"Darkness cannot be destroyed. it can only be channeled."- Master Xehanort
"Give up now, boy, and maybe I'll spare some of the light you wish to protect." The old master threatened. The boy managed to lift his head and look around, all his comrades lay on the ground, passed the point of defeat.
"You promise not to wipe out the light?" he asked, playing into the deal.
"Sora, don't listen to him." a weak voice came from behind, but their will was strong.
"I have to."
"Relinquish your keyblade, and it'll be a deal." Master Xehanort said. Sora propped himself up on one elbow, allowing him to take a better look at the scene around him. Warriors of light and dark, fallen, holding on to any hope they have that they might survive. His body fought against his will, telling him that there is no strength to get up, but he fought back.
"Enjoy the victory for now, cause it's not gonna last." Sora spit out.
"Save your breath, boy, it just may be your last." The old master silenced. Sora summoned his weapon, finally giving in. Master Xehanort reached out to grab it, but as soon as he laid a hand upon the blade, Sora swiped it away.
"No. You're not getting my keyblade, or Kingdom Hearts!" he yelled.
"Sora, stop!" another voice cried out. He didn't heed their warning, though. He knew what he had to do to save them. Gathering the last of his energy, he surrendered to the shift in power. If he couldn't fight against it, then he would succumb to it. Darkness clouded his vision, and it didn't frighten him this time. Master Xehanort stepped back, watching the boy summon darkness.
"It can't be."
As if he had heard him, Sora shifted his eyes to the old man, eyes that were no longer blue, but gold.
"You're not the only one who can summon the power of darkness. And now, you will taste the wrath of it 10 fold to what you have unleashed onto others." the boy threatened. Newfound power surged through his being, ready to fight at his very command. He aimed at the old master and delivered the first strike, knocking him off balance. Xehanort was quick to recover and readied his keyblade to strike back. The blades clashed, darkness coming in and out of the duel as the two fought to overpower the other. Sora retreated a step to regroup and then aimed for Xehanort's leg, knocking him down. The master shot out blasts of darkness in defense, one hit barely clearing Sora's arm, but he just absorbed it. Xehanort watched in horror as his attacks revealed to be futile. Sora could only smile in return. And the smile remained as he returned fire with darkness and a thunder strike, reducing Xehanort to crawl backwards.
"Sora, please! Stop this!" Kairi shouted as she regained some strength to stand. Sora's mind reeled for a moment, the darkness fading temporarily. The pause allowed for Xehanort to fire at Sora, simultaneously knocking him down and out of his reverie. He aimed his keyblade at Sora's chest.
"Listen to the girl, you're not strong enough to control the darkness." he said, raising his blade to strike. Sora looked up at Kairi, as she looked on in horror. Her expression struck like a knife through his heart. All he could say was, "I'm sorry." As Xehanort struck, Sora closed his eyes and let the darkness take over and swallow him whole. The last sound he heard was Kairi's scream, how distant and faint it sounded. Submerged under the ground, he released all the darkness within him and broke through the ground back to the surface. He flew above the ground, 3 feet in the air with two keyblades at hand. As he summoned his being from the darkness, he looked to Xehanort.
"Let's finish this!" the two voices commanded. Flying down at top speed, he tackled Xehanort to the ground and pushed off of him to regain his balance. Strike after strike, he fought the old master until he unarmed him. Putting two keyblades together, he aimed and struck his chest. Darkness escaped, flowing all around out of control. Sora looked to his companions as they attempted to fend off the darkness, but failing in their weakened state. Sora took the master's keyblade and aimed it at Kingdom Hearts.
"Darkness, will be no more." he opened the door, letting light escape from the mass above.
"Sora, it'll take you too!" Kairi shouted. She was running to him, using her light to protect herself and hopefully Sora.
"Then let it." he aimed his keyblade once more at Kingdom Hearts, closing it once most of the darkness had been vanquished. All that remains, he summoned to himself, absorbing it all to save his companions. It began to cloud his vision, and then his other senses. The last he saw was six figures running to him before he disappeared into a dark abyss once again.
"It's peaceful." he said to himself. Why was darkness ever feared, if it gave such a feeling of tranquility. The light may bring life, but here in the darkness, life can still live. And for that, there was nothing to fear. Here, in darkness once again, he felt like he belonged. His friends were safe. The realm of light was in balance once again, and Kingdom Hearts was put away.
Wandering the realm of darkness offered no sense of time. Sora didn't know what he was looking for, but he couldn't stop and wait for something to happen. His energy was slowly regaining, and the darkness no longer wrest control over his heart, if there was anything left of it inside him.
"Stopping to take a breath won't kill you." Roxas said, appearing at Sora's side.
"I can' stop." Sora answered, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You're already in the realm of darkness, it can't get any worse." the blonde tried to reason with his other half. Sora looked at him, and for the first time since they arrived, he stopped his pace.
"I won't just wait for them to save me."
"No one said you need saving. You, in fact, just saved your friends and brought balance to the worlds, a hero deserves a break."
Sora was getting annoyed at him, as if Roxas was trying to coax Sora into a vulnerable state and who knows what would happen then, being surrounded by endless darkness.
"We're not alone here. This isn't the first time people have fallen into the Realm of Darkness." he told the blonde. He wasn't sure why he felt so confident, but the feeling just wouldn't waver. He continued walking.
The scenery didn't vary much no matter how far the boys seem to travel, but there was a path they remained on, and it had to be there for a reason. Even if it was crafted by heartless and other dark beings, it had to lead somewhere. And that somewhere, finally came into being. In Sora's line of sight was a small cave within this cave-like realm, a dim light emitting within it. He followed the path and the cave let out to a clearing, where a massive dark castle sat in the distance. Roxas had already disappeared, restoring more strength to Sora, also giving him the courage to approach the monstrous building.
The door opened on its own, as if it were expecting him. A long hallway expanded forward, lights flickering on as Sora drew closer. The hallway ended with double doors that touched the floor and ceiling, one opened at the touch of Sora's hand. Lights were dim, but had long been lit before Sora even arrived, revealing a thrown room. In the center was a regal throne with an impressive design, the back in the shape of the heartless insignia painted a deep red against dark grey; the chair was most certainly occupied. A boy sat with one leg crossed over the other, chin resting lazily against his hand. A large sword perched against the armrest, clearly saying he wasn't to be trifled with. The bored expression on his face morphed into one of intrigue as his eyes fell upon Sora.
"It's not very easy to find this place." were his first words to his guest.
"If you're determined enough, you can find anything." Sora answered. The raven haired boy smiled.
"I've been expecting you, Sora. It's been a long time coming, waiting for someone worthy enough to make it here to the castle. What you have accomplished, few others can relate to."
"It's not something I ever planned on doing."
"No one ever plans to end up in the Realm of Darkness." the boy answered with amusement.
"Who are you anyway? How did you get here?" Sora asked impatiently.
"Answers you seek will come eventually, but we have other matters to attend to. There is more darkness in you than you ever expected, am I right?"
Sora nodded his head.
"As a warrior of light, wielding the power of darkness is foreign to you," the boy spoke, as if through experience. "I can help you make it your greatest ally. More than the light has ever been."
The keyblade wielder thought over his words. Whether he was now a prisoner in this realm or not, he found no downside to the mysterious boy's offer. So he smiled.
"I'm ready."