Where the rising sun never breaks free of the horizon, dreams both begin and end...

Sora woke abruptly from a strange yet familiar dream, his head throbbing as if he had eaten too much ice cream. He quickly sat up and, in an attempt to gather his bearings, he looked around only to see a place he had never been before. Besides the vast green plains that surrounded him, all Sora could see was a small town. It stood below the cliff Sora sat upon, enveloped by the golden sky above. The sun seemed to be rising, but Sora couldn't be sure, as it never seemed to move. Sora stood up and called for his traveling companions who were nowhere in sight.

"Donald! Goofy!"

But no response came.

Looking around once more, he found a road leading into the town below following it in the hope of finding his friends. The city was comprised mostly of gray brick buildings, most of which appeared to be nearly identical. The townsfolk seemed more than content with their lives, as not a single sad face could be found. The only exception was a man in a black coat, its hood hiding his face.

"I've never seen you before," spoke an elegant voice from behind Sora. "What brings you to Tranquil Town?"

Sora turned around to see a beautiful woman dressed in a complex outfit comprised of an extremely detailed dress and an equally ornate horned crown.

"Tranquil Town?" Sora asked.

"Yes. This town has been a safe haven from the Heartless for many years now. I am its mayor, Hilda," the beautiful woman explained, her fondness for her city clear in her words.

"A town safe from Heartless…" Sora pondered the thought. He had been to many towns before, but none were truly safe from the forces of darkness. His thoughts quickly returned to his friends. "Have you seen my friends? One's a duck with a really bad temper and the other's… I think he's a dog?"

"So you've lost your pets?" Hilda questioned.

Sora shook his head. "No, they're not my pets. They're my friends. We come from… a different land," he stuttered, stumbling over his words in an attempt to protect the world order.

Hilda smiled. "You don't need to worry, I know about the other worlds."

"You do?"

"Yes. The people of this town, myself included, came from other worlds after the darkness took our own. As for your friends, I'm afraid I haven't seen them."

Sora's eager expression turned into one of disappointment.

"Don't worry. If they were here, I'm sure one of the citizens must have seen them."

Sora nodded his head in agreement. "Right!' He ran further into the town, hoping to find some sign of his friends, but with no luck. Unfortunately, none of the townsfolk had seen any sign of Donald or Goofy. Sora continued along one of the town's paths, eventually stumbling upon a some being used as tables for various items. In the center of the site stood a large multicolored device. A rabbit fiddled with it from below, deeply engrossed in his work. While most wouldn't know what the unusual object was, Sora immediately recognized it.

"Wow, a gummi ship!" Sora exclaimed.

Startled by the sudden comment, the rabbit quickly sat up, promptly hitting his head on the ship. After crawling out from under it, he slowly stood up while rubbing his head. The rabbit turned to look at his ship's admirer. "How do you know what a Gummi Ship is?" The rabbit paused to get a better look at Sora. "Wait... Don't I know you?"

"I don't think so... " Sora replied, thinking of all the worlds he had been to before.

The rabbit looked down, trying to remember where he had seen the boy. Meanwhile, Sora noticed a shimming object from the corner of his eye. Summoning his Keyblade, Sora deflected an incoming dagger, knocking it into the ground.

"A Keyblade?" The rabbit marveled at Sora's weapon. "Then you're…" The rabbit turned his head, seeing the creature that threw the dagger.

It was an unusual entity with pure white skin decorated with several yellow highlights. It's entire body seem to flow as if made from paper, preparing several more daggers in a hypnotizing, almost dance-like fashion. Despite its humanoid frame, it was clearly not human.

Sora through his Keyblade at the creature, causing it to spin as it flew through the air. The Keyblade struck the creature, promptly returning to its owner's hand as the creature faded away.

"I thought Heartless couldn't come to this town…" Sora wondered, remembering his conversation with Hilda.

"Not bad, Keyblade Wielder," an unfamiliar voice spoke. Sora turned to see it's owner, the black coat wearing man from earlier. As he approached, the man removed his hood, revealing white hair wrapped with a multicolored bandana. Before stopping several feet in front of Sora, he summoned a longsword whose hilt displayed a withered rose.

"Who are you?" Sora readied his Keyblade to battle a potential foe.

"Don't worry. I am not your enemy. Besides, the battle is far from over." As if on cue, five more of the white creatures appeared around the group.

"I'll take care of this!" the rabbit declared as he pulled a thin white stick from one of his blue jacket's many pockets. The wand began to sparkle as the rabbit summoned a flurry of ice. "Blizzard!" One of the creatures vanished, only to be replaced by three more.

"So the little rabbit can fight? Interesting…" said the cloaked man.

"Hey! I have a name, you know! It's Oswald!"

Sora attacked one of the creatures, swiping his Keyblade at another in quick succession. "What's your name?" he asked, looking at the mysterious man.

"It's Firion," he replied as he destroyed another of the creatures.

Within seconds, every one of the creatures had been defeated by the three warriors. Sora swung his Keyblade onto his shoulders, proud in a job well done. Sora looked at Firion again with a confused look. "So… If they weren't Heartless, what were they?"

"Nobodies," Firion explained. "Sometimes, when a person becomes a Heartless, their body becomes something… empty. A creature with no emotions… One who does not truly exist. Those ones specifically are called Thieves."

"But they're dangerous, right?"

"Sora!" Oswald interrupted. The look in his eyes was one of pure elation. "Do you know where Mickey is?"

"The king? How do you know about the king?" Sora queried.

"I… uhh… That's not important right now!" Oswald uttered with more than a hint of anxiety. "Have you seen him?

"The only time I saw him, he helped close the Door to Darkness. Now he's on the other side."

Oswald's expression turned once more, this time to despair. "I'll never see him again…"

"Don't worry! I'm going to find him! As soon as I find Donald and Goofy, anyway…"

"Donald and Goofy… I remember them!"

"They're not here," Firion chimed in. "I know Tranquil Town inside and out. If they were here, I would know."

"What makes you the expert, huh? I've never even seen you here before!" Oswald shouted.

"I have my ways."

Oswald snarled at Firion, then turning back to Sora. "I hate to admit it, but he's probably right. I'm guessing you and your friends used a Gummi Ship?"

"Yeah," Sora said.

"I thought so. I haven't seen any other Gummi Ships come through here in awhile. Now that I think about it… how did you get here?"

Sora stopped himself before speaking, thinking hard. "I don't... remember..."

Firion approached placing his palm on Sora's forehead. "I might be able to help." Sora's face went blank as Firion concentrated, closing his eyes. did Firion's eyes flew open in an expression of shock, but the display faded too fast to be noticed. He removed his hand as Sora's expression returned to normal.

"What did you do to him?" Oswald angrily stormed.

"I tried to read his memories. It's an ability I gained some time ago," Firion calmly responded. "Unfortunately, he must have been unconscious when he came to Tranquil Town. I can't read his memories of getting here."

Oswald sent a suspicious glare as Firion before turning back to Sora. "It doesn't matter," he proudly stated as he closed the opening in the bottom of his ship. "I've decided! I'll help you find your friends.

"You will?" Sora exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear.

"Yep! I finished my repairs, so we can leave whenever you're ready!"

"Thanks!" Sora said as a staircase extended from the ship's side, revealing an entrance. Sora darted up the stairs, excited for a new adventure and the possibility of finding his friends.

"I'll be coming as well, of course," Firion declared, also walking towards the ship's entrance.

"Why should I let you come!? I don't know who you are!" Oswald protested.

"Aw, come on Oswald. He doesn't seem like a bad guy!" Sora begged, standing in the ship's opening. "He even helped us fight the Nobodies."

Oswald gritted his teeth, clearly not happy with the idea. "Fine… But if you do anything suspicious, I'll kick you out myself!" he wailed, jumping up and down with fists clenched.

"I can live with that."

When the unusual trio had entered the Gummi Ship, it slowly lifted off. A Keyblade wielder, a rabbit, and a man with mysterious powers… who knew what destiny had in store for them next.

Secret Log 1

I have been watched by this Organization for as long as I can remember, forced to fight strange creatures of various shapes and sizes. What do my keepers want and why to they keep me here? I feel no emotions behind their words and at times it feels as if they aren't truly there. I wonder if they can even be trusted.

My only friends are the whispers, strange voices that speak in tongues I cannot understand. For some reason, my keepers cannot hear them. Despite their incomprehensible words, they bring me a feeling of peace I find difficult to describe.

My time here has given me far too many questions and each day seems to bring even more. Amongst these questions, however, one plagues me more than any other. What am I? I am not like my keepers, I'm sure of that. I wonder if even they know. If they do, they won't tell me.

So be it. I'll find the truth for myself. I've stolen a journal so that I may gather my thoughts. They cannot hide the truth from me forever.