CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Ventus and I returned to the Badlands, where we saw Mickey still laying on the ground, unconscious.
"Mickey..." I whispered. Ventus collected him in his arms, but the mouse only mumbled in response. "What happened to you?"
"We meet again, boy."
Oh, no.
No, no, no.
This can't be happening.
THIS COULDN'T BE HAPPENING!
My muscles locked up. Footsteps slowly approached us. My heart trembled. My mouth felt dry. I was physically incapable of turning around or even breathing. Ventus looked at me and saw my face paling to a whole new shade of white. He turned around for me, set Mickey down, and slowly stood up.
"Master... Xehanort..." Ventus said. He gasped as his torturous memories returned to him in one fell swoop. He dropped to his knees, clutched the sides of his head, and screamed.
"Ventus!" I cried, reawakening my senses. I whirled around and gasped as I stared into the sinister, yellow eyes of my grandfather. If it weren't for Ventus's pained screams, it would've been as silent as death. As Xehanort stared at me, his eyebrow raised and a smile stretched across his lips.
He knows.
"Ah... Never have I seen such an... intriguing predicament." Xehanort said. "My beautiful granddaughter all grown up. But wait a minute... I had just seen the little tyke not too long ago. My old man eyes are deceiving me..."
I clenched my fists. My throat was too dry for me to speak. Or was that fear?
"How in the name of Kingdom Hearts did you find yourself walking within the waves of the past?" Xehanort raised both eyebrows. "Perhaps that's what it is: Kingdom Hearts. Perhaps it brought you back to witness a tremendous event soon to come to pass."
"You seem surprised, grandfather." I said. "Was this actually not part of your plan? You managed to think ahead, way ahead, but I snuck right through your clever schemes unnoticed."
"Until now." Xehanort said, zeroing in on the brown cords on my arm.
A wave of fear rushed down my spine. Another scream pierced my ears, and I realized it came from me. My arm throbbed intensely as my chest felt like it would burst. My heart pounded, which caused the pain to rapidly spread through my body.
"Your light is strong, I will admit. But there is only a matter of time before my darkness seizes that light and destroys it and you forever."
"What are you talking about?!" I winced. Ventus groaned next to me. I forced myself to swallow my pain. "Ventus!"
Xehanort turned his focus back to Ventus. "Ah yes, so you are starting to realize what you lost- oh, but not for good. You had to lose in order to find. Now it can all be yours again, if you only reach out and take it!" he said. "Reclaim the part that left you. Clash with him! Pure light against pure darkness to forge the ultimate key. The all-powerful χ-blade!"
Ventus tossed his head back and let out one more scream before he fell to the ground. I caught him and held him in my arms.
"Ventus... Can you hear me? Snap out of it!" I said.
"Key... blade?" Ventus said, his head resting against my shoulder. His ocean blue eyes stared vacantly at the sky.
"Not the Keyblades you and I carry." Xehanort said. He waved his hand, and the χ symbol floated in his palm. ""χ"... A most ancient letter. Some say "kye," but the meaning is the same." The symbol disappeared. "Death... A letter that spells endings."
Xehanort waved his hands in the air, and a portal of darkness swirled above us.
"And I have the power to make it?" Ventus said weakly.
"Correct." Xehanort said. "Eraqus knows it, too. He knows exactly what you are."
"Shut up! Just... shut up!" I cried, holding Ventus closer. "Don't listen to him, Ventus. Please!"
"The Master...?" Ventus said. The portal of darkness expanded above us, its swirling ominosity reflecting in his eyes.
"Haven't you ever wondered? Why he never granted you permission to leave his side, to grow stronger?" Xehanort said. The portal of darkness crackled with purple lightning. "Eraqus was frightened of you. If you were to learn the truth, realize what you are... He never trusted you. Why else would he keep you within his sight at all times?"
"That's not true!" I said. A bolt of lightning came down from the portal and struck my shoulder. I screamed as the electricity crackled through my body. Ventus fell out of my arms, and I fell onto my butt, clutching my shoulder.
"Yeah. He never let me see other worlds, no matter how much I asked." Ventus said, slowly standing up. Anger was building in his voice. Why wasn't he listening to me?
Xehanort smiled. His job was done for now. "Go!" he cried, thrusting his hand towards us. A gust of wind blew towards us, and I almost tumbled like a kiddie gymnast. "You can ask the man yourself. Learn the truth, and remember you have a greater purpose!"
The wind swept me, Ventus, and Mickey up into the tornado that collected together.
"Ven!" I cried, reaching my hand out to him as we swirled around. Through the dust, I saw him reach out to me before we were sucked inside the darkness.
I jolted awake and looked around to see myself in the Lanes Between. My Keyblade Armor had been activated. As I scanned the area, I saw that Mickey was no longer with us. Ventus was curled up in a ball.
"Ventus!" I said as I floated over to him. He awoke and uncurled himself. As he looked around, he clutched the sides of his head and winced, thrashing his legs around.
"What am I?" he said as he made a slow 360. "What has the Master been keeping from me all this time?!"
I noticed the blonde focused on something over my shoulder. I followed his gaze and I gasped at the sight of the Land of Departure.
"Ventus...?" I said warily, turning around slowly.
Ventus summoned Wayward Wind and transformed it into his Keyblade glider.
"Ventus, stop!" I cried. I reached out and grabbed his arm. I pulled myself onto his glider and planted my hands on his shoulders. "Don't listen to Xehanort! Don't do something you'll regret!"
"I have to go, Hallie!" Ventus cried.
My throat closed; he's never raised his voice against me before. Tears pooled in my eyes. Ventus sighed and rested his hands at my waist.
"I have to go." he said, his voice softer this time. "I need to learn the truth."
My tears dried up, and my face hardened. "Then I'm coming with you."
Ventus nodded. "You'd better hold on."
I stepped behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. As we glided through space, towards the Land of Departure, dread weighed heavily on my heart. My arms tightened around Ventus's waist, and I buried my head in his shoulder.
