The Boy Who Fell Through The World IV

"Aqua…Ven…"

…

"A Keyblade? Who are you?"

…

"I know you. We've met before. Way back when."

…

"No, that wasn't you. You're not the one I chose. Where is he? Xe…ha…nort."

"Is that you? Xeha…nort…Xehanort!"

..

"That's it, your power. That's what I felt within you. The power that connects to Aqua…and to Ven's heart."

…

"Where am I?"

"In your memories. Traces of you were lost, so I found you through memories belonging to those you've met in the past."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Naminé. It's nice to meet you. I'm a witch who can control peoples' memories."

"A witch?"

"Right now, you're bound to two memories. One belongs to you, the other belongs to an unspeakable darkness—"

"Master Xehanort."

"Your heart will soon encounter a familiar light. You must make sure she isn't lost to the darkness. You must guide her."

"Her? You mean Aqua? I'm not sure what I can do to help, not like this."

"You must fight, Terra, like the others. You mustn't let your heart melt into darkness; follow your true memories, and you'll reach the light. She's headed there too—to the same place. You must believe in promise, just as she continues to believe in you."

"Aqua. Ven. One day I'll-I've never forgotten our promise. Never.

I will keep fighting!"

Present
EverAfter

Terra's mind for some reason flashed back to what felt like a distant memory. When had he heard a girl's voice in his mind?

It was right after Yuna mentioned someone's name.

"What was this girl's name?"

Ven looked confused but answered. "…Namine."

"Namine." Terra repeated softly.

"Terra?"

"Sorry," Terra waved off the strange feeling he had. "Anyway, you encountered more of these Organization people?"

"Yeah…Just as I reached the seventh floor."

Flashback
Castle Oblivion

Ven had gone through nearly seven floors of the castle that used to be his home and honestly he was growing frustrated.

How had the temple he lived in for years become so different?

Why was it even changed at all?

Did these Organization people change it?

"Ven?" Yuna hovered next to Ven's head. "Are you okay?"

"I…" Ven shook his head and sighed. "Just a little tired is all."

Just as he opened the door to the next room he froze, seining someone was in there.

A man wearing a dark coat like the last two people he had ended up fighting.

"Oh boy…"

The man glared at him and Ventus froze. "You…"

Remnant
Atlas
Schnee Mansion
'New' Timeline

"So, this boy, Ventus looked exactly like Roxas?"

Aeleus nodded. "Yes. We thought he had a connection to Sora and Roxas but I didn't recognize the boy Ventus until he made me recall that day in Radiant Garden."

Him and Dilan had recently arrived in Remnant and met with their former master, Ansem who was now Ansem Schnee in this world.

Their master had been reborn and was now married.

Dilan and Aeleus had been greatly surprised by that but were also happy that their master had found someone in this new world and even better, his bond with his new wife had led to the birth of a little girl. Ansem had proudly introduced the two to Willow, citing them as past friends he had lost contact due to their work as Huntsmen. Willow was a beautiful and kind woman, accepting them into the Schnee home without so much as a fuss, citing that any friend of her husband was a friend of hers and the rest of the family.

Dilan and Aeleus were humbled by her generosity, beginning to see how and why their former master had chosen her as his wife.

But now was not the time for such musings.

Now they had to update their master on what had happened back in the Worlds.

Ansem had agreed and thus reconvened their conversation to his private lab in the basement after Willow had gone to check on the infant Winter.

"Ventus would be the name of Aqua's other friend." Ansem brought a hand to his chin. "The last she had heard of him he was still asleep in the Chamber of Waking."

Aeleus and Dilan both shared a look before Dilan posed the question. "The Chamber of Waking, Master?"

"Yes. You say Xehanort built a chamber in the back of the lab where we had conducted our original experiments. The Chamber of Repose. The Chamber of Waking is the other half, that was hidden away in what you call Castle Oblivion." Ansem explained. "Both contained one or a clue to his missing 'friends.' Aqua's armor and Keyblade was hidden in the Chamber of Repose while Ventus was asleep in the Chamber of Waking, waiting for his heart to return to him."

"Both halves." Aeleus mused, closing his eyes in thought. "Repose and Waking."

Vale
Beacon Academy

Knock-Knock!

"Naminé. It's me, Professor Ozpin. May I come in?"

"Come on in." The voice of a young lady responded sweetly.

The door opened and Ozpin could see Namine Goodwitch, sitting a table with her notebook and a pen, drawing something.

Naminé was quite an interesting girl, a sweet but also interesting girl. Every time he had seen her, he could stop thinking about those centuries of his past lives when he was a father to his children, especially to his four daughters centuries ago.

The headmaster entered the room, noticing the young lady was still drawing one of her newest pieces. She was still young, not yet in her teens yet but was quite talented as he had seen of her art. It doesn't hurt to have a hobby at times to help themselves to relax or do many other things with so much free time.

"What you're working on?" He looked over the girl's chair on her sketch pad.

Naminé remained able to concentrate on her drawing until she finished it. "I was inspired by one of the few fairy tales that my mother read to me. So, I'm drawing one of them right now. I finished the last ones."

Ozpin admires how she was able to create a masterpiece. When he noticed one of the fairy tales she had created, his eyes widened. It was Oberon the Fairy King being defeated by his fourth carnation with Aqua and her other friends Poppy and Amarilla. Ozpin took in each detail of the picture, seeing all four of them shot beams of power toward the fairy king.

Even seeing the fifth one that wore a unicorn mask who also came into join the fight to defeat the fairy king that almost brought untold destruction toward the world.

"Headmaster...Ozpin..." Naminé asked with concern of his well-being upon noticing he hasn't been responding to anything else beyond staring at the picture.

Knock-Knock

Glynda came into the room and knocked on the open door, stirring away Naminé attention.

"Sweetie it's time for us to have dinner..." The deputy headmistress stopped the door as she noticed the headmaster staring at her daughter's drawing she had done recently. "Ozpin?"

Ozpin didn't respond to his deputy's voice, completely spaced out and staring at Naminé's latest drawing.

She rushed over and shook Ozpin shoulders to snap him out of it. "Sir... are you all right?"

"Oh... Sorry I must be really lost in thought. This picture..." The headmaster regained composure. "It was quite surprising picture that completely left me stunned."

Glynda however knew something was up for in all the years she had worked with him, there was one thing for certain: Ozpin is never be stunned by anything no matter what he had seen, given what he had experience throughout his years so something was up.

Especially if something had to do with her daughter's drawing. She needed to have a word with the headmaster is for what is wrong with him.

"Okay. Me and my daughter are going to have dinner soon and I expect you to do the same if you wish to join us." Glynda had invited him.

"Yes, that seems a very good idea I would like to join with you." He accepted.

Both professors and Namine turned to leave the room. Ozpin approached the door in a steady pace, but each step was slow strides to take a look of each picture on the wall that Naminé have created. When he looked at one of the pictures shows blue hair figure that is his friend Aqua facing off the army he almost froze. Aqua standing between a shining Mistralian Dragon and a dark Valian Dragon that he knew to be the Brothers, protecting them with that black key blade of hers long ago.

The army was led by a woman in light robes with long hair that he knew to be his former love, Salem before she became a humanoid Grimm which was after the Brothers left this world.

Glynda looked back the headmaster, noticing he was standing still in her daughter's room looking at the pictures. "Sweetie, you go ahead to the dining area I'm going to check back in your room and see the headmaster is all right."

Naminé nodded to her mother, and she gone on ahead. The deputy went back to her daughter's room to see what was happening to Oz.

The second one beside the pictures appeared to be the wizard and the four maidens, showing his elder self as the hermit in those days with the four girls.

He recalled all the fairy tales and their hidden truths from long ago that he had made sure to leave out certain details for a pacifically good reason.

Such as certain people out there striving for power.

Glynda noticed troublesome look of the headmaster's face. She knows of the headmaster of Beacon Academy well enough to know that looking that upset likely involves his personal secret that no one should never know.

"Ozpin... What's wrong?" Glynda entered the room concern for the man.

"How could... Naminé know these hidden parts..." He asked slowly, leaving the deputy questioning the headmaster's reason. "Each part of these drawings of these pages shows not just the fairy tales but the truth behind them."

He looked at each one of Naminé's drawings including the recent one.

He noticed the fairy tale book and took a quick look at it. Glynda wondered why the headmaster was so concerned about the fairy tale book. It's still the same story except both him and her know the hidden truth. Oz throughout his lives written down these stories without adding the extra details of its hidden secrets.

Just enough for those who are trustworthy to join his cabal.

Except somehow Naminé's drawings showed each of the stories details that weren't in the story book, making him wonder why and how Naminé knew the hidden secrets within these pages.

The headmaster looked at his deputy.

"Sir, I did only read these stories to her I never told her anything about the secrets about our primary mission at all." Glynda tried to defend herself.

"I'm not saying you have, and I know you are capable of holding information and secrets." He dismissed her worries of him thinking she had told her daughter the truth behind his back. "What was really concerning is the one that of the pictures…I didn't truly tell you that I reunited with my four daughters at the monastery not the shack. That Poppy protected them and raised them as part of her family in that monastery. Where my friend Aqua had lived along with the others."

The headmaster walked up to one of the walls holding up the picture showing himself as Ambrose along with his four daughters safely after those many years. In the background wasn't a shack but the marble and gold monastery instead.

"That also includes the defeat of Oberon the fairy king." He also pointed it out, gesturing the newest drawing on the table.

Glynda looked over by the table where her daughter sat where she noticed not only the defeat of the fairy king, but she also noticed each of the details that explained why Oz never shown all of the secrets of his past.

But Glynda on the other hand was surprised about all of this even she knows some of them, having learned them from Oz himself.

Ozpin meanwhile recalled moments of people close to his friend, becoming Keyblade Wielders like when Poppy acquired one.

'Could Namine somehow have a connection with Aqua?' Ozpin thought to himself, remembering what Aqua had told him the last they had spoken.

There are those out there who can understand one's heart like Aqua and other Keyblade wielders could. Perhaps that might be reason of why and how these pictures and drawings came to be. Both adults left the room and closed the door behind them. But what was left open is realization of pass revealed that shouldn't been known.

"There is something else I was meaning to ask you, Glynda. Do you recall when I called in for a day off? It would have been almost a year before Summer disappeared and I put the Wild Hunt with my teammates and friends." He spoken to her.

"What is it?" She questioned him deeply.

"A few years ago, when I woke up for an unknown reason. I felt some sort of reaction to my heart and also I had that strange dream, and I could remember feeling that same power that I felt centuries ago." He said seriously.

"Yes, you have. It was quite some time ago before Summer's disappearance and the Wild Hunt movement's shut down." Glynda replied. "In fact, I brought Namine with me to Summer's funeral where she met Tai's daughters."

As they continue walking down the hallway. "That is correct. On that day, I noticed something about the children before Qrow left to search for Summer. I could sense something about those girls Xion, Ruby, and Yang along with your daughter that felt similar to the power of my friend Aqua."

Glynda turned her head fast in shock toward the headmaster walking beside him of his statement he told her.

"Sir are you saying that the seven chosen of heart are..." The deputy processed everything, also recalling what the headmaster's friend and team leader had told him long ago about the seven hearts yet to be born.

"It may be, though that doesn't confirm those girls are chosen. I do remember Aqua's apprentice Poppy possessing similar traits yet different. Naminé is almost similar to Ruby, a pure innocent hearted person. She learns and knows very well about the bad out there in the world but she sees the good before that. Even James listens to Naminé for that because he admires her progress like you."

She cannot disagree on that.

"That is true. Although sir..." Glynda admitted, hesitating to finish that sentence. "She is my daughter, and her friends are important. I do not wish for her and her friends to be part of..."

"I will not put her in that position and especial anyone else." The headmaster declared. "She has her right to choose for her own life. Aqua, my friend was able to aid and guided Poppy to a better life, even to seek a better understanding. That's what made a difference between her and Maxwell who later became Oberon."

The deputy feels relieved that her daughter will not be evolved or anything else in that matter.

Hopefully for now.

"My friend told me a long ago after defeating Oberon that he was living in the idea of creating better standard in life, but he was striving for more and taking things too far not for just for peace but absolute domination. Aqua made sure that the forbidden section remained tightly secured preventing anyone or anybody else to know any other secrets that she wanted to remain hidden."

Glynda continued listening to her friend, having learned most of this long ago when she was a student at Beacon.

"She made sure people that lost everything still possessed hope and a second chance and not to strive for more power leaving themselves on a path to self-destruction and ruin to the world, thinking themselves in the right." Ozpin paused, knowing that was the path of his first love had taken, even though he and Aqua tried to help her. "Aqua's apprentice Poppy learned a lot better, thanks to Aqua helping her walk a good path to aid everyone. I still remember what my friend said about after defeating Oberon."

'There's a major difference between what I am and what you are. I give this power to those of need to help those that those not able to help themselves. You walked a path of seeking power, never being satisfied, and always asking for more, lording over everyone like you were the next God of this world. But you've never been a god.

You were only a parasite, leaching off of desperation, jealousy and resentment and longing for the lives of others. You feed on them, on the memories of love, loss, sorrow, pain, taking from them everything they cherish and forcing them to live in fear of you. You can try and take everything from me too…But you better be ready for the biggest appetite of your life because I have lived a long time now, no matter what age I look, and I've seen many things.

I crawled through the battlefield of the Keyblade War, past and future. I faced the tests of the Foretellers who founded the order who raised me. I lingered on the edge of the Final World and no matter how close I was to death; I was always pulled away. I watched as time ran out for one world and found myself trying to save the hearts of the children who were left behind having lost everything.

I watched my friends fall one by one, betrayed by one of our own. I lost my home and my master who was like a father to me. I gave up everything to save the one friend who was struggling in the darkness because of the actions of a mad man. I fought and struggled and in the end all that was left was just me, alone and falling into the dark.

I fought a monster god that couldn't die, and I lived to tell the tale! I have seen things you would never believe! I have lost things you will never understand! And I know things.

Secrets that should never be told, knowledge that should never be spoken, knowledge that makes despots like you tremble. For those who desire too much power and not enough wisdom within one's heart are those who are always destined to fail."

Glynda was quite amazed of this story and hearing his friend's words about those who actually desire so much power and not realizing what is presently a front of them right now will end up losing everything that was once precious to them in their new life. Maxwell had everything but letting his past blind him and striving for the powers of Aqua and Poppy's Keyblades that he would never have by his actions brought him to his downfall.

"As for right now. Naminé doesn't know yet, but we will help to guide her and raise her on the right path of whoever she needs to be. If any other officials or worser people find out about this development, they will not hesitate to try to turn it to their advantage." The headmaster proving in the concept.

The deputy was a little bit concerned about this.

"We don't have to worry right now. Naminé has been learning from both of us and she has much better morality than anyone else. That especially includes her friends back in Patch and the Schnee family at Atlas she also made over there too. That also includes here in Beacon Academy."

Glynda nodded with a small smile. "You're right we should make the most of it. And help Naminé become the best person that will know better."

They walked down the hallways to the dining area. Where Naminé been waiting for them along with the other teachers even Professor Port telling a funny story to her. The two adults witness the scene seeing Naminé laughing and smiling brightly.

When Ozpin saw this, it was in that moment he understood why Aqua had been doing this for a long time. It was all for protecting the children, ensuring they were still able to smile, that they had hope in this world and many more yet to come. It was enough to bring tears to his eyes remembering his four daughters protecting those smiles in those years.

And he'll have to make sure for himself that no one else will know, including some of the officials or in better words criminal organizations that will do anything in their power to try to acquire this type of information at all costs.

Castle Oblivion
Top Floor

Namine was in her room as always. This room had been the only thing she had known since appearing near Castle Oblivion and no one here allowed her to leave. However, she wasn't focused on leaving at the moment as she drew in her notebook.

A picture of boy with spiky blond hair and blue eyes who looked so familiar…

How did she know him?

Why did she draw him?

And would she ever meet him?

Seventh Floor

The muscular man grunted, crossing his arms. "You've done well to make it this far, boy. But this is where it ends."

"Wait a minute…I know you!" Ven pointed at the man. "You were in Radiant Garden! You were one of the guards at the castle!"

Lexeaus paused, looking surprised. "How…How do you know me?"

"It's me, Ven. We met in Radiant Garden." Ven pointed to himself.

Ven?

Radi-

Lexeaus's eyes widened as he suddenly recalled what Ven was saying. "Yes, I do remember now. It was ten years ago in Radiant Garden. There was a monster, and you ran to face it…A heart devoid of darkness, stripped clean of it. That's what he said that day."

"Huh?" Ven asked, not knowing what had been said after he left to face the Unversed.

"How are you here now and why do you look the same after ten years?" Lexeaus brandished his tomahawk, Skysplitter and pointed it right at Ven. "Answer me!"