The remainder of the evening had gone as well as Shadow could have hoped. Locating Frost and Leaf had been the easy part, for they had chosen to wait within an open area that gave an excellent vantage point of the direction Shadow would come from. Leaf had been predictably delighted and relieved to see his brother return, a sentiment that Shadow fully embraced and reciprocated.

Frost had already gathered some fruit and meat for a small dinner, and they had eaten in relative silence. Shadow admittedly felt a little antsy being so exposed, but Frost's presence reassured him to some degree. The prickling at the back of his mind had remained mild, and there were no incidents to speak of.

Although Leaf was curious about their old home, Shadow deflected the questions for now, citing that he wanted to process a few things first, but made a promise to fill his brother in the following morning. After a pause, he included a similar promise to Frost. The Espeon had found it difficult to really evade questions or similar matters once he made a committment to address it, so offering these verbal contracts, in his eyes, seemed the ideal way to get around his unease.

They had turned in for the night soon after, moving among the grove of trees to minimize their exposure to passerby. Frost had still been noticeably irked by the notion that neither of the other Eons had any idea of where they needed to go once they were within the forest, and so the Glaceon had recommended an earlier start to the day to compensate for the time that would inevitably be spent wandering.

It had taken Shadow a little longer to doze off than usual, his mind still buzzing with the questions lingering in his brain after his conversation with Renard and Astrid. He was a little bit disappointed that he hadn't learned anything new about how they had known his father, but considered that there would probably be another chance to find this out after Leaf had caught up with his Beedrill friend. Yes, that would probably work fine. They could find Bee-Bee, let Leaf do whatever, and then maybe go back to visit.

Shadow wasn't sure exactly when he had gotten to sleep, but far too soon, he felt a familiar paw nudging his side. He grumbled a little in protest, before finally giving an inquisitive grunt.

"It's raining," Leaf complained. It certainly would explain the soft pattering noise in the background, and the sweet scent that accompanied a spring drizzle.

"So?" Shadow muttered sleepily. He wasn't feeling any rain on his body, so the Leafeon couldn't be that worse off.

"My fur's getting wet, and I'm cold," Leaf explained, still whining, but now nudging Shadow with his head, as if determined to burrow underneath the Espeon and steal his sleeping spot literally out from under him.

Shadow grumbled and rolled onto his side, enabling the Leafeon to curl up where the Espeon had previously been resting, and then he curled himself around Leaf, silently noting that Leaf's fur was slightly damp and chilly, especially when pressed against Shadow's short fur, but he endured the feeling without complaint. Leaf's slight shivering soon subsided with the application of Shadow's body warmth, and by the rhythm of his breathing, he had dozed off pretty easily. The Espeon would have rolled his eyes if he had actually bothered to open them, and instead settled himself back down.

It seemed that sleep had only just reclaimed his conscious mind when an inexplicable wave of fear crashed down upon him, jolting him awake, his silver eyes darting around his surroundings, searching for a danger that seemingly did not actually exist. Fear had gripped his heart so tightly it had almost taken physical form. His chest felt constricted, and his lungs gasped for breath with undue desperation.

For a moment, Shadow thought that maybe his nightmares had returned, but a moment later was forced to dismiss the notion. He didn't recall anything terrifying within his dreams, memory or otherwise. Rather...he couldn't quite figure out what had come over him. It was the most peculiar sensation, an unknown dread that jolted through his mind and body with such intensity.

Shadow closed his eyes, blocking out all visual stimuli, and focused on his breathing. Breathe in...and out. In...and out.

In his mind's eye, he remembered Diablos taunting him with those words, and he clenched his jaw a little, forcing the image from his mind. It would do him no good to become agitated now, when he needed to focus on his breathing. Slowly, his heart rate began to fall, and the constricting sensation in his chest faded away.

The Espeon's silver eyes flitted open, and he regarded his surroundings again with a critical eye. Frost and Leaf were still asleep, miraculously getting through his miniature freak-out without being disturbed. He frowned, searching his memory for any indication of what might have triggered his discomfort, but nothing surfaced. His dreams had been ordinary and non-threatening, and there was nothing nearby that posed either a threat or had caused an alarming noise. Everything here seemed peaceful, but yet...

The Espeon bit his lip, his eyes settling on the Eterna Forest. No, not the forest, something further north, nearer to the City. That was the source...something in that direction had...resonated. It was just like back at Solaceon, when he had undergone a panic attack within A/C's den. He had sensed something resonating within the Ruins, and that was how he had come across Diablos for the second time.

Did that mean that his malicious foe was close by, although not in his immediate presence? If so...then he would definitely need to warn Frost and Leaf of the danger before they entered the forest later. He couldn't afford to risk them, as Frost said yesterday, by having them oblivious to a possible threat.

Shadow shook his head, dispelling what remained of his sleepy mentality. The sky was slowly brightening, and so it would be pointless to try to get more sleep. Frost claimed that he and Leaf usually awoke at dawn, so if they were after an early start today, there was no chance of him sleeping for long, even if his current mindset would allow him to doze off again. The best course of action would be to embrace his alertness and work out what information he needed to give the others.

The ebony feline carefully navigated around the snoozing Leafeon, and emerged from the grove of trees, making for the water nearby, and took several gulps. The water seemed to cleanse the tightness in his throat and chest further, and its crispness was refreshing and invigorating. He relaxed, savoring the tranquility of the early dawn for what felt like several long, blissful minutes.

Shadow sensed, moreso than heard, movement behind him, and he lifted his head. "Don't even think about it," he warned seriously to the Leafeon creeping behind him.

"Aww, how'd you know I was there?" Leaf complained, but as Shadow glanced over, he spotted the Leafeon's mischievous grin. "Morning, Shadow!" he chirped, giving the Espeon a loving nuzzle.

"I'm psychic," Shadow deadpanned, patting the Leafeon on the head. "And morning to you, too."

"Thanks," Leaf replied, pausing to take a drink from the stream. Shadow briefly toyed with the idea of getting belated revenge on his brother for previous pranks involving water sources, but decided against it. As much fun as payback might seem, it would most likely lead to Leaf developing a paranoid mindset towards him, and that just wasn't something he wanted to inflict upon his brother. "Sleep okay?" Leaf wondered, once he had sated his thirst.

"I guess so," Shadow answered, with only a moment's hesitation. He hadn't slept perfectly well, but he didn't feel exhausted like he used to, so he couldn't really complain too much on that front. He wasn't being plagued with nightmares, and the visit to their old home had given him relief from another burden. All in all, he was doing much better.

Further small talk was interrupted by the arrival of their Ice-type comrade, and Shadow had to fight to keep a straight face. Most of the time, Frost was up and about long before Shadow was, so he rarely had the chance to see the Glaceon prior to his grooming routine. It seemed at a glance that Leaf hadn't been the only one assaulted by raindrops during the night, and the weather had not been favorable for the Glaceon. Where neatly-groomed icy quills ordinarily sat was instead a mess of partially frozen icicles, where rain had gathered and then frozen, sticking out from Frost's body like a lopsided extension of his quills.

"You're awake already?" Frost marveled, walking over to the water. "Impressive, unless you failed to sleep at all."

"I slept fine," Shadow replied, watching with redoubled amusement as Frost's expression twisted once he caught sight of his reflection in the water. Leaf was licking his own paw and tidying his tan fur, so he didn't even notice Frost's fur, and by the time he looked up, the Glaceon had shaken himself forcefully, dislodging the excessive ice from his quills before beginning to groom his fur without comment on his previous appearance.

"Are we going to see Bee-Bee right away?" the Leafeon asked, his soft brown eyes widening hopefully.

"Perhaps not immediately," Frost admitted, his dark eyes flicking briefly towards Shadow. "Early morning is usually extremely hectic for Bug-type Pokemon. It should be fine to wait a little longer before we set out. I expected Shadow to sleep longer than he did."

"Aww, fine," Leaf sighed, his ears drooping as he sat down. "So now what?"

Shadow bit his lip thoughtfully. He had just remembered his mental note to address the Diablos matter before they went into the forest, so the short delay was the perfect opportunity. The difficulty was deciding how best to start the conversation. Even if Frost or Leaf expected him to talk to them about certain subjects, it was much harder to work out a starting point. Then again, he would need to address the 'secret' about their parents' fates to Frost before he'd be able to fully explain the significance of going back to their home yesterday, so at least he knew he had to start with that in some form.

"I suppose now's as good a time as any to answer some of your questions," Shadow said finally. "It's mostly for Frost's benefit, but there's some information you need to know, too," he added, glancing over at his brother. Leaf frowned a little, but didn't object.

"Wonderful," Frost murmured, his tail swishing almost smugly, although Shadow could have simply gotten that impression from the half-hidden smirk on the Glaceon's face. "Will you require a nudge as to which areas to address first, or do you have a plan in mind?"

"I can figure out how to start on my own, thanks," Shadow retorted, unable to hide the irritation from his voice.

Frost's response was simply to raise an eyebrow challengingly, but Shadow ignored the expression. The last thing he needed was to get worked up before even getting started with such a conversation. It had been tough enough when talking to Leaf, and that was when Leaf already knew bits and pieces of the situation.

After a short pause, Shadow sighed and took a soothing breath. He gestured vaguely in the direction of his former home. "Leaf and I used to live around here," he began.

It was a difficult process, but Shadow was able to explain the basic events that had happened from the crucial day in their life, to the day that they had first met Frost. The span of time had seemed so much longer back then, but Shadow quickly realized that a chunk of the time frame could be omitted entirely from his summary, because the minute details weren't as important as the key facts. He mentioned the first encounter with Diablos, and how he and Leaf had fled the area as instructed, but their parents never caught up with them.

Frost was wise enough not to interrupt with stupid inquiries, or press for details that would only drive the nail in deeper. Leaf was only half-listening, his expression somber, but his eyes were glazed in thought. When Shadow half-heartedly concluded the explanation at the point where he and Leaf had come across Frost, the Glaceon nodded thoughtfully.

"That explains a great deal," he mused. "And explains why parental figures was such a sore subject. I suspected as much, but hadn't narrowed down the options yet. Still, I imagine your story isn't entirely over?"

Shadow shook his head. "No, there's more. Hmm...do you think we can start into the forest now?" he wondered, glancing at Leaf, who perked up at the question. Frost shrugged, but got to his feet and began to lead them towards the forest entrance.

"What else is there?" Frost wondered, once they were almost within the forest boundary.

The Espeon hesitated, but steeled himself to continue. "Here's where it starts to become important to Leaf, too," he said, looking over at his brother. "It's...about what happened at the Ruins."

"Tsk, but I was there with you for most of it," Frost noted, but then clicked his tongue. "Ah, but there was a section I was not present during. I did wonder what had transpired in my absence."

Shadow didn't say anything until they had made their way into the forest itself. Just like all previous visits, the trees were so dense that sunlight could barely force its light through the cracks that made up the forest wall. Even Frost seemed a bit taken aback by the sudden darkness, although he made only a brief passing comment on it.

By now, the Espeon had gotten acquainted to the fact his night vision far exceeded that of the other two, so he took the lead without question, remaining close so that he could guide the others with his voice or presence as needed. For another few moments, he said nothing, merely considered how to start the next subject. It was the only piece that he exclusively knew the details to, and he again didn't want to bog down the conversation with useless trivia.

"After you left with A/C and Cece," Shadow said, addressing his words to Leaf. "Frost and I went down to the next level of the Ruins. Frost immediately picked a fight with some Weavile-"

"Lin," Frost corrected promptly, glancing towards the Leafeon. "She is the Pokemon who trained me in battle, and one I wished to test my current skills against. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, she bested me."

"Really? Wow!" Leaf squealed in delight. "So she must be really, really strong to thrash you so easily, huh?"

Frost briefly looked like he had sucked on a Grepa berry. "Yes...possibly the strongest battler I know," he said blandly. "Continue, Shadow."

"There was one more level below that one, and I followed it alone as Frost proceeded to freeze the entire room upstairs," Shadow explained. "After following the passageway there..." he paused awkwardly.

"Yes?" Leaf prompted curiously.

"Um...you recall the Riolu that was knocked out when we came back up, and you guys had returned?" Shadow asked, looking back at the Leafeon. At his nod, Shadow continued. "I encountered him at the end of the passageway. And he was...familiar to me."

"Wait, wait..." Frost interrupted, drawing Shadow's attention to him. The Glaceon was giving Shadow a stunned look. "HE was the one who attacked you at your old home?"

"I thought so, but I was only half right," Shadow replied. He was unsurprised to find both of the other Eons staring at him blankly. "That Riolu was just a pawn," Shadow said bitterly. "Possessed by another, and used as a weapon."

"Huh? Smaller words!" Leaf complained.

Shadow scowled. "I don't really understand everything, either. But I encountered him again in the Ruins, all the same. He called himself Diablos."

Even speaking the name aloud made Shadow feel like ice was running down his back, and he noticed that Leaf twitched oddly at the sound of the name. Frost showed no particular reaction, other than the same thoughtful frown he had been wearing earlier.

"That's what I needed to talk to Cece about afterwards," Shadow continued, gazing around the area, his ears straining to hear the sounds of buzzing, or anything else that might steer him towards a Beedrill. "Diablos wanted something from me, but wouldn't explain what. And your Weavile friend knew he existed. She threatened him when you two arrived, and he vanished. But if she knew, then Cece probably knew, and I needed to find out what they knew."

"Ahh, so that's why you were so agitated back then," Frost mused. His smirk vanished when he caught sight of the look on Shadow's face. The Espeon had narrowed his eyes, and his words seemed almost consumed with venom as he spoke.

"She wouldn't answer me at first, so I agreed to meet the next day," he explained coldly. His expression softened a little, and he heaved a sigh. "But...she did tell me what she knew. Everything she knew."

There was a long, extremely awkward silence following these words, broken only by the sounds of rustling amidst the bushes and trees all around them. Shadow took the opportunity to scan the area again, his frown deepening. So far, he hadn't seen any sign of any Pokemon among the Beedrill line, and as they went deeper into the forest, his apprehension was starting to return in full force. He couldn't help it; the forest just made him nervous. It was probably too early in the day to come across any human trainers or other immediate threats, but he wasn't going to wager everything on that hunch.

"And?" Frost prompted finally. "What did she tell you?"

Shadow heaved a heavy sigh once again. "She confirmed that our parents died," he said softly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Frost's brow furrow in confusion. "She knew our mother personally, was an old friend or something," the Espeon clarified, responding to the unasked question. "When I accidentally linked our minds that one day, she glimpsed the memories, recognized the ones involved, and afterwards went and demanded answers from Diablos. According to her, he admitted doing it."

"But how did she know Diablos?" Frost asked. Shadow noticed that the Glaceon spoke the name with similar apprehension, as if it were a curse word.

Shadow was silent for a few moments, considering how best to answer the question. Most of the information he had to share now had come directly from his conversation with Cecilia, and he had spent a lot of his time mulling the information over in his mind, debating whether to share it with Leaf, the same way he intended to share the information about their parents, or whether to keep it to himself and plan accordingly. He didn't really want to constantly quote the conversaton he had had with the Quilava, but there didn't seem to be too many other options.

"She said that her group unsealed him," the Espeon said finally.

"Unsealed?" Frost repeated. "Interesting, to say the least. What does that make him, then? Some sort of ancient force? A Pokemon akin to the Legendary Golems?"

Shadow smiled weakly. "I asked something similar, actually."


The Quilava fidgeted a little, but finally worked up the courage to look into Shadow's eyes, her expression twisted into a look of regret and unhappiness. Even in his current mental state, seeing the otherwise chipper Quilava in such a state brought a pang of discomfort to the Espeon's heart.

"He's a Spiritomb. Kaito...another friend of ours...had done a great deal of research in the hopes of finding the pieces of the Keystone that were said to contain his power. We succeeded a few months ago, but his full power is still sealed or something, so I guess he needs to possess others to do anything."

"Why would he target me?" Shadow demanded, his fur bristling indignantly.

Tears streamed down the Quilava's cheeks, and she took several deep breaths, steeling herself to answer him. Her body shook, but at long last, she managed to make eye contact again.

"After we unsealed him, he asked about local Pokemon, and I mentioned your family in passing, and your name got brought up somehow, but...I swear, I had no idea he would go after you, o-or Rio," she said, choking back sobs, her blue eyes gazing at him desperately. The expression made Shadow feel uncomfortable, but he kept his expression as stoic as possible, digesting what she had told him. The Quilava sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I'll never be able to forgive myself for what happened. All because I couldn't keep my stupid mouth shut."

"What's so special about me?" Shadow growled, not really directing the question at Cecilia. It was already clear from the other bits of the conversation that she didn't really know all the details involved with Diablos' actions. From the sounds of things, she had confronted him almost immediately after realizing he had attacked Shadow's family, and had been so taken aback by his nonchalant confession that she hadn't processed much else at the time. But for what reason would the demon attack him and his family for? It was a question that had never been answered.

The Fire-type was quiet for a long time, aside from her heavy breathing. "I don't know," she said weakly. "Diablos kept mentioning something about darkness."


"Darkness?" Frost repeated, cocking his head at Shadow blankly. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know," Shadow admitted with a sigh. "Cece didn't know, either. But at the Ruins, Diablos had mentioned something about inner darkness when he was taunting me. About how it was better nurtured than he expected."

"Nurturing inner darkness," Frost murmured, his dark eyes narrowed in thought. "And a Spiritomb possessing others...interesting."

"If you say so," Shadow muttered. The Glaceon chuckled.

"Forgive me, but it just sounds like pieces of a fascinating puzzle. I suppose I shouldn't lose sight of the context. I assume we need to know this because you're still a target, and so, by association, we are targets?" he asked, gesturing to himself and Leaf.

Shadow nodded solemnly. Leaf bristled, the abrupt shift startling the Espeon. "Leaf?"

"He better leave you alone," the Leafeon said seriously. Shadow blinked. "You're always getting hurt trying to protect me," Leaf continued quietly. "I've gotten stronger, so soon I can help you protect me, and I'll protect you, too."

"Leaf, that's..." Shadow smiled, genuinely touched by the sentiment, even if he somehow doubted it would be quite as simple as Leaf was suggesting. "Thanks. Love you."

"Love you, too," Leaf replied brightly, giving the ebony Espeon a quick nuzzle. "Ooh! I think I hear Bee-Bee!"

"Eh? How can you tell?" Frost asked, looking around in confusion, but the Leafeon had already darted further up the path. Shadow winced, but followed at a brisk walking pace, confident that despite his excitement, Leaf wouldn't get too far ahead of them.

It was reassuring to know that Frost and Leaf seemed to be taking the news well, all things considering. However, they still hadn't addressed the real meat of the matter - the purpose for which they were seeking strength. Renard's warning still lingered in Shadow's mind, particularly now that he had made the other two aware of the possibility of being targeted by association. The Ninetales had said to keep forging bonds and relationships, and to not misuse the quest for strength by corrupting it towards vengeance.

The problem was, even if Shadow personally could manage this, he wasn't so sure whether the other two could handle a full share of the burden he had carried for so long. If they did get targeted, one way or another, would they resent Shadow for endangering them, even with the warning? It was easy to say one thing, when the risk was low, but how would they fare if they actually had to face the Spiritomb directly?

Shadow shivered. That was a question he couldn't even answer for himself. Diablos was too powerful right now for him to face, and the fear that clutched his heart whenever he thought of seeing those yellow eyes in person was more than enough of a reminder of how much further he needed to go before he could truly feel safe.

And did Frost even recognize that if his Weavile mentor, whose battle skill already far surpassed his, was allied with Diablos, then even the Glaceon was unlikely to be able to face Diablos and win?

Shadow shook himself firmly. Perhaps now wasn't the time to dwell on such concerns. They were here for Leaf's sake. There would be time later to discuss these matters, now that things had been laid out between them.

But why did he still feel so anxious?