Chapter 6: Dwarf Woodlands
A/N: And we're back with another awesome chapter to this awesome story. Everyone seemed to like the last world Lumen was on. I hope you enjoy this world!
Classes have really been killing me lately. I have to do so many projects for my computer classes that I nearly don't have time to write my stories. So if it's taking me a while to update, please bear with me. This is my last semester before I graduate.
But on the upside, I've learned how to animate things through Photoshop, you I have a few animations up on my Deviantart page. Feel free to look at them.
And just a quick note, they finally showed Riku's new outfit for Kingdom Hearts 3D! I can't wait until it comes out. I'll even buy a 3DS for it!
Now with that out of the way, let's get back to the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.
Enjoy!
/
Lumen steadily traveled between the lanes. After she helped Cinderella get back to her home without the prince seeing her, she quickly left so she could head to the next world. If the Unversed were this bad in one world, she couldn't even imagine what they were like on the others. She was lucky to have managed defeating them, but she had Terra's help.
She sighed as she thought about her boyfriend.
She was beyond happy to have seen him, but she was also a little upset. While he acted like his usual self by smiling and treating her like the greatest treasure in the world, she noticed that there was something different about him.
She couldn't describe it, but she sensed something off about him. Something…dark. She didn't know if it was the effects of traveling between lanes. Her father always did say that the darkness was strongest out here then it was on worlds. Could it be that Terra's armor wasn't strong enough to deflect the darkness?
Or was it that his heart wasn't strong enough?
Images of the Mark of Mastery exam flashed through her head. She knew that she saw darkness coming off of Terra's body, but she wasn't so sure about it.
She hoped that she was just overreacting and that Terra wasn't being consumed by the darkness. He was the only person who made her life worth living. If anything happened to him, she didn't know what she would do.
She shook those thoughts aside. She shouldn't be thinking these negative things. Not when she was on a mission to defeat the Unversed.
"I'm sure Terra's absolutely fine" she thought.
"He's strong. He would never let anything sway him away from what he believes in"
At least, that's what she hoped.
She couldn't be so sure because people tend to change when they travel.
She just hoped that she wouldn't change from all of this.
/
Mountains were all over the place when Lumen arrived to her next world. While Castle of Dreams was coated with the night, this world was bathed with sunlight.
Lumen carefully walked along a step ledge. One wrong step and she would tumble a long way down.
"These worlds just get stranger and stranger" she said to herself.
Watching where she stepped, she checked her surroundings. She couldn't see any life forms here, or anyone for that matter.
"Then again, who would be up here in the mountains?" she asked herself.
She laughed a little at her silly analogy and continued to walk further down the mountain so she could be on stable ground.
She carefully slid down a slope as she went further down. She didn't like being up in high places, so she wanted to get down really quick.
"This world is full of surprises" she said.
"I wonder what I'll run into next."
"Lumen?"
The keyblade wielder gasped when she heard a familiar voice. One that she didn't expect to hear on her travels.
Slowly turning around, she saw none other than…
"Ven?" she asked.
Sure enough, Ven was standing on the other side of the ledge that she was standing on, smiling away.
"Hey Lumen!" he said.
He quickly ran over to her.
Lumen was at a loss for words. She never expected to see Ven out here, traveling to different worlds. She never expected him to leave their world period! She knew for a fact that her father only told Terra, Aqua and herself to go out and take care of the Unversed. She never recalled Ven being part of it as well. He was the youngest in the group, so that meant that he had to stay back…right?
Ven was all grins as he looked up at his sister figure.
"I didn't know you were here" he said.
Lumen cracked a nervous grin.
"I could say the same thing about you" she said.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home?"
The smile on Ven's face faded away.
Looking at the ground, he rubbed the back of his neck while he kicked at a pebble.
"Well, about that…" he said.
Lumen gave him a look as she crossed her arms. Something was fishy about all of this and she was going to get to the bottom of it.
"Ven" she said.
"Did my father give you permission to travel?"
Ven cringed when he realized that he was being interrogated. He knew that he couldn't lie to Lumen because she wouldn't always find out about the truth later on.
Lumen tapped her foot.
"Well?" she asked.
Ven gulped and laughed nervously at her.
"Well, uh…not…really" he mumbled.
Lumen fumed at this point.
"Ventus!" she yelled.
Ven flinched when she said his full name. It was like a parent saying a child's middle name. That meant he was in real trouble.
Lumen exploded on him.
"What do you mean 'not really'?Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? If my father didn't give you permission to travel to different worlds, then that meant you can't go! It's dangerous out here! What if you got hurt and neither Terra, Aqua or I knew where you were? Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Just what caused you to do something so reckless and dangerous?"
Ven looked up at her sharply.
"I came to look for Terra!" he cried.
Lumen was taken aback by that.
"Looking for Terra?" she repeated.
Ven nodded.
Now Lumen was really confused. Why would Ven risk his life just to find Terra? Did something happen before they left? Did they get in a fight?
"Why would you look for Terra?" she asked.
Ven looked away for a moment, before looking back at her.
"Can you keep a secret?" he asked.
Lumen raised an eyebrow but nodded.
Ven sighed before he launched his story.
"Back at home…I ran into this boy wearing a mask" he said.
"He told me that the Terra I know will never be the same. That he'll be gone"
Lumen couldn't understand why someone would say that. What did they mean that the Terra they knew would be gone? Was he going to disappear or something?
Ven looked at the ground sadly.
"I didn't believe what he said. Terra's my best friend, I know all about him" he said.
"But…then I thought back about the exams and how he acted different when Aqua passed. It made me wonder if Terra really was different then who I know. I wanted to talk to him before he left, but I was too late. I didn't know how long he would be gone, so I followed after him. I didn't want to wait. What if he changed from his travels? What if he…what if he wasn't the Terra that I know?"
Lumen's heart broke for Ven. She didn't realize that he was affected by Terra failing the exams like she was. He was always so happy and cheerful, it was always hard to see him upset.
She knelt in front of him so she could be eye level with him.
"Ven" she said.
"You don't have to worry about those things" she said.
"You've said it before. You know Terra better than anyone. This masked boy was probably messing with your head and wanted to freak you out. You have nothing to worry about. Terra will always be Terra"
Ven looked at her.
"Do you believe what that masked boy said?" he asked.
Lumen quietly thought about it. Now that he mentioned it, she thought back about to how Terra was acting at Castle of Dreams. He was still his usual self, but something was off about him. It was like he wasn't his usual self.
Was this masked boy right? Was Terra changing?
"Nah" she thought.
"He's still the Terra that I know and love. And besides, I don't even know who this masked boy is. I'm just overthinking things….like usual"
She gave Ven a small smile.
"Not at all" she said.
"I know Terra better than anyone else. I'm his girlfriend after all"
Ven laughed a little.
"That is true"
Lumen smiled as she stood up. Her smile faded as she came to the heart of the matter.
"But that doesn't change the fact that you snuck out" she said.
Ven hung his head. He thought he was off the hook.
Lumen pointed a finger at him.
"You head back home right now, mister" she said.
"It's dangerous out here. There are these monsters called Unversed and I don't want you caught up in any of this. Just be a good boy and go home. And I'll even make sure my father doesn't punish you"
Ven looked off to the side.
"But I…"
He stopped talking when he noticed people walking up the mountain.
"Huh?"
He went closer to the ledge to get a better look. As the figures drew closer, Ven noticed seven little men carrying tools with them. All of them wore funny clothes and had a slight jump in their step. They all had grey beards, save for the last one who looked a lot younger and had a bigger jump in his step.
"Wow" Ven breathed.
He looked back at Lumen.
"Lumen, you have to see this"
Lumen sighed at Ven's childish behavior. She carefully went over to where he was and spotted the little men.
"Well what do you know" she said.
"There really are people up here"
Ven suddenly came up with an idea that would prevent him from going home so soon.
"Hey! Maybe they know where Terra is?" he suggested.
Lumen quickly looked at him.
"Huh?"
Ven smiled.
"I'm going to ask them!"
He quickly ran past her and headed down the cliff. Lumen panicked and quickly followed after him.
"Wait Ven! Don't run so fast! You'll slip!"
Ven just ignored her as he ran. He always found it funny when Lumen would freak out over the little things when it came to him. She was like a mother hen almost.
As he ran into the cave, Lumen growled.
"Ventus!" she growled as she entered the cave.
"When I get my hands on you, you are going to be in big trouble!"
Ven just laughed as he ran further into the cave.
/
The inside of the cave was glittering with thousands of jewels. It was hard to believe that something so valuable could be found in a deserted area like this.
The little men picked away at the jewels that were stuck in the earth. They were more valuable loose than they were stuck.
They were so busy with their work that they didn't even notice Ven entering the cave. The young keyblade wielder was awed by the sight of so many colorful gems. Even though he was in trouble for running away from home, he was glad that he did. How else would he have seen this sight?
Lumen quickly entered the cave and breathed heavily. Since Ven was fast on his feet as well with his attacks, that meant he was a fast runner.
She glared at the young boy when she spotted him standing in the middle of the cave. Didn't he realize how much trouble he was in?
Stomping over to him, she grabbed him the back of his shirt and drilled him out.
"You!" she snapped.
"Do you know how much trouble you're in?"
Ven cringed and tried to get himself out of this mess.
"But I just want to know where Terra is" he insisted.
"Don't you?"
Lumen's glare softened.
"Yes, I do. But I what I don't want is you running off into unknown danger" she said.
As they were talking, one of the little men noticed them and looked at him. He appeared to be the oldest since he wore glasses.
"Huh? Who are you?" he asked them.
The two keyblade wielders jumped when they realized they were spotted and quickly composed themselves.
Ven smiled when he managed to have Lumen let him go.
"I'm Ventus. Call me Ven" he said.
"And this is my friend, Lumen"
Lumen smiled weakly, dreading being pulled into this mess.
"Hi" she said weakly.
The little man with the glasses mulled this over, but the one next to him jumped to the wrong conclusion.
"Diamond thieves!" he cried in a grouchy voice.
"Take cover, ya fools!"
Lumen frowned. That wasn't nice. Why would they jump to that conclusion? Did they look like thieves?
The little men quickly ran all over the place, trying to get away from the supposed thieves. Some hid further into the cave while others hid behind rocks. The youngest one tripped over his long shirt and smashed his face into one of the cave walls.
"Oh dear" Lumen said.
She quickly went over to the poor thing and used a simple cure spell. The young man blinked as he sat up.
Lumen quickly checked him over.
"Are you ok?" she asked.
The little nodded as he had a dopey grin on his face.
Lumen chuckled a little.
"Just stay put so you don't hurt yourself, ok?"
The little man nodded again as he had that huge grin on his face.
Ven looked around at the hiding men.
"We're sorry" he said.
"We didn't mean to frighten you"
One of the men poked his head from behind the rock.
"You didn't?" he asked in a slightly cheerful voice.
Another one yawned slightly.
"You mean, you're not here to steal our diamonds?" he asked in a sleepy voice.
Lumen nodded as she stood near Ven.
"That's not nice, treating us like we're the bad guys" she said.
"We're just trying to find a friend" Ven insisted.
"His name is Terra. He's dressed kinda like us, and about yay tall-"
"Sounds like a tall tale to me!" the grumpy man said.
"Go on, git!"
"We don't know any Terra" A man said with a nasally voice.
Ven hung his head in defeat. They just wouldn't listen.
Lumen looked at him sadly. It always made her sad whenever Ven was down. He was always happy, so he shouldn't be sad.
She looked at the seven men with a pleading look in her eyes.
"Please" she pleaded.
"Could you come over here? We just want to talk"
"Don't fall for it!" the grumpy man said.
"Stay where ya are!"
Lumen sighed in annoyance before looking at Ven. If talking to them would get them nowhere, then they would have to use force.
"Alright then, have it your way" she said.
"If you won't come to us, we'll just come to you"
The little men panicked and ran further into the cave.
"Get back here!" Ven cried.
They ran after the little men, knowing that they weren't going to let them get off easy. Lumen noticed that the dopey looking man was still standing where she told him to stay.
"Stay there and stay out of trouble" she said.
The dopey man smiled as he nodded, showing that he would listen.
"Good boy" Lumen said.
She quickly ran further into the cave.
/
The cave was a lot bigger the deeper it went. It was so wide and cluttered with rocks that Lumen wondered how she would find the little men.
"Don't hide from us" Ven insisted.
"We just want to talk"
Lumen sighed.
"They won't listen, Ven" she said.
"We need them to listen through force"
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement. One of the crates moved a tiny bit as if there was something underneath it.
Raising an eyebrow, she went over to the crate.
"Now what do we have here?" she muttered to herself.
She figured it was one of the little men hiding, so she tried to be as quiet as she could.
Grabbing the sides of the crate, she quickly lifted it up.
"Got ya!"
Oh, she got something alright, but it wasn't one of the little men. Instead, it was an Unversed.
The Unversed quickly darted away. It sensed live prey and it wanted to eat off of it.
Lumen panicked and quickly summoned her keyblade.
"Ven! Find the little men while I take care of the Unversed!" she cried.
Ven nodded and started searching while Lumen fought off the Unversed.
"They're just all over the place" she growled.
She cast a mine spell around the areas so whenever they stepped on it, they would explode. One of the crates started running and accidentally stepped on one of the mines. The box exploded and revealed the grumpy little man.
"What'd you do that for?" he growled.
Lumen gave him a dull glare.
"I never meant for that to happen" she said.
"But when you think about it, you deserved it"
The grumpy little man just grumbled and ran off.
Lumen sighed and looked back at the Unversed she was facing.
"1 down, 5 more to go" she said.
She ran through the cave, making sure the Unversed weren't trying to hurt Ven or the little men. She figured that Ven wouldn't know what the Unversed looked or fought like, so she had to take care of this.
"Get back!"
She flung her keyblade at a bunch of them and used a few minor spells. She was a defensive person, not an offensive.
When she made sure the Unversed were gone, she joined Ven with finding the rest of the little men.
Most of them were hiding under crates while two of them were hiding in wheel barrels. Lumen thought that was clever since the barrels moved all over the place and prevented them from getting caught. The only downside to it was that the wheels were made of wood and a simple fire spell could take care of that.
She picked up the sleepy looking man out of the wheel barrel and brought him over to the others.
"Ride's over" she said.
When they got all the little men together again, they were quick to interrogate them.
"Come on" Ven said.
"We're telling you, we're no thieves"
"Ha! That's what they all say!" the grumpy one shouted.
Lumen sighed.
"If we were thieves, we would have stolen your diamonds instead of catching you" she pointed out.
The grumpy one stomped his foot.
"It doesn't matter! We're on to ya!" he snapped.
Ven sighed in defeat.
"Fine, we get it" he said.
"You want us to leave, we'll leave"
They started walking away. If they weren't going to tell them where Terra was, then what was the point of staying?
"I have other pressing matters to deal with anyway" Lumen thought.
"Like getting rid of the Unversed and bringing Ven home"
She looked out of the corner of her eye to see the defeated look on Ven's face. He really wanted to find Terra and he just kept getting nowhere.
Sighing, she knew that she was going to regret what she would do next. She cursed herself for being a softy when it came to Ven. He was like the little brother that she never had, after all.
Turning around, she faced the little men.
"Um…can you tell us where we might find some other people around here?" she asked.
Ven looked up surprised.
Was Lumen really going to help him find Terra? This was too good to be true.
The man with the glasses stroked his beard.
"There's a castle beyond the chorus- I mean forest" he said.
Lumen gave him a small smile.
"Thanks" she said.
She looked at Ven.
"Let's head to the castle then"
Ven smiled and nodded.
They silently left the cave and let the little men resume their work.
Ven nearly tackled Lumen when they left the cave. He pulled her into a bone crushing hug and buried his face into her side.
"Thanks so much, Lumen!" he cheered.
"I was starting to think that you were just going send me home"
Lumen gently pulled Ven away.
"Hold it right there, Ventus" she said.
She placed her hands on her hips and went into her authoritative mode.
"I'll help you look for Terra while I'm on this world" she said.
"But I didn't say you were off the hook. If we don't find Terra on this world, you go straight home. I don't want you traveling between worlds when you're not even a full fledge keyblade master"
"But you're not one either" Ven pointed out.
"You're missing the point!" Lumen snapped.
"My father didn't have you go on this mission for a number of reasons. I'm only going to let you get away with this once since I'm here. But since I'm still on my mission, I can't keep an eye on you. I need you do go home where I know you'll be safe"
Ven glared at her.
"I'm not a baby, I can take care of myself" he said.
"I never said you couldn't" Lumen said.
"I just worry about you. You're like the little brother that I've never had. I just don't know what I would do if I lost you"
She bent down so she could grab his shoulder's.
"Can you please just do this?" she asked.
"For me?"
She gave him a puppy dog look that usually worked whenever she pulled it on Terra or her father.
Ven groaned when he felt himself cave in.
"Oh, alright" he said.
"I'll go back after this"
Lumen smiled.
"Good"
She stood up straight and nudged her head towards the forest.
"Then let's get moving. We won't find Terra just standing around"
Ven nodded.
"Got it"
They walked down the mountains and headed towards the forest, hoping that they would find some clues.
/
"I don't know why they thought we were thieves" Ven said as they walked through the forest.
Lumen shrugged.
"They were just protecting the things they cherish most" she said.
"I'm sure if you were in their position, you would act the same way"
Ven stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah…but that doesn't change the fact that they were rude" he said.
Lumen nodded.
"That's just how people are" she said.
They stopped when they spotted a tiny little cottage in the clearing of the forest.
"This must be where those little men live" Ven said.
Lumen looked at the house.
"It is a pretty little house"
She trailed her finger across the windowsill to find a trail of dirt stuck to her finger.
"But it needs a woman's touch" she finished.
Ven laughed at her.
"AHHHHH!"
The two of them jumped when they heard screaming coming deeper within the forest.
"Someone must be in trouble" Lumen said.
They quickly ran deeper into the forest so they could save the poor unfortunate soul.
The forest was much darker with the trees all cluttered together. Not even a small speck of light could shine through the thick branches.
"I can see why someone would scream from here" Ven said.
It was hard to see in front of them since it was so dark, but they managed. Lumen had her keyblade at the ready in case any Unversed showed up. This was the perfect place to get ambushed.
As they made it near the center of the forest, they found a young woman on the ground, crying her eyes out. The poor thing was so miserable that she didn't even notice Ven and Lumen approaching her until they spoke.
"What's wrong?" Ven asked.
The woman sniffled as she looked up at them.
"These horrible trees-they tried to grab me" she choked out.
Lumen pitied for the woman. She could understand why she would be so afraid. This forest was so dark and creepy that it even made her shiver.
She knelt in front of the woman and held her hand out.
"It's ok" she said.
"You were probably just seeing things. It happens to all of us when we're afraid"
The woman slowly took her hand and allowed her to help her stand. She dusted off her yellow dress as she looked at them.
"Oh, thank you" she said.
"I feel quite better now. I'm sure I'll get along, somehow"
She looked at the ground.
"But…I do need a place to sleep at night" she admitted.
"Would you both know where I might go?"
Ven smiled as he nodded.
"Well, we saw a house just up ahead" he said.
"Come on, we'll take you there"
The woman smiled brightly.
"Thank you" she said.
Ven nodded.
"Oh, I'm Ventus" he said.
"Ven for short"
"And I'm Lumen" Lumen added.
The woman smiled again.
"My name is Snow White" she said.
"Great! Let's get going!" Ven said.
Lumen scanned the forest and spotted a few Unversed lurking around.
She scowled as she gripped her keyblade.
"Ven, protect Snow White while I take care of the Unversed" she said.
Ven nodded as he summoned his keyblade.
"Got it"
Lumen quickly dashed forward and cleared a path for them to follow. She cast a few fire spells to burn them as well as creating a light to see in this dark forest. Ven and Snow White slowly followed her when the coast was clear. Lumen kept attacking the Unversed while Ven protected Snow White.
When they made it near the edge of the forest, they quickly ran to the clearing and headed for the house.
Ven opened the door quickly and they all rushed inside before the Unversed decided to follow.
"We should be safe here" he said.
Snow White looked around the room while Lumen kept an eye on the window. She didn't see any Unversed, but she wasn't going to let her guard down.
"I'm pretty sure you'll be safe here" Ven said.
"But sit tight until I look around"
He looked at Lumen.
"Can you stay here in case anything happens?"
Lumen nodded.
"Just be careful" she said.
Ven nodded.
"I will" he said.
He quickly left the house and left the two women alone.
Snow White looked around the house some more.
"This is a cute little home" she said.
She looked at her shoes to see dust kick up as she walked.
"But it's a little dirty" she admitted.
Lumen nodded as she looked around the room.
Dust coated every surface in the area and there was a huge mountain of dishes. This was no place for a young woman to stay in.
"Why don't we clean up the place a tiny bit? She suggested.
"I'll help"
Snow White smiled.
"Oh, you're so kind" she said.
She picked up a broom that was leaning against the wall.
"I'll sweep up the room if you'll do the dishes" she said.
Lumen nodded and headed towards the sink. She filled the tub with soapy warm water and began cleaning the dishes. They were caked with harden food that she had to put her back into it to make them spotless.
She looked at Snow White while she was sweeping and couldn't help but notice a warm, vibrant light coming from here.
It was just like when she saw Cinderella. Her heart was so pure that she couldn't sense any darkness from it.
Sighing, she went back to her attempt of cleaning the dishes. It was so long since she did household chores like this.
The last time that she did these things was back when she and her father were starting to adapt to a life without her mother.
She could still remember clearly how her father tried, yet failed to do regular chores.
/
Flashback.
"Daddy? Can you put my hair into pigtails?"
Eraqus looked at his five year old daughter like she grew a second head. He had never fixed her hair up, let alone brush it. Serenity was the one who always did that.
But when he saw the hopeful, yet pleading look in his daughter's eyes, he knew that he couldn't refuse her.
Sighing, he took the brush and hair tie from her and attempted to put her hair up into pigtails.
Lumen winched every now and then when her father brushed her head too hard.
Eraqus struggled as he gathered a bunch of her hair and tried to tie it up then doing it again to the other half of her hair.
When he finished, he frowned. Half of Lumen's hair was up high while the other half was really low. She looked really crazy with her hairdo.
Lumen picked up the mirror and looked at herself.
Eraqus expected her to start complaining, but he was taken aback when he heard her squeal with joy.
"Wow! I look pretty!" she cried.
She smiled up at him.
"Thank you, daddy!"
She wrapped her tiny arms around his waist.
Eraqus looked at his daughter for a moment before hugging her close to him.
He was finding it hard to raise his daughter by himself. But if was able to make her smile like that, then it was worth it.
/
Lumen chuckled quietly. She knew her father was horrible when it came to feminine chores like that. But even so, she cherished the fact that he attempted to do them. He was forced to become a father and a mother to her so suddenly, that he attempted do the things that her mother did.
Even though he failed at them, he still went with it. Because he knew it made her happy.
It let her know that she had a loving father who loved his daughter very much.
"Thank you for trying so hard, father" she thought.
When the dishes were finally clean, she looked at Snow White to see that she finished up as well.
"At least the house looks a lot better than before" she said.
Snow White nodded before she stifled a yawn.
"You must be tired after everything you went through today" Lumen said.
She spotted a set of stairs the lead to the second floor.
"There must be a bed upstairs that you can sleep in" she said.
She went up the steps while Snow White slowly followed.
Lumen opened the door to the second floor and found a room with seven little beds in it. Each bed was large enough to hold seven little people in it.
"This must be where the seven little men sleep" she thought.
She looked at the beds to see names carved into them.
Doc, Bashful, Happy, Sneezey, Sleepy, Dopey and Grumpy.
Snow White looked at the beds and smiled tiredly.
"What cozy little beds" she said.
She went over to the beds and rested on three of them.
Lumen smiled when she saw the poor thing fall fast asleep.
"Hopefully she'll get a good night's rest" she said.
She covered a yawn with the back of her hand.
"Now that I think about it, I'm a little tired too" she said.
She really didn't get any rest since she started traveling. She spotted the vacant beds and couldn't help but find them inviting.
"I'm sure a little nap wouldn't hurt" she thought.
"I just hope Ven gets here quick"
She went over to the beds and slept on Doc, Happy and Dopey's beds.
Her eyes slowly closed as sleep consumed her.
/
Lumen found herself standing on the white pillar again. The riddles glowed brightly, showing their crypt message.
One heart fulfills all hearts.
All hearts lead to the same heart.
Lumen sighed.
"Again with the riddles" she said.
"Why can't I understand them?"
The second set of riddles reappeared under the first.
In order to link everything together, the chains must be broken.
However, to make the chain whole, you must gather all the pieces.
A broken chain makes a whole chain.
"I just don't understand any of this" Lumen said.
She looked up to the sky for answers.
"Please tell me what this means" she called out.
"How does this relate to me?"
The pillar glowed before producing a picture.
Golden chains snaked their way from the edges and wrapped around the silhouette of a figure.
The final part of the riddle glowed underneath the image.
You are the chain that will link everything back together again.
"How can I be the chain that links everything together?" she asked herself.
"And who is that person wrapped in chains?"
She looked up at the sky again.
"That wasn't a good clue!" she shouted.
"Please help me understand!"
The ground crumbled around her once more, plunging her into the deepest darkness.
The same voice appeared into her head as she blacked out.
"Hey…can you hear me?"
/
Lumen groaned when she felt someone poking her.
She was in the middle of getting a well deserved rest and someone had the nerve to interrupt it.
She rolled over and shooed the person away.
"Five more minutes" se groaned.
The poking continued until Lumen finally got tired of it and sat up.
"Would you please let me-"
She stopped when she saw that the person poking her was the dopey little man that she healed before. He had a huge grin on his face when he saw that she was awake.
Lumen blushed when she realized that she almost yelled at this innocent soul.
"O-oh, it's you" she said.
"You must be Dopey, right?"
Dopey smiled and nodded quickly.
Lumen chuckled a little when she realized that she was sleeping on his bed.
"Oh! I'm so sorry" she said.
"I didn't mean to sleep on your bed. I was just really tired from my travels and planned on taking a quick nap"
Dopey shook his head, showing that he didn't mind.
Lumen smiled some more.
She looked over to where Snow White was, only to find her sleeping spot empty.
She looked back at Dopey.
"Did you see a young lady wearing a yellow dress?" she asked.
Dopey nodded and pointed towards downstairs.
Lumen sighed. She hoped that the other little men didn't kick her out of their home. She would just have to explain everything.
Getting up from the bed, she offered her hand to Dopey.
"Why don't we go back to your friends? I'm sure their wondering where you are"
Dopey smiled and took her hand. He practically dragged her downstairs, where the other little men were gathered around Snow White.
They were all glaring at her when she came downstairs.
"It's one of the thieves!" Grumpy shouted.
Lumen gave him a dull glare.
"For the last time, I'm not a thief" she said.
"If I was, I would have stolen your diamonds instead of chasing you"
Snow White looked at them with a pleading look.
"Please don't be mean to her" she said.
"She helped me out and cleaned the house up. She's very nice"
Doc looked at her.
"Is that true?"
Lumen nodded.
"I even cleaned the dishes for you" she said.
"Now you don't have to eat off of them with caked on food"
Sleepy pulled a plate out and looked at it.
"It's true" he yawned.
"I can even see my face"
All the other little men awed at the sight while Grumpy 'humped'.
Ven came in just at that moment from his patrol.
"The coast is clear" he said.
"Not a monster in sight-huh?"
He jumped when he saw the little men in the house.
Grumpy stomped his foot.
"Couldn't stay away, couldja?" He taunted.
"And who invited you in, ya rotten thief?"
"He's no thief" Snow White insisted.
"He rescued me"
Doc looked at her.
"You fussin' be mooled-uh, mustn't be fooled by him, princess" he insisted.
Lumen sweat dropped.
Why was it that they were able to see that she wasn't a thief, but they couldn't with Ven? Was is because she was a girl?
"Just go on and git!" Grumpy snapped.
Snow White looked at them sadly.
"Please don't send him away" she said.
"You see, he and Lumen helped me when I was lost and oh, so very frightened"
"What happened?" Ven asked.
Snow White shuddered slightly.
"Well, I was picking flowers by the wood, and there was a stranger there" she said.
"He had a sword, but it was like a key-and then these monsters came and-"
Lumen paled slightly.
"A sword like a key" she repeated in a shaky voice.
Ven gasped.
"Terra!" he cried.
So that meant he was here on this world as well.
Doc's brows frowned.
"Ya mean this stranger saw ya and sent his horde of evil demons after ya?" he asked.
Lumen gasped in horror.
Terra would never do such a thing. He was always looking out for the weak. Why would he ever think about sending the Unversed after Snow White? Why would he ally with the Unversed in the first place?
Ven seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"Terra would never do that!" he insisted.
"Oh, of course" Snow White said.
"I'm sure he wouldn't. Not when he's someone who's your friend"
"Princess! You trustn't be be so musting-er, trusting" Doc said.
"He's a-lyin'! Mark my words" Grumpy snapped.
Ven glared at them.
"I'll prove it!" he declared.
He stormed out of the house.
Lumen panicked. She was upset about them not believe in Terra, but she didn't want Ven to get hurt.
"Wait Ven!"
She quickly ran after him before he could get himself hurt.
/
Lumen made it to the forest before she caught up with Ven.
"Ven! Wait!" she cried.
Ven stopped when he heard her. He had a cold look on his face, showing that he wasn't in a good mood.
Lumen caught up with him and gave him a harsh look.
"How many times to I have to tell you not to run off?" she said.
Ven shook his head.
"But the things they said about Terra" he said.
"I have to prove to them that their wrong"
Lumen placed her hands on her hips.
"Oh, and running off into unknown danger is proving a point?" she asked.
Ven looked away at that.
"This is why you shouldn't take things so seriously" she said.
"You don't think straight otherwise. They've never seen Terra, so they don't know what they're talking about. They're just assuming things"
"But what if they're right?" Ven insisted.
"What if that masked boy is right?"
Lumen squeezed his shoulders.
"They don't know Terra like we do" she said.
"Terra would never do those horrible things. He's a good person and you know that"
Ven slowly nodded.
"I just want to see him" he said.
Lumen smiled weakly.
"I know you do" she said.
"So let's go find him"
Ven smiled at that.
"Thanks"
They went to head for the meadow that Snow White talked about, but they were blocked by a huge tree Unversed.
The keyblade wielders glared as they summoned their weapons.
"Back off!" Ven cried.
Lumen carefully circled around the Unversed. She could tell that this wasn't one of the minor ones that she always ran into, but rather a boss kind. She needed to keep her guard up.
Ven dodge rolled out of the way when it swung its branches at him.
He landed next to Lumen and quickly thought of a plan.
"Maybe if we trip it, it won't knock us out with those braches"
Lumen nodded.
"We need to find a blind spot first" she said.
"Since it swings its branches around, it can see everything in the area. We need to attack in a spot where it can't see"
Ven smirked.
"I know just the thing"
He quickly darted off and caught the Unversed's attention.
"Hey! Over here!"
The Unversed turned to Ven and tried to attack him. Lumen realized that Ven was giving her the chance to get into the blind spot and quickly went into action. She ran behind the Unversed while it was facing Ven and aimed her keyblade at its stubby legs.
White chains spring forth and wrapped themselves around the stubs, burning them with its light. The Unversed yelped in pain, but it was too late.
Lumen pulled hard and caused the Unversed to topple over. It acted like when a turtle was tipped over on its shell and wiggled back and forth helplessly.
This was the perfect chance.
"Now Ven!"
Both jumped high into the air and slammed their keyblades into the bark of the tree Unversed.
The Unversed gave out a weak cry before it disappeared completely.
Ven smiled tiredly at Lumen when it was over.
"Nice work" he said.
Lumen wiped her forehead as she smiled.
"It was all thank to you distracting that thing" she said.
Ven laughed nervously, but quickly composed himself.
"Let's go find Terra" he said.
Lumen nodded and they quickly ran out of the forest.
/
Flowers bloomed all over the meadow when they ran out of the forest.
Ven searched the area desperately for his friend.
"Terra!" he called out.
He looked everywhere, but couldn't find his friend.
Lumen looked around sadly.
It meant that he wasn't here anymore.
"He must have left" she said.
Ven hung his head in defeat. He was so close to finding his friend and yet so far.
"Terra" he muttered quietly.
Lumen placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
"It'll be ok" she said.
"You'll see"
Ven sighed sadly.
He jumped a little when he felt something bump against his foot and looked down to see a red apple. He picked up and examined it.
"Where did this come from?"
He looked around and saw an old lady carrying a basket of apples.
"This must be hers" he said.
He quickly went u to her before she left without her apple.
"Ven, wait" Lumen called.
Ven approached the old lady and held out the apple.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" he called out.
"You dropped this"
The old lady looked at the apple and had a wicked smile on her face.
"Oh, why thank you, my pet" she said.
Lumen narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the way this lady talked and the way she carried herself. There was so much darkness coming off of her that it made the air grow foul.
The old lady took the apple and placed it back into her basket.
"To tell the truth, I really don't know what I would have done without it" she said.
She noticed their keyblades and narrowed her eyes.
"Haven't I seen that sword before?" she questioned.
Ven looked at his keyblade.
"Terra has one" he said.
"You know Terra?"
The old lady scowled.
Oh, yes, yes…" she said.
"That ruffian pointed one of those at me, asking about some 'Xehanort'-my poor heart nearly stopped!"
Ven and Lumen looked alarmed.
Terra pointed a keyblade at an old woman? That didn't sound right at all. That wasn't him.
"That doesn't sound like him at all…" Lumen said.
Ven pressed the old woman further.
"Ma'am, where did Terra go?" he asked.
"I'm sure I have no idea…" she said.
"Must you all menace a poor granny so?"
Ven shook his head.
"No, I was just…"
The old lady simply walked off, leaving the two keyblade wielders to themselves.
Ven shook slightly.
"Terra, what did you do?" he muttered.
Lumen was upset as well, but she knew that she shouldn't believe those words. She knew Terra would never do something like that. He was a good person.
She placed her hand on Ven's shoulder to calm him down.
"Ven" she said.
Ven quickly shook her off and ran away. He had to know what was going on and standing here wouldn't solve it.
Lumen quickly panicked and ran after him.
"Ven!"
She tried to catch up with him, but he was long gone.
She stopped in her tracks and looked at the ground.
Her mind wandered back to Terra. Could it be possible that he could do something like that? She would admit that she thought he was acting a little strange since they went on this mission, but surely he didn't change so much that he would point a blade to an old woman?
That had to be wrong.
She placed a hand over her heart as she looked up at the sky.
"Terra…" she breathed.
"You would never do any of those things…right?"
Oh, how she wished it were true.
/
A/N: So Lumen is starting to see the dark side of Terra's travels. How will she react when she learns more of the things that he did? Will it break her heart? Or worse?
I know the fighting scene sucked, but at least you got a long chapter.
Please review and tell me what you think!
Ja ne!
