DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything in the Kingdom Hearts universe. The only thing I do own is my original characters. So no touchy!

Published as of: February 21st, 2015
Re-written as of January 19th, 2017

She was in a forest.

She didn't know how, she didn't know why, but she was. Her eyes had opened, and she gazed at the tress that loomed above her. The night sky greeted her, the stars oddly not present, leaving a gloomy, almost ominous, atmosphere.

Her hands clenched, and she felt the familiar sensation of a bow within her grasp. The dirt clung to her hands, and leaves pulled at her hair, but she felt oddly peaceful.

"Arise, young one."

The calming, alluring voice called out to her, eliciting a gratifying feeling of comfort. She wanted to hear more of it.

She did as she had been told, rising to her feet as her head oddly swayed for the first few seconds. She clutched her bow tighter, the silver handle feeling right in her grasp. The forest was silent; it was still. There were no crickets, there were no chirps. No rustling of leaves and no crying of the wind. Just quiet.

"There is no need to be frightened,"

the alluring voice spoke, immediately calming her from her nervous state. "I am here for you."

She found her voice. "Who are you?" she questioned, holding her bow tighter.

"My name is of no importance,"

the voice spoke, amusement seeming to follow.

She frowned. "Then why am I here?"

The voice chuckled. "You are a curious one, aren't you?" She wasn't sure if it was a compliment or an insult. "I have brought you here because you are needed." The words seem to have lost the light humor they had only moments ago. "The world will soon require all the help it can get."

She raised an eyebrow, curiosity overwhelming the dawning apprehension she was feeling. "Me? What could I do to help?" She frowned, adding to her confusion. "And why would I need to help?"

There was a silence, and she almost panicked as the thought of the voice leaving her arose in her brain, until the the voice spoke, softer than it had before, "A darkness had begun to spread across the land. People will need you."

She frowned again. "But... why me? I'm nothing special."

The voice chuckled once again. "Oh, dear Valerie. You are worth so much more than you think you are. You only need to believe so." She thought it was rather cliche and cheesy, but she didn't want to say anything. "But back to the topic at hand; the darkness."

The word seemed to stem a fright in her. She held her bow to herself tighter, eyes darting around the forest clearing quickly. She felt like eyes were watching her, studying her. She felt unsafe and scared. "But do not fret; for there is always a light within the dark."

Was there? It didn't seem so.

The forest seemed colder. A cloud of cold air left her mouth in uneven pants. Goosebumps greeted her skin. She quaked in her boots.

She was scared.

"And although you may find yourself stranded at times,"

There was a whooshing sound, piercing the quiet forest it seemed to blast her eardrums. She whimpered, whirling around again and again, until her eyes spotted something in the distance.

There was a wave of fog. So dark and black it seemed like an empty abyss. It ghosted over branches and bushes, seeming to engulf them until they no longer existed. She whined in fright, stumbling back until she whirled around, trying to run away, until her gaze rested on the fog again.

She was surrounded.

Her head darted side to side- trying to find a way out, anything, trying to escape. Her breathing was heavy, pants coming out quick and fast like bullets. Her body was shaking like a leaf in the wind. But she didn't have the privilege to go anywhere.

The fog was closing in now. It was so close, she could almost physically feel the helplessness it seemed to harbor. She was trembling in place.

The fog reached her feet. It was cold and made her heart jump in place. It began to climb, up and up her legs. Then it reached her waist, then her arms. Until finally, it slowly began to cover her head.

The last thing Valerie saw before she was completely engulfed, was a pair of blood, cold, red eyes.

"You can always, always, find your way back to the light."

AN: Hey guys! I hope the summary and prologue were interesting enough for you to enjoy! Kingdom Hearts is a very beloved (hehe, Dearly Beloved...) series of mine, so I couldn't resist adding my own twist to it.

Now, like I said at the beginning of the chapter, this story is in the process of being re-written. Well, at least, some of the earlier chapters. So, at the moment, this is the only one I have done, so the next few chapters may be a bit off for the time being until I get off my lazy but and write them. Another thing is, like I said, I am pretty lazy, so updates will probably be sporadic.

Yes, this story will be SoraxOC. It will begin somewhat at late KH1/Chain of Memories. You have been warned.

KH1 will be pretty bland in the new plot department, however, after this game, that's when things with my character, Valerie will begin to unfold. Until then, it'll probably just follow the game.

Once my tablet gets fixed, I may begin posting art of Don't Accept Defeat on deviantart. You can check me out at KittyCatKate27.

That's all I could think of at the moment (sorry for the long author's note). So until next time!

-Adios!