Helios had panicked. Looking back, it was embarrassing. He was rightthere! Kite had been right in front of him, and Helios could have stopped him if he so much as extended a claw to help King Midos!

And he didn't! Helios had shrieked as Kite passed under his chair and attacked the king! And when Kite was doing something (Helios couldn't see what) to the king, he just sat there!

Now, Helios was sitting, miserable, surrounded by Slate and a few other guards, on a chair next to Aunt Hessie as Uncle Theus shouted orders to his guards. He wanted to say something. He had to apologize for letting Kite go like that. But the words lodged in his throat, and he stewed in agony.

"... teleport more water types!" Uncle Theus shouted, stomping on the ground. "We need to put out this wildfire before the ferals get too worked up! We don't need a stampede to make things even more dangerous for the search party!"

"Right away, sir!" Uncle's soldiers saluted, before teleporting away. Uncle paced up and down the hallway as Aunt Hessie continued fretting. "Prometheus, what are we going to do if that Kite monster comes for us?! You know that I can't fight-"

Uncle Theus turned on Aunt Hessie. "Enough! Kite coming for us is the least of our problems! He beat Squad V, yes, but Cerambus reported that he won through trickery, by forcing them to discharge their electricity and taking advantage of their 'unique biology'." Uncle Theus hissed. "They'll be in for some training when we get back."

Helios prayed for their souls.

Uncle Theus slammed the wall, shaking dust out of the corner of the room and letting it flutter to the ground. "Regilia easily defeated him before, Hesione, when Kite didn't catch them off-guard. We are equal to the Regilian guards. If Kite returns to Ascendance Palace, it will be to his peril, not his benefit." He pinned both Aunt Hessie and Helios with a flat stare. "Soon, Leafia and Midos will arrive to discuss our findings. The two of you must collect yourselves before you cause any delays. Do you understand now?"

Aunt Hessie mutely nodded, visibly shaken after having lost her bravado. Helios didn't say anything, but his physically-ingrained manners straightened his posture. Uncle Theus nodded approvingly.

A few minutes passed before King Leafia turned around the corner, flanked by Mentali and two of his elemental generals. Helios couldn't muster any of his usual enthusiasm, yet smiled slightly as Booster, his favorite of the three, settled down next to him to discuss matters.

"How goes the search efforts, Leafia?" Uncle Theus pressed immediately. "How much has the wildfire delayed them?"

"They go poorly," King Leafia frowned. "There are no leads as to where Kite has gone. The flames have erased any trails that he may have made, and the wildfire is quickly growing into the more pressing concern, stopping the search in its tracks."

Uncle Theus didn't take the news well. "If you have returned, who is leading the search?" Uncle sneered. "If you left someone incompetent in charge, I will have words with you!"

"General Caesian and Lord Black are," Leafia answered loftily. "Do you have any problems with that, Prometheus?"

Uncle Theus closed his mouth, eyes flashing. "None as of yet. Though, I must ask whether they have adequate experience handling such matters. Perhaps those with less experience concerning the routing of armies and more the movements of escaped convicts."

"There are none more experienced, Prometheus. Rest assured, they will find Kite and capture or kill him on the spot."

Uncle Theus said nothing, staring down Leafia. Eventually, though, he nodded. "Very well. I imagine that Midos will arrive shortly. I have some questions for him."

As if on cue, King Midos showed up in a tiny pop of light, along with Yurime. Midos looked more than a little tired. "I have recovered from my battle with Kite. How goes the search?" Midos asked promptly. Helios could hardly believe his ears. Kite had battled the king and won.

General Booster repeated the report to him. "In other words," Midos replied. "Any hope of finding him tonight is dwindling."

General Booster sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. General Caesian and Lord Black will do their best, but there is no guarantee that we will find him."

Midos said nothing for a second. Then he nodded. "I must thank you for your efforts," he commended. "Know that after you depart for your kingdoms, I will find this monster and put an end to his miserable life."

Judging from Uncle Theus's face, he wasn't reassured. "Midos, explain what had happened. All that your guards have told me is that he is a murderer. What's more, they have said it by complete accident, trying to keep it a secret. How have you found it fit to withhold this information from us for the past week, to tell us not of the threat that lurked in your walls?"

The room's tension spiked. Uncle Theus and Midos stared each other down.

Finally, Midos nodded. "I have wronged you by withholding such information. There is no excuse, other than the occurrence of the Twin Moon Ball in these halls being more important than my life. I had not wished to alarm you, considering the lengths that you traveled to arrive and that I had considered Kite neutralized before an hour ago."

"Neutralized? Neutralized?!" Uncle Theus raged. "There was a murderer in these walls. Throw him into a dungeon or just kill him!"

"Dungeon?" Midos asked, a sardonic smile on his face. "We have no dungeons. Ascendance Palace is a lair of opulence and might. I cannot tolerate something as ugly as a dungeon."

"Then what did you plan to do with Kite?" Uncle Theus snorted. "Did you fancy a lifetime servant, Midos? Did the idea of prison not come to you?"

"The idea did occur to me. However, within minutes, I had realized that it wouldn't be enough punishment. Kite deserves far worse than a mere prison for his sins." The vindictiveness was clear. "If you are still curious, I must ask one thing. Have you heard of Undeath?"

Helios hadn't, but it seemed like everyone else had. Aunt Hessie gasped, Slate trembled, Uncle Theus went white, the Generals went wide-eyed, and Leafia and Mentali froze in place. "Undeath?" Uncle Theus choked out at last. "You… for only a murder?"

'Only a murder'?! What kind of reaction was that? What was 'Undeath'?

"For more than the murder, Prometheus." Midos sighed again, and remorse crossed his face. "Kite was a thief trying to take the Life Harp. He battled Caesian's daughter, killed her, and broke the Life Harp in the process. The one you heard tonight was a fake."

Uncle Theus snorted incredulously. "Midos, you want to use Undeath because Kite broke a measly harp-"

Before Uncle Theus could say another word, Midos had teleported over to him and grabbed him by the throat. Uncle Theus' eyes went wide, but he did nothing. Aunt Hessie scrambled back as far away as she could.

Helios began to tremble. Midos had lost all his composure, and Uncle Theus was in danger. Helios knew he had to speak up, to ask King Midos to stop. Yet the words clogged in his throat, and he found himself just staring at Midos holding Uncle Theus captive.

"Prometheus. You misunderstand your place," Midos whispered. "You are a king, not of birth, but of being a regent chosen by the late King Hyperion to rule his kingdom until his son, Prince Helios, comes of age. You are a false king, a placeholder until that boy down there gets eight years older."

Uncle Theus choked in Midos's fist, but still did nothing. Helios idly wondered whether it was out of fear of his life, or whether he was afraid of the political consequences if he fought back.

"I have tolerated the late king's wish, for we were good friends. I haven't found you personable, but you have seemed to me to be a reasonable ruler. But I have never considered you more than an ally. An ally I am willing to discard if need be."

Uncle Theus finally started struggling, but it was too late. Midos locked all of his limbs, as well as his wings, in place with psychic power. With his throat blocked, there was nothing Helios's uncle could do.

"You have continuously irritated me tonight with your lack of respect, treating everyone in this room as idiots, as inferior to yourself, to hide your embarrassment at the failure of your troops. Yet still, for King Hyperion, I have tolerated you. However, you made an intolerable mistake, Prometheus. You have insulted the Life Harp, and I am an inch away from separating your head from your body." Midos sneered. "The resulting war be damned."

"Let him go."

Helios couldn't quite place where the words came from, but when Midos turned to look at him, he eventually realized that he had finally found his nerve.

Midos ignored him, continuing to hold Uncle Theus down. He also continued to talk, but Helios couldn't hear him anymore. That, and he no longer cared. The thumping in his heart grew louder as he walked to where Midos was standing.

Then he grabbed Midos's cloak, finally getting his attention.

"L-let him go," he trembled, his heart thumping like the beat of a drum. Okay, so maybe his nerve hadn't returned in full.

Midos stared at him, yet didn't let go of Uncle Theus. "Your fool of an Uncle deserves no mercy. Neither do you, you insufferable boy."

Helios felt something stab his chest (was that his pride breaking?), but he continued. "We don't," he hastily agreed. King Midos was angry because of the Life Harp, right? "Why is - sorry, was - the Life Harp so important?"

Midos said nothing, still looking at Helios. A second passed, then Midos dropped his uncle on the floor. Uncle Theus scrambled away, breathing heavily.

"The Life Harp," Midos uttered with an unreadable face. "Is the founder of Regilia. Solomon, the first king, my ancestor, only channeled its power. Using its influence, he gained enough strength to win over the hearts of many Pokemon. Using its divine powers, he rallied the army he built into an unstoppable force. Solomon conquered, and with it brought peace to this land. Whenever invaders threatened Regilia, we used the powers of the Life Harp to bolster our armies and drive them out."

Then Midos smiled bitterly. "For millennia, it was the foundation of our very kingdom, both in a symbolic and practical sense. Now, because of Kite and his arrogance and stupidity, Regilia will face trying times, for what could be decades to come, if not centuries." Midos looked Helios square in the eyes. "Do you understand now, prince? Do you comprehend what grave insult your uncle has laid upon Regilia? How he rubbed salt into the most grievous of wounds? Do you, Helios?"

Helios couldn't respond, too caught up in what Midos was saying. Eventually, though, his words came out. "I… I'm trying to understand," he said at last. "I… we don't have anything like the Life Harp back at Dragnis." What was the Life Harp? Helios could tell that the Regilians thought it was powerful, but Helios couldn't imagine why they thought it was part of Regilia's identity. He sat there for a few seconds, trying to puzzle it out, before remembering where he was and looking back at Midos. "I'm sorry, I-"

Midos' gaze was far from Helios's face. Although Midos was looking right at him, there was no focus in Midos's eyes, as though Midos were thinking about something else entirely.

Then Midos' gaze snapped back to attention. "I suppose I can't ask a Dragnian to think like a Regilian," he dismissed haughtily. "But for the sake of our alliance, I will forgive you both, for now."

Uncle Theus's eyes burned, but before he could say anything, Aunt Hessie grabbed him, her eyes begging him to return to reason. Uncle Theus eventually fell to a simmer, still glaring daggers at Midos.

"Let us return to pressing matters," Leafia suggested. Helios had forgotten about him, as he, his generals, and his brother had all remained silent during the small fight. "There is only so much distance a Shinx can cross alone in the span of a night. We must send a bounty across the towns among all our kingdoms, as well as our satellite nations. Once he is spotted, we send in a covert tracking operation. Is that notion agreeable?"

Midos nodded. "For the beginning of the search, that could work." Midos looked at Helios. "Can you give your word, prince, that Dragnis will likewise send out the bounty and search parties?"

He had caught Helios off-guard. "I - uh - are you asking me?!"

"Of course," Midos spoke. "You are the prince of Dragnis. Soon, you will relinquish power from that oaf." He pointed to Uncle Theus, who could barely contain his hate. "Do we have your aid?"

"I - um - yes!" Helios said, thinking quickly. "W-we will help you find Kite!"

"Excellent," Midos smiled before turning to Leafia. "I've come to realize that you aren't too familiar with Kite's appearance. Kite's notable characteristics include a collar with a gem embedded on it, as well as a remote restrictor conditioning device. That, along with a-"

Leafia's eyes sharpened."So that's how you 'neutralized' him. You installed a slavery band on him." The temperature of the room dropped. Helios felt Slate go still next to him, and when Helios turned to look at him, he saw that Slate's eyes were filled with fear.

King Midos nodded. "Essentially, that is what I did. Those devices have not failed law enforcement yet, only the failures of Pokemon themselves have. Our convict would not have escaped tonight had it not been for the inadequacies of my guards and the lack of security for detecting non-poisonous drugs in our food supply."

"Excuses, Midos?" Leafia raised an eyebrow. "Holding your hopes in the effectiveness of a slavery band is hardly the most reasonable decision."

Midos winced. "I see that now. If I ever have to hold a criminal again, then physical barriers will be used. Still, I must impress that the slavery bands have worked excellently until now. Kite opened a hole in its hold on him, and with it, he escaped. He will not get another chance."

"I see," Leafia stated. "Then I will take my leave. The information you have divulged will be crucial, Midos. Booster, Zetta, take care of Glacia. Make sure that she is doing well and isn't suffering from tonight's events. Mentali and I will retire for the night."

Mentali shot his brother an irritated look but eventually nodded along with the generals. Booster got up from next to Helios (shooting him an approving look in the process) and was about to open the door to their private chamber when there was a knocking.

Booster's eyes narrowed. "Who is this?" he interrogated through the door.

"It is I," the polite, recognizable voice of Princess Arya sounded. "I bear news of the secondary investigation."

Booster opened the door. Arya floated inside, toward her father. "Arya," Midos commanded. "What are the results of the investigation?"

"The results are positive, in the worst way possible. The situation is as you had suspected. She has fled beyond the ward matrix."

A dark look appeared over Midos's face. "Tell Caesian to organize another search party. We can't let her escape either."

"Of course-"

"Hold on," Leafia stated, looking at the two with confusion. "'Another search party'? Who is this suspect that you are speaking of?" Leafia looked at Arya. "And what of this investigation?"

Midos grimaced. "I have forgotten to mention it, haven't I? If you would stay for a few more minutes, I will explain." Leafia nodded, prompting Midos to continue. "Much of what Kite has done tonight is difficult, nigh impossible, to do without help. He would have needed access to the sedatives laced in our meal. While Parasel pinpointed that sedative to be of his creation, he noted that Kite only obtained it after taking it from the guards he defeated. Guards that he defeated through the use of Sleep Powder."

Leafia frowned. "What are you implying?"

"The Sleep Powder in our castle, Leafia, is kept in our medicine cabinets. There are three people with access to those cabinets. One is the Dragnian medicine matron, Madam Dia. Another is the Regilian matron, Madam Rahan. The third is our performer for tonight's ball, Selene."

Helios had a bad feeling about this.

"Neither Madam Dia nor Madam Rahan has ever met Kite. However, the third, Selene, has been hosting Kite in her room at my request. She had never done anything remotely suspicious before, leaving me confident in Kite's placement until tonight."

King Leafia frowned. "Kite attacked you during Selene's Moonlit Wandering. Are you suspecting her as an accomplice?"

"She's not helping him!" Helios immediately defended Selene. "You've heard what Midos just said. She's never done anything remotely suspicious! Selene couldn't hurt anyone!"

"Arya," Midos commanded in response.

"Selene's stored Sleep Powder is of the same type as the one used on Kite's guards," Arya explained neutrally. "Her medicine cabinet is open, as she has left it unlocked. Madam Rahan's bags for fieldwork - those useful for travel - lay on the ground. I have checked the ward matrix, and Selene is not on it. She has fled the castle walls, at the same time as Kite."

Helios couldn't speak, overwhelmed with evidence. Those all had to be coincidences! Selene couldn't have done any of that!

Arya continued. "Her dress was found on the rafters of a lower floor. Her performance gave the perfect opportunity for Kite to strike. Kite had attacked successfully during the performance, meaning that he had grown a resistance to her dancing. Thus, Selene had performed for him before, with the intent of giving him a resistance for that very moment."

Helios gulped. It wasn't possible. Selene would never do something like that, right?

Arya turned to her father. "There is more. Selene was last spotted chasing Eve through the halls. Eve, too, has gone missing."

Helios could hear a pin drop in the room. Everyone digested the news slowly. Then there was a bestial roar, and the door slammed open with psychic power. Before anyone could react, Mentali sped away, eyes alight with fury.

"Please, Mentali, restrain yourself!" Leafia cursed as he started running after his brother, his generals keeping pace beside him.

"... I suppose that'll add to the bounty posters, then." Uncle Theus said wearily.

Midos snorted. "I imagine that Mentali is much more invested in the search now that his daughter is a hostage." There was another short silence. "Dragnians, go and rest. If I remember correctly, you have said that your return trip starts tomorrow."

"Right," Uncle Theus said, before turning a sharp eye on Midos. "Goodbye, Midos," Midos said nothing but turned a dark eye on Uncle Theus, before smiling at Helios and teleporting away. Yurime stayed behind for only a second, only to send a single psychic message to Helios.

'Please, don't trouble yourself anymore. I will take care of this from now on. I will recapture the thief and his mutant accomplice, and I will rescue my thankful bride.'

A cruel smile flashed for a fraction of an instant on Yurime's face - and with that, Yurime teleported away. Helios stared at the empty spot where Yurime was. Arya took a look at him and then bowed apologetically.

'Please excuse him. Yurime means well.' The empty condolences did nothing to make Helios feel better. Maybe Arya believed her apology. Helios didn't care.

Arya then sighed and bowed to Uncle Theus. "I must impress that you go to sleep," she said with urgency. "I suspect tempers will lower when dawn arrives."

Aunt Hessie nodded, color slowly pouring back into her face. "Yes," she agreed immediately. "Helios, it's far past your bedtime. Right, Prometheus?" She looked over to Uncle Theus, who looked at Arya with a scowl. Arya had a placid expression as she waited for his response.

"Very well," he remarked after a few seconds, before wiping the scowl off his face. "There's no need for him to stay up any later." He looked at Aunt Hessie. "Hesione, please put him to bed. I'll be up shortly, once I let my officers know to defer to Lord Black for the night."

Arya's expression cracked.

Aunt Hessie simply looked at them both before nodding. "Of course. Helios, let's be on our way."

Helios didn't respond, and let Hessie drag him out the door and through the corridors, Slate mutely trailing them. Helios's heart grew heavier and heavier as they walked along. Fatigue of some unknown kind started draining at his stamina, eating at his resolve.

'Please, come around the corner. Come, and tell me they were lying. Selene. Please.'

Selene didn't appear, nor did Eve. The trip was silent as they arrived at their guest chambers. Aunt Hessie shoved him into his room, and there was nothing elegant or lady-like about it. Helios heard Slate stomp into place in front of the door, ready to guard him for as long as he could.

In short, Helios could do nothing but go to sleep.

Almost in a trance, Helios did his nightly routine, feeling exhaustion wear away at him. His head swirled about in the meantime, thinking.

Back then, he had a chance. He was the only one to keep his head, and he was the only one to notice Kite. He could have slowed Kite down. Any battle would have been long enough to do that. The guards could have caught him then.

Helios had done nothing.

He slipped into his sheets, hoping that a delightful dream would replace this absolute nightmare.

No sleep came to him. He didn't toss or turn, yet every time he closed his eyes, Kite's malice-filled eyes burned into him from the darkness. Every breath he took, he smelled that awful drug, but it wouldn't make him sleepy. He heard the thrum's of the Life Harp - no, the fake Life Harp.

None of his exhaustion helped him fall asleep. Even keeping his eyes open, he saw Kite jumping through shadows. All he could do was look at his faintly burning tail at the base of the bed, exhaustion aching and breaking him.

Selene… how could she? She was so sweet and kind. Why work with that monster? What did Kite have that Selene wanted? What did Kite have that he didn't?

He was a prince, but lying in his bed, apart from sanity restoring sleep, he felt less than scum. He had no intelligence or competence to do anything useful, no bravery to have done something when it mattered, and no spine to do anything going forward.

He just sat there, lazily waiting for sleep to take him because Helios was too inadequate to fall asleep himself.

Then Helios heard a small thumping before he heard Uncle Theus mutter some words to Aunt Hessie through the wall. He had come back from giving orders. Helios, not feeling drowsy in the least, slowly got out of bed and put his head to the wall. He wasn't falling asleep, anyway.

Uncle Theus was pacing around on the floor, not saying a word. While he walked, Aunt Hessie admonished him. "Prometheus, you should have kept your temper. The last thing you said to us before that meeting was an order to remain patient and not panic. Then you start acting like a Girafarig's intestine and complain louder than I've ever heard Helios whine. Where did that leave us?"

"On the cusp of war," he replied waspishly. "I had forgotten exactly how important that Life Harp was to the culture of Regilian high society."

"And everything else?"

"Tempers were raised-"

"Don't give me that excuse! This kingdom is Helios's to inherit, not yours to break. You told me that you swore to your brother to give Helios the greatest kingdom in the world."

"And I'm failing," Uncle Theus snapped. "The economy has been declining, even with my best efforts. The nobles respect me less and less, and now the kings of our allies barely entertain my presence." There was a dull thud. "So, what am I supposed to do, Hesione?"

Aunt Hessie said nothing. Uncle Theus continued.

"Our squads were thwarted by a Shinx on the cusp of becoming a teenager. A teenager. Now we're going to have to expend even more resources to capture him! Resources we don't have because I have to use them to fix every other problem of my idiotic nephew's country."

"Prometheus-"

"That boy has made things harder, Hesione. I don't care that he has more right to do those things in the tip of his claw than I do throughout my whole body. He's nothing like Hyperion was. He can't play politics. He's weak in battle because he likes to watch people fight, instead of practicing his moves. He wants the power and nothing else, like every other commoner wishing they were royalty."

"Prometheus, I-"

"Hesione, he's not fit to be a ruler. He's an average child. I love him as I would any other child, but I cannot believe in him. I've thrown tutor after tutor at him, hoping that one of them would click with him. None of them have. I tried taking time out of my schedule to help him personally. He does his best to escape and remembers practically nothing the next time. Hyperion was a born leader, and Helios isn't." Uncle Theus sighed. "He's as much of a failure as I am."

There was a dark silence. Helios could no longer breathe, as too many things caught in his throat.

"We must retire for the night," Uncle Theus muttered at last. "I'll have to try to smooth things over tomorrow with Midos, though I can no longer say that it'll go well. He no longer can tolerate me, nor can he miss the utter disdain I hold for him and his lineage."

"Will you have time? We'll be departing tomorrow morning, remember."

"I'm aware, Hesione." Uncle Theus sighed. "We'll stay long enough to hash out a quick deal with Midos, maybe some decreased economic regulations in exchange for troops to capture Kite and Selene." Uncle Theus yawned, and Helios heard him climb into his bed. Aunt Hessie said nothing else.

There was silence.

Helios wanted to cry, to scream, to die. Everything tore at him as he huddled in the tiny corner of his room.

It wasn't in his head, rather, he was only catching on to it now. His failures were for everyone to see. He had deluded himself into thinking he was a premier prince, rightfully deserving of his future throne.

He wasn't. Yurime, a terrible Pokemon, was princelier than Helios could imagine being. Helios was weak, pathetic. He had lost all of his honor, all of his pride—imaginary honor, fake pride— in one fell swoop.

If he was stronger, he could have taken out Kite. If he was braver, smarter, he could have saved Selene.

Now it was all up to fate.

That was all Helios could do. Wait. Wait for Selene to be shown innocent, or be captured and sentenced for life. Wait for Kite to be imprisoned, and see that others could do what he couldn't. Wait for Eve to chained to Yurime, if she didn't die by Kite's hand.

Wait for tomorrow, when he could wait for more.

Selene… why?

He'd never get his answers, would he?

A gust of wind blew across the treetops, making the windows creak and bend. Then a particularly strong gale hit the lock, which wrenched the window open. Helios stared at the open window.

It was a sign. Or a freak coincidence, but it was enough to get Helios to stand up.

He had no right to be a prince. Not like this. Not as a failure. But time moved on and left Helios with a choice. Wait for tomorrow to come, or push onward and fix his mistakes, his failures.

Helios shrugged off the uncomfortable robes from earlier. He had forgotten to take them off. Without them, he felt free. He couldn't wear them as he was now, anyway. They'd only get dirty, in his way.

Helios stepped on to the windowsill.

"Helios…" Slate's voice rang out behind him. Helios could see him, in a guarded stance, reflected from the open window's glass. "Get down now."

"Slate," Helios replied instead. "Tell Aunt Hessie that I won't be here for a while. There's something that I have to do."

"Helios, get down now!"

Helios grimaced. Though they were friends, Uncle Theus never hesitated to remind him and Slate that their friendship was less significant than Slate keeping Helios safe. And while Slate occasionally disobeyed Uncle Theus at Helios' request, it looked like Slate wouldn't listen to him this time.

"See you later, Slate." Slate tried to run at him, to stop him before he ran away. But before Slate could grasp his tail, Helios jumped off the windowsill and on to the roof below.

As it turned out, Helios didn't know how to land. He flailed around in the air before hitting the ground at an awkward angle. His shoulder impacted the tiles first, scraping away scales and bruising him. Dazed, Helios nonetheless got up.

"Helios, wait!" Helios looked up to see Slate falling with a determined look on his face. Helios had no time to lose. Right now, Slate was trying to bring him back.

Helios jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Having learned from his previous mistake, he made sure not to twist and turn in the middle of the air. The first jump, his legs hit the ground first, stiff, causing his legs to cry out in pain. He shook it off, and when he fell next, he bent his knees, allowing him to break into a run immediately after.

Soon, he managed to make it to the ground. Looking behind him, he saw Slate still on his tail, getting closer by the second. Breaking back into a run, Helios ran into the still-burning forest.

The farther he ran in, the closer Slate approached. While Helios was born in the heat and could easily breathe smoke, Slate could shrug off the flames like they were nothing. And while a Charmander was slightly faster, biologically-speaking, than a Gible, Slate had trained his body far more than he had.

Yet another failure.

Still, Helios had a single advantage in that Slate was having trouble breathing the smoke. That, and that alone, kept Slate from closing the gap between the two of them. Though Helios couldn't shake Slate off his tail, he could still hold some distance between them.

But then, the forest ended. Unburdened by the smoke, Slate started sprinting, and within seconds, he had caught up to Helios. Lunging, he grabbed Helios by the tail and brought him to a tumble.

They fell over each other, before falling apart in the dirt. Illuminated by the fire, Helios slowly stood up, and next to him, Slate did the same. Both of them stared each other down.

Helios wasn't able to beat Slate in a race, so Slate had to stop chasing him now.

"Sorry, Slate," he murmured, causing Slate to raise an eyebrow before a look of shock washed over his face as Helios shot an Ember at him. Slate, of course, dodged, and his surprise switched to anger.

"Helios, I have no idea what's wrong with you, but-" Slate dodged the other Ember. "Helios, could you let me speak-" A Smokescreen interrupted him, causing him to cough. "Oh, that is it."

Slate lunged forward, punching Helios in the stomach. Helios gasped, winded, but couldn't pull himself together before Slate bowled him over with a Tackle.

Helios rolled to a stop as Slate slowly walked over to him, a pissed-off expression on his face. "Helios, none of this is your fault-"

"Shut up!" Helios roared, his temper igniting. He jumped to his feet and slashed at Slate with a Scratch.

Slate sidestepped Helios's attack with depressing ease, before grabbing Helios's tail and pulling on it. Helios, quickly losing his balance, staggered. Before he could right himself, Slate shoved him to the ground, turning Helios so that he was splayed prone and sitting on him again.

Helios considered, for a second, lifting Slate again, before remembering that he had sprained his ankle the last time he tried that. A second later, he no longer had the choice. Slate chained him to the ground using shackles made of dirt and soil.

"There, now you won't hurt yourself trying to hurt me." Slate sighed. "Helios, why are you so…"

"Slate, let me go!" Helios shouted, struggling against his bonds. Slate ignored him. "Slate, I told you to let me go!"

"No, I won't." Helios grit his teeth. "You're going to stay here until you agree to come back."

"No!" Helios thrashed against his bonds. "No, no, no!" Tears began leaking out. "Not now! Not when it matters the most!" He coughed a tiny ember of fire. "I… no!"

"Helios, you're-"

"You know she's innocent!"

Slate stopped. "I - what?"

Helios glared at Slate. "Selene is innocent. Midos doesn't believe her, Uncle Theus doesn't believe her, and you don't believe her, but she's innocent."

Slate looked at him with dispassion. "Helios, she's tricked you. Her dance is beguiling and charming, and all you're feeling right now are the remnants of a crush that will fade in a month."

"No, she hasn't tricked me! Kite's tricked all of you! She's innocent," Helios fervently denied. "None of you are giving her a chance! You guys assume she's a monster because-"

Slate snapped. "Because there's evidence!" He shouted back. "She's the only one that could have given Kite the tools he needed to escape! And now she's gone, with kidnapped royalty in tow!"

Helios hissed. "But none of that means she did it! Kite could have stolen a key! He could have learned about Selene's dancing by watching her practice or something! Eve…" Helios's argument faltered. "Eve, well, maybe Selene was chasing her for fun, like with… tag."

Slate looked unimpressed. "And them leaving the ward matrix?"

"I… I don't know." Helios whispered. "I… I don't know, Slate."

Slate pursed his lips. "Alright. Suppose I entertain this fantasy of yours. If so, why are you running away?"

"It's because no one else is willing to give her a chance, because… because I want answers."

"You can get those things if you wait at the castle with everyone else. There's no need to risk your life for it."

Helios remained silent. Slate looked at him and then seemed to understand.

"It's not just because of Selene or Kite, is it?" Helios looked away, but Slate walked back into view. Helios could see the wildfire reflected in the whites of Slate's eyes. "It's what King Prometheus told Queen Hesione."

"I…"

"Is this whole tantrum coming from your fragile ego, Helios?" Slate looked more tired than Helios had ever seen him, and Slate regularly did all-nighters. "Do you want to prove something? That you're not as pathetic as Uncle Theus thinks you are?"

"... that I think I am," Helios whispered, ashamed.

Slate gazed at him. "And you're going to throw yourself to the wild to do so."

Helios slowly nodded. "I can't show that I'm… that I'm better when I'm just going to be inside the castle. You're right, I'll forget about all this in a month. I'll go back and just be the failure again." Helios sniffed before resuming. "I don't want to forget this feeling of being useless." Helios hated his tears and his whining. All more proof of his incompetence.

Slate, though, ignored Helios's inner turmoil, and stared into the fire. "Helios… why am I here?"

"I… what?"

"Why am I here, trying to stop you from making a stupid decision?"

"I…"

"It's because I, Helios, am your bodyguard, as well as your friend. I'm here to protect you from danger, and if that danger involves you throwing yourself in the wild, I have to protect you from that too. It's difficult protecting someone from their idiocy and terrible character."

"..."

"But as insufferable, selfish, and rude as you are, I'm also your friend. I want to help you through your problems, and if those problems involve you getting in danger, I'll have to be there to protect you."

"But… this is something that I have to do by myself-"

"No, Helios, it isn't. It's not something I'm going to let you do by yourself."

Helios's eyes widened. "Do you mean… ?"

Slate undid the earth shackles binding him to the ground. Helios slowly stood up, rubbing his wrists.

"This journey is only going to last as long as Selene's guilt remains in the air. If we find her and she has Eve as a hostage, the Selene that you thought you know is gone. If Eve isn't there, we'll force her to tell us where Eve is."

"And if… Eve is there, and she's okay?"

"Then we'll give her the benefit of the doubt."

Helios's eyes watered, and he went to rub his eyes, only to be slapped hard by Slate. Helios recoiled, staring at Slate.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Slate pointed to the sky. "The sun is going to rise soon. Our head start on the search parties won't last forever."

Helios gulped. "I… okay."

Then he almost shrieked as Slate grabbed him around the waist and hauled him up. "This'll be faster for now," Slate promised. "If you're going to be the prince you say you want to be, you'll have to go through some training. But for now, I'll have to carry you myself."

And before Helios could say a word, they were off.


And so, a week passes.


Upon waking up, Culus didn't realize exactly where he was. It was a well-lit but messy room. A snowstorm raged outside, but Culus was warm and comfortable.

As he slowly brought himself to his feet, he realized that he was feeling good - too good. He walked around a little bit and realized that some of the aches and pains that he had previously felt were gone. His arms and legs felt light, he could jump around with ease, and he felt full for the first time that he could consciously remember.

Culus cast his eyes back to the snowstorm outside. Though he tried, Culus could not recall where he was, or how he had fallen asleep.

He had escaped. He remembered that much. Then he ran through the countryside for a couple of hours, which turned into a day. Though he routinely managed to get the search parties off his tail, they always managed to find him again. He barely had a few hours to sleep before they were nearly on top of him once more. After running for another day and finally managing to escape the pursuit team, his body betrayed him. He had collapsed in a crop field, two or three days after the Twin Moon Ball.

Then it was fuzzy. Culus had come back to consciousness a few times in the next few days, and all he remembered from then was feeling lighter and lighter as time went by, slowly regaining his energy. Someone nice, someone who showed kindness to a stranger, had taken care of him until he could recuperate.

Culus looked back to the bed where he had slept. It was clean, so they had to have moved him several times to clean any blood off of it. And since he was full, they had made sure to feed him. Thanks to their help, he was energized.

But as long as he was a criminal, he could not stay here. Now that the sleep had reenergized him, it was time for him to continue onward. He had (tentatively) escaped the clutches of the search parties. Now it was time for the real challenge: finding the Zoroark who had put everything into motion.

It had been two weeks since the night of the theft (two weeks, huh? It felt like years), so Culus could still picture the face of the Zoroark. Casual yet calculating, crude yet poised; the Zoroark had given him orders, or rather, descriptions. He was a thief, the breaker of the Life Harp, and a murderer. That was how the Zoroark had described him. Now, though he did not know how, he was stuck with that description.

Though, as he thought about it, the Zoroark may have mentioned something about the collar having magic. Culus tugged at the collar fused to his neck. It would not come off or budge no matter how much he worked at it. Culus could reasonably say that the collar was the source of his problems. After the Zoroark had given him his descriptions, Culus had unwillingly followed them to the letter. Even when others used telepathy on him, it reworked his thoughts to hide it for as long as they remained inside his head.

If he could somehow find a way to remove the collar, then he could stop implicating himself. Until then, he would have to work around it. Then Culus remembered the first thing the Zoroark had said when Culus had awakened inside the castle.

"Oh, it actually worked. And here I was thinking it was something the scriptures were lying about… but then, here we are."

Scriptures were religious texts. Since the Zoroark had come for the Life Harp, and the Life Harp was not something you could steal, it was reasonable to think the Zoroark was involved with a church of some kind. He would have to search for various religious institutions for some clue as to where the Zoroark was.

It was impossible to do so in Regilia, though, with the Regilian search parties always on his tail. They would not give him any room to breathe, and if the churches, the people who revered the Life Harp (a religious object), caught wind of what the Zoroark made him do, the churches would not be of any help either.

The most important thing now was still to put distance between himself and the search parties. Hopefully, when time passed, the Regilians would calm down, and Culus would have more leeway on how to find the Zoroark.

So, the main objective was to stay hidden for as long as possible. That meant putting as much distance between the Regilians and himself as possible and laying low while finding information around the religious institutions (if the hunch Culus had was correct).

Putting distance could be achieved by leaving Regilia. Opening a map on a nearby shelf (as well as a couple of history books nearby, the family who lived in this house must value education), Culus considered his options. Regilia bordered the countries of Eonia (one of the allied countries present at the Twin Moon Ball), Vidnes, and Hovete.

Regilia entwined itself heavily with Eonia, so going there was a bad idea. It might even make things worse, as the search party would have more troops to use to look for him.

Vidnes was a satellite nation of Eonia (meaning it was technically its own country, but they were under so much influence from Eonia that they may as well be part of Eonia anyway). Since Vidnes was under Eonia's thumb, Regilia would have a lot of power there. In addition to bordering Regilia, Vidnes bordered Eonia and the sea.

Considering his goal of wanting to investigate religious organizations, he could do much better than Vidnes. It had poor infrastructure and a weak central government and king. Nowadays, it was more a collection of self-governing cities than any legitimate nation. He could only call Vidnes a kingdom because Eonia treated them all the same and that they occupy the same stretch of land. As a result, the church, a unifying force, was influential - too influential. Knowing his infamy with the Life Harp, the church would be out for his blood. He'd need to find a nation where the church was a presence, yet not overpowering.

Hovete, on the other hand, was a strictly neutral party with a much weaker church. Culus wasn't exactly an expert on international politics, but the knowledge that Hovete used to be a part of the alliance that Regilia, Dragnis, and Eonia shared. There was some incident or scandal eight or nine years ago that involved the king and queen of Hovete dying, along with some Regilian royalty. While there had been some reparations to Regilia, Eonia left Hovete without a ruler and practically no reparations.

To no one's surprise, the newly coronated prince withdrew Hovete from the alliance (Culus suspected that if Hovete hadn't taken the brunt of a recent war, there would have been some skirmishes to go along with it. Hovete still traded with Eonia and Regilia but to a more limited capacity.

In short, Hovete wouldn't be too happy if Eonia and Regilia started invading with search parties to find someone they claimed had fled justice. They might allow it (barely) but wouldn't give his pursuers too much power. If he managed to get inside, he would be relatively free from their grasp and could search with impunity. That, and the natural barriers of mountains and impassable trenches would protect him from an army.

Natural barriers… well… maybe… yes, that was the course of action.

Culus rolled up the map. He had made his decision, so now was the time to prepare for the journey. He'd need food, since it was still deep into winter, and there weren't any fruits or berries he could forage. He wasn't invincible, and he needed food as anybody else did, so he had to stock up on the essentials. While a drink of water was available in frozen streams that he could break open, food wasn't something he could get in the winter forests.

The family that had been taking care of him didn't keep any food in this room, however. The room looked to be a nursery of some kind, now that he thought about it. There was a basket of toys in the corner next to the cot on which he had slept. Adding that to the closet filled with small clothes that he hadn't paid attention to, it was fair to assume the room was a nursery.

Culus rifled around in the drawers and found a small messenger bag, embroidered with the image of spiky balls and the words 'Please don't burn this one too.' Culus snorted, then held it up, inspecting its strength. It wasn't too durable, probably meant as a gift, but it was better than the nothing he had so far. Culus slipped the map in it, then stepped outside the nursery.

Candles burned quietly in the hallway. That meant someone was home, as he doubted people competent enough to nurse him to health would let a random candle burn down their home. That, and when he listened closely, he could faintly hear a conversation in another room. He needed to be subtle when moving around.

Creeping through the halls and staying inside the shadows, Culus slowly opened the door to one of the bedrooms. The candles in the room were unlit and weren't hissing smoke. That meant it was empty, and that no one was hiding inside. Culus quietly closed the door behind and began to loot.

There weren't any valuables. A shame, since if there were any, Culus could have taken them to sell for a high profit. The money would go a long way for security. Whoever these people were, they didn't need the valuables as much as he would need cash in the future. Luckily, there were some coins in the drawers. It was paltry, but anything would help at this point.

Dropping the coins into the messenger bag, Culus continued looking around. Most of what he saw looked useful, but only to a small rural or farming family that could afford to stay in one place and have some luxuries. He didn't have such an advantage, and so he couldn't use most of what they had.

Looking into the other room, he saw that it belonged to a young girl around his size. From the looks of the clothes, though, it seemed the girl was a biped, meaning there was nothing he could use to protect himself from the elements. Culus slipped some cloth and pins into his bag (though he could easily create them if need be, carrying them around would be more efficient) since they were light and versatile materials.

After making sure that there was nothing else that he would need, Culus slipped out of the bedroom and entered the hallway. The candles were burning bright in one of the rooms connected to the house's entrance. Pricking his ears, Culus listened in on the conversation.

"... when will Dad come back?" he heard a high-pitched voice ask innocuously. "It's already been five hours, and he promised he'd play some Zap Jacks with me. If he's too long, it'll be my bedtime!" The girl sounded cross.

"Dad will come back soon, Brush," the mother said patiently. "In the meantime, why don't you play with some of your toys." Culus froze. She would come into the hall and find him sneaking around with what was probably her bag.

"Ugh, fine. Can you at least give me something to eat first? I know we have to ration our food, but can I have something small?"

The mother sighed. "I'll look for something in the cellar, so just wait a minute." He saw the shadow of the mother grow in size. With no time to spare, he hid in the shadow of the door.

Luckily, the mother didn't look toward the hallway and climbed down into the cellar without looking at him. Culus slowly crept out. He'd have to find a new hiding spot fast or else unload everything back into where they were.

How could he have been so stupid? He had figured out that the family was home and yet stole in broad twilight! He needed food, but getting caught now would be a nightmare.

Observing, he saw no large objects to hide behind. And by the footsteps, he didn't have any time to get behind one anyway. He slipped back behind the door and waited for a few seconds. Then he saw the mother's shadow disappear.

A chance!

"Here you go, Brush" Culus made a break for the cellar, running as fast and silently as he could. "Hold on... did you hear something?" He froze.

"Yeah, it was a bump." There was a gasp. "Is there something in the cellar? Mom, go check!"

The mother scoffed. "Brush, there was nothing there. It was probably that Shinx we rescued, tossing and turning in his sleep."

"But Mom..." Brush whined.

"If you're that concerned, you can go down yourself. Haven't you been practicing your battling for something like this?"

"I suppose," Brush muttered, before getting up, evidenced by her shadow (one smaller than her mother's) appearing. Culus sprung back into action, disappearing into the cellar.

The cellar was dark yet dry. There was a candle on the wall, but Culus couldn't use it. He scrambled around, looking for a shape that looked large enough to hide him. Just as Brush's shape appeared around the corner, Culus dove behind a small wagon.

With a small flicker of light, the candle turned on. Culus dared a peek and saw Brush, a Mincinno, looking around the cellar with caution. She left no corner unturned as she searched, her eyes sharp. Culus felt a grip of panic seize him as she neared the wagon.

"Brush, if you've finished, your snack is ready!"

Brush sighed. "Guess it was the Shinx, then," she mumbled, before shouting a "Coming!" to her mother. She extinguished the light and put the candle back on the wall, before climbing up the stairs again.

Culus waited five seconds after her shadow disappeared again, just in case she came back, before slipping back out from behind the wagon. That had been a close one. Culus had to thank some legendary for the obscene amount of luck he'd been getting. There were so many near misses, Culus knew that eventually, his fortune would run dry.

Culus grabbed the candle and lit it with a spark of electricity, illuminating the cellar. There was a whole treasure trove of stored food, likely for the winter. Culus felt a blade of guilt stab him for a second - this wasn't like valuables or cheap change as the family would need this food for the upcoming winter - before suppressing it with the knowledge that they'd figure out a way to get food regardless. There was a small surplus of the food down here, so a small bag of food wouldn't matter much anyway.

Culus went to work, grabbing the food that wouldn't immediately spoil. Berries would only last a day or two outside the cellar so he couldn't use them, but apples would last a couple of weeks, and the cured meat and nuts would last a lot longer. After grabbing enough to ensure his continued survival for at least a week and dumping it into the bag, he put the candle back on the wall and extinguished it.

But as Culus started creeping back up the stairs, ready to sneak out of the house silently, the door of the house opened. Culus slinked back into the shadows, waiting.

"Dad's home!" Brush shrieked, running down the hall as she ran to her father. "Dad, dad, what took you so long?!"

"There's a snowstorm, Brush," the father said in a hurry. "Flair, when was the last time you checked on the Shinx? Is he still sleeping?" Culus tensed.

"The Shinx? An hour or two ago, so I don't know if he's still asleep." Flair, the mother, asked, a little bemused. "Did you find the hammer-"

"Forget about the hammer!" The father snapped. "We have to chain him down before he wakes up!"

He knows.

"Chain him down?! Paran, who did you rescue?"

"A wanted man, charged with murdering a general's daughter. I'm sure it's him, the wanted poster of the Shinx had the collar and crystal band on full display."

There was a stark silence as Culus clenched his teeth. He had everything he needed, but if his 'rescuers' now knew he was a criminal in all but the truth, the search parties would come after him again.

"Did you call the police?" Flair whispered.

"Yes, but Chief Arche wasn't willing to risk an assault in the snowstorm. He's the strongest fighter they have, and he can't battle in the cold." Paran hissed. "None of the strike team can. They're trying to teleport some Ice-types to come here to strike him down. Chief Arche told me to stay and wait, but I couldn't. I snuck away to come to take you away before he awakes and kills you."

"There's no need," Culus said tiredly, walking up the stairs. There was no point in staying hidden now, since now his efforts in sneaking around were for naught.

Culus turned to face the family. Brush, ashen-faced and quivering, hid behind her Cincinno mother, who had frozen with a look of panic on her face. Only the Pachirisu father, Paran, looked anywhere near normal - 'near' because Culus saw his eyes dart around nervously.

"Hello," Culus said neutrally. "My name is Culus, though you may have seen the wanted posters claim my name is Kite." He added the latter part upon seeing Paran furrow his brow in confusion.

There was another silence as Culus waited for a response. Eventually, one came from Brush.

"D-Dad?" She looked at Culus with raw fear. "Wh-what are w-we going to do?"

Paran stepped in front of Flair. "Flair, Brush, leave from the back door now," he ordered with a stoic look on his face. Culus saw resignation deep within his eyes. "I'll stop him for as long as I can. Chief Arche will take care of you from now on-"

"Paran, no!" Flair shouted, shocked back into action. "He's going to kill-"

"He's going to kill all of us if you don't escape!" Paran hissed back. "I've made the greatest mistake of my life, putting you two in danger like this, so please, leave before you die!"

Brush started crying. "Dad, I-"

"Oh, shut up, all of you!" Culus roared, feeling more than irritated. "I'm not going to kill you!"

Paran got into a fighting stance, showing that he didn't believe Culus. As an answer, Culus went to the front door and opened it, letting the snowstorm inside.

"I'm sorry," Culus snarked. "But tell me, what would the act of killing you accomplish?" He didn't wait for a response. "Absolutely nothing, that's what. Killing you would be a waste of time and wouldn't help me in the slightest. After all, the authorities already know I'm here," he emphasized.

Culus's words were strangely colder than he felt. This family was a perfectly normal family caught in a terrifying situation. Paran was a loving father who saved a stranger and nursed him to health, and he was only trying to protect his family. Flair and Brush were innocent, as far as he knew. Yet his tongue was dripping with acid and derision. Another effect of the collar, maybe?

"In other words," Culus continued, turning his back on Paran yet keeping an eye on his back in case he decided to attack. "I'm showing you mercy. You've let me recover from my flight from the authorities, so killing you would leave a bad taste in my mouth."

Paran narrowed his eyes. "You mean..."

Culus jostled his bag. "Thanks for the bag, money, and food. I'll need it where I'm going. Vidnes isn't the kindest place for people like me. See you never."

And with that, Culus closed the door behind him. Unless they were suicidal (which they weren't), they wouldn't come after him. As he started walking across the fields, he felt a surge of guilt rush through him again.

"I'm such an arse," he whispered to the wind. Though he didn't regret the actions he took, the words he said weren't polite or kind in the slightest, and these were people who hadn't wronged him. He had remarked that his repayment for their kindness was mercy. In truth, that was something he considered for granted (for people that weren't after his blood, that is). A real reparation would be something more than what he'd done, which was to take even more.

He'd find an honest way to pay them back when he was free. Though they might hate him, he was indebted to them.

The hollow promise did nothing to warm the chill in his bones.

Culus shook off the guilt, as there were more pressing matters at hand. Once the snowstorm was over, the search parties would be after him again. He needed to prepare.

Culus continued trudging through the snowstorm, wading through soft snow as high as his elbows (or were they his knees?). There wasn't much he could do about footprints, not yet. But if the map had been right, he'd be coming across a river soon.

And as he saw the frozen expanse of ice stretching miles in either direction, he smiled.

Sliding down, he shook off a bit of the snow that had clung to him, before running to the opposite end of the riverbank. There was a bit of slipping and sliding, but he managed to get to the other side quick enough. Climbing, he set off in the direction of Hovete, wading through the snow with measured steps.

He took a twist and a turn but made sure to keep his footprints deep. Then he came across an adequate tree for his plan. Culus climbed it slowly and with force, making sure that his claws left deep grooves in the bark. Once he climbed up high enough, he sighed.

Now for the hard part.

Culus climbed back down, making sure his claws left as little of a groove as possible. Once he made his way down, he made sure not to make any new footprints, and instead stepped back into his old ones.

Culus then began walking backward. He did it with care, to not mess up the footprints, thus revealing the trick. It took an embarrassingly long time, but Culus was adamant about pragmatic perfection, and eventually, he made his way to the river bank.

With a great leap, Culus jumped straight from his initial footprints to the top of the icy river. His knees buckled with pain, but he rode it out with dignity. Eventually, the pain faded, and relief took its place.

It was difficult, but he managed the trick. As he sat down and waited for the frozen sloped river to slide him downward with gravity, he reflected on his ruse.

Hovete would be much more hospitable to him. Unfriendly relations with Regilia and Eonia and a non-vengeful church he could study at his leisure sounded like a great proposition. The problem was that Regilia knew the first bit too, and would suspect it as the first place he'd go. That, combined with Hovete's natural barriers, meant that they would form chokepoints around the small passages between the nations.

While Hovete was the safer nation to be in, getting there was a whole other story. Quite frankly, he didn't have a way of entering Hovete from land, not without something to protect him from the chokepoints Regilia would form to block his entrance.

But he could get there by sea.

Vidnes was much easier to sneak inside. Regilia's arm was strong there, but he wouldn't stay there for long. Well, long enough to ensure passage into another neutral country. From there, he could take a ride to Hovete and research there for as long as he needed.

And this particular river, the one he was sliding down right now, would eventually merge into a river running into the sea - one that had a port town at the estuary leading to the sea.

As for the trick, well, Culus knew that his footprints disappearing after the river would be a sign of him using it to go to Vidnes. So he had made for Hovete for a few hundred yards, before climbing the tree to make it look like he had gone up it to hide his footprints.

Hopefully, the search parties would treat his double bluff, considering he said he was going to Vidnes and the search party hopefully seeing it as a lie, as a single bluff, and go looking near Hovete for him. In all honesty, they would probably split up to cover both options, but a small search party would be easier to deal with for a time.

Culus opened the bag, took out an apple, and began chewing on it. His sliding would become faster and faster as he started to pick up speed, and he'd need the energy to make course corrections so he wouldn't smash into anything and break his bones.

That, and he was hungry.

As he chewed the delicious apple, he smiled.

Onwards to the port town!

Onwards to Pinnaleis!


START OF THE PINNALEIS ARC


I had planned on explaining Culus' power of creation (in more depth), but alas, the chance to explain never really appeared. Hopefully, I'll get a chance in Pinnaleis; either way, know that it is limited. He can't make anything, and what he can make is limited. There's a reason why he still prefers to steal rather than create. As for Helios, he's really whiny and all, but I hope you aren't too turned off.

If you enjoyed, leave a fav, follow, and/or review. They mean a lot to me.

See you soon!