Helios paused before stepping bato the chaos of the city, deg to stop by Skuld’s room. As he approached, he noticed the door was slightly ajar. Inside, Skuld was standing by the window, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her expression was a mix of worry and longing, her gaze fixed oy’s dim glow through the gss.

  When Helios walked in, her head turned sharply, and she immediately asked, “Any news about Lea and Isa?” Her voice was tense, her words quick, betraying the fear she tried to mask.

  Helios hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “I helped the survivors escape on a ship,” he said, his tone even. “Lea and Isa are no longer in this world.”

  It wasn’t a plete lie. He had ehey would eventually be reborn as Nobodies in Twilight Town, so teically, they would leave Radiant Garden. But the impression he gave Skuld was that they had safely evacuated alongside the others.

  Skuld let out a shaky breath, relief washing over her face. “Thank goodness,” she murmured. “I couldn’t bear it if something happeo them.”

  Helios nodded, watg her closely. “We’ll be leaving soon too,” he said, his tone firm but reassuring. “I o take care of two st things, and then we’ll go. Get ready. When I e back, we leave immediately.”

  Skuld nodded, her hands dropping to her sides, though the tension in her shoulders didn’t ease entirely. Helios turned ahe room, closing the dently behind him.

  Opening a dark corridor, Helios reemerged in the shopping district. The once-bustling area was now a desote wastend, its streets littered with debris and the signs of desperate struggle. Shadows of ohriving businesses loomed eerily, and the faint cries of distaless echoed in the air.

  Helios moved cautiously, his eyes sing for any signs of life. He wasn’t optimistic—after resg the first two Moogles, he doubted there would be many more left. Still, he had to check. If any more survived, it would increase the ce of his synthesis project succeeding.

  After a painstaking search through the district, Helios’s ears caught a faint cttering sound. He froze, turning toward the source. The noise had e from a small shop on the er, its windows barricaded with overturned racks and shelves. Helios’s eyes narrowed as he reized it: the same shop where he’d purchased Skuld’s outfit.

  Approag the store, he peered through a cra the barricade. Inside, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure—a Moogle, dressed in its refined Victorian outfit, scurrying to pick up something it had knocked over.

  Helios smirked. “Lucky,” he muttered under his breath.

  He stepped bad opened a dark corridor, envisioning the interior of the shop. The swirling shadows enveloped him, and a moment ter, he reappeared iartling the Moogle.

  The Victorian Moogle let out a panicked squeak, dropping the item it had been holding. It scrambled backward, its tiny wings fpping in arm.

  Helios raised his hands in a calmiure. “Rex,” he said, his voice gentle. “It’s just me. Remember? We met before.”

  The Moogle’s wide eyes narrowed slightly as reition dawned. “You!” it excimed, its voice still trembling but no longer panicked. “You’re the one who bought that outfit! What are you doing here, kupo? And how are you walking around with those monsters everywhere?”

  “I’m resg anyone I e across,” Helios replied simply. “And you’re lucky, because this is the st sweep before I leave.”

  The Moogle’s tense posture softened slightly, though its eyes still darted nervously toward the barricaded windows. “You’re... resg Moogles too?” it asked hesitantly.

  Helios nodded. “I’ve already found two ahem to safety. How many were here before all of this started?”

  The Moogle’s face fell, and it wrung its tiny hands. “There were twe of us, kupo,” it said quietly. “We all made a living here, running shops and crafting items. Now...” Its voice broke, and tears welled in its rge, expressive eyes. “Now there’s only three of us left. Twenty-five... gone.”

  Helios’s chest tightehough he kept his expressioral. He crouched dowing the Moogle’s gaze. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “But you’ve survived. That means there’s still a ce to rebuild.”

  The Moogle sniffled, nodding slightly. “Where are the others, kupo?” it asked.

  Helios waved a hand, opening a dark corridor. “They’re oher side of this,” he said. “They’ll expihing when you get there.”

  The Moogle hesitated, gng at the swirling portal. “What about you?” it asked. “Aren’t you ing too?”

  “Not yet,” Helios said firmly. “I still have work to do here.”

  The Victorian Moogle stared at him for a moment before nodding. “Alright, kupo,” it said. “Thank you.”

  It stepped through the corridor, disappearing into the darkness. Helios watched the portal close behind it, the out a heavy sigh. He stood in the empty shop, the weight of the Moogle’s words settling over him.

  “Twenty-five,” he murmured to himself. “It’s not every day you hear firsthand how many lives you’ve ruined.”

  Kurai’s voice slithered into his mind, dripping with mockery. “Feeli, are we? You, who orchestrated the fall of this world? Spare me your mispced guilt.”

  Helios ched his fists, his jaw tightening. “It’s not guilt,” he muttered. “Just... perspective.”

  Kurai ughed softly. “Call it whatever you like. But don’t lose focus. I’m sure you’ll be responsible for more than one world falling so it might be best to get used to it as soon as possible.”

  Helios stepped through a dark corridor, emerging at the base of Ansem's castle. The once-majestic fortress was now swarming with Heartless, their glowing yellow eyes pierg the oppressive darkness. The pureblood Heartless domihe area, their forms writhing like living shadows as they attacked anything in sight. As soon as they spotted Helios, they rushed toward him in a chaotic frenzy.

  Summoning his Keybde, Helios struck them down one by one, his movements swift and precise. Each defeated Heartless released a shimmering Lucid Shard, and Helios quickly gathered them using his Aero spell. The shards whirled in the air, f a small, glimmering pile that floated toward him. By the time the immediate wave of Heartless was vanquished, he had collected ten shards.

  As he examihe shards, a disembodied voice echoed through the area. “What exactly are you doing, boy?”

  Helios straightened, his Keybde still in hand. Moments ter, Malefit materialized from a swirling mist of green and bck fmes, her regal figure illuminated by the dim light of the Heartless surrounding her. As if summoned by her presence, Emblem Heartless began to appear, f from the dark orbs materializing in the air.

  “I was looking for you,” Helios said, his tone light but ced with curiosity. “I wao see how the siege on the castle was going.”

  Malefit’s eyes narrowed slightly, her lips curving into a thin smile. “It would be progressing far better if you weren’t cutting down my troops, child.”

  Helios chuckled, giving her a faintly apologetic shrug. “My apologies, but they attacked me first. You ’t bme me for defending myself.”

  Malefit’s smile didn’t waver as she folded her arms, her gaze pierg. “Be that as it may, you’ve deyed things. Still, the siege goes well enough. The fools ihe castle have barricaded themselves in one of the upper rooms, using a magical barrier to keep my forces at bay. A temporary measure, I assure you.”

  Helios raised an eyebrow, feigning i. “And how long do you think it’ll take to break through?”

  Malefit’s expression turriumphant. “Not long now. The barrier is weakening as we speak. Soon, the entire castle will be under my trol. It will make a far more suitable home than that dreary shack you so graciously offered me.”

  Helios smiled, his gaze flickering to the Heartless swarming around them. “I’m gd to hear that. It means the b will be accessible soon, and with it, everything I need.”

  Malefit’s sharp gaze lingered on him for a moment, her expression unreadable. “You always have your own motives, don’t you, boy?”

  He gave her a smirk, his tone casual. “Would you expeything less? After all, we both know ambition is what drives us.”

  Malefit let out a low, amused ugh, the sound eg through the castle grounds. “Indeed, we do.”