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Chapter IV: To Save Her from the Darkness
The overwhelming darkness crawled from every crevice and corner in the realm of endless night. Overhead, the shadowy skies eternally blanketed the world with infinite darkness and the air felt forbidding, bone-chilling as the shadows lurked in the everlasting darkness. The terrain was covered with large dark gray boulders and cliffs that were marked with short lines of mysterious, glowing blue marks.
Sora and Riku found themselves standing next to each other, staring at the stair-like terrain. It felt strange to be back here.
"This is..." Sora murmured quietly, beholding the sight.
Riku nodded, surveying the pathway. "Yes. The Realm of Darkness. It all seems so surreal."
The air was cold, poking at Sora's skin causing him to have goosebumps."The Realm of Darkness," Sora repeated, gazing at the world around him. He felt the unwelcoming air hover around them and the dangers that were against them on the road ahead.
With a solemn expression on his face, Riku turned to Sora with a serious look. "Imagine being stuck down here for so many years."
Sora looked up at Riku and shook his head miserably, his eyes drooping downwards to the ground. "I can't imagine." He admitted. "To be trapped here for so long." The realm was full of boundless darkness. To even imagine not seeing a single day of light sounded horrible to Sora.
Clenching his fists, Sora turned to the stair like path. "We have to rescue Aqua no matter what." He said determinedly.
"Mm." Riku agreed. "We'll find her."
With determination, the two young Keyblade warriors followed the path in the Realm of Darkness, uncertain of what they were to be confronting.
(Flashback at Yen Sid's Tower)
"Keyblade Armor?"
Yen Sid gestured his hands towards the Keyblade armor that magically hovered over the ground. Sora and Riku looked at the armor with amazement, almost feeling the powerful energy surging towards them as if it wanted them to wear it.
"The Keyblade Armor will protect you in the Realm of Darkness," Yen Sid assured them, crossing his arms. "Wear this and save our friend Aqua."
"Cool!" Sora exclaimed, staring in awe at the pieces of armor.
"Keyblade wielders wore Keyblade armor for battle and to protect them while traveling through the darkness and the Lanes Between the worlds." The wise wizard continued. "However, the wielders usually wore a pauldron, armor that covered the shoulders. By pressing this, you activate your Keyblade Armor and vehicle of transportation."
"Oh really?" Sora interrupted, looking at Donald and Goofy's excited faces. "That's awesome!"
Yen Sid smiled at him. "Indeed it is. Use your armor only when necessary. The dark shadows that lurk in the Realm of Darkness are more powerful than in the other worlds."
"Thank you Master," Riku bowed before Yen Sid. "But I'm sure Sora and I won't really need to use the armor." He looked at Sora with a smirk. "Right Sora?"
Sora nodded with agreement. "You got it! Me and Riku, we can take down a whole army of Heartless!"
"A whole army..." Riku muttered, putting his hand on his face.
"But you boys better wear it anyway," Mickey Mouse cautioned them, looking up at them with a serious look. "You never know what kind of dangers there are in the Realm of Darkness."
"We will," Sora promised.
Then, Yen Sid stepped to the side, placing his hand next to the Keyblade Armor. "Now, take your Keyblade Armor and come back safe with Aqua."
"Good luck you guys!" Donald quaked, giving them a thumbs up.
"Yeah!" Goofy added, wrapping his arm around Donald. "Guh-hyuk! Come back some and sound!"
"Thanks you guys," Sora looked at his friends with a grin. "We'll be right back."
(Flashback ends...)
"Behind you!"
Sora called out to Riku as they fought against the Heartless. Quickly turning around, Riku swung his Keyblade at the Darkball Heartless charging towards him. Giving it the finishing blow, Sora landed a hit on the eerie ball shaped Heartless and it vanished into the darkness.
More Neoshadows and Shadows appeared and surrounded the two Keyblade wielders back to back. Sora and Riku panted, exhausted from fighting so many Heartless at once.
"They just...keep coming..." Sora gasped, gaping at how many Heartless was surrounding them. "How many....Heartless..... have we......already beaten?"
Riku chuckled a little, panting as well as sweat poured down his neck. "Too many......Lost count...." Then he gave Sora a smug look. "Getting......tired.......already...Sora?"
Returning him with a sly and confident grin, Sora laughed weakly. "You wish Master Riku!"
Then with a surge of energy running through their body, Sora and Riku charged at their enemies, attacking them with full power. They clashed and exchanged blows with the Heartless, fighting with every ounce of determination they had. The Heartless disappeared one by one. The thrill of fighting came to each of them, working side by side as a team. And once the last Heartless was defeated, Riku and Sora fell on the ground on their bottoms, back to back to each other.
"There sure are a lot of Heartless here." Sora wheezed, holding his Keyblade out in the air.
"The Realm of Darkness....the realm where the Heartless thrive," Riku said, using his Keyblade to help him stand up. "There will probably be more waiting for us." He turned to Sora and looked at him. "We probably need to be careful around here."
Getting up, Sora stretched and twisted his sides. "Right. Let's keep going."
Venturing on, Sora and Riku continued down the windy path. Like a maze, the high countless cliffs and twisted pathways were endless as Sora and Riku kept searching for Aqua, fighting off Heartless and jumping onto cliff to cliff, hoping to find a clue of where Aqua would be. Each path the duo took, the more Heartless began appearing. And the more Heartless appeared, the less hope Riku and Sora had of finding Aqua.
When they came across a path of floating platforms, Sora and Riku looked at one another.
"This is crazy," Sora observed with disbelief, following behind Riku's lead jumping onto each platform one at a time. "I can't believe that even though we have only been here for a short while, I feel like my mind is going crazy."
"It's a good thing we wore the Keyblade Armor," Riku patted his silver, black, and purple piece of armor. "Yen Sid said it was supposed to minimize the amount of darkness that affects our minds and our hearts."
"I sure hope Aqua is alright," Sora said with a troubled look.
Riku nodded. "I hope so too."
When the two reached the other side of the platforms, they came across a huge open space. Purple mist surrounded the area with tall, twisty trees in the back. The ground and the rocks were covered with twisty purple lines that glowed and the sky was coated in different shades of purple. Sora and Riku stood in the middle of nowhere, a vast open field where there wasn't a Heartless nor Aqua in sight.
"Something's odd," Riku speculated suspiciously, looking around. "It doesn't feel right here."
Sora looked at Riku with a confused look. "What do you mean Ri-"
"-Well I didn't expect you two to be here."
Startled by the familiar voice, Riku and Sora turned and saw themselves face to face with a man in a black coat.
"Saïx..." Riku clenched his fist at the sight of the man.
Saïx, one of the original members of the Organization XIII, stood before them. He had long frayed blue hair and an X-shaped scar between his yellow eyes. His cold and emotionless eyes glared at Riku and Sora.
"Saïx!" Sora shouted angrily, summoning his Keyblade into his hand ready to attack. "What are you doing here?"
Saïx looked at the two questionably, unwavering. "That is my question to you. Why two wielders of light would be in the Realm of Darkness." The blue haired man held his hand up to them. "The darkness here is eternal. It can bind you in its grasp and easily seep into anyone's heart."
Riku stared at Saïx unsmiling, crossing his arms. "But darkness can never destroy the light. The light and darkness live together, coexisting."
"Indeed," Saïx said in a low tone. "But darkness can control it."
"Get real!" Sora yelled, gripping his Keyblade harder. "What are you really trying to say?"
The blue haired man turned his back on them and began walking off. "Let's just say your 'friend' has no chance against the Realm of Darkness."
Narrowing his eyes, Sora glared at Saïx with an indignant expression. "'Friend'? You mean Aqua!" He gripped his Keyblade even harder, putting pressure on his handle. "What have you done to her?"
"That is for you to find out," Saïx told him, suddenly turning around. At that moment, he raised his hand up in the air, creating a dark swirling portal. With a loud roar, an enormous dark Heartless emerged from the portal, howling loudly as it appeared. Sora and Riku watched with shock as the large Heartless hovered over them, with menacing yellow eyes and huge black wings.
"That is..." Saïx added. "If you ever find out."
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