Thank you to everyone for the reviews, views, favs, and follows! They really make my day! Xoxoxo
Chapter 2: Think Before You Act
Eraqus, in Sora's eyes, was wise and skilled, but old and frail. When the master told him that he wished to test his physical abilities, Sora was hesitant to duel with him at all in fears of hurting him in any way.
Eraqus mirrored such confliction for different reasons, but, as he mentioned, there were no other sparring partners unless Sora dreamed some up. However, Sora hadn't even been able to dream up a lunch, much less a person. Therefore, it stood to reason that Sora would have to duel Eraqus after all.
The two stood facing each other on a circular mosaic ground. The sky was particularly blue that afternoon.
Eraqus instructed Sora to summon his keyblade, and he in turn did the same. "I will only block your attacks," he said, "you may use any ability you know to fight me. Give it your all so that I can determine what needs work and what does not."
Sora wavered. "Alright, I will," he finally agreed.
"Begin!" exclaimed Eraqus, and a second after he did, Sora rushed forward and swung his keyblade at him.
Eraqus was quick to block as if he was already expecting such an attack and moved swiftly from side to side avoiding more swings. He was initially not impressed.
Sora, who had underestimated Eraqus, had difficulty keeping up. He moved so much faster than he thought he would! Seeing as though the close combat wasn't working out, he dodge rolled away creating a large enough gap between the two of them to have time to think of something else.
Eraqus awaited patiently where he stood for Sora to act. He had a peculiar look in his eyes. It was almost a look of boredom.
It had reminded Sora of the look Riku had given him when sparring on the islands.
Now provoked and having something to prove, Sora lunged forward and slashed his keyblade at the man repeatedly. There was a great strength in his attacks, and Eraqus was genuinely surprised with the sudden change.
Though his attacks were predictable, they were stronger than he had expected. It seemed that, he too, had unfairly underestimated Sora.
The final move in Sora's powerful ground combo was enough to visibly make Eraqus's knees shake as he held his keyblade over his face to block.
This went on for some time - the little surprises both master and pupil had in store, and the sound of metal clashing - until, Eraqus, who was as worn out as Sora, called an end.
He took a single deep breath and no longer appeared tired. Sora kept breathing hard, but listened as the master spoke.
"You surprised me, Sora," he said, smiling faintly.
"Yeah, you surprised me too," Sora agreed, plopping to the ground to take a seat. His breathing gradually returned to normal. He grinned as he looked up to Eraqus. "How was that?" he asked with a smirk.
Eraqus thought it over. "You are indeed a skilled keyblade wielder," he began, and Sora gave a cocky smile. "However," he said, and as soon as he did, Sora's smile disappeared. "You lack something essential to anyone, whether it be a keyblade wielder or not. You lack battle strategy. From what I took note of, you simply go head first into the battle without taking the time to think. You are strong, Sora, but you need to think. I was moving in a repeating pattern, a pattern you failed to notice. Had you noticed it, you would have had a 20% higher hit rate. I also made sure to leave my guard down every time you finished an air combo; that would have been the perfect time to attack, but you failed to notice it as well." He crossed his arms.
Sora was shocked. It was the first time anyone had ever, ever, scolded him about using the keyblade. Donald and Goofy offered only praise at his skills, but what did they know about using the keyblade? Standing in front of Sora was a keyblade master. He knew about using keyblades, and he told Sora that he needed work using his.
Eraqus shook his head. He continued to lecture Sora about the importance of thinking before acting.
Sora gave a nervous laugh when his lengthy speech was finished. He had nothing to say and didn't know where to look. The last time anyone lectured him about anything was long before the his fight with Ansem. It was on Destiny Islands when his teacher scolded him for never turning in his assignments on time. He stood, put two hands behind his head, and just waited for Eraqus to continue.
Eraqus's expression softened. "You've nothing to say in your defense?" he asked.
"No," Sora said, grinning widely. "I guess I do just kind of rush into things." He laughed briefly.
Eraqus thought for a moment. Once figuring out what to do, he summoned his keyblade once more and held it up with a straight arm. At the very tip of his keyblade, much to Sora's amazement, a single, small orb of light appeared in a flash. The master then brought his keyblade down and carefully picked up the orb. As soon as he did, his keyblade vanished. He held the orb to Sora's face.
"Your next task is simple. All you must do is catch this orb," he said, quickly pulling it away when Sora tried reaching out for it.
Sora sensed that the task wouldn't be "simple" at all. "Simple?" he repeated doubtfully. His eyes were only on the orb. There had to be some sort of catch, and he wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating Eraqus again.
"That is correct," assured Eraqus with a nod. "The rules, too, are simple. You have before the sun sets to catch it. You may use any magic you may know or any ability. But remember, think before you act. I cannot emphasize that enough."
Sora looked excitedly to Eraqus. "Okay!" he said with a determined fist to the air.
"Very well," said Eraqus. He let go of the orb, and it fell to the ground like a dead weight. "Good luck, Sora. I will be in the castle if you decide to give up." He walked away without another word.
Sora looked to the orb sitting on the ground and tilted his head to the side. All he had to do was catch it?
He thought and thought.
"Wait! Master Eraqus!" Sora called out, but he was already out of sight.
Sora, now alone, held a hand to his cheek and thought about it some more. Surely, it couldn't have been so easy, could it?
On the other hand, the master did say that the task would be "simple." Was leaving it there right in front of him a way to make him overthink such a simple task of just picking it up? Or was leaving it there in front of him a trick to see if he'd fall for it?
Either way, there was a fifty/fifty chance of making a fool out of himself. He shrugged. Really, he thought, he had nothing to lose. He bent over and cautiously reached out for the orb.
As soon as his hand was just a hair away from the orb, the orb, as if acting with a mind of its own, jumped up into the air with such a great force it sent Sora, with a scream of distress, falling to the ground.
The orb then flew away at great speed.
Sora, angry at the thing, jumped up. "You won't get away that easily!" he threatened, dashing after it.
The orb flew in crazy zig zags and circles, and it flew faster than any heartless Sora had ever fought. Still, Sora was able to keep somewhat close behind out of sheer will. There were times when he was almost close enough to touch it, but everytime he tried to reach out to it, it only flew away faster.
He continued to run after it all throughout the world. He chased it through the gardens, the throne room, the library, the bedrooms, and the hallways of the castle. All the while, he knocked over frames and vases and anything glass with self made promises to clean everything up later. He even momentarily passed by Eraqus during his first and second laps around the castle, each time making sure to say a polite hello and goodbye.
Still though, the chase wore him out rather quickly. The distance between Sora and the orb became greater as Sora's frustration subsided. He lightly jogged after it, but decided that chasing it down wasn't the way to go.
He looked at the orb that flew far away from him and thought about what Eraqus had said about using whatever ability or magic he wanted to. Had he, by mentioning that, been encouraging Sora all along to use magic and abilities?
With that idea in mind, he summoned his keyblade and, with a new, confident smile, glided back within reach of the ever so taunting orb. He cast a powerful firaga spell at it. "Fire!" he shouted as a ball of flame sprung out from his keyblade and raced after the orb. As soon as the fireball met with the orb, the orb did not slow down at all. It simply changed from white to a reddish orange and traveled even faster than before!
Sora stopped chasing it completely and stood with his mouth hanging wide open in surprise. He stared at the vast emptiness of the hallway. The orb was out of sight and he couldn't believe what had just happened.
Eraqus, holding several books, passed by. "Do not stand there with your mouth open, Sora. That is how children accidently swallow flies," he said with an amused tone.
Upon hearing his words, Sora unfroze and closed his mouth. "Master Eraqus," he said, accusingly. "You said this challenge would be simple!"
Eraqus smiled and placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Simple and easy are two different words, Sora." He laughed a bit. "Do you wish to give up?"
Sora, offended to even be reminded of such an option, was quick to say no. "I'm just getting started!" he clarified before running off in the direction he last saw the orb heading to.
The master stood there, shaking his head. The "Wild, Wild Goose Chase Challenge" as he had always referred to it, was not a training activity he had thought of right then and there. It was a challenge that he, long ago, had given to all three of his pupils. It was a challenge that only one of those three could figure out, but only until after sunset. Would Sora be any different? The master doubted it, but still, there was something about him, something that made him want to believe in him.
Meanwhile, when Sora eventually caught up with the orb, he continued to experiment with magic.
"Blizzard!" he shouted as he cast the icy spell aimed at the orb. As he predicted, the color flickered from orange to blue. Besides the color change, the orb suddenly flew in a different direction.
Sora was quick to notice the change in direction. Instead of flying in zig zags, it flew in mostly straight lines with sharp curves at corners.
While on to something, the sky already was changing from a bright blue to warm orange. Time was running out. The sun would be setting shortly.
In panic, Sora cast every spell he knew on the orb in hopes of finding a pattern. As he did so, it changed from blue to yellow to purple and then to grey. It looked something like a confused chameleon. It spun out of control in every direction, flickering on and off in every color, yet Sora continued to pursue it. There was a clear look of distress on his face, but it also seemed as though he was having fun.
Eraqus, from a distance, observed him carefully.
In the midst of running, Sora abruptly stopped. The orb kept on going without him until it was no longer in sight. Sora stared up at the sky for quite some time as if lost in a muse. He then looked left. Then right. Then down. Then left again, for quite some time. Then he laughed out loud and just stood there, as if he were waiting for something.
Eraqus continued to watch his pupil, puzzled.
Quite a bit of time passed and Sora stayed where he was. He leaned against the wall, tired of standing, and did nothing. He did, however, constantly look to his left.
Eraqus, confused as to why the sun hadn't set yet, went, "hm..." but did nothing more and waited for Sora's next move.
More time passed, and Eraqus had enough. The sun should have set long ago, but it stayed frozen where it had for longer than it should have. He approached Sora, but halted suddenly upon seeing a still color changing orb coming in from Sora's left.
As soon as it came, Sora was ready for it. He held out both of his large hands and the orb flew straight into them like a cannonball. The force was enough to send Sora flying, but as he fell to the ground, he kept the orb secured in his hands. He peeked through the cracks of his intertwined, gloved fingers to check up on the orb. As soon as he saw it in there, he cheered.
Eraqus took a moment to figure out what just happened and why the sunset was so late. Finally, he concluded that Sora had cleverly altered the dream to his own advantage. He couldn't help but to smile at the thought. He approached him.
"I did it, Master Eraqus!" Sora exclaimed, orb still in his hands. He held up his hands and shook the orb as if to prove it.
"Sora..." began Eraqus, with a chuckle. "You...delayed the sunset." He spoke almost in disbelief.
Sora looked confused. "I did?" he asked, unaware of what he had done.
Eraqus nodded. "I told you that you had until sunset to catch the orb, do you remember? Somehow, for one moment, you were able to control this dream. By doing so, you gave yourself extra time to complete the task."
Sora looked embarrassed. "So in other words, I cheated," he said, grinning.
"I suppose," Eraqus agreed. "Even so, I never said you were forbidden to change the dream to your advantage. To be honest, I didn't believe you could do so. And I am impressed. You were able to change the dream, and catch the orb. It was a job well done, but I must ask: how in the world were you able to catch it at all? Your method appeared..." he paused to search for the right word, "questionable."
Sora opened his hands and revealed the orb that continued to change colors. "Well," he said, looking at the orb as he spoke. "After running after it for so long I realized it always passed by the staircase I was standing by. It had to be my twentieth time seeing that same staircase! So I figured if I just waited there it would eventually pass by again. Why? Did I do it wrong?"
Eraqus thought it over. The real way to catch it was a more complex procedure involving many patterns of magic, timing, and precision. It was complicated to figure out, but simple to execute. But he shook his head. "You did it just fine, Sora," he assured after looking into those big blue, hopeful eyes.
Later that night, Eraqus bid Sora goodnight and left without another word as he did the night before.
Sora lay on his bed twiddling around with his orb (Eraqus called it a prize for a job well done) and felt a wave of nostalgia. The orb he held in his hands was so warm, so bright. It reminded him, almost, of an orb of pure light that spoke to him as a child.
"No," said Sora aloud, addressing his thoughts. It hadn't been just an orb. It was a...
Sora fell asleep shortly after mumbling, "a heart."
Sora awoke in the middle of the night with a start. His head was spinning and his stomach was tied in knots. He looked to the counter beside his bed just to make sure the orb was still there, and it was, still changing colors.
He sat up and held his hands up to his head. He groaned softly. Then, the pain intensified and his sleepy eyes shot wide open.
The entire room transformed. He no longer sat on his bed, but on the cold ground. The color was drained and replaced with nothing but white. There were white pillars, white doors, and white stairs. It looked like a place that Sora had been to before.
"Castle Oblivion?" Sora asked aloud as he winced.
The door closest to Sora flew open. Eraqus ran through it and came to Sora.
"Sora," he said, speaking calmly, but urgently. "You must allow your heart to forget this room."
"What?" asked Sora, feeling dizzy. "But why?"
Eraqus was stern. "In time, you must forget everything that happened in this castle. It is the only way. Please, Sora. Naminé has begun her work. It starts here, with this room of Castle Oblivion. You must forget it."
"I don't know how to," Sora admitted, feeling lost and a bit afraid.
Eraqus remained patient. "Attempt to," he said simply.
Sora tried, but couldn't forget. "I can't," he said helplessly.
Eraqus would not give up. "Your heart is afraid to forget the things most precious to you," he said, "but remember: my role is to make sure your precious memories stay with you. You must trust me when I tell you to let this memory go."
Sora looked deep into Eraqus' eyes. He trusted him without a doubt. As soon as he decided that, the room changed back in the blink of an eye.
Sora was sitting on his bed again, with Eraqus standing beside it.
The pain instantly went away. Sora, slightly confused, looked to his master for answers.
Eraqus took a small breath of relief. On the floor, he saw a single chain link twinkle in the moonlight. He proceeded to pick it up.
"You have forgotten your first memory of Castle Oblivion," he said, placing the chain link beside the orb on the counter. "In place of every memory lost, you will receive a single chain link. That's all that's left of forgotten memories, you see...nothing but an unconnected chain link." He lowered his gaze.
Sora was startled. "I...forgot something?" he asked.
"Do not worry, Sora," Eraqus said, looking back to him. He handed him the chain link. "Even if you forget something, the memory itself can never go away." He forced a smile.
Sora held the chain link with great care. "How many memories will I have to forget?" he asked softly.
"Many," answered Eraqus, with hesitation.
Sora was frowning for some time until perking up suddenly. "I can connect the chains again one day, can't I? Since the memories never go away, I can still remember them! One day, when my heart is strong enough, right? I don't want to have to forget Naminé and everything else that happened...there. In that castle. I have to remember one day. All I have to do is take care of these chain links; I can't lose a single one! Then, I can remember everything." He smiled widely, satisfied with his conclusion.
Eraqus, unsure if that was even possible, agreed anyway. "Perhaps," he said flatly.
"Yup!" said Sora, mind made up. "I'll hold on until the day I remember everything," he said.
"Rest," Eraqus said after a moment. "You'll need it for tomorrow's exercise."
He headed for the door.
"Master Eraqus," Sora called out before he had a chance to step out. His voice changed suddenly. It was much more serious, more mature, more sad.
"Yes?" asked Eraqus, without turning back.
Sora didn't immediately say what was on his mind. Finally, after a minute or so of silence, he spoke. "I can't remember anything about that castle, so will I...have to forget this dream too? Well, what I mean is...will I have to forget...you?"
Eraqus turned to face him. He had an empty look in his eyes. "Yes," he said, and that was all he said.
