Dark Road ► [SPOILER] Xehanort is the child of destiny

[bambii (aka foreteller)]

Just finished DR the other day, I have many thoughts but there's one thing I've been chewing on that I'm 99% sure most people are getting wrong because they're misunderstanding contextual dialogue.

Xehanort is very clearly the child of destiny, which is one and the same with "the chosen one," "the dark seeker," and "the singularity." Let me explain.

Let's recount every known instance in which a person matching any of these descriptions has been referred to across the series (please let me know if I've missed any):

1. KH3 Secret Report #12 (Luxu): "Somewhere in this cyclical history of bequeathings, a chosen one will appear and reenact the Keyblade War. When this scapegoat arrives and takes my Keyblade in hand, that will be the time to take the stage and finish my role."
2. KH3 Secret Report #13 (Luxu): "The Keyblade has been successfully passed down, generation to generation, and it seems a Keyblade Master devoted to the darkness may finally arise."
   • Note: We can deduce from the context that the "Keyblade Master devoted to the darkness" is the "the chosen one" Luxu is referring to. And this person... is Xehanort.
3. Dark Road Episode 5: The Master of Masters finds Xehanort in a dark corridor, approaches and says, "So, you're the singularity."
   • Note: Nothing in Dark Road contradicts the idea that Xehanort = singularity. As far as we know this is still true. So, so far we have Xehanort = chosen one = Keyblade Master devoted to darkness = singularity.
   • Speculation: I find it interesting that this is what the MoM refers to him as. The MoM of course wrote the Book of Prophecies, and as some have pointed out it's likely he never actually used the term "chosen one" or "child of destiny" or anything like that; more likely, MoM wrote about this individual who is a significant anomaly, a "singularity," and Scala society formed a mythos around this prophesied messiah figure.
   • Speculation #2: Further, the MoM—after recognizing Xehanort as the "singularity"—proceeds to be the primary instigator who sets Xehanort on a dark path. This is 100% part of MoM's ultimate plan to defeat the darkness. Xehanort is in some ways quite literally the Master of Master's "chosen one," though it remains to be seen how much of this is actually in his hands, seeing as he first identified something natural/pre-existing in Xehanort that makes him the "singularity."
   • Speculation #3: "Singularity" itself could refer to several things here; Nomura has actually used the term once before in the KH3 Ultimania, referring to Sora's misuse of the Power of Waking and rewriting of reality as having created a singularity. I don't know to what extent these are related but it's certainly interesting and points to clear parallels with Sora, which I'll acknowledge more later. Another possibility, though, is that these 2 things are unrelated/a coincidence of localization, and Xehanort being a singularity relates to the fact that "Xehanort can transcend space and time" (as Riku says near the end of KH3). Which—to be fair—again draws parallels with Sora, who pulls some shit in ReMind. Maybe all this relates to what Terranort calls "the forbidden path" in ReMind, a path we know only Xehanort and Sora to have walked.
4. Dark Road Episode 7: Master Xehanort reflects "My first mentor taught me that the one inscribed in the Book, the one chosen to be a dark vessel, can connect their heart to others and feel what they feel."
   • Note: This is referring to the child of destiny. Player/Blue Coat is talking about “the one inscribed in the book” here. The latter criteria ("can connect their heart to others and feel what they feel") is also later described as a characteristic of the "child of destiny." Occam's razor: why would we assume these to be referring to 2 separate people? It’s the one inscribed in the book, not the two inscribed in the book.
   • Note #2: Xehanort obviously believes himself to be this person, as he proceeds to open himself up to "embrace these emotions" and "be deemed worthy." Interestingly, he then glances deviously at Ven. Then, in the literal next scene...
5. Dark Road Episode 7: Master Xehanort to Eraqus about Ven: "But... I think he may be the one." "Are you sure?" "Yes. He's a special boy, one who deserves to be guided by a true heir to light."
   • Note/Speculation: Ok, let's be very clear here about Xehanort's known intentions in Birth By Sleep. Quote from Xehanort's Report XI from Birth By Sleep: "Eraqus seemed delighted to see me again. He readily agreed to take care of Ventus. Now I need only wait for the boy's heart to get stronger." At this point, his sole purpose is for Ventus and Vanitas to clash. He needs Eraqus to take him in to strengthen him and his light. To me, the subtext between the previous scene and this one is very clearly that Xehanort is just saying this/lying about "the one" thing to get Eraqus to treat him with special care. It's pretty firmly established at this point that Xehanort actually believes himself to be "the one," not Ven.
6. Dark Road Episode 7: Master Odin: "The dark seekerwill finally be upon us."
   • Note: I mean, this is referring to Xehanort. Xehanort is the dark seeker. Duh. So, now we have Xehanort = the chosen one (according to Luxu) = Keyblade Master devoted to darkness = singularity = the one inscribed in the book = the one chosen to be a dark vessel = the dark seeker. We're getting warmer.
7. Dark Road Last Episode: Luxu/Bragi: "Guess it wasn't him after all." [Flashback to scene with Baldr]. "Tough luck. No chosen oneyet. But Xehanort could be useful..."
   • Note: The meaning here is pretty obvious if you don't overthink it. This is clearly taking place before KH3 Secret Report #13, which is written after Luxu realizes that Xehanort is the chosen one. At this point in Dark Road, Luxu had thought Baldr might be the chosen one/the dark seeker/etc.—but then Baldr dies. But, this helps establish another key criteria for Luxu in searching for the "chosen one"—they are Keyblade wielders, they are deep empaths, they are aligned with powerful darkness, and they desire to open Kingdom Hearts. These are all true for Baldr (hence why Luxu initially thinks it's him), and the same will also be true for Xehanort.
   • Speculation: Perhaps the "singularity" really does just refer to someone who opens Kingdom Hearts, which—lest we forget—Xehanort succeeds in doing at the end of KH3. He's stopped from following through on purging the world, but Kingdom Hearts is opened, and all kinds of weirdness ensues (like, all those fucking keyholes and meteors and moons appearing all over the place in ReMind). And of course, after this we learn about Quadratum; a world without light or darkness (as described by both Ansem the Wise and Apprentice Xehanort). My best guess at this point is that Quadratum actually comes into existence—or, if pre-existing, becomes somehow connected to the KH universe—when Xehanort opens Kingdom Hearts in KH3. This is pseudo-evidenced by two things: 1) in Union X, the MoM hints at Quadratum when he says "Although, I did see something interesting in the future. [...] A world I can't even conceive;" and 2) in Dark Road, when Xehanort's talking about having a 14th life beyond his 13 lives, he describes it as "One more to explore the new world" after "rebuilding the world." We know MoM's plan is to rid the world of darkness, and Quadratum is a world without light or darkness. So: yeah. The chosen one, the dark seeker, the singularity—in my humble opinion, these are all referring to a person, essentially chosen by the MoM, who will open Kingdom Hearts as a means to put an end to darkness (by creating a "new world"). Which finally brings us to...
8. Dark Road Secret Ending: Player/Blue Coat to baby Xehanort: "The child of destiny." "Me? But what's a child of destiny?" "A special child that saves the world from the darkness. [...] I learned that light was to expire and darkness prevail, but that the child of destiny would change this outcome."
   • I mean, the proof is all in the pudding. First of all, Player/Blue Coat is very, very, extremely sure that Xehanort is the child of destiny. He says as much: "You can sense what's in the hearts of others. Without a doubt, you are the child of destiny."
   • Importantly, note that "sensing what's in the hearts of others" and "the ability to feel, share, and embrace what others feel in their hearts" are also true for "the one chosen to be a dark vessel," which is who Master Xehanort believes himself to be in Episode 7. Master Xehanort also clearly believes himself to be the child of destiny, since he's been told as much in his childhood. Coincidence? Nah, they're the same damn thing. Xehanort = the chosen one = Keyblade Master devoted to darkness = the singularity = the one chosen to be a dark vessel = the one inscribed in the book = the dark seeker = the child of destiny.
   • I've seen a lot of people get thrown off by the final line by Player/Blue Coat: "Perhaps it's still too soon." A lot of people seem to think he means maybe it's not actually Xehanort, that it's too soon for the chosen one to arrive. Um, no, that's not what he's saying. (Also, it'd be really weird for him to mean this moments after saying "Without a doubt, you are a child of destiny.") Take a look at the sequence below.

​

Baby Xehanort falls asleep. He's literally just saying "nevermind, you're still a little child—it's too soon to tell you all this stuff."

Now, the elephant in the room: obviously, there are a ton of strange parallels with Sora, and these are clearly intentional. These include:

1. Hails from the isles of destiny
2. Has the ability to "feel, share, and embrace what others feel in their hearts"
3. Changes of the outcome of "light will expire, and darkness prevail"—as Sora does when he rewrites time
4. (Maybe) both have some relation to a "singularity"

...but, on the other hand, as far as we know Sora is not a dark vessel or a dark seeker, and certainly does not wish to start a Keyblade War/open Kingdom Hearts. So at this point, my proposal is: all these references to chosen one/child of destiny/dark seeker/etc etc clearly all originally reference Xehanort. Keep in mind, the Book of Prophecies—from which all this derives—ends when darkness initially prevails in KH3. That's the end of the Book. That's as far as it sees. At most, the Book vaguely indicates that there is someone who will arise that can set in motion a series of events which will change that fate. That person is Xehanort. Without a doubt. Keep in mind, Xehanort's plan is not for darkness to prevail. Xehanort/Org XIII wants the same thing as the MoM here, for different reasons; he wants to get past the end of the Book (and, presumably, open Kingdom Hearts). Hence why Xigbar comes out near the end of KH3 and says "We gotta make sure you're not blundering your way toward a second failure."

BUT: whatever happens after the Book ends is essentially a free-for-all. Sora becomes the central figure. I can't really speak to this, because we'll just have to wait and see, but one possibility is that, at the end of KH3—when Master Xehanort bequeaths the X-Blade to Sora—he is in some ways also passing on the responsibility or role of the "chosen one"/"child of destiny." I think it's entirely possible Sora becomes this person, but he is not the chosen one spoken of/written about up until this point, or at least until the end of Book, when events are re-written.

/end. Let me know your thoughts.

 

[Sonofjafar]

If Xehanort is still the child of destiny, I don’t think the prophecy is worth bringing into fruition

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

If Xehanort is still the child of destiny, I don’t think the prophecy is worth bringing into fruition

The idea is that he is still the Child of Destiny because he was integral to Sora averting the prophecy. Without Xehanort’s actions, then Darkness surely would have prevailed. But by setting the stage, playing the role of the Seeker, he saved the universe.

And that’s sort of what makes this whole Child of Destiny stuff messy. Everybody is the Child of Destiny because there is no “true” Child of Destiny.

 

[LoneFox]

Keep in mind, the Book of Prophecies—from which all this derives—ends when darkness initially prevails in KH3. That's the end of the Book. That's as far as it sees.

This is the key point. The Book doesn't have a savior who would prevent or revert the Final Prophecy. Therefore, the idea must come from somewhere else. The Player may still assume it is originally from the Book, because it seems clear that at this point the original Book is lost, and they don't know what it actually says.

Now, who added it and why? There are several options:

First, @bambii in the OP is assuming that it is a corruption of what the Book says about the Dark Master. This doesn't seem very likely to me, because it would completely flip the meaning of the Prophecy. But then again, I have seen religious crackpots claiming equally weird things in real life, so I guess it's not completely out of question.

Second possiblity is what I posted already in the other thread: Someone (Skuld, or maybe Ephemer) who has been in the future and seen what Sora did, brought this information to the past and added it to the story from the Book. They would have done this to tell people that while the Prophecy is true, there is no need to worry about it.

Third, it could be a false prophecy invented as an attempt to change the future. Maybe the leaders of Scala correctly identified Babynort as the Dark Master and devised a plan to prevent him becoming that by making him think that he is supposed to be a champion of light instead.

Fourth, it may have no significance for the story at all. Maybe it is just Nomura's way of saying that he would prefer the main protagonist of the series to be someone like young Xehanort instead of Sora...

That's all I can think of. Have I missed anything?

 

[bambii (aka foreteller)]

This is the key point. The Book doesn't have a savior who would prevent or revert the Final Prophecy. Therefore, the idea must come from somewhere else. The Player may still assume it is originally from the Book, because it seems clear that at this point the original Book is lost, and they don't know what it actually says.

It's a good point; even if the Book does speak of a "chosen one," it wouldn't be able to speak to the actual outcome post-darkness prevailing, since that's when it ends. It almost certainly does speak of a dark seeker, since No Name has a front-row seat of everything Xehanort does for, like, 75 years. It's possible, yes, that the "child of destiny" part could be coming from a source extraneous to the Book (possibly referring to Sora), and that this was conflated with the dark seeker at some point. I'm hesitant to buy that theory though, because it relies on a lot of speculation. The dark seeker/child of destiny being the same thing and both referring to Xehanort is just the simpler answer at this point, a conclusion we don't really need any additional information to arrive at. That's not to say Nomura couldn't throw us for a loop down the line—as he is known to do—but to his credit, he is also incredibly straightforward at times. Bragi = Luxu being one example.

Personally, my guess is it simply boils down to the fact that the Master of Masters knows a lot that we don't know. He wrote the Book. So, he sees Xehanort through his eye, knows that his actions as dark seeker will lead to darkness prevailing. But I'm fairly certain MoM is aware of events past the end of the Book. I say this for three reasons: 1) In Union X he hints as much when he says "Although, I did see something interesting in the future. [...] A world I can't event conceive." 2) No Name survives past the end of the Book. In fact, by the end of the 7 vs 13 clash, Xehanort is holding 13 No Name Keyblades. And of course Luxu picks it up after all is said and done. The MoM sees this shit. 3) Keep in mind, the MoM knows True Darkness has read the Book. True Darkness was literally watching over his shoulder as he wrote it. If the MoM is trying to thwart Darkness, he wouldn't reveal everything. Also, the guy is known to be vague and misleading. He totally would write something like "yup, in the end, darkness prevails and light expires," even though he knows there's more to it.

Point is, the fact that the Book ends with darkness prevailing doesn't preclude the Book from talking about Xehanort as the savior. As long as the MoM is aware of what happens after the end of the Book—and all signs indicate that he almost certainly is—it is entirely possible that he, as the author of the Book, would refer to both "the dark seeker" and "the child of destiny" in the same breath, knowing that Xehanort's actions would lead to a new outcome and, ultimately, Kingdom Hearts opening. (And again, Xehanort's plot was not for darkness to prevail; his plan of the 7 vs 13 clashing only comes into fruition after that).

But, I will grant this: the MoM is a devious and tricky fucker, so I wouldn't put it past him to be intentionally misleading by referring to the dark seeker as the child of destiny. It's like @Oracle Spockanort said, though—this whole "child of destiny"/"chosen one"/whatever label is just a construct… of the Master of Masters. Just like "the traitor." He's driving Xehanort to do exactly what he wants him to do. The guy is toying with fate. Writing it, even. The whole thing's a big paradox.

My argument here is just that what is being called "the child of destiny" in Dark Road is referring to Xehanort.

 

[LoneFox]

Maybe we are both right. I realized there is a fifth option. What we know about the Book comes mostly from the Foretellers. If the child of destiny thing was in their Books, they would have noticed it for sure, and we would know about that. But maybe there is a second lost page that only Ephemer's copy of the Book has, and the child of destiny is on that page? The purpose would of course be tricking Scala's inhabitants into protecting and helping Xehanort.

No Name survives past the end of the Book. In fact, by the end of the 7 vs 13 clash, Xehanort is holding 13 No Name Keyblades. And of course Luxu picks it up after all is said and done. The MoM sees this shit.

My understanding is that when Sora created the new timeline, he caused the Eye to lose its connection to the past and therefore the MoM doesn't know anything about what happens afterwards. His plan involves destroying the existing universe, and he believes it will actually happen. If he knew about those events, he would consider his plan to be a failure.

In fact, I believe that thinking about this made me understand what he is trying to do... Think this way: if darkness destroys everything including itself, and if the MoM then can make enough light to exist to rebuild the world with no darkness at all, then he has won. Now, what is needed for that to happen?