Sora and the others arrived back on the Island early that next morning as promised. Each of them immediatly began collecting
the items that remained unmarked upon Kairi's list. It took them each most of the morning but Sora finally reached the final item left on the list, deep grown
mushroomsfound only in the Islands secret cavern.
Sora approached the hidden cavern entrance by the waterfall, first taking a moment to look about and make sure none were watching. Once the boy was sure the coast was clear
he crawled beneath the vines that covered the secret entryway and found himself in a narrow cave that twisted deep into the Island's heart. The boy eventually emerged
in a cavern that was open to the sun, allowing it to pour into the cavern and shed light onto the drawings carved into the cavern rock.
As Sora walked through the cavern he felt his eyes drawn to the carved images, one of which depicted a warrior facing a large shadowy beast with sword upheld. The boy then looked
allowed his gaze to pass away from this frighteningly familiar image and instead come upon one that brought back warm memories to the boy.
The drawing showed a crudely drawn profile of Kairi and a well drawn image of Sora. In the drawing the two children were facing each other upon the rockwall, delight upon
their faces. Sora recalled to mind memories of younger Kairi and himself sitting upon the hard floor working out the image with stones. The boy then returned to the drawing with
a sudden idea.
Sora spent the next hour carving a new image to complete the he and Kairi's wall drawing, only stopping to admire his work once the carving was complete. The image now showed
a star that was shooting into the girl's open mouth. The image of the star reminded Sora of Riku's earlier joke about he and Kairi sharing one of the star shaped Paopu fruit.
"Destinies forever entwined no matter what" Sora spoke to himself in the silence of the cavern, running a finger along the tail of the star.
The boy then heard the sound of crunching gravel just behind him, whirling about to identify the source of the noise, the boy was surprised to find himself facing a mysterious figure
garbed in a brown cloak.
"Who are you?" Sora asked the figure, trying to keep the terror from sounding in his voice.
"I have come to see the door to this world" the cloaked figure said in a low voice that hinted at menace.
"What?" Sora said in confusion, but the figure ignored the boy's question and continued on.
"This world has been connected" the voice said, acting as though it were clearly obvious.
"Wh-- what are you talking about?" Sora insisted, beginning to feel a strange anger and hatred toward the strange figure, but why? what had the figure done to anger
him like this?
"Tied to the darkness.... soon to be completely eclipsed" the figure continued, now stepping from the shadows and coming into the light of the overhead sun.
"Well, whoever you are stop freaking me out like this. Huh" Sora began to shout at the figure before seeing the figure fully in the light.
"Where did you come from?" Sora asked, his anger and hate toward the mysterious cloaked being cooling down quite suddenly.
"You do not know what lies beyond the door, do you?" the voice said with cluck, pitying the boy.
"The door....wait I must be dreaming again, the doorway and the shadows, they were only in those strange dreams" the boy tried convincing himself, but the cloaked figure
only shook its cowled head slowly from side to side.
"It was no dream, the door is out there and it awaits its opening" the cloaked figure told the boy.
"So what then, are you from another world, is that how you know of the door?" the boy asked the strange figure, but they only turned their hidden face onto the strange
door that stood against the cavern wall.
"You have so vey much to learn, and you understand so little" the voice said with more pity for the boy, one hand rubbing the mysterious cavern door.
"Oh yeah" well you will see. I am going to get otu and learn just what is out there, ill show you!" Sora cried, his anger and hatred toward the figure returned.
"A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing" the cloaked figure said once more, moving away from the doorway and retreating back into the shadows.
"Wait!" Sora cried, racing after the figure, but they were gone. The boy could not understand where the figure had gone, but he soon remembered the mushroom he
had entered the cavern to retrieve and without further delay he found one of the luminous fungi and left the cavern and its mysterious doorway behind him.