A quick call to Vander confirmed he really had asked Malik to come teach me. When my parents found out about it, they welcomed him and gave him his own room in the castle.

When Malik had first started, he had taken me into the city in search of a staff of my very own. He had said it was important that I choose one for myself. I had to make sure it suited me while also staying with one appropriate to my, admittedly low, level. After searching a couple shops for a few hours, I found one I thought would work. It was long and thin and was a golden color. One end had a small red orb while the other had a cloth tied around it.

It was light weight and simple. I liked it. I hadn't yet learned how to send it away or summon it when I needed it, so if I wanted to use it, I had to just carry it with me. I figured that was fine for the time being. I was still learning, after all. Malik seemed to just be glad to find something and said it would do for now.

I don't know exactly what I expected would happen after I found an official teacher. It took me a long time to figure Malik out.

Malik was indeed very talented and extremely knowledgeable about magic.

But he could also be very lazy.

There were many times he'd just tell me to go off and practice on my own. He'd sometimes give me some sort of new spell or book to study and after showing it to me once he'd say we were done for the day. I don't know what he did with his time. The only thing I'd find him doing was napping under a tree or at his desk. This was not every day though, so I don't know where he went most days.

I didn't mind this too much though. I had wanted to be able to learn how to be self-sufficient and so while I was glad to have Malik there to guide me, I didn't want him constantly holding my hand. On the days when he didn't want to do anything, I would find something on my own to study. Sometimes this meant practicing the magic more on my own, but I also started going to other places around the city or castle to learn other things. I found a cook who was kind enough to teach me how to prepare food on my own. I also spent time in a shop where they made accessories and armor. The owner was reluctant to let me around his equipment at first, so he started small with just teaching me about the different items and materials.

I tried not to spend too long in one place for fear of drawing Heartless there. Keeping busy and on the move also started becoming necessary when I realized I had no social skills.

This made sense as I had been so self-absorbed in my younger years that I didn't care to learn how to talk to people. I only told people what I wanted and how soon I wanted it. I had never tried to make small talk or learned what normal conversations were about.

So, whenever a lesson started to go into a lull, we'd go into this eerie silence I didn't know how to fill. Whoever was teaching me would try their best to help with it, but I didn't give them much to work with.

"So," one such conversation started, "you never came out much into town before now, have you?"

"Not really, no," I replied.

"You like it here?" He asked.

"Yes, I do," I said.

Then the silence returned.

To try to make it less awkward, I'd usually thank them for what they had taught me and excuse myself. Then before I would return for another lesson, I would prepare myself with questions or ideas of things to ask to study to make sure there was something for them to talk about.

On days where Malik decided to actually teach me, he always found news ways to make me work harder and push myself. He would do things like give me targets that were outside of my normal range or make them move around. He'd then make me practice with him until he was satisfied with my performance which sometimes would take all day.

So, a month passed after Malik started teaching me. I had gotten my Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder spells to cause damage and was improving how far out I could cast them. From what I understood, the next spell other people would learn would be a Cure spell. Malik though had other ideas in mind.

"You've learned some of the basic offensive spells," he told me. "Now you're going to learn some of the defensive spells like Reflect and Magnet."

"Isn't Cure an easier spell than those?" I asked.

"You just want something easy?" Malik challenged.

"Oh, no, I don't mean that," I attempted to explain. "I just thought that'd be next. That's just what I heard."

"Might be the normal route," he admitted, "but it won't be ours. Cure takes too much MP anyway. Right now, you need to be increasing your range and control and we need you to just keep casting again and again to do that. We need you out of MP Charge as much as possible."

"I just thought that if I had Cure," I offered, "I could be more help to people. Even if it's just healing the people that come back after fighting Heartless."

"Is that all it's for?" he pressed. "Fighters who learn Cure become overconfident. They think that just because they can heal their injuries, it means they can just charge into any situation instead of learning actual fighting tactics. If you had Cure, you might think you're ready to fight for real. You're going to be learning how to avoid getting hurt rather than just healing yourself once you do."

I was still a little puzzled about his assumption.

"I won't just charge in like that," I tried to argue.

"No, you won't," he agreed snidely, "because we're going to cover defense next. Now, I'm the teacher and that's what I say I'm going to teach you! Deal with it!"

"Okay, if that's what you say is best," I nodded. "Let's try it out. What do you need me to do?"

Malik summoned his staff and proceeded to demonstrate how to cast a basic Reflect spell. Often times when his lessons seemed outside the norm and I questioned him on his reasoning, he sounded as if he were gearing up for an argument with me. I don't know if this was because he expected I would argue more with him, or if it was his way of testing the limits of my patience. The argument never happened, and he went on normally.

Sometimes I suspected he was questioning the authenticity of my personality change. I couldn't blame him for that. It was quite a big shift. It seemed like he was often testing me by commenting on my choice of clothing or giving sarcastic remarks when I tried to be polite to someone.

It didn't upset me or anything. I was just curious as to why he was doing it. Did he really think it was all an act? He couldn't be the only one to think it was strange. It was only ever mentioned in passing, like it wasn't worth dwelling on. Malik seemed to be the only exception to this, and I wasn't sure why.

Sometimes I would think back on the way I used to be. I wondered why I valued such trivial things like clothes, jewelry, and my status. I kept retracing the steps that had gotten me to that point. Then I tried following the trail of how I changed.

It was so fast. I couldn't be sure I had really changed on my own.

The only thing I could come back to was my broken heart. Would that have caused it though? I had always assumed it was regardless of the lack of proof.

I don't know how, but I was somehow aware of the cracks that were still in my heart. They did not grow, and they did not heal. My heart was just stagnant in that state. I couldn't be sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. The only downside it seemed was how the Heartless were drawn to me.

I wasn't that concerned about finding a way to fix my heart. I guess part of that was I wasn't sure if my change had been caused by it or not. I was still afraid that if my heart was fixed that I would just change back.

I was afraid that if I hadn't earned my changes that they just wouldn't last.

I didn't want to change back.

I had been keeping these concerns to myself, so I guess it was only natural for someone like Malik to be curious about them. He had been traveling for most of his life to learn about magic and the world. He was very intelligent and observant.

So, it really was silly of me to think I'd be able to hide it from him.

During that first month of study, Heartless had interrupted our lessons a few times. The first time it seemed to catch Malik off guard. He quickly became frustrated and attacked the Heartless with his magic. He easily fought them off and then acted like it was nothing. Any time after that they appeared, he just quickly attacked and then continued on as normal. It was like it didn't faze him at all anymore.

This did alleviate the need for a bodyguard at least. Once Malik proven he was more than capable to handle the Heartless on his own, I was able to convince my parents I didn't need another guard with me. As long as I was with Malik, I didn't have another guard following me.

One evening after we had been practicing together, we were walking down a hallway. It had been a long day of training and we were both worn out and looking to get cleaned up. The hallway was long and lined with tall windows on one side and tapestries on the other. The two of us were alone at the time.

"How is you got Magnet so quick but a simple Reflect still escapes you?" Malik teased.

"Magnet makes more sense," I shrugged. "Reflect goes up and goes away so fast that I'm not even sure what the point of it is."

"You'll see what the point is once you get to use it in a fight," he pointed out. "But to do that, you have to be able to use it properly."

"Maybe I'll be able to use it properly when I see why I should use it," I returned.

Malik suddenly came to a stop. He had been slightly behind me anyway, so I didn't notice at first. He stopped talking though, which was the first hint to me that something was wrong. After walking forward a short distance, I turned to him. He was just standing there.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Malik glanced briefly to the side before looking back at me.

"Keep going without me," he said plainly.

He had just been joking with me a moment ago, and so suddenly being so serious seemed strange to me. Especially since this had come from nowhere.

But I shrugged and turned back down the hall. I walked forward a ways without him.

"Oh," I then remembered, stopping again to face him. "Do you want me to have them set you a place for dinner?"

Malik was still standing in the same spot. He had a serious look on his face and didn't answer my question.

"Keep walking," he ordered in a low voice.

This seemed very strange now. I just stared at him for a moment, then some movement caught my eye to the side. I glanced at it.

I had stopped next to one of the windows. A Shadow was right outside of it, looking at me. It was twitching like they did normally, but it had its face pressed against the glass and was staring right at me.

I looked back over at Malik. I realized he had been watching it. I suspected that he had seen it walk along the way with me, stopping and moving when I did.

I smiled and shrugged in a vain hope I could play it off.

"I've never seen the little ones break through walls," I said. "I don't think it can get in."

Malik didn't budge. He kept the same focused expression.

"Keep walking," he repeated. "Now."

I worriedly looked back over at the Shadow. As soon as I moved, it was likely to walk along with me.

This was not normal behavior for a Heartless.

Malik was sure to catch on.

I stood there for a long moment. Malik just kept staring at me, waiting. I couldn't just stand there all evening. I even briefly considered attacking it since I was still carrying my staff. But I would have to break the glass to do that. I didn't want to leave a way open for them to get inside. Regardless how that turned out, taking such drastic action would be just as suspicious to him.

I didn't have much choice. My stomach sank. I slowly turned and headed back down the hallway. Sure enough, the Shadow started moving as soon as I did. It walked alongside me on the outside of the wall as if trying to stay as close to me as it could.

I was sure Malik was watching this. I couldn't be sure what he was thinking about it though.

Still, there probably wouldn't be too many conclusions he could come to.

It probably didn't help my case any that as soon as I was at the end of the hallway, I turned the corner and then sprinted down the next hall to the stairs. I ran up them as fast I could go get up to my room. In the middle of it I realized that if the Heartless kept up its pattern, Malik would still see it scurrying down the next wall and possibly even start climbing up it.

My room wasn't along that same wall at least so once I got there, no matter what the Heartless did, Malik likely lost sight of it.

I closed the door to my room. I groaned to myself in frustration. Whatever Malik thought of what had just happened, it probably wouldn't go over well.

I just went about getting out of my sweaty clothes as if acting normal now would somehow erase the last few minutes. I was in the middle of changing when a knock came to my door.

"We need to talk," Malik's voice called.

I grunted. "No, we don't," I insisted. "There is nothing to talk about."

"That wasn't normal," Malik pointed out.

"Sure, it was," I attempted sharply. "Heartless want hearts. I have a heart."

"Yes, they want hearts," he agreed. "But why was it focused so much on you instead of me? Why didn't it get drawn to anyone else in the castle when it couldn't get to you?"

"Maybe it was having an off day," was the only thing I could think of to respond.

I heard Malik give a heavy sigh. "Look," he said. "I'm coming in. Are you decent or what?"

I sighed too. I finished putting on the clean clothes and then sat down on the side of my bed.

"Yes, I am," I relented.

Malik opened the door and started walking inside. He suddenly hesitated, looking a little surprised. I studied him briefly before realizing he wasn't looking at me but past me.

I turned my head and looked behind me. There were two Shadows clinging to the outside windowsill directly behind me. I wasn't sure if one of them was the one from before or not, but I just rolled my eyes and grunted in annoyance.

"You aren't helping," I muttered quietly.

As if he needed more confirmation, Malik went over to another window lining that wall. He opened it and paused there for a moment, leaning outside to look at the Shadows. They ignored him all together despite him now being closer to them and weren't smart enough to know this gave them a way inside to get to me. He glanced at me again, but I had nothing else to say.

Malik pointed at them, striking them with a Thunder spell and destroying them. He calmly closed the window and walked over to my vanity. He pulled the chair out from it. He parked it in front of me and sat down on it. He folded his arms firmly.

"Okay, talk," he said.

"How come you're assuming I know anything?" I asked him.

"Because you weren't surprised this happened," he pointed out. "You know what's going on. Now I need to."

He was right and I knew it. He knew it.

But for once, he wasn't being smug about it.

I don't know if he was concerned really. He was at least taking this seriously.

I didn't really have any way to argue myself out of this. I told him everything. I told him how when I was originally attacked by the Heartless, my heart cracked. After that I was aware that the Heartless were being drawn towards me more than anyone else. That's why I was there for so many attacks. They had been coming for me. I told him how it seemed like my personality change had come from when it broke. That it was like it turned me into another person.

Malik just listened quietly. He nodded now and then to show he was listening. After I was done, he started with his comments.

"That's why you think you changed so much," he observed.

I only nodded in response.

"I suppose that could make sense," he thought aloud, putting a hand to his chin for a moment. "I wondered what brought it on…" He looked at me again. "Why haven't you told anyone about this?"

"I didn't want anyone to worry," I sighed. "My parents are already acting like I need protected all the time."

"In all fairness," he noted, "you do."

"No, I really don't," I insisted. "Even if they're drawn to me, I don't matter any more than anyone else out there. The guards should be protecting the city, not wasting time with me."

"That's noble of you and all," he argued, "but you need to change perspective. Heartless are drawn to you. That's why they keep attacking the castle and getting inside. There are guards here to fight them, sure, but that means the guards are in danger more, too. They have to be the ones to fight them off, after all. We need to be aware of that risk."

I was well aware of this. He wasn't mentioning it to make me guilty. Malik continued.

"We haven't talked much about battle tactics yet," he affirmed. "When fighting with a party on your side, it's important to communicate with them about your status and what you need. They can't help you if you don't, and if something happens to you as a result, you just become a burden. I understand you didn't want anyone to worry. But keeping this to yourself just creates more of a load for everyone else to carry."

I nodded slowly. "I understand…" I uttered.

Malik sat there quietly studying me for a moment.

"Is that the only reason you haven't said anything?" He asked.

I hesitated before giving my answer.

"I don't know… what they'll think," I admitted. "If breaking my heart really is what made me change like this, I'm afraid everyone will just want me to find a way to fix it to make the Heartless stop. I was so mean and stuck up before… What if I change back and hate everyone again? What if everyone hates me?"

"What if your hair turned purple one day?" He inquired. "What if your elbows gain the ability to sing?"

I gave him a confused look. He shrugged.

"Your heart is what you are," he said. "You also make it what it is. It could very well be that broken heart that caused you to change. Maybe fixing it would turn you back. We can't say for sure. All I know is you can't be worried about what might happen. We don't have enough information to go off of. I'm not even sure we would find a way to fix your heart to begin with. And if we do, and you do find yourself changing back, you'll also know deep down that it's not what you want anymore. I'd think you would have the ability then to choose who you are rather than blaming your heart for it."

I understood more or less what he was saying. He didn't want me to worry about things I couldn't understand or control. He was also trying to give me hope that I would still be able to decide the person I would be.

Malik stood up. "Let's go tell your parents and see what they want to do," he suggested. "At the very least, they need to know about your condition. Heartless or no Heartless."

I sighed but nodded in agreement. We left the room and found my parents as they were preparing to eat. The captain of the guard happened to be there, so Malik asked him to listen to my story as well.

I explained everything to them. They took it about as expected.

"Oh, Vye!" Mother cried, wrapping her arms around me tightly. "You should have told us!"

"I didn't want you to worry," I told her.

"That helps explain why the attacks are so often around the castle," the captain of the guard puffed. "We were wondering about that."

My mother backed away from me but just started staring at me while she ran a hand over my head over and over. My father had his arms folded, apparently thinking the situation over.

"So, what do we do about this?" he muttered.

"We need to increase the guard here," Mother insisted. "Keep someone with her."

"Mother!" I blurted. "Don't do that!"

"I'm not sure we can," the captain guard interjected. "We only just finally got a balance of people guarding the castle, the city, and the Ancient Gardens."

"We've already heard rumblings that people think we're giving the castle preferential treatment," Father added. "They see the extra guards around the grounds and assume we're more worried about protecting ourselves than we are about them. We've been reluctant to tell them about the majority of attacks being here. Now I wonder if we tell them they'll just think Vye is the cause of all this."

My father started rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He looked at Malik.

"Do you think you can still protect her on your own?" he asked.

Malik nodded confidently. "Probably better than anyone else," he bragged. He glanced at the head of the guard. "With all due respect."

The captain had no comment. My father continued stroking his chin for a long moment.

"For now," he decided, "let's continue on as normal. We've kept Vye safe so far. I see no reason to make any changes. We'll continue to monitor the frequency of the attacks and if the situation calls for it, we'll make a new decision then."

He glanced at all of us seriously. "For now," he said, "let's keep this information between us. I don't want there to be any unneeded tension out in the city."

The guard and Malik nodded. My mother was still worriedly watching me and stroking my hair.

My father glanced at Malik again.

"You wouldn't know how the cracks could be fixed," he noted. "Or who we could ask?"

Malik paused. "I have a few people I could ask," he said. "Hearts haven't really been a focus of my studies but maybe someone else would have some ideas. I'll see what I can find."

"I'm all right," I attempted to tell them. "It's not something we have to fix."

"Even if it wasn't putting you in danger," Father commented, "I'd worry what would happen if the cracks somehow got worse. Mending them should be a priority."

I wasn't sure I agreed but couldn't really argue. My father stepped up closer to me, standing at my mother's side. He gave me another serious look.

"You should have told us," he scolded. "You're our only daughter. Don't be afraid of telling us when something is wrong. We want to know."

I looked at him sadly. I nodded.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I just thought I caused enough trouble."

My father chuckled. He put a hand on my shoulder.

"You are never trouble," he assured me. "Not now. Not back then. We just want you to be safe and happy and will do whatever it takes to make that happen."

My father released me and then pulled my mother away from me. They went to sit down to eat while the head guard followed them to speak to them briefly. Malik and I looked at each other.

"I didn't know you could be so serious," I complained.

Malik shrugged loosely. "Don't get too used to it," he cautioned.

With that Malik went to get some dinner as well. I eventually followed their example.

They knew about the cracks in my heart now. It looked like my situation wouldn't be changing much at least. As for fixing it, I would just have to wait and see what would happen.