Prompt: the rules.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me.

At the Heart of Darkness

When the first wave of darkness sweeps through his castle, Ansem heads straight for the laboratories. His mind is racing with unspoken suspicions; there is only one person to find, only one person capable of stepping over the boundaries he had so painstakingly laid down two years ago.

His heart beats loud in his chest; the sound attracts the Heartless and slowly, the corridor fills. Ansem does not slow, forcing them back with magicks as he runs past. His legs carry him deeper underground and with every step, the darkness thickens, as does his fear.

The laboratories itself are lost in swirling darkness, pulsing with a dark energy so thick that it suffocates him. Taking a deep breath, Ansem calls upon the strongest spell he knows and unleashes it, watching as fire clears a path for him.

Someone stands in the center of the darkness.

Fury burns hot in his chest, lacing his words with an anger he has never felt before. "Xehanort!" He marches towards the figure, stalking through the darkness even as the Heartless race forward, hungry. Power comes to life in his hands and he readies the spell, preparing to release it. "Xehanort!"

His student turns and smiles.

And Ansem stops. The spell dies, extinguished as fast as the blinding fury that had only seconds ago raced through his veins.

He is wrong.

Xehanort blinks once and stares, disbelieving. "What?"

Ansem doesn't look up. "This project has become too dangerous, has taken too many lives. I cannot allow it to proceed any further."

"But we've come so far." Xehanort asks. "We've made so much progress. We have discovered all manners of things we did not know before. How can you stop now?"

"Xehanort. Please try to understand. Yesterday's experiment was a disaster."

"Because we got the calculations wrong! Even Ienzo admits it," Xehanort replies, gesturing wildly at the silent boy, desperation creeping into his words, "and he hardly ever gets anything wrong. Next time-"

"There will be no next time!" The words come out harsh and Xehanort falls silent. Ansem stands and addresses his six apprentices. "Forgive me, but this is my final decision." Here, he pauses, looking them each in the eye, meeting Xehanort's gaze last. "Swear, upon my name, that you will stop this."

At first, silence stretches on, hanging heavily in the air and Ansem worries that it might not be enough, that it might not satisfy them.

Then Braig clears his throat and raises his hand to his heart. "Upon your name, Lord Ansem the Wise, my King, I swear to discontinue this project. Your words are my law. Your decisions, my limits." He bows. "Long live the King."

After that, one by one, they repeat the solemn vow and when the ritual is complete, Ansem exhales loudly, relieved. "Thank you. You're dismissed."

They file out of his office wordlessly and Ansem watches them go. When Braig turns around to pull the doors close, he glances up and for the briefest moment, Ansem sees something burning in his eye, something that sends shivers down his spine. He starts to speak, warning bells ringing in his mind but chooses, at the last minute, not to.

And then, the door swings shuts.

That was two years ago.

Now, he cannot move; shock has frozen his body, rooting him to the spot as the figure approaches him. He struggles to speak and even then, only one word comes. "You…"

"That's right," Braig says, still smiling, yellow eye shining. "Me."