Chapter 49 Attack First, Ask Questions Later
The shortcut path Terra follows in much straighter than the first one he had been on. He hurries along at a quick pace and in less than 10 minutes he breaks out of the cover of the trees and finds himself on a narrow ledge that had a sheer drop to the floor of the valley far below. Terra looks across the valley to the far side and the mountain in the distance.
To his right, Terra spots a small bridge across the valley and he walks over to it. Sitting cross legged in front of the bridge is a fifteen or sixteen year old boy with a sword in his lap. He looks up and smiles slightly as Terra stops in front of him.
"Hello Terra," the boy says in a voice that seems too old for him. His grey eyes stare deeply into Terra's. "Your goal lies just beyond this bridge."
"So are you going to let me pass?" Terra asks warily. The boy doesn't reply and instead slowly gets to his feet, and raises his sword. "Right," Terra says. "Let's fight."
Terra summons his keyblade and swings it down at the boy's shoulder, but the boy spins to the side and Terra's keyblade cuts through air. As he spins, the boy slashes at Terra's stomach, but Terra blocks his sword just in time. The boy recovers almost right away and stabs at Terra's chest. Terra deflects the blade and follows up with a stab of his own, but the boy leans back and lets the keyblade pass over him. Terra is left off balance and is forced to hastily stumble back as the boy slashes at his left side.
Terra takes several steps back to get a breather and study his opponent. The boy returns to his position just in front of the bridge and stands watching Terra with his sword at his side. Terra runs back at him with his keyblade raised. Terra moves to swing at the boy in an overhead attack, but at the last second he instead changes his target to the boy's hip hoping to fool him with a feint. The boy's sword however changes direction just as fast and meets Terra's keyblade in a block.
Again Terra jumps back, but the boy remains in the same spot as ever, watching Terra with those emotionless grey eyes. Terra growls under his breath and turns to the magic inside him. He lets it build and build as his begins to glow a faint gold color. After a moment he lets all the energy surge out in a devastating attack known as Zantetsuken. Terra has used the extremely powerful attack on numerous heavily armored heartless and killed them in the single blow, but as his keyblade cuts down towards the boy he simply raises his sword in a block. Terra's keyblade slams into his sword and to Terra's shock the boy is able to hold the block.
Terra tries not to show his shock and begins a rapid assault on the boy of quick blows, but each is met by the boy's sword blocking just in the nick of time. Terra can feel the sweat drop from his brow as he and the boy exchange blow after blow. Neither is able to leave a scratch on the other and five minutes later, Terra is ready to keel over from exhaustion while the boy looks as fresh as ever.
Terra jumps back from the boy to take a breather and like always the boy remains in his position right in front of the bridge. Terra takes several deep breaths while looking the boy up and down trying to find a flaw to exploit, but from what he has seen so far from the boy he is as perfect a swordsman as Terra has ever seen.
But he is only a swordsman.
Terra points his keyblade at the boy. "Bind!" He shouts and the boy's eyes widen slightly as he finds himself unable to move under the spell. "Fira! Blizzara!" The fireball explodes on impact and is followed up by a blast of ice crystals.
For the first time the boy looks pained by Terra's attacks and Terra knows he has finally found a weakness. "Firaga!" Terra shouts and manipulates the magic into a move known as Fission Firaga. Flames explode around the boy and when they fade the bind spell also wears off. They boy collapses to the ground and lies there unmoving.
Terra slowly approaches. The boy stirs and pushes himself to his feet, but leaves his sword lying on the ground. "You have won this battle Terra," he says. "But remember, not all battles can be won. In war, the only battle that counts is the final one. Do not despair at a lost battle, the war carries on. You must be prepared to see it all the way to the end."
"What?" Terra asks confused.
"Goodbye, Terra." And the boy bursts into a million pixels that float up and away. Terra lets his keyblade disappear and looks to the other side of the bridge where a path leads to the mountain. The boy's final statement still ringing in his ears, Terra hurries across the bridge to continue the test.
…
Ven's first reaction is to panic.
One moment he had been in the woods with Mickey and the next the star shard had sent them flying off. Now he is tumbling through water with no clue which way is up and which is down. He forces his eyes open and tries to make sense of the bright colors flashing by him as he tumbles.
Finally, the tumbling stops and he's floating upright. Holding his breath, Ven tries to kick towards what he thinks is the surface, but his legs don't respond right and he is sent careening sideways through the water again. His heart beating fast, he looks down and his eyes bug out seeing that he no longer had legs, but a bright blue tail. He gasps in shock before clamping his hands over his mouth to keep water from rushing in. However, he realizes the little water he had taken in is more like air than water. Cautiously, he opens his mouth and discovers he can breathe underwater.
As his heart rate comes down from the initial shock, Ven is able to remember that some worlds can alter his form. That just left the question of what world this is.
"There ya are Ven!"
Ven looks up to see a black shape descending to him. "Mickey?" Ven asks in wonder.
"Uh huh," Mickey replies giving Ven a big smile. The mouse had changed form as well his bottom half had been transformed into octopus legs and he is holding the star shard in his hand. "Gosh, isn't this world beautiful."
"I-I guess," Ven stammers still trying to take his friend's changes. He looks around at the white sandy bottom dotted with brightly colored shells and the light blue rock formations. Arrows that look like tridents point the way to a castle the color of seaweed a little ways in the distance. It looks like it should be a lively place, but shrouds of black are draped over coral columns and the silence of the world seems depressing.
"I don't recognize this place. Have ya ever been here before?" Mickey asks.
"Not sure," Ven says thoughtfully, looking down at himself. "Maybe. Let's see if anyone is at the castle."
It takes a little bit of practice, but soon Ven and Mickey are swimming in their new forms like they had lived under the sea all their lives. They enter the castle still seeing no one and continue to follow the trident arrows to what seems to be a throne room with large pillars around a tall throne. An impossibly large clam is propped open on the ground before the throne and as they approach, Ven realizes someone is lying on the cushioned inside.
It is woman. Her auburn hair is spayed around her head with a small gold crown perched on top of it. Her eyes are closed and her hands are clasped over her chest. She could have been asleep, but her skin is too pale and her body too still.
"Queen Athena," Ven breathes out. Mickey moves closer to the woman and touches her wrist lightly. "Is she...dead?" Ven asks quietly. Mickey doesn't respond, but lowers his head and lets his hand drop.
"Get away from her!"
The angry roar made Ven and Mickey spin around to face the entrance to the throne room only to be blasted by a bolt of energy. Both are sent flying away from the dead queen and slam into the columns around the throne. The Star Shard in Mickey's hand falls to the sandy ocean floor.
Ven rights himself and shakes his head to dispel the dizziness from hitting the column so hard. He looks up to see King Triton pointing a glowing golden trident at him with a look of rage that bordered on insanity. A small crab floated in the water beside the king's head glaring just as angrily at Ven.
"How dare you show your face in here!" King Triton shouts making the water shake with the volume of his voice. The trident in his hand glows a little brighter.
"King Triton wait!" Ven says hurriedly, holding his hands up slightly to show he is unarmed. "I think there's been a misunderstanding. It's me, Ven. I killed the sea monster for you a couple months ago."
"I know exactly who you are boy," Triton growls. "You're a malevolent, backstabbing, murderous keyblade wielder! It was foolish of me to pretend any of your kind could do anything but bring despair and destruction."
Another bolt of energy shoots out of the trident at Ven's head, but he drops down quickly to avoid it. "King Triton please!" Ven yells inching his way away from the enraged king to where Mickey is floating. "I haven't done anything-"
"Lies!" King Triton thunders. "My guards saw you. They saw the boy with the key for a sword stab my beloved Athena in her heart!"
Ven's mouth drops open in shock. "I didn't...I...it wasn't me," he stammers. Triton however doesn't seem to hear him and with a roar of fury he unleashes another blast from his trident. Ven dodges it and shouts, "Mickey!"
"Here Ven!" Mickey shouts from the ocean floor. Ven dives down narrowly avoiding another blast. Mickey holds up the Star Shard to him and as soon as Ven touches it a light envelops them both and they shoot off again with King Triton's final scream fading away.
…
After nearly 20 minutes of following a meandering path through the woods, Aqua finally makes it to the end of the forest path and found herself looking down at a sheer drop. Looking out, she can see a path leading towards the mountain on the other side of the valley. Out of the corner of her eye she spots a bridge across and hurries over.
She stops short seeing a boy about fifteen or sixteen sitting cross legged before the bridge, blocking her path. He looks up and gives her a ghost of a smile. "Hello Aqua." His voice is too old for him and his grey eyes stare hauntingly into hers. "Your goal lies just beyond this bridge."
"Uh...thank you for telling me," Aqua says cautiously. "Would you mind letting me pass?"
The boy doesn't reply and instead slowly gets to his feet, and raises his sword. Aqua summons her keyblade and falls into a battle stance to prepare for his attack, but he makes no move to do so.
Slowly, Aqua relaxes slightly from her stance, but she remains alert for him to make a move. "Is fighting the only way to get across?"
The boy regards her for a moment before lowering his sword. "No. You can answer a question to continue."
"Alright," Aqua says letting her keyblade disappear. "What is your question?"
"You posses the keyblade, a weapon with the greatest power. You wield it well and it will always serve you well in battle. I can tell it is very important to you. Would you give it up to save another?"
"I…" Aqua is stunned by the question. She swallows hard and says in a quiet voice, "Of course."
The boy nods and steps to the side to allow Aqua to pass. Slowly, she walks past him feeling shaken by his question. Before she knows it she has crossed the bridge and is on a path leading to a mountain in the distance.
"Aqua." She turns back to see the boy now on this side of the bridge. He says, "Not all battles can be won. In war, the only battle that counts is the final one. Do not despair at a lost battle, the war carries on. You must be prepared to see it all the way to the end."
"What do you mean? How do I prepare?" She asks.
"Goodbye, Aqua."
"Wait!" She calls reaching a hand out to him, but he's gone, dissolved into pixels of color and disappearing into the sky. She lets her hand drops to her side and sighs. She turns back to face the mountain. With a set look of determination, she hurries down the rocky path to meet the next challenge.
...
"Master Yen Sid! Master Yen Sid! Master Yen Sid!"
Master Yen Sid sighs in annoyance and put down his pen. He turns to Kairi who is tugging on the sleeve of his robe.
"Master Yen Sid, I want my doll!" Kairi says with a pout.
"Where is your doll Kairi?" Master Yen Sid grudgingly asks.
"With Grandma," Kairi says. "I left her there to keep her safe, but I want to see her."
"I'm sorry Kairi, but I cannot take you to Radiant Garden right now," Master Yen Sid replies. Kairi's face falls and her eyes get big and wet. "It's not possible for me to get you your doll at this time," Master Yen Sid says trying to get the young girl to see the logical reason she can't have her doll right now. "I am monitoring Terra and Aqua's test and watching you, Sora, and Riku for Master Eraqus."
"I want my doll! I want my doll! I want my doll!" Kairi starts to cry and Master Yen Sid rubs his temple. He's starting to get a headache from dealing with these children.
"No need to cry Kairi," he says. "I've got something better than your doll for you to play with."
For a moment the tears stop and Kairi looks up at Master Yen Sid. "What is it?" She asks with a sniff.
"It's a...well...this," Master Yen Sid says waving his hand and putting together some hasty magic. In his hand appears a yellow and green creature that looks like a small bunny with very large ears. It blinks and looks around in confusion.
Kairi squeals. "It's so cute! What's it's name?"
"You can name it," Master Yen Sid says handing Kairi the creature. "Now run along and play."
"I'm gonna call you Me Me Bunny!" Kairi says cuddling the creature. She skips out of Master Yen Sid's office and into the adjoining room.
Master Yen Sid sighs and returns his attention to the paperwork in front of him. However, he is interrupted by a tugging at his sleeve again. He looks down to see Sora and Riku next to him. "Can we have one of those too?" Sora asks with his best puppy dog look.
Master Yen Sid takes a deep breath and waves his hand. Two new creatures appear and he hands them to the young boys.
"Thank you Master Yen Sid," Riku says examining his creature.
"Yeah, thanks!" Sora says hugging his blue creature tight. The two turn away from Master Yen Sid. As they walk away he hears Sora say, "I'm gonna name mine Meow Wow. What about you, Riku?"
"Pricklemane," Riku says. "Because his mane is prickly."
The two boys leave the study and Master Yen Sid returns to his work. He works uninterrupted for several minutes, but of course that can't last. He looks up as the three children and their new magic creatures enter his study again. He raises an eyebrow as the three of them shift uncomfortably in front of him.
"What is it children?" He asks.
Sora, Kairi, and Riku exchange looks before Riku blurts out, "Meow Wow had an accident!"
Master Yen Sid's patience his holding only by a wisp of a thread. "Thank you for informing me," he says in a tight voice. "Tell me, do you ever have nap time at MEKA?"
The three nod. "Everyday," Kairi says.
"Yeah, Master Eraqus says it's his favorite time of day," Sora adds.
Master Yen Sid isn't surprised. "Alright, let's have nap time." A wave of his hand and pillows and blankets appear on the floor in front of his desk. The children quickly curl up with their new pets and soon fall asleep.
Master Yen Sid raises his eyes to the windows and the starry sky outside. "Eraqus, hurry."
Now we know Triton hates keyblade wielders because one of them killed his wife, but if it wasn't Ven then who was that boy with a keyblade?
Poor Yen Sid. I just felt like throwing the Dream Eaters in. No they aren't going to be part of the story. They're just some random things created by Master Yen Sid's magic to occupy the children.
LightzMusic22: You changed your username and confused me! Haha I figured it out though. Zack will most definitely be mentioned. Keric too, but probs not Carinol. Vanitas...idk...