A Second Chance

The Realm of Darkness

Aqua steps out of Yen Sid's tower and into the cool evening air, watching the green lights dance among the dark sky of his world. She's hunched over, suffering under the weight of Ven's lifeless body strewn across her back, as the two head out alone. She knows they can't stay here in the tower, for Ven needs to be more protected. She can't let anything happen to him, and she's more than happy to be his guardian.

"Ven needs a safe place," the girl comments as she glances around, looking for an escape route.

It's just the two of them left, their other friends missing and lost to who-knows-where. Before Aqua has too much time to contemplate their respective fates, however, Ven suddenly raises a hand. His fingers twitch before his hand is fully lifted up in the air to summon his Keyblade. A light escapes from the tip of his blade, shooting forward and creating a portal to an unknown location. Aqua gasps before releasing a chuckle and allowing a smile to grow on her face.

"Alright," she agrees, knowing that Ven must subconsciously want to take her somewhere. "If that's where you want to go."

And with that, the girl takes off, walking right into the light with the boy still hanging over her shoulder. She doesn't walk for long, definitely less than a minute, before she's standing in a place she'd always recognize.

She's back in The Land of Departure, which is cloaked in black and crumbling under the seeping darkness that's overtaken the world that was once her home. There's just enough of the world left that she's able to identify it, but at the same time, it's barely recognizable. There's nothing that remains except for the broken castle and shattered platform. The trees, the mountainous hills, the homes in the valley...

It's all gone...

The weight on her back reminds her of Ven's predicament and his need for shelter, as well as her promise to take care of him while his body and mind and heart sleeps. She stares ahead at the stairs leading inside the castle, before a flash of light draws her attention. Lying on the floor just before the steps is a discarded Keyblade.

Master Eraqus' Keyblade...

Keeping Ven situated on her back, she reaches for her master's weapon, picking it up and studying it as her last moments with Master Eraqus run through her mind... where she promised to bring Terra back, and promised that he will prove he deserves the title of Keyblade Master.

Well... that he deserved the title of Keyblade Master. She still has faith that her friend is okay, but... perhaps she's being naive. Perhaps he's long gone, failing in his goal of attaining the title of Master.

With a sigh, the girl pushes the thoughts from her mind, dropping her arm to her side as she continues to carry the Keyblade as well as Ven. She marches up the stairs, heading into the abandoned castle as she does her best to stay positive despite the overwhelming darkness surrounding her – literally.

While the castle has been damaged, as evidenced by the crumbled walls and shattered floors, the training room looks as it always has, Aqua thinks as she walks into the spacious room. The beautiful stained glass window resting above Master Eraqus' throne is not shining as it usually does, bathing the room in multi-colored lights. But the room still looks as she remembers it, from so many memories she has made in this room throughout the years.

'Aqua,' she recalls her Master telling her. 'Now that you are a Master, there is one secret in particular you must know. Should anything happen to me, and you find the legion of darkness at our doorstep... I ask that you take my Keyblade and use it to lock this land away.' Aqua can hear her Master's voice in her head as she approaches the three thrones at the front of the room, gently resting Ven down in the middle chair. His legs are hanging almost comically over the side as his head falls down, his eyes open but empty. 'Generations of Keyblade Masters have been charged with keeping this land safe. Light and darkness exist in balance here, and there are those who would abuse such neutral ground. This is why our predecessors devised a certain... trick.'