Kingdom Hearts: Consumed by Darkness

Chapter 43

Kurai's shadowy form flickered, its edges pulsing with dark energy. "You wish for me to infiltrate her heart... to stoke her darkness, as if she weren't already a harbinger of it? How intriguing."

Helios's gaze remained steady. "She's holding back, restrained by her own self-preservation. She even seems to have grown reliant on me. The Maleficent I know would rather manipulate me than seek my help. I need her fully immersed in darkness, without hesitation or limitation. Amplify her ambition, her cruelty... let her drown in it."

Kurai chuckled, the sound slithering through the room like a serpent. "A tall order, but not one beyond my capabilities. However, understand the risks. With a being of her experience, even subtle manipulations can sometimes be sensed."

Helios's cold smile widened. "It won't matter even if she realizes it. Once the darkness takes hold, she won't be able to resist it—and even if she suspects, she won't be able to stop you. Her focus is elsewhere, on claiming her new kingdom. The cracks in her defenses are there. You'll find a way in."

Kurai's form flickered as it considered the plan. "Very well," it murmured. "But know this—amplified darkness tends to... run wild. Should it grow unchecked, even you may find her more difficult to rein in."

"That's fine," Helios replied, his voice a low whisper of determination. "I don't plan to stay here much longer. Things are moving quickly, and Radiant Garden is already on the edge of collapse. Soon, it'll fall into darkness, overrun with Heartless. Once that's done, we'll leave this world and move on to the next."

Kurai drew close to Helios with barely any space in between them it spoke, "You know I quite like this side of you. I can understand you like this unlike before. I hope as 'friends' there will be more moments like this where we understand each other."

"I don't look forward to such things." responded Helios an unmoved Helios

The energy around Kurai grew calmer as some of it wrapped around Helios, "No need to resist. We allies, friends, and partners so of coruse we should see eye to eye. You've lost nothing by this but rather gain something few have."

Kurai's shadowy form pulsed with a dark satisfaction as its energy wrapped around Helios like a shroud, brushing against him with a strange warmth—a mockery of friendship and kinship forged in shadows.

"See eye to eye...," Helios murmured, feeling the a haze cloud his mind. "Is that what we are now? Friends?"

Kurai's voice was low, resonating in a way that felt almost like an intimate whisper, though its words held a familiar hint of menace. "Oh, indeed. I'm with you by choice, Helios. A choice that aligns with my goals, yes, but also... with a deeper understanding." It circled him like a dark fog, tendrils of shadow snaking around his arms and shoulders. "I would say that, between us, there's more than just necessity. So, why not open yourself more to me. With it we could reach a deeper level of understanding between us."

Helios stiffened slightly, the warmth of Kurai's touch unnatural and chilling at once, and yet, in the dim light of Merlin's cottage, he found himself oddly receptive to this twisted bond. It was true that their alliance had brought him closer to his goals—far closer than he could have achieved alone. With each passing day, his dependence on darkness grew, and Kurai, ever-present, grew more and more intertwined with his own spirit. And yet, part of him resisted. Shouldn't he stop and accept it.

Just as Helios was about to reach out and touch Kurai an image of the his parent's face flash before him. In that moment a powerful light emerged and pushed away at the dark tendrils wrapped around him body and cleared the haze surrounding his mind. Helios then realized what had just happened; that Kurai had tried to manipulate and control him just now.

"What's the meaning of this?" asked Helios coldly.

"What's the meaning of what?" asked Kurai in an equally cold manner.

"Don't play games with me. You know of what I speak of. I thought we agree so long as I pushed forward without any distraction you'd make no move against me?" said Helios

"Yes we did but that wasn't a move against you. You seemed unusal in that moment so I wanted to see how susceptible you would be to my manipulations. However you broke free at the last moment. Such a shame. Regardless you wish for me to do so with the evil fairy. Very well so be it." said Kurai in a nonchalant manner

Helios steadied himself, pushing down the remnants of Kurai's dark energy that lingered around him. He could still feel the chilling tendrils Kurai had wrapped around him, the hazy influence that had clouded his mind and softened his resistance. But the image of his parents, a spark of light within him, had been enough to shatter what Kurai had attempted.

His gaze hardened, watching the shadowy figure pulsing with dark satisfaction.

"That wasn't part of our arrangement," he said, voice calm but laced with an unyielding edge. "You don't test my will without my permission, Kurai. I won't have you meddling with my mind."

Kurai's form flickered with what might have been annoyance or amusement—it was hard to tell. "Come now, Helios," it purred, its voice smooth and almost dismissive. "It was simply... curiosity. You seemed unusually receptive, so I explored. Besides, isn't it better to know your limits? It would be such a waste if you were swayed by a mere whisper of any darkness other than myself. Never forget you are 'my dear friend'."

Helios's expression remained icy, unimpressed by the feigned innocence in Kurai's tone. "Let's be clear: I tolerate your presence because we both want something from this arrangement. But stray into my mind again, and we'll see how much we can truly torment one another. Are we understood?"

For a moment, there was only silence, the room's shadows deepening as Kurai's form rippled with a subtle, dark intensity. Then, it mechanically chuckled softly, the sound low and echoing, tinged with an edge that hinted at both malice and respect.

"Understood, 'friend,'" Kurai said, the last word laced with mocking warmth. "I will respect your boundaries, just as you respect mine." It lingered for a moment longer, its presence a heavy, oppressive shroud in the dim room. "And as per our agreement, I will now do as you've asked with our dear little fairy. Consider it my... apology, if you will."

Helios gave a curt nod, keeping his gaze fixed on the shadowy figure. "Good. Now, if we're done here, you have a task to complete. I think you should go attend to what I asked of you."

Kurai's form swirled once more before it began to dissipate, its final words a murmur on the edge of the shadows. "No need to be upset, Helios. We may share a goal, but never understood one another, in that moment we did. We've just grown closer to one another."

Helios remained still, even after Kurai's shadowy form faded from the room, its words lingering like a chill that refused to lift. He gritted his teeth, feeling the unsettling residue of Kurai's influence lingering on his skin, a dark energy that seemed to hum faintly, as if mocking his resistance. The words echoed in his mind—"We've just grown closer."