Chapter 4: True to Each Other

The stars twinkled in the night sky above Daybreak Town, and the gentle glow of the cosmos saturated the town clear, crisp night. Balthazar had found a peaceful tranquility with only the sounds being those of the gently bubbling of the fountain behind him and the soft creaking of the wooden planks of the bench he'd chosen to rest upon tonight.

There were many fountains across Daybreak Town, and from this one he could see The Master's Tower In the distance, across the rooftops and through the smoke of the chimneys, past the breeze-touched trees and past the lazily flapping flags.

The Tower. It had only been a few months since he left that curiosity of a structure, and it felt all at once both a lifetime ago and yet still all-too recent. He'd passed by it once or twice, but hadn't dared go back inside it since that fateful day. He knew that he could not avoid it forever, one day he would need to return, but he hoped that such a day would be far, far off.

Much to his own surprise, Balthazar found that he wasn't always altogether fond of going back indoors in general now. His friends from the tower seemed to be taking their new lives in the Town in stride, from what he could learn in the precious little opportunities they had to communicate with each other now. None of them seemed to share his aversion to staying the night indoors. He was comfortable enough going inside during the day, for a while anyhow, but Balthazar had found that being inside buildings late at night brought a certain feeling to his heart that he could never quite explain, or be comfortable with.

This was, primarily, the reason that Balthazar did not have anything like a home of his own. His other friends had all found places, from what he gathered, but none of the rooms Master Ava had offered to him could soothe his apprehensions. There were plenty of facilities for the Wielders around Daybreak Town that offered things like showers and amenities, so even without a home of his own he wanted for very little; and he found ways to keep content with the few things he had.

He gazed up the side of the tower, his eyes finding a familiar looking balcony about two-thirds up the side. He remembered the time he spent up there, looking down at this very town and wondering what it would be like to be here. He sighed, closing his eyes happily. He missed his friends, of course, but now that he was no longer stuck up inside that dark and stuffy tower he felt so much more… alive.

As Balthazar sat under the stars, reminiscing about the good times of the days gone by, he gradually began to doze off. It wasn't long until, after an enormous yawn, he opened his eyes to find himself no longer in Daybreak Town but sitting on a large circular stained-glass platform that floated in an endless void.

"Guess I fell asleep," he chuckled, standing up. This place was no physical realm but a magical manifestation of his heart, and it was where Balthazar found his consciousness drifting to whenever his body slept. He'd been told that this sort of place, a "Station of Heart", existed for all people. Most, he was told, would never see or know of it. Keyblade Wielders could learn to access it intentionally through training, and some found themselves diving into in when their powers began to manifest in times of great distress or peril; but for Balthazar and the few others like him this place was almost effortlessly accessible.

Balthazar turned in place to look around, and seeing no-one else there cupped his hands around his mouth and called out. "Areshmin! Are you there?"

The Station was silent at first, but after a moment a soft, twinkling sort of sound filled the air and a glowing orb of light came out from somewhere across the void, a green streak flowing behind it and vanishing slowly into sparkles. This glowing orb stopped just short of Balthazar himself, then exploded into a puff of smoke out of which a Chirithy tumbled to the ground, landing on his bottom with a soft bounce.

The Chirithy stood up and looked up into Balthazar's turquoise eyes. "Balthazar, my friend. I am glad to see that you are resting."

Balthazar sat down, leaning back on his hands with a smile. "Yeah, I guess I am too. What about you, though? Where did you go to?"

The small creature's fluffy gray shoulders shrugged sheepishly. "Ah. It would appear that I still have many things to learn about this form's abilities. It seems we Chirithy are able to travel a great distance further than I suspected, and we are able to find each other in this Realm of the Heart, as well."

Balthazar's eyes widened a bit, and a small smile came to his face. "Huh, imagine that. So, Areshmin, do you think you'll be able to find the Chirithy of the other Angels?"

"Hm, perhaps not anytime soon," Areshmin admitted with a short bob of his head, "But I am hopeful. Though I have much still to learn, I do seem to have the potential to use the same abilities as any normal Chirithy would."

"Oh really? What makes you say that?"

"As you and Velcia have been spending so much time together, so too have I had a great deal of time to discuss things with her Chirithy. Admittedly, it took some time to find a common ground…" Areshmin paused, rubbing the back of his head. "But, we do seem to work well together."

Balthazar held a hand to his chin. "You know, I haven't really thought about it much before, but I don't see the other Chirithy often."

"We interact mostly unseen. Most other Chirithy I've met prefer to stay on the periphery unless needed, which is agreeable to me as well," Areshmin said with a short nod. "The other Chirithy I have met are interesting, but it does not take long for them to realize that I am not the same as them."

"Is that so?" Balthazar asked, hand to his chin. He'd never considered the social lives of Chirithy before. "What do they think of that?"

"It varies, but none of them thus far have taken offense to me. Most Chirithy seem to strongly reflect the temperment of their Wielder. Velcia's Chirithy found it very unusual that you and I were more, as it said, distinct, but he seemed to be curious about us more than anything else."

Balthazar opened his mouth to say something, but winced instead. It felt as if a heavy, dark sort of pressure had come over them both. He smacked his lips uncomfortably, as if trying to figure out a bad taste in his mouth. "Areshmin, do you feel that? What is it?"

Areshmin's small, beady black eyes were just a little bit larger and almost perfectly round, and his body trembled gently. "T-there is some powerful presence of Darkness, my friend," he said, eyes narrowing. Balthazar felt a pulse of magic emerge from the Chirithy's body, and he himself suddenly felt himself tumbling away from the Station back into consciousness; Areshmin's deep voice echoing in his ears. "You must wake up."

Balthazar startled awake back on the bench in Daybreak Town, and as the dim features of the Town came back into focus he realized that there was a dark spot directly in front of him. This was no illusion or trick of the light, but some thing. He leaped backwards with a gasp, tumbling into the waters of the fountain behind him. He sputtered and scrambled to his feet, keeping his gaze towards the unwelcome presence.

Ahead of him, on the other side of the bench, stood one of the dark Specters. It slowly lowered its arm, which had been raised as if it were touching his face.

Balthazar's hands clenched tightly, and he shivered as the water dripped down his drenched sleeves. "What do you want?" he demanded. He was accustomed to these Specters lurking about in the distance, but never had one come so close as to be able to touch him.

The specter of Darkness stood still for a moment, its silhouette unmistakably humanoid but entirely lacking in any specific details or features. "You are interesting to us," it said after a moment, in a deep, gravelly sort of voice with all the pleasantry of a scraped chalkboard.

"Interesting? Is that why you've been following me around?"

"Follow?" the Specter repeated. "How curious that you would perceive us this way."

Balthazar shook his head, wondering what he was supposed to do in a situation like this. Keeping his eyes locked onto the Specter, he made his way to the side of the pool of water and stepped out of the fountain. "So… is there a reason you decided to sneak up on me tonight?"

The Specter rotated so as to continue to face him directly, but made no other movement. "Thirteen… what a curious number your so-called Master of Masters has chosen. Hearts of light, hidden in a shroud of darkness, so flippantly using Heartless as mere puppets… Do you know why your Master would choose such a number?"

Balthazar's breath hitched, this Specter knew more than he was comfortable with. "No, why should I?"

"Perhaps you should be curious too, imposter. Your Master is a tricky one… and to create thirteen of you did not seem like a coincidence to us. At first it appeared as if perhaps he were working to turn our own essence against us, but…" the Specter cackled, "It seems these forms you wear are too frail to be a threat. Two of you have already been destroyed, afterall…"

Balthazar felt his throat tightening, but did his best to appear flippant. "News to me."

"Your Master… he does not lie as you do. You were there for the destruction of the ones you called Khosrow and Areshmin. Tell us, what role do you play in your Master's game?"

"I'd like to know that, myself," Balthazar said. "What about you? What role do you play?"

"We shall learn all, in time…" the specter said, ignoring his question. A chill wind blew across the street, and the form of Darkness disappeared almost as if it were never there to begin with.

"Just going to leave like that, huh?" Balthazar said, looking around into the shadows around him for any sign of the otherworldly creature.

A puff of smoke broke out near his knees, and Areshmin came tumbling to the ground. "My friend, I no longer sense the dark presence so strongly. Either it is hiding, or… it is gone."

"T-that's good news," Balthazar sighed, teeth chattering. "Zeus above, I'm cold though."

His small Chirithy friend looked up at him, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "You are spending a lot of time with your friend, indeed."

"Yeah, I guess so," Balthazar shivered, rubbing his hands across his arms. "I need to find somewhere to warm up and dry off, but… where? It's too late at night for anything to be open…"

"You have your Party office, do you not?"

"Oh, yeah!" Balthazar exclaimed, "And that's not too far away either! Good thinking."

The two made their way silently down the streets, keeping vigilant watch for any lurking form of Darkness, but finding that all seemed to be peaceful and quiet. It wasn't long at all until Balthazar reached his destination and, using a small metal key in his coat pocket, he made his way inside the building and up the stairs.

As he opened the door leading to his floor a soft fluttering sound could be heard, and a small voice piped up from a nearby room. "W-who's there, Kupo?"

Balthazar closed the stairwell door gently behind him, responding softly. "Oh, uh, it's me, Balthazar."

There was a tiny door inset in the wall, much like a window frame, and as this creaked open a small white Moogle with a nightcap poked his head out to greet him. "My, my, it's quite early… er, late. Is there anything you need?"

"I uh… I'm just looking for somewhere to warm up right now," Balthazar explained sheepishly. "I fell into a fountain. It's cold outside and home is… home is… really far away."

"I understand!" The Moogle disappeared back into his room, and returned shortly, offering Balthazar a towel that simply dwarfed the tiny creature. "Please take this. You may stay in your Party HQ tonight, though do try not to make a habit of it, Kupo."

Bowing softly, Balthazar took the towel graciously. "Thank you. I'll be very quiet, I promise. Please, get some sleep."

The Moogle yawned, the small red ball top his antenna bouncing as he nodded dreamily. "Thanks, Kupo, you too."

With that, the small door was closed and the clacking of the latch echoed through the empty hall. Balthazar made his way to the appropriate door, and after some fumbling with the key managed to make his way into the meeting room.

He looked around the dark room uncomfortably, feeling a sense of unease as he did.

"Might I recommend the lamps?" Areshmin offered, tugging at his pant leg and pointing towards the switch.

"Heh, right, thanks," Balthazar said, turning the lights on. They glowed with a warm light, and the space felt immediately more inviting. Balthazar wrapped himself up tightly in the towel and sat down on the floor, his back against the brick wall. Indoors again.

His small companion plopped to the ground beside him, leaning his head against Balthazar's side. "It is not so bad, is it?" Areshmin said.

"No, it's not…" Balthazar agreed, looking out the windows across the empty room. He couldn't see any of Daybreak Town from here on the floor, but the stars shone brightly through the window. "I guess I need to get used to it… I don't know if being indoors will keep those dark figures from getting to me like that again, beautiful nothing else at least it feels safer."

"We can speak to Ava tomorrow about finding a place to stay," Areshmin offered.

Balthazar nodded slowly. "Yeah, maybe. Part of me wants to see if I can stay with one of the others, but… after what that dark figure said I don't know if that's a good idea."

"It is concerning," Areshmin agreed solemnly. "I do not know what its goal is… but it seems to understand quite a bit more than I expected."

"The Master told me it probably wouldn't make any direct moves against us until it knows where all of us are…" Balthazar said thoughtfully. "I wonder if it's having a hard time finding the others. But, if it always seems to know where I am, and the Heartless can see me clearly as well… Could the others really be so hard for it to find?"

Areshmin shrugged, shaking his fluffy gray head. "I do not know. Perhaps once it identified you, it has marked you in some way… or perhaps using the Dark Magic has similarly left some sort of an imprint on you."

Balthazar scowled. "Ugh. It would be nice if The Master would have explained any of this to us, I mean… it's our lives on the line, afterall."

"We must trust that he has told us all we need to know," Areshmin said slowly. "He has not let us down, even in his absence."

Balthazar sighed, pulling the towel in closer around himself. "Yeah, you're right… The Master's got a plan. It's just… hard to know what I'm supposed to do, you know?"

Areshmin shook his head, then leaned it against his friend once more. "It certainly is."

The streets shook and rumbled, shutters rattled against their frames. Echoing through the streets, the distinctive cracks and whines of rapidly-slung magic spells could be heard, and these were punctuated by the furious roars of the large Heartless against which they were employed. The usual chipper salutations of the birds were simply nowhere to be heard, for no bird would want to be near the ruckus of the battle on the bricks, even if the sky were not tinted a hazy purple by the clouds of darkness that always followed the large Behemoth Heartless when they wandered into town.

And yet, amidst all of this, there could be heard another sound decidedly more purposeful - a coordinated chatter, the experienced strategizing of a group who hunted their target, wearing it down slowly yet surely.

On the ground around the Behemoth, two-dozen Wielders worked in tandem to fell the beast. Coordinated attacks struck at limbs or weak points in an attempt to stun or confuse the monster to make openings for their friends to strike with their slower, more powerful blows. It was an endeavor well-practiced by many of these Parties of Wielders, but each group had their own strategies they would employ.

Somewhere on the ground, bumbling around behind and between the Wielders, a Chirithy could be seen. His purpose would be difficult to discern for most bystanders, for his mad bobbling bounds did not seem to have a destination in mind until at last he heard what he needed to, and with a small jump disappeared into a puff of smoke.

On the edge of the square, atop a bench in one of the side streets and obscured by a rather gracious fern in a large clay pot, sat Velcia; her sketchbook open and supported by her legs and her pencils flying across the page. She'd sketched nearly every Wielder partaking in this battle, striving to capture every determined face, every loose scarf, worn glove, or bizarrely expensive handbag that was worn.

She did not flinch when a puff of smoke appeared over the bench beside her, or even stop to react as the Chirithy dropped onto the wooden planks. The Chirithy took only a moment to find its footing, then clambered directly beside her, pushing her arm gently out of the way as it found its spot between her and her paper.

"Justin, Dio, and… Lucy," Chirithy panted, pointing towards the few portraits that remained un-labeled.

The small cat ducked as Velcia reached over him, writing the names quickly. "Thank you!" she said happily, using the butt of her pencil to point towards the two remaining unknowns in rapid sequence. "Could you please find out who they are?"

Chirithy nodded his head, wiping his brow. It was hard work for such a small creature, but he knew how much it meant to her. "I will try!" he reported, disappearing again in a puff of smoke.

A particularly furious roar broke out from the square, the windows shook and Velcia lifted her pencil up off the page until the earth beneath could calm. The Behemoth roared again, this time more strenuously, and soon after the Heartless fell to the ground for the last time, bursting apart into stars of light. The victorious Wielders held their Keyblades high, their hungry weapons absorbing these stars as they fell. Velcia watched this with wonder, no matter how many times she'd seen it, it always was a sight to behold.

She stood up from her seat, walking now into the square itself but sticking to the shadows underneath the awnings. Her Chirithy rejoined her now, shaking his head to report his mission was unsuccessful. Velcia did not notice, nor did she mind right now.

"Hey!" one of the Wielders shouted, and Velcia couldn't help but to notice he was staring straight at her when he repeated himself. "Hey! What are you lurking around for, you spying on us?"

Velcia paled, eyes wide as she shook her head. Any verbal reply was too quiet to be heard, so the boy and a few of his friends came closer for their answers.

"We're on track to be the number-one party in Ursus this week, we don't need anybody stealing our secrets!" the boy said angrily. This boy, Velcia noted, was one of the ones for which she did not yet have a name.

"I-I'm not stealing secrets," she stammered, shaking her head and holding her sketchbook tightly against her chest.

"That was your Chirithy running around, wasn't it? What the hell would it be doing that for unless you were trying to figure out how we're coordinating?"

"I-I… I, uh.." Velcia stammered, slowly lowering her book. "I don't… I'm not good at fighting, so-"

"So join a Party who can teach you, dummy. We're too advanced for you."

"I'm not trying to learn how to fight!" Velcia squeaked out. "I'm… I draw! I'm trying to draw all the Wielders and Parties in Daybreak Town, and-"

"Pfaw," the boy sputtered indignantly. "You expect us to believe a stupid lie like that?"

"Y-yes…?" Velcia said softly, opening her book to show her drawings.

The four Wielders leaned in for a closer look, and one of them smiled a bit. "You know, Talos, I don't think that's too bad actually."

The lead boy, presumably Talos, stood up straight with his scowl unchanged. "What a waste of time. Aren't you a Wielder, too?" Velcia started to nod, but was cut off again. "Then you should be helping collect lux for your Union, not slinking around in the shadows like a coward."

Velcia's face flushed red and she averted her eyes, waiting for them to lose interest. This was a conversation she'd had more times than she could count, not that she would want to try. She took furtive glances towards their hands, watching carefully for any sign that she should turn tail and scamper away.

Talos let out an exasperated sigh, pointing towards her fervently. "Don't let us catch you snooping around again, alright? Our work's hard enough without worrying about creeps like you underfoot. Come on, guys," he said, turning around with one final scoff and heading back to rejoin the rest of the party.

Velcia looked to the others, noting their mixed expressions. The one boy seemed empathetic, giving her only an apologetic grin, but the rest… she shook her head and watched them go, sighing to herself.

"Talos…" she said softly, lifting her sketchbook and writing the boy's name under her drawing of him. "I ought to write that you're a mean old jerk, too… but I want to remember everyone for their best qualities," she said.

"That's very nice of you," Chirithy said, tugging at the ends of her robes. "The last one is Skalain, by the way."

"Oh! Thank you, Chirithy!" Velcia exclaimed, writing the final name in the book. Once done, she folded it up and sat down on the brick pavement. "I hope Balthazar gets here soon."

Chirithy looked up towards the sun, his beady eyes little more than thin slits as he squinted. "I'm surprised he's not here yet! He normally would be."

"Who are you waiting for?" a familiar voice spoke up from behind them.

Velcia and Chirithy jumped, then turned to see none other than Balthazar himself standing right there. Velcia's head tilted at the sight of his clothes, it all looked to her to be much more wrinkly and unkempt than she was used to. She reached out immediately and began brushing her hand across the fabric, trying to restore order to the wave-stricken garments.

"Oh, what happened to you?" she asked, pausing to straighten a button.

Balthazar sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets as he waited for her to realize the futility of her efforts. "Fell into a fountain last night. I haven't had a chance yet to wash anything, but… I dunno, I think these clothes might be ruined. They feel tight. So, I need to go pick up something new from the Moogle today."

Velcia shook her head, then rubbed her hands on the pencil-stained cloth on her waist, tutting as she noticed the shrunken creases in the sides of the jacket and vest. "They're hopeless! Let's go now."

"Sure. Sorry to keep you waiting, by the way, I-"

Velcia's eyes widened, and she looked past Balthazar. "Oh, uh, it's Master Aced!"

"Wha?" Balthazar turned to follow her gaze and, sure enough there he was walking slowly towards them.

"I thought it would be you," Aced grumbled as he came over, eyes locked on Velcia. He was a very tall, imposing figure. The upper half of his face was hidden from view behind an intimidating bear mask, this itself resting in shadow underneath the white hood over his head that accentuated the sharp glow of his eyes.

Velcia squeaked in surprise, and Balthazar immediately found himself breaking eye contact and looking away. Velcia looked around, hoping that perhaps Aced was talking to someone else but there was no-one else it could be, and so with a shaking finger she pointed to herself and stuttered "M-m-me?".

"Talos told me there was a Wielder snooping about and not doing any fighting… of course it would be you," he grumbled. "I'd hoped that after all these years you would put aside your childish behavior and learn to contribute to your Union, but perhaps I expect too much."

"I-i'm trying to, Master Aced… I just…"

"I don't need to hear your sorry excuses again," Aced sighed, holding his hand to his forehead. "If you don't have any other way to contribute, at least stop getting in the way of your fellow Ursus Wielders."

"O-oh… I um," Velcia paused, looking up into his glowing eyes with considerable tension. "I'm not in Ursus anymore, I… I changed over to, um… Vulpes, you see."

Aced's mouth went flat for a second, then he shook his head. "Good. Maybe Ava can find a way to get through to you."

Velcia hung her head. "I don't want to be in the way, Master Aced… at least now, you won't have to worry about your most useless Wielder anymore…"

Aced groaned, glancing in the direction of the lighthouse. "Somehow I've still got another Wielder even weaker than you. I don't know how my Union ended up with so many-"

"Oh, lay off, Aced," Balthazar grumbled, then he stopped in shock as he realized he'd spoken out loud.

Aced stood up straight, glaring down at him. "Excuse me?"

Velcia grabbed her friend's arm. "Oh, no… Balthazar…!"

"Balthazar?!" Aced repeated, his mouth open a bit. He looked down to see Balthazar turning to face him, and began to chuckle. "So… this is what you look like now, huh? I guess The Master's disguises are more convincing than I realized."

"Yeah, guess so," Balthazar bit, crossing his arms. He still couldn't bring himself to look Aced directly in the eyes, and his fingers fidgeted nervously.

"Disguises?" Velcia asked.

"Oh? So, she doesn't know what you really are?" Aced asked. "I'm not surprised you'd find someone like her to hide with."

"I'm just doing what The Master told me to do," Balthazar said.

Velcia looked between the two, then to her friend. "Balthazar… what's going on?"

Aced held his hand out to the side, summoning his Keyblade. "I don't know what The Master was thinking, letting monsters like you out into the town." The two young Wielder's eyes widened, and then almost without warning Aced hit Balthazar with the broad side of his Keyblade. Balthazar tumbled to the ground, his body flickering as he did. As it flashed, another form could be seen - a creature with robes made of silver-white scales, with glowing turquoise eyes, and what appeared to be wings.

"Now you know the truth, young Velcia," Aced tutted, shaking his head. "Perhaps now you will learn to question your poor judgment and pay more attention to the world around you."

Velcia paid Aced no attention as he strode away slowly, instead dropping down beside her friend. His form was still flickering, but did appear to be stabilizing somewhat. She desperately wanted to hug him, but was worried what may happen if she touched him in this state.

"Balthazar… what is this? What did he do to you?" Velcia asked, tears in the corners of her eyes.

The boy sat up slowly, his body now returned to normal. "Velcia, I… I'm sorry, I know I should have explained it sooner. I…"

Velcia sat back, biting her lip pensively. "...are you real, Balthazar?"

Balthazar wasn't sure how to answer this. "...I'm not sure what you-"

"Are you real?" Velcia said again, more resolutely this time. "A real, living person like me, and not… not a projection from one of The Master's worlds?"

Balthazar paused, blinking for a moment. "I'm… not a projection, no," he looked around the town square, seeing that the foot traffic was beginning to return. "I'll tell you everything, but can we go to our meeting room first? I don't want to talk about it where others might hear."

"You promise?" Velcia asked quietly, getting a nod from Balthazar. "Then, okay."

Balthazar stood up, and helped his friend to her feet. The walk to the meeting room was not far, but it certainly felt like it. Balthazar's face was flush, and his hands felt clammy. He'd been wanting to tell her about this but hadn't been able to find the resolve. Now that Aced had found it for him, his racing mind was struggling to think of how to explain any of it. He found himself fighting the urge to look behind him to see if Velcia still followed.

Velcia followed closely behind the entire journey, but said nothing. Her expression was blank, but her fingers were fidgety. They arrived at the building, and she followed him up the stairs, down the hall, and into the meeting room where she closed and locked the door behind them.

"You're… you're sure you're real?" she asked again, breaking the silence.

Balthazar still wasn't sure exactly why she kept using this particular phrasing, but did his best to smile reassuringly. "Look, what I am… it's complicated. I've wanted to tell you for a while now, but… I've just been scared to. I'm sorry."

Velcia sat down cross-legged on the wooden floor, and Balthazar found he half expected her to open up one of her sketchbooks. He was very surprised, indeed, to see that instead she took off her backpack and slid it as far away as she could. "I… I won't interrupt," she said, folding her hands in her lap.

Sitting down beside her, Balthazar took a deep breath. He'd spent so much time trying to think of how to explain it, and for a while thought he'd figured it out pretty well - but those finely-tuned words had abandoned him in his time of need.

He closed his eyes, thinking back to the start of it all. "My world was one of the many that had fallen into Darkness. I don't remember a thing before I woke up in The Master's laboratory. I was stuck in a pod. He told me that I had died when my world was destroyed, or rather, was just about to die," Balthazar explained, looking into her green eyes. He could tell she was teeming with questions, but true to her word stayed sitting patiently quiet.

"The Master told me that my body was destroyed, but he'd managed to save my Heart. As for my body, The Master found a different way to keep me alive, in a fashion. What he told me was that sometimes, when a person is killed by Darkness their Heart is released and creates a Heartless. When that happens, they lose their sense of self. The Master… he changed this process, somehow. I did turn into a Heartless, but because of his intervention I was able to keep my sense of self in my Heart."

"So," Velcia said softly, but she stopped herself. Balthazar gave her a gentle nod.

"So, yes… I am, or was, a real person. My body, my… true form, right now, is a Heartless. That's… that's what I am. That's what my other friends from the tower are, and that's what Aced meant when he asked if you knew what I was," Balthazar said, sighing heavily.

"But you… you look like a normal boy!" Velcia said curiously, reaching out and touching her hand to his cheek.

Balthazar pulled up his sleeve, revealing a bracelet-like device on his arm. "The Master said it wasn't good for us to be locked up in the tower forever, so he made these magic devices that change our shape. That's how we look like normal people."

Velcia held her hand to her chin thoughtfully. "I did think it was a rather odd looking watch… So… what do you really look like?"

"I can turn the device off," Balthazar said slowly, reaching down and doing so. His human form flickered, then disappeared in an instant. A humanoid Heartless sat ahead of her now, most of its body obscured underneath the silver scales of the robes and hood, with only the ends of the craggy black arms and legs visible. Velcia looked at him with wonder and some fear, then her eyes landed on the feathered appendages on his back. One of the wings was only half as long as the other, and this one had a black scar at the end.

"One of your wings is broken…" she said sadly. "Is it meant to be that way?"

Balthazar's wings rustled as he turned his head to glance at the severed wing. "No. I… One of the others who was saved, Hadassah… she did not appreciate being turned into an Angel of Darkness, as The Master called us. She tried to sabotage and break his lab, and The Master… he felt he had no choice but to destroy her."

"She did this to you?" Velcia asked with a gasp.

"No, The Master did," Balthazar sighed. Velcia, who had already gasped once, seemed to almost choke on a second. Balthazar's glowing eyes brightened a bit, and his feathery wings rustled again as he chuckled. "It was crazy of me, but I couldn't bear to let him destroy her. I did manage to save her life. Even though it cost me my wing, I… I would do it again if I needed to."

Velcia sat back, shaking her head. "So… this can't be what you really look like, then, can it?"

"This is it," Balthazar said, shaking his head.

"No, before that!" Velcia said, eyes narrowing. "You said you used to be a person. This is what you look like now, and I have seen your disguise… But what did you used to look like, back before The Master saved you?"

Balthazar paused, nodding slowly. "I… I think I understand." He reactivated his device, and in a flicker of magic his usual form returned. "I looked like this, I think."

"But… that's just the disguise again, isn't it?"

"Right. When we activate them, they project a form based on how we see ourselves in our heart. I suppose we can modify it, a bit… Juangshi was certainly happy to take some liberties with her appearance."

Velcia tilted her head, then her eyes lit up. "Oh! That black-haired girl with-!"

"Yes, her," Balthazar cut in. "Look, I know this is difficult to believe. If you're willing to give me the opportunity, I think I can prove myself to you," he said, holding out his hand invitingly.

"You… you can?" Velcia asked, reaching out gingerly. "How?"

"Do you know about your Station of Heart?" Balthazar asked, gently wrapping his fingers around her hand.

"Y-yes, I was taught about it," Velcia said, not sure where he was going with this.

Balthazar nodded, and closed his eyes. A surge of warm magic shot through his arm and into Velcia, and she let out a gasp. The next thing she knew, the whole room around them was gone and she found herself sitting on a large, circular platform of stained glass in the middle of an endless void.

"Well, here we are…" Balthazar said softly, motioning towards himself. True to his word, he looked almost identically to his form in the outside world. Velcia looked at him, noting that he felt as if he radiated a warmth that was absent from the disguise. Balthazar smiled shyly. "This is me… the real me. My Heart, all that's really left of me."

"I see… Thank you, for showing me. Where are we?" Velcia said, standing up slowly.

"We're in your Heart, now," Balthazar said, coming up beside her. "In here, it's said we are our truest selves."

Velcia looked at him, staring intensely into his eyes. "How did you bring us here?"

"The Master says it's just a part of what I am… what we are. Me, and all the rest of the Angels, we have strong connections to our own Hearts and the Hearts of others. The Master said he was trying to find a way to save the Hearts of people who would otherwise have fallen to darkness completely, and we were his experiments. He hoped that we might be able to save others even without his help but, well… I guess there was something about the process that none of us could do without him."

"It's all so much," Velcia said, turning around as she looked at the platform. "Oh! Look, Balthazar… it's me in the picture on the floor. But what are all these empty circles?"

"I'm not sure. Usually, they depict other people our Hearts have made deep connections to," Balthazar said, looking down at the platform. There were only two other portraits he could see, these being himself and one rather angry looking man with frosty blue hair. He didn't know who this other person was, but he was surprised to see himself here. He turned towards her, trying his best not to blush. "I… I didn't realize you were so alone. Is that why you asked if I was real?"

Velcia crossed her arms, averting her gaze with a sniffle. "...Yes. But, I feel it in my Heart… you really ARE real. And, no matter what The Master or Aced or anyone has done, you really are my friend, too."

"Yeah, I am," Balthazar said, patting her on the back. "I don't know why I had to end up this way, or what the point of any of it is. As far as I can tell we're just failed experiments turned loose, supposedly part of some big plan of The Master's… but whatever. I'm glad to be able to be your friend."

"Oh, me too!" Velcia exclaimed, pulling Balthazar into a hug.

"So… you believe me, then?"

"Yes, I do. I'm just so relieved you're…" she paused, stepping back a little bit and looking at him once more to be sure. "I'm glad that you're not pretend."

Balthazar gave her a half smile, and rubbed his hand across the back of his head thoughtfully. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking… What do you mean by that? Like… I guess I don't really understand why that's something you'd be worried about."

Velcia blushed and averted her gaze. "O-oh, it's… it's dumb, and strange, and… I'll tell you about it soon, okay?"

"Heh, well, I made you wait this long, so it only seems fair. Alright, you tell me when you're ready."

"Thanks," Velcia said, smiling at him warmly. "So, when we're in this place… do we disappear from the outside world, too? Where do we show up when we go back?"

"Oh! Our physical forms remain in place where we were. Anyone who looked into the room would probably just think we fell asleep sitting up," Balthazar told her.

Velcia's eyes widened. "Can we go back please?"

Balthazar nodded, and closed his eyes. A soft ring echoed out across the ethereal platform, and in a flash of light Velcia found that they were once again in their meeting room. She sighed gratefully, and pulled at her robes to make sure that they were solid.

"I would hate for someone to sneak up on me like that," she said.

"Yeah… I guess that's something else I need to tell you," Balthazar said grimly, much to Velcia's great dismay. "See, remember how I fell into the fountain last night?"

"Yes, that's how you ruined your clothes, right?"

"Uh-huh. So… There's these sort of Specters of Darkness lurking around Daybreak Town. They… they don't like us Angels, and I've noticed one kind of follows me around when I use my powers. Last night, when I was resting in my Station… one of them touched me and woke me up. That was when I fell into the fountain," Balthazar explained.

Velcia shot up straight, eyes wide again. "Do they look like people made of dark clouds?" she asked.

Balthazar couldn't help but grimace. "Ugh… I guess you noticed, huh?"

Velcia held her hand to her chin. "And they're here because they're following you?"

"I'm sorry… I really should have mentioned that before, too. The Master says that they're dangerous, but not likely to interact with us directly, so until last night I didn't think-"

"Oh, it's such a relief!" Velcia cried out.

Balthazar blinked twice, mouth open. "Uh, what?"

"You're not the only one who's cursed, Balthazar," Velcia said secretively, sitting down on the ground beside him. "When I saw that dark figure… I thought it was the Curse of Pete."

"...What…?" Balthazar asked, feeling a bit dizzy all of a sudden.

Velcia crawled over just far enough to grab her backpack, and pulled it closer to herself. "It all started when I got this horrible little cat," she said, digging through her backpack. Shortly, she pulled out a small, dark red-and-purple medal with a picture of a black cat in overalls and a white hat. Balthazar leaned in to get a closer look, but Velcia pulled it away defensively.

"No!" she cried out, "I don't want him to curse you too!"

"...It looks normal to me," Balthazar said softly.

"I think he's terrible. Hideous," Velcia said, scowling at the medal. "So, I got rid of him. I sold him back to the Moogle. Then, the very next set of Medals I bought, you know who was there?"

"...The cat?"

"Yes! That horrible little Pete was back again. Balthazar, I have been trying to get rid of this medal for almost three years, and no matter what I do it always shows up again. I've sold him, thrown him away, left him in the Projected Worlds, why, I even threw him out into the sea the other day-!" Velcia stopped, taking a breath. "But every time I do, he comes right back to me somehow, and every time he does something terrible happens to me. So, when I saw one of those dark figures…"

"...You thought that it was Pete's revenge…?" Balthazar asked, still somewhat bewildered.

Velcia nodded, giving Pete a stern look. "I was sure of it. I've found that I need to do certain things to appease him to keep my bad luck away, like letting him out of my bag for some sunlight when we're not too busy… I thought those figures showing up meant I'd made him mad again. I'm so glad that it's not my fault!"

Balthazar shook his head, and reached out and patted her on the knee. "Well, it's not. And, with any luck we won't be too bothered by those dark Specters, or Pete either."

Velcia sighed. "I know these reverse medals all depict evil people… I wonder if the Moogle accidentally put too much of the real Pete into this medal."

"I'll… I'll ask Master Ava, next time I see her," Balthazar said, stretching out his legs.

With a relieved sigh, Velcia did the same. "Maybe she'll be able to help you with that dark shadowy monster, too. I can't believe it would do something like that. It is very creepy and rude of it, to have snuck into your home like that."

"I don't exactly have a home," Balthazar said sheepishly. "After leaving The Master's tower, I guess I just liked being outside." Velcia game him an inquisitive look, and he couldn't help but blush. "I usually just spend the night on a bench near a fountain, I just like the peacefulness of it. After last night, though… I think I should find a place to stay. The R.A. Moogle let me stay here last night," he said, motioning towards the towel that he'd folded up and left on a chair near the wall, "but said I couldn't do it often."

Velcia held her hand to her chin, then stood up. She reached down, offering her hand to her friend and pulling him up beside her once he took it. "I have an idea."

Balthazar smiled. "I would be happy to hear it. Honestly… I'm just glad that you still want to be my friend, after all this."

"Forever and ever," Velcia said, putting on her backpack again. "Come on, I want to show you something."

The Master's tower stood tall and proud in the middle of the town, and there were not any buildings nearby that came close to matching it in height. Those buildings most directly around it were built in a variety of heights, but all of them were greatly overshadowed next to the Tower. Though Balthazar had walked past them many times, and even looked down across their rooftops, he had never paid them much mind - and truly, there was very little reason for him to. Very few of these buildings had anything of interest to the average Wielder, and structurally speaking they all stuck rigidly to the core Daybreak architecture and so Balthazar had found little incentive to inspect each one in detail.

However, it was one of these very buildings to which Velcia eventually led Balthazar. In the alley beside it, there was a small iron gate with nothing behind it but a ladder. Velcia pulled a small key from her pouch and unlocked this gate, and locked it again behind them after bringing Balthazar inside the small area. There was only just enough room for the two of them, but they did not stay long as Velcia quietly began to climb up the ladder.

At the top of the ladder, Balthazar found themselves in a strange sort of space. There was a large, flat area of roof ahead of him, surrounded on all sides by high, peaked roofs lined with decorative gates and flags. From the ground, or very nearly anywhere else in town, he would have never expected there to be an open area like this in the center.

Odder still than any of this was what lay in the center of this area. Ahead of them sat, perplexingly, a small structure that looked like a cottage. It looked this way, of course, because it was a cottage; with some small amount of grass in a planter around it.

Balthazar looked at this with some confusion, wondering what on earth it could be and how it came to be here. It did not look like anything else he'd seen in Daybreak Town, and though it would surely have felt out of place no matter where in town it was, he struggled to think of anywhere that would have felt more wrong.

If Velcia had any such thoughts regarding this familiar abode she gave absolutely no indication of it, and quickly ran over to the door and unlocked this too with her small key, before turning and inviting Balthazar inside.

"This… this is your home?" Balthazar said, feeling the softness of the grass underfoot as he stepped up into it.

"It is!" Velcia said happily.

Following her inside, Balthazar could see that it was a small but cozy space. From here it looked to have everything one could expect in a small home, a small living area, a kitchen, a bathroom, and in the back it appeared there were two rooms. As he looked around, he couldn't help but notice how incredibly tidy everything was and, furthermore, how meticulously arranged. Every single thing his eyes could see was spaced just so and lined up perfectly. There was an unreal quality to the cottage, almost like something from a book.

"Well, I suppose it is rather small," Velcia said thoughtfully, "But, I hope you like it."

"Yeah… it's really nice," Balthazar said with a relaxed sigh. "I can't believe how organized everything is."

"It is a bit easier to keep it that way, when I'm out all day," Velcia said with a nod. "But it is very hard to keep everything just right. I was sure that all the shaking from the battle against that Behemoth in the Town Square earlier would have knocked something out of place…"

Balthazar nodded slowly. "That must be annoying to deal with… How did you manage to find this place?"

Velcia sat down on a small, plush couch and patted the cushion on the other end, inviting her guest to join her. "Well… The Master told me I could live here, and he never told me to leave, so… I just stayed here."

"Oh, huh… well, I'm glad he helped you out. But why a place like this, and not one of the little apartments the rest of the Wielders have?"

Velcia paused, fidgeting a bit with the fabric of her clothes. "Balthazar… you know how earlier, you asked about why I was worried you weren't real?"

"...Yeah?"

"Well, it's because… I'm not really always sure what is real."

Balthazar shifted uncomfortably. Velcia seemed to be rather anxious, herself, and almost as if she could cry at any moment. He folded his hands, looking around the cottage. He wasn't really sure if he believed it himself, yet. "Well… I am real. And this place seems real enough, even if I do find it a bit strange that it is here."

Velcia took a deep breath, steeling her resolve. "That is why it is my home. I'm very strange, Balthazar… and I've been worried that if you knew how strange I am, you might hate me like everyone else does."

"Velcia…" Balthazar said softly, shaking his head. "You're still friends with me after finding out I'm trapped in a Heartless… I don't think a friend like you is easy to come by in Daybreak Town."

A single tear slid down her cheek, and Velcia shook her head. "It's very, very hard. That's why I've not wanted to tell you. But… I will."

"I'm listening. I won't say a peep."

Velcia nodded slowly, breathing deeply again. "So… I think my home world was destroyed, too. The Master found me when I was just a little kid… he wouldn't ever tell me where he found me, just that I was only old enough to say my name. That's how he knew what it was, after all… But, The Master was too busy to take care of me, and none of the Foretellers could either."

She paused, looking at him expectantly, then remembered his promise not to say a peep. He didn't seem phased at all, and it was with some amused self-reflection that she realized her story was not so different to his own, thus far. So, she continued.

"Well, The Master… he put me in a foster home, he called it. I had three mothers, and one sister. She was also a foster, I believe. My mothers were three kind, old fairies named Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, and my sister was called Briar Rose. They were all very wonderful and very sweet, but… it was a little odd."

"Odd?" Balthazar asked curiously.

Velcia nodded. "Yes. I didn't notice it for many years, but they would tell me things as if they had never said it before, and sometimes would be surprised about things that we'd all known about. At first I just thought that they were very forgetful…"

She shook her head. "I did love them very much, though. My mothers took very good care of me, but the majority of their attention went to my sister. They were very loving to me, too, when I talked to them, but… it felt like they forgot about me very easily. I suppose some kids would have been mad at Rose for something like that. I called her Rose because it sounded nicer than Briar, but she was so sweet a girl I could never be mad at her."

Balthazar nodded, holding his hand to his chin. He took a deep breath, but closed his mouth sharply. Velcia chuckled at this. "Um, so… other than those four, the only other people I saw were The Master and sometimes the Foretellers, when he wasn't able to make it himself. He came by regularly at first, and less so later… Just to make sure everything was going alright."

"Hold on," Balthazar said, shaking his head, "I know I said I wouldn't interrupt, but… those were the only people you interacted with…?"

Velcia nodded, her face quivering a bit again. "I know, I know… it's so strange, but… yes. I lived there with my Mothers and my Sister until I was nine years old, when finally The Master came and told me he thought I was ready to move out into Daybreak Town."

"So… where were you before…?"

Velcia held her hands together, squirming a bit. "It was… it was a Projected World the whole time, Balthazar. A little snippet cut out of a larger world, made just to be a Nursery for me. I was cared for, and schooled, and fed… but my whole childhood, everything there, none of it was real…"

Balthazar sat back, eyes wide. "Oh, wow… That… that must have been hard."

"It was. When I found out that my whole family was just pretend, projections he called them, and I cried and cried for weeks." Velcia said, small tears running down her cheeks again. "I never understood why he would do something like that to me. But, when he brought me out of that world, he showed me this place," she said, motioning around. "The Master made me this little house here, it's similar to the one I lived in before. I think he hoped I would be happy that it was so familiar. The house is different, but even if it was built exactly the same as my old home it would have been missing my family… so I still felt very alone." She paused, shaking her head. "After that, I couldn't go back into my old world anymore. I've lost two families now, and… and one of them wasn't even real! And out there, in Daybreak Town, there were so many other people and places, but for so many years I just couldn't get it out of my head that maybe this place wasn't real, either."

Balthazar sat stunned for a moment, shaking his head slowly. "So… no wonder you were worried about me being real."

Velcia nodded. "I've found Wielders who were nice before. I made some friends… but I was too strange, and too annoying, and… and I don't know what's wrong with me, somehow I always drove them away. The only one who comes back is my brother, and I think perhaps that's only because he's gone so often he doesn't have the chance to get sick of me."

"Your… brother…?" Balthazar asked. She'd never mentioned a brother to him before.

"Oh! Um… yes. He's not really my brother but… I think of him that way. I do not think you would get along with him, though… he picks on me, and acts very mean all the time… tricking me into eating yucky candy, bonking me on my head with my sketchbook-"

Balthazar crossed his arms. "Sounds like just a bully to me."

Velcia shook her head adamantly. "No, I have known a lot of bullies. Sometimes, you know… people are only mean to try and hide how much they care. I think that's true for my brother. He might be mean to me, but whenever he has the time he always makes sure to visit me. He helps me learn to get better with my drawing, and sometimes he will help with other problems as well. Although, he does tend to make a fuss about it, he is very grumpy."

"I guess I'd have to meet him to understand it…"

"No!" Velcia exclaimed, shaking her head again. "If you two meet, and don't like each other…"

Balthazar sighed. "Yeah… I wouldn't want to cause more trouble for you."

"Thank you, Balthazar," Velcia said with a relieved smile. "Anyway, after I met you, it really did feel like a dream come true. Even though I am strange you still wanted to be my friend, and even after all these months you're still with me no matter what. I always wished I could have a friend like you," she said with a warm blush. "But… when Aced attacked you and messed up your disguise… I got worried that maybe The Master had made another fake friend for me."

"No…!" Balthazar said, shaking his head. "No, I'm certainly real, Velcia… and nobody made me have to be friends with you. Honestly, it's really meant a lot to me that you wanted to be my friend. In case you didn't notice, I'm very strange myself. I came out of nowhere, I have all sorts of problems… and I've been keeping all these secrets to myself, and you didn't even seem to mind that."

"Well, it didn't seem fair to be intrusive to you when you were being so nice about my secrets, even when I would ask you to look away so I could do stupid things for that nasty cat," Velcia said.

"Wait, that's what those were about?" Balthazar asked with a chuckle. "That yucky old Pete medal?"

"Uh-huh! I didn't think anybody would understand the curse of Pete, and I didn't want him to curse you too, so I thought I should keep him a secret," Velcia explained.

Balthazar smiled, and kept back his chuckle. It may have been amusing, but she was so earnest about it he dared not tease at a tender time such as this. "Well, thank you…" he said finally. "Thanks for telling me all this, and for showing me your little home. It's a really nice place."

"Oh!" Velcia exclaimed, bouncing suddenly in her seat. "Oh, right! That's why I brought you here!"

"What is?"

"Well, one time when The Master came to visit me at my foster home, I asked him if he could tell me a new story. My Mothers knew many stories, but… they were not good at making new ones, and I'd heard them all so many times. The Master didn't want to at first, but he gave in eventually," she paused, eyes narrowing a bit. "The Master says that he gave in because I bit his hand, but I am quite sure that I did no such thing."

"You… bit his hand to try to get him to tell you a new story?"

"No!" Velcia cried out, shaking her head. "I might have begged him, and I did tell him I was bored, but I most certainly did not bite him!"

Balthazar held his hand to his chin thoughtfully, mulling it over. "Ah," he said after a moment, "You know, there's a phrase I've heard that goes 'Don't bite the hand that feeds you'... I wonder if that's what he meant."

"I didn't bite him!" Velcia insisted, "And I would never eat straight out of his hand!"

"It… it's a metaphor," Balthazar said, shaking his head. "Uh, anyway, about this story…?"

Velcia nodded, her hands settling back into a folded nest in her lap. "Yes, so, the story he told me was about some animals who lived in the forest. There was a little pig, a kind bear, a big old owl, and their other friends. The pig and the owl both lived in trees, but one day a big storm came to the forest and knocked down the owl's house. They tried and they tried to find a good house for the owl, but in the end the little pig decided to give the owl his house instead."

"He did? That was kind of him."

"Well," Velcia mused for a moment. "I think some of the other forest animals might have made him do it. Owls do live in trees, and I have not known any pigs that do, so perhaps they thought it suited the owl better. Anyways, there was not enough room in the tree for both the little pig and the Owl, so now the pig was without a home."

"Oh, brother," Balthazar said, shaking his head.

"I know! It wasn't the poor little pig's fault the owl's house got broken," Velcia said, shaking her head with a tut. "But, then, the kind bear said that the little pig could go live in his house with him. It was big enough for the both of them, and the little pig and the bear were best friends, so it was a very good idea! They lived together forever after that, and the little pig didn't even miss his old tree."

"I… I see," Balthazar said. "That's a very cute story, it's kind of hard to imagine The Master telling it."

"Well, Balthazar, that's why I brought you here… today, you are the little pig, and I am the bear!" Velcia said happily.

"I'm the pig…?" Balthazar chuckled.

"You shall live with me!" Velcia said proudly, hands clasped tightly together. "I can move the journals out of my second room, and you can have it!"

Balthazar blinked, looking around the small place as he tried to process this series of events. "But… are you sure…? I could just get one of the little dorm rooms Ava was talking about."

"I am very sure. You are my best friend, Balthazar… and if you ever need to be safe and keep to yourself, we are the only ones who can come to this place," Velcia explained excitedly. "The Master says there's a special spell around my home, and nobody can even see it unless they have the key."

"Huh… wow," Balthazar looked out the window across town, then back to Velcia's beaming face. "Well, how could I possibly say no?"

"I won't let you!" Velcia exclaimed. "I'll go start moving the books!"