Hey, guys; it's chapter 4! (Finally…) Here, you get some background story on two of the four, Ven and Sora to be specific, which I'm sure most of you are curious about – what with Ven fainting at the sight of blood and everything. Sora…you'll find out as you read. Let's get on with it, because I'm sure you don't want to listen to me ramble all day xD Lots and lots of backstory in this chapter! Hope it isn't too much.

Oh, and a few new characters will be introduced here, if only in a recounting of events. A few of them are still around though. Where are these enigmatic new characters now? Oh, the mystery! :O

Just one last thing. I hate this chapter. So hard to write that I almost put it on hold indefinitely. I really hope that you guys appreciate this chapter; it was one of the hardest things ever to write for me! If not…oh well. Enjoy as much as you can.

When Xaros put out the question of how exactly Ven had developed such a massive fear of blood, Sora lays it for him on the table, since he had every right to know. Later on when Riku comes to visit his friend, a slip up on his part results in the two fighting. When Ven and Roxas reveal the reason for Sora's cruel reaction, Xaros inadvertently begins to take a glimpse into a world he didn't know he was a part of. Not to mention, Sora has some news for him that completely overturns his life.

Ch. 4: Reflecting on the Past

"All truths are not to be told."

-George Herbert, Jacula Prudentum (1651)

The sentence hung in midair, shivering with tension, as if the slightest disturbance would cause it to implode.

Sora interrupted me before I could get a syllable out. "Don't judge him yet, Xaros. To put it in kinder terms, Ven was the reason our father died. And he had inadvertently punished himself for it by watching him breathe his last. Ven never forgave himself for that. At one point he nearly went mad with guilt. The truth is, Ven was not always like this. He used to always lay everything out for us in the open without worrying about anything. Now he's afraid to even hint at our father, because he is terrified of how we'll react. We're partly to blame for the way he is now." A bitter tone leaked through near the end of his statement.

I still couldn't comprehend the slew of new information about his middle brother. Ven had caused his father's death, and he'd gotten punished for that without even realizing by watching him die. He had been so guilty that he'd wallowed in it. I wasn't sure how to look at him anymore.

"Roxas, I'm really sorry to say, was the spark that started the fire that consumed Ven's free will. He blamed Ven for our father being dead. Roxas wouldn't even try to understand what he'd been through, refusing to reason with him – or me for that matter. I knew Ven didn't intend it to be that way, but that's how it had happened, and he'd ultimately paid for it."

"How?" I didn't mean to say it out loud, but it came through anyway. "What happened?"

"All right, this is going to sound crazy, but hear me out. Once you get the bulk of the story, you'll believe me.

"You see, our father was the de facto leader of an organization called the Phalanx Coalition, as they called themselves. The group was like a…a supernatural police force, I guess you could call it. They kept peace in our world utilizing many different abilities, and just the show of it had been enough to stop any criminal in their tracks. Except for one…"

Here Sora broke off and ground his teeth together, hate burning in his eyes. I wondered why such an expression came about.

"Our father had a friend named Arkhaine Robur," he went on, saying the unfamiliar name through tight lips. "They were best friends; they had known each other since they were little. Arkhaine was his second-in-command of the Phalanx Coalition. The two of them gained a reputation as the Tao Duo, since they complimented each other so well, and their skills far outclassed those of the rest of the Phalanx Coalition. My brothers and I…it was our dream to be just like our father and his accomplice, to be even more legendary than they ever were. We vowed that as soon as we were of age, we would join the Phalanx officers and rank among their members."

This story sounded too outlandish to be true. Supernatural police force called the Phalanx Coalition? Sora's father being the very leader of such an organization? If it weren't for the occurrences of last week, I would have walked right out of the room calling him crazy. But I had a feeling that I should listen to everything he had to say before rendering judgment on them.

Something else bothered me though, and I was dismayed to find the source: Sora had said "our world"…like he wasn't a part of this one.

Sora tensed now, and he continued, his words coming a little slower than normal. "It was nine years ago. Our father was getting ready to leave for duty when Ven went running up to him. He wanted to go along with him that day. He wanted to watch our father at work. Our father refused to let him so much as take a step out of the house. Being a part of the Phalanx Coalition means that you're exposed to a lot of danger, and he didn't want Ven to be a part of that, as young as he was."

Nine years ago…that meant the twins had been only seven years old. I was starting to see why the trauma afterward had such a huge effect on him.

"Ven didn't give up though. He kept on asking day after day, hoping that our father would cave in. Eventually he managed to convince him that it would be safe enough if he had escorts with him. Unfortunately, the day he chose to listen to Ven was the last time we ever saw him alive. Something that wasn't exactly completely unexpected just happened to unfold that day."

"What are you talking about?"

"Arkhaine and my father were best friends, but like any friends, they tended to squabble over things that they disagreed on. At that point my father and he were in the middle of their biggest argument yet."

"What argument?" The air seemed to be getting colder.

"I already told you how they were the two de facto leaders of the coalition because their abilities far outclassed the other members. Arkhaine was…arrogant, and very ambitious. One day he proposed to my father what he thought about using their power as coalition leaders to bring our world into submission, and rule over it together. My father was appalled that he'd even consider such a horrific idea. He argued that the coalition was meant to bring justice over the world, not subdue it. But Arkhaine was stubborn. He wouldn't relent. He was so caught up in the idea of conquest that the two just stopped working together. The day that my father relented to Ven's pleas was the third day of their quarrel.

"I remember that day like it was only yesterday.

"It was cloudy, and my father didn't expect much to happen that day. That's why he allowed Ven to come along. Of course, being the twin brothers they are Roxas had to tag along too. I didn't leave because someone had to watch over the house while they were gone. So I was alone for the rest of the day without having a clue about what was going on out there." Sora breathed deeply and covered his face in his hands. "If only I'd had gone with them despite my father's orders…then none of that would've happened."

"You can't blame yourself for that…you didn't know it was going to happen. And even if you did, what could you have done? You were only ten."

If I thought that that would reassure him, I was dead wrong. Sora's eyes tightened defensively through his pale fingers.

"You don't understand." His words dropped like stone in water. Hopeless. "He…he knew that I wanted to join the coalition when I became of age, so he'd started training me early on. I knew the basics of combat…and I really hate to say this, but you do have a point. What could I have done against Arkhaine?"

"Arkhaine? I thought he was –"

"He betrayed us," Sora muttered, his tone full of loathing. "He betrayed our father. He didn't want to be suppressed by the likes of him anymore from his dream of conquest. So he decided to get rid of his only stumbling block to have his visions realized. He couldn't have picked a worse day to try, since both Ven and Roxas were with him."

The atmosphere of the room was becoming unbearably heavy under the weight of this conversation. I could barely breathe for what I was worth, let alone ask any questions. I couldn't even remember why I had brought up such a subject in the first place.

"What's even worse, he managed to brainwash the rest of the coalition into believing that conquering our world was a better option than just defending it. So it was my father against the entire organization that he'd worked so hard to create and train. The very same group of people who pledged to give their service to our world, to make sure that the inhabitants lived without fear. After what they had done, they lived in nothing but fear. What he'd done…it's utterly unforgivable."

It took me a moment to find my voice and remember how to speak before I asked, "So…when do the twins come into this?"

"Later in the day, when it started to get dark and rainy, I started preparing things for their arrival. I was in the middle of setting dinner when Roxas charged in. What got me was that he looked like he'd been battered, and that he was alone. Neither my father nor Ven was in sight. I demanded to know where they were. Roxas was crying so I had a hard time getting it out of him, but I managed to get that Arkhaine had somehow been involved. I left Roxas in the house while I went to go look for them.

"I found them after hours of searching. My father was staggering; he'd become wounded. Ven was sheltered behind him, looking beyond terrified. When I took a look at who had injured my father, I realized that Roxas had been right. Arkhaine was involved, and not only that, he was the one who had attacked him. I was so angry that I charged him without thinking, but he just batted me aside like I was just an annoying fly. He hit me hard enough that I almost blacked out. But I managed to hang on, and witness the horror."

My palms were getting sweaty from the stress of the story, although I knew that Sora and Ven were both fine.

Sora continued in a whisper. "Even though I managed to stay conscious, my mind wasn't focused, so I don't remember much of it. But what I do remember, I could do well without. Arkhaine was about to deliver the death blow to our father when Ven tried to stop him. It sounds stupid, I know, but what else would you have expected in that situation?"

I horrified me to think of a seven-year-old Ven taking on a legendary coalition member. I sensed that the reason behind Ven's trauma was drawing nearer, and I grew more apprehensive with every syllable that escaped Sora's lips.

"Ven dashed up to Arkhaine and grabbed his leg, and screamed at him to leave our father alone. Arkhaine started getting irritated with him and started punching him demanding that he release his leg, but Ven ignored him. My father was horror-struck by what his former friend was doing to his son, so he begged him to let Ven go. Beat him, kill him; he didn't care – he just wanted both of us to be safe. That's what ultimately led to his death. Our father gave himself up so that Ven wouldn't die…so that neither of us would die. That's why Ven deluded himself into thinking that he was the reason that he' dead. He says that if he'd stayed quiet, our father would probably still be with us.

"The minute Arkhaine released Ven, he stabbed our father through the chest and nearly cut his heart in two. His blood showered everywhere – the ground, the walls…and us. Arkhaine must have known that my father was nearing his end, because he withdrew his weapon and left without a word. I remember how Ven screamed. It was the most horrible thing I'd ever heard. Ven was hysterical; he screamed at our father, 'You can't die. You can't die on us.' I wasn't even fully conscious of what was happening. I felt the warmth and wetness of the blood, but I couldn't comprehend what it was or where it came from until it was too late. When we looked at him, a pool of blood surrounding his frame, we both knew he wasn't going to make it.

"I could only stare at him while he was dying on the ground in front of me. I still couldn't comprehend what was unfolding before my own eyes, even after he was long dead. But I do remember his last words…he said, 'I am proud to call you my sons…take care of each other.' But Ven…the minute our father drew his last breath, Ven shook him in a vain attempt to wake him up, even though he knew he was no longer alive. He knew it. He just didn't want to believe that it was true. When he finally accepted the truth, and saw the crimson on his hands, his mind couldn't take any more."

Here he paused, and I was abruptly pulled out of my deliberations. His expression was guarded, as if he was on the brink of revealing hidden information.

I waited for him to go on, but after a full minute of heavy silence I broke it. "So…what happened after that? What about Roxas?"

"He was still home…though by the time we came back he was on the verge of leaving again. He saw us covered in blood and without our father, he demanded an explanation. When I told him what had occurred, he wouldn't believe me. He kept on denying it, and when he finally decided to accept what had happened, he caught up Ven by the collar and screamed in his face, 'It's your fault he's gone! It's all your fault!' I had to pull them apart for him to stop pummeling Ven. He kept on blaming Ven for our father dying, and it scarred Ven more than he knew until he was older. You have no idea how guilty Roxas felt when he first realized the truth. I'm sure you already noticed, but Roxas is a worrier. That is the result of what happened."

Sora's voice caught, and I was jerked back into the world of the present. I faced him, and beheld his face twisted in torment. I had been so involved in what he had been saying that I had forgotten about everything else. Seeing the way his eyes tightened as he fought off the fell influences of these memories – he looked weak…vulnerable.

He hastily wiped away the tears that had formed in his eyes. "Sorry about that," he muttered, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"No…I should be the one saying I'm sorry," I admitted, my fists tight on my thighs. "I shouldn't have made you recount everything for a mere curiosity of mine. I feel guilty now making you retell all that."

But his response wasn't at all critical. He was full of understanding. I hated it. "You would have heard it sooner or later, living with us. And I don't blame you for being curious, Xaros. Anyone would've had the same notion."

I protested, "But still…"

"It's okay." He put a hand on my shoulder and smiled warmly. "You deserved to know, after everything you did to help Ven. At least you can…understand him a little better now."

Despite my irritation, I felt a ghost of a smile tug on my lips. "Yeah…"

I could now render judgment on Ven…it was all clear to me now.

He was just a victim to his own mistakes, like anyone else in the world. Consequences exist to push you in the right direction, although it might not always be the way you plan it to be – or want it to be. Sometimes, the results can be horrifying and life-scarring, as in Ven's case. I knew that he hadn't meant to get his father killed, and he hadn't chosen to develop hemophobia. It was just life's cruel way of telling him that he did something wrong and that he should never commit another heinous act such as that. I knew that Ven had learned his lesson, and I didn't – couldn't – decide for him who he was. He had only tried to help his father, what was wrong with that?

But there was a nagging feeling in my gut. Something didn't seem right; something seemed to be missing. I knew I wasn't imagining it, but I didn't reveal my deliberations to Sora. As if he needed anything else to rip open his heart over.

All I knew was this – Arkhaine killed Sora's father to realize his dreams…but where was he now?

It was the next morning and Ven was feeling well enough to walk around. The three of us were in the living room playing Go Fish because there wasn't anything better for us to do. Even working out in the backyard did little to ward off our boredom. Call us boring, but seriously, nothing has been going on. Emphasis on nothing.

And don't even think for a second that I'm not as bored as you probably are.

"You're not serious. You have got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed in exasperated disbelief.

"No, I'm not. Hand them over, they're mine now," said Ven smugly, stretching out his hand.

I slapped down my cards in frustration. "I give up. Man, I swear these cards are rigged."

"They're perfectly normal cards! And besides, this is the only set in the house."

"Yeah, right. How is it possible then that you've won every freakin' round?"

"It's not my fault you suck. You just have bad luck."

"Say that again."

"Guys, seriously; stop acting like kids!" Roxas intervened vehemently. "It's only a game!"

"Ah, screw this." I stood up and collapsed on a nearby couch. "I'm not in the mood anymore."

Ven and Roxas put down their cards and shuffled them into a neat stack. Then they flopped down on either side of me.

"Honestly, is there anything left to do?" I muttered, irked. "We've been playing this for the past four hours. My brain is so numb I can't believe I'm still talking."

Roxas cocked his head toward the couch frame and sighed. "Well, I don't know. We can't do a whole lot until Sora gets his strength back."

"It's been nearly two weeks," I reiterated for the fifth time that day. "How serious are his injuries if he's still stuck in his room?"

Ven rested his chin on his hands. "Well, it's not exactly his fault that he's stuck in bed. He still needs to get used to walking again. It's just going to take a little time, that's all. Don't sweat it so much; you'll end up as big a worrywart as Rox if you don't watch yourself."

A tic was going in Roxas's cheek. "I told you…to stop calling me that!"

Apparently Roxas didn't like having a pet name. This guy needed to loosen up a bit. I was about to say so when someone rapped on the front door and made the three of us jump. Roxas had been in the process of head-locking Ven when they were interrupted.

"Huh…I wonder who that could be…" Eager to escape the monotony of the morning (and Roxas's deadlock), Ven hastily extricated himself from Roxas's stranglehold and went to get the door.

"Hey!" We heard him exclaim in surprise. "What brings you here?"

Roxas and I joined Ven at the front door to see what he had been startled by. When we did, I felt my jaw drop in astonishment. Roxas was likewise as stunned.

"Riku?" I gasped.

"Hey again, you guys," Riku greeted us amiably. "Just thought I'd drop by and see how Sora's doing. Where is he?"

"Um, he's in his room. Is he expecting you?" I added, curious. "Did he call you or something?"

Riku smiled as if he were enjoying a private joke, and his lips twitched. "Maybe."

"Well, don't just stand out there. Sora isn't really in any condition to come out and meet you so you'll have to go see him in his room," Roxas said hurriedly.

Riku looked slightly taken aback. "Uh, sure." He stepped in and shut the door behind him with a click.

"So," he said with a questioning look. "Care to fill me in?"

"I think it's best that Sora does the filling in," Ven cut in. "We weren't really sure what was going on at the time. You should go ask him."

Riku raised an eyebrow in confusion at our evasiveness. "What's up with you and these secrets?" he asked.

"Don't ask," I groaned. "We're just as lost as you are."

Riku looked from my face to the twins, then he said, "Well, if you say so. I'll just go talk to him, then. I'll see you in a bit." With a half-hearted wave he headed into the dim hallway, leaving us staring after him.

There was a sudden scuffle and a crash coming from Sora's room.

"Dude, get out. Get the hell out!" We made out Sora's impassioned shout.

"What the heck is wrong with you? I only mentioned it once –" We heard Riku attempt to retaliate.

"I've told you a million times before to not mention him in front of me! You crossed the damn line. Get out of my house!"

"Just listen for a second –"

"No, you listen to me. I have explained to you before very clearly that I did not want to talk about him! He's a disgrace to our family, and I'm not going to waste my breath talking about that bastard! Just get the hell out of here!"

Then suddenly there was another crash coupled with a deafening BOOM! that nearly shook the whole house. This is what told us that letting the situation dissolve on its own was a pretty stupid idea. The three of us jumped up and hurriedly made for the hallway, and we were met with a shocking sight. Riku was sprawled on the wooden floor, the door hanging on its hinges. There was a red welt on his right cheek.

Ven dashed up to him and helped him to his feet. While he was doing that I stole a glance at Sora. His feet were firmly planted on the ground – whatever Riku had said had given him the strength to stand up again. His torso was half-turned away from the doorway, his fists tightly clenched. His expression was one of pure revulsion. I began to wonder what precisely Riku had inadvertently blurted to make Sora react this way. It probably hadn't been good, judging from this current countenance.

"Riku," Roxas said urgently. "What happened? Why did he –"

Riku rubbed the welt on his cheek and grimaced. "I…think I slipped up a bit."

I didn't know what Riku had meant by that, but the twins understood. Roxas blanched, and Ven took his wrist and led him to the door whispering, "You better take off before he gets even more wound up."

After Riku left, we returned to our places on the couch. We thought it best to not disturb Sora at the moment.

My curiosity got the better of me. "Guys, what did Riku mean when he said he 'slipped'?"

Roxas twisted his hands, staring at the floor. Then he said, "Well, it's not something any of us likes to remember. Where we come from, family is the most important thing in our lives. Not the land. Not your friends. Not even your home. So when a member of our family betrays us, it's the worst possible thing to even happen. Worse than losing them to death."

I dropped my gaze, wondering what kind of society would possibly adhere to such customs. It seemed unheard of. I've heard of honor being placed above all else in some places, respect in others, and intelligence in a select few. But never family. I pondered for a moment, trying to figure out where exactly these three had come from. The only possibility was that they didn't come from this world at all. It must sound stupid, but it was all I could speculate after everything I'd heard since Sora had become wounded. I couldn't understand why Roxas had begun with such a reveal. But I couldn't reveal my deliberations to these two. Sora had told me the history behind Ven's trauma, but Ven didn't know that. It didn't seem like the best idea to tell. Not yet, at least.

Finally, I lifted my head and spoke again, tentatively. I didn't want to be the cause of another outburst. "So…I'm guessing that…a family member turned on you guys? That's why Sora was acting so upset?"

"Yeah, that's right," Ven confirmed. "But it's a little different in Sora's case."

"How?"

Ven straightened himself up and leaned his head back against the back frame of the couch. From that position he stated, "Sora was really close to him…you could say he was more attuned to him than our own parents. They always shared their secrets; they never kept anything from each other. Sora never thought for a second that he would turn his back on our family. Especially with the consequences involved."

"Consequences?" I repeated, confused. "Like what?"

"If you decide to leave your family, the community will look at you as an outcast from that point on. You're labeled as Shunned. It won't matter even if you try to come back and apologize. No one will ever look at you the same way ever again. Not ever."

I was aghast. "That's awful…"

"It's the reason Sora takes it so much harder than the rest of us," Roxas explained. "He felt betrayed by the only person he trusted with no reserve. Two closer people you couldn't find, and then he goes and joins the enemy behind Sora's back. Ever since then, he's hated him with every fiber of his being. People can't even hint at him without Sora going berserk on them. That's how bad it is."

I shuddered at the thought. Sora wasn't someone you wanted to get mad…today was only proof of that.

"And who is it, exactly?" I asked uneasily. "Who betrayed your family?"

Roxas and Ven glanced at each other warily, neither wanting to speak. My chest clenched in desperation. They couldn't stop talking yet. I needed to understand. I needed to understand everything.

"Come on, guys," I pleaded. "Give me the benefit of the doubt. Please tell me. I'll find out sooner or later, won't I? This is the best time to tell, when there's nothing to interrupt us."

They were apparently disconcerted by my reaction to their expressions. Roxas then raised his head to lock eyes with me, his expression grave. "It was…our older half-brother."

I must be going out of my mind. This could only be a lie. I moved in with a bunch of weirdoes. There wasn't any other explanation as to why I was in my room sprawled on my bed refusing to talk to the twins, and there isn't any other.

At the same time though, in the deep recesses of my brain, I knew that I was just in denial. The facts that had been laid out in front of me – and I didn't have any grounds in which to refute anything they had said. I guess it was pretty stupid of me to judge so quickly, but hey, you can't blame me for that. Under the circumstances there wasn't much else for me to believe.

These three…they had a half-brother…from which side? Their father or their mother? I had thought it was crazy when Sora told me the story behind his father's death and Ven's lifetime trauma, but hearing that Sora once had a half-brother he had revered before his betrayal set them against each other was the icing on the cake. I didn't think it could get any crazier than that. My head would explode.

Not only that, but something had been bugging me ever since yesterday: their origins. The way Sora and the twins had recounted these events, it made me think that they were foreign to this place. To this world. I couldn't come up with a different deduction after everything I'd experienced and heard.

A soft rapping on the door made me jump. I looked up in time to see Sora appear through the doorway. His gait was lopsided; apparently he had only found the energy to stand in the fit of rage that overcame him earlier.

I rushed to him to act as a support and led him to my bed. I sat next to him after letting him down carefully as to avoid aggravating his mending injury.

"Sora…what are you doing here?" I asked him, the unease coming from both his still-weak appearance and the reason behind his visit. "You didn't need to push yourself."

"I needed to talk to you," he told me, wincing as he shifted position. "It's important."

"What's so important that you had to come and see me?" I suspected that I knew what he had come for, but I didn't want to admit it.

"The twins are telling me that you ran out on them mid-conversation. I'm just wondering why you did something like that."

My stomach jolted; he had hit the mark. "Did they tell you everything they tole me?" I asked, nervous.

"Just about." He crossed his legs and stared at me in a not-so-much-but-still-somewhat-accusing way. "You three were talking about our half-brother behind my back, weren't you?"

"I'm really sorry," I apologized hastily. "I just couldn't help but wonder –"

"Xaros, really; you need to learn to apologize at the right time," he said, allowing a quiet chuckle. "It's nothing big. And like I said earlier with Ven's hemophobia, you were bound to find out sooner or later, what with you living with us. Better sooner than later, you always seem to think. Not that it's a bad thing. So stop apologizing so much; you're getting almost as jumpy as Roxas and you already know how much that gets on my nerves."

I was about to apologize again for that, but then I clamped my mouth shut before I started sounding like an idiot. Otherwise, I didn't know what to say to something like that.

"Well, anyway, you guys were discussing why I hate the mention of my half-brother so much. They told me that they'd already explained to you our culture, so I can just skip that and get to the point. They also already touched on the fact that he betrayed us by joining our enemy. They don't know it but you know from what I just said that he joined the Forsaken Faction." I nodded. "But you kept that a secret from them…smart move. It's best to get to that later. And…I'm assuming that you didn't tell them about your knowledge of Ven's hemophobia, either?" I nodded again. "Another thing you did right. Ven won't talk to you – or me for that matter – if he found out now that you know, and that I was the one that told you. Keep that under wraps until the right time."

"Well…no offense to you guys or anything…" I tacked it in to avoid conflict, "…but you guys seem really touchy about lots of things. Is this something I'll ever be let in on or…?" I trailed off.

Sora frowned. It was a moment before he finally allowed, "Yeah, I guess we do seem that way, don't we?"

I didn't answer.

"Xaros, can I ask you a question?"

I was started by such an out-of-the-blue request, so I could only stammer, "Um, uh…s-sure. What is it?"

"I'm just curious…" He picked at a fingernail as he spoke. "Do you believe us?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Do we seem crazy to you? Have you been thinking this whole time that everything we've been telling you is an outlandish pack of lies to let your imagination run wild? Do you believe anything we've told you completely? Any of it?" There was an undercurrent to his tone I couldn't comprehend.

I fought off the urge to make a sarcastic remark of, "That's more than one question." This situation didn't warrant for it – and I didn't think the joke would be appreciated, in any case.

"Well…not really," I finally admitted, absent-mindedly pulling at a loose thread on the cuff of my jacket. "I don't completely believe what you guys are telling me. It just doesn't seem plausible – any of it. All this about supernatural police officers and its coup d'état and your world in danger of being conquered – it doesn't sound real. It's like you took everything from a fantasy book and changed the bare facts to make it seem original. I'm pretty sure nothing like that ever existed in this world – this rational world – and it never should. All this is so crazy. I want to believe you guys, really I do. But at the same time I don't. It just sounds way too impossible."

"So that's what you think." There wasn't any accusation in his tone. It was just a statement.

"Yeah…that's why I ran out on Ven and Roxas," I confessed. "I didn't want to believe what they told me. But like I told you, I wanted to, so badly it almost hurt. And…" I hesitated, wondering if I was going too far, then plowed on, "…this might sound crazy, but somehow…I feel like what you're saying is real. Like my heart is saying something completely different from my mind."

He was silent for a moment. Then, "I know how you feel. Feeling like you know, but not really knowing if you know or not. It's annoying. Everyone lives with that at some point, don't they? It's no different with you." He sighed. "Well, let me tell you this – all this we've been telling you, and everything you'd been seeing since last week – you know it's real. You know we're not lying. It's just hard to accept, isn't it? I can see it in your eyes."

He'd found the chink in my armor. He was right. Only now did I realize – after Sora came to clear things up – that I had been suppressing the desire to believe, if only subconsciously, everything that had been told to me. Now that it had a chance to sink in, it felt more real. And I couldn't deny that I was frightened. But I did feel accepting. If it was real, then you can't really do anything to make it imaginary; if it's real, it's there, and no matter what you do you can't make it go away.

"…Yeah," I said finally, breathing deeply. "You're right. I did believe you."

Sora looked at me in what looked like sympathy. I didn't know how to feel about that; my feelings were a little jumbled-up at the moment.

"Xaros," he began, "I think you should be let in on the truth. We're more than you think we are."

Well, I figured as much. But I didn't have the wherewithal or desire say it out loud. That would only get me in trouble.

"Actually, first things first," he amended. "Let's start with the mark on your left hand."

I was startled when he mentioned by birthmark. I'd never shown any of them, because I just assumed that they would be asking me nagging questions about it just like everyone else. So I didn't have the faintest idea as to how he had found out about it…unless he had known beforehand.

Reluctant, but still bewildered, I slowly removed my left glove. The divided flames were livid on my pale skin as the sun's waning rays cast a faint light upon it.

"The caelesti," he said, pointing it out. "The sign of the Liberator."

"Uh…the sign of what now?"

"The Liberator," Sora repeated patiently. "It's a special birthmark that appears on the skin of the person meant to accomplish a great task every ten generations. No matter who it is, their life isn't a leisure one. They solely fight tooth and nail for their purpose in life – to protect those who can't defend themselves from chaos. I'm sure this is coming as a huge shock to you, but that's who you are. Why do you think you were left in the orphanage, where no one wanted you? How do you suppose that you were set apart from everyone else? It's no coincidence, and not just bad luck, either. It's who you were born as. If you're born with this mark, then you're separated from everyone and everything else but your duty as a Liberator. It is intended to make you focus only on the task at hand for you."

I couldn't help but notice that Sora sounded a little…uncertain. Like he wasn't really sure about all this himself. Maybe for once I wasn't alone here.

I tried to take in what he'd just told me with little success. Me? A hero of the world? Me, the outcast that no one had wanted, that no one cared about? It just didn't seem possible.

"There's something strange about your caelesti, though," Sora suddenly mused. I girded myself for the worst. "It's shaped differently from what we have in our records of past Liberators. Theirs looked more similar to the Stars of David rather than a flame split in two."

As if I wasn't strange enough already. As if everything else wasn't crazy enough. "So what are you saying? That I'm not a – a Liberator?" The notion still seemed utterly ridiculous. "Because this mark is different from all the others? What am I, a freak among freaks? It sure sounds that way."

"No, that's not it. And you're not a freak. You're just…different from them."

"What a distinction."

"Look, I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. How many people do you know that have birthmarks like this?"

He had a point.

"Okay, so let's go along with the fact that I'm this Liberator. What does that have to do with me over my own life?"

"Everything." He shrugged helplessly. "I'm really sorry to tell you, but a normal life is out of the question for you. It's just not possible."

Well, great. I'm sitting here, discovering that the truth of the matter is that I'm a special hero that comes every thousand years or so and I find out that I can't lead a normal life no matter how hard I try to, and me being in the orphanage with no friends had been just the beginning of my needlessly, ridiculously difficult life without me even knowing about it in the last ten minutes. Wow. Could it get any worse? Everything in me wanted to think that this was a blatant lie, but by now I knew better than to think like that. I didn't want to be another victim of the wrath of someone like Sora.

"Oh, and one more thing," Sora continued, and I groaned inwardly. How much more was there? "I'm sure all this is difficult for you to understand, so let me tell you one thing. Actually two things."

I waited.

"All right, the first thing is, I know this is all confusing for you, and tomorrow it will be much easier to understand when truth is staring you in the face. The second thing is, you're not alone in this, Xaros. Something happened that is unprecedented in our history. Two Liberators were born in this generation, even though there's usually just one. You're one of them. The other has the normal caelesti, the typical star of David."

I was deeply rattled. I mean, I discover that I'm one of those tragic heroes who sacrifice everything for people that don't even know I exist, and now there's another one when there isn't supposed to be…well, at least I wouldn't have to handle the burden on my own. Someone else had to share the pain along with me. And I had no idea what Sora was saying about the "truth staring me in the face" but I guessed that I'd find out tomorrow.

"So…who is it?" I asked when Sora wasn't forthcoming.

He gave me a sideways glance, regarded me for a minute, then an amused smile played on his lips. Then he replied dismissively, "Try to guess."

"That's not fair. I don't know a whole lot of people."

"Then, I'll give you a hint. You're looking at him."

I immediately regretted thinking the whole "sharing-the-burden" thing when I realized what he meant.

"You-you're not –"

Probably expecting my disbelief, he then proceeded to remove his right glove. When I laid eyes on it, I couldn't deny what I had presumed. There was a Star of David on the back of his hand, the now-orange shafts of light throwing the mark into relief, appearing as sharp and clear as if it had been tattooed,

Sora was the second Liberator.

Like I said in the beginning, this chapter isn't one of my favorites. I didn't realize how much I was leaving out. Hopefully this chapter didn't seem crammed from all the ridiculous backstories that I had to come up with on the fly -.-

If you are reading this right now, then I commend you for having the great power of focus. Sometimes even I can't even read through this all the way.

Thanks again. Hopefully next chapter will be much better! There will be actual plot advancement (I think)! Oh, the joy!