With only two rooms at the inn, the group split the arras: Skuld and Cloud would share one room, while Helios and Sephiroth would take the other. The division ractical, but it also set the stage for a long, tense night in Helios and Sephiroth’s room.

  Cloud, still unscious, was carefully id on the bed in Skuld’s room. Skuld sat beside him, her gaze lingering on his pale face. She gently adjusted the b over him, her movements filled with quiet determination. “We’ll fix this,” she whispered, as though speaking to both Cloud and herself.

  In the adjat room, Helios sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the wall, while Sephiroth stood by the window, his back turo the rest of the room. The faint light of the moon cast his silhouette in sharp relief, emphasizing the quiet menace of his preseneither man had any iion of sleeping that night—Sephiroth’s wary watchfulness e, and Helios had too mu his mind to fi.

  Breaking the silence, Sephiroth’s voice cut through the room like a bde. “Does this world have what you promised me?”

  Helios smirked, leaning his head back against the wall. “Part of it,” he said, his tone calm but calcuted. “The first piece is here—someone who heal Cloud’s heart, ensuring your tinued existehat part’s guaranteed.”

  Sephiroth’s posture didn’t ge, but his voice carried a note of skepticism. “And the sed part? The challenge you spoke of?”

  Helios’s smirk deepened. “This world has two coliseums,” he began. “Eae cims to host the stro warriors in the world. Tomorrow, you’ll visit one of them.”

  At this, Helios reached into his pocket arieved a small card. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it toward Sephiroth. The card spun through the air, its edges catg the faint light, before Sephiroth caught it effortlessly without even gng.

  “Use that to enter,” Helios said. “You’ll get a taste of the talent this world has to offer. Show them what you’re capable of. Win some mooo while you’re at it.”

  Sephiroth finally turo face him, his cold, pierg eyes meeting Helios’s gaze. “And what will you be doing while I eain myself?”

  Helios leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on his knees. “I’ll be visiting an old acquaintance. For the first time.”

  The statement hung in the air, strange and tradictory. Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed, the fai hint of curiosity breaking through his usual indifference. “An old acquaintance you’ve never met?” he asked, his tone skeptical.

  Helios chuckled softly, his expression unreadable. “It’s plicated,” he said. “Let’s just say it’s someone I’ve always wao meet. But don’t yourself with that. Focus on the coliseum. You’ll go with Skuld, by the way.”

  Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. “Skuld?”

  Helios nodded. “She’ll pce bets on you while you fight. sider it an opportunity for her to learn how to navigate a new world while seg our funds for the foreseeable future. And you get to see how talehe warriors here really are.”

  Sephiroth tilted his head slightly, his curiosity piqued. “Iing,” he murmured. “But why send her with me? You seem capable enough to mahat task yourself.”

  Helios shrugged, his tone casual but deliberate. “Because I have more important things to do. I also trust her more than I trust myself to ha. She’ll draw less attention than I would, and she’ll be safe with you. It’s effit.”

  Sephiroth’s gaze lingered on Helios, scrutinizing him as though searg for hidden motives. “And what if I decide not to go?” he asked, his voice low and challenging.

  Helios met his gaze without fling. “Then you’d be missing out on what you came here for. But I doubt you’ll pass up the ce to test yourself.”

  For a moment, the room was silent again. Then Sephiroth turned back to the window, his smirk barely visible in the dim light. “We’ll see,” he said.

  Helios leaned back against the wall, his smirk fading as his thoughts turned inward. The weight of everything he had pnned—Cloud’s recovery, Sephiroth’s ambitions, his own mysterious meeting—pressed heavily on him. He closed his eyes, feigni, but his mind raced with strategies and tingencies.

  Sephiroth gnced over his shoulder, his sharp gaze falling on Helios. “You said you’re tired,” he remarked. “But you’re not sleeping.”

  Helios’s lips twitched into a faint smile. “Maybe I’m just resting my eyes,” he replied. “Big day tomorrow.”

  The first light of dawhrough the small window, bathing the room in a warm golden hue. Skuld knocked softly on the door before peeking inside. “Breakfast is ready downstairs,” she said, her voice quiet but cheerful.

  Helios stretched and stood, his movements deliberate as he shook off the stiffness of the night. Sephiroth followed suit, his presence as anding as ever. The trio made their way to the inn’s on area, where a simple but hearty meal of what seemed like pancakes, fruits, and olives awaiting them.

  As they ate, Helios went over the pn again. “Skuld, you’ll stick with Sephiroth at the coliseum. Watch the matches and pce bets when you . Just don’t draw too much attention. If you e across a boy named Zack don’t approach him but remember to tell me about it.”

  Skuld nodded, her expressioermined. “Got it. What about you?”

  Helios hesitated for a moment before answering. “I have someoo find. It’s… important.”

  Skuld tilted her head, curious but unwilling to press him further. “Alright. Just be careful.”

  Sephiroth said nothing, finishing his meal in silence before standing and heading for the door. “Let’s go,” he said, his to.

  Helios watched them leave. He had a lot to aplish in this world, and time was running short. As the door closed behind them, he let out a quiet sigh.

  “Time to meet Hades,” he muttered to himself. With that, he stepped outside, the m sun casting long shadows into the heart of Thebes.

  Sephiroth and Skuld arrived at the coliseum, its graranked by t statues of warriors from ages past crossing their swords. The sound of cheering crowds and g ons echoed from within, creating an atmosphere charged with anticipation.

  Skuld gnced up at Sephiroth, the munny card in her hand. “This is it,” she said, her voice a mix of excitement and apprehension.

  Sephiroth nodded, his expression unreadable. “Stay close,” he instructed. “And do as the boy told you,” Skuld hesitated for a moment before nodding. Together, they stepped into the coliseum.