It was not the familiar throbbing agony that forced me back to consciousness, but the sharp pain of something nicking my ear. I managed to pry open my eyes, and found myself sprawled on the forest floor. Cory was a pace or so off, also in the process of coming to.

Floating lazily nearby was Cory's companion, Revy. She was armed with a handful of pebbles, another of which she was aiming at my ear.

"R-Revy?" I asked, bewildered.

Ignoring my question, she flicked another pebble, which luckily missed. She gave an impatient sigh, then spoke to Cory: "Hey, are you up yet? Kindly shake a leg, if you would."

Slowly, my gaze wandered back to Cory and my stomach did a somersault as I realized she was still human—we both were. Standing up, I went to her and offered a hand. Like before, her skin was electric to the touch.

After taking to her feet, she pressed close, gripping me in a tight hug. "We're okay," she breathed with relief.

"Yeah," I agreed. Slowly, I felt the pain lighting my nerves begin to recede. "I'd say you were right. What you said last night, I mean. But we're still..."

She glanced up, her curious eyes searching my face. I offered her a thin smile, as reassuring as I could muster.

"Mmm... you're still my handsome prince, aren't you?" she teased, lips quirking into a playful grin.

"And you still actually look like a girl," I added helpfully.

Cory's grin turned to an indignant frown. "I've always been plenty girly, you know."

Revy cleared her throat rather loudly. "Perhaps you might find time for the oozy schmoozy stuff later?"

We finally parted, and I gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. Turning from the girl, I examined the rest of the scene. It was the same place in Lilac Woods where we'd seen Arjat and young Revy, but slightly different.

Cory had noticed it, too. She quietly glanced to the celebi. "Revy, where are we?"

"That's a good question," a familiar voice chimed. Azelf floated over lazily as he continued: "But I think you mean when are we."

I did a double take, seeing the water spirit. "Y-you're here, too?"

"Ayup," he agreed. "Adamas probably won't be thrilled with me, but he did tell me to keep an eye on you two."

Cory and I looked between the two of them, quite confused. "But w-why are we still human? And w-why can't I feel...?" she asked meekly.

Az tilted his head thoughtfully. "It's true that Adamas told you to resolve whatever it was that originally brought you to our time. But to be quite honest, you flubbed it."

Revy threw us an acerbic look. "Not entirely. You wanted to sever your bond to the forest, right? Well you got what you wanted," she said with a bitter sneer.

Cory's face blanched. "It's g-gone?!"

"How?" I asked stupidly.

The water spirit glanced meaningfully to Revy. "You want to explain this one?"

She rolled her eyes, but indulged him: "A timeline is such because it is all but unchangeable. The past can be changed, but neither of you are powerful enough to actually do so. In effect, these," she gestured to our human bodies, "were a projection of your essence into the past."

"Like Adamas explained before," Az chimed helpfully, "after arriving in a time where vulpixes don't exist, the time ripple granted you these transient forms."

Revy nodded curtly. "Right. They're placeholders, to resolve what would otherwise be a temporal anomaly."

"But that doesn't explain why we haven't returned to normal," I protested.

"Or w-why the curse was broken," Cory added, her voice tinged with remorse.

The fairy fell quiet, her gaze wandering off into the distance.

"About that," Az explained, "if you'd resolved whatever had brought you there, the time ripple likely would have brought you back, its power intact enough to revert your forms to normal." He glanced once more to Revy, who was still mired in sullen silence. Then, after turning back to us: "However, the time ripple didn't have enough power to reproduce your original bodies."

"It had less power?" Cory asked, alarmed. "That doesn't make sense."

The water spirit shook his head. "But it does. Originally, the time ripple projected you and Toma into the past. The return trip, however, required more energy, as it wasn't just transporting the two of you."

I blinked slowly at him. "So the ripple ran out of energy because you came with us, too?"

Az laughed aloud, hearing that. "Well, no, not quite. I only required a little energy, especially as my shape didn't change. The one who used up most of the ripple's power was Arjat."

Anxiety burned in my veins and my skin began to crawl with panic. "W-what?" I asked dumbly.

"Ayup," he chimed. "He's... I believe he's heading north right now." Another glance to Revy. "Your young self said she met Arjat as a bound spirit. Do you remember where you found him?"

She reanimated, turning to look at him. "Yes, of course. I... I could never forget."

"Do you mind showing me?"

Revy made a sour face, but nonetheless showed us to a clearing in the forest. Light from the open sky dappled the grassy forest floor, and in the middle of the clearing was a tall, broad oak. Though its bark was no more lilac than the other trees, the moss itself seemed just a tad phosphorescent. The other trees stood far off from her, as though in reverence of the mother oak.

Azelf's mouth fell open with awe, and he swiftly hovered over to the tree. Placing a hand against its trunk, his jewel began to shine brightly.

"I'm pretty sure this is the one."

"What are you talking about?" Revy asked, irritated.

The air around the water spirit pulsed with magic, and his gem began glowing once again. A powerful energy thrummed through the clearing, somehow both muted and salient.

"There. Are you awake, then?" Az asked, eyes closed in concentration.

"It has been some time since I had been asleep," a female voice replied.

Az tittered with amusement "You know what I mean. You've been lurking in Revy's forest, and you could have reached out to her this whole time."

The voice replied pensively, "I was unaware these woods had an owner as such."

Shocked and indignant, Revy cut in: "Excuse me? I brought these woods back to life and have protected them for hundreds of years now. They wouldn't be what they are if it weren't for me."

"Ah, it's you. While I have not... made myself evident, we have been accomplices in our work."

Revy did a double take, hearing that. "What?"

"The namesake of these woods... Tell me, celebi, why the lilac moss grows on these trees."

She made an annoyed face at the tree. "It's... obviously due to latent emanation of my power. These woods are rife with my energy."

"Enough vanity. I recall as well as you how you carefully spread the moss from tree to tree, knowing it would protect them. From whence did it come, celebi?"

Revy deflated, staring silently at the forest floor.

"There was another, a partner you had. I no longer sense them," the voice continued.

Cory's face lit up. "Ah, th-that was me. I... I think we broke my bond to the forest—by accident."

"I appreciate the work you and your family have done for us all these years, little one," the voice thrummed. "Celebi, do you think these woods would fare well without your petty guardian's assistance?"

"Of course not," Revy snapped. "These woods have gotten used to it. Cory's presence helped ground the forest's energy, kept it from dissipating."

"And now that her bond is sundered, do you sense a difference in the woods?"

Once again, Revy fell silent.

"You begin to see the truth, celebi," the tree said pointedly. "So, what for did you require my assistance, travelers?"

Azelf answered her question cheerfully: "Some time ago, Revy found a spirit bound in a stone shard nearby. I was hoping you might have a clue as to who that spirit was."

The tree was quiet for a long time, then reluctantly spoke: "I was once an aspect of Reshiram, known as Espid. My original purpose was to thwart an aspect of her brother, Zekrom. Defeating him took all of my strength, and we were both sealed away as fragments of our masters."

Cory's face blanched. "You mean Arjat was really an aspect of Zekrom?"

"Ayup," chimed the water spirit. "The very mazoku who originally brought ruin to these woods. Revy must have found the shard, and not knowing what it was, bound him to her forest. A bit ironic if you—"

"Quit it," she cut him off. "I don't care who or what Arjat was, because to me he was a friend. I... I might have given him a physical body, but that just means I gave him a chance to redeem himself. You don't—you haven't seen what he did, but he was well and truly on such a path.

Revy turned to Cory and I, taking a deep breath before she continued: "I don't know... from what I saw, that other me introduced you to him, right? He and I lived in this forest for a while, slowly returning it to life. But eventually other pokemon began appearing on the continent. And," she glanced pointedly at Cory, "lovesickness must run in the family, because he met a rather fair ninetales and he... he was smitten with her.

"He asked me to change his form, and I acquiesced. Arjat took her as his wife, and after half a year she gave birth to a kit. I remember... being happy and proud of him.

Revy's features suddenly filled with painful remorse. "That didn't last. Within a week of his child's birth, Arjat fell ill. I did everything I could, but nothing helped." She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "He faded away in the truest sense of the term, survived by his wife and daughter."

Cory and I stared at her in stunned silence.

"It's most likely," Espid began, "that when Arjat's daughter was born, she inherited the fragment from him. Without its power, there was nothing to anchor him to our world."

"So, my f-family," Cory stammered, "our magic came from an aspect of Mao Zekrom?"

Az nodded agreement. "Precisely. Over time, that fragment absorbed energy from Lilac Woods and became something different from its origin." He looked regretfully to Cory. "Arjat sensed the powers inside you and seized them for himself."

My thoughts were spinning wildly, but one phrase bubbled to the surface of my mind and off my tongue: "It called out, for like to be met with like."

The water spirit threw me an appreciative glance. "Yes, exactly. Though your fragment was different from his own, it was like enough to resonate with him." Az turned to Cory, continuing, "He saw a chance to empower himself and break his pact with Revy, which in turn severed your bond with the forest, too."

I took a deep breath, beginning to feel somewhat woozy. "What is he doing in the present, then? Shouldn't he be back in the past?"

Az shook his head ruefully. "Like Revy said, your bodies in the past were—at least in part—projections. The surge created from the fragments fusing... it shunted us forward in time, where Cory's power was originally anchored."

"So, w-what does Arjat want?" Cory asked meekly.

"He is likely heading to Dragonspiral Tower to awaken his master," Espid answered. "The passage of time has weakened Zekrom's bonds, and the reunion of the Dark Stone with its missing fragment will likely be enough to release the dragon of destruction."

The celebi's face darkened. "Dragonspiral Tower?"

"Or what remains of it, yes," Espid agreed. "That is where the rest of the Dark Stone was sealed, long ago."

I found the nerve to ask, "And what... what happens if Mao Zekrom is awakened?"

Revy, regaining her composure, flicking another pebble at me. "Don't be dumb. They don't call him Mao for nothing. He's a killer and a destroyer. He'll bring ruin to the whole continent."

Cory glanced hesitantly at me, then to Espid. "H-how can we stop it?"

Revy and I turned expectantly to her, as well.

"Though I did once defeat Arjat, it is currently beyond my abilities," Espid explained somberly. "Even if I had a physical body, I couldn't leave. Lilac Woods would be crippled without me."

Cory frowned prettily at that. "So what can we do? Is it possible to wake your mistress up?"

"I'm afraid that may prove difficult. She was created as an aspect of life and creation. However, life begets life—in a world which has already been shaped and put into motion, the mistress continues her slumber unperturbed. Her seal is much stronger than her brother's... Awakening her would require vast amounts of energy, tantamount to a miracle."

"Even so," Az replied, "it's the best shot we have. So, can you tell us where she is? Pretty please?"

"Northeast of these woods, once lay shrublands. The Light Stone was sealed there, on a limestone altar. The river running through the area failed, dammed by a lava flow, and grew into a lake. The mistress's resting place lies in the marsh on the southern end of its waters."

Revy nodded agreement. "Lake Gagen? If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure that's near Jiro's cave."

I blinked slowly at her. "Jiro?"

But she ignored my question. "Thank you, Espid. Do you mind watching over the forest for now? I need," she paused a brief moment before continuing, "I need to help these three take care of this."

"Of course," the spirit's voice thrummed in the air. "I'll keep it safe, as I have for some time now."

The celebi's lips quirked into a faint smile. "Thank you, Espid. Take care, alright?" Then to the three of us: "Let's get going while we still have time."

We began heading northeast, in the direction of the lake. With Revy's magic, we made incredibly good time and arrived without incident. By the time we were there, the sun was barely past noon.

I glanced at the sprawling lake in front of us. "S-so how are we supposed to find it?"

Azelf threw me a smug grin. "Don't worry about that. I specialize in this sort of thing."

Cory gave him a strange look. "You do? W-why?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm one of three lake spirits. Uxie's and Mesprit's domains are knowledge and emotion, respectively. Likewise, my domain is willpower. This includes affecting others' wills, but it also means I've a knack for sensing latent spirits."

"But—" I shook my head quizzically, "what do willpower and spirits have to do with one another?"

"Spirits generally lack a physical form," he said simply. "As such, they can only manifest in our world by force of will. Even sleeping or hidden spirits, which is why I found Espid so easily."

Then, Azelf zipped through the air and, without as much as a splash, dove into the murky waters of the lake. It was perhaps half a minute before he finally emerged. Grasped in his hands was a smooth white rock, which almost shimmered in the afternoon sunlight.

"Espid was right," the spirit thought aloud.

"That's it? The Light Stone?" I asked hopefully.

"That's not what I mean," he said with a frown. "Uh, yes it is, but Espid was right about something else."

"What is it?" Cory asked, alarmed.

"We won't be able to wake her up, will we?" Revy asked. Her face was stoic and unflinching.

Az nodded ruefully. "Any of you three have an idea what else we can do?"

Revy's face brightened just a little bit. "Jiro's cave is nearby. Maybe he can help us."

The water spirit quirked his head sidelong. "Jiro?"

"Yeah," the celebi agreed. "Jirachi, the Wish Maker. Long as I've known him, he's prefered to go by Jiro."

"Jirachi?" I asked blankly. "How could he help us?"

Revy gave me an exasperated look. "You're lucky I don't have any pebbles right now, dolt. Espid said we would need something tantamount to a miracle. Jirachi grants wishes. Put two and two together, already."

Cory looked hesitant. "And you think he'll listen to us?" she asked softly.

The celebi rolled her eyes. "I don't see why not. He listened to your idiot father some years back. Plus, if he doesn't help us, then the continent is as good as toast."

Once more, we fell in behind Revy, who took point. This trek was even quicker than the first, and we'd arrived after what might have been twenty minutes.

Outwardly, it looked like any normal cave. Though it was dark inside, Azelf's gem lit up, illuminating our path as we headed deeper into the hollow. The floor and walls were rough, and the entire space was empty—no squatters, thugs, or troublemakers to hinder our progress.

"It's like Temporal Tower," I thought aloud.

Azelf glanced over his shoulder at me. "Yeah, it's pretty similar," he replied idly. "I imagine Jirachi's latent energy keeps most uninvited guests out."

The water spirit was cool and collected, but I felt the complete opposite. Uneasiness had begun growing in my gut, anxiety spidering up the skin of my back.

I glanced sidelong to Cory, who shared some of my doubts. She offered me a warm smile and took my hand in hers. We walked together the rest of the way, and gradually I felt my nerves ease.

The cave, quite deep at this point, abruptly opened into an expansive cavern. At the far end was a small figure, floating above the ground. He looked similar to Azelf, almost fairy-like, and seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Revy leaned forward, picking a pebble up off the cavern floor. "Hey, Jiro," she grumbled impatiently. "Wake up, we need to talk."

Still afloat, he rolled over in the air as he continued to doze.

"Hey, Jiro," she repeated, flicking the rock at him. "Wake up, already!"

A bright light flashed through the cavern, and as it receded, Jirachi slowly came to. His eyes flickered open, abrim with drowsy moisture. "Revy, is that you?"

"Yeah. I know it's kind of early, but I need your help," she replied.

He rubbed his eyes wearily. "Fine. But you realize you didn't have to flick something at me. You can be kinda mean sometimes, you know?"

Revy rolled her eyes impatiently. "Well, it got you up, didn't it? Anyhow, we need you to grant us a wish." Her features softened momentarily, and she glanced demurely to the cavern floor. "P-please, Jiro... I think at this point you're the only one we can count on."

Jirachi floated lazily over to us, stretching his limbs. "Well, I think I've got enough energy for another wish. What did you have in mind?"

"Here," Azelf said, presenting the artifact. "It's the Light Stone. We need to wake up Reshiram to defeat a rampaging mazoku hell-bent on reviving Mao Zekrom. We're told it would likely require a miracle, and that's where you come in, that being your specialty."

Jiro's eyes went wide and his face paled. "I—I can't," he said, shaking his head dejectedly. "She was sealed away by the Original One. Undoing his magic? I'm sorry, but I can't."

The celebi leaned over, scooping up another pebble and aiming it at him. "You're worthless," she scoffed, flicking it across the cavern. It nicked one of his tags, causing him to wince.

"Hey, knock it off, please," Jiro whined. "B-but I know something else you can do."

She watched him impatiently, passing another pebble between her hands. "Well? What is it?"

"You don't actually need Reshiram herself—you just need her power."

Revy glared balefully at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Ooh," Az chimed in. "Yes, that might work." Glancing to the rest of us, he explained, "Even though Reshiram herself is sealed away, her power is still here, with us. If we had a way to harness that power without rousing Reshiram, we'd be able to defeat Arjat."

The celebi snorted disdainfully. "So we get her to sleepwalk? Only one around here what does that is Jiro."

Az shook his head in disagreement. "No, not quite." He glanced back to Jiro, carefully quoting: "To enter the gate of inexhaustibility and roam the vast expanse of infinity. My light will become one with that of the sun and moon, becoming eternal on both heaven and earth."

Jiro nodded solemnly to the water spirit. "Yes, exactly." He turned to the rest of us, explaining: "See, Reshiram and Zekrom are twin dragons, created as two sides of the same coin. They were each sprung from half of a giant glacier cloven in twain by the Original One. It is said that the remnants of that icy mountain were cast back into the sky as the twin dragons fought, creating the stars in the night sky.

"But those fragments still contained some of the power which brought forth the two dragons. A third entity, neither good nor evil; a vast emptiness waiting and longing to be filled up with either truth or ideals."

I shook my head in bewilderment, my thoughts whirling. "There's another dragon?"

"Ayup," chimed Azelf. "But this one isn't bad, I promise."

"More specifically," Jiro pointed out, "he contains the capacity for both creation and destruction—for both truth and ideals."

Cory glanced to the stone Azelf was holding. "And he can... manifest Reshiram's power for us?"

Jiro nodded agreement. "Precisely. And doing that doesn't subvert one of the Original One's works." He flashed us a bright smile, rather proud of himself. "It's both within my power and completely permissible."

Revy crossed her arms, lips curled into a frown. "Well, good. Get on with it, though—we don't have all the time in the world."

He snerked at her, and began leading us out of the cave.

Once outside, he turned skyward and a look of great focus came over him. His eyes drifted shut, but slowly his third opened up, and with it came a blinding light.

After the flare subsided, his eyes fluttered open. "There," he said matter-of-factly. "Kyurem is on his way."

I blinked owlishly at him. "What do you mean, on his way? He's not already around?"

Azelf giggled at my question. "No, not particularly. He was cast into the sky, remember?"

Jiro nodded to him. "Yeah. But he'll make it in time, most definitely."

As if on cue, a small, distant light glinted up in the clear afternoon sky.

"Speak of the devil," Az chimed appreciatively. "That'd be him."

The light hung in the sky for a long time, as though caught in place. Finally, it burned brighter and began to visibly descend toward the ground. Slowly, it burned and fell, brighter and faster, until it was outright barreling down.

I glanced nervously over to Jiro. "It's not going to crush us, is it?"

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "It doesn't look like it, no. If he doesn't start flying, he might impact the ground, though. Looks like he's set to land a fair distance off, but the shockwave would still reach us."

Azelf glanced between Revy and Jiro. "Yeah, maybe we should take cover in the cave for the time being." He continued, pointing to Cory and me: "Keep these two out of danger, you know?"

Jiro seemed somewhat disappointed by the suggestion. "W-well, I suppose you're right." He turned to Revy, who shrugged flippantly. "Yeah, let's head inside."

The star was falling rapidly now, and we hustled to get inside before its impact. Even from within the cave, I felt the deep thdum as it hit the ground far off. Following the impact was a powerful gust of wind which carried with it a storm of dust.

Once the dust settled, the four of us exited and made our way toward the impact crater. It was five minutes' walk from Jiro's cave, and if there had been any pokemon around, they'd already hightailed it out of the vicinity.

The star had impacted in the middle of a field, and was smoldering in a blackened crater.

Jiro led the way over, floating lackadaisically. "Kyurem, welcome back," he said cheerfully.

A large rock in the middle of the crater shifted and slowly unfurled itself into something like a dragon. Parts of its body were cut from a blue stone, not unlike sapphire. I stared for a long moment before finally realizing the blue stone was actually ice. Despite the great heat of his descent, the dragon was completely unfazed.

Slowly, the beast turned his lumbering head to Jiro. A low, pensive voice rumbled from his chest. "Greetings, Jirachi. It has been a very long time."

Jirachi grinned at his visitor. "It's good seeing you again, Kyurem. We can catch up before you head back, but now's not really a good time."

The dragon tilted his great head slightly as he listened. "You require my assistance?"

"Ayup," Azelf agreed. "Right now, an aspect of Mao Zekrom is on the loose, seeking to awaken his master. We need you to bind Arjat before that happens."

He turned slowly, looking patiently upon the water spirit. "My power alone is insufficient for that."

Az flashed him a savvy grin. "Yeah, that's why we brought this." He produced the Light Stone in his hands, offering it to the dragon. "Here," he said, carefully placing it on the ground.

Kyurem turned a solemn glance to each of us in turn. "You who seek earth's salvation, do you fill me with truth?"

"Yeah," agreed Jiro. "Drink deeply of truth, the powers of light and creation, that you might bring forth a sleeping god's power."

The dragon slowly closed his eyes and placed his chin upon the white stone. The rock itself began to glow, growing in intensity until it was blinding. As it finally dimmed, a different dragon stood in place of the first, similar, yet different.

White Kyurem stretched its limbs majestically, then turned pointedly to the five of us. It spoke, a voice not unlike Espid's thrumming through the air: "You have returned my strength to the world, little ones. Take my gratitude quickly now, for time is of the essence. We must intercept Arjat before he reaches Dragonspiral Tower."

"Espid, is that you?" Cory asked, her voice filled with wonder.

The dragon's lips were too rigid to smile, but its features softened as much they could. "Not quite, no. Cory and Toma, climb onto my back—I'll fly us there quickly."

"Hey," Revy cut in, "what about us?" She gestured to herself, Azelf, and Jiro. "You're going to leave us here?"

Kyurem tilted its head sidelong at her. "My power requires the presence of a hero. You three are unfit for this role. Fret not—my power is perfectly suited to this task, with or without your assistance."

An unhappy Revy made a sour face, but chose not to comment. Jiro and Azelf shared a meaningful glance, then nodded to the dragon.

The great beast lowered its neck patiently. Turning its head, it watched me quietly. "Go on, Toma. Time is short."

Suddenly, my legs felt like they were made of jelly. I awkwardly walked over to the dragon and sat near the base of its neck. Cory was next, sitting behind me and wrapping her arms tightly around my waist.

"Alright, Kyurem," I stammered. "L-let's go."

The dragon's powerful legs coiled like a spring, and the next instant we were up in the air.

Cool wind slapped my face as we cut through the sky. Though the dragon had wings, it didn't seem to use them in its flight. Rather, it was propelled by some other kind of power.

We made good time—once the dragon had reached its top atmospheric speed, the wind was so bad that I couldn't keep my eyes open.

"There it is," I heard Cory's voice through the roaring gale.

"Indeed," the dragon's voice thrummed in the air, cutting through the noise of the wind. "We've arrived here before Arjat."

White Kyurem slowed its flight and came to a stop, finally landing on the ground adjacent to the ruined tower.

I stumbled from my perch on the dragon's neck, my legs feeling even more wobbly than when I'd gotten on. Taking to my feet, I turned to offer Cory a hand in dismounting the beast.

Once we were both on solid ground, I gripped her tightly. She returned my embrace, loosing a sigh of relief.

"Vulpixes were not meant to fly," I muttered under my breath.

The dragon quirked its head sidelong, overhearing me. "But you two are not vulpixes," it pointed out.

"Yeah... I guess not," I shrugged helplessly.

"Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury to banter right now," Kyurem explained somberly. "Arjat approaches us."

The ruined tower lied amid a great forest clearing. This far north, it was taiga—almost entirely comprised of coniferous evergreens. Kyurem pointed its head to a break in the pines, where a lone figure approached on foot.

Arjat flashed us a sardonic grin. "I don't suppose you'd let me pass, cousin."

Cory's lips curled back as she bared her teeth at him. "Don't call me that," she spat bitterly.

He shrugged nonchalantly, lips still quirked into a vulpine grin. Glancing back to the dragon, he continued, "This is the last time I'll ask nicely: step out of my way, pretty please."

Kyurem reared back on its powerful legs, glowering down at him. Its tail flared with crimson energy, which then began to thrum through the rest of its draconic body.

The kitsune's porcelain face was cast with remorse as he watched us closely. "I am loathe to turn upon my own kin, but you leave me no other choice."

His body shimmered and caught fire. In mere seconds, his human form burned to cinders. The fire itself swelled in volume, both its temperature and hunger nigh unquenchable. Finally, the flames swirled, coalescing into a roughly quadrupedal shape.

"Thank you for the gift, cousin," Arjat mocked us, his fiery voice snapping and crackling like the very flames of his body.

Cory stepped forward, her eyes glinting with unshed tears. "Arjat, why?" she asked bitterly.

"Why?" the question lingered in the air, giving the mazoku pause.

"Revy told us," Cory said, "even if it was by accident, she gave you another chance—a chance to redeem yourself. So why must you do this?"

"Ah, yes," he mused. "Revy's magic bound me to her purpose. But now that I am unbound? It is not that I am incapable of creating anything good, it is rather that I choose not to. The power inside me has been separate from its master for many lifetimes now, and it craves to be made whole again.

"But, if you mean to know why the master seeks the world's destruction, the answer is simple. Reality, held in tension to the ideal, is untenable. Mao Zekrom will burn it to the ground and build a new world, one tempered in the flames of perfect destruction. Life begets life, yet destruction cannot be born without proper impetus." He gestured languidly to the dragon before him. "Though Reshiram may no longer serve a purpose in our world, a destroyer never lacks for a purpose."

"Arjat is beyond redemption," Kyurem murmured ruefully. "I am sorry, Cory." Then it glowered once more, its icy limbs surging with red-hot power. "Now, chosen heroes, take the truth which you have infused me with, and wield it as your sword. Grant me the strength I need to battle our foe!"

A shiver ran up my spine and my eyes closed. Slowly, I felt a presence settle into my body as sulfur pooled in my stomach. Then, as my eyes flickered open, I turned to Cory and gently took her hand in mine, appreciating its warmth.

She glanced up at me, surprised. "T-Toma?"

"I—" but the words escaped me, so instead I gave her my warmest smile. "Cory, can you... be my truth?"

The girl returned my smile with her own, and I felt my stomach somersault. Like before, she was a sulfurous, roiling mass of elements. She was the star from which there was no escape, the star that pulled me in, illuminated my path, and sated other-Toma's hunger.

I pulled her close and placed my other arm around her trim waist, embracing her with adoring kiss. My heart soared, as though it had been granted wings.

As absurd as our adventure had been so far, this was the truth: there was nothing Cory and I couldn't do as long as we remained together.

After quitting her lips, our eyes met and I could see in her face that she felt the same way.

Once more, my lips quirked into a grin. "Shall we?"

Half-embarrassed, she graced me with a shy smile. "Y-yeah," she agreed.

Twining our fingers together, I held her hand tightly in mine. Then, words poured from my mouth, spurred by the reeking sulfur in my stomach: "Stars, celestial bodies that guide us in life and illuminate our earthly paths: drink deeply of truth. Grow as radiant as the sun and moon, that your light may shine forever in heaven and on earth."

The dragon's muscles rippled with stark power before it let loose a blood-curdling roar. Blazing, Kyurem turned to the wicked fire spirit stood before it.

Arjat recoiled slightly, but didn't back down. He lunged at Kyurem, gnashing his wicked, fiery teeth.

Leaning forward, the dragon pressed its forelimbs to the ground and threw his massive neck, tossing the fire spirit back. Despite its icy body, Kyurem was undamaged by the fierce flames.

Intense focus came over Cory's face and she squeezed my hand tightly. "Kyurem, bind the scion of false ideals. Do it... ice burn."

Once more, Kyurem rippled with a great energy and began gathering red-hot power in its tail.

Growing panicked, Arjat spewed a gout of flame at the draconic beast, only for it to skitter off its icy scales.

Then, the dragon loosed another roar and summoned its icy cold. The temperature dropped like a stone edge, freezing the very moisture in the air. Bitterly cold winds whipped and cut through the clearing, circling tighter and tighter around the fiend.

Arjat shrieked with pain, his fiery body seizing and shriveling in Kyurem's wintry death grip. But the dragon kept up the pressure, intent on its victim's unconditional defeat.

Cory pressed close to me, desperate to get away from the bitter cold. I held her tightly as we weathered the worst of the icy storm.

When it finally began to ebb, I let go of Cory and turned to Kyurem. "Is it... over?"

The dragon coiled its thick neck around, looking squarely at me. "The false ideal is sealed. Our objective is complete."

We stood agog, watching Kyurem as the meaning of its words slowly percolated into our heads.

Cory shook her head in disbelief. "Arjat is... defeated?"

The dragon nodded to a black sliver nestled among the freshly frozen grass. "Quite."

A tenuous breath pressed its way out of my lungs, hissing through my teeth. "Well... what now?"

Kyurem settled back on its haunches, preening itself after its victory. "Arjat's shard will be placed somewhere safe," its voice thrummed in the air. "Moreover, I will renew the seal on Dragonspiral Tower. Then, I will replace the Light Stone in its resting place and return home."

Cory turned to me once more and our eyes met. "It's... it's finally over," she breathed with relief.

"Yeah," I agreed, "we made it."