"Wait, what?"

Sora had grudgingly woke up when he heard the incessant knocking on his door early in the morning, only to be greeted by Roxas and Axel. Despite the excited and bewildered look on their faces, the brunette had flopped himself back into bed and curled up. But once they had divulged the news to him, he sharply sat up. The quick movement sent a wave of vertigo through him, reminding him that he needed to get to the dining hall for breakfast as soon as possible.

"He's awake! Ephemer came out of his coma," Roxas nearly shouted. Axel clapped a hand over his mouth, earning a provoked look from the blonde.

"Doesn't mean you have to wake up the rest of the school. Nobody else knows yet, y'know?" drawled the redhead as he rolled his eyes.

"And how did you two find out if it's so hush-hush?" Sora swung his legs over the edge of his bed, but he didn't trust himself to stand yet.

"We ran into Namine in the halls. At first, we thought she was going to yell at us and accuse us of shenanigans, but she told us about the news first. She was kind of in a hurry," supplied Axel.

He whisked his hand back to his side when Roxas jerked his head forward. Sora watched as the two glared at each other for moment, a smirk finding its way onto the dragon's face. He wondered if he should expect them to tackle each other to the ground, but the worry was thrown to the side when he saw a flash of red. Roxas yelped and fell to the ground as his feet was swept from under him. He belted out a string of curses and attempted to reach for the dragon's tail as he laughed.

"Anyway, I think we should go see him later. He might be able to remember something," bit out the blonde as he struggled to his feet.

"And you came to me first because it could be the same demon I'm seeing?" questioned the brunette.

"Exactly."

If Vanitas had done it, then that would mean he always had the ability to block Sora from seeing the things he did. But on the other hand, blocking him out felt different than the times he couldn't remember at all. One felt like it was simply having secrets kept from him; he was aware it was happening, but not of what happened. The other was just a black abyss, like he had completely blacked out. There was always the possibility, but something didn't sit right about it.

"Well, let's go then." Sora stood from his bed, heading toward his shoes and the door. Roxas stopped him before that, though, shaking his head.

"We can't just expect to be able to talk to him, Sora. Just yesterday it was still assumed he was in a coma. If he woke up, it had to have been in the last couple of hours - at best. There's no way Xehanort is going to allow anyone close to him except Aerith, Namine and himself. Maybe a couple of the Elders, but we don't even know that," said the blonde quietly.

As he searched Roxas' face for any hint that he would cave in, Sora realized at that moment just how similar him and his brother was. Even though the younger twin was more spry with his demeanor, he still held the quick-witted ability to think calmly.

"On top of it, we still have to do our studies. It just started up again, so imagine what would happen if we just stopped going. It would raise red flags," Axel added.

"Then let's go tell Ventus and Riku before our studies start. No point in taking a chance talking about it any other time," the brunette said dejectedly. He raised a hand to the back of his neck as a small chill swept across it, ending with prick of pain that would resemble a needle being shoved into his skin. His eyes glanced over the pair before he brushed past them and slipped on his shoes.

Sora's first instinct was to turn right and head straight for Riku's room. But his friends stopped him short, redirecting his steps toward the foyer. He instantly remembered the night before, when Seifer had intercepted him at the shifter's door and sent him on his way. Either he had completely forgotten all of the warnings of a shifter in heat or he was still partially waking up. Regardless, he didn't fight them as they made their way to Ven's dorm.

"Why. The Hell. At five in the morning," Ventus deadpanned as he answered his door. His eyes were darker shade of blue than usual, pinned on his brother and Axel in a mannerism that hinted at murder. Sora had stifle a laugh when he saw the blonde mop of disarranged hair, causing the older twin to focus his eyes on him as if to dare him.

"We have news, but you have to let us in. Someone might hear us," Roxas informed, moving forward to enter his brother's room. Ven's hand snapped up and gripped his arm tightly.

"At five in the morning?"

"It's important." Axel's face had grown solemn when he spoke to Ventus. It sent a shiver down Sora's spine to visually see the dragon acting serious for the first time since he had met him.

They filed into the room after Ven indignantly stepped aside and disappeared into his bathroom. Sora rubbed at the back of his neck again, grimacing as the pressure began to increase as the seconds ticked by.

"Someone better start telling me what's so important, because I'm not against stabbing a knife into each of you right now," muttered the older twin when he reappeared. The dark hue that had fogged his eyes moments ago was gone, leaving the azure depths a bit brighter.

"As long as it isn't nightmares," responded Axel.

"That can be arranged. I just thought I'd give you guys a chance."

"Ephemer is awake," interrupted Roxas before the dragon could shoot back with a witty remark. Ventus' eyes widened for a brief moment. He lifted a hand to his mouth and he absently nibbled at the end of his thumb as the wheels in his head began to turn as his brother continued, retelling the same bits they'd shared with Sora.

"This could change things," he finally said. He looked straight at Sora, holding his gaze for a few seconds before sitting at his desk. Ventus pulled out a notebook and began scribbling on the paper as the others hovered over his shoulders. To them, it only seemed like words put together in a haphazard sort of way, connected by lines.

"You're acting like one of those conspiracy nuts who uses an entire room to make their theory makes sense..." muttered Roxas.

"At least I didn't give in to temptation of someone else's sex dream," Ventus retorted in a low, calm voice, jotting down another hash of words. He set his pencil down as Roxas stood up sharply; his body was rigid and his cheeks were painted with a deep shade of pink from his brother's words. "Thus, curiosity killed the cat. It started with the spiral of lust and wanton pleasure and ended with the inevitable feeling of-"

"Will you shut up!? I trusted you with that!" exclaimed the younger brother. Sora flinched when the blonde threw his hands into the air, feeling the brisk breeze inches from his face. The movement caused the dull ache to reappear, but this time at the base of his skull.

"And that was almost three years ago," Ven replied firmly, turning in his seat to regard the two of them. Sora stepped aside, taking a seat on the bed to extract himself from the equation. "Your feelings for each other is like Schrodinger's Cat. It doesn't have a solid existence because you refuse to acknowledge it, yet it's clear that it's there because of the time you've invested into one another. Either it will stay a mystery or you can open Pandora's Box and let chaos ensue in those pea-sized brains of yours. If there's any time to stop running from our childhood, you should do it soon. We might not have much time left."

Sora was confused at how the conversation had turned around. One second, they were speaking about a possible lead on information, and the next, it was focused on Roxas' relationship with Axel. The dreamwalker, however, wasn't having any of it. He spun on his heels and stormed to the door, muttering incoherently about science and mythology until the door closing cut off his words.

Ventus turned his unwavering look to Axel, who was losing a battle against an emerging grin.

"You love him, right?" he asked bluntly.

"Of course I do," Axel answered immediately, his seriousness from earlier returning. "Your family relations aside, what's there not to love about that spitfire?"

Roxas hesitated with his answer, settling on not correcting the nickname the dragon chose. It wasn't his business to know any more than he already did, since it was obvious who was what in their relationship. Instead, he opted for a brief smile before returning back to his notebook.

"Then you better hop to it," he said.

"Before he does something stupid..." finished Axel, heading toward the door. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob, turning back to his lover's sibling. "I'll do my best to protect him if you can't. I can promise you that, y'know."

Sora endured the silence of the room for as long as he could after Axel had left. Ventus was hunched over the notepad, so the brunette couldn't see how the departing words had effected him. After minutes had passed, the sound of lead against paper had begun to grind against the thoughts he was trying to focus on. The blonde hadn't said a word, which made the vampire wonder if he should have left as well.

"Why is Axel here, anyway? Everyone has some sort of problem, but I haven't figured his out yet," he probed.

"He doesn't have complete control of his abilities as a dragon. It may seem like they function perfectly well when he's a person, which it fundamentally does, but as a dragon, it's another story. People, humans more specifically, believe it known that dragons come into their power easily within a few mere months," Ven started, laying down his pencil once again and leaning back in his char. "Which isn't false. If we're talking about a purebred dragon with no human form, they have all basic functions of their powers within a year, if not less. Their peak in power comes decades later, if they survive that long. But with a human form, it sort of complicates the learning process.

"It's similar to shifters, or any species that has a counterpart. The creature or animal, as we know and have learned, adapts quickly within a certain amount of time after it's been born. Add a human half to that, and the growth is basically decelerated. It's a bit contradictive, honestly. It's been proven that those with two or more forms learn to master their abilities or enhanced senses in their human form faster than they do in the animal or creature form."

"So... the human genes dilute the animal genes, but the latter enhances the former... right?" Sora said hesitantly, questioning his own process of thinking.

"Right. Axel can breath fire in different degrees while in his human form. Along with that, he can use any of his dragon senses and partially shift. It used to take a lot of concentration a couple of years ago, but he's gotten better at it since then."

The brunette remembered the instance in his room where Roxas had his feet swept out from under him; he had seen a flash of red, and only then did he realize that it must have been the dragon's tail.

"Riku can, as well, use his animal's senses. Hearing, smelling and sight. Shifters can't partially change simply due to the fact that it's highly improbable. It's painful for them to shift forms as it is, so imagine if they stopped in the middle of it, or focused on specific changes. No one has that high of a pain tolerance. The few recorded instances of shifters attempting it died, succumbing to the shock the pain induced on their body. But Riku's troubles extend beyond any of that. Until he learns to create that bond with his animal, he's risking more than his own life right now."

"If that's the case, why isn't it painful for dragon's to change their form or partially shift?" Sora asked, clear befuddlement on his face.

"Because dragons are more... magical, for lack of a better word. Shifters have two different entities sharing the same body, so when they change they're reforming their entire being into another one. Whereas dragons are one entity, changing their form into a human is more of a solidified mirage or veil. Almost purely magic." Ventus shrugged at the end of his explanation, as if every bit of it made sense to him - which it did. But Sora still struggled to understand completely.

"Why haven't you tried to do more than what you are now, Ven? You know a lot of stuff. I'd even go as far to say that you rival the Elders here." The words flew out of Sora's mouth before he could stop them. Ventus only sighed in response.

"I have enough to deal with. I'm pretty useless when it comes to entering a field of expertise like that. I need to be able to manage my emotions before I can begin to take steps in that direction," he answered after a short pause. "As it stands right now, Roxas and I can function on a normal day-to-day basis. But, put us under pressure where our emotions are heavily under duress and our powers are needed, we would cause more harm than help. However, I digress. Circling back, none of this is going to matter if we don't dig deeper into this demon business."

"Speaking of demons..." Ven eyed Sora sharply, a pang of panic in his chest. But the brunette shook his head. "It's okay, it's me. But there's a chance Vanitas knows that Ephemer is awake. If he wasn't the one who attacked him, then no big deal. But he's been a bit pushy since I woke up and the others blabbed their mouths."

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure out a way for us to be able to talk to Ephemer while you try to contain Vanitas. I need him to stay away from me for the weekend. Until then, don't do anything stupid," the blonde said, returning back to his notebook.

Sora opened his mouth to agree, but he hesitated for a fraction of a second as his thoughts wandered.

"Of course. I'm not Roxas, after all." Ventus chuckled at his response.

"Not at all. I feel like you could be worse," was his only reply. After a few moments of silence, Sora excused himself from the dorm room to head for the dining hall.

Once outside, however, his mind focused on other things. As he went through his normal breakfast routine alone, he thought of ways of getting to Ephemer. Riku was unavailable until further notice, Ventus was busy piecing together the mystery as best as he could and thanks to him, Roxas and Axel were preoccupied with their own thing. That left Sora confident in being able to maneuver without having to worry too much about running into any of them.

They didn't have time to formulate a long-term plan. As Ventus himself had said earlier, they may not have much time left. But the only thing he could currently think of as a solution was to confront Xehanort himself. Sora finished his breakfast and began to move before his resolve could fall apart.

He weaved around the groups of students, earning a few looks in his haste, but he ignored them. He had made it as far as the top of the stairs before a halt to his plans was thrust before him. He managed to recognize Axel's older brother, but not before he collided against him. His arms windmilled in an attempt to regain his balance and, much to his relief, was saved from falling backward as Reno caught the front of his shirt and helped steady him.

"Where you headed to in such a hurry?"

Sora remained mute as he drew a blank for an answer. It was a weekend, so there was no rush for classes. The second floor held nothing more than that other than the dorms, but he knew of no one who had a room past the first floor. It was common knowledge that the Headmaster's office on the first floor was open for visits, but that usually pertained to when classes were in session. But the Headmaster's private office, which was only granted entrance to those who had special requests, was on the second floor; it was the only other place he knew Xehanort to be. In Sora's experience, it was also used to talk about the attack on the school, which was one of the two instances he'd found himself in that particular office.

He glanced around momentarily until an abrupt thought hit him; it was probably the only plausible excuse he could use freely.

"Uh, Elder Vincent. I have to see Elder Vincent," he finally blurt out, forcing himself to make eye contact. Reno quirked an eyebrow at the answer. The short silence after had the brunette shifting on his feet slightly.

"In that get-up?" retorted the older dragon lightly. Sora felt heat rise into his cheeks as he realized, looking down at the wrinkled shirt and the sweatpants that seemed one size too big on him, that he hadn't changed out of his nightwear "Must be pretty urgent, eh? Figured you kids would be causing some sort of mischief somewhere after having to go back to class."

"Uh, yeah. It's pretty important, so if you'll ex-"

"Let me walk you there, then," interrupted the Elder, slinging an arm around Sora's shoulders and driving him forward on his feet. The brunette cursed in his mind, but walked at a brisk pace next to the redhead.

As they walked, he heard words spilling out of Reno's mouth, but he didn't register any of it. He nodded his head randomly to uphold the facade of paying attention, but his eyes were watching the doors as they passed them by, lingering on the double doors of the Headmaster's office.

Sora glanced at the man beside him as he felt the arm disappear from his shoulders, tuning in to the conversation in time to hear the end of a question.

"Uh, absolutely. Yeah," he answered blindly.

Reno gave him a confused look and Sora realized that it hadn't been quite the answer the dragon was looking for. With his heart beating wildly in his chest, he decided this had to be his opportunity. But was heading straight to the Headmaster the answer? He hadn't thought it through completely; if he was to confront Xehanort personally and he denied him a chance to talk to Ephemer, then any chance he had at reaching the infirmary would be gone. There was no doubt that they would take drastic measures in keeping the news a secret until they had more information.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Huh?" he responded quietly, unaware his thoughts had taken control of him once again.

"I think we should take a detour. You aren't lookin' so hot, kid," said Reno with a grimace.

Briefly lost in the turn of events, Sora kept quiet and allowed himself to be led down the hall. To his relief, they passed Vincent's classroom until they reached the infirmary. Once inside, he was sat on one of the beds while Reno wandered the room in search of Aerith or Kairi. Taking the moment to steady his erratic heart, the brunette silently said thanks to whatever force was bringing him the luck he was having.

"Doesn't seem like anyone is here to check you out. They probably stepped out to grab some grub, so I suggest just laying down for the moment until they get back. If you're stressing about your studies, just take it easy. Maybe you can learn and thing or two from Axel in regards to that," Reno said, shifting on his feet awkwardly. Sora had the feeling he didn't look after people very often; he seemed more inclined to action or simply being lazy rather than playing caretaker.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks," he responded, keeping his voice quiet in order to play up the situation. He gingerly laid back on the bed and closed his eyes, listening to the footsteps of the older dragon as he headed back out of the room. Once the click of the door closing sounded, Sora shot up from the bed.

Now to find Ephemer... he thought to himself, moving briskly around the curtained beds. His heartbeat had picked back up, beating in tune with every passing second as each space turned up empty. It wasn't until he reached the back of the room that he realized he was he was the only one in here. Cursing silently, he dragged his eyes around him, trying to think quickly. Where would they keep him?

Sora leaned against the wall as he tried to calm himself, but something felt off about it. Looking closely as he ran his hand from side to side slowly, he realized there was a slight recess. Following the line, he began to make out the outline of what was possibly the shape of a door.

A... secret room?

Of course there would be. He recounted the rumors of Xehanort having secrets, and ultimately, he felt it was no surprise that this would have been one of them. With no knowledge of the attacker and to keep the general masses of the Academy from frequenting Ephemer's bedside, they had to have him hidden away for safety.

He felt along the wall again, pressing lightly as he aimlessly searched for a way to open the hidden entrance. He was nearly two feet away from the door when a small piece of the wall finally pushed inward. A small click resounded, releasing the section that played as the door.

Sora took slow, quiet steps as he opened it and headed inside. He hesitated before pulling it closed behind him, hoping the way back out would be easier to find. His eyes landed on a cozy looking room; it was furnished as a dorm room, complete with a feather-down bed, an end table and a small dresser. Even the floor was covered with soft, plush carpet. A single window decorated the room, nestled between the closet and the bed where Ephemer lay. He stepped forward quickly, forgetting all desire to stay hidden. Any answers he could get now lay mere feet away from him.

"Ephemer?" As he moved around to the right side of the bed, the boy opened his eyes slowly, revealing pastel blue irises.

"You're not Aerith..." The boy struggled into a sitting position and backed himself against the wall behind him, staring at Sora with wide eyes. In an attempt to diffuse the growing panic before him, the brunette stopped a few steps away and held his hands before his face, palms out and fingers wide to show he wasn't a threat.

"Well, no..." he started. "I was sent to the Academy to get help, like everyone else. I'd only been here about a day before your incident. We never had the chance to officially-"

"Get to the point. Who are you?" interrupted Ephemer. Sora watched the fear in the boy switch swiftly to suspicion.

"My name is Sora. I'm not here to do anything or hurt you. I might know what happened to you, but I need a couple of questions answered if you can remember," he answered quickly, being careful of his words. He didn't want to give the boy more information than needed; Sora wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want him to go into full panic mode or because he wasn't a hundred percent positive if he could trust the chimera. When Ephemer didn't respond, he took a deep breath and continued. "Something is going on here at the Academy and I think whoever attacked you might be behind it. If you know anything about that person - what they said or what they looked like - it would help a lot."

Blinded by his desperation, and being too focused on monitoring the way he talked, Sora hadn't noticed he had taken more steps toward the bed until Ephemer hopped out of it. He noted the wary look on the chimera's face and the sudden stance that he took, as if he was preparing to bolt at any second. As the brunette wondered if he really was exuding a threatening presence, he felt a familiar tug in his mind. It wasn't painful this time, but more like an urgent prod to grab his attention. Vanitas was successful in getting it, as well as causing Sora to become more observant, as well as nervous. Something wasn't settling right within the atmosphere of the room.

"I'm sorry, I can't help you. I didn't get a good look at him," muttered Ephemer, lowering his eyes to the ground.

Sora stiffened at the response. His careful wording had paid off in the blink of an eye, as he hadn't specified if the attacker was a male or a female. It was clear that the boy was hiding something and it made a sudden urge to act roll through him. His body moved, as if pulled along by a tether. The brunette catapulted himself over the bed toward Ephemer, certain that the boy would run away. Instead, the chimera shuffled backward a few steps before planting his feet firmly in place and bracing for the brunette's attack.

Dodge...!

Sora ducked as the demon's voice broke through, avoiding the attempted grab as he stepped around Ephemer. However, he wasn't fast enough afterward and found himself slammed against the wall by his throat, knocking the air out of his lungs. As the sharpness of the pain receded, he realized he was being held above the ground. It only pulled one question from his mind: where had this strength come from?

"I've heard about plenty of things, thanks to these halfwits parading in and out of the room. I can't help but wonder about you, though. You've got everyone here quite baffled, boy," murmured Ephemer. "If only they knew what I do. Tell me, which of my siblings did you make a deal with?"

"In your dreams, asshole," spat Sora, earning a sigh in response as the grip around his throat tightened. Sora struggled as he pulled at Ephemer's wrist in a feeble attempt to keep his airway open. He pushed down the panic that was building, taking in his situation as his eyes shot from the face in front of him to what he could see of his surroundings.

What would Ventus do...?

"What did you hope to accomplish by coming here? Did you honestly believe you'd get any sort of answer from him in his current state?" asked the chimera.

Sora regarded him with a confused look as the pieces slowly began to connect; he knew something was off about Ephemer, but it hadn't quite fully formed a larger picture until then. Referring to himself in the third person? Either the incident left him with a separate, more protective, identity or...

"Apparently.. I-I didn't... need an a-answer... from him," he choked out between breaths, suddenly staring into a pair of white irises.

His fingers slid down the chimera's wrist, leaving red welts with his nails. Ephemer didn't react, not even a minor flinch to indicate any feeling. Sora could feel the pain radiating deeply underneath his skin, his throat working hard as it began to close from the pressure. White spots danced in his sight, and the only thing he could think of was Namine's vision.

Was it not right? Was he not the one on the roof, but Vanitas as himself? If that was the case, then everything they had worked for up until this point was for absolutely nothing, and everyone was going to die regardless. And with the current situation, he had probably just sped up the timeline. There was nothing he could do to warn the others. Just when his thoughts touched on his friends, he felt Ephemer's hand loosen - just slightly - around his throat. The trickles of air that reached his lungs sent a shock wave of pain through his chest and his head ached horribly.

Please, I can't die here. Not yet.