A second chance to do things right. A chance to prove to Aqua and Ventus that he can be there for them.

Terra, knowing that this is a rare opportunity, and knowing that he doesn't have much time left, takes a hard look at himself. This is serendipity. He has to be the one to spark a change that will end his own suffering once and for all...

Sora and Riku, given information that their greatest nemesis has been spotted amidst a horde of Heartless and terrorizing a quiet town, set off to confront him.

Riku is barely aware of how heavy he is breathing when he stumbles upon an open clearing. No one is there. He stops himself from collapsing, and begins to consciously slow his breath down. He can't sense a presence in the area. They're gone. But this means another thing...

"Sora! Keep up!"

He looks behind him. Sora is at least keeping up, but it's usual that he lags (being the slower one), and he's also completely out of breath. Ever the emotive one between the two, he has the expression of someone who just can't believe that they failed to chase after an aging, crippling man.

"There's no one here! Nooo, this totally stinks. This guys limps, come on. There's no way he could outrun us," Sora says, sweeping his gaze all over the area as if he is certain that he is missing something.

But they are the only two people standing in the sunset, a basque of orange so warm that every inch of Twilight Town's sand-bricked architecture is illuminated by light. If there is a dark being walking about, surely they will see the blackness of their coats stand out amidst the sunlight. The clock tower stands in the horizon, its twin bells calm, and the hands no where near the turn of the hour. Riku realizes that it may continue to be quiet.

"It's over. We should head back to the gummi ship and tell King Mickey," Riku finally says.

"But we've nearly got 'em!"

That is true. Moments ago, Riku and Sora confronted not just one terrible being of darkness, but three: Master Xehanort himself, his heartless, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and his Nobody, Xemnas. Three against two, and it seemed for some time that there was no way Riku and Sora would get out of that unscathed. But then Riku saw a window of opportunity, a moment where Xehanort's wide and open stance left his chest slightly vulnerable. It was one Riku took as he thrusted his Keyblade forward, striking the Master in the chest as a bright light blinded him. Xehanort stumbled off while his Heartless and his Nobody distracted the friends from chasing him - eventually quitting and deciding that they, too, were going to leave.

"I messed up, I'm sorry," Riku says.

"Don't say that. You did exactly what we should be doing. We did great. We just have to find out where they went, and then we can decide a new plan of action."

Riku knows that even in the face of failure, Sora can't help but put on his most sincere smile, proof that optimism is truly a great coping mechanism.

As the friends walk through the streets of Twilight Town, Riku cannot shake this unnerving feeling of stillness. There are no Heartless abound, and the town is at its most peaceful in months. But, why? Does it have something to do with me stabbing him? Did they just call back their offense? People are flooding the marketplace, cheerful and excited that they can go about their daily lives again.

Riku stops for a moment to observe this kind of rare peace. Twilight Town has been the target of an intense Heartless swarm, and it seemed for too long that the Heartless multiplied faster than they can vanquish them. For long before, Traverse Town had been reporting heavy swarms.

It's people. They're targeting large crowds of people.

"Riku!"

Riku, startled by the panic in Sora's voice, rushes to his friend's side, who called out from an alleyway, away from the sights of the townspeople. On the ground, a young man with brown hair and tan skin can be seen, completely unconscious.

"What happened here? Did anyone see him?"

Sora looks up to Riku, holding the man's head in his arms. The man does not react to any gentle or forceful attempts to wake him up. Riku freezes for a moment as he gazes upon his face.

I know him. Memories of this same man - talking to Riku in Destiny Islands, conjuring a Keyblade, reciting words of initiation to a small boy - flood Riku's mind. The young man that changed Riku's fate forever.

"We should take him to the closest doctor," Sora says.

"No, we should take him with us."

Sora is clearly startled by such a suggestion.

"Sora, I know this guy. He's a Keyblade wielder."

"What?!" Sora is so shocked that for a time is speechless. "And what, we never knew about him? Next, you're going to tell me that he fell from the sky."

Riku smirks, and drapes one arm of the unconscious man over his shoulders. "C'mon, stop gawking. We should be quick about this."

"Okay then, but you owe me an interesting story about this guy."

And on the friends go, carrying with them the body of a man who hasn't consciously seen the light of day in twelve years.