The Final Test IV
"Who guards the Guardian?"
The water surrounding Aqua began to softly glow and she let out a soft gasp.
There was a flash of great white light...
She could see it…strange visions…
A giant Heart, beating in a dark void…
Aqua gasped as she rose up from the water, feeling a strange sensation around her eyes.
An ancient city…
"And how can it protect what I cherish most?"
Aqua slowly lowered her hands and looked down at her reflection, seeing her blue eyes slowly changing, the sclera turning blue along with the irises and the pupils' becoming slits like the eyes of a cat…
"Master, I faced down the Keyblade Wielder Aqua."
The Master turned a page, not seemingly listening to Ira as he stood behind and gave his account of what happened.
"She was defeated, and I placed the book next to her, per your instructions before returning." Ira continued.
The Master turned another page.
"What happens now?"
…
"Master?" Ira cleared his throat. "Uh…Master...?"
The Master still didn't answer.
"Master!"
"Gah!" The Master of Masters jumped out of his chair, spinning to face Ira. "Tone it down, Ira! You'll give me a heart attack!"
"I'm sorry, Master but when you wouldn't answer me, I grew worried." Ira quickly replied. "I carried out your instructions and left the book with her after she vanished into it."
"Oh, you did. Great." The Master clapped his hands. "How did she do?"
"Well, she fought hard, and I could see her skills had greatly improved since she was here. However, while she improved greatly, I am not sure her magical prowess grew beyond simply making her spells stronger." Ira answered honestly.
"I see…Probably from trying to keep herself under wraps. The world she has been hanging around on, well its magical system is for the lack of a better word: none-existent." The Master said thoughtfully. "Aside from a handful of individuals, almost all magic and knowledge of it was lost. She likely improved her skills in physical combat while only subtly relying on magic when needed and in a way no one had noticed. Guess it couldn't be helped."
Ira was silent, watching as his master silently mused on the implications now that Aqua had faced all of the Foretellers. It was only after the Master was leaning back in his chair did Ira gain the courage to ask the next question.
"What will be done about her now?" He asked cautiously.
"Well, that depends on her. You and the others have done your parts. Good job." The Master gave Ira a thumb's-up. "What happens next depends on her."
"I'm sorry…Master, I don't mean to question but I am struggling to understand why this necessary." Ira carefully spoke. "Were we asked to test because you wanted to make her an apprentice like us?"
"Like you? Oh, no way!" The Master threw his head back and chuckled. "I can barely keep five of you in check right now. Making a sixth Foreteller? I would be just completely tuckered after a single day!"
"Um…Of course, Master."
"Don't get me wrong, it's been fun teaching the lot of you, but Aqua's path is not to be a Foreteller. The road she walks is one she took upon herself before she even took her first steps here in Daybreak Town. Problem is, she's probably read so many stories of great heroes, Keyblade Wielders or not who single handedly saved the day, saved the world, all on their own." The Master waved a hand in front of him. "Problem is, while the stories are great, they bely a common theme."
"And what is that?"
"The flaw is that no one being, Wielder or not can take on the problems of the world and solve them on their own. You think just one Keyblade Wielder is enough to keep a world from falling apart and being able to do it again and again?" The Master asked rhetorically.
"Um…I guess if the person is really wise and is strong-"
"Oh sure, wisdom and strength have their benefits but can you really someone to keep protecting everyone and everything forever or for a very long time? I mean, sure you signed for this job along with the others," The Master pointed at Ira. "Take a look out my window, you see all those apprentices out there?"
"Yes…" Ira slowly answered.
"They're apprentices now, but they're eventually going to have our jobs one day. But can you imagine doing the same thing when you're an old man?" The Master suddenly sounded tired. "Dedication is one thing, Ira but if you let it then this job will eat you up and spit out. You want to look like me when you hit fifty?"
Rather than offer an answer, Ira just stared at the Master…
…
…
"…-ish?"
Ira cleared his throat. "So, if she's not to become an apprentice, why has it been so important to test her?"
"Well, simply put, she needs to learn how to better handle herself."
"I'm sorry?"
"She has good intentions, that's never been in doubt but she's kind of new at this. I have a feeling her apprenticeship was different from yours." The Master mused. "This actually makes me feel a little nostalgic. In the old days when the Keyblade Order was first formed an apprentice had to complete the five trials."
The Master held up five fingers, lowering one finger as he listed each trial.
The Trial Skill that tests your skills, techniques, and stamina in battle in war or perhaps even in the temple against fellow apprentices or even a master."
One finger down.
"The Trial of Courage is when you show tremendous bravery in the face of overwhelming and impossible odds."
Second finger down.
"The Trial of Flesh, when you must overcome great physical pain or hardship, perhaps even losing something such as a limb but managing to endure."
The third finger went down.
"The Trial of Spirit, for when you face what you fear the most, going on a quest of self-discovery."
There goes the fourth finger.
"And the last test, the Trial of Insight when an apprentice's true persona is tested through facing illusions born from inside your own heart and mind." The Master finished, lowering the last finger which happened to be the index one. "When an apprentice passes all these trials, they become master. A master born of skill, endurance and the strength with the power of the heart to guide the Keyblade."
Ira looked surprised by what he had heard but remained silent as the Master continued.
"Of course, the ones who followed the Darkness had a similar test with one key different. The Trial of Sacrifice. It is expected for them to be trained to take lives, but their first life is the most important. To truly be prepared to face the emotional pain of taking a single life or many and thus they were tested by being ordered to kill the ones who are closest to them." The Master could hear Ira gasp but simply continued. "It could have been a close friend, a family member or even the master who trained them. In the end it did not matter for if the apprentice failed, he was too weak and if he succeeded, he would have killed the weak and culled the small. The first significant death that showed they served the Darkness, devoting their hearts and bodies completely to the path they have been trained to follow."
"I see…How come we didn't go through these trials?" Ira wondered.
"Well, I wanted to be nicer, and these trials were forged in times of great conflict, so they had to be extra rough to toughen the little students as fast as they could…under reasonable conditions of course. It's important to know just how strict you have to be with apprentices and how much you have to push them at certain times." The Master answered. "Aqua's journey is different from yours and how she's going about it, well it could burn her out quickly if she doesn't get a little help. Hence why the test she's taking now is going to help her decide whether or not this quest she's on is worth it."
"So, the book is another test." Ira realized.
"Not a test, a trial. From what we've seen so far, she's passed every trial except one. The Trial of Skill by facing you and the others. The Trial of Courage, she probably passed that one with flying colors before she even showed up here." The Master counted. "The Trial of Flesh, well she's endured plenty of physical hardships by surviving on a world populate literal monsters. The Trial of Spirit, well I'd say she's already endured what she fears most. There's just one last Trial…"
"The Trial of Insight." Ira stated.
"Yup. That's a bit of a doozy." The Master leaned back in his chair. "You got to confront the deepest, possibly darkest parts of your own heart. Maybe even realize something about yourself you never knew, or you were too afraid to admit to yourself. A Heart can be strong, but the stronger the Heart, the stronger the Light and Darkness will be."
Ira could only stare as his Master's voice became more quiet and solemn…
"Buuuuuuuuuuut, she might handle it." Then he went back to normal, standing up and pumped a fist into the air. "She's a Keyblade Wielder and better yet, she's a Master! If anyone can handle it, she can!"
"Uh, yes, of course." Ira hastily nodded. "I don't doubt she'll pass. Even if she's not an apprentice, how anyone fail when they have your guidance, Master?"
"Oh, stop it!" The Master waved Ira off. "You're making me blush under my hood.'
How long had she been here?
The ethereal green glow of the cave surrounded her as she simply treaded the water, listening to the sounds of the waterfalls.
She grunted, feeling the water around becoming…denser, like it was wrapping her and keeping her from moving. "Wha-What is going on?"
She spied the edge of the pool and tried to move in the direction to get out of the water. However, the water felt so thick that she was swimming at very slow place.
'So close…Yet, so far…'
That was when something happened.
She gasped as she felt her senses being overwhelmed, images flashing in her mind.
A dark sea with whirlpools and waves is seen…
In the darkest depths of the sea, two seemingly different elementals came together.
A bright shining heart is formed in the center of the deep dark waters.
With a single beat, the dark water around it began to swirl and explode outward, freeing Kingdom Hearts from the depths.
With the second beat of Kingdom Hearts, a brand-new world was formed.
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.
All forms of mythical creatures appeared, along with humanoid races born and evolving into existence.
A grand looking weapon, two crossing keys shown to be part of it, appeared embedded in stone.
Aqua gasped, reaching up and touching her head. "Wha-What was that?"
She grunted, feeling the weight of the ever growing density of the pool growing like it was becoming solid ground.
"Have…to…keep…moving." She muttered as she continued to reach for the shore.
A dark sea with whirlpools and waves is seen…
In the darkest depths of the sea, two seemingly different elementals came together.
A bright shining heart is formed in the center of the deep dark waters.
With a single beat, the dark water around it began to swirl and explode outward, freeing Kingdom Hearts from the depths.
Aqua gasped and froze, a white aura flashing into existence around her for a mere instance. "It happened again…"
What were these visions?
With the second beat of Kingdom Hearts, a brand-new world was formed.
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.
All forms of mythical creatures appeared, along with humanoid races born and evolving into existence.
A grand looking weapon, two crossing keys shown to be part of it, appeared embedded in stone.
A grand hall was built around the great weapon, various robed figures studying it while others tried to steal it and failed badly.
A great civilization would be built around this great weapon.
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.
Aqua gasped, feeling that strange burning sensation around her eyes again. She looked down and saw her reflection…
A pair of demonic, blue eyes with cat's eye iris stared back at her…
What is…
BUMP-BUMP!
Aqua clenched her chest, feeling her heart racing as the density of the water continued to harden around her like cement.
"Can you feel it?"
"The weight? The sheer pressure? It's the weight one feels when they take upon themselves the desire to protect everything, to be the single pillar in the center of a storm." The Master mused, flipping a page of his book.
"You strive to protect, to be better than before because you fear failing like before. That failure, you feel so strongly you could have prevented it had you been better, it weighs down on you even now. Can you feel the toll it is about to take?"
Aqua was panting, struggling to reach the shore and pull herself out of the pool.
"What you see are memories of things long past. Peoples and cities, long since turned to dust and ashes. Preserved in a stream of life that stretches to the corner of every world from the center. In other words, the thread that connects all worlds to the one where it all began: Kingdom Hearts."
Aqua's eyes shot open as another vision assaulted her mind.
With the second beat of Kingdom Hearts, a brand-new world was formed.
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.
All forms of mythical creatures appeared, along with humanoid races born and evolving into existence.
A grand looking weapon, two crossing keys shown to be part of it, appeared embedded in stone.
A grand hall was built around the great weapon, various robed figures studying it while others tried to steal it and failed badly.
A great civilization would be built around this great weapon.
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.
Towns were shown now, burning as the people fled in fear..
The City of Ancients was then shown to be in flames.
Warriors in white and black armor began battling each other, the land around them scorched and burning with blood splattering the ground.
A single robed figure approached the sword and placed a hand on the weapon's hilt.
The robed man held out a hand and in a flash of light appeared a sword in the shape of a key.
Warriors of Light, now wielding Keyblades were now fighting and beating the warriors of darkness.
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.
Thirteen dark forms appeared, reaching out and infecting people, causing them to become Heartless.
A strange eye, embedded in a dark blade.
Aqua gasped again, panting from the visions before trying to reach out to the edge and pull herself out of the pool…
"Can you break free of the weight of your burden? Or will you break and sink into the endless stream?" The Master whispered, turning the page to show the strange altar with a pool and waterfalls.
Aqua grunted, cried out and then…her hand fell into the water and she began to sink into the water. She barely let out a single gasp before her head was submerged and she began to sink down into the depths. The water began to glow, becoming a greenish-white state as Aqua sank and flowed through her body, causing her body to glow…
I can do this…
I have to…
I have to get back…
I have to…
…
…
Aqua closed her eyes and let herself sink.
What was…the point?
She agreed to this, she did but…
I…
I don't want this…
I don't want to do this anymore…
Why did it have to be her?
Why did she agree to this?
Yes, she wanted to make up for failing Terra and Ven miserably. She blamed herself for pushing them into Xehanort's clutches when she was trying to carry out the Master's orders.
"You're awful, Aqua." Ven's voice echoed in her mind.
"You mean you've been spying on me? Is that what he said to do? The Master's orders?" Terra's voice asked, sounding as upset as he did on that day.
She wanted to make up for it and when she saw the world of Remnant being lost to darkness…
Ruby
Weiss
Blake
Yang
Jaune
Oscar
Neo
Penny
She saw those lost children lose their world, resigning themselves to a world they had found themselves lost in, never to see their home, their friends or family ever again. They fell to despair and Aqua sympathized with them because she lost her home, friends and family too.
Only they had a chance to get it all back.
But the only way they could get it all back was if Aqua made the choice, to travel to Remnant and protect it from the darkness. That was what Penny said and Aqua believed her. Only things were much more difficult than she imagined.
Salem
The monster Sin…
Rescuing Oz's children…
Oberon…
Aqua felt as it was somehow all tied to her, and she believed she was in someway responsible for the rise of Sin and Oberon. She chose to stay on Remnant and in the process, twice a replica of Kingdom Hearts was formed and led to the creations of Sin and Oberon, the two greatest threats to Remnant, eclipsing even Salem.
How could it have not been her fault?
Did she really believe that?
She wasn't sure but she felt like it was all her fault and it all came crashing down onto her.
Why did it have to be me?
Haven't I been through enough?
"So why not quit?"
Aqua's eyes shot open, and she found herself in…
"Hey there." The Master of Masters waved a hand at Aqua as the light shined down upon her, partially blinding her until her eyes adjusted.
She was back in the same room as when she first met the Master of Masters, at Daybreak Town.
"H-How did I?" Aqua looked around.
"Don't worry, you're still alive and you're not hallucinating." The Master of Masters stated. "Just dreaming while I am working to hold off you being assimilated into the Lifestream."
"The Lifestream?" Aqua carefully asked.
"Oh, I guess you didn't know about that." The Master turned and looked at his desk. "You can call the source of life and magic that comes from Kingdom Hearts. It's what allows people like us to use magic as great as we do."
"I…" Aqua sighed and trailed off. "I'm not going to ask…"
"Oh?" The Master tilted his head. "Something wrong."
"I just…I don't think I can do this anymore." Aqua hugged herself.
"Hm…" The Master stood up and faced Aqua. "Found yourself with a little bit more than you could chew huh?"
"I thought I could do this, but I can't." Aqua looked away. "I didn't understand what I was getting myself into."
"Ah, getting cold feet, are we? I can't blame you." The Master remarked. "It was the same for just about every Keyblade Wielder who first started. They thought they had it all planned out from the beginning, but things got hard, much harder than they thought. They had to learn how to better handle themselves or they would have crumbled."
"Did they ever agree to travel for thousands of years on one world's history?" Aqua asked.
"A few did and even fewer went through a lot more than that." The Master answered.
Aqua looked at the Master, trying to tell if he was lying but she couldn't tell. The Master of Master was a living enigma, hiding his face, his intentions and his heart from her and making it impossible to know what he was thinking.
"The Keyblade is a wonderous gift, allowing you the ability to travel not just to other worlds but even to travel through time but it is also a sacrifice. Traveling to other worlds, protecting from the darkness and never expecting praise and gratitude from the people because they are not supposed to know we exist. You trained your entire childhood, probably grew up on stories of all the great Keyblade Wielders out there but when the day you became Master finally came, you found you weren't prepared at all. It's happened to the best of Wielders, Warriors and Heroes and you won't be the last." The Master's voice became solemn and serious now as he knelt down in front of Aqua. "The world's burdens are not yours to fix, nor are you expected to become a wise master to know how to fix everyone's problems. Let go of the guilt you feel for your mistakes, let go of the expectations you feel everyone has for you and let your heart become a guiding key."
Aqua looked up at the Master in surprise. "That saying again…"
"It's becoming popular, isn't it?" The Master asked, his care-free tone returning. "Well, if you feel you need a little help, I might be able to offer something that can help you through it."
"What do you mean?" Aqua asked.
"Look, you built yourself a home on that world because you wanted a place to rest after everything you've been through and you wanted a place that felt like home but when a visitor always builds himself a place to live, it always attracts attention. The best way to continue your journey is not to hide in plain sight, masquerading as a warrior who helps. Good cover but you went a bit far in making a temple like your old home. We can only move forward, little guardian and that's having to accept things can never be the same. It's a bitter pill to swallow but one we all have to eventually." The Master held up a hand. "But you are in a unique position to receive a rare gift."
"A gift?"
"A gift that only a handful of people have ever gained but you got a shot when you traveled back and forth between life and death. To reach into the borders of the Final World and then return to what you were before is a unique circumstance and it has helped you further than you know. It's what keeping from immediately fusing with the Lifestream." The Master stated. "You just need one last thing to decide if you really are able to handle this."
"What's that?"
"Reach into that power you call a Semblance and try connecting with everyone you have ever bonded with. Past, present…and future."