Chapter Text
“After all… to die would be an awfully big adventure.” - Peter Pan
The decision had been easy.
He never asked about the dangers whenever his friends were in trouble, he only asked what he could do to help. No cost to himself was too great, he had paid dearly a hundred times over.
And if you asked him if he would do it all again?
He would smile and gladly say yes.
His last conscious thought, sitting on the Papou tree with Kairi, had been how happy he was that she was safe and that all of his friends were together in one place. His sacrifices had meant something and everything was going to be okay.
Then there was nothing. No light, no darkness… just eternity. He had no concept of time or form, free from all human care. There was no pain, no feeling. It had felt like slipping into a warm bath, but once the water overtook him it was finished.
That was until a warm hand was placed on his cheek, which should be impossible. He had no form any longer, nothing that could be touched. His consciousness was supposed to be rejoining the greater whole, fading into nothing…
“Dearest heart, bravest warrior. You have done more than your share. The greatest evil was enacted upon you - they asked you to give, and give, and give. And you gave, without hesitation…” A gentle, feminine voice spoke. The voice was so soothing, so calming, that while his soul was flooded with frustration - yes, he had given, so please let him rest! - he was ready to grant her a few moments before his mind completely faded from existence.
“A life for a life… that was the bargain. You rescued her soul from the brink, and in doing so agreed to give up your own. The bargain cannot be broken. However… it can be changed,” the voice continued. He felt himself become more solidified, it was so similar to what he had felt before, when he had purposefully cheated death of its prize. He was teetering between two realms again, but this time was different…
“The bargain can only be changed if you wish it, dear heart. The gauntlet is prepared, and it is your choice if you wish to face it, only you can take the first step… I will meet you again at the end.”
The voice spoke and the presence faded, leaving him with only the smallest of tethers. It would be so easy to break the tether… to choose to fade into nothing and rest forever more…
His hand reached out and he took hold of the tether, pulling himself along it to fight towards a glowing realm. He would see what change this bargain could undertake…