Confrontation

Kiera crossed the familiar sky, only it was golden as the sun lowered. She saw the floating island, with the large castle towering strong. In any other circumstances, it would be a comforting sight. But to Kiera, it was suddenly foreign and menacing. In the courtyard, she could see Master Eraques, waiting patiently, as if anticipating her arrival. She lowered into the center, and disabled her vehicle. Master Eraques approached her.

“Kiera, you have returned” he said.

He paused once he was in front of her.

“Where is Ventus?”

Kiera was firm.

“Returning here shortly, I’m sure” she said flatly, not looking him in the eye.

Eraques frowned. He bent down to meet her eyes. 

“Something is wrong, isn’t there? What happened?” he said, softly.

Kiera turned her eyes away. 

“Kiera…talk to me…” Eraques spoke, with a more firm tone.

.

Kiera took a deep breath.

“I will ask you one time, and you better be honest with me…”

Eraques was surprised at her hateful tone of voice.

“Excuse me?”

Kiera finally lifted her eyes to him.

“Were you the one who took me away from my home?”

“What?”

“I remember now. When I was little. Someone came into my room in the dead of night, took me from my home, on the islands, and not only wiped my mother’s memory, but also my own. It was you, wasn’t it?”

“Kiera…” Eraques spoke slowly, “It is not as horrid as it seems-”

“Just answer me!” Kiera shouted, “Answer me truthfully, and honestly!”

.

Eraques looked at her, grieved, then stood up, and sighed.

“All across this vast universe, and its many worlds, few retain the true power of the light. Keyblade wielders have been all but extinct for hundreds of years, ever since the great war that took them.

“You could not understand the joy and relief I found when I came to those islands to find you: A gentle, compassionate, innocent child, with a light brighter than anyone else who dwelled there. I sensed greatness in you Kiera, and I also sensed that there could be something lost if I did not take you in, and train you to be a keyblade master, and protect the worlds, as keyblade masters have done since the beginning of time.”

.

“You know, all my life I wanted to be a keyblade master,” said Kiera, “I wanted to be strong enough to protect the ones I loved and cared for. But I also wanted to unlock the secrets of my past, where I came from. Land of Departure was my home, but my gut told me that this isn’t where I came from; and I was right.” 

She wrapped her hand around the keyblade warrior emblem, which had been tired to her chest, attached to brown straps formed into an “x” towards her back. She closed her eyes, grieved. 

“You took me from my home, isolated me, wiped me from my parents’ memory. My family is gone because of you; and all the ones I did have, ones I considered my best friends, one I even loved, have all been ripped from me, because of you!”

.

She raised her head, eyes burning with anger. 

“If this is what being a keyblade master entails, I want no part of it.”

Holding her breath, she ripped the emblem from her chest. She tossed it towards her master.

“I will not represent what you stand for.”

Eraques was at a loss for words. He bent, and gently took the emblem in his hands.

“Kiera…please…you’re making a big mistake…”

“No, I know exactly what I’m doing,” Kiera rebuttled, “I’m on my own.” 

.

She hit her shoulder piece, summoning her armor and vehicle. The gateway opened and she climbed inside the vehicle. 

“Goodbye, Master Eraques.”

With those last words, Kiera jettisoned into the sky, and disappeared through the portal.