Dive to the Heart

The Awakening, also known as Dive Into the Heart, is a location which appears in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. It is framed as a world within a dream, though the events which occur within it have a real effect on the waking world, and in one instance they are actually observed by outside forces. In terms of gameplay, the purpose of the Awakening is to serve as a tutorial level, where the player will learn the controls of the game, choose how their character will grow, and fight their first boss. The player is guided through the Awakening by an inaudible, unseen "voice" whose identity is uncertain.

To reinforce the dreamlike setting of the Awakening, Sora and Roxas both reach it by falling into an ocean. However, instead of drowning they find that they can breath, and land upon an ocean floor which erupts into doves, revealing the Awakening. The Awakening is composed of several enormous, illuminated stained-glass pillars known as "Stations", rising from unseen depths, each of them a different shade and depicting a specific set of characters. In the first game, there is an additional area of the Awakening based on the Destiny Islands. The background music, "Dive Into the Heart (Destati)", initially begins quietly and hard to hear, but grows in intensity as Sora or Roxas approach the final pillar, where they fight a manifestation of the darkness within them. At the end of their battle with the creature the Awakening is consumed by the darkness emanating from it, dragging Sora or Roxas with it, but they either wake up or are rescued.

Kingdom Hearts
On the first pillar, Sora is taught to walk, then is shown three weapons, the Dream Sword, the Dream Shield, and the Dream Rod. He is directed to choose one and discard another, and his choice determines his specialty, initial stats, and ability growth throughout the game. He is then sent to the second pillar, where he first meets a Shadow, and defeats it. On the third pillar, he is taught how to interact with objects, and by opening a treasure chest, moving a crate, and destroying a barrel, he materializes a door that leads to a dream version of Destiny Islands, where Sora meets facsimiles of his friends, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. They ask him enigmatic questions which determine how he gains experience throughout the game. The fourth pillar contains only a Save Point, while the fifth holds a battle with Sora's Darkside. After fighting the Darkside the Awakening and Sora fall into darkness, and Sora wakes up.

The door and the false Destiny Islands reappear at the Final Rest within End of the World, but this time they contain the final confrontation with Ansem, and Kingdom Hearts itself.

Kingdom Hearts II
The Station of Tranquility, the Station of Serenity, the Station of Awakening, and the Station of Calling.<~--?-->

In Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix Sora fights Roxas in the Station of Awakening.

The boss of the Station of Awakening is the Twilight Thorn.

Roxas and Sora have their internal struggle on one of the pillars in the Station of Awakening.

The Stations
Each pillar depicts a Disney princess, specifically the Princesses of Heart. All Princesses shown are depicted as sleeping, making a reference perhaps to that they have been captured and are in their sleep-like state in Hollow Bastion.
 * Green Pillar = Snow White, with the Seven Dwarves, the animals and even the Evil Queen, in her hag form. Note that all are depicted as awake, like the Beast, possibly hinting that the Dwarves, the Evil Queen and many of the animals somehow survived their world (or that it wasn't destroyed at all).
 * Purple Pillar = Cinderella
 * Pink Pillar = Alice, Jasmine and Kairi (This pillar actually depicts three silhouettes of the stereotypical princess image, one of which resembles Alice. This pillar hints that there must be three more Princesses of Heart not yet captured.)
 * Red Pillar = Aurora, and the three Good Fairies (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather), whom are believed to reside (fully, if not part-time) in Yen Sid's' Tower in Twilight Town, and also "Maleficent", showing her in the form of her disappearing, where she melts into the V-like shape with the green orb of her staff overhead. This picture is shown in the movie of "Sleeping Beauty".
 * Yellow Pillar = Belle (Note that the Beast is represented as the only character on the pillar that is awake, possibly referencing that he survived his world's destruction and was currently looking for Belle)