Ba the city, Helios’s urgency mounted. Cid and Skuld were still out there, and the streets were more dangerous than ever. Every person who fell to the heartless rose as a new heartless added more and more to the horde. The streets of Radiant Garden were being a chaotiightmare. Heartless prowled everywhere, their yellow eyes glowing ominously in the dim light of the fallen city.

  Helios moved cautiously across the rooftops, his sharp eyes sing the streets below for any sign of Cid. Helios crouched low, his dark form blending into the shadows as he spotted movement below. There, trudgierminedly through the ruins, was Cid. The older man looked exhausted but resolute, his path unmistakably heading toward the castle. Helios frowned. ‘What’s he thinking? Is he trying to reasem to save him? That’s reckless and foolish.’

  Deactivating his dark form, Helios let out a breath. His regur appearance would make Cid more likely to trust him. With practiced ease, he jumped from the rooftop, nding a few feet away from Cid.

  The sudden artled the older man, who spun around with a hand on his toolbelt. “What in the—?!” Cid excimed, his voice ced with both shod irritation. “You almost gave me a dam attack, kid!”

  Helios chuckled lightly, though the tension in his voice was hard to miss. “Sorry about that, but we’ve got bigger problems. We o head back to your workshop and evacuate. The city’s lost.”

  Cid shook his head, his jaw tightening. “Fet that—I’m heading to the castle. I o find Ansem. He’ll know what to do.”

  Helios stepped in front of him, blog his path. “Ansem’s already gone,” he said firmly. “He evacuated with the apprentices before things got out of hand.”

  Cid frowned, suspi flickering in his eyes. “How do you know that?”

  Helios hesitated, searg for the right words. Thankfully, Kurai’s earlier possession had given him an edge. Cid believed Helios had close ties to Ansem after that scheme, and Helios capitalized on that. “I was with him,” he lied smoothly. “He made sure they all got out safely. Now it’s our turn. We have to go. Yuffie and the gang already left so we’re the only ones left.”

  Cid’s frown deepened, but the expnation seemed to quell his doubts. After a tense moment, he nodded. “Alright, kid. Let’s get to the workshop.”

  Helios opened a dark corridor, the swirling portal casting an eerie light over the ruireet. Cid’s eyes widened as he took a step back. “What iars is that?”

  “It’s a shortcut,” Helios said, stepping through the corridor. “Trust me—it’s safe.”

  Cid hesitated but followed relutly, emerging oher side to find himself ba his workshop. The transitio him momentarily disoriented, and he gred at Helios. “What the hell did you just do? How’d we get here so fast?”

  Helios ighe question, moving quickly to the sole. His fingers flew over the trols as he initiated the start-up procedure for the Gummi Ship he’d desighe Eclipse Drifter. The sleek, advanced ship hummed to life, its systems booting up smoothly. Helios input the same coordinates he’d used for the Highwind, ensuring the destination was set for Traverse Town.

  Turning to Cid, he said, “The ship’s ready. Get in and go.”

  Cid’s brow furrowed. “What about you? You’re not ing?”

  Helios walked over, pg a hand on Cid’s shoulder. “I have things to take care of here,” he said quietly. “But don’t worry—yoing to be fine.” Before Cid could argue, Helios cast the Memory Hex, his Keybde glowing faintly as the spell took effect. The older man’s expression softened, his eyes unfog as the memories of their meeting faded.

  Helios reinforced the spell with a suggestion. “Track the Highwind,” he murmured. “Follow it. They’ll need your help.”

  With the suggestion impnted, Helios cast a sleep spell on Cid, catg the man as he slumped forward. He carefully strapped Cid into the pilot’s seat ahe ship’s autopilot to unch. The Eclipse Drifter began to lift off, its engines r to life. Helios stepped back, watg as the ship asded into the darkened sky, carrying its precious cargo toward safety.

  As the ship disappeared from view, Helios let out a slow breath, his mind already shifting to the ask. Cid is safe. Now for Skuld.

  He opened a dark corridor, its swirling energy pulling at the edges of his resolve. His destination was Yuffie’s pce; if Skuld had gone anywhere, it would be there. But as he stepped through the corridor, he was startled to find Skuld ing through from the other side, crashing into him with enough force to nearly knock them both over.

  “Skuld!” Helios excimed, steadying her as she stumbled. “What—?”

  Before he could finish, three Neoshadows emerged from the corridor behiheir jagged forms slinking forward with predatory i. Helios pushed Skuld behind him, summoning his Keybde as the Heartless lunged.

  The fight was quick but brutal. Helios moved with precision, his Keybde slig through the Heartless with calcuted strikes. Skuld, though shaken, summoned her own Keybde and joihe fray, her movements clumsy but she mao hold her own against one Neoshadow. Together, they dispatched the Neoshadows, their bodies dissolving into darkness.

  As the st Heartless fell, Skuld let out a shaky breath, her grip on her Keybde loosening. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I just… I had to know if Lea and Isa were okay.”

  Helios pced a hand on her shoulder, his expression a mix of frustration and uanding. “I get it,” he said. “But you ’t do this alone. You’re lucky I found you when I did.”

  Skuld looked down, guilt fshing across her face. “I thought I could help,” she murmured. “But… it’s too much.”

  Helios softened, his voice gentler. “It’s okay. We’ll figure this out,” he said. “Together. But right now, we o stay alive. Let’s go.”

  He opened another dark corriduiding Skuld through it and back to the retive safety of Merlin’s cottage. Onside, he shut the door firmly and locked it, ensuring the barrier spells around the house were intact.

  Skuld sank into a chair, her exhaustion catg up with her. Helios watched her for a moment before speaking. “Rest,” he said quietly. “We’ll talk ter.”