Kingdom Hearts: Consumed by Darkness

The scorched and fractured stone of the Underworld's Grand Chamber still smoked from the battle, magical residue clinging to the air like ash after a wildfire. Nemesis knelt on one knee, her crimson gaze dulled with reluctant submission, while her spear arm twitched with the instinct to rise once more. In front of her, Helios stood bloodied and breathless, his clothes torn and singed, the scent of ozone and iron heavy around him. Kurai's shadow still trembled at her feet like a coiled serpent, her pale hair damp with sweat, while Sephiroth's coat fluttered faintly in the smoldering drafts as he flicked his gaze between foes.

All eyes turned to the woman now standing before them.

Hecate.

Her arrival was quiet, yet overwhelming. Her voice, when it came, was a soft drawl laced with razorwire.

"Impressive, Nemesis. Efficient. Loyal. But…" Her dark-indigo hair waved as if touched by an unseen wind. "You took too long."

Nemesis gritted her teeth. "They were persistent."

"Excuses are the luxury of mortals," Hecate replied, her tone devoid of malice yet dripping with expectation. "You are not one."

Kurai muttered under her breath, low but sharp, "I hate sorcerers with superiority complexes…"

Helios raised a hand slightly toward her without looking. "Now's not the time."

The tension crackled.

Hecate's eyes gleamed, almost amused, but she turned her focus on the trio. "You all look prepared to die. Relax. If I wanted you erased, I would've snuffed you out when you drew your first breath here."

Helios narrowed his eyes. "Then say your piece. I'm guessing you're the reason she's not affected by the curse."

A smirk played on the goddess's lips. "Gladly."

She began to walk, hands behind her back, slow and deliberate. "First—your instincts were correct. Nemesis didn't suffer from the Underworld's curse because I shielded her. A minor spell, a trifle for someone like me."

She stopped by Nemesis, gently stroking her hair. The contrast between affection and her imposing aura was jarring.

"Second—the object you were so desperate to reclaim for dear Hades? That thunderbolt was never his. It belongs to Zeus. Hades stole it."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow slightly. Kurai's eyes narrowed.

Helios simply blinked once, expression unreadable. "And you want to use that fact as leverage."

"Exactly." Hecate's smile was placid. "If the news reached Olympus, they'd see it as an act of treason. Divine warfare. Hades would be chained down in the Underworld's deepest pit—assuming he lived long enough for it to matter."

"And you'd step in." Kurai said flatly.

"I already am stepping in." Hecate turned and looked to the ceiling, spreading her arms. "The Underworld needs management, not madness. Order and control. Hades seeks dominance through brute force and wishes to rule all using ill-gotten allies." Her gaze flicked to Helios. "No offense."

"None taken," he said coolly. "He did hire us."

Hecate chuckled. "Oh, I know. The flaming dolt and his desperation. But I admire efficiency." She glanced fondly at Nemesis. "And loyalty."

Sephiroth finally spoke, low and cutting: "You admire tools."

"Smart ones," Hecate replied without missing a beat.

The air thickened.

She turned back to them, arms crossed. "You've proven yourselves. You've seen what I can do—and what I offer."

With a flick of her wrist, a glowing sigil erupted from beneath the trio's feet, locking them in place, a lattice of golden script weaving through the air like chains.

"I offer you a place in a new order. The pantheon of the New Underworld. Power, territory, and safety in what's to come."

Kurai immediately summoned her Keyblade, growling. "You call this safety?"

Another flick of Hecate's fingers, and the sigil shattered like stained glass. "Just a reminder," she said sweetly, "that you're still in my domain."

Helios coughed, blood trailing from his lip. "We're not looking to become new gods to worship," he said. "We came for a meeting with Hephaestus."

"Oh yes," Hecate purred. "The forge-bound recluse. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to interrupt new work to entertain you."

Kurai lifted her blade. "Then what's the real reason for this charade?"

"No charade," Hecate replied. "Just a negotiation." She extended a palm. "Help me remove Hades from the board—return the Underworld to its rightful shape—and I will open the path to Hephaestus for you myself."

Helios looked at her, hard. "You want us to betray the one who hired us. You want us to start a war."

"I want you to end one," Hecate replied, smiling. "Before it begins."

Kurai lowered her weapon slightly. "You want the Underworld... filled with order? That sounds revolting."

"I want it to function," Hecate replied. "Every soul sorted. No more curses, no more infernal meddling. A true afterlife. Peace."

"By enslaving the world to your spells?" Sephiroth asked. "By hoarding their powers?"

"I collect only what's wasted," Hecate said with a grin. "You, of all people, should understand reclamation as part of a whole."

Helios finally exhaled and nodded. "So we help you... and in return, Hephaestus."

"And immunity from the Underworld curse and Nemesis," Hecate added smoothly. "You're still breathing because I ordered her not to end you."

Kurai scoffed. "How gracious."

"I am gracious. I even pet my minions when they do well," Hecate said, scratching Nemesis behind the ear like a favored hound. Nemesis didn't react—too disciplined, or too broken.

Helios was silent for a long moment.

"Fine," he said. "We'll help. But we don't kneel."

"I wouldn't expect you to." Hecate's grin widened. "Kneeling is for the dead."

Sephiroth sheathed his blade without a word. Kurai flicked her keyblade away in a shimmer of darkness.

"Good," Hecate said, spinning in place. "Then it's a deal."