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There was no telling how it all started. No telling how or when the world began, when the first life forms things came to be, when time itself became a concept. There was none of that, in the beginning.
There was only Nothing.
Nothing swam through the tides of existence that seemed to rise infinitely, searching, calling for that which it needed to find. Its heart ached, called for something that was still unknown even to it.
A pulse came from ahead and Nothing followed it. It was being called too.
The waves seemed to rise infinitely but now it was possible to see something beyond. Its heart beat faster and It hurried up until It was close enough to see the one It had been looking for.
There, before It, was Everything.
“Hello.”
It was Nothing who spoke first, not in the language mankind would come to use but in a way only Everything could understand.
“Hello. What’s your name?”
“You were calling me. I was hoping you would know my name.”
“I do not. But that is alright; I do not know mine either.”
“We may not have names but we know each other as if we were one. At least, that is how I feel. Do you feel the same way?”
“Yes, I do." Light smiled. "Maybe we are one.”
They joined, became one in their plenitude, and once again moved through the waves that would one day become the shell of the universe. Always intertwined, always moving next to one another. Always in balance, as they should be. Moving and floating in every single direction but also in no direction at all for the world was still too abstract to be called real.
When the concept of time was born, Everything and Nothing observed the world below them. One day, the world was Nothing. And suddenly, it was Everything. Life had come to be, animals roamed the Earth, humans built societies and thus existence was born. And thus, the two entities, forces, or whatever humanity saw them as, were renamed.
Everything was dubbed Light. Nothing was dubbed Darkness. And together, despite their different names, they kept moving forward.
Centuries went by while Darkness and Light watched the world. In every place, in every creature, both lived within them. Together, never apart, always walking in unison. They observed, both in awe, the wonderful balance that fell over the world like a welcoming blanket.
“Light?”
“Yes, Darkness?”
“What is going to happen now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I finally found you. And you found me. What else is there to see in this world?”
Light enveloped Darkness with its warmth, keep them warm and comfortable. Their hearts beat together, calm, as Light kissed their beloved companion.
“I do not know.” Light said. It was true humanity had much more to learn and that with each millennium more and more things were created, but Light knew what His other half meant. For Them, there was no real objective. They always had and would always exist. They didn’t have a purpose, at least not one They could define. “Is that important for you?”
“I think so. We have learned much together. Perhaps we could… Take this knowledge and share it with others.”
“With others? You mean… With people?”
“Yes. With the world. We are part of it… And it is part of us. But I don’t think the world has this knowledge, not to the extent that we do.”
Light nodded. He could understand, could feel it. The urge his half had to join life as well. Maybe as a human, as an animal, or even as the wind and the sea. They were much more powerful than that, their essence enough was responsible for life to exist. And yet it was an interesting idea. An innocent, sparking curiosity.
“Very well. We shall do that.”
Darkness nodded and they floated down, more and more until they reached a mountain. They were no longer essences, unseen forces, but instead had a body they shared. With this body, they walked down the mountain. They felt every step, smelled every scent from the flowers, touched every tree, and sang with every bird. They found out the grass tickled their feet and that made them laugh. They found out the wind was felt by every part of their body and laughed about it. It all felt new, different.
What name should we go by? One questioned the other.
Venitas, was their answer.
Their eyes were yellow and blue and their hair was as black as night. They walked for a long time until they arrived in a small town and, with the knowledge they had gathered about humanity, it was easy to seamlessly join them. 'A traveler from far away' was what they went by at first but soon they were part of those people. Another human, another of them, with the simple but harsh goal of surviving.
As the Darkness in Venitas heart wished to do, they spoke of the world order, of the necessary balance between opposites. Happiness and sadness. Night and day. Life and death. The few people who lived in the small town rejoiced; they learned how to better navigate the dark without fearing it. They learned to respect other life forms that came and went. To take only what's needed, never more than necessary.
Venitas felt happy. And for years, they lived with the same people, until their time came to an end and their physical form passed away.
“So, Darkness...” Light called. Darkness smiled at his other half, welcomed it.
“Yes?”
“Do you think the knowledge we gave them will survive?”
“As long as they keep sharing it… Yes, it will.”
“What if they stop?” Light asked and embraced Darkness again. “What if they forget what was taught? Eternity is a long time.”
“Then we’ll remind them.” Darkness said with a soft, happy smile. They touched their other half's face, stroked their cheek. “Both of us.”
“Both of us.”
“Let us be Venitas again.” Light proposed and held their lover's hand. “And tell them about the things we have seen and the things there are to come.”
“We shall be one again. As we have always been. Never apart.”
“Never apart.”
And so for other thousands of years they watched. Lived in every being, every creature. Lived in the sea, in the heavens. Saw the things humanity was capable of. Saw the potential every living being had, sometimes left to waste, sometimes used as it should be.
Venitas visited humans many times. Some were more pleasant than others, but it soon became clear that humanity had truly forgotten what they were taught. Now, they fought for power. For control. They killed, hunted, wasted, did everything to the extremes with no respect for any kind of equilibrium. When Venitas died, the two entities that lived within him rejoined once more, but things had changed.
“They’ve forgotten.” Darkness said one night, sad. “All the knowledge we gave them… Everything we passed on… All forgotten.”
“Not forgotten. Cast aside.” Light held Darkness' hand. “Like it doesn’t matter. Like it makes no difference.”
“But it does!” Darkness exclaimed, distressed, and turned to Their Light for support. “What is this power they so desperately seek? Why the need to control things they cannot understand? Can’t they see it’s only destroying them? Pulling them apart?”
“We cannot control their actions. We can only do what is within our reach.” Light whispered, kind. “We have done what we could.”
“No. There must be something more we can do.” Darkness softly pulled their hand away. “Maybe their minds are limited. Maybe they can not understand what is not obvious.”
“I do not understand...”
“Do you see how their choices are made?”
“What do you mean?”
“Each person can make a choice of their own. Each one of them has their own voice. Their own face. Their own life, intertwined with others’ but not necessarily… Glued to it.”
“You mean like us?”
“Not quite.”
Darkness looked up. “Venitas. A perfect form for both of us to coexist. Coexisting... I don’t think they understand this concept.”
Light pursed their lips in worry. Darkness continued.
“But separate entities… That can still live together in harmony. What could be more obvious than that?”
“Darkness...”
“Help me, Light! Just as we are one together, we can be one separately. As it’s always been since the beginning of times. As we’ve lived through every creation, every being!”
“What are you proposing?”
“That we teach them again.” Darkness smiled, Their eyes shining with hope. “That we show them how it happens. Both of us… Separate but not truly apart.”
“Us, separate? Down there?” Light pointed down at the world.
“Does the idea not please you?”
"It scares me."
Light crossed their arms, anxious. Their half had genuine intentions, but were they aware it could backfire?
“How would it backfire?” Darkness asked and Light chuckled. “You have not forgotten we share our thoughts, have you?”
“Even if I had, you’d surely remind me. No, I am just… Afraid. We have never gone down there as two different people.”
“What are you afraid of exactly?” Darkness asked. “There’s no way we could be separated for good. You know that.”
“Isn’t there really? You’ve seen what humanity has done-”
“We are not human. We are… Everything.”
“And Nothing at the same time.” Light sighed again. “Which is why we will never stop existing. But I am afraid we might not exist together anymore.”
“That’s impossible.” Darkness said, softly, and cupped their other half's face. “No matter where you are… I will come for you. Just like the first time.”
“And I will come for you too. I just… Don’t want you to be hurt, Love.”
“Even if I am, it’s as you said...” Darkness kissed their forehead. “We can never disappear. We’ll always be together again, one way or another.”
“Always together… You and I.”
“Always.”
They watched over the world for a few more hours, which meant years for humanity. It was then that Light finally gave in and looked at their lover.
“... What shall our names be then? Once we’re not sharing the same body?”
"Mm..." Darkness thought. “Your name shall be Ventus. Like the wind, beautiful and carefree. And I shall be Vanitas. Like the void, the emptiness to your fullness.”
Light laughed. “That’s sweet of you. But Darkness is not emptiness.”
“It is the absence of Light.”
“But not the absence of everything.” Light whispered and leaned closer to kiss their partner.
“Things will be alright, Ventus.”
Ventus nodded.
“I trust you... Vanitas.”
When Ventus and Vanitas came to be, they found themselves next to each other as two young boys; one, with his hair as black as night. The other, of a blond like sunlight. Pretty much like they saw each other, even as entities. The two held hands and walked together, enjoying the nice scent that came from the sea.
The place they found themselves in was beautiful. The sand felt funny under their feet and made them laugh while running on it. The birds on the trees sang happily as if feeling their presence. There was a different kind of energy through them now, the one only children had, and it felt extremely calming. Relaxing.
Being this close to the sea, they let themselves watch the waves form then crash on themselves for a while. Behind them, meters away, there was a small but pretty house, built with wood. Ventus poked Vanitas in his arm and ran to the water, calling for him. Vanitas followed and jumped on it, amazed at the sensations the water brought him. Many hours went by and they enjoyed their first day as separate people to their fullest, enjoyed their first time as children. There was so much energy in their hearts. So much life!
Everything felt so fresh and new to a point they forgot their bodies needed rest. And so they simply walked back to the sand, walked more until they found some shade under a tree farther away, and lay next to each other to sleep.
They had no reason to worry about anything, for nothing could hurt them. Still, both jolted awake when someone spoke to them and woke them up.
“What are you two doing here all by yourselves?”
In front of them stood an elder man with a fishing pole in his hand, a gentle but worried expression on his face.
"Uh?" Vanitas blinked, still in the process of waking up. Ventus snuggled closer to him and pointed to the man.
"Oh, it's okay, little one! I'm not going to hurt you." The man said, quickly stepping back after being pointed at.
Vanitas looked at Ventus, understanding. He pulled the blond closer to him and spoke. “We... We don’t know, sir...”
“You don’t know?” The man looked around, apparently looking for someone. The boys shared surprised glances, not because of being found by a stranger but because it was already dark.
It's already night?
Looks like it!
I had forgotten how weird time is down here.
So had I.
“Where are your parents?” The elder asked them, scratching the back of his head. "Do you know where's your home?"
"I can't remember..." Ventus muttered, sad. "When I woke up, I was already here."
“We met by the sea.” Vanitas said, keeping up with Ventus' story. “I woke up here... Then found him when I was looking for help."
“So you’re not brothers?” The man asked, looking more and more worried. He crossed his arms, thinking about what to do and about how odd it was for two children to simply find themselves in a place they didn't know.
“No, sir. We just met.”
"Alright... Okay, well..." He smiled at them, as calm as he could be. He paused for some time, wondering about what to do. "There is a village on the other side of the mountain. It takes at least one hour to get there and I'd do it right now but it's dangerous to do so at night."
The man gestured to their left and they were quick to see it: The small, cozy house near the beach.
"I have food and extra blankets you can use. You two can spend the night at my house and I'll take you to the village in the morning. What do you say?"
The two boys looked at each other and then at the man. They could see and feel that his will to help was genuine and that alone made their first day as separate beings worth it. Both nodded and followed the man to his house, where they received proper care and attention before they could be taken to the village on the next day.
Light and Darkness were floored when the villagers gathered to find their parents or family. It felt nice, to see such a beautiful part of humanity and all the love they had to share. Throughout that life, the two grew up into strong and wise men, who were able to repay all the kindness they received since their arrival and pass on the knowledge they were so eager to share.
Many years went by before they had to say goodbye. They made sure every single one counted.
“So, how was it?” Light asked. “Living separately?”
“It was… Interesting.” Darkness said, sitting beside his Light just a few days after their mortal bodies were gone. “But a bit confusing too. After a while, I couldn’t hear your thoughts anymore. As if we were no longer connected.”
“But we were.” Light said. “As we grew up, I couldn’t hear your thoughts either but I could feel your emotions. I could feel your heart.”
“Because it is part of yours.” Darkness said, shrugging with some kind of attitude to the gesture. Light frowned and laughed.
“That mannerism… That’s Vanitas right there.”
“Well, maybe I liked being Vanitas.” Darkness said. “He was a great kid and became a great adult.”
“So you had a lot of fun.”
“Maybe?” Darkness smirked. “Didn’t you?”
Light pondered for a while. Then they shrugged, laughing.
“Alright, maybe I did too.”
They looked down to Earth. Time was moving on, people were changing and everything was different now. Just like that, in the blink of an eye.
“Do you think they’ll keep the knowledge we brought them this time?” Light asked. Darkness waited in silence.
“I hope so.”
“... You want to go there again, don’t you?”
Darkness blushed and scratched their head, wondering if they should answer that. Not that Light wouldn’t already be able to tell.
“... Yes, I do.”
Light leaned closer.
“Ventus and Vanitas again?”
Darkness smiled.
“Ventus and Vanitas again.”
For centuries, they lived as two separate people. Part of nature, of existence, but also with their own personal body. Every time Ventus and Vanitas existed again, so did the message that light and darkness were opposites but not enemies. The message that only with balance life could prevail and survive. Love and hatred. Day and night. Life and death. Hands that could kill but also harvest and protect.
But then a drastic change happened. It came so fast and unexpectedly that they weren't able to tell when it started. They didn’t see it coming, for they were too human now, too intrinsically mixed up with the life they had and not the one they used to have. The drastic change where Light was deemed good and Darkness evil. A misunderstanding regarding what had been passed on.
That new faith seemed to make more sense to humans, to be more natural. But it wasn't.
When Light and Darkness met again it wasn’t as pleasant as it used to be. Darkness sat alone in the corner, thinking. Light stood at the other corner, looking at their companion with a heavy heart.
“... I can no longer hear any of your thoughts." Light sighed. "Nor can I feel your heart. I cannot… Feel our connection like I used to.”
“Why do they fear me?”
Light turned their head to look. Darkness was crying.
“... Sweetheart…?”
“Why do they see me as something vile? That… That is not what we taught them.”
“Humans make mistakes.” Light spoke out loud, defensive. “Even after going through so much, they can still make the wrong decisions. That’s not your responsibility, to control their actions.”
“But it should be. After all, that’s what I am. That’s my sole reason for existing… To complete you. Just as you complete me. And yet...”
“Love...”
Light approached them and held their hands together.
“Our purpose is to solemnly exist. We, both of us, allow life to move forward. It’s not about… How humanity perceives us.”
“But only humans can learn like this. Only they can write history, only they can make sure everything that happened before wasn't for naught. But if they’re going to depict me like this...”
“We can go there again. We can always go back there.” Light offered, being exactly the comforting life Darkness needed. “We can make things work. We won’t always succeed but… Maybe Ventus and Vanitas will.”
“You were right.” Darkness confessed and looked away to hide Their tears. “Maybe we should have never been separated. We should always be one, our true selves. Venitas.”
“Venitas is alive. As long as both of us are, They’ll be too.”
“Not like this. Not while we lay in disbalance.”
Darkness looked back at their Light. They stood like this for a long time, trying to see through the other like they used to before.
“I...” Darkness spoke, mournful. “I can not feel your heart either.”
Light took Darkness’ hand again.
“... We can fix this. We’ll keep trying. I’ll keep trying… For you.”
“This is my fault.”
“It is not. I am here with you. That means we made it through again. And we can do that again, as many times as necessary.”
Darkness nodded. They knew they could. They knew things could be changed. But something in their mind made them question whether that was truly possible. Whether their fate was to stay together or slowly drift away.
“... Okay.”
Destined to be close enough to touch, but impossible to reach.
Every time they went back, things seemed to get worse.
Before, Ventus and Vanitas always came to be at the same place. Always came to life the same way, at the same time. But soon they began to exist farther from each other. It was just a physical experience at first, but soon came the times where they didn’t meet in their lifetime. Soon came the times when they were born as enemies, the times where they were born only to soon die for no apparent reason. Times where they barely had time to speak up and even when they did whatever thought or idea they had about Light and Darkness was lost. Not just lost in time, but lost in their buried memories, lost forever.
“Why does this keep happening?” Darkness questioned, angrier and angrier, more and more resentful of themselves. “I didn’t mean for that to happen!”
“I know.” Light said. “You’ve said that before. Many, many times.”
“It feels futile now. Futile! To keep going back only to end up here again, broken. Every time, more broken!”
“This didn’t need to happen.” Light retorted. “If only we’d stayed as one. Like we should have.”
Darkness stopped then turned at their other half. “We agreed on this.”
“I agreed only to satisfy you.” Light replied, their voice calm but shaking with bitterness. With pain. “Because I wanted you to see what it was like.”
“So you’re saying, confirming, that us being broken is my fault?”
“I won’t lie and say I wasn’t curious either. But...”
“But.” Darkness huffed. So Light blamed them as well. So, truly, it was all their fault!
“Arguing won’t take us anywhere.” Light said. “We all make mistakes. Being separated was a mistake. Not only your mistake but mine as well."
Darkness groaned, rubbed at their face. They felt overwhelmed enough to think, but it wasn't like they could ignore what was going on.
”Why do they keep searching for me?" Light asked suddenly, deep in thought. "Taking pieces of me away… This thing they call... Lux? And fighting to push you back, to... Keep you at bay.…”
“Because they believe Light is the answer. To everything. But this isn’t right…"
Darkness walked to their Light and put a hand on their shoulder. To comfort them but also looking for comfort themself.
"They’ve been tearing us apart by doing this. You’re growing weaker. And I… I’m growing stronger. Because of their greed. Of their fight for power. I… I grow stronger but it’s hurting you in the process. I don't like this.”
"I don't like this either. But..."
Light leaned on their partner and hugged them, being hugged back.
"... We have no choice but to keep trying. Maybe this time it'll work."
"What if it doesn't?"
"We're already torn. I don't... Think it can get any worse than this."
Light's words hurt and they both could feel it. How could they teach about balance if they were no longer in balance with one another? It felt wrong. It felt weird. Like they were truly broken.
"... One last time then?" Darkness asked, burying their face on Light's embrace. "To... Try and fix this...?"
"For you?" Light smiled. "Always."
As soon as Vanitas came to be once more, he knew something was wrong.
First, he was in a place he’d never seen before. It was dark, too dark, and he couldn’t see a thing except for a faint light in the far distance. It wasn’t as bright as His Light was, but he followed it, ran toward it. He expected to feel the floor under his feet, as that was the first sensation he felt every time he came back to human form, but realized he couldn't. Still, he kept running. What he could or not feel didn’t matter as long as he was with Ventus again.
However, no matter how much he ran, that Light only seemed to be farther and farther. He didn’t give up, didn't ‘t stop pursuing it, but it kept growing weaker until it was hard to even discern where he was.
”Light??” He called but wasn’t answered. The world around him was slowly coming into focus but his head was in turmoil; he couldn’t see Him. Couldn’t tell where he was.
“Light, where are you?” He called again and now even his voice sounded… Off, like it wasn't truly there. And as the world around him became clearer and clearer, as people walked by him, he finally took a look at himself and understood why.
He didn't have a body. Whatever Vanitas had been in the past, there was nothing left of him. His hand didn’t have a physical shape, his body didn’t have a physical shape. He was just… A shade. A mass of pure, relentless darkness, like a walking shadow. Just… Darkness.
He tried to speak to the people that came and went but they didn't listen to him, didn't see him. He tried to touch them and while he could see they were tainted they didn't seem to mind. It was as if he was there but not at the same time. It was him in his real essence, but something had gone horribly wrong. He should have a body. He should be Vanitas.
“Light, please, answer me!” He called, over and over and over again. It felt like an eternity, running up and down, seeing people come and go until he finally saw that light again and followed it. But it didn’t take him to Ventus.
It took him to a man. A man whose features were hidden under a hood, who wore a long, black coat and stared at a book open on a table. Darkness walked to him and stood by his side, trying to understand why he'd been called there.
“So… It is just as the prophecies foretold.” The man said to himself. He sounded proud for some reason. “It won’t take long now before...”
Then he turned around and stared directly at Darkness's direction.
“Oh. It really didn’t take long, after all! You're here already, who would've thought?”
Darkness stepped back. What? The man could see him? How? He’d walked by dozens of people of his way and had gone through all of them like a ghost! How-
“I was expecting you to arrive but not exactly right now, you know? Eh, doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are here now and fate can follow its track as it’s supposed to. Thankfully.”
“Who are you?”
The Master of Master tilted his head in a comical, exaggerated way. “Wait, you don’t know me? Okay, now that is unexpected. I thought it would be easier than that but it seems I’ll have to explain things to you after all? Huh...”
“What are you talking about? Who are you, how can you see me?”
“That doesn’t really matter, does it? You are not here for me! You are here for your precious Light! Why else would you come all this way? Just to see my silly face? I don't think so!”
That got Darkness’s attention. Of course he was here for his Light, because he sensed him. He didn’t know who was that man or what he wanted, but then again why should he care?
“Where’s my Light?”
“Well, you see...” The man turned on his feet, his hands up. “Light isn’t yet ready to go and fulfill its destiny, no. It’s been born, of course, but it’ll take a few years until it knows-”
“Where is he?!”
The Master sighed, upset for being interrupted. He turned around again and, in a more serious way, gestured to a corridor.
“Very well. I’ll take you to him.”
Darkness didn’t know what to expect. It was odd enough that he couldn’t feel his Light, which only increased his anxiety, and odd enough that this random person could not only see him but was also had apparently been expecting him to arrive. But any other question he had was forgotten. All thoughts that roamed around in his mind turned into nothing the very moment his eyes fell on the little baby in front of him.
He was around 5 or 6 months old and had very little hair, but it was clearly a blond boy. The cradle he was in was clearly improvised, but nonetheless a very well cared one. The baby was awake and very relaxed, looking around and taking in the view through its bright blue eyes. His big, curious eyes, which gave away just how pure he was.
“... Ventus?”
“Ventus? So that's his name?" The Master of Master asked, pointing at the small baby. "Okay? But, yeah, I can’t tell you how he ended up here. At least now he has a name, I guess. Ventus it is then!”
Darkness approached the carefully tidied cradle and stared at the child, not believing what he saw. That couldn't be Ventus. And yet it was; Darkness could sense it now. That weak but existent light. It was so fragile, so small. The baby looked directly at him. Of course, Ventus could see him. And when their eyes met, something in Darkness's heart changed.
It was like a part of him, part of his strength had returned to him. He could once again have a form. Whatever form it wanted. Like it had regained some sense of self or just some sense of why it was there.
Before just a shade, Darkness once again took in the physical form of Vanitas. He reached for the child and picked him up with such gentleness that even the Master of Masters was taken by surprise. He stood still, however, watching as the scene before him unfolded.
Darkness held the little child’s hand. He didn’t speak but shed tears while trying to understand what the little one was saying. He couldn’t; if there was anything left of their connection with Light it was now truly gone. Right now, he wasn't the powerful, omniscient entity he used to be. He was just human. Just a child.
Darkness swallowed their tears, guilt washed all over him. Why had he even suggested they joined the humans? Why even think of becoming two different pieces? How could they go back to who they were now?
"The fated child was written in the Book of Prophecies." The man said. "Light. Or Ventus, as you just named him."
"What do you mean by the fated child?" Darkness asked, holding Ventus close to his chest. The baby seemed to feel comfortable and grabbed him by his clothes, wanting to stay there.
"Really? Oh, man..." The Master shook his head in disapproval. "So you really don't know a thing and now I'll have to explain everything? Lame."
"I don't care about any prophecy." Darkness snarled and looked back at the man with the cloak. "I came here for Ventus... And I'm taking him with me."
"You can't just come and steal a child like that! Besides, whatever you do, he can't escape fate! It's been written and therefore shall happen."
"Who do you think you are?"
"Me? I'm a no one! But you-" He pointed at Darkness. "You, my friend, are of exquisite importance. I cannot simply let you stand up and leave! I mean, technically you can do that, but I don't think you should. I think you'd rather stay... And listen to what have to say."
Darkness squinted their eyes at the stranger. "You seem to know things I don't... How?"
"The Book of Prophecies, of course! Wanna read it?"
"Will it help Ventus? To become himself again? Will it help us become one?"
"Oh."
The Master approached and took Ventus from Darkness' hands, put him back on the cradle. Behind the hood, his eyes shined.
"It most certainly will."
The world had changed. The way humans lived changed. And so, Darkness changed too.
There were other people to teach children about life now. 'Foretellers' was their name. But their teachings were wrong and even though the Master who'd kept Ventus safe all these years was their guide he too didn't seem to know a thing. Darkness came to despise him, to judge how he manipulated things around him for this prophecy he believed in. But didn't care about any of that. All he cared about was fixing his mistake and joining with his Light again.
Of course, he couldn't do anything while Ventus didn't remember who he was. He was now a two-year-old child and even then had the purest smile. Darkness made sure he was safe and cared for him, often taking the form of Vanitas, often taking the form of creatures that made the little one smile. Throughout the following years, Darkness forgot all about teaching people of balance. Their only goal was to keep Light safe.
"What is this Lux they talk of?", Darkness once asked the Master of Masters, when Ventus was 3 years old.
"Lux? Well, it should be obvious to you right now, shouldn't it?"
"Is it truly light?" Darkness groaned. "Are they truly fighting for light, gathering it for themselves as a treasure to keep?"
"Of course! Who wouldn't want some more bit of light in their lives?"
"Light already exists within each and every one of you. You should not be keeping it to yourselves. You are causing chaos. Letting the darkness in your hearts to grow weaker and unstable."
"Well, that's what everyone wants. Why have so much evil when you can have good instead?"
"Darkness is not evil."
"But it can be!"
Ventus took a few little steps towards him and smiled. Darkness ruffled the boy's hair and watched him run back to his toys on the ground.
"You are hurting Light by doing this. Taking pieces of him away. Light should be scattered and given to everyone accordingly."
"That's not how things work down here." The man said, shaking his head. "There will always be someone who wants power. To have more than others; that's the natural way of things. If you're going to live here, then you should get used to it."
"You use your power of speech only to cause more chaos. You are worthless."
"Maybe so. But, remember this: I'll still have the last laugh."
Ventus ran back to Darkness with a squishy fox toy. Darkness took it, pet it to show Ventus how to do it, then picked the boy in his arms.
"We'll see about that."
As the years went by and Ventus grew older, the search for Lux was the main goal of every citizen in Daybreak Town. Darkness, once more, was seen as something vile and to be avoided, which affected not only the people but Darkness himself. Just as Ventus had lost his memory, so did Darkness start to lose his sense of self. Soon, he was filled with greed and hatred. More emptiness than he should have, more sadness than he should have. But it didn't matter, not before Ventus became his true self again.
The now 8-year-old child grabbed a bit more snow from the ground and placed it over the ball they had made before, adding to it. Making it bigger and, well, stronger he imagined. Ventus smiled at the body of the snowman he'd made, although it wasn't a very happy smile. He continued to work on it, though, never stopping. There was no one nearby, the forest behind him was dead silent and there was a lot of snow exactly where he needed it to be. Nothing to complain about.
A single tear fell down but he ignored it. Dried it with the back of his hand and continued.
"You'll be alright, Mr. Snowman." He told the messy amount of snow he'd gathered. "We'll just need to... Find you a nose later on. And maybe some-"
There was ruffling in the bushes behind him. He looked behind him, eyes wide.
“Who’s there?” He asked and, just as he did, a black small fluffy fox jumped out of the darkness, running to him in excited leaps. The boy smiled and ran to pet the fox’s head.
“Choco!! Hi, Choco!!”
"Hi, Ventus."
Ventus sat down, back to his little bent snowman. Choco, the little fox Darkness had taken the shape of, sat next to him wagging its tail.
"What are you doing today?"
“I’m building a snowman! But… It doesn't look so good.” He said and tried to add more snow to it. “See? It looks so weird!”
"It doesn’t look weird. Maybe just a bit unfinished but still good. With time, you’ll make even better snowmen."
“I don’t want to make them better in time, I want to make them better now.”
"What for?"
“So I can show it to the others! Everyone’s making them… And they’re so cool! But mine…”
Ventus sighed and another tear gathered at the corner of his eye. Darkness tilted its head and jumped on his laps, snuggled against his body.
“I feel so alone... No one... No one likes me."
"I like you." The fox licked his hand. "You are my favorite person."
"I... I like you too, Choco. But... I wish I had more friends. I wish I were welcomed, you know? But... For some reason, everyone turns their back on me. Like I’m… Like I’m broken. Defective. Like there's some kind of presence around me that scares everyone away.”
Defective? That’s a big word for such a young boy, Darkness said playfully but that didn’t make Ventus smile.
“No, I mean it. When you’re here… I feel a little better. But then you go away… And…”
Ventus started to cry. Darkness snuggled closer.
"I won’t ever go away, Ventus. I will always come back for you, no matter how."
"You promise?"
"I promise. But if one day you can't see me... Then remember I'm still here. In every tree, in every flower. In everything you see. I will always come for you. I will always protect you."
"Why?"
"Because I'm part of you." Darkness whispered. "And you are part of me."
Darkness felt deep in his heart. As its features changed and its worry for the child increased, it knew Ventus alone wouldn't be able to survive. If the prophecy was right, then War would soon wipe out thousands of lives and Ventus' would be one of them. But he wouldn't let that happen. He would do whatever was necessary to guarantee Ventus survived. To guarantee he moved on, that he grew old enough to become one with him again.
Whatever it took. Whatever he had to do. He would help Ventus grow stronger. He would give him power for that. He would...
"Will you protect me, Choco?" Ventus asked, petting the small fox. "Even if... Even if I'm not strong enough?"
He would do anything to keep him safe.
"For you?" Darkness smiled. "Always."
"Then why... Why did you kill my sister?"
Darkness looked at each one of the Dandelions leaders. Then at Ventus, who lay on the floor.
His Light was weak. But with Ventus unconscious, it gathered all the strength it had left.
"Darkness?"
"Light? Is that you?"
"What are you doing?"
"Because he wanted to."
"That's not true!"
"Soon, Light. Soon it'll be done. After so long, after living within you for so long... We'll finally join together. We'll get to be one again!"
"No!"
"He had no reason to want her gone!"
"True, he didn't know her. But there was something he wanted: Power. So we put it in his hands."
"I never wanted power! You know this won't lead us anywhere. Darkness, you've become the very thing you despised!"
"You let me kill that girl. You let me guide you to this very moment. You had plenty of time to stop me but you didn't." Darkness spoke. "Why now? It's already been done."
"You became one with them! You let their thoughts about you corrupt you! You've changed!"
"I did what I needed. Anything to keep you safe."
"I am in danger. Disappearing. Because of your greed!"
"No. I gave you power because you wanted it. Needed it."
"I never needed power!"
"The power of a Union Leader."
"Ven would never want that!
"But you got it, didn't you?"
"But he got it, didn't he?"
"We cannot be one again like this. You've become exactly what you said Darkness wasn't! You... You've torn us apart again!"
"Maybe this is how it should be. Maybe this is the goal. To break our own misconceptions and put them back together. To relearn how to live."
"No words can excuse taking an innocent life!"
"Please don't do this, Master! I'm not strong enough!"
"No; It is because you are trying to hold it in."
"Why won't you do it?" Darkness asked, anguished. "Why won't you let us work together again? Let me fight!"
"You let yourself be led by misconceptions. You have become vile."
"For you! Light, please, release me!"
"I refuse!"
"Release them, here and now. Sharpen your fear into rage!"
"As long as I exist, I will not let you control me again. I will not let you control anyone ever again!"
"All I've done was to keep you safe. To protect you! To make sure you survived so we could go back to who we used to be!"
"That won't ever happen."
"Why not?!"
"Because I will never allow it. I would rather die than be forced to use such an unstable power ever again."
"Light-"
"If I must..."
"Darkness..."
"I..."
"-I will extract the darkness from within you myself."
"I never..."
"Empty creature from Ventus riven... To you, the name Vanitas shall be given."
"... Yes, Master."
"I never wanted to be taken from you!"
"Correct. I am not Ventus. His heart has become part of mine now."
"Darkness, stop it. I don't want to fight you more than we already have."
"Why would you fight me? We're finally whole again! We're finally one, just like we were before! Venitas!"
"This isn't the Venitas we were. You've been corrupted! Please, stop this! I-"
"Please. Put an end to me."
.
.
.
.
“Vanitas.”
“Please, come home.”
“You’re coming home too.”
Half of Vanitas’s mask broke in pieces and fell down. He raised his head up, looked at the boy who’d taken his features, and to the one who was his other half.
“I’m the piece of Ventus that was taken away. And I do stand by your side."
“Why now? I tried so long to be one with you again… But you ran away every single time. Now you want me to join you. Why?”
"I am the shadow you cast.”
“I shouldn’t have cast you aside. I was too broken, too weak to reach you. But I am whole now. I am ready to leave the past behind.”
“Well, I am not.”
“Darkness… I didn’t ask for this.”
“To be sifted apart, nice and neat. We should be free to choose. Not just Light, not just Darkness. We decide what we are!”
“But… Ventus, I did decide who I am. You see?”
“You didn’t. But, in the end, both of us were wrong. Balance can never exist. We can not be one again. This was our fate, written in the Book of Prophecies.“
“I made a mistake. I… I need you, with me.”
“I wish I could be with you. But I can not. Not anymore. From the moment we tried to fix things, we only made them worse. Because this is what we’re meant to be, Ventus. You are meant to be Light. And I...”
“And what you are is darkness?”
Something in their mind made them realize that was not truly possible. To be one again. Once they had been broken, they could not longer be together. Not anymore. And thus, Light and Darkness realized, as Vanitas disappeared, that their destiny was to slowly drift away.
To be close enough to touch...
“What I am… Is Darkness.”
-but impossible to reach.