Helios hurried through the bustling streets of Radiant Garden, his coat fluttering slightly in the cool breeze. His goal was clear: retrieve Kurai from Cid before any plications arose. He khat Xehanort or one of the apprentices might eventually notice the strange behaviors Kurai’s subtle influence had triggered in Cid, and that kind of scrutiny was the st thing Helios ime was of the essence.

  Halfway to the workshop, Helios turned a er and nearly walked straight into Even. The slender apprentice’s sharp green eyes locked onto Helios immediately, and a faint smile tugged at the ers of his lips.

  “Well, well,” Even said smoothly, his tone ced with curiosity. “It seems we meet again.”

  Helios forced his expression into a ral mask, hiding his annoyance. He had no way to avoid this enter without raising suspi. “Good day, Sir Even,” he said with a curt nod. “Heading somewhere?”

  Even’s smile widened slightly. “As a matter of fact, I’m on my way to the b. It seems we’re heading in the same dire. Shall we walk together?”

  Helios inwardly cursed his luck but mao maintain his posure. If he deed, Even might grow suspicious or insist on apanying him anyway. “Sure,” Helios said, keeping his tone casual. “Lead the way.”

  As they walked side by side, Even wasted no time starting a versation. “You know, Helios, I’ve been w if you’ve residered my offer to join us at the b. Your perspective must be… quite u would be a shame not to utilize them for the greater good.”

  Helios kept his stride even, his gaze fixed ahead. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine where I am,” he said smoothly. “I prefer w for Cid and Merlin.”

  Even’s expression didn’t falter, but his sharp eyes studied Helios closely. “A shame,” he murmured. “With someone of your skill, we could aplish remarkable things. But I suppose independence suits you.”

  They walked in silence for a moment before Even shifted the versation. “How are you finding life in Radiant Garden these days?” he asked casually.

  Helios gave quick but solid answers, defleg the questions with practiced ease. He spoke about his routine, his iions with townsfolk, and the occasional oddities that came with living in a pce like Radiant Garden. Even nodded along, his demeanor polite, but Helios could sehe subtle probing in his words.

  As they approached the workshop, Helios could feel his irritation building. The closer they got, the more questions Even seemed to have. “You’ve ged quite a bit since we first met,” Even remarked, his tone light but with an edge of curiosity. “You carry yourself differently now. There’s… something darker about you.”

  Helios froze for a fra of a sed, his mind rag. Even’s words were like a bde cutting through his carefully structed facade. He forced a small, tight smile. “Everyone ges over time,” he said, his tone calm. “The challenges we face tend to leave their mark.”

  Even hummed thoughtfully, his gaze lingering on Helios for a moment lohan necessary. Then, with a faint smile, he said, “Of course. I’ve always believed that adversity shapes us in iing ways.”

  A few steps from the workshop, Even stopped. “Well, this is where I leave you,” he said, his smile widening slightly. “It’s always enlightening to speak with you, Helios. Until ime.”

  Helios nodded, watg as Even turned and walked away, his form disappearing into the bustling streets. The moment he was out of sight, Helios let out a slow, measured breath, cursing under his breath.

  Even had noticed it—the faint st of darkness emanating from him. Without Kurai present to pletely mask the darkness, the orb inside him could only suppress so much. That faint trace would be all someone like Even would o start eg dots. If Even realized that Helios’s dark form and his current self were one and the same, it would shatter his carefully structed facade and expose him to Xehanort and the others.

  Helios ched his fists briefly before f himself to rex. He couldn’t afford to lose his posure now. Kurai had to be retrieved, and quickly. Anything else could be dealt with after that.

  Entering Cid’s workshop, Helios was greeted by the familiar hum of maery and the faint tang of oil aal. The space was a trolled chaos of scattered tools, glowing monitors, and half-finished traptions. Cid sat at his workbench, hunched over a part filled with detailed schematics. His expression, a mask of deep tration, softened slightly as he gnced up and spotted Helios entering.

  “Well, look who it is,” Cid said, setting his pen down and leaning ba his chair. A faint smile tugged at his lips, breaking his otherwise stern demeanor. “What brings you here, Helios?”

  Helios returhe smile, masking the urgency simmerih his calm exterior. “I wao che on that Gummi design we worked on st time,” he said smoothly, his tone casual. “I figured you might’ve made some ges to it. Thought I’d see if you had any insights to share.”

  Cid chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with a grease-streaked hand. “You did a damn good job on it, kid. Bit of a rush job, though. There were a few details I ended up smoothing out, but overall, it’s solid wot me out of a tight spot, that’s for sure.”

  Helios stepped closer, his gaze flig briefly to the workbench. “Good to hear,” he said, maintaining his rexed facade. “Anything you’d tweak for ime?”

  Cid waved a hand dismissively, the ers of his mouth twitg upward. “Not much, really. Maybe streamlihe propulsion alig a bit, but other than that, it’s spot-on. You’ve got a knack for this stuff.”

  Helios nodded, keeping his movements measured. “Thanks, Cid. It’s always good to hear feedback from someoh your expertise.”

  Cid waved him off with a grin. “You and your tech talk. I’ll dig up the details for you ter. Right now, I’ve got a backlog of repairs to get through.”

  As Cid turned back to his work, Helios felt the faint presence of Kurai stir within the room. The subtle darkness seeped from the shadows, coalesg just behind Cid before merging bato Helios with a faint, almost imperceptible pulse. The weight of Kurai’s presetled within him, and Helios felt the suppression of his darkness strengthen immediately.

  Kurai’s voice slithered into his mind, smooth and sardonic. “You’re lucky I hahings as ly as I did. Those apprentices are quite the nosy ones.”

  Helios’s smile remained fixed as he replied internally, “We’ll discuss your methods ter. For now, keep quiet.”

  With Kurai safely returo him, Helios ed up his versation with Cid, exg himself with a polite nod. He left the workshop, his mind already shifting gears as he sidered the implications of Even’s observations and the potential fallout from their enter. Even’s sharp intelled curiosity made him a dangerous variable, ohat Helios couldn’t afford to uimate.