Hey what's up my beloved peeps! :D So here's another update to my story. I'm so sooooo sorry that I forgot to give an author's note in the previous chappie but I promise you, I will give it in the coming chapters starting from this one. Anyway, may I proudly present "Chapter: 2!" A quick summary of the chapter; Sami experiences his first Dive to the Heart while he's apparently beat-up and comatose because of his little fiasco with the Shadow Heartless, so this entire chapter is according to Sami's POV. Well, enough of the dilly dally and on with the story ;D

Chapter 2:

"Is reality a Dream, or dreaming a Reality?

The Universe is full of Answers,

I only want One.

My Question:

Why Me?"

I felt myself fall backward as my body broke the cold water surface; sinking headfirst toward the bottom. Only strange thing was; I could breathe quite comfortably.

'What's going on?'

'Where am I headed to?'

'Am I dead?'

After what felt like a few hours, I opened my eyes and arched my neck, looking upwards. The dark sea bed came in view as I sunk deeper still; carefully somersaulting to my feet as they met the ground with a soft thump.

No sooner after my landing; the ocean floor erupted into doves as I shielded my eyes from the blinding bright light that shown from below. The doves flew away in the eerily smoky black sky; I watched carefully as they disappeared into distance – leaving me all alone in this strange place. I looked down and found myself standing on top of a huge and bright circular disc. It had a picture of a sleeping, beautiful young woman wearing a blue and yellow dress – holding a bitten apple in her hands. Around her were smaller yellow pictures of seven men – mostly bearded – wearing completely different expressions. In addition, the disc was lined with much smaller circles; each with an animal in them.

I gave myself the once over, the horrifying incidents rushed through my head as I recalled the monsters that attacked me. 'Was that a dream? If it was, then this cannot possibly be a reality.' All my injuries seemed as if they had never happened even taken place. Even my busted right leg seemed completely normal. A soft and soulful tune started to play in the background, slightly snapping me out of my stupor as it was accompanied by a voice in my head - as if telling me what to do in this crazy dream;

So many Questions, So little Time.

You'll find your Answers Here,

Don't Be Afraid.

Take a step Forward, Can you Do It?

I took a step forward as the voice instructed me, looking around at the endless black sky clouded with smoke, surrounding me. Three trapezoid stones appeared before me, each holding a weapon; an elegant short-sword with a simple golden pommel and blue hilt, a pentagonal simple shield with three rounded corners, and a long tan-green rod with a wide, brown disk on the tip of the handle, which the head of the staff is connected to. A shape of a mouse's head was carved on the sword and shield and sat atop the rod.

Power sleeps within You,

If you give it form…. It will give you Strength.

Choose Well!

I walked over to the sword and picked it up, examining it closely as the voice spoke up again;

The Power of the Warrior, Invincible Courage.

A sword of Terrible Destruction.

Is This the Power You seek?

I pondered for a while before picking up the shield, examining it as I did the sword.

The Power of the Guardian, Kindness to aid friends.

A shield to repel All.

Is This the Power You seek?

Lastly, I shifted to the rod as I held it, examining.

The Power of the Mystic, Inner strength.

A staff of Wonder and Ruin.

Is This the Power You seek?

I finally made up my mind; walking back to the sword and picking it up;

"I seek the power of a warrior with invincible courage." The sword almost instantly evaporated through my fingers, leaving me slightly miffed. The voice spoke up;

Your Path is Set.

Now, what will You give up in Exchange?

I paused as I took a moment to think this through. I guess I'll give up the power of the mystic. I was never really much into magic myself, so I wouldn't really need the 'inner strength'. Plus, I will need the power of a guardian to aid my friends and any other person who deserves it. This combination of courage and kindness suited me.

"I give up the power of the mystic."

You've Chosen the Power of a Warrior,

You've Given Up the Power of a Mystic.

Is This the Form You choose?

"Yes,"

Your Path is Set.

No sooner had the voice left me, every weapon disappeared; the trapezoid stones dissolving into the glass floor with a loud crunch. 'Now what?' I wondered as the ground shook before shattering beneath me, making me fall headfirst into the bottomless abyss that waited below.

Pretty soon, another circular platform, shaded violet appeared below me; this one had a picture of another sleeping young woman, wearing a sparkling blue dress – her hair in a bun behind her head. Other than her, the platform had small pictures of slow-dancing couples in formal clothing and….. a glass slipper?

I flipped and landed steadily near the woman's waist. Looking around, I saw some things coming up and off the glass floor; small, black, yellow eyes, claw like hands, stubby feet and a small round head with crooked antennas. The same creatures that attacked us back home! The memories from the night before started to haunt me as I took a careful step back. The sword from before materialized into my right hand mysteriously.

All right, You've got This!

Use the Power to protect Yourself.

Not sure what to do next, I reluctantly jumped into my battle stance, and began slashing away at the said creatures I hated so much, which to my surprise and absolute joy, disintegrated into a cloud of dark smoke after no more than three hits – a small red heart left their form, circling the air before disappearing into thin air. Weird! Pretty soon, I got rid of all these monsters and stood alone once again by myself – but my victory was short lived. A large black hole started to form near the centre, pretty soon expanding and trapping me in it. I fell right in as more darkness covered me and I began panicking. 'Come on dude, focus! You're losing it!'

My eyes shot open as I found myself lying on my back onto a hard and cold surface – another platform? No, these places were stations that are guiding me through this crazy dream. The station I stood on displayed the silhouette of three princesses incased in hearts. Other than that, the floor was various shades of pink.

A large silver double-door with a strange blue tribal symbol in the front with the words; "Mana Keepers" was placed right in the centre of the station. I walked up to it and pulled at the handles, but they wouldn't budge. 'I can't open it,' I thought as I shifted my gaze to a small red and yellow chest that sat directly opposite the door. Tapping the top slightly with my sword opened the chest and I peered inside – finding a small transparent pot with clear sparkling liquid swimming in it along with two yellow stars and a crescent moon; the contents smelled like one of the hair gels Ahmed used. The words 'Hi-Potion' carefully engraved at the bottom. Carefully, I stowed the potion away in one of my pockets.

I swung around as the doors opened and out walked a tall, slightly muscular figure in a black hooded cloak with a long zip running across the front, unzipped just below the waist, revealing his large black boots from underneath. The figure had their hood up, hiding their face from view; two long silver strings dangled from the hem of the hood. A large sea-blue hand cuff was placed on his left wrist ending slightly above his black gloves, with the same mysterious tribal symbol on it. The figure's head snapped in my direction, making me look away awkwardly.

"Sami." The figure referred to me in a deep, warm voice as I felt his eyes on me through his hood, "I had a feeling I might find you here right now."

Well, that's it for today I guess. Who could this mysterious hooded young man be, and how does he know Sami?