A disgrace at twelve, a has-been at thirteen, a forgotten son at fourteen. I told myself that this was fine with me, that I preferred my father’s library to the shores and the fights and the endless training of the mind, but I was old enough to know perfectly well what lying was, even if I was lying to myself. I missed living in the capitol, where Atlantis was lively and exciting and everyone didn’t know you and look at you with pity.
Father had been expecting the attack for days, but he didn’t tell his men. I only knew because I’d overheard him talking. When the alarm sounded, they assembled outside as if it were any other drill. I had an excellent view from the library as my father strode to their lead with his second, keyblades in hand.
I told myself I wasn’t jealous, and imagined I could see fear on the face of the boy beside him. I watched darkness gather over their heads, silently, and then the clouds broke open and a bright light shone through. It hovered for a moment and then broke over my father and his men like a wave, an inhuman wail in the air. When it reached the manor, it was strong enough to knock me back from the window.
The lights in the library flickered and then flared brightly. I winced and tried to shield my eyes.
There was a form. No, two. Pure light, featureless, but I could feel them looking at me with disdain anyway. Seraphs, beings of light. Another figure appeared from the light behind them, this one taking on a humanoid form. Someone I recognized, the man I trained with, but he was dead in the line of duty and I thought it was a trick. They wanted the crystal. Something my father was charged to guard, the power source he’d been using for his experiments. My father and his second knew where it was kept, but I’d never been told. Only the one who looked like my teacher spoke and words sounded strange from him, as if he was always screaming though he spoke no louder than my own voice. He said that since I didn’t know, to get out of their way and he would spare me.
I don’t know why I stood my ground. Desperation and a desire to live up to my father, I suppose. It was stupid. I was going to die and I didn’t care, as long as I died trying to do something that mattered.
And then there was a weight in my hand, cool and smooth to make me aware just how sweaty my palms were, and it took me a long, long minute to understand.
Now, of all the damn times, to finally summon up my key.
The man laughed and smiled and said he was glad I had it in me after all, and that’s when I knew his appearance wasn’t a trick.
“They said you died,” I whispered.
“Not quite.” His own key flashed into view and I hurried to clean the dusty memories of fighting. As he swung at me, I parried weakly and jumped back. He gave a few more blows that I pushed aside. I could tell he was going easy on me and meanwhile, the two seraphs were tearing the library apart looking for whatever it was they wanted.
Even with a keyblade, I was useless.
He pinned me against a shelf. “It’s a losing battle, Eothran.” Judging by the light pouring in the window, he wasn’t lying.
One of the seraphs screeched from behind a shelf of scrolls and my former mentor turned and nodded. “We’ve found it.” The seraph handed him something and he held it up gingerly, like a treasure. That allowed me to get a good look at it the crystal. It wasn’t large or impressive, not really, but it hummed in a way different from all the power crystals I’d handled. I looked for my father outside, but I couldn’t see anything. There was only light streaming in from the window.
From the laboratory they’d broken into, I heard a screeching noise. Something was going wrong in there. I smelled smoke. He turned to leave and I did the only thing I could think of — I charged, holding my keyblade high. He turned, and smirked, and his blade swung to target my heart. I felt the light, felt it inside me like acid, and so much pain I thought my heart would collapse on itself. My keyblade fell to dust in my hand and I dropped to the floor.
In a moment, the seraphs were gone. A minute more, and the library was as well, along with the only world I knew.
