The seven and thirteen had been cast about the keyblade graveyard, ready to clash and die and make the sword above all swords just as the old loon wanted. Vanitas stood alongside the vessel of Xehanort, though that title no longer had any meaning as even Vanitas held a part of Xehanort in him. Vanitas and the body that had once been Terra now faced Aqua and Ventus… the old man was truly sick.

Though the ancient darkness wanted no part of this after all the journeys of Sora, the invader within him offered little choice. So at risk of losing yet more freedom, Vanitas stayed to the edges of the battle and focused on keeping Aqua off balance. The body of Terra clearly did not hold any internal conflict using the Heart of Terra in consort with No Name against the pair of Lights.

With a great clash of blades, Ventus was forced to the ground, in no possession to block or dodge as the body of Terra lifted its weapon. The ancient Darkness could feel the sadistic grin on the face of the thing that was about to kill his brother, helpless to act.

"Terra…" in fear and desperation Ventus said the name of his lost friend, and then the body of Terra collapsed. Ventus made his way up to support the vessel and Aqua broke off from battle to do the same.

Vanitas felt it in his best interest to use healing magic.

The body of Terra screamed as dark chains bound Ventus and Aqua, lifting them into the air. Darkness poured from around the husk as the Lights tried to escape their bindings. "You'll never be able to break these chains." The thing spoke, swinging Ventus and Aqua through the air and into the arena walls with a sickening crunch.

"They're our bonds!" At those words even Vanitas felt himself go numb with fear as the thing once known as Terra continued to throw its victims around the arena, slamming them into the ground, the walls, each other and changing their courses sharply in the air in an attempt to break their bodies. Xehanort spoke, but Vanitas could not hear over the feeling of his own sickness.

Seemingly done playing with its food, Xehanort lifted the two barely conscious warriors much higher into the air almost as though raising the blade of a guillotine. And then Ventus spoke, voice broken and little more than a whisper. "Terra… I kept my promise…" And then they fell, and a miracle happened.

Terra's Heartless tore free of the shell it was bound to and grabbed the two falling lights out of the air, setting them down and crushing the false bonds with ease. The vessel of Xehanort tried to react, but before it could, Terra's Heartless grabbed it by the face and slammed it into a wall. The Heartless tore at the bindings on its mouth and started trying to crush what had once been his own head. "One day…" the Heartless spoke, voice strained from over a decade of disuse, "One…day…I will set… this right… One day I will set this right I…I…I will return to this land," he near manically chanted.

Vanitas was running out of reasons not to act as Terra continued to attempt his own death and used the sickening wrongness of this entire conflict to push down the invader within himself. Vanitas knew exactly the action to take as he lifted Void Gear. If Terra was even one one-hundredth of the man Ven thought him to be then there was no doubt who would survive.

Fear, hatred, revulsion, and so many other things tore through Void Gear as a blast of Darkness that struck the Heartless form of Terra, power alone forcing the heart into body as Darkness burst out and white hair became brown. It was clear that another shard of Xehanort had been struck down.

Ventus saw Terra look at his own hand for a moment before running to where he and Aqua had been set. Terra cast a heal spell on both injured lights "Aqua! Ven!" He called, but whatever tearful reunion there could have been was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream.

Turning his head, Ventus saw his dark brother holding his uncovered head in his hand shrieking as silver started to seep into his black hair. The wind user shot to his feet. "Aqua, Terra, look away." He all but yelled, rushing to the being of pure Darkness. All the joy felt at seeing the man who was almost a father to him now washed away and replaced by a grim and hateful resignation as Ventus rushed to the side of his estranged brother.

"I will not be an extension of that bastard… I won't give him any more control over me!" Vanitas chanted, sobbing in agony. He turned to his counterpart, no light in his golden eyes… only fear and pain.

Ventus summoned Wayward Wind to his hand as primal darkness simply said his name as a disparate, almost childlike plea before his flesh was pierced. Vanitas slumped some as black flame poured from him. "Thank you… brother… for saving Terra… and all of us," said Ventus using all his power to hold back tears.

Vanitas responded weakly. "What else is family for?" before pushing his weapon into the dandelion's hand. "Give this to our best half…" And then Vanitas was gone, his body fading into nothing.

Ventus screamed. Why did he have so much blood on his hands? Why did he keep hurting the people he cared about… and the person he didn't offer a second chance even after a decade together! WHY WHY WHY WHY! Anger in his very being, two thoughts became clear in Ventus's mind. Xehanort was going to die, and everyone else would be protected. But first he had a sword to deliver as well as let Aqua and Terra get their strength back.

Elsewhere in the graveyard, Sora felt a deep pain in his Heart yet oddly he felt stronger.