Helios reached for the door handle, his senses sharp. The faint magical presence he had noticed wasn't just lingering energy—it was deliberate, controlled, as if soone had been waiting for him.
He pushed the door open.
Inside, the dimly lit room carried the faint scent of parchnt and old wood. A single table stood in the center, and seated there, sipping calmly from a steaming cup of tea—
Was rlin.
His sky-blue robes hung loose around his fra, his long white beard resting against his chest. His small, round spectacles reflected the glow of a nearby lantern.
rlin's gaze lifted, twinkling with both amusent and sharp perception.
"It has been quite so ti, Helios," he said smoothly, placing his cup down with a soft clink.
Helios froze in the doorway.
Not because he was afraid. Not because he was surprised rlin was here. But because of what this eting represented.
The first person to ever take him in.
The first person to ever teach him magic.
The first person he ever lied to.
Helios' eyes flickered to the side. On the bed, Aqua and Skuld were asleep. Their bodies were nded, but exhaustion kept them unconscious. rlin must have been the one to heal them.
rlin followed his gaze. "Do not worry. They are simply resting. A little magic sped up their recovery."
Helios clicked his tongue as he ruffled his hair and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. "…Didn't expect to run into you here, Sir."
rlin chuckled. "Did you think I wouldn't notice when you stumbled into this world? You've made quite the ss in the ti we've been apart."
Helios smiled, moving toward the table. "Yes, I suppose I have. Might I ask where have you been all this ti? One day you just left, never ca back to Radiant Garden."
rlin sighed, taking another sip of his tea before responding. "There were things I needed to tend to. You, however, seed to have managed just fine without . Whether that's a good thing however remains to be said."
Helios pulled out a chair and sat, the faint warmth of fresh tea eting his senses. Without hesitation, he grabbed the second cup and took a sip.
It was sweet. Subtle. Exactly how he liked it. "…You rembered."
rlin smiled. "I never forget my students."
The room fell into a quiet stillness, the only sounds being the faint breathing of Aqua and Skuld.
Then—
rlin's gaze darkened. "You have changed, boy."
Helios paused, then smirked. "Yeah? What gave it away?"
rlin's voice was quiet, but edged with sothing firm. "Your aura of darkness."
Helios set his cup down. "That so?"
rlin leaned forward, folding his hands together. "It has grown much stronger since we last t."
Helios leaned back in his chair, unbothered. "Not surprising. I just spent a while in the Realm of Darkness before ending up here."
rlin's eyes narrowed slightly. "And yet, the darkness around you does not behave like a re stain upon your heart. It is… sothing else."
Helios' smile never faded, but sothing in his eyes sharpened. "You're thinking too much into it."
rlin humd, watching him carefully. "I see."
He took another sip of tea, then—
"You've been spending ti with a man with a dark heart and an evil fairy."
Helios froze mid-sip.
A second passed.
Then—he laughed.
A full, genuine chuckle as he set the cup down. "Oh, co on. You an Sephiroth and Maleficent? That's hardly fair."
rlin smirked. "Is it not?"
Helios shrugged. "Things just… sort of happened. I never planned to hang around them long-term."
rlin tilted his head. "And yet, you did."
Helios sighed dramatically. "What can I say? They grew on ."
rlin let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "It seems you have not lost your glib tongue."
Then—
The air shifted.
The humor faded from rlin's expression.
"Enough of this, boy," the old wizard murmured, his voice suddenly carrying weight. "Are you finally ready to tell the truth this ti?"
Helios t his gaze.
The ga was over.
rlin knew.
Not everything, not the full extent of what Helios had kept from him in Radiant Garden. But enough to know that Helios was hiding sothing.
Helios exhaled, leaning his forearms against the table. He stared into his tea, swirling it slightly before answering. "…I can only tell you part of the truth."
rlin's eyes glinted, as if he had expected that answer. "And if I am unsatisfied?"
Helios finally looked up. "Then I guess you'll have to decide whether it's enough after hearing it."
rlin studied him.
Then—slowly—he smiled.
"Very well," the wizard said, leaning back in his chair. "Let's hear what you have to say."
Helios exhaled, closing his eyes briefly before speaking.
"…I really did lose my world."
rlin's expression remained unreadable, listening intently.
"I don't know exactly what caused it. But I do know that darkness and the heartless swallowed everything."
Aqua shifted slightly in her sleep at those words, but did not wake. "I survived due to my parents sacrificing themselves for . But when I woke up, I was alone in the Realm of Darkness."
rlin's brows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing, allowing Helios to continue.
"I wandered. I fought. I adapted. I learned. And after a long ti… I escaped."
rlin tapped a finger against the table. "And you found your way to Radiant Garden."
Helios nodded. "That's right."
There was a long silence.
rlin studied him, the flickering light casting shadows across his aged face.
"…A well-told story," rlin finally murmured. "And yet, that explains nothing of how you managed to escape and what you planned to do. Tell , how did Radiant Garden fall to darkness?"
Helios sighed, rubbing his temple. "Told you I could only say part of the truth but I can answer those questions."
rlin gave him a knowing look. "So what happened?"
Helios smiled faintly. "As you've already guessed I can control darkness to a degree. As for the events of Radaint Garden that was due to the action of Ansem the Wise and his apprentices."
rlin chuckled. "You are an enigma, Helios."
The wizard tapped the table twice, standing.
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