Chapter Text
With little choice, Aqua began Sanctus’s training with the Keyblade. An immediate discovery was that any spell he tried to learn had a twist of darkness to it. Dark Fire, Dark Blizzard, Dark Thunder, Shadow Cure, and so on down the line. All analysis of him showed that he was fine, just incapable of calling on the power of light. Aqua had Terra and Riku help with his training moving forward in case his darkness decides to grow.
“Darkness is a physical manifestation of negative emotions. Everyone has them, so it is not a mistake that there is darkness inside your heart. What matters is control. If you let your emotions run wild then you’re leaving yourself open for darkness to take over.” Terra lectured him.
“Is darkness bad?” Sanctus asked.
“Not necessarily. There will always be darkness as long as there is light. The important part is balance. Accepting your darkness as part of you is one way to find balance. You have to believe it with all your heart.” Riku answered him.
“That sounds tough…” Sanctus told them while looking at his feet in thought.
“Well if using the Keyblade were easy everyone would do it. I know that you’ve got what it takes though.” Terra smiled patting his shoulder.
When Sanctus turned thirteen he’d gotten a good grip on using his Keyblade, especially since he’d grown into its size a bit. His spells were still dark variants, but at least he wasn’t blowing himself up like some of Aqua’s apprentices still were. His hair had grown out a bit reaching his upper back making him tie it back with a blue ribbon. He’d outgrown his clothes and swapped out for dark brown hiking boots, black cargo pants with light blue trim, a white short-sleeved turtleneck with a black X on the chest and upper back, black fingerless gloves, and a necklace bearing a miniature purple Wayfinder.
Sanctus hadn’t seen Magewild since Ventus scared her off though, which made him sad. A different kind of life had taken his free time to look for her too.
“ Wonder what lesson today is… ” he wondered to himself as he entered the training hall.
To his amazement it was empty. Not even Terra or Ventus were there. This was very unusual as they never skip a training day. Sanctus then paid a visit to Ansem’s office where the man himself was writing in a book of some kind.
“Master Ansem, where is everyone?” he asked his elder.
“Ah, Sanctus. I was wondering when you would be stopping by. Aqua asked me to tell you that Terra, Ventus, and herself are taking the apprentices to the Land of Departure for advanced magic instruction. Riku will be by later to progress your training in controlling your inner darkness in her absence.” Ansem the Wise relayed to him.
“She didn’t tell me about this sooner because…?” Sanctus questioned raising an eyebrow.
“An urgent request for aid came in from Disney Castle not too long ago. They left early in the morning sending Sora, Kairi, and Lea as an immediate response team until their apprentices prepared enough to be the cavalry.” Ansem informed him.
“I could have helped…” Sanctus sighed.
“Aqua believes that you aren’t ready for real combat just yet. That being said, sometimes real combat is the only way to prepare for it.” Ansem told him.
“What do I do then…?” Sanctus groaned slumping a bit.
“I heard a rumor that Cid has finished his prototype Gummi Ship in the hangar beneath the castle, but has had trouble finding a test pilot. He’s quite desperate it seems.” Ansem mentioned as he poured himself some tea.
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Sanctus asked him.
“Please excuse my ramblings.” Ansem chuckled.
Sanctus left Ansem’s office at a slow dejected walk, but slowly began to grow into a run as a look of realization came to his face. Without delay he made for the hangar where Cid was making adjustments to a black jet-like Gummi Ship.
“Still looking for a test pilot?” Sanctus asked the man making him hit his head on the hull.
“Yes…” he groaned rubbing the welt he just got.
“I’ll do it.” Sanctus smiled at him.
“I appreciate the offer, but this here is a delicate ship. The slightest error could result in a crash landing.” Cid told him.
“Come on, you just need to make sure it flies right? What’s the harm in letting me do it?” Sanctus reasoned.
“Well… let me finish the tweaks to the engine first. I can’t exactly turn away a willing volunteer, can I? If all goes well, the Highwind is gonna make traveling world to world even easier.” Cid nodded.
When Cid finished Sanctus boarded the ship. The controls were easy to understand and soon the ship was taking off down the track. It took a bit of practice to get used to making tight turns with its top speed, but eventually Sanctus was successfully making laps around the castle.
“Perfect, looks like it flies faster than expected! Try flying to a nearby world with the Wayfinder System.” Cid laughed into the headset.
“Where’s the ship?” Leon asked tapping his shoulder.
“Good news, we have a test pilot trying it now.” Cid replied.
“With the Wayfinder System?” Leon asked.
“Of course, I only built the one.” Cid spoke just as Sanctus engaged the system sending the ship into orbit.
“I’m not an expert, but isn’t that the finished Wayfinder System laying on the table? The prototype is missing.” Leon pointed out.
“Eh? Ah! Sanctus, abort!” Cid cried into the earpiece.
“Ah, there it goes…” Leon spoke noticing the twinkle of the ship in the distance.
“Sanctus, can you hear me? Sanctus?” Cid spoke trying to get his attention.
“Sanctus was the test pilot? Aqua is going to kill us when she finds out. Just another day for the Restoration Committee, right?” Leon told him sipping coffee as Cid sunk to his knees.
“Aqua isn’t going to find out. We’re going to establish contact again and get him home before she has the chance to.” Cid scowled getting to his feet.
Sanctus opened his eyes and found himself lying upside down in his seat. He righted himself and saw that outside the windshield was Twilight Town. Without thinking much of it he warped down to the world surface. The minute he arrived the hooded man who revived Aqua was there, seemingly waiting for Sanctus.
“Who are you?” Sanctus asked him.
“I am someone that exists yet died a very long time ago.” he answered.
“You okay…?” Sanctus questioned raising an eyebrow.
“I haven’t been for a very long time. None of us have.” he replied and in a single blink Sanctus found himself surrounded by numerous people in burlap gowns startling him.
“What the?!”
“Release us, Sanctus. You are the only one who can.” the man spoke taking a few steps toward him.
“What do you mean?” Sanctus asked summoning his Keyblade reflexively.
“The Prophecy of Shadows will explain everything in time. Nothing that you do is without meaning, nowhere you go is without purpose.” he answered before with another blink all of them were gone confusing him even more.
“What even…?” Sanctus sighed heavily.
He walked toward the plaza and heard a scream making him break into a run. In the nick of time he blocked a Shadow from striking a young girl in plaid pants and a red shirt with sneakers who’d fallen to the ground.
“Run, I’ll handle this.” Sanctus told her and she gave a nod getting up sprinting away as fast as she can.
More Shadows rose from the ground and forced Sanctus to fight. It seemed that no matter how many Shadows he cut down more would rise up to take their place. Those Shadows were soon joined by Soldiers. Unused to fighting real battles, Sanctus was starting to get worn out.
“There’s no end to them…” Sanctus groaned.
“Foolish boy. You have the power of darkness on your side but lack the sense to use it. Very well, just this once I will guide your hand.” Maleficent’s voice spoke as all of a sudden a pitch black aura rose around Sanctus.
“This power… I felt it before… this is… darkness…?” Sanctus groaned as his sclera turned black with an eerie green aura rising around him.
Sanctus leapt up dodging the Heartless and came down unleashing a massive wave of darkness wiping them all out. When he regained control of his body the black in his sclera faded away.
“That made it look so easy…” Sanctus mumbled looking around seeing nothing left of the horde that was there seconds ago.
“I would learned to use that power at will, boy. It disappoints me to see such potential go to waste.” Maleficent’s voice lectured him.
“Who are you?” Sanctus asked looking around trying to find the owner of the voice.
“Perhaps if you learn to use that power I will tell you.” she cackled.
“We get word of a threat and it’s just some kid?” a voice spoke alerting him to the presence of Seifer and his gang.
“I took care of it.” Sanctus smiled.
“Oh yeah? I guess we owe you one.” Seifer smirked.
“I haven’t seen his face before. Think maybe he was behind it?” Rai told them.
“Stranger things have happened.” Fu nodded.
“Cut it out you two, you’ll leave a bad impression.” Seifer scoffed.
“There you are.” Lea’s voice as the man himself grabbed Sanctus’s shoulder.
“Huh?!” Sanctus gasped.
“I’ve been looking all over for you. Honestly, at least leave a note or something before you leave home.” Lea laughed.
“Know him?” Seifer asked.
“ He’ll just take you back to a life trapped in the castle… ”
“Nope.” Sanctus replied.
“Say what now?” Lea spoke, eyes wide.
“In that case, I’m going to ask you to kindly step away from the kid.” Seifer demanded of Lea as Rai and Fu took combat stances.
“Hey, Sanctus come on, you aren’t ready to be-OW!!!” Lea cried when Sanctus stomped on his foot before booking it. “Get back here!”
Lea tried to pursue but Rai and Fu got in his way. Eventually Sanctus wound up at the abandoned mansion.
“Was that the right thing to do…?” Sanctus asked himself glancing over his shoulder to whence he came.
“ In our situation there is no right or wrong. They just want what they think is best for us… but we want to see what’s out there. ”
“You again… you talk like we’re one person… so, are you my conscience?” Sanctus asked the voice.
“ Closer to shoulder angel, if that really. I was born from your desire to talk with someone your age. ”
“A long way from home, aren’t you?” a voice spoke breaking his concentration.
The person it belonged to was the ringleader of the mysterious group. She was wearing a genuine smile as she approached him.
“Who are you?” Sanctus asked her taking a step back.
“The woman that you’re going to kill.” she replied.
“What…?” Sanctus questioned with wide eyes.
“Ah, I got ahead of myself. That still isn’t for quite a while. My name is Lucrexia.” she giggled unnerving the boy further.
“How can you just casually say I’m going to kill you?!” Sanctus demanded of her.
“I won’t say much… otherwise the journey will be boring. The power inside you, the power to balance the heart, has of yet to awaken. Some possess too much light… others too much darkness… you have achieved perfect balance in reverse of the norm. A darkness that should consume your heart rages inside you, but instead it fiercely guards your light from the outside.” Lucrexia smiled.
“You completely lost me…” Sanctus told her.
“You aren’t like us. Darkness has no power over you, no matter how much your heart sinks into the abyss. It is at your beck and call.” she explained.
“Sanctus, there you are!” Lea’s voice spoke making him turn around.
“Lea…” Sanctus muttered nervously.
“You’re really giving me the run around, kid. Huh? Oh, finally made a friend eh?” Lea chuckled approaching them.
“ When The Light Fades, Let Darkness Show You the Way. ” she whispered into Sanctus’s ear before vanishing through a Dark Corridor.
“Whoops. Looks like I scared her off. Sorry about that.” Lea smiled.
“She said I was going to kill her… but she looked happy about it for some reason.” Sanctus told him.
“There are some real weirdos out there, can’t deny that. Anyway listen, you’ve gotta go back to Radiant Garden. If Aqua finds out you left without permission things could get complicated.” Lea tried to explain.
“ He’s not the boss of us. If mom wants us back so bad she can come get us herself. ”
“Do I have to?” Sanctus asked him.
“Yeah. Everyone’s worried about you.” Lea replied.
“ Go back to having no friends again? No way. ”
“I get it. I’ll go back.” Sanctus sighed.
“Good. I’ll even let pretending you didn’t know me slide.” Lea nodded with a smile.
Sanctus returned to the ship and looked at his star map. Radiant Garden wasn’t even close to him by the looks of it. There was a single world near him: The Mysterious Tower.
“ What happened to going back like a good boy? ”
“Well I have to find home first.” Sanctus mumbled engaging manual mode heading for the tower.
When he landed the tower seemed oddly inviting. Hoping someone was home he went to knock, but the door opened startling him.
“Guess that’s a ‘come in’...” he nervously chuckled.
He ascended the tower with an eerie silence to the building. Near the top he began to hear voices. After getting close to the door he heard a voice he knew well - it was Aqua’s. Nervously he decided to listen in on the conversation.
“I understand how you feel, Aqua, but the boy cannot be so easily severed from the darkness. It is his fate to bear that power.” a deep voice spoke.
“Please… I’ve seen the Heartless are watching him. Always, they’re waiting for an opportunity to leap at him. That darkness is drawing them like moths to a flame.” Aqua pleaded.
“We do not know all of the facts. Ventus tells me that he befriended a Heartless once. Acting rashly may create a void between you that a hidden foe may then exploit.” the voice admonished her.
“You’re telling me that I should let his heart sleep in darkness?!” Aqua raised her voice.
“Aqua. Darkness is in all of us. His being so strong may serve an unseen purpose.” the voice spoke remaining calm.
“You keep alluding to a purpose but you keep dancing around it! Why is his darkness so thick that I can’t sense his heart?!” Aqua roared as the sound of hands slamming on a desk make Sanctus jump.
“It may be that his heart is nurturing a wound incurred by his home world being devoured by darkness. A baby though he was, there are some things one does not forget. The darkness may be serving as a shield until such time as the wound is healed.” the voice told her.
“Darkness serving as a shield…? All of this sounds like an excuse. What is it that you aren’t telling me?” Aqua asked.
“I do not have a concrete answer at this time, only speculation. For now, traveling to other worlds may be the best thing for his heart. It is easier for a heart to heal with the light of friends to help it.” the voice replied.
“He’s not ready for it.” Aqua told them.
“Aqua. How will you know if you do not grant him the chance?” the voice replied.
“Still…” Aqua sighed.
“I do not speak this with ill intent. Do not repeat the mistakes of your past.” the voice spoke.
“I’m not…! I’m… not… am I…?” Aqua’s voice rose before sinking again.
“His darkness will only grow stronger without someone to believe in him. Who will trust him to use his powers for good if not you, his guardian?” the voice told her.
“You’re right. Darkness or not he’s a good boy, my son. Even if he uses the power of darkness, if he doesn’t want to hurt anyone I should support him. What have I been doing…? I almost went and repeated my mistake when Terra was dealing with darkness...” Aqua spoke chuckling to herself.
“If you truly mean that, then let the lad hear it himself.” the voice spoke and the door opened causing Sanctus to faceplant into the room.
“Sanctus?!” Aqua gasped turning around hurrying to help him up.
“Haha… hi mom…” Sanctus grinned nervously.
“I brought the lad here so that he might hear your encouragement in person.” the bearded man behind the desk smiled.
“Sanctus. I want you to know that I want to believe in you. I’ve always been afraid of darkness warping you… but I can’t do anything about something that we all have. If traveling to other worlds will help you, then I want you to explore to your heart’s content.” Aqua told him as she put her hands on his shoulder.
“Really?” he asked her.
“When I had just become a Keyblade Master I made a horrible mistake with my friend Terra. I let my title go to my head and completely neglected to have any trust in him just because he had a little trouble with his darkness. I won’t make the same mistake twice, Sanctus. Every bird has to try and spread their wings sometime, right?” Aqua replied with a reassuring smile.
“Thank you, mom.” Sanctus smiled looking relieved.
“Before you go off though, I want you to be properly prepared. So just for now let’s go back to Radiant Garden.” Aqua told him.
“Do you know how to get there?” Sanctus asked her.
“All right, I’ll drive.” she replied patting his head.
“Okay.” Sanctus nodded.
“Master Yen Sid, I’ll be going now.” Aqua nodded to the man.
“I wish you safety in your travels.” Yen Sid smiled.
“ Sanctus… a boy whose heart thrives in darkness. I believe I should have Chirithy have a look at him before long. Seeing him in person, the darkness in him is not malevolent. Rather, it exudes an air of innocence to its full potential. ” the wizard thought to himself.
Soon Aqua and Sanctus were back in Radiant Garden during the dead of night. The apprentices were happy to see him return. Sanctus was shocked to see Cid and Leon with a welt on each of their heads. Without a word Cid and Leon swapped the two Wayfinder Systems.
“Do you have the Gummi Phone I asked for?” Aqua asked Cid after it was finished.
“Right here. Rush ordered right from Chip ‘n Dale.” Cid replied handing her a pitch black phone.
“I get a phone?” Sanctus asked her.
“So that we can keep in touch. I’ll show you how to use it before you leave.” Aqua nodded handing it to him.
“Actually, tune ups are gonna have the Highwind docked until mornin’. So take a load off.” Cid told them.
“That’s okay. I’m worn out from traveling.” Sanctus smiled.
That night Aqua made Sanctus’s favorites for dinner. Sanctus is very young, but she knew that he’d call for help if he needed it. He’ll make friends along the way as well. All she could do now was support him.
While Sanctus slept that night Chirithy appeared in a puff of smoke. It very silently tiptoed up to him and sniffed him a bit.
“This is the source of it all right. I knew something was weird about that Heartless when it didn’t smell like the others. It acted like it had a heart too. Darkness swirling around a pure heart, protecting it instead of attacking. I can tell there’s more than just his heart in there too. One is awake, the other is asleep… he’ll get confused if he’s only listening to one side of himself. Time to wake up and guide his key, little one.” Chirithy whispered while making a small star appear on its hand letting it enter his chest with a small twinkle of light upon impact.