Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me, though that should be obvious. All OCs in this chapter belong to me.

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Castle of Glass

"Hi, my name's Tara! What's your name?" "Kane, you're the one I care about the most." "Aww, why does Domino get to wield the Keyblade!? Why not me?" "I'd really like to have superpowers; something to make me stand out from all the rest." "I wanna be able to fly, soar through all these worlds when I get older!" "I hear that each of these bright white stars are the many other worlds! Which one…did Domino come from?" "I'm sick of just being ordinary! I wanna be special like Domino!" "To be honest, I was always jealous of Domino and his powers." "Hey, Kane, welcome back!" "I'm glad…the two of you are alright."

Standing on the crystalized road that was properly titled the Lanes Between; I couldn't help but cry to myself silently for the loss of Tara. She wanted to be a special person like Domino. She wanted to have super-human abilities. And she had always wanted to see the other worlds. But never in a million years had she imagined she'd actually do it. And her price for wanting something more of her life was death in another world. Falling onto my knees, I sobbed quietly into my lap.

Kale approached me and tried to cheer me up, saying comforting things like how she would now be in heaven with Ty and Ibiki right now as a family. Even in this dire situation of having one of my closest friends…more like an actual sister…Kale still was able to make me smile. That kid's a lifesaver.

I chuckled at all of his kind words and replied back, "Yeah…I guess you're right. Tara must be happy where she is." But was she really happy? Just having me agree with Kale wasn't enough, so to please Kale I looked to Domino and said, "What do you think, Domino?"

"I'm sorry," Domino mustered out. His face was still red and his eyes looked bloodshot. He was really upset about accidentally killing Tara. I didn't hold that against him. But was it really Tara we was crying over? His emotional displays over me have grown so severe, he wanted to ditch Tara at one point so him and I could be one step closer of traveling the worlds by ourselves. So it was possible he was only crying because he made me upset. But I don't think he'd be that upset about that…would he?

"We should have gotten to the nearest world to Utopia, like you mentioned, Kane," Domino said, lying on the crystalized ground with his arms and legs spread apart like he had no other purpose in life. "Then Tara wouldn't have died like she did."

"Okay, Domino, that's where I draw the line," I replied, bending down, grabbing his hand, and forcing him to stand up. "I don't hold anything…against you." I wiped a tear from my eye. "So stop beating yourself up about this, and let's go…see another world!"

Domino's face lit up as he cocked his head towards me. "Thank you, my dear Kane!" He had his Keyblade Glider appear as normal, and he, Kale, and I stood on the Glider with eagerness, ready to head out to the next world. Believe it or not, we now all had the idea that Tara is happy where she is now, with Ty and Ibiki. So we were no longer sad. The Keyblade Glider shot forward through space, the cold wind smacking us in the faces as we sprung forward towards the unknown.

One star seemed brighter than all the rest. We could even tell from a distance that the light in this world was strong. The Glider flew into the star, and once through, we saw ourselves flying our Glider through an orange sky, the setting sun casting yellow, orange, pink, and purple streaks across the sky in a spectrum that was very appealing to the eye.

Water was underneath us. The Glider flew downward to just a few inches off of the surface of the water. I held onto Kale's shirt as he bent down a little to skim his hand on the water. I felt the water myself. I couldn't tell if it was cool or warm. It just felt right. Who wouldn't want to spend all day swimming and chilling out in this ocean?

And then Domino screamed over the sound of his Glider, "Land ahoy!" His cocky attitude was a refresher to how I had witnessed him, mere moments ago, bawling his eyes out over the death of Tara. I squinted my eyes and saw what Domino had meant. In the distance was a grassy area. At least, it looked like grass, except it wasn't green. It was more of an orange and blue mixture; an odd combination.

"Whoa," I heard Kale and Domino say in unison. I saw what they were gawking at. Appearing over the horizon was the tip of a clear building. Yes, clear. The top was pointy, sharper than any blade. As we neared the land and the massive structure before us, I saw that it was more of a castle. A huge, clear castle.

"What's that!?" Kale asked, a smile forming on his small face. Domino and I didn't bother answering the kid. We just took in the sight of this castle in all of its clear glory.

"Okay, Domino, do not crash into that," I muttered under my breath as I stared the castle down, but he seemed to have heard it after all.

"Really, Kane, you think I'd make the same mistake for the hundredth time?" Domino asked. Kale and I laughed at his stupidity as we raced towards the castle. And then we began to ride right over the land. Without warning, Domino dismissed the Glider and Kale and I fell onto the ground, staring up at Domino as he was the only one who landed safely. We were close to eleven feet away from the giant, clear structure before us. "Well, it looks like this castle is made of glass."

Standing in front of the doorway was a girl, not much younger than Kale. She had long black hair that was slicked back; going just barely passed the middle of her back. She wore a robe that was black on the outside and purple on the inside. Her skin was so pale that if you were far enough away, you'd think her face had a greenish tint to it. Her eyes shined yellow. She almost looked frightened at the sight of the newcomers: us.

"Hello, little girl, and what's your name?" Domino asked slowly, taking small steps towards the girl and putting on that same amazing smile he always had when dealing with children. At each sudden movement made by Domino, the girl took another step back until her back was against the glass door. "I'm not here to hurt you—"

The girl made a sudden shriek, opening up the glass door and storming her way inside, closing the door hard, but not hard enough to break it open. Domino and I peered inside. You could clearly see straight through the door and walls. Beyond the door was a long corridor where at the end appeared a throne of sorts. Lining the walls on the inside of the castle were hundreds of different doors, all leading to different places.

And we saw the girl rushing down the corridor, heading straight for the throne at the end of the corridor. Even though she was far away in the castle, I could tell she was talking to someone on the throne. And immediately after the thought crossed my mind, the door slowly opened on its own, and a calm voice said, "Please, enter." The voice came out as more of an echo than anything, and I could tell that whoever was on the throne had said that.

Kale started walking ahead of Domino and I, but the two of us walked into the castle as well. Once we had gotten within five feet away from the door, it closed behind us like magic. Along the glass walls to the left and right of us were many paintings, each painting above a door. In each painting was clearly someone who looked like royalty, each one of a different person.

The voice of the man in the throne echoed off of the walls, saying, "Remove your shoes so the glass is not harmed."

Kale and I complied, slipping out of our shoes and letting our socked feet touch the cold floor. Domino seemed to be fine with the cold glass floor, despite being barefoot.

And then we approached the throne. The girl from before stood to the left of the throne. Sitting in the throne was someone in his twenties or early thirties. He had long black hair that was tied into a ponytail that hung in front of his face. Behind his head, the rest of his long black hair fell down to his waist. His eyes were a stormy gray color. A scar was above his left eye. He himself wore a white robe that seemed to glow in the light of the sunset outside reflecting off of the glass castle.

"Who are you?" I decided to ask, trying not to be rude about it.

"First, tell me a little about yourself," the man replied back. "You three are from Utopia, right?" Kale jumped a that, and I just raised a curious eyebrow at that statement. "I was foretold of the arrival of two special entities from Utopia. You two must be them, then." He looked straight at Domino and I, and Kale pouted when he realized the man wasn't talking about him. "Those golden eyes, so much like your mother's." He stared into my eyes as he said that.

What else did I really have to say, other than "You knew my mom?"

"Of course, Kane Carter," the man replied. "I am Enix Square, a very good friend of your mother's. I heard that she passed away three years ago." I frowned and looked to the ground, but then immediately looked up.

"Your name is Enix?" I asked. "That's the name of the person who…was said to have invented the idea for the Keyblade! Is that…true? Is that who you really are?"

"Yes," Enix replied. "Here is where I've stayed at since the Key's invention. There are so many unanswered questions about the Keyblade, and people were always trying to find out the answers that they have no business knowing. So I hid out in another world. This world. It really does not have a name for itself. I was its only inhabitant." He looked down to the girl by his side. "I take care of anyone here who has a special, legendary bloodline. They always somehow find their way to me. The girl before you is Maleficent. I found her two years ago, abandoned by her family because she had certain powers that normal people shouldn't have."

"Hey," the girl said shyly as she looked to the ground. She wasn't much of a talker. She began to bite her nails—rather long nails, the color red painted on there—and hid behind Enix's throne. Enix turned his head to look Maleficent behind his throne, and she stepped out from behind it, looking embarrassed as her pale, greenish face became red.

"Master! Master!" a voice yelled from somewhere behind us, echoing off of the walls. Running from one of the many doors was a boy that looked to be ten or eleven years old. He had small, coal black eyes that were small enough to be pupils, the whites of his eyes larger than they should be, with black hair that fell onto his shoulders. He wore blue robes with a dark red interior. His face looked a tad pale and skinny, and his face and body looked skinny as though he hadn't eaten in months.

"Yen Sid, what is the matter?" Enix asked, standing up as the boy rushed past us, ignoring Domino, Kale, and I as he grabbed onto Enix's robes. The boy named Yen Sid panted in his place, looking utterly terrified. "Speak, boy!"

"There're intruders in the castle," he said quietly. Enix's eyes widened. "A few people dressed in white…I don't know, they couldn't see me." As if noticing us for the first time, he looked straight at Kale and said, "Hey there." Kale nodded, not saying a word. Yen Sid looked back to Enix. "Master, we can't stay here!"

"Yen Sid, calm down," Enix muttered, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Take Maleficent and the young Kamikaze to the panic room." Yen Sid nodded, grabbing the scared girl's hand as well as reaching for Kale's. Kale grabbed onto Yen Sid's hand, and the three ran off to one of the many doors. I didn't even decide to ask him how he even knew Kale's last name. "I understand you are a Keyblade wielder, Domino. And you, Kane Carter, have abilities in magic."

Domino nodded, but I remained a little uncertain. "Abilities in magic?" I asked. As far as I knew, I only had Thunder magic, and had only used those powers once or twice in the previous world we had gone to. Before Enix could reply to me, one of the doors opened, and several people began rushing through the door, all dressed in white suits with white ties and white fedoras.

They circled around us and Enix's throne quickly, about seven or eight of them. Each of them varied in looks, shapes, and heights, but all wore the exact same white outfit. Domino and I stepped back, Enix standing in front of us. A shining light appeared directly in front of Enix. When the light vanished, like a portal, a man stood in its place.

He had twinkling blue eyes that shimmered in the light of his dissipating portal and the white clothing of all the men around us. His hair was spikey in all directions, with long bangs falling over his forehead and in front of his left eye. His hair in the back reached the back of his neck and fell a little over his shoulder. He wore a white suit with a black tie, black shoes, and a black fedora with a white ribbon around it.

"Hello, hello," the man face-to-face with Enix said. He looked to be around my age; maybe younger. "Master Enix Square, the Keyblade Master of the century, my my, the scrolls told of you. You're the one who created that accursed Keyblade."

"Accursed? It's supposed to unlock the gateway to happiness and power!" Enix defended almost immediately. "And who are you?"

"Asher," the boy said, flipping his hair as it flowed dramatically behind him in a wind seeming to be made of light. "Phoenix Asher, Keyblade Hunter."

"A Keyblade Hunter?" Domino asked, genuinely confused. "Okay, Phoenix, what exactly does a Keyblade Hunter do?"

"I should think it's obvious," Phoenix replied, his eyes not wavering from their endless stare into Domino's. "Around three years ago we were gathered under one master for one purpose…eliminate the Keyblade entirely if someone were to abuse its mystical power and bring about ruin."

"And you say that there's someone abusing its power?" Domino asked.

"You, Domino, are my target," Phoenix said, backing a tad away from Domino, all of his followers backing up slightly as well. "I was told you tried to bring ruin upon Utopia. That is the reason you're under arrest. Along with Enix here." He gestured his hand to Enix. "He created the accursed thing."

"To unlock the mysteries of the world," Enix replied. "It was my design, so do not harm Domino. It is me you want." In his hand appeared a Keyblade that looked to be made out of pure light. The blade and teeth of the sword were sharper than anything I'd seen. "I fight for the light! And the light does not judge people based on what others do, whether it be dark magic or not! So yield before my might!" Enix leapt into the air at Phoenix, soaring over Domino's head in the process, while swinging his Keyblade of Light at Phoenix.

Phoenix jumped backwards, the Keyblade of Light missing him completely, and he landed softly on the ground. Enix remained three feet away from him. "I will make this a fair duel, Master Enix," Phoenix said softly. "Let's take this outside. I'd hate it if this precious castle shatters because of our fight. I wouldn't be able to handle it if those three other kids that were here were to die."

"How considerate of you," Enix said, walking towards the exit of the castle, faster than I thought he'd be able to walk. Phoenix simply vanished and reappeared in a flash of light outside. At the door I slipped back into my shoes and stepped onto the oddly colored grass outside.

Domino and I watched as Enix Square and Phoenix Asher got within ten feet away from each other, staring each other down. "How will you fight!?" Domino asked at Phoenix. "You don't even have a Keyblade!"

"That's where you're wrong," Phoenix said, outstretching his hand. "I may not have wanted it, but I've gotten my own Keyblade!" In his hand appeared a Keyblade that looked like a cross between a sword and a gun. He pointed it menacingly at Enix. "Long range attacks are my specialty, Master Enix!"

Phoenix swung his Keyblade, and a white bullet made of pure light fired from it, aiming straight for Enix. Enix jumped and flipped in midair, dodging the bullet, and from his hands fired two rays of lights that aimed for Phoenix. Phoenix reflected the light off of his Keyblade, shooting it back to Enix who sidestepped to avoid it.

"So we both fight for the light," Enix muttered. "Then why are you trying to harm Domino and I?"

"Thou shalt not let ruin and destruction take over," Phoenix said quietly, looking to the sky. "Thou shalt not falter in the presence of death. Thou shalt not take pity upon those who abuse power. Thou shalt not allow darkness to reign supreme." He looked back at Enix. "You are aware that Domino has begun creating the dark forces, aren't you!?" Enix jumped at that comment. What had that meant? "Domino has darkness within his veins…he doesn't fight for the light. His false demeanor is only a façade, hiding what he truly desires. Need I go on, Domino?"

Domino jumped at Phoenix, blasting through the air with darkness trailing behind him, his Starlight Keyblade outstretched and darkness sparking around its tip. He thrust his Keyblade into the stomach of Phoenix, only to hit…air. Phoenix had jumped above the swipe. He drove his Keyblade into Domino's stomach. The purple haired boy, my best friend, fell down to the ground, a pool of blood forming underneath him.

"Curaga!" came Domino's voice. Green light washed over him, and he rose from the air, staying a few feet above the ground. He pointed Starlight at Phoenix. "Okay, Asher, it's time for you to say good night!"

"Hold that thought," Phoenix said quickly, taking a cellphone from his suit pocket. He flipped it open and said into it, "Asher speaking." He paused for a moment. "Yes, I see." Pause. "I'll be there in a second. Thank you, Master." He closed his phone and put it back in his pocket. "I'm sorry to cut our meeting short, but I'm afraid my master needs me to tend to something. I pray our paths may cross again someday, Domino."

"Wait a minute!" Domino screamed. "Just…who is your master?"

"That's a subject for another day, I'm afraid," Phoenix replied. He took his fedora into his hand and threw it like a Frisbee towards Domino, who caught it in confusion. "A memento of our first battle. Take it, the hat's yours. Now I really need to be going. Just remember, the Hunters will be watching you guys."

And in a flash of light, Phoenix vanished. Domino, still confused, put on the black fedora with the white ribbon on it, and positioned it on his head to his liking. "Nice," Domino said, admiring his new headwear. He then looked to me. "So who was that?"

"I don't know," I said, finally saying something after god knows how long. I looked back into the glass castle and saw that the other men who were with Phoenix Asher were vanishing into light one by one. "But there's something going on here. He said something about you gathering the dark forces?"

"The guy was crazy," Domino said, but I wasn't about to believe him for a second. There was something weird going on with Domino, and I had to find out. "The playing field has just gotten rougher than anticipated. Master Enix, do you mind taking care of Kale in our absence?"

"What?" I asked. "We can't just leave him—"

"He'll be fine here," Enix interjected. "A child so young should not be wandering the worlds. We can't make this difficult on the poor boy. You two need to leave before he tries to stop you."

"Okay," I decided to say, not wanting to disagree. We had lost Tara; I didn't want to lose Kale as well. He would be protected under Enix's wing. "Sounds good—gyaah!" I fell onto my knees, clutching my stomach. I felt a surge of energy and pain coursing through my veins. "Domino!?"

I saw the lips of Domino moving as if to speak, but no sound came out. The sounds from the birds chirping and the waves lapping against the grassy shore had all but vanished as well. Through my eyes, it looked as if all color had drained from the world, leaving a mix of black and white. And then all around me, the black and white melted, dripping off into oblivion. I was surrounded by darkness.

I closed my eyes, hoping this experience would be over. When I opened them, I saw a group of at least sixteen people, all standing in a circle. In each of their hands was a Keyblade. The other sixteen Keybearers?

The sixteen vanished into darkness, and in their place stood Domino, looking towards me with his Keyblade outstretched. "Things shouldn't have ended this way. They shouldn't have."

The entire world faded to black once more, and when the color returned, I saw the inside of Domino's house. The roof began to cave in, the ceiling falling on top of Domino's mother. Domino's father stood awestruck, in front of the doorway to outside.

"Marian!" he yelled out. Then he fell to the ground, screaming out. There was a Keyblade shoved into his back. I looked at who had stabbed him, and it was none other than Domino. With an evil smirk, he yanked the Keyblade out and walked off. A few seconds after he had walked off, that's when I had entered the house, looking for Domino. Once again, all faded to black.

Flashes of the people I cared about flashed through my head. Ibiki, Ty, Tara, Kale, and lastly Domino. They each faded away to darkness, and I opened my eyes.

I was on my back on the grass, a worried Domino and Enix looking down at me. Domino saw my eyes open and pulled me to my feet, and I stood up shakily.

Was that a dream? Wait…Domino had killed his father. That must've been the case. Then was it really a dream? It was more like a vision.

"You're hair," Enix noted.

I arched an eyebrow and took out a small, circular mirror from my pocket. A mirror? When had that gotten there…oh, right, it was Tara's. I had forgotten to give it back to her. I looked into the mirror and saw what Enix was worried about. Every strand of hair on my head was now silver. It was no longer the black color it used to be. Was it really that lightning strike from back on Utopia that had done this to me?

"Silver," Domino said as if he had never seen or heard of the color before now. He reached his hand out and stroked the stop of my hair, making things awkward and causing me to back up a few steps. "Unbelievable. Your hair is amazingly silver, it's…unreal."

"You two need to leave," Enix said, turning his back on us. "The silver hair and golden eyes are traits that belonged to your late mother. You're father…he loved that hair." He looked back to me with a tear in his eyes. "You look so much like your mother and like…like…you're father, too." He wiped the tear from his eye. "But you two have to go now." He took a small button off of his robe and handed it to me, which I eagerly grabbed. "This allows us to communicate. If I need something of you, I can speak into a button similar to this one and you'll hear me through that one."

"Okay," Domino said, taking the button from me and putting it on his shirt, it sticking to it magically. He had called upon his Starlight and summoned his Keyblade Glider. I stepped onto it behind him. "Thanks a lot for taking care of Kale, Master Enix."

And before I could even say a goodbye, Domino had the Glider dart forward. He flew over the water and then shot towards the sky, white light soon surrounding the two of us. In seconds we had left the world.

Where to go now? I wondered to myself as we flew through the Lanes Between.