Chapter 7
New Recruit
Pale moonlight poured through the clouded windows in the mansion, showcasing specks of floating dust in its glow. Everything was silent and still in the foyer until Riku came through the door on the bottom floor, his footsteps echoing around him. He scanned the area as he walked out, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dim moonlight.
"She has to be around here somewhere…" he whispered, glancing upstairs towards the library and Namine's old room.
He had finally come out of his room in search of Hinata, but had yet to discover where she was. After checking all the other bedrooms in the hall and the kitchen, his search had led him to the foyer. He went up the stairs, swinging open the door to Namine's room, which was empty and had an eerie feel without the lights on. Closing the door, he walked across the way to the library, glancing out the window towards the garden, noticing the tall sunflowers almost glowing from the moonlight. The sight made his heart tighten, but he wasn't sure why.
Entering the library, he went down the stairs and entered DiZ's office, surprised to find it empty with the door on the opposite end of the room wide open. Crisp light poured into the dark room from the unusually opened doorway, and Riku entered it trepidatiously. He looked around as he entered another large room that was brightly lit and mostly empty, spare for DiZ in the corner working on a strange contraption that Riku quickly recognized as the Heart Encoder.
"Riku," DiZ greeted without even having to look back at him. He stepped back and rubbed his blackened hands on a towel. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Oh," Riku slowed his pace as he realized he wasn't sure what to say. "I was-um, just looking for…" His voice trailed off as he noticed Hinata's bright red hair peeking out from a blanket as she slept in the corner. He came to a stop, his heart sinking. "Um, nevermind…"
DiZ glanced over his shoulder, noticing Riku's fixated gaze on Hinata. Turning back towards his work, he explained, "She came in here a couple hours ago and asked if she could stay in here for a while."
"I see…" Riku replied with a soft voice, going towards Hinata. "I'll take her back to her room."
"She is welcome to stay in here," DiZ assured him, watching as Riku approached her and noticing the saddened look in his eyes. "It may be better if she did."
Riku paused, his stomach twisting. "So I'm guessing she talked to you about it?"
"Not at all," DiZ went back to work, "She preferred to stay quiet about whatever happened, but I am able to decipher the details well enough on my own."
Letting out a long breath, Riku crossed his arms and watched DiZ tinker with the Encoder. After a while, he spoke up, "Do you have anything to say about it?"
"Would you prefer if I did?" He asked in return, smirking to himself when he heard the scoff Riku gave in return. "I will not interfere unless it becomes a hindrance to either of your performances in missions… again."
Riku winced at the last word, thinking of Agrabah. Taking in a breath, he looked back to Hinata. She was completely unaware to his presence as she slept, snuggled under the thick blanket with her hair tousled messily around her. A smile curved his lips as he looked her over, but it fell the longer he dwelled on the flutterings in his heart. Swallowing hard, he asked with a quiet voice. "What would you do in my place?"
DiZ paused his work, taken aback by Riku's quierie. He was silent for a moment as he thought it over, before explaining. "I am a man of science. I would acquire as much information and research possible in hopes that something would spur my memory-"
Riku let out a harsh breath and blurted, "I've been trying that." Inhaling deeply, he calmed down and told him. "It's just been making things worse." Running his hand through his hair, he turned to face DiZ, his gaze averted. "I...I get flashes of memories," he cleared his throat, having a hard time being honest about it.
"But I imagine you panic from them rather than feeling comforted." DiZ surmised, getting a nod from Riku in return. DiZ looked to Hinata and told him. "Then I would suggest keeping your distance from her until you have fully deciphered your memories and the workings in your heart." He met his gaze with Riku's, who was looking up at him in surprise. "Until then, I will keep your missions separate."
"Y-you don't have to go that far," Riku ever so slightly panicked, before pausing and shaking his head. "I mean… actually, that's probably not a bad idea."
DiZ slightly smiled at his reaction, before letting out a breath. "I will watch over her until Sam returns from her mission."
Riku frowned, but nodded. "Alright…" He looked back to Hinata, lost in thought, before asking, "Did you ever figure out why you're the one that remembers her?" When DiZ didn't reply right away, Riku glanced back at him, surprised to see his gaze averted, almost seeming uneasy.
"I did," he simply replied, looking back to Riku and standing up straighter. "However, I believe it would be best for you to hear the truth from Hinata." Riku narrowed his eyes in confusion and opened his mouth to ask what he meant, but before he could get a word out, DiZ turned back to his work. "If that is all, it is high time I returned to my work."
Riku shut his mouth with a bit of a scowl, but nodded all the same. "Alright..."
He looked back to Hinata, his eyes softening as he scanned his eyes over her. Taking in a breath, he turned and left the room. His thoughts were distracted as he made his way back to the foyer. He stopped by the window on the second floor, looking out at the sunflowers once again. Their golden color glowed brilliantly, standing tall and beautifully as the rest of the flowers were curled up and slumbering through the night.
As he silently admired them, he could hear Hinata's voice ringing in his heart, "These are the tallest flowers I've ever seen; their stems are strong and supportive, and they always face where the sunlight is strongest… It's how I want to be."
Her sweet smile as she gazed up at him with a hopeful glow in her golden eyes flashed into his mind, making him inhale sharply as he turned abruptly away from the window. His heart was racing, and his hands ever so slightly shaking as he went back down the stairs and escaped to his room.
The following two days passed rather uneventfully. Riku wandered through the streets of Twilight Town, looking for anything to distract himself. He crossed paths with Hinata on a couple occasions when she would be out grabbing some food to bring back to the mansion for her and DiZ. They'd share a shy smile, but before Hinata could ever get a word out, Riku would abruptly turn away and escape in the crowd.
Hinata spent a majority of the days with DiZ, reading through the journal he gave her, helping where she could with the Encoder, or discussing possible places to send her to learn new techniques. She slept in the corner of the room every night, surprised that she didn't have the slightest stirrings of nightmares. One the third day she was awoken abruptly, just as the sun was rising, as DiZ informed her that Sam was mere minutes away from returning from her mission.
She scrambled awake, mumbling out a tired thanks as she made her way to her room to make herself appear somewhat presentable. She let out a large yawn as she made it out to the garden after throwing her hair into a messy bun and getting dressed, but quickly snapped her attention forward when she heard Riku letting out a faint snicker. He stood near the bed of sunflowers, averting his gaze and smirk when their eyes met. Hinata let out a faint sigh as she looked up to the sky, waiting to see the Highwind appear. Within seconds of her looking up, she heard the loud whir of the engines and smirked as she noticed Ben piloting the ship towards the mansion.
"I wonder what Velcia will be like." She commented, noticing Riku glancing her way as she spoke.
"Y-yeah," he agreed, hesitantly coming to her side as the Highwind was landed. He cleared his throat and crossed his arms. "Should be interesting to have a new face around here."
"Ahoy there!" Ben greeted them as he powered down the engines. He waved his lanky metal arm towards them, his eyes beaming. Jack barked jovially from his side, before rushing towards Hinata and bombarding her with doggie kisses.
Hinata giggled, "H-hey, boy!" She pushed her away from her face and hugged him tightly. "I missed you, too!"
Riku smiled at their reunion, but then focused his attention to the ship, seeing Sam coming down the walkway with an unfamiliar woman not far behind her. Her hair was a vibrant burnt orange, reaching past her shoulders with a braided crown around her head. She wore a long green dress that matched the hue of her eyes perfectly, with a darker green sash around her hips. As she came to a stop in the garden, she scanned the area, a sweet, yet uncertain smile on her face.
"Welcome back," Hinata greeted Sam, glancing past her towards Velcia. "I see you were successful."
Sam came to a stop a few feet from Hinata and Riku, suddenly seeming uneasy as she looked back at Hinata. Averting her gaze, she took in a deep breath and stammered, "Y-yeah, she didn't need much convincing."
Hinata's smile slightly fell as she realized Sam was still having a hard time being around her. Inhaling deeply, she went past her and went towards Velcia. "Hello," she greeted softly with a light wave and sweet smile. She waited for Velcia to meet her eyes with hers, noticing the endless freckles speckled across her cheeks. "It's wonderful to finally meet you."
Velcia let out a light laugh as she clasped her hands in front of her. "I should be saying the same thing to you. Sam told me so much about you the first time she was in Thebes."
Hinata's smile grew, "Oh yeah?"
With a quick nod, Velcia chimed, "Oh yes! I can tell that you two used to be rather close."
Her expression fell a bit as she nodded in return, "Yeah… So I guess she filled you in on what's happened?"
"Sort of…" Velcia tugged lightly on her sleeve with a bit of a confused expression. "It was all a bit confusing."
"DiZ can help explain it better," Riku spoke, coming up behind Hinata. He strained a slight smile. "I'm Riku, by the way."
Velica's smile returned as she greeted, "It's lovely to meet you! I've heard a bit about you, as well!"
"What all did you say about us, Sam?" Riku glanced back at Sam absentmindedly staring at the flowers.
"Only the good stuff, don't worry." Sam rolled her eyes, waving him off.
Hinata chuckled a bit awkwardly, before asking Velcia, "So, I'm a bit curious… What made you decide to come help us?"
Velcia looked around at the flowerbeds, a thoughtful glow in her eyes. "It's a bit of a long story, I suppose. I imagine DiZ would like to hear it as well, so I think I'll wait until we're meeting with him to fully explain, but…" She looked back to Hinata, smiling a bit uneasily, "I think that I know what you're going through and would like to help out if I can."
"Oh, well… ok," Hinata rubbed the back of her neck, trying to figure out what she meant, "I'm interested to hear the story."
"Yes," Velcia's eyes saddened as she took in a long breath. "It's been quite a long while since I've told it."
Hinata tilted her head, wanting to ask her what she meant, but feeling Riku's hand on her shoulder told her to refrain. She instead resorted to simply nodding.
"Sam told us you're a mage." Riku changed the subject, moving his hand from Hinata's shoulder and crossing his arms. "What types do you specialize in?"
Velcia moved her gaze up to him, giving a slight shrug and laugh. "All of them, I suppose you might say. I study the basic magical energies used for all spells to learn how they work, and after that it's really simple to branch out into a variety of things."
"Seems like you're just what we need," Hinata noted.
"Told you," Sam commented, before letting out a breath, "Are we done with the meet and greets? DiZ is waiting for us, you know."
"What's got you in such a hurry?" Riku asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Just eager to get a move on," Sam placed her hands on her hips, looking away.
"It's fine, really," Velcia assured them. "I'll go fetch my blade. Sam informed me that DiZ is rather keen on seeing it."
As she turned around and scurried back on the ship, Riku turned around and went towards Sam. "Everything alright?" He asked with a quieted voice.
"Yeah, why?" Sam asked back exasperated.
"Just checking," Riku let out an audible breath of annoyance.
"I just hope Velcia will be enough…" Sam finally conceded, her voice barely a whisper.
"It's a start, if nothing else." Riku assured her. "She'll be a good asset."
"Yeah…" She sighed, looking up as she heard Velcia coming back from the ship, her blade strapped to her back.
"Apologies for the wait!" Velcia smiled as she came to a stop in front of them, noticing Hinata and Riku looking over her Keyblade with interest. "I'm ready to meet with DiZ."
Sam smirked and turned to lead the way in. Riku watched Velcia follow Sam inside and waited for Hinata to be beside him, before muttering. "I've never seen a Keyblade like that…"
Hinata stopped and glanced up at him. "Are you sure that's what it is?" Getting a nod in return. "It's beautiful and incredibly intricate… nothing like how I remember Sora's."
Riku nodded, "They come in all different shapes and sizes, depending on the keychain attached to it. Velcia's would probably change too, if you took off the keychain."
"I had no idea…" Hinata mumbled, before smiling. "By the way, it's nice having you talk to me again."
"I-" Riku's ears reddened as he watched her go inside before he could say anything. Letting out a breath, he ran his hand through his hair and followed her inside.
When they arrived in DiZ's office, Velcia was already conversing with him with Sam beside her. Velcia paused when the door slid open and glanced back at Riku and Hinata with a sweet smile.
"I was just telling DiZ that I've never seen such technology in all my life!" Velcia informed them, looking around at all the computers and lights around the office with a wide smile. "It's incredible!"
"You should have seen her on the ship," Sam rolled her eyes with a smile. "Every little thing was nearly giving her a heart attack."
DiZ chuckled, "Well Velcia, it is uncommon, if not unheard of, that you would ever leave your world to see such technology, so I apologize if it is overwhelming for you."
"It's overwhelming a bit, but in a really interesting and exciting sort of way," Velcia assured him, unable to keep her eyes focused as she still looked around.
DiZ nodded, his smile slightly fading as he watched her. Taking in a breath, he changed the subject. "I must say, it is surprising that you would leave your world so readily."
Velcia paused, looking back at him as her smile fell. "There… isn't much for me in Thebes, and I have known about other worlds since I was a child. I've always dreamed of going out, like my ancestors before me, to other worlds and gather the light… but there's also a much more personal reason why I decided to help on this particular mission."
"Such as?" DiZ pried, leaning back in his seat.
Velcia glanced over at Hinata, who had come up beside her, a saddened look in her eyes. "I've dealt with someone that was very similar to how Thaanix sounds…" She looked back to DiZ. "Back then I wasn't able to stop them… This time, I'd like to do everything I can to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again."
"You seem like you have quite the story to tell," DiZ motioned his hand towards her. "We are prepared to hear it, if you are willing to share."
Velcia shifted her weight a bit uncomfortably, nodding. "I am…"
**10 Years Ago**
The stars twinkled in the glow of the early morning, the daylight still young enough that it could not yet overpower them. Their soft light dimly illuminated the small Greek city below, already bustling with busy people excited for the day ahead.
Shops all up and down the streets had torches out, hoping to draw early customers as the people funneled their way towards a grand coliseum near the base of Mount Olympus. Among the crowd was a young girl, about 14 years old. She had a large brown backpack that clinked with the sound of glass as she carefully made her way through the masses towards the coliseum.
"Excuse me," she said as she came to a group of people blocking her path. "Can I come through please?"
The people were in line for some fresh breakfast pastry and, after quickly determining that she wasn't trying to cut them in line, stepped aside to let her pass. One woman noticed the girl's attire-some new leather armor-and smiled. "Ah, entering the Junior League at the coliseum again this year, Velcia?"
Velcia nodded with a smile. "Yes, ma'am. I'm on my way to meet my cousin right now actually; we've entered as a team again."
The woman gave Velcia a quick hug as she passed. "Well, best of luck! I'll talk to you later!"
"Thank you!" Velcia called back as she continued on.
Once she made it to the coliseum, she stopped and stared at it for a moment. It had a huge wall lined with enormous pillars, and around the entrance were two great statues of warriors whose swords clashed above the opening. The area out in front of the coliseum was packed tightly with people and merchant's carts, the crowd even thicker than in the streets.
Velcia made her way over to one of the pillars, climbing up onto the stone block on which it rested. She squinted her eyes, scanning the crowd looking for her cousin to no avail.
"Velcia!" a boy called out, catching her attention as he ran up to her.
She climbed down from the pillar to greet him. "Oh, Denerre! There you are! I couldn't see you at all in the crowd."
Denerre leaned over a bit to catch his breath. "Well, it was easy to find you, standing on the pillar like that."
Velcia looked back at the pillar, twirling a lock of her burnt-orange hair around her finger sheepishly. "I didn't make a scene, did I?"
"You? Make a scene?" Denerre laughed. "I don't think you could if you tried."
"Oh, thank goodness," Velcia replied.
"Come on, I've already got us signed up for the tryouts. We have a while before our round starts, but in the meantime we have a room we can wait in and go over our game plan." Denerre told her, motioning her to follow him.
Velcia smiled and followed along, neither of them bothering to try to speak over the crowd as they made their way inside the coliseum. Shortly past the entrance, they turned down a hallway and made their way down to the competitor area. These halls were nearly empty compared to the crowd outside, though still filled with dozens of would-be-warriors scuttling about. Finally, they reached their destination.
Passing through the large curtain covering the entryway, they found themselves in a small room which was sparsely furnished with a couch, wooden table, and a few empty weapons racks and shelves.
Velcia wasted no time taking off her heavy backpack, setting it on the table.
"So what did you bring today, Vel?" Denerre asked her.
She opened the bag and began taking out thick vials filled with liquids of all different colors.
"My Papa and I made some new potions for us to use this year. They should be really helpful!"
Denerre looked them over. "Okay, so the red ones I remember are the healing potions. I think the blue ones help rejuvenate you when you're magically exhausted, right?"
Velcia nodded, and her cousin continued.
"The green and purple ones I don't think I've seen before. Are they new?"
"Well, Papa has had them at his shop for a while, but they didn't used to work so well. We've been working on improving the formula over the last month or two and we think they should be much more effective."
Denerre nodded slowly, gently motioning towards them. "But, uh, what do they do?"
"Oh! The green one is supposed to help give us more resistance to magical attacks, and the purple one should protect us against corrosive stuff."
"Ugh, like that weird acid slime beast last year?"
"Yes, that's exactly what we had in mind when we were working on it," Velcia said. "Papa had a pretty stern talk with the organizer over letting that thing into the Junior League."
Denerre laughed. "He wasn't the only one! I heard that guy got into a lot of trouble over that! And it's a good thing, too. Me and you can handle creatures like that no problem, but a lot of the kids who try and enter this thing haven't got any business at all being here."
"Oh, I do hope they've done a better job screening the applicants this time around," Velcia sighed.
"Well, I guess it might be hard to tell who can take it and who can't. My mom still can't believe you've been willing to team up with me." Denerre said.
"Really?" Velcia asked.
"Oh yeah," Denerre said, switching his voice to a poor impression of his mom, "She's just a sweet little girl who makes potions! You just wouldn't expect her to go fighting monsters!"
Velcia giggled at his impression. "That makes sense. Now that I think about it, I wasn't really sure it was something I was up for at first either… but I could tell you really wanted me to team up with you, so I decided to give it a try!"
"I'm glad you did! We make a good team!" Denerre grinned. "Cousin power!"
The two continued to chat for a while until one of the coliseum attendants came by and peeked his head through the doorway. "Hey, they're getting ready to go over the preview of the preliminary rounds in the large room down the hall."
Velcia and Denerre got up and made their way over, and about ten minutes later one of the trainers appeared. He was a tall, muscular fellow wearing illustrious golden armor which matched the statues at the front gate. His sharp eyes scanned over the crowd as he took everyone in.
"Alright, warriors! I am Zephyr, and today is the preliminary round! Our beastmaster has found some tough and savage monsters for you to test yourselves against to prove your worth. You will be scored on your battles by the judges, who are all retired champions themselves! They will be able to tell who has what it takes. If you are in trouble, one of the House Champions will be there to save your life, but they cannot save your dignity!" At this, he gave a hearty laugh. The young contestants all looked around at each other nervously.
Zephyr folded his arms and continued. "You will all need to wait in your rooms until the attendant comes and lets you know it is your turn. You are not allowed to sneak out and watch the fighting, either of the other junior contestants or the main league! You may return now."
The contestants all made their way out, and Velcia and Denerre returned to their room. Inside was a tall man with a kind face, his green eyes perfectly matching Velcia's.
"Papa!" Velcia shouted, running up to give him a hug. "I'm glad to see you!"
Her father laughed. "Dear, you knew I was coming! I had to bring your sword for you, remember?"
Velcia smiled. "I know, Papa, but I'm still happy to see you!"
Her dad laughed again. "And I'm happy to see you, too. And you as well, Denerre!"
"Hello, Uncle Hephestus!" Denerre greeted. "What's this about a sword for Velcia?"
Hephestus pointed towards the weapon rack. "I've been doing some magic crafting on her great-great-great-great grandma's old sword to help strengthen it for her spellcasting."
"Oh, Papa," Velcia rolled her eyes, "It's called a Keyblade!"
Hephestus laughed. "Well, I know that dear. But look at it! It doesn't look anything like a key!"
The three of them looked over at the ancient weapon, which Denerre had picked up. Sure enough, it bore little resemblance to a key. It had a long purple blade, wrapped in metal vines which twisted up from the bottom of the pommel, swinging out around the handle like a hand guard before coming together again at the base of the blade. At the end of the blade, coming off one of the edges to the side, was a large ornate rose.
Denerre spoke up as he looked at it. "I can't say it looks much like a sword, either. All of these details look like they'd be easy to break if you tried hitting anything with it."
"Well, back when my great-great-great-great grandma used it, it was imbued with a powerful magic that did all the real work, so it didn't matter what shape it was. Grandma even told me that it used to be able to change shape and had all sorts of different powers," Velcia explained. "I guess the magic could even be used like a key-to unlock anything!"
Denerre looked at it again. "Wow, this thing can do all that?"
Hephestus shook his head. "No, not anymore. All the magic it used to have is entirely gone; it's just an heirloom now."
Denerre handed the blade to Velcia. "Then why did you bring it here?"
"Well, I'm not going to use it as a sword," Velcia explained. "Papa has been working on it to help magically charge it up. It's not the same kind of magic that it used to have, but it will really help me channel my magic casting."
Hephestus nodded. "You should see a good improvement over your old wand. Something about this Keyblade… it just soaked up the new magic treatment. This was a really good quality weapon, back in its day."
Velcia held it up, trying to imagine what it was like when her ancestor had wielded it. "I promise to take good care of it, Papa."
"I know you will. I wouldn't have suggested you try using it if I thought otherwise" Hephestus told her.
"Thanks, Papa."
"Now then," Hephestus said, "I better get out of here before anyone notices me. They told me I'm not allowed back here."
Denerre looked at him. "What? How'd you get in then?"
"Like this!" Hephestus said dramatically, pulling a pink potion out of his pocket and drinking it quickly; slowly fading away and turning invisible. "It doesn't last long, so I've gotta go quick!"
Denerre's jaw dropped, but he quickly regained his composure. "Okay, I'll see you later, Uncle!"
Hephestus's disembodied laughter filled the room. "Haha, that's a good one!"
The curtain at the doorway flapped aside quickly, and the room was silent again.
"That was really cool," Denerre said. "Why can't we have invisibility potions for the coliseum?"
Velcia laughed. "Papa says we would probably get disqualified for using them. Also, he doesn't want anybody to know he can make them. He says there are too many bad people who would be interested in them, and it would be dangerous."
"That makes sense," Denerre admitted forlornly. "Still, though, you have to admit it would be helpful."
"Yes, I agree," Velcia said. "But I think that we do pretty good without it!"
A few minutes later, the attendant came by to bring them to the arena. She wore a long white robe with golden embroidery, her hair almost as shiny and golden as her metal embellishments.
"Follow me please, the time has come," she said softly before turning around, the bottom of her robe twirling across the floor.
Denerre and Velcia picked up their weapons and potions quickly and scurried along behind her, going up a staircase that led to a long pathway overlooking one of the main arenas below. The crowd was roaring in delight at the battle before them, and Denerre and Velcia did all they could to keep from sneaking a peek. Finally they reached the other end of the walkway, and descended once again, following another short path into one of the smaller side arenas of the great coliseum.
This arena was much quieter, with very little seating for observers. The center of the room was a pit about ten feet deep with a staircase on either side to get in and out, though it had metal doors to seal the pit. The only people present were the three judges, who sat on the far end of the arena, outside of the pit but in a location they could easily observe.
"Now," the attendant said, "introduce yourself to your assessors."
Velcia and Denerre looked at each and nodded subtly, and walked up to the judges. All three of them wore an entire gold armor set similar to Zephyr's, the only differences between them being a different year engraved in the top corner of each chest plate.
The one on the far left spoke up, his voice deep and gravelly. "Welcome, warriors. Please tell us a bit about yourselves."
Denerre spoke up first. "I am Denerre, son of Agopios the Scholar. My weapon of choice is this sword, which I made myself under the tutelage of the great smithy Aegis."
"And I am Velcia, daughter of Hephestus. I follow the path of the mage, like my ancestors before me," Velcia said, holding up her blade. "This was once the sword of my grandmother, the Divine Rose, which I now use as a staff to channel my magic."
The judge in the center spoke up. "An interesting choice of weapon, Warrior. As a mage myself, I can sense that it is indeed well suited for magic – but to see such an ornate weapon and hear it was once used as a sword is quite the surprise."
"Indeed," said the judge on the far right. "It seems it may well live up to its namesake."
Velcia and Denerre bowed softly, and spoke together in unison. "We are ready for our trial."
"Very well," the center judge said. "For your trial today, you must prove yourselves capable as a team. Our beastmaster has gathered a pack of dire wolves-dark monsters who travel in packs and know nothing of mercy or civility."
The left judge spoke up again, pointing behind them. "Back there is Saburo, a well-proven warrior who will also be watching your trial. He will step in to protect you if your life is in danger, but do not let this fool you; Dire Wolves are dangerous and unpredictable, and if you are foolish there is only so much Saburo can do to save you."
Velcia gave a small friendly wave to Saburo, who continued to stand stoic and motionless.
"If you are ready," the center judge said, "you may take your place in the center of the arena."
The two turned to walk towards the center, and Denerre whispered as they made their way over. "You ready for this, Vel? We haven't fought Dire Wolves before."
"I am," Velcia said. "I know some fire spells that should be effective against them, and I have been practicing a fatiguing spell in case they are too quick."
Denerre smiled. "Fantastic. I will do my best to keep them away from you, so you can put all your concentration into the spells."
"Thanks, Denerre," Velcia said with a smile as they took their spots.
The doorway at the bottom of the stairs sealed closed, and a small door in the side opened up. The two stared at the dark opening, angry barks and growls echoing from inside as four sets of glowing eyes slowly came into view in the blackness.
Velcia and Denerre readied themselves as the dark creatures crept out of their den, the dire wolves somewhat disoriented as they adjusted to the light.
"Hey, Vel," Denerre said. "Think some fire might keep them confused a bit longer?"
Velcia quickly swept her blade forward, streaks of fire swirling up the blade before blasting off at the dire wolves. The flames shot forward in several small streams which scattered across and around the group, sending them howling in confusion as they split up and ran away around the arena.
Denerre raced towards one that had accidentally come close to them in its blind confusion, and swung his sword at it. The strike was true, thudding across the dire wolf's back. It howled furiously, but ran away quickly and rejoined with one of its companions as Denerre did the same.
"These guys are really tough," Denerre noted. "I don't think I can swing my sword with enough power for a decisive strike."
Velcia nodded as the two turned to stand back to back. "The fatiguing spell is tricky to cast, especially if they are running around. I can try and keep them split up with my fire spells; if we can corner one I'll try to fatigue it so you can finish it."
Denerre hunched forwards, swinging his sword out to keep one of the circling wolves at bay. "Okay, sounds like a plan.
Velcia held out her blade, and shot out a streak of fire across the floor, creating a wall of flame between two of the wolves.
"Switch!" Velcia called out, and she and Denerre rotated as the trapped wolf lunged towards them. Denerre planted his feet firmly, swinging a solid uppercut at the now-airborne wolf, knocking it back away from them. While he did this, Velcia had created yet another fire wall. The two switched places again, this time Velcia casting her fatiguing spell on the stunned Dire Wolf. The green energy shot forward, almost bubbling around the wolf as it tried to stand up.
"Denerre, this one's weak!" she shouted.
Denerre swung his sword wide, left and then right, beating back two of the wolves who were on the attack. "Okay, I'm ready!" he replied.
The two spun around again, and Denerre immediately leapt forwards at the weakened Dire Wolf, striking the monster's neck. The beast howled and burst into a puff of smoke, disintegrating into thin air.
"Never seen a wolf do that before," Denerre muttered to himself.
"Another one is weakened, Denerre!" Velcia called out.
Denerre wasted no time, turning and leaping at the next beast with the same result. As he stood up from the strike, one of the wolves blindsided him with a quick leap and knocked him prone. Denerre quickly spun onto his back, trying to scuttle away as the beast turned and ran towards him.
"Denerre!" Velcia cried out, holding out her blade and sending a bolt of electricity with a loud crack. The force of the lightning struck the beast right as it began to leap, sending it flying over Denerre headfirst into a wall. It thudded to the ground, growling angrily as electricity crackled across its body. Denerre turned to look at Velcia, who had quickly turned to face the other wolf staring her down.
"Go finish that one!" Velcia called over to him. "I can take care of this."
Denerre turned back towards the electrified wolf, and Velcia sent another scatter of fireballs towards the wolf in front of her. The beast leapt out of the way, then sprung at her with surprising speed. Velcia ducked underneath it, turning around quickly and sending another bolt of lightning at it. The Dire Wolf stumbled and growled, turning around and howling furiously. Velcia wasted no time, firing off an intense spray of fire that incinerated the monster.
There was a huge puff of smoke from the other corner of the arena, and Velcia turned to see that Denerre had defeated the final wolf. The two regrouped, looking around to double check that no other creatures remained.
"Well done," applauded one of the judges. "Please return to us."
The doors opened up and the two made their way back up the flight of steps, standing in front of the judges. The judge on the right spoke up first. "You two did very well. Your skills both individually and as a team show promise and talent."
"Your placement will be announced once all warriors have finished the trials," the middle judge informed them. "Until then, feel free to go watch the other brackets. We only ask that you stay at the coliseum until the placings are announced, and that you do not watch any of the Junior League trials."
"Thank you," Velcia said.
Denerre nodded. "Yeah, thank you very much."
The two turned and left the room, making their way to the grandstands of one of the main arenas.
"We did really good today!" Denerre said excitedly once they were back in the halls. "You've really improved your spellcasting."
"Thank you, Denerre! I've been studying and practicing as much as I can in my free time. To be honest though, it kind of surprised me too."
"How so?" Denerre asked.
"Well, I don't know how to explain it. I think it's something to do with the magic saturation my Papa did on the Divine Rose. My spells just felt easier to cast and they were stronger than I could do with my old crookwood wand," Velcia explained.
"Oh, I see," Denerre said. "That's pretty cool."
The two walked in silence for a moment, and Denerre spoke up again, "I was pretty good out there with my sword though, huh?"
"Oh, yes!" Velcia quickly replied in a fluster. "I'd meant to tell you that you were really quick out there, but I guess I got distracted… I'm sorry!"
Denerre laughed heartily. "Don't worry about it, Vel! I'm only teasing. Believe me, I know I was awesome!" he said jokingly.
Velcia laughed, too. "Yes, you shall have caught the attention of Olympus itself!"
The two had finally made it to their destination and spent the rest of the day watching the qualification fights for the main leagues, taking notes of interesting techniques and making observations about monsters that were new to them. Before they knew it, the sun had begun to set and an announcer stood in the center of the arena to reveal the rankings of the competitors who made it through. They listened intently for their results, cheering and giving each other a quick hug when they heard they had placed fourth out of the twenty-seven junior league teams.
"We did it, Vel!" Denerre shouted as they left the stadium. "That's even better than we placed last year!"
"I know!" Velcia said. "I can hardly believe it! I can't wait to tell my Papa!"
"Your Papa already knows!" Hephestus said excitedly from behind them.
Velcia turned around quickly and gave him a hug. "Oh, Papa!"
Hephestus laughed. "I heard them announce your ranking in the coliseum. I'm very excited for you and Denerre!"
"Thanks, Uncle!" Denerre said proudly.
"So what sort of terrible beasties did you two have to fight for your trial?" Hephestus inquired.
"Oh, it was some Dire Wolves," Denerre answered.
"Dire Wolves?" Hephestus repeated with disbelief. "Those are some tough monsters."
"Yes, they were very resilient," Velcia said. "I've been practicing that fatiguing spell you taught me; it helped out a lot."
Hephestus smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."
"I'm really tired out," Denerre said. "I'm going to head home now, if you don't mind."
"Okay, Denerre," Velcia said. "I will see you later. Our junior league bracket doesn't start for another four days, right?"
Denerre nodded. "Yeah, we've got a while. We can get some practice in tomorrow, if you want."
Velcia laughed. "After today, I think I might just want to sleep all day! But yes, we can practice tomorrow afternoon. Come by the shop when you are ready."
"Okay, sounds good. Goodbye, Uncle! See you tomorrow, Vel!"
With that, Denerre scurried off into the crowd. Velcia turned towards her dad. "Papa, I think I'm going to head home now, too, unless you want me to stay and help out."
"Oh no, you go ahead and go home. Your Uncle Agopios is helping me out today at the potion cart. I should be home in an hour or two, after final ceremonies are over and the crowd has gone home."
"Oh, thank you, Papa! I will see you later," Velcia said, and then turned to go home.
The streets away from the arena were now as dark as they were in the morning when Velcia had set out, except now they were empty and deserted; the crowds were still enthralled at the coliseum by the many ceremonies of the evening. Velcia walked slowly, taking her time to relax and to enjoy the stars.
Suddenly, a gentle rustling in the alleyway nearby caught her attention. She stopped and looked towards it, listening again for the sound she thought she heard. Nothing. She turned nervously, and continued walking home, her pace a little quicker this time. Once again she heard a rustle, behind her this time, and she quickly turned around with her keyblade in hand.
Velcia peered into the shadowy street behind her, looking for the source of the noise. Slowly, a pair of pointy, glowing red eyes peeked out from around a corner. The creature's body was entirely concealed by shadow, but Velcia could tell just from the eyes that it was edging even closer to her.
As it approached the light, the darkness almost seemed to creep out to keep the creature's body in shadow, until Velcia realized that the darkness was in fact the creature's form. It had a curved body with jagged, pointed limbs and long squiggly horns pointing straight back from behind its eyes. The two stared at each other, the creature stopping its advance once it spied Velcia's outstretched weapon. Velcia gritted her teeth, waiting to see what it would do.
Then, suddenly, the creature turned back around and scampered off into the night; disappearing in the darkness. Velcia lowered her blade and breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank heavens. I wonder what that was?" she whispered to herself.
After that, she hurried home as quickly as she could, not wanting to risk another encounter with the strange creature. Once she made it back, she locked the door and set her bag down. "Okay, dinner then."
After a quick meal Velcia sat down on her couch with a book, wanting to read but having a hard time; her mind fixated on the creature she'd run into on the way back. She got up and paced a little bit before looking out the window into the streets, worried that she might see the red eyes glowing back at her.
"I hope Papa doesn't run into that horrible thing on his way back home," she whispered.
Velcia sat in the seat by the window, staring out into the street anxiously. Slowly, the street filled once again with people making their way back home, and Velcia squeaked with joy at the familiar sight of her father's potion cart making its way down the street. She jumped out of her chair and ran outside to greet him as he put the cart back into the stall.
"Oh, Papa, I'm so glad you're home safe!" she said.
"I am, too! It's good to see you again," Hephestus said, giving her a hug.
"I was so worried for you, Papa," Velcia said heavily, breathing a sigh of relief.
"What? Why?" he asked her.
"On my way home, I saw this horrible beast. Bright red, glowing eyes in the dark, and when it came out it looked like it was made out of shadows!" she quivered.
Hephestus gasped a bit, and hugged her closer. "Oh, dear. Are you okay?"
"I am," Velcia told him. "I was ready to try and fight it off, but it just ran away. Papa, I don't know what it is. I have fought all sorts of dangerous monsters before, but something about this beast — it was different. It just had this incredibly dark magic around it, and the more I have thought about it the more it has worried me."
Hephestus stepped back a bit, then motioned towards the door. "Come on, let's go inside."
Velcia nodded and followed him in. "I'm sorry I got so scared, Papa. I should have known you'd be safe."
"No, thank you for worrying about me. And thank you for telling me about it. I have never seen anything like it in my life, and if it carried as dark an aura as you say, I, too, am worried what it might be," Hephestus said.
"Oh, Papa, what should we do?"
"Tonight, nothing," her father told her. "We will leave all the lamps lit tonight. You get some rest. I sold a lot of potions today and need to stay up and make some new ones for tomorrow; I will keep an eye out so you will be safe."
"Okay," Velcia said tiredly. "Thank you, Papa."
"Hey, actually, how have you come along with that barrier spell I taught you last week?"
Velcia's eyes brightened. "I've been practicing it every day— I've really gotten the hang of it!"
Hephestus smiled. "Okay, so here is what we will do: We have that magic lamp down in the shop, remember? I'll fill it up with an energy potion, and you and I will try casting that barrier spell together. If we pull it off, it should make a strong barrier all around our house to keep us safe. I'll make sure to refill the lamp tonight before I go to bed, and we will have nothing to worry about."
Velcia beamed. "Okay, that's a good idea!"
The two walked downstairs into the main potion shop, and Hephestus dug out the lamp from behind the counter. The barrier spell went off without a hitch, and a gentle blue glow surrounded the house.
"Good work, Velcia! You're picking these up faster than I can teach them to you."
"Thank you, Papa. I have really enjoyed my studies."
Hephestus laughed. "Yes, I can tell. Now go on to bed, dear. You deserve some rest."
Velcia smiled, then yawned. "Okay, thank you. Papa, I think I will go talk to Gran tomorrow about the shadow I saw. I've been thinking, it sounds a lot like the monsters from her old stories."
"Now, Velcia," Hephestus said, shaking his head a bit, "don't let that creature keep you up all night. But, that said, I think that is a good idea. Perhaps she will know more."
"Okay, goodnight, Papa."
"Goodnight, dear. I love you!"
Velcia yawned again. "I love you, too."
Velcia slept well that night, exhausted by the day and comforted by the barrier spell she and her father had cast. She woke up early the next morning to the sound of glass bottles clinking as Hephestus loaded up his cart before heading out again.
She quickly got herself ready and ran downstairs, almost colliding with him at the bottom as she rounded the corner.
"Oh! Sorry!" she exclaimed.
Hephestus laughed. "You're fine. How did you sleep?"
"Oh, very well thank you," she said. "How about you?"
"Well, not much, but what I did get was nice. I shouldn't stay up late again tonight," he told her.
Velcia nodded. "It's not good for you! I was going to go to Gran's house today to talk to her, but if you tell me which potions you need more of, I will make them this afternoon so that you don't have to stay up."
"Why, thank you, Vel!" Hephestus beamed. "That would be very helpful. I'll leave a list here of the ones that have been selling well. Wait, aren't you and Denerre supposed to practice together today?"
Velcia frowned. "Oh yeah. I will just have to tell him I can't today."
"I'm sorry," Hephestus said.
"Oh, it's okay. I am still very tired today, so I would rather make potions anyways. Denerre will understand," Velcia assured him.
After some quick goodbyes, Hephestus finished packing his cart and left. Velcia grabbed her backpack and put in some food, water, and potions for the road. After putting it on her back, she stood up and surveyed the room to make sure she didn't forget anything, her eyes stopping on her keyblade. Her face scrunched a bit as she thought about the dark creature from the night before.
"I guess I should bring it, just to be safe," she determined.
Picking it up, she went down stairs and left the shop, locking the door behind her. She looked around the streets, appreciating the sunlight, and began her journey.
Velcia's grandmother lived in a house on a hill just outside of town, and the journey took her just over an hour. Once she made it there, she stopped and looked at the familiar building. It was made of white stone blocks, but over the years the white had become more of a dirty gray and the corners of the stones were all well-rounded from erosion. Velcia smiled, and went and knocked on the door.
After a few seconds, the door opened slowly, and an old woman stepped out. Her long, white hair was braided around the crown of her head, and she wore a surprisingly fashionable green toga.
"Well, hello, Velcia. How are you today?" she asked, inviting Velcia inside.
Velcia smiled as she walked into the house. "I am tired, Gran, but I am well."
"Oh yes, you and your cousin had your placement rounds yesterday, didn't you?"
Velcia nodded. "Yes, we did. We ranked fourth in the junior league!"
Gran motioned towards the keyblade. "Your father imbued that with his own sort of magic again, I take it?"
"Yes, he did."
Gran nodded with pursed lips. "Well, I'm glad you are using it. It never seemed right to leave it hanging on the wall, but your mother just never had the knack to actually do anything with it."
"Thanks, Gran. Actually, I've come to talk to you about something I saw last night that reminded me of the stories you used to tell me."
Gran sat up a bit, attentive. "Oh?"
"Well, when I was on my way home last night, there was this rustling sound and I just got this uncomfortable feeling. After a little while, I saw some glowing red eyes in the darkness… and a creature that looked like it was made out of jagged shadows came out and looked at me. I was expecting to have to fight it off, but it just ran away. But Gran, I've never felt something as dark as the creature felt."
Gran closed her eyes. "A Heartless," she whispered, concerned.
"That's what I was wondering, but I didn't know for sure. Is it really one of the monsters our ancestor used to fight?"
Gran sat in thought for a moment. "It may be. From the stories I was told, the Heartless she fought looked a bit different. They were more round, and had yellow eyes… but there were many different kinds."
"Gran, what are we supposed to do if it is a Heartless? Those monsters try to break the World Order, don't they?"
Gran shook her head. "Yes they do. It's been longer than I can think of since Heartless have been here in Olympus."
Velcia frowned. "What would make them show up again?"
"I don't know, dear. It couldn't be anything native to this world. Heartless are a kind of Darkness that comes into worlds from other places."
Velcia thought it over for a minute. "Could it be someone has come from another world and is interfering?"
Gran shook her head. "It could be, or it could be something else. The only way to know for sure is to investigate and try and find the source of the Darkness, or the person behind it."
"Are you sure you're up for it, Gran?" Velcia asked with concern.
Gran chuckled a bit. "I'm certain I am not up for it, dear. You forget how old I am now; I can hardly make it to the market on my own anymore."
Velcia frowned. "Then what are we going to do?"
Gran reached over, putting her hand on Velcia's shoulder. "Velcia, this is up to you. You're the only one who can figure out what's going on. And, as the last of our family, it is your responsibility to take care of it."
***Author's Note: Hello all! Curry's Husband here, sneaking into the author's notes. This flashback story here, and the conclusion in the next chapter, were actually written by me as a sort of one-shot a year ago after I first wrote the Sam in Olympus guest chapter for Curry. I really liked the friendly mage, Velcia, who I'd written in as a helper for Sam and thought it would be fun to write more about her past and explain things like why/how she has a dead old keyblade. When I first had written it, I'd never expected the story to get posted everywhere, but Curry really liked it and decided to work Velcia into the story for the third book. So, this turn of events has been planned for a while. I really can't believe I wrote this over a year ago, now. I hope you all enjoy this fun little adventure back a decade in the past.
On a similar note, actually, and since I've infested this Author's note already, I really hope you enjoyed the little stories about DiZ and Toodles in the Realm of Darkness. Those, also, I had mostly just written for fun and they too got adopted much to my surprise. Sorry for any tears caused about Toodles! :o I hope that, even though it was sort of sad, you all liked it anyway. I better get going now. I'll see if I have anything else interesting to tell you in the next Author's Note, if I'm able to sneak back in again.
Have a great week!***