Will the world turn out okay or will the Dark forces triumph? Let's find out...

I missed my old home, I didn't want to be on an industrial island for the rest of my life. Everyone either spoke in harsh accents and I couldn't understand them or they wouldn't talk to me at all since it was obvious I wasn't a native. I used to feel that way until I met you, Mia. As long as you were my friend and always beside me, I never felt sad or lonely. I thought you were all I needed. After another day of hanging out with you, I went back to my cramped home. My mom was giving a tour of the islands that night, my sister was working late, nobody was in the house. I was used to it and it didn't bother me because we lived in a small house and not in a family house like you do. When I walked to my bedroom, I opened the curtains so that I got a view of the factories and plumes of smoke ascending into the air. What a disgusting place, I thought to myself every night.

I took off my shirt and shorts, laying in bed with only my boxers on. As I turned to the window, I saw a man was blocking the view, a tall man who blended in with the darkness. I sat up aghast, wondering if he was real. But then I figured I was really tired and I dropped back on my pillow. "I'm as real as you are," said the man in a low-pitched tone. "Don't scream. I hate screaming."

"Am I being robbed? We don't have any money I promise you-"

"I don't want your money Seth. I simply need you."

"How do you know my name?"

"I listened to your shadow and it told me who you were, about your hometown Domia, about what happened to your father years ago, your sisters'-"

"Who the hell are you?" That was when I got scared. The idea that this was a dream was crumbling away and it made me terrified. "Have you been following me?" He grinned as though I was amusing, I didn't think I was. My fear was funny to him for some reason. "I'll leave you with this Seth Rubis-your shadow told me you don't like Moonlight Town. I understand, the pollution, the factories, the people...but I have the power to take you to other places, not just other islands, other worlds. Call out to me if you want to try."

"Those don't exist! Pfft," I snorted and when I lifted my head again, he was gone. I barely slept that night, his words weighed heavily on me. The next day, I hung out with you again and that's when I thought about other worlds. I've heard stories of children going to other worlds and returning as heroes. Did other worlds really exist, there was only way of knowing, right? That's when I asked you about how many islands surround Moonlight Town and about seeing them. You didn't seem too excited about it but you put on a smile and said some reassuring words to make me feel as though I wasn't losing my mind. At midnight we watched the moonlight cover the entire island and I called the moon rotting cheese and you told me to appreciate it more.

I knew then and there you wouldn't want to leave the island. You wanted to stay safe and unaware of the worlds around us. Then I thought of the man in my bedroom and I was on edge when I walked you home. I thought every little shadow was him watching me. After dropping you off I headed down the incline, frowning at the noisy, chaotic factories in the distance. It was hard to see the stars with the white plumes rising into the air. There must be more than this hideous island, I assured myself. I wanted to leave the island and I wanted you to join me. How would we get there? A raft, a boat, a ship maybe? "Trying to get Mia to leave won't be a problem," chuckled the man of blackness behind me. "She likes you and will be more than willing to join you."

"How do you-if you hurt her I'll hurt you," I threatened him to his amusement. "Stay away from her and me."

"But you do want to know how to get to another world correct? You might have the potential to handle the power to go to different worlds. You want a taste?" I eyed him suspiciously as he continued. "With this power, you can protect your precious Mia from anyone, even me. What do you say?" The man of blackness was making a good offer-at the time I would've done anything to keep you safe Mia. Everyone either wanted to harm you or people wanted you to leave, you kept getting hurt. I wanted to stop that. I nodded to the man of darkness and he told me in order to retrieve the power I wanted, I would have to go to a hidden place inside the cliffs. He told me to jump off and that if I was good enough I would make it inside the opening and in that cavern I would find a plain black door. If I opened it I would gain some of the power I needed to go to other worlds and protect you.

When I made the fall and caught the ledge in time, I made it in and looked around. There was scribbling on the wall but I was focused on the door in the back. Without a moment's hesitation, I opened it and saw pure darkness and evils I won't ever be able to tell you Mia. I blanked out for who knew how long; it was morning by the time I woke up, and went to meet you on the beach to garner supplies. When you came back with the supplies, you said you saw a black door and I became worried. I didn't want you to have the power that lied behind that door, you didn't need it. Only I would be the one to protect you. The wind was strong that day, remember? A palm tree almost crushed you. I planned on blocking it but I ended up catching it and pushing it to the other side. We were both pretty amazed and I thought, if this was some power I got from him, imagine getting more from him.

That night I walked you back home and I thanked you for believing me. The seeds of curiosity were starting to grow in your head too Mia, I could tell. It made me glad that I began to influence you. Before I got off the path that took me home, I heard the man of darkness' voice in my head telling me to come to the beach. I obeyed him and I noticed the water was murky and purple. "A powerful storm is coming," he told me happily. "It's all because of you."

"What did I do?"

"You opened the door." I couldn't breathe, I fell on my knees and wanted to cry. I knew it wasn't going to be an ordinary storm, I had done something horrible. "Another world falls to the darkness and it's because of your heart's craving for power to protect my niece." I stared at him quizzically, unable to utter a proper sentence. "Mia happens to be the daughter of my late brother and his girlfriend. They weren't interested in the power of Darkness, when I tried to persuade them they perished by my hands. Mia almost died too but when she made it out alive I decided to leave her be." It became blustery and windy, when I stood up it felt as if I was going to get carried away. "Did you want to hurt Mia too?" I asked him. He simply laughed and changed the subject, "I know that deep down you are interested in the power of Darkness and if you want to continue to walk down the road of power, let your heart guide you back to me."

When he disappeared, I began to process everything in my mind. More power would make me even stronger, strong enough to stop this from happening again. But by letting Moonlight Town get destroyed, it would encourage me to protect the things I loved. You came into the scene Mia and told me we had to leave. I already knew there would be no going back, other worlds needed to be seen and I wanted you to come with me. Your seeds of curiosity decayed when you saw the black creatures crawling all over me. Remember when I held my hand out and you reached for it? It made me so glad to see your hand almost in mine, but then you pulled back. I had lost you to your fear of power and before I could beg for you, the Heartless plunged me into the Darkness and I found myself facing my soon-to-be master. "My name is Korbin but you will call me Master. I promise to show you what true power is." And I bowed to my new master.

"You left me there, I was so worried about you," I mutter, still tired from Seth's relentless attacks. My blurred parents disappeared completely when he finished telling me what happened to him."You went to my secret place...was it all worth it? Tell me, was it worth it?"

"Of course it was," says Seth confidently. I twist him off me abruptly and while he's stumbling to regain his balance I grab my bo staff and raise it at him angrily. He smirks weakly and points his dark key-shaped sword at my face. "Tell me Seth, despite all of this, are we still friends?" He drops the Keyblade and screams agonizingly, dropping to his knees and grabbing his head. I never saw this side of Seth before, it's terrifying. All this from one question? When he uncovers his dark brown dilating eyes, his face petrifies me. He looks as though he is spiraling into hell, with eyes that won't stop moving.

"You ask me that stupid question all the time! Friends wouldn't kill each other, you stupid, naïve girl. No, no, no, no, no, no, NOOOO!" When he finally stops, a deep sigh escapes from him. While still on the ground, I look down shamefully with tears in my eyes. He was relieved after calling me stupid, he took pleasure in torturing me, he mocks when I try to help him. What kind of friend does that? "Are you gonna cry like you always do Mia? Master was right, breaking you would be so simple."

"When I was reunited with you, it was one of the happiest days of my life. Even though I was terrified of this new world and of what was to come, with you here I felt strong. You kept me going when I was lonely and scared." He snorts but I somberly continue, "When you left me, I drowned myself in tears every day and so far you haven't regretted a thing. You had no problem abandoning me for Korbin," I stand up, staring sadly at Seth's feet and then I glare at the frowning Seth. "You and everyone else are right to call me a naïve idiot for wasting tears on you. I can't waste anymore of them on you Seth, I ran out. You shattered my heart into pieces, you killed everything that made me me. Only my broken heart is left and that's what I'll fight you with. I will never let you be my strength again." He lunges at me and I hastily dodge him, spinning the bo staff furiously as I repeatedly strike him. Both of us are screaming at the top of our lungs as if trying to figure out whose will is stronger.

While he is blocking my bo staff assault, I kick him in the chest, which he blocks but is sent back a couple of feet. I channel my gray energy into the bo staff and attack him wildly. At each blocked strike, he grimaces. "Just because you're angry now doesn't mean you're any better."

"I want you to feel-" I slam my staff hard enough to break his defense and shout "-the pain that I've been living with every single day!" I strike him in the chest, hard enough to send him flying. "What I felt can't be compared to that!" He catches himself and with the swipe of his Keyblade, he sends more Dark spikes towards me. I spin the bo staff rapidly while rushing towards him. Instead of striking him in the front, I strike his side and I hear him spit up blood. Then I tackle him down and press the glowing staff to his throat as I shove my foot in his chest. "Korbin said you would have the power to protect me but you didn't care about me when you opened the door." Seth kicks me off but I quickly get to my feet and swing my bo staff at him but he blocks it. A chilly blast of Darkness hits the staff and I'm pushed back, skidding against the dirt. While I'm open he lands a direct punch in my face that brings me to his feet. I touch my right cheek, feeling the swollen bruise along with the cuts from before. "If you really wanted to protect me, you wouldn't have done all the horrible things you did to me," I remind him as I get up and lunge at him. Stunned by my speedy recovery, all Seth can do is block me again. "Power is all you ever wanted."

"That's not-"

"Lies," I say breathlessly. "What else did he say about me and my family?"

"He said...because of your parents you needed to be eliminated...your-nngh, Twilight would destroy both Darkness and Light," his deep hazel eyes look fearful for the first time. With both hands on the staff, I push forward and he takes a step back. "Light and Darkness, right? That's why you continued to follow him into the Darkness, you were afraid I would get stronger and so is Korbin! He just wants to use you to kill me," I tell Seth fiercely, taken aback by my tone. "You're the real idiot!" Gray Twilight energy shines within the staff's carvings. I horizontally swing at him and he quickly jumps back, pointing his Keyblade at me. Darkness collects at the tip and is about to shoot out at me.

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!" I jump above the violet ray and grip the Twilight-concentrated bo staff, spinning it briefly before I strike Seth's head. When his head thumps against the fake grass, Darkness briefly emits from it, turning that spot to a part of the street. I swing upwards and he swiftly retreats into the air; I leap towards him and he places his sword in front of him defensively. His consoling words from a long time ago are whispered into my head, "I'm going to make sure you're safe as long as you're with me. Thank you for believing in me-you're a true friend…"

I drive the bo staff through Seth's menacing Keyblade and his forehead. The crack I hear doesn't bother me, it's the screaming that follows. I land on my feet and watch Seth lose himself as he plummets to the ground, howling and holding his crimson-soaked head. He used to be so quiet and would keep everything-even pain-to himself, but the Darkness changed everything about him. He cringes and cries out even louder seeing his own blood gushing out from his skull; like a dying animal he twitches and makes strange noises. His ear-splitting screams make me feel as though he finally understands the pain I carried in my heart for all these months. But he never will, he won't be able to ever comprehend what I felt. His sword begins to evaporate into black bubbles. "Thanks…kid…" Deidre's ghostlike voice distinguishes itself from Seth's endless wailing. Dropping my staff and bending down, I huff and puff to stop myself from fainting.

J.G.P.