Chapter 3: The Mark of Mastery
A/N: The moment has arrived! Terra and Aqua must fight to gain the title of master! Who will win and who will be known as master? Only you can find out!
S.O.S!
I have a very, very, very huge request to ask of you my dear readers! I just started working on a Bleach/Final Fantasy X crossover story and I need people to review it so I can improve this story. This was my very first fanfiction idea and I've finally been able to post it up. If you could be so kind as to read it and review on the chapters, that will help me out greatly.
Plus, if you do review, then I'll update the next chapter to this story A.S.A.P! So if you help me, I'll reward you all greatly.
Please help me!
Also, I posted up the artwork for this series on my Deivantart page. So if you want to look at them, just go to my homepage here and you'll see them.
Anyway, with that aside, let's get on with the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.
Enjoy!
/
Darkness was the only thing Lumen could see. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but darkness. There wasn't even the slightest bit of light.
The only thing that stood out in this empty realm was the pure white podium that she was standing on.
She looked around to see where she was, but she came up with nothing.
"Where am I?" she said.
She looked around to see if she could find anyone.
"Terra?...Aqua?...Ven?..." she called out.
She desperately searched for her friends in the empty realm that she was brought to.
"Where are you?" she called out.
When she didn't get an answer, she hugged herself in fear. She didn't know how she wound up here, but she didn't like it.
"What is this place?" she wondered.
"I want to go home!"
Just then, words started to form on the podium that she was on. She jumped back when she saw gold letters glow around the edge of the disk. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like it one bit.
She steadied her nerves when the words formed and filled up the circle. She thought that she would be given some kind of clue, but instead she found only a riddle.
One heart fulfills all hearts.
All hearts lead to the same heart.
"What does this mean?" she asked herself.
"Is it one heart fulfills all hearts, or all hearts fulfill the same?"
Another riddle formed underneath the first one.
In order to link everything together, the chains must be broken.
However, to make the chain whole, you must gather all the pieces.
A broken chain, ,makes a whole chain.
"This doesn't help either" she said.
She looked up at the sky, thinking it would give her the answers.
"What does this mean?" she called out.
"Give me a sign!"
The podium started to crack underneath her feet as if it were made out of glass. And like glass, the ground beneath her shattered to a million pieces.
Lumen screamed when she started to fall. She tried to reach out for anything, but she was just given air.
She was going to fall to her death and there was nothing here that could save her.
"Somebody help me!" she cried.
Another riddle suddenly flashed through her head.
You are the chain that will link everything back together again.
Lumen closed her eyes. The darkness was surrounding her and clouded her senses. The only thing she knew was that she was falling to her death and kept having bizarre riddles flash through her head.
She fell deeper and deeper within the darkness.
No one would be able to reach her now.
At least, that's what she thought.
Just before she lost consciousness, she heard someone's voice deep within her head.
"Hey…can you hear me?"
/
Lumen gasped when she woke up. She took a few minutes to catch her breath and look at her surroundings. She found herself back in her room and sleeping on her bed.
She sighed as she covered her face with her arm.
"It was just a dream" she said.
She groaned.
It was that same dream.
For about a week, she had been the same dream where she was standing on this podium that gave our riddles and hearing someone's voice as she fell through the darkness.
She removed her arm and looked up at the ceiling.
"I wonder who that was?" she thought.
"I couldn't recognize the voice…and yet…I felt like I've known that voice all my life. This is too weird. How can I know a person's voice when I don't even know who it belongs to?"
She shook her head. Every time she pondered over the dream, she just came up empty handed and confused. Even the riddles from her dream didn't make sense.
"What could they possibly mean?" she wondered.
"How do broken chains make a whole one? And how do hearts fulfill one heart? None of them seem to connect with each other, but they always appear together"
She sighed.
There was no point trying to figure this out. No matter how many times she ran in through her head, she always came up empty handed.
She looked out her window to see the sun shining through.
It was finally morning.
And that meant…
"The exams!"
She shot out of her bed and quickly got dressed.
Today was the day where Terra and Aqua would test to see if they were worthy of becoming masters. They had worked so hard to get to this point, and now they finally were. To become a keyblade master was their dream.
Lumen smiled slightly to herself as she fixed her hair.
Even though she didn't want to become a keyblade master, she always supported her friend's dreams. They wanted to be just like her father with the hopes of becoming such an idealistic leader.
When she found herself presentable enough, she quickly headed towards the exam room. There was no way that she was going to miss her boyfriend and best friend earning their titles as masters. She didn't know they would even earn the title of master, but she can only hope.
"They worked so hard to get to this point" she thought.
"It would break my heart to see their dreams go down the drain like this"
She prayed that her father would have a compassionate heart.
"Please go easy on them" she said to herself.
She quickly headed for the exam room before it was too late.
/
Everyone was present when the exams started.
Terra and Aqua stood proudly in the center of the room, waiting for their exam to start. They had spent years reaching for this moment and now it was finally here. Now, they could finally show their master what they were capable of.
Ven was able to come to the exam, even though he wasn't taking it. After pleading and begging, Eraqus finally gave in and let the boy watch his friends compete. He stood off to the sides, standing still as if even the slightest twitch would ruin everything.
Lumen giggled from her seat. Since she was Eraqus' daughter, that meant she had to sit up near the thrones that only the masters could sit. She had told her father many times that she didn't want to be a keyblade master, but Eraqus made the excuse by saying since she was his daughter, she had to sit up by the seats. That…and because he tended to be over protective of her. After becoming a single parent, even the tiniest things set him off. Like if Lumen wasn't next to him when they were in the same room, then something bad would happen to her. Lumen was grateful that her father loved her so much, but it tended to get annoying. That was why she couldn't tell him that she had been secretly dating Terra for nearly over a year now. If he found out, he would kill her boyfriend before he even became a master.
She sat properly when her father stood up to address his two students.
It was finally time.
Eraqus looked at his two young pupils proudly. He never expected two of his students to come this far. It did him well that he actually did something good in his life. This wasn't just a special moment for Terra and Aqua. It was a special moment for him as well.
"Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery" he said.
"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 assure you our guest, Master Xehanort…did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the Mark"
Lumen looked at Master Xehanort out of the corner of her eye. She had heard a lot about him through her father. They used to be friends back when they were younger. Like her father, he was a very skilled Keyblade master. However, she couldn't help to suppress the chills that ran up her spine as she looked at him. Everything about him simply screamed danger. Even that dark smile he gave made her want to run for cover. It almost seemed like if she stayed in the same room as him for too long, something bad was going to happen.
When she saw Xehanort turned his head to look at her, she quickly looked away. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction that he scared her. This was supposed to be a very important moment for Terra and Aqua. She wasn't going to let her fears cloud this day.
"I trust you are ready?" Eraqus asked his students.
Terra and Aqua nodded.
"Yes"
Lumen smiled and mouthed 'good luck' to them. Aqua smirked while Terra winked at her.
Eraqus didn't seem to notice the little gesture and continued on. He summoned up his keyblade and held it in front of him.
"Then let the examination begin" he declared.
He brought forth a set of light spheres for Terra and Aqua to destroy. The two pupils summoned their keyblades and faced the spheres.
Little did anyone know, Master Xehanort used some sort of spell and tampered the spheres, coating them with darkness.
Everyone panicked when they saw this. Eraqus didn't know what to make of this. Luckily, Terra and Aqua didn't hesitate and quickly spring to action. They didn't care that they were currently taking their exam. They just wanted to get these spheres out of here before they harmed someone.
One of the spheres got away and started heading towards Ven.
Lumen panicked and quickly ran out of her see, summoning her keyblade along the way.
"Lumen!" Eraqus cried.
Lumen ignored her father and quickly destroyed the sphere before it could hit Ven. Ven gave her a grateful smile as he pulled out his keyblade as well.
Terra and Aqua looked over at them while they faced off the spheres.
"Don't worry about us" Ven said.
"Just focus on the exam" Lumen added.
"But you're in danger here" Aqua insisted.
"Go wait in your room, Ven"
Ven blushed a little when Aqua showed that she was concerned about him. Lumen had to repress a smirk. She knew that he had such a huge crush on Aqua, but didn't want to show it, in case it ruined their friendship.
"No way!" he said.
"I've been looking forward to this-seeing you two become Masters. I'm not going to miss it now!"
Lumen smirked.
"Yeah. And there's no way that I'm going to let you two fight these things on your own" she said.
"What kind of friend would I be then?"
Terra smirked at her.
"They can take care of themselves" he said.
"Ven's been out there training just as hard as us. And Lumen's is Master Eraqus' daughter. There's no way she would let herself become weak"
Aqua sighed when she realized she wasn't going to win this argument.
"Stay sharp"
The four of them quickly laughed into the battle.
While they were all pretty strong, each of them skilled in certain talents. Terra was known for his brute strength and was able to crush his enemies with his powerful swings. Aqua was agile and skilled with black magic. Ven was fast and could easily land rapid attacks to his enemies. Lumen was skilled with defensive and healing magic, so she could block her enemies attacks with ease.
While fighting alone, they had many flaws, but together, they were unstoppable.
Lumen flipped through the air and swung her keyblade at one of the spheres. She highly doubted that this was part of her father's exam, considering that he would never use the darkness.
When a sphere snuck up behind her, she quickly blocked it and used one of her signature moves. Gathering light into her hands, she created chains and had it wrap around the dark sphere. She closed her hand in a crushing motion and was satisfied to see the sphere crumple to dust.
Eraqus paled when he saw that move while Master Xehanort smirked darkly.
Lumen kept using her special trick on the remaining spheres until they were all gone.
Eraqus quickly went to his daughter and made sure she was alright. Lumen sighed as her father checked over her. Whenever he went into his mother hen mode, she had no choice but to just stand there and let him check to see that she was alright before she could do anything else.
Terra and Ven snickered while Aqua smirked apologetically. They always found it funny when their master acted this way.
When Eraqus was sure that his daughter was alright, he gave her a stern look.
"Lumen, I thought I told you to never use that spell" he said.
Lumen flinched slightly and looked like she got caught sneaking into the cookie jar. She knew her father restricted her from using her spells, but she just couldn't help it.
She laughed nervously under her father's strict gave.
"Um, well, I just thought it would be useful for this" she said.
Eraqus crossed his arms over his chest.
"What have I told you about using that spell?"
Lumen's shoulders slumped. She was getting lectured like she was five again.
"To never use it unless I'm in serious danger" she said.
"But, if you think about it, I probably could have been in danger! I mean, you didn't know what was going on with those spheres. And if I just kept them floating around the place, it could have gotten worse"
Eraqus just continued to glare at her.
Lumen sighed and hung her head.
"Sorry, father"
Eraqus's face soften a bit. He always hated acting like the strict parent, but that was the only way Lumen could learn from her mistakes.
"Just promise me that you won't act reckless again" he said.
Lumen smiled weakly and nodded.
"I promise"
Eraqus smiled.
"Very well then. I guess I can let you off today, but don't make it a habit"
Lumen shook her head, showing that she wouldn't.
"Then why don't you go sit down? We still have the exams to finish"
Lumen nodded and gave her father a gentle smile before heading towards her seat.
Ven snickered as she walked towards them.
"You got in trouble" he said in a sing song voice.
Lumen glared at him and whacked him upside the head.
"Shut it" she said.
Aqua chuckled when Ven rubbed his head and pouted.
"You deserved it" Terra said.
Lumen went into her seat and watched as her father put everything back in order.
"That was unexpected…" he said.
"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"
Terra and Aqua went into the center of the room and faced each other.
The second task would be to see how well they fought with each other. A true Keyblade Master must be able to face against any opponent. Even their comrades.
"Remember, there are no winners-only truths" Eraqus said.
" For when equal powers clash, their true nature is revealed"
With that, the two of them fought.
Lumen watched with fascination as the two of them fought. They were so skilled and had such control over their movements that it almost seemed as if they were performing a deadly dance together.
She saw Terra hesitate for a moment before dodging Aqua's attack. She didn't know what brought this up, but she figured that Terra was just distracted by something. She didn't even notice the darkness surrounding his hand since he dismissed it right away.
But Eraqus and Xehanort knew. And it would reflect the outcomes of Terra's future.
/
After the exams were finished, Terra and Aqua stood before Eraqus. They had fought their hardest and now they were going to see if they were skilled enough to gain the title of Master.
Eraqus looked at his students. He had finally decided who was able to become a Keyblade Master. He felt that he made the right choice, but his heart told him that he didn't. Even so, he would go with what his head was telling him and let it continue on from there.
Lumen bit her lip nervously when she saw the look her father was giving them. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she just hoped that it was good.
"Please let them pass. Please, please, please" she thought.
Eraqus cleared his throat to get their attention.
"We have deliberated and reached a decision" he said.
Terra and Aqua stood straighter; waiting for the results that they wished to hear.
"Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably" Eraqus said.
"However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery"
Lumen quietly gasped when she saw the hurt look on Terra's face. She was thrilled that Aqua was now a Master, but she had hoped that Terra would become one as well. He worked so hard to get into these exams, and now they just went down the drain.
What in the world was her father thinking?
Eraqus gave Terra a stern look.
"Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check" he said.
"But there is always next time. That is all"
He turned to Aqua.
"Aqua, as our newest Keyblade Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instructions"
Lumen knew what her father was going to talk about. Even though she wasn't a Keyblade Master, she knew everything about the duties that a Master held. Since she was the future heir to this world, she had to know everything.
When Master Xehanort and Eraqus left, Lumen quickly went over to where Terra and Aqua were.
She gave Aqua a weak, yet proud smile. She was happy that her best friend became a Master. She worked very hard for this and now it paid off.
"Congratulations, Aqua" she said.
Aqua gave her a weak smile in return. She felt just as bad about being the only one to pass as Lumen felt.
She looked at Terra, to see his head bowed down.
"Hey…" she said.
Ven ran over to them and gave his best friend a sad look.
"Terra, I'm sorry" he said.
Terra just stared at the floor some more.
"The darkness…where did it come from?" he muttered.
Lumen looked up at her boyfriend sadly.
She felt so awful. Terra had worked so hard to get this far, only to have her father crush it. It almost made it seem like it was her fault since Eraqus was her father.
"Terra…" she said.
Terra shook his head and walked away.
"Sorry…I need some time alone"
His friends watched him sadly as he left the room.
Lumen sighed sadly.
"I can't believe this happened" she said.
She quickly looked at Aqua, fearing that she might have hurt her feelings.
"But, I'm not saying that what happened is a bad thing!" she blurted.
"I mean, I'm so happy and proud that you became a Master, Aqua. I know you worked so hard to get here. It's just…I hoped that both you and Terra would pass the exam"
Aqua gave her a reassuring smile.
"It's ok, I get what you're saying" she said.
"I hoped that Terra would have passed too. But I guess Master Eraqus thought differently"
Lumen sighed sadly.
"I feel like this is all my fault"
"How is it your fault?" Ven asked.
"You didn't do anything"
Lumen closed her eyes sadly.
"True, but y father is his teacher. I feel like it's my fault because my father failed him. Everything that he does, I feel responsible. I know his intentions were good, but I just feel bad. Now I'm sure Terra will be mad at me"
Aqua put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze.
"Terra tends to act out, but he would never be mad at you over something like this" she said.
"Why don't you go and cheer him up? You're the only person who can easily put a smile on his face"
Lumen smiled at her friend. She did have a point. Terra tended to smile more whenever she was around. Maybe she could pull him out of this depressive state.
"I think I will" she said.
She bid her friends goodbye and ran out of the room.
She had a boyfriend to cheer up and she wouldn't be able to do it by just standing around.
/
A/N: Poor Terra, he wasn't able to become a Master. Hopefully Lumen will cheer him up.
So many strange things have happened here today. Lumen has a special power that intrigues Master Xehanort while it causes fear for Master Eraqus. What exactly is this power and why does it catch the attention of such two powerful Key blade Masters?
Plus, what do those riddles mean from Lumen's dream? Who was that voice she heard at the end?
The only way to find out is to review!
Ja ne!
