Helios emerged from the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the Underworld, feeling the curse of the pce finally lift. The sunlight of Olympus warmed his skin as he made his way back to Thebes. The streets were eerily empty, with most of the city's popution crowded into the Colosseum for the tours. The silence gave him a strange sense of calm, though he k wouldn’t st long.

  He reached the small room they had rented earlier and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. The room was quiet, save for the faint hum of life outside. Helios pulled the glowi of Hoder from his pocket, its ethereal blue fmes flickering as if alive. The sight of it was mesmerizing, a testament to the strength of the being it once beloo.

  Summoning his Keybde, Helios aimed it at the heart. A beam of bergy shot from the on, pierg the blue fmes that ehe heart. The fmes dissipated with a faint hiss, leaving the heart exposed and shimmering faintly. Helios pressed it against his chest, the glowing orb sinking into him seamlessly.

  The sensation was stra not overwhelming. Unlike Cloud’s heart, which carried a torrent of memories aions, this heart was eerily bnk. Hoder’s time in the River Styx had seemingly erased most, if not all, of her memories, leaving behind only a strong, untarnished heart. Helios felt a slight warmth settle within him but no invasive flood of fn thoughts or emotions. It was a ste, and that suited his pns perfectly.

  “This will do,” he muttered to himself, flexing his fingers as he adjusted to the new presehin him. “No distras, no side effects. Just strength and light. Seems like light is hard to erase even with no memories. Then, I wonder how Namine po seal Riku’s darkness? Maybe to seal either powers requires her power of memories? I’ll look into it ter.”

  He took a deep breath, feeling a slight surge of power. The darkness within him didn’t reject the new heart; instead, it seemed to embrace it, iwining with the light it carried. The light the heart carried and his own seemed to resonate making the other stronger. Helios k wouldn’t remain untainted for long, but that didn’t matter. He had no iion of keeping it permaly.

  With the task plete, Helios left the room and made his way to the Colosseum. The sound of the crowd grew louder as he approached, the roar of excitement filling the air. He slipped inside, finding the stands packed with eager spectators. Sing the crowd, he spotted an ope in the very back, where he could observe without drawing attention to himself.

  Just as he settled in, Phil stepped onto the stage, his voiing across the Colosseum. “All right, folks! It’s time for the Beginner Finals! In this er, we have the underdog who’s takeour by storm—Skuld!”

  The crowd erupted in cheers as Skuld stepped onto the arena floor, her face a mixture of determination and nerves. Her Keybde rested in her hand, the sunlight glinting off its intricate design.

  “And in this er,” Phil tinued, pointing to the opposite side of the arena, “we have the SOLDIER and future hero himself—Zack! Though maybe give him five years, eh?”

  The audience ughed, and Zack, ever the showman, grinned and waved to the crowd. “You’ll see, Phil! A year is all I need!”

  The crowd’s energy was electric as the two petitors faced each other. Zack’s fident smile cshed with Skuld’s focused expression, the trast between them palpable even from the back of the stands.

  Helios leaned forward slightly, watg ily. This match would be a true test of Skuld’s growth. Not only that but she was fag off against Zack. With Cloud’s damaged heart inside her, this might be enough of a spark to ect the two hearts and mend Cloud’s heart.

  Phil’s voice rang out again. “Let the match begin!”

  Zack drew his massive broadsword, twirling it with practiced ease before pointing it at Skuld. “Let’s make this a matember, okay?”

  Skuld ightening her grip on her Keybde. She took a deep breath, steadying herself as the two began to circle each other. Zack was the first to move, dashing forward with surprising speed for someone wielding such a rge on. His sword came down in a wide ard Skuld barely mao sidestep in time.

  She tered with a quick swing of her Keybde, aiming for his side, but Zack deflected it with a fluid parry. “Not bad!” he said, grinning. “But you’ll have to do better than that.”

  He pressed the attack, his movements swift aless. Skuld found herself on the defensive, blog and dodging as Zack’s strikes came from every angle. His strength was undeniable, each blow sending vibrations up her arms as their ons cshed.

  Skuld quickly realized she couldn’t rely on strength alone—Zack’s poeaker than Hercules’ but his skills were too much for her to match head-on. She began to focus on her speed and agility, weaving around his attacks and looking for openings.

  As Zack swung his sword in a horizontal arc, Skuld ducked low and rolled behind him, delivering a quick strike to his back. Zack stumbled slightly but recovered almost instantly, spinning around to face her.

  “Nice move!” he said, his grin never wavering. “You’ve got some fight in you! This is gonna be fun!”

  The battle tihe two exging blows in a dazzling dispy of skill. Skuld began incorporating magito her attacks, casting Thuo force Zack to back off and Fire to keep him at a distance. Zack tered with his own abilities, unleashing powerful sshes that sent shockwaves across the arena.

  Despite her best efforts, Skuld found herself struggling to keep up. Zack’s experiend raw strength were pushio her limits. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her arms trembling from the effort of defleg his relentless strikes.

  But then, a memory fshed through her mind again—a memory of training with her Keybde, her movements guided by a white-haired boy. The memory was faint, fragmented, but it carried with it a sense of crity. She mimicked the movements from the memory, her strikes being more precise, her footwork more fluid.

  Zaoticed the ge immediately. “Whoa! Where’d that e from?” he said, his grin widening.

  Skuld didn’t answer, her focus razor-sharp as she pressed the attack. She feio the left, then spun to the right, her Keybde striking Zack’s sword with enough force to knock it slightly off bance. She followed up with a quick strike to his shoulder, earning a gasp from the crowd.

  Zack staggered back, his grin turning into a look of determination. “All right, you’ve got my attention now!” he said, charging forward once more.

  The final moments of the match were a blur of motion and energy. Skuld used her magic to create openings, casting Blizzard to freeze Zack’s movements momentarily ao knock him off bance. With one final push, she eled all her strength into a powerful swing, knog Zack’s sword from his hands and sending him sprawling to the ground.

  The crowd erupted into cheers as Zack raised a hand in surrender, a good-natured smile on his face. “Okay, okay, you win!” he said, ughing as he sat up.

  Skuld lowered her Keybde, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. She looked up at the crowd, a mixture of disbelief and slight fusion washing over her as the reality of her victory sank in.

  From his seat in the back, Helios allowed himself a small smile. It looked like Skuld was unlog more of her abilities and instincts from before. Not only that but she was not strong enough to be of some use to him now.