Chapter 3: The Darkness Within
Soon after Riku's disappearance, we departed from Traverse Town. The next world we encountered took us back in time to the Greek era. I instantly recognized this world as the Olympus Coliseum. The two golden statues that were placed on either side of the entrance, stood as firm now as they had on my first visit. We proceeded through the entrance into a small entrance hall. I spotted a very short and familiar satyr hanging a poster on the wall.
Sora approached him and said, "Umm…"
"Good timing. Give me a hand, will ya? Move that pedestal over there for me. I gotta spruce this place up for the games." the goat man interrupted.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy simply did as he asked after exchanging confused glances. I merely shook my head in annoyance at their ignorance as they struggled to move the heavy pedestal. They finally gave up after several attempts and collapsed, gasping for air.
"You didn't actually think they could move that, did you, Phil?" I asked the goat man.
"What?" Phil asked, turning around to face us, "Angel! It's been a while, sweet-"
"Don't even go there!" I warned him.
Phil complied with a nervous smile and then took notice of Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "What're you doing here? This here's the world-famous Coliseum for heroes only! And I got my hands full preparing for the games. So run along, pip-squeeks."
"Come on, Phil. Give them a chance." I pleaded.
Phil shook his head and replied, "Look, it's like this. Heroes are coming from all over to fight ferocious monsters right here in the Coliseum."
"You got heroes standing right in front of you." Donald boasted.
"Yep. Angel and Sora are real heroes chosen by the Keyblade." Goofy added.
"And we're heroes, too." Donald said, referring to Goofy and himself.
"Hero? That runt?" Phil mocked before laughing.
Annoyed by Phil's behavior, I demanded, "That's enough, Phil. You'd be surprised at what he can do."
"Hey if you can't even move this," Phil said as he tried to move the pedestal with all his strength, "you can't call yourself…a hero!"
Goofy and I chuckled at Phil as he collapsed from the strain. Phil quickly straightened up and admitted, "Okay, so it takes more than brawn."
"So, you'll give them a chance?" I asked sweetly.
"Yeah, yeah, let's see what you can do, kid." Phil said.
Phil then walked past us and out onto the training field. He began by teaching Sora, Donald, and Goofy the rules. After going over the rules, Phil put them through a series of tests. The trio performed remarkably and passed the training round with no problem. But, Phil would be the true judge of that.
"You know, you ain't bad, kid." Phil said approvingly.
Sora laughed and boasted, "Looks like I'm headed for the games."
"Afraid not." Phil sternly said.
"Why not?" Sora whined.
Phil held up two fingers and said, "Two words: You guys ain't heroes."
Sora stomped his foot and exclaimed, "Come on!"
"It's okay, Sora," I said while laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, "you just need a little more training. We'll come back later."
Phil nodded in agreement and said, "Angel's right, kid. You're lucky to have a true hero like her as a friend."
Sora spun around to face me with a sparkle in his eyes. "You're a hero? Why didn't you tell us before now, Angel?" he asked with admiration ringing in his voice.
"It doesn't matter. We should get going." I responded.
Sora opened his mouth to object, but I hurriedly shooed him out the door before he could say anything. Donald and Goofy followed after him while I remained in the entrance hall. Phil gave me a questioning glance, but knew better than to ask anything. I may have proven myself worthy as a hero to Phil and my master, but I didn't feel worthy. Especially on that day.
~Flashback~
My pulse was racing due to my nerves being on edge from the anxiety settled in the pit of my stomach. Even Aqua and Terra's words of encouragement didn't help, but for their sake I pretended they did. The only thing that could help was to get this over with and know the results. The countless years of training we went through would be put to the test today. Today was our Mark of Mastery exams.
Terra, Aqua, and I walked into a large room and took our respected positions before our master, Eraqus. Behind him were three throne chairs, one was occupied by an old man. He had piercing golden eyes, a silver goatee and abnormally tan skin. A dark aura seemed to surround him as if warning me not to trust him. I then spotted Ven watching us from nearby which eased my nerves a bit.
Master Eraqus then began the introduction, "Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. Three 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. All of you may prevail or none. But I am sure our guest, Master Xehanort, did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the Mark."
The old man in the chair nodded at Master Eraqus as he mentioned his name. As Master Xehanort looked us over, a horrible feeling rose from the pit of my stomach, and it wasn't from nerves this time. I swiftly glanced over to Terra and Aqua but both seemed undisturbed by his menacing presence. I decided to shake off this feeling and returned my attention to our master. If only I had taken that feeling seriously.
"I trust you are ready." Master Eraqus said. After we responded with a yes, he continued, "Then let the examination begin." He then raised his Keyblade to summon orbs of light. Suddenly, a darkness engulfed the orbs sending them into a frenzy. Terra, Aqua, and I quickly attacked the orbs, but one slipped passed us and headed straight for Ven.
"Ven!" we cried out in unison, but Ven easily destroyed the orb.
"Don't worry about me. You three focus on the exam!" Ven reassured.
"But Ven, you're in danger here! Go wait in your room." Aqua chastised.
Ven shook his head and exclaimed, "No way! I've been looking forward to this, seeing you three become Masters. I'm not gonna miss it now!"
"He can take care of himself. He's been out there training just as hard as us." Terra reassured Aqua.
"Have some faith in him, Aqua." I teased her, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah!" Ven yelled excitedly.
Aqua finally gave in and advised, "Stay sharp, Ven!"
Destroying the orbs was no easy task. I swung my Keyblade at one as it sped toward me, but it avoided my attack at the last second and appeared behind me. Before I could even turn around, it slammed into my back and sent me flying into the nearby wall. Despite the pain, I quickly stood up and attacked the orb before it could hit me again. Terra immediately appeared by my side to make sure I was okay. I gave him a reassuring smile as we finished off the last orb. We took our previous positions before Master Eraqus while Ven took his on the sideline.
"That was unexpected 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. Now the three of you will face each other in combat." Master Eraqus announced.
We walked out into the middle of the room and waited for our master's signal to begin combat. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm my nerves. When I opened my eyes, they locked with Terra's eyes which instantly calmed me. He gave me an encouraging smile before Master Eraqus' voice echoed throughout the room.
"Remember, there are no winners only truths, for when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed. Begin!" Master Eraqus exclaimed.
The three of us immediately summoned our Keyblades and began battle. Aqua's agility proved worthy as she dodged every hit with grace. Terra's hard hitting attacks were something you definitely wanted to avoid. Thankfully, I had trained myself in both speed and strength to match theirs. But my body still ached from my mishap in our previous trial and I dropped to my knees in agony. Terra worriedly glanced in my direction. Aqua took this opportunity to attack him but barely missed when he dodged at the last second. I jumped back into battle after the pain subsided and ran toward Terra and Aqua when I spotted the most horrifying thing ever. Darkness surrounded Terra's hand. He quickly shook it off before blocking Aqua's oncoming attack. We continued to fight in combat until Master Eraqus signaled the end of this trial.
As we stood before our master waiting for the results, I noticed Master Xehanort smirking at Terra with a thoughtful look. Before I could dwell on the matter further, Master Eraqus spoke before us.
"We have deliberated and reached a decision. Terra, Aqua, Angel, you performed commendably." Master Eraqus commented, " However, only Aqua and Angel have shown the Mark of Mastery."
My heart leapt out of my chest in triumph, but quickly sank into the pit of my stomach as I realized something. Terra didn't pass. I quickly regained my composure before my mouth could act on its own and disagree with his decision.
"Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But there is always next time. That is all." Master Eraqus informed before turning his attention to Aqua and I, "Aqua and Angel, as our newest Keyblade Masters, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instruction."
Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort then exited the room separately. Terra stood there in disbelief as Aqua and I tried to comfort him. Ven scurried over to us and tried to cheer him up as well. But it seemed our attempts were in vain.
"The darkness…Where did it come from?" Terra thought aloud. I lightly touch his hand but he pulled away and said, "Sorry but I need some time alone."
He then walked away from us and headed outside. I watched his retreating figure until he was out of sight and silently wished there was something I could do to cheer him up. Ignoring Aqua's calls for me to stay like our master instructed, I followed Terra outside. I opened the double doors and stepped out into the warm sunlight. Terra sat at the bottom of the stairs that led to the entrance I had just exited from. He must have been deep in thought because even as I walked down the steps he didn't stir. It wasn't until I sat down beside him that he was aware of my presence.
"There's darkness within me." he said, barely audible.
I could see he was ashamed at that fact so I laid my hand on top of his and said, "It doesn't matter. You're still the same Terra that I love dearly."
"Angel…Thank you." he whispered as he leaned his forehead against me.
His hot breath tingled against my skin every time he exhaled. It sent a burning desire throughout my body making me long for his touch. His lips captured mine in a hungry kiss. My hands tangled in his hair while his arms wrapped around my waist pulling me closer to him, deepening the kiss. Our moment was cut short by the slam of a door causing us to part immediately. After composing ourselves, we turned around to see who had come out. It was none other than Master Xehanort standing at the top of the stairs, and the same sinking feeling returned.
"Master Xehanort…" Terra said respectfully while bowing to him. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to do the same.
"I believe you have an important meeting to attend." Master Xehanort told me in passing, keeping his full attention on Terra.
I slowly nodded my head and gave Terra a worried glance before proceeding up the stairs. As I passed Master Xehanort, an overwhelming darkness emanated from him. My hand lingered on the doorknob for a second before I continued to twist it and opened the door to enter. The scene before me drew to a close as the door did. Something told me to go back to Terra but instead I continued forward to my first meeting as a Keyblade Master. It seemed so meaningless compared to what I was leaving behind that closed door.
That was the very reason I hated to be called a hero. A hero wouldn't walk away from someone they loved and leave them with a man that resided in darkness. The guilt stayed with me even to this day. But now wasn't the time to contemplate on such things when there were more important things at hand. Just then Sora came bursting through the door with a slip of paper in his hand which he gave to Phil. Apparently, it was a pass to enter the games. I took a seat in the stadium and watched Sora work his way through the ranks with the help of Goofy and Donald. Their last round was with a mysterious blonde man who proved to be a formidable opponent. Strangely, he reminded me a lot of Terra. After a hard battle, my trio of friends finally took down the mysterious man. Before we could celebrate, a giant three headed dog came crashing into the Coliseum, knocking out the mysterious man.
"Herc!" Phil called out.
A familiar and more muscular red head came to the rescue by holding back the giant dog. "Phil, get them out of here!" Hercules ordered.
After we safely returned to the entrance hall, I felt that it wasn't right to leave Hercules to fend for himself. Sora, Donald, and Goofy agreed with me and persuaded Phil to let us go back. When we reentered the Coliseum, Hercules was still holding back the giant dog with one hand and holding the unconscious body of the mysterious man in the other.
"Kid, I got two words of advice for you: Attack!" Phil yelled out before retreating.
The giant dog fought as menacingly as it looked but we eventually defeated it together. Upon returning to the entrance hall, Phil decided Sora, Donald, and Goofy were worthy enough to be dubbed junior heroes.
"What do you mean by "junior heroes"?" Donald asked baffled.
"You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero." Phil retorted.
"So what does it take?" Goofy asked.
Hercules answered, "Well, that's just something you'll have to find out for yourselves. Just the way that I did."
"No problem. We'll start by proving ourselves in the games." Sora casually said.
"There ain't gonna be any games for a while. Gotta clean up the mess from the last battle first." Phil explained with an irritated sigh.
"You guys could use some more training anyways." I teased them.
"Hey!" Sora laughed, "Okay we'll be back."
We bid our goodbyes to Hercules and Phil then exited the entrance hall. When we stepped outside, I spotted the mysterious man sitting on the steps. For a moment, I saw Terra sitting there instead of the mysterious man.
"Sora, there's that man from earlier." I informed him, "He looks pretty upset."
"Yeah. His name is Cloud. Hades was using him and the darkness inside of him." Sora explained.
My breath caught in my throat. Just like Terra…
"Uh…You coming, Angel?" Goofy asked as he and the others approached Cloud. I nodded my head robotically and caught up to them.
"Hey, are you alright?" Sora asked Cloud worriedly.
"Yeah." Cloud answered in a monotone voice.
Sora accepted his response and asked, "So, why did you go along with him anyway?"
"I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired. I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light." Cloud replied.
Sora gave him a cheerful grin and said, "You'll find it. I'm searching too."
"For your light?" Cloud asked.
Sora nodded his head. Cloud stood up before saying, "Don't lose sight of it."
Cloud then walked away, but stopped when Sora asked, "How about a rematch sometime? Fair and square, no dark powers involved."
"I think I'll pass." Cloud replied with a dramatic flip of his hair. He then disappeared through the doors.
I turned to Sora and warned, "The darkness is a dangerous thing to meddle with. But as long as your friends are with you, it can't harm you."
Sora took in every word before we left the Olympus Coliseum. I couldn't help but think about how much Cloud was like Terra. Both had darkness within them and were used by someone. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you, Terra, but I promise that this time I will save you.
A/N: Sorry for the delay, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Merry Christmas!