The Final Test
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Oh, hello there.
I didn't think we'd be reaching this part so soon. Well, given what I'm about to write down so far, I guess it's not a surprise. Well, you heard that dusty old crow, his headmaster buddy and even the lost guardian giving their accounts of on how the world, well at least parts of the world work. Guess it's my turn and I promise my part will be…
(A man in a dark coat with a hood covering his face holds up his hand and starts wiggling his fingers in a silly fashion.)
Mind-blowing….
Okay, let's get it on with it. Before we start, you're not particularly religious, are you? I know when it comes to reading epic stories and fairy tales religion is not the topic in the front of anyone's mind but we got to remember when we talk about the beginning of the world we're bound to step on a few beliefs here and there…You can handle it? That's great.
(The man in the dark coat gives a thumbs-up)
All right, let's dive in here. People say the world began in darkness…big formless deep void, filled with nothing but a vast undivided ocean of limitless potential.
(A dark sea with whirlpools and waves is seen)
Of course, the water was not just water. It represented chaos or the vast undivided source of possibilities from which life, order, time, space and even divine power emerged. All possibilities existed in these waters before they were given shape, serving as the wellspring for existence itself.
(Tendrils made of water exploded outward from the sea, rising up, taking on various forms such as animals, numbers and even objects before falling back into the sea)
In this primordial and boundless expanse this ocean could even be seen as the watery womb of creation and it served as that. In some religious texts, it is said that a divine creator arose from this sea, showing that even in these chaotic waters, divine consciousness and order are present, poised to transform potential into reality.
Well, it all happened in a way…
(In the darkest depths of the sea, two seemingly different elementals came together)
Two opposing elementals, Light and Darkness seemingly opposite in every way, instead of colliding with each seemingly merged in a form in an almost harmonious form, uniting to form something even more powerful than the sum of its parts. Bet you didn't see that one coming. Usually, it is said that Light and Darkness would be separated, dividing these waters to create the heavens and the worlds, transforming the chaotic waters into order structure and life. Well, it kind of did happen here, only kind of the opposite at the same time.
This new form would be known to mortals and gods as…
(A bright shining heart is formed in the center of the deep dark waters)
…Kingdom Hearts.
And like any other heart, as soon as it came into existence it began to beat.
(With a single beat, the dark water around it began to swirl and explode outward, freeing Kingdom Hearts from the depths.)
This new existence had such power that with a single beat, it dissipated the deep, leaving only a blank space, causing matter to form as the building block of all things. The second beat created the concepts of time, space and caused the formation of a new world.
(With the second beat of Kingdom Hearts, a brand-new world was formed.)
With the creation of this world, Kingdom Hearts shined its light upon this newly formed world. The third beat created an endless canvas with life slowly beginning to populate it.
(With the third beat, a stream of light swept over the new world, allowing plants, trees and various forms of life to appear and grow.)
It is said that within this single world first, Land, Sky and Sea would form from which life would begin to thrive under a new form of divine order. A world of worlds, boundless and thriving with all forms of life would come to exist as with the second beat came forth a form of primordial energy known firstly as Mana, manifesting from a stream of metaphysical energy known as the Lifestream that has been called many other things such as Mako, Chakra, Chi, Ki, Aura and even more. It wasn't just people and animals that appeared but every form of life imaginable. Unicorns, dragons, Moogles and so much more. Some of the more humanoid lifeforms and animals were directly exposed to this energy and granted the gift of magic that could be passed down through the generations, making this world appear more of a fantasy…or a land of fairy tales.
(All forms of mythical creatures appeared, along with humanoid races born and evolving into existence.)
And in the center of it all…
(A grand looking weapon, two crossing keys shown to be part of it, appeared embedded in stone.)
…A single sword, acting as its counterpart and protector. No one knows where it came from but as civilization grew, countless scholars and historians tried studying it.
Or tried to take it.
(A grand hall was built around the great weapon, various robed figures studying it while others tried to steal it and failed badly.)
Despite their efforts, no one could lift the sword from the stone.
(A great civilization would be built around this great weapon.)
A group of people who worshiped the light, known as the Ancients, had a strong connection to Kingdom Hearts, supposedly having learned how to communicate with the weapon that would become known as the X-blade. With this understanding, the Ancients learned how to draw on this source of magical power granted by Kingdom Hearts known as the Lifestream, allowing them to naturally wield magic.
(Men, women, and even creatures never before seen in modern life appeared, all of them wearing white robes and held up their hands, conjuring fire, lightning, earth, ice, water and even more elements.)
Some would choose to abuse this power…
(Towns were shown now, burning as the people fled in fear.)
Others respected it and made sure to never twist reality too much, the fear of forcing the Lifestream do as they pleased causing a potential backlash ensuring they would remain humble. Not only did they study the mystic arts but also became technologically advanced, balancing both science and nature in harmony.
(The City of Ancients was then shown to be in flames)
However, the other factions rose up, those that used their powers for selfish and darker gains decided to take the city that held the X-blade, thus a conflict between light and darkness had begun.
(Warriors in white and black armor began battling each other, the land around them scorched and burning with blood splattering the ground.)
This conflict continued without end for an unknown period of time.
Then something happened.
(A single robed figure approached the sword and placed a hand on the weapon's hilt)
And then, someone learned how to harness the X-blade's power to forge something new.
(The robed man held out a hand and in a flash of light appeared a sword in the shape of a key)
A new weapon, forged not from Kingdom Hearts but from the hearts of people themselves. Soon enough, the light struck back, wielding their new weapons against the dark acolytes.
(Warriors of Light, now wielding Keyblades were now fighting and beating the warriors of darkness)
To stop the light, thirteen harbingers of darkness cast off their original forms and began to directly attack the hearts of humans, causing many to perish and leading to the creation of the Heartless.
(The X-blade was then shown being broken into twenty shards, seven glowing bright while the other thirteen glowed in a dark impure light before vanishing)
However, eventually the X-blade was shattered into seven pieces of light and thirteen of darkness.
(Thirteen dark forms appeared, reaching out and infecting people, causing them to become Heartless)
With the X-blade shattered, Kingdom Hearts vanished, and darkness enveloped the world. The Keyblade War was fought on the battlefield where the City of the Ancients once resided, now reduced to a desert wasteland and the Ancients themselves supposedly wiped out.
(A strange eye was then shown)
Well, not all of them. Due to their connection to the Lifestream which was connected to Kingdom Hearts itself, the Ancients didn't just gain fancy magic spells. They were also blessed with a heightened awareness of not just events in the present but even…future events.
(The dark coated man lifts his head and a single glowing demonic eye with a cat's eye iris)
Oooohhh, spooky isn't it?
Want to know what this is?
It's a mutation that only a handful of Ancients had gained. With this eye, one is able to see the past, present and future, events in other worlds as long as there are weapons with the same eye embedded in them in those points of time and specific worlds.
(A dark Keyblade is shown with the same eye embedded in the blade)
It has been said that these eyes can even surpass the vision of the Gods and that when one gains these eyes, it is the mark of a transcendent being.
How does one get these eyes?
(The dark coated man holds up three fingers, lowering them as he counts and explains)
Step One: You must have blood of the Ancients in your veins.
Step Two: That blood must be powered by the Lifestream, the source of magical energy granted to all worlds by Kingdom Hearts. When one's blood is powered by this source of magical energy, it grants them a deep connection with Kingdom Hearts.
Step Three: This one is a bit of a gamble but if one forms powerful connections via their heart with others with powerful lights within their hearts, along with a certain amount of chaos power. It's a rough try and not guaranteed to be a success as to reach a transcendent state can take over one or even a dozen lifetimes.
If one happens to form a connection with someone who holds Ancient blood in their veins, there's a chance one can gain these eyes but it's a long shot and it's not all fun and games. If you're inexperienced, you might up feeling a lot of pain when it's active, especially if it's activated by another party.
(The man lowered his hood)
Needless to say, these eyes are very rare but they can be gained by those who are worthy…and those who choose which of those who might be worthy.
(The screen fades to black)
"You have been chosen to be a Keyblade Wielder to seek the light. The Keyblade is the power of the heart of light. The journey is hard and can be filled with difficult times when you end up making difficult decisions, some that may lead to mistakes being made but those mistakes can be redeemed if you chose to not give up and accept that not even a Keyblade Wielder is all knowing." Chirithy stated. "I know it seems dark now but remember, it is the duty of the Keyblade to back the darkness and gather light to protect the world. It's a difficult task and can't be sure what's waiting for you at the end, or what you'll actually be able to do, but by following the connection of hearts, you'll come to discover a greater truth- one that's sure to help you. That's all the advice I can give you. Beyond that, I can only say... may your heart... be your guiding key."
Aqua blinked, surprised by the creature's words. "My heart…be my guiding key…That's a very old saying."
As she spoke, Aqua began to disappear, her body sparkling as it faded and returned to the world, signaling she was about to begin the next part of the cycle.
"I hope to see you feeling better when you appear again, Master Aqua." Aqua heard Chirithy's voice one last time before the vision faded.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself facing someone…
A man wearing a unicorn mask. "So, you've finally arrived."
Aqua blinked and looked around, seeing herself standing in the middle of a wide crater in the middle of a circular valley.
Standing before her, was a man who hid his under a white unicorn mask that has a gold trim. His white, hooded cloak covered a robe, shirt, and sash that were all light blue in coloration and had gold embroidering. Gold tassels appeared on the front of the man's cloak.
Aqua knew this man…
Or rather, she knew who this man was associated with.
"Foreteller." She muttered, summoning her Keyblade.
"Correct." The man said calmly, not bothering to summon his Keyblade yet. "I am Ira, leader of the Foretellers. You, Aqua, have faced my fellow apprentices in battle but you have yet to face all of us until now. The Master has decreed you pass the final test."
"Why now?"
"Hm?" Ira raised an eyebrow under his mask, confused by Aqua's question.
"It's been over a decade or even centuries since I last faced one of you." Aqua stated. "Why am I being called to face you now?"
It might not have actually been centuries, but it sure felt that way to Aqua. Despite how much time had passed she had never forgotten the Foretellers or their mysterious master. Even though Ava told her there were five she had only faced four of them.
Aced, the bear masked Foreteller who wielded spatial magic, a rare form of magic not even Aqua had known of.
Gula, the leopard masked Foreteller who was naturally gifted in speed, even using Thunder based magic to increase his natural speed.
Invi, the snake masked Foreteller whose magical skills were even greater than Aqua's.
Ava, the fox masked Foreteller who Aqua had befriended in Daybreak Town and was adept in crafting illusions and skilled in healing spells. She had even helped teach Aqua a bit in the illusion magic she had specialized in.
However, after Salem's failed rebellion against the Brother Gods on Remnant, Aqua had never returned to Daybreak Town and didn't believe she would see any of the Foretellers again. However, it seems that wasn't the case.
Now she was facing their apparent leader.
"Your perception of time is different from mine it seems." Ira noted, summoning his Keyblade.
It had a black handle, contrasting with a silver white pommel and guard resembling clouds. The curvature of the guard resembled a harp or lyre. The base was an etching of a white unicorn with a silvery mane and horn and yellow eyes and with red and black detail. Around the horn were rings of red, black, and silver spikes separated by gold.
The shaft of the blade was silver with shining white edges. Etched into the shaft in gold and filled with black were four elongated heart-like shapes, the fourth of which resembled the symbol Aqua shared with Terra and Ventus as Keyblade Apprentices. Eight silver spikes shot out from around the final etching. From the uppermost spike of one side to the bottom of the other a black semicircle with silver edges appeared to go through the spikes. This and a few additional spikes were set in the ring form the teeth.
The Keychain was made of white crystals, and the token on the end features five white spikes encircled by a white ring, with the Gazing Eye at the center.
"Prepare yourself, Aqua." Ira said before he immediately went on the offensive.
(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Master, Tell Me the Truth starts)
Aqua readied herself, parrying the first strike as she stepped back, aiming to keep an invisible line between her and Ira as he struck. It had been some time since she had faced down one of the Foretellers who were Keyblade Wielders like her. In her time on Remnant, Aqua had been forced to limit herself, only using magic subtly and when she was sure outside of those who she trusted knew about it. She remembered her training with her master in basic stances. As the Land of Departure held the collective knowledge of the Keyblade Order, going back thousands of years in addition to legends, myths, and magic the archives had also detailed knowledge on various forms and styles to help a Keyblade Wielder properly develop their own forms.
Some of these forms were made by Keyblade Wielders from their own experience while others were learned from other factions on other worlds that helped shaped the foundation for training apprentices.
"Shii-Cho uses basic fighting style but in the hands of a master it can be described as like watching water flow over falls. Makashi uses finesse as its main style. However, it can be disadvantages against long range or multiple attackers. If practiced long enough, one can hold himself against long range attackers or multiple enemies." Aqua remembered her Master Eraqus explaining a few of the styles that Order had learned and preserved. "Soresu focuses on defense, blocking and defending against long-range and multiple attacks while looking for an opening in the enemy's stance. In the hands of a master, one could enter through a multitude of enemies and emerge unscathed. However, if it lasts too long, the enemy could change tactics, or you could exhaust yourself before finding an opening. Ataru is quite taxing when used for a long duration since it uses aerobatics."
The lecture of her master on basic stances and forms came rushing back to Aqua as she continued to block or parry against Ira's strikes, five seconds passing between them with sparks flying in an impressive display of slashes and swings.
"Shien makes it easier to block against attacks like Soresu but it has more offensive capabilities. Its counterpart, Djem So focuses on empowering strikes with physical strength that can be augmented through magic and other powers if available. The Niman form is one of the most practical forms to exist, focusing on balance, a form what you could call a 'jack of all trades', but master of none. It does not use overpowering strikes, nor does it overstress on defense. Juyo on the other hand, uses your emotions to back its strikes." Her master's voice continued. "When you are angry, you're strikes are aggressive and when you are distressed, you're strikes are quick. However, because of that this style makes you more prone to emotional breaking. These are only seven of the many forms that the Order has learned and adapted into our training to install discipline and form and from which you are encouraged to create a personal style most suited for you."
Aqua's Flowing Combat style utilized a combination of Shii-Cho, Makashi, Niman and Ataru as part of it. She had also studied the three basic modes of combat: Fast, Medium and Strong in honing her style. The Fast style focused on utilizing short and quick motions with the blade that could be chained and combined almost indefinitely, this style allowed for multiple attacks at an extremely fast pace. The Medium Style was based on a perfect equilibrium between speed and power. More often than not, the medium style was the first taught to an apprentice.
It was simple in technique; yet more technical and powerful forms could be built from its foundation. The Strong Style was based primarily on wide, powerful strikes to batter through an opponent's defenses, sacrificing speed for unrivaled power. It could inflict more damage than the other lightsaber forms of its time which, coupled with its range, made it especially effective against single opponents armed with melee weapons. This style was quite destructive, and if a practitioner was presented with an opening, they would almost always land a devastating blow.
Terra's style was based on the Strong Style while Ven's was based on the Fast Style. Aqua herself had focused on the Medium Style as the base from which to form her own combat style, refining it until she gained a form that focused on specializing in the use of magic, allowing Aqua to gracefully dance around the battlefield while pelting foes with a variety of powerful spells, fighting with almost dance-like grace, gliding and cartwheeling around the battlefield, utilizing unique variations of the common magic spells and specializing in the use of water, ice, and light in particular. However, because of Remnant's people losing their magic she had to fall back on developing her swordsmanship skills so that she wouldn't have to rely on her magic too much. She was not as strong as Terra or fast as Ventus but through her training with Poppy and Neo, the constant battles against the Grimm in defending villages and kingdoms, mitigating her weaknesses by studying up on ancient sword styles and proper form.
She had helped Poppy in her training, and they would constantly practice and spar against each other, becoming masters of their chosen arts in just a few years. Her physical combat skills had improved drastically while maintaining the finesse and elegance of her original style. And yet here and now, the Foreteller Ira was every bit as skilled as she was, combining strength and speed with power and precision and was able to keep up with Aqua's improved skills. Even though she was brought back to her age before her adventures through Remnant had begun Aqua's skills had remained, her muscle memory retaining everything they had learned, and her magical prowess remained as strong as ever.
However, Ira was not only able to match her, but he was so far dominating their match. Aqua grunted, feeling she might have grown too used to physical combat as she parried a powerful blow. She brought her Keyblade back and blocked again, before spinning and aiming at Ira's hip but Ira easily blocked and struck back.
Aqua fell back and pointed her Keyblade at Ira. "Thunder!"
A single bolt of lightning fired at Ira who easily batted it away with his Keyblade but Aqua used the brief distraction to appear behind him, already slashing at his back. Ira angled his Keyblade up and caught Aqua's over his shoulder, bringing it slashing down on Aqua from either direction. Aqua blocked the first blow and cartwheeled aside to avoid the next and then swept about, slashing at Ira's ribs. Ira caught the attack with his own Keyblade and the two pressed against each other, both trying to gain ground but neither of them managed to do so.
That was when Ira finally spoke. "Horn Strike."
Aqua blinked as Ira jumped back while shards of light surrounded her. "Wha-"
Ira thrust his Keyblade forward.
BOOM!
The shards exploded in a flash of blinding light, disorientating Aqua as much as they blasted her and sent her skidding across the ground to the other side of the crater.
"Gah!" Aqua grunted as she finally skidded to a stop, her Aura shimmering.
Ira raised an eyebrow, having seen Aqua's Aura. 'She has some sort of invisible field around her body to protect her. My Horn Stike is usually strong enough to deal a fatal blow to an enemy…though, she is not considered an enemy by the Master.'
Aqua groaned as she slowly but surely managed to stand on her feet. She panted as she held up her Keyblade with both hands.
'She shows remarkable resilience. As expected from someone chosen to wield the Keyblade.' Ira noted mentally.
Aqua faced Ira and closed her eyes. 'Hercules…'
A shining golden star glyph appeared under and traveled up her body, forming a golden aura around her.
"Hm?" Ira readied himself.
Aqua charged and swung her Keyblade which Ira but to his surprise, his Keyblade bounced off the Aura, leaving him open as Aqua swung but he managed to dodge by sidestepping out of the way just in time.
'This Aura…it's somehow made her invulnerable.' Ira realized.
Aqua continued on the offensive, using her Semblance to boost her chances of winning. Ira fell back, now the one defending and parrying while taking note of her Aura.
'A star shaped glyph appeared under her and created this Aura around her.' Ira thought as he parried another strike. 'It must be some form of protection spell.'
"Hydrosprial!" Aqua called out suddenly.
Spinning gracefully while holding her Keyblade aloft in a pose similar to the finish of her Spellwaver Command Style, a tower of water spun around Aqua, drawing in Ira before he could jump away, becoming trapped in the whirling tower.
"Light!" Aqua called out.
A beacon of light came down from the highest point of the spiral, resulting in several geysers erupting around the beacon and striking Ira.
The tornado of water vanished, and Ira landed back on his feet, kneeling for a second before he cast a Cura spell on himself. Aqua landed not far away, her golden aura fading away.
'I took a gamble thinking I could finish him off quickly.' Aqua sighed as her Aura faded. 'I can't use my Aura for thirty minutes after I use the star glyph representing Hercules.'
Ira stood up and readied himself. Seeing she had no option, Aqua readied herself as well, closing her eyes briefly.
'Spell Master.' She thought and a bright light surrounded her.
This was different from the one created by star glyph representing Hercules that created a divine aura around her, making her invulnerable for a brief time. This ability, Spell Master, could regenerate her magical reserves twice as fast as usual. With her reserves restored, Aqua aimed her Keyblade, an orb of multi-colored swirling light appearing at the tip of her blade.
"Prism Rain!" She called out, firing a near endless barrage multi-colored energy orbs at Ira who raised his Keyblade, surprisingly blocking and deflecting the oncoming barrage.
He moved faster than anyone Aqua had ever seen, the orbs bouncing off his Keyblade and striking the surrounding ground and nearby cliffs.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
When the last sphere was deflected, Ira immediately retaliated. "Horn Strike!"
Multiple shards of light surrounded Aqua and exploded not once, not twice but three times.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Aqua cried out as she was blasted into the air and fell back down to the ground, rolling several feet away before coming to a stop. Her clothes were scorched and dirty from the attack, her face slightly bruised and she seemed to have lost conscious.
(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Master, Tell Me the Truth ends)
Ira slowly approached her, looking down at her and remembering his Master's words.
"The question…If our dear friend, Aqua is worthy to be granted…Her own book of prophecies."
Ira gasped. "Her own book?"
"Yup. You see, I think Aqua is on her own little journey and as much as I hate butting into other people's businesses, a Keyblade Wielder out there with things possibly going get a little rough worries me. So, we need to correct that without coming off too much as meddlers." The Master presented a book to Ira. "You are the final Foreteller to test her skills. Even if she fails to defeat you, I'm more interested in seeing if she has the right mindset and heart to continue her journey without causing too much change. So, in the event she loses, I want you to open this book to her."
Ira accepted the book. "What will happen?"
"This copy of the Book of Prophecies will determine her worth. A Keyblade Wielder is capable of many things but the journey Aqua is on might be too much for her to handle. Therefore, I must determine if she is capable of going beyond even a Master."
"Beyond a Master? Does that mean…beyond you?" Ira could barely grasp the idea.
"Hmm…maybe. As much as I like to think I am the best, because I trained you and the others to be the best you can possibly be." The Master shrugged. "But I guess, sooner or later, someone shows up and can just do the job better. On the bright side, it probably means I don't have to work so hard as I usually do."
"Master!" Ira gaped.
"Whoa, take it easy!" The Master held up his hands. "It's just a little humor, no need to overreact. The truth is…anyone can become greater than a Master. You just need to the time, training and willpower. Look tough you are now and maybe you'll be able to become even greater than me if you pull through hard enough."
"I…see." Ira stepped back, holding up the book. "So, this will test her."
"And maybe test those whose hearts she bonded with."
Ira set the book down next to the unconscious Aqua and opened it. There was a flash of light that made Ira cover his eyes and step back. When the light subsided he opened his eyes…
And saw that Aqua had vanished.
The origins of the Ancients who are based on the Cetra from Final Fantasy and the Gazing Eye comes from HaoRoku from Deviantart who has given me permission to use their idea as an inspiration for the origin story here.