Kingdom hearts requiem of dawn 

CHAPTER TEN

Ten years had passed, and the world remained shrouded in eternal night. The sun never rose again after that final battle with Noctera. The sky, once a symbol of hope and new beginnings, was now a canvas of swirling darkness. Every dawn that never came was a reminder of the Guardians who had fallen, of the light that had been lost.

Aqua had changed in those years. Her once short, practical hair now flowed long down her back, streaked with silver strands that were not there before. She was no longer the bright-eyed Keyblade Master she had been, filled with hope and optimism. She had become a woman of singular purpose: to find Sora and Riku. They were out there, somewhere, she was sure of it. Her heart told her so. And she had learned to trust her heart more than anything else.

In those long years of searching, she had scoured every world, explored every corner of the realms she could reach. But she had found no trace of them. Not until today. Today, her search had brought her back to where it all began—Destiny Islands.

The islands had changed, too. The once vibrant landscape was now eerily quiet. No waves lapped at the shore, no wind rustled the palm trees. The night here was deeper, more oppressive than anywhere else. It was as if the very essence of the world had died along with the light.

Aqua stood at the shoreline, staring out at the sea—or what was left of it. Her heart ached with memories of the boys who had once played here. Sora, Riku, Kairi. They had all been so full of life, of hope. Now, they were just ghosts of the past, lost to the darkness that consumed the world.

But as she stood there, something stirred within her. A pull, faint at first but growing stronger with every passing moment. Her heart knew this feeling—it was the connection she had been searching for all these years. Without hesitation, she followed it.

Aqua wandered deeper into the island, her steps guided by instinct more than anything else. It felt like she was walking through a dream, or perhaps a nightmare. The familiar paths twisted in strange, unfamiliar ways, as if the island itself had been warped by the darkness. But she pressed on, driven by the unshakable belief that she was close to finding them.

Eventually, she found herself standing before the door.

The Door to Darkness.

It was open.

Aqua's breath caught in her throat. She had seen this door before, long ago, in another time, another place. It had always been sealed, a barrier between worlds, a gate that held back the tide of darkness. But now, it stood ajar, a faint glow of dark energy spilling out from its edges.

Her heart raced. If the door was open, that could only mean one thing. Sora and Riku had gone through it. She could feel their presence now, stronger than ever. They were somewhere beyond that door, trapped in the realm of darkness.

Without a second thought, Aqua stepped forward. The darkness was thick, suffocating, but she didn't hesitate. She had been in the realm of darkness before, she had survived it once. And now, she would face it again, if it meant finding them.

As Aqua stepped through the Door to Darkness, the oppressive weight of the realm hit her immediately. The cold, familiar air of the dark realm swirled around her, and yet it felt different this time—more corrupted, more hostile. She was back, but this time it wasn't about survival. She had a mission: find Sora and Riku.

The endless twilight stretched out in all directions, the black ocean still and silent beneath a sky with no stars. She could feel something in the air, a pull, faint but unmistakable. She gripped her Keyblade tightly, every step taking her deeper into the realm, her resolve unshaken.

She wandered for what felt like hours, maybe even days—time had no meaning here. The darkness gnawed at her mind, but Aqua had learned to steel herself against it. As she pressed on, her heart heavy with the weight of all that had happened, a shape appeared in the distance. It wasn't a person, but something built into the ground.