-Oh come on! I told you I'm sorry!

What is right and what is wrong? Which is the best decision to make? Each person will have a different answer to that question.

-And I told you to shut it!

What one person might see as necessary or good, another will find unreasonable and outright bad. It is safe to assume that everything depends on the people and the circumstances they find themselves in. However, the difference in the thought process of different people, causes them to interpret things in a different way. The darkness capitalises on these differences. All it needs is a small crack.

-Do you have to make this so difficult? We're on a nice straight road now. Isn't it better?

They were arguing for some time already. The keyblade master wasn't pleased, to say the least, by the man's plan, even though the jumping made them go much faster through the

contortions on the road. She was fuming and grumbling ever since her feet touched the ground.

-That's not the point! What you did was dangerous! Dangerous and stupid!

-But it paid off, right? I told you we can make it just fine and we did.

-But what if we didn't? Did you forget where we are? You can never know what will happen! So what if one of the rocks just decided to move out of the way? Or you slipped? Or you let go of me?

-Hey, I would never let go of you, don't make me look like a horrible person!

-Accidents happen! And yes, you are horrible!

-Come on now, don't tell me it wasn't even a little bit fun?

-So making me do something against my will is "fun" to you?

-Okay, fine, I get it! I should have asked your permission first, again, I'm sorry! Can you please stop screaming at me?

-Fine. I don't have anything else to say to you anyway.

The girl was walking a bit more ahead, with her arms crossed on her chest. Zack was too scared to get near, as his cheek was still red from the juicy slap he received earlier. He let out an exhausted sigh, rubbing slightly on the hurt part of his face.

-Don't be like that… You know it's bad when we stay silent. And I'm not letting you become a zombie again, no way!

-Oh how considerate, thank you so much. Maybe you should have thought about it before making me roleplay as a bag of loot.

-Pfft… That's actually pretty funny, when you say it like that…

The man's chuckle stopped immediately when Aqua gave him the death glare from behind her shoulder. He made himself smaller and looked at the ground, avoiding direct contact with her eyes. His scared demeanour made her think of her training days in the Land of Departure. Is that how we looked like when Master Eraqus was scolding us? A small, nostalgic smile appeared on her face when she thought about the good old days. She let out a long sigh, knowing that she cannot let herself drown in her memories again. What he did was stupid but… It's not like he had any bad intentions… Maybe I was too harsh with him? He has a point, we can't just stay silent like this. This place does make you borderline insane, so I can't really blame him this much… I just hope that he learned his lesson.

-I can't hear you talking – Zack said a bit demandingly, while still avoiding to look at her. The young master came to a standstill and summoned her keyblade. The sound of her weapon materialising made the soldier flinch and stand at attention. When she slowly turned towards him, he could feel death itself staring at him from within her blue eyes.

-I wish to apologise for my insolence. I have made a grave mistake.

As the keyblade master was coming closer, he closed his eyes while waiting for his punishment. When he heard her right next to him, Zack clenched his eyes more, mumbling something about sparing his face. A sudden chill went through his whole body. The man slowly opened his eyes up again and noticed a thick layer of ice on top of the road in front of him. Looking at the side, he saw Aqua right next to him with her keyblade raised parallel to the ground, standing at the beginning of the icy road.

-What's going on…?

-You see, I've discovered this neat little trick recently. It lets me move around these roads much faster, but I wanted to test it out a bit more. I heard you have strong legs?

The man gulped while giving a shy nod.

-That's very good. Do you think you'll be able to keep up with me? – she took a few steps onto the ice road as her silhouette shone blue.

-You want me to run after you? Is that your revenge?

-I have no idea what you are talking about. Didn't you want to have some "fun"? It's not like we have anything better to do?

-Okay, I guess I kinda deserve it…

-You can consider it… A taste of your own medicine? – the girl gave him a smug grin before speeding off.

-Should have kept my mouth shut – Zack sighed as he started to run. Even though she had a good head start, he managed to catch up to her fairly quickly. When Aqua looked over, she saw him jogging comfortably right behind the dissipating ice trail. That's when she started to "skate" faster.

-That's not fair! – she heard the scream from behind. It was just as fair as what he did to her. That's right, now she was the one having fun. Sliding through the realm of darkness with a smile and not a care in the world. It felt so satisfying, so good, just like the first time. Her hair and clothes blowing on the wind, the thrill of speed and the added excitement from making a small mischief made her heart beat faster and her eyes glow. Freedom. It was just a small taste, but it was so strong. Was that how Zack felt back then too? No wonder he couldn't stop laughing when jumping around. Maybe she was too harsh after all. Wasn't she doing the same thing as him at that moment? No no, that was different. That's right, it was not about the fun, but about teaching him a lesson. Back home, Master Eraqus would punish her and Terra for misbehaving with more chores. So how did it feel to be forced to do something you did not want to do? Well, he wasn't exactly forced to run behind her, but he wouldn't want to stay behind either. It still wasn't on the same level as forcefully taking her on his shoulder and jumping around like a monkey, but that should teach him. Besides, there was no harm involved. On a straight road like that, there was no way to fall or miss a jump, since there was nowhere to jump to, so it was all safe. He would always be right… behind?

-Where is he? – Aqua jumped out of the ice trail looking confused. The man was nowhere to be seen. I guess I overdid it… Was I really going that fast? I must be way ahead now. The young master went back in the direction she came from. It's smarter to meet him midway. No point in being separated for too long. She felt guilty for leaving him behind like that, but she couldn't understand how she got so far ahead. She actually felt a bit dizzy as well. She sped up to a jog. What am I doing? This is exactly the kind of thing that I wanted to avoid in the first place… I will have to apologise when–

The ground shook violently. The blue haired girl almost lost her balance when dark energy exploded from the depths and shot up towards the dark sky. Oh no… She knew what was going on. The road was about to change! She started to run as fast as she could. I have to find Zack NOW. A good chunk of the road behind her just got devoured by the darkness. Usually it would be better to just wait it out in one spot, but now that she was not alone anymore, she couldn't let them get separated completely. Who knows to which corners of the dark world they would be flung to if they didn't stick together. There was a big hole in the road in front of her. Without hesitation, the young master jumped over to the other side. Pillars of dark energy were erupting all around. This is not good, just how far can he be?! I can't even see him yet, at this rate– The girl suddenly tumbled to the ground. She supported herself on her elbows, gasping for air. My legs…! How did… Did I use too much magic…? I have no energy… The road was slowly crumbling and disappearing everywhere. Some completely new ones were already visible far away, but the one that they were on until now still existed.

-I can't… Give up… – she panted, trying to get up. Moving forward proved to be difficult with her wobbly legs and the constant shaking. She kept going somehow, but the exhaustion was kicking in. Her vision was getting blurry, all the sounds reaching her ears were muffled. She fell down on one knee, trying to concentrate on looking ahead. Where are you… There was a black spot moving in the distance. It was far away, barely visible, but it seemed like it was approaching. Is it…? The girl squinted to see more clearly. It has to be him! The adrenaline rush made her go up on her feet and immediately start running. It still wasn't too late, as long as they could stick together during the shuffling, there would be no problem. Apologising will come later, the most important thing right now was to get as close as possible and grab onto him. She felt like she could drop dead at any moment, but she had to keep running. They were now close enough to recognise each other. Everything else around her disappeared from view. The shaking, crumbling road, the dark energy exploding all around, the debris flying around her head, her legs wanting to just snap away, none of it mattered. No distractions, no fatigue, only running. All that counted was getting to him before it was too late. Everything became so sluggish. Her hand stretched out in front of her. The movement was so slow, it felt like an eternity just passed. Only a couple more steps. His hand's in reach…! She felt a hit on her waist. Why did everything start spinning? The ground was suddenly so close and everything felt cold. The last thing she saw was her hand stretching out weakly towards a dark surge in front of her before everything went black.

-Why did you do that?!

-It's your fault! Stupid!

-What is going on here?

-Master! Aqua broke my wooden keyblade on purpose!

-B-but Master…! He deserved it!

-Huh?!

-Calm down. Why did you do that? What happened?

-He… He took Mr. Bubbles from me when I was reading and… and ran away to the courtyard… and then he dropped him into the thorny hedges below!

-Is that true, Terra?

-I-it was an accident! I just wanted to play a little and he just slipped from my hand, I didn't mean to let it go! I even went down there to retrieve it!

-He's torn to shreds! And you just laughed it off!

-You can get another one, it's just a stupid plush rabbit. I will have to build that keyblade all over again!

-You kids…

-M-master, Terra is a big meanie…!

-Aqua, I know that Mr. Bubbles is important to you and that you were frustrated, but do you think breaking something important to Terra was a good thing to do?

-W-well… No, but… But he didn't care at all! His apology wasn't real! I wanted to… to teach him a lesson…

-I am here to teach lessons, Aqua. You should have come to me. Now we have two broken things instead of just one. But Terra said it was an accident, while you did it on purpose. Were your actions really appropriate?

-...No… I… I'm sorry…

-Terra, don't you have anything to say?

-Uhh… I'm… sorry about Mr. Bubbles… I'll get you a new one, if it's that important to you.

-I don't want a new one… It won't be the same…

-You're such a girl. If you did more training than reading books, you would have caught up to me and taken him back.

-Well I don't want to be a meathead like you!

-What did you say, bookworm?!

-Enough. You're both going to help each other repair your broken belongings. But first, you'll be sweeping the entire courtyard, all the way down to the mountain path.

-Whaat? No way!

-Master is a big meanie, too!

-Hmmm, now that I think about it, the armors in the throne room look like they need some polishing, too…

-NOOOOOO

The girl opened her eyes up slowly. It's cold… She could see her hand in front of her, laying on the ground. She tried to stretch her fingers out. All seemed fine. What was… that…? Her dream still lingered around in her groggy mind. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. Why did I… Remember that now…? She rested her forehead on her arms, trying to make sense of the situation. It wasn't long before her face changed from sleepy confusion to pure horror.

-No…! No, no, NO! – she sprung back onto her feet, frantically looking around – ZACK!

But she was all alone. Nothing was the same around her anymore, multiple roads, platforms and small structures everywhere she looked, as well as a gaping hole right in front of where she woke up. A sigh full of grief escaped her mouth while falling to her knees at the edge of the grey ground.

-This is… my fault… Why…? Why did I do this?! Why, you dumb… IDIOT! WHY?! WHY CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?! THIS…! This is not… How it was supposed to be…!

Aqua kept on screaming and chastising herself as streams of hot tears were flowing down her cheeks. She was alone again and it was all her fault. In fact, everything was her fault. From the moment she became a keyblade master, up to the point she was at right now. Nothing ever went as planned and she was making one mistake after another, and now all her friends were suffering because of it. She was useless. What was she even fighting for? What was the point to all of that suffering? Was she even needed out there, in the realm of light? Of course not. Terra made it out from the dark realm and is probably already searching for Ven. Ven was safe and sound in the Chamber of Waking. There was nothing else for her to do. Terra will find him eventually. Master Yen Sid and Mickey will help him. That's right, they didn't need her anymore. The useless master has played her part. There will be others, better, stronger, wiser. Terra will finally receive the title he dreamed of. Mickey was also a good candidate. The worlds won't be in danger with them as their guardians. And Zack… He'll be much better off without her. All she ever did was cause him trouble. He'll have to continue alone, but he'll make it out of there. He didn't need her at all, what use would he have out of a useless keyblade master anyway? Maybe it was a good time to just stop. She should just fade away into the darkness right there. Just drop into the abyss and it'll be all over. And everything will be alright…

The man was lying on his back, arms spread out and eyes half-opened. He let out a long, painful sigh. This is not good… How could I let that happen… I really shouldn't have pissed her off… Zack clenched his fist with frustration. This is my fault… I messed up so badly… But what now…? His headache was unbearable. He moved his arm to rest it on top of his forehead. As he did so, he heard a metallic rustle right next to his ear. Don't tell me the pauldron came off… Checking his shoulder out with his hand, he found his pauldron was right where it was supposed to be. He noticed however that the sound reached his ears every time he moved his hand around. Zack lifted his arm up to see a blue, star-shaped charm dangling in front of his face, with its string tangled between his fingers.

-Huh…? That's Aqua's… Thingy… – he blinked a few times, looking curiously at the blue star – How'd it get here?

The man recalled the moments before he passed out. He didn't stop running. He had to catch up to Aqua as fast as possible. When everything started crumbling down, he knew the darkness used the situation to its advantage. Then, when he saw her running towards him he felt relieved, realising she managed to regain consciousness. As they got closer, he spotted some monsters hidden between the flying debris. The keyblade master did not look like she was aware of it at all. In fact, she was running in a weird way, like she was about to collapse, her eyes were not exactly there either, just looking straight at him with no spatial awareness. Just when their hands were about to meet, the monsters launched a coordinated attack. Zack pushed the girl out of the way by grabbing her by the waist and pushing her to the ground. He dispatched the small monsters right above them with one swift roundhouse kick, but only a second later he was sent flying backwards as one of the dark orbs shot by the bigger monsters hit him right in the chest. Before he had time to hit the ground, a pillar of dark energy exploded right under him. He suddenly felt very cold, he couldn't see or hear anything anymore. It was like he was drifting in an ocean, engulfed in complete darkness. He could feel a slight warmth from somewhere around his hand, before completely blacking out.

-I guess I caught it somehow when I grabbed her – the man sat down, putting the wayfinder in his hand – Did it protect me?

The charm shimmered in his hand. Zack felt a soothing warmth radiating from his hand, slowly expanding to his entire body. He closed his eyes, feeling his energy replenishing. His headache disappeared as well.

-Thanks, I owe you one – he said to the wayfinder when standing back on his feet. Around him, there were only a few roads available that went in all directions. Nothing worth of interest was in sight either, no structures, no platforms and no big rocks to jump on. The man gave out an exasperated sigh. I'll have to walk my way through after all… He looked at the charm again with a sadder expression on his face.

-Aqua… I need to find her… But which way should I go? Do you know? – he asked the blue star in his hand. It shone with a soft light, giving him a reassuring feeling. He understood that it wanted to give a confirmation. The dark haired hero happily stook out his arm with the wayfinder in front of him and tried to "search" for the direction. But there was no response. Am I doing it wrong? Guess it won't work as a compass… For a split second, Zack saw the image of Aqua from when she held the wayfinder close to her chest. Getting the clue that he should do the same, he pulled his hand closer to his heart. The charm shone stronger, then Zack felt a tingle in his chest. Is it working…? Come on, where…?!

Suddenly, an intense and painful feeling took over his mind. He felt his heart beat much faster. What was happening? What was that? Anger? Fear? Sadness? All at once? He was paralyzed, he felt his throat clench up. His heart was beating so fast, it felt like it wanted to rip his chest out from the inside. His sight started to grow dim and he felt his knees give up. He fell to the ground face first, the wayfinder escaping his hand at the same time. As soon as the charm lost its light, Zack regained control of his body. He immediately gasped for air, eyes wide open in shock. What the hell was that…?! So suddenly, I just… couldn't breathe…! He took some time to calm down. The man pushed himself up on his hands and knees and looked at the wayfinder on the ground next to him with a tired look.

-I don't understand what happened… – the man picked the blue star up – You were supposed to show me where Aqua is, not scare me to death… What was that?

As an immediate response, an image flashed in his mind again. This time, it showed Aqua's "absent" state. The man sat down, trying to make sense of it. The realisation was dawning on him slowly.

-Wait… You mean that those were… Aqua's emotions? Is that what she's feeling right now?

The charm shimmered again in a silent confirmation.

-No way… If she stays like this…! Hey star thingy, we've gotta help her!

Looking at the shining charm in his hand, he understood what he had to do. To be able to find her, they first needed to get rid of the darkness clouding the girl's heart. Zack took a few deep breaths as the wayfinder shone stronger, giving him a courage boost. This time, he was ready to face the darkness head-on. Without more hesitation, he clenched the wayfinder over his chest, then his mind drowned in the darkness again.

It couldn't see anything. To be more precise, there was nothing in front of it. A big void, right in front of its eyes. It couldn't feel anything. There was no more cold, no more pain in its body. A big void, right in the middle of its heart. Yet, it was still there. Merely a sliver of consciousness, just enough to be able to tell that there was a body, somewhere, that belonged to someone. It was so annoying. Why couldn't it be just nothing? There was nothing left to see. Nothing to hear. Nothing to feel. Nowhere to go. It was so useless. It has lost everything. And yet, there it was. Holding onto something. Why not just let go? It was so absurd. A small push forward was all that was needed for all of it to end. The goal was so close…

The body felt something. Something grabbed this body by the shoulder. It felt like a big, strong hand, pulling this body backwards. Something else had also grabbed its arm. Two smaller hands. They were pulling the body backwards as well. The body managed to open its mouth.

-...Terra…Ven…?

Its eyes sparked back to life. It… She. She could feel once again. Her knees were hurting. She was very cold. There was a sensation of tightness in her throat and a sharp pain in her chest. Slowly, she was realising the situation she was in. Kneeling at the edge of the grey road, looking straight into the abyss below, there was something inside of her pushing her forward. At the same time, the ghostly hands were pulling her back, keeping her on the ground. In a panic, she pushed on her arms as hard as she could to get away from the dark hole and landed on her back. The pain in her chest got stronger. Curling up on the ground, she started to hyperventilate. She was completely disorientated. What was going on? What was she about to do? She felt so horrible, tears were flowing out of her. Ah, there she was. The useless master was crying again. Nothing more than a failure. Why didn't she jump off? It would have been over already. What a coward. Useless. Powerless. Hopeless. Spineless! Worthless! HEARTLE–

She suddenly felt those familiar hands on her again. They felt like they were giving her a soft hug. It felt good. They radiated warmth across her entire body. She was slowly calming down, her breathing has stabilised, the pain was lessening. The cacophony of dark thoughts was dissipating, her mind was getting more quiet. Aqua slowly opened her eyes up. She knew she was alone, but her friends were not letting her go. They wanted her to know that it wasn't over yet.

-Guys… Thank you… I don't know where I would be without you… – she smiled while holding her hand close to her chest – I'm sorry… That you have to help me all the time…

Regaining some strength, Aqua managed to sit down on the ground. Her friends' presence had slowly faded away. She didn't want them to go, but she knew they did the best they could. That was enough for her. Her mind was clear, the goal was visible once again. She needed to get out of there. After all, she promised Ven that she'll wake him up. What kind of a friend would she be if she couldn't keep her promise? Terra will be there too, and they'll go stargazing together again. With her eyes closed, she was smiling brightly when thinking about her friends. Suddenly, the keyblade master felt something touch her shoulder. It was a hand again, but it felt different from the previous ones. It was somehow familiar, too. A strong hand… with a glove? She immediately jumped up and looked behind her hopefully. But there was nobody there. Confused, her hand reached towards the pocket on her back. After some fumbling around, even more confusion appeared on her face. My wayfinder is gone?! How could I lose it?! For a second, she got very sad. The charm she treasured so much, the one she made for her and her friends, had disappeared. But right as that depressing thought crossed her mind, she received another "poke" on her shoulder.

-Zack…? – the question escaped her mouth. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but it somehow felt like he was there with her.

-Where are you? Can you hear me? – she spoke into the nether, but there was no clear response, apart from a weird tingling sensation in her heart. Is this a "link"…? But how is that possible? I don't have my wayfinder anymore. Wait, what if… He has it with him? But how did he… Nevermind that, I need to concentrate… The keyblade master placed her hand on her chest, trying to trace back the connection. Amidst the vast sea of nothingness, there was a small light that was able to shine through. Approaching it was difficult, as the darkness was trying its best to block it away. But the light was still shining strongly. It was almost like a fireplace, drawing in cold adventurers with its warmth in the middle of winter. With every small step, it was coming closer. Soon, the light was just at arms reach, she could feel it right at her fingertips. Then, Aqua got overwhelmed with a sensation of excitement and happiness.

-Alright! We made it! – the man exclaimed when he finally regained full control of his body and thoughts. He was completely numb for a good while when attempting to establish the link, but now that he could feel the connection clearly, he was very happy that it all worked out. The charm was shining brightly, indicating it was connected to its owner. Zack felt what Aqua was feeling and vice-versa, which also meant they instinctively knew where they were supposed to go to find each other, as if there was some kind of beacon mended in their hearts. Without wasting time, the young hero was already on his way.

-This charm-thing is amazing! I need to get one for myself, but where can you even buy something like that? Gotta ask Aqua about it later – he stretched his back while walking and addressed the charm – How are you supposed to be called anyway? Glass star? Star charm? Gotta be something with "star" right? Or maybe not…

The charm couldn't really answer his question, but the soldier was not waiting for one anyway.

-Oh I know! You look like a star and you shine a lot, so how about "Sparkle"? Catchy and cute, I'd say it suits you well. I mean it's kinda like a pet name but it's not bad, right? "Hey shopkeeper, I'd like one Sparkle please!", that's gotta be a hit, I'm telling you! – laughing happily when thinking about his new idea, Zack hung the wayfinder proudly on his neck – I'm speaking to a piece of glass, I must've gone completely crazy. Ow! – the soldier yelped when the charm sent a small electric shock down his chest – Did you just ZAP me?! You just zapped me, Sparkle! Aah! What's up with the attitude?! Ugh, you're just like your owner, you know? Zero fun! It's not healthy! I have to teach both of you how to do it right. WITHOUT leaving me behind to die, thank you very much. No no, don't get me wrong Sparkle, I'm not salty about it. I'm just saying that…

-What is he so excited about? – the girl asked herself, unsure about what she was feeling at the moment. While not being her own emotion, the mix of Zack's excitement and optimism has impacted her mood positively – Heh, this man is really… Something else.

Aqua couldn't help but smile when she started to walk again. It somehow did not feel like it would be a chore anymore. After so much wandering with no idea what to do, a clear goal which seemed to be easily attainable felt refreshing.

-Just follow your heart. If only it was that easy all the time... I wonder how he managed to do that with my wayfinder. Exactly when I needed it, too. Heh, is that how "true heroes" work? Just in time to save the day? Sorry for doubting you, Zack. Hmm, why am I even talking to myself like that…? Oh no… Is it because of the link? His habits are rubbing off on me… Well, I guess there's no real harm in trying this method out. If it works for him, why wouldn't it work for me? I just hope I won't start doing squats. What even was that? "It helps me concentrate", that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard… Makes me think of Terra, actually. Who in the world just does push ups to relax? Boys are weird… Ven, please stay normal when you grow up… Speaking of growing up, isn't Zack taller than Terra right now? How much time has passed in the realm of light anyway? Well it's not like time flows the same in every world, but he still changed a lot… Uh, this is exhausting… How can he just talk so much all the time? But I guess that's the whole trick. Don't stay silent so that the darkness doesn't take over your mind. Not bad, mister hero, not bad at all. Always full of surprises. I'll really have to apologise for all this mess. But let's find him first. Three roads up ahead, huh? Alright, that should be…

Hello there! Thank you for reading. I just wanted to say sorry that it takes me so long to write these, life can get quite busy. But I try to make the chapters a bit longer to compensate for the wait. Anyway, let me know if you enjoyed it, have a great day!