The mansion was quiet when Helios finally forced himself from his bed, taking a few minutes to rest after his chat with Aqua. His body still ached from the battle with Baldr, but the worst of the darkness had been purged thanks to Aqua and Skuld's combined effort. Though his muscles trembled and his ribs protested every step, the young warrior's mind refused to stay still.
He needed to see Thalen.
The boy hadn't been far from Helios' thoughts since that day — when Axel nearly spirited him away, and when Baldr appeared, almost taking Thalen before Helios cast him into a corridor and faced Baldr alone. Helios had promised himself he would check on him when the dust settled, and now, battered but alive, he kept that promise.
The sound of faint energy crackling drew Helios down one of the long corridors and into the training hall.
There, Thalen stood alone.
The boy's pale hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, his hand outstretched, eyes narrowed in concentration. A white shadows rippled on the ground around him, then twisted upward, forming the flickering outlines of Dusks. Their long limbs bent unnaturally, their heads bobbing with twitchy movements.
Thalen clenched his fist. The Dusks wavered, then warped, their forms reshaping. Slowly — painfully slowly — one of them shifted, cloth and chain sprouting until it became the silhouette of a Harlequin. The transformation was imperfect: its mask crooked, its form jittering. But it was progress.
Thalen sagged, wiping his forehead, frustration pulling at his expression.
"You're pushing yourself too hard," Helios said from the doorway.
Thalen startled, spinning around, eyes wide. "Helios—" His relief was immediate, almost childish. "You're awake."
"Barely." Helios stepped forward, each footfall deliberate, hiding the pain in his body. His eyes swept across the summoned Nobodies. "You've been working."
Thalen nodded, shoulders tightening. "I… I have to. After the red-haired man, after the other man in the black coat… I couldn't do anything. You had to save me. Again. I don't want to be useless when the next one comes."
Helios studied him in silence. The boy's fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white, his jaw trembling with restraint.
"Useless, huh?" Helios finally muttered. He stepped closer, lowering himself onto one of the benches with a faint groan. "You're still standing. That already means you're not useless."
Thalen frowned. "But you—"
"I what?" Helios cut him off sharply. "Fought Baldr… uh, the man in the black coat? Barely. If Kurai hadn't stepped in, I'd be dead. Stronger enemies are always coming, Thalen. Axel was nothing compared to Baldr. And Baldr…" His voice darkened. "Baldr is nothing compared to what waits beyond him."
Thalen swallowed, the words striking deeper than he wanted to admit. "Then… what do I do?"
Helios leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. For a long moment, his gaze was far away, as if staring at ghosts only he could see. "You fight. You fight, and when you fall, you get back up. You don't stop. You don't let fear freeze you. You don't let weakness define you. The only time you're truly useless is when you stop moving forward."
The boy looked at him, searching. "But what if… I'm not enough?"
Helios' lips twisted into a faint, humorless smile. "None of us truly are. Not alone. That's why we push. Why we break ourselves in training so we don't break in the fight. Why we take every failure, every scar, and use it to fuel the next step forward."
The silence between them stretched. The summoned Nobodies flickered uncertainly, their forms half-solid.
Helios extended a hand toward them. "Again."
Thalen blinked. "…What?"
"Summon them again. And this time, don't hesitate. Don't think about what happens if you fail. Just command them. You're their master — act like it."
The boy's throat bobbed as he swallowed. He turned, hands trembling slightly as he raised them once more. The ground rippled, the Dusks slithering up from the ground. For a moment, they quivered, unstable.
Thalen grit his teeth. No more fear. No more hesitation.
He clenched his hand, thrusting it forward. "Harlequins — obey me!"
The Dusks contorted, twisting violently. Dusks screamed in their hollow, metallic voices before their bodies reshaped. This time, three full Harlequins stood before him. Their masks gleamed in the dim light — comedy and tragedy stitched together with glowing seams. Chains rattled faintly as they circled, awaiting command.
Thalen gasped, sweat dripping from his brow, but his eyes shone with pride.
Helios let a faint smile touch his lips. "Better."
The Harlequins bowed toward Thalen, the ground beneath rippling in submission.
"Now," Helios said quietly, "make them attack me."
Thalen's head whipped around, eyes wide. "What? You're still—"
"Do it." Helios' voice left no room for argument.
Thalen hesitated, then raised his hand. The Harlequins twitched — then lunged.
Chains cracked through the air as they struck. Helios moved, slower than usual but still sharp, his keyblade materializing in a flash of light and darkness. He parried the first strike, ducked under the second, sidestepped the third. His movements were strained, pained, but precise.
The Harlequins attacked relentlessly, each blow forcing Helios to block or deflect. His ribs screamed, his body burned, but he kept going — forcing himself to endure.
"See this, Thalen?" he ground out between blows. "This is what it means. To fight when it hurts. To fight when you think you can't go on. Because the enemy won't wait for you to recover."
The Harlequins pressed in harder, chains lashing, blades slashing. Helios let them drive him back, forcing Thalen to see the reality of combat. At the last moment, he deflected one Harlequin's strike and twisted his keyblade downward, shattering the construct into smoke.
The other two wavered but held their ground, awaiting Thalen's next command.
Thalen's breath caught. His hand shook, but he tightened it into a fist. "Again!"
The Harlequins lunged once more, sharper, stronger.
Helios blocked the first, sidestepped the second, then with a grunt of effort, slammed his keyblade into the ground, sending a wave of light to scatter them. Both Harlequins dissolved, the smoke fading into nothing.
Helios panted, sweat dripping down his temple. Slowly, he lowered his weapon and let it vanish in a glimmer of sparks and shadow.
"That," he said, turning to Thalen, "is how you keep going."
Thalen stood frozen, staring at the empty space where the Harlequins had been. His chest rose and fell, his face pale but his eyes fierce. "I… I understand."
Helios walked forward, placing a firm hand on the boy's shoulder. "No. You don't. Not yet. But you will someday. If you keep walking."
Thalen looked up at him, the doubt in his eyes replaced by determination. He nodded.
Helios gave a faint, approving smirk. "Good. Then you'll survive."
He turned, heading for the door, his steps slow but steady.
Behind him, Thalen raised his hand once more. The Nobodies rose, and three Harlequins appeared — stronger, steadier.
Helios didn't turn back, but the faintest of smiles touched his lips as he left the training hall.