I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts or Silent Hill. They belong to Disney/Square Enix and Konami respectively.

And here's the beginning of what will be several battles.

Chapter 26

A hound howled in the distance.

Heads bowed against the wind, Terra and Ansem stood in the courtyard of the church. Ash fell around them, settling on the graves and the disintegrating remains of the monsters they had just slain. The world smelt of smoke and fire, and the light from the church's window was striking compared to the stormy skies above. Thunder crashed, and a bolt of lightning made its way from one cloud to another, giving them a purplish colour for an instance. Terra slowly raised his head, his eyes narrowing into slits at the sight of the church, and trudged forwards.

Ansem fell into line behind him, holding his sword like a samurai. Terra took fewer precautions, trusting his instincts to warn him of danger. It was only a surprise attack from behind that he worried about; his rage would give him enough energy to tear down a building, if he had to. He was ready to take on all the monsters this town could throw at him.

Through the rain of ash, the names on the graves were easily visible. They stood out like the moon in the sky, almost calling out for him to see them. He did so, reading them, and each name pounded another nail into his heart. This wasn't just for his friends, but for every person the town had ever harmed; for every bit of light Silent Hill had tainted.

He sneered. He would find this so-called god, and tear it into pieces.

He stopped midway up the church's steps. Ansem followed suit next to him, and they shared a meaningful look.

"Are you ready?" Ansem asked.

Terra took out his Wayfinder and held it tight. "Ready."

He glanced over his shoulder once, back at Xion's small shadow as she watched them ascend. The fog, thick as smoke, shrouded her face, but Terra knew she was looking at them with hope, and sorrow. She didn't expect them to succeed.

Lots of Keybladers do the impossible, he thought. I'll simply be one of them.

The stones of the steps bent under his weight, yielded to him as he traveled the rest of the way. He took one deep breath, tasted the air one last time, and then the muscles in his arms bugled as he flung the great doors open.

The air crackled with tension. He and Ansem stared at six cloaked figures, one of whom stood upon the altar while the other five gathered around. None of them showed their faces, although Terra thought he could recognize the tall, muscular form of Xaldin. Lexaeus, thanks to his unparalleled size, was distinguishable as well, but the rest were a mystery.

"So, the warrior of earth has finally arrived."

He locked stares with the man on the altar. Terra still couldn't see his face, but he knew that voice. It had spoken to him in the jail, right before he'd been thrown into that crooked courtroom. Xemnas, that's whom it was.

"Where are my friends?" he demanded.

The other five people parted before him, so that no one stood between him and Xemnas. Upon seeing this apparent show of respect, Terra's courage swelled.

"Bring them to me right now, and I won't hurt you!" he said.

During his brief speech, Xemnas hadn't moved. But how, the cloaked man's shoulders shook – not with fear, but with laughter. The hollow sound bounced off the walls of the church, crashing into Terra's head and drilling a hole straight to his mind. Ansem stepped back, but Terra held his ground.

"Where are they?" he shouted. "Stop hiding them from me!"

"I do not wish to hide anything from you, Terra." Xemnas sounded amused. "Unfortunately, your friends are a little occupied right now. If you would kindly wait, I can allow you to see them soon."

"No," Terra growled. "I want to see them now."

Calmly, Xemnas replied, "I fear that interrupting them now will bring harm to both sides."

"That's a lie!" Terra marched forwards, a thought away from summoning his keyblade. "You just want –"

His path was suddenly barred by the five other cloaked men, who stood there silently. It only gave him pause for a moment before he hauled out Earthshaker, and the ground trembled as his keyblade smashed into it. His blue eyes held a challenge, dared them to approach. He wouldn't hesitate to tear through them for his friends.

This time, Terra was the one with the crazy laugh. "Are you going to just stand there?" he demanded. "Because I'm coming closer."

True to his word, he walked towards them. Like a lion, he appeared perfectly at ease in his manner, but was ready to spring at a moment's notice. The cloaked people didn't react at first, attempting to call his nonexistent bluff, but when it became apparent that Terra wasn't backing down, they drew weapons of their own. Xaldin, probably still fuming from their earlier fight, drew his lances first. At his cue, a pair of guns appeared, then Lexaeus' giant axe-sword and then a pronged shield.

There was also what seemed to be a book, but Terra didn't really care.

There was the sound of sliding metal, and then Ansem was by his side, ready to aid Terra in his fight against these impossible odds.

The man with the guns snickered. "If I were allowed to kill you," he said, "you'd be nothing more than a bloody heap."

The man tossed his head carelessly, and the hood fell back, revealing his face. It was a scarred one, one eye covered by an eye-patch, and the other a bright amber in hue. A grey streak ran through the man's ponytail, betraying his age, although the wild smile on his face seemed energetic and young.

"Braig!" Ansem exclaimed.

Braig snorted. "I don't go by that name anymore. Around here, the name's Xigbar."

"So, this is where you disappeared to." Ansem shook his head, as if he were merely watching a friend deciding to go outside in a storm without an umbrella.

"Sure is!" Braig, or Xigbar's, teeth were bared in an ugly smile. "And let me tell you one thing: it sure beats the crack job I had before!"

Ansem tightened his grip on his sword. "There is no disgrace in protecting our people. But this," his mouth curled into a snarl, "this is unforgiveable."

Xigbar out of the line, only grinning wider. "So, what are you going to do? Arrest me? Snap your little handcuffs around my wrists?" He pocketed his guns and held his empty hands wide, taunting Ansem to take up his challenge. "As if! I don't know if you've noticed, dudes, but you're outnumbered."

"I'll take you all on!" Terra growled.

"Shh!" Xigbar held a finger up to his lips. To Terra, he said, "The grownups are speaking."

"Do you sincerely think this is the first time I've faced such odds?" Ansem swept his sword up, gripping it in both hands as he held it in front of him. "You of all people should know better, Braig."

"Okay, settle down, dude." Xigbar slowly backed towards the line. Though his guns were sticking out of his pockets, he made no move to grab them. "First, maybe you should see who you're fighting against."

Xigbar whirled around and yanked down the hood of the shortest member. Said person tried, in vain, to keep it up, but instead his fingers tangled in silver hair. Much like Xigbar's face, there was only one eye. However, that was because long, sweeping bangs covered the other one, and not from any tragedy.

As attention focused on the small male, Lexaeus moved in front of him protectively, doing all he could to hide him.

"I-Ienzo?" Ansem choked.

Ienzo stared back at Ansem, unmoving. The expression on his face, one of complete apathy, was unnerving.

But Ansem didn't seem to care, and he stepped closer to the man.

"I've been searching so long for you," he whispered. "Ienzo, my son, is this what has become of you?"

Ienzo closed his eyes. "Go home," he said coldly.

Ansem stopped. "Ienzo?"

"Go home," Ienzo repeated, much louder this time.

"No," Ansem said, and Terra suddenly felt a kinship with the man, "not after I have come so far."

The expression on Ienzo's face was weird; it was frustrated and yet, almost panicked. Then, something seemed to wash over the silver-haired man, and he returned to complete apathy.

"My name," he said, "is Zexion."

A stunned silence rang through the room. Slowly, Ansem turned from his son to Xigbar.

"What did you do to him?" he snarled.

Xigbar smirked.

Ansem lunged, and Terra barely raced forwards in time to haul Ansem back by the collar. It was just in time, for one of Xaldin's lances had been on a collision course with the older man's chest. Xaldin did not seem troubled by this setback, and merely laughed. Terra and Ansem backed away, privately contemplating the best course of action.

"Surrender, Terra," Xemnas said, "and not only will you be reunited with your friends, but your companion may leave alive."

Terra glanced at Ansem, who shook his head. "I'm not leaving until this is finished," Ansem said gruffly.

Terra nodded in respect.

"Not going to happen," he told Xemnas. "Now, hand over my friends, or else."

With a silent roar, the darkness came to him, strengthening his body. His eyes glowed yellow whenever it passed over his face, and with a grim smile, he spread his arms wide and let the darkness gather in his palms.

"So, you have surrendered to darkness," Xemnas said. "Do you see now, Terra – the power of our god? His darkness is unmatched; his will too great to be denied. Take your place with us now. Become one with the darkness!"

Terra heard whispering in his mind from a voice that wasn't his. At once, he could feel something trying to take hold of him, a power paralysing his muscles and seeking a handhold on his mind. It was darkness' doing – he was sure of it – but not his darkness. And that's where this supposed god had made its one big mistake.

From his heart, Terra brought forth the light and the darkness and together, they shielded him.

"You got it wrong, Xemnas." His hand swiped through the air. "The darkness doesn't control me; I control it."

Not even a beat passed between his words and his actions. He lashed out with his darkness, scattering the hooded men as they dove out of the way. Growling, he stared directly at Xemnas, who was untouched by his assault.

He charged. Xaldin acted quickly and barred his path, aiming his lance at Terra's chest. Terra deflected it with Earthshaker, and then continued his spin to block a line of bullets from Xigbar's guns. With an open hand, he flung a ball of darkness at Xigbar, who deftly disappeared behind a row of pews. He wasted no more time with the one-eyed man, and quickly twisted to avoid Xaldin's lance, backing up a step as he bore the man's weight on his keyblade.

Ansem had sprung into action, his eyes filled with fire as he sought out Xigbar. The man with the shield intercepted him, though in the tiny glimpse Terra caught of their struggle, Ansem's opponent seemed very frightened.

A tendril of darkness snaked up and around one of Xaldin's lances, yanking it out of the man's hand and into Terra's waiting one. He brought it up over his head, and his strike would have been true, if it weren't for some of Xigbar's bullets smashing into his shoulder. Taking a page out of Terra's book, Xaldin swung his fist forward and socked him in the nose.

Still duel-wielding his weapons, Terra placed some space between them and shook the pain off. With his bare hands, Xaldin wasn't as strong as he appeared. The stolen lance flared up with darkness as Terra threw it, and it soared through the air and slashed through Lexaeus' arm. The surprise attack was enough to disturb the downwards swing of his axe-sword, and it destroyed the ground next to Ansem's arm instead of the arm.

Zexion hovered nearby, gripping his book, but no one really cared.

Terra slammed his keyblade into the ground, shouting a spell, and the earth rose up in a wave. Rocks, brick and dirt bowled over Xaldin, and crashed against the altar where Xemnas stood, untouched.

Xigbar's bullets cut through his back again, and gritting his teeth, Terra raised his head to his shoulder and summoned his armour. Like a bronze statue, he stood perfectly still against the next onslaught of bullets. There was pain as they bounced off the armour, but it wasn't as intense as it was before.

Xigbar dove into the pews as Terra charged, and the gunman perched on top of them like a bird. With Earthshaker's power, Terra tore through the wooden seats, trying to corner Xigbar who kept jumping from one row to the next. Xigbar laughed wildly, carelessly releasing flurries of bullets with one hand while he beckoned Terra closer with the other.

"You're not going to give up that easy, are you?" He taunted Terra with a smirk. "The party hasn't even started yet."

Terra's keyblade tore the next pew out of the ground and tossed it through the air, but the show of strength didn't seem to faze Xigbar. Grinning, he leapt back further, combining his two guns into one long rifle. Terra could feel an invisible bull's-eyes on him as Xigbar tracked his movement. He only hoped he could react in time.

Nearby, Ansem lashed out with a wicked slash that tore through the shield-man's wrist and broke his grip on his weapon. Lexaeus immediately attacked and forced himself between them, giving his ally time to recover. Ansem glanced around, taking note of the situation, and noticed Terra's predicament. Instead of resuming his fight with Lexaeus and his ally as expected, Ansem turned and ran towards Xigbar instead.

Unaware of who was rushing up behind him, Xigbar continued to bait Terra. "So, Terra, how would you like to be reintroduced to your friends? Gagged? Chained up? Maybe we'll even let you say bye to Ventus . . ."

His statement was suddenly punctuated with a choke.

Ansem pulled his sword out of Xigbar's back.

Xigbar stared down at the hole, his fingers coming back red when he touched it. The life in his eye died even as the hatred remained and without grace, Xigbar tumbled off the pew and onto the floor.

Everyone stared. Xaldin pulled himself out of the rubble from Terra's last spell, and stopped when his eyes met the sight. Terra himself looked up, away from the body, and at the shell-shocked face of Ansem. Terra could see that despite everything, Ansem hadn't really wanted anyone to die.

Terra wasn't sure if he felt the same.

There was a low hiss, and a tingling sensation danced along his skin. It felt like the air before an electric generator overloaded and with a cry, he sprung forwards and tackled Ansem to the ground. A wave of energy washed over them, searing Terra's back through the armour. Ansem jolted and howled in agony, and Terra could only release his own cry in return.

Xemnas' steps sounded like the crack of a whip. "That is enough," he said quietly, but venomously. "It appears that your skills have surpassed my expectations."

"Getting worried?" Terra growled, pushing himself up and off Ansem.

"Hardly," Xemnas scoffed. "However, you are enough of a thorn in my side that I must take matters into my own hands. Be proud, keyblader; you have proven yourself worthy of my personal attention."

Xemnas held his arm out and from what appeared to be the hollow of his sleeve, grew a red beam of crackling light. A second one extended from his other hand, and they both left afterimages as he sliced through the air. Inspired by their leader, the other cloaked men gathered, weapons drawn.

Zexion was still hiding in a corner.

"Last chance to surrender," Xemnas said.

Terra drew himself into a fighting stance. "In your dreams."

Xemnas' face remained impassive as he beckoned Terra forward.

It was an invitation he gladly accepted. Terra rushed forward, smashing through what seemed to be a red Reflect spell and leapt atop the altar. Crossing his ethereal blades at the shaft, Xemnas blocked Terra's keyblade, and Terra's muscles shook as they strained against each other.

His eyes half-closed, Xemnas calmly watched him struggle. "You cannot best me, keyblader. Surrender."

Terra answered with a roar, letting the darkness engulf him once more. The air around them grew hot with power, and the darkness burst from his body like lava spewing from a volcano. The intensity of the force pushed Xemnas back, and he uncrossed his blades, bringing them to a more offensive position. With the darkness in hand, Terra sprung forwards, eyes shining yellow among the black.

Palm up, Xemnas summoned a flat, glimmering shield that flickered in and out of sight. Terra tried to smash through this one too, but when Earthshaker made contact with the shield, it felt like someone had ground his bones into powder. His own strength was reflected back at him, stunning him long enough for Xemnas to charge up a beam of energy, and then Terra was flying across the altar, rolling off the side and skidding to a stop against a pew.

He rose, bits of wood and dust falling off his shoulders. And a foot planted itself on his back, pinning him, but only for a moment. Terra twisted his head to catch a glimpse of the man wielding the shield. He was a weedy thing with green eyes, and oh-so easy to throw off. The green-eyed man stumbled back, and Terra nailed him right in the gut. The man fell to the ground, coughing.

On the other side of the church, Ansem was engaged in an elaborate dance with Xaldin. From here, it appeared that Ansem was the superior fighter, but Xaldin had a larger arsenal. Xaldin never stopped swinging, using one lance to block Ansem's sword and the other to jab at his weak points. It was hard to say who would win.

Terra wanted to help, but the rising hairs on his arms reminded him of Xemnas. The man walked lazily across the altar towards him, blades pointed towards the ground. Terra spun around to face him, and with his sleeve, wiped away some blood that had trickled out of his nose. Okay, so charging straight at Xemnas was a bad idea. He could work around that.

He tossed some fireballs forward and once more, Xemnas created that flat shield. This time though, Terra was pleased to notice that the spell did not rebound. Instead, the fire disappeared seamlessly, as if absorbed into the shield. Terra rushed to meet him again, swinging at Xemnas' shoulder in a curving angle as not to be caught by the shield again.

Red sparks flew into the air whenever their weapons made contact. Slow as he was, Terra was too close for Xemnas to use his shield, and they fought blade-to-blade instead. Mostly, it was Terra attacking and Xemnas defending. Terra knew that Xemnas didn't want to kill him but still, he expected more effort.

Then it occurred to him. Xemnas didn't need to win; Xemnas only needed to delay him.

He swung Earthshaker low at Xemnas' thigh, which again, one of the red blades stopped cold. With this other hand, Terra sharpened the darkness to a point and thrust. The shafts of Xemnas' two blades fell onto his wrist, trapping it between. He needed either momentum or both hands to swing Earthshaker, neither of which he had at the moment. So he took a risk. He dropped Earthshaker, reached up and wrenched Xemnas' bottom arm away, and punched Xemnas with his freed, darkness-enhanced fist. Xemnas reeled back, surprised, and Terra called Earthshaker to his hand. Holding it horizontal, he lowered his head and charged, driving both the keyblade and his shoulder into Xemnas' chest.

They fell to the ground, where Terra did his best to ram the shaft of his keyblade into Xemnas' throat. But then bluish sparks shot from Xemnas' hand and before Terra could react, Xemnas' palm was against his face. At once, a hot pain licked at his skin and he reared back, leaving Xemnas free. Forcing himself to get over the pain, Terra scrambled to his knees and Xemnas slashed at him the entire time it took for them to stand.

Terra was suddenly aware of a presence behind him.

Lexaeus only had time to get an arm around Terra's neck before Ansem leapt to the rescue. He still held his trusty sword, but he also had one of Xaldin's lances now, and it was that he used to drive Lexaeus away. Planting the lance in the ground, Ansem made his presence known.

"Go, find your friends," Ansem commanded. "I will hold them off."

Was Ansem mad? There was no way he could win against all of them. "I'm not leaving you!" Terra said.

"If you don't, then we are both dead men walking," Ansem growled. "It appears my reason for being here was folly, but yours . . . they can still be saved. Go."

"Thank you," he said.

He dodged past Xemnas, who turned to face him – only to narrowly avoid Ansem as the blond man aimed for his back. Terra could hear the sounds of a furious battle as he pulled out his Wayfinder. Closing, his eyes, he begged it to guide him.

The Wayfinder glowed, and he knew.

He reached down, pried open the trapdoor and descended into the dark.