Chapter 1: Beyond Bounds
A month had passed since Jude's first disaster sense. Winter had reared its head early, blanketing the forest grounds with a soft, thin layer of snow. The snowfall continued, but at a generous and light pace, and pokémon were thrilled to see the coming change in season. The breeze was chilly, carrying speckles of snowflakes gently across the quiet and calm haven. The young winter had also carried with it a serene atmosphere, the activity of summer and autumn slackening in its wake.
The pokémon of the Sanctuary, while in awe and excitement for winter, also observed in peaceful solitude for the most part. The white that covered the forest was always a brilliant sight to behold. Younger pokémon wandered out and played as they would every season, but interacted with the snow even while the quietness still hung over the haven like the canopies of the very trees.
Shard, the weavile, in particular took great joy in the winter, being part ice type. She had introduced the pokémon to her antics rather quickly, creating all manners of pranks and generally fun activities for the children, like ice slides and freezing ponds. She was also a monster at snowball wars, leaving pokémon in amazement of her sheer skill. Shard then found herself being a coach for many others who wished to indulge in her artistry.
The harvest of summer and autumn was above expectations, Hildegard and Bernard having done a great job in restoring them. Enough food was available for the denizens of the Sanctuary, stored in one of the ruins' buildings.
Hildegard the lucario and Fleur the lopunny were ambling slowly through the forest together, taking in the soothing ambience of the white forest. Hilde's mind pondered on the incident one month ago, when Jude had tapped into his first disaster. As far as she knew, nothing threatening had made itself known for the entire month afterwards. The concept of disaster sensing was quite foreign to her, and she did not understand the rules behind it. Regardless, the lucario remained aware, knowing that the simple fact that he had sensed disaster was reason enough to stay wary. Hildegard also disclosed to Fleur the bad news, even if she or Jude did not exactly know what the hidden threat was. They chose not to tell the pokémon of the Sanctuary to avoid panic and tension, wanting to understand the nature of the danger before revealing it.
Hilde was taken out of her trance by the excited cries of children playing nearby. She and Fleur stopped to watch, the lucario feeling a sense of contentment observing them. Hildegard's times in the wilderness alone were memories she preferred not to dwell in, especially the times she braved the winter. Seeing other pokémon enjoying their lives in the midst of it was reassuring. If they were not playing outside, they were huddled up in burrows and the ruins with their families and friends, keeping warm. Hildegard curled up in burrows back then, lonely, miserable, and no one to pity her for her situation. The world was cruel to her, but her determination kept her warm and resolute.
The lucario has felt a further attachment to the haven though she still did cling on to her ulterior goal. Even with her recent battle with Jude, the lucario still had a strong bond to her late master, feeling his presence within her. She could not simply drop all that she had done in his name. Regardless, Hilde was very relaxed after that battle, making peace with a former ally that had been on her tail for so long. Everything felt like they were slowly piecing together in a natural way; Hildegard hoped that her deepest troubles would too mend themselves in time.
Hildegard pondered on Jude's incident once again, remembering how she and Fleur followed him to a dead end, never finding the threat his sense had latched to. It was greatly disappointing and spelled an unnerving predicament where they could be blindsided by anything. The lucario had plans to meet with him again to seek the source, recalling something she learned about dark types: their power seemed amplified under the night sky. She had yet to test this theory with the absol, as she wanted Jude to recover from his stressful episode first. Needless to say, they did not have any meditation sessions together after that, but Hilde did help him hone some of his dark abilities a couple times when he was feeling up for it.
"I wonder how Hearth is doing," Fleur spoke up, snapping Hildegard out of her hypnotic state. The lucario gazed at the lopunny, whose eyes communicated a bit of concern for the pensive lucario. Hildegard grunted passively.
"Who knows with her line of work?" Hilde replied. Word of Hearth's "profession" had spread throughout the Sanctuary, everyone greatly fascinated by her history. No one ever heard of a witch who found redemption and then took up a dangerous mission to exterminate the collective she had previously indulged in. Her company was pleasant, and she even made a few friends. Hildegard could guess the houndoom did not wish for any, however, because of her future plans. Hearth having also been her ally once, the lucario did hope she would find success and perhaps return safely one day. Her departure from the haven was a sad one for certain. Before she left, the houndoom even bestowed some words of wisdom for her absol companion, inspiring him to remain focused, not to let his anger take hold of him, and not to allow a grudge to poison his spirit.
After another moment of silence that complimented their surroundings, Fleur spoke up again. "How do you think Jude is doing?"
"I don't know. I'll have to ask him," Hildegard responded. They had been leaving the absol alone for a while, but the lucario was confident he still retained the motivation to work with them on the issue of the unknown threat.
"I've been thinking about it so much," Fleur muttered with a worried tone. She put a couple fingers on her forehead, massaging it. "Every single day."
"Try not to," Hildegard suggested. "We don't even know if it's legitimate."
"That's what worries me. Not knowing." The lopunny mother sighed, her breath a visible cloud that elegantly dissipated into the chilly air. "I can't help it. I have so much to be responsible for. I want nothing dangerous to fall onto the pokémon because of my carelessness."
"Hey," Hildegard eyed her with a hard gaze. "It's not just you. Jude and I are in this with you. We'll figure it out before it hits, alright?" The lucario could not stand when Fleur would get so ahead of herself. She understood why the lopunny was on edge and perhaps needed a friend to vent to, but all the worrying she did was detrimental to her. Hildegard could sense it with her aura-Fleur seemed to have less energy, and it was impacting her mood for sure.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Fleur finally said, stretching and walking away a few paces. "I feel I haven't been myself recently. I have to stay strong."
"Yes, you do," the lucario assured her. There was silence between them for a moment, the two taking it in while dwelling in their thoughts.
"You know, I couldn't help but remember that horrible time...when Sage was faced by that monster," Fleur said with a bit of disinclination. "This threat that Jude sensed. Do you think—" Suddenly she was cut off when an anguished shout sounded from the distance. Both the pokémons' ears flared up in response, their eyes widened in alertness. They waited a little longer before hearing some angry chattering to accompany the pained cry.
"Let's go," Hildegard stated to Fleur, the lopunny nodding in agreement.
The two pokémon raced towards the noise, Hildegard leading them to the source with her aura sense. Eventually they came upon a rather grisly scene—a familiar zoroark was sprawled on the ground, crawling in desperation as multiple pokémon surrounded it, heckling and talking it down. The zoroark was beaten and bruised, the royal-looking garments it wore tattered and torn. A look of horror was painted on its pointed face as it dragged itself pathetically across the cold snow.
Coming in closer to the scene, Fleur suddenly realized who this zoroark was. She immediately rushed in and started questioning. "Just what in Arceus' name is going on here?" Upon seeing her, the pokémon backed off in surprise. They were residents of the haven for certain.
One of them, a poliwhirl, spoke with agitation. "We know who this scum is!"
Another one from the group, a lurantis, chimed in with displeasure. "Don't you know, Miss Fleur? He was a part of that raid! He killed Sagefox!" With those words, the group continued bickering angrily at the zoroark.
"Stop!" Fleur commanded, quieting the group once again. "I know who this zoroark is," she clarified, the dark type groaning in pain.
"So you know what we have to do!" an enraged sawsbuck shouted. "Miss Fleur, finish this lowlife!" The other pokémon clamored in agreement. Fleur felt her heart sink as she gazed again at the downed zoroark, who was shivering.
Tensing her brow, the lopunny again bellowed, "Enough!" The group was subdued, though with slightly more resistance this time. It was clear they were getting impatient, and Fleur had to stop the anger from flourishing. After she shouted, Fleur let off a calming aura with little effort, as if it came naturally to her. This aura was not visible, but spread across the scene like a wave of water. Hildegard felt this clearly, but the other pokémon probably did not understand how they suddenly felt more serene than before.
"Is that how we want to display ourselves, as barbaric, ruthless ruffians who will hurt anyone who comes across our haven?" Fleur presented the question with a powerful sense of authority, her voice booming among a silent atmosphere. "We know who this zoroark is, yes, but should we bring ourselves down to his level of evil and malevolence? We are pokémon of the Sanctuary! Sage may have met his end thanks to his actions, but I will say right now that he would never wish for us to fall to such a path of darkness." She paused after this, letting it sink in. The once-angry pokémon were now looking down at the ground, appearing thoughtful and even ashamed. The lopunny impressed Hildegard with her speech. "Unless there is a clear attack on our people, we will not wantonly hurt another, is that understood?" The pokémon muttered "yes's" and nodded solemnly. "Now then, I would abhor to assume that one of you has done this to the zoroark."
"They haven't," the dark type managed to say, his voice frighteningly hoarse. The pokémon all looked around at each other in surprise at his honesty. "Please. Help me." Fleur gazed down at the zoroark with a combination of pity and aversion.
"Hildegard, would you please?" the lopunny asked, turning to the lucario, who appeared as lost as everyone else.
"What? Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure," Fleur said with a pleasant smile. The lucario sighed as she went over and effortlessly picked up the fallen zoroark.
Fleur and Hildegard proceeded to bring the zoroark over to Sage's temple for healing. A few times during the trip, the zoroark expressed great pain and his condition was worse than they thought. He suffered many different injuries including fractured bones, seething burns, and even some chipped nails and teeth. His big head of hair was frazzled a great amount, and terror lingered in his eyes.
Both of them remembered him from the incident that resulted in the death of Ignatius. When the two went to confront Malgam and his cohorts in that decrepit human building, Sol had tied that psychic creature and the zoroark to a tree. After the battle was over, they went back outside to find they were both gone. They could guess that the zoroark might have been with the creature this whole time and suffered at her hands. They would have asked him for more details along the way, but the zoroark barely said a word within his agonizing throes. He at least was somewhat cooperative for now.
Once Fleur and Hilde entered the temple, they ambled over to a stone table illuminated with sunlight, the lopunny asking the lucario to place him onto it. Hildegard did so gently, his aura communicating to her the sheer amount of pain he was in. It was not a pleasant feeling to share, and Hilde made sure she did not add to his suffering.
"How long do you think it'll take?" Hildegard asked, assuming Fleur knew she was speaking of the healing process.
"He looks awful," Fleur breathed out, her eyes full of pity. "It may take a while, but we'll make sure he is watched over, not just because he is horribly injured, but…" She did not need to say another word about it; Hilde knew she spoke of his allegiance, and still was unsure if this was part of a trick. "About what I was saying earlier. Do you think he might be what Jude sensed?"
"Very possible," Hildegard stated. "But he looks too messed up to do anything. It might be whatever gave him hell."
"That makes sense. You're thinking what I'm thinking, yes?" Fleur looked over to the lucario, hopeful but worried. Hildegard rolled her eyes to her and stayed quiet, the two maintaining their gaze for a bit in silence, as if communicating telepathically.
"It would be bad if that's what he detected," the lucario finally said. Before she could continue, however, a figure appeared as a silhouette against the bright opening of the temple. At a distance, the figure was humanoid in shape with a long and slender appearance. Hilde and Fleur turned to face the creature as it hesitated at the doorway.
"Come in," Fleur called out. The figure entered the temple hastily, jogging up to the scene. Its appearance became more apparent the closer they got—it was MeiLi, the mienshao. Hildegard had not seen her for a while and wondered what she had been up to. It was safe to say hardly anybody trusted her after the incident. The lucario could certainly resonate with how the mienshao felt with all the weight on her shoulders. If she came at this very time, she must have had something important to say, but the scowl on her face only broadcasted an imminent griping.
The familiar bells and fancy trinkets jingled on her figure as she strutted towards them in a hurry. Her maddened eyes focused on the zoroark lying on the table.
"What in Arceus's name is he doing here?" MeiLi questioned with a fierce tone. Fleur raised a hand, signaling the mienshao to calm herself.
"Relax. He is gravely injured," she replied.
"As he should be," the mienshao said coldly. She crossed her arms. "I apologize for barging in like that. Did he just waltz into Sanctuary?"
"It seems that way, but he was already hurt," Fleur explained. "We're going to help him recover." MeiLi's eyes widened with shock.
"Why is that? Why must we spend resources on this unfaithful…" the mienshao stopped herself before she went on a mindless rant, sighing deeply.
"It was Sage's wish that this be a hospitable community. If anyone were to betray our kindness, that would be a different story."
"He betrayed me," the mienshao uttered shakily, her eyes glossy. The lucario and lopunny had nothing to say to that, though the zoroark shuffled in place weakly as if trying to respond. "His name is Xerxes, if you wanted to know," MeiLi revealed, walking off a few paces to cool off.
"Thank you," the lopunny mother said. "Perhaps since you seem to know him a little more than the rest of us, you would like to take up the task of ensuring his recovery?"
"Fleur," Hildegard spoke quietly, shooting her a concerned glance. Fleur nodded to the lucario in assurance.
The mienshao looked over her shoulder shyly. "Me?"
"Can you do it?" the lopunny asked, trying to show confidence in her voice.
"Why me? It's not even a matter of whether I can. Xerxes is just—,"
"I understand the relations here," Fleur clarified. "I feel this would be a personal task for you, maybe not one that you want to do, but an important task despite all that."
MeiLi's ears flared up, the mienshao turning to the lopunny. She appeared like she knew what the lopunny was trying to do. This was a matter of trust, and regardless if she and Xerxes had a rather skewed relationship, it could serve as a test. After some hesitation, the mienshao nodded slowly, giving her a determined look.
"Fleur," Hilde said once more, summoning the lopunny to her. The two walked away from the scene until they were far enough where they could not be heard. "What is this? It isn't just about hospitality, right?"
"Of course not," Fleur said with a bright smile, knowing the lucario would have an interest in this. "We did talk about this moments ago. We gotta know what did this to him. All these injuries show me right off the bat that it was done by something very powerful."
"That creature," Hildegard said under her breath, gazing at the lopunny with a better understanding.
"Keep looking after Jude, will you?" Fleur asked of her. With that, Fleur left the temple. Hildegard could have left with her, but her attention was set to the mienshao who was left alone with Xerxes. She stood there with little movement, focused on the zoroark sprawled onto the table. The lucario ambled over to her, her padded feet making little noise, though the mienshao certainly noticed her by now with her peripherals.
MeiLi proceeded to squat down, fingering the walls of the table to reveal a hidden compartment. She moved the small stone door to the side, revealing a multitude of berries and leaves, most likely used for healing.
"Are we gonna leave him here?" Hildegard asked. MeiLi shook her head.
"No, we'll likely use one of the cells." A moment of silence between them followed as MeiLi set some of the special healing berries and leaves upon the stone surface next to Xerxes. She then analyzed the zoroark's body to gauge the extent of his injuries and where she would make her first approach in the healing process.
"I'm surprised you're still here, after what I heard," Hildegard said. MeiLi sighed without looking at her.
"And what have you heard?"
"That you caused that old fox's death." MeiLi appeared unphased, as if she was accused of this so many times that it had turned her numb.
"Of course," she simply muttered, continuing with her work.
"Well, I'm not going to say anything more about that," the lucario specified. "I was just curious why you're still here."
"The feeling is mutual," MeiLi said, giving Hildegard a slight glance. The lucario shot her a questioning look.
"What do you mean?"
"Ever since I first saw you, that has been on my mind. I sense something very unique about you," the mienshao explained, spreading berry juice on a leaf and placing it on one of Xerxes's burns. She then bent down to retrieve some sticks and bandages that were tucked deeper within the compartment. "I am a queller of spirits. I deal with them almost every day. I sensed not only your spirit, but another ghostly presence near you."
Hildegard's face became grim with realization. She approached MeiLi, the mienshao standing her ground, but becoming wary.
"You detect him?" the lucario whispered sharply with desperation.
"I apologize. I shouldn't have said anything," MeiLi said, appearing uncomfortable and stopping her work.
"Why wouldn't you?" Hildegard questioned.
"I can tell there's a huge burden on you. You're on a mission, but I did not feel it was my place to pry. It's not something I tend to do." The lucario backed off a little, gazing away with a look of utter anxiety. MeiLi faced her with concern. "You were confident. What causes you to sway now?" Hildegard could feel her heart racing. What the mienshao was saying made perfect sense. Her affinity in dealing with spirits was no joke. She basically confirmed the presence of her master!
"Nothing. Nothing now," Hildegard stated bluntly, turning and marching towards the temple entrance. MeiLi said not another word as she left. With this on her mind, Hilde felt her vitality reignited, knowing her efforts were not wasted. For now, though, without a clear direction on how to achieve her main goal, Hildegard had to ensure one thing—the safety of everyone in the Sanctuary, as the nature of the disaster was still unknown, but very much real, and it was coming.
As if it was not already quiet during the day time, a wintery night in the Sanctuary was something else to behold; one could say time had simply stopped with how still everything was, whether it was pokémon or plant life. Some pokémon set up campfires around the forest and gathered around them to have pleasant conversations of all kinds of topics, and even they were not very active under the starry sky. The serene atmosphere of the haven spread across everyone it seemed, lending to a peaceful night.
Jude ambled across the snow-covered ground, the snow displaced with the footprints of pokémon that have already treaded across it. The absol's white coat shone brilliantly against the moonlight, the night blending him in well with the darkened, wintery forest. The absol aimed to meet with Hildegard again, not for a training session, but for another attempt at tuning into his disaster sense. The thought made him nervous, as he still felt he did not have enough experience, but he understood the danger that it alluded to. He had to get better at using this special sense, else the threat lurking could pounce at any moment and cause a horrible tragedy, and Jude knew he would have no one but himself to blame for being too weak once again. That was going to change.
Jude saw the lucario up ahead, seated on a steep hill that overlooked the white forest canopy, radiating under the night sky. The absol shuffled and climbed his way up the hill, looking down at the footprints already laid down by the lucario so that he could get a better grip of the cool soil. Once he reached Hilde, he sat down on his haunches, waiting for her to say anything.
After a long pause, Hildegard barely craned her neck to see the absol sitting next to her. "You ready?" she simply asked. Jude nodded. "Are you sure?"
"It doesn't matter, really, if I'm ready or not. I have to get used to this," Jude muttered, swiping at the snow beneath his feet. "I don't want to make anymore excuses."
"The sense really took a toll on you," Hildegard reminded the absol. "I'd rather not push you too hard in case it comes down to something serious. It's better to have you well than to not have you at all, if you get me." Jude got her. She thought that he could possibly die if he went overboard. Something Hilde tried to drill into him was the importance of moderation, but Jude knew how dire the situation was, and he was greatly determined to prove to everyone he could lend a paw in eradicating this looming danger. No one but he understood his disaster sense, as it was the unique power of absols, and he was confident he could handle it.
"I'll get better," Jude stated firmly. "I know I will."
"With time and practice, I'm sure you will," Hildegard assured him, kneeling down to face him. "But if you truly feel you are ready, we'll begin." Jude nodded with poise. Secretly he had been working on his meditation, but sparingly. Just when he felt his sense would connect, he would back off, but he did this enough where he could simply ruminate in his thoughts for longer periods of time. The way he inched in to the link gave him more familiarity with how the sense felt, and how he could better grasp and keep hold of it so that it does not damage his mind.
Hildegard and Jude traveled closely together to the last place the absol took Fleur and her. After his initial disaster sense, Jude directed them to an area beyond normal bounds of the Sanctuary. It was a lot more rugged in this area, with thicker vegetation lining the rocky cliffs and hills. It appeared like it was a different biome altogether, a piece of the wilderness untouched through time—but it was certainly touched. Jude simply did not understand how, and neither did Hilde or Fleur. It was practically a dead end since they did not find the source, but deep inside, the absol felt something was off about the craggy area. The sense had scrambled his thoughts, leaving him unable to pinpoint the danger.
"So why are we doing this at night?" Jude asked softly, the atmosphere in this section of the wilderness not quite as pleasant and peaceful as the haven.
"It may better suit you and your power. It's worth a shot," she explained. Jude knew she was referring to his type and how it could possibly synergize better under the moonlit sky. The absol was not sure how that worked, but he was not about to question Hilde.
"And we're going to the area before we try the sense?"
"If you tap into it while we're there, you may get a better picture of the disaster," Hildegard again clarified. Jude grunted quietly, understanding the lucario's mindset. Just as Hearth told him, the absol had to keep an open mind and put aside his stubbornness. Getting perspectives from other creatures could reveal to him new ways of looking at things, and this was certainly one of those situations. If his sense had initially taken him to that spot, tapping into it could make its presence known, though he still had no idea what to expect. The fear of the unknown clasped tightly at his heart.
"Don't be afraid," Hildegard suggested. Of course, it was her aura that revealed the fear swelling inside of him. "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have any faith." Jude appreciated the gesture, aiming to be of more use this time.
The two stopped at the familiar spot. In this area there was a cliff noticeably taller than the others. A large pool of water lay in a valley down below, possibly once the site of a waterfall. A row of large stones jutted out from the cliff, leveling with where they stood to create a platform directly in front of the cliff face. This specific landmark was one that stood out to them.
"This is it," the lucario stated, slightly puffing her chest out, her filed spike gleaming under the moon. "Does the place look familiar?"
"It's where I took you guys last time," Jude recalled. "Should I do it now?"
"Yes," Hildegard replied, gazing at him now. "Just remember what I told you. Concentrate on your thoughts and release your sense of self. Once you feel yourself start to float away, eliminate those thoughts." This was what Hildegard told him before in his attempts to meditate. The absol laid on his belly, closing his eyes and bowing his head. His thoughts sloshed around in his head like a restless sea under the wake of a tumultuous storm.
Jude took a few deep breaths, quelling the turmoil within. He tried to maintain focus, letting his sense of self waver and float away, when all of a sudden, a white flash shone in his mind's eye. This was the point he had trained himself to veer from, but this time he had to succumb. A silvery swirl appeared, glistening as the absol traveled through the vortex in his head. He felt like his eyelids were being forcefully shut. The familiar pain was starting to well up, pushing against the absol's skull, but he remained vigilant, letting the vortex take him away. Different values in the silvery canopy began to make themselves known, the swirl appearing to have more depth, like a velvety cloth being waved in front of his face.
The swirl then evaporated, making way for a world painted in shining silver. Jude had never made it this far before. The vortex completely dissipated, the absol finding himself in the very place he lied previously, but Hildegard was nowhere to be found. Something was driving him forward, as if Jude was merely watching through the eyes of his "mind body." It ambled over to the cliff face, staring at it longingly, but that is where it stopped. Nothing else was happening, and the silvery images in front of Jude were starting to darken.
"No!" the absol shouted in anguish, his own voice reverberating loudly in his ears. The world of silver started undulating until it was nothing but blackness. A horrible pain surged through his head, and Jude's eyes snapped open. He was hyperventilating, Hildegard kneeling over him with her paw on his back.
"Jude! Are you okay?" she asked with a firm tone. Jude stared at her with wide eyes, the cool air burning his throat as he took in sharp breaths. His rapid heartbeat started to slow as he regained his senses. The frightened absol could almost feel Hildegard's warm aura soothing him.
"Yeah, yeah I'm okay," Jude croaked, coughing as he tried to shut out the lingering pain in his head. It was not as bad as the first time, which was telling of his progress.
Hildegard assured him of this by saying, "That didn't seem as bad as last time."
"Yeah, I guess. My head still kinda hurts."
"Did you see anything?" the lucario asked with bated breath. The absol gulped, knowing she would be disappointed in him. His initial silence caused Hilde to sigh with a furrowed brow.
"I'm sorry, Hilde," Jude replied solemnly, looking back at the snowy ground. "There wasn't much."
"Just tell me anything, anything new," the lucario demanded. Jude's gaze fixated on her, the dark type trying to appear confident.
"In the vision, I walked to the cliff face," he gestured to the cliff with a jerk of his head. "I was looking right at it, but that's when everything disappeared." Hildegard looked over towards the cliff and then jumped right up onto her feet in alertness. Jude was taken aback by this, getting up onto his feet as well. "What—What's wrong?" he stammered. Hildegard stepped a few paces forward towards the big hunk of rock, looking upwards. Jude followed her gaze and caught sight of a silhouette on the top of the cliff, the moon peeking over its shoulder. The figure was four-legged, sporting a wavy mane with spiky rocks jutting from around its neck.
"Bernard!" Hildegard called out. "I thought you were dead." The creature walked closer to the edge, revealing it was a midday lycanroc. Jude had never seen this pokémon before, but Hilde's familiarity with him was concerning. "How are you not transformed?"
"I visited the witch," the wolf-like pokémon stated bluntly, though not sounding entirely proud of it. Hildegard scoffed curtly.
"That's another question I had. How are you not some soulless vegetable by now?" she asked, the thought sending shivers down Jude's spine. They must have been talking about Ingrid, though he had no idea if there were other witches around. The absol wondered if Hearth was going to visit her again.
"I escaped," Bernard said. Jude could tell Hilde was getting impatient with his vagueness. "Are you here for the mirror too?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The black mirror. While I was in the witch's cave, I saw very peculiar things."
"That's gotta be an understatement," Hilde said with a laugh.
"One of those things was the mirror. It was more like it was made of crystals. Really dark, creepy crystals. She was going to sacrifice a pokémon to use as a vessel."
"A vessel for what?"
"For my brother," Bernard stated with chagrin. "I didn't want that, but through that experience, I learned something...or more I remembered something. This curse has brought suffering to a lot of pokémon and even people, but it has brought me and my brother closer than ever."
"Your brother? What are you trying to say?" Hildegard questioned, trying to get every little detail out of the lycanroc. Jude never knew her for that. This creature must have been a real subject of interest for the lucario.
"The thing that I transform into—that's my brother. That same witch trapped him inside me all these years," Bernard explained while looking down sadly. With shame, he continued, "As a pup, I didn't have the best relationship with him. I stumbled upon that witch and…" He whimpered but said nothing else.
"Alright, forget it," the lucario interrupted. "I don't need you to pour your heart out to me. Let's go back to that mirror."
Sniffling, Bernard gazed over at her again. "Ah, right. Well, I can deal with crystals and all sorts of stones, right? Well, I was able to sniff out the scent of that same mirror around this area." Hildegard and Jude locked into each other's eyes with the same look of stark realization. "So I'll ask again. Are you here for the mirror too?"
"We don't know what we're here for. My absol friend here just detected the source of a possible disaster here," Hildegard pointed out. Jude felt warm inside knowing Hildegard considered him a friend, though he had his suspicions that she was being facetious.
"Disaster?" Bernard pondered. "Here? That means it's definitely around this area."
"If it has something to do with that crazy witch, it's a bad sign for sure," Jude piped up. "We should search the cliff face!"
"Easy there, we don't know where the source could actually be," Hildegard suggested. "Let's just remain aware and tread lightly." With that, the trio of pokémon gathered in front of the cliff, studying the rock structure for anything that looked off. They could all feel some kind of aura that made them uncomfortable, but after some time they were not able to distinguish anything about the pile of rocks in front of them.
Hildegard was losing her patience once again. With a huff, she said, "There's nothing here. I don't get it." Grunting angrily, the lucario swung at the cliff face with her fist. To their shock, the image of the rocks rippled and then released a flash of energy, pushing Hildegard away forcefully. The lucario spun, falling off the edge of the rocky platform.
"Hilde!" Jude screamed, racing over to where she fell. To his relief, the lucario had grabbed onto the ledge, hanging by one paw. Jude was not sure how to help her in that very moment, but as it turned out, he did not need to, Hildegard lifting herself up without much trouble. She did look somewhat shaken, even a little embarrassed. She looked away from him with a huff.
"Careless. I was careless there," she grunted. Jude felt a lump in his throat, uncertain if he should even say anything to her.
"Hey! Look!" Bernard called out to the duo. They directed their gaze over to where Hildegard punched the cliff face, noticing immediately a strange warping of the texture. Just as Hilde and Jude went back to get a closer look, the texture disappeared, merging with the cliff face to return to how it looked before. The three stared on without much to say, pondering on what just happened.
"It's clearly a forcefield. And this is clearly not a regular pile of rocks," Hildegard spoke up, looking at Jude with a slight smile. "Your vision wasn't completely off." Jude smiled back, albeit nervously. He was flattered she would ever compliment him, and it's something he received little of in his life.
"Let me try something," Bernard suggested, squatting down on all fours until his belly nearly touched the ground. The wolf-like pokémon closed his eyes, exhaling and focusing hard. The rocks beneath them started to vibrate, Hildegard and Jude looking around in slight panic. The vibrations only grew stronger, and Hilde was not going to stand around any longer.
"Jude, with me!"
"Right!"
The two pokémon sprinted away from the ledge until they reached more solid ground, but the tremors did not cease. They at least would not have to worry about the rocks crumbling beneath their feet, leaving them falling down a long drop.
"What about him!?" Jude shouted on top of the noise of the loudening quake. Hildegard gazed over at Bernard, who was still stone in focus. At that point it seemed like the rock would give way at any moment. She was flabbergasted at Bernard's impulsive decision to commit to whatever it was he was doing. It spelled nothing but imminent danger.
Growling in frustration, the lucario leapt forward with a trail of aura behind her, gracefully landing in front of the lycanroc just as the cliff itself was beginning to crumble away. In the wake of its destruction, Jude thought he could see the ripple effect shudder and spread across the air like a disturbed water surface. The absol couldn't lie to himself—he was frightened, and he was not sure if he should help Hildegard in some way. He hated standing behind, not able to do anything.
Hildegard scooped up the rock pokémon just in time to avoid the boulders falling down over them. The lucario made another giant leap, returning to more solid ground as the cliff fully collapsed, leaving behind a huge plume of smoke in its destruction. For a while nothing could be seen beyond the hunk of rock, but the tremors had finally wavered until the earth was still once again. Now the only sounds in the cool winter air were the noises of rock falling down below and unseen, disconcerted pokémon crying out in the distance.
Once everything calmed down again, Hildegard laid Bernard down, the lycanroc looking amazed at what he just did.
"It appears carelessness is making us some progress," the lucario scoffed, looking back at the wreck that used to be a cliff. The smoke was beginning to fade, revealing a strange blackness that stood out from the rest of the scene. It was a large opening that appeared to go deeper underground. The trio ambled over to this massive hole they unveiled, and were enthralled to see this opening was lined with what appeared to be stone carvings that were deliberately placed, most likely by humans of the past. They also noticed pillars on the sides of the entrance, still partially encased by the rock that once made up the cliff. It seemed to Hildegard that this was not exactly the end of Sanctuary bounds. The entire place may have been a huge human civilization that was also host to many places of worship, including temples. The lucario remembered when there was a phase back then when her trainer was fascinated with archaeology and manners relating to this.
In her trance, Hildegard almost did not notice Jude appearing disturbed.
"Jude?" she spoke his name, but he did not budge for a few seconds. Finally, he closed his eyes, shaking his head. "What's wrong?"
"You don't feel that?" he asked, gritting his teeth. Now that he mentioned it, Hilde found herself sensing something unpleasant in the air. Tapping into the source, the lucario focused on a dark aura emanating from the entrance itself. The thought of descending into this unknown human structure shook her to her core, and the aura was not helping.
This was definitely it—the threat that was made known from Jude's disaster sense was inside this temple, waiting.
"We're going in," she stated.
"I was afraid you would say that," Bernard whimpered.