Helios slipped into the shadows of a quiet alley, casting a quice around to ensure he wasn’t being watched. With a practiced motion, he summoned a dark corridor, the swirling void ing around him like a cloak as he stepped through and reappeared in his room. The soft hum of the puter greeted him, and he wasted no time settling into his chair to check the security camera footage.

  The familiar ses of the castle filled the s, the grainy images of corridors, bs, and tai rooms fshing before his eyes. His foarrowed on the secret b, where Xehanort and the other apprentices worked diligently. The number of Heartless was growing at an arming rate. The tai cells were nearly filled to capacity, their once-pristine barriers now flickering uhe strain of holding back the creatures.

  Helios frowned, his fingers drumming against the edge of the desk. The Heartless came in a variety of types, their forms increasingly sophisticated and dangerous. Soldiers, Shadows, Air Soldiers, and now even Defenders and Wyverns filled the cells. Why do they keep making more? he thought, his fusion deepening. It was clear to anyone paying attention that their trol over the Heartless was tenuous at best. Eventually, the bance would tip, and tai would fail.

  His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Helios turned, his gaze sharp and wary as the door creaked open. Skuld stepped inside, her small frame framed by the dim light of the hallway. She hesitated for a moment before entering fully, her expression a mixture of nervousness aermination.

  “Helios,” she began, her voice quiet but steady. “I fihe st lesson on magic you gave me.”

  Helios raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He swiveled his chair to face her fully. “Did you?” he asked, his tone calm but curious.

  Skuld nodded, stepping closer. “I think I’ve got trol over my output now. Watch.”

  She raised her hands, and a series of light orbs began to appear, floatily above her palms. The first was faint, barely illuminating the room. Then, with practiced precision, she created another, slightly brighter. The sequence tinued, each rowing progressively brighter until the final one shoh an iy that lit up the entire room like a small sun.

  Helios blinked, impressed despite himself. He had needed months in the realm of darko achieve the level of trol she was demonstrating now. Well unlike him she was just relearning something she fot. Folding his arms, he leaned ba his chair, a faint smile tugging at the ers of his lips. “You’ve surpassed my expectations, Skuld,” he said holy. “That’s excellent progress.”

  Skuld beamed at the praise, though her cheeks flushed slightly. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ve been practig whenever I had a ce like you told me. It helps calm my mind too so that helps.”

  Helios rose from his chair, walking over to one of the shelves where an old spell book rested. He picked it up, flipping through the pages briefly before handing it to her. “If that’s the case,” he said, “then it’s time for the step. This book covers some basic elemental spells: Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Aero, and Cure.”

  As she took the book, Helios reached out and lightly touched her hand, a faint glow surrounding their csped hands. Skuld gasped softly as she felt a surge of warmth and knowledge flow through her—a transfer of magical essence.

  “I’ve just passed the essence of those spells to you,” Helios expined. “You should be able to summon them now. For now, though, focus on Aero and Cure. You’re ihe house, and there’s nowhere safe to practice dangerous spells like Fire, Blizzard, or Thunder.”

  Skuld nodded eagerly, clutg the book to her chest. “I’ll do my best!” she said, her voice filled with determination.

  Before she could leave, her gaze fell on the puter s behind Helios. Her expression shifted, curiosity drawing her closer. “What’s that?” she asked, stepping around him to get a better look.

  Helios tensed, hesitating for a fra of a sed before turning back to the monitor. “Just something I’ve been keeping an eye on,” he said carefully. “It’s part of the researchers’ work.”

  Skuld leaned closer, her eyes widening as she took in the se on the s. The Heartless were unmistakable—those shadowed, monstrous forms with glowing yellow eyes. She stiffehe spell book slipping from her hands and thudding softly to the floor.

  “Those monsters…” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Why do they have yellow eyes? They’re just like the ones I saw in my memory…”

  Helios sighed, bending down to pick up the fallen book. He pced it gently on the desk before turning back to her. “They’re called Heartless,” he expined, his voice steady but tinged with a rare note of empathy. “Ahey’re the same as the ones you remember.”

  Skuld took a shaky step back, her hands gripping the edges of her cloak. “Why… Why are they making them?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Why would anyone create something so horrible?”

  Helios straightened, his expression calm. “Because they’re trying to uand the nature of the heart,” he said. “But their experiments are fwed. They’re taking the hearts of people—living, breathing people—and turning them into these creatures.”

  Skuld’s knees buckled, and she sank into the chair, her face pale. “Then… then that’s what happeo the people they took?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “That’s why you said they’re dead?”

  Helios nodded, his gaze unwavering. “Yes,” he said simply. “Their hearts were ed by darkness, and their bodies were destroyed in the process. What’s left are these monsters—Heartless, driven only by their hunger for more hearts.”

  Tears welled up in Skuld’s eyes, spilling down her cheeks as the weight of his words settled over her. “That’s… that’s horrible,” she said, her voice trembling. “How could anyone do that? How could they just… take people’s hearts like that?”

  Helios didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he k in front of her, his gaze meeting hers. “It’s because they’re using the hearts of others,” he said quietly. “They’ve bee so focused on their goals that they’ve fotten the cost. Some people don’t care about the cost they have to pay so long as they're not paying it. And that’s why I told you the people they toohere’s no way t them back.”

  Skuld covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed quietly. Helios pced a hand on her shoulder, his touch light but steady. “That’s why you o be strong both your heart and physically,” he said gently. “Not just for yourself, but for the people who still be saved. You have the power to protect others from this fate.”

  She sniffled, l her hands to look at him. Her eyes were red, but there ark of determination in them. “I’ll try,” she said, her voice trembling but resolute. “I’ll do whatever it takes to stop this from happening to anyone else.”

  Helios gave her a faint smile, his hand squeezing her shoulder briefly before he stood. “That’s all I ask,” he said. “For now, focus on yic training. The stronger you bee, the better off you’ll be. When you master these spells I’ll teach you how to use your keybde.”

  Skuld nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She picked up the spell book again, clutg it tightly. “Thank you, Helios,” she said softly. “I won’t let you down.”

  Helios watched as she left the room, his expression turning cold once she was gone. He turned back to the monitor, his eyes narrowing as he observed the Heartless-filled b once more. Their numbers were growing faster than he expected, but that worked better for him in this case.

  Helios strode through the living room and knocked on Malefit’s door. Malefit had made it clear she wanted results, and this was the perfect opportunity to show her exactly what was brewing within the castle. He opehe door after she responded and found her seated he window, the dim light casting sharp shadows across her features.

  “Malefit,” he called, his voice steady but ced with i. “When st we spoke you said you wao see progress. I have something to show you.”

  Her pierg eyes shifted to him, curiosity flickering in their depths. She rose gracefully, her staff clutched in one hand. “Lead the way,” she said smoothly, her tone carrying a note of intrigue.

  Helios led her to his makeshift puter room, the hum of the monitreeting them as the s flickered to life. With a few keystrokes, he brought up the live feed of the secret b. Heartless filled the cells, their glowing yellow eyes and dark forms a stark trast against the sterile enviro. More Heartless were being produced each sed, their numbers growing at an arming rate.

  Malefit’s lips curled into a wicked smile as her eyes gleamed with satisfa. She let out a low, dark ugh, her voice reverberating with delight. “Magnifit,” she purred. “An army worthy of my and. Soon, the worlds will bow to my darkness.”

  Helios stood silently, watg her revel in the sight. Her rea was exactly as he’d expected, and it served his pns well. For now, he would let her bask in her victory. That was one issue dealt with now onto the .