Helios knelt, placing Alira gently on the ancient stone. She said nothing, just blinked up at him with those unreadable eyes. In her silence was trust.
Now, with his arms free, Helios turned his full attention to the lamp nestled in his hand. The golden vessel radiated quiet promise, glowing faintly from within, like a breath being held just beneath the surface. But Helios wasn't ready to release its power just yet.
He stepped away from the pool and drew a wide circle in the dust with the tip of his boot. Drawing symbols into the stone floor with quick, precise strokes of his fingers, he activated a complex layering of enchantments—containment wards, dimensional anchors, binding glyphs—all interlaced with weaves of old magic learned long before he'd crossed blades with Heartless or people.
At the center of the formation, he placed a gem the color of decayed midnight a Twilight Gem. It pulsed with faint energy—an extraction from one of the stronger Heartless he'd defeated earlier. Its essence still reeked of corrupted darkness, perfect for anchoring what he was about to summon.
Alira tilted her head as she watched. "What are you doing?" her tone neutral, almost curious.
Helios didn't look up. "Preparing the stage."
And then, finally, he stood, lamp in hand.
With a slow breath, Helios rubbed the lamp's curved side.
There was a moment of silence. Then an explosion of blue smoke and swirling golden sparkles erupted from the spout. Music—actual music—flooded the air, as if an entire invisible band had suddenly taken residence in the room.
And then—
"HELLOOOOOOO, new master!" came the unmistakable voice.
From the cloud of smoke emerged the Genie: large, blue, swirling from the waist down like a living cyclone of smoke, arms crossed with flair, and a smile stretched wide enough to reach his oversized ears.
"Whew! Man, you have no idea how good it feels to get OUT of that lamp. So—who's ready for three wishes and a free fireworks show?"
The Genie's eyes narrowed. He tilted his head. "Wait… oh, boy. You've got that brooding, dark cloud over your heart look. You want to go full emo villain or something? 'Cause I can clear that right up with a snap—boom, therapy-level clarity in under five seconds."
Helios didn't move.
"No," he said calmly. "I don't need healing. I need something else."
He lifted a hand—and from behind him, Kurai emerged.
A cloud of rippling, miasmic blackness, vaguely humanoid in shape. Featureless. Soundless.
Even the Genie faltered.
"…Okaaaay. That's new. So what are we doing—team building? Icebreaker games? Puppet show?"
Helios raised the lamp. "I want to make my wish now."
The air tightened.
The Genie floated back slightly, taking a deep breath. "Alright, Mr. Intensity. Let's hear it. And remember: three wishes, no killing anyone directly, no making anyone fall in love, and no bringing people back from the dead. Other than that? Hit me."
Helios lifted one finger.
"I wish," he said slowly, "to summon the other twelve True Darkness… seconds before their timeline ends. Wherever they're imprisoned. Wherever they're about to die. Bring them here. Into that circle."
He pointed to the trap sigil.
The Genie's pupils shrank. "Okay. That's… horrifying. But technically not against the rules." He lifted his hands, and reality twisted.
Twelve bolts of shadow tore through space and time.
Then—twelve beings formed within the enchantment circle, each a living silhouette. Each a core of darkness given shape. All of them crackled with raw, malignant power.
"Where—what—?" one of them asked.
Another, whose voice sounded almost amused, cocked their head. "We were being destroyed. I felt it. How…?"
A third paused, gazing straight at Helios. "No… how can you be here and alive? We fought and I was sure we died together. You… should be dead. How are you still alive?"
Helios arched a brow. "Oh, so we've met. Looks like we get to enjoy each other's company in a rather unique way. I look forward to it."
The figures surged forward—but struck the barrier and were flung backward by a ripple of light and symbols.
The trap held.
"Second wish," Helios said, raising his hand again. "Erase their minds. All twelve. Leave only their power of darkness behind."
Even Kurai turned slightly at that.
"You agree?" one of the Darknesses asked, almost mournfully. "You would allow this?"
Kurai spoke—not aloud, but through a chilling resonance that seemed to echo across the walls.
"This is the only way forward for us. If you saw what I had then you would all agree. Unless we do this light will eventually eradicate us."
The Genie hesitated. "You know… I don't like this. But you're the master."
He snapped his fingers.
Twelve bone-chilling screams filled the chamber. Then silence.
The dark forms unraveled—not destroyed, but emptied. Their minds dissolved like mist in wind, leaving behind concentrated cores of darkness. Raw energy. Purpose without identity.
Kurai drifted forward. "Mine."
The shadows flowed into Kurai, weaving into his form like threads returning to a loom. It grew larger. Denser. More complete.
Helios lowered the lamp.
The room was still again.
Genie floated higher. "Well. That was… deeply unsettling. But hey, two wishes down! What's number three—rainbows? Candy? World domination?"
Helios didn't answer.
He walked over to Alira and crouched beside her.
She was watching him—not with fear, but curiosity. Like she was still piecing together what kind of being he really was.
Helios looked up at the Genie.
"No third wish. Not yet."
Genie exhaled in relief. "Oh, thank the cosmos. I don't think I've got another soul-breaking horror show in me tonight."
Kurai waited in the enchantment unable to leave condensing the power it had just gained.
Helios picked up the girl and walked her over to the enchanment placing her down.
"Go inside," said Helios in a calm voice.
Alira followed and entered the enchantment without question.
In the stillness, Helios summoned his keyblade and used it to free Hoder's heart from within himself and placed it inside the enchanment.
"Okay genie last wish," he muttered. "I wish for you to create a new complete being with Kurai as the mind, Hoder's heart as the heart, and Alira as the body. Make me a Princess of Darkness."