The first rays of sunlight stretched across the city of Thebes as Helios stirred from his sleep, sitting up and rubbing his temples. His body still ached from the battle with Sephiroth, but compared to yesterday, he felt alive again.
Zack was sprawled out on the floor, snoring loudly, while Sephiroth sat in his usual position by the window, his gaze distant, lost in thought. Zack then turned and started speaking in his sleep, "Skuld… Aqua… hehe."
Helios stretched and cracked his neck before throwing a pillow at Zack.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty. Did you have a nice dream?" he said with a grin.
Zack grumbled, rolling over before mumbling, "Five more minutes..."
Sephiroth stood up and left the room without a word, and Helios chuckled, "See? Even he's done with your laziness."
Zack sat up, groggy, before rubbing his face. "You sure know how to ruin a good dream."
Helios simply smirked. "Come on. Time to check out the new place."
The walk to their new home took them outside the bustling streets of Thebes and toward the outskirts where the city met the wilderness.
When they finally arrived, Helios, Skuld, Cloud, and Zack all stood before a large Greek mansion, its white marble walls cracked from years of neglect. The outer gardens were overgrown, and a few old statues of warriors had fallen over, some missing heads or arms.
Opheila's men seemed to have done a good job as the broken furniture was now gone and all of the dust and cobwebs had been cleaned. It was still far from looking pristine but it was better than before by a mile.
Zack whistled, "Wow. Talk about a fixer-upper."
Helios grinned, "Yeah, but the bones are solid. Once I use a little magic to restore everything, it'll be better than new."
Skuld stepped forward, running her hand over the doorframe. "It's… bigger than I expected."
Cloud, as usual, remained silent, staring blankly at the ruined structure.
Helios turned to Zack. "Alright, let's go over the rules. This is your home now while I'm gone. Feel free to decorate it however you want. Make sure Cloud doesn't wander off or, you know, get killed or something like that. And most importantly—"
Zack raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, 'don't burn it down'?"
Helios snapped his finger and pointed at him. "Exactly."
Zack crossed his arms, looking at the place again. It felt strange… but somewhat cozy. He had never stayed in a house with others before. It was strange but still, somehow he hoped here he would find a home.
Helios spent the next forty minutes or so casting the spell all round the house fixing the building and its foundation restoring it to a perfect condition. The cracks sealed themselves and the faded color of the marble wall turned white as they had been long ago.
Now that the house was looking good, their small group gathered one last time around a table found in what might have been the living room.
The air was lighter than Helios expected. Even though he and Skuld were leaving, they simply relaxed and drank a bottle of strange liquid that Zack brought along. Although Sephiroth did not partake in the drink or the conversation it was interesting to see the swordsman still at the table.
Zack leaned back in his chair, grinning. "So, how long do you two think you'll be gone?"
Helios exhaled, placing his hands behind his head. "Could be a week. Could be years. The place we're going to isn't exactly on the map. Time works differently there."
Zack nodded, accepting the answer.
Cloud… simply blinked. His expression was unreadable.
Skuld tapped the table, looking between them. "You guys will be okay, right?"
Zack smirked. "C'mon, don't underestimate me."
Helios grinned. "Yeah, yeah. You're strong, I get it. Just go easy on him."
Sephiroth remained silent, his gaze locked on Helios for a brief moment before looking away.
And with that, the conversation slowly faded into small talk, light banter, and quiet moments shared between friends.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, Helios and Skuld stood outside the city gates.
Skuld pulled her Keyblade free and looked at Helios. "So… what now?"
Helios smirked, holding out his hand and opening a dark corridor. The swirling portal would lead to The Dark Meridian a mysterious, foreboding world shrouded in shadow, existing between realms. It was an eerie, vast expanse featuring a dark sky and strange. It had been stated that the area was special as it lay on the "border" of the darkness.
The swirling Dark Corridor pulsed before them, a gateway into the unknown. The abyss beyond it whispered with unseen voices, tendrils of shadow flickering at the edges of the portal like a living thing. The unnatural stillness sent a shiver down Skuld's spine.
Helios, however, stood relaxed, hands in his pockets, watching the portal with an unreadable expression.
Skuld exhaled slowly and reached down, fingers brushing against the bracelet on her wrist—a silver band adorned with blue wing-like engravings and a black raven-shaped gemstone at its center. She pressed the gemstone. With a sudden gust of swirling wind, her Keyblade armor materialized around her.
Silver and blue plates encased her body, lightweight yet resilient, the wind-like design giving her the freedom to move effortlessly. The feathered pauldrons, the flowing translucent cape, and the aerodynamic helm completed her battle-ready form.
She flexed her fingers, feeling the reassuring weightlessness of the armor.
Then she turned to Helios—who had done nothing.
Her brows furrowed. "Helios—"
He waved a hand dismissively. "Oh right sorry, I was distracted by something. Give me a second."
Helios smirked and held up his left hand, revealing the black ring wrapped around his finger—sleek and engraved with faint purple and white Recusant's Sigils, glowing softly with restrained power.
He twirled the ring once.
A surge of purple lightning crackled around him. His armor flashed into existence, covering him in sleek, interwoven plates of black, white, and purple, the clawed gauntlets and jagged edges radiating raw power. His sharp, angular helm gleamed in the dim light, and a short, tattered cape fluttered behind him.
Skuld huffed. "Show-off."
Helios chuckled. "You think it looks cool. No need to deny it."
With their armor now in place, they turned toward the Dark Corridor. Then—he and Skuld stepped into the abyss.
The portal swallowed them whole. The moment they emerged, everything changed. Gone was the golden glow of Thebes.
In its place—an endless sea of dark water, stretching into eternity. The sky above was a swirling void of black and violet, speckled with faint, flickering stars.
The air was dense. Heavy. Suffocating.
Skuld landed lightly beside Helios, the light of her armor casting a soft glow against the darkness. "So what is this place?"
Helios didn't respond immediately. "…this is the Dark Meridian."
Because the moment his boots touched the ground, Kurai's familiar voice whispered in his mind. "You tried so hard to escape this place before… and now you're diving back in."
His breath hitched for a fraction of a second. Kurai's voice was mocking, amused—but there was something else beneath it.
Helios narrowed his eyes, forcing himself to ignore it. But the whisper continued. "How does it feel to be back, Helios?"
His fists clenched.
"Does being here help you remember?"
The water beneath his feet rippled.
"Does it bring the memory of your parents' demise into clearer focus?"
A sharp pain stabbed through his chest, but he forced his expression to remain neutral.
Skuld was watching him.
So Helios couldn't react. He wouldn't. "Stop messing around. I don't know if you're bored since you kept silent most of the time in that last world but now is not the time to act up."
Instead, he exhaled slowly and focused on the path ahead.
"Let's move," he said, his voice steady.
If Kurai wanted to poke at old wounds, it could talk all it wanted. Helios wasn't going to let a shadow of the past control him. Not anymore.