(Markus's POV)
I find myself in a newly-manifested space. Through the thick, dark mist that shrouded my vision, I could just barely make out my surroundings. I stood atop yet another stained-glass mural. This new depiction showed Snow standing on the left side, his back turned as he tilted his head to the side. The frost-colored background behind him depicted a raging snowstorm, the white perimeter of the mural displaying repeats of the same symbol that resembled a snowflake. My gaze remains fixed on the side of Snow's face that was visible. The pain that rested in his eyes was unquestionable.
I begin to feel relatively uneasy as I stare downwards at the depiction. Several pools of darkness suddenly begin to manifest in front of me, more of those shadowy creatures from before emerging from them.
"The echoes of a faltering heart..."
"A mind that has been ensnared by the far-reaching tendrils of despair..."
As the creatures draw even closer, the keyblade reappears in my grasp. I hold it outwards in a challenging manner as the shadowy beings scurry closer and closer. All of a sudden, they stop in place. The surface below begins to rumble violently as it begins to snow very heavily. I take several steps back, my boots leaving prints within the quickly-forming layer of white that had begun to cover the mural's surface. The snowfall quickly develops into a raging snowstorm, the shadowy creatures quickly freezing over where they stood. "What in the-" A deep howl suddenly rings out in all directions as a pair of large, red claws appear at the mural's edge.
My eyes widen as a hulking creature covered in dark fur pulls itself up onto the ledge. It appeared rather lycanthrope-like in form, having a large, wolf-like body that appeared capable of shifting between a quadrupedal and bipedal posture Tufts of its fur were white in coloration, its bushy tail holding the largest concentration of it as it swayed back and forth slowly. Its glowing yellow eyes shined brightly, their glow being very visible through the thickness of the snowstorm. Seemingly stamped onto its left shoulder was a strange black and red emblem that bore some resemblance to a heart. It releases the feral growl of a predator as it lowers down onto all fours, the loose chains connected to the shackles binding its hand-like front paws rattling with each and every movement that it made.
"A powerful darkness has been made manifest..."
"As a champion of the keyblade, it is your responsibility to quell it..."
"Shall you succeed?... Or will your journey be cut short prematurely?..."
As the creature begins to bound towards me, I quickly hop back before rolling to the side. As it unleashes a series of rapid slashes at me, my panic begins to set in. For quite some time, I do nothing but dodge the attacks being directed towards me. Not once attempting to directly engage it. I continue to evade the beast for a period of several minutes before I end up slipping on a particularly sleek patch of ice, face-planting into the sheet of snow below. Upon seeing that I had been incapacitated, the creature lunges at me once more, prompting me to raise the keyblade to shield myself. With all of the force I could muster, I use both hands to block the incoming blow with the shaft of my blade. I grit my teeth as my blade stops the incoming strike. As the beast exerts more pressure in an attempt to close the distance generated via my successful block, I don't let up. After several seconds, I managed to force the beast back. It staggered a bit as it stumbled backward on two feet. This presented me with an opportunity.
I jump to my feet, giving the keyblade a spin before lunging towards the creature's torso, thrusting the blade forward as I did this. I slash across the upper-left side of its chest, ripping through the fabric of the scarf and leaving a deep gash in its flesh. It howls in agony as it drops to its knees, a black fluid oozing from the wound I had inflicted. I shout aggressively as I raise my blade once more, dealing a series of strikes to its head and face area. It growls violently as I strike it repeatedly, black ooze dripping from its facial orifices. It lets out a sharp cry before forcing itself to its feet, charging forward and tackling me. I tumbled backward, a path through the snow created behind me as I rolled across the mural's surface. After several failed attempts, I weakly get on my knees, a hand held to my forehead as I lightly pant.
The creature howls loudly into the air as it lurches backward. It then begins to slowly approach, its clawed fingers twitching aggressively. It now stood just over me as I sit there on my knees, a look of genuine fear in my golden eyes I stared up at its monstrous face. It then balls up its clawed hands into fists before raising them both high in the air. It releases a low growl before moving to slam its fists down toward me. In that instant, as if egged on by an unseen force, I thrust the keyblade forward. A bright light begins to manifest upon the blade's tip before a beam fires from it. The beast freezes in place as the beam of light goes through the center of its chest and out its back. The creature howls louder than it ever had before as a series of large cracks begin to form from where the beam had hit, a bright light peeking through them.
It stumbles backward as it continues to loudly howl, the cracks expanding until they cover its entire body. It then appears to go limp, it falling backward off the edge of the stained-glass mural. A pillar of twilight shoots up into the air from where it had descended. I let out a low huff as I stare forward as the ongoing snowstorm begins to cease, a faint glow emanating from the mural below me as the remaining snow begins to melt away. I stare down at my feet for a period of several seconds before I hear the disembodied male voice speak to me once more.
"The scourge that has afflicted this ailing heart has been quelled for a time..."
"But no remedy lasts forever."
"You must allow yourself to become a defender of the order..."
"Only then may you find yourself able to do what must be done."
Everything then seems to go completely silent, me staring all around myself as I narrow my eyes in confusion. After what felt like minutes, the stained-glass mural below me begins to glow brightly. This effect lasts for several seconds before the light ceases completely. The mural's design had reverted from the one that depicted Snow back to the depiction of myself I had encountered a short time ago.
A single spot resting right on my depiction's chest begins to glow brightly as I suddenly find myself being levitated into the air. What appears to be a keyhole can be clearly seen in the center of the glowing spot, the keyblade seeming to thrust forward on its own as I hold onto it shakily. A beam of light then fires from the tip of the keyblade and into the keyhole. A bright light fills my entire field of vision as the sound of a lock clicking could be heard in the background. My eyes begin to feel heavy as I feel myself begin to slump backward. As my consciousness begins to slip away, I hear one final phrase ring out from all around me.
"May your heart be your guiding key..."