Chapter 1: Dive to Heart

"For a while now, I've been having these weird dreams. I kept asking myself: Is this even real?"

Pyrus, a ten year old boy, floated in an abyss of darkness, oblivious to his predicament.

Pyrus had light tan skin, messy maroon orange hair, and brown eyes. On both of his ears he wore a pair of Hanafuda earrings. Each earring portrayed a rising sun over a raging sea, while on his right forehead lay a burn scar that had yet to properly heal.

Being an Island Native, he had no shirt on, exposing his toned chest with a pair of cargo brown shorts with black and red running shoes. Around his neck sat a Wayfinder Pendant with a flame crest engraved within.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and noticed he was floating. Surprised yet confused, Pyrus noticed he was descending towards a glass-stained platform which had HIM in a resting position. As he slowly landed on the mysterious platform, Pyrus checked his surroundings to see if there was anything else besides him. But apart from the platform that glowed with an unknown source of light, all the boy could see was the vast darkness that surrounded him and the platform. Suddenly, Pyrus heard a voice speaking to him; the sudden emergence of it made him jump but felt a sudden wave of calm and relaxation that eased his fear.

So much to do, so little time. Do not be afraid. Take your time and step forward.

Trusting the voice, Pyrus took a step forward to the center of the platform. Upon reaching the center, a short stone pedestal emerged from the ground on his left and manifested a red shield with a Mickey Mouse emblem imprinted in its center as it floated in midair.

Power sleeps within you.

Another pedestal rose from the ground to his right with a staff that had a blue head similar to the shield.

If you give it form…

A third pedestal rose in front of Pyrus bearing a sword with a golden handle and the same sigil at the sword's hilt.

It will give you strength. Choose wisely.

Pyrus took a good look at the sword, wand, and shield. All these weapons have their fair share of strengths and weaknesses, Pyrus thought to himself. But the one for me…

He took a step towards the sword and picked it up from the pedestal. As he did, the voice spoke to him.

Power of the Warrior. Invincible Courage. A sword of Great Power. Is this the Power you seek?

Confident in his decision, Pyrus answered, "Yes."

Sealing his first answer, the sword vanished from his hands. Again, the voice spoke.

Your Path is set.

Pyrus turned his attention to the Shield and Wand.

Now what will you give up in exchange?

Pyrus walked up to the wand.

Power of the Mystic. Untold Wisdom. A staff of Wonder and Ruin. Is this the power you wish to give up?

"Well, I'm not really that skilled with magic so…"

"Yes."

Sealing his second answer, the wand vanished from his hands. The voice spoke yet again.

You have chosen the Power of the Warrior. You choose to give up the Power of the Mystic. Is this the form you choose?

"Yes. It is." Pyrus replied.

Sealing his desired form, all three pedestals collapsed in on themselves and vanished from sight. Pyrus looked around to see what was happening. In a moment's notice, the platform underneath him collapsed, sending him into the dark abyss below.

As he descended into the darkness, Pyrus realized a second platform just below him. This platform, however, had a young girl resting in the glass-stain pattern. Her hair was pink and black tied back into a ponytail with light colored skin. She wore a grey tank top underneath a dark blue zipper vest with light blue jeans and white sneakers. Around her neck was another Wayfinder Pendent but with a flower engraved in its center.

As he landed on the second platform, his hand glowed a white light and manifested the sword that he chose prior to this platform. Pyrus gave the sword a couple of good swings, realizing the sword's weight and swing effort. He was shocked. "The sword is perfectly well-balanced. Despite the design, it looks and feels like something a noble would wield." As he continued to analyze the sword, the mysterious voice spoke again.

You have been gifted the power to fight. There will be times where you must fight. Keep your light burning strong.

As the voice spoke, several strange creatures manifested from the ground. Their entire body was pitch black except for the strange glow of their yellow eyes. Surprisingly, they only stood at a foot and a half tall.

In an instant, the creatures began jumping at him from all angles. On instinct, Pyrus began swinging the sword given to him against the creatures. He blocked an incoming attack with a reverse grip block and countered one of the creatures into two others, making them disappear on impact.

Pyrus soon realized that the creatures began melting away into the darkness. Baffled, he never noticed that something was coming straight at him from behind.

The voice cried out in warning. "WATCH OUT!"

Pyrus spun around just in time to see one of the creatures coming straight at him. He began positioning himself in a defensive stance until he felt something off. He looked around and saw that he was surrounded.

One of the creatures jumped at Pyrus but was only met by the cold touch of a downward slash from the sword. Another one tried its luck, but it too met the same fate with a horizontal slash. A third one tried to reach Pyrus, but was quickly dealt with a single trust to the head.

Upon defeating the other creatures, Pyrus turned his attention to the last one. However, the creature did something unexpected: it sank into the platform and began spreading like a rising lake. It began to cover the entire platform until it reached Pyrus's feet. At that moment, Pyrus began to feel himself sink into the shadows. Until something pulled him out.

Upon regaining consciousness, Pyrus found himself on another platform, this time with another person on it. A boy with jet black long hair and light skin. He wore a v-neck tank top underneath a grey and blue leather vest with grey baggy pants that stopped before reaching his shoes, which were military-grade boots. Just like the other two platforms, this boy also wore a Wayfinder Pendant but with a moon engraved within. The boy quickly rose to his feet and noticed a brass-colored door at the center of the platform. As he slowly approached it, the door suddenly changed colors from brown brass to a golden hue. The door slowly opened and light began to spew out of it. Pyrus took a look inside and mustering all the courage he had, stepped beyond.

As the light died down, Pyrus was able to get a glimpse of where he was. From what he perceived was a little cottage sitting next to a riverbed. As he looked around the strange place, he noticed three people standing near the porch. The first two he noticed were the boy and girl he saw on the mysterious platforms. The third person was actually a younger version of himself, except that he wore a plain blue t-shirt on top. Pyrus had no idea why he was seeing these three people, especially the one who looked like a younger version of himself.

As he wondered about the three, the voice spoke yet again.

"The Door will not open just yet. Tell more of yourself."

Pyrus approached his younger self first.

"What is it you fear the most?" The young boy asked.

Pyrus pondered on the question given to him. He had always had a fear of losing his friends and family to the unknown, so he decided to use that.

"Losing my friends and family to the unknown." Pyrus replied.

"That sounds scary." the young boy replied.

Pyrus then walked up to the girl.

"What do you value above all else?" The pink-haired girl asked.

Pyrus already knew his answer. "To me, I value the idea of Family. As long as I have my family, I can do anything."

"That sounds like something only you would say." The girl replied.

Pyrus then walked up to the long-haired boy.

"What do you wish to do in your life?" The boy asked.

Pyrus took more time to think about that. He never really thought much about it, but there was one dream that he always wished to achieve.

"My wish… is to travel to many different places, learn about new things, and make many friends."

"That's technically 3 wishes, but you speak through your heart. I'll give you that." The black-haired boy replied.

Having spoken to all three people, the voice spoke again.

"You fear the loss of Family. You treasure the idea of Family. And you wish to seek out new worlds and expand your horizons. You are undoubtedly like your father, and as such, you are destined to do many wondrous deeds. Your adventure shall start at the dawn. Keep firm your resolve and nothing shall waver your will. The day and time when the door opens is both near and far."

A bright light suddenly obscured Pyrus's vision, and just as it appeared, it vanished. Pyrus was now standing on a different platform with a completely different boy on it. This boy had long, spiky hair with blue eyes and a crown necklace. His appearance consists of a Mickey Mouse style outfit containing a red jumpsuit with puffy shorts and a zipper that runs down the entire front. He wears a black and white jacket over top, large yellow shoes, white fingerless gloves with yellow and blue straps holding on a silver circle plate, a blue belt with chains hanging off.

Not wondering too much about the platform he was on, Pyrus looked around to see if anything else was there besides him. As he approached the platform's center, several more of the mysteriou creatures emerged from the darkness and began to surround him. In mere moments, Pyrus pulled out his sword and got ready for battle.

Pyrus began to charge his way at the mysterious creatures, swinging his sword in a cross slash movement that took down two of them. He then performed a roundhouse vertical sword slash on one of the creatures and it too disappeared in a puff of smoke. Slowly but surely, the creatures were each falling one after the other.

Upon defeating the last of the creatures, Pyrus took a step back to catch his breath. As he was trying to rest, a mysterious beam of light shined down from above. Pyrus did not know where the beam came from but cautiously walked his way towards it. Once he stepped inside, he felt his strength rapidly return to him. He then saw another beam of light shine down and reveal staircases leading up to another platform.

Pyrus, now knowing the drill, decided to run up the mysterious staircases to the next platform. Surprisingly, he noticed that he was on the same platform where he first started. However, the light here was different, more brighter. Pyrus took a look at his own shadow and witnessed how it began to morph and twist and bend, distorting it beyond recognition. Suddenly, he noticed that his shadow had begun taking physical shape, transforming into a tall, muscular monster with eyes a menacing red.

"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes. But don't be afraid."

Shocked and scared out of his mind, Pyrus slowly began backing away from the monster before deciding to run. This action caused the monster to notice him and stretched out its long arm to grab him. Once he reached the edge of the platform, Pyrus saw there was no way monster thrusted its fist into the platform, forming a black mucky water that reached Pyrus's feet and slowly began to drag him down. As he began hyperventilating, struggling to get out, the voice spoke one last time.

"Don't be afraid. Remember: You hold the mightiest weapon of all. And remember…"

The muck soon reached his head. Pyrus took in a deep breath as he prepared to meet his end. As the muck consumed him, he heard the voice as he drowned in the deep.

"You are the one who will open the door."

Author's Note: Hi. My name is Miggie102, the current writer of this story. I thank you for sparing some of your time to read my fanfic. I currently like Pokemon, Demon Slayer and Destiny 2. Since this is my first time writing a fanfic, please bear with me.

Regarding the time period, I will mention each of my OC's respective time periods. In Pyrus's case, his adventure takes place 3 years prior to Sora's Journey. Hope you enjoy.