Chapter 4: Beginning of the Basics
Sathestrias had a hard time getting to sleep the night before. Everything his Master had told him worried him; the remainders of the Angels and Heartless, and the fact that he would one day have to prove himself to more than just Nemius.
He went to the library as soon as he woke up, hoping to find some writings regarding the war his Master had recounted to him. However, as he entered the room, he found Nemius already looking through books.
"Master?" Sathestrias asked, approaching him.
Nemius turned at the sound of his apprentice, holding a white book at his side. "Hm? Oh, Sathestrias. You're up early."
"I didn't get much sleep."
"Why not?" Nemius asked, frowning a bit.
"I was thinking about everything you told me yesterday. I actually was coming in here just now to see if you have any books about the war, or the Heartless and Angels."
Nemius laughed quietly. "You and I had the same idea, then. I know I wrote down my personal recounts of the war, but I also believe I have some books others wrote about their encounters with the different types of Angels and Heartless. Luckily for the both of us, I found this one." He said, handing the rather small and thin book to Sathestrias.
As he was handed the book, Sathestrias read it's black lettering on the cover.
"Hierarchy of Angels? There are more than one kind?"
Nemius nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. There are many different kinds of Angels, though not as many as the Heartless. Read that book over if you wish, I have something to find in another part of the mansion."
Sathestrias nodded and bowed. "Of course, Master."
As Nemius left the room, Sathestrias sat at one of the tables, and began reading through the book.
" 'The writings in this book are made up of the recountings of several hundred keyblade warriors. Inside, the different types of Angels seen and fought by these same warriors are listed, though it is currently unknown if all of the types recorded in this book are the only types in existence.' "
Sathestrias turned past the pages regarding the small details of how the Angels came into the world, and began reading about the first type of Angel encountered during the war.
" 'The basic footsoldiers of the Angels are simply called Angels, as they serve no higher purpose than to be front-line soldiers. They are short in stature, and have a pair of small wings emerging from their backs, though it is presumed they are unable to fly, as no basic Angel encountered showed the ability to do so. ' "
Sathestrias sighed in relief. Written down, at least, the Angels' basic troops seem to be of little danger. He moved onto the next page.
" 'Archangels, as they are called, seem to be a more advanced form of footsoldier. They are taller than regular Angels, and wield weapons such as spears, greatswords, and large hammers. They show the ability to glide in the air with their wings, though it seems they are uncapable of true flight.
Third in this hierarchy are the Powers. They act as combat leaders for the lower-class Angels, and are quite dangerous. Powers are closer in physical appearance to us humans, though their arms are larger and their legs are longer. They seem to have the ability to create weapons from pure light.' "
Reading this entry, Sathestrias shuddered. He hoped that there were few of these "Powers" left in the world, if any. He continued on.
" ' Moving onto higher-class Angels, Virtues were high-priority targets, as they seem to be the tactical leaders of angelic forces. They are quite plain in appearance, covered in white robes and white hoods. Their tactics laid out for lower class Angels are extremely well-thought out and complicated, though the Virtues themselves are quite weak in combat.
The penultimate type of Angel encountered are known as Cherubs. They act as royal guards of sorts, defending the true leaders of the angelic forces. Their apperance can be compared to keyblade wielders in their armor, though they are slightly smaller than the average human. Only a few dozen were found and fought during the war.' "
Sathestrias closed his eyes. He didn't know if he wanted to find out what the final page had to tell him. After taking a deep breath, he flipped to the last page of the book.
"The supreme rulers and commanders of the Angels are called Seraphim. They are both extremely skilled as tactical minds, and show immense power in combat. Only two Seraphim were ever encountered during the war, one of which was killed, while the other escaped back to the realm of Light. Their armor is bright silver, and both encountered wielded swords and shields in combat. They have six wings, and showed the ability to sustain true flight.' "
Quickly closing the book, Sathestrias sighed deeply, laying his head on the table. He was relieved that there were no Seraphim left in the world, but the thought of them, from what he read, was just as frightening.
"Finished reading?"
Sathestrias quickly looked up, seeing Nemius leaning against a wall.
"How long have you been there, Master?"
Nemius laughed. "A few minutes. I assume you've read through the hierarchy?"
Nodding, Sathestrias got up from his chair, and handed the book to Nemius. "I have. After reading this... I want to know something."
"Hm? Ask away." Nemius said, taking the book and holding it at his side once more.
"The boundaries between our world and the realm of light... they were sealed completely, yes?"
Nemius sighed. "They are sealed as best as we keyblade wielders can seal them. There were several doorways leading to the realm of light, all of which are, to the best of my knowledge, guarded by powerful keyblade warriors."
Sathestrias nodded once more. "That's a relief, at least. What about the doors to the realm of darkness?"
"That's something I believe we should save for another day. If you are so eager to find out about it, you can read about it tomorrow. In the mean time, I have something for you. You've been wanting to wield your first keyblade, yes?"
His eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes! Absolutely!"
Nemius smiled. "I have a way of ensuring you get to see your keyblade today. You see, normally, it takes much willpower and determination to summon your keyblade for the first time. However, I have an artifact that lightens the load quite a bit."
In Nemius' other hand, he held out a keychain attached to a silver bar.
"That's... a stick with a keychain on it?" Sathestrias asked, a bit confused.
"Yes, yes, it looks very simple, but it was passed down to me by my master, and to her from her master and so on. Take hold of it, and think only of your desire to wield a keyblade."
Taking the silver bar, he held it tightly and closed his eyes. For the next few minutes, Nemius watched as his apprentice attempted to summon his first keyblade.
"Good!" Nemius exclaimed after minutes more of waiting.
Sathestrias opened his eyes. He had done it! In his hand he held a keyblade, the hilt of which consisted of a grey handlebar surrounded by a dark blue handguard. The blade was cylindrical and grey, and at the end, there was a flat triangular shape which, on it's tip, extruded two flat spikes.
"This... this is great! This is amazing!" Sathestrias shouted as he held his keyblade up into the air.
Nemius clapped slowly, smiling. "You have done well!"
After a few minutes of gazing up at his keyblade, a metallic belt appeared around Sathestrias' waist, with a crown shape in the middle on the front.
"What... what is this?" Sathestrias asked, confused.
"That... would be your keyblade armor. Well, not exactly your entire armor, but you can use that belt to summon your armor."
Nemius looked down at the belt. "So... how do I activate it?"
Walking forward, Nemius looked down at the crown-shaped belt buckle. "I'm assuming you tap on that buckle, and it will summon your armor."
"Can I try it now?"
Nemius laughed, and nodded. "Try it, let's see what your armor looks like."
Sathestrias nodded in turn, and tapped on the buckle lightly. In a flash of light, Sathestrias became covered in metal armor, which he found to be quite flexible and light.
"Good, Sathestrias, very good indeed! From now on, summoning both your keyblade and your armor should be fairly simple. Will your keyblade into appearing, and... well, you know how to activate your armor now. I suggest you try seeing how fast you can move in your armor. Come with me, let us go outside."
Sathestrias followed Nemius out of the house, and the rest of the day consisted of Sathestrias getting used to his armor.
I apologize for not writing about the details of Sathestrias' armor. I can think up weapons and their appearance fairly well, but armor is another story.