Chapter 2

Apprentices and Angels

Another world was falling, and once more The Master had sent his apprentices to try to help. Balthazar had been sent along as well, though to say there was apprehension among the apprentices would be putting it mildly.

Balthazar floated gently, looking up at the great swirling vortex of darkness blotting out the night sky. Shadow Heartless scurried around between the mud huts of the village as their thatched roofs were pulled upwards into the abyss, and the weight of the darkness sat heavy on Balthazar. Gusts of wind swept across the land as the vortex slowly pulled the world itself into its hungry maw. The area directly underneath the dark portal was already destroyed beyond recognition, but here on the edge of its pull the few remaining survivors could move about for the time being.

The Angel of Darkness closed his eyes, feeling for hearts of light. There were several, but one in particular stood out the strongest to him. Balthazar began working his way through the village, noting as he did that the other Heartless were completely ignoring him; in stark contrast to the violent rage they'd greeted the apprentices with. He wasn't entirely sure why they had no interest in him, but he was thankful for it.

Shortly, Balthazar came up on one of the apprentices, a tall heavily-built man in a white hooded robe with a bear mask. He was on his knees, holding a terribly injured woman. Beside them, holding tightly to her clothes and weeping mournfully was a small child.

Balthazar studied them unnoticed, identifying the woman as the light he sought. "Aced, I am here to help you."

Aced and the child both turned to see him, Aced scoffing and the child bursting into ever more desperate tears at the sight of the terrible form looming over them.

"Don't you understand anything, you foul beast?" Aced said with disgust. "Your presence does nothing but agitate the already suffering people here."

"I'm here to help them just as much as you are," Balthazar said curtly.

Aced motioned towards the child angrily. "You'll never be able to convince them of that. You're just another Heartless to them! What do you think you can do to help here?"

"The woman needs help. Her heart is strong with light. I believe The Master can save her," Balthazar said gently.

"And what of the child?" Aced demanded. "What of the others in this village who will look and see us letting a Heartless steal off with one of their own? How are we meant to help them if they won't trust us?"

Balthazar was silent for a moment, observing the mournful child clinging tightly to his mother. "I'm only doing as The Master has asked. It may be her only chance, Aced, distasteful as it may seem."

"Another chance? To become another heartless abomination like you?" Aced bit. "I don't know what The Master is thinking, creating creatures like you."

At this point another apprentice had arrived. She was shorter and more slender, wearing the mask of a Fox. "Enough, Aced, you are scaring the child more than Balthazar."

"Stay out of this, Ava," Aced said angrily.

Ava reached down and picked up the child, shushing softly. "I will take him to safety. Balthazar, try using some curative magic on the boy to show him you mean well, then take his mother back to The Master."

Balthazar nodded, holding his hand over the boy's bruised arm and healing it gently. The boy looked at his arm in disbelief through tearful eyes, then saw Balthazar motioning towards the mother. The child continued to cry, but didn't seem so distraught anymore.

Balthazar reached down and scooped the woman up into his arms as Ava walked away. Once she and the child were out of sight, Balthazar created a swirling purple portal before him, which led to a corridor of darkness.

Aced stood behind him, arms crossed and staring intently. Balthazar could almost feel his piercing gaze, but paid no notice, taking the woman through the corridor. She lay entirely limp in his arms as they traversed the chaotic pathway, but Balthazar felt the light in her heart strongly still. The darkness of the corridor nipped at his heart with a bitter cold, and he was quite glad to emerge through the other end into The Master's warm medical lab.

The Master was there, dashing like a madman between several pods that were filled with people from the falling world. Balthazar made his way over to the nearest open pod, and Farah bobbed up alongside him. "How many others?"

"I'm not sure. The apprentices have their hands full with survivors who are not as badly injured, so my hope is that we have managed to save several. This one's light is strong, but she's very badly wounded," Balthazar said sadly.

Farah helped to place her in the pod, which closed with a whine and a hiss before beginning to glow with a green aura from within. Farah turned towards Balthazar. "Hopefully this can restore her."

Balthazar nodded. "I hope so, as well. How are the others doing?"

"A few of them seem like they'll be alright, but several of them are in very poor shape. We've lost another three today, and The Master and Juangshi are about to make the final effort to save the young boy," Farah said sadly.

Balthazar looked over towards The Master, who was now standing in front of a pod with another Angel of Darkness beside him. Juangshi was the most recent addition to their ranks, and despite being the one who helped convert her Balthazar did not know her very well yet. She'd been the one success right in the middle of a bitter string of failures that had hit Balthazar particularly hard, and then this latest disaster had struck.

Balthazar turned to Farah. "How are you holding up?"

"It really eats at me," Farah said bluntly. "I know that the work we do is good, but losing so many hearts… It's so difficult. Seeing Juangshi alive and helping The Master is reassuring to me, it helps encourage me that the pain isn't for nothing.

"I wish we could save more of them," Balthazar said sadly.

"I do too," Farah replied with a sigh. "Do you need to head back to the falling world?"

Balthazar closed his eyes. "I would like to, but… well, I'm not sure that I should. Aced greatly resents my presence there, and I can't help but wonder if his criticisms are justified."

Farah looked over to the newly-loaded pod. "Well, you brought her here. She wouldn't even have this much of a chance without your powers. Whatever Aced's disagreement with The Master's plans are, I say he can deal with them himself."

Balthazar glanced over to the pod, looking at the woman inside and remembering her crying child. "It's the only chance we've got. I've got to help them take it."

Farah reached out a hand and laid it on Balthazar's shoulder. "I appreciate you helping me, and giving me the chance to help others. I don't know what The Master's plans are, but let's just trust him for now."

"You're right," Balthazar said, floating back towards the open space of the floor. He motioned with his arm, summoning another corridor of darkness. "I'll go see who else I can find. Keep up the good work, Farah."

"Thank you. Don't let Aced discourage you," Farah told him.

With a small nod, Balthazar disappeared into the darkness and Farah went back to her duties.

Meanwhile, The Master had been running quickly between a pair of pods, both of their readings indicating that the lives inside were near failure. It had been a stressful, busy day. Another world was falling and the apprentices had all been sent to help mitigate the disaster.

There were a total of four Angels with him now. Four out of many, many attempts. He was sure he probably knew the precise number, just as he was sure he didn't want to know what that number was.

He looked up at one of the pods, one containing a very young boy who couldn't have even been ten years old yet. This one seemed like the best shot, and so he decided this would be the first to try. He turned around quickly to call over Farah, the Angel who'd been helping the most already this day.

Unfortunately, he'd seen that Farah was at the far end of the lab helping Balthazar take in a new critical arrival from the falling world. That was important, but it took away two of his options for helpers. Areshmin was away somewhere else as well, the darkness brought by the falling hearts affecting him terribly and leaving his balance of light and dark unstable.

That left one choice. The newest Angel, Juangshi, who had been floating nearby patiently watching the process.

"Well Juangshi, looks like Farah's busy. I guess it's time for your first try," he said hastily as he began the prep on the pod's controls.

Juangshi looked at the boy inside the pod. "What do I tell him?"

"Just answer his questions and encourage him. Strengthen the light in his heart. He has to do it on his own, remember, you can only help," The Master said breathlessly.

"That seems easy enough," Juangshi said, still staring inside motionlessly.

The Master paused for a second and looked up at her. "Well, don't be all trivial about it. Someone's life is on the line, you know."

Juangshi bowed softly. "I'm aware of the stakes, Master."

The Master stepped back from the controls and looked at the pod with a sigh, then turned to Juangshi. "Alright, time for you to go. Listen for my signal, alright?"

"Of course," said Juangshi. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, feeling for the light of the heart in the pod, and opened her eyes to find herself in the boy's Station of Awakening.

The boy was running around in a circle, following the patterns of the stained glass. He quickly saw Juangshi after she appeared and ran over to her curiously.

"Hey, who are you? Are you here to play with me?" he asked.

Juangshi looked down at the brown-haired boy, a little surprised at his nonchalance. "Eh, I'm not supposed to be here to play. My name is Juangshi, I'm here to help you with this," she said, motioning around at the Station.

"Hon-shee?" the boy asked with a giggle. "What kind of name is that?"

Juangshi chuckled. "Well, it's my name now."

The boy looked at her still. "Hon-sheeeee," he said again. "I can't say it the same way as you did. What does it mean?"

"Well, where I'm from it's a name for people that have passed away and come back to life as a monster. It was fitting for my circumstances," she explained.

"What, like a ghost? Hang on, are you a ghost?" the boy asked, poking her.

"I'm a very spooky ghost. But I'm a friendly spooky ghost," Juangshi told him.

The two had been so distracted that the boy hadn't noticed the encroaching darkness, but Juangshi was keeping a close eye on it. She looked back to the boy's face as he laughed, still saying "Hon-shee" quietly to himself.

"What's your name, kid?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm Perere. I don't really know what I'm doing here. I went to bed after too much dinner and woke up in this place," he started to turn to point towards the area around them, but now realized that the darkness was closing in fast. He turned back towards Juangshi, face now filled with worry.

"Did you make that stuff come here?" he asked.

"No, I didn't. That stuff came for me too, that's why I'm a spooky ghost now. I came here to help you deal with it," she said.

"What! That stuff killed you?" he asked, stepping forward and hugging her leg tightly.

"Yeah, it did. But look, there's a strong light in our hearts that can help us make it through, alright? You hold on to that light and you can be a spooky ghost like me, and then we can play together. It'll be fun," she said.

There was a thunderous crack as the Station began to shatter around them. It had taken a while to start, but now that it had the Darkness was fast approaching.

Perere looked up at Juangshi. "You sure about this?"

She nodded at him, holding out a hand and creating a barrier of light around them. "Pretty sure. I haven't been a ghost for very long. I think you'll be fine. Just hold on to that light real tight and don't let go."

Perere cried out in surprise as the station exploded out from underneath them, the electric sparks of the darkness buffeting against Juangshi's shield. He started to cry, then looked up at Juangshi, who was staring out into the darkness with her eyes narrowed in determination. He sniffed, then closed his eyes.

Juangshi felt the boy's light surge in strength, and then The Master's beams came through and hit the shield with a thunderous impact, the flash blinding her.

When she opened her eyes, she was once again floating outside the pod beside The Master, who was looking at the pod's readings curiously.

"Did it work?" Juansghi asked.

The Master turned to speak, but was interrupted by a small voice. "Did it work? Am I a spooky ghost now, too?"

The Master quickly spun around back towards the pod, rotating on his left heel. "What was that?" he asked incredulously.

The voice in the pod spoke up once more. "I think it worked. I think I'm a spooky ghost just like hon-shee."

The Master shook his hands in surprise. "It worked? That quickly?" He turned back to Juangshi. "What did you do in there?!" he demanded.

"I answered his questions and helped him out," Juangshi said simply, almost offended at his surprise.

"Hon-shee, if I'm a ghost, how come I can't go through this glass?" the small voice called out.

The Master spun back to the pod, the Angel within becoming more clearly visible now as the mist began to thin out "How do you know her name?"

"She told me in that colorful place. Can I come out now?" Perere said, slowly lifting a hand and tapping the glass.

The Master raised a hand to his chin. "He remembers the Station of Awakening, even? Well that's unusual. Good job, Juangshi!" He reached over and pulled the release lever on the pod, Perere's Angel form immediately falling to the ground with a soft thud as he'd been pushing against the glass in an attempt to go through it.

The Master reached over to help him back upright. "What's your name, then?"

"I'm Perere, the spooky ghost!" the Angel said excitedly.

The Master rubbed the back of his head. "What's with this spooky ghost business?"

Perere was now spinning around. "Hon-shee told me about how she's a spooky ghost and she could help me be one too. It's fun."

The Master turned to look at Juangshi wordlessly, his expression masked by his dark hood. Juangshi wasn't sure what this was meant to signify. She shrugged at him. "What?"

He leaned over to look past her, calling out "Farah!".

Farah came over shortly, noting the still-spinning Perere with amusement. "It looks like it worked, then."

"Yeah, I guess it did. First try too, unusual enough you know, but this kid apparently still remembers the Station of Awakening and his conversation with Juangshi inside of it," The Master told her.

Juangshi fluttered her wings happily. "I do unexpected things sometimes," she said proudly.

The Master spoke up quickly. "The thing we need to figure out is how. We've got another person here that needs attention five minutes ago. Farah, I'd like both you and Juangshi to make the trip this time. Pay attention to what she does and see if there's anything usual."

Perere leaped over onto the front of the pod, pressing his face up against the glass. "Are you two going to make this person into a ghost like us, too?"

"Hey, get away from that!" The Master said, shooing him off with his hands.

Farah chuckled at the spectacle. "I'm ready whenever Juangshi is."

The Master nodded, pushing Perere away from the pods. "Look kid, how about you go over there for a while and find something else to do while we finish up here, ok?"

Perere burst off so fast that The Master stumbled forward a bit, standing up and watching the new Angel fly off. "Man, I should've thought that through before I let him out of the pod." He turned quickly, and walked back to the others.

"I'm just saying it seemed pretty simple," Juangshi was saying to Farah, who seemed to be trying to roll her glowing eyes.

"Well, that's why Farah's going with you this time," The Master said as he approached the controls. "You two ready to go?"

The Angels nodded their heads in unison.

"Perfect. Let's go," said The Master.

It was a quiet day in The Master's tower. There was nobody inside the pods to be fussed over, The Master was busy with other things, and the Angels of Darkness had generally nothing much to do.

It was difficult for any of them to feel particularly satisfied on days such as this. They could under no circumstances leave the tower itself, for fear of being mistaken as a normal Heartless by the Wielders out in Daybreak Town. They were also limited in which areas of the tower itself they could travel in, several of them being strictly off-limits by order of The Master himself and many others being regularly traveled by the Apprentices; the majority of which did not care for the Angels and were loath to see them nearby.

Balthazar, having nothing to do, was simply floating about the tower. Back when he'd been a human, he would take walks around when he was bored. This sort of floating about wasn't quite the same, but it was close enough.

He passed by a doorway that led to a balcony outside, and saw another Angel floating out by the railing overlooking the town below. The Angels were all virtually identical in appearance, but they could tell each other apart by the feel of their hearts. A Heartless' senses are particularly attuned to hearts and the emotions within them, and Balthazar recognized this particular Angel as Bi`nh, the newest of the group.

Though Bi`nh was aided in her transformation by Farah, Balthazar recognized her as the woman he'd brought her from the falling world just shy of two weeks prior. She'd been quite reserved since her transformation, staying mostly in her own secluded room, and Balthazar had not had much opportunity to speak with her.

Balthazar floated out beside her, looking out at the town below as she was. The feathers of Bi`nh's wings bristled slightly at his arrival, but she said nothing.

After a few moments of unacknowledged silence, Balthazar spoke up. "You ever wish we could go down there?"

Bi`nh said nothing.

"Well, I do, anyways," Balthazar continued. "I've been here in this tower for several months now, I think, it's been tough to judge the passage of time. There's not a lot for us to do when The Master doesn't need our help, so I've probably seen just about everything in our area of the tower. It really makes me wonder what's out there in that town sometimes."

"My son is out there in that town," Bi`nh said quietly. "And I'm stuck up here in this damn tower."

Balthazar turned to look at her, though her gaze at the town didn't falter. "I can't imagine how hard that is for you, Bi`nh."

"Hard for me? What about him? His world was destroyed, and as far as he knows his parents are dead. For what it's worth, I may as well be dead." Bi`nh's body shook, and she looked down at her open, trembling hands. "He'll never be able to see me again as anything but the monster I've turned into, and even if I were to become a human again, then what? How's he supposed to deal with any of that?"

"I… I don't really know. I'm sure The Master is making sure he's being taken care of," Balthazar said.

"Like he's taking care of us?" Bi`nh asked, turning towards Balthazar now. "What's the point of this, Balthazar? What are we supposed to be? What are we supposed to do, other than serve to create more of ourselves?"

He bristled at this. "Well, you know, we're helping The Master find a way to preserve the light."

"But what does that even mean? What does that change? Worlds have still been falling all the same. We still died. Others are still dying. We're nothing more than disconnected hearts trapped in shells of Darkness. The only thing I have left of my life that made me myself is my son, and I can't so much as see him. So what was actually saved, here?" Bi`nh asked bitterly.

Balthazar remained silent, feeling his senses begin to haze a bit as the darkness began to grow a little bolder around him. Though the light in the Angel's hearts kept it generally at bay, the fact remained that they were still inhabiting a form of darkness in a delicate balance.

Bi`nh turned back towards the city, folding her arms. "I just feel empty right now, Balthazar. It's not your problem to fix. Please don't tell Farah or The Master how bitter I'm feeling. While I'm struggling to appreciate what they've done, I don't want to hurt them."

"Bi`nh… just to be honest here, I'm as much to blame as they are for any of this. I'm the one who brought you here from your world," Balthazar told her.

"Why? What did you want?" she asked.

Balthazar turned around, looking back towards the building as he gently leaned against the railing. It was an awkward and unnatural position for a Heartless Angel, but to the humanity inside of his heart it was comforting nonetheless.

"I don't know how to explain it any better than you already understand. I saw you there, dying, and I wanted to help you. I was drawn to the light of your heart and I just felt compelled to help preserve it. I don't have any ulterior motives," he said, sighing.

"How long have you been an Angel, Balthazar?" Bi`nh asked.

"Well, as long as I've been in this tower. A few months, like I said, it's hard to tell how much time has passed," he told her.

"And you've found this new life to be worth living? Stuck here in a dark tower with nothing to do aside from what a single man asks of us?"

Balthazar thought about this. "Yeah, actually. For starters, I do think it's better than being dead, or a wild Heartless with no real control over myself. I know The Master is a bit… hm, unorthodox? But I've worked with him enough to know that he really does care. What we're doing right now can feel directionless, like we're just chasing uselessly after the fires Darkness starts, I know. It's especially hard with how many people we've lost, who despite our best efforts die anyways, but I have to believe that it's worth trying at least."

Bi`nh turned to look at the tower, gazing up towards the top. The balcony they were one was quite high up, but the tower stood taller still. "Who am I supposed to be now, Balthazar? Now that I've lost everything that made me who I was?" she asked softly.

"You'll figure it out. I'm still figuring myself out, to be honest," Balthazar said. "Just because I believe I'm heading in the right direction doesn't mean I know where I'm going. I don't know what The Master's plans are. I don't know if there's going to be more to this new shot at life than just wandering this boring tower," he said, turning towards her. "But you know, I'm going to give it a try. See where it goes. See if I can't form new friendships with you and the other Angels. We can figure it out together, yeah?"

Bi`nh sighed, turning and looking down at the city one last time before closing her eyes. "I suppose so," she said, before opening her eyes. "Alright then Balthazar. We'll figure something out."

A door creaked open slowly, Balthazar poking his head through as it did. The contrast was great, the hallway Balthazar was coming from was moody and dark, lit only by candles and the evening light spilling under the doorways lining the hall; whereas the room he was entering was filled with a bright, warm light. The room was a very light stone gray, with a large rounded window but had little in the way of furnishings, for what sort of furnishings does a creature like an Angel of Darkness need?

In the room floated Areshmin, who hovered in front of the window with his eyes closed. "Hello Balthazar. It feels like it has been a while," he said.

Balthazar entered the room, closing the door behind him. "It has been a while. I'm sorry, Areshmin, it's not for a lack of wanting to visit."

Areshmin turned around slowly, and Balthazar noticed immediately the dullness in his eyes. "It's quite alright, Balthazar. I imagine… that The Master has kept you quite busy."

"It's been getting busier and busier, Farah and The Master are still at work right now, but he sent me away to get some rest."

Areshmin nodded. "It is good that he is still considering you all. I am sorry… that I cannot contribute more. My Light… is not as strong as yours," he said, his voice slow and his words taking notable effort.

Balthazar rested a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Areshmin. We understand your condition, and none of us fault you for it, least of all The Master."

"That is good to hear," Areshmin said softly. "This room helps to stave off the darkness inside… but the time alone… does become disheartening, at times."

"I'll try to come visit more," Balthazar said quickly. "Farah and The Master have been having a good string of success lately. Farah… She's quite strong, you know. I think her good spirits have been helping keep The Master stay positive despite the failures."

Areshmin nodded. "I do enjoy it when either of you visits. I don't see the others much, but they… seem to have good hearts."

"They do. There's eight of us now, have you heard?" Balthazar said proudly. "The Master seems a little disappointed the new Angels don't seem like good fits to help. I know that he would like to give Farah and me a break; though for now I think the three of us have managed to find a balance to our dynamic."

"Farah has mentioned that the other three… struggle with this, but she has not… said why. Is it their light?" Areshmin asked.

"No, not exactly. Juangshi's… hm. Her very first attempt she managed to help bring Perere into the fold, but Farah joined her for her second attempt and that was… kind of a mess. She uh… doesn't have a lot of comfort in her manner, you know?" Balthazar said.

"That is… is important to have," Areshmin said knowingly. "When the process does not work, as is… so often the case, it is easier to take… when we know we have been able to provide comfort, at least."

Balthazar nodded. "She's very blunt and cold in her mannerisms. It was perfect for Perere, but she, Farah, and The Master all agreed she was probably not the right fit for it. As for Perere, well, he's just too young really, The Master won't even let him try it."

"The weight of it… would be too heavy for such a young heart to bear," Areshmin noted. "It is good that The Master considers this. What of… Bi`nh?"

"She's struggling greatly with her personal loss, and is still not sure about her future. Being so torn on her current situation, well… The Master says she 'doesn't have the proper conviction for the cause'. He's not upset with her, though… in fact, I feel that The Master is worried about her," Balthazar explained.

"As am I…" Areshmin said, turning back towards the window. "I've been thinking a lot about… our futures, Balthazar. I have had much time to do so."

"I think it's on all of our hearts, to be honest," Balthazar said.

Areshmin nodded. "I hope that The Master has a plan… for a future for you. My light struggles. I feel as if I'm one of the ones in the pod, slowly wasting away, kept alive only by… these magic machines. I do not… want you to fade away… as I am."

Balthazar floated silently. The light in Areshmin's heart, though weak, was still steady. He hoped that something could be done to help him, but wasn't sure what.

"I will ask The Master about it soon," Balthazar suggested. "Perhaps he has a plan or an idea that just needs a little more time or help."

"Perhaps…" said Areshmin. "In the meantime… it is still good to hear of your continued… successes."

"That's right! Farah and I have each helped convert another dying heart to our group. Tomislava and Hadrianus have both joined us just this last week, and The Master says the light of their hearts is strong," Balthazar said cheerfully.

"That is good news!" Areshmin said warmly. "It seems that the conversions are… working out more frequently."

"It does feel that way. Perhaps someday we'll be able to save everyone we bring here," Balthazar said.

Areshmin looked around the room, pondering this. "I wonder… what will happen then."

"Then? You mean if we perfect the process?" Balthazar asked.

Areshmin nodded. "I wonder what… The Master's next step will be."

Balthazar thought about this, thinking back to Areshmin and Bi`nh's questions about their futures. "I… I don't really know. What does he intend to do with us all?" he asked quietly, to nobody in particular.

Author's Note: I forgot to mention in my last note that I plan to update this story every Tuesday/Saturday!

Thanks for reading!