Master Eraqus

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

In Kingdom Hearts Dark Road, Eraqus is introduced as a teenage Keyblade wielder training at Scala ad Caelum under Master Odin. He is one of six students—Hermod, Bragi, Urd, Vor, and Xehanort—in their class. When seven upperclassmen go missing before their Mark of Mastery exam, Odin tasks the group to explore worlds and find them. Eraqus accompanies Xehanort throughout these quests, fighting alongside him as a computer-controlled party member. After the conflict with Baldr—who is possessed by an incarnation of lesser Darkness and kills several classmates—Odin decides to retire and plans to make Xehanort his successor, with Eraqus as a possible successor only if Xehanort declines or fails. One year later, Xehanort meets the Master of Masters, and over the following six years, Xehanort comes to believe darkness lives in every heart and that balance between light and darkness is necessary. Eraqus rebukes him, believing only in the purity of light, and the two go their separate ways. Approximately ten years before the events of Birth by Sleep, Xehanort reconnects with Eraqus to leave his student Ventus in Eraqus's care after extracting the True Darkness from Ventus's heart, which became Vanitas.

In Their Own Story

Eraqus first appears as a classmate of Xehanort at Scala ad Caelum, training under Master Odin. When Odin sends the group to find seven missing upperclassmen, Eraqus joins Xehanort in exploring worlds like Agrabah, Wonderland, Dwarf Woodlands, Beast's Castle, and Olympus Coliseum. They discover that three upperclassmen—Vidar, Vala, and Vali—are stealing items essential to worlds' natural order to summon Kingdom Hearts and purge True Darkness. Most of the class opposes this, but Vor joins them. Baldr returns, revealing his sister Hoder was killed protecting him. The group goes to the Underworld, where Hades traps them; only Xehanort and Eraqus are rescued by Odin. Later, Baldr attacks Scala ad Caelum, possessed by a lesser Darkness, and kills Urd, Bragi, Hermod, Vidar, Vala, Vali, and Vor. With help from Odin and Hoder's spirit, Xehanort kills Baldr. After mourning, Odin plans to make Xehanort and Eraqus his successors. One year later, Xehanort meets the Master of Masters, and over six years, he develops his belief in balance. Eraqus rebukes him, believing only in light's purity, and they part ways. Six decades later, Xehanort reconnects with Eraqus when he leaves his student Ventus in Eraqus's care after extracting the True Darkness from Ventus's heart, which becomes Vanitas.

Reader's Guide

Master Eraqus is a key figure in the early Kingdom Hearts timeline, representing the light-aligned perspective that contrasts with Xehanort's evolving views. In Dark Road, he is a computer-controlled party member in combat, fighting alongside Xehanort. Players control Xehanort while Eraqus and one of four others (Hermod, Bragi, Urd, or Vor) assist automatically. The story is divided into eight chapters, with three chapters containing 70 quests released in 2020 and the remaining chapters and 35 quests added with the offline update in August 2022. Eraqus's role is central to the narrative's exploration of Xehanort's origins and his eventual turn to darkness. The game's combat system involves deck-building with a maximum of 30 cards, requiring equal numbers of red, blue, and green backgrounds with upright or reversed borders. Eraqus's presence as a party member is constant throughout the story quests. His ideological split with Xehanort—over whether light alone or balance between light and darkness is correct—sets the stage for the Dark Seeker Saga. The game's offline update made all 88 cards purchasable with Battle Points, and the app was delisted from all storefronts in August 2024.

Did You Know?

• Eraqus is a computer-controlled party member in Dark Road, fighting alongside Xehanort in combat.
• After the conflict with Baldr, Master Odin planned to make Xehanort his successor, with Eraqus as a possible successor only if Xehanort declined or failed.
• Eraqus rebuked Xehanort's belief in balance between light and darkness, believing only in the purity of light, leading them to part ways.
• Approximately ten years before Birth by Sleep, Xehanort reconnected with Eraqus to leave his student Ventus in Eraqus's care after extracting the True Darkness from Ventus's heart, which became Vanitas.
• The game's offline update in August 2022 added the remaining story chapters and 35 quests, completing the eight-chapter narrative.

Origins and Setting

Kingdom Hearts Dark Road is set roughly 65 years prior to Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. The story begins on the Destiny Islands, where a young Xehanort is raised by an elderly mentor who believes him to be the 'child of destiny.' After the mentor dies, a teenage Xehanort is transported by Ansem (his Heartless from the future) to Scala ad Caelum, a world where Keyblade wielders are trained. There, Xehanort meets Eraqus and classmates Hermod, Bragi, Urd, and Vor, all training under Master Odin. The group visits worlds based on Disney films previously featured in Kingdom Hearts χ: Agrabah (Aladdin), Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland), Dwarf Woodlands (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Beast's Castle (Beauty and the Beast), and Olympus Coliseum (Hercules). Scala ad Caelum, first seen in Kingdom Hearts III, serves as the central hub. The game explores Xehanort's friendship with Eraqus and his growing fascination with darkness, leading to the events of the Dark Seeker Saga.

The Conflict with Vidar

The central conflict arises when Xehanort and his peers discover that three missing students—Vidar, Vala, and Vali—are attempting to summon Kingdom Hearts by collecting seven pure lights. Vidar reveals their intent to purge the world of True Darkness, a goal that most of Odin's class opposes due to the catastrophic potential for destroying worlds in the process. However, Vor becomes sympathetic to this cause and joins the upperclassmen, fracturing the group. Meanwhile, Baldr returns after searching for his sister Hoder, revealing she was killed by Vidar during their mission. This tragedy deepens the ideological rift between Xehanort's faction, who seek to protect the balance of light and darkness, and Vidar's group, whose extreme methods threaten the very existence of the worlds they aim to save.

Gameplay Mechanics and Strategy

The game uniquely blends role-playing elements with deck-building strategy, where players control Xehanort alongside computer-controlled allies like Eraqus. Combat revolves around constructing a thirty-card deck featuring red, blue, or green backgrounds with upright or reversed borders, requiring an equal distribution of colors and types. During battles, five cards appear randomly, and the player selects three to execute actions; matching card colors amplifies ability efficacy up to double strength. Defeating enemies fills a meter that triggers 'bonus time,' doubling all combination effects regardless of color. Players earn Battle Points (BP) from victories to level up Xehanort or purchase items in the shop. The system also includes an auto-battle feature and a crafting menu where materials from defeated foes are converted into accessories, allowing for deep customization of stats throughout the eight-chapter narrative.

Development History and Legacy

Released in June 2020 as a mobile title developed by Square Enix alongside BitGroove and Success, Dark Road initially launched within the Kingdom Hearts Union χ app before being rebranded. The game underwent significant changes in February 2021 when online features were shut down, transitioning it into an offline experience that was temporarily unplayable until its final update arrived in August 2022. This update added remaining story chapters and quests, ensuring all eighty-eight cards became purchasable with Battle Points. Despite these efforts to preserve the content, the application was officially delisted from all digital storefronts in August 2024. Its legacy remains tied to its role as the thirteenth installment in the series, providing essential backstory for Xehanort's descent into darkness and his complex relationship with Eraqus before the events of the Dark Seeker Saga.

The Conflict with Baldr

The central conflict begins when Odin tasks Xehanort, Eraqus, and their classmates to find seven missing upperclassmen. They discover three—Vidar, Vala, and Vali—stealing items essential to worlds' natural order to summon Kingdom Hearts and purge True Darkness. Most of the class opposes this, but Vor joins them. Baldr returns, revealing his sister Hoder was killed protecting him. The group goes to the Underworld, where Hades traps them; only Xehanort and Eraqus are rescued by Odin. Later, Baldr attacks Scala ad Caelum, revealed to be possessed by an incarnation of lesser Darkness that killed Hoder to make Baldr vulnerable. Baldr admits he killed the other upperclassmen to trick survivors into summoning Kingdom Hearts, intending to consume the worlds with darkness. He kills Urd, Bragi, Hermod, Vidar, Vala, Vali, and Vor. With help from Odin and Hoder's spirit, Xehanort kills Baldr, destroying his Darkness. After mourning, Odin plans to make Xehanort and Eraqus his successors. Unbeknownst to them, Bragi is alive, secretly possessed by Luxu, and decides to watch over Xehanort.

Gameplay Mechanics

In Dark Road, gameplay combines role-playing and deck-building elements. Players construct a deck of up to 30 cards, each with a red, blue, or green background and a gold 'upright' or dark 'reversed' border; decks must contain equal numbers of each color and border. Cards are attack, magic, or support types. New cards were obtained via in-game shop, events, or premium draws; after the offline update, all 88 cards can be purchased with Battle Points (BP). Duplicates boost a card's base power up to 10 levels. In combat, the player controls Xehanort, with Eraqus and one of four others (Hermod, Bragi, Urd, or Vor) as computer-controlled party members. Enemies attack based on a timer similar to Active Time Battle. Five random cards appear; the player selects three, with the first determining Xehanort's action and the remaining two raising efficacy up to double if same color. Cards are discarded and replaced until all are used. An 'auto battle' option can be activated. Running out of cards triggers a 'reload' state. Dealing damage fills a meter; when full, 'bonus time' doubles all combination effects regardless of color. Defeating enemies earns BP to increase Xehanort's level; after the offline update, BP is also used for all shop purchases. The story is divided into eight chapters: three chapters with 70 quests released in 2020, and the remaining chapters and 35 quests added with the offline update. World battles allow grinding for BP. An in-game album tracks cards and enemies, with stat boosts at milestones. A crafting menu creates accessories from materials. A theater mode replays story cutscenes.

Development and Release

Kingdom Hearts Dark Road was announced in January 2020 under the working title Project Xehanort. It was developed by Square Enix (in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios), BitGroove, and Success, and published by Square Enix for Android and iOS. It launched worldwide on June 22, 2020, as part of the Kingdom Hearts Union χ app's version 4.0.0 update, which was rebranded as Kingdom Hearts Union χ Dark Road. On February 25, 2021, Square Enix announced the app would reach end of service in April 2021 for Japan and May 2021 for global servers; this was later delayed. The game transitioned to an offline app, becoming unplayable during the transition until its final update in August 2022. The app was delisted from all storefronts in August 2024. Series producer Tetsuya Nomura had previously expressed interest in a game about Xehanort's past but shelved it; he revisited the concept when approached by the Union χ team. Several new characters were given names based on Norse mythology. Players could access Dark Road without meeting criteria in Union χ and could link the two games to earn free currency based on Union χ progress.