Kingdom Hearts: Consumed by Darkness

Kurai moved like a phantom across the mountain path—faint footsteps. Her war fan rested lazily across her shoulder, a contrast to the lethal pressure radiating from her body. The air itself darkened as she approached a steep incline near Olympus' base. Trees twisted under her presence. Heartless that dared to follow had already become smoldering stains in the grass.

Then came the scent of sulfur.

The space before her shimmered, and from that shimmering distortion stepped a man wreathed in blue flames, his robes untouched by the wind, his flame-like hair burning upward in a lazy, wavering blaze.

"Hey, hey, hey, Miss Brooding Beauty," Hades drawled, hands spread like he was welcoming a long-lost friend. "You know, for someone trying to sneak up Mount Olympus, you sure don't blend well with the scenery. All doom, gloom, and murderous eyes. Very fashion-forward though—loving the whole 'terror incarnate' aesthetic."

Kurai didn't speak.

She moved.

One blink. That's all it took.

She was suddenly in front of him, war fan snapping open mid-air, swinging horizontally in a blur of speed and darkness. The air hissed as compressed shadow screamed through it.

But Hades didn't flinch.

His palm snapped upward and caught the fan, barehanded.

The force of the clash cracked the surrounding trees, wind and shadow magic blasting outward in a violent arc. The ground split beneath their feet. Kurai's boots dug trenches into the dirt from the impact.

"Oof. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the darkness," Hades muttered, raising an eyebrow. "Is this how you greet all the gods, or am I just lucky?"

His hand flared with crimson flame, then exploded.

A miniature sun of fire burst between them, the blast hurling Kurai backward. She flipped mid-air and landed effortlessly, heels scraping the stone as she came to a halt.

Hades rolled his neck. "Okay, now that I've seen your reflexes, how about we—oh wait, no, I forgot, this is the part where we fight some more!"

He lunged forward, flame trailing behind him like a cape of vengeance.

Kurai responded in kind. Her darkness surged.

The two forces collided again, Kurai's Veil Step leaving shadowy echoes as she teleported around him in rapid succession, fan spinning and slashing at every angle. She struck from the sides, above, beneath—but Hades twisted and ducked each strike like he was dancing, each dodge punctuated by a sarcastic quip.

"Whoa! Too slow, Shadow Girl! You gotta aim where I'm gonna be, not where I am!"

Kurai snarled. Her war fan spun faster, becoming a blur. She leapt into the air, black shadow coiling around her like a storm.

"Nightfall Vortex!"

A swirling tornado of darkness erupted around her as she descended. The sky dimmed as her cyclone of shadow consumed everything below.

But Hades was no amateur.

He thrust both arms into the air.

Pillars of spiraling fire shot upward in a circle, surrounding him, absorbing the vortex's pressure and repelling the force of Kurai's descent.

She slammed into the center—blades of darkness meeting flame.

The mountain shook.

Then Kurai was knocked back again, sliding into a tree with a loud crack. She didn't fall, didn't flinch. Only adjusted her grip.

"You know, this whole fight's starting to feel like an after-school special," Hades said, brushing a speck of dust from his shoulder. "So let's cut to the good part."

He stepped forward, his black eyes flaring blue.

"Join me."

Kurai blinked.

"What?" she said flatly.

"You heard me," Hades said with a grin, spinning a flame between his fingers like a coin. "You. Me. The throne of Olympus. Why settle for being the twerp's backup dancer when you could rule the stage? All that darkness inside you? You're practically built to conquer."

Kurai's expression remained unreadable.

"Helios," she said, voice like ice, "is the only being in existence who can give me what I truly desire."

Hades paused. "Awwww." He pressed a hand to his chest mockingly. "That's so sweet that it's about to make me throw up. Almost makes me wish I had tear ducts."

Kurai stepped forward. "I don't make deals. I destroy those who stand in my way."

Hades sighed dramatically.

"Well, it was worth a shot."

He snapped his fingers.

A whirl of smoke surged up from the ground, engulfing them both in a column of darkness. The wind howled. The world twisted.

And when the smoke cleared—Olympus was gone.

They stood in a dense forest. No statues. No cliffs. Just moss-covered rocks, distant mountain ridges, and a canopy of pale leaves.

Kurai's brow furrowed. "What did you do?"

Hades looked around and nodded appreciatively. "Not bad for a vacation spot, huh? No Heartless, no heroes, just trees and the sound of nothing."

Kurai's keyblade fan twitched in her grip.

"I asked you a question."

"Oh, right. The debrief!" Hades clapped his hands together. "You're about… two days' walk from Mount Olympus. That way—" He pointed. "—or maybe it's that way—" He spun around. "You know what? Doesn't matter direction's overrated anyways."

He snapped again.

A ring of fire exploded into existence around Kurai, forming a circle nearly ten meters wide. The flames rose high, forming a glowing, fiery prison of crackling red and orange.

She stepped forward and was immediately repelled by invisible force.

The fire didn't burn her—but the space beyond was sealed.

Teleportation failed. Darkness fizzled. The shadows offered no escape.

"These flames?" Hades said casually, admiring his work. "Magical. Can't walk through 'em. Can't teleport. Can't even sneeze past 'em without permission. And guess what—they last a whole twenty-four hours. Fun, right?"

Kurai stared at the wall of fire, then back at Hades.

"You're wasting your time."

"Oh, I know," he said, turning to leave. "But it's my time to waste. And you? You just got benched. Enjoy the view from the sidelines."

He gave her a cheery wave.

"Don't go anywhere! Not that you can! Hades out!"

With a puff of black smoke, he vanished, leaving Kurai alone, surrounded by a wall of mystical fire and miles of cursed forest between her and the gods.

She stood in silence for several long seconds.

Then she exhaled slowly.

"…He really talks too much."

Her eyes narrowed. Shadows began to rise again around her ankles, curling in frustration and fury. She had twenty-four hours. She wouldn't waste a second in this place.