***I'll be busy tomorrow, so here's the next chapter.***
The corridor of darkness unfurled before them, stretching into a shifting tunnel of shadows. Its walls rippled like black glass, reflecting warped fragments of the three travelers as they walked. Aqua's steps were deliberate, her jaw tight, the faintest crease at her brow betraying her distaste for the path. Skuld trailed beside her, glancing back nervously at Kurai, who followed in silence, her silver eyes never leaving Aqua's back.
To Skuld, the tension was suffocating. The two women didn't exchange words, but the silence between them was louder than any argument.
Finally, Kurai's voice cut through the void, smooth but edged with disdain. "You don't like it, do you? Walking through the dark."
Aqua didn't break stride, her eyes locked forward. "It's unnatural. Darkness devours. It only leads to one's own destruction in the end."
A smirk touched Kurai's lips. "Then why not make a door of light? Surely 'Master Aqua', the keyblade's beacon, can create one? Or is light never quite as reliable as you pretend?"
That struck a nerve. Aqua slowed just slightly, her fingers twitching at her side as though she longed to summon her blade. "Light may not be easy, but it doesn't consume those who wield it."
Kurai tilted her head, watching her like a predator studying prey. "No? Tell that to all the wielders who burned out chasing its purity. Darkness may mask many things, but at least, it does not blind its wielders. It gives exactly what it promises. Power."
Skuld stepped quickly between them, her voice gentle, desperate to ease the thickening air. "Enough. Both of you. We're here for Helios, not to argue about light or darkness."
Neither answered her, but the silence after was heavier still.
At last, the corridor broke, the veil of darkness peeling back to reveal the familiar halls of Helios's mansion in Olympus. They stepped into the grand chamber, its marble walls glowing faintly under the sunlight streaming from tall windows.
Aqua stopped dead, her breath catching. Her eyes darted about the space, realization dawning. "You brought her here?" she whispered, turning sharply toward Skuld. "Skuld… you've been in Olympus all this time?"
Skuld nodded hesitantly. "Yes and no. Kurai first… brought me here after she…" She faltered, unwilling to finish the thought.
"I searched for you without rest," Aqua said, her voice edged with both relief and reprimand. "Through world after world. And all this time, you were here, in his mansion?"
Before Skuld could answer, a weak groan echoed from upstairs. Aqua's expression shifted instantly to alarm. She darted up the staircase, Skuld scrambling after her, Kurai trailing at her own deliberate pace.
They entered Helios's room. The sight stopped Aqua in her tracks.
Helios lay upon the bed, pale and still. His chest rose and fell shallowly, his skin clammy, his clothes torn and still faintly stained with blood despite attempts to clean them. Even unconscious, his brow furrowed as if locked in battle with something unseen.
Aqua's gasp turned to a cold, hard edge. "What happened here?" Her gaze flicked sharply to Kurai. "What did you do to him?"
Before Kurai could reply, Skuld stepped forward quickly. "No! It wasn't her. Helios fought… someone terrible. He was injured, corrupted by darkness from the fight. Kurai saved him and brought him back before it was too late. She helped—"
"Helped?" Aqua cut her off, voice incredulous. "You're defending her?"
Skuld's hands clenched, her own exhaustion heavy in her voice. "Because it's true. She cares for him, Aqua. In her own way. If she hadn't been there, Helios would already be dead."
Kurai said nothing. She leaned lazily against the wall, watching the exchange with eyes that betrayed neither pride nor denial.
Aqua slowly exhaled and moved toward the bed, kneeling beside Helios. Her hand hovered over his chest, faint light flickering across her palm. Her eyes narrowed as she felt the storm raging inside him.
"…Darkness, it's so powerful," she murmured. "It's inside him, clashing against his own. Not just his darkness—his light too. Both are colliding, ripping him apart from within. Skuld and I might not be enough for this."
Skuld's shoulders slumped at hearing it aloud. She had felt it but hadn't wanted to admit it.
A scoff from the doorway interrupted them. "Oh, finally someone with half a brain notices."
All eyes turned. Circe leaned against the frame, arms crossed, her expression smug as if she had been waiting for the perfect moment to insert herself. "I tried to explain his condition, but of course no one listens to me. Now that the great Aqua shows up and suddenly every word is gospel."
Aqua looked up, her tone polite but edged with steel. "And you are?"
Circe opened her mouth, ready to launch into a grand self-introduction, but the weight of Aqua's calm, steady gaze cut her short. For once, her words faltered, and she muttered, "…no one important."
"Good, I figured that," Aqua said simply, turning back to Helios.
Skuld bit back a smile despite the heaviness of the room. Even Kurai's lips twitched faintly in amusement at the annoying witch's deflation.
Aqua placed both hands above Helios, her light reaching deeper, testing, probing. The dark energy flared violently in response, forcing her back with a small gasp. She steadied herself and looked at Skuld.
"This will take everything I have. Alone, it might not be enough. Skuld, with your light, try to hold this foreign darkness still as I attempt to purge it. If it works, we may stabilize and heal him. But it will take time. A day at least. No interruptions."
Skuld nodded without hesitation. "I'll do whatever it takes."
"Good," Aqua said, her voice firm with command. "Then let's begins now."
At that, Kurai pushed off the wall and crossed the room, her hand closing on Circe's shoulder like a steel trap. The witch squawked indignantly, but Kurai dragged her out with no more effort than tossing away trash.
The door shut behind them. Inside the room, the golden glow of light and green glow of the Cure spell began to build as Aqua and Skuld worked together over Helios's frail form. Outside, Kurai leaned against the wall, Circe still fuming under her grip.
Her eyes flicked back toward the closed door. Cold, unreadable, but with the faintest whisper of something softer buried deep, Kurai muttered to herself:
"Don't die, fool."