Chapter 7: Existence
It was hard trying to keep up with Saphera. She broke out into a full-sprint to the east gate like her pants were on fire. And who knows? Maybe they were. I, on the other hand, felt like a slug. I was tired from searching the island for any sign of Kairi, and nothing good came out of it. Worse, I hadn't a clue if she wasn't hurt. I prayed that whatever took her didn't lay a finger on her.
As we left the park, Saphera took a sharp left and bolted down the street.
I felt my lungs burning from the lack of oxygen. It had been a while since I ran like this, and the lack of exercise since I awoke here took its toll on me. Sharp knives slashed at my muscles. All I could do was to gulp the sweet night air.
My vision suddenly became blurry. I wasn't sure if it was because of my sweat pouring from my forehead… or something else. It was harder to see Saphera. I tried to call out to her, tell her to stop and wait. But my mouth was too dry; it was as dry as a desert.
Without warning, my mind shut down, and I fell to the ground.
I found myself gazing into darkness. It was all around me. Light was absent from where I was. The cold nipped at my skin, but I wasn't complaining.
Suddenly, a bright light burst out of the ground. I covered my eyes from the sudden event, hoping it wouldn't blind me.
When I thought it was okay to look, I lowered my arms obscuring my gaze and glanced down. It looked like stained glass. The entire floor was a dark purple color, reminding me of the color of plums. A large depicture of a hooded figure was in the middle, looking a lot like Him. Three large circles were in the upper part of the glass, depicting a character in each. I couldn't believe who were in the three circles. The one on the left showed Kairi's face. The one on the right was Saphera, and the one in the middle… was me.
My mind was racing as hundreds of questions came to my mind. What were our faces doing there? What was this place? How'd I get here? Suddenly, nothing made sense anymore.
I began to question my own past, my own existence. Memories flooded through me as if to answer. My first keyblade… my first bounty... my first love… I couldn't understand anything. These memories seemed so foreign to me. Are they truly my memories? As if to answer, a horrifying thought filled my mind.
Was I ever meant to exist?
I suddenly fell to my knees, shaking uncontrollably. I pounded the stained-glass floor with hardened fists countless times before giving up. Tears ran down my cheeks. I wiped them away with my sleeve, but they just kept coming back. I decided not to hide it anymore; I screamed, I cried, I yelled at the top of my lungs. Without even realizing it, my body collapsed to the floor. But I knew why.
My mind was trying to find the answer to the question.
Still shivering, I tried to collect my thoughts. There was a reason as to why I was brought here, though I hadn't the faintest idea what this reason was. It had to be mere coincidence; perhaps all this was a dream. It was the perfect answer, regardless as to if it was right or not. I tried not to think anymore, but my mind continued on.
The hooded figure in the middle… it had to be Him. He was the one who gave me this new "life". Perhaps he had the power to control it… Yes, He brought me here. But why? To torture me? To see how I would react to all this?
Then a thought hit me. Was he able to put questions into my mind? It would most certainly make sense; I had never questioned my existence before now. He held the power, and I was playing his little game.
I forced myself up and exhaled slowly. Not knowing why, I shouted into the darkness, "Come out, you coward!"
As if to answer, the floor shook. Hard. I couldn't keep my balance and fell hard to the ground once again. The shaking continued with more power, more intensity. I was beginning to wonder if this truly was a dream.
Then, to my surprise, the floor tilted sharply. My body jerked and slid down the tilted floor. What the hell…?
I closed my eyes as my feet were only inches from the edge, hoping for the best to come out of this. To be honest, I didn't think I would fall. I believed I would wake up from this nightmare, and it would all be over.
But it didn't happen. The floor shook violently once more, and my body was hurled over the edge.
I screamed as I fell into the dark abyss below me. I tried to grab at the darkness, hoping that something would come out of nowhere and save me. But nothing did.
As I fell into my own despair, I heard a faint laugh in the distance. A thought exploded in my mind.
If this truly was a game, then He had won.
...Game over, Rayth.
