They figured Yen Sid must've lost his mind. Why did the entire cavalry show up. Sora, Donald and Goofy are more than plenty. Yet, Yen Sid insisted on Riku and Kairi come along as well. Kairi didn't finish her training, if the mission they are embark on is so fraught with danger, Riku believed it's best to leave her behind.
They arrived in Radiant Garden to little fanfare, which they aren't used too. Having built up their credentials as saviors of the universe they became a bit bit of a household name on all of the known worlds. "Odd. Things aren't usually this quiet." Riku says.
"They can't throw a parade for us every time we're here. Besides, we were here two weeks ago." Kairi points out.
Leon walks near the Gummi ship, even through his typical calm voice, Sora could see he was impatient. Master Yen Sid demanded they arrive to the laboratory and to take no detours.
The laboratory, or Ansem's study, held every piece of known critical information on the universe and the enemies of the light. Waiting for them a usual suspects, someone who Sora's known since his first adventure as weirder of the keyblade. The perky "great ninja" yuffie. Another woman, dressed in all black, a zip up tube top and long black hair, who Sora remembered as Tifa from their brief encounter over a year ago.
"Good to see you guys again." Yuffie said. Kairi walks up to Tifa asking her on the whereabouts of Cloud. Tifa confessed she's been looking for him for ages, she turns a way explaining he's "on assignment" she didn't go into details.
"So why are we here?" The anticipation was killing Riku.
"The darkness has returned." Leon tells them. They all look at him, not knowing what he means.
"When did they go away?" Sora rhetorically asks.
"We've lost four worlds in the last hour. Reduced down to gems." Leon pulls up a map of the universe on Ansem's main computer. "See? Somehow we've lost them, all we know is their hearts haven't been stolen by the Heartless. So we can still resurrect them." This information freaked everyone out. How did this happen right under their noses? And so quickly.
"But I was just there." Sora points to Agrabah. "And there too!" He's now pointing at Atlantis. "This doesn't make sense."
"This could be the work of Xehanort's time traveling." Leon guesses.
"Didn't we defeat him?" Kairi groans. "Why can't he stay in the ground."
"Darkness never dies, it only recedes." Leon retorts. "His power is limited, perhaps he's able to dial back to a time before they keyblade existed so he can carry his will uncontested."
"But didn't Xehanort want the keyblade?" Goofy brings up, remembering the time Xehanort kidnapped Sora in the hopes of turning him into a vessel for the darkness.
"Maybe he hopes to form his own version of the keyblade?" Kairi figures, though she's unsure. "What are supposed to do?"
"Fortunately, we've tracked down the gems. They are all on one world." Leon brings up the rather unspectacular and bland sphere. "There."
"Looks depressing." Kairi analyzes.
"Any world lacking in light is." Sora says. "Don't worry, guys. We'll find those gems in no time!"
"You can't get there with the Gummi ship. You need to enter the world via the main frame. Like how you entered Space Paranoids." Leon educates Sora.
"But isn't this world real? Or is it digital, like Roxas' Twilight Town?" Riku was curious as to what new wrinkle the universe has in store for him today.
"It's real, it is also not real. We do not know. Perhaps it is a world lost to time. Either because of Xehanort or it was merely its fate." The answer didn't fill in all of the holes the gang was hoping for, but it did paint a bleak picture.
"A world on its last legs." Internally, Sora wept for the suffering on this world whether they knew of their predicament or not.
"Only two of you can go. If you're wounded, we can beam you back here to the study and replace you with one of the other three." Leon explains. Sora and Riku stepped up, believing they are the best ones to kick this mission off.
Kairi took Sora aside and quietly told him to come back in one piece. Donald overheard this and grinned from ear to ear.
"Now Sora, remember to be safe." Donald teases, the teenager turning red as a result.
"Come on, Sora. We have to get going."