I had felt this coming for a while now, the darkness stirring in this world's heart. It's too late to save it, though. Somehow, it's already woven itself into the veins of this world. The darkness had been stirring long before I sensed anything.
The darkness at the heart of this world felt different. This world felt different.
I stand at the threshold of the world's heart: a cave with drawings carved into its rugged walls. Roots cut through parts of the stone, winding deep into the earth and causing cracks to web on the stone. The drawings range from scribbles and illegible words to people holding hands or chasing a beast. Deep in the back of the cave, near the floor: a drawing of a boy feeding a girl starfruit.
I purse my lips. This world felt different—feels different. I thought it was because of the way the darkness had ensnared it. But now, here, there's something else.
At the back of the cave, tucked behind thick roots that weave and wind through the stone, is a door. I can spread my arms wide and still not be able to reach all the way across the width of it. I lay my hand against the wood, feeling the darkness pulsing beneath the surface.
Maleficent sent me to another world in search of a Princess, but I took a detour to see this world's heart. And now, standing before it, I still can't place what exactly it is that strikes me about it. I don't understand how it had gotten so bad, how the darkness has crept in so deeply and intimately. But that's not what bothers me about this place.
"Who are you?"
I peer over my shoulder. The silhouette of a boy my height, maybe a bit taller, stands toward the entrance of the cave. He steps closer, allowing my eyes to adjust better to his figure. Silvery blue hair hangs to his shoulders. The longest strands pool in his collarbones.
"What are you doing here?" he says.
Behind me, the world's heart pulses erratically, straining against the sinews of darkness that choke it. Bits of the darkness are already leaking through. I wouldn't be surprised if, somewhere on this island, Heartless run loose.
"You should leave this place," I say, facing him. "This world is about to be lost."
"What are you talking about?" he demands. "Who are you?"
I open my palm, pulling the darkness into my hand. It manifests and solidifies, becoming a rapier that refracts despite the lack of light. "You should leave," I repeat. "You have a strong heart. You could get out of here if you will it."
He steps back. Out of the corner of my eye, tendrils of darkness waggle and wave. I move toward him, taking his arm. "Don't get close," I say, pulling him out of the cave. "Run. Run fast and run far."
Turning him around, I push him out of the cave as the darkness creeps out of the world's heart, then surges. I follow after him as he runs out onto the island without a glance back.
It's no better on the beach. The waves churn against an already black sky. The palm trees bend in the wind, leaves snapping off as the gusts pick up.
Behind us, the darkness swells, and the world's heartbeat stops. With an outstretched hand, I open a portal—and then pause. Scanning the beach, I find the boy who had interrupted me. He watches with wide eyes and no fear.
I consider, for a moment, taking him with me. But if I do that, Maleficent might take him. She'll push him into the darkness and, feeling his heart, he won't be able to resist. Not for long.
"Don't get close to the darkness!" I call over the wind. He's close enough to hear me, but my words still seem to get swept away, missing him.
"Who are you?" he asks once more.
It doesn't matter. The thought keeps spinning in my head, urging me to leave, leave now and quickly and without a trace. But this boy, a wisp of silver in the darkness, reminds me of something I'd almost forgotten about.
"Aura," I say.