The light around John flickered, then faded. The Shadow dissolved into golden mist. The chains of light unraveled and vanished, and he collapsed into Pocahontas' arms.
She held him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. Her breath hitched with relief, disbelief… joy.
He stirred.
"...Am I still a monster?" he whispered.
She pulled back, just far enough to see his eyes.
"No," she said gently, brushing his hair from his face. "You ca back."
His hands found hers, fingers intertwining. He looked down at them like he wasn't sure they were real.
"I heard your voice," he said. "In that dark place… you called to . You brought back."
She smiled, then leaned in.
And kissed him.
Soft. Slow. Grateful.
Aqua, watching from a few steps away, let out a long, calming breath. She crossed her arms and turned slightly—still keeping them in her peripheral vision, but giving them space. The anger she'd held toward Helios faded, just a little.
Skuld arrived, panting from the jog back, eyes flicking from Aqua to Helios, then to the couple still locked in their mont of passion. "Did I miss anything world-ending?"
"Just the opposite," Aqua murmured. "A world saved… for now."
Helios remained still, his arms folded, watching John and Pocahontas with an unreadable expression. After a mont, he spoke.
"Aqua," he said casually. "Would you mind checking Pocahontas' heart? I'd like a second opinion."
She turned to him, frowning. "Why? What's wrong?"
He shrugged, smiling faintly. "Humor ."
Skeptical, Aqua approached Pocahontas quietly. "Excuse ," she said gently. "May I…?"
Pocahontas nodded without hesitation, still holding John's hand.
Aqua placed a hand lightly over her chest, letting her senses flow outward. Her eyes softened into blue glow, her connection to light blooming like a current—
And then her expression shifted.
She pulled back sharply walking to the side, blinking. "That can't be right…"
She turned, subtly motioning to Skuld and Helios. "Co here. Now."
Skuld followed, catching Aqua's wrist. "What is it?"
Aqua looked at them both, then whispered, "Her heart… it's lost nearly all its light. It's not empty, but it's no longer distinguishable from an ordinary person's. Not like when she first awakened."
Helios nodded, unsurprised. "Then it's just as I thought."
Skuld frowned. "Thought what?"
Helios crossed his arms. "She used the rest of her light to bring John back from the darkness. Whatever she had left, she gave it up. That explains how she lost her status."
Aqua's brow furrowed. "Lost her status…?"
"She was a Princess of Heart and now she's not," Helios said. "Or rather, she fulfilled her purpose and had unconciously passed on the title to her successor. In the tiline I ca from, Pocahontas was thought to have once held that title—but sothing happened. She lost it and no one knew why. Until now."
Skuld's eyes widened. "You're saying… this? This was that mont?"
Helios looked down at the ground, then up at the sky, squinting into the soft rays filtering through the trees. "Exactly. What happened here—was always supposed to happen."
Aqua's voice was quiet. "But… we changed things. We stopped Ratcliffe. We fought the Tusker. We weren't supposed to be here. Things must have changed."
Helios turned his gaze to her, unreadable. "And yet what happened still aligns with what I know. Pocahontas' light is gone. John lived. The battle happened. The tribe and settlers clashed. Peace arrived at the end like it was supposed to."
"But…" Aqua started.
Helios stepped forward. "This is what I ant when I said ti cannot be changed. All our actions—every intervention—just pushes us further toward the outco that was always ant to be."
Aqua's jaw tightened. "Even if you told about… Ventus? Terra? You're saying their fates wouldn't change either?"
"Not just that," Helios said, softly now. "I'm saying… you might be the reason they suffer. Your actions—your presence—might be the catalyst. The reason rlin and I say to avoid it is that I don't think you could live with that possibility."
Skuld gasped quietly.
Aqua's hands clenched into fists. Her eyes darkened with emotion, but she didn't speak.
Helios remained still, but his thoughts ran colder than the words he spoke aloud.
Truthfully, he wasn't entirely convinced.
Yes—Pocahontas had sacrificed her light for John. That much was clear. But would she have done so regardless of their involvent? Probably. His presence had only ensured he could siphon so of her light in the process. And more people died than needed to, thanks to the way he'd pushed Ratcliffe over the edge.
So ti may not be immutable... just resistant to change.
And if small alterations were possible—major ones might be too.
But that would need testing.
In a world that didn't matter to the overall story.
He turned back toward Aqua and Skuld. "Regardless, we should go back to Traverse Town. rlin will want to hear everything—and it's ti we rest and recalibrate."
He glanced back at John and Pocahontas, still holding each other.
But Helios had another reason to leave.
When he had drawn both hearts from John… he had split sothing deeper.
He wouldn't tell Aqua or the others—but freeing hearts always had a cost. Whenever a heart was released, it beca susceptible to darkness, it would then create two new forms—a Heartless, and if the will was strong enough, the body would beco... a Nobody.
And Helios had just created two.
A Nobody from John.
A Nobody from Pocahontas.
Pocahontas, as a Princess of Hearts, was incapable of holding darkness within herself, so creating a Nobody for her was technically impossible. But as Kairi and Naminé showed, it was possible if the heart of a Princess of Hearts were held within a body capable of producing a Nobody. Through John, he was able to create one for each of them, and they should soon awaken in a Nexus World. He needed to get to them first, as Pocahontas' Nobody was the second ingredient he needed to fulfill his bargain with Kurai.
They were out there now—newborn, directionless.
And if he didn't find them fast—
Xemnas would.
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