I gasped. The dreams are real! But how? I've never seen these things before my dreams. How could I have dreamed about something real that I've never seen before? By now the mass of monsters had reached the water, which instantly turned into a dark purple color on contact.

"Wha…!" I gasped. These things – what are they? I ran. I ran as if my life depended on it – which it probably did. I quickly glanced behind me to see that they were chasing me. What do they want? I mentally asked myself. Suddenly one of the creatures of darkness came up out of the ground just ahead of me. Without pausing to think, I threw up my hand to push it out of the way, and was startled when a beam of light flew out of my palm and hit it square between the eyes. What was that? The creature seemed to fade away, leaving two small golden orbs and a small green red-coated one behind it. When I neared these as I ran, the gold ones flew into my pocket, but the green one seemed to meld into me. What is going on? I'm attacked by things that drop weird orbs that fly around into people? What's happening? My thoughts were broken when a few more popped up out of the ground in my path, which I quickly blasted with my strange new power. Just another weird thing to go with the weirdness going on. Dashing for my hut, I soon realized that I wouldn't be safe there. My suspicions were confirmed when more darkness creatures came out, blocking my path. I quickly changed route to the other side of the island. Suddenly remembering the new cave, I headed there.

Finding the way unblocked by the dark creatures, I jumped down the hole to find the door slightly opened. I threw it open just to be blasted by an enormous amount of light. I was caught off guard and suddenly blinded, but remembering my situation, I jumped in and slammed the door shut behind me.

I was falling. Light surrounded me, filled me, was me. All sense of time, place, and being was lost. I was the light. The light was me. There was nothing else.

I don't know how long I was in there, but when I remembered myself, I was lying on cold stone. I opened my eyes, and found that, after all this time, something had changed. I was no longer on my island. In fact, I don't even know where I was, except that I was cold. A poster hanging by my head read, "Welcome to Traverse Town." Traverse Town… I wonder where that is. No, duh, it's where I am. Standing up, I took in my surroundings. Houses lined each side of the dark alleyway I had awoken in, which abruptly turned to the right a few paces off. Finding nothing better to do, I followed the path, to find myself in a large square with neon lights covering the walls. "Hmm… this is new," I muttered to myself, because as far as I can recall, I've never been in a big city before.

I wonder what I can do with my new powers. It's probably best if I do it somewhere secret, though. I took a quick look around before I returned to the alley where I awoke, which was still deserted.

Okay… how did I do it...? I thought, holding my hand palm out with no success. Hmm… I focused my mind, trying to will the beam of light to emerge, but nothing happened. Okay… Suddenly, I felt energy surge through me, coming from what felt like my very soul. The beam fired from my hand, bounced off the ground, and hit a wall, leaving a dent in both. Cool! I thought. I wonder what else I can do with it. I tried imitating the energy flow, with great success. Spheres of energy formed in my open hands, as if waiting for commands. Well, I'll give them one. How about… cold. Suddenly the spheres of energy froze over, forming balls of ice. Hmm… Suddenly an idea struck me. What about that key from my dream? I pictured it in my mind, willing the key to happen. Soon, the spheres of ice returned to their energy roots, which began forming tendrils towards each other. Soon, I was holding a large brass-colored key that was almost as big as me.

Whoa, I thought. I swung it about a bit, and found that it fit my hand perfectly. Neat. Let's see… I used my power again, this time in a different way. Soon, I found that I could make objects float, including the key I had just made, which tended to want to spin a bit.

Footsteps echoed from the entrance of the alley. Quickly looking around, I dove behind a box just in time, for some people had entered.

"This place brings back memories," said one. Who, I could not see for fear of being seen myself.

"Yeah, this is where we met you, Sora," another replied in a funny sounding voice.

"Yeah. Odd that it disappeared for a while though," said the first, who I now identified as Sora.

"Probably because we saved all of the worlds from the Heartless," said another in a stuffy-sounding voice.

Heartless? What are they? I thought to myself. Hearing them approaching, I quickly retreated farther into the corner.

They continued talking, and I soon found that they were Sora, Donald and Goofy – Goofy was the one with the funny voice, and Donald was the stuffy one. As they passed my hiding spot, I was startled to find that Goofy resembled a dog, and that Donald was a duck, who was wearing a beret. I gasped. They're the ones from my dream!

I think one of them heard me – Donald. Luckily for me, I was deeply hidden in the corner, so he didn't see me. I think. He definitely looked unconvinced, but at least he began walking again. Struck by a sudden idea, I reached out with my mind. Success! I could definitely feel Sora's mind, along with Donald's and Goofy's. Emboldened by success, I tried connecting. Hello, I projected.

"What did you say?" asked Sora.

"I didn't say anything," replied Donald.

"Me neither," responded Goofy.

"Odd," said Sora, slightly confused.

Yes! I thought to myself. Spurred on further by my success, I tried to create an image of myself – a "shadow", if you please. I tried many things, ranging from attempting to manipulate air into a solid form, which resulted in a small breeze, to trying to make a bundle of twigs dance. Unfortunately, they preferred lying on the ground. On the verge of giving up, I remembered the shadow-creatures that had attacked me. With that in mind, I tried to make a shadow-creature me from the darkness of the alley. Soon, a "me" rose from the ground, but pitch black. However, I was in control of it.

Forgetting about the visitors, I had my shadow run around, do cartwheels, back flips, all of it. Unfortunately, at that moment, Donald turned around, probably to see if he had heard something real.

"Heartless!" he shouted, and Sora and Goofy, quickly turned around.

"I'll take care of it," said Sora, who was now holding a large key that had materialized out of thin air. He charged at my shadow.

Ack! I thought, startled by this sudden aggression. Mind racing, I decided to form a shadow-giant-key that resembled Sora's, save the black appearance. Sora halted. Yes! Go Sora-stopping key!

"How does a Heartless have a keyblade?" Goofy asked no one in particular. They all seemed much warier now.

"I don't know," Sora replied, and began attacking. He unleashed combos of attacks of all sorts, some of them of the power I had recently discovered in myself. I tried to command my shadow in all sorts of ways to defend itself, but it wasn't long before Sora had struck it, and it only took that one hit to make my shadow fade back into nothingness.

"Heartless with keyblades… that's bad news, guys. Only good for us it wasn't too powerful."

"Yeah," responded Goofy.

Heartless, I thought. I wonder if those are what attacked my island? The idea seemed a reasonable one, if Heartless are supposed to be hostile, and that the 'shadow' I had created was made to resemble one. Deciding to follow these people from my dreams to see if I could find out more, I flipped my hood over my head.

Luckily it wasn't long before they set off again, so soon I was following them across alleys, down streets, and finally to a glowing circle on the ground. Along the way, they didn't say anything I found of interest.

"We should tell the King about this," Sora told his companions. "I'm sure he'd want to know about Heartless with keyblades running around."

The others agreed, and soon they all stepped into the sphere. Suddenly, Donald looked straight at me.

"Who's that?" he asked Sora and Goofy.

"Organization XIII! I thought that we had gotten rid of them all," Sora replied, who soon had his keyblade in hand.

Uh-oh. They don't look like they want to be friends with me anytime soon, I thought, and quickly ran off to the nearest escape route. Throwing a glance over my shoulder, I saw Sora gliding through the air at amazing speeds toward me. Taking the hint, I tried to do the same, but to no success. Come on, come on, you can do this! I told myself. I leaped off a ledge, spread my arms, and began to glide.

However, I barely flew a few inches before I fell flat on my face. I felt tired, mentally. Moaning, I got up and ran, but I didn't get very far before Sora landed right in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Umm…" I mumbled.

"Tell us!" demanded Donald, who had run up behind me. "What is Organization XIII doing here?"

I looked to my sides, but the trio had already surrounded me, cutting off my escape. However, by this time my mind felt somewhat refreshed. Getting an idea, I looked up, and began flying.

Sora, however, was quick to act. He followed me to the sky, keyblade ready, dogging my every move. I tried to shake him off, but he was moving in ever closer each second. However, now I knew my limits. I couldn't fly for long, so I nosedived as far away from Donald and Goofy as I could get. Fortunately, they were headed to the glowing circle, and didn't notice my descent.

Sora wasn't expecting it either, and continued upward for a moment before turning and following me. Mind growing weary again, I did a rolling land, and burst into the nearest house. It was empty. I searched for something that could help me escape.

Shoot! I thought, having no success. However, I did find a glowing circle. Stepping on it, I found myself refreshed. That should help… a bit. So I can run longer. I burst out of the door, and ran straight into Sora.

"Watch it!" he exclaimed.

"Well sorry," I retorted, significantly less happy to see him than I was at first.

"So, who are you, and why are you stalking around in a black cloak?" he demanded.

"I'm not stalking!" I argued.

"Then what are you doing?" he asked, unconvinced.

"I'm – I'm…" I stuttered, not really sure what I was doing.

"Exactly. You're stalking us."

"I was not stalking you!"

"You just said that. If you're not stalking us, what were you doing?"

"I was running from you."

"Before Donald saw you."

"Trying to find out what 'Heartless' are."

"And I'm supposed to believe this why?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"You look suspicious."

"Looks can be deceiving," I retorted.

"So you think that I'm supposed to believe that even though you look suspicious, you mean no harm in the world."

"Nope. I mean, yes. You are."

"A-ha! Right there. You admitted it."

"Admitted what?" I asked evasively.

"That you were stalking us."

"When did I do that?"

"Just now."

"Right. And pigs fly?"

"What's that?" Sora said, pointing up.

"Very funny."

"No really. Look up!"

I did, and was startled to see a dark figure falling from the sky. The glowing yellow eyes set it off. Taking out my keyblade, I quickly jumped up, meeting it. A quick slash finished it off.

"A keyblade?" asked Sora, startled.

I grunted.

"Roxas?" asked Sora.

"Nope, right here," said a new figure, standing translucent next to Sora. "You sure this guy's from the Organization? You there, what number are you?" he asked me.

"Number?" I replied.

"I'm XIII."

"Uh… okay…" I responded, dumbfounded.

"Sora, he's not from the Organization."

"Who are you, then?" Sora demanded.

"Who are you?" I asked back.

"I don't see why I should tell you."

"Then I don't know why I should tell you my name, Sora."

"How do you know my name?"

"Your friends."

"They told you?"

"No, they told you. I listened," I responded. I suddenly noticed something. "Hey, where'd your friend go – Roxas?"

"Why does it matter to you? And that proves it – you were stalking."

"Whatever," I said, spinning around. Nobody there. Looking back at Sora, I said, "'cause I don't quite trust you. After all, you killed my shadow."

"Whad'ya mean, 'your shadow'?"

"The one you killed – the 'Heartless' with a 'keyblade'."

"That was you?"

"Yes, then you just have to come along and kill him. I was just having fun."

"Oh yeah? Well you shouldn't make it look as if it's trying to take over the world!"

"It was doing cartwheels and back flips!"

"Hey, Sora! Who's this?" asked someone new, who looked like a mouse that stood on two legs.

"Your Majesty!" replied Sora, who did a formal salute. "He's been making trouble, creating stuff that looks like Heartless and acting like he's from Organization XIII!"

"Am not! And anyways, who are Organization XIII?" I asked defiantly.

"Sora, I don't think he means any harm," said the 'King'. "And anyways, he's a chosen of the keyblade. Not everyone is like that, and they have to be good people."

'Chosen'? That definitely describes me – I made it myself! "I was chosen?" I asked aloud.

"You have a keyblade," replied the King.

"But Mickey, he made a Heartless!" argued Sora.

"Like I said, it was my shadow! Like a puppet!" I retorted, taking a step forward.

"Guys! Please, settle down!" said Mickey.

"Sorry," said Sora, crestfallen, though we were still glaring daggers at each other.

"So who are you people?" I asked, for I really didn't know.

"Well…" Sora began, "we're you local world-saving task force!" Sora said, pointing to himself.

"World-saving?" I wondered.

"Sora, Donald and Goofy have saved the worlds many times over – first as individuals, then collectively twice, mostly from the Heartless," King Mickey explained. "So you could say that they are a world-saving task force. As to local, I'm not so sure."

"Saved the worlds… so there are many of them?" I inquired.

"Yes. There are many worlds, all connected by interlocking pathways through space," Sora explained, easing up a bit.

"Interesting… but how do you get around?" I asked, curious.

"I'll show you," Sora replied, going back inside the building. On the way, he asked, "King Mickey, what are you here for?"

"I received reports about a certain keyblade-wielding Heartless."

"Sorry 'bout that." I mumbled, realizing just now how serious it could've been. "So what exactly is a keyblade?"

"A keyblade is a sword that resembles a key. It can unlock any lock, as well as locking them. Including those to hearts, which is what the Heartless are after," Sora explained, stepping into the circle. I followed suit.

"So the Heartless want hearts… so they aren't Heartless?" I asked.

"No, the Heartless just want hearts," Sora responded. "Ready?" he asked.

"For what?" I started, but then Sora suddenly jumped into the air, and a force pulled me up with him. We zoomed upward, passing through the roof. Soon, I could barely see the building we had left from. A few moments later, we were inside a vessel of some sort.

"Hey, Donald! Hey Goofy!" They returned odd looks at me, but I was preoccupied.

"Whoa!" I gasped, amazed by all the gadgets and gizmos surrounding us. And the warm air. And the comfy-looking seats. And about a billion other things I didn't have time to explain, for the ship suddenly rocked violently, causing a flashy sign to say: WARNING! WARNING! SHIP UNDER ATTACK! Outside, a mass of ships were coming toward Traverse Town, and many were firing upon us.

"Heartless!" cursed Sora, taking the controls.

"They can fly?" I asked, startled.

"Some can fly, but they all can if they're in a ship," Sora responded, focused on maneuvering the ship about and returning fire.

I remained silent for a while, carefully studying the controls that Sora, Donald, and Goofy were inputting into the ship at lightning-fast speeds, so that maybe I could help with future encounters – assuming we survived this one.

In and out they weaved, smashing Heartless ships with a barrage of cannon fire, dodging blasts, all so fast that it was hard to take in all at once. Explosions, lights, and blurs filled the view screen. The trio in command barely seemed to look down at the controls, and yet they hit each button with precise accuracy, never missing a beat.

Maybe they really did save the world. Seeing this, it isn't too hard to believe, I thought.

In a small moment of peace, I could really see a significant decrease in the Heartless ranks. At least three quarters of the original force was destroyed, and all that were left were scarred by barely-dodged blasts. And in one great finale, they were reduced to smithereens.

"Whoa…" I muttered, awe-struck. One against one million. The one won. What are the odds of that? I mentally asked myself. Apparently, very high.

"Surprised?" asked Sora, with a grin.

"Yes," I stated simply. And just yesterday, I was all alone on my island. Who coulda' guessed I'd be here today?

"Hey, guys, how 'bout we go check on Leon and the gang?" Sora asked Donald and Goofy.

"Yeah! And get more ice cream!" agreed Donald.

"Ice cream? What's that?" I asked, having never heard of 'ice cream' before. Obviously. Maybe its ice that's been creamed. Why would someone want creamed ice?

"It's the greatest food ever invented!" hummed Donald.

Food!?! People eat ice? Why would someone want to eat ice? It's cold! I thought, remembering some… unpleasant experiences with ice back on my island.

Nobody must have noticed my disgust, for Donald continued to have that dreamy look on his face, and Sora and Goofy were too busy with the controls. Noticing something missing, I asked, "Where's King Mickey?"

Apparently also just noticing his absence, Sora replied, "Dunno. Don't worry about him, though – he can take care of himself."

"Ok," I said, but I still had my doubts. After all, he was quite small.

The travelling through space was uneventful after that, until a bright object came into view.

"What's that?" I asked.

"That's Radiant Garden," Goofy answered. "That's where our friends Leon, Yuffie, Tifa, and the rest of them live."

"Neat," I replied halfheartedly, for I had no idea who the heck these people are.

As we neared the planet, I saw some interesting things, including what appeared to be the ruins of a castle with houses surrounding it. Soon, we came to a stop.

"Okay, we're going down," Sora told us. Immediately after he said that, I could feel myself warping. The feeling was unnerving, to an extent.

An unexpected wrenching pain hit me in the stomach. We were all still in the ship.

"What happened?" asked Donald alarmed.

"I don't know!" replied Sora, looking around wildly. All of the systems were shutting down, and fast. Suddenly, the ship rocked violently.

"What are they?" I asked, pointing outside to a fleet of white ships.

"Uh-oh! It looks like they're Nobodies!" Goofy observed.

"And Heartless!" I added, looking the other way. We were completely surrounded on all sides, with no chance of escaping, except by going down. "What's that?" I asked, pointing at a dark cloud forming over Radiant Garden.

"Oh no! The Heartless have Radiant Garden!" Sora said, wide-eyed. "We have to-"

But he never was able to finish speaking, for the ship rocked much more violently than before, throwing everyone off their feet. Everything went dark.