A truth does not say anything
Who: caliginose, todomarishi
When: Monday the 23rd, late evening into the night
Where: Sector Four, Sports Stadium
Summary: Xehanort has prepared a lesson for Terra to learn. Seal Usage 101.
Warnings: None. Will edit if anything comes up.
I don't know about this, he'd said, once to Xehanort and then a dozen times thereafter to himself, to no one in particular, to the smattering of stars hanging over his head as he trained Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday in the Darkness. The words hadn't always been spoken aloud, but the thought had continued to bob at the surface of his consciousness throughout the week. Was this really the right way to deal with the Heartless? His concerns about the promise he'd made had since faded into the background, a matter to keep in mind but one that no longer had the power to stay his Keyblade. Rather, the fuel that fed his tension was made up of other things, vague and intangible scraps.
Like flimsy jigsaw pieces he couldn't manage to fit together. So fruitless were his efforts to make something of them that he'd begun to wonder if all those pieces didn't belong to different puzzles, pictures and ideas that had nothing to do with Master Xehanort's plan to seal the heart behind the monster. Ultimately, he could find no solid reason not to go through with it. Ansem was a threat that needed to be, at the very least, impeded. The seal would accomplish that. Terra found himself desperately holding on to that certainty, using it to fill the gaping holes left by all the unanswerable questions and to stave off the memories. Stop the Heartless, help the people here. This is your duty. This is right. No matter how wrong it feels.
It's just dealing with Xehanort that bothers you.
And maybe it was. There was no one there to confirm it for him, one way or another.
"Xehanort thinks I should learn this seal he's come up with," a carving knife, he found, was a great deal easier to handle than a sharpened rock filched from the cliffs in Departure. Terra turned a small cube of wood over in his hand, whittling away the center and edges of it until he'd produced a single rectangular chain link. From time to time, he laid it alongside two other links he'd already finished and compared their size.
"I know they're dangerous," the Keybearer glanced up briefly from his work, shame keeping his expression soft, almost wary, as if he was waiting for some inevitable reprimand.
"I know he's dangerous," he corrected himself, holding the link up to the light emanating from the sun setting on the horizon, checking it for evenness and carving off another small chunk. Once he was satisfied with both its size and shape, he smoothed it over with a slip of sandpaper. Shifting in place where he sat on the rooftop of the apartment he and his friends had been staying at for too many months now, he glanced at the materials he meant to use to connect the pieces, but the last glimmer of the sun in the distance caught his eye. About time to go. The rest would have to wait. With a heavy sigh, Terra pushed himself up to his feet, shoving the wooden link into his pocket and grabbing a slab of wood lying nearby that had already been meticulously carved into the shape of a Keyblade.
"Almost done," he pointed the replica of Master Keeper out in front of him. Slowly, an image formed before his eyes, the glint of metal appearing where there was only wood. His own hand was so much smaller, barely fitting over the hilt as the stranger spoke aloud the words that would change the rest of his life. The rest of their lives.
Terra lowered the wooden blade, turned around and went inside. A few flights of stairs later, he was back at their temporary home. He waited just outside the door until he was confident he could get in without being spotted: he didn't care if his friends knew about the wooden Keyblade, but he didn't want to be seen holding it. It would also make getting out easier if his presence went unnoticed. He had a good excuse ready in case he was caught, though: he fought monsters as a form of training so regularly, he doubted they'd even blink an eye if told that was his plan for the evening.
The replica was placed gingerly at the foot of the bed in his Master's old room, which had gone unused since their teacher's disappearance. The couch, Terra had claimed, was more comfortable.
"I'll finish it when I get back," he spoke in hushed tones, his gaze fixed on the memento, "I'm going to stop the Heartless. When that's done, I'm going to destroy Xehanort. I don't know how yet... but I promise you I'm going to do it."
Resisting the urge to bow (there was, after all, no one there), Terra retreated to the door. A pause initially meant for him to listen for his friends brought on an unexpected hesitation and a gripping stillness. Terra looked back over his shoulder, suddenly very aware of the feel of the door pressed against his palm and the sound of his heart beating in the silence.
He had to do it. He owed it to the worlds.
"Training," he told Aqua and Ven after purposefully seeking them out a moment later to get in a quick hair ruffle, "Just a couple hours. I'll be back in no time."
He hadn't prepared for meeting Xehanort at the stadium like he had the restaurant. There was no staking out the facility or planning in general. Xehanort was going to teach him to use a seal. He knew two already, but they were simple locks, easily broken within a matter of minutes if the individual on the receiving end of the spell was quick on the uptake. The seal to restrict Keyblade use was completely pointless in the case of the Heartless, anyway. This new seal sounded promising. As much as he loathed Xehanort, he had to respect the man's power and knowledge. Hopefully it wouldn't take more than a few hours. Learn the spell, practice it, see if it stood a chance of working before they cornered Ansem.
Xehanort had mentioned the Nobody, too, but Terra still wasn't sure that was necessary. Or possible.
What kind of seal could affect a being whose heart had been missing for years?
It wasn't until he reached the stadium's lot that he hesitated, the I don't know's catching up with him despite his efforts to leave them behind. He dug his hand into his pocket, grabbing for his Wayfinder and feeling his fingers close around the wooden link instead. As he pulled it out, his other hand retrieved his Wayfinder from where it'd been placed earlier in the opposite pocket.
The night was so quiet. Maybe there were monsters around, but he couldn't hear their cries from where he stood, rooted to a spot between empty parking spaces. In that silence, the voices in his memories rang louder. Friends' encouragement, the Master's instructions. Aslan's insistences. Some new acquaintance named Ahiru, asking why, if his friends knew the same Cure spells he did, couldn't they fight alongside him against the evil old man?
Terra took a step back and surveyed the buildings behind him.
A few minutes later, he jogged across to the stadium, his keepsakes hidden safely away. He slowed to a brisk walk as he came to the entrance and let himself in with the Keyblade's help.
It was time to find Xehanort and get things over with.
When: Monday the 23rd, late evening into the night
Where: Sector Four, Sports Stadium
Summary: Xehanort has prepared a lesson for Terra to learn. Seal Usage 101.
Warnings: None. Will edit if anything comes up.
I don't know about this, he'd said, once to Xehanort and then a dozen times thereafter to himself, to no one in particular, to the smattering of stars hanging over his head as he trained Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday in the Darkness. The words hadn't always been spoken aloud, but the thought had continued to bob at the surface of his consciousness throughout the week. Was this really the right way to deal with the Heartless? His concerns about the promise he'd made had since faded into the background, a matter to keep in mind but one that no longer had the power to stay his Keyblade. Rather, the fuel that fed his tension was made up of other things, vague and intangible scraps.
Like flimsy jigsaw pieces he couldn't manage to fit together. So fruitless were his efforts to make something of them that he'd begun to wonder if all those pieces didn't belong to different puzzles, pictures and ideas that had nothing to do with Master Xehanort's plan to seal the heart behind the monster. Ultimately, he could find no solid reason not to go through with it. Ansem was a threat that needed to be, at the very least, impeded. The seal would accomplish that. Terra found himself desperately holding on to that certainty, using it to fill the gaping holes left by all the unanswerable questions and to stave off the memories. Stop the Heartless, help the people here. This is your duty. This is right. No matter how wrong it feels.
It's just dealing with Xehanort that bothers you.
And maybe it was. There was no one there to confirm it for him, one way or another.
"Xehanort thinks I should learn this seal he's come up with," a carving knife, he found, was a great deal easier to handle than a sharpened rock filched from the cliffs in Departure. Terra turned a small cube of wood over in his hand, whittling away the center and edges of it until he'd produced a single rectangular chain link. From time to time, he laid it alongside two other links he'd already finished and compared their size.
"I know they're dangerous," the Keybearer glanced up briefly from his work, shame keeping his expression soft, almost wary, as if he was waiting for some inevitable reprimand.
"I know he's dangerous," he corrected himself, holding the link up to the light emanating from the sun setting on the horizon, checking it for evenness and carving off another small chunk. Once he was satisfied with both its size and shape, he smoothed it over with a slip of sandpaper. Shifting in place where he sat on the rooftop of the apartment he and his friends had been staying at for too many months now, he glanced at the materials he meant to use to connect the pieces, but the last glimmer of the sun in the distance caught his eye. About time to go. The rest would have to wait. With a heavy sigh, Terra pushed himself up to his feet, shoving the wooden link into his pocket and grabbing a slab of wood lying nearby that had already been meticulously carved into the shape of a Keyblade.
"Almost done," he pointed the replica of Master Keeper out in front of him. Slowly, an image formed before his eyes, the glint of metal appearing where there was only wood. His own hand was so much smaller, barely fitting over the hilt as the stranger spoke aloud the words that would change the rest of his life. The rest of their lives.
Terra lowered the wooden blade, turned around and went inside. A few flights of stairs later, he was back at their temporary home. He waited just outside the door until he was confident he could get in without being spotted: he didn't care if his friends knew about the wooden Keyblade, but he didn't want to be seen holding it. It would also make getting out easier if his presence went unnoticed. He had a good excuse ready in case he was caught, though: he fought monsters as a form of training so regularly, he doubted they'd even blink an eye if told that was his plan for the evening.
The replica was placed gingerly at the foot of the bed in his Master's old room, which had gone unused since their teacher's disappearance. The couch, Terra had claimed, was more comfortable.
"I'll finish it when I get back," he spoke in hushed tones, his gaze fixed on the memento, "I'm going to stop the Heartless. When that's done, I'm going to destroy Xehanort. I don't know how yet... but I promise you I'm going to do it."
Resisting the urge to bow (there was, after all, no one there), Terra retreated to the door. A pause initially meant for him to listen for his friends brought on an unexpected hesitation and a gripping stillness. Terra looked back over his shoulder, suddenly very aware of the feel of the door pressed against his palm and the sound of his heart beating in the silence.
He had to do it. He owed it to the worlds.
"Training," he told Aqua and Ven after purposefully seeking them out a moment later to get in a quick hair ruffle, "Just a couple hours. I'll be back in no time."
He hadn't prepared for meeting Xehanort at the stadium like he had the restaurant. There was no staking out the facility or planning in general. Xehanort was going to teach him to use a seal. He knew two already, but they were simple locks, easily broken within a matter of minutes if the individual on the receiving end of the spell was quick on the uptake. The seal to restrict Keyblade use was completely pointless in the case of the Heartless, anyway. This new seal sounded promising. As much as he loathed Xehanort, he had to respect the man's power and knowledge. Hopefully it wouldn't take more than a few hours. Learn the spell, practice it, see if it stood a chance of working before they cornered Ansem.
Xehanort had mentioned the Nobody, too, but Terra still wasn't sure that was necessary. Or possible.
What kind of seal could affect a being whose heart had been missing for years?
It wasn't until he reached the stadium's lot that he hesitated, the I don't know's catching up with him despite his efforts to leave them behind. He dug his hand into his pocket, grabbing for his Wayfinder and feeling his fingers close around the wooden link instead. As he pulled it out, his other hand retrieved his Wayfinder from where it'd been placed earlier in the opposite pocket.
The night was so quiet. Maybe there were monsters around, but he couldn't hear their cries from where he stood, rooted to a spot between empty parking spaces. In that silence, the voices in his memories rang louder. Friends' encouragement, the Master's instructions. Aslan's insistences. Some new acquaintance named Ahiru, asking why, if his friends knew the same Cure spells he did, couldn't they fight alongside him against the evil old man?
Terra took a step back and surveyed the buildings behind him.
A few minutes later, he jogged across to the stadium, his keepsakes hidden safely away. He slowed to a brisk walk as he came to the entrance and let himself in with the Keyblade's help.
It was time to find Xehanort and get things over with.