The Final Test VIII

Come with me

In the twilight of a summer night

Tell me of a story never ever told in the past

Aqua looked up, her Eyes seeing the Master's one Eye. "Why is this happening to me?"

"As I said, the story had changed because of a single choice, a decision made to tamper with the boundaries of time and space." The Master stated, his hands folded behind his back. "Passing through life and death, it changes who you were originally, becoming even more than a Keyblade Master. Only a handful of people in the history of existence has ever gained these eyes. The eyes that surpass even the vision of the Gods, able to see the past, present and future of any world where these Eyes have been."

Aqua was still breathing heavily, sweat pouring down her face. "Those visions…"

"The Ancients who laid down the foundations of our order, among a handful were a few who were given the vision of these Eyes and with them, they could see into the far future, even long after their time ended. But even with the power to see the future, the Ancients found themselves falling to the same avarice that led to the war between light and darkness. So I took the chance and begun preparing to how to ensure the light survived the coming war." The Master held out a new book to Aqua. "A plan you are now a part of through necessity."

Aqua stared at the book. "What is this?"

"A book, a Book of Prophecies. One that you will write your adventures through the history of the world you are bonded to." The Master answered. "To ensure the future you have seen will come to pass and ensure the world does survive as you hope it will."

"A book…of prophecies?" Aqua slowly questioned, staring at the book. "Why would you want me to write down anything in a book?"

"Not anything, your time on Remnant, traveling its history until you reach the end. Everything that will be written in this book is what will happen." The Master replied. "Everything you see and write down will happen because they are meant to happen."

Aqua could only stare at the book before looking up at the Master. "You…you want me to write my adventures…You want me to control everything that happens on Remnant?"

"Nah, not control. Watch. Observe. Record." The Master replied, placing the book on the ground in front of Aqua. "Watch the world as it grows and changes, after you take care of the monster and the fairy king and then make sure all knowledge of yourself fade into mere myth and legend. Then wait through the ages until you come upon the time when you would have fallen to Remnant if not for falling into the Ever After. Then your time as the chronicler is over."

Aqua took a step back. "Why should I? I don't know you; I don't know your intent and I certainly don't trust you."

"Hm…You have a good point there." The Master mused, finger to his hidden chin. "Okay, don't trust me. Trust your eyes."

"Huh?"

"I guess you need to see how things work out if you carry out my instructions or can you see how things go if you'd like to do things your way." The Master shrugged. "Let's use your eyes and let's see how things will go."

Aqua was apprehensive, even as she could see the Master's eye again.

"The truth is what you see with your eyes, not what you hear…"

Aqua felt her eyes change, becoming the same as the Master's again.

A world devasted by war…

Gods and Kings, both real and false raging war…

A monster rising from the depths…

Villages burning…

Kingdoms stomped into none-existence…

A thousand eyes…

Beings of lights, wings fluttering in the air…

Divine weapons forged from light and darkness to face the monsters…

And it didn't end there.

This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians but are in reality nothing more than men. Our academies' headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both.

They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students?

First, a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces.

Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong, but I know that the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is equally undesirable. Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So, I ask you, when the first shots are fired, who do you think you can trust?"

"Citizens of Vale, Mistal, Vacuo and Atlas…I am Exdeath…I am not from your world, but I am here to conquer it. I was brought here by the witch who spoke to you just now to her help, but I serve no one. I destroyed the world I came from and I am going to conquer this one as well." The person speaking was a hulking figure in blue armor sitting on a throne. "The earthquake you just experienced was the dark castle I summoned from the remains of my world. I have already infiltrated the Atlas military and much more…'

More screams could be heard…

"That is the sound of my minions already destroying your precious wall that keeps you safe from the Grimm…This is not a warning, this is not a threat…When my demon army enters your city, you will die…There is no hope, there will only be pain, destruction and death… All memories… dimensions… existence… All that is shall be returned to nothing…" Exdeath proclaimed.

"Read my lips-mercy is for wimps! There's a reason 'oppose' rhymes with 'dispose'…If they get in your way, kill them!" An apparent clown cackled madly.

"All this power you and use it to protect these pawns and weaklings?" A woman with flaming eyes glared down at her as she was surrounded. "I don't know why she was ever afraid of you!"

"She was the one who set this whole thing in motion." A familiar voice spoke next.

So many possible futures…

A future overrun by Grimm with Salem walking over the corpses of hundreds of humans and Faunus…

An older and darker version of the girl Blake sitting on a throne of human skulls with the red White Fang symbol on a flag behind her…

A village filled with severally malnourished people who are dead or dying…

Machines attacking a city and killing innocent people…

An old Ruby sitting in a shack, pulling her legs to her chest, looking over the dead and empty landscape with a sad expression…

The world is torn apart and then remade, a mad cackling of a newly born God of Madness…

The world and all others is pulled into a black void, breaking apart and becomes…nothing.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Aqua screamed, staggering back and clutching her eyes. "WHY DID YOU SHOW ME THAT?!"

"I didn't. What we saw are futures…several of many futures that come true because of the choices made in the past, both recent and far back." The Master answered, watching as Aqua fell to her knees. "It's a terrible burden, one that I learned the hard way when I gained these eyes."

Aqua was panting, her eyes morphing back to their original form. "What is the point of this? Are you trying to tell me that my choices led to this?"

"Not just yours but the choices of everyone. You think there is only one path to the future, but you are in error, Aqua." The Master clarified, his own Gazing Eye vanishing. "The future is not a single, straight path stretching out from the past. The future is like countless grains of sand scattered outward from the present. Though they may seem utterly different, each one of those countless grains is a future. To put it another way, each grain represents one of countless 'possibilities'."

Aqua managed to lift her head.

"What you saw is not one future, but many possible futures born from the choices you and the others have made and will make. You chose this path because you thought you were doing the right thing, because it was something you were expected to do as a Keyblade Master, to save one world and all worlds from the darkness. But that was not the real reason you chose this path, isn't it?" The Maser leaned down, his hooded face now close to Aqua's. "It was guilt, wasn't it?"

Aqua stiffened.

"You felt guilty for what happened to your friends and mentor. You wanted to make up for these past failings and believed that this was the perfect way atone for that." The Master whispered. "…Why? Why did you choose to shoulder this burden?"

Aqua looked up with shocked and widened eyes before looking down, hiding the remorse that was evident on her face. "…Because I wasn't the Master I was supposed to be."

"Hm?"

"I was ordered by my Master to bring Ven home and keep an eye on Terra and because of that I lost their trust. I let my status as a Master, the only one of us to be appointed as a Master, go to my head and ignore my heart, believing that darkness was evil and that Terra's actions on the worlds he visited were proof he was letting that darkness control him. But I was wrong, and I didn't realize it until we met again in the Graveyard, after Terra confessed that he helped slay our master and Ven asked us to get rid of him. They blamed themselves for letting Xehanort but it was my fault because I didn't trust Terra in the beginning and they lost their trust in me." Aqua confessed, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. "We could have stood united if I trusted my heart over my own Master's advice…"

"…I see." The Master said quietly. "Quite the level of guilt you've had to carry around all those years."

Aqua said nothing, choosing to stare at the floor as the feelings of guilt she had struggled with for years reached the surface.

"It seems you still have much learning to do though this can hardly be considered your fault. This is simply the cost of trying to be a hero for the greater good." The Master stood up. "Given how you were raised, I can't blame you for that."

Aqua lifted her head. "What do you mean?"

"You were raised with the mentality of a Keyblade Wielder protecting all worlds from the darkness, which isn't a bad thing but it's not a blessing either. It's a hard and tricky road to walk that can lead to many damning consequences depending on the choices you make and the type of master, warrior or even hero you choose to be. Sounds like you were raised as the white knight type hero, the one who is supposed to save lives and always do what is right but at the same time, you wished you could have protected those close to you above all others. Am I right?" The Master mused, turning away from Aqua. "Training to become a Keyblade Master is not easy and even if you succeed it's a hard life. You are faced with great choices, but the downfall is often not from your enemies but from yourself."

"Myself?" Aqua questioned, not expecting to hear such a thing. "How?"

"Simple, did you really think you were making your friends proud of you for doing such a thing? Did you think you were honoring them and your late master? Oh sure, they respected your choice but if you thought this decision only affected you then you were mistaken. Did you think Terra would have wanted you to save him from falling into the Realm of Darkness when he was possessed?" The Master began as if he were lecturing to a child. "Sacrificing yourself may be a necessity but at the end of the day you still leave behind someone who is affected by the decision, the pain of watching you disappear, likely to never return. As a hero, warrior, guardian, master, you never get to live a peaceful life because the fight never ends. After you've defeated one opponent, an even stronger enemy will appear, then if you're able to defeat him, an even stronger one will come along. If your heart lacks the strength and resolve to endure this eternal struggle, you will eventually succumb and die, though for you it's even worse because you won't just die once but countless times."

The Master was suddenly in front of Aqua, grasping her chin. "But it doesn't end there. The battle will continue, fought by others in your place to bring down the one lucky enemy who did you in or try and save the world as you once tried. It's an endless cycle and it's not limited to your existence on the physical plane. As long as people harbor darkness and light in their hearts, there will always be disputes, always those who want to climb higher than others and those who want to maintain the status quo even if it's in the name of protecting the innocent, and those disputes will lead to battle, and those battles will go on for eternity!"

The Master then grasped Aqua by the neck, lifting her off the ground. "No matter how hard you try to stop them!"

"That's not what I wanted!" Aqua argued, grabbing onto the Master's arm to push his arm away but his grip remained strong.

"No, you wanted to shoulder the guilt and burden of everything, even the mistakes your friends and master made because you couldn't accept that even if you had done things right, it wouldn't have changed anything!" The Master thundered.

Aqua kicked the man back, summoning her Keyblade and swinging at the hooded man…

Only for the Master to block with just one hand.

"Those that walk the path of the warrior, the protector and even the master can never truly rest, and some don't even get short periods of time because there's always monsters like the Heartless, the Unversed or the Grimm to be slain, criminals and opportunists to stop and lives that always need saving in one way or another!" The Master pulled the Keyblade forward, tugging Aqua along and with his other hand, delivered a heavy blow to her mid-section.

"GAH!" Aqua cried out, saliva spewing out of her mouth as she staggered back, holding her stomach.

Her Keyblade was dropped to the ground which the Master stepped past.

"The truth may be bitter, Aqua but it remains the truth, and the truth is that those with power will always be drawn into battle, that's it how it happened for our order." The Master stated, watching as Aqua cast a healing spell on herself. "I was a witness to this truth as a young boy and naïve idealists like you were always the first to perish."

Aqua held out her hand to summon her Keyblade but with a gesture of the Master's hand she was slammed into the wall behind her.

SLAM!

"Gah!" Aqua grunted, sliding down onto the ground.

"A hero's work is never truly done, especially for a wielder of the Keyblade and if yours is as weak as that resolve you have now, you'll never truly reach the end. You may be unbeatable to those on the Remnant, but your very existence forced a form of evolution onto the people, motivating them to evolve too fast without the proper wisdom to keep that power in check and when you're too powerful to be contained the first thing any enemies you gain won't target you but those closest to you. Even if you sacrifice yourself for them, you can't believe for sure they would be all right for even if they are spared, those left become broken shells of their former selves, left to pick up the pieces of their broken hearts." The Master continued. "This is the true burden of path you take, a choice to choose between the few or the many."

Aqua looked up, a pained expression on her face.

"When the great heroes find themselves in impossible situations where not everyone can be saved, that a sacrifice must be made to ensure the safety of those they have seemed worthy of their protection, who do you think should be picked? The few or the many? Sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few but other times, the few could be more important than the many. Would you save your friends at the expense of the innocent?"

Aqua looked horrified by the idea.

"No? Would you sacrifice your friends to save all the other innocent people? Look at your friend, Ozma. He didn't even want to be the one to save his world, he wanted to remain dead so he could be with his dear love, Salem in the afterlife but when he found she was still alive he agreed to it without hesitation because he believed any pain he would endure would be worth, so as long as he got to see her again." The Master pointed at Aqua. "And we both know how that worked out."

Aqua struggled to get up.

"And what about those girls? You've heard what I've had to say about them before. They believed themselves to be paragons of virtue and glory, brought up by stories of heroism like you were and in the end they not only broke, but they also lied, cheated and stole, sacrificing the homes of the innocent, playing with powers they did not understand and threw those they should have trusted under the bus. You saw what happened to them and chose to help them, believing you could remove their pain and mistakes and shoulder it all in their place." The Master pointed out to Aqua's horror, causing her to freeze. "And now you're about to break like they did. Good news, it took a few lifetimes but you're finally reaching that point. Well, you held out better than they did, and you did a few good things that helped your friend Oz, but can you say you're ready for what comes next."

"I…I…" Aqua stuttered but couldn't say anything before collapsing onto the ground. "I don't…I just don't know!"

It all broke.

The strength and pride Aqua tried to hold as a Keyblade Master broke and all that was left was the young woman who was heartbroken at losing so much.

It hadn't been fair.

She knew she had trained to be a warrior against the darkness, but it had happened too soon for her and her friends. They were too young at the time to face down the darkness and whatever evil that came their way. Sure, they fought and proved themselves victorious many times, but it still felt the unbearable weight of trying to find each other through the lies and manipulation that Xehanort had put them through.

She wanted to be the best.

She wanted to do better than before.

She had wanted to make up for her mistakes.

But at the end of the day, had she really made things better?

The monster known as Sin, which never existed before, appeared because of a Kingdom Hearts that formed because she brought the darkness and the Heartless to Remnant.

Oberon had been born of someone who fell to their rage and pain, wanting to change the world for the better and used another Kingdom Hearts forming in the very home she had made.

She felt the Master kneel down in front of her and place a hand on her head. "It's been difficult, yes but there is another reason for you to have these eyes. I have showed you the dark futures that may come from the new timeline you are making with your journey…but perhaps you can make the right and better decisions if you see what you have to fight for."

What she has…to fight for?

There was a pulse, and she felt her eyes change again, causing her to panic. 'No, not again!'

"Um, hi. Thanks for saving us-" A blond haired boy with blue eyes said…

Ven?!

Right before the blade of a scythe was pressed against not just his throat, but the throats two girls, one of them looking exactly like Ruby and the last being a man with black hair and red eyes.

"Whoa, whoa! No need for that!" The man hastily said.

"Who…are…you?" The woman holding the scythe asked harshly.

"Wild, wait!" She held out a hand. "They're friends!"

She looked at her, silver eyes glinting despite the harsh glare. "You know them?"

"I do."

"Aqua?!"

"Mom!"

Mom?

She opened her eyes and to her surprise she was sitting under a white gazebo with a white table in front of her and white chairs. She looked down at herself and to her surprise she was wearing what appeared to be a white wedding dress with a veil falling down her hair and shoulders.

"Are we going to dance?"

She was suddenly dancing with a man dressed in a white tuxedo and a red scape with a golden string, smiling lovingly down at her. Her eyes widened as he leaned in and their shared a kiss and she closed her eyes as she fell into utter bliss…

And then everything changed.

She was suddenly in a bed screaming and panting as someone held her hand.

"You're almost there!"

"I can see the head. Just one more push."

Aqua let out another scream and then a cry filled the room. She tried to open her eyes but it was too blurry for her to properly see.

"Mrs…someone would like to meet you."

She managed to open her eyes enough and held up her arms as something soft and…warm was placed in them.

She looked down and saw a little one, a child crying but then calmed down as she rocked it, and blue eyes stared back up at her…

She never felt as happy ever before in her life as she did now.

"You were a wonderful experience." She whispered, finding herself resting in a man's arms.

"You were…everything." The man whispered back, his voice sounding he was sad.

"I see." Aqua leaned her head against the tree and closed her eyes. "Did you feel like the two of us had met before?"

He looked at her, seeing her eyes still closed as a gentle breeze traveled through her hair. "…Yes."

She smiled. "Well, I can't say I have any idea what you're going through Ozpin but if you feel tired, frustrated or scared just know that I and the others will be there to help you. You don't have to feel like this makes you feel like you can't talk to anyone about this. And if you have any questions, I'll try to answer as best as I can."

Ozpin simply watched her as she took in the serene weather around them, before seemingly dozing off and falling asleep with her head landing in his shoulder. A warm feeling passed through him as he smiled, feeling more at ease with just her presence being there and so he let her fall asleep.

They both ended up getting detention for missing their next class, but they simply smiled and accepted it.

A pair of red eyes, not like the ones from before, stared at her from behind a white monster like mask and locks of black hair falling over her shoulder, dressed in colors of darkness and blood, smiling darkly. "I've seen the power of your weapon, and I hate to see it wasted. So, you can join us or…."

"Excuse me, do you know a place where we can rest for the night?" She asked a middle-aged woman who warily stared at her. "It's raining hard and these girls need a place to stay warm."

"Oh, you won't find a place for another mile." The woman ushered her and the girls with her inside. "Get in, get in."

"Hi, I'm Ruby!" The girl happily said to a boy with dark skin and hazel-colored eyes.

'I'm Oscar." The boy greeted, a shy smile on his face.

"If anything happens to me, please look after my girls." A young woman wearing a white cloak asked, her silver eyes glittering under the hood.

"Okay, I'm not sure if these will be any good or not." She said, putting a plate of cookies on the table, three little girls sitting there.

One was blond with lilac while the young one had short black hair. One girl had silver eyes and red tips in her hair while the other had blue eyes and her hair was completely black.

The one with silver eyes tried first and she froze, making the woman think they were bad. "They're bad aren't they? I am sorry-"

"Just like Mommy." The girl said, finishing the cookie. "They taste just like Mommy's cookies."

That caused the other two to try and their both immediately ate their own cookies, looking surprised and…elated.

"Just like Mom's." The blond whispered.

"In you and I, there's a new land," She sang softly to the three girls in their beds.

"When you walk away, you don't hear me say." More singing came after. "Please, oh baby, don't go. Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight. It's hard to let it go."

Three small girls ran up to her, hugging her legs. "You're the best, Mom!"

"How's it going?" He asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Pretty good." She answered. "It should be ready by the time the guests are all here."

"Look at you. Learning how to operate an oven without using a fire spell." The man chuckled.

"Oh, hush you! That was one time!"

"There you two are."

"Uh-oh." The blond-haired man and the young woman, his daughter braced themselves.

"I told you two not to be deceived by appearances." She pointed out. "Especially, you Tai. Yang, you would have known right off the back by the motorcycle that you got on your 16th birthday. You studied your weapon the same as that motorcycle you remodified it to your design. You should have known better than that."

"Welcome to Beacon, Mrs…" A grey-haired man in a dark suit with a cane said warmly to her.

"Aqua!" She turned and was greeted with the sight of a familiar boy rushing towards her.

"Ven?!"

"Name's Lea. Got it memorized."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs…"

"Today will decide if you are indeed worthy of being Huntsmen. You believe that simply passing these classes, simple sparring and finishing homework will decide whether or not you can really be the warriors of mankind." A man twirling a lance sent a gust of wind around him. "We shall put that all to the test now."

"Don't do this to yourself." An armored figure 'looked' down at her. "Don't shoulder this burden alone. If you cannot stand, lean on me. If you've lost your weapon, take mine. We will shoulder this burden together and we won't stop until we all together again."

"Well, it's a very, very, very long story."

Aqua gasped, pulling her head back, eyes wide as the visions that appeared in mind. They were…

"Well, since you saw all that, let me ask you this," The Master withdrew his hand. "Do you think what you say is worth fighting for? Are they worth dying for?"