The heart glowed above casting cool hues of sky blue and oceanic colors over the city. The wind drifted lazily through the sea-salted air as Helios returned to the familiar spire where he had once spoken with Axel.
And sure enough, there he was.
Axel stood near the ledge, back turned to him, the light illuminating his spiky red hair like a crown of flame. A faint grin tugged at Helios' lips as he approached. Without turning, Axel reached for something and tossed something backward—Helios caught it with ease. A sea-salt ice cream.
"Thought you might want one," Axel said, licking his own.
Helios took a bite. The cool sweetness hit first, followed by a surprising but pleasant saltiness. "Strange flavor," he muttered.
"You like it? I found this flavor recently in a world I visited." Axel asked, a teasing edge in his tone.
"Yeah," Helios said, chewing thoughtfully. "Sweet, salty, chilled. Like something from a dream. Taste almost like melancholy."
Axel chuckled. "I could say I like it too, but that'd have to be coming from the heart. And, well..."
Helios smirked. "...you don't have one."
They both laughed softly, their chuckles echoing faintly in the wind.
"You know," Helios said, eyes on the horizon, "for someone who's supposed to be scouting, you seem pretty relaxed."
"Eh, hard work never suited me," Axel shrugged. "Besides, I remember someone else who liked to stare into the distance and brood a lot. Looks like some things never change."
Helios arched a brow. "I wasn't brooding. I was thinking about many things."
"Sure you were," Axel said, finishing his ice cream. He casually tossed the stick off the ledge. A dark corridor opened behind him. "Come on. Let's take a walk."
Without waiting, Axel stepped through. Helios followed.
They emerged in the heart of the volcano—charred rock, pools of lava, and the distant hiss of steam and heat marked the location where Helios, Kurai, and Skuld had once fought the heartless form of Rourke. The oppressive heat clung to the air like a smothering blanket.
Helios looked around warily. "Why here?"
"Thought we'd chat without prying ears," Axel said, stepping ahead. "You're gonna tell me everything you know about the heartless that showed up here."
Helios raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't here when it happened. I wouldn't know."
Axel's voice turned dry and sarcastic. "Oh, really? And here I thought we were past the lies. Guess not."
Helios smirked. "Just like old times."
Axel stopped walking and turned slowly. "Exactly like old times. Which means it's time for a little sparring. Y'know, to work off the ice cream."
Twin chakrams—red, circular weapons lined with silver spikes—ignited in Axel's hands with a burst of flame. The heat rippled outward as he twirled them effortlessly.
Fifteen Assassin Nobodies emerged in a tight ring around Helios, seeming to just come into existence with a disturbing silence. Their segmented bodies shimmered silver and purple, cloth veils hanging ominously from their heads.
Helios took a single step back, his expression calm. His hand reached behind, and in a flash of dark light, Equilibrium appeared in whip-sword form—Slánú na nDoimhneacht, its black segmented blade pulsing with ominous dark energy.
"Fifteen white creatures and you," Helios said. "You sure you don't want more backup?"
Axel grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it. Let's see if you've gotten rusty."
The first Assassin lunged—Stab.
Helios spun, catching the spike-like limb with his blade and twisting it aside before lashing out with a sweep that severed its arm. A second came in from the flank—Dive—leaping with a gleam of its silver blades.
Helios vanished in a blur, appearing behind it, his blade curling like a serpent and slashing through its back. Two more emerged—Continuous Reaper—tentacles erupting from beneath, sweeping in wide arcs.
Axel dashed in, flipping over Helios and hurling a flaming chakram.
"Burn!"
The chakram spun with blinding speed, trailing a serpent of flame. Helios rolled beneath it, narrowly dodging as it detonated behind him in a burst of fire.
Another Assassin dove at Helios. He struck upward with a spinning crescent slash, cleaving through its mask. As he landed, Axel was already charging.
"Here goes!"
Flames erupted around Axel as he began to twirl both chakrams with increasing velocity, creating pillars of fire that surged toward Helios.
Helios backpedaled, whip-sword crackling with energy. He twisted his weapon outward—Umbral Spiral—launching a wave of dark energy that collided with Axel's flames midair, causing a massive explosion that knocked back two nearby Nobodies.
Axel blurred forward—Assault.
His entire body ignited as he lunged with a flaming shoulder, slamming Helios into a rock wall. Helios grunted, flipping upward midair and landing on the wall like a shadow. With a flick, he launched multiple tendrils of darkness to entangle the incoming Assassins.
They collapsed into disks and slithered along the ground—Cut Off—tentacles rising up to sweep Helios from his perch.
Helios jumped clear, flipping through the air and landing beside Axel.
"You've gotten faster and also picked up a pretty neat weapon there," Axel muttered.
"You've gotten flashier. Seems like you got the hang of the fire magic I taught you before," Helios shot back.
They clashed. Steel against flame.
Helios ducked a spinning chakram, only to be slammed back by a fiery blast. Axel twisted—Continuous Attack—unleashing a relentless barrage of flaming slashes. Helios blocked with afterimages, his speed creating echoes of himself to confuse Axel.
Helios lunged his whip-sword spiraled forward, shrouded in dark energy, aiming to disarm Axel. Axel grunted, catching the whip with both chakrams and hurling it aside. Flames spiraled from his hands—Fall Attack.
He vanished, then reappeared in the air directly above Helios, slamming down with a wave of fire.
Helios erected a Reflect barrier at the last second, the explosion cascading around them like a blooming firestorm. The barrier shattered from the force, launching Helios into a nearby cliff.
The Assassins moved in—tunneling, flanking, surrounding. Tentacles lashed, spiked arms stabbed, and veils flowed like smoke. Helios' eyes flared. Darkness wrapped his form.
Slánú na nDoimhneacht pulsed.
He spun, the blade slicing through three Assassins with a single wide arc. A tendril burst from the ground and wrapped around his leg—he growled and unleashed Fang of the Abyss, erupting in a wave of piercing darkness that tore apart the tendril and sent the Assassin flying.
Axel hurled both chakrams, guiding them telekinetically in wide arcs. Helios warped between their paths, teleporting with precision. He grabbed one mid-spin and hurled it back—Axel caught it without flinching.
Their weapons clashed again—light against shadow, flame against void.
Around them, Assassins fell, exploded, or dove beneath the lava-scorched ground, waiting to strike again.
"Well, well, I must say I'm surprised. You're much stronger than I gave you credit for. I wonder what you did to get this strong," said Helios as he leapt back.