For the big Kingdom Hearts fans, you will probably recognize this majorly changed background story. And there is a reason for that, but it will be revealed when I come to that book. Enjoy some familiar faces being around during the Birth by Sleep storyline.
He never witnessed the devastations of the Keyblade War, only told by Master Ava that a handful of the thousands that fought had survived; those few, along with the organization called the Dandelions, became his and four others' responsibility. Master Ava had chosen him, his younger sister, and three more to become the leaders of the Dandelions, and each was given a rulebook to follow.
"Think they're set in stone or more like guidelines?" One of the leaders, a bright boy named Brain, asked not long after they were left to their new duty by the Foretellers.
A good friend of his, a girl named Skuld, had replied: "They are rules; of course, they are." His sister had been very unsure about that; she had mentioned to him that she did not fancy the idea of having the keyblade wielders fight one another just because the rules said so. But he agreed with Skuld; rules are rules.
They set the place up to house not only all of the Dandelions but also the survivors of the Keyblade War; for some reason, they got just enough room for everyone, even though he was certain that house hadn't a room the last time he checked. He had brushed it off fairly quickly, much rather wanting to focus on his given job as a fellow leader of the Dandelions.
The job was relatively easy; the people they should lead only needed support from what they had witnessed in the destruction of the World, and honestly, the biggest problem he and the other leaders dealt with was the rules they were given.
His sister didn't fancy pitting the members against one another. "It reminds me too much how it all started." He supposed it made sense; in the months before the war, the Union members constantly got at each other throats and raised their blades at one another.
"But it's not like we have any choice; it's in the book," Brain argued. And turned to the one they all choose as the leader among the leaders: Ephemer, "and as Skuld said, it is set in stone."
Ephemer agreed they had to follow the rules but came up with a solution that didn't make the people they were supposed to lead, turn their blades against one another. "Someone might help us with this little problem" He brought them to the town square and there, was a blond boy neither recognized. Ephemer introduced them to this stranger. "this is Joshua. He's… well, he is sort of the architect of this town." He and the others greeted this other boy, and Ephemer then explained to Joshua their little issue; finishing up, he asked. "Can you help us?"
"I might have a solution, but it does require a bit of work on your part." The blond boy replied to them and explained they all needed to make their dreams take shape. "and these Spirits will be used for the friendly competition."
It didn't make much sense, but along with the plan, they did.
That's how the whole game of battling with one Spirit began, bringing people together; it pleased them all, Skuld mostly. "I'm relieved we could find another way and still follow the rules." She picked up her Spirit, which had taken the form of a wolf with a moon icon on its forehead. "We got these adorable creatures!" He had found it quite amusing. However, he admitted that he liked his own Spirit very much. Brain made fun of him and only did it because he was on top of the scoreboard of the Spirit Arena battle.
There were other rules that made things a bit tricky; one of them was training the Dandelions to strengthen the light in them, but none really knew how to do it. Fortunately, Ephemer, along with Brain, concluded that it probably meant the strength of someone's heart and the bond a single person shared with others. They spent a lot of time focusing on that, ensuring everyone got along. It was a slow progress, but everyone became able to put their differences aside and focus on what they were trained to do by Master Ava.
Then one day, Master Ava came to them and told them it was time to fulfill their destiny as seeds of light.
"There are still people suffering from what they saw in the war." He had argued; one of them was a friend of his sister, and though they hadn't spoken, he knew his sister wouldn't want them to leave that friend or the others behind. "I humbly request to stay behind and tend to those people."
"I wish to stay with my brother." His sister spoke.
Master Ava had hesitated but granted their request, so they stayed while the Dandelions went out to recreate the world. He knew they had made the right choice, for not long after, more people that needed a place to recover came. One of them was a dear friend of theirs. She didn't remember him, though, but he quickly changed that, and it was somewhat fun to become friends all over again.
He and his sister stayed as the remaining leaders, and as Ephemer wanted, stuck to the rules and kept not only the Spirit battle arena going but made sure people got along.
Brain visited them; he looked older and told him that the Dandelions have created countless worlds, completing their mission Master Ava put them on. "She told us we are now free to carve our own destiny. This will most likely be the last time you see me, but not my legacy." And the now adult man explained that he was planning on creating a legacy of blood, one he had already started.
It felt strange knowing that he would most likely meet one of these descendants of his friend but hearing how Brain spoke about it, he knew it was what this former Dandelion leader wanted. They shook hands and bid each other farewell, for as Brain said, it would be the last time they saw each other in person. He didn't know what happened to Ephemer or Skuld, only that they, too, were making their own legacy. When his job would end, he agreed with himself to find the answer to that question.
He had no idea how much time passed, this place was always night, and for some reason, the clocks around would never show the same; it was like time held no meaning; in fact, many things didn't make sense in this realm. His magic was one of those things; it had changed throughout his time here. Joshua said it was a payment from have kept the people residing there in check, and he will admit, he liked how it had become; it felt much more part of him than his before simple earth magic was.
Then the time came, the last person had left. And for a time, it was only him, his sister, and his dear partner. But it wasn't Master Ava who came and told him it was time to leave. Instead, it was his former Union leader, Master Invi. She said to him that he needed to stay in the world he and the others would step onto for a time until a Master would arrive, and he needed to be that Master's student. "it is time you join destiny's path" The Foreteller told him, and he accepted his new role in life.
He left along with his two companions, and for the first time, for who knows how long, they saw the sun again. It was weird to be in the realm of light again and merely a fraction of what once was a grand world. But his partner sure looked happy to see the sun again, so he guessed it was not all that bad.
As per Master Invi's command, he, his sister, and their shared friend stayed in this world. Spend most of their time walking at the beach and tending a bit of this world's flowers, though it was mostly just him and his sister doing that. It was and always would be their form of bonding.
A very young child once butted in their bonding session and started climbing on him, which his sister and friend found incredibly amusing. The kid was cute, but he was glad when the parents came to retrieve their son and spare him from being that kid's climbing tree. Did sense strong light coming from that child, so maybe he just met a future keyblade wielder. It would be amusing if that boy would be chosen to wield such a weapon.
One day, the Master he was told about came. She was very old but still knew what he carried the moment she laid eyes on him. "What name do you go by, young man?" She asked, and he told her his name; she then asked if he wished to become her student? He replied he would and asked, "A request, I would wish my sister— a wielder of the keyblade as well, and my dear friend to accompany me in this training." The Master agreed to his request, and so, Master Freyr brought him, his sister, and his friend to their new home; where his destiny will await.
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Now, three years later, he has not only earned the title Master but has become the teacher to the next keyblade wielders that will come to this second training ground for the mighty keyblade. No new Keys have arrived, and he is starting to wonder if he should do like Master Freyr and check the other Core worlds in search of a student. A thought crossed him to perhaps check up on that child living on the island world, but he quickly brushed that aside since that boy was still much too young for a keyblade bequeathing ceremony. He would have to find himself a student soon, but that will have to wait for a while. As it stands now, the Master of the other keyblade training world has invited him to attend a Mark of Mastery. He is curious to see the making of new keyblade masters. He has heard a lot about Terra and Aqua from one of his friend's ascendance, a man going by the name Master Eraqus. It's nice to know Brain's legacy is going strong, and it won't surprise him if more of that bloodline goes in the other Core worlds. His fellow companion always had the tendency to think three times ahead; he sure proved that when they got overrun by Nightmare Dream Eaters, created by those people there who survived the war. Good thing Master Ava had chosen him as a fellow leader.
A knock on the door breaks Lauriam's thoughts down memory lane, and he turns to the door.
His four year younger sister steps carefully through the door; he recognizes that look and waits patiently for whatever request she wishes to ask of him. "You're not too busy, are you?" She asks him quietly; he smiles and shakes his head, it's hard to be busy when he got no students to train, and he does not think mentoring his own sister count as a Master duty. That's a family duty. "If you wouldn't mind, can you join Elrena and me in watching the meteor shower?"
Ah, so Strelitzia dragged her into it as well; it must be pretty special, then. "I wouldn't mind at all." He replies, closing the old dairy in how things were before the war; if they have turned better or worse, he cannot really say.
His sister beams, "You're the best." and she leaves, saying: "I gonna grab the blanket."
He chuckles but decides to help Strelitzia with this night picnic, he grabs the large blanket and the sushi he made last night in case they get a bit hungry. With those in hand, he and his sister leave the castle-like building that can house at least four more people and passes the ordinary people dotting the streets of this beautiful yet void of any keyblade wielders. This world, it is one of his friend's legacy. He stops briefly before the statue of the founder of this city. He looks much older, but Lauriam still recognizes Ephemer. His friend made this world for future keyblade wielders, and he plans to return that status quote. Not sure what happened to the past keyblade masters, only that Master Freyr spent a lot of her time at the graveyard, speaking to several of the stones. Brushing these thoughts aside, Lauriam leaves the large stature and follows his sister to the tram.
They take it to one of the smaller islands; here, on a grassy hill, they find Elrena. And the moment their third companion notices them. "Oh look, he's still alive."
Lauriam rolls his eyes and throws the blanket with: "Come now, you saw me last night; when you double-checked the fish."
Elrena laughed at how she tore that piece of meat to shreds with her new knives, which made quite a mess, but the look on Lauriam's face made it worth the cleaning. She helps set up this nightly picnic and points out to her close friend, "Had to make sure it was dead, can't have we lose our important Master." adding when taking on the sushi pieces, "How did the master die? Oh it was so horrible." She acted like she is in great distress, "He was killed by a fish we thought already was slain. Such a tragedy."
Strelitzia giggles, and even Lauriam laughs at this mock joke of hers.
"It's more your cooking that's going to be the death of me." He points out. Elrena responds by sticking her tongue at him; they both share a laugh again before a comfortable silence falls over the small group. His sister leans against his side, and Lauriam puts an arm over her shoulder, exchanging a knowing look with his friend before gazing up at the night sky. At first, only the endless sight of stars that is a world, the fragment of the once grand World. It makes Lauriam think about the past, and he remembers that the World didn't have a night sky like this; not many went outside when the sun would set. People were wary of the dark as they thought it was, where the realm of darkness was at its strongest. Lauriam is not sure that's the case, but he will admit that with all the stars in the black sky, the night no longer feels as threatening. Then the meteor shower starts, and both he and Elrena smiles at how Strelitzia 'aww' at the sight, and he must admit. "It's beautiful, not something we saw back in the Dream realm."
'Or in the World.' Strelitzia thinks, but since Elrena does not remember that anymore, she and her brother made an agreement not to speak about how the worlds once were one large World. Not sure why Lauriam did it, but she does it so as not to make her big sister feel left out. She eyes Elrena when she remarks, shrugging: "We didn't see the sun there at all. I'm so glad we're out from there; being pale like snow is not my style." Strelitzia smiles weakly at those words, not going to point out that such things wouldn't have mattered in that realm. From what she understood, the Dream realm had different rules than the realm of Light, but like Elrena, she is glad they finally left that place. In the Dream realm, they merely existed; here, they are living, and her big brother is a Master. Speaking of which. "Do you look forward to watching the Mark of Mastery tomorrow?" She asks her older brother.
"I do." Lauriam replies. He has considered bringing his two female companions to the exam in Land of Departure but reconsidered as he got an idea that they might distract Aqua and Terra in their exam. Elrena has a tendency to play with people, and that's not something two soon-to-be Masters need, no matter how fun that might be. "I am curious about how Master Eraqus will execute the exam compared to how Master Freyr did mine."
"Do you think they will pass?" Strelitzia asks, shifting position from the cold crawling up around her legs.
Noticing this, Elrena puts her jacket onto the young woman and takes this as the opportunity to answer this other keyblade wielder. "That depends on their Master, but ask your big brother; he can tell you that the exam is only the first step to becoming a true Master."
Lauriam nods that his friend got that one right. "The title only allows certain perks, such as performing the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony on potential wielders."
Ah, so, like what the Masters did when they chose what Union they wished to follow. Strelitzia does hope these two keyblade wielders will earn the title Master, at least so Lauriam can have people his age instead of a bunch of old people.
Around midnight, Strelitzia falls asleep, and with the exam, he has to witness tomorrow. "Time to call it at night." Lauriam points out and carefully carries his sleeping sister back to the castle.
Elena takes the plate and blanket, following him back: "You better tell me all the juicy details,"
He smiles and answers his close friend, "Down to every strike of their blades, my dear."
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Early the next day, Lauriam travels to the Land of Departure and greets not only the Master of the two students but another one called Master Xehanort. "Ah, you must be Master Freyr protégée." Master Xehanort speaks after the traditional greeting between Masters. "My sincere condolence for your loss."
But Lauriam cannot see the reason for feeling sorry for this loss. "My Master had lived a long and fulfilling life. She died in a time of peace, and that is something every master of the key would meet their end instead amid a battlefield." He knows that part far too well; even though he never joined the Keyblade War, he still lost a lot of friends.
"Indeed, I am sure she passed on peacefully." Master Xehanort nods in agreement before he walks over to his seat.
Lauriam takes a seat at the chair to the left, letting Master Eraqus take a seat in the middle since this will be his students for the important Mark of Mastery. The two students and a blond boy a couple of years younger than his sister appear. Lauriam does not pay that boy much mind, instead takes a better look at Aqua and Terra. By his observation, they both seem around his age. Terra is broad-shouldered and gives off the air that he relies more on strength than magic, as Aqua seems to do. 'This is going to be an interesting matchup.' he realizes if they are going to be pinned against one another like he was against Elrena during his exam. Lauriam takes notice that the two are eyeing him curiously, which is not really a surprise, for he is just as interested in them as they are in him. 'I do hope they will succeed. Be nice to have fellow aged Masters around.' He must admit that he feels a bit out of place when sharing chairs with two very old people, and from how Master Xehanort is glancing at him, that old Master must be thinking the same.
His focus on the other keyblade wielders is broken and turned to Master Eraqus when the man gets up from his chair and walks over to address his two students.
"Today, you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. Not one but two of the keyblade's chosen to stand here as candidates…" which has become quite the rarity as of late, much to Master Eraqus's sadness, so he is pleased two of his students now will be tested to see if they have what it takes to be a Master. "but this is neither a competition nor a battle for supremacy—"
Lauriam shifts ever so slightly in his seat, those words reminded him of how the Keyblade War started, but that is long in the past. Now he can instead be pleased that keyblade wielders are protecting the world order.
"not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither." Eyeing his two students, both looking more than ready for this test and hopefully they will succeed. "But I am sure our two guests, Master Xehanort and Master Lauriam…" He glances to the two other Masters. "Did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the Mark." The two Masters give Aqua and Terra a small nod. And turning back to his students, "I trust you are ready."
"Yes." Both replies are devoted to completing this next step of being a keyblade-chosen one.
Master Eraqus begins the exam by summoning several light orbs made to show the two attendance Terra and Aqua's fighting style. However, suddenly the spheres are surrounded by darkness, flying all over the place, even going after his youngest student, Ventus.
Lauriam is about to step in and protect the keyblade wielder in training but learns back to his chair when the blond boy is capable of handling these wayward orbs. It gives him a chance to watch that boy's fighting style. 'He relies on speed over power, hm, reminds me a bit of how Elrena used to fight before she mastered lightning magic.' And he turns his attention back to Aqua and Terra; his past observance proves correct. Terra focuses on landing a devastating attack that should, in most cases, end the battle quickly, and Aqua has an excellent array of spells she can throw around. 'Quite the interesting trio. I wonder if they ever learned each other weaknesses in their fighting styles.' He will see soon enough, for with the last running amok orb gone, Master Eraqus goes for the next part of the test.
"Now, Terra and Aqua, the two of you will face each other in combat." And Master Eraqus reminds his two students, "Remember, there are no winners— only truth, for when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed. Begin!" His two students begin to clash their blades against one another.
Okay, it looks like Aqua has noted that her magic-based attack style is at a disadvantage against Terra's might; she has changed her attack to more speedy, giving her the edge. Lauriam is intrigued by how Terra will tackle that— hold up, did Terra just conjure up darkness? Lauriam jerked his head up slightly at what he just saw, and although it had been over millennia since that war occurred, it only felt like a couple of years for him. So seeing one using darkness instantly puts him on edge, for it was darkness from keyblade wielders that destroyed the World and tore it into the millions of pieces now seen today.
After the battle between the two, Eraqus asks them to wait and requests he and Master Xehanort follow so they can discuss who deserves the title of Master. Lauriam has seen enough to know that Terra is not suited for that title. "Darkness appeared from Terra during the Trial of Combat. My apology, but I cannot trust one using darkness." He tells Master Eraqus. Darkness inside of people is never a good sign, so with Terra showing he has darkness, Lauriam knows that unless that young man conquers that darkness, it will claim him as its servant. He has seen that happen; not a pretty sight.
"But Terra showed potential." Master Xehanort points out, remarking to his old friend and this young Master. "Let him retake the Mark next year."
Master Eraqus nods, agreeing with both that Terra is not ready to receive the Master title, but maybe next year Mark, he will have gotten that darkness under control. That leads to his other student. "What about Aqua?"
See, there's someone who gave the sense of being Master material. After a moment of ponder about that fellow aged keyblade wielder. "She still has a lot to learn and perhaps not ready to seek out a student, but I sensed she got the right aptitude." Lauriam speaks up
Master Xehanort nods in agreement, though he does not have anything to say in the matter.
With the two other masters saying their piece, Master Eraqus walks out to his awaiting students and the moment they all have taken their position. He speaks: "We have deliberated and reached a decision. Terra, Aqua. You both performed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery." It shocks Terra, and Eraqus explains why the young man didn't receive his mark "Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you in check."
This is the greatest disappointment he has ever received, especially when he trained hard to reach this goal. Terra eyes the two other Masters behind their Master, Xehanort is watching them calmly while this fellow aged Master, one coming from another keyblade wielder training ground, is watching him with suspicions in his blue eyes, and Terra concludes that this Master Lauriam was the one who made Master come to the decision that he does not deserve the Master title. It angers him, but Terra is smart enough not to start yelling at a Master, so he keeps his mouth shut. Master Eraqus's words that there is always next time did not help his disappointment and anger; all he can think about is how big of a failure he felt from not receiving his Mark.
"Aqua, as our newest keyblade Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instruction." Master Eraqus tells Aqua, not really bothered that Xehanort walks off. He instead turns to Master Lauriam and gestures for him to follow, which the young man does. And when out of his student's hearing range. "How far in your Master training are you?"
"It's complete, sir." Lauriam replies to the elderly man.
"Impressive, considering you have only been under Master Freyr's mentorship for three years." Master Eraqus points out and is honestly quite suspicious about it. "I'm surprised you took to the training that quickly."
Lauriam smiles at the hint and tells the descendant of a fellow Dandelion leader, "I was under another Master's training before I came under Master Freyr's; she merely gave me the Mark of Mastery and the training to take over her duty as the next teacher of Scala ad Caelum."
That makes more sense; still, that does leave the question. "And who was this Master?" Eraqus asks, not noticing Xehanort is nearby and able to hear the conversation. Xehanort turns around from Lauriam's reply: "Legends say she was one of the Ancient Masters; if that is true or not, I do not know" This takes Eraqus by surprise; everyone has heard about these first keyblade masters, but Master Lauriam might just have been trained by another keyblade master. It's unclear how many are left out in the worlds. "Whoever your teacher was, I am glad we have a keyblade master at the other training grounds."
That he can agree on, "Indeed, it would be a pity if we lost the keyblade legacy."
The old man narrows his eyes slightly, pondering if there is more to this Lauriam than he first thought. It's worth checking out, for if this young man is indeed a living legacy, then it's worth keeping him close.
With the exam complete, Lauriam thinks it's time for him to return to the world he's tasked to be the Master of. "I will be taking my leave," he bows to the other Master. "Thank you for letting me witness this Mark of Mastery."
Eraqus nods. "It was my pleasure, and I hope that the next time, Terra will join the rank of Master, and perhaps you have found yourself a student." The young Master chuckles, saying with a small head-bob towards him, "I plan on doing so. Like this world, Scala ad Caelum is meant to house and teach future keyblade wielders." And with those words, Master Lauriam heads out, leaving Mater Eraqus to share some knowledge with Aqua now she has gained the rank of Master.
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He has been watching the show from the shadows, gaining crucial information against his opponents. But most importantly, see that his pathetic light is aware of his surroundings again. He can fight but is still ridiculously weak. Even after all these years, his light is weak. It feels him with rage, but Vanitas is now able to keep his emotions in check; unleash them when he needs to spread the Unversed.
Master approaches his small hiding spot; he leaves the shadows and leans up against the nearby wall, waiting for Master to speak. "What do you make of Ventus?" The old man asks.
"He ain't gonna cut it." He replies Master, and the urge to truly hurt his light is great. Over the years, his anger against Ventus has turned into hatred; Master has nurtured his loneliness and transformed it into jealousy. A weapon he will use against anyone who dares to cross his path. Ventus especially. "I need to cut that loser in. Toughing him up."
This is what Master Xehanort wants, but he will not allow such a fight to happen in this world. Vanitas has never cared much for collaborative damage. "Not here, you won't." He tells the darkness of his former student. "I have to keep up appearances." He starts to leave the building, the sound of Vanitas putting on the mask that will conceal his face, one which changed when he left Ventus to die at the Destiny Islands. How it happened, Xehanort does not— nor cares to know.
"I know that." He replies, somewhat annoyed, both that Master thinks he cannot keep his destructive urges in check but also that he can't beat Ventus right here and now. Fortunately, he can do the latter very soon. "He just needs a little push to leave home." He knows exactly what push that pathetic light needs. "He is close to Terra, and will follow him anywhere."
Master Xehanort stops, but what he is thinking about that Vanitas does not know. "Go to the worlds of the Princesses of light. Spread your essence of darkness." He nods and disappears through a dark portal to fulfill such a command.
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He had hoped things would stay as they had, but Ventus guesses that's just a wish thinking. Since the exam, Terra has been acting glum and not his usual happy self. He and Aqua did try and cheer him up, but with Aqua now having the title Master, Master Eraqus often took her aside for new kinds of training, which really didn't help on Terra's mood.
All of this really bummed Ventus out; he's starting to miss their past training sessions and their hanging out, chatting, and laughing like the close friends they are. That exam has changed their dynamics, but Ventus does not have in mind letting that change anything between them. He finds Terra at the training grounds, hitting one of the dummies quite aggressively. 'I have never seen him like this.' Ventus muses to himself as he approaches his friend. "Hey, Terra." He calls.
"What is it?" Terra asks, not missing the beat at his strikes on the dummy. "Is Master asking for me?"
"No, he's busy training Aqua." Ventus shakes his head, Terra starts hitting the dummy harder, and he gets the sense he said something wrong. So in an attempt to cheer Terra up, "Hey, what about we train together?" he asks with a smile, summoning his keyblade. "I could use advice on how to transform it."
That made Terra stop beating up the dummy; he let out a small sigh before turning to him. "Alright, which one do you have trouble with?"
"Um, all of them?" Ventus replies sheepishly, smiling with a hand behind his head. It did make Terra chuckle, which is a win for him. "I don't really understand the trick." He swings the back-hand keyblade around, trying to imagine it as another weapon. "Should I change my stance or view of how it should be used? Like if I wanted my keyblade to become something else?"
"Sort of." Terra admits. He walks beside Ventus and summons his own keyblade. "Our keyblades are connected to our hearts, and by our will, the keyblade will change to our need." Ventus looks at him, confused, not entirely sure what his friend means. Terra notices it and chews the inside of his mouth, a sign he is pondering how to explain this best to him. Then his eyes light up. "What about this," he trots over to the glider they got from the market back when they visited the town below the mountain. Terra grabs the glider, a toy Ventus loves to play with. "Try transforming your keyblade into a glider." Ventus blinks, and his friend explains, "You know how it works, so imaged your keyblade in such a shape."
Okay, guess he can do that. Ventus nods and closes his eyes, holding the image of the glider. After a moment of doing this, he's starting to feel a bit silly. "Nothing happening." He opens his eyes at the sense of Terra taking a gentle hold of his hand, guiding him to wave it like throwing a Frisbee.
"Keep the image in mind, then, like when we do magic, throw the keyblade." Terra lets go, walks a bit away, and after having summoned his own keyblade. "Like this." He throws it into the air, and it takes the form of a very bulky glider.
"Wow!" Ventus awes at the keyblade transformation, and with the encouraged nod from Terra, he keeps the glider in mind, hurls it into the air, and it changes shape into one! The keyblade glider lands not far from him, and Ventus can't stop bouncing in joy at this victory. "I did it!" Terra smiles, clearly proud that he has succeeded. Ventus jumps onto his glider and begins to fly around on it.
On the ground and now much closer to his old cheerful self. "Don't get too high up!" Terra calls after him, "It's a long way down if you fall!"
"Good thing I know you'll catch me!" Ventus calls, laughing back, to which Terra responds with an amused head roll.
After having flown on his keyblade glider for a while, he lands and follows Terra to the spot where they and Aqua often would spend their free time, watching the valleys below. He takes a seat beside Terra, "Thanks for teaching me." he smiles at his friend.
Terra smiles in return, though it slowly fades, and his gaze goes to the horizon. "Guess I would have to do that, now Master Eraqus will be busy teaching Aqua her Master duties."
Ventus's smile drops, and wanting to cheer up his friend. "You will get it the next time." Terra nods slowly. After a moment of silence, he admits to Terra, "It's been weird not having Aqua around. I thought… I thought being a Master wouldn't change anything."
"I figured it would." Terra replies quietly; Ventus eyes him, confused but also a bit sad about this fact. "Maybe she will join us when through her new training, or, well, she might be gone for a long extent of time in search of a student."
Parts of him do not want that. Aqua, Terra, and Master Eraqus are the families he only knows. What happened before he came here? Ventus does not remember. "Is it wrong of me to wish she didn't leave?" He asks Terra.
"Makes it better I'm not going anywhere for a time." Terra says in a tone Ventus has never heard him use before. It's quiet but stern, a combination he hasn't gotten from Terra before. When his voice turns hard, Terra is usually annoyed or angry. While quiet is often used when he is either sad or tries to comfort someone. Before Ventus can ask, Terra gets up and begins to leave, "I better get back to training." this time in a stern tone.
This confuses Ventus, but also he feels hurt. He does not recall to have said something to make Terra angry. "Did I… say something wrong?" He asks both himself and Terra, but his friend is too far away to hear, and Ventus is reluctant to approach him to ask. So, he leaves the training grounds and would've liked to speak with Aqua or Master Eraqus about it, but they both seem busy talking, so he returns to his room.
Ventus picks up the training sword Terra gave him at the start of his keyblade training and, with it in hand, plums onto the bed, where he starts swinging it around. All the time pondering what he said to make Terra angry at him, nothing sprung up to earn such a sudden sternness. He sighs, and even though he does not know, Ventus still thinks he should apologize later. 'Better safe than sorry.' He sighs, but his gloomy thoughts are quickly brushed aside when the enchanted bells start chiming. Master explained they only did it if danger was approaching. He quickly gets up from the bed and hurries to the door.
"Better hurry, Ventus." A dark, calm, and not-at-all-familiar voice speaks.
It made Ventus stop and turn around to where the voice came from. To his confusion, the voice came from a boy seemly his age, dressed in some weird black body suit, which was tinted red around the chest, arms, and legs. The face is obscured by a creepy helmet, making it impossible to see the face. This boy wasn't there a moment ago, which made Ventus instantly wary. "Who are you?" he asks this intruder. "How did you get in here?"
The black-dressed person completely ignores his questions, "Or you'll never see Terra again." he speaks.
"What?" Ventus asks, confused, thought quickly replaced with anger at what this stranger had said. "Get real. I can see Terra anytime I want." His friend will be sticking around so he can prepare himself for the next exam. And even when both he and Aqua would succeed, Ventus knows his two friends still will have time for him.
This masked person steps away from the shelf he's leaning up against. "Like right now?" He asks Ventus in an almost mocking tone. "He's leaving you behind," The masked boy takes a step towards him. It takes everything in Ventus not to summon his keyblade. "and if you ever manage to catch up to him. He won't be the person you remember." The other boy tells him, foreboding as if he knows this will happen, whether Ventus wants it or not.
But there is one thing this stranger does not have, hours upon hours of time spent with Terra. Ventus knows his friend. "Look— whoever you are— you don't know Terra like I do." Ventus briefly touches the training sword Terra gave him, a precious gift from his friend. "Me and him will always be a team. Nothing is going to change that."
"Oh, grow up." The masked spits back at him, like Ventus said something incredibly childish. "This little bond you have won't hold when put to the test." He walks over to the other side of the room, and so confident in that Ventus won't attack, the masked keeps his back to him. "But if you don't believe me, then why not go out and look for yourself?" Ventus hesitates, not entirely sure what this masked person means. The masked boy took his hesitating as his answer, and clearly rolling his eyes from that tone, "Come on, what could you possibly know when you're stuck here," The masked boy turned his head slightly back to him. "while your friends are leaving you behind." and with those words, some sort of black portal appears, and the masked boy disappear through it.
Ventus does not like one bit what this masked person has said about his friends, Aqua and Terra, is his whole world. He recalls all the time they spent together, training, goofing around, and sticking up for one another. They are his family, and losing them… no, Ventus cannot bear that sheer thought. 'I have to speak with Terra.' Ventus decides he needs Terra to tell him that what the masked boy said isn't true and everything will be alright. He spins around and hurries to find Terra.
Ventus passes Aqua having some sort of talk with Master Eraqus but does not pay them any mind; he's much busier to reach Terra, who has gone outside. Ventus runs down the stairs past the large door, calling "Terra!" making his friend stop. Only close, Ventus stop his sprint but is so out of breath that he can't form a coherent sentence.
Before he can try and voice his worries, Terra ruffles his heart with a calm, "It's okay." and in the past, this might have eased Ventus's worries. But this time is different. That masked boy's words hit him hard, but looking up to Terra, who smiled encouragingly, yet seemed troubled by something as well. Before he can ask, Terra turns around, walks a few steps away, and hits the armor on his left shoulder. Activating it, and not long after, Terra is clad in reddish and golden armor. Ventus steps over but stops when Terra raises his keyblade, sending a beam up to the sky. Ventus recognizes that Terra has opened a portal to the outside world, then he transforms his keyblade into that bulky glider. It impresses Ventus, but it also makes him realize that what the masked boy said might be true, and knowing his friend is going to leave, Ventus starts to run. "Terra, wait!" He calls, but it's too late. His friend takes off and disappears through the portal. Disappointed but mostly worried, Ventus decides to go against Master's wishes that he should stay in this world. For the first time, he activates his own armor and summons it; Ventus only takes a moment to awe at his armor before transforming his keyblade and pursuing Terra, hoping he can get to him before that masked boy would.
I will be trying to expand more on this trio's relationship with one another.
Either by each character's thoughts or flashbacks, if I can get away with it.