The path through the forest opened onto the wide courtyard before Helios' mansion, sunlight spilling across the stone tiles. Voices and the clang of steel echoed through the air, drawing the group's attention toward the training grounds.
Sephiroth and Cloud were locked in a spar. Or rather, Cloud was being pushed back relentlessly. Each exchange was brutal in its precision—Sephiroth's long blade carving through the air with speed and elegance, forcing Cloud into defensive blocks that cracked under the pressure. The final clash sent Cloud sprawling to the ground, his sword skidding a few feet away.
Tempest smirked, arms crossed. "Your stance is wide, your guard sloppy. You're leaving your entire left side open. Again."
Cloud groaned, rolling onto his back, clearly winded. "Yeah… I noticed."
Sephiroth sheathed his blade in one smooth motion and finally looked over to the new arrivals. His silver hair caught the light, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever.
Helios stepped forward with a casual smile. "It's been a while. How've you been?"
"Fine," Sephiroth said, the single word delivered with frost before he turned and walked away without another glance.
Skuld raised an eyebrow. Kurai didn't even bother watching him leave. From the corner of the courtyard, the mansion doors swung open and Thalen stepped out, moving to help Cloud to his feet.
"Come on," Thalen said, gripping Cloud's arm and pulling him up with ease. "You lost again."
Helios let his eyes sweep over the group now gathered here—the warriors, allies, and occasional headaches he had brought together. "You know," he said, "looking at all of you, I think I was right to get this place. It's… accommodating."
The others began drifting toward the mansion, the promise of a meal in the air. The scent of something warm and savory wafted from inside. Skuld and Kurai followed without a word.
But Helios stopped just short of the door. "Helga," he called.
She turned, her braid shifting over her shoulder as her dark green eyes locked on him. There was a guarded sharpness to her expression, but curiosity flickered there too.
He stepped closer. "You must have a hundred questions for me." His voice was light, teasing. "But I'll start with one of my own—how long has it been since you last saw me?"
Helga blinked at the unexpected turn. "A little over three weeks."
Helios tilted his head, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. "Interesting. From my point of view, it's only been a week."
Her brow furrowed. "Then… is this the past? Or—" she hesitated, as though saying it aloud might make it more absurd—"another world?"
"The latter," Helios replied without missing a beat.
Helga froze, shock flashing across her face before she narrowed her eyes. "You're serious?"
"You're shocked," Helios chuckled, "but you just gave the answer yourself."
She crossed her arms. "Because I thought it was insane. Doesn't mean I believed it."
"Well," he said with a sly grin, "seeing is believing, after all."
She opened her mouth to press further, but he raised a hand, stopping her mid-breath. "Let me save us both some time," he said. "I'll give you the short version."
Helga stayed quiet, her eyes fixed on him.
"There are many worlds out there," Helios began, tone even but carrying weight. "Each one is cut off from the others by boundaries. Invisible walls. Normally, no one crosses them. But there are… exceptions. Certain people—special people—who can break through those walls using unique methods."
He gestured toward himself, then in the direction of Skuld and Kurai, who were disappearing into the mansion. "Me and my two companions are among those people. We can cross from one world to another. The others here, the ones who've stayed with you these last weeks, cannot."
Helga's expression was unreadable, but the intensity in her gaze betrayed how closely she was hanging on every word.
"Now," Helios continued, "time doesn't always move the same in every world. That's why it's been three weeks for you, but only a week for us."
Her lips parted slightly, the thought clearly rattling her.
"Yes," Helios added, almost as an afterthought, "Rourke is dead."
Helga's eyes narrowed faintly. "So when you leave…"
"You'll be coming with us," he said simply. "And you'll be seeing another world for yourself."
For the first time since the conversation started, she looked genuinely off-balance. "I… see."
"I know you have more questions," Helios said, his tone softening, "and we'll get to them. But for now, eat, rest, keep training. We'll have plenty of time to talk. Trust me on that."
Helga tilted her head, as though weighing his words, then gave a short nod.
Helios smirked and stepped past her, heading inside. The air in the mansion was warmer, filled with the low hum of conversation and the clatter of plates from the dining hall.
But instead of joining the others, he went straight to his room. The door shut behind him with a muted click. Crossing to the far corner, he reached into a hidden compartment built into the wall and pulled out a small, sleek object—the hard drive.
One of the two reasons he had come back.
It was the same one he had taken from Ansem the Wise's computer during the fall of Radiant Garden, the data still locked away inside.
Helios held it for a moment, thumb brushing over its smooth surface, before tucking it securely into inventory pouch.
The use of it could wait.
For now… there were bigger moves to be set in motion.