Chapter Text
Chapter 1
(Eraqus)
Time crept by these days, and Eraqus didn’t know how to make it feel any faster. It seemed like there was so little time left that he shouldn’t want it to go any quicker, but he wanted to feel like something was moving rather than stagnant. No matter how busy with training they were, it never changed. Things crept by while at the same time going to fast. He wanted things to speed up, but he wanted them to slow down; it was a paradox.
When there were breaks in training, he and Xehanort spent a lot of time together, much as they had for years and years. Sometimes Eraqus wondered if there really had been a time before Xehanort was here, or if he simply popped into existence the same time Xehanort arrived. Logically, he knew he didn’t; he remembered his childhood and his years of training before Xehanort ever arrived in Scala ad Caelum. But Xehanort had broken up the pattern, given him someone his own age to interact with. Yen Sid and Master Heron were around, sure, but Master was an adult, and Yen Sid five years older. They didn’t exactly have much in common… But when Xehanort arrived, Eraqus was quick to make friends.
Now things were strange. He and Xehanort were virtually inseparable, but somehow, Eraqus felt like Xehanort was going somewhere far away. Sure, he knew it was only a matter of time before they would have to prepare for their Mark of Mastery exam… Logically, they would go their separate ways, at least for a little while. But something made Eraqus feel like he was running out of time… And he had to do something.
A strange thought came to him a few days ago, something that he couldn’t figure out but repeated in his head whenever he saw Xehanort… Tell him he’s beautiful. The thought startled Eraqus. Why would he want to do something like that? Likely Xehanort would be offended, first of all. Second of all, why now of all times, before they were about to go their separate ways? Eraqus had long ignored the feelings in his heart that made no sense to him. He didn’t take time to consider them. They were friends, nothing more, and anything beyond would threaten that friendship.
But over and over again, in quiet moments together, waiting for each other to make moves in chess, watching the sun rise while simply enjoying each other’s company… The thought returned. Tell him he’s beautiful… before it’s too late.
Strange things had begun happening around Scala ad Caelum as of late. Usually Master Heron was able to keep things stable there and keep the few people who lived there content and naïve to the workings of the outside worlds and any strange happenings within their own, but even they had begun to notice. Objects were disappearing; the Master feared that people would be next. His usual nonchalant attitude had grown weary as he tried to find out what was going on. He did his best to hide it from his students and keep himself as cheerful as ever, but Eraqus wasn’t sure why he bothered anymore. He and Xehanort were old enough now to know what was going on; they would soon have their Mark of Mastery exam and be Masters themselves.
The morning came, and for once Eraqus rose early. He would usually sleep in late, but today he felt compelled to get out of bed before the sun even rose. Most days, even if he was awake, he would remain in his quarters sketching or reading, but today… Today something compelled him to wander into the castle halls.
He had lived in this castle for most of his life; he had trained as a Keyblade wielder since he was but a boy and used to know every twist and turn that the castle had to provide. Lately he had grown weary and refrained from traversing the corridors, as it wasn’t as if he would see anything different anyway. Today, however, he felt like he must search the castle for something bizarre; if he found something, he knew it would be important.
It didn’t take long to meander his way through the halls and find himself in the hall to the library. He stopped in his tracks.
The walls were covered as far as the eye could see with symbols unfamiliar to him. Perhaps they were letters of some sort, but they weren’t of a language he had studied. They glowed blue, brightening the dark hall to a dawn like sheen.
These symbols had not been there the previous day, nor even the evening when he and Xehanort headed their separate ways to rest. Eraqus studied the wall closely but didn’t know what to make of it. The symbols made no sense to him; they weren’t pictographs nor letters he knew, simply lines and swirls and dots that may or may not contain a message. It was not something that had been in the castle even hours before.
Maybe this had something to do with the strange happenings around Scala ad Caelum. Before, nothing had changed within the castle, protected by the magic of the wielders of old from which Eraqus had descended. Either the magic had faded and allowed something in, or else this was something more powerful than he had anticipated.
The sun was beginning to rise, but even in the growing light the symbols glowed strongly. Eraqus looked down the hall; they didn’t seem to end within his sight. He began to follow the wall. He knew it would lead where he needed to go anyway…
But maybe it wasn’t wise to go alone. Though, it was very early, so the person that came to mind would be quite annoyed at being awoken. Still, it wouldn’t be an adventure without Xehanort by his side, now would it?
He hurried down the hall toward Xehanort’s room.
He paused at the door for a moment. It had been years since he had barged into Xehanort’s room in the middle of the night because a sense of adventure hit him…He had tried to be far more courteous in recent times, trying to mature a bit. So, he decided to knock. There was no response… He was probably sleeping… He should let him sleep…
But the sense of adventure overwhelmed him, and he threw the door open, pausing only for a moment before rushing in.
Xehanort was already sitting up on the side of his bed. “Since when do you knock?” he asked, tilting his head and narrowing his grey eyes. “I thought Master Heron needed something.”
“Uh, no.” Eraqus rubbed the back of his head. “I just thought it would be polite.”
“Hmm… Since when do you care about being polite?”
“Hey! I’m polite enough!”
“Yet you still barge in before dawn, even if you did knock first.” Xehanort yawned. “It’s been a while though.”
“Yeah, it has…” Eraqus blinked. “Oh yeah! There’s something weird in the library hallway!”
“You’re going to have to be more specific than something weird.”
“Glowing symbols on the walls! I can’t read them, but I think they say something.”
“Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?” Xehanort teased.
“Yes, I’m sure I wasn’t dreaming.” Eraqus put his hands on his hips. “I was going to go see how far it went, but I thought you might be interested in joining me.”
“Hmm…I suppose I better come and make sure that you’re just seeing things.” Xehanort stood up and stretched.
“I’m not seeing things! There’s glowing blue writing on the walls. What if it has to do with everything disappearing in town?”
Xehanort paused and tilted his head. “You think so?”
“Could be. Master Heron hasn’t mentioned any leads on that.”
Xehanort walked over. “Then let’s go.”
“Yes! Thank you.” Eraqus started leading the way.
“Feels like old times, doesn’t it?” Xehanort asked softly.
“A little,” Eraqus admitted, “but this time I really think it’s something important.”
“That’s what you always say.”
“Well I mean it this time!” Eraqus crossed his arms.
“Are you pouting?” Xehanort asked with a chuckle.
“I’m not pouting!”
“Sure, sure.” Xehanort shook his head. “Now let’s see that you didn’t see anything and get back to bed—” He stopped in his tracks as they walked into the hallway.
“See?!” Eraqus said, emphatically pointing at the walls.
Xehanort cleared his throat. “Forgive me for questioning you.”
Eraqus shrugged. “Well, what do you make of it?”
Xehanort walked closer to the wall and touched the writing. He pulled back his hand and there was no change. “Magic of some kind.”
“Duh.”
“But how would some form of magic invade these walls?”
“I don’t know. It worries me.” Eraqus put his hand to his chin. “We really should tell Master Heron about this.”
“If you wanted to do that, you could have waited until morning,” Xehanort said. “You said something about wanting to see how far it went?”
“Right! We need to investigate before we present our findings!”
“Can’t it wait until morning?”
“Come on, Xeha, it’s basically morning anyway!”
A tiny smile crept onto Xehanort’s face for a moment before it turned into a huge grin. “All right, all right. We’ll investigate.” He started walking before pausing with his back to Eraqus. “You hadn’t used that nickname in months. Is that more of you trying to be polite?”
Eraqus paused and swallowed. “…I guess it is.”
“Don’t be polite.”
“I thought you hated that nickname!”
“I’ve missed it.” Xehanort glanced back. “I’ve missed you.”
“Huh? I’ve been right here!”
Xehanort chuckled. “Okay, let me put it this way. I’ve missed this.”
Eraqus sighed. “I don’t get it.”
“Don’t be polite. Be you. Okay, Era?”
Eraqus was taken aback by the use of the nickname but accepted it. He nodded. “Right…”
“Now, let’s see if we can find anything out.”
They followed the wall of the hallway until they reached the corner. The writing stopped there, but the sheer vastness of the message was overwhelming considering they had no idea what it said.
Eraqus crossed his arms. “Hmm… What do you make of it?”
“No idea.” Xehanort put his hand to his chin. “I agree that we need to tell Master Heron about this as soon as possible.”
“Yeah…” Eraqus shook his head. “I don’t know what’s been going on around Scala, but if this can help figure it out, it needs to be investigated.”
Xehanort nodded. “It’s still early, but perhaps we should see if Master Heron is already in the grand hall.”
“I agree.” Eraqus started walking. “I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s unsettling.”
“Hmm…”
“What?”
“It’s worrisome if you’re so worried.”
“Well, what happens to this town will one day be my responsibility,” Eraqus said.
“Since when do you actually think about things like that?”
“Always! It’s just… Nothing ever has come up to make me mention it.”
Xehanort stopped in his tracks. “Promise me something, Eraqus.”
Eraqus stopped and turned to look at him. “Hmm?”
“No matter how important you are to this world, don’t let it change you.”
“I’m not—” Eraqus shook his head. “Okay, okay. So, I’m letting it get me a little bit down. But I’ve got to grow up sometime, right?”
“No. Not you.”
“Xehanort…”
“Please. Promise me.”
“Fine, fine; I promise I won’t let responsibility change me as a person. You happy?”
“It’ll have to do, I suppose.” Xehanort started walking again and passed him. “Are you coming or not?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Master Heron waited in the grand hall, staring out the window at the city below as the sun was rising, as he always did. Eraqus wasn’t sure just how early he arrived there each morning, but he wasn’t surprised to find him there.
The Master, however, seemed surprised to hear footsteps. “Eraqus. Xehanort.” The Master turned around. “What brings you here so early?”
“Master Heron!” Eraqus said with a slight bow. “There’s something strange in the library hall.”
“Oh?”
“Writing on the walls—well, I think it’s writing. I can’t read it, and neither can Xehanort.”
“Are you sure you’re not—”
“He’s not imagining things,” Xehanort interrupted. “I saw it as well.”
Master Heron tilted his head, his dark hair falling to the side. “I see…” He put his hand to his chin for a moment in thought before bringing his hands together in front of his face. “This is perfect.”
“What?” Eraqus asked.
“This is the perfect opportunity to test your abilities of deduction.”
“…Come again?” Xehanort looked baffled.
“Soon you will go out into the worlds of fairytales to prepare for your Mark of Mastery exams, but you are not yet ready,” Master Heron said. “Solve the mystery of this writing and you will have proven your minds ready for the challenge and only mastery of the Keyblade will remain.”
“Does that mean that you know what the writing is?” Eraqus asked.
“Not at all,” Master said, waving his hand nonchalantly, “but I don’t have to. You can find out.”
“Do you think this has anything to do with what’s going on it town?”
“Not a clue. I don’t know what’s going on in town, really. No real explanation there.” Master shook his head. “And I don’t think there’s any rush, really. It’s probably just some old message from the past. Sure, it might help us figure out what’s going on, but it might not be anything connected. Take your time with it and take the opportunity to enjoy the last of your time as apprentices before you must move on to more responsibility.”
Eraqus swallowed. “…Are you at least trying to figure out what’s going on?”
“Of course, of course!” Master Heron said. “What do you take me for?”
“Sorry, Master…” Eraqus rubbed the back of his head. “You just don’t seem worried.”
“I’m not. There’s nothing terrible going on, I assure you,” he said. “You just relax, okay? It won’t be much longer until you can’t.”
Eraqus sighed. The Master always said that. Always told him to relax, to take time to enjoy himself before he had to be responsible… He was starting to question if it was really the best idea, especially if the Master wasn’t taking things seriously.
“Anyway,” Master said with a wave of his hand, “why don’t you two take a few days off to focus on this task? If you don’t figure it out that fast, we’ll have to go back to lessons, but look at it like a vacation of sorts.”
“A vacation?” Eraqus gaped. This was no time for a vacation.
“Well, as close to one as you can get.” Master Heron shrugged. “Anyway, you two get out of my sight, you hear? I need a break too, you know.”
“…Yes, Master,” Eraqus said, looking away.
Xehanort looked over at Eraqus, a look as concerned as Eraqus felt on his face. “Of course…” He turned around. “Come on, Eraqus.”
“Yeah… okay.”
The two headed out of the room.
“You don’t really think we should take a break, do you?” Eraqus asked.
“Of course not.” Xehanort shook his head. “We’ll investigate the writing.”
“Yeah!” Eraqus grinned. “Let’s get to work!”