Reappearing in his room, Helios motioned for the Moogles to sit on a small benear the desk. They looked around warily, their round pom-poms bobbing as their eyes darted across the room. One of them finally spoke, its tiny voice quivering. “Where are we, kupo? Is this really safe? Why is that person not moving?”

  “This is my house,” Helios replied, though he mentally was teically Merlin’s. “The barrier around this pce keeps the Heartless those monsters out—for now, at least. It’s safe enough. Also, don’t worry too much about him; he’s a deep sleeper.”

  The Moogles exged gheir tension easing slightly, though curiosity still danced in their wide eyes. “And how do you pn to get us somewhere safer, kupo?” one of them asked.

  Helios smiled faintly, pulling out the three Lucid Shards he had collected earlier. “That’s where you e in,” he said, holding the crystalline objects up for them to see.

  The Moogles stared at the shards, their expressions shifting from curiosity to arm. “What are those, kupo?” one asked, taking a shard in its paw.

  “These,” Helios expined calmly, “are crystals formed from the energy of the monsters attag the town. They’re harmless now, just i shards.”

  But the word “monsters” made the Moogles recoil. One of them shook its head frantically and said, “We don’t deal with anything from those monsters, kupo!” They threw the shards away in panic.

  Helios moved swiftly, catg the shards mid-air and chug softly. “Rex,” he said, his voice calm and even. “I promise, these are safe. They’re just densed energy. I want you to take these and turn them into useful accessories or items.”

  The Moogles bliheir fear giving way to fusion. “Accessories? Items? Kupo?” oed, tilting its head.

  Helios stood aured for them to wait. “Give me a moment.” He left the room, heading quickly to Merlin’s study. After a brief search, he found the book he was looking for—a tome titled Introdu to Alchemy. He had tried to make sense of its tents before, but its plexity had thwarted his attempts. He returo the room and hahe book to the Moogles.

  “Here,” he said. “This should expin what I’m talking about.”

  The Moogles opehe book and flipped through its pages, their tiny hands brushing over the diagrams and formus. They looked intrigued, their curiosity growing. “This is advauff, kupo,” one of them murmured. “Turning crystals into equipment… it might be possible, but it’s not something we’ve ever done before.”

  “Could you learn?” Helios asked, his toient but insistent.

  The other Moogle nodded slowly, though its pom-pom bobbed with uainty. “Maybe, kupo. But it would take a lot of practice, and we’d need more materials to experiment with. It might take years to master.”

  Helios leaned back against the desk, a small smile tugging at the ers of his lips. “Materials I provide,” he said. “And time? I’m patient.”

  The Moogles exged gheir curiosity now fully piqued. “So what exactly do you want from us, kupo?” one asked.

  “I want you to take these shards and this book,” Helios said, gesturing to both, “and practice. Experiment. Learn how to turn these into something useful. In exge, I’ll make sure you get to safety.”

  He opened a dark corridor behind him, its swirling bd purple edges glowing faintly in the dim light. “This leads to a pce where you’ll be safe,” he said. “And if I find any other Moogles iy, I’ll send them to join you. You’ll have everything you o build a new life—and to learn.”

  The Moogles hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “Alright, kupo,” one said. “We’ll take the deal. This sounds... iing. And maybe profitable.”

  Helios smiled as he hahem the shards and the book. “Good choice,” he said. “Once you’re there, I’ll leave it to you to expihing to any others who arrive. I’ll send more materials when I .”

  The Moogles stepped toward the corridor, their ti making almost no sound on the wooden floor. As they vanished into the swirling darkness, Helios watched the portal close with a faint sense of satisfa. This had been an ued gain on his part.

  As the room fell silent again, an idea began to form in Helios’s mind. He turned his thoughts inward, direg his focus to Kurai. “Kurai,” he said aloud, his voice low and thoughtful. “Sora could summon individuals with stros whose worlds fell to darkness, right?”

  Kurai’s voice slithered into his mind, calm and full of dark amusement. “That’s correct. Summons, as they’re called in your memories.”

  Helios frowned slightly, turning one of the shards over in his hands. “Those summons—are they... crystallized light? Is that what’s left behind when a stro filled with light falls to darkness?”

  “Exactly,” Kurai replied, its tone almost smug. “Just as darkness be shaped by light, the reverse is true. When a powerful heart steeped in light succumbs to the shadows, it leaves behind a crystal. Those crystals retain the essence of the heart’s strength, waiting for someoh the right e to call upon it.”

  Helios’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “So, just as those shards were densed darkness shaped by light, there are crystals of light shaped by darkness. That must be what happeo Kairi when Master Xehanort attacked her iure. Iing. Theically it should be possible to make...”

  Kurai chuckled, the sound resonating in Helios’s mind like a dark echo. “A worthy goal in my opinion. But be warned: not all such crystals are easily found. Not all hearts are made equally and a massive amount of darkness is required. So if you wish to do so it might be better to drop the person in the realm of darkness.”

  Helios pocketed his hands as he decided he would o study these materials further, to uand their true potential. And if darkness could both be crystallized, then perhaps crystallized hearts could be used as synthesis materials. It would probably destroy the heart iion but it’s ao shelf for ter.

  “For now, I’ll head ba the city to see if I find any more Moogles and then check out how the castle assault is going,” said Helios as he opened a dark corridor.