***Gonna be traveling tomorrow and the day after, so here are those chapters.***
The training yard at the edge of the mansion grounds was bathed in the fading light of dusk. The sun had slipped behind the cliffs of Olympus, staining the sky a deep crimson. Long shadows stretched across the cracked stone floor, where a single figure moved with grace that bordered on inhuman.
Sephiroth.
His long silver hair gleamed in the dying light, flowing with each precise motion. Masamune, the impossibly long katana, cut through the air in flawless arcs, its edge whispering like silk. Every swing was controlled, balanced between lethal intent and serene composure.
Helios stopped at the edge of the yard, his hand resting on the doorway's frame for support. His body still ached from Baldr's assault, the phantom burn of black veins still coiling beneath his skin. Each step he took reminded him how close he had come to death. But the sight before him steadied his breath. Watching Sephiroth train was like watching inevitability itself — sharp, unyielding, terrifying.
Thalen fought Axel. He held his own against assassins, but nearly died. And then Baldr came…
Helios closed his eyes for a moment. The memory still made his pulse quicken. That kid looked at me, trusting me to protect him, and what did I do? I almost lost him. I almost lost myself.
He opened his eyes again, gaze fixed on Sephiroth. I need to be stronger. Calm. If I can't control myself, then I'm no different from Baldr.
"You shouldn't be out here." Sephiroth's voice carried across the space without pause in his movements. He didn't even glance at Helios, his eyes fixed on the rhythm of his blade.
Helios smirked faintly, though it was laced with exhaustion. "And yet, here I am."
Sephiroth's blade stilled at last, lowering to his side. He turned, eyes narrowing as they settled on Helios. "You can barely stand. Why are you here?"
Helios stepped forward, each stride deliberate, until he reached the center of the yard. His hand opened, and in a flash of light and darkness, his keyblade materialized — Equilibrium. He held it low, point angled toward the ground.
"I want to spar," Helios said simply.
Sephiroth blinked once, then tilted his head. "You're serious."
Helios nodded. "It helps calm my mind. Will you humor me?"
A silence lingered, heavy as stone. Sephiroth finally exhaled a quiet sigh, raising Masamune to rest against his shoulder. "Very well. But don't expect mercy."
Helios gave a crooked grin. "Wouldn't want it anyway."
The two warriors faced each other, the courtyard silent but for the whisper of wind.
Then Helios moved first.
He lunged, his keyblade flashing upward in a swift strike. Sephiroth's Masamune moved effortlessly to intercept, the clang of steel ringing sharp. Sparks flew, scattering into the air.
Helios pressed forward, forcing his body into motion despite the pain. Strike after strike, he drove at Sephiroth — downward slashes, angled thrusts, sweeping arcs. Each one carried weight, but each was met with a simple deflection, Sephiroth's blade flowing like water, precise and calm.
"You're much slower than usual," Sephiroth remarked as he turned aside another blow.
"Perks of staying alive," Helios shot back, twisting into a horizontal slash.
Sephiroth sidestepped, Masamune gliding against the keyblade to redirect it harmlessly. His expression never shifted, always composed, always watching.
'Man, I'm so weak right now. He doesn't even need to try. To him, I must look like a child throwing tantrums right now. But if I don't burn this wildness out of me now, I'll carry it into the next battle. And then Thalen, Skuld, maybe even Kurai… they'll pay for it.'
Helios grit his teeth, slamming his weapon down with more force, sparks screeching as steel clashed. "You're not even trying."
"I don't need to," Sephiroth replied coolly. His blade slid upward in a single, elegant arc, disarming Helios for a heartbeat before the younger fighter recovered. "Your emotions are still clouded. Your attacks are wild, unbalanced."
Helios' breath came heavy, but his smirk widened. "Then I suppose I'd better balance them. So try to stop them."
He lunged again, faster this time. His keyblade blurred in quick succession — feints, thrusts, a sudden reversal mid-swing. Sephiroth met each with minimal effort, his feet gliding across the stone with eerie smoothness. He was a wall, every strike dissolving against his guard.
'This is why I came here. He doesn't bend. He doesn't break. Sephiroth is the only one who can remind me what restraint looks like when everything inside me screams to lose control.'
Helios' ribs burned, his arms ached, but he refused to slow. His keyblade clashed again and again, light sparking against the long steel of Masamune. The rhythm became almost hypnotic: strike, parry, counter, evade.
Finally, Sephiroth shifted.
With a single step, he pushed forward. Masamune cut downward, not striking Helios but forcing him to stumble back, his stance breaking. In that moment, Sephiroth could have ended it. But instead, he stilled, blade at his side once more.
"You see?" he said, voice steady. "Rage makes you so predictable. Have you worked out you issues?"
Helios straightened, panting, sweat dripping down his temple. He laughed — a tired, breathless sound. "Not quite. But I feel better now."
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Better?"
Helios twirled his keyblade once before letting it dissolve in a shimmer of sparks and shadows. "Yeah. Sometimes, swinging at someone who doesn't crumble is the only way to clear my head."
For the first time, the faintest ghost of a smile touched Sephiroth's lips. "You're reckless."
"Always." Helios smirked back, dragging a hand through his damp hair. "But thank you."
Sephiroth tilted his head slightly, regarding him with something almost like respect. "If you continue fighting this way, you'll burn yourself out long before your battles are done."
"Then I'll burn brighter while I last. Well, I'd better go get healed again, I think I'm bleeding." Helios laughed as he turned toward the exit, his stride steady despite his trembling legs.
Behind him, Sephiroth raised Masamune once more, resuming his practice. But his gaze lingered on Helios for a moment longer than usual, the faintest flicker of intrigue passing through his eyes. Although no one saw it for the first time, you could see a full smile on his face before