The flames in Ratcliffe's tent flickered unnaturally, shadows stretching across the fabric walls as if something unseen was watching.
His breath was shallow, his fingers twitching at the eerie presence still lingering.
"I am either your salvation… or your doom. The choice is yours."
The phantom voice still echoed in his mind, wrapping around him like a cold embrace.
His lips trembled, but he swallowed his fear.
No… no, this is an opportunity.
"Salvation," he rasped, forcing himself to stand tall, despite his shaking hands. "I choose salvation."
For a long moment, there was only silence.
Then—
"Good."
A gust of cold air rushed through the tent, extinguishing half the candles.
Ratcliffe shuddered, but did not falter.
"Who—what are you?" he demanded, gripping the pommel of his sword for comfort.
The voice chuckled.
"A guide… a voice of wisdom. One who understands the hunger inside you."
Ratcliffe clenched his jaw. "Hunger?"
"For wealth. For glory. For power. For control. You desire everything this land has to offer… and more."
The words sent a deep, intoxicating shiver down his spine.
Yes… yes, that was true.
This land was his for the taking, yet those savage natives dared to stand in his way.
And John Smith—foolish, weak-minded—couldn't understand the vision of prosperity Ratcliffe saw so clearly.
"I am listening," Ratcliffe whispered.
Helios, still perched high in the trees outside, smirked as his voice flowed into the tent through the currents of wind magic. "You have already begun to wield the shadows."
In the corner of the tent, a pair of glowing yellow eyes flickered into view.
A small heartless—an Emblem Soldier—stood in the darkness, unmoving, awaiting its master's will.
Ratcliffe glanced at it, hesitant, then back toward the unseen voice.
"They serve you because your will is strong. You control them… for now."
Ratcliffe's chest swelled with pride, a wicked grin forming. "So, they are my army?"
"Yes… but a word of caution."
The unseen voice grew sharp, slicing through the air like a dagger.
"The heartless crave hearts—yours included. They will follow the strongest will… but if you falter, even for a moment, they will devour you."
Ratcliffe's fingers tightened around his sword, a flicker of fear darting across his features.
Helios watched him closely from his perch, golden eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
He's foolish… but useful.
"You must command them as you would your men. Show no weakness, take what is yours, and they will serve."
Ratcliffe's breath steadied, his fear melting into ambition.
"Use them well… and your enemies will fall before you."
A long pause.
Then—
Ratcliffe grinned. "Then I shall wield them as my weapon," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance.
Outside, Helios' smirk widened—his expression twisting into something sinister for a fleeting moment.
If anyone had seen him then, they would have thought him the true villain of this world.
Then, as if it had never been there, his wicked smile faded, replaced by his usual unreadable calm.
With a final glance toward the tent, Helios vanished back into the forest.
John Smith stood on the edge of camp, arms crossed, brows furrowed.
Thomas' words echoed in his head. "Something's wrong with the Governor, John. He speaks to himself… and I swear I saw something moving in his tent."
At first, John had dismissed it as paranoia.
But lately—Ratcliffe had indeed been different.
More aggressive. More obsessed.
And those creatures—those monsters that had been sighted in the trees…
Ben and Lon, two of his closest allies, stepped beside him.
"You sure about this, John?" Lon asked, voice hushed.
John exhaled sharply. "I don't know. But I'm sure about one thing—"
He turned toward the glowing tent in the distance. "Ratcliffe is dangerous, and if we don't stop him, he's going to get us all killed."
Ben nodded grimly. "So, what's the plan?"
John's jaw set. "We find a way to take him out of power before it's too late."
Unseen to them, a pair of glowing yellow eyes blinked from the darkness of the trees.
The heartless were watching.
Listening.
Waiting.
Soon they would take all these hearts and then this world's heart.
Helios moved swiftly through the darkened forest, his body slipping between the branches like a phantom. The night was quiet—too quiet. The heartless had settled back into the shadows, waiting, lurking, growing.
But he had accomplished what he came for.
Ratcliffe was now completely under the illusion of control. His greed had blinded him, his arrogance convinced him that he held power over the darkness.
Fool.
Helios landed gracefully on the outskirts of the Powhatan camp. He descended from the trees in a single fluid motion, his shoes pressing lightly against the dirt.
Then—
A presence.
As soon as he looked up, he saw Aqua standing there, arms crossed, blue eyes locked onto him with quiet intensity.
"Where did you go?" she asked, her tone even—but firm.
Helios met her gaze, completely unfazed. "To look at the person drawing the heartless to this world," he said nonchalantly, brushing some stray leaves off his shoulder. "And to see if I could locate this world's Keyhole."
Aqua's brow furrowed. "Keyhole?"
Helios chuckled softly. "Because of how things turned out in the past, you probably never had a chance to learn about this," he mused, watching her reaction.
She stayed silent, waiting.
Helios stepped past her, then glanced at the village warriors nearby, making sure none were listening before continuing. "Every world has a heart just like us. And the heartless desire it above all else. If they reach a world's heart, they consume it, and the entire world—including its people—falls into darkness."
Aqua's fingers clenched slightly at her sides.
"The only way to stop that from happening is to find the Keyhole—the gateway to a world's heart—and lock it with a keyblade," Helios explained. "Once locked, the heartless will never be able to reach it."
Aqua's skepticism was written all over her face.
"...And you expect me to believe that?" she finally asked.
Helios smirked. "Believe it or not, it's the truth."
She studied him for a long moment. "Did you find it?"
His smirk faded slightly, and he shook his head. "Not yet."
Aqua exhaled, still watching him carefully, before finally turning away. "Then we better find it before the heartless do."
Helios grinned behind her back. 'She's starting to listen. Better late than never. Now I should try to build some form of trust between us later.'