A/N: Its taken a while to start up this chapter, and may take even longer to finish. Bear with me, and enjoy.

Chapter 3

The Closer you get to the Light

Hayner jolted awake and lifted his body forward. Under him was no bed holding him, he was floating. His feet slowly moved toward the ground. He firmly placed them and his shoes made a scratching sound on the surface. His surroundings were dark, completely black except for the floor. He stood on a large stained glass painting of sorts. He stomped a few times before deciding to stop; though it seemed quite sturdy, he could see no ground beyond it. Approaching the edge, he looked down. He stood on a large tower, lined with windows on the way down. He walked a ways, to the center, where a light shone down. The light began to bend and twist here; glowing even brighter as it took the shape of a large frame. Then, in a flash, the frame became solid and held a door. Hayner was skeptical; but he saw no reason not to reach for the knob. As he opened the door, light flooded in on him. As the flash receded, he stood on yet another tower. Walking about in the center of this tower, its head twitching about, was a little black creature crawling about on all fours. Hayner approached it cautiously, not sure what it was. It looked docile, like a small puppy. He reached a hand out to it. It reached up to his hand slowly, then jumped and lashed at him. A small cut was left on his wrist. He kicked at the being, but rather than it lifting off into nothingness, his foot passed right through and he fell. He climbed up to his feet and looked back at it.

"Its trying to kill me," he said to himself. "But what can I--"

A glint crossed his field of vision, and with a chink and a spark, a giant key fell into the ground in front of him. The monster jumped at him again. He grabbed the key by the hilt and with a backhand swing decapitated the gremlin, which promptly faded away.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked himself. The weapon that appeared to him disappeared in a flash, leaving him unarmed. In another flash of swirling light, another door opened itself to him. He was a bit more cautious in opening this one; he did his best to look through it, but couldn't see through the light. He opened it all the way and stepped through. The light receded once more, to a speck in the distance, shining down on a tower far away from the third one he had ended up on. He quickly observed there was nothing dangerous near him, and that there were more towers visible to him. The were taller than the one he was on, and bridged together by stained glass bridges. He crossed with care as to not break them. The next tower up, he saw three of the little demons. They charged at him. There was another flash in his right hand and the key-weapon was back. He dispatched the center creature with a downward slash, and ran by to get some distance. The other two turned back to get him and ran. He gave two heavy swings and defeated them, and continued up the next bridge.

On the last tower, there was a pool of light in the middle of the room. He approached it cautiously, not knowing what to expect. As the light bathed him, words reached out at him, as if a voice in his head, inaudible though he could hear. The disembodied echo, the voiceless words were spoken to him:

"You have been chosen, wielder of the Keyblade.

Your path has been blocked with despair,

Your goal has been clouded with ignorance.

You will know not what awaits you, your friends,

Your existance.

Happiness, prosperity, maybe.

Or perhaps ruin and abomination suit you.

Beware, for the closer you get to the light,

The greater your shadow becomes..."

The light got brighter. His shadow grew, expanded, and sprawled about the glass floor. It all sounded like a riddle to Hayner. Like a figure of speech. But then, his shadow lifted itself from the ground it belonged on and formed a being, a will of its own.

And it attacked.