I didn't know where I was. One moment, I was falling to the concrete, then I felt like I was drowning, and now I'm here. Wherever here was with this person. It started to feel like I was in a dream with the assuring light of the glass platform... with me?
The platform was mostly white, silver and blue with rings and circles. My gang and I were on the glass, but they were in the smaller circles, at least four of the seven. I was stretched over the right three, and almost half of the whole platform. I looked like I was sleeping, so I must be dreaming.
"Step forward," a voice echoed.
"What the?" Who just spoke? It couldn't be that thing from over there. "Who's there?"
Step forward."
A block suddenly appeared. I guess there was nothing I could do but move toward the block. I climbed onto the cube and it suddenly lit up. A larger platform, almost like a pillar, filled the gap between me and the person.
"Step forward and meet the other link." A bridge connected the platforms. Without another option, I crossed. The glass platform felt foreign against my feet, different, childish, like an innocence of some sort. Like it didn't belong to me, at least not just me, but others as well.
The other person crossed too. I had never seen anything like them before. They had spiky, light brown hair, blue eyes, tan skin, and clothes with lots of zippers and pockets. I couldn't put my finger on what they were, though. Just by looking at them, I knew they were male and several years younger than me.
"Do not fear him. He is your new ally." Trusting those words, I approached him. He did the same. We were a foot apart when we stopped. We just stood for a few moments, waiting for the other to move or something. Then, he held out a hand warily. He seemed friendly enough and that look in his eyes showed truth and willingness to accept me. It felt like decades passed before I took his hand.
"I'm Sly. Sly Cooper." He smiled to me. For a young adult, he radiated a childish aura that was surprisingly soothing.
"I'm Sora," he told me, before politely pulling away. "This must be the first time I've seen someone like you here."
"Where is 'here' anyway?" I really needed to know that now.
"Oh, it's your first time here. Well-" Before Sora could finish, some kind of force shoved us away. Then, a barrier split the playform.
"There are times you must fight on your own..."
"That voice again...!"
"You heard it too?" Sora called in response. Suddenly, small black creatures started fazing out of the ground. "Heartless?! Not now!"
"Heartless?"
"I can't explain right now! Just don't let them near your heart!" Something glowed in his hands and a key- a sword? - formed. I had so many questions now and Sora couldn't answer any of them at the time. What were these "Heartless"?
Continuing from this. Sorry about the cut off.
A block suddenly appeared. I guess there was nothing I could do but move toward the block. I climbed onto the cube and it suddenly lit up. A larger platform, almost like a pillar, filled the gap between me and the person.
"Step forward and meet the other link." A bridge connected the platforms. Without another option, I crossed. The glass platform felt foreign against my feet, different, childish, like an innocence of some sort. Like it didn't belong to me, at least not just me, but others as well.
The other person crossed too. I had never seen anything like them before. They had spiky, light brown hair, blue eyes, tan skin, and clothes with lots of zippers and pockets. I couldn't put my finger on what they were, though. Just by looking at them, I knew they were male and several years younger than me.
"Do not fear him. He is your new ally." Trusting those words, I approached him. He did the same. We were a foot apart when we stopped. We just stood for a few moments, waiting for the other to move or something. Then, he held out a hand warily. He seemed friendly enough and that look in his eyes showed truth and willingness to accept me. It felt like decades passed before I took his hand.
"I'm Sly. Sly Cooper." He smiled to me. For a young adult, he radiated a childish aura that was surprisingly soothing.
"I'm sora," he told me, before politely pulling away. "This must be the first time I've seen someone like you here."
"Where is 'here' anyway?" I really needed to know that now.
"Oh, it's your first time here. Well-" Before Sora could finish, some kind of force shoved us away. Then, a barrier split the playform.
"There are times you must fight on your own..."
"That voice again...!"
"You heard it too?" Sora called in response. Suddenly, small black creatures started fazing out of the ground. "Heartless?! Not now!"
"Heartless?"
"I can't explain right now! Just don't let them near your heart!" Something glowed in his hands and a key- a sword? - formed. I had so many questions now and Sora couldn't answer any of them at the time. What were these "Heartless"? What was this to do with my heart? Just what was going on?
The dark creatures lunged at me. I swung my cane on instinct, swatting them away. They just came back, as if I hadn't hit them at all. No matter how many times they came back, no matter how hard I hit them, they just got back up. Before I knew it, I was backed to the edge of the platform above the dark abyss.
"And there are times you must battle side by side." The barrier disappeared. I lost focus for a second and a Heartless scratched my shoulder. I was stung with pain and unable to fight, but in a flash, Sora and his sword had destroyed all of them.
"You okay, Sly?" Sora asked.
"I've been through worse. How did you do that?"
"The Heartless come from a place called the Realm of Darkness. Only this weapon, the Keyblade, can properly destroy them." So that weapon of his was called a Keyblade. Very fitting.
"So you can just summon it out of your own will?"
"The Keyblade is more connected to your heart. You need a strong heart to wield a Keyblade." A strong heart...
Suddenly, the platform became covered in shadows. Then, the shadows gathered into one, humungous monstrosity.
"Is that a Heartless?"
"Yep." Sora prepared to fight again.
"Stay close Sly and don't lose your light. Lose your light and you'll never escape the darkness." I didn't know if that was literal or metaphorical, but I knew I needed to help Sora.
This Heartless was stronger than the smaller ones. Sora had a little more of a struggle battling it. I wished I could do more than distract it with swats from my cane. I never felt so uselesss in a time like this. Finally, Sora landed the final blow and the giant Heartless fell onto the platform.
Crack!
Did I just hear a crack?
Suddenly, the Heartless broke apart, plunging the platform into darkness. I heard more cracking sounds follow.
"Look out, Sly!"
The platform shattered beneath my feet. I felt myself falling again, only it was pitch black. I looked frantically and saw Sora falling as well.
"Sora!"
I reached my hand out, hoping to maybe grab his hand. However, before I was even a yard close, everything went black.