A Lingering Will
"So?"
A man in a dark coat with a hood covering his face while sitting on rock in the middle of a desolate land stared at a man in an identical coat who slowly reached up and pulled his hood down, revealing silver hair that reached the shoulders with strands of hair traveling down his tanned face while the man looked down at his coat…
With silver eyes.
"Yeah. It wards off darkness…" The young man answered. "It's useful."
"Told ya!" The man held up a finger. "So how'd it go? The tour."
The silver haired man slowly walked over and saw on the rock next to the man, closing his eyes as he contemplated his answer. "I learned…The reason for my existence."
"Ohhh?" The man exclaimed in a dramatic fashion and leaned in a bit with exaggerated interest. "Tell me more."
"All around the world, people live seemingly peaceful lives. They believe themselves to be moral and virtuous, but it's all an act." The young man slowly explained. "Darkness lurks in the pit of everyone's heart. Their light is a total farce."
"Sounds like a trip around the world opened your eyes but you got a little bit more than you anticipated." The man observed. "Must have seen a lot of darkness."
The young man leaned back on the rock they sat on. "Those who are weak and desire greater power simply strip the strong of their power, and convince themselves they've earned it. That's how people become tainted by darkness. They believe what they want to believe, using hollow reasons as justification. They repeat this cycle and their darkness grows."
"So you're saying the weak feel the need to justify their actions to maintain a sense of self." The man mused. "Can't let that slide?"
"No, its better they be ruled by darkness." The young man said, glancing at the other man in the dark coat as he folded his hands. "People carry delusions of having power, but it's a lie. They are but sheap pretending to be wolves. Though I can admit, I understand why."
The man made a surprised gesture in a rather dramatic fashion. "Oh, never heard that one before, a Keyblade Wielder willing to side with the darkness? Why not just let them be until the darkness consumes them?"
"Because left alone, the world would fall to chaos. Their needs to be order." The young man answered.
"You sure about that?" The man asked as he slowly got up and took a few steps forward while folding his arms behind his back. "Why not just sit back and watch it play out?"
"Understanding hearts is difficult, more so the emotions with in." The young man answered. "I simply realize it's easy to dismiss what you don't comprehend."
"All right, all right…The world needs you; I'll grant you that one." The man said in a tired voice.
"I don't know what I can do, but I will act…" The young man stared down at his feet. "What comes next is too important."
"I suppose letting false light dictate the future might be a…pretty lousy move." The man admitted and turned around. "So? You can make a change, you have that power. What do you want for the world?"
"Power, eh…" The young man mumbled and shrugged. "Who knows? My training's coming to an end and the exam's not far off. Maybe I can gain some clarity then."
"You're letting the exam decide?" The man fully turned around, sound exasperated as he spoke. "Listen to me, the results don't matter. You believe the world needs you. Sounds like you already know where you're headed."
The young man sighed, holding out his hand. "It's funny. Somehow, I can sense where I'm supposed to go, and what I'm supposed to do. Yes, even this coat," He gestured to the dark coat he wore. "There's something familiar about it, as if I'm meant to wear this."
"Hmm…" He looked at the man. "No…You'll ditch it soon."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that one day you're going to outgrow it." The man explained.
"How so?"
"If you truly possess great power the darkness can't control you. You won't need a silly old coat to stay safe." The man said, sounding serious for a moment as he clenched a fist. "In fact you'll be the one controlling the darkness instead. As for me…" And just like that he returned to his casual and somewhat goody demeanor. "Me, on the other hand, I'm too much of a scared cat to ever take mine off."
"Who are you, really?" The young man finally asked. "Some kind of fortune-teller?"
The man tilted his head a bit before answering. "Well, I could lie and tell you that's what I am, when I'm actually a brilliant young artist, or even a scholar." The man spread his arms out as he turned around and took a few steps in a rather dramatic fashion. "I could tell you that I dream of world peace, when I'm actually planning for its destruction. The truth is what you see with your eyes, not what you hear."
The young man stared a bit before smiling as he leaned forward. "So, your name?"
The man seemingly sputtered as he spun around. "What did I just-" He stopped when he saw the young man's smile and sighed. "Never mind, I guess there's no harm…My name is-"
The young man simply stared; heaving heard the name spoken so softly it was impossible to hear.
There was a moment of silence as they stared, the man's stance becoming more humble and wise as he spoke again. "I'm a Lost Master."
The young man leaned forward with a confused look. "…Lost…Master…"
The man turned around, seemingly leaving as he began walking away. "May your heart be your guiding key."
The young man simply stood and watched as the mysterious man calling himself a Lost Master walked away.
That would be the last time he would see this man.
Xxx
Decades later, the young man, now old but immeasurably powerful, sat comfortably on the same rock as before. He let out a small chuckle from the memory that had suddenly resurfaced to the top of his mind.
"What's so funny, old man? Mind sharing with us?"
The old man, Master Xehanort himself opened his now golden eyes as he regarded the three men before him.
The one who spoke had long black hair with grey streaks, pointed ears, a jagged scar running down his cheek and an eye patch over his left eye while the other eye was the same golden color as his own. This was Xigbar, the Freeshooter.
With him was a man with long blue-ish hair and an X-shaped scar on his face in between his golden eyes, traveling from up his forehead and down under his eyes. This was Saix, the Lunar Divner.
Both Saix and Xigbar wore the same identical black coat that Xehanort himself once wore long ago, now a uniform for their group.
And a surprising guest with them, having returned from the dead a decade after his defeat, but it was fortunate he was here and alive nonetheless. He wore a black and red organic-looking bodysuit and was also wearing a silver helmet covered with dark glass, hiding his face from view. This was Vanitas, Xehanort's original dark apprentice and who played the part of his original plan to reforge the X-blade.
Xehanort stood up from his rock as he spoke. "I stand here today because of a fated encounter, very many years ago, when I was still a young lad. I never learned who he was and perhaps I never will. But I see now the truth he spoke of."
Xigbar scoffed. "We don't have time for bed time stories. Without the kid, we're down a thirteenth vessel, and as for the other twelve, only four of us are here right now. Are you absolutely sure the others made their way back to their respective times?"
Xehanort and Saix shared a silent glance at each with silent nods before both disappeared, followed by Xigbar and Vanitas, all of them reappearing atop one of thirteen tall stone pillars atop of a cliff with Xehanort standing on the tallest.
Saix then waved his hand and conjured three images of two males and one female, all of them wearing the same dark coat. "Marluxia and Larxene are both here in this time, attempting to locate the New Seven Hearts. Luxord is also somewhere about in this age but after our last meeting, he went in search of something, per your order." Saix looked at Xigbar at the end of his report. "Isn't that so?"
Xigbar chuckled. "Oh that, right. Well let's just say that what he's doing will benefit us in the long run, but it's really of no importance right this second. Go on."
"Playing your cards close, as usual." Saix glanced up at Xehanort who smile amusedly and brushed it off, not considering it worth the effort. "All right."
Saix then looked to Vanitas. "Then we have Vanitas, who is surprisingly alive considering we had all thought you destroyed a decade ago."
"Heh, try not to sound too disappointed." Vanitas scoffed. "The blue haired Master, Aqua had suddenly appeared in the last second and I latched onto her, following her into the new world she ended up in. It took me years, feeding off the negativity there until I could finally restore my body."
"How could she have appeared inside Ventus' heart where you two shared your final battle?" Saix questioned.
"Beats me." Vanitas shrugged. "All I know is after that, she continued forward, moving up until she reached seven other hearts and at that point I awoke as a bodiless specter on this world called Remnant. It took over half a decade of feeding on the negativity there before I could reform myself."
"A Keyblade Master appearing in the heart of another while she was battling Xigbar's original self and you on this very battle field?" Saix raised an eyebrow.
"There is only method that could explain this." Xehanort spoke up, earning their attention. "Young Aqua has somehow gained the Power of Waking."
"The what?" Vanitas and Xigbar spoke as one.
"An ancient and great power that Keyblade Wielders once used to travel to other worlds through the hearts they had connected with." Xehanort explained. "Somehow, young Aqua traveled through the timeline she is part of and reached both young Ventus and Terra's hearts. A risky move, as the Power of Waking cannot be abused without cost."
"Well, she seemed alive and kicking when I saw her. And she's even more powerful than ever. Maybe even more powerful than you, old man." Vanitas taunted.
"That's a scary thought." Xigbar commented with a smile.
"It matters not. You spoke of this world, existing in the core of the Realm of Darkness. A world that is quite possibly a nexus of other worlds." Xehanort continued.
"A nexus for other worlds?" Xigbar rubbed the back of his head.
"Yes, a world from which many other worlds are born." Xehanort answered. "Only one other world exists like that in the Realm of Light."
The world that was the seat of power for all Keyblade Wielders: Scala ad Caelum.
"Perhaps this world is the dark counterpart of that world." Saix mused.
"It is possible. Continue, Vanitas." Xehanort replied before looking at Vanitas for more information.
"Well, there's no shortage of negativity and darkness there. Darkness that takes the form of monsters called Grimm and they are every bit as nasty and feisty as the Unversed and the Heartless. We had a fun time there." Vanitas chuckled. "The people there utilize a power known as Aura, something that comes from the soul apparently to give them strength against these Grimm. Not much against the likes of us, just increased speed, strength, and a force shield around their bodies to protect them from harm but they each one power called a Semblance. I ran into a girl who created copies of herself, some bull headed kid with a red sword that grew stronger every time he was hit, a girl that could turn into rose petals and the list goes on."
"And the lost Guardian of Light has a similar power now?" Saix asked.
"Yep. She conjures little stars that each have a different power, based on the color of the star she summons." Vanitas nodded.
"Then she has gained a great amount of power, in addition to this Power of Waking." Saix waved his hand and more images appeared around Xehanort, all of which were connected to him in some manner. "The hearts of Ansem, Xemnas, Riku Replica, and Young Xehanort returned to where they came from and reassembled once more. Each of them is seeking a guardian of light."
"So the ones who turned human and back into Nobodies are me, you," Xigbar pointed at Saix. "Luxord, Marluxia and Larxene. And with Vanitas back with us, that makes six. And the ones from the past transferred into Replicas are Ansem, Xemnas, Riku Replica and the old man's younger self. Then we add in the old man in and the total comes up to eleven. I think we're still missing two."
Xehanort smiled. "Now we must discuss why we've assembled here today. My incarnations from past times, vessels into which I transferred my heart, my essence were destroyed. Thus, I was restored to what you see now. For one to completely disappear, their heart and body, must be restored to their original form. That is one reason why I distributed my heart into several vessels."
Xehanort then gestured to the images of Ansem and Xemnas. "Ansem and Xemnas originated from Terra, or rather his young form and it too was restored. However my heart has returned to me while his is yet lost. I decided to fill this hollow vessel with my heart…"
Vanitas watched as the image of Terra was conjured by Xehanort and laughed to see it change form into what looked like when Terra had been possessed by Xehanort. "Well, I wonder what he would say to his body being hijacked again. Given that he's just a suit of armor now."
"Indeed, the very same heart that previously resided in young Terra." Xehanort finished.
"So that makes twelve." Xigbar said once Xehanort was done. "Then who do we get to replace the kid?"
"Twenty Replicas were created by Vexen. The first twelve were nothing more than puppets, barely human." Saix said as he conjured three images on the platform next to him, one being Vexen, the other was Riku Replica and the last wore a dark coat to hide their features. "The prototype model was the Riku Replica and then No. I was made. That leaves us with five, Ansem, Xemnas, Riku Replica and Young Xehanort's hearts, four vessel, one left. Vexen and Demyx are candidates but backups at best. The plan for the last replica is to give it a heart that is connected to Sora's."
"Connected to Sora?" Xigbar repeated. "Anyone in mind?"
"The second prototype that was created, No. I. Though erased from memory, it remained in Vexen's records. Its existence is greatly linked to Sora's memories and thus should prove to be more than adequate for our needs." Saix answered.
"No. I. An imaginary number, how fitting." Xigbar mused.
"Not so much." Vanitas scoffed.
Xigbar looked at Vanitas. "And why's that?"
"When I followed Aqua who was following Ven's heart, she came upon that Sora kid's heart and found he had not just Ven's heart but two more." Vanitas answered. "One looked exactly like Ven, much to my everlasting annoyance and the other was a girl. Your No. I."
Xehanort looked to Saix who nodded. "Yes. It seems Number. I's heart had taken refuge in Sora's heart, no doubt because hers is still connected to his. That is why when Young Xehanort attempted to bring her heart through time, the attempts to recreate her had failed."
"Yep and when she reappeared on Remnant, she wasn't a Nobody anymore." Vanitas crossed his arms. "She was human, along with the Ven look alike. And not to mention that suit of walking armor with her, her former best friend."
"Yeah, how did she revive him like that?" Xigbar asked.
"It is because despite my efforts at the time, Terra's will was strong enough his armor was brought to life." Xehanort answered. "His body taken, his heart succumbed but his mind continued to resist. When Aqua found his armor, her bond with him allowed his heart to break free and take control of the armor. In a sense, Terra has now returned."
"Which means, there's two more for the Guardians of Light." Xigbar mentioned.
"Ha. So much for being in control, old man." Vanitas taunted. "No wonder, it's taken you a decade to get back on track."
"With Terra's heart united with his armor, my counterpart in his body and Ansem have lost a great deal of their power but it's no consequence." Xehanort replied, waved off Vanitas' taunt. "Him and Aqua together in this world is of much interest. They could lead us to their friend Ventus, given the proper motivation."
"Ha. Bringing the gang back together huh?" Vanitas scoffed.
Xehanort was silent as he considered this new information, wondering what was so special about this world Aqua had found herself in.
"How is that possible?" Xigbar asked.
"It's likely that a grand power of Remnant is at play. We understand that Aqua had come into contact with this power and saved her life." Saix answered.
"So now there are four Keyblade Wielders at lose on that world that we know of." Vanitas grumbled. "And from what I saw, they are not the only ones."
"The odds of more than just one Keyblade Wielder appearing one world is impossible, even among the Guardians of Light." Saix replied.
"And yet sounds like this isn't something you can just explain." Xigbar grinned. "So the girl's heart is out there and the reason she can't be rebuilt is because Mr. Brain Freeze can't fill the heart the old man's younger self brought with the same memories or the same connection to the kid."
"Indeed." Saix nodded. "Unless something is done we may have to consider Vexen and Demyx as No. I's replacement."
Xehanort closed his eyes and frowned, not happy with this sudden obstacle in the plan but it was a minor one and could be corrected if necessary.
"So what should we do about it?" Xigbar asked.
"Send me back to Remnant and I'll pick up a heart of darkness for you." Vanitas answered. "They are plenty to pick."
"We still need one that is connected to Sora's." Saix pointed out.
"Then I'll pick up Aqua, the Number. I or my brother's look alike." Vanitas shrugged. "Makes no difference to me."
"While Young Xehanort is occupied with transferring hearts, I must go and fulfill my duty. I will go and retrieve Vexen." Saix finished. "We can use this time to study the people of this world called Remnant, understand how their souls can produce this power called Aura."
"Reliable as always." Xigbar said sarcastically. "It sounds to me like you've got everything dependably under control. Well, I'm off to do my part."
Xehanort watched Xigbar disappear into a Corridor of Darkness and then looked to Saix.
"The plan, as we agreed upon." Saix bowed before he too disappeared into his own corridor.
The images faded, leaving Xehanort standing alone at the top pillar as he looked out across the desolate land. "May your heart be your guiding key."
Xxx
Training in the Realm of Darkness had picked up after Neo had accepted her new Keyblade. Despite Neo's questionable past, she had proven her heart was strong enough for a Keyblade to accept her. Aqua suspected The Way to the Dawn was more accepting to hearts that had been touched by darkness, making it easier for Neo. Perhaps this was a sign that Neo would be forging her own path, a path perhaps out of the darkness she had traveled before but Aqua wouldn't push her to that decision.
The kind of change would only come if Neo was willing to accept it and wanted to change.
As for Neo herself, she would admit she wasn't sure at first if she could handle wielding a magical weapon, if for the main reason is that Aqua stated Keyblade Wielders defended worlds from darkness and that was pretty much admitting they were like Huntsmen from her world which Neo absolutely did not want to be compared to but was more open to when Aqua promised she wouldn't expect her to suddenly risk her life for people and worlds like Huntsmen. That choice would be hers and hers alone but Aqua asked to her to keep her Keyblade a secret from her world and any world she stepped on, simply for the fact that the Keyblade is supposed to remain secret out of respect for the World Order.
Hey, Neo was a lot of things but a snitch wasn't one of them.
While the colors, especially the black and red and the demonic wing weren't exactly Neo's choice of color style she wasn't one to complain since a Keyblade pretty much meant she was on her way to being on par with Aqua, the four Maidens and perhaps even Salem if she played her cards right. Aqua started Neo on the basic stances of Keyblade combat, taking her master's lessons to heart and she so could get used to her new weapon. Once she mastered the basics, it was time to move onto the advanced forms, such as trying to create a personal style.
Every Keyblade Wielder had their own personal style of combat, based on what made them unique.
Terra, as the most physically powerful member of the original trio, used slow but heavy and hard-hitting attacks, fitting with his Earth theme.
Ven was the fastest and most agile with his primary style being of dodging, quick movements and swift combo attacks.
As for Aqua, her flowing combat style allowed her to dance around the battlefield while pelting her foes with magical spells. She fought with dance like grace, gliding and cartwheeling around the battle field, making it very hard to hit her.
For Neo, after some time Aqua found Neo was similar to her in the way she fought but at the same time was more like Ven. So they worked on combining her's and Ven's fighting styles, training to Neo to use Aqua's graceful dance style and Ven's style of dodging and swift attacks. Neo was already a very skilled combatant from her earlier battles and being trained as an assassin so she easily took to this new style quite well.
Soon enough she developed what she called the Trickster style of combat where she would disorient her enemies with her quick speed and graceful agility before going in for the unexpected strike. Needless to say she took to it very well.
The next thing to learn was Magic.
And boy did Neo have fun that time.
Aqua explained that the Keyblade was natural conduit for magic and it could be applied in many ways, as Neo had learned from watching Aqua herself. She had figured it was similar to how one would utilize one's Aura to manipulate Dust in combat and she plenty of experience in that area. Aqua had found it easy to teach her how to utilize magic and it seemed she had picked up on the same illusionary magic as Ava and was even skilled with Light magic that mostly came in the form of the Reflect magic that took the form of a mirror that appeared in front of Neo when cast.
The mirror would soak up the energy of any attack and then when it shattered it fired back all of the stored energy at the attacker.
Neo was pleased with this.
The last bit was conjuring armor which wasn't using the Keyblade to create a new form of armor, much like Aqua's. It took some time but Neo eventually summoned her own armor which was similar to Ven's armor but colored white, pink and brown which happened to be Neo's signature color.
Again, Neo was very pleased.
Now that they gone through the basics, Aqua had felt Neo had learned all she needed. What she did next depended on her. With the training done, both Aqua and Neo along with Ansem were resting on the dark beach, watching the moon in the distance.
"So now what?" Neo asked, almost feeling better than she had in a very long time.
"Well, I do know I have to get you back to your world." Aqua admitted.
"Do you? I'm a Keyblade Wielder now. I don't have to go back and maybe I don't want to." Neo shrugged.
"Where would you go?" Aqua questioned.
"Anywhere." Neo answered, glancing over at Aqua. "Maybe I want to go with you."
"You know I would be heading into what is possibly the biggest battle of my life." Aqua pointed out.
"Wouldn't be the first time I followed someone into something like that." Neo muttered, remembering her last moments with Roman, following him as he sowed discord and chaos throughout the kingdom of Vale.
"I thought your friend taught you to prioritize survival over everything." Aqua recalled.
"He also taught me to never aim too high, just carve out enough to make a living and be happy with what I have. Try to take more than you can handle and you end up attracting trouble." Neo recalled Roman's lesson and sure enough she had seen enough of Cinder after Beacon to know she did not walk away unscathed that night.
And maybe she should have remembered that lesson but she was too angry and hurt over Roman's death to remember what he had taught her.
"The truth is, Aqua I have no personal ambition. Not one bit. All I cared about was having my own freedom and personal fun with no authority in my life trying to dictate what I could do, where I go, what I wear…or what I can even say now." Neo admitted out loud. "In my childhood, I suffered in silence from a controlling bastard and manipulative bitch who cared more about their image then about their daughter. Then I had Roman who became my one true friend…and then I lost him and all I could do until now was find a way to avenge his death."
"Do you still want revenge?" Aqua asked carefully.
"I want to say yes…" Neo looked at her hand as she held it up. "I want to say I want to go back and kick Little Red's heroic behind and shout in her face that it was because of Roman I was chasing her. It made me so angry she didn't seem to understand why I hated her so much."
"And then you found out he was eaten by a Grimm, not killed by her." Aqua recalled.
"Does it even make a difference?" Neo looked away. "She might as well have killed him and Cinder…I would love to go back and rub it in her face I can finally stand up to her and her boss."
"Neo…"
"I can't just let these feelings go, Aqua. I can't." Neo sighed. "I get it, you want me to repent my wicked ways and turn away from evil."
"That's not what I want, Neo." Aqua shook her head. "Look, I trusted you enough to give you the Keyblade I found and you stuck with me as I trained you to properly use it. You trusted me to share your story with me after everything we've been through but I don't want to control you, trick you or even decide for you what your path should be. That alone is your choice. If you don't want to go back, I won't force you."
Neo looked at Aqua, a small smile on her face. "…Thanks. So what do you plan to do?"
"…If we're not in a hurry, I would like to try and track down my friend Terra's heart and save it at least. After that, I admit I want to check on the island and let those girls and Oscar know their world has been restored. If for nothing else, I don't want Salem to destroy it after we worked so hard to restore it." Aqua admitted.
Neo shrugged. "Sounds fair. So how do we find your friend's heart?"
Aqua pulled out the Horn of Passage, smiling at Neo and Ansem. "I think I know someone who can help."
Xxx
A portal of light appeared in the middle of a desolate wasteland and from it emerged Aqua, Neo and Ansem.
"Astounding." Ansem turned around and watched the portal vanish. "I have never seen such magic before."
"Neither has Cinder or her boss. What they wouldn't have given to have something like that." Neo commented as she watched Aqua put the Horn away. "Where are we?"
"The Badlands…This world is where we will find the Keyblade Graveyard." Aqua answered solemnly as the memories of her and her friends confronting Xehanort and Vanitas flashed in her mind. "I asked Heimdallr to take us where we can find Terra's heart. I guess this means we'll find it here."
With that, Aqua led them through the Badlands with Ansem and Neo silently following her as well as looking around and seeing the wasteland.
"This place…This was where the Keyblade War was fought long ago." Ansem spoke up as they walked, seeming many craters in the ground and even in the mountains and cliffs.
"Yes." Aqua answered quietly.
"The Keyblade War?" Neo looked between the two. "Sorry, the newbie here is still a little clueless."
"I admit to not fully knowing the story myself. I only know based on my time spying on the Organization and their plans." Ansem replied.
"Neither do I. I know bits of it based on the legends surrounding and later Xehanort himself confirmed that they were real." Aqua spoke as they walked through rocky maze. "Long ago, during the Age of Fairy Tales, there was only one World and the people of this one World were happy under the light of the heart of all that lives."
"Kingdom Hearts." Ansem said softly.
Aqua looked over her shoulder and nodded. "Yes, although this one was the real one. Not like the ones you told me about. This Kingdom Hearts was protected by its physical counterpart: the X-blade."
"Keyblade?" Neo raised an eyebrow.
"Not Keyblade like ours, Neo. Apparently, our Keyblades would be considered inferior copies of this one. " Aqua replied.
"Huh?"
"The Keyblades you and I carry were forged from the human heart. Stormfall came from my heart while The Way to the Dawn was forged from the heart of its previous wielder." Aqua clarified.
"So…we got cheap knock-offs?" Neo frowned. "That's some powerful knock-off though."
"Yes, they are. The X-blade, it's called that from ancient translation that mispronounced as 'key', 'chi' or 'kye' but they all circle back to the letter 'X' because of its meaning in some cultures." Aqua continued.
"By which you refer to as the end…Death." Ansem surmised.
"Yes." Aqua nodded. "No one knows where the X-blade came from and it had no wielder of its own. But the people learned how to fashion their own Keyblades from it and they began fighting for control the X-blade and Kingdom Hearts. At the end of the war, the X-blade was shattered and Kingdom Hearts was swallowed by darkness, never to be seen again. The resulting end fractured the World into countless smaller worlds, held together by the light in the hearts of children."
"Children's hearts?" Ansem paused as he brought a hand to his chin. "Yes, yes, now I see it."
"You do? Because I don't." Neo rubbed her head.
"Kingdom Hearts was stated to be the ultimate personification of balance between light and darkness. When it disappeared, the darkness had no light to balance it at first but then light of children, the most innocent of all beings, was able to form a new balance and restructure the world." Ansem realized. "It explains so much when I remember studying the old myths and legends."
"How do the hearts of kids save the world?" Neo questioned skeptically.
"Never underestimate the power of the Heart, Neo. I thought I proved that to you by now." Aqua said with a small smile.
Neo stared at Aqua before shrugging and just followed her. Aqua wasn't sure where she was going but she decided to just keep following the path in front of her until it led her to what she was looking for. A sudden dust cloud blew past them, causing the three to cover their eyes for a moment.
And when they opened them again, they saw a suit of armor kneeling a few yards away with a Keyblade embedded in the ground.
Aqua gasped as she rushed forward. "Terra!"
Ansem and Neo hung back, simply watching as Aqua ran up to the armor. She knelt down in front of it, staring in the faceplate. "Terra?"
The armor shifted, its head lifting up to look at her. "Aq…ua…"
Aqua's eyes widened as she stepped back.
"What's wrong?" Neo called out.
"This…This isn't Terra…It carries his thoughts and memories…but it's not really him." Aqua slowly said, taking another step back as the armor stood up.
"Aqua…" The armor's voice sounded like Terra's but was slightly garbled.
Aqua brought a hand to her chest, looking saddened. "Oh Terra…"
She closed her eyes, remembering what she had felt back in the Realm of Darkness when Xehanort's Heartless had summoned that guardian.
Terra's heart was inside it.
"I'm so sorry…" She whispered, not realizing her Semblance under her feet had activated, glowing bright orange that represented her connection to Terra. "I did this by not trusting you when it counted."
"Aqua…" The armor stood up and slowly approached Aqua.
Neo looked ready to jump, thinking the armor was going to attack Aqua but Ansem grabbed her shoulder. "Wait."
"I let us be torn apart by Xehanort…" The armor reached out to Aqua with one hand. "I let him take you and Ven…"
The armor stepped inside the outline of the orange star glyph, standing over Aqua.
Aqua's head shot up, tears falling down her cheeks as she looked into the faceplate. "I'm so sorry, Terra!"
The glyph lit up, glowing brightly and suddenly the armor began glowing as well.
Xxx
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
In another part of the Badlands, a single man with silver white hair fell to his knees as the dark monster he controlled rose up behind him and let out a roar that sounded more like a human. It reached out and grabbed the bindings around its mouth, ripping them off and gasped for air as if it was taking its very first breath.
"One…day…I'll….make…this…right." The creature slowly uttered.
"Impossible." The man looked over his shoulder with a stunned look. "You can't resist-GAH!"
CRASH!
The man was swat aside by the dark monster, slamming him into a rocky wall.
"One day…I will make this right!" The creature roared as a bright light appeared in its chest.
The creature let out one final roar before exploding in a flash of bright light.
The man looked up with a still shocked face, watching as a heart surged through the sky. "Impossible…"
Xxx
The armor finally grasped Aqua's shoulder.
She remained still as she lowered her head and felt the other arm pull her into a deep hug.
"I'm so sorry, Terra…"
Neo and Ansem saw something in the air, shooting down towards the armor and Aqua and it hit the armor in the back.
There was a flash of light and the armor stiffened before looking back down at Aqua who was staring up at it with widened eyes. "Aqua…"
"Terra?" Aqua slowly uttered, hearing actual emotion when the armor spoke now.
"Aqua!" The armor pulled her into a deep hug as the glyph underneath them vanished.
"Terra!" Aqua hugged the armor back, crying out his name in pure happiness. "It is you! It is you!"
"Aqua…you brought me back." The armor, now possessing Terra's heart, hugged Aqua deeply. "You saved me…"
"Remarkable…" Ansem muttered, watching as the heart united with the armor.
"What just happened?" Neo asked, her mind having been blown by everything that had just happened.
"I believe when that armor entered the glyph Aqua had unintentionally summoned, she reached out to Terra's heart again…His mind was in the armor and her Semblance not only provided his heart the strength to break free but the connection brought his heart to the armor." Ansem explained with a soft smile.
The armor finally released Aqua who was staring happily at it. "I'm so glad I found you…"
"I am glad you did too…" Terra looked down at the armor that was his new body. "Not exactly what I was hoping for but I'll settle for this over being Xehanort's monster any day."
"Terra, where is your body? We can take it back and reunite your heart with it." Aqua immediately said.
"No, Xehanort's not alone. He has others with him. I remember that much. If we try to fight them, we'll be outnumbered." Terra replied before looking at Neo and Ansem. "Who are they?"
"Oh." Aqua turned her head over to the two. "These are some new friends I made while I was looking for you. The girl is Neopolitan and the man is Ansem the Wise."
Ansem bowed his head in greetings while Neo simply waved her hand.
"Terra, a lot has happened. I think it's been like a decade since we were together." Aqua turned back to the armor.
"A decade…Sounds about right." Terra said solemnly. "What about Ven? Is he here?"
Aqua shook her head. "He's still asleep. After he destroyed Vanitas, his heart was damage and fled his body. I brought it back to the castle and hit it there."
"Right." Terra recalled. "I remember…Xehanort was looking for him…We have to get out of here before he comes looking for us."
Aqua brought the Horn of Passage back out. "I think I know where we need to go."
Xxx
"Curse them!"
Master Xehanort watched as his incarnation, the one from his heart infused with Terra's body slashed a boulder in half with his Keyblade.
"How did his heart break free?!" The young man raged.
"Something has happened." Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness stated with a scowl. "I remember this feeling when I found the Lost Guardian in the Realm of Darkness. Her power touched his heart before…And now it set his heart free."
Master Xehanort looked to the sky, feeling something was changing greatly.
