Chapter Four: Ship of Corpses, Phase 2

Gore splashed and streamed down Ven's face.

But it wasn't his.

The blood was sable and dark—that of a demi-Heartless. Ven became slowly aware that he hadn't been killed or maimed by the horn at all. When the Keybearer writhed his eyelids apart to the barest slimmer, he caught but barely perceived the blurred visage of Jexel paralyzed in horror, jaw agape and eye frozen in disbelief. After seconds of suspense, the young pirate's head fell from his neck to the wooden floor and a white, gloved hand reached forward past where the head once rested and grabbed Ven by his collar as the decapitated corpse hit the ground. Ven couldn't comprehend the details of the situation—that Xehanort caught up and teleported behind Jexel to cut off his head with his Keyblade, that the ancient master had caught Ven as the pirate's lifeless hands released him, and that the old man released his weapon and was now forcing a restorative potion into the younger Keybearer's throat. All confused Ven knew was distress and the vague fear that something horrible had happened.

Once certain the small potion bottle was emptied, Xehanort lowered Ventus to the ground, propped against a wall and sitting upright, though slouched and barely conscious. He replaced the crystal flask in his coat and produced a small flagon carved from gold, containing a far stronger tonic: a megalixir. Xehanort continued into the brig's hall, stopping at Vanitas' cell and examining the unfinished Keyhole.

"You look awful, old man," the mutilated prisoner joked from within the shadows.

Xehanort smirked. "You're no prize yourself." He beckoned his Keyblade return to him and completed dismantling the magic seal. —A remarkable wonder, this prison, that it confined the progenitor of all Unversed. —Once the barrier shattered apart, the old man telekinetically commanded the corporeal door to open itself for him. It complied and Xehanort stepped through, his weapon ready to free immobile Vanitas from his shackles. The golden shimmer of the megalixir's flask glowed in the boy's filmy eyes.

The effects of the minor potion slowly manifested in Ven's body, allowing him to open his eyes and move his limbs. Once the last of disorientation faded, the young Keybearer looked on in horror at the sight that, seconds ago, he dreaded but could not comprehend. A slow, silent gasp, and fixated in his tear-filled eyes was the headless body of the friend he couldn't save. Still weak, he crawled forward until he could clutch Jexel's tunic, then he collapsed beside him, wailing silently. His face still soaked in tears and the blood of himself and his friend, Ven reached for the demi-Heartless' head and closed his single eye.

I didn't want to hurt you. You were my brother, Jexel. And I'd have done anything to save you.

Against the wall adjacent to Vanitas' cell at the end of the hall where Ventus left him, half-Shadow Mr. Smee stirred from unconsciousness, surprised to find himself still alive. A quick, panicked surveillance of his surroundings and he understood the worst came to pass. The ship was dead-silent, the conflict over, and the door to Vanitas' cell—the Keybearer's objective—was wide-open. Without peering inside, he knew the Jolly Roger was conquered and he might've been the only survivor of the crew, save for the traitor who led them all to death. Trembling and afraid, Mr. Smee reached for his blunderbuss as silently as he could, then shakily stood to his feet and took aim at Xehanort, his back turned as he tended to Vanitas' wounds. He had him in sight, but his aim was unstable. He so desired to take that shot, and yet…

A tight, invisible grip formed around Smee's throat, choking him and lifting him into the air, the gun still in his grasp.

"You'll find that you're out of a job, Mr. Smee," Xehanort called, his back still turned, though Vanitas' smirk was all the sign the half-Shadow pirate needed to understand the ancient master's own features. "This ship is now a mausoleum and your captain has no doubt been killed by my other apprentices. What would you have to gain by shooting me? Is it comradery that drives you?—or some misplaced notion of loyalty to the deceased? Are you really willing to throw your life away to honor those who can never repay you?"

Smee flailed further, oxygen escaping him, but not enough to impair his resolve. He still held the gun in one hand and he leveled the shot at the old man as best he could, his finger inching closer to the trigger.

Xehanort sighed. "Or are you really so desperate to see them again that you'll plummet headfirst into the grave the first chance you get? There are other paths left to you besides suicide. The Jolly Roger is now in my possession and I find myself short of a crew to maintain it. I have also longed to study a demi-Heartless firsthand yet have been unable to procure one. I offer you a job as my servant. You will be well taken care of and have a chance at a new life, should you comply. But the choice is yours."

Xehanort released him and Smee fell to the ground, flat on his nose. After a panicked breath of air, he scrambled to his feet and hugged the blunderbuss against him. Once a weapon of vengeance, the gun was reduced to a pacifier. He was frightened, awe-stricken at the power this one old man possessed, and he felt the wrath previously boiled within him retreating into the furthest recesses of his cowardly soul.

"What will it be, Mr. Smee?"

On the snow-speckled surface of the airborne Jolly Roger; a short time later…

Ventus sat against the stairs of the deck, wrapped in a heavy coat and drinking from a flask of rum to provide some temporary relief for the heartache and the cold as he stared blankly into the stars and snowfall, dark clouds surrounding the galleon on all sides.

Rum. There was another thing Ven would have to give up should he return to apprenticeship under Xehanort. Initially hesitant to try it, the boy had grown fond of alcohol and could hold it with the best of them. Though they were the ones to reluctantly introduce him to it in training him to be a pirate, Ven never wanted Terra and Aqua to see this new side of him and suddenly grew self-conscious of the habit he never gave a second thought of when with the crew. Another part of him was amused at wondering if he'd long since surpassed those two in holding in liquor. No, he was definitely past them. For some reason, that thought depressed him.

Though he now hoped Aqua would allow him to share a bottle of wine with her on special occasions and Terra would take him drinking when he was of legal age, there was a lot he would have to give up. Roughhousing. Marauding. Plundering. Pyromania. The songs. The revelry. The women. The lawlessness. Searching for treasure. Sailor's mouth. Living on the edge. That spirit of unbridled freedom. But most of all, the memories. He couldn't hold onto those sinful memories if he returned to his Keyblade training—they would only sabotage his progress and integrity as a guardian of light.

If he returned.

But there were many dark memories as well. Sights and actions that sickened and corrupted him and stole innocence he didn't know he had left. Such things were unavoidable when sailing on a Heartless ship. But now that the Jolly Roger was only a ship of corpses and Ven still had a respectable reputation among other pirates of various worlds, he could return to them, claim the crew had fallen victim to some horrible disaster in which he was the only survivor, build his notoriety, start a new crew as his own captain with his own ship, and change piracy forever. He wouldn't be a black-hearted captain like the one he served or those he slew, but rather establish himself as a benign and chivalrous bandit who avenged the innocent, offered humanity and safety to those he raided, and kept the peace between the law and the lawless. With his skill, he would rule the seas unopposed, crushing tyrants and reaping all the benefits the pirate's life had to offer.

Being a chivalrous pirate…never hurting the innocent and only declaring war on the wicked… Would I be the good guy? Would the Keyblade follow me into that kind of lifestyle?

The more he thought about it, the more Ven became sure of his convictions and measured options previously unconsidered.

Yeah. As long as my heart's in the right place and I'm doing the right thing, I'll always have Wayward Wind by my side. —Ven smiled again. —Wayward Wind. There's a fine name for a ship. But even with the Keyblade, rallying a good crew and earning their loyalty will take some time. If only I had something to promise them in return…

Ven's eyes shot open and he knew at once what would finance his enterprise. Limping across the deck and past Smee (who was rounding up the dead bodies per Xehanort's command), Ven hobbled into the captain's quarters, rifling through every desk drawer, cabinet, and chest he could find.

C'mon, where is it? The map we killed Flint for in the Etherium! The loot of a thousand worlds! —After every conventional hiding spot proved fruitless, the blonde Keybearer turned to less conventional methods. That huge landscape painting of Neverland hanging on the wall seemed mighty suspicious…

Seconds later, the gold-framed canvas was lowered to the ground and Ven found the locked vault behind it. Any practical concern earlier raised over using Wayward while still masked in darkness was forgotten as the boy summoned the weapon and used its power to open the vault instantly. And there it was inside: a hand-sized, copper spheroid with various lines and circular markings carved into it. So many had died for that one seemingly insignificant ball, but Ven had seen it in action and knew what incredible means it was capable of. No one in Hook's crew had been able to unlock it as Flint did, but now that Ven was counting on bringing the Keyblade with him into his life of piracy…

He retrieved the spherical device and held it delicately in his hand. So many dreams were projected into that one ball—the key to Ven's future.

I finally have it. Treasure Planet…

But harnessing its knowledge would have to wait. Even in euphoria, Ventus knew he wouldn't endure the strain the Keyblade would impose on him to unlock it so long as the pentacle on his back masked his heart in darkness. He would need that thing removed.

"Is that what this was about?" Smee called from the doorway of the captain's quarters, wrapped in a winter coat of his own. Ven turned and found that small creature sniffling with anger and devastation. He continued, "You betrayed us so you could take all that treasure for yourself?"

Startled by the accusation, Ven concealed the looming threat of further heartbreak behind a stoic façade. But his eyes, irritated from rubbing tears away, betrayed his disguise. "No. It was never about the money. Saving Vanitas and stopping Hook was my mission the whole time."

"But why? Is that Mr. Xehanort your real cap'n?"

Ven was astounded at the question. The stoic façade gave way to indignation. "What? No! I am not Xehanort's student! I ran away from home months ago, before even my last master died!"

"Then you did it to save our prisoner? Is he your friend?"

"No way! I never even heard of the guy before this!"

Smee stood astonished at the revelation. "Then…you betrayed us for nothing?" Even on his Shadow half, the old pirate's tears burst from his eyes. "We were your friends, Ventus! We loved you like family!"

Ven felt those words cut into him, push him against the wall, and he hated every second spent confronting his guilt. He chose to deny it instead. "How could I ever be one of you? You're Heartless!"

"You're the heartless one, Ventus!"

The pain that pierced him was transparent only for a few seconds. He fought to repress it, his grip against the spherical map intensifying as his whole arm shook. "I…I did this for my friends! Terra and Aqua—the ones taking down the Cap'n—they're the reason I did this. They'd been off-world enough times doing the Masters' bidding to build a reputation. Hook knew their faces, but he never knew mine."

Ventus tried to cool himself. He shoved the map back into the vault and locked it shut, if only to prove the sincerity of his words. "Master Eraqus tried to keep me locked away in that prison he called my home, so there's no way anyone off-world would've recognized me when I ran away. That made me the perfect choice to infiltrate this crew. Nobody else could've done it. If I declined the job and hadn't spent these last two months spying on all of you to draw Hook out and take this ship down from within, that would've meant putting Terra and Aqua in even greater danger—maybe even sending them to their deaths. That's why I did it. To protect them. Not for Xehanort, not for Vanitas, not to fight the Heartless, and not to hurt your feelings, but for them. I'm sorry I ever believed I was one of you."

Nothing more needed to be said. Smee understood this and reserved his loathing to a glare.

Xehanort called from outside: "Did I say to stop working?" He arose from the steps bridging the deck to the interior of the ship while using a gravity spell to levitate hordes of corpses above him. Vanitas followed (his mask donned and hiding the deformities he suffered in the pirates' custody), hauling husks the old-fashioned way, yet making it seem so easy. That megalixir was especially kind to him. Mr. Smee shivered at his new boss' call and complied, hastily returning to cleanup duty and silently cursing his fate. Xehanort and Vanitas threw the bodies they carried into the main pile. The masked boy took a moment to examine the ship's surroundings.

"Ventus!" Xehanort called, "If you're well enough to walk, you can lend a hand. Search the bodies for anything valuable."

"What the hell is this?!" Vanitas shouted, uncharacteristically alarmed. The others turned to him, surprised at his outburst. "Why are we parked in the middle of what's about to be a thunderstorm?!"

The old man answered, "Ventus assures me this ship has endured far worse."

"Uh-huh," the masked boy continued, unconvinced, "and what about us? This isn't exactly a closed-roof ship—we're out in the open!"

"Just do what we did," Ven chimed in as he hobbled out onto the deck, "don't get hit."

The resentment from that expressionless, black pit of a mask didn't go unnoticed and Ven afforded himself a cheeky smirk. The smile only faded when he reached the first of his old crew's bodies to loot.

"Do you remember how they captured you, Vanitas?" Xehanort asked.

"How could I forget?" the apprentice answered, obviously annoyed. "I would've been able to tear this ship apart if it weren't for that magic shield—" He instantly caught on. "The shield. That's what kept me from entering. It's why I was caught off-guard and so easily overwhelmed…why we needed Ventus to go undercover in the first place."

"Exactly," the Master replied. "And it is that same shield which now protects us from the elements. It's how Hook's crew managed to traverse so many hostile environments without ever suffering so much as a scratch. Not even the merciless void of space can penetrate a barrier such as this."

"Nifty," Vanitas commented wryly.

Xehanort took a moment to inspect the dark clouds enveloping them. "Hook really couldn't have chosen a better spot to hide this vessel. "It's far out of the civilians' view and no telescope could penetrate these clouds. That works well for us. This world does not yet know life exists beyond its simple domains and it's our duty as off-worlders not to meddle with their lives and understanding. Not until they themselves achieve first contact with the worlds beyond."

"Or the Heartless force our hand," Vanitas added.

"And even then," the Master continued, "like now, we keep ourselves hidden from sight and wage our war in secret. The last thing we need is for the ignorant masses to panic and obstruct our efforts. But if the Heartless go public, then so will we. We arm these people with knowledge and resources only when urgency demands it." Xehanort turned, "That is our mission, Ventus. To discover, traverse, and save new worlds all throughout the cosmos from the Heartless invasion. Would that not be adventure enough for you?"

Ven was surprised to hear the master address him, let alone answer his plight. Yet, he couldn't answer.

Though still bitter, Mr. Smee appreciated the older man's words. "You've a noble goal, Mr. Xehanort sir. A shame you had to deceive and slaughter so many of us to see it through."

The master answered the stout half-Shadow wrapped in a heavy winter coat, "Despite your appearance, you lack the bearings of either pirate or Heartless. Your efforts will be put to better use preserving worlds rather than destroying them."

Similar to Ven, Mr. Smee hadn't expected his captor to answer his plight with such kindness and generosity. And for his conflicting feelings, he also didn't know how to answer.

Vanitas couldn't care less if the two pirates joined them or not.

No, he'd definitely prefer if they didn't. Especially after the last two months.

He turned for the steps to return below deck. "Gonna get some more stragglers," the masked boy said, referring to the next wave of pirate corpses. "You coming, old man?"

He was met only with silence.

"Old man?" he called again, then turned to see what held back his master.

Xehanort stood frozen, trembling in fear and awe as he stared off into the mass of black clouds surrounding them. Vanitas knew his master long enough to understand he'd sensed something, and for him of all people to tremble at a force of nature or whatever lay concealed within it, the masked boy knew to be afraid. He reached out with his senses into the black mass. A choked gasp and then he, too, froze in terror, nearly losing his balance.

Ven and Smee caught wind of the others' terror and gradually became afraid, for they couldn't understand what sort of threat struck them so.

"Hey, what is it? What's gotten into you two?" Ven called, worry tinging his voice.

There was a slow, heavy movement of lumbering mass inside the black clouds and an inhuman groan emanating from within. With difficulty, Xehanort raised his quivering hand to point at the source of the invisible disturbance. His words were a choked whisper. "Its…right there. Could it be…? Oh my…"

Panicked, Ven ran up to the old man and shook him by his shoulders. "What? What is it? Tell us what you see!"

Small Mr. Smee tugged at Ven's sleeve. When the blonde Keybearer turned to him, he could see the demi-Heartless also pointing into the black, as shivering and speechless as the others. Ven quickly turned and froze, terror-stricken at the ghastly shape outlined by the cloud's internal lightning. Against every shred of his better judgment, he swore he recognized the disfigured form of the monstrosity whose size tripled that of the Jolly Roger. A slow, haunting sound resonated from the beast.

Tick…tock…tick…tock…

Ven could barely keep himself from screaming, eyes and mouth agape as he shuddered in a cold sweat.

But that's impossible! We killed it!

His back bumped into Xehanort, who reflexively held him steady with his hand.

"Th—th—the crocodile!" Mr. Smee almost ineligibly jabbered in terror.

Ven turned once again to Smee, anger rising to fight against the fear. "No, there's no way it could be! We killed it, Smee! Twice, even: once when we hunted it down, and again when its Heartless hunted us down, so don't you dare tell me it's somehow still alive, especially when it was never this big and never knew how to fly!"

Xehanort's grasp on Ven's shoulder tightened. Though his voice was calm, his yellow eyes were wild and his skin had paled. "You say you killed this beast twice? Both its natural form and its Heartless?"

Ven answered, his voice sounding more like a desperate plea than a statement of facts. "Yes, I was there! It can't still be alive…it…it can't…"

The old man's visage darkened, an attempt to steady himself. "I was afraid of this. My boy, there is much you've yet to learn about the Heartless. As you know, when a creature loses its heart to Darkness, it becomes a Heartless, a corrupt and murderous being whose sole purpose is to destroy Light and life wherever it finds it. But do you know what becomes of the body left behind when the heart abandons it?"

Ventus couldn't answer and it was for this lack of knowledge that his fears seized tighter on him.

Xehanort continued. "It becomes a Nobody. The Heartless' departed husk is possessed and corrupted by another power: Nothingness."

Ven grew indignat at the lecture. "'Nothingness?' 'Nobody?' You can't tell me that thing out there is nothing!"

"No, not 'nothing,' boy. Nothingness: the power which resides between Light and Dark and is an enemy of both. I've had limited experience with the Nobodies in my travels before Eraqus' passing, but I know enough." Then he was silent for a moment, contemplating something. "What was this creature's goal in life?"

"What?" Ven asked. "Why does it matter?"

"Notice how the beast has yet to attack us or even leave its cover. With its size and supposed power, it could decimate this entire ship in seconds. Not even the magical field would stop it. But it only waits. It may have been biding its time here for hours. But for what, I don't know. Was there any primary motive it had in its previous two lives?"

Mr. Smee answered, still stuttering from fear, "Well, the c—crocodile h—has been hunting the c—cap'n for years. Ev—ever since it gobbled up his hand, it's been following us in the h—hopes of eating the rest of him."

"That was its mission in life?" Xehanort asked. "What about as a Heartless?"

"I—it was much more fierce in its methods, M—Mr. Xehanort s—sir. It would destroy entire vessels searching for us a—and killed many of our crew even though we, too, w—were at least p—part Heartless, but its m—motive s—seemed much the same."

"It still desired the life of your captain?"

Smee nodded.

Xehanort grunted softly. "That is a remarkably strong will, that it could transcend even death. A Nobody is not so wild or unintelligent in nature as a Heartless. Maybe our friend knows what he seeks isn't onboard this vessel. He may only be waiting for the captain's return." He smirked. "He's in for a long wait."

Minutes passed of breathless anticipation, of spine-chilling ticking and tocking from the warped and enlarged alarm clock within the warped and enlarged beast, then the gargantuan contour of the crocodile, illuminated by the intermittent lightning, slowly turned and drifted away, shrinking further into the dense blackness to seek his prize elsewhere.

Tick…tock…tick…tock…

Until it was out of sight.

A wave of relief washed over the four living souls on the Jolly Roger's deck, all scarcely believing they'd avoided such a narrow brush with death. Then a realization struck Vanitas.

"Wait, if that thing's after Hook and he's down in the city…"

The four were horror-struck again, understanding just what lengths the Nobody titan of a crocodile might take to finally end the captain.

Xehanort answered, "Then we may have failed in some considerable part of our mission. If the Nobody doesn't destroy the world below, its mere apparition will reveal far more to these people than they are ready to know."

"And Terra and Aqua…!" Ven added, "If they're with the captain or were the last ones near him…"

"They might have his scent, and with it, the beast's attention," the old master replied. "And none of us present are in any condition or of any appearance to head below and warn them without raising suspicion from the masses. That leaves us with two options available: either we attempt to delay the beast in the cover of these storm clouds before it terrorizes the world below and more than likely lose our lives in the process…or we do nothing and leave the extent and probability of the consequences to chance."