CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Ventus and I landed in the Land of Departure. I looked up at the castle, where just a couple of weeks ago, I had been welcomed into its safe corridors. Now, it looked like a prison, keeping hostage the painful memories of what once was.
"Ventus!" Eraqus ran down the stairs. "Thank you, Hallie, for bringing him home safely. I thought Aqua would..."
His words cut short, and he crouched to Ventus's level and held his shoulders.
"Well, what matters is that you're home. You don't belong outside this world yet." he said, and I felt Ventus tense. "You need to stay here where you can learn-"
"In your prison?" Ventus hissed.
"What?"
"That's your excuse..." Ventus shook out of Eraqus's hold. "For keeping me imprisoned here, isn't it?!"
Eraqus looked to me, and I bowed my head and shook it shamefully. He stood up straight.
"What did you hear?" he said.
"That I'm supposed to be some weapon..." Ventus growled, striking his battle stance. "Some kind of... χ-blade!"
"I knew it. Xehanort- he could never let it go." Eraqus slowly reached up and touched the scar etched in his left cheek. "I failed. I had the chance to stop him and couldn't do it. But I will not fail again."
He summoned Master Defender and struck his battle stance.
"Master! What are you...?" Ventus said.
"The χ-blade has no place in this or any world." Eraqus said. "Xehanort has made his purpose clear... and I am left with no choice."
"Eraqus!" I cried. I stepped in front of Ventus and summoned Ultima Weapon. "Stop! There is a better solution to this! The χ-blade shouldn't be marked as a weapon of destruction. It can bring good things when in the right hands!"
"You are justifying this as well? I thought a Keyblade Master like yourself would know better... But now I see the darkness in your heart, too." A ball of light formed at the teeth of his Keyblade, and he pointed it at us.
"Why are you so bent on destroying darkness? It's bad, I know. I've seen and experienced the horrible things that are caused because of those consumed by it. But light and darkness go hand in hand. You can't destroy one or the other without balance being completely thrown off. Listen to me, Eraqus! Dispel your weapon and stand down! Would you kill those closest to you just so you can keep your stubborn opinion?"
"I'm sorry, Hallie... But he must exist no more. Both of you!" The ball of light exploded, and chains of light shot towards us.
"Ven!" I turned around and threw my arms around him to shield him from the attack. Another voice called out the blond's name.
"What?!" Eraqus cried.
"Master, have you gone mad?!" a familiar voice said. I turned around to see Terra in his Keyblade Armor. Earthshaker had been replaced by its upgraded form, Ends of the Earth.
"Terra! I command you- step aside!"
"No!" Terra reverted into his regular clothing.
"You will not heed your Master?!"
"I won't!"
"Why do all my attempts to reach you fail? If you don't have it in your heart to obey... Then you must share their fate."
A tear streamed down Eraqus's cheek. I gasped. Eraqus would be willing to kill those closest to his heart? The ones he considered to be his children?
He would. Eraqus lunged at Terra. The young Keyblade wielder struggled in blocking Eraqus's consecutive swings.
"Enough, Terra! He's right..." Ventus cried.
"Quiet!" Terra snapped.
"Terra..." I said.
Eraqus jumped back. Another ball of light formed at the teeth of his Keyblade, and he swung it around and hurled it at us. It crashed into us, and we flew back. Terra landed on his feet, while Ventus and I tumbled to the ground. I gasped as the force of Ventus's weight against my stomach knocked the air from me. I groaned and sat up, holding the unconscious boy in my arms.
"Ventus!" I said, shaking him, but he wouldn't wake.
"Hallie, get him out of here!" Terra said.
"Terra, don't!" I cried.
I looked past him and saw light emitting from Eraqus as he prepared for another attack. Terra took a deep breath.
"You may be my Master..." Terra said. I gasped as darkness pulsed from him. "But I will not... let you hurt my friends!"
"Has the darkness taken you, Terra?!" Eraqus said.
"Terra, stop!" I cried. Tears streamed down my cheeks. "Remember what you told me! Don't let the darkness take hold of you, please! This isn't worth it!"
"SHUT UP!" Terra shrieked. He pointed his Keyblade and summoned a portal. He reached out, scooped Ventus out of my arms, and threw him in the portal.
Ventus woke up and crawled up to his hands and knees. He gasped, his blue eyes widening, and looked up. "Wait, Terra!"
"Ven!" I reached out to him, but the portal closed. I scrambled back and watched in horror at the battle that would take place before my eyes: Master against apprentice. Father against son.
"Let the darkness die!" Eraqus cried as the ground around him exploded with light.
Terra fell back against the ground, then quickly scrambled to his feet. The darkness emitting from Terra intensified, and he lunged at Eraqus. The darkness beat against the elder as if he were a flimsy rag doll. A ball of darkness formed at the tip of his Keyblade.
"Terra! Don't!" I cried, watching as the darkness grew bigger.
Terra grunted and thrust his Keyblade at Eraqus. The ball of darkness formed into a sharp point mid-air and sliced through Eraqus's chest.
"NO!"
Eraqus clutched his chest, panting heavily, and used his Keyblade to keep him standing. Terra, realizing what he just did, dispelled his Keyblade and slowly stepped towards Eraqus.
"What have I done...? Master..." he said, his voice filled with horror. "I just... wanted to keep Ven and Hallie safe."
"No, you were right... I failed you, Terra." Eraqus said. "Perhaps I've no one to blame but myself for the darkness inside you. And now I've done worse- raised my Keyblade against you, Ventus, and Hallie. My own heart... is darkness!"
Eraqus winced painfully as a sudden burst of darkness shot through his chest. Master Defender fell out of his hand and clattered against the ground. He fell to his knees and his body was overcome with light. Terra collapsed to his knees and wrapped his arms around his dying Master, but Eraqus faded away in his arms, his body exploding into particles of light that floated up into the air.
"Master Eraqus!" Terra wept, his tears falling freely to the ground.
"No..." I whispered, walking over to Master Defender as it laid lifeless on the ground. I picked it up, my tears spilling down my cheeks like a gushing waterfall. My hand tensed and clutched the handle tightly.
I whirled around and stomped over to Terra. As he looked up at me, I let out an enraged grunt and drove my fist into his face. Terra cried out and fell against the ground.
"How could you?!" I shrieked. Terra stared at me in shock, clutching his cheek, as the tears continued to fall. My knuckles were wet from the water staining his face.
A pair of footsteps approached us and my blood froze over.
"What a sight." I gasped and turned around to see Xehanort walking towards Terra. "Why do you trouble yourself with remorse, Master Terra? The man was bent on doing harm to your friends, his own pupils!"
"He wouldn't have done it if it weren't for you!" I said.
"Master Xehanort! Why?!" Terra said.
"You know, at times I find your progress quite striking. But you still fall short." Xehanort turned around and walked a few paces away from us. "Let all that anger out, my boy. Give your heart over to darkness!"
"What do you mean?" Terra staggered to his feet and summoned Ends of the Earth.
"Still so blind..." Xehanort turned around and summoned his Keyblade. "Then I will make you see."
"Shut up!" I screamed.
I summoned Ultima Weapon at my side, Master Defender clutched tightly in the other, and I lunged at Xehanort. I jumped in the air and slashed the Keyblades down at him, but he maneuvered around me and reached out, snagging my throat. I gasped, which came out choked, as his grip slowly tightened. My eyes widened, and I thrashed around to try and break free. Xehanort smirked at me and threw me aside. I flew back past Terra and crashed into the crumbling pillar. My head smacked against the stone, and my vision clouded with blurry, moving shapes.
"Hallie!" Terra cried, but his voice was muffled.
"Come to the place where all Keyblade wielders leave their mark on fate- the Keyblade Graveyard!" Xehanort said. "There you will watch your dear Ventus and Aqua meet their ends, and the last light within you will die!"
Xehanort thrust his Keyblade into the sky, and a beam of darkness shot up and formed a rumbling portal of darkness. The sky blackened immediately. I looked up as the pillar I crashed into broke, and it slowly started to fall over on top of me.
"Ven... Aqua... Hallie... I won't let him hurt you."
My eyes slowly opened, but all I saw was darkness. Through the dark, I saw the silhouette of shapes. I felt the smooth stone underneath me.
My sense awakened, and adrenaline flowed through my veins. I sat upright and scrambled to my feet.
"No..."
I stared up at the remains of the Land of Departure. Xehanort's darkness had destroyed the castle that was once filled with light. Glass, stone, and wood lay scattered around me, and I could see the gaping holes in the castle where they belonged. I collapsed to my knees as renewed tears cascaded down my face. I held my Wayfinder in my hands and stared at the glass star.
"Why...?" I whimpered. It seemed like I asked that question a lot throughout this journey. I looked up to the sky. "Kingdom Hearts... why did you do this?" I clutched my Wayfinder to my chest. "Sora... I wish you weren't so far away..."
Something bright glowed in the bottom of my peripheral. I looked down and gasped as my Wayfinder glowed in my hands. A bright light burst from the glass star, and I cringed as light surrounded me.
