Chapter 5: The Ties That Bind Us

Balthazar's first night at Velcia's house went better than he had expected. Being nestled into the center of these tall rooftops gave the cottage a secluded and private feeling, but the peaked roofs were not so high as to block his view of the sky. Even from the bed in the spare room, he could see the stars out through the window. There was something comforting about this place, and the night passed without incident.

He'd spent much of the night passing time by going through Velcia's sketchbooks and world logs, and the breadth of coverage was incredible to him. By his estimation, she must have had at least eighty of these books along the shelves all organized by month, and most of these were filled from end to end with drawings of the Wielders of Daybreak Town. Traveling through these archives was fascinating to him, so much so that he was surprised by just how quickly the morning sun once began to peak through the window. Not long after the sunlight began to light the cottage, Balthazar moved from the room and out onto the couch in the living room, where he continued to thumb through one of the books.

This was where Velcia found him when she came out later. She rubbed her sleepy eyes with a smile, glad to see that he was still there. She suppressed a yawn, and spoke up cheerily. "Hello, Balthazar! I hope you slept well."

"Oh, hello," Balthazar said, lowering the book and closing it carefully. "I have to admit… I think this is the best rested I've felt in a long time. Thanks again for letting me stay here with you."

"I'm very glad that you can!" she said, coming over and sitting on the other end of the sofa. "Especially since it means that we don't have to wander around trying to find each other every day."

Balthazar chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry… I didn't mean to make you wait so often. Sometimes my errands take longer than I expect."

"I'm not mad," Velcia said, shaking her head.

"I appreciate that," Balthazar said, sitting up a bit straighter now. "You know, speaking of errands, I do need to go out on my own for a bit today. I'm supposed to try to meet up with one of my friends," he paused, seeing an eager excitement on her face. "I'm sorry. I think you two would get along very well, actually, but her and I… we have to be really careful to be sure that our meeting is discreet. As far as we know, she hasn't been identified by the Specters yet."

"Oh! I understand," Velcia said with a nod. "One of your Angel friends! So, it's one I haven't met?"

"Yeah, her name is Farah," Balthazar said with a soft smile. "She was the next Angel created after me, and along with Areshmin was one of my dearest friends among them."

"Areshmin…?" Velcia repeated, head tilting curiously. "Haven't you called your Chirithy that, sometimes?"

Balthazar smacked his forehead. "Oh, wow! After all that yesterday, and I didn't… Areshmin, are you there?"

The small Chirithy appeared in his usual puff of smoke, tumbling down but finding his footing quickly. "Hello again," he greeted.

"Velcia, this Chirithy is Areshmin. He was the Angel who helped The Master create me, and is the oldest of all of us."

Velcia leaned forward, shaking his paw cordially. "Oh, I didn't know! I suppose that explains why your voice is so different from the other Chirithy. So, you are able to make your disguises look like Chirithy if you wish?"

"Not exactly," Balthazar said, shaking his head. "Areshmin… do you mind if we tell her?"

"I do not mind at all, my friend," Areshmin said, climbing up on top of the small wooden table nearby. "This is my true form, now. Unfortunately, my Heart was not so well protected from the darkness that composed my Heartless form, and I was very weak as a result. The Master tried many ways to help strengthen me, but all were temporary. Another Angel, Khosrow, was able to keep me strong enough to live in town once we moved out from the tower."

"Khosrow…?" Velcia repeated. "Oh, I remember that name! Balthazar told me a little bit about him shortly after we met."

"Right… we thought he'd died," Balthazar said. "He was an Angel too, like us, but one of those Dark Specters ended up tricking him into a battle he could never have won, and his Heartless form was destroyed."

"And once Khosrow was destroyed, my own balance of Light and Darkness could no longer be sustained," Areshmin said with a nod. "And so, The Master gave me one last choice… I could either be done, and move on to whatever world or realm comes beyond this life, or I could have my Heart tied to Balthazar's and be reborn as a Chirithy. It was a difficult decision, at the time," Areshmin said softly, his small eyes closing. "But if I can continue to help my friend, I would like to be able to do so."

Velcia reached over, and rubbed the top of his head gently. "I am very glad that you did… it's so sad to hear what happened to you," she sniffed, shaking her head. "Darkness really just messes everything up, doesn't it?"

"Yeah… but I guess that's what all this is about, isn't it?" Balthazar said, motioning out the window towards Daybreak Town. "The Master says he sees a future where Darkness can be defeated for good… that's what the Foretellers, and every Wielder in town, is working towards. I don't know how, or when… but we've seen what The Master has been able to plan and create with his knowledge of the future. I guess all we can do is trust that everything will turn out alright."

"I think so, too," Velcia said with a nod. "It isn't all bad, anyway… Even though we all lost everything to the darkness, we've got each other now, and I'm very glad about that."

"Me too," Balthazar said.

"I am honored, as well," Areshmin agreed with a small nod.

Velcia nodded slowly, thinking things over. Something had been on her mind the last few days, and she'd decided now was as good a time as any to tell her friend. "You know, Balthazar, thanks to you I think I'm starting to understand my place in all this now."

"Oh! Really?"

Velcia nodded surely. "I think so… Your encouragement about my work has meant the world to me, and has helped me feel more sure of myself. And, you know, after our journey to the Underworld with Touma and Tia, I've realized I can do a lot more than I thought. In fact, I think I know what we should do with our Party."

"Really!" Balthazar exclaimed, "I'd love to hear it. I've been pretty lost on it, to be honest."

"Hehe! I am glad to hear that. You remember that I mentioned my brother yesterday?" she asked, smiling to see him nodding. "He travels to other Worlds before anyone else, to see if they are safe for other Wielders. He makes reports with all kinds of useful information, and gives it to the Foretellers."

Balthazar held his hand to his chin. "I remember you mentioning something of the sort when we were in the Underworld with Tia and Touma. So that's how you knew about it!"

"Yes, exactly!" Velcia said, bouncing in her seat. "And that journey with Touma and Tia helped me to decide what we should do. You see, Touma and Tia were both really good fighters and both really smart too, right? I didn't think I would be of any help at all to them. But, I actually helped a whole lot! Touma kept asking me stuff about the Underworld, and all that stuff I knew… well, it actually helped out, didn't it!"

"Yeah, it did," Balthazar said with a nod.

"So… I think that if I learn just as much about the other worlds as I know about Olympus, and gather information like my brother, I can help Wielders like Touma and Tia or whoever else needs it. And if we get help from other strong Wielders, then we can go to new places and get even more helpful information." Velcia said with a proud grin. "It will take a lot of work, but I bet we could do it."

"You know, I think you're on to something," Balthazar said, hand to his chin as he mulled it over. "Something like that would probably be a lot easier to recruit for, too."

"I hope so. Yesterday, the party that I was drawing got mad at me and called my work useless," Velcia said, crossing her arms.

Balthazar scoffed. "Well, what do they know?"

"It doesn't bother me, I've heard that a lot of times. It's important to me, and that's what matters. But… you know, even if most Wielders don't say it, I think they would probably agree with those kids yesterday. I don't need anybody else to help with that mission, just having your support is more than I ever dreamed I would get. But, if I start learning about other worlds and using that to help other Wielders then I think I can be a lot more useful to everybody and still do what I want to do," Velcia said, looking at her friend intently to try to gauge his reaction.

Balthazar didn't hesitate, and grinned broadly. "Heh… Well, alright then, count me in. So, Miss Party Leader, how can I help?"

"No, don't make it all on me!" Velcia said adamantly. "Balthazar, I'm just terrible with other people. Nobody would listen to me… I can't hardly even talk sometimes. So, I need you to help with that. You said that your friends from the tower made you their leader, right?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," Balthazar groaned. His role among the Angels wasn't something he'd ever felt prepared for, and even now it was a mantle he was struggling to properly wear. "Well, you know," he started after a moment, "I ought to at least try it. You're right… you and the others must see something in me that I don't. If you think I can help you, then… I will do my best."

"I think you'll be just the help I need," Velcia said happily.

Areshmin stood up, and patted his friend on the knee. "Your Heart is strong, and you care for those around you. You will do fine, Balthazar. You brought purpose and friendship to even the most discontent among those of us who lived as Angels in The Master's Tower, even when helping them came at a heavy cost to yourself. You understood your limits, and worked to push past them… I am honored to have you as a friend, as are we all."

Balthazar felt his face flush, and smiled awkwardly. "Oh, come on… I just did what anyone-"

"That is nonsense, my friend, and I need hear no more of it," Areshmin said.

Velcia nodded, holding her hand out. "Co-leaders! Please?"

"Alright," Balthazar said with a smile. "You two win. Co-leaders it is," Balthazar said, and he reached out and shook her hand.

Balthazar was always fascinated by how calm the Daybreak Library managed to be, no matter how full it was. The building was three stories tall, with a large open foyer on the ground floor The next two floors above kept open around this space, and so the foyer was lit by the large stained glass skylights in the ceiling. The colorful light that came through these during the day splashed an array of vibrant colors across all three floors in the library.

Aside from the mandatory shelves upon shelves of books, there were also well-polished wooden tables and chairs for studying as well as several more plush seats and sofas dotted around. Today, as on most any day, many of these various seating options were filled with Wielders who'd come to indulge in a book of some sort.

For his part, Balthazar had managed to find what he believed was one of the plushest and most comfortable of seats beside the intricate, thin metal railing that wound around the open area. Between him and this railing was a row of decorative ferns, and through their leaves he still had a good view of the foyer down below.

He'd slumped down into the cushions nice and cozy, and to any passersby would probably have seemed as if he were nearly asleep - but beneath his half closed eyes he was quite alert.

A small, soft paw tapped against the back of his hand, which was hanging lazily over the side of the armrest; and shortly after the deep, quiet voice of his Chirithy Areshmin could be heard whispering. "She's here, Balthazar."

"Did you let her know the plan?" Balthazar asked in a mumble, just distinct enough for his friend to understand.

"She'll see you there."

Balthazar's head nodded down sleepily, and when next he re-opened his eyes he was sitting down on his Station Platform. He stood up, and stretched a bit, waiting patiently. It was not long before a flash of light illuminated the dark space, and when the light receded a young woman with black hair and sapphire eyes stood before him.

"Farah… it's been a long time," he said.

Farah came over and gave him a hug. "Too long." She stepped back, looking at his suit with a smile. "That's a new look for you, I like it."

Balthazar looked down at his suit, and tugged at one of the cuffs. "Yeah… I don't know why, I just kind of like it. You know, now that I've seen a few of the Projected Worlds, your clothes seem very similar to what I see in Agrabah."

Farah looked down, pulling at the side of her light, puffy pant legs. "Good eye! I don't remember enough to know for sure if Agrabah was my home world, but it was similar at the very least. I'm lucky that I've been able to find outfits so familiar to me here in a place like Daybreak Town."

Balthazar nodded. "Honestly, it's been a bit overwhelming to see just how much stuff there is out in the town."

Farah hummed softly, but gave no reply. She'd returned her attention to the images below, and after a moment her head tilted curiously. "I recognize many of these people as our fellow Angels, but who is this?" she asked, walking over towards one of the smaller portraits that encircled the platform.

Balthazar chuckled, he needed to see no more than the distinctive orange hair to know who it was. "That's my friend Velcia."

Farah smiled softly, kneeling down on one knee to take a closer look. "Have you remembered someone from your life before, or is this a new friend from Daybreak Town?"

"Heh… she's from here in Daybreak Town," Balthazar told her. "I met her pretty shortly after we left the tower, and we're trying to get a party started. I think you'd like each other."

"She seems sweet," Farah said, standing up again.

"I've had a hard time figuring out what I'm supposed to do out here in Daybreak Town, but Velcia and I are helping each other figure it out. I didn't expect anybody would ever be understanding of what has happened to us Angels, but she seems to," he said.

"You always did have a knack for finding the best in people," Farah said. "I'm glad you're finding a purpose."

"Trying to, anyway," Balthazar said, shaking his head. "But don't worry, I won't ever forget about you and the others. I know it's been hard to find opportunities to meet up, especially after what's been happening with the Specters, but… I still want to do what I can to help keep a watch over you guys."

Farah smiled, and rested her hand on Balthazar's shoulder. "I know. There's only so much to be done right now, anyway… I think I speak for everyone when I say that we're not expecting more than what you've been able to do."

Balthazar sighed. "Well, we were given pretty vague directions, weren't we? Live like normal Wielders, try not to be noticed for as long as we can… and we have The Master's escape plan for whenever things do go wrong."

"Escape plan?" Farah asked.

Balthazar lifted his hands up, shrugging softly. "For when things get too dangerous. He told me where to bring everyone, but not much more than that."

"What a surprise," Farah said, biting her lip. "So he really is sure that the Darkness will come after us some day?"

"He was almost uncharacteristically clear on that," Balthazar said with a groan. "To be honest, knowing that everything is going to go to hell for us someday makes it kind of hard to feel like I can really live a normal life, even with the disguises."

"A normal life… Even that is really just another layer of disguise for us," Farah said, shaking her head. "If it weren't for times likes these, where we can be with one another in our Hearts, it would be easy to forget who we really are."

"No kidding… If I hadn't run into Velcia, I think I'd be going crazy," Balthazar said, shaking his head. A wry grin crossed his face and he let out a chuckle. "Now that I think about it, if not for her I'd probably be spending more time with Juangshi and the others… I'd definitely be going crazy."

Farah laughed, knowing all too well the kind of trouble and shenanigans their friends could get up to. "I don't think you'd be able to stay with them for long," she chuckled.

"No, definitely not," Balthazar said. "Well, how about you? I hope you're doing alright out here in town. Do you need anything?"

"I am well enough. I've joined up with a party and do what I can to help. I'm not exceptional at any of the combat-focused activities, but I'm finding other ways to make myself useful. I'm sure you must be doing the same," Farah said.

"Hm," Balthazar's eyes flickered away momentarily, and he bit his lip. "Well, in a fashion. I'm trying to do my best to avoid combat altogether, though I've been going a bit too far lately."

"Why do you say that?"

Balthazar sighed, and his eyes glanced up towards her curiously. "Can I ask you something?" She nodded, and so he continued. "Whenever I use my Keyblade or Magic, any Heartless around seem to go wild, and when I use my dark magic I almost always see a Specter looming nearby soon after. Tadataka said he, Juangshi, Perere, and Tomi have all been seeing these Specters, too… have you had trouble with any of that?"

Farah held her hand to her forehead, her eyes closed. "No, I haven't. Heartless don't seem to act any differently around me than they do any other Wielder, and as for these Specters… I believe I have sensed their presence, at times, but I have never seen one and they have never made their presence known to me." She held a hand out, motion across the station platform. "Is that why you wanted to meet here?"

"Yeah… I thought it might be safer for you, if you haven't been identified yet," Balthazar said, looking out into the empty void of space that lay beyond the circular platform. "I kind of think I need to start meeting with everybody this way, to be honest."

"It's a clever idea," Farah nodded, turning slowly as she looked at the vibrant images that glowed underfoot. "It's a little disturbing that the Heartless and Darkness seem so keenly aware of you, even with The Master's disguise."

"Yeah… I've not been sure how or why. The fact that you're not having that problem is good news, I think. I wonder if the Darkness is marking us in some fashion once it knows who we are. Or, perhaps it's just because we've still been using the magic we learned as Angels," Balthazar mused, shoulders drooping.

"I haven't used any magic at all, aside from what the Keyblade can do," Farah said. "I'm not surprised about the others, but I wouldn't have expected you to still use it."

Balthazar crossed his arms, his face red with embarrassment. "Yeah, I probably shouldn't be using it at all, but I do try to use it sparingly. The Darkness knows about me anyway, after what happened with Khosrow…"

"Master Ava told me about that," Farah said, shaking her head sadly. "But… is it true that he lives again as his complete self?"

"Yes, I think so. I didn't get to interact with him, but I did see him in his pod afterwards and he looked like a perfectly normal person again, and nothing felt off about his Heart," Balthazar told her.

"Well, I'm glad it's turned out well for him, then. I was so angry with The Master for what he did to Khosrow… and for tricking me into being a part of it," she said, scowling and tightening her hands into fists. Her frustration was the dam wall that kept the pain and guilt at bay. "The more I see of this town, and the way the Foretellers conduct themselves, the more I find my trust in The Master to be shattering."

"You know I've not always seen eye-to-eye with him either…" Balthazar said, thinking back again to the incident that cost him his wing. "I'm just not sure what choice we have right now."

"Me neither," Farah said, shaking her head. "For now… I'm just glad to have another chance at life; and regardless of how I feel about The Master as a person I'll always be thankful for that."

Balthazar shuffled his feet, hands deep in his pockets as he thought things over. "It's always hard to tell with him. To be honest, after he helped save Areshmin I've forgiven him for a lot. Talking with you now, remembering everything we went through in the Tower… I'm not sure I should be thinking so simply about him."

Farah looked over at her friend, a small pain of guilt coming over her. "I'm sorry, Balthazar. I know that Areshmin thinks very highly of him… I am glad that you have an easier time seeing the good in The Master. I admit, it's possible I'm simply too bitter towards him to be fair."

A deep voice spoke out from behind them. "There is no harm in keeping a cautious eye to The Master's intentions."

The two turned to see Areshmin himself, standing and smiling at them with his beady little Chirithy eyes. Farah couldn't help but to smile back, and knelt down in front of him.

"So it's true… You truly have become a Chirithy now, even here inside our Stations. How is it, old friend?" she asked kindly.

Areshmin's small head bobbed amicably. "I am still growing accustomed to it, however it is a great improvement over my previous form as I no longer suffer from an imbalance of darkness. I find it to be… comfortable."

Farah smiled warmly, and stood back up. "That's good. I'm glad you're doing well. Keep Balthazar safe for me, alright?"

"Of course," Areshmin said with a nod.

Balthazar frowned softly, crossing his arms. "I guess it's about time to get going, huh? Don't want to look like we're sleeping for too long now…"

"I agree," Farah said. "Hopefully, it will not be so long before we can see each other again."

"Yeah… we'll figure something out. Goodbye, Farah," Balthazar said, and the two gave each other a quick hug. Farah's body began to glow, and the shimmering light slowly blew away like sparks in a breeze, leaving Balthazar standing alone.

He stood there for a moment, then turned to Areshmin. "Even though she's gone, I can still faintly feel her Heart. Isn't that odd?"

"Perhaps not," Areshmin said. "Your own heart has become quite adept at building connections to the Hearts of others. Farah was always one of your closest friends."

"Yeah," Balthazar said somberly, looking over towards the ring in his Station mural that depicted Farah herself. "She's always been like a sister to me… Having her support in that tower always made things seem more manageable."

He walked slowly over towards her picture in the mural, looking down at it fondly. A shiver came over him, striking a curiosity. He knelt down slowly, fingertips coming to rest gently against the glassy surface.

"There's… there's magic here," he said softly. "It feels like it's connected to her somehow."

Areshmin came over beside him, plopping down on the ground and placing his paws on the mural. "Indeed it does. This is not a phenomenon I am familiar with."

"What do you mean?"

Areshmin stood up, brushing his paws across the backs of his legs. "Both in my time before as an Angel, and more recently as a Chirithy, I have visited many Stations such as this - as have you, my friend. I do not recall ever sensing a connection such as this before, do you?"

"No, I don't…" Balthazar replied. Areshmin was right, in all his time with The Master working to save dying Hearts and trying to help his fellow Angels of Darkness, he'd never noticed a magic like this. "What do you think it means? It's not like Farah and I have done anything unusual…"

"That is a good question, my friend, and one that deserves further investigation," Areshmin said with a nod. "You have plenty enough on your shoulders at the time, though. I will do what I can to solve this mystery."

"Yeah? You think you'll be able to figure it out?"

"Hm, perhaps," Areshmin hummed, holding his paw to his mouth. "Being a creature of spirit, I should be able to gain a greater understanding of it even if I am not able to explain all aspects. Of this, I feel reasonably sure."

Balthazar stood up, looking across the mural at the others. "Well, it can't hurt anything. Thanks, Areshmin. Let me know if I can do anything to help with your research."

"I certainly will, my friend," Areshmin said with a nod.

Now that Velcia had decided she was going to need to devote her time to learning much more about each of the worlds, she knew she wasn't going to be able to afford to spend as much time visiting Olympus as she once did. The occasional visit might not be too bad, but she understood how easily she got lost in her daydreams there and that it would be best, for the time being anyway, for her to stay away altogether for a while.

It was not an easy decision to make, and in fact she had found herself struggling against a great deal of second-guessing when trying to explain it to Balthazar. He agreed with her, but seeing her sadness he made sure to remind her that she still owed him at least one visit to the city of Thebes, where she had promised to show him a great many things. She was, he pointed out, obligated to make one more visit before moving on.

And so, once her tears had subsided, Velcia brought Balthazar to Thebes to show him around. She showed him the Coliseum, where both sporting and combat events were held not only by the inhabitants of Olympus but Wielders as well. The Master had modified this Projected version of the world to host many challenging tests of strength for the Wielders of Daybreak Town, and these were both amusing and enlightening to both Velcia and Balthazar.

She showed him the vendors, and the local museums, and the great university. Finally, near the end of the day, she brought him to a great temple of brilliant white stone at the foot of Mount Olympus itself, inside which were statues for each of the mighty Olympian gods that resided miles above them in their awe-inspiring realm.

Balthazar followed her through the halls, looking up at the incredibly life-life faces in the stonework and admiring the craftsmanship. He didn't need to bother reading the gold-lined engravings on the plinths, for Velcia knew each of them by name and would introduce them as they passed.

"...And that one is Ares the god of war, and here is Helios, god of the sun, and his sister, Eos, goddess of the dawn," Velcia said, pausing and resting her hand against the cool stone. "I don't know what it is, Balthazar… I just always feel like this is my home. Where I'm supposed to be."

Balthazar stopped beside her, looking up into the marble faces of Helios and Eos. "I don't blame you… this place is amazing. It's a shame there aren't any clues to what your home world could be."

Velcia sat down, leaning her back against the quartz slab with a sigh. "I do have one clue, but… it hasn't helped me at all."

"Really? You didn't mention that before."

"I know," Velcia said dejectedly. "It's just… there wasn't really a reason to. Nobody's been able to figure it out." She reached up to the necklace she wore, a somewhat crescent-shaped gold plate with a gold chain looped through holes at the ends. She undid the clasp and held the plate between her hands, looking at it fondly.

"I was wearing this when The Master found me," she said. "It's… all I have left of my original home, where I'm really from. It was originally a little tiara, but when I grew too big for it, The Master had someone make it into a necklace for me instead."

Balthazar looked at it, eyes tracing the engraving in the center of the plate. There was a symbol with three circles positioned in a sort of T shape, with curved lines connecting them together. "Huh… was that symbol there originally?"

"It was," Velcia said with a nod. "I think it used to have some color painted into it, but… I don't remember anymore what it was supposed to be. It's upside-down now, from when I wore it on my head," she said, flipping it over and holding it atop her head like the tiara it once was. "But that doesn't help much either."

"I see. I guess you've already checked all the gods here, huh?"

Velcia sighed, lowering her necklace back down into her lap. "So, so many times… I've gone through everything, Balthazar. I can't find this symbol anywhere in Olympus, but it feels right. There's these other circles on the back, too, but… I think they're related to the moon?"

Saying so, she flipped the piece over and showed these to her friend. Here on the back were three circles, right in a line, each one modified in a different way. Some had additional circles, or portions thereof, inside of them, and there were other lines that went straight out from the center at sharp angles. Certainly, it was intriguing to look at, but Balthazar found he was unable to discern any meaning from them either.

Balthazar held his hand to his chin as he looked at them. "Hmm… you think they're related to the moon?"

"I don't know…" Velcia croaked sadly, hanging her head. "It's only a guess, and it's probably wrong, too. I asked The Master if he knew, but… well, he never said he didn't know, but he never acted like he did either."

Balthazar scoffed. "That's… about what I'd expect from him. Actually, him being so obtuse about it makes me think he probably did know something. But what use is there to keep something like that a secret from a little girl?"

Shoulders sagging despondently, Velcia could only sigh. "I don't know. I've never understood any of it. Where I'm from, why he kept me in that forest with my mothers and sister, instead of somewhere in Daybreak Town, or why I have that little house on the rooftop. All it really seems to have done is make me so strange that I can't make friends with anybody except you. And now, I can see the other Wielders and hear about their lives and I just… I see how much I've missed, some things forever. It's just… it's hard not to have a home."

"But when you're here… you feel like you have one," Balthazar said softly, looking up towards the stone statue of Athena that stood proud across the hall from them. "I… I don't have any of the answers you're looking for, but I don't think it's too late to find them."

"You think so?"

"Well, I hope so anyway," Balthazar said. "It might take a while, but I bet if we work really hard we'll learn something eventually. And hey, you know, those experiences you missed, well… maybe we can find ways to catch up on those. I don't remember a thing about my life before The Master revived me as an Angel of Darkness, so they'll be new to me, too."

Velcia blushed softly, and smiled. "Thank you, Balthazar…"

The two sat silent, looking around the hall and each lost in their thoughts. After a while, Velcia spoke up again. "It was so strange to me to see children with their mothers in town," she said abruptly, eyes staring blankly into the distant past of her memories. "There was such warmth and love between them… Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather took very good care of me, but they weren't able to really love me. I don't think they would have been able to, anyway, but…" she paused, shaking her head and returning to the present. "Do you remember the other day, when Tia gave you a kiss?"

Balthazar sighed, scratching his head. "Yeah, I do…"

"The reason I got so upset about that…" she paused nervously. "Oh, promise you won't make fun of me."

"I won't," he said, nodding solemnly.

"Won't what? Won't promise?" Velcia asked seriously, brow furrowed. "I have been tricked like that before."

"No, no… I promise I will not make fun of you," Balthazar said.

"Oh, good," Velcia said. She averted her gaze, sitting perfectly straight. "In all that I can remember, I… I've never been kissed, Balthazar. Not by a mom, or a dad, or anybody… I always wondered what it would be like, and other little kids always seemed so happy, and… when Tia gave you a kiss, I thought that maybe she might give me one too."

Balthazar wasn't sure what to say, and sat quietly. "I… I didn't realize. I'm sorry for joking about it, when I said I could go ask her to give you one, I didn't know…"

"I knew you didn't, I'm not mad about that," Velcia said softly. "It's alright. I don't need one."

Balthazar, too, sat straight now. He wasn't sure why, but it suddenly felt as though the air was a little heavier. "I… I don't think that I…"

"No," Velcia said, shaking her head softly. "I can't just ask for one… I guess what I really miss is the love behind it, that… that feeling of a family. I guess even if Tia had given me a kiss it wouldn't have been the same, but in the moment it… it was hard to remember that."

"I get it…" Balthazar said softly. "Living in the tower, the other Angels became sort of a family to me. More like siblings than anything else, really," he said, smiling warmly. "Some of them drive me crazy, but I'm glad to have them all the same. I… I don't really have much to share, but maybe I can find a way to introduce you to them. It's still not the same thing, I know," he paused, shaking his head, "And the ones who would be most likely to give you a kiss are probably best avoided, honestly," he chuckled, then turned towards her, "but I'd be really happy to share my little family with you if I can."

Velcia looked over at him. Her eyes were red and so were her cheeks, but there was a warmth returning to her complexion. "I would like it, if it doesn't put anybody into too much danger… but, even if I can't meet them I really appreciate the thought. I will be okay," she said, sniffing and rubbing her cheeks dry. "We have so much to do now… and I shouldn't worry about what my life could have been."

Balthazar gave a half smile, wondering now just how much sadness was stuffed away behind it all. The drawings, Olympus, and now the party… was it all just a way to keep going?

He stood up and offered his hand to her. "Well, no matter what our lives used to be… let's see what we can make of them together now, huh?"

Velcia looked up at his hand, and with a soft smile she grabbed it and pulled herself up. "Yes! We'll learn everything we can about the rest of these worlds, and… and see if we can find out more about this necklace," she said, clasping it back around her neck, "And of course we must not forget our new Party, too. I think we can do something very special with it, don't you?"

"Heh… yeah, I hope so," Balthazar said with a nod. "But that stuff is for tomorrow. You still have to show me around the rest of Olympus, right?"

"Yeah! Oh, there's still so much more to see!" Velcia exclaimed, little fists shaking in excitement. "Come on, follow me!" she said, darting off deeper into the temple.

Balthazar chuckled, and ran off after her. She bounced back quickly, that was for sure.

Late that night, up on the rooftop, Velcia and Balthazar lay out on the quaint grass lawn that boxed Velcia's tiny house as they watched the twinkling stars shimmering from behind the crisp, full moon. The air sang with the songs of the crickets who made their home in the sweet-scented grass, and the breeze blew gently. Somewhere out there, in space, there were countless worlds filled with countless people; each with their own stories to tell. They knew they may visit a few, someday, but they could do nothing yet but imagine and speculate what they might find when their time in Daybreak Town came to an end.

The two had great fun that day in Olympus, and Balthazar found himself agreeing with Velcia that it seemed a very fine world indeed. He too was a bit disappointed to be leaving it behind, for a while anyway, but they both left excited and invigorated to begin their mission to learn just as much about the rest of The Master's Projected Worlds.

"So which world do you think we ought to learn about first?" Velcia asked, her fingers intertwined and resting on her stomach as she admired the cosmos.

"I don't know, actually. I'm not really that familiar with any of them. I suppose if I had to pick one, I guess it would be… Agrabah."

"Agrabah?" Velcia said, nose scrunching. "Every time I go there it's just this and that about some silly missing monkey. Why would you want to go there?"

Balthazar chuckled, taking a deep breath and rolling the blades of grass between his fingers. "It doesn't really have anything to do with the monkey, I'll be honest. It can't really be all about a monkey anyway, right? I can't imagine what would be so important about a monkey that The Master would decide to create a whole Projected World because of it."

"I suppose you are right," Velcia admitted, nodding. She felt the braids on the back of her head tangling and coming undone in the grass and stuck out her tongue in displeasure, both at the sensation and the mess. "Agrabah it is, then. Tomorrow, we will go there and learn what's so important about this place and why The Master thinks we should care about this silly monkey."

"I'm kind of excited about it, actually," Balthazar said. "I'm really curious what we'll find… it has to be something cool, right?"

"I hope so. At the very least, I hope we can learn enough to be helpful to the other Wielders."

Balthazar hummed, taking in another deep lungful of the sweet air.

"So… why did you choose Agrabah, then?" Velcia asked.

"Just the first world that came to mind, to be honest. When I met with my friend, Farah, I noticed that her clothes reminded me a lot of what I saw the people there wearing. She's not sure if that's where she's from specifically, but she did say she believes it was a similar world."

Velcia thought about this for a moment. "I've been wondering something, you know. These Projected Worlds are supposed to be from the future, just like the people on those Medals The Master has the Moogles make for us. If Farah is from Agrabah, and her world fell… how can it exist again in the future? And… if Olympus is in the future, could it really exist right now already?"

"Didn't we talk about that on the hill the other day?" Balthazar asked. "You seemed pretty confident that it must already exist then, what changed?"

"Oh… Yes, I did think so, but I am not so sure now. Olympus might have thousands of years of history but… couldn't the time that we see be thousands of years in the future?" Velcia asked.

"I suppose it could. Even if The Master were still around, I don't think he'd give us an answer to that… or to your question about Farah's world, if it was actually Agrabah." Balthazar paused, thinking about it. "I guess we don't really know what happens to a World when it falls to Darkness, do we? Is it actually destroyed for good, or… does something else happen to it?"

"I don't know either," Velcia whispered, pursing her lips in contemplation. "But… if they do still exist somehow, then there must be a way to save them… right…?"

Balthazar shook his head with a shrug, eyes climbing back up the tall tower to the west as he thought back to his many conversations with The Master of Masters. "I… I don't think The Master ever said anything about that. The only thing he told me about his goal was that he wanted to defeat Darkness once and for all, and that he had found a way to achieve that. If the worlds still do exist, then maybe he would have a way to restore them too."

"Can he really do something like that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Balthazar sighed. "He found some way to keep my Heart and the light within me protected and strong, even though my body fell to ruin and I live in the body of a creature of Darkness… I guess it's pretty different from a whole world, but… who knows what he can do?"

Velcia sat up, brushing the grass out of her hair. Her fingers got caught in her braids, causing her to stick out her tongue in annoyance. Realizing there was no hope for them now, she set to pulling them apart slowly. "If he were still here, I would follow him around instead of all the Wielders…"

Balthazar laughed. "Yeah, I bet there's a lot of others who would too… Guess that's why he left, huh?"

"Well, he could have explained a little more I think," Velcia said. She'd finished undoing the braids on one side of her head now, and began on the other.

Sitting up now, Balthazar rested his arm across a raised knee, looking back up at the tower once more. "...I wonder if any of us will ever see him again."

Velcia let out a yawn, combing her fingers through her hair and letting it fall back behind her shoulders. "He always did come back eventually… but I'm not so sure I want him to now," she said softly, shaking her head. "The last few times he did come back, life got really hard…"

Balthazar gave a half smile, and leaned back on his hands. "No kidding… well, either way, we know what we want to do, don't we? We'll figure it out, with or without him."

"We will…" Velcia said sleepily. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, Balthazar, and we'll-" she yawned, then shook her head and smacked her lips before continuing, "We'll go see what that monkey's all about."

"Goodnight, Velcia," Balthazar said as she stood up. "I'll probably head in soon, too… I just have a couple things on my mind. Don't worry about me."

"Is it those weird dark shadow people?" Velcia asked.

"No, actually… I haven't sensed their presence at all since I've been at the cottage. I don't know how or why, but… maybe I'm safe from them here."

"That's good," Velcia said, losing her balance momentarily. She shook her head, and without another word trundled inside the house.

Balthazar watched her go and then lay his head back down in the grass. He heard the familiar sound of Areshmin appearing not far from him, and raised his hand to wave. "Hello, friend."

"Hello, friend. I believe I may be able to help with one of those things on your mind." Areshmin said as he walked over.

Shooting back upright, Balthazar turned to his friend with a great curiosity. "Really? Like what?"

"I have spent some time exploring our powers together… I believe I have an idea about that powerful magic you discovered in your Station," Areshmin said, resting his front paws on Balthazar's leg.

"You mean how I felt that strong connection to Farah?"

"Precisely," Areshmin nodded. "Come with me," he said, disappearing into a puff of smoke.

Laying back down, Balthazar closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before opening them again, finding himself now in his Station. Ahead of him, he could see Areshmin bouncing towards the image of Farah in the mural on the floor, and he began to make his way over as well.

"So… what do you think it's about?"

"It's a link to her Heart…" Areshmin said, kneeling down and resting a paw on the image.

"A link to her Heart…? What's that mean…?" Balthazar asked, resting his hand across the image as well. His eyes widened a bit, and he nodded. "Wait… I think I understand, actually. Through this magic, I feel as if she's right beside me. So, do you think we can do anything with this connection?"

"I believe you can," Areshmin said with a nod. "I do not know how you created this Heart Link, but using it I was able to go visit Farah's station and converse with her Chirithy; and even Farah herself."

Balthazar's eyes opened wide, his mouth slightly agape. "What… that's amazing. If I can learn how to create this kind of Heart Link with the others, then keeping in touch with them-"

"Will be simplicity itself," Areshmin nodded. "You would no longer have to risk exposing them to Darkness."

Balthazar held both hands against the glassy surface, a yellow magic beginning to glow around his hands. His brow furrowed as his focus intensified, and after a few moments the gentle glow of the circular image began to sputter into a brightly shining light.

Areshmin stepped back slowly, looking at the beam that shot up from the station. "You… you've made the connection more powerful."

"Yeah," Balthazar gasped, sitting back. "And now that I can do that… I hope I can figure out how to make these links intentionally, too."

"I can feel her presence now even without needing to touch the image," Areshmin said softly, looking over at Balthazar.

"That was a bit of a surprise to me too," Balthazar admitted with a chuckle. "But now… if any of them is in danger, maybe I'll be able to sense it. You said you were able to travel to her station through this…?"

"Just the same as if she were nearby," Areshmin nodded.

Balthazar leaned forward again, hand splayed out across the image. "Well, I don't want to intrude…" he closed his eyes for a moment, then sat back again.

"What did you do?" Areshmin asked curiously.

The light in the circle flashed brilliantly, nearly blindingly bright as a beam of light shot up into the heavens. The column of magic began to wane, and in its place stood a glowing doorway. The door began to open to reveal another bright light within, and out from the light stepped Farah herself. She looked around cautiously, eyes open wide, but smiled at the sight of Balthazar standing up to greet her.

"Balthazar…!" she gasped, shaking her head. "So it WAS you that I heard… what is this?"

"I'm not sure," Balthazar said. "Areshmin called it a Heart Link… I guess somehow I made a bond between our hearts, and could sense your presence. I wondered if I could speak to you somehow through it, and… it looks like I can."

Farah nodded slowly, turning around to see the glowing doorway behind her portrait on the mural. "This is incredible… why, if you can forge a connection like this with the others…"

"It'll make everything a lot easier," Balthazar said with a nod. "We won't need to be so worried about the Darkness anymore when we need to meet, and… I think it'll help me know if any of you are in danger."

"That would be a great relief to me," Farah said, walking over to another one of the round murals and kneeling down beside it. "Can you make a connection to them from here? I haven't seen Hadrianus since we left the tower…"

Balthazar came over and knelt down beside her, splaying his hand out across the picture. "I… I don't know. I can feel his heart, but it's very weak… I'm not sure if I can forge that connection right now. Maybe later, with some practice?"

"Still," Farah said, sitting down, "The fact that you are able to sense his heart at all is amazing. The only Hearts I am able to sense here are yours, and very faintly Areshmin's."

"I was going to meet with the others at some point anyway… the next time I do, I'll see if I can't make more of these Heart Links," Balthazar said with a nod. He sighed, then sat back with a grin. "If I can, maybe we'll even be able to get everyone back together and hang out just like we used to."

"I'd like that," Farah said, smiling warmly. "I miss them… even Juangshi and Tomi, for all the trouble they caused."

"Yeah, me too… I don't know how Tadataka can stand to live with Juangshi and Perere," Balthazar chuckled.

"He what?" Farah laughed, shaking her head. "All the troublemakers in one place… I guess it's fitting."

"I'm not going to complain," Balthazar said. "It makes it a lot easier to keep track of them…"

"I'm sure," Farah replied.

Balthazar sighed, looking out across the faces of the other Angels on the large glass mural. "You know… it's a real relief, to be honest. If I can figure out this Heart Link thing… maybe everything will turn out okay, afterall…"