Riku's POV

Ever since that Mark of Mastery exam, I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Is any of this for real… or not?


Normal POV

(Cue in "Dive into the Heart - Destati -")

Meanwhile - somewhere on the Destiny Islands, the new Keyblade Master have been having dreams similar to Nyra's awakening. It always begins with him and Nyra being trapped in some sort of glass cylinder together, with a glass panel separating the two Star Children. The darkness looms outside the cylinder as Riku noticed the frightened look in her bright cerulean eyes, causing the Keyblade Master to somehow get an urge to wrap his arms around Nyra in a way of chasing her fear away and giving her the feeling that she was safe. His aquamarine eyes widened as he noticed the darkness leaking in on Nyra's side– fearing for the girl he had met during his and Sora's Mark of Mastery exam, Riku begin to bang of the glass separating the two; hoping to shatter the glass and protect her from the darkness. He let out a gasp of surprise when Nyra suddenly sprouted out wings with feathers that started off as black as her raven hair before they gradually lightens to the point where the tips of her wings matches his silver hair. The glass separating the darkness from the raven-haired Star Child shattered, slowly separating her from the intact glass panel– and Riku.

~~~KH~~~

"Nyra!" The Keyblade Master called out her name as she tried to reach for him before disappearing among the darkness. The glass shattered around Riku before he found himself falling into an ocean– however, instead of drowning, Riku finds himself breathing. A few seconds later, Riku opened his eyes again as he felt his body righting itself and his feet touching down on the ocean floor. He looked around the dark atmosphere before taking a step– causing the ocean floor to erupt into pure-white doves, revealing a large, illuminated stained-glass pillar. Riku watch them fly away before deciding to take a better look at the blue-green platform, where he begin to noticed that the woman dressed as a queen or goddess– and appear to be wielding an impressive-looking Keyblade that looks… somewhat familiar to the Star Child– looks a lot like Nyra.


As Riku looked at the image and wondered on why some of the aspects are…familiar, a voice rang out. "So much to do… yet so little time…" Riku whipped around, only to find no one. "Who's there?" he asked, but the voice continues. "Take your time. Don't be afraid." Riku begin to relax a bit, "The time has not come for you, yet. Now, step forward, Riku." Despite his suspicion on how the voice knows his name, Riku followed the instructions and make his way toward the platform's center. As soon as he reached the center of the platform, a stone pedestal rose from the platform and appeared on his left. Floating on top of it is a shield; it is pentagonal and its bottom three corners are rounded. It has a red border and the top and bottom two corners all sport a silver bolt. Most of the face of the shield is black, with the only exception of three red circles with a pale yellow outline in the center– interestingly enough, the circles take on a silhouette a mouse. "Another power lays dormant within you." A second pedestal appeared on Riku's right with a staff hovering above it; both ends of the staff's handle are tan, while the handle itself is predominantly green. There is a wide, brown disk on the tip of the handle, which the head of the staff is connected to– and the staff's head consists of three blue spheres, taking on the form similar to the shield's red symbol. "When the time comes for you to give it form…" The third and final pedestal appeared in front of the Star Child, bearing a short sword with a blue handle; the hilt and pommel are golden– and on the hilt, inside a red circle, is the same sigil as the one on the shield– only black. "It will give you strength. Choose well."

~~~KH~~~

After looking at the three weapons, Riku closed his eyes and took his time. After thinking it through for a few seconds, he opened his eyes and walked over to the sword. The second he picked it up and hold it in his hand, the voice spoke to him. "The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword that will bring both destruction and salvation. Is this the power you seek?" The Star Child thought for a moment before speaking up, "Yes." The sword transformed into light before willing itself toward Riku. He felt an odd sensation throughout his body as it came in contact, causing him to bring his hand up to his chest as the voice spoke. "Your path is set." Riku turns and looks at the two remaining weapons, "Now, what will you sacrifice in return?"

~~~KH~~~

Riku picked up the shield, "The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Do you wish to sacrifice this power?" After a short second, Riku replied. "No." he set the shield down before heading for the staff. "The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Do you wish to sacrifice this power?" Riku looked over at the shield, satisfied that he had made a right choice. "Yes." the staff vanished in a flash of light. And like the sword, the shield transformed into light before willing itself to the Star Child. And once again, he felt an odd sensation throughout his body as it came in contact, causing him to bring his hand up to his chest again. As soon as the light fades, the voice spoke. "You have chosen the powers of the warrior and guardian. You have sacrificed the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose?" Riku closed his eyes for a second before reopening them, "Yes." The second the Star Child have finished his statement, the pedestals suddenly disappeared. Before Riku could have the chance to figure out what was happening, the stained-glassed platform shattered beneath his feet– causing Riku to fall into the darkness.


Opening his eyes, Riku quickly learned that his wings have once again revealed themselves when he needed them the most– slowing his descent. As he straightened himself, he is still getting accustomed to his wings since the Mark of Mastery exam. Much like the wings that appeared on Nyra, Riku's wings are not even in one colour– the feathers began as pure silvery white before they gradually darken to the purest black. As Riku was slowly descending, he took notice of another stained-glass platform and landed gently on it– dismissing his wings into a flurry of feathers in the process. No sooner had Riku dispelled his wings then his Keyblade– the Way to the Dawn– appeared in his hand, causing the voice to speak again.

~~~KH~~~

"You have reawakened the power to fight." Riku swing his Keyblade a couple times before the voice continues, "There will be times where you will have to fight. Use this power to protect yourself and others. And keep your light burning strong." As soon as this was being said, several shadow-like creatures appeared and begin to surround the Star Child.

("Dive into the Heart - Destati -" fades; cue in "Fragments of Sorrow")


Their blood red eyes glowed menacingly as Riku got into a defensive position, he stared at the barely visible emblem as he wondered on why the dark creatures seem… familiar to him. Shaking the thought out of his head, he instinctively jumped out of harm's way when the creatures began to jump at him from different angles. He quickly countered with a couple swift blows from Way to the Dawn, causing the creatures that were struck to disintegrate into what appeared to be black dust. As he continue to strike the creatures down, one of them decided to sneak up from behind– the voice cried out in warning. "Riku, behind you!" Riku whipped around in time to block the oncoming attack before striking the creature down before focusing on the rest of its dark brethren.

("Fragments of Sorrow" fades; cue in "Dive into the Heart - Destati -")


Upon defeating the last of the dark creatures, Riku felt a sudden jerk at his feet! "What?" he looked down to see a corridor of darkness forming underneath him, pulling the Star Child in! Riku quickly summoned his wings and tried to use them to lift himself out, but the dark Portal maintained its vice-like grip. He grabbed his leg and tried to pull on it, as well– but the Star Child keep sinking deeper into it like quicksand. "No. I can't get loose!" Panic began to rise as the darkness began to creep up to Riku's neck; he reached out for the sky in vain hope that someone or something will help him out, and that was the last thing the Star Child remembers before blacking out.

Trying to get air, Riku tossed and turned until he suddenly opened his eyes and gasp for air, almost like waking up from a terrible nightmare. Getting up onto his feet, the Star Child instantly take notice of the new platform that he was standing on– as well as a door in front of him. But when Riku went over to examine it, he instantly realized that the door was transparent. A chest appeared behind the Star Child. When Riku went over to open it, he finds a potion inside. Figuring that he would use it later, the Star Child places it in his pocket before the door became solid. He ran over to examine it again– but when he did, the door began to open slowly with a bright light which looms from within as Riku slowly approach it.


Once the Star Child's eyes have adjusted to the new surroundings, he looked around in the twilit atmosphere before noticing three young men standing before him. The first one has brown hair that stopped at the base of his neck in the back and is styled into rather messy, vertical spikes and bangs that frame his face. He has royal blue eyes and slightly tanned skin. He was dressed in a tight, black, high-collared shirt with two red, intersecting straps across his chest, a tan hakama that is dark gray near the top with a gold, heart-shaped emblem on his obi-sash belt. He had a plain, black wristband on his right arm, where as his left arm is completely armored, and dark brown and gold, armored boots. Riku instantly recognized the young man from when he was younger. The Star Child wondered who the other two were, although they somehow felt… familiar.

~~~KH~~~

He looked at the man on his left. He had shoulder-length, black hair and bright blue eyes with a glow that the Star Child remembers seeing in Nyra's. The man was clad in a tight, black, sleeveless, high-collared shirt with two red straps intersecting across his chest, pinned at the intersection with a gold, heart-shaped emblem. He is also clad in a pair of baggy, dark blue pants with a black belt, and armor covering his abdomen. He also had armored boots on his feet, a pauldron on his left shoulder, and a black wristband on each arm. Riku began to remember seeing flashbacks of him when he first discovered Nyra's amulet around his neck.

~~~KH~~~

Riku looked over to the third young man, and was instantly intrigued and surprised by how much this person resembles the Star Child. The third young man is clad in a bright cerulean tunic with a dark brown trim around the neckline, a dark brown belt around his waist, and a silver chainmail between the tunic and the pale blue, form-fitting undershirt. A silver and gold pauldron that was strapped down with another dark brown belt covers his left shoulder and a bit of his chest and back, protecting his heart. He is also wearing light brown pants, and a pair of dark brown boots on his feet. "Hold on a second. You still have time before you can protect the Twilight Princess. First, tell me more about yourself."

~~~KH~~~

Riku decided to approach the raven-haired man first, "What do you fear the most?" the latter asked. The Star Child thought to himself and soon came up with an answer; he knew that he wasn't afraid of the dark, but there is something that he always feared since the death of his mom. "Losing someone who is dear to me." The former replies– causing the raven-haired man to nod, "That is something I fear the most, as well." Riku walked over to the man he remembered from his childhood. "What is most important to you?" He asked, causing the Star Child to think to himself before, a second later, coming up with the answer– all his life, he valued his friends and family to be the most important; and he have even mentioned this to the man before him. "My family and close friends." The Star Child replied, causing the man from his past to nod. "My friends matter to me, too."

~~~KH~~~

Finally, Riku walked over to the Azurian male. "What do you wish?" The Azurian asked, causing the former to think harder on the latest request. He originally wanted to see other worlds, but now… He wasn't exactly sure. Riku remembered how the one year, where he told Sora that there's no such thing as "Santa", he wanted to have his mom back for Christmas – The Star Child hesitated before giving his answer. "I wish…to save what has been lost, especially if it's someone I hold dear in my heart." The man nodded, causing Riku to notice a faint tear growing in the Azurian's eye. "I sometimes wish for that, too."

~~~KH~~~

Having spoken to all three young men, the voice spoke to him again. "You're afraid of losing someone dear to you. You value your family and close friends. You wish to save what has been lost. You are, without a doubt, destined for great things. Your adventure begins at midday. Keep a study pace and you'll come through fine. The day you will protect the Twilight Princess is both far off and very near." This confused Riku a bit– but before he could ask about the "Twilight Princess", a bright light obscured the Star Child's vision again. And as soon as it appeared, the light dimmed down.


Riku found himself standing on another platform in amidst the darkness. As he walked around, he takes note of the familiarity in some of the aspect. But as soon as he reaches the platform's center, the Star Child turned to see one of the dark creatures spawning before him. Within seconds, Riku was surrounded. "They just never want to make this easy, do they?" He said to himself as he summoned his Keyblade and got into a defensive stance.

("Dive into the Heart - Destati -" fades; cue in "Fragments of Sorrow")


The Star Child made the first move as he holds his Keyblade behind him for a brief second before rushing toward the dark creatures at a speed that is impossible for a regular human– performing a Zantetsuken attack. Many of the dark creatures took the strike's full brunt and fell, disintegrating into black dusts. One of the dark creatures tried to jump him. Riku, however, summoned his wings and took off– narrowly missing the outstretched claws with a single scratch. He then quickly counter attack by dive bombing toward the dark creature and strike his Keyblade at it, casting it into oblivion.

("Fragments of Sorrow" fades; cue in "Dive into the Heart - Destati -")


Once the last of the dark creatures were defeated, a ring of light appeared be him on the center of the platform. Riku slowly approached it, and when he stepped inside, the Star Child can feel his strength being restored as the scratch he received healed. He then began to notice a stained-glass staircase appearing before him, leading toward a new platform that appeared forth from the dark atmosphere. Riku ran over to the staircase and begin climbing it. Upon arriving on the new platform, he instantly take notice of a door on the other side and entered it, revealing the same platform he had started from on the other side– except there is a light shining down on it.

("Dive into the Heart - Destati -" fades)


As the Star Child look up to see if he could find the light source, the voice spoke to him. "The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes." Riku looked down to see that his shadow is beginning to act with a mind of its own before morphing into a giant, dragon-like monster– and from the menacing glow from its blood red eyes, the Star Child knows that it's definitely not friendly.

(Cue in "The Corrupted")


Riku began to back away from the dark creature before trying to make a run for the door, only for him to skid to a stop when he realized that the door had vanished. Upon the realization that he was trapped, the Star Child turned around and summoned Way to the Dawn before facing the monster as it begin to loom over him. The dark monster made the first move by swiping its clawed hand at Riku, causing Riku to summon his wings and taking off. Seeing an opening, he dive in and begin to strike at it. Enraged, the dark creature snapped its jaws at the Star Child– causing Riku to receive a serious injury. Remembering the potion, he quickly used the potion to restore himself. The monster then open its jaws again to charge up a dark energy attack, aiming at the Star Child– as a reflex and thinking that it will release the energy at him, Riku descended. But instead of unleashing the dark energy, the monster kept it in its open mouth as it continues to summon the creatures the Star Child faced earlier.

~~~KH~~~

Noticing that the creature is still vulnerable, Riku decided to avoid the smaller creatures' attack while focusing more on the larger monster– striking numerous times with his Keyblade until the creature have dispersed the dark energy by closing its mouth. Now that the monster have used up all of its energy, the Star Child decided to take out the smaller creatures that had been conjured up– sending the creatures to oblivion. Once they were dealt with, Riku decided to wait for the monster to swipe at him before jumping onto its arm and rushing in for the final strike at its weak spot.

("The Corrupted" fades)


The dragon-like monster roared in pain as it begins to collapse onto the platform, causing the Way to the Dawn to vanish from the Star Child's hand. Looking up to see the creature lunging forward at him, Riku quickly leapt to the side to avoid the snapping jaws as it slide across before falling off. He began to relax a bit, but such relief was short-lived– darkness began to spread all over the platform and caught the Star Child in it! Riku struggled to free himself from the darkness that was slowly consuming him again, but it was to no avail. Just before he was completely swallowed by the darkness, the Star Child heard the voice spoke to him one last time. "–But don't be afraid. And don't forget: You are the one who will protect the Twilight Princess."