Months had passed, and still, Helios found himself uo open a door of darkness. The frustration of his slress weighed on him, but it was nothing pared to the cold disappoihat emanated from the figure.

  “We’ve been here for so long, and you still ’t do it,” the figure muttered, its tone icy with displeasure. “After all this time, the only thing you’ve mao create is a basic shield of darkness. I thought we’d be much further along by now.”

  Panting heavily, surrounded by the shimmering, dark surface of his defensive shield, Helios shot the figure a gre. “Easy for you to say," he said betweehs. "You are darkness itself. You said darkness is fueled by dark emotions, but I don’t have enough of those yet. The only thing driving me is my desire to kill that man in the coat—Xehanort, I assume.”

  The figure's energy flickered as it paced around Helios, unsatisfied. “That desire should be more than enough to el the darkness," it said coldly. "Something inside you is holding you back. If you don’t unlock this power soon, it could take years—decades even—before we leave this pce.”

  Helios’s gaze drifted out to the crumbling remains of the world surrounding them, the darkness swallowing everything. "Maybe," he said softly, "but I believe I’m strong enough to find a way out. We just need something more... powerful."

  The figure stopped, its i piqued. “And what exactly are you suggesting?”

  Helios straightened, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Sihis is the Realm of Darkness, there should be Keybdes of Darkness scattered somewhere in this world.”

  The figure regarded him with a critical eye, its dark energy swirling as it pted Helios’s words. “Keybdes of darkness? Based on your memories, they could exist here. But I wouldn’t know where to find one. Do you?”

  “I think I might,” Helios replied, his voice steady with renewed determination. “Mickey found his Keybde of darkness in this realm where Riku awakehe Kingdom Key, and I believe there must be others. Every Keybde of light must have a terpart in the dark. If I find remnants of Daybreak Town—one of the first worlds to fall—then maybe I’ll find a Keybde that help me el the darkness and open the door.”

  The figure's cold eyes glowed faintly. "Daybreak Town..." it murmured, as if recalling something a and long fotten. "Yes, a world of light that fell into darkness. If any part of it still exists, it will be at the ter of the realm—the most dangerous area of all."

  Helios nodded, a grim determinatio in his expression. "Then that’s where we o go."

  The figure’s aura pulsed with dark energy, almost as if amused by Helios’s resolve. "Be warned, boy. The path to Daybreak Town will be unfiving. If you fail to master the darkness, you’ll be torn apart by the Heartless before you eve foot near it."

  "I uand the risks," Helios replied. "But staying here is no longer an option. This world is disiing piece by piece. If we don’t move soon, we’ll be swallowed up just like everything else. Besides someone once said the best way to learn is under intense life-threatening ditions."

  The figure seemed to pte for a moment, its gaze heavy on Helios. “Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps you need a more... immediate visceral experieo push you to your limits.”

  Before Helios could process the figure’s words, he felt a chilling feeling as he looked at the figure and then it moved. In an instant, the dark energy surrounding it exploded outward, f deadly spikes of shadow that shot toward him.

  Helios reacted instinctively, summoning his shield of darkness just in time. The spikes crashed against his barrier with a force that sent him stumbling back, cracks f across the surface of his shield. The csh between their darkness sent shockwaves through the crumbling room. His heart pounded in his chest as the figure loomed over him, its voice cold aached. “Hmm… seems you were right life-threatening ditions do make frowth.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Helios shouted, fear and fusion mixing with anger. “I thought we were allies—friends not enemies!”

  The figure's response was chillingly calm. “If you ’t meet my expectations, then perhaps death is the lesson you he darkness is not merciful. Only the strong survive. And I have no need for weak friends.”

  Helios’s breath quied as the figure unched another volley of dark energy toward him. His shield held, but just barely. The cracks widened with each strike, the barrier straining against the relentless assault.

  “I’ll die at this rate!” Helios gasped, panic creeping into his voice.

  The figure’s energy pulsed, its amusement almost tangible. “Yes, I know. I fully intend on killing you if you don’t meet my standards. I am not human, Helios. I don’t o lie or deceive. When I say I will kill you if you do not meet my expectations, I mean it.”

  Helios’s mind raced as he dodged another wave of spikes, his body ag from the strain. His heart pounded, fear mingling with frustration. He had to think—had to find a way out of this.

  “Why are you so i on killing me?” Helios shouted, trying to find a way to reason with the figure. “I thought we had a on goal! If you kill me, you’ll never get what you want!”

  The figure paused, its dark energy flickering with curiosity. “Perhaps,” it said slowly. “But if you ot harhe darkness within you, then you are useless to me. When I first looked into your memories, I saw only a small flicker of darkness. her too muor too little—a frustratingly useless amount. You are not worth possessing uhat darkness grows.”

  Helios’s eyes narrowed as he spotted an opening in the figure’s attack pattern. Summoning every ounce of strength, he poured darkness into his legs, ung himself upward with a burst of energy just as the figure lunged again. The force propelled him through a crumbling wall, debris scattering around him as he crashed into the open night.

  Panting, Helios scrambled to his feet. His shield was gone, but the surge of energy had bought him a few precious seds. He looked back, his mind whirling. He o get away, troup. This wasn’t just about mastering darkness anymore—it was about survival.