Tired from the constant battle Helios suggested that the two of them should rest at a nearby cave. The cave was quiet and the the decay of the ndmass had stopped so they should be safe for a while. Helios felt the gaze retract and Kurai’s shield was blocking most of Skuld’s light so they wouldn’t be sensed unless they got close to another group of Heartless.

  For the first time since entering the Realm of Darkness, Helios and Skuld had a moment of peace.

  The previous battle had taken its toll, especially on Skuld, who had pushed her newly awakened light abilities to their limits.

  Helios sat by the cave’s entrance, keeping watch while Skuld y down near the back, her breaths steady but her exhaustion evident.

  “We’ll take shifts,” Helios said, his tone lighter than usual.

  Skuld nodded, too tired to argue. As she let her body rest, her mind drifted.

  And then—

  The dream came.

  Skuld felt herself floating.

  A soft, golden light surrounded her, warm and familiar.

  She wasn’t in the cave anymore.

  She was somewhere else.

  Ahead, a silhouetted figure stood with his back turned.

  The light behind him obscured his details at first, but something about him felt different from the faceless figures she had seen in her scattered memories.

  This time—the dream felt more real.

  And then—

  He turned around.

  Skuld’s breath caught.

  The boy standing before her had curly silver hair and bright blue eyes.

  He was dressed simply—a white shirt, a bck vest, dark grey pants, and bck boots. A red scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck.

  His expression wasn’t distant or fading like the past visions. He was looking right at her and then he smiled.

  "Are you just going to sit there staring at me all day?" he asked, amusement in his tone. His voice was so clear.

  Skuld's heart skipped a beat. She knew him.

  Even if her mind didn’t recognize the name yet—her heart did.

  The boy extended his hand. "Come on, let’s go."

  For a moment, Skuld hesitated.

  But then—she reached forward.

  And the moment their hands touched—

  The dream changed. The warmth of the golden light vanished. Now, Skuld found herself somewhere else.

  A rge room filled with old-looking computers surrounded a massive round table. She recognized nothing.

  But—she still felt something. That this pce… it was important and that she had been here before.

  The silver-haired boy grinned at her before tugging her forward. "We’re te!"

  ‘Late?’

  Before she could ask, another voice called out—

  "Ephemer! Skuld! Took you two long enough!"

  Skuld turned toward the voice, her eyes widening.

  A boy with messy bck hair that drooped over one of his dark-brown eyes leaned casually against the table. He wore a bck coat with rolled-up sleeves, gold buttons, and a rge colr, paired with grey pants and bck cowboy boots. A bck fedora with a dark feather shadowed part of his face, but Skuld could still make out the small smirk pying on his lips.

  The silver-haired boy—Ephemer—ughed sheepishly. "Sorry, Brain."

  Brain scoffed. "You’re always te."

  Across the room, another boy let out an exasperated sigh.

  He had shoulder-length pink hair and dark blue eyes that flickered with impatience. His attire was stylish yet slightly tattered—a rge-colred white button-up shirt beneath a bck vest with torn ends, paired with dark pink pants and sleek bck boots. His arms were crossed, annoyance clear in his gaze.

  "You all talk too much," the pink-haired boy muttered.

  Ephemer grinned, nudging Skuld. "Lauriam’s always like this."

  Lauriam shot him a side gnce. "And you can be a bit annoying at times."

  Another chuckle echoed from across the room.

  A boy with spiky caramel-blond hair and bright blue eyes stood beside Lauriam, watching the exchange with mild amusement. His outfit was a mix of bck and white, with a pleated red colr and a chunk of armor on his midsection and left shoulder.

  Ephemer waved at him. "Don’t pretend you’re not involved, Ventus."

  Ventus smirked slightly but said nothing.

  And then—

  A pair of arms suddenly draped around both Ventus and Lauriam’s necks.

  "You two should stop fighting."

  The voice was pyful and teasing.

  A girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and aqua-green eyes had pulled them both into a loose embrace. She wore a white blouse with a bck tie, a light blue leather jacket, bck shorts, and matching boots.

  Lauriam sighed. "Elrena, let go."

  Elrena smirked. "Nah. I like watching you two bicker."

  Skuld watched the scene unfold—a wave of emotions hitting her all at once.

  These people—she knew them. Not just the boy Ephemer but she knew all of them.

  Brain. Lauriam. Ventus. Elrena.

  They were important to her.

  They were—her friends.

  Just as Skuld reached for the memory, her vision began to blur. The room faded and their voices grew distant.

  And then—

  She woke up.

  Skuld gasped sharply, sitting up. She was back in the cave and the golden light was gone.

  The familiar faces—vanished.

  Only Helios remained, sitting near the cave’s entrance, watching the dark world outside.

  At the sound of her sudden movement, he turned his head slightly.

  "Bad dream?" he asked.

  Skuld shook her head, still dazed. "No… a memory."

  Helios raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do you remember anything about the past?"

  She pced a hand over her chest. "I saw them."

  Helios’s expression turned serious. "Who?"

  Skuld’s gaze hardened.

  "Ephemer. Brain. Lauriam. Ventus. Elrena."

  Helios didn’t speak immediately. Then, after a moment, he gave a small smirk. "Looks like you’re starting to remember. I’m gd you’re able to remember your friends."

  Skuld clenched her fists. She wasn’t going to forget again because this was a link to who she had been and she had to hold onto this.

  Because if she could remember them—

  Then maybe… maybe she could remember everything.

  “Do you know why I forgot and why I remembered them now? You were so sure I’d remember and I wanted to remember so I never questioned it. Why do you know all this about me and my friends if you weren’t there.” asked Skuld in a serious tone. It seemed all the mystery surrounding Helios had begun to make her question him a little.

  “I’m pretty sure I expined before but in case you forgot; traveling to the future erases one’s memory. Without a medium or someone with memories of you, you'll have amnesia when you arrive in the future. You will be unable to recall anything about your past until something helps you remember. The reason you’re remembering is that we’re approaching the catalyst that’s making you remember. That means there’s an object here that can serve as a medium for you and help you regain all your memories.” expined Helios in a nonchant manner despite Skuld’s worry.