And here we are with the next chapter. Last one technically had a cliff hanger, but not a suspenseful one.
Expect a bit more of a light-hearted chapter... PFFFT I couldn't keep a straight face XD. But seriously enjoy!


Dragging along Demyx, Tenebrae made it to the fork int the road, a little after the sun had set. The blonde Nobody did nothing but moan and complain. It was almost like he was allergic to hard work. Tenebrae had to resist his urge to strike the Sitar-wielder down.

"We're going this way," Tenebrae pointed to the right-hand path. "Shaylex headed this way when we split. She can't be too far ahead."

"Can't we rest?" Demyx whined. "We have been walking for a while, and I did a lot of recon earlier."

Tenebrae growled. "YOU can rest. I'm going to look for my Partner. Have fun with the Heartless."

Demyx got visibly scared. "On second thought, once we find Shaylex, everything should be fine. Lead the way."

Tenebrae rolled his eyes and started down the path. Demyx wasn't too far behind. They walked for a few minutes before Tenebrae saw Shaylex surrounded by Heartless.

"Get away from her!" Tenebrae summoned Kingdom Key D and rushed ahead. He was so focused, he failed to notice the ones that appeared behind him.

Tenebrae used only his Keyblade. He didn't want to risk hurting Shaylex. It took him longer, since he wanted to get the Heartless away from her, before striking them down. Only when the last Heartless was gone, did Tenebrae relax.

He ran up to Shaylex's body and pulled her onto his lap. She was still breathing, which was good. He started to shake her gently, to wake her up. When she didn't, he shook her a little harder.

"Shaylex! Shaylex! Wake up!" he called out.

When she started to stir, he laid her back down and knelt next to her. She opened her eyes slowly. When they opened all the way, that was when he let out a breath of relief.

"Shaylex!"

She sat up slowly and rubbed her head. She looked around, a little confused. "Tenebrae, how long was I out?"

Tenebrae helped Shaylex sit up. It looked like she was still groggy. "I don't know," he said, "I found you about 15 minutes ago. I've been trying to wake you up since."

"I must have fallen and hit my head," Shaylex looked up to the sky. "It's gotten darker."

Tenebrae examined her quickly. There were no visible marks or bruises. And no cut or blood to suggest she hit her head. He turned his attention to the sky before speaking, "Yeah, it's pretty much nighttime."

Demyx's voice broke the moment as he leaned against a tree, strumming his sitar. "Is she awake yet? I'm tired and want to go home!"

After all that happened, those words made Tenebrae snap. "Can't you see she's weak, asshole!?"

The Nobody responded in kind. "Hey! Don't call me an asshole!"

Tenebrae stood and walked towards Demyx. His mind had one thought; Destroy the Nobody. "I'll call you whatever I want, dumbass!" he shouted, "You haven't helped out at all today!"

"Guys! Will you please shut up!" Shaylex's voice snapped Tenebrae out of his bloodlust.

He looked over to her and saw Shaylex rubbing her temples. Tenebrae felt bad. The last thing he wanted was for Shaylex to suffer because of him.

"Sorry," Tenebrae said, walking to Shaylex and holding out his hand for her. "You had me worried there."

"I'm fine." Shaylex took his hand and used his help to stand. Even when she stumbled, she still smiled and said, "See? I'm okay. Besides, we have a mission to complete." She looked well enough to continue.

"Oh no. We need to return to the Castle," Demyx said, his sitar vanished before he walked to Shaylex. "Like we should have done ages ago."

"Wait, what time is it?" Shaylex asked.

Tenebrae spoke up. "It's almost 7 pm."

Shaylex looked shocked. "Wait really!?"

"Yeah. We need to go, Shaylex," Demyx said, looping an arm around Shaylex's and dragging her away. "We'll be coming back tomorrow. I already got the message from Saix."

"Ouch, Demyx. I can walk on my own." Shaylex got out of Demyx's grip, before facing Tenebrae. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"You got it," Tenebrae said. "Take care oaky?"

"I will," Shaylex responded. She and Demyx stepped through a corridor the other blonde made.

When the corridor closed, Tenebrae turned back towards the town. As he walked, his mind started to wander.

'Shaylex and I split up, and I find her again but unconscious. Add the fact that she said she hit her head was weird. An injury like that would have one out for a few minutes. Not hours. What is going on?'

Tenebrae made it back to the fork in the road. He thought about heading back to town. But he felt something odd further in. Against his better judgement, he proceeded deeper into the forest. He kept going, even when it turned into a marsh. There was enough land for him to travel without worry.

Tenebrae followed the odd feeling from earlier. He traveled for about an hour since Shaylex left. He didn't encounter any Heartless as he came across an interesting sight. In the middle of some water, there was a shipwrecked boat at the top of a tree. There was light coming from it, making it look like someone lived there.

Tenebrae noticed a staircase and took it up the tree. As he got closer to the boat, the odd feeling increased. But the feeling seemed to be akin to magic. It wasn't Darkness, but it wasn't fully Light either. And the source surprised him even more.

When Tenebrae came to a door in the boat, an elderly woman opened it before he could knock. She was dressed in all white, with a golden necklace, a pair of golden loop earrings and a golden bracelet. She also had on some dark sunglasses.

"See Juju, I told you we would get a delivery!" she laughed. Her voice was upbeat and had a bit of soul to it. "Well, do you have what I need for my gumbo?"

"I'm sorry?" Tenebrae was genuinely confused. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Or who you even are. My name is…"

"Come on, come on," the woman said as she walked inside. She ignored Tenebrae altogether. "Mama Odie ain't gonna wait all day! We got gumbo to make."

Tenebrae entered Mama Odie's 'home'. There was a tub filed with a brown liquid, over a fire. The little abode had many lights and trinkets to give it charm. But not enough to make on forget it was a rundown old boat.

"Listen, Mama Odie, was it?" Tenebrae sighed. "I don't have a delivery. My name is…"

Tenebrae heard snoring. He looked over and saw Mama Odie sleeping in a lounge chair. He felt his eye twitch. He wasn't even sure what was going on.

Tenebrae approached her silently. He had no reason to stay, but this old woman was interesting. He sensed a powerful Light, but it wasn't pure. The magic was almost balanced, but there was more Light than Darkness.

"Juju!" Mama Odie shot up, causing Tenebrae to fall back and smack his head. "Did you bring a drink for the delivery boy?"

Tenebrae had little time to process what happened. A yellow snake came up to Tenebrae and dropped a cup in his hand. Tenebrae sat up and looked at the contents. There was nothing odd about it, so he took a sip. It was a very sweet drink, with a hint of cinnamon to it.

"Well well, young man," Mama Odie laughed, "Why do you rely on the shadows? They only bring pain to the ones who use them."

Tenebrae choked on his drink. He wasn't ABLE to say anything about himself. But this woman knew about his abilities. She also seemed to know what the Darkness did and could do. What was she?

"I seek knowledge," Tenebrae answered. "But many misunderstand what the Darkness can do. I'm going to prove it isn't as bad as everyone makes it."

"Well that's an interesting view, but it's still the wrong view," Mama Odie said. "You ain't looking deep enough for your answer. You can feel it, can't ya. The pressure from rejecting it?"

Tenebrae tried to restrain his shock. How could that woman know!? He had felt his Light grow, yes, and it did feel like he couldn't breathe occasionally. But that didn't mean he was rejecting it. He just used Light a lot more before he could access the Darkness. He needed more time before he could find a balance.

"I have no idea what you mean," Tenebrae finally said. "I command my powers well. I don't need to dig; I just need to train and study."

He looked at Mama Odie, and she was… ASLEEP!? Tenebrae gripped his cup but held back enough so he didn't break it. How could she fall asleep mid-conversation? One that she started.

Tenebrae sighed and put down his cup. He stood up and made for the door. This woman didn't have anything for him and seemed to be off her rocker. He was about to leave when Mama Odie spoke again.

"You won't be able to control the shadows; they'll just consume you. If you don't dig a little deeper, and find what you need, that's what will happen." Even with the severity of the talk, she sounded jovial. "But I know two lovely young ladies and a strapping young man who can help you find what you need."

Tenebrae stopped at the door. He sparred a glance back and saw Mama Odie still asleep. It was weird, but Tenebrae had a feeling her words were true. He turned away, before gripping his chest. His Light was reacting to the elder, but also something else, somewhere far.

Tenebrae exited the boat. He descended the staircase and made his return trip to the town. His mind was swimming with the information he just received. Mama Odie's riddle was both helpful and confusing. But there was a fact in her riddles; the Light was hurting him.

After reconnecting with Keval, Tenebrae felt his Light grow. And after interacting with Shaylex, even if it seemed forced, her positivity helped to remind him of the Light. After so long in the Realm of Darkness, Tenebrae thought he needed a change. But there were too many times where he isolated himself from the Light.

Tenebrae made it back to the town. As it was the night before, the lights were shining, and the music was amazing. He found a flyer that mentioned a masquerade party. He looked around and found the address.

Tenebrae could see many people dancing and having fun. The people were dressed up in costumes. He noticed a woman in a pink dress dancing with a man, that looked like a prince.

'Well that looks like a fairytale ending,' Tenebrae thought as he laughed to himself. 'I wonder if…'

His thoughts were cut off as he heard a commotion. Tenebrae ducked low and darted away. He wasn't sure if he had been spotted, but he needed to get away while he could.

It was probably a good time to find a place to sleep. After the events of the day, and the commotion just now, he needed to rest. He went to the woods, making sure to be near the café. He found a spot and got comfortable. He fell asleep quickly. -


Do I every mention how bad I feel for my OC sometimes? No? Because I kinda don't XD!
This chapter was meant to be a lot longer, but I realized i wouldn't break pacing if I split them. And this one had a more light-hearted/comedic feel to it. Of course that doesn't do away with the angst BWAHAHAHA!