The Age of Fairy Tales:

The New Gods VI

"Did you see that?"

The same woman in the shadows had watched as Aqua and Poppy made their way into a maze to find a golden lamp and inside was a spirit that proclaimed herself to be a Spirit of Knowledge.

"So she found someone who can answer our questions." The growling voice from before snarled. "Let's take it from her."

"Yes, we finally have the answer in our grasp but let's wait until she leaves to take it for ourselves." The shadow woman replied. "Why bother fighting her when we can wait for her to leave and take it for ourselves?"

Xxx

It was cold.

The sun had gone down and the hot summer temperature had drastically gone down, even though they were in a cave with a barrier protecting them. Unable to sleep, Poppy thought over how or why back there in the chamber with that three-headed grim that should have shredded them to pieces. Instead, it took a step back toward her mentor. In all that time, Poppy had been wondering why all of a sudden that some of the Grimm would not attack her.

Better yet why wouldn't they attack her mentor?

Some of the Grimm would react without notice like in the last village where they had saved that man getting from killed by that unique grim. It did attack except when her mentor used a barrier to block and shatter its weapons Poppy was the one who delivered the finishing blow. Before that, she began to realize lately their journey with her mentor that not many of the creatures of Grimm came out to attack them while they were camping, training, or asleep.

This made things more curious about her mentor than ever before.

She looked back at the tunnel where the Lamp of Knowledge resided with the barrier outside preventing not just the Grimm but people too from entering. Even if it wasn't there she had a right mind not to pick on a fight with that three-headed hound like Grimm. She learned one thing in her travels was that common Grimm were the ones that she and her mentor had fought and were easy to understand and it was quick to noticed their weaknesses, even when coming across a rare unique at the last village. Poppy should know better that her mentor was trustworthy.

After all, she saved Poppy's life back in her village.

But she clear had secrets that she's keeping hidden not just from her but many others and hopefully for a good reason. She trusted her mentor but she also wanted to know how back at her home village and here at the cave hidden the relic of knowledge was she able to keep the Grimm from attacking her.

Xxx

They had the Sword of Destruction.

Ozma couldn't believe how easy it had been to find it.

Now with the Sword, they could destroy the monster plaguing this world. However, first they needed to find it and Salem had a plan to track the monster while he had a plan as well.

'There are plenty of Grimm inhabiting the seas and if this monster is indeed sea-based it is only a matter of time before I find it.'

Ozma believed her.

Salem had shown her ability to control the Grimm and that was a great leap forward to uniting the people of this world. If the Grimm stopped attacking people, then there would be much less death and destruction.

But that was only if the monster known was Sin was destroyed first.

Salem had spent much time in her castle, focusing on her Grimm powers and reaching out to all the Grimm in the world to help Ozma find the Relics. Her control over them was absolute but she could not be everywhere sadly.

That was when she had an idea.

The Seer Grimm she given Ozma would allow her to control Grimm from a very long distance, reaching all the way from her castle and the Seers could help her and Ozma find the Relics and it just so happened that the mystical origin of these Relics attracted the Grimm, making them much easier for the pair to find. They had already found the Relic of Destruction which Ozma would use to slay the monster Sin and the Relic of Knowledge would help them find the beast's location if Salem's Grimm could not find it.

Xxx

"He's coming."

Penny was silent as the rest watched Ozma land in the desert and had a Seer Grimm with him.

"What is that?" Terra pointed at the Seer.

"It's a Grimm called a Seer." Penny answered. "Salem can use them for long distance communications, surveillance and to better control Grimm from a long distance."

"And it's with Ozma." Oscar clenched his fists. "If they see Aqua, Salem will know."

Penny remained quiet.

Xxx

Aqua opened her eyes, sensing someone coming from the desert. Her senses were strong enough to detect darkness and though the Grimm were different from what she had studied back at the Land of Departure. She could sense the darkness of the Heartless and was able to sense the darkness from the Unversed and Vanitas with each of them being unique in their own way.

The Heartless were the darkness in people's hearts.

The Unversed were negativity given form.

The Grimm on the other hand were created by Erebus, the God of Darkness and were made of a form of darkness that was made to destroy.

But it was still darkness.

And Aqua could sense the Grimm outside the cave but luckily it was faint meaning none were coming towards this cave. However she also sensed something familiar that she remembered tracking before.

'Ozma.' Aqua thought, sensing the familiar magical signature that stood out in the darkness like a beacon.

Ozma was coming to the Oasis.

But why?

Was it…

To find the Lamp?

Aqua stood up from the ground, taking a second to stretch her limbs and peered carefully outside the cave.

Nearby, Poppy groaned as she woke from hearing Aqua's movements. She spied her mentor looking carefully outside while careful to remain in the shadows.

"Aqua?"

"SHH!" Aqua quickly shushed her, keeping her gaze outside.

Poppy followed her gaze, looking outside to try and find what had Aqua so alert.

Out in the vast desert lands, someone was coming.

Poppy could barely make it out at first but the figure grew closer and she could make out the traveling cloak they were wearing. "Who is that?"

"Someone who shouldn't be here." Aqua answered carefully.

Xxx

"There it is."

The Seer hovered next to him. "The Seer feels the mystical energy. That cave holds the Relic."

"But which one?" Ozma wondered. "I have Destruction." He gasped the hilt of the ornate sword sheathed at his waist. "What we need now is Knowledge so we can now how to destroy the monster."

Ozma could see a faint glowing outline around the cave and recognized it for what it was.

"A barrier."

It would make sense that a barrier would be put up to protect the Relic but Ozma would not be deterred with so much on the line.

Xxx

"Who is that?"

The Shadow Woman frowned as she looked at the image of the strange man with the golden ornate sword around his waist and the scepter with the green gem.

Scepter with the green gem…

"Ozma."

"I still say it is impossible. Ozma is supposed to be dead!" The growling voice shouted.

"And what about the blue haired woman? You remember her, right? The same woman who defeated our master." The Shadow Woman pointed at the image of Aqua. "If she is alive why can't the same be said for Ozma?"

"THEN WHAT DO WE DO?"

"…We have no choice. We'll have to take the Lamp by force."

Xxx

"We have to warn Aqua." Terra immediately said, knowing what would happen if Salem knew that Aqua was still alive. "Aqua, can you hear me?"

However the view from the tree did not show Aqua reacting at all. She was only keeping her eyes on the entrance to the cave.

"Aqua?" Oscar tried next.

"Hey, Blue!" Neo called out.

Still nothing.

Neo then turned to Penny. "Hey, what gives? Why can't she hear us?"

She then saw the look on Penny's face and quickly put two and two together. Penny didn't even blink when Neo summoned her Keyblade and held it at her neck, shocking both Terra and Oscar.

"Neo!" Oscar exclaimed.

"You're blocking our voices from reaching her, aren't you?!" Neo harshly accused, shocking the other two. "You're the new goddess here so I know that would be easy for you!"

Penny remained calm and composed, just watching as events played out on past Remnant.

"If Salem finds out Aqua is still alive she'll said whole armies after her." Neo narrowed her eyes. "So how does this help?"

"Neo, please." Penny glanced at her through the corner of her vision. "Though it does not appear so, it is better to help Aqua by not helping her at all."

"What?" Terra stepped forward.

"We have helped Aqua regarding Sin because Sin was created by Kingdom Hearts, not a part of Remnant at all. However, Salem and Ozma are from Remnant and thus we cannot intervene." Penny explained.

"You mean you can't intervene." Neo corrected. "You're the new Drasil and you're playing by the rules instead of the old one."

"Please, you must trust me…Or you must trust Aqua." Penny was now looking at Neo, staring right into her eyes. "Aqua can find the perfect solution but only if we allow her to handle this without assistance from us."

Terra clenched a fist. "How can you ask this of us?"

Penny turned around, facing Terra with a saddened face. "It is not easy but remember as the new Drasil I can see every possible outcome from every timeline that is connected with Remnant and I know it is difficult to understand but you know Aqua well enough that you can trust her to handle herself, correct?"

"That's not the point!" Terra shook his head. "Trusting someone close to you and leaving them to handle a problem on their own when you are perfectly capable of helping are two completely different things."

"I know but Aqua agreed to undertake this journey on her own, no matter what support we choose to offer her. We have to wait and trust she will be able to handle this obstacle before her or she'll never know for sure if she can handle the burden of traversing Remnant's timeline until it matches up to the moment she was supposed to fall into the Realm of Darkness." Penny replied.

"Matches up with the exact moment?" Neo asked, lowering her Keyblade. "I thought she was jumping through time to reach the time where me and the others, Red and the rest of her do-gooder friends were born."

"Yes, it's like that Neo but remember that Aqua was supposed to fall into the Realm of Darkness but we stopped that when we created the Central Evacuation Location. It was a pocket dimension created in a point between space and time, a point between worlds and because our world was located in the Realm of Darkness, out of a one in a million chances it brought Aqua here to the Ever After just before we arrived here. Now Aqua is starting from the far past but because of the spatial and time discrepancies if she had arrived in Remnant it would have happened…About ten years before the Fall of Beacon." Penny explained.

"Ten years before the Fall?" Oscar's eyes went wide. "Ruby and the others would be mere children by then."

"Exactly." Penny looked at Terra next. "Ten years…She would have been in the Realm of Darkness for a decade to the rest of the world but because time has no meaning there she wouldn't have aged or succumbed to hunger in all that time. When we tried evacuating Atlas, our intentions were good but we never understood the full consequences of what we were doing and because of that Aqua fell here and the Heartless invaded Remnant. Now that Aqua is beginning her journey through the ages, the end of her journey has to synch perfectly with the time when she would have been trapped in the Realm of Darkness."

Terra stepped back when he realized what that meant. His closest friend would have to endure a thousand years, maybe even more just to reach the point of time on Remnant that matched with rest of the worlds, ending with the day she sacrificed her armor and Keyblade and sent him(and Xehanort) back to the Realm of Light.

'Aqua….' Terra looked at the image again. 'Did you have any idea what you were actually going to do?'

And if she did, did she keep it all a secret from him?

Xxx

Ozma held out his scepter and channeled his magical power through it, allowing a green blast of magical energy to be fired from the green jewel and slam into the barrier.

Inside Aqua could feel Ozma's magic fighting against the barrier she put up. "Poppy, whatever happens stay inside and don't let him see you."

Poppy looked at her mentor with widened eyes. "But Aqua-"

"No 'buts'!" Aqua quickly cut her off, rendering her silent. "This has to stay between me and them for the moment."

Aqua stepped forward and held out her hand, dispelling the barrier. The energy blast shot forward but Aqua was more than ready as she summoned her Keyblade.

"Reflega!"

Ozma's eyes went wide from the voice and watched as his attack collided with another magical barrier…

That sent his own blast right back at him!

Ozma jumped up, flying over his own attack that scorched the ground a mere instant later and landed safely a few feet away. He then watched as someone emerged from the cave, brandishing a weapon that looked like a sword.

Then his eyes went wide as the dust cleared, revealing who it was. "…Aqua?"

Xxx

In her domain, Salem had become as still as a statue with her eyes going as wide as Ozma's as her crystal beheld the image of a familiar person.

"Salem?" Ozma asked, looking surprised. "Why are you here? I asked you to remain home where it was safe."

"I heard the danger was over but grew anxious when you did not return." Salem answered, stopping to look at Aqua and moved a little closer to Ozma. "…Who is she?"

Aqua raised an eyebrow, seeing the woman named Salem was looking her with a somewhat nervous but critical glance.

"This is Aqua, a friend." Ozma said, seemingly not paying attention as he made the introduction with a smile. "She helped defeat Lord Sidorak and just now defeated the monster that attacked this kingdom."

"Hello." Aqua slightly bowed her head in greeting and smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"…Likewise." Salem answered back with a soft smile. "You are one of Ozma's friends."

"A new one but yeah, I do consider him a friend." Aqua answered honestly.

"It's all right. I've been in several castles by now and they're all the same. Big and either very intimidating or very grand." Aqua said, taking a seat while Salem sat next to Ozma.

"Really? Can you tell us about some of them?" Salem could not help but ask.

"So he could cure Ozma?" Salem asked hopefully.

"If I go and ask him." Aqua said, wondering the God of Light had not appeared to give her a way home like he had promised for defeating Surtr.

"Will you make the journey, Aqua?" Artura asked.

Aqua nodded. "I have been to his dwelling before so I know the way."

Salem looked at her with a surprised look but was hopeful she would succeed as Aqua stood up, finishing her tea. "You believe you can save him?"

"I won't know unless I try." Aqua answered honestly.

"…Thank you." Salem said, sounding grateful.

Aqua sighed, relieved that it was finally over and turned around to see how Salem was. "Salem, are you all right?"

Salem was standing with a surprised look on her face, stunned by how strong Aqua was. "I'm…I'm fine. You…You fight well, Lady Aqua."

Aqua smiled as she dismissed her Keyblade. "Just call me, Aqua. Come on, we better help Ozma."

"Salem, stop!"

Salem stopped, watching in slight surprise before narrowing as Aqua stepped out between the two gods. "You…"

"Salem, this is not the way to solve this." Aqua stated pleadingly. "Trying to destroy them will not bring him back."

Salem glared at Aqua in contempt before looking back at the gods. "Attack! Destroy them all!"

"You!"

Aqua turned and faced Salem who approached her with a barrier of lightning surrounding her. "Salem, stop this. This isn't going to bring him back."

"If they won't bring him back then I'll destroy everything they have created." Salem snapped.

"You're wasting your time!" Salem taunted. "You can't defeat all of us, no matter how powerful you might be."

Aqua said nothing, merely readying herself for the next attack. Just as the three prepared to attack, Aqua summoned three spheres of light of light that spun around her and hit all three opponents, exploding on contact. Shen and Charlemagne were knocked to the ground while Salem immediately recovered on account of her curse. Angered, Salem immediately lashed out with a blast of lightning at Aqua who teleported out of the way.

Salem then spun around and immediately launched another with Shen and Charlemagne assisting her, attacking Aqua as she reappeared. Aqua cartwheeled out of the way, barely dodging the attacks. More soldiers arrived to help their rulers and ally but Aqua would not allow it.

She closed her eyes and activated her command style: Ghost Drive.

She warped around the largest group of soldiers until they were all surrounded and Aqua finished with a powerful shockwave that sent many warriors flying, along with Shen, Charlemagne and Salem. Everyone screamed as they crashed into the ground, rather hard. Aqua appeared in the middle of the battleground as the mist finally faded, panting slightly now.

Taking on so many warriors had been difficult, even for her and her constant use of spells was draining her stamina.

"This is all your fault! You ruined everything!" Salem shouted in maddened fury.

"I am stopping you from making a terrible mistake!" Aqua shouted back. "I will not let innocent people die because of your selfishness!"

"So what if they die?! Why should their lives matter to me?!" Salem ranted as her entire body began to glow.

Aqua noticed that Salem's hands were gripping her Keyblade even tighter and they were sizzling with a deep heat. "This is not what he would have wanted!"

"What does it matter?! He's dead and they wouldn't give him back!" Salem shouted, her voice becoming distorted from the magic she was gathering up for her next spell. "But if you care so much for him, I'll send you to him!"

"YOU!"

Aqua spun around, facing Salem who glared at her hatefully. "Salem-"

"You did this! If you hadn't interfered-"

"Then everyone would be dead!" Aqua shouted, having enough of Salem's attitude. "You'd have gotten everyone killed just because you wanted to spite them. This is not on me, Salem. This is all you're doing. Be thankful I convinced them not to wipe everyone on this planet but you'll have to be the one to explain this as Erebus said and I sincerely hope they will be more merciful with you than those two were."

She walked past Salem, not sparing her another glance or word.

Aqua…

It was her.

Aqua.

The woman in the crystal ball facing her Ozma right now.

Aqua!

It looked like the exact same woman who had been a thorn in Salem's side back then.

AQUA!

Salem gripped the table she was sitting so hard that cracks began to form, her eyes glowing at the sight of the woman in the crystal ball.

And then the table shattered.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Salem screamed so loud that the surrounding windows and the crystal ball shattered.

Xxx

Ozma jumped when he heard his beloved screaming from the Seer that immediately lashed out, flying at Aqua with its tentacles ready to impale her…

Only for the tentacles to stop mere inches from Aqua's face.

"Hello, Salem." Aqua said calmly to the crystal orb that showed the image of an enraged Salem's face.

"You…" Salem snarled and grunted. "Attack! Kill her!"

"Salem?" Ozma held a hand out to the Seer. "What are you doing?"

"She's trying to kill me by the looks of it." Aqua brought a hand up and pushed the Seer back. "The problem is the Grimm can't kill me because their creator told them not to. Not even you, Salem can break that command."

"You!" Salem shouted in pure rage. "How are you still alive?! You should be dead!"

"The same can be said for you and Ozma." Aqua retorted. "But I'm not trying to kill both you now, am I?"

"Aqua, is that really you?" Ozma asked, taking a step around the Seer. "You look exactly the same as the last time I saw you."

"Sadly I cannot say the same, Ozma." Aqua softly said, looking away from the Seer while Salem glared hatefully. "I know it's you because I can sense your heart, even though it's different from before."

Ozma looked down at his…rather new body. "My soul was bonded with this body, merging with the soul already here."

Aqua noticed something else though.

The sword around his waist.

It gave off the same mystical sense as the Lamp and the Staff.

"That sword…" Aqua pointed at the sword.

"Ozma don't show it to her!" Salem shouted. "She can't be trusted!"

Aqua looked back at the Seer. "And you can be, Salem? Did you tell him why everything is so different? Why no one here has magic but the two of you?"

"Ozma, don't listen to her!" Salem turned to Ozma.

"Why? What are you afraid of, Salem?" Aqua questioned, glancing at the Seer. "Afraid of what he might think that you are the reason that magic was stripped from everyone after you tried to kill the Brother Gods?"

Ozma gaped. "What?"

"And because of that, they stripped everyone of their magic except the two of you." Aqua continued.

"Lies!" Salem shouted desperately.

"In fact you haven't stopped there. You also caused a village of people to be wiped out because someone wandered into the forest you were staying at before." Aqua narrowed her eyes. "Don't try and lie your way out of this, Salem. I've seen what you've done."

Salem snarled, desperately willing the Seer to attack and kill Aqua but no matter how hard she pushed the Grimm would not budge. Ozma was about to say something when the ground began shake. Aqua spun around to see a blackness spreading from the shadows of the cave and out into the open and something began to rose up. The shape was large with wings growing out that broke through the shadowy matter covering it until finally it broke free and let out a loud roar.

It was a dragon.

Followed by this, another shadowy shape rose with clawed hands and feet and a busy tail. The shadowy matter fell away, revealing a muscular humanoid figure with black fur and a wolf shaped head with glowing red eyes.

And the third figure was the shape of a woman but had a shadowy purple body with a wisp like tail for legs. Her hair was long and greyed purple under a purple and white ringed hat and she had small pale lips.

"I believe you have something of ours." The Shadow Woman stated.