Basic InformationName: Kotaro Sabath
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Homeworld: Serenity Town
Affiliation: Dark
Physical informationAppearance:
Casual Attire: Same as Pic
Battle Attire: Remove the cape, and there you go.
Personal InformationPersonality: Quite possibly the lightest shade of black among the dark apprentices. Kotaro is a calm, kind, and even gentle person always speaking politely and never one for hostile intent, always enjoying pleasent company as well as enjoying worlds filled with a light-hearted atmosphere. It's true that he has an aura of darkness about him and his keyblade, but it's more one of sorrow then of menace. Unlike normal dark keyblade wielders, Kotaro has an instinct to save those in dire need much like a Light Apprentice. In addition, he is quite humble, admitting and accepting that he's not always right, and that his ideas could very well be wrong, but feels he would never be able to know unless he tries them out.Indeed he wants to help people out, but seeing the worlds darker shades, combined with the philosophies of his best friend still in his head, is probably what gave rise to what it was that made him a dark apprentice. The instinct to save was merged with an instinct to kill in order to defend those in need. Kotaro doesn't hesitate to kill those who have wronged others, and indeed intends to do just that, regardless of how strong or minor that offence is.
In addition, While he has an idea of how, and is constantly trying to study it, he really doesn't understand how a keyblade works, assuming that heartless defeated by Keyblades are purified to be reborn into another life. His current theory is that if this is true, then a Dark Keyblade could open and remove a person's heart to darkness, become a heartless and then is beaten and purified by a Light keyblade, then reincarnated into another, hopefully better life. With help from his master, he wrapped his keyblade in darkness and made it a point as a kind of lethal vigilante to kill, or tear the heart away from the criminal to become a heartless, or if possible, both.While he enjoys a relaxing, happy place, he practically unconsciously searches for worlds that are corrupt and foul, filled with wars or crime, and enters into them with the intent of "purifying" as many cruel warriors and criminals as he can. He has also shown to be a rather calculative young man, an intelligent schemer behind the polite smile and a researcher of magic both common and...forbidden. Of course, he keeps to himself what goes on in his head, even from his fellow apprentices, as well as his master.
Backstory: As a child, he was an orphan without family or home to call his own. It's unknown what exactly happened to his parents that led to this, but it's heavily implied that they're both dead. For a while he was all alone, without an orphanage to call home or anyone to raise him. It wasn't because no one wanted him, or didn't like him; quite the contrary in fact, as he was a nice kid despite his situation. It was just that no one was capable to raise children on their own, or were too busy with their own to raise another. They did however supported him whenever they could, giving him an emptied small building to call his own. It wasn't much, but it was a shelter, and a home, and that's all he needs.
Despite having the town, or rather the world, helping him, he was still alone. Until one day, he and the rest of the town found a man lying heavily injured in the town square, the townsfolk recognizing him as a Keyblade Wielder by the looks of the clothes he wore. However, by those same clothes they can tell that he was a rogue keyblade wielder, they who betrayed the light and instead chose the darkness. While everyone backed off in fear, Kotaro, naive to the current civil war of keyblades, chose to help him as best as he could, despite the town advising against it. It didn't matter to him if this man was of light or darkness, he needed help. All the town knew this was probably a bad idea, but they couldn't leave Kotaro to do this on his own, and so they indulged his need to help others by assisting in the fallen keyblade wielder's hospitalization. Kotaro, having nothing but school to do, looked after the man until he woke up. At first the Dark Keyblade wielder was confused with what happened, but eventually found out that this kid basically saved his life. Now he was confused with why this kid, why anyone would help a rogue like him. Believing it to be some trick to perhaps get him captured and turned in to the wielders of the light, he was ready to summon up his keyblade to kill this kid, but asked out of curiosity why he saved him and asked if he knew who exactly it was he saved. Kotaro answered that the villagers already gave him a short description when he suggested it, but that the guy was hurt and it should be natural to help out. Besides that, he didn't care if someone's a light or dark person, and asked why that should even matter. This was enough for this keyblade wielder to cancel the summoning of his blade. Throughout his life he has been feared for being a Dark Keyblade Wielder, for even being associated with the Darkness. So to see someone like this kid, independant, somewhat smart for his age, yet not even that cautious let alone afraid of the dark, was a rarity for him. They both introduced themselves to each other, and became friends. The warrior, feeling like he failed his master when crashing here, and therefore had no real reason to go back to the war between the two sides anyways, decided to stay with Kotaro and essentially keep him under his wing like a father or a big brother.
About three years have gone by with the keyblade warrior probably pronounced dead by then. As he lived with them, the people around the town got used to seeing him and some even starting to befriend him as well. The world, and possibly the cluster, always seemed to have a distinct 50-year belief of seeing the Rogues as a bunch of cruel and chaotic criminals and monsters that want to cause all kinds of problems for them. But this man, as he interacted with Kotaro, began to remind them of the fact that these people were just that, people, that they were just as human as anyone else. Sure the man is cold, grumpy, and impatient, but there was an air about him that meant well. During his years, he explained that he was in a fight with a warrior of light before coming there, he was beaten badly and had to retreat out of there, not caring where he would land. He raised the kid and trained him how to fight in case another warrior, be he of light or darkness, or even worse a heartless, shows up. In addition, he shared with Kotaro his beliefs and philosophies on light and darkness, as well as life and death, and how they're related in a way. Kotaro and the others, in exchange, showed him kindness, gratitude and hospitality.
However, on the third year, everything changed, It's unknown what exactly it was that happened, but the Dark Keyblade Wielder had left Serenity town for a short time, and came back wounded just like when it first happened. Except this time, it was a mortal wound, and he wasn't going to make it. While Kotaro helped as best as he could, it was ultimately futile, as he was going to die soon. However, with his last minutes of life, He trusted his newfound friend to be his heir, and the reciever of his torch. He passed the power of the Keyblade to him, and with it, his beliefs, his philosophies, his memories, practically his very soul.
Needless to say, Kotaro was devastated. He was the closest thing he ever had to a family, and his best friend, and now he was gone, and for all intent and purposes, he was alone again. It took him about two weeks to recover, and when he did, he figured out what the best thing to do with this power was. He decided to leave his world and take his friend's place as an Apprentice of Darkness, much to the town's dismay. They insisted he stays, worried that it might change him, or worse, kill him like it did to the warrior not that long ago. But Kotaro refused to stay, as this was a better protect them, and based on what happened to his friend, staying here would just endanger everyone. With the eventual blessings of his home town, he made his keyblade a glider and went to where the warrior said his master was.
Other Notes: N/A The Details of his experience will come to light much later.
Battle InformationWeapons: The Dark Keyblade, Paradise Sealed- While the armguard suggests a keyblade of the light, the blade is a dirty gold wrapped in some kind of black cloth, the teeth of the key is also a dirt gold and dirt sapphire, the edges decayed and have lost its shine. The Keychain at the end of it depicts a sun wrapped in chains
Abilities: In addition to the dark Keyblade ability to open the heart to darkness, Paradise Sealed seems to be a natural magic-using Keyblade. It has its physical prowess like any other Keyblade, of course. However, given if Kotaro completely knows how to do spells, it accomplishes the necessary needs to perform them.
Speaking of which, gaining an interest for it, Kotaro has been studying magic as mentioned in his personality via any book he can find on them. Ranging from your typical elemental spells to the more advanced spells requiring the drawing of runes or magic circles. However, just because he studies them doesn't mean he can do them. One doesn't read a textbook and immediately becomes teacher on the subject, and one doesn't read a magic book and expect to be a master of its contents immediately.
To top it off, while he doesn't know of it yet, nor does he have access to it at the beginning, but he possesses such an intense light in his heart, that given he has the absolute focus and resolve to make it happen, he can manifest that light and break away from the darkness if only temporarily, this being known as "Light Mode" or "L-Mode". In this state of being, the light of his heart overcomes the darkness, resulting in the tapping of its power and unsealing his keyblade, awakening it's true strength as a light keyblade rather than one of darkness. As the cloth is torn apart and the chain around the sun breaks, the keyblade's true form, Paradise, is revealed.
To put it more basically, Kotaro and his keyblade gains aspects of wielder of light in exchange temporarily replacing the aspects of darkness. He becomes much stronger and his magic more pure and powerful. However, it drains him of both physical and mental energy for as long as is in it, and does so like a dehydrated man drinks up water. As such, he can only keep himself in this state for a matter of minutes, and once he comes back into the darkness, the immediate shift combined with his dried up energy results in a severe burnout that exhausts him for hours, maybe even days. He'll be in no position to even get back on his feet on his own, let alone fight.
Other InformationNotes: N/a