You lean against the station and look up at the "stars" in the ceiling. Even though they aren't real, they twinkle and seem to blink just like stars do. It's strange, but it makes you smile. Such a little glimmer of hope down here underground, even if it isn't real.

"Hey, Sans?" you'd been staring up at the ceiling for so long, you almost forgot he was there. Ever since the other kid left, he'd been pretty quiet. There was still so much to ask him, "What should I do now?"

You waited fora moment, but he never answered. As you turned to him, ready to ask again, you blink in surprise. Sans is still there behind the station, except he's fast asleep. Curious,you turn completely to face him and poke his skull. He starts to snore a little, but stays fast asleep.

"How did you-"

You felt something brush by your arm then. It seemed to tug at your sleeve, as if beckoning you to follow before it disappeared down the hall ahead. As you look up, trying to catch a glimpse of who it was,all you see is a shadow waving to you.

"Hey! Wait!" Without a second thought, you hurry to catch up with it. The hall was dark, much darker than the last room. As you ran ahead, hoping you were still following them the right way, you notice another Echo Flower on the side of the path. Remembering what Sans had said, you crouch down and listen curiously. It was quiet, just above a whisper, but you heard it clearly.

"Behind you."

As the chill ran down your spine, you slowly begin to turn. At the last second, you stand again, facing the way you had just come. But, there was nothing there. Holding your breath, you step forward. The hall in front of you seems to permeate an evil that you are familiar with, the air thick and hard to breathe. As you take another step, you hold your keyblade tight in your fist. You don't know how much good it can do while its so small, but you hope its enough. As the light from the Echo Flower fades behind you, you feel the chill run down your spine again. You turn quickly, only to be knocked back off your feet.

You try to scream out for help, but you can't seem to breathe.

You struggle to free yourself, but the more you do the less you move.

Even though the light was already gone,you feel the darkness pressing down harder on you. You call out again, for anyone.

But nobody came.

"Sora, are you sure about this?"

"Yeah! I've never been so sure. How can we just sit back and watch a world go through so much turmoil?"

"But... Master Yen Sid said-"

"Forget what he said! There's a solution to every problem, right? That's what Leon always says."

"...You idiot. Okay. Go then. But... be careful, okay?"

"Of course! Oh, don't tell Riku where I'm going. I don't want him following me."

"I promise."

The sunlight shone on your face. It was warm, it was welcoming, it was... strange.

You gasped as you opened your eyes and sat up quickly. Scrambling to your feet,you brush yourself off in an attempt to regather your bearings. Looking down at yourself, everything seemed to be fine. There wasn't a scratch on you, even though you distinctly remember something sharp in your chest. In your hand you were still gripping your keyblade tight. It hurt a little as you peeled your fingers away from it and let it hang back at your wrist.

"What... was that?" you ask yourself aloud, looking down at your shaking hands.

"Oh, look who's back."

You tensed up, recognizing the voice. It was then that you remembered to look around yourself. You weren't back in that hall with the Echo Flower. You were back in the Ruins once again. Standing in the bed of yellow flowers where you must have landed the first time. As you turn to face the voice, you see him in the center.

"F-Flowey?" you whisper. He seems uninterested in what you have to say, "What?"

"Yeah, I'm Flowey. I literally said that just before you bolted out of the room," Flowey gave a curious look as you began to pace the floor, "Uh, what are you doing?"

"No, I wasn't here, I-I was in that hall... with the Echo Flower. It was so dark..."

"Oho, so you've met with our resident issue, then?"

You look at Flowey, surprised, "Resident issue?"

Flowey smirked, looking pretty proud of himself. It was clear he was happier when he controlled the situation, "Yeah, monsters have been disappearing a lot for them they all wake up the next day like nothing happened. Or rather... the same morning?"

You crouch down to get to the same level as Flowey, "What are you talking about?"

Flowey sighed, looking annoyed again, "You saw that smiley trashbag, didn't you? Surely you've noticed, what with all the deja vu around this place."

You blink, straightening up. He was right, there was a strong feeling like you had done all of this before, like you just had this same conversation with Flowey before. But, what did it mean.

"Deja vu is just a feeling like you've done it all before. What does that have to do with anything?" you hated this feeling of confusion. Nothing ever made sense unless someone would stop being cryptic. And this place seemed to be full of cryptic messages.

Flowey groaned, "Duh, the resets! You've been in this room so many times now, I've stopped counting!" Flowey turned away, looking over at the doorway, "Whether its you or Frisk, it always ends the same. You run out and find Toriel. She shows you around, she gives you the pie, you leave and find Sans. Blah blah blah," he turned quickly to you again, making you jump a little, "It's always the same. I'm done playing. What's the point? There's never been an end to this game."

You fold your arms as you try to understand, "So... this is all a game?" you ask with a smile. It seemed all a little too real to be a game. But, what if that's all it really was?

Flowey shot you a disgusted look, "Is that REALLY what you've taken from all of this? FYI, It looks to me like you've died a few times now."

You blinked again at him. Then, without warning, you laugh and fall back on your butt. Flowey looks confused and annoyed, but you just keep on laughing, "Come on, Flowey. I think I'd know if I died. Or, I wouldn't. 'Cuz, you know, I'd be dead."

Flowey sighed, "I'm not explaining this again. You want an answer, then next time go find Sans."

"Next time-?"

Before you could even finish your question, you were surrounded by his "friendliness pellets." He didn't even give you a moment to react as he struck you down, attack after attack. You tried to block, tried to get away, protecting you SOUL, but it was no use. As he prepared his final attack, you heard a gasp. You knew it was Toriel as he footsteps got closer to you. Though your vision was blurred, you knew Flowey must have gone away by then. As you collapsed on the ground, you heard her say:

"You were right, my child. There really is another!"

The moonlight shone in through the windows behind the desk, casting beams of light in the crescent and star shapes. The stars in the sky all twinkled with the brightest light, each filled with life. The desk was neat and tidy, stacks of books and papers lining it in a way that seemed more organized than it must have been. Even so, the old wizard continued to move them in a way so that each was organized differently than it had been before.

"Master Yen Sid, they are here."

Yen Sid looked up from his busy work and greeted the three keyblade wielders as they walked into the room and greeted him with a salute. He nodded to each of them, "Thank you for coming, Sora, Riku, Kairi."

"You're message seemed urgent, Master," Riku said, stepping forward first,"Of course, we came as soon as we could. It is pretty late in our world. Some of us had a bit of trouble getting up," he glanced back with a smirk.

Sora rubbed his eye and let out a big yawn, "Cut me some slack, I've been just as busy as you lately."

"Busy slacking off."

"Hey!"

"Now now, boys," Yen Sid held his hands up with a slight smile, "There are indeed more pressing matters at hand. Regardless of the circumstance, I appreciate your willingness to assist."

Kairi smiled, "It's our duty after all. So, tell us about these worlds you found."

Yen Sid sat back in his chair and held his hand up. The room around them went dark as the night sky for a moment, then was dotted with smaller versions of every world out there. Many of them familiar and equally unfamiliar. As the three of them looked around spotting familiar worlds with smiles on their faces, three worlds grew in size before each of them. Each one looked desolate and abandoned, as if everyone there had all left.

"These three worlds have been going dim as of late. I suspect there is much higher Heartless numbers here than anywhere has seen. And yet, the worlds have not faded yet. Each of you will go down and do some reconnaissance to gather information on what has happened. Find out who is still there and what darkness still lies within."

Yen Sid stood and walked around the desk, standing behind each of them to explain their mission.

"Kairi, this world revolves around a circus show. Something mysterious has taken hold of the acts and now no one who goes to the show has been seen leaving it. Find the ringmaster and figure out what is happening to the guests of the show."

Kairi nodded and smiled, "I've never been to the circus before."

Yen Sid smiled and stepped past, putting his hand on Riku's shoulder, "Riku, this world is stuck in a very dark time for everyone. Illness, poverty, and very dangerous crimes. They are seeking out their king who is nowhere to be found. If left alone for too long, something dark may take hold of the throne and throw the world into total turmoil. Seek out the sword and protect it at all costs."

Riku nodded, "Yes, Master Yen Sid."

Yen Sid nodded and stepped over to Sora who was preoccupied with a world to the side of him. A tiny world that freely blinked in and out of existence, as if it were a light bulb that needed to be changed. Yen Sid cleared hi throat and Sora jumped a little, looking at him, "Now, Sora, this world is being controlled by a very dark force that is causing the animals to act unusually. You will go in as one of them to find out what has happened and what has made them so out of control. This shouldn't be a problem for you since you are accustomed to this type of magic."

Sora nodded, but still glanced over at the blinking world.

"Is something troubling you?"

"That world... over there. It looks like its in a lot more trouble than these. Shouldn't we-"

"No! You must not ever go to that world," Yen Sid commanded, sternly, "That world is in a constant downward spiral and could disappear at any instance, without any heartless interference. If any of you were to set foot in that world, you would never return."

Sora frowned and looked to Riku and Kairi. Kairi frowned back at him and shrugged. Riku met Sora's gaze and just shook his head.

"Alright. Fine."

Yen Sid walked back around to his desk, the worlds all disappearing in a flash, "Now then, you have your missions. Once you are prepared you may each proceed. You will find a special ship designed to take each of you to the worlds." He sat in the chair and turned it around, facing the windows.

As the three of them left, Sora looked out one of the windows in the hall. Just above the horizon, he could see the little world blinking. It had looked like a mountain and nothing more, it didn't even look dangerous. Sora clenched his fists, "There has to be some way to help."

"Sora, no." Riku turned quicklyto him, "You heard what Master Yen Sid said. You go there and you won't ever come back."

"So? You've been inside the dark realm, we both have. And you aren't supposed to be able to leave there either," Sora argued.

"This is different!"

"How could it be different?! It's a world thats destroying itself!"

"Exactly!"

Sora stopped and looked at Riku. He shook his head, "No, you're right. It's doing this to itself. The world doesn't need my help, or anyones."

Riku sighed, "Just don't do anything stupid." he turned and headed towards his own ship. As he waved to them, he flew off into the sky.

"Kairi, I'm going. They need help. No one should be made to suffer alone like that."