I don't even know who I'm doing this for anymore… For me? For my friends? For Master Xehanort? Ven thought to himself as he traveled through the stars. I've come a long way to master the darkness but all I've seen from it was danger… Do I really want to keep going?
He needed advice and the only person closest to him who could offer would be Yen Sid, one of Master Eraqus' trusted friends. If he remembered right, the wizard lived in a tower constantly surrounded by a night sky…
After a bit of searching, he found the place and landed softly on the grass.
Just then, the door burst open and out ran a little mouse with a keyblade in her right hand. In her left was a sparkling stone. The princess raised the trinket to the sky before suddenly disappearing in a flash of light.
Ven watched in wonder as a star seemed to shoot across the sky from where she'd been, before it vanished. "Wow, cool!"
He then remembered the task at hand and shook himself out of his excitement before heading into the tower.
Yen Sid heard a small knock at the door and turned to see Ventus slipping in.
The boy gulped back the nerves as the old sorcerer sat down, his wide eyes gazing quizzically at the boy.
"Hello! My name's Ventus, I-!"
"You are the youngest of Eraqus' pupils, the one who interrupted the exam with darkness…." Yen Sid answered with a nod.
Ven winced. The Master had told him everything… "Uh-huh… Master Yen Sid, I was wondering if you could give me some advice?"
"I am a master no longer, I doffed that mantle." Yen Sid corrected him shortly.
"Huh? But I just saw somebody come out with a keyblade, isn't she your student?"
"Minnie became my student when I was still a master." Yen Sid nodded. "After the loss of her homeworld, she wished to become a keyblade wielder to protect her friends and new world. That wish grew even stronger when the residents of Disney Town wished to crown her Queen. She pledged that she would only become their ruler once she could properly protect them. Her fiancé, Mickey, who accepted the crown he'd also earned, said he'd wait for her, as would the residents."
"So right after she becomes a keyblade master, she's going to become a Queen?" Ven whispered in awe. "She must be really strong!"
"Indeed, she is. But keep in mind, Ventus, strength is not all a keyblade master must possess. They also need patience, resilience, and a proper sense of judgement."
"That's actually why I'm here, I don't have any of those things." Ven laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "The whole reason I'm out here is because Master Xehanort suggested I take a journey to get stronger… but all I've seen from myself is failure after failure, I can't even protect my friends from this veiled woman who controls the Unversed.. I don't know why Xehanort wants me to do this, I want to ask but… maybe I've messed enough stuff up already… What do you think, your elderness? Should I just go home like my master wishes?"
Yen Sid sat there pondering for a minute or two, to the point Ventus wondered if he'd perhaps fallen asleep with his eyes still open but then he spoke. "As a friend of Eraqus, I should send you to him right away… But as an upholder of the balance of light and darkness, I could not in good conscious; Not when we could find the true intentions of Xehanort."
"True intentions?" Ven asked in surprise. "Oh, so you've seen he's been imprisoning the Princes of Heart too?"
"Among other things." Yen Sid said under his breath before straightening up. "Ventus, I must ask that you find Master Xehanort and get the truth from him: the reason he sent you on this journey, why he's been hunting the princes, all of it."
"I will." Ventus grunted back. He was glad, he wanted to know the truth as well. "You can count on me, Yen Sid!"
Once the boy had left, Yen Sid sighed in worry. "Xehanort… Just what are you hiding?"
"Your little detour could've cost us our whole plan…"
The veiled lady appeared beside Xehanort, crossing her arms. "Which one?"
"Both of them. Engaging Terra and Ventus at the same time and then luring Aqua just to test her… Honestly, what am I to do with you?"
"Nothing, because I don't even belong to you." She hissed. "So what if your whole step-by-step plan's derailed, all I care about is getting Aq-!"
The woman was suddenly backhanded swiftly, the sound echoing around the cavernous valley.
"You are forgetting how I gave life to you, raised you, protected you, all for the sake of your destiny, my dear." Xehanort hissed, walking past her. "If you and she do not properly embrace it together as you should… I'll break you both. Is that understood?"
"Yes… Yes it is, Master…" She whispered softly, quickly covering her face once more.
"Now go and prepare yourself in the city of light."
The girl vanished just as Ventus appeared. The boy unsummoned his glider and armor before running up to the man. "Master Xehanort! I was looking for you, and here you are!"
The man chuckled softly, as if it was mere chance the boy came when he did. "Yes, fate has a funny way of bringing us together…. You look troubled, is something the matter, my boy?"
Ven bit his lip slightly. "It's just… I've been to other worlds like you said and… I was wondering why you wanted me to go and why you've been capturing the Princes of Heart?"
Xehanort paused for only a second to think of something to sway Ventus to continue on the path he'd paved. The truth was sorrowful enough, he supposed, just change his motivation and the boy would surely feel for the master with all his heart. That empathy was what created the boy's darkness so perfectly.
Ven was surprised when the master gave a slow sigh before looking up.
"I had to protect the light… from the monster I set free…" He looked to Ventus, seeing the boy's confusion starting to form. "You must've met her by now, that shadowy woman. Her name is Adar. She is a being of pure darkness… One I created…"
"You're saying the one who caused all this… came from you?" Maybe Xehanort wasn't to be trusted after all if he made such a dangerous creature….!
Xehanort shook his head wearily. "No… She came from Aqua."
"Aqua?!" Ven gasped. But Aqua was so kind and gentle, how could she beget such a terrible being?
Knowing Ventus would be wrapped in confusion and worry for his friend, Master Xehanort quickly continued, letting those emotions fester and grow. "Adar is indeed your friend's darkness in human form. When she was still my student, Aqua was consumed by the darkness. The only way I could save her was to cleave the dark half of her heart away from her. That was how Adar was made… I realized then that I had broken Aqua's heart horrendously and knew I could not continue her training when I'd caused her such harm…"
After a few moments of stunned silence, Ven gently took the old man's hand and smiled weakly to him. "Master Xehanort, it was the only way to rescue Aqua… I'm sure she'll forgive you, just like I have."
"One can only hope!" Xehanort pretended to choke up slightly in regret before turning away from Ventus in seeming shame. "Ventus, you must understand that this is why I wished you to go and get stronger, in order to defeat Adar and her Unversed, the creatures she created to destroy the worlds of light! Please, won't you defeat this wicked threat in my stead?!"
Seeing the pain in Master Xehanort's face, how could Ven say no? "Of course I will, Master Xehanort! I'll defeat Adar not only for you, but for the good of everyone in the Realm of Light!"
"Then go, search for her in the one place she is attracted to the most: Radiant Gardens, the city of light!" It was almost too easy, Ventus' care for everything and everyone around him, even for Master Xehanort himself, made the boy shine nearly as bright as a Prince of Heart. And the more radiant one was with light, the more encompassing was the shadow that they would eventually fall into. Xehanort gave a throaty laugh after Ven disappeared from his sight before stepping into the waiting dark corridor and then appearing by his two assistants. "Now then, who's ready to put on a show?"
As Ventus traveled to Radiant Gardens, he thought back to how Adar was from Aqua's broken heart. That must've been why the girl had arrived so emotionlessly and had been weak for so long…
Four years ago, Ven and Terra had been training hard in the grand hall when they suddenly heard the grand doors open, startling them both.
Master Eraqus was busy checking on the state of worlds so it had to be a visitor but they'd never had visitors before.
Eagerly, the two boys ran over to the balcony to see an older gentleman who abandoned his young apprentice when Eraqus came to greet him.
The apprentice was a young girl with blueberry-colored hair, no older than Terra who had just turned 15 that year. Adorned in a simple blue and silver outfit, the girl had no sign of a keyblade wielder but the two could tell right away. Though, keyblade wielders were supposed to have strong hearts, this girl with her dead eyes and statue-like behavior didn't seem to have a heart at all.
The boys exchanged glances of wonder and confusion before Ven practically raced down to meet her.
"Ven!" Terra whispered in shock and worry.
The girl didn't even lift her head as the little boy slid to a stop in front of her.
After a few moments of complete silence, Ven took the chance to speak first. "Hi, my name's Ventus but everyone calls me Ven! What's your name?"
"…Aqua..." The girl answered softly, eyes still on the ground.
"I'm Terra, nice to meet you." Terra introduced himself, startling Ven slightly. Apparently Terra couldn't wait to meet her either.
The girl finally raised her head and took in their faces, slowly registering them with their respective names. "Ven… Terra…"
"Did you come here to train with us?" Ven asked hopefully.
Aqua didn't respond.
"Where are you from? Do you wanna be a keyblade master like me and Terra? Who was that creepy bald guy with you-?"
Ven didn't realize he was overwhelming her until it was too late, he'd just wanted to learn more about this strange girl but…
Aqua suddenly grabbed her head and shrieked in pain before collapsing to her knees, her body shaking.
"Oh no!" Ven gasped while Terra bent down to her in worry. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-!"
"What have you done?!" A familiar voice boomed and the two turned to see their master and Aqua's rushing to them.
"I don't mean to!" Ven repeated, tears coming to his eyes as Xehanort rushed to check on the girl. "I just asked her some questions,it was an accident!"
"Ventus…Terra… Aqua can't tell you anything," Eraqus whispered. "because she cannot remember anything…"
The two turned to see Aqua collapsed on the floor, not to awaken again for a very long time.
Ven shook himself away from the memory, seeing Radiant Gardens growing closer on the horizon. He had to defeat Adar and her Unversed, if only to avenge the broken girl they'd left behind.