Hello there! This is a story I've been developing for years, but I didn't want to start on until I felt like my writing was at a level it definitely wasn't at when I first came up with the idea. Even that original idea has been through many changes, and what I've wound up with here is a very far cry from what this story began as.

One note before starting proper: my Pokemon Conquest universe is a mash-up of the PoCon and Samurai Warriors canons. Don't worry if you haven't played SW; there's nothing so big that you would be totally lost if you were unfamiliar with the games, but there are aspects of several characters which didn't make it into their PoCon counterparts that I do enjoy, so I chose to add them in here. As for what exactly they are... well, you'll probably see quickly. For those who are familiar with SW, this story is still set in the PoCon universe, I basically just took things I like from the games and added them in. After a lot of consideration, I did decide against adding in any of the characters introduced in 4, just because PoCon already has a huge cast, even by Pokemon standards (sorry Koshosho my love).

Finally, there are several extensions of the Conquest universe I just came up with on my own that I'm including here. However, one of my biggest fanfiction pet peeves is when the exposition/worldbuilding is done through ANs instead of within the actual story, so that's not going to happen. Once again, I expect you'll figure them out soon enough!

So, without further ado, let's begin! And, as always, any and all reviews are appreciated! Seriously, I've written over 100k words of this - I think I've earned a request for some validation.

"An interesting proposal. But how much would you be willing to give me in exchange for your freedom?"

The battered girl raised her head to meet the woman's eye, even as the flames began to once more lick hungrily at her bare legs. "Anything."

Prologue

For one single day, Ransei was calm.

Resting atop the roof of Spectra's castle, Okuni gave a contented sigh as she gazed out at the burnt orange sunset. It wasn't the first of such panoramas that she had taken in during her life, but even with her personal bias concerning the Ghost kingdom, Okuni felt it might just be one of the best.

From her perch, her back was to the cemetery, and she had an unbroken view of Spectra's dark pine forests. In the distance, Okuni could even see the mountains marking the border with Dragnor silhouetted on the horizon. The blimps flying various banners overhead only added to the picturesque view.

It had been six months since Lady Rei's unification of Ransei, and true to the promises of legend, the land was in a peacetime unrivaled by any other documented point in history. Even the ghosts of Spectra seemed more at peace, as though a newfound balance had been struck between the living and spirit realms.

Okuni planned to view this and more for herself - Lady No had requested her junior warlord travel among the seventeen kingdoms and document their changes since the blessing of the Legendary Pokemon's restoration. Exactly why Lady No wanted this information, Okuni wasn't quite sure, but she was happy to have an excuse to stretch her legs. It wasn't that Okuni disliked her residence in Spectra, but after three years, waking up in the same place every morning could get dull compared to the much longer amount of time she had spent traveling from kingdom to kingdom.

The shadows of twilight were lengthening across the rooftop, and Okuni began to climb down when something in the distance caught her eye. Storm clouds had gathered over Dragnor, and when she looked closer, she could make out flashes of lightning.

"It's a good thing I won't be going in that direction tomorrow," Okuni shuddered. "I hate traveling on muddy roads."

She slid her way down the rest of the roof to the overhang marking the fourth-floor balcony and dropped over the side, swinging onto the walkway encircling the top floor. Novembers were chilly this far north, especially when the wind blew in from Nixtorm, and she welcomed the warmth of the hallways. But Okuni still preferred real flames to the ghost fires, and always saw to it that some were burning in her room during the colder months.

Before retiring though, it was the night that Okuni delivered her weekly report to Lady No. Walking to the end of the corridor, Okuni reached the large double doors marking the entrance to Lady No's private rooms. She rapped on their frame, and heard a response of, "Come in."

Entering the room, Okuni took her usual seat across from Lady No at her tea table. Okuni wouldn't have called the Ghost warlord's rooms "cozy" - she doubted that was a word anyone would associate with Lady No. They were comfortably furnished though, from the large bed draped in dark silk sheets to the assortment of jewel-colored cushions that Okuni settled herself upon.

Lady No had already unpinned her deep violet hair, and at its full length, it fell to her waist. In place of her yukata, she wore a dressing gown of amethyst silk. From the corner of the room, Okuni could see Mismagius floating beside Lady No's vanity, silently watching the proceedings.

"Tea?" Lady No asked, folding up a letter that she had been reading. Okuni nodded, reaching for one of the stone cups resting on the table. Without even bothering to see if it was still hot, she caught the faint scent of roses and oranges as she took a sip, smiling to herself. Brewing Okuni's favorite tea was the equivalent to a grand parade in terms of send-offs from Lady No.

After they had both drunk from their cups, Lady No remarked, "I take it you're here to deliver your report?"

Okuni nodded. "Yes, although on most fronts, there's not much to report. Merchants are saying the roads have never been safer. The treasury has always been secure since you became warlord. And you don't need me to tell you that politically-wise, things are probably the most stable they've ever been."

She hesitated before breaching the next subject on her mind. "Ah, if you don't mind me asking, how are the spirits doing?"

Lady No took another drink before responding. "Well, they have been restless for the past several nights, although that could be due to the approach of the full moon. I'm hardly in any danger of losing control over them, but it is tedious having to deal with rebellious ghosts when there are so many other things I could be doing."

Nervously swallowing down the last of her tea, Okuni set the cup back on the table. "Oh, I see. Is that all?"

Lady No nodded. "You are dismissed. I expect you'll want to finish packing if you plan to leave at first light."

Making to exit the room, Okuni nevertheless halted. "Should I mention something about that storm I saw over Dragnor?"

She shook her head, dismissing the thought and closing the door behind her before Lady No could take note of her pause. "I have no reason to. Storms are always brewing this time of year, after all."

Upon entering her smaller room across the hall, Okuni was promptly greeted by the happy cries of her partner Pokemon. "Why, good evening, you two!" she laughed. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved several berries that she had purchased at the market earlier. "Eat up, we've got a big day tomorrow! And Scolipede, do kindly share with Larvesta this time!" The berries vanished from her hand within a matter of seconds, and soon both of her partners were curled up contentedly on the floor.

"Just one last thing," Okuni murmured, opening the worn wooden trunk at the foot of her bed. "Where did I put them... Aha!"

They were a bit wrinkled, but hopefully that wouldn't affect their power too much. Spirit-repelling charms made by Okuni herself, and she was proud to say that (at least as far as she could tell) they did their job well. "Since I won't be able to help keep the spirits in check until I'm back, these will have to do."

Okuni was hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion, and she changed into a plain yukata without fuss. As she slid into bed, her last thought before giving herself over to sleep was, "I should check in with Setsuna once I get to Valora..."

What exactly woke her, Okuni would never quite be able to tell. But as she sat up in her bed and felt the current of energy charging the atmosphere, any thoughts of sleep instantly cleared from her mind.

Okuni stepped onto her balcony, breathing in the cool autumn air. "Maybe that storm I saw over Dragnor is making its way south."

But as she thought this, a faint flicker of silver at the corner of her vision caught her attention. Okuni's eyes lit up as she turned towards the southwest. "A meteor shower!"

It wasn't her first, but she hadn't had this good a view of one in some time. Humming a slow, regal-sounding tune that came to her on the spot, Okuni watched the silver streaks dash across the sky for what may have been minutes or hours. "I could make this into a dance if I wanted to."

Eventually though, Okuni had to turn her back on the night and return to her bed. At the time, she couldn't have known that she was one of the only people in Ransei to have seen the meteor shower. She couldn't have known that its true nature was something much larger.

Okuni couldn't have known that Lady No had also been risen by the charge it brought to the air, had also watched the stars fall. Neither woman saw the fragments of light collect just before dawn, nor the silver ripple that spread across the landscape when they met.

There was not a being in Ransei that saw what was left behind when day broke, and the last of the stars flickered out.