[Hey, can you hear me? You need to wake up now.]
Sora mumbled in the darkness, curled up in a ball as he clutched his head.
[I know you're scared, but you need to trust me.]
Who's there?
[ A friend.]
...Where am I?
[In a place where neither darkness nor light can reach. You did great getting this far, just push a little bit further. But to find them, you need to open your eyes.]
...
[Trust me.]
Slowly, Sora's eyes fluttered open, on a path surrounded by darkness. He lifted his heavy body gasping as he looked towards a oddly shaped castle. The voice disappeared as Sora realized he had his hand placed over his heart. He wavered, thinking about whether or not to enter the castle. No idea where he was, where his friends were.
"Is this...another world?" He asked himself when the answer was already clear. Under different circumstances he would've been thrilled to see a creepy looking castle in a abyss of darkness; But now, it just frightened him as he walked closer. Slowly, he placed a hand against the large door, it was extremely heavy, he'd pushed it far enough to squeeze through, stumbling as he entered a while hall.
He looked around as he walked down the hall, feeling as though the place was abandoned a long time ago...
"You weren't expected."
Sora flinched as he felt a presence behind him.
"It is a shame to think that of the three, you were the one to find your way to this place."
Sora's eyes widened as he realized who this person was talking about. "Who are you?! Where's Riku?! Where's Kairi?!" He exclaimed.
"Hm, I think it should be obvious where your friends are."
"Huh?" Sora was taken aback, confused as the memories of his island suddenly became hazy.
"In this place, to find is to lose, and to lose is to find. That is the way in Castle Oblivion."
"Castle Oblivion?" Sora questioned as the man held out his hand and a gust of wind and flower petals were blasted him. He tried to block the petals back with his hands, wincing as each they pierced his skin. The man then becomes transparent stepping once as he went through his body, leaving him weakened as he fell to his knees. Sora clutched his chest as he felt a sharp pain begin to make it's way through his entire body.
"Wha...What just happened...?"
"I merely sampled your memories. And from them, I made this." He held a blue card in his hand tossing it towards him. "To reunite with those you hold dear."
"A card?" Sora asked looking at a card with a picture of his home, The Destiny Islands, printed on it.
"It is a promise for the reunion you seek. That card will open the final door to this place, should you make it that far. Proceed, Sora. To lose and claim anew, or to claim anew only to lose..."
"Wait-"
Sora reached out but the man disappeared into darkness, leaving him alone in the white hall with only the door ahead of him to venture through. He faltered as he felt overwhelmed with what just happened, longing for the warmth of his islands, and comfort of his friends...
"Vexen."
The hooded man was transported to the underground of the castle, into the laboratory of one of the higher ranked members of the organization, who grumbled as he was interrupted.
"What do you want?" The scientist almost spat in irritation. "I'm in the middle of something."
The hooded man smirked under his hood as he walked towards one of the tables where two replicas were lain out, unused. "I see you've already begun your experiments." He remarked as Vexen eyed him suspiciously.
"If you want something then spit it out already."
"Touchy today, aren't we." The hooded figure remarked as he grazed the cheek of the blank faced vessel. "Something new has caught my attention, bait of sorts."
"A unscheduled visitor?" Vexen questioned curiously. "What it that you're planning?"
"He could prove useful in the future, perhaps one whose nobody would be of great value if properly cultivated."
"I see..." Vexen pondered. "and what is it that you need of me?" he asked as he watched the hooded figure stare at one of the vessels with great interest. He pulled something out of his pocket, a shard what looked to be broken glass.
"Namine has already begun her work, all I need from you is a way to deter the boy or her highness from following the trail of breadcrumbs." He said placing the shard in Vexen's hand, who held it up to his eye with a smile only a mad scientist could have.
"Truly fascinating."
Notes:
It's a short update today due to research and the fact that the more recent chapter I was working on got deleted. T-T so sad.
Both sides of the Chain of Memories arc will be written, and unofficially, I've titled this chapter, "The beginning of his end."
Thanks for reading.