allsoend | (no subject)

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..."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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."