She never considered herself to be a hero by any means. The term was almost foreign and strange to her. Ever since she was a young girl, the idea of being heroic was a dream she did not pursue, an idea she did not grow. Just the mere thought of being one frightened her, made her turn tail in the opposite direction. To her, being a hero meant throwing your life on the line for the sake of others. It would mean putting your fears aside and standing up to them, no matter the consequences that would follow. It meant standing up and becoming a beacon of light that others would look up to, admire, praise.

Being a hero was all of these things and more, yet the thought scared her. She was afraid of putting her life on the line, of dying to protect the life of another. She believed her fears would outweigh her bravery, thus making her incapable of standing up to them and fighting them. The idea of being admired and praised by many kept her up at night because she feared that, if she screwed up, people would think much differently of her. It made her sick to her stomach, dizzy, and downright nervous just pondering the thought.

As a child, one would not even consider performing the acts a hero would make. As a child, one would want to enjoy the simple things in life: friends, family, the outdoors. As a child, that was the way she spent her days. However, that all changed one day, and all it took was a request from a person whose face she barely remembers:

"You have to promise me that, no matter what happens and no matter the consequences, you will have the courage and the strength to protect the people you care about most. You have to promise me that you will guard those people with your life, and you will protect them from the darkness."

Yes, it was a request that was hard to accept, especially for her, but when she remembered the people she cared about - her friends, family, and life - she knew better than just to let them slip away. It was why she chose to accept that request without hesitation, without question, in the hopes that one day that strength to protect others, to be a guardian of sorts, would come to her.

Unfortunately, mustering up that strength to stand up to the darkness was much easier said than done.

The memories of those days flashed through her head as the girl slowly opened her eyes, staring up at the emptiness above her. It was not blue like the cloudless skies of a summer day, but dark and gloomy as if it were to rain at any moment. Blue eyes stared into the void for what seemed like an eternity, blinking slowly and almost rhythmically and breathing in a similar pattern. It felt as though her body was not there, almost like she was floating in the abyss by herself. As she continued to stare, she was half-expecting something, anything, to appear in front of her and force her to move. She was anticipating a face to appear from the shadows and possibly frighten her or even make her laugh, but nothing of the sort happened. It just appeared as if she was thrust into a black and empty void, leaving her with nothing but her thoughts and memories to keep her company.

The silence was the worst part of it. Not being able to hear a sound would have driven anyone to a panicked state of mind or even to the brink of insanity. Not being able to see anything was a bad enough, but having it coupled with silence without so much as a warning as to whether or not you could hear was far worse. It was like trying to anticipate was going to happen, but at the same time doubting whether something would happen or if it was just going to remain dead.

The fact that she was not reacting that way - all panicked and frightened beyond all reason - surprised her a bit. She was expecting to be at least somewhat terrified, yet she felt nothing. Nothing but calm.

I'm dreaming, she thought to herself. It was only in her dreams that she felt this kind of serenity and peace come over her, but it was a first to feel like she was in an empty void with nothing around her. She did not have time to ponder this thought, however, as she, after what seemed like years, heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Wake up."

It was upon hearing those words that all feeling returned to her body, and she immediately felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Using her hands to feel around for a moment, it felt like she was lying on a marble floor. Not the most comfortable thing to be lying on, but it certainly was better than floating in nothing. At least, it was better than the feeling of falling.

She swallowed the lump that quickly formed in her throat after that thought. Best not to think of that scenario.

After some time, she closed her eyes and started moving her body: first her arms, then her head, and finally her legs. She used her arms and hands to lift her body from the floor and raised her head so that it would hang forward just as she started moving her legs to her chest. The motions were slow and cautious as if she had not been able to move them in a long time, but she was fortunate that she was not in any pain. Once her knees were close enough to her chest, she used her legs to lift herself slowly up off the ground and stand tall, while exhaling the breath she did not realize she was holding in.

A beat had passed before she opened her eyes once more, looking down at the floor that she stood on and caught glimpses of an image. Furrowing her brows out of confusion, she slowly looked up more and noticed the floor around her. She realized she was standing on a gray platform in the middle of nothing, an intricately designed platform that seemed to appear from the darkness. The image on the floor had the picture of what looked to be a young woman sleeping peacefully, her arms folded over her stomach and her hair laid out in a similar manner to that of a fan. Her straight, long hair was shaded black and white, but the colors were separated on either side of her with the black hair to her left and the white hair to her right. Her skin was near pale, but it did not appear as though she was sickly or worse. Her attire was something the girl had never actually seen before, but she did hear about it. The woman was dressed similarly to a geisha, sporting a yukata-styled kimono that stopped just at her knees. The sleeves were almost skin tight, but they resembled bell sleeves, as they opened up more just as they reached her hands. The color of the kimono itself was a gray shade, but it would have been whiter had it not been for the massive white heart shape in the background. The kimono also had black floral designs appearing from the hems where her knees and hands were, almost as if they were growing out and upward. Around her waist was a mere black obi, though the bow itself seemed to be non-existent. When she looked at the woman's feet, the girl noticed that she was wearing white colored buttoned up socks with a split toe - tabi, as the girl recalled - as well as plain black zabi - or sandals. On either side of the sleeping woman were two translucent tear-like shapes, one black to the woman's right and the other white to the woman's left. It almost resembled that of a yin-yang symbol, but it looked almost as if two more people could fit right into those spots. Along the edges of the platform, two symbols appeared to surround it, one replacing the other in it's never ending cycle around the circle. The first symbol showed a white heart, similar to the one that appeared behind the woman, centered in a black circle, and the second symbol showed a simple lining of what seemed to be a black heart centered in a white circle.

The girl stared at the image for a while, trying to put a name to the face with no luck, just as the voice spoke again.

"Look this way, toward the light."

The girl slowly looked forward, only to find a light shining from the darkness and onto the platform. Blue eyes widened a bit, shocked that it was possible that any source of light was capable of breaking through. In that light stood a slender figure, arms seemingly crossed in front of them and standing still as a statue. It did not take long for the girl to recognize who it was, or at least who they appeared to be. The figure looked strikingly similar to the sleeping woman on the floor beneath her. However, she could only see the standing woman from behind. The girl did note that the woman's hair was long enough to reach the middle of her back, which greatly surprised the girl. Nevertheless, she pushed aside those thoughts as she finally found her words and spoke.

"Who...are you?" She was half-expecting her voice to be hoarse as if she had not spoken in a long time, but she was happy that it was not the case.

The woman did not move a muscle as she responded, "Consider me a...good friend."

The girl's eyes narrowed a bit, feeling a bit suspicious by the response.

"A friend?" She inquired. The woman did not respond to that, silently agreeing, so the girl continued. "How can I call you a friend if I don't know you?"

"Would you rather consider me an enemy?" The woman asked, answering the girl's question with another. "If you couldn't tell, I haven't to put you harm's way nor do I have any intentions of doing so."

"Your intentions are still a mystery to me," the girl retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. She paused briefly before saying, "But...I do suppose you're right."

"Here you are safe from harm, my dear," said the woman. "This is where your heart resides. And your heart is filled with light. Darkness cannot enter."

The girl's eyebrow raised questionably.

"If this is my heart, then how did you get here?"

It was at this moment that the woman laughed softly, which annoyed the girl. Why was she laughing?

"That's a story for another day," she answered. The girl frowned as the woman continued. "Instead, I have something to tell you. Something important."

In a matter of moments, the girl's attitude changed to one of curiosity.

"Oh?"

The girl could sense a smile form on the woman's face.

"Fate has brought you to the island you're currently on, my child."

Curiosity changed to surprise as the girl's arms fell to their sides. This woman is certainly something else, she told herself. How does she know where I am right now? That was when the girl remembered that she was dreaming, a thought that crossed her mind not that long ago. Did this woman somehow invade her dreams? If so, how and why would she do such a thing?

"What are you talking about?" The girl wondered.

The woman's head turned ever so slightly in the girl's direction, her hair swaying side to side briefly, as she said, "Fate has led you to the island on which you stand. As if you were destined to be there."

"I...I don't understand." The girl shook her head. "I've just been traveling worlds in search of my friends. I just so happened to end up here."

"You never questioned how you ended up there?" The woman inquired though the tone of her voice implied that she already knew the answer to the question.

Without a word, the girl raised her hand in front of her, inhaling and exhaling. After a moment of time, a soft light flashed in front of her, and an object appeared in her outstretched hand. The object was that of a key-like weapon, seemingly out of place from other weapons. The hilt of the blade was circular and had a pair of wings jutted out on either side just a bit. Attached to the end of the weapon was a small chain where a small orange colored sun was hanging from the end of it. At the hilt of the blade was a similarly colored sun, standing out from the rest of the weapon. The blade itself extended until it created a heart shaped opening at the top, the inside of the form dusted with a faint yellow. The teeth of the weapon resembled that of a rising sun appearing from the horizon, the curved rays pointing out and sharpened. The color of the blade was a blend from black to white. The hilt was darker at the bottom of the blade, but there were notable white dots scattered here and there. It resembled the night sky, but as it went on it slowly started to grow into a brighter gray shade. By the time it reached the connection between hilt and blade, it was already gray except the sun in the middle. The color continued to turn brighter and brighter as it went up until it was completely white. Lastly, around the blade was a spiral design wrapping around the entirety of the blade, starting at the bottom as a purple shade all the way to the tip of the blade where it changed to blue.

The girl smiled as she gazed upon the weapon, admiring it as she had done many times before, before looking up at the woman, who did not turn around to see it.

"I know how I got here." The girl stated confidently. "My Keyblade brought me here."

"Did you tell it to take you here, or did it simply take you there without you knowing where you would end up next?" The woman inquired almost instantly, showing no response to the girl revealing her weapon. The girl, who was both surprised and baffled by her question, did not respond. Her eyes shifted to her arm, weapon in hand, slowly fell to her side once more. Before the silence set in, the woman continued, "I assumed as much. You don't know how to control where it takes you nor do you know how it finds a new world."

"So what?" The girl finally snapped. She felt like the woman was mocking her, and the girl did not like it. "That doesn't mean that I'm incapable of using it!"

"I never said that you were," the woman calmly stated. She did not seem alarmed by the girl's outburst. "Nevertheless, the question remains: do you know exactly how it takes you from place to place?" The girl did not respond, once again unable to provide an answer, and the woman continued. "To put it simply, that Keyblade was drawn to the light that resides on the island. It is attracted to the light that lives in all worlds. The island, however, has someone whose light has enough strength to be noticed from far away." The woman laughed again. "Odd that you weren't drawn to that light long ago. Maybe it wasn't prepared. Or rather..."

She stopped speaking, leaving the girl confused.

"Or rather what?"

"Or rather it was waiting for the right time to bring you." She suggested. "As I said, fate has brought you to the island for a reason."

Before the girl could ask any questions, the woman suddenly started walking forward, moving out of the light and towards the edge of the platform. Confused, the girl started walking after her.

"But...but I don't understand!" The girl stammered. "What does that even mean?"

The woman reached the edge before stopping, one step away from falling off the edge. The girl stopped as well, stepping into the light the woman once stood under, and waited for her response. After a long moment of silence, the woman outstretched her arms and inhaled, as if she were mentally preparing herself for what was to happen next. A few more beats of silence passed before the woman slowly began to lean forward. Just before the girl could move to stop her, the woman finally spoke.

"You will see, and you will understand soon enough..." she said as she began to fall off the edge and into the abyss. "...Zaria."

The girl, Zaria, was left dumbfounded as the woman disappeared, leaving her on the platform alone once again. Just as the silence was starting to set in, she looked up at the light that shined down on her, realizing the light was becoming brighter and brighter. It was a calming view and one that did not blind her. She continued to look at it as the light continued to grow bigger. Just before she became engulfed in the light, she slowly closed her eyes and breathed deeply, accepting the fate that would befall her.

Fate has brought me to the island for a reason, she thought to herself. I wonder what she means by that...


"Zaria? Miss Zaria? Wake up!"

A voice called to her in a seemingly frantic manner, her body shifting from side to side in an attempt to wake her. Unfortunately for her, it appeared to work, as she began to stir. The sounds of seagulls, crashing waves, and the creaking of boards was heard around her, letting her know that she was indeed waking up. Her eyes slowly began to open while she grumbled. Instead of being surrounded by darkness or enveloped in the light, she found herself staring at a wooden ceiling above her. For a moment, she wondered what she was watching. Her mind was still a bit hazy, making it difficult to get a better idea as to what was happening, but it was not long before she started to remember.

"I'm...still on the island..." She muttered out loud. It was evident that she sounded very groggy as she spoke. "Right...?"

"But of course, Miss Zaria. Where else would we be?" The voice spoke again, grabbing her attention.

She turned her head in the direction in which it came from and spotted a familiar figure standing nearby. A short, rabbit-lion hybrid creature stood next to her, a look of concern in his dark red eyes while his human-esque paws folded in front of him, holding onto his lion tail. Despite the look of concern in his eyes and his ears falling back behind his head, a universal sign of fear, she could still notice the small smile forming on his furry face, a smile of relief. The look made her smile softly.

"Good morning, Dimitri," she mumbled before sitting up. She lifted a hand to eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them.

Dimitri's smile grew as he said, "Good morning to you, Miss Zaria. Did you sleep well?" Her hand fell to her lap as she glanced at him, making a noise that did not sound confident. He frowned at that. "I was afraid you would say that. You were talking in your sleep."

Zaria turned her head to look at him thoroughly, raising an eyebrow.

"I did it again?" She asked, her tone of voice unfazed by the news. After Dimitri nodded, she could not help but sigh. "Man, I thought I was over that."

"Would you be comfortable enough to tell me what you dreamt about?" He inquired. "If not, I completely understand."

Zaria pursed her lips, thinking about how she could word what she saw in her dreams without sounding mad. While she knew all too well that her animal companion would never judge her for expressing what was going on in her head, it still felt strange telling him things that she did not fully understand. She was worried that he would not have an answer to satisfy her. She did not know if he truly had an answer that would put to rest all the questions that circled in her mind. As intelligent as he may have been, he could not answer every question she had.

After a moment, she sighed. She may have known that he would not have an answer, but that did not mean she had to keep it a secret. It just would not be right.

"Well..." She slowly started. "It...wasn't a nightmare, but it was confusing, to say the least." She paused as she looked out at the opening to the outside. "I was standing on a platform in the middle of a black void. I couldn't hear anything at all, but I knew I wasn't deaf. Then, I heard a voice I had never heard before. When I got up from the floor, I saw that it was a woman."

"Did you recognize her?" Dimitri questioned, sitting down next her while keeping his gaze on her.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. She didn't sound familiar." She looked up, thinking about the mysterious woman. "Then again, I wasn't able to see her completely. I know for certain that her hair was black and white, and it was long. She had her back toward me..." She looked forward again in realization, making Dimitri's ears perk up. "Oh, but I do recall seeing her picture on the platform beneath me. She appeared to be sleeping, though, so it wasn't much help." Her hand fell against her chin as she thought. "She said something about how fate had lead me to this island for a reason. The reason being was that a "light with enough strength" attracted my Keyblade and sent me here."

"Well, that's strange." He commented, his ears falling back again as he looked forward. "I don't remember meeting or seeing anyone with that hair color, nor do I know what that could mean."

"Neither do I," she agreed. Her brows furrowed moments later. "But you know...it...definitely felt like I knew her." He looked back at her, ears rising once again. "I know for sure that I've never seen her before in my life, but it just felt like I knew her." Her head lowered. "If only I got a better look at her face...well, when she didn't look like she was sleeping."

His ears fell back once again as his head lowered.

"I wish I could help you, Miss Zaria, but unfortunately, I don't know what to make of it." He spoke, his voice sounding apologetic. When she looked at him, he perked up, a look of determination. "But one thing is for sure. I'll be more than happy to keep an eye out for anything that helps in figuring out who that woman is and any clues as to what she could mean."

Her expression changed to one of surprise. "You'd do that for me?"

"But of course!" His smile grew. "After all, it's only fair since you saved my life!"

She stared him for a long moment before a small smile formed on her lips and a hand fell on his head.

"That means a lot, Dimitri." She murmured. "Thank you." He could not help but smile brightly at that while she finally got to her feet and stretched. "Well, I think it's time to put that thought on the back burner for now. We are here for a reason, after all."

Without missing a beat, Dimitri climbed onto her shoulder.

"You're right. We have no time to lose!" He cheered.

With a simple nod, Zaria stepped toward the entrance to the outside, completely unaware of the adventure that was about to unfold, unaware of the fate that was about to be unveiled.