Author's Notes: I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor its characters – they belong to Tetsuya Nomura. I only own my OC Millie Willis!

Prologue – A Gamer's Dream and Reality.

"Dreams… I've always wondered… Are they real or are they not?"

I was falling… falling straight into the darkness… Where am I going exactly? Soon, I managed to open my eyes and noticed that I was about to fall on a watery platform.

Okay… Now, I'm screwed. I don't know how to swim – Shit! I'm gonna drown – somebody help me!

However, instead of falling straight into the water – I managed to gently land on it. Strange, I thought that I was going to drown… Oh, well.

So, where am I exactly? Some kind of unescapable prison with a watery platform or maybe it was something worse? I just couldn't tell.

I looked at water and saw a reflection of myself - I had short black hair with a small blue streak at the front, brown eyes and pale skin. My outfit consisted of a gray t-shirt and gray shorts, a brown belt with holster and some kind of black, purple and light blue cloth, dark grey fingerless gloves, a dark purple bow on my left hand shoulder, a red bracelet with some yellow symbols on the right hand shoulder and lastly light grey shoes. I admit that it wasn't much of stylish outfit, but it was my favorite and I always enjoyed wearing it…

After looking at my own reflection, I raised my head and looked around for a few minutes. There was… nothing. So, what do I do now? Wait for something interesting to happen or maybe someone will come and explain why I am here?

Just then, I felt that somebody was behind me. Okay, why the hell did I had to open my month and ask if someone will come and explain why I ended up here in the first place? I really need to stop talking…

I took a deep breath and turned around, but what I saw… gave me the biggest shock of my life.

It was… me!? However, there were some differences about my lookalike's appearance – It was black and grey in color. No, really! I am not kidding – the lookalike had black hair without the blue streak, black skin and black clothing. However, what intrigued and scared me the most were the double's eyes – they were golden.

As I continued to stare at the dark clone of myself - I couldn't help, but feel a sense of déjà vu. It was like this strange dark form was very familiar, but I can't quite place my finger on it…

Wait a second… Dark skin and dark clothing, plus evil golden looking eyes… Oh, shit… I know what kind of dream this is now – It's a Kingdom Hearts related dream!

And that means my dark clone… is me in Anti-Form! Shit! I'm in so much trouble right about now!

Okay, Millie! Calm down and remember your training… You can defeat this imposter!

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not a fighter or anything big! I'm just a freaking 16-year old lover of video games!

Surprisingly, the dark clone of myself didn't attack me yet. That's strange, why isn't she-

Suddenly, my dark lookalike smirked at me and got into a defensive position. Better to be safe than sorry as they say…

The dark lookalike laughed and then started dissolving into a dark puddle which turns the entire water platform into a deep pool filled with pure darkness in a matter of seconds.

And, to my rotten luck – I begin to get sucked into dark ocean platform. I try my best to get out, but no such luck! Damn it, no way out! I'm going to end up falling straight into a deeper darkness than this one!

Eventually, I was sucked in the dark puddle… where am I now? I'm falling once again into a deep and unescapable darkness. I guess this is the end for me… I have no idea on how to escape from this… dream of mine…

Will I be forced to endure this endless nightmare? Will I be forever a prisoner of the darkness? Will I-

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

I snapped my eyes opened and stood up while sweat covered my entire body and face. Eventually, I looked around and to my relief – I was back in my comfortable bedroom and wearing my pajamas instead of my casual clothing.

"It was just a dream…" I declared with a calm expression on my face, as I laid comfortably on the pillows. Thank god, it was just a dream… Still, that place that I was standing on… was it a reality or not? I couldn't tell…

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

I gave an annoyed groan and slammed the top of the alarm clock before going back to sleep. "That mother of mine buys the worst birthday presents ever…" I stated with an annoyed groan and went back to sleep. Unfortunately, a knock on the door interrupted my slumber schedule and also opened my eyes as well.

"Yes?" I asked without even bothering to get up. I heard the door opening gently and a familiar voice called out to me. "Millie, sweetheart. You need to get up – you are going to be late for school." It was the voice of my mother and she just told me that-

Wait, WHAT!? LATE FOR SCHOOL!? I got up from the bed and looked at the alarm clock – 7:30! OH, MY GOD! I'VE OVERSLEPT! I HAVE 30 MINUTES LEFT BEFORE THE FIRST LESSON STARTS!

I jumped out of bed and pushed Mom out of the way to get to the bathroom as fast as possible…

(A little later…)

"Crap… crap… crap… crap… crap!" I declared with a worried tone as I rushed down the stairs and entered the kitchen. I needed to get a quick breakfast on the double and fast! I don't have time to eat any cereal or something else!

"Millie, sweetie… You have to calm down. I'll take to school in my car – you aren't going to be late." The voice of my mother acknowledged as she entered the kitchen.

My half-Japanese and half-American, calm and kind mother – Ayumi Willis. Like me, she had brown eyes and pale skin, but her hair was longer and its color was completely black. Her usual clothing, unlike mine consisted of a business woman's outfit. Believe it or not, my mother was the CEO of a big corporation somewhere in the city. However, we will get to that later. Right now, I had more important things to worry about…

"Mom, please don't tell me to not freak out! What if we get stuck in the rush hour again? What if I don't make it to school on time and get expelled? What if-" I was cut off by my mother hugging me and petting my hair gently.

"Millicent Willis, you aren't going to be late for school and you are definitely not getting expelled. I will take you with my car and you will be there on time. So, sweetheart – please calm down and relax." My mom told me and I gave out a sigh.

"How can I be calm, Mom? I've never overslept… I've always been known to wake up at 7:00 in the morning. But, this time – I've failed." Mom in response to that, smiled and petted me gently on the head.

"So, what if you overslept? I'm not mad at you and besides – my car is the fastest one in the neighborhood. We will arrive at your school before you can say Bugs Bunny. So, stop worrying, sweetie." At this sentence, I smiled at my mother and nodded. She had a point – I shouldn't be worrying and besides – our car is the fastest one in the neighborhood, plus the school was only a five-minute walk from our house. I guess I was just being paranoid about the whole thing…

"Yeah, you're right Mom. I'll stop worrying now." Mom smiled and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "That's my baby girl. Now, get your bag pack and meet me at the car. I'll be out as soon as I get your school lunch." At that statement, I groaned as I soon as I heard 'school lunch' – I always hated it when Mom gave me a bag filled with God-knows what. But, I guess I can't complain – it's better than the cafeteria stuff they give us every school day.

I picked up my school bag and went outside at the car to wait for my mother. While I was standing outside of the house - I couldn't help, but think about the dream that I had last night. Was it real or not? Did I really end up on a water platform and almost got killed by my dark clone? And more importantly – why did it seems so related to my favorite video game series Kingdom Hearts? Did that dream have a message of some sort? I just couldn't tell…

Oh, right! I forgot to mention what Kingdom Hearts is! For those of you who don't what that is, it is a-

"Millie, I've got the keys to the car and I've packed your lunch. Let's get going!" My mother said, as she locked the front door and gave me my lunch. I gave her a warm smile and entered the car. Well, time for another school day to begin…

(Later on the main road…)

Remember when I said that our car is the fastest one in the neighborhood? I wasn't lying – my mother owned a Ferrari. Being the CEO of the big corporation meant that she received a lot of money which was the reason we bought this fast car and a nice house in the suburbs. Nevertheless, the biggest reward she had ever received… was me.

I love my Mom to the death and I don't know what I'd do without her… Sure, she was busy running the corporation that she owned, but she always found time for me. Plus, Friday night was very special for both me and my mother – it was the time when we play video games together! What? You don't know that most children play games with their parents? Well, me and Mom do!

Yes, that is right. I am a video game player – I already mentioned that in my dream, but I'll say it again in case you all have forgotten. Anyways, I love playing video games in my free time. My favorite ones are Legend of Zelda, Assassin's Creed, Battlefield, Ratchet & Clank, etc. But, the one that I love and am a big fan the most is Kingdom Hearts.

And now I can explain exactly what that is – It is a Japanese RPG video game that follows the adventures of a teenager named Sora as he goes searching for his two friends Riku and Kairi on different worlds. It was developed by a company called Square Enix alongside Disney.

I just love absolutely everything about Kingdom Hearts – the characters, the storyline, the gameplay, the different Disney worlds… Oh, it is like a fairy tale! I've been a massive fan of the series ever since I was 12 years old.

Also, for those of you who don't know… I am a big Disney fan. My favorite characters from the franchise are in fact Mickey, Donald and Goofy. I just love how there are always getting into many different adventures.

As for Kingdom Hearts characters… I suppose I like Sora and Riku. And also Roxas, Axel and Xion… However, there is one character that I find the most interesting out of all the main protagonists – Kairi.

So, what do I like best about her? Well, for one - how her character has developed as the series progresses – she went from a damsel in distress to training to be a true heroine. Second – her personality. I admit that I really didn't like how Kairi acted in Kingdom Hearts 1 – she was too carefree and too brash and bold. The old personality annoyed me very much. But, Kingdom Hearts 2 – I grew to respect her as a video game character and was impressed at how mature she had become.

And one last thing that I like about her – she is now training to be a Keyblade Wielder. For those of you who don't know, in the newly released Kingdom Hearts game – Dream Drop Distance… Kairi is going to receive Keyblade training! That makes me so happy!

So, yeah – that's the whole story of how I became a fan of the Kingdom Hearts games. You know what would be really cool? Becoming a Keyblade Wielder, slaying the Heartless, Nobodies and hell – maybe the Unversed and fighting alongside Kairi…

Unfortunately, reality and dreams don't mix. I guess-

"Millie, we have arrived!" The voice of mother snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked out the window and saw that we had arrived at my school.

Huh, let me check my watch – 7:50. Well, I guess Mom was right – I did arrive on time.

I turned towards my mother and replied. "Thanks, mom. So, I guess I'll see you tonight, then?" Mom nodded and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I grabbed my backpack, left the car and started walking towards the school entrance.

"Bye, Millie. Don't get into any trouble!" My mother finished her speaking and then took off in her car to get to work.

I reached the school entrance and gave a small sigh. Well, another day of listening to teachers rambling about stuff that I don't really give a damn about…

(Few hours later – the last minutes of the final lesson…)

School is the most boring and most hellish place on the earth. I admit it – nothing to do, but sit and listen to teachers talking about stuff that might or might not help us in the future while writing down notes. Thank god that it is the final lesson of the day… I don't think I can handle much more school pressure. Unlucky for me though, today is Wednesday. So, that means – tomorrow, it is back to hell. Ugh…

After waiting forever, the last school bell finally rang. Amen! I'm out of here!

I started placing my things in my school bag when my teacher – Mr. Parker made an extra homework announcement. "Oh, make sure to read Shakespeare's Hamlet and a little bit of Mark Twain's Prince and the Pauper for Friday! Have a good day, dear children." Everybody, myself included groaned at the fact that the teacher gave us extra homework to do for literature. Well, the good news is that I don't have to read until tomorrow when I get home from school.

"So, how was today's literature class?" A familiar voice asked while I was busy picking up some stuff from my locker. It was my best friend – Melanie Garcia.

Unlike me, she had long curly red hair, bright green eyes and slight pink tan skin. Her clothing consisted of a blue t-shirt underneath a white jacket, a purple skirt, white long socks and black boots. Like me, she was also a video game player and another fan of the Kingdom Hearts series.

I turned to Melanie and replied. "The usual – teacher is giving us more and more homework to do. As if we didn't have enough already…" I finished speaking as I grabbed the stuff that I need and closed the locker after that.

We started walking towards the entrance and Melanie scolded me with a serious tone in her voice. "The teacher is doing you a favor, Millie. Becoming a future novelist isn't an easy thing – you need to be have lots of experience in literature and in English as well. How are you going to become a writer if you don't even want to do extra homework?" I gave a big sigh at her words – I knew that she was right.

"I know… but extra homework isn't going to help me at all." I replied back to Mel. The words that she told me were true, mind you. In the future, I want to become a full time novelist – writing fiction, crime or maybe even sci-fi stories. But, in order for me to accomplish that dream – I have to be really good in English and Literature. Not paying attention in class is indeed a bad omen.

Melanie rolled her eyes at my response and replied. "Extra homework won't help you? Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that and you will never become a novelist." At that response, I gave a sad frown and a sigh.

Mel noticed it and gave me a comforting reply. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those harsh words. But, still… you have to do as the teacher says or else you'll never graduate from high school." I nodded at her words.

When we exited the school and ended on the courtyard, Melanie gave me one more piece of advice. "Also, if you want to focus on Literature and English a lot better - stop playing Kingdom Hearts all of the time. I know that you and I are fans of the video game itself, but don't get obsessed."

At this, I looked at her with a face of hurt and sadness. I was about to open my mouth to speak, but my friend cut me off. "No, Millie – I'm being serious. You need to stop playing the game every day of the week. Look at me for example – I focus entirely on school during the week days. And when do I play the game – Friday Night and Saturday only. But, you? You play it every day – during the-" I placed a hand on her mouth and gave a frustrated sigh.

"Okay, I get it. I'm obsessed about Kingdom Hearts – what's your point?" I asked her and she rubbed her eyes with her hand in frustration.

After a few seconds of silence, she started speaking again. "My point… Millicent Willis is that you need to get lower your obsession of Kingdom Hearts a little bit. I'm not saying that you shouldn't stop liking the games or the fandom completely, but you need to focus on your studies a lot more. There is my point."

At this response, I didn't know what to say or do. I know that she is right - my school education is important, but I can't give up on Kingdom Hearts completely. It is my favorite video game after all and besides – what else am I supposed to do in my free time?

Melanie placed a hand on my shoulder and continued speaking with a smile on her face. "Look… Millie, I don't want to be a buzzkill or anything. But, the two of us aren't going to be in school forever – in two years, we both graduate and then we our adult life. I just… don't want to see you spend your entire life playing video games. I care about you, Mil. Plus, I really want to see and read a future novel written by you one day."

Maybe she's right… I might need to lower my obsession on Kingdom Hearts a little bit. If I'm ever going to become a famous novelist one day, I have to focus on school right now.

I looked at Melanie with a smile on my face and gave my reply. "Alright, I'll try and tone the Kingdom Hearts obsession down a little bit. You have a point – school is important right now."

My friend hugged me and said. "That's my bestie. Also, if you want some more advice – try doing a different hobby besides playing. Like – writing or maybe drawing something from other video games, not just Kingdom Hearts." I nodded at this advice.

"Good, I have to get moving now Mil. I have lots of homework to do and chores as well. Until tomorrow!" Melanie exclaimed, as she waved goodbye to me and started running towards her home.

I waved back with a smile and started walking back towards my house. After our little conversation, I began reflection on the advice that Melanie gave me – 'focus on school' and 'lower the KH obsession down a little bit'.

It is good advice actually, now that I think about it. Still… I can't stop thinking about Kingdom Hearts.

Man, it would be really cool if I can travel to the KH universe, teaming up with my favorite character, battling different enemies, meeting new faces…

Ugh! Millicent Willis – Melanie is right! You are playing too much Kingdom Hearts and you need to slow down.

I guess I'll take my best friend's advice and tone down my obsession with the video game a little bit…

(Another universe…)

In golden-brown colored room, a 16-year-old teenage girl was practicing a couple of techniques with a key-shaped weapon on a couple of wooden dummies. Her hair was long and had a dark shade of red, her eyes were blue just like the sea and her skin was pale. Her attire consisted of white halter top with a black hood underneath a pink strapless mini-dress made up of three zippers. There were three bracelets on her left wrist, a black belt with a note-book shaped bag attachment. Lastly, her footwear consisted of lilac sneakers.

Right now, she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. The first thing that she had to do was master the basics of this training session and she wasn't going to give up just yet. Not when she finally had the chance to train and fight alongside her childhood friends Sora and Riku! She was tired of being a damsel in distress – it was time for her to prove that she more than just a princess.

After a couple of seconds, she opened her eyes and charged forward. She began striking the dummy as hard as she could while unleashing a couple of combinations. Eventually, she knocked an arm and leg off the dummy which in turn put a smile on her face. Good - she was doing well for a simple teenager. After unleashing a few more hits on the dummy, she finally beat it to the floor and then gave herself a sigh.

"That's enough for now." She stated with a smile on her face. Two hours – she had been training for at least two hours, but the girl still had a long way to go if she going to become something more.

She then took a look at her key-shaped weapon – it was round and curvaceous and at first point appeared to be harmless. One side of the hilt was formed in the shape of a breaking ocean wave while the other was formed into a beige vine of sand that wrapped around the shaft which somehow resembled a sunset. The vine was connected to a bouquet of colorful flowers which formed the teeth of the weapon and somehow entwined to create an outline of a heart. Lastly, a red silken keychain was connected to a token which resembled a fruit known as paopu.

It was hard to believe that she was a wielder of this key-shaped weapon – it felt so… so… right. Like a missing piece of her was finally found. And now she had the chance to fight alongside her best friends!

But, still… what if she didn't deserve to wield a weapon of such power and skill? She was afraid of failing her training and losing her best friends Sora and Riku… Was she even…

No! She had to try her best, not just for her sake… but for her best friends as well.

"Training hard as usual, Kairi?" A familiar voice interrupted the thoughts of the girl now known as Kairi. She turned around and came face to face with a friendly creature with big ears. She had met him a long time ago when Sora first came to rescue in the World that Never Was.

It was an anthropomorphic mouse with black fur, big round ears of the same color and a thin, long black tail. His face on the other hand was cream-colored. The attire of the mouse was a short-sleeved jacket with white lining – the top half was black while the bottom half was red, there were also two yellow straps dangling in front of it. His pants were red and a zipper was sported going down the front of each leg – a yellow pouch with a black strap covered it while on the outer side of both legs, there was a blue strap. Lastly, his footwear consisted of very large, yellow shoes with grey backs and two orange, intersecting straps attached to the front.

"Oh! Your Majesty, I didn't hear you come in." Kairi replied as she gave a bow to the mouse king.

The creature in turn smiled at the girl. "It's fine. No need to worry about that – I just came to see how your training is progressing." The king explained.

"Oh, it's coming along great! Thank you for asking me, King Mickey." Kairi exclaimed with a gentle smile to the mouse known as Mickey.

The king in turn smiled and nodded, but gave a look of concern when he saw the smile on Kairi's face which had disappeared and turned into a sad frown.

"What's wrong, Kairi? Is something the matter?" Mickey asked.

Kairi looked at him with a sad look. "Your Majesty… am I… worthy of becoming a Keyblade Wielder?" She asked.

The king smiled and replied. "Of course you are, Kairi! You are more than capable to be a wielder… just like Sora and Riku."

The teenage girl kneeled in front of the king and looked at him with the sad look still on her face. "I not so sure, your Majesty… I feel like I'm going to screw up somewhere and in the process my friends will get hurt." She stated with a sigh.

The king looked at her with a smile and started to reply. "Kairi, listen to me – you are not going to be a failure. Do you know why?" She shook her head.

The mouse raised his hand and pointed it at Kairi's chest which surprised her a lot. "It's because of your heart - the reason in which you strive to become a wielder and fight alongside your friends. I know you will succeed just like Sora and Riku."

The comment made the girl smile once again – King Mickey was right. Her heart was the reason that she was striving to fight alongside her friends with a Keyblade. No more damsel in distress – it was her time to shine.

"Yeah, you're right. I just have to keep training and I know I'll get better and better some day!" Kairi exclaimed with a determined tone to which the king smiled.

"That's the spirit! Don't give up and in the end – the results will be worth it. In no time, you'll be fighting alongside your friends. Trust me." King Mickey said.

Kairi smiled again. "Alright, your Majesty. I trust you and… thank you for the kind words." She finished speaking.

"Oh, gosh…" King Mickey started with a laugh. "I'm glad to be of help. You know… Kairi, if you want some help with the training – I've got just the thing for you. A little assignment if you will…"

Kairi was now curious. "An assignment, your Majesty?" She asked and the king nodded in return.

"…What kind of assignment are we talking about?" Kairi asked.

(Millie's home – nighttime…)

…And that should do it. After a long and grueling five hours of doing homework, I finally finished doing it. But, right now – I was super bored. Nothing to do, but lay on the couch in the living room. Granted, I could play Kingdom Hearts for a little bit… However, I made a promise to my best friend that I would not start the console and pick up the controller.

Still, there was something I could do instead of playing the game – maybe I could draw something or write a little. Ugh, I so hated decisions…

After a few quiet minutes of laying on the couch had passed, I made up my mind and got up to get a piece of paper and some pencils. I'm gonna draw something related to the Kingdom Hearts – maybe a keyblade. But, which one?

Hmm… I've got it! Destiny's Embrace!

I started drawing the keyblade very carefully since I wasn't exactly an art professional. Still, this might be an interesting hobby to do…

(30 minutes later…)

Drawing is really hard work… I made a couple of mistake on Destiny's Embrace and had to erase them, but I'm nearly finished with my masterpiece.

Just before I started coloring my work, I heard the front door opening. I placed my pencils down and turned to see who it was since I'm in the living room. Turns out it was my mother coming home from work.

"Hey, Mom. Welcome home – how was work today?" I asked with a curious look on my face.

My mother gave me a smile and replied. "Exhausting as usual, Mil. I tell you – being the CEO of a corporation isn't an easy job. I'm just glad to be back at home and see how my baby girl is doing."

"Mom! I'm not a baby anymore – I'm 16!" I exclaimed with a chagrin look. I hated it when Mom called me her "baby girl" – It made me feel like I'm still a toddler.

Mom walked over to me and hugged me from behind. "Oh, I can't help it Millie! You are my pride and joy!" She exclaimed with a cheerful smile on her face.

I blushed in embarrassment and started pouting. "Mom, please stop hugging me! Please, for the love of God!" I demanded.

She gave a small chuckle and released me. "Okay, okay Mil. Your wish is my command." She replied.

"Thank you." I said and then returned to drawing Destiny's Embrace.

My mother, curious on what I was doing peeked over my shoulder and saw that I was doing a drawing.

"What are you drawing, sweetie?" My mother asked and I quickly hid the drawing from her. "Drawing? Don't be silly, Mom. I'm not drawing." I answered quickly while lying since I didn't want Mom to find out what I was doing at the moment.

Unfortunately, that didn't work as she gave me a smirk. "What's wrong, Millie? Are you by any chance scared?" She asked.

I gave her an annoyed look. "What? I'm not scared! It's just…" I gave a small sigh before I continued speaking. "You will probably think that my art is bad and you'll embarrass me…"

My mother had a shocked look on her face. "Millie! How could you even say such a thing? I would never say anything bad about your art and in fact – I bet that it will be a good drawing." She replied and I gave a sigh once again.

"Promise that you will not laugh?" I asked and she made raised her hand. "Scout's honor, honey." She replied.

Well, scout's honor is good enough… I guess. I pulled out the drawing and gave it to my mother who began to examine it.

I waited for a couple of seconds and then my mom placed down the drawing on the table, looked at me and gave me a smile and a hug. "Millie, this is beautiful! You definitely have skills." She answered and I gave her a look of surprise.

"R-really? Do you like it?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Yes, this is really good. However, I can't help, but feel that I've seen this key-shaped weapon from somewhere…" My mother replied.

"It should be obvious Mom. The weapon is called a Keyblade from the Kingdom Hearts series." I explained.

"Oh, yeah! Your favorite video game series, right?" Mom asked and I nodded.

"What kind of Keyblade are you doing right now, Mil?" She asked and I replied. "It's Destiny's Embrace – it belongs to my favorite character Kairi."

Mom nodded with a smile. "It is a good drawing. Also, I'm very impressed by the fact that you aren't playing video games right now and taking up a hobby. Why the sudden change?" She asked.

"Melanie told me that I needed to lay off the Kingdom Hearts addiction a little bit - Since, I have to focus on Literature and English right now during the week days." I answered and she petted me on the head.

"Smart girl that Melanie is. She has a point, Millie – right now, school is more important than video games." She replied and then got up and started walking towards the kitchen.

I was about to resume working on my drawing when. "Oh, Mil – I would recommend you stay inside the house. Rumor has it that a big storm is scheduled to appear tonight." My mother told me.

I was confused by this – I thought that during the whole week there would be clear skies and no rainy forecast. Why this sudden change now?

"A storm? Seriously? Did the meteorologists screw us over again?" I asked and she gave me a shrug.

"I have no idea, sweetie. Also, would you like me to order some sushi for dinner tonight?" She asked.

I nodded with a smile - I love sushi with a burning passion! I looked at my mother and nodded.

She nodded back and started dialing on her smartphone as I resumed my drawing…

(Later…)

…And done! I've finally finished my drawing of the Destiny's Embrace Keyblade and I was proud of it.

Dinner, unfortunately wasn't still ready - so I decided to lay down and close my eyes. Maybe I'll take a little short nap…

Sadly, fate didn't allow me that choice as the entire house suddenly became black and dark. Something's probably wrong with the power…

"Oh, oh… That's not good." Mom called out from the kitchen.

I got up and looked at her. "Is there a power outage, Mom?" I asked and she nodded.

"Probably. It possible due to the storm getting more and more worse – I just hope that by tomorrow it goes away." She replied.

I nodded back – I'm hoping for the same thing as well.

"Still…" She continued. "Millie, would you please be a dear and go check on the fuse box in the basement?" She finished and I nodded in return.

"Kay, Mom. In the meantime, where is the delivery man with the sushi?" I asked, as I got up.

"He should be here any minute right now. In the meantime, go and check on the fuse box." Mom ordered me and I complied.

Before descending into the basement, I grabbed a flashlight from a nearby living room cabinet and then I started walking down the stairs.

Upon arriving, I activated my flashlight and started searching for the fuse box. "Alright, let's have a look… Boxes… my old tricycle that I received as a gift when I was still in kindergarten… Hmmm… no such luck yet." I said.

I continued looking for the fuse box and eventually, I had finally found it on the far end of the room.

"Good, now let me see what the problem is…" I stated as I started walking.

I pointed the flashlight at the fuse box and took a closer look. Hmm… so far nothing seems to be out of place, strange. Let me check inside… I opened the fuse box and looked, but no such luck – nothing seems to be broken.

I closed the fuse box and gave a sigh. Something's wrong – normally, a fuse box would be broken or short-circuited if there is power outage or a bad weather. Yet, I don't see anything out of place…

Wait a minute… I raised my flashlight and started looking for any wires that were disconnected or cut-off. Let's see…

So far, nothing… I don't see anything of place… Hmmm… There has to be something I've overlooked… I mean I can't just-

Ah-ha! What do we have here? I kneeled down and took a closer look at one of the wires – yep, that's definitely what I was searching. But, it's really weird – the wire looks like it had been cut or chewed off by something. I was careful not to touch it in fear of getting electrocuted.

Now, for the million dollar questions – how did the wire disconnect from the fuse box and who did it?

Just when I was about to think some more, a familiar scream interrupted my thoughts. "WHAT ARE YOU!?" It was my Mom! Sounds like she is in trouble!

"Mom! Hang on, I'm coming!" I yelled, as I rushed forward with the flashlight in my hand up the stairs.

I re-entered the living room and ran straight for the kitchen, but what I saw… shocked me very much.

I had arrived just in time to see my mother's heart being extracted from her own body by… the fucking HEARTLESS FROM KINGDOM HEARTS!

"Millie…" those were my mother's last words before she disappeared and was replaced by a Neoshadow.

I stood still with a shocked look on my face as tears began to fall. I couldn't believe it… my mother… just had her heart stolen by a creature that I thought was only fictional… Is… this for real?

Suddenly, the Neoshadow looked at me and soon I noticed that more and more Shadows began to appear inside the kitchen. At this point… I felt scared and what was worst – I had nothing to defend myself with.

What am I going to do? Is this how things are going to end? Will my heart be extracted just like my mother's? Will the Heartless destroy my world? Will I-

"You need to run inside the corridor and be quick!" An unknown voice called out to me. What the hell? Who was that and what corridor is she talking about?

"Turn around and run towards the corridor. Please, hurry!" The unknown voice pleaded with me. I turned around and to my surprise – a corridor of darkness from Kingdom Hearts had appeared. What the hell is going on…

"Millie, please! I promise that I will the questions that you have, but you need to trust me!" The voice spoke and I was shocked! It knew my name as well? How is that possible!?

"Who are you and what's going on!?" I yelled at the mysterious voice.

"Listen! You have to go now – the Heartless are about to find the heart of your world and devour it! Please, you have to trust me! I will explain everything soon enough, but you need to go! Now!" The voice ordered me.

I had no idea what to do – should I trust the mysterious voice and do as it says or should I stay and let the Heartless devour my heart and the entire Earth?

I turned around and to my shock, the shadows began to charge at me. I dodged out of the way very quickly and my mind was made up – I'm going through the dark portal!

No way I'm going to stay here and die! I reached the portal entrance and took a deep breath. I sure hope I don't regret this! I ran straight into the portal and left my home far behind…

Credits:

Millis Willis – belongs to me, but the character was created by MafiPaint. Cover Art – created by TheMistressOfDiscord.