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Chapter Text

The World of Dreams

Dark clouds formed overhead, enveloping the castle and surrounding buildings in darkness.

"Terra?" She called out.

A second later she let out a cry as a hand wrapped around her neck, strangling her.

"Who…Am I?" A man's voice whispered.

"Such…Terrible Darkness." The woman uttered, struggling to breathe. "You have to fight it…Terra please!"

"Terra, you say?" The man whispered and then grunted as his voice changed. "Terra's heart has been extinguished. Smothered by the darkness within him!"

CLASH!

There was clashing sound that echoed through the kingdom.

"My name is Master Aqua."

CLASH!

"Now return my friend's heart or pay the price!"

And immediately they fought.

His strikes were lethal, fueled by rage with darkness surging around him as he attacked.

She was composed and graceful, light shining around her many times as she attacked, dodged and defended herself.

His rage and frustration reached critical levels as they fought.

"This will teach you! Get out of my heart!" The man shouted, stabbing himself in the chest with his own weapon.

"TERRA!"

She rushed after him as he fell into the dark portal, jumping in just as it closed. He was falling out of her reach, so she summoned her glider and armor to reach him. She grabbed and tried to escape but she saw they wouldn't make it in time.

"I have to do something or we'll both be lost." Aqua looked back at Terra.

She had a choice to make: leave him in darkness or…

Take his place.

She placed her Keyblade in his hands and her armor appeared over him, sending him back up to the light. "Go!"

She watched as Terra was taken back up to the surface.

"Ven, I'm sorry…I might not make it back as soon as I thought. But I promise, I'll be there, one day, to wake you up."

Aqua closed her eyes, resigning herself to falling into darkness.

When she opened them again she expected to be in the Realm of Darkness. Only when she opened her eyes again, she continued falling with strange lights appearing around her. Staring in confusion she reached out and touched one of the lights.

'What is this? I thought I was falling into the darkness…' She looked down and saw a strange green mist coming up on her. 'Light in the darkness?'

She was blinded by a white light…

The last thing she remembered was hitting water. She gasped as she felt the tied moving her body up onto sand. She felt her body aching and she couldn't cast a healing spell. Her eyes dazed as she looked around, seeing two suns…

And a giant tree.

..ua…

Aq…ua…!

Aqua!

Her eyes opened and she slowly sat up, feeling the heat on her back while feeling wet down her front. Looking up, she groaned from seeing the light from…two suns? Her eyes adjusted and there were indeed two suns shining down on this place.

What was this place?

A strange shore with red sands and palm trees, purple brushes, orange plants, giant sea shells and sea stars. Up ahead was a large cliff that towered over the shore and beyond that was a giant tree sitting on it with clouds of green, purple and yellow leaves. Surrounding the giant tree was a forest of palm trees.

Kneeling down, Aqua picked up the sea star and noticed how similar it was to her Wayfinder and the ones she made for her friends.

"What is this place?" She asked quietly but felt glad to be hearing her own voice.

She remembered falling into the Realm of Darkness and thought she would end up there.

Looking up, she had a guess that the massive tree might have the answer. So she slowly began her approach, walking up the beach and to the cliff. She thought to apply magic to her legs to do a double jump but then remembered she left her Keyblade with Terra and without it she couldn't use her magic anymore.

She had nothing now.

Aqua sighed and started looking for an alternate route to the tree. It took a while but she found a way through the cliffs and entered a green forest. Nothing but palm trees providing shade and a grassy ground with strange plants, mushroom and berries growing.

'Well, if I am going to be stuck here for a while at least there is a source of food.' Aqua thought as she looked around.

So far it seemed like this place was deserted.

She sighed as stopped to lean against a rock…

And then her senses kicked in.

"GAH!" Aqua jumped back as the rock started moving. "What the-"

She watched surprise as more rocks pulled out of the ground, forming into a torso followed by arms and legs. The creature turned its 'head' to her and for a second remained still. Then it raised its arm to swat her and she took off running, continuing towards the tree.

Just what was this place?

Was it in the Realm of Darkness?

Was a world of light capable of existing in the Realm of Darkness?

She had so many questions that were just more of what was weighing her down?

Did Terra make it back?

Would he break free from Xehanort's control?

Would she make it back and awaken Ven?

As her journey continued, the scenery grew deeper and stranger, the sky changing to resemble the colors of the giant tree with roots even sprouting out from the ground. And as Aqua grew closer, a strange mist suddenly appeared around her.

Aqua stopped, her senses alerting her that this was no ordinary fog. 'Now what?'

A shadow appeared in the mist that slowly approached her and stepped back, settling into her normal fighting stance but knew it was useless without her Keyblade.

She watched as the person to come out of the mist was…her?

A person who exactly resembled Aqua from her hair, eyes, skin, and clothes. She even had a Keyblade, Stormfall in her hand to go with it.

Aqua stared in shock at first before finding her voice. "Who are you?"

"…I am you." The duplicate answered stoically.

"What? What is that supposed to mean?" Aqua questioned.

"It is exactly what I said. I am you, the foolish girl who grew up with the dream of becoming a Keyblade Master. Who tried to present herself as the perfect student, becoming the perfect master, only to watch everything she cared about wither away and tried to follow her friends and master into death." The duplicate stated. "You failed your master. You failed Ven. You failed Terra. You couldn't save them."

Aqua stepped back with a pained look on her face before glaring at the copy. "Shut up!"

"You know it's the truth. You drove them away, trying to present yourself as someone without sin. Xehanort didn't even have to try. You all did exactly what he wanted so easily." The copy continued. "Even when you were finally together, you still failed."

"SHUT UP!" Aqua shouted, charging at her copy, not even caring she didn't have a Keyblade anymore.

A flash of light proved her wrong as something clashed with Other Aqua as she raised her Keyblade in defense. Aqua's eyes widened as she looked to see a black Keyblade in her hand with a boxy guard, made up of two small, light grey boxes and a copper rod. The base of the guard connected to the grip and both sported several small indentations lining them. The teeth were in the shape of an 'E' with its keychain resembling the badge she wore to signify she was a Keyblade Wielder.

It wasn't Stormfall but it was the Keyblade of her fallen master, the Master's Defender.

That's right; she had taken it as per her master's instructions. Aqua shook her head, knowing she had no time to contemplate this in the middle of a fight. She shoved the Other Aqua who flipped back, landing perfectly on her feet.

The Other Aqua chuckled as she grinned at her. "You couldn't even realize you still had the Keyblade with you."

Aqua said nothing, knowing what she had to do.

(Kingdom Hearts OST Extreme Encounters)

She vanished in a blur, reappearing behind Aqua and summoned three large ice crystals that she landed at Aqua who cartwheeled out of the way of each one. She then tried slashing at Other Aqua who teleported away, reappearing a few feet away.

"Thunder!" Aqua shouted, calling down several bolts of lightning on Other Aqua who staggered from the hit.

She began teleporting all over the place, moving at high speed and delivering several strikes to Aqua. The Keyblade Master grunted, feeling the first few blows before she conjured a barrier to protect herself.

"Enough." Other Aqua teleported into the air and summoned more ice crystals that flew straight at the real Aqua.

Two managed to hit, knocking her back while she managed to dodge the others. Aqua was panting, still exhausted from her previous fight before coming here. Other Aqua teleported in front of her, ready to deliver the final blow but Aqua would not submit. She swung her Keyblade up and batted the incoming attack away and slashed her Other several times, following with a thrust to the chest that the Other barely survived by teleporting away just as it touched her chest.

"Heal!" Aqua held up her Keyblade and a green glow surrounded her, healing her wounds.

Other Aqua was in the air again, summoning more ice crystals that she launched at Aqua who had just gotten her second wind. She jumped up and glided through the air, dodging the ice crystals that shattered against the surrounding trees instead of their target. Having enough Aqua charged at her Other, delivering several strikes.

"Enough!" Aqua shouted, two orbs of light surrounding her and managing to do more damage to the Other.

Other Aqua teleported away, summoning more ice crystals but this time Aqua smashed through them instead of dodging. She kept on attacking her Other who became more desperate to win, teleporting all over the area to avoid being hit.

"You think you can win?!" Other Aqua shouted as copies of her suddenly appeared, surrounding Aqua. "You're a failure! You're nothing!"

Aqua noticed her other self was changing, her eyes turning yellow and her hair becoming brighter, a mix of blue and silver as darkness surrounded her.

"You are just a weak child who could nothing to save her friends!" Other Aqua shouted, the aura of darkness around intensifying.

"I am more than that!" Aqua shouted back. "Yes, I've failed…But I am still here and I will make it right!"

"Make it right?" Other Aqua and her copies laughed. "How can you make it right when you are about to die here?!"

They then began glowing, activating Aqua's own Command Style: Spellweaver.

They started circling around Aqua, moving like figure skaters as cold, icy air circulated around them and ice crystals formed above them.

She couldn't do that with her Spellweaver but it didn't matter at the moment.

What mattered was getting out of the way before she was hit!

She conjured a barrier just as they all launched magical blasts at her but she only felt one, meaning all the rest were mere illusions.

"I said enough! Farewell!" Aqua said, conjuring two more energy orbs around her as she collided with Other Aqua, forcing her back.

The two then clashed their weapons again, their moves exactly the same but Other Aqua was fighting with a form of aggression that made her open to attacks which Aqua capitalized on. Other Aqua kept on summoning more ice crystals that Aqua had to dodge or heal herself when a few managed to hit her. More illusions appeared as Other Aqua attacked but only of them felt real when they hit so Aqua knew where the real one was after she attacked.

She could feel the energy filling her with each clash and it was just about ready to burst.

"I know who I am!" Aqua shouted, her own power surrounding her in a burst of light as she activated Spellweaver for the first time.

Her moves became faster and she telekinetically controlled her Keyblade as she threw it at Other Aqua, spinning through the air as it dealt numerous blows to Other Aqua who couldn't take it anymore. She let out a scream as Aqua delivered one final slash. She collapsed and slowly dissolved into darkness.

(Kingdom Hearts OST Extreme Encounters Ends)

It was over.

Aqua sighed in relief, falling to her knees as her new Keyblade had vanished. The fog vanished, leaving behind the sunny weather from before.

What was that?

A form created from her darkness?

Her doubts?

"Ever since I first left the Land of Departure, my world has been in pieces. Is this the result of everything I have endured?" She wondered to herself, looking back up at the massive tree. "Is this all I have left now?"

STOMP!

Aqua spun around to see the same rock creature that had chased her into the mist was still pursuing her. Only now she had a Keyblade to defend herself and prepared to fight.

"Freeze!" Aqua shouted, casting a Blizzard spell that froze the creature and with a single slash it broke into pieces.

Aqua sighed as she dismissed her Keyblade, glancing at the tree. She knew it was a long shot but she could just sense something about that tree that may be the key to her finding a way out. Seeing no other option, Aqua continued her journey towards the giant tree. The shadow of the tree's bark loomed over her Aqua could feel she was being watched.

She couldn't tell from where but she knew someone or something was watching her. She came upon a clearing at the base of the tree with giant roots sticking out of the ground and spreading outward. Just how far did this tree stretch?

A snarling sound made her summon her Keyblade back She could see several openings in the ground under the tree, exposing the massive roots. From one of those opening came a giant clawed hand with black scales. What followed was a large serpentine like body about twenty meters long with four limbs for arms and legs and wings on its back, a grey underbelly. From its huge mouth came eerily dripping fluids as it looked at her with bright red eyes.

A black and purple miasma emerged its body as it fully emerged.

Aqua stepped back, memories of Maleficent flashing in her mind. "What are you?"

The dragon answered with a roar, moving towards her with a look of hunger in its eyes.

(Kingdom Hearts OST Enter the Darkness)

Aqua jumped back as the dragon opened its mouth and released purplish gas that literally melted the ground where she had stood.

"Freeze!" Aqua shouted, firing an ice spell at the dragon that was easily blocked with one hand.

The dragon lashed out with its tail but Aqua used a barrier to protect herself. The force of the hit sent her flying across the area.

She landed perfectly on the ground and charged at the dragon, ducking under a swipe and jumped up. "Fire!"

A fireball hit the dragon in the face, stunning it for a second. It lashed out with a claw that Aqua dodged by cartwheeling out of the way. The dragon jumped and slammed all four of its limbs on the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked Aqua back. It then brought its mouth down to eat her but Aqua conjured a barrier just in time, catching the dragon's jaw.

The dragon grunted as it tried breaking through the barrier which then exploded in it's mouth. The dragon screamed in pain as it stepped back.

Aqua stood up as she felt the power of her Spellweaver command style washing over her. She charged at dragon who shot fire at her but Aqua threw her Keyblade in front of her which spun like a wheel, knocking the fire aside. Aqua then jumped up and swung her Keyblade down, hitting the monster in the head, slamming him into the ground. The dragon let out a pained roar that caused the ground to shake.

Aqua watched as dozens of smaller dragons, resembling the first one crawled out of the hole and took off into the air, surrounding her. Some lunge at her but Aqua telekinetically spun her Keyblade around her, knocking them away as they tried to bite her. Aqua started spinning, magic spiraling around her that blasted through the numerous dragons that surrounded and tried to attack her. This gave her some breathing room as she jumped back and pointed her Keyblade at the surrounding dragons, multi-colorful light gathering at the end of her Keyblade.

It blasted into over twenty orbs of rainbow colored orbs that hit many of the dragons, including the larger dragon that screamed in pain and anger from seeing its offspring getting destroyed. It lashed out, trying to claw at Aqua who dodged as she fell back.

"Thunder!" Aqua shouted, raining down several lightning bolts on the dragon.

The dragon groaned in pain from the hit but got back up, snarling at Aqua and breathed his miasma at her and then set it ablaze with fire. Aqua leapt over the flames, letting out a battle cry as her form glowed bright and she swung her Keyblade down, a bright light slashing through the dragon who screamed in agony before collapsing.

(Kingdom Hearts OST Enter the Darkness Ends)

Aqua sighed as she landed on the ground, looking the deceased dragon. She looked at the hole under the tree where it had crawled out from, hearing snarling sounds from what was likely the rest of the monster's offspring but none came out. They were likely too scared to face her. She sighed, just about to leave when a flash of light caught her attention.

She watched as an opening appeared in the base of the massive tree with a light shining deep inside. Against her better judgement, Aqua entered the tree, walking through a deep tunnel with torches along the walls to provide a source of light. She followed them into a large, circular shining chamber where a single orb of azure light rested on an altar in the center of a platform resting above what appeared to be a giant lake. Fireflies danced around the massive interior of the tree, illuminating the chamber with a form of ethereal glow.

"Welcome."

Aqua jumped back, hearing a strange voice coming from the orb.

"Do not fear me, child. I mean no harm to thee."

Aqua stared carefully at the orb that continued to glow, the light not blinding enough for her to see its full features. Whatever she sensed from the tree was now all around her but its presence was largely focused on the orb.

"I see you are weary. Perhaps this will help."

The light of the orb grew even brighter as a bright blue mist surrounded it. This is mist began to take shape, forming arms, legs, a torso and a face with the transparent features creating a smiling visage with light misty lips. The mist began to thicken; condensing itself as it slowly became more solid. It was female in shape, taking the form of a young girl as the transparency gave way to solid pale blue flesh.

Elongated ears poked out from under light blue hair, eyes dark blue sclera and pupils and light blue in the irises blinked at Aqua. Her form appeared nude but then clothing appeared in the form of a white dress with a golden belt and an orb matching one that she had appeared from.

The girl smiled and bowed as a white staff appeared in her hands with another orb appearing at the top. "Greetings, I am Drasil, granter of the hopes and dreams of mankind. The collective unconsciousness."

Aqua stared in stunned silence a second before composing herself. "I am Aqua. Can you tell me where I am?"

"Well, you are in the world…between worlds." The girl named Drasil answered, much to Aqua's confusion.

"World between worlds?" The lost master echoed.

"That is right." Drasil nodded. "This is the Ever After, a world constantly growing and evolving, stretching out across not just one but many worlds."

She banged her staff on the ground and around them appeared nine golden doors.

Aqua stared at the doors and then looked back at Drasil. "Do you want me to pick a door?"

"Do you want to go somewhere?" Drasil questioned.

"I…I still do not understand where I am." Aqua explained. "All I remember before appearing here was falling into darkness and then waking up on the beach of this island."

"Ah, so you seek knowledge." Drasil pointed to a door on her right which opened. "Step through this door and you will be transported to Fantasias, the land of spirits. There you will be able to seek out the spirits of knowledge, creation, destruction and choice."

Aqua stared at the door, looking between it and Drasil before asking. "And what will happen when my questions are answered? Will I be able to come back?"

Drasil nodded. "The door shall remain open."

Aqua closed her eyes, trying to think of the best decision to make and then remembered an old saying from her master long ago. 'May your heart be your guiding key.'

She stepped into the door and vanished into the light. Drasil continued smiling at the door.

Chapter Text

Jinn, the Spirit of Knowledge

When Aqua emerged through the door she was blinded for a second but then the light cleared and she was standing at a crossroad of sorts on top of a crystalline platform, the sky completely black, leading off in four different directions.

A desert.

A grassy plain.

A lake.

And a temple atop a mountain.

Where was she supposed to find these spirits Drasil spoke of?

She noticed the path in front of her led directly to the desert and sighed, deciding she would just take the easiest route first and decide where to go from there. She began walking, coming upon the desert very quickly as if she had already been there. She looked down and saw a stony path and followed it, eventually coming upon a large cave. The tunnel was lit up glowing crystals similar to the tree she had entered and at the very end she came upon a massive space.

All around her were buildings made of translucent blue crystals covered in various runes.

"Well, what do we have here?"

Aqua looked ahead and saw a woman sitting on a throne overlooking the entire city.

At least it looked like a woman but she actually resembled Drasil.

She looked human but was larger; her skin light blue like Drasil's that was glowing and gave off smoke. She had elongated, pointed ears and even thought she was naked she appeared to lack human anatomy that would be found on a normal woman. Her eyes were dark blue in the sclera and light blue in the irises like Drasil. Trailing below her waist was a veil of whip like smoke resembling a skirt or a dress.

She wore no clothing but had on various accessories, all of which were gold, such as a chain headdress, big hooped earrings with an extra hearing in the right ear, a choker, cuffs on her wrists with chains dangling from them like broken shackles, a single bracelet on her left forearm, anklets, and a belt of chains around her waist that ended in a large ring with three prongs.

She floated off her chair and slowly flew towards Aqua who kept a wary look on her but didn't summon her Keyblade. "No need to fear me. I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge." She gestured to the surrounding crystals, all of them showing places, people and events happening all at the same time. "Here I see all and know all…Except how you got here."

The being known as Jinn suddenly stopped with an inquisitive look on her face now. "Of course, me being summoned to aid in finding said knowledge only happens when someone summons me to the mortal realm from my lamp to ask me one of three questions. How you are here is interesting."

"I…I was told to come here by someone named Drasil. She said you could answer my questions." Aqua explained.

"Drasil…So she sent you to me." Jinn smiled as she floated around Aqua. "How rare it is for someone to appear in her realm."

"I have questions that I need answered. I need to understand why I am here." Aqua said, watching as the spirit hovered around and then stopped right in front.

"Well, I am supposed to answer only three questions every one hundred years but that only applies when mortals summon me from my lamp. But since you are here, directly in my realm I can bend those rules a bit." Jinn said, leaning forward while resting her chin on one arm and her cheek on her free hand. "So I will answer three questions you ask of me."

Aqua considered this proposal for a moment and nodded. "All right."

"Well, ask away." Jinn gestured.

"…What is this world?" Aqua asked, deciding to ask the question that was at top of her mental list.

"Well, that is a long story. It is a world that has been created and has created life." Jinn said as their surroundings began to change.

Aqua watched as everything became a deep black void before a single light appeared, forming into the very tree she had seen upon arriving.

"Long ago, there was only the Tree. And then two Brothers were born. They were highly ambitious, using destruction to cleanse the land and then creation to start anew. However the world could not handle it and thus the two Brothers were sent out into the great beyond." Jinn's voice echoed as Aqua was shown two dragons, one a long serpent dragon glowing brightly with eyes shining with a deep light and the other was a four legged dragon with wings that emitted a dark purple glow Aqua felt was deeply associated with darkness. "These new beings, the God of Light and the God of Darkness, would leave to create many new things. Thus, they chose to create a new world together."

The new dragons came together and took humanoid forms before bringing their hands together. Together a single orb of light appeared and grew, engulfing them and Aqua who covered her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she was standing on the empty plain of a newborn world. The sky was now lit up with light from stars and a sun began to rise.

"When the sun rose, the God of Light would awaken and would spend his days creating forces of life. Plants, animals, water."

A garden grew around Aqua, followed by rivers and animals that together created a landscape of such beauty that not even the greatest artist could ever hope to capture as the God of Light appeared over the water.

"When night came, the God of Light would sleep and his new brother, the God of Darkness awoke."

Aqua watched as the God of Light sank into the water and the God of Darkness appeared next.

"Disgusted, the God of Darkness brought the forces of destruction to counter his brother's creations."

The beautiful landscape was then burned away, leaving nothing but scorched ground, death and decay.

"Despite his efforts, life would always return to the world. Thus one night, the God of Darkness would create a force that would share his taste for destruction."

The God of Darkness spread his arms out and behind him, creatures made of what could only be described as darkness with eyes glowing the color of blood appeared. They reminded Aqua uncomfortably of the Unversed.

"These were made to be the ultimate harbingers of destruction that would destroy anything and everything. Finally, the God of Light decided that they should not fight anymore and make peace by creating something together. The God of Darkness agreed and together they would create a new form of life that was gifted with knowledge, self-awareness, fear and the comprehension of life and death while having free will and the power to decide what to do with that knowledge."

Before Aqua's eyes the Gods of Light and Darkness came together and formed…Humans?

"This new creation, Humanity was blessed by the Gods but they were also tested many times. The God of Darkness would test their limits and creativity by sending its children to face them. This would lead to another conflict with his brother and both reached a seeming agreement. Despite it, the God of Darkness would continue creating more of its children in many different forms while at the same type, gifting mankind with magic while the God of Light gave them a secret gift to fight against his brother's creations." Jinn then showed the very island with the massive tree where Aqua had landed. "To gift humanity with magic that could be passed down to their offspring, the Gods created a connection between world of the tree and their new world where the source would give humanity its magic by using their souls as the link: Yggdrasil."

Aqua then looked up at the tree as ethereal roots grew from it and reached out across the worlds, connecting with the people on their world while her eyes widened at the name. 'Yggdrasil…Drasil!'

"The Tree was gifted with life itself, connected with the souls of mankind and thus was embodied with the very ideals that the Gods gave their creations. Through knowledge it gained intelligence, through choice it gave self-awareness and through the ability to create and destroy it understood the nature of the power it was gifting the children of the Gods. And because of that, other forms of life would be born. Spirits, beasts and many others were born in mankind's world, the source's world and were given other worlds to exist on when some were considered dangerous to the humans." Jinn continued, now highlighting sections of the tree. "Separated but still connected. For the spirits such as me, we were given the world known to mortals as Fantasias which is where you are now."

The top of the tree was highlighted next.

"The very top of the tree leads to Aesir, the realm of the God of Light."

She then skipped the second which was Fantasias and highlighted the third section.

"The next is the mid-realm, known better now as Remnant."

"Remnant?" Aqua whispered in confusion as Jinn highlighted the fourth section.

"Next we have the realm of the beasts. Creatures that were not animals but other forms of life the gods created before they created humanity. It is also called the Demon Realm and also home to the Elemental spirits of Ice." Jinn continued and highlighted the next section. "This is land of shadow, the domain of the God of Darkness."

Aqua looked at the section of the tree that led to the realm of the God of Darkness as Jinn moved on.

"Then we have the realms of Earth and Fire, home of the elemental spirits of Earth and Fire."

Aqua wasn't sure what to make of that.

"And finally, the land of the dead." Jinn finished, surprising Aqua. "Thus the nine realms created by the gods as part of their grand experiment."

The images faded, returning back to Jinn's sanctuary as the spirit of knowledge sat back on her thrown. "There, does that answer your first question?"

Aqua took a moment to compose herself, taking a deep breath before answering. "It did."

"Good. Now you have two more questions." Jinn reminded her coyly.

Aqua closed her eyes, thinking of her next question carefully. "How did I get here?"

"Hmm…" Jinn leaned forward with a fascinating look on her face. "Well, that is a good question."

Jinn hovered forward, looking closely at Aqua who took a step back as the spirit of knowledge leaned in to take a closer look at her.

"You come from outside this world. You fell to the Ever After is connected to all the other worlds made by the gods. So you are not of the Tree or the gods' creation." Jinn stated.

"My name is Aqua. I come from…the Realm of Light." Aqua said as Jinn hovered around her. "I fell here when I fell into darkness. Does this mean this place is part of the Realm of Darkness?"

"Hmm…Close but I'm afraid the light and darkness aren't dictating control here, little one." Jinn answered. "In fact both have more or less forsaken the other realms. From what I can see, you fell between the realms of light and darkness into Drasil who exists in between these realms and yet is isolated from them. I am the Spirit of Knowledge but I can only questions pertaining to this reality, not outside it."

Aqua thought this over as best as she could. So she was in a world between the realms of light and darkness that was connected to several other worlds or they were all part of the same world created by these gods like how the Olympic Coliseum which was part of the world known as Greece was connected to Olympus, home of the gods and the Underworld, the land of the dead. Drasil was the connection to these worlds who brought her to Jinn for answers. So far she was keeping up with what she had learned but there was still one more question.

"My final question," Aqua looked up at Jinn. "How do I leave and return to my world?"

She may have her master's Keyblade but she couldn't access its glider form, if it even had one. And without a glider or her armor she was stranded.

Jinn leaned forward with an ominous smile. "…You can't."

She could see Aqua's go wide in shock, trying to process what she meant. She thought she could leave it at that but this wasn't the mortal realm where she could retreat back into her lamp. It's unlikely she would leave if her question was left with such a vague answer like that.

"I see that you are confused. While I will not answer another question I am allowed to elaborate. You are unable to leave because you do not have the power to do so. Your weapon, I know it has the power to traverse worlds or it should but the one you have does not have the power to allow you to leave." Jinn explained. "But perhaps there is someone here who can help you. A fellow spirit, who unlike me is capable of creating a way to return to your world. His name is Ambrosius, the Spirit of Creation and his realm dwells next to mine."

Chapter Text

Ambrosius, the Spirit of Creation

Following Jinn's directions upon leaving her realm, Aqua walked in the direction of the grassy plains. As she walked, Aqua noticed everything beginning to change around her and the ground beneath her had vanished. Aqua panicked for a moment, thinking she was going to fall or suffocate since there was not a planet anymore but to her shock nothing happened. Instead of the blackness of space she floated in a multi-colored void.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

Aqua looked up and saw a man who looked similar to Jinn and Drasil. He had the same blue skin was larger than a human with the ears and eyes. The difference was that he had short spiky blue hair in a ponytail leading down to his thighs. Like Jinn he appeared nude while missing some human anatomy(much to Aqua's relief) and wore golden accessories like Jinn: the golden earrings, a ring for his pony tail, an arm ring on his left upper arm, bracers on his wrists with chains dangling from them like broken shackles, vine like ornaments on right thigh and lower left leg and an ankle bracelet on his right n chains around his torso crossing his chest and terminating in a point.

"A Human is somehow in my realm. Now this is a rare occasion." The man leaned in with an eager grin. "And you're not an ordinary human are you? You have the scent of magic on you but different from the first batch of humanity."

"I…" Aqua looked down, seeing the void they were in. "My name is Aqua. Are you Ambrosius?"

"That I am!" The spirit known as Ambrosius happily introduced himself with a bow. "Now if you are worried about not being on solid ground, try to imagine this forest as something else. Think of a planet you have been to and project that image. Remember to consider the images, the shapes, the color, and the smells."

Aqua took a deep breath and did as she was told. She tried to imagine her home, the Land of Departure as she best as she could recall despite it falling into darkness. She remembered the clear sunny weather, the mountain, and the temple she raised born in.

Then to her surprise the void slowly morphed into an exact copy of her former home, standing before the temple

"A wonderful first try." Ambrosius praised as he enjoyed the scenery. "Such detail too. I love it when they come with a clear image in mind. The exactness, the attention to every conceivable detail. It is always so beautiful."

"This was my home." Aqua said, sadness and longing in her voice.

Ambrosius noticed the sad look on her face and sighed. "Oh boy. I am not one for emotional support and all that. I just build and create things. I am an artist, an entrepreneur, not a psychiatrist. You'd be better of seeking for that kind of help from Nimue."

Not that she would be of much help in that regard.

Aqua sighed as she faced Ambrosius. "I came for help because I am lost. Drasil sent me here so I could find answers. First she sent me to Jinn who answered my question and she sent me to find you because might be able to help."

"Oh, a chance to engage my creative wiles! All I say it better be worth it after my last project. A floating city?" Ambrosius rolled his eyes in disdain. "How pedestrian."

Aqua ignored that. "So you can help me?"

"Sure. Just as you know, I'll make what you want exactly the way you want it and I want no complaints when it doesn't turn out the way you want." Ambrosius said as if he knew exactly was going to happen.

"I need a way to return back to my world." Aqua explained. "" Can you create a door or perhaps some sort of vehicle capable of traversing worlds?"

"Sure, I can. I just need coordinates and specs for building a door through space and time and if you want to make a vehicle I need to know the shape, what powers it and what it will be made of." Ambrosius answered.

That surprised Aqua as she hadn't expected that. "…I'm sorry I think this might be harder than I thought. Can you explain how your powers work?"

"Oh sure. Well, first thing is I can't bring the dead back to life but I can make anything as long as you explain how to make it. Like any real blacksmith or artist, I will need references, blueprints, every single detail helps and I can only make one thing. Anything else I have made before will disappear." Ambrosius explained, holding a single finger up and then counted down the rules of his powers.

Aqua then remembered something else he had said. "And you made a floating city last time?"

"Well, I supplied an infinite amount of energy to lift a city up from the surface in the mortal realm." Ambrosius clarified.

"And if you make something for me right now, it will fall back to the surface?" Aqua asked, now imagining a floating city crashing down and everyone dying.

"Well, that is a good question. Now, technically I can only make one thing in the mortal realm while you are somehow in my realm. Just how did you get here again?" Ambrosius asked.

"I was sent here by Drasil. She thought you and Jinn could help." Aqua answered.

"Ah, Drasil. I had no idea she was even still active. After all these years, I figured she up and decided to quit." Ambrosius said dryly. "Anyways, in my realm I can create almost anything, any time. Allow me to demonstrate."

Ambrosius gestured for Aqua to follow which she did, following Ambrosius through sceneries which changed every few dozen meters, turning from some vast cityscape to an elaborate garden teaming with life forms she could never imagine and then to a field of elaborate ice sculptures which seemed to shift and move. "Amazing. It's like anything can exist here!"

"That is rather the point." Ambrosius chuckled softly, "There are no limits here that are imposed everywhere else. Time and space have little meaning here, save what we allow them. Now then, here I am able to create what I please. Outside however, I can only create one thing at a time and the staff that is used as my vessel channels my power to ensure whatever I create exists."

"And right now you are keeping a city afloat." Aqua reasoned as they stopped in the middle of a field. "So you can't create anything else?"

"Well that is not true. I can create what you want me to create here in my realm without sacrificing what I have made outside. However, even if I create a door to another world which I would need the coordinates to, factoring in an explanation for bending space and time to account for your travel from one side and the single point to the other." Ambrosius explained.

Aqua thought over what she had learned in her mind, trying to see if there was a way to make something that could help her. So Ambrosius needs description of what he makes and can only use his power to create one thing at a time outside of his realm along with the fact that even if he makes a doorway to exit this world he can't send her back to the Realm of Light because he doesn't know where it is.

So creating a doorway was out.

Perhaps she would just need a way to recreate her armor and a copy of her old glider so she could leave herself but that still didn't solve the problem of how Ambrosius could only create one thing at a time with his power.

His own power…

"What if you didn't use your power to create something for me?" Aqua asked suddenly.

Ambrosius raised an eyebrow. "And how would I do that?"

Aqua summoned her Keyblade, surprising Ambrosius who stared with wide eyes before leaning in with a magnifying glass.

"Fascinating…" Ambrosius whispered in slight awe. "And what is this?"

"It's called a Keyblade. It's my weapon but it's capable of many things. One of those things is being a natural conduit for magic." Aqua explained, holding it out in both hands for the spirit to see.

Ambrosius floated around Aqua, staring at the Keyblade, admiring its shape and form. "Yes, I can feel a great power in it. Unlike anything I have seen before. How did you make it?Y"

"Well, the Keyblade chooses its wielders." Aqua explained, deciding she had no choice but to explain. "It has a will of its own and it's born from the hearts of those who are worthy."

"Hearts?" Ambrosius leaned in. "I assume you are not talking about the organ that pumps blood."

"No, I mean the emotional core of a person. One of the three components that form one's being. Hearts are responsible for our emotions, have strong bonds with others and allow us to even feel the emotions of others." Aqua explained. "Those with strong hearts can wield a Keyblade."

"And you say it is a natural conduit for magic?" Ambrosius asked, looking over the Keyblade in detail.

"That's right. Even a novice with no formal training can be capable of rivaling an experienced mage. Perhaps this can be used as loophole." Aqua suggested, holding the Master Defender up to Ambrosius. "Rather than use your own power, you channel your power through the Keyblade to create something new."

"Channel my power through another source of magic? That's never been done before." Ambrosius said with an intrigued look on his face. "And its magical power is unlimited?"

"It only limited by the wielder. If one has experience and is skilled enough it might work." Aqua reasoned.

"I see where you are going with this." Ambrosius said, smiling at the possibilities. "You are connected to this Keyblade because it bonds with your heart as you say, making you a conduit for powerful energies. You could act as a vessel for my power, and I could create what you want through you and this Keyblade. Such a thing has never been done before."

He floated up and around Aqua, conjuring transparent screens that he drew on, twirling in the air to make a series of complex hand gestures, apparently doing some calculations.

"The possibility of a human being able to handle divine energy." Ambrosius muttered, drawing an outline of Aqua and then one of himself. "This is exciting and very dangerous. I don't know what the results are going to be."

"It doesn't have to be very long. Can I project what I want?" Aqua asked.

"By all means." The spirit of creation gestured.

Aqua closed her eyes and focused on creating a copy of herself in front of her. That copy raised her hand one of the armor pieces and in a flash of light she was covered head to toe in armor.

"This is Keyblade Armor. We used it to travel between worlds and it protects from darkness and even space since that's kind of what the Lanes In Between resemble." Aqua explained and then conjured an image of her glider form. "This is a Keyblade in its glider form. Mine doesn't have a glider form unfortunately. If you can't create a portal for me maybe you can recreate the tools I need to leave."

Ambrosius leaned in close, taking in the details of the armor and glider. "Well, it is possible but it would have be done at the same time so I am not creating two things at once. So you conjure the armor from one of the pauldron's but you can't change your Keyblade into one perhaps it is stored in the other paladin."

Aqua looked at the paladin on her right arm. "I suppose that will have to do."

"So we can add magical conjuring, possibly creating a pocket dimension in those spheres which can act as the reference." Ambrosius noted, adding some more details to his calculations. "And what is the power source?"

"My Keyblade." Aqua answered. "It would be the same with my old armor and original Keyblade. All of it is tied to Keyblade which is tied to my Heart."

"Hmm…" Ambrosius brought a hand to his chin before snapping his fingers and smiled. "I love this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it! Let's do it!"

Ambrosius stepped forward and raised his hands as the atmosphere turned dark, making it appear as if it was nighttime and the area around them slowly morphed into what appeared to be a shrine with pillars and statues of alien looking deities lining the walls, its style seemingly gothic with its mix of black and dark blue coloring lining the walls and floor while a glass window shined a pale light on Aqua and a mirror with a watery surface showing the armor and glider she wanted to make.

"Just a reminder, if you die I am forbidden to resurrect the dead." Ambrosius lightly said, floating around her.

Aqua watched as Ambrosius appeared before her, taking a deep breath before he changed into a blue mist and that shot towards her, engulfing her in a bright blue misty light as the impact of the misty formed Ambrosius entering her body through her chest so quickly launched her off the ground and into the air for a moment before she slowly levitated softly back onto the ground and opened her eyes, revealing them to be match for Ambrosius, Drasil and Jinn.

"By…By the worlds." Aqua whispered, looking down at herself.

"As the Spirit of Creation, I was made to guide mankind, creating whatever they deem fit." Ambrosius whispered in Aqua's mind. "You are not from this world and yet you have the same drive and determination that fascinated my creators. Now let us see if you can exceed my expectations."

Aqua clapped her hands to her head as pain began to build within her skull, but over the following moments Ambrosius' voice s began to speak harmoniously, forming a melody as the essence of the Spirit of Creation poured himself through the conduit that was her body and soul, tapping into the flow of her bond with the Keyblade and reaching beyond the boundaries of the rules dictating his existence. She witnessed countless forms, blue prints and ideas that were what Ambrosius created and the knowledge of every creation past and present, made him, humanity and even the gods.

She could see it all.

Every invention.

Every ingredient used to make whatever was the result.

Every living form made by the gods.

For a mere second she saw it all.

"You are viewing the infinite forms of what has been created, Aqua. Block them out, deafen yourself to what could be and focus your vision on what is now."

Aqua did her best to comply, pushing the visions away. She brought her Keyblade up and Ambrosius poured his power through it, harnessing its nature as a natural conduit of magic combined with Aqua's own skills and ideas.

There was a flash of light and she blacked out.

Chapter Text

Nimue, the Spirit of Destruction

"…a…."

…

…

..

"Aq…."

She groaned a bit as she finally began returning to the world of consciousness.

"Aqua…"

Aqua opened her eyes and noticed that she was sleeping on something that was very comfortable. She sat up and looked around, finding herself in her room, back in the Lan of Departure. Grunting slightly from a pounding headache Aqua brought a hand to her head as she tried to remember what happened.

And she did.

Falling into the Realm of Darkness to save Terra…

Waking up in a strange world with a giant tree…

Meeting Drasil who sent her to a land called Fantasias…

Meeting Jinn who supplied her with the knowledge of the strange world she found herself, a world cut off from the Realms of Light and Darkness.

Meeting Ambrosius who offered a way to help her return to the Realm of Light.

Merging with Ambrosius to help her create what she wanted.

She hadn't anticipated the headache it would bring but it was worth it if she could get back to Ven and Terra. She had literally turned herself into a vessel for a literal Spirit who became a being of pure energy who fused with her and she could barely remember it all.

Only that she felt like she could have done anything and everything at once.

"Feeling well rested?"

Aqua looked at the door and saw Ambrosius floating at the door. "I feel better…Could do without the headache."

"Can't be helped. You did something only a handful of beings have ever done." Ambrosius said as he floated up to Aqua's bed.

"Did it work?" Aqua asked.

Ambrosius grinned as he summoned a mirror. "See for yourself."

Aqua looked at the mirror and saw herself looking normal. She looked at Ambrosius who made a gesture to her pauldrons and she placed a hand on her usual one and in a flash of light Aqua was clad in her Keyblade Armor.

Or rather a copy of it.

"It worked…" She marveled at her appearance, seeing the armor resemble her old in every exact detail.

"Yes, I am a miracle worker." Ambrosius said with a pleased smile.

Aqua dispelled the armor when she saw she couldn't touch her other pauldrons in armor form and touched it, summoning a complete copy of her former Glider. She stepped on it and looked at Ambrosius who changed the setting back to outside the temple. Now that they were outdoors Aqua took off, letting out a shout of jubilation as she flew around the temple, almost feeling like she was back at home.

But she knew she wasn't and getting back there was why she went through the trouble of remaking her armor and glider.

She chose to take a chance by pointing her Keyblade and from the tip came a beam of light that should open a pathway to the Lanes Between.

Only when it tried, the portal appeared unstable and a second later it collapsed.

"Oh…" Ambrosius muttered as Aqua flew back down. "I guess that wasn't supposed to happen."

"It's never done that before. It looked unstable…like it couldn't open up to the Lanes." Aqua muttered, frowning as she dispelled her Glider.

"Well don't look at me, I did what you asked." Ambrosius shrugged. "I told you not to complain when it wouldn't work."

Aqua sighed. "Perhaps because of where this world is I can't just leave…Or rather what the nature of this world is."

So far, she could see that this world was made up of nine different worlds, all somehow connected and all-What was it that Jinn said?-existed in a world between realms and yet isolated somehow.

"Isolated…" Aqua brought a hand to her chin. "We're isolated from the other worlds."

"Say what?" Ambrosius asked.

"When I spoke with Jinn, she said this world exists outside the Realms of Light and Darkness so the conventional rules for travel between worlds do not exist here." Aqua explained, looking up at the Spirit of Creation. "But still, if I fell here that means there is a way in…"

"And logically there must be a way out." Ambrosius said, seeing the logic in Aqua's statement. "Will if there is, I am sorry I cannot create one, at least not without taking some considerate risk. Like I said, I need coordinates, details, perhaps some knowledge on what lies outside this world."

"And Jinn said she would only answer three questions I had." Aqua sighed. "So she's out. That leaves the other two I believe from what Drasil told me. Destruction and Choice."

"I am not sure what you could expect from going to Nimue but maybe she can offer an idea." Ambrosius said, pointing to great lake in the distance. "She is the Spirit of Destruction and lives in that lake."

Aqua followed Ambrosius' finger, looking at the lake and then at the spirit. "What would the Spirit of Destruction have to help me find a way out?"

"As the Spirit of Destruction, Nimue can destroy anything, matter and even non-corporeal entities given the right price." Ambrosius explained. "That includes being able to break through whatever barriers block this world from the rest. She could at least force open a way for you to use."

Aqua considered it for a moment. Truthfully she doubted that was a good idea but she was still open to considering all ideas at this point. "All right. I'll see her next but if that doesn't go well can you tell me what to expect from the last one?"

"Ah, Choice. That would be Janus." Ambrosius recalled. "Their powers allow them to show anyone who wears the Relic they are bound to a vision of a choice they will make."

"A vision?" Aqua raised an eyebrow.

"Of a choice they will make along with the possible consequences of that choice. Of course these visions are completely random and there's no way to know if they will be remotely connected to your current dilemma." Ambrosius clarified. "And of course this can only be used once in a person's life time. Much like how Jinn can only answer three questions per one hundred years, I can only create one thing at a time and how Nimue can only destroy anyone or anything for the right price except for Gods and immortal beings. The vision shown by Janus shows up to the point where one is to make a choice and nothing after that as it only can be used once."

"Only once?" Aqua asked slightly confused.

"I see you're confused. Basically it shows a choice and the ramifications of that choice. It could be good or it could be bad but the point only you can see the future of what that choice will make right from the beginning to the very end." Ambrosius said seriously.

"Right to the end…As in-"

"Right up to your death!" The Spirit of Creation said cheerfully. "However long or short that is."

Now Aqua was surprised by that. A vision of a future made by a certain choice that would lead up to a likely death?

"And these visions…?" Aqua took a deep breath. "Are they absolute?"

"Depends on the choice. It will usually be a serious one, one that you cannot back out of. If one choice leads to a quick death you can try and avoid it by making the opposite but then you could just hasten your end if you're note fully careful of whatever backlash that comes." Ambrosius shrugged.

Aqua sighed at that but if she were to have a vision of herself being able to return home maybe it would be worth it. She was considering visiting this Janus first but decided to visit the Spirit of Destruction and see if she could offer any help to finding a way out.

"I guess I have no choice but to try." She looked up at the Spirit of Creation. "Thank you for your help. It may not be what I wanted but I am glad to have at least tried."

Ambrosius raised an eyebrow before smiling. "You are interesting, Master Aqua. Perhaps the most interesting human since the old man."

Just as Aqua was about to leave, something stopped her.

GROWL!

This was not a monster growling.

It was her stomach and Aqua blushed while Ambrosius just chuckled. "…I don't suppose I could trouble as you for some food around here."

"Well, you conjured the temple here. I am sure the kitchen is exactly the same." Ambrosius chuckled.

After a long earned breakfast and washing her teeth, Aqua summoned her Glider and boarded it, nodding at Ambrosius before taking off in the direction of the lake.

"Hmm…I wonder how Nimue will handle her, given what I felt from that Keyblade weapon of hers." Ambrosius commented with a smile.

It would certainly be interesting.

Aqua landed just about a yard or two from the lake where the Spirit of Destruction was said to live. She wasn't sure what to expect but decided to give this Nimue plenty of warning time so she could be ready for company. The lake was surrounded by a forest and with a blue mist surrounding it while the same black sky that seemed to permeate this realm was present. She could see a path of small rocks leading out to a single small island and on the center was a stone slab.

Seeing she could do nothing else Aqua slowly walked along the stone path towards the island and stepped onto it. So far she couldn't see anyone but from what she saw of Jinn and Ambrosius, spirits lived differently than people. She walked up to the stone slab, seeing a hole in the center that didn't appear naturally formed.

It was more like something had been inserted into it.

"Who dares?!"

A blue mist shot out from the slab, knocking Aqua back. She jumped up and stepped back as the mist took form, solidifying into a shape similar to that of Jinn but that was where the similarities ended. A blue transparent body appeared encased golden armor around the chest, arms and legs with chains falling from the wrists and ankles like Ambrosius along with a golden cape. She wore a golden helmet over her head, covering the upper part of her face with the same blue eyes as the others glaring at Aqua and her lips set in a scowl.

A sword like pin rested in the center of her chest armor as a symbol.

"You dare disturb my slumber?! I, the Great Nimue?!" She glared down at the young Master. "A mortal dares set foot in my realm?! I answer only to those who holds my sword! Speaking off…"

In her hand, a golden ornamental sword appeared.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Extreme Encounters Starts)

"In my realm, my powers are not limited by the rules of the God of Light. So I can dispose of you how I see fit." The woman named Nimue pointed her sword at Aqua with an orb of purple energy appearing at the top of the blade. "Disintegrate!"

The orb exploded into a shockwave that shot towards Aqua who summoned and raised her Keyblade. "Defend!"

A spherical transparent barrier formed from blue light, made of hexagonal panels appeared around her and blocked the shockwave as she was sent flying back to the shore.

"Hm?" Nimue raised an eyebrow. "You survived?"

That was impossible.

She was the Spirit of Destruction, representing one of four gifts to mankind.

She was made to destroy anyone and anything except for beings more powerful than her.

And yet this human survived a blast from her made of pure destruction.

Aqua landed perfectly on the ground in front of the lake, settling into a ready stance as she stared Nimue down. 'So much for things being easy. I might just have a few words with Ambrosius if I get out of this.'

"Impressive." Nimue said she floated towards the Keyblade Master. "I see you hold an object of great power. Powerful enough to survive a direct hit from me, Nimue. The Spirit of Destruction."

"I am not here to fight." Aqua said, trying to avoid a fight.

"Well, unfortunately for you I cannot allow an intruder to trespass in my domain unchallenged. Especially one who can wield a power that rivals me." Nimue pointed her sword at Aqua. "With Creation, comes Destruction!"

Nimue launched herself at Aqua, slashing down at her but Aqua cartwheeled out of the way as the sword hit the ground and left a rather large crater.

Aqua landed on her feet and pointed her Keyblade at Nimue. "Fire!"

A triple Firaga spell shot out, creating three fire balls as they flew right at Nimue who scoffed and slashed through them, extinguishing them instantly.

"Fire? Please." Nimue rolled her eyes. "What part of Spirit of Destruction do you not understand?"

She flew at Aqua with incredible speed, bringing her sword down again but Aqua raised her Keyblade, reinforcing it with a barrier that managed to block and deflect Nimue's sword. She let go of her Keyblade with one hand and pointed it at Nimue.

"Freeze!"

Nimue was stunned to feel herself being frozen which Aqua took advantage of as she jumped up and delivered a few slashes before Nimue broke free and swatted her away in anger. She went on the attack, swinging her sword wildly and anything it touched disintegrated into dust. Luckily, despite her power it was evident Nimue was not a skilled warrior while Aqua had been trained since she was little to be a Keyblade Master. She fell back, dodging as best as she could and conjuring a barrier to block any hits she couldn't dodge in time.

Just as Nimue swung her sword again Aqua vanished, blurring from sight and reappearing behind the spirit who looked confused.

"Ragnarok!"

From the tip of Aqua's Keyblade came a cluster of energy shots that hit Nimue in the back, stunning her and making her scream. She spun around, letting out an angered scream as she swung her sword down into the ground. As soon as the sword made contact with the ground, a blast of magical energy traveled through the ground towards Aqua who quickly preformed a Double Jump, jumping over the attack that surely would have vaporized her. She fell back down and swung her Keyblade down on Nimue who quickly blocked with her sword.

"How is this possible?!" Nimue grunted, seeing her opponent's weapon would not disintegrate. "Why doesn't the power of destruction destroy your sword?"

"If you stop attacking me, I'll tell you." Aqua grunted as she landed before the spirit.

"A mortal who intrudes in my realm does not dictate terms to me!" Nimue growled, holding up her hand.

Aqua watched as another orb of purple energy appeared before Nimue launched it at her. "Reflega!"

A barrier appeared in front of her but instead of simply blocking the blast, it actually deflected it and sent it right back at its owner! Nimue's eyes went wide and she hastily batted it back with her sword. Aqua used Reflega again, sending the orb back at Nimue who then batted back again. The fight quickly devolved into a round of tennis with both opponents sending the orb of destruction back and forth and it was moving a little fast with each hit. Aqua realized that and saw that it was unlikely Nimue would tire out before she could and came up with a quick-if not insanely desperate-idea at the last second as she deflected the orb of destruction again and then teleported behind Nimue.

"Thunder!"

The Spirit of Destruction was caught off guard by the lightning attack that came down from above, disorientating her enough for the orb of destruction to hit her. At the instant she was hit, Nimue let out a howl of pain and anguish through the realm.

Jinn opened one eye, sporting an amused smile from the sound of Nimue's scream and seeing the fight projected by one of her crystals.

Ambrosius snickered a bit, guessing that Nimue had bit off a bit more than she could chew.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Extreme Encounters Ends)

Aqua watched as Nimue fell to the ground, looking completely stunned and was frozen. She pointed her Keyblade at the Spirit of Destruction, waiting for her to make her next move.

Nimue slowly looked over her shoulder, Nimue just stared in disbelief. "Who…are you?"

"My name is Aqua and I did not come here to disturb you. I came here seeking help." Aqua answered, keeping her Keyblade trained at the spirit. "I was sent by someone named Drasil because I am lost and in need of answers of how to get back. I have already visited Jinn, the Spirit of Knowledge and Ambrosius, the Spirit of Creation who then sent me to you."

"Ambrosius…That sneaking…" Nimue growled. "He told you to find me?"

"He thought you could help me after he tried but I think this was a little more of a joke to him." Aqua said, lowering her Keyblade slightly. "I only seek to return to my world."

Nimue grunted as she slowly got up, clutching her chest. "You are human…But you do not seem to be like the humans I and the others were made to guide. I thought humanity lost the ability to use magic."

"In your world, maybe. But not in mine. I don't come from this world. I fell here and I met Drasil who told me I could find help here." Aqua explained.

"Drasil…She's of no use as long the four relics remain separate and the Gods do not return to render their judgement." Nimue grunted. "Why would she send you to me?"

"She didn't. I went to Jinn first and then Ambrosius, like I said before." Aqua sighed, lowering her Keyblade. "He recommended I visit you, thinking it was possible you could help me."

"Hmm…No doubt, wondering how I'd react to someone like you." Nimue grunted, making a note to get back at Ambrosius for that. "I am the Spirit of Destruction. How would he expect me to help you leave this world?"

Aqua pointed Keyblade away and emitted a beam of light that created a portal for a few seconds before it collapsed. "Ambrosius thought you could help force open a path through whatever is blocking me from leaving."

"Hmm…" Nimue had seemingly recovered and stood up straight, staring at the portal. "To actually use my power to destroy a dimensional barrier…I don't know whether to be thankful to Ambrosius or strangle him for playing his little joke. Still, I haven't used my power since the old man needed me and Janus to end his silly little war for him."

"So, you think you can help?" Aqua asked.

Nimue shrugged but grinned. "Let's give it a try."

Aqua conjured another portal, trying to open a way to the Lanes Between again and Nimue plunged her sword into the portal, attempting to force it to stay open through her power of destruction. The portal fizzled and seemed to want to collapse but Nimue continued struggling to keep it open. As the Spirit of Destruction tried to force the portal to stay open, Aqua tried to peek in and see what lied beyond the portal.

All she could see was…Darkness!

"Nimue, wait! Stop!" Aqua called off. "You're letting in Darkness!"

"Well, duh! It's dark out there!" Nimue barked back.

"No, the power of Darkness! It's going to spread!" Aqua shouted.

Nimue grunted as she pulled her sword back, stepping back to see a purple miasma seeping out of the portal. "What in the-"

Aqua stepped forward and pointed her Keyblade at the portal, summoning another beam of light that slowly sealed the portal. "This realm…It maybe be outside the Realms of Light and Darkness…But it's close proximity to the Realm of Darkness. Too close that if the portal remained open, we'd risk letting the Darkness in. This barrier may be the only thing keeping this world from being overrun."

"I'll take your word for it." Nimue scoffed as her sword vanished. "Though, I will admit. I never came close to destroying something like a dimensional barrier before. I actually think I got it pretty good before you made me stop."

Aqua only hoped it wasn't good enough.

If Nimue had weakened the boundaries between this world and the Realm of Darkness, it would risk letting Darkness spread across this world.

Aqua sighed. "I see my attempt here is no better than it was with Ambrosius or Jinn."

"You're lucky I find you interesting now or I would be insulted." Nimue glared at the Master. "Now, who are you and how does your weapon match the power of destruction?"

"And now, I'm looking for a way back."

Nimue had patiently listened to Aqua's story, both of them now sitting in front of the lake that was part of her domain.

"Drasil sent me to Jinn who sent me to Ambrosius who then sent me to you." Aqua finished her tale.

"Hm, well I will admit this much…You are the most interesting human I have met in a very long time." Nimue said with a smile. "A weapon capable of locking and unlocking hearts, sealing any door and can resist my power. Made from your own 'heart' as you say. Never would I have thought something made by mortals would rival a creation of the gods."

"Well, the Keyblade chooses its wielder. It's not a weapon of mortals. It's more like…balance. A balance between light and darkness and it chooses who must help enforce that balance." Aqua clarified.

"The fact that a mortal can be made worthy of such power is a feat unto itself. I have seen many battles throughout history, the sword that I am bound to passed from one hand to another and each warrior paying the price for the destruction of their enemies." Nimue recalled her own history. "Though, recently I was left to slumber by the previous man who wielded my sword after ending a war he failed to prevent. The old fool had noble intentions but is idealistic and too soft with a mind that has been worn down by eons of struggle and failure."

Aqua raised an eyebrow at Nimue's description of this man.

"Still though, I suppose I shouldn't have much to complain about. The wonderful destruction he had me inflict to end the war…" Nimue sighed blissfully. "It was beautiful."

"This still doesn't help me." Aqua stood up. "So I am now left with the choice of seeking out the Spirit of Choice or I make my way back to Drasil."

Nimue looked at the Master in interest. "Perhaps Janus can be of help. If a vision of you somewhere else, perhaps back in your world is shown then all might not be lost."

Aqua stared back at Nimue. "Could it be that simple?"

"As galling as it is to admit, Choice is perhaps more dangerous than myself along with the others for the simple fact the ability to create, destroy and seek knowledge is barely of use against the power to see into the future." Nimue pointed to the temple off in the distance. "Janus resides there. Be prepared when you face them. The visions made by the choices exact a heavy toll."

Aqua followed Nimue's finger before activating her armor and glider. "Thank you, all the same."

Nimue watched as Aqua took off towards the temple where the Spirit of Choice resided. "This might be enough to truly change everything."

Chapter Text

Janus, the Spirit of Choice

The last place in this world Aqua had not been to was the temple off in the distance that was likely to be the dwelling of the Spirit of Choice. Given what Nimue and Ambrosius had told her, it wasn't likely that this Janus would have the answers she was looking for.

Still she had to try.

Her new destination was a small temple, not large enough to hold a lot of people but that mattered little in this world. The temple was made entirely of bronze and was erected in the form of a square. The entrance to the temple was a pair of two large doors, resembling a gate of some form.

"Guess I should knock." Aqua said, walking up to the doors and knocked on them.

The doors slowly opened, revealing a bright light that blinded Aqua for a mere second. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in a white void, standing before a statue…

A statue that was engulfed in a blue mist, taking a familiar form.

"My, my, so you have finally come." A female voice spoke.

"About time." Then spoke a male voice.

The mist faded, revealing the Spirit of Choice, Janus.

What stood about him…her…them from the other spirits was that they had two faces.

The face of bearded man was at the front and the face of a white haired woman was on the back, depending on a person's point of view possibly. The man was elderly looking with manacles and chains like Ambrosius with a beard and the woman was young, light blue hair and chains wrapped around her like Jinn.

It was like a man and woman had been merged together their fronts fused to the back of the other.

It was…strange.

"So you are the Keyblade woman who has entered our realm with the help of Drasil." The elderly man said.

"And we see you have already visited the others, Jinn, Ambrosius and Nimue." The woman continued.

"I…My name is Aqua." Aqua introduced herself. "You know of me and the Keyblade? How?"

"We are Janus, the Spirit of Choice. We have the power to show visions of the choices one will make and the repercussions of each choice." The woman face answered. "We show the beginning and the end, the choice and the consequence."

"One of us looks to future of one choice…" The elderly man said.

"And the other looks to the future of the opposite." The woman finished. "Thus, we know you Aqua. We know you fell to our world through actions outside of your control, we know you came to the world that is Drasil that was created as part of the experiment of the Gods, and we know you were sent to meet Jinn, Ambrosius and Nimue."

"And now you come to us." The elderly man began. "You seek help to find a way home."

"But the road before you may not be so simple." The woman continued. "You have gained knowledge, wielded creation and tamed destruction but now you are left with choice. And choice is rarely ever a one way path."

To prove their point, a series of doors, resembling the gates to the temple appeared around them in the white void they resided in.

"What is this?" Aqua asked, glancing at the doors.

"These are the paths we see that have been laid out for you." The elderly half of Janus answered. "With the relic we are bound to, we can only show a mortal one vision, completely at random in the mortal world."

"But here, we can show you any and all visions of any choice you might make." The woman-half finished again.

Aqua looked between the doors. "How is this to help me return?"

"These doors are gateways into the possible futures you will take based on the choices you will make." The elderly man answered. "They are all paths laid out for you."

"And they are all something I am destined to take?" Aqua questioned.

"No. All of them possible routes into your future." The woman half of Janus answered. "You can choose to accept, bringing about the future of that choice and you can turn away from it."

"You can easily turn from them all but of course, that may prevent you from truly returning to your realm." The elderly man face continued.

"Unlike Jinn who knows everything past and present, Ambrosius who knows everything that has and can be created and Nimue who can destroy anything aside from that which is created by the Gods and the Gods themselves, we look to the beginning of and see the end of any choice that will ever be made." The woman face explained. "Look into these doors and see what might await you."

Aqua looked to the doors and sighed. 'I just wish I could have an easy out.'

"May your heart be your guiding key/May your heart be your guiding key." The faces of Janus spoke as one, surprising Aqua as she looked at them. "That is what you will say when you make your choice/That is what you will say when you make your choice."

Aqua stared at Janus before pressing a hand over her heard. "My heart is my guiding key…It's led me here….I guess I can only see where it will take me."

She chose one door and opened it, peering inside as the light within blinded her and she fell through what appeared to be an endless space.

…

…

…

'I've been having these really strange dreams lately…Like is any of this for real or not?' A little girl's voice spoke.

Aqua opened her eyes and found herself standing before a little girl with black hair and yellow eyes but then changed into a girl with orange hair and blue eyes and held her out her Keyblade to them. "In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then though this simple act of taking….its wielder you shall one day be."

The girl then morphed again but she couldn't see their face but she saw black hair and silver eyes reaching out and touching her Keyblade.

She then saw flashes of these children, growing but never seeing the exact outline of their faces as they wield these keys in one part of the vision before becoming just ordinary weapons, fighting monsters followed by a slash of a red blade, arrows burning and a bright light that ended the vision.

…

…

…

Aqua blinked as the vision ended and the gate she had entered vanished. "That…I bequeathed the Keyblade?"

She had considered preforming the Bequeathing Ceremony back on Destiny Islands but decided against it, not wanting two boys to fight each other like she and Terra would.

But why those three girls?

She knew she had the option of how many apprentices she might have but still three felt like pushing it. She couldn't even make out where she was but she had to be somewhere if she was able to meet those kids.

Perhaps she found a way out but she still had no clue.

Unfortunately that means she would open another door and sighed as she walked up to the next door, closing her eyes to the inevitable light and felt herself falling again.

…

…

…

"We need your help, Aqua. This world may seem at peace but there is a great danger, especially if it were to learn of your existence and the weapon you carry." A man spoke but rather one voice she could hear the voice of thousands of men speaking to her.

Who was this man?

Why would he ask her for help?

She then saw herself refusing, walking away and journeying across a strange world only to stop when several pairs of eyes appeared and looked at her.

Silver

Lilac

Red

Green

And  a few pairs of blue.

She was then shown accepting, fighting against more monsters and then she heard a demented laugh as someone with a tail lunged at her, followed by a muscular man surging with electricity and fire, followed by the outline of a woman with blazing eyes.

They were then all burned away as another woman appeared, staring at her with malevolent glowing red eyes.

…

…

…

Aqua sighed as she stepped back out of that door, rubbing her head softly. She glanced at Janus who just gestured to the next door which she entered.

…

…

…

She was standing before Mickey and to her surprise; she was in the Realm of Darkness. "Good. Then let's locate the key and go home together."

"You're leaving?"

She looked behind and saw someone saddened by the idea of her leaving. She promised to return…only when she did the world was ruined, completely destroyed.

"NOOO-"

…

…

…

"-OOOO!" Aqua fell onto the ground, panting slightly. "That was…That was…"

"The outcome of a choice to leave." The woman face of Janus spoke from behind. "We told you, we show visions of the choices you will make and the repercussions of each one."

Aqua held her chest as she tried to calm herself from the vision she had seen. "I leave and a world is destroyed…How can that be? Did I cause it by doing something I shouldn't have done?"

As a Keyblade Wielder she was not mean to involve herself in the affairs of the worlds, only stopping the Darkness from spreading across the worlds while keeping her identity and powers secrets. She had visions of herself passing the Keyblade onto others, being asked to help in some sort of war, and now being given the choice to leave.

What was this all about?

She just wanted to get back to her friends.

She looked at the doors that were in a way, mapping out her entire life for her but is that what she wanted. If this was all about choice wasn't she allowed the choice to leave here and now?

But where would she go?

Back to one of the other spirits?

To Drasil?

Sighing, Aqua looked to the next door and entered it.

…

…

…

A pair of red eyes, not like the ones from before, stared at her from behind a white monster like mask and locks of black hair falling over her shoulder, dressed in colors of darkness and blood, smiling darkly. "I've seen the power of your weapon and I hate to see it wasted. So you can join us or…."

In the first half of the choice, she agreed and she was told something but she couldn't hear all of it. She was surprised and then decided to leave as she apparently changed her mind, only to be attacked by the woman. The other choice had her refusing and the woman attacked her again, wielding a long sword that changed colors from red, blue, green and yellow.

…

…

…

Well, that was slightly more informative but she still had no idea what was going on. Aqua wondered if she was becoming too dependent on Janus' power to see if she might return but so far she knew she would see Mickey again so all was not lost.

"How many of these doors are there?" She looked at Janus.

"Choice is endless." The elderly face answered. "Who is to say there is an end?"

"You are content to open these doors and see each and every choice you might ever make. Are you not satisfied in mapping out your life?" The female face asked.

"You may be powerful but I truly doubt you can simply map out a person's life by the choices they might make." Aqua replied, placing a hand over her chest. "Life is more than just choice, creation, destruction and knowledge. It is about what is in our hearts, the bonds we make with it. Knowing any possible choice I might make does not mean you know my future."

"Doesn't it?" The elderly face of Janus asked. "Does not knowing every choice you make practically all knowing of one's life?"

"For one choice you make, you become the most important person in the worlds." The woman face spoke.

"For the other, you are the one who dooms it." The elderly face continued. "Becoming that which you fear."

"You have the choices to become a warrior, a teacher, an ordinary woman, a mother, a sister, a wife and so much more." The woman face then said. "We see this choice-"

"And so many more/And so many more." Both faces finished.

"Maybe so but you cannot read my heart and my heart is what guides me in every choice." Aqua retorted, turning to the next door. "Even if you try and map my life out, that belief will always be with me."

She stepped through the door…

…

…

…

She opened her eyes and to her surprise she was sitting under a white gazebo with a white table in front of her and white chairs. She looked down at herself and to her surprise she was wearing what appeared to be a white wedding dress with a veil falling down her hair and shoulders.

"Are we going to dance?"

She looked up, seeing someone but their faces were blurred and she couldn't speak as they took her hand, helping her stand. She couldn't say or do anything to react in this vision as she danced with someone wearing a black tuxedo, grasping one hand while wrapping her arm around their shoulder and they wrapped their free arm around her waist. She wondered what the point of this vision was but her confusion slowly withered away as she danced and music started playing. She was now swaying to the music as the man danced with her, being very good.

She never imagined herself being married as she grew up training to become a Keyblade Master.

And yet she found herself feeling…joy?

She felt warm, peaceful, trying see who it was she was dancing with but their face remained a blur, their eyes shifting colors.

Was this one man or perhaps she caught the attention of one or several men?

Was this representing a choice she made and chose to actually marry?

Could she even imagine herself being married?

Then they leaned in and kissed her right on the lips and she felt like her entire breath had been taken away. Then she kissed back and her mind was left too blissful beyond the capacity for rational thought…

…

…

…

And then everything changed.

She was suddenly in a bed screaming and panting as someone held her hand.

"You're almost there!"

"I can see the head. Just one more push."

Aqua let out another scream and then a cry filled the room. She tried to open her eyes but it was too blurry for her to properly see.

"Mrs…someone would like to meet you."

She managed to open her eyes enough and held up her arms as something soft and…warm was placed in them.

She looked down and saw a little one, a child crying but then calmed down as she rocked it and blue eyes stared back up at her…

She never felt as happy ever before in her life as she did now.

…

…

…

Aqua gasped as the vision ended and she fell out of the gate that closed and vanished like the ones she had entered.

That vision…

It felt more powerful than all the other ones.

She sat up and touched her lips…

"My, my, it seems the young master has been rendered speechless for once." The amused voice of Janus' female face broke her out of their thoughts.

Aqua jumped a bit but took a deep breath to calm herself. "I…I was actually getting married…Why couldn't I see their face though?"

"We told you, we only show visions of the choices you will likely make and what comes from them." The elderly face answered.

"Knowing the choice does not mean we see and know who the choice will affect. It is up to you to know." The female face finished clarifying.

So she can't know the people who she might meet but could see Mickey just clearly because she already knew him.

Still though…

Her, Aqua, actually getting married?

And what happened after that…

She felt so warm, holding the bundle and realized what it had been.

A child…

Her child.

She brought a hand to her stomach, almost mesmerized by the feeling of warmth she had experienced in that one instant.

"We see you have trouble considering this. And yet, we told you that we show visions of the future based on the choices you might make." The elderly face observed. "Is it so hard to believe you would be the same as you are now?"

"With choice comes the ability to make great change." The female face reminded.

"All I want to know is will I find a way back to my friends? Will I be able to save Terra and reawaken Ven when his heart is ready?" Aqua looked at the spirit. "Why show me these visions if you claim you can map my life out?"

"We do know what your life will be. We only know what it could be." The elderly face replied. "It all based on the choices you make here from what you see…."

"And your choice to visit the others." The female face finished.

"The others? I thought I already did." Aqua raised an eyebrow.

"You visited the spirits that are the four gifts to humanity but we are not the only ones. You have met Drasil who opened the path to us and the others." The elderly face clarified.

"Did she not tell you of the other paths?"

Aqua then remembered the other doors there. "Yes, she did."

"Drasil is more than just a spirit. She is the system put in place by the Gods as part of their experiment. The Gods created this world together as their first. The God of Light created life and the God of Darkness destroyed but they came together and found they could create many new things. Drasil was created as part of the experiment, the system to give the mortals their magic and also act as the lynchpin of this world." The elderly face of Janus explained.

"Through her, energy is channeled into the realms that were created. Realms of Gods, demigods and mortals." The female voice continued. "You came here through Drasil because Drasil was the both the beginning and the end for the path through the world that came to be."

Aqua looked at Janus, trying to keep herself focused but all these visions she had experienced. "…I need to go back and see Drasil, don't I?"

"It is your choice/It is your choice." Both faces of Janus answered.

Aqua sighed, looking at the doors she had yet to enter, considering for a second to enter them and continue looking for her answers…

And then turned away.

"I think I have seen all I can see here. If I try to see any more I may just go mad looking for answers that might be impossible to see." Aqua said, walking past Janus. "You've shown me many things, including the hope that I will see at least one of my friends again and if that is possible it means I will see the others again."

"You are satisfied?" The elderly face asked.

Was she?

"Take heed of what you have learned." The female face advised. "Your journey with knowledge, creation, destruction and choice may end but even if it has not granted what you seek, do not forget the lessons here."

"I won't." Aqua said, heading back through the entrance. "I hope I understand why I was shown what I was…someday."

"Farewell, Master Aqua/Farewell, Master Aqua." Both faces said.

Aqua summoned her glider and took off into the air, returning to where she started in the realm of Fantasias.

"An interesting one, that is." The elderly face of Janus commented once Aqua had left. "Gained knowledge, wielded creation, tamed destruction-"

"And now has seen choice." The female face finished. "She has faced the temptation but will it make or break her?"

"And yet she claims choice cannot read the future because it cannot determine the actions of her heart." The elderly face mused.

"We might not be able to read the heart." The female face admitted.

"But we are certain her heart will be tested a great deal/But we are certain her heart will be tested a great deal." Both faces admitted before Janus returned to the bronze statue state they were in when Aqua arrived.

The Choice has been made for now.

Chapter Text

Mid-Realm

Aqua returned to the center of Fantasias and saw the same portal she had stepped in to enter this realm. She took one moment to look around, seeing the realms of Knowledge, Creation, Destruction and Choice before leaving the realm of spirits. She appeared in the same she had been before when she had met Drasil who had been waiting for her with a smile.

"You have returned. Did you find what you sought?" The spirit asked.

"…Not completely." Aqua admitted.

Drasil's smile faded. "They were not enough? Knowledge, Creation, Destruction and Choice were all there for you to use. How would they not be enough?"

That was an interesting question.

Jinn was able to tell Aqua where she was and what this world is.

Ambrosius gave her the ability to summon a copy of her armor and glider.

Nimue showed her it was possible to leave but at great risk.

And Janus…they showed her she might one day return if the vision of Mickey was correct.

"I…I learned much." Aqua admitted. "But my situation is unique. I'm afraid it was beyond their ability to help."

"Beyond their ability." Drasil repeated softly. "Then who can help you if not the spirits of the four gifts to mankind…" She then adopted a thoughtful face. "Then perhaps the ones who created them."

Aqua looked at Drasil. "The ones who created them?"

"The Gods…The Brothers…Our creators." Drasil clarified but then frowned. "But no human should enter their realms. You would surely die as mortals cannot traverse the realms of the Gods…But there is an alternative."

She gestured to another door. "Behold, Mid-Realm."

The door opened and Aqua could see visions of a world she had never seen before. "What is this place?"

"Mid-Realm is the world of the mortals, the creations of the Gods. However, my ability is unique for when I open a portal to Mid-Realm, I can choose the place and time." Drasil explained, her smile returning. "Time has no meaning in this realm and thus I can choose which time in history to send you, including a time when the Gods lived among their creations."

Aqua looked at the portal and back at Drasil. "Lived among their creations?"

"Yes. The Gods loved their world and their creations. Why would they not choose to live with them?" Drasil asked.

Aqua looked back at the portal. "And you can see everything that has happened and will happen?"

"I can."

"Wouldn't I be altering history if I am sent to one point in time?" Aqua asked, not sure of this new path. "I cannot intervene in the affairs of any world."

"And you wouldn't. History would not be changed if you were sent to a time when the Gods still lived with their creations. Where you would be at a point of time completely forgotten." Drasil said reassuringly. "And even if you had seen the future then that future would just be the past, unaffected by the new future."

Aqua wasn't sure what to make of that. "I thought time went in only one direction."

"It does but just because the past is changed does not mean the future is. Beside, you were never part of this world's timeline originally so you wouldn't be traveling to your past. It would just be your present." Drasil pointed out.

Aqua was trying to understand and hoped she wasn't making a big mistake by doing this but she couldn't just stop now. She wasn't even sure if this was a good idea but so far Drasil had been nothing but helpful so far.

"So what is your decision?" Drasil asked, gesturing to the door.

Aqua sighed and stepped into the door but stopped just as she was about to walk through it. "Just so we're clear. This can't affect how the world will go from the point you send me and I can come back when I need to."

"As I said, this is a point in time that is largely forgotten and shrouded in myth and legends. Nothing you do will affect the world all that much and of course. To come back just say my name." Drasil answered with an honest smile.

Aqua stared at Drasil for a moment before entering the doorway which closed behind her. Drasil smiled at the closed doorway and then held up the sphere which was original form, seeing a hole of darkness appearing inside it.

"Of course, something has already been changed when you visited Nimue. Only she and Janus would know about it but even then it has yet fully to manifest as a problem…" Drasil said with an interested smile. "But it's only a matter of time."

A small hole in the barrier between this world and the others had been made when Aqua came to the Spirit of Destruction for help. Even if she had stopped Nimue from making it too large a crack had been formed.

And Drasil could sense it would only grow bigger.

When Aqua emerged from the portal the first thing she saw was…sunlight.

She had to cover her eyes for a moment so they could adjust and looked around to see she was in some kind of desert. Aqua sighed, hoping she would have arrived somewhere slightly cooler but supposed Drasil had her reasons for sending her here.

"Guess I should work on finding these Gods Drasil spoke of. Though why couldn't she just send me to them-" Before Aqua could finish her own question, she heard the heard the galloping of several dozen horses.

She looked and saw a group of about several dozen men on horses with blades and there were noticeably three horses with carriages as they came speeding towards the group. Before Aqua even knew it, the men on horses and carriages surrounded the group as they all looked around. The horsemen looked like they were dressed up in ancient looking armor and clothing, some having tattoos and no shirt, while all of them had swords, Macs, hammers, sickles, chains, spears, etc. on them.

Several of the horsemen jumped off as they aimed their weapons at Aqua.

As members of the nomads walked up to the Keyblade Master, they then stopped as a bald man with no shirt and a tattoo running down his face walked up to her, he started to speak. "Who are you? And what are you wearing?"

"…My name is Aqua and what I am wearing would be called clothes." Aqua answered warily. "And I have some questions of where I am. Like where I am for starters."

"The desert child."

"I mean where in the desert." Aqua clarified.

"You are in the west, part of Lord Sidorak's territory. You should know that, especially since King Sidorak does not take well to intruders. Even the gorgeous kind." The leader said with a disturbing grin that earned him a glare from Aqua. "Well, you don't look much but after we sell you lot to King Sidorak we will get a hefty pay."

The surrounding group slowly reached down and grabbed their weapons they were keeping on them.

"And what do you mean by that?" Aqua asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Either we chain you up and deliver you to Lord Sidorak in one piece... Or if you choose to fight back, we'll be happy to deliver you in pieces." The nomad leader said as he pulled out his own sword and walked closer to the lost master.

"Back off!" Aqua summoned her Keyblade and slashed the leader, sending him flying back several feet.

The nomads seemed to gawk at the girl's weapon with amazement.

"What is that!?"

"It looks like a weapon of the gods!"

"I've never seen anything like that before!"

"It doesn't matter what kind of weapon she has! Kill her!" Another nomad yelled and the men charged at the group with their primitive steel and wooden weapons in hand.

Aqua thought she would have it easy but then, she watched as many of the nomads started gathering energy into their weapons and hands, all of them different colors and suddenly realized it would not be as easy as she thought. 'They can use magic!'

That certainly changed things and not for the better.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep OST Critical Drive Starts)

"Reflega!" Aqua shouted, summoning barrier that not only blocked the magical blasts but sent many of them back.

The nomads were taken by complete surprise as they were hit by their own attacks, blasting them back and sending the horses running. Seeing she did not have to worry about hiding her magic here she brought her Keyblade above her head.

"Thunder!"

Several nomads were hit by bolts of lightning, causing them to scream in pain. Several more charged at her but Aqua slashed through them with Keyblade and knocked them back. Another man, this one carrying a large axe yelled as he charged at her, swinging his axe but Aqua cartwheeled to the side, dodging and fired an ice spell that froze the man on the spot. Aqua narrowed her eyes as the nomads surrounded her and charged.

She raised one hand and a barrier surrounded her, repelling the nomads and knocking them down.

Just as the nomads got up, a voice stopped them. "You haven't yet faced me…"

Aqua and the recovering nomads looked to see a huge man standing there, bald and buff and everything. He smirked as he marched over to them silently with his massive Mac in hand. Without even saying another word, he raised his fingers as his eyes started to glow. Soon, all the rocks beneath him soon crawl up him and surround him in a very thick lair of rock armor as he seemingly became three feet taller.

Aqua raised an eyebrow as the rock covered man stood over her but did not look worried. Just as he raised his Mac to smash her, Aqua disappeared into blur. The Mac smashed into the ground where she stood, kicking up dust. The man looked around, wondering where she went but she appeared behind him as her form exploded into a burst of light.

Aqua then went on the attack, telekinetically hurling her Keyblade at the rock man that easily smashed through his armor and the final hit sent him flying over several feet. Aqua landed on the ground as the other nomads looked on in shock and surprise. Aqua then began spinning, releasing dozens of magical blasts that hit all of the other nomads, knocking them back down.

All the while, the nomad leader was looking at this with amazement and fear in his eyes.

"This is impossible. The way she fights…It's like one of the great mages!" The leader muttered.

He charged at Aqua with his blade in hand and battled her one on one. She was definitely much younger than the warriors the nomad leader was thinking about, and much less experienced as the nomad leader actually managed to keep up with Aqua as he managed to get in a few hits on her. However the girl was just too strong willed and skilled as she knocked the nomad leader back into one of the nomad tribes carriages, which growled. The nomad leader picked himself up and looked back at the battle, only seeing the four teenagers taking her men apart like they were nothing.

The nomad leader got furious as he picked his blade back up and ran over to the carriages and slashed the locks off them, opening up all three of the carriages only to reveal a dark beast coming out of each of them. Aqua's eyes widened as three monsters, not Unversed emerged from the carriages. They had white mask like skulls and glowing red eyes. Two resembled large boars with tusks and other resembled a scorpion about the size of a horse with a golden tipped stinger.

"What are these?" Aqua wondered to herself, sensing darkness but different from what she had sensed before.

The creatures roared and charged at her with loud roars. Aqua summoned a barrier as the two boar-like beasts charged at her, sliding back as they slammed into her barrier. The barrier shattered, disorientating them and she quickly slashed at them, slashing at their eyes and fired an ice shard at one that pierced its skull. The other one roared as its counterpart began dissolving and leapt at Aqua who jumped back. She would have fired a spell at it but the scorpion monster grabbed her Keyblade with its pincers, and tossed her around before throwing her away.

She managed to somersault through the air and landed on her feet, watching as the boar charged at her again. She jumped back and prepared a spell, gathering energy at the tip of her Keyblade and released in the form of multi-colored spheres that hammered the two monsters and a moment later, they dissolved under the barrage.

The nomad leader was stunned. "Impossible. Those Grimm have fought many warriors and nomads over the years! Even though it's unbelievably hard to tame them, you can capture then and make them stronger by fighting them daily! You can't defeat these Grimm!"

Aqua looked at the nomad leader next. "Had enough?"

The nomad leader growled as he prepared to attack again, only he was stopped by a green energy blast that came from behind Aqua.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep OST Critical Drive Ends)

"I believe she asked you a question."

That's when everyone finally got a look at the dark standing still. It was a man with a medium-dark skin tone with messy brown hair and eyes. He wore a blue-green tunic with a tan undershirt, a blue cape and black trousers with brown boots. Both his tunic and cape were outlined with golden markings. Over this, he wore metal armor held by brown belts and straps and was etched with ornamental patterns.

He carried a long scepter that was ornament in appearance with metal details, floral patterns and adorned with a green gem.

"It's Ozma!"

"Ozma?!"

"He's here?!"

"Run for it!"

It only took a look of this mysterious man to scare off the nomad leader as he jumped back on one of his horses and signaled the rest of his fellow nomads to do the same as they jumped on their horses and rode away. Aqua looked on with amazement as the man in front of them watched the nomads ride away.

He turned and looked at her. "Are you all right?"

Aqua dismissed her Keyblade. "I am fine."

"Good. You seem to hold pretty well against them." The man said with a friendly smile. "Not a lot of people around here can do that."

"And why is that?" Aqua asked.

"They work for Lord Sidorak. He's a warlord who has risen up in the west, taking control of this island and is slowly expanding his empire. He has remained undefeated and forced many of those he defeats to join and serve him but recently he sees to have become much stronger. He has since begun conquering any tribes, towns and kingdoms to expand his empire." The man explained. "I have come here from the north because his expansion threatens my home."

Aqua thought this over. While this had nothing to do with her, if this Sidorak was causing trouble it was possible she might run into him sooner than later.

"And his castle is nearby?" She asked.

The man nodded. "Yes. In the center of this island."

"An island?" Aqua raised an eyebrow.

"It's a rather large island with a desert but there is a settlement with water and trees in the center." The man pointed to the west. "Sidorak has begun conscripting anyone he can find to join him, hence why those men were trying to capture you."

Aqua accepted his answers for the moment. "And those monsters?"

The man looked at her in surprise. "You've never seen them before?"

"Can't say that I have but I may have seen things similar to them." Aqua admitted.

"Well, we call them Grimm. They are creations from the God of Darkness." The man answered. "They normally stay in the Land of Darkness but some of them journey out to attack villages. It appears Sidorak managed to capture and train some of them."

Creatures of Darkness created by a God of Darkness.

Aqua wasn't sure what to make of that but Darkness and Light were fundamental parts of existence and no one, not even a wielder of the Keyblade could change that.

"But where are my manners? My name is Ozma." The man smiled as he introduced himself with a bow. "And you are?"

"My name is Aqua and I'm looking for someone." Aqua said hesitantly at the end. "I think I may need help finding them."

"Well unfortunately for now you will have to seek shelter. There is no time to waste. We better leave before it gets dark and more monsters and bandits start to appear. Follow me and I will you to shelter." The man named Ozma said as he just turned around and started walking away.

Aqua just stood there for a second looking at one another unsure.

"If you don't want to become as Deathstalker's meal, follow me." Ozma yelled back and the young master followed along.

The nomads were still riding their horses as they got closer and closer to a large building in the distance that looked like a massive coliseum. As the group made it up to the side where a large door was standing in front of them, as the top showed a large golden ram's head with ruby eyes. The leader of the nomads got off his horse as he walked up to the huge double doors.

KNOCK-KNOCK!

The doors slowly opened, allowing them to enter a high furbished thrown room. There were women clad in revealing garments and a red carpet leading up to a throne with someone sitting on it.

"What do you want? Do you have anything to offer your king?" He spoke in an intimidating voice.

"No Lord Sidorak, we just wanted to inform you we ran into a mysterious lady in the middle of the desert. She had an amazing weapon that we have never seen before! She was as powerful as a mage." The nomad leader answered.

"Really now? Even so, she is still no trouble. Now leave at once or be terminated." The shadowed man said, his guards ready to attack.

The nomad leader stepped back out of fear as he held his hands up and yelled. "Wait! Wait! Wait! We were also attacked by Ozma!"

A moment of silence passed by, before Sidorak raised his hand and the guards lowered their weapons. "Let's speak..."

Ozma and Aqua walked through a camp in the middle of the desert with horses at manmade stables and tents and fires set up with people gathered around them. Aqua looked around and saw kids running around having fun, people in circles around the fire making swords and weapons, and much more. She continued to follow Ozma until they made it to a larger tent then the rest as a fire was burning in front of it with a pot boiling over it.

Ozma stopped walking as they followed in his tracks and stopped as well.

He turned around and looked at Aqua. "Please..."

Ozma grabbed the huge pot from the fire and placed it on the ground as he pulled off the lid and looked inside of the pot, smelling the steam that ascended from it with pleasure in his face.

"Grab a bowl and help yourself; you must be hungry after that little battle with the nomads. And follow me inside, I believe I possess information you might want to know." He said as he took a bowl and poured himself some of whatever that was in the pot before he turned around and walked into his tent.

Aqua mimicked Ozma's actions as they all walked into the tent.

It looked much bigger inside as she looked down to see Ozma was sitting on the floor crossed legged which Aqua copied him as she sat in front of him while seeing him eat. The Keyblade Master again mimicked him as she started eating the grub that Ozma was eating, but that's when Aqua gained a face of disgust and looked down at her grub…Only to see piles of massive, thick, slimy worm squirming around in her bowl.

"Grub worms are a great and nutritious meal, when you're in the dry heat of the desert, you're going to need as much water and protein as you can get. And these creatures are filled with them." Ozma said as he ate another spoonful of them while Aqua's face of disgust increased as she placed her bowl down.

"I just lost my appetite..." Aqua muttered. "So ummm…Ozma, you said you had some information for me?"

"Yes. This is a safe haven for many people trying to escape Sidorak's tyranny. I came to help smuggle them out before going to stop Sidorak myself." Ozma said as he put his pot down. "This island is far to the east, cut off from the mainland but it's perfect for raiders, bandits and even warlords to hide in because it's across the sea and there's no form of law enforcement out here. He's recently come across or created an object of power that greatly enhanced his magic."

"An object of power?" Aqua asked.

"A gem for the most part. Not unlike the one on my scepter." Ozma gestured to his scepter that was off to the side. "It channels and enhances my own magic."

Aqua looked at the scepter, sensing a magical power around it before looking at Ozma. "And you plan on confronting him?"

"I do. He is becoming a dangerous threat and the people are suffering under him." Ozma nodded with a serious gaze.

Aqua stared at him, sensing a great amount of light coming from him. He was much like Prince Charming and Hercules:

A hero.

"Do you wish my help against him?" Aqua asked.

"It would be appreciated but only if you wish it. I will not ask you to become involved in this fight that's not your to begin with." Ozma answered honestly.

Aqua raised an eyebrow, not expecting that answer but could tell he wasn't lying to her. "But if I do, can you help me find who I am looking for?"

"If you would help me, I would indeed help you in return." Ozma nodded with a smile. "I am sure with your skills helping me, Sidorak would be stopped."

"And how do we find this Sidorak?"

Before Ozma could answer, both of them heard multiple screams from the clan outside the tent as shadows of people started running around.

There were attackers outside. Without even saying a word, Ozma picked up his staff and dashed outside to face down whatever villain or monster who was threatening her people. Aqua followed suit, dashing outside and standing next to the heroic leader. They saw several men standing there in golden imperial roman-like armor carrying sharp looking spears as they approached Ozma and Aqua.

"I am going to give you one warning and one warning alone... LEAVE the camp at once, and I will spear your life, but if you attack... All of you will die... And I will travel all the way to Sidorak himself with a war party and destroy him!" Ozma yelled furiously.

The men in imperial armor just looked at each other and laughed before turning back to him.

"We have finally got information of where your camp is from a band of raiders... You and your people are now hereby property of the humble and great Lord Sidorak." One of the guards said as all of them aimed their spears as Ozma and Aqua.

Aqua summoned her Keyblade and pointed at the guards. "You heard the man."

The men stopped laughing and charged at the two warriors.

"Mini!" Aqua shouted.

There was a wave of energy and the men all began shrinking until their height was only up to Ozma and Aqua's shins. They stopped and stared at her in complete shock as she smiled, before swinging her Keyblade. Ozma joined her, slamming his scepter into the ground and releasing a green energy shockwave that knocked all of them back.

It was over in less than a minute.

The armored soldiers were all lying face down on the ground, thoroughly beaten and bruised from the two warriors that had faced them.

"That was impressive." Ozma looked at Aqua with a smile.

"It's just a simple spell. Nothing too impressive." She shrugged before becoming serious. "So, are we going after Sidorak?"

"Yes." Ozma nodded, glaring at the men before looking to the grateful civilians they had saved. "Make your way to the boats and we will meet you there."

Aqua just watched as Ozma took charge, guiding and directing the people to safety. She remembered in her vision by Janus that she had considered bequeathing the Keyblade to several people but she couldn't tell who. She wondered if Ozma had been one of them before shaking her head. Even if she had thought about it she couldn't consider that right now.

They had a warlord to stop.

She only hoped it would somehow lead her to these Gods she was looking for.

Chapter Text

The Domain of Light

Aqua and Ozma set off for Sidorak's dwelling with Ozma leading the way. Aqua was content to just follow for the time being, looking around and seeing this so-called island was mostly deserted but as they grew closer to their destination, she could see a stone city with a massive building in the center.

'That looks like the Greek Coliseum!' Aqua thought to herself.

The brief hit of nostalgia made Aqua pause but she shook her head when she caught Ozma glancing at her and continued walking.

"Sidorak will likely be at his coliseum." Ozma said, leading her through town.

It was plain to see that the people here were not the kind of people one would like to socialize with. They were all armed with weapons, some even dragging women in scantily clad clothing and almost all of them were glaring darkly at the two. Ozma ignored them, focused on the coliseum building ahead while Aqua just followed.

They walked up the front of the building and a single guard stepped out to greet them. "Come, your match begins now."

Before the two could've asked him what he meant by that, the huge metal doors opened and the guard gestured for them to follow. The two stepped inside and walking through a long hallway with a light at far end. When they reached the end, they looked around to see that they were in the center of the coliseum. The spectators in the seats were cheering and clapping as they watched the new gladiators walk up on the field.

As the two continued to walk, they were stopped by the guards as they reached the middle of the field. And right in front of the group, around forty feet above the gladiatorial arena was a luxurious spectators spot where King Sidorak himself sat on his massive throne with imperial guards by his sides and beautiful women in little clothing lying down by his feet.

King Sidorak himself had white short hair, several facial scars around his eyes, a massive dark red coat with a ridiculously tall color, his left hand having a black glove on it and the crest of Sidorak's chest had a glowing red stone lodged in it.

"Welcome citizens of Sidorak City! We are THRILLED to have an AMAZING SHOW TODAY! Today, we have some special guests today... The outlaw, legendary warrior, and king of the heathen Emerald kingdom, Ozma has finally been tracked down and captured! And for his attempts to overthrow our beloved king he will DIE an honorable death in the ARENA!" The Announcer said as the crowd went wild and cheered. "But! That's not all... One MORE outlaw who have been caught planning to overthrow our king with the outlaw Ozma will fight and die for your entertainment as well!"

As the announcer announced this, the imperial guards that lead the group to the middle of the field left and Sidorak rose up to speak. "My loyal subjects! Feast your eyes on the savage Ozma and his friend... Enemies to the crown! Enemies to me! And they will pay for their crimes in this MAGNIFICENT coliseum today in front of your very eyes!" King Sidorak announced, all the while still looking at the gladiators in the ring below him.

All the while, Ozma became enraged and furious as he saw the tyrant speak and his subjects mindlessly cheer. "King Sidorak! I will give you one chance and one chance alone!... Free me, my friend, and everyone else who you wrongly imprisoned and forced to die for your sick amusement! Or you will die!" Ozma yelled furiously at the tyrant king.

Sidorak and the audience remained quiet for a second, before Sidorak spoke once more. "Now do you see what I mean when I call the great Ozma a savage? Because that is exactly what he and his miserable people are! SAVAGES! In fact...Their entire kingdom should be exterminated!" King Sidorak shouted and the crowd cheered once more. "But... I am a fair man. These two will face two deadly challenges! And if they managed to succeed... They will battle your king in a fair fight! And if they win I will not only let them go free... But every prisoner scheduled to battle!"

The crowd cheered once more as Sidorak looked around himself with glee. Sidorak sat back down as the announcer started to speak again. But as the announcer was talking, the group started to whisper to one another.

"This is good, right? I mean... If we win he'll let us go along with all the other prisoners, right?" Aqua asked.

"No..." Ozma said and his partner looked at him.

"What? What do you mean?" Aqua asked.

"He will most likely go back on his word or cheat... Even if we beat all the challenges and beat him, assuming he doesn't pull any dirty tricks, he'll probably kill us all." Ozma explained.

The announcer was done rambling and actually started talking about the important topics. "Now... For our first challenge..." The announcer gestured over to the other side of the coliseum as a pair of huge metal doors opened. "This beast has killed over 300 people before he was captured... Not to mention killing even the toughest gladiators in our arena! I present to you... The vicious, terrifying, immoral, and absolute monster the NEMEAN!"

A huge Grimm jumped out from the darkness and roared viciously. "GGRRRRRRRRRAAA! RAAAAAAAAARRRR! GGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The monster was a Grimm that heavily resembled a hybrid between a male lion and a sabretooth, on all fours it stood twelve feet tall and twenty five feet long with a black mane and burning red eyes. The monster growled as it looked around until it stopped as it saw the two, and slowly started to walk over to them.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Monstrous Monstro Starts)

Aqua summoned her Keyblade. "What is that?"

"It's a Nemean! One of the deadliest Grimm out there... Their skin is so thick that regular weapons can't do a thing against it." Ozma answered.

"Good thing we don't have regular weapons then." Aqua replied, facing the approaching monster.

"The face is the most vulnerable area! Attack its face!" Ozma pointed his scepter at the approaching Grimm and from the gem came a giant blast of green energy.

The beast aimed its head away and blocked the energy blast with one of its large claws. Aqua placed a hand over her pauldron and summoned the copy of her army she had made with Ambrosius. In a flash of light she was wearing her armor and readied herself as the Nemean swiped its claws at her. Aqua quickly jumped out of the way as she readied her Keyblade and managed to successfully slash the monster three times across the face, before the lion tried to bite her in half with its teeth.

A green streak suddenly struck the Nemean in the back, causing it to spin around and spotted a green streak moving around it. The Nemean was on the defensive, but the streak was too fast for the Grimm lion to track as it came back and repeatedly inflicted damage among the beast.

It was in fact Ozma working to break the beast down until it was weak enough to finish with one more blow and he wasn't the only one. Aqua was engulfed in a bright light, thanks to her Ghost Drive and the two streaks attacked the big cat of darkness six more times. The Nemean started to memorize the two warriors patterns as it looked back at one of the green streaks headed towards him. It opened up its mouth and bit down on Aqua's armor as it thrashed her around viciously as the other streak was headed towards the Nemean.

The Nemean quickly thrashed Aqua as Ozma came within striking range and the Grimm lion managed to knock both fighters back as they tumbled several feet until ending up piled on top of each other. The Nemean growled once more as it slowly lingered over to the dizzy Aqua and Ozma as they both slowly started to get back up. The Nemean got closer as the crowd started to grow excited.

"Oh! It seems like the two warriors have met their superior in just the first round! The two warriors are too disoriented and dizzy to properly defend themselves! Who can possibly save them now?" The announcer asked as Sidorak leaned forward with interest, not wanting to miss one second of his enemy's disembowelment.

Aqua was the first to get back up and pointed her Keyblade at the incoming monster. "Thunder!"

A bolt of lightning came down and struck the Nemean, electrocuting it which earned a scream of pain as it fell over.

The Nemean fell to the floor, and appeared to be defeated as Aqua slowly approached it.

"Stay back! It likes to play with its prey!" Ozma yelled.

Its eyes shot open and Aqua jumped back, seeing the massive jaw full of long sharp teeth that was its mouth, but instead of biting her head off, it roared a powerful roar blasting Aqua back. "RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

Aqua was thrown on the ground, the monster growled once more as it leaped at Aqua from the air.

Ozma rushed in, grabbing her and dashed out of the way. "We need to find a way to pin its legs down."

Aqua nodded, pointing her Keyblade at the Nemean. "Gravity!"

An orb of darkness appeared over the Nemean, holding it down as it roared and struggled.

'Gravity magic?!' Ozma looked at the armor clad woman. 'And such mastery! I've only seen a high class mage be capable of such magic.'

Knowing he didn't have to think, Ozma and Aqua ran to the sides ss the Nemean was distracted and they used their staff and Keyblade to nail the Nemean's two back feet to the ground as the monster roared in agony.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRR!"

As it had enough of their attacks as it swiped both fighters away with one of its massive claws once the gravity spell wore off. Before it could try to attack Ozma and Aqua, the Keyblade Master held up her Keyblade as it emitted a bright glow that extended out like a long sworf as she jumped and fell down on the Nemean's tail, cutting it off with one slash. The pain was so intense, that Nemean let out a kitten-like meow before roaring in pain.

CRACK!

"*Meow* RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

Aqua then slashed at the Nemean's legs, cutting them off and watching as it collapsed on the ground, screeching in agony. Aqua raised her Keyblade and brought it down on the Nemean's head, slicing through it and killing it for good.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Monstrous Monstro Ends)

The crowd remained in stunned shock for a second before the Grimm evaporated into smoke. The crowd then cheered in amazement as the group looked around and Sidorak gained a quick look of dissatisfaction and yet also interest as he looked at the blue armored woman but quickly masked it as he addressed his subjects.

"Ahh... A very good fight indeed, a very IMPRESSIVE battle. They managed to kill the dreaded Nemean. Most impressive... But, their challenges are not over yet. They will soon meet their second challenge RIGHT NOW!" Said Sidorak as he passed the job of announcement off to the real announcer as another huge metal door started to open up. "This mob of misfits have survived the first round against ALL ODDS! Will they survive the second match as well? Against my top warriors?"

Aqua narrowed her eyes under her helmet. "Warriors?"

"As in more than one?" Ozma was of the same mindset.

"Let us find out!" The announcer said as the new opponents stepped out of the shadows.

A group of three, two men and one woman, all of them wearing armor that clearly came from different cultures.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Black Garden Begins)

"My Generals, Guan Yu." Sidorak spoke of the man dressed in robes with a Qiang spear.

"Cu Chulainn." The next man who wore no top and dark pants with armored pieces covering his legs and knees carried two short axes.

"And Tsukuy Mikoto." The woman dressed in white robes with shoulder and chest armor was holding two katana swords.

"Let the match begin!" Sidorak yelled and the crowd cheered again.

The woman, Tsukuy Mikoto held up her swords as they glowed with white energy and swung them, releasing an energy wave at the Keyblade Master and hero.

"Defend!" Aqua created a barrier that blocked the incoming hits.

The barrier vanished and Aqua quickly blocked a slash from Mikoto, jumping back to avoid another energy wave from her swords. In the meantime, Ozma was facing down both Guan and Cu as they tried to gang up on him. Channeling his magic through his scepter he created a shield that helped block most of the incoming attack.

"So this is the great Ozma?" Cu Chulainn asked as his axes clashed with Ozma's scepter. "I was expecting a little more from the great hero himself."

He shoved Ozma back with the hero somersaulting through the air and landing on his feet. Guan Yu rushed forward to stab Ozma through the chest but Ozma slammed his scepter into the ground, creating a barrier that repelled the spear and knocked Guan back. Ozma then lifted his scepter up and fired an energy blast that knocked Guan back but he managed to remain standing. Cu and Guan both charged Ozma at the same time as he settled into a fighting stance. And right as Cu and Guan got close enough to him, Ozma swiped his weapon as the two hopped over him and both began unleashing an unrelenting series of attacks on the warrior.

Ozma would dodge and counter both of his opponents' attacks, in a way that shows that he has fought like this many times before. As he countered his opponents, he kicked the two back but Cu dashed back in with Guan following, trying to double team Ozma. However their combo attacks were doing little damage as Ozma's scepter would seem to glow brighter with each passing second. He then exploded with a blast of light all around him that sent the two flying back.

KAPEWWWWWWWWW!

The crowd was blinded by a blast that sent Cu and Guan gashing into the wall of the arena, seemingly knocking them both out as they fell to the ground. In the meantime, Aqua was still contending with Mikoto as her swords clashed with Aqua's Keyblade. Aqua could see that Mikoto channeled her magic through her swords which was impressive but Aqua could do the same with her Keyblade.

In fact, Aqua could do it better.

She reinforced her Keyblade with a barrier at the right second, causing Mikoto's magic to rebound and shatter her swords. The woman gasped in shock and let her vulnerable as Aqua pointed and fired a thunder bolt at point blank range, sending her crashing into the wall.

Aqua looked up and glared at Sidorak. "Why don't you come down here next and prove you are as powerful as you would have your subjects believe?"

The crowd started to cheer again as Sidorak leaned forward in his throne, eyes narrowing at the woman who dared to insult him.

"Hahahaha... VERY interesting... Very interesting indeed... You managed to best my top three generals. I must commend you for that that means you only have ONE MORE challenge to overcome. And that challenge is ME." Sidorak announced as his citizens started to cheer with excitement.

King Sidorak got off his throne and stood on the edge of his balcony with his arms held out as assistants then came in and took off Sidorak's over coat and then started manually putting on pieces of red and black armor all over his body, before putting on a red cape with the symbol of a white ram's head on it. Finally, the assistants put a red gauntlet on his left arm with a blade hidden away in there. As the assistants were finally finished, King Sidorak walked forward before jumping off his balcony and landing right in front of the group with a massive shockwave along with it. Aqua and Ozma looked up to see the heavily armored King Sidorak standing over them with the red gem implanted in his chest piece still glowing.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Fight and Away Starts)

"Hahaha... This battle, I GUARANTEE you will not walk away from ALIVE." He held out his hands and released a red energy shockwave that sent his opponents flying.

However they were prepared as they both landed on their feet to face their final opponent. King Sidorak then jumped several dozen feet in the air before coming back down on top of Aqua's head. But despite Aqua's magical barrier, the red king slammed down upon her with enough force to shake the coliseum as she was holding him back. The two were a match in strength that was until Sidorak's gem glowed bright as Sidorak quickly overpowered the wielder's barrier.

He grabbed her by her arm as he repeatedly smashed her into the ground over and over.

But it was ended as Ozma dashed up to Sidroak and slashed him in the back. "LET GO OF HER!"

The sneak attack managed to knock Sidorak back several feet but that's when Sidorak picked himself back up and glared at Ozma. Both dash at each other and as Ozma was about to strike again, Sidorak grabbed Leo by the face before then tossing him into the air, and extracting his flaming blade from his gauntlet as he slashed Ozma, sending him back. Sidorak was about to attack again but Aqua jumped back in, her form flowing as she clashed with Sidorak's flaming blade.

"So powerful…Perhaps you could join me as my new general…Or even become my queen when I take the surrounding lands." Sidorak grinned as he grappled against the master.

Aqua said nothing as a misty aura surrounded her and Sidorak watched as his flaming sword was frozen. "Wha-"

Aqua then went on the attack, slashing at Sidorak as the gem on his chest glowed and projected an energy barrier around him. Sidorak let out a fake yawn as Aqua slashed at the barrier several times, following up with an energy blast that sent him skidding back. Sidorak grinned and held out his hand, firing a red beam that Aqua dodged by cartwheeling to the side. Sidorak flew at Aqua, swinging his flaming blade at her again but Aqua teleported just as he swung his blade, surprising him.

"Where-"

Sidorak had no time to react as he was frozen in time, much to the shock of the crowd and Ozma who had just recovered. Aqua then went on the attack, teleporting around Sidorak and delivering a series of blows that he could not block because he was not aware of them and thus could not erect a barrier to protect himself. The spell lasted about twenty five seconds before it wore off and Sidorak was sent crashing onto the far side of the arena. Sidorak let out a pained howl from the all damage he had suffered but his wounds started healing immediately, thanks to the red glowing gem on his chest.

He looked up and glared at Aqua. "I don't know how you did that but now it will be pleasure…I will not kill you…I'll keep you and break you just so I-"

But Sidorak couldn't finish as a green streak charged into him, being strong enough to knock the heavily shielded warrior back. Sidorak tumbled away as the crowd started to slightly boo as Ozma faced the tyrant.

"Well, well, well, Ozma... Such a shame you and your kingdom had to be so stubborn. I could've provided food, medicine, and shelter. But instead, you spit in my face." Sidorak said as he and Ozma collided in battle.

Ozma would dodge a high majority of Sidorak's attacks and he would land a good considerable amount of his own. It would be good if Sidorak's magical shield wasn't a thousand percent stronger than it should naturally be. Sidorak laughed as he aimed his hand at Ozma and blasted a red bolt of energy at him, sending him skidding back.

"You may have an unbreakable barrier! But you forget that my magic is strong too!" Ozma yelled as the two went back to fighting.

"Yes, true. But what good is your aura if I can still break through it after a few good hits?" Sidorak said as he slashed his flaming blade.

Ozma caught the blade with his staff and he struggled against the king's strength, trying to keep the burning blade away from his face.

"Besides, me and my people would rather DIE than to EVER live under your ruthless subjugation!" Ozric yelled as Sidorak's burning blade almost cut through his staff.

"Blackout!"

But before it could, Aqua jumped in and released a wave of black and blue energy that hit Sidorak, who stumbled back.

"Wh-What?! I can't see!" The tyrant frantically yelled.

As Ozma picked himself back up, he saw Sidorak was completely vulnerable with his red gem fully exposed.

"NOW! DO IT NOW!" Aqua yelled.

Ozma realized what Aqua meant as he charged forward and stabbed his staff into the edge of the stone and used it to pry it off. Sidorak screamed as the red gem was finally popped out of its original place and it plopped to the ground as Sidorak stumbled back, grasping at his chest. The Blackout spell wore off as Sidorak fell to his knees and collapsed on the ground.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Fight and Away Ends)

The crowd looked on in complete shock and surprise as they saw their king defeated. Only a few seconds later, the citizens started to cheer for the gladiators. Ozma and Aqua glanced at each other as the crowd continued to cheer. Sidorak slowly got back on his knees and stood back up to face the gladiators who've beaten him, looking at all of them with fury.

"We beat you. Now release everyone you've imprisoned!" Ozma ordered as King Sidorak's hateful glare intensified.

But it then changed as Sidorak started to lightly chuckle under his breath, staring at the group in front of him.

"What's so funny?" Aqua asked warily.

"Hehehe... You all cheated! You tore my precious gem out from my chest! You were supposed to beat me fairly! And now for that... You will all die!" Sidorak said as he looked over at the imperial guards who walked over and aimed their spears, firing beams of energy.

Aqua stepped in front of Ozma and conjured a barrier. "Reflega!"

That's when the crowd started to see the falseness and insincerity in their king's words as they started booing at him. But Sidorak didn't care as he was determined to kill them all for humiliating him like that in the ring. Only the beams were not breaking through the barrier and instead were reflected back at Sidorak himself. The humiliated king had no time to react as the magic from his own guards hit him, causing him to scream in pain.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The magic scorched his armor, being a combination of elemental magic such as fire and lightning and it burned his entire body from head to toe with his right arm being burned off in the process. The guards ceased their attack, watching in shock and horror as their king staggered back, howling in agony from his wounds.

Aqua lowered the barrier and dismissed her armor, staring solemnly at the disfigured king. "Your heart has been corrupted and this was the result."

Ozma picked up the red gem before Sidorak could grab it, leaving the mad king to stagger and fall back. "You might want to find a healer and quick."

That was when Sidorak's three generals, having regained consciousness, appeared around him and grabbed him before they shot off into the air.

Aqua looked over to Ozma as she asked. "Aren't you going to go after him?"

"No, not yet at least. With what happened to his empire today and his public support hitting a major low... He won't be that much of a problem for me of any of the other kingdoms, tribes or villages." Ozma answered with a small smile. "I owe you a great debt for your assistance today, Aqua. If there is anything I can do to repay you, just ask."

Aqua had a thoughtful look on her face. "…There might be something you can do."

Xxx

"You are looking for the Gods?"

Later on, in the middle of the stadium where the spectator seat were all empty and the slaves had been liberated, all of them thanking Ozma and Aqua for freeing them. The two were now standing in the empty coliseum with Ozma listening to Aqua explain her quest.

Aqua nodded. "I am having trouble, returning to my home and I think I might need help from the Gods themselves."

"There are other ways to get home." Ozma pointed out.

"…Not for me." Aqua looked away.

Ozma raised an eyebrow but chose not to prod. "Very well. I will help regardless. I know where you can find the God of Light. He would be the best for you to consult. The God of Darkness is wrathful and dangerous, not one you would wish to see."

Aqua shrugged at that, having no desire to meet the God of Darkness due to her late encounters with beings from the Darkness. "All right. Can you show me?"

"Better. I'll take you there." Ozma floated off the ground. "It's a long journey but I believe we can make it. Can you fly?"

Aqua activated her armor and summoned her glider that hovered off the ground, giving a nod to Ozma who looked on in fascination. The hero then held his scepter above his head and took off into the air, followed by Aqua, leaving behind the coliseum and the ruined empire that would soon be swallowed by the passage of time. The hero led Aqua through the clouds and down below she could see the island she had previously been on disappear and they approached a rather large landmass.

"The God of Light lives on the far side of the eastern lands." Ozma spoke as they flew over the land. "I have visited it once before…To plead to the God of Light to revive my parents."

Aqua looked at Ozma. "You parents?"

"They passed when I was young and I had hoped the God of Light would revive them when I plead to him. He refused and told me about the balance between life and death." Ozma explained forlornly. "I eventually understood and accepted it once I understood they would be waiting for me when my time came."

Aqua was silent as she considered this, wondering if her master Eraqus along with her friends would be waiting for her when her time came. The trip was mostly silent as they came upon a dragon shaped land and Ozma flew down, landing in a grassy field, followed by Aqua who dismissed her armor and glider.

"He's up ahead. I can go no further." Ozma said, turning away. "I wish you luck, Aqua and I thank you again."

Aqua watched as Ozma walked away before turning in the direction Ozma had pointed and followed the path that lead to a beautiful scenery with golden flowers and stairs leading down to a pure and clean looking spring and in the center was an immense tree with dark gold leaves. Aqua was stunned by the sheer beauty of it before focusing on her task and walked down the stairs to the spring, stopping as the golden leaves began to stir. From the water emerged a tall, muscular golden being with antlers, whose presence conveyed warmth and wisdom. Aqua watched as he approached her, standing tall and still and letting the being observe her.

After her encounter with Hades, who himself was a god, Aqua had learned to stay on guard around such beings. She had been friends with Hercules who was demi-god who told her about his father and how he was a benevolent deity who also happened to the brother of Hades and Ozma mentioned that that God of Light was the older brother of the God of Darkness.

She would need to be careful here.

"Who are you?" The God of Light asked, approaching her.

Chapter Text

The Land of Darkness

After his humiliating defeat, Sidorak, or what was left of him was taken a secret hut on the edge of the island he had now formerly ruled and his generals called in the best healers they could find.

It was not looking good.

The magic that had scorched his body had also interrupted the pathways to channel his magic, leaving him powerless along with the loss of an arm and he had to be wrapped head to toe in bandages. He could barely move and needed assistance in just eating to stay alive. Without his gem that enhanced his magical powers he couldn't heal from the wounds that had been inflicted upon him.

Ozma…And the blue haired woman that had been with him.

Sidorak's form surged with hate underneath the bandages wrapped around his body. How he loathed them for what they had done to him. How he longed for revenge but without some sort of miracle from the Gods…

"Th…The…Gods…"

"My lord." Mikoto stood over him, being one of the few remaining loyal allies he had left.

"The Gods…take me…to the Gods…" Sidorak rasped under the bandages covering his face. "They can heal me…"

"Such a trip could take days, my lord." Guan pointed out. "And the God of Light will not likely aid you in revenge against Ozma."

"Then take me…To the God of Darkness…" Sidorak ordered. "I seek revenge…I seek the power to kill them…He might be willing…"

The generals shared a look at actually going to visit the God of Darkness in his domain, which no one dared try for fear of the Dark Lord and the abominations he had created.

But Sidorak was dying and they had sworn an oath to follow him.

"Mikoto, you are the most skilled in transportation magic." Cu said to his female counterpart. "You might be the only one who can get him to the Land of Darkness in time."

"He might die if I do." Mikoto pointed out.

"He'll die if we do nothing."

He had a point there and Mikoto knew it. With a sigh, Mikoto took out her swords and they glowed white as she slashed the air, creating a white and blue vortex. Transportation magic allowed for one to create a portal leading from one point to another, depending on the person knowing the location and Mikoto had long since studied all the lands and locations to make her Sidorak's most trusted lieutenant in creating a pathway to places where they could raid and pillage kingdoms and villages but she had never opened a pathway to the dragon shaped continent where the dark one lived. With the portal now opened, Guan picked up the paralyzed body of Sidorak and stepped through the portal, followed by Cu and Mikoto.

On the other side was what could only be described as…Hell.

The land was barren, dark and completely devoid of life save for the dark monsters that roamed it. Glowing red eyes stared at them as they descended down a staircase with purple crystals being the only source of light an even then it was a dark and corrupting light. The three stopped in front of a large pool and kneeled.

From the pool came a twisted and distorted figure, the shape of a man yet glowing a dark purple light that seemed with the horns of a ram. It walked along the pool on all fours like a crab, its head hanging upside down in a twisted angle that was disturbing enough to make them all step back except for Sidorak who remained lying on the ground. Its limbs were all twisted in an unnatural manner yet slowly realigned themselves as the being approached and stood up, its neck twisting back into its normal manner.

"What is this? Does my sight deceive me or do mortals truly enter my domain?" The God of Darkness asked with suspicion in his voice.

"Great…God…I am Sidorak." Sidorak spoke, his eyes straining to catch the God in the corner of his vision. "I come before thee to plead for help in my time of great need….I have been wounded beyond the help of mortal magic…I seek thy help so that I may live…and gain revenge on the ones who did this to me."

The God of Darkness stepped forward, standing over Sidorak. "And why come to me? Why not seek my brother?"

"I need power…I plead with thee for the power to destroy my enemies…Your brother would not give it to me…For he is Light, giver of life. I seek to take it." Sidorak reasoned before coughing badly. "Please…Great One. There is nothing left for me now beyond the mere chance for revenge."

The God of Darkness stared…and then his head back and laughed. "So true. My brother may be capable of destruction but is afraid of it, unlike I. I have never been visited by such a human before."

The God of Darkness was truly pleased, to see a human come to him instead of his brother when nearly all of humanity sought the God of Light for aid. Could he now be gaining the followers he had jealously wanted?

To be worshiped and loved like his brother?

"Please…I beg thee…We are your humble servants." Sidorak said as his three generals knelt and bowed. "Grant us the power to seek revenge and we shall serve you and only you."

The God of Darkness was very pleased. "Have your generals rise and let your faith in me reward you."

Sidorak was engulfed in a purple light as he was lifted off the ground and held above the dark pool. "What are you-"

"May you be reborn now." The God of Darkness said before dropping Sidorak into the pool that had spawned his favorite creations.

The Generals all let out screams as their master fell into the pool with a loud splash. The God of Darkness then held out a hand, casting another dark purple light inside the pool and something red glowed underneath the surface.

"From this day forward, the mortal known as Sidorak is no more. Now, you are the harbinger of darkness, my first true follower." The God of Darkness said as something began to rise up. "You seek power to destroy your enemies? Then you shall have it as my Dark Herald."

The generals of Sidorak were beyond terrified as something covered in completely in the dark water and dripping, emerged from the dark unholy waters. The form twisted and shifted as dark crystals sprouted from the body, forming into purple crystalline armor around the shoulders with a black cape with a purple interior forming from the back. A hood with an armored mouth guard covered where the face would be with only twin purple glowing eyes being seen. The dark being was over seven feet tall now, the remains of the black essence and crystals forming into ancient robes with crystalline armor and purple glowing patterns.

It had a belt with a skull around its waist, a purple glowing jewel on its hood and four bony protrusions sticking out of its back.

"Behold the Dark Herald or perhaps you would prefer a name." The God of Darkness offered. "Sidorak was the name of your former self but we can do better now. Do you have a name of which to call yourself?"

The dark herald formerly known as Sidorak let out a hoarse and raspy voice. "You may call me…Surtr, your bringer of darkness and destruction."

The God of Darkness chuckled. "Surtr…I like it. A fine name."

"How may I repay you?" The new being now known as Surtr asked, bowing to the dark lord.

"There is nothing you have that can repay me but I do wish to see what you will do with this power." The God of Darkness chuckled.

Surtr's glowing eyes gave the impression he was smiling under his mouth guard. "I know of a few things to try with this new power."

Surtr turned to Sidorak's generals, all of them too terrified to flee as their former master held out his hand.

"But first, let's get you three properly prepared for what is to come." Surtr said, a dark and purple essence emerging from his hand.

The Land of Darkness was filled with screams that echoed into the eternal night.

"Who are you?"

Three simple words, coming from the mouth of a deity who had supposedly created the world around her.

Aqua supposed it was not the strangest thing she had ever seen. "My name is Aqua. I come here, seeking help."

"You are human but you are not like the ones here, that my brother and I made. You have magic, but unlike the magic that my brother gave them." The God of Light leaned forward. "Who are you?"

"…I-Like I said, my name is Aqua." Aqua repeated, feeling that she might end up going in circles with this being. "And I need help."

The God of Light tilted his head. "You are not of the experiment but you seek aid. What is this power, I sense in you?"

It was hard to tell if he was actually paying attention to her. "I was told I could find help from you by an acquaintance of yours: Drasil."

"Drasil?"

"I guess you would recognize her by her full name: Yggdrasil." Aqua clarified. "You know her, don't you? She said she was made to be the source of magic on this planet or at least in the Ever After."

"…" The God of Light seemingly froze and 'stared' at Aqua who felt like she had said something wrong. "You have been there?"

"Yes." Aqua slowly nodded.

The God of Light was silent before speaking again. "What do you know of that place?"

Aqua stared at the tree for a moment in stunned and confused silence before looking back at the deity. "I don't know much…Only that Drasil sent me to you, just as she sent to me to the others. Jinn, Ambrosius, Nimue and Janus."

"Who?"

Aqua was starting to become confused and she had to struggle to keep herself from getting frustrated. "…I guess that I have a story to tell."

Taking a deep breath, Aqua summoned her Keyblade and presented it to the God of Light. "I am Aqua, Keyblade Master. I come from another world and I arrived by accident..."

After parting ways with Aqua, Ozma decided to return home to the kingdom of Midgard he hailed from for some much needed rest. Defeating Sidorak was a tall order and even with an ally, it was hard work and he was content to just return home and rest for a while.

However it seemed the Gods were not done with him yet.

A whooshing sound was caught by his ears and he looked up, seeing multiple scrolls flying through the air with one landing in his hands. Opening it, he found it to be a message, a plea for help from a girl who was locked in a tower by a cruel monster who wanted to keep her there forever.

The Girl In the Tower…

Ozma had heard rumors a young woman, pleading for help against the man who had locked her there…

The Mad King…

He had also heard rumors of this Mad King, who would abuse his own followers, beat them, torture them, burn them and so much more.

It was even rumored some would commit suicide out of fear of him.

And apparently, the girl who was being kept prisoner was his own daughter who he had imprisoned and abused much like his servants.

Ozma clenched the note in his hands. His own sense of justice made him infuriated at the thought of a man raising a hand to his own flesh and blood. After having been raised by a strong father who taught him magic and a wise mother who instilled her own sense of justice into him, Ozma found himself more than motivated to find this woman and save her and he had an idea where.

The Crimson Keep.

Ozma immediately took off; ready for whatever would await him there.

"And that is how I ended up here." Aqua finished her tale to the God of Light who had been listening patiently.

"You come from another world, outside of ours." The God of Light said, almost sounding mystified. "And your weapon?"

Aqua held up her Keyblade. "This is called the Keyblade. It's a weapon only a select few are capable of wielding. Our duty as Keyblade Wielders is to protect the worlds from the Darkness, making sure they are consumed."

"Darkness?"

"Well, basically all living beings have a Heart which acts as the emotional core and it is made of Light and Darkness. While capable of feeling emotions such happiness and love or anger and sadness, these emotions can feed the two sides of the Heart. When negative emotions feed the Heart, it causes the Darkness to grow and to fill that Heart, especially when one feels emotions like hatred, jealousy and rage." Aqua explained. "My master said once that happens, the Heart becomes filled with Darkness and transforms into creatures called the Dwellers in the Dark."

Aqua hadn't seen the Dwellers in the Dark yet but she knew they existed in the Realm of Darkness and had read up on stories about them in the temple library.

"Dwellers in the Dark…And the people of this world, my brother and I, are capable of being corrupted like what you say?" The God asked.

Aqua wasn't sure where this was going but nodded. "Any Heart can be corrupted."

The God of Light looked at her Keyblade next. "And how does your Keyblade counter this Darkness? Is it a weapon of light?"

Aqua looked down at her master's Keyblade which was now hers. "Not exactly. The Keyblade is meant to be…balance. The balance between Light and Darkness as one side will always exist along the other but we fight to keep those two sides in balance."

"Balance…" The God of Light echoed softly. "May I ask where this power comes from?"

Aqua wasn't sure how much she was supposed to be telling this being given the rules of the World Order but given that she needed help she relented and told the story she had been told. "When I was little, my master told me a story about how all the worlds were once one and the people were happy under the light of Kingdom Hearts which is said to be the Heart of all that lives. But then, darkness crept in the people's hearts and they began fighting over control of the light and control of its physical counterpart: the X-blade."

She looked at her Keyblade and held it up for the deity to see. "The X-blade, that starts with the letter 'X' by the way, was the physical manifestation of Kingdom Hearts. People fought over it, learning how to forge Keyblades from their own hearts, thus beginning a war that ended in the X-blade being shattered and when it did, Kingdom Hearts fell into darkness, never to be seen again." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "When that happened, the World was engulfed by darkness but a miracle came when the light of children kept it alive and thus was split apart into many different worlds, forming a new system where all worlds would be kept apart from each other, never to know of their existence. The survivors of the war that caused this vowed to never abuse their powers again and used their power to protect the new world from further destruction."

The God of Light was silent and Aqua wasn't sure if he actually believed her considering he had no facial expression for her to say what he might be thinking. "The World was once one…An amazing tale. And you being here from outside the experiment with magic not like what has been given to our creation, I sense no deception from you."

"I assure you, it's all true." Aqua dismissed her Keyblade and knelt down. "I came here, seeking help from you. I have no way to return to my world and help my friend. Please, I ask for help in returning."

The God of Light considered Aqua's request. "I do not know this world you come from but perhaps you can help me find it for you so that you might return."

Aqua stared at the shining deity. "How so?"

"If one can find their way to this world, one find their way out. I must first consult with my brother about what I have learned." The God of Light raised his hand, allowing small stones to rise up and create a path to the tree. "For now, you can be considered a guest in my domain."

Aqua watched as small plants rose up around the tree and began bearing fruit very fast.

"Rest for now, young warrior." The God of Light began to disappear in a shower of sparkling light. "You have earned it."

Aqua sighed as she walked to the other side, taking a spot under a tree and helping herself to some of the fruit that had been offered. She stared up at the clouds and slowly closed her eyes, falling into a deep slumber.

"GAH!"

Dodging a giant sword that was being swung by an enchanted armor, Ozma then ran up to the sword and swung his scepter, as the gem glowed brightly, and released a blast of magic that knocked the armor's 'head' off. It collapsed and Ozma landed perfectly on the ground, watching as more armored guards came out to challenge him. They all released magical attacks of their own as Ozma slammed his scepter into the ground and created a green glowing barrier that blocked all of their attacks. Once the barrage had ended, Ozma lowered the barrier and green lightning bolts shot out from the gem of the scepter, hitting each guard.

With the guards down, Ozma proceeded forward, running up the stairs to the top of the tower where the person he had come to rescue was waiting.

He opened the door at the top of the stairs and there she was.

She was beautiful.

Her skin was fair, her eyes blue as the sky unlike Aqua's whose eyes matched the ocean and strands of her blond hair fell over her shoulder while the rest was tied back in a bun. She wore a two piece dress consisting of a sleeveless, diagonally overlapping white backless pleated top with a raised pale blue halter top square shaped collar adorned with an aquamarine colored rhombus-shaped crystal on the clavicle surrounded by two smaller white rhombuses. Her feet were covered by a long, white, high-waisted skirt with a purple tint adorned with white diamond emblems and white wavy lines near the bottom hem, ruffled around the waist and complete with a purple sash. She wore grey earrings, a pair of dull brown bracers and a thin leather strap that held the same crystal over the sash.

In addition to her accessories her fingernails were painted pale lilac, showing she was of noble birth. When she saw him standing at her door she smiled in pure relief and gratitude. So much she rushed over and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you." She whispered into his ear.

Ozma smiled at her. "Don't thank me yet. We still have to go."

Nodding, the woman allowed Ozma to take her hand, to which she noticed how gentle he held her hand, as he led her down the stairs. Unfortunately, more guards waiting for them and they lashed out with magic, forcing Ozma to let go of her hand and hold his scepter in front of them, creating a barrier to protect them.

As soon as they stopped, Ozma lowered the barrier…

And a red magical blast flew past his head and knocked them all down. He looked over his shoulder, staring in surprise at the woman, seeing the remnants of magic circling his hand.

This was…unexpected.

As more guards appeared, they fought alongside each other, blasting away the guards as they made their way into the throne room.

"How dare you?!"

Which was where the Mad King was waiting.

"You dare trespass in my castle, strike down my guards and abscond with my daughter?!" He roared, his eyes glowing with power, rage and madness. "Salem, return to your room now!"

The woman glared back. "No!"

His eyes widened in absolute shock. "…What?"

"I said no! I will return to that tower! I will not be caged again!" The woman named Salem yelled. "I want to be free!"

"How…DARE YOU?! YOU INGRATEFUL WENCH!" The Mad King yelled, insanity creeping in his voice while his eyes blazed with hate. "AFTER EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

"You have done nothing for me! You locked me away in a cage, imprisoned me, abused me, never caring about what I wished!" Salem shouted.

"I AM KING OF THIS LAND AND YOU ARE MINE! THIS CASTLE, ITS WALLS, ITS TREASURES AND ITS PEOPLE BELONG TO ME!" The King roared. "I WILL DRAG YOU BACK TO YOUR ROOM AFTER I KILL THIS FOOL!"

Ozma glared as he stepped forward. "Enough. You call yourself a father but treat your daughter as property instead of your child."

"I will not be spoken to this way. You die now!" The Mad King yelled and lashed out with his magic.

Ozma raised his scepter, unleashing his own magic that clashed with the King's. What came next was a battle of magic between the Mad King and the Great Hero that ended with the Mad King be blasted to bits, his reign of terror ended.

Ozma and Salem fled the castle, its subjects in disarray due to the death of its king.

Once they were far enough away, they looked at each other and smiled.

"What do we do now?" The girl named Salem asked.

"Whatever you want." Ozma answered.

"Surely this mortal is lying, Brother."

"I sensed no lie from her and felt the great power in her. It was greater than any of the magic our creations wield and how can she know of the place we were made from?"

The God of Darkness was of course skeptical of this claim of a woman from another world, from a place called the Realm of Light and wielded a power of something that was said to be the Heart of all worlds.

As if that would matter to the Brothers.

"I could see it, Brother. She is not of the experiment. She knew things about us that no one should know and what we would possibly do."

"These spirits you created…Why would you create them? Humanity already wields Knowledge, Creation, Destruction and Choice. What use would these spirits be for?"

"I do not know but perhaps…Yggdrasil is a new creation of the Tree." The God of Light mused.

"We were banished from there and it only attends to what happens in the Ever After. It can do nothing more."

"It brought her here to us." The God of Light replied, remembering Aqua's words. "Perhaps the experiment has grown beyond what we expected."

"And what do we do about her? She comes from outside the experiment as you said. She could contaminate and ruin it." The God of Darkness cautioned.

"She has no wish to intervene as she is bound to keep the existence of other worlds secret. She only told me because we are capable of traveling to other worlds." The light brother pointed out. "She came to me for aid in searching for a way to return."

"And will you grant it?" He asked, annoyed that this mortal from another world sought his brother instead of him for help.

"I came to speak with you first how we might handle this. A chance to interact with other worlds may allow the experiment to grow in ways we have never considered before. To see what else can exist beyond what we have made."

"You wish to see these other worlds?" The God of Darkness sounded interested now. "And then what?"

"Nothing at the moment. We could observe the worlds, watch them and see what we can offer and what they can offer." The light deity explained. "And a chance to see how our creations might interact with the creations of other beings like us. She has spoken of gods like us, a world where many exist and even have children with their humans."

"Gods bearing children with mortal?" The God of Darkness almost sounded disgusted. "Why lower and debase themselves like when we can easily create with a mere wave of our hand. Even less effort."

"It is different, Brother but not to be feared or hated. Perhaps it is an experiment of their own. She spoke of knowing a son of the ruling God who is king of other Gods in their world and even faced a God of Death." The light deity recalled Aqua's tale. "She spoke to me with nothing but truth and I could sense the great power in her."

"That could make her a threat to us." The God of Darkness growled. "Perhaps we should eliminate her."

"She is a guest in my land for now and I will not allow anyone, even you to harm her." The God of Light warned.

The God of Darkness seemed to glare at his brother. "…Then will you consider testing the validity of her claim?"

"How?"

"Through a disciple I have recently gained."

Chapter Text

The Realm In-Between

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The castle and the surrounding villages were burning.

Monsters of darkness roared as they attacked without warning and without mercy.

And they were being led by and what could only be a monster in the shape of a man, directing and leading the attack. The castle was the first of many alongside the land of Midgard and once the land was conquered he would take his armies east to dominate the kingdoms there. Surtr, formerly known as Sidorak stood in front of the burning castle, still and silent for moment before slamming his hand into the ground. Purple crystals sprouted up from the ground, traveling to the burning castle, piercing its burning walls and in a matter of moments, the burning castle was replaced by a dark tower made of dark purple crystal that was shaped and molded to its creator's liking.

Surtr rose up, hovering above the ground for second and then flew up to the top of the dark tower. Then with a mere gesture of his hand, the tower and the ground surrounding it was lifted up from the ground and into the sky. Creatures of darkness, given to him by their master and creator flew around the tower as it was lifted up into the sky, flocking to the one their creator had blessed.

"From here I will see all." Surtr said, turning around and walked up to a crystal shaped throne for him to sit on. "All will kneel before me and I shall take my revenge on those who nearly destroyed me."

That foolish hero Ozma…

And the woman with the key shaped weapon.

From here, he would gloriously conquer the rest of the world and no one would stand in his way.

Except maybe the God of Light but as long as he avoided the light deity's domain he would be safe and he would not interfere.

He had the God of Darkness backing him now so he need not fear any mortals and their powers.

And he would show them why they should fear him.

"Go forth and conquer." He ordered the surrounding beasts and they immediately set out to do so. "Do not stop until every corner of this land has felt the touch of what is to come from Surtr the Destroyer!"

He sat on his thrown and watched as the beasts flew off and the ones on the ground took off to do what they were meant to do: destroy everything.

She remembered tasting that fruit and then…

She fell into a deep sleep.

So deep she felt like she was literally falling.

And she was.

She landed in the darkness but a second there was burst of light followed white doves flying up and around her as the light spread out and revealed a platform with a glass mural that she was standing in the center of.

The mural was of her, holding her Keyblade and her eyes closed serenely, seemingly lying down against the circular edge of the platform with pictures of Terra, Ven, Donald and Goofy hanging above her.

This was…

"Inside my heart?" She wondered aloud.

She hadn't been here since she had taken the Dive Within test and awakened her potential as a Keyblade Wielder.

But why was she back?

A speck of light caught her attention and Aqua watched as several spheres of multi-colored light appeared above her.

Red

Yellow

Black with a purple outline

White

Green

A second shade of yellow

Pink

These orbs of light circles around above her and then shot off all directions, forming into their own platforms that surrounded hers.

"Those lights…" Aqua's eyes widened. "They all representations of hearts…bonding with mine…But why?"

Why would someone's heart bond with hers when…

'That's right. My master said that hearts measure time differently. But then, whose hearts would bond with mine when I have barely met anyone here.' Aqua thought. 'And so many of them too…Can they help me?'

Looking around, Aqua decided to see what she could learn and jumped off the mural representing her and landed on the nearest one which happened to be made by one of the red lights.

The platform had a red and black colored mural with a rose theme and a little girl with black and red hair with pale skin and wore black with red outlines and a long red cape. When Aqua landed on the platform she froze as she heard a voice.

"…ail-…"

'Who is that?' She asked, trying to find the source.

"We failed. All we wanted to do was the right thing…And we still failed." The voice of a broken girl echoed around the platform and Aqua could just feel how heartbroken this person was.

It was as if their heart had been shattered.

"Hello, can you hear me?" She called out but received no answer.

Was she all alone here or was she actually hearing the thoughts of these lost hearts?

She looked to a platform that was yellow and hopped over to it. On the mural was a young woman with long blond hair and lilac eyes. She was kneeling on all fours and above her were four pictures. One was of the girl in red from the first mural, the second was a woman who resembled the girl, the third was a blond haired man with blue eyes and tanned skin and the other was of a woman who looked like her, only with black hair and red eyes.

Aqua stopped when she heard another voice. "…ould-help…I couldn't help them…Here I am, trying to be all strong so no one would worry about me…But I was lying, even when I was accusing others of it I was lying to them and to myself and now look where we are."

It sounded as heartbroken as the first one.

Aqua was beginning to sense a pattern as she hopped onto another platform, this one a white haired girl dressed primarily in white. She looked like she was sleeping with a saddened face and above her were four smaller pictures like the first two.

A man with white hair and moustache with a contemptuous look on his face.

A woman who looked the girl with similar hair and eyes that looked sullen.

A girl who looked to be few years older than the girl with similar hair but curiously had black eyebrows.

And a boy with white and blue eyes like the rest with a smile on his face.

And like before, Aqua heard a voice.

"Pointless…All I wanted was to redeem my family's honor…Now I have no family. No honor. I should be beyond upset but all I feel is…empty." Her voice didn't sound as heartbroken as the others.

It just sounded empty like she had said.

Aqua hopped onto the next platform, this one of a young woman with black hair, yellow eyes and curiously black cat like ears sticking up at the top of her head. Above her were four pictures.

A muscular man with black hair and a beard with matching eyes.

A woman with short black hair and matching cat like ears.

A young man with red hair and bull like horns sticking of his head with a white mask with red markings over his eyes.

And a blond haired boy with a cocky smile.

"I was supposed to show that we were more than animals…Look at me…I ran so much I became invisible...I kept my feelings hidden away until I thought I was better…But it was never better, just another façade I put up to hide." This voice was muffled and seemed to shrink in volume until it was gone.

Then to the next platform and curiously this one had no one person but several. In the center was a boy with dark skin, brunette hair and hazel eyes with several men behind him, all their faces obscured with the boy seemingly crying into his hands. Unlike the other murals, this one didn't have any pictures at the top.

"I tried to redeem them…I tried to protect them…From the monster I helped make…I failed and here is my punishment…Never to rest, floating in an infinite void with those that remain as broken as I am."

The voice that spoke didn't sound like one person, but possibly hundreds of them, all of them speaking in tandem for some odd reason.

Shaking it off, Aqua arrived onto the next platform, depicting a boy in armor, kneeling with a broken sword in his hands, his eyes closed with a look of absolute sorrow on it. Above him were four pictures like before.

One was of a woman with long red hair tied back in a ponytail with a tiara around her forehead and green eyes. She had a sad smile on her face.

The next was a black haired young man with an expression of serenity.

The third was a girl with short orange hair and aqua colored eyes.

And the fourth was the white girl whose family seemed to have a theme going on with the color white.

"All I wanted to do was be a hero like my parents and their parents…What an idiot I was. They didn't want me to do that because I didn't understand the price of all that. I had my head up in the clouds and they gave up trying to bring me back down…Or rather I didn't want them to. Now they're gone, my sisters are gone…and what's left of her is gone."

This one sounded as empty as the white haired woman.

The final one, a platform depicting woman with duel colored hair, brown on one side and pink on the other, dressed in similar colors with white added into the mix.

Unlike the other murals, this one only had one picture above the person.

It was a man with orange hair that covered his left eye and he wore a bowler hat over it.

She could barely hear the voice of this one that came out as a whisper. "I had one thing…They took it away from me…A single light, a single friend to call my own…I wanted something of my own that didn't come from…And I wanted to make those who took him away from me pay…and now I can't even be with him in death."

All of this sadness.

All of this sorrow.

Why was she feeling all of this?

Why her?

Why are they connecting to her?

Where they special in some way to her?

Would she meet them soon?

Or perhaps she was going to join them, wherever they are…

'….AQUA!'

Aqua shook her head at the sound of Ven and Terra's voices and held a determined look on her face. "No!"

The entire platform seemed to shake.

"I cannot give up!" Aqua said, holding a hand over her heart. "I don't know how, but I will find a way back to my friends! Even it takes the rest of my life or over a thousand years I WILL FIND A WAY BACK AND SAVE MY FRIENDS!"

A light appeared from her chest, representing her heart and it seemed to resonate with that of the surrounding platforms as they began to break.

"You all feel as if you lost everything, like there is no way back." Aqua brought a hand to her chest. "I know this feeling too. I know it because I feel the same despair as you…But I know in my heart that it's not going to be my end."

She spread her arms out as the light from her heart shined even brighter.

"If you feel you can't go on, like you don't have the strength…Then take my strength!" She shouted, the light shining even brighter. "Take my hope and use it!"

The platforms all shattered and the lights from before returned, coming around Aqua as she floated up in the dark void and slowly she grasped each of them, holding them to her chest.

'If I can't save the hearts I connect with…How can I save the hearts of my friends?' Aqua thought as she closed her eyes and the light created by her heart engulfed them.

"Gah!" A little girl shot up in her bed, clutching her chest as she panted.

"Ruby?"

She looked over at the door, seeing a blond haired girl that was a few years older than her, holding her chest as well.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

The little girl nodded slowly. "I had…a dream…I think…"

The older girl nodded. "Me too."

She walked over and hugged the smaller girl, both of them feeling strange.

Far away, a little girl with white hair and blue eyes gasped as she awoke, startled by something.

It wasn't a dream but it sure felt like that.

"Weiss?" She looked to the door and saw her older sister enter and come over to the bed. "Are you all right?"

"I…I don't know…" The little girl answered.

The elder girl placed a hand on her forehead. "You seem fine. Perhaps a bad dream."

"Y-yeah." The girl nodded. "A bad dream."

The elder sister smiled as tucked the girl back in. "It's all right. Dreams can't hurt us. Now try and get some sleep."

"Okay." She lied back down and closed her eyes but opened them again, seeing her sister heading to the door. "Winter?"

The girl stopped at the door. "Yes?"

"Can you stay with me?"

The girl paused but nodded with a smile. "Of course."

She walked back over and lied down next to her sister, both of them falling asleep a moment later with the girl named Weiss placing her hands over her chest.

"Ah!"

In another location, another little girl shot up in bed with a startled cry, curling up in a ball with her hands over her chest.

"Blake?"

Not even a second had passed and her parents were at the door, coming into their daughter's room.

"Are you okay?" Her mother sat down next to her. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"I…I don't know…" She answered, feeling her father hugging her which she quickly returned.

"It was possibly a dream you can't remember." Her father said with a kind smile. "It can't hurt you now that you are awake."

She felt warm and safe in her father's arms as they took her back to their room.

She slept peacefully through the rest of the night.

"Ah!"

This time, the person that woke up suddenly was a boy, not a girl.

"Jaune?"

But he was immediately surrounded by at least seven other girls, all of them looking very concerned.

It was going to be a long night with them fawning over him, making sure he wasn't sick or going to have any more bad dreams.

A gasping sound was heard as a man woke up, taking a few deep breaths as he tried to understand what had happened.

"I felt…something…familiar…" He touched a hand over his chest. "Something…from the past…"

He almost was certain that he had felt this power before.

'It's not her power otherwise I would likely be dead or dying in agony but something else.'

"Ah!"

Far away, another young boy shot up in bed, startled from his slumber by…something.

"Oscar?" His aunt was there, coming over to his bed and immediately checking him over. "Is something wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

"N-no Aunt Emma." The little boy answered, grasping his chest.

"Hmm…" The woman frowned but then smiled as she patted the boy on the head. "You are okay. Now try and get some sleep. No monsters can get you in your aunt's house."

"Yes, Aunt Emma." Oscar said with a grateful smile as he lied back down, trying to sleep.

He didn't know why but he placed a hand over his chest where his heart was, feeling better.

There was a sharp intake of breath as she shot up in her bed, looking around frantically for a second. Mama and Papa wouldn't come in the check up on her. They never did before.

The only person that did was…

She calmed down when her friend appeared in front of, looking concerned.

She then pointed at her chest, as if telling her what had woken her so suddenly.

She looked down at her chest, placing a hand over her heart and then looked at her best friend who smiled and nodded.

She then watched as her friend's eyes and hair turned blue for some odd reason.

She looked at her chest and then back at her friend…who just vanished and then looked at the door. Sadly, no one came to check up on her, make her feel better aside from her friend who was only there for a brief second.

She lied back down and placed a hand over her chest, wondering why she suddenly felt so different.

As she placed a hand over her chest where her heart was, she could just small bit of warmth.

"Aqua."

Her eyes opened slowly and she looked up, seeing the branches with the golden leaves above her. As consciousness and feeling returned to her she sat up and looked around, slowly remembering where she was.

She looked up to see the God of Light standing on the water in front of her.

"You are back." She slowly stood up and stretched her limbs, letting out a sigh as she did so.

"I am and I have spoken to my brother. Neither of us ever expected there to be an outsider for we never found worlds of life outside the one we have created." The God of Light replied.

Aqua looked at the God of Light, remaining silent so he could explain.

"My brother is skeptical of your claim and wishes to see your powers as proof." The deity continued.

"See my powers?" Aqua slowly asked. "I…I am not sure how that I can do that or why I should."

"A mortal has recently come to my brother, seeking the power to survive and to exact his revenge on the ones who had defeated him. I believe you know him. He was formerly known as Sidorak." The God of Light continued.

"Sidorak?" Aqua straightened up slightly. "I…I helped defeat him in combat with Ozma."

"And he was gravely wounded in that battle. So wounded his life was lingering on the edge when he was brought to my brother. My brother has had very few followers as almost all humanity fears him. The chance for an actual disciple was enough to convince him to save Sidorak's life as well as grant him power." The light deity continued. "And now he seeks revenge."

There was a rippled in the water and Aqua looked down, watching as her reflection changed to show images of monsters of darkness with red glowing eyes like Jinn had shown her before, being led by a dark figure in a tower made of purple crystals.

Aqua gasped when she saw the figure on the dark throne. "That's Sidorak?"

"That was formerly Sidorak. Now he is Surtr." The God of Light waved his hand and the image vanished, returning to Aqua's reflection. "My brother bathed him in the pool of destruction in my brother's land that mankind calls Ragnorak but kept him from dying, allowing the pools to recreate him into what he is now. He now goes forth to conquer the land of Midgard where Ozma lives and he believes he can find you there."

Aqua looked back up at the deity. "Can he be stopped?"

"He can be stopped but it will take many humans with strong magic to stop him." The God of Light nodded.

"And you want me to help stop him?" Aqua asked.

"This is the task I have for you." The light being answered. "Help defeat Surtr, prove your story and claims to be true and we will help you return to your world."

"Really?" Aqua asked, trying not to sound hopeful.

The God of Light raised his hands and from the surrounding pool came a rainbow pillar that rose up into the sky.

"Behold: The Pathway to the Heavens." The God of Light said before it vanished and a golden ornamental musical horn appeared in mid-air before Aqua. "I create this as a gift to you, Aqua. This musical instrument will create and open a door between worlds. Defeat Surtr and this is yours."

Aqua stared at the horn before sighing. "Is this the only way?"

"You have the option to refuse but we are wary of you and we seek to understand your intentions, not by word but by deed." The God of Light answered.

Aqua closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again with a look of determination. "All right, I'll do it. I'll fight Surtr."

She summoned her Keyblade and then her armor.

The God of Light stared before nodding.

Aqua didn't know it but the God of Darkness had been watching and had been interested in his brother's proposal to the outsider.

"A weapon meant to balance and protect worlds." He mused before having an idea. "It would only be right if I…balance the scales."

Holding out his hand, the God of Darkness conjured a dark fiery sword that burned the very ground it touched.

"I agree that the woman should be tested, brother. But I would want to make sure it is on equal grounds." The dark deity chuckled. "After all, we are committed to maintaining the balance of the rules we made."

Chapter Text

Ragnarok

"Welcome home."

Ozma's home was a simple cottage but it had a living room, two bedrooms with one being a guest bedroom along with kitchen that was fully stocked. It was located on the outskirts of Midgard, Ozma's kingdom in the western lands and a prominent one at that. Salem took a step inside and looked around, already feeling at home here than she ever did back in the tower.

"It's…It's…" Salem searched for the right word.

"Let me guess: You were expecting something a little more…extravagant from the youngest knight of Midgard." Ozma said, following her in.

"Oh no." Salem hastily shook her head. "The word I was looking for was…homely."

"Homely?" Ozma raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." She nodded with a sheepish smile. "I was never allowed out of my room in the tower and the only person to visit me aside from my father was my nanny. She was the only person there I had a positive relationship with when I was growing up. She was the one who taught me magic, how to read and write."

Salem made her into the living room, seeing the green carpet over the wooden floor with the blue colored furniture that all together showed a comfortable and warm looking home.

"All I was one window that would show the moon rising when it was night. My father told me my mother loved looking out and seeing the moon in the night sky when she was alive." She moved over to the window. "He made sure I would see the moon the same way, thinking it would show me the same beauty my mother saw. But for me…"

Her eyes glared hard through the window.

"I hated it. All it served to do was remind me of how much a prisoner I was. How little he loved me as his daughter and more as a possession, like all the gold he had hoarded." Salem said, her tone becoming venomous.

"Salem?" Ozma reached out and touched her shoulder.

The glare softened as she turned around, smiling now. "But it's all over now."

"Yes it is." Ozma smiled back.

They were leaned forward, seemingly about to kiss when a flash of light outside caught their attention. They looked outside and saw a great explosion in the distance.

"That was near here. Near the Emerald Castle." Ozma turned over to his scepter leaning against the wall. "King Arthus could be in danger."

Salem turned around, following Ozma to the door. "Wait, take me with you."

"I can't." Ozma stopped at the door. "Wait here for me. I'll return, I promise."

Salem could only watch in worry as Ozma took off into the sky. Ozma flew through the air, heading towards the Emerald Castle, seeing the explosions growing closer to the castle and landed in front of the main gate.

The approaching monsters were Grimm, made by the God of Darkness.

The king's top five knights were already assembled and him being the sixth made all Six Knights of the Emerald Castle.

"About time you got here, Oz. Wouldn't be much if the Emerald Castle didn't have its Emerald Knight."

The person who spoke was a young woman with dark hair that was pulled into a bun, light tanned skin and wore a similar outfit to Ozma only her cape was blue and she carried a single hilt with a blue gem embedded in it.

Ozma smiled, seeing there was no annoyance in her silver eyes. "Glad to see you as well, Arta. And it would be an equal loss if there was no Sapphire Knight."

"Can we get a move on here?" A muscular man dressed similar armor to Ozma said but his cape was red. His weapon was a giant iron sledgehammer with red gem embedded in the hilt.

"Calm down Heracles. Such impatience is unbecoming of the Ruby Knight."

The man grunted. "And what you do think is better, Amethyst Knight Artemisia."

The woman in question had short purple hair and wore less armor than the rest, carrying bow with an amethyst gem but no arrow quiver on her back that was covered by a purple cloak.

"It certainly might be a challenge this time." A slim but muscular man dressed in armor with a multi-colored cape spoke. He was slightly older but retained a youthful vigor and carried a trident with an opal gem embedded in the hilt. "But no match for me, Thiseas."

And the final member, a broad shoulder man with blond hair and beard, carrying a doubled edged broad sword and a crown with a diamond embedded in it stepped forward. "That is enough. Prepare yourselves!"

"Right, you heard Lance!" Arta barked as the Grimm approached and her silver eyes flared.

In a flash of light, they were all turned to stone and crumbled to dust. Heracles stepped forward, swinging his sword onto the ground, releasing several blasts of flames that traveled through the ground and incinerated the Grimm that came after.

The woman named Artemisia stepped forward and aimed her bow at the oncoming horde, conjuring a bright glowing arrow that she placed her in bow, pulling it back and then letting loose. The arrow split into dozens of smaller arrows that hit their targets and vaporized the Grimm upon immediate contact.

Thiseas spun his trident in one hand as it glowed bright and then slammed into the ground, creating a massive tidal wave that slammed into the Grimm and washed them away.

Then Lance charged forward, his sword glowing as he cut through the Grimm that came for him, destroying them instantly.

And Ozma raised his scepter, releasing streams of green magical blasts that hit any surviving Grimm.

In a matter of minutes, the Knights of Midgard stood victorious against the Grimm Horde, putting out the fires and quickly getting any survivors to safety.

Then more Grimm appeared.

Just as the Knights were ready to do battle again the Grimm halted and stood still, snarling all the while.

Thiseas raised an eyebrow. "What is this? What are they doing?"

Ozma looked up and saw a giant Nevermore flying above them in the sky and on its back was something. The dark figure jumped off the Nevermore, landing perfectly in front of the Grimm as the Knights readied themselves. The newcomer wore dark robes and armor made of dark purple crystals as it stood up, holding a flaming sword with the blade made seemingly of the same purple crystals that formed its armor but was made even darker by the dark purple flames that glazed from the hilt.

"There you are…" It spoke in a cold and raspy voice. "Ozma."

Thiseas glanced at Ozma. "A friend of yours?"

"I have never seen him before." Ozma shook his head.

The dark being chuckled. "Oh right. When we last met I was a very different…person. Regardless, I now come to end your life and the lives of your precious kingdom for having destroyed mine."

"That will not happen." Ozma declared, glaring at the monster. "You appear to be another creation of the God of Darkness. His monsters are not welcome here."

"I am Sutr and I will do what I please." The monster said, spreading his arms out. "You do not consider this land part of the great one's domain. Fine. I will bring his land, Ragnarok to you!"

He raised his sword and unleased a stream of purple fire at Ozma who plunged his scepter into the ground, conjuring a green energy barrier to block the attack. Surtr ended his attack, watching as Ozma rose up with the jewel on his scepter still glowing.

Heracles and Thiseas charged at him, but two figures charged past him and collided with his would be attackers. Ozma's eyes widened when he recognized the attackers.

Generals Guan and Cu Chulainn, their weapons clashing against Heracles' sword and Thiseas' trident.

Only their skin was pale, black vein like markings were traveling up their arms and their eyes were completely black.

And if they were working for Surtr…

"Sidorak." Ozma looked at the new dark lord. "Is that you?"

"Sidorak is no more. There is only Surtr." The dark being snarled. "I am Midgard's doom and yours as well. All will burn."

"I don't think so." Ozma narrowed his eyes, readying to attack. "I stopped you as Sidorak and I'll stop you again, no matter what form you take."

Surtr chuckled as a third dark figure charged at him, this one being Mikoto with the same dark eyes, pale skin and dark markings as her comrades. Lance stepped in, getting between her Ozma and her swords clashed with his single double edged blade.

"What manner of creatures are these?" Lance looked at Ozma. "I thought you said you didn't know them."

"That was until I saw those three. They are generals who worked for Sidorak from the Crimson Kingdom that I ended. And I think Surtr is Sidorak after he paid to the God of Darkness." Ozma answered, looking at Surtr who remained stationary. "Is your hate of me so great you would give up your humanity to become a monster just for revenge?"

"I only live to see you die now, Ozma!" Surtr snapped, approaching the Emerald Knight. "I swore my very soul to the God of Darkness just for this moment! But I would wait an eternity to kill you, if only to make you suffer all the while!"

Artemisia aimed and fired an energy arrow that Surtr slashed at with his flaming sword, burning away the magic that sustained it.

"Fool! My sword, my Twilight was given to me by the God of Darkness himself!" Surtr boasted. "Such feeble magic cannot hurt me!"

Artemisia fired another arrow that split dozens of smaller arrows that flew straight at Surtr who slashed his way through them with his Twilight sword. Ozma fired a magical blast from his scepter that Surtr dodged and swung his blade, sending a fiery blast through the ground towards Ozma who leapt back.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

There was a flash of light from Arta and suddenly Surtr was on the ground, growling as his form was slightly smoking and he glared at her. "You…"

Her silver eyes glowed for a brief second as she glared at him. "You're still standing."

Surtr roared, pointing his Twilight sword at her that released a stream of purple fire that she quickly dodged. More Grimm arrived, surrounding the knights as they fought against Surtr and his generals while the dark lord himself fought against the silver eyed woman, releasing a blast of crimson magic at her, keeping her moving and stopping her from using her eyes against him again.

"Sidorak!"

Surtr spun around, blocking a strike from Ozma as he attacked from behind. "Sidorak is no more! I AM SURTR!"

He shoved Ozma back with enough strength to send him flying but the Emerald Knight managed to land on his feet. Ozma then fired a magical blast at Surtr, knocking the hood of his head and revealing his true 'face'.

He had a white skull mask with horns on the head like a crown with purple eyes glowing underneath the mask.

When he said he was no longer Sidorak he meant it in more ways than one.

It seemed he was no longer even human.

Surtr roared as the number of Grimm grew and swarmed the knights.

"SUFFER MY WARTH!" Surtr screamed as he charged at Ozma, his Twilight sword batting down against the knight's scepter as Ozma hastily tried to defend himself. "NOW DIE!"

He swung his blade down…

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Only for a series of multi-colored orbs to slam into him and blast him back. Ozma looked up and spied a familiar figure in blue armor land in front of him, holding the same key shaped weapon as before.

"Aqua…" He murmured.

Surtr was smoking as he rose up, seemingly injured from the attack but paid it no mind as he looked up and glared at the one who attacked him. "You…"

It was her!

The other knights had noticed her but were too busy fighting off the Grimm and the generals to comment on or even ask her identity.

As for Aqua, she kept her eyes on Surtr who raised his fiery sword. "Look upon me and see what I had to become to survive what you did to me."

Aqua remained silent, simply settling into a fighting stance.

"Now I will burn the skin of your body before I slowly torture you in every way imaginable!" Surtr declared, pointing his sword at Aqua and unleashing a blast of purple fire.

Meanwhile, the twin Gods were watching from the God of Light's domain.

"Brother, why did you give your follower that sword?" He asked, looking at his darker brother.

"Whatever do you mean?" The God of Darkness asked, feigning ignorance.

"Do not try to fool me, brother. I recognize the power in that sword." The God of Light pointed at the sword Surtr was wielding. "You enhanced his power even after you already changed him into what he is now."

"I was merely making sure the opposing sides are even, brother. She wields a weapon of great power, so should he." The God of Darkness explained. "The sword he calls Twilight is simply meant to be another conduit for magic."

"And your powers of destruction." The God of Light gave the impression he was frowning. "There was nothing that called offering him this much power."

"Yet you offered her that conduit for magic to travel to other worlds." Darkness pointed out.

"Only if she defeats your follower. Why place this much on the outcome of this? Like we have agreed, she is not of the experiment."

"Exactly so there's no need to scold me. Since she is not of our work, I am not breaking our rules." Darkness turned and watched the fight. "Let's see if she can back up her claims."

Light was silent now, turning his gaze back to the battle but had a feeling this was more than about testing Aqua.

He saw the crown on Surtr's head.

What had his brother done to the former human?

(Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Soundtrack Enter the Darkness Starts)

Surtr's attacks were strong and powerful and he proved to be agile and skilled as his sword clashed with Aqua's Keyblade.

Aqua jumped back and whispered under breath. "Scan."

A small magical spell meant to analyze her opponent's power and health that proved to be very handy. She could see that Surtr had been wounded from her earlier attack but her spell told her he was starting to recover. That was concerning but he was likely using a healing spell to recover and had to quickly strike him down. Surtr roared as he unleashed another blast of fire at her but she blocked with a barrier that protected her like Ozma's had for him.

During that time, Surtr charged forward and slashed his sword down on Aqua who cartwheeled to the side, dodging the strike that left a scorching crater in its wake. Surtr spun and channeled magic into his sword, firing beams of purple light at Aqua who started dodging as best as she could.

"Defend!" Aqua shouted, using Reflega to reflect Surtr's own attacks back at him.

Seeing he was stunned, Aqua rushed in and slashed at him with Keyblade and found that it was a benefit to stay close to Surtr, as his large size made it hard to shoot smaller targets underneath him. Surtr switched to melee attacks upon seeing Aqua getting close to him. He tried to swat at the Keyblade Master with his sword. To avoid this attack, Aqua look carefully at his right arm, and when he moved it to the left side of his body, she moved out of the way.

Surtr snarled as he tried charging at Aqua but she teleported out of the way and appeared right behind him. This attack could have done massive damage to Aqua if she had been hit.

"Thunder!" She shouted, summoning several bolts of lightning that hit Surtr in the back.

She found that a good way to avoid Surtr's charge was to watch the warning signs beforehand. When he pulls both of his arms back, she was already prepared to dodge.

And just as he was about to charged, she used a Mine Square spell that was placed directly in his path.

BOOM!

"GAH!" Surtr stumbled back, dazed by the hit.

Oddly enough and rather concerning, his health was not lowering as much as it should from all those attacks. He had felt them, she knew that but he was still moving and fighting rather strong.

What was going on?

Surtr spun and prepared to fire another magical barrage at her when a green energy blast hit him in the face, making him scream.

There!

Aqua's Scan spell told her he had suffered significant damage when he had been hit in the face.

Or rather, his mask.

Ozma landed next to her, pointing his scepter at the monster. "It seems the Gods have brought us back together to face the same evil as before."

"You could say that." Aqua nodded. "His face mask is his weakness."

"How do you know that?" Ozma asked, keeping his eye on Surtr as he stood up and growled at them.

"Just trust me." Was all Aqua said.

Surtr roared as Grimm surrounded them, forcing them fight against the incoming horde while Surtr tried attacking them, blasting them back with purple energy blasts. They managed to block several shots but were hit all the same.

"You think you can beat me?! I have been blessed with the power of the God of Darkness!" Surtr roared. "I am no longer human. I cannot die until I fulfill my destiny as the destroyer and lay waste to your homes!"

Aqua grunted as she stood up. "Is that all you desire now? Mindless destruction?"

"It's all I have left because of you. I am this world's doom!" Surtr declared.

The God of Light looked at the God of Darkness who just waved off the 'stare'. "He is just rambling, brother. Of course I would not allow him to destroy our world."

Light said nothing back, simply continuing to watch the fight.

"Wrong, you could have had more even back before you chose to conquer and pillage. You could have thrived in a land where the people respected you instead of fearing you. Instead, they feared and detested you and look what you have done to those who remained loyal to you." Aqua said, pointing the generals who continued fighting. "You forced that darkness into their bodies, poisoning their minds, souls and hearts until there was nothing left. They're just mindless husks now."

"And thus, they will serve me even in death!" Surtr growled, purple flames engulfing his body. "All that matter is the power I now possess because I was brave enough to do what others won't. I sought the God of Darkness simply because I was smart enough to admit I craved destroying my enemies to rule this world."

"Power alone is not enough. Without the support of those around you, it's just a simply candle waiting to burn out. Spreading the fire just burns away what it needs to live." Aqua stepped forward. "You'll be left alone in a dead world, no servants, no slaves, nothing but your lonesome self."

"SILENCE!" Surtr roared. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF POWER?!"

"I know that the power I have didn't come from me…" Aqua closed her eyes and held up her Keyblade. "My friends…My friends are my power!"

She was engulfed in a bright light that was blinding to the Grimm, Surtr and even his dead generals, all of them shrinking back.

"That light…" Surtr raised his hands to block the light from blinding him.

The God of Light perked up, seeing the strange light surrounding Aqua. "…Beautiful."

The God of Darkness could only stare in silent frustration.

Aqua's Wayfinder was glowing underneath her armor as she approached Surtr, the power of all the bonds she had made filling her with strength. She shot forward, her speed and power growing as she attacked Surtr, striking his body even harder than before and the light injuring him even without hitting the mask. Surtr tried hitting her with his sword, but her movements were faster and she immediately counter-attacked even when Surtr managed to hit her and even then when he was about to land a hit on her, she teleported out of the way. As she attacked she showed surprising magical abilities such as conjuring fireworks that blinded and burned Surtr, creating a twister of flowers that actually managed to hurt the dark lord or summoned seven colored gems that hit Surtr, causing even more damage.

Surtr was screaming and attacking wildly now but no matter what he tried, Aqua was able to dodge or teleport out of the way, acting on pure instinct at this point. She fired a sphere that hit him and he found himself immobilized. He ordered the Grimm to attack and stop her but Aqua simply spun and summoned a vortex that devoured any Grimm that tried to attack her and produced homing projectiles that shot out and hit any stragglers. Aqua then preformed a series of teleporting slashes and ended with thrusting her Keyblade into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked Surtr down.

Surtr growled, pointing his sword and trying to hit her with a magical blast but Aqua simply pointed and fired a beam that hit him in the chest, shattering his armor. He screamed as he crawled back with smoke rising from his chest now. She pointed up and summoned a…giant pineapple that fell on top of him, squishing him badly.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Soundtrack Enter the Darkness Ends)

Aqua watched as the pineapple vanished, leaving a broken and defeated Surtr who was groaning in pain from the damage he had suffered.

He stared up at her, fear replacing hate in his eyes now. "What…are…you?"

Aqua's armor vanished, showing her face as she stared expressionlessly at her. "My name is Master Aqua."

Surtr grunted as he struggled to get up. "It's not over…The God of Darkness charged me…I will never stop until I carry out my revenge…As he had promised."

Aqua pointed her Keyblade at him. "That will never happen."

From the tip of her Keyblade came a beam of light that hit Surtr directly in the forehead and passed through his head. The darkness erupted from his body and disappeared as the light grew brighter.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Surtr screamed as there was a flash of light that engulfed everyone nearby.

When they could see again, all that was left of Surtr was his face-mask/crown.

There was silence at first…

"Well, that was new."

Aqua turned around, facing Arta who was giving her a grateful smile. "I don't think I've ever met anyone who could wield magic as great as yours. Not even Ozma."

Said Emerald Knight chuckled as he stepped forward. "Well, I never claimed to be the best. Everyone, this is Aqua. A friend I made who helped me take down Sidorak before he became Surtr."

"Aqua huh?" Arta looked at the Master who looked a winded and a little shy now. "I think the king will want to meet you."

"She is victorious." The God of Light said, the image of Aqua's victory along with her greeting Ozma and his fellow knights fading from the pool of life. "She defeated him even with the power you gave him."

The God of Darkness looked most unhappy about that. "We should destroy her now. Her power represents a threat to us!"

"No. I gave my word and I shall honor it." Light refused. "We should see where this new development takes us."

The God of Darkness remained silent before blasting his way out of the Domain of Light.

Chapter Text

Salem

The God of Darkness was in foul mood when he returned to his dwelling. His mood was sensed by his creations who whimpered but he paid them no mind.

His only follower had been defeated in battle by the outsider known as Aqua.

The power she had displayed against Surtr, his only follower, had been astounding and troubling. It didn't help she was greatly attuned to light that only made his brother more interested in her. In fact, his brother had told him that she had fought alongside a demi-god against another God on one of those so-called worlds she had visited.

A god of death.

Whether it was true or not, that woman's power defeated a follower he had empowered himself and that was a stain on his pride.

If not for his brother protecting her he would have obliterated her but with his brother protecting her he needed to find a way to skirt around the issue.

"Surtr, you were my first follower." The God of Darkness said as he spread his arms, holding up his hands and conjured a bright flame. "I remade your body, bound your soul to the crown as a mortal cannot survive my pool of annihilation and that is where this comes in. Without the darkness of the pools to sustain you, your spirit is bound to your crown, utterly useless without something to restore your power."

The God of Darkness was not ready to give up on the only human who came to him, pleading for life and power. He had been defeated by an interloper of all things which humiliated him a great deal and he would not take this lying down. If he could not take action against her, he would summon back his follower who would become more powerful than ever.

"A sword of fire, a crown of soul and a torch of life. My brother may bask in the power of creation but he does not control it." The God of Darkness said, staring at the flame. "And the trials of this so-called Keyblade Wielder are not over."

He was not done by a long shot.

"You say she could expand the experiment in ways we have not considered before. Perhaps that is true, but not likely in the way you consider. Her power challenges ours and thus we should be made to create that which can challenge it." The God of Darkness stared at the flame that was held in a torch. "And I believe I understand the best way how."

If a weapon of magic made her so powerful then perhaps took weapons of a similar nature to challenge her.

He raised his hands and conjured three more weapons.

"A sword of fire…" Twilight blazed with fire as the handle became gold.

A golden scythe appeared next.

"A scythe of quakes…"

A golden fan was next.

"A fan of gusts…"

And lastly a spear with a pointed icy end.

"And a spear of blizzards."

The God of Darkness starred at the enchanted weapon and summoned forth his children that gathered around him. "Take the fire to Surtr's crown. And seek out those worthy of these gifts."

Beowolves took the Twilight Sword and the three new weapons into their mouths mouth while a Sea Serpent swallowed Flame. They then ran off to follow their creator's orders.

"Now we see how you handle this, Keyblade Master." The God of Darkness said as he walked into his dark pool and sank beneath the black surface. "I am eager to see what you will do."

"I think the king will want to meet you."

That was what had been said in the wake of Surtr's defeat and Aqua could only agree, not wanting to appear rude even though she expected the God of Light to answer for his challenge being completed soon. Right now, everyone was working on repairing the damage that Surtr had inflicted upon the kingdom, using their magic to rebuild burnt houses and heal the wounded.

"Heal." Aqua decided to help in the efforts, using her magic to heal those who had been hurt badly and her magic was greatly appreciated.

Her Cura spell could not regrow limbs but it could heal those who were heavily injured by the sword or fire in the aftermath, including broken bones and her help was greatly appreciated by those she had healed.

"Aqua."

She turned around to see Ozma approaching. "Yes?"

"A many great thanks to you for your help." The Emerald Knight started with a smile. "As you know, the king wants to meet you for helping saving his kingdom. You've been offered a room up in the castle, meant for dignitaries visiting from other kingdoms."

"Oh, that's hardly necessary." Aqua said, surprised by such an offer.

"Possibly but well earned." Ozma replied with a smile. "Come; let me show you to your room."

"Ozma!"

Both turned around, watching as a blond haired young woman approached them with an anxious look on her face.

"Salem?" Ozma asked, looking surprised. "Why are you here? I asked you to remain home where it was safe."

"I heard the danger was over but grew anxious when you did not return." Salem answered, stopping to look at Aqua and moved a little closer to Ozma. "…Who is she?"

Aqua raised an eyebrow, seeing the woman named Salem was looking her with a somewhat nervous but critical glance.

"This is Aqua, a friend." Ozma said, seemingly not paying attention as he made the introduction with a smile. "She helped defeat Lord Sidorak and just now defeated the monster that attacked this kingdom."

"Hello." Aqua slightly bowed her head in greeting and smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"…Likewise." Salem answered back with a soft smile. "You are one of Ozma's friends."

"A new one but yeah, I do consider him a friend." Aqua answered honestly.

"Aqua has been given an invitation to the castle by the king in light of her services today. I was just about to escort her there." Ozma continued.

"Oh…I see." Salem said, looking slightly deflated.

Ozma looked confused but smiled all the same. "You are welcome to join us."

Salem instantly brightened up. "Yes, thank you!"

Aqua remained silent, seeing a looking from Salem at the corner of her eyes. She wasn't sure what to make of it, only that she could sense how apprehensive this woman seemed to be around her. She wasn't sure if it was something she said or did but remained silent, allowing Ozma to lead them through the castle gates. A grassy field with a stony path lied on the other side of the gate, leading straight up to the castle.

"The Emerald Castle is the capital of the kingdom of Midgard. The surrounding castles are named Diamond, Amethyst, Amber, Ruby, Opal and Sapphire and each has a knight to protect them bestowed with title representing the color." Ozma explained as they approached the green colored castle that seemed to glow. "Only the strongest of knights, the ones that completed their apprenticeships in the magical arts are granted these titles."

"And you completed yours while you are so young." Salem said with a smile.

"Well, I had good teachers." Ozma said bashfully as the bridge was lowered, allowing them to enter the castle.

Inside was a grand hall, people moving about but stopping to give them a glance or two for a second.

"So where is the king?" Aqua asked.

"Probably addressing the fallout from Surtr's attack in the throne room. We probably shouldn't disturb him yet." Ozma answered. "Here, let me show you the room they've offered."

Aqua followed Ozma up a flight of stairs and down a stone hallway, stopping at a door and opening it. It was a rather luxurious room and not what Aqua was expecting.

For one thing, it was quite spacious with a blue carpet leading up to a canopy style queen sized bed with matching colored sheets and a headboard. There was a bookshelf and a dresser with a large mirror and in one corner of the room was a full kitchen. On both sides of the bed were night stands and room was excellently furnished with a bowel of fresh fruit on a table.

Thought she had been taught not be one for material wealth, Aqua was impressed.

"This is a guest room?" She looked at Ozma.

"Well like I said, this is for emissaries visiting from other kingdoms." Ozma answered with a smile. "I hope it is to your liking."

"It's more than I expected." Aqua admitted as she took a few steps while looking around the room. "When does the king want to meet me?"

"Preferably when he is not busy. Tonight perhaps, likely during dinner." Ozma answered. "A servant should be along to tell you but if you don't want to sit around waiting, I'd be happy to show you around."

Aqua shrugged. "Might as well. Thank you."

Salem remained silent the whole time, observing Aqua as she followed Ozma out of the room and quickly followed them out. "So Aqua, would you mind telling me where you are from?"

Aqua supposed she should have been expecting that. "I come from…overseas."

"Overseas? As in you are not from the mainland." Salem inquired.

"Yes, that's it." Aqua nodded. "I met Ozma on the island Sidorak was controlling and came here."

Salem seemed to accept that answer. "And you came all the way here."

Aqua wasn't sure where this line of questioning was going. "I came here…looking for some friends of mine. They journeyed out and far and I need to find them."

As they talked, Ozma led them out into a courtyard with a beautiful garden and with several servants tending to the flowers.

"I came here, looking for them." Aqua finished.

Salem said nothing else after that but Aqua could feel the woman's eyes glancing at her every few seconds.

What was this woman's problem?

As Aqua was getting herself situated in the Emerald Castle, the God of Light was at work.

He had agreed to help her upon defeating Surtr and he would honor his word.

She was from another world and thus he would create a way to open and travel to other worlds.

Before him appeared the horn he had presented to Aqua before she left to fulfil his request.

"The Horn of Passage." The God of Light held up the horn. "Capable of creating a bridge across worlds."

Now onto the next gift to bestow.

He turned to his tree and though it pained him to do so he would keep his word. He took out a piece of the tree's roots but thankfully the root grew back instantly. The God of Light then placed the single root into his pool of life. He then held out his arms and imbued the single root with his magic, watching as it from a single tree root and into an elegant wooden sail boat that floated up from the water and into the air. Golden ornamental markings appeared along the hull of the boat and a golden sale appeared in the center.

"The Horn of Passage with the Sail of the Heavens." The God of Light said grandly. "With these, one could travel to all worlds and beyond."

It was a masterpiece to behold, one that he had not considered making until now.

Until he had met that one woman.

The woman who came from outside the experiment.

The one who wielded a great power and supposedly faced down other gods like himself and his brother.

Other gods…

He and his brother, before they came two had searched for other beings like themselves but found no one in a vast and empty universe. To end the loneliness they split their power and became two, both convinced they were the original but only felt complete when they were together.

Aqua said that the Hearts of all living beings was made of light and darkness and she protected the balance between the two.

Perhaps that is why they only feel complete around each other.

His light and his brother's darkness come from the same heart and thus it would be natural for them to feel a pull towards each other, even though they have their differences.

Aqua seemed respectful and said she was not to interfere in the development of this world. The God of Light was able to hear her sincerity in her words and sensed the light around her as she faced his brother's follower Surtr. No doubt his brother was on guard, wary of this newcomer and felt she was dangerous to them and their world.

His brother had always saw humanity as playthings and continued to create Grimm even though he had agreed not to. Seeing their ability to rise above in the face of adversity had always interested him and that was why he liked to send his creations out to attack them and their kingdoms. That was why when some came to the God of Light, begging for help he gave them a secret weapon to use against his brother's creation.

He gave them his eyes.

He heard the saying: 'the eyes are the window into the soul' that had been said and found it interesting to say the least. His eyes brought forth light that eradicated the darkness of his brother's creations and it gave him the idea to give those that had come to him for help those same eyes.

"Come before my fountain." The God of Light said grandly to the band of humans who come to him in their time of need. "Take the waters of life in yours hands and taste the salvation it offers."

The humans knelt down and scooped up the water of his pool into their hands and drank it. There was gasps in the air as their eyes glowed, their colors changing to become…

The color of pure light.

Their eyes, silver now in appearance as they looked at each other and noticing the difference.

"These eyes you now have are my eyes." The God of Light stated. "With them, you will become not only protectors of your people and homes but protectors of life itself. Life is precious and therefore must be protected. Your desire to protect life will fuel the light inside you for preservation is the extension of creation and is also the enemy of destruction."

The God of Light remembers those who carry his light fondly and now he has met someone who carries a light in them that is not from him but similar in nature.

A kin of sorts.

So much so he wanted to see what would come of Aqua's stay here.

Salem could not help but keep an eye on Aqua the entire time Ozma was giving them a tour of the Emerald Castle.

Call it jealousy or paranoia but there was something about Aqua she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Was it because she was beautiful, perhaps even more beautiful than her and happened to be a new friend of Ozma's…like her?

Was it because she was not only as skilled in magic as Ozma was but even younger?

Salem was no slouch in magic herself. Her father had her nanny school her quite thoroughly in the arts of magic and due to being locked in that tower all the time, she had nothing better to do than practice. She had even made use of it by helping Ozma against her father's knights and her father himself when they tried to stop them from escaping.

Aqua certainly did not have the upbringing of a fair maiden like herself but she walked with the confidence and grace of one, even if she didn't mean it.

Just what is it about her that had Salem so on edge?

They ended the tour by stopping at the kitchen and Ozma was kind enough to order lunch for the three of them.

"Sorry the tour was so long. I'm afraid when you are royalty you are expected to have a very big castle." Ozma said with a smile as he sat down.

"It's all right. I've been in several castles by now and they're all the same. Big and either very intimidating or very grand." Aqua said, taking a seat while Salem sat next to Ozma.

"Really? Can you tell us about some of them?" Salem could not help but ask.

Aqua thought it over before nodding carefully. "Well, the first castle I found was called the Castle of Dreams. It was home to a prince whose father was throwing a ball to attract all the women in the kingdom to see if he could find someone to fall in love with."

"Ah, that old routine." Ozma chuckled. "That's been done around here too. Did he find anyone?"

"He did…A rather poor woman who had a string of bad luck. She had an awful stepmother and two step-sisters who treated her like a servant. One of the reasons they treated her so bad was because they were jealous she was more beautiful than them and because her father was a rich man which she was the proper heiress to. They did all they could to keep her as a servant, mistreating her and taking her family's home for themselves." Aqua started, recalling her time spent with Cinderella. "Luckily she had help and some friends, me included who helped her not only get into the ball but she quickly attracted the prince's eye. Her stepmother and sisters didn't take too kindly to that and tried to get rid of her by summoning a monster…However the monster couldn't be controlled because it was formed by the darkness in their hearts which overtook them."

"A sad fate." Ozma shook his head. "Some people never think of the consequences of their actions or think outside of their own selfishness."

"Indeed." Salem nodded, feeling a sudden kinship to this woman Aqua spoke of. "And she married the prince?"

"That's what it looked like when I was leaving." Aqua said with a smile. "My next stop was to the Enchanted Dominion, where both of my friends had stopped at. As it turned out, the entire kingdom had been put to sleep because of their princess who had been placed under a curse."

"A curse?" Ozma frowned. "It is frowned upon here to place curses on a person. What was it?"

"The curse was made on the day she was born. She would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a death like sleep." Aqua recounted. "The name of the person who cursed her was Maleficent."

"Maleficent…" Ozma slowly repeated. "Sounds like someone was going for a rather intimidating name."

"Trust me, she was." Aqua nodded. "Maleficent was already known and feared throughout the Enchanted Dominion when I got there and she even tried taking me and my friends prisoner. The only way to break the curse on the princess was for someone to give her a kiss of true love."

"A kiss of true love?" Salem perked up. "Sounds like one of many fairy tales I have read."

"Well, in a world filled with magic you can think this might be an age of fairy tales." Aqua said with a nervous smile that made Ozma chuckle. "Anyways, the princess was taken and hidden away from the castle where Maleficent wouldn't find her and raised in secret with the hopes the fate of what been cursed on her would be avoided. In that time, she met a young man who turned out to be a prince from a neighboring kingdom and was on his way to meet the princess on her sixteenth birthday, even though they didn't know who they were at the time. Talk about meeting of destiny, huh?"

"I have been told destiny works in mysterious ways." Ozma said, enjoying this story.

"Well, on the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Maleficent struck. She got the princess to stick her finger on a spindle and even captured the prince, planning to hold him captive for the next one hundred years before releasing him and allowing him to go to the castle and deliver true love's kiss to the sleeping princess." Aqua said, frowning as she remembered Maleficent's cruelty. "You could probably imagine what the reaction would have been."

"How awful." Salem covered her mouth, absolutely stunned by what Aqua was implying. "Keep a man trapped for one hundred years, just so she could force the princess to awake to see what her love had become."

Ozma himself looked disgusted. "Only a truly evil being would stoop to such depravity."

"Trust me; Maleficent was that and much more." Aqua said as food was being brought out. "As it turns out, the whole reason she had even cursed the princess in the first place was because she wasn't invited to the celebration of the princess' birth."

"That's it?" Both Ozma and Salem gasped with Ozma continuing. "She did it because she wasn't invited?"

"Yeah." Aqua nodded as a plate full crabs and salad was placed in front of her along with a cup filled with water.

She had always enjoyed sea food, must be because of her name, and was particularly happy to hear from Ozma they served such food here in this castle.

"How despicable." Salem muttered as her own lunch placed in front of her which was mere salad.

"I think 'malevolent' was what she was going for. Hence the name." Aqua tried making a small joke.

"A befitting one then." Ozma said as a plate of chicken was placed in front of him. "What has become of her?"

"We defeated her in battle but she survived. Knowing her, she is probably skulking off and licking her wounds." Aqua said, taking a piece of celery with a fork before taking a bite out of it. "Let's see…the third castle was in a place called the Dwarf Woodlands."

"The Dwarf Woodlands?" Salem asked.

"Yep. Here there was a queen who was vain and shallow, wanting to be the most beautiful woman in the entire kingdom. She even consulted a magical mirror she had that was capable of answering any question asked of it." Aqua continued. "The mirror told her that her beauty was overshadowed by her step daughter and she did not take it well. Actually, one of my friends met her while they were on the quest to find…someone and she told them she would help if they came back with her step daughter's heart."

"Her heart?!" Ozma and Salem were again stunned.

"Yep." Aqua nodded, though she wasn't sure if the Queen wanted Snow White's real heart or the Heart that was her emotional core.

Truth be told, she didn't care to find out which one the Queen wanted.

"Just because her stepdaughter was considered more pretty than her." Salem shook her head. "Such vanity and arrogance."

"Well she was that. The stepdaughter fled to a cottage that was home to seven men, all of them small and considered dwarves because of that. They all agreed to protect her from the Queen but she used dark magic to try and kill her when neither my friend nor the Queen's servants would kill her. She may have been the Queen but she wasn't exactly…liked." Aqua tried recalling as best as she could even though she hadn't exactly been there and only showed up in the aftermath.

"I can see why." Ozma frowned. "To have such a petty reason to kill family…"

"I doubt the Queen ever saw her step-daughter as family. She likely only married into the family to become queen in the first place." Aqua shook her head.

"I can relate on such a subject." Salem stated with a saddened face. "My own father married my mother after saving her life, becoming a king with a castle and all the wealth he could ever want. But my mother died giving birth to me and he wasn't exactly pleased that I was born a girl and not a boy. He locked me up in the tallest tower in his castle, treating me as more of a possession than a daughter."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Aqua said with a sympathetic face. "The day a person stops treating family as the most precious gift is only when their hearts are truly poisoned."

"Yes." Salem agreed but then looked to Ozma with a smile. "Luckily Ozma came and rescued me. He defeated my father and his guards and set me free."

"It was the right thing to do." Ozma said simply, smiling back at Salem.

Aqua looked back and forth between the two and had a serious sense of deja-vu. "So, you two are…"

"Oh!" Both blushed and chuckled nervously.

"Well," Ozma rubbed the back of his head and would have answered…If not for descending into a sudden coughing fit.

"Ozma!" Both Salem and Aqua got to their feet as Ozma fell to the ground, coughing and seemingly choking on something.

He let out another cough and spat out something red onto the floor.

It was blood.

"Ozma!" Salem screamed as she fell to his side, cradling his head.

Aqua summoned her Keyblade and pointed it at Ozma. "Heal!"

A green light was cast over Ozma and his coughing fit slowly subsided. He let out a deep sigh of relief as he tried sitting up.

"Thank you…." He gasped, looking gratefully at Aqua.

"Don't thank me yet." Aqua stood up and looked around. "We need a healer in here!"

Chapter Text

Daybreak Town

Ozma was taken away by the castle's healers and taken to the healing room with Aqua and Salem following closely behind. Ozma was placed on a bed as a woman in white robes approached and ran a glowing hand over chest, frowning when she stopped at the chest and sighed.

"I was afraid of this." She closed her eyes, focusing on the chest area. "There is an illness within him that is striking at his ability to breath."

Salem gasped, covering her mouth while Aqua just stared silently.

The woman looked at Aqua. "Your healing spell temporarily cured his ailment but it's only a temporary solution."

Aqua sighed but nodded in agreement. The Cure spell could heal broken bones, burn marks, low stamina and various injuries but it was also only a quick fix for Keyblade Wielders, allowing them to continue fighting in battles against dangerous opponents but it was a quick fix.

Sicknesses were a lot different.

For starters, Cura could heal but if it was an illness it wouldn't be of much help since to cure a disease one would have to kill it.

"There must be a cure." Salem said desperately.

"There is no known sure. We have tried every known elixir but nothing we have has ever worked." The healer sighed. "At best I can only give him about three days before the disease finishes its work."

Salem's eyes widened and her breath was still while Aqua only stared in saddened silence, looking at Ozma was he rested on the bed.

How sad.

She wished she could do something but she had done all she could. Despite her skills in magic, she didn't have any skills as a healer or a doctor and thus she could save Ozma.

"There has to be a way!" Salem begged the healer who shook her head.

"I'm afraid I've done all I can. I will arrange for Sir Ozma to be taken back to his home. He can be allowed to have his final rest there." The healer turned away, moving to check on another patient.

Salem fell to her knees at Ozma's bed. "No, it can't end like this. Why? I love him. Why would the Gods allow this to happen?"

Aqua remained silent, unable to offer words of comfort to Salem.

"Lord Khan!"

A man panted as he ran the grand throne room that was Spartan in appearance, the throne being a chair with pointed ends on the side. On the throne sat a muscular man, who wore no top but armor covered his left shoulder with a spiked strap holding a tattered robe to his back while he wore red pants with a black belt that had a golden skull and brown combat boots. His head was shaved and he had a long beard that was braided and he wore spiked gauntlets over his arms with bandages wrapped around the upper arms.

"What is it?" He asked as the messenger stopped and panted, his voice deep and menacing.

"A strange weapon has appeared in the ground outside your kingdom. It caused cracks to appear for miles." The messenger said, hastily bowing.

The man named Kahn stood up from his throne, brandishing a large Zweihander. "Is that so?"

He strolled out of his castle with no fear and had no escorts.

Why would he need escorts?

He was Kahn the Conqueror.

He had risen up, defeating many foes and claiming the western lands as his kingdom.

He traveled outside his kingdom and stopped when he saw the so-called weapon, surrounded by several his soldiers.

A golden scythe with ornamental decorations was embedded in the ground, emitting a powerful aura that felt divine.

Perhaps a blessing from the Gods.

Kahn stepped forward and grasped the golden scythe, gasping as he felt the power wash over him and with it came a voice.

'You have been chosen because you are worthy to be blessed with this power. The power over earth.' The God of Darkness whispered. 'Take this power and use it as you see fit but in exchange you must track down and defeat one person.'

In Kahn's mind, the image of a beautiful woman with blue hair and eyes appeared.

'Defeat her and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.'

Kahn held up the scythe and let out a loud roar. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Empress!"

A servant rushed in but knelt and bowed to his ruler who sat on her throne made out pillows and was guarded by soldiers on each side. The Empress wore a purple dress with golden sequins sewn into the hemmings. Her black hair was in a bun and she wore light make up on her face. Around her neck were two pearl necklaces, golden earrings to match the golden crown on her head.

"Something strange has happened."

The woman stood up slowly, walking forward with calm but calculated resolve. "What has happened?"

"A golden fan has appeared outside and it's-" The servant started but was cut off as said golden fan flew into the throne room.

The Empress raised her hand, conjuring a barrier to protect herself but the fan stopped right in front of her. The guards slowly approached the fan, waiting to see if it would do something but the fan just hovered there.

One reached out to grab it and was blasted away by a gust of wind that sent him crashing into the wall. "AAH!"

The Empress stared at the fan, not keeping her eyes off it for fear something would happen if she lowered her guard.

"Empress, should we-"

"No." The Empress held up her hand, cutting her guard off. "There is something about this fan…"

It was golden with azure colored ornamental drawings on it and an aura surrounded it that felt…divine.

She reached out and touched the fan, gasping as she felt the power.

'Empress Shen. You have been chosen because you are worthy to be blessed with this power. The power over wind.' The God of Darkness whispered. 'Take this power and use it as you see fit but in exchange you must track down and defeat one person.'

In Empress Shen's mind, the image of a beautiful woman with blue hair and eyes appeared.

'Defeat her and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.'

Empress Shen opened her eyes, holding up the fan as she opened it and made a whipping motion with it.

A gust of wind blasted out, knocking down all of the guards in the room.

"Send the word out. I want to know where I may find a woman with blue hair and eyes who wields a key shaped weapon." She ordered her subjects as they hastily stood up. "Do not stand there! GO!"

Her servants rushed to carry out their Empress' orders.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

In a throne room with royal purple curtains with golden intricate symbols sewn into then, man looked up from his dinner, looking a little annoyed at his feast being interrupted. The man wore royal attire which included a purple robe with white fur on the edges and a crown. His hair and beard were grey and he was rather fat looking which stood even more due to being surrounded by food and drinks.

"What is it?" He asked, taking a bite of chicken.

The messenger hastily bowed. "A strange magical spear has landed outside the castle. It's freezing the ground and creating snow."

The Fat King looked up from his meal at that. "What?"

"It is true, my king. In fact the staff emits a powerful aura…It feels like it was made by the Gods." The messenger elaborated.

"Have it brought to me." The Fat King ordered.

"We tried, sire. But the spear froze anyone who tried to touch it." The messenger said a cold gust flew into the room. "AH!"

The King stood up as snow and ice crept slowly into his throne room and through the gust, came the spear that the messenger spoke of. The King watched as the spear floated towards him, emitting a powerful aura that was captivating as it stopped right in front of him. He stared for a second before he slowly reached out and touched it…

He let out a gasp as he felt the power of the spear wash over him.

"King Charlemagne. You have been chosen because you are worthy to be blessed with this power. The power over ice.' The God of Darkness whispered. 'Take this power and use it as you see fit but in exchange you must track down and defeat one person.'

In King Charlemagne's mind, the image of a beautiful woman with blue hair and eyes appeared.

'Defeat her and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.'

King Charlemagne opened his eyes and banged the spear on the ground, causing ice to slowly form and spread but then it quickly melted, returning his throne room to its previous state.

"Send word out to all my troops. Tell them to look for a woman with blue hair and blue eyes and have her brought to me!" He ordered, the divine aura from the spear now circling him. "I want her found immediately!"

"So there is no cure."

Ozma was sitting up on the bed, breathing better now thanks to Aqua's Cura spell but it was a temporary fix at best.

"I won't rest until one is found." Salem said, sitting next to the bed.

Aqua hung back, preferring to give them their space. Salem was desperate to find a way to keep Ozma alive while Ozma himself seemed resigned. Already gifts from the other knights along with many people Ozma knew and saved were arriving to the castle.

Everything from flowers to special elixirs that they say should help.

"Lady Aqua?"

Aqua turned to the door, seeing a man dressed in armor waiting for her. "Yes?"

"The king would like to meet with you now." The knight said, gesturing for her to follow.

As Aqua approached the door, she paused as she saw Salem walking with her. "Salem?"

"I want to speak with the king about finding a cure." The blond woman answered.

Aqua said nothing, simply allowing Salem to follow her while she followed the armored knight who led them into a grand hall. It was strangely empty aside from a single throne behind a curtain. Steeling herself, Aqua took a deep breath and exhaled before slowly approaching the throne.

"Presenting…" The curtains parted. "King Artura!"

Aqua and Salem just stared at the 'King' who was smiling at them…

"Hello there." Arta greeted, wearing a blue battle dress with silver armor. "Glad to finally and formally meet you, Aqua."

Needless to say both Aqua and Salem were stunned.

Arta, or rather Artura tilted her head. "Something on my face?"

"So you took the title 'king' to hide your identity amongst the kingdoms?" Aqua questioned, slowly trying to piece it all together while sitting before Arta.

"To protect the heir to the throne, the king or queen is assigned two names: one for a boy and the other for a girl. That is to better protect them from potential kidnappers from an enemy kingdom or greedy criminals in general." Arta explained as a tray full of cookies and tea were placed on the table. "I was trained to be a knight to better hide my identity while usually a double would handle any tasks that required me to step outside and be seen by everyone. As a knight I am Arta, the Sapphire Knight of Midgard and as king my male name is Arthur while my true name is Artura."

This took a moment for Aqua and Salem to think over before accepting the explanation. For Salem, she understood that a child of royalty would need protection; having been subject to a more extreme 'method' of protection from her father while Aqua simply understood that it was done to better protect Arta from any potential enemies.

"Now then, I understand Ozma has fallen ill." Artura said with a sympathetic look.

"He has. The healers say there is no cure for what he has." Aqua answered.

"Unfortunately they are right." Artura nodded. "There are some things magic can heal but not everything."

"There has to be a way." Salem spoke up. "Surely a cure must be out there somewhere."

"I understand you wish to save Ozma. He is my most trusted knight but I cannot conjure a miracle cure in such a short amount of time." Artura said sadly.

Aqua took a moment to think. "Maybe we can't…but perhaps we know someone who can."

Both women looked at her and Aqua immediately clarified. "What about seeing the God of Light and asking him for a cure?"

Artura looked like she was considering the idea while Salem was hopeful. "It could work…People have approached him for centuries and he has always answered their prayers."

"So he could cure Ozma?" Salem asked hopefully.

"If I go and ask him." Aqua said, wondering the God of Light had not appeared to give her a way home like he had promised for defeating Surtr.

"Will you make the journey, Aqua?" Artura asked.

Aqua nodded. "I have been to his dwelling before so I know the way."

Salem looked at her with a surprised look but was hopeful she would succeed as Aqua stood up, finishing her tea. "You believe you can save him?"

"I won't know unless I try." Aqua answered honestly.

"…Thank you." Salem said, sounding grateful.

Aqua bowed to the Queen-er, King or whatever she was supposed to be. "I better be on my way if I want to save Ozma."

Artura nodded and smiled. "I wish you luck then, Aqua."

Aqua nodded back and walked out of the room, heading for the gate outside. Once she was outside the main gate of the castle, she summoned her armor and glider and immediately took off into the air. It didn't take long to reach the God of Light's domain as her new glider was as fast as her old one and it was meant to travel between worlds. She landed before the pool and watched as the light deity slowly rose up.

"You have returned." The deity said once he had risen.

"I have. You promised to help me if I defeated Surtr." Aqua said respectfully while dismissing her armor and glider.

"I did." The God of Light said, raising his hands. "And so I shall."

Two objects appeared above his hands, floating in the air before slowly approaching Aqua.

One was a golden musical horn with ornamental decorations from before.

The other was a bottle holding what looked like an elegant wooden sail boat that floated up from the water and into the air. Golden ornamental markings appeared along the hull of the boat and a golden sale appeared in the center.

"The Horn of Passage with the Sail of the Heavens." The God of Light said grandly. "With these, one could travel to all worlds and beyond."

Aqua accepted the God of Light's gifts, unsure at first what to make of them but bowed her head. "Thank you. Can you explain to me how they work?"

"The Horn of Passage can be used to summon a bridge to other worlds. You say all other worlds have their own plains of existence. This horn is meant to be help traverse all realms." The God of Light explained. "The Sail of Heavens, allows for one to safely travel along the bridge to other worlds."

Aqua looked at the two gifts again, wondering if she would need the Sail of Heavens but would not refuse a gift. "Again thank you… And I need your help with someone who is dying."

The God of Light tilted his head.

"Ozma, a friend is dying. Can you cure him of his disease?" Aqua asked.

"I could but I cannot."

"What do you mean?" Aqua questioned, trying not to get emotional.

"When my brother and I created this world we agreed to a certain set of rules. One rule is not to resurrect the dead."

Okay, that one is understandable.

"Another rule was not to interfere in the natural life cycle." The God of Light continued. "If I save Ozma, I would be breaking that rule."

Well, it was worth a shot but Aqua knew Salem would not take it well.

Perhaps if she returned to the Realm of Light she could find help for curing Ozma.

Perhaps from Master Yen Sid.

"All right, thank you all the same." She attached the bottle to her hip and held up the Horn of Passage, taking a deep breath…and blew.

A blue mist emerged from the horn as Aqua blew followed by a pillar of rainbow light, followed by a surprised cry from Aqua as she was lifted up from the ground. As she was lifted up, the boat in the bottle glowed and emerged from the bottle, growing in size as moved under Aqua's feet.

"And where will be going, my lady?"

Aqua looked up and saw a spirit like the ones from before hovering before the boat. The spirit was male like Ambrosius, muscular as well along with a golden cape and chains wrapped around his chest and golden bracers on his wrists and ankles, chains dangling from them like broken shackles. He had a long beard, longer than the male face of Janus and a golden helmet covering his head.

"You are the spirit of the horn?" Aqua asked.

"I am." The spirit nodded. "I am Heimdallr. I am here to open a passage to other worlds."

"You know where my world is?" Aqua questioned.

"Yes. The God of Light granted me the gift of seeing, hearing and even smelling as far as creation. I can look across time and space and thus I see all plains of existence." Heimdallr explained calmly. "I open the path and the boat you are on will take you there."

Aqua looked at the boat she was on and then back at Heimdallr. "Take me to the Realm of Light."

"As you wish." Heimdallr bowed, the rainbow bridge extending out of the blue mist surrounding them and traveling through deep space, resembling that of the Lanes Between.

Out of habit, Aqua summoned her Keyblade armor as she watched the boat she was on sail through the stars. She watched as stars passed her by and simply sat back, wondering what she might find on the other side.

She looked forward and saw a great light at the end of the rainbow stream.

'Terra…Ven…I think I am home.' Aqua thought as she entered the great light.

When Aqua opened her eyes, she found herself…

Not anywhere she recognized.

She was in the Realm of Light.

She could feel it but the place she was in didn't resemble any world she had been to before. It was town that resembled Radiant Garden. At the center of the town lies the Fountain Square, a large plaza and fountain that appears to be a hangout spot for…Keyblade Wielders?!

Aqua's eyes widened when saw people conversing and saw they were holding Keyblades.

What was this place?

She watched as creatures of darkness appeared which the Keyblade Wielders fought and defeated in a matter of seconds. She had never been to a place with so many Keyblade Wielders before. Well, she grew up in the Land of Departure with her friends and master who were all Keyblade Wielders but it was just the four of them.

Why hadn't she heard of this place before?

She held up the Horn of Passage. "Heimdallr."

The blue mist that seemed to be associated with spirits from their realm appeared, followed by Heimdallr. "Yes, my lady?"

"You said you can see every part of creation. Does that mean you know the name of this place?" Aqua asked.

"Of course, my lady. This is Daybreak Town." Heimdallr answered.

"Daybreak Town?" Aqua softly repeated, looking around and seeing the town was so big with a clock tower right in the center. "There are other Keyblade Wielders…I've never seen so many wielders in one place."

"I looked across the plains of existence and I know this place is in the center of your realm of light." Heimdallr stated.

"The center of the Realm of Light." Aqua slowly said, taking a few steps forward. "…I've never heard of this place."

She wasn't sure what to make of all this.

Was she home?

Would she have known about this place one day?

Maybe she could find something here to help her save Ozma.

"Thanks, Heimdallr. I am going to look around for a bit but I might need you again." Aqua said to the spirit who nodded and receded back into the horn.

Aqua then started walking around the town, taking note of everything. The Central Marketplace is located directly to the west from the Fountain Square. Adjacent to this, situated directly behind the fountain, was a place called the Moogle's Shop, which consisted of two main levels and an attic level that can be used to access the Upper Fountain Square.

By continuing west into the Central Market Place, she came across the Central Market Warehouse. From here, a western path led to the northern Bridge to the Outskirts. Following that led to the Boardwalk, allowing access to Waterfront Park. The upper level of Waterfront Park was built around the Lighthouse and overlooked the horizon, while the lower level of Waterfront Park, opens into a larger area at the base of the Lighthouse, allowing entry the Lighthouse in order to descend towards the Docks.

Here, she could see that Keyblade wielders could take a boat from the western shore leading south-east to the Beach. The Beach of this tiny island stretched far to the east, overlooked by a sister Lighthouse to the one found at the Docks, bearing the Lux sigil at its top. From the opposite shore, another bot could be taken, bringing wielders toward a Shipwreck, wherein a large Corridor of Darkness lay in wait. To the south-west of the Fountain Plaza, one can reach the 1st District, and to the north-east, 2nd District - wherein the only known entrance to the Clock Tower can be found, via the Waterway.

There were five corridors of the Waterway which led directly into the base of the Clock Tower. When Aqua reached the base of the Clock Tower a voice called out to stop her.

"You shouldn't be there."

Aqua turned around, watching as a strange creature appeared out of a puff of smoke. It had grey fur, accented by black stripes. It had a large spherical head, with small ears, narrow blue eyes, and a white snout. Its limbs were quite stubby, lacking distinct digits, as are their tails. Finally it was dressed in a gold and blue cape, while also bearing a small pink purse around its neck.

"Only Union leaders are allowed to come near the base of the Clock Tower." The small creature said.

Aqua turned around and approached the small creature. "My name is Aqua. Who are you?"

"I am Chirithy." The creature simply said. "I was created to serve and help Keyblade Wielders."

Aqua stared at the small creature, seeing no darkness in it. There was something about it that made her want to trust it, even though she had never seen it before. Little did she know, she was being watched by someone from atop the Clock Tower.

"Well, this is an unexpected occurrence but an interesting one too." A man in a dark coat said, bringing a gloved hand to his hidden chin. "Looks like we got a visit from the outside world. Something to look into."

Chapter Text

The Foretellers

"I see you have been busy, Brother."

The God of Light emerged from his pool, greeting his brother who was standing above the water. "Brother."

"You crafted for her those trinkets as you said and now you are using them to watch her." The God of Darkness looked down at the pool, seeing the image of Aqua appear. "You did not tell her the Spirit of Passage would be able to show you whatever world she took its vessel to."

"There was no need to tell her. I upheld my end of our agreement. Now I can see the other worlds out there through her own experience. We can learn a great deal, Brother. As stated before, this can allow us to expand the experiment beyond both of our expectations." The God of Light replied. "Assuming of course, those you have chosen for your own trinkets do not kill her if and when she returns. I know you have been crafting weapons to give to those you deem worthy to hunt her down. Is it because she defeated the first human to offer prayer to you?"

"You think me so petty?" The God of Darkness scoffed. "I agree she can expand the experiment but I want to see more of what she can offer."

"By sending whoever those weapons find to fight her? Much like how you send your pets to attack human settlements." The God of Light pointed out.

"They are my creations as much as humanity is. They deserve to grow and expand much like all our creations." Darkness argued.

"Only they are your creations and yours alone. What will you do if she proves victorious? Create more weapons, more pets?" Light questioned.

"Perhaps I will if she is deemed strong enough to defeat them." The dark deity admitted. "Look at her, a whole world of these…Keyblade Wielders. All of them traveling to other worlds, interfering like she has."

"She only interfered here because we wanted her so. Don't place blame solely on her, Brother. Look at this opportunity and see what I can do for us. Let us see what this world can offer us and perhaps we can see what we can offer them so that we may become to them what we are to our creations here." The light brother proposed.

"To live amongst those not from us, give them blessings in exchange for offerings and prayer?" The dark brother questioned, sounding both interested and pessimistic. "Or perhaps for all of them to flock to you."

"Brother, while you may not bask in the attention of our creations Aqua's actions are the reason you gained a follower. He came to you, not to me for power." The light deity recalled. "Your followers have been few and only appearing once or twice in a century and yet now, Aqua's appearance prompted someone to come to you whilst breathing their last breath. Is that not enough to show you perhaps things will change for the better for you as well?"

The God of Darkness did not answer and so the light deity returned to simply watching Aqua.

Salem could not understand what was taking Aqua so long.

Ozma had been moved to his home and was now resting in his bed. The healers had done all they could and it was still not enough.

He was still dying.

Aqua had promised she would find a way by going to the God of Light for help so why hadn't she come back yet?

Salem thought up a dozen reasons why she hadn't come yet and she didn't like any of the ideas she had. Such as:

Aqua having pretended to be their friend to poison Ozma from the beginning.

Aqua going back on her word and just taking off.

Aqua being attack on the way there and getting killed.

Aqua, angered that Ozma rejected her for Salem and was leaving him to die.

Maybe someone from her father's kingdom, someone who had survived her and Ozma fighting for their freedom and sent Aqua to secretly poison him for revenge. Ozma had gotten sick just after meeting Aqua after all.

Did she arrange for that?

She had showed up out of nowhere during Surtr's attack. That couldn't be a coincidence.

Had Aqua played them somehow?

Maybe she used Ozma to get into the Emerald Castle and was now disposing of him so she could try and take his place.

Salem had no way of knowing what the exact truth was, since because outside her stories she didn't know who Aqua really was at all. She told them stories of her adventures but those could have easily been fabricated to get her and Ozma interested.

Just what was going on with her?

Where is Aqua?

Is she going to save Ozma or not?

And what would she do if Aqua didn't come back?

What would she do if she did?

"You summoned us, Master?"

In the massive clock tower overlooking Daybreak Town, a man clad in a dark coat with a black hood watched as the sun set over the city and night slowly enveloped the sky. He then turned around; facing the five he had called to see him. They all wore masks of animals as well as hooded cloaks and shirts fastened with a sash. The sleeves of these shirts extended just beyond the wrist. Their colors were different ranging from blue, pink, tan, yellow and white.

As for their masks, they consisted of:

Unicorn

Leopard

Bear

Fox

And Snake.

"Hey there!" The hooded man said with a wave. "My five apprentices here on this fine day! Ira, Aced, Invi, Gula and who can forget Ava?" He pointed at each of them as he said their names. "Right on time too. Sorry to call you so sudden, but we got a little surprise on our hands so you might want to sit down for this."

With a mere gesture, chairs appeared behind the apprentices sat on chairs. The Master stepped down with hands folded behind his back.

"Is there a problem, Master?" Aced asked. "Is there a danger we are needed to stop?"

"Ah, Aced. Fearless and quick to jump in and offer help." The Master spoke knowingly and kindly. "And no, not a danger just a sudden visit from someone. Someone with a Keyblade who comes…from outside."

The apprentices stared for a second. "Outside?"

"From one of the outside worlds it seems. A Keyblade Wielder who has not been trained by any of us and made it here on a rainbow bridge of all things." The Master clapped his hands. "Amazing!"

"Are they dangerous?" Aced asked.

"Oh, hardly that. She actually appears quite lovely." The Master chuckled but then cleared his throat. "But in the interest of making sure she causes no trouble I am afraid I must trouble you all to give her a little test."

"A test?" The one called Ira spoke.

"It's nothing big or elaborate. Simply engage her in a light spar to understand her intentions." The Master clarified. "When the Keyblade of two Wielders collide, it is not a simple matter of life and death but of two hearts expressing themselves. So make her express her heart to us so we can see what kind of person she is."

"Of course, Master." The woman called Invri stood up. "We shall act immediately."

"Now, now. Don't all of you fight her at once. That would just be unfair. Each of you shall test her one at a time, give her some breathing room between tests." The Master cut in gently. "Ganging up on her would be a bad sport and just plain mean."

"Of course, Master." Invri bowed her head. "Forgive me. Who shall challenge her first?"

"Since you were the first to speak up, how about you, dear Invri?" The Master offered. "She seems to be talented with magic so that it is right your alley."

"Understood." Invri stood up straight. "I shall go immediately."

"Hold on, let me show you what she looks like." The Master said, conjuring an image of the woman who had appeared in Daybreak Town. "She's definitely Keyblade Wielder material but is not a member of any of your unions. Given her affinity for magic, she might fit in with you, Invri."

"I shall test her for that as well, Master." Invri said and vanished in a flash of light.

"As always, may your Heart be your guiding key." The Master said, even though Invri had vanished.

The creature named Chirithy had been very helpful of Aqua, leading her around the town. It was knowledgeable of what this town, Daybreak Town actually was.

A city full of Keyblade Wielders.

A home.

A seat of power.

"The wielders are all members of five factions: Unicorn, Bear, Leopard, Fox and Snake. These factions are called unions and they are led by the Foretellers." Chirithy spoke as it and Aqua walked down a street.

"Foretellers?" Aqua cut in.

"Leaders, handpicked and trained by my creator. The Master." Chirithy clarified, even though that left only more questions.

Why hadn't Aqua ever known about this Daybreak Town?

She had access to countless books in the library of the temple in the Land of Departure and none of them ever spoke of this town, these Foretellers or this Master. Sure, it spoke of the history of the Keyblade, the Keyblade War which had been spoken of in legends, the X-blade that she had seen for herself and of course: Kingdom Hearts.

So why didn't she know about an entire city of Keyblade Wielders?

"Can you tell me more about this Master?" Aqua asked Chirithy.

"The Master is the one who trained the Foretellers who then went on to train their own students." Chirithy answered.

Okay, not exactly the answer she wanted but she should get annoyed with this creature. There was no way to know for sure how much it knew or how much it was allowed to tell her. Looking ahead, Aqua took a deep breath to collect her thoughts but then lost her breath when she someone right up ahead, down the street.

Ven!

It was indeed Ventus.

Looking exactly the same as when she had left him in the temple.

But why was he here?!

"Ven!" Aqua called out, rushing forward.

But before she took about five steps a great flash of light appeared in front of her and she stepped back. From this light emerged a woman, her face hidden by a blue snake mask and light blue, hooded cloak that covered a robe, shirt and sash that were all a darker shade of blue. Near the front of the woman's cloak were turquoise tassels.

She held out her hand and in a flash of light appeared her Keyblade.

It had a light grey handle and its pommel and guard resembled a silvery blue bough bursting with leaves. The guard was asymmetrical with an opening on the side of the teeth. The base of the woman's Keyblade featured an etching of a silver, blue-eyed cobra whose tail was curled into infinity shape. The shaft was formed by a bluish silver, jagged, kris-like blade with a wide darkened middle, which was etched with a cream colored ivy design.

Near the teeth of the woman's Keyblade was a heart shaped symbol similar to the very emblem Aqua wore. Curved, leafy boughs also served as the teeth. The Keyblade's keychain was compromised of small, silver sprigs and its token was a leafed talisman with an eye similar to the one she had seen on Master Xehanort's Keyblade.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Master, Tell Me the Truth starts)

She said nothing as she held up her hand and conjured a barrier around her, Aqua and Chirithy.

"What is going on?" Aqua quickly summoned her Keyblade.

"Invi. Leader of the Snake Union." Chirithy answered behind her.

Aqua looked at the woman who seemed to be challenging her. So this was one of the Foretellers? Invi said nothing as she raised her Keyblade suddenly there was a burst water up from the ground. Aqua had to jump back to avoid the blast. Before she could even blink, Invi appeared right behind her and slashed at her.

Aqua hastily blocked, raising her Keyblade and meeting Invi's over her shoulder and then spun around, using the momentum to send the Foreteller back. Invi somersaulted through the air and landed perfectly on her feet.

"Fire!" Aqua shouted, sending a Firaga spell at Invi who merely raised her Keyblade…

And Aqua's Firaga was immediately frozen.

Aqua was surprised but remained composed and tried again. "Thunder!"

A Thundaga spell was next but Invi merely raised her Keyblade and the lightning from the spell was dispersed just a few inches above her head.

"Such basic mastery." Invi said, pointing her Keyblade at Aqua. "Is this your limit?"

Invi did not give Aqua a chance to answer as spheres of magical energy swirled around her Keyblade, colors corresponding to a different element: red for fire, yellow for lightning, wind for green, azure for ice, and black with a purple outline for gravity.

Aqua gasped and immediately conjured a barrier to protect herself as Invi launched a barrage of multi-elemental magic that slammed into the barrier, pushing it and Aqua back. Aqua grunted as she struggled to keep the barrier up but could see cracks starting to form. Realizing it was going to break, Aqua took a chance and cartwheeled to the side just as the barrier broke. She could feel the heat, cold and everything in between as they blew past her and collided with the barrier Invi had put up to keep her from escaping.

Aqua then teleported, appearing behind Invi and slashed at her back but the Foreteller spun around and blocked.

"Impressive. Adaptation." Invi noted as she shoved Aqua's Keyblade away and slashed at her but Aqua somersaulted back, bringing her feet up that missed Invi's masked face by mere inches. "Improvisation. But is your magic already at its limit?"

Aqua landed on her feet and the light of her Spellweaver surrounded her and she immediately went on the attack. Invi quickly blocked Aqua's slashes, noting them to be stronger and faster and she had to jump back to avoid being hit, taking note of the icy wind surrounding Aqua as she spun.

"Interesting." Invi noted as she summoned a blast of fire, wind, ice and lightning.

Aqua's Keyblade was engulfed in a bright light as she twirled it in her hand, conjuring the symbol of a snowflake that actually blocked Invi's magical blast. Invi shot forward and clashed her Keyblade with Aqua's again. This time Aqua spin, releasing a spiral of light around that hit Invi and ended with a magical blast that knocked her back but she landed on her feet and barely looked winded.

"So it is not." Invi noted.

She held up her Keyblade, summoning another magical combo blast but Aqua wasn't about to let her. In that instant, Aqua quickly cast Time Splicer, freezing time and allowing Aqua to go on an all-out instant barrage, attacking Invi from all sides. However a barrier surrounded Invi, protecting her from Aqua's Keyblade until the spell was broken.

"Time magic." Now Invi sounded impressed. "So you can harness basic spells and time magic as well."

Aqua landed on her feet, facing the Foreteller.

"Now I see why he was interested in you." Invi said, firing another magical barrage at Aqua who hastily dodged by cartwheeling out of the way.

Invi was immediately upon her, swinging her Keyblade down. Aqua raised hers and reinforced it with a barrier.

Good thing she did.

Because when Invi's Keyblade struck, it struck with power of wind, thunder, ice and fire all at once. Aqua's barrier strained under the attack and the resulting collision created a small explosion. Invi landed back on her feet, watching as the smoke cleared…

Aqua was still standing, now clad in her armor that protected her from the blast.

"Interesting."

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Master, Tell Me the Truth ends)

She stood up and stepped back, dismissing her Keyblade and her barrier. "Though not on our level, you are indeed skilled. Perhaps you will be allowed to join our unions."

Aqua simply watched as Invi stepped back and vanished in a flash of light. Once she was gone, Aqua's armor was dismissed and she fell to her knees, panting and leaning against her Keyblade.

That fight had been…insane.

Aqua liked to think she was modest, but she was also confident in her skills. She had faced down Unversed, a dark fairy, a god of the dead, a spirit of destruction, a magical warlord who later was turned into demon, Vanitas and Xehanort who had been possessing her best friend's body.

But this Foreteller person…

She was more skilled in magic than even Aqua was.

Aqua could conjure magical spells with her eyes closed but she hadn't managed to conjure elemental magic to the extent she could wield multiple elements at once.

Had Aqua been lax in her training?

She was the only one that Master Eraqus had believed was worthy of becoming a Master. And yet, she felt somewhat inadequate when facing this Invi person whose magical prowess rivaled even Master Xehanort's.

And Master Xehanort had been the most powerful Keyblade Wielder alive of his time, despite being in his eighties.

"You handled that well."

Aqua looked to her right and saw Chirithy hovering next to her.

"Not many could stand up against a Foreteller." Chirithy continued. "To be able to fight against one, even one as skilled in magic as Invi speaks volume of your skills."

Aqua sighed, regaining enough strength to stand up. "I don't feel like I did as well as I should have."

"Did you expect to be stronger than everyone else here?" Chirithy asked.

"…No." Aqua shook her head.

"Do you think you should be?" Chirithy tilted its head.

"No."

"Then why feel so disappointed?" Chirithy questioned.

That…That was a really good question.

Why did she feel down?

"Maybe…Maybe I am just used to winning most of my fights." Aqua sighed. "I've only faced few opponents who could beat me and I managed to survive each fight."

"Perhaps this is not so much a loss as a lesson." Chirithy suggested. "One never stops learning, even after they stop being a student."

Aqua looked at Chirithy before smiling a bit. "Maybe that is the lesson I'm trying to understand here."

It was certainly an eye opener.

But there was still that other issue.

"Ven." Aqua looked down the street and saw the boy she thought was Ven had gone. "How can Ven be here if I left him in the temple?"

"Who?" Chirithy asked.

Aqua stopped herself and sighed. "A long story."

Chirithy said nothing as he watched Aqua return to walking down the street. "Night has fallen. You should find a place to rest."

He had a point there and Aqua was feeling exhausted. "Do you know a place?"

"Yes."

The two Brothers had watched Aqua's battle with Invi and both had been impressed in their own way.

The God of Light had been impressed by watching humans outside their experiment battle with such great power.

The God of Darkness, albeit grudgingly was interested in the battle, seeing the magic and power mortals had used, wondering if the magical weapons he had created would be enough.

Of course they would be.

He had created them after all.

"The mortal she faced, this Foreteller wielded far greater power than I had believed possible for a mortal." The God of Light admitted as the image of Aqua finding a place to rest faded from the water. "Perhaps even greater than the magic we have given our creations."

"Bah, we could make them stronger." The God of Darkness argued, insulted that anyone could be stronger than something they had made together. "We can create whatever we wish. Even beings capable of overpowering these wielders."

"You would speak of our creations, both success and failure?" The light deity asked to which his brother had been rendered silent. "Yes, we have created man and beast but they were not immediate successes. Some we kept and some were failures which we then sealed away or exiled."

The dark deity said nothing of those…creatures.

They were an embarrassment and the less said about them, the better.

"Yes, we could try and create new things to challenge these wielders but is that necessary? When they can show us the worlds and we decide for ourselves if we reveal ourselves to them or not." The God of Light thoughtfully proposed.

"And then what? Gain more worshipers?" The God of Darkness gave the impression he was frowning. "You are ignorant to dangers of this."

"And you are afraid." The light brother replied. "She offers a form of change that you fear because that would not only change this world but perhaps even change our creations."

"And that doesn't bother you? They might not need us anymore. They might refuse our gifts and blessings." The dark brother argued.

"You can't be sure of that."

"Neither can you."

Both brothers seemed to be an impasse which wasn't surprising. They always had their differences and they always would but they had agreed to create this world together, creating and destroying before coming together and trying to create something new to stop their quarrel.

"Then perhaps we should continue to observe for the time being and wait for what comes next." The God of Light proposed.

"It seems that is the only way." The dark brother conceded.

The Master had rubbed his chin, seeing Aqua's fight with Invi. "She's good. Not as good as dear Invi but she has potential. A little room to grow and who knows, maybe she can help beat back the Darkness."

"Is that so?"

The Master remained still as a dark miasma appeared behind him, sitting off in a corner and content to watch him. "Darkness…"

"This woman is not of this time period. She has eluded the trap you set up to ensure no one from the future would come and alter the past. She has somehow found a way around it." An alien voice spoke from within the miasma. "And yet, you sit back and wish to observe her rather than removing her. How strange."

"She's not a threat. Not yet anyway. I am just trying to make sure we are all safe." The Master replied. "Do you believe you can turn her?"

"Her light is strong. I am most tempted to try and see if I can." The Darkness answered honestly. "You have no objections."

"None. Do as you wish." The Master shrugged.

"…You are a strange man sometimes."

The Master chuckled. "This coming from an entity that cannot be understood by humans. I think I am flattered."

"Perhaps I am easier to understand than you think." The Darkness said before vanishing.

"Perhaps you are." The Master whispered once he was alone. "Perhaps you are."

Chapter Text

Darkness

Aqua found an inn to rest in and the caretakers even allowed her to rest there for free since she was a Keyblade Wielder. She was glad to have a soft bed to rest on as she looked out the window across the city.

She had to wonder more than once if she was dreaming.

Then she remembered that traveling to other worlds, encountering strange places and people was par for the course as a Keyblade Wielder. Still, she knew that not only does she need to find a way back to the Realm of Light but to also find a cure for Ozma's illness and it was unlikely he had much time left. She had seen some places that sold special elixir that might help cure Ozma's condition but she needed to first pay for it. She would probably need to take some jobs around town and she had seen Keyblade Wielders gathering for fights against creatures of darkness.

The Heartless.

Aqua had read about them but they were supposed to live in the Realm of Darkness, not in a place like this world.

Then again, she hadn't seen any Heartless in the world she had come from when she had fallen into the darkness. Perhaps those creatures, the Grimm, were manifestations of darkness in worlds that somehow thrive in the Realm of Darkness but that was a long shot at best.

Still she had to try.

Just as she fell asleep, a dark shadow crept into the room…

Aqua's eyes shot open and she jumped up, landing on the ground and summoned her Keyblade. "Who's there?!"

There was no answer…

She looked around her room, having felt a surge of darkness just a mere second ago. After a moment of being on guard, Aqua slowly lowered her Keyblade and sighed. She sat back on her bed and lied down, staring at the ceiling.

It would be some time before she fell asleep.

Outside of the inn she was resting at, a dark miasma appeared on the roof of a nearby building, seemingly watching her.

'Truly interesting.'

"She's strong. Not as strong as any of us but strong enough. She's obviously been trained to the point she can use multiple forms of magic, including elemental and time magic. Still she had much to learn before she can even stand a chance of defeating one of us."

Invi had returned to the Clock Tower as soon as her fight with Aqua ended to make her report.

"She obviously has more to learn but she's not a threat to us." Invi finished her report.

"And yet you let her live." Aced pointed out. "If she posed even the slightest threat, you should have eliminated her."

"Aced, Aced, Aced." The Foreteller was silent as the Master slowly approached, waving a single finger. "I never said 'eliminate' her. I said 'test' her. She is a fellow Wielder, like everyone in this town. Let's try and be a little considerate here."

Aced was silent, seemingly accepting the Master's casualness, for now.

Another Foreteller, Gula spoke next. "So who is going to be testing her next?"

"Excellent question." The Master brought a hand to his chin. "Any volunteers?"

"Why not you choose, Master?" The young woman wearing the fox mask, Ava suggested.

"Oh me?" The Master gestured to himself. "Well, I wouldn't presume to make decisions for all of you now. You're all able to make your own choices but if you feel that my input is that important to you…Gula."

"Yes." The boy in the leopard mask perked up.

"I think you and her will get off to a great start. So when she's had time to rest and recuperate, you can approach her and see what else she's got." The Master suggested.

"Yes, Master." Gula nodded. "I'll do my best."

"That's what I like to hear, Gula." The Master turned away.

Aced crossed his arms, sending a look at Invi who stared back for a mere second.

When Aqua finally awoke, the sun was just starting to rise, light shining down on her as her eyes opened. Groaning softly as she got up, Aqua stretched before proceeding to take a quick wash and a light breakfast before getting on with her day. As she set about the morning chores of getting up, cleaned and fed, Aqua did a mental list of what she needed to do.

1. Find something that could cure Ozma of his illness.

2. Find Ven and find out why he is in a Keyblade Wielder city when he should be sleeping in the temple back home.

3. Find a way back to her own world to find Terra and then Ven's heart so she could save them both.

She sighed, knowing it would not be easy but nothing has been easy since she left home. She just had to keep trying and never give up.

'Terra, Ven, I will keep going…for you.' She thought to herself as she walked out onto the street.

Only as soon as she took the first she sensed something.

Darkness!

Aqua summoned her Keyblade just in time as a Corridor of Darkness appeared in front of her and from it emerged a group of small creatures with antenna on their heads, clawed hands and yellow eyes.

'Heartless?!' Aqua gasped, recognizing these creatures from the books she had read in the Land of Departure.

But it was rare for them to appear outside of the Realm of Darkness so why would they suddenly appear now?

Aqua shook her head, focusing on the battle as the Heartless tried swarming her. She quickly cartwheeled to one side as the nearest Heartless leapt at her, trying to stab her with its claws but she was too agile. She spun and slashed three of them down, spinning again as they dissolved into a black smoke that vanished. These Heartless fought in a similar manner to the Unversed which she was used to fighting as well.

They all tried swarming her but she just needed to use a barrier to block their strikes which would also knock them back.

"Thunder!" With a single shout, lightning rained down on all the Heartless surrounding her, eliminating them instantly.

Only that was not the end.

Aqua narrowed her eyes as seven new and larger Heartless appeared, looking larger and slightly more humanoid to the smaller Shadows that had first appeared.

Neoshadows.

They moved faster and just as Aqua blocked a strike from the first to attack, she found that they were stronger as she slid a few inches back. Just as they tried to swarm her, Aqua teleported out of the way in time before they could pile on her. She appeared a few feet away and pointed her Keyblade at the Heartless while they were left disorientated from colliding with each other. Her form was engulfed in bright white and blue light as she slammed her Keyblade on the ground.

Ice blasted out of the ground, freezing and impaling the Neoshadow Heartless before they could react and a second later the ice shattered and the Heartless dissolved like their predecessors. As soon as they were gone, another Corridor of Darkness appeared and out stepped another Heartless.

Just three this time, all the same type but equally dangerous.

They were humanoid and muscular with a heart shaped hole in its torso. They had purple and blue horns sprouting from its head, curving into the outline of a heart with small bat like wings sprouting from their back, golden tipped feathered wings on its forearms, and bluish-purple fireballs under their feet. They also had a long scaly tail that ended with a sharp, crescent shaped blade. Unlike the other Heartless, there ones were carrying a weapon in the form of a scalloped, blue-bladed sword that looked blunt but Aqua wasn't about to bet it couldn't cut her.

So she readied herself as the first of the three new Heartless, known as Invisibles flew at her and swung its sword. Aqua quickly blocked, grunting a bit from how strong the Heartless felt just from slashing at her. She jumped back as a second one flew at her and tried slashing at her.

'Great. They're trying to gang up on me.' Aqua thought to herself, making sure to keep all three Heartless in her sight. 'They keep getting stronger and smarter.'

Her inner paranoia wondered if this all a coincidence or by design?

Whatever it might be, she had no time to ponder as the Heartless attacked her again.

"Beautiful."

That was the only word the God of Darkness had to describe the creatures Aqua was currently fighting. They were made of darkness but not his darkness, that's for sure. Still, they seemed to be powerful and even had many forms like his Grimm children did.

"She told me about this creatures when she visited me. She called them Heartless." His brother spoke, watching the fight as well.

Heartless.

What a grand name for such extraordinary creatures.

He could sense these Heartless were not made of pure destruction like his Grimm children were. No, they were made of a different kind of darkness.

One that he could smell, even all the way here.

A darkness that sought to corrupt and twist the individual down to their very core, turning from something as mundane as a mortal into something else…

A force that sought to spread out and destroys everything in its path.

Perhaps he could learn to create such creatures on his own or evolve his Grimm to be like these Heartless. To be able to summon portals of their own to travel anywhere in the world or perhaps to other worlds to spread destruction in their wake.

Such an idea thrilled the Dark Brother.

"Marvelous." The dark deity said, giving the impression it was grinning.

His brother seemingly frowned at him before turning back to watch the fight. He knew his brother was now interested in these Heartless as much he was interested in Aqua along with these Keyblade Wielders who protected the light.

Or rather protected the balance.

When Aqua explained her role, it resonated with the light deity for some reason. Perhaps because he was committed to preserving the balance of this world that he and his brother had created. Regardless, it was because of this he had become fascinated with her and the worlds she had come from, enough he had gone out of his way to help her and watch her closely.

He wanted to see more of what she could do.

He wanted to understand this role she played.

The Keyblade.

The Heartless.

The balance of Light and Darkness in the Heart.

He wanted to see it and thus was why he had gifted the spirit in the Horn of Passage with the gift of Omniscient vision that could be shown to him and his brother.

So they could watch and understand.

'Show us, Aqua. Show us this balance. Show us the power you say comes from the Heart.'

Aqua grunted as she avoided another slash and immediately counter attacked. "Thunder!"

These Heartless were putting her training to the test as they relentlessly attacked her. While Aqua was not a brawler like Terra or utilized quick strikes like Ven, Aqua still gracefully danced around the battlefield while pelting the Heartless with a variety of spells. She fought with almost dance like grace. Gliding and cartwheeling around the battle field, forcing the Heartless to chase after her. One even threw its sword at her before dissolving into purple fire that traveled along the ground towards her.

She jumped just the flames exploded underneath the ground where she had stood and watched as it reformed back into its original form before trying to grab its sword.

"Collision Magnet!" Aqua shouted, firing a beam of light that hit the Heartless before it grabbed its sword.

She then swung and sent it crashing into one of the other Invisibles as they flew at her and dashed over to the fallen sword, picking it up and using it to block a slash from the third Invisible. Aqua then stabbed it in the chest, causing it to scream in pain as a blast of light burst through its chest and out the back. The Invisible dissolved Aqua faced the other two just as they had recovered. She dashed at them, throwing the sword she had stolen right back at its owner, stabbing it through the chest and she immediately fell upon the final one, teleporting just as it swung its blade at her.

Appearing behind the monster, Aqua's Keyblade was engulfed in a bright light, courtesy of her Bladecharge Spell and she immediately slashed and stabbed, killing the Heartless immediately. She watched as it dissolved back into the darkness it was made from.

Sighing, Aqua dismissed her Keyblade after she looked around and saw no other enemies appearing. "Since when do Heartless appear in the Realm of Light?"

Unless this wasn't the Realm of Light but Aqua could feel the light of this world.

Something was not right here.

"What have I stumbled into now?" She sighed as she walked down the street.

"She has won."

The Master looked on, seemingly impressed by Aqua taking down all the Heartless sent her way. He didn't move as the dark miasma from before appeared behind him.

"Has she performed to your expectations?"

"She has. She even sensed me when I was in close proximity. She certainly has the potential to be a great Wielder. Perhaps as great as your students if she is allowed to thrive."

"Well, this town was made for allowing young wielders to thrive." The Master admitted. "Still, glad to see she impressed you."

"Impressed?"

"A feeling of admiration invoked through size, quality, or skill." The Master explained.

"I suppose it was that. To not only fight against the Heartless but to also stand her ground against apprentices trained by you. It is no small feat."

"Now you're just trying to make me blush." The Master chuckled.

"Blush?"

"Never mind. I sometimes forget you have long since lost the ability to understand emotions outside of negativity. Don't you find it taking step backwards in forgetting how to understand emotional beings?" The Master questioned.

"That is why I seek you out. You enjoy reminding me."

"I suppose I do." The Master conceded.

"She carries more than a Keyblade. I sense two objects of great power that she carries. They are what allowed her to reach this city." The Darkness changed the subject.

"I felt it too. Not many things outside of a Keyblade that can do such a thing." The Master agreed. "She got them from somewhere."

"What will you do?"

"Hm…That is a very good question." The Master brought a hand to his chin. "I could go and take them from her, while either killing her or just knocking her out. Or I could invite her in for tea, cookies and ice cream to talk to her, open a dialogue with her while secretly plotting her demise. Or I could ask to go along with her on her quest and see what lies truly beyond, take in all the sights, see the wonders while secretly plotting the destruction of it all."

"Your talent for riddles never ceases to amaze."

"Thank you." The Master chuckled.

"And annoy."

The Master chuckled even louder. "I suppose I tend to go too far. Maybe we don't have to do anything at all. Sit back and just watch and let it unfold."

"Is that suggestion for yourself and your apprentices or does that apply to me as well?"

"I suppose if you want to do a little more that's your choice. It's not like I can stop you." The Master said as he turned to face the Darkness.

"I believe you could if you wanted to."

"There's that flattery again. You're getting better at that." The Master chuckled again, watching as the Darkness faded. "Though I wonder what you're going to do."

"Perhaps the same as you for now…" The voice of the Darkness echoed around the Master before it was gone.

"Sometimes, I am not even sure what I am going to do." The Master admitted to himself as he looked back out the window.

"So what will you do know, Brother? You've seen her power, the Heartless and a new world." The God of Light stated, once Aqua's battle with the Heartless was over.

The God of Darkness was silent for a moment. "Nothing for the moment. I have to take to consider what I have seen."

The light deity looked at his brother. "That is not normally your response."

"This is not a normal occasion." The dark one replied softly.

"Will you still send those your weapons have chosen after her when she returns?"

"There's no sense telling them to stand down now. I promised them riches and more power and I keep my word."

The God of Light simply watched as his brother vanished in a pillar of dark light. Not for the first time, he wondered how much danger his brother would be. They were brothers and they cared for one another, always feeling complete when they are together but they still had their differences.

"I hope, Brother that your plans do not lead you and all of us astray."

When Surtr was defeated, his remains were taken and buried far from the kingdom, meant to be taken somewhere they would never be found.

That place was a cave deep in the forests of Midgard.

So no noticed a sea dragon flying through the air and land in front of the cave where Surtr's remains had been taken. The dragon Grimm let out a roar as it lowered its head in front of the cave and opened its mouth, releasing the fire given to it by its creator. The entire cave was burned and from the depths of the dark caverns, something pulsed.

The Grimm dragon stepped back as a burst of purple fire emerged from the cave. From the dark, came a pulse of dark purple light.

From the cave emerged the dark being Surtr.

He stopped and looked at his hands, shocked to see he was alive.

"Surtr."

The former human watched as its creator, the God of Darkness appeared before it and it knelt down. "Master."

"When you came to me, I was amused by your pleas but pleased all the same as you were one of the few who came to me, praying for my divinity instead of my brother." The God of Darkness spoke. "The condition was that until you defeated your foe, you would willingly be my harbinger. I have seen to it that you will keep that promise."

"You revived me?" Surtr asked, lifting his head.

"You were never dead. A mortal cannot survive the Pools of Destruction that I had you bathe in so I bound your soul to your crown. Even if your body is destroyed, it can be revived." The God of Darkness explained, pointing at Surtr's horned crown. "Only I decide when your time will be over."

"I thank you, Master." Surtr bowed again. "I promise you I will not fail again."

"No you won't." The dark deity agreed. "For when you challenge the key wielder again you will not be alone."

"Master?" Surtr looked up, confused by what the deity meant.

"I have created three weapons to seek three worthy candidates to challenge the key wielder alongside you." The dark god explained, presenting Surtr's fiery sword, Twilight to him. "You wield fire. They will wield the other forces of nature."

"We shall not fail." Surtr said as he grasped Twilight.

"It matters not to me if you fail, Surtr. I only continue to wish to see what you will do with the power I have gifted you." The God of Darkness stated before vanishing, his voice echoing as he disappeared. "And if you continue to entertain me."

Surtr held up Twilight and narrowed his eyes at the memory of the woman who had defeated him.

He vowed she would pay dearly for that.

Still, he had only just returned to life and would need time to recover. So rather than seek out his hated enemy, Surtr would return to his fortress in the land of Ragnorak to rest and recuperate and then he would find her.

'Aqua, this is not over.'

"This should do it."

Aqua smiled as she purchased the special object that might help save Ozma's life.

"A Phoenix Down."

Aqua had only heard about these in myths but they were said to be an advanced form of healing feather that could supposedly even revive the dead. While she wasn't sure anything could cure Ozma of his illness because she wasn't exactly sure what the illness itself was, a Phoenix Down might be able to account for that.

Now she just had to get back in time.

She stepped out of the market and headed for a place on the far side of the town where no one would see her and then pulled out the Horn of Passage.

She blew into it and summoned Heimdallr."You have summoned me, again."

"I wish to return back to the world of your creators." Aqua stated.

"As you wish." Heimdallr said, summoning the rainbow bridge from before.

Aqua then brought out the Sail of the Heavens, summoning the boat along with her Keyblade armor before taking off, back to the world she had arrived in, hoping she was not too late to save Ozma.

As she left, she failed to notice a boy in a fox mask watching.

"Now this is interesting."

He vanished as quietly as he appeared, leaving no trace that he had ever been watching the strange woman.

Chapter Text

Happily Never Again

Aqua watched as the Sail of the Heavens brought her back to the very world she had been trying to leave, appearing over the Emerald Castle and landed in front it. The boat transformed back into the small sail that Aqua folded up and placed on her back with the Horn of Passage. She walked up to the entrance but stopped as the guards stepped out to greet her.

"I've come with help for Ozma." Aqua stated loudly.

"Sadly, you won't find him here."

The guards moved aside, allowing Artura or rather Sir Arta to step out and greet the Keyblade Master in 'his' knight outfit. "Your…I mean, Arta."

"You don't need to pretend around me, Master Aqua." Artura smiled. "You say you have brought help for Ozma."

Aqua nodded. "I believe it will work."

"Unfortunately he is not in the castle anymore. He was moved back to his home when the healers deemed his condition incurable." Artura said regretfully and pointed straight behind Aqua. "His home is a small cottage to the south outside of the town. Salem is with him."

Aqua followed the finger and then bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

She summoned her armor and glider, making one last grateful glance at Arta before taking off. The young 'king' could only watch as the Keyblade Master took off in the direction of Ozma's home.

A pair of purple glowing eyes opened. "She has returned."

Aqua flew out of the town and spotted Ozma's home in the forest, hoping she was not too late. She was just about to land when she heard a surge of magical energy.

BLAST!

Aqua barely dodged the attack, landing perfectly on the ground and summoning her Keyblade as several men in armor emerged from the forest.

They were not the only ones.

More men and women emerged, all of them wearing armor, carrying swords, axes and bows.

"Who are you?"

"They are ours."

Aqua watched as three people, obviously important from the way they were dressed, stepped forward.

(Kingdom Hearts II Soundtrack Rowdy Rumble Starts)

A man dressed in tribal armor and clothing.

A woman in royal regalia and make-up and a stern look on her face.

And an elderly fat looking man with a crown on his head.

Each of them were holding a single golden weapon that emitted a powerful and divine aura.

A scythe for the rather overzealous looking man.

A fan for the stern woman.

And a spear for the fat king.

"You are the woman who wields the key shaped weapon." The Stern Queen stated.

Aqua simply summoned her Keyblade, answering the Queen's question.

"Take her." The Fat King ordered.

The surrounding men and women gathered magic into hands, weapons and even bows and fired them all at Aqua who quickly raised a barrier, not only blocking the spells but sending them flying back at their progenitors.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

One by one, they are all blasted back by their own magic. The Zealous King let out a loud war cry and charged at Aqua.

Salem looked away from Ozma and out the window, seeing explosions near their home. "What in the…"

She noticed a blue blur the midst of the explosions.

'Aqua!'

If she's here she must have a cure for Ozma!

Salem glanced at Ozma's staff, leaning against the wall next to his bed. She grabbed it and immediately rushed out of the house, running towards the battlefield.

The Stern Queen raised her golden fan and with a simply swing conjured a powerful whirlwind at Aqua who hastily blocked with a barrier. So far she had been on the defense, blocking and dodging the elemental attacks from three rulers after having three different elemental powers from the three weapons they were carrying.

Earth for the scythe.

Wind for the fan.

And ice for the spear.

She dared not think if there was someone wielding fire about to show up. The Zealous King was the most aggressive of the three, charging at her and attacking her with his scythe. His swings were wide and aggressive, leaving him open as she parried and counter attacked, striking him several times before knocking him back.

The Stern Queen was better, more composed and more elegant as she swung her fan, releasing a whirlwind that resembled Ven's Tornado Strike spell. Luckily Aqua was more than ready as she teleported behind the Stern Queen, delivering a quick slash which the Queen spun around and blocked with her fan, another gust of wind forcing Aqua back. She had better control over her magical weapon than the Zealous King did and she was a lot more precise in her attacks.

As for the Fat King…

"Take this!"

Aqua blocked another shard of ice fired at her from the King's staff. He simply fired basic ice shards, much like a Blizzaga spell but so far that was it. He was skilled with magic, having created a barrier around himself when she attacked but he was the most stationary of the three.

Kind of reminded her of Terra, Ven and herself.

Three fighters, the sword representing the invincible warrior, the staff representing the mystic, and the shield representing the defender.

Only they were not fighting like a team.

They attacked her one at a time, showing no coordination in their attacks. Only the Stern Queen seemed to be utilizing her magic to the point where she could keep Aqua on her toes. The Zealous King fought with almost no regard for his allies, wielding not just his magical scythe but also a large cleaver. His combat style had him rampaging at her, ignoring everything else.

The Stern Queen seemed to be a mid-range fighter, not afraid to move in to fight when she dodged the Zealous King but remained out of reach.

Well, until Aqua could spare her a second. "Thunder!"

A bolt of lightning rained down on the Stern Queen, forcing her to block with her fan. The fan emitted a golden light as the lightning collided with it, wind coming to life around her. The Fat King remained far enough to not be caught up in the fight, offering no help to the others as he fired another ice spear at Aqua who teleported out of the way…

And left the ice shard to fly at the Zealous King who hastily blocked the-would-be fatal attack with his sword and glared at his fellow king. "Watch where you are aiming, Fatty!"

"How dare you?!" The Fat King said in outrage. "You should have stayed out of the way!"

"Or about you actually come and fight like a real king?!"

"Enough!" The Stern Queen barked as she took a step towards Aqua. "If you cannot be of use, stay out my way and I'll defeat her myself."

Just as she was about to fire another wind blast, a magical beam of red light collided with her and sent her flying back.

"Aqua!"

Aqua glanced over her shoulder, seeing who had fired that blast. "Salem?"

The young woman rushed up, stopping next to her while holding Ozma's staff. "Did you get something for Ozma?"

"I believe so." Aqua said, glancing back at the three rulers as they faced the two women down. "I don't know who these are."

"They are rulers from neighboring kingdoms." Salem answered. "I recognize their style of clothing."

She looked at the Fat King. "He's from the western lands."

Then at the Stern Queen. "She's from the eastern lands."

And then at the Zealous King. "And he's from the north."

"Any idea why they would come here?" Aqua asked.

"Usually when a kings and queens come near another a kingdom, it's either to negotiate…" Salem's eyes landed on their weapons. "Or to fight."

"Well, they seem rather intent on the later and it's with me for some reason." Aqua watched each of them carefully. "I'll hold them off. You go back to Ozma. I'll meet up with you as soon as I can."

"If they kill you, you won't be able to save Ozma." Salem argued. "You can't face them alone."

"Enough!" The Stern Queen barked, aiming her fan at the two. "I am done with this foolishness!"

Aqua and Salem shared a glance before they faced the three, Salem gathering magic in her free hand while holding Ozma's staff in her other hand while Aqua settled into her usual battle stance. The Stern Queen fired another tornado at them but both Aqua and Salem conjured a barrier at the same time with the latter using Ozma's staff, which easily blocked the attack. The Zealous King roared and charged straight at them but by then Aqua had enough.

"Gather!" She shouted, creating a vortex that pulled the Zealous King off his feet and into the air above them.

Aqua proceeded to strike the Zealous King over and over, landing eight hits before the spell had ended and the final hit sent the king crashing into the ground. The Stern Queen fired another wind blast but Salem held Ozma's staff in front of her, creating a tornado underneath her that allowed her to float up into the air and cancel out the attack. The Stern Queen narrowed her eyes and swung the fun, summoning three tornadoes that surrounded Salem's, cancelling it out and leaving her to get torn apart.

"Salem!" Aqua shouted, pointing her Keyblade up and creating a barrier around Salem, protecting her from the tornadoes.

The Fat King took that chance to fire another shard of ice at her. "Ha! Got you now!"

Aqua merely stepped to the side, dodging the ice shard and turned to face him. As she slowly walked towards, an aura resembling fire surrounded her.

"Stay back!" The Fat King pointed his spear at her. "With this spear, I control the power of ice! What hope do you have?"

Aqua simply pointed her Keyblade at him. "Mega Flare!"

From her Keyblade came a great fire ball that shot at the Fat King who let out a startled shock as he channeled his magic through the spear, releasing a blast of ice that collided with the spell.

BOOM!

Upon colliding with the ice blast, the Mega Flare spell created a blinding explosion that sent the Fat King flying back, dropping the Ice Spear in the process. He landed in the bushes and a second later got up and turned to run with his soldiers getting up.

"Run you fools!" He shouted, not bothering to wait for them.

The Fat King's guards ran after him, leaving behind the Zealous King and the Stern Queen to face the two. With the barrier protecting her, Salem called upon her magic, shrouding Aqua's barrier with a blast of lightning that knocked the tornadoes away and allowed her to land safely on the ground. Aqua teleported next to her and they faced the last two monarchs. The Zealous King growled as he pointed his scythe at them. He raised the scythe and the ground shook as a fissure opened up underneath them.

Both Aqua and Salem jumped out of the way, landing on either side of the fissure. Salem pointed her free hand at the Zealous King, releasing a bolt of lightning just as Aqua cried out. "Thunder!"

The Zealous King raised his scythe to block the lightning from Salem but Aqua's Thundaga spell came down from above, striking him in the back and earning a scream of pain from him. In the meantime the Stern Queen swung her fan out, releasing another gust of wind. A sphere surrounded Salem while Aqua conjured a barrier at the exact same moment.

Only Aqua's barrier looked more like a bubble.

"Bubble Blaster!"

From the edge of Aqua's Keyblade came a barrage of bubbles that collided with the Stern Queen, pushing her back while several others collided with the Zealous King who plunged his scythe into the ground and summoned a wall of earth to protect himself. The Zealous King then words leapt up, somersaulting through the air and swung his Keyblade down at Aqua who quickly stepped back, parrying the barbarian's scythe and thus the duel recommenced. Aqua quickly found herself on the defensive as the Zealous King's style was incredibly aggressive each of his strikes had the power equivalent to several men behind them and his reach was far greater than Aqua's. It was all she could do to either block with her Keyblade or dodge out of the way entirely, and the Zealous King had plenty of power to spare which allowed him to put up a continuous assault.

Aqua stepped back, using Reflega to help block the Zealous King's scythe as he hammered at her defenses.

"Thunder!" Aqua shouted, calling down a bolt of lightning but this time the Zealous King was ready.

He held up his scythe and sword, conjuring a spherical barrier that blocked the lightning attack. The Zealous King then went on the offensive, attacking Aqua as she gave ground, blocking and parrying his blows with her Keyblade and Reflega spell. However Aqua was far from finished and she proved it by concentrating on channeling her power into Keyblade, causing it glow white as it clashed with the King's scythe.

"Gah! So bright!" The King squinted his eyes as he looked away.

Aqua then broke the lock and kicked the Zealous King in the chest, making him stagger back. The Zealous King growled as he staggered back and quickly parried Aqua's strike at his legs. Aqua quickly spun around, slashing at the Zealous King's chest but the king batted it aside and thrust at Aqua's chest. Aqua jumped back, back-flipping out of range of the Zealous King's scythe and blocking several slashes from the barbarian and ducked under another aimed at her head before retaliating with a full powered leap.

The Zealous King managed to block but was pushed back by the momentum.

"Freeze!" Aqua shouted, pointing at the ground.

The Blizzard spell froze the ground underneath the Zealous King's feet, making it very slippery for him and he lost his footing.

"Thunder!" Aqua shouted.

A bolt of lightning hit the ice in front of the Zealous King and blinded him for a second. Aqua took advantage of his distraction by teleporting behind him and firing a blast sent him crashing face first into the ground. Seeing her opponent was now down, Aqua spun around and ran to help Salem.

And it was just in the nick of time.

Though Salem had spent the majority of her life locked in a tower by her cruel father, he did not neglect to teach her the magical arts. In fact, her nanny had been a skilled magician herself, teaching Salem all about the mystic arts. She spent many nights honing her skills since she had nothing better to do at the time even though it wouldn't help her break through the barrier keeping her locked in the tower. The problem was while she was skilled in magic she wasn't experienced in combat and unfortunately her opponent was.

The Stern Queen let loose another gust that knocked Salem back, even as she tried putting up a barrier. The Queen then raised her fan to finish Salem off but was cut off by Aqua.

'Time Splicer!' Aqua shouted in her mind and vanished in a flash of light.

She reappeared in front of the Stern Queen, lashing out with a few quick combos before leaving an afterimage as she teleported behind and did the same and ended it with a final hit. The Stern Queen was sent crashing to the ground, hard. She grunted as she looked up with an enraged face and tried to raise her fan.

Just as she did that, a yellow aura Aqua's body. "Thunderbolt!"

Her body was now covered in electricity that made her twice as lethal which she showed as she shot forward and clashed with the Queen's fan, sending electricity coursing through her body. The Stern Queen screamed in pain before she finally fell unconscious and collapsed.

(Kingdom Hearts II Soundtrack Rowdy Rumble Ends)

Aqua sighed, relieved that it was finally over and turned around to see how Salem was. "Salem, are you all right?"

Salem was standing with a surprised look on her face, stunned by how strong Aqua was. "I'm…I'm fine. You…You fight well, Lady Aqua."

Aqua smiled as she dismissed her Keyblade. "Just call me, Aqua. Come on, we better help Ozma."

A growl made them stop and they looked to see the Zealous King managing to stand up, glaring at them with anger and hate in his eyes for the humiliating defeat he had suffered.

"I don't know why you have come for me but it's over. Leave now and you won't suffer anymore." Aqua stated stoically.

The Zealous King snarled, pointing his scythe at them and then up into the sky. A beam of darkness shot up, creating a black orb in the sky. Suddenly pieces of the surrounding land were pulled up from the ground along with trees and water up towards the orb, attracted to it like it was a black hole. Aqua and Salem watched in shock and horror as the small orb attracted enough mass to become a giant boulder, shaped like a miniature moon the size of a large house in the sky.

The Zealous King grinned as he raised his free hand, firing a red orb up at his creation which was lit on fire.

"RAGH!" The Zealous King swung his scythe down and the meteor began falling towards Aqua and Salem.

Aqua pointed her Keyblade up, firing a burst of multi-colored light projectiles meteor but they did very little damage to it as it continued to fall.

"We got to run!" Salem shouted.

Only it was too late.

An orange aura flared around Aqua as she pointed Keyblade up. "Meteor Shower!"

From her Keyblade came a series of beams at the meteor, blasting it apart. Salem raised her hand and fired her own magical beam at the falling meteor but it still kept falling towards them and it was still large.

Then suddenly a hand grasped the staff Salem was holding.

She turned her head, seeing who was holding the staff. "Ozma?!"

Ozma was barely standing as he grasped his staff, the green gem on it glowing as he channeled his magic through it. "…Together!"

Aqua glanced at Ozma and nodded. "Together."

Salem nodded. "Together!"

That was when something happened.

A surge of light surrounded the three of them, a blue light surrounding Aqua, a green one surrounding Ozma and a violet one surrounding Salem.

They looked up at the falling meteor, Aqua and Ozma raising their weapons and Salem raising her hand, all of them shouting the words that entered their minds. "LIMIT BREAK!"

The light swirled together around them before blasting up towards the meteor that was just right above them, not only blasting it but blasting through it, traveling up into the sky and vanishing into the upper atmosphere.

The God of Light watched as the combined power of the Keyblade Master along with two humans, destroyed the meteor made by his brother's weapon.

"Impressive." He mused.

The humans…Their magic had joined together in that one instance, increasing their powers to considerable degree.

The God of Darkness on the other hand…was irritated.

"This is what I get for relying on mortals and not my first children."

When the dust finally cleared Aqua, Ozma and Salem had been scattered across the battlefield. The blast was too close and debris had fallen, sending them all flying back.

"Ugh…" Aqua was the first to open her eyes and get up.

She looked around, seeing Ozma and Salem nearby, on the ground but seemingly alive. Salem was the next to get up and she looked over at Ozma.

"Ozma…" She grunted as she tried crawling over to her beloved.

A shadow fell over her and she looked up, seeing the Zealous King glaring down at her, raising his scythe…

Ozma glanced up just in time to see Salem stabbed in the back. "No…!"

The Zealous King lifted his bloodied scythe, turning to Ozma.

However that was his last mistake.

A surge of light caught his attention and he turned to see Aqua stepping towards him with an angered look on her face as she activated her second Command Style: Ghost Drive.

The Zealous King was about to attack when Aqua teleported in front of him, delivering a few slashes that knocked him back, then appeared behind him, sending him into the air and delivered a final blow that sent him crashing to the ground. He dropped the scythe and was seemingly knocked out as Aqua landed on the ground, glaring at him before turning away.

She rushed over to Ozma who was holding Salem's hand, blood covering the back of Salem's outfit from a large cut along the back.

"Is she…" Ozma trailed off.

Aqua looked at Salem's body sadly, sensing no life from it. "…Yes."

"No…" Ozma lowered his head into the ground.

Aqua stared in sadness at both, before she remembered and pulled out the Phoenix Down she had gotten from Daybreak Town. "Ozma, I got something here with me that was supposed to heal you. It might work on Salem if she hasn't been dead for long."

Ozma looked up at Aqua a bit of hope in his eyes. "Can it?"

Aqua nodded. "But if I use it on her then you…"

"Do it." He said with no hesitation.

Aqua looked at him in surprise. "But…"

"She was locked in a tower for nearly her entire life. She hasn't had a chance to see the world like she always wanted. If this is to be my last…let her live the life she always wanted." Ozma said with a sad smile.

Aqua just stared in stunned silence, suddenly being reminded of how she had not hesitated to save her friends, even saving Terra from falling into darkness. Seeing the desperate look in Ozma's eyes, Aqua found herself unable to refuse as she placed the Phoenix Down on Salem's back…And watched as a flash of bright flames engulfed her.

Salem's wound was healed and she opened her eyes, gasping in shock as she looked up a Ozma's relieved face. "…Oz…ma?"

Ozma smiled…and then coughed out blood. "I'm glad…to see you…one last…time."

"Ozma!"

Aqua could only watch in sadness at Ozma's final moments.

Chapter Text

Gula

Defeated again.

The God of Darkness could only stare in disappointment as the wielders…

No.

They were not worthy to be wielders.

His gifts had only sought those three out because they were the most known rulers amongst the mortal, not because they were powerful.

It seems his only Dark Herald, Sutr was worthy.

Still, he was not as upset at their defeat as he felt he should, if only because Aqua had shown him the beings of darkness on that other world.

The Heartless.

He gazed at his Pool of Annihilation, considering if he could create similar creatures as well. That sought not to destroy but corrupt the hearts, to spread and turn them all into similar beings of darkness.

It was something to consider.

Which were superior?

These Heartless or his Grimm children?

The God of Darkness could only ponder these questions more and more. It was obvious simply creating weapons and sending them to the humans was not enough. While he was more interested in what this Aqua woman had to show him, both of what these new worlds could bring and her powers. While his brother had more empathy for their creations, the God of Darkness saw Humanity more as playthings for himself and his brother, not giving them much thought other than entertainment.

Sure, he gave them the gift of magic but that was merely part of his curiosity in testing their limits and he would admit he admired their resources, especially when he sent his Grimm to challenge them.

And he was interested in challenging that young woman, Aqua again.

But how?

Should he create brand new Grimm, even stronger than the ones that already existed and send them to challenge her?

Should he craft new weapons and find more worthy candidates?

Or should he ask Surtr to challenge her again?

He might be better prepared this time.

"Better prepared." The dark deity looked down at his dark pools. "You have inspired me, Aqua. You and those Heartless creatures. So let us see what I can make of this."

He raised his hands, focusing his power and will into the Pool of Annihilation. The destructive liquid essence bubbled as a new form of life was made, starting with a single hand that slowly reached up from the blackened water.

The deity of darkness watched in pride at its new child.

This Grimm was more humanoid than most others. It was bulky, ten feet tall with hind legs, sharp teeth, horns, and had boney white armor all over it. Having been inspired by those Invisible Heartless he had seen Aqua fighting, the God of Darkness opted to create a more complex Grimm. This new one, was made not just to destroy.

But to battle dangerous warriors like Aqua.

The Grimm were made to be a force of pure destruction and he proudly could say that they have followed that path to the letter. However, the appearance of Aqua and the Heartless showed him that while the Grimm were dangerous, they might not be the most dangerous destructive force born from the darkness.

These Heartless, born from mortal hearts could possibly rival his children.

And he could not allow that.

This new Grimm that would one be called a Troll, was made with the idea from the muscular bodies the Invisibles had. While they lacked rings and didn't wield weapons like those Invisibles did it was only the beginning. Its body was made to be strong with its armor meant to show it at the peak of its strength. Its mind, while not like a human mind and was driven by base instinct to destroy, would still be more complex with the capacity to learn how to fight even through battle.

"You are the first of a new batch of my children, created to fight beings and warriors unlike any that this world has seen before." The God of Darkness petted his creation on the head.

The Troll Grimm growled in anticipation.

"And you will not be alone." The God of Darkness said, raising one hand again. "So much potential for destruction beyond even what I had imagined."

He had agreed not to create anymore Grimm but honestly, when his brother had all the worshippers and left him and his creations alone how could he not have created more?

Even a deity could become lonely and underappreciated.

So he created more and let them play with the Humans and now he had someone new to play with.

From the pool emerged more new Grimm, each of them looking more beastly than their older brethren and even scarier.

Another form of humanoid Grimm with long dark wings.

A giant dog like Grimm with three heads.

A dragon Grimm with a large serpentine like body about twenty meters long with four limbs for arms and legs and wings on its back with a grey underbelly. From its huge mouth came eerily dripping fluids as it looked at its creator with bright red eyes.

A large lion with its main made of concentrated Grimm essence and hardened to be as strong as any kind of steel.

A new form of Beowulf that could actually stand on its hind legs, its arms made of pure white bone with sharpened claws and spikes protruding from the elbows.

Some Grimm resembled a large whale.

And they were just the beginning.

Now was the difficult part.

The dark deity focused his powers on creating a new kind of Grimm, one that could possibly have the ability to travel beyond this world. The dark water bubbled again as a new Grimm arose, unlike any that he had created before. It had two heads that resembled a baboon's head, reptilian legs, tentacles for arms, and red glowing eyes on each head. The God of Darkness watched as it summoned a portal and stepped into it and used his gaze to see where it traveled.

It traveled…outside of space and time?

The only reason the dark deity could still see was because he could link himself with his children and see what they see.

His new child had entered some sort of shadow world.

Well, it's not as if the Dark God had not anticipated there would be some problems to creating a new child with the power to travel beyond worlds. He had remembered the creations he and his brother had made together in their quest to create something they could both be proud of. The numerous failures they had made before finally creating a form of sentient and intelligent life. This only gave him the drive to try again and to not stop until he succeeded.

"To think it took the appearance of a stranger to motivate me so much. Perhaps I should thank her if we ever meet." The God of Darkness mused as he looked down the pool, showing Aqua's image again.

Strangely, he hoped they would meet.

"Why?"

That was the only question that could be uttered in a situation like this.

Salem was kneeling next to the bed where the now deceased Ozma laid, her cheeks stained with tears as she sobbed. Aqua stood behind her, arms together with a saddened look on her face. As someone who lost her own friends and parental figure, Aqua understood her pain well but all she could do was stand and watch as Salem cried over the loss of her love.

"I loved him. How could the Gods let this to happen?" Salem cried, clutching his staff tightly to her chest. "Why did this happen?"

Salem had only remembered the brutish warlord striking her with his scythe before she woke up to find Ozma was dead and that Aqua had used what she been planning to save him to safe her instead.

Aqua could only turn away, looking out the window to allow Salem her moment of grief.

Despite her sadness at Ozma's passing there were also questions floating to the top of Aqua's mind:

Who were those people who came after her?

Salem explained they were all from kingdoms of neighboring lands, all of them rulers.

And what were those magical weapons they wielded?

A scythe that controlled Earth.

A fan that controlled Wind.

And a spear that conjured and controlled Ice.

She felt the magic behind them. They were not like Ozma's staff that he used to channel his magical power through for greater control along with enhancing the power of his own magical blast.

'They felt more like my Keyblade.' Aqua thought to herself. 'Natural conduits for great magical power. And that power even felt…divine.'

This was likely the work of a god.

And she knew that two gods lived in this world.

"You did this!"

Aqua was shaken from her thoughts by Salem's voice and turned around to see the young princess glaring furiously at her. "What?"

"You did this. They came after you and you used the one thing that could have saved him!" Salem accused.

Aqua blinked and then frowned. "He asked me to use it on you so you could live."

"And then you let him die." Salem stood up, glaring daggers at Aqua. "All of this and he still died."

"But you're alive and that was his wish." Aqua countered.

"Don't tell me what his wish was!" Salem shouted, electricity sparkling around her which prompted Aqua to step back. "I had my suspicions about you from the very beginning!"

"What are you talking about?" Aqua asked, not entirely understanding the depths of Salem's anger towards her.

"You! Appearing out of nowhere, claiming to be one of Ozma's friends then disappear when he is dying and when you return you are suddenly attacked! It all seems so convenient." Salem pointed accusingly at Aqua. "You set this up, didn't you?"

Now Aqua was glaring but remained calm and composed in the face of these accusations. "I had nothing to do with those attackers but it is clear you are not listening. Whether you think I had some ulterior motives or not, I still considered Ozma a friend and I respected his wish to save you instead."

With that, she turned to the door.

"Where are you going?" Salem barked behind her.

"Somewhere. I know I am not wanted here." Aqua said, reaching the door without stopping or turning as she answered.

"You don't just walk away after what you've done!" Salem raised her hand and fired a blast of red magical energy at Aqua with her back turned.

Acting on instinct, Aqua spun and summoned her Keyblade, erecting a barrier around herself that blocked the magical blast and reflected right back at its progenitor. Salem gasped her attack hit her and knocked her into the wall. She slid down, groaning in pain from the injury inflicted by her own attack. She opened her eyes and saw Aqua pointing her Keyblade directly at her face which caused her to freeze.

"Heal." Aqua simply said, casting a green light over Salem that caused the wound from the attack to instantly heal. "That is the only warning you are going to be given, Salem. Ozma wouldn't want us killing each other over his body nor would he want me to leave you in pain after I sacrificed his chance of being saved. Don't make that sacrifice count for nothing."

With that, she dismissed her Keyblade and headed for the door. Salem could do nothing but watch and glare in pained silence as Aqua opened the door, casting one last look at her before walking out and closing it. Salem continued glaring at the door for some time before grief and sadness overtook her once again as she looked the dead body of her beloved.

How did it come to this?

Why did the Gods allow this?

'Wait, the Gods!' Salem perked up for a second, remembering what Ozma had told her about the Gods. 'Ozma said they answer the prayers of people who come to them, seeking help!'

That was what she needed to do.

She would go to the Gods for help.

And Ozma had told her where the God of Light resided.

Salem walked over the bed, looking sadly at Ozma's body. Despite his deceased state, it only looked like he was sleeping.

She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "I promise, I will save you."

She picked his staff and headed for the door.

As soon as she left Ozma's home, Aqua started walking with no clear destination. All she knew at the moment was that she had to get away, have time for her to work out her own sadness from Ozma's passing. She understood Salem was grieving as well and felt the need to lash out in any possible way to cope with the pain.

She just wished she hadn't suddenly blamed her for Ozma's death.

Sighing to herself, Aqua had walked for some time before she came to a stop and took out the Horn of Passage. She still had questions about what was going in Daybreak Town and why she saw Ven there. Given that her tasks here were done, even if she failed she saw nothing else keeping her here and blew on the Horn.

The spirit of Heimdallr appeared before her. "You wish to go somewhere?"

"Back to Daybreak Town, please." Aqua answered politely.

"As you wish." Heimdallr said, opening a rainbow bridge through the portal of light that appeared above them.

"So that's how you did it."

Aqua's eyes widened in surprise and she spun around to see someone standing behind her. She widened her eyes even further when she saw the person was dressed exactly like Invi, save for the fact their robe and cloak were all pale yellow, they were male and wore a leopard mask.

"I am kind of disappointed. You can't use a Door of Light?" The boy asked, bringing an index finger to his chin.

"Who are you?" Aqua took a step back as she put the Horn away.

"Right, right. Manners. My name is Gula, leader of the Leopard Union. You've already met Invi." The boy introduced himself.

"Gula?" Aqua slowly repeated. "How did you follow me here?"

"That was easy. I opened a door." Gula said like it was obvious. "You really don't know what a Door of Light is? Who is your master? I'd like to talk to them about their really odd way of teaching."

Aqua narrowed her eyes. "Do not insult my master."

Gula, seeing how mad Aqua was becoming, simply sighed and summoned his Keyblade. "Very well."

Gula's Keyblade had a long, dark blue handle. Its pommel and guard resembled golden bolts of lightning. The base of the blade was an etching of a green eyed leopard, and the shaft was formed from golden spiked blade with a wide, darkened middle, itself etched in yellow with an icon resembling her own emblem. The teeth were formed from a web of crystalline spikes, and had another etched icon with a general heart like shape. The Keychain was made of small, electrum crystals, and the token was a spiked electrum with an eye like she one she saw on Invi, Vanitas, and Xehanort's Keyblades.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Master, Tell Me the Truth Starts)

"Now then," Gula grinned before vanishing.

Aqua's senses screamed at her as she summoned her own Keyblade and blocked a slash aimed at her head.

"Decent reflexes." Gula commented.

Aqua launched a series of counter strikes at Gula who used his natural but impressive speed to narrowly avoid his opponent's attacks. Gula jumped back, looking slightly impressed by Aqua's skills but was still confident in his own skills.

He then smiled at her and made a gesture with his hand. 'Come and get me.'

Aqua accepted, this time being the one to charge and dashed at Gula like a graceful and yet powerful tidal wave. She attacked Gula, her slashes leaving behind a magic flower with each strike that soon vanished in the air. Gula was able to block Aqua's strikes, matching her swings with his own speed and reflexes. Though he was faster he could see Aqua's skills were more refined than his own and that impressive, considering the shape of her Keyblade.

Gula then leaned back, allowing Aqua's Keyblade to sail over his head as she swung up and actually landed a hit on her, knocking her back. Aqua grunted as she staggered back but she managed to straighten herself and teleport out of the way as Gula thrust his Keyblade at her torso. She reappeared behind him, glowing white as she activated her Spellweaver. Gula spun and ducked as Aqua's Keyblade sailed over his head.

The Keyblade spun through the air back at Gula who blocked with his own but Aqua then summoned two glowing orbs around her that actually struck Gula, one knocking his Keyblade from hers and the other nearly knocking it out of his hand.

"Wow." Gula said as he flipped back, watching as Aqua summoned back her Keyblade. "Impressive."

"Thunder!" Aqua shouted.

Three bolts of lightning fell down towards Gula who smirked as the ground around him exploded. Aqua waited for the dust to clear but it did, Gula had vanished. She noticed a yellow blur before she was suddenly hit in the face. The yellow blur came again and Aqua was hit in the back before she could even comprehend the first hit.

There were several more hits before it was finally over and Aqua slammed into the ground. Gula landed a few feet away.

"While magic is not my specialty I am no slouch at it either." Gula remarked with a smile.

Aqua grunted as a green light enveloped her. "Heal."

Her light wounds healed and she stood up, glaring at Gula.

"Well, impressive use of magic. No Invi but you know when to make use of it. Your stance is refined to the point you can wield the Keyblade no matter what shape and you've got a cool head, kind of like me." Gula noted. "And you've got the experience to adapt to your situations."

"Who are you?" Aqua asked. "Why are you attacking me and how did you even get here?"

"I told you, my name is Gula, leader of the Leopard Union and I used a Door of Light." Gula answered with a frown. "Slow on the uptake, I see. Still, you've a chance to learn but only if you can show the heart for it!"

Just as Gula shot forward in another yellow blur but this time, Aqua was ready.

"Transcendence!" She shouted, conjuring an anti-gravity field.

Gula shot right into the field and was lifted off his feet, taking him by surprise. Aqua then teleported outside of the field. Once she was outside she pointed her Keyblade and Gula and a barrage of multi-colored orbs that slammed into Gua, sending him crashing into the ground.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Master, Tell Me the Truth Ends)

Gula grunted as he stood up, casting a Cura himself. "Maybe not so weak as I thought."

Aqua remained composed as a door made of pure light appeared behind Gula as he dismissed his Keyblade.

"Keep at it, whatever you are doing." Gula said as he turned around, only to glance back at her. "He's got high expectations of you."

Aqua just stared as Gula entered the door and vanished into the light…and fell to her knees in exhaustion when he was finally gone.

What was going on?

Who was Gula talking about?

Did it have to do with something in this world or in Daybreak Town?

All these questions left Aqua feeling exhausted.

It was beautiful.

Salem placed some flowers on the staircase leading to the altar of the God of Light's domain while holding onto Ozma's scepter. This was a custom amongst mortals to offer their respects to the Gods before entering their domain.

It made them receptacle to hearing a mortal's pleas.

Salem then walked up and when she reached the top of the mountain, she stopped as she looked upon the Domain of Light, a valley filled with golden flowers with a pool of water and a tree at the center. Leaves blew from the tree and encircled above the water.

It was truly a magical place.

One that you would only expect to see in a fairy tale.

She slowly approached the pool and stopped to watch as a being in golden light slowly rose from the pool. This being had dragon like horns on his head and the light emanating from him told her exactly who he was.

The God of Light.

He walked across the water, his feet standing on it to show he was truly a God as Salem fell to her knees, holding Ozma's scepter to her chest.

"Please…Please, bring him back to me." Salem begged tearfully.

"I understand your pain, but you demand of me that which I cannot make so." The God of Light answered. "Life and death are part of a delicate balance."

"So…you won't do it then?" Salem slowly asked.

"To disrupt the cycle of-" The God of Light began but was interrupted.

"But that's not fair…That's not fair!" Salem's voice echoed throughout the Domain of Light.

The God of Light's stance suddenly became very stern. "Let. Him. Rest."

The wind picked up, causing leaves to blow around Salem. Suddenly she found herself back at the bottom of the stairway, leading to the Domain of Light.

She looked at Ozma's in her hands before looking up the stairs with an angered look on her face. "No."

She would not accept this.

He was her one true love.

She couldn't just forget him.

She won't.

If the God of Light won't help here, then she will go and see his brother…

The God of Darkness.

"Gula took his sweet time playing with her." The Darkness spoke to the Master who sat at his desk.

"He's like that. Sure he likes to be cool-headed and serious but his youth gives him a rather laid back outlook on life." The Master stated. "He managed follow her back to that world."

"She obviously has not been trained to use Light or Darkness to directly travel to other worlds." The Darkness noted.

"But she has found another way and a rather interesting one at that. This world is deep in the Realm of Light, a nexus of worlds from which all others spawn from and the world she has come from…It appears to be as deep in the Realm of Darkness as this world is in the Light." The Master noted in interest. "A nexus from which worlds can possible be spawned, though it appears to be the only world there at the moment. I wonder what one born from the world of Light can do in a world of Darkness."

Chapter Text

Maleficent

"There's no question about it, Master. She's skilled, really skilled. She may not be up to our standards but she's got a lot of experience under her belt."

"Or maybe you let your guard down around her."

The Master raised one hand, interrupting the brawl before it could start. "Now, now, Aced. That's not fair to Gula. I'm sure that any surprise he encountered was through no fault of his own."

"Thank you, Master." Gula nodded in gratitude.

"Now, you were saying?" The Master gestured.

"Well, she seems to have no clue what a Door of Light is, meaning whoever taught her doesn't know as much as they should have. A Keyblade Wielder is capable of traveling to any world as you have taught us." Gula continued.

"I did mention that one time, didn't I?" The Master raised a hand to his hidden chin, acting as he had forgotten.

"Still, she knows how to keep herself in the fight and it looks like she's still learning." Gula finished. "If she's open to it, I'd suggest she joins Invi's or Ava's factions."

"You offer an outsider who we know nothing about a chance to join us?" Aced questioned, glaring at Gula from under his mask. "You have no authority to make that call."

"It's only a suggestion." Gula rebuked.

"And she's from a world you say is located deep in the Realm of Darkness." Aced retorted. "Meaning she can't be trusted. We should capture or eliminate her."

"That is not the Master's wish, Aced." Ira stated. "She has been in our world for no more than two days and according to Gula, it was only because she wished to heal someone who was dying."

"Yeah, too bad she had to choose between healing the sick guy or the dead lady who really wasn't grateful to be alive." Gula shrugged.

"And you said they have magic there?" Invi recollected.

"Oh yeah, impressive magic too. Those three with the golden weapons were definitely wielding some mighty fire power. In fact, I think they were created by a deity." Gula nodded. "She managed to hold her own along with that woman and the sick knight guy. Pretty impressive, huh?"

"Very. Did you get a good look at their magic?" The Master asked.

"Well, they don't seem to need vocal commands for their spells. The knight guy was using a scepter in battle, likely to better channel his magic and they seem to be basic elemental manipulation. No time or spatial magic from what I could see." Gula informed.

"Fascinating. An entire world of magic users without Keyblade and weapons of magic forged by deities." The Master mused. "This is really getting interesting."

"So what is our next move, Master?" Ira asked.

"For now, let the little lady have a small break. Sounds like she's been through a lot and whether she came from the Realm of Darkness or not, she is a Keyblade Wielder and even the mightiest Keyblade Wielders need breaks. If she comes back, let her have some time to rest and figure things out." The Master stated.

Aced didn't look like he approved of the Master's instructions one bit. Once the Foretellers had left, the Master stood by the window as a familiar presence appeared behind him.

"Not just a world in the darkness, but a Nexus of Worlds. I have seen it. From this world, many others can be born from it, protected by from the darkness by a barrier." The Darkness spoke.

"Fascinating. A world hidden away like that." The Master remarked.

"Yes."

"So if a Nexus of Worlds exists in the Realm of Darkness, it could open a pathway to many other worlds never before encountered." The Master mused, rubbing his hidden chin. "Though I have to wonder why you made no move yet."

"From what I have seen, the darkness of that world seeks to mindlessly destroy, not grow and propagate. This was not foreseen by you." Darkness noted.

"No, it wasn't. And yet the woman's heart is of light, not darkness. So is she truly from that world or was she brought there by a twist of fate?" The Master wondered.

"It is something wonder." The Darkness agreed. "And what will you do?"

"I think the bigger question is what will you do, old friend. Will you go into that world and try to help the darkness grow?" The Master glanced over his shoulder.

"I admit to being interested but I am not interested in the destruction this form of darkness weaves." The Darkness noted.

"Really? Seems right up your alley." The Master turned away.

"…" The Darkness just hovered there, seemingly 'staring' at the Master.

"That woman seemed like the perfect vessel for you." The Master continued. "How easily she felt anger towards young Aqua for such a hard choice. Hardly seems fair, doesn't it?"

"And yet that anger gave her focus and the drive to find a way to revive him." The Darkness replied. "She indeed does have great potential."

"So will you approach her?"

"Will you try and stop me?"

The Master shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. On the one hand, I probably should intervene to stop you from spreading. And on the other hand, this world is cut off from all the rest despite existing deep in the Realm of Darkness to the point I almost thought it existed on the Other Side. I'm not sure that anything that happens there can affect this world and the other worlds out here."

"So you would give me free reign to do as I please?"

"Who am I to stop you?" The Master shrugged. "After all, you only wish to survive."

The Darkness just hovered there, silent from the Master's reply for over a moment. "You are a very strange man at times."

The Master chuckled. "I suppose I am."

"I might not intervene directly yet, but I would rather test this world first. And I know who can do it thanks to the data simulation you set up to ensure the past cannot be erased, thus contradicting your Book of Prophecies."

"So that's your plan. Well done." The Master snapped his fingers and gave a few claps to the Darkness. "An effective loophole around my little trap. You truly are a cunning adversary."

"I am sure you would have predicted my idea." The Darkness stated.

The Master chuckled again. "You flatter me."

The Darkness began to vanish back into the shadows. "I know that you will be watching. What happens when an entire world becomes endangered from the darkness? Will you stand by and do nothing? Or will you count on the young woman to save it?"

The Master remained silent as the Darkness completely vanished. "I wonder what I might try as well."

After her battle with Gula, Aqua just wanted to find a place to rest and she had an idea where to go.

With Heimdallr's help, she returned to Daybreak Town and went back to the same inn she stayed at before. The owners were kind enough to give her the same room as before and she just plopped herself down on the bed, too tired to move.

It was only after she lied down did she allow herself to feel sadness for Ozma's passing.

Though she hadn't known him as long as her other friends, she considered Ozma a good friend all the same after all he had done to help her and the few times they fought together against Sidorak who later became Surtr. Salem's anger towards her was completely unfounded but Aqua could understand that the younger woman was only looking for some kind of way to cope with her pain.

Still, she wasn't sure about the way Salem had so suddenly turned on her like that.

Had Salem been harboring such feelings towards when they had met?

She hadn't sensed any initial darkness from the woman at the time, aside from the usual darkness that exists in people's hearts but that was a far cry from the darkness she had felt in others like Maleficent or Xehanort. In fact, Salem had sounded so interested in her tales about her adventures to the point she looked like she admired Aqua. Ozma had mentioned her father had kept her locked up at the top of a tower for her entire life. She knew that likely wasn't good for the young woman who likely had no friends growing up.

She had lived in the Land of Departure, a world only the size of a small mountain and a temple for most of her life but she had her friends and Master to keep her company and they had quickly grown into a family. Sure it was only the four of them but she was never alone and her Master said that her abilities as Keyblade Wielder would only grow stronger as more and more people connected and bonded with her heart.

Still, there was the question of the hearts who had somehow bonded with her.

A girl in a red cloak and a scythe.

A girl with white hair.

A girl with black hair and cat ears.

A girl with golden yellow hair.

A boy with blond hair and sword.

A young boy with eyes as green as a forest.

And the girl with brown and white eyes with her color both brunette and pink.

What was their connection to all of this and her?

Were they part of this world or the one she had fallen into?

She felt something with each heart she touched, a sense of loss, despair and sadness.

What had happened to promote such feelings from all these hearts?

Aqua sighed as her eyes finally closed, wondering if she will find her answers tomorrow.

(Kingdom Hearts Maleficent Theme Starts)

Little did Aqua know, the world she had just left was about to receive another visitor.

In the middle of a field, a dark portal opened and from it stepped out a woman. Fair and green skinned, she had shining yellow eyes that were heavily shadowed with violet make-up and her lips were painted red. Her head was topped with a black horned headdress and she wore a long, tattered black robe with a purple trim and maroon edge which flared out. She carried a staff with a glowing green orb at the tip. On the index finger of her right hand she wore a golden ring with a circular black stone on it.

Her entire appearance would give the impression of a dragon if anyone was there to meet her.

"What is this place?" She asked once she was out of the portal. "I do not recognize this world."

She last remembered…

Being stabbed in the chest by a key shaped weapon.

Transforming as she felt the darkness empower her.

The infernal boy fighting her…

And stabbing her in the chest again.

Screaming as she died and dissolved in darkness.

"Then I reappeared back in my world and then…" She growled as she banged her staff on the ground. "Why….! Why does the ending…never alter?!"

Before she could think any more, a miasma of darkness appeared before her.

"Because I knew you would come from the future, Maleficent." The Darkness spoke.

The woman named Maleficent narrowed her eyes. "And who are you?"

"You can call me…Darkness."

"Darkness?" Maleficent raised an eyebrow. "How curious."

"It is clear why you are here, Maleficent. You want to erase your humiliating defeat from history…and collect the seven hearts of pure light. But changing the past is not easy as you think. There are rules when it comes to time travel." The Darkness stated. "You can only return to a time where a version of you exists. But to do so, you must first separate your heart and body. When that boy pierced your heart with his Keyblade…You remembered what you learned from the old Keyblade Wielder, didn't you? You thought you could finally use it traverse time."

Maleficent glared at the being who seemingly knew so much about her.

"But the Master knew you would use that method to come to the past. That's why the Enchanted Dominion was never created…in the real world before the Keyblade War."

"Enough!" Maleficent barked. "Are you saying this is a trap?!"

"Indeed. You see…Before the Keyblade War Keyblade Wielders defeated monsters and gathered light…from the worlds of the future seen in the Book of Prophecies."

"Impossible! Are you implying this isn't the real world?" Maleficent questioned.

"No. This is a world trapped within the Realm of Darkness, a world never seen before by you or I. It has not been written in the Book of Prophecies and thus nothing has been changed." The Darkness answered.

This seemed to surprise and intrigue Maleficent. "A world in the Realm of Darkness? So you trapped me here, away from the outside world, because you fear my power?"

"Not quite. It wasn't your power I feared…but the act of you taking knowledge of the past into the future. That why only six world containing of hearts of pure light were created in the world I was originally going to send you to a copy of. I didn't want you learning what happens in the seventh world."

"How interesting." Maleficent mused. "Now, what do you intend to do with me? Keep me trapped in this new world?"

"I have the option of doing so but I offer a proposal first." The Darkness answered. "I will return you to your world if you examine the power of this world."

"The power?" Maleficent raised an eyebrow.

"This is no ordinary world. It is a world of magical beings, beasts and gods. It was created by two brothers, a God of Light and God of Darkness. The God of Light is attuned to the power of creation, creating life wherever he goes and the God of Darkness is attuned to the power of destruction, destroying anything he wishes when he wishes." Darkness began.

"Oh?" Maleficent looked intrigued. "And what does that have to do with me?"

"Another being has arrived in this world, one whose heart is naturally attuned to light. I have brought you here for your heart is attuned to darkness." Darkness continued. "Explore this world for a time, seek out the Brother Gods if you wish. It will interest you to know of a force of darkness on this world similar to the Heartless known as the Grimm."

"Grimm? An interesting name." Maleficent brought a hand to her chin. "And how will you return me to my original time?"

"Does this mean you accept my proposal?"

"I shall consider it." Maleficent answered, turning away from the Darkness. "However I am doubtful of your claim of returning me to my original time. Travel into the future is impossible."

"There is a way."

(Kingdom Hearts Maleficent Theme Ends)

After her failure with the God of Light, Salem opted to try his brother.

Almost no one visited the domain of the God of Darkness and for good reason. His realm that was of darkness and death.

Essentially the opposite of the Domain of Light.

Salem steeled herself and walked through the dark foreboding environment, stopping at a stairway leading up the mountain, similarly mirroring that of the Domain of Light's. The difference was that the stairs were made of a strange purple crystalline like substance. She stopped when she noticed a skeleton at the bottom of the stairs with a sword embedded in it.

Salem stopped when she heard a great roar up the stairway, hesitating for a moment before calming herself and taking a single step forward.

And then another.

And another after that.

With each step, Salem grew a little braver, reaching the top of the stairs and started down next, approaching a blacked pool of tar-like liquid. Surrounding the pool were numerous monsters, Grimm in various shapes and sizes but all of them were equally terrifying. Salem slowly walked down the stairs and approached the pool, feeling the eyes on her.

These Grimm were not like the ones she had seen and read about.

Many of them were bigger and looked much stronger. Salem stopped and watched as from the blackened pool, the God of Darkness emerged, his body twisted and consorted. Salem gasped in fear at the sight as the dark deity crawled towards her in an unnatural position. The Grimm were also inching closer to her.

"How curious. So rarely does a mortal choose to enter my domain and not only does one recently do so but now another comes before me." The dark God said in interest.

Salem quickly knelt before him. "Great God of Darkness, I beseech thee to hear my pleas. I have lost my love who was taken unfairly from me. I beg thee to return him to me as I miss him so dearly to the point, it is painful with each second he is not with me."

"You come to me, hoping your dearly beloved is restored to you?" The God of Darkness tilted his head slightly, surprised someone would come to him with such a request.

"I know you are the only one who can do it, Great One." Salem nodded.

She knew that if she had told the dark one that she had already gone to see his brother and had been turned away, all hopes of him reviving Ozma would be lost.

"Please, I beg you." She held out Ozma's scepter to the deity. "Will you answer my prayers?"

The God of Darkness seemed pleased. "Rise child and let your faith in me reward you."

Salem stood as requested and watched as the God of Darkness conjured a purple sphere and from it, Ozma's body appeared.

Salem slowly approached him and Ozma gasped back to life. "Where am I?! What is this?! WHERE AM I?!"

Salem was at his side, hugging him with a smile. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay."

A sound of thunder echoed through the dark domain and they all looked up to see the God of Light appear at the top of the stairs leading into his brother's domain.

He did not look happy.

"What have you done?" He asked slowly.

"I have done what I please, brother. You may bask in the powers of creation, but you do not own them." The God of Darkness answered.

"This is not creation."

"Do not lecture me!" As the God of Darkness snapped, the Grimm reacted, inching closer towards his brother.

"I will do what I must to maintain order." The God of Light waved his hand and an orange surrounded Ozma's body before it was erased, much to the horror of Salem.

"No! NO! What did you do?! BRING HIM BACK?!"

"You dare enter my domain and show such disrespect?!" The God of Darkness then made Ozma's body appear again.

"Ozma!" Salem cried, holding him again.

"I am abiding by the rules we agreed upon!" The God of Light argued.

"Rules that I now see are even in your favor. And yet the second time a mortal comes to pray at my feet before your own, so do you arrive to lay your judgment upon me!"

The God of Darkness began changing, transforming as wings sprouted from his back and his form grew along with his horns becoming longer and shaper. He was engulfed by a dark purple mist that formed into the shape of a dome before exploding in a dark purple light, taking the shape of a nightmarish dragon that snarled at the God of Light. The Grimm proceeded forward and attempted to attack him but a bright light emanated from him, destroying all the Grimm in the area. When the light cleared, the God of Light had taken the form of a beautiful oriental-looking dragon with his eyes emitting a bright light.

"I know we have our differences, but I have not come here with the aim to control you. The same, however, cannot be said for her." The God of Light gestured to Salem. "This woman came to you only after I denied her pleas. Pleas that would have disrupted the balance you and I created together."

The God of Darkness stopped and then looked at Salem who tightly held Ozma, pondering this revelation and sensed his brother was not lying. "Then it seems I owe you an apology. Allow me to correct my mistake."

"No!" Salem screamed.

There was nothing she could do as the God of Darkness released dark purple fire from its mouth, erasing Ozma again. Salem watched as the ashes of Ozma blew out of her hands in horror, her form trembling before she looked up at the two gods in rage.

"You…You monsters! Give him back to me! GIVE HIM BACK!"

Lightning emitted from Salem's body and surrounded in her what appeared to be a bright dome, looking like she was going to attack them. The God of Light lunged at Salem and the last she saw the golden dragon opening its mouth and devouring her…

And then felt herself falling back.

She woke up as she fell from the sky and landed in what felt like water. She struggled for a moment, seemingly drowning before a strange aura shimmered around her body. Suddenly she found herself on the surface of the water, catching her breath. She looked up and noticed both of the Brother Gods standing side by side.

"When first came to me, I did pity you." The God of Light began. "But it is clear now that your selfishness has led you astray."

Salem managed to stand back up. "What did you do to me?"

She looked down at herself, seeing the strange aura still shimmering around her hands.

"I have made you immortal."

Salem froze and gasped. "Immortal?"

"You cannot die. You cannot be with your beloved." The God of Darkness spoke.

"So as long as this world turns, you shall walk its face."

Salem stared at them in disbelief.

"You must learn the importance of life and death. Only then may you rest." The God of Light finished explaining what he had done.

Salem tried to reach for them but then found herself transported to a vast open field. "No…No…NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

She fell to her knees and cried as dark clouds began to circle above her.

(Kingdom Hearts Maleficent Theme Starts)

"Well, this might do for now."

Maleficent smiled to herself as she approached a rather large looking castle with a tower in the center of it. While it was not as big as the King and Queen's castle in the Enchanted Dominion it would serve its purpose. The swords littering the field told Maleficent there had been a battle here and a rather big one, despite the lack of bodies. She entered the castle through the main entrance, looking around to see scorch marks consisted with magic.

"So, a battle of magic took place here." Maleficent remarked in amusement. "It seems magic is indeed more common on this world than my own. Still, nothing to worry about. Now then…"

She raised her staff as the orb at the top of began to glow.

"A forest around of thorns shall be the wall…To ensure no one enters without heeding my call!"

Around the castle, dark trees with thorns sprouting from every possible angle grew at immense speed under the castle was completely surrounded, blocking any attempt to enter.

"Now then, I believe it's time to do a little research." Maleficent lowered her staff and began strolling through the castle she had claimed as hers for now. "I imagine there is a library somewhere to provide me with some answers."

She didn't like being made to follow the whims of a strange entity like the Darkness but she was interested enough to humor the entity until it fulfilled its end of the deal to send her back to her time.

(Kingdom Hearts Maleficent Theme Ends)

Chapter Text

Aced and Ava

Aced entered the Master's study, stopping near his desk but found he was not there. He looked around for a moment before the Master's voice came from behind.

"You been here long? My bad." Aced turned to see the Master approach from behind.

"No." Aced watched as the Master walked past him towards his desk and sat down.

Once he was seated, the Master glanced at Aced. "So what did you want?"

"Uh…" Aced stammered. "You didn't forget, did you? You're the one who called me here."

The Master chuckled. "Lighten up. I was just kidding!" Aced just watched as the Master waved at him. "I didn't forget. Give me a little credit here. I was just testing you!"

Aced could only stared in stunned confusion. "R-right…"

"Now then," The Master leaned back in his chair. "Allow me to tell you about your role. You're going to be Ira's right hand man."

Aced took a second to register it. "What? Ira's right hand man? What do you mean?"

"Well, Ira's gonna be the new leader, after I'm gone, you see, so just stand by him." The Master said as he nonchalantly flipped a page through his book. "Don't disappoint."

"Explain to me, Master." Aced demanded. "What do you mean Ira's going to be the leader?"

"What?" The Master looked back at Aced. "Is that disappointment I hear? Did you want to be leader?"

"No!" Aced answered quickly. "I mean, if you had asked me to be the leader, that's a different story, but I wasn't trying…"

"You really wanna be leader, huh?" The Master cut him off.

Aced's mouth hung open as he tried to form words. "I, well…"

"I know you want it, but that just isn't enough. Any chump can say," The Master pointed at Aced. "'You! Here's a huge promotion. Good job!'" He even gave Aced a thumb's up. "And make you head honcho but enthusiasm alone don't make a great leader. Ira needs someone like you to give him a push in the right direction."

"I agree. Ira is definitely the most worthy among us." Aced started, his voice dripping with resignation. "I'm sure he'll make a fine leader."

"Then it's settled." The Master said like there was no problem.

"Wait, I agreed that he is worthy." Aced protested, taking a couple steps forward. "But why do we need a new leader, Master? Does, does that mean you will no longer be teaching us?"

The Master brought his hands together. "Well…I might disappear one day…" The Master stopped and looked at Aced, seeing him standing still and decided to speak a little louder. "Well…I might disappear-"

"Disappear? Why? Where?" Aced asked immediately.

"Speak up sooner if you're listening." The Master scolded, sighing as he did. "That was embarrassing for me!"

He stood from his chair and turned to face Aced. "Anyway, I don't know if I'm gonna disappear or not. It's anyone guess right now." He waved his hands up to try and calm Aced.

"But…" Aced started but stopped as the Master approached him. "In any case, you need to support Ira. We both know he's quite serious. He's always just thinking and thinking and thinking behind the unicorn mask of his." He paced back and forth for a moment before stopping to face Aced, pointing at him. "So everyone will be counting on you to spur him into action."

"Uh…" Aced stuttered but nodded. "Right."

The Master nodded. "You might not be entirely happy with your role…But just know that it's the most important one." The Master patted Aced on the shoulder. "Capiche."

"Huh?" Aced was now completely confused.

"Shall I elaborate?" The Master asked rhetorically before turning away. "Making Ira the leader is all good in theory but sometime later you might think, 'he's terrible at this,' in which case it'll be your job to step up."

The Master stopped at his desk and faced Aced. "Who knows? Your leadership might be just what everyone needs. And that is your true role."

Now Aced was smiling and nodded in understanding.

The Master brought a hand to his chest. "May your heart be your guiding key. Best of luck, Aced!"

Aced turned to the door but the sound of the Master snapping his fingers made him pause. "Oh that's right! I forgot!"

"Master?" Aced turned back towards him.

"It has come to my attention that the lovely woman named Aqua has returned to Daybreak Town following her scuffle with Gula. She is resting for the moment but I believe now it's left to you, Ira or Ava to continue her trial." The Master spoke. "She's been through some rough patches since the last time she was here."

"Are you saying I am next to challenge her, Master?" Aced asked with a small smile.

"Oh no, I think this time it will be first come, first serve. You find her before the others, she's all yours. Just remember, you're not to eliminate her. I still wish to observe her a little longer before I make any hasty decisions." The Master answered.

"Of course, Master." Aced nodded. "Thank you."

The Master watched as Aced turned and left, just as the Darkness appeared next to him. "He's too eager for this. He might forget your instructions."

"Maybe but he's a free man. Who am I to decide what he shall do?" The Master shrugged. "So where have you been? Summoning that witch?"

"Yes. She's taken residence in an abandoned castle for the moment. It may interest you to know, that the woman Aqua was with tricked the two Gods into fighting each other before she tricked the dark one into resurrecting their dead lover. They are quite childish." The Darkness commented. "The light one continued killing him out of some agreement for balance while the dark one seems to suffer from a lack of worship from their mortals."

"Ah, that old routine. Some gods are just that way." The Master shrugged. "So what did they do to her?"

"They made her immortal."

This caused the Master to pause. "…Come again?"

"They made her immortal. She cannot die, she no longer ages. All to keep her from joining her lover in death." The Darkness answered.

"That's…" The Master sat down. "Stupid. Giving her immortality? That's what mortals always want, even if they never realize the price."

"To a God, the punishment is appropriate. She cannot die until she learns the lesson of the balance of life and death." The Darkness stated.

"Oh? Learns a lesson?" The Master sighed and shook his head. "Sure, a fair punishment to them. Living long enough to watch everyone around you die, except for you. But I have to wonder how much she loves this man."

Salem was back in Ozma's home, kneeling first before she slowly stood up, holding a sword to her chest.

Without hesitating she stabbed it through her heart.

"Or how much she would hate these gods."

"Exactly." The Master nodded in agreement with the Darkness' statement. "Good on paper, likely bad in execution. And you have the witch with her."

"Not yet but they are similar are they not? Both wield magic, both are now immortal. One by the gods and the other by the Keyblade. When she was stabbed with the Keyblade, the darkness in her heart was released and gave her the ability to travel back in time. Your trap caught her heart when it tried returning to the past of her world." The Darkness explained. "Now she has to be returned and it will take one of your pods along with a medium and someone to remember her. So as long as those exist, she cannot be killed."

"It is an interesting similarity, isn't it?" The Master mused. "It's amazing isn't it, what love can do to you?"

"This was brought on by love?"

"What else could it be? She wanted him back and was willing to lie and trick others into fighting each other to get him back. Now she can never join him, all because the love in her heart refused to accept that they could have been reunited when all hearts return to that which begins." The Master explained. "Now she cannot die until she learns a moral lesson. I can't say I would have done the exact same thing in their place. If anything this will twist her further into darkness."

"I am surprised you can say such things. Is love not meant to be an aspect of light? Would it not save her from darkness?" The Darkness questioned.

"There is a difference between love and attachment, my friend. Love doesn't lead to the darkness. Passion can lead to rage and fear, and can be controlled…but passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling your passions while being in love…that's what they should teach to you beware." The Master stated in a rare moment of seriousness. "But love itself will save you…not condemn you."

"What a strange thing to say." The Darkness admitted.

"Well, maybe I am just a romantic." The Master shrugged.

"So do you know what will happen?"

"Oh, I wouldn't try to wager what might happen. Mostly, someone is probably going to do something really stupid."

Salem dropped the sword onto the floor and watched as the wound that should have killed her instantly healed. She walked to the window, still holding the sword in her hand.

She set her sights on a castle in the distance.

"When you have no one with you and have immortality as a bonus that means you have nothing left to lose."

"Rebel against the gods? Are you insane?" King Artura asked, hidden behind a curtain while wearing her royal clothing, having heard Salem's proposal. "I've mourned Ozma's passing like you, Lady Salem but I will not commit my people to a war against the Gods."

"Not even to gain eternal life?" Salem questioned, glaring at the 'king'. "Strike me down and see for yourself."

"Nor will I shed blood for no reason. Leave, Salem." Artura ordered. "Forget this insane vendetta or at least leave me and my people out of it."

Salem glared before turning to the door, deciding to just move on to the next kingdom.

"After all, say you've got what people have secretly longed for, you'll have them dancing out of the palm of your hand."

A blooded axe landed on the floor before the Fat King, Charlemagne stood in surprise as the wound in Salem's back instantly healed.

"And then, it all falls apart." The Master said, rubbing the back of his head. "This is not going to be pretty."

"And what will you do?"

"What will I do? Why would I do anything?" The Master questioned. "This is out of my hands and yours."

"Then you truly will not intervene."

"I am a humble Master, not an arbiter." The Master shrugged. "I cannot take sides in this matter, even if a Keyblade Wielder already has."

When Aqua awoke the next morning, she showered, ate and then went off to look around the town again. She needed to find Ven and understand how he was here if this was indeed the distant past as she had come to suspect. With her business in the other world concluded she had decided to come back here to rest and then plan out what she was going to do next.

The best thing to do that would be to find Ven.

"You have returned."

As soon as Aqua was outside, she was greeted by a familiar creature. "Chirithy."

"I didn't think you would come back so soon." Chirithy stated.

"Well, I saw a familiar face and wanted to look around a bit." Aqua answered honestly. "I don't suppose you could help me."

"I was made to help Keyblade Wielders so I will do my best." Chirithy stated and gestured for Aqua to follow. "Come with me."

Aqua followed Chirithy as he/it led her down the streets. "I don't suppose you could tell me what is going on."

"About what?" Chirithy asked.

"This town, the Keyblade Wielders and the Foretellers." She clarified as they continued walking.

"Well, it's pretty simple once you get down to it. You're a Keyblade Wielder and it's up to you to stop the darkness from spreading, collect light and turn save the world." Chirithy answered.

Aqua glanced at the furry little creature. "Collect light? Not protect."

"Collect, protect, probably the same thing." Chirithy answered. "The darkness comes in the form of monsters known as the Heartless."

"I know of the Heartless." Aqua quickly cut in. "Though I thought they were native to the Realm of Darkness."

"Can't say for sure." Chirithy shrugged. "May I continue?"

Aqua nodded.

"These Heartless scour the world, searching for hearts, spreading darkness as they go. The Keyblade is an effective weapon against them. As for me, I was assigned to watch over any Keyblade Wielders in need of assistance. If you need me, I will support you every step of the way, teaching you everything you need to know and more."

Aqua stared at the creature and nodded. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." Chirithy led her to the water fountain she had seen before. "And look there, someone to talk to you about the Foretellers."

Aqua followed Chirithy's gaze and her eyes widened when she saw who he/it was looking at.

It was a girl wearing the same outfit as Invi and Gula only her hooded cloak was pink and decorated with light green tassels and covered a white robe, light purple shirt and a light purple sash. Her face was covered by a white fox mask that had a blue trim.

"Ava." Chirithy called out.

Ava looked in their direction and gasped slightly upon seeing Aqua but made no move to get up her spot at the fountain. "You…"

Aqua took one step back, looking alert but did not summon her Keyblade. "You are one of the Foretellers, like Invi and Gula."

"I am." Ava said, deciding to make herself as harmless as possible. "My name is Ava, leader of the Fox Union. And you are?"

"Aqua." The lost master introduced herself. "Are you going to fight me?"

"I probably should…but I do not believe I will at this moment." Ava answered honestly. "Though the Master ordered us to test you, I see no reason to fight you."

Aqua looked surprised but felt no lies from Ava, which made her lower her guard slightly. "Test me? Why would you need to test me?"

"You have a Keyblade but you're not from here. You're from a world outside ours which should be impossible. And yet, your heart is not tainted by darkness. It shines as bright as ours." Ava reasoned. "Even if the Master's orders are absolute I do not see that as reason for us to immediately fight."

Aqua slowly approached Ava, seeing she was being honest. "And why does your Master wish to test me?"

"Truthfully, I don't know. He doesn't want you eliminated but your presence here was unexpected so I can only reason he's being cautious." Ava reasoned. "It is reasonable for a man in his position to be on guard when a stranger comes into our midst."

"Maybe…Perhaps I can be allowed to speak with him myself and prove I am not threat to him or you." Aqua suggested.

"I might consider that but for now, we have our orders and we would not disobey him. Perhaps the next time I see him, I will make the suggestion and see if he allows it." Ava said, moving slightly over. "You don't need to be cautious around me. As I said, I don't plan to fight you today if it can be helped."

Seeing no reason to refuse, Aqua sat down next to Ava and both gaze at the town surrounding them. "So, perhaps you can tell me a bit this place. Why do Keyblade Wielders gather here?"

"It's because they have been chosen to gather the light here." Ava answered. "We Foretellers were trained to one day be leaders of our own unions of wielders and direct them. We all walk the same path but have different ways of reaching the same destination."

"Your own unions? You're not working together?" Aqua questioned.

"The Master forbade alliances between the unions, saying it cause imbalance between us. By keeping the five unions apart and in competition with each other, we grow as leaders and masters." Ava answered.

Aqua wasn't sure what to make of that but this wasn't her world and it's likely the Master was different from her own so it wasn't her place to approve or disapprove.

"And why do you need to form Unions?" She asked.

Ava looked ready to answer before a voice cut her off. "Ava!"

There was a burst of light and before them stood Aced, brandishing his Keyblade as Ava and Aqua immediately stood up. To Aqua who had never seen Aced before, could only think how big and muscular he was.

Even more so than Terra.

His hooded cloak was a tan color with the robe, shirt, and sash all light brown in coloration and had black embroidering and golden tassels on the front of his cloak. Over his face was a mask like the others, only his mask resembled the face of a bear. His Keyblade was bulkier than any Aqua had seen. The handle was grey and the guard and outer base were jagged and dark blue/teal in color.

A brown bear with red eyes was set at the base. The shaft was brown with a very wide black area in the middle. Cream engravings adorned the dark area, the topmost which resembled her own badge again. The end of the blade curved back towards the base and this and a bit of protruding from that side formed C-sharped teeth.

The Keychain consisted of red gems, connected by a brownish chain and a brown token with the same eye she had seen before.

Why was she always seeing that infernal eye?

"Aced." Ava greeted.

"What are you doing? Do you not remember the Master's decree?" Aced questioned.

"I have not forgotten them. I simply choose when I will carry them out. The Master did not tell us or Ira to immediately engage Miss Aqua upon seeing her." Ava reasoned. "I see no reason to not converse with her before having to test her."

"You cannot disregard the Master's decree like that." Aced argued.

"And I have not." Ava said as she stepped to the side before looking at Aqua. "My apologies, Aqua. If Aced seeks to battle you, I cannot interfere."

Aqua looked between her and Aced and sighed before summoning her Keyblade. "Very well."

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Master, Tell Me the Truth Starts)

Aqua prepared herself for battle against Aced who heft his Keyblade over his shoulder. The mood had become tense as Ava stepped back, looking between the two of them carefully.

To the surprise of no one, Aced made the first move.

He lashed out with an open palm strike at Aqua who quickly cartwheeled out of the way. As soon as she was out of the way, Aqua spun around and slashed at Aced with her Keyblade which was blocked. What happened next was mostly a blur as the two fought, jumping into the air and landing with enough force to cause cracks to form along the ground. Ava made sure to cast an illusion and barrier around the surrounding area so no one would wander into the middle of the fight.

Aced was very brutish in how he fought but powerful as he swing his Keyblade around like a living mountain.

Aqua however was more agile and despite being weaker she had the experience to keep up, being the embodiment of a calm, serene ocean rather a mountain.

Ava could only watch as they fought, wondering who would come out as the victor in this fight.

"Thunder!" Aqua shouted, firing a bolt of lightning at Aced.

The Bear Foreteller swung his Keyblade, actually creating a spatial rift that swallowed up Aqua's spell. He then opened another that the very spell Aqua had used shot right back out. Aqua raised her Keyblade, barely able to block her own attack. Aced roared as he charged at Aqua again, swinging his Keyblade with enough strength to likely shatter her body on impact.

Aqua teleported out of the way just in time and reappeared behind Aced. "Fire!"

Aced grunted as he felt the fire spell hit him from behind but shrugged it off as he spun around and charged at Aqua. The blue haired master fell back, frantically dodging powerful strikes and counterattacking when she saw an opening. Still, Aced barely slowed down as he rampaged across the battleground.

"I don't know who you are and where you come from but the Master deemed you a possible threat and I will not allow for possibility to become reality!" Aced shouted, swinging his Keyblade down.

Aqua grunted, her agility just barely keeping her alive against this opponent. Just as Aced swung again, Aqua vanished.

Aced grunted, believing she had teleported behind him again.

Only when he turned around he was greeted with a dozen blast from behind that sent him crashing face forward into the ground.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Master, Tell Me the Truth Ends)

'Impressive.' Ava thought to herself as Aqua reappeared. 'She made herself invisible but let him think she teleported again, leaving him wide open.'

Say what you will about her but Ava could admit Aqua was a cunning wielder.

But when Aced spun around Ava realized that Aqua had indeed angered him greatly.

'Oh no.' She thought and moved quickly.

Aced roared as he charged at Aqua with such speed she didn't have a chance to react as Aced swung his Keyblade down…

And shattered Aqua to pieces.

Only it wasn't actually her.

Aced could only watch in stunned silence as the illusion of Aqua he had shattered vanished along with the real Aqua and Ava.

"What?!" Aced grunted as he looked around. "Ava! AVA! AVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Aqua barely had time to blink as Ava rushed up to her and both reappeared in another part of Daybreak Town in an alley. "Huh?"

"It's okay." Ava said as she cast a healing spell on Aqua, healing the few wounds she had sustained against Aced. "He won't find us."

"Why did you step in like that?" Aqua questioned once her wounds had fully healed.

Ava sighed as she stepped back. "I know I said I couldn't intervene…But as a Union Leader and a wielder myself, I just can't bring myself to fight a fellow Keyblade Wielder or allow one to come to harm."

Aqua looked at the woman, wondering if she had found a kindred spirit in Ava. "…I know how you feel. But won't you be in trouble?"

"Aced was taking things too far. He's always been the more straightforward one of us but I don't know what could have set him off like that." Ava sighed as she turned away. "The good news is that he is unlikely to challenge you again, having now had his chance. Which now leaves me and Ira."

"So do you plan to challenge me next?" Aqua asked.

"…No. Not today." Ava shook her head. "I think one challenge has been more than sufficient."

"So do I." Aqua said with a small smile before she sighed. "Seeing how strong you and the other Foretellers are makes me wonder if I have been neglecting my training in some way. The way you fight, it's a lot stronger than I could have imagined a Keyblade Wielder being capable of. Makes me feel a little…small."

"Then perhaps I can offer some pointers." Ava offered with a smile. "It's the least I can do for how hard we are making things for you."

"You would do that?" Aqua asked, looking surprised.

"Anything for a fellow Keyblade Wielder." Ava answered with a smile.

Aqua could only smile back. "…Thank you."

Chapter Text

All Hail the Red King

(Kingdom Hearts Maleficent Theme Starts)

"So this castle originally belonged to a tyrant."

After taking this castle as her own, Maleficent had set about to learn all that she could about this world and so for she had learned a great deal.

Such as the fact that the vast majority of the people of this world were gifted with magic.

In fact, the king of this castle was a powerful magic user himself before he had been slain by someone who had come to free his daughter. She had journeyed up to the tower to see the room of his daughter and had found several papers, all of them containing a story of sorts.

"A beautiful maiden, locked away in a tower by her cruel father, longing to see and experience the world and if rescued, the person who did so would inherit the king's castle and land and even have the maiden's hand in marriage. Such an old tale but one that apparently remains effective." Maleficent mused. "She must have set them out and waited for them be found by one brave heart to come and free here."

And evidently it had worked.

Maleficent had to admit, it was devious and cunning to paint yourself in such a light and easily tricking so many into fighting for her. She would give credit where credit is due to people capable of such cunning, even if it had nothing to do with her.

Still, there was something to consider.

"A heart as dark as this Red King would surely have been a worthy ally in this world." Maleficent uttered as she left the girl's room.

She walked down the tower and into the throne room, seeing the battle scars that were behind as the aftermath of a battle.

A battle of magic.

"How interesting." She remarked, sensing the left over magical energies from the battle. "Perhaps there is something here that is more useful than knowledge."

With that, black and green flames appeared around her as she lifted her staff up, using the power of Darkness to call back the heart of the king who perished.

The God of Light felt a disturbance. "I feel a surge of darkness, different than of my brother. It has done something…Something wrong."

The God of Light was not the only one to sense such a disturbance.

"What is this feeling?" The God of Darkness wondered as he emerged from his dark pool. "It is a form of darkness, but nothing like I have felt before."

When the flames disappeared, a man stood before Maleficent.

He wore a royal blue outfit with a red cape that had a fur collar and fell down to his knees. He wore brown boots, his skin was pale and he wore a dark blue crown with four blue jewels embedded in it.

"Wha-What-Where…" The man stuttered as he looked around in sheer panic, turning to face Maleficent. "Who are you?"

"Why, I am the one who revived you." Maleficent stated with a smile. "But if you were more specific, I am Maleficent."

"I…I was killed…that man…" The king trailed off as he looked around, seeing his castle now empty and desolate. "What happened here?"

"Just as you said, you were killed. Those that survived fled and leaving this place empty. I decided to make it my temporary home." Maleficent answered. "Your daughter seemed to be the one responsible. She sent out message after message across the land, calling warriors here to come and save her."

"She…She…She did this…" The king's eyes widened but then narrowed and he clenched his fists. "How could she? I wanted to keep her safe and she did this to me…How could she?!"

Maleficent simply raised an eyebrow, watching in interest as a magical aura flared around the man.

"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" He roared so loudly, any remaining windows shattered immediately.

(Kingdom Hearts Maleficent Theme Ends)

When Aqua agreed to spend time with Ava, she wasn't sure what to expect. Ava had led her to a small area outside of Daybreak Town and into a small forest.

"I come here from time to time when I am not at the fountain in the town." Ava explained, stopping in front of a river. "I find it soothing and quiet."

Aqua sat down next to Ava and stared at the water. "I can see it being very peaceful here."

"I'm glad you agree." Ava smiled. "None of the others will find us out here."

"If I may ask, why would you take such a risk helping me? Won't your Master be angry with you?" Aqua asked.

"Oh, I doubt it. The Master has never been an angry person in all the time I have known him. Strange, yes. Maybe a little…odd but he's always had the best intentions for us." Ava shook her head. "Anyways, I have seen your skills with your magic. You know, with some training you could be as skilled with magic as Invi."

"And I thought I was skilled, considering how I was the only of my Master's students to become a Master." Aqua sighed.

Not that she was arrogant or anything but Aqua's own training and her experience from traveling the worlds had made her feel a little proud. The only ones she could think of who were as skilled in magic as she was were Maleficent, Xehanort, and most recently Invi.

"Well, you have the courage and drive. You can use elemental magic along with time and a slight spatial magic considering you can teleport." Ava pointed out. "Aced's spatial magic allows him to create rifts that he can use to suck in enemies and attacks like he did with your magic. Invi is the most elemental user around her, she can even change the magical spells used against her into something else like water and that includes Aced's rifts."

"That's…scary." Aqua admitted, realizing how strong these Foretellers are compared to herself. "And what can you do?"

"Me?" Ava held up a hand and conjured a miniature image of herself. "My specialty is illusions. I create an illusion powerful enough to fool Aced to get you away in time."

"Thanks again for that." Aqua said gratefully before looking at the small image of the Foreteller. "Can't say I'm an expert at illusions. I mean, I'm good at the kinds of magic you listed. I can even put my enemies to sleep or shrink them."

"You can do that too?" Ava asked, sounding surprised. "Wow, you must be really adept at magic then."

Aqua chuckled awkwardly. "Well, I am not one to brag. I was better at magic than my friends and my journeys across the worlds helped improve my skills."

"Maybe you can learn something new here." Ava suggested. "Have you even tried conjuring illusions before?"

"I hadn't really thought of trying before." Aqua admitted. "I guess I'm just a straightforward kind of person."

"Well, it's not as hard as you might. Come, give it a try." Ava dispelled the small image of her. "Hold up your hand."

Seeing no reason to refuse, Aqua held up her hand.

"Now, try and focus your magic. Not as a form of attack but make an image of yourself or even someone you know." Ava instructed. "You know how to draw on magic, right?"

"Right. It's like summoning my Keyblade which gives us the energy we need while we shape it into whatever we want." Aqua nodded. "We reach out with our heart-"

"And try pulling that power into ourselves." Ava finished, taking a deep breath. "Start with that."

Though no one could see it because of her mask, Ava closed her eyes and began focusing. A pink light surrounded her and slowly expanded out, touching Aqua who could feel the magical presence. It was clear that Ava was extremely skilled in not only summoning the mana for her magic but was an expert in controlling it. Aqua closed her eyes and did the same, summoning a blue light around herself that slightly pushed against Ava's aura.

The auras pushed against each other for a few minutes before slowly coming together, not pushing but embracing each other in a flow of harmony. Ava was impressed to see that Aqua's mana control was as great as it appeared. Both auras reached out, touching each other and slowly receded as both Ava and Aqua practiced the basics of mana control, falling back into years of habits that they had been touched and to simply keep their skills sharp.

"Now, try and think of something in your mind. Let it take shape as if you are attempting to cast a spell. The difference is spells are instantaneous but illusions can last longer, depending on the situation." Ava instructed, slowly reaching up and taking hold of Aqua's hand, keeping it open. "Don't rush it and focus on an easy image, something familiar where the details come naturally to you."

Aqua closed her eyes and focused on only one image:

Her friends.

Terra, Ven and her Master Eraqus.

Alive and well.

"Now, project it in the palm of your hand." Ava then said.

She watched as light danced in Aqua's hand, conjuring the image of a boy, a young man around Aqua's age and an elderly man, all of them being Keyblade Wielders.

Aqua slowly opened her eyes, watching as the images faded with a saddened face.

"Those people…They were close to you." Ava stated.

Aqua nodded. "Yes."

Ava took Aqua's hand, making a comforting gesture. It was obvious that she was feeling pain from looking on the images she had conjured.

"I'm sorry." She said soothingly.

Aqua looked Ava gratefully. "It's all right…They were the first image to pop in my mind."

"I see."

Ava heard the bell of the Great Clock Tower bang and knew what it meant. "I have to go."

Aqua watched as Ava stood up. "Something up?"

"You could say that." Ava sighed. "You should be fine but maybe get some rest."

Ava then summoned a Door of Light and entered it, leaving Aqua in the small forest who looked back down at her hand. Once the door vanished, Aqua considered returning to the inn she had been staying in.

Still, she stayed a little while and focused on her magic, managing to conjure the image of her friends and family one more time.

She stayed there until midnight.

Salem had thought it all out.

She had tricked the Brothers into fighting each other, meaning they could be tricked. And if they could be tricked, they could also be killed. They killed her beloved Ozma over and over again and then cursed her to be immortal so she could never be with him in death. So now she was going to turn their creations against them and destroy them for what they have done to her and Ozma.

She had already gone to see one of the top rulers of the land, who happened to that Fat King who had attacked her and Aqua, and convinced them to join her.

Now she had to pay a visit the top ruler of the eastern lands.

She had a smile on her face as she walked down the path, knowing that with her army she could have her revenge.

Only for that smile to fade when someone stepped in front of her, wearing a cloak at first before they threw the hood off. "Salem!"

Salem's eyes widened in absolute shock and horror as she stepped back. "Fa-Father?!"

"Hey there, Ava. I heard you made a new friend this evening."

Ava kept her head down, wondering if the Master was angry with her.

"So, how'd it go? You two become good friends? I know I'm not an expert in what young ladies such as yourself might talk about but I hope it was good." The Master said, leaning back in his chair.

"Master?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

The Master looked at her. "For what?"

"I interfered in Aced's battle with Aqua. I know you wanted us to test her but it looked like Aced taking things too far." Ava tried to explain herself.

The Master held up her hand, silencing her. "Ava, Ava, Ava. Relax, I'm not that kind of guy to get mad over something like this."

"You aren't?"

"Nope. You saw things were getting rough and you made a call. That's what you trained for." The Master said, pressing a hand to his chest. "Take a deep breath. Stress like that is bad for your health. Now then, what'd want you talk about?"

"I…I showed her a bit of my illusion magic. She seemed pretty skilled in the other forms." Ava answered.

"Oooooh. Bonding over shared skills in magic. That's a good topic." The Master praised. "Was she any good?"

"She...She is a fast learner. She conjured the image of people close to her on her first try." Ava answered. "She looked sad when she saw them."

"Oh, so she lost some good friends." The Master mused. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. Good thing you were there then."

"Master, will Aced be allowed to test her again since I interfered?" Ava decided to change the subject.

"Nah, you were right when you said Aced went too far. I said test her, not trash her." The Master shrugged. "So now it's just down to you and Ira. You want to hang out with her for a little bit, go ahead. Sounds like its good for you."

"Thank you, Master."

"You betrayed me!" The Red King roared. "I gave you everything and you betrayed me!"

Salem glared back, unsure how he was alive but she didn't care. "You gave me nothing! You locked me up like an animal in a cage!"

"It was to protect you!" The king argued.

"Liar! You never loved me! Not as a daughter at least! You only loved me as one of your possessions, not a person." Salem argued.

"I am your father, I decided on your safety!" The Red King scolded. "You have no idea of the world out here!"

"I chose this world over you! You are nothing but a wretched old man who locked me away just so you wouldn't lose me like you lost my mother!" Salem shouted and then grinned. "Ironically, she died in your bed. What does that say about your 'protection'?"

SLAP!

"HOW DARE YOU?!" The Red King shouted and slapped Salem across the face. "YOU ARE MINE AND I ALONE DECIDE YOU EXISTENCE! I WILL DRAG YOU BACK TO MY CASTLE AND MAKE SURE YOU NEVER ESCAPE AGAIN!"

Salem's head shot up and she raised her hand, firing a red magical blast that knocked the Red King off his feet. "NO!"

He hit the ground and he let out a loud grunt.

"I WILL NEVER GO BACK!" Salem shouted as electricity surrounded her much it did in the Land of Darkness. "I WILL DIE LONG BEFORE I EVER GO BACK!"

The Red King growled as he got up. "You wretched, ungrateful-"

Salem cut him off as she fired another magical blast but he raised his staff, blocking the blast. He fired a purple blast back at Salem which she blocked with her own barrier. Soon enough, father and daughter engaged in a battle of magic.

They were so engrossed in their battle; they did not noticed a certain dark witch watching from several yards away.

"I wish it was you who died instead of your mother!" The king roared over the sound of their magic clashing. "I let you live when you killed her and this is how you repay me?!"

Salem snarled, her magical energy flowing through her eyes. "I wish I had seen Ozma kill you the first time! You are absolutely pathetic! My mother must have been blind not to see the parasite that you are!"

"SILENCE!" The Red King roared, pouring all of his magic into his attack which then overpowered Salem's…

And blasted her apart.

The Red King's eyes went wide in shock for a brief moment at the fact that he had actually killed his daughter before they narrowed.

Why should he feel remorse?

She betrayed him.

Destroyed his kingdom.

Rejected everything he had done for her.

She deserved to die.

Let what was left her rot away while he rebuilt his kingdom with the help of that dark witch, Maleficent.

Just as he was about to turn away a strange glow caught his attention. He looked and gasped as the light surrounded where Salem had been…

And just like that, she grew back, completely restored.

"Wha-What?!" The King gasped as he stepped back. "How did you-?!"

"Surprised, Father?" Salem asked, looking down at herself before glaring back at him. "I honestly never wanted this far myself."

"H-How?!" The King shouted, confused and actually…afraid.

"You got your greatest wish, Father. You wished for nothing to ever happen to me. Well, the Gods have made me immortal." Salem said, grinning at the shell-shocked look on her father's face. "I can never die. I cannot be hurt. I will just instantly recover and I can never grow old. You greatest wish has been fulfilled, Father!"

The Red King was beyond stunned.

Immortal?

His daughter?

Impossible!

Whatever he felt, it left him vulnerable enough that Salem blasted him in the chest, blasting him and leaving a deep scorched mark on his chest.

"Ironic, isn't it, Father?" Salem asked, standing over her wounded father. "You wanted nothing to happen to me and now nothing will ever happen to me again."

"I-I-"

Whatever he had to say was cut off as Salem released a blast of fire, burning him alive. Salem grinned in satisfaction as she watched her father burn, dying once again.

It felt so good.

The man who ruined her life on the very day she was born, burning to death.

She hadn't had the chance to see him die the first time.

It would have felt as good as he did this time.

"How intriguing."

(Kingdom Hearts Maleficent Theme Starts)

She spun around, seeing a strange woman standing just a few feet from her.

She was a tall, slender, pale green-skinned woman with a narrow face and a prominent chin. She was also darkly beautiful and icily elegant. Her tall demeanor was such that she easily dwarfed Salem with only her father being able to match this woman in height. She also had yellow eyes and black horns, likely some sort of headdress.

She was clad in a black-and-purple robe with bat wing-like edges; underneath her robe, she wore a dress with the same color pallet but with some red instead of purple and wears a gold ring with a large mysterious circular black stone in it. Both the horned headdress and bat wing-like robe gave this woman a rather dragon like appearance. She carried a staff with a glowing green orb at the top.

"To be granted such immortality." The woman continued, her voice soft and elegant as her appearance, smiling at Salem. "I have never seen such a phenomenon before."

"Who are you?" Salem asked.

"Why," The woman brought a hand to her chest. "I am Maleficent. And you are apparently the daughter of that man I went through the trouble of bringing back."

"You?" Salem glanced at the black scorch mark where her father had been burned alive. "You brought him back from the dead?"

"Indeed I did." Maleficent answered as she looked down the remains of the Red King. "Such a foolish man. I revived him to tell me as much as he could about this world but as soon as he remembered he dashed off to find you."

That name…

Maleficent.

Salem had heard that name before.

"Such a pity but perhaps a fitting end for such a fool." Maleficent continued, barely paying attention to Salem now as she walked past her. "It seems it was a wasted effort."

"Do you know someone named Aqua?" Salem immediately asked.

Maleficent stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "What did you say?"

"A woman named Aqua who wields a key shaped weapon." Salem clarified, turning around and looking at the strange but dark woman. "She mentioned you before."

"Aqua…Now that is a name I have not heard in a long time. I honestly thought she had perished." Maleficent turned around, facing Salem with an intrigued smile. "You are saying she is here?"

Salem nodded. "Yes. Do you seek revenge on her?"

"Hmm…Revenge you say." Maleficent mused as she approached Salem. "And what if I did?"

"I can help you. But can you use your powers to revive someone for me?" Salem questioned, staring at the dark woman who stood before her.

"And what would I gain from doing so?" Maleficent questioned, leaning forward. "What would you be willing to offer me?"

"Revenge on Aqua. She has hurt me too. She let my beloved die." Salem answered, her face taking on an angered look from remembering the woman. "She promised me she would save him but broke that promise."

"Really?" Maleficent's lips curled into a smile. "And now you want to exact revenge on her as well. Interesting but not enough to convince me. Why would I lend you my strength?"

"…Do you wish to be immortal? I know of a way." Salem offered. "All you have to do is take it from the Gods."

(Kingdom Hearts Maleficent Theme Ends)

Chapter Text

Shadow World

Professor Peter Port's Guide to Exotic Grimm

Monsters, demons, prowlers of the night. Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names. Our planet teems with creatures that would nothing more than to tear you to pieces. As someone who has spent a life time hunting such creatures I have sought to write down all my experiences and list down the many Grimm I have come across in such times so that future generations will benefit from my knowledge and experience.

Page 252: The Demogorgon

Of all the strange and deadly Grimm that roam our land, none more mysterious and possibly more deadly than the Demogorgon. Able to appear and disappear at will, this Grimm has been the forefront of many myths and legends, being dismissed by many but do not be so quick to judge my friends.

The Demogorgon is real.

Responsible for the abduction of many innocent lives, the Demogorgon possesses the ability to create portals to travel almost anywhere they want. It has also been noted that they reside in a shadow world, a world that seemingly exists in tandem with our own but nothing in there can be seen, heard, or felt by us in the physical world. It is likely these portals are tears in the very fabric of reality but no one has managed to actually trap such a monster. Outside of these abilities, the Demogorgon is fairly predictable, acting like a typical but also nocturnal predator and thus will not appear in places where light is strong.

This is likely why it prefers to stalk its prey in the less technologically advanced areas, such as Mistral and Vacuo. It is seemingly attracted to blood, much like Grimm in the waters. It can be lured by even small quantities of blood, even when separated by dimensions. However it is not exclusively drawn by blood, as shown during the few recorded encounters.

It is unknown whether the creature was attracted by other stimuli, though one distinct possibility is sound. Since sound from the human dimension was faintly audible to human ears in the so-called Shadow World, it is possible the Demogorgon could be attracted by sound. In any event, like many predators and Grimm, the Demogorgon simply takes any opportunity to hunt and acquire prey, and generally preferred solitary or isolated victims.

The Demogorgon was able to travel between dimensions at will, creating temporary portals or wounds in the fabric of reality. How or why the Demogorgon possessed this ability is unclear, though it possible that this ability was acquired by centuries of evolution amongst the Grimm, leading to only a handful gaining this ability. Many scientists theorize that interdimensional travel would require a massive amount of energy, more than humans are currently capable of creating; by this logic, the Demogorgon must wield a great deal of energy while dimension-traveling. Nearby lights and electricity would constantly flicker on and off while the Demogorgon did so, which suggests that creating these portals did indeed involve huge volumes of energy.

The Demogorgon has been hostile every time it has been encountered, immediately pursuing anything which caught its attention. It generally uses instinct and brute strength, rather than intelligence, to get through obstacles. The Demogorgon, as stated before, generally hunts in areas of great darkness but there have been few recorded possibly sightings in Vale, specifically near Beacon. Headmaster Ozpin has suggested the Vale Council look into creating a form of defense against this creature.

Having worked with someone who can create portals, General Ironwood was allowed to scan the property of these portals to work on a way to find countermeasures to this Grimm's ability to appear almost anywhere. The main method of defense is a special motion sensor designed to activate when a Demogorgon appears either on camera or appears inside someone's home at night, triggering the alarm which then activates a light shield which can not only contain the creature but also blind it. Since the Demogorgon has weak eye sight against light, this has proven to be a prudent counter measure. Unfortunately all attempts to find and contain this Grimm for study following the first few tests has failed which is a shame as the knowledge gained from it and how it produces so much energy could be a breakthrough.

Despite this setback, measures have been taken to properly defend against this monster should it appear in someone's home in the night. It is not much at the moment but there are breakthroughs in science every day and one day we might finally find a way to trap this monster and even see the world it hides in.

It was early in the morning when Aqua woke up.

She had returned back around midnight and fell asleep almost immediately but still felt tired for some reason when she awoke. She was reluctant to get up but opted to distract herself by continuing her illusion training until it was time for breakfast. It couldn't be helped as the schedule of a Keyblade Wielder in training was early to bed, early to rise so her inner clock woke her up around the usual time. So she sat on her bed, focusing on her illusion training, conjuring small images like a flower in her hand and focused on keeping that image as long as possible.

As she did, she briefly considered other areas of training that she could try as long as she was here.

Like telekinesis for one.

She remembered watching Xehanort conjure entire mountains and cliffs out of the ground just by raising his hand the day she confronted him in the Graveyard with Terra and Ven. As much as she hated that man, or was close enough to hating him as her training taught that hatred beckoned the darkness, she had to admit one of the reason Xehanort was such a powerful enemy was because his experience as a Keyblade Master, affording him skills that the three of them hadn't yet reached at all. If she was going to hopefully one day return to the Realm of Light and save her friends, Aqua had to admit that she should keep up with her training as long as she was here. So after an hour of practicing her illusion Aqua then tried to use telekinesis.

It started with an apple from a fruit bowl that had been left for her along with any other guests currently sleeping at the inn. It was similar to her illusion training but a required a bit more effort as she reached out with her magic, trying to connect with the apple as if she was using her own hands instead of her magic. She closed her eyes, focusing her mind only on the apple as best as she could. Though her eyes were closed, she could feel the apple slowly being lifted into the air.

It hovered a few inches off the table and Aqua found herself working to keep it there as long as she could. It was not as easy as conjuring illusions because at least she had some experience with her Vanish spell.

This was not like using a simple spell.

She had an unlimited source of magic but it was stressful on her mind to continue focusing like this. It felt like she was learning to cast spells all over again. The apple fell onto the table and she opened her eyes, groaning as she rubbed her head with both hands, nursing a small headache. She had seen this done by people on that other world so she considered returning there but wondered what the point would be.

She couldn't just keep on going between worlds whenever she felt like it. She needed to find a way back to her time and world.

Maybe she should consider returning to Drasil.

Just before she could think of saying the spirit's name, something reached out from behind her. She spun around, watching as a hand grabbed her and pulled her into a swirling portal of black and purple energies…

"I've found you."

The God of Darkness could only give the impression he was smiling from the look on Aqua's face when his newest child found her. It was relatively easy to follow once he understood how and where she had been going, especially since the item of power she used to travel between worlds was made by his brother.

His new Grimm child opened a portal once it had her scent and followed her across worlds.

How exciting.

It was unique to this one child but exiting nonetheless.

"Let us see you survive this, Aqua."

Aqua slowly opened her eyes as she picked herself back up from the ground.

She felt very dizzy and rubbed her sore head. "What happened?"

She remembered seeing a strange hand and being pulled into some kind of portal. Was she in another world? She looked around saw the same inn she was in back in Daybreak Town but everything looked darker and grim.

"Where am I?" Aqua wondered out loud and noticed her voice had echoed around the room even though it shouldn't be possible.

She looked around before slowly approaching the door but to her shock when she reached the knob, her hand passed through it. Aqua stared at her hand in shock before she touched the door and her hand passed through it. She walked forward and phased through the door, coming out into the hallway.

"What in the worlds…?" She looked down at herself and looked around. "I passed through the door…Like a ghost."

As someone who had gone to other worlds, seen gods, demons, and even children who can fly, Aqua had no trouble believing ghosts were real. In fact, she had read up on ghost stories in the library in the Land of Departure.

She just had a hard time believing she was a ghost now.

"I'm not dead." She placed a hand over her chest where her heart was. "I know that much. But I am in someplace…outside of space and time…But in the same space." She touched the door again. "I can't interact with anything."

The dark hand that grabbed her…

It had pulled into this place.

"It's like I'm in some sort of…Shadow World." Aqua muttered as she looked around. "I can't touch anything, everything looks so dark and somber and…"

She walked down the stairs to see the keepers were finally up and a few guests were already having breakfast. She tried to call out to them but they didn't seem to hear her and one even passed through her.

"No one can see, hear or even touch me." She whispered sadly to herself.

Strangely, this felt more torturous than being lost in the Realm of Darkness.

At least there, the forces of darkness would try to make her heart wither away.

Here?

To be left alone in a world you can only see but never touch?

It felt like absolute torture.

"But why am I here?" She wondered as she walked out of the inn, seeing the rest of Daybreak Town looking as dark and gloomy as inside. "Why have I been brought here?"

She felt a familiar darkness before she had blacked out.

It wasn't the darkness from the Unversed or the Heartless she had encountered recently.

It felt more like…

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr…."

Aqua spun around and watched as a creature called out of the floor and gasped when she could fully see it. "A Grimm!"

It had two heads that resembled a baboon's head, reptilian legs, tentacles for arms, and red glowing eyes on each head. The creature was black and white with dark smoke rising from it. The creature's two heads looked at Aqua and both let out terrifying inhuman roars.

Aqua immediately summoned her Keyblade.

(Kingdom Hearts OST Extreme Encounters)

Just as she did so, both heads of the Grimm roared and Aqua suddenly found herself picked up off the ground and sent flying. She flew back and phased through a house before coming to a stop with a loud grunt. She got up just as the Grimm phased through the house she flew through and lashed a tentacle/arm out at her. Aqua raised her Keyblade, reinforcing it with a barrier as she tried to block but the force of whip still threw her back.

Aqua grunted as she hit the ground again, but got up and pointed her Keyblade at the Grimm. "Freeze!"

A Blizzard spell froze half the Grimm and she leapt forward, swinging her Keyblade down and slicing it in two. However instead of dying, the remaining half of the Grimm regenerated what it had just lost, including another head. As this happened, the broken pieces of the Grimm started moving as well while the ice around them melted, coming together and just like that, another Grimm was born. Both lashed out with their arms, grabbing Aqua and lifting her up before proceeding to squeeze the life out of her.

She cried out as she tried to break free, feeling the tentacles wrapping tightly around her body, squashing her bones and soon enough making it hard to breathe.

"Terra, Ven." She uttered between breaths. "Please…"

Just as it looked the two Grimm were about to finish her, there was a flash of light and two objects spun through the air, cutting off the two heads on one Grimm and the tentacles of another. Aqua landed on her feet and watched as two objects spun around and she immediately recognized them.

'Terra and Ven's Keyblades.'

Earthshaker which belonged to Terra.

And Wayward Wind which belonged to Ventus.

Both Keyblade spun around her before flying off and vanishing into the clouds. Aqua realized that the distress she had felt must have summoned Terra and Ven's Keyblades in her moment of need. She then looked at the Grimm whose heads had been cut off and watched as the body dissolved into a black mist.

'That's it! I have cut off both the heads!' Aqua realized as she faced the last Grimm. 'They can regenerate if any part of their body is cut off except their heads.'

The last Grimm roared its two heads, lashing out with its strange telekinetic powers that lifted Aqua up into the air.

'It can somehow travel to other worlds, in and out of space and time, regenerate its body and can use telekinesis!' Aqua grunted. 'This is stronger than any Grimm I have come across!'

The Grimm roared and Aqua felt a powerful tug before she pulled down and slammed into the ground. She grunted as she rolled back and jumped to see feet just as the Grimm roared and charged at her. She slashed at the tentacles that lashed out at her, forcing her to step back. She grunted, feeling that the Grimm was actually gaining the advantage and she needed to step up before it killed her.

She immediately teleported as it lashed out at her again, reappearing behind it and pointed her Keyblade at it. "Fire!"

A fireball shot at the Grimm as spun, its tentacle arms whipping through the Firaga spell and launched itself at Aqua who summoned a barrier that protected her. The Grimm slammed face first into the barrier and was left in a daze. Aqua then activated her Bladecharge, which took the form of a bright light surrounding and extending from her Keyblade. She then spun it above her head and cut both heads of the Grimm off.

(Kingdom Hearts OST Extreme Encounters)

Aqua lowered her Keyblade as the Grimm's headless body fell over and dissolved into a black mist. She sighed, dismissing her Keyblade and took a moment to compose herself.

That was rough.

'That Grimm, it was stronger than any I have seen before and it somehow followed me from that world.' She thought to herself. 'Not to mention it pulled me into this shadow world somehow.'

This was not good.

If Grimm from the other world were going to invade Daybreak Town, especially if this was the past as she coming to suspect, she might end up causing damage and altering history to the point things would become a lot worse.

'I need to go back and see why these Grimm are following me.' She thought to herself. 'The only question is how do I get out of here.'

That's right.

She's still in this Shadow World and had no clue on how to get out.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr…."

Her eyes widened and she looked to see, much to her horror, three more of the same type of Grimm she had just fought.

"How could you interfere like that?!"

Ava stood her ground as Aced expressed his…disappointment in her interference during his fight with Aqua.

"You stepped in just as I was close to defeating her." Aced continued to berate her.

"That was the problem, Aced. You were supposed to test her, not defeat her. That's been the whole point." Ava finally talked back. "You always do this. You always make things worse than they already are."

"And you are taking this too lightly." Aced argued.

"Hey, hey, hey." Both Foretellers fell silent as the Master himself stepped in between them. "No need for you two to blow each other's heads off. Aced, I did say to only test the young lady, not beat her to paste."

Aced grunted but said nothing.

"Ava did what she thought was right, which is usually a matter of opinion but if you did trash her, then she and Ira would have their turns, now would they?" The Master walked past the two of them towards his desk. "I wanted all of you to have a chance."

"Master, I meant no disrespect but I thought given the fact she has been coming and going as she pleased, I would have to take her seriously." Aced defended.

"That was more than taking her seriously, Aced." Ava scolded. "Aqua has no dark intentions towards us or this world."

"And you know this, how?" Aced glared back at Ava.

"I talked to her." Ava answered like it was obvious.

"And just like that, you believe her?"

"Sounds like it worked to me." The Master shrugged, sitting down on his chair.

(Kingdom Hearts OST Extreme Encounters)

Meanwhile, Aqua was trying to defend herself from the newly arrived Grimm as they roared and thrashed their tentacles around to try and smack her down. One of them lunged at Aqua, successfully picking her up with its tentacles and was about to lower her to the two ravenous heads but Aqua was engulfed in flames, burning the tentacles and blinding both of the heads. The Grimm howled in displeasure and it threw Aqua away, stepping back as it tried to regain its eye sight. Aqua managed to land on her feet but had to jump again as the other two tried to swat her with their tentacles as well.

She grunted, knowing she was outnumbered and just one of them had been difficult.

"So what does our visitor want, Ava?" The Master casually asked.

"…She's lost and trying to find her way home." Ava answered honestly with empathy in her voice.

"Oh?"

"She has the impression that it's difficult to go back where she came from, probably impossible but she's refusing to give up."

'I have to find a way to stun these three long enough to go on the offensive.' Aqua grunted.

She summoned a barrier and lunged at them. Just as their tendrils made contact with her barrier, exploded in a blast of light, blinding the three Grimm.

"Thunder!"

Three bolts of lightning slammed into the Grimm, hurting and stunning them even further and Aqua immediately attacked the nearest one, summoning her Bladecharge as she hacked and slashed it to pieces. The other two recovered and both lashed out with their telekinesis, sending her flying up into the air and straight towards the Clock Tower.

(Kingdom Hearts OST Extreme Encounters Ends)

Aqua cried out as she phased through a wall and crashed into a middle of a room.

"Hm?" The Master perked up, looking in Aqua's direction as she got up.

Just as she did, the two remaining Grimm phased through the wall, growling at her.

"She came here, believing she could find a way home." Ava continued, not noticing the Master being distracted.

"And you are just supposed to believe that?" Aced questioned.

"It's the truth, Aced." Ava looked at her fellow Foreteller. "It's impossible to fake those feelings, especially to a Keyblade Wielder. We feel the hearts around us."

Aqua looked in Ava's direction. "Ava! Ava, can you hear me?"

The Master stood up, looking in Aqua's direction. "Hmm."

The two Grimm growled as they advanced on Aqua as she prepared to fight them again.

"Aced." The Master suddenly said, silencing both Foretellers. "Get your Keyblade out."

"Master?" Both Foretellers looked confused by the request.

"Hurry."

Aced immediately summoned his Keyblade as instructed.

"Now open a spatial tear, riiiiiiiiiight there!" The Master pointed right behind Aqua, not that anyone could see her.

"Mas-"

"Do it!"

Aced immediately swung his Keyblade, creating a spatial tear…

And in the Shadow World, a bright light appeared and shined behind Aqua, transforming into what looked like a portal. The two Grimm were caught by surprise and left in a trance by the portal as Aqua looked over her shoulder and realized that this was likely her way out of this crazy world. She immediately turned around and ran at it. One of the Grimm shoved the other aside and dashed after Aqua.

Back in the real world, the Master along with Ava and Aced watched as out of the portal came Aqua, flying out and landed on the floor.

"Aqua?!" Ava gasped.

"What in the-" Aced readied himself for battle.

Whatever he was about to do was cut off as Aqua stood up and shouted. "CLOSE THE PORTAL NOW!"

However it was too late.

One of the creatures on the other side of the portal hopped through, surprising everyone else. It lunged at Aced as he was the nearest human but the Foreteller slashed it to pieces easily.

Only he didn't go for the heads.

Aced and Ava gasped as the Grimm not only began regenerating but also began spawning another in its place.

Aqua dashed in with her Bladecharge and cut the heads off. "You have to cut both their heads off to kill them!"

The last Grimm emerged from the portal but Ava dashed in, slashing both its heads off before it could figure out where it was.

"Wellllllllllllll, that was a thing." The Master mused. "So, we have an unexpected visitor who brought us some new friends."

Aced growled at Aqua but Ava stood between them.

"So, what brings you to these parts?" The Master asked amusedly.

Aqua could only stare at the man who wore a very familiar coat.

"She shouldn't be allowed to run free. She brought those monsters here!"

Aced could hardly believe that Aqua had been allowed to leave after a brief discussion with Aqua who told her about those Grimm monsters she had been fighting.

"That was not her fault. She hadn't even been aware it was here until it attacked her." Ava pointed out.

"And what happens when she brings more here?" Aced argued.

"Relax. It's all taken care of." The Master said as he walked back into the room. "She has offered to leave and make sure those creatures don't come back."

"Master?" Aced looked at the Master.

"She has an idea where the come from and she's going to pursue it. In the meantime, Ava, you and Ira might want to consider getting your chance to test her before she leaves."

Chapter Text

The Master of Masters

"They were close. Close enough she needed assistance at the end."

Though his children had been defeated, the God of Darkness was pleased.

Pleased because his newest child had not only managed to follow Aqua to her world, but it had managed to perform well enough to the point that Aqua had been forced to run. Sure, she had bested the three that had been born as a result of the new gift he had given his child, but she had still been taken by surprise and forced to flee.

That was a very good sign.

Still, his child had been killed by the aid of those other Keyblade Wielders and they were apparently more powerful than Aqua was.

"So, my Grimm children can rival these…Keyblade Wielders." The God of Darkness mused. "An interesting display of power."

He hadn't realized it but Aqua's presence was forcing him to become creative in his methods of creating Grimm to challenge her.

Yes, he had continued to make Grimm in secret and sent them out to test the humans they had created on this world but Aqua was not like them.

She was strong.

Powerful.

Wielding a seemingly limitless power at her finger tips.

Almost invincible.

The God of Darkness had first felt compelled to remove her before she contaminate the Experiment, feeling his brother was being foolish. And she showed them a world outside of theirs and now they were driven to know more in their own way. The God of Darkness was compelled to test her and her people, seeing them stand against the Heartless, creatures of darkness like his Grimm children.

She was strong.

So strong he had to make new Grimm that were stronger than the rest.

The God of Darkness had to pause for a second as the sensation of these feelings suddenly made themselves known to him. "Am I…excited? Why? She is a great threat."

And no more a nuisance than that Salem woman was.

With Salem, he had felt pleased to have a second disciple and then anger for when she had dared to deceive him.

With Aqua, it was…something else.

Did he hate her?

He wasn't so sure.

Did he believe she was dangerous?

Yes, very much.

So why was he feeling excited?

The God of Darkness was unsure of these new feelings stirring in him and left confused on what he should do about it.

When Aqua had heard the Land of Departure had been destroyed and the Master had been slain, she had to come see for herself. She easily retraced the path home, coming upon the world she had been raised on.

It look exactly nothing like the world she had known.

Darkness blocked out the sky, shrouding the entire land. Aqua was only able to navigate up to the temple by the night lamps that had seemingly lit up when sky had blackened.

As she walked up towards the temple, she felt something.

A dark presence.

She spun around and watched as someone in a dark coat and hood appeared before her. They held out a single hand…

And then clenched it down, summoning a blue glowing ethereal blade that was soon followed by another appearing in his other hand.

Aqua immediately summoned her Keyblade and they fought.

The dark coated stranger had many incredible formidable abilities that made Aqua wonder more than once if she was going to walk away from this fight…alive. He cast many powerful spells as they fought such as powerful fire, wind and ice spells that projected fiery vortex, tornadoes and large ice blocks. They also displayed outstanding swordsmanship skills as well as great speed and agility, wielding his duel blades to preform many deadly attacks, also displaying proficiency with the whip and spear forms that weapons could surprisingly undertake by fusing them together.

His most astounding ability was being able to turn invisible and fight at the same time and to be able to make illusionary copies of himself.

She could use the Vanish spell for stealth but was unable to fight while under it. Finally the fight ended when the dark coated stranger before Aqua's eyes.

She never found out who the person was or what they wanted.

Did they have a connection with Xehanort?

Were they really an enemy?

Maybe Aqua would never know.

And maybe she would.

For standing in front of her was a man dressed in the same dark coat as the stranger who had attacked her that one time.

"So, you've had a bit busy time, haven't you?" The man asked, sitting down next to the bed she was sitting up on. "Man, and I thought I had seen it all."

Aqua just stared at the man, unsure what to say.

"And I can see right now, you look like a gal who has questions." The man said.

"…Who are you?" She finally spoke.

"Ah, she speaks and I guess that's not an unreasonable question." The man mused. "Who I am…is not important."

Aqua raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"What I am and what I hope to understand is. Right now, I'm a man who is deeply interested in how a beautiful young lady like yourself," Aqua blushed at being called 'beautiful'. "Could wander into our humble home with such ugly monsters chasing her."

"You ask much of me when you tell me so little about yourself." Aqua replied. "Are you not the Master of the Foretellers?"

"Well, I could lie and tell you what I am, when I'm actually brilliant artist, or even a scholar. I could tell that I dream of world peace, when I'm actually planning its destruction. The truth is what you see with your eyes, not what you hear." The man answered. "So, little lady. What have you seen?"

Aqua stared at the man…and down at her lap. "I've seen…I've seen me being happy with my friends in one minute, and the next we fall apart. I've seen strange new people, both filled with light and darkness, struggling in worlds that I thought looked peaceful but had hidden darkness there that was waiting to rise up. I've seen my friends fight for what they believe in…and fall at the end, leaving me the only one left at the end, wondering why I was left behind."

The Master leaned back in his chair, contemplating Aqua's words. "You wonder why you didn't fall with them, huh? Maybe you're just too good to fall."

Aqua clenched her hands into fists as her hair fell over her eyes. "Good? I made so many mistakes. I tried to be what my Master wanted me to be, someone who could solve the problems and make everyone happy…I tried to be good and humble…but I couldn't do anything right. I drove them away, helped split us apart when I should have been trying to keep us together. How can I even think I earned my title when I failed so many times?"

Master Eraqus struck down…

Ven losing his heart…

Terra becoming possessed…

Ozma dying…

"Did you fail?" The man stood up and walked around Aqua's bed. "Sure, you got the young 'Hey, I got promoted so everyone has to do what I say' vibe going on and you fell hard when you saw it wasn't as easy as everyone else made it to be. But do you really think your friends or your master would want you to wallow in self-pity and guilt?"

Aqua just looked up at the man.

"Change is hard, believe me, I know. But things need to keep moving forward and you need to keep up. Otherwise, you'll be left behind and you'll always be alone." The Master said as he folded his hands behind his back. "Can you really say you've done nothing good?"

Aqua considered that for a moment.

Saving Cinderella from her step-mother and step-sister and allowing her to get together with Prince Charming.

Helping Prince Philip defeat Maleficent.

Meeting Zack.

Fighting alongside Hercules against Hades.

Meeting Peter Pan and the Lost Children.

Aqua wasn't sure if these accomplishments were supposed to comfort her but she felt a little better. "Why does this matter to you? Am I not just a stranger to you?"

"A stranger…Well maybe." The Master turned around to face her. "But I can tell you're the good kind of stranger."

Aqua just stared at the strange man.

"I mean, you have caused trouble around here, you've bonded with Ava and trust me, she's a real sweetheart but not one who is easy to fool so if she likes you then we all ought to like you." The Master reasoned.

"But didn't you tell her and the others to test me?" Aqua questioned.

"Well, that's because I wanted to be sure of your intentions and you don't truly know someone…until you fight them." The Master shrugged.

Aqua felt the only she could do was just stare at this point.

This man was just so odd.

"Well, it's been a fun chat but I have to go. Make sure no more crazy monsters pop out in this little town of ours." The Master said as he walked to the door but stopped just in front of it. "Oh, and before I forget. May your heart by your guiding key."

Aqua glanced at the man with a surprised look on her face. "What did you just say?"

"Just a little something I like to say from time to time." The Master shrugged. "I just like the sound of it. See ya."

He opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him and leaving Aqua in the room.

May your heart be your guiding key.

That was not something said just out of the blue.

Aqua had heard of that saying from her Master who said it used to be a phrase Keyblade Wielders said to each other.

So what did that meant exactly?

Was he really a Keyblade Master?

Well, he trained the Foretellers and he obviously wasn't the strange man who attacked her. But still, Aqua could tell this man was really elusive but he seemed to genuinely want to help her.

Right now though, she had to deal with the matter of the Grimm appearing in Daybreak Town.

The only she could do that was by going back to that world and find out what was going on.

"She shouldn't be allowed to run free. She brought those monsters here!"

Aced could hardly believe that Aqua had been allowed to leave after a brief discussion with Aqua who told her about those Grimm monsters she had been fighting.

"That was not her fault. She hadn't even been aware she was here until we brought her back." Ava pointed out.

"And what happens when she brings more here?" Aced argued.

"Relax. It's all taken care of." The Master said as he walked back into the room. "She has offered to leave and make sure those creatures don't come back."

"Master?" Aced looked at the Master.

"She has an idea where the come from and she's going to pursue it. In the meantime, Ava, you and Ira might want to consider getting your chance to test her before she leaves."

Aqua stepped out of the Clock Tower, taking a deep breath as she held up the Horn of Passage. She wasn't sure how the Grimm were following her but then she remembered what Jinn had told her.

"When the sun rose, the God of Light would awaken and would spend his days created forces of life. Plants, animals, water."

A garden grew around Aqua, followed by rivers and animals that together created a landscape of such beauty that not even the greatest artist could ever hope to capture as the God of Light appeared over the water.

"When night came, the God of Light would sleep and his new brother, the God of Darkness awoke."

Aqua watched as the God of Light sank into the water and the God of Darkness appeared next.

"Disgusted, the God of Darkness brought the forces of destruction to counter his brother's creations."

The beautiful landscape was then burned away, leaving nothing but scorched ground, death and decay.

"Despite his efforts, life would always return to the world. Thus one night, the God of Darkness would create a force that would share his taste for destruction."

The God of Darkness spread his arms out and behind him, creatures made of what could only be described as darkness with eyes glowing the color of blood appeared. They reminded Aqua uncomfortably of the Unversed.

"These were made to be the ultimate harbingers of destruction that would destroy anything and everything. Finally, the God of Light decided that they should not fight anymore and make peace by creating something together. The God of Darkness agreed and together they would create a new form of life that was gifted with knowledge, self-awareness, fear and the comprehension of life and death while having free will and the power to decide what to do with that knowledge."

Before Aqua's eyes the Gods of Light and Darkness came together and formed…Humans?

"This new creation, Humanity was blessed by the Gods but they were also tested many times. The God of Darkness would test their limits and creativity by sending its children to face them. This would lead to another conflict with his brother and both reached a seeming agreement. Despite it, the God of Darkness would continue creating more of its children in many different forms while at the same type, gifting mankind with magic while the God of Light gave them a secret gift to fight against his brother's creations."

"Aqua?"

Aqua was shaken from her flashback by the sound of a voice near the water fountain which she quickly found. "Ava."

The young Foreteller simply stood there and stared at Aqua and suddenly she knew. "It's our time, isn't it?"

Ava nodded.

Aqua sighed, putting the Horn of Passage away and summoned her Keyblade. "All right. Let's get this over with."

Above them, the Master watched through the window of his main study, interested in what might happen.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Master, Tell Me the Truth Starts)

Ava summoned her Keyblade as well, taking a ready stance. "I hope it will be over quickly as well. For what is worth, I enjoyed our time together."

Aqua nodded. "So did I."

They took one deep breath…

And then charged straight at each other, swinging their Keyblades.

CLANG!

Aqua swallowed the bit of fear in her as she leapt forward; both Keyblade's colliding with each other, kicking off the duel. They both pressed their weapons against each other, trying to overpower one another before Aqua broke the lock and spun away. The woman charged after her slashed at her shoulders but Aqua brought her blade up and caught the attack in mid-spin. She then launched two slashes of her own that the woman parried easily and retaliated with a thrust that Aqua dodged by cart-wheeling out of the way.

"Bubble Blaster!" From the edge of Aqua's Keyblade came a barrage of bubbles at Ava who simply chuckled and vanished in a flash of light.

"Huh?" Aqua's eyes widened as she heard a sound behind her and felt a foot kicking her in the back and knocking her forward into the ground.

The Ava she had attacked had been an illusion while the real Ava had moved behind her, striking at the moment Aqua had lowered her guard. Aqua had immediately cartwheeled to the side and pointed her Keyblade at Ava again.

"Bubble Blaster!"

Like before a barrage of bubbles shot from the bladed end of Aqua's Keyblade towards the Ava who jumped up over the attack and landed right in front of Aqua, slashing upwards from a low angle. Aqua managed to block the attack in time but the Ava pressed forward, pushing Aqua back but the blue haired woman ducked and spun around her opponent, forcing the fox masked woman to catch herself as she stumbled forwards and spun with Aqua. Their Keyblades never broke the lock as they spun.

Aqua grunted as she knew that despite her training she wasn't the best at physical combat. She had decent speed, strength, agility, and stamina and she showed it from multiple hours of sparring with Terra and Ven who assisted in her training but her strength lied in her magic. Master Eraqus even considered Aqua a prodigy in the magical arts and was versed in all forms of it. Still, Aqua wasn't about to go down without a fight so she broke the lock and launched several quick slashes at the Ava who was forced back and then jumped to the side to attack from another angle, pushing the Foreteller back even further.

Ava dropped to the ground and lunged at Aqua's feet but Aqua catapulted herself over Ava's Keyblade, safely dodging it as she landed back on the ground. Ava jumped up and tried to stab Aqua in the back but Aqua dived forward out of the Ava's reach, jumped up and spun around to charge forward with a spinning attack that Ava blocked. Aqua followed up with a series of quick slashes that mimicked Ven's style of fighting ending with a slash to the chest but the fox masked woman caught the strike and twisted her Keyblade that pushed Aqua's aside and kicked Aqua in the chest.

Aqua grunted as she hit the ground and Ava tried to stab her while she was down. Aqua's eyes widened as she rolled out of the way, jumped back to her feet summoned her Keyblade back. Ava tried to stab her again but this time Aqua whirled around her Keyblade and grabbed Ava by the shoulders, pushing her forward to make her lose balance and then kicked her in the back, knocking her into the ground like she had done with Aqua twice.

"How do you like being on the ground?" Aqua asked rhetorically.

The woman chuckled as she rolled way and jumped to her feet. "You are getting stronger. I can tell. You might not be on our level yet but you are making progress."

"Thank you." Aqua said, not lowering her guard. "You helped a bit in that regard."

"I suppose I did." Ava admitted. "I admit, I still find it hard to carry out my task due to the fact that raising my weapon against a fellow Keyblade Wielder goes against my very nature."

"At least you're kinder about it." Aqua replied. "How far should this go?"

"While I am reluctant I am not one to simply stop and walk away from a fight I started." Ava stated.

"I'm not one to walk away from a fight either."

Ava's lips curled into a grin. "First one to fall?"

"You're on." Aqua replied with a smile of her own as a blue aura surrounded her.

With that said Aqua threw her Keyblade at Ava who blocked several strikes before it returned to Aqua's hand and she fired a ball of light that forced Ava back even though she blocked. Ava decided to go on the attack and dashed forward. However Aqua was not done yet as she held both hands in her Keyblade above her head and started spinning on one foot releasing spiraling streams of light around her as she spun. When Ava collided with the spinning light she was repelled by the light and screamed as she flew back, leaving several cuts on her coat.

Aqua landed on both her feet, crouched down with her Keyblade slashing through the air, signifying the end of her attack.

And yet Aqua knew something was wrong.

Aqua immediately spun around, blocking a slash from behind. "You thought you could trick me again?"

"Worth a shot." Ava said before jumping back.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Master, Tell Me the Truth Ends)

Ava dismissed her Keyblade and sat down on her usual spot at the fountain. "I believe this test has gone long enough for me."

Aqua sighed in relief, dismissing her own as well. "I am glad to hear that. Now that we're done, I have to go."

"Should you not take the chance to rest first?" Ava questioned.

"I would but I need to find out how those creatures have been following me." Aqua replied, taking out the Horn of Passage. "I think I know where to look."

"Before you go, the Master asked me to give you something."

Aqua looked at Ava who produced something from her robe. It was a dark hooded coat.

Exactly like the one the Master wore.

Aqua stared at the coat as she slowly took it. "What is it?"

"The Master said that this coat can protect whoever wears it from Darkness." Ava explained, remembering what the Master had told her.

Aqua glanced at Ava and then back down at the coat. "Like armor?"

"Apparently. The Master always wears his coat." Ava answered.

"So…you haven't seen him…" Aqua trailed off.

Ava caught on. "No, never. Still, he is our Master and he trained us to be who we are now."

It was slightly disturbing but Aqua could understand Ava's loyalty, considering her own loyalty to her own Master.

Still, why give her this coat?

"I am sure the Master has his reasons." Ava said in response to Aqua's silent question.

Aqua simply accepted the coat, folding it up and hiding it away before bringing out the Horn of Passage. "Thank you, Ava. I can't say for certain we'll meet again."

Ava nodded. "Farewell then, Master Aqua. May your heart be your guiding key."

"To you as well, Master Ava." Aqua said before blowing on the Horn and summoning Heimdallr who immediately conjured a path back the world of Brothers.

"You offered her a dark coat to protect her. You must consider her of great importance."

The Master said nothing, simply watching as Aqua left this world. He turned away once she was gone, walking over to his desk and picking up the Book he had been making that contained details of the future.

The future of all worlds.

Chapter Text

Dark Storm

When Aqua returned to the other world, she was surrounded by what could only be described as death.

This was the domain of the God of Darkness and it clearly showed why it was called that.

A land of eternal night with red clouds, devoid of life aside from the Grimm that populated it and giant purple crystals sprouting from the ground.

Those crystals reminded her of Surtr and she remembered the God of Darkness turned from a mortal and into a monster.

Even though she didn't know it, Aqua began walking like Salem did when she came here, walking through this dark realm and stopped at a stairway leading up the mountain, similarly mirroring that of the Domain of Light's. The difference was that the stairs were made of the same strange purple crystalline like substance that populated this land. Aqua sensed a great magic flowing from the crystals, likely made by the God of Darkness and used to influence this land.

She stopped when she noticed a skeleton at the bottom of the stairs with a sword embedded in it. Evidently, people were not as welcome here as they would have been in the Domain of Light. She briefly thought of Hades, the Greek God of Death and wondered how he would felt in such an environment. The darkness here was so suffocating; it was almost like she was in the Realm of Darkness.

As a being from the Realm of Light, Aqua would find a realm so filled with Darkness extremely discomforting and it was here did she feel it. A feeling of overwhelming Darkness, filled with negative feelings. She heard snarls and looked around, seeing Grimm of various shapes and sizes watching her with their hunger filled red glowing eyes. She tried to ignore them but kept an eye on them in case they chose to attack but found it difficult to breathe.

Then she felt a magical pulse.

Aqua blinked and before she knew it she was wearing the strange dark coat the Master had given her before she had returned. Aqua looked down at herself, seeing even dark gloves covering her hands and suddenly felt better, like the darkness that populated this land was no longer affecting her. She looked up again and saw the Grimm had yet to move from their spots but were now adopting a slight bit of curiosity in the way they stared at her. Deciding to keep on moving, Aqua walked up the stairs, feeling better now.

It seemed the dark coat was protecting her from the Darkness much her armor was supposed to. That was both strange and surprising as she wouldn't have expected a simple coat to ward of the Darkness. Aqua reached the top and stared down at a rather large blackened pool of tar-like liquid. Surrounding the pool were Grimm, all of them looking on her as she walked down the stairs.

"So, at last you have come."

Aqua watched as the God of Darkness emerged from the pool in all his wicked and terrifying glory, slowly walking out of the pool. Aqua stood before the pool, remaining composed but also harmless, not wanting to provoke the dark god into attacking her. She could sense the unfathomable power coming off this deity, feeling he was as strong as Hades. Even though Aqua had fought and defeated Hades, the fact is she wasn't able to kill him and only forced him to retreat.

She wasn't arrogant enough to expect the same results here.

"The one who comes from outside this world. The wielder of the so-called Keyblade. Aqua." The God of Darkness emerged fully from the pool. "And this time, you have chosen to come to me instead of my brother. How interesting."

Aqua brought her legs together, spread her arms out and bowed slightly. "Great God of Darkness, I come to you with questions I hope you can answer."

The dark deity was still but Aqua had a feeling if he had eyebrows he would be raising one of them. "And what questions would have for me?"

"In the world I was previously in, I found and fought creatures that resemble what the people here call Grimm. I am told they were created and as I look around I see that they were not only right but also live here." Aqua straightened herself. "I wish to understand how they were able to follow me because I worry for the other worlds if they were to journey beyond this one."

The God of Darkness chuckled. "I see. You seek knowledge…Well, since you have decided to show the proper respect I will humor you. Yes, I created these children, the ones you mortals call Grimm and yes, I created the children that followed and attacked you."

To even demonstrate his claim, the God of Darkness made a single gesture and from the dark pool rose a Grimm looking exactly like the ones that Aqua had seen and fought in Daybreak Town.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The God of Darkness spoke with what sounded like affection in his voice. "Until now I never considered the possibility of giving my creations the ability to travel to other worlds…Until I was inspired by you, Aqua."

Aqua remained composed, even as she realized what that meant. "So, you sent them after me."

"I did. I found your presence in this world to be a threat to my brother and I. He sees potential in your presence, a chance to expand our great experiment." The God of Darkness folded his hands behind his back. "However, I wondered if his curiosity towards you blinded him to then potential threat you represent."

"In what way am I threat?" Aqua slowly asked. "I bear you or your brother no hostility. I asked him for help in leaving this world with no intentions of harming him or the people here."

"The highest threat I have seen from my observation of you is the weapon you wield. Your Keyblade, that supposedly grants you access to magic without the assistance of my brother or myself. A being who does not need a god to attain great power is one that must be carefully observed and if deemed a threat, destroyed." The God of Darkness stated. "Though I will admit, your presence has forced me to begin creating new children in ways I had not considered before. Granting them great power than I had previously with the humanity of the world my brother and I created. Though my brother and I share a deep pride in our creations, my first children, the one they call Grimm have often felt I have favored humanity over them."

He walked over to a Beowulf lying near the pool and patted its head, electing a pleased sound from it as it nuzzled his hand.

"I had initially agreed to stop creating them with my brother but even if I am pleased with what we have made with humanity, I still retain my fondness for my first children, if only because they share my nature for destruction even more so than humanity and because humanity has almost never come to me for my blessings but they would seek my brother." The God of Darkness continued, jealously leaking into his voice. "If humanity was content to leave me along, I would continue to create more of my first children and allow them to test humanity, to show me their tendency for survival in the face of destruction."

Aqua frowned but took a deep breath, closing her eyes to keep her composure and opened them a moment later. "And is that why you sent your children after me?"

"I did a lot more than that, Key Wielder. I was the one who created those magical weapons that found their ways to the kings and queen who challenged you and it was I who created Surtr from the dying remains of Sidorak. All to see your own potential and the potential of this Keyblade, that supposedly was born from your…'Heart' as you call it. I wanted to see how it would fare against weapons created by me." The God of Darkness stared at Aqua. "Though you didn't exactly defeat those wielders by yourself now, did you?"

Aqua met his 'stare' with narrowed eyes. "The Keyblade comes from the Heart…and the Heart is never alone as long as there is even one person to connect with. I have seen many worlds, many people and each time I gained a connection with them that remains steep and strong within my own Heart. Even if Ozma and Salem never came to my assistance, I was not truly alone then and I am not alone now."

The God of Darkness tilted his head slightly. "Is that so?"

"It is." Aqua answered. "My bonds are my power and that power is what defeated Surtr, those wielders and the Grimm that came after me."

"Do you proclaim your power, this power of the Heart, to be greater than that of my brother and I?" The God of Darkness questioned, giving the impression of a glare.

"I don't proclaim to be unbeatable. It is inevitable that one day I might fall in battle, to the darkness or to any kind of foe." Aqua admitted honestly, bringing a hand to her chest. "But my bonds and my convictions are what allowed me to come so far, every step, every foe, and every friend, leading me to here."

"Really? I see your confidence remains after all this time."

(Kingdom Hearts Maleficent Theme)

Eyes widening, Aqua spun around and spotted a familiar woman in dark robes with a horned headdress as she walked down the stairs. "…Maleficent?"

Maleficent, the dark fairy whom Aqua had met in the Enchanted Dominion and defeated alongside Prince Philip, was indeed standing there at the bottom of the stairs with an amused grin on her face.

"To speak with such confidence, such conviction. You truly have not changed, Aqua." Maleficent remarked, her grin never leaving her face.

The God of Darkness stared at the newcomer, feeling she was not like this world like Aqua but felt a great darkness and power from her.

"How are you here?" Aqua turned and faced the dark fairy. "This isn't your world."

"Oh, I suppose you wouldn't know, child." Maleficent mockingly said with a small laugh. "How many years it has been since we last met."

"Years?" Aqua questioned slowly.

"That is right. For you, it was perhaps a recent encounter but for me, the years I spent spreading darkness and despair across multiple worlds with no one to stop me." Maleficent answered proudly. "In fact, if not for you and your friends I wouldn't have become aware of the worlds outside my own and truly become the Mistress of all Evil."

"Who are you?" The God of Darkness asked finally, earning both of their attention. "I sense you are not from this world like her."

"Why, you are correct." Maleficent stated with a pleased smile. "Like her, I too come from another world, having been brought to this one by sheer coincidence. I have even faced her and others like her in battle."

"And lost." Aqua quickly brought up.

Maleficent cast a glare at Aqua for that. "Admittedly, yes but I remain strong and absolute in my goals. The Keyblade is a mere tool and those that wield it are just as frail as any true mortal, especially their Hearts. I am sure you haven't forgotten young Terra, have you now?"

Now Aqua was the one glaring. "Do not speak his name, Maleficent."

"I surmise he failed to conquer the darkness in his heart then." Maleficent now had a pleased grin on her face. "Which only proves my point."

"Why are you here?" Aqua asked, unconsciously clenching her fists.

"Hmph. You retain that brazen attitude you showed when last we met." Maleficent scoffed but her grin returned. "Truthfully, even though I was told you were here I had not expected to meet you here. I had come for another reason."

Maleficent then turned away, looking at the surrounding Grimm. "Do you know of a woman named Salem?"

The mention of that name made both Aqua and the God of Darkness stare at her.

"When she told me about you, she was traveling to other kingdoms, spinning tales of how she had stolen immortality from the gods and that she could help the rest of this world gain what she now had, allowing them to forever live without fear of dying or watching their loved ones die." Maleficent answered with an amused look on her face as she looked over her shoulder. "All they had to do was destroy the gods themselves."

The God of Darkness snarled. "Lies! She did not steal immortality from us! She was cursed for daring to deceive us!"

"What?!" Aqua spun her head to the deity. "You cursed her?!"

"She wanted to bring her beloved Ozma back from the dead. She sought my brother out first but when he denied her plea she came to me, believing she could trick me as she begged me while choosing not to tell me she had only come to see me after my brother had refused her request." The God of Darkness answered as his mood darkened.

This mood was shared by the surrounding Grimm as they began snarling, growling and a few even howling.

"Oh, so it was a lie after all." Maleficent chuckled as she turned back to face the two. "Not surprising. I never actually believed her myself."

"Then why did you come here?" Aqua questioned, looking back at the dark fairy.

"To see the God of Darkness for myself and see his creations that I am told are as dark as the Heartless." Maleficent answered as she looked upon the surrounding Grimm. "Impressive, if somewhat limited at the moment."

"You dare enter my domain and show such blatant disrespect?" The God of Darkness snarled, his mood already foul from the news of what Salem is doing.

"I do what I please for I am Maleficent, the Mistress of all Evil and the one who shall rule over all worlds." Maleficent stated, not at all afraid of the dark deity before her.

"Your overconfidence is still your greatest weakness." Aqua snapped.

"Your faith in your friends and their hearts is yours." Maleficent retorted.

"Enough!" The God of Darkness bellowed and in a blast of dark purple light, assumed his dragon form. "You both are a danger to me and our world and thus I will destroy the both of you."

The surrounding Grimm snarled and charged at Maleficent and Aqua, heeding their creator's intent to destroy them.

"Fool." Maleficent's staff began to glow and she plunged it into the ground, erecting a wall of green fire that burned the Grimm to ash on contact. "You think you can destroy me? Me, the Mistress of all Evil?!"

"I know I can!" Aqua said, raising her hand and erecting a dome shaped barrier around her and Maleficent who glared at her which she ignored as she looked at the dark god. "God of Darkness, I have not come here to disrespect you or to control you. I came here seeking a way to convince you to stop sending your Grimm after me so that no one else on this world or the other will be harmed. I think I know a way to prove it."

The God of Darkness glared at her. "Explain."

"Maleficent is my enemy." Aqua summoned her Keyblade and took off her dark coat which vanished as it fell off. "Allow me to fight her on your behalf to make her answer for disrespecting you."

Maleficent scoffed. "And what makes you think I would participate in such a farce?"

"Because the God of Darkness will make sure you can't leave until the fight is over." Aqua reasoned. "And even if you escape, unless you are on another world I assume he and his Grimm will hunt you down until you are gone, no matter what."

Maleficent narrowed her eyes. "And what are the terms if I win this little duel?"

"…Then you leave freely." Aqua answered before looking at the God of Darkness. "Are these terms acceptable to you?"

The God of Darkness stared at Aqua for a moment before he finally answered. "Very well. Since you wish to fight her on my behalf I will allow it and if you win, I will consider hearing your plea."

To ensure Maleficent would not escape the God of Darkness surrounded Aqua's barrier with a purple glowing barrier of his own, further trapping them inside.

(Kingdom Hearts Maleficent Theme Ends)

(Kingdom Hearts OST Squirming Evil)

"Very well, I shall participate in this farce for the moment." Maleficent tapped the ground and a small circle of green flames surrounded before the ground was in the surrounding circle was lifted up into the air.

Aqua readied herself, taking her stance and watching Maleficent closely.

"Come out!" The dark witch shouted, slamming her staff on the ground and summoning four Heartless, all of them large and sporting large shields that were as big as them and resembling a beast's head.

Aqua jumped and pointed her Keyblade a sphere of multi-colored light appeared at the tip. She 'locked' onto all five targets in her mind and let loose a barrage of multi-colored spheres. The platform with Maleficent on it flew out of the way and left the Heartless to take the full blast. Aqua then turned to Maleficent who hovered over, smiling as she held up her staff.

"Have you forgotten my power?" She asked as dark clouds formed above her and from them came lightning bolts.

Aqua grunted as she formed a barrier around herself that protected her from the lightning. She grunted as she took off, running and dodging the lightning bolts that rained down upon her. She finally had enough and jumped up, using her Double-Flight and fell towards Maleficent while swinging her Keyblade. The dark fairy raised her staff as the orb on it glowed and covered the rest of it in dark green and black fire.

Maleficent blocked Aqua's Keyblade with her staff and then swung at Aqua who then blocked. Maleficent struck again and once again Aqua blocked, grunting as she felt the heat from the dark fairy's staff. Both dark fairy and Keyblade Master traded strikes with their respective weapons while the platform they were on started spinning. Finally Maleficent had enough and transformed into a pin wheeled shaped cloud and flew off to the other side of the barrier while the platform spun so fast Aqua was knocked off it. She grunted as she hit the ground but got back up easily.

She watched as the pin wheel cloud flew back onto the platform and Maleficent reappeared back on the platform.

"See now, Aqua? I am much stronger than in our last encounter. If you still doubt my power than I shall show you the folly of challenging me!" Maleficent declared and spread her arms out. "Meteors of heaven, unleash thy fury!"

Dark portals began appearing all around the interior of the barrier and from them came blue glowing meteors. Aqua was forced to dodge the incoming meteors, not wanting to stay still and risk blocking them all with her barrier. Grunting, Aqua knew she had to take Maleficent down quickly and pointed her Keyblade up, waiting for the right second.

Just as dark meteor descended upon she made her move…

Maleficent watched as Aqua suddenly vanished under the meteor but sensed she had used magic to teleport out of the way just in time.

"Mega-Flare!"

From the end of her Keyblade came an explosive that collided with the platform Maleficent stood on, creating an explosion of blinding light. Maleficent grunted as she covered her eyes and the blast sent her flying off her platform, landing roughly on the ground.

The dark fairy got up slowly, narrowing her eyes at Aqua. "It appears I underestimated you, Aqua."

"Wouldn't be the first time." The Keyblade Wielder retorted.

"Don't believe you have won yet. You know I am far from finished!" Maleficent shouted as she spread her arms out again and a column of green and black fire blasted from where she stood.

Aqua readied herself as the familiar form of a black and purple dragon Maleficent had turned into the last time they had fought appeared before her. The God of Darkness on the other hand was…stunned by the form Maleficent had taken.

So dark and yet had the same color as his own form.

The only main difference was that Maleficent's dragon form had a more organic look, lacking the skull shaped head that the God of Darkness' own dragon form had and those yellow glowing eyes that blazed with the deepest and darkest flames.

"Beautiful…" The dark deity whispered, having never encountered such a being before.

Almost like him and his brother.

Maleficent tried biting Aqua who hastily dodged several times before she slammed her Keyblade into the dragon's head just as she dodged. Maleficent roared and lifted herself up on her hind legs and then slammed back down onto the ground, creating an earthquake that knocked Aqua off her feet. Maleficent tried slashing her with her claws which she was down but Aqua immediately rolled away just in time. Just as Aqua got back up onto her feet, Maleficent reared her head back and let loose stream of dark green fire.

Rather than dispersing in the air, the fire fell back down around the field and turned into small fires.

'Dark Flames.' Aqua thought as she made sure to avoid the fire. 'They can't be put out but they have a time limit.'

Maleficent tried biting her again but Aqua teleported to the far side of the area. The dragon spun around and released a blast of dark fire at Aqua who immediately conjured a barrier around her.

"Defend!" She shouted, creating the domed shield that blocked the fire.

Once the attack ended, Aqua quickly pointed her Keyblade at the evil dragon. "Firaga!"

A fireball shot out and hit the ground in the face but did little damage. Maleficent stood on her hind legs to try and crush Aqua again but to their surprise, the barrier receeded and the God of Darkness stepped forward, still in his dragon form.

"I will take it from here." The God of Darkness snarled at Maleficent who turned and glared with an equally dark snarl.

Aqua blinked but got out of the way as the God of Darkness lunged at Maleficent, slamming into her and knocking her back. The God of Darkness roared to which Maleficent answered with a roar of her own as she got back up. Both dragons inhaled and released streams of fire at each other, dark purple flames colliding with dark green fire in a blinding blaze, cancelling each other out moments later. The two dragons roared at each other again, only now the Grimm were roaring as well.

Aqua looked around, seeing the Grimm roaring while completely ignoring her. She didn't really understand what was going on here. The God of Darkness was content to allow her to fight but for some reason had taken over and Aqua could tell there was something else going on. The fight was becoming more beastly and primal with each bite of their teeth, slash of their claws or blast of their fire.

Then the God of Darkness finally pinned Maleficent down and roared right in her face. Aqua's widened as she realized what it was.

It was an act of domination.

The God of Darkness was trying to force Maleficent to submit which she refused by roaring back in his face. The dark witch turned dragon continued to struggle, biting and clawing at the dark deity who fought back with equal ferocity. Aqua covered her mouth as she watched the two continuing to fight.

She wasn't sure what to do.

Should she stop this?

Should she just allow them to fight?

Maleficent was certainly no friend of hers and was a threat to all the other worlds. However if she intervened, she might lose any lingering good will she had with the God of Darkness.

What could she do?

Was this even her fight anymore?

"STOP!"

(Kingdom Hearts OST Squirming Evil Ends)

Just then, an answer came in the form of the God of Light who appeared in his brother's domain. He created a great light that blinded all who saw him, transforming into his dragon form and flew in, separating his brother from Maleficent who immediately jumped back. Maleficent was covered in purple glowing bite marks and bruises that had been inflicted on her by the God of Darkness. Rather than face the two Brothers, Maleficent faded away into Dark Flames that lingered only for a few seconds.

"Brother, why did you intervene?" The God of Darkness snarled at his brother.

"You were going too far, Brother. Your instincts in your true form were clouding your sense of reason." The God of Light answered.

"Regardless, she intruded on my domain and disrespected me. As such I would deal with her as I see fit." The dark brother retorted, almost sounding like he was embarrassed but covered it up.

He couldn't really explain what had happened.

He had been so overcome by such base instincts he had immediately reacted upon seeing Maleficent fighting in her dragon form.

He wasn't sure what these instincts were directing him to do but rather than fight them he embraced them.

That witch had disrespected him so he felt no hesitation in doing so.

"Perhaps but she was still not of this world and we both agreed to handle such matters together." The light brother answered before looking back at Aqua. "I see you have returned."

"I have." Aqua nodded as she looked between the two Brothers. "I think we need to talk."

Maleficent grunted as she limped away from the Land of Darkness. "How humiliating."

Shifting back into her human form had been hard, especially since she still felt the pain from wounds inflicted on her by that infernal dark deity. Unlike the God of Darkness, Maleficent had recognized the instincts he had been driven by when he had attacked her.

He had been trying to…court her.

Her, the Mistress of all Evil!

Well, perhaps she would feel flattered by such a dark deity being attracted to her but Maleficent would never submit to anyone, not even gods. She had recognized those instincts and even felt the same flowing through her as in her dragon form; she was more susceptible to the animal instincts that came with changing into a dragon. Still, she remained in control and would never submit herself to anyone and if she ever saw that dark god again she would utterly destroy him.

"Darkness, I am done with this world!" She shouted to the sky. "Take me back to my own time, now!"

The Darkness appeared before her. "Are you sure?"

"Very. I have had enough of this world." Maleficent grunted as she managed to stand up straight. "Show me the way back or be gone from my sight."

"…Very well." The Darkness opened a Corridor of Darkness for her to enter. "I shall take you where you want to go."

Chapter Text

Twilight

"You cursed Salem with immortality?"

After the fight with Maleficent, Aqua requested to speak with both Brothers. They reconvened back to the Domain of Light, allowing Aqua to a sample some fruits to recover from her fight with Maleficent.

"Indeed we did." The God of Light answered with a nod. "She sought to upset the balance that we created and even lied to my brother when I turned her away. I initially pitied her but her selfishness led her astray."

"And now she spreads more lies." The God of Darkness growled.

Aqua sighed, rubbing her head to nurse the small headache she felt from everything that had happened. Salem had asked the gods to bring Ozma back from the dead, they refused so she tried to manipulate them and in retaliation they cursed her with immortality, preventing her from dying and being with Ozma in death. She wasn't sure whose side to pick in this since Salem had attacked her, blaming her for Ozma's death and the Brothers had both used her in some fashion. The God of Darkness had sent his Grimm after her, creating magical weapons to challenge her and even threatened to kill her while his brother, while initially helpful had used her to see into other worlds.

She had bad relations on to both the Gods and Salem and so far she was less inclined to be sympathetic to either side.

"You do not approve." The God of Light stated.

Aqua turned away. "It's not for me to approve or condemn your actions. I told you before, as a Keyblade Master I am not allowed to interfere in the affairs of the worlds. Though, lately that's been very hard to do because of the two of you."

"In what way?" The God of Darkness retorted mockingly.

"You sent your Grimm after me; you forged weapons to fight against me and my Keyblade, even after I chose to leave this world." Aqua answered, before looking at the God of Light. "You used me to spy on Daybreak Town, to see what it was like on that world. You both dragged me into the conflicts on this world."

"That was not our intention. We were both curious about you and these other worlds." The God of Light replied.

"And because of that, I have broken the greatest rules of all Keyblade Wielders." Aqua sighed as she turned away. "I was not supposed to let it be known other worlds existed but I was desperate, I tried to find my way back home but given what I was told about you two I thought those rules had been rendered moot. And it led to this."

"Why so glum? You got what you wanted, didn't you?" The God of Darkness asked with a small laugh.

Aqua spun around and faced the Brothers with a glare. "And the cost was I unintentionally allowed you to release Grimm into Daybreak Town. I am just lucky they only came after me and didn't hurt anyone else. What exactly would you have done if those Grimm had killed me? Set them loose on that world as well?"

"If they are as strong as you, I fail to see the problem." The God of Darkness replied.

Aqua narrowed her eyes. "My problem is you using me in your own little games. You even judge me, someone who is not part of your experiment, who you have no control over."

"We do not judge you, Aqua. You intrigue us. Your words, your actions, and your power is an enigma to us." The God of Light answered as his brother growled. "You even speak of others like us. Deities of death and even deities who rules over other deities."

"Hades, the God of Death and Zeus, King of the Gods on their worlds and Hercules is a Demi-God, Zeus' son." Aqua noted, her glare becoming a neutral frown. "Yes, I remember them. They are a lot different from the two of you. They look more human than you aside from their divine auras and they have names. I've noticed the two of you are only known by what you represent, Light and Darkness."

"And what use would we have for names?" The God of Darkness asked jokingly. "Everyone knows who we are."

"Names can give a lot more than a mere label. They can give meaning and power, even to things considered less significant." Aqua answered. "I've read up on many legends and myths of people naming their gods, making them more important in the beliefs of the people who worship them."

"Do you believe we should have names?"

That question threw Aqua for a loop as she considered that question for a moment. "Depends, are you curious of what names I might come up with or do you genuinely want one?"

"I think it's a waste of time." The God of Darkness scoffed.

"Perhaps but it is worth a thought, Brother." The God of Light stated, glancing at him before looking back at Aqua. "This could be considered part of the experiment and if we do expand, it is likely other mortals who meet us might decide to label us with names like Aqua states."

Aqua looked at the God of Light, wondering what he meant by that. Were the two Brothers planning to travel to other worlds? She wasn't sure if that was a good idea, given how they acted right now but maybe she could use this. She didn't want to try manipulating them like Salem tried but maybe show them that mortals, even the ones they created were more than what they had initially thought.

"So, Aqua." The God of Light looked at Aqua. "What names would you consider for us, if we are indeed similar to these other gods?"

Aqua closed her eyes and took a deep breath, remembering the many myths and legends she had read in the library in the Land of Departure. Legends circling around the Keyblade, Kingdom Hearts and the Keyblade War, the eternal struggle of Light and Darkness but it didn't stop there. Over the eons, Keyblade Wielders collected knowledge on other worlds, even stories and brought them to the library to be read by future apprentices and show them what life was like out there. She remembered reading up on many stories, even finding a few on dragons during her time in the library when she was studying as an apprentice.

In some legends, dragons were destructive creatures, unstoppable monsters that burned entire lands, some even hoarding gold and other great riches to themselves.

In other legends, dragons were divine beings that offered great wisdom, strength and even redemption to those in need.

She remembered the name of a dragon that brought life to the world it lived in, recognized as the father of all life.

"Izanagi." She spoke, looking up at the God of Light. "You remind me of a legend about a dragon that gave life to the world it appeared in. He was the forefather of the gods in his world, the first male and a creator of life…Just like you and his name was Izanagi."

"Izanagi." The God of Light repeated softly, bringing a finger to his chin. "Something about this name…I find it to be fitting."

The God of Darkness looked over his brother who was still contemplating the name Aqua offered to him and looked back at her. "And what would you decide to call me, if I would even consider allowing it?"

Aqua stared at the God of Darkness, contemplating his appearance and nature and the name of a deity that was said to be literally born in darkness. "…Erebus, named after a deity who was born of pure darkness. Seems appropriate to you, considering he also thrived on spreading chaos and discord."

The God of Darkness paused, mentally repeating the name in his mind. He didn't show it, but there was something about that name he actually liked.

Aqua was silent as she stared between the two Brothers, awaiting their judgment on the names she offered. She didn't want to try manipulating them but it was clear they were not just different from their creations because of their powers, they had no value on life and death like mortals did. Sure, it's apparent the two Brothers cared for each other but it didn't extend to the humanity they created or even the ones that existed outside of their experiment.

The God of Light saw the mortals of this world as pets, something to be attended with and he gave them what they wanted because he loved them like pets and because of what they could do.

The God of Darkness saw them as mere playthings, testing them against his Grimm and that led to many deaths.

If they could be allowed to better understand, maybe they could actually stop these games and stop using their humanity and her as playthings in their eternal game. Aqua did not want to consider herself capable of doing so because that kind of arrogance was dangerous…but she felt she had to try. She had allowed herself to be pulled into this mess; the least she could do is try to fix it.

Whatever they would have said was stopped before they could look at her as the sound of many footsteps marching from behind caught their attention. Aqua turned around to see a great army rushing down the steps leading down to the Domain of Light. Shouts filled the air as they brandished their weapons, ready for battle against the twin deities. In a flash of light, the God of Light changed into his dragon form and approached the army that had invaded his home.

Just before they could attack, the God of Darkness let out a roar as he changed into his dragon form as well, landing next to his brother. The God of Light looked at the humans, the people he and his brother created and saw the hate and greed in their eyes.

What his brother and Aqua had said was true.

Their creations had turned against them.

And for what?

"Show us the one who has led you down this path." The God of Light requested.

"You do not order us! Your reign is over! We will have immortality like she does!" One of the rulers, the Zealous King Kahn shouted.

"She?" The God of Darkness snarled.

In immediate response, Salem stepped forth out in front of the army, staring at the deities in contempt with a determination to end them.

"So, that dark woman was right. You dare to spread lies and turn them all against us?" The God of Darkness growled, letting loose a blast of fire.

"She has stolen back the immortality you took from us!" The Stern Queen, Shen stated. "You made us weak so now we shall take it back!"

"This woman has lied to you." The God of Light replied. "She did not steal immortality from us nor did we take it from you. She was cursed with it for attempting to deceive us into resurrecting her lover for her. She was made immortal until she learns the importance of life and death and its balance and instead has used it to deceive you."

"Leave now if you wish to live." The God of Darkness issued his one and only warning.

That made everyone in the army stop and falter from the God of Light's words. Some stopped and whispered with each other, slightly unsure now.

Only until Salem stepped forth. "LIARS! You took him from me, revived him and then killed him right before my eyes because I was able to deceive you! I proved you could be tricked like any mortal and for that you cursed me!"

"Salem, stop!"

Salem stopped, watching in slight surprise before narrowing as Aqua stepped out between the two gods. "You…"

"Salem, this is not the way to solve this." Aqua stated pleadingly. "Trying to destroy them will not bring him back."

Salem glared at Aqua in contempt before looking back at the gods. "Attack! Destroy them all!"

The God of Darkness roared and let loose a blast of fire that Salem countered with her own magic. The armies followed suit, launching a barrage of magical attacks at the gods.

"NO!" Aqua shouted and leapt up, summoning her Keyblade and coming between the twin deities and the attacks. "Reflega!"

A spherical barrier surrounded her just before the attacks collided with her and immediately launched them right back at the army that had launched them.

(Kingdom Hearts OST Black Powder)

(Info: Defeat Salem and her army)

Aqua grunted as the strain of blocking multiple attacks pushing her back but she kept the barrier up, blocking and reflecting each and every magical attack, sending them right back at the very army that launched them. Soldiers screamed as their own attacks blasted them back, causing the army to scatter, dropping their weapons. Salem along with the three main rulers managed to block or dodge their own attacks being thrown back at them. Once the last magical was sent back, Aqua dispelled her barrier and landed on the ground.

The Brother Gods stared at Aqua in complete surprise, watching as she not only deflected the attacks meant for them back but stepped up and took it all for them. The four rulers, having been at the front of the army were the first to recover and immediately attacked her.

Aqua cartwheeled to the side and pointed her Keyblade at them. "Thunder!"

A Thundaga came down from above, blasting the ground around four and knocking them back. King Kahn, having the most negative feelings towards Aqua aside from Salem, roared and charged at Aqua. He had lost his Earth Scythe but retained a large sword that he swung at Aqua but the Keyblade Wielder ducked and summoned a Bladecharge that cut the sword in half. Kahn looked at the remains of his sword in surprise, leaving him open as Aqua let loose a Firaga spell that blasted him back.

More soldiers recovered and fired magical bolts at Aqua, forcing her to use Reflega to deflect them back.

"KILL HER!" Salem shouted, firing a magical bolt.

Aqua cartwheeled out of the way, landing right on her feet as several soldiers charged at her, brandishing swords, spears and axes.

Realizing she couldn't win in a head on fight because she outnumbered and that she needed to fight smart, Aqua raised her Keyblade. "Blackout!"

The first wave of soldiers screamed as their vision suddenly blackened. Aqua charged forward, slashing her way through them and knocking them down.

Another waved charged at her.

"Mini!"

They shrank down until their height was below Aqua's feet. That caused several to hesitate as Aqua kicked past them.

"Poison!"

Aqua then released toxic bubbles from her Keyblade which dispersed into a violet wave of energy. Those that were affected dropped their weapons, feeling sick and collapsed. She kept on moving as more and more soldiers tried to attack her, some now keeping their distance and firing bolts of magic with their bows.

Aqua surprised them by teleporting behind them. "Firaga Burst!"

Aqua then held her Keyblade up and conjured a miniature sun that rained down smaller fireballs down on the surrounding soldiers, scattering them and blasting them across the battlefield. Aqua looked around and saw the army was struggling to reorder itself, soldiers that were not knocked out or injured rushing to get back into ranks.

"RAH!"

Except for the Zealous King Kahn and his warriors.

They were all rushing towards her, letting loud battle cries.

"Bind!"

A wave of yellow energy surrounded them and prevent them from moving.

"Thunder!"

A quick Thundaga blast blasted them back and knocked them out. Aqua wasn't down as she leapt up, 'locking' onto the army as they tried to reorganize. A light surrounded as she spun gracefully, firing several volleys of magical energy at the army, hitting them head on and knocking many of them down or into each other.

"You!"

Aqua turned and faced Salem who approached her with a barrier of lightning surrounding her. "Salem, stop this. This isn't going to bring him back."

"If they won't bring him back then I'll destroy everything they have created." Salem snapped.

She held out her hands and sent a blast of lightning at Aqua who immediately blocked with a barrier. Salem then slammed her hands into ground and a stream of magma traveled through the ground towards Aqua who immediately teleported out of the way just in time before the magma exploded out of the ground. Just as Aqua appeared behind her, Salem spun around and fired a red blast. Aqua immediately cartwheeled out of the way and pointed her Keyblade at Salem.

"Freeze!"

She fired three chunks of ice right at Salem who didn't even bother to dodge or block, allowing them to hit and cut her up. She chuckled while Aqua watched as the wound immediately healed itself.

"You see, Aqua? You can't hurt or kill me." Salem as she raised her hand. "But I can kill you!"

A blue light appeared around her hand, forming a giant ice sphere. Salem held out both hands and pointed them directly at Aqua. The ice sphere responded to her movements and flew straight at Aqua who gasped but responded immediately. Fire surrounded her Keyblade as she swung and cut through the ice sphere right through the middle. The ice sphere exploded and like what would happen with dry ice, steam shot out everywhere, covering the battle field.

Aqua kept her guard up, awaiting Salem's next move.

"So you can coat your weapon with the elements?" Salem's voice echoed through the mist. "That's impressive. Only a master level mage could attempt that…Or even try it."

Aqua's eyes widened as she spun and jumped out of the way as a spear made of pure electricity shot out from the mist. Aqua watched as Salem emerged next, sparks flying from her hands which Aqua quickly blocked. Salem grinned, believing she had Aqua where she wanted. The magic spread out, touching discarded weapons such as swords, spears and axes, all of them made of metal along with armor pieces and all of them flying at Aqua.

Realizing Salem had used a spell to turn her into a magnet for all the weapons, Aqua summoned a fiery aura around her and the weapons all fell to the ground within a few feet of her.

"I guess you forgot that magnets lose their charge once they're superheated." Aqua remarked to Salem who scowled.

In response to that, Salem raised her hand and gathered electricity around her palm and fingers. A second later the spell was released in a mighty wave of lightning that gave Aqua no time to dodge so she summoned her spherical barrier around her. The force of the blast knocked her back into the mist that still covered the area.

Salem then raised her hands, summoning large pieces of earth and sent them right into the mist after Aqua. Meanwhile inside the mist, Aqua landed perfectly on the ground and looked up, hearing something flying at her. She quickly fell to the ground and saw several large objects fly over her.

'She truly wishes to destroy me.' Aqua thought as she lifted her head. 'But she doesn't know I dodged.'

She cupped her mouth and let out a scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Outside, Salem grinned when she heard Aqua scream, waving her hand and the mist parted around where she heard the scream. Only when it parted, she didn't see Aqua like she expected. If she had been hit, she would have been lying on the ground, wounded or dying. Salem then realized Aqua had tricked her and frantically looked around, trying to catch her opponent before she could strike.

It didn't matter.

Salem then felt something slam into her face, knocking her back as Aqua suddenly appeared in front of her.

"You tricked me." Salem grunted, rubbing her face. "I can't believe I fell for such a basic trick."

Aqua said nothing, preferring to just stand there while glaring. There was nothing to say at this point as Salem was beyond reasoning. Salem growled, angered by the way Aqua was standing, as if she was daring her to continue fighting. She looked behind Aqua and smiled for some reason.

Aqua remained firm but sensed movement behind her.

The Stern Queen, Empress Shen and King Charlemagne emerged from the mist, ready to attack.

"You're wasting your time!" Salem taunted. "You can't defeat all of us, no matter how powerful you might be."

Aqua said nothing, merely readying herself for the next attack. Just as the three prepared to attack, Aqua summoned three spheres of light of light that spun around her and hit all three opponents, exploding on contact. Shen and Charlemagne were knocked to the ground while Salem immediately recovered on account of her curse. Angered, Salem immediately lashed out with a blast of lightning at Aqua who teleported out of the way.

Salem then spun around and immediately launched another with Shen and Charlemagne assisting her, attacking Aqua as she reappeared. Aqua cartwheeled out of the way, barely dodging the attacks. More soldiers arrived to help their rulers and ally but Aqua would not allow it.

She closed her eyes and activated her command style: Ghost Drive.

She warped around the largest group of soldiers until they were all surrounded and Aqua finished with a powerful shockwave that sent many warriors flying, along with Shen, Charlemagne and Salem. Everyone screamed as they crashed into the ground, rather hard. Aqua appeared in the middle of the battleground as the mist finally faded, panting slightly now.

Taking on so many warriors had been difficult, even for her and her constant use of spells was draining her stamina.

Still, she couldn't give up here.

She couldn't allow these people to throw away their lives by attacking the gods over a lie. If what she knew of the two Brothers was anything to go on this idiotic attempt for immortality just satisfy Salem's vengeance would end…Badly.

An enraged scream caught her attention as Salem literally flew at her, slamming into her and both rolling around the ground. Salem gripped Aqua's Keyblade and a red aura surrounded her as she tried to destroy the mystical weapon. Aqua grunted as a bright blue aura surrounded her as she got back up, grappling with her weapon against Salem.

"This is all your fault! You ruined everything!" Salem shouted in maddened fury.

"I am stopping you from making a terrible mistake!" Aqua shouted back. "I will not let innocent people die because of your selfishness!"

"So what if they die?! Why should their lives matter to me?!" Salem ranted as her entire body began to glow.

Aqua noticed that Salem's hands were gripping her Keyblade even tighter and they were sizzling with a deep heat. "This is not what he would have wanted!"

"What does it matter?! He's dead and they wouldn't give him back!" Salem shouted, her voice becoming distorted from the magic she was gathering up for her next spell. "But if you care so much for him, I'll send you to him!"

Aqua grunted as her form pulsed with a form of magic just as Salem cast her spell.

A spell of incineration.

(Kingdom Hearts OST Black Powder Ends)

A pillar of light exploded underneath Aqua's feet, propelling up into the air just as there was a huge explosion with a shockwave of flames spreading out in all directions. Aqua watched with a stunned face as the flames even burned members of Salem's own army. The attack ended as Aqua fell back down onto the scorched ground. From where Salem had stood, there was only a skidmark left…leading down into a lava pit.

There was no sign of Salem.

Aqua looked around and saw the surviving soldiers and rulers all staring at her with surprised faces. She was about to say something when a flash of light caught her attention. With widened eyes, Aqua watched as Salem completely regenerated from the attack and lunged at her, slamming her into the ground before she could react. Salem then raised one hand and gathered magic into it, intend on finishing Aqua off.

"You see?!" She looked at her followers. "She can't stop us! No one can stop us!"

"Enough!"

The God of Light flew in, knocking Salem back with a roar and wrapped his serpentine dragon body around Aqua to protect her.

Salem immediately got back up, snarling at the light deity. "Destroy them!"

The remaining soldiers immediately fired magical blasts at the God of Light but his brother appeared in front and held out one hand/paw. All of the magic was gathered into that paw, becoming a purple sphere of energy. The survivors looked on in shock, Salem included.

"My own gift to them…used against me."

The God of Light looked away in disappointment while Aqua immediately stood up. "Wait!"

The God of Darkness glanced at her. "What do you want?"

"Please, just tell me what you intend to do." Aqua requested.

"Is it not obvious? I am punishing them for their transgressions. Humanity has turned against their creators and thus they will be put in their place." The God of Darkness answered, holding up the sphere.

Aqua's eyes widened. "Please wait. If you must punish anyone, please just punish the ones who have attacked you. Spare the ones who are not involved in this."

The remaining soldiers and rulers looked at each other, now scared of what might happen.

"We created them. They must know the price of turning on their creators." The God of Darkness responded. "Who are you to make this request?"

"Yes, I won't argue with that. I ask only out of consideration for me defending you that you spare those who are not here and who were not involved in this. Please, don't take your wrath out on the innocent." Aqua pleaded, clasping her hands together. "If you agree to this, I will revoke my plea for you to stop sending Grimm and warriors after me. Please, Erebus!"

The God of Darkness turned his head back to Aqua. "I did not agree to that name!"

"Brother," The God of Light spoke softly. "She speaks the truth. They were misguided by the deception of that woman and Aqua fought them, rather than allow them to fight us."

"And now she pleads for them. The ones who tried to kill her." The God of Darkness replied, looking to Aqua. "Why should their lives matter to you?"

"I am not pleading for them or Salem. I am pleading for the two of you." Aqua stated, causing both dragon deities to look to her. "Salem has painted you both as monsters, cruel and uncaring. While being gods makes you different from us mortals, it doesn't make you the monsters she has called you. Don't give her the satisfaction of being right."

That surprised both deities who considered her words.

"And why should it matter if she is right?"

"She has a point, Brother. Punish the ones who have turned against us, if only because she has risked her life in battle against them and for us. She has at least earned the right to make this request of us." The God of Light agreed.

The God of Darkness snarled. "…Very well. Since she has indeed proven herself by fighting for us, I will grant her request. But I will take back what I have given."

With that, the God of Darkness crushed purple energy sphere in his palm which then exploded in a blast of purple light that spread out, enveloping the army, the continent and then the rest of the world. When the light faded, Salem was the only remaining while the rest of her army had been vaporized, leaving only dust behind, with a golden glow surrounding her.

"No…No…" She muttered as she slowly got back up.

The God of Darkness landed in front of her and stomped his foot on the ground, knocking her back. "You thought there was no greater punishment we could bestow upon you?"

"I'll come back!" Salem threatened. "I'll tell the rest of the world of this massacre! Build a new army!"

"And you can explain to them why they have lost their magic." The God of Darkness snorted.

Salem's furious expression turned to shock. "Wh-What?"

"I would have wiped out all of humanity were it not for her," The God of Darkness glanced to Aqua as his brother uncurled himself from her, allowing her to step out. "She pleaded for mercy for those who did not participate in this foolishness and I have granted it, if only because she fought against you for us. So I only eliminated the army and those who supported them but at the same time I took back my gift. Humanity no longer has magic and I made sure they now know who is responsible."

Salem's eyes widened in horror. "No…"

"I would have taken your magic as well but that would mean breaking the curse on you and as Aqua said, I will not give you the satisfaction." The God of Darkness said and scoffed. "Let the rest of the world, those that remain cast their own judgment on you."

"This planet was a beautiful experiment, but it is merely a remnant of what it once was. We will learn from this failure. I hope you will learn from yours." The God of Light then looked at Aqua. "For your service today, we offer to take with you us as we depart. There is nothing for us here now."

Aqua looked between both deity brothers before making up her mind. "I am sorry but I must refuse. My path is different from yours. I hope you will learn greatly from anything I have offered or done for you but I know that my heart is pointing me to a different path."

"Very well." The God of Light said as he began to vanish into a bright light of dust. "We thank you, Aqua for your wisdom and service today. We hope you find what you are looking for."

"No! You can't leave!" Salem shouted. "You can't leave! COME BACK!"

"Still demanding things of your creators…" The God of Darkness scoffed before glancing at Aqua. "Though you stated you would take back your plea for me to cease hunting you I hereby rescind the order for my children to hunt you for fighting against that dark woman and those traitors on our behalf. Consider this to be my generosity. "

The dark deity then disappeared into a beam of purple light that shot up into the sky and out of the atmosphere. As it shot out of the planet and into space, it passed through the moon and shattered it in the process. Moon like fragments began to fall to the planet, crashing into the surface.

Aqua sighed, wishing that the dark deity hadn't crashed through the moon when he had left.

"YOU!"

Aqua spun around, facing Salem who glared at her hatefully. "Salem-"

"You did this! If you hadn't interfered-"

"Then everyone would be dead!" Aqua shouted, having enough of Salem's attitude. "You'd have gotten everyone killed just because you wanted to spite them. This is not on me, Salem. This is all you're doing. Be thankful I convinced them not to wipe everyone on this planet but you'll have to be the one to explain this as Erebus said and I sincerely hope they will be more merciful with you than those two were."

She walked past Salem, not sparing her another glance or word.

As for Salem, she simply fell to her knees…and screamed.

Chapter Text

Calamity of Darkness

Fairy Tales of Remnant

Chapter XIII

The Great Calamity

Ages ago, the world flourished in a time of peace and magic, an era of fairy tales. The pinnacle of this era was a grand kingdom, home to the greatest magic wielders in the world…But it was destroyed in a single day by a demon born from the deepest and darkest depths of the world. Many historians say it was a great calamity that befell the kingdom and in a way they are right.

It was a calamity brought on by a demon.

The heart of the kingdom was destroyed and replaced by a tower while what was left of the kingdom sank beneath the ground. The dark tower became the demon's seat of power and a quarter of the great fallen kingdom became his den. This demon's presence and deeds struck fear into even the boldest of warriors and sent its monsters out to take over the land. And in its new dark kingdom, its tower, grew rich with the treasures stolen from all over the world.

The world had changed greatly in the following days.

Those that survived the God of Darkness, judgment were powerless without the use of their magic.

Aside from only two.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A family, consisting of a mother and two daughters were running and scream as the Grimm attacked their village. With no magic to defend them, those that knew how to fight were left with just their weapons and that barely slowed them down. Three Beowolves lunged at them-

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

And were immediately cut down by a blue light.

Everyone looked to see a woman dressed in blue and silver armor, a beam of light surrounding her sword as she slashed the three Grimm. The remaining ones growled…

And then suddenly backed off much to the amazement of the survivors.

They did know it, but the woman who had saved them was the only one the Grimm would not attack because of the orders of their creator.

"Though you stated you would take your plea for me to cease hunting you I hereby rescind the order for my children to hunt you for fighting against that dark woman and those traitors on our behalf. Consider this to be my generosity. "

Aqua remembered those words and it seemed the Grimm were still following their creator's wishes, even if he and his brother had abandoned this world. The problem was that they had not been ordered to leave the surviving half of humanity alone and thus several days after the Brothers had departed; the Grimm had started spreading out.

And Aqua was starting to grow tired of it.

She had been wandering from village to village, saving those that she could but sometimes she would be too late. All she could do was move on while the people begged her to stay and protect them but she couldn't.

Not only was it against the rules of the World Order but if she stayed to protect those that she had saved, others would be left to die. It was a hard choice but she could only advise them to find shelter in one of the remaining kingdoms. She knew she shouldn't be involving herself like this but she couldn't just leave these people to die.

It was a hard decision but she knew in her heart she was doing what she thought was right.

She wondered how long she could keep doing this though.

"So the Gods have left this world and humanity has lost the gift of magic."

Well, that was not entirely true.

At least one person still harbored the gift of magic and that was the herald of the God of Darkness himself: Surtr.

After the God of Darkness had revived him, Surtr had returned to his fortress to plot out his next move, while waiting and watching as the God of Darkness created newer and stronger Grimm to fight against that woman with the key. However, the Gods were gone now, having abandoned this world because of humanity betraying them and thus magic had been stripped from them. With no Gods or magic, the world had been irreversibly changed forever.

And Surtr couldn't have been less pleased by it.

"With the Gods now gone, this leaves a vacuum waiting to be filled by others." The Dark Herald grinned under his mask. "A new God to take their place and rule this world."

And since he was the only one with magic left, who would oppose him?

He was no longer human, having been changed forever with his body now similar to that of a Grimm with his crown holding his soul that allowed him to retain his life and mind, meaning he could live forever. His magic was greatly enhanced by the God of Darkness and he could even command his creations.

This was perhaps his destiny.

"As Sidorak, I was a warlord, conquering anything and everything in my way and now that the Gods have forsaken this world, why should I not continue what I started?"

And he knew where to begin.

Where the first of the resistance against him began.

The Emerald Kingdom.

"The kingdom is overflowing with refuges from the outer villages and our soldiers are stretched too thin and they are dying, Your Majesty."

King Artura 'Arthur' was having a very long and difficult day.

First was the loss of magic along with the Gods departing, all that being blamed on the foolish woman Salem for daring to start an uprising just because they wouldn't bring Ozma back from the dead. Artura knew there was something about that woman that she hadn't liked but Ozma liked her and that was enough for the Sapphire King/Knight to give her a chance. In the wake of the Gods departing, the following kingdoms and villages were attacked by Grimm that had slowly began coming out of the Land of Darkness. Without magic, humanity was much more vulnerable to the Grimm now, reducing them to relying on old fashioned weapons and that was barely enough to slow them down.

The Emerald Kingdom was for managing to survive, due to the mountains surrounding it but that only delayed the Grimm, not stop them. As such, the kingdom's armies were almost fighting them off day and night as more and more refuges came, begging for shelter.

"You're Majesty?"

Artura shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Forgive me, I was contemplating our troubles."

"Well, I hate to add more but in this case-"

"What is it?" The 'king' asked immediately.

"There are some members of the royal court who believe we no longer have the room to sustain any more refuges. They suggest-"

"Unacceptable!" Artura stood up from her throne, glaring down at the advisor who shook slightly. Even if she no longer had magic, Artura was still a skilled and seasoned warrior with the training of a king and she even had the look one who had been crossed. "Magic or no magic, the Emerald Kingdom does not turn its back on those on need! You would have me close our doors to the defenseless people, children included, and leave them to die at the hands of those beasts!"

"But we might exhaust our food and shelters with what we have already." The advisor pointed out.

"Then we find a way to make more food and room. Make a giant garden in the royal courtyard to grow our food, build more houses on top of the ones we already have, whatever it takes I will not consider the idea of closing our doors simply because you and my 'esteemed' council of advisors are worried we have to share some our own food with the commoners."

"I-I-" The advisor stammered.

"Do not think I am not wise to the dealings and minds of my own royal advisors." She slowly approached the advisor who took a step back. "I have long since kept track of your actions, making sure none of them were ever harmful. After all, as King I fight for the people, even if it's sometimes against some of my own when their interests endanger the rest."

"We would never-"

"Keeping a steady supply of food, water, even expansive wine in a few 'hidden' pantries when I made the order to share the royal pantry to accommodate the first batches of refuges. Making an order to increase taxes when given that we have lost our magic, our main means of defense against the Grimm, we might not live long enough to enjoy whatever wealth and luxury we have left." Artura's eyes narrowed. "Even ordering some of my soldiers to turn away any refuges who might not be capable of any kind of 'work' while allowing those that 'could be useful' in."

"But we-"

"Your 'advice' has been noted. That will be all." Artura said coldly, her glare being more than enough motivation for the advisor to leave rather quickly.

The 'king' sat back down on her throne and sighed, her headache having only slightly lessoned from telling her advisor where to stuff his advice. It's been the same the last few days, more refuges showing up and the advisors on her council saying they do not have enough food and housing to accommodate them.

Day in and day out.

And to think it was all because Salem couldn't accept her loss and try to move on. No, instead she tries to spite the Gods for refusing to bend to her will and it ended up costing so many people their lives while the rest lost their magic. She knew that Salem's proposal to rise up against the Gods and 'reclaim' their immortality was a foolish move, hence why she rejected the devious maiden's proposal and sent her away.

Too bad no one else was smart enough to do the same.

Now the world was on the edge of a great change that could lead to humanity's end if they could not somehow learn to live without magic.

Could things get any worse at this point?

A sudden shadow blocking out any light shining through the windows caught Artura's attention. She stood up and slowly approached the nearest balcony, looking up to see what was causing the sudden blackness.

And in the sky, she saw the answer to her question.

A dark tower made of dark purple crystal, sitting on top of a mass of land with dark purple crystals sticking out of the bottom.

And flying all around the tower were Grimm.

What happened next was the end of the Emerald Kingdom.

Aqua sighed as she sat down in front of a tree, taking a moment to rest.

Yet another village was attacked that she had managed to save on time.

It was getting exhausting now but she knew she couldn't turn her back on the people who were in need of saving. She even felt somewhat responsible even though she knew she didn't have anything to do with why this had happened.

The blame ultimately fell on Salem for her selfish and insane action.

'Salem, what were you thinking?' She thought as she closed her eyes. 'Did you really think just gathering an army would be enough to take down two Gods?'

She knew that the Gods had cursed Salem for trying to trick into resurrecting Ozma for her but was that an excuse to bring everyone else into her conflict with them?

Aqua knew she shouldn't be thinking much on this. She should be working to make sure at least enough people survive this sudden new change.

And then…

Well, she wasn't sure.

Should she head back to Daybreak Town?

She wasn't sure that was a good idea on account of the Foretellers continuing to challenge her and there was something about that Master of theirs she didn't fully like and it wasn't just because of the dark coat he wore. Besides, Daybreak Town wasn't the world she was trying to get back to.

Maybe it was time she went back to Drasil.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

THUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUD!

Aqua's eyes shot open as she heard an explosion followed by a great rumble in the distance. She looked in the direction and felt a great darkness…

A very familiar darkness.

She immediately summoned her armor and glider, taking off in the direction of the explosion.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Screams filled the night, followed by fires as the Grimm swarmed the Emerald Kingdom. It didn't help that many of the Grimm were the new, stronger ones made to fight Aqua and her Keyblade.

Including the giant bulky bipedal lizard on that literally busted through the walls, trampling houses down.

In the dark tower floating above, Surtr raised his hands, summoning a literal thunderstorm above and lightning rained down on the besieged kingdom below, destroying many houses, towers and damaging even the Emerald Castle itself.

"It's time for the old world to be burned away and born anew." Surtr rasped, conjuring not just lightning but also fire as fireballs descended next.

With another wave of his hand, Surtr summoned large amounts of ice and snow would hit the kingdom, flattening anything they hit. People screamed as they tried fleeing while the knights tried fighting off the Grimm.

Leading them was none other than Artura.

The young 'king' led her knights bravely into battle against the Grimm as they attacked. Many would fall this night as they gave their lives to give the people just a few seconds to try and escape. Artura would fight harder and fiercer than any of the other knights…

So much so that she was the last one standing when the others fell, but she wouldn't stop.

In fact when she came face to face with a giant spider Grimm she charged straight at it with her silver eyes glowing…

And the Grimm was reduced to a stone statue that shattered a second later.

Artura didn't stop as she continued to use the power of her eyes to petrify and shatter the invading Grimm.

This was her Kingdom.

She would fight to defend even if she was the last one standing.

Surtr looked down, watching as the young king struggled in vain to save a dying kingdom, his eyes narrowing at the power behind her own eyes. "Those could be used to hurt even me. Eliminate him."

The Grimm swarming the kingdom obeyed his command, abandoning their previous prey and concentrating on the one prey that they knew to be their greatest threat. They were the power gifted by the power of their creator.

The Eyes of Death to the Grimm.

The Grimm Reaper.

Even though humanity had been stripped of the magic gifted to them by the God of Darkness, Artura was still able to keep the power of her eyes that had been a gift from the God of Light to use against his brother's creations. She did not know why she had been allowed to keep this power but she was not in a hurry to question why as she used this power.

At full power these eyes could cleanse an entire kingdom of Grimm and that was she used them for.

A great blast of light purged the entire besieged kingdom of Grimm and even took out many of the ones in the air surrounding Surtr's tower.

Even Surtr himself felt a great deal of pain from the light. "Damn her…"

The light faded and Artura fell to her knees, the strain from using all the power of her eyes finally taking its toll on her. She looked up and saw she had cleansed most of the kingdom of the Grimm but the dark tower was still floating above and even worse it was floating above her castle.

Surtr held his hands, conjuring another storm and lightning began blasting the Emerald Castle to rubble, followed by giant fireballs and shards of ice.

"No…" Artura got up to her feet, struggling to summon her powers again but she was too weak to try and the dark tower was too far away for her to affect its owner.

The Emerald Castle was reduced to mere rubble in a matter of minutes and the itself opened up, swallowing the remains and spread out, allowing the Dark Tower to takes its places as it slowly floated down and softly landed exactly where the castle had resided, as if to mock its king and the survivors of what it had taken.

Artura could only feel rage and sadness, seeing her home destroyed, swallowed up by the land and replaced by a dark abomination and that wasn't the end.

The land began to shake and great cracks appeared around the kingdom and to Artura's horror, it began to sink.

"No! NO! NOOOOOO!" The young 'king' screamed, refusing to believe this would be the final fate of her kingdom.

"ARTURA!"

Artura looked up and saw Aqua in her armor and glider, flying down at her grabbing her hand. She was pulled up behind Aqua as the glider took them up into the air and both watched as the kingdom sank beneath the surface.

"My kingdom…" Artura muttered to herself, despair etched across her face as she watched the once great Emerald Kingdom sink into the ground.

Aqua glanced over her shoulder at Artura. "What happened?"

"It was Surtr. He came back somehow." Artura answered dully, now feeling numb after everything that had happened. "He brought a Grimm army right to us and without our magic…The surrounding kingdoms were all destroyed and their warriors fell…I tried to stop him but…I failed."

Aqua looked back at seeing the kingdom sinking into a deep dark hole. "Surtr? He came back…How…Erebus."

Artura turned her eyes to Aqua. "Who?"

"The God of Darkness. I think he revived Surtr before he left." Aqua explained.

"…Yes, that would explain." Artura looked down at the glider. "How do you still have your magic?"

"That's a long story." Aqua sighed, looking ahead. "I'll tell you when we're far enough away."

Artura took one last look at where her kingdom once stood, holding Aqua tightly as they flew away.

With its new kingdom established, the demon lord set about its plans to rule the rest of the world. With an army of monsters at its command, one would think no one would be able to stand its way. The demon lord was once human and held onto a special object of power he had created through followers and began looking for ways to increase his own powers. Especially after he had witnessed an enemy use their own special powers to defeat his monsters.

"So much for the great Emerald Kingdom." Surtr chuckled, watching from his throne as his tower sank beneath the surface with the rest of the kingdom.

Due to becoming a creature of darkness, he naturally shunned the light and decided to live in perpetual darkness for the rest of his existence.

"Now then to see what the great King Arthur was hoarding for himself."

He knew that the Emerald Castle was home to many magical artifacts that he knew would survive the castle's fall. He gave the order to his Grimm to search through the ruins of the castle that now lied underneath his dark tower. In the meantime he had to consider what his plans would be for taking over the rest of the world. It should be easy given that the rest of humanity had lost magic and even if Arthur somehow cast a great light that even made him feel pain.

Him, Surtr the Dark Herald.

This has to be addressed and quickly.

Surtr watched as his Grimm came into his room, mostly Beowolves and dropped many objects on the ground.

Including a red gem.

Surtr's eyes widened as he slowly bent down and picked up the gem. "This gem…From my time as Sidorak. So Ozma brought it here."

He clenched down on the gem and felt a familiar rush of power through his being. "Yes, yes!"

It was like being infused with the power of a thousand suns, adding to his already considerable might.

The Dark Lord opened his hand, staring at them gem as new ideas started to circle in his mind. "This gem can be used to increase my power, combined with the power gifted to me by the God of Darkness."

But did it have to be the only one?

He looked at the gem, examining its properties.

What if he could create more like it to increase his power and influence on the land?

Unfortunately, even with his newfound powers, he was not skilled enough to begin forging objects of power but he could learn. He had all the time in the world now and he just toppled the most powerful kingdom in the land. He could learn and begin creating new forms of weapons to aid him in his bid for world domination.

In time he could grow strong enough that he could surpass the Gods themselves.

Just look at how much stronger the Great Flame made him!

Surtr chuckled and he placed the gem on his armor, letting the power fill him and make him even stronger. His purple glowing eyes now had a red tint in them and his dark raspy voice became even deeper.

"Go forth and conquer." He ordered to all the Grimm who could hear him. "There is a new world order now, in place of the Gods who have abandoned this world and its people. For those who wish to live, they will bow down and serve Surtr!"

The Grimm roared, happily carrying out this order as they spread out in all directions to find new places to conquer for their master.

All except for one serpentine dragon Grimm that stayed at the top of Surtr's tower and produced a torch with a bright flame on it from its mouth.

"The Great Flame." Surtr said as he took the torch. "This is what the God of Darkness created and used to restore me after my first defeat. Now we shall see if it can be used to even greater affect."

With a wave of his hand, floor underneath opened up and up rose three stone alters with three bodies resting upon them.

"My generals from my past life." Surtr looked over them, seeing their skin was still deathly pale with dark marks traveling down their skin and black sunken eyes. "You served me well as Sidorak. Now serve me again as the reborn generals of Surtr."

He held the Great Flame over them and watched as the fire rejuvenated their bodies. They slowly stood up, looking around in frightened shock and fell off their altars.

Surtr watched as they crawled along the ground, genuinely frightened and confused. "Rise my generals, we have much to do."

Only they did not rise.

In fact, it did not look like they had even understood them.

They just stared at him with frightened eyes. They did not have the looks of humans, but frightened animals.

"Hm…What is this?" Surtr knelt down, looking at them and saw no inclination of the generals he had once known. "The Flame rejuvenated your bodies…But it did not bring back the soul!"

That's why they were not acting like themselves!

Theirs souls would hold their sentience, minds and memories. Without them, they were just mindless animals, unable to understand or reason the way humans would.

"Bah!" Surtr smashed one of the altars, frightening the mindless generals who quickly crawled into a corner and quivered. "What use are you to me now?!"

He had wanted his generals back to lead his armies and this is what he got?!

Perhaps he shouldn't have possessed them back when he was revived in the first place but he had been so overtaken by his powers he had not understood what he was going at the time. Now they were mindless animals, living only by instinct.

What should he do with them now?

He stared at them, watching them shivering in absolute fear of him. He should probably kill them but as much as he wanted to, the small part of him that was Sidorak still considered his generals his friends and it was because of them he had survived long enough to become Surtr. If only they could be changed like he was.

Surtr's widened as he then got an idea. "Hmm…The Art of Transmutation is an art of magic few have rarely delved into for the results tended to be…abominations." He grinned under his mask. "And perhaps that is what I am looking for."

He looked through the magical artifacts that had been brought to him and several books and tomes on Transmutation.

He grinned as he looked over the generals. "It was not my intention for this but I believe you will be better off than you are as of now." He held up his hands as they brightly glowed. "And so you are reborn as my great beast. Art of Transmutation: Beasts of the Sky!"

The soulless humans screamed as the magic cast by Surtr altered their physical bodies, changing them beyond recognition into something else. They did not have human souls anymore but their new physical forms would fit better with their soulless nature and Surtr would make sure they would serve him and him alone.

The screams were brought to an end…

And replaced by roars greater than anything a Grimm could ever make.

The demon lord would rebuild the fallen kingdom into its own palace and filled it with many monsters. In addition to its new stronghold it would also build a pit like dungeon near its palace, filling with it deadly and terrifying monsters…All of its enemies and all would fall in disfavor of the demon lord would be thrown into the dungeon to rot and fight for their lives for the demon lord's amusement. In addition, the demon lord would have three beastly pets that flew across the land, spreading destruction and terror to all corners of the land.

To this day, the mere mention of these beasts and their appearance is enough to invoke terror in those who still believe.

"So because you defended the Gods you were allowed to keep your magic and because of that the God of Darkness simply took our magic instead of just wiping us out."

Aqua was becoming worried from how Artura was acting. They had found shelter in an abandoned village where Aqua was forced to tell her story, at least a few parts of it.

She nodded. "Yes. Because I faced down Salem and her army that day she arrived at the God of Light's Domain. I had already been there to discuss something of importance with both him and his brother when Salem's army had arrived."

"I remember Salem coming to my kingdom, asking me to lend her my army so she could take back the immortality she claimed the Gods stole from us." Artura scowled. "I refused to consider such nonsense and sent her away. It seems I was the only one who did so."

Aqua nodded and continued. "Anyway, I fought as best as I could but Salem's army was much and her being immortal made it impossible for her to be stopped. It wasn't until the Gods stepped in and had enough. They used their magic against them, which Erebus, the God of Darkness took rather personally. That's what led to his decision to strip humanity of magic."

Artura sat down near a window and looked outside. "The God of Darkness' name is Erebus?"

"Well, that's actually part of what I talking to him and his brother about. Like I said, I was talking about something important with the two of them when the subject of names came up, names for Gods and the God of Light was curious what names I might have for them if they wanted to be known for more than just simply being the Gods of Light and Darkness." Aqua admitted.

"Really?" Artura looked back at Aqua. "They must have thought very highly of you."

"They were curious of me." Aqua admitted. "The name Erebus came from a story I read about a creature of darkness that sowed discord and chaos. As for the God of Light, I came up with the name Izanagi, a name I found in an old legend that spoke of being who was the father of all life. Maybe they both inspired those names long ago."

"Izanagi and Erebus." Artura repeated softly. "Those names aren't familiar to me…Then again it doesn't matter right now."

"Artura…" Aqua said slowly, seeing the broken look on the 'king's face.

"My kingdom is gone, Lady Aqua." Artura looked back out the window. "Buried by the very ground it stood on."

Aqua could see that Artura's heart broke from seeing her kingdom destroyed. The very kingdom she had sworn to protect, sank beneath the ground and controlled by the very demon that had taken it and scattered its people.

"Artura…" Aqua slowly walked over and knelt down with a sympathetic look on her face. "You gave the people time to escape. No one could have expected any more from you."

"A king gives anything and everything for their people." Artura retorted, glaring back at Aqua. "My people have escaped, only now to wander in the wilderness as prey to the Grimm, stripped of their homes and for what? A selfish woman who couldn't just accept the death of her love, a mad demon and the Gods who chose to forsake us for the crimes of a few?"

Aqua only stared back in silence.

"No, Aqua. I expected much more from myself, because I didn't give everything I had to stop him." Artura retorted, her stoic face breaking down. "All I had were my eyes and my sword and what good were they? Nothing. Your attempts to comfort me might as well be nothing as well."

Aqua stepped back as Artura looked back out the window. "…What will you do now?"

"I am going to destroy that demon." Artura answered calmly, eyes hardening. "Even if I have to die to do it."

Aqua looked at Artura for a few moments before she came to a decision. "Then we should start coming up with some ideas."

"We?" Artura looked back at Aqua. "What stake do you have in this?"

"I was there the day Sidorak fell with Ozma. We let him get away because we didn't think he was a threat anymore after that. Then he came back as Surtr to take revenge on the both of us." Aqua answered. "Ozma is dead so now it falls on me to try and make this right…for him."

Artura simply stared, saying nothing after that.

Even in the darkest of moments, light can still shine. A young woman from the Emerald Kingdom bereft of her home sought to end the demon lord's reign. Accompanying her was a woman dressed in blue and silver armor, wielding a key shaped sword. As the demon turned its sight on the rest of the world, they would be there to defend the people it sought to enslave or destroy, becoming beacons of hope against the great evil.

Chapter Text

The Four Heroes

Fairy Tales of Remnant

Chapter XIII

The Great Calamity

Amongst the many disasters to occur during the Great Calamity the Shattering of the Moon was perhaps the greatest and the one that nearly saw the end of all life. For when the moon shattered, pieces of it fell to the world, breaking apart the land and even causing the tide to sink much of the continents. It was said that our world once was much bigger before the Calamity but when the moon shattered, the ocean rose up and claimed much of the land, sinking deep into the darkest depths. The land shook and the old world was changed beyond recognition forever.

One would think that those living back then would have perished and it was close. Fortunately, those with a strong desire to live often find a way…

The world had suffered a great change and so far none of it was good.

Magic was gone.

The Gods had abandoned the people.

Even the Moon was shattered.

That had actually been the worst of what had happened. The moon's shattering released dozens of comets on the planet, destroying most of the continents and causing the surviving ones to break apart while at the same time many other were swallowed by the ocean. Many kingdoms were destroyed along with their people while many others were desperately trying to survive against what was rising in the destructive wake the Gods had left behind.

A new force was rising and with it, new monsters that were on the prowl.

People were frightened but that rightful fear brought the Grimm.

There was only one obstacle in their way…

A pair of women who walked in the path of a Grimm horde…

And walked completely through it.

The Grimm snarled but did nothing as the women walked past them.

"You were right. They can't attack you….Or rather they won't attack you." Artura said to Aqua as they continued walking.

"Erebus may have been darkness incarnate but looks like he kept his word." Aqua replied. "May I ask where we are going?"

"We need a way to reach Surtr and destroy him. If he really is like the Grimm now, my eyes can destroy him." Artura answered. "But we'll need warriors. We'll need an army."

"Whoa." Aqua grabbed Artura's shoulder, stopping her. "That is a bad idea."

"How? You saw that tower. It's going to be heavily defended. We can't get there on our own." Artura faced Aqua.

"I am not going to drag innocent lives into this. People are dying already." Aqua stated.

"They are already dying. With no magic to defend themselves, they can't hold off the Grimm." Artura argued. "We gather them together we can-"

"It would be an army just waiting to die." Aqua cut the former king off. "You said it yourself, they're not experienced enough to fight without magic. Against Surtr they would be targets, just waiting to die. I won't allow that."

"You won't allow it? May I remind you that Surtr only came back because of his deal to kill you." Artura retorted hotly. "You and Ozma didn't just kill him when you had the chance and now we're all paying for it."

"You would have paid for Salem's actions if I hadn't convinced Erebus to spare everyone who wasn't involved in trying to kill him and his brother." Aqua pointed out. "He was going to wipe out the entire human race if I hadn't intervened."

"And this is any better?" Artura gestured all around them. "Defenseless and hunted? This is what we should be grateful for?"

"I didn't ask for this either, Artura." Aqua shook her head. "I couldn't convince them not to do this. It's just what their nature is."

Artura lowered her arms and walked past Aqua. "And this is our nature, Aqua. We either die screaming in fear or we can die fighting."

"Those are not options of someone who wants to save the world." Aqua turned and looked at Artura's back. "You've already given up and just want an excuse to die."

"And what do I have left?!" Artura spun, facing the Keyblade Master with tears in her glaring eyes. "What is there left, Aqua?! My Kingdom destroyed, my people scattered or killed! What do I have left?!"

Aqua slowly walked up to Artura and placed a hand over her chest. "You have this, Artura."

"I don't-"

"Your Heart." Aqua answered. "You were King of the Emerald Kingdom but it wasn't your skills or intellect that made you a king. It was your Heart which cared for the hearts of the people you were sworn to protect. It gave you the strength to be both a King and a Knight."

Artura looked down at the hand over her heart.

"I know what's like to lose everything, I truly do but you cannot lose yourself to the despair, rage and hate I know to be lurking in your Heart. You owe it to your people and kingdom to ensure their lives are not lost in vain. As long as you and any of your people survive, your kingdom is not fully gone" Aqua stated, a soft look appearing on her face as she lowered her hand. "If you lose yourself to the darkness…then your kingdom truly is gone."

Artura just stared at Aqua, looking thoughtful before turning away. "And what would you have me do then, Aqua? How can we stop Surtr by ourselves?"

"I honestly don't know yet. I know that if the Grimm don't attack us, we can pretty much walk into Surtr's tower. I doubt he'll be expecting it so we'll have the element of surprise." Aqua answered truthfully.

"There's still only the two of us. We need allies at least." Artura pointed out.

"Do you know of a place where we can find warriors? Even ones that are at least skilled enough to fight with a sword would be enough." Aqua questioned.

"…The surrounding kingdoms that were allied with mine. They might have survived. Hopefully long enough for us to reach them and ask for their best warrior."

The Ocean Knight was the title bestowed upon the fallen king's remaining friend and ally, gifted with a special knowledge. When the monsters rose to take the land, this knowledge along with her kindness and belief in justice helped the people to fight them. And the Ocean Knight would temper their fears with a kindness and wisdom, showing them that with patience they could see the weakness of every monster and exploit it…While she and the fallen king would work to banish all the monsters from the world…

The Grimm roared as they approached another village, full of the humans that their father/creator had favored over them.

It would be a great pleasure to kill them all.

Only a single figure stood in their way.

A single man covered in armor with a single arm holding a sword.

Easy prey.

That was what the Grimm thought as they charged at him…

With a few quick slashes it was over and the single man triumphed over the pack of monsters.

He said nothing to the people he had saved.

He only accepted their money and moved on.

He never stayed in one place.

He was not a warrior fighting for the rights and freedoms of others.

He only fought for his own interest.

He then traveled onto the next village; looking for worthy opponents to fight but had no clue he had caught the eyes of someone…or something.

He spun around, facing a giant dark wolf that lunged at him with a snarl. He barely had time to jump out of the way, knowing the beast could flatten him with its giant paws. He faced the Great Big Wolf as it snarled, the two now circling each other. He readied himself, staring at the snarling beast as it licked its own teeth, likely looking forward to making a meal out of him.

Fat chance of that happening.

The Big Wolf lunged at him again and he jumped to the side, slashing at its nearest paw. The Wolf howled, not in pain but in anger and spun around, slashing at him with its claws. He managed to block but the sheer strength of the beast pushed him back. He plunged his sword again to halt his skid back and jumped aside as the Wolf tried to bite down on him.

A snarling sound made him glance behind and he saw more Beowulf Grimm, surrounding him and the Wolf in a circle but not moving to attack.

Almost as if they were waiting.

He took a step back and the Grimm snarled, ready to pounce.

They had lured him into a trap.

Uh, that was unexpected.

The Wolf howled and the Beowolves did so as well, showing him that it could somehow control and lead the Grimm. Then one by one the Grimm attacked him on all sides, forcing him to defend himself as he spun, kicked and slashed his way through the trap.

Until he was caught.

Just as he slashed one Beowulf down, the Wolf managed to slam its paw down on him, pinning him down onto the ground.

He looked up at the wolf as it opened its mouth, preparing to bite his head off…

And then suddenly a blur shot out and stabbed it in the side, making it howl in pain as it hopped off him.

A blademaster who traveled the world alone, in search of worthy opponents to battle learned of the darkness covering the land…He traveled along wherever evil dwelt and banished it with sheer skill. He did not fight for righteous reasons but to test the strength and might of warriors in combat and claimed the lives deemed unworthy. Even the monsters eventually grew to fear this man for even though he had lost an arm in battle he thwarted them at every turn. He had a great love of combat but would almost meet an end when the monsters had set a trap.

He would surely have perished that day were he not saved by a young man and maiden who sought him out.

"You okay?"

He looked up see a dark haired man standing before him with a young woman standing a few feet behind. The man had dark hair with deep blue eyes and bangs. His jaw was square shaped and he wore a long blue robe with buttons down the front, black sandals, a black cape, a guard on his left forearm and shoulder and blue silk shawl around his hips attached to a strap across his chest.

The woman had short blond hair held to the side with a hair clip. She wore a diamond shaped headband across her forehead. She had blue eyes and wore a long white dress and white gloves and a red floor length cape fastened with a golden clip. Finally she wore a golden necklace with three circular ornaments.

The Wolf roared, snarling at the intruders who dared to interrupt its kill. The man moved, slashing at the Wolf who snarled and howled. He leapt back up to help, not wanting to be left out of a fight that had begun with him. They attacked the Wolf on all sides, dodging its teeth and claws while slashing at any part of it closest to them.

The Wolf finally had enough, deciding to retreat for now.

He watched as it fled, debating whether to follow or not but the man who had helped him seemed to make the choice.

"Well, that was a thing." The man said, looking at him. "You are Gilgamesh, aren't you? The blademaster."

He said nothing.

"I heard you were the silent type." The man said dryly. "I am Somnus Caelum. My friend over there," He gestured to the woman who slowly approached. "Is Aera. She told me we needed to find you."

He looked to the woman who bowed politely to him before he finally spoke. "And what do you want with me?"

"Before magic was stripped from us, I was a Seer. My family specialized in Divination and we worked to understand the future. For a long time, we had visions of a Great Calamity, brought forth by the Gods who are betrayed by the very people they created. We thought they would wipe out all mankind but then something was changed and a new world appeared." The woman named Aera explained. "A world born of darkness, the rise of a demon and only a small group can stop it. Him,"

She pointed to Somnus first. "A founding king."

She then pointed to Gilgamesh. "The blademaster skilled beyond all others."

She then stepped back. "And we'll need two others."

"And who are those?"

"The Ocean Knight and the Emerald King." Aera answered.

"Hmph." Gilgamesh turned away. "Why would I assist? All that matters is finding worthy opponents to face."

"And Surtr is not worthy enough?" Aera asked. "The demon lord who now sends monsters to every corner of the land, who is now attempting to take the power of the gods for himself. If something is not done soon, he will be too strong to be stopped. I would have thought that would be reason enough for you to fight as it gives you perhaps the greatest challenge of all."

Gilgamesh paused before looking over his shoulder. "…Very well."

The maiden who traveled with the young man who would be the Founding King claimed to have foreseen the Great Calamity and the darkness that would spread across the land before the loss of her magic. She proclaimed 'We cannot destroy this evil alone. We need the Emerald King and the Ocean Knight.' Her visions would be what gathered the four warriors together to banish the demon lord. When they finally gathered, they would journey to the Dark Tower.

"A flame that can never burn out."

Surtr carefully observed the Great Flame that had rejuvenated his body as it continued to burn in the center of his throne room. This Flame had rejuvenated the bodies of his generals, even though he didn't fully resurrect them.

That made it a great source of power.

The problem was the Flame itself didn't burn.

Actually it healed.

He wanted a weapon of immeasurable power to ensure his dominion over this world, now that the Gods were gone.

Something to make him so powerful that nothing could even hope to stand in his way.

Surtr then looked around his throne room, seeing the magical weapons that had been brought in along with the artifacts.

A Scythe to control Earth.

A Fan to control Wind.

A Spear to control Ice.

And his own sword, Twilight which can control Fire.

He looked at the Flame again, a thought coming to his mind as he raised his hand, summoning the Earth Scythe to him first while also taking out his Twilight.

"Perhaps if I can create a powerful object of power on my own then perhaps I can create it out of what the Gods have left." Surtr mused.

He pointed the scythe at the Flame and the blade glowed before summoning earth itself, wrapping around the Great Flame, sealing it even as it tried to burn through the earth that was deeply compressing around it. Surtr kept summoning more earth as he raised his Twilight and released a stream of fire at the compressed sphere, burning it deeply to the point it melted into magma. Surtr then discarded the Earth Scythe and summoned the Ice Spear, releasing a blast of ice at the compressed Flame. Steam blasted from the burning sphere even as Surtr continued channeling fire through Twilight to keep flames alive as they clashed with the Ice Spear's power.

Finally he lowered Twilight and replaced it with the Fan of Wind, releasing a gust on compressed Flame, helping the Ice Spear cool the magma down. Once the last of the fire died out, Surtr ceased using the magical relics and watched as the steam faded to reveal a frozen and blackened boulder. Surtr walked up to the boulder and slammed his fists down on it again and again, wanting to see what he had done with the power inside.

The boulder cracked open and inside Surtr could see a glowing light. Surtr stared at the light and moved aside more rock to reveal a gem letting off a glow of blue and white with a fiery orange light glowing at the center of the gem.

"Beautiful." Surtr whispered as he grasped the gem, feeling an unnatural aura from the strange gem.

It was identical to that of the Flame which he could sense in the center.

He could feel the power flowing through him and let out a shuddering but pleasure filled sigh.

"Forged from the Great Flame by the four elemental relics the God of Darkness left behind." Surtr stared at the gem. "The Brother's Jewel…I think I shall call it the God Stone."

He felt the power flowing through him as he reached up and removed the Gem of Sidorak from his armor, tossing it aside and placed the God Stone in its place.

The power was exhilarating.

"Yes, the endless power…" Surtr grinned underneath his mask. "I CAN FEEL IT!"

The endless power flowing through him created a dense magical aura around him that seemed to spread out, lighting up the entire fortress.

"Well, that is not good." Overlooking the Dark Tower was a familiar man in a familiar dark coat, the Master of Masters with the Darkness appearing behind him. "He's really gone and done something with that flame."

"The combined power of those magical weapons imprisoned the Flame inside. The Flame's own power interacted with the magical energy of those weapons, creating an enchanted crystal around the Flame." The Darkness observed. "The crystal or rather this God Stone has become an endless battery for divine magic."

"And in the hands of a dark lord like him, that's a bit of a problem." The Master said, conjuring up an image of Aqua. "She's still needed, especially in the future."

"A future you have gleamed through the Gazing Eye and wrote down in the Book of Prophecies." The Darkness noted.

"Yep. While I don't doubt she stands a chance of winning, the problem is I can't picture her walking away without being seriously wounded in that fight." The Master admitted. "And I need her up and one hundred percent to make sure the future isn't altered."

"So what will you do?" The Darkness asked.

The Master leaned back on his chair with a sigh, making a few muttering sounds. "Guess there's no other way. Plus if that guy is left his own devices, he might call forth and spread darkness over this world too if he finds out."

"Does that mean…"

"Yep. We're calling in the reinforcements."

Aqua and Artura stopped as they looked down at the former location of the Emerald Kingdom, now a giant hole with the Dark Tower sitting in the center the sunken kingdom down below.

"Do you feel that?" Aqua asked, glancing at Artura.

"Yes. Even though I've lost my magic I can still feel it." Artura nodded. "There's a great power inside."

Aqua sighed, knowing it would not be an easy battle. "This might be too dangerous for the both of us. If you decide you can't do it now, I won't think less of you."

"I've already lost everything that mattered. A king who loses the entire kingdom, has nothing to fear at the end." Artura remarked with a hardened face. "The only thing left for me to do is to smite the one who took it all away."

"Sounds like something we can get behind."

The two young women spun around, facing three newcomers who were walking up to them.

"Who are you?" Aqua asked, summoning her Keyblade and pointing it forward.

"Easy, easy. We're not here to fight…You at least." The dark haired man raised his hands in a disarming fashion. "You the Ocean Knight and the Emerald King?"

While Aqua was confused Artura stepped forward. "I am. King Artura of the Emerald Kingdom…Or what was the Emerald Kingdom."

"Really, the warrior king was a little girl?" The man said with an amused face before the woman next to him elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow! Okay, sorry about that."

"I ask again, who are you?" Aqua repeated her question.

"I am Somnus Caelum." The man introduced himself and then to the woman. "This lovely lady is Aera and the silent one is Gilgamesh."

The one armed man simply stared at the two.

"As for why we're here…It has to do with the demon in that tower down there." Somnus pointed at the Dark Tower down below. "If you're planning on going down there to take him down…You wouldn't happen to room for two more?"

"Master, you called for us?"

The Master turned around, looking at his Foreteller apprentices and the dark coated one with them. "Yep, right on the dot, Ira. Now, remember that little Aqua lady? Well, everyone has had a turn sparring with her, except you."

The other Foretellers were silent but they all glanced at Ira who nodded. "Is it time for me to test her?"

"Not exactly."

"Master?" Ira was now confused.

"Turns out the world she is on, has got a big problem with the potential of turning into a massive problem for us." The Master clarified. "Meaning that the darkness contained on that world could spread to this one if something is not done."

"You want us to face this darkness?" Aced immediately asked.

"Close. What I need is for you six to team up with the fair Lady Aqua and three good guys she's with to take down that nasty darkness." The Master answered.

This surprised the Foretellers, all of them whispering to each other for a second before Ira spoke up. "Is it that serious?"

"Yup. This evil Aqua is rushing to take down is a big no-no and she's a fellow Keyblade Wielder. The math seems pretty simply from where I am standing." The Master nodded. "And after that, you'll have your chance to finish her testing, Ira. Just wait and give her some time to breath. I might pop in to try and ease the tension but I know you five got this. Luxu,"

The apprentice in the dark coat perked up. "Yes, Master."

"I am giving you the important job of watching this fight carefully. When the darkness is defeated, it will and will try to escape. Your jobs will be with Aqua to seal it away." The Master instructed. "The combined power of seven Keyblades will be enough to lock it away so tight, it can almost never get out…Unless someone were to pick up and somehow use seven Keyblades all at once and it's a pretty tall order. Two is pushing and three is like way so seven is pretty much our lucky number."

The power the demon lord had amassed was greater than ever imagined. Though valiant, the Four were not enough to end the demon lord's reign. Then six keys appeared, offering their aid against the demon lord while stealing the magical weapons the demon lord had hoarded, offering them to the three magicless members of the Four.

The Ocean Knight agreed.

The four, now backed by six keys were able to match the demon lord's strength…And they managed to imprison the demon lord within the depths of his dark kingdom. Together, they made sure only seven keys could undo the prison…

Chapter Text

Armageddon

The power the demon lord had amassed was greater than ever imagined. Though valiant, the Four were not enough to end the demon lord's reign. Then six keys appeared, offering their aid against the demon lord while stealing the magical weapons the demon lord had hoarded, offering them to the three magicless members of the Four.

The Ocean Knight agreed.

The four, now backed by six keys were able to match the demon lord's strength…And they managed to imprison the demon lord within the depths of his dark kingdom. Together, they made sure only seven keys could undo the prison…

The five entered the darkened cavern, staying close to Aqua and they all saw how the Grimm refused to attack her.

It was amazing considering how the Grimm had been a threat from the very beginning but Aqua's story about the God of Darkness ordering the Grimm to ignore her was apparently true.

Which meant her story of naming the Gods was true as well.

"So you stood up for them and got to keep your magic and Grimm were told to leave you alone." Somnus recalled.

"Pretty much." Aqua shrugged as they walked through the ruined remains of the Emerald Kingdom.

"I guess someone had to be lucky through all of this." Somnus muttered.

The five then stopped before a ruined gate leading up to the Dark Tower, which Artura gave a glare full of anger.

This was once her kingdom before it was destroyed by Surtr who even placed his tower where her castle resided, as if to mock her and forever remind her of what she had lost.

That demon would pay.

"Let's go." The former king said to everyone.

Aqua glanced at Artura but nodded and led the group past the ruined gate and into the Dark Tower. Curiously no guards or Grimm came to stop them but they figured that Aqua's presence kept them away.

They journeyed deeper into sheer darkness until they came upon a pair of grand majestic door. Artura immediately opened them up and they stepped into an enormous but grand chamber. It appeared to be around five stories tall, looking like a cathedral. Lining the walls were the golden magical weapons Erebus had created to use against Aqua, now displayed like trophies along with many other magical artifacts. At the very end of the chamber was what appeared to be an altar with a very posh and ornamental looking chair resting in the center.

And on the chair was none other Surtr whose eyes blazed when he saw them. "You…"

Aqua stepped forward, glaring at the demon. "Yes, it's me, Sidorak."

"Sidorak is no more, there is only Surtr." The former human now turned into a humanoid Grimm of sorts stood up. "I admit, I am actually pleased to see you are still alive…If only so I can kill you myself for all you have done to me."

Aqua summoned her Keyblade. "Easier said than done."

"Easier than you think." Surtr replied as the new jewel in his armor shined brightly and caused a powerful aura to surround him.

(Kingdom Heart Birth by Sleep OST Forze dell' Oscurita)

Surtr raised his hand and dark lightning cackled around the fingers. Aqua immediately created an energy shield made of a hexagon pattern as sparks from the lightning shot everywhere. The barrier cracked but held up against the attack.

Surtr snarled, seeing his enhanced power was still not enough to break Aqua's barrier. "Impossible! My magic has been enhanced beyond my previous capabilities."

Aqua lowered her barrier and jumped up, pointing her Keyblade at Surtr as a sphere of multi-colored light appeared at the end. The single sphere broke into dozens of smaller spheres that shot at Surtr like rockets. The demon snarled and unsheathed Twilight, swiping at the group with his large flaming sword. Gilgamesh jumped over the flaming blade and slashed at the demon, jumping back as it tried to grab him.

Aqua landed on the ground and pointed at Surtr. "Thunder!"

A bolt of lightning hit Surtr but he shrugged it off as he glared at her with a snarl. Artura took notice of the golden weapons lining the wall and got an idea. She immediately grabbed the nearest one, the Fan of Wind and swung it, releasing a gust of wind that struck Surtr.

"Grab the golden weapons, they're magical!" The former king shouted.

Somnus immediately rushed and grabbed the Spear of Ice while Aera took the Scythe of Earth and Surtr growled. "You dare steal from me?!"

"Time Splicer!" Aqua shouted and disappeared.

Just like that, she was gone.

"Where did she go?" Aera asked.

"Time…" Artura's eyes widened in realization. "She can use a form of time magic!"

Her suggestion was clarified as Aqua appeared and attacked Surtr several times, leaving behind an afterimage that he struck and left himself unguarded as she attacked from another angle several times.

"Suddenly this might not be as hard as I thought." Somnus commented, sharing a look with Aera as he charged forward.

He shot forward as Surtr roared and thrust his spear forward, summoning a giant spear made of ice. Surtr grunted as he blocked the spear. Gilgamesh ran up the spear and slammed his feet into the demon's face, kicking off and landing perfectly on the ground.

"Enough!" Surtr slammed his sword into the ground, creating a fiery shockwave.

Somnus plunged the Ice Spear into the ground, creating an ice wall that protected him and Aera from the fire. Gilgamesh jumped over the incoming flames and ran straight at Surtr, striking him in the side. Surtr snarled and slashed at Gilgamesh who held his ground with his sword out in front, blocking the strike. Artura swung the Fan again, creating another gust that pushed Surtr back.

"ENOUGH!" The demon roared that actually caused them to step back.

His black and purple body began to blaze with an intense purple colored fire as he held up his sword, his eyes glowing with rage.

"What is going on?" Aera asked.

"He's powering up." Aqua answered, looking at the shining gemstone on Surtr's chest armor.

She could sense a great power along with rage and bloodlust. The others could feel it too as even Gilgamesh looked nervous.

"I will destroy you here and now!" Surtr shouted, holding his sword in both hands.

Aqua immediately stepped forward. "No, you won't."

She raised her hand, conjuring a barrier around her and her comrades.

Artura looked to the others. "Quick, help her! Use our weapons to enhance her barrier!"

Somnus raised his spear, conjuring a layer of ice over Aqua's barrier while Aera raised the Earth Scythe, creating a dome of stone around the ice. Artura finished by waving the Fan and creating a tornado around the dome, completing the shield just as Surtr let loose his attack with a loud demonic roar. His body flared with purple fire while his eyes glowed like twin stars and just as the group created their shield he released it all series of fiery explosions that slammed into the shields.

One by one, the shields shattered until Aqua's barrier was left and she was struggling to keep it up even as it began to crack.

Just as it seemed it was about to shatter, leaving them to be burned there was a slash and the fiery attack was swallowed up.

Aqua looked up, seeing some sort of spatial rift swallow Surtr's attack and she immediately recognized it.

"A fine effort." Aqua tuned her head, seeming a man dressed like the rest of the Foretellers but one she hadn't met before. "Don't feel ashamed. You have fought well against this monster."

"You…" Aqua trailed off as she saw the rest of the Foretellers appear around her and her allies. "Why are you all here?"

"Because, you are a fellow Keyblade Wielder." Ava answered, looking over at Aqua with a small smile. "And you are fighting against the darkness…Like we all have been trained to do."

Surtr just stared in slight surprise, seeing seven more enemies appear alongside the woman he sought to kill. He growled, the dark purple flames left behind by his attack staring to blaze. Invi stepped forward first as he released another blast of fire and summoned a gust of water that cancelled out the attack. She then conjured the elements of fire, wind, ice and thunder and fired them all right at Surtr, hitting him head on and damaging his armor as he staggered back. Shrugging it off Surtr roared and charged forward, swinging his fiery Twilight through the air.

Gula shot forward, moving past Invi and moving so fast that Surtr was moving in slow motion compared to him as he easily side stepped his fiery sword, giving him an opening to deal a few but quick and precise strikes. Surtr staggered forward and spun around, facing Gula before he tried to attack. Just as he raised his blade Aced shot forward and swung his Keyblade, summoning a spatial rift right as he made contact with the demon's arm. Surtr howled as the rift cut off his arm and leaving his sword to fall to the ground. Aced then swung his Keyblade, dealing several strikes to Surtr as he screamed.

The gem on his chest armor glowed bright, allowing him to create an aura of purple flames that blasted out and knocked Aced back. He looked down and watched as purple crystals sprouted from the stump where his right arm used to be and immediately grew into a new arm. Flexing this new arm for a second, Surtr turned to his opponents and snarled with renewed hate and confidence.

Ira pointed his Keyblade at Surtr who tried to charge at them, summoning pillars of light around the demon. The light blinded the demon and he seemed to be feeling pain from his close proximity to the pillars. The pain would only grow as Ira's pillars shattered and released a shockwave of light that slammed into Surtr, making him scream in agony. He staggered back, the power of the God Stone embedded in his armor allowing him to heal.

"That gem!" Artura pointed at the glowing gemstone. "It's the source of his power. We have to remove it!"

"On it." Aqua stepped forward, sharing a look with Ava. "Can you cover me?"

Ava nodded, holding up her Keyblade.

Aqua was then shrouded in light. "Command Style: Ghost Drive!"

She shot forward, becoming a blur as she slammed into Surtr several times before finishing with a powerful strike to the head that produced a shockwave, knocking him down. Aqua then landed on his chest grabbed the God Stone, grunting as she could feel the immense power coming from it.

"NO!" Surtr shouted, trying to blast Aqua off him.

Ava shot in and slashed the newly grown crystalline arm away while Artura swung her fan, creating a blade formed from a vacuum that cut off Surtr's other arm. Aqua grabbed the gem with both hands and with one mighty shout, pulled the gem out of Surtr's chest.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Surtr screamed, feeling the loss of power.

Aqua stepped back, grunting as she felt the immense power from the God Stone flow through her and she quickly threw it away.

"He's powerless!" Somnus shouted, holding up his Ice Spear.

"No." The reply came from the sixth member of the newcomers, a man in a dark coat similar to the Master but Aqua could tell they were not the same man. "He can't be slain like a normal mortal or monster. He must be sealed away. Use your Keyblades to seal him."

"Where do we seal him?" Gula asked.

Aera stepped forward, holding up the Earth Scythe. "I know what do. I saw this in my vision."

She slammed the scythe into the ground and a cave instantly formed behind the throne, leading deeper underground.

"Get him down there!" Aera shouted.

"Wielders! Use your Keyblades!" Ira immediately spoke.

The five foretellers along with Aqua pointed their Keyblade at Surtr while Luxu summoned his. Luckily Aqua had her back to him or she would have recognized it as the same Keyblade used by Master Xehanort. From the tips of each blade came a beam of light that all connected with Surtr's chest as the demon screamed. The darkness making up his body seemed to evaporate as he was lifted off the ground and the seven wielders moved forward, forcing the demon down the newly formed staircase and into what appeared to be a crypt that Aera had used the Earth Scythe to make with a tomb open and ready.

"NO! NOOO! THIS IS NOT MY DESTINY!" Surtr screamed as he forced into the tomb, the darkness gone and leaving behind a purple flaming specter. "I WILL NOT LET THIS BE MY FINAL MOMENT!"

He was forced into the tomb and Aera used the Earth Scythe to manipulate the stone lid to close over the tomb, trapping the demon. The Keyblade Wielders then pointed at the tomb, releasing seven more beams of light that caused chains and seven glowing locks to form around the tomb, trapping Surtr inside. Once the seven locks were formed, the Keyblade Wielders dismissed their magic and Luxu immediately dismissed his Keyblade, looking upon the tomb.

(Kingdom Heart Birth by Sleep OST Forze dell' Oscurita Ends)

It was over.

Surtr had been sealed away.

Aqua sighed in relief as she fell to her knees. "Finally, it's done."

"Yes." Artura whispered, looking upon the tomb. "My kingdom and people have been avenge."

After the demon lord was sealed away, the six who appeared disappeared from the world and so would the Ocean Knight for a time. The remaining three would take the remaining weapons left behind and scattered them across the world so no one would find them. The Founding King would gather the survivors of his home village and take the spear of ice with him deep into the north.

With Surtr sealed away, the Grimm he had gathered to be his army scattered, many of them being slain by the warriors who had bested their master. Aera had said that the Dark Tower must be sealed away to make sure no one could find it. So she used the Earth Scythe to fill the large hole that been made when the Dark Tower sank under the surface with what remained of the Emerald Kingdom. It took some time but she had the help of the others.

Gilgamesh had taken Surtr's sword Twilight that had been dropped during the battle and the God Stone was placed in a chest with Aqua using her Keyblade to lock, ensuring that nothing other than a Keyblade could open it and find the powerful object inside. Aera used the Earth Scythe to create a vast field that would one day grow into a forest over the ruins of the Emerald Kingdom so that one would find it and Surtr's palace.

Speaking of Surtr's palace.

The Foretellers and Aqua watched as Aera handed Artura the Scythe and the former king used it to seal the Dark Tower behind an unbreakable wall of earth, creating a massive door that would be the only way in.

The reason why was simple: so Aqua and the Foretellers could seal it.

Once the door was formed, the Keyblade Wielders raised their keys and seven beams of light touched the door, creating seven locks. Luxu was again careful to make sure Aqua didn't see his Keyblade and dismissed it when they were done. The power of the Keyblade combined with the Earth Scythe made it so Surtr's palace was completely sealed away and even if the door had been found, no one could open it.

It took seven Keyblades to seal it and it would take seven Keyblades to unlock it.

With their work done, the Foretellers departed without much of a word to anyone, even Aqua.

The Emerald King, would take the Scythe east, deciding she could no longer stay on the land she had once ruled. It is said she journeyed to the great mountains in the east and lived a solitary life in the mountains.

"So where will you go?"

Artura had packed all her things and seemed ready to go when Aqua asked that question. "I don't know. I only know I can't stay here anymore. Even if I have avenged my kingdom, I know I'll never be able to let go of the guilt of being one the few survivors."

Aqua looked sadly at Artura but the former king surprised her when she grasped her hands. "Artura…"

"There is still one last thing I need to do though." Artura said with a small smile. "My last duty as king."

She pulled out her sword, pointed it at Aqua.

"Artura." Aqua stepped back, looking nervous.

"Kneel." Artura said simply, her face now adopting the stern gaze of the former king.

Aqua looked in her eyes and saw no intent to harm her so she knelt down.

"For your time of service, for your bravery and courage, I Artura, the former king of the Emerald Kingdom hereby dub thee, Lady Aqua of the Emerald Kingdom, Ocean Knight and member of the knights of Midgard." Artura placed her sword on Aqua's shoulders. "You may rise."

Aqua slowly stood up, staring in surprise. "I…I don't know what to say."

"Say nothing then." Artura said with a small smile. "Though the world has lost magic and have been left vulnerable to the Grimm, you stayed and helped fight against them and Surtr when you didn't have to. I may not fully understand who you are or where you come from but I know this, you have the heart of a brave warrior and someone I am glad to call friend."

Aqua was touched by that proclamation. "I…You give me more credit than I deserve. Sidorak became Surtr because Ozma and I didn't finish him off when we had the chance."

"And you both faced him once before in defense of my kingdom and you faced him again. The God of Darkness made him a demon, not you and it was the Gods who forsook us because of the crimes of one woman." Artura rebuked. "Because of you, we have a chance to start over and perhaps we can rise from the ashes of this."

Aqua looked surprised at the fact that Artura didn't blame her for what happened to her kingdom or the rest of the world, even though she felt somewhat responsible.

"Good bye, Aqua." Artura turned around. "I hope you find what you are looking for."

Aqua watched as Artura walked away down the path into the forest, knowing this would be the last time they would see each other.

The Blademaster would accept the demon's Sword of Fire as payment for his services and continue his journey of finding new warriors to fight. He would disappear into the west with the sword, remaining unfound since then.

Gilgamesh held the sword of fire, Twilight in his hand that he had taken from the Dark Tower. With Surtr vanquished he was free to continue his quest of finding great warriors to battle.

The Spear of Ice would be left in the hands of the man who took it in battle against the demon and he decided to travel north.

Somnus used the Spear to take down numerous Grimm attacking villages and he gained many followers who believed he could protect them. Sharing a look with Aera who smiled, he sighed and allowed them to follow him on his journey north.

The fan of wind, would remain in the hand of the former seer who had accompanied the man who wielded the Spear of Ice for a time. She eventually left and traveled west with the fan, deciding it was best that the four elemental weapons would remain separate from each other.

Aera gave a final hug to Somnus before departing with the promise to return one day. She kept the Fan of Wind with her, wanting to make sure it was somewhere else that was far from the spear and separate from the others.

After the demon lord was sealed away within his own castle the world was allowed room and time to recover. For years, no one would come near the land it had once ruled over but as time passed, entire generations would unfortunately forget…And legends would rise, speaking of an underground kingdom home to legendary treasure, unaware of what truly slept in the deepest places of the worlds.

Aqua sighed as she looked over the now peaceful looking land but knew that the people would have a hard time living in this new world with no magic to protect them from the Grimm. She considered staying to protect them but knew her time here was over.

She decided it was time to return to Drasil and figure out a way back to the Realm of Light in her time.

"Drasil." She uttered softly.

And just like that, a golden door appeared before her, similar to a Door of Light that would take her back to Drasil's realm.

She took one last look at the world and then entered, leaving this brave new world behind.

Though the demon lord had been sealed away, the four knew there was a chance it would one day be released…So they left behind a map to the underground kingdom and to make sure no one misused the map it was locked in a treasure chest that only someone with the right Key could open.

"This is it."

At last she had made it.

Salem had finally made it back to the Land of Darkness. It had been a long journey, filled with pain. Everyone knew what Salem had done when she tricked humanity into turning against the Gods. They had denounced her as the source of their troubles and the loss of their magic, many of them attempting to kill her for what she had done. More than once, Salem had to fight off angry mobs of people with some managing to capture her…

"Burn her!"

"Burn the witch who dared to attack the Gods?!"

"We lost our magic because of your!"

"My family is dead because of you!"

Salem had used her magic to kill many of the people who had come after her, but a quick arrow to the head had left her disorientated enough that they managed to grab her.

Then came the pitchforks, the swords and the spears stabbing her.

And when that didn't work, they decided to burn her.

Salem screamed as they burned her alive but even that didn't kill.

In fact it made her so angry she lashed out with her magic and used the fire to kill her tormentors, burning them alive.

Salem had made sure to kill anyone who crossed her path after that as she made her way to the Land of Darkness.

She cursed the Gods for cursing her.

She cursed her father for locking her away.

She cursed humanity for casting her out and torturing her.

She even cursed Aqua for standing in her way and Ozma for dying.

She cursed everyone but herself for she had refused to believe she had done anything wrong. She only wanted to be with Ozma.

That was why she was here now.

She stood over a cliff, staring down at the dark pool that gave birth to the monsters that now plagued the world. She closed her eyes…and leapt down into the pool. She smiled as she landed in the pool, waiting for death to claim her.

If the pool of life from the God of Light made her immortal than maybe the pool of destruction from the God of Darkness would take that immortality away.

She could finally be with Ozma again.

She waited…

Only to feel a great pain engulf her…

Instead of destroying her, the pool of destruction changed her which was shown as she slowly crawled out from it.

Her skin and hair had become pale white, her nails pitch black and her eyes changing to black and red, matching the colors of the monsters the pool still birthed.

Salem was no longer just an immortal being.

In fact, she was likely no longer human.

She was now an immortal being of pure destruction.

And in time, she would find her adversary.

Only it would not just be one.

Chapter Text

The Red Queen

“So it seems my journey has come to an end here. It was…a nice break.”

An elderly man in grey robes stood on a beach, looking out across the ocean and staring up at the two suns. He had grey eyes and a white beard, wearing a white shirt and faded white pants alongside a belt with yellow lines and a strange golden mark underneath the grey robe with black boots. A grey pointed had covered his face from the two suns and even obscured one of his eyes.

“Amazing how after all that happened; I feel the slight bit of nostalgia for home.” The old man whispered. “At the very least I know that the outside world will be safe now in the hands of my former apprentices…No, they are Masters in their own right. I know now peace is possible after seeing it so many times out there but it cost greatly. A new generation must always be ready to achieve and defend that peace. I only hope they are truly ready.”

He walked away from the beach, entering a strange forest and up ahead was a massive tree in the center of the mysterious island. Along the bark of the tree were strange markings and at the base of the tree sat a pedestal with a strange sword like weapon embedded in a pedestal.

It looked more like a giant key than a sword.

“This will keep the darkness both inside and outside contained until one day, one finds this place and brings it back to me. Until then, I will no memory of this life or place to avoid the temptation of returning and exposing this and the other worlds to her. I will also unfortunately lose what magical reserves I had in this life since the source of it will be remaining here.” The elderly man whispered as he sat down, staring at it. “I am quite sad to leave you like this, Gungnir. Aside from my students you were my companion through these long years. However I am hoping when I return my other companion is where I have left it.”

He knew his time was drawing near. He had live so long in this form. Well over a hundred years last he recalled.

Actually maybe even a hundred and thirty years during which time, his friend appeared and traveled with him through the rest of his years.

Who keeps counting when you reach a certain age?

He had seen so many wonders, seen what it was like not fighting countless wars, suffering endless betrayals and struggling to keep a single alive in an almost fruitless battle.

He had regained hope again…

Even if he was about to lose it again.

“I am sad I will not be able to remember all of this.” He cast one last look around the island he was on, taking in the forest, the massive tree, the sky and even the two suns. “But I cannot allow temptation to blind me again.”

And so the elderly man lied down, staring up at the sky.

His form was engulfed by a golden light that slowly transformed into a swarm of glowing particles that resembled fireflies. The particles scattered all across the surrounding forest before coming together at the base of the tree.

There was flash of light and then all was silent.

Only the weapon named Gungnir remained. 

“Hello there.”

A young man with dark hair perked up from his book at the sound of his voice. “Who is there?”

“My name…it used to be Master…No, it was King Oswald.”

“Oswald…the former king of Vale Oswald?” The youth questioned. “But he died years ago.”

“Yes, he did. And when he did, a great responsibility that he carried with him was left for someone else to carry out.”

“A…responsibility?”

“One that we both now share, young Mr. Ozpin.” The voice continued. “Don’t be afraid through…Let your heart…be your guiding key.”

Aqua stepped into the familiar surroundings of the interior of the tree known as Yggdrasil, or Drasil as she preferred to be called.

“You are back.”

Speaking off…

Aqua watched as the spirit of the tree herself appeared. “I am.”

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Drasil asked with a kind smile.

“I found many things, but not exactly what I was looking for.” Aqua answered as she walked up to the spirit. “You sent me back in time.”

“Back in time?”Drasil questioned with an inquisitive look on her face. “To do that I would have to be part of time itself.”

“I saw you…or rather what Izanagi called you.” Aqua explained.

“Ah.” Drasil smiled. “Right, your name for my creation, the God of Light and my physical form. The first from which life would spread in one of many worlds.”

“I don’t understand.” Aqua said, looking confused.

“Jinn told you how I am the system for which humanity was able to wield magic, correct? The God of Light first created life through water, plants and animals. My physical form on the first world was that of a tree and from there, life would spread. When the Gods created the world they did so by imparting parts of their own power, weaving the world together until it became the world you saw.” Drasil explained, spreading her arms out. “The world was made from their very essence and when they made humanity they did so by linking them with the world and the world with the very source of their magic. The realm of the Gods.”

Aqua listened carefully to Drasil’s explanation. “The Realm of the Gods?”

“Correct, a realm from which the Brothers were originally from. A source of unlimited power that was linked to the first ones through their very souls.” Drasil continued and gestured to herself. “I am that link, born from the first tree that gave life and eventually my essence evolved into this.”

“And what is this realm? I first thought it to be in the Realm of Darkness but now I don’t think that’s the case. Jinn said this world existed outside of reality as I understand it.” Aqua recalled.

“You’re right, it does. The world you were just in a nexus, born in the center of a dark world where nothing existed. When the Brothers departed that world, they would seek out other worlds, to either make or explore the ones you spoke of.” Drasil noted the surprised expression on Aqua’s face. “They learned, just as the God of Light who you call Izanagi said they would and started…experimenting. They eventually came here, outside of the known realms to this place to be a link between all the worlds they have created.”

Aqua was slowly starting to understand. “So because this world exists outside of the universe, you’re not part of its timeline.”

“Correct.” Drasil clapped her hands with a giddy smile. “You catch on rather quick.”

“So you are only connected to the worlds that Izanagi and Erebus created.” Aqua slowly continued. “…Are they here?”

“No. They are not.”

Aqua turned around, watching as another being entered the vast interior of the tree entity.   “…Who are you?”

They were a dark brown robe that covered most of their body but she could see a beard and what looked like…ram horns sprouting from their head.

“Well, I’d like to say I’m a friend.” The man said, raising his hands in a ‘I surrender’ fashion to perhaps convince Aqua he was not a threat as he hopped down from the root he was sitting on.

Aqua summoned her Keyblade and firmly pointed it at the new man. “I asked who you are.”

“So you did.” The man slowly lowered his hands. “Sorry if I am a little slow. It’s been a long time since we’ve had visitors so I have to try and remember the social necessities. That weapon…It’s a Keyblade, isn’t it?”

“You know of the Keyblade?” Aqua asked.

“Know of it? I have seen it before. Long ago when someone else came to these shores. Perhaps you know of whom I speak…A Master Odin?” The man quarried, folding his hands behind his back.

“Maser Odin…No, I do not recognize that name.” Aqua replied.

“Oh, I’m so sorry then. I know I am not coming off as the most trustworthy of beings here. Is it the horns?” The man asked.

“What?”

“The horns.” The man clarified, pointing to his ram horns. “Do they frighten you? Terrify, disgust you in any way.”

“No, they don’t but you still haven’t told me your name.” Aqua answered, lowering Keyblade slightly.

“Ah yes.” The man held up a finger. “Right, that would be factor to contribute. Forgive me. Officially I have no name but if I were to pick one I would chose…Lokai.”

“Lokai?” Aqua repeated in question.

“Yes, that.” The man calling himself Lokai nodded. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss…”

“Aqua.” She finished for him.

“Aqua.” Lokai bowed before her, spreading his arms out. “Welcome to this lost realm.”

Aqua slowly lowered her Keyblade but did not dismiss it. “Lost because it’s outside of the universe?”

“This world is cut off from any other for the simple reason is that it is too dangerous.” Lokai nodded. “That dragon you fought outside when you came here, being a prime example. This world is closed off by the Great Tree.” Lokai said, gesturing to Drasil who remained silent. “Charged with a sacred duty.”

“A duty?”

Lokai nodded. “It is a long story. Allow me to bring us some refreshments.”

Lokai retrieved some fresh water for him and Aqua to have while he told his story while sitting around the stone pedestal.

“It began with the two brothers, Light and Darkness. They chose to create a world to call home. The elder brother, the god of light found joy in creating life such as plants, water and wild life while the younger brother, the god of darkness would be disgusted and bring fire, drought and famine to rid their world of life. Eventually they became weary of feuding and agreed to create one last thing together, a masterpiece for both of them to be proud of.” Lokai began. “Their creation would be given the gift of knowledge to understand what they were, free will so they would be given the choice to create or destroy. New life spread across their world and eventually made its way here to the Great Tree.”

Aqua looked at the tree. “What is its purpose?”

“Basically, the Gods infused the world with their power and the Great Tree became the source of their new creation’s power as well as serving for the balance of life and death that the Gods created.” Lokai answered. “It also serves as a guard to creatures that were also a creation but a failed one. The Gods created and experimented many times before they finally perfected their experiment. Some lived; others were discarded and sealed in other worlds to prevent them from tainting the great experiment. The Great Tree serves as a door to keep to keep them all contained.”

Aqua looked back at Drasil who nodded. “And what role do you play?”

“Me? I am the one who watches over the tree. I was among the many creations of the Gods but I was deemed to be a tolerant failure and thus I was not killed or discarded.  Thus I have lived here but I have also blessed the world the Gods created in my own way.” Lokai nodded, pulling his hood back.

His face was that of a man with long dark hair, a beard and the ram horns sprouting from his forehead.

“I consider the children of the Gods to be my own siblings and thus I sought to help them in my own way.” Lokai explained. “This island is a single world the World Tree rests on, connected to the worlds the Gods created while also holding back the failures.”

Aqua was silent as she listened carefully. “And there’s no way to leave?”

“Well, it is almost impossible to leave this place outside of Drasil but there have been times when others managed to miraculously arrive here.” Lokai answered. “Those six kids being one example…”

“Kids?” Aqua questioned.

“Six children fell into this world, most likely abusing the power of the Gods in their world which happens to be the same world you left.” Lokai clarified. “They foolishly fell here during your time away. Hmph, rather violent ones as well.”

“What do you mean?” Aqua asked.

“When they arrived here, they ended fighting against the beasts kept here and against each other.” Lokai remarked, gesturing for Aqua to follow him. “It’s been crazy and annoying for us.”

“Why haven’t you brought them in here like I was allowed?” Aqua asked, following Lokai through the tunnel.

“They seek to find a way back but I cannot offer one to them.” Lokai answered, coming out to the front of the cave.

Aqua was about to ask why but then stopped, turning around to look back inside which Lokai immediately noticed. “Something troubling you?”

“I sense something familiar. I felt it before the last time I was here but I thought it was Drasil.” Aqua explained, the strange feeling becoming stronger.

“Oh, you sense it? Drasil will be pleased.” Lokai said approvingly as he gestured for Aqua to follow.

“Pleased?” Aqua followed the strange entity to a clearing in front of the tree.

Aqua stopped as they came upon an area close to the base of the tree. Unlike before there was nothing but forest, grass and a stone pedestal.

Embedded in the pedestal was a Keyblade.

“A Keyblade?” Aqua stepped forward to get a closer look.

“The Keyblade of Master Odin to be exact.” Lokai nodded as Aqua inspected it.

The Keyblade in question had a three pointed end like a trident, resembling a spear of sorts with a circular curved guard around the hilt and the symbol of a clock for a keychain.

“What happened to him?” Aqua asked Lokai.

“His time had passed for him and he entered eternal sleep peacefully on these shores. He left his Keyblade here to be found by a fellow wielder to return it to its home to be claimed by another or laid to rest.” Lokai answered. “Its name is Gungnir.”

Aqua stared at the Keyblade named Gungnir. “…I didn’t think I would find one out here.”

“Well, we didn’t expect another one to fall here but suppose there can be surprises, even around here.”

Aqua carefully took in all she had learned. “And the Master who came here?”

“He helped during a time when the monsters tried to escape.” Lokai glanced at Gungnir before looking back at Aqua.

“Is there anything he left behind to help me make my way back to my world?” Aqua asked.

“I’m sorry but no. Of course, he might have left some clue in the world the Gods formed. He had made a few friends and had an apprentice.” Lokai answered, glancing at the Keyblade in the pedestal. “Of course, Drasil was able to send you to that world.”

Aqua stared at the Keyblade, looking between it and Lokai. “And there’s nowhere else to go?”

“This island is home to many hostile creatures unless you know how to defend yourself. Unless you prefer to be with only me for however long you might be here it is best you go to be with people who can help you.” Lokai answered with a sympathetic face. “I have feeling they are responsible for you being here.”

“How?” Aqua asked.

“They fell here like you did but we sensed the power of one of the four being used…Ambrosius.” Lokai asked.

Ambrosius, the Spirit of Creation.

“What did they do?” Aqua asked.

“They created a point in space and time, where one exists from one side, travels through a point in another dimension and exits to another point on their world.” Lokai answered. “When a dimension is created, even a pocket one it opens and creates a point which weakens the barriers between other worlds.”

Aqua’s eyes widened. “So the reason I fell here instead of the Realm of Darkness is because Ambrosius created a dimension I fell through? I didn’t see anything.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. You were already falling into darkness. But since the world that holds the physical relic to summon Ambrosius was connected here and it is a nexus in the Realm of Darkness, that pocket dimension existed over this world and thus when you fell; you were swept here instead of falling into the actual of Realm of Darkness. ” Lokai explained.

Aqua was beginning to understand how she ended up here now. Someone used Ambrosius to create a pocket dimension that also acted as a point where it was possible to interact with other worlds and she must have fallen through it without realizing it when she was falling into the Realm of Darkness.

“Of course, time between this world and the outside worlds are different so you arrived first.” Lokai explained. “Though you were so interesting, Drasil and I had no issues with you being here. But these…children…So foolish and violent with each other. So overly emotional…even worse than but you seem to have decent control of yours.”

Aqua decided to take that as a compliment. “Can you show me where they are?”

“Well, they’re not together.” Lokai admitted and pointed straight ahead. “The nearest one is south, near the beach.”

Aqua followed his finger and then looked back to the Keyblade still embedded in the ground.

“Don’t worry about that. It’s been here a long time.” Lokai stated with a smile.

Aqua looked between Lokai and the Gungnir a few times before sighing and walked off in the direction that Lokai had pointed.

Lokai simply watched as the young Master walked back into the forest.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST The Silent Forest)

Aqua wasn’t sure if there was much she could do here. She had her armor and glider back so she could possibly leave this world but she wasn’t sure if she could reach the Lanes Between.

She had Horn of Passage with her so she could just open a way back to the Realm of Light.

However she felt the need to meet with these people that Lokai said had fallen here like she had. Maybe she could help them return to their world before leaving. Aqua had to cover her eyes as she emerged from the forest and onto a beach similar to the one she had landed when she had first arrived here. She looked around, not seeing anyone around.

She knew that the first rule of survival was finding food and water and it looked like that both would be hard to find in this part of the island. She looked down at the ground and noticed some fresh footprints, two to be exact.

Aqua knelt down by them and examined them closely. “Both were wearing boots…One pair is high heeled…”

She looked up and saw they led back into the forest but a fair distance from where she had come from. Aqua slowly followed the footprints back into the forest, taking note of some trees sporting cut marks and branches that had been cut down.

Someone was carrying something big and sharp.

She carefully followed the trail, noting that in some places it looked like a battle had taken place. Several trees were cut down, deep cut marks in the ground. She also noticed evidence of a campsite, a pile of burnt sticks for a fire along with discarded fish bones.

Someone was camped here and brought in fish for food.

Again the camp looked as cut up as the other battlegrounds she had seen. It looked like someone…

…was being hunted.

That was when Aqua’s senses screamed as her and she spun around, summoning her Keyblade and slashed it through something that shattered into what looked like glass. Aqua then sensed something behind her and raised her Keyblade over her shoulder, projecting a barrier that protected her back as something kicked at it.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST The Silent Forest Ends)

(Kingdom Hearts OST Unforgettable)

Aqua spun as the barrier protected her knocked back whoever was attacking her. It was a short young woman, her hair a mix of brown and pink with white streaks. She wore a white vest and pants with the vest having a pink interior with a grey scarf and a black bowler hat. Surprisingly, in addition to her mutl-colored hair she had two different eye colors, her left eye colored brown and the right one being pale pink.

“Who are you?” Aqua asked, pointing her Keyblade at the strange woman.

The woman said nothing as she charged forward, brandishing a sharp blade she likely fashioned out of stone.

It did very little against the Keyblade, aside from shattering on impact.

The woman jumped back as Aqua swiped at her. Seeing she was now lacking a weapon, the woman tossed the remains aside and grabbed onto the Keyblade, allowing the momentum to swing her off her feet and she planted both feet on Aqua’s chest, pushing off her and knocking her down. As she in the air the woman twisted her body, aiming her feet up to slam it down on Aqua while she was done. However Aqua rolled away in time, leaving the foot to crash into the ground and jumped to her feet.

The woman turned her head to Aqua as the Keyblade Master slashed at her and she immediately back-flipped to avoid the attack. Landing on her feet she glared at Aqua who glared right back. So far, Aqua could tell the woman was fast, agile and very skilled.

And there was still that glass shattering strangeness that she had yet to figure out.

The woman charged forward again, picking up a rock but Aqua had enough. “Thunder!”

A bolt of lightning rained down and hit the woman head on. She let out a wordless cry, her mouth opening but no sound was made and a pink energy field of some kind surrounded her. She was stunned by the attack and left open as Aqua followed up with several strikes that immediately broke the field. With a final strike, Aqua knocked the woman down and she crashed onto the ground. Looking up, the woman saw Aqua holding her Keyblade directly at her face.

“That is enough.” Aqua said sternly. “Now who are you and why are you attacking me?”

The woman said nothing, only glaring at her.

Aqua frowned, seeing the woman was not talking. She wasn’t sure what else to do since she wasn’t planning on striking the woman down.

A dash of red caught Aqua’s eyes and her ears picked up a voice. “NEO!!”

The woman immediately kicked Aqua’s Keyblade away and rolled away as someone swung something large down. Aqua stepped back, her eyes widening as she spotted a large black and red scythe swinging down on where the woman had previously been.

It was a girl.

She wore a long red cloak, short black spiky hair and silver eyes…Red rimmed eyes filled with pain, agony and hate.

Aqua could tell that the girl had been crying by how red her eyes looked and she looked at the other woman with rage.

And red fire.

The woman stepped back, glaring back as the woman’s scythe morphed into a rifle and she fired bullets that ignited into fire. The woman quickly rolled out of the way, taking shelter behind Aqua who immediately conjured a barrier to block the fire balls.

“Enough!” Aqua shouted.

“Get out of my way!” The girl shouted, her rifle shifting back into its scythe form. “She has to pay!”

She turned into a spiral of petals that split into two as they flew around Aqua and reformed into the girl, swinging her scythe at the woman.

“Gravity!”

The girl was suddenly held down by a powerful force, surprising her and the woman.

Aqua kept her Keyblade trained on the girl as she slowly stepped in between the two. “Now what is this about?”

The woman charged at the girl, kicking her scythe out of her hands and punched her in the face. Both girls started strangling each other as they rolled around on the ground.

“Hey!” Aqua barked, surprised by how they just kept on fighting.

She then noticed a mist beginning to surround them and remembered this when she first got here. The girl screamed out as wind started twirling around them both. The girl let out another scream as a blast of fire knocked the woman back.

Aqua’s eyes widened as she realized that the girl had magic and dangerous magic from the looks of it.

Just what in the world was going on?

(Kingdom Hearts OST Unforgettable Ends)

Chapter Text

The White Queen

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Critical Drive)

Aqua had no idea what was going on but she knew one thing:

The girl in the red hood was overcome with grief and rage, attempting to kill the other woman for reasons she did not yet know.

All that mattered was stopping it.

She immediately teleported in front of the woman, holding her Keyblade up. "Reflega!"

The fire ball sent by the girl was sent flying back but the girl easily dodged, dashing to the side and charged at Aqua, spinning her scythe in both hands with red flames still surrounding her eyes. "Get out of my way!"

Aqua hastily blocked the strike, grunting slightly from the force of the blow but remained standing. The woman leapt up, placing her hand on Aqua's shoulder and using her as a spring as she lashed out with a kick, knocking the girl back. The girl snarled as she swung her scythe down into the ground as she skid back, using it to halt her slide and immediately picked it up, spinning as it changed back into a rifle and fired not just fire balls but shards of ice and blasts of wind. Aqua used her Reflega to block and deflect the incoming blasts while the woman the girl had called Neo somersaulted as she dodged as best as she could Aqua could tell the young woman was growing fatigue.

The girl spun her weapon as it returned to its scythe form, gathering wind around as she twirled it. "Not so much fun when you're the one being hunted huh?!"

She swung the scythe and released a powerful gust of wind that slammed into Neo, catching her and sending her flying back, even crashing through a few trees. She crashed into the ground on the beach, her body covered in cuts and deep bruises. From the look of her body and face she was obviously in deep pain as the girl came out of the forest, a whirl wind carrying her instead of simply using her feet.

"You did this." She snarled as she slowly approached Neo, tears dripping down her cheeks. "They're all gone because of you…"

Neo opened on eye, the pink one, staring up at the girl who was glaring back with flaming red hate.

"Everyone is gone! EVERYONE!" She screamed as she raised her scythe. "THEY ARE ALL GONE AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Before she could swing it down and likely end Neo's life, Aqua appeared in between them, blocking the scythe and shoving the girl back. "That is enough!"

The girl staggered back but glared at Aqua. "Stay out of this! She has to die!"

Aqua sternly frowned at the girl before she held her Keyblade up over Neo. "Heal."

In a flash of green light, Neo's wounds began healing rapidly and miraculously. The young woman looked surprised as the pain vanished, staring up at Aqua with wide pink and brown eyes.

The girl was surprised as well. "You have…magic?"

Aqua then pointed her Keyblade at the girl. "I will only say this once…Stand down."

"You…You're defending her?!" The girl pointed at Neo as she slowly got back up. "Don't you know what she's done?! They are all gone! Our homes, our families, all gone!"

It was plain to Aqua that this girl was in deep pain.

She had seen this pain before and knew that something terrible had happened to her. Yet at the same time, Aqua could sense a familiar presence from the girl. A feeling of a powerful light that was being suppressed by the negativity the girl was feeling.

And then there was the other power, a form of magic pulsing through her.

Aqua could tell that this power was immense but the girl seemed to have little control or experience with it.

"YOU TOOK THEM ALL FROM US!" Ruby screamed as a whirlwind came to life all around her. "MY FAMILY! MY FRIEND PENNY! EVERYTHING!"

The girl screamed as she shot at the two, her scythe engulfed by flames as she swung it down. Only Aqua conjured a barrier that blocked the strike, knocking the girl back with a blast created the very flames she created. She hit the ground, letting a loud ground from how hard she had landed and to Aqua's surprise; Neo was instantly standing over her. She kicked the girl's scythe away, pulling the girl up by the cloak around her neck and then pulled the cloak down over the girl's head, blinding her.

Neo then jumped and spun, delivering a kick directly to the girl's face, sending her flying back. The girl slammed into the ground again. The girl let out a frustrated scream as another whirlwind blasted Neo back. She got up, glaring at Neo and flew at her enemy, slamming into her and both rolled along the ground as Aqua watched in astonishment.

The girl finally managed to pin Neo down and slammed her on the ground several times. "WHY?! DID?! YOU?! DO?! THIS?!"

Neo finally kicked the girl off her, rolling back and jumping to her feet. The girl flew up into the air and released a blast that covered her in ice trailing down from her neck.

"You don't get to fight back like you have the right to defend yourself. Not after what you have done." The girl snarled as she used a gust of wind to bring her weapon to her. "You destroyed my life so now I destroy yours!"

"No!"

Aqua blocked her again, shoving her back and pointing her Keyblade at Neo, slashing it once and breaking the ice holding her. Neo staggered a bit, surprised by how the strange woman with the key shaped weapon had saved her again.

And angered the red cloaked girl even more.

"So you're with her?!" She shouted as stronger wind began to twirl around her. "Just like she was with Cinder!"

Aqua remained silent, not knowing who or what the girl was talking about but she couldn't allow her to murder someone in cold blood.

Not in front of her at least.

While she was forbidden as a Keyblade Master to interfere in the affairs of other worlds Aqua had understood that she was not forbidden from trying to understand what was happening to stay uninvolved as possible. That and her sense of justice prevented her from allowing the girl in the red hood to cut down the woman named Neo, even if she was guilty of horrible things.

"If you're with her then you're my enemy too!" The girl shouted, the red flames around her eyes growing in brightness and intensity.

She shot forward, swinging her scythe down which Aqua blocked with her Keyblade. The girl pushed off her and kicked her back. She then shot at Neo but the woman shattered into pieces like she had before.

Aqua spun around and pointed her Keyblade at the girl. "Stop!"

The girl was then frozen and Aqua took the chance to disarm her, slashing the girl's scythe out of her hands with her Keyblade and she followed with a few more but made sure they were not too damaging. The girl was sent crashing into the shallow water once the spell broke and she was left coughing from the water filling her mouth and lungs.

Aqua lowered her Keyblade and looked around, spotting Neo nearby who was slightly panting. "I don't know what's going on but I am done here. If you want to keep fighting, go ahead but if you want to live then come with me."

Neo looked between Aqua and the girl as she slowly got up, growling as the water around her turned to ice and then into steam, and nodded at Aqua.

"You're not going anywhere!" The girl shouted and shot forward.

Aqua grabbed Neo, summoning her glider and took off on it with Neo behind her, holding on her waist.

"NO!"

Neo looked behind, seeing the girl flying after them and tapped Aqua on the shoulder, earning her attention.

Upon seeing the girl flying after them, Aqua sighed and summoned her Keyblade.

The benefit of being able to summon a glider separate from her Keyblade was that she could use both her Keyblade while staying in the air on her glider.

"Hang on." She instructed to Neo who did so by tightening her arms around the Master's waist. "Mega-Flare!"

From her Keyblade came a fire ball that shot straight at the girl who quickly dodged but it didn't matter. The fireball exploded in a bright, blinding explosion that knocked her away, sending her spinning through the air but she managed to steady herself before she crashed back in the ground on the beach.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Critical Drive Ends)

Looking up and rubbing the sand away from her eyes, she saw that Aqua and Neo were gone. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Her screamed produced a whirlwind around her that was so strong several trees were pulled out of their roots.

The wind subsided when her scream ended and she curled up on the beach, her arms covering her face as she began to cry.

She didn't remember how it happened.

All she remembered was blacking out at first and then waking up in this strange place.

She had seen this place before.

"You!"

She spun around and saw someone else there.

Someone she hated.

"Cinder." She gritted her teeth, glaring at the person who had caused her so much pain. "What is this place? Why are you here?"

"Why am I here? Why are you here?" The woman snarled. "You're supposed to be dead!"

She smirked. "Guess Salem never bothered to tell you. The Staff of Creation is forbidden to destroy life, even the creations it makes no matter what. So you didn't kill us so much as send us somewhere else."

"What?!" The woman snarled.

"You failed again, Cinder. Even when had me over the edge you still fail." She said tauntingly. "And Penny kept you from getting the Winter Maiden's powers and when we find our way back we're going to stop you and Salem once and for all."

"Stop us…" The woman named Cinder suddenly grinned. "You're too late."

"What?" She asked.

"Something happened…I don't know what. Some sort of darkness swept over the world…" Cinder snarled, clenching her fists. "I remember trying to fight it but Salem…she gave up when she sensed…She said she sensed the world ending and…She smiled. Why would she smile that the world was ending?!"

"Because that's what she wanted." She answered, making Cinder look at her. "You really didn't know? Guess it's not surprising since you don't care about anything other than yourself. Salem wants to die. She wants to gather the relics to summon the Gods back to judge humanity, hoping they would be found irredeemable and the Gods would destroy us and Remnant and her with it."

"No!" Cinder shook her head. "You're lying!"

"That's actually funny coming from you of all people! You think she cared about giving you power? You were just another pawn to get her what she wanted! You thought you could trick her but she was tricking you the whole time and you were stupid enough to fall for it!" She shouted.

"Shut up!" Cinder swiped at her but she dodged. "Why can't you just die like you should?!"

"Why can't you?" She shouted back. "You destroyed my home, killed my friends and chased me from Haven to Atlas just so you could get your hands on powers that you don't deserve!"

"It's mine! I deserve it all!" Cinder shouted. "Only I can be a god-"

"Don't make me laugh!" She cut Cinder off. "You're not a god, you're a parasite! You stole the Fall Maiden's powers and tried to steal Spring and Winter but failed all the time! You used people around you like Emerald and Neo and the worst thing is you never would have got this far without them! They were the only reasons you even stole Amber's power or ambushed us in Atlas!"

Cinder shouted as she tried to strangle her but she jumped back.

"You can't do anything for yourself and you kill anyone who helps you! You're pathetic! You had me and Neo over the edge and knocked us both down into the void and you still failed to kill us!" She continued, letting out all the hate she had for Cinder because of the pain she had caused. "You said I should never have been born but it's really you being allowed to exist was the mistake!"

Cinder screamed as she started to fade. "NO! NOT TO HER! WHY HER?!"

"So someone killed you and the power is going to me?" She questioned. "Why? You thought I was dead?"

Cinder gritted her teeth as she glared hatefully at her. "…Remnant is gone."

Her entire body froze.

"Something came and all I remember is a great storm…darker than anything Salem could have created swallowing everything." Cinder suddenly smiled. "So I guess you don't have to worry about us now…"

"No…" She started to tremble.

"I may have failed to kill you, Ruby Rose but I at least can take solace in the fact you have failed as well. The world is gone so you can't save it." Cinder was laughing even as she started to fade. "You are stuck wherever you are and you can never come back!"

"No!" She shook her head.

"I don't have to win anymore. I can just watch as you and your friends wallow in your own despair that you will never see your home or family again!" Cinder threw her back and laughed even louder.

"NO!" She fell to her knees in complete despair.

"Have fun living out the rest of your life wherever you are!" Cinder finally vanished as her voice echoed all across the strange dimension they had appeared in. "I am sure you will put my powers to good use…Fall Maiden."

Ruby back up in the strange world Cinder exiled her and her friends to, desperately hoping that it had been all a dream.

Then she felt it.

A fire inside her.

She felt a power circling around her eyes as she crawled over to a nearby stream and looked at her reflection.

Twin flames surrounding her eyes.

It wasn't a dream.

She really had the powers of the Fall Maiden.

The power that Cinder had stolen and left her with the message that her home and everyone she and her friends had left behind were gone in one final act of spite.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She felt to the ground and curled up into a ball, crying to herself and wishing desperately to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

'First Pyrrha, then Penny twice, now everyone else!' She cried in her head. 'Dad, Uncle Qrow, Nora, Ren, Oscar…Why? WHY?!'

She could do nothing now.

Nothing.

No more Grimm.

No more Salem.

No more Remnant.

Everyone she knew was gone.

And that wasn't the end.

No, it was just the beginning of the unending pain she was starting to feel.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Tears of the Light)

"I think we've gained enough distance now."

Aqua brought her glider down onto the ground, letting her passenger off who watched as Aqua dismissed her Glider which vanished in a flash of light.

"So," She turned and faced the woman named Neo. "What was that all about?"

Neo was silent, simply staring at the blue haired woman while crossing her arms.

"You do know I saved your life twice back there when it looked like she was about to kill you." Aqua immediately said, seeing Neo was not going to be completely cooperative. "You owe me an answer for why I had to do that."

Neo rolled her eyes but relented, taking out a small device and did some tapping before she showed Aqua a message.

It is a long story.

"We seem to have plenty of time." Aqua shrugged.

Neo walked over to a nearby tree and wrote down on her device. That girl back there…

"Yeah?"

I tried to kill her because I thought she killed my best friend.

Aqua's eyes widened. "What?"

Neo just continued typing. And the person who said she would help me betrayed me and stranded me with Red and her friends. At first we all struggled…And then everyone snapped. Red and her friends all got those Maiden powers and started screaming that Remnant was gone now, destroyed by some dark force. Red's really pissed at me now, blaming me for it all and that's why she's trying to kill me.

A dark force?

Aqua wondered if it was the same dark force she was trained to fight against or something Erebus had created.

The Grimm?

Surtr?

She had no idea but she wasn't sure the world was as gone as Neo was assuming but said nothing as Neo sat down, leaning against the tree they were sitting under for shade.

So how did you do all that?

Aqua stared at the latest message Neo wrote. "…How did I do all what?"

Neo rolled her eyes. Don't play dumb with me. I know that magic isn't something anyone can do unless you are either a Maiden or Ozpin or Salem-

Aqua's eyes widened at the mention of Salem.

And you aren't any of them. So how come you can do magic?

"…I'm a special case." She finally said.

Neo didn't look like she believed her but shrugged. Whatever. It's not like knowing would make much of a difference. It's just a matter of time before Little Red finds us and tries to kill us again.

"Don't you mean tries to kill you?" Aqua questioned.

You too, Bluey. Now that you helped me, you're pretty much the enemy. She's lost it now. She thinks that everyone, aside from her bimbo sister and friends, are dead and gone and she has pretty much snapped.

And she can't do a thing about it…Aside from killing me because I was helping the so-called bad guys.

Aqua frowned.

Don't look at me like that. I am not on anyone's side; I was just trying to survive with my friend. He was the only friend I ever had, one thing to help escape the misery that was my life and she along with that bitch Cinder took him from me. All I had left was trying to avenge him by making those who got him killed pay.

Aqua was slowly starting to put the pieces together. "So you tried to kill her and now you're the one being hunted. Does that sound like you are avenging him?"

Neo glared. It's all I had left. How could you understand unless you know what it's like to lose the one good thing in your life?

"I know more than you could ever believe." Aqua stood up, looking down at Neo. "I know what it's like to lose a home, a family and the only friends you ever had."

Neo looked up at Aqua, seeing the look in her eyes and knew she was telling the truth.

"However, believing avenging them will make you feel better or make them happy…I doubt your friend would have wanted for you to kill yourself for his sake." Aqua continued.

Is that so? You say you lost your friends and family. Were they taken from you by someone? Wouldn't that make you naturally hate the person responsible?

Aqua stared at Neo for a moment, considering her question. "I am not sure…I know I could never forgive the one responsible but hate…that is too simple, too easy to feel. Hate might be enough for you, Neo but it weakens me. I find it corrosive and toxic, making me less than who I want to be."

Neo rolled her eyes. You sound as overly righteous as Little Red and her friends and look where it got them. Alone, lost and left wallowing in their own self-pity.

"And you think I should be like you, Neo? The path where I mindlessly hurt everyone around me to get back at the ones I think are to blame for my pain? I can admit to making many mistakes in trying to carry out my responsibilities but what good has come from what you have done?" Aqua fired back. "For you or your home?"

Don't act like you know me. Neo typed with a glare. You can't just say you know what I feel and have the nerve to lecture me.

"So because you suffered then everyone must suffer like you? Do you even realize how childish that sounds? Maybe it is sanctimonious on my part but right now you remind me of people I have seen get destroyed by their own vengeful desires." Aqua fired back.

And let me guess, you tried to make them see the error of their ways.

"No. The darkness inside their own hearts overtook them and led them to their destiny." Aqua answered stoically and then sighed. "I have my strengths and my flaws…but they don't matter to me. What matters are the lives of the people we care for and the ones who rely on us."

She turned away, deciding her conversation with Neo was done. "Whatever you decide to do from here on out is up to you. I have done the best I can to help you and I have my own problems."

Neo could only watch as Aqua walked off in a direction she had just picked randomly.

Aqua had no idea where she was going after leaving Neo behind.

She had a lot more questions than answers from that one conversation and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

Maidens…

Ozpin, which made her think of Ozma for some reason but Ozma was dead.

And Salem…Aqua walked away from her after that insane rebellion.

What did she have to do with any of this?

Aqua suddenly felt cold and noticed snow and ice forming around her. She stopped and looked around; spotting a mansion up ahead that appeared to be made of literal ice. If that wasn't enough she sensed a powerful magic inside it comparable to the girl with the red hood she just escaped from.

"And I thought I had seen it all before…" She muttered as she slowly approached the mansion.

As she grew closer, she noticed icy statues of Grimm surrounding the place along with three large pillars holding up a snowflake symbol. She noticed that all the ice Grimm were being slain by four girls…

One of them just happened to be the same girl with the scythe she had fought.

Aqua walked past the statues up to a grand pair of doors. She raised her hand, wondering if anyone would let her in but to her surprise the doors opened for her. She blinked but slowly entered the icy mansion. Shivering a bit, Aqua used her Firestorm ability to conjure an aura of fire around her to help keep her warm.

She looked down and saw the large snowflake symbol she had seen on the outside leading up to a grand and wide stairway. She wasn't sure where to go from here so she just followed her senses that led her past the stairway and down the icy wall, coming out into what looked like a garden or what would looked like a garden covered in ice and now.

"Welcome."

Aqua looked to her left and saw a young girl sitting on an ice formed sofa. She wore a long white gown that seemed to sparkle and had equally white hair falling down her shoulders with a silver icicle shaped tiara keeping her hair back. She had blue eyes, not like Aqua's own as they were less vibrant and colder.

It didn't help she was sporting a complete look of indifference as she held a single glass of liquid in one hand.

"It's not often I get visitors to show my home around. Like it? I made it myself. Sorry if it's too cold for you." She said in a tone that was devoid of emotion to the point Aqua had to look closely to see if she still had a heart.

Thought from what she could see, this girl's heart had become as cold as the very frozen home she made for herself.

"The cold is the only thing left to remind me of home."

Chapter Text

The Smiling Cat

"Where am I?"

She found herself standing in a strange void like place that felt familiar for some reason.

Her eyes then widened in shock. "Wait, this was where Oz was brought by the God of Light before…"

Before she could finish her sentence, a familiar person appeared before her. "Weiss!"

"Winter!" She rushed up and hugged her old sister who hugged her back. "I am so glad to see you!"

"I am glad to see you! I thought you were dead!" Winter actually cried while hugging the sister she had thought had died.

They both held each other for a moment, crying into each other's shoulders before they finally parted.

"What happened? I saw Cinder knock you off the path and into the void." Winter said, wiping her tears away.

"We woke up on some sort of strange…place." Weiss answered, copying her sister's actions in wiping her tears away. "We've been trying to find a way back." She looked around. "What is this place?"

Winter had a sad look on her face. "I have been here…When Penny died and transferred her Maiden powers to me."

Weiss then looked at Winter, her eyes slowly widening. "No…"

"I'm sorry-" Winter was cut off as Weiss hugged her again, her arms squeezing tightly around her sister's body.

"Please tell me it's not true!" Weiss whimpered into her sister's shoulder. "We are trying to get back to help-"

"I'm sorry Weiss." Winter said as she hugged her sister back. "After you left, we struggled to get all the refuges into Vacuo…And then they came."

Weiss pulled back slightly, looking into Winter's eyes. "They? You mean Salem and Cinder?"

"Not them." Winter shook her head. "Some other force…Just as dark as the Grimm but much worse. They spread all over Remnant and….We never stood a chance."

Weiss' eyes widened even further in horror. "No…"

"I'm so sorry, Weiss." Winter said sadly. "But there's nothing to go back to."

"NO!" Weiss screamed as she hugged Winter tightly again. "We were going to find our way back! We were going to find our back to you…"

Winter sadly hugged her sister back. "I know, Weiss. I am so sorry. I am sorry I ran off and left you and Mother with Jacques, for not standing with you against Ironwood and for not being the kind of sister you deserved."

"No!" Weiss pulled away. "It wasn't your fault, Winter. It was ours. I ran away to Beacon to get away from him because I couldn't stand him anymore. You tried to help me in any way you could and it's not your fault I fell."

Winter smiled sadly as she cupped her sister's cheek. "I'm glad though that I get to see you one last time and that you're alive."

"Winter…" Weiss sniffed as she grabbed her sister's cheek.

"All I have left to give is the very same gift Penny gave me to protect from Salem." Winter continued. "It's yours now."

"No!" Weiss gripped Winter's hand. "I don't want it! Please, there has to be another! Please don't leave me!"

"I won't." Winter said with a saddened smile as she started to fade. "Penny said she would become part of me when she gave me this power…and now we'll become part of you."

"Winter!" Weiss cried and sobbed as her sister vanished, leaving her with the power she had been given to protect. "WINTER!"

She woke up, screaming in pure agony, her heart breaking from the loss of her sister and the family she had just got back.

Now all she had were her friends.

And the power of Winter.

Only now there was no point in having it.

Their world was gone.

All that was left was the pain.

A pain she would do anything to get rid of.

Even if it meant freezing her heart.

"So who are you? A survivor from the others who fell here like us? I didn't think anyone else survived being blasted off the Central Pathway."

Aqua was sitting at an icy table, shivering a bit from the ice made chair but shrugged it off as she conversed with her 'host'.

"Oh where are my manners?" The girl gestured to herself. "I am Weiss Schnee, former heiress to the Schnee Family and the current Winter Maiden."

She sipped from her glass with liquid being some sort of fruit drink. "Would you like a drink?"

"…No thank you." Aqua carefully answered. "I'd prefer water if you wouldn't mind."

"Easy." Weiss made a gesture with a hand, creating glass made of ice and she twirled a finger inside it, creating water.

Aqua could feel the raw magic the girl was wielding to just make a single glass of water. It was similar to the power that the red hooded girl she had met earlier had used. While it wasn't stronger than the likes of other magical users like Maleficent or Xehanort it was still powerful enough that Weiss and that other girl would likely become forces of nature if they could master it.

Weiss then made a gesture and the glass of cold water floated over to Aqua who gratefully accepted it. "Thank you."

"I've been going through the numerous fruits and coconuts in this world." Weiss waved off Aqua's 'thank you' as if she hadn't even heard it. "The raspberries are the only ones that can give me the slight feeling of relief."

Aqua stared closely, seeing the girl as she sipped the glass and noticed the dazed off look in her eyes.

This girl was intoxicated.

Whatever she was drinking likely had something in that was similar to alcohol enough to cause such an effect.

"It's the only suitable drink I can make around here, aside from…" Weiss gestured around them. "My new home. What do you think of it?"

"It's…" Aqua tried to find the right word. "Chilly."

Weiss actually chuckled as she took another sip. "Yes, I suppose you could say I got it from my father. He always liked keeping it cold in his study. I've only now started to understand why he liked it so much. Cold numbs everything, including your feelings."

Aqua felt a great sense of pain and anguish from the girl. She was trying to numb her feelings, become apathetic to what has happened to her.

She once read a book saying that while pride was the father of all sins…

Apathy was the mother.

"You mind telling me a bit about your family?" Aqua suddenly asked.

Weiss glanced at her for a second before shrugging. "I suppose. What do you want to know?"

"How about whatever comes to your mind when you think of them?" Aqua suggested.

"Well…The first word that comes to mind is…" Weiss put the glass down. "Dead."

Aqua's widened slightly. "…Dead?"

"Along with everyone else back home." Weiss poured herself another drink. "Father was dead before we got here…Not that it is a bad thing. He was a cold hearted ruthless and selfish bastard anyways. The world was better off without him."

Aqua just stayed silent.

"Mother was a drunk most of my life, mostly because she found out Father had only married her for her money, not that we all didn't suspect that from the very beginning. She couldn't handle it and turned to drinking, ignoring her kids when they needed all because she couldn't put her own problems aside for the sake of her son and daughters." Weiss smiled as she took another sip. "I kind of understand why she did now. Too bad I have none of the real thing to help me block out reality. I was kind of looking forward to it. My brother, a backstabbing little Daddy's boy, trying to kiss his feet just so he could hopefully one day get a pat on the head and a 'That's my boy' from him."

Weiss threw her head back and let out a small laugh, surprising Aqua.

"Like that was ever going to happen." Weiss took another sip. "Bastard would have left him to die in the blink of an eye."

Aqua could only stare as Weiss let out a bitter laugh.

"So what is your story?" Weiss asked, leaning her face against a palm. "A refuge from Atlas who is left to wander this crazy world?"

"Something like that." Aqua admitted, taking a sip out of her water.

"Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like." Weiss gestured grandly to their surroundings. "My home is always open to anyone who has none. It's not like I have anything worth stealing. Say, were you a Huntress?"

Aqua raised an eyebrow. "In a way."

"Perhaps we can spend some time bonding together. I wouldn't want to have my skills go rusty." Weiss leaned back with a smile. "You are familiar with my family's Semblance?"

"I…" Aqua trailed off.

"Well, don't worry. I won't be fighting you." Weiss held up her hand and summoned a glowing glyph. "Might as well put them to use so they aren't wasted."

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Monstrous Monstro –Arena Ver.-)

Aqua jumped up and stepped back a suit of white glowing armor appeared behind Weiss, growing in size as it stepped over the table. Aqua jumped down into the snowy garden and summoned her Keyblade while watching as the armor grew larger, even becoming bigger than Gantu. Weiss settled back on her chair, watching as she sipped her red raspberry drink. The suit of armor approached Aqua, brandishing a giant broadsword, giving one spin in its hand before it swung its blade down.

Aqua summoned a barrier around her and the sword shattered on impact.

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that, watching as Aqua pointed her Keyblade at the armor. "Fire!"

A single large fireball hit the armor in the chest and dispersed in an explosion of flames and light particles.

"Impressive." Weiss noted, summoning another glyph.

This time it was a giant armored pig with large tusks. Aqua recognized it as being similar to the Grimm creatures she had fought before.

As the creature charged at her Aqua made a line along the ground with her Keyblade. "Seeker Mine."

A line of orb shaped lights traveled along the line Aqua made and she turned away, keeping her back to the charging boar. As it touched a few of the orbs there was a blast of light that sent it flying up into the air. Aqua then spun around and threw her Keyblade at it, watching as it impacted the boar through the chest and it shattered into a shower of light particles like the first one.

"Hmph, you make it look so easy and yet I fought like a novice against that one." Weiss scoffed, looking in only a semi-interested gaze.

Aqua watched as Weiss summoned another glyph and watched as a giant hornet appeared. The hornet flew around the garden, keeping Aqua in its sights while Aqua focused her gaze on it. It aimed its stinger at her and fired. Aqua cartwheeled to the side, watching as the stinger impacted the ground and was then retracted back to the bother it was attached to by a long tether.

It fired again and Aqua somersaulted back to dodge. Only when it impacted the ground Aqua rushed ahead and grabbed it, being pulled off the ground as the hornet retracted its stringer. It could only let out a surprised screech as Aqua leapt up into the air and swung her Keyblade down, slashing it in two. Aqua fell and landed perfectly on the ground while the hornet dissolved like its predecessors.

"Impressive. You must be one strong Huntress. Shameful you were not around to help us." Weiss noted stoically. "We could have used the help."

Aqua watched as Weiss summoned another glyph and from it a pair of large blue glowing wings appeared, followed by the body of a giant bird that shot up into the air with a loud screech.

"This can be considered the final one." Weiss noted, lightly shaking her red drink.

Aqua looked up, keeping an eye on the giant bird as it circled around the garden, letting out a loud screech as it stopped and spread its wings out. From its wings, razor sharp feathers were launched and fell towards the Keyblade Master like rain. Aqua summoned a barrier that blocked the feathers before they could hit her. The barrier held out, deflecting the feathers that scattered across the garden and vanished mere seconds later.

"You seem to carry a lot of abilities. Too much for one mere Semblance." Weiss noted absently. "Is that magic you are wielding?"

Aqua said nothing, focusing her attention on the bird as it swooped down, brandishing its claws to either grab or skewer her. Just as Aqua was prepared to move, a pink blur jumped up from the roof and delivered a kick to the bird, sending it crashing past Aqua into the ground. The blur landed next to Aqua, revealing it to be a familiar girl to both.

"Neo." Weiss frowned; looking at the girl who faced her upon hearing her name. "So you associate yourself with the likes of her. I would be angry if I was still capable of it…But I'll settle for the both of you getting skewered."

Aqua spun around as the bird lifted its head and tried to eat Neo. Aqua's Keyblade was surrounded in a bright light as she thrust it forward, stabbing her glowing weapon through the bird's head. It immediately dispersed as Aqua's blade came out the other side.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Monstrous Monstro –Arena Ver.- Ends)

Weiss just stared at the two as they now looked at her. "To think my first visitor would bring me such unwanted company."

Neo just glared up at the Winter Maiden.

"But it gives me the opportunity a long overdue score." With a wave of her hand, Weiss started conjuring a blizzard around the two, intent on freezing them to death while she watched. "You both can be the newest additions to my Winter Garden."

Aqua quickly summoned her armor and glider, grabbing Neo and took off into the air. Weiss watched as they escaped her blizzard which dissipated on her command.

She leaned back in her chair and took another sip of her drink.

Aqua flew away from Weiss' mansion, landing in the middle of the forest surrounding the giant tree, watching as Neo hopped off and dismissed her armor and glider upon landing.

Aqua sighed as she walked to a tree and sat down against before looking at Neo. "What made you come along and help me?"

Neo just stared at her before closing her eyes and shrugged.

"You don't know?" Aqua raised an eyebrow.

Neo turned away.

"I don't believe that." Aqua said simply.

Neo pulled out her device and typed out her message. Maybe I figured I owed you for saving me from Little Red. Or maybe I thought you were my best shot at surviving her and the others.

"You mean like Weiss?" Aqua asked.

And the other two.

"So there are four of them." Aqua sighed and closed her eyes. "And they all want you dead."

Neo walked over and sat down next to Aqua as she typed out another message. Blondie up and left her team, I haven't seen her for a good while and the Kitty…

"You know I have no idea what any of that means when you just label them with nicknames like that, right?" Aqua asked dryly.

Neo rolled her eyes and just typed another message. It's my thing but fine. Little Red is named Ruby, Ice Queen is Weiss, Kitty is Blake and Blondie is Yang.

"That makes things slightly easier. What nickname did you have for me?" Aqua asked curiously.

Blue.

"…That's it? Just Blue?" Aqua asked, almost sounding disappointed.

All I got. Your hair and eyes made it easy.

Aqua sighed and shook her head. "You really have this penchant for annoying people, don't you?"

Part of my charm. Neo shrugged and made a small smile.

"Until everyone wants to kill you." Aqua muttered.

Neo frowned when she heard that but didn't argue on that one. The two just sat together, staring out at the ocean. Aqua had just remembered that this world had two suns and thus the days lasted a little longer.

"Is what she and the girl named Ruby said true?" Aqua asked suddenly. "That you helped get them stranded here."

Neo scowled and looked away.

"If you really want me to protect you, I deserve the truth." Aqua stated.

Neo was still for a moment before she typed out a message.

A rather long message.

The truth is that it doesn't matter now and I don't need to break down and spill my guts to you, even if you did save my life one time. All you need to know is that all my life I had nothing and then I had one thing that was taken from me, a single light, a single friend and it was taken from me. He was the only to ever care for me and even if Red and her friends were not directly responsible she still had a role to play in his death.

She would say she and her friends were trying to protect people but they created the circumstances that brought them here. I am only here because I made the mistake of trusting someone else outside of the only person I could ever truly trust and they betrayed me like all the others have. As for Red and her friends, they not only set up the circumstances that led to them being stranded here but they even made it so the people they were trying save lost their homes in the first place.

They think they are heroes but they caused a lot more damage believing they were the only ones on…our world that were the only morality on the entire planet. Worst of all, they only act to save the people who are in immediate danger from the monsters or the so-called bad guys but spare not a single thought to the people suffering behind the scenes or the ones who think they might be in the wrong. They are as big the liars and hypocrites they have painted the people around them and they've only started to realize just how bad they messed up.

Reality sunk in hard for them and they've all snapped under it. You saw Little Red, she's gone mad now that there isn't a world to save anymore and blames me for it because I wanted to avenge my friend and she still has no clue why I went through all the trouble tracking her down and thinks if she cuts my head off it will somehow make things better. Ice Queen has decided to literally freeze her heart because the reality is so painful she would rather not feel anything at all. I don't know what happened, aside from them saying that our world was destroyed but in the end they pictured themselves the heroes of their own story while they are the villains in mine while my friend was my hero because he knew it was pointless to try saving everyone.

The world is a cold and cruel place; it doesn't care for heroes and those that do always die before their time.

That's all I can say on that.

Aqua looked up at Neo who was glaring as she took her device back. She doubted that was entirely how Neo had felt but it was enough for her to understand what was happening.

As for what happened to their world…

Aqua wondered if there world had been swallowed by darkness but she wouldn't know for sure unless she asked Drasil.

All Aqua knew for sure was that Neo was driven to avenge a friend and the people she blamed for his death blamed her for their loss of their home and being trapped here so they all have chosen different ways to cope.

The girl in the red cloak, Ruby sought to kill Neo, ironically to avenge what she had lost which is what Neo to try to kill her in the first place.

And Weiss chose to abandon her feelings and waste away in her icy home, her heart becoming as cold and brittle as the ice she surrounded herself in.

Did she even want to know about the other two?

"Tell me something, Neo." Aqua suddenly said. "You hate them for the death of your friend and for being pretend heroes…But were you acting in a manner that would have led to a lot of people getting killed?"

Neo glared and turned away.

"You did, didn't you?" Aqua sighed. "You were taking part in something bad, something dangerous and you didn't care for the lives that would have been destroyed."

I did what I had to, to survive.

"Is this surviving?" Aqua gestured around them. "Stranded somewhere with no way home while being hunted? How is this better?"

Neo gritted her teeth. So I should have done what they did? Sign myself up for a fight that they couldn't hope to win? Risk my life for people who wouldn't give a damn about me.

"There's a difference between living and surviving, Neo. Living is being with what matters the most including friends and family, surviving is only ensuring that you might make it, living only to die another day." Aqua said calmly. "If nothing else in life matters, what would be the point of surviving at all?"

Neo could only glare but a voice interrupted from above. "Good question."

Both Aqua and Neo jumped to their feet, stepping back and looking up to see a dark figure crawling along the branches of the tree, looking at them with yellow eyes.

"What would be the point indeed?" The person, a girl around the same age as Weiss, asked with a grin. "Poor little Neo, soon to lose her head and guilty of so much, rationalizing her reasons with one flimsy excuse after another."

Aqua immediately summoned her Keyblade. "Who are you?"

"Neo and her friend called me kitty or cat…My friends call me Blake and I think I prefer that if you please…" The girl then jumped off the tree branch, landing in front of the two on all fours. "Or if you don't."

She was dressed in all black, wearing a tight black body suit with short black hair and surprisingly black cat ears poking up at the top of her head. She had slightly tanned skin, no doubt from the sun and yellow eyes.

She was smiling at the two as she slowly walked forward on all fours like an actual cat. "Feeling better after escaping dear old We-ice? You're not out of the woods yet! Ruby's a stickler for justice! She won't forget the two of you until she remembers!"

Aqua raised her Keyblade slightly, making Blake halt.

"Fancy weapon." The cat like girl snickered as she leaned forward and sniffed the edge of the Keyblade. "Is it yours?"

Aqua watched as the girl's golden eyes flared with purple fire. "You are like those other two, Ruby and Weiss, aren't you?"

"Am I?" Blake stopped and had a quizzical look on her face. "I mean, Ruby and I have black hair but she has red tips. Weiss didn't mind the occasional book but she was never into the same stuff as me. Do you like books?"

Aqua shared a look with Neo who made a 'cuckoo' sign, pretty much saying that this girl named Blake had gone crazy like the other two in her own way.

"As for me, you could say my mind is…a bit fuzzy." Blake snickered as she rolled around on the ground. "You know, because I got cat ears and I act like a cat?"

She let out a laugh as she rolled around the ground a few times.

"I'm a little messed up but that's only because I'm just waking up! The lights are still on but you'll see the night soon! Darkness rises when light falls, Black the Beast descends from shadows!" Blake laughed and sang at the end. "From the shadows, I descend upon the world and take back what you stole! Reclaim our destiny as the heroes that could have been!"

Sand started pick up as a wind suddenly blew around Aqua and Neo.

"Don't you just hate it when sand gets in your hair? Well, that's kind of expected when you are on the beach. Sand gets…everywhere!" Blake threw her head back and laughed.

Aqua and Neo covered their faces to keep the sand out of their eyes.

"The shadows will be here soon! Are you prepared for the worst? If not…" Blake jumped to her feet as a gust of wind lifted her off the ground. "Too bad!"

Chapter Text

The Lost Dragon

Falling was the first thing she remembered.

Distant voices echoing inside her head.

She had acted without hesitations, saving her sister and was peaceful and content in what she believed to be her final moments.

Then she was here.

"Yang."

She turned around and her eyes widened, seeing a familiar face that resembled hers along with a dark mane of hair and blood red eyes.

Raven Branwen.

"Mom…"

"So, you are still alive after all." Her birth mother noted with a small smile. "I knew it all along."

"Where are we?" She asked, looking around, seeing the strange empty void they were standing in. "This place looks familiar…"

"For me, it was where I was during my experience with the last Spring Maiden." Raven stated.

Yang then turned, looking at her mother. "…No."

"I'm afraid so, kiddo. Funny, I ran away because I realized Oz's fight with Salem was unwinnable but, in the end, she wasn't even the one to end it all. Pretty much makes me feel even more worthless, knowing everything I did to stay alive was all for naught." Raven shrugged, not seeming to mind she was admitting she was dead. "At least I know you're still alive. Qrow was sure you all died when Atlas had gone down."

"But…How…What…" Yang was trembling, trying to process what she had heard. "You mean-"

"It's all gone, Yang. Our world was attacked and destroyed by…something. A force of darkness, not Salem and the Grimm but something darker." Raven crossed her arms, looking away.

"No…You…Dad…Uncle Qrow…" She fell to her knees. "All gone."

"Yeah." Raven said softly as she knelt down in front of her daughter. "…I'm sorry."

Yang cried out and actually hugged her mother, the woman who abandoned her twice and held her tightly. Raven seemed hesitant but slowly hugged her back, letting her cry on her shoulders.

"At the least you and your friends are alive. Be sure to tell them thanks for looking out for you in my place." Raven closed her eyes as she began to fade. "This is my final gift to you, Yang. Use it however you see fit."

"No! NO! NOOOOOOOO!" Yang tried desperately clawing at her birth mother as she began to vanish but her attempts were in vain.

She woke up, back in what was left of the Paper Pleaser village, surrounded by her friends and all of them displaying the same power in the form of flames surrounding their eyes as Jaune got up and stared at them.

"Your eyes…" Jaune whispered, staring in shock. "You're all Maidens."

"…You all got it too?" Yang asked, already knowing the answer.

Weiss was the first. "Winter told me Remnant was destroyed."

"So did Cinder." Ruby said and chuckled bitterly. "Ironic that she sent the power to me, but it was probably random on her part."

"I saw the Summer Maiden…" Blake nodded. "She said something about a dark force, not Salem and the Grimm-"

"Destroying Remnant?" Yang finished. "My mom said the same thing."

The three plus their blond-haired friend looked at her.

"Your mom?" Weiss asked.

It was then she realized she had said it out loud. "…Yeah. My mom was the Spring Maiden. Vernal was a decoy at Haven."

The three just stared at her, unable to believe what they had heard.

"Yang…All this time…You didn't tell us." Blake murmured in shock. "You didn't tell me."

"Or me." Ruby said, looking heartbroken that her own sister had lied to her.

Yang just looked away. "…I had my reasons."

"Had your reasons….Had your reasons?" Ruby muttered and then chuckled darkly. "That's your best excuse?"

Yang glanced at Ruby. "I…I couldn't tell…It was personal…"

Blake stared at Yang in shock, unable to believe what she had just learned.

Yang had lied to her.

After everything they went through, Yang had still kept a secret this big from her.

"That's your best excuse? Ever since Mistral you have been the most outspoken against keeping secrets but you have been keeping the identity of the Spring Maiden a secret! And it turned out to be the woman who abandoned and betrayed you and almost got us killed at Haven! And you didn't stop there, you went behind Ironwood's back and told Robyn about Amity and we didn't know until he turned on us!"

"We were trying to help!" Yang barked.

"And how was keeping the identity of the Spring Maiden a secret from us helping?!" Weiss questioned angrily. "How did that help us?!"

"She wasn't going to help us anyway! I thought it wouldn't matter!" Yang defended herself.

"Didn't matter?! Who do you think you are deciding what matters?! That woman abandoned you, kidnapped me and almost got us killed! And for what?!" Weiss threw her arms up. "Hoping she'll love you, is that it?!"

"Shut up, Weiss!" Yang stood up as her own Maiden power flared. "Don't you dare go there!"

"Why shouldn't she?" Blake got up with her own powers circling. "You lied to all of us and I had the nerve to go along with you about Robyn and you couldn't tell me your little secret? After all the trouble I went through to regain your trust and I promised I would never leave you, you couldn't trust me!? You're a complete hypocrite like…like…"

"Like who, Blake?" Yang asked, her eyes turning red.

"LIKE ADAM! HE KEPT GOING ON THAT HE WAS MAKING THE WORLD BETTER FOR FAUNUS BUT HE KILLED ANYONE WHO GOT IN HIS WAY, HUMAN OR FAUNUS! IT DIDN'T MATTER TO HIM IN THE SLIGHTEST BECAUSE ALL HE CARED ABOUT WAS MAKING THE WORLD FEEL HIS PAIN!" Blake shouted as a whirlwind started to appear around the four Maidens.

"OH WELL MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T HAVE KILLED HIM THEN IF YOU FEEL THAT BADLY, BLAKE!" Yang shouted back. "MAYBE I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAVED YOU FROM HIM BACK AT ARGUS!"

"WHAT?!" Ruby and Weiss exclaimed.

"AND MAYBE I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAVED YOU FROM HIM AFTER HE CUT YOUR ARM OFF OR AGREED TO KEEP THE FACT THAT WE KILLED HIM A SECRET FROM THE OTHERS!" Their voices grew louder as the whirlwind around them intensified. "ALL THIS TIME YOU ACT LIKE YOU'RE THIS BIG STRONG, CONFIDENT WOMAN BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, YANG? YOU'RE A SPOILED, COWARDLY HYPOCRITE LIKE YOUR MOMMY WAS!"

"SPOILED?! COWARDLY?! I WAS DOWN ON THERE IN MANTLE RISKING MY LIFE TO HELP EVACUATE THE PEOPLE AND ENTERED THAT GRIMM WHALE TO RESCUE OSCAR! WHERE WERE YOU, BLAKE?! SLUMMING IN THE SCHNEE MANSION, SITTING ON YOUR BUTT AND TWIDDLING YOUR THUMBS WHILE PEOPLE WERE FIGHTING AND DYING!" Yang roared. "I SACRIFICED MYSELF TO SAVE RUBY FROM THAT ICE CREAM BITCH WHO FELL WITH US AND YOU COULDN'T KEEP HER SAFE! AND WHAT IS THIS ABOUT ME BEING SPOILED?! YOU'RE PRACTICALLY A PRINCESS AMONG FAUNUS, YOU GREW UP IN A MANSION LIKE WEISS DID AND YOUR PARENTS ACTUALLY LOVED YOU BUT YOU RAN AWAY FROM THEM AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO CALL ME COWARDLY!?"

"ARE YOU SAYING I'M THE SPOILED ONE?!" Blake growled. "I'M NOT THE ONE GOING ON ABOUT NO SECRETS WHILE KEEPING MY OWN!"

"That's not-"

"No, she's right, Yang!" Yang was shocked to see Ruby agreeing with Blake. "You didn't just lie to Blake, you lied to me too! Why didn't you say anything about Raven or Amity to me?! And now I just find out you two killed Adam Taurus and didn't tell me or Weiss?!"

Yang gritted her teeth. "Ruby-"

"What happened to me being team leader? What happened to me being your sister? You demand people be upfront with you but keep secrets for such a stupid reason?!" Ruby shouted, marching up to Yang.

"Yeah, Yang! Why didn't you say anything? And you had the nerve to criticize Ruby's leadership when you were as much to blame, if not even more!" Weiss cut back in.

"DON'T TURN MY SISTER AGAINST ME!" Yang snapped.

"YOU ALREADY HAVE!" Ruby snapped back, shocking Yang. "I mean, why would I stick by you when my input is clearly not valued anymore? Here we are, trapped in a dangerous world with virtually no way out while being pursued by a psycho who wants to kill ME SPECIFICALLY! You wanted me to help comfort Jaune over his FAKE FRIENDS and now you want me to back you up about lying to us about Raven being the actual Spring Maiden!"

She snapped a fingers and there was a gust of wind that kicked up dirt.

"Sure, let me snap my fingers and we'll just wake up back at Beacon again with no Salem, no world threatening fight that we have no chance of winning and no more DEATH! Oh wait." Ruby adopted a look of mock shock on her face before shouting. "I CAN'T BECAUSE THE WORLD IS ALREADY GONE! AND IT WAS PROBLABLY OUR FAULT TOO! So sorry to disappoint, Big Sister but I am DONE trying to stay positive while cleaning up YOUR mistakes!"

"My mistakes?!" Yang exclaimed, looking completely afront by Ruby's accusations.

"Yes, your mistakes! Their mistakes!" Ruby pointed at Weiss, Blake and Jaune next. "All our mistakes!"

"What are you talking about?" Blake asked, looking genuinely confused.

"Oh, need a reminder, Blake. Let's go down the list, shall we?!" Ruby looked to Weiss first. "Weiss, your father contributed to the Fall of Atlas and YOU stood by and did NOTHING because you had 'family issues' to deal with! We spent a whole DAY in your house, listening to you work through your problems with your brother and mom. CONGRATS, YOUR PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED AND YOUR BASTARD FATHER IS DEAD! Now shut the hell up and don't bother giving your input until you DON'T require immediate assistance in EVERY FIGHT YOU PARTAKE IN!"

Weiss looked stunned as Ruby then turned to Blake and Yang.

"Yang, Blake, I'm going to address both of you since it's clear Blake hasn't had any decision making since you decided to start making out with each other! CONGRATS, we're all so HAPPY for you two! Maybe if you had focused on STOPPING THE END OF THE WORLD, instead of sucking face, Atlas might not have fallen! After all, YOU TWO were the ones who went behind everyone's back by blabbing to Robyn!" Ruby shouted at the two. "It was YOUR FAULT that Ironwood stopped trusting us! It was YOUR FAULT Ironwood abandoned Mantle. And it was YOUR GODDAMN FAULT THAT OUR OWN PLAN FAILED! And Yang, congratulations, you're just LIKE YOUR COWARD OF A MOMMY! RAVEN MUST BE SO PROUD OF YOU NOW!"

Yang growled, her eyes flaring while Blake just stepped away from Yang as Ruby turned to Jaune.

"AND JAUNE! Time for some harsh truth: You are not, never have been, AND NEVER WILL BE a hero! You are nothing more than a pathetic liar who has slowed everyone else down! And now I'm supposed to be in mourning over your MAKE-BELIEVE FRIENDS!"

"They're gone because of you!" Jaune barked back, marching up to Ruby. "The walkers came for YOU because NEO. HATES. YOU!"

He pointed his finger right at Ruby's face. "And let's not forget the REASON we are in the Ever After in the first place. Because of YOUR plan that DIDN'T WORK! What about you?! IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU!"

"All about ME?!" Ruby snapped back, the red fire around her eyes intensifying. "You were the one playing folk hero because you couldn't handle being a LOSER in the real world! In fact, I'm surprised you even care at this point! You've lost your sword,"

She pointed to Jaune's broken sword.

"Your family and the only girl who ever gave a DAMN about you! So, you want to blame ME for MY plans failing?! AT LEAST I TRIED TO CARRY MY WEIGHT!"

"Carry your weight?! Were you carrying your weight when I was on the bridge and had to KILL PENNY?!" Jaune shouted back.

For a moment there was silence.

Ruby stared back with a shocked look on her face while Blake and Yang mimicked her looks while Weiss looked ready to burst into tears.

"You killed her…" Ruby whispered. "You killed her!?"

"I had to! I was the only who could do it! She was going to die and Cinder was going to get the power!" Jaune was trembling as he fell to his knees. "And I've had to live with that…I'll always have to live with it, in this world or back home."

Ruby stepped back, tears slipping down her face. "You killed her…"

They all stood or lied on the ground, overlooking the remains of the village, hope completely lost and their hearts filling with despair as dark clouds formed overheard.

"YOU KILLED HER!" Ruby shouted and launched herself at Jaune, knocking him down and grabbing him by the collar, shaking and slamming him against the ground. "SHE HAD JUST BECOME REAL AND YOU KILLED HER!"

"RUBY STOP!" Weiss pulled Ruby off Jaune. "IT WASN'T HIS FAULT!"

Ruby spun and glared at Weiss. "YOU KNEW THE WHOLE TIME DIDN'T YOU?! YOU KNEW AND DIDN'T TELL ME!"

"I didn't want you blaming Jaune! He stopped Cinder from getting the Winter Maiden powers!" Weiss argued. "My sister has…Had them."

Ruby didn't care that Weiss was about to cry from mentioning her sister. "YOUR SAME DAMN SISTER WHO WAS IRONWOOD'S LAPDOG UNTIL THE LAST SECOND! THAT SISTER?! IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER!"

"Oh, sorry! Was I supposed to make you feel better?!" Weiss snapped. "Pardon me, I forgot my place on this team!"

It began to rain.

"Guys, please stop!" Blake tearfully spoke. "We're all that's left now!"

"Blake, shut up!" Ruby shouted. "I will NOT be talked down by someone whose only major accomplishment was kickstarting a TERRORIST GROUP!"

Blake gaped, stepping back.

"DON'T TALK TO HER LIKE THAT!" Yang snapped.

"Or what, Yang?!" Ruby snapped back. "You'll make out with her and ignore everything else like you've done since you came back!"

"Excuse me for having a life outside of you? Am I supposed to cater to your needs every time, Little Sister!" Yang shouted, her hair flaring. "I'M ONLY DOWN HERE BECAUSE I TOOK A HIT FOR YOU!"

"WE'RE ONLY HERE BECAUSE YOU SCREWED UP AND YOU CAN'T EVEN ADMIT IT!" Ruby shouted as lightning flashed from above. "IF YOU KEPT YOUR MOUTH SHUT MAYBE ATLAS WOULDN'T HAVE FALLEN AND PENNY WOULDN'T BE DEAD!"

"OH SORRY! SORRY I WAS TRYING TO HELP! AT LEAST WE DID SOMETHING!" Yang retorted. "YOU HAD THE IDEA OF LYING TO IRONWOOD IN THE FIRST PLACE! WE SAW IT WASN'T WORKING AND WE DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT!"

"DON'T DRAG ME INTO THIS!" Blake stepped back, unable to look at Yang. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT AFTER ADMITTING YOU LIED TO ME ABOUT EVERYTHING?! ABOUT RAVEN BEING THE ACTUAL SPRING MAIDEN!"

Yang stared at Blake, looking absolutely shocked.

"I WORKED SO HARD TO GAIN YOUR TRUST BACK AND YOU COULDN'T TRUST ME!" Blake was crying now as more lightning flashed overhead and thunder boomed all around them. "IT'S JUST LIKE WITH ADAM! HE LIED TO MY FACE OVER AND OVER!"

"ARE YOU SAYING I'M LIKE HIM?! HE CUT MY DAMN ARM OFF!" Yang shouted, holding up his mechanical arm. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY I'M LIKE HIM!"

"HARD NOT TO WHEN YOU LOOK JUST LIKE HIM NOW!" Blake shouted as a literal tornado appeared around the girls. "AND I CAN'T BELIEVE I LET MYSELF BELIEVE THINGS WOULD BE DIFFERENT! THAT YOU WOULD BE DIFFERENT!"

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" Weiss screamed, unable to take it anymore.

The tornado dissipated and the four Maidens and the Rusted Knight stood in what was left of the village. They all fell to the ground, unable to handle the pressure anymore.

"So…what do we now?" Blake slowly asked, staring up at the dark clouds.

Weiss sat up next. "What's the point? There is nothing left for us. No home to return to, no families waiting for us…It's pointless."

"What is there left to do? What's the point of having these powers?" Blake didn't even bother to move. "It's all gone…"

"Really nice attitude, Blake." Yang grumbled as she sat up. "I thought the days of you just giving up were over."

"Get lost." Blake rolled on her side, turning away from Yang. "I'm done trying to earn your trust. It's clear to me now I'll never truly have it so it's not worth it anymore. You love your secrets more than me so you can keep them."

Yang clenched her fists, her hair flaring, eyes blazing red…and tears dripping down her cheeks. "Fine! I can't believe I ever missed you!"

She got up on her feet, looking between Weiss and Ruby. "…Not like you're any better, Weiss if you really think of me like that."

"Maybe you're not worth it like Blake said." Weiss turned away.

"Go drown in the water." Yang snapped and looked at Ruby, her eyes softening for a second…and then she turned around.

"The feeling's mutual." Weiss stood up. "I don't care what you say, what you do and right now I don't care if I never see any of you again."

"Likewise." Blake stood up next. "At least I'm not the first to run away this time, Yang."

"Go eat a fish." Yang said, so furious she didn't wait for Ruby.

Ruby watched as her sister just turned and walked into the woods, too tired and too upset to call out after her.

Yang was the first to leave.

Unlike her mother who had abandoned her team and family out of fear, Yang abandoned them out of anger, despair, sadness, guilt and regret. She knew she had been lying to her friends and family and it hurt them along with the knowledge they could never return home and see the people they had left behind.

Weiss was the next to go.

"I'm done." Ruby then watched as Weiss turned and walked off, going in what Ruby thought was east.

She even dropped her precious weapon, Myrtenaster on the ground as she walked away.

Unable to cope with the pain, she created an icy replica of her childhood home and gathered a bunch of coconuts and berries to take with her to experiment on. She couldn't make genuine wine, but she turned to them simply to try and drown out the pain and the nightmares that came. She found one of the fruits had an intoxicating effect on her so she stuck with it.

And Blake…

"Nice to know how you all feel!" Blake barked, glaring slightly at Ruby before she did the same as the first two.

She walked away.

She promised she would never do that again, but she did it again without hesitation.

Blake had completely lost her sanity. The revelation Yang had lied to her for so long along with the fact their world along with her family and other friends were gone had completely shattered her sense of reason. Where she was once the calm, cool, collected and rational member of the group she had snapped under the pressure. There was nothing to do but seek comfort in her new madness, even embracing her Faunus heritage.

Jaune said nothing as he hopped onto his rabbit named Juniper and galloped off with no clear idea of where he was going.

As for Ruby…

The loss of Remnant and its people, along with her dad and Uncle Qrow and her friends, the breakup of her team, Ruby felt it was all somehow her fault and the sheer pressure of it didn't cause her to snap like Blake did. Instead, she allowed her heart to be blackened and the only thing she could do was try and take out her pain out on the one person she could still blame for all of this.

Neo.

It was her fault they had fallen here.

So, Ruby would exact the one final remnants of justice left and make Neopolitan pay.

Yeah, the person who got them stranded here and keeping them from saving everyone back in their world.

'Of with your head, Neo!' She thought as she picked up Crescent Rose which Jaune had found on the beach.

The hunt was on.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Enter the Darkness)

"Come on, embrace the shadows with me!" Blake shouted in manic glee as she summoned a literal tornado around Aqua and Neo.

Aqua grunted as she grabbed Neo and teleported the both of them outside the tornado, surprising Blake.

Aqua immediately took advantage of Blake's surprise. "Collision Magnet!"

A beam of light shot out of her Keyblade, reaching up to Blake as she turned around and was immediately pulled down to the ground towards Neo who immediately delivered a kick to her chest, sending the Summer Maiden flying back. She crashed into a tree and it fell over but Blake herself was fine as she stood up and flashed a toothy grin at the two.

"Interesting." She raised her hands and sand gathered into her hands which then ignited, causing the sand to form into glass.

Neo scowled for some reason but Aqua paid her little mind as Blake's glass weapons resembled a katana in one hand and a large cleaver in the other. With a grin, Blake shot forward and slashed her weapon at Aqua who immediately blocked with her Keyblade. She stepped back as Blake spun and twirled, slashing with her weapons at different angles but Aqua was able to dodge or block each strike. She managed to land a slash on Blake but to her surprise, Blake suddenly vanished.

"Looking for something?"

Aqua spun around in time for Blake to deliver a backhanded strike with her cleaver, knocking her down. With a mere gesture of her hand, the glass made katana turned into a pistol that Blake aimed at Aqua while she was still down.

"I know, hardly necessary but old habits die really hard." Blake snickered.

However, when she pulled the trigger and fired a burst of flame at Aqua, the Keyblade Master surprisingly shattered.

"Hmm?" Blake raised an eyebrow before smiling. "Oh right, I forgot about you."

She turned to see Aqua standing next to Neo, the two of them glaring at her.

"I wonder if I should bother to save you for Ruby or if I should just give her the leftovers." Blake mused as she morphed her pistol back into a katana. "It's not like she asked me to save you for her if we ever ran into each other."

Only now both her katana and cleaver were on fire.

"Or we could just cook you up and split you down the middle."

"Enough." Aqua said as she approached Blake. "I am not interested in hearing any more of this."

Blake giggled as she charged at Aqua, but the Keyblade Master simply pointed her Keyblade at her incoming opponent.

"Transcendence!"

Around Aqua appeared an anti-gravity field that Blake ran right into. The Summer Maiden was lifted off her feet and sent hurtling in all directions. Try as she might, Blake could not break free and it didn't help her that Aqua slashed at her when she got close, causing the purple aura surrounding her strain as it fought to hold off the anti-gravity field, she was trapped in. Finally, it broke and with one well aimed hit to the head, Blake was knocked out.

Aqua dispelled the anti-gravity field and Blake crashed into the ground, completely knocked out but still sporting a funny smile on her face.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Enter the Darkness)

Neo looked impressed by how easily Aqua took down someone as strong as a Maiden, something not even she could do.

Aqua sighed and looked at her. "Shall we go?"

Neo nodded but gestured to Blake.

"Even if she tries to track us down I don't think she and her friends particularly care about us, not even you." Aqua answered Neo's unspoken question.

Neo shrugged and followed Aqua, leaving Blake to rest in the middle of the forest.

Aqua and Neo spent the better part of the remaining day exploring the island which was very large. Luckily Aqua had been trained to survive out in the wilds and collected coconuts and berries with Neo and even found a stream of fresh water nearby.

Hey, when you are being trained to travel to other worlds, it's kind of expected to learn a few survival skills.

She could have just taken Neo back to Drasil but she wanted to hold off on that for a bit. As helpful as Drasil and Lokai had been to her she had yet to understand their intentions through all of this. Between sending her to Fantasias and then sending her to that world with the Gods and everything that had happened and now this, she wasn't exactly sure if all of this had not somehow been planned or not.

She knew this island was connected to Izanagi and Erebus but it was clear they were not here or she would have sensed their presence.

Eventually Neo and Aqua found a place to camp out and they sat around a fire to keep them warm when suns had finally set. Both Neo and Aqua were quiet, well it was clear to Aqua that Neo wasn't capable of speaking so silence was normal for her but Aqua couldn't really think of anything to say at the moment. It seemed everything that had happened to her was finally catching up and she needed some time to process it all.

To think she came so far from just trying to get home.

She felt Neo tapping her shoulder and looked over at her. "What?"

Neo held out her device. So what's your story?

Aqua raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I even have a story?"

You show up out of nowhere like we did only you got magic, except you're not a Maiden like the others. Only Maidens should have magic on Remnant, discounting Ozpin or Salem.

Again with Ozpin and Salem?

That tells me there is some form of magic that still exists on Remnant or…You're not from Remnant at all.

Aqua's eyes widened slightly, not expecting Neo to figure it out but they were on another world separate from her own world so she guess she shouldn't have been surprised. Aqua debated telling her the truth or not in her head as Neo typed out another message.

Not to mention that key shaped weapon you use. It's magical too with the way you can just summon it or make it disappear when you don't need it. I gather that it's the source of your magic.

Aqua sighed, silently cursing Neo's deductive skills and nodded as she summoned her Keyblade. "Well, no use hiding the truth from you now. This weapon is called the Keyblade, for obvious reasons of course."

Because it's a giant key? Neo typed as she looked over the weapon.

"Yeah, and it has some pretty neat tricks. The obvious one is that it being shaped like a key, gives it to the power to unlock or lock almost anything. A door, a chest or even the boundaries between other world." Aqua explained.

Neo raised an eyebrow, a hint of intrigue now shown in her eyes.

"And yeah, the Keyblade is a natural conduit for magic and the only limitations are my stamina." Aqua continued. "It's a powerful weapon, considered the greatest one of all and only a select few are considered worthy to wield it. However, the Keyblade comes with a great responsibility."

Of course, it does. Neo rolled her eyes.

"You see, us Keyblade Wielders are charged with going from world to world, protecting them from a powerful darkness that threatens their core. We call those cores the hearts of the world. Sometimes the darkness of one world will grow and become stronger, manifesting into creatures of darkness. My master called them the Heartless."

Neo just sat and listened with suddenly rapt attention.

"The Heartless are in fact born from the darkness in people's hearts but every world itself is actually composed of light and darkness and when the darkness tries to overcome the light it commonly manifests as the Heartless." Aqua continued, recalling her master's lessons. "And the Heartless will try to seek the heart of the world they appear on. If they do…the world is destroyed along with its people, creating more Heartless to seek and devour more worlds."

Neo's eyes widened as she took in what Aqua said and felt there was a connection. These Heartless…They destroyed Remnant, our world, didn't they?

"I am starting to think they did." Aqua dismissed her Keyblade. "Based on what Ruby, Weiss and Blake said the Heartless must have found your world and devoured its heart."

Neo stared at the fire with an unreadable expression as she typed another message. That explains why they suddenly said Remnant was gone. The world was destroyed and the power of the Maidens transferred to them even though they were not on Remnant anymore. Who knows how long the power spent looking for a new host? How unlucky for Neo that the four Maiden powers transferred to those four.

"And what exactly are these Maiden powers?" Aqua asked.

"They're the power of the four seasons gifted to four young women." A voice suddenly cut in.

Neo jumped to her feet, standing near Aqua as she stood up and summoned her Keyblade as a new person stepped out of the bushes. This one had long blond hair, dressed on a sleeveless top that showed off her stomach and shorts, both looking torn and stitched together. Her hair was a golden mane that went all the way down to her knees.

And her right arm…

There was only what looked like a metallic skeleton with yellow parts attached to it. The arm looked rusted but was still holding together and heavy work having been done on it was evident.

She stepped out, throwing a harsh glare at Neo while Aqua decided to step in between the two to prevent a fight from breaking out. "I take it you are one of these four Maidens then."

"Yep. The name's Yang Xiao Long, the Spring Maiden." Yang said stoically now that Neo was behind this newcomer. "So, you travel to other worlds, huh?"

Aqua said nothing, just staring calmly at the young woman.

"Yeah, I was eavesdropping." Yang shrugged. "Probably rude of me but I saw the fire from my cave and decided to see who it was. Imagine my surprise to see it was Neo and you, the lady with a magical sword that travels to other worlds and saves them from that darkness you were just talking about. So tell me,"

Her eyes flared red with magical yellow fire blazing around them.

"Why didn't you save my world?"

Chapter Text

The Man With Two Souls

"Well, how about it Miss Key Wielder? Why didn't you save my world from those things?"

Aqua stared quietly at the young woman with the blazing hair and eyes, feeling the raw magic circling around her because of her emotions.

She was different from the others.

The girl in the red hood, Ruby was looking for a twisted form of justice.

Weiss had metaphorically frozen her heart to try and numb the pain.

Blake was mentally broken, giving away all form of reason to cope.

This girl, Yang…

She was retaining her sanity and heart but Aqua could see the pain and anguish in her eyes.

She had just given up and accepted what had happened with bitterness and regret.

"You're supposed to be going from world to world to find these Heartless and stop them from destroying said worlds so where were you when they destroyed ours?" Yang harshly asked. "We could have made it back in time if it wasn't for you!"

"I didn't even know your world even existed. I only fell here because someone was using the power of a spirit named Ambrosius, creating a gap in between dimensions that I fell into." Aqua answered, remaining calm.

Yang's eyes widened and her breath hitched.

"You know who Ambrosius is, don't you?" Aqua carefully asked. "I was falling into a world known as the Realm of Darkness, the home of the Heartless when I was pulled away and fell here. Whoever used Ambrosius unintentionally created this gap just as I was falling and instead of the Realm of Darkness I fell here. The chances are that the gap accidently brought the Heartless to your world as well."

Yang's breath was panting slightly and she was trembling now. "You're saying…We did this?"

Aqua looked surprised at that question before she realized what Yang had meant. "You're the ones who used Ambrosius, aren't you?"

"I…We…" Yang stepped back. "We were only trying…"

Trying to do what? Neo asked as she typed and held up a message. To be heroes?

"Shut up!" Yang shouted ironically at the mute. "It's your fault we're here! You teamed up with Cinder and Salem even though they only want to destroy the world."

I am here because Cinder betrayed me and because you made that stupid golden road. I was not in this fight for that bitch or her boss. I was there because your sister killed my best friend and I wanted to avenge him.

"Killed your…You mean Roman?" Yang stopped and realized what this was about. "You thought Ruby killed Roman?"

Thought implies I was tricked. She emerged from that crash unscathed while he didn't, ergo she killed him.

"She didn't kill him! A Grimm ate him!" Yang snapped, her eyes flaring again. "All this because you thought she killed some crook!"

Why should I believe you? Neo glared back and typed another message. And he was the only friend I had in the world, not just some crook. It's people like you who are the villains to me. You act like you want to save people but you only do it for the ones you know are in immediate danger. You don't give consideration to the people suffering in silence and because of that I hate Huntsmen and Huntresses for being so stupid and fake.

Roman was the only one to help me. He was the only one to treat me as an actual human being, even more so than my own literally deadbeat parents who only cared about themselves. He gave me the motivation to actually try living and to have something to cling into this miserable hell we call life. We only had each other because we know no one else would ever give a damn whether we lived or died.

"You wrecked Vale and destroyed our school." Yang held up her mechanical arm. "That's why I have this."

Cinder forced us to work for her, promising we would live if we helped her. You think we should have said no and died for your sake? Screw that, Blondie. A bunch of clueless students and their douche bag leaders are not worth dying for in my eyes.

"Yeah because that worked so well for you, didn't it?" Yang scoffed. "Face it, Neo. She betrayed you again and you let her do it. She left you and Roman for dead at Beacon and she did it again just now."

Well, the jokes on her now. She's the one who is dead.

"And so is the rest of the world." Yang snapped. "All because you couldn't stop and think for two seconds."

And what about you, Blondie? I overheard your little spat with your friends. You lied to them and to Ironwood and because of that, you broke apart and Irondouche went nuts, not that he wasn't already a loon to begin with. You pretty much gave Salem the lamp and staff with how you were picking fights with each other.

Yang growled at that.

You still haven't gotten it through your thick head that you helped create the situation here as much as I did. You tore your bonds with your friends and allies apart while I just wanted to kill the one who killed my friend. I didn't need to do anything about that.

"Shut…up." Yang growled softly.

Neo smirked. I'm not even to blame for the loss of the world. You all did that with the staff. You ended the world, not me.

"SHUT UP!" Yang shouted with fire literally exploding around her.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Rage Awakened – The Origin -)

Aqua stepped in front of Neo, summoning a barrier that blocked the flames before they could burn them both alive but Aqua took a chance to throw a dirty look at Neo for provoking another fight. Neo just shrugged, knowing it was likely going to end in a fight anyway. Yang shot forward, her mechanical hand curling into a fist as she reached back and then shot forward. The first exploded on contact, forcing the barrier back and Aqua and Neo sliding along with it.

Aqua kept the barrier up as Yang wildly and savagely launched punch after punch and slowly cracks started to form. Aqua noticed that Yang was seemingly channeling her powers into her fists and thus was getting stronger over time.

That was not good.

Deciding it was no good to be on the defense, Aqua teleported herself and Neo away just as she dropped the barrier. Yang staggered forward a bit, not expecting such a reaction.

"Mini!"

Yang then watched as everything around her grew so much bigger…

Or maybe she was growing smaller.

Once she was shrunk to the point Aqua's foot was bigger than her, the Keyblade Master brought her hand down and pinned Yang to the ground. The girl struggled to move but her new size made it impossible to muster the strength she needed compared to her opponents.

Neo stood over Aqua, smiling tauntingly down at the pinned Maiden.

"Look, I understand your pain but this isn't helping." Aqua said before throwing a look at Neo. "And that's not helping either."

Neo just stepped back and crossed her arms.

Aqua looked back down at Yang. "I'm sorry about your world, I really am but I had no idea that I would be falling here in the first place. Think of existence like a forest of trees. Your tree is a completely separate in the forest. I couldn't save your world because until now, I did know other Worlds existed beyond the Realm of Light or Darkness."

Yang grunted as she tried to break free. "And I'm supposed to care."

"Yes, because trying to care might be the only thing you have left." Aqua retorted. "If not what else do you have to live for?"

"Let's find out!" Yang shouted as storm clouds started to rise up around her.

Of course they were really small clouds because of her size but it made Aqua let go and step back. Yang returned to her normal size and a yellow fiery aura surrounded her. Deciding it was useless to talk; Aqua charged and brought her Keyblade down on Yang who instantly blocked with arms. Yang then followed up with a punch that Aqua hastily blocked but the strike was powerful enough to force her back.

Yang then shot forward, delivering another punch that sent Aqua flying back. Aqua tumbled along the ground but quickly got back up, charging at Yang again. Yang gathered a large fire ball in her hands and launched it at Aqua who dodged and tried slashing at her. Yang ducked and backhanded Aqua aside, sending her skidding back again. Aqua managed to recover and stood back up quickly.

"Not bad." Yang said, sounding slightly impressed. "Hope you're smarter than the last guy I fought with a sword."

She flew at Yang, gathering fire into her hand again and launched it at Aqua who quickly used a Reflega spell to send it right back. Yang however flew over it, somersaulted over Aqua and delivered a punch to the back. Aqua grunted and rolled back, kicking off the ground next and gave a hard thrust at Yang, sending her crashing into the ground this time. Yang grunted but got back up as a yellow Aura flared around her.

Aqua charged at Yang again, shouting as she pointed her Keyblade forward. "Gather!"

Yang was suddenly pulled off the ground into an energy field Aqua projected above her head and delivered up to eight slashes before it dispelled. Yang fell to the ground but looked up with a smile as her eyes turned red. She then gathered fire into her mechanical fist and slammed it into the ground, creating a massive shockwave of fire through the ground that knocked Aqua back.

CRASH!

Yang looked up with a smirk while Neo actually looked a little worried now.

If Blondie defeated Blue what chance would she have?

"Heal!"

To their surprise Aqua stood up and in a flash of green light, looked completely fine. Yang growled and shot forward, ranging her fists down on the Master who blocked nearly all of them before Yang managed to trip Aqua and tried to punch her. Aqua quickly ducked and kicked up, managing to kick Yang in the chin.

Yang staggered back, growling as she summoned another fireball while Aqua shouted. "Fire!"

From the tip of her Keyblade came a fireball that collided with Yang's exploding contact as both canceled each other out. Aqua was then engulfed in an aura of fire as she and Yang took off running, shooting fire at each other with Neo following behind.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Their attacks collided with each other before Yang launched herself at Aqua, grabbing the Keyblade with her mechanical hand while clenching her real one.

"Just like the other guy." Yang said, gathering fire in the real one.

Eyes widening, Aqua dismissed her Keyblade, causing Yang to stagger in surprised and immediately summoned it back. She then swung, her Keyblade bashing Yang in the face which sent her flying back. Yang hit the ground hard but got back up with a growl and her hands flaming. Immediately Yang shot hundreds of fire balls at Aqua whose eyes widened.

It was unlikely her Reflega spell could block an endless barrage no matter strong she might be.

So she used a different tactic.

An icy blue aura surrounded her as she prepared herself. Particles of ice emanated around as her as well.

"Absolute Zero!"

She shot forward, rushing at Yang and any fire ball that came near her was instantly frozen much to the shock of the Spring Maiden who kept on firing. Aqua easily froze her attacks, no matter how many came close to her. She shot right at Yang and delivered a slash that was followed up by a pillar of ice slamming into her and sending her flying.

CRASH!

Aqua watched as Yang crashed back into the ground yet again. "Had enough?"

"Are you kidding?" Yang asked as she got back up, cracking her neck. "This is the most fun I have had in forever!"

To prove her point, Yang created and shot a giant fire ball at Aqua who hastily blocked with a barrier but the sheer force pushed her back. Aqua could feel sweat dropping from the heat of the attack as she struggled against it but she managed to push it away and sent it flying into the water that created a blast of steam. Both opponents then charged at each other, Yang rearing one fist back and Aqua swinging her Keyblade.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The resulting clash created a powerful shockwave that shook the entire beach and blew themselves back. Aqua plunged her Keyblade to halt her slide back while Yang dug her feet into the ground as she skid back, stopping by just a few feet. The two then jumped forward and clashed with each other again, damaging each other as Aqua's Keyblade made contact with Yang's head and Yang's fist hit Aqua in the chest. The resulting contact blew them back again and like before they just got up and attacked again.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Neo stared in awe from the fight as they attacked, striking each other and getting pushed back but getting up and doing so again.

It was like a twisted game of ping pong.

Just as Aqua tried slashing again, Yang ducked and grabbed her before taking off into the sky. "Let's see you try this!"

She pressed her body against Aqua's as she angled them both down towards the ground.

CRASH!

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Rage Awakened – The Origin - Ends)

Yang jumped back and watched the smoke clear to reveal a crater…With Aqua lying face down on the ground, seemingly out cold. "Too bad. I was just starting to have fun."

She turned and looked at Neo who had been watching with awed shock on her face. "So, what say you and me settle our score?"

"Had enough?" The voice of an extremely weak Aqua asked.

Yang turned back, watching as Aqua weakly stood up. "How did-"

"Heal." Aqua whispered and in a flash of green light she was completely healed and fully recovered which made Yang gasp.

"No way…" She muttered. "Didn't I just knock you out?"

"Trust me; I've been hit by worse." Aqua remarked with a small smirk.

"Oh really?" Yang cracked her knuckles again. "How much can you really take?"

"I was about to ask the same of you." Aqua replied.

Neo had been watching the fight up until now, knowing that if she tried to intervene she would only get in the way. Still, it was thrilling to watch someone who was not a Maiden and didn't even have Aura able to take one and not only hold their own but dish it back.

Neo was not one for partnerships these days since the last one betrayed her but she knew that Aqua was her only chance of surviving here with four Maidens who hated her guts.

Speaking off…

SWISH!

She shattered just in time and appeared next to Aqua as Ruby landed a few feet away, having tried slicing Neo in two when she wasn't looking.

Yang looked over, seeing the girl in the red cloak. "…Ruby."

The girl stood up, her silver eyes flaring red as she glared at Aqua and Neo. "I finally found you."

Aqua looked carefully between the two, knowing their troubles had just doubled.

"After you two escaped, I spent a little time recovering before I started tracking you. I know you made it over to Weiss and escaped her and then you gave Blake the slip." Ruby twirled her scythe in one hand. "And you even found my sister."

Aqua looked in between the two. "Sisters? I…I can see the resemblance."

"Yeah, thanks." Ruby scoffed as she threw a dirty look at Yang.

Yang only stared back with a hardened look.

"I don't really care what your problem is…" Ruby pointed her scythe at Neo. "She's mine."

Neo glared at the red cloaked girl.

"Fine by me, I was just having fun with the blue one." Yang shrugged.

"Hehehehe…I'm not late for tea, am I?"

They all watched as Blake jumped from out of a tree and landed on the ground, slowly crawling on all fours.

"Blake…" Yang seemingly flinched.

"I was having a nice little cat nap when I heard all the ruckus." Blake said with a smile, briefly looking at Ruby and Yang. "Oh, look. We're all together…Except for Ice Queen…Well; she was always kind of a buzz kill at parties anyway."

Neo and Aqua could see they were in big trouble now. Just one of them was enough, two was pushing it but three?

Three was right out.

Neo didn't even have her weapon since she hadn't been able to find it in all the time she had been here. She glanced at Aqua who was staring stoically between the three. They would have to run for it but they moment they took off the three would be right on their trail.

They needed a distraction.

They needed a way to even the odds.

They needed a…

"So, shall we continue playing?" Blake asked as she crept forward. "Oh, but you must be! All of us playing together would be loads of fun! But then, you'd have to be mad…Mad enough to hide within a birdcage perhaps? Or mad…like…me."

Blake then charged right at the two, running on all four like a tiger as Aqua raised her Keyblade….

"Stop!"

A blast of green light slammed into Blake, knocking her down. Ruby and Yang turned around, watching as a man in silver rusted armor and a helmet covering their face emerged from the woods. He wore a long traveling cloak over his armor and was holding a rusty looking sword in one hand. The two women seemed to recognize him and their eyes narrowed as flames around them intensified.

"Ozpin…" Both snarled.

Aqua looked at the cloaked man, feeling something familiar. She had felt that magic in the other world when she had met… "Ozma."

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Another Side –Battle Ver.-)

Yang snarled as she launched a fire ball at the man but he easily side stepped the attack and shot forward, moving as a blur at Yang and slamming into her. The blond haired woman grunted from being hit but recovered and launched a fist at the cloaked man's face. The man side stepped the punch and rammed his foot into Yang's stomach. Ruby shot at the man, swinging her scythe with an enraged shout.

Aqua teleported between them and blocked the girl's slash and followed with one of her own. Ruby disappeared into a spiral of roses that slammed into Aqua, sending her skidding across the beach. Aqua jumped to her feet and watched the spiral coming right at her again.

"Lightning Ray!" Aqua shouted as a blinding light cloaked her.

She and Ruby dashed through each other, clashing with their attacks and moving so fast that it was impossible for them to be seen. Only Aqua was moving faster and she releasing bursts of electricity that shocked Ruby with each clash. The two then charged at each other, letting loud cries as they swung their weapons…

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The collision created a rather large explosion that scorched the beach and created high winds that blew through the trees. The two jumped back, landing perfectly on their feet. Just as Aqua did so, Blake tried leaping at her from behind…

Only for Neo to deliver a kick right to her face, knocking her into the water. "GAH! Not the water!"

Neo landed with her back facing Aqua's as the Keyblade Master looked over her shoulder, sharing a glance with Neo who nodded at her.

Aqua nodded back and focused on Ruby who charged at her. Just as Ruby swung her scythe Aqua teleported up into the air, generating a pillar of light that blinded Ruby and caused her Aura to shimmer. Neo followed up with a kick to Ruby's face that knocked her back. Blake lunged at Neo but Aqua appeared in front of her and rushed forward while cloaked in a barrier.

"Barrier Surge!" Aqua shouted as the barrier collided Blake, knocking her back.

Aqua then shot forward, executing a jumping attack that hit Blake three times before she could react. In the meantime, Neo shot at Ruby who snarled and swung her scythe. Only Neo stopped for she ran right into the scythe's range that would have got her head chopped off. Ruby's swing left her open and Neo capitalized by leaping grabbing her by the cloak and pulling her head down.

Neo slammed her knee into Ruby's face three times before throwing her away. Nearby, Yang let out an enraged roar at seeing Neo kicking her sister in the face, abandoning her fight with the armored man and rushed right at Neo.

Only that had been a mistake.

The man they had called Ozpin fired another green energy beam that hit Yang in the back, sending her tumbling at Neo who jumped over her and left her to collide with Ruby, knocking them both down. Neo landed next to the man, glaring at him but did nothing else.

Now was not the time to be picky of their allies.

Aqua landed in front of the two, watching as the three Maidens slowly picked themselves up.

"Okay, I've had enough!" Yang shouted as her fiery aura surrounded her. "I'm smashing you three into the ground now!"

"Off with your heads!" Ruby shouted, spinning her scythe and summoning a whirlwind around her.

"Oh! Today's the day to do your job's…Red like roses…Yellow beauty burns gold!" Blake giggled as the water around her began rising up. "Reclaim our destiny!"

All three Maidens powered up as Aqua readied herself by conjuring a barrier. The three shot forward and collided with the barrier, all of them screaming as they poured all of their powers into this one final attack.

'Terra, Ven, I wish you were with me.' Aqua thought sadly to herself.

Well, they were not with him but Neo and the man the girls had called Ozpin but felt like Ozma stood behind her and both placed their hands on the barrier to try and help her keep it up. Aqua looked between them, knowing that they were risking their lives by depending on her.

She couldn't let them down.

They might not be her friends but they were counting on her.

That seemed to give her the strength as her Keyblade began to glow right blue and this caused Neo's own pink aura and the man's white aura to shine and resonate with mystical key. The barrier seemed to grow stronger and began repelling the three Maidens who screamed as they were pushed back.

Aqua let out one final shout and swung her Keyblade, hitting each Maiden in the chest so hard they went flying back and crashed into the ground, their Auras shattering.

CRASH!

CRASH!

CRASH!

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Another Side –Battle Ver.- Ends)

Aqua stood up, panting as she looked at the three downed Maidens who looked like they were seconds away from fainting.

Yang managed to look up and glare with one open eye but when she blinked the three were gone.

Xxx

Aqua sighed as she leaned against the wall of the cave the man had taken her and Neo to after they had made their escape.

She looked over at the man who had rescued her and Neo. "Ozma, is that you?"

The man simply stared at her before pulling back his hood, revealing an elderly looking man with long blond hair with grey streaks tied in a low pony tail, a blond beard and weary blue eyes. "…How do you know that name?"

Chapter Text

The Realm of Darkness

"Who are you?" Aqua asked upon hearing the man's voice which sounded much younger than it should have been.

"I am…or was…Oscar Pine." The man said in a saddened voice. "I'm the latest in a long line of people who have tried and failed protecting the world known as Remnant. Ozma was our first incarnation, chosen by the God of Light to redeem humanity."

Aqua's eyes widened at the mention of Ozma's name. "Incarnation?"

"Whenever the previous person holding Ozma's soul dies, that soul eventually reincarnates in another like-minded body. The two become linked and slowly merge together over time with the previous host eventually fading and leaving the new host with all the memories and experiences of its predecessors." The person calling themselves Oscar explained. "I was Oscar Pine before…it happened and my soul wandered for what felt like forever before it made its way here and merged ironically with the soul of my friend, Jaune Arc. Only he was broken when he found out our world was destroyed by the girls when they gained the powers of the Maidens and I pretty much was left to take over, for all the good that it will do me now."

Oscar turned away from Aqua, looking at the wall. "Remnant is gone; Ozma's mission is over even if we can summon back the Gods."

"Summon back the Gods?" Aqua shook her head. "I'm sorry, I am trying to process this but I think you might want to start at the beginning."

"Yeah…" The young man chuckled sadly as he looked at Aqua again. "It's a bad habit I need to work on. Do you know the fairy tale 'The Girl In the Tower'?"

Aqua shrugged. "Can't say I'm big on fairy tales."

"Well, in a way it was real. There was a girl locked in a tower by her cruel father and was one day saved by a heroic warrior named Ozma. The two fell in love and planned to spend the rest of their lives together. Only Ozma fell ill and passed away." Oscar began, shocking Aqua with his story. "Salem couldn't accept his death and tried to get him back. She went to the Gods and asked them to bring him back to her and when they refused she tried to trick them and when she forced the issue they made her immortal. She could not die and be reunited with her beloved until she learned an important lesson about the balance of life and death."

Aqua was watching closing as the man holding the heart of the boy named Oscar stopped for a moment, struggling with deep feelings regarding Salem.

"Salem learned all right, she learned she could trick the Gods into fighting each other and if they could be tricked…They could be killed. She used her immortality to united humanity together against the Gods, deciding if they wouldn't bring her love back she would destroy them. As punishment the Gods wiped out humanity for their betrayal, wiping the world clean and leaving Salem as the only living person left alive."

'The only-Wait, that's not true.' Aqua perked up. 'I asked Izanagi and Erebus to spare the ones not involved in Salem's plot and they agreed after I defended them from Salem. Ozma died before that happened…Is it possible he was never told the truth?'

"But for some strange reason, the God of Light brought Ozma back, granting him the ability to reincarnate himself into the souls of like-minded people, tasking him with redeeming humanity and uniting the world. Ozma agreed, if only because he could see Salem again and tried to work with her in uniting humanity…" Oscar trailed off and looked away.

"…Oscar?" Aqua slowly reached a hand out.

"Only to fail and he spent the next millennia trying to stop her from bringing about humanity's second and permanent end."

What was going on?

Aqua sat outside Oscar's cave, staring out at the forest leading out to the see. Oscar's story fit most of what she knew, only missing the obvious parts involving. The parts where she fought Salem and her army to stop them from getting themselves and everyone else killed and the Gods agreeing to spare those who were not involved.

Either Oscar left those parts out or he didn't know.

All she did know was that Ozma had been revived somehow and had been fighting with Salem for centuries up until they used Ambrosius to create that pocket dimension she fell through when she fell into darkness with Terra.

So why didn't Oscar know her?

Even if they knew each other briefly, Oscar would have had Ozma's memories of them fighting together against Sidorak who became Surtr and those mad rulers up until he died.

And why did Izanagi choose to bring back Ozma?

Aqua had more questions than answers now and she knew where she needed to go to get them.

Aqua stood up and walked into the cave, finding Neo and Oscar sitting around a fire. "I have to leave now."

Neo glanced at her while Oscar spoke up. "And go where? There is nowhere to go."

"There is. That giant tree in the center of the island is no ordinary tree. It's a spirit, connecting this realm to the realms outside." Aqua answered, causing both to stare at her. "It sent me to a point in time in your world before its destruction."

"Impossible." Oscar looked away.

"Because you have seen it yourself or you just gave up?" Aqua questioned. "I have been at the center of the tree and met the spirit, Yggdrasil. She introduced me to Jinn, Ambrosius, Nimue and Janus."

Oscar spun around, staring at Aqua with wide eyes. "Those names…"

"The names of the spirits for Knowledge, Creation, Destruction and Choice." Aqua nodded. "I've met them."

Neo slowly looked back between Oscar and Aqua…before standing up and walking over to Aqua.

"You wish to come with me?" Aqua asked Neo who nodded. "All right but be careful. I am not too sure Drasil doesn't have her own agenda."

Neo shrugged at that and held up her device which she called a Scroll. Everyone has their own agenda. That's pretty much the same on every world.

Aqua sadly could not argue with that.

She looked at Oscar who was still just staring in surprise. "You're welcome to come with us. I have a feeling the girls like you as much they like us."

Oscar just blinked…

"Well, look who has returned and with company too."

Neo and Oscar looked upon Drasil in surprise but Aqua could see familiarity in their eyes before she looked at Drasil who was looking at them with a curious smile. "My friends have some questions for you."

"I am flattered but I am not a Spirit of Knowledge." Drasil stated.

"That hasn't stopped you before." Aqua answered, walking up to the spirit and slowly paced around her. "You sent me to a point in time in their world before either were born but Oscar carries the memories of Ozma who met so why didn't he recognize me? And how could the Gods have wiped out humanity if I pleaded with them to spare the ones who didn't betray them?"

"How indeed." Drasil noted with a small smile.

Aqua frowned. "Drasil…"

"I have explained it before, haven't I? This realm exists outside of known reality and that includes space and time. Here, all possible timelines intersect including those from a time where you did not arrive in the world and save humanity from becoming extinct by Salem's foolishness." Drasil answered while shrugging. "I told you before, didn't I? Traveling to the distant past of the first world would not change the future."

Aqua considered this as she looked at Neo and Oscar who were just staring before she looked back at Drasil. "And them?"

"Well, I could send them back in time but only in their own times. I cannot send anyone before their own birth or beyond their death." Drasil admitted.

"So you could send them back before their world was destroyed?" Aqua asked.

"Perhaps but not without its own dangers." Drasil answered.

"Like?"

"Should I send someone back in time, they would arrive at completely random point in their past and their bodies would dissolve, leaving only their memories to merge with their past selves." Drasil explained, causing Oscar and Neo to become really interested. "So they would only have their memories in their new present while previous timeline becomes their past which continues on without either affecting the other."

"And what about me?" Aqua asked.

Drasil smiled as she now paced around Aqua. "Since you did not come from this world, I could send you to any point in time, including the long past."

"And if I wanted to travel to another point?"

"Impossible now. You have journeyed to the long past, at the end of the Age of the Gods, to send you to any other point would risk corrupting you and the timeline." Drasil answered.

Aqua carefully considered this new information just as Oscar stepped forward. "What about sending us right back before Remnant was destroyed?"

"Possible for you, not for her." Drasil pointed at Neo. "She fell here at that point, I cannot send her back once she is beyond the point she had left."

"And me?" Oscar asked.

"Yes and your memories would fuse with your past self." Drasil nodded.

"Then I can try and stop the world from being destroyed." Oscar realized.

"Wait, you don't know that." Aqua cut in. "You don't have the power to stop the Heartless by yourself and you won't even know where to find the Keyhole to the World's Heart."

"It's better than spending the rest of my life here." Oscar argued and looked at Drasil. "Can you open a way to my past?"

Drasil nodded. "I can."

"Wait." Aqua stood in front of Oscar. "At least wait a few more minutes before you suddenly make this decision. We don't know the full story behind traveling back and forth in time from this place."

Oscar looked ready to argue but relented while Aqua turned back to Drasil. "Is there a price to pay for time travel?"

"You mean aside from creating alternate timelines?" Drasil asked rhetorically. "As I said, the original body dissolves and leaves the memories to emerge with the past self in their new present and also it's completely random. And of course once you make the decision you cannot return."

Aqua wasn't sure but she knew that there was more to it than that. "Why was I allowed to return?"

"…By special permission." Drasil said vaguely.

Aqua raised an eyebrow, confused by what she meant. "What do you mean?"

"You were blessed with the ability to travel between worlds by both your weapon and Heimdallr as well as the fact that it was Ambrosius who brought you here." Drasil explained. "Since you are not a natural part of the First World you are allowed to travel back here. If you tried traveling back in time during your time in the Age of the Gods, the same rules as these two," She pointed to Neo and Oscar. "Would apply to you."

Aqua frowned, processing the information. "…And nothing else can be done about the world aside from traveling to the past?"

"…Well, there might be a way." Drasil answered hesitantly, clearing her throat as all three looked at her. "You might want to talk to Jinn again."

"So this is where the spirits live? I thought they lived inside the Relics." Oscar said in awe as he and Neo followed Aqua into the realm called Fantasias.

"Well, I guess the best way to describe it is the Relics are somehow all connected to each other, forming a world of their own inside them." Aqua explained, leading them into the desert realm that was Jinn's home. "The major benefit is they don't get lonely."

"Wait, Jinn was already asked three questions back home. How do we know she'll answer three questions here?" Oscar asked as they continued walking.

"She said one of her questions in your world were answered. It seems she is not limited in her world." Aqua shrugged. "Hopefully she'll be open to answering three more questions when we see her."

Neo then tapped Aqua on the shoulder, making the Wielder look at her and the message she wrote. Would she answer only three questions or three questions from each of us?

That made Aqua stop and ponder the mute's question. "That's honestly a good question. I am not really sure."

If that's the case, then perhaps we should have a compromise then.

"What do you mean?" Oscar asked the girl who was technically an ally but still remembered her as an enemy.

If she will only allow us to ask her three questions, two of those questions go to me and the old man. Neo gestured to Oscar, letting them know who the 'old man' was.

Oscar frowned but didn't disagree as it was a good idea, as much as he disliked admitting it.

Aqua just looked at Neo and sighed. "Fair enough."

They continued walking and Aqua led them into the cave and they came upon the crystalline library that continued to show images of anything and everything that is happening. Neo and Oscar looked around in awe of the place, having been in the realm of a spirit before.

"Well, well, the famous Keyblade Wielder returns. Well, you're not just a Keyblade Wielder now. You are the One Who Named the Gods and the Ocean Knight" Both Oscar and Neo looked ahead, watching as the Spirit of Knowledge before the trio with her usual smile. "And not just her. How nice to see you again, old man."

Oscar just waved at Jinn with a smile as the spirit then looked at Neo.

"And the troublemaker."

Neo shrugged at the nickname Jinn had given her.

"So you've come back and I assume you only have because you have questions for me." Jinn stated, leaning forward and bringing her arms up to her chin. "And what makes you think I will answer them?"

"…Because you're the Spirit of Knowledge." Aqua answered with a shrug. "Granting knowledge to those who ask for it is your purpose, isn't it?"

Jinn raised an eyebrow but her smile remained. "True but I have already answered your questions and the three questions for those who use my lamp have been used up for the next one hundred years. Why would I allow you ask me again so soon?"

"Perhaps because it's not just me asking. It's all three of us." Aqua answered, gesturing to herself and then Oscar and Neo. "We've all agreed that if you allow us three more questions, we will each use only one."

Jinn looked between the three and giggled. "Well, I suppose that is different. All right, I'll play along. Ask me your questions."

Oscar stepped forward. "What happened to our world?"

Jinn smiled and summoned a blue mist around then. "It all started when the four girls summoned Ambrosius."

They watched the four girls, the ones Aqua knew as the Maidens holding a golden ornate staff and before them appeared Ambrosius.

"He created a pocket dimension for them to evacuate the people of a fallen kingdom."

Aqua watched as long spiraling pathways appeared across an empty void, reminding of the darkness she had fallen into and expected to take her to the Realm of Darkness.

"The pocket dimension, a point in between dimension, a point in between worlds. Existing over the world they would fall into. A world outside of the universe, where light and darkness cannot reach."

The island was shown next.

"But opening a point in between worlds is dangerous for it can beckon those from outside…"

The Central Evacuation Location was shown again as the spiraling pathways all vanished but as they did, yellow eyes appeared from them. The three looked up, watching as hordes of dark creatures, dissolving into a dark purple miasma existed through the portals.

"And let in that which should never be let in."

"The Heartless." Aqua whispered.

What was shown to them next was a world with the clouds darkening and a dark vortex appearing.

"The world was swallowed in darkness…And the people along with it."

Oscar could only fall to his knees with a devastated look on his face, tears dripping down his face. "So it's true…We really did all this."

Neo just looked to Oscar with an unreadable expression.

"I can barely remember what happened…After the location…We were in Vacuo, trying to help the refuges…Then everything went dark…" Oscar gripped his head. "I couldn't remember anything after that…The next thing I knew I was Jaune's head."

"The world was swallowed, its remains becoming part of the Realm of Darkness."

The next setting was a dark place that Aqua knew to be the Realm of Darkness. There they could see various landmasses and castles that Aqua did not recognize but evidently Neo and Oscar did.

"The people gone, becoming part of the darkness…"

"Stop!" Oscar shouted, unable to look on or hear anymore.

The blue mist brought them back to Jinn's realm as she floated before them with a dispassionate look on her face.

"You'd think you'd have learned by now, old man, the price of having too much knowledge." She commented.

Aqua knelt down and placed her hand on Oscar's back, rubbing it softly and soothingly.

Neo stepped forward, presenting her question to Jinn. Can our world be restored?

Jinn leaned forward. "…Yes."

Oscar and Aqua's heads shot up, looking and Jinn as Oscar cried out. "How?!"

"You have already asked your question, old man." Jinn reminded.

Aqua placed a hand on Oscar's shoulder as she stood up. "But I haven't. If the world can be restored, how can it be done?"

Jinn's lips curled into a smile. "You are much different from the old man. You are able to ask the right question the right way."

Jinn floated forward and hovered down in front of Aqua, looking her right in the eye. "Go to the Realm of Darkness. Seek out the Door of Darkness and seal it."

Aqua 's eyes widened from the answer. "The Door of Darkness?"

"I have answered your three questions." Jinn floated back to her chair. "That is all I can say on the matter."

Aqua frowned but accepted, knowing that she had a way to save their world now and turned to Neo and Oscar. "I think I know how to get there."

She produced the Horn of Passage, surprising Oscar with its golden and ornate appearance. "This was a gift to me by Izanagi, the God of Light."

Oscar's eyes went wide at Aqua's statement. "His name is-"

"This can open a passage to any place, anywhere. I can use this to enter the Realm of Darkness and find this Door of Darkness." Aqua continued. "If sealing it can stop the Heartless and restore your world I have to use this and the Sail of Heaven to reach the Realm."

"We're coming with you." Oscar immediately said.

Neo looked hesitant and glared at Oscar for speaking for her.

"It's not simple. The Realm of Darkness is made up of the darkness in everyone's hearts. If you go in there without proper protection your heart will fall to the darkness and you'll be turned into a Heartless." Aqua shook her head. "I have my armor and Keyblade to protect me."

"So you expect us to just wait here?" Oscar asked angrily.

"She's not completely right." Jinn suddenly spoke up, causing them to look at her again. "She has one other method of protection one of you can use to travel the Realm of Darkness."

Aqua's went wide as she remembered something else: the black coat the Master had given her. "That's right. I do have something to help traverse the Realm of Darkness but only one of you can wear it."

"Then I'll-"

Whack!

Aqua blinked as Neo karate chopped Oscar in the back, knocking him out. "What did you do that for?"

I got tired of him speaking for me. Neo simply typed.

"So are you volunteering?" Aqua asked.

I don't believe in risking my life to save others…But the alternative is being stuck on that island with those four…girls, chasing me and trying to kill me and he, Neo pointed at the knocked out Oscar. Likely won't be of any help. He wasn't before you got here and he likely won't be when you are gone. So if it's all the same to you, I think I will take my chances with you in this Realm of Darkness. At least I will be with the one person not looking to kill me.

Thought her motives seemed rather selfish Aqua supposed she could allow Neo to come with her. She was a skilled fighter from what she had seen and Aqua might need the help.

"All right." Aqua presented her the Black Coat. "You'll need this…And we need to find you a weapon to use against the Heartless…I think we'll have to pay a visit to Ambrosius before we go."

After asking Jinn to look after Oscar, Aqua and Neo left her sanctuary and headed towards where Ambrosius lived. In the meantime, Neo was now wearing the black coat Aqua had given her which she took a moment to examine in her reflection off of one of the floating crystals in Jinn's realms. The black coat magically modified itself to fit Neo's size, also giving her black gloves, black leggings over her white pants and narrow-toed boots with a slight high heel.

Not exactly her color but Neo did find a stylish appeal to it.

They walked into what appeared to be a void but Aqua simply closed her eyes and focused. Before Neo's eyes, a temple unlike anything she had ever seen suddenly appeared before them.

"Well, well, well. Look who has returned!" Neo jumped back as Ambrosius appeared in front of them with a dazzling smile on his face. "The wielder of the great key, herself and she has a friend this time. Come to engage in my creative wiles again."

"Something like that." Aqua gestured to Neo. "I need to create a weapon for her to defend herself against creatures of darkness."

Ambrosius glanced at Neo who simply stared back. "You know I am forbidden to destroy life."

"But not to create something to defend life." Aqua said as Neo presented the design to her weapon, a parasol that she had apparently lost.

Ambrosius looked it over and grinned. "Fine craftsmanship, darling. But just so you know, since we're not out in the physical world where my staff is, it cannot survive outside this realm. Unless…"

"Unless we do what we did before when creating my glider and armor." Aqua said, summoning her Keyblade. "It needs to be able hold up against the darkness, like my Keyblade and armor and defeat creatures like the Heartless so it can't be like an ordinary weapon."

"So, we're doing it again. Not nearly as dangerous as before since it's a rather simple design but I like you enough to try." Ambrosius said as he floated over Aqua. "Just don't make this a habit."

Neo watched as Ambrosius turned into a blue mist that entered Aqua's body much to her surprise. Aqua let out a small gasp from feeling the divine spirit enter her body again and quickly worked to just focus on what she had to do.

She pointed her Keyblade at Neo who stepped back and a voice that wasn't hers spoke from her mouth. "Behold my artistry!"

Neo jumped as a flash of light appeared before and solidified into…her signature weapon, a parasol that she had named Hush! She caught it and looked it over, glancing at Aqua who fell to her knees as the blue mist left her body and solidified back into Ambrosius.

"There, it is done. The weapon resembles the one she showed to me and as per your instructions it has been enchanted to fight against those Heartless creatures and their dark powers. The magical properties of it have been imprinted onto her so only she can use it and it is as durable as your armor." Ambrosius stated.

Aqua took a deep breath and sighed as she stood up. "Thank you. Now we should be off."

Neo started at Aqua, not entirely sure what to make of her now but felt grateful to have the last gift, even a copy of it, she had from Roman back in her hand and more powerful too.

Aqua summoned her Keyblade and its armor before taking out the Horn of Passage. "We're off now. To the Realm of Darkness."

Chapter Text

Midnight

"Welcome to the Realm of Darkness."

Neo had to take a moment to compose herself after arriving in the Realm of Darkness.

It sure was dark enough to live up to its name.

Right now she and Aqua had arrived in a dark cavern, so dark she couldn't see the ceiling. Neo wasn't one to admit to being afraid of the dark, having been through worse, but she did feel unnerved about being here even if she had volunteered to come here.

"Hey," She turned and looked at Aqua with a small but reassuring smile. "It'll be all right. Just stay close…and keep the hood off so I know I haven't lost you."

Neo rolled her eyes as Aqua walked past but quickly followed after her. They walked for some time before coming to an immediate stop.

Why did they stop?

The answer came in the form of the shaking ground and right in front of them rose a giant black hulking monster with a heart shaped hole in its chest. Neo's eyes widened as she stood a step back, clutching her Hush.

This monster was no Grimm.

She remembered Aqua telling her about the monsters that lived her that were also the same ones that destroyed Remnant.

The Heartless.

'Darkside.' A voice whispered in Aqua's mind.

She could feel it was a lot worse just by looking at it. Aqua however was not afraid and stepped forward, summoning her Keyblade. Looking up, she narrowed her eyes as the Heartless raised its fist and brought it down. Aqua sidestepped the fist and jumped up; using her Bladecharge style and slashed at its head once it was in range.

Her blade cut into its face and seemingly damaged it very badly as it let out an unearthly howl that seemed to shake the entire realm. It tried to grab her but she jumped back, aiming her Keyblade at its face.

"Fire!"

A fireball slammed into the Darkside's face, blinding it temporarily. Aqua landed on the ground perfectly, looking up to see the Darkside was gathering dark energy in its face and from it fired balls of dark red energy at Aqua who quickly used Reflega to block and send its attacks back. The Darkside slammed its fists into the ground and from them came a swirl of dark energy, creating smaller shadow like monsters with antenna on their heads.

'Shadows.'

The new Heartless surrounded Aqua but that was then Neo jumped in, her feet landing on the head of one Shadow and she somersaulted to the right, spinning and slashing Hush as a sharp blade emerged from the top of the parasol, cutting through the Shadow Heartless easily. Neo knew that standing around and watching would get her killed and even if she couldn't help out against the bigger Heartless she could take care of the smaller fries. This allowed Aqua to look back up at the Darkside as it slammed its fists into the ground, releasing a wave of darkness that traveled towards her.

Aqua slashed through it with her Bladecharge, dissipating the wave and then used Time Splicer, disappearing and reappearing around the Heartless that was frozen in time and delivering over a dozen slashes before the spell ended. The Heartless roared in pain as Aqua appeared in front of its face and delivered a vertical slash, cutting through its head. Aqua landed back on the ground and watched as the Darkside fell over on its back, dissolving a second later. Aqua then turned around to see Neo mopping up the last of the shadows with relative ease.

"Good work." She said to Neo who just nodded back.

At least they were close enough that Aqua could rely on her in the midst of battle. Aqua had her own misgivings about bringing Neo along but knew there was no time to be picky. Not if they wanted to save her world so she could return.

Before she could say they needed to move, the ground shook again.

Aqua and Neo looked up and much to their dismay, three more Darksides appeared, all of them glaring down at the two. Neo nervously looked back between the three monsters, feeling that now was a good time to start running but the three Heartless had completely cut them off. Aqua remained composed, carefully moving her eyes to make sure nothing the monsters did went unseen by her.

Before they could attack however…

There was a whooshing sound and up above came down two spinning Keyblades that slashed through the Darksides before they could react, destroying them easily.

"Terra, Ven…" Aqua smiled, recognizing the Keyblades. "You're still helping…"

She stared up for a second longer before looking at Neo. "Let's go."

If there was one thing that Aqua knew about the Realm of Darkness it was that time had no meaning here.

She wasn't sure how long they might be here, only that the only time here was their own perceptions. They had emerged out of the cave and into a dark forest.

And up ahead…

"It can't be." Aqua gasped quietly.

Neo looked ahead and off in the distance saw a grand white castle. She had seen her share of grand architecture before, heck Beacon Academy itself looked more like a castle out of a fairy tale than an actual school but even then this white castle had something different about it.

It even had a clock tower.

Not even the Schnee family could say that they owned something as grand as this.

"Why is Cinderella's world...here in the darkness?" She heard Aqua whisper.

Cinderella?

As in…Cinder?

She tugged on Aqua's sleeve, earning her attention as she pointed at the castle in the distance.

"Oh, right." Aqua seemed to remember Neo was here. "That is called the Castle of Dreams. I visited it once before. If it's here…then its world must have been destroyed and the remains dragged here by the Heartless."

Neo raised an eyebrow as she looked at the castle and back at Aqua, pulling out her Scroll. So odds are, we'll find the remains of my world here too?

"Pretty likely." Aqua nodded.

Neo wasn't sure what to think of that.

She knew she wasn't the kindest living soul on Remnant but destroying it like this and dragging the remains into a dark realm? She was sure even she wouldn't go that far.

Not too sure about Salem or Cinder.

"Come on. I think that's where we have to go." Aqua gestured for her to follow.

Frowning, Neo put her Scroll away and followed Aqua towards the white castle. Along the way, they were stopped as more Shadow Heartless appeared around them. Aqua immediately summoned her Keyblade while Neo held out her new Hush, ready for battle.

It wasn't much of a battle.

While the Heartless were potentially more dangerous than the Grimm in some way, it seemed that like the Grimm they had classes or ranks of strength and these guys were pretty weak, even if they had numbers on their side. Luckily both Aqua and Neo were exceptionally agile as they dashed around the swarm surrounding them, slashing and striking them down easily. As soon as the last shadow faded, they looked at each other and nodded, continuing on their path towards the Castle of Dreams. As they continued walking they encountered a few more Shadow Heartless that were quickly disposed of but they were not the only obstacles in their way.

After the second batch of Heartless were dealt with, the path in front of them suddenly cracked open and collapsed into the dark void that was the Realm of Darkness, leaving only a few rocks and a root. Aqua and Neo shared a look before Aqua jumped first, hopping from rock to rock and sliding along the root until she reached the other side and was followed quickly by Neo. Once on the other side, the two continued their journey, coming into the town that lied before the castle. Aqua looked sadly around the town, seeing it was completely lifeless with no one left.

"I wish I could believe the people got away." Aqua said sadly as they entered the town.

Neo looked at Aqua for a second, before looking ahead. It was easier to focus on the task at hand than feeling sorry for the people who died here.

Aqua suddenly stopped and summoned her Keyblade. "Something about this place... It looks like worse things are stirring!"

Aqua and Neo had to fight off some more Heartless, this time it was the Shadows along with another kind of Heartless that had wings, resembling a mix between an umbrella and a bat. These ones required a little more work as Aqua jumped up, summoning orbs of light around to destroy the Heartless that surrounded her.

Neo on the other hand, worked slightly harder with her aerobatic combat skills, somersaulting, jumping and spinning as she slashed at the flying Heartless as they swooped at her. As the Shadows swarmed her, Neo shattered, having left a decoy through her Semblance and was pleased to see that even the Heartless could be fooled. They made quick work of the remaining Heartless and proceeded towards the castle.

As they did, Aqua had a saddened look on her face that made her stop and Neo looked at her. What is it?

"I just realized something." Aqua answered absently. "I took it for granted. I thought I had nothing in life to lose."

Her mind flashed back to her friends and the people she had met, becoming connected with them.

Aqua then looked around the desolate town. "Here, too. Everyone in this world thought that they were safe. Not just the people...but the dog waiting for his owner...the cat curled up in her nook... So much life. Trees and flowers... There's no deeper sadness than discovering all that you knew is gone. The grief in this place is too much to fathom."

Neo frowned as she looked away, not wanting to emphasize with Aqua. It reminded her all too much of how lonely and miserable her life had been, before she met Roman and after she had lost him. That pain was too much to bear and the only she could cope was trying to avenge him by hunting down the people she had blamed for his death: Cinder and Little Red.

'Just you and me, Neo. Us against the world. We'll always come out on top, doing whatever we have to do. Lie, cheat, steal and survive.'

Neo realized she had taken her time with Roman for granted too like Aqua did with hers. After having lived such a miserable life on the thumb of her parents, she had only one thing and she thought she would never lose him. And when she did, she was lost again, left alone with no one to help her.

Nothing but pain, loneliness and grief.

If she had only managed to knock Little Red off that airship…

No, Cinder would have still left them for dead.

'You should never have threatened me.'

She should have killed that fire bitch when she had the chance.

She should have convinced Roman to drop their deal with Cinder and just run.

Run to Vacuo just like that Tukson guy wanted to.

Roman talked a big game but the truth is the reason he went along with Cinder was because he was scared.

Scared of her.

Scared of the people who she worked with.

And after having met Cinder's boss, Neo could understand why he was scared. She had been pretty scared but she kept her mouth shut(metaphorically and literally) and waited for the chance to have her revenge and force Cinder to keep her end of their deal.

And she did…

Just before she tried to kill both her and Little Red.

All that time and effort, putting up with Cinder and helping her get into Atlas, stealing that Lamp and for what?

She should have realized it.

Cinder was incapable of showing appreciation to anyone and disposed of her 'allies' when she had the chance. When Jinn showed them what Little Red and her friends were planning, Neo had seen Emerald, Cinder's number one stool, or perhaps former stool with them and it was clear she was jumping ship and siding with them against both her bosses. Neo hadn't given it much thought because all she cared about was avenging Roman.

That was all that mattered to her.

Not Cinder's ego.

Not Salem's bid for world domination.

Not Little Red and her friends trying to be heroes.

Nothing else.

'Leave the thinking to me, Neo and we'll always come out on top.'

That's right.

She had always let Roman do the thinking for them both.

Maybe that's why things went so wrong.

When she teamed up with Cinder to get their revenge on Little Red, she had let her do the thinking for them like she did with Roman. She did because the truth is Neo didn't care about thinking, she only cared about having the freedom to do what she wanted, whenever she wanted. Ever since she was a little girl, locked up in her home she wanted freedom.

Freedom to do what she wanted.

To do look however she wanted.

And everything else.

And maybe that was her mistake.

She treated their partnership like she did with Roman, even when Cinder had the utter gall to take credit for all their work when in reality Neo did all the heavy lifting from getting them into Atlas and stealing the Lamp while Cinder was getting her fiery ass kicked to the surprise of no one.

She couldn't do anything by herself.

Hell, she couldn't even kill her and Little Red right.

Bitch had to even gloat before she made sure they were both dead.

So what was left for her?

With this new partnership with Aqua, the so-called Keyblade Wielder from another world, would it be the same?

Would Neo let someone else do all the thinking for her?

Aqua wasn't like Roman or Cinder.

For one, she was a supposed hero as a Keyblade Wielder sounded much like a Huntress, only with magic. Maybe if she had come a bit earlier Neo could have somehow sic'd her on Cinder and could have watched the 'great and powerful' Fall Maiden try and see if she'd have better luck than the other four new Maidens that they had faced.

The thought almost made Neo smile.

Still, even if Aqua was a goodie-two-shoe, she still stuck around and saved Neo from those four who wanted her dead. She even allowed her to come with her on this crazy mission into another realm to try and save their world so Aqua at least trusted her a bit. She also knew Aqua was smart and knew that Neo was out of her element here so it was unlikely Neo would try and betray her. And Aqua was the only one who knew what they were doing so Neo had to follow her if they had any hopes of getting out of this.

So this time, Neo had to let someone else do the thinking for her again, not because she had the habit of treating all her partnerships as the same but it was their only chance for survival.

Still, Neo had some serious thinking to do and she didn't like it.

Aqua shook her head. "I'm sorry. I know I can't keep on wishing for the past."

Neo was all too relieved when they started walking again. Just as they reached the castle gate that showed the bridge leading up to the castle did something happen.

The hands on the castle's clock began spinning from midnight and turned from midnight to five 'o clock. The bells of the clock tower began to chime and immediately the bridge began breaking apart. Aqua and Neo immediately turned and ran, reaching the gate and watched as the bridge broke apart and fell down into the dark void, cutting them off from reaching the castle.

Now what? Neo signed with her Scroll.

"The road collapsed when the clock advanced. If only I'd made it in time..." Aqua looked at the edge of the bridge, finding a set of gears floating there. "But there is no time in this place, only...the clock."

She walked over to the gears and held out her Keyblade. With one slash, the gears began spinning and glowing before shooting up towards the clock tower. Neo and Aqua watched as the hands began moving backwards, changing from 5:00 to 4:00.

"I knew it." Aqua turned to Neo. "There are four more gears left. Find the other ones and we'll reverse the hands on the clock and restore the bridge."

Neo shrugged and nodded, allowing Aqua to lead the way.

And so, Neo and Aqua searched through the Castle Town, searching for the clock gears that would help restore the pathway to the castle. Along the way, they ended up battling Heartless that seemed to sense their intent and tried to stop them. They had to fight their way through the town, fining the gears in several places like on the roof of one house, near a fountain, climbing their way up floating pieces of debris to reach the third one and actually going underground to find the final one.

With each slash from either the Master Defender or Hush, the gears returned to the clock tower and the hands rewound.

3:00

2:00

1:00

And then with one final slash, 12:00.

The bells rung at midnight and the pathway leading up to the castle was restored. Aqua and Neo made their way back to the gate, seeing the bridge was fully restored. However just as they reached the gate, Aqua held out her hand to stop Neo.

"Something's wrong." She answered her teammate's unasked question.

And that something appeared in the form of a mass of Shadow Heartless sprouting from the ground, taking the form of a serpent of sorts without a head and the Heartless that made up this monster had red eyes instead of yellow. Neo held out Hush in front of her, completely shocked by the creature in front of them.

"Thunder!" Aqua shouted, summoning bolts of lightning that hit the monster.

It rushed at her and she defended herself and Neo with a barrier that caused the giant monster to scatter into dozens of smaller Shadows that surrounded them.

"Quick take them out!" Aqua shouted, immediately starting to slash at the surrounding shadows.

Neo did so, slashing and kicking any Heartless near her while staying close to Aqua. After a few seconds of fighting Aqua noticed the Shadows were not just surrounding them but also piling up on each other, realizing what that meant.

"Neo! We have to get clear of them!" She shouted.

Neo nodded and cast an illusion of herself and Aqua as the Shadows shot up, taking their giant serpent form again. The illusions shattered and Aqua and Neo appeared several feet away. The Shadow monster pursued them as Aqua activated her Shotlock, using her Rainbow Prism to blast away at the monster as it came closer. Neo and Aqua jumped aside as the monster charged at them again.

Neo would jump in to help but she wasn't sure it was a good idea to get near that monster with just her Hush. She was a close range combatant and had no guns built into her weapon. Not smart possibly but she fought better with melee weapons than guns.

Maybe if she got out of this alive, she'd consider upgrading her weapon.

The serpent, or Demon Tower slammed into Aqua again but she defended with her Barrier again as well, causing the Tower split back down into the dozens of Shadows it was made of. Neo jumped forward, slashing as many Heartless as she could. If she couldn't attack the monster in its tower form she'd settle for attacking the little monsters when they were all scattered and tiny.

Tinier than she is, she just realized.

"Thunder!" Aqua shouted, summoning more bolts of lightning down on the beast and it seemed to finally have enough as it dissolved into the ground.

Aqua and Neo carefully stared at the ground, not sure if it was gone or waiting to launch another attack but after a moment or so passed, it seemed like it was gone.

Aqua sighed and looked over at Neo. "You okay?"

Neo nodded, exhaling softly as she typed. That was different, even from the Grimm.

"Well, this Realm is where the Heartless come from. We're bound to see a lot of monsters." Aqua replied.

Great.

Aqua didn't need Neo to speak to hear the sarcasm in the one word she typed. Even though Neo couldn't speak she not only could type but she was good at conveying her thoughts through her facial looks and body language. She supposed when one has no voice they had to learn how to communicate differently than everyone else.

Perhaps she could consider learning a few just for the occasion.

"All right, we better keep moving." Aqua suggested, pointing to the castle up ahead.

They walked across the newly assembled bridge and reached the other side.

Once they were on the other side of the bridge Aqua stopped and looked back at the town. "Not even memories...are safe from the darkness."

Neo followed her gaze, looking at the remains of the town.

"What I wouldn't give to really turn back time... To spend one more night beneath the stars with my best friends. I'm doing it again."

Okay, please don't stop.

Neo didn't want to have another moment of self-reflection or she might start having the same and cause her to doubt their partnership here. To her relief Aqua turned around but gasped. Neo turned around and both watched a young man walking down the stairs of the front entrance to the castle with a dazed look on his face.

"It can't be." Aqua rushed up to the young man. "What are you doing here? You should be in the realm of light. Oh no! Did you not make it out? Don't tell me. Has the Realm of Light— Why won't you say anything to me?"

The whole time Aqua was speaking to him the man was about as talkative as Neo.

"So what are you, a memory among these shadows? Are you here to...try and tell me not to lose heart?" Aqua asked sadly, looking back at the town. "The world keeps our thoughts alive. But where did the people who lived here go, once their world was taken away? At least they're not here. So, they haven't fallen to darkness. I'll take what solace I can from that."

She noticed Neo waving her hand and pointed at the young man.

"Oh, sorry." Aqua gestured to the man. "Neo, this is Terra. Or what looks like Terra. One of my closest friends."

Neo looked the man over…

A small part of her mind couldn't but say…Hubba-hubba.

Some piece of eye candy.

"But it's not really him." Aqua continued sadly. "Possibly some kind of illusion. I don't know who or what is projecting it or if Terra isn't somehow reaching out to me, asking me not to give up. Either way, we need to keep moving."

She reached out with her hand and it passed through him and just like that he vanished, leaving a saddened Aqua. Neo could actually relate as even if she wanted to, she would never use her Semblance to conjure an image even if she missed him so much.

"Let's go." She heard Aqua say and followed her up into the castle.

Chapter Text

Mirror, Mirror

When Aqua and Neo entered the castle, they were expecting to enter the ballroom that Aqua remembered from previous adventure.

Instead they came out into a forest, different from the one they had been in before.

"Another world that was lost to the darkness?" Aqua wondered sadly.

Neo looked around, taking a few steps ahead before looking back at Aqua for clarification.

"This is the Dwarf Woodlands." Aqua answered. "Here I met a young girl named Snow White who living in a cottage with seven dwarfs."

Neo raised an eyebrow. Dwarfs? Like little people with long beards?

"Yep." Aqua answered while putting extra emphasis on the 'p' sound at the end of her answer. "Her stepmother was a queen, an evil one who tried to have her killed. She disguised herself as an old woman and tricked her into eating a poisoned apple."

Ouch. And people always say eat your fruits and vegetables. Neo shrugged.

Aqua giggled but stopped upon noticing a glass coffin. "Is that...?"

Inside the glass coffin was a boy, sleeping peacefully or was more like dead who Neo had never seen before but evidently Aqua did.

"Ven!?" She shouted upon seeing a phantom of Ven in the glass coffin and ran over to it, placing her hands on the glass. "Ven. What did you come here to tell me? I know I promised to wake you up. I'm sorry. But I have to find a way home before I can help you."

She brushed a hand against the coffin. "I just want you to know that it's been you that keeps my heart strong. Keeps the dark away."

Neo stayed back and watched but when she noticed something behind she walked up to Aqua and tapped her on the shoulder. The phantom Ven vanished as Aqua sighed and looked at Neo who pointed at the mirror.

"It's a mirror..." She answered, but had to clarify when Neo gave a look that said 'duh'. "A mirror belonging to the Evil Queen who tried to kill Snow White. A magical one."

Neo had no trouble believing that it was magical based on the way it was floating before them but there was the obvious question yet to be asked. What does it want?

Aqua slowly walked up to it and reached out with one hand…And a hand matching hers reached out and grabbed her wrist. "What!?"

She struggled against it and felt Neo grab onto her but the hand was too strong and pulled both her and Neo into the mirror.

When Aqua opened her eyes she found herself in another familiar place. It was the underground lair of the Evil Queen, looking larger and more circular than the last time she was here with a round chamber in the center and hallways extending out of the center. And instead of stone walls, they saw the chamber was floating in the same dark abyss as the Castle of Dreams and the town leading up to it.

She looked to her right and saw Neo getting up, slightly dazed from being pulled into the mirror.

Speaking off mirrors…

Three mirrors floated around them, identical to the one they were pulled through and floated off to the end of the three hallways.

"What just happened?" Aqua asked, confused on three mirrors appearing and surrounding her and Neo before floating to their respective places.

Neo just shrugged, looking around with a somewhat nervous look on her face. They looked at the mirror fell through and Aqua placed her on it, trying to see if they could get back through but there was no reaction.

"Those mirrors... Maybe they're a clue." Aqua said, looking back down chamber.

Neo followed her gaze, looking between the chamber and the mirror. Are all your adventures this crazy?

"…Somewhat." Aqua said as she took a few steps forward. "I never had a partner with me before, though."

Neo gave her a look which she couldn't quite understand before the subject was changed. Do you know where we are?

"Remember the Evil Queen I mentioned?" Aqua asked and Neo nodded. "This was her lair, beneath her castle. Only it looks different from before…Those mirrors were the same as her magic mirror I mentioned before but they never floated in front of people like that before."

Not really reassuring but Neo left it at that.

Besides, they had other issues like more Heartless appearing and attacking them.

Shadows along with other kinds of Heartless appeared, looking like the flaming ones from before but different.

It didn't matter and both Keyblade Master and…partner immediately readied themselves and starting fighting against the Heartless as they attacked.

It took a few moments but eventually the Heartless were defeated, allowing Aqua and Neo to continue on.

Which way first? We got three mirrors. Neo messaged.

Aqua shrugged and gestured. "Which do you prefer? Left, straight or right?"

Neo rolled her eyes and just picked right because it was the closest to her. They walked up to the mirror and saw pillars inside it. Upon entering they came upon what looked like a giant room with what looked like endless columns and the floor seemingly made of a giant mirror from what they could see of their reflections on the ground. Neo and Aqua shared a look before walking forward, passing by a few pillars and seeing nothing different.

"Wait. Look." Aqua stopped and pointed at a pillar with glowing bricks.

Neo followed Aqua's gaze and then walked up to it. Think this is important?

"I have a feeling." Aqua summoned her Keyblade and slashed at the bricks, creating a gap.

Once Aqua and Neo moved to examine it, both were greeted with the surprising of finding themselves and the room were now upside down. Neo grabbed onto the pillar, expecting to fall but didn't feel gravity take hold of her and when she saw Aqua standing perfectly still she let go of the pillar and tapped the ground…or rather the ceiling.

What the hell is going on here? I may have never taken a physics class but even I know that this is not natural.

"Powerful magic is at work here." Aqua stated, not even blinking as she continued. "Come on. I think see another glowing pillar up ahead."

Neo shook her head and followed after Aqua as they reached another pillar and with a simply slash the room returned to its upright position. Aqua and Neo continued looking around but the room seemed to go on forever.

Finally Aqua looked up and realized why it felt like that. "Neo, we need to find another glowing pillar."

When Neo looked at her questionably she pointed up at the ceiling. Neo followed her finger and saw the floating mirror they were looking for on the ceiling. Sighing, Neo helped Aqua look around and spotted another pillar with some glowing bricks. Aqua walked over and slashed it and when they examined it they were once again standing upside down.

The two then approached the floating mirror.

"Is this what it means to face your demons?" Aqua briefly wondered as she reached out to touch the mirror and there was a flash of light.

When Neo opened her eyes she saw that Aqua was gone.

Aqua opened her eyes, finding herself in a strange but familiar void. She remembered this place when she visited the Evil Queen's castle and was pulled into her Magic Mirror.

"Only your heart is hollow enough to be a demon's." She heard a voice, her own voice speaking to her.

Aqua watched as what appeared to be a complete copy of herself appeared before her, even holding its own Keyblade. The only difference was this copy of her had lighter blue eyes.

"That's not true! My heart is strong! I'll prove it!" Aqua summoned her Keyblade, preparing to fight.

While the thought of fighting herself was jarring, Aqua pushed those thoughts aside, knowing they would only hinder her in battle. She had already faced a copy of herself created by Drasil so she was already experienced in going up against copies of herself. The copy started first, summoning six giant ice crystals that seemed to home in on Aqua, forcing her to dodge by cartwheeling out of the way in time or blocking with a barrier. The copy followed up by teleporting and striking at Aqua who worked fast to try and block them but the copy got in a few hits.

Grunting, Aqua went on the attack slashing against her copy several times before it teleported away. As the battle continued, Aqua was surprised to see her clone actually creating illusionary copies of herself. She had remembered trying to do something similar to that in the brief time she had met Ava but hadn't had the time to follow up on it.

"Is there any point in continuing this fight?" The Phantom Aqua asked as she surrounded the real one with illusionary copies, all of them spinning as they activated Aqua's very own Command Style: Spell Weaver.

Aqua watched the copies carefully, knowing only one of them was real but knew if she didn't time it right she would be hit and had no interested in finding out what it felt like on the receiving end of her own Command Style.

"No one can save you. And no one wants to." The Phantom's voice said as the copies circled closer to her, making their move to strike her at once.

"Thunder!" Aqua shouted, summoning bolts of lightning down on the copies and dispelling them.

The Phantom Aqua survived as she tried to attack but Aqua jumped and rolled out of the way in time. Aqua let out a battle cry as she tried attacking the Phantom several times but each time came close, the Phantom teleported away and followed up with a teleporting strike that forced Aqua back. It went back and forth as Aqua and Phantom battled, teleporting, dashing and even dancing through the strange void that created this Phantom.

Aqua grunted, having been hit several times over the course of the duel but she managed to remain standing and fought back.

"Just let go of everything and fade into the darkness." The Phantom said as they clashed.

"Never!" Aqua shouted, knocking the copy back. "I will never submit!"

Ventus being possessed by Vanitas…

Terra standing before her with dark skin, silver hair and yellow glowing eyes…

"I will never fade!" Aqua shouted as her Keyblade flashed, breaking through the Phantom's guard and slashed through her.

The Phantom had a surprised look on her face as she fell back…and then smiled as she faded. Aqua stayed still, watching as the Phantom vanished and then closed her eyes as a bright light engulfed her…

…When she opened her eyes she saw Neo kneeling over her with a look that almost made it appear she was concerned.

"Neo?" Aqua sat up and saw they were back in the circular lair they had first appeared in and the mirror they had entered was cracked. "What happened?"

You tell me. I watched that fight you had with your copy in that mirror. When you won there was a flash and the next thing I knew we were back out here. Neo typed. What was that about?

"I'm not sure." Aqua stood back up and looked at the broken mirror. "Terra, Ven...and now my own phantom? What could it all mean?"

First there was the Castle of Dreams and the Dwarf Woodlands being pulled into the darkness.

And now these mirrors.

"Chances are we can't leave here until we find the other two mirrors." Aqua glanced at Neo. "And that likely means facing a phantom copy of ourselves in each mirror. Whatever they, I think their purpose is to play on our self-doubts and fears, weaken our resolve and make us give up."

Neo frowned at the ramifications of that.

While Roman would say the only time to fight is when they needed to fight long enough to find an opportunity to escape. Never prolong a fight with anyone and always prioritize your survival over actually winning, especially against a doo-goodie Huntsmen and he had done even when they had been forced to work for Cinder. She can admit to having her share of demons, especially from her past which she had worked to make sure stayed dead.

She wasn't looking forward to facing a ghost from her past if what Aqua said was true.

"All right," Neo snapped out of it when Aqua spoke. "Which way next? We took the right first, now we have the left or the center."

Neo shrugged, pointing at the nearest one which had the image of a staircase in it and they were pulled into. Once inside, the pair found themselves facing the same set of stairs the mirror had been showing. Aqua and Neo looked at each other with the latter shrugging before they walked up the first set of stairs…and then felt themselves running into something. Neo let out a grunt and placed her hand forward; touching what seemed to be an invisible wall…

Then blinked when she found herself and Aqua back down at the bottom of the stairs.

Aqua and Neo looked at each other, surprised by their sudden relocation but climbed the steps again to see if it was only a fluke.

It wasn't.

Within the blink of an eye they were back down at the bottom again.

"Well, this is a bit of a head scratcher." Aqua muttered to Neo who sat down on the first step in annoyance. "There has to be some sort of clue that tells what we need to…" Neo noticed something and pointed behind her.

Aqua turned around and sure enough the second mirror was right there, having been behind them the entire time.

"…Or sometimes it's the simplest answer." Aqua admitted as she and Neo walked up to the mirror and there was a flash of light.

Only this time Aqua was the one standing while Neo had vanished into the mirror.

Neo opened her eyes, finding herself in a strange and eerie void and in front of her appeared a complete copy of herself, smiling with glinting eyes.

Neo pointed her parasol at the apparition who held her own Hush and pointed it at her.

Eager to fail again?

Neo narrowed her eyes.

Why are you even here? To save the world? The entire world could rot for all you care because it never cared for you in the beginning, Trivia Vanille.

Neo shot forward, the blade of her Hush stabbing the Phantom Neo in the head…only for the phantom to shatter like glass much like her own illusions did.

Why so angry? We both know it's true.

Neo carefully looked around, knowing how her own Semblance and fighting skills worked.

Mommy and Daddy didn't love us; they hated our eyes and our voiceless mouth. Daddy always shouted at us, shook us to speak and locked us away from the world. Mommy only married him for his political connections and we were a mere ornament to them, something to show the perfect little family.

Neo would have snarled if she had a voice.

Daddy even locked us in a room filled with explosive Dust and Mommy wanted to make us into her little puppet, a spy and an assassin like she was.

No love.

No freedom.

No heart.

This was not something new to Neo.

She had known all along that her parents never truly loved or accepted her.

Only one person ever did…

Ah, Roman. Our Dum-Dum.

Neo gritted her teeth.

Why so angry? You know it's the truth. You are me and I am you, Trivia. Just as I was you when you were little, created by your heart's desire for freedom. I am Neopolitan, the one who was your only friend before you understood who I really am.

Neo ducked under a slash aimed at the back of her head and swung her leg out. Phantom Neo leapt up over her and delivered a kick to her face that knocked her back.

Only you really have fallen so far since you last saw me. Sure, you broke free by getting those two monsters killed and you finally found a friend in Dum-Dum but he sure got us stuck deep in this mess now, didn't he?

Neo jumped up and thrust the bladed end of Hush at her Phantom who easily blocked.

He allowed that Flame-Witch to force us into working for her, protected her identity and even after the height of everything we did for her, she left us for dead.

Neo became more aggressive in her attacks but Phantom opponent was easily blocking and it didn't help it was copying her smile, taunting her as it did so.

You could have tried running. You could have even rat her out to the authorities when you had the chance or even snatched Roman away before the train crashed and hid yourselves somewhere where they would never find you. What did their plans matter compared to your lives? Didn't Dum-Dum say that survival comes first above all else?

Neo horizontally swung Hush and her Phantom leapt back, landing perfectly a few feet away.

And after her plans got Dum-Dum killed you still went along with her to kill Little Red. Why? Because you were afraid of her back then just as you are afraid of her now. You rationalized that killing Little Red would be easier and accepted Cinder's idea, letting her take over for Roman and look where it got you.

You really do let everyone do the thinking for you. Her Phantom copy made a gesture that she was giving a haughty chuckle with her hand over her mouth. And now you have nothing. No Dum-Dum, no world, only a faint hope to restore a world that will want you dead for what you have done. Maybe you should have just accepted being Mommy and Daddy's mindless puppet when you had the chance.

Neo was furious now, attacking with more anger at her copy who was easily dodging, swing her parasol down and delivering a spinning kick to Neo's face that knocked her down.

Or maybe you've convinced yourself none of it was your fault. Like how it wasn't your fault that Mommy and Daddy didn't love us, that Dum-Dum wouldn't have died if we had been with him and that Little Red and Cinder were responsible for everything that happened to us.

The Phantom shot her blade forward, stabbing Neo through the head but she shattered, revealing that the Phantom's target had been an illusion. The Phantom closed her eyes and jumped, somersaulting over a strike from behind by Neo. She landed perfectly on her feet and the two fought again, slashing and dancing around each other with their kicks colliding in mid-air.

But we both know the truth. We know who we truly blame.

The Phantom grinned as she ducked and preformed a hand stand, spinning and aiming one foot at Neo who tried to slash at the incoming leg only for the Phantom to suddenly spun the other way and her other foot moved too fast for Neo to dodge in time. The kick knocked Neo back but she managed to remain standing.

If you really seek to blame someone for Dum-Dum's death…Then look no further than…Me!

Neo's eyes widened and she almost had no time to block the stab from her Phantom. She jumped and rolled to the floor before swinging her parasol right at her Phantom.

We killed Mommy and Daddy and felt nothing. They never loved us so we felt nothing for them. We allowed Dum-Dum to die because we were not at his side when he needed us.

Her Phantom swung again, so hard Neo was sent flying across the void even if she managed to block.

We needed someone to blame, to kill, a purpose to keep us going.