Chapter Eighteen: Waves of Destiny

"Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny." ― Steve Maraboli

Terra couldn't begin to describe the absolute joy he was feeling right now. He had only felt this level of all-consuming, warm joy a few times in his life and it was no less intense now than it was the last few times. Even having to explain who he was to entire class of high school students and then swearing them all to secrecy couldn't ruin his mood right now.

He couldn't have thanked All Might enough either, but the Pro Hero had waved it off with a grin and responded that Terra needed to thank more than him. He had only provided advice. It was Terra who had found the right desire to best his inner demons.

As the armored Terra flew through the Lanes, he wanted nothing more than to meet Master Eraqus and show him he had finally conquered his darkness. The brunette knew now that he could face his master with pride and the shame would forever be a distant memory. He had a great desire to make the man he looked up to as a father figure proud. Terra would have been lying to say he hadn't cried some when it finally, truly settled in what he had accomplished.

He wondered how Aqua would react to the news. He wanted to show her and then apologize for all the stupid things he had said to her. He also wanted to tell her what she really meant to him. It would be better to know if she hated him or not versus just stumbling along, never knowing any wiser.

But there was so much to do. He needed to find Master Xehanort and tell him he had conquered his darkness and that he no longer needed the assistance the Master offered. Terra just couldn't abandon the teachings, ideals, and years of connections he had with Master Eraqus, Aqua, and Ventus.

The offering of help—or lack thereof—made Terra pause in his thoughts as the stars zipped by him.

Terra wondered why the old master hadn't done everything he could to help out the brunette earlier. He had acted very concerned for Terra; surely, he would want to make sure that all safe methods to control his darkness were offered or used. Xehanort had clearly mastered his own darkness, hadn't he?

What if…Shoto's question had merit? What if there was more to Master Xehanort than a kind, old man? Was Master Xehanort just trying to get Terra to master his own strength without outside him?

Terra shook his head and tried to dispel the doubt being cast in his mind. There was no way that Master Xehanort was planning some nefarious. Master Eraqus trusted the man and there were life-long friends. Surely, that trust meant something. Terra then concluded that he needed to merely ask Master Xehanort why he hadn't been offering his help more keenly to him during all his struggling.

As he headed towards the Keyblade Graveyard, he saw some motion out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look to his right and noticed a speck of light that was coming right towards him. It seemed like it was in a hurry and it didn't act like an asteroid or any other space debris.

He narrowed his eyes some as he squinted for a better look. Was that a person coming at him? Riding on a…horse? He was really starting to question his sanity when he began to more clearly make out the armor of the person riding the mechanical horse. When he understood who he was looking as, his breath caught in his throat.

It was Master Eraqus in his Keyblade armor!

And…really, his Glider was a mechanical horse? If Terra wasn't so happy to see his father figure, he might have started to laugh at the absurdity of Master Eraqus's Glider. It seemed like everything about the Keyblade Master was old school for sure.

Terra banked hard to the right and rocketed towards Master Eraqus, unashamed of the tears starting to run down his cheeks. As soon as he got close enough, he called out to his Master with magic. Terra had managed to replicate this ability after experience it with Master Xehanort.

'Master Eraqus!' Terra said with a joyous enthusiasm.

Much to his surprise, the older man responded with a tone that sounded equal parts relieved and equal parts joyful. 'Terra! Words cannot explain how happy I am to see you.' His entire body, once tense, had seemed to relax some.

Terra could sense something was off with Master Eraqus. Like he was relieved for different reasons than simply seeing his student was safe and well. Why was his master out here, anyways? Had Ventus not gone home or had something bad happened? There's no way Master Eraqus would leave Land of Departure unless something particularly sinister was afoot. Any joy he had in wanting to tell the man about the fact he had finally conquered his darkness related issues evaporated as a sense of worry came over him.

'Master, what is wrong? Did something happen?'

'Terra, there is much to explain and little time to act. Please follow me and I will do my best to fill you in,' Master Eraqus explained in a somewhat strained tone. He sounded upset. No, he sounded like he was angry about something. Terra had never seen Master Eraqus really upset before or even genuinely stressed. The man had always been a paragon of composure.

Something big had to be up. His initial thoughts first went to Ventus, as he hadn't seen him since his and Aqua's fight at Radiant Garden. Had the blonde made it home? Or was he still missing? He was quick to inquire about the young man's status. 'Is Ven alright? Did he make it home?'

'Yes, Ventus is safe. I left him in charge of protecting Land of Departure, as his adventure has made him much stronger,' Master Eraqus responded as he kept his attention forward, like he was keenly focused on getting somewhere in a hurry now that he had located the brunette. Terra noticed they seemed to be taking the pathway to the Keyblade Graveyard, something that set of alarm bells in Terra's mind.

'Master, is something wrong with Master Xehanort?'

Master Eraqus slowed down some as his shoulders actually slumped slightly. It was time for Terra to learn the truth about the man Eraqus had once trusted like a brother. Eraqus was still hurt deeply by the betrayal and his anger was merely simmering under a blanket of bitterness, sadness, and disappointment.

'Terra, I will be honest with you. Xehanort has been playing us all for fools. He is the one behind the current universal unrest,' Master Eraqus stated somberly.

Terra felt his mouth drop in shock as his entire body shivered from an unseen chill. 'What?' Terra managed to ask intelligently.

'Terra, Xehanort is plotting to restart the Keyblade Wars. He is behind the Unversed somehow and his Vanitas' ally,' Master Eraqus explained shortly. 'Vanitas is key to his plan and I believe he may be after Aqua. He is after you, as well. He has been trying to make you carelessly use darkness and make you into a vessel for his heart.'

As Eraqus spoke to the brunette, Terra wanted to argue at first, but suddenly, things starting making sense. The attitude of wanting to help and trying to make Terra feel like using darkness like he was wasn't bad. Xehanort had been offering helping all the time, but never really giving it. He had done and said things that not only made Terra feel better, but also boosted his ego tremendously. There was the pity story about trying to help Ventus and accidently creating Vanitas.

Everything had been lies and part truths in order to…allow Xehanort to steal his body?

Terra was positive Master Eraqus telling the truth. He could feel the biting truth and conviction in the man's words. He had no reason to believe his master would ever lie to him on such a serious accusation, considering who it involved. Eraqus would never willingly smear the name of a man he considered a brother.

Terra couldn't even begin to make his mind function to ask questions. He was hurt beyond words he had been played by a man he was meant to trust. This entire journey has been one person after another trying to play off of Terra's desire to help people. Maleficent, Captain Hook, Hades…all of them acted like they wanted his help or wanted to help him, only to reveal their true natures when the time came. And now, Xehanort had done the same.

It hurt the worst of all. But he could only imagine how his Master felt.

Instead, all he asked was one thing.

'What can I do to help stop him then?'

'You must fight, but you cannot engage Xehanort in battle. He is…my responsibility, Terra,' Eraqus responded with a tone that ringed of bitterness and lingering anger. But hints of sadness could be detected by even that ordinarily dense Terra. He couldn't imagine being force to battle a person you trusted so much. He didn't press the topic, nor did he demand to face Xehanort. He just knew this was the right thing to do.

But one question was on his mind more than any other now.

'Master, where's Aqua?'

Eraqus didn't immediately answer as he contemplated how poorly Terra could react to the fact that time had run out on Arthur's search for the bluenette. His other student, as much as he hated to admit it, was on her own. They couldn't delay facing Xehanort anymore. He was worried sick about her, but they had to keep the element of surprise as much as possible. Two days alone was dangerous enough to give Xehanort.

'We could not find her. And we have already given Xehanort two days to become alerted to our presence and intentions. I am sorry, Terra,' Eraqus replied as he looked over his shoulder at his student.

Terra's expression did darken, understandably so, even if he did understand the position his master was in. But it still upset him to a large enough degree that he asked, 'Master, we can't leave Aqua out there! What about Vanitas? He could be hunting her right now!'

'Do you trust Aqua?'

Terra was taken aback with some confusion as Master Eraqus returned his attention to the stars ahead of him. What sort of question was that? Her trusted Aqua with everything, including his life. The answer to this question was obvious. 'Of course.'

'Then you must trust she can face Vanitas. She would be furious with us if we put the universe in danger over her.'

Terra frowned a bit at the logic present to him, not because it wasn't right, but because it was entirely right. Aqua was not the kind of girl who would put herself above anyone else's needs, at least not without a extremely good reason. And she was still very dedicated to her duties as Keyblade bearer. She pretty much expected the same of Terra.

'I…alright. I understand, Master. Let's go stop Xehanort.'

There was a sense of destiny in the air.

Xehanort could feel it. The Keyblade Graveyard seemed tense, like the spirits of those long departed were watching for a great conflict to begin. The old master was also feeling a bit apprehensive. All tabs had been lost on Master Arthur; for a man who was extremely adamant about protecting his kingdom, his sudden departure was more than worrisome.

His plans were moving forward, but he couldn't shake the feeling that everything was going to come to a head much sooner than expected.

It could be related to Vanitas. After his suitable punishment, the dark creature had swiftly departed to hunt down Aqua. He seemed more dedicated than ever to the goal of the X-blade.

But the old master was far from unaware of the possibility of Vanitas's betrayal. The boy wasn't merely consumed with the desire to be complete; he was completely obsessed with Aqua. While it was mildly interesting to see a desire for some sort of compassion to devolve into such a twisted desire for control and ownership, it also meant that Vanitas was more dedicated to his own personal agenda than Xehanort's own goals.

However, Xehanort's goals had also changed. He had a trump card that no one could best once pulled.

A Corridor of Darkness rippled into existence behind him, causing him to glance over his shoulder at a black-coated figure emerging from it. Xehanort turned to face the much younger man, whose identity was well known to the older master. "So, you have returned."

Words appeared into Xehanort's mind. Empty handed. Arthur is gone from his world and my contacts are all either in prison or killed, executed for traitorous acts by their nations.

"I see. Are there any indications that our friends know of our plans yet?"

No. However, I cannot pierce the protective barrier around Land of Departure or Yen Sid's domain. I feel…the tides of fate are moving beyond your control now.

"Merely a change in flow does not dictate a loss of control."

Xehanort was fully able to recover from any situation; he was confident in his abilities. He was positive no one would be able to react to his plans until his was too late. The chess pieces were merely pawns to his greater, superior designs.

"Since when did you develop a god complex, Xehanort?" came a voice that caused the hunched man to freeze in place. His ally had already summoned pale blue Ethereal Blades, crackling with energy as he shifted into a combat stance.

Xehanort spun around and was greeted with three armored figured, all of which he recognized as they walked towards him. Master Eraqus, in his Keyblade Armor, was in the center of the trio, with Terra to his left and Master Arthur on his right.

"Because as far as I am concerned," Master Eraqus's muffled, clearly angry voice chided Master Xehnaort, "You're not the master of anyone's fate but your own. And your choice led you to this moment: the moment we stop you, old friend."

In this moment, even as Master Xehanort drew his Keyblade and prepared to don his own armor, the old master knew that his plans were very, very off track.

Hello everyone! This is a shorter than expected updated, but I wanted to really focus on the last two chapters of this story, which will mostly be huge fights between the good and bad guys. We have finally reached the climax of this story! For everyone who has been following for all this time, thank you very much. I appreciate everyone's views, reviews, and comments on this work. Between myself and my S/O, I feel this work is vastly superior to mu Girl of Steel story.

Keeper of Worlds: Thank you for the comment! I enjoy writing fight scenes, especially when they are emotional like Terra's conquering of his darkness was.

Antex, Chapter 17, 16: Thank you so much for your reviews. I think both chapters were major labors of love and took quite a bit of time to accomplish. Each one focused to two very different things. Aqua has been in some tough fights, but Terra needed a fight that really was something to drive him to finish line. Aqua, on the other hand, had inner monsters to face.

Thomas: It's called My Hero Academia, which a anime I loved to death. I wanted Terra to go to a world of super heroes so he could see that it's not the power that matters, but the idea of what you do with your power that matters the most. How you are driven means more than simply being powerful.

As for Aqua, she needed to realize that she had faults and made mistakes outside of the obvious. Her fears of abandonment are very real and she had to accept her own inner darkness in order to really understand Terra any more than she already does.

Vigriff: Let's just say he's going to be regretting allowing Aqua getting this strong!