Sunday.
The day after the disastrous exam.
Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort stood on the raised platform in the throne room while Aqua and Terra stood in front of them. Ven stood off to the side, watching. Aqua kept stealing glances at Terra. The older student was so forlorn that he slumped over, hands in his pockets, and stared at the ground. Aqua wanted to say something to cheer him up. But she didn't know what.
Besides, they hadn't spoken since the incident. He hadn't bothered to talk to her. She didn't know how to feel about that. Her rational thinking told her that Terra was avoiding her because he was ashamed, and perhaps fearful of hurting her again. Perhaps he wanted to allow her to focus on healing. But a cynical side of her told her that Terra had indeed wanted to hurt her, and that, perhaps, seeing her again would rekindle that urge in him.
She felt that uneasiness now, standing next to him. But she was sure that it would disappear as soon as he apologized. She simply wanted to hear him apologize. She wanted to hear, from his own mouth, an explanation as to why he had gone berserk. She wanted to blame it all on the darkness that had corrupted the balls of light, yesterday. Maybe it too corrupted Terra?
Or maybe Terra had always been that way. Perhaps yesterday, he finally allowed his true nature to show.
Master Eraqus had started speaking. Aqua tried to focus. "Terra, Aqua, the Mark of Mastery Exam took quite an unexpected turn yesterday in more ways than one. Terra, your lust for power awakened the latent darkness in your heart. You clearly succumbed to that darkness and injured your fellow student. For that, you have fallen short of the Mark of Mastery."
Terra shrugged. "Of course." Aqua noticed that he seemed angry. His muscles tensed and a scowl seized his face. She placed her hand over her heart and looked to the ground.
"Aqua," Master Eraqus called out. "You showed great skill in battle, as well as a keen eye for recognizing darkness. You were the first to notice that Terra wasn't in his typical state of mind. You were also quick to consider his well-being after the exam. It seems that you were able to forgive him, even before he has forgiven himself. You are a heart of strong light."
"Master…" Aqua mumbled.
"Therefore, Aqua, you have shown the qualifications of the Mark of Mastery."
Aqua's arms dropped to her side. "I-I passed?" She looked up. "Master, I passed? I couldn't even fight Terra! I was too weak!"
"You were not weak, Aqua," said the master. "It takes a strong heart to battle such darkness."
She shook her head. "But I—"
Terra interrupted, "Just accept it, Aqua."
Those were the first words he'd spoken to her since yesterday. And there was so much resentment behind them. It startled her. He marched away. Ven marched after him, yelling, "Terra!"
Aqua trembled. She mentally debated whether to follow him. Fortunately, Master Eraqus said, "No, let him be."
She nodded. And she noticed that Master Xehanort began walking away.
Ven caught up to Terra who was, once again, sitting on the courtyard steps. "Terra what's with you?" Ven asked. "First you go crazy during the Mark of Mastery Exam, then you get angry at Aqua?"
Terra did not reply.
"What's wrong with you? What's your problem? Terra, tell me what's going on!"
"You're just a kid Ven. I can't tell you what I was thinking during that exam."
Ven backed away in disgust. "W-what do you mean? You didn't seriously want to hurt her, right?"
"Leave me alone, Ven. Go to your room."
"I'm just trying to help, Terra! Stop acting like this. Aqua loves you. So you shouldn't—"
"Go to your room!" Terra roared.
Ven roared back, "Stop being an asshole!" and he ran away.
Meanwhile, Aqua sat on one of the thrones in the throne room. Master Eraqus sat in the other. She told him, "I don't think I deserve it, Master. During yesterday's exam, I was terrified. I could make Terra snap out of it. And even now, I'm not so sure what to do about him."
"Neither am I," Master Eraqus honestly told her. "Aqua, being a keyblade master isn't about being infinitely wise, infinitely fearless, or infinitely strong. It is about striving to make the right choices, possessing the desire to protect others, and having the courage to take action when you notice something amiss. I saw that in you yesterday. I believe you have the capability to become a wonderful master."
"Thank you… but I still feel like I'm not ready. I honestly thought I was going to fail. So this is a surprise for me."
"Shall I tell you a personal story, Aqua?"
She nodded.
"When I was but a few years older than you, I too took my Mark of Mastery exam, alongside your mother and Xehanort. I had been training for years, but I still felt inadequate compared to my fellow students. I had braced myself for failure, yet, I also had a strong desire to succeed. And I did succeed, Aqua—much to the surprise of my fellow students. They didn't succeed their first try. And for some reason, I felt guilty about that. I felt that my master chose incorrectly. Even to this day, I occasionally second guess myself. I ask for second opinions and question my choices. I struggle to control the darkness in my own heart. I am not perfect Aqua. But my master knew that, already. The day he awarded me the Mark, he sat me down and told me the same thing that I shall tell you." He placed his hand on Aqua's shoulder. "Aqua, the Mark of Mastery doesn't mean perfection. It simply means that you have mastered the ability to continuously strive for perfection. That is, you've learned to be a lifelong student."
She placed her hand on top of his hand, on her shoulder. She smiled. "So do you honestly believe that I am ready for this?"
"Yes, Master Aqua. You must believe in yourself as I believe in you."
"Alright then. I will. Thanks Master." She stood up. "I'm pretty sure that I need to talk to Terra right now. My heart is telling me that I need to resolve this issue before it gets out of hand. Do you mind if I do that, Master?"
"Go ahead."
Aqua nodded, and walked away. Master Eraqus leaned back onto his throne and said, "I wonder what our Master would think of me now?" He smiled. "I hope he would say that I made him proud. Right Xehanort?" Eraqus looked around. "Oh wait, where did Xehanort go?" He stood up. "Xehanort?" Frowning, Eraqus said, "That's weird. I didn't even notice when he left."
Out of the blue, Master Eraqus's cell phone rang. "Oh, that must be Xehanort." But the Caller ID wasn't Xehanort. He answered it. "Hello?"
"Eraqus. It is I," said Master Yen Sid, over the phone. "I have important news to tell you."
