Where...

Where am I..?

I feel strange...

I feel small...

I feel weak...

I feel hopeless...

I feel darkness...

Yoru was fast asleep as he fell through a pitch black void, no way of telling where he was or how he'd gotten there.

Yoru remembered talking with his childhood friend Luna, then slipping and falling off the High Rock they stood on. He feels he should've died from the height of the fall. Wait, that's just it!

Am I dead!? The boy wondered, thoughts going wild.

I'm only fifteen! I have seventy more years ahead of me! I haven't even told Luna that I love her!

Yoru opened his silver eyes suddenly, and found himself standing on a large stained glass platform. The platform he stood on depicted himself asleep, laying opposite to the beautiful girl he called his friend; Luna. In his hand was a strange weapon, looking like a mix between a sword and a key. Around him were images of things he held dear, like his mouse necklace, his totem charm, his wooden sword, his dirty grey scarf, and the crescent moon. He'd always loved the moon...

"It seems that you need only the one to make your Heart complete."

A Voice cut through the calm silence. It was undefinable, toneless, and unlike anything that could be described. Though, it was warming...

"Am I dead?" Yoru asked somberly, his eyes on the image of Luna.

"No, Child. You've still a Destiny to fulfill."

Yoru looked to the blackness above him like it was the sky. "Destiny?" He asked, "What Destiny? I'm just a kid who lives on a mountain, no parents, no friends, just Luna."

"We all have a Destiny, Child. Yours is yet to come."

In the split second the Voice finished speaking to Yoru, the stain glass platform beneath him began to crack. The floor shattered, and Yoru was sent falling through the darkness once more!

Grrk! I can't see a thing! This limbo is making me nauseous!

Yoru's vertigo went away when he saw another glass platform. This one depicted a young woman of Arabic descent. The glass color was red and yellow and gave off a warm feeling.

"We all have battles to fight..."

Out of the platform rose three pedestals, a sword floating above each.

"Which tool do you use?"

Yoru approached the one directly ahead of him. It was a longsword with a blue and silver handle. Its blade was chrome, reaching the length of three feet. Its silver cross guard curved upwards, the leather grip a deep red. In the center of the guard was a symbol exactly like his mouse necklace, emblazoned in black.

"The power of the Guardian; One who can protect those he cares about, even if he must sacrifice himself..."

Yoru stood there, contemplating the Voice's words.

Protect those I care about? I always want to keep Luna safe, even if it kills me...

Yoru reached out and took the sword, which disappeared in his grip. As it disappeared, it disintegrated into countless sparks of light, all floating toward the emptiness above. Yoru felt something in his chest change; a warm feeling. Like he'd just added an extra lair of protection around his heart.

"Interesting..."

The pedestal where the sword once floated sunk slowly into the platform Yoru stood. Yoru turned to the other two swords. One was bronze and green, the other was gold and red.

"There are sacrifices a hero must make. Which of these powers would you give up?"

Yoru walked over to the green one. It was identical to the sword he'd grabbed just moments ago, only its silver was replaced with bronze and its blue replaced by green. The blade seemed to be a darker, dimmer shade of metal as well.

"The power of the Sentinel; One who chases the darkness, dispelling it from any place it could hide..."

Yoru frowned at the idea of chasing any darkness, he only wished to protect those he cares about; or in this case, the one he cares about. He reached his hand out without hesitation, grabbing the sword. It dissipated in the same manor as the blue sword before it, raising in sparks toward the heavens.

"You've made your decision..."

The ground below Yoru started to shake. Before Yoru could react, the glass shattered like the other did before! Yoru was sent falling down, sent back into his directionless limbo.

This is getting old, real fast...

Another platform appeared, this time beneath his feet.

Yoru looked down at the image and saw a young blonde girl in a blue dress. She was painting white roses red, and she was surrounded by cards and flowers. The glass was a dark green and gave off an eerie feeling.

"Be careful, Child..." The Voice warned, "For the Darkness lurks ever close..."

Yoru turned around and saw three black blotches on the floor, odd, black, creepy hands grabbing the brim and pulling their creepy, dark, ant-like bodies out of the black puddles. Yoru looked at these monsters and felt something in his chest sink. They had such cold, dead, yellow eyes...

"Protect your heart!"

The three Shadows lurched forward, claws outstretched to take Yoru's heart! Yoru didn't know what brought it, but the blue sword from before appeared in his hand. He swung his blade quickly, knocking back the three approaching demons!

"Show me your will to fight!"

Yoru eyed the monsters, his sword held firmly in both hands like a samurai would wield his katana. He closed his eyes and calmed himself, awaiting the Shadows' next move.

"Now!" He yelled, swiping his sword before him and cutting a monster in half as it attempted to pounce him! The other two twitched a little before sprinting in to avenge their fallen brethren. "Come and get it!" Yoru shouted angrily, slashing one down the middle and sending it back! One jumped up and clawed Yoru's shoulder, leaving three black streaks and getting a sharp cry of pain from the boy!

"Argh!" Yoru turned to the two creatures, both standing there, twitching happily at their successful strike to the boy's shoulder. "You cretins are gonna pay for that!" Yoru threatened, pointing his sword challengingly at the two. "Come here and get what's coming, you ugly blotches of black paint!" The two apparently had enough taunting, as they sprinted in once more!

Yoru kicked one back, then used his momentum to deliver a killing blow to the other! The lone Shadow stood, shaking and twitching its ball-like black head. Yoru's mouth curled into a smirk, then he ran in, delivering a hard blow to the side of the monster's head, killing it.

Yoru took a moment to calm down; catch his breath. He'd just defeated three strange monsters and his chest was hurting for some strange reason he couldn't decipher.

"Your will is strong, child..." The Voice mused, "But you mustn't let yourself be taken by rage..."

Yoru looked up to the black sky, "No battle was ever won by being gentle." He said, hoping the Voice heard him. He didn't necessarily know where it was coming from, so he assumed the sky.

Beneath Yoru came a cold, dragging feeling. It felt like sadness, anger, fear, and hate were all mixed into one feeling. He looked down to see that the floor he stood had now become a dark pool of black liquid, sucking at his legs and pulling him down!

Grk! Oh no! This is bad! Yoru thought as he struggled to free himself.

"Do not let go; hold onto that which brightens your life. You will reach the end..."

The Darkness nearly swallowed Yoru, if not for one bright thought...

I have to live... I have to see Luna again...

The world around Yoru brightened, and the overwhelming Darkness was replaced by blinding Light!

When his eyes opened, Yoru found that he was no longer within that strange place. He now stood on an island in the sky, chains attaching it to a large gold and white castle. Standing before him were three individuals. Two young adults and one boy about his age.

"What do you value most in your life?" The young man with huge pants and longer brown hair asked. His voice was that of the Voice that had been speaking to Yoru through this whole strange experience.

What do I value most? Well that's easy!

"I love my friend Luna, and I'd give anything to keep her happy and safe." Yoru told the young man, who may also be the Voice.

The young man shrugged. "Predictable." He said simply.

The young woman with blue hair approached him next, "What do you want most out of life?" She asked him, using the same Voice as the other young man.

What do I want most? Yoru wondered. He'd wanted a lot, to say the least. Everything he'd always wanted he could never have, with the exception of Luna. His home was boring as dirt, he had no parents, his only friend was Luna, and he'd been terrible at school. Everything in the world besides Luna was worthless to him. Wait, that's it! The world!

"I want to see new Worlds with the one I care about." Yoru replied confidently. The young woman's eyebrows raised curiously. "Interesting..." She said.

Yoru was turned around by a hand on his shoulder to face a teenage boy with spiky blonde hair and a large pad on his left shoulder. "What do you fear most in the world?" He asked abruptly.

Spiders! Yoru thought jokingly. He thought harder about his response, when it became obvious to him.

"I'm afraid of losing those that I care about; I'm afraid of being left alone." Yoru responded with a look of worry in his eyes as he told the boy.

The blonde boy smiled, "You have a good Heart, Yoru. You'll be fine..."

With that, the world around Yoru lit up in a flash of blinding Light!

When Yoru's eyes opened, he found himself in the dark abyss he was before, standing on a new glass platform. This one depicted a wasteland, completely covered in those swords that looked like keys. Atop a large plateau was a large bright blue moon, shaped like a Heart. It gave off an angelic feel, even though it was just a piece of glass. The majority of the glass was dark blue, giving Yoru a sad feeling in his chest.

"Be careful, Child..."

Yoru felt a cold, sad, dark feeling behind him. Like a horrible amalgamation of bad emotion had taken a form of mass and hovered just about the nape of his neck. Yoru turned to see his shadow had taken on a physical form and stood directly before him.

Yoru's shadow was an exact mirror image of himself, though blackened out like a silhouette. In place of human eyes were two cold, dead, yellow dots. In its hand was a silhouette of the blue sword he'd wielded before.

"For the Darkness within you can be your greatest Rival..."

The dark mirror of Yoru swung its sword sloppily at Yoru, nearly taking off his head! Yoru narrowly avoided the strike, stepping back, he felt his sword appear in his hand once more!

Yoru and his Shadow looked each other in the eyes, then charged!

Yoru slashed downward at the replica, only to be blocked! The thing looked weak, but its strength was great. It shoved back Yoru, sending him stumbling, then charged to deliver a hard blow to the boy's chest!

"Gahk!" Yoru cried, feeling his Heart grow colder. He looked down at his chest and noticed a large black mark across it. He shook off the pain, then ran back in, delivering a rapid succession of swings! Almost all the attempts were blocked by the boy's shadow, but the final one caught him by the hip. Yoru decided to play dirty and thrusted his fist into his shadow's face.

The silhouette shook and twitched its head, trying to get the pain to subside. Yoru took this opportunity to trip his shadow! While the dark mirror lay on the floor, it threw a glance at Yoru that almost seemed pleading.

"The Darkness can be eradicated, though you stop?"

Yoru looked down to the shadow, "It's still a living thing." Yoru said, "It doesn't need to die if it's already surrendered..."

"When the time comes to take a life..."

The Dark liquid from before grabbed ahold of Yoru's legs once more!

"Would you be strong enough?"

Yoru began to struggle, he looked down at the pleading shadow that produced this Darkness!

"Would you have the courage?"

Yoru was waist deep in the dark pool, still staring the dark reflection in the eyes!

"True strength isn't being able to take a life, Child."

Yoru was up to his neck in the Darkness!

"But having the Heart to spare one."

Yoru saw a Light descend from the dark sky above, like a message from heaven. Another voice cut through the gurgling of the dark pool, though what it was trying to say was inaudible.

"Just remember this... You are the only one who gets to decide your Destiny."

Yoru reached his hand out, grabbing a hold of the bright ball of light!

Then, he heard it...

"WAKE UP!"