I wonder...could darkness burrow so deep into someone's heart that they don't even know it's there?
That's a scary thought.
Could you turn your Keyblade on a being that has no idea what they've become?
I...don't know.
One day we might have to decide.
---
In a land known as departure a young man, just barely on the cusp of adulthood, has taken a detour on his journey through time.
Xehanort stumbles on the steps, pointedly ignoring the destruction as the landscape shifts around him as well as the ancient keyblade left behind on the ground below; abandoned, now that it's Master had taken his last breath. He stops, shakes the picture out of his head, and then continues upwards - past the front door and into the long hall. Pushing back the prickling in the back of his mind that recalls someone else handling the weapon; a boy, looking over fondly with a teasing grin, wearing such a familiar red scarf... And just like an ocean toppling over a sandcastle, the memory fades.
Of course that keyblade had been passed down to Eraqus, just like he knew it would, and right alongside all of the responsibilities that came with it, but-
("When the World needs a defender, they'll pick you, Eraqus.
But that doesn't mean that I can't be there for you.")
...Did he really not keep his word?
(He can't forget who dealt the final blow in the end. Nor can he ignore the part of him that chants 'murderer, murderer, murderer' deep in the far reaches of his mind; the part that has seared the image of four graves upon his heart- each one his burden, his fault despite not being blamed.)
(Doesn't ignore the fact that now there's five graves in that image instead of four. Each one still his fault.)
Xehanort blinks, shakes free of the echo.
Somewhere in his head the thought of a red queen screaming out 'guilty' in loud, obnoxious tones, rises towards the surface; like always, he ignores it.
He can't stop feeling as though he's going to be stuck doing that a lot more nowadays.
So moving quickly, as if running could free him, Xehanort goes up another flight of stairs - not really caring where his feet might be leading him so long as his thoughts remain occupied with unwanted ghosts. The gloominess- the heavy fog of darkness that has settled into this place only served to make him feel more and more nauseous with every passing second that he stays.
It's as if a tangible despair exist in the world; one entirely aware that Xehanort was - that he would be - the cause.
Reaching the throne room, once surely magnificent in it's beauty - takes that line of thinking and expands it exponentially as he pauses to take in the scene around him. As he sees an area where Eraqus' students had most likely been trained the most; brightly decorated with complementary colors. White, teal, and gold - all which would have looked practically ripped straight out of a fairytale had sunlight still been pouring through the large glass window, placed high above the building's front doors as seen from the balcony where he stood.
He ruined this place - would do so eventually, and for what?
Xehanort slows his steps moving forward, passing a group of arches that rest to the side, showcasing the steps he climbed moments previously - all while heading towards three wooden thrones. Each one resting upon a matching platform raising them slightly off of the ground; collapsing onto the one in the middle the second he has a chance, and tossing one leg on top of the other in a futile attempt to make himself relax.
Inwardly however...inwardly there is a storm brewing, and with ease it threatens to match the one outside in it's intensity.
(His memory is stuck in a loop, constantly filling his thoughts and perfectly willing to haunt the rest of his days: a fight between Master and Apprentice, father and son, Light against Dark- where in the midst of everything his heart has framed the image; that of his future self casting off the dark flame that forever doused his brother's light.)
(And at that point Xehanort discovers, quite quickly, that he hates what destiny has in store for him.)
For a moment, and after taking a second to pull himself slightly out of his anger- his mind retraces steps of the past.
Orginally - and as so insistently reminded the hooded stranger; the one who had gotten him off of the islands in the first place- was that he was supposed to meet with his future self as soon as possible and receive instructions from there.
Except that now- now his fist clenches at the very thought of doing such a thing.
Xehanort's eyes begin to narrow, as sharp and dangerous as the dagger's edge they mimic - all while trying to get a vague idea of how that fight would play out. Especially in the mindset that he's currently in; though Xehanort holds no delusions that he'd actually win. Not when his older self is a fully fledged Master who has years of experience behind himself that the he right now actually lacks.
Doing so would be a death sentence, plain and simple. No matter how badly he wants to unleash all of that pent up frustration and rage.
(Something that sounds so distinctly like, and unlike himself, says he already faced a similar challenge when it came to fighting Masters four times in a row.
Xehanort promptly takes that voice and shoves it to the side, ignoring the indignant squawk it lets out when he does so.)
And at that particular moment he could have missed it - with how deep in thought he was and how lost it had felt in them. Having been alone in a world that appeared to scorn his presence Xehanort found himself honestly surprised later on that it hadn't thrown something up as a distraction, especially if the place was as alive as it felt...
Yet none of the chaos outside did, instead it had left the window open just enough for Xehanort to make out the sound.
Such a familiar noise...
(Impossible to mistake as well, for he had heard it so often before.)
(A slight part of him had even missed it... A larger part of him wanted to pretend it still belonged to someone else.)
That of a keyblade glider breaking through a world's natural barriers.
Immediately his body sprang into action, reaching out an arm to summon a dark corridor to take him near the training grounds outside, where he knew the area's destruction wasn't entirely visible at first look. Fortunately it vanished straight as a young woman in almost full blue - Master Aqua if what he overheard in Radiant Garden was correct, the only one of Eraqus' apprentices to actually pass the Mastery Exam - dropped off to the ground below, not yet paying him any mind.
Though with what he planned to do next, well, the option to ignore him was going to be pretty much off the table. And a part of him; the section still in awe over being in the future, is curious...just what could his brother's student pull off when forced to the extreme?
It had been a dream...an old one, for him and Eraqus to train apprentices together as a team after they completed their quest for Mastery. If they had done so, in an alternate future, because it's so obvious now that they hadn't - he thinks Aqua would have been his favorite. Her use of magic so far had been beautiful to watch, and reminded him a bit of- something else...
An older time, a fragmented memory.
(And then a part of him recalls Vor and her love for magic - watching her practice tended to give him a similar feeling. Of course it's remembering that that makes the warm feeling wilt away.)
He's curious about the skills of the other two as well, however dwelling on those thoughts brings up a different part of the looping memory, the part he'd personally prefer to remain in denial over. Not that his mind would let him, Xehanort knew his thoughts better than that, but really...
What kind of Master had his brother become, that not only would he try to kill a student - a young boy, somehow without darkness - and his oldest student who struggled with it's pull, yet who he still clearly loved as a son?
Eraqus, what happened...?
Xehanort gets so trapped by where those worries lead, he nearly misses his chance.
But then he takes one deep breath, and another and another until his thoughts have become clear again.
Finally he fades into Master Aqua's view, the previous memory popping back up- like it had been formed into a record that his emotions could shove to the forefront of his mind, letting it play so anger could regain control. Fear and hesitation falling to the wayside; down into turbulent waters to drift until he was interested enough to fish them back up to the surface.
Now, with the urge to fight growing stronger and stronger- it's easy to catch her off guard.
Anger mixes with excitement and for the first time in long while Xehanort let's loose, going all out in each attack and really having fun - he turns invisible on multiple occasions, practically dancing across the air; the ethereal blades only add to the experience.
Perhaps he should have thought of what the consequences were using magic like he was, it tends to take up a large amount of mana, which...tends to have some side effects. A fact he has a habit of forgetting about during fights like this.
So after the battle is over and he's used a corridor to get off world, teleporting a safe distance away in case it doesn't immediately close- still feeling bruised, tired, and completely depleted -
Xehanort immediately passes out.
Hello, and welcome to the Quest!
This is 'technically' a remake of my very first quest, which I'm somehow both excited and nervous to redo. (I was simply listening to the music of Animal Crossing when the urge to work on this suddenly hit me over the head- like, music, what? I wasn't planning on making another Kingdom Hearts Quest.)
So to start with, you'll be playing as three different characters; Young Xehanort, Sora, and one other who will arrive later. Have fun guessing!
Also in terms of my updating schedule, I'll likely be getting them out in either one week, or two. If it's more than that I'll let you guys know, but if inspiration hits I might post sooner than that. The Mechanics for this quest, because voting won't be the only aspect to this- will be posted soon after this goes up.
Choose a game mode to begin, and I hope you all have a great day!
(No easy mode in this ^-^)
[] Standard Mode {Sora will be a boy, original route. Heartless and enemies will attack as normal.}
[] Proud Mode {Sora will be a girl; easily mistaken for having a heart of pure light - which can, and will, cause a multitude of problems for you in the future. Heartless and enemies will be far more vicious in there attacks, so be prepared for a challenge.}
