The mansion was quiet by the time Skuld gathered her things. Helios's words still echoed in her mind, weaving their usual web — infuriatingly logical, cuttingly true, impossible to ignore. She pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders and left her room, her boots soft against the polished floorboards.
Aqua's door was only a few paces away. Skuld hesitated before raising her hand to knock, her stomach twisting. She almost turned away — almost told herself that tomorrow would be better, that Aqua needed rest. But she heard Helios's voice in her head: 'You've been dancing around her since she arrived. Guilt eats at you. So talk to her.'
So she knocked.
The door opened after a pause. Aqua stood there, hair loose over her shoulders, her eyes sharp but tired. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Skuld forced the words out.
"…Do you want to go hunting with me?"
Aqua blinked. "Hunting?"
"For Heartless," Skuld explained quickly. "Helios asked me to gather synthesis materials for the Moogles. And… he thought you should come with me."
Aqua's lips thinned at the mention of Helios, but she didn't comment. She studied Skuld instead, and after a long moment, she nodded. "All right. I don't know what these synthesis materials are, but if it's important, I'll help."
Relief loosened Skuld's chest. She smiled faintly. "Thank you."
They left the mansion together, the cool air of early dawn brushing against their faces. The world was painted in shades of gold and lavender, the sun rising just enough to light the peaks of the distant mountains.
For a while, neither spoke. Their footsteps echoed softly on the stone paths leading toward Mount Olympus. Skuld clasped her hands behind her back, stealing glances at Aqua. She looked strong, composed, every inch the Keyblade Master Skuld admired. And yet her expression carried a weight Skuld recognized — the same weight she carried herself.
Skuld swallowed. "I'm sorry."
Aqua turned to her, brows knitting. "…For what?"
"For not looking for you after Kurai took me," Skuld said quickly, the words tumbling out like water from a burst dam. "I should have. I should have tried. Instead, I stayed with Helios. I told myself it was the right choice, that if I left him, I'd never see him again, but—" She broke off, her throat tightening. "It doesn't excuse what I did. Or didn't do."
Aqua slowed her pace, her eyes softening. "Skuld…"
"I regret how I went about it," Skuld pressed on. "Not my choice to stay with him, but the way I did it. There were better ways. Ways that didn't leave you alone worried."
Aqua was silent for a moment, her boots crunching softly against the gravel. Then she sighed. "I won't lie — it hurt. I thought I lost you. My mind was almost consumed with darkness… with revenge."
Skuld winced.
"But," Aqua continued, her voice steadying, "I understand why you made that choice. I can see how much he means to you."
Skuld's cheeks warmed. She looked down, ashamed, conflicted. "…He does. He's my friend. My only real friend from Radiant Garden who's still here. I couldn't abandon him."
Aqua's lips pressed into a thin line. She wanted to say more — wanted to warn, to shake her, to make her see what she saw: how Helios twisted loyalty into chains, how he blurred truth into manipulation. But she bit her tongue. Pushing too hard would only drive Skuld further away.
Instead, she chose a softer approach. "…I just don't want you to regret things later."
Skuld blinked, surprised by the gentleness in her tone. She looked at Aqua — really looked — and saw the sorrow in her eyes, the way she carried her burdens like armor. Aqua wasn't condemning her. She was worried.
Skuld smiled faintly, though it was tinged with sadness. "I won't. Not as long as I believe in him."
They continued upward, the winding path to Olympus stretching before them. The higher they climbed, the brighter the dawn grew, casting long shadows across the rocky cliffs.
Skuld broke the silence again, her voice hesitant. "…Do you hate him?"
Aqua's brows furrowed. "Helios?"
She nodded.
Aqua exhaled slowly, her hand tightening on her keyblade at her side. "I don't hate him. But I don't trust him. He hides things, twists things. He treats you like you're… a piece on a board, someone to move where he wants. That's not how a friend should act."
Skuld flinched but didn't answer right away. She thought of all the times Helios had risked himself for her, the way he'd smiled after she'd healed him, the way he'd carried his pain alone so no one else had to. He wasn't just cold calculation. He couldn't be.
"…He's not like that all the time," she said finally, almost defensively. "You don't see what I see."
Aqua's heart clenched. No, she thought, 'You don't see what I see.'
But she only nodded, letting the silence stretch again.
As they approached the dark gates of the Underworld, Skuld's thoughts wandered. She remembered when she first met Aqua, when she had admired her strength, her selflessness. Aqua had always seemed untouchable, a guiding star. And now here they were — both scarred, both carrying regrets, both trying to mend what was broken.
Skuld bit her lip. "…Do you ever regret it? Staying in the Realm of Darkness all that time, just to save Terra?"
Aqua froze. For a moment, the weight of the question pressed on her like a blade. She thought of endless nights, of walking through shadow with only her own heartbeat for company. She thought of her fear, her despair, her hope.
"…No," Aqua said finally, her voice quiet but firm. "I'd do it again. Because he's my friend. And because Ven needed me too. Even if it hurt, even if I was alone… I couldn't abandon them."
Her eyes turned to Skuld. "That's why I understand you. Even if I don't agree, I understand."
Skuld's chest ached. She wanted to hug her, to apologize again, but the gates loomed before them, massive and gleaming in the rising sun.
They stood together at the gates, the morning light bathing them in gold. Beyond lay Olympus — and beneath it, the Underworld, waiting.
Skuld exhaled, steadying herself. "Ready?"
Aqua nodded, her hand brushing the Wayfinder charm at her belt. "Ready."
For the first time in a long while, Skuld felt like they weren't just two people divided by choices. For a fleeting moment, they were sisters again.
They stepped forward together, toward the mountain, toward the shadows waiting below.