The Ether master post. Brace yourself.
I wrote this years ago, some things are subject to change, but this is my dumb oc x canon tomfoolery 😔
Ether~✨
Age as of KH3 Remind: 28
Identity: Gender-fluid, appearance and pronouns fluctuate thusly.
Sexuality: bi/pan
General description: Short curly hair usually in a pixie style. Eyes are a deep shade of Purple which allow her to see especially well in the dark. Her eyes in general are slightly downturned with the lashes on the bottom being longer than the top.
Personality:
Ether is a free spirited personality finding the action of idleness to be a fate worse than death. Ether is hoarding knowledge above all else most of the time. Visiting worlds as a form of field research for their magic. All of it for personal fulfillment
Ether follows the morality of justice above all. Despite their nosy tendencies they visit places with the utmost respect for them. Often changing their clothes and general appearance to the cultures they visit. They never take more than is welcome of them.
Ether, however, is not above being an ass. If it is someone she deems deserving (Axel 😌) they’ll tease and play around with them. Often finding amusement in pissing them off. Despite their initial opinion of someone it is not set in stone. One could very easily change their mind. (axel)
Background (buckle up):
Daybreak town/unionX:
Ether was born in the age of fairytales, one of the youngest keyblade wielders of their time in daybreak town. (9yrs) they were positioned in the Anguis Union with no real loyalty to it. As young as they were the concept of ‘us and them’ was ineffective when attempted brainwashing occurred.
Thus, Ether believed everyone was meant to be on the same team. Even at a young age traveling worlds was something that always called to their heart. They felt more connected to the people they met on the outside of daybreak town (Princesses and other colorful characters). Though if one person were to be kind to Ether it would have been Skuld. She got close to becoming an elder sibling figure but the war occurred too quickly for that role to solidify.
Ether was not chosen to be a dandelion. Which was something they understood and internalized for the rest of their life. When the war began a child as young as nine was forced to witness the deaths of thousands. Being made to defend themselves from their peers a little older than them. Fear and abandonment were all Ether knew that day which seemed to last a lifetime. It was a foreteller themself who almost took Ethers life.
It is unknown where Ether found the power to do what they did, but the desire to live plus an unmoving sense of being betrayed not only destroyed their keyblade, but miles around them like a bomb. While a keyblade can be broken to reverse the right of annulment is to destroy its tie to the heart. Young, and sloppy Ether shattered their heart into countless pieces. By all means they should have had the same fate as the rest of the children around them. However, a chirithy with the same rebellious spirit as them watched as the hearts were swallowed to create the dream eater and chose an option no one thought to. Time.
By reattributing their life to the one who gave it to them the Chirithy gave Ether the gift of sleep. One that they will awake from when the time is right. Their body protected in a stasis; floating like a shooting star through a universe once beautiful is akin to a legend, is it not?
Radiant garden/BBS:
Thousands of years passed and the universe was desperate to rewrite itself building worlds and hearts out of place and out of order. Amongst these stars a curious soul not much different to Ether was the one to wake them.
Merlin, a wise old wizard with a tendency towards mentorship found and collected a shooting star. Breaking the stasis and giving Ether one more chance to live.
Ether was somewhat of an odd ball in Radiant Garden. Their eyes were sensitive to light so they spent time out in the world at night. They never went to school because Merlin rightfully believed he could teach them better himself. A child who became magically acclimated and brimmed with trauma (yay!).
Despite the six years Ether spent growing up in this kingdom, Ether only ever crossed paths like a spirit with the children their age. Lea, Ienzo, Isa, knew nothing of them and for the longest time Ether preferred it that way.
The realm of light/beforeKH1:
Ether had successfully kept from the manipulative eye of Xehanort so when Radiant Garden fell to darkness Ether was spared the fate of the organization. The walls between worlds broke and an old passion once dormant seemed to find a new light in the vast cosmos awaiting them. As the world fell apart, and Ether once again felt the pain of grief, Ether found the unhealthy coping mechanism of running. Even as Merlin was brought to Traverse Town Ether was nowhere to be seen, rejecting their past for fear of losing more than they could take.
The “Greatest wizard in the cosmos” -according to themselves/ KH1:
Now an adult (25) Ethers power only grew exponentially due to endless study and learning from the worlds around them. Despite this, they kept everything they owned on them at all times, effectively homeless but more so as a choice. Things became worse, however. Who knew the walls between worlds shattering could cause such damage?? Places they once visited often became swallowed by darkness disappearing from the space they once took up. Almost as if grief was coming to haunt them. But with the emotional constipation they’ve had for about ten years now, the “it is what it is” mentality kept them blissfully uncaring. (They say as they care so much)
It wasn’t until a young boy wielding a long familiar weapon came falling from the sky one day. Sora, along with two, goofy and Donald. Came crashing into every world they could with the sole mission of righting the wrongs plaguing the universe. “What a familiar passion”, Ether couldn’t help but think. Seeing themselves in the boy, despite keeping a distance one thing they could offer was the promise of power if Sora could find them and earn it.
The mended walls/KHcom:
With the universe healed somewhat to something they remember from 10 years ago, Ether longed for a new method of travel. Gummi-ship was too bulk, it lacked finesse. Now the dark corridors the organization used? That’s interesting. Ether remained mostly undetected infiltrating castle oblivion, except for a traitor who had nothing better to do than spy and swat them down like a fly. (Unsuccessfully much to his ‘dismay’)
Ether came to the castle to find something new, and new they did find. A boy, silvery hair, who accepted the darkness within himself. A sight Ether had never quite heard of before (and they’ve been around). That unwavering curiosity finally influenced their desire for meddling and that’s when Riku was offered the same deal Sora made not that long ago. A battle, and in return knowledge.
Ethers time in the castle was not more than a passion project but they left with more information than the organization wanted, and Axels report was… less than favorable.
358/2 days:
Ether maintains their lifestyle with some more optimism than they started. Worlds once fallen to darkness were restored to the light, leaving Ether a vast new opportunity for exploration. However, with the organization now aware of Ether existence and meddlesome behavior they quickly became a target. A target, the designated Assassin, Axel, was sent to kill.
Ether is fast and crafty, never outright *defeating* let alone hurting Axel but nearly always escaping him. He got good at finding them but the mission mostly ended the same. Their frequent battles take place in the realm of light in the space between worlds.
Over the course of a year Ether met the rest of the faces present at the organization and individually they had quite a personality to them. Their curiosity may have been piqued for what this ‘nobody’ might entail but since the research kept coming to them there was no need to get nosy. As of yet, that is.
With the frequent reports of many different members coming back empty handed. That became the norm and thus accepted. However, Axel was still sent, over and over, hopefully to find Ethers weakness. If not to wear them down. The events of 358/2 play out normally with Ether only really coming in contact with Axel. As such Axel's heart grows with his connections to Roxas and Xion.
There is one point where Axel lands a hit on Ether. A scorch of flames up their back sends them crashing to the ground. Axel had been newly acquainted with guilt recently and this had a new intensity to it. What really got to him was Ether still refusing to defend themselves with violence, despite the fact he knew them capable.
Ether hadn’t been hit like that in a very long time and in the haze of their panic all they could think to do was put distance between them. The extent of Ethers power seems vast, and yet rarely do they use it. Out in the expanse of the realm in between Ether split the foundation of the rock they fought upon and hurtled their own fast and far from him.
Axel, his stubbornness, and the pang in his chest decided to chase them. Not to finish the job despite himself but ensure their health. Their banter between each fight was always teasing, flirtatious. He by no means had a reason to hate them. Ether putting up a barrier suddenly in his presence was a rejection he didn’t expect to hate. Axel knows Cura just like most of the organization and that’s when he finally decided to take up Ethers offer to just talk.
With his loyalty to the org wavering with every passing, desertion of Xion, question from Roxas, and insult from Saix. Putting in his effort felt less on his agenda. Especially not when Ether kept themselves under the radar for the most part. Ether never stopped flirting; something he didn’t quite understand. They're academic at heart, and there’s no way they missed the nature of a Nobody but flatly they seemed to never care. Even he was surprised by his own reciprocation when it started.
Axel had two places now with which he could stay content. Looking at the sunset with Roxas and Xion, and looking at the stars with Ether.
Ether framed it as a simple experiment to see if what the organization says about nobody’s is true; The affection between them. If they were both honest with themselves it was more than that. It was an easy thing to hide too, the same mission every so often like a routine, always coming back with nothing and the occasional lie. That was something Axel was used to by now.
It wasn’t until Ether met Roxas and Xion that they felt the effects of the organization's evil. Roxas was the first they sent and Ether could feel their conscience screaming. An adult stuck in this situation is one thing. A child, who knows no better than what they’re taught, is entirely another.
Roxas seemed mainly confused when they met. Ether didn’t seem intimidating at all, let alone a threat. Especially when Ether was kind to him. Their guilt was not readable but it was there. Ether flatly refused to fight him, offering time away to suggest they did. Ether knew of Roxas through Axel but never understood that he was so young. By all means they *knew* but seeing it is different.
Xion was the last straw. A young girl so riddled with the voices of another in her head telling her she’s nothing. Xion tried so hard to go for Ether but it doesn’t work that way. Xion was the only member who reacted emotionally to defeat. Devastation was what it was akin to. Ethers comfort was a surprising contrast to the others in her life.
Ether continued their lifestyle, traveling unless bumped into by the organization. It went from a fun surprise to something they dreaded. They could feel Axel pulling away, coming less and less to see them. When Xion came to them with the desperate plea to live, to exist, to be remembered, Ether didn’t have an answer.
But they promised they would remember. No matter what that meant.
Kh2: Xion had vanished. They didn’t have to be there to know it happened it’s easy to tell with these sorts of things. They had expected to see Axel again at least once afterwards. Ether knew telling him about Xion wouldn’t do any good but seeing him might make this mourning process easier. However, things went on a while and Axel was nowhere. Usually aloof and hands-offish they couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Against their better judgment they decided to pursue it. Traveling the worlds became more like a wild goose chase looking for the redhead in question, or even evidence of the organization at all. They found plenty of that, and where that was they had expected Roxas.
Instead, they found Sora. Ether cared for the kid, they found themselves doing that a lot recently but they knew what Sora being awake meant. Roxas was gone too. Sora seemed oblivious to the death that surrounded him and Ether couldn’t shake their envy. They had been wandering around the land of dragons before long Sora ran head first into them. As silly as usual. Sora playfully requested a rematch. Much to Ethers own surprise they decided to agree.
Sora once again triumphant was sent on his way with another token of Ethers teachings, his head held high. But Ethers dread kept sinking deeper into their stomach. Where was Axel? What reckless thing was he doing? Their search continued.
Then— it ended. The same feeling they had when Xion was gone. That absent feeling when Ether saw Sora. It was getting worse and they followed it. They were intimately acquainted with loss, none of this should’ve been different.
Ethers magic found him before they did, desperately trying to hold him together. Ether arrived just after Sora had left through the portal made with the last of Axel’s power. Ether had enough to pull pieces of him back together but it was too little. He seemed surprised, but it didn’t last long. He knew them better than they realized. Their hands tried to reach out, to poor more mana into him praying it’ll heal. But their hands phased right through. The worst part, Ether could tell Axel wasn’t fighting to stay alive. Their magic was running out and so was their time. Axel just smiled. Melancholic but in a weird way he was glad they were there. Glad to say goodbye.
Their roles reversed. Axel accepting the future head on, Ether desperately trying to cling to the past. Red travels the farthest, but when the sun sets only the stars are left to paint the sky.
Kh2 epilogue:
Ether could feel the painted cracks in their heart trying to crack and freeze over without warmth or light. Unlike the many times before Ether couldn’t bring themselves to run. They couldn’t see joy in the future so they looked for comfort of the past.
They had been running awhile. Decidedly refusing to turn back towards pain. They didn’t have a choice this time but they knew how much pain they caused. Merlin, their adopted father was patient. For years thinking Ether fell to the darkness but came to realize they were alive… just unwilling to see him. Merlin chose to leave them alone. Perhaps they had outgrown him.
Ether never felt that way. They knocked on the door of their old home they shared with the greying man and expected to have it slammed back in their face. They should’ve known their father better than that. They were accepted so warmly Ether felt thrown back into the skin of themselves as a child. They cried like one too.
Recoded:
For once, Ether felt still. They didn’t want to go anywhere; do anything. Merlin admittedly did everything he could to comfort them but the slightest thing could set them off. Never once had he seen Ethers magic so erratic. Causing quakes, or electric shortages, sometimes freezing over the house. Ether felt nothing but guilt, usually quick to clean up their mess and try to swallow their feelings again.
They spent a good while wandering the old Radiant Garden. Ether felt regret. Perhaps things would’ve been different if they tried to talk to him back then. When he was Lea. Even they knew Ether wasn’t really Ether back then. Much too quiet.
Meanwhile, away in Mickeys castle Namine had left a message within a minuscule little journal. When digitalized a likeness of them was once again a guide for a digitized version of Sora. Then there was the translation once the bugs were gone. Namine put Ether in the journal for a reason. She knew Ether was hurting too.
Dream drop distance:
Things do not change much for Ether in the little time spent mourning. It was a same reoccurrence of pain cycling through their head that brought old painful memories to the surface. Ether couldn’t run this time and they were too exhausted to try. Merlin did his best to keep them occupied so they didn’t rot away in this new found depression. Merlin would give Ether simple chores, bringing in groceries, or feeding Archimedes. While it didn’t make them feel much better it kept them awake.
It was another day of bringing in more ingredients for whatever alchemical experiment Merlin was conducting when Ether could swore they were finally losing their mind completely. They heard their name in a familiar soft voice when they were outside and rejected its presence until it repeated again but louder. Ether turned slowly seeing a familiar face. Axel had just returned from his meeting with Yen Sid. He went there first thinking Ether would be out wandering like usual so he saved that for when he had the time to dedicate to finding them. However, Axel was always good at finding Ether when he was organization and now was no different. He could very obviously see Ether was changed. He smiled at them but at first Ether shut their eyes and shook their head. He was confused and attempted approach. That’s when Ether nearly jumped out of their skin. The items in their hands dropped to the floor as what they thought was some cruel hallucination actually moved this time. Their breath was heavy as they slowly reached out to touch him and was actually met with matter. Something palpable. When Ether screamed it was Axels turn to jump. They let out some kind of pent up cry of relief and threw themselves at him enough he nearly fell over. Ether repeated his name over and over like a mantra in his ear. They could barely believe it. And while Lea was no longer Axel he couldn’t bring himself to change the way his name sounded in their voice. They can keep calling him Axel. They make it sound so soft.
Merlin, who heard the scream, left his house in a panicked huff but stopped in his tracks when he saw the redhead practically absorbed in Ethers arms. They wept and what Axel expected to be a warm welcome from their father was a cane across the back of his head. Merlin was furious! He disappears with no explanation and makes his child mourn his death! Yes he’s happy he’s alive but the old man couldn’t hold back his reprimand.
Despite the awkward welcome from Merlin Axel was rushed inside and forced to give out an explanation. A long story of nobody recompletion and the rising tension with Sora and Riku taking the mark of mastery. Axel spoke of keyblades and Roxas. His plans and his goals. But Ether was reeling. One thing after another with no warning and they can barely shake what dark headspace they were in prior. Axel was quick to get to work. Ether let him go. Getting Roxas back was a wonderful priority to have and they’d never take that from him. But keyblades… and nobodies… something else they couldn’t shake. Dread.
Merlin saw Ethers hesitation and squashed it right then and there. He wanted Ether to follow and a quick boot out the front door gave Ether enough incentive. Things really had changed.
Ether didn’t quite know what to do. They remembered Xion, is that what they should do? Then what of Namine? What if Axel’s getting himself in trouble again? What if something bad is coming? They needed information and luckily they were the best snooper they knew.
Ether knows Yen Sid doesn’t like them but at this point they couldn’t care less. Yensid very easily catches Ether going through his books and the conversation begins. Ether seems darker than usual and Yen Sid can sense it. Ether isn’t oblivious to it but frankly they don’t see it as relevant to their goals. Both stubborn enough to refuse a compromise but luckily with what books they found they have enough information to squeeze something out of the old man. The dream realm. What that is Ether is vaguely familiar. Then there’s those strange rules of time travel Ether has never once heard of. And Merlin has never adhered to such complicated rules. There are doors to past versions of worlds but perhaps it’s not that simple when you want access to every world of that time. With enough waffling Ether has what they came for.
The answers fall in their lap when their interrogation is interrupted by the return of Riku and Sora. While Ether wasn’t there before now, they could’ve easily predicted the return of the organization with recompletion as a factor. When the others simply agreed to let Xehanorts plan play out, Ether wasn’t going to take another war lying down.
Axel had a bad feeling and tried to talk with Ether. Though, something was wrong. Ether was now honed in on some kind of goal and those walls he once broke down were back up. To be fair, maybe he ran off too quickly before, and didn’t quite let her in on his own plan. Ether was as soft to him as before, but it wasn’t quite how he remembered it.
KH3: … (to be written)
Ethers spells and abilities:
- transfiguration shapeshifting into different animals, species, or objects. This can apply to turning an object into another kind of object.
- Manifest themselves as a ball of pure energy and zip around to rematerialize somewhere nearby
- Object animation
- Counterspell (obvi)
- Gateways of magic and energy that can travel anywhere Ether has been to or is aware of.
- Bag of holding
- Through the observation of the universe, learned a method of creation that utilizes both light and darkness. All of their magic and abilities are entirely neutral with no lean towards one aspect of the world or the other.
- Firaza, blizzaza, thundaza, curaza, aeroza, graviga, Zero graviza, stopga, magnega, reflega, waterza, ultima, holy, Esuna, slow, confuse, sleep, poison, balloon, spark, probably zetta flare
- The ability to teach a spell through transference which usually needs an object or vessel to do. (Tomes, grimoires, enchantments.)
- Time travel (is deathly afraid of it and never does it. But could theoretically do it like Merlin can.)
- Arcane sense (a sixth sense that allows for Ether to sense magical objects, spells, or entities within a decent distance)
- Night vision. This isn’t inherently magic related.
- Conjuration. This requires an object to be in Ethers bag of holding storage or something they have touched before
- Enchantments or curses. A permanent magical alteration to a person place or object.
- Scrying/divination (this does not work for things in the future)
- Protect themselves against outward meddling. Ether was able to resist Namine’s memory manipulation. With great struggle however.
- Ether can sever their own connection to the keyblade at the expense of their own heart shattering in the process.
- Ether is connected to the dream eaters on a deeper level and is given frequent nightmares due to the emotional turmoil of the other lost key kids
- Ethers magic has an automatic failsafe that will put Ether into stasis whenever the heart takes damage so that it can repair itself over time. This comes at the expense of hundreds of years.
- Advanced alchemy
Things ether can’t/won’t do
- ether cannot do dimensional travel. This reality is the only one they can physically reach
- Ether cannot alter time in any meaningful way even if time travel is an ability. It will only effect individual world state not the universe itself.
- Ether cannot heal damage done by pure darkness or pure light. They can defend against it but any damage done needs to heal naturally or never does.
- Ether cannot manipulate another persons memory the way Namine can. An enchantment can replicate the effect but it is nowhere near as strong or effective.
- Ether cannot utilize magic strict to genetics without altering their own genetics. IE: Fae magic, Genie Magic, god Magic etc. some of these beings are not of biological origin so Ether cannot become them without outside forces to aid. IE: Ether cannot become a genie or a god without one to ascend them. Fae are partially biological. Therefore Ether can shapeshift into them.
- There are curses Ether could not lift and enchantments they can’t touch either. It is rare, but usually is magic from a higher entity like a god or a genie. (This does not stop Ether from finding loopholes for things)
- Ether cannot mind control. They refused to ever learn how. They get the concept but have no interest in anything further.
- Ether does not tamper with necromancy. They have no qualms with those who do, it’s just a personal preference. They might use it to defend from undead but that’s it.
- Ether cannot use voodoo (they’re white)
- Ether will not shapeshift into another ethnicity. As well as some species who suffer from oppression or appropriation