Kingdom Hearts: Consumed by Darkness

The sensation of possession was an odd, almost a forgotten experience by Kurai. It wasn't as though it had completely overtaken Cid—it wasn't a full possession. No, Kurai as a true darkness used the subtlety of suggestion, whispering faint nudges into Cid's thoughts like a voice in his heart. It allowed the man to function almost normally, oblivious to the dark influence subtly guiding his actions.

Cid's hands moved over his workbench with practiced efficiency, his mind focused on his tasks even as Kurai's presence lingered, whispering suggestions into his subconscious. Kurai's hold was light but firm enough to ensure that Cid would follow through with Helios's request. It was almost… entertaining.

As Cid worked, the phone like device on the corner of his desk buzzed to life, shattering the relative calm of the workshop. Kurai leaned in through Cid's mind, pressing just enough to encourage him to answer without hesitation.

"Hello?" Cid said gruffly, pressing the receiver to his ear.

The voice on the other end was frantic and familiar—Even, one of the apprentices working under Ansem the Wise. "Cid, we've got a major problem!" Even's usually composed tone was laced with panic. "There's a virus in the system—it's attacking our data, corrupting files, and locking us out of critical access points. We need your help, immediately."

Cid's brow furrowed, his mind racing. "A virus?" he muttered, his voice sharp with concern. "How the hell did that happen?"

"We don't know!" Even snapped, his frustration boiling over. "But if we don't deal with it soon, it could compromise everything. You're the only one with the skills to help us right now. Can you get to the castle?"

Kurai's influence pressed lightly, guiding Cid's thoughts. This is it. Take the disk. Go now.

Cid didn't hesitate. "On my way," he said, ending the call and grabbing the disk Helios had given him—though, in his mind, it had been handed over by Ansem the Wise himself. Seemed like this was the distraction.

The journey to the castle was a blur, a haze of hastened steps and distant sounds barely registered in Cid's mind. When he arrived at the lab, Even met him at the door, his face pale and his usually composed demeanor frayed at the edges. "Thank the stars you're here," Even said, ushering him inside. "The virus is spreading faster than we anticipated. We've already lost partial access to some critical systems."

"Show me," Cid said gruffly, his tone leaving no room for argument. Even led him to a console surrounded by other apprentices—Xehanort and Ienzo—all of whom wore varying expressions of concern and irritation. The screen displayed a chaotic mess of corrupted files, error messages flashing in rapid succession.

"What the hell is this?" Cid muttered, his fingers already moving to pull up diagnostic tools.

"A mystery we don't have time to solve," Even said, his voice tight. "We need to isolate the virus and purge it before it spreads further."

Kurai pushed gently, directing Cid's thoughts toward the disk in his pocket. 'This is your moment. The disk will help. No need to tip them off. Might as well say it's my program.'

Cid frowned, his hand instinctively reaching into his pocket. "I brought something," he said, pulling out the disk. "An adaptive anti-virus program I was cooking up a few days ago."

Even's head snapped toward him, his eyes narrowing. "You seem well prepared," he said, his voice tinged with suspicion.

Cid nodded, his expression earnest. "Yeah, it was for the Gummi Project I was working on for Ansem. It should analyze the system and root out problems like this. Figured now's as good a time as any to test it."

Even hesitated, his analytical mind warring with his urgency. "Fine," he said after a moment. "But be careful. If that disk has any flaws, it could make things worse."

Kurai's influence tightened, ensuring Cid's confidence didn't waver. Trust in what Ansem told you. Insert the disk.

Cid stepped forward, sliding the disk into the console with steady hands. The screen flickered for a moment, then displayed a loading bar as the program began to run. The room fell into a tense silence, the apprentices watching with bated breath as lines of code streamed across the screen.

"What's it doing?" Ienzo asked, his tone wary.

Cid shrugged, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Analyzing, I think. Hadn't had time to test it yet."

Kurai chuckled softly in the recesses of Cid's mind, amused by how easily the situation was unfolding. The disk wasn't just analyzing the system—it was embedding Helios's backdoor program, granting him the access he needed to monitor the castle's security remotely while removing the virus Helios had planted as a diversion.

"Let's hope it works," Xehanort muttered, his arms crossed as he watched the progress bar inch forward.

Within moments, the screen flashed green, signaling that the program had completed its task. A series of files appeared on the screen, highlighted in red and marked for deletion.

"There," Cid said, pointing at the screen. "Looks like it's identified the infected files. Shouldn't take long to purge them now."

Even's expression remained skeptical, but he nodded. "Good. Start the purge."

Cid's fingers flew over the keyboard, executing the commands to begin the process. As the system began to stabilize, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the room.

"You did it," Ienzo said, his tone quiet but genuinely impressed.

Cid leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. "Told you I know my stuff," he said, though the words carried a faint undercurrent of unease.

Kurai, nestled deep within Cid's subconscious, smirked with satisfaction. The seed is planted. The backdoor is in place. Now, Helios will have the access he needs.

As the apprentices busied themselves with verifying the system's stability, Cid excused himself, claiming he needed fresh air after the stressful ordeal. Kurai loosened its influence slightly, allowing Cid's natural thoughts to surface. The man felt a sense of accomplishment but couldn't shake a nagging sensation. The disk and the virus—it was almost as if they were made for each other. Why? Even if Ansem wanted a distraction there were better ways to go about it. It almost felt like he didn't have access and rushed all of this.

Kurai chuckled darkly, its voice a whisper in Cid's mind. Don't overthink it. You did what you were meant to do. Now rest easy, knowing you've done your part. Destroy the disk, as Ansem instructed, and wait for him to request your report.

Cid's steps slowed as he exited the castle, his brow furrowing. "Destroy the disk," he muttered to himself. "Ansem's orders…" He felt the weight of doubt pressing on him but shook it off as fatigue.

Kurai withdrew entirely as Cid stepped back into the streets of Radiant Garden. Everything is proceeding as planned, Kurai mused to itself, a faint ripple of satisfaction spreading through its dark essence as it returned to the shadows. Now let's see what Helios does with his new eyes inside the castle.