The Sun Sets and Darkness Comes

Twilight Town was simple enough; the people were kind, the sun always seemed to be rising. The sky was a beautiful orange. And where apparently an old mansion used to be was now a tall building with triangular arches permeating its length. Terra filled me in: this was the Trinity Chapel. The Trinity Council governed the worlds who have sworn oath to the Council here, and all decisions regarding the future of the worlds are fought over and declared here. The Council meets in the Summoning Chamber. Only a Keyblade Wielder can summon the Council. Each member of the Council has a world that they govern. King Mickey rules over Disney Castle and Town, a sort of bastion of light (besides Radiant Garden). Ansem the Seeker of Darkness rules over the End of The World, a desolate wasteland breeding Heartless. Finally, Axel does not technically rule over a world. The Nobodies have claimed The World that Never Was and Castle Oblivion as theirs, and so the Council respects that. The Nobodies do not own territory other than those two, but they are free to travel between all worlds. Ansem the Wise stays in the Trinity Chapel at all times.

"I'm sorry, I know I am unloading lots of information on you," Terra apologized as we approached the wrought iron gates that were the entrance to the Chapel. "You'll catch on eventually though. Especially being a wielder like me."

I was really nervous about this whole judging thing. I mean, it's kind of weird. From what Terra was telling me, I would be standing in front of three people while they argued over whether my abilities were more use to the Dark or to the Light. I didn't want someone else to choose my allegiance. I wanted to choose my own allegiance.

Terra led me up to the large gates and held out his Keyblade, which he called "Earthshaker", and light beamed from its tip. The Gates opened, and Terra and I filed into the courtyard. In the courtyard, there were statues of people with Keyblades. Terra named them as we passed, "Eraqus, Xehanort, Mickey, Sora, and me."

"You have your own statue?" I was surprised.

Terra stopped walking and stared at himself. He seemed lost, behind his brown eyes. He spoke softly when he answered my comment. "I used to be one of the greatest Keyblade Wielders. My two best friends, Ven and Aqua, were my classmates. Aqua and I were competing for our Mark of Mastery examination. That's the final exam that ALL Keyblade wielders must take, in order to be named Master and fight in the Final War for Kingdom Hearts. I was destined to be a Light Guardian. But then, Xehanort took over. He shattered everything that I was. When you come before the Council, you'll see what he did. Ansem the Seeker of Darkness, my Heartless, he is horrible. Xemnas looks exactly like me, maybe longer hair. It was my body that created them. My bodies that destroyed so much. My bodies that caused all this in the first place." Terra closed his eyes, and clenched his fists. "If Xehanort ever returns, I swear I'm going to be the one to kill him this time."

I walked forward and placed my hand on Terra's shoulder. That was a lot of guilt for one teenager to have on his shoulders. I felt really bad for him. "Xehanort was in your body. Honestly Terra, it's not the body that does the bad things, it's the heart."

Terra smiled and opened his eyes. "That's true only in Xehanort's case. Xemnas doesn't have a heart, because he's a Nobody."

I rolled my eyes and stepped away. "You know what I mean."

We continued walking until we reached the large double doors that led into the Chapel. The doors were unique because they were plated with mirrors. I saw myself staring back at me; my neon blue and black clothes, including all the silver necklaces and chains attached to them, as well as my long neon green hair [ art/50-Anime-Male-Hairstyles-153753396 (AKA number 2)]. "What's the story behind the mirror?"

"It's to remind us that we can be the statues in the courtyard," Terra replied. "Each and every student at the Keyblade Cathedral, even the non-wielders, can be great enough to reach this status." Then, Terra pushed open the doors and led me through the Chapel.

The Trinity Chapel was quiet and mysterious. Paintings stretched across walls and on the ceilings, and the rising sun of Twilight Town filtered through large Gothic windows, making the entire interior orange. We approached a huge table with a Keyhole behind it. At the table sat Ansem the Wise, in his usual white attire. Terra held out Earthshaker, and opened the Keyhole. Suddenly, darkness swarmed around the left and right of the table, and two figures emerged on each side. On the right, a man in a black cloak stepped from the darkness. He pulled down his hood. He had large spiky red hair and a narrow, sly face, with a black mark under each of his brilliant green eyes. He sat down.

The other looked more evil. He had the Heartless insignia on his bare chest, and wore a long white and black coat. He had tan skin, and long stark white hair. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, rather than sitting at the table. Finally, in a brilliant spark of light, King Mickey appeared in the center seat.

"Ansem the Seeker of Darkness," Ansem the Wise said, gesturing towards the white haired man. "King Mickey and Axel. Welcome to the Trinity Council. You have been called from your territories by Terra, a Dark Wielder at the Keyblade Cathedral. We shall now hear him out."

"Thank you for the introduction, Wise One," Terra said as he stepped forward. "There has been a new Keyblade Wielder. He is here with me, and his name is Zane. We need him to be Claimed."

This news brought everyone to their attention. Ansem the Wise took one look at me and then bolted out of the room. The other Ansem sat at the table, cradling his chair like a throne. "Well, that's interesting now isn't it?" Axel said, folding his hands.

"I think we can save ourselves a whole lot of trouble by not talking at all," King Mickey quickly intervened. "Zane can drink the Judgment Salve, we will discover his allegiance, and he will be on his way. There is no need to argue about anything."

Ansem waved his hand, and a black goblet appeared floating in front of me. "I've done my part. Now I watch and wait."

Terra looked surprised. "Of all the members of the Council, I suspected that you would at least want to skip the Salve, Lord Ansem of Darkness." Terra said this bitterly, as if he had to address Ansem this way. "I assumed you would call for a different way of judgment."

Ansem smiled. I'm going to admit, this Ansem guy was really scaring me. I knew, just by looking at him, that he had so much power. He could probably destroy the entire Chapel with a swipe of his hand. I wondered why he was even agreeing to these terms, and how anybody could have fought him. Sora must have been a powerful Keyblade wielder. Ansem pointed a gloved hand at me. "I have confidence that he will be chosen on the right side."

King Mickey waved his hand, and light beamed into the black goblet in front of me. When the light touched the goblet, it became liquid gold. The light dissipated. Axel smirked and waved his hand. The air around the goblet began to warp, and the liquid gold was suddenly tinted orange.

"Drink from the Cup," King Mickey said to me, "and be claimed. After you are claimed, there will be no further discussion. You will accompany Terra to the Cathedral and begin your training immediately."

I reached out and took the cup. Then, I drank the liquid. I suddenly felt drowsy, and I fell to my knees, the goblet rolling away from me. My eyes burned, and I felt as though I was leaving my body. That's because I was. I could see myself, writhing in pain on the floor. It was surreal, watching myself, but still feeling the pain. I looked up, and I saw my eyes. One was blue, and the other was brownish-gold. The Trinity Council gasped, and then I was returned to my body, staring at the Council.

For a long time there was just silence. Then, Axel said, "Is he a Nobody?"

"No, there was no Heartless created, I would have known," Ansem said.

"There is no way, this is impossible!" King Mickey was truly astounded. I looked at Terra, who looked equally as shocked. "Zane, step forward." I did. Mickey peered down at me. "There are those who can be pure darkness, or pure light, and even those in between. But that Salve you drank, that reveals your Heart's allegiance. Your Heart never lies. The salve forces your Heart to choose, and once you choose, that's the end of it. But your Heart is both. Light and Dark. You are free to choose on your own."

"THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS!" Ansem screamed, and the entire Chapel shook. "HE does not get to choose. Face it, the only fair way here is for him to be trained under both Light and Dark, and when the war begins, he can choose."

"I agree with Ansem, actually," Axel put in. "It seems unfair for him to choose without fully understanding the powers granted by both sides. He can get trained with both, and then when the Final Battle begins, he decides which side makes him feel the most powerful. The World That Never Was would be happy to house him, if housing is not available for students whom are both-"

"Oh you would like that wouldn't you!" Terra suddenly shouted. "There should be no discussion here. I'll take him back to the Cathedral and we will figure his housing out there."

The Council was even more shocked at Terra's outburst. "Very well then, Terra," Ansem amended. "Take good care of my future warrior." Ansem smiled and Terra took me by the arm and led me out of the Chapel.

Terra held out his hand and a dark wall appeared. "That was more interesting than I thought it would be," Terra said as he pushed me into the wall, and we disappeared.