So, an interesting thing happened to me recently. I managed to stop screwing around on Paint Tool Sai and use my laptop on something a bit more constructive. That being, typing for the masses of the internet. It occurred to me that just because I forget that exists, doesn't mean that everyone else has. This realization was in no way influenced by receiving a message from a friend asking me what the "H" was up. Honestly, it's crazy that you would even say such a thing. In other news, with my other obligations being on a hiatus of indeterminate length, my time for this story is a bit freer. So, that's good for you guys.

Move. Aqua could feel a voice in the back of her head urging her to run, but she was unable to respond. Move! In that one action, the creature made everything painfully clear. There was nothing they could do. Even if they managed to get away, they wouldn't survive what was coming. Aqua's skills as a mage? Useless. Terra's great strength? Useless. With his… Thing in front of them staring into their souls and judging them, there were no secrets. There were no safe places. There was no hiding. There was no rainbow after the storm, or light at the end of the tunnel. Aqua had looked into the mouth of the deepest despair, and what she saw was death. They would all die. Just like all the others. Just like the ones after them. This creature, this bringer of death and sorrow, this force of nature that feasted on the pain, the sorrow, the rage, the very lives of those who live, would not stop until they were nothing more than fuel for its next conquest.

Move, move, move! Move? Fine. She would move her mouth. Maybe she would find her confidence after some words. Right now, there was nothing she could do.

"Terra?"

He clearly had the same idea, evidenced in his shaky response. "Yeah?"

"Do you know what this thing staring at us is?"

Staring was correct. The Beast had not made a start at them, moved a muscle, or even blinked since letting loose his mighty bellow. It was frozen with unmoving eyes.

"I have an idea," replied Terra, almost under his breath. "I've talked with the Master, about creatures that even demons fear." He was still tense, but he began to relax visibly. "The Heartless. Consumers of Hearts. Destroyers of worlds. Beings of the purest Darkness."

Aqua's eyes widened as she remembered back to the earlier conversation they shared with Eraqus, her suspicions confirmed. This was a Heartless. "Then…"

"Why hasn't it killed us yet?" Terra finished her question. "I'd like to know that too."

It made a response, finally. "It is because… You are just too small"

Aqua's eyes widened more. This thing just spoke… Or something. It spoke in a language that was not language, with no actual words. It was as if the thing's intent was speaking directly to their souls. Terra didn't seem very surprised.

"What does that mean?" Terra spoke with confidence, regaining his usual self from despair. Aqua had not been expecting this. Her heart was thrashing inside her chest, threatening to split in two. She felt cold and hot at the same time. She had been beginning to think that if they were able to make it out of this situation, it would be by her will, that she'd be the morale pillar that would hold them up. Oh, but as soon as she learned that this thing was not only the wrath of Darkness expressed by way of natural disaster, but that it was also intelligent, and much more so than the two apprentices combined? It only said one thing, but it spoke volumes. Volumes that neither student could understand.

"Then listen." It began to move, a slithering motion. Not quite floating, not quite touching the ground it stalked them, moving in a slow circle around their position, never looking away. "Compare your pitiful existence to that of Darkness… I am everything… You are nothing."

Those words seemed to rile Terra a bit, his calm shaking away momentarily. "What does that mean!?"

The creature was unfazed by Terra's outburst, making no stop or falter in its motion. It was behind them now, but took no advantage. "Your bodies… Nothing. Your wills… Nothing. Your Light… Nothing…" It paused in its speech and radiated energy for a moment. "Even your Hearts are nothing but logs to the flames."

"I don't understand!" Terra exclaimed!

The Heartless seemed to take relish in this next statement. "One who knows nothing…" Lightning flashed in the distance, thunder roared in response. "Can understand nothing…" It was now in front of them. "You know nothing."

Aqua took that as a time for her true question. "Just… Just what are you?"

The Heartless rose into the air and spread its wings wide, showing its superiority. "I am the yawning chasm before the before… The Darkness at the end of all things… I am the abyss that is life that hungers for death… I am Everything, and Every thing is finite… I am Nothing, and No thing is eternal." The wind picked up, the powers grew in intensity. "Your weapons will not protect you… Your magic will not defend you. Your lives will not be given for a reason, and no one will remember your sacrifice. In the presence of I, the Heartless Sutōmu Raidā… You… Are just too small."

There was a new voice, a new presence that sprang from the dark around them. "You fools! MOVE!"

Sutōmu Raidā shot its head to the direction of the voice and was just in time to intercept a fireball to the face. This stunned the beast as it screamed in pain and annoyance.

Terra saw his opportunity. He leaped forward, summoning his sword in the process and made a quick swipe toward the creature's neck. It connected! The blade sliced a few inches into the creature's neck, somehow missing any vitals it might have had. With a shriek of anger, possibly out of being surprised twice in a row, the Heartless whipped backward and shot into the sky. Terra landed with both feet on the ground next to Aqua, who had just noticed the black mist swirling around them.

"Terra! Look out!" Aqua summoned her weapon to swing at the shape that shot out of the dark cloud, but Terra blocked it without taking apparent notice. The thing was stunned. Aqua took advantage and stabbed through it before it had the chance to recover.

"Like a black and purple balloon with ears…" Aqua spoke under her breath. She suspected that more would come, and so busied her free hand making a multi-layered barrier spell around the two of them. When finished, she joined Terra in watching the clouds. "So, that thing- Heartless, is controlling those smaller ones."

"What makes you say that?" Terra inquired, not moving his gaze.

"They took no notice of us before your attack. I think he's upset."

A bolt of lightning crashed down onto their barrier in response.

The students were unfazed by this, over their previous frozen state. "So," Terra began, clearly calculating. "What's our plan? We can't very well leave it up there, but I don't have wings." He cut his eyes to the side to study Aqua. "And I doubt that you kept yours."

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. He never let her forget about the two years she was obsessed with a set of fake angel's wings. They were much younger at the time; it was before they had even began their training. Aqua had claimed that she gave away the wings some years back, but that didn't stop Terra and the Master from making jokes here and there.

"I may have a solution to that, but it all depends on how good your aim is."

Wow, I just looked at the records of my uploads. It has been far too long since I made an update to this story. I'm sure you're all so shaken up about it. Well, I actually will try for a faster update this time now that I have nothing holding me back except my own laziness. … … … … … … … Supreme king is out.