Nearly a month later Terra stood at the Gate blocking the entrance to Leon Karnack, her dual swords in hand as she stared at the swirling mass before her. She had sent her silver wolf home, wanting to do what she needed to do without having to worry about others possibly getting trapped with her. Lifting the Rune Sphere that Doug had given her up to her eye level she glanced at the gate and sighed heavily. "Venti is gonna kill me if I muck this up... Probably everyone will. But I need to help him and Venti no matter what."
With these words she put away the rune sphere and charge forward with a cry, her swords slashing the gate with a whirlwind speed. Her body dodged the beasts the gate popped out, many of the moves she had learned helping her to catch them as she attacked the gate. Just as she broke the large gate a power seemed to suck at the area, seeming to call her forward. She froze then swallowed as she jumped forward, allowing the gate to pull her to the Forest of Beginnings.
As she landed she froze, her eyes nearly blinded by the white light that surrounded her body, glowing flowers floating around her as she slowly acclimated to the light. Taking a step forward Terra glanced around just as power filled her body. "Argh! What... This power..."
Her mind flooded with Amber's voice, the cute little butterfly girl speaking to an unknown person about becoming a Guardian. As the feeling of power flowing through her faded she straightened, her determination stronger after hearing such words. She walked forward, bumping into a couple groups of monsters that she beat easily before reaching another bright area. This time she was more prepared for the flow of energy surging through her body as her mind filled with Dylas' voice. She smiled a bit to herself, always getting a kick out of the gruff manner that Dylas had even though he gave away quite often that he cared more than he pretended to.
The next couple groups she fought fell quickly, though she was glad she had thought to buy food from Porcoline before she left town as her rune energy and health took a bit of a hit. Once she stepped into another white area she braced herself, now unburdened by the flow of power that surged into her small body, listening to Dolce and Pico arguing about Dolce's becoming a Guardian.
"They never change." She muttered under her breath, a small laugh leaving her as the memories left her. She moved forward, her grip renewed by hearing her friends talking about wanting to save Venti. "I will save Venti... and I will save everyone. I promise."
Finally, after more fighting she ended in another white area, this time hearing a new voice. The cocky tone made her smile to herself even as a small longing to see the face the voice was connected to bloomed within her. She shook off the feeling as she began forward only to freeze as he introduced himself to the Earthmate that had cast the spell on him. "Leon?... Looks like this place holds all of their memories... Don't worry Leon. I am coming. I will make sure your wish to save Venti comes true."
She stepped from the white area to see two large fox statues before her, one with red bands and one with blue. As they spoke she got a sense of familiarity from the pair and smiled once more, inwardly now as she lifted her head to look at the speaking statues. "I carry the hope of everyone!"
The statues glowed and there was a grinding noise as they looked directly at her with a strange look in their eyes. "Then show us thine power Earthmate."
The fight between her and the two statues didn't last long, as she knew from numerous battles to take out one then keep moving as you take out the other. Once she had beaten the pair they thanked her and told her to save Ventiswill and Leon. A small half smile crossed her lips before she nodded once. "I will. I will save them both. I promise."
Once she spoke the statues vanished showing stairs that would lead her into the tall tower. She once again lifted her head high and started down the stairs with the hope that she would be able to do this. As she stepped into the room at the end of the stairs she froze, seeing nothing in the room that looked like a monster. As she stepped to the center a roar was let out and in front of her appeared a figure. The floating creature looked vaguely like a fox, though bound in some way. Just before she could register what was happening it began to prepare a spell, the sound catching her attention and spurring her into motion.
As the battle ended Terra looked down to the form that appeared where the creature had fallen, her eyes widening as she spotted the fox ears. She reached to turn him over, hoping to wake him so that they could leave when the room shook violently. Her head turned to look around as she straighten, the shaking beginning to throw her off balance. She landed on one knee just as a bright flash blinded her momentarily, leaving her a bit out of sorts as her vision cleared. Glancing up she frowned, seeing the same white area that she had passed many time already. "What the...? Wait... Where's Leon?"
She spun to see the Guardian passed out still yet floating away from her. She started running, panicked by this new revelation. "No! Why is he floating away?"
She ran for a few moments then stopped, despair filling her as she stared at the form that seemed to stay just out of her reach. "I... I have to save him... but I need to grab him to even be able to use the Homing Ring to return home..."
She looked down then smiled bitterly as as she realized what she had to do to save both Venti and Leon. She looked at the homing ring then pulled the rune Sphere from her bag, She tossed both next to the male's body before looking up and taking a deep breath. "Aria!"