Chapter 8

After countless days of treacherous travel through the twisted landscapes of the Realm of Darkness, Helios and the shadowy figure finally reached the shattered remains of Enchanted Dominion, the world of Sleeping Beauty. Once a place of beauty and magic, it now lay in ruins, consumed by the ever-encroaching darkness. The sky hung heavy, thick with despair, and the remnants of what was once a vibrant kingdom lay scattered across the land like broken dreams.

Helios stepped into this forsaken world and felt an all-too-familiar pang of sorrow. The crumbling ruins reminded him of his parents, of Nightfall—the city that had been his home and the memories that now haunted him. Everything he loved had been swallowed by the darkness, just like this place.

The figure, however, moved forward without hesitation, unaffected by the desolation around them. It guided Helios to a half-standing house, one of the few structures that hadn't completely fallen apart. After a quick survey, the figure confirmed that no Heartless lurked within.

"Rest," the figure said coolly. "This place is safe for now."

Helios collapsed onto the dusty floor, utterly drained. His muscles ached from the relentless journey, and his mind heavy from the constant threat of darkness. Exhaustion weighed him down, but his thoughts were a whirlwind of fear, anger, and grief. He needed a moment to breathe, to find a way to anchor himself in the reality he now faced.

Across the room, the figure observed him, its glowing featureless face tilted. Finally, it spoke, a note of urgency in its voice. "You must understand, Helios—the darkness around us is unrelenting. If you don't learn to control it, it will consume you. If that happens, then you are of no use to me."

Helios looked up, meeting the figure's gaze. His heart raced with fear as the mental exhaustion was slowly taking over. "I don't want to lose myself," he muttered. "I don't want to be swallowed by the darkness like everything else. How can I protect my heart?"

The figure sighed, its voice tinged with frustration. "You can't deny the darkness, Helios. It's part of who you are now. Avoiding it won't make it disappear. To survive, you must confront it. Only by facing it can you prevent it from taking control. A strong individual fears neither the light nor the dark."

Helios clenched his fists, grappling with the truth in the figure's words. He couldn't keep running from the his own inner darkness. "You're right," he admitted. "My parents taught me to face things head-on. I won't hide from this anymore. I know their light is still within me, helping me through."

"Unlikely," the figure interrupted, indifferent. "Your parents are gone. Their light, whatever it was, has vanished. They left nothing behind to protect you." The figure tilted its head, curiosity flickering in its tone. "Still, why do you only speak of your parents from this life? You lived in another world before this one, didn't you?"

Helios sat up, confusion crossing his face. "I didn't have parents in that life. I grew up in an orphanage. You said you read my memories—how could you not know that?"

The figure's voice held a note of dismissive disdain. "I only focused on the parts that interested me. Love and compassion are frailties I find irrelevant. They only make you vulnerable so I skipped them."

Helios's jaw tightened. "Love and compassion may make us vulnerable," he said softly, "but they also give us strength. I've seen it in my memories of Sora, how love and friendship gave him the power to overcome anything."

For a moment, the figure paused, something flickering in its dark aura, but it quickly returned to its cold, indifferent demeanor. "That dull boy—yes, Sora—did gain power through those things, though how remains a mystery to me. Very well, Helios. If you insist on clinging to such foolish notions, I will still teach you to control the darkness. But understand this: it is a power that requires discipline. You must learn its ways, or it will overwhelm you."

Helios nodded, resolute. "I'm ready. Show me how to use it."

The figure floated closer, its voice low and sharp. "Darkness can grant you strength, but it can also consume you if you're not careful. The first step is to acknowledge the darkness within you. Accept it as part of who you are—only then can you shape it."

The following days were spent within the hollowed-out ruins of Enchanted Dominion, Helios and the figure moving from one crumbling structure to the next as the world itself seemed to fall apart around them. Each day, Helios immersed himself deeper into the teachings of the figure, pushing himself to the brink as he learned to channel the darkness without being consumed by it. Every lesson brought him closer to understanding the delicate balance between his emotions and the power he now wielded.

Together, they ventured out into the decaying world, where Helios tested his newfound abilities against the relentless Heartless. Battle after battle, he learned to control the darkness, channeling it through his emotions. He fought to keep his heart anchored in light, tempering his strength with resolve and discipline.

The days blurred into weeks, the weeks into months. In that time, Helios began to uncover more fragments of his forgotten past, memories of his time as an orphan in the other world slowly resurfacing. But they were fleeting, like glimpses of an old photograph—distant and difficult to grasp.

Still, he pressed on, determined not to lose himself to the darkness. He would survive, not just for his own sake, but for the memory of his parents, and the hope that somehow, in some way, he could restore what was lost.

On a cold, desolate night, as they moved through another ruined part of the world, Helios stopped. He stood in silence, his breath visible in the chill air. "I don't know who I truly am yet," he said, his voice steady, "but I do know one thing—I won't let this darkness control me. After I leave here I will find out how to channel and control light so that I may find a balance. And I'll protect the things that matter."

The figure hovered beside him, its presence still and unreadable. "We'll see," it murmured. "But do not mistake strength for invulnerability. Even the strongest hearts can fall to darkness if they are not careful."

Helios said nothing, only tightened his grip on the resolve that kept him going. He had come too far to falter now. The path ahead was filled with danger, but he had faced the worst before and survived. Whatever the future held, he would meet it head-on.

He would survive, no matter what.