The next morning came quietly, with heavy skies and low winds curling through the ruined towers of Radiant Garden.
Helios made his way through the broken streets toward the throne-crowned castle. His hood remained down — not from arrogance, but from the knowledge that no heartless here dared challenge him. Not anymore.
As he ascended the winding stone path, the Emblem Heartless watched from the shadows, parting before him like silent sentries. Their yellow eyes followed his every step, but not one made a move to stop him.
He reached the blackened gates of the castle and entered without knocking.
The corridor was lit by flickering sconces of green flame, casting warped shadows along the cracked stone floor. At the end of the long hall, seated once again upon her throne, her staff resting beside her like a scepter of ruin, was Maleficent.
Her smirk widened at the sight of him.
"Well, well," she drawled, voice velvet and razors. "The prodigal boy returns. And so soon. One might think you missed me. Eager, are we?"
Helios stepped forward without answering.
Maleficent studied him with narrowed eyes.
"Does this haste have to do with the recipient of those charming cloaks I gave you? I hope they find it useful," she purred.
Helios said nothing.
She chuckled softly. "I thought so. How sweet."
He stopped a few paces short of the throne. "Do you have the two worlds or not? You know I've never been one for wasting time."
Maleficent arched a single brow, clearly unimpressed with his lack of flattery. She tapped the base of her staff against the marble floor — a clang that echoed like a command.
"Yes, I have the two worlds I promised," she said, feigning a sigh. "Always so businesslike with you. You wound me, Helios. No pleasantries? No compliments for my decor?"
The green orb embedded at the top of the staff glowed.
A sickly emerald flame appeared in her open palm.
"I find your taste predictable," he replied evenly. "Fire and thorns. Same as always."
Her eyes glittered. "And yet you came back. The moth always returns to the flame. Or is it the other way around?"
Without warning, she hurled it at Helios. But mere inches away from him, it stopped and dove down to the ground.
He didn't move, knowing she wouldn't bother attacking him.
The flame struck the stone and spread outward like liquid fire, swirling until it formed two separate, rippling images suspended just above the floor.
The first showed a sea of sand — golden dunes stretching for miles under an endless, blazing sky. Palm trees swayed in an oasis nearby, and a distant silhouette of towering spires emerged on the horizon.
Agrabah.
The second shimmered like water made of glass. Coral reefs. Sunlight filtering through the ocean currents. A kingdom beneath the waves, alive with motion and color.
Atlantica.
Helios stared.
He didn't speak.
Didn't blink.
But inwardly, he was surprised. To think that Maleficent would need his help to expand her control to these worlds.
Convenient, he thought. I was planning to return to Agrabah anyway.
Maleficent leaned forward, her green eyes glittering. "Do this, please you? I went out of my way to find such scenic worlds for you. You should thank me."
"They'll do and I'll pass on the thanks," Helios replied flatly.
"I'm sure they will. One parched by heat and greed, the other drowning in song and secrets. Both are ripe for disruption. Two pretty baubles for you to tarnish. I do hope you'll have fun as you plunge these worlds into darkness like you did this one."
She rose from the throne and descended a single step.
"I can open portals to both," she said, "but only if you bring your new house guest along. I would so love to meet them. I can't understand why on earth you wish to avoid me meeting this person."
Helios didn't even let her finish the offer before shaking his head.
"No."
Maleficent blinked once.
"Pity," she drawled. "I was hoping to see for myself what kind of broken thing you've been keeping locked away like a pet. Could it be that your little pet has begun to show teeth? Or has she slipped her leash already?"
Helios kept his voice calm, even. "I'll take her myself. She doesn't need to see you, and you don't need to worry about her."
Maleficent's grin sharpened. "Afraid she'll like me more than you?"
"I'm afraid," Helios said, "that your presence might infect what little she has left. And besides, I need her alive,e and you're too dangerous to be near her."
Maleficent scoffed, but the corners of her mouth twitched in amusement. "You're so dramatic, my dear boy. Fine. Have it your way. But I won't be offering free passage again."
"I won't need it," Helios said. "I've already been to both of those worlds. I can open my own way."
She tilted her head, voice silk and venom. "Oh, that's news to me. I wonder when you visited these worlds. Then by all means, off you go. Bring these worlds under my control, would you? Drown them in darkness."
"I will," Helios said. "You'll feel it ripple all the way from here."
He turned to leave, the back of his shoes sweeping across the emerald flame, scattering it into a dozen glowing motes that evaporated in the air.
Behind him, Maleficent called after him, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
"Good luck, Helios. I do hope nothing unfortunate happens to you out there. You know, I only wish the best for you."
Without looking back, Helios chuckled.
"Same to you. I only wish the best for you, too."
And with that, he stepped into the shadow and vanished.