The next morning, Helios awoke to the familiar sound of loud knocking and Lea's voice calling his na through the cottage door. He sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration. He'd been clear with Lea and Isa yesterday—there was no point in them coming back, no place for "friendship" between them. Apparently, his words had failed to get through. He could feel Maleficent's presence before he saw her; she erged from the guest room, her dark eyes narrowed, a look of pure irritation on her face.
"Is this… disturbance a regular occurrence here?" she asked, her voice dripping with disdain. Helios could tell she had likely spent most of the night inspecting the cottage's collection of books, artifacts, and trinkets. It wasn't his concern—he'd check later to make sure she hadn't left any hexes or curses on rlin's belongings—but right now, his focus was on quieting the ruckus at the door.
"I apologize for the noise," Helios muttered, but Maleficent raised a gloved hand, cutting him off. With a flick of her wrist, a small green fla began forming above her palm, crackling with dark energy. Her eyes glinted with impatience.
"Allow to eliminate the cause of this nuisance," she offered smoothly, her tone as sinister as the flickering green fire.
Helios stepped forward swiftly, wrapping his hand around hers to extinguish the fla. "I'll deal with it," he insisted, voice calm but firm.
She pulled her hand away, though her narrowed gaze warned him that her patience was wearing thin. "Very well," she conceded, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "But make haste. If you prove incapable, I will handle it myself."
With a curt nod, Helios crossed the room and opened the door, preparing himself for whatever excuse Lea would throw his way. Outside, Lea stood alone, a determined look in his eyes. Helios scanned the area, noting Isa's absence.
"Did Isa try to stop you from coming here?" Helios asked, a hint of weariness in his voice.
Lea crossed his arms, a stubborn grin on his face. "Yeah, he tried. But I wasn't about to just leave a friend hanging. Not after yesterday."
Helios's expression turned cold, his eyes hard as steel. "We're not friends," he said sharply, watching as Lea's grin faltered, his face falling slightly at the icy tone.
"What?" Lea stamred, looking taken aback.
Helios let out a humorless chuckle, his voice as cutting as a blade. "Rather than wasting your ti coming over here, you should be focusing on your training. Practicing your magic. You'll need it more than you realize soon enough."
Lea blinked, his face a mixture of confusion and hurt, but Helios continued, his gaze unwavering. "Next ti you think about coming here, know that it won't be a pleasant experience." With a flick of his wrist, Helios summoned a gust of wind, sending it straight at Lea, who stumbled back in surprise before the force lifted him off his feet.
Lea flew back a good ten feet, landing hard on the ground with a groan. Helios watched, unyielding, as Lea struggled to sit up, the hurt in his eyes evident even from a distance. Helios didn't allow himself to feel any sympathy. He'd made his decision. Any attachnt, any so-called friendship, would only be a detrint.
Lea's voice was faint but laced with saddness as he pushed himself up, casting one last look at Helios before turning to leave. Helios held his ground, watching until Lea's figure disappeared down the path, refusing to let any trace of regret surface.
As he closed the door, he turned to find Maleficent watching him, a hint of amusent flickering in her dark eyes. She crossed her arms, tilting her head as if appraising him.
"A well-handled dismissal," she said, the slightest edge of mockery in her tone. "I expected sothing far softer from you. But perhaps I was mistaken."
Helios t her gaze with a steady glare. "I told you I could handle it."
Maleficent's smile was cool, almost approving. "Indeed. You showed no weakness or sympathies. Admirable… though I suspect that boy will return again, defiant in his misguided sense of loyalty. Next ti do finish the job."
Helios shrugged, trying to push aside the sting of her words, which only served to remind him of Kurai's warnings. "If he cos back, I'll ensure he doesn't make it to the door," he replied, his voice calm and resolute.
"Good," she murmured, satisfied. She turned away, moving to the shelves, her fingers idly trailing over rlin's collection of tos as if they were insignificant trinkets. "Perhaps your resolve is not as weak as I suspected. Rember, boy—if you are to walk the path of darkness, there is no room for sentintality or attachnts. They are chains that bind, dragging you down."
Her words were ones he had heard countless tis from Kurai, but hearing them from soone else, especially soone like Maleficent, made them resonate deeper, solidifying the harsh truth he'd chosen to accept. He nodded, more to himself than to her, steeling his resolve once more.
"Understood," he replied, his tone devoid of any warmth.
Maleficent looked at him, her eyes searching, perhaps for any hint of doubt. Finding none, she inclined her head, a faint smile touching her lips. "Good. Then we are of the sa mind." She walked back to her makeshift quarters, her dark form vanishing into the shadows of the cottage as she disappeared down the hallway.
Helios stood alone in the silence, feeling the weight of his actions settle over him. The house seed colder, as if Maleficent's presence had seeped into its very walls, draining the warmth from it. But he pushed down concern; he had no place for it.
As he turned to his own room, Kurai's voice filled his mind once more, dripping with satisfaction. "A fine performance, Helios. Cutting off that bond so effectively. I must say, I almost believed you."
Helios clenched his fists, his jaw tight as he responded. "Why almost? I've taken heed of your words."
Kurai's chuckle was cold and unfeeling, a dark echo in the recesses of his mind. "Really? Hardly. If you had you would have done the most efficient thing and left a scar on the boy. A small push will hardly be enough to stop him."
As he entered the house Maleficent erged from the hallway, her dark form a stark contrast against the dim light of the cottage. Her piercing gaze found Helios, and her lips curled in a faint smile, though there was no warmth behind it.
"It is ti, Helios," she intoned, her voice low and commanding. "Ti to uphold my end of our bargain." She studied him for a mont, the silence thick with her assessnt. "What would you like to learn first?"
Helios didn't hesitate. "The basics," he replied, knowing that a solid foundation was essential. "Everything builds from there, doesn't it?"
Maleficent's expression turned almost bored, but her eyes glimred with faint approval. "Very well, the basics," she repeated, a touch of sarcasm in her tone as if the basics were trivial to her. "We will start with charms and hexes, a starting point suited for one without experience in true dark magic.
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