Helios steadied himself, taking a deep breath. The pain from his wounds throbbed, his vision still swimming slightly, but he forced his mind to focus. “Because I pulled you ience,” he managed, his voice firm despite his exhaustion. “And if you kill me now, you’ll be trapped here with no idea of your current situation. But I… I expin it to you. A purpose beyond the emptiness you must feel.”

  Sephiroth’s gaze flickered, just for a moment, with something inscrutable. “Purpose,” he repeated slowly, the word dripping with dark amusement. “urpose could you offer that would rival my own?”

  Helios met his gaze, unfling despite the immense pain. “I know what you desire. To be free of Cloud and his weakness correct? However, you two are just parts of a whole. So if you fight Cloud all that will happen is you will return to him. I give you a way around that.”

  For a long moment, Sephiroth was silent, his bde resting at his side as he regarded Helios with a ptive look. The tension in the air grew thick, electric, as though a storm were about to break over the valley. Helios held his breath, barely able to sta determined not to show weakness.

  “Your desperation is amusing,” Sephiroth finally said, though his tone had shifted, softened. “But you’re corre one t… I am a being fed from purpose, and from that purpose, I seek only strength and freedom.” He paused, a gleam of dark intrigue in his eyes. “vince me, then. What do you propose?”

  Helios felt a surge of relief, though he kept it well-hidden. Slowly, he lowered his Keybde, but he kept his guard up, knowing that Sephiroth’s agreement was tentative at best. “I am aiming to unlock the greatest power in the universe that is said to be the in of all worlds and all life, embodying the very essence of light and darkness,” he began, voice steady, each word chosen with precision. “With it, I will be able to rewrite all and ge things to how I see fit. I offer you the ce to write the world with me. Join me… and you’ll also find oppos who will push you to the limits of your strength.”

  Sephiroth’s gaze hardened, yet something in his expression hi a flicker of i. “And what makes you believe I’d ever serve someone as weak as you?”

  “I don’t ask you to serve,” Helios replied, his tone even. “I’m an alliaogether, we will get what we want; apart we won’t. With your strength and my knowledge, we will be unstoppable. And in that chaos, you’ll find tless oppos worthy of your bde.”

  Sephiroth sidered this, his fiightening ever so slightly on the hilt of Masamuhe air grew cold as his gaze bore into Helios, scrutinizing him down to the depths of his soul, as if searg for any sign of fear or deceit. Helios held steady, refusing to show the exhaustion g at him, the pain from his injuries, or the apprehension that lingered beh his calm.

  Finally, Sephiroth gave a slow nod. “Very well, weakling,” he said, his voice low, a dangerous promise hidden within it. “I will sider your offer. But if you fail to provide me with the strength, the challehe purpose you promise…” He lifted Masamuhe bde glinting menagly in the m sun. “I will find you, and I will take that Keybde from your dead hands.”

  Helios nodded, a smirk pulling at the er of his mouth. “You won’t be disappoihe worlds beyond this one are rife with power, foes, and flicts beyond imagination. Together, we’ll find what you seek.”

  Sephiroth’s lips curved into a mirthless smile. “The us see. The moment you falter… you shall die.”

  With a flick of his wrist, Sephiroth dismissed his bde, its deadly presence fading into the ether. Without another word, he turned and vanished, leaving only a lingering trace of his dark energy and bck feathers in the air, like a shadow cast on the soul. Helios watched him go, his body trembling from exhaustion and pain, but his mind sharp and clear. He’d survived.

  As the stillness returo the valley, Helios allowed himself a single shaky breath. He’d faced one of the most formidable beings he’d ever entered, nearly losing his life in the process, a he had mao turn the enter to his advantage. Sephiroth’s power, aligned with his own ambitions—if he could wield that strength carefully, strategically, it would be unstoppable.

  Helios dismissed his Keybde, taking a moment to collect himself. The wounds on his arms and legs pulsed painfully, but he would have to tend to them ter. For now, he had secured a potential ally of unparalleled strength, a on that could tip the scales in his favor in ways even he hadn’t fully prehended yet.

  For now, he cast the Cure spell on himself to stop the bleeding. Once done he walked over to the unscious body of Cloud which had been blown away during their battle. With the stant explosion from their battle Helios was surprised no one had e over just yet. Then he saw light in the distand heard a voice most likely the guards from Ansem castle e to check out the situation.

  Although weak and injured Helios picked up the young Cloud piggyback style and mustered his remaining strength to summon a dark corridor. Entering Helios mao make it to the towral Square. Maybe it was due to his wounds or the dark corridor but Helios suddenly felt himself getting lightheaded as he heard a female voice ask, “Are you okay?”

  Everything turned bck as Helios colpsed. Whe he stirred he saw Yuffie who he’d met before looking at him which startled him and caused him to sit up in fright causing the sensation of lightheadedo return as he fell bato the bed he was on.

  “Kid’s awake Squall,” said Yuffie as she smiled at Helios before standing up.

  Aerith walked over with a cup of tea. She ha to Helios who sat up and then propped his back with some pillows. “Drink this it’ll make you feel better.”

  Feeling weak all over Helios didn’t hesitate and drank the tea. The warm sensation eased the fatigue and lingering pain that he still felt. “Thank you. Where’s Cloud?”

  “Cloud? Are you talking about the other person we found with you? If so he’s resting in another room. He hasn’t woken up yet.” answered Yuffie