Kingdom Hearts: Consumed by Darkness

The morning sun filtered weakly through the curtains, casting pale streaks of light across the room. Helios lay motionless on the bed, his shirt discarded and his body still marred with almost faded marks of his ordeal in Hades' Underworld. Faint bruises lingered on his ribs, and the latticework of faint red marks that trailed across his chest and shoulders like a map of suffering.

Skuld knelt beside him, her hands glowing with the warm green light of a Curaga spell. Sweat beaded lightly on her brow as she concentrated, channeling her magic in measured waves. Each pulse sent a tingling warmth across Helios' skin, lightened the skin, and healed the tissue while soothing lingering pain.

"You've been through more than anyone should," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Helios' lips curved into a faint smile, though his eyes remained closed. "You make it sound like I lost a war. I'm still breathing, aren't I? I'm fine."

"You almost weren't," Skuld shot back softly, her fingers brushing against a particularly deep red mark on his shoulder. "If Kurai and I hadn't gotten to you in time—"

"—then I'd have missed out on your healing touch." He cracked one eye open, his aqua blue gaze holding a mischievous glint despite his weariness.

Skuld huffed in exasperation, though a small smile tugged at her lips. "You shouldn't joke about this. You're still recovering."

"And you're still worrying too much," Helios replied, his tone teasing but gentle.

The glow around her hands dimmed as she finished the spell, but Skuld didn't move away immediately. Instead, she carefully examined his body for lingering damage. Her fingers ghosted over old wounds, now smooth but still warm from her magic.

"Your muscles are stiff," she murmured, more to herself than to him. "And there's lingering tension along your spine… residual damage from the chains, probably."

"You're starting to sound like Sephiroth," Helios said lightly. "Next, you'll be telling me to stretch more."

Skuld shot him a mock glare. "Don't tempt me."

Helios chuckled, then winced slightly as he shifted on the bed. "Alright, you win. I'll rest more. Doctor's orders."

"I'm serious, Helios." Her voice softened, the light banter giving way to quiet concern. "You've endured so much… and you still keep going like it's nothing."

He reached up and tapped her on the forehead with two fingers. "That's because I have people to come back to. People like you."

Skuld blinked, her cheeks warming slightly, but she said nothing. Instead, she stood and adjusted the blanket over him.

"Rest, Helios. I'll come check on you again later."

"Yes, ma'am." His voice was laced with amusement, but his eyes softened as they watched her step quietly out of the room.

For a long moment, Helios stared at the ceiling, feeling the residual warmth of her magic in his bones. The red marks still remained, but they no longer burned as much.

At the same time in another world the Mysterious Tower loomed beneath a swirling, star-speckled sky. Its crooked silhouette cut a sharp figure against the eternal twilight, its faintly glowing runes pulsing in time with the heartbeat of magic that coursed through the walls.

Inside, the air was heavy with the scent of ozone and scorched stone.

Aqua's boots slid across the smooth floor of the Moon Chamber as she struck again and again with her keyblade. Sparks erupted each time her blade clashed with the summoned Heartless illusions Yen Sid had provided for her training.

"Firaga!"

Three homing fireballs spiraled outward from her extended palm, detonating against the shadows in a burst of heat and light. Without pausing, she twisted midair, her keyblade flashing in a sweeping arc that cleaved another illusion in two.

Faster. Stronger.

She landed in a crouch and thrust her keyblade forward. "Thundaga Shot!"

Bolts of crackling lightning arced from her weapon, lancing through three more shadowy forms. The afterimages of Kurai's cold crimson eyes flickered in her mind. The memory of Skuld being ripped away echoed louder than the strikes of her blade.

Aqua's hand trembled.

'I wasn't strong enough then… I can't let it happen again.'

"Blizzaga Barrage!" she yelled, launching six shards of ice that spiraled through the air, shattering her targets. But even as they fell, more took their place, writhing and clawing toward her.

Her breathing quickened. Sweat plastered her bangs to her forehead, but she kept swinging, kept moving.

'Terra… Ventus… Skuld… How many times will I fail the people I love?'

Her magic faltered mid-cast, and an illusion's claw swiped dangerously close to her side. She blocked at the last second with a rushed Barrier spell, the dome cracking visibly from the force.

She gritted her teeth, ignoring the ache in her arms as she pushed back and countered with a spiraling Spellweaver combo. Her keyblade floated around her like a deadly satellite, striking again and again, but her movements had grown erratic, her footwork sloppy.

'Why can't I be faster? Why can't I be stronger?'

A surge of heat flared through the room. Flames licked at the walls where her Firaga Burst spell detonated too close to her position.

"Raging Storm!" she shouted, conjuring three blazing tornadoes that tore through the illusions.

The room fell still. Her chest heaved as she dropped to one knee, her knuckles white around her keyblade's hilt.

"Aqua."

The quiet voice cut through the air like a bell.

She looked up sharply. Yen Sid stood at the chamber's edge, his hands clasped neatly behind his back, his conical hat casting a long shadow across the floor.

"Master Yen Sid…"

"You are pushing yourself beyond your limits again," he said evenly, his eyes narrowing.

"I have to," Aqua replied, her voice shaking. "I wasn't strong enough to stop her. I couldn't save Skuld, and now—"

"Enough." Yen Sid's voice was firm, layered with the weight of centuries. "You cannot help her if you destroy yourself in the process."

Aqua's fingers tightened around her weapon. "If I train harder, if I just—"

"You have trained harder before, and yet here you are again."

His words struck her like a physical blow.

"This self-inflicted punishment will not save her," he continued. "It will only make you brittle. You are no use to your friends if you shatter under the weight of your own guilt."

Aqua's shoulders slumped as her keyblade clattered to the floor. She stared at her trembling hands.

"I… I can't lose her too," she whispered.

Yen Sid's expression softened slightly. He stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You will not lose her. But to save her, you must first steady your own heart."

For a long moment, Aqua said nothing. Then she drew in a deep, shaky breath and nodded.

"…Yes, Master."

The chamber fell silent, the lingering scent of ozone and scorched stone the only reminder of her desperate training.