Flames Turn to Stone

A Fan Fiction of the Kingdom Heart Series

Chapter 1: A Frightful Dream

Author's Note: The following is a fan-based story centered on the Kingdom Hearts Series. Square Enix is the founder of Kingdom Hearts, not me.

The thunderous roars of the two armies colliding into each other and the piercing chime of weapons and shields slamming in contact was enough to send a tremble through the bronze rock beneath Sora's feet. A flurry of sand and dust flew from the warriors' rumbling feet, forcing Sora to shield his eyes as the raging cloud swept over him. Blood surged through his ear drums and he could hear every beat of his hammering heart as he panted heavily. The low vibration of metal suddenly erupted frighteningly close to his ear, and instinctively Sora arched his back and watched as a black Keyblade brushed against his nose. A hoarse cackle emerged to his right, but Sora was unable to see a yard away. Before the young Keyblade wielder was able to regain his balance, a blue orb with icy mist trailing it materialized inches from his face, prepared to explode with contact. The boy's bright blue eyes widened in dread and his stomach churned as it came closer to his face, the air around it immediately turning to ice.

A strong hand snatched Sora's hood moments before the orb suddenly burst into flames, droplets of water spraying everywhere. Thrown into the gritty sand, Sora watched as a man, his savior, clad in black and white armor—which was dented and scraped to an almost non-repairable degree—leap from behind him, brandishing a scarlet-bladed sword that's length matched Sora's height. Flames danced off of it, making the sword appear as if it had a soul of its own. The armored man swung it into a deadly loop and the cloud of dust obediently parted and drifted high into the air, thus removing the sand that had camouflaged the man attacking Sora. Sora's heart almost froze as his eyes were set on the familiar old, dark-skinned warrior clad in the black and white coat, his cold, yellow eyes piercing Sora's flesh. Sora felt his blood boil with fury as his mind even pronounced his name with a sickened hiss. Xehanort.

The armored warrior did not falter at his appearance. Shifting his weight from his left foot to his right, he swung his scorching sword, aiming at Xehanort's left shoulder. However, he feigned the attack at the last moment and the blade's sharpened end thrust towards the elderly man's throat. Xehanort simply sneered and once the blade was an inch from his neck, a bolt of lightning ran up the blade and exploded into the arm of the warrior. The man dropped to the ground, clutching his arm still surrounded by the mauve lightning static. Gritting his teeth, Sora leapt in front of the armored warrior, just in time to parry Xehanort's blow. Swallowing his fear, Sora furiously swung at Xehanort, their Keyblades both ringing in contact as they each warded off the deadly swings. They attacked each other feverishly, but Sora, even through all of his training, was unable to match the skills of Xehanort. He soon gained the upper- hand when he pushed Sora near the edge of the cliff, directly below the raging battle of the two infuriated kingdoms. Without much ground to dodge, Sora desperately caught each attack with his Keyblade, wondering if his Keyblade would shatter after the surge of devastating attacks.

The grip of his Keyblade loosened for only a second, but that was enough for the skilled opponent to notice. With a snap of Xehanort's wrist, the precious Keyblade was torn out of Sora's hand and sent clattering yards away. His blood ran cold with the realization that he was now unarmed and vulnerable. Xehanort's sly grin widened and he raised his Keyblade for the final blow. As the weapon flew closer towards its target, Sora squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the blade to meet…

…with the blade of the armored warrior. The weapons smashed into each other, almost grinding the steel away. Sora, relief overwhelming him, blotted to retrieve his Keyblade. Picking it up, he turned around and saw the impossible. The entire image of Xehanort shimmered-resembling the static of a television-and his Keyblade transparently glided through the flaming blade and tore through the warrior's chest. A grunt of surprise and pain escaped the armored man and was sent spiraling meters away. As Sora's savior hung in the air, his mask began to break away, revealing his pale chin.

Do you wish to see his face?

The mask shattered, piece by piece, reaching higher to his nose and inching towards his cheek.

Once you see it, you can't go back…

The landscape blurred, turning from the tan and light bronze rocky terrain to a darkened world, lights shimmering everywhere. Just as the metal began to peel from the warrior's cheek, Sora's world grew dark. His senses were blinded by confusion, his surroundings a blur. He could smell smoke that smothered the air and made his lungs itch. A scorching heat touched his skin, which immediately began to sweat. His eyes watered, blinded by the smoke. He heard sobbing, ghastly wails that made his spine tingle. The voice was strangely familiar, which troubled Sora. Another, hiccupping sob was recognizable along with the wails. He heard one voice speak, a male's voice:

"No…" he whispered through gasps. Sora also discovered labored panting that was irregular, almost painful to listen to. The voice continued, but most of it was indistinguishable. Sora only heard "A..e….w…did…y…ve…e…" The last part he understood though, for the boy's voice had risen angrily, "No! Don't die! You don't deserve to…Stop!" The sobs grew louder and the shouts grew desperate. The labored breathing had ceased seconds later. Although he couldn't understand why, Sora's chest seemed to shatter and discovered warm tears streaming down his cheeks. The boy's voice grew hoarse with each shout as he continued.

"Wake up! Please wake up!"

"Sora, wake up already!"

"Wha-?" Sora found someone shaking him vigorously, tearing the sheets off of him. Opening his eyes, he saw Riku above him, his eyes smiling.

"Sleeping in isn't approved today, I'm afraid," he laughed, walking over to the window and opening the curtains. A fresh beam of sunlight exploded into Sora's face and he squinted. Rubbing his eyes, he found tears on cornering his eyes and running down his face. Quickly wiping them off, a pair of black shorts fell onto his lap. He glanced at Riku, who starred at him and said, "Don't tell me you already forgot! We're meeting with Master Yen Sid along with everybody else to find out where Xehanort is and find the rest of the Keyblade wielders."

Goofy, Donald, the King, and Lea entered his mind and Sora smiled childishly. "Oh yeah!" he cried. How could he have forgotten? His odd dream already gone from his mind, Sora hurriedly pulled on his clothes, snatched an apple to eat, and rushed out the door, following Riku eagerly.