Chapter VII
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Location: Halloween Town
Halloween Town, the place of tricks and treats. This was the next world I found myself in. The sky was a dark purple, with a pale yellow moon shimmering on one end of the sky. Standing before the large moon was an oddly shaped hill that resembled a swirl. Tilted graves jutting from the ground littered the area around the curled hill. Numerous pumpkins had jagged shapes carved out of one of their sides vaguely resembling a face of some sort. Upon further inspection, I noticed that lit candles were placed inside the pumpkins. This place reeked with fright and fear, making me feel uncomfortable in it. It was then I remembered that I had grown wings during my adaptation to this world. Practicing using my wings, I had just left the ground when something grabbed me and pulled me back to the ground. I landed face first in the dusty graveyard dirt. As I crawled back to my feet, I looked back and noticed that it was a Heartless that had attacked me.
I froze in astonishment, wondering why it had attacked me. Clearly, the fact that the Heartless and I looked identical didn't fool them anymore. Its blank stare was accompanied by a motionless body, as other Heartless shifted behind it. I staggered backward only to see that I was now completely surrounded by them. Step by step the Heartless moved in, and I was stuck in the middle. The air was filled with Heartless closing in on me, eliminating any means of escaping. What the shadow had said about the Heartless became apparent, as all their movements were synchronized and the same empty look was imbued into all their faces. They drew closer and closer to me until four figures leaped from behind them and cleared the crowd of Heartless. Disorientated, I could only gawk as Sora, Donald, Goofy and yet another different fourth member fought the Heartless back. 'Why are they protecting me?' I thought.
With an evidently increased strength, Sora's party managed to slay many more Heartless and drove their forces away. I fell to my knees in awe of their strength, envying them. The four of them collected in front of me and began to speak amongst each other almost as if I didn't understand.
"Sora! What are you waiting for? Defeat the last Heartless!" Donald exclaimed.
"Yeah, Sora! It might attack us! Hurry and get rid of it!" Goofy supported.
"No wait, guys. Didn't you see? They were turning against this one. Any enemy of theirs is probably a friend of ours, right? Right, Jack?" Sora was speaking to the fourth fighter. His head resembled a skull, and he wore a tattered tuxedo that perfectly fit his tall and skinny physique.
Jack answered indecisively, "Oh gee… I don't know. You have a point, Sora, but if this one somehow… betrayed the others then how can we trust it?"
They paused for a moment, thinking about what to do with me. This was the first time I had actually heard them speak at all, of all the encounters I've had with them. Nevertheless, I wasn't frightened because I knew I wouldn't really get hurt. 'Go ahead,' I thought to myself. Suddenly, Sora turned to me with his eyes wide open. 'Why is he looking at me?' I wondered, 'could he have… heard me?' This time, he turned his whole body toward me, continuing to stare at into my eyes. I looked into the Keyblade Wielder's blue eyes as he looked in mine.
His eyes were different from the Heartless', as they had substance; they showed that he had a mind and a heart. Then I wondered if he could see that I had a mind and heart, but before I could think any further he shook his head and swung his Keyblade. I toppled backward trying to avoid it, but Sora followed his slash with a thrust. The Keyblade plunged into me and I was sent back to the empty world. Glimpses of the future rushed through my mind, streams of white light covered the world and my body once again disappeared into nothingness. My senses were pushed to full throttle and I could feel unthinkable sensations rush through my limbs once again. Emptiness poured into the light and I stood before the shadow once again.
"So it is true then… they are mere objects, tools, shells created by darkness." I said.
It paused and then moved on, "I see that you've heard them talking."
"Sora and the others? Yes… why have I never heard them before?"
"You've never given them a chance. Before, you were always fighting them and more recently, they've been fighting the Heartless. Besides that, you didn't understand them before."
"Did they not speak the same tongue you and I are?"
"You could not speak like this until you were imbued with that language. Don't you remember? You had always been thinking to yourself before then, in a language of the mind only comprehensible to you."
"I see." As surprised as I was, I was constantly learning something new at every moment and so surprise started to become commonplace. I realized I was getting used to an emotion and was almost taken back by it.
"One. The time has drawn near, now. You will soon fulfill your destiny."
"What?!" The sudden news came as a surprise to me, "So… the time is now, then."
"Yes. And you will be complete soon. Your heart, mind and body are pulling together and you will cross the boundaries of non-existence, One. You must be ready for it. And now, it is time for me to join you. You see, One, I am really a part of you too."
"Ah... Well, I was beginning to suspect as much. It seems I was right."
"It makes us glad that you are evolving so well. Come, One. Let us join and go to the End of the World!"
The shadow's cloak began to shine and tore itself up until there was nothing left but the glowing heart I had always seen before. I stepped forward and touched the heart. The barrier dissipated and the heart rushed into my chest. A gentle, amber light ran over my skin as I slowly felt the heart become a part of me. Before long, the surges of light replaced the empty space and I was sent falling to another world. My bandanna became a cap and my eye patch changed to a pair of goggles. My sword vanished, but my claws grew back. Wings also formed on my back. I felt different than I did before. I felt more 'whole,' more 'complete.' It seems what 'I' was saying about myself was true.
