In the days of old, in the lands to the south of what is now the Kingdom of Kanto...once lay another realm by the name of Kalos. Its people and ruling family knew peace on all borders, and their King ruled justly and with a guiding hand. To say it was idyllic would be quite fitting. It seemed the era of Kalos would last forever.

However, it was a closely-guarded secret of the King that led to the destruction of the realm. a secret that only his wife knew alongside him. Years after the marriage between the King and Queen, when the ancient arts of magic were still practiced, the King sought out a sorceress, known only as the Oracle.

His wife, the Queen, was in danger of losing their only child, a beautiful young girl. The infant had fallen ill, and the King knew that only the Oracle's knowledge of magic could save his child from death.

The Oracle agreed and healed the infant princess, however, the King underestimated what it would take to repay the Oracle's act of mercy. For the sorceress told the King that Kalos would be destroyed in a great calamity when the girl would come of age, and from "smoldering cinders", would be rebuilt one day. But the King and Queen would never see it return themselves.

This would be his burden to bear in exchange for saving his daughter's life.

The King, and later the Queen, when she learned of this, were distraught, but knew what had to be done. Against all sense and knowing the price, they accepted.

Nineteen years later, as the sun rose on the Princess's birthday, what would be known in history as the Firestorm...made Kalos cease to exist. Blasts of unrepentant lightning from a storm of a strength never before seen ignited a fire that consumed the capital of Kalos. Inside the palace, as the flames consumed everything, the King and Queen sealed their still sleeping daughter in a vault, and sealed her inside.

Then, they accepted their end as the Palace crumbled to cinders and rubble. The sorceress, upon seeing her prediction come true, blessed the princess with old magic, stalling the passage of time and preventing her from ageing until she would one day wake up. Then, the sorceress vanished into the forests surrounding the remains of the palace and the city.

Two hundred years would pass before the ruins would be rediscovered. In that time, new realms would rise, such as Sinnoh, Hoenn, Johto, Unova, and foremost among them, Kanto.

It would all begin on one fateful day, as the Prince of Kanto and his company stumble upon a battered stone road in the southern forests, scorched by flame and covered in cinders.

As the sound of hoofsteps echoed through the glade, the company of riders atop six horses walked their mounts at a leisurely pace. This was not the route they would have normally taken to return to Kanto...but the pathway most commonly used had been blocked by a landslide.

As a result, the company had to divert. At the advice of an innkeeper they had met not a few hours before, they had taken this path through the forest. It had been assured it was safe, but to the lead rider, there was something about the road that made him uneasy.

He was about twenty-two years old, and he wore a black shirt and a blue over-jacket, with a gray cape bearing the crest of Kanto on the clasp. His beige pants and well-worn hiking boots were lightly stained with mud, and a red kerchief was wrapped around his left wrist.

This was Ash Ketchum, stepson of Adrian Ketchum, the High King of Kanto. His raven-black hair was relatively unkempt, but still manageable enough that it was considered presentable. His brown eyes were focused on the road ahead.

"Milord."

Ash turned to see the rider to his left, a Royal Guard Captain named Alain, ride up and position himself next to him.

"What is it?" Ash queried.

"I'm starting to think that the innkeeper may have been mistaken." Alain shrugged. "We should have ridden out of the forest by now."

"I'd agree with you on that one, Captain." said Thomas, Ash's older stepbrother and the Prince of Johto, where Ash's father hailed from. "It's certainly odd."

"It's not that odd, if you think about it." said Drew, a performer from the Court of Hoenn, who was currently the chaperone of Hoenn's Princess, May Matheson. "I've been all across the known Kingdoms. This isn't unusual."

"Speak for yourself." said Chase, who was Captain Alain's protege and assistant, alongside his being a close friend of a Unova's adopted Princess, a girl by the name of Olivia. "Besides, it's a clear day and the breeze is pleasant. Not much else to ask for."

"Well, more direction on the part of the innkeeper would've been useful." said the last rider, Lucas, a noble from Sinnoh who served as Princess Dawn Berlitz's attendant and companion. "I think we're lost, or about to be."

Ash was about to reply when his horse stopped suddenly. As he regained control of his mount with a slow grunt of exertion, he saw a woman wearing a pale gray and green cloak sitting on a fallen stone archway ahead of them. The woman beckoned them forward, and Ash slowly went for the sword at his waist.

"Who are you?" he asked cautiously.

"I am a friend, I assure you." the woman, an elderly fellow by her voice, replied. "You might find it interesting to know that no one has traveled this road for over two hundred years."

"That's a very bold claim." Alain replied. "We were directed along this road by an innkeeper…"

"Who you happened to meet after your original route was blocked by a landslide." the woman waved a hand casually, as Alain raised his eyebrows in surprise at her words.

"How did you know that?" Drew asked.

"It was I who told that innkeeper of this route to begin with some time ago." she replied. "If you desire directions, I shall guide you."

"We'd appreciate that, ma'am." Ash said. "Please, lead the way."

"As you wish."

"Ma'am, I must ask. Why was that fallen archway there? This forest seems like an odd place for it to be." Lucas observed.

"This forest used to be the private grounds of an ancient kingdom, one consumed by fire, two hundred years ago, to the day." the woman replied. "Should you doubt me, you have only to look forward."

And look forward, the company did, and saw the truth of her words. They had entered what remained of a grand plaza, the stone foundations of buildings and a large central fountain were all that remained. The wood likely used to make the buildings had long rotted away, and vines covered what remained.

"What is this place?" Thomas asked.

"What remains of the Kingdom of Kalos." the woman replied. "I have watched over the one person who survived...the firestorm since the kingdom fell."

"What does that mean?" Ash asked. The woman turned to him, and spoke.

"Long ago, I made a pact with the King of Kalos and his Queen. I would save their daughter's life...but their kingdom would be destroyed. And on her coming of age, fire consumed everything they knew. In my remorse, I have watched over their daughter's resting place since."

"Where is she?" Ash asked firmly, the others glancing at him curiously.

"Again, I shall show you. Follow me, as it is not far."

As they crossed past the fountain and into the remains of a once-grand palace,after dismounting their horses, inside the great hall, the woman revealed a set of stairs that led underground. Aside from the staircase, set into the wall nearby was a wooden chest with an aged, rusted lock.

"What's in the chest?" Drew asked.

"That is not for you to find out." the woman replied. "I think it best if only one of you descends to meet her."

"She's still alive?" Ash asked. In his thoughts, the girl had to be long dead by now.

"Yes. Did you think otherwise?" the woman replied. "I was skilled enough in the ancient arts, or as you would know now it as magic, to prolong her life and her youth. Should you desire to see this for yourself, she is waiting in the vault. I reckon she has woken by now."

Ash silently began to descend the staircase, as the others watched. Alain turned to the woman, who looked up at him, waiting for him to speak.

"I have questions to ask of you." he said cautiously, but firmly.

"I will answer them as best that I am able to."

Ash's feet soon found level ground after a few moments of walking, and he found himself in a set of chambers, untouched by time's passing. Visible in an open doorway was an ornately decorated bedroom, and in two others were an empty library and a barren wardrobe.

But sitting at a central table, looking despondent, was a young woman of Ash's age. Her honey-blonde hair was glistening in the light of the torches that kept the room illuminated, though her eyes were hidden by her posture. She wore a simple nightdress, though Ash could tell that it was likely made from silk due to its wispy texture in the light.

As he approached, she looked up, revealing her blue eyes. Though her cheeks were stained with streaks from countless tears, and her cheeks were red, she bore curiosity on her face.

"Hello." Ash said, sitting down across from her. "I don't mean to intrude."

She flinched, but soon gathered herself.

"...Greetings." she replied anxiously. "May I ask your name, sir?"

"I'm Ash. What's your name?"

"My name is Serena."

"Serena...it's good to meet you." Ash said cautiously. "You seem...sad, upset."

"Well, what would you feel if you learned that your entire home, your family, had been lost over two centuries ago?" she snapped. "And that you were all that remained? Would there be something better to feel in your opinion?"

Ash flinched, and Serena quickly looked away in sorrow upon realizing what she had said.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to yell…" she said. Ash simply reached out and held her hand softly. She looked at him, startled at first by his touch, but soon, her expression softened in gratitude.

"Hey, it's okay. I don't blame you for doing it." he replied. "If I was in your position, I'd feel the same."

"My thanks." she replied softly.

There was silence for several moments, as Serena focused on breathing and calming down. She had awoken only a little bit before, and she had soon found a letter from her parents on her bedside table, detailing what had happened. At the end, they had written a final goodbye, signing it with "We love you, Serena. We live on in your heart and memories", and their names.

She, upon realizing it was for real and not a dream like she had hoped for it to be, had thrown herself back into her bed and begun to weep bitterly. She had resigned herself to the table since then, unsure of what to do in order to move forward.

She took in a breath, and whispered her new friend's name.

"Yes?" Ash replied.

"May I come with you, and journey to whatever realm you come from?" she asked quietly. "I have nothing left here. It may seem abrupt…"

"Yes." Ash said, surprising her. "You'll likely have to ride with me or one of my companions...but of course you may come with me, Serena. It'd be heartless of me to deny you, wouldn't it?"

Ash stood up, and offered his hand to her again. Serena gently took it in her own, and as the ascended the stairs together, Serena braced herself mentally for her first steps into a world that was two centuries past the one she knew.