He collapsed; weary from the battle that had taken place in this town that was perpetually bathed in the moonlight and never felt the warm embrace of the sun. The only thoughts that went through his head were thoughts of confusion and disappointment.

Who was that man, and why did he want me to defeat this kid with freakishly-large yellow shoes? However, I'm hurt really bad. I'm only going to have the chance to stop time long enough to write a note. I only hope he reads it… He focused his energy on stopping time, and then tore a sheet from the notebook he carried around. He also grabbed a mechanical pencil from the pocket of his long, gray trench coat and then furiously scribbled down the note. If the kid didn't notice the note, he needed to hide it. He folded it up and put it in his shoe, since they didn't look there. He thought of his sister, but then he collapsed; the time spell had put too much strain on his body.

His weapon, a blue-and-crimson colored weapon somewhat similar in design to the other kid's weapon, dissipated as he slipped from consciousness.

Sora gasped for breath, as the duel with that odd kid had also taken its toll on him. Who is he? Is he a member of a somehow reborn Organization XIII? Could he be an ally of such a group? Or, is he someone else entirely?

He searched the mysterious kid, because there was a chance that he would have some more info on him. He first checked the front pockets, but all that Sora found was a composition notebook and a cheap mechanical pencil. He was going to leave and have whoever he worked for do what they want to him, but then he noticed something in the kid's shoe. Sora grabbed the corner of the white thing, and he found out that it was a note. That's odd. Why is this here?

The note had drops of sweat on it.

That's curious. When did he get the chance to write this? The front said, To the kid with the freakily-spiky brown hair and large, yellow shoes. Sora muttered, "Hey!" and then opened the note. The writing, which was rushed and messy, said:

If you are reading this, you have defeated me.

I don't know who you are, and I don't know who or what you think I am.

Give me a chance, and I'll explain soon.

Don't worry.

Devon

P.S. You'll be warped to my house along with me after you finish reading this, due to a spell that I imbued into the note. I think that your weapon should be enough to open the door

Sora only had time to think, Huh?, before a bright light engulfed him.

Devon slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he didn't have his coat on. Cautious, his eyes darted across the room to see where he was. As he saw the pictures and saw the beaten-up sofa that he laid on, He knew that he was at the place that he'd called home for nearly the last year. He saw the journals that described the feelings he had endured since it happened. The sight of the small, cramped one-room apartment soothed him. He wondered how he'd gotten back, but he recalled the note, and calmed down.

However, he saw him. The spiky brown hair was the first thing he noticed. Astonished, Devon shouted, "HEY! Who the hell are you, and why are you eating my food?"

Sora turned around abruptly at the shout. He cautiously walked into the living room, making sure to keep his distance. Wow, the couch looks better than him.

"Well?" His voice was getting impatient

"The name's Sora. I read the note, Devon, and I want answers. Now." There was a slight hint of venom in the last word he said.

Devon moved some of his sandy blond hair out his eyes. Curious, he asked, "How long was I knocked out for?"

"I'd say around three hours."

"Damn…"

"Well, can you answer my questions?" He was still curious about many things.

"How can I answer them if I don't know them?"

"Well, okay. Who are you working for?" He was curious.

"I can't really say, he didn't really tell me. The black trench coat made it hard for me to see. He's part of some group, though."

"Wait, are you working for a group called Organization XIII?"

"I couldn't really say."

Sora was confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"Here, sit down. Let me show you something."

Devon grabbed the picture right above him. In it were three people, Devon and two girls. The somewhat taller girl to his left was somewhat pale-skinned, which went well with her short, blond hair. She wore tight blue jeans which accentuated her figure and a gray shirt that said Connect the dots. Which dot are you? The girl to his right in the photo was obviously younger. She had creamy tan skin and long, brown hair, a contrast to the other girl. She was wearing the same style of pants as the other girl, but she had a crimson shirt that had an Orange County Choppers logo on it.

Devon stared at the photo, remembering times long gone.

"Those are my sisters. The blond one was the oldest out of us, while the brown haired one is the youngest."

"What do you mean 'was'? Unless she died, she's still your older sister!"

"She died in the Cataclysm." His voice got colder.

"What do you mean by the Cataclysm?"

"I'll tell you about the Cataclysm and the devastation that occurred that cold winter night."

"Okay. Could you start?"

"It was December 22. My friends were over, and I was having a good night. However, I wanted to be alone for a second, so I put on my trench coat and walked outside. It was fairly cool and clear out, but I noticed something. Or, the lack of something. There was no sound outside besides that of my own breath. Startled, I told my friends and my two sisters, Courtnee and Jordan, to come outside. They reluctantly went outside, and they were also alarmed at the silence. There were dark clouds forming in a spiral over us, and a shadowy orb appeared, which shifted colors from red to purple. As we watched, dark creatures that I now call shadows appeared. They were about three feet tall, with eerie amber eyes, hunched bodies, antennae, and sharp claws. They looked around, and all the lights in the neighborhood went out. We were able to see by the light from the orb in the sky. They saw Matt, and they attacked him. His scream was one of pure horror, and it stopped as they warped away, with no trace of Matt. We were all transfixed in fear as they aimed for Tanner. He was able to flee for a short time, but a dark pool appeared below his feet and swallowed him. My older sister, Courtnee, wasn't so lucky. They viciously killed her right in front of us, and a small, glowing, heart-shaped thing floated and then vanished. Me and my little sister saw as the Nobodies came. They looked at Justin, latched onto him, and warped him. We were finally able to start fleeing, but both the shadows and nothings leaped onto her and she left in a weird warp. They focused on me, and started their attack. I fled, but they caught me. It seemed hopeless. Then, an almost sage like voice said, "It is not yet your time to fall. Your bonds shall be your power" Suddenly, a dark green glow surrounded my hands. I desperately punched, and it dissipated! I fought them off, but a larger one appeared. This one was more humanoid in shape, and had those same piercing amber eyes. It was about twenty feet tall, and there was a large, heart-shaped hole in its chest area. It took a lot of my strength, but I defeated it. Five more of those appeared. Exhausted, I fought and managed to slay two, but the last three combined their strength and dealt a heavy blow that knocked me out. After that, I woke up here, in this town."

After he finished talking, there was an awkward silence that thickened the atmosphere in the cramped apartment. Sora broke the silence by shaking his head and thinking, That's odd. Something major happened on December 22 of last year. It's an odd coincidence that his journey started the day my last major one ended.

He didn't notice the tears that flowed freely from Devon's eyes. They conveyed the pain of someone who had suffered losing all of those who had been close to them. Devon wiped the tears off and said, "They approached me the same day I got my weapon."

"You mean your Keyblade?" Sora interrupted.

"Oh, so THAT'S what it's called!" Devon realized.

"Anyway, it was on my birthday, May 14th, which I was first approached within my home. I was writing in one of my journals, as I needed something to keep me sane. Then, I heard the warp, which is an odd sound you can't really describe. I stopped writing immediately and saw that the person, a guy in his 20's had appeared in my house. The only thing he wore was a long, black trench coat that had a hood that obscured most of his face. He looked around the room and saw me. He approached me. Naturally, I asked who he was. He responded, 'You don't need to know. My leader wants me to tell you that he has info on a girl called Jordan, and that he has an offer.' That quickly caught my attention. 'Wait, why are you interested in me?' He responded, 'I don't know, but here's the offer. Either become a member of our group, or work with us. If you refuse, we have others to fill your purpose.' I couldn't ignore him, so I chose to work for them, because something about him struck me as odd."

Sora continued. "What do they want?"

Devon laughed. "I don't really know. Do you think that they would tell me, someone they consider a mercenary, their plans? No, only the leading members would know that. Well, he wanted me to defeat you, but that's a different story."

"After I got my Keyblade, the shadows and Nobodies that live around here started attacking me more. I slowly got stronger, but I'm not nearly as strong as I need to be. That was proven when you beat me."

Devon went to the kitchen and pulled out a pot. He asked Sora if he wanted some ramen, and Sora said yes. After they ate, Devon noticed it was the anniversary of the Cataclysm and held a small moment of silence to honor those who didn't survive. Sora asked if he could sleep on the couch. Devon allowed him to, and Devon went in the small closet and found his coat next to the blanket. He gave Sora the blanket, and used his coat as a makeshift pillow. Weary from mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion, Devon quickly fell asleep.