It was easy not to think too much at first. Sora was immersed in the adrenaline of combat, dazzled by the lights of a strange world. His two allies, a magical duck and a strange humanoid dog, added to the feeling of unreality. Maybe everything was the product of a dream, a dream from which he didn´t want to escape yet.
When he finally woke up in the darkness of an unknown room, Traverse Town had reduced its dizzying pace. The stillness of the night was distressing and Sora found himself immersed in almost complete darkness. Now he knew that the shadows not only nested in people's hearts but that they were also capable of biting, scratching and corrupting everything good.
He groped, pushed a squeaky door and went into the dining room. The windows were closed shut. The darkness of the room was not as inscrutable as the room's, but he could still feel its sinister smoothness caressing his skin.
The fairy was sleeping near the fireplace. Sora flinched when he saw her. Then, as he contemplated her gentle face, a fleeting calm invaded him. It was a calm similar to that which he had sometimes experienced with the caress of a few drops of rain on hot summer days. The fairy looked like any grandmother sitting in a rocking chair, but her tunic emitted a faint glow of magic. The previous afternoon, after the magic lessons taught by the magician, he had approached her for the first time to ask her about a brilliant stone she always carried with her.
"I don´t call them stones," the fairy explained sweetly. "This is a remnant of a world consumed by darkness. Some creatures, instead of disappearing along with their worlds, encapsulate all the power of their hearts in these stones.
His mother, Riku, Kairi ... He didn´t want to know they had ended up consumed by darkness, lost forever in the immensity of the universe. Although he was not yet ready to regret losses, he had just begun to feel a gigantic abyss behind him.
Maybe he couldn´t be that happy guy from Destiny Islands again. Now he carried the Keyblade and a frighteningly responsibility on his shoulders. On countless occasions he had fantasized about embarking on adventures full of danger, imagining that the wooden sword he wielded against Riku was a relentless weapon capable of killing the most terrible of his adversaries. What he never imagined was that his dreams could end up becoming real on a nightmarish form.
A knot was forming in his stomach. Even if that meant disobeying the magician's warnings, he urgently needed to get away from the house and breathe the cold air outside. He opened the door of the entrance carefully and closed it without making a sound; Then he took a breath through long, deep breaths, but it seemed that his lungs refused to fill up completely. He walked around the small island on which the wizard's house was built. The soft carpet of grass cushioned the steps of his bare feet as he moved in complete silence, a shadow among many others. He could not help but wonder if eventually he would become one with the darkness. On that night, the only reliable indication, the only reason he knew he had not succumbed yet was the faint beating of his heart.
A splash interrupted his thoughts. He directed his steps towards the origin of the sound, fearing to find one of those heartless. Sora sighed in relief when he saw that strange dog silhouetted against the bright magical passage that guarded the entrance to the wizard's domain. Goofy stood at the edge of the underground lake and held a rough fishing pole. Despite his appearance, Goofy fought fiercely with a single shield that used as both a protection and a throwing weapon. On more than one occasion he had seen the shield cross the sky like a green spark braking the onslaught of a dozen red nocturnes. He didn´t show the same skill with the fishing rod, which he pulled with excessive force at the slightest tremor.
"I use the tanza," said Sora.
Goofy gasped in surprise, tripped on his own legs and fell to the ground
"It´s only me"
"I didn´t see you coming."
Goofy laughed. His laughter was very peculiar one, a kind of "ahia". Sora suppressed a smile.
"Excuse me for scaring you."
"I thought you were Donald. Today I have to make the guard and I don´t want to be caught."
"Take my hand."
Goofy took Sora's hand and sat up. He took a deep breath, put his hands on his hips and took a general look at the cavern.
"In my world it´s very difficult to fish."
"Mine is full of fishes. Of all sizes and colors."
Goofy's eyes lit up. Sora liked him; He seemed a good person (or whatever he was). Quite the opposite of the duck.
"You have to teach me someday," Goofy said.
"I don´t think I can. My island has ...
The knot in his stomach rose to his throat and he felt his eyes moisten. Then he burst into tears for the first time since the darkness engulfed his home. Goofy cursed himself for his clumsiness. He was a citizen of a very priviliged land. Since the the beginning of time his kingdom had erected defensive barriers against outer darkness. Donald, who had traveled a lot and was familiar with the primary emotions linked to darkness, sure would have known what to say to encourage the boy, but Goofy, in his ignorance, couldn´t do anything but listen to his heart.
The cavern filled with cries. Goofy couln´t bear to see Sora so disconsolate. If the sadness had been tangible, he would have gladly taken it in order to rid the boy of his heavy burden. This thought gave him an idea. He took a few steps and put his arms around Sora, who corresponded to the hug even before he understood how much he needed it.
"Don´t worry. Nothing is forever. Yes! Nothing is forever save light! Don´t forget that light always remains. You just have to look for it. And I think you're doing very well. After all, you have been chosen by the key.
"Anyone could handle the damn keyblade," Sora said, trying to calm down. "Sometimes I feel that this thing acts on its own."
"That's not true," said Goofy, becoming very serious about repete. "The key is only a tool, but the force is inside you. You have to restore the balance in the worlds, but don´t think for a moment that you are alone in this. Donald and me will cover your back."
Sora wiped his tears with the sleeve of his shirt.
"Thanks, Goofy."
Since that night it was easier for Sora to look away from the abyss that stretched behind him.
My first attempt to write in English. Any criticism will be helpful.