Sora and Kairi lay in front of the fire. Silence had taken over the room except from the crackling of the fire. Sora was buried in his thoughts, confused by what was happening. He was in a new world that he had never heard of before called Arendelle, and he was stuck there without a Keyblade. His own world, Destiny Islands, was swallowed by darkness, and Sora wasn't sure if it was ever going to come back this time. What he questioned most was; who was talking to him in his dream?
"Hey, Kairi?" Sora looked down at his friend that had been gazing into the flames. She drew her eyes away and met his. "Did you have a dream before you woke up here?" She shook her head with a look of questioning in her eyes. Sora took in a breath and explained his strange dream.
"They obviously want to help you? Maybe it could be the spirit of Ansem…" She trailed off but they both knew it was impossible, and the voice was one Sora couldn't recognise. She stood up and sat down on the bed, staring up at the wooden ceiling. "You just have to find your light and you'll make a new Keyblade, right?"
"I don't even know how I'm even going to find my light, that's the problem. I tried back at home when we first got back." Sora pulled his knees to his chest. He seemed too big for it now but it made him feel like he was holding himself together.
The door burst open, letting in a sheer wind followed by two figures. Sora rushed over to Kairi's side but soon relaxed when it was Anna returning from the store. The man behind her was tall with golden blond hair and light brown eyes. He wore a thick, dark tunic on top of a blue undershirt and trousers, dressed for the weather. Anna dumped what she was carrying and turned to the pair with an excited look in her eyes. Sora eyed the furs on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief; at least Kairi and himself weren't going to freeze the moment they stepped outside now. The man spoke to someone outside the door before closing it shut and facing the room.
"I found us a guide to reach Elsa! Everyone meet Kristoff." She motioned her hands towards him as if presenting a prize they had won. "I kind of stumbled into him at the shop and he said he would help us." Sora noticed Kristoff had rolled his eyes when Anna told the story.
Sora stepped forward to introduce himself. "I'm Sora, and this is Kairi." Kairi nodded politely at Kristoff as Sora shook his hand.
"So how did Anna convince you to help find her sister?" He shot a shrewd look at Anna before looking back at Sora expectantly.
"She didn't try and convince us…" Sora trailed off. "We just, offered to help out I guess?" Kristoff's eyes shot up in slight surprise.
There was a short moment of silence but Kristoff took that time to survey the cabin and everyone in it. Anna was looking somehow expectedly between everyone as if she was waiting for someone. "So," Kristoff started, looking at Sora and Kairi's clothing, "How are you out here wearing that?" He nodded towards their island clothes. They both started pulling at them as though checking them over. Kairi still wore her favourite pink zip dress with the white singlet underneath whereas Sora still wore his normal clothing except for black shorts instead of red.
"Because they came from another world," Anna blurted out before they could say anything. She covered her mouth with her hands and looked at them in shock. "Whoops. I don't think I was meant to say that, was I?" Sora looked at her and grinned a little. Kristoff looked at them like they had fallen out of the sky, which in one way or another, they did. "Anyway," Anna took the grin as a sign to continue, "Sora and Kairi came from another world because the Darkness destroyed theirs and they ended up here...somehow."
Kristoff froze for a moment. "Wait, does this darkness have anything to do with the shadow creatures that have been around the area?" Sora nodded and Kristoff let himself fall onto the bed. "Those things are weird, I hit one with my pickaxe and it disappeared and this…heart rose out of its body."
"Wait; let me see your pickaxe?" A pickaxe couldn't possibly destroy the heartless unless it was enchanted or a new type of Keyblade, Sora thought to himself. Kristoff tugged at an item that was hanging off his waist before passing it to Sora. It had a light blue handle with a crystal blade that bent to make it appear like a pick. The handle guard looked like joined snowflakes. On the edge of the blade had the inscription 'Ice Breaker'. "How did you come across this?"
"A few years ago when I was collecting ice, someone came up to me and asked if wanted someone more powerful to harvest it, so I said yes. Then he did this weird ritual and gave it to me." Kristoff gazed at his Keyblade so Sora handed it back to him, remembering that he was never given his last Keyblade by anyone. Sora had just as much potential as Riku did, and a stronger heart. He lacked only the ceremony because Terra had performed the ritual on Riku and not him, but the Keyblade chose him instead because Riku had opened the Door to Darkness and destroyed the Destiny Islands the first time. Sora's heart became stronger than Riku's at the moment, so the Keyblade had chosen him instead.
"Anyway, I think we should all get some sleep, we need to head off early tomorrow morning." Anna yawned, falling on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. Sora shrugged and grabbed the furs and coats from the ground and placed them neatly on the ground to create a makeshift bed for himself and Kairi. Kristoff followed suit and did the same with his own before laying down on his side. The moment Kairi lay down, Sora wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close. He was shivering, but wasn't from the cold. He was thankful that they were safe and warm, he couldn't ask for anything more at that moment.
"Goodnight, Kairi." He kissed her on the cheek and fell asleep to the sound of the crackling fire and Kairi's soft breathing.
"Key Bearer!" Sora's eyes snapped open in his dream. He found himself once more swimming in the everlasting darkness.
"Yes?" He responded to his title.
"Have you tried to call upon your new Key Blade?" The voice boomed around him. Sora squinted, trying to make something out in the darkness that surrounded him. There was nothing to be seen.
"No, I don't know what you meant before. And how are you talking to me in my dream?"
"Because, Key Bearer, I am you. We are a part of the same whole. You are piece of me as I am a piece of you." Sora shook his head and tried to wrap his head around it.
"I don't understand that…" Sora trailed off.
"What do all Key Bearers share in common?"
Sora leaned back and let his body float in the darkness. He had to think about that one question. "Can't you tell me the answer?" He could hear a rumble of laughter that caused the air around him to vibrate. "I guess I have to figure out that for myself as well?"
"Yes, Key Bearer. I will meet you soon, at the Door of Awakening."
"Door of Awakening… Where is that?"
"The Door of Awakening is the opening to this galaxy, to control the worlds. This is where light and dark fight their eternal battle, to either bring peace or wreak havoc." The voice started to fade and Sora once again started falling again. This time he didn't call out to ask another question, he simply accepted that he had to figure everything out himself.
Earlier
"Oh no…" The interior of the gummi ship grew cold as Mickey and companions took in the sight of Destiny Islands.
"Do you think they could still be there?" Goofy, the optimist, questioned from the back. Mickey guided the controls of the ship so they slowly descended into the world.
"There's only one way to really find out."
Donald and Goofy strapped themselves in their seats for the bumpy ride down. The ship shuddered underneath the darkness and they lost power altogether. "Hold on!" Donald yelled to everyone, although there wasn't much to hold onto. The spiralled towards the raging sea until Mickey pulled at the controls so they lurched forward and onto the sand of the beach. They stumbled out of the ship and onto the sand, taking a view at the full catastrophe. Shadows appeared from the ground in front of them and they each pulled out their weapons and attacked them until they disappeared and a heart floated away from their view. They were running towards the house until a brilliant light flashed from the ocean which turned their attention away.
"You don't think that was -?" Donald started.
"I have a feeling it was," Mickey finished for him, a grimace pulling at his lips. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or annoyed that Sora had made it out of world because now they had no idea where he could be.
"Quick, fellas, lets head back to the ship and warp to Hollow Bastion, we need to see Leon as quick as possible."
The three started making their way back to the gummi ship. The power had come back on the gummi ship and they embarked without a glance back. They had to find out who was doing all of this and there was no time to waste.
"I still can't believe the darkness had taken over Destiny Islands so quickly." Goofy was stunned with how the world was already nearly completely gone.
"Because there was no one defending it from the darkness, as long as someone is always fighting, darkness can never completely destroy a world. With Sora gone, it'll only be time until it is swallowed completely." Mickey reached towards the console and scrolled through a short list of worlds before landing on 'Hollow Bastion.' He pressed the warp button and the galaxy around them shifted and spun until they were no more.
ssssss…..POP!
"Are we there?" Donald looked up over the panel and at the world in front of them.
"Oh no…" Mickey said for the second time that day.
Where light and dark fight their eternal battle… The words drifted through Sora's mind as he was awoken from his deep slumber. He opened his eyes to meet Anna's shining blue eyes.
She grinned. "Are you ready for an adventure?" Sora groaned, pushing her out of his way as he sat up. He went on an adventure years ago, and although he had yearned for more, he didn't expect another one so soon; and one when he was defenceless against the Heartless. At least with Kristoff they had some sort of protection against them. And once they found Elsa, they would be able to defeat the Darkness in the world then seal it. The only problem was figuring out how to create a new Key Blade. His hand automatically clenched when he remembered his Key Blade, the cool metal against his palm, swinging it to defeat the Heartless and protect his friends. Kairi was already shrugging on a few layers and a pair of boots when he stood up. He did the same, pulling on a heavy tunic, clock, winter boots that were one size too big and gloves. He felt like a marshmallow. He checked himself over before walking over to Anna.
"I'm ready for an adventure."
And he was.
Hope you enjoyed chapter four of 'Deep Within The Darkness' as I am thoroughly enjoying writing it. Please RnR. Thanks.
