Sora's eyes adjusted to find himself no longer on the Destiny Islands, the boy had returned back to the platforms.

Sora noticed that his current platform was a depiction of a blond haired beauty in a pink dress ringed by what appeared to be thorns and clutching a rose in her hands.

Sora took a few steps forward looking for a sign of what he was to do next, but the boy saw nothing. Suddenly one of the shadow creatures slithered forward

from the image of the twisting thorns.

Sora felt the sword reappear in his hands in its familiar flash of light, but along with the sword came more of the shadow creatures. Sora watched the creatures surround him,

cutting off any chance of escape.

"I could use some help, voice" Sora whispered to himself, but the voice did not return his plea for assistance. One of the shadows then sprang and Sora slashed at the creature and

destroyed it, but then more of the creatures sprang forward to attack and Sora felt himself hard pressed to fight.

One of the shadows managed to slip beneath Sora's defenses and swipe his turned back with one its deadly claws. Sora cried out in pain from the wound he had just sustained, but

strangely when Sora brought a hand to his back he found no blood. Sora did not have time to dwell on the mystery for long, he still had to deal with the other shadow creatures.

The creatures all fell beneath Sora's blade and once the boy was sure that not a single one remained did he lower the sword again. Suddenly Sora heard a tinkling melody and only

once he had looked up did he see the path of stained glass that led over the side of the platform, dissapearing into the darkness beyond.

Sora approached the strange path and felt that his only way forward toward the opening of the "door" the voice had spoken of in Sora's thoughts. As the boy took a step forward he was

relieved to find that the path was stable and he then ascended the glass steps quickly until he reached another of the gazed around him and saw that this one showed a

brown haired woman dressed in a golden gown.

The voice suddenly spoke once again in Sora's head, only this time it sounded almost sinister.

The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow shall become. the voice spoke, as it did Sora glanced back at his shadow and

was frightened when it suddenly arose from its place at his feet, taking a three dimensional shape before the boy's unbelieving eyes. Suddenly his shadow

grew larger until it towered over him, bat wings grew from its shoulderblades and writhing tentacles covered its face, only yellow lamp like eyes could be viewed

under the dark tentacles. Sora also noted the large hearts shaped hole in its pure black form as fled from the nightmarish being.

In his head the voice spoke, and though Sora tried his best to ignore it, he found that its spoken words echoed in his thoughts.

You must not be afraid, and you must never forget..... the voice began to say to the boy before suddenly falling silent again.

"Dont forget what!?" Sora cried out, but as usual the voice did not respond to his questioning. Suddenly Sora found that he had reached the end of the platform,

the boy barely managed to stop himself from plummeting off into the waiting darkness.

Behind him the great shadow took some steps toward Sora, the boy turned to face the creature with his sword back in hand.

"Fine, if its a fight you want, then bring it on!" the boy shouted to his shadow, who suddenly brought his fist down.

Sora barely managed to avoid the crash of the creature's clawed fist, a few seconds more and he would have been crushed. When Sora did turn back he found that

where the creature had slammed down its fist was now a swirling sea of darkness from which arose the pesky shadow creatures the boy had

grown to hate in this strange dream world.

Sora saw the creatures large hands as a perfect target and he quickly went in to attack the large claw of the creature, and at the same time kept the

smaller shadow beings at bay with his blade.

The boy noted that as he hit the hands of creature he seemed to be breaking down the darkness and shadow that made up its form. Sora then remembered

the words of the voice.

As you get closer to the light, the greater your shadow shall become. the words of the voice replayed in his mind as the shadow suddenly took on a change in tactics.

Sora jumped back as the creature fell to its knees and crossed its long arms over the heart shaped hole in its chest, which suddenly began to glow with an eerie

blue light.

Glowing balls of light suddenly began to shoot from the shadows chest, circling about and searching for none other than Sora. Some of the balls found Sora and when they did they

threw themselves against him. However Sora was prepared for this and he dodged out of the path of the glowing orbs and even deflected a few off his sword.

Soon the light in the creatures chest faded out and when it did the shadow collapses in exaustiion, Sora then took this chance to attack the hands of

the creature once more.

The shadow then appeared to have regained back the strength it had lost in its battle as it rose back onto its feet just as Sora's blade suddenly disappeared in

its bright flash of light.

"Hey!" Sora shouted in anger, for he knew that the battle was not won yet. The boy needed the blade if he was to defeat his shadow, yet the voice who

controlled this strange dream seemed to have a different set of plans in mind.

Suddenly the shadow began to punch at the boy, ripping open holes of the swirling dakness as he did. Sora barely avoided being crushed beneath the

creatures show of strength. However the boy felt fatigue suddenly take a hold onto him and he fell to the ground with the great shadow watching him with its glowing

yellow eyes.

Sora was expecting the creature to attack him while he was down, but instead it held itself back and Sora did not realize why until he began to feel himself sink. The

boy then looked down and saw that he was being consumed by the ocean of darkness.

-- but do not be afraid the voice returned in his mind as he struggled against the pull of the darkness.

You hold the mightiest weapon of all. the voice assured Sora, whom could not question the words of the voice as he had sunk into the darkness up to his sparkling

blue eyes.

So dont forget: the voice continued, meanwhile the darkness had finally completed its goal and Sora was now completely swallowed by it, yet he still heard the final words of the

voice.

You are the one who will open the door. Sora heard the voice say in farewell as his dream came to its dark end.