The sensation of possession was an odd, almost a fotten experience by Kurai. It wasn’t as though it had pletely overtaken Cid—it wasn’t a full possession. No, Kurai as a true darkness used the subtlety of suggestion, whispering faint nudges into Cid’s thoughts like a voi his heart. It allowed the man to fun almost normally, oblivious to the dark influence subtly guiding his as.

  Cid’s hands moved over his workbench with practiced efficy, his mind focused on his tasks even as Kurai’s presence lingered, whispering suggestions into his subscious. Kurai’s hold was light but firm enough to ehat Cid would follow through with Helios’s request. It was almost… eaining.

  As Cid worked, the phone like devi the er of his desk buzzed to life, shattering the retive calm of the workshop. Kurai leaned in through Cid’s mind, pressing just enough to ence him to answer without hesitation.

  “Hello?” Cid said gruffly, pressing the receiver to his ear.

  The voi the other end was frantid familiar—Even, one of the apprentices w under Ahe Wise. “Cid, we’ve got a major problem!” Even’s usually posed tone was ced with panic. “There’s a virus in the system—it’s attag our data, corrupting files, and log us out of critical access points. We need your help, immediately.”

  Cid’s brow furrowed, his mind rag. “A virus?” he muttered, his voice sharp with . “How the hell did that happen?”

  “We don’t know!” Even snapped, his frustration boiling over. “But if we don’t deal with it soon, it could promise everything. You’re the only oh the skills to help us right now. you get to the castle?”

  Kurai’s influence pressed lightly, guiding Cid’s thoughts. This is it. Take the disk. Go now.

  Cid didn’t hesitate. “On my way,” he said, ending the call and grabbing the disk Helios had given him—though, in his mind, it had been handed over by Ahe Wise himself. Seemed like this was the distra.

  The jouro the castle was a blur, a haze of hasteeps and distant sounds barely registered in Cid’s mind. When he arrived at the b, Eve him at the door, his face pale and his usually posed demeanor frayed at the edges. “Thank the stars you’re here,” Even said, ushering him ihe virus is spreading faster thaicipated. We’ve already lost partial access to some critical systems.”

  “Show me,” Cid said gruffly, his tone leaving no room fument. Even led him to a sole surrounded by other apprentices—Xehanort and Ienzo—all of whom wore varying expressions of and irritation. The s dispyed a chaotic mess of corrupted files, error messages fshing in rapid succession.

  “What the hell is this?” Cid muttered, his fingers already moving to pull up diagnostic tools.

  “A mystery we don’t have time to solve,” Even said, his voice tight. “We o isote the virus and purge it before it spreads further.”

  Kurai pushed gently, direg Cid’s thoughts toward the disk in his pocket. ‘This is your moment. The disk will help. o tip them off. Might as well say it’s my program.‘

  Cid frowned, his hand instinctively reag into his pocket. “I brought something,” he said, pulling out the disk. “An adaptive anti-virus program I was cooking up a few days ago.”

  Even’s head soward him, his eyes narrowing. “You seem well prepared,” he said, his voice tinged with suspi.

  odded, his expression ear. “Yeah, it was for the Gummi Project I was w on for Ansem. It should analyze the system and root out problems like this. Figured now’s as good a time as any to test it.”

  Eveated, his analytical mind warring with his urgency. “Fine,” he said after a moment. “But be careful. If that disk has any fws, it could make things worse.”

  Kurai’s influeightened, ensuring Cid’s fidence didn’t waver. Trust in what Aold you. Ihe disk.

  Cid stepped forward, sliding the disk into the sole with steady hands. The s flickered for a moment, then dispyed a loading bar as the program began to run. The room fell into a tense silehe apprentices watg with bated breath as lines of code streamed across the s.

  “What’s it doing?” Ienzo asked, his tone wary.

  Cid shrugged, his eyes fixed on the s. “Analyzing, I think. Hadn’t had time to test it yet.”

  Kurai chuckled softly in the recesses of Cid’s mind, amused by how easily the situation was unfolding. The disk wasn’t just analyzing the system—it was embedding Helios’s backdoram, granting him the access he o monitor the castle’s security remotely while removing the virus Helios had pnted as a diversion.

  “Let’s hope it works,” Xehanort muttered, his arms crossed as he watched the progress bar inch forward.

  Within moments, the s fshed green, signaling that the program had pleted its task. A series of files appeared on the s, highlighted in red and marked for deletion.

  “There,” Cid said, pointing at the s. “Looks like it’s identified the ied files. Shouldn’t take long te them now.”

  Even’s expression remained skeptical, but he nodded. “Good. Start the purge.”

  Cid’s fingers flew over the keyboard, exeg the ands to begin the process. As the system began to stabilize, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the room.

  “You did it,” Ienzo said, his tone quiet but genuinely impressed.

  Cid leaned ba his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. “Told you I know my stuff,” he said, though the words carried a faint undercurrent of unease.

  Kurai, led deep within Cid’s subscious, smirked with satisfa. The seed is phe backdoor is in pow, Helios will have the access he needs.

  As the apprentices busied themselves with verifying the system’s stability, Cid excused himself, g he needed fresh air after the stressful ordeal. Kurai looses influence slightly, allowing Cid’s natural thoughts to surface. The ma a sense of aplishment but couldn’t shake a naggiion. The disk and the virus—it was almost as if they were made for each other. Why? Even if Ansem wanted a distra there were better ways to go about it. It almost felt like he didn’t have access and rushed all of this.

  Kurai chuckled darkly, its voice a whisper in Cid’s mind. Don’t overthink it. You did what you were meant to do. Now rest easy, knowing you’ve done your part. Destroy the disk, as Ansem instructed, and wait for him to request your report.

  Cid’s steps slowed as he exited the castle, his brow furrowing. “Destroy the disk,” he muttered to himself. “Ansem’s orders…” He felt the weight of doubt pressing on him but shook it off as fatigue.

  Kurai withdrew entirely as Cid stepped bato the streets of Radiant Garden. Everything is proceeding as pnned, Kurai mused to itself, a faint ripple of satisfa spreading through its dark essence as it returo the shadows. Now let’s see what Helios does with his new eyes ihe castle.