The dark corridor peeled open like a wound in space. From it, Helios stepped into the world once known as Radiant Garden.
Now, it was a graveyard of elegance — half-devoured by darkness, its once-proud towers warped and broken, ivy strangling the marble walls, and pools of black mist seeping from the cobblestones like breath from a corpse. The faint sound of a thousand whispering Heartless stirred beneath the surface, crawling through the shadows as if the entire world were alive.
Helios walked through the ruin without hurry. His boots echoed hollowly in the vast emptiness, the golden trim of his coat dulled by the thick miasma. Around him, emblem Heartless prowled — Soldiers, Air Soldiers, and Wyverns gliding through the air — yet none dared to strike. They parted instinctively, sensing the balance of power that ruled all things born of darkness.
As he approached the towering gates of the corrupted castle, a booming voice interrupted the stillness.
"Hey! You there!"
Helios turned lazily toward the sound. A large, round creature in an ill-fitting suit, black and red, was marching toward him with what appeared to be more bluster than actual authority.
"Yeah, you! Who do ya think you are, wanderin' around here like you own the place? Don't you know this is Lady Maleficent's domain?" Pete puffed out his chest, resting his hands on his hips.
Helios's lips twitched, almost amused. "You must be new," he said softly. "Anyone who knew better wouldn't ask me such a question."
Pete blinked. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," Helios replied, taking a single step closer, his voice calm but sharp as a blade's edge, "if Maleficent didn't want me here, the Heartless would have torn me apart before you even opened your mouth. So since they haven't then…"
For a moment, Pete hesitated — his bravado flickering as his instincts screamed caution. Then he huffed, trying to recover. "Fine, fine! Don't get your heart in a twist, pal. You want to see the boss? I'll take you to her. But don't say I didn't warn ya when she turns you into a frog or somethin'!"
Helios smiled faintly. "Lead the way, then."
The walk through the castle was like walking through the skeleton of a god.
Columns of dark thorns spiraled along the once-luminous walls. The air shimmered faintly with green fire, and every sound — every drip of water, every brush of wind — seemed amplified by the oppressive silence.
Pete pushed open a pair of enormous doors, announcing with exaggerated flourish, "Your Maleficence! You've got a visitor — says he's important!"
From the throne's shadowed dais, a woman's laughter rang — smooth, mocking, as rich and dark as the world itself.
"Pete, everyone who walks into my domain believes themselves important. Yet so few survive long enough to prove it."
Green fire flared along the edges of the hall, and there she was — Maleficent, the self-proclaimed Empress of Darkness, seated upon her twisted throne . Her eyes gleamed like twin stars in the gloom, and her smile was the kind that made mortals forget they'd ever known safety.
"Helios," she said, the name rolling off her tongue like a melody laced with venom. "My wayward star returns. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten your dear mother."
Helios exhaled through his nose, expression perfectly neutral. "You are not my mother. And if you were, I'd have found a way to erase that memory by now."
Maleficent chuckled, unbothered. "Still so ungrateful. I do so much for you — teaching you magic, maintaining your little favor, searching for your precious worlds — and yet all I receive are barbs and glowers."
"You enjoy the barbs," Helios countered, walking toward her. "They make you feel alive or whatever enjoyment you get from it. Admit it — without them, your throne would be just another empty chair in a dead castle."
Her smile sharpened. "You presume too much, child."
"I'm not a child," he replied, eyes narrowing. "And I presume just enough."
Pete coughed nervously from the doorway. "Uh, I'll just, uh, leave you two mother and son to—"
"Quite," both said in unison.
The doors slammed shut with a thunderous echo, cutting him off mid-retreat.
The two stood in perfect stillness for a long moment — predator and predator, neither blinking. Then, finally, Maleficent rose, her long staff clinking softly against the stone floor. Green mist curled around her as she glided closer, eyes glinting with delight.
"So," she purred, "you've come to collect on that little favor, have you? The two worlds you asked me to locate…" She trailed off, tapping a nail against her chin. "I have found both of them. So perhaps you can share with me, dear boy, as to why you're so interested in these worlds. Tell me, Helios — how badly do you want to know where they are?"
Helios's voice was smooth as glass. "I'm just looking for a world to relax in, and as I'm sure you've seen, those worlds make a good place for a vacation. I was recently injured and would like a nice place to recuperate. You're welcome to come and enjoy the sun with me if you wish. The invitation is always open."
Her laughter rippled through the air, haunting and amused. "Ah, but I don't like such sunny places. It could do with a touch of darkness. That's what makes these worlds so entertaining." She leaned closer, her grin widening, voice honeyed. "Would you mind if I released some Heartless into those worlds? They do get ever so restless."
He stopped a few feet away, a mocking smile on his face. "I don't mind. Besides, even if I did, I'm sure you'd do so anyway. If you ever decide to stop by, make sure to visit, okay."
Maleficent chuckled, lifting her staff slightly, the green flames along the walls brightening in rhythm with her amusement. "Always so calm. Always so untouchable. You remind me of myself, in a way — I suppose that's why I see you as a son in some ways. Except I don't pretend to have a conscience."
Helios's smile thinned. "And I don't pretend to have a heart."
She hummed in approval. "How delightfully tragic." Her tone softened, though her eyes glittered with that same cruel curiosity. "Very well. The first world is on the brink — a place drowned in false light. You'll know it when you see it. The second…" She paused, turning away, her voice lowering to a near-whisper. "Is closer than you think."
Helios said nothing. He simply turned his gaze toward the burning green light, unreadable as ever.
Maleficent tilted her head, watching him with a faint smirk. "Careful, dear boy. Even a bright star can burn out if it strays too long in the dark."
Helios turned his head slightly, his voice quiet but sharp as he stepped back into a swirling corridor of black and violet. "I'm not a star, Maleficent. Never was I'm what's left after one dies."