The night was quiet as Helios leaned ba his chair. His mind wao the vast possibilities: accessing Space Paranoids, modifying the digital enviro, and, if needed, building a pce hidden from both light and darkness. Somewhere he could store pns, resources, and anything else he might need.

  For now, though, he had to be cautious, especially since Merlin could return without warning. He would find a chest soon enough, but for now, cealing the hard drive beh the floorboards would suffice. Once he locked it away, he sidered hiding it in the World of Darkness until he was ready to retrieve it. However, upon further thinking all the ndmasses colpsed and decayed so he wasn’t sure if it wouldn’t affect the drive.

  After a final g the window, Helios got up, closing the curtains with care. The peaceful exterior of Radiant Garden was a stark trast to the view he used to see in Nightfall.

  As Helios y down to sleep, Kurai’s voice echoed in his mind, its tone ced with thinly veiled impatience. “So… now that you have the hard drive and the data you wanted, we’ll be leaving this annoyingly bright world soon, yes?”

  Helios didn’t answer right away, staring at the ceiling as he mulled over his thoughts. “No. Not yet,” he replied finally.

  Kurai paused, as if surprised. “Oh? And why not?”

  “Because my mastery of magic is still inplete,” Helios expined. “And I’ve only just started grasping programming and Gummi Ship engineering. If I leave now, I’ll lose access to the resources I o fully develop those skills.”

  There was a silence from Kurai, as if it were weighing his words. Finally, it spoke, a hint of mockery creeping into its toell me, Helios… is your reluce to leave truly because of skill-building? Or perhaps,” it paused, sav the moment, “have you formed… bonds with the people here?”

  Helios stiffened, caught off guard by the remark. He felt his jaw tighten, but he said nothing, letting the sileretch. Kurai’s voice took on a cold, desding edge.

  “This is amusing,” it murmured, its tone chillingly detached. “If I had the capacity to ugh, I might do so. You, the boy who abandoned his own parents so that you may live, ertaining the idea of attats? With these trivial, useless people? You are a being who belongs on the side of darkness so why form an attat with those who will undoubtedly bee your enemies iure.”

  Helios’s hand tightened into a fist as he y there, his gaze hardening as he stared into the darkened ceiling. He felt a flicker of a Kurai’s words, but he kept his voice steady. “A, here we are, Kurai. Whether you like it or not, we his world. Attats or not, the skills I learn here will serve our purpose wheime es.”

  Kurai gave a low hum, its presence cold and dark within his mind. “The us hope your attats do not bee our undoing. Hearts are fragile things, after all. You may think you’re simply biding your time, but the heart has ways of creeping up ohe most guarded. I will be watg and if I deem your as to be at my detriment then this little friendship or partnership we have shall end. Am I uood?”

  Helios let the silenswer Kurai. He could feel Kurai retreat, its presence being a faint whisper in the recesses of his mind, though he could ses lingering dissatisfa. Closing his eyes, Helios forced himself to drift off, his thoughts fractured between the mission he’d set himself on and the panions he’d found uedly valuable.

  As Helios y there in the dark, he wrestled with Kurai's words. They g him, stirring a tension he couldn’t quite shake. He wao believe he was above attats, that every e he made in Radiant Garden was merely a part of his pn. But the faces of Isa, Lea, and even Cid came to mind unbidden. Their genuine friendship had offered him something he hadn’t expected: the simple fort of camaraderie. For so long, he’d only known solitude and survival, rusting, never letting himself depend on anyone especaiily his dark accquitence Kurai.

  ‘But isn't that exactly how darkness seeps in?’ Kurai's words echoed in his mind, but he brushed them aside with an iron resolve. Tomorrow, he’d go back to training. His time here wasn’t indefinite—he had goals to achieve. And the small forts he found here should not dissuade him from his ultimate goal back his parents.

  Sleep, however, came relutly, and he drifted in and out of strange dreams. He saw flickering images of his home, Nightfall, cast in shadow and engulfed in darkness. He could see his parents' faces, blurry and distant, reag out toward him in pain before vanishing into the dark mist. Then, the se shifted, and he was in Radiant Garden, the f glow of the marketpd ughter of his friends somehow feeling like a distant memory, slipping further away each time he tried to hold on. Helios awoke in cold sweat to the faint light of dawn seeping through the curtains, feeling an unexpinable ache that settled heavily on his chest. Shaking it off, he forced himself to focus.

  By mid-m, Helios was at the city outskirts, practig his spells, each cast of Cure and Aero sharper, faster than the day before. He poured himself into the movements, repeating each spell until he could cast it instinctively. Afterward, he worked on the Esuna and Slow spell Merlin had passed onto him. With every flick of his wrist and surge of energy, he imagined himself closer to his goal. He had nearly exhausted himself when he sensed a figure approag from behind.

  “Well, look who’s been busy. Haven’t seen you for almost a full 24 hours,” came a voice. Helios turo find Lea and Isa standing there, looking at him with raised eyebrows.

  “Sorry about always bailing out on you guys. It's just that Merlin has been teag me a lot of things and he wants me to get them down before…” Helios replied, a hint of a smirk breaking through his exhaustion.

  “Before what?” asked a ed Isa

  “Oh nothing,” said Heli to smooth things over.

  “Oh e on friends don’t keep secrets from each other. Now spill it!” said Lea as he put his arm around Helios’ neck.

  “Alright cool it, man. Merlin said that things were about to get hectic so I should keep my eyes out for anything strange and tell him if I see something,” said Helios as he freed himself from Lea’s grasp.

  Isa’s expression grew serious. “Hectic? What exactly did he mean by that?”

  Helios shrugged, keeping his voice calm. “He didn’t specify much—just told me that some things were brewing uhe surface. Apparently, he’s worried there might be ges ing to Radiant Garden. He asked me to keep a low profile and stay vigint.”

  Lea’s brows kogether in curiosity. “ges, huh? Sounds… ominous. But hey, with us around, you’ve got nothing to worry about!” he added, his usual griurning.

  Helios managed a small smile, but his mind was elsewhere, the weight of Kurai’s words and the strange ache from his dream lingering in the back of his thoughts.

  Isa gnced around, his sharp gaze sweeping over the area as if he might spot something hidden. “If Merlin thinks something is going on, it’s best we all stay on guard.” He looked at Helios, hidden behind his usual posed demeanor. “I’ll admit, I’m not used to dealing with this kind of thing, but if you ever need backup, we’re here.”

  Lea gave Isa a pyful shove, ughing. “Oh, e on, Mr. Serious, it’s not like the pce is crawling with any bad guys. Radiant Garden’s about as safe as they e.”

  But Isa’s caution lingered. “Perhaps. Still, being cautious and prepared never hurts.”

  Helios appreciated their support, though he khe real dangers would likely surpass anything Isa or Lea could imagihanks, both of you. I feel better knowing you’re around. But really, don’t worry too much. If anything does happen, I take care of myself.”

  They stood together in the quiet outskirts for a while, the m sun casting a warm glow over the city. As they turo head back, Lea punched Helios lightly on the shoulder.

  “You know,” Lea began, a hint of mischief in his eyes, “you could have invited us to yic training. I’ve always wao see those fancy spells up close!”

  Isa scoffed, shaking his head. “Yes, because you’d totally pay attention and not turn it into a joke.”

  Lea shrugged, grinning. “What I say? Maybe I’d learn something. And hey, it wouldn’t hurt to have some extra magic tricks up my sleeve.”

  Helios smirked. “I don’t know, Lea. You might blow yourself up before casting a single spell.”

  Lea’s ughter echoed through the air, iious as ever. “Hey, I’m tougher than I look! Get it memorized!”

  Isa rolled his eyes, but a faint smile tugged at the ers of his mouth. “Maybe you’ll have your eday, Lea. Just… try not to get too carried away.”

  Helios chuckled and said, “No it’s okay. I only know a few spells but I teae each. Think of it as thanks for sharing my worries with me. Oh, and before you ask Lea I’ll teach you a fire spell and Isa and wind one.”