°
Creator of the Keys °
- - » P R E L U D E ::
- Silent Plea -
" How does it feel? Your darkness? Isn't it so magnificent? "
-
Hushed whisperings of shadows sounded as they skittered throughout the room. The rustle of darkness sounded so great, so deafening in the area. Nothing except for the simple purrs of the shades spoke out against the heavy, thick dark. Not a trace of light could be seen in the room, only the slight illumination given off by the neon orbs of the creatures as soft mews of noise left their mouths.
A single figure in the corner sat soundly, leaning against the corner almost peacefully as the shadows clustered around it and sank against its reassuring warmth, savoring the strange heat the emitted from that one body. Cold met warm, and yet the figure continued to sleep soundly until their eyes snapped open and lips, lit up only by the small amount of light given off by the eyes of the creatures, quirked into a satisfied smile. They parted and released forward a haunting tune, a melody that would have instilled pure fear into a regular person, but they weren't regular. Nor were the shadows. They all relished the haunting, gentle croon of the music happily, embracing it lovingly and utterly.
"My little pets sing tonight, of happiness, of joy…"
An echoing, wispy voice whispered out in the dark, singing along to the melodic, but macabre tune of the song. There was nothing more than that small croon and the contented hums of the shadows, and that, more than anything, made the room seem more eerie and ethereal than anything else.
"They sing of the warmth, they sing of the cold…"
"…They sing of all there is to be told…"
-
Sapphire blue eyes snapped open.
Sora breathed heavily as he lay in bed, staring upwards at the ceiling above. His spiked hair was completely slicked with sweat, and his skin was drenched with perspiration. Yet, as he laid there, he could not recall a thing about the nightmare that had just been occurring. The only thing he heard was that haunting composition of macabre and hor—
"They sing of the moonlight…"
He shivered at the icy words that caressed at his ears. The melody… so horrific, so ghastly… and yet…
He loved it.
Sora brought his arms closer to his body, hugging himself as he sat up and rocked back and forth, playing a hushed tune in his mind to take away the coldness that suddenly seemed to envelope him and block that terrible melody that seemed to reiterate in his ears.
"I'm not going crazy," he whispered, rocking to and fro. "I'm not… I'm not… I'm not…"
"And they watch the night…"
A soft purr of noise thrummed abruptly from his window. Sora jerked suddenly, hurriedly turning to face to window. He wasn't going crazy… this seriously wasn't happening—what was happening to him anyway—why was this happening? There was something here, something here… and this thing was here to do something… And Sora finally faced the window, and—
Nothing.
There was nothing at all. The only thing at the window was the billowing curtain, fluttering due to the passing breeze of the night. Though the window was open, the moon soothed his nerves with its appeasing light, making him smile despite all the fear he was enduring—all the fear that was bubbled up inside him and being held back only by the little self-control that remained within him.
Sora felt himself completely relax before he leaned back against the headboard of his bed, muscles loosening and his soul calming.
There was nothing there after all. Nothing there to get him. He was only thinking too hard after all…
The brunet's blue eyes briefly flickered to a painting that hung on the wall of the disaster that was his bedroom. Although the floor was completely strewn with clothes and objects of all kinds, the only thing that hung on the walls was some shelves and that single painting. A momentary shiver raked through the fifteen-year old's body as his eyes scoured over the surface of the painting. In it was a door. Just a door. And yet it was so… strange. The door held such an arcane, esoteric, mystifying aura of gruesome horror and repulsion, yet it seemed so beautiful. Such beauty encompassed the door, making it both so exquisite and dangerous. It was tall and glimmering in the darkness of the painting, the only thing to be seen in it aside for the marble floor and the surrounding shadow. The top was gnarled into the slender shape of an oddly familiar heart-like object.
Sora found himself staring at the painting for what felt like an everlasting eon, seeming drawn to it. The door gleamed ominously from its position in the canvas; challenge him to ogle it even longer. And temporarily, he thought he saw a brief flicker of shade on the door itself.
But nothing was there.
The adolescent forced himself to tear his reluctant gaze away from the magnificent work of art and push himself farther into the headboard, pulling the covers over his shoulders. He unconsciously rubbed his cold hands. He hadn't noticed the sudden drop in temperature until now.
How…
…Strange…
Sora swallowed again and felt a string of memories flow violently through his mind, recalling how he had received the painting.
"Sora?"
"Yeah?"
"I saw this beautiful painting while I was out shopping for some new clothes…"
"You're always shopping, Kairi." He laughed.
She smiled sheepishly but held out a wrapped parcel. "I didn't actually buy any clothes. The painting used up all the money I had with me. But it was so enchanting… I had to buy it. And I wanted to give it to you. To thank you for everything you've done for me." She smiled again, gently pushing the wrapped bundle into Sora's arms. "Take care of it, 'kay?"
"Thanks, Kairi."
"No… I should be thanking you. Thank you, Sora."
Sora accepted the package happily.
"It's getting late now," commented Kairi, blue eyes looking at the setting sun for a moment before looking into Sora's eyes again.
"I'll see you tomorrow then, okay, Kairi?"
"'Kay. See you tomorrow, Sora! Tell Riku I said that, too!"
"Sure. Bye!"
Sora blinked, shaking his head furiously to force the distracting memories away. If he didn't get any sleep now, he might as well decide to not meet up with Riku and Kairi tomorrow.
The coldness of the room was beginning to get to him now. He shivered, and pushed the covers off him, getting off the bed to stride to the window. Reaching his hands out, he was about to pull the windows shut when the same, exact purr from before sounded again.
From behind him.
Sora whipped his head to look at what laid behind him and was greeted by a pair of glittering cobalt eyes.
"Hello, Sora," the owner of the eyes spoke out in a rich, melodic whisper of voice. "Looks like you have an unexpected visitor, hm?"
"W-who are you?" Sora countered rather rudely. Still, the way the temperature seemed to drop even more made him feel even more anxious by the second. And the way the voice seemed so familiar made him shudder slightly.
"That's not for you to know… yet…"
A hand curled into his hair, holding him in place, and the icy sensation of claws surrounded him. The freezing chill was so soothing; it spelled slumber for all those who felt it. Sora's eyes drooped, and he collapsed forward—straight into the person's arms, eyes closed in sudden fatigue.
"How does it feel? Your darkness? Isn't it so magnificent?"
'One down.'
With that, they turned, departing within the cloak of the darkness, taking with them a currently vulnerable, sapphire-eyed boy with spiky brown hair.
The same ghastly, macabre melody from before began to float into the air again, gracing the world with its beautiful, but grotesque presence.
"The shade seems so thick in this darkness…"
"But nevertheless… we savor the coldness."
A promise of no release…
Find him… and you'll face me.
Death? Heh. That's going to be guaranteed for you.
Your fellow Keyblade master is gone now.
One down… one down… one down…
"Sleep on, Sora. Sleep on."
And a silent scream of anguish screeched out into the dark night, unrelenting and unwavering, heard solely by those who knew it was there. Now, he wouldn't meet up with Riku and Kairi tomorrow. Would he ever meet up with them again?
-
- - - - Author's Notes:
That turned out scarier than I planned, but I like it that way. Anyway, feel free to review. For some reason, I just love this chapter. This is the rewrite of the original, due to the fact I was dissatisfied with the previous, but I'll continue writing this one, so long as I know people like it. Therefore, review, and I might just submit my chapters faster… Hehe. But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this prelude.
- - Destatii - -
