Chapter 21: Heart Scryer

Seated on the top of the arbor with legs crossed was the mysterious fairy wearing a large golden bow in her hair.

"You!" Sylisa pointed at her perch. "Shoulda known it!"

What followed was a distorted chuckle, a sign of the telepathy locking on to her. "Ooh! Aren't you scary!" Kirlia's puckish voice echoed inside her head. "What frightening claws you've grown!"

Crossing her arms defensively, Sylisa winced from the discomforting strangeness. Hearing a voice in her head which was not her own sent a shiver along her spine. Muttering a displeased growl, she said, "Coulda sworn you said you didn't wanna see me again."

She peered inquisitively above Sylisa's head, in the direction from which she had come. Rocking her head as the wind blew from her back, she twirled a ribbon of her bow around her tiny hand. "With any luck, I said. Appears we're sorely lacking such convenience since you're still here, huh?"

"Course I'm still here, runt!" declared Sylisa. "I need to help my friend, something crazy happened to her. Not going anywhere until she's back to normal!"

"Back to normal? What's considered normal for someone scary?" She giggled.

"You little jerk." In a steadier voice, Sylisa asked, "Who are you?"

"Mirana." She dipped her head above her steepling hands, her ribbon bobbing behind her horns. "Call me Mira. I am, quite literally, charmed to meet you again."

"Why'd you bolt last time?"

"Mmm, can't say, had some important business to tend to." Mirana looked her dead in the eyes. "Didn't want to hold you up meeting your friend either."

"Wait a sec." Sylisa recalled the perpetrator who had stolen Warren's emotions matched Mira's description. "Sybil. Do you know who that is?"

Mira shook her head, her ribbon fluttering as she did. "No."

"Never mind, Tear would've mentioned THAT." Sylisa's eyes narrowed on Mira's bow. "Is that big gold thingy attached to you or what?"

"You like my ribbon?" Mira tilted her head. As she did the bow shifted, revealing a portion of her green hair beneath the fabric had become the same golden color. "Or, my Marking? Funny, isn't it? We share a similar style."

"…The Eclipse did this!" exclaimed Sylisa.

"You think?" Mira sarcastically sneered, righting her head once more, the large bow covering the strange phenomenon.

"Then this is the Marking of an Eclipse Child." Sylisa held a clump of hair in her hand. "I didn't know. It changed when Nia devolved."

Mira lifted her chin in interest. "She devolved…?"

"Yeah, wasn't pretty." Her shoulders wilted. "She can't even remember how strong she used to be."

"Hmm." Mira was lost in thought. "Could it have been…that?"

"You wanna know what this is?" asked Sylisa. Though Mira had not said it explicitly, a foreign pressure in Sylisa's skull seemed to prod her in the direction of the Armadas. In a restless manner, Sylisa blurted, "H-Hey! Are you asking or trying to force me with those powers?"

Mira withdrew and so too did the unwelcome energy. Shyly, Mira rubbed her skirt over her legs. Her glare fell to her feet dangling over the flower urns beneath the arbor. "Can't always help it when my powers do that."

"You almost sound frustrated," replied Sylisa.

Her lithe body shivered. Then her red eyes looked back up at Sylisa. "Aren't you?"

"You bet your ass," said Sylisa making a scowl. "Didn't tell me jack last time, you little tease, only dumb riddles!"

Waving the ends of her bow's ribbons as if they were extensions of her hands, Mira asked, "What did I riddle you do last time we met?"

Thinking back did little to relieve her aggravation. "You said some nonsense before you popped away. Like, find the Altar in the Sea of Eyes." Unease quickly spread over Sylisa, her skin felt cold and she suddenly realized. "Whoa, wait, THOSE eyes?!"

Swooping the ribbon around her narrow neck like a makeshift scarf, Mira said matter-of-factly, "The Unown."

"Who –err– What are they?" Sylisa adjusted her posture, frowning and quite uncomfortable with her ignorance.

"They're quite a mystery." Mira tugged on her bow's ribbon, loosening it from her neckline. "Even for other psychics like me!"

"They're psychics too?" She rubbed her temple with the side of her hand. "Tsk…Figures. That's how they got in my head. A bunch of them came out of nowhere in some sort of temple. I saw them on the night of the Eclipse."

Mira leaned forward, craning her neck in to tilt her head, indicative of her inquisitiveness. "Well, what did they look like to you, Eclipse Child?"

A distrustful glower formed on her face, nevertheless Sylisa recognized Mira was her best chance at getting answers. Facing the guild's stone wall running adjacent to the courtyard, she drew a circle in the air with her finger and pointed a dot in the center. "Looked like floating symbols made outta eyeballs—" she traced the appendages she had seen of the one resembling the letter N "—with weird pieces tacked on."

"Ooh, interesting. You found them or they found you, there at the Altar of Life, in the Sea of Eyes. Yet here you remained." Mira respired, a troubled look on her face. "Why? The Eve of the New Moon approaches for those not purified."

"Eve of the New Moon?" Annoyed by Mira's obscure response, Sylisa looked skyward and tried to piece it together. "It's obvious the Eclipse caused all this, it's gotta be related to the moon. It's a bit more than a crescent moon. Does that mean I have about a month to—" She had trouble saying the word, not because it sounded grim, but because she realized it was what Commander Vance had so adamantly fought for "—purification?"

Nodding contemplatively, Mira lowered the lids of her large eyes. "I do believe so. But since you found them, why did you choose to stay?"

"Wasn't my choice. They showed up when I was about to die!" exclaimed Sylisa.

In disbelief the fairy shook her head. "Your destiny, the outcome of the foretold Eclipse, all an elaborate prophecy wrought within the Sea of Eyes, by the Watchers of the Stars – the Unown. They're getting better at stargazing."

"The Unown are also stargazers?" Sylisa pawed her chin. "Could they be the Pokémon that worked with the people from long ago: the Stargazers of Centennial?"

Smiling softly, she acknowledged they were one and the same. "Their numbers follow the stars, eyes fixed on movements and patterns in the heavens. They see frequency, light, energy, and form a song in a language only they can understand. The legend goes, over time they developed mutations so that they could communicate to the human stargazers in a language they would understand."

"So, they're like, doing this why?" asked Sylisa.

"To foresee the future." The fairy shook her head earnestly. "To truly see it – not as possibility nor forecast as psychic powers allow, but as absolute fate. Omniscience at the cost of choice."

"That's a little spooky. Why should they be in charge of what happens? I mean, I can't exactly trust what you say, could be making this up." Sylisa huffed. "If you're lying to me, I'll slice that bow right off!"

In her palm, Mira held a sphere of made of swirling dark clouds dotted with flickering lights. "When you saw them, were you scared of death?" She appeared to be searching for something as she stared into the nebula. "Didja feel it in your bones?"

"No shit I was scared. A frickin' Primeape was going ape and about to murder me!" rebuked Sylisa.

"Stars gravitate together to form galaxies, likewise the Unown grow in brilliance when congregated," said Mira, toying with the orb floating above her hand as it had suddenly changed color from a murky purple to a deep crimson after Sylisa spoke. "When gathered, their powers are capable of miracles. Their predictions begin to become real, making it possible thwart death. It's happened before, however, not without its price – every consequence that follows is a result of forcing an outcome."

"Huh, that why Unown show up in groups?" Sylisa pouted. "Pretty sure the first go-around there were more than a measly five of 'em!"

"Maybe they were trying to tell you something this time." Mira spun the orb as though it were a globe, revealing more sparkling stars beneath, the cloudy blankets dissipating into a stream of mist in front of her after it slowed. "Any idea what that something could be?"

"Something…" Sylisa excitedly snapped her fingers. Oh that's right! Nia's real name. I couldn't remember it after the Eclipse. That might be a clue!

Mira smirked, vivaciously flexing her legs through the plume of magical dust as it descended. "Something the Unown would recognize: You didn't escape in a time of peril, proving your resolve."

Sylisa looked where the trail of mist vanished. "Why me though?" she asked.

"I wouldn't know." She glanced at Sylisa as the wind picked up. "Why did you refuse to leave?"

Sylisa swallowed dryly. "Wasn't gonna leave Nia in this hellhole all by herself!"

"Hm. You came from someplace, far, far away, didn't you?" The fairy stared intensely at her, it felt as though she was looking through her, at her spirit. "…I can see it in your eyes. So far away, you barely recognize anything about this place."

Sylisa nodded.

The sprite raised her arms, accompanied by an innocuous huff. "Well then, distant traveler, who's to say the same Unown who brought you here would not have returned you from whence you came?"

"N-No way. No way. That's bullshit!" Sylisa stammered as a torrent of emotions overwhelmed her. "The Unown can do that?"

"Did you really doubt their power after witnessing it the first time?"

"No. This time, there were fewer, they reached out to me." Stretching out her hand, Sylisa clasped a fist and shook her head, her voice caught in her throat. "They were trying to tell me something. I didn't… didn't know if they were gonna send me home. Would that have brought Nia back to how I remember her too?"

Following a sigh, Mira responded, "Who knows. Maybe, maybe not. The only way is to see for yourself, but, by then there's hardly a choice, is there?"

"I couldn't have gone back without her." Sylisa bit her lip in frustration. "I convinced myself, I convinced the Unown, I needed to stay for her. If there was a chance to return home, to the place I recognize, should I have taken that chance for Nia!?"

"How puzzling." Mira sat up slightly. "You wished to stay then for the very same reason you now wished you left."

"Dammit! What now?" she wondered.

"You're asking me?" The fairy shrugged. "Do whatever you like, this is what you decided."

"Why didn't you explain it, Mira? I could've used the Unown to help me if I knew what they were capable of!"

"If I told you what to expect through clairvoyance, it would undermine your passion-driven freedom in the heat of the moment." Mira's legs dangled from the arbor, she leaned forward hands on her head, crouching over the aromatic flowers below. With a smile she added, "Wouldn't that be disingenuous? You may have not met them had you expected to, your reaction would be anything but sincere – your choice, which must remain pure to be considered freedom, would have been tainted by forbidden knowledge of what the future would likely bring. Ironically, my distrust of prediction assures the Unown's prophesy is unfurling."

"Ugh! I don't have time to be screwing around, no more riddles, no more mind games!" Sylisa clenched a fist. "My best friend's in trouble! She's lost her strength, her evolution was undone! Some Heaven's Might jackass tried to take her away. Now she's passed out cold. I can't—!"

"Don't get so heated, it'll sour your emotions." Mira sighed, slumping her head further upon the support of both her arms. "She's under Hypnosis."

"You put her to sleep?!" exclaimed Sylisa. "What the hell?!"

Nodding, Mira's horns appeared to flicker in the moonlight. "It just so happens Hypnotic sleep brings repressed memories to the surface. A deep slumber correlates to deep memories. Sometimes, important things are recalled through a vivid dream, though not always in the form one would expect!" She giggled. "As for me, there's the siphoning Dream Eater to go straight for the source!"

Anxiety overwhelmed Sylisa. "Stay away from her!" she ordered. "You're nothing but trouble."

"Trouble? Me?" Shaking her head, Mira clutched her hands together and snickered. "Don't worry, I don't care to draw from HER dreams. Something tells me it's dark and shadowy and scary – doesn't suit me one bit. You're the unlucky one who bears the challenge. Hm. Hmm. Maayybee I'll help you though."

"You're not making sense." Sylisa scratched her head. "Why'd you do that to her?"

"I sought to have a private chat with my favorite Shade of course!" Mira's puckishness made it difficult to tell if any of her words were genuine.

Growling, Sylisa felt herself losing patience. "Riddles again? I'm so sick of it! Answer this: Shade, what's it mean?"

"You can figure it out. An Eclipse brought you here. Marked you as a Child of the Eclipse. However, since a lunar cycle has yet to pass, you're still a Shade," stated Mira.

"I think…wait no, now I'm more confused."

Her eyes traced Sylisa from head to toe. "Mm. Hmm. I think I can work with this. But let's be clear, you're nowhere near as cute as me!"

"Can't you be serious?" scolded Sylisa. "Tell me what it is so I can help Nia!"

"Clearly she's not herself." Wearing a wry look, Mira added, "You're not yourself either."

"Clearly," said Sylisa with no small dose of sarcasm. "You claim I'm an Eclipse Child, and you got the upper hand 'cos you know what that is!"

The smirk vanished on her pale face, replaced by a solemn expression. "I didn't until it was too late," she said. "In fact, that's when being a Shade stopped mattering at all."

"Huh?" Thrown off by Mira's uneasiness, Sylisa urged, "Then, help me out, wouldya?"

"Why should I?" asked Mira, her composure gradually building back up along with her posture. "Better yet: What can you do for me in return?"

"I…uhh…" Crap. That's an old trick Mathias pulled whenever I asked him for favors. Following her reminiscing, Sylisa smiled. "Shouldn't ask what I can do for you, since it's what I can GET for you."

A perplexed gawp and then Mira said softly, "Go on."

"Ever want something you just couldn't have?" she said, selling her talents as best she could, pretending this was an audition for a new job, albeit an illicit one. "That's where we come in. We're professionals at –ahem– acquiring."

Mira's impish grin returned. "I see. You're a thief, how useful."

"You better believe it," she proudly answered.

"Still, there's little sense trusting you as you are. …What to do. What to do. Oh! I've got it. Given the circumstances, a leap of faith is in order." With a sudden hop, Mira spun down from the arbor, twirling the two ribbons around herself. As she landed, the petals of the flowers in the urns on either side fluttered like feathers blown by an invisible force emanating from her.

Sylisa took a step back, startled from witnessing the magical power. "W-Wha?"

"Don't be a coward," she chuckled, "my powers could be all yours."

"I'm not a cowa—"

Mira reached out a hand, interrupting her, "I'll work with you, thief, under one condition."

Good. Wonder what she wants. Sylisa pointed back to the fountain. "Hold on. Nia's part of this too."

Keen as ever, Mira traced a ring in the air above her, which began to ripple with psychokinetic power. "Of course she is, but she's fine napping where she is." She leered. "You wouldn't want to suddenly fall asleep too, would you? Don't worry, I wouldn't DARE alert the guards."

"No way, you little jerk." She shot the pixie a venomous glare. "Sheesh. How do you expect me to trust you if you're threatening to knock me out 'n get me arrested?"

Mira burst into a childish laugh. "You can't, silly. That's why it's called a leap of faith. You have no reason to trust little Mira. Yet, trust you must in order to accomplish your goal. Quite a predicament. It's almost as if—" she gasped playfully, covering her mouth as more laughter bubbled between her words "—this is exactly the way I feel about you!"

Groaning, Sylisa pinched her nose bridge. "You're just like Flowers, knocking out poor Nia."

Mira blinked twice in succession. "Who's Flowers?"

"Mira, can you read my thoughts, not my memories?"

"I read EMOTION of those close to me." The fairy folded her arms, a tight grimace forming beneath her bangs. "And, while I'd love to do more, I'm not evolving anytime soon."

"Ooh! You want to evolve too?" Nodding her head, Sylisa considered how much she wanted Nia to evolve. Mira wants the same thing? Evolution, huh? Wonder why she—

"—Brilliant!" Cheerfully skipping toward her, Mira interrupted Sylisa's thoughts. "The answer to the predicament is so simple, you'll evolve, she'll evolve, we'll evolve."

Sylisa scowled. "Wha? Wait, I ain't some 'mon."

"I know, I know. That's gonna make it difficult." Mira made a petulant huff. "Still, you have some growing to do. I can sense the potential."

"I can tell you're cookin' up something, 'n I don't like it cos you aren't sharing. You want to hire me 'n Nia, you're gonna have to come clean. No matter what, I don't want you screwing with my head or Nia's. That said, what's your condition?"

"Aww…shame!" Mira' shoulders slumped. "I've a fair amount of tidying to do. Humans are useful to keep in a house so no one gets suspicious. The estate in question has been abandoned for the longest time, the last owner had an overwhelming urge to skip town, and visitors always seem to forget why they showed up to assess the premises. I could really use someone to stay at home, cook and clean for me. I even have an outfit picked out for my new servant. A cute Kirlia like me wouldn't be caught without a maid to match!"

"Dead ass." Sylisa rolled her eyes. "You're looking for a maid?!"

Snickering, Mira replied, "I'd love to make you my maid, but, you said no messing with your head, which means no new mind-maid for me."

Feeling though she had just averted an unpleasant outcome of mandatory domestic servitude, Sylisa sourly glared at Mira. "Y'know, only things I'm good at cleanin' are safes."

"Very well. I want us to make a connection. Think of it as a bond of friendship." Mira nodded mischievously. "And since you're my friend, I'll ensure you get results instead of bumbling around. Your gains, Nia's too, would be in my best interest if we work together."

"Friends huh? How irritating, I barely know you. What're you gonna do, make me like you?" she asked, raising a brow.

"If it's not part of the deal means I can't do it." Mira shook her head. "You don't have to do much except be yourself. Tell you what, since we'll be friends, we can go on a heist together! Help me take something. You're real good at that, right? It'll be fun. Promise!"

"Shuure," croaked Sylisa. "Plenty of time for fun."

Arms drooping, Mira peered up at the sky. "Your time is sailing by, isn't it? Well, what are you waiting for? We gonna make a deal or what? My humble services in exchange for yours, a pact most certainly—" Mira's grin resembled the sliver of moon "—uncertain!"

"Cut the chatter already, this is important so I'll make a deal!" said Sylisa. "You know about this place, the Unown, the Children of the Eclipse! So, if we're friends, you'll spill it! Or else—" She locked eyes with her, suddenly Sylisa felt a fair bit lightheaded and her legs wobbled.

"Or else what?" Mira gave a knowing smirk, her powers rippling a haze near her horns.

Trying to shake off the lethargy, Sylisa focused on raw ambition. "I'm here for Nia, and you better remember that. I'm going to bring her back to the way she was. If that means working with you, so be it."

Below Mira's glowing eyes her smile widened. "Right, the daemon. She's why you're so bullheaded, huh? Must admit, I can feel something awfully nice from you when you think of her. Like, how she's so peaceful when she's asleep. Mmm. That calm look…those sleepy purrs…very sweet nuzzling… Really brings out those maternal instincts. You know, those sensitive feelings you try to bury way down inside."

"That's not—!" she gasped, her cheeks blushing. "No, no, no!"

"You're so embarrassed!" Mira wagged her hand to-and-fro. "I can read your feelings. It's easy enough, but it's about to become a whole lot easier."

"You little brat!"

"That's not all. As a token of my good will, I'll predict the way your dominant emotions will guide your course." Mira closed her eyes.

Sylisa saw a rosy, heart-shaped cloud in front of her. It glittered with a paranormal pulse, sections of it glowing brighter as it expanded. She leaned back, hoping to escape it, however it quickly engulfed her. There was a heaviness in her center as she struggled to peer through the strange fog. The horizon blurred, the guild's façade vanished, and Sylisa found herself in a strange realm. "What's this!? I can't see!"

There was a snap as Mira tapped her heel on the ground. She opened her eyes and disappeared in the mist.

"Where'd she go?" wondered Sylisa.

Suddenly she was face to face with Mira.

"Waah!" Sylisa yelped, falling backwards as Mira pelted her with both arms on the collarbone. Landing on her rear, Sylisa watched Mira gracefully land by her legs. Her arms radiated the color of the sparkling cloud.

Bringing the two together, Mira hummed aloud, producing an euphonious sound that was clear, light and pleasant. It rose and fell with soulful loveliness as she danced in a circle under the arbor.

Sylisa's astonishment from the melodic tune left her breathless. "Her voice…it sounds so familiar."

A brilliant ball of light and what looked like stars appeared between Mira's arms, radiating a supernatural glow all around Sylisa and Mira both.

"Whoa! What's she doing?!"

Mira nodded, her eyes intensely focused despite the lilting song she sung.

There was a flash, the orb expanded outwards. As it passed through Sylisa, her body felt a second wave, an aftershock. But this one was quite different, she felt the tune Mira was humming. Her whole body seemed to reverberate with it as it moved beyond her. She turned to see where the expanding sphere had gone, but saw nothing in its wake.

"What was that?" she asked Mira after her melody ended.

Mira beamed. "I scryed your heart while making our pact."

"What?"

"Heart scrying. It's simple." Mira pointed to her center. "I read your emotions and get a good sense for what they'll lead you to do. It's the least I can do for my sneaky friend."

"So," Sylisa coughed, "what'd you see?"

"Your heart is far from pure, yet harbors a certain luster within. A flame, a cruel vengeance should you fail. A hearth, a warm comfort should you succeed." Mira pawed the base of her chin. "…Very interesting."

"You mean that?" Sylisa did not know whether it was a good reading or a poor one.

Laughing to herself, Mira placed her hand on her hip and stood upright. "I do! You are an interesting Shade if nothing else."

Sylisa held her stomach and groaned. "I feel all weird inside. Is this a side-effect?"

Her petite gown swaying, Mira took a few steps forward. "I also formed a Harmonic Bond with you while I was scrying your heart."

Sylisa recoiled. "A WHAT?!"

"A way to attune the bond you share with your daemon friend to me." Mira uttered a satisfied hum. "You really do care for her. Your emotions, they're a lovely source of power. I figured you didn't want to make a bond with me, so I decided to latch on to a preexisting one. And a remarkably powerful one at that. Looks like I'll have to work harder to control my abilities while we're together."

"I didn't want you leeching off my connection with Nia, you little pest!"

"We made a deal, and it was you who insisted, "Nia's part of this too!"" Clasping her hands, Mira sniggered. "You humans have so many good expressions, the apt one for this situation must be: Careful what you wish for!"

"Why?" Baffled by what Mira had done to her, Sylisa found it difficult to articulate the concerns running through her head. "Wh-What's the point?"

"I have my reasons," said Mira doggedly. "Figured you'd be great for the job, considering your motivations to evolve your friend."

"Evolution? That's what this is about?"

Mira's cheeks flushed. "It's not a big deal or anything, right? Will that stop you?"

"I… don't care what you do," stammered Sylisa. "But I can't have you following me like a creepy psychic stalker!"

"Aw, well, too bad, I'll try to stay out of your way." Mira giggled. "Truth be told, I didn't think you'd so readily agree. You might be short on brains, but at least you've got guts. I can feel how important saving your friend is to you."

"Dammit," gripped Sylisa. "You'll hold up your end then."

"Naturally, we made an agreement." Mira gave a sly look, her eyes wandered to the Armadas. She waved her arm in a wide sweep and glittering powder followed her motion. "However, first we ought to see what this Arm-a-dust can do!"

"It's AR-MA-DUS," groaned Sylisa, coughing on the fairy dust. "And don't count on using it. It only works 'tween the two of us, see. You're not Nia."

"I'm not, am I?" Mira laughed mischievously.

"What's so funny?" she asked with no small amount of apprehension.