Kingdom Hearts: Consumed by Darkness

The endless sea of dark water stretched into infinity, untouched by wind or tide. The sky above them was an abyss of black and violet, faint stars flickering through the haze like dying embers. There was no sun, no moon—just an eternal twilight that felt both serene and hauntingly empty.

Skuld, still clad in her Keyblade armor, glanced around, her eyes tracing the distant rock formations barely visible in the void. She exhaled softly.

"You know… I thought a place full of darkness would be terrifying, twisted—maybe more nightmarish," she admitted. "But this… it's beautiful."

Helios, standing beside her, crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly, as if considering her words. "Yeah… it is."

And it truly was.

The smooth surface of the water beneath them reflected the sky like a mirror, giving the illusion that they were walking through a suspended void. The faint glows of distant stars shimmered in the reflection, making it feel like they were surrounded on all sides by the vast cosmos.

But Helios knew better.

His expression turned serious as he adjusted his stance, his boots making no sound against the water's surface. "It's beautiful, yeah… but also dangerous. Especially to Keyblade wielders."

As if the realm itself had been listening, the moment those words left his lips, the first shadows began to stir.

The darkness shuddered.

The surface of the water rippled, the distortions moving outward as if something underneath was awakening.

Then, from within the inky depths, black portals of swirling mist tore open the space around them.

Heartless.

Helios' eyes narrowed as two distinct types of Pureblood Heartless emerged.

The first creatures slithered forth like floating nightmares—Darkballs.

Ten of them hovered in the air, their pitch-black, spherical bodies streaked with dark blue tendrils. Their jagged, toothy maws gaped open as they released an eerie, gurgling sound, their small glowing eyes locked onto their prey.

The second wave of enemies was far deadlier.

Fifteen Invisibles followed, their movements fluid and precise, as if they had been lurking in the abyss, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Helios recognized them instantly—they were stronger, faster, and more intelligent than normal Heartless. Unlike Shadows or Neoshadows, these weren't just feral creatures attacking instinctively. They were hunters.

Each Invisible bore a muscular black form, the gold-tipped feathered wings on their arms twitching as they hovered just above the surface. Their purple horns curled into a sharp heart shape, and the flames beneath their feet flickered unnaturally.

But the most dangerous part? Their swords.

The scalloped, blue-bladed weapons they wielded glowed ominously as the Heartless shifted into battle stances, their unreadable, emotionless expressions fixed on their targets.

The attack was instantaneous.

Helios reacted first, his Equilibrium Keyblade flashing into his grasp.

A Darkball lunged, its thick black tentacles whipping through the air toward him. He dodged left, twisting midair, and slashed downward. His Keyblade carved through the creature, its form unraveling into black mist, disintegrating into the darkness from which it had come.

Skuld moved next, her Ravenveil Whisper Keyblade forming in her hands as she swung wide, sending a crescent of wind magic toward an approaching Darkball. The energy struck true, causing the creature to let out a shrieking wail before bursting into shadow.

But the Heartless didn't hesitate.

The Invisibles rushed forward in unison, their weapons gleaming as they moved with deadly precision.

Two of them struck at Helios from both sides, their blades cutting through the air in synchronized arcs. He barely managed to parry the first strike, twisting his wrist and deflecting the attack, but the second blade came from behind.

He ducked at the last second, feeling the rush of displaced air as the sword nearly took his head.

Skuld wasn't faring as well.

An Invisible darted toward her, sword raised, moving faster than anything she had fought before. She barely had time to react, lifting her Keyblade to block—but the force behind the blow sent her skidding backward.

Before she could recover, another one was already on her, slashing from above.

She dodged right, feeling the searing energy of the blade slice mere inches from her face. The enemy moved without hesitation, its wings propelling it forward as it slashed again.

They didn't stop.

They didn't fight like people.

They didn't react like normal enemies.

They just kept coming, their movements relentless, their only instinct to consume and destroy.

For the first time since arriving, Skuld felt overwhelmed.

Her fights before had always been against human opponents—ones who could be staggered, fooled, or thrown off by tricks and magic. These creatures had no such weakness. They did not care about wounds or death. They existed only to take hearts. And hers was next.

She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to move, but an Invisible landed a kick to her stomach, sending her flying backward. She crashed onto the surface of the water, her armor absorbing the brunt of the impact, but the pain still rang through her body.

"Tch—damn it—!"

Two more Invisibles closed in immediately, swords raised.

Bolts of lightning tore through the air.

Skuld barely registered the flash of violet and white before Helios landed in front of her, Keyblade raised.

"You okay?" he asked without looking back.

Skuld groaned as she pushed herself up. "Not my best moment."

Helios smirked. "Yeah, these guys aren't like the usual people you've fought."

He spun Equilibrium in his grip, flicking his wrist as tendrils of darkness coiled around the blade. "They're dangerous, aren't they?"

Skuld, now back on her feet, took a deep breath. She watched the remaining Heartless regroup, the Darkballs circling like vultures, the Invisibles gripping their weapons with calculated intent.

She now understood.

This wasn't a normal fight.

This realm wasn't just a quiet, beautiful abyss.

It was a hunting ground.

She clenched her fist around her Keyblade, her resolve hardening. "Yeah. I get it now."

Helios grinned. "Good because they won't ever stop while we're here and there are worse things hiding in the dark than these chumps."

And together, they rushed forward once more—into the heart of battle.