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He had finally found it.
After hours of research he had located the answers he was looking for. He now knew a way that would hopefully change things for the world.
Though, it was only a theory and it mightn’t work the way he hoped it would. It was his only hope to make things better for the people he cared about though, so he had to try.
He had found some old texts detailing the dangers of using the keyblades, including the suspected repercussions of breaking a keyblade. Something he hadn’t even thought possible before finding the ancient books.
According to the books; breaking the keyblade disturbed the magic contained within the weapons. It was theorized that if the blades resonated with a specific type of magic such as the keyblade that enabled him to be here; Sands of Time.
If he could disturb the magic within the blade, it might be enough to cause a drastic change within time. What change that would entitle, Xehanort didn’t really know.
He could only hope that it would change things for the better.
It would take some time for him to find what was needed to break the weapon. He had enough time to say goodbye to everyone he needed to before he went through with his plan.
Even if his plan failed and destiny followed its set course, he wanted to give closure to the friends he had made. He didn’t want to just up and vanish without giving them a chance to say goodbye.
Especially if they were forced to fight against his future self soon after.
Weeks later he found himself in a secluded area away from everyone in the place that had once been the Land of Departure. He needed somewhere that could handle the magic that would run wild when the weapon broke.
Or somewhere that no one would care about being destroyed by the rampant energy.
He had bid his final farewells to his friends before coming here, enduring the tears and anger from the people as he lied about what was about to occur.
He had told them that he felt his time here coming to an end and would return to his own soon. Close enough not to be a complete lie, but still not entirely truthful.
Sora had cried when he told him. He hated himself for bringing the usually bright, cheerful teenager to tears.
It was necessary though, to give Sora and his friends a chance of a better life. If all went well, Sora wouldn’t even remember him or the heartache he had caused the teen.
He couldn’t dwell on those thoughts, he had to go through with his plan before he lost the courage to.
Some final preparations and he was ready.
He took several deep breaths, readying himself for the inevitable feedback of magic that was about to be released from breaking the weapon.
Prepared and ready as best he could be, he broke the keyblade before him.
The force of the magic being released from the shattered blade slammed into him heavily, knocking the young master from his feet.
Darkness consumed his vision as the washes of magic crushed him, stealing what little breath he had managed to keep in his lungs.
He tried to stay awake but was soon dragged into the darkness of unconsciousness.
His last conscious thoughts were of Sora.
Xehanort woke in a dimly lit room, his mind groggy and disorientated. He could tell that he was lying on a soft surface, the dull pain that flared up with even the slightest movement informed him that he had not escaped the force of magic unharmed.
His pained groan alerted someone else in the room to the fact that he was awake.
“He’s awake! Go get Master!” The voice sounded male, cheerful and exuberant though he didn’t recognize whoever it belonged to.
He heard the rustling of cloth followed by the opening of the door as another unseen person left the room. He forced his eyes opened, staring up at the familiar ceiling.
He attempted to lift himself to a sitting position, seeing his struggles the other in the room quickly moved over to him in order to help him.
This allowed him his first look at the other, it made him pause at how similar they looked to Sora. There were some very obvious differences between the two though, such as this young man was blonde and definitely older than Sora was.
Their bright blue eyes were almost the same though.
There was a worried tint to the other’s face, before he could ask anything though hurried footsteps sounded outside the room. A figure appeared in the doorway soon after and Xehanort was once again struck speechless.
Eraqus looked so old.
The elder man looked in on them, chest heaving slightly from having gotten there so quickly. He looked muscular though, definitely still in shape. His face though lined with age was unscarred, he was brighter than his other had taunted him with.
Eraqus gestured for the blonde next to him to move away, taking the vacated place next to Xehanort in his place. Eraqus stared at him, as if searching for something in his face. He seemed to find it as he embraced Xehanort suddenly, pulling him into a hard chest.
It put some pressure on the bruises lining his body, but he endured for the moment.
“What happened to you?” Eraqus voice was deep and heavy with emotion, pulling back from his friend revealed that his eyes had gathered some wetness.
He hesitated for a moment, debating what to tell the man. Flicking his gaze around the room, showed that the blonde had remained in the room and had been joined by a twin at the door.
He took a breath and decided on his reply. Focusing back on Eraqus he spoke quietly, his voice hoarse and scratchy.
“I… I don’t know…”
He remained in the Land of Departure for over a week before the bruising had faded enough for him to move without pain. In that time he had learned as much as he could about the events that had happened since his ‘disappearance’.
Eraqus had obtained more apprentices than he’d had previously including; Roxas, which was surprising to see that the boy actually existed, Lea. Riku was still an apprentice though he was currently under Master Aqua’s teachings than Eraqus’.
Terra had also managed to become a keyblade master and had currently stationed himself in Radiant Garden for some reason or another. Seemed a lot of things were going better in this world.
It was odd being around this Eraqus, he was very different then he had known him, more mature and grounded then he had been when he was younger.
But he found himself proud of his friend, he had accomplished quite a lot for himself in the years since he had last seen him.
He was about to leave the Land of Departure, he wanted to make sure that Sora had experienced a good life like he hoped. If Riku hadn’t been chosen by the keyblade then Sora was most likely still on Destiny Island.
He bid Eraqus farewell, promising to return soon and left for the world that had once been home.
Arriving at the islands he wasn’t surprised to see that nothing had changed since he was here last, before he broke the keyblade.
He was lucky he could still call forth his previous weapon.
The ocean was as deep and endless as it had been every time he had seen it; the sands were a soft golden colour and warm from the bright sunshine.
He could see some figures further along the beach, but they didn’t matter at the moment. They were too far away to make out any details.
He had stayed on the beach for a few hours before he was approached by a face.
“Hey! Are you new around here? It’s nice to meet you!” The younger teen spoke easily, bright enthusiasm untarnished by the things that the Sora he used to know.
He’d recognise him anywhere, but he didn’t know him at all. He would need to make a whole new set of memories if he wanted anything to do with Sora in this timeline.
He decided to put his best foot forward, there was no need to worry about what might have been, he had a whole new world to discover.
“Hello,” he responded calmly, “just visiting for the moment. The view’s nice here.”
If anything, that only made the boy’s grin grow even more. “Really? You’re from another world? That’s so cool!”
A smile bloomed across his face, some things never change.
Even if this was a completely different Sora, he still wanted to get to know him.
This new start didn’t have to be a completely different experience; he could make a new bond with Sora.
New memories to replace the old, this time without the threat of a war hanging over their heads.
He might even be able to convince Sora to come with him to see the other worlds with him.