Aster Holt

Aster Holt is the main character of Literary Hearts. He is a Keyblade bearer, whose Keyblade specializes in opening pathways between worlds using books and stories. He is close companions with Holden Caulfield and Guy Montag. Aster is motivated by returning to his homeworld.

Literary Hearts
Aster begins his story in the midst of a nightmare. He is attacked by dark creatures in this dream, but is able to fight them off with a Keyblade that suddenly appears in his hands. Aster is eventually confronted with a shadowy version of himself, but attempts to flee rather than fight. A mysterious voice chastises him, saying that Aster cannot run from his own heart.

When Aster wakes up, he is in the World Beneath Skyscrapers. Meeting Holden, Aster decides to travel with him in order to figure out where his home is. Inside Holden's dormitory, Aster attempts to break up a fight between Holden and his roommate, accidentally calling the Keyblade in the process. Another figment from Aster's dream appears on the way to Holden's apartment, as the boys are attacked by Shadows.

Upon reaching the apartment, Holden discovers that his sister has been captured by a giant monster; the boys catch up to the creature and destroy it while rescuing Phoebe. Phoebe tells Aster that she had a strange dream as well, informing her of her brother's arrival, and that Aster was meant to go on a great journey. Although Aster is reluctant, the Keyblade reacts with a book in Phoebe's bedroom, opening a shining portal of light. Phoebe convinces Holden to go with Aster, and the boys walk through together.

In the Graveyard for Books, Aster and Holden meet Guy Montag and a Mechanical Hound. Wanting to learn more about the monsters, they let Montag introduce them to his fire captain, Beatty, who explains the Heartless. Later, a neighbor of Montag's explains that they have been traveling to different worlds through books.

Exploring the world with Montag, Aster and Holden discover that the firemen burn books, as owning them is illegal. Fearing they won't have the chance to escape the world, Holden steals one, but rather than leaving right away, Aster stays to keep searching for the one that will lead to his home. Montag discovers them with the book, and reveals that he has been "rescuing" books himself for several years. He takes them to see Faber, a retired teacher, who had talked to each other in a park once. The group devises a plan to start disseminating books for everyone to read.

In the meantime, Captain Beatty has a strange conversation with a boy from another world, who warns the captain of the dangers of keeping Aster around. The fear Beatty feels of this boy cements the idea of getting rid of Aster in his mind.

Personality
Aster grew up in a small, rural town, and was raised to respect authority figures. As he travels to different worlds, he is often finding his moral compass and his inclination towards obedience to be at odds. Despite his desire to help the people he meets, his strongest desire is still to return home, to the safe and sensible life he once knew. However, he remains loyal to the friends he is making on his journey, and would remain by their side to the end.

Appearance
Aster is a teenage boy, about 5'3" tall, with sandy-colored hair and sunburned skin. He wears a white shirt crossed with green and white stripes, and white denim shorts.  He is moderately muscular, but not very athletic.

Fighting Style
Aster is still very new to fighting the forces of darkness, so he hasn't learned to do more than swing the Keyblade, usually in wide, left-to-right strokes. He often holds the Keyblade in both hands, facing outwards, as a defensive posture.