There was a hitch in the plans; Caesian didn't have the master ring. Culus had nearly panicked when he hadn't seen it adorning the Nidoking's finger, but as King Midos announced the Moonlit Wandering to all of the attendees of the ball, Culus saw the master ring glinting on the king's hand. That moved his target from the intimidating Caesian to Midos, who could read his thoughts remotely.
He had no chance to reposition himself to get closer to King Midos; though he could sneak up on Caesian without raising the general's guard, Midos would be nearly impossible to sneak up on without a distraction keeping him from reading Culus's thoughts as he neared. The soporific, diluted as it was, would weaken Midos' focus, perhaps even lull him to drowsiness, but it wouldn't invalidate his telepathy.
Then, as Culus' nerves continued to fray, the performance started. For a while, as Culus wasn't sure how long it took, Selene's dancing caught his complete attention. It was utterly abnormal; there wasn't anything special about her movements, and no kind of choreography would be able to draw him in that deep either way. There was likely some other kind of power at work, drawing his attention to her like a moth to a flame.
But its hypnotic effect wasn't all-powerful; he luckily managed to pull himself back to reality soon enough. A few twinges of pain from his wounds, healing but still hurting, brought him back to his senses. He pulled his sight from Selen in the brief second of clarity he had, breaking the spell entirely.
That was close. Selene's power, whatever he just experienced, was dangerous, not with destruction, but distraction. Now that he could look away from Selene, he saw that everybody else in the hall was as enchanted as he had been. Looking a little closer, he saw them listlessly eat the food presented in front of them, and the effect it had on their attention span as Parasel's drug worked its magic.
It even affected King Midos. Initially, he seemed resistant to Selene's performance, choosing instead to eat the food. But now, as the soporific worked its magic and Midos' resistance was clipped at its wings, Selene's dancing wholly enraptured Midos.
Though he could now safely approach, Culus had to remain vigilant. Selene's hypnotic power could break simply by not looking at her as she danced. Though he had an urge, deep within him, to return his gaze to her for all time, he wasn't helpless. Worse, if anyone else's sight were broken, their clarity would return as his did.
Right now, Culus's position was on the sill of the large windows that let the moonlight in for Selene's performance. The table for the royal family was in the very back, probably so they would never need to crane their heads back to see anything. Unfortunately, since the secret entrance to the ballroom was at the very front, he was as far as he could get from King Midos, lengthening the amount of time he would have to be in motion.
Culus prowled along the windowsill, casting a shadow from the moonlight as he did so. None of the ball-goers noticed, thankfully, though one or two frowned as the change in lighting made their trance more shallow. As he thought, he'd have to be even more careful.
Once the crowd of tables thinned as it reached the back of the room, Culus took a gamble and dropped off the windowsill and landed in the hall proper. He had to keep Midos' trance as secure as possible.
Culus managed to make his drop soundless. Even though he was all but a few meters away from another Pokemon, a Druddigon Dragnian guard, he evaded notice. Once again, he headed for the royal table as stealthily as he could.
As luck would have it, King Midos was still fascinated by Selene, even though there was a slight frown marring his face now that Culus was in-range, and he could hear Culus' thoughts. He had to move fast to take the master ring before Midos awoke from the trance.
But then Culus noticed something awful; there was someone at the royal table who was keeping their wits. Instead of looking at Selene, they looked in his general direction; not directly at him, but with enough concentration for him to realize that neither the drug nor Selene's dancing had any effect.
Helios.
The Charmander wasn't looking at Selene, unlike everyone other than him in the room. Instead, the prince was looking at a spot a meter or two away from him. Helios' food was nearly untouched; did Helios, the spoiled prince, thwart his plan by being a picky eater?
Culus moved closer to the royal table, and Helios's eyes followed him. They had no recognition, and Helios wasn't looking at him, but he had seen movement. And now King Midos's focus had sharpened further, as he was reading Helios's thoughts as well.
Culus slowly walked around the tables, trying to lose Helios's sight; that, or draw him to Selene's visage, so that he would be enchanted again and Culus could once again advance on Midos.
But then a cloud covered the moon, and he heard a voice behind him.
"Culus?"
Several thoughts flashed through his mind.
'She's recognized me.'
'I'm going to be caught.'
'Helios is going to warn King Midos.'
And then,
'I have to take it now!'
Selene's dancing had stopped, and so everyone was slowly waking up from their trances. Sprinting into a Quick Attack, Culus made a mad dash for Kind Midos, weaving under and through the tables as fast as he could.
Helios yelped as Culus passed straight underneath him, but Culus paid him no attention. His focus was on the master ring.
Then, as King Midos finally snapped back into reality, Culus slid the ring off Midos's hand, and he felt a small tingle at the base of his tail.
'Undo all restrictions!' He commanded, as information about how to use the master ring flooded his mind once he put it on.
And as the base of his tail tingled, a feeling of relief swept through him.
He was free.
Then he remembered his situation. King Midos looked at him, utterly bemused.
But not for much longer.
Culus hit the confused king with a Thunder Shock. It wasn't enough to hurt Midos, but enough to distract him. As a portion of the King's ornamental robes caught on fire from the attack, Culus made a mad dash towards the exit of the ballroom; the secret passage he came in through was too far away for him to use without being caught.
While he was safe from the slavery band, they could still catch him through usual means, as they had done when they had placed the band on him initially. He had to escape the castle, and now that all eyes were on him, that would be incredibly difficult.
But it wasn't impossible.
A couple of guards, a Rhydon and a Wobbufet, tried to block and stop him, but Culus vaulted onto a nearby table and jumped straight over them, ignoring them completely. He felt the Wobbuffet's Shadow Tag attempt to grasp him, but he nimbly avoided the psychic leash and dashed onwards.
He was in the halls; the secret passages closest to him were still a long way away, as this was a relatively new wing compared to the rest of the castle. As far as he could tell, the Regilians didn't know about their secret passages, though for some reason, he did. If he could sneak into one, he would be able to lose them.
Well, until their senses returned enough for them to release the hounds. Culus didn't know what he would do then. He had initially planned to steal the master ring and sneak out before anyone caught on to his attempt at escape; that opportunity left.
A squadron of Dragnian Vikavolt had come up after him, quickest on the uptake and fury in their eyes after seeing what he had done. He had an advantage, though; while they outnumbered him, could outspeed him, and in a fair fight would overpower him, they had to be more careful than he would.
The battlefield was the castle of their allies, not his. They couldn't go wild like they probably could on the battlefield, while Culus didn't care if this castle was razed to the ground or not.
Turning into another hall, the squadron of Vikavolt on his tail, Culus jumped onto a nearby ornamental table, before throwing a vase of flowers on them. The flowers weren't anything special, but the water did well to shock them. Most electric types learned early in their life not to wildly discharge electricity around them, but when you're tired from soporific drugs, it gets a little harder. Surprise increases the difficulty even more.
The shock from the water hitting them caused the Vikavolt to discharge their electricity, sending them into seizures and making them drop to the floor like flies. They stayed there, twitching and continuously discharging electricity into the puddle below. Arcs jumped wildly from them to the air around them. A stray bolt hit him, making him wince.
It was an effective barricade, and the guards couldn't follow him through this hall for a while. As Culus started running through the corridors again, he couldn't believe the luck he had tonight; his plan's execution was almost perfect, save for a few small issues here and there.
Culus spied a window to his right. He might not even need the secret passages; if he jumped straight out and made a beeline for the forest stretching far beyond the castle's walls, Culus could remove any trail and scent they could use to track him with a river or stream; thus, he would have made his escape.
Culus opened the window, and a sharp winter breeze entered his nostrils, contrasting sharply with the cloying scent of the sedative and the warm aroma of pumpkins and spices from the feast. Cautiously, he stepped outside. No shock awaited him; the slavery band had been neutralized, and would hopefully never be armed against him again.
He had finally escaped.
…
And then a psychic barrier slammed into place around the castle.
Culus stared at the lavender sheen blocking him from the forest, struggling to comprehend what had just happened. What was this?
Culus hit the Barrier with a Thunder Shock; it dissipated to nothingness on the Barrier's surface. He was on the outer edge of the castle, near the outskirts. This Barrier was all that separated him from the outside world.
Freedom was so near; he could taste it…
Culus slammed into the Barrier, hoping it would break, fracture, or at least show a dent. But it stayed perfectly intact, keeping him securely penned inside.
"There he is! The murderer, Kite!" Culus froze as voices echoed beneath him. "He's trying to escape!"
Culus immediately fled back into the castle, running even faster in the halls. He didn't know how long it would take the guards to remove the Vikavolt hazard; Culus didn't know if he could pull off a stunt like that twice, either.
Then he found it; a secret passage. Just as loud voices signified that the alerted guards were going to turn the corner, he slipped in. Wasting no time, he ran until he was far inside the secret network of passages deep inside the castle.
How had things gone so wrong?! How could Culus have known that they could set up a psychic barrier around the castle?
'Where had he failed?'
Culus breathed hard. This intersection of secret passages was the place that he had fallen apart a few days ago, where he had stopped panicking, where he pulled himself together.
Why wasn't that happening now?!
A few minutes passed as Culus tried in vain to regain control. He couldn't stay in the secret passages forever; once they fully recovered and started sending trackers, like Growlithe that could follow his scent, the secret passage wouldn't keep him safe. Culus would lose one of the few advantages he had left, and once they cornered him, he wouldn't have any.
That was the purpose of the Barrier right now; Culus could see how it was supposed to be the last line of defense of the castle, but for tonight, they were using it to box him in.
How was he supposed to beat this? There wasn't anything he could create that could break through the Barrier; his creation had rules to it, one of them being that he couldn't make anything huge, certainly nothing larger than himself. Even if he could, he would instantly knock himself out from exertion, and it would be pointless. He had used up a lot of stamina earlier, after all. Making all of the needles for the sleep immunization and running around was tiring him out.
No - Culus had to remain awake until he was safe.
Was there a weakness in the Barrier? Maybe he could knock out the Pokemon making the Barrier - no, they had probably put a guard on the barrier-makers, if there were any.
He needed more information to work with, but he didn't have the time!
Culus grit his teeth and continued walking in the passage. He would achieve nothing by waiting for capture.
He found an exit to the labyrinth of secret passages, opening to an empty hall. They were looking for him on the other side of the castle, which gave him more time to examine the Barrier. Jumping out a window, he inspected his last obstacle.
The Barrier stood in front of him, impenetrable. He didn't know how much force it would take to break through it, and using up the rest of his energy trying to find out sounded like a death wish. Likewise, he didn't know if interacting with the Barrier would alert any barrier-makers as to where he was.
He had to bypass the Barrier altogether, or else find out its weak point so that he would lose the least amount of energy breaking through it. Leaping from the windowsill up to the roof of the hall, and from there even higher, Culus began analyzing.
Judging from what he could see, the Barrier seemed uniformly solid. There was a chance that it didn't extend underground; though, that kind of oversight seemed obvious. He wouldn't have been able to dig underground anyway, so it wasn't an option, and no tunnels led underground near the castle.
The Barrier was hemispherical, a perfectly circular arc. Its sheen was bright all the way through, so there weren't any weak spots he could attack. Logically, Culus knew that it wasn't impenetrable; it wouldn't be able to take a reasonably sized army for more than five minutes, not unless the Barrier was made by a true Legendary. It could easily take one pint-sized Shinx like himself, though.
He underestimated the Regilians; he had thought that the only defense system they had were the stone walls, and the only thing keeping him from escaping was the slavery band. But they had more defenses than he anticipated, and more ways to keep him penned in than they had let him learn.
Culus clenched his jaw and slapped himself. Now wasn't the time to get hopeless!
'Think… think!'
Was there any opening, any oversight, that he could use to escape through the Barrier?
Then he came upon an idea. The Barrier was thick, impossible for him to penetrate; he had to find a place where it didn't cover. He had to get around the Barrier rather than through.
Culus inspected the psychic dome more closely. It was near uninterrupted since Ascendance Palace was wider than it was tall. Since some of the wings of the castle were relatively new, judging by the lack of secret passages from the ballroom, the Barrier had to be a relatively new installment as well. However, the architects had to integrate it into the defense mechanisms of the castle itself, as a psychic feat of such size and geometric perfection was too hard to coordinate naturally.
It wasn't ancient, but they had built the Barrier into the castle itself. Some instinct was telling Culus that it was essential to see the hole in the dome, the one that the Regilians hadn't closed.
Culus looked, not at the Barrier, but the castle. It was of rather peculiar construction; most of the palace was flat, only one or two stories tall, and the dome extended over most of it. But right in the middle of the castle was the throne room. On top of it was the Tower of Chandeliers.
Each successive ruler of Regilia would build another floor on top of the tower and would decorate each level to their liking continuously throughout their lives. The first floor, the throne room, was of the founder, Sotomon. The second belonged to his successor and child, Menitas. Menitas's child had the third floor, and so on throughout the dynasty.
As Culus started thinking about it, more random trivia came to him. It was called the Tower of Chandeliers due to the chandeliers that went along the tower. Each chandelier was held up by other ones above it, supposedly showing how Regilia and Regilia's ancestry is held up by the current monarch. No stairs lead up the tower; the king or queen was expected to build their floor on their own and had to teleport or else have someone teleport up there.
Culus stared at the Barrier; since the defense mechanism passed through the tower, it hadn't changed while the tower did.
Culus took a nearby roof slate and threw it at the Barrier. As expected, it bounced off. The Barrier didn't let solid objects through, so how did the tower stay upright, even though the dome disconnected it from its support?
Most likely, the tower was his best shot.
Culus slipped back into the secret passage once he had made sure that there weren't any guards inside, before heading into one of the secret passages. It was only a few minutes before he arrived at the throne room; there weren't any guards here, since Midas had sent everyone to look for him.
Culus ran across the throne room, jumped onto the throne, and from there, he jumped onto a window. Then, from there, he barely managed to grab on to the first chandelier. Pulling himself up, he felt the centuries-old chandelier creak.
Then, powering himself up with a Quick Attack, he jumped on the next chandelier, a little bit above him. He was on floor two of the tower now.
On and on he went, as fast as he could climb, nothing else he could do; falling from here would break his spine or the chain holding up the chandelier he happened to land on, making it fall to the floor (and crush his spine another way). This plan was an all-or-nothing gambit.
Paradoxically, the climb became easier the higher he climbed. The chandeliers were newer and built better. To hold up all of the chandeliers below them, they added more chains, distributing the weight so that one chain didn't have to hold every chandelier up. There were now more ways to climb than just jumping from the top of one chandelier to the leg of the one above it.
The murals on the walls of the tower changed art styles, from classical paintings to a more modern look. He was nearing the top.
Then Culus saw the roof. He redoubled his efforts and found a hatch that led outside. He quickly unlocked it and went through.
The hatch locked behind him, but he wasn't the one who relocked it. Then he saw a glow of psychic power, and a smaller barrier slammed into place around the top of the tower.
"Hello, Kite."
Culus turned around and saw King Midos, fully awake and looking royally pissed. A singe-mark decorated the hem of his robe, and an acrid smell filled the air.
Then King Midos shook his head, and a neutral look replaced the dark frown. "Welcome to my floor. Do you like it?"
Culus didn't care.
"I thought not. I must say, I'm rather surprised. With the restrictions on you that I had placed, I thought you would have been left helpless. But where you were supposed to be, I saw that two guards were napping on the ground, dosed with Sleep Powder and Parasel's drug. A drug that Parasel has also just found traces of in our meals."
Midos lifted Culus with psychic power, then slammed him forcefully to the ground. "Thought you were clever, did you? Did you honestly think that you could escape the fate you assigned yourself? Did you challenge yourself to humiliate me?"
Culus couldn't think, head filled with pain. A few hours without pain, and his resistance had dropped back to where it could hinder him.
"I'll tell you this much; you lost your chance. Tomorrow, you and that Selene girl will be fully imprisoned. I will send you to Undeath, and you will lose your mind within hours." There was no sadism in King Midos's face; the neutral look hadn't left. He said it all with perfect calm in his voice; Midos asked the questions innocently, not mockingly. It made no sense, but then, very few things about what Midos said did.
"S-Selene?" He managed to get out.
"Yes, your accomplice, too." Midos drawled. "Her cabinet doors are locked; you'd need her help for most of what you did. And synchronizing a drug with the dance was something I hadn't thought of, and a loophole I need to close now. Once word of what occurred during the Moonlit Wandering spreads through the land, no one will want to see her for fear of the vulnerability. Frankly, she's burned all her bridges. I hope she's satisfied with her choices." Finally, a note of mocking entered his voice.
Then Culus felt his limbs moving forward on their own. Puppeteered by Midos's powers, he slowly approached the king; then, when he was right in front of the king, his paw lifted by itself to show Midos the master ring on his finger. With all his might, Culus tried desperately to resist, to overpower Midos's control over his limbs, but he might as well have not bothered.
Midos examined the ring on Culus's finger. "A beautiful gem, isn't it? Kite, I must say, my mockings earlier were out of irritation more than anything else. Your plan was relatively simple, but simple plans often work out better than convoluted ones. It showed several holes in our defenses, and for that, I must commend you. Why, you have even shown me a hole in the Barrier that I hadn't considered. You would have escaped if it wasn't for me retreating here to gain a new perspective on your escape."
Midos pulled the master ring off Culus's finger. "But, in the end, you failed. And for what you've done, I can never thank you."
And then Midos, with a flippant flick, hit the collar fused to Culus' neck.
Culus screamed, feeling everything drop beneath him. Before he could truly process what was going on, he had broken entirely through his psychic jail, Dark-type energy flooding his limbs, and lunged at King Midos. Caught completely off-guard, Midos dropped the master ring.
OBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLANTHIEFKILLEDGUARDBROKELIFEHARPTHIEFKILLEDGUARDBROKELIFEHARPOBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLAN
Culus grabbed the master ring before it even touched the ground.
OBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLANTHIEFKILLEDGUARDBROKELIFEHARPTHIEFKILLEDGUARDBROKELIFEHARPOBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLAN
Culus, cloaked in Dark-type energy, smashed cleanly through Midos' barrier, weakened from the dark aura coursing through Midos's body. Culus fell several stories, before impacting the Barrier with a harsh slam. Then Culus's body, moving on its own, got up and started running. Distantly above him, he heard Midos shout and saw the Barrier flickering uncertainly below as they began to shut down the Barrier to catch him.
OBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLANTHIEFKILLEDGUARDBROKELIFEHARPTHIEFKILLEDGUARDBROKELIFEHARPOBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLANOBEYPLAN
His body started running in a Quick Attack and leaped right before the Barrier fully was shut off below him. He tumbled into the forest below but held a tight grip on the master ring nonetheless. He broke several branches on the way down, yet remained conscious.
PLANCOMPLETEPLANCOMPLETEPLANCOMPLETEPLANCOMPLETETHIEFKILLEDGUARDBROKELIFEHARPTHIEFKILLEDGUARDBROKELIFEHARPPLANCOMPLETEPLANCOMPLETEPLANCOMPLETEPLANCOMPLETE
With a pounding headache, Culus slowly got up, whatever that was puppeteering him relinquishing its control. Wasn't he on the tower? Midos looming over him, taking the master ring off him? What just happened?
His collar, the one on him since the very beginning, was shining. The gem embedded deep inside the collar was glowing. Though, as the seconds ticked by and Culus's mental faculties returned, the glow faded, to be replaced with its normal look.
Culus felt a sense of panic overtake him as he tried to tug the collar off but to no success. It remained stuck to him as it always did. All Midos had done was touch it, and he went ballistic.
What had the Zoroark done to him?
A siren went off in the castle, jolting Culus out of his panic. "Right… now's not the time for that," he said to remind himself of what was important. Right now, he was outside of the Barrier. Judging from the shouting, they didn't have any more defense systems besides their infantry.
He had to escape, but they had pokemon faster than him. And they could afford to break some greenery to get to him. And they could still trace him.
Culus looked at the dried branches beneath him. There hadn't been any rain in the past week, and most of the trees were old and dry.
The solution to his problem presented itself.
Culus started hitting the dried trees with Thunder Shock after Thunder Shock. Then, after the seventh shock, one of the trees ignited, and then another.
Culus started running as the flames spread. The fire would only help him, as it would make it harder for them to track him. Who knows how far it could spread, how far it would spread… it didn't matter. The fire was going to let him escape, and smoke and falling trees would mask his trail.
He was going to find the Zoroark. He was going to take the Life Harp back. He was going to clear his name.
And no one could stop him.
She always liked dancing. It was more than her purpose in the castle; she always felt alive when dancing. Of course, like most good things, it came with its consequences. She needed Mr. Parasel's pills after a performance, and skimping out on it would leave her tired the next hour or day, depending on how good the performance was.
Still, the Moonlit Wandering had to be the favorite dance she had done so far, and it was by far the most challenging dance she had performed so far, even in practice. Selene would admit to feeling moths in her stomach ten minutes before the start of the performance. She wanted it to be perfect, especially for Eve, who was a little moody recently.
But then the moon shone on her. Cresselia must have blessed her, because, after weeks of practice, she, at last, managed to perform the Moonlit Wandering flawlessly. Or, at least, she thought she did, as she was far too engrossed in the atmosphere and her performance to judge it accurately.
But through the beautiful haze of the dance, she felt something amiss. Usually, she'd hear some idle chatter from the returning Regilians, who would be much more resistant to her intoxicating motions. Now, they were as silent as everyone else was.
Was she doing something wrong?
Then that thought faded away; she was dancing, and they wouldn't stop her immediately! The Twin Moon Ball was always a treasure, even when they substituted the broken Life Harp for a fake. She'd enjoy this half-hour, or however long they let her perform, more than her birthday and every other holiday combined. Even during practice, she only ever practiced choreography, and it never held the same power of a pure dance.
She didn't know exactly how long she danced. It couldn't have been any longer than ten minutes, but to her, it felt like years of bliss and happiness. However, it was still far too short.
During her performance, the moon's sacred radiance shined on her, giving her a surge of grace and stamina. But when a cloud, an awful, awful cloud, blocked that moonbeam, she was instantly drawn out of her dance and brought back to reality.
Selene's dancing was entrancing, and when she stopped, people usually returned to their senses within a second. But everyone was still staring slack-jawed at her, even Eve, who had been entirely resistant to her for years. Selene felt a spike of concern - something was wrong.
And then she saw him.
"Culus?"
What was he doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be with the other servants; wait, no, he was supposed to be waiting for the guards to imprison him tomorrow. What was he doing in the middle of the ballroom? Culus sped off towards the royal table, and Selene froze, rooted to the spot.
Then Culus did something to King Midos, something she couldn't see, and then he attacked the king.
Selene's blood chilled.
The next second, Culus was off, escaping toward a pair of open doors. Selene's mouth opened to shout, only for nothing to come out. Culus cleanly escaped. Now the breaker of the Life Harp, a murderer, was loose in the castle halls.
The next few minutes were a haze. The cloud that had been covering the moon drifted away, and Selene began dancing again. For once, though, she wanted not to dance; her dance was going to slow everyone down.
Luckily, Mrs. Strect managed to stop her thirty seconds in, dragging her to the backstage and physically knocking some sense into her. It took a few seconds, but she was brought to reason immediately.
"Selene, what have you done?!" Mrs. Strect whispered harshly.
"I… I…" It occurred to Selene what happened. Her dancing, her entrancing and hypnotic dancing, had allowed Culus to approach King Midos and do something. "I think I just made a huge mistake," she admitted.
Mrs. Strect hissed. "Stay here while everyone looks for that blasted Shinx; don't get in anyone's way, do you understand?!"
"Y-yes, ma'am!" Selene quickly nodded as Strect left. As Selene looked at the ballroom, most of the guards had gone, along with the nobles. No one wanted to stay cooped up in a room when security left.
But Eve was still there, and she was still uninjured, which brought a great deal of relief to Selene. Selene couldn't imagine losing her.
Then, Eve caught Selene's eye, and for a second, Selene saw nothing but sorrow and regret on Eve's face. She wiped it away in a second, but Selene could never forget that remorse.
Eve quickly ran up to the stage, climbed up, and ran backstage, before walking up to Selene. "Eve, what's going on?" Selene asked, hoping that Eve understood the situation better than she did.
"They're looking throughout the castle for Culus; they're hoping to catch him before he gets away." She looked to the side door. "Come on, let's go help them."
"Mrs. Strect told me to stay here-"
"Forget about that! For now, what I say overrules her." Selene couldn't remember the last time Eve exercised her authority as Yurime's fiancee. But as the to-be wife of a prince, she still had more power than any dance instructor. Selene got up.
A few minutes later, as they were running through the halls trying to find Culus, Selene realized that Eve said, 'for now,' implying that she eventually wouldn't have that authority.
A couple of minutes of searching through the halls later, after the guards erected the Barrier around the castle, they slowed down. "Where do you think he could be hiding?"
"I… I don't know, Selene." Eve eventually said. Selene opened her mouth to offer some theories as to where they could look, only to close it upon seeing Eve's remorse. "Selene… I need to talk to you about something. Something important."
"... go on." Some instinct told Selene that this would be important for Eve to say to her, more critical than apprehending Culus.
"First… do you remember when Helios first came to the library, what message he had for me?"
"Uh…" Selene didn't remember - though, now when she thought about it, that was around the point that Eve started being so depressed and distant. "I… no, I've forgotten, sorry."
"It's no issue," Eve waved her hand. "Helios was carrying a message from Yurime; he had come to tell me that they had set the bonding ritual to happen tonight."
Selene remembered something like that. "Yeah, I think I remember. What," she hesitated. "What is the bonding ritual?"
That instinct from before told her that she was not going to like the answer, and when Eve finally spilled the beans, that instinct was proven correct.
"He-he's going to..." Selene gulped, feeling faint. "We can't be friends anymore?"
"Not unless Yurime gives permission each time I want to talk to you," Eve replied, miserable. "I've done a lot more research into it in the past week; the permissions reset every hour, so even if he gives permission, we'll have very little time to reconnect."
And Selene couldn't imagine Yurime permitting Eve to do what she wanted. Outwardly, Yurime didn't like or dislike Selene; he had never been any more or less than distant and polite toward her. But Selene found that her first impressions were almost always accurate (almost, since she had discovered that Culus was much more dangerous and evil than she had initially scoped him out to be). Upon seeing Yurime for the first time, Selene felt the contempt and disdain he had held for her.
Maybe it would happen once or twice at the beginning, to give Eve some motivation. But Selene knew that once they completed the bonding ritual, they would grow apart.
"I… I had asked Helios and Slate to tell you this since I wouldn't be able to after tonight. But now that we have some time alone, I… I've told you everything."
"Eve…" Selene desperately wanted to tell her that Selene would always be her friend, always be by her side in her heart. Yet, she also knew that people often gained and lost friends, depending on changes in their environment. If Selene couldn't physically be by her side, near her, Eve would eventually have to find a new friend to fill that aching hole in her heart.
Eve, at the very least, would be able to interact with high society. She'd have to change, but that's what Eevee did best, and Selene could tell that Eve would eventually fit the archetype for the high-class Regilian lady. Selene could never integrate like that. She was a mutant, a Pokemon first-of-a-species with a dysfunctional immune system (or so Madam Rahan and Parasel said).
Selene didn't mesh with any other person in the castle. She vaguely remembered the first few years of her life as being dull and lonely, until Eve moved to Eonia. She was the only one not repulsed by her when she wasn't dancing, at least until she had met Helios and Slate. The servants were kind but tended to avoid her.
She found that she couldn't look at Eve, and instead averted her eyes toward a window leading outside. The Barrier had disappeared, and in its place was a giant burning conflagration. Eve followed her gaze.
"Do you think they're trying to smoke him out?" Selene eventually asked, trying to distract the both of them.
Eve shook her head. "Unless he's built a shelter in the forest, no. If anything, this will set them back, since the difficulty of finding him will increase with the flames masking sight, sound, and temperature, and the smoke masking scent. If he can get out and survive, he'll find it much easier to leave and escape his fate…" Eve trailed off. "Escape his fate…"
"Eve?"
Eve turned to her, lavender eyes shining. "Selene, I just had an amazing idea, but we need to act quickly. Quick, let's get to your room, you have plenty of supplies there!"
"Eve? What are you talking about?" But Eve was already rushing away at breakneck speeds, forcing Selene to have to run to keep up. "Eve!"
"Hurry up!"
Selene couldn't respond, too short on breath. She was still in the dress she had put on earlier for the Moonlit Wandering, which made it much harder to keep up with Selene's more sensible robes. She had to use her insect-like wings, which weren't too strong and not well equipped for flying, to keep up.
Eventually, Eve stopped at Selene's room. "Quick, Selene, unlock the door!"
"I… what are you-"
"Just do it!"
Selene decided not to question her and instead fished around her dress's small pockets, where she found her key, next to her bottle of pills that she was supposed to take after the performance. She passed the key to Eve, who hurriedly unlocked her door.
"Come on! We don't have that much time to waste!" Eve ordered.
"Eve, what's gotten into you?!" Selene shouted as Eve tore through her room, before eventually finding some small supply bags Selene had offered to store for Madam Rahan. They were environmental utility bags meant to withstand all elements and be hard to rip; nobody wanted a field medic to lose supplies.
"Selene, help me pack this bag," Eve ordered. "I need to cover the essentials, a couple of berries of every type, some disinfectant… I can fashion tools and hunt if I need to…" Eve murmured as she started stuffing Berries into her bag.
Selene tiptoed around the giant mess of bags, Berry juice, and some familiar liquid that Selene couldn't quite remember on the floor (she didn't remember making that mess). "Eve, are you running away?!"
"Yes, as soon as possible," Eve answered quickly. "I need your help; any suggestions on what to pack?"
"WHY?!"
Eve stopped. "Why? Because I'm not going to stick around for them to steal my freedom tonight. I don't mind being Yurime's wife; I mind being a slave to his will. I will not undergo the bonding ritual, and if I have to leave this castle, then so be it."
Selene's mouth went dry. She previously held a small, dim hope that Eve was pranking her (though Eve had never done such a thing before). There was no way that was the case now. Eve was preparing to leave.
"Wil… will you come back?"
Eve snorted. "Of course. It's not the castle I mind; it's turning into a slave to Yurime's will. The ritual will only stick if it's performed while I'm evolving, so if I evolve before then, it'll slip off me like soap."
Selene's pale eyes widened. "That's…"
"It's risky, but if I can survive the journey and evolve, it'll be worth it. Stones are rare, but Mt. Polymus is nearby. There's both a Moss Rock and an Ice Rock, so it won't take long for me to evolve. As long as I evolve before they catch me, they won't be able to put the bonding ritual on me."
"But… but you'll get into trouble!"
"Maybe, but there's a risk to everything. Whatever happens, Yurime won't be able to put the bonding ritual on me after I evolve, and anything is better than being imprisoned in body and soul to him." Eve sighed. "Anything else I should put in?"
"... a map."
Eve nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea."
Selene tossed Eve a map, and Eve stuffed it in her bag. Quickly, they packed Eve's bag full of everything that Selene thought Eve would need for the trip. A perusing of her bookshelf found a guide to medicinal and edible plants, and general survival, a knife, and some money for emergencies.
Packing everything up, Eve turned to Selene. "I'll be able to get anything else on the road. I've always wanted to try my hand at theft, see if I'd be any good at it," Eve laughed sardonically.
Selene was silent. "When.. when do you think you'll be able to return?"
"A week? A month? Two months?" Eve shrugged. "I'll take as long as it needs. If I'm lucky, I'll find an elemental stone on the road and evolve on the spot. Then I won't need to go all the way to Mt. Polymus." Eve hefted the bag. "Come on, let's go. I hear voices."
They soon started running back through the halls, narrowly avoiding some incoming guards. As they ran, she started thinking. Up to two months without Eve; no, even more than that. That would be a long time for Eve to be alone.
What if she decided that she didn't want to return? That Selene wasn't worth the trouble?
Selene tried to banish the thoughts as they ran, but they kept coming. They soon arrived at an open window, facing the wildfire outside. Eevee were resistant to flames and high heat (along with everything else, considering their ability to mutate genes to fit different environments), and Eve was fast. Even if some of her fur caught on fire, she could jump into a nearby stream to extinguish it. Eve would be alright for the first leg of her journey.
As Eve started climbing out the window, Selene finally let her thoughts be known. "Please… please come back soon," she begged, small tears leaking out of her eyes.
Eve stopped, turned, looked at Selene, then smiled. "I'll come back as soon as I can, don't worry." Eve stepped forward and hugged Selene, who leaned into it. Her tears were staining her ugly, garish dress, and she didn't care.
"S-stay safe," Selene choked out. Eve nodded. It was around a minute before Eve let go of her, climbing back on the windowsill. Eve shot her one last warm look, before jumping down. Selene climbed up the sill and watched as Eve jumped from rafter to rafter, windowsill to windowsill, until she landed on the ground and made a break for the flames, jumping in fearlessly, not stopping for a second.
She'd be fine; the flames wouldn't hurt her.
But what else could?
Then, Selene heard voices and remembered she was supposed to be backstage in the ballroom, not on top of a random windowsill. Quickly, she jumped out so that they wouldn't see her; she'd be able to climb back in soon enough.
"Sir, preliminary inspection of suspect Selene's room is complete!" A voice, the one that she had heard when packing with Eve, announced.
Wait, they inspected her room? And what did they mean, suspect?
"Results?" The chief of security, an Aggron named Aegeron, asked harshly.
"Contaminants of Chesto Berry Juice and Revival Herb Extract were found spilled on her floor. The locks are intact, so the murderer Kite can't have broken them. We also found several supplies missing, and from some packs laid on the floor. And her bottle of Sleep Powder is missing."
Chesto Berry Juice? Revival Herb Extract? Selene realized with a gasp that there weren't any Chesto Berries in her store, and that substance on the ground must have been her Revival Herb Extract.
Wait, had Culus used her supplies?!
"... I was hoping the king's suspicion was wrong, but it seems that his Majesty's wisdom prevails in the end. That Selene mutant is a traitor."
"T-Traitor, sir?"
"Use your head, would you?" Aegeron snapped. "Kite used her supplies to escape; we found Sleep Powder on the guards, so she must have given him some." As he spoke, his voice rose. "She used her dance as an opportunity for him to take the master ring! Do you understand?!"
"B-but-"
"Where was she last seen, private?!"
"S-someone saw her w-walking outside the ballroom with Prince Yurime's fiancee!"
A small silence stretched. Selene couldn't breathe.
"FIND THAT MUTANT TRAITOR BEFORE SHE HARMS EVE!" Aegeron bellowed, causing the private to scurry away. "I knew that monster was evil the moment I laid eyes on it. We should have killed her years ago!" And then, on the tail of the private, he was stomping away.
…
Selene let go of her breathe. Then, she started to hyperventilate.
She was going to die. She was going to die. Somehow, everything implicated her as well. The Chesto Juice and Revival Herb Extract had gone missing; Culus had probably taken it along with her Sleep Powder, to escape! How had he gotten into her cabinets?! She was the only one with the key!
And once they found that Eve was missing, what was she going to do?!
Selene started shivering as the winter air blew into her thin dress, the warmth of the wildfire only partially mitigating it. She was in the shadow of the rafters, meaning that she wouldn't break out into dance just yet, not that it would save her.
Thought, it may be worth it. A dance, for as long as Selene wanted, before the moon fell. She would be dying soon, anyway.
… what was Eve going to think when she returned, when she heard that Selene was dead or imprisoned?
Selene stared blankly into the wildfire in the forest below. It just now occurred to her that for the first time in her life, she was outside the castle walls. They never let her leave, saying that it was safest for her to stay inside.
…
… Selene always had dreamed of seeing the world, now that she thought about it. It had some sort of forbidden allure to her. She had always wanted to visit mountain peaks; to explore the towns with her own two feet and wings instead of through the world of literature.
…
The choice was clear. She had no reason to stay any longer. Eve had left, and her career here was dead, no matter how she thought of it.
Selene pulled out her bottle of pills from the dress's pocket and popped one into her mouth. She felt a large amount of stamina leave her, but it was necessary. She slipped off her dress and walked into the moonlight. There was a small urge to dance, but the pill reduced it, along with any side effects her dancing would cause.
She flapped her wings a few times experimentally, feeling the winter air currents on her scales, before fluttering to the ground.
If she was fast, she could make it.
Once she landed, she made a beeline for the bonfire. It would be much more dangerous for her than it would be for Eve, considering her disadvantageous typing and lack of resistance. But she had no choice.
Running through the flames was an experience. Selene's wing scales caught on fire many, many times, and as she couldn't stop to put it out (otherwise she could catch on fire more seriously), she had to keep going. The flames and the smoke were incredibly dangerous, and she was doing something incredibly stupid.
But then she found her.
"Eve!" She shouted, before immediately regretting it as tons of smoke entered her lungs. Still, Eve, who had been moving at a more manageable pace than she had, quickly turned around, her face orange lit by the flames.
"Selene?!" She shouted, face covered in worry. "What are you doing here? Go back!"
"I can't!" Selene shouted. "They want to arrest me!"
"WHAT?!"
"We have to go! Now!"
Selene continued running forward, and Eve followed her. Eve kept shouting questions at her, but Selene couldn't answer, not yet. Her head was starting to spin, and the flames started burning more painfully. Still, she had to keep going.
Then, somehow, they outran the wildfire. The flames were still spreading behind the two of them, so even then, they couldn't stop, but Selene could now breathe more freely as they slowed down to a manageable pace.
"S-Selene!" Eve hacked and coughed. "What.. what do you mean, 'they'll arrest you'?!"
Selene couldn't answer immediately, too preoccupied with managing her breath and extinguishing the flames on her scales to answer. But then, when they were jogging at a reasonable pace, her breath was strong enough to speak, and she wasn't on fire, she found her answer.
"My… my supplies were raided. Chesto Berry Juice, Revival Herb Extract, Sleeping Powder! Culus used them all to escape, and he took something from King Midos - a 'master ring' - during my performance!" Selene took a deep breath as she continued running. "They're blaming me! And now that you're gone, they think that I took you too!"
Eve had gone white.
"It's not your fault!" Selene shouted. "I should have-"
"It's not your fault!" Eve's face was still white, shocked pale with worry, but it also held a wealth of determination."We're going to bring Culus to justice!" Eve shouted. "I'm going to evolve, and we'll capture Culus so that we can clear your name!"
…
… right. That was the only thing that the two of them could do.
They escaped the forest line and into an empty field, and the flames stopped spreading behind them. They slowed to a stop, and Selene felt a painful ache in her limbs. She was going to be in a lot of pain in the morning.
But as the moon shone on her, Selene found herself energized once more. She looked out at the open field. Culus was far too slippery to have been caught now; he was out there somewhere.
Once Eve had evolved, they would find him. Selene wouldn't let her life fall to waste at the hands of an awful person like Culus; she would find him, and she would make sure he suffered the consequences of his actions.
He wouldn't be able to ruin her life and get away with it.
They started running again.
"Here it is," Zennitas, the thief that he had hired, placed the target on the table. "The Life Harp." The Zoroark whistled. "Here I was thinking Regilia's defenses were going to be more trouble, but I snuck in and out without that many problems."
"But there were problems," he stressed.
"Oh, sure," Zennitas remarked offhandedly. "There was the matter of the guard at the treasure chamber - that Nidorina sure had sharp senses to sense me through my illusion. Still, I killed her and took off with the Life Harp."
"I see," he murmured. He didn't mention to Zennitas that he already knew all of this. "I see that you no longer have the collar I'd given you."
"Oh, yeah, that thing worked like a charm. That Shinx is taking all of the blame now, I went back to check." Zennitas chuckled. "Say, where can I buy more of those things?"
"They're non-negotiable," he said shortly. "And since you used one, there'll be no payment."
Zennitas frowned, and he leaned his arm on his table. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
He snorted. "Those collars cost many thousands of Poke to make, as I have already told you. You assured me that you wouldn't need it. You needed it. I'm extending the job beyond the initial scope; you will have half of the money paid in advance."
Zennitas groaned. "Fine, I can work with that; but it'll take some time, I have other jobs lined up."
He frowned. "Very well. The mission is thus; meet me at Felmagador Canyon in three weeks."
"... that's the job?"
"I only need the assurance that you will be there." He said offhandedly, before sliding two thousand Poke across the table. "This is your advance. I'll give you the rest when you come."
Zennitas shrugged. "Fine by me; though, if I get that collar off of the Shinx, I'll give it back and expect the full payment."
He shook his head. "It'll break before you can get it off, and you'll have to deal with the corpse afterward."
"Ah, crap."
END OF THE TWIN MOON BALL ARC
With that, the first arc of this fic is done. If you feel that you had to suffer through all that exposition, I have to apologize. A lot of it was necessary for later conflicts, and this arc was the place to introduce them. I know it lagged in the middle, but I hope this was a satisfactory conclusion to the arc.
If you enjoyed the chapter, feel free to fav, follow, or review. They all mean a lot to me, and I enjoy reading them all.
See you later!
