The sun hung low over the horizon, casting long shadows across the courtyard as Helios stood quietly at the threshold of the mansion. His armored figure radiated calm, but beneath the helmet his lips curved faintly—not in a smile, but something more bittersweet.
Behind him, Kurai adjusted the claws on her gauntlets, her violet armor catching stray rays of light. Skuld stood off to the side, fidgeting with her gloves, the cerulean blue of her armor glowing faintly.
Zack was the first to break the heavy silence. "So this is it, huh? You're heading out." His voice carried its usual cheer, but there was an unmistakable edge of sadness under it.
Helios turned, his visor glinting. "Yeah… take care till we return."
Zack grinned and crossed his arms. "You better hurry. I'll keep the kid—" He nodded at Thalen, who was sulking quietly— "busy while you're away. But don't take too long, or I might steal your spot as the coolest guy in this place."
Helios let out a soft laugh. "You're welcome to try, Zack."
Cloud stood a few feet away, arms crossed, his piercing eyes unreadable. He didn't say much, but his slight nod was enough for Helios to understand the message: Come back alive.
Skuld turned to Thalen, her voice gentle. "We'll be back before you know it. Stay safe here, okay? Also, train hard so you don't get left behind."
Thalen hesitated before nodding, though his hands curled into fists at his sides. "Fine. Just don't leave me behind next time."
Kurai, standing a pace behind Helios, spoke coldly to the group for the first time. "This isn't a farewell worth dragging out."
"Don't mind her," Helios said lightly. "She's not great at goodbyes. Or hellos. Or conversations in general."
Kurai's visor turned slightly toward him, but she didn't respond, her silence cutting sharper than any words.
"Take care of yourselves out there," Zack said, stepping forward and clapping Helios on the shoulder. "All three of you."
Helios gave one last look at the group—Zack's grin, Cloud's solemn stare, Thalen's tight expression—and inclined his head. "We will."
The air in the clearing crackled as Helios raised his hand, summoning a dark corridor. Shadows spiraled outward, twisting into a swirling vortex until an opening bloomed before them—a gateway into the Lanes Between Worlds. The faint hum of otherworldly energy filled the air, tugging faintly at their armor as if inviting them forward.
"This is it," he said quietly.
Kurai and Skuld stepped to his sides.
"Ready?" Helios asked.
Kurai stood silently, her arms crossed, her presence as oppressive as ever. The violet glow tracing her sleek armor pulsed faintly with each beat of her heart. Beside her, Skuld fidgeted slightly, her cerulean armor catching the morning light and refracting it like polished glass.
"Always," Kurai replied flatly.
Skuld nodded, her expression set. "Let's go."
Helios stepped forward, the matte black plating of his own armor shifting slightly as he moved. The horns of his helmet caught the light, casting wicked shadows over his face. "This is it," he said softly. "The world we're going to this time is different and dangerous."
Kurai didn't respond—she didn't need to. Instead, she reached out and gripped the hilt of her Shadow Sovereign Keyblade that appeared. With a flick of her wrist, she hurled it skyward.
The blade caught the swirling energy of the corridor and shuddered violently. Its jagged, serpentine design rippled and began to unravel, its segments separating and reforming midair. The Shadow Sovereign twisted into a long, sleek frame like a coiled serpent made of black steel and amethyst energy. Two jagged wing-like fins extended from the sides, each glowing with streaks of purple light. The "mouth" at the front opened slightly, emitting a hiss of shadowy mist as the glider hovered before her.
A faint distortion of space trailed behind it like heat shimmering in the void.
Helios watched with a faint smirk. "Not bad. Looks just like you—deadly and full of attitude."
Kurai shot him a sidelong glance through her helmet visor, her silence louder than any retort.
Skuld stepped forward next, her azure Ravenveil Whisper raised high. With a breath, she let it slip from her fingers and into the air. The weapon spun gracefully, glowing as it transformed. Metallic feathers extended outward, folding into elegant wings that swept back like a raptor's. The shaft elongated into a streamlined frame, the entire glider pulsating with a faint aquamarine glow.
It hovered above her, delicate yet undeniably swift, leaving faint streaks of wind and sparkling motes of light in its wake.
Helios let out a low whistle. "Elegant. As always it fits you, Skuld."
She smiled beneath her helmet, her voice carrying her nervous energy. "I… hope I can keep up with you two. You've gotten stronger since you last left, and I've stayed the same."
"Stay out of the way," Kurai said flatly.
Finally, Helios raised Equilibrium to eye level. The dark keyblade hummed faintly as he focused, pouring a surge of his light and darkness into it. "Let's show them how it's done."
He tossed the weapon upward, and as it turned end over end, the blade began to glow—half silver, half black. Equilibrium split into its light and dark forms, each dissolving into spirals of luminous energy. The twin lights twisted around one another like a yin-yang, converging and reforming into the core of his glider.
A crescent frame unfolded from the core, one side shining like polished silver, the other like obsidian. Two sweeping wings of light and shadow extended out from either side, their curved edges sharp and imposing. A faint corona of light surrounded the glider, balanced perfectly by tendrils of darkness that lashed faintly like living things.
Helios grinned under his helmet. "It's the first time I'm seeing this. It's perfect."
Kurai stared at his creation for a long moment before speaking. "Not terrible… for you."
Helios laughed. "Coming from you, that's the highest compliment I'll probably ever get."
The corridor pulsed violently, as if reminding them of their purpose.
Helios leapt gracefully onto his glider, the vehicle responding instantly to his touch. Kurai followed, stepping onto her serpentine frame with calculated precision. Skuld hesitated only a moment before climbing onto hers, her glider adjusting slightly as if encouraging her forward.
"Stay close," Helios said, his voice carrying over the hum of their gliders. "This is unfamiliar territory for you two, but it's not as dangerous as it looks—so long as you don't stray from the path."
Kurai and Skuld both nodded.
With a flick of his wrist, Helios surged forward. The others followed as the swirling portal expanded, their gliders leaving streaks of light and darkness in their wake.
As they crossed the threshold, the world behind them collapsed into nothingness, and the Lanes Between swallowed them whole.