The soft chime of the bell above the Moogle shop door echoed behind Helios as he stepped back out into the gentle gloom of Traverse Town's First District. Eternal twilight bathed the cobblestone streets in shades of gold and indigo, casting long, flickering shadows beneath the ever-burning lanterns.
Kurai and Thalen stood quietly behind him. Thalen—dressed in his new dark navy jacket adorned with sigils and a broken crown emblem—lingered near the door, his hand brushing against the hourglass charm at his hip. Kurai, as ever, looked unmoved, arms folded, silver eyes scanning the world with her usual dispassion.
"I'll be back before the hour's turned," Helios said, glancing back at them. "Stay here until then. If anything happens, wait it out in the shop. The Moogles know what to do and will handle it."
Kurai gave the faintest nod. Thalen said nothing, but his eyes followed Helios as he stepped into the street.
Helios walked briskly toward the Second District. His destination was a two-story building with crumbling stone balconies and a faded red awning—the hotel that housed some of the few survivors from Radiant Garden. Lanterns glowed in the windows, and muffled voices drifted through the cracks.
Helios took the side stairs and found them on the balcony.
Leon leaned against the railing, arms crossed. His gunblade rested nearby, always within reach. Beside him sat Aerith, a mug of tea cradled in her hands, and Yuffie, perched casually atop the railing with her legs swinging over the side.
Yuffie was the first to notice him. "Hey! Look who actually came to visit!"
Leon turned, eyes narrowing, but a faint smile ghosted across his face. "They said you were alive. I wasn't sure I believed them."
"You look surprised."
"I am," Leon admitted. "But... glad, I guess. You made it out. That's more than most can say."
Helios stepped closer, leaning one hand on the railing. "Where's Cid? Isn't he here too?"
"Snoring in one of the rooms inside. Man's been pulling triple shifts trying to rewire old tech."
Helios nodded. "Sounds about right."
Yuffie leaned forward, eyeing him. "So, how'd you make it out of that mess back in Radiant Garden? We saw what the Heartless did. You shouldn't be here."
Helios didn't answer immediately. His gaze turned out over the balcony, toward the distant glow of the other districts. "Merlin helped. Put a few cloaking enchantments on me and that kept the monsters distracted. I managed to get to Cid's workshop and threw together a junker ship. Just enough to get me out."
It was a lie—a clean one. Not too detailed, not too vague. Just enough truth to swallow.
Leon nodded slowly. "Well, you made it. That's what matters."
Yuffie tilted her head back, looking at the ever-dark sky. "It's late so why visit now? Still weird not having a sun here. Like, what even counts as 'late' in this place?"
"Funny you mention that," Helios said with a crooked smile. "I came to say goodbye. I'm leaving."
Aerith looked up sharply. "Leaving?"
"Merlin's asked me to help him investigate a few things. Some of the worlds he was connected to aren't responding. We suspect something worse is happening."
Leon pushed off the railing. "Then I'm coming with you. If there's danger, you shouldn't go alone."
Helios shook his head. "I can't take anyone. Merlin cast something on me—a veil to keep the Heartless things that attack Radiant Garden off my trail. It only works on me, and this is recon, not combat. I need to move unnoticed."
Leon frowned. "You always did seem to be on own. But if you find trouble—"
"I know where to find you," Helios said, offering a small smile. "And truth be told, you and Aerith are more needed here. Keep the others safe. If Radiant Garden still has survivors, they're counting on someone to pull things together. That someone is you."
"Hey! What about me? Aren'y I needed?" asked Yuffie with feigned anger.
Helios chuckled and said, "Management isn't really your strong suit but in a pinch there's no one better than the great Yuffie."
Aerith folded her hands in her lap, her expression unreadable. "Take care of yourself."
"Always."
Helios turned, jacket flapping in the wind. As he reached the steps, he paused.
"Oh, I almost forgot, if you need anything, talk to Merlin or the Moogles in the First District. They'll help you guys out."
He disappeared down the stairs without another word.
Back in the First District, Helios re-entered the Moogle shop. The Victorian-dressed Moogle perked up at his arrival.
"Back so soon, kupo?"
Helios retrieved a folded letter from inside his jacket and set it gently on the counter.
"Deliver this to Merlin. Wait seven hours before you go. Not a moment sooner."
The Moogle took the letter with both hands. "Consider it done, kupo."
Helios turned to the back of the shop where Kurai and Thalen sat near a stack of enchanted synthesis items that were still not up to the level Helios could find useful. The Kuari had a book in her lap reading. Thalen stood behind her like a guardian spirit unmoving.
"Time to go," Helios said.
Kurai tossed the book and rose immediately, clothes rustling. Thalen gave her a sidelong glance and followed without complaint.
Helios opened a dark corridor with a sweep of his hand, its swirling form rippling with silent energy. Without hesitation, they stepped through.
They emerged in Radiant Garden. The once-beautiful city now lay in half-ruins, its outer districts lost to darkness. But nestled deep in the surviving core, untouched by time and storm, stood Merlin's cottage.
Helios checked the magical wards—a shimmering lattice of pale blue light. Still intact.
He ushered them inside.
The moment the door closed behind them, the air inside grew still. Comfortable. Familiar. The chaos of the outside world could still not breach this place.
Kurai moved to stand near the hearth while Thalen lingered near the door. Helios walked to the center of the room and summoned his Keyblade.
Equilibrium shimmered into existence in a flicker of light and shadow—a weapon forged to embody balance between opposing forces.
"Kurai," he said quietly.
She turned. "What do you want?"
"Come here please."
Wordlessly, she approached. Her presence still carried the weight of something dark due to not assimilating fully and some of her dark aura leaking out here and there.
Helios turned the Keyblade in his hand and held it out, grip-first.
"In your hand, take this key. If your heart still dares to reach—
Then through this act, let your chained fate be breached.
Let the blade remember you. Let the bond acknowledge your being and your name.
Even if light forgets you, and the darkness seeks to claim—
This key shall answer, not to blood, nor law, nor past...
But to the will that endures, the strength that lasts.
No gate shall deny you, no world remain barred,
So long as you walk forward, heart unscarred.
And when the void stares back...
You will find me still, standing at your back."
He placed the Keyblade into her hands.
The air shifted.
Light shimmered across the blade—but it did not vanish.
It accepted her.
The Bequeathing was complete.
Kurai looked down at the weapon in her grasp. Something stirred behind her eyes. Not confusion. Not awe. Recognition. "Hmm, it seems this heart you granted me really does hold the potential to wield one of these blades. I am the first True Darkness to be able to do such a thing."
She tossed the Keyblade back.
He turned away, walking toward the door.
"Stay here with Thalen," he said. "I'll be back soon."
Kurai raised an eyebrow. "And why should I?"
Helios didn't stop walking. "Because we'll need him. When the time comes. Just make sure he doesn't go outside is all you have to do."
She said nothing.
But she didn't follow.
That was enough.
Helios stepped out into the growing darkness, the Keyblade disappearing in his grasp as he made his way toward the heart of the ruined city.
One task complete.
The next already waiting.