The world was eerily quiet today. Nothing was different; there were the same people, the same sky, the same everything. However, the air was still, and not a sound could be heard in the meadow where Tarak and Shio stood. Tarak looked over at his older brother, Shio. By the look on his face, Tarak could tell that Shio could sense the abnormality as well.

"What do you suppose it is?" asked Tarak. He knew that Shio already knew what he was referring to.

"I don't know, Tarak. It could very well be nothing for all we know," replied Shio with an air of indifference. Then he looked over at Tarak and his face grew into a kind smile. "C'mon, we gotta get back home, Mom and Dad will be expecting us soon to celebrate."

Today marked Tarak's thirteenth birthday. His parents had been planning the party all week. Shio was only three years older than Tarak and stood at least five inches taller than him.

"Ok, let's go." said Tarak returning Shio's smile, while also moving the long brown hair out of his eyes. They walked together in silence as they reached the edge of the meadow, which became a small woods. The twigs and dead leaves on the ground crunched beneath their shoes. Tarak pulled his jacket a little tighter around himself to shield against the brisk air.

It didn't take them long to come out of the woods and come onto the sprawling city where they lived. Even though the city was big, it still had the feel of a small town. Tarak knew most of the local shop owners, and he had many friends throughout the city. Shio was just as popular as Tarak, if not more. Tarak guessed it was because their father was the mayor, but he also knew that it was more than that.

When they reached their house, their mother was already there to greet them. She ran up to Tarak and gave him a big hug.

"Welcome back!" she said. Then she turned to Shio. "Thanks for taking him out while we decorated."

"No problem, just happy to help," said Shio with a wide smile. They all walked inside together and saw firsthand the fruits of their parent's labor. The ceiling was covered by streamers and balloons. In the dining room, the table was covered by a colorful tablecloth, and party hats were placed before each seat. On a table off to the side, there were presents piled up and wrapped in paper of all different colors and patterns. Then all of Tarak's friends came into the room and wished him a happy birthday. Tarak's smile widened even more at the sight of them.

After that, the party went on for a few hours. Tarak received some nice things and was very happy to get them all. They all enjoyed games, good food, cake and ice cream, but like every party, it came to an end, and everyone went home. Tarak said goodbye to them all and thanked them for coming to celebrate with him. Tarak looked at the clock and realized that it was very late, so he decided to go upstairs to the room that he and Shio shared. He changed into his pajamas and sat down on his bed. A few minutes later Shio walked into the room.

"So, did you have a good day?" he asked. Tarak nodded and beamed up at his brother. Shio had always been there for him, he was Tarak's best friend.

"It was fun!" He said. He had already forgotten the strange feeling he had sensed when he and Shio were in the meadow.

"Well, it's not over yet. I've got one last gift I want to give you." said Shio walking over to his desk. He opened a drawer and pulled out a two small boxes. "You can have either one, you pick, but you can only get one," he said. Tarak looked over both boxes, which fit easily into the palms of Shio's hands. After a moment of mulling it over, he took the one on the right, and opened it. Inside was a necklace. It was a chain, with a pendant made out of strange yellow shells. There were five shells in total, and they were fashioned to make a star shape. Tarak gazed at it in wonder.

"Did you make this?" he asked. Shio laughed.

"No, I bought it. It's something called a 'Wayfinder.' The legend says that when someone has a Wayfinder, they will always be connected to their friends. At least that's what the guy who sold them to me said. See, I bought two." As he said this, he opened the second box, revealing another Wayfinder made of white shells. "I wanted us each to have one, so that we'll always be connected. The salesman also said that he believed the legendary Keyblade master Sora carried one with him, so he could always find his way back to Kairi. If he used one, I figured we could too. I never want us to grow apart. You're my little brother, and I love you." Tarak put on the Wayfinder and gave Shio a hug.

"Thank you, Shio" said Tarak.

"Well then, I'd say it's about time we got some sleep," replied Shio. He turned out the light and sat down on his own bed, which was on the other side of the room. Tarak lied down as well and closed his eyes. They said good night, and soon both had drifted off to sleep.

Tarak awoke to a loud noise. He looked around trying to find the source, but none came into view. He wasn't even entirely sure that he had heard it. He rolled over and prepared to fall back to sleep, but before he could, he heard the noise again. Involuntarily, he felt for the Wayfinder Shio had given him, and was relieved to find it was still there.

"Shio? Did you hear something?" he called out in a hushed tone. When he received no reply he tuned on the light by his bed and looked over to where Shio was sleeping. "Shio?" he asked, louder this time. He walked over to the bed and saw that Shio's bed was empty, and his brother was no where to be found. Tarak guessed that Shio had gotten up, and perhaps it was Shio making the noise, so he ventured out into the hallway to investigate. He pulled on his robe and grabbed a flashlight that the boys kept in their room before he left.

Out in the hallway, Tarak moved silently, like a ghost. He didn't want to wake everyone in the house. He simply wanted to locate his brother.

Once again Tarak heard the strange noise, but it was clearer this time. It sounded like something 'scurrying' and it came from right next to him. The hall way was dark and Tarak couldn't see very well, so he shone the light onto where he thought the noise had originated from; however, he found nothing.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the night. Tarak gasped and turned around, looking for the screamer. He recognized the voice that belonged to his mother.

"Mother! I'm coming!" he called out. Her voice had been layered with fear, and Tarak knew that she was in some kind of danger. His heart was pounding in his ears, and his feet flew down the hall with such speed. His body was running on pure adrenalin, and his senses seemed to heighten because of it.

Again his mother screamed, but this time it was coming from downstairs, and Tarak could tell it was in the dining room of their house. Then, Tarak's father cried out. Tarak sprinted down the steps, taking them two at a time in order the close the distance between himself and his parents as quickly as he could.

When he finally reached the dining room, Tarak saw both his parents lying on the floor. Tarak fell to his knees at the sight of them.

"Mom? Dad?" he managed to choke out. Then a light shined on their chests, and orbs of light floated out from their bodies. When Tarak looked closer, he could see that the orbs were actually shaped like hearts. Tarak fell backward in shock. He had no idea what he was looking at. The hearts floated upwards, but then they were surrounded by a dark smoke, which then morphed and became solid. The smoke turned into small bug-like creatures. They stood on two twisted legs, and they hunched over in an odd manner. Their skin was pure black, and their eyes were a sinister yellow color. Their arms twitched every time they moved, and on top of their perfectly round head were two antennae, curled inward in a strange angled fashion.

At first they ignored Tarak, but within seconds, they turned on him, and began to advance with great speed. Tarak cried out in fear, and they jumped at him. Then before Tarak knew what was happening, a sword swished behind him, and the monsters vanished in a puff of smoke. Tarak looked behind him and saw Shio standing there. In each hand was a rapier that their father had used for decoration in the foyer.

"Shio! What's going on? Those were our parents!" cried Tarak.

"They weren't our parents anymore. They were taken by the Darkness, our whole world is being taken!" said Shio with a grim face. "Outside it's even worse. Everything is disappearing! Quick, take the sword! More of those things are coming, and we have to run!" Shio handed him the second blade, and pointed toward where their parents had been. Just as he said, more monsters were sprouting up from the shadows, preparing to attack the brothers.

Without hesitation, Tarak grabbed the second rapier and got to his feet. Together he and Shio slashed through the strange shadow monsters, and moved through the house.

"We have to get out of here. Hurry, before the Darkness consumes us!" shouted Shio over the scurrying of the monsters. Tarak stayed close to his brother, never straying too far from his side. They fought their way out of the house, and eventually found their way on their porch. Tarak gasped in surprise at what he saw.

The world around them was vanishing in what appeared to be dark smoke. Everything that Tarak had known and loved was gone, and what was left was their house floating in empty space. Above them was a dark orb, which seemed to be sucking their whole planet into its depths.

"Wha-what is that?" asked Tarak in awe.

"I don't know…" replied Shio, equally impressed. Before they could dwell on it too much their house began to move towards the dark orb. Tarak, stumbled, but managed to grab onto Shio and steady himself.

Shio grabbed Tarak's shoulders and got him to look into his eyes.

"Tarak…Tarak listen to me." He said urgently. "Our world is already lost, but it's not too late for us. You have your Wayfinder right? Good. Keep it with you, always, and one day we'll find each other again. If we don't come out the other side together, then know that I'll spend every day of my life searching for you, and I won't rest until we're reunited." Tarak felt his feet leave the ground. He held onto Shio, never wanting to lose the only person he had left in the world.

Tarak noticed his Wayfinder was glowing. He did not know why, but he also saw Shio's was glowing as well. Shio's feet were still firmly planted on the ground, and he clung onto Tarak with an iron grip. However, the force of the dark orb pulling on Tarak was too much and Shio's grasp began to slip. Within moments, Shio lost hold on his little brother, and Tarak was hurled into the void.

"Shio!" he cried out as he watched his brother disappear from view.

Tarak was now surrounded by Darkness, the Wayfinder was his only source of Light. Tarak felt numb, the last hour had completely drained him emotionally, and he wasn't even sure he could accept that it had really happened.

Tarak was convinced it had all been a nightmare, possibly brought on by too much cake at the party. He drifted through the Darkness, not caring what would happen to him. He felt no pain, so he figured he wasn't in any danger, even if it was just a dream. All Tarak could think of was Shio, and how he had left him alone on what was left of their home.

Suddenly, the Wayfinder tugged on Tarak's neck, and he felt himself being dragged. Tarak didn't mind, as he didn't feel discomfort at the charm pulling him. He figured it knew what it was doing, as all things seemed to do in dreams, and so he let sleep come over him once more.

Tarak felt the night breeze across his face. He slowly came back to consciousness, taking in the sounds around him. His eyes slowly blinked open, and he sleepily looked around. He seemed to be lying in the grass, but how he had gotten outside was beyond him. He sat up, and saw that before him was some kind of castle tower. It was tall but it was also slightly crooked, making Tarak wonder how it managed to stay standing. He turned himself, and saw that he was on a plateau of some form. Below him, the clouds swirled, and glowed purple. He could see strands of colored light off in the distance, but couldn't see what they were, if they were in fact anything at all.

"What a strange dream," he mumbled to himself.

"Unfortunately this in not a dream," said a deep male voice from behind him. Tarak gasped and turned back towards the castle. In the doorway stood a tall, elderly man. His eyes were fierce, but kind at the same time. His beard reached down towards his belt, and he wore a blue robe, with a pointed hat to match. On the hat were several yellow stars. He continued to speak. "Your world is gone, consumed by the Darkness. You were almost taken as well, but something brought you to me," he said.

"My...world is...gone?" Tarak asked in disbelief. "How...what...but," he stuttered. The old man raised a hand to silence him.

"It is a tragedy, but these things happen when a world's time has come to an end. It is the cycle of the worlds. Born from Darkness in the beginning, and then returned back to Darkness in the end. From my guess, you would be the only one who was spared,"

Tarak put his head in his hands, and rocked slowly with sobs.

"Come inside, we can discuss this more in my study," said the old man gently, holding out his hand to Tarak.

Tarak wiped his eyes and nodded, taking the man's hand and following through the tower. Tarak sobbed the entire way up to the top of the tower. The old man didn't seem to care, he simply held tighter onto Tarak's hand, as if to reassure him that everything would be alright.

When they reached the study, Tarak had managed to stop crying, and wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his robe. The Wayfinder on his chest clinked quietly as it moved.

The old man walked behind the desk in the study, and sat in the throne-like chair behind it. Tarak stood before him, wondering what was going to happen.

"To start, let me introduce myself," began the old man. "My name is Master Yen Sid. I am a wizard, who has trained many Keyblade wielders over the years. I'm very happy that I met you Tarak, because it means that the new era is ready to begin,"

"New era?" asked Tarak, bewildered by the wizard's claim.

"Yes, you see, I foresaw our meeting, as well as the events that would follow shortly hereafter. In the coming years one man will attempt to claim power over the almighty force known as Kingdom Hearts. He will try to use it's power to get rid of the Darkness, and fill the worlds with Light. However, the worlds require the balance between Darkness and Light to survive, if the Darkness is wiped out, then everything will unravel and all will be lost. To stop this man, three Keyblade wielders will rise, and it will be their duty to bring balance back,"

"So...you think I'm one of the chosen Keyblade wielders?" asked Tarak.

"No," replied Yen Sid rather bluntly. Tarak looked down, somewhat disappointed. "However, you are essential to their quest, as you must be the one to find them and teach them," continued Yen Sid. "I will take you on as my student, and teach you the ways of magic and fighting, and then you will go forth and do the same with the Keyblade's chosen,"

Tarak looked up again, amazed at the proposition of Yen Sid. With such a destiny waiting for him, how could he possibly refuse?

"When do I start?" asked Tarak. Yen Sid simply smiled, knowing that a grand, new story was about to unfold before his eyes.