Helios sat in his dimly lit room, the glow from his monitor casting sharp angles across his face as he watched the exge between Xehanort and Braig. Their pn was simpler than he imagined: Ahe Wise would soon be bao the Realm of Darkness uhe guise of "abando." Helios’s expression was calm. Every step Xehanort took seemed calcuted, eae tightening the noose around Radiant Garden’s future. He should learn from the man for ter when he would enact his own pns.

  He leaned ba his chair, rubbing his temples with exasperation. If the ret of events had taught him anything, it was that he o prepare for tingehe course of this universe’s future had already messed up and he had been forced to shift it back more times than he cared to t, and the knowledge of Xehanort’s iions only added another yer ency. Ansem’s banishment was crucial—it had to happen to ehe timeline proceeded as expected—but Helios couldn’t leave it unchecked. He also o ehat Ansem would eventually find his way to Twilight Towually then make his way to Castle Obliviohe time came.

  For that, he needed Kurai. The entity had been instrumental in embedding Helios’s backdoram into the castle’s systems, but now he ’s ability to interfere with dark corridors and direct them. Xehanort was meticulous, and if he began monit Cid’s workshop, any unusual activity might implicate Helios. A natural excuse to visit the workshop would have been preferable, but Helios couldn’t afford to wait much loime was against him, as always.

  Pushing his chair back with a groan, Helios stood and stretched, shaking off the mental fog that came with too much s time. He grabbed his jacket and opehe door, only to stop abruptly as he nearly collided with Skuld, who stood with her fist raised, about to knock.

  The collisiohem both stumbling, and Helios instinctively reached out to steady her, iently pulling her dowwisted mid-fall to cushion her nding, stopping just short of fully crashing into her. The moment hung awkwardly in the air before Helios scrambled to his feet, helping her up with a calm look.

  “Skuld,” he said, his voice steady despite the near-mishap. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve got something on your mind.”

  Skuld dusted herself off, her cheeks tinged with pink from embarrassment. “I… well, you told me to e to you if anything weird happened because of…” She hesitated, gng away. “You know, because of the boy’s heart.”

  Helios’s analytical mi on high alert, his posture stiffening ever so slightly. “Weird how?” he asked, his tone calm but direct. “What exactly are you experieng?”

  Skuld fidgeted with her hands, clearly struggling to put her thoughts into words. “It’s not anything bad,” she said quickly. “It’s just… I’ve been seeing things. Like images. Fshes, really. I was fighting with my Keybde, but the pces and the enemies—I don’t reize any of it.”

  Helios frowned, his mind rag as he sidered the possibilities. If Skuld’s dition had worsened, he would o act quickly, potentially removing Cloud’s heart and taking the risk of housing it within his own. But her description didn’t sound like deterioration. It sounded like…

  “Memories,” he murmured, his blue eyes narrowing in thought. He motioned for Skuld to follow him bato his room, gesturing for her to sit. “Tell me everything. When did this start? What exactly did you see?”

  Skuld hesitated for a moment before sitting down, her gaze steady despite the uainty in her voice. “It started this m,” she said. “I ractig with my light magid suddenly I saw… myself. At least, I think it was me. I was holding my Keybde, but I was wearing different clothes, I think. And there were these dark shadowy monsters everywhere. I was fighting them, but it felt like… like I wasn’t really there. Like I was watg someone else.”

  Helios leaned against the desk, his arms crossed as he processed her words. “Armor,” he repeated, his voice thoughtful. “And you are sure you were fighting the heartless those shadowy monsters. Did yhe surroundings? Was it somewhere in Radiant Garden?”

  Skuld shook her head. “No, it was somewhere else. The sky was dark, and there were keybdes everywhere. It felt… a.”

  Helios’s mind ed with possibilities. The description did somewhat fit the events of the Keybde War—memories from the Age of Fairytales. But there was another yer to sider: Cloud’s heart. There were less back then so it couldn’t fully be her memories. Was Skuld’s mind accessing her heart’s memories, leading to her heart’s memories mixing with Cloud’s interpreting his experiences as her own? The distin was critical.

  “It’s possible that your memories are beginning to awaken,” he said carefully, his tone measured. “But it’s equally possible that what you’re seeing is tied to Cloud. Hearts are plex—when two hearts coexist within one body, their experiences sometimes overp. Your heart might be interpreting fragments of Cloud’s memories, reshaping them to fit your perspective.”

  Skuld’s brow furrowed, her fusion evident. “So… these might not be my memories?”

  Helios nodded, his expression serious. “Yes and no. You certainly were around for the se you described but those shadowy creature you saw were most likely a byproduct of housing Cloud’s heart. His memories of fighting them with a on—not a Keybde, but a sword—might be surfag, and your heart is trying to make sense of them by framing them in a text you would uand.”

  Skuld frowned, her hands clutg her knees. “But what if they are my memories? What if this is a sign that I’m starting to remember who I was?”

  Helios studied her carefully, his analytical gaze unwavering. “It’s possible,” he admitted. “But memory recovery is a gradual process, especially for someone in your situation. If these are your memories, they’ll bee clearer over time. For now, we o monitor the situation closely. Any new images, sensations, or feelings appear—tell me immediately.”

  Skuld hough her expression was still tinged with uainty. “Do you think… I’ll ever really remember everything?” she asked softly, her voice carrying a note of vulnerability.

  Helios’s expression softened slightly. “Memory is a delicate thing,” he said. “It’s not just about recallis—it’s about uanding who you were and how those experiences shaped you. Whether these memories are yours, Cloud’s, or both, they’re part of you now. What matters is how you respond to them and whether you pn to use them to move forward.”

  Skuld seemed to take fort in his words, though the weight of her uainty still lingered. She stood, her resolve evidee her lingering doubt. “Thank you, Helios,” she said quietly. “I’ll let you know if I see anything else.”

  Helios nodded, his gaze following her as she left the room. Ohe door closed behind her, his expression darkened, a out a slow breath. If Skuld’s memories were truly awakening, it could plicate matters—especially if they began to flict with the fabricated narrative he’d built to maintairust. But if they were Cloud’s memories, the situation could be even more dangerous. The lohis tihe more strain it would p her heart.

  He shook his head, fog his thoughts. For now, he o retrieve Kurai from Cid and ehat Ansem’s banishment proceeded as pnned. Skuld’s dition would have to wait—at least until he had the time and resources to address it properly. Grabbing his coat, Helios stepped into a dark corridor.