Sora was curious as the blue haired teen gazed upon the Tower of Master Yen Sid. It had been a year since what felt like everything had happened. He saw his mother for the briefest of moments as they defeated Ansem the seeker of darkness; however, everything good in his life has to have a downside every once in a while. His mother was forced to stay in her prison of darkness to save him, Gogo, heck everybody from the monsters inside from destroying the universe. It was a painful moment that lingered in his mind, despite all the happiness and victories that followed soon after they woke up in an empty mansion. The start of his newest journey that would shape him into a warrior. However, the happier he got, the more the nightmares returned—the need for his mother fresh in his heart and head, a never-ending reflection that made his heart feel heavy. Sure, being Xenmas and his organization helped, but his desire was growing deeper with each day; the only thing keeping him from going off was the love and smile of Gogo and his friends.
Thankfully, after the death of Xenmas, he and Gogo were selected to be part of another King of Iron Tournament with his Master Christie; it was nice. It was enough to make that bizarre fuzzy feeling in the back of his head, and the fact that they were put asleep for a year by Namine seemed almost normal. The only downside of the tournament was Gogo losing, getting fourth place under his friend Jin. He got third place, losing to some devil woman, and the whole thing ended with a man with a raging demon thing, and that jerk Heihachi. The ending of the tournament being on a volcano and Heihachi burning inside was not something he wanted to see happen, but some demons are killed, some are dealt with emotionally, and Jin's was one that requires violence. Hopefully the next tournament would be less murder and more simple; maybe a tag tournament?
But now was the time for a completely different test that he didn't know how to process. The Mark of Mastery was something special for key blade users, but Sora didn't know if he wasn't sure if he was worthy of that title, to hold the responsibility of master. It felt different from how he viewed his own accomplishments. He was more casual with the key blade, using it on harder issues like the stronger members of the organization or a heartless that gave the group too much trouble, like the dragon in Milan's world. He was more comfortable with his material arts and the little tech that he carried; it seemed more natural and made him feel like everyone else in the universe, a person with a fist, magic or weapon that could make a difference, no matter how small. Not something doable by the key blade; sure, he used it out of respect and love for his mother, but was it really right to take a test to become a master?
However, Sora began to wonder: was he really the best choice to be a master over Riku? Riku was skilled in the blade, had dark magic powers, and seemed to have more of a head on his shoulders. Meanwhile, he just felt like a normal teenager with a knack for magic and a body that would kick everyone's butt until the sun went down. Maybe when he was younger the idea of being a keyblade master, saving his mother like some superhero fairy tale, seemed fun in his head, but now his mindset was different. He had a girlfriend, possibly a second if Christine wanted to join them; he fought people for fun and world order; his life wasn't just the duties of the key blade, it was whatever made him happy until he could save his mother and figure out what was next to be a happy family. Maybe they'd move to Gogo's home world or Brazil; it would be peaceful. Perhaps having a daughter once settled in and a more stable lifestyle was gained; heck, now probably would be the best time to ask Gogo for her hand in marriage while the universe isn't destroyed by darkness?
"Mom, what should I do? The test is about to start, and I don't know what's the best option—do I use my caporella and avoid the keyblade till later? I still have the glasses and rolling blades that Hiro and the team made for me, but would that be fair to fight Riku? But on the other hand, Riku has darkness and I know how unfair that would be to me unless I used martial arts to reject his projectiles and send him to the floor. I don't know; maybe I can do this; I just gotta be positive and go for the finish line, just like Fred and Honey Lemon told me." Sora whispered to himself as he took a deep breath, adjusting his outfit to feel more comfortable, and began his track up to the master's room, where the aging wizard was probably sitting in this stupid desk and chair again. Oh! How Sora wanted to throw that desk at the window and make the master see him without the looming gaze of a master who hadn't moved a muscle to help the world's, to protect his mother, father and Ven when they needed him most, but that was a thought for a different time; now wasn't the best time to think about anger and stubbornness.
—--
By the time Sora reached the top, he had begun to feel better about himself and the odds of becoming a master, even if the feeling was more neutral than the perfection of it. The title was becoming numb to him; the only praise it would offer was from his mother, nothing more, maybe even Gogo, but deep down he wasn't going to let the honor go to his head. Sure, he'd probably cry and blame himself if he failed afterward, but that was who he was as a person—one to be excited and face things to the best of his abilities and feel sorry for a short while. All he had to do was think happy thoughts and go forth and give it his best shot, and see what fate bellows him.
"Come in, Sora, it's time to begin the exam!" Yen Sid declared, as the doors to the room burst open and the teen's body suddenly flowed in midair, flying a few feet into the room even though walking was probably faster. Sora immediately looked at the master's eyes; they seemed serious, and yet something more emotional was hidden beneath them as he was dropped to the ground.
"Was that necessary, Master Yen Sid? Surely you couldn't have let me walk through the door like a normal person, since I had to climb enough stairs to rival the tallest building in San Fransokyo. Plus, I don't see anyone else here, no Riku, Kairi, nothing, so why the rush when I could have taken my time?" Sora shouted, readying his fists and one leg ready to fight the master; however, Yen Sid simply gazed upon the blue-haired teen without any emotion or compassion, almost as if he didn't feel anything at all except for the job and hand and whatever was hidden in his thoughts.
"Oh, please, Sora, it was totally necessary. One can't simply make an entrance to the biggest test of one's lifetime. Sometimes a little class is needed, and after all, Kiddo, I thought I'd make things interesting for you!" Yen Sid declared, as Sora's eyes widened, that voice was so familiar and the tone sounded different from the few moments of the aging master he did speak with about his journey. Something clearly wasn't right, and the first step was figuring out what happened to the master and what was happening to him.
"Who are you? What is this, you monster?" Sora let out as his vision began to sway and get blurry, and the outline of Yen Sid started to look different. Sora's mind was growing hazy as he tried to keep his composition, but it was for nothing, falling to the floor with an angry look on his face.
"Ah, looks like it's finally working! Don't you worry one hair on your blue head, Kiddo; we all got our tests and roles to play. We just have one more place to visit, and then it'll be time for our Mark of Mastery. But don't forget the most important thing: May your heart be your guiding key!" Xigbar said, as Sora's eyes closed and the illusion of Yen Sid finally ended, as the one amber eye of the nobody gazed deeply into his foe.
"Still giving me that angry look, ever since you were a little kid, well, let's see how long you keep that face up when I'm done with you!" Xigbar whispered as the sounds of footsteps echoed in the hallway leading to the master's room. The one-eyed man smirked as he saw the hooded figure of a mysterious girl in black; she was holding her fingers tightly, giving off the feeling of uncertainty, and yet deep with the massive hood, a small glimmer of hope just waiting to be released upon the world once again.
"So are you going to be a good girl this time? Because I'm only promising to help you both out due to our little guy down there. So please keep in mind, the more you try to fight me, the quicker I'll tell the old man everything!" Xigbar declared, pointing his arrow gun at the hooded figure, that as a portal of darkness opened up, it was time for Sora's test to begin.