Chapter 12 The Battle for Halloween part 2
Our heroes left to find their captured friend
Aware this was only the beginning not the end
Meanwhile, three more Keyblade Masters have yet to arrive
Unaware Nexus has a challenge for them that'll take all they have to survive…
In a semi-dark corridor next to the African/Mayan room, a portal opened and Aqua, Terra and Ventus appeared. Once the portal closed behind them, the three Keyblades wielders looked around once their eyes adjusted to the dim light.
"Is this the right place?" Terra asked before checking his gummiphone.
"Riku said a mansion on this world." Aqua said.
The Wayfinders started to walk down the hall. Unknown to them, they were being watched. Nexus peered into the 'Waters of Foresight' when he sensed something was wrong. He was not pleased with what he saw on the waters' surface. Three warriors clad in armour he'd seen in his books during his training days.
More uninvited Keyblade wielders.
"So I have more company that's not on the guest list to deal with." He said as he dispelled the images and walked towards the shelf across the room. The shelf was filled with jars and vials containing ingredients needed for his spells and potions.
"Where is it?…ahh. Here it is."
Nexus took a blue/green jar and poured the contents into a pouch.
"With this combined with an Summoning spell, I'll make their worst enemies destroy them before they can save their precious king and find the girl."
Nexus muttered words from an ancient language. His hand glowed dark grey along with the pouch. Once the glow faded, Nexus summoned his minion.
"Shiriki Utundu. I need you to help me with something."
"Are mansions in this world always this spooky?" Ventus asked nervously.
Terra and Aqua pondered the question. They traveled to different worlds but never to Earth before. There was nothing too special about it. A strange world made up of water with lands scattered about with clouds. One would think there was nothing here.
Nothing bad or important until now anyway.
"I'm sure it's just for the holiday, Ven." Terra said reassuringly.
"We may not have been here before but this place isn't too bad."
"We don't know the whole story, Terra." Aqua said.
"You rather I'd scare him?" Terra asked.
"Scaring him isn't going to help and that's not what I'm saying."
"I'm just saying…"
As Terra and Aqua argue, Ventus noticed movement in the shadows ahead.
"Uh, guys…" Ventus said.
Terra and Aqua were to busy arguing to hear him.
Ventus shrugged and went to investigate. It didn't take long to find a door. Against his better judgment, the youngest Wayfinder turned the knob and opened it.
Inside was a room made to look like a barren landscape on one side and a jungle with a stone temple in the other. Torches lined the walls lighting the room with a soft glow. Ventus was uncertain to enter because the interior design was so well done it looked like another world then the inside of a mansion. Is this part of the magic cast over the area or is it something else?
Ventus slowly entered the room while examining the surroundings. It's been a while since he regained his heart and awaken from his ten year coma, he didn't remember traveling from world to world this way. Suddenly Ventus looked down to see his armour starting to fade away. He panicked as it disappeared completely leaving him in his Jedi costume. Then there was cruel laughter.
"Who's there?" Ventus said as his summoned his Keyblade.
"Got ya!"
All Ventus remembered was being doused in something that stung his eyes and body along extreme pain.
Meanwhile, back in the hall. Aqua and Terra stopped arguing when they heard a familiar scream and noticed their third team member was missing. They turned to see light coming from a open door ahead.
"You don't think?…" Terra said.
"That he went in alone?" Aqua finished before going in while Terra followed suit.
Once they entered the room, the elder Wayfinders found Ventus standing in the centre of room. Before anyone could say anything, the door behind slammed shut and was covered in black mist. Blocking all means of leaving.
"Great!" Terra said.
"Ventus, are you alright?" Aqua asked.
Ventus didn't answer.
"Ventus?"
Again no answer.
Terra walked over to the youngest Wayfinder.
"Terra, don't…"
Terra didn't listen and stood in front of Ventus. He hasn't moved or made any kind of reaction to Terra's presence. Like he was a statue.
"Ventus? What's wrong? Say something!" Terra asked as he shook Ventus's shoulder.
He soon regretted doing that.
Terra yelled as he was thrown across the room and hit the wall.
"Terra!"
Aqua ran towards her fallen friend who rubbed his head. They turned to see a dark glow surround Ventus as he chuckled darkly.
"How's that for an answer, Terra?"
Terra and Aqua's eyes widen when Ventus rise his head. His eyes were yellow like when he was possessed by Vanitas. He summoned his Keyblade, which was a darker colour then his original version.
"Ventus, what happened to you?" Aqua asked as she summoned her Keyblade.
Terra got to his feet and summoned his Keyblade.
"That's not Ventus." Terra said. "Let's…what?"
He looked down to see his armour was fading away. Aqua noticed hers was fading also.
"Not good." Aqua said in fear.
"I beg to differ."
A man in a cloak appeared in a black mist while a small creature appeared in a field of stars.
"The fun has just begun."
"Are you Nexus?" Aqua asked.
"Why yes." The cloaked man said before bowing. "I didn't think I was well known."
"You're making an impression." Terra said as his aimed his Keyblade at Nexus.
"What have you done to Ventus?"
"I extracted his inner demon." Nexus replied nonchalantly.
"It's easy when you combine the right ingredients."
"Enough with the magic lecture."
Terra was about to attack before Aqua stopped him.
"Wait Terra!"
"Get out of the way!"
"He extracted Ventus's inner demon. That means he's somewhere in the room."
"That's right he is." Nexus said as his waved his hand.
A secret compartment in the temple on the right side of the room opened to reveal Ventus laying on the floor rubbing his head.
"What hit me?" He asked.
"Ventus, are you…ahh!"
Terra was cut off when he was hit with a black powder. Aqua shield her eyes as she too was doused with the cursed substance.
"Sorry I can't stay and watch you guys fight your inner demons to the death." Nexus said as the creature give the pouch to him.
"But I'm needed elsewhere. Enjoy you final moments on the this plane of existence."
He laughed as his disappeared in a black mist and the creature followed suit in a field of stars.
"No…you don't mean…?" Aqua winced as she was cut off by extreme pain.
"I think…ahhh! It hurts!" Terra moaned as his body felt like it was doused in acid instead of powder.
"Guys!"
Ventus watched in horror as a black mist formed around his friends bodies. They screamed in pain as the mists were pulled out of them by force. Once the mists were fully out in the open, they started to take form.
One looked like Terra when his body was taken over by Xehanort. Same hakama pants and tight shirt along with white hair and yellow eyes. The other was like Aqua when she succumbed to darkness during her time in the Realm of Darkness. Lighter blue hair and yellow eyes and tattered darker coloured clothes she normally wore. Terra and Aqua looked up at their inner demons as they summoned the darker versions of their weapons and Ventus's inner demon joined them.
"Welcome to the party." Ventus's inner demon greeted his friends once they fully materialized.
"I don't feel right." Aqua moaned as she slowly stood up.
Terra shook his head and got to his feet carefully.
"It's temporary." Aqua's inner demon said.
"Let's fight." Terra's inner demon said he waved his weapon.
A barrier formed and separated the Wayfinders from each other. Ventus was trapped on the Mayan temple. Terra in the barren land and Aqua in the middle. Their respected inner demons appeared before them.
"Alone."
Terra panicked as he saw no way out of this. He can't break the barrier on his own so he must fight. He didn't think he had to fight what's been plaguing him for months since the battle in the Keyblade Graveyard a few months ago. Why now? He has to save his friends and find King Mickey.
"Come on." Terra's inner demon said.
"Rise your weapon."
Terra lowered his Keyblade but didn't dispel it.
"No."
"What? You turning down a challenge?"
Terra tighten his grip. His inner demon is egging him on so he'd fight recklessly. This feels familiar though. Terra never told anyone this but he had nightmares of turning into that monster again and being killed by his friends or him fighting his inner demon and ended up lying on the ground near death. Either way the dreams never ended well. Terra feared this battle won't end well if he charges in without a plan.
What can he do?
"You always hated to lose." The inner demon continued.
"What's wrong? You still feel weak?"
Terra didn't respond and it was straining him as he fought the urge to attack in anger. Which was what got him in trouble in the place.
Terra's inner demon growled in frustration.
"Guess I'll start the fight for you!"
Terra's inner demon rise his dark Keyblade and charged after his human host. Terra blocked the attack.
"Oh now you do something." Terra's inner demon taunted.
"What are you scared of?"
Terra's inner demon continued to attack while Terra defend.
"Losing your life, your friends or your chance to try and reach your dreams like you always wanted?"
Terra's eyes watered. He couldn't take it anymore. He summoned light magic and aimed it at his inner demon. A beam of pure white light shot out of his Keyblade and hit his inner demon in the chest. His inner demon screamed as the light spread throughout his being.
"But how?" he asked before turning into a black mist and flew back into Terra.
Once Terra felt whole again, he turned to see the barrier crack but didn't collapse.
"Aqua and Ventus must defeat their demons before the barrier can be lifted." He realized.
"And I can't do anything to help them."
Aqua watched as her inner demon appeared before her. She had nightmares of turning into that creature but she never thought she had to fight her. This sorcerer must have trained for years in the dark arts to be able to summon her and her friends inner demons like this. But why? What's to gain by making them fight like this? Is this sorcerer stalling for time?
"Enough staring into space." Aqua's inner demon said.
"Let's fight."
Aqua shook her head.
"What? why not?"
"I can't fight you." Aqua said.
Aqua's inner demon smirked.
"You're unable to?" She asked.
"I'm you and you are me. You die I die. I can't kill you true but I can enjoy tormenting you for the rest of your days."
Aqua gritted her teeth.
"You can turn back into me with enough darkness in your heart."
Aqua's inner demon hovered towards her host. Aqua fought the urge to run. Mostly because there's nowhere else to go. The doors are blocked with black mist she wouldn't dare touch and the barrier stood between her and her friends. Her friends; they can't help her now. They're too busy with their own inner demons.
"Come on." Aqua's inner demon said as she stood in front of her host and reach out to touch her heart.
"It's better then watching over those boys who don't know how to hold their darkness in check or remember their own past from long ago."
Aqua snapped and yelled as she summoned pure white light from her Keyblade. The blast was so strong it knocked Aqua's inner demon back and entered her body. Spreading quickly and causing her to deteriorate. Aqua shook her head and walked to her defeated inner demon.
"What do you mean by long ago?" Aqua asked. "What is Ventus unable to remember?"
Aqua inner demon chuckled.
"You have to ask Ventus and his friends from the past if they're still alive."
With that Aqua's inner demon turned into a black mist and flew back into Aqua's body. Aqua waited until she felt balanced again before looking up to see the barrier that separated her and Terra fell and vanished.
Terra and Aqua ran towards each other.
"You did it!" Terra said as approached his long time friend.
"So did you." Aqua said.
The elder Wayfinders frowned when they realized it's not time to celebrate yet. They turned to see Ventus at the base of the temple watching as his inner demon rise his dark Keyblade. The barrier still in place.
"I hope Ven finds out that pure light defeats these guys." Terra said.
Aqua nodded.
"Same here and he's on his own."
Ventus struggled to stand as his inner demon materialized in front of him. His dark Keyblade ready and an evil look on his face. Ventus knows this is not Vanitas this time but still something he didn't want to fight. He wanted free candy and harmless fun but instead he and his friends got to face their inner demons. He looked down to see his friends looking up at him. They defeating their inner demons and now he must stop his so they can find King Mickey and save Halloween.
"You're on your own here."
Ventus turned back to his inner demon.
"They can't help you. And they're not even your friends from your childhood."
The inner demon continued.
"You're not even from the Land of Departure and yet you treat it like it's your true home. It was never your home and those people were never your real friends."
Ventus tighten the grip on his Keyblade and remembered his training with Master Eraqus. Keep the darkness in check. Don't surrender to it.
"Your true friends are gone and you don't even remember their names."
"I know their names…they're…"
Ventus stopped when his head started to throb. He realized what his inner demon was doing.
"What's their names?" Ventus's inner demon asked.
"Take your time. I can wait."
Ventus didn't answer.
"What's their names."
Ventus panted as he fought to control himself.
"Their names. What's your friends names."
"Their names…" Ventus said as he held up his Keyblade.
"Are Terra and Aqua!"
Ventus's inner demon's eyes widen in shock as his host summoned pure white light from his Keyblade and fired it into the inner demon's heart if it had one. The demon screamed as the light cause him disintegrate.
"You fool." Ventus's inner demon said as he fell apart.
"I'm right about you. You couldn't even save her."
"Save who?" Ventus asked.
His inner demon turned into black mist and went back into him before he got an answer. As he regained his composure, he saw the barrier fall away and disappear. Leaving only him and his friends in the room.
"Ventus!"
Terra and Aqua ran up to the youngest Wayfinder and hugged him.
"Are you ok?"
"No." Ventus answered. "He said I couldn't save her."
"Save her?" Terra said confused. "Save whom from what?"
"I don't know."
"We should figure that out later." Aqua said as she saw the black mist disappear from the door on the other side of the room.
"For now we should find King Mickey and the others first."
Meanwhile, at Halloween Town. Three more Keyblade wielders were busy taking back the night their own way. Lea, or Axel as he likes to be called even though he's now human, was dressed like a dragon and waiting for his friends Roxas and Xion to finish getting their share of candy before meeting up with Terra and his friends so they can go to the party. They're a few minutes late and he was wondering if he should call and see what's keeping them. He's knows they can open portals with their Keyblades but the way they travel from world to world was not the problem. Anything that can happen is.
And the text message from Riku Axel just received is proof of it.
Axel's eyes widen when he read the text. He had to find Roxas and Xion and get to Earth. He's heard of it during his time with Organization 13 so he knows where to go. He turned to see his friends walking towards him. Roxas was dressed like a gargoyle and Xion was dressed like a banshee.
"Sorry to cut the fun short, guys." Axel said.
"But Riku just texted us saying King Mickey is in trouble on Earth."
"Earth?" Roxas said.
"Never heard of it."
"Me either."
"It's a world not well known for Heartless attacks." Axel explained as he dialed away on his gummiphone.
"How are we going to get there?" Xion asked.
"We don't know where it is."
"I know a way. Got it memorized."
Roxas and Xion rolled their eyes at Axel's famous line and a gummiship appeared.