bookgirl111: Yeah I cried really hard. Already waiting for the next game with bated breath. Until then… fanfiction!

The Keeper of Worlds: Yeah I can bet… the hardest thing was actually typing his name last chapter… things should get interesting from here on. :)

Chapter 4

For once, the first thing Ephemera noticed was that this was the first time he hadn't had any dreams. The light that filtered through the window was already a dark red, leaving the Keyblade Wielder to believe that he had been asleep for quite a few hours.

Strange… it feels like much longer… The teen couldn't remember the last time he had felt that well-rested, especially with all that had been entrusted to him the few weeks up to his trip through time.

Letting out a sigh, the silver-haired teen stretched- taking care to not tear the stitches he could feel stretching as well beneath the gauze- before he froze. The lack of the bindings on his hands didn't get past the boy as he hands automatically stretched behind his head, towards the headboard of the bed. He glanced towards his feet, noticing that those too had been removed. The teen shifted to let his feet dangle off the bed, taking in the surroundings once more. Nothing had really changed, but sure enough there was a bowl of soup and some bread on the side table of the bed, the promise that the bluenette stated before leaving going fulfilled. Surprised he hadn't woken up when they had come back, the teen turned his gaze towards the cracked door. It was clear that if they meant to keep him here, then the bindings would have been reclasped and the door locked… unless…

They drugged me… A scowl made its way onto his face as the thought entered his head. The only opportunity would have been with the water… but he didn't understand quite how the spell had taken effect. If it was as he thought, then the occupants of the castle wouldn't be coming to check up on him for a while… Meaning I can at least explore before they come back to check on me…

At the thought, the teen moved off the bed and towards the door, taking note of the time on a small clock on the wall. Shortly after 5:00…

Maybe a few hours and then I'll come back here… It wasn't like the teen was new to exploring after all. There were numerous times that Ava had to pull him out of trouble, especially when his excursions involved the other Foretellers…

A small chuckle left him at that as he slipped out into the corridor. Upon investigating further, there weren't too many rooms actually in the castle, most being comprised of basic necessities: bedrooms, bathrooms, and a kitchen. He had to steer clear of a large great room at the end of one of the halls due to the sound of fighting and instructions coming from within. What piqued the teen's interest the most was a large library off to one side of the castle. As far as size went, it didn't compare to the foreteller's but Ephemera still couldn't help but feel impressed by the amount of knowledge contained within.

And where there's knowledge, there's answers… It might not give him everything he needed to bring a stop to the Keyblade War, but it would give him ample background on what was happening during this timeline.

"I don't think you're supposed to be in here."

"You need to stop this Ephemera." From where he was confined, the silver-haired teen looked out at his friend and current Foreteller, a frown creasing her face. She had removed the fox mask that normally hid her features, since it was just the two of them this time.

"You know they're hiding something from us Ava." He glanced at the stone walls around them, wondering if any of the others were listening this time. The purple light flashing from the spell keeping him there grew brighter as he tested the bonds once again. He wasn't too bothered by it however, it wasn't actually doing any damage and he knew he would be released with time.

"You know I'm one of them too?" The whispered reply from the Fox Foreteller caused him to glance back at her face. She seemed pained by something, as if this 'punishment' was hurting her rather than him. "Besides, even if they are, the Master has his reasons for not telling us everything…"

"Even if it's dangerous?" At his question, she stayed silent. The light dimmed, causing him to flex his wrists in response. Sure enough, it stayed dim, signaling that his time in the enclosure was almost up. "I won't give up Ava. Not till I find what it is that he's hiding."

So it's been a really long time… a lot longer than I wanted. Over the summer I got into the mix of having two jobs and then starting back at school again this semester. Both have left me with little time to write even though that's my stress relief. I'm sorry! I feel bad that you all had to wait so long for the next chapter! For those who are also reading 'A Twist in Time', I am also working on the next chapter for that one. Just have to get back into the swing of things and write it. :) This one was shorter than I wanted but I figured I'd at least post it so you all could enjoy. Guesses on who found Ephemera? See you all next time!

-AnimeWolfGirl16