Kingdom Hearts: Consumed by Darkness

Chapter 5

As Helios lay there, barely conscious, two hearts flew down and shone a bright light, enveloping and protecting him. He looked up and saw his mother and father kneeling at his side, their love for him radiating from their very beings. "Mom... Dad..." said Helios before losing consciousness.

The hooded figure laughed as he observed the scene before him. "Ah a parent's love for their child truly is one of the purest forms of light I have seen in all my travels," he said. "But you should know that if you stay in there, your hearts will be extinguished. You should let him go and save yourselves."

Helios' mother and father looked at each other, then back at their son. "We would never abandon our son," his mother said firmly. "We will always keep him safe."

The hooded figure snorted. "Foolish sentimentality. Your love will be your undoing." He raised his weapon once more, preparing to strike.

But as he swung the blade down towards Helios, the light around him grew even brighter, pushing back against the darkness. The hooded figure recoiled, his eyes widening in surprise.

"This...this is impossible!" he exclaimed. "How is this light so strong?"

Helios' parents smiled at each other, then turned to face the hooded figure. "It is the power of love," they said in unison.

The figure snarled and lunged forward, but the light grew even brighter, blinding him. With a cry of frustration, he vanished into a portal of darkness.

Helios' parents remained at his side, protecting him with their light. And as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep, Helios smiled as the warm light radiated warmth and love.

Helios remained unconscious, protected by the light that his parents had created to shield him from the encroaching darkness. But the darkness kept trying to break through, its malevolent energy cracking and warping the light around him.

Despite their best efforts, cracks started forming on his parents' bodies, and the light grew dimmer and dimmer with time. They knew they couldn't keep it up for long, so they made the difficult decision to sacrifice themselves.

"We can't keep this up for long," Helios' mother said, her voice strained. "We need to find a way to cut through the darkness and get him out of here."

Helios' father nodded, his eyes filled with determination. "We'll use everything we have in one go. It's the only way to save our son."

The darkness intensified, and Helios' parents poured everything they had into their last attack. A blinding light filled the void, and the darkness was pushed back. The light condensed and pushed forward making a path. With the last of their strength, the two sent Helios hurtling down that path as cracks form all over their bodies. It seemed they had pushed their hearts to the brink and they had begun to fall apart.

Before they disappeared, his parents held hands and looked into each other's eyes. "I love you," his mother whispered. "I love you too," his father replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

They turned to Helios, tears streaming down their faces. "We wish for you to be happy in the future," his mother said, her voice barely audible over the roar of the darkness. "Even if it's hard and painful, keep going. We will always be with you in spirit. We love you, my beautiful boy."

As Helios lay there, still unconscious, his heart feeling the loss of his parents, he shed two tears. When he finally woke up, he found himself lying on a beach of black sand, with a dark and foreboding ocean stretching out before him. On the other side, a forest of structures like warped trees loomed, casting twisted shadows all around him. Over the ocean, a solitary light source glowed, casting an eerie light that was neither bright nor warm.

Helios tried to sit up, but a wave of memories assaulted his mind, causing him great pain. He screamed, clutching his head as he writhed in agony, until he collapsed onto the ground once more.

"Why do I feel like I've seen this place before?" Helios muttered to himself as he clutched his head in confusion.

"It seems you have," a voice replied from behind him.

Helios turned around to see a figure standing behind him. The figure was humanoid in shape, but its body was composed of the same dark energy that had consumed his parents.

"Who... who are you?" Helios asked, his voice trembling with fear.

"I am the one who brought you here as you floated in the space between worlds," the figure replied, its voice echoing ominously across the beach. "I am the one who will show you the truth buried in your heart."

Helios struggled to his feet, glaring at the figure. "What truth? What do you want from me?"

The figure laughed. "I want nothing from you, dear boy. I simply want you to embrace the truth. The truth that you have been running from your whole life."

"What truth?" Helios demanded, his fists clenched at his sides.

"The truth that your parents really meant nothing to you," the figure replied. "The truth is that they were never your real parents. You don't belong here."

Helios felt his heart skip a beat. "What... what do you mean? Of course, they were my parents!"

The figure shook its head. "No, boy. They were simply vessels, chosen to raise you as their own. You are not of this world, Helios. You are not even of this universe."

Helios felt his world crumble around him. "That's... that's not possible. I... I don't believe you!"

The figure laughed. "Believe what you will, boy. The truth will always find a way to reveal itself. And when it does, you will understand everything. Including the fact that the love they had for you means nothing. Before I leave I shall give you a gift. I shall drag your hidden memories to the surface. No need to thank me."

With those words, the voice disappeared, leaving Helios alone on the beach once more.

Helios collapsed to his knees, his mind reeling with the constant influx of memories that were flooding into his mind. He didn't know what to do or who he even was as he lay on the ground head splitting in intense pain.