Chapter One: Island Life
Am I drowning? No, I'm breathing.
I've been having these weird thoughts lately.
Like is any of this real or not?
I was just slowly flowing down through an empty eternity. So, I guess you could say I was drowning.
And then I opened my eyes, I wasn't dreaming as I woke up to myself standing up on the beach. In front of me stood a man, silver hair, I recognized him. However, I was much too engrossed in my daydreaming to remember his name. What was it?
I stepped forward to find the wave move away from me. However, no new waves took its spot. I looked up to see a tsunami heading towards the island. The silver-haired man was standing in the sea, not moving at all. He turned towards me and then held out his hand, a devilish grin on his face. I ran towards him, as to pull him back to shore, not that it would do much help, tsunami and all.
Before I could reach him, the wave crashed, sending me under water. I looked up to see the silver-haired man still standing there, underwater. He reached out his hand once more and I reached to take it. However, the current was too much for me, sending me back into the water.
I gave up on my hope of living, as I went deeper and deeper into the ocean, but then my head came out of the water and I took a breath. I saw a girl calling to me on shore but couldn't hear any words. I came on shore and still heard nothing as she talked to me.
She smiled and looked up, then her expression changed. I looked up to see something falling, in fact, it looked like me. Upon this realization, the land turned into water and I began to sink once more. Except for I could still breathe.
I landed on darkness. Was this the bottom of the ocean? I stepped forward and suddenly several white doves flew out of the ground. Underneath me was a mosaic of a girl with a yellow dress, a blue top. She had black hair and a red bow. In her hands was an apple. Around here was portraits of seven men with long noses, beards and flappy cheeks.
"So much to do, so little time…" said a mysterious voice, "Take your time. Don't be afraid. The door is still shut. Now, step forward. Can you do it?"
What was this speech? Who was saying it? Regardless, I step forward. To my right appears a pillar. Floating above it is a shield. The shield is fairly simple, a red border, and three red circle is the middle. One of the circles was bigger and the other two extended from it at an angle that almost made them look like ears.
"Power sleeps within you," said the voice.
Behind me appeared another pillar, this one with a staff floating above it. The staff had a golden bottom and a green stick leading up to the same three circles, this time they were blue.
"If you give it form…" said the voice.
Another pillar appeared to my left. This one had a sword floating above it. The sword appeared to be fairly sharp, as if ready for battle. But why would I need any of this? I'm not fighting a war.
"It will give you strength," said the voice, "Choose well."
If I go through with this then hopefully everything will go back to normal. I have to choose one. I have to protect people, I failed to save the silver-haired man, and who knows where that girl is at. I stepped forward to the shield.
"The power of the guardian," said the voice, "Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power you seek?"
"Yes!" I shouted out.
"Your path is set," said the voice, "Now what will you give up in exchange?"
The shield disappeared from my hand. I have to give something up to? I stepped towards the staff.
"The power of the mystic," said the voice, "Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You give up this power?"
"Yes!" I shouted.
"You've chose the power of the guardian," said the voice, "You've given up the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose?"
"Yes," I shouted. Hopefully, now everything will go back to normal. Suddenly, the pillars collapsed. What was happening? The platform I was standing on began to shatter. And then once again, I was falling.
Underneath me, I saw a similar platform. It showed a woman in a spectacular, blue dress. She had blonde hair. Behind her, was an image of what looked like a cross between a pumpkin and a carriage. I fell at rapid speed and then suddenly stopped. I stood up like normal despite not being on the platform. Then, I was let down standing up like I was never falling in the first place.
"You've gained the power to fight," said the voice as the shield appeared in my hand, "There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong."
Suddenly, dark spots appeared on the platform. Did these have something to do with those creatures? They slowly consumed the whole platform, and I was sucked into a vortex of shadow. I desperately tried to crawl out but it was to no use. My head went under.
And once again, I was falling. Or was I? Another platform appeared and I was already laying on top of it. Before me was a transparent door. I walked up to it. I put my hand to the doorknob and it didn't budge. "I can't open it," I thought aloud.
I heard a sound behind me. Turning around I saw that there was a treasure chest. That wasn't there before. I opened it and found it empty. Then it disappeared. Looking behind me I saw a gigantic wooden box.
I headed towards the box and then pushed it to the door. Wait! How would that help me? Thinking through my idiocy and rammed the box with my shield. A strange bottle with a green liquid inside fell out. It might be worth picking up.
After picking up the bottle, the door became slightly more solid, or visible. Whatever… Behind me a barrel appeared. I slammed the barrel with my shield as well. The door became fully solid.
I ran towards the door. Maybe it was the pathway to normality. Before, I reached the door, it opened on its own. A bright light streamed out. Suddenly, I was back on my island.
"Hold on," I heard the mysterious voice in my head, "The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself."
The voice vanished. I turned around to see a strange man holding a beach ball. He had orange hair, one strand of it curled around and he had a blue bandanna.
"What do you want outta life?" said the man.
At first I was shocked by being asked such a deep question on first sight. "To see rare sights," I responded.
"To see rare sights, huh?" said the man. Didn't I just say that? This was really awkward, I decided to just walk away. However, I was cut off by a guy. He wore blue baggy shorts and had an orange top revealing his muscled chest. His hair was brown, only a little lighter than mine.
"What are you so afraid of?" said the boy. What's with these questions, was it because I was running away from that guy.
"Getting old," I said. The thought really did scare me, I probably couldn't live on this island, or keep up with my friends.
"Gettin' old? Is that really so scary?" said the boy. Will considering I just said it was the thing I'm most scared of. I tried to walk away from that conversation only to be cut off by a girl. She wore a yellow dress and had crimson hair.
"What's most important to you?" said the girl. I swear, another deep question!
"Being number one," I responded. I have to be the best in order to protect the ones I love.
"Is being number one such a big deal?" Yes. If I'm not the strongest then how can I protect my friends?
"You want to see rare sights. You're afraid of getting old. You want to be number one," I heard the same voice inside my head. Was this all set up so he could learn about my deepest thoughts? The more I thought about it, the more it made sense, "Your adventure begins at dawn. As long as the sun is shining, your journey should be a pleasant one."
"Sounds good!" I shouted out, on second thought… that probably made me sound slightly insane.
"The day you will open the door is both far off and very near," I heard the voice. And then once again, I was on a platform. Right when I thought it was just some dream and I had woke up, I was abruptly brought back.
The image on the platform depicted a sleeping woman wearing a purple dress. She was surrounded by thorns.
Suddenly, a spot-light-like light shined down on the platform. It ran off and a staircase appeared. I walked up the staircase, which led to yet another platform. "The closer you get to light," said the voice, "the greater your shadow becomes."
I looked behind myself to see a long shadow. Suddenly, it came out of the ground, I started backing away. "But don't be afraid," said the voice.
The shadow transformed. It no longer held the shape of me but of a gigantic black creature. It's feet were bended spikes. His face had tentacle-like strands waving and white dots for eyes. "But don't forget…" said the voice. In the chest there was an empty hole, were a heart should have been.
I turned around and began to run. The staircase had disappeared and so had the platform. I looked behind me, and a giant monster of shadow stood. He was humongous. The sight sent shivers down my spine.
The platform reappeared and I understood it all now. The mysterious voice was telling me I had to fight this guy. He held up his hands and a purple vortex formed in between them. He struck the ground and a whirlpool of shadow was created. Moving as fast as I could, I ran to his hand and climbed onto his arm.
I climbed up to his shoulder and slammed my shield against his face. No effect. I went flying off and then, once more, my shield disappeared. A whirlpool of shadow formed around me and I was sucked under. "But don't be afraid," said the voice, "You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don't forget: You are the one who will open the door.
And then I waked up.
I was lying on the beached. The gentle sound of the ocean waves filled the air. I let out a gaping yawn. As I lied back down, I saw the same girl who was in my dream.
"Whoa!" I said sitting up, she laughed, "Gimme a break, Kairi."
"Sora, you lazy bum," Kairi said, "I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here."
"No!" I said, "This huge, black THING swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't—" she hit me, "Ow!"
"Are you still dreaming," said Kairi.
"It wasn't a dream!" I said, "Or was it? I don't know. What was that place? So bizarre…"
"Yeah, sure," said Kairi sarcastically.
"Say, Kairi," I said, "What was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up."
"I told you before," said Kairi, "I don't remember." We had been building a raft so we could find Kairi's homeland and get off this island. Then we might be able to see other worlds.
"Nothing at all?" I said.
"Nothing," she responded.
"You ever want to go back?" I said.
"Well, I'm happy here," said Kairi.
"Really…" I said unconvinced.
"But you know…" she said, "I wouldn't mind going to see it."
"I'd like to see it too," I said, "Along with any other worlds out there! I want to see 'em all!"
"So what're we waiting for?" said Kairi.
"Hey," said a voice behind us, "aren't you guys forgetting about me?"
We looked around to see the same silver-haired man from my dream. He had a sly grin on his face. "I guess I'm the only one working on the raft." He was carrying a log. As he began to walk forward, he threw the log on top of me.
"And you're just as lazy as he is!" he said to Kairi.
"So you noticed," said Kairi, "Okay, we'll finish it together. I'll race you!"
"Huh?" said the silver-haired man.
"What, are you kidding?" I replied.
"Ready?" said Kairi, "Go!"
Me and the silver-haired man started running, leaving Kairi behind. Yes, I was back home. This was Destiny Islands. And with every step I took, my smile got bigger, and the memories of my odd dream fleeted.
We ran to my house, and then the silver-haired man left to work on the raft. After he left, Kairi turned to me. "So, can you gather the rest of the supplies?" said Kairi, "Sora, are you listening to me?"
"Yeah, I heard you," I said.
"Okay, here's what you need to go find:" said Kairi, "Two logs. One cloth. One rope. Bring everything back here. If you need help, just ask. I'm counting on you!"
First, I headed to the beach were the silver-haired man dropped the log on me. One down, one more to go. While I was there, I saw the same man that was in my dream. He asked me what I wanted out of my life, I'm pretty sure that was him.
"Hey, what's happening, man?" he said, "Yo! You up for a round?"
"Sure, let's play," I said.
"Play is for kids," he said, "This is serious."
As ridiculous as it sounded, this man had mastered combat using a beach ball. I'm not kidding. You can only imagine the strength it took not to laugh while I was preparing to duel him. I'm mean sure it might be a wooden sword, but at least it's a sword, not an inflated toy.
We walked away from each other, turning around at the same exact time. He threw his beach ball at where I was standing, while I dashed at him, prepared to attack. I slashed rapidly, but only got a few hits, before he ran away. He was fast, I'll give him that.
He threw several beach balls at me. I dodged each one, running at him. I began to slash at him one more. He fell over, meaning I won. I was the second best fighter on the island, the first being the grey-haired man. Why can't I remember his name?
I headed towards the Seaside Shack. The shack was just a small room and a staircase up to the bridge. I went up to the bridge to see if any of the materials were there. There was another log, and the silver-haired man.
"Did you get everything we need for the raft? I gave my stuff to Kairi," said the silver-haired man, "Hey, Sora, how about a quick round? Grab your sword."
"Sorry, no time now," I said.
"Okay," said the silver-haired man, "Some other time."
Riku. That was his name, Riku. I can't believe I forgot it. Silly me.
I left the bridge and started towards the other side of the island on my search for materials. I saw the girl with the yellow dress. "Aah, the breeze feels great," she said, "What're you up to these days? We never see you."
"We've been busy," I responded.
"Riku and Kairi sure are busy these days," she said, "I should send Tidus and Wakka to check up on you guys." Tidus and Wakka. Wakka was the man with the beach ball. Tidus is his son.
I continued to the other side of the island. There was a gigantic treehouse, it was like that when we were born, none of us even know who built it. Tidus, was there practicing combat with his sword. Well, more like stick.
There was a rope curled up in the corner. I went and grabbed it and then Tidus noticed me. "Hey, Sora, you feel lucky today?" said Tidus. He was the third best fighter on the island, a match for me, but nothing for Riku, "Feelin' up for a little competition?" he asked.
"You asked for it!" I said. We decided to duel down on the beach. After a short race there, we prepared for our duel. We both charged at each other at the same time. I raised my sword to bring it down, but was block. I weaved a series of swings and stabs, all of which were parried. Tidus had gotten much better.
However, I still had a few tricks up my sleeve. Jumping over him, I slammed my sword against his back. I slammed it several time. It was wooden, not very sharp. Using it like a blunt weapon was most effective. I continued this, slamming him with enough force he couldn't turn around. He eventually fell over.
The only thing I still needed was cloth. I went up a stairway that spirailed around a tree. At the top, the tree was hallowed out, inside, was a dirty old cloth. I grabbed it, heading back to Kairi with all the material.
"Thanks, Sora!" she said, "I found something today, too. Here, it's yours."
She handed me a strange concoction in a bottle. I put it in my pocket. "Tired?" she asked, "Want to call it a day?"
"Yeah, let's go home," I said.
"Okay," said, "It is getting late. We'll finish up tomorrow."
Riku, Kairi and I were lying on the beach watching the beautiful red and yellow colors of the sunset. "So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?" I said.
"Could be," said Riku, "We'll never know by staying here."
"But how far could a raft take us?" I said.
"Who knows?" said Riku, "If we have to, we'll think of something else."
"So, suppose you get to another world," said Kairi, "What would you do there?"
"Well, I haven't really thought about it," said Riku, "It's just… I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds… Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"
"I don't know," I said.
"Exactly," said Riku, "That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go."
"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" said Kairi.
"Thanks to you," said Riku, "If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this. Kairi, thanks."
"You're welcome," said Kairi.
We began to head back to the house. Kairi was ahead of me and Riku. I turned around to say something to Riku and had a starfish-looking fruit thrown into my arms. "You wanted one, didn't you?" said Riku.
"A paopu fruit," I said.
"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined," said Riku, "They'll remain a part of each lives no matter what. C'mon, I know you want to try it." He walked away after Kairi.
"What are you talking—" I said before realizing he wasn't listening to me. I threw the paopu fruit into the ocean and followed them.
In a faraway castle, a wizard flopped through the hallway. It wasn't an ordinary wizard, it was a duck. He walked by a bunch of enchanted brooms, carrying buckets. They were the maids. The duck turn to a two mile tall door. That wasn't an exaggeration.
He knocked on the massive door. No response. He knocked again. No response. He decided to just barge in, opening the five foot door that was inside the painting of the three mile tall door. "Good morning, Your Majesty," he said, "It's nice to see you this morn—"
The throne was empty.
"What!" said the duck. From behind the throne and orange dog peeped out, a letter in his mouth. On the letter was the seal of the royal house, three circles, one representing a head and the other two representing ears. Like a mouse's face.
The duck grabbed the letter, reading it. He instantly began to run towards the castle's garden.
Inside the garden, a long and lanky dog in a knight's suit was asleep. "Wake up, Goofy, wake up!" said the wizard "This is serious!"
Goofy didn't stir, he was sleeping pleasantly. Raising his finger, the wizard performed a spell, causing a small lightning bolt to strike Goofy. "Hey there, Donald," said Goofy, "G'morning."
"We've got a problem, Goofy!" said Donald Duck, "But don't tell anyone…"
"Queen Minnie?" said Goofy.
"Not even the queen," said Donald.
"Daisy?" said Goofy.
"No, it's top secret!" said Donald.
"G'morning, ladies," said Goofy.
Donald Duck turned to see Queen Minnie and Princess Daisy standing behind him, arms crossed.
