Return to Eos

by Curryfury13

After receiving an anonymous plea for help, Yen Sid sends Velcia back to the planet Eos to help Noctis and his friends break free of a Heartless invasion before their world is destroyed; but after her arrival Velcia finds herself cursed with horrifying nightmares of a darkness lurking in her heart.

2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Velcia sat quietly on the side of her bed aboard the Gummi Ship, nervously listening to the hum of the engines as she wondered what was to come. She hadn't been sent on a mission to another world by herself yet. The prospect of being sent to a world that was in such a precarious situation, not to mention one she'd been to before, left her quite anxious.

Putting this unease aside, she felt great comfort in the fact that her mother was safe and sound back in Olympus with her Aunt and Uncle, and hoped that things would go smoothly so she could go back to them again. But, as much as she yearned to be back in the comfort of her old home, the thought of the danger and darkness that were plaguing the world of Eos, and her friends there, weighed heavily on her and she could not distract herself for long.

She turned over, laying on her stomach across the bed, and opened a book. It was written by her Uncle, documenting everything he and Velcia had learned about the fundamental nature of magical energies. She'd meant to read through it for some time now and had never felt like she'd found the opportunity before, but now with nothing but time and a need to distract her wandering mind she dove into it with her full attention.

After some the ship dinged softly at her, a sound she'd been waiting anxiously for, and her nervous energy propelled her quickly off her bed and down the hall in a sprint towards the cockpit of the vessel. She jumped quickly into the seat and watched the monitors hawkishly as the auto-pilot began preparing an automatic landing, and she tensed in nervous anticipation waiting for something to go awry. As the ship lowered she saw Yen Sid's tower appear out the bubble-dome windshield, and as the magnificent stone structure grew taller and taller above her she felt herself clenching her hands up as she awaited the touchdown.

There was a clunking sound, and then a hiss of releasing pressure as the Gummi Ship bobbed slightly. The screens lit up green, a small, pixelated animatic playing in the top corner of two enthusiastic Chipmunks giving an eager thumbs-up; the words 'Landing Sequence Complete' flashing across the screen with a matching high-pitched but muffled sounding voice over.

Velcia sighed with a deep-seated relief as she watched the looping animation of the chipmunks, then stood up with a smile. It was a small and silly thing, but it always seemed to be just the dash of levity she needed after something as stressful to her as solo space travel.

She made her way down to the boarding ramp, which was already open, and as she descended she saw Aqua waiting patiently nearby.

"Hello, Master Aqua," Velcia said as she approached. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting for so long."

"Not at all, we appreciate you coming so quickly on such short notice. I hope we haven't inconvenienced your mother too much," Aqua said, turning to walk with Velcia towards the tower.

Velcia shook her head. "No, she is going to stay with my Uncle and Aunt while I am gone. They get along very well, so I'm hopeful they will have a good time."

"That's a relief to hear. I'm glad that things worked out so well," Aqua said, opening the tower door and holding it open for Velcia.

Velcia entered, looking up at the spiral staircase again before beginning her ascent. "You said you received a communication?"

"Yen Sid will explain more in a moment, but yes, he received a letter of all things," Aqua told her.

"A letter?" Velcia repeated in surprise, pausing briefly to look outside one of the tower's windows at Yen Sid's lonely floating island. The void of space stretched out as far as the eye could see, and though it glowed beautifully and many distant celestial wonders could be seen there was a distinct lack of anything near enough to be recognizable. "How does one send a letter to Yen Sid?"

Aqua shrugged. "I have no idea."

When the two made it to the top, Velcia held the door open for Aqua and they entered the room. The grandness of the space never ceased to amaze Velcia, the stars outside seeming even more brilliant and vivid through the great and luminous windows that stretched wall-to-wall behind Yen Sid's desk.

Yen Sid sat in his chair, nodding as the two entered. "Welcome, Velcia. I am sure Aqua has already told you, but we greatly appreciate your haste. In these circumstances, it seems most important."

Velcia bowed softly. "Thank you, Master Yen Sid. Eos is a special place to both Hinata and I, so if there's anything I can do to help them…"

Yen Sid nodded. "Indeed. I received an anonymous letter from someone claiming to be from this world asking for help, and after reviewing it thoroughly and discussing it with both Aqua and Riku, we believe you would be a good candidate for this mission."

Velcia glanced around the room quickly at Riku's mention, but did not see anyone else there. "Well, I will do my best. I haven't been on any missions like this before, but I am ready to try."

"Very good. I will read the letter for you now, and then afterwards Aqua and I would like to discuss some of the complexities we foresee," Yen Sid told her.

Velcia nodded quietly, folding her hands in front of her.

Yen Sid picked the letter up from the desk, the back of the page trimmed with ornate gold leaf designs. Holding the paper out at just the right focal distance, Yen Sid began.

"Esteemed Keyblade Wielders,

I write to you to request your help in a time of need. Our world Eos has come under new attack from a darkness not of our world, a threat you know as the Heartless. It is already a tumultuous era for Eos, the effects of the Star Scourge that has plagued our planet for generations growing ever stronger; and the Heartless now feed off this darkness and are devouring our world.

The specifics of my identity are of little importance, though in my efforts to learn more about this threat to our world I have come into an alliance with one of the Astrals, the guardian gods of Eos. The leader of these, Bahamut, has put the responsibility for our fate on the shoulders of the new King of Lucis and his small group of attendants. Powerful though they are, the Heartless threat is growing stronger despite their efforts and these beasts of darkness are coming ever closer to discovering the Heart of our world. If this happens, Bahamut will deal with the Heartless incursion in his own manner — complete destruction of all life on the planet. It may come as no surprise to you that this is a fate we would like to avoid.

Included with this letter is a map of the region of the Kingdom of Lucis called Leide, where the allied forces of the Heartless and Daemons are most active. At the time of writing this letter, His Highness was last seen heading towards Hammerhead, the coordinates of which are specified on the map.

Your consideration shall be much appreciated."

Yen Sid lowered the page, looking to Velcia. "There are a great many unspoken details regarding this situation that I find concerning."

Velcia nodded. "It feels like a lot is missing."

"Yes," Yen Sid said, stroking his beard slowly. "The world of Eos has been isolated for a very long time and the Astrals who guard it have never communicated with anyone outside their own council, as far as my knowledge is aware. That one of them would forge an alliance with someone outside their own ranks is unusual, and I find it unlikely that anyone in a position to work directly with the Astrals themselves would be inconsequential, "

Velcia nodded. "I don't remember Noctis, or anyone else, speaking of Astrals. And when we mentioned Heartless, they had never heard of them either. Whoever sent this must know quite a bit, and if they're working with the Astrals already anyways why would they not want us to know who they are?"

"It's got us puzzled, too," Aqua said, shaking her head. "If this person truly is allied with the Astrals, I don't believe they would try to bring us in to help without their knowledge. There must be some other reason for their secrecy."

"...Can we really trust this letter?" Velcia asked quietly. "Could they be lying about their connection to the Astrals?"

Yen Sid closed his eyes. "Knowledge of the Hearts of the Worlds is a closely guarded secret. It is hard to imagine any ordinary citizen having such detailed knowledge regarding the Heart of Eos, and indeed the mere fact that they were able to send us a plea for help in the first place lends a great deal of credence to their claims of being allied with the Astrals."

"Then that means… if it comes to it, Bahamut really will destroy the world?" Velcia asked.

Yen Sid shook his head, stroking his beard. "If we were to assume the information given to us is accurate, then it could be a very real possibility."

Velcia's head tilted to the side, and she glanced between the two of them curiously.

Noting her inquisitive look, Yen Sid continued. "Not knowing the identity of the sender, we have very little insight into their integrity or motivations. Though perhaps slight, there is always a chance that the person requesting our assistance could have ulterior motives."

"I don't see what harm bringing a Wielder to Eos could… hm," Velcia stopped, thinking to herself for a moment. "Now that I think about it, I do remember Terra and Aqua warning me against those who might deceive us in such a fashion."

"Precisely," Yen Sid said with a slow nod. "And that is the first reason we have chosen you for this mission. As you already have a familiarity with Eos and the King of Lucis, we believe you will be more readily able to discern the truth of the situation when you arrive."

Aqua spoke up. "If Bahamut has chosen to rest the fate of the world on this King of Lucis, then working closely with him will be important."

Velcia nodded slowly. "I agree. Last time I was on Eos, the Kingdom of Lucis was already at war with the Niflheim Empire. If they now have a Heartless incursion on top of that, it will likely be a very complicated situation indeed."

"Yes, and that conflict further emphasizes the need for caution in this situation. If a Wielder were to arrive in Eos and insert themselves into this existing tension and sway the dynamics of power too much in either way, Bahamut and the other Astrals may see it as an attempt to begin asserting influence over their world."

Velcia nodded thoughtfully. "If Bahamut truly is already considering an option so drastic as destroying the world… he may not take any chances if he believes a Keyblade Wielder is destabilizing things further. I believe it will be of utmost importance to work with Noctis and his friends as closely and honestly as I can. They are good people, and I am hopeful that they will understand the threat the Heartless pose and the need to shift focus to this threat."

Yen Sid sighed pensively. "The balance on Eos is fragile, and there is quite a lot at risk to both their world and the Wielder that goes to assist them. Master Aqua and Master Riku both agree that with your existing knowledge of the world and your friendships with Noctis and his friends, you may be the ideal candidate for the job." He looked up at her, eyes staring intensely. "However, you are still in the early stages of your apprenticeship and I do not want to push you into a situation you do not feel equipped to handle. Is this a responsibility you are capable of bearing?"

The words hung heavily in the room, Velcia doing everything she could to hide the immense pressure that came with being asked such a question. "I believe so. I couldn't bear to see Eos, or any world for that matter, fall to darkness. If there's any way I can help… I must."

Yen Sid's large eyes shifted towards Aqua, who glanced between the two before nodding softly. "I believe she is ready, Master. If the situation begins to dissolve further, I would be happy to lend my assistance as well."

Yen Sid closed his eyes again, once more stroking his lengthy beard. "There is no telling how Bahamut may react to one Wielder, let alone two, showing up in the midst of such chaos. However, it is a situation we cannot ignore and must address."

He stood up, walking slowly around the desk to meet with Velcia. "Go to Eos, Velcia, and meet with Noctis with the utmost haste. Our best chances of saving this world from both the Heartless and from Bahamut hinge on a successful alliance with his group. I have prepared copies of both the letter and the map sent with it, I suspect these will be of great value to you in your efforts."

Velcia bowed softly as she received the copies from Yen Sid. "I'll do everything I can, Master."

Aqua bowed as well. "I will escort Velcia back to her Gummi Ship and return shortly, Master."

Yen Sid closed his eyes, nodding slowly. "Farewell, Velcia. May your heart be your guiding key."

Velcia bowed respectfully, and after a quick wave goodbye turned and exited through the door. As they began their descent down the tall tower Velcia took a deep and heavy breath and she reviewed the situation in her head, speaking up after only a moment's thought. "I suppose I should have asked more questions earlier. Now that I'm thinking about it, there are still so many things I don't know," she told Aqua as they made their way down.

"I'm happy to provide any answers you need," Aqua told her.

"Well… I don't really know the specifics of how to free the world from Darkness. If it's as overrun as they say, is it really possible to just destroy every Heartless there?" Velcia asked.

"No, you don't need to go as far as that," Aqua assured her. "Heartless are called to a world in a hungry search for its heart, and the most powerful Heartless will congregate around the areas where they sense it most strongly. These World Hearts may be hidden, obscured, or locked away, and once found the Heartless will devour it. This is ultimately what causes the world to fall."

Velcia nodded thoughtfully, opening the wooden door at the base of the steps and holding it for Aqua. "So I just need to ensure that this World Heart is safe, then?"

"More or less. Each World Heart can be locked away inside a magic realm accessed through a Keyhole. If you find the Keyhole, your Keyblade has the power to seal it safely away. Very powerful Heartless can damage it over time, but if you can destroy even most of these the rest should lose interest," Aqua said.

They stopped at the ramp to the Gummi Ship. "How will I know where to find the Keyhole? Do I need to wait for the Heartless to find it first?"

Aqua shook her head. "The light in the World Heart should call out to you, but it can be masked and obscured by the darkness of very powerful Heartless. If you cannot feel it when you arrive, look for where the Heartless are the most focused. If you destroy the more powerful among them and weaken the cloud of darkness, your heart should lead you to the Keyhole."

Velcia held a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "Is that what Master Yen Sid means when he says 'may your heart be your guiding key'? Our Hearts can actually lead us places?"

Aqua smiled. "Yes, they can. The phrase means much more than that, I think, but you'll learn with experience."

"I see," Velcia said. She thought for a moment, then looked up the ramp into the ship. "I guess the only other thing I know I need to ask right now is… how do I get there?"

"When you're ready, your Keyblade can provide a passageway for you through the connections in your heart," Aqua told her.

"My Heart Guiding my key again…" Velcia said softly. "I see. Is there anything else I should know?"

Aqua rested a hand gently on her shoulder. "Only that we believe in you, Velcia. Listen to your heart, and do what you know is right. Listen to your friends and trust in them, and your bonds will strengthen each other."

Velcia smiled warmly. "Thank you, Aqua. I think I'm ready."

Aqua retracted her hand and stepped back a few paces from the ship, waving goodbye as Velcia headed inside. The ramp lifted, the engines began to hum, and slowly the Gummi Ship lifted gently off the ground.

Velcia could not see Aqua through the dome above her, but as she rose past the tower she saw Master Yen Sid through the window. He closed his eyes and bowed softly, and Velcia bowed back respectfully and waved gingerly just before he was out of sight. The Gummi Ship turned around and flew a short distance away from the island before the console began to blink with prompts asking for a destination.

She scanned the list of pre-programmed destinations quickly, but as expected did not see Eos listed. She held out her hand, summoning Love's Inheritance, her Keyblade, and pointing it out into the blackness of space ahead of her. Velcia closed her eyes, thinking of Eos and feeling the yearning of her heart to go help.

A swirl of magic began to form around her hand that grasped the crystal handle, swirling around the arched hand guards and up past the leafy pommel, growing in power and glowing brighter as it twisted along the vines wrapped around the thin purple bars that made up the blade. The stained glass book and roses at the end of the Keyblade glowed, then began to shine with a brilliant shimmering light before a beam burst out and opened a large portal ahead in space.

Velcia looked at the portal in awe, watching the powerful vortex of blue and green magic swirling into a realm of light beyond. She'd seen many types of magic portals now in her travels, but something about this one felt invigorating and ignited a sense of adventure within her. The Gummi Ship's computer began to beep again, and on the display a new coordinate option labeled "Corridor of Heart" appeared at the top of the list.

Velcia sat down in the seat, carefully strapping herself in. The ship had never bumped her too terribly, but she was sure they had been installed for a reason and always thought it best not to take chances. With a smile, Velcia selected the new destination option on the screen. The menu disappeared, and an animation played showing a pair of pixelated Chipmunks jumping excitedly into the middle of the screen with their arms held out wide. "Let's go!" they cheered, and after a deep hum coursed through the Gummi Ship it burst off through the portal towards Eos.

---

The Gummi Ship's computer had not given any indications as to how long the flight would take, and so after roughly twenty patient minutes Velcia had left the cockpit and ventured down into her cabin below to check her preparations.

Several bags of various sizes were now strewn about the bed, and Velcia had gone over their contents and verified them against the checklists in her notebook many times. She nodded to herself, confident at last that she'd packed everything she could, and made note of a few items she felt she should keep an eye out for.

Her eyes turned towards a nearby chair, a neatly-folded outfit resting on top of it. She'd learned very well in her combat training with the other Keyblade Wielders how much her comfortable green Olympian robes got in the way during a fray, but thankfully the Good Fairies had made a new battle dress for her. She hadn't worn it much yet, but it was not uncomfortable and she felt much more at-ease trying to move and fight while wearing it.

She took off her Olympian robes and set them aside neatly on the bed, and began to put on her new battle dress. First was a dark green tunic that draped off the sides of her shoulders at the top, ran about halfway down her thigh at the bottom. Over this, a white metal chestplate with straps that ran over her shoulders, and a skirt made of layers of overlapping white-leather plates hung down past the edges of her tunic.

From the waist of this outfit hung several dark green satchels, filled with sturdy potion bottles. She sat down on the seat and carefully pulled up the knee-high white-leather boots, lacing them together tightly. She stood up and walked over towards the mirror, looking at herself in it as she strapped a long leather gauntlet to her right forearm, the ends of which were reinforced with golden rings and bridged together along the outside by a sturdy plate of metal.

"This is going to take a bit of getting used to," she mused quietly. The outfit was very similar to the armor worn by the Warriors of Olympus back home, something she'd thought was quite incredible to see. Still, it felt strange to her to be dressed as such, and stranger still to see herself in something so different from her usual casual attire.

The Fairies had told her that the entire outfit was heavily enchanted to provide great protection, in addition to the increased resistance provided to her by the powers of the Keyblade. Indeed, even just in her training Velcia had almost casually taken blows that would have readily shattered her bones before. She could feel this magic wrapped around her, and found it comforting as she pondered curiously about what she would find awaiting her once she arrived on Eos.

She turned back towards the bags on her bed and packed away her old robes carefully, then stepped back as she summoned Love's Inheritance to her hands. She held the Key out and closed her eyes, and the bags quickly disappeared one-by-one in a burst of blue magic particles. She opened her eyes again, watching the particles settle. "Heh… Ignis and Gladiolus helped teach me that trick, and now I'm using it to pack for a trip to go help them," she chuckled to herself.

She went back up to the cockpit and took her seat once more, looking out at the blurry stars as they shot past. Out in the distance she could see colorful clouds of gasses and swirling galaxies. The ship began to beep softly again, and nearly instantly the blurring motion stopped and the world of Eos appeared directly before her.

It seemed darker to Velcia than she remembered, the whole planet seemingly enveloped in a faint mist, but her eyes were drawn immediately to a large dark-purple storm that swirled for miles and miles across the surface. This ominous blot, she was certain, was not there before.

The console beeped at her again, and a prompt appeared requesting coordinates. Velcia reached down to one of her satchels and pulled out her Gummi Phone, checking it as best as she could to make sure that it was still working properly and linked to the ship. The familiar icons were all there, and so thus assured, she put it back away and pulled out the map that Yen Sid had given to her.

She looked over the map until she found Hammerhead, but there were no coordinates written there. She flipped the map over, looking at the back of the page, and found what she was looking for. Velcia typed the coordinates into the computer carefully, and once more the small pixelated Chipmunks returned to the screen, standing on either side of a large button that was labeled 'Confirm Transfer'. "Are you ready?" they asked in unison.

Velcia nodded. "Goodbye, little guys!" she said, pressing the button. A wave of magic washed over her in a blinding flash of light that receded to reveal that she was now standing on the surface of the planet below.

Almost before she could get her bearings, Velcia felt the crushing wave of a heavy darkness wash over her. The air was thick with it, and the sky was blackened by the swirling clouds overhead. She looked around, seeing the familiar buildings of Hammerhead, but they were worn down, crushed, and destroyed. The wind blew past, carrying dust and organic debris, and the chilling whistle of this wind was the only sound to be heard.

Though she hadn't spent much time in Hammerhead on her previous visit, Velcia remembered it well. Despite being a small outpost in the middle of nowhere, it had been a well cared for and friendly reprieve from the long stretch of mostly empty desert that made up the majority of Leide. Seeing it in this state, crushed and abandoned, struck a deep blow within Velcia. It had been hard to imagine Eos in a state of emergency, but seeing the damage done here felt like the prologue to more hardship yet to be seen.

Velcia looked around the abandoned outpost cautiously, walking slowly towards the remains of the old diner. "Hello?" she called out, though to no response.

The diner itself seemed to be almost entirely flattened, as if crushed underfoot by some enormous beast. A few walls on the south end were still partially standing, though crumbling and swaying in the gusts that blew past.

Velcia turned now towards the old garage where she'd remembered meeting before with a pair of mechanics, Cid and Cindy. This garage was damaged badly as well, though miraculously seemed to be mostly still intact. She made her way over to it, the door swinging back and forth slowly on creaking hinges.

Gingerly, she pushed the door open and made her way inside. There was still a lot of stuff in the building, piles of old machines and mechanical devices strewn about. Velcia held out her hand and spun her fingers in a twisting motion, summoning a flame that she then held above her open palm for light as she looked around the shadowed building.

A corkboard was on the wall beside her, and on it was a single large piece of white paper. "ABANDONED: GONE TO CRESTHOLM'' was written in red ink in large letters. Velcia opened a satchel with her free hand, pulling the map out carefully. She inspected this in the flickering firelight, then nodded as she found what she was looking for.

"I hope everyone here made it to safety," Velcia said softly, running her finger along the page as she searched for her destination. "Crestholm… it's a few miles southeast of here," she said, tapping the map and then tracing the road back up to Hammerhead. She nodded to herself, and put the map back in her bag.

Velcia walked back out into the wind, the flame above her hand blowing away into a mist of ashes as she watched it go, shaking her hand gently to be free of the soot. She pulled out her Gummi Phone and selected a map icon, and a small image of a round planet with Chipmunks dashing across the top of it began to spin slowly as it loaded. "Map of Eos has been synchronized!" it reported.

She smiled. "There. If this works as I believe it should, I should be able to travel directly to Crestholm now," she said with a sigh of relief. Velcia found Crestholm on the device's map, and pressed the icon; but her actions were rebuffed with a disappointing chime. "Connection to Gummi Ship Unstable" flashed across the screen in red letters.

Velcia pursed her lips, looking down at the device. She poked through the menu again, this time selecting "Return to Ship'' only to be met with the same worrying report of failure.

"O-okay," Velcia said, putting the device back in her satchel. "I'll try again later. Crestholm isn't far from here, and there was a road going the entire way. It shouldn't be too difficult of a journey."

Saying so, Velcia took to the road and began walking. The area was dry and sandy, with rolling clouds of sand blowing around in seemingly every direction. Sections of the road were cracked and shattered, and Velcia found many spots where it had been crushed into deep sinkholes.

The sky began to darken as night started to fall, and the winds grew in intensity. A powerful gust swooped up from behind her, and she staggered for a moment as she regained her balance and found better bracing for her footing. There was a low rumble tin the wind that gradually grew into a deep, earth-shaking roar, the sound of which sent Velcia's hairs on end. The sands in the air thickened ever more, blowing into her eyes and mouth.

Velcia coughed and spat, then summoned her Keyblade and held it aloft. A swirl of air formed around the key and blew outwards, creating a small bubble of tranquility for about three meters around her. This did not help her range of vision much, but at least it kept the sand out of her face.

As the night grew thicker, the distance began to come alive with the roars and howls of monsters. Velcia could not see any of these, but they sounded as if they were far away and she hoped dearly that the sand inhibited their sight as much as it did hers. She kept her head down, following the road carefully so as not to lose her way.

The ground underneath her rumbled and shook intensely, causing her to pause in her motion. She waited a moment before continuing on again, only to be interrupted by another quake. She stopped once more stooped low to the ground, resting her free hand flat on the dirt.

Over the next few minutes she felt several more of these deep rumbles in the earth, but felt no unusual magic energies in the ground as she did. Still, they seemed to be coming slightly more quickly with a slowly increasing intensity, and so she shot to her feet and expanded her bubble further than before as she started to run along the road.

She leapt over the small gaps, steadying herself with small bursts of wind magic when the quakes caused her landings to falter, until finally through the dust storm she saw a bright light ahead. She breathed a quick sigh of relief and kept pressing forward until she began to see the shapes of tall walls, lined with powerful searchlights.

As she came up on the building she began to hear the loud shrieks of several more monsters, and the sounds of gunfire from defenders trying to keep the beasts at bay. She ran up close to the wall where the wind was not so strong and dropped her bubble, dissipated her Keyblade, then began walking along the base of the tall structure.

An indent came into view in the wall ahead, but out in front of the building she could now see the monsters attacking the large fortification. There were two large Heartless she recognized as Darkside, as well as another large creature she did not recognize but presumed to be one of the Daemons of Eos. The ground was also swarming with several smaller monsters, both Heartless and Daemon alike, and the attention of all of these was currently focused on the lights shining down from high above her.

Velcia watched as intense bursts of gunfire rained into the smaller monsters, destroying both Daemon and Heartless alike. The Heartless seemed to be reforming fairly quickly, and after a moment Velcia couldn't help but think there were more Heartless than there were a few moments before.

The larger Daemon had been pacing back and forth angrily, not daring to enter the light, but the Darksides seemed to have little issue with it. These were taking the brunt of the heavier fire, and though it seemed to do little lasting damage it was dissuading them from coming too close. Once Darkside, fed up with this, stepped back and dropped to its knees, a great ball of darkness forming in the heart-shaped hole in its abdomen. This ball of darkness arced up into the air and fell down, destroying a cluster of lamps.

The Daemon noticed this and pounced forward towards the dimmed area ferociously, looking over towards the Darkside as it drooled in eager anticipation, waiting for more of the lights to be destroyed.

Seeing what was about to happen, Velcia took this as her cue to intercede. Her Keyblade flashed into her hand, held in a reverse grip, and propelled by a burst of wind magic she leapt out of the shadows at the base of the wall towards the kneeling Darkside.

As she reached the top of her jump, her Keyblade shimmered with a bright light, pearls of light magic scattering from her outstretched hand and pelting the Darkside. The monster roared as it returned to its upright stance, and Velcia quickly began working to dispatch the smaller Heartless and Daemons around her to clear out some space for movement.

The bright flashes of light from Velcia's Key caught the attention of all the Heartless and Daemons immediately, and a Darkside swung a mighty arm down towards her. Velcia remembered well the teachings of her Keyblade Masters and, dropping low to the ground, swung around behind the blow and struck the monster's wrist with her Keyblade. The Darkside howled furiously, and Velcia pressed the attack by sending a stream of fireballs up at it.

She could feel the darkness of the rapidly approaching large Daemon and, jumping into the air, she twirled even higher with another burst of wind magic that sent her over the top of the Daemon. She held her hand out once more, bolts of lighting crashing from her fingertips and finding their own path towards the Daemon below.

The Daemon screamed and shook from the electrical shock, then a battlecry could be heard from the defenders atop the walls of the building. Several machine guns lit up, focusing on the Daemon until it exploded in a burst of darkness.

Velcia jumped over one of the Darkside's feet, then slid underneath the other as it raised into the air, sending a powerful geyser of water from her Keyblade that toppled the beast off balance. With a confused and angry roar, the Darkside stumbled to the ground. Velcia stood up quickly and began channeling as many bursts of light magic as she could into the downed beast, hoping to destroy it before it could rise again.

She felt a growing sense of magic coming over her, pulling her as if to guide her. She tried to ignore this and kept up her efforts, but as the Darkside finally exploded she closed her eyes and tried to feel what it was. The magic was something new and powerful, something she did not understand, but before she could determine what it was the remaining Darkside hit her with a powerful sideswipe.

Velcia was sent flying across the battlefield and hit the ground in a surprised tumble. Several Heartless and Daemons began trying to jump on top of her, and she held up her keyblade quickly to create a protective dome of light that shoved them away. Velcia staggered back up to her feet, feeling winded from the strength of the blow but thankful for the protection her armor provided.

Now that she was at a distance, the Darkside knelt down again and began sending more dark orbs towards her. Velcia held out her Keyblade defensively, snapping the blade against her gauntlet with a small crackle as it set into place. She braced herself behind the Keyblade as though it were a shield, and when the dark orbs impacted against it she slid back slightly in the dirt; moved but not damaged.

She took a deep breath as she counted the delay between shots, then began pooling energy in her free hand. Right when the next orb was about to hit, Velcia instead side-stepped it and shot her arm forward. "Thundaga!" she shouted, streaks of lighting blasting the Darkside. It stumbled and fell over into the range of the turrets, which began to open fire on it. Velcia raced over, past the smaller Heartless and Daemons that were coming towards her, and began firing as many pearls of Light magic into the prone Darkside as she could.

The beast let out a chilling roar and exploded in a puff of smoke, and Velcia quickly turned her attention to the other monsters approaching. The sound of machine gun fire started up again, impacting the ground nearby her. She gasped in surprise and leapt away, realizing now that the gunners were targeting her.

"No, no! I'm here to help you!" she shouted uselessly into the chaos of the night. The swarms of Heartless and Daemons, enraged by the destruction of their larger companions, began advancing on Velcia and pressing her towards the hostile fortification. Velcia looked back nervously at the gunfire that was still trying to get a bead on her.

Velcia swung her key around in her hand, holding it high above her. A great swirling maelstrom of fire burst out in a circle around her, incinerating the monsters that were close and greatly deterring the others. The gunman, for their part, paused for only a moment before seemingly redoubling their efforts; but by this time Velcia had broken into a mad dash away from both beast and building.

She wasn't sure exactly where she was going, other than that she was continuing south along the road. It was only a couple minutes before the building was well behind her and the dark monsters had lost interest. She slowed down, breathing heavily as she took a moment to collect her bearings.

She walked over gently towards a nearby boulder, leaning against it and gingerly feeling her side. It was well-bruised from the Darkside's swipe, but nothing felt broken. She leaned forwards now, gasping for air as she thought about the gunners on the wall. "Oh, why did they attack me?" she asked as she panted. "And where do I go now?"

After a moment, once her breath was coming easier to her, she summoned one of her many bags to her hands and opened it. First she took a bottle of water, and this she drank most of. Next she pulled a potion from a satchel on her side and drank about half of it. She could feel the warmth returning to her cheeks and her exhaustion fading, though she knew it was only a temporary respite. She put these things away, then stood up to take a better look at her surroundings.

The night was nearly pitch black now, the stars entirely blotted out by the clouds and ominous mist she'd seen from the Gummi Ship. She could still see the bright lights of the wall she'd passed, and the sounds of the monsters there were still clear to her. If nothing else, the greatly diminished wind was quite a welcome relief.

Down the road the other way, continuing South, Velcia could see a few more distant lights. She pulled out her map and inspected it with the light of a small flickering flame above her other hand.

"I see… that wasn't New Crestholm yet," she murmured. "That must have been the Viewbliss Outpost. I wonder why they would attack me like that?"

She shook her hand, dousing the fire, and put the map back away. With one last deep breath, she set off once more down the road South to Crestholm. There was a powerful darkness up ahead of her, and she felt her spirits crush at the thought of another heated encounter like the one she'd just escaped from. "I don't know if I have the energy for another battle like that," she whispered to herself as she walked. "I'll just have to try my best and hope nobody tries to shoot me this time."

Velcia kept a steady, quiet pace, and took a silent solace in the fact that there seemed to be nothing of interest immediately around her. This momentary peace was truly the first chance she'd had since she'd arrived on Eos, and she greatly appreciated it.

Finally she came upon the small bridge across the Crestholm Reservoir, a large and mostly destroyed set of concrete pits and pipes that seemed like they were once part of a much larger system. Across the bridge and up in the mountains she could see the gentle glow of a large magical dome, against which the silhouettes of several roaming Darksides became apparent to her.

"That must be New Crestholm, then," she sighed to herself. "And they're under even worse siege than Viewbliss." She tightened her fists, eyes closed, and took several deep breaths. "Alright. Okay. I can do this."

Velcia began her way up the mountain, and several of the smaller Heartless started to take notice. They began screeching triumphantly, and these screeches brought the attention of several Daemons, whose ferocious yowls in turn seemed to draw the attention of the Darksides. Velcia watched the waves of glowing eyes turn towards her and gulped, flicking her hand out to her side and summoning Love's Inheritance once more.

A few of the medium-sized Daemons were the first to reach her, and she leapt over these with a scattershot of Light magic as she did. The Darksides took note of this turn of events and dropped to their knees to begin a ranged assault.

Velcia zig-zagged between the monsters, paying close attention to what was lunging and when. She was focused on defense now, only sending out quick bolts of lightning to gain some sense of vision and disorient the monsters of Darkness.

She shoved out with her Keyblade, like a great shield, at any beasts that leaped close, and would repel others with a dome of light when she was surrounded, carefully trying to close the distance between herself and the Darksides. One of the Daemons, a boar-like beast, charged at her and when she jumped over this she sent a powerful rain of lightning down into it and its companions below her.

The two Darksides nearest to her stood up now, and began swinging at her. Velcia gasped as she ducked under one, then was sent spinning into the ground as the other clipped her foot. She scrambled back to her feet quickly, gritting her teeth.

She could feel a deep exhaustion setting in, her magic depleting fast. She swung her Keyblade at a few of the closer monsters, dispatching of them in a flowing multi-hit combo attack Ventus had taught her.

Finally she caught an opening, and with a twirl of her left hand a potion appeared. She quickly smashed this into the ground, a potent rejuvenating mist wafting out from it. She blocked another dark orb from a Darkside, taking advantage of her defensive position to absorb as much of this magic mist as she could.

She stepped forward, raising her Keyblade high as two pillars of light erupted from the ground beside her. These pillars shot forward in a long X-shaped pattern along the ground, lighting many daemons on fire and destroying several Heartless. She pressed this advantage with continued streams of lightning, once more feeling the same new magic sensation that had distracted her at Viewbliss. It felt as though it was enveloping and warming her, and she was drawn to it once more.

A roar took her out of the trance she'd felt coming over her, and she leaped backwards quickly to avoid a swing from a Darkside. As she did, a streak of blue shot out across the battlefield with a shriek. A roar broke out from a group of Daemons, and the blue streaks continued to fly past all around the battlefield. Velcia took a deep breath, thankful that this new combatant seemed not to take issue with her. She pooled the last of her magic together into a mighty fireball that she launched out at the nearest Darkside. This burst into flames as it staggered to the ground, and Velcia watched it as she too fought the urge to fall to her knees.

There was a whistling streak as a large, metal object whizzed past her, and a voice broke out from behind. "Quick, while they're distracted, follow me."

Velcia turned around to see a tall, black-haired man standing behind her with his hand outstretched. "N-Noctis? I can't tell you how good it is to see you."

Noctis startled momentarily, but shook his head. "Heh, Velcia? Come on, quickly, let's get out of here." Saying this he threw his blade towards the town, warping towards it and catching it with a spin.

Velcia looked back to the burning Darkside, realizing that the great flames seemed to be obscuring her from the monster's sight, and she quickly ran after Noctis. The two didn't stop until Noctis had passed through the magic dome around the town, where he sat down and ran his hand through his sweaty hair.

Velcia dropped to the ground beside him, panting heavily. "Won't they follow us?" she asked.

"Nah, this place is protected by the same magic as the Havens. It's a total blindspot for monsters of darkness," he told her.

Velcia nodded, gasping again to try to breathe through her dry throat. She pulled out a bottle of water and drank from it deeply.

Noctis watched her quietly for a moment. "So, not that I'm complaining or anything, but what are you doing back here on Eos?"

Velcia lowered her bottle and leaned her head back against a rock behind her. "It's a long story. We heard that your world had been invaded by Heartless and I was asked to come help."

"Huh," Noctis murmured ponderously, then stood up. "Better wait until we're with the others before you explain it. You ready to walk?"

Velcia nodded, standing up slowly on shaky legs. "I believe so. Where are the others?"

"We've been staying here in New Crestholm while we try to get this mess sorted out," he told her, waving his hand with a sigh of resignation. "When we heard the commotion out on the road, I went to go check it out. Good thing I did, huh?"

"I'm very glad that you did, in fact I came down here looking for you," Velcia told him.

"Well, you found us," Noctis said as he turned a corner. Up ahead, Velcia could see Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto sitting around a campfire. Their attention quickly turned towards Noctis the moment he came into view.

Prompto spoke up almost as soon as he saw Noctis. "Hey Noct, so what was going on?"

"There was someone out there after all. Look who I ran into," Noctis said as Velcia walked up beside him.

She smiled gently and waved. "Hello everyone! It's good to see you all again."

Prompto stood up quickly in surprise. "Vel, is that you? Long time no see!"

Ignis and Gladiolus also stood up from the chairs, walking over now with great interest.

Gladiolus took a good look at her armor. "You look fit for fighting."

Ignis pushed up his glasses. "Indeed. I imagine she must have done quite a bit of it, to reach us down here in New Crestholm."

Velcia nodded wearily. "I arrived in Hammerhead, but found it deserted, so I've been traveling down here since. I couldn't see much of anything because of that terrible dust storm, so I am quite glad I made it here safely."

"Woah! That must have taken all day!" Prompto exclaimed.

Gladiolus crossed his arms. "The Nifs over at Viewbliss give you any trouble?"

"Yes, in fact. I helped fight off some of the Heartless at their doorstep and they began attacking me," Velcia explained, shaking her head sadly.

Noctis nodded. "Sounds like a rough day."

"It was, but I pulled through. It's been very important to me to find you as quickly as I could," Velcia told them.

Ignis raised his hand to his chin. "And, if I may ask, what brings you here so urgently?"

She nodded softly, sitting down on the ground. "The Heartless," she said between breaths.

"Heartless?" Prompto asked, tapping a finger on his cheek. "Yeah, I remember Hinata talking about those guys last time you were here. Hey, is she here?"

Velcia shook her head. "No, she isn't. I came on my own this time."

"If I may," Ignis cut in, shaking his finger as he thought, "What precisely are these Heartless?"

"Monsters of Darkness, that form from people's hearts," Velcia told him.

Ignis cast a quick glance towards the others, Gladio shrugging. "You did say to be precise."

Noctis crossed his arms. "Those monsters you were fighting outside New Crestholm, were those Heartless?"

Velcia nodded weakly.

"Crap," Noctis groaned under his breath. He turned towards the others. "Those new types of Daemons we've been struggling with? I think all of those guys are actually Heartless."

"That would explain quite a bit…" Ignis said.

Realizing now the significance of this revelation, Gladiolus crossed his arms and looked down to the ground with a scowl. "Those guys started showing up just a couple weeks after you guys left. Everything's been going to hell here since then."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Velcia said, shaking her head sadly. "We only just found out, or someone would have come to help sooner."

Gladiolus sighed, and looked up at the sky. "You're going to have to tell us everything you can. I don't like knowing that Eos has to deal with two types of darknesses now."

Velcia nodded again, taking in a deep breath. Noctis watched her, noting to himself how tired and exhausted she looked. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, he stepped forward holding an arm out. "You know, maybe it's best to table this discussion until tomorrow. It's already pretty late."

With a quick nod of his head, Ignis spoke up. "I agree. Unless the situation is so dire that it must be addressed immediately, then it does seem wisest to approach the subject when we have all had the benefit of a good night's rest."

Velcia looked between them all, feeling the aches in her body quite vividly. She knew she'd pushed herself on the journey here, and was happy to leave the discussion for later. "I believe it can wait. Thank you for your patience."

Gladiolus reached down and offered her a hand, pulling her up quickly once she reached back up to him. "Come on, let's find you somewhere to stay the night. Iggy knows which trailers are the best."

They followed Ignis a ways, past several serviceable but still somewhat run-down buildings, until finally they arrived at an empty trailer. Ignis opened the door and quickly checked inside before returning to them with a nod of satisfaction. "This unit has a decent bed,running water, and electricity. It's no hotel, but it should be much more comfortable than a tent. You can rest here for the night and we'll reconvene when you are ready tomorrow."

Velcia sighed. "Thank you all. I'm sorry to be such a burden to you already."

"Not at all. Many people have been displaced or lost in the last year, and New Crestholm is where they come," Ignis explained. "It is fortunate that you were able to find us."

She nodded. "It's very good to see you all again."

Prompto smiled. "Yeah! Can't wait to take more photos!"

"I don't think she's here for photoshoots, Prompt," Noctis said with a shake of his head.

Gladiolus grabbed Prompto by the shoulder and pulled him back. "Come on, let's leave her alone. We'll figure out what's going on in the morning."

"Aw man!" Prompto protested, but followed along all the same.

Velcia watched them turn to go, but called out. "Noctis!"

He turned towards her quietly.

Velcia blushed. "Um, thanks for helping me. I really appreciate it."

Noctis shrugged. "It's nothing. See you in the morning."

Velcia nodded and went inside the trailer, turning on the lights inside. It was small, but seemed cozy and furnished well enough. She stumbled her way carefully to the back room and flopped onto her back on the bed, thoughts of food and baths and many other things swirling in her head.

Her body ached, and her head throbbed and, after a tense but inevitable battle against her increasingly-heavy eyelids, Velcia fell asleep.