“Strange," Kurai mused aloud, its voice eg in the dim . "When I first attempted to possess him at the beach, I was rejected. I thought it was because there was no darkness in his heart, but there is—yet he still resists. It’s as though he’s adapting to the darkness, learning to reject fn influence." Kurai paused for a moment, then dismissed the thought. "This is no time to indulge curiosity. I o get started."

  Pushing aside the mystery, Kurai set about its task. Dark miasma swirled around the , thiing and weaving itself into a protective barrier. The darkness served to ceal Helios and shield him from any prying eyes or wanderiless. The realm of darkness was ever-watchful, and leaving Helios vulnerable while he healed was too great a risk.

  Days passed. Helios remained unscious, his body slowly rec from the wou by the Darkside. The deep gash across his side gradually closed, leaving a dark scar as a testament to the battle. During this time, Kurai never left his side, its preseh a guardian and a reminder of the dark pact they shared. The miasma tio swirl, creating an imperable barrier between them and the encroag dangers of the Realm of Darkness.

  At st, after many nights, Helios stirred. His eyelids fluttered open, and he groaned softly, one hand instinctively moving to touch his side. The wound was healed, but the memory of the pain remained vivid. As he sat up, the events leading up to his colpse pyed in his mind, fragmented but slowly pieg themselves back together.

  Kurai, sensing his awakening, approached him. “Helios, you're awake. Good. We’ve wasted enough time here. It’s time to move.”

  Helios, still groggy, blinked and groaned. "Yeah... I feel better, but I o rest a bit more before we tinue," he said, his voice hoarse.

  After a brief moment of rest, Helios pushed himself up from the bed, his strength slowly returning. His memories, though still jumbled, began to align. Fragmented pieces of his past life—memories of both worlds—fell into pce, as if the fog in his mind was lifting.

  He stood on unsteady feet, turning to face Kurai, a new crity in his gaze. “Kurai, I remember now.”

  Kurai’s gaze fixed on him, curiosity flickering in its dark aura. "And what exactly do you remember?"

  Helios took a deep breath, meeting Kurai’s gaze with a calm expression. “I remember my old world and that I promised to help you, but I won’t open Kingdom Hearts for you.”

  Kurai’s energy darkened. “And why not? You could bring your parents back. With Kingdom Hearts, you could bee like a god—reshape everything as you wish.”

  Helios ched his fists. "I won’t open Kingdom Hearts because I’m realistic. I’ve seen what happens to people who try to go against Sora and his friends. They have the power of plot armor and friendship on their side. As for me, all I have is you and I have no desire to end up on the losing side. No matter how much I want my parents back I don’t see a way to achieve this goal.”

  Kurai’s cold voice was ced with hints of disi and disdain. “So you would rather sacrifice your parents for your own survival? Forfeit the power of Kingdom Hearts? Cower before ahat is not here. Pathetic.”

  Helios shook his head, his resolve hardening. “It’s not that simple. I ’t beat Sora—he’s protected by plot armor, and he has the power of friendship on his side. Besides, f the χ-bde requires a war between 13 darknesses and 7 lights. It’s too risky, and the odds of succeeding are basically zero.”

  Kurai’s aura shifted, disappoi rippling through it. “Then what do you propose, Helios? If you refuse to open Kingdom Hearts, how do you pn to repay the help I’ve given you? How do you io justify your existeo me?”

  Helios met Kurai’s gaze, his determination unwavering. “I do owe you for everything you’ve done. You’ve taught me how to use my darkness. You’ve saved me more times than I t, and for that, I’m grateful. But opening Kingdom Hearts isn’t the only way to repay you.”

  Kurai remained silent, its energy flickering but slowly sharpening as it waited for Helios to tinue.

  Helios took a deep breath. “Here’s my proposal: instead of risking everything te the χ-bde and open Kingdom Hearts, let’s help you find a new body a to inhabit. A vessel that isn’t tied to the creator you despise. Ohat wield both light and darkness, free from fate and the rules of this universe.”

  Kurai tilted its head, its energy humming with intrigue. “A new body a, you say? And urpose would that serve? Why would I desire to return to a state I willingly abandoned?”

  Helios smiled, sensing that Kurai was sidering his idea. “Your formless state makes you powerful, yes, but it also limits you. Look at the fate of the 13 true darkhey were either sealed or destroyed. If you take on a new form, ohat blends both light and dark, you could defy the fate waiting for you. You’d be somethiirely new, uable.”

  Kurai floated closer, its aura now pulsing with curiosity. “Defy fate… by embrag both light and darkness? You believe this would free me from the destiny awaiting the true darknesses?”

  Helios nodded, his smile growing. “Yes. If we try to go dowh of Kingdom Hearts, we’ll eventually lose. But by taking an ued route, by choosing to bee somethiher light nor dark, we could ge everything. You could break free from the cycle of defeat that awaits the others. And who knows? Maybe it will give us both a better ce at survival. And… I do still want t my parents back, but on our terms.”

  Kurai remained silent, pting the weight of Helios’s words. The idea of defying fate, of f a new path, appealed to the lingering fragments of its former self—the part that desired freedom, not servitude to a predestined end. “Very well, Helios. I will sider this proposal. If this path holds the potential to alter my fate, I am willing to explore it. But first, how do you io begin this process?”

  Helios grinned. “First, we o escape this realm aurn to the Realm of Light. And for that, I need a Keybde. Once we’re out, I’ll expin the rest of my pn.”

  Kurai’s gaze flickered with a faint glow of i. “A Keybde, you say? Then we must find one. But be warned, Helios—should this pn of yours fail, I will not hesitate to kill you.”

  Helios chuckled softly. “Fair enough, Kurai. But let’s make sure it doesn’t e to that.”

  With a newfound sense of purpose, Helios and Kurai prepared to leave the a out on the phase of their jourhe path ahead was treacherous, filled with danger and uainty, but they would face it together—two unlikely allies, bound by darkness and an unorthodox pn to defy the destiny waiting for them.