Set a decade prior to the events in the first Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep follows the three separate, yet intertwined adventures of Keyblade wielders Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, as they together search for the Princesses of Heart and the enigmatic Master Xehanort. As their individual paths take them through a number of fantastic and familiar worlds, the darkness relentlessly pursues, in the form of the shadowy Unversed and the wicked-hearted Disney villains. Till the very end, bonds will be tested to their limits, and when the dust finally clears, a young man named Xehanort will be all that remains.

We first meet our trio of Keyblade wielders in their master’s homeworld, the Land of Departure, a stunningly gorgeous temple surrounded by verdant islands and mist-wrapped mountain peaks. There, the two senior apprentices, Terra and Aqua, ready themselves for their approaching Mastery Qualification Exams under Master Eraqus.

The Exams are not only a means of judging a wielder’s prowess, but also the strength and content of their heart, to see if they are truly able to wield the Keyblade with the power and wisdom of a master. Aqua and Terra gather inside the temple before Master Eraqus, who gives a preliminary speech explaining the details of the Exams. Seated behind him is colleague and fellow master, Xehanort, who traveled from afar to serve as a secondary judge for the Exams.

Following the Exams, Master Xehanort is halted outside the temple by a distraught Terra, whose tests revealed a hidden darkness within his heart. Confused and afraid at the danger lurking inside of him, he implores the master’s wisdom and guidance. Surprisingly, he bids him to nurture the darkness inside him rather than discard it, not even bothering to face Terra as he passes; with power, he lectures Terra, the darkness can be a tool beyond price. But before anyone else in the Land of Departure, including Eraqus himself, comes in contact with Xehanort again, disaster strikes: Master Xehanort inexplicably vanished without warning, and at the same time, a fearsome new threat disrupts the balance of the worlds. The Unversed, strange beings of the darkness that feed on negative emotion, emerge seemingly from nowhere, and begin to wreak havoc amidst the worlds.

Believing Master Xehanort's disappearance, the appearance of the Unversed and the state of the Princesses of Heart are all linked, Master Eraqus sends out his apprentices to find Master Xehanort. The final outcome of the following adventure will not only set the stage for Sora’s quest to stave back the darkness in Kingdom Hearts, but will determine the fate of the entire Kingdom Hearts series. Will Terra overcome the darkness in his heart? What will become of the other apprentices? Remember: “There is no coincidence in fate."