Helios he smirk on his fawavering. “Agreed,” he said, his tog the careful trol of Malefit’s own. Inside, he felt a rush of relief mixed with uhe pact had been sealed, and with it, a chapter of his pn had taken a signifit step forward. But he knew better than to uimate Malefit; their alliance was a sharp-edged tool that could just as easily turn against him if he misstepped.

  Malefit’s gaze swept once more over the chamber, lingering on the glowis and the figure of the captured Heartless on the monitor. Her eyes glimmered with dark i, and Helios could almost see the wheels turning in her mind, plotting, scheming. She walked past him, her presence like a shadow that swallowed the light. “Very well, Helios. Let us begin your training soon. I will summon you when I deem it time. Be ready.”

  With that, she turned and swept out of the hidden b, her steps as silent. As she reached the door she vanished in a bze of green and bck fmes. Helios watched her go, the weight of the pact settling over him like a dark mantle. Ohe echoes of her departure faded, the hum of the maes returo domihe silence.

  Kurai’s voice slid into his mind, loleased. “An alliance fed in darkness and ambition. How fitting. But take care, Helios. She is as formidable as she is ing. One misstep, and you could find yourself the apprentio longer needed.”

  “Trust me, I know,” Helios muttered. “I don’t need your warnings, Kurai.”

  Kurai’s chuckle was dry, almost amused. “Just remember whose game you’re pying, ‘boy’. I’d hate to see you devoured by the very shadows you seek to and. I’ve ied too mu you my dear friend to see you end up useless.”

  Helios took a deep breath, steadying himself as he cleared the camera data, meticulously erasing any trace of his and Malefit’s presen the b. His fingers moved with practiced precisiohe keyboard, ensuring that every security feed and digital log was wiped . Satisfied, he navigated through the files stored on the puter, sifting through the vast colle of data.

  He discovered files that hadn’t been on the puter he had copied earlier—notes on experiments involvis and what might happen if a heart were forcibly separated from its body. Though he already khe outes of such experiments, seeing Xehanort’s detailed hypotheses and research sparked a question: How did Xehanort create some of the more formidable Nobodies despite certain members among the anization XIII like Xaldin, Lexaeus, and Zexion clearly ck the strength of heart that the others had? The data hi advaheories on the heart and its manipution, but the research was inplete, fragments of a rger, more ominous puzzle. With this data, he might be able to turn even mundas into formidable Nobodies.

  Helios weighed the decision to take the files. Ultimately, he decided against it for now. Returning when Malefit held trol over Radiant Garden would be safer, and by thea should be plete. Closing the files, he logged out of Xehanort’s user at, using the master trol password o time to lock it again. He shut down the puter, leaving the b as it had been before they entered.

  Opening a dark corridor, he stepped into its shadowy expanse and reappeared just far enough from Merlin’s cottage to avoid suspi. He walked the final stretch, the night air biting at his skin, and as he approached the house, his breath caught. Malefit was waiting outside, her imposing figure illuminated by the soft, silvery glow of moonlight.

  Helios raised an eyebrow, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Let me guess,” he said, his tone dry, “it will be my honor to house you until you find an appropriate ir, yes?”

  Malefit’s eyes glistened with subtle amusement. “Quite,” she said, her voice silky and imperious.

  He shook his head, feeling a mixture of annoyand resignation. With a flick of his wrist, he pushed the cottage door open and stepped aside to let her enter. She glided past him, her dark gown flowing as if carried by an unseen wind, and her presence immediately filled the small space. It was as if the room grew colder, the very air bending to her will.

  Onside, Malefit’s eyes sed the cottage, taking in the shelves of dusty tomes, scattered magical artifacts, and the faintly glowing ruched into the walls. A slight smirk touched her lips. “Charming,” she said, though the word carried a hint of disdain.

  Helios shut the door behind them, the tch clig into pce with a finality that seemed to echh the room. He could feel Kurai’s silent, watchful presehin him, its satisfa palpable. Helios kept his posure as he met Malefit’s gaze.

  “If we’re to live together for even a short time,” he began, choosing his words carefully, “there are certain rules we’ll o follow while staying here. The owner of this pce Merli some wards and entments which may still linger, and we don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention. So please refrain from using dark magic within this abode.”

  Malefit’s smile grew cold. “Do not presume to lecture me on caution, boy. Your importance lies in your knowledge. Overstep, and I shall remind you of your pce.”

  Helios held her gaze, her fling nor submitting. “So long as you uand?”

  There ause, a silent aowledgment of the tenuous alliahey had formed. Malefit’s eyes softehough only slightly, as she studied him. “You are currently more useful to me alive so I shall not kill you,” she said, almost to herself. “But remember, boy, that value decreases with each passing day.”

  He nodded again, the weight of her words settling over him like a cloak. “Looks like we have an uanding.”

  The sileween them was charged, each weighing the other’s iions. Finally, Malefit moved to one of the shelves, running her gloved hand over the spines of Merlin’s aomes. The small magical motes in the air shifted uneasily, as if sensing her presence.

  Helios took a seat by the table. His alliah Malefit had added another piece to the puzzle—ohat could either solidify his goals or shatter them beyond repair depending on how it yed.

  Kurai’s voice whispered softly, a lingering note of amusement in his mind. “A most iing houseguest, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Helios smirked faintly, his eyes narrowing as he watched Malefit pick up a crystal globe, the light from within refleg in her dark eyes. “I hope you ehe show,” he muttered under his breath, knowing Kurai would hear.

  Kurai’s response was a low, satisfied hum. “I do not enjoy anything, but I say this: she will be useful. And for now, that will suffice.”