- Joined
- Oct 14, 2008
- Messages
- 1,176
This theory is primarily about the word 'sleep', what it means to be in sleep,
and how the state of sleep may involve Terra/Xehanort.
Below is text from the beginning of CoM,R/R. The theory that follows
involves much of this text so it is here for the reader to refer to.
The Beginning
Riku: Urgh... Where... where am I...?
DiZ: "Sleep."
Riku: Who's there?!
DiZ: "Sleep. Here, between light and dark."
Riku: Between... what? The king! Where's the king?! Together we closed the door to darkness, and after that... Grr, why can't I remember?
DiZ: "Your king is far away. Sleep, and leave the war with darkness in his hands. The thorny light of awakening will bring only anguish to one in your state. Turn from the light. Shut your eyes."
Riku: You talk like I'm some kind of demon of the dark.
DiZ: "Can you face the truth?"
DiZ: "Here, blanketed by the darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal."
Riku: Is this... a card?
DiZ: "It is a door to the truth. Take it, and your sleep ends. Take it, and take the first step toward the truth. But know this: The truth will bring you pain. Will you still go? There can be no returning to the sweet security of sleep."
Riku: Yeah, well... Seems like a boring place to take a nap anyway.
DiZ: "Well said, Riku."
Riku: A door to the truth, huh...
Hollow Bastion
Riku: This is Maleficent's castle! How'd I end up HERE? Someone must have brought me here while I was sleeping. But who?
DiZ: "What you see is not real. It's the world of your memory."
Riku: My memory?
DiZ: "The things you remember of Maleficent's castle from your time there. Those memories became a card, and that card made this world. The things you see — you've seen them all before, haven't you?"
Riku: Yeah... So what now? Am I supposed to learn something while I'm here? Maybe run into someone I know?
DiZ: "Ordinarily... yes. You would meet the people in your memories."
Riku: Ordinarily? Hey, I'm asking you a question! Fine. But it'd better be you I run across next, Voice. I'm sick of talking to thin air.
The Key of Beginnings room...
Riku: It's like he said — everything's just how I remember it. Even this room...
DiZ: "It must be nice being back in your old bedroom. Think of all the memories..."
Riku: You again. Sorry, but these memories I could do without. Maleficent gave me this room.
DiZ: "So she did. And you lived here, tempted by the darkness she offered. You cast away your home, your friends, everything... But at least they gave you a nice room."
Riku: Shut up.
The Key of Guidance room...
Riku: No one here, either... There's nothing but Heartless in this castle. Voice! I know you're watching — so explain this. Where are the people from my memories? Tell me!
DiZ: "Are you sure you want to see them?"
Riku: Of course I do.
DiZ: "But you cast them aside. To reach the outside world, you passed through the door to darkness. Behind you, you left family, friends, home — everything — all in pursuit of darkness."
Riku: But I cast that aside, too!
DiZ: "Then what do you have to show for it? First your home, then the dark. Your heart only knows how to throw things away. It's empty, like that room. Like your memories. That's why no one is in the castle with you. Your heart is hollow except for the darkness you couldn't quite shake off."
Riku: You're full of it! I rejected the darkness!
DiZ: "Ha ha ha... Did you really, now?"
The Key of Truth room…
Maleficent: I knew you’d return, Riku.
Riku: Maleficent! You’re Alive?!
Maleficent: You haven’t been paying attention. I’m a figment of your memory.
Riku: Of all the people I could run into, it had to be you…
Maleficent: Who else? Your heart is steeped in darkness. You can only see people who exist in that same darkness – people like me.
Riku: No…
Maleficent: Be grateful you have someone to keep you company. Your heart is empty. Were it not for darkness in your heart… …you would be completely alone.
Riku: That’s sounding pretty good just about now.
Maleficent: Come, now. You once clung to me to sate your hunger for darkness. You want me here. Who else could give you the darkness you long for?
Riku: There was a time I did want you around. I surrendered my heart to the dark. But never again. You and your darkness have nothing to offer. All I did was lose myself… Empty myself! I’m finished with all that. If I’m stuck seeing people like you, people of the dark… I’ll take you out one by one.
Maleficent: Then don’t forget to take yourself out last. Because you, like me, are one of the dark.
Riku: That’s fine with me. I turned to darkness because my heart was weak. I hate that weakness. It’s like I’m my own enemy. And seeing people like you embrace the darkness just make it worse! Enough talk, Maleficent.
Maleficent: So you hate the darkness enough to fight it… Oh, the agony you must feel! Let me end your pain, Riku – end with the wondrous power of darkness!
State of Sleep:
Consider this, what happens when a hearts rejects both light and darkness? A heart can never completely rid itself of both but if a heart was left with so little of both, it may become weak and hollow and perhaps even unable to sustain active force. A hollow heart could potentially collapse on itself.
Riku fell close to this state but in the most critical moment Riku’s heart found strength in his friends and avoided whatever horrible fate that would have befallen him.
When Riku awoke at the beginning of CoM,R/R he was technically in a sort of ‘Dive into the Heart’ of his own heart. It represented how he had pushed everything out of his heart. Riku stood in the Twilight on the verge of Oblivion. He still had his memories but they were wrapped in darkness and while in Castle Oblivion, he only saw people from his memories that were steeped in his same darkness.
Riku was an enemy of both dark and light in Castle Oblivion. At the end of Riku’s ordeal though had made the choice to walk the path of light and dark in hopes of eventually ridding himself of his own shadows.
As a result of Riku’s heart being hollow, he almost disappeared but he persisted onward to restore his heart.
What would have become of Riku if his heart had given in, or had disappeared? Might it have truly collapsed on itself and if so what would this mean for Riku?
Here’s what I think.
A virtually empty heart wouldn’t necessarily have to become a Heartless, since Heartless depend so very much on the individual’s own darkness in their heart, the kind of darkness an empty heart would be lacking. Theoretically an empty heart would be forced from its vessel and possibly have the ability to retain awareness as heart and thus migrate to another vessel.
To summarize this part of the theory, I think the state of sleep is when a heart rejects both light and darkness and becomes hollow and unable to sustain itself in a world of both so the heart is forced from the vessel but is safe from disappearing into darkness. It instead can decide for itself where it belongs.
Apprentice Xehanort Identity:
Keep an open mind about what I’m about to say. I think Terra alone is Xehanort. I don’t think the Dark Soldier or Master Xehanort is involved in anyway with the Xehanort of the current installments. For those who disagree, please hear me out.
There has more than enough evidence to suggest that Terra falls to darkness in BBS. I think I can explain the loss of memory without contributing the cause to the all so popular idea of ‘sudden amnesia’. Usually those who embrace darkness sacrifice their light in the process. Perhaps Terra steeped his heart in darkness a little too much. Though we know only bits and pieces of Terra’s personality, we would expect him to be a heroic character even if he does fall to darkness. He might try to purge his heart of darkness. If his heart was suddenly rid of darkness, might that make his heart hollow? To have initially embraced that darkness Terra would have had to turn his back on light. If his heart does become hollow it might explain Terra’s lost of memories seeing how memories primarily lie in one’s heart. Despite having a hollowed heart, like Riku, Terra may have survived. If so he may have ended up in Radiant Garden. His physical changes could be attributed to the intensity of the final confrontation in BBS. Perhaps a massive attack of some sort caused Terra’s altered appearance. Maybe embracing a new power triggered some sort of physical transformation. However like I stated before, his heart would be almost completely hollow and void of memories. Why then does he take the name Xehanort if his memories are?
Maleficent: Who else? Your heart is steeped in darkness. You can only see people who exist in that same darkness – people like me.
Lingering Sentiment: So you have returned, young Keyblade user. I have no further power to give you. All I have is my hatred towards Xehanort. Will you allow me to engrave that into your heart?
Lingering Sentiment is not ‘canon’ himself but his words do hold meaning. Like with Riku, Terra’s heart only recognized those in his memories who were steeped in darkness. Remnants of Terra’s memory of Master Xehanort were all that was left in his heart, or at least all he could remember being in the hollowed state he was in. His hate for Master Xehanort was engraved in his heart. It was all he had left.
Nomura has said that Xemnas might be a special Nobody. That’s a bit odd considering how Xemnas is often considered to have been born in a very normal case though he is undeniably a unique individual. Why might Xemnas be considered a special Nobody? Perhaps it is because his Heartless was a special Heartless. When Xehanort transcended to the existence of solely a heart, he retained his consciousness but didn’t materialize a physical form of darkness. He was solely a heart but unlike all Heartless in so many ways. To obtain a physical form he infiltrated Riku’s hearted and rematerialized his vessel into one of his liking. One with his image, (as well as partly resembling Master Xehanort) Also his clothes change to a black, white, red scheme. A most unusual Heartless indeed. I believe all the special qualities of Xehanort’s special Heartless could be explained by Terra’s hollowed heart with too little darkness to become a mindless Heartless. Terra’s heart perhaps was practically empty which would result in his so called Heartless to be practically nothing itself except for a conscious heart with a transparent form until it migrated to Riku’s vessel and took it for his own.
Xemnas has no exceedingly unique properties himself excluding how he might have memories his original self did not have at the time the heart left the body. The only reason Xemnas might be a special Nobody is because his Heartless may be a special Heartless.
Those are my reasons for believing Xehanort’s heart is Terra’s hollowed heart, a heart dangerous near the State of Sleep. Personally I think there might be another individual whose heart is also in a similar state but that’s another theory entirely. Please comment about what you think about this theory below.
and how the state of sleep may involve Terra/Xehanort.
Below is text from the beginning of CoM,R/R. The theory that follows
involves much of this text so it is here for the reader to refer to.
The Beginning
Riku: Urgh... Where... where am I...?
DiZ: "Sleep."
Riku: Who's there?!
DiZ: "Sleep. Here, between light and dark."
Riku: Between... what? The king! Where's the king?! Together we closed the door to darkness, and after that... Grr, why can't I remember?
DiZ: "Your king is far away. Sleep, and leave the war with darkness in his hands. The thorny light of awakening will bring only anguish to one in your state. Turn from the light. Shut your eyes."
Riku: You talk like I'm some kind of demon of the dark.
DiZ: "Can you face the truth?"
DiZ: "Here, blanketed by the darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal."
Riku: Is this... a card?
DiZ: "It is a door to the truth. Take it, and your sleep ends. Take it, and take the first step toward the truth. But know this: The truth will bring you pain. Will you still go? There can be no returning to the sweet security of sleep."
Riku: Yeah, well... Seems like a boring place to take a nap anyway.
DiZ: "Well said, Riku."
Riku: A door to the truth, huh...
Hollow Bastion
Riku: This is Maleficent's castle! How'd I end up HERE? Someone must have brought me here while I was sleeping. But who?
DiZ: "What you see is not real. It's the world of your memory."
Riku: My memory?
DiZ: "The things you remember of Maleficent's castle from your time there. Those memories became a card, and that card made this world. The things you see — you've seen them all before, haven't you?"
Riku: Yeah... So what now? Am I supposed to learn something while I'm here? Maybe run into someone I know?
DiZ: "Ordinarily... yes. You would meet the people in your memories."
Riku: Ordinarily? Hey, I'm asking you a question! Fine. But it'd better be you I run across next, Voice. I'm sick of talking to thin air.
The Key of Beginnings room...
Riku: It's like he said — everything's just how I remember it. Even this room...
DiZ: "It must be nice being back in your old bedroom. Think of all the memories..."
Riku: You again. Sorry, but these memories I could do without. Maleficent gave me this room.
DiZ: "So she did. And you lived here, tempted by the darkness she offered. You cast away your home, your friends, everything... But at least they gave you a nice room."
Riku: Shut up.
The Key of Guidance room...
Riku: No one here, either... There's nothing but Heartless in this castle. Voice! I know you're watching — so explain this. Where are the people from my memories? Tell me!
DiZ: "Are you sure you want to see them?"
Riku: Of course I do.
DiZ: "But you cast them aside. To reach the outside world, you passed through the door to darkness. Behind you, you left family, friends, home — everything — all in pursuit of darkness."
Riku: But I cast that aside, too!
DiZ: "Then what do you have to show for it? First your home, then the dark. Your heart only knows how to throw things away. It's empty, like that room. Like your memories. That's why no one is in the castle with you. Your heart is hollow except for the darkness you couldn't quite shake off."
Riku: You're full of it! I rejected the darkness!
DiZ: "Ha ha ha... Did you really, now?"
The Key of Truth room…
Maleficent: I knew you’d return, Riku.
Riku: Maleficent! You’re Alive?!
Maleficent: You haven’t been paying attention. I’m a figment of your memory.
Riku: Of all the people I could run into, it had to be you…
Maleficent: Who else? Your heart is steeped in darkness. You can only see people who exist in that same darkness – people like me.
Riku: No…
Maleficent: Be grateful you have someone to keep you company. Your heart is empty. Were it not for darkness in your heart… …you would be completely alone.
Riku: That’s sounding pretty good just about now.
Maleficent: Come, now. You once clung to me to sate your hunger for darkness. You want me here. Who else could give you the darkness you long for?
Riku: There was a time I did want you around. I surrendered my heart to the dark. But never again. You and your darkness have nothing to offer. All I did was lose myself… Empty myself! I’m finished with all that. If I’m stuck seeing people like you, people of the dark… I’ll take you out one by one.
Maleficent: Then don’t forget to take yourself out last. Because you, like me, are one of the dark.
Riku: That’s fine with me. I turned to darkness because my heart was weak. I hate that weakness. It’s like I’m my own enemy. And seeing people like you embrace the darkness just make it worse! Enough talk, Maleficent.
Maleficent: So you hate the darkness enough to fight it… Oh, the agony you must feel! Let me end your pain, Riku – end with the wondrous power of darkness!
State of Sleep:
Consider this, what happens when a hearts rejects both light and darkness? A heart can never completely rid itself of both but if a heart was left with so little of both, it may become weak and hollow and perhaps even unable to sustain active force. A hollow heart could potentially collapse on itself.
Riku fell close to this state but in the most critical moment Riku’s heart found strength in his friends and avoided whatever horrible fate that would have befallen him.
When Riku awoke at the beginning of CoM,R/R he was technically in a sort of ‘Dive into the Heart’ of his own heart. It represented how he had pushed everything out of his heart. Riku stood in the Twilight on the verge of Oblivion. He still had his memories but they were wrapped in darkness and while in Castle Oblivion, he only saw people from his memories that were steeped in his same darkness.
Riku was an enemy of both dark and light in Castle Oblivion. At the end of Riku’s ordeal though had made the choice to walk the path of light and dark in hopes of eventually ridding himself of his own shadows.
As a result of Riku’s heart being hollow, he almost disappeared but he persisted onward to restore his heart.
What would have become of Riku if his heart had given in, or had disappeared? Might it have truly collapsed on itself and if so what would this mean for Riku?
Here’s what I think.
A virtually empty heart wouldn’t necessarily have to become a Heartless, since Heartless depend so very much on the individual’s own darkness in their heart, the kind of darkness an empty heart would be lacking. Theoretically an empty heart would be forced from its vessel and possibly have the ability to retain awareness as heart and thus migrate to another vessel.
To summarize this part of the theory, I think the state of sleep is when a heart rejects both light and darkness and becomes hollow and unable to sustain itself in a world of both so the heart is forced from the vessel but is safe from disappearing into darkness. It instead can decide for itself where it belongs.
Apprentice Xehanort Identity:
Keep an open mind about what I’m about to say. I think Terra alone is Xehanort. I don’t think the Dark Soldier or Master Xehanort is involved in anyway with the Xehanort of the current installments. For those who disagree, please hear me out.
There has more than enough evidence to suggest that Terra falls to darkness in BBS. I think I can explain the loss of memory without contributing the cause to the all so popular idea of ‘sudden amnesia’. Usually those who embrace darkness sacrifice their light in the process. Perhaps Terra steeped his heart in darkness a little too much. Though we know only bits and pieces of Terra’s personality, we would expect him to be a heroic character even if he does fall to darkness. He might try to purge his heart of darkness. If his heart was suddenly rid of darkness, might that make his heart hollow? To have initially embraced that darkness Terra would have had to turn his back on light. If his heart does become hollow it might explain Terra’s lost of memories seeing how memories primarily lie in one’s heart. Despite having a hollowed heart, like Riku, Terra may have survived. If so he may have ended up in Radiant Garden. His physical changes could be attributed to the intensity of the final confrontation in BBS. Perhaps a massive attack of some sort caused Terra’s altered appearance. Maybe embracing a new power triggered some sort of physical transformation. However like I stated before, his heart would be almost completely hollow and void of memories. Why then does he take the name Xehanort if his memories are?
Maleficent: Who else? Your heart is steeped in darkness. You can only see people who exist in that same darkness – people like me.
Lingering Sentiment: So you have returned, young Keyblade user. I have no further power to give you. All I have is my hatred towards Xehanort. Will you allow me to engrave that into your heart?
Lingering Sentiment is not ‘canon’ himself but his words do hold meaning. Like with Riku, Terra’s heart only recognized those in his memories who were steeped in darkness. Remnants of Terra’s memory of Master Xehanort were all that was left in his heart, or at least all he could remember being in the hollowed state he was in. His hate for Master Xehanort was engraved in his heart. It was all he had left.
Nomura has said that Xemnas might be a special Nobody. That’s a bit odd considering how Xemnas is often considered to have been born in a very normal case though he is undeniably a unique individual. Why might Xemnas be considered a special Nobody? Perhaps it is because his Heartless was a special Heartless. When Xehanort transcended to the existence of solely a heart, he retained his consciousness but didn’t materialize a physical form of darkness. He was solely a heart but unlike all Heartless in so many ways. To obtain a physical form he infiltrated Riku’s hearted and rematerialized his vessel into one of his liking. One with his image, (as well as partly resembling Master Xehanort) Also his clothes change to a black, white, red scheme. A most unusual Heartless indeed. I believe all the special qualities of Xehanort’s special Heartless could be explained by Terra’s hollowed heart with too little darkness to become a mindless Heartless. Terra’s heart perhaps was practically empty which would result in his so called Heartless to be practically nothing itself except for a conscious heart with a transparent form until it migrated to Riku’s vessel and took it for his own.
Xemnas has no exceedingly unique properties himself excluding how he might have memories his original self did not have at the time the heart left the body. The only reason Xemnas might be a special Nobody is because his Heartless may be a special Heartless.
Those are my reasons for believing Xehanort’s heart is Terra’s hollowed heart, a heart dangerous near the State of Sleep. Personally I think there might be another individual whose heart is also in a similar state but that’s another theory entirely. Please comment about what you think about this theory below.
Last edited:
