Chapter 1

Today was the day that one of Velcia's oldest, dearest of dreams came true.

Many in the World of Olympus dreamed of meeting the mighty Zeus, who ruled over all the land. Those not so bold or desperate sometimes held the more humble dream of simply seeing the realm of the gods, yearning to look upon the golden city in the clouds at the top of Mt. Olympus with their own eyes. Others set themselves to pilgrimages up the dangerous mountain trail; though they were invariably turned back before ever coming close to the shimmering golden gates nestled in the quartz walls which stood tall at the mountain's summit.

Velcia, who was walking along this very road from Mt. Olympus into Thebes, had done all these things and many others on this day; and yet none of these were themselves the fulfillment of her dreams.

For today was the first time in her life that Velcia finally was able to walk the streets of her home town with her mother by her side, and as the realization hit her that this old, impossible pining in her soul had come true she found she couldn't help but tear up.

Her mother, Ioanna, looked over at her sweetly as they approached the edge of town. "It's just beginning to hit me, as well."

Velcia smiled, wiping the tear from her face slowly. "I can't imagine how you must be feeling," she said with a chuckle.

Ioanna sighed wistfully, blinking slowly as the length of her twenty-five year absence stretched slowly across her mind. She grabbed her daughter's hand, giving it a loving squeeze. "I, at least, knew this day would eventually come. Still, I got so used to the wait that it's hard to believe it's finally here."

"If only Papa were here, too," Velcia mused sadly, then shook her head. "But, I am overjoyed to have you here again. I used to always dream of what it would be like to walk through Thebes with you. Papa would always do his best to point out your favorite things. It helped so much to feel like I had some piece of you left."

"He was always sentimental in that way," Ioanna whispered longingly. "Why, you're probably more acquainted now with my favorite parts of Thebes than I am myself."

Velcia's face scrunched up a bit in consternation. "Perhaps not. So much has changed, both since your disappearance and then later Papa's passing."

They had made it to the main street now, and far ahead they could see the tall and powerful walls of the Olympus Coliseum. Several times a year this grand combat arena was host to all kinds of events, the streets bustling with merchants both local and foreign to play host to the cacophonous crowds of sight-seers, combatants, travelers, artists, scholars, and any other number of curiosities came to indulge in the magnificence exclusive to the realm of the Mighty Zeus.

There were no such events on this day, however, and as Ioanna's weary but relieved eyes scanned back and forth across the streets of her home city she found both nostalgic comfort and an unsettling feeling of unfamiliarity.

"It feels just like I remember it, at first," she said quietly, watching the cloth awnings flap in the wind down the calm street. "But all the little details are so much different than the pictures in my mind."

"Papa used to always tell me that even though the way it looks changes on the outside, the soul of Thebes stays the same. I hope that, with time, you'll find that connection with it again," Velcia told her.

"Perhaps," Ioanna said softly. "For now, it's just a bit of a shock after so long. Truth be told, I hadn't really known what to expect."

Velcia nodded, giving her mother's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I understand. I hope that, if nothing else, you can feel comfortable at Uncle's house while we're here."

Ioanna smiled warmly. "I am looking forward to seeing them again. I'm sure they were quite surprised when you told them I was returning."

With an abrupt, stuttered squeak Velcia came to complete stop. Ioanna turned towards her curiously, seeing her flush-red face.

"You… you did tell them, didn't you?" Ioanna asked with some sense of amusement.

"I… not as such," Velcia admitted. "I couldn't begin to think of how to explain such a thing and in the end only asked if I could bring along someone very special."

With a chuckle, Ioanna rested her open palm against her face. "Agopios will be quite amused once the shock wears off, I'm sure. Your father would almost surely have handled the situation in precisely the same manner."

Velcia smiled warmly at the comparison to her father, proud of her familial bond. "Papa used to say the same about you and I," she chuckled happily. "It's so special of me to have this connection with both of you."

Ioanna looked into her daughter's green eyes, brushing aside some of the orange hair that had fallen from her half-crown braid from the gusts of wind that had battered them on their descent from Olympus, and looked at her lovingly. "I see so much of both of us in you, Velcia, and I feel so blessed to be able to be here again with you."

Velcia cracked a happy, but embarrassed grin. "Thank you. I'm so glad you're here with me now."

Ioanna pulled her in close and gave her a tight hug.

After a moment, they began their trek down the city street. Ioanna's face began to soften and her eyes welled up as familiar sights and sounds came into view. Overtaken with the memories and curiosities she began asking Velcia all manner of questions about the city and people who lived there. Velcia was quite pleased at this, thinking back to all her similar conversations with her father, and answered every question eagerly. She would listen with fascinated interest to Ioanna's small stories and explanations about things that had changed.

Velcia was so caught up in the excitement of their travels together that it took her some time to notice that, after making their way through much of the city, her mother's complexion had become rather more concerned.

"Oh, what's wrong? You seem so worried. I didn't say anything to upset you, did I?" Velcia asked.

"No, dear. I've just noticed some people looking at us strangely. I'm almost certain they must recognize me," Ioanna said quietly, looking to the ground.

Velcia began to look around. Most of the people in the city seemed to pay them no mind, but she saw quite a few familiar faces who had taken notice. They would smile and wave heartily when they saw her looking their way, a few even called out with a cheerful 'good evening', but it was quite apparent to her as well that they were paying more attention than either of them were used to.

She looked out into the distance, seeing now the road that led to her Aunt and Uncle's house.

Taking a deep breath and trying her best to conceal her own concern, Velcia spoke up. "Well, they don't seem angry or upset to see us at least. They are all people I am quite familiar with, so perhaps they just find it odd to see me traveling with someone who looks so much like me?"

"Perhaps," Ioanna said softly.

"In either case, we're very nearly at Aunt and Uncle's house. I'm sure everything will be fine once we get there," Velcia said in an effort to reassure both her mother and herself.

Ioanna said nothing, and kept walking.

Though it felt like ages, it was only a couple minutes until they arrived. Velcia eagerly knocked on the door and stood waiting patiently with her hands folded in front of her. There was some scuffle inside, and the door opened quickly.

Agopios and Delphine were both inside with great big smiles, but their eyes very quickly locked on to Ioanna, both of them gasping in surprise.

"Ioanna, is that really you?" Delphine asked, white in shock but shaking with excitement.

Ioanna breathed a sigh of relief, finding herself growing excited as well. "It is, it is, and I'm so happy to see you again."

Delphine grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a hug. "Oh, by the gods, it's so good to see you alive and well after all this time. And Velcia, too, it's so good to have you back. When you asked if you could bring along a guest, I could never have expected—!"

Delphine cut herself off abruptly and turned to Agopios, who seemed as if he were frozen in surprise but trying his best to hide it behind a veneer of stoicism. "Well, aren't you going to say anything?"

Agopios raised a softly trembling arm. "O-oh, yes, sorry! I-Ioanna! It's wonderful to see you again after so long."

Ioanna bowed softly, and Velcia spoke up quickly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you ahead of time. I wasn't sure how to explain it to you, especially through a letter."

"No, no, I quite understand," Agopios said, still shaking but regaining the color in his face. Velcia and her mother stood awkwardly, the tension of their apprehension visibly growing, until Agopios' face broke into a warm smile. "I couldn't help but worry it was a dream at first, but you're really here again after all this time," he said, reaching out and taking his sister-in-law's hand.

"I can hardly believe it myself," Ioanna said, warming with relief. "It's so good to see you're both here and doing well."

"My, my, do come in," Delphine said, stepping back and waving them inside. "We can catch up much more comfortably in the house."

The pair followed them inside, Velcia smiling as she looked around the familiar and comforting space. Ioanna, too, was looking around wide-eyed but keenly, her ancient mental images updating and adjusting.

"I'm sorry to have come back so abruptly," Ioanna said quietly. "It must be very difficult to come to terms with after I've been gone for so long."

"There's no need to apologize for that," Delphine said, grabbing her hand and sandwiching it comfortingly. "I must admit, it is quite a shock to see you back. Afterall, we thought that you were… well, clearly not."

Agopios' arms were crossed, and his chin buried deep in one of his hands and he murmured to himself. "Yes, quite. I can't help but assume that our Velcia here's had some role to play in this?"

"Very little, I would say," Velcia said after a moment. "It is a quite complicated series of events."

Her frizzy-headed uncle nodded sagely, exuding the impression that he knew more than perhaps he really did. "I would expect nothing simple behind a miracle such as this. I do hope you've been doing well for yourself, wherever it is that you've been."

Ioanna tilted her head slightly. "Well enough, I suppose. Truth be told, there's quite a bit of this I'm coming to terms with still."

"No doubt, no doubt at all," Delphine said. "Well, whatever the case… it is a joy to our souls to have you back here with us. Will you be staying long?"

Velcia clasped her hands together. "I was hoping we would be able to stay in town for about a week, but it will depend on how mother's feeling."

"Well!" Agopios exclaimed, face brightening. "That gives us plenty of time to catch up and enjoy each other's company."

"You're welcome to come over here as often as you would like," Delphine added. "It will be so nice to have the two of you with us."

Ioanna looked around the room happily. "Thank you both. It… it is very nice to be back here again," she said, eyes wandering across the bookshelves that lined the far wall.

"It's a little hard for me to judge I suppose," Agopios started as he turned to follow her gaze, "But I suppose the house must look quite different to how you remember it."

"In many ways, yes," Ioanna looked back to Agopios quizzically. "Whatever possessed you to get rid of so many of your books?"

Velcia's face scrunched in confusion and she quickly looked at the great multitude of books strewn around the room, much to her Uncle's amusement.

"Heh, Velcia, that must be quite an odd question to you, isn't it?" he asked jovially. "Back before you were born, why, every corner of the house was filled with piles upon piles of books. What you've seen here over the years has really only been a small fraction of what I used to keep around!"

Velcia stared at the overflowing bookshelves in wonder. "I've never seen your book collection so big as this. You mean you had even more?"

Delphine shook her head with a chuckle. "Well, I have to draw a line somewhere!"

Agopios nodded vehemently. "Yes, yes. And I'm afraid I'm coming up on that line again rather quickly. I'm sure the library will be quite pleased to see me back so soon."

Velcia giggled. "I'm not sure how you decide which ones to give away and which ones to keep."

Agopios stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I have a very methodical system, you know. The first step is to very meticulously sort out which books I feel are least important to my current research. Step two comes when Delphine tells me I'm taking too long, and I hastily sweep anything in arm's reach into a bag!"

Ioanna shook her head with a laugh. "You Anthes men and your books!"

Delphine looked around at the books with a warm smile. "Oh, I do have to admit they've grown on me over the years."

"I should hope we have!" Agopios teased with a laugh.

"Oh, you know I meant the books!" Delphine retorted playfully, before turning back to her guests. "I don't suppose either of you are hungry? Agi and I were going to be having dinner soon and we have more than enough stew to share, if you would like some."

Velcia's eyes lit up. "Oh, Aunty, the stew smells so very delicious!" she exclaimed, an almost child-like sense of excitement coming over her.

"Well, it's better than it was two weeks ago," Delphine tutted to herself. "I put some new spice in from the market that was far too pungent. It's taken some time to balance that one out!"

"You did it, though!" Agopios told her.

"I did. And you suffered all the way through it without complaint!" Delphine laughed, and began leading them into the kitchen.

"So how was it seeing old Thebes again, Ioanna?" Agopios asked. "It's been, what… twenty-five years? A lot has changed."

Ioanna nodded. "Yes, Velcia and I talked about that quite a bit. I expected things would be very different, but it's still surprising to see exactly what has and hasn't changed."

Agopios sat down in one of the wooden chairs and leaned back on two legs, stroking his chin again. "Yes, well, the city is quite proud of its long-running heritage. Still, some of the locals could at least spruce things up a bit."

Ioanna nodded softly. "I suppose I haven't been back long enough to know that. Still, even with all the things that have changed, enough seems the same that it still feels comforting to see it again."

"It's hard to beat that warm embrace of nostalgia!" Delphine said as she began to collect a stack of bowls.

Agopios hummed. "Mm, true, true. Anybody say hello on your way over?"

Velcia shook her head. "A couple of them greeted me, but nobody came to talk to us. They were staring an awful lot though."

Agopios nodded. "Yes, I imagine so," he said softly. "It is a bit of an unusual circumstance."

Delphine came over and began laying bowls filled to the brim with steaming-hot stew on the table, the complex and savory fragrance immediately cultivating a deep-seated hunger in all who were near. "Well, I'm sorry if they made you uncomfortable, my dears. People just can't help but stare sometimes."

Ioanna's eyes were locked to the stew as she fumbled around for her spoon. "I expected it, to be honest," she said finally. "It's something that's been on my mind a lot these last few days. After all these years away under such unusual circumstances, who knows what kind of things were said after I disappeared?"

Saying so, Ioanna quickly put a spoonful of the stew into her mouth and her eyes closed softly. "Oh, this is so good!" she said at last, looking back down to it and seeing if she could find another piece of the meat she'd got in the first bite.

Agopios looked down at his stew blankly, and then set down his spoon. Delphine raised a curious eye, but said nothing as she waited for his explanation. "Ioanna, Velcia, I suppose it's my turn to share something with you," he said gravely.

"Don't start it like that!" Delphine whispered in a hiss.

"I don't know how else to start it!" he defended. "And you don't even know what it is, I haven't mentioned it to you either!"

Velcia and Ioanna both stared at him with lowered spoons, nervous now for what he might say.

Catching their worried looks, Agopios shook his head. "No, no, I'm telling you because I think it will be good for you to hear. It was the strangest thing, really. A couple weeks ago, out of nowhere, I started to hear rumors going around the university."

Delphine set her spoon down and crossed her arms. "What sort of nonsense was it this time? More ridiculous things from those busy-body gossips?"

"I thought so, at first. I tried to get people to stop talking about it, because I thought it was ridiculous, but here we are…!" Agopios said, shaking his head.

Ioanna pursed her lips sadly. "Is there something I should know?"

"People started talking about you again, Ioanna. For some reason, out of nowhere, I heard people whispering that they'd heard that now with Acantha gone, you would come back. Well, they tried to keep me from hearing about it, out of respect I suppose as you and I are family, but I was quite indignant when I did hear of it."

"Why would they do that?" Ioanna asked.

"Well, that's what I wanted to know. Acantha passed months ago, and nobody's talked about you disappearing for quite a while. But apparently the rumor going around was that Acantha did something to put your life in danger and you went into hiding until it was safe to return; and that Velcia here had to go through great labors to prove to the gods that it was time for you to return," Agopios told them, shaking his head. "I figured with Acantha dead and Velcia being gone for so long, someone's imagination just got out of hand, but… here you are."

Velcia's eyes widened in surprise. "That… that's…"

"It's not far off, actually," Ioanna finished softly. "Though it's not exactly true either, is it?"

"No, but it… it's close enough, I suppose," Velcia said thoughtfully. "But how would anyone know?"

Agopios sighed. "I'm not sure. The only reason I bother to bring it up is to try to let you know that, for some reason, you've been a topic of some positive discussion lately. I know how uncomfortable it must feel to worry so much about what they're saying, so I thought—"

Delphine batted the back of his hand with her spoon. "And you didn't tell me?"

He pulled his hand back sharply, rubbing it with feigned offense. "Well, how could I? It was hard for me to hear this talk out of nowhere. I hoped it would burn away quickly like that chicken leather fiasco and we wouldn't have to worry about it."

"Chicken leather!" Delphine exclaimed, shaking her head. "This is different, Agi, and you know it."

"Well I certainly do now," Agopios replied, hastily spooning another bite of stew into his mouth.

Velcia shook her head. "This… It's almost unbelievable. With stories like that going around, mother, why I don't think—!"

Ioanna sat back, thinking quickly. "Well, it's certainly a positive starting point. It's close enough to the truth that I would be comfortable enough to simply agree with it if anyone were to ask."

Velcia looked back down at her bowl. "Why would a rumor like that start? And so close to her actually coming back as well?"

"Seems like providence to me," Delphine said. "Good luck bestowed by the gods in a moment of need."

"The gods…" Velcia said, eyes widening in realization. "Zeus! Uncle, when did you say these rumors began?"

"First I heard of it was about two weeks ago," Agopios said, catching drift of her excitement.

"That's not long after I asked Zeus about bringing mother here for a visit!" Velcia said, hands flat on the table. "You don't think…?"

"You asked Zeus?" Agopios asked, pointing his spoon at her. "As in, through a prayer?"

"No, I… I asked him. I… Oh, I have so many things to explain to you two!" Velcia said.

"Well, don't waste any time!" Agopios said excitedly, eyes wide with anticipation.

Delphine rested her hand atop his. "What he means to say is, 'finish your stew before it gets cold, and then tell us all about it later', of course."

"Yes, that is what I should say, but it's not what I meant," Agopios said with a disappointed sigh. "But, of course, she is right."

Velcia nodded, taking another large bite of the stew. As excited as she was to tell them, the stew was enchanting to her senses and demanded her attention, and it seemed to her as if Ioanna felt the same way. "Don't worry, Uncle. After I finish, I'll tell you what I've been doing on my trips. I think I can tell you all of it now, and I've been so excited to do so."

Agopios looked down at his nearly-empty bowl with excitement, and quickly shoveled the remaining spoonfuls into his mouth. "There!" he exclaimed after swallowing the last of it. "There, now it's empty and I am ready for—" he stopped, staring deep into the wooden abyss as the scents played in his nose. "Ready for a second bowl. You can tell me after that."

Velcia laughed, and took another happy bite as her mind raced to decide what she was going to tell Agopios first.

After dinner, the group moved into the living room and settled in on the comfortable plush chairs that were there. They were some of the most comfortable seats that Velcia could remember in Olympus, and if your intention was to sit down for a good long while and get lost in a book, or four, there was nowhere better for it.

Velcia told her Uncle and Aunt what had happened after she received the collection of her family's journals that had been kept by her late grandmother. She told them about how she finally deciphered the clues and saved her ancestor, and about the new power that had awoken inside of her after her return.

Agopios and Delphine had heard some stories of Keyblade Wielders from Velcia before, when she'd come to live with them in the wake of losing her father and cousin, but for them it was still a concept very much shrouded in myth. Velcia's excited explanations about her travels to different worlds with her friends Hinata and Sam captured their attention and fascinated them both Even Ioanna couldn't help but come out of her shell enough to explain that she herself had also been away on another world, Traverse Town, where she herself met hundreds of people from dozens of worlds.

Agopios never forgot Velcia's comment about speaking to Zeus and quickly pounced upon the topic when it came up again, listening intently to every detail of what the City of Olympus was like and meticulously grilling Velcia for whatever information that she happened to leave out; much to Delphine's great amusement.

When at last his ravenous appetite for information had been satiated, Aogpios sat back in his well-indented plush chair with a sigh, shaking his head softly. "Amazing. I couldn't even have begun to imagine."

Velcia nodded happily. "Me neither, and there are still so many more things I haven't told you about. Technology and machines that perform wonders like no magic I've seen, used as casually as if they were parchment. Entire plays and theater performances are archived as a series of pictures and sound that can be viewed on boxes that light up, simply by inserting a disc."

Agopios shook his head. "It sounds like the magic of the gods."

"But for them, it's mundane," Velcia said in near-whisper. "Of course, Zeus has something similar up in Olympus. Tapestries that record the lives of everyone who's ever lived in Olympus. The goddesses Vesta and Hestia can display these recordings, they take shape around you as if you were there yourself. Quite a bit more impressive, and they feel much more convincing than something like Ansem's digital world."

Agopios' eyes widened and he leaned forward slightly. "Digital… world…?" he asked.

Velcia shook her head with a laugh. "Oh no, no, it is much too complicated for me to explain those. I only vaguely grasp the concepts myself. I wouldn't be able to do any better than to list the words I've come to associate with it; data, computers, servers… but I have nowhere near the understanding it would take to satisfy your interest."

Agopios leaned back in his chair. "It's just as well, that. What you've told me so far is enough to boggle me for a lifetime. I mustn't inquire any further into these things, at least not tonight."

Velcia let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, much to her family's amusement.

Delphine turned to Ioanna. "And what of you, dear sister? Are you feeling well enough to tell us anything about what you've been up to all these years?"

Ioanna inhaled abruptly, then nodded slowly. "There's… not much else to tell, admittedly. As I said, I was brought to a place called Traverse Town. Most of the people who come through there are transitory, I was told it was a refuge for those whose worlds have been destroyed. Not many people are there for long, but after I was there for a few months some of the locals began to take notice of me."

Delphine shook her head. "My, my. Where did you stay?"

"There are all manner of inns and halfway houses there, places for people to stay while they get on their feet. They are nice enough, from what I saw, but certainly lack a sense of privacy or permanence. Zeus and Hestia covered the cost of a more permanent residence for me, until eventually I opened a potion shop of my own there and could support myself," Ioanna explained.

"Potions there as well!" Agopios said with a nod. "Well, you always had an incredible knack for it. You and Heph managed to pass that onto Velcia quite well; there's been no shortage of complaints with the new vendors that have popped up to fill the void since she's been away."

Velcia blushed. "Oh, it can't be as bad as that. There are plenty of good potion makers in town."

"But none like the old Anthes potions!" Agopios said with a wink. "Your family always had the more potent potion at the better price. When the games roll around, the old-timers make sure the advantages of a proper Anthes potion are well-known!"

"Oh, no… I'm so sorry to let them down, I've just been so busy…" Velcia said sadly. "I would love to be able to come back for the busy seasons, but everything's been so unpredictable, and—"

Delphine cut her off. "Velcia, Velcia, you must stop. Olympus has potions to make it through, and the work you've been doing when you've been away… Why, I'm sure any of them would agree that it's more important. I can hardly fathom it myself."

Velcia took a deep breath, her shoulders bobbing as she did. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's something that's been on my heart a lot the last year. I really do love my work as a potion maker, and it's something I've missed."

Ioanna nodded. "I feel the same way. It wasn't until I started making potions again in Traverse Town that I started to feel like I was at home again. There's just something comforting about it, I suppose."

Velcia smiled warmly. "I'm glad you understand."

Ioanna looked around the room slowly. "I must admit… I was feeling a lot more torn on the idea even this morning, but being here again I am starting to wonder if it is time for me to return to Olympus."

Velcia clasped her hands together with an excited gasp, and though Agopios and Delphine did not match the intensity of her reaction their smiles conveyed a similar excitement all the same.

"We'd love to have you back, of course! You could stay with us for as long as you need," Delphine told her quickly as Agopios mouthed the words alongside her.

Velcia nodded her head quickly. "Yes, and of course you are always welcome to move back into our old house above the potion shop! You can even open the shop again if you would like!"

Ioanna chuckled softly. "There are still many things I'd want to work out before I say yes, of course… but perhaps tomorrow I'll go visit the shop with you and we'll see what I think."

Velcia leaned back into her seat, pulling a soft blanket up over herself. "Wouldn't that be something," she said dreamily.

Ioanna closed her eyes with a warm smile. "Hephestus and I dreamed for years about living there together. I don't think it will be the same without him, but I'm sure he'd be happy to see me there again."

"You and Papa didn't live there together?" Velcia asked.

"No, we didn't. My cousin passed the shop to me long before I met your father. We spent quite a bit of time together there during our courtship, but we didn't get married until after we'd left on his research trip," Ioanna explained to her.

"Oh! And it was on that trip when I was born?" Velcia asked.

Ioanna nodded. "Yes, it was. My last night there… my last night on Olympus… and he wasn't…" she choked up, shaking her head sadly. "But no, we never got back there together."

Agopios shook his head sadly. "It took quite a bit of effort in the courts to get the property under his name, but Heph did it. I'm glad he was able to keep it safe for you all those years."

Ioanna, wiping away a tear that tried to form in the corner of her eye, looking over to him. "Keep it safe?"

"Ah, er, well, you know… Acantha," Agopios said softly, looked up into the dark corners of the ceiling. "You better not be lurking around up there, you!" he chided bitterly, much to Velcia's amusement.

Shaking his head, Agopios continued. "Well, with everything happening so quickly and your marriage taking place in another land, Acantha tried to make a legal claim over the shop as your closest surviving relative. There was quite a kerfuffle over the whole thing, especially since your… status… was so difficult to determine. It took almost a year, but Heph managed to pull it off."

"Oh, Papa is amazing!" Velcia said. "And then you, Uncle! You saved it again when Papa passed away!"

Agopios waved a dismissive hand. "No, think nothing of that. Everyone at the university pitched in to help keep that in the family, and that had everything to do with how much you two had poured into the community. Nobody could bear to see the Anthes Potion Shop sold off or destroyed and take that opportunity from you."

Ioanna shook her head, hand over her mouth. "Did they really? Oh, those sweethearts."

"Well, sure," Agopios said warmly. "You know how Hephestus was."

Delphine, though smiling, yawned an enormous, exhausted yawn. "Goodness me, I apologize!"

Agopios shook his head. "It is nigh-unfathomably late. Velcia, Ioanna, you two are welcome to spend the night here tonight. I know your house isn't far, Velcia, but to travel in such cold weather so late at night! I simply won't have it."

Velcia nodded sleepily. "I feel as though I could fall asleep right here on this chair, and would happily do so. Mother? Would you like to stay the night here, and visit the shop with me tomorrow morning?"

Ioanna sat up straight, pressing her wrists into her back as she stretched. "Yes, that does sound nice. I don't suppose you have a guest bed available?"

Delphine laughed. "Well, if Velcia really does intend to sleep on that seat then her old bed in the other room should be available. Of course, we do have another guest bed, but it isn't as comfortable. Would you be okay with that, Velcia?"

Velcia, eyes closed, pretended to snore softly as she restrained a sleepy giggle.

"Hm! That's settled then, I suppose!" Delphine laughed.

"Goodnight, you two!" Agopios said as he stood up, slowly stumbling his way towards the hall as Delphine followed.

Velcia peeked out from one open eye. "Goodnight, mother!" she called out softly.

Ioanna turned towards her with a warm smile. "Goodnight, Velcia. Thank you for bringing me back here. I didn't realize how much I needed it."

"Of course. I'm so excited to show you the shop tomorrow," she replied, snuggling in a little tighter.

Her mother couldn't help but chuckle, and rested a hand against the wooden frame of the hall. "Me, too. I can't imagine what it will be like."

After a hearty breakfast the next morning, Velcia and Ioanna made their way over to the old potion shop. There were quite a few more neighbors who recognized Velcia this morning, and they would invariably wave wordlessly or give a simple 'good morning', each of them with a look of either disbelief or confused amazement. This was still uncomfortable to the two, but remembering what Agopios had told them the night before helped to put Ioanna's worried conscience a little more at ease.

Ioanna quickly noticed the boards across the windows as they came up to the shop, and shook her head sadly. "Oh dear, what happened here?"

"The windows are fine!" Velcia reported happily. "Uncle boarded them up for me after I left on my trip to help Sam and Hinata, just to help keep things safe."

"He's such a considerate man," Ioanna said with a smile.

Velcia unlocked the door and the two stepped inside. She held her hand up, creating a small flame above her fingers with a twisting motion and sending it out to the candles around the room. The small lights flickered for a moment as the flames tried to find stable footing on the dust-encrusted wicks, but it wasn't long before the room began to radiate with their gentle warm glow.

Ioanna stepped forward gingerly, her mouth open wordlessly as she looked around her long-missed shop. Velcia stepped aside to let her pass, leaning back against a countertop with her hands; but standing up straight with a start as she felt the thick layer of dust. Velcia looked at the filth on her hands, then down to the handprints she'd left on the surface and stuck out the tip of her tongue with a look of disgust.

"I'm sorry it's so dirty, mother," she said, her cheeks red. "I've tried to keep the house upstairs clean the couple times I've come to visit, but I haven't spent much time at all down here in the shop."

"No, no… it's fine. I just can't believe I'm actually back here," Ioanna said softly, stepping slowly through the space as memories of the past ran through her head.

Velcia looked back down at the countertop with a disappointed sigh, then lifted her left hand and closed her eyes. A swirl of purple magic began to circle around this hand and, opening her eyes, she lowered it by the countertop. The dust nearest to it began to shake slowly and pull in towards the vortex, and was suddenly blown in when Velcia held out her right hand and began magically creating small bursts of air as she fanned at the surface.

She made her way around the room, absorbed in her work, and by the time she'd finished she'd amassed quite a sizable ball of dirt and dust, floating around in the magic trap above her hand. She walked carefully to a door at the back of the shop, fought the stubborn lock so she could open the door, and gently heaved the bundle of dirt into a bin nearby with a satisfied smile.

Turning back inside, she saw her mother standing behind the back counter looking at the cauldrons. "I can't believe this old thing is still here," she said, eyes fixed on the one in the center."

"Oh yes, Papa said he could never get rid of it and neither could I. It was just… too special to us," Velcia told her.

Ioanna looked at the two cauldrons that sat on either side of it. "Well, it doesn't stand out too much from a distance. He went out of his way to find ones that were similar, didn't he?"

Velcia nodded. "Yes. I was still very small at the time, but I remember we spent several weekends traveling around the cities looking for just the right ones. I don't even remember where or how he found them, but he was so pleased when they arrived."

Ioanna nodded wordlessly, turning around again and looking at everything else in the workspace. "Even after all these years there's still so much of him in this shop, everywhere I look."

"He wanted to keep it the way you had it as much as he could, and I tried to do the same. There are some things we had to change, of course…" Velcia explained.

Ioanna sat down on the tall stool with a deep breath. "I'd been worried about coming back here. It's bittersweet, but I'm finding it more sweet than bitter. This place… the love that you both poured into it, I don't feel as lonely as I expected I would. All those good times we shared together here, all the visions Hestia shared with me of the two of you… It still feels like home."

Velcia smiled warmly. "I'm glad to hear that. Um, but, if there are any changes you would want to make then we could certainly consider them. You'd be using the shop more often than me, anyways."

Ioanna nodded softly as she continued to look at the shelves under the countertop. "Is that… is that the same old orders book?"

She grabbed the book and set it on the counter gently, running her fingers across the top. "This cover seems identical…" she spoke softly, then gasping softly as she opened it to the first page. "This is my own handwriting from back when I first opened the shop. You've kept the same book all this time?"

Velcia came over and rested her elbows on the counter, leaning over towards the book. "Yes, more or less. Papa and I have both had to have it re-bound a couple times, especially when it would start to run out of pages. The last time I had it re-bound I talked with a vendor who was here from another world who added these metal rings in the back—" she flipped to the back of the book to demonstrate "—that let me add and take away pages whenever I needed. The book was getting too large, so after a few months I took my older pages out and put them in that box over there."

Ioanna inspected these pages with wide eyes, then turned back to the start of the book. "You two certainly are sentimental."

"All we had was each other, and what little bits of you we could keep around. It meant a lot to us," Velcia explained, standing back up slowly.

"That's how I felt out in the far lands," Ioanna said with closed eyes. "Just me and him, and then you too."

Velcia walked over to the cauldrons and peered inside, face scrunching in disappointment at how dirty they'd become. "Vesta showed me a memory from the tapestry, the day I was born. Papa seemed very tired, but very happy."

Ioanna, still facing towards the counter, nodded as she began to flip through the book again. "We were both so happy to have you with us. Even though we were far away from home, just being there together was wonderful. We couldn't wait to come back, but… I wish very much now that we hadn't. I wonder how differently things would have turned out."

Velcia, now summoning some water to try to scrub the cauldrons clean, shook her head. "You mustn't blame yourselves for what happened. How could you have known?"

Ioanna sighed. "I try to tell myself that. Still, I don't let it spoil my memories of the time we did spend there. I feel like I could talk about Hephestus for hours still, even after all this time."

Velcia giggled. "I wouldn't mind that at all, I always loved hearing Papa talk about you. It always just made me so happy to see and hear how much you two loved each other, and the same for Uncle and Aunt as well. It's just so special for you."

Ioanna traced her fingers over some of Hephestus' old writing in the book. "I'm sure you'll know for yourself someday, too."

Velcia froze up, her shoulders tense. "No, I don't think so."

"Why not? Surely someone's grabbed your attention over the years?" Ioanna asked gently, still flipping through the pages.

"N-no, not really. I can't…" Velcia trailed off, staring blankly down into the pot, hands trembling.

"Well, someday then. Now that you're going off on your trips, you'll meet many more people. There'll be someone out there—"

Velcia cut her off suddenly, speaking angrily. "Can't you please leave me alone about it? You know how much I hate—!" she cut off as she turned around, jumping in surprise at the sight of her mother who was staring at her wide-eyed, hand hovering motionlessly over the book. Velcia stared in shock for a moment, then covered her mouth. "Oh, I… I am so sorry, mother, you… I shouldn't…"

Ioanna turned towards her more fully now, and rested her fingertips along Velcia's shoulders, inviting her in for a hug. It was an invitation Velcia readily accepted, and as she fought back tears she spoke up softly. "I shouldn't have snapped at you, you didn't deserve it, I'm so sorry… I just…"

Ioanna closed her eyes and hugged Velcia tightly. "Acantha?"

Velcia nodded, biting her lip. "She always told me I was foolish and ungrateful for never doing anything to keep the bloodline going. Every time she brought it up… it was… but, when I was young, she was always so cruel when I would be interested in someone. She would say I was an idiot for liking anyone from this world, and seeing the horrible way she treated Papa…"

Ioanna nodded. "I know. She was the same way to me. You'll be alright, Velcia, you don't have to worry about her. Something—"

Velcia bristled again, and backed away slowly. "It's… it's still not something I want to discuss. After losing you, and Papa, and Denerre… I can't, I just can't…" she sniffed sadly, looking at the floor. "I'll never be strong enough to go through that again."

Ioanna's lips trembled softly, but she said nothing. She grabbed Velcia's hand gently.

Velcia clasped her other hand over her mother's. "And, even if I did find someone, I'm a Keyblade Wielder now. I have other important responsibilities. I…" she looked around the shop, eyes running along the empty shelves and the dust bunnies still strewn about the floor. "I don't even have time for my old shop. I couldn't possibly…"

"Velcia, Velcia…" Ioanna said softly. "You don't need to defend yourself. I'm sorry for bringing it up, and I won't do it again. I was trying to be supportive, not controlling."

Velcia nodded. "I know. I'm so sorry for my temper."

Ioanna smirked, letting out a wry chuckle. "I've been there, believe me. I let my mom have it good quite a few times."

"Papa did too," Velcia said, wiping a tear from her eye. "But I'm still sorry to lash out at you."

Ioanna shook her head, patting Velcia's clasped hands. "No harm done."

After a quiet moment of contemplation, Velcia looked up around the shop one last time, eyes ending on the stairway. "Oh, of course! Would you like to see the house?"

Ioanna slid down off the stool, letting go of Velcia's hands so she could better keep her balance as she did. "Yes, I would love to."

"I've changed out a bit of the old furniture, mostly the kitchen," Velcia explained as they made their way up the stairs.

"I do hope you didn't keep the same ratty old couches and beds," Ioanna told her.

"I've changed the beds, but it's the same couch from Papa… I think I remember a different one when I was very young though, so he might have changed that," Velcia said as they reached the top.

Ioanna looked around the main room, nodding in approval when she saw the couch was not the old one she'd been remembering, but mostly her attention was drawn to the piles of books strewn across the house. "Hm… picked up some traits from your Uncle?" she asked with a laugh, moving a small stack off of the couch cushion and onto the table.

Velcia laughed bashfully. "I'm so sorry. I think there should be enough room on the shelves for most of them… um, last I checked anyways. I never felt like I had that many!" she said, looking around the room with her hands on her hips.

"Well, compared to Agopios…" Ioanna conceded with a chuckle.

Velcia quickly began grabbing books and stacking them onto the shelves, haphazardly at first until she realized how quickly she was running out of room, and then began trying to sort them in with a bit more care. There was nothing to be done though, and regardless of her efforts the top of the shelves ended up with magnificent stacks of them.

Ioanna had been looking around the kitchen and bedrooms as she did, and was currently looking inside a tall cupboard. "This seems sort of like those refrigerator machines they had in Traverse Town," she called over to Velcia.

Velcia perked up and looked over, brushing stray hair out of her eyes. "Yes, I saw machines like that out in my journeys as well. This is really just a normal cupboard that I put a frost enchantment lamp in."

Ioanna looked into the back of the cupboard now, seeing a tall-necked pot with regularly-placed holes that exuded a cold but gentle mist. "Where did you find a pot like this?" she asked.

"Miss Agatha made it for me after I explained to her what I was looking for, she was very excited when I showed her what I did with it," Velcia told her.

"She must have been. How does this work?" Ioanna asked, putting her hand out into the cold mist.

Velcia stood up and came over, eager to explain it. "Well, the base of the pot is filled with a concentrated potion, and through the neck I have a wick that's been imbued with a frost enchantment. It works very similarly to our oil lamps, only with a magic spell. Papa showed me how to make magic lamps like this for light and protective barriers, and I just thought to try to use it like this later," she explained proudly.

"That's incredible. How long has it been going?" Ioanna asked, looking down at the round base of the pot.

"It's been a couple months now, I think, I filled it up again just before I left last time. Timing has been somewhat cruel to me, each time I fill up my fridge again I'm called away for another journey. I suspect I should just leave it empty," Velcia said, shaking her head in defeat.

Ioanna stood up thoughtfully. "A few months? How much longer will it go?"

Velcia shrugged. "I'm not sure, I've experimented with creating more and more concentrated potions, so it lasts for quite a while but I don't know how long this current batch will last. The potion I'm using in there is far too concentrated for human consumption, so I have not brought any with me for fear of an accidental mix-up. I guess for this batch… I'll just have to see when it runs out."

Ioanna closed the cupboard gently. "With any luck, it will have the manners to run out when you're here."

"I have been worried about that. But at least now I know this batch can go at least this long, the last one only went five weeks," Velcia explained.

"I suppose we'll have to eat with Agopios and Delphine again tonight, then?" Ioanna asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, but they won't mind that. They very much enjoyed having you over last night. What are you thinking?" Velcia asked.

"Well, I was thinking I might— Say, what is that sound?" Ioanna said, startling at the new noise.

A small, rhythmic beeping was coming from the other room and it caught Velcia's attention. "That's something called a Gummi Phone, Master Aqua gave it to me. Something important must be going on, if someone is trying to contact me now," Velcia told her, eyes darting towards the other room.

"Oh, quickly then, go speak with them!" Ioanna urged.

Velcia nodded and with a couple quick leaps burst into her room, grabbing her old satchel and digging through it to find the small plastic device. She did so, and pressed various buttons on the front in a scramble as she tried to remember which one was correct. Quite to her surprise, the screen lit up bright and the image of Master Aqua appeared before her.

"Oh, hello Aqua!" Velcia said, pulling her increasingly-frazzled hair out of her face.

Aqua smiled at her. "Hello Velcia, I'm sorry to interrupt your trip with your mother, but something very important has come up."

Velcia felt her heart sink, though she was not overly surprised. "I understand. What's happened?"

"We've received a communication from someone on a world called Eos. It sounds like their world is on the brink of falling to Darkness and they're asking for a Wielder to be sent to help them," Aqua told her solemnly. "I know that you're busy right now, but there are other complications to the circumstances. Riku told us that you already have experience with this world, specifically time spent working with the new King of Lucis, and said you'd be best fit for the job."

Velcia listened intently. "King of Lucis…? He must mean Noctis. When we visited a year and a half ago, nobody had so much as heard of Heartless. They're already on the brink of destruction?"

Aqua nodded. "It's… Well, like I said, there are complications to it that would be best to explain here. I'm very sorry to call you in like this—"

"No, I understand. I'll work out something with my mother and be on my way as soon as I can. I'll send a transmission from the Gummi Ship when I leave so you can know when to expect me," Velcia said.

"Thanks, Velcia. We'll see you soon," Aqua said, ending the call abruptly.

Velcia lowered the phone slowly, her smile draining from her face. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, set the phone down, and walked back out of the room. Her mother looked at her with great curiosity, the dour and disappointed expression her daughter wore readily apparent.

"I'm sorry mother, but Master Aqua says they need me quite urgently… I can't possibly say no, under the circumstances," Velcia explained sadly.

Ioanna, though disappointed, nodded all the same. "I understand. How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know. It sounds… it sounds big, it might be a while. I have to leave very soon… I could take you back to Traverse Town on the way, but I feel terrible cutting your visit so short," Velcia told her.

Holding a hand up to her chin, Ioanna pondered. "I suppose I could see about staying with Agopios and Delphine for an extended time. Maybe it would give me time to get back used to the town."

"I think that would be wonderful! I'll leave the keys to the shop for you as well, so you can come visit and see what you think," Velcia said excitedly.

"Well, we do need to ask your Uncle and Aunt first," Ioanna reminded her.

"Oh yes, of course," Velcia said quickly. "I'll pack my things, and then we can walk back over to them and sort things out together."

Saying so, Velcia quickly went back to her room and began to re-pack her satchels with new clothes and topped off stores of ingredients. Once she was done, she looked at the items strewn across her bed, inspecting her work to see if there was anything she missed. She sighed softly. "At least Aqua told me before I went shopping this time."

Author's Note:

Hello everyone, Curry's Husband back again with another story about Velcia. I've tried to be very ambitious with this one and write a fuller and more complex story than I've done before. I hope that you enjoy it, there are a lot of really cool things to come.

I've done my best to write it in a way that does not require you to read anything else - while reading the other stories may provide more perspective on events, and there are a lot of references to other stories as well, everything important or necessary to this story should be covered as needed here.

To get things started I will be posting two chapters today, and then the story should update with one new chapter every Saturday until it is complete.