[His expression remains guardedly neutral, images from before he'd lost himself to that stupid "curse," or speaking with Zexion and grudgingly coming to the same conclusion as the one who tried to erase his existence in the short time they'd known each other. Yet he shoves those thoughts aside for now, deciding to focus on what it was that Terra wished to know.

Maybe their current situation would make it more understandable.] The explanation I gave is the one many of us have known since arriving here, but... [a frown.] When the island above us first became available, there were papers scattered on the ground in the village. Most of them were fragmented documents, but it's hard to tell what they all mean.

['Aside from "experiments".' He sighs, meeting Terra's gaze - which is rather hard to do still, by the way.] To quote an old friend, "The exit eludes us much like a shadow that turned the corner on the other end of an alley way."

[In other words: yes.] People have vanished, returned home, but it's never of their own will.