After the meal, Merlin offered the three a place to stay and showed them the area where the rooms were. Aqua sat quietly in the dimly lit room, her mind drifting as Helios and Skuld continued talking.
She thought about the fight.
Helios had pointed out her mistakes without hesitation and… he wasn't wrong.
Aqua had spent so long following the structured, methodical approach of her Master Eraqus after failing to save her friends from Master Xehanort that she had forgotten how to be herself.
She had learned everything under Master Eraqus—his techniques, his philosophy, his rigid belief in absolute light. After his death, she clung to those teachings even more.
But… was that really who she was? Of course, her belief in light wouldn't waver but she wondered if her fear of past events was what pushed her to cling so much to the light that she became blind to herself and those around her. Just as darkness could shallow those weak hearts light might also blind them too.
Her real self—not the disciplined Master, but the Aqua before everything fell apart—
She had been caring, selfless, and determined.
But she had also been playful, curious, and sincere.
Somewhere along the way, she had lost those pieces of herself.
Aqua took a slow breath.
Maybe it was time to find herself again.
Helios after relaxing for an hour or two stretched and stood up.
"Well," he said, grinning, "this has been fun, but I should get going."
Aqua who had returned to the living area and Skuld turned to look at him.
"You're leaving?" Skuld asked, raising an eyebrow.
Helios nodded. "Yeah. I met some old friends here who offered me a place to stay."
Aqua glanced at him suspiciously. "Friends?"
Helios smirked. "Believe it or not, I'm very likable."
Skuld snorted causing Helios to chuckle.
Aqua didn't look convinced.
But before she could question further, Helios turned to Skuld.
"Actually, before I go—I think you should stay with Aqua and Merlin for a bit."
Skuld blinked. "Huh? Why?"
Helios leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms.
"Your fighting instincts are insane," he said plainly. "You're getting stronger way too fast."
Skuld frowned. "Is that a bad thing?"
Helios shook his head. "No. But it means you should refine and consolidate your skills before we leave this world."
Skuld thought about it, then nodded slowly. "…Alright."
She still didn't understand why she was learning so quickly, but if Helios thought it was important, she would trust his judgment.
Before heading out, Helios asked Skuld if she wanted to walk with him which she accepted. As they left the cave and entered the Third District Helios led Skuld to the First District.
They stopped in front of a small, cozy-looking building with a flickering lantern above the door.
A Victorian-dressed Moogle greeted them, his little spectacles resting on his fluffy nose. "Ah! Good to see you again, Helios, kupo!"
Skuld stared. "Hello, it's good to see you again…but I thought Moogles only ran shops?"
The Moogle adjusted his glasses. "We do. But we also like to live comfortably."
Skuld shook her head. "I can't believe you actually made friends with the Moogles from Radiant Garden. Well, it's good they managed to survive. Wait if they're here does that mean Lea and Isa finally made it here too?"
Helios smiled. "No, I personally sent these Moogles here so they use my portal of darkness while the other survivors used a Gummi Ship so that's why they're here. I found our friend here hiding inside his clothing store."
The Moogle chuckled. "Speaking of which, Miss Skuld, how are your clothes holding up?"
Skuld looked down at her black-and-blue outfit, the one she had received after leaving Radiant Garden. "…Still good."
She wasn't sure why, but she liked this outfit more than her old ones. It just felt more like her.
She and the Moogles talked for a bit before she finally said goodnight and left. Helios relaxed and hung out with the three Moogles until late in the night and all three fell asleep.
Helios, now alone, sighed and cracked his knuckles. 'Time to train.'
Helios headed toward the Second District, choosing a quiet, open area where no one would interrupt him. Wasting no time he set up a barrier to avoid waking anyone or having others bother him while he practiced.
He raised a hand, letting a small orb of golden light float above his fingers.
It wasn't difficult to summon.
It was stable, pure, controlled.
Unlike his darkness, which had always been overwhelming, this was…
Different and small.
He tried to mold it into different shapes.
It resisted.
Helios gritted his teeth.
When he had darkness, he could infuse it into his magic—like Dark Firaga.
So logically…
He should be able to do the same with Light.
He raised his other hand, summoning a small flame at his fingertips.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's see what happens."
He pushed the Light into the Fire.
For a brief moment—
The flame shimmered with golden energy.
Helios' eyes lit up.
It worked!
Then—
BOOM.
The explosion sent Helios flying backward, slamming into the barrier's wall.
A puff of black smoke rose from the ground, leaving Helios covered in soot.
"…Well." He coughed. "That was a bad idea."
Sitting up, he dusted himself off, rubbing his temples.
Clearly, Light didn't mix with Fire the same way Darkness did.
Maybe he needed to approach this differently.
Instead of forcing Light to act like Darkness…
Maybe he needed to treat it as something else entirely.
He frowned, flexing his fingers as the golden glow returned. he sighed because this was going to take some time.
He tried again this time rather than force them together he attempted to make them appear in the same space.
BOOM.
This explosion was even bigger and more powerful sending Helios flying backward, slamming into the barrier's wall cause him to bleed from the side of his mouth.
Wiping the blood off he smiled, "Well I'm at least making progress on what not to do."