Hello Wielders, Knight here! With a new chapter. This one is a bit more of a information gathering chapter. So don't expect much action.
Still I hope you all enjoy!


Tenebrae woke up the next morning and stretched. He felt like there was one more thing he could do before leaving. He went into the bayou and headed to Mama Odie's.

As he got closer, he noticed lights gathering. As he approached, he saw numerous swamp creatures surrounding what seemed to be an altar. He got close enough to see Mama Odie on the altar, in front of Tiana and Naveen. Tenebrae was able to guess what was going on. He leaned on a nearby tree and watched.

"So, by the power vested in me," Mama Odie gave a laugh as she finished the ceremony, "I now pronounce y'all frog and wife. Get to it hop along, give yo lovely bride some suga!"

Both frogs were happy. They leaned in and touched lips. On contact, there was a blinding light that surrounded them. Tenebrae had to shield his eyes. The light seemed to grow.

Mama Odie chuckled and clapped. "This is gonna be gooood!"

The light burst one last time. When it dissipated, opening almost like a flower, two human figures were standing on the altar. Their lips were still connected as Tiana and Naveen were turned back.

Both were in formal attire. Though both their clothes were green and had designs of a more nature base. When they opened their eyes and looked at each other, they were surprised. They then looked at themselves and their clothes, smiling.

Mama Odie laughed again. "Like I told y'all, kissing a princess breaks the spell."

Naveen had a moment of realization. "When she became my wife, that made you…!"

"A princess," Tiana said, finishing his sentence. "You just kissed yourself a princess."

Naveen smiled and looked into her eyes. "And I'm about to do it again." He leaned in, to kiss Tiana once more.

Tenebrae couldn't help his own smile. The Light coming from both was enough to protect this World. Tenebrae took this chance to leave. He snuck away and opened a portal. He left the World with a silent goodbye, hoping to come back later. He stepped through the portal.

Tenebrae stepped out of the portal and was deposited in front of the mansion in Twilight Town. After one step, he felt a pain in his chest. He gripped it and focused on the pain. His Light was growing, and it was harming him.

"Dammit," he huffed, "Mama Odie was right, but I need time. I need to find Laci to know for sure. I should speak to Keval and see how everything goes."

Tenebrae took a deep breath as he forced his Light down. He made the journey through the woods and into the town proper. It looked like it was about late morning.

'Time must have synced for a little while,' Tenebrae thought as he went into town. 'Either way, I'll stay in town and do some hunting while I wait for Shaylex.'

Tenebrae walked to the Shopping District. He bought himself a late breakfast. He ate it on the ground, walking around as he looked around town. He found himself walking towards Cetus's shop again. There was something there.

He walked up to the shop and saw Cetus. When Tenebrae got close, he felt it. Cetus's Light was getting stronger. He wasn't sure how, but Heart was getting stronger. With how it felt, she may soon have her Keyblade back. But would that be good, or bad?

"Good day, Cetus," Tenebrae said, walking up to the flower girl. "It's been a few days, how have you been?"

"Oh, hello Tenebrae," Cetus looked up from tending to her flowers. "I've been well. I can't explain why, but I feel a lot happier than normal. And my customers seem to notice."

Tenebrae tried to keep a smile on. But he knew why, he could feel her Light. "Well it does show. And hey, if the shopkeeper is happy, the customers will be to. Of course, a cute smiling girl can get plenty of people smiling as well."

Cetus blushed a bit at the compliment. "I wouldn't say that. But I'm glad to see them happy."

'Spoken like a true Wielder,' Tenebrae thought.

He tightened his fist but kept his smile on. "Well still, that just shows how strong your heart is. One strong enough to put others before yourself. It's a good trait to have."

"Thank you, Tenebrae," Cetus said with a smile. It was both passionate and innocent.

Tenebrae couldn't help how he felt. He didn't want her to get her Keyblade back, but he had a feeling more Wielders would be better. There was also a selfish part that wanted to know why she was picked as a Dandelion. And she would need a Keyblade, so it would be a fair fight.

"No problem," he said, walking up to some flowers. He looked over some, trying to remember what each symbolized. He picked up a gladiolus and walked up to Cetus. "I'd like this one. I did promise to buy on next time I came by."

"Alright," Cetus said, going to her till. "Only one again? I won't judge, but why? Don't you have someone you like?"

"I…" Tenebrae guessed she had a point. His thoughts went to Laci, but she wasn't the same as before. "I do. But I haven't had a chance to talk with her lately. So, for now, just the one."

"Alright. Well it's only 10 Munny," Cetus said with smile.

Tenebrae handed her the Munny. Cetus took the Munny and the flower. She wrapped the flower in some paper and gave it back. He took it and smiled.

"Thanks," Tenebrae said. "Have a good day, Cetus."

"You too," she called out as he walked away.

Tenebrae held onto the gladiolus as he walked. He wasn't sure what to do. He bought the flower so he could remind himself of the events he's witnessed. After what happened with Hashley and Heloa, he knew the course the need to take.

Tenebrae knew he needed to get stronger. That wasn't the concern. His concern was how. He was used to the Light but spent so much time in the Realm of Darkness. He became so much stronger with the Darkness. Even the smallest amount of Light messed with his body.

'But when I went through Kingdom Hearts,' he thought as he walked to Sunset Hill, 'I cut my shadow, and that reduced my Darkness drastically. Or did it allow me to walk in the Realm of Light? I don't feel the pressure from the Realm of Darkness, but too much Light still hurts.'

Tenebrae needed to figure out how to get the two in balance.

And speaking with Mama Odie gave him a clue. She mentioned two women and a man. He knew one of the women had to be Shaylex. His best guess on the man had to be Keval. But who did that make the last woman?

Tenebrae needed to figure out what this meant. He thought about the two he knew; Shaylex and Keval.

Shaylex was a girl he met by chance in the Realm of Darkness. At the time, she was frustrated and alone. She needed to vent. He chose to listen and wait from there. He had agreed to join her to learn more about the Nobodies. And so far, after the few missions they've done together, he felt they had similarities, but major differences. And meeting Hashley and learning she could have been from Daybreak, made him realize they had more in common. But she was only his Partner, they weren't even friends.

Keval was easier. He and Tenebrae were Union mates. After learning Keval's views, that made them rivals. Tenebrae felt like he needed to live up to his Union Mate's expectations, then surpass him. While it was a childish view, that is what Rivals did. Tenebrae needed to get stronger and push Keval to do the same. He knew his fellow Unicornus would like the idea.

The final girl though… His thoughts were swimming. He hadn't interacted with many women outside of missions. And after the War, there was even less of a chance. His current interaction included: Shaylex, a flower girl, an unusual Wielder, and the embodiment of Shaylex's Darkness. He wasn't sure if he could add Laci to the list.

Tenebrae felt his heart tighten. This happened too often now that he was out of the Realm of Darkness. Any thoughts on Laci immediately hurt. Even the smallest thoughts. And finding Alicx, that made the pain much worse. There was one conclusion he could come to. And he almost hated thinking about it.

Love. An emotion that brought the strongest Light. Love made people unbelievably strong against adversity. And the type of love gave different strengths. But no matter what, love was a Light he could never hope to match with his studies.

Tenebrae made it to Sunset Hill and sat down on the benches. 'But does that mean what I think?' he thought as he went over everything. 'If that's the case, then some of those dreams and nightmares made sense. But then this would have had to have started in the Unions. I WAS always peeking at her when we studied.'

Tenebrae felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. He quickly slapped his face to calm down. At least all his thoughts didn't cause pain. The positive ones about Laci still embarrassed him. Especially any about her smile.

Tenebrae punched himself in the face. A bit of blood came from his split lip. He needed to stop those thoughts. He couldn't keep thinking like that, not without knowing how she felt. But he guessed Alicx had her memories, with how she spoke to him.

But there was a new fact for Tenebrae. Mama Odie told him there were three that would help him. Shaylex the Nobody, Keval of Unicornus, and Laci…

"The girl I love," he said with a smirk. He took a deep breath and looked to the sky, "I LOVE LACI!"

"Who is that? Someone Shaylex should be worried about?"

Tenebrae summoned his Keyblade and let loose a fireball at the voice. The attack whizzed past a now frightened Demyx. The sitar-playing Nobody didn't seem prepared for an attack.

"Didn't anyone tell you to be prepared for battle at all times?" Tenebrae growled.

"How was I supposed to know?" Demyx whined, on the verge of tears, "You didn't fight me or Shaylex, just the Heartless!"

"Because the Heartless are my natural enemy," Tenebrae sighed, before resting Kingdom Key D on his shoulders. "But if anyone sneaks up on me, my instinct tells me to strike. Conditioning from my training, really. So, what do you want?"

"Well Shaylex wanted you to know where her next mission was," Demyx said, "Axel was asked first, but he was busy. I was asked next because we met."

Tenebrae raised his eyebrow. He did say he would meet Shaylex again. But part of him felt it would be best if they did some solo training. And Shaylex had other allies he was sure she could work with.

"If you see her, tell her I can't make it," Tenebrae said. "I've some personal business I need to take care of. But thanks for the reminder."

"Alright," Demyx said with a wave, "Guess I'll head out." A corridor appeared and the blond Nobody stepped through.

Tenebrae took a breath to calm down. Both from his own realization and Demyx's sudden arrival. As much as he did want to admit, Demyx did more than trigger his instincts. He had been so in thought; he was actually frightened.

It was only after noon, but Tenebrae wanted to get some information. He headed to the Light Protectors' apartment to see who was around. He knocked on the door and waited. He closed his eyes and listened. When there was no sound, he pushed his senses out to find any mana.

When everything was negative, Tenebrae relaxed. It was both infuriating and reassuring that no one was around. He wanted to speak to Keval, but there was still a lot Tenebrae was processing.

He left the complex and wandered around town. Tenebrae was at a loss as to what to do. He couldn't talk to anyone he knew about love, and even Keval was a stretch.

Tenebrae sighed as he walked around. He was at a dead end and he needed to figure things out. He needed to sort out his own feelings, but had no idea where Laci was. She would be the only person that he would NEED to see.

'I guess finding shelter for the night would be preferred,' Tenebrae thought, He made his way to the old mansion, making it through the woods. 'This place has been empty for a while it seems. And it's so far into the woods, no one should come here.'

Tenebrae made it through the forest with ease. He encountered some small Heartless, which were blasted away by his magic. He noticed he was getting much stronger, and that was good.

When he made it to thee clearing, he was faced with a different dilemma. The mansion had a giant lock on the gate. He could get rid of it completely, but that might raise suspicion. His other option was a bit more subtle, but also completely dumb.

Tenebrae took a step away and opened a portal. Stepping through, he was on the other side. Tenebrae walked between the pillars and to the door. When he tried it, the door opened with little resistance.

Tenebrae peeked in. Luckily, nothing seemed to jump out when he did. He opened the door more and stepped inside. The interior of the mansion was nice. There was a surprising lack of dust and cobwebs. The window ahead let in a lot of natural light. The balcony above was inviting, but he wanted to check the first floor.

Tenebrae walked to the left-hand door and opened it. Inside was the remains of a dining room. There were a few statutes and decorations. But Tenebrae was more surprised with the table that was broken in half. 'Something went on a rampage in this place.'

Tenebrae left the room, back into the main hall. The door across was blocked off and inaccessible. Tenebrae decided to head up the stairs to the second level.

He checked the room on the left from the entrance. When he tried it, it was locked. Quickly summoning his Keyblade, he jumped back and tried to unlock the door. There was a flash from Kingdom Key D, but no sound from the door. Tenebrae tried the door again and still couldn't open it.

'Something is blocking the Keyblade's power,' Tenebrae thought. 'That should be impossible, unless the one who made the lock knows about the Keyblades. This place is abandoned, for how long is the question.'

Tenebrae left the door and went across the second level. He made it to another door. Trying this one, it opened with ease. Upon entering the room, Tenebrae's eyes lit up.

Tenebrae entered a library. Besides the window across from the door, the walls were lined with bookshelf. The bookshelves were filled with various books. On the wall, next to the door, there was an empty section. There was a bust of what looked to be a horse with a horn and wings. There was also a table in the center of the room, closer to the window.

'A collection?' Tenebrae thought as he looked over the spines of the books. 'Or research? Either way, this is quite a find. But what knowledge does this place offer?'

Tenebrae pulled a book off the shelves. He opened and skimmed it. It seemed to contain information and knowledge about the Heart. The booked seemed to be a researcher's notes.

'This is strange.' He read through the book carefully. 'Why would someone research Heart like this? Unless they intended to do something with it. But what?'

Tenebrae closed the book and put it away. Tenebrae was curious about the others, but knew time was limited for the day. He just needed to come back on a free day.

Tenebrae turned to leave and was met with an interesting figure. Standing at the door, was an older man, he guessed. The figure had red bandages covering most of their face. Only one eye and their mouth were visible. The orange eye spoke of wisdom and age. The rest of their outfit was simply by design. They had a red cape, that had an opening showing off a blue line design on their chest. Their arms were sleeved in beige and their legs were covered by black with gold lining.

"And what are you doing in this forgotten place?" The voice was male. Tenebrae felt anger and sadness from it.

"Exploration," Tenebrae simply said. He locked eyes with the now confirmed man.

The man looked him up and down. Tenebrae could tell by the critical eye, that he was being inspected. Why and for what, he wasn't sure. But the man's eye was on his hair more than anything.

"Well, you'll not find anything here," the man said "How you even entered this place is interesting. The towns people locked it away."

'What about you then?' Tenebrae thought.

Tenebrae stood tall and proud, looking the man in his eye. "I have a bad habit of climbing gates and the like to search new areas. Sometimes my pursuit of knowledge leads me to trouble."

"Oh?" The man seemed both amused and angry. "Then it seems you have found it again. I would recommend you leave this place and never return."

Tenebrae knew something was being hidden. There was something here that could not be revealed. Tenebrae's grin grew as his instincts to research kicked in. He would fight this man to get what he wanted.

"For someone to claim there is nothing," Tenebrae slid into his stance, but didn't summon his Keyblade, "Usually means there is something. And the one claiming that, knows exactly what it is. My guess, you have knowledge hidden here that could change this town."

The man shook his head. "Not just this town, but all Worlds. If placed in the wrong hands, everything will be for naught. And you are as corrupt as they were."

'They?'

Tenebrae jumped back onto the table by the window. He caught a glimpse of a marking on the table, a diagram with a missing picture. He ignored it, choosing to keep his eyes on the bandaged man.

The man looked amused. "So, you run? Or are you concerned of what I can do?"

"Neither. But I've learned to judge ones based on feeling," Tenebrae said. He could feel anger, frustration and sadness come from the man. "And I can tell you are hiding something. If you are worried about me stealing your research, don't worry. My journey is different from what I gleaned."

"Hmmm. Well than, I see no reason for you to be worried either," the man said, walking away from the door. "However, I will say this; All research leads back to the Heart. And the Heart is the most complicated force of the Worlds. They do more than you know."

Tenebrae jumped off the table. He eyed the man as he walked towards the door. When he reached it, Tenebrae turned to the man.

"My name is Tenebrae," he said. "You caught me by surprise. But I was taught to be polite regardless."

The man nodded. "You may call me DiZ. I am but a humble scientist."

"It is very nice to meet you, DiZ," Tenebrae gave his own nod. "If you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave. Had I known; I would not have entered unannounced."

DiZ just nodded as the Seeker left. Tenebrae knew he was hiding something. Not just because of his research, but his emotions. Tenebrae's hair seemed to get a reaction of pure hatred. There must have been a painful memory there.

Tenebrae left the mansion entirely. He did notice a connection to Darkness under the library itself. DiZ's appearance was too well timed to be a coincidence. But Tenebrae had to let it go. For now, Tenebrae decided to head back to town. -


A realization, and chance encounter and a new goal. Looks like things are starting to get interesting for Tenebrae. So how long before things just go south!? I won't tell yet.
Anyway, the next chapter will have more action, cuz we get to be the ones to flesh out a mission that Shyalex_Cosplay had alluded to in her story.
Until then, May your heart be your guiding key.