exactly been my cup of tea. I lost a good friend and found some interesting truths about my past… if it's true. I have little memory of my past."

She was being guarded. Which was smart on her end. But there was a more pressing concern to him.

"Huh, well how long have you been wielding a Keyblade?"

Shaylex looked relieved for the change of subject. "I was given one when I was a kid. It's the only memory of my past that I retained but I only managed to unlock its power a few months ago. Before I lost my heart when my world was destroyed. You?"

Her story sounded like all the union members. Being given the ability to use a Keyblade as a child, and then training to gain access to it. "Same as you. Was bequeathed one years ago when I was a kid. Unlocked my powers a few years later. Joined my Union, and after a few years left in my pursuit of the Darkness. Been on my own ever since."

Shaylex seemed surprised. "Union?"

'She must not have been in one. Meaning she got her Keyblade after the War.' "Yeah, Unions. All Keyblade Wielders joined one of five different Unions, long before the big war happened." He didn't want to overwhelm her.

"War?" she asked. Guess it was too late. "So there was a war. How long ago was that?"

Time flowed differently in the Realm of Darkness. "Hard to tell. It's been many years. I left that part of my life behind before the war started." Flashes of memories of the other Wielders appeared, especially Laci and Keval. "Why?" he raised an eyebrow.

"It's just…" Shaylex seemed hesitant to explain her inquiry. "I ran into someone who said I knew them from the past. He spoke of a war and everything. It's been quite a night."

Someone who was in the War? And if they knew Shaylex before the that, then she was from the Unions. Why wouldn't she remember? "I see, if he knew you, then you must have been part of a Union and fought in the War. But something caused you to lose your memories. Sorry if I'm reading into it."

Shaylex chuckled, it was a relieved sound. "No, it makes sense. It's just a lot to take in. As I said, it's been a long day."

"Maybe if you wrote it all down. It may help." Researchers did it all the time.

"I actually have a journal, thanks." Oh, good she was in a better mood, to be making quips like that.

He did want more information from her. "oh, okay then. Say, you look like you could use a friend. Or at least someone to help let out your frustration."

"Thanks. But I've had enough of friendships for one lifetime." Tenebrae could understand her mindset. It was like his. "The only person I can count on is…"

"Yourself? I learned that a long time ago." He did have another idea. "Then how about a partner? You could use another hand in your mission, right?" He would be able to sate his bloodlust and gain more information on Nobodies.

He dismissed his Keyblade and hold out the same hand.

Shaylex thought about it. "Hmmm, okay then, I'll team up with you. As long as you don't mind taking down loads of Heartless." She dismissed her own Keyblade and shook his hand.

Tenebrae got a read on her energy and mana. "Ha! Are you kidding? I'm always itching for some action."

"Okay, meet me outside the Organization's castle tomorrow morning and we'll go on a mission together." Shaylex seemed a bit happier.

"Sounds good! See you tomorrow, Shaylex."

"Right back at ya, Tenebrae. And thanks for the chat. You helped me out."

Tenebrae felt genuine pleasure from helping her. "No problem!" he said.

Both Wielders nodded before going their separate ways. Tenebrae felt Shaylex open a portal. The corridor lead to a place connected to the Realm of Darkness, but it also wasn't. It was almost like a world in between Light and Darkness, like Traverse Town.

'This will be interesting.' Tenebrae thought as Shaylex walked through. 'Guess I have a new place to explore. But also, a means of traveling, without relying on my own power.'

Tenebrae went back to his little campsite. He memorized the location, making sure to keep its energy signature in mind. He was only going to rest for a short time. He didn't want to miss the timing of the Realms. -


And we are finally synchronized! We are finally connected to Shaylex-Cosplay's Light Protector Fanfic. And her's is the reason we even started this entire universe, so go give her story, A New Destiny, a read. It is much farther ahead and a great read.
If things look familiar from her Fanfic, it's because the conversation is from there, I just did it from Tenebrae's perspective. I will thank Shaylex for letting me use both Hashley and Shaylex, and Kale Thunerhorse Lampkin for letting me use Heloa.
Let's see how well Tenebrae does on his next mission.