Chapter 18: The Fall

It was near to noon and Velcia still hadn't eaten. She was perched atop a small stool, crouched with her feet flat on the seat and her legs against her chest, wearing a long baggy button-up shirt as a paint coat to protect her pajamas while she practiced on her easel. It was an admittedly odd position, neither quite sitting or standing, but it was one she'd found to be comfortable. Aspis mocked her for it each time, telling her she looked more like a looming vulture than a chipmunk, but she didn't mind.

She wasn't painting anything in particular today, she was instead playing with mixing paints both on the palette and directly on the canvas as well. Her last stress-paint session with Aspis had led to some unusual color combinations coming to life on the paper that had piqued her curiosity, hence her casual morning of painting.

The very familiar puffing sound of an appearing Chirithy could be heard behind her, and Velcia couldn't help but smile. "Hello Chirithy, I suppose it is about time to eat. Where should we go today?"

Chirithy walked up beside her stool, his gait neither energetic or bouncy. He sighed, then looked up at her. "Um, I am sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid I've got something very important to tell you."

Velcia paused mid-stroke. She'd never heard a Chirithy talk in that sort of tone before, and she turned to see his face even more dour than his voice. She set the paint brush aside, then picked Chirithy up. Normally he would be rather squirmy to try to avoid getting the paint on his fur, but he was unusually docile today.

"Oh no," Velcia said, eyes wide with concern. "Is everything alright?"

Chirithy shook his head. "I don't know. We Chirithy - all of us - were given instructions to pass on an important message to all the Wielders."

"A message? From who?" she asked.

"I was told by Master Ava's Chirithy," he said. "Now please, let me tell you."

Velcia nodded. There was a splotch of paint on the side of his face, and she tried brushing it off only to add more inadvertently. Chirithy, seeing the paint on his face in the reflection of Velcia's glasses, groaned to himself but moved on.

"This evening every Wielder is required to travel to a place called the Crossroads and join the rest of your Union," Chirithy started. "The growing Darkness and discord among the Foretellers and their Unions has gone too far, and everyone is to meet there to find a way to put aside our differences and move forward."

Velcia took in a deep breath. "That… that doesn't sound like a place I want to go to. I haven't caused any trouble, have I? Do I really have to go?"

"I don't think it has anything to do with you specifically," Chirithy said, paw to his chin. "But nonetheless, we have been told that every Wielder is required to go or they may face terrible punishment."

She didn't like the sound of that. A knot had formed in her stomach, and it was beginning to feel as though it were traveling up her throat. "We… we have seen other Wielders fighting and arguing a lot the last year, haven't we… Perhaps Master Ira and Master Aced have noticed how much trouble has come of their fighting."

"I hope so," Chirithy said. "If Ira and Aced have worked out their differences, I am sure they can convince their Unions to do the same."

Velcia nodded, then set Chirithy down. "How long do we have before we must be there? And how are we to get there?"

"Your Keyblade should be able to access the Crossroads just as you would any Projected World, I am told," Chirithy said, glancing over at the clock. "And you have almost four hours."

"Four hours… Oh dear, that's a long time to wait," Velcia said. Her stomach grumbled, and she looked down to see her pajamas. "I will have to get dressed first-"

A burst of smoke came out over the table in the middle of the room, and the two turned to see another Chirithy. It was looking the other way at first, but found them soon.

"Ah, good, you are still here," the new Chirithy said.

Velcia's Chirithy bobbled towards him. "Oh, you are Aspis' Chirithy, right?"

"Yes indeed," the other responded. "He wanted me to find you, Velcia, and let you know to stay put here and not go anywhere without him today."

"I'm not sure that I can," Velcia said, eyeing her own Chirithy. "I am supposed to go to the Crossroads later and meet with the rest of Vulpes, and I-"

"We know," the other Chirithy cut in. "I've just delivered a similar message to Aspis. He is… concerned for you. He'll explain later, but for now please just stay here."

Velcia nodded, biting her lip. "Okay, I will. Thank you."

Without another word, the Chirithy disappeared in a puff of smoke and Velcia looked down to her own Chirithy. "If Aspis is worried about it, I'm very worried too."

"I agree… but what can we do but wait?"

Clasping her hands together nervously, Velcia looked around the room. "Uh… I can get dressed and ready. I think… I think I'll wear my old Olympus outfit today."

"It has been a while," Chirithy said.

After getting dressed, Velcia spent some time in her kitchen pecking half-heartedly at various foods, but nothing really struck her fancy. She was too nervous about the big meeting. There were so many Wielders in Daybreak Town that it was difficult for her to fathom them all meeting in one place, and was dreadfully curious what sort of a place these Crossroads were.

When at last Aspis' heavy knock was heard on the door, Velcia quickly bounded across the house to answer. Velcia gasped at the sight - he looked exhausted and ragged, and though he did certainly seem frustrated the usual pointed sharpness of his expressions had been worn down.

"Wow, you actually stayed put," Aspis said, walking into the house as Velcia stepped aside.

"Yes, of course I did," Velcia said, closing the door and locking it for good measure. "Is this about what the Chirithys told us earlier?"

"I… yes," Aspis said, pulling out one of Velcia's seats at the table and slumping down into it. He held his hand to the bridge of his nose, and sighed. "You need to know what's been going on."

Velcia sat down at the seat across from him, resting her palms on the edge of the table. "Ira and Aced are still very angry with each other, aren't they…"

"It's worse than that, all of them are fighting each other now," Aspis growled, shaking his head. "That fool… The Master, that is, he's… well, he's really screwed things up for them. For all of us, maybe."

"What has he done?" Velcia asked, holding a hand to her mouth.

"Hell if I know why, but he's pretty much set everyone up to turn on each other. Told the Foretellers one of them was a traitor, but wouldn't say who. Gave each of them secret assignments that only make them seem more suspicious to each other," Aspis growled, voice growing more enraged. He paused, slamming his fist against the table. "He told them that the Darkness would win in the end, and that every single Wielder was going to go war, and my sister…!"

Velcia shrunk back from Aspis' anger, watching his heaving chest and clenched teeth. "She… she didn't tell you, did she…?"

"No…!" he bit angrily. "Not until a few months ago, and I've still had to work to try and pull more information out."

Velcia's shoulders drooped and she looked down at the floorboards. "S-so, the meeting at the Crossroads… is that…?"

Aspis took a deep breath. "I have no freaking clue what it is, but it doesn't sound good."

During the discussion, Velcia's Chirithy had toddled over and climbed up onto the third seat. Now, with only the top half of his head visible over the top of the table, he decided to join in. "Ava's Chirithy told me that the meeting today was to address all this tension and find a way for everybody to resolve their differences."

Aspis scoffed loudly, banging his fist against the table again. "They've had years to do that!"

"Do… do the Foretellers want there to be a war…?" Velcia asked.

"I… I don't think so," Aspis answered with an uncharacteristic uncertainty. "Ira and that dumbass Aced hate each other's guts, but I don't think they want anyone to kill each other over it."

Chirithy, feeling a bit short, tried to stand a bit taller. "Perhaps they are hoping that with everyone there they will have a better perspective?"

"Unlikely," Aspis said, rolling his eyes.

Velcia stood up, reaching across the table and lifting Chirithy out of his seat. She held him close and patted his head soothingly, knowing that Chirithy was not so accustomed as she was to having ideas mercilessly shot down by Aspis. "...What are we supposed to do then…?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know exactly how they're planning on enforcing this decree that everyone has to be there," Aspis said, tapping his fingers against the table, "But I don't doubt they have some way. I have to be there - in case Invi needs me - but for you…" he trailed off, staring into the distance. "I don't know what will happen if you stay or go, but if you come with me we can figure it out as we go."

"But Aspis, I'm still in Vulpes and you are in Anguis. I don't think we're supposed to be near each other when we get there," she said.

"Screw that," Aspis said, gritting his teeth. "I'll have Leonna put together transfer papers afterwards if anyone wants to cause a fuss about it later."

Velcia nodded slowly. "I… okay, I'll do it. I've learned a lot from Leonna, if people do start to fight-"

"Then you're going to get the hell out of there," Aspis said, standing up and leaning over the table.

"I… but what about you…?"

"I've got enough to take care of as it is. Do not add to that list by arguing."

Aspis was as stern and serious as Velcia had ever seen him, and in the moment he radiated a palpable tension. She started to shiver, a deep dread building up inside of her. Clutching Chirithy tightly to her chest, Velcia stood up slowly.

"I'll do just what you ask, I promise."

The Crossroads. A large, open plain of hard, dry dirt and stone in a wide semi-circular valley in a nest of jagged cliffs. The ground radiated an uncomfortable warmth, and the air was stagnant. It was almost disorienting, arriving here directly from Daybreak Town.

Velcia had followed Aspis through his own portal, and more portals were appearing as far as the eye could see. Directly ahead of them, several other Anguis Union Wielders could be seen congregating not far behind a white-robed figure lined with purple, whom both Aspis and Velcia recognized as the Foreteller Master Invi. Somehow, it appeared as though the Keyblades themselves knew which Master they were meant to follow, and the rest of Anguis poured in around Aspis and Velcia in short order.

"Aspis, should we go say hello to Invi?"

"Absolutely not," Aspis said in a low tone. "She's got enough on her plate right now, she doesn't need to worry about me."

Velcia nodded. "...I'm scared, Aspis."

Aspis swallowed, his hands trembling slightly. "It doesn't seem good." He paused, then knelt down behind Velcia. "I need to stay close enough to jump in and help Invi if she needs it, but that's going to put us deep in the middle of the crowd. If I tell you that you need to leave, don't hesitate."

"Where do I go?"

"I'm not sure," Aspis said, looking around. "Make your way through the crowd and get as far away from the others as you can. Don't run, don't push, don't bring any attention to yourself at all - understood?"

"Yes," Velcia said softly. Her eyes scanned the rapidly growing crowd, Aspis' grim discoveries playing through her head. Were all of these people really doomed to go to war? There was a tap on her shoulder, and she looked to see Aspis snap his fingers and hold out a hand. She raised her own hand gingerly, not sure what he was after, but much to her surprise he grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him as he made his way through the crowd.

Master Invi was not too far now, but Aspis stopped a few rows of people back. He was just far enough to keep an eye on her.

Looking out across the rest of the Crossroads, Velcia could see Master Aced and Master Gula in the distance, each with their Unions forming up behind them. Thoughts of her old books flashed to her mind, and she shook her head. She'd recorded hundreds of Wielders and parties in her quest to try to document everybody in Daybreak Town, but if she'd had even an inkling that there were so many she wasn't sure she would ever have started. All those years, and she wasn't sure she'd even made a scratch on the numbers she was seeing now.

An unknown Chirithy appeared not far from Invi and toddled over to her, saying something that Velcia could not hear, and Invi nodded in return. Each of the Foretellers began to walk to the center point between the five, and their Unions followed behind, each forming a wedge shape. Aspis' hand tightened around Velcia's as they walked, he was determined not to lose track of her in all the inadvertent shoving of the Wielder's clumsy march.

The Foretellers came to a stop and began to discuss amongst themselves. Velcia could not see them well, nor hear any definitive dialog, only the strained tones of the Foretellers made it above the curious whispers of the thick crowd of Wielders around her. Aspis was tall enough to tower above most of the crowd, and his attention was laser-focused on the proceedings ahead.

Velcia looked over her shoulder, shuffling uncomfortably. There were so many other people around bumping into her, and the air was growing hot. It was almost suffocating.

Master Ira shouted something, and Velcia jumped in surprise. Aspis' hand tightened around hers, and she could hear the Foreteller's discussion had taken a turn for the worse. Another shout.

Aspis quickly knelt down beside her, shaking his hand with grit teeth. "Get out of here," he whispered hoarsely. "And don't come back."

Velcia blinked as Aspis let go of her hand, and watched him nervously look back over his shoulder. She stepped back slowly, catching one last look from Aspis before he turned back towards the Foretellers and began to push through the crowd. Trembling, she backed up slowly, bumping against the other Wielders. Their attention was locked on what was happening ahead, and a chorus of whispers and chatter began to roll through as the wave of tension began to hit a peak.

Everybody was too distracted to pay much attention to Velcia as she made her way back through the crowd, and the Wielders were quickly spreading word back through the crowd as to what the Foretellers were up to. Whispers of furious exchanges of words, Keyblades being drawn , then suddenly -

A shriek of magic rang throughout the Crossroads, like a rolling crack of thunder. In the distant center, flashes of light and magic could be seen over the crowd, and the heavy clangs of Keyblades striking against each other rang out with eerie distinction. A wave of angry roars began to pulse through the crowd, as the Wielders realized that their Union Leader was now under attack. A cacophonic wave of clanging clashes began to roll back through the crowd, as the Wielders nearest to their Leaders began to join in the fray and Union began to turn against Union.

Velcia backed slowly, listening to the oncoming chaos and looking towards the epicenter with abject fear. Aspis. He was in there, somewhere. She stood, trembling but locked in place, torn between her worry for her brother and her frightened impulse to run away.

Someone in the frenzied crowd bumped against her, hard, and she fell to the ground and covered her head at the sound of trampling feet around her. She stood up, shaking. Everybody was running in all directions, and the sounds of combat now rung out from all directions. It had all broken down so quickly.

Aspis told her to run. She could hear his voice in her head telling her to flee, to escape from this place, but she'd lost all sense of her location. No matter which way she turned she could see nothing but fighting, there was no safe space, no discernable path for her to take.

Her eyes locked onto the rocky cliffside in the distance, and she began to try to run towards it, bumping and weaving past the other Wielders as she did. Up ahead of her the sounds of a furious and widespread battle raged on, this was the point where Anguis had come into battle with their Ursus neighbors. Velcia ran as fast as she could, trying to keep an eye out for a path of least resistance and running towards it. For now, at least, nobody wielding a Keyblade seemed to have any interest in attacking someone who was unarmed and posed no immediate threat.

She pressed on, ducking under the outer flares of a rolling flame with a yelp, determined to make her way somewhere safe. Somewhere Aspis wouldn't have to worry about her. She was going to see him again. She had to.

"Velcia!" a voice called out.

Velcia stopped in place, turning to look for who'd called her. With all the noise, she couldn't tell whose voice it was.

Before she knew it, another group of Wielders ran up to surround her. They looked familiar at a glance, but before she could place them she heard a voice she recognized immediately.

"Where do you think you're going, you little coward?"

Morgan.

Velcia's face whitened immediately and she turned to see Morgan approaching, Keyblade held at the ready with a grin that bespoke her murderous intent.

"I guess, like, something good's come of all this mess after all," Morgan said, and her group began to close in.

Velcia's Keyblade flickered to her hand, and she took a defensive stance. She managed to block the first few strikes, but she was surrounded and was almost immediately overwhelmed by blows from all directions. With a scream, Velcia fell to the ground, trying to cover her face from the incoming attacks.

An intense heat washed over her, and she could feel the licks of flames nipping at her from above, just far enough not to touch her - but she could hear the pained screams of her attackers.

"Get away from her!" a voice called out.

Morgan turned to face this new voice, holding her Keyblade at the ready as she faced down the turquoise-eyed stranger - Balthazar. Nobody recognized him, but the fury and determination in his eyes conveyed his intentions.

"Don't think you can stop us," Morgan taunted. Many of her friends had gone down from the surprise attack, but several others joined by her side ready for revenge.

Balthazar held his Keyblade at the ready, then lunged forward surrounded by a whirling vortex of magic. He knocked back Pancha, but was struck quickly by Morgan. Gripping his Keyblade tightly, he began to fight back methodically, making sure that they could not easily surround him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Balthazar saw Morgan leap forward with her Keyblade over her head, and just barely managed to raise his own up in time to block it. He stumbled back, holding his Keyblade up to shield himself from Morgan's furious repeated blows. The others had begun to surround him now, and he grit his teeth.

"No!" he yelled, and he disappeared in a purple flash, only to reappear behind one of his assailants and hit them with a surprise attack from behind.

"What the hell kind of medal is that?"

"It's not a medal, it's Dark Magic!" Morgan yelled, raising her Keyblade with a glow of magic as she prepared an attack.

Balthazar fought back furiously now, making full use of both his Keyblade and his Dark Magic. He could feel the Darkness all around them, he could hear it gloating within him. There was no sense concealing himself now - his only goal was to make sure his dear friend made it out of here alive.

His onslaught was overwhelming, and one by one he managed to beat the attackers until only Morgan remained. They glared at each other wordlessly, and their Keyblades clashed and clanged. Striking a heavy blow, he managed to stagger Morgan and knock her back, then thrusting his palm forward he unleashed a powerful bolt of Dark Thundaga.

The rumble of thunder brought Velcia back to her senses, and she slowly sat up to see Balthazar approaching Morgan, who was on her back and trying to scramble away even as she spat invectives at him.

"You…!" Balthazar growled, fists clenched tightly. "Even in the middle of all of this, your stupid, petty ego is all that you care about, isn't it?"

"It's a war, dumbass," Morgan said, standing back up and readying her blade again. "It's kill or be killed!"

Morgan lunged at him again, and Balthazar jumped aside, striking her with his Keyblade. She hit the ground rolling, yelling more threats at him as she struggled to get up. The moment she made it back on her feet, Balthazar hit her again, sending her crashing face-first into the dirt.

Velcia's voice broke through his focus. "Please, stop!"

Balthazar paused, glancing over to see Velcia running up beside him. She looked at him curiously, some part of her mind suspecting she knew this stranger, but she could not place him.

"She's beaten, please, come with me and let's escape this place," Velcia pleaded, pulling on his sleeve.

"I-i," Balthazar said, a heavy lump in his throat. Velcia was bloodied and bruised, and from the way she was standing it was almost certain that several of her bones had been broken. A fury rose up within him, but her pleading expression was softening his heart.

"There's no escape," Morgan sputtered, standing up again, her Keyblade glowing.

His good will disintegrated, and with a furious scream he held out his hand and cast another Dark Thundaga. Morgan went flying back in a rolling tumble, electricity crackling around her as she screamed.

"Creature of Darkness!" a deep, angry voice boomed out.

The two turned to see Master Aced not far away, walking towards them with a righteous fury. He'd surely sensed the powerful dark magic that Balthazar had used.

"N-no, Master Aced!" Velcia yelled, running to stand between her mysterious savior and the mighty Bear of Ursus. "He was only trying to save my life!"

"He is not a Wielder, Velcia, he is a form of Darkness that hides itself in light. Do not stand in my way!" Aced boomed.

Velcia looked back over her shoulder. "Quickly, run! He won't hit me-"

Balthazar could only watch as Aced's heavy key side-swiped Velcia, sending her flying with a sickening crunch that came so powerfully and so suddenly she hadn't even the ability to scream in surprise. Balthazar held his Keyblade at the ready as the towering Aced approached him, but the mighty Aced's crushing blow was not hindered at all by Balthazar's defense and he was knocked to the ground with a sickening crunch.

He couldn't feel his body anymore, and his vision was blurred - he could only see the shadowy specter of Aced raising his Keyblade for the finishing blow. The attack hit true, and Balthazar's disguise shattered, and he could feel the darkness of his Heartless form beginning to melt away.

Another set of attackers began to besiege Aced and he turned to face them now, leaving the defeated Heartless to disintegrate back into nothingness.

Balthazar's fading hand reached out ahead of him, his fingertips clawing into the dirt. "I have to… I have to save her…" he gasped. But his body was failing. He clenched his eyes closed, feeling the chilling, smug tease of Darkness all around him. Through the pain he focused his mind on this Darkness, trying desperately to draw it to himself in an attempt to stabilize his rapidly deteriorating body.

"And so… you come to us for help now, do you?" the darkness whispered in his mind. "But of course… we give our help freely to those who accept us."

A surge of magic shot through him, and with a choked scream of determination his hand shot forward again into the dirt to drag him along. His body slowly began to take form once again, thick strands of goo running down his now-skeletal form and rebuilding him.

"I must find her, I must save her," Balthazar groaned. It was hard to think and harder to concentrate through the sounds of gloating darkness in his mind, but a warm light in his heart began to glow and he could faintly feel Areshmin's tug guiding him. A sharp pain rang out from his back, and he glanced back to see his wings beginning to spread - his Heartless Angel form now once again restored.

Following Areshmin's light, he made his way towards a rocky crevasse not far off. The rest of the battle raged on somewhere in the distance behind them, but here in the dirt he found her - Velcia.

Her Olympian robes were shredded and tattered, her glasses nowhere to be found. She breathed laboriously, purple and bruised from head to toe. Balthazar approached slowly, his heart broken at the sight. Velcia's eyes slowly drifted over, opening wide in fear at the sight of the terrible Heartless floating above her; but she could only let out a weak breath and close her eyes again. She was too broken, too tired, to be scared.

Balthazar floated down low beside her, holding his jagged hands out over her. She watched this with glazed eyes, silently wondering what was about to happen to her. Balthazar shook his head, his hands beginning to glow with magic.

"Don't worry…" he assured her. Slowly, he began to cast a healing spell. Velcia's back arched and her body took in a sharp breath, and she groaned as the magic began to weave her being back together. It seemed to be working, slowly, but the spells were taking a surprisingly heavy toll on Balthazar and he could not sustain it for long. He stopped suddenly, his body heaving as the Darkness within clouded his mind. Areshmin appeared beside him, grabbing one of his hands and returning some amount of clarity to him.

"Thank you," Balthazar whispered, giving what little more of his healing spell he could muster.

"We need to bring her somewhere else," Areshmin said, looking over both his friends with worry.

"W-where…?" Balthazar choked out. "Daybreak Town is locked away now, remember?"

Areshmin shook his head. "We'll have to try somewhere else. Can you make it to another world?"

Balthazar closed his eyes, struggling to focus through the terrible migraine-like sensation of the overwhelming darkness. "I-i think so, I might have just enough left in me to make a Corridor of Darkness. But where to try?"

He looked back down to Velcia, who was slipping in and out of consciousness. "Olympus…" he said, standing back upright. He held his arms out, channeling what magic he could muster until a swirling dark portal began to form. It cracked and snapped, lightning-like bursts of energy coursing around the edges of the dark horizon, but it seemed just stable enough to use.

Areshmin had run off, and returned with Velcia's Keyblade which had been knocked away some distance. "Are you ready to go?"

"I-i think so," Balthazar said, scooping Velcia up in his arms. She startled awake at this, looking at him with fear, but he shook his head. "Please, don't worry… I'm trying to save you."

Velcia's eyes closed again, and she nodded weakly. Anything that happened now was beyond her control.

Areshmin ran forward and into the Corridor, and after taking one last heartbroken look across the fierce battlefield, Balthazar followed behind.

Upon exiting their Corridor of Darkness, Balthazar and his friends were immediately awash in heavy rains. Powerful thunderclaps roared through the air, illuminating the clouds above but little else. It was hard to tell where they were.

After some searching, Balthazar had managed to find a small cave. He set Velcia here, and did his best to make her comfortable. Her body was so broken, however, that this was a mostly helpless effort; but after some searching around the cave for a smooth enough spot he found one that, though not perfect, felt suitable enough. It was slow, excruciating work - Dark Healing spells were not so effective or soothing, but it was all he had. He himself was still recovering slowly from his near-death at Aced's hands, and even as he toiled to heal his friend he could feel himself teetering on the edge of deterioration.

He took his breaks hesitantly, only stopping when his ability to use magic was thoroughly exhausted. At these times, he would slump against the cavern wall and do his best to rest as Areshmin fought off the Darkness and worked to soothe his ailing friend. In their mutually broken states, it was several days before either Balthazar or Velcia began to be able to speak again; though their moments of lucidity rarely aligned.

The Darkness inside of Balthazar was quiet, even as it worked to erode the light in his heart. It was everything he could do to maintain his sense of self, and he knew that without Areshmin's support he wouldn't stand a chance.

Still, Velcia's condition improved slowly but surely. Her physical wounds appeared to be recovering, but she was losing weight fast and he soon began to fear that she would starve.

Thankfully, the heavy rains had provided some fresh water for them. It trickled down from stalactites on the ceiling and formed in small pools on the sides of their cavern. It tasted earthy to Velcia, but she was so parched that she didn't care.

When Balthazar felt that Velcia could go no longer without food, he waited for her to fall asleep and slunk quietly out of the cavern for the first time and laid eyes on the world. It was night time now, but unmistakably Olympus. Out in the distance he could see the great Mount Olympus itself, with a familiar looking city at the base - surely, this was very near to Thebes.

Areshmin ran up beside him, enjoying the feeling of the grass underfoot. "We should be able to find some food for her there."

"...Yeah," Balthazar croaked slowly. It was difficult to speak, his voice was scratchy and strained. "Food tonight… a home for her later."

Areshmin nodded. "Please, do let me know if you need my assistance. I will continue to work to keep the Darkness at bay for now."

"T-thanks," Balthazar said slowly. Areshmin disappeared, and after one last regretful glance back towards the cave he began to make his way towards Thebes.

They were some distance from the town, but signs of civilization weren't far. A few stray houses here and there, some farm land. It was a calm and peaceful place, and the leaves of the olive trees rustling in a cool breeze sang out as if inviting him to stay. But he knew he could not, there was no time.

As he continued on his way Balthazar passed an oddly shaped-stone, then another and another before stopping to look at one. It appeared to be a headstone - this was a graveyard. He shuddered at this, and his thoughts turned back to Velcia. He had to find her some food.

Once he arrived at Thebes, Balthazar made sure to keep to the shadows. There were very few people out around town tonight, but he dared not make a disturbance. His fearful gaze kept returning to the shroud of clouds at the summit of Mount Olympus, fearful of catching Zeus' wrath.

As he turned down one street, he paused suddenly. This place seemed almost familiar to him, and after a moment's contemplation he realized that he was not far off from where the potion-maker's house should be. If there was anybody in Olympus he could trust to help her, it would be them.

Unfortunately, his search for the house was fruitless. Many of the buildings on the street were different, and sadly this was also true of the spot where the potion-maker's shop was supposed to be- the building here did not at all resemble the small, two-story potion shop in the slightest. Balthazar couldn't help but feel a crushing disappointment at this discovery, but continued his search for food before finding a garden nearby. Taking up a basket from underneath a bush, he quietly filled it with various fruits from the garden. He'd hoped to find some sort of bread or meat, and kept looking.

After some time, the darkness of the sky began to abate. No rays of sunlight had appeared yet, but Balthazar knew that morning was not far off now. He had been unable to find anything else of significant substance, but the fruits would be better than nothing.

Sunlight began to break not long after he made it out of Thebes, and now Balthazar knew that he must proceed with extra caution. The people of Olympus would awaken soon, and he couldn't risk being discovered.

As he was passing through the graveyard again, a voice spoke out in the distance.

"I miss you."

Balthazar dropped low under the shade of an olive tree, flattening his wings as best as he could. He raised his head carefully, looking around for the source of the voice until he saw a man kneeling down by one of the gravestones. The man had a small bundle of flowers in his lap that he was arranging carefully.

"You would have been twelve years old today… and not a day goes by that your mother and I don't think of you," the man said lovingly. "Your mother will be by to visit later, I'll come again too… I just wanted to be sure that you had these Dianthus flowers first thing. I wonder, are they still your favorite, or have you found something even more wonderful in Elysium?"

The man sniffed, then stood up. Balthazar lowered his head, hoping that he wouldn't be seen. The man was altogether too distracted to notice Balthazar, and soon left. Once certain he was gone, Balthazar wasted no time in leaving the area and returned to the cave.

Inside, he was surprised to see that Velcia had woken up, and had managed to prop herself upright a bit. She looked at him with some surprise as he entered, but recognized him as the Heartless that had saved her. Her journal was in her lap, with her tattered backpack beside her. She caught sight of the basket, and wordlessly motioned towards it.

"Ah… I brought you some food," Balthazar said, setting it down beside her.

Velcia looked at the basket of food ravenously, and pulled out a pomegranate and held it up weakly. "W-w-would you… like one…?"

Balthazar shook his head. "I… I don't need it. But thanks."

The pomegranate was inspected, and Velcia tried finding a way to tear it open but with no success. She frowned and instead tried smashing it open against the floor, but her grip was weak and it bounced from her hand and rolled away. Balthazar chased it down for her and returned to find that she was instead eating a plum, but he sat down beside her and tore the pomegranate open with one of his sharp, jagged fingertips.

"Thank you… for saving me," Velcia said, her voice less hoarse now after the plum. "I… I didn't think I was going to survive."

"...I wasn't sure either… I'm glad you're doing better," Balthazar said. He could feel the Darkness inside him flaring up, and held his hand to his head. It was hard to talk.

Velcia finished her plum, and set the seed aside on one of the rocks. "...Where are we now?"

Balthazar tried to speak, but found it too painful. Instead, he reached a finger down to the sandy cavern floor and wrote "Olympus."

Velcia's eyes went wide and drew a deep breath, before sputtering and coughing up some blood. Balthazar held his hand to her back to reassure her, but he couldn't help but wince at the feeling of his terrible fingers on the fabric.

"I-is it true? Olympus?"

Balthazar nodded, and Velcia leaned her head back against the stone wall with a faint smile. "If I had to end up anywhere… I'm glad it's here. The real Olympus, and not the Projected World?"

"N-no…" Balthazar sputtered, underlining the writing in the sand.

A lone tear rolled down Velcia's cheek, and her chest heaved. "M-my brother… Aspis… I hope that…'' she trailed off, remembering the last time she'd seen him. If she were on Olympus now, she realized, she would never see him again. Not Aspis, Leonna, or Lupe. This was too much for her, and she began to cry.

Balthazar wanted to console her, but looking down at his gnarled hands he found himself locked up. How could a monster like him be of any comfort to someone in her position?

"You did just what he told you to, Velcia," her Chirithy's voice spoke up from the other side of her, and he climbed up into her lap. "Aspis would be relieved to know that you are somewhere safe now."

"C-can you tell if he is okay…?" Velcia asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not," Chirithy said sadly. "I cannot sense anyone from Daybreak Town… I think we are too far away. But… I think we can trust this one," he said, pointing towards Balthazar.

Velcia's eyes followed the gesture of his fuzzy paw, and she looked at Balthazar curiously. "It saved us… so I think so too."

"More than that… I don't think you're a normal Heartless, are you? You have a Chirithy too, I can feel it."

Balthazar paused, unsure of what to say, but he nodded. "I-i do, but he-"

"He's working hard to fight the Darkness inside you…" Chirithy finished. "Thank you both."

Velcia looked at the Angel of Darkness curiously. "What… who are you?"

"I-i…" Balthazar stuttered, trailing off as he remembered Khosrow's warning back in the tower. If he told her who he was, it could break the memory spell. It was useless now to worry about the Darkness discovering his identity, but… If Velcia remembered him here, now-! The Darkness inside him was patiently waiting and growing more powerful every day, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he succumbed to it. Velcia had lost enough already, he couldn't make her remember him only to lose him a second time.

Reaching down to the ground with an unsteady hand, he instead scratched out the name "Magissencia". Velcia looked at this curiously, then gasped.

"M-miss Magic…! You're the one who brought the books back for me?"

Balthazar nodded, straining a chuckle at her pronunciation of the name. He closed his eyes, remembering that night all those months ago that they'd gone to the tower. After that, he hadn't known how to stop Morgan from misusing the Chronicler's books and there wasn't time to move them all in the night. Instead of taking them away, he'd opened up a ceiling panel and hidden them all up there - he hadn't been sure they were going to take the weight, but managed to distribute everything well enough to buy some time. The shipping crate showing up the next night had been a welcome surprise. He'd nearly sent it without a name, but knew that doing so would vex poor Velcia greatly and so instead chose a name he had seen once when visiting the orange-haired girl in Olympus.

"You… thank you…" she said. "You may be a Heartless, but you're not a monster at all…" She paused, distant memories flickering in her mind. "You're… I think I remember having friends like you before. You're the Angel of Darkness… right?"

Balthazar shuddered. He didn't know if she was starting to remember his true nature, or if these were scraps of memories of the Angels who perished. "N-no," he said softly, still shivering nervously.

"O-oh… I'm sorry," she said, her eyes watering a bit. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Calming once more, Balthazar shook his head. "I-it's… okay."

"Only… I'm not sure how to pronounce Maggisensa, and I don't think Miss Magic is correct…" Velcia said slowly.

Balthazar chuckled hoarsely, his feathered wings rustling as they bounced. He reached down to the sand, crossing out 'Magissencia' and simply writing 'Angel'. Angel of Darkness was too close to risk, but even he couldn't deny that he did look something like an angel.

"Angel… alright…" Velcia said, grabbing the opened pomegranate and picking at the juicy seeds. The food was simple, but it was doing her some good. Letting out a weary breath, she leaned her head back against the wall once more and slowly worked to eat the fruit.

Closing his eyes, Balthazar's mind turned back to Daybreak Town. He couldn't remember them anymore, but he knew that there were others like him there. All that was left now were holes in his heart where they once belonged, strands of loose threads like a cut rope dangling over an abyss. All he knew of them now was how much they had meant to him - and he hoped that they had found a better fate than he.

The sound of gentle snoring began to echo softly through the cavern, and Balthazar looked over to see that Velcia had fallen asleep while eating her fruit. Her sleep was not so broken or strained now, and her limbs not so rigid - he hoped that this meant that her pain was finally beginning to subside. The road ahead was still long, but for the first time Balthazar felt a spark of joyful hope that she was going to be able to pull through after all.

As for himself, however… He'd been pushing his magic use to the limits, and was thoroughly exhausted. In this state, the Darkness within him always seemed to be at its strongest and would press for control and influence over the Heartless form. Even these moments of rest were wearying, and he knew that this struggle could not last forever.

The sun outside was setting and the already small amount of light that made its way inside was waning quickly, and for the first time the thought of making a campfire occurred to him. He glanced over at Velcia, wondering how much of her trembling was from the cold. Rising up from his corner, he left the cave and made his way into the warmth of the setting sun.

Areshmin appeared beside him, and shook his head softly. "You must take care not to exert yourself too hard."

"...I know," Balthazar croaked, looking around at the dried twigs that had fallen from trees further up the mountain. "It's a fine line… but I think I understand the boundaries now." His voice was hoarse and strained still, but Areshmin understood him all the same. "I… we, I should say… We're not going to survive this. The Darkness inside is too powerful, and we're too weak."

The two sat down on some rocks near the mouth of the cave, watching the sun slowly set over the distant mountains. Balthazar looked at his small collection of firewood. It wasn't much, but it would be enough to get something started. He could collect more later.

"I only hope…" Balthazar started slowly, "that we can get Velcia well enough to survive without us."

"She is improving well," Areshmin said softly, rubbing his paws together. "But she's starving and dehydrated. She will need more than our magic if she is to survive."

Balthazar nodded. He knew this, but the sentiments felt heavy out in the open air. "I think I can manage the Darkness on my own for a while. Could you go out to that cemetery and see if that man comes by again?"

Areshmin hummed reluctantly, eyeing his friend. He didn't like the thought of leaving when Balthazar was so vulnerable. "For what purpose?"

Letting out a pained sigh, Balthazar leaned back against the rock wall behind him and rustled his wings gently. "She needs a home. I just… I wondered…"

"I understand," Areshmin said, dropping onto his feet from the small boulder. "I will see if I can find them, and if so, I will see what I can learn.