The Atlantean warriors stood silently, their glowing tattoos and mask-like visors reflecting the pulsing light of the Heart of Atlantis far above. Spears and crystalline blades remained poised in steady hands as if ready to strike should Helios or his companions make even the slightest wrong move.
Kida stood at the forefront, her eyes scanning the trio. Her movements were graceful yet deliberate—like a predator considering whether the intruders were prey or allies. She raised her hand, and the warriors behind her shifted slightly but held their positions.
A stream of Atlantean words flowed from her lips. It was musical yet sharp, each syllable cutting the air with precision. Helios tilted his head slightly, recognizing some of the tonal patterns from languages he'd encountered in other worlds but unable to decipher it entirely.
"She doesn't seem pleased," Kurai murmured coldly, her eyes glinting. "Let me speak their language. Violence is universal."
"Quiet," Skuld snapped, glaring at her. "No one will mind if you don't speak at all. Try it."
Kurai's head turned sharply, her glare like sharpened ice. The silent tension between the two women seemed to draw even the attention of the golems standing sentinel behind the warriors.
"Enough," Helios said firmly, raising his hand between them without looking back. His voice was calm but carried the weight of command. "We're not here to make enemies."
Skuld crossed her arms, still glaring at Kurai, but stepped back reluctantly. Kurai, however, remained motionless, her expression unreadable.
Helios took a single step forward, his movements slow and deliberate to avoid triggering the warriors' aggression. He placed a hand over his chest and bowed slightly.
"We mean no harm," he began, speaking clearly though he knew the words would likely not be understood. "We're travelers—wanderers of worlds. We came here seeking only to witness the beauty of this place and its stories, not to fight."
Kida's eyes narrowed. More Atlantean words, this time sharper, almost demanding.
Helios sighed softly, meeting her gaze with calm understanding. "Are you asking who we are… and why we've come?"
Kida blinked. Though she didn't answer, there was a flicker of understanding in her eyes. She gestured sharply for the warriors to lower their weapons slightly—not fully, but enough to signal that no immediate attack would follow.
She spoke again, her words still in Atlantean but slower, more deliberate. Her gaze lingered on Helios as though she were studying his lips, his tone, every inflection.
"Is she trying to learn the language here and now?" Helios murmured to himself. He'd seen it before—people with extraordinary minds piecing together new tongues in real time.
"This is truly amazing. Such an intelligent mind," he said aloud. "That's good. It'll make this easier."
Kida tilted her head slightly. Her next words came haltingly, accented but understandable:
"Who… are… you?"
Helios allowed a faint smile. "I am Helios. These are my companions—Skuld and Kurai. We're a band of wanderers. We travel from place to place, gathering stories of magnificent worlds and sharing tales of others in exchange. Nothing more."
Kida frowned. "Stories…?"
"Yes." Helios gestured lightly toward the city. "We've never seen a place so wondrous. Its history, its people… we're curious. But we did not come to harm you. Your guardians attacked, and we only defended ourselves."
Kida's eyes darted between them, her expression still unreadable.
"You… fight… well," she said bluntly. "Too well. Not… simple wanderers."
Skuld stepped forward. "He's telling the truth. We didn't want to fight. Helios wouldn't lie."
Kurai let out a sharp, derisive sound. "He wouldn't lie? You sound like a naive child placing blind faith in—"
"Shut up, Kurai," Skuld shot back, her voice cracking like a whip. "Just shut up. If you can't help, then stay silent."
Kurai's gaze snapped to Skuld, her eyes glimmering like bloodlit glass. Her fingers flexed slightly, and for a moment it seemed as if she might draw her keyblade.
Helios exhaled slowly, stepping between them. "Kurai. Enough. Please." His tone was low but firm, carrying a weight even Kurai didn't challenge. She let out a faint hiss of irritation but stepped back.
"My apologies for my companions," Helios said to Kida, bowing slightly again. "Their tongues are sharper than their hearts."
Kida studied Helios intently, her blue eyes cutting through the dim light of Atlantis like sharpened crystal. Her stance was relaxed but poised, the stance of a warrior who could lunge in a heartbeat if need be.
"You say you… wander," she said slowly, the words coming more fluidly now. Her ear for language was remarkable. "But wanderers… do not carry weapons like those. Do not fight like soldiers."
Helios kept his hands open and visible. "Where we come from, every place is different, and not all are safe. A wanderer unarmed does not remain a wanderer for long."
Kida tilted her head, expression unreadable. "You… dress like no one I know. Speak like no one I know. Yet you… respectful."
She circled Helios like a predator assessing prey, her warriors following her movements with synchronized steps. Skuld tensed but remained silent, her fists tightening. Kurai didn't flinch, her eyes fixed unblinking on Kida as if staring into the heart of the crystal above.
"You came through the sky," Kida continued. "Strange light. Machines of light. That is… dangerous."
"We mean no danger," Helios said softly, his voice calm and measured. "We travel to different places using paths unknown to most. The light was only our arrival, not an attack."
Kida stopped in front of him. "Why here? Why Atlantis?"
Helios smiled faintly, tilting his head. "Because Atlantis is a place of legend. A lost empire, a city hidden from time. What wanderer wouldn't dream of seeing such a wonder?"
Kida's gaze softened slightly, but her next words were blunt. "Your words… sweet. Too sweet. Sweet words are… easy to make. Truth is… harder."
Helios chuckled, though there was no mirth in it. "Then test me. Ask your hardest question."
Kida's eyes narrowed. "If you mean no harm… why fight our guardians?"
Skuld stepped forward then, unable to hold back. "Because they attacked us first! We didn't destroy them—we only defended ourselves."
Kurai's lip curled faintly, and she muttered, "Would've been easier to destroy them and be done with it."
Skuld spun on her, fury blazing in her eyes. "No one asked for your opinion!"
"Enough," Helios said sharply, his voice cracking across the courtyard like a whip. Both women froze under his command.
Helios turned back to Kida, his tone softening. "We could have destroyed your guardians. But we didn't. We restrained ourselves because we didn't come for war. That is the truth."
Kida stared at him for a long moment. The tension in the air was thick enough to choke. Then she gestured sharply, and her warriors lowered their weapons—not fully, but enough to show she had made a choice.
"You… speak with care," she said. "Maybe… too careful. But I see no anger in your eyes."
"Only curiosity," Helios replied.
Kida's lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile. "Curiosity is dangerous."
"And yet," Helios said, "it is the reason we're talking instead of fighting."
Kida considered this for a moment before speaking to her warriors in Atlantean. The words were rapid and sharp, but they obeyed instantly, stepping back into formation.
"You will come," Kida said, gesturing toward the city. "Speak to my father. He decides."
Helios nodded respectfully. "Thank you."
Kurai muttered under her breath, "We're wasting time with these primitives…"
Skuld's glare returned full force. "You're lucky I don't knock you out right now."
"Enough now is not the time," Helios growled again, though his tone was quieter now.
As Kida turned and led the way into Atlantis, Helios followed, motioning for Skuld and Kurai to fall in behind him.