The silence after battle felt heavier than the darkness itself.
Skuld collapsed onto her back, gasping for air. Her armor dissolved into flickers of fading light, leaving her in her usual attire, drenched in sweat and smeared with soot. Every muscle screamed in protest, every breath burned. The echo of battle — of her spells and the cries of the heartless — still rang in her ears.
All around her, the battlefield lay still. The black stone floor was scorched and cracked, streaked with glowing fissures that pulsed faintly from the residue of her Thundaga and Firaga spells. The air smelled of smoke, iron, and ozone.
And scattered across the ground, glittering like fallen stars, were dozens of tiny shards and stones — synthesis materials, condensed remnants of the Heartless' energy.
Each one shimmered faintly, hues of red, blue, yellow, and violet glinting like crystal dust:
Blazing Shards and Crystals, warm as embers.
Frost Gems and Stones, cold enough to sting the skin.
Lightning Shards, sparking faintly when touched by wind.
And deeper in the cracks, where the darkness was thickest, the faint gleam of Dark Crystals.
Skuld stared up at the shadowed cavern ceiling, her breath trembling.
Her heartbeat echoed in her ears.
"…Finally," she murmured. "That should… be the last of them."
Beside her, Aqua lay slumped against a stone wall, her face pale, her breathing shallow but steady. Her keyblade rested beside her, its glow dimmed nearly to nothing. The Underworld's curse still weighed on her like chains.
Skuld forced herself to sit up. Her arms trembled violently, her body threatening to give out. The keyblade's weight in her hand felt impossible. She braced the blade against the ground and used it like a crutch to pull herself upright — then instantly regretted it as her knees buckled again.
"Don't," Aqua said softly, voice barely audible. "You've… done enough."
Skuld managed a breathless laugh. "You sound… like Helios."
Her keyblade flickered, its glow unstable. She raised her hand anyway, whispering through dry lips, "Magnet."
The air rippled. A faint hum vibrated through the ground as gravity folded in on itself. One by one, the luminous shards and stones lifted from the battlefield — fragments of energy swirling in a spiral toward her.
The Blazing and Frost materials spun around her like twin streams of fire and ice. Lightning Gems crackled faintly, their sparks trailing like comets. The Lucid and Power Crystals glowed brighter as they neared her pouch, their combined light reflecting across her armor.
The magic pulsed once, weakly. The swirl of materials slowed, then stuttered, as if the spell itself were faltering. Skuld gritted her teeth, forcing more mana into the pull.
"Come on…"
Her keyblade dimmed almost completely, but the materials finally gathered together and dropped neatly into the small leather pouch at her hip. The moment it was sealed, the light around her hand went out entirely.
Skuld slumped forward, nearly falling face-first before catching herself. "Worth it," she mumbled, eyes half-lidded.
Aqua watched her with weary admiration. "You're insane… you know that, right?"
Skuld smiled faintly. "Takes one to know one."
The cavern rumbled softly. Aqua's head lifted, eyes narrowing. "Skuld."
She heard it too — that low, oily sound of darkness shifting.
From the cracks in the ground, more shadows began to leak, pooling and twisting. The yellow eyes of Neoshadows and Soldiers blinked open one by one. Hook Bats flitted into the air again, their chains rattling. A faint, bone-chilling howl — Bad Dogs.
Skuld's breath caught. "You've got to be kidding me…"
She tried to rise. Her legs refused. Her body felt like lead. Even the thought of lifting her keyblade again made her vision blur.
"Skuld—" Aqua began, but Skuld waved her off, staggering toward her.
"We're not dying down here, Aqua. Not after all that."
Another rumble — closer. The nearest Soldier lunged from the darkness, spinning like a top. Its claws screeched against the stone as it closed in. Aqua tried to summon her keyblade again — the weapon flickered into existence, only to vanish again in a puff of light.
Skuld dragged herself between Aqua and the advancing swarm, lifting her keyblade like a shield even as her hands shook.
Her voice was raw when she shouted, "Lady Hecate!"
The word echoed through the Underworld like a command, shaking the very air. "I'm done! Bring us back!"
No answer came. The Heartless closed in, dozens of them, their yellow eyes narrowing in hunger. A Hook Bat screamed and dove, its hook spinning like a blade.
"Hecate!" Skuld roared again, magic sparking faintly around her. "Do it now!"
At the last instant — when the bat's hook was a hair's breadth from her face — the air split open behind them. A surge of violet fire erupted across the cavern, forcing the Heartless back. The ground itself shuddered, the air filling with the scent of brimstone.
A voice, rich and sardonic, echoed through the blaze. "Oh, fine. You're so loud it's giving me a headache."
Flames twisted into a spiral — and in the blink of an eye, Skuld and Aqua were gone.
Transition – Return to the Throne Room
The world snapped back into focus with a violent jolt.
They landed hard on the obsidian floor of Hecate's throne hall. Skuld collapsed onto her side, gasping, her body trembling uncontrollably. Aqua hit the floor beside her with a weak groan, eyes fluttering open.
From her towering throne of dark crystal and blue flame, Hecate regarded them with mild amusement. Her pink skin gleamed faintly in the flickering light, her dark indigo hair flowing like a living current. One long finger tapped idly against her throne's armrest.
"My, my," she purred. "You look dreadful, darling."
Skuld pushed herself onto her elbows, glaring weakly up at her. "You… could've brought us back sooner."
Hecate tilted her head, feigning thought. "I could have. But where's the fun in that? You were doing such a… thorough job cleaning up my little Heartless infestation. An A+ for a simple job."
"You call that—" Skuld stopped herself, catching her breath. "—simple?"
Hecate smiled, slow and wolfish. "Everything worked out in the end, darling. You just never know who's grading until the end."
Aqua tried to stand, using the wall for support. "You didn't need to risk our lives to make a point."
"Oh, please." Hecate leaned forward slightly, her smile sharpening. "If I wanted you both dead, I'd have sent you somewhere far less scenic than the lower caverns."
Her gaze shifted, appraising Skuld's keyblade where it lay beside her. "You held your own rather well, little Raven. Maybe you are worth the blessing I gave you."
Skuld's lips twisted into a tired smile. "You sound just like Hades"
That earned her a short laugh. "You must have no account for taste."
Hecate snapped her fingers lazily. Two small ghostly attendants drifted forward, carrying silver goblets of water. "Drink. Even I'm not so heartless as to let you die of exhaustion after amusing me."
Skuld accepted the cup with shaking hands. "So generous," she muttered before gulping it down.
Hecate's grin widened. "Flattery suits you, child. Keep it up and maybe I'll consider not dropping you into the Pit next time."
Aqua shot her a look, but Hecate waved her off. "Relax, darling. You and your little companion are free to go. I'll even open the door myself this time."
A swirl of violet fire appeared behind them — a portal leading back toward the world above.
Skuld rose unsteadily, leaning on Aqua for support. As they stepped toward the portal, she glanced back at Hecate.
"Thanks," she said softly, almost grudgingly.
Hecate smirked. "Don't thank me yet. You still owe me a favor."
The flames flared, swallowing them whole.