Suddenly three platforms rose from the ground to surround Lucian. One in front of him, one to his right, and one to his left. They all shared the same strange three images, but above them floated a single weapon each. A sword, a shield, and a wand. Light shone down above to highlight these weapons.
Suddenly a discombobulated voice spoke. “Power sleeps within you. If you give it form it will give you strength. Which will you choose? Power of the Guardian? Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Or the Power of the Mystic? Inner Strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Or the Power of the Warrior? Invincible Courage. A sword of terrible destruction. What is the power you seek, young Prince?”
Lucian was still trying to process just what exactly was going on, when the voice asked him the question. He stared at the floating weapons, his heart raced, as his gaze shifted between each of the three choices.
He took a breath to calm himself, his hands trembling as he reached toward the platform with the shield. “The Power of the Guardian…” he murmured to himself. He wasn’t interested in destruction and ruin. What he wanted was to protect his loved ones. But then he hesitated, glancing toward the other weapons. The sword represents courage, and the staff represents inner strength. Both were powerful, and both important too…
After a moment of thought, he continued reaching for the shield. “I choose the Power of the Guardian,” he said, more confidently this time. “I want to protect those who can’t protect themselves. To be the shield that stands between those I love, and anything that might try to harm them.”
The shield disappeared suddenly in his hand, finding its place deep within Lucian’s heart.
“Your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?” The voice said, letting the young Prince know that he still had another choice to make.
Lucian’s eyes widened as the shield vanished from his grip. Before he could process the feeling, the voice told him he had to make another choice.
He looked at the sword and the staff. Both of them represented qualities he would need, and valued in other people. He closed his eyes, centering himself, thinking of what truly mattered to him. I chose the Path of the Guardian because I want to protect, and protection means more than just fighting.
With a steady breath, he opened his eyes and looked at the sword. “I’ll give up the Power of the Warrior,” he said, his voice quiet but certain. “Strength can take many forms, but the power to protect others doesn’t always need courage in battle. I’ll rely on inner strength instead.”
“You’ve chosen the Power of the Guardian. You’ve given up the Power of the Warrior.”
Suddenly the platforms forced themselves back into the ground. This seemingly caused the mosaic ground to shatter completely, causing Lucian to plummet into the dark depths below.
There was a light at the bottom, and upon closer look, Lucian would see… himself? Except he was wearing regal attire and surrounded by a carriage, the silhouette of a woman, some mice, and his parents. He landed softly on his feet, and before he could fully react to this, his shield appeared in his hand.
“You’ve gained the power to fight. There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong.” Three small shadow figures appeared from the floor and immediately began to attack Lucian.
As the platforms disappeared, the mosaic of his mother shattered beneath him, causing him to fall to the depths below. He landed on a new mosaic. This mosaic was one of him in princely attire. It was more regal than anything he had ever worn on the Destiny Islands. He was surrounded by his parents, a royal-looking carriage, and mice? First, the voice kept calling him young prince; now this. What did it mean?
He had no time to question that further, when the shield he had chosen appeared in his hands, and three shadowy figures appeared in front of him. Instinctively, Lucian raised his shield in front of him, hitting the creature with a loud CLANG, that sent the shadow reeling back.
He gripped the shield tightly and took a breath. I can do this. He’d never considered himself a fighter, but he knew he couldn’t back down now. He stepped forward, as another one of the creatures lunged at him. He swung his shield at them. The force of which caused them to disintegrate into the darkness.
The last shadow paused, and then lunged. This time, Lucian met it head-on, bracing himself and swinging the shield in one fluid motion. With a flash, the shadow burst apart, leaving only silence and the glow of the mosaic beneath him.
The mosaic is then swallowed by shadows, and Lucian drops through the darkness, appearing back on Destiny Islands. Memory fragments of his friends stood around him. Alias, Hoshi, Levi, and Morgan.
“What are you so afraid of?” Alias asked him.
Lucian hesitated, his heart pounding. He never thought much about it—never wanted to. But here, surrounded by these echoes of his friends, he couldn’t avoid it.
“I’m… afraid of failing,” he admitted quietly. He looked down, his fingers curling into fists. “Everyone else seems so certain, so ready to face whatever comes. But… what if I’m not? What if I let everyone down when they need me most?”
Alias asked a rhetorical question in response. “Failure’s inevitable, isn’t it? Is it that you’re afraid you’re not perfect?”
No. That wasn’t right. Something was wrong. Before Lucian could answer or think about it, Hoshi stepped forward.
“What do you want in life?” she asked with a smile, changing the tone from the previous question.
The sudden shift in tone was jarring; it almost caught Lucian off balance. Still, he let himself answer. “I… I want to find love,” he said quietly. It was a dream he had never really admitted to anyone. “Someone who understands me, who I can be myself with. I want someone to share everything with. My life, my dreams… my heart.”
“Love is beautiful,” Hoshi responded. “But be careful of who you give your heart to. Hearts are way too precious. Strong, but fragile.”
Levi stepped forward next. “What’s most important to you? What do you hold dear? What drives you?”
Lucian paused, Levi’s questions piercing through his thoughts. He thought of his friends, of the moments they shared together. He thought of his family, of his parents who had raised him with love.
“My friends, my family,” he said, voice steady. “They’re everything to me. They’re what keep me going. Without them, none of this would matter.”
Levi was about to respond when Morgan appeared behind Lucian. “Who would you be if you didn’t have them? Tell me, Little Prince. Are you afraid of the darkness inside you? Your own… shadow?” The smile on her face turned into something dark and twisted.
“You’re not supposed to be here.” The discombobulated voice from earlier said.
Lucian fell through a hole of darkness, appearing on yet another mosaic. This one had the silhouettes of him in the middle with six silhouettes of princesses around him.
A pair of stairs in the same pattern appeared to lead somewhere.
“The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes.”
Before Lucian could ascend the stairs, his shadow started to grow and manifest its own body, similar to his at first before transforming into a giant faceless Heartless.
It summoned five small Heartless to attack him while it charged an orb of shadows in its right hand.
“Don’t be afraid and don’t forget… You have the greatest weapon of all.”
Lucian’s heart raced as he stared at the massive shadowy creature before him. Taking a deep breath, he raised the shield in front of him, steadying himself. I can do this. The doubt lingered; he was determined to overcome it. He would face his shadow.
One of the small Heartless lunged at him, but he sidestepped, swinging his shield in a wide arc to get rid of it. The Heartless disintegrated into shadowy wisps, and he turned just in time to block an attack from another. Hitting the little shadows was the easy part. It was the bigger shadow he was really worried about.
It raised its hand, charging the orb of shadows. Lucian’s eyes widened, and he braced himself, lifting his shield as the Heartless hurled the orb down at him. The impact pushed him back, nearly knocking him off balance, but he held firm, digging his heels into the ground. He grit his teeth, feeling the force of the shadowy blast. His heart was pounding, a reminder of the fear inside of him—the fear of failing, of not being enough. The creature in front of him was more than just a Heartless; it was a manifestation of his own doubts, his own darkness.
It loomed over him, preparing another attack, but Lucian clenched his fists around the shield. He couldn’t let this shadow of himself consume him. Not now, not ever.
With a cry, he charged forward, dodging another blast of shadows as he closed the distance between himself and the giant Heartless. He struck out with his shield, landing a solid hit against its leg. The creature shuddered, taking a step back as if the blow had made an impact.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lucian swung again, and again, and again. Each blow grew stronger and more confident. The giant Heartless staggered, dark wisps trailing from where his blows landed. The darkness was weakening.
Lucian took a deep breath, steadying himself for one final attack. He lifted his shield. With all the strength he could muster, he brought the shield down, striking the Heartless squarely in its gut.
A burst of light erupted from the impact, enveloping the shadow in a blinding glow. The Heartless let out a roar, before dissolving into fragments. And then it was gone… Lucian lowered his shield, catching his breath, his heart still racing. He’d faced his shadow and emerged stronger for it.
Then, he took a step on the stairs. As soon as he did, they started to shatter.
Then, Lucian jolted awake. The sun on his face, the sand beneath his fingers, he was back on the beach, surrounded by the familiar sights and sounds of Destiny Islands.
“Was it… real?” he murmured to himself, rubbing the back of his neck. What did it all mean? Whether that was real or not, this was not something he could keep to himself. He needed to talk to his friends about this. He stood up, dusted the sand off his clothes, and went to find them.
Before he could start searching, a large and strange machine came hurtling from the sky before crashing into a now flattened pile of palm trees. Lucian remembered that’s where his friends were going to work on their raft. Without hesitation, he sprinted for the area. “Please be okay…”
Lucian arrived at the scene to see that thankfully no one was dead. He walked over to the machine curiously. “What in the world is this?”
1x Thank
