Mark of Mastery exam
- "Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. Not one but two of the Keyblade's chosen stand before me as candidates... but this is neither a competition or a battle for supremacy—not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither."
- —Master Eraqus to Terra and Aqua
The Mark of Mastery exam (マスター承認試験 Masutā Shōnin Shiken, lit. "Master Qualification Exam") is an event which serves as a test for those strong of heart that have been chosen by the Keyblade to become Keyblade Masters. Apprentices of Keyblade Masters who pass the test have two choices: The first being to inherit the previous master role as steward of the Land of Departure with knowledge on how to reshape it as Eraqus did. In the cast of Xehanort, the a Keyblade Master may go out on journey across the worlds as a Seeker with unlimited access to them.
Story
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
After an intense evening of training, Terra and Aqua undergo the Mark of Mastery with their mentor Eraqus having the prove themselves in battle with their possession of strong hearts and will required to pass the test. With Ventus eagerly watching and Xehanort overseeing the match, despite his tampering with Balls of Light infused with darkness in the first half of the exam.
Once the orbs have been destroyed, the second stage of the Mark of Mastery exam begins. Terra and Aqua engage themselves in a fierce battle, and as Terra begins to lose the battle, his inner darkness begins to emerge, but he quickly dismisses it. When the battle has ended, Master Eraqus acknowledges Terra's great strength, but chooses only Aqua to become a Keyblade Master due to Terra's reliance on his darkness. Eraqus states that he expects Terra to try harder the next time; he then takes Aqua to inform her of her new duties as a Keyblade Master while a confused Terra is approached by later Xehanort.
In the meantime, Mickey Mouse takes his own Mark of Mastery exam under his master Yen Sid by journeying through different worlds via his Star Shard and aiding Ventus and Aqua in their battles against Xehanort, Vanitas and the Unversed. Not long after the disappearance of Terra, Ven, and Aqua and the appearance of Terra-Xehanort, Mickey returns his Keyblade and Star Shard to Yen Sid, believing he has failed. However, Yen Sid hands the Keyblade back to Mickey to show that he has, in fact, passed.
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
Yen Sid orders Mickey to bring Sora and Riku to him to undertake the Mark of Mastery in response to the coming return of Master Xehanort.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
- "To strike down Xehanort, we need the individuals King Mickey spoke of in his letter. We must lead them out of sorrow and slumber. To do so, seven sleeping keyholes must be found and unlocked, and a great power retrieved."
- —Yen Sid to Sora and Riku.
As their Mark of Mastery exam, due to the events unfolding with Xehanort's return, Yen Sid takes an unorthodox method by Sora and Riku to travel into the Realm of Sleep and awaken seven worlds which remained submerged there following Ansem's defeat. Initially, while Riku agrees to it to see if he truly deserves to use a Keyblade after about his past experiences with the darkness, Sora hesitates to take the exam as he was overconfident in his abilities and thought his actions in the past made him worthy of the title already. Despite the interference of Xehanort and his new Organization XIII, Yen Sid declares Riku as a Master at the end of the exam while Sora did not pass due to his failing to resist the darkness and being trapped in a magical sleep.
