The girl ran down the stairs, eyes wide and hair flying wildly in the gust. Spiralling round and round she descended the small windows that she passed flooding her face with silver light, until it was batted away by the darkness of the tower. But still she ran, running deeper and deeper into the mouth of the darkness, until she could no longer see the thing she fled from in all that surrounded her. The necklace she wore illuminated her face with a pale blue glow, and bounced against her chest in an irregular pattern, as if it was the prey fleeing.

Finally the staircase opened up into an enormous auditorium. A stained glass window at the far end filled the room with the pale moonlight, and caused the titanic pillars to bathe the rest of the room in darkness. Silence filled the hall, except for the shallow gasping of the girl, and her light footsteps as she slowed her pace.

Gingerly, she looked around, trying to see if her pursuer had reached this far. Failing to make anything of the quiet, she collapsed on the ground and tried to regain her breath. Clutching the pendant in one hand, she closed her eyes, letting a single tear form underneath her eyelid, and slowly made its way down her smooth features. The tear fell from the bottom of her chin, and landed on the granite floor, the sound resonating throughout the hall.

"Your fear is your weakness," a smooth voice called out from the shadows. From the far side, a boy walked out, wearing a simple black cloak that swirled around his feet, and covered his face.

The girl leaped to her feet, and instantly looked around her for an escape. Laughing slightly, the boy clapped his hands. The shadows at the sides of the room quivered, and slithered forward towards the girl. Rising up from the floor were beings of darkness, only visible with their malevolent yellow eyes, all trained on their target. The girl, held her pendant close, and turned to face her adversary, eyes filled with fury.

The boy sighed mournfully as he approached his prey, "You are so beautiful...filled with hate...it burns within you, like wildfire." He reached out to stroke the girls cheek, when she raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

Silence fell. The girl stared unblinking into the unseen eyes of the boy, watching as he rose his own hand to touch the place where she struck. "I will never be yours," she spat, drenching each sound in hate.

"Fortunately I no longer care. I have found another mistress, one who will rule Castle Oblivion with me, and will sit at my side as the worlds fall..." the boy trailed off, his eyes looking down towards the pendant, "But one thing remains that I must still claim..."

"Never." The girl stepped back, "I will not be responsible for the death of the organization..."

"The organization," the boy paused, as if the word caused him pain, "is a savage group that hide in the darkness, which I will destroy."

"They have their hearts, therefore they have strength..."

"I have the keyblade, there is no other strength!" the boy roared, shoulders hunching. Pausing, he calmed, and spoke quieter than before, "I will give you one chance to live under my protection. All that I ask is that you give it to me." With that the boy raised his hand expectantly.

The girl shook her head, tears flooding down her face now, "What happened...you were good."

The boy simply laughed, and lowered his hood. Beneath was a flurry of spiked brown hair, deep blue eyes and a hauntingly pale complexion. "My light shall be forever alone, and so the worlds shall also become...alone...."

"Y-You..." hissed the girl.

"Yes me, me me me..." mocked the boy. "Damn, if I got 10 munny for every time...ah well. Now no more chit chat. Give me the light, and you shall be safe forever. Or must I really perform such a menial task?" flexing his hand, a weapon appeared in his hand, a dark, twisted key shaped sword, "because you know I will...Namine."

The girl closed her eyes, and raised her head to the ceiling. The pendant began to glow with a brighter light, and the shadows that surrounded the girl hissed, and stepped back.

"No!" cried the boy. Leaping forward, he swung the blade across the girl's chest, but not before the light had engulfed the room in its radiance, throwing the boy back and causing the shadows to disintegrate.

When the light finally cleared, the boy picked himself up, and walked over to the fallen girl, who was slowly fading away, black smoke rising from her torso. Snarling, he swung his blade and struck at her, but only to hit the marble floor beneath. The girl, now translucent, turned her head, and smiled weakly, and mouthed a sentence.

Getting down on one knee, the boy put his head next to the girl's mouth, and she repeated her sentence.

"You can't escape the light, Sora..."