Act one, prologue: The enigma

October 14, 2018. 11: 45 pm

Unknown location

Edgar

Night arrived quicker than I could have predicted, blanketing the world in a dark and impenetrable black veil. The many shades of darkness transformed all that was mundane into sinister doppelgangers. The ordinary took on a whole new character. The moon was about halfway formed into a crescent, barely shinning its white light upon a world that so longed for it. The sky danced with bright starlight, an endless ocean of flickering diamonds. Over the hills and mountains, at the edge of the horizon stood a sea of bright gleaming shimmers, reminding me a lot of the stars above. The ancient woods chirped and shuddered with nocturnal life. To some creatures, nighttime only heralded yet another struggle to remain among the living. To other, it proved to be salvation.

A few hours ago, my memory and judgment had been with par of that of a comatose train wreck survivor. The world had been little more than a blur of colors and letters that had made little to no sense. It was nauseating and downright scary. The sense of confusion was still there, but I no longer felt afraid, the world made sense now. My own identity however, remained a mystery. The only thing I could remember name wise was Olivia. Olivia… something about that name comforted me; feeling like a pair of strong and delicate hands wrapping themselves around my chest. It filled me with a soothing and pleasurable sensation. Olivia was without a doubt, not who I was. Olivia was a female term, and I was no female. Who was she then? Why did she hold such a powerful sway over my very emotions?

It's no use. The more I try to make sense of things, the more things get mixed and twisted. I may have recovered my judgment and knowledge of the world, but the most important information of all still eluded me.

I faced the dark retreating road before me. I looked over the horizon; Jubilife was once again enjoying another night filled with the normal villainy and wrongdoings it was known for. From a distance however, the city almost looked like a peaceful place. I looked down, sighing hopelessly. My past, whatever it was, might be a total mess as far as I knew. What if I was some kind of murderer? What if I was something even worse? I again looked down.

It doesn't matter, even if my past is bad, I want it, I want it.

I faced the front of the van, looking right trough the front windshield. Something in the distance caught my eye. Within the dark and deep woods no one dared to cross rested something ancient. It stood tall and dominant over its surrounding landscape, filling any wayward creature with dread and awe.

The ruin looked almost primordial, far older than the trees that surrounded it. I don't know if it was noticeable, or my eyes, but I could clearly see the age in the walls. So old were they, they were riddled with vines and moss from ages long gone. All I had to do was look at what remained of the uppermost structure to know what the locale was. Many text trough the ages had described this place in some way or form. The celestial spire, the tower of Babel, the sky pillar, the stairway of the gods, just a few names to say the least. Most in the coalition region the structure as spear pillar.

What remained of spear pillar stood dormant and forgotten by the people who had once cherished and feared it. Even from a distance, I could feel the force the ruins emanated. I suddenly noticed that the van was heading directly towards spear pillar.

I turned to face Silth, who only gave me a reassuring smile trough his dark hooded face, eyes and mouth nothing more than green fiery lights.

I laid back and closed my eyes, tentacles, or at least what I think are supposed to be my tentacles, wrapped themselves around me. They stuck together and created a hooded cloak similar to the one Silth wore, except oily black color. My new covers produced a soft and warm sensation. I couldn't help but smile at it. Suddenly, my thought turned to that name once again, Olivia…

The warmth quickly multiplied tenfold. Whoever this girl was, she must be an angel, or at least the closet thing to it.

October 14, 2018. 12:03 am

Unknown location

Trough the old weathered bars was a bright white room. Floor and ceiling came together in a gentle and unnoticeable curve. Those inside seemed to float in white nothingness. No imperfections existed to the eye.

Within this pale locale sat two very different beings. One was humanoid in appearance, a female Gardevoir. She wore a white and green dress. The white parts blending with both walls and floor flawlessly. Her hair was a light green, her eyes a shinning ruby hue. Her skin was as white as her surroundings, delicate, gorgeous, and shining with youth and energy despite the fact that she laid pressed against the wall, broken and all but lost to despair. Her eyes told a tale of sorrow, one that the young girl desperately wished to forget.

The other being was a small purplish black figure, tall as six year old child. Unlike the Gardevoir, the young ghost trashed about, hitting the walls and metal door with all the strenght it could muster. But no matter how hard the young ghost tried; its efforts seemed to be getting it nowhere.

"Dammit!" The Banette shouted angrily at the top of its lungs, "why can't I go trough!?" The ghost once again ran towards the cell door head first, hitting the tightly shut gate with a rather sickening crash. The ghost loudly grunted in pain as it bounced several times backwards before coming to a halt on the floor face down, arms and legs spread widely.

"I can't break free…" The ghost whimpered as it struggled to get up. The young wraith rubbed its shoulder, and turned to face the young Gardevoir, who merely looked down at the floor, avoiding the ghost's sights. "Olivia!" it called out loudly, "can't you use your powers to try and break us free?"

Olivia didn't even look up. She said nothing. She continued to stare at the floor.

"Are you listening to me?" The wraith called out with annoyance, "we need to get out!" It shouted, hoping to get the Gardevoir's attention. Olivia slightly raised her head, and turned to face the young ghost, intense sadness more than evident in her sight. She suddenly burst into streams of silent tears as she shifted her sight to her left.

"What's the point Rasputin?!" She sobbed with great grief, "what's the point of being free if everything you have ever cared for is gone?!" She raised her head, "what's the point in even living?!" She closed her eyes, tears continued to pour down her delicate visage. "Face it, it's all over… He's gone… No point to have freedom now…" Olivia buried her head in her arms, which were crossed. She continued weeping.

Rasputin hopelessly exhaled. It stood up, and walked towards the wall, where it slid in a sitting position, back tightly pressed against the fortification. It then looked down at the floor rather regretfully. It let out one long sigh.

"Olivia," The ghost suddenly called out in a rather gentle tone, "did you really love him? Did you love him despite the fact he was a human?"

"W- What?" Olivia chocked as she raised her head to look at Rasputin in sudden shock due to the question imposed.

"Did you or did you not love him?" Rasputin asked again, crossing its arms and staring at her with some intrigue.

"I…I…" Olivia stuttered. Once again, her face twisted itself with sorrow as tears poured from her eyes. She cringed from the memory of the deceased, and wailed like a mother in her son's funeral. Rasputin rolled its eyes. It pulled out a clear flask full of yellowish liquid, and took a long gulp.

I am already a ghost, the young wraith thought to itself, I am a wraith, an essence of death personified mostly in flesh and blood. I feel no real reason to weep… It's heartless when I think about it more closely, but I had learned long ago that tears do nothing to bring back what has been lost. I should know, I tried… Tears only complicate things further than they should. I hated my own being for that very reason, but I knew well that sorrow and tears could do nothing now. Edgar had moved on. And he was a lucky bastard for it. Olivia was a different story though. What would become of her? Edgar, you're a bastard for dying. You killed Olivia along with yourself, you killed her…

October 14, 2018. 12:03 am

Unknown location

Olivia

I had wept for about half an hour, creating a pool of salty water around my weathered body. Rasputin had long given up on its question.

Strange, everything is so quiet… so empty… Edgar… It's, it's not fair! How could someone as good as you die so horribly!? How could I fail to protect you?! Why hadn't I been there to save you like I should have? When I found you… God, I can't even remember how I found you. I can't remember anything about that night… Why can't I remember!

…No… It, it can't be… It's my fault... your death was on my hands... there was no one to blame but me.

Now, it was my turn to die.

I walked up towards the guillotine, preparing myself to face a swift and well deserved judgment. The crowd quickly gathered around the block, expecting justice to be fulfilled. I could clearly see every last member of the mob, all of who were dresses in faded black garbs, shrouding everyone's face from me. I gazed ahead, hoping to find the solitude of empty air. Instead, I turned to face my executioner. A jet-black dress, a jet-black hood, and a twisted smile that shone trough the darkness, shining trough the blackness of her face. Her hands were ready to wring around a soft neck, my neck. The executioner appeared ready to do her job. I felt that this day, the executioner would be enjoying the kill even more than usual. I sighed hopelessly.

The executioner motioned with her hand towards the guillotine; I laid down on it without resistance. She scoffed bitterly raising the already blood stained blade. She struggled and grunted as the rusty metal scrapped against the old and withered wood, sending more than a few stray wood chips into the air. The screech reminded me of the tormented screams that most likely awaited me in hell.

The scrapping suddenly stopped, the rusty blade had reached its apex with a loud clank. I knew the end was near, and for the first time in my life, I did not dread its arrival.

The executioner suddenly cackled with deep malice. It was a laugh that shot chills down my spine. I look slightly to the right, expecting to see nothing. Instead, I see the executioner walk up to me, left hand still clutching the guillotine's rope. She harshly grabbed hold of my hair. She sneered, and then spoke with bashful words.

"How does it feel to finally get what you deserve?" she asked, "how does it feel to finally suffer the fate you imposed on the one you loved the most!?"

I said nothing. I could say nothing.

The executioner released my hair, and went for her black hood. She removed it, tossing it to the side in disgust.

My heart skipped when I realized who was to end my existence. Under normal circumstances, I would have screamed with terror.

Not today.

The horror I had once imagined faded away rather quickly. Fear was replaced by a deep understanding. Who else would be fitting of executing me other than… me?

My alter ego let out another cynical cackle as she walked towards the crowd. She raised her right hand into the air, and sneered madly, garnering a loud roar from the crowd, who lowered their hoods at that very moment, revealing to all of their true identities. I looked away, unable to bear the sight in front of my eyes. Hundreds upon hundreds of clones, all screaming for my blood.

Soon, it would all be over… The crowd's lust for death fulfilled.

Executioner Olivia released the rope, causing the rusty blade to race down toward my exposed neck. I knew the cut would be swift, and that the pain would only last for a split second. I knew my eyesight wouldn't fail for ten more seconds after separation, but I could bear that. I could bear that.

There was a sudden and very loud clank of metal. Everything had gone dark. I must have been dead… No, I could hear breathing and whispers. There was another loud bang of metal so loud, I opened my eyes. I immediately ran my hands over the spot where my head had been supposedly severed. It was still attached. I let out a relaxed sight. Rasputin, who had been woken by the loud bang, could only wonder why I acted in such a way.

The clatter of metal became even louder; coming straight from the door. It sounded as if heavy chains were being dragged over the ground, creating an almost unbearably loud commotion.

I slowly got up, body still sore from so much weeping. Something within me urged to continue to moving. Rasputin seemed just as surprised by the sudden commotion as I was. The wraith too got up with an annoyed look its face, cautiously moving towards the door.

The prison door violently flew open to the left, revealing three partially obscured figures, two of which seemed to be dragging the third.

"You had your chance." One of the three figures said loudly and hatefully, "now you rot with yer friends!" The two figures tossed the third being on the floor with a loud thud. They then closed the door forcefully.

Rasputin and I turned to face the figure on the floor, which groaned and hackled weakly. It didn't take the two of us long to realize who it was. It was Ragde, and he seemed to be gravely injured.

Rasputin quickly rushed to the Sceptiles' side, and carefully turned him over on his back, revealing a huge stain of blood on his stomach and maw. I gasped in horror as I too rushed to Ragde's side. Kneeling next to the injured Sceptile, I placed my left hand on his neck, checking for a pulse. I found it, but it was faint.

"Is he alive?" Rasputin asked me with apprehension. I quickly nodded in reply. "Yes, he still breathes." I looked at Ragde's blood stained stomach, and once again felt tears form in my eyes. "But I don't know for how long..."

"No…" The young ghost said in a grief-stricken tone. "He can't die! Not him!" I shook my head with sorrow. I begged to whatever gods were still out there that Ragde would live. I could not bear to think about another death in our broken family.

October 14, 2018. 12:33 am

Somewhere in Sinnoh's wilderness…

Edgar

The small armored van quickly rumbled on trough the dirt trail, whipping up a small cloud of dust in its wake. Within this metallic box myself and three other men, each one very different than the last, sat, waiting for some unknown event to unfold.

Silth sat back against the van's metal wall, arms crossed, breathing soft and regularly, seemingly deep in meditation or sleep. His eyes were widely opened, glowing with an unnatural green hue. His gaze however, seemed devoid of consciousness. His very features were obscured by a deep and dark misty green odorless smoke that danced around his face and torso, as well as the unnatural darkness of his hood. The haze was deep, so deep and impenetrable. Not even the bright sun could hope to penetrate it.

1255 forcefully sat against the van's wall, hands securely tied behind his own back. The young man continually struggled to cut his bondages loose. Now that his helmet was off, 1255's features were remarkably human, despite the fact that he bleed green instead of red. He had dark short green hair fashioned into a crew cut, a medium body build, and burly combat armor faintly resembling standard Coalition uniforms. His jade colored pupil-less eyes flared with both fury and scorn, so much so, it seemed they were just about ready to burst into green flames. Even his darkish mocha colored skin seemed to express his sentiment. He groaned as he fruitlessly struggled against his bindings.

Sectran sat on the metal bench nearest the driver, now wearing what looked like a mask combining Mayan and Chinese influences. The dark smile of the façade was raised into the mask itself, revealing his lips and slight skin color, which was as dark as 1255's. He seemed to be deeply engaged in conversation with the driver, who by the way is named Belatrix. By now, Sectran had all but shed his previous getup, which has been a Ripper soldier's uniform. He was now garbed in what appeared to be a dark blue bathrobe, a pair of gray shorts, an equally blue shirt, and a pair of black leather sandals. For some reason, Sectran seemed just about ready to go into a shower mask and all.

I smiled once again. I sat facing outside the moving van, feet dangling over the edge. I looked up at the night sky with a rather blank gaze, lost to my own thoughts. One of my three eyes was widely opened. I was barely hanging on to my consciousness. I just couldn't get any rest. When I did, I dreamt. Dreams of pure confusion they were. Everything was alien to me, everything. I now know several names, names that I assume belong to people in my cryptic past. Olivia was still there, still keeping me comforted through the mess that my mind was. The two other names I could recall made me feel uneasy. The first was Fael. Just the mention of the moniker sent chills down my spine. Something about it seemed sinister and powerful. The next name that made me unease was Edgar Sysoles. Memories of pain accompanied that name. Images of horrible things, terrible sins that seemed to defy all notions of terror. I couldn't even bring myself to utter the name if I could. It felt as if doing so would be as if casting a curse upon everyone present. Strangely enough, I couldn't help but feel a bizarre sense of understanding about the name. It felt so familiar, so natural...

I suddenly noticed the van come to a stop. I reared my head out of the doorway and looked about my surroundings. The van had halted moving just outside the old ruins I had spotted earlier. I turned to face the interior of the van, noticing both Sectran and Silth change character almost instantly.

Silth, who had been seemingly comatose, had all of a sudden stood up. Sectran said his final sentence to Belatrix and stood up as well. He stretched and cracked his neck quite graphically. He turned to face me, smiling with amusement. His teeth were nearly perfect.

Silth grabbed 1255 by the arm and violently shoved him towards the exit. I jumped out the van, making way for everyone else to get off. My eyes wondered all around, but settled upon the location before me.

Strangely, the ruins and surrounding woods didn't feel alien at all. I found it both exhilarating and strange. Was this where I used to live? It feels a lot like home. The strong urge to run about wildly hit me. Maybe I was starting to recover my memory. I hope I was.

"Wait here for a sec." Sectran told me as he and Silth headed towards the front of the van. I nodded in reply and continued to look around. My eyes of course settled on the most distinguishable feature around, spear pillar's ancient entrance.

The old decrepit tower was a much grander structure that I could have imagined at first. From a distance, it looked like nothing other than a giant cylinder of stone and bricks. Up close however, the old stained windows became clear and magnificent again. The ancient humans had taken the building of the structure to new heights, but I lied there. Humans hadn't been the only ones helping in the temple's construction; Pokémon had also help build it. Oddly enough; I could still sense the strong essences of both the men and pokémon who had worked here so long ago. Their silhouettes moved about like shadows in the moonlight, still going about their old motions. I could feel the grandness in each brick and stone, shinning trough ages long past. As I moved closer however, something foul struck my senses. It filled my soul with a deep trepidation. I could feel hatred and a deep pain. I could see the thousands upon thousands of corpses just lined at my feet. I could feel the cold hands of the dammed wrangling themselves around my very essence, all shouting innate babble and cryptic messages that held no real meaning. They all begged me in their own archaic languages for help, for forgiveness, for absolution. The shadows were no longer shadows, but very real figures in the night. They all turned towards me with moans and groans of anguish.

I begun to breathe heavy as images of horrible things flashed before my sight. I felt tears slowly swell in my eyes. I wanted to do nothing else than to help those that had been dammed. I fell on my knees, tears rolling down my three eyes. How could so much suffering exist in a place as hollowed as this? What did it all mean!? I could hear one particular voice trough the chorus of anguish.

"I think I'm dead… I think I died…" it softly whispered, "I don't know! I don't know!!!" It suddenly screamed. The shadow from where the voice sprung from turned to face me, its fetid face staring straight at mine. "The flesh of fallen angels…" It moaned in a deep and inhuman whisper. It pointed at me, maw dripping with fetid blood.

A hand suddenly grabbed hold of my shoulder, bringing me back to reality. The voices fell silent, the figures vanished from sight, and the air once again became breathable. I looked up the arm on my shoulder, and came face to face with Silth, who was looking at me with his glowing green eyes. He ducked next to me, seemingly feeling my suffering.

"You can see them too, can't you?" He asked with slight concern. I nodded, trying hard not to break out into sobbing again. He stood up, and helped me up as well. "This place is both hollowed and dammed." He scowled, "many died here not long ago." I looked at his eyes, dread slowly rising in my heart. Why did you bring me here? I wanted to ask him, but could not without a voice. Instead, I looked to what remained of spear pillar. It is because you want me to find something here, isn't it? I answered to myself.

Silth looked at me; his eyes peered deep into my soul. His strong voice echoed within my mind. "Your help is imperative to us all, but you cannot aid us in your current status." He smiled, "that is why you must first see someone very close to me. She's what you would call an oracle, and a damn good one." He grinned, teeth glowing in the same green fashion as he eyes. "If anyone can decipher your past, it's her."

I nodded. Somehow, what he said made sense. I wanted to discover who I was so badly I was willing to do almost anything to do so. I again looked at his eyes, and then at the ruins. I felt something tugging at my soul, something innocent and pure. It was there, trapped within the endless void of shadow, incorruptible and seemingly eternal. I couldn't understand why, but something called to me, drawing me into the blackness.

Silth nodded, stepping back. I fell on all four of my limbs, and quickly dashed towards the main entrance of the old tower.

The answers were all inside, waiting for me to discover and reap them.

To Be Continued…