Chapter 4

In the midst of the chaos, he spotted his parents running towards him, waving their arms frantically.

"Helios, run! It's not safe here!" his father yelled, his voice filled with urgency.

Helios felt a surge of relief and hope as he saw his parents. He ran towards them, dodging the Heartless and the panicking crowd. They met in the middle of the street, and Helios could feel his heart pounding with relief. But their reunion was short-lived. Wasting no time they held hands as they ran back in the direction of their home.

As soon as they reached the corner of the street, a towering Darkside Heartless appeared before them, blocking their path. Helios' mother pushed him out of the way just as the Heartless tried to grab him. However, the Heartless still managed to grab both of his parents.

"Run, Helios! Run!" his parents yelled as they were caught by the Heartless.

He took one last look at his parents, who were struggling to break free from the Heartless' grasp. He saw the look of concern and fear in their eyes. Helios could hear his parents yelling at him to run away, but he couldn't bring himself to leave them behind. He watched in horror as the Darkside Heartless squeezed its hand with dark energy, their screams echoing in his ears.

Tears blurred his vision as he stared at his parents, their pained faces burned into his mind. Helios's legs felt like lead, his body trembling as the urge to run battled against the helplessness that gripped him. Their voices—pleading, desperate—echoed in his ears, but fear kept him rooted to the spot. He had never felt so powerless. Helios finally managed to move but he stumbled backwards and tripped over a curb, hitting his head on the pavement. He lay there, dazed and confused, as the Heartless continued their rampage through the city.

As Helios lay there, dazed and gasping, a shadow passed over him. A hooded figure stood at his side, as if they had simply materialized from the storm itself. Glowing yellow eyes pierced the darkness, cold and indifferent, staring down at Helios with quiet judgment. He couldn't make out their face. The hooded figure's calm, chilling demeanor contrasted with the chaos around them.

"Who... who are you?" Helios managed to ask, his voice barely above a whisper.

The hooded figure sighed and shook their head. "You are quite the disappointment, Helios. Your heart is already broken at the loss of your loved ones. You would not make for a worthy vessel. The only fate ahead of you is to be consumed by the darkness."

Helios felt a shiver run down his spine at the hooded figure's words. "What... what do you mean? Consume?"

The figure didn't answer. Instead, they reached out into the air and summoned a weapon that looked like a key. Its blade is long and sleek, with a jagged edge that glows with a malevolent energy. The handle is adorned with intricate black and silver designs, and the tip of the blade seemed to feature a single silver-green eye that seems to stare into the soul of its wielder. Helios felt a cold sensation spread through his body, as the hooded figure aimed the weapon into the sky, and a black beam shot from it.

A black void opened above them and began sucking up everything. It consumed the people and heartless indiscriminately. Helios who couldn't move cried out in fear as his body began to float into the black void.

Once inside the void, he saw nothing but blackness with the exception of two other people. They walked over to him and his eyes widened when he saw his parents.

In the black void, the sight of his parents brought a surge of warmth to Helios's heart. His mother's touch was soft, familiar, as she gently cupped his cheek. "My dear boy, you've done enough. Close your eyes and sleep in the endless abyss. There you will feel no pain so close your eyes. It's okay to give in to the fear and despair."

But something about her words didn't feel right—her voices were soothing, yet hollow, like echoes in a distant cave. "Rest, Helios," his father urged, his hand heavy on Helios's shoulder. "You've done enough. In the darkness, you'll find peace and we'll be together again." Helios wanted to believe them, to let go of the fear and exhaustion—but a small, flickering part of him knew this wasn't real.

Unbeknownst to Helios what he was seeing was simply an illusion as the shadows spread infecting his heart and body. Helios looked at his parents and slowly began to close his eyes. As he fell deeper into the darkness, he could hear the hooded figure's voice echoing in his mind. "You were not strong enough to resist the darkness. You were a disappointment to the very end."

Helios felt a sense of despair and hopelessness wash over him. In his mind kept replaying the scene of his parents and how they had sacrificed everything for him. He thought about how he had failed them, how he hadn't been able to save them from the Heartless.

Just as the darkness threatened to swallow him whole, a brilliant light erupted from within the void. Helios's eyes snapped open, drawn to the sudden warmth and radiance cutting through the shadows. Two glowing spheres shot upward, their light growing brighter as they pushed through the darkness. The shadows that had taken his parents' forms recoiled, disintegrating in the face of the light.

"Keep your hands off our son!", his mother's voice rang out, strong and clear, filled with a fierce love that banished the lingering fear in Helios's heart.