Sora couldn't believe it. Riku, his best friend had left him to the darkness. Riku the brother he never had was the real chosen Keyblade Master.
"If that's true then why did the keyblade come to me?" The brunette asked out loud. "Riku was always the strongest, or the fastest. If he was chosen to wield the key then why did it come to me? What could I possibly have had that Riku didn't have to begin with?" He kept on walking with a puzzled expression on his face. The young warrior kept searching through his memories over and over again until he thought of the words Yuffie had spoken to him when he first met the ninja in Traverse Town.
"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade. But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade." My heart? He thought as he placed his hand on his chest. Was it my heart that made the keyblade chose me? He looked up at the Beast who seemed concentrated on keeping a lookout for Heartless. Since Sora had only a wooden sword that barely affected the mechanical heartless the only useful thing he could do was magic which still took a lot out of him. He usually did defensive magic like Cure and Aeroa on himself and the Beast to keep his strength up since he was their only protection for the moment. He didn't have that many ethers and he was saving the elixirs for an emergency.
"My heart is the strength I need). He thought. "(With the strength of my heart combined with my determination I'll make it through this and I'll rescue Kairi!)" With determination in mind Sora ran head on into the heartless that were blocking the doors of the castle. The two avatars worked together as if they have done it for years. Sora cast a thundara spell on a Darkball while beast came from above and clawed through it and its two companions that were behind it. Seeing a Shadow Heartless sneaking up on the back of Beast, Sora cast Aeroa on Beast to damage the small Shadow. It fell on the ground and then focused itself to merge into the floor. The Beast saw the enemy and he lunged his fist into the ground to form some sort of damage to the heartless, but the shadow was too quick and it pounced off the ground to the back of beast to strike at his face. Sora had seen the attack coming and had focused and had focused a stop spell that froze the tiny creature in mid air giving beast time to crush it with one blow. Seeing that Beast was a little tired Sora concentrated his magic into a cure spell on his frightful companion.
"Thanks," growled the towering animal. Sora gave him one of his shining smiles as a reply, but just as he did the Beast striked him against the wall and yelled
"Look out!" A fire spell had been shot from the shield of a lone Defender standing in front of the doors. Nearly hitting Sora head on Beast had pushed him out of the way to dodge the attack. Growling with anger beast leaped toward the Heartless with a slash of his claw to strike down the heartless, but the monster blocked it with its shield and countered with the living head nailed on the shield. Beast parried the blow and countered with another claw, but the heartless spined it's shield to knock beast's attack away and then jammed it's shield into the wound that Riku's sword Soul Eater have marked on him. With a wave of pain the Beast tumbled to the floor and was ready to feel the finishing blow, but it never came for Sora had summoned all the strength he could must and used his Arms Arcum technique to hit the Heartless against the railing as it tripped of the railing and down below to falls where it never came up.
In heavy breaths the blue eyed warrior walked over to Beast and asked in a shaky voice "Do you need a hand? With wounds like that you shouldn't be walking around like that." The Beast looked up at the boy with new respect. He had thought that Heartless would be the last thing he would see, but thanks to this boy, no this hero he had another chance to save Belle. Sora had casted an elixir on himself and then focused a cure to the frightful avatar. He grunted in thanks and then walked to the doors of the castle with a heavy pull he opened the doors to the castles and the two began walking inside.
It was a dark place was the first thought that had came out of Sora's mind. It was dark and depressing. "(I guess that's why they call it hollow bastion)," he thought. The Beast looked around expecting an attack from a Heartless. Sora kept his wooden sword up as well, even though it would have no effect he still felt save with at least some kind of weapon in his hands. As the two entered into the center of the room Beast let out a gasp as he turned around to the front doors. Standing there was a beautiful maiden wearing a beautiful golden dress, with brunette hair and eyes. Beast looked upon her with joyful eyes, but then they had snapped back to eyes of rage. The beautiful women had changed into a shadow heartless showing it was an illusion to anger Beast, and angered him it did. Beast gave out a terrifying roar and launched himself through the doors to annihilation.
Seeing that Beast was following the black creature he tried desperately to stop his companion from falling in the enemies trap, but it was too late the doors shut, just like Sora's chance of survival.
"Quit while you can. Said a voice behind him. Standing only a few feet away as his former best friend wielding the weapon he had used to save so many worlds, along with his two ex- companions Donald and Goofy. Before him stood Riku his new enemy.