Aced

Aced is a Keyblade Master who appears in Kingdom Hearts χ. As a Foreteller, he leads the Ursus Union and is an apprentice of the Master of Masters.

Before Kingdom Hearts χ
Aced is given a Keyblade forged from his own heart by the Master of Masters, who takes Aced, Ava, Gula, Invi, Ira, and Luxu as his apprentices. Aced eventually achieves the rank of Keyblade Master alongside his fellow apprentices.

Once the Master bestows a copy of the Book of Prophecies upon Aced, he grants Aced leadership over the Ursus Union as its Foreteller. As Aced and the other Foretellers read their copies of the Book of Prophecies, they are shocked by the final entry, which details an event known as the Keyblade War, during which light would expire and the world would reach its end.

When Luxu leaves to fulfill his role assigned to him by the Master, the Foretellers are shocked by his sudden disappearance. Shortly thereafter, the Master requests to meet with Aced alone in the Foreteller's Chamber. The Master informs Aced that his role is to be Ira's right-hand man, much to Aced's disappointment, as he was eager to inherit the position someday. While the Master understands Aced's desire, he tells Aced that Ira needs him to guide him in the right direction. Although Aced agrees that Ira is the most qualified among the Foretellers for the role, he expresses his confusion to why Ira is being promoted to the leader of the Foretellers. Grimly, the Master mentions that he could one day disappear, and that regardless of whether or not he does, it is Aced's job to support Ira. Furthermore, the Master elaborates that Ira's leadership may be brought into question one day, at which point it is Aced's duty to step forward. With this in mind, Aced happily accepts his role and departs.

Aced and his fellow Foretellers are soon introduced to the Master's new creation, the Chirithy. Though the Spirit Chirithy are meant to aid Keyblade wielders in their endeavors, the Master warns them that should a wielder fall to darkness, so will their Chirithy, causing them to transform into a Nightmare. Aced suggests that they destroy any Nightmare Chirithy they come across; however, Ava refutes such a thing as a possibility. When Gula mocks on Aced's identity as the bear because of his scary demeanor, Ava teases that Aced could simply growl at the Nightmare instead, much to Aced's embarrassment.

Without warning, the Master disappears from the world, and although the Foretellers actively seek him out, they are unable to locate him. Upholding the Master's teachings, Aced and the other Foretellers begin recruiting Keyblade wielders to each of their Unions, utilizing the powers of their copies of the Book of Prophecies in the form of Medals to aid their wielders in collecting Lux to maintain the balance.

Kingdom Hearts χ[chi]
Having watched the Player defeat countless Heartless throughout Daybreak Town, Aced comments the Player's abilities. Aced offers the Player advice on defeating larger Heartless, suggesting that the Player combine his strength with fellow Union members, leaving the Player to defeat a Darkside alongside other members of the Ursus Union. After the Darkside is defeated, Aced reappears and warns the Player that there are others who collect light, but that not all among them share the same goal of bringing peace to the world. Aced allows the Player to discern who walks the path of darkness before he leaves.

The Foretellers take notice of the Keyblade wielders utilizing Bangles that, when equipped, provide the power to collect dark energy. Ultimately, the Foretellers decide using the Bangles was acceptable for their Union members. Not long afterwards, Ira calls a meeting among the Foretellers in the Foreteller's Chamber, where he announces that there is a traitor among them after discovering a Nightmare Chirithy snooping around their home. Aced immediately denies that he is the traitor, prompting Gula to suggest an easy solution: have each of the Foretellers summon their Spirits. However, Invi points out that because of the amount of wielders under each Union, it would be easy for any of them to summon a Chirithy that isn't a Nightmare. When Ava proposes that the Nightmare could belong to a wielder in one of their Unions, Ira brushes this off as unlikely, reminding everyone of the Bangles, and while the Foretellers don't tend to concern themselves with the tools at their wielders' disposal, Ira believes the Bangles are the Nightmare's doing since utilizing the dark energy collected by the Bangles is equivalent to wielding the power of darkness. Gula notes that because all Chirithy look the same and Keyblade wielders are in such high quantity, it would be impossible to discern who the Nightmare belongs to. As the Foretellers look to Ira for guidance, he suggests that only one of them could have obtained the Bangles, meaning that the traitor has to be one of the Foretellers. Condemning Ira for spreading doubt amongst them, Aced storms off on his own, adjuring the meeting.

When Neoshadows appear in Daybreak Town, the Player joins three other Keyblade wielders in their efforts to quash the darkness being spread by the new species of Heartless; however, the Player is the only one to survive. After Chirithy witnesses another of his kind fade, Aced appears to speak with the Player, revealing that while the Keyblade wielders are gathering Lux at an amazing rate, the darkness is spreading even faster. With this, Chirithy asks if that means that there really is a traitor among them, to which Aced states that he is not willing to believe that yet.

One night, the Player is shown a dream by Chirithy, in which Aced meets with the Master in the Foreteller's Chamber alongside Ava, Gula, Invi and Ira, though Nightmare Chirithy quickly puts a stop to this dream.

A few days later, Aced invites Ava and Gula to meet with him in a warehouse, where he voices his frustration against Ira's suspicions. When Aced asks his fellow Foretellers' opinions on what Ira had said, Gula admits that he doesn't believe it and that Ira's argument had no merit without evidence backing his claims. Although Ava tries to defend Ira's actions, this only aggravates Aced further as he believes Ira should trust in them. At Gula's behest, Aced reveals that he wants the three of them to form an alliance, but Ava reminds him that alliances are forbidden. When Gula inquires if Aced intends on joining forces in order to confront Ira, Aced admits that such a thing would be pointless, and wishes to focus on fighting the approaching darkness while Ira is busy identifying the traitor. Gula agrees to join Aced's alliance, but specifies that it is only between them for the time being, as he doesn't want to involve the members of the Leopardus Union. Ava is shocked by Gula's decision and opts to follow the Master's teachings instead. When Gula asks if Ira and Invi are aware of his plan, Aced admits that he did not confide in Ira, but that he had asked Invi to join them. When Invi arrives, Aced extends his offer of alliance to her, but Invi rejects this, seeing this as a defiant act in pursuit of power and accusing that Aced has been tainted by darkness. Conversely, Aced retorts that it is Invi who has been tainted by darkness, as she reports their actions back to Ira and could possibly be conspiring with him. Enraged, Aced parts ways with his fellow Foretellers.

Following the Dark Corridor Trials, Chirithy ventures to the Foreteller's Chamber to report to Aced. Aced is happy to hear that the Player has made such progress, but Chirithy believes it is too early to send the Player on such a mission. Aced laments that he has no choice but to hasten the Player's training, as he must strengthen their resistance to darkness as quickly as possible and obtain as many warriors as they can get on the side of light.

A few months after forming an alliance with Aced, Gula suspends their partnership, stating that the alliance is meaningless since the alleged impending darkness has yet to come. Furthermore, there haven't been any suspicious incidents of late and Aced hasn't rallied anyone else to his cause. When Aced starts to object, Gula accidentally slips that Invi agrees with the dissolution of their alliance. Aced realizes that Invi ordered Gula to terminate their alliance, though Gula defends that it is decision to follow through with it. Outraged, Aced reminds Gula that the traitor hasn't been discovered yet, though Gula cites this to be the motivation for his actions as he can't trust anyone other than himself. Aced counters that Gula doesn't stand a chance against the darkness on his own, but an apologetic Gula remains firm in his decision and leaves. Furious, Aced vows that Invi will pay for what she has done.

A year later, Aced battles Invi in Daybreak Town. Despite Invi's attempts to reason with Aced, defending she is protecting the balance the way the Master ordered them, Aced remains adamant that they need to defy their teachings to protect the world and create alliances against the looming darkness. Invi deems Aced to be the traitor and attacks him with her Keyblade. When Ava and Gula arrive at the scene and join Invi in her fight against him, Aced launches himself into a vicious battle with his former comrades, from which he barely emerges alive.

When the Player, Chirithy, and Skuld enter the Foreteller's Chambers in search of Ephemer, Aced catches them and scolds Chirithy for allowing them in a restricted area. Aced divulges he caught Ephemer in Foreteller's Chamber several days before and that Ephemer's Union collects Lux for a reason that contradicts their own and had only gotten close to them in order to get information, prompting Aced to eliminate Ephemer. Although Chirithy assures Aced that will not retaliate against him, the Player, mourning the loss of his friend, decides to avenge Ephemer. The Player and Aced battle each other ferociously, and Aced emerges as the victor. As Player is cast to the ground, the façade of the Foreteller's Chamber fades away and the group find themselves in the sewers, where Ava reveals herself to have been disguised as Aced the whole time in order to test Player and Skuld.

A weakened Aced is soon confronted by Gula, who finds him collapsed in one of the houses of Daybreak Town. Gula tells him about the incomplete nature of their copies of the Book of Prophecies and the contents of the Lost Page. Summoning his Keyblade, Gula reveals that the Master ordered him to find and stop the traitor, much to Aced's disbelief and rage. Unable to forgive Gula for silently standing by while the Foretellers fought each other, Aced cuts Gula down with his Keyblade. However, before he can finish Gula off, Ava arrives and stands between them, begging Aced to stop. Aced consents, leaving Ava to tend to Gula on her own.

As Aced hobbles through the streets of Daybreak Town, he eventually finds himself face-to-face with Ira. Believing that Ira had come to finish him off, Aced collapses to the ground and requests Ira make his end swift. However, Ira explains that he will not eliminate Aced, as he wants to fulfill the role he was given by the Master. As it is not their place to try to change the events of the future, Ira wants to continue working with Aced to ensure that light lives on instead, stressing that they can't afford to lose any of the Foretellers. Aced is touched to hear that Ira still considers him to be one a comrade and informs him that Gula has the Lost Page and that he's been using it to discern the identity of the traitor. While Gula claimed this to be his role, Aced remains unsure, as he is incapable of forgiving Gula's actions. Advising Aced to keep Gula's role a secret, Ira sets out to find Gula and retrieve the Lost Page.

In the time that follows, Gula begins collecting more and more Lux in order to summon Kingdom Hearts and force the Master of Masters to return in order to avert the Keyblade War. Subsequently, in order to maintain the balance, Ira and Aced also begin collecting more Lux, as that day of the final battle draws nearer.

Hearing an argument between the Player, Skuld, and several Keyblade wielders from different Unions in which one claims that the end is already upon them, Aced affirms this as the truth. Aced lectures the wielders of the importance of unity within their Unions and that the strength of a Union is determined by its righteousness which is proven through battle. When Skuld begins to object, Aced notes that she is part of Ava's Dandelions and points out that Ava is doing with the Dandelions a display of power as well. The Player steps forward and challenges Aced. Aced easily defeats the Player, declaring that Player is unqualified as a Keyblade wielder. Upon Ira's arrival to the scene, he rebukes Aced for raising his Keyblade against another wielder. Despite Aced's attempt to defend himself, Ira tells Aced that his bloodlust that drew him to their location. Aced argues that the Keyblade War is not unavoidable, and that the other Foretellers, including Ira, are becoming desperate to collect more, and blames Ira and other Foretellers for intensifying the situation. Aced reveals he will unify all of the Unions and appoints himself as leader once he banished Ira and the other Foretellers to maintain the balance. Ira dismisses his foolish plot and warns Aced that his arrogance will lead to his downfall. Aced states that he will be waiting at the place of the final battle before taking his leave.

During the final confrontation in the Badlands, the Player encounters Aced first. When the Player prepares to fight Aced, Aced welcomes the opportunity, claiming that he wants such a power for his own Union. After battling the Player, an impressed Aced applauds the Player's strength, but cites this as the reason why he must defeat the Player where he stands. Before Aced can finish the Player off, however, Ira steps in and defends the Player against Aced. Incensed, Aced sets his sights on Ira instead, chasing after him as he retreats from Aced's attacks.

Appearance
Aced is a muscular young man who hides his face under a dark grey bear mask. His tan, hooded cloak covers a robe, shirt, and sash that are all light brown in coloration and have black embroidering. Gold tassels appear on the front of Aced's cloak.

Personality
Aced is an honest individual with a strong sense of justice.

Etymology
Aced's name is derived from the word ', which means "sloth" in Latin and is represented by a bear in the '.