This place... I've been here before...

There is everything, yet there is nothing. Here there is time, but every moment is the same. Everything that can be touched is here, everything that can be seen. But none of them can be touched, nor seen. There is no difference between thoughts and words. Nothing can be said, but all can be heard. Staying here will give all the answers anyone needs. But they will learn nothing. Whoever may be stuck there knows all, yet knows nothing. One who knows nothing can understand nothing.

How the hell did I get myself into this mess...? Life, death, it doesn't mean anything anymore. Here, I'm pretty much dead anyway, right? I can do anything here, but I can't escape. I succeed at everything, but failing is all that I can do. They say that if you stay here long enough, you go insane... That almost happened once. But last time, there was someone there to catch me when I fell. But now, there's no one... I'm here, but I'm not. Did I do anything wrong? Now I'm questioning myself. Soon I'll be questioning my existence. Then, the existence of everything. Every moment I spend here, I lose a piece of myself-

I'm going to be torn apart.

Damn. How the HELL did I get myself into this mess? God. From what I can remember, every moment is a reaction of that first one. My fifteenth birthday, that's when it happened. That's where it started…? I'd forgotten after everything that's happened. The moment that started it all. I'm never getting out of this place. I might as well try and keep the memories alive as long as I can. My sanity isn't going to last that long, anyway. Was it really that long ago? It seems like forever since I was thrown in here….

Destiny Islands, Year 15

A fairly large group of teenagers celebrate another year for one of their friends. The day she was born, as far as they know. Hats, colorful ribbons, and homemade gifts litter the ground inside the large room. The walls are covered in, no, made out of woods. How did they manage to fit so many kids inside of a small wooden shack? Nothing has gone wrong yet. There's been no accidents, no mishaps. None that have been told to the birthday girl, anyway. She sits calmly on a large chair, a makeshift hat covering most of her silky black hair. She seems calm enough, but on the inside, she's about to explode with joy. This is a big day for her. She's now as old as her friends.

Her birthday is the last one of the year on the tiny island. With so few people, there has to be an incredibly small party, yet incredibly exciting. Every moment is packed with interesting activities. The chatter of both the seagulls and the people fill the shack with noise, making it almost impossible to think, let alone breathe normally. Unbeknownst to the partygoers, the girl who everyone's attention is supposed to be on has now slipped past. She sticks to the walls as if she has glue covering her entire body. No one notices the wooden door open and close silently in the corner.

She let out a huge sigh once she was out of the packed space. It was nice to have fresh air. Presents were nice, and being around everyone was great, but once in a while, she liked to be able to blink without everyone pouncing on her. The sun will soon set, and a little while after that, the crowd inside will disperse to return to their homes.

"There's a party going on inside just for you, you know."

She turned, only to find a boy her age behind her. Unlike the others, he looked as if he actually cared about his appearance. His hair was combed, and he was wearing a tie. Of course, it was now loosened enough so that it almost reached to his belt. His serious look didn't last long at celebrations. His eyes looked kingly at her, not lovingly, but friendly nonetheless. For once, it didn't look like he was mocking her.

"Eric... That's great and all, but I like to be able to breathe."

She turned back to the setting sun. They were on top of a small cliff-like structure just off the beach, so she sat down and let her feet touch the small grains individually. He stood beside her and looked out. The sky was already beautiful shades of blue, red, and pink. They only had a few moments of peaceful rest before someone grabbed her from behind. She screamed as loud as she could, but it was drowned out by another noise. Laughing. It wasn't maniacal, just loud. Considering it was three people that combined, the tone wasn't surprising. The amber eyes darted up, to see a laughing face just above hers. He was still clutching her around the waist. Behind him, another girl was laughing. To her left, Eric was laughing. He was trying to cover his mouth with the back of his hand, but he wasn't succeeding at hiding it. After about two minutes of flailing, the girl was finally free again.

"Happy birthday!" He grinned broadly, as if nothing had happened.

"You could have just given me a normal present instead of trying to suffocate me!"

"But that wouldn't have been any fun at all!"

The girl behind him coughed loudly. She sounded awful, as if she shouldn't even be out of bed. Her face was pale, and her eyes looked as if they were about to start watering at any moment. Her hand was to her chest, clutching it. Eric was next to her in an instant, holding her up. Her legs were about to give way, so he had to support her. They both started walking inside, were she could get some medicine. His face looked sad, yet comforting. Just because he was sad didn't mean he wasn't going to give one last order to his friend.

"Neil, show it to her now. You haven't told her about it yet, right?"

"Nope! I kept it a secret, just like I said I would."

A confused look shot across her face. Her eyes darted between the two boys. One was serious and looking backwards. The other was smiling and grabbing her by the arm. He tugged her towards the waterfall. By the time she looked back, their companions were halfway through the door. The amber orbs moved back to the now approaching entrance. It was partly covered by plants, so Neil had to move them out of the way. She was so dazed that they almost hit her in the face before she saw them. This made the boy laugh, and in turn, made her laugh as well.

"Where are we going?" She inquired.

"You'll see. Don't worry, it's really cool."

After a few moments of walking, they were inside what appeared to be a small cave. She looked around and found that there were drawings. Everywhere. Drawings of people, drawings of objects, and possibly even drawings of places. They were all made of chalk, or a chalk-like substance. The white marks didn't destroy the cave's beauty. No, they made it. In the corner, there was a door. But it had no handle… What use was it? Quickly, she found her hand on it. She was touching the wood with two fingers. Her mind hadn't even registered the fact she had even moved. The highly polished wood felt like silk to her rough fingers. The salty air cracked some tender parts of her skin, and sunburn peeled off what was left. She turned her head to look at Neil, only to find he was to her right, looking at two of the chalk drawings.

"What are you looking at?"

"Just these two. Looks like a couple of friends drew portraits a while ago."

His smile was soft. He looked like he was cherishing the pictures as though they were stained glass in a church. A pair of sandals collided with the ground, bringing the girl towards both the pictures and Neil. She bent down, and was at his level. They looked at the pictures of the boy and the girl respectively. Neil sat in front of the picture of the spiky-haired boy. They both touched the old, faded sketches with the tips of their fingers. Neil drew back quickly, while the girl beside him left her hand there for a moment. Neil examined his hand, making sure that he wasn't burned. When he touched the drawing, it felt like his hand was on fire. She allowed the feeling to spread up her arm. It felt like something was crawling up her throat, and instead of a small creature, a single word escaped her lips.

"Kairi."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know. It just sort of burst out. Did you get a weird feeling when you touched the wall?" She also looked at her hand. Both sides were fine, and her arm was normal as well. Maybe it was just her imagination.

"Yeah, but I'm not the one who just blurted out a random name." He smirked.

"Well then, try again." She got up. Now, she was looking down on him with a smirk.

He put his hand on top of the drawing of the boy again. Surprisingly, he didn't smudge the chalk. It had already faded a little, probably from the damp atmosphere. Again, the feeling of burning shot through his palm. He wanted to pull it off. He wanted to start cursing. He wanted to slap himself for being so stupid and actually putting his hand back on the wall. He wanted to do a lot of things, but he only did one. Just as a word had sprung from her mouth, Neil involuntarily spoke.

"Sora." He covered his mouth with both hands quickly, as if he was trying to stop himself from saying anything more.

"Told you." She was triumphant. Her hands moved to her hips, and she stared down at him, frowning.

He looked away and crossed his arms. A short laugh filled the cave, and bounced off. The noise stayed inside for a few moments, the echo mocking them each time it came back. She put a hand in front of his face, and he grabbed hold of it. Together, they pulled him up.

"There was something Eric wanted me to tell you while we were in here." He looked away. He looked like he was staring at some of the other drawings, but he really didn't want to say it.

"Oh? What was it?"

"…We're planning on leaving the Islands. The three of us have been talking about it for a while, and we've decided that you, Eric, and I are going to try and find another island."

"Why!" She grabbed him by the shoulder, and made him look at her. Of course, his eyes were still looking away, at the plant life that had grown and spread throughout the stone cavern.

"Because we're not staying here for our entire lives. We want to see what's out there –don't you?" He seemed to have gained confidence and decided that he was going to be straightforward with her. She deserved to know, she was a part of it.

Truthfully, she had been thinking about it. For a long time, the thought had passed through her head. There must be other things out there, other villages. They weren't the only ones alive, they couldn't be. She nodded slowly and bit her lip. He smiled and grabbed her by the hand. They started walking out, making their way through the small tunnel.

"There's other people who live somewhere other than these islands. There can't be only 30 people-"

"32."

"-32 people in the entire universe. Are you with us, then?" A calming smile.

"…You know I am." She smiled as well. The moment she finished speaking, the bright light of the setting sun engulfed their eyes once more.

Somewhere, far from the four friends, someone was watching. Under the hood, the shrouded face's menacing frown changed slowly into a large smile. The figure blinked, ridding the image of the two children from his mind. "All according to plan." He slipped through a small opening. Now, he had to report what he'd seen to the Elders. They most likely already knew, though.