This is pretty much my first ever fanfiction, so please praise and criticize at your liking. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I myself do not in any way shape or form own any part of the Square Enix Co., or the Kingdom Hearts Franchise. All plot strands and links belong to that of Square Enix, and FireLuigi08. Most characters are of my own creation (if one comes up I will tell you if it belongs to me or not).

Chapter I

Destiny

A loud crack echoed through the night sky preceded by a bright flash of lightning that illuminated the soon to be battlefield. It was raining. Aftiel waited on the front lines staring across the stark desert valley, sword securely fastened at his side. The men behind and to either side of him, young and old alike breathed nervously, all the while waiting. Just waiting. And for what they didn't know. But whatever it was they were waiting for shook them to the bone.

And then he saw it. A black line manifested on the horizon and soon after the sound of a great many feet marching towards him. "Here they come men, hold your positions." their captain said. Aftiel could feel the men trembling in fear as the line drew ever closer, but still hundreds of yards away.

"Wha- what are those things?"

Aftiel turned head to his side to see a boy no older than thirteen standing to his immediate right. He felt a great deal of sympathy for the youth. The military of his country was notorious for drafting men at young ages. He himself had been forced in three years ago at the age of fourteen, only days after being orphaned from his parents.

"Heartless." He replied indifferently. The boy began to tremble and his eyes grew wide with fear. He also noticed that many of the others gave the same startled reaction to this. Many murmurs of "No one told us we'd be fighting the heartless!" and "We'll never make it out if this alive!" ensued around him. But this was cut off by the captain's call to attention, as the line of heartless drew ever closer.

Aftiel could now see their bright yellow eyes and structure. This species was called Neo-Shadow, an augmented form of the Shadow Heartless. This was the same kind that took his family from him.

His heart began to beat at a more intense rate as adrenaline pumped through his veins. Another crack of lightning lit up the sky. He summoned his sword from its scabbard and held the polished silver blade at his side as others followed suit. Yet another streak of lightning flushed the field with color and the massive congregation of heartless became still.

A loud screech was heard overhead. Aftiel's head darted upwards and he saw at least a dozen Wyvern Heartless, diving like hawks towards the army of men. Screams of pain resounded through the desert as men were picked off at random. Their captain saw this and hurriedly called a charge, but only the first few lines remained. The others had either retreated or been mangled. They began a futile charge toward the thousands upon thousands of heartless.

He began slashing wildly at line after line of the heartless. Their jet-black bodies withering as his blade passed through them. He glanced around to look for the other men of his line only to see them being mauled, their bodies consumed by darkness. Even his own captain was overcome by the heartless. He was the only one left no others remained. Surrounded, he looked franticly around him, trying to find some way of escaping. But he only saw the despair, and imminent death that was the circle of heartless surrounding him. The black creatures began closing in rapidly, their menacing yellow eyes fixed upon him.

Aftiel forced his eyes closed and braced himself. His body surged with pain as he claws ripped and tore through his flesh. "Hmmm, we still have great use for you." He heard a voice say. And then the onslaught stopped, he opened his eyes and was instantly blinded by a bright light that suddenly surrounded him. He fell to his knees and looked around. The valley was once again barren. Aftiel was bleeding badly as his clothes were almost completely drenched in his own blood. The landscape seemed to tip over as he felt consciousness slip through his fingers. Between blinks of his ever-heavy eyelids he could just begin to make out an armored figure in the distance walking towards him. The word 'crossroads' repeatedly sounded in hid mind as he felt the cool drops of rain touch his face.

Aftiel shot up into a sitting position and was instantaneously blinded by the intense sun overhead.

He stood and surveyed his surroundings cautiously. He was standing in what seemed to be a field. The lush green grass swayed in the gentle breeze. Four dirt paths, it seemed, stretched out endlessly from where he was standing.

On the horizon of the path to his back the sun shone brightly as if it basked in what seemed like eternal light. Opposite this, the path to his front lead into an eerie abyss. The darkness looked as if to grow thicker as the path lead on. The paths to his left and right looked to lead into almost identical territory, only except for heavy cloud cover on the path left of him. It was almost like sunset was about to occur where it lead to, contradictory to the way across from it.

A strange force seemed to be pulling Aftiel toward the darkness. He began to move to make his way down the path when he then felt a simultaneous pulling sensation from the light behind him. He stood dead in his tracks, which he had yet to make.

"What's going on here?" he said quietly under his breath.

A loud ringing noise came over his ears. Aftiel's eyes darted around nervously as if looking for the source. It became louder with every passing second. All possible noise was drowned out; he could no longer hear the wind. The ringing finally became so intense Aftiel was brought to his knees, squinting with pain and irritation. Eardrums ready to burst in his head he fell forward unable to even catch the slightest sound of the screams of pain emitting from his mouth. His body began to fill with searing pain. The inaudible screams became louder, and louder still. And then silence, the pain had become to overbearing and he had blacked out.

"Your destiny has been set, Keeper of the Crossroads."

Well, thats it. I'll try to clear things up in the next few chapters or so.

All comments and critisizm are welcome, I can not stress enough how much i need it!