A/N: Ah, it's so good to be back! I've been so busy with school; I haven't had a chance to get back on. I decided it would be a good idea to get back on. I've noticed that my writing skills have significantly improved, so this will be a good story for my return. Enjoy.

Chapter 1: Prologue

My name is Rayth.

You should listen to my story. It's not that it's a life-learning lesson, but rather something that I just have to get out of my system. I want to tell people everything about what happened to me: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I guess the best place to start is at the beginning.

Rain was falling that night. The city lights pierced through the darkness. The neon signs swung slowly as the wind blew a gentle breeze. The black buildings seemed to tower over me. The white castle loomed on the horizon behind me. The steady dripping of rain splashed onto the ground, forming small puddles around my feet.

The black-cloaked figure stood in front of me, facing me. His hood was over his head, so I couldn't really see his face hidden in the shadows. He had a silver zipper that ran from his neck to the bottom of his coat, which hung past his knees. His gloves glistened with raindrops. I wasn't sure, but I had a feeling that, with his height and stance, he looked oddly familiar.

I smirked to myself. Clearly he didn't look like much of a threat. I mean, his look didn't tell me anything about him. I had to admit he had a mysterious aura around him, but I wasn't one to be superstitious. I held my hand towards him and closed my eyes, summoning it with all my might.

It finally appeared, "it" being a Keyblade. I can still recall every minute detail; the small purple handle, the long slender black neck, the three blades making up the end of the structure. I loved every part of it. As I write this, I feel that I should be more respectful and call it by its name… Dragonheart. My pride and joy gleamed with rainwater and the lights from the buildings surrounding us.

I half-expected him to step back, or even flinch. But, to my bewilderment, he started walking towards me. I stepped back in surprise, bringing Dragonheart defensively in front of me. This guy's nuts, I thought. Who in their right mind would walk towards a Keymaster who is ready to murder?

He stopped walking. He started running instead.

I gritted my teeth as I watched him carefully. He sprinted through the rain, his feet splashing through the puddles. His right arm was out, hand stretched towards the sky. Like I said before, I couldn't see his face, but I had the feeling his eyes were focused onto me.

A few seconds before running into me, his hand started to sparkle with light. He brought his hand down upon my Keyblade, which I had thrust up at him defensively. But it wasn't his hand that came in contact. It was a Keyblade. I stared in disbelief. But what really made my jaw drop was that his Keyblade looked exactly like mine.

Lightning streaked across the sky. During that flash of light, I could see the lower half of his face. His mouth was grinning at me.

With a shout, I pushed my Keyblade towards him as I thrust myself back. "Who are you to have a Keyblade like mine?" I forced at him.

His answer was another attempt to attack.

As before, he slashed in the same manner; from upper right to lower left. I thrust my Keyblade up at him in the same way, blocking his attack. He immediately brought it back and swung at my left side. I tilted my Keyblade further to the left and jumped back. I continued to block all his attacks, which were surprisingly simple techniques that even a child could master.

Then it happened. As he charged at me for the umpteenth time, I started running at him, a different strategy than the defensive one I had used before. As the distance was closing, I brought my weapon over my right shoulder. I swung down, but hit only air.

He had disappeared.

My initial reaction was to look around, but I thought otherwise. For the first time in ages, I had felt fear. Not that average fear of being afraid of spiders, but a threatening and nightmarish kind that twists your insides, giving you the feeling to throw up. My breathing grew heavier as my heart raced faster than before. I could feel the adrenaline in my veins flying at top speed. My eyes darted frantically from the building to the soaked ground.

The pain was unimaginable.

It shot through me like a knife, slicing through my body, carving my insides. In horror, I looked down. I didn't know what to expect, but what I saw was beyond me.

His Keyblade.

I cried out in pain. The world started spinning, city lights hurting my eyes. The only sound I could hear was the sound of my heartbeat, slowing down drastically. I could feel bile rising in my throat. As it poured through my mouth, I realized it wasn't bile.

It was blood. My blood.

I felt my body drop to the ground. It felt like lead falling from the sky. It fell with a sickening thud that still chills me today. Though my eyes were open, I could no longer see. A voice whispered in my ear. "You want to live?"

I couldn't move my head. Yes, I thought desperately. There's no way I can die. Not now…

As if he could hear my thoughts, I could feel him grin. Not see, feel. "You were a worthy opponent." I could feel him roll his eyes. "You deserve another chance to live."

So I can kill you again.

A glimmer of light appeared in my sight. I could feel it get brighter. The light became too intense for me to handle, and I felt myself close my eyes. I screamed inside, wondering what he meant by 'another chance to live'.

The light dimmed. I realized that I would find out soon enough...