#brain (kingdom hearts) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

taruchinator · 3 months

Text

💻 General Audiences

💻 2.6k Words

💻 Written for the Brain Zine!

Brain wasn't blind to his surroundings.

He prided himself on being a man of intuition—someone who simply had an inkling and relied on it on his day-to-day life, be it in battle or while interacting with others.

To say he didn't notice the cases of keyblade wielders being in a state of melancholy after the war would be foolish on his behalf. What could he do to change that?

Hey everyone, Alice here! Welcome back to my KH vault! ^^

I've been meaning to share this story written for the Brain zine about two years ago for a while now, since I'm honestly quite happy with how it came out! I was never much of a Brain fan, but I definitely grew appreciation for him while writing this.

It's meant to be a retelling of the in-game cutscene in which he creates the Spirits in KHUx post-Keyblade War. Wanted to dive into the hows and whys of him creating them, so hopefully you'll enjoy!

Brain wasn't blind to his surroundings.

He prided himself on being a man of intuition—someone who simply had an inkling and relied on it on his day-to-day life, be it in battle or while interacting with others. He was also very bright, both academically and psychologically.

To say the ravenette didn't notice the cases of keyblade wielders being in a state of melancholy would be foolish on his behalf. And it was a number that continued to rise almost at an alarming rate.

“Getting some fresh air?” A voice brought Brain back to reality, as he realized he had been leaning on one of the pillars outside of the prestigious Clock Tower that had once served as a hideout to the Foretellers. The view from above was breathtaking, and also remarkably spacious to all of Daybreak Town in its glory.

Adjusting his fedora in a way that would slightly cover his face, the ravenette smirked. “With all the paperwork and dusty old cabinets, can you blame me?”

His companion—their leader, a fact he'd have to get used to—chuckled softly at the comment. “Fair enough. Out of all of us, I'm kinda glad you're the one who volunteered to sort through the Foretellers' stuff. You seem to know your way around books.”

“Books contain the knowledge that people didn't have the courage to speak aloud. At least that's how I see it. For now, I haven't really found much of use other than what I already gave you…”

“Oh, don't worry! That's not why I'm here. Just wanted to see how you were doing, that's all!” Ephemer scratched at the back of his neck with a sheepish grin, one that had Brain realizing how true and genuine he was, unlike many others he'd met before. Probably one of the qualities Master Ava saw in him.

“Oh? How thoughtful of you then, fearless leader.” Brain rolled his eyes, which caused Ephemer to lightly punch him in the arm in protest, only to end up having a chuckle erupt between them as it echoed through the empty halls. It was rather… nice.

“I wonder how everyone's doing…” Ephemer spoke softly, as if it were more of a thought to himself rather than a question. The albino then proceeded to lean forward as he stared at the town below, admiring the view with a bittersweet gaze twinkling in his eyes. “I know this was all meant to happen, and it was for a greater purpose and all… I just wish the Dandelions didn't have to pay the price for it.”

“So he sees it too. Of course he does, I mean, anyone would.” Wielders could be seen in the distance by Fountain Square—the usual pep in their step gone and replaced with something much somber. As if there was a much heavier weight resting on their shoulders that would never permit them to be the same ever again.

This was the result of war.

“I wonder where he's at.” Ephemer spoke once more, this time curiosity evident in his voice as he leaned forward and squinted at the blobs in the distance. The ravenette couldn't hold back the chuckle that erupted. “Who?”

As if he'd forgotten he wasn't alone, the other boy jolted slightly and then went to scratch at the back of his head once again. A habit of his, Brain could only presume. “A-Ah! It's nothing, just a friend of mine! He isn't technically a Dandelion but he survived the war. Haven't seen him since, though…”

“Well, if he's a friend of yours, I'm sure he's fine. Probably goofing off somewhere.” Brain let himself smile for a moment at the statement, and then went to express what he'd been thinking about before Ephemer arrived. “If something like this was meant to happen in the Book of Prophecies, then I'm sure there must be some way to make it better. We just haven't found it yet. So don't give up so soon, leader.”

Staring in slight disbelief, the albino returned the gesture. “Thanks, Brain. You're right. Just gotta follow the clues laid out for us!”

“May your heart be your guiding key…” Brain nodded alongside his companion.

If there was a way to reverse the effect the Keyblade War had on all the wielders, he was positive he'd find it. As Union Leader, it was now part of his duties. No one deserved the dark hollowness that was brought by this aftermath.

He was going to make things right.

That was the duty of a leader.

The Foretellers' chamber was nothing like he expected.

For people who were meant to be an example to the entire Keyblade wielder population, they certainly didn't put ‘tidiness’ too high up on their priority list. You could probably argue that training would be at the top of that metaphorical list, but organization was the foundation to any good regimen, and this room was anything but organized.

Brain wasn't lying to Ephemer when he mentioned all the dusty old cabinets and scattered paperwork that he'd tried piecing together for the past few days. The place almost seemed ransacked, and as if someone had left in a hurry and didn't even bother to put everything back where it belonged.

Easier for him at least, since he could start a new system without any complications.

The room had hardly any furniture in it, despite what the size might suggest. Filing cabinets, a few bookshelves, the grand round table, and a small working station that most definitely belonged to the Master of Masters.

“You know your eyes are gonna fall off if you keep staring at those all day, right? It's not like if you read them again it will make something new appear!” A high-pitched voice spoke behind the ravenette's shoulder, not startling him in the slightest despite the fact that he was supposed to be alone.

“I actually started collecting lots of data based on the evidence left on these pages. And I wouldn't have been able to do that without thorough research, Chirithy.” Leaning back against the chair, Brain smiled as he turned to face his spirit companion.

The tiny creature merely let out a long sigh as it adjusted itself comfortably on the table. “It's always you and your research. Have you even eaten anything?”

“Some fruit from the Moogle Shop. You don't need to worry about me, I know my limits.” He waved his hand dismissively as he tried to get Chirithy off the book he'd been previously reading, and the small cat-like spirit could only reluctantly agree with a huff. “You say that, but you've barely gotten any sleep this week! I've had to wake you up at least three times just to get you on time for your meetings…”

Brain recalled the instances his companion was referring to, but immediately shook them off as he nodded towards the corner of the room. “If you want to get some load off my shoulder, why don't you tidy up around here? I've been inhaling nothing but dust and cobwebs for at least a few days.”

Turning to look at where the boy was pointing, Chirithy raised its eyebrows as it saw only a broom staring back at them. The spirit crossed its tiny paws, almost looking offended. “You think I'm this place's janitor or something?”

With a shrug, the ravenette picked up the book from before and pretended to start reading again. “I'm just saying, you'd really be helping me out.”

Chirithy stayed silent for a moment, its tiny fedora covering most of its face as they stared down at the floor. It didn't take more than a few seconds before a grumble was heard and the spirit jumped off the table. “Fine! But I'm only doing this because it's my duty as your spirit guardian! Also if someone else comes in here, I'm saying it was your idea!”

The Union Leader laughed as his Chirithy made its way towards the desired spot. “I'm counting on you, partner!”

More grumbling could be heard in the distance. “Yeah yeah, whatever. Just be sure to find something useful in those dumb old- woah!”

The carefree moment was short lived as the sound of collision reached Brain's ears. In its whining, the spirit hadn't noticed the cabinet that the broom had been leaning on, and promptly crashed against the solid surface with enough force to knock it over along with all the contents inside. The ravenette quickly stood up and made his way over. “Chirithy!”

Small clouds of dust had also surfaced from the fall, which caused the keyblade wielder to cough and wave for the puffs to go away. Chirithy suddenly emerged from the chaos—thick dust covered its body, and only a tiny area that appeared to be its nose was left untouched. “I-I'm…fine…”

After realizing his companion was unharmed, Brain visibly relaxed and allowed himself to chuckle at the display. “You know what? That look suits you quite well. Now you look like a black cat! That should teach you to watch where you're going.”

Chirithy began shaking its body to try and get rid of the black coal in its fur. “Hey, it wasn't just me! When you have piles of stuff lying around, how do you expect people not to trip?”

“What are you talking about? I didn't put anything-” The boy was quickly cut off mid-sentence, as he turned behind the creature and found a pile of books he hadn't seen before. Where did those even come from?

Brain walked towards the tumbled pieces of literature and knelt down to pick one of them up. A thick film of dust painted over the cover, and as such he blew at it to try and get some off. What lay underneath was something the ravenette could've never been prepared for.

The Master of Masters' journal.

“Brain? What's wrong?” Chirithy's voice brought the boy back to reality as he remained frozen in shock. Quickly standing up, he headed back to the workstation and planted the heavy book on the table. “Chirithy, I think we're finally onto something. I'm gonna need some time to read through this, okay?”

The tiny spirit perked its ears in curiosity, but understood the importance of the situation and simply saluted as he picked up the fallen broom. “Yes, sir! This place will be sparkling clean before you know it!”

As soon as the spirit left to start the sweep, Brain sat down and began flipping away.

He was thankful that after so many days going from one book to the other nonstop, he had learned the skill of skimming through pages in a matter of seconds. And the things that the young wielder was seeing were nothing short of fascinating.

Stories from the Master's youth. Entries on the Foretellers. Speculations on how the Keyblade War would begin and how to prevent it.

But there was one page in particular that immediately caught Brain's eye: ‘Creating The Spirit Chirithys’.

“Is this… a recipe to create a Chirithy?” The ravenette knew that the Masters had created the Chirithys as a means to give guidance to all Keyblade wielders, but he never actually stopped to question the method that was used to bring them to life. If this truly was a step-by-step process on how to create a Chirithy, then he had discovered a gem.

All Chirithys were meant to guide and protect their partners from darkness, and according to the Master's journal, they could also indicate the state of a wielder's heart—whether it still belonged to the light or not.

But above all else, the boy found one trait to be of particular interest: A Chirithy was able to consume its wielder's nightmares and protect them from them.

It was fascinating for certain, but Brain's mind couldn't help but wander into a possibility of something else. Something that could benefit all wielders, especially regarding their current situation. “If Chirithy can consume people's nightmares… What if they could also do that with bad memories? Those that bring nothing but pain and sorrow?”

Memories like those of the Keyblade War.

The prospect was far too enticing to pass on. Flipping through the pages, Brain looked into the strange list of materials he needed for the experiment—from Lux all the way to Fairy Dust. Thankfully, the ravenette had seen most of these scattered around the cabinets in the room.

He quickly gathered everything he could find, and began adding some slowly into a small circular beaker.

If he wanted this to work, he wouldn't just have to replicate a Chirithy, but also modify the spirit into something different. Something unique.

Staring at the instructions on his lap that seemed more like a load of rambling notes, Brain couldn't help but sigh as he massaged his temple in slight frustration.

Something told him it was going to be a long night.

“Aww he's so fluffy!”

“H-He's also a lot heavier than he looks!”

Skuld and Ventus were doting all over the small pink feline spirit, currently snuggling against the blonde's neck and licking away at his cheek. Skuld was scratching at the fluff in the creature's neck, giggling in glee.

“So these spirits are like Chirithy? What exactly are they for?” Ephemer stared from afar at the duo with a smile on his face, yet side eyeing Brain for an answer.

“Turns out the answer was staring us right in the face this whole time. The Book of Prophecies gave us the task to create spirits that will aid wielders in forgetting everything regarding the war.” The ravenette flipped the pages of his own copy until he landed on the aforementioned task left for them.

Ephemer's eyes widened slightly. “Forget the war? You mean… erasing their memories?”

“Exactly. Chirithy has the ability to devour our nightmares, and these little guys would have a similar purpose—erase the memories that cause most pain, in this case being the war. We would be the only ones who would recall the event.” The only ones that would carry the burden. As any leader should.

“I see…” The albino kept his gaze fixated on Ven and Skuld, watching them giggle and laugh at the small creature running around them in circles. His smile changed to a more somber one. “As long as it's protecting them, I don't see why we shouldn't go with it.”

Noticing Ephemer's change in demeanor, Brain elbowed him on the side with a smirk. “Don't you worry, leader. The memories left behind will be nothing but good ones. And besides, its not like only one person will be holding onto this secret. You're not alone. You've got us.”

Returning his smile to normal, the boy elbowed him in return with a wink. “Yeah, you're right. And speaking of not being alone, neither are you. You should get some rest while the rest of us look into the chamber.”

Brain scoffed slightly. “I'm fine, but thank you for the concern.”

Ephemer merely raised an eyebrow. “Your Chirithy said they've caught you passing out in the desk more often than usual.”

“What? When did he-?”

“It smells to me like he could use a shower, too. May I interest you in a little something called soap?” Out of nowhere, Lauriam joined in on the teasing as he walked next to the ravenette with a smug look on his face.

Laughter erupted between the two and Brain could only sigh in defeat.

He was never the type to do things with others in mind. He was a loner for the majority of his life. And yet here he was, being thrusted onto a world with different values and ideas from his own, still it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would.

Maybe Master Ava was right.

The future wasn't decided, no matter what the Book told them. And with a group as unpredictable as theirs, perhaps they stood a chance at making things better.

For everyone.

✦𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬!✦

#my stories #kingdom hearts #brain kingdom hearts #brain zine #khux

18 notes · View notes