Chapter Sixteen: A Solitude That Asks Nothing In Return

I opened my eyes slowly, making sure to wipe aside any dried blood. A lot was caked on my face, but I got it off in a few moments. I found myself sitting in the Dark Depths of the Radiant Garden. I saw Aegle standing at the edge of the cliff, talking to Ike. I managed to stagger to my feet, still feeling tired and exhausted from the battle with Ike.

"Go to him," I managed to hear Ike mutter. He turned to face the cliff, crossing his arms and looking out over the distance. Aegle ran over to me quite fast. I limped on, still exhausted. I felt a little strength come back when Aegle caught me just before I fell over.

"Jake, you need to rest some more," she said. "You took a serious beating."

"Yeah, I know. But I..." I muttered.

This is all my fault, I thought. I opened the door to Illumina... I exhausted Ike...

"Aegle... please. Leave us," I said.

"Why? You need help, and Ike's not exactly skilled in medical abilities," she said.

"I have to talk with him... face to face," I said. "I have to."

"All right," she said softly. "But he won't show you his face or tell you his name. So don't ask."

"Why...?" I asked, puzzled by this comment.

"Just don't," Aegle finished, walking off. I continued to hobble over toward Ike, mustering all the strength I had just to move forward.

"So, you're awake," Ike muttered.

"Yeah. So... I have some questions," I muttered.

"Like what?" Ike asked.

"I have to know... who are you?" I asked. "You name isn't really Ike..."

"I can't tell you. Not yet, anyway..." he muttered.

"But I..." I began.

"Don't," Ike said with a grave tone in his voice.

"Okay, fine..." I muttered, dejected since he wouldn't tell me his name. "So, could you tell me the truth about Illumina? The whole truth."

"Well, it's a sacred sword," he began, "that can only be used by the pure of heart and soul. If anyone else wields it, their darkness is amplified to such an extent that they lose themselves."

"So, then, what is Charon... since he said he 'didn't have a soul' and was pure of heart?" I asked.

"He is... the last Luce," Ike explained. "You see, Luce are beings of pure heart, but they have no soul. They're kind of the opposite of Heartless... and Charon was a bio-weapon made by the light to destroy Xehanort."

"A bio-weapon?" I asked. "That's crazy."

"But," Ike continued, "Sora beat Xehanort's last shred of being, Xemnas, before he was put to use. So he wandered aimlessly, eventually obtaining five mind slaves and trying to destroy Earth."

"So... what happened to him?" I asked.

"Some hero killed him," Ike muttered.

"Then... why's he still alive?" I asked.

"That, I don't know..." Ike said, shaking his head. "There is one possibility, but it's highly doubtful."

"What's that...?" I asked.

"None of your concern," Ike said coldly. "Anyway, I want you to stay in the castle."

"What?" I asked angrily. "There's no way I'll do that!"

"Why not?" Ike asked.

"I showed everyone the way to Illumina," I muttered. "I have to stop him..."

"No," Ike said, the cold tone remaining in his voice. "If you fight him, he'll use Illumina to corrupt your soul. You won't be... you."

"Since when do you care about my soul?" I asked angrily.

"Just... don't," he said, getting ready to jump off the cliff.

"Where are you going?" I asked indigniantly.

"To fix my mistakes."

"Let me come with you!" I shouted.

"I can't do that," Ike muttered. "I stand alone. So follow whatever path you will. But know this: darkness almost always leads to ruin and despair."

"But... you use Twilight!" I yelled at him.

"My path is my path, and my path alone," he muttered, finally taking the plunge.

Ignore your darkness or fight it head on...

Those words echoed as Ike fell down the cliff...