Aqua walked briskly through the Enchanted Dominion, trying to make it back to the Castle Town. She was about to begin her hunt for any possible opening back to the Realm of Light.
As she made it back into the clearing in the thorny forest, a cloud of darkness appeared from out of seemingly nowhere. As the darkness spread, the center cleared slightly, and Aqua gasped as she saw a girl standing in the middle of the darkness. Her dead brown eyes stared blankly in front of her as she held her keyblade stiffly in a battle stance.
A Keyblade, Aqua thought, placing her hand over her heart. So I haven't been alone down here? How long has she been here?
Her questions remained unanswered, though, as the girl began to charge at Aqua, the darkness clinging to her form. Aqua summoned Master's Defense and barely blocked the attack. I need to get this darkness off her, she thought as she pushed the girl back. The girl flipped backward to where she had appeared, crouching once again, ready to attack again.
Aqua fired a blast of light at the girl, trying to dispel the darkness. The girl blocked, and in response, flared her left hand to her side. Five medals appeared in a circle around her hand, three glinting gold in the darkness, two seeping purple with a similar dark energy to that around her.
She pointed two fingers at one of the medals, sliding it in front of her. A purple medal followed the path of her fingers, pulsing a dark energy before the girl launched herself at Aqua.
The girl didn't seem to touch the ground as she charged. Aqua prepared to Reflect, but was too slow. In a series of twists and flips, the girl pummeled Aqua with an attack that would have impressed—if not possibly worried—Master Eraqus.
The attack finished, and Aqua cartwheeled away, free from the grip of the attack. She cast Curaga quickly before the girl came at her with a swift regular attack that Aqua Reflected and countered. Aqua quickly hit the girl with a combo attack, as she had flinched at the counterattack. Aqua finished off the combo with a blast of light, not wanting to hurt the girl more than necessary.
What happened next was unexpected. The blast of light hit the girl unblocked, and it caused some of the darkness to dissipate. Her eyes focused, and she looked around in a panic at the darkness surrounding her. As the darkness closed back in on her, she clutched her head, crying out, "Chirithy! Chirithy, where are you?!" A final cry caught in her throat, the darkness once again surrounding her, the life once again leaving her eyes.
Got it! Master Aqua thought, understanding what must be done. She fired another blast of light in the girl's direction. She dodged, but it tore through part of the cloud that was surrounding her. Aqua fired again, this time the girl was unable to dodge, and it hit her squarely in the chest.
The darkness seemed to cower away from her, and her eyes refocused again. She seemed to notice Aqua for the first time, and a look of hope spread over her countenance as she tried to step forward. She reached a hand toward Aqua, another cry of help catching in her throat as the darkness once again took control.
Aqua felt a spark deep within her heart. With a shout to the sky, she summoned more light than she ever had before. "BEACON!"
Light exploded around Aqua, heading straight for the girl. It enveloped her, its warm glow banishing the rest of the darkness around her. The light dissipated, taking the darkness with it, and Aqua blinked, able to see the girl more clearly now.
Her soft brown eyes hid behind round glasses that perched firmly on the bridge of her nose. Her hair fell to her shoulders, her bangs reaching just above her eyes while two braids holding the front of her hair wrapped around to the back of her head. She wore a blue jumper with grey leggings and black boots. A pouch the shape of a Moogle's head sat at her left hip, the purple strap hugging her waist. A thin yellow scarf was wrapped loosely around her neck. A yellow wristband hugged her left wrist while her right hand held her keyblade.
Aqua blinked again, her gaze cutting to the girl's Keyblade. The guard was purple, the crosspiece a star with pieces spreading outward to serve as the guard's top. The keyblade neck was black with gold pieces spiraling up to the head, with the occasional star piece accenting the neck. The head of the keyblade appeared to be a golden star with purple accents, a sun shape topping off the keyblade's point.
The girl suddenly grabbed Aqua's attention when her keyblade disappeared in a flash of light. She fell to her knees, falling into unconsciousness as she hit the ground.
Aqua approached her cautiously at first, then ran to her when she didn't move. She knelt by the girl, touching her shoulder as she tried to pick her up, feeling a deep light resonating within her.
How long was she like that? Aqua wondered. Alone in the darkness, she must not have known what to do.
Aqua pulled the girl onto her back, remembering the similar weight of Ven as she took him to safety. Her heart warmed by the memory, Aqua trudged forward through the rest of Enchanted Dominion, heading straight for Castle Town.