Terra

Terra

"Vast Earth Protecting Bonds"

20

Male

Keyblade Wielder

Light

Aqua: A fellow keyblade wielder that Terra spent many of his early years training alongside. In the time of Birth by sleep, her acquisition of the mark of mastery led to some jealousy and bitterness on his side, but those feelings quickly subsided over the course of his long journey when he remembered what her friendship with him meant to him. Like Ventus, he wants to protect Aqua - even at the cost of his own life.

Ventus: A boy who trained alongside Terra in the Land of Departure. They became fast friends, their bond only strengthening further after Terra gave his wooden keyblade to Ven. Terra sees him as something of a younger sibling in a way. - Like Aqua, he wants to protect Ventus from harm. Even as the dust settles, he still has that desire lost deep inside.

Eraqus: Terra's long time master, and someone close to him. Everything Terra knows now, he learned from Eraqus, viewing him like a father, Terra once made a terrible mistake, defying the master to save Ventus. Even now he doesn't regret protecting Ven, but deep down he still feels deep guilt over what his actions led to.

Riku: Someone Terra met a long time ago on a tiny island surrounded by light. A younger boy whose heart was filled with dreams; a heart that reflected Terra's own in some way. He chose Riku to be the bearer of the key he carried, seeing a positive future for the boy.

Xehanort: A man Terra once respected for a time, even desiring to learn under him and discover a way to control the darkness in his heart, but one he now despises from the very depths of that same heart. Even in his shattered state, the name "Xehanort" still fills him with a deep scathing rage that he cannot ever let go of.

Terra-Xehanort: Being Terra's former body, he feels a connection to this person, despite not truly knowing them. Deep down somewhere, he knows the truth, but his mind denies it.

Xemnas: The nobody of Terra's former body. He wouldn't ever recognize this person if he saw them, but something within his soul tells of a distant connection between the two.

Ansem: The heartless of Terra's former body. He would feel nothing but contempt if he were to see this remnant of his greatest mistakes.

Sora: A boy that he was fated to forget until their blades locked in that dead wasteland. It was Sora's optimism and determination that reignited the light inside of Terra, pushing him to remember all that was lost. That very same light which led to him remembering the promise he made to his friends so long ago.

Terra is headstrong, but always acts with the best intentions. He seeks justice to a fault; a fault which can be manipulated to disastrous effect as seen when Maleficent took advantage of the darkness inside his heart, forcing him to steal away a heart of pure light, or when Xehanort manipulated him into killing Eraqus. However, despite how easily it is for him to make mistakes, he is quick to regret them despite this stubborn nature of his.

He is very protective of those he cares about, to a sacrificial degree; Feeling that suffering through his troubles alone rather than drawing his friends into his plight is the best course of action in any given situation. He seeks power in all walks of his life, something that led to darkness taking hold within him. - A mistake he is determined to hopefully never repeat so long as he walks this world. However, despite the darkness taking hold, he is not a being of evil. He is a victim of the manipulative nature of Xehanort which seeded doubt and despair within his heart.

His regrets are perhaps his greatest weakness, leading to him viewing his guilt as a sign that he is "unworthy" of all things good. But as Zack Fair once said, he is a hero to his friends; whether he likes it or not.

Terra's past is not that dissimilar to Aqua's. He grew up as an apprentice under the teachings of Master Eraqus. Training Diligently to become a strong, legendary Keyblade Master and one day pass his own training on to others. Becoming a keyblade master...it wasn't just his goal, it was his dream. Something to believe in, something to keep him pushing forward even in times where he made little or no progress. This all continued as normal for some time until one day, everything changed... Eraqus's former acquaintance, Xehanort arrived at the Land of Departure, bringing with him a recovering Ventus. While Xehanort made a request of Eraqus, Terra occupied himself with many questions for the newcomer, trying to learn of Ventus. Though Ventus quickly broke down screaming due to his lack of memories, causing Terra to become concerned until Eraqus explained Ven's predicament. Terra's concern continued for the boy as Ventus fell into a deep sleep later on, thankfully waking up only a few days after, much to Terra and everyone else's relief.

As time passed, Terra's bond with Ventus and Aqua grew stronger, enough so that he finally felt comfortable confiding his dreams in the other two. Terra's frequent sparring matches with Ventus would spur a new event one day, as after a particularly long one, Terra presented his wooden keyblade to Ventus, sharing his dream of becoming a master - And realizing that perhaps it was Aqua and Ventus's dream as well. Stating as such. From this point forward their friendship became strongly, nearly unbreakable under even the heaviest pressures.

Four years after that fateful meeting between the trio, that friendship would face it's biggest test. Aqua and Terra both took their mark of mastery test, with Eraqus, Xehanort, and Ventus all watching on. Ultimately, Aqua had been chosen to carry this mark of mastery, for during their fight Terra realized that there was something dark laying deep inside his heart. He became bitter, frustrated. His strength wasn't enough to see him to his dreams. Xehanort dogged him on further, telling him that the darkness was nothing to control, but instead something to let flow freely. - That he DESERVED to be considered a master, and Eraqus was simply too blinded by the light to see it. These manipulative words only fueled his darkness more. Even when it was Xehanort's bidding that Terra's darkness was on display during the exams, he continued to feed Terra lies, to force him to tap into that darkness further.

A short moment later, the bell rang and Aqua and Terra both were called to the Master; he assigned them both an important mission, For Terra a chance at redemption and the mission of finding the missing Master Xehanort. To Aqua, a mission of hunting down the unversed. And perhaps the most important of all: Keeping Terra's wavering heart in check.

Terra's quest first brings him to the Enchanted Dominion. And his first descent into the darkness. A place where he meets both the unversed for the first time, and the dark mage; Maleficent. A woman who was submerged in evil itself, having been alerted of Terra's arrival, she attempted to win him to her side. Being denied, she instead took control of him, forcing him to steal away Aurora's heart; much to his dismay. Being led to believe it was his fault, he fought off the unversed here and made a guilt-riddled escape.

His journey from then on was a constant battle between doubting himself, and being shown the right way to seek his strength. In places such as the Castle of dreams, and the Dwarf Woodlands he learned important lessons; that sometimes believing in yourself and those around you is enough to get past hardship - And that not everyone always had the best intentions. However, his searching for both what was right, and for Master Xehanort led him to Yen Sid's tower, where he sought answers from the former keyblade master himself. The wise wizard gave to Terra a premonition of things to come, but he doubted it deep inside, choosing instead to keep seeking answers now that he knew the Unversed were in some way connected to Xehanort.

Through all of his seeking, he was finally contacted by the very one he had been searching for summoned him to a dusty wasteland. It was here that Xehanort revealed to Terra the truth about Ventus. That the darkness inside Ventus's heart had given birth to a being called "Vanitas". That said darkness being pulled away almost killed Ven and that the unversed were a product of Vanitas's evil, Xehanort then sent Terra on a new mission: To hunt down Vanitas and put a stop to the unversed. Terra set forward for the Radiant Garden in the hopes of defeating Vanitas and perhaps in some way...Helping Ventus.

In Radiant garden most of his time was spent following after both Xehanort and the strange shadow of a massive unversed known simply as "Trinity Armor". However after meeting up with Aqua and Ventus, Terra was able to destroy it with their help. it was after that he found out Aqua had been following him, keeping an eye on him. Due to Xehanort's lies, he felt betrayed by his friends, choosing to go on his own from this point forward. Afterwards he would meet the treacherous Braig, who claimed to have Xehanort captured. After a brief scuffle, Terra fell to his own darkness and struck Braig in the eye, forcing him to flee. Xehanort attempted to recruit Terra further into his plans by telling him that he simply learned to channel his inner darkness properly, that the light his friends cast simply allowed the shadows to grow. And he extended an offer to Terra to become his pupil. Much to his dismay however, Terra denied it, insisting that he succumbed to the darkness rather than wielding it. That he could never return home in this state. He left on his own after only a short talk with Ventus.

Terra continued to traverse the worlds searching for unversed and Vanitas. In Disney town he learned that not every task can be accomplished through strength alone. In the Olympus Coliseum he saved Zack Fair and resisted his own darkness. Being marked a hero despite his reservations. In Deep Space he realized his mistake of distrusting his friends, and how much he truly cares for them. Finally in Neverland, he briefly helps Captain Hook before realizing that he was wrong. But in this instance he is able to pass along some wisdom of his own to the kids of this world - That treasure isn't always something physical, but instead the memories that are most important to you.

Later on, while traversing the lanes between, Terra notices a bright, pure light, and is soon enveloped by it after attempting to reach it. After the blinding light fades, Terra finds himself on a strange island in the middle of an endless sea. After wandering for some time, seeing things that reminded him of his friends, Terra finds two children playing on the beach. One who reminds him of himself in ways. He vows that he'll work to keep his friends safe after witnessing these two. Further, he approached the one most like himself, and performed the keyblade inheritance ceremony, allowing Riku to one day gain a keyblade of his own.

His time on this strange island finished, Terra left with a sense of renewed purpose. That purpose would be truly tested when Xehanort warned Terra that Ventus had gone to confront Master Eraqus, fearing what Eraqus might do to Ventus, and being further manipulated by Xehanort, Terra rushed towards the Land of Departure, arriving just in time to witness Eraqus drawing his blade on Ven. Leaping in without thinking, Terra was narrowly able to block the beam of energy that was aimed for Ventus. After tossing Ventus to safety, Terra fought against his mentor. Though Eraqus was more skilled and experienced, Terra made full use of the dark cloud inside of his heart, and was able to bring Eraqus to his knees through this power alone. Though Terra acted in defense of his friends, he felt an instant sense of fear and despair over what he had just done to someone he considered his father. Questioning his own actions even despite Eraqus admitting to being wrong.

His master's last breath was taken as Xehanort dealt a finishing blow. Finally revealing the truth to Terra; that he was never really acting for the good of everyone. That all he had done was ultimately for his own goals, Terra's despair turned to rage as the dark old man challenged him by threatening to kill his friends, and telling him to witness the end at the Keyblade Graveyard. He watched as his home was destroyed and flooded with dark...But before he could leave, something else drew him further into the lost Land of Departure. Despite being distraught, what brought him further into the ruins was a mysterious hooded man who...After fighting Terra and losing, left without saying even a single word.

His time in the place he once called home finished, he set off towards the Graveyard, ready to make up for his past mistakes, and stop Xehanort once and for all.

He had arrived at his final destination: A cursed wasteland where thousands of dead keys lay dormant. It was here he set out to find his friends - And Xehanort most importantly. It must have been fate, that when he finally found his friends, so to did he encounter Xehanort and Vanitas, lying in wait for them to arrive. He made a promise to Aqua and Ventus, that here and now he would change things. When Xehanort had finished taunting the trio, he was the first to rush forth in an attempt to fight the old man. Despite all the obstacles in his way, he was finally able to get a one on one battle with his adversary. His youth, and the experience he had gotten throughout his journey, led him a swift victory over the older, more spent Xehanort. Thinking it over, Terra let his guard down, and his own darkness led to his downfall as Xehanort took control of his body.

It was over..Or so it seemed. Terra's armor became filled with his hopes, his dreams, and his vow. Terra's Lingering Will rose to it's feet and fought back against Terranort. Bringing a swift end to the old man's machinations. His body was consumed by the light from a seperate battle, and his armor came to rest where it sat, his job for now was done...

He kept a promise in his heart even as his hope slipped away from him, and he fell into a deep sleep for a long time. He wasn't sure how long he had sat there, but the longer it was, the more his memories began to fade... It wasn't until his armor was covered in the dust of this graveyard that he had all but forgotten everything. He had become no more than a living statue resting in a place no one would ever set foot in again.

... That is, until the keyblade wielder named Sora arrived here from another distant place. The arrival of another person...The winds shifted, and he became acutely aware of their every movement. Suddenly faint traces entered his mind, thoughts that were like a distant image he once knew of. This...Was a wielder of the keyblade. But it wasn't *them*. The one he chose... It was... Xe...ha...nort. Xeha...Nort. XEHANORT!! It filled Terra with a sense of berserk rage as he launched into a flurry of attacks on Sora. His power hadn't dimmed at all, at this point it was almost as if he was running on instinct alone as he dashed across the wasteland meeting every attack with Sora's own. After a long, difficult battle on both sides, Terra surrendered to the boy's prowess. Though physically unaffected from the fight, he conceded that this was not in fact the one he despised, he dropped to his knees again, prepared to rest once more...

But that young lad. Something within his heart led to a reignition of the light in what remained of Terra. Blurry memories of his promise he made in his final moments so long ago, they became sharper until finally... ... There was still something he had to do. He could no longer rest until he saw his promise to it's completion.

"No... I succumbed to it. Just like when I stole Princess Aurora's heart of light. I can never return home now. I'm a failure." - Terra in regards to the darkness in his heart

"I just... When I really need you, Ven, I know you'll be there." - Terra to Ventus

"Hades! You were just playing me! The darkness...will never have me!" - Terra to Hades

"Well, I'm no hero, trust me." - Terra speaking to Zack Fair

"Funny... This whole time I've been telling myself I want to be stronger, more independent... But the second I let my heart do the talking... I find out how little I really know myself. And how much I miss them. That experiment of yours... You sure about him? Maybe in his heart, he wants friends just like the rest of us." - Terra in Deep Space

"You may be my Master. But I will not let you hurt my friend!" - Terra to Eraqus

"What I do, I do for friendship." - Terra entering the keyblade graveyard

"Your body submits, your heart succumbs...so why does your mind resist!?" - Xehanort to Terra

"Aqua, Ven... One day I will set this right."

Terra. ... His name was Terra. For the first time since he had become no more than a concept of thought, he was able to think apart from his instincts. But, that wasn't the only thought that appeared in the dim fragment of a once proud keyblade wielder...


"A̸̢̖̬̞̘͌̋̈́̃̄̀̅͠q̸̢̭̖̬̗̪̘̲͖̓͌̎̈́̈́̍̓̾͘͢͞ű̵͓͚̪͔̝̜̿͋̎̿̈́͟͠ą̱̰̻̪́͒̎̋̆͢͞...V̛̯̖̩̹̳̓̈̈̈́̌͑͊͛͊ḝ͇̝̱̠͋͋̓͂̈́̑͛̚͡ͅṅ̷̡̛͓͍̳̗́̂͛͊̀̚... One day, I will set this right."


That was his promise so long ago. It felt like it had been ages since he said those words. But only now did he remember them again. His hope, it had returned to him even as he sat and wasted away in the place where dead keys rested. He pushed himself back to life, even despite Sora having left some time ago already. He lifted up from his knees, gripping the hilt of his keyblade and pulling it from the lifeless dirt it had been submerged in for years. The dust shifted and slide off as the steel key made a "Shhnk" noise, finally being freed from the earth.

He scanned the landscape, searching for... ... Anything. His mind was blurred, his thoughts coarse and indistinguishable from one another. Only his promise rested in his mind. Even if he didn't know who it was he had made it for, he had no other way forward but to follow the one thing he could think of. His hope, and his one clear thought were what carried him for miles across this accursed place. The dust and the wind blew against his armor, blowing his cape as though it were a flag.

When it seemed as though there were no easy exits from this place, a new memory entered his mind. And then another. And another after that one. His thoughts were slowly becoming whole. As he remembered why he made his promise.

"I just...When I really need you, V̵̲̪̺̣̩̘̺́̇͋͋̎͛͌͝͡ę̫̭̤̪̬͙̺͍̓̒̆̐̎̀̿͘͘͜n̵̛͖͖̠͎̦̯͇͍̿̎̓̌, I know you'll be there."

"Oi, sometimes you can be such a girl, Ả̳͎̯͙͖̠̜̩́̄͗͐̽̅̓͢͝͠q̸̧̢̩̻̳̤͈͂̀́͐͛̓̐̊̃͛ͅư̥͚͉̮͔͛̏̇̍̅͘͞a̦͍̱̬̳̹̤̜͚̅͗̀̌̎͠"

"Maybe just believing is enough."


Just believing is enough... So many memories came flooding back, and though they were still fragmented, he now knew what he had to do. These friends of his...He had to find them. To keep them safe and correct his mistakes. He believed that he had enough strength to seek them out, and just when it seemed there was no result from this...A bright light appeared on the horizon. It was a pure, cleansing light that felt...Familiar to him. As though in a distant time perhaps he had felt it once before. It grew larger and closer, coming straight towards him. The ground shook and rumbled violently as it closed in, and in response Terra simply opened his arms out wide, allowing this light to take him.

Soon the ground below him ceased moving, and the sound of the sharp winds of death stopped. When the light faded, a quick glance of his surroundings revealed him to be standing on a beach. But this wasn't just a regular beach - Much like the light before, it felt...Comforting. Nostalgic. Simple. Pure. He walked forward, tracing the steps of a once lost memory. As he did so his cape detached and flew away in the breeze. And his armor began to fall off in fragments. He could only walk so far before he dropped to his knees, catching himself with his hands...

... His hands. He looked at them closer, no longer were they covered by lifeless armor. They were flesh once more. He began to look over his arms, and his legs, and soon felt of his face just to confirm what he thought. His body...It had returned to him. Through the act of hoping and believing he had been given a second chance. A second chance to find those most important to him, and let no further harm come to them. And maybe...Even absolve himself of his past mistakes. He rose back to his feet and stared out towards the endless ocean as the sun shined brightly overhead. He raised his keyblade upwards, his hope and drive fully renewed. He knew one thing for certain:

He had to rediscover himself, and fulfill his vow.

Circle of Life

First Character.

Recommended by a friend. (Lamia)