Requiem of the Fallen Dragon
Part 2: Fenrir's Tale
Chapter 37: Journey of the Sin
After a long walk, Rucas, Zira, Fenrir, Leonel and Magnus reached the Outer Greenleaf Forest where the grass type and bug type Pokemon lived. Strangely, when Rucas and his friends reached the town area, there was no one in the Outer Greenleaf Forest…
"Hey! Is there anyone?" Magnus shouted, but his voice echoed in vain.
Rucas looked around the Outer Greenleaf Forest. This place didn't seem like it was abandoned for a long time. It means that the villagers had just left this place for a few days.
"Where is everyone?" Zira mumbled.
Rucas walked up to the Greenleaf Inn that he rested in the night he arrived at this place for the first time. Then he found a note at the counter of the inn.
"…Dear Travelers, everyone in this place is going to the Gamma City to deal with their things. I am sorry for your inconvenient…"
Rucas left the inn and told everyone what happened to this place.
"It means that Joshua is not here?!" Magnus roared.
"….Hm… I don't think so… During our journey, I sensed that Joshua is a kind of Pokemon that didn't like a crowded place very much…" Leonel turned his attention to Rucas. "Rucas, do you have any idea of the place where the Forest Swordsman usually stays?"
Rucas nodded and started walking into the Inner Greenleaf Forest. Everyone followed him.
"…This place."
Rucas brought everyone to the Forest Lake, the place where Rucas first encountered Joshua and the Fallen…
Everyone looked at the Forest Lake. At the base of the village stood the huge tree. That is the 'root' of the sacred tree of Yggdrasil. At the root of the Yggdrasil stood two Pokemon. They are a Sceptile and a Heliolisk. The Sceptile is tall and swiftly. He wore the exotic and light cloth that the eastern swordsman usually wore. Rucas remembered the Sceptile immediately after he saw him.
"Joshua!"
Young Lucario's voice attracted both Sceptile and Heliolisk.
"Hm? Well… If it isn't the Hero of Justice…" Joshua crossed his arms and looked at Rucas, Fenrir, Zira, Leonel and Magnus who were walking up to Joshua.
"Hi! Joshua! Long time no see! And you finally evolved into a swiftly Sceptile!" Magnus greeted.
"You too, the Ocean Pirate." Joshua spoke in a soft voice.
"…The Forest Swordsman… How was your swordplay? Did your sword arm improve during our parting time?" Leonel asked.
"…It's no more, the Volcano Guardian… I couldn't become a great swordsman anymore…" Joshua's sad voice made everyone felt sad.
"What's wrong, Joshua?" Rucas asked.
Joshua showed the back of his hand. There lied the Mark of Sin?!
"The Mark of Sin?! You have it too?!" Magnus and Leonel showed Joshua their Mark of Sin…
"…It seemed like we shared the same fate…" Joshua mumbled.
"But still… It's good to see you again, Joshua…" Rucas said, but before he could finish his sentence, the Heliolisk that stood with Joshua spoke up.
"Hey! How long before you all greet me?!"
Rucas, Leonel and Magnus turned their attention to the Heliolisk. The Heliolisk is a bit shorter than Rucas. He wore the cape on this back. His cloth looked somewhat like the one that the assassin usually wore. It took them several minutes before they could recognize the Lightning Thief.
"Ellisk?!" Magnus spoke.
"What?! Don't tell me that you forgot me just because I evolved?!" Ellisk flared his frill at Magnus.
"Well… Ellisk… You were so…" Leonel spoke.
"Small? Stop saying that! Now I evolved into a Heliolisk already!" Ellisk roared.
"But Ellisk, why are you here? I thought that your hometown is the Gamma City…" Rucas asked.
"…Gamma City is not a good place for living anymore…"
Ellisk's answer shocked everyone. (Except Joshua) What happened in the Gamma City?!
"What happened at the Gamma City?" Rucas asked.
Ellisk looked at Joshua, and Joshua started telling the story…
…There was an announcement from above…
The announcement said that in the past, the god Arceus divided the Pokemon into eighteen types.
This, however, led to the racial division…
Some Pokemon type refused to get involve with other types…
Some types, such as the dark type, chose to escape from the mainland into the small island south of Symmetria.
This nasty trait had been continued for many centuries. And the above said that now it is the time to end this…
But since it is hard to erase this trait…
So in order to erase it, the above said that everyone in Symmetria must go to the Gamma City receive their own 'Number'. The number that they received was ranged in 1 to 10. The number will show the group of a Pokemon. The Pokemon with the same number must live in the area with the Pokemon with the same number as them too And the Pokemon with a number may not interact with the Pokemon with the different number from them…
And after a while, all ten groups will merge together into one group…
That is the time that Symmetria will become one again…
Joshua's tale answered many questions such as why the Bluewave Harbor was divided into ten zones, why everyone in the Outer Greenleaf Forest had disappeared (To go to Gamma City to receive their 'number', and what is the strange Pokemon from Gamma City that came to the Redflame Town (To give the number to the residents of the Redflame Town.) But Joshua's tale also created many new questions.
"Their 'number'?" Magnus spoke.
"Strange…" Leonel mumbled.
"…This is the most nonsense thing that I have heard…" Fenrir mumbled.
"Everyone, have you receive your number yet?" Ellisk asked.
"No. This is the first time that we heard this new law…" Rucas answered.
"What about you two, Joshua? Ellisk?" Leonel asked.
Joshua and Ellisk answered by shaking their head no. "… I have the Mark of Sin… I couldn't go into the crowded place like the Gamma City…" Joshua answered.
"Me too…"
Ellisk showed his frill to everyone. His frill lied the Mark of Sin…
"This is why I must leave the Gamma City. I came to this place and met Joshua, who also possessed the Mark of Sin…" Ellisk explained.
"Then, what about Julia and Lumiere?" Rucas asked. Julia is Joshua's younger sister and Lumiere is Ellisk's elder brother.
"My brother is still at the Gamma City…" Ellisk answered.
"And Julia was going to the Gamma City to receive her Number." Joshua answered.
"…I see… So the reason why Riftblade had disappeared is because he must go to the Gamma City to receive his number…" Magnus mumbled.
After hearing the conversation for quite a time, Fenrir started saying again.
"…You said that this order was given from the above. What is the 'above'?"
"Hm? Who are you?" Joshua asked.
Fenrir, Rucas and Zira quickly told Joshua and Ellisk their story. About Rucas and Anastasia's disappearance, Anastasia's missing and Zira and Fenrir also introduced themselves to Joshua and Ellisk.
"Everything started to get more confusing…" Joshua mumbled.
"Joshua, Ellisk, what will you do next?" Leonel asked.
"Hm?"
"Rucas, Fenrir, Zira, Magnus and I are on a quest to protect Symmetria from the renewed Phantom Storm… Will you join us?"
"…If then… Would you mind adding one more quest?"
"Hm?"
Joshua looked at Yggdrasil's root. "… I knew the way to remove our sin…"
"Really?!" Magnus and Leonel spoke.
"… We must visit all Yggdrasil roots that scattered around the land of Symmetria, and then we must visit the goddess Yggdrasil… She will be able to remove our sin…" Joshua said.
"How did you know?" Leonel asked.
"...Several days ago, I heard the voice from the root of Yggdrasil. She whispered to me to 'Meet her root and herself' and then she will grant us the power to remove our sin." Joshua answered.
"That's good!" Magnus said.
"But... Where are the Yggdrasil roots?" Leonel asked.
Rucas took out the map of Symmetria and opened it.
"I have gone to the Island Lake, Volcano Lake and the Forest lake already…" Magnus mumbled.
"…Me too…" Joshua and Leonel spoke.
"And I have gone to the Plain Lake too!"
Ellisk's word attracted the attention of Magnus and Leonel.
"There is a lake where the root of Yggdrasil lied at the lake at the Yelspark Plain!" Ellisk spoke.
"Cool! Let's go there…" Magnus said.
"But… How? It will be a very long journey…" Ellisk spoke.
Magnus and Leonel explained the Guiding Melody to Joshua and Ellisk. Luckily that Joshua and Ellisk also possessed their own instrument too. Joshua's is a Flora Flute, a flute that was decorated in the green-toned color wood with a craft that looked like a blooming flower. Ellisk's is a Electro Melodica, a melodica that was decorated in the yellow-toned color with the pattern of the lightning. Both said that their instrument was the keepsake from their departed father.
"Everyone has their own instrument…" Rucas mumbled. It seemed like a coincidence…
After understanding the method of the Guiding Melody, everyone warped to the Plain Lake to visit the Yggdrasil root before they warped back to the Forest Lake again. (Also, Zira received her Leafeon and Jolteon form when she visited two lakes.) For now, everyone could warped to six places; Fullmoon Temple, Newmoon Temple, Forest Lake, Plain Lake, Island Lake and Volcano Lake.
"So… Now our group… Rucas, Fenrir, Zira, Joshua, Ellisk, Magnus and Leonel are going on a journey to protect the land of Symmetria as well as cleaning their sin." Joshua spoke.
Everyone decided to rest for a night at the Forest Lake in order to prepare for tomorrow's journey.
After their dinner, while everyone is sitting around the campfire, Fenrir spoke up.
"Excuse me, Joshua, I think that you haven't answered my question yet…"
"Hm? About the above?" Joshua asked, and Fenrir nodded.
"Well… The land of Symmetria is actually a very large kingdom of Pokemon. This kingdom used the constitutional monarchy system for ruling the land. It means that there is a one Pokemon who ruled this land as the 'king'. And the towns around the land have their own ruling up to the town, but everything is up to the 'king' of Symmetria too."
"Then, who is the king of Symmetria? I have never heard of him before…" Rucas asked.
"Hm… Most Pokemon in Symmetria have never seen the face of the king before because the last king of Symmetria was just deceased about several years ago. His heir is just the young prince. But since the prince is too young, the senate of the prince decided to let the prince stayed at his own place until the prince grew up to ready to be the king of Symmetria." Ellisk answered.
"Then, where is the prince now?" Zira asked.
"The prince is staying at the Purgust Sky Isle." Magnus answered.
"Purgust Sky Isle?"
"It is the isle that floated in the sky above the land of Symmetria. Most flying type lived there." Leonel answered.
"I see…" Rucas and Zira understood.
"…" Fenrir turned her face away.
Before they slept, everyone looked at the map to decide which place to go next.
"We have visited the Yggdrasil root at Greenleaf Forest, Yelspark Plain, Bluewave Island and Redflame Volcano already. Since we have no idea of the location of the rest root of Yggdrasil, I suggested that we should go to the Indifrost Glacier next." Leonel suggested.
"Indifrost Glacier?" Zira asked.
"It is a lovely and the only place that located in the Northern Region of Symmetria. The Northern Region of Symmetria is always covered in the eternal winter, making it a home of ice type Pokemon." Magnus explained.
"We can go to that place via the Greenleaf Forest. It is easy." Joshua said.
"Also, the town of the Indifrost Glacier is small, so you don't have to worry about the Mark of Sin. This place is so small that it is a few places in Symmetria where the villagers didn't receive their number yet." Joshua explained.
"Right. Then our next destination shall be the Indifrost Glacier!" Zira spoke.
"Also, there is one more thing to do before we got some sleep… We must choose who will be the 'leader' of our group…" Rucas spoke up.
Joshua, Ellisk, Magnus, Leonel and Zira spoke without any thought. "The leader of our group is you, Rucas. You are the Hero of Justice. You were our leader in our adventure around Symmetria four months ago, and you did very well…" However, Rucas shook his head no.
"… I am not a very good leader of us… I don't think that I should be the leader this time."
"Then, who will?" Joshua asked.
Rucas said nothing and looked at the quietest Pokemon in the group, the Master of Mercy.
"Me?"
"Yes, Fenrir. You have a very good potential of being a leader of our group." Rucas spoke.
Fenrir looked at everyone. "…Letting a dark type Pokemon to be the leader of a group of sin seemed… sarcastic…"
"Then…"
"…Hm… Okay, I accept."
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: Joshua and Ellisk rejoined our team again! And Joshua has the Flora Flute while Ellisk has the Electro Melodica. Now we have Rucas, Fenrir, Zira, Joshua, Ellisk, Magnus and Leonel in our team! This time, Fenrir is the leader instead of Rucas. And… Only Anastasia that is still missing… Where is she?
The boring part is over. The next part is the Indifrost Glacier. The fifth dungeon of his story is located there.
So Rucas and his friends have two quests; protecting Symmetria and cleaning their sin… Will they succeed? Or will they fail?