After having finished their tea, Maleficent sat poised in her darkened chamber, her staff resting against the arm of her throne, the sickly green glow from the brazier painting her cheekbones in shadow. Helios stood before her, the faint shimmer of darkness still clinging to his jacket. His expression was unreadable, gaze fixed on her as if weighing how much of his mind to reveal.

  “I wish to know the location of two worlds,” he said ftly.

  Her arched brows lifted ever so slightly. “Two worlds, is it?” Her tone was smooth, but her eyes narrowed with curiosity. “And what significance do these pces have to you?”

  Helios didn’t blink. Didn’t even twitch. “Can you do it? I’m a little low on time as it is.”

  For a moment, silence stretched between them like a taut thread. Maleficent drummed her cwed fingers on the throne’s arm, measuring his stubbornness. Finally, she allowed herself a faint, indulgent smile. “Describe them to me,” she said. “If I know of them, I shall tell you. If not…” She tilted her head, her shadow stretching like a vulture’s wings. “…then I will send the Heartless to ravage and locate them for you.”

  Her gaze lingered on him as if to pierce the stone fa?ade of his indifference. But Helios gave her nothing—no sign that her threat of unleashing Heartless upon unknown worlds stirred even a flicker of emotion.

  ‘How curious…’ she thought. ‘What does this mean to him?’

  He spoke at st. “The first is a nd where the river winds through strange kingdoms—seen from above, the whole continent almost forms the shape of a dragon. Each nd feels distinct: an icy fortress guarded by warriors in furs, a bustling market city glowing with ntern light, and a jagged desert littered with crumbling temples.

  “And there’s the purple mist—the Druun—spreading like a pgue, turning anyone it touches into stone unless they hold a piece of the crystal. Dragons still roam there—creatures of color and light—moving through the air like flowing water. The rarest treasure there isn’t gold or gems… it’s trust.”

  Maleficent’s brows rose slightly. “Mmm… intriguing.”

  Helios’s voice shifted as he began to describe the second world. “An endless stretch of turquoise ocean, dotted with green isnds. The horizon always feels like it’s calling you. On one isnd, mountains rise from the sand, crowned with palm trees and waterfalls. The people there steer canoes under starlight, singing their history as they go.

  “The ocean itself is alive—sometimes pyful, sometimes hiding monsters in its depths. And there’s a great mother-isnd, sleeping… until her heart is returned. When that happens, flowers bloom and trees erupt from the soil in a single breath. It’s a pce where every wave and every wind feels like it’s guiding you somewhere.”

  The chamber fell silent again, the green brazier fmes flickering in the draft. Maleficent leaned back, closing her eyes briefly as if combing through centuries of memory. At st, she opened them and said, “I know nothing of these worlds.”

  From the side, Hades let out a sudden bark of ughter that echoed off the stone walls. “Ohhh, this is rich. Maleficent’s big scary brain comes up empty? Guess it’s my lucky day.” His fiery blue hair fred a shade brighter. “See, kid, unlike Miss Horns here, I’m the Lord of the Dead. I know every world—every name, every story, every poor sap who’s ever croaked. You want those two? Sure, I’ll tell you. Just unlock these little fashion accessories—” He rattled the enchanted colr and shackles around his neck and wrists. “—and we’ll be in business.”

  Helios didn’t even look at him. His attention stayed on Maleficent. “Search for them,” he ordered simply, already turning away.

  Before he could summon his own dark corridor, Maleficent flicked her staff and opened one for him. “At least take some advice before you go,” she purred. “Eat a proper diet. And do try not to stay up so te—it ruins the complexion.”

  Helios stepped into the swirling darkness without reply, the portal sealing shut behind him.

  The room felt quieter without him, though not for long.

  “Well,” Hades said, leaning back in his chains with a smirk, “that was awkward. You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say Horns has a soft spot for our boy.”

  Maleficent didn’t even gnce at him. “Well, do you?”

  “Do I what?” asked Hades in a confused manner.

  “Know better?” replied Maleficent

  Jafar, who had stood silently through the exchange, finally spoke, his voice calm and cool as ever. “His request was peculiar. Two worlds, I wonder what makes him interested in such pces… and he refuses to say why. That should concern us.”

  “Oh, please,” Ursu said, coiling a tentacle idly. “He’s just another self-important little nd-walker with secrets. They all have secrets. I say let him chase them—maybe the Heartless will chew them up before he finds them.”

  “Your ck of foresight is as grating as ever,” Jafar replied smoothly. “If he seeks them, they are valuable. If they are valuable, they could tip the bance of power. And if they tip the bance of power…” He let the rest hang in the air.

  Hades gave a theatrical yawn. “Ohhh, spooky. The big sorcerer’s worried about the bance of power. Newsfsh, Snake-Stick, everything tips the bance of power eventually. It’s just a matter of who tips it first.”

  “Careful, Hades,” Ursu said with a smirk. “You’re starting to sound like you can actually think.”

  He shot her a mock gasp. “Wow. From the woman whose greatest pn was ‘steal a stick and gets beaten by kids.’ Bravo, sea witch, really.”

  Her tentacles twitched. “Better than making a deal with everyone and keeping none of them. Remind me, who’s chained up in Maleficent’s parlor right now?”

  “Oh, low blow,” Hades grinned, leaning toward her. “Real low. I like it.”

  Jafar rolled his eyes, his patience clearly fraying. “If you two are finished wallowing in your petty insults, perhaps we can focus on the matter at hand. Those worlds. I’m sure he’ll also be searching for them himself. So, it’s imperative that we search for them too. If Maleficent finds them first, they may become new staging grounds for her heartless, and then we can have them search the world before informing the boy. However, if the boy finds first or worse yet finds what he wants on them …” He trailed off, his gaze thoughtful, as if calcuting the odds.

  “Then we might have a problem,” Ursu finished for him, her voice dripping with intrigue.

  “Exactly.”

  Maleficent rose gracefully, her silhouette framed by the green firelight. “Then perhaps it is time,” she said softly, “to see whether our little Hero will walk into a snare on his own… or whether I must set one directly in his path.”