The mansion's halls faded behind him as Helios summoned the corridor of darkness. Shadows pooled and twisted into an archway, its depths yawning like a throat eager to swallow him. He stepped through without hesitation, his body still sore but his stride steady.
The dark corridor unfurled around Helios like a tunnel of writhing shadows, and with one step he emerged into the throne room of Radiant Garden's captured heart.
The air here was heavy. The walls themselves seemed to remember the world that had been — once proud white stone halls now veiled in shadows that whispered with Maleficent's dominion. Torches sputtered with green fire, casting warped shapes across the vaulted chamber. At the center, the round table of council stood beneath the shadow of her black throne, and seated there were three of her most infamous lieutenants: Jafar, eyes glinting with cold calculation; Ursula, her tentacles draped across the polished floor like smug coils; and Hades, gesturing wildly with smoke curling from his blue-flamed hair as he argued some petty point.
Helios took in the scene with his usual smirk, though beneath the casual façade his body was still stitched with pain. His jacket hung heavily, a faint bloodstains seeping through at the side despite his earlier healing. Every step forward sent quiet pulses of ache up his ribs, but if any of them noticed, he gave no sign.
Maleficent, draped regally in her black and purple gown, did not turn at once. She only shifted slightly, her profile catching him in the corner of her eye. That tiny movement alone was enough to silence the squabbling at the table. She lifted her staff once, tapping it lightly against the floor.
"You are dismissed," she said, her voice smooth as silk and twice as sharp.
Jafar inclined his head with a smile too wide to be sincere. Ursula muttered something about wasting her time and slithered toward the shadows. Hades, of course, couldn't help himself — throwing his arms up, blue flames flaring.
"Dismissed? That's it? No 'great work, team'? No 'have a soul-snack on me'? You wound me, Maleficent, really. It cuts—"
"Go."
Her voice sliced through his whining, and with a roll of his yellow eyes, Hades vanished in a plume of dark smoke.
And then it was only Helios and Maleficent.
She turned at last, her staff gliding across the floor as she approached. Her expression was unreadable, the faintest smile ghosting across her lips. She stopped before him and, with deliberate slowness, raised a pale green hand to cup his cheek. Her nails were sharp, cool against his skin.
"Helios," she murmured, her tone almost tender. "You look pale. What troubles you, my child? Are you injured?"
Helios tilted his head slightly, moving out of her grasp. The smirk on his lips was mocking, but his eyes were knives.
"Let's not," he said flatly. "We both know you don't care. Save the act for someone who believes it."
A laugh, low and rich, slipped past her lips. "You wound me. Of course I care. I see you as a son, Helios."
Helios barked a sharp laugh in return, though it cost him a twinge in his side. "With a mother figure like you, Maleficent, who needs enemies?"
Her smile lingered, but her eyes studied him with that serpent's patience she was known for. For several heartbeats, she said nothing, and Helios wondered — not for the first time — whether she enjoyed these little games of mask against mask, both of them waiting to see who would flinch first.
Then, softly, she said, "The only thing I desire for you is that you live happily. That you survive. Safe. Whole. Can you not believe me in that?"
Her voice was honey, but Helios had long since learned to taste the poison underneath.
"You want me alive because I'm useful," he said, voice calm, even amused. "You can dress it up in maternal words, but it won't change what it is. You've always played the long game, Maleficent. And I'm just one piece on the board."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, though whether in irritation or amusement he couldn't tell.
"Perhaps," she allowed. "But pawns can become knights or queens, if they are clever enough."
That almost drew a real laugh from him. Almost. He adjusted his stance, folding his arms loosely across his chest. "Enough word play. I asked you for something the last time we spoke. What progress have you made?"
She arched an elegant brow. "Impatient, aren't we?"
"I call it efficient. Now stop wasting my time."
She let the silence stretch until even the green flames of the torches seemed to flicker in anticipation. Then, at last, she said, "I have found one of the two worlds you seek. The other… proves more elusive. But it will not escape me for long."
Helios' smirk sharpened, though his thoughts raced. One found. One withheld. He knew the rhythm of her manipulations well enough by now.
"Then open a corridor for me," he said, voice smooth but edged with command. "I'll see it for myself."
Maleficent's smile grew faintly indulgent, as though he were a child asking for sweets before supper. She shook her head slowly.
"I am rather occupied at present. When both are secured, I shall call upon you. It will be more… efficient, as you like to say."
For the briefest instant, his smirk faded into something colder. He studied her, weighing every word, every angle of her stance. He could practically see the calculations churning behind her eyes. She had no intention of letting him anywhere near that world yet. Whatever she'd uncovered, she intended to leverage it for her own ends first.
Then, just as quickly, Helios smiled again. Light, casual, almost careless. "Of course. If you're busy, you're busy. I only wanted a peek. It's not important."
He turned, jacket swaying as he moved toward the corridor he had left open behind him. The smirk remained, but his eyes were cold steel now, hidden from her view. She thought herself clever, dangling what he wanted just out of reach, but Helios had no intention of waiting idly. If she had indeed found the world, she would make her move soon — and when she did, he would be watching and waiting. And when she thought herself secure, he would steal it from under her.
Behind him, Maleficent's voice followed, still sweet, still poisonous. "Do not let your impatience undo you, Helios. Even kings must wait their turn."
He didn't look back. "Good thing I've never been patient, then."
The corridor swallowed him once more, and the throne room of Radiant Garden was left silent, save for the faint crackle of green fire.
Maleficent stood where he had left her, her staff tapping once against the stone floor. Her smile lingered, but it was sharper now, thoughtful.
Pieces on the board. She had not lied. And Helios was perhaps the most dangerous piece of all.