DAY 0

Darkness covered Radiant Garden. Heartless spread over the entirety of the world. A single, bone-chilling, throaty chuckle could be heard across the voids of space. On that terrible day twelve years ago, three best friends were separated and scattered throughout the worlds. One ended up in the undersea world of Atlantica, where he was welcomed into the arms of the ruler of the seas. Another ended up on the distant shores of Destiny Islands, where she befriended two well-known boys, and the three of them would grow up to be Guardians of Light and expel evil from the worlds forever. The third child did not earn such comfortable circumstances. She was cast off into the deepest depths of darkness to rot away for the rest of her life as one of its creatures.

But fate had stepped in long before these events. The path of a Keyblade Master crossed with hers, and the child was unknowingly saved from the powers of darkness. However, even though it was not stolen by the darkness, the girl's heart and her body were separated during her time in the Realm of Darkness. The protection spell placed on her from the Keyblade Master brought her back to life, but the consequences were already done. It is said when a person loses their heart, two creatures of darkness are created; a Heartless, from their severed heart, and a Nobody, from the body left behind. A Heartless was not created, but a Nobody was: a young boy.

He wore camo cargo shorts that stopped at his knees, a plain, white t-shirt, and black sneakers. He had the appearance of an six-year-old boy. Muscles peeked in his thin arms and legs, signs that things have been nothing but intense struggle ever since he entered the place. Dark circles hung underneath his dimming amber eyes, and his brown hair was tossled from shaking fingers. As he walked through the darkness, his head constantly whipped around and his eyes darted with paranoia.

While dwelling in the Realm of Darkness, the boy quickly learned that he would never truly be alone, for the evil inhabitants residing within always lurked dangerously close by. And the Heartless smelled a heart within their territory.

He heard a warping sound, and his stomach dropped. A herd of Shadows emerged from a portal of darkness nearby, and the boy clenched his fists. A Shadow approached him. He pulled his fist back and drove it into the Heartless's face. Its head snapped back and its body followed, causing it to spiral back into the darkness. The Heartless paused to watch their comrade sprawl against the ground, then turned back to the young boy and hissed. The boy screamed and ran away. The Shadows slunk into the ground and scrambled after him. This repetitive routine of fight and flight day after day had made the boy's usual sprint diminish into a desperate stumble. As he ran, a wall of darkness exploded in front of him, and he skidded to a stop. A Large Body appeared, accompanied by Soldiers and more Shadows. The boy gulped and his eyes shook as they skimmed over the creatures of darkness slowly approaching him. As the Shadows crept towards him, he stepped away slowly, accidentally backing up into the big belly of the Large Body. He looked up as the Heartless raised its fist. The boy screamed.

The fist came down. The Shadows lunged. The boy slipped into darkness. A few moments later, there was a flash of light that filled his closed eyes.

The boy opened his eyes slowly. The previous events from earlier hit him all at once, and he screamed and thrashed. He finally stopped and laid flat on the ground, panting deeply. He looked around the darkness in confusion. Where did the Heartless go? How in the world did he survive their attack?

His eyes stopped on something in the distance. He saw a young girl, floating in the darkness. Her eyes were closed and she breathed softly, like she was sleeping. The boy watched her with wonder.

"Hey, can you hear me?" the young boy said.

There was a pause.

"Who are you?" The girl's voice replied, yet her lips didn't move and she made no reaction to his voice. "Where am I?"

The boy reached out and touched the girl's limp hand. Suddenly, a strange, humanoid creature with blue skin appeared in the darkness. It had a triangular head with two long, jagged, lightning bolt-shaped antennae, arms and legs that ended with points, lacking of any distinct digits. Its body twitched and jerked involuntarily and its red eyes rested on the boy. It shifted to the girl and stared at her for a moment, making no sudden movements. Its eyes shifted back to the boy and it hissed and arched its back like a cat. The boy whimpered and let go of the girl's hand. He backed away as the creature grabbed the strap of her black overall dress with its teeth and dragged her away.

"Hey, wait!" the boy cried, reaching his hand out to the two.

A light ignited from the boy's hand. He gasped as another, greater light appeared in the darkness and continued to grow. He used his hand like a visor to shield his eyes as the light expanded to the size of a door. He watched as the creature dragged the girl through the light, pausing a moment to glance back at the boy. He stood and watched as the two disappeared and the light shrunk and disappeared, leaving him alone once again.

The now eight-year-old boy staggered through the darkness. His body was so tired, but he managed to keep putting one foot in front of the other. The Realm of Darkness was a dangerous place for a boy like him. He had to get out of here. But how?

A bright light erupted in front of him. He winced at the sudden light, but he was too tired to squint. The light shimmered softly, and the sight of it comforted the boy's nerves. It beckoned to him... literally. Amidst the powerful light, a hand reached out to him: pale, feminine, and covered in a tan-colored glove.

"Hello?" the boy wheezed. Even his voice was tired. But the light and the hand patiently called to him, and he'd much rather sleep in the light than this dangerous abyss. He staggered towards the light like a zombie. At the edge of darkness and light, the boy reached out and touched the mysterious hand. Its fingers curled around his, and the boy felt all his muscles relax. The gentle touch of another person calmed the boy. He suddenly felt all his years of endless torment and trials melt away with the stroke of the stranger's thumb against the back of his hand.

"Who are you?" the boy mumbled.

He felt an arm surround him and hug him close to the body connected to it. His head laid against something smooth, and in his ear, he heard a melodious pump that thudded rhythmically. Another hand stroked his hair.

"You poor thing..." a female voice whispered. Tears sprang in the boy's eyes. The woman's voice was soft and compassionate, like the mother he wish existed. "Sleep. You're safe now."

The boy wanted to know what she meant. He wanted to look up and gaze at the face belonging to the loving voice, but his head refused to lift; his eyelids were turning to lead. He was so tired... Sleep was what he needed. Sleep was what he deserved. His eyes closed. He slipped into unconsciousness, but he knew that behind this darkness of sleep, the light was waiting for him when he woke up.

If he would wake up.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Here it is; the first chapter of Callum's story! If you don't know who Callum is, please take the time to read my first Kingdom Hearts story, "A Memory in the Darkness", because it ties in very much to it. For example, if you read "A Memory in the Darkness", you would know who it was that brought Callum into the Realm of Light.

A little bit of insight on Callum's first years of life, taking place in the Realm of Darkness, which was not a very pleasant experience. Basically an exposition chapter, really. The next chapter is when stuff really starts!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned! Remember to review!