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Entry tags:

riku,
terra

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Who: Master "Eraqus" and anyone else
What: Doing this intro thing all over again. How obnoxious.
Where: Land of Departure
Warnings: xehanort

Of course, the real Terra would rear his unkempt head before it was time. He'd heard the call go out, and had dropped the disguise to avoid trouble, secreting himself away once more to change his plan. No doubt some suspicion would be raised, but by the time he had completed a new disguise minds would hopefully be elsewhere.

The question was, how else to hide his true nature? Terra had been the best bet, a body he had worn for quite some time. Riku was out as Riku was already there... and of course forms of his Heartless and Nobody were pointless. What else could he do, what other trustworthy heart had touched his own in some form enough that he could wear their skin?

Then the idea hit him. Of course. Terra's heart hadn't been the only one stuck in that particular arrangement... there had been an unexpected interloper. Perfect. It would take more work, and a bit of an alignment shift... something that gave him a bitter taste in his mouth. Still, it would be more authentic. He would simply have to remember how.

With the new crafting finally complete, he set off in search of a very specific world. This time he would call out, as he knew that his brother would, seeking the familiar, his apprentices. He had to be far away from the station of his heart, and where else would Eraqus be but home? Stepping into the courtyard of the Castle of Departure, he cast a gaze around. He'd torn the world to shreds once, and its shape had been altered by magic, but here it was still in its original form.

It took a moment to remember. Those patterns of speaking. Those patterns of behaviour. Keeping himself still once more. Holding his shoulders high. Light, not darkness, hiding just below his skin. Finally, when he was ready, he reached out, calling in a way he would never do.

"What has happened? My apprentices... no, anyone here who can hear me. How can one be in such a place? This is very concerning..."

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Kairi did hear the call go out, and decided to respond, even though she wasn't one of the apprentices asked for. She was still looking for Ven and Xion, so maybe this could be a help!

She followed the sound of the voice, and instantly found herself on a world that she didn't recognize. It some ways, it reminded her a little of Radiant Garden, what with the beautiful castle in the distance...this seemed like a more more distant and forested world, though. She glanced around for a while before she finally spotted an older-looking man nearby.

"Oh, hello! Um..." She soon realized that she didn't know the man's name. All she knew was that this was Terra, Aqua and Ventus's Master.

Oh, it was that girl... the one he'd seen around before. The one that his Heartless' twisted memories identified as a Princess of Heart... the one that Xemnas had distantly seen with blade in hand. A most unusual combination.

Of course, his erstwhile brother would be accepting of any and all initiates, so there was little more to say or do.

"Good day, young lady. What brings you to this world?"

At least he seemed nice enough, although she wasn't sure that he was fully aware of where they actually were. Then again, he had to be aware, he'd sent out that message asking for his apprentices. It could all be pretty confusing. "I heard you calling out for your students. I just thought I would come and help how I could."

She brushed some stray hair behind her ear. "What's your name?"

"Are they here?" The concept of here was left deliberately vague, as the man had actually died and probably had little concept of this or that up till now, the moment of his perceived resurrection. While he could tell it wasn't the 'real' Land of Departure, being its master and thus being in tune with it, it was home enough that he would have sought it out. "What has happened?"

Inclining his head in a formal greeting, he continued. "Eraqus. And you, young lady?"

"Well...they sort of are..." Considering everyone and everything was here, but at the same time potentially not, it was kind of difficult to give a proper answer. But he still needed to hear it, so Kairi did her best to give it. "I don't know if you know who this is, but...we're inside Sora's heart. Everyone is, even the worlds. We were fighting against Xehanort, and darkness took over everything...I think our hearts first ended up in Sora's because he was trying to protect us. But, with everyone here...I think that drew Kingdom Hearts to him, too." She paused before continuing the rest. That was already a whole lot to take in.

Kairi smiled back. An introduction would be good. "And my name's Kairi."

"Who is Sora?" That seemed like the first salient point. His brow furrowed in sorrow and anger, a perfect fabrication if he did say so himself. "Xehanort! His zeal knows no bounds, and now it has lead to this..."

Okay, so he didn't know. That wasn't all that surprising; Perry and those musical programs didn't seem to know, either. Kairi became a little more contemplative. "...Sora's my friend. He's a Keyblade wielder, too, and he's been fighting against Xehanort's forms for years now, to protect the all worlds. And he's just...the kind of person that makes friends everywhere he goes." There was a definitely feeling of fondness in her words.

Her expression darkened at the next name, though. "Yes, that's what brought us all here. We're still trying to figure out a way out, though. Sora won't wake up."

"And yet more have been drawn into the web of Xehanort's schemes..." he bows his head in shame. "It's unfortunate that nothing I could do even dissuaded him an ounce." He really wants to laugh, speaking of himself in such a fashion. It's all come full circle, really. "I do not understand how we could all be within the heart of another. There is nothing in Precepts to give precedent to such a thing. It is simply unheard of..."

But yet there they are, unspoken but meant. He looks around. "So this is merely the reflection of the Land of Departure and nothing more?"

Huh, Terra and Ven and Aqua's master had known Xehanort when they were younger, right? She thought she remembered something about that. "Don't be too hard on yourself. I don't know if anyone could have persuaded him," she said grimly. One didn't just go in to trying to destroy all of the worlds without a lot of conviction, she figured.

"I know, it's really weird. Well...this isn't the first time this kind of thing's happened with Sora." Or with her, to be completely honest. "But this whole situation I don't think has ever happened before."

She looked around, too. What if this world started speaking to them as well? "No, I think it is the heart of the Land of Departure. All the worlds' hearts ended up here, too."

"So it would seem," he said simply, leaving it at that. He didn't particularly care to hear another lecture about Sora and Kingdom Hearts and how this was all so mysterious. There were better things to do. Instead he looked around, taking it in.

"The pure essence of the world?" He asked softly. "At least it lives on here..."

He was taking this remarkably well. Everyone else had been sufficiently freaked out at the hearts of whole worlds being here, including herself, at first. Maybe this idea was more acceptable to experienced Masters? "Yeah...at least that is still here."

Which reminded her of something else. "Oh! I should also tell you...whatever you do, don't fall asleep! If you start feeling too tired at all, let someone know." She'd had enough friends lost or nearly-lost to this phenomenon.

Terra's head snapped up, wherever he was. He knew that voice. How could he not? He hadn't called for him, hadn't dared hope.

M-master?

And there was the man of the hour himself! The corner of his lip twitched. This would be oh-so-amusing.

Terra! You're here!

Terra could no more have avoided following that voice to its source than he could have grown wings - actually, that would have been easier. He faltered for a moment at the sight of the Land of Departure, so different from the way he'd seen it last, but he was easily distracted by the figure standing in the courtyard.

"Master! Is it - really you?"

His voice betrayed no real suspicion, only the hesitation natural to facing a gift unhoped-for.

Terra looked rather less like himself than Xehanort did like Eraqus; his hair was shot through with stripes of silver, and his skin had a strange metallic finish to it. Perhaps Xehanort needn't have bothered to change; who would believe that this was the real one?

There is little time to think. Eraqus is more reactions than thinking, and in this situation, there really is only one thing to do.

The gap between is closed easily, and his arms close around the young man, pulling him into a strong hug. The boy had been the son that Eraqus had never had, and such a reunion was destined to be a tearful one.

"Terra..." He managed to breathe, voice shaking slightly. "Terra... you're all right..."

A relative term, really. It seemed that this Terra wasn't entirely all there, if his appearance was any indication. The metallic edge... his armour, the will left behind? Curious... perhaps later he could probe more. Now was time for family triteness.

Terra clung to Eraqus, shaking with emotion. There was so much, so much he hadn't said before, and now - now he could, but he didn't know where to start.

"Master..." His voice shook; he couldn't forget the last time they'd been here, together in this place. How his arms had reached out and felt nothing. The vague pressure he felt now was disconcerting, wrong, but it was better, infinitely better, than that. "I'm sorry, I'm - so sorry!"

It was strange in a way, how only the barest of sensation passed for what should have been a strong embrace. The presence of the physical form was only an illusion, after all... but those bodies seemed real due to everything around them being the same illusion-stuff. They were all just hearts in a sea of hearts tempered in a boy. The mind could not fathom the true nature of that, and thus conceptual images were formed.

His mind could not wander, he had to focus on the emotions in order to get the right show for this occasion. A tear streaked down his cheek as he held on as well as he could, his voice low and gentle. "No, Terra, I am sorry... I didn't see it all this time... the fault is not yours alone."

"Master..." Terra's eyes overflowed with the tears he'd kept back for so long. "You shouldn't blame yourself. It was my fault, for being weak..." Master Eraqus had only done what he'd thought best. If Terra had been smarter, or stronger, it would never have come to that.

"No, Terra," he managed, his voice wavering just so - perfect, really. "Even the strongest can fall when tangled in Xehanort's webs. If only I'd seen it sooner..." Which was an impossibility, given Eraqus' rather large blind spots. Easily exploited, all of them.

Some of the bronze faded from Terra's skin as he embraced Eraqus. His heart open, his emotions were easily read: guilt, shame, grief, but also joy and love. "I didn't - I don't know what to do. Everything's so strange." He sounded younger than his years, as if the presence of his father-in-all-but-blood made him a child again.

"There is nothing about this in any of the Precepts. It is completely unfounded..." Even so, his voice remained strong and steady. Terra was weak, vulnerable... his master would rise to take control and protect him. How amusing, really... "There is nothing to fear. We have everything we need here. It is a matter of finding what we need to use in this situation. You are resourceful, never doubt yourself."

"How can I not? Look at me." Terra was beginning to suspect that the 'strangeness' people observed in his form reflected something deeper, a flaw or worse in him. Still, his master's words steadied him.

"I know...we can, if everyone works together."

Even though touch meant nothing and was only the merest whisper, he gripped Terra by the shoulders, staring at him intently. "Do not forget your teachings, Terra. What we see outside does not always reflect what is inside. It is the heart that matters, not the flesh. What do I see when I look at you? I see my son, one who I have failed in more ways than one."

After all, that was what Terra really craved, wasn't it?

Terra shook his head, saying thickly, "No - Master, you never - you never failed me. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher...or a better father." His sincerity, in this place, was more tangible than what passed for his body. Someone paying close attention might notice one of the streaks of silver in his hair fading back to brown at the love and approval he'd always longed for.

Such a change clearly meant that he was having the intended effect - namely, ensuring that Terra bought the act and that he would keep him in his good graces until the most blatant acts of darkness. Good, good. A little bit at a time...

"You give me too much kindness. I was so focused on the darkness I saw inside of you that I neglected all else. If I hadn't been so blind, maybe..." None of it would have happened? It was hard to say, really...

"I didn't - you weren't wrong." Terra's shoulders slumped inward. "The darkness, my darkness, if it hadn't been for that..." He wouldn't have been so vulnerable to Xehanort at all, or so he believed.

Master Eraqus was the one being too kind, in Terra's opinion. All this...so much suffering, because of his weakness...

Meanwhile, someone else was on a familiar world. Riku walked the beach of his home, the activity keeping him more alert. While not as tired as he'd been not long before his last encounter with Kingdom Hearts, his mind still tired. The quiet of his home didn't make it worse, however. A quiet place was usually the ideal spot for a busy mind.

A quiet place also made a distant call all the louder.

"...Master Eraqus?" He'd met him only briefly. Riku'd only barely learned the master's name before being called elsewhere. Sadly, Riku was unable to find the master again, let alone learn anything other than name and title from him.

This dance again, though now he was a different partner... how amusing. It seemed that Riku knew of the master though... had he been here before? That had to be the answer, as Eraqus had died long before Riku had been able to cross worlds.

Of course, he was allowed to play dumb and not know the boy, which would make more sense. He took a moment to temper himself properly before reaching out again. "Yes, that is I... who are you?"

He paused. "I'm Riku." He didn't remember? Then again, Riku couldn't remember if he'd even told the Master his name. Their meeting had been so short it didn't surprise Riku that he wasn't remembered, possibly "I'm a young Keyblade Master. Where are you?"

Given what Kairi had told him, he was certain that even his steadfast brother-in-training would have figured things out. "A new master... even now? Fortune smiles upon us. If only Aqua were here as well..." There hadn't been any trace of the girl when he'd been Terra, and now that he was her father figure there had still been nothing. It was probably safe to say that she was not here.

"Well, Riku, I am... in the reflection of the Land of Departure." If that was safe to call it, really. It was the land, but not in the iteration that Eraqus knew best.

There was a sense that Riku shrugged at the comment about a new master. The title was an attempt to see if he was worthy of his own Keyblade. It was no mark of pride or fortune. It was the first light of dawn finally catching the tips of the mountains that were now behind him. "I haven't seen Aqua for a long time. ...She's one of a lot of us that've vanished," he said sadly.

"Castle Oblivion..." He learned that secret when Aqua took them all there to find Ven. "I'm coming." And with a thought, Riku stood in front of twisted brass-gold doors he'd only seen a few times before. "Are you inside? It might be hard to find you..." He looked around. With its changing rooms, Castle Oblivion was a difficult place to maneuver, even if he could find his way out. Plus dealing with cards wasn't his cup of tea.

"Aqua..." The sense of bowing his head slightly. She was out of the way, that was good. Less interference from the light. One less who might be able to out him. "I hope that wherever you are that you are all right..."

"Castle Oblivion?" He asked, wrapping his words in uncertainty. "The Castle of Departure... what do you speak of?" Of course Eraqus would have no recollection of all that had happened to his precious world after his death.

"I'm sure she is." Riku's tone was one of fact and certainty rather than optimism. "She's the most resilient Keyblade wielder I've ever known."

"To protect your world and to protect Ven, Master Aqua transformed your home to become the maze-like Castle Oblivion. At least, that's why we call it today." It seemed there was some catching up to do.

"What -- what has happened?" He looked around, at the bright and vibrant colours of the Castle of Departure, which looked like it did before he'd torn the world asunder. It seemed that both reflections of this world existed somehow. How curious... something to look into when there was more time. "To protect Ventus? What in the world had passed after I..."

(OOC: For the sake of their current conversation, Riku can't have been to LoD or else he wouldn't have this conversation at all. We'll say that to continue to keep the land safe, Aqua didn't transform it back or it was Sora who woke Ven and neglected to tell Riku it'd been changed back. We'll also retcon and say he hadn't arrived yet.)

Riku focused on the world heart he had in mind, speaking as he did so. "Ven sacrificed himself to defeat Vanitas, and Aqua used Castle Oblivion as a place to keep his--"

And he appeared, blinking as he stood amongst a world of light. He looked around a moment before looking to Eraqus. "...Body safe." He looked around again, deciding to venture a few steps off. "This isn't... So this is what it looked like. It's beautiful."

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About time I tagged this, right?

no worries!

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