Master Eraqus

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"Forgive me... but you must exist no more!"
"No. You were right. I failed you, Terra. Perhaps I have no-one to blame but myself for the darkness inside you. And now, I've done worse, raised my Keyblade against you and Ventus. My own heart is darkness!" (last words before his death)

"*Fear leads to obsession with power, and obsession beckons the Darkness.*"

—Master Eraqus to Terra

**Master Eraqus** is a Keyblade Master who appears in *Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep* and *Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix*. He is the master of Terra and Aqua, and he also serves as the second master of Ventus. He is voiced by *Star Wars* actor, Mark Hamill.

His name is an anagram of "Square", a reference to Square Enix, the developers of the *Kingdom Hearts* series. Tetsuya Nomura stated in the *Birth by Sleep Ultimania* that he had actually forgotten the basis of the name, and that the producer had to remind him that it was an anagram.

## Story

### Pre-*Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep*

In the past, Eraqus was a Keyblade user alongside his fellow apprentice Xehanort. When Eraqus passed the Mark of Mastery, he succeeded his Master in becoming steward of the Land of Departure while Xehanort was free to travel the worlds as a Seeker.

Years later, Eraqus is reunited with his friend before learning of Xehanort's intent to recreate the χ-blade, the legendary weapon from which the Keyblades were modeled after and was capable of unlocking Kingdom Hearts, by causing another Keyblade War. When his pleas failed to reach him, Eraqus resolved to strike his friend down, only to be scarred instead. Sometime after, having took Aqua and Terra under his wing, Eraqus receives a new apprentice in Ventus, with Xehanort faking regret to win his friend's trust back for his agenda.

### *Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep*

Deeming his oldest apprentices ready, Master Eraqus prepares to hold the Mark of Mastery with Ventus and Xehanort as witnesses. The exam is carried out soon afterwards, with Aqua passing while Terra fails, Eraqus believing that Terra is unqualified on the grounds that he is unable to control his darkness yet personally feels that Terra has potential. Little does Eraqus know that Master Xehanort had used his dark powers to tamper with the course of the Exam itself.

Soon after, while educating Aqua on the responsibilty she now has, they are alerted by Yen Sid that the worlds are being attacked by mysterious creatures called Unversed. With Xehanort missing, Eraqus sends Terra and Aqua to find him while dealing with the threat. Sensing a possible connection between the two events, once Terra is out of view, Eraqus instructs Aqua to look after Terra to make sure he is not tempted by the darkness. However, after Terra departs, Aqua and Eraqus witness Ventus leaving as well, and he instructs Aqua to bring Ventus back.

When Ventus returns of his own will later, Eraqus attempts to welcome him back before the boy confronted him on what he knew about the χ-blade and how he is to make it. Realizing that Xehanort used him for his plan, Eraqus feels that he is left with no choice but to kill Ventus so Xehanort's scheme would fail. However, Xehanort expected the reaction and arranged for Terra to come to Ventus's aid. When Terra refuses to step aside, seeing that he has embraced his darkness, Eraqus attempts to kill Terra as well. After sending Ventus to the Destiny Islands, Terra uses his dark powers to mortally wound Eraqus. As both he and Terra show remorse for their actions against the other, more guilt-ridden as he attacked his own apprentices without a second thought, Eraqus is attacked from behind by Xehanort dealing the deathblow. Eraqus fades as he collapses into Terra's arms.

Eraqus's death, and the destruction of the Land of Departure, were Terra's sole motivation to confront Xehanort on the the Keyblade Graveyard. After taking Terra's body as his new vessel, amazed that Terra's heart is resisting his dominance, Xehanort learns that Eraqus's heart endured and entered Terra. Both Eraqus' position as protector of the Land of Departure, and his Keyblade, were inherited by Aqua.

### *Kingdom Hearts III*

n the E3 2015 trailer for *Kingdom Hearts III*, a young Eraqus and Xehanort discuss the Keyblade War over a game of chess.

### Personality

Master Eraqus is a strong Keyblade master, caring for Terra, Ventus, and Aqua as his own children. Stern and willing to instruct, one major goal he has in life appears to be preserving peace throughout the worlds, as he rashly attacks Ventus when Eraqus discovers that through his dark half, Vanitas, Ventus can create the χ-blade, the weapon that sparked the Keyblade War and the means Master Xehanort intends to use to fulfill his goals. Unlike Master Xehanort, Eraqus has an open aversion to darkness, believing that it must be destroyed at all costs, and has at least partially ingrained these beliefs into his apprentices.

Despite his sometimes cold actions toward his apprentices, he still cares deeply for them. He has Aqua look after Terra as he travels the worlds because he is concerned for him, apologizes to Ventus and appears deeply pained before he attempts to attack the boy, and sheds a tear when he is forced to face off against Terra. Despite his relationship with Xehanort having been strained over the years, Eraqus seems to attempt to overlook his former friend's past actions to a degree. Even after he and Xehanort have a fight that results in Eraqus being scarred, he still asks Xehanort to watch over the Mark of Mastery with him.