"Looks like I failed. Oh well, you can focus on Skuld and I'll be over here," said Helios as he walked over to a bookshelf.
Aqua's eyes narrowed.
Helios had failed.
She had seen many struggle with this herself being one of them before. In the Dark Realm, she had seen him exhausted, bleeding, injured—but he would always continue and get up again no matter what. So she believed she had a good grasp of his character now.
Right now he was too controlled, too relaxed. Like he didn't want to try again.
"Try again," she said, voice steady but firm.
Helios leaned back against the bookshelf he was sitting against, crossing his arms behind his head.
"I would," he said lazily, "but I think I overdid it. Must be more tired than I thought."
Aqua's expression darkened.
That was an excuse. "Then at least make an attempt."
Helios sighed, stretching out his arms. "Look, like I said before today's lesson should focus on Skuld. Make sure it's not just luck."
Aqua frowned. "So you're just going to sit there?"
Helios smirked and laid back fully, making himself comfortable. "Yep."
Aqua scowled as Skuld, standing nearby, glanced between them. She could tell Aqua trying to control her anger and disappointment.
But after a long silence, Aqua sighed.
"Fine," she said, turning away.
But her mind was racing. Helios was hiding something. Was he injured or was it something else?
Inside Helios' mind—there was only silence.
Kurai was gone or asleep for all he knew. While he didn't like the cold unempathetic voice he had grown used to it and it was the only creature that knew his thoughts, well now there was another who might want to kill him.
For the first time in a long time, since Helios could remember, his mind felt completely his own.
But something was wrong.
Helios could still feel his darkness. It was there, but it was not reacting.
Before, it had always felt like a sea of tar, constantly stretching out, eager to consume anything in its path.
Kurai had always been the reason he could control it.
But now—
That sea was gone.
And in its place—
Was a single, solid core. The amount hadn't changed but it felt condensed like a planet's core condensed by gravity.
Helios frowned.
No matter how much he tried to reach for it, his darkness remained unresponsive.
But his light?
That was another story.
A soft hum of energy ran through him.
For a long time, darkness had been his most natural element. Light on the other hand had always been difficult and hard to control, like trying to force something that wasn't meant for him.
But now it came easily.
He raised his hand and summoned a small orb of white and golden light above his finger.
The glow flickered gently, hovering as he tilted it from side to side.
Helios smirked. 'Well. That's new.'
It didn't feel forced like all the other times he used it before.
It was as fluid as his darkness used to be.
A thought clicked in his mind. 'This must be because my overwhelming darkness is locked away or sleep, because of that my light is no longer restrained.'
That was useful.
But at the same time, it was also… a problem.
As he had figured out before his keyblade transformations required a balance of light and darkness. Equilibrium as its name stated only worked at it's peak when use he used both light and dark.
If he couldn't access his darkness…
That meant he could not transform his keyblade and that meant he couldn't travel the Lanes Between. Well at least not alone.
Helios frowned deeper for a split second before his usual smirk returned soon after. 'I guess Skuld will have to be my personal taxi until my powers of darkness reawakened.'
For now, his greatest priority would be to train his light. Because the world he needed to find next, he had no idea how dangerous it would be. Without darkness, he was at a severe disadvantage.
Across the room, Skuld and Aqua had started their training. Aqua suggested that the best way to get used to these newly transformed keyblade weapons was simply to use them. As such she and Skuld would spar and adjust as they went on.
Skuld held her Zephyr Talons, the faint wind currents around them making the air shimmer with sharp edges.
Aqua gripped her Tidal Scepter, the swirling water around it pulsing with arcane energy.
"Focus on predicting movement," Aqua instructed. "Because you're not used to fighting like this he may make mistakes judging the correct distance between you and you oppentent. Your claws also seem to be lightweight and favor a quick style of battle. Remember to pay attention to your range and the distance between us."
Skuld nodded, then lunged forward.
Her claws clashed against an ice wall that Aqua raised to defend, magic crackling between them as Skuld tried to push forward. Soon parts of the ice melted and turned to water and attacked Skuld who dodged and vanished reappearing back where she started out of Aqua's range.
Aqua's movements were precise, weaving elemental surges into her attacks. Since she didn't plan to hurt Skuld created water tendrils to capture Skuld while defending against her attacks, as she having more training than Skuld in the art of battle shouldn't struggle too much against her.
Skuld, on the other hand, her movements were raw, instinctual. When Aqua's magically controlled water almost captured her she slashed her claws creating what seemed to be wind blades that shredded the tendrils and disrupted Aqua's magic. Skuld then vanished reappeared behind Aqua but she looked confused like he missed her mark.
She was fast. Too fast.
Aqua was surprised and narrowed her eyes.
Skuld wasn't thinking about her movements. She was just doing them like she had done them before.
Aqua's mind raced. 'This girl who… was she? The sheer potential she was exuding was enormous.'
As Helios idly controlled the orb of light above his finger, a voice whispered beside him. "You no longer radiate an aura of darkness."
Helios didn't flinch.
He slowly turned his head.
Merlin stood there, stroking his beard.
Helios smiled lazily. "Yes as I mentioned before that is because of how long I spent down in the Realm of Darkness. I didn't spend too much time there so it disappeared fairly quickly. Is that bad?"
Merlin studied him carefully. "Quite the opposite. But it is unusual. I wonder why?"
Helios let the orb of light spin between his fingers.
"No reason," he said casually. "Since Aqua doesn't like me using darkness, I figured I'd hold off for a while. You know. Until she's comfortable."
Merlin raised an eyebrow. "So. Something happened to your ability to use darkness."
Helios' smile didn't falter. "I never said that."
Merlin hummed. Then he nodded to himself. "Well. It's for the best, in my opinion."
With that, the old wizard turned and walked away.
Helios watched him leave, his smirk remaining in place. If he looked at all worried he'd just be confirming the old wizard's allegations.