HELLO, PEPS! I'm so glad to return to my somewhat regular fanfic schedule! Well, I'll do the best I can, but just because my semester's over, doesn't mean that my life hardships are over at all! I just have a bunch of other busy things to do in real life! But enough about that! Time to start the chapter!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own any Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!
Because of all of the excitement that came with the Mark of Mastery, Ignis only got a few hours of sleep before waking up bright and early, just as the first sight of the sunrise's rays of light hit the area around her eyes. She woke up much earlier than any of her friends, stretching her arms and then jumping out of her bed before getting ready for the day.
After equipping her armor back and grabbing any supplies she needed for the day, she hummed a tune to herself right before coming across her Keyblade Master, Eraqus. Come to think of it, wasn't it around this time that he woke up as well?
"Oh! Good morning, Master Eraqus! I can't wait for today!~" chirped Ignis, wearing her cheerful, bright smile.
Eraqus nodded. "Good morning to you, Ignis. You're unusually early today."
"Of course! I just can't help it! Aqua and Terra are going to face their Mark of Mastery exam today! How can I not be excited for them?!"
Eraqus chuckled at his young student's enthusiasm. "It's good to see that you're excited to see Aqua and Terra do their best later today, but try not to wear yourself out too much today. We do have a special guest today."
"Wow! First, Aqua and Terra's Mark of Mastery exam, and now a special guest is coming?! I love special guests! Who is it, Master Eraqus?!" squealed Ignis excitedly, jumping up and down and clapping her hands.
"My dear old friend, who's also a Keyblade Master like me. Xehanort."
"Xehanort...Oh! You told us stories about him! I can't wait to meet him!"
"But you did meet him, Ignis. In fact, you, Terra, and Aqua met him briefly around 4 years around, when he brought Ventus over to live here as a fellow new apprentice," reminded Eraqus.
"Hmm? Uh...I mean, I guess it's good that he brought Ven-Ven here to live with us, but...I still don't remember him," admitted Ignis, frowning.
"Understandable. He mainly spent the last time with me, discussing about Ventus' apprenticeship here," Eraqus explained, nodding. "No...I was wrong about one another thing. The last time may have been the second time you, Terra, and Aqua have met him. In fact, the truly first time you met him was when you were all young children. I remember that you all recklessly tried to explore other worlds out of vast curiosity and that it took quite a while to find you three. In fact, without my dear old friend's help, I feared that you three would have suffered a most terrible fate."
"...I mean, I think I remember bits and pieces from that event, but I never expected Master Xehanort to come and rescue us!" said Ignis, surprised.
"It's natural for people to forget parts of their childhood as they grow older, so I believe you don't need to worry about it," assured Eraqus. "But, because you're up and early, why don't you complete some of today's chores so that you don't have to do them later? As I recall, fetching the water and drying the sheets were your duties today. Now, get to it."
"Okay, Master Eraqus!"
True to her word, Ignis committed to completing her morning chores and was in the middle of hanging some sheets up to dry in a clothes line when a strong wind blew through in her area. Although most of the sheets remained in place, one of the sheets was caught in the strong wind's path and started flying away high in the air.
"Ah! Wait, come back!" cried out Ignis, chasing after the sheet. She ran all around the area, frailing her arms, jumping up and down, everything she could think of to try and catch the sheet. But, no matter how much she tried, just when she felt so close to reaching the sheet, a sudden gust of wind would just allow it for escape her grasp and move it further and further away from her.
Finally, the sheet landed somewhere near the entrance to the main building. Ignis was running over to pick it up when someone else picked it up for her. Looking up, Ignis spotted an elderly bald man with a white beard and gleaming gold eyes that gave an equally powerful and respective aura as Eraqus.
"Oh, thank you, mister! I've been chasing down this sheet for a while now! Can I have it back now?"
The elderly man handed the sheet back to Ignis, who smiled back at him. "Do you happen to know where Eraqus is, young lady?"
"Master Eraqus? I think he's still inside. He had me go outside to do some morning chores. Oh! Could you possibly be...Master Xehanort?"
Xehanort nodded. "Yes, I am Xehanort. And you must be one of Eraqus' apprentices, correct?"
"Yup! My name's Ignis! It's nice to meet another fellow Keyblade Master!" chirped Ignis. "Oh! Do you want me to escort you to Master Eraqus? Like I said before, he might still be in-"
Then, the entrance doors opened, and Eraqus himself stepped out, surprised but glad to see both Ignis and his old friend. "It's good to see you again, old friend."
"Oh! Master Eraqus!" Ignis cried out, running up the stairs to greet him. "I just met Master Xehanort just now! I'm not done with this morning's chores yet, but Master Xehanort helped me!"
"Yes," confirmed Xehanort. "It's been quite a long time since last we've seen each other, Eraqus. Perhaps we should catch up for old time's sake?"
"Indeed," agreed Eraqus before turning to Ignis. "Ignis, finish your chores for the morning. You're almost done, correct? Once you've finished, you can join Terra and the others for breakfast."
"You got it!" Still smiling brightly, Ignis whirled around and left, skipping happily as she hurried to finish her chores.
As Xehanort followed behind Eraqus, he glanced back at Ignis. There was definitely something intriguing about her that he was surprised that Eraqus didn't notice.
That Ignis herself held darkness within her heart.
Meanwhile, as Ignis was completing the last of her chores, a masked figure stepped forth a bit, having hidden himself amongst the darkness of the tree branches higher above Ignis when she was trying to retrieve her sheet. He's been watching Ignis for a while and was secretly the culprit for using wind magic to force Ignis to chase the sheet using whatever means necessary out of sheer boredom.
But now? He felt something that he was fairly certain that none of Eraqus' students, save for Ignis and another certain, older Keyblade trainee had. Darkness.
"Interesting..." the masked figure murmured before fading back into the darkness of the shade of the tree.
Later...
'When is the exam gonna start? I wanna see it already!' thought Ignis, her arms crossed as she tapped her foot impatiently against the ground.
It was mid to late morning by the time the arrangements for the Mark of Mastery exam were complete, and the exam was about to begin. Everyone was currently present in the large hall that was filled with light pouring through the stained glass windows. The two candidates for the Mark of Mastery exam, Terra and Aqua, were already lined up before the three main chairs near the end of the hallway.
Currently,Ignis and Ventus were also present to be witnesses and supporters for Terra and Aqua's Mark of Mastery exam, being on opposite sides within one another across the room. Both Aqua and Terra faced their master, Eraqus, and their master's long-time companion, Xehanort.
Occupying the far left chair was their long-time instructor, Master Eraqus. Sitting on the far right chair was Master Xehanort.
Because this was an important day for her friends, and because they had a special guest, one that was equally important and Master Eraqus' longtime friend, Ignis was doing her best to stay on her best behavior. Though, she could barely contain herself and she felt like she wanted to bounce up and down in joy.
As she glanced over to where Eraqus and Xehanort were, she caught a glance of Xehanort staring with Ventus. Or...was it just her imagination? Any oddities vanished when his gaze shifted over to her with a seemingly...curious expression? He probably was curious about his old friend's apprentices, considering that he visited just in time to witness the Mark of Mastery exam.
Smiling back at Xehanort, Ignis waved at him and bounce up and down but a quick look at Eraqus caused her to cease waving and straighten herself. Yikes, her Master just saw her acting inappropriately and had given her a stern look, which caused her to stop. And it was before the Mark of Mastery exam, too! That...was not a very good impression she made of herself.
Master candidates are supposed to compose themselves, be much more mature and intelligent for their age. Ignis may be a little younger than her peers, but she knew she should have acted more mature and composed on this important day! Flustered out of embarrassment, Ignis kept her head down, as though taking an interest at staring at the ground would help hide her shame, even if a little.
"Today, you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery," announced Eraqus; his voice resounding through the hall. "Not one, but two of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates. But, this is neither a competition nor a battle for supremacy. Not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither. But I'm sure our guest, Master Xehanort, did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the Mark. I trust you are ready."
"Yes," spoke both Aqua and Terra firmly.
Summoning his Keyblade, Master's Defender, Eraqus declared, "Then let the examination begin." Raising his Keyblade and using his light magic strengthened by his Keyblade, Eraqus summoned forth orbs of light that appeared in the hall. Terra and Aqua readied their Keyblades, preparing to spring into action, but in a cautious and careful manner as this was all part of the Mark of Mastery exam. A means of testing their strength and resolve.
Unknown to anyone, Xehanort used some kind of dark energy to corrupt and further increase the orbs of lights' power, causing the orbs of light to multiple and become more aggressive in nature, as evident of the wisps of darkness flowing around each one.
Eraqus was just as surprised as Aqua and Terra from the orb of lights' sudden change in behavior and power. Snapping out of it, Aqua and Terra rushed forward, taking out their first two targets as one of the orbs of light headed towards Ven.
"Ven!" both older Keyblade candidates called out in worry.
Ignis rushed forward to aid him when she held up her Keyblade to block one of the orb of lights, taking it out after two strong slashes. As for Ven, he took out the orb of light targeting him in one fell swoop.
"Don't worry about me!" shouted Ventus, getting into position. "You two focus on the exam!"
"But, Ven! You and Ignis are in danger here! Have Ignis take you to your room and wait there!" called out Aqua as she and Terra stood back-to-back, facing the orb of lights surrounding them.
"No way! I've been looking forward to this! Seeing you two become Masters...I'm not gonna miss it now!"
"Yeah, that's the spirit, Ven-Ven!" encouraged Ignis. "Terra, Aqua, if anything goes wrong, I can help him. Don't worry, me and Ven have been training just as hard as you guys! But, I'm still stronger than Ven."
"Hey!"
Terra smirked, battling with his own orb and chimed in. "They're right. They can taken care of themselves."They've been out there training just as hard as us."
"Yeah!" agreed Ventus.
"Stay sharp, both of you!" spoke Aqua urgently, seeing as there was no point changing anyone's minds. Everyone nodded and split up to fight their own individual battles, having their own share of enemies to fight against.
Ven's attacks were swift, but weak in power, as it took several hits to get rid of even one orb of light, whereas one hit from Terra was more than enough to eliminate an orb of light but left his movements completely slow. Ignis constantly changed from attacking physical to attacking magically, though she relied more on defensive tactics as usual. Once again, Aqua proved to be the better spellcaster than any of her friends not just from having higher magical might, but faster casting time as well.
"Bubble Blaster!" cried out Aqua, firing one of her favored water-based Shotlocks towards the orbs of light. This either weakened or took out some orbs of lights, but as for the weakened ones, it was a great help towards the rest of her friends.
Irritated at his lack of speed, Terra decided to use one of his few, but best speed-based techniques to take out a row of orbs of light. Using a sword technique, he rushed through the targeted orbs of light with all of his might, leaving him fatigue but successfully taking out the orbs of light. He then resumed to dealing heavy blows towards the other orbs of light.
"Thunderstorm!" cried out Ventus, launching small electrical bursts from his Keyblade at a few orbs of light approaching him. While he was distracted, he failed to notice another orb of light soaring towards him from behind. By the time he noticed, it was too late, as it knocked him down with a strong blow. Due to being enhanced by a mysterious darkness, the blow was much stronger than anticipated. Thus, Ventus' wound on his arm was not only more visible but crucially in need in medical aid immediately.
"Gah!" Ventus gripped his arm, hissing in pain before looking up to see the orb of light flying towards him to deliver another blow.
"Ven!"
Ignis charged forward while positioning her Keyblade in a defensive position, almost acting like a shield as she used it to knock back the orb of light just before it could crash onto Ventus. "Fire!" she yelled, shooting a fireball at the orb of light, which dissipated as soon as her magic spell hit it successfully. "You okay?" she asked, offering her hand to him. Once their hands made physical contact, Ignis quickly casted a Cure spell, closing up and healing Ventus' wound.
"Y-Yeah! Thanks!" thanked Ventus, feeling rejuvenated from the recently casted Cure spell laid onto him.
Ignis grinned. "Of course! I could never let anything happen to my little cinnamon roll!~"
Ventus groaned and rolled his eyes. "I wished you'd stop calling me that!"
Ignis giggled before turning back to the battle with a serious look. "We're not getting anywhere with this. There's still a couple remaining and-and I just got an idea!"
"Yeah? What is it?"
"I need some time to charge up one of my special attacks! So, you're going to play defender for me, Ven-Ven! Protect me!"
"You got it!" agreed Ventus. Going by his word, Ventus took down some incoming orbs of light with some swift slashes of his own, protecting Ignis as she concentrated and gathered up her magic power.
Ventus continued guarding Ignis while also taking on the orbs of light that seemed to emit a strange interest towards him, as they seem to be swarming towards him for some odd reason. No, it wasn't just him, but curiously...Terra as well? The strange interests of the intended targets from the orbs of light were hardly something to think at the moment, though. Because several of the orbs of light were already weakened from battle, it just made Ventus' bodyguard duties easier as he sliced and executed two orbs of light before spotting three more heading his way from above. Leaping high up, Ventus used the momentum to spin in the air, slashing at the targets before landing safely with a victory grin planted on his face.
Meanwhile, Aqua and Terra were still engaged in battle with their own orbs of light. A quick glance towards where Ventus and Ignis were, and the two older Keyblade wielders immediately figured out the situation. Ventus was buying time for Ignis, who was casting some sort of spell to finish off the orbs of light. Acknowledging this plan, Aqua and Terra switched tactics and focused on taking out their own targets as fast as possible to hurry and assist their friends.
Both dodged from the beams of light shot towards them like lasers before switching into the offensive. Aqua casted three Water spells in rapid succession at three orbs of light, finishing them off with a spell each. Terra then proceeded to slice through the next small group of orbs of light; all three splitting apart through a single sword technique.
"Ready!" called out Ignis; her Phoenix Fairy ablaze with her burning, charged power. "Flame Salvo!"
Explosive sounds burst through each wave of fireballs launched through the tip of Phoenix Fairy, all aiming towards the remaining orbs of light. Unfortunately, some of Ignis' aim was a bit off, and several of the fireballs blasted some of the wooden parts of the hallways. On the plus side, all of the orbs of light burned down thanks to Ignis' Shotlock move. On the negative side, Ignis also accidentally caused some fires.
"AAAAAAHHH! FIRE! FIRE!"
"Crud! Ignis, I thought you had this handled!"
"I THOUGHT I DID! I CASTED TOO MANY FIREBALLS!"
"Ven, Ignis, calm down! Let's just take out the fires with water magic! Aqua! Do you have any extra Ethers?"
"Here! Anyone who's low on magic, take them now!"
Eraqus groaned quietly in exasperation, shaking his head at Ignis' misfortune as he and his old friend watched the young apprentices attempt to take out the fires. This was one of the reasons why he refused to allow Ignis to take the Mark of Mastery exam the same time around Aqua and Terra, despite her having the same amount of years and experience as them. Her immature and childish antics, along with her lack of understanding the consequences needed to shape up, or else...well, this happened.
"I...am sorry that you had to see such a sight, old friend," apologized Eraqus.
Xehanort hardly seemed bothered. In fact, he seemed quite amused. "Oh, this is alright. Remember, your apprentices are young and bound to make mistakes. We were young like them as well. Both young and foolish. But, under your guidance, it seems that they have also grown up strong and capable. I also know that they may need a...push in the right direction."
Eraqus nodded. "Yes, I agree. For now, we shall see what Terra and Aqua's capabilities are in the next part of the exam. ...As soon as the fires are out."
It took a while, but the four successfully extinguished all of the fires within the hallway, whether minor or big. By the time they finished, they were exhausted and some parts of their body was covered in soot, but overall, they were alright. Both Ventus and Ignis stood at the edge of the hall, resting as they watched the second part of the exam proceeding.
After what happened, Ignis felt both embarrassed and the stupidest person to ever exist. While it was great that she wiped out the remainder of the orbs of light with her favored Shotlock technique, she should have used a different, non-fire spell, because of frickin' course parts of the hallway would set on fire! The hallways was entirely out of wood, after all! Everyone knows that wood always catches on fire! As soon as the exam was over, she knew she was in for it now!
Terra and Aqua returned to the center of the room, awaiting for their master's next set of instructions as he approached them. "That was unexpected," Eraqus admitted. "But one must keep a still heart even in the most trying of circumstances. It was an excellent test, one I chose to let unfold. Which brings us to your next trial."
Having physically and mentally trained for the Mark of Mastery exam, both Terra and Aqua knew what was to come and separated from one another soon facing each other as they knew their next trial would be that of combat.
"Now, Terra and Aqua, the two of you will face each other in combat. Remember, there are no winners. Only truths, for when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed."
Both Terra and Aqua knew this was more than just a part of the exam testing their strength and skills; this was also a test asserting their strength of heart. Right now, this wasn't some childish spar. Now, the two combatants would face each other as equals. To see if their heart truly was worthy of being Keyblade Masters.
"Begin!"
Aqua and Terra rushed towards each other; their Keyblades clashing against each other for the first time before breaking apart. Sparks flew between their blades, intensive blows were exchanged with each clash, and both of them played to their key strengths against each other. The two equally matched combatants exchanged blows with one another until Terra chose to stay on the offensive while Aqua dodged each blow. Aqua took the initiative when she had the chance, closing the gap and forcing Terra back before one of her blows nearly hit Terra, causing him to slightly panic in the midst of battle.
Seeing Aqua charge at him, Terra was about to attack when he felt an impulse of darkness engulf his arm before gaining control of himself in time to block an attack from Aqua. Xehanort, having gained a new interest in the individual named Terra, smiled maliciously as a cunning new idea formed into his head.
After a while, Eraqus called the match off, which resulted in a tie. Nobody won, but at the same time, nobody lost. Although, by the end, Aqua and Terra were exhausted and deserved a nice rest after displaying their true skills against each other. Everyone expected their Keyblade Master to announce the results afterwards and declare who would be the newest Keyblade Master.
However, something unexpected occurred. Xehanort whispered something to Eraqus, who seemed surprised towards what Xehanort proposed. Both murmured quietly amongst themselves before Eraqus nodded and stood up from his seat, walking forward until he came to a stop, catching everyone's attention.
"I have an announcement to make," announced Eraqus. "Normally, I would announce the results of this Mark of Mastery exam due to it officially being over. However, before we get to that, Master Xehanort has introduced an...interesting proposal beforehand. He proposed that the remaining apprentices that would soon to be future Keyblade Masters be granted a chance to prove themselves through the act of combat. In other words, Ventus and Ignis. You two are next in line and will face each other in combat."
Surprise doesn't even begin to describe how the four Keyblade apprentices were feeling as they glanced at one another. This really was an interesting proposal, not that there was anything wrong with it. Perhaps Xehanort proposed this to allow the remaining Keyblade apprentices the chance to showcase how far they've become and just how close they are to becoming true Keyblade Masters? Their Master had taught them that one's true nature can be determined through many things, including combat.
Aqua and Terra walked away and stood at the side for safety and to watch the match as both Ventus and Ignis faced off against each other, taking their battle positions and waiting for their master to give the signal to begin.
"For this match-up, because this is not officially a part of the Mark of Mastery exam, you are allowed to use magic. Remember, this is a method to prove how far or how close you are to becoming Keyblade Masters, so you needn't hold back. For combat is one of the ways to deduce one's true nature," explained Eraqus. "Now...Begin!"
Both acted at the same time, though performed different moves. Ventus thrusted Wayward Wind forward as quickly as he could in hopes of catching Ignis off guard, whereas she held up Phoenix Fairy defensively in time to block the thrust assault, though she slid back a good distance. Digging her heel against the floor to cease her sliding, Ignis launched off towards Ventus to swing at him. However, Ventus' reaction time proved faster this time, as he forced her flying back with a swifter and stronger swing of his own; sparks clashing off both their Keyblades.
"Aero!"
"Barrier!"
Ventus and Ignis fired their spells simultaneously; one to attack, and one to defend. Ventus' wind spell literally was blown off of Ignis' shield spell, providing as a cool breeze in Ventus' face. Switching tactics, Ventus leapt onto and planted his feet on top of the Barrier spell before kicking off, somersaulting in the air before landing a good distance away for space between him and his opponent.
"Light!" called out Ventus, using the power of light from his Keyblade to create a flash bright enough to blind Ignis. His strategy worked as Ignis was tricked and distracted by the blinding light that was enough for her to drop her Barrier spell. Trying to get the flashy effects out of her temporarily blinded eyesight, Ignis tried to go on the offensive so that she didn't give Ventus an chance to attack. Her attempt failed as Ventus ducked under her swing and slashed at her chest armor. Although Ignis didn't receive any damage due to the quick but shallow blow, she was still knocked back.
However, the next few hits Ventus delivered to her definitely stung, especially since she was still temporarily blinded and couldn't defend herself in her most valued specialty. An Aero spell sent her flying high in their air, but at the same time, up until now, she finally regained her eyesight, with being hit by the Aero spell being the main trigger to recovery. Flipping over to regain her air momentum just as Ventus leapt high up to stay on the offensive, Ignis blocked his slash in time. Their collided clash caused both to separate from each other and crash back onto the ground below on their own feet.
Casting a Haste spell on himself, Ventus temporarily increased his speed to get the upper hand on Ignis by delivering swift attacks. However, Ignis stood her ground and was prepared as she either dodged or blocked his attempts, though she was unable to catch up to his speed in some blows, as evident of some new but few wounds she received.
"Thunder!"
"Reflect!"
Simultaneously, both Keyblade wielders fired off their respective spells. Once more, Ignis shielded herself from Ventus' Thunder spell which not only deflected the magic spell, but let out a small explosion that forced Ventus to back off with minor wounds from the backlash of Reflect. Using the boost-up from Haste, Ventus attempted a barrage of swift strikes at Ignis, who decided to counter with Light Guard, fending off his attacks as best as she could.
Despite Ventus' drainage of stamina the more he attacked, Ignis knew that she barely landed a dent on Ventus ever since the fight began. Last night's sparring was nothing compared to this, possibly due to the fact that it was late last night and everyone was tired by then. But now? Everyone's energy and strength was rejuvenated after a night's rest. Ignis could still continue the fight and heal herself in the process, but she wanted to impress her friends and Masters Eraqus and Xehanort with her current skills. Right now, it didn't feel like anything if she couldn't attack back more seriously.
Distracted by her worries and trying to defend herself, Ignis tried to cast an Blizzard spell to encase the floor into ice to control the environment despite a lack of affinity towards water elements. Suddenly, Ventus appeared in front of her to strike at her once more.
Hastily dodging, Ignis' concentration broke and instead of a Blizzard spell, she frailed her arms in a panicked manner and ended up accidentally sending a wave of jagged-looking darkness in a random direction, destroying part of the wall.
The sight of the wave of darkness plus the immense damage done to the wall caused everyone to react in stunned shock. Though, if anyone was paying attention to Xehanort, a wide grin along with a curious and intrigued expression could be found on his face.
'...Shit,' thought Ignis, shocked that she accidentally unleashed her second-best elemental attribute; darkness in front of her friends, master, and master's friend.
She didn't mean to! She just...she just wanted to get the upper hand on Ventus and throw him off guard with a different spell, but her mindset quickly switched into using darkness magic without thinking!
Ventus was just as shocked as the others when he witnessed Ignis using darkness magic during their fight. Even though everything had come to a halt, he realized that this was the perfect chance to counterattack! Ignis' guard was down; the lowest in this fight, so now was his chance to win and show how strong he was to both Master Eraqus and Xehanort!
Whatever thoughts Ignis had vanished as she was suddenly assaulted by slashes from all over, no doubt coming from Ventus. She held up Phoenix Fairy to try and block, but within a couple more blocked slashes, her Keyblade was knocked out of her hands and landed on the ground. Panicking, Ignis ducked her head and was only further assaulted by more slashes while concentrating on conjuring a wind spell to blow Ventus away.
Losing focus over channeling a simple wind spell, being treated to a continuous barrage of attacks with little reaction time to defend or dodged, and feeling humiliated under the watchful gazes of everyone else only served to further increase Ignis' temper and frustration. It rose and rose and rose...until Ignis was sent flying, forcing her to attempt to retaliate with whatever remaining magic she had.
Raising her palm high in the air, she then thrusted her arm forward as the remnants of her remaining magic power took the form of dark-colored embers. The embers of darkness swirled and crackled before coming together as one, allowing everyone to catch a glimpse of a fireball bomb of darkness before it exploded.
Thankfully, the power within the conjured fireball bomb of darkness was very weak and caused more of a smokescreen than an actual bomb. However, the impact from the explosion, which it luckily didn't kill Ventus nor Ignis, still caused them to crash to the ground, rendering them unable to battle as they groaned and tried to get up in pain.
"Enough!"
Eraqus' voice rang out across the hallway as the Keyblade Master himself stood up from his seat. The smokescreen cleared pretty quickly, and there was massive destruction in the middle of the hallway due to the results of Ignis and Ventus' battle, with the most disastrous damage coming mainly from Ignis' darkness attacks.
Glaring at the damage, and then at each of his students, Eraqus kept his cool and commanded loudly, "Everyone, front and center!"
Terra and Aqua glanced at Ignis and Ventus worriedly, wanting to go over and help them, but by the tension in the air, they didn't want to disobey their Master and chose to step forth with their backs straightened and their chin held high. Ventus and Ignis struggled and stammered to get up and walk to the center. Ignis fared easier than Ventus due to having a stronger body and the fact that her defensive traits proved superior than Ventus', whereas Ventus had a harder time due to being exhausted from his injuries and having low stamina.
Ignis internally debated whether or not to help Ventus or just stand at the center like Terra and Aqua were and wait for Ventus to pick himself up. She glanced over to Eraqus, as though silently asking him what she should do or at least get permission to help Ventus up, but all she saw in Eraqus' eyes once his met hers was...disappointment.
And she knew why.
She just unleashed darkness not once, but twice, and against a fellow Keyblade wielder such as herself! Against her best friend, Ventus! Using darkness against a friend was practically the same as betraying the light! No, it was much more than that! It was like betraying her own friends, her own family! Just seeing the disappointment in her master, her own father figure's eyes, made her feel so much ashamed of herself.
Still, that didn't mean that she can't make things better and try and make amends. Ignoring the heated gazes from everyone, Ignis decided to try and follow her heart and help out Ventus. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders and placing a hand on his waist, Ignis pulled him up and helped carry him to the center of the hallway. If possible, wanted to try and heal him with a Cure spell, but the last darkness move removed the last of her magic power, so she'll need time to recover.
Clearing his throat, Eraqus announced the results. "We have deliberated and reached a decision. Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery. Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But there is always next time. That is all. Aqua, as our newest Keyblade Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instructions. Everyone else is dismissed, except for Ignis. Follow me."
The last bit of Eraqus' announcement made Ignis' throat clog with fear. She knew exactly what he wished to discuss about. It was no secret that Eraqus despised the existence of darkness and that he made absolute certain to plant that idealogy that darkness was always evil while light was good. And everyone just witnessed Ignis possessing and using an "evil" power not once, but twice.
Upon following both Eraqus and Xehanort out of the hallway and into a different hallway, Ignis kept her back straightened, but her head low; her hands picking up a tremble. Her mind blocked out any conversation both Keyblade Masters were having, and was instead filled with concerns over what was going to happen to her now? What was Master Eraqus going to tell her? No doubt something about her using the powers of darkness.
To calm herself and to think of other thoughts, Ignis' mind wandered back to the last she's seen of her friends. She'd seen Ventus and Aqua run over to a disheartened Terra in order to comfort him after he failed the Mark of Mastery exam. Ignis would have done the same as well, except that she was called out by her master to follow after him. And honestly, Ignis was sorta glad for that, because she didn't think she could face her friends right now.
Not if it meant seeing their own disappointed looks.
"Ignis."
Hearing Eraqus' voice made her froze with fear as she slightly looked up. Xehanort was nowhere to be found, but now, it was just her and Eraqus. She knew that he would never raise a hand on her, but that didn't mean that she was immune to any of his harsh scolding and lectures.
"...Yes, Master Eraqus?" Ignis' voice sounded meek and quiet, so she repeated herself, only a bit more louder and clearer. "Y-Yes, Master Eraqus?" She still kept her head low, while her face started burning out of shame and fear.
"Do you know what you did back there? When you fought against Ventus?"
"I...I did my best to win against him...?" Ignis knew the real answer, and yet, she tried to answer her master's question with another truthful, yet different answer instead.
Eraqus' reaction, however, was blunt and harsh. "You used darkness against him, Ignis. Darkness, against a fellow Keyblade wielder! Against your own FRIEND!"
Flinching from Eraqus' sharp tone, it didn't take much to shatter through Ignis's sensitive heart and force her to bow her head and apologize. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to! Honestly! I never wanted to hurt Ven!"
Eraqus's expression softened when he saw how truly frightened and regretful his student was right before his very eyes. He knew and cherished each of his students as though they were his children. As such, he especially knew that Ignis was a very, very sensitive girl at heart. She can't handle being yelled or screamed at by people, especially by those closest to her. Or at the very least, she can't handle being in the face of anger itself.
Ignis was a strong, kind girl at body, mind, and heart, but she is the most emotional out of all of her friends. Perhaps in par with Ventus or maybe even more vulnerable than him at times.
As much as Eraqus disapproved and hated what Ignis did, it was obvious to him that she was scared of him, or at the very least, scared of him angrily criticizing and yelling at her. He still planned to lecture and criticize her, but more on a gentler tone. That, and he should at least hear her out as well. It's not like him to reach a conclusion without hearing the other person's side of the story, nor give into anger, after all.
Sighing, Eraqus bent on one knee and calmed himself. "Ignis, I...apologize for raising my voice. Let's...let's try this again, shall we? Ignis, what happened back there, during your fight with Ventus? You...used the power of darkness. No, to be more exact, you used darkness magic. What...possessed you to do such a thing?"
As mentioned earlier, Ignis did possess some knowledge of darkness magic because she self-taught herself ever since she was little. She was more skilled in fire magic, but her darkness magic was her second-best attribute magic to excel in. In fact, all of her friends excelled in at least one type of magic. Aqua was a master of water and ice magic, Terra was proficient with earth magic, and Ventus had great affinity with both wind and light magic. For Ignis? She was talented with both fire and darkness magic, though more so towards fire magic.
In the past, Eraqus did find out about her learning darkness magic, and it was a memory that Ignis was...not very fond of. Despite her upbeat attitude, Ignis was actually a very sensitive girl at heart, so she was hurt and sad when Eraqus yelled at her for possessing such 'evil' magic. Despite being forbidden to learn darkness magic, deep down, a small part of Ignis felt like it was still okay to learn darkness magic, if only to defend herself against any temptations towards darkness. Therefore, in order not to get in trouble with her master, she kept it a secret, slowly learning more about darkness magic at a slow pace. It took quite a lot of concentration, time, and magic power out of Ignis to study darkness magic all by her lonesome, but she felt like it would be worth it someday.
But now? Now was probably the worst time to suddenly showcase all of the hard work and training she's secretly spent throughout the years. On the day of the Mark of Mastery and in front of two Keyblade Masters, no doubt!
As much as Ignis trusted her Master, she was absolutely too terrified to tell him that she's been secretly training darkness magic behind his back for so long. She didn't to make him disappointed or hate her, or worst, disown her!
"I...I really didn't know what came over me," admitted Ignis, not fully telling the truth, but not exactly explaining a lie, either. "I just...I wanted to win. But, not like, I didn't want to win by hurting Ven too badly! I also didn't want to use fire magic during our fight because...well, I already made a huge mess earlier before the fight, and I didn't want to burn down the building, and my other elemental attributes aren't as high as Aqua's, and I panicked, and I...I accidentally...um...I wanna say that I accidentally casted darkness magic, but-"
"You were afraid of losing. The same as Terra, I would guess." A look of clarity and relieved understanding made its way on Eraqus' wrinkled face as he gently patted Ignis' shoulder. While was Ignis' motive was still somewhat bad if it manifested darkness, it was still far from the most evilest reason thus far.
"Terra? What does he have to do with any of this?" wondered Ignis.
"If you paid extreme attention during his fight with Aqua, then you would have noticed that he, too, harnessed the power of darkness within," explained Eraqus. "The darkness within him comes from being obsessed with power, and obsession beckons the darkness."
"Wait, why is Terra obsessed with power? He's not some crazy madman who wants ultimate demon power, or whatever. A-At least, he didn't act that way," Ignis questioned.
"No, Terra certainly didn't act like a madman. He's obsessed with power because he doesn't want to lose. The darkness within him acted up because he didn't want to lose to Aqua, but in the end, he did lose."
"But...the fight ended in a draw. I mean, he didn't really lose, but nobody won anyways. Not even Aqua," pointed out Ignis.
Eraqus nodded. "Yes, but recall that I also mentioned that during the Mark of Mastery, there are no winners or losers in that fight. Strength of heart mattered, because combat always reflects the nature of the combatant. There was a clear difference between him and Aqua. Terra may still be the kind and strong individual that we know, but that fight also revealed the lingering darkness within that he lacked control of. And, lack of control over the darkness always leads to disastrous consequences. Aqua however, demonstrated the strength of her own heart as well as showing no signs of darkness. Thus, why Terra needs more training for strengthening his heart."
"...And me? Do you think I...still need to train my heart?"
"Yes. I have a theory that perhaps the darkness within you emerged due to your rivalry with your fellow Keyblade trainees," theorized Eraqus. "Ignis, it's alright to have some competition and rivalry, but only to an extent. You mustn't be afraid nor ashamed of losing. You will only, truly lose when you give into the darkness."
"..."
Ignis wanted to say something about that. She wanted to question her Master, asking just what exactly would be so bad about darkness if you held the resistance and power to control it? But, she knew that if she asked him this, that might make her situation worst, or he might learn of her secretly using and training darkness magic for a long time.
"I...Master Eraqus, I need some...time to think about this. About what we've been saying." In truth, Ignis was scared and hesitant, but she did also understand where Eraqus was coming from. Perhaps the desire to defeat Ventus, show off her skills, and unwillingness to lose was what accidentally triggered her utilizing the darkness magic. But, the main reason why she requested some time alone right at this very moment wasn't merely to think things over, but because she truly didn't want to face her friends and their reactions right now.
Eraqus nodded in understanding, also agreeing with her decision. "I understand that this must be quite a lot to take in. And, as your Master, I will guide you through it all. No, not just me. In fact, you'll have help. From Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. We'll all help each other."
Eraqus patted her shoulder one last time before turning around and walked away, leaving Ignis alone with her own thoughts.
Ignis brightened up at the mention of her best friends, but then frowned when doubt plunged into her heart. She was fairly certain they were very shocked to witness her using darkness magic, and she's very scared of what their new reactions towards her would be. Everyone's heads were drilled with the simple fact that darkness was always bad and light was good.
Would they be terrified of her? Hate her? Hopefully not, because it was bad enough with Master Eraqus and his views on both light and darkness.
But...maybe with her Master's help and support, things will be alright. Sure, they'll understandably still be shocked over this whole thing, but hey, it might not be so bad with Terra's reaction! After all, she and him are on the same boat, having the power of darkness! So, maybe her reveal over having darkness is sorta a good thing...?
Meanwhile...
"What do you make of Ventus?"
Making certain that he was alone, Master Xehanort quietly conversed with another individual. This individual was the same mysterious figure that was messing around with Ignis during her chores and spying on her earlier. Apparently, this same individual also witnessed the Mark of Mastery exam from afar and only snorted in laughter at Xehanort's question.
"He ain't gonna cut it. Somebody's gotta break that loser in."
"Not here, you won't. I have to keep up appearances."
Masking his face with a strange helmet, the mysterious individual let out a nonchalant response. "I know that. He just needs a little...'incentive' to leave home."
"Whatever you plan on doing, don't cause too much trouble, Vanitas. And don't harm Terra. He's of vital importance."
The mysterious individual named Vanitas waved Xehanort off as he walked away. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Keeping up appearances and all that shit. I gotcha. Don't hurt Terra or Ventus. I know the rules."
Vanitas had no intentions of causing any trouble...or at least, not too much trouble that'll point the mess all towards Master Xehanort. He did mention giving Ventus a sort of motivation to leave home, and that's what he intends on carrying out.
He swore to lay off Terra and Ventus. Targeting the Aqua girl right when she's having an audience with her Keyblade Master would prove both disastrous and pointless. That just left the last, remaining Keyblade apprentice. Ventus' quirky and stupidly naive crush.
What better way to achieve his goal by crushing Ventus' fragile heart and testing out the darkness within Ignis, all at the same time?
Hey, guys! Took a LOT of brainstorming and brainpower to conjure up the fight scenes for this chapter, but I feel like it's well-worth it after all!
Originally, this chapter was supposed to be the end of the prologue, but I decided to split it, so next chapter will definitely be the end of the prologue and the beginning of Ignis' journey, so you can count on that!
As you all deduced, Ignis's main elemental attributes are both darkness and fire. Though, I still plan for her to be more masterfully attuned to the fire element than darkness, though her morals and ideals of darkness will be of great importance throughout her journey as well. I'm also not trying to make Master Eraqus the bad person here, but this is initially how he sorta acted when it came to the ideals clash between light and darkness, so I'm also trying to build conflict within Ignis' heart.
With all that said, read and review! If you have any questions, feel free to add them to the reviews or PM me!