Disclaimer: I do not own the Kingdom Hearts franchise, nor do I own any of the characters. They are the property of Disney and Square Enix.
Riku stood in the center of a round, stained glass floor. It was about fifty feet in diameter, and surrounded in darkness. He began to wonder where he was when he heard a strange voice.
"So much to do, so little time..."
"Wait, what are you talking about? And who are you?" Riku asked, even more confused than before.
"The door is still shut. Step forward, and take up your sword."
"Wait, what sword? I don't have a..."
Just then, a flash of light flooded his vision. When the light faded, he noticed a small white pedestal about twenty feet in front of him, and on top of the pedestal, lay a sword with a silver blade, golden hilt, an a blue and black grip. When he took the weapon in his hand, the pedestal faded.
"You've gained the power to fight. Use this strength to protect yourself and others."
Behind him, Riku heard the quiet sound of claws scratching against the floor. When he turned around, he saw a group of five small monsters that went up just above Riku's knees. They had large round heads with two antennae that curled at the ends, as well as small, hunched over bodies and sharp claws. They were entirely black, except for their piercing yellow eyes. They all stared curiously at him, as if they weren't sure whether or not to kill him yet.
"There will be times you have to fight. Don't be afraid. Keep your light burning strong."
"Wait, what's that supposed to..."
One of the small creatures lunged at Riku, a wild look in its eyes. His instincts took over, and he swung wildly at the creature. He landed a lucky blow and the creature dissolved. Riku then focused his attention on the other four, who were already on the offensive. More focused now, he struck down another. He swung at the third when something bizarre happened. The creature melded into the ground like a shadow, and Riku hit nothing but air. After about a minute more of fighting, he finally destroyed all of the creatures. But he didn't walk away unscathed; one of the monsters, he decided to start calling them shadows, was able to slash him across his back. It stung terribly, but it was tolerable.
"What... was that about?" Riku asked, nearly out of breath.
In response, an open door appeared in front of him, light flooding through the entrance. Nervously, Riku stepped inside. After a series of battles and other such challenges, most of which he would later on have trouble remembering, he came to a long doorless hallway, with a fountain at the end.
"That's it, I'm tired of this." Riku said, annoyed at the strange and cryptic voice that kept telling him what to do, "Who are you, where am I, and why all these challenges?"
"Throughout your coming journey you will experience many different hardships and endure great pain, both physical and otherwise. But don't be afraid."
"Stop saying that!"
After a brief pause, the voice continued. "Gaze into the fountain. There you will see the face of your greatest foe on your journey. One who will constantly plant fears, doubts, and indecision in your mind."
Riku wanted to know more, but he knew that was probably all he was going to get for now, so he walked to the end of the corridor and gazed into the fountain. In it, he saw the image of a boy in his late teens with blue eyes and long silver hair that went to about his shoulders.
"Wait, this doesn't make sense. All I see is my reflection."
"Exactly."
The fountain then disappeared, and in its place was a spiral staircase. He climbed up for what seemed like hours, untill he finally came to a large open room. He walked over to the center and waited to see what would happen next.
Suddenly, his shadow came to life. It rose up from the floor and stared at him menacingly with its piercing yellow eyes. Then things started to get even stranger. The thing grew and grew until it was at least twenty feet high. Its head became a mass of dark tendrils, and it had a massive hole in its torso the shape of a heart.
Riku panicked. How could he possibly fight that? He ran for staircase, but it had disappeared. He turned around and faced the monster. Feeling he had no other choice, he charged it, sword still in hand. After an intense fight where Riku was nearly crushed multiple times, the monster crashed to the ground. Riku thought he'd won, but then the creature started to melt into a large pool of darkness. Soon, darkness surrounded him, and he began to sink as if it was quicksand. When all but his head had been consumed, he heard the ominous voice one last time.
"But don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don't forget: You are the one who will open the door."
"No!" Riku shouted as his eyes flung open and he shot out of his bed, sweat covering his body. It took him a couple of seconds to realize that his mother was standing next to him, pale as a ghost. After nearly a minute of silence, she was able to squeak out a reply,
"You ok honey? I just shook you a little so you'd wake up, when you started shouting and jumped out of bed." It was obvious to him that he had scared her half to death. Many people said that Riku looked a lot like his mom, since they had the same hair eye and skin color.
"Sorry about that Mom, I guess I had a bad dream or something." And a bad dream he most certainly had. Like most dreams, his memory of it was a little fuzzy, and it was getting harder to remember it with each passing second. But that was ok, he wanted to forget.
"Well, I wouldn't worry about it if I were you," said his mom, who by now had gained back her composure, "It was a dream and nothing more, so you better get ready for work. Cid is sure to chew you out good if you're late for the first day on the job."