The blade felt light in his hand, cool, firm, and reliable. He'd never felt anything like it in a weapon – wait – what did he know about weapons? His eyes darted to the blade – smooth, round, a bright silvery color with a large golden handle. The end bent downward to form the blade's shape…a key?

You've opened the door.

Creatures, whatever they were, began to rise from the ground. Their bodies were dark, shrouded in darkness that poured off them in waves…but he didn't feel any fear. They were small, coming – he estimated – maybe halfway up his thigh. Then they opened their eyes – he stepped back, unnerved, moving his weapon in front of him.

This…all you see here…

Their eyes glowed yellow, radiating deep into his being. It wasn't the color, the lack of any discernable iris or the way their eyes were the only thing that penetrated the darkness…they were empty. He felt it more than saw it, closing his eyes and looking away, forcing his heart to slow – those eyes, they were completely empty of emotion, desire, of life. These creatures were empty inside, driven not even by carnal instincts.

You don't know, do you?

The first drove forward as if pushed from behind by its brethren. Instinctively he brought his blade forward, swinging it haphazardly as the creature drew near. He didn't even feel resistance as the blade struck the creature, but almost felt pity as those empty eyes faded away into nothingness, as the creature, bisected, faded into nothingness. From its remains a point of light sprang up, pink, glowing brightly. The blade in his hands vibrated and the point of light grew instantly brighter before vanishing, drawn into the weapon itself.

The power you hold in your hands.

The creatures didn't react to their brother's demise, but instead surged forward in response to the heart's appearance. The blade merely quivered in his fingers as he drew it forward, stepping, one two, into the crowd of creatures, it merely shuddered as he arced it around his body, passing it quickly through creature after creature, watching their eyes fade away into the darkness around him.

You would help others…

As each creature faded away, the pink lights sprang up, twirling about his weapon as he struck creature after creature. With each light the blade grew lighter, easier to swing – he moved faster, each strike more coordinated – he saw paths through the creatures, felt his body move faster than he could have before. He moved on automatic, blade twirling around him, passing from hand to hand as he cut the creatures. Then…weight. One of the creatures had jumped on his back – swing – miss – it lifted its legs up and crashed them down on his shoulders, his knees crumpling under the blow.

You who would dwell in the light…

Twisting, he flipped the blade through the creature that had brought him down, finding himself on one knee as the next creature thrust its head into his midsection, knocking him back. Angry, he swung the blade wildly, and a third creature lashed out, tearing the blade from his hands and making a strange crunching noise around his wrist. The blade fell and, with a flash of blinding light, disappeared. Weaponless, all he could see was the yellow specks of light as the creatures climbed onto his body, pinning him down, as the creatures pushed and he felt himself passing through the floor.

Servant of Darkness.

Punches, kicks – he could hardly move, the floor wrapping around him. He couldn't feel the creatures anymore, only the feeling of air around his arm, then his hand, then…a sickening pop and he felt weightless, only vaguely aware that he was falling through the darkness.

Awaken! You who deserve no name!

The darkness grew thicker, darker around him – he could feel the ground approaching but couldn't see it.

Awaken!

The light, the birth of…

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Author's Note:

This is the alpha version of Deep Dive, is purely a work of fiction, and all the credits should be given to those people who created Kingdom Hearts, upon which this is based.

A note about versions:

Alpha means I'm making it up as I go along, and don't have an in-depth direction in which the story's going.

Beta is the first rework in which I collect the story's aspects together for cohesion. This generally results in a nearly-new piece of work when this happens.

Final is the finished work.

I hope you all enjoy the story! The more reviews, etc., I get to the work, the faster I'll end up working on it. Thank you!

Eileron