Thanks to Light's plan, traversing the rest of the dungeon was rather easily. Mawile and Ampharos had their own Blast Seeds they could use, so when they occasionally reached a branching path, they'd throw a Blast Seed down one path and then walk the other, allowing the rest of their trip to be mostly free of enemies. It was still a decently lengthy walk through the cave, but it was relatively harmless. And eventually, they saw a light signaling the end of the cavern.
However, before they could exit, Mawile stood in front of Fennix, stopping her in her tracks.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Fennix growled.
"We should be far away from our opponents," Mawile answered, her words calm. "It would be best to get your wounds covered before we return back to the desert. Many pathogens exist in the sands, and if you walk through there with open wounds, you may get sick."
"Thanks, Amaranth," Fennix groaned.
"Sorry Fennix, but she's right," Light said, his paw already reaching down into his bag. "Just give me a second and I'll wrap some gauze around your paws."
"Fine."
So Light quickly wrapped the gauze around Fennix's four paws to help protect them. Fennix looked annoyed and flinched occasionally in pain, but she let Light do what he needed to do. Once Light was done, he took a step back and watched Fennix patter around the floor a little.
"Ugg…I hate the feeling of cloth on my paws," Fennix groaned.
"I don't know, it probably feels better than hard stone or the hot sand getting stuck in your paws," Light mentioned.
Fennix rolled her eyes. "Hot doesn't bother a Fire-type, remember. Heck, hot sand baths are what's behind the Fire rooms in hot springs. Traversing the desert is like going to a sauna for me."
Light gave a half smirk. "Glad at least one of us is enjoying this. Anyways, shall we be off?"
Mawile nodded. "It's best we get out of this cave before more Wilds swarm us."
So the crew all walked out of the cavern and when they did they noticed that the sun was nearing the western horizon. They kept walking westward, towards the sun
As they walked, Light had a question, but he hesitated for a moment before asking it. "…Since you two have been in the tomb, do you know why so many Pokémon might've disappeared?"
"We have a guess based on how far we've explored," Ampharos answered. "We'll show you once we get that there."
With that, everyone walked mostly silently until they reached the ruins. Fennix hummed a few tunes on the way there, but there were no other conversations as they walked due to the heat. Eventually, a small gray structure appeared on the horizon. Seeing that, the crew started running to finally reach their destination.
Approaching the structure, Light noticed that it was a light gray and was shaped like a triangle on top of a square. A lot was buried under the sand, but the top of the entrance and the roof of the structure were still uncovered. On the top of the entrance, there were a number of symbols that Light couldn't read but could at least recognize. And his thoughts were confirmed when Fennix looked up and immediately read what it said.
"The Tomb of Light." Fennix looked at everyone excitedly. "Yep, we're here!"
Light looked down into the tomb but couldn't really see much beyond the entrance. It was clear by both the decline in the sand beyond the entrance and how buried the place was that it seemed to go deep in the earth, but the darkness told him little about how deep. Light could almost feel a chill creep out from the tomb but knew that it was just the lack of heat from a desert night. Still, his nerves were betraying him, making him hesitant to climb down into the dark.
"Is there any light whatsoever down there?" Light asked. He was already reaching into his bag to grab some wands for Fennix to ignite, just in case.
"As far as we've explored, no," Mawile answered. "Save your wands, Light, they won't help you here."
Light took his paw back out of his bag and turned around to look at the archeologist to listen to her explanation.
"Contrary to its name, the tomb is pitch black. Once we reach the main chamber, torches won't help either as it's too large for any walls to be illuminated. However, it seems that it has not become a Mystery Dungeon yet. Therefore, it remains straightforward and without enemies aside from potential looters whom we have not run into yet. We've made careful strides through this tomb on our own, mentally mapping each room. If we stay close, have Lilac keep a mental eye out, and have Fennix merely blow a small ember occasionally in case someone starts walking off, we can save your wands for their intended use."
"If you say so, Mawile." Light turned back towards the tomb, his nervousness not lessened even by that chat. Still, he took a deep breath and began descending down in thedarkness. He heard the sound of footprints behind him echoing in the hallow tomb.
As they descended lower and lower, Light's arms grasped around himself and he began shivering. He was very aware of the desert nights being this cold, but the sun wasn't completely down yet outside. Yet it almost felt like all heat disappeared from the area.
"Don't be fooled," Mawile eventually said, as if she was reading Light's mind. "The cold you feel right now is due to the contrast between the desert heat and the cool of the tomb. We believe it is just slightly cooler than room temperature here. The tomb seems to keep itself as closed off from the outside world as much as possible. Most likely intentional to keep whatever they hold in here safe from the elements of the outside."
Lilac stepped forward a bit. "Alright Mawile, lead the way. I've got a psychic trace on everybody, so we shouldn't get lost."
So Mawile stepped forward, Ampharos right next to her. Light heard their footsteps and followed behind both of them as best as he could. He kept his ears up and open as best as possible, listening to make sure that he was going the right direction and trying to make sure that Lilac and Fennix were following behind him. He knew Lilac was keeping an eye on everything as well, but Light wanted to do his part too.
As such, due to the concentration, the crew walked through the darkness in silence. Luckily, even after a few minutes of walking, the five of them were able to stay in a tight formation. Still, Light's muscles were tense as they kept going, knowing they were getting closer and closer to the point where other Pokémon would have disappeared. At any point in time, one of them could walk off on their own, never to be seen again…
"Is everyone doing alright?" Light eventually asked.
"We're all still here," Lilac announced. "I've been keeping a careful eye on everything. We're all still together and there's been no sign of any other Pokémon arou…"
Lilac's voice suddenly cut out. What's more, Light heard one pair of footsteps suddenly stop behind him. His heart nearly stopped and Light immediately turned around in the dark.
"Fennix, we need some fire, now!" Light commanded.
Fennix complied immediately by blowing a small flame from her mouth. The light that illuminated from it didn't reveal much, the world around them was still as dark as it was before, but they were at least able to see each other. So Light focused on Lilac.
She was looking to her right with a strange look on her face. Light glanced in the same direction she was looking, but he noticed nothing from the distance Fennix's flame allowed him to see. Light couldn't figure out what she was thinking about, but the fact that she stopped to look in that direction worried him.
"Espurr?" Light asked. He could feel a sinking feeling in his chest. The fact that she hadn't noticed, hadn't reacted to anything aside from whatever she had her focus on worried him greatly. If it was an enemy, she would have warned them by now. But she instead just looked with a strange gaze. "Espurr?"
"Lilac!" Light yelled this time.
Luckily, this time he actually got her attention. "Sorry, Light. I heard you."
"What happened?"
Lilac glanced back in the same direction she was looking in earlier. "I…thought I sensed something. For a moment, I telepathically sensed some sort of Pokémon to our left. But the moment I sensed them, the sensation disappeared."
"Did they notice you and just block you or something?" Fennix asked.
Lilac shook her head. "That's not what happened. Other Pokémon can detect me, if they're perceptive enough, and can block my telepathy, sure. It's not a common ability, but it's very possible. Thing is, even if a Pokémon can sense my telepathy and block me, I still know they're there. I wouldn't be able to read their mind, but I know they exist and where they are. But to disappear completely is impossible. Unless you're a Dark-type or a Steel-type from a distance, I should still be able to sense you."
"So then what do you think happened?" Light asked.
Lilac looked to the floor for a second. "That's…a good question. I suppose I could've imagined it. Otherwise, whatever I sensed could have been farther away than I thought and just went outside of my range." Lilac eventually shook her head and smiled. "But I suppose it doesn't matter. After all, if it is something, I sensed it once and I can sense it again. So even if it turns out to be dangerous, it can't really do much to us."
Light sighed. "If you say so. Just…warn us next time if something's off."
Light glanced back and noticed that Mawile and Ampharos were having a silent conversation with each other, Mawile half-glancing at Lilac while doing so. Light wondered what exactly they were thinking, but he wasn't able to gleam anything from their faces. And eventually, they fully turned to glance at the rest of the crew.
"Very well," Mawile said. "If you're certain it was nothing, then we should move on. We're close to our destination, anyways."
Ampharos stepped forward and gave the crew his usual trademark pose. "Let's give it one more push, crew!"
"Sweet!" Fennix cheered.
She put out her fire, shrouding everyone in darkness yet again, before they all continued their way. They didn't walk for long, though, before they saw a strange glowing blue light ahead of them. It wasn't enough to allow Light to see anything, but the glow itself had an otherworldly feel to it.
"What's…that?" Lilac asked.
"You'll see soon enough, my friend," Ampharos said with some mysticism in his voice.
So, with the pale blue light as their guild, the crew walked further on through the ruins, the light glowing brighter as they got closer. It wasn't that much longer until they finally reached the source of the light, a tablet the size of Mawile with glowing blue letters on it. The letters were so bright, that everybody was easily able to see each other.
"What in the world is that?" Light breathlessly asked.
"How is that possible?" Lilac asked. "How can letters possibly glow like that?"
"Luminous stone," Mawile answered. "It's a stone that's found fairly deep underground. It was often mistaken for gemstones in ancient times. It's mostly ignored as a material, since it's very hard to mold and shape into the way one would want to. To craft a tablet this large and use Luminous Stone as the very fabric of the letters takes time and dedication beyond what most Pokémon are willing to put up with."
"It's written in the ancient language, too," Fennix mused.
Light didn't notice it at first, but Fennix was slowly walking forward to the tablet, her eyes glued onto it.
Mawile nodded. "Indeed. And, as you'll see when you read it, this is where our snag came from."
Fennix nodded and began reading off the tablet. "'I, Puriah, an Oracle of the Golden Continent, dedicate this tomb to my friend and of my main allies in the fight against Dark Matter so long ago. Light, you were taken from your old life, your old world, and brought here to help us with our problems. Yet you gave it your all to help us fix this world up. Even if you couldn't fight as well as the rest of us, you helped in your own ways. Rest assured that your contribution will never be forgotten.'"
"'I had hoped, when you and Mew disappeared a few months back, that you were merely returning home. You lost so much, I hoped your life wasn't one of the thing you would lose. It was saddening to learn otherwise. Rest assured that I will keep you and the treasure that you own safe from looters and bandits.'"
"'To you, bandit or looter who intends on desecrating my friend's tomb, I must warn you right now that I will not tolerate it. Leave now and you may still keep your life. But if you design to keep with your path, you will find yourself lost for an eternity. I will protect my friend's tomb at all costs.'"
"'But if you are one of my friends, or descended from my friends, then speak our names, the names of the original six who banded together to fight against Dark Matter, and you will be able to visit Light. I'm sure he'd be grateful for the company and would be glad to be remembered.'"
Fennix paused for a moment before saying, "That's all it says."
Once again, all eyes went onto Light. Only this time, he didn't crack any jokes. In fact, he mostly looked at the tablet in horror. And in his chest, he felt a pit that sunk further and further down.
"If it's means anything to you, Light, it is unlikely that you are not who you think you are," Ampharos said comfortingly. "I'm sure most of us here believe that you are indeed the Light from the ancient past."
Fennix stomped her paw. "Of course he is!"
Light took a deep breath to calm his nerves before he spoke again. "That's…not really what I'm worried about. I know I'm Light too. I have vague memories of my past with Mew and everyone else. The names of all my past friends sound familiar to me. It's just…" Light's voice trailed off again, the words he wanted to say not coming to his lips.
"The question at this point is not 'is the Light in front of us the real one, but rather 'if the Light in front of us is the real one, then why does Puriah think that he's dead?'" Mawile concluded.
Light nodded his confirmation. "Honestly, just the fact that she assumed I was dead is bad enough, regardless of why. I just…wish I could've let her know that I am alive."
"There's something I personally want to know," Lilac chimed into the conversation. Everyone turned their attention to her. "According to Mr. Carracosta, Wartortle didn't know where Light or Mew were. He didn't know for sure whether they were alive or dead. But if Puriah knew, then why didn't she tell everyone else? If I were in her position, I'd have told everyone I could. Especially made sure all his friends know."
"I suppose the answer to those questions lies ahead," Ampharos said.
"Yeah, but didn't you guys say you hit a snag here?" Fennix asked. "Why? You guys know the names of all our past allies."
"I told you before, we're being very careful here," Mawile answered. "I managed to fully translate the tablet myself and knew that it read 'But if you are one of our friends or a descendent of our friends…' While it may be nothing, we decided to wait for you after seeing that. It's unlikely that means anything, but better safe than sorry."
"Makes sense," Fennix said. "Well, you've got the reincarnation of Mew here now, so let's do this!"
Fennix stepped forward, determination on her face, and spoke to the tablet. "Mew, Light, Florence, Puriah, Clover, Wartortle!"
As Fennix spoke, the tablet in front of them glowed brighter and brighter with its ominous blue light. When she was finally done, the tablet was so bright that it blinded everyone, especially due to how dark it was previously. It took nearly a minute before the glare disappeared from everyone's eyes. When they did, they noticed a change in the room immediately.
On the ceilings was uncountable dots of small dots of pale lights in various formations appeared, as if they were suddenly outside in the middle of the night. There were also star-like dots on the walls, but those stars formed constellations that looked like four different Pokémon. From the farthest left to the right there was a pikachu, a braixen, a shaymin, and a wartortle. Under those Pokémon were each door-shaped lights. Finally, on the floor there was a path of light that split off into four, leading to the four constellations.
"Wow…" Lilac kept looking around the area. "This place looks amazing now."
Mawile had her mouth and eyes wide as she looked around. "So much Luminous Stone crafted into the walls and floors. This would have taken so much time to create. All for one Pokémon."
"But why the four areas?" Fennix asked.
Mawile broke out of her stupor to answer Fennix's question. "We likely have some trials to go through before we reach there. I can't imagine Puriah would consider merely speaking all your names to be enough protection. Be ready, everybody."
Light stepped forward on the path, trying his best to hide his doubts and stay determined. "Let's go in order and start with Florence, then."
Ampharos nodded. "Why my dear Light, that sound like a great idea." Ampharos walked forward as well and posed. "Let us go then, crew."
With that, the five Pokémon all walked their way across the farthest left path towards the pikachu consolation. However, unbeknownst to Light at first, Lilac paused for a moment to look back towards the entrance with the same strange look she had before. But this time, she rejoined the crew much faster, no words at what she sensed coming from her mouth.
AN: Not much to say here as this is basically a transition chapter. But we've finally entered the meat of the story. And even didn't take me like eight chapters to do so! New record!
I suppose, for those curious as to my response to the hacks (and for those who don't know, to make a long story short, a javascript is being spread around and will change your profile to one of a couple of things if you check out infected profiles while logged into your own), I'll continue updating the Tomb of Light on here for the foreseeable future. However, if/when has something worse happen to it, I might leave the site. If I do, and I will give a warning in the AN of whatever I'm writing, you can still find me either on DeviantArt or A03 under the same name. I probably won't do so unless something major happens; I'll just interact around here a bit less, but that's just in case something that bad happens.
Beta read by TheGoldCrow