The late afternoon sun cast long golden beams across the rooftops of Agrabah, warming the stone and painting the market below in hues of fire and honey. Helios, Alira, and Aladdin weaved through quieter backstreets now, away from prying eyes.
Helios led them toward a crumbling archway that opened into a half-collapsed courtyard — a forgotten place, shielded by ruined walls and broken statues, perfect for privacy.
He stopped beneath the twisted remains of an old fig tree, the sparse branches casting skeletal shadows over the cracked stones.
Aladdin leaned against a fallen pillar, arms crossed, still eyeing Helios like he expected to be tricked at any moment.
Alira stood nearby, silent and watchful, her cloak drawn close.
Helios took a slow breath, letting the moment stretch.
Then, calmly, he spoke.
"There are rules to this job," he said.
Aladdin arched an eyebrow but said nothing.
Helios continued, his voice smooth and even.
"Inside the cave — the place we're going — there are many eye-catching treasures. Mountains of gold. Jewels larger than your head. Weapons that could level cities. Things you've only heard of in the wildest stories."
He let the words sink in, let them glimmer in Aladdin's mind like forbidden fruit.
"But," Helios said sharply, cutting through the dream, "you must not touch anything."
Aladdin's brow furrowed.
Helios took a step closer, lowering his voice.
"No matter how beautiful it looks, no matter how close it is to your fingers... you don't touch it. You don't take it. You don't even brush against it by accident."
Aladdin shifted uncomfortably.
"Why?" he asked, suspicion creeping into his voice. "Sounds kinda... crazy."
Helios smiled thinly.
"Because this isn't just a cave but also a mystical being guarding treasure," he said. "It guards itself from wicked intentions."
He folded his arms.
"Take anything — even a single coin in greed — and the cave will collapse in on us. It will bury you alive, swallow you whole, wipe every trace of you from existence."
Aladdin paled slightly but covered it with a shrug.
"Sure," he said, a little too casually. "Sounds easy enough. Don't touch shiny things. Got it."
Helios' smile didn't reach his eyes.
He flicked his wrist — and with a soft shimmer of magic, the golden astrolabe appeared again, spinning gently between his fingers.
Aladdin's gaze, despite himself, tracked it instinctively.
Helios caught it neatly and tucked it away again, as if to hammer the lesson home.
"Temptation," Helios said. "That's the real enemy inside."
Aladdin scowled, kicking a pebble across the broken stones.
"What're we even looking for then?" he muttered.
Helios' expression shifted — a practiced smile, touched with casual indifference.
"An old lamp," he said.
Aladdin blinked.
"A... lamp?"
Helios chuckled under his breath.
"Yes. A simple, battered old lamp, hidden at the heart of the cave."
He leaned back against the ruined fig tree, one boot resting on the stone.
"I'm a historian, of sorts," he said lightly. "I chase down relics. Stories. Legends. This lamp has been passed down through the ages — a rare find, a piece of living history."
He shrugged, as if it was barely worth mentioning.
Aladdin squinted at him.
"You're telling me... we're passing up piles of gold... for a rusty old lamp?"
Helios gave him a conspiratorial wink.
"People with money are strange, aren't they?"
Aladdin snorted.
"You're all crazy."
Helios laughed — an easy, genuine sound — and even Alira's lips twitched slightly at the edges.
The tension between them eased a fraction.
Not much.
But enough.
As they sat beneath the fig tree, Helios pulled a worn piece of parchment from his coat — with faded ink lines that led toward a small drawing of a tiger's head.
"The entrance to the cave is hidden," Helios said, unrolling the map between them. "It only appears under the right conditions. And once it does, we'll have a limited window before it seals again."
He traced a finger along the rough outline of dunes and canyons.
"We'll need to move fast. You'll lead. I'll follow. Alira will join us so we'll have to protect her."
Aladdin gave Alira a skeptical glance.
"She's gonna be okay?"
Helios nodded.
"She's stronger than she looks, and besides, I'll be looking out for her."
Alira met Aladdin's gaze with her usual blank stare — but somewhere behind it, something curious flickered.
Aladdin shivered slightly and looked away.
Helios spent the next hour drilling Aladdin on the basics.
Stay low.
Don't trigger pressure plates.
Watch for tripwires.
If in doubt — stop and call him forward.
Most importantly, touch nothing.
Aladdin absorbed the information faster than Helios expected.
Smart.
Resourceful.
The boy would do well.
If he survived.
As the sun sank below the horizon, painting the sky in violent streaks of orange and purple, Helios rolled up the parchment and tucked it back into his coat.
He stood, brushing dust from his cloak.
"Tomorrow night," he said. "We move at sundown."
Aladdin looked up at him.
"And if I change my mind?"
Helios shrugged, casual as ever.
"Then I find someone else."
He smiled faintly.
"But you won't."
He offered a hand.
Aladdin hesitated — then shook it.
This time, his grip was a little steadier.
A little stronger.
Helios squeezed once before releasing him.
As they parted ways for the night, Helios watched the boy disappear into the alleys.
Alira stepped up beside him silently.
"You believe he will come back?" she asked, her voice quiet.
Helios tilted his head thoughtfully.
"I believe he will," he said. "He needs money... and sometimes that's all that matters."
He turned away, the wind catching his jacket.