Arc 2: Requiem

Chapter 12

A peaceful life

Something felt off, wrong in some impossible way. What was this feeling, it was as if she was forgetting something? She couldn't be, though. She was a perfect being in just about every way imaginable. Still, this feeling didn't end, it only festered, yet she couldn't use her powers to remove it for some reason. It would be so easy, just erase this part of her, simple for a god such as herself, yet she couldn't bear the thought of being rid of it.

Why would she ever want to keep these horrible emotions around? What could possibly prevent her from doing such a thing? What kind of thing, emotion, or memory could possibly cause this? Fear? Worry? Why did she feel like she would be losing so much if she let herself erase these horrible feelings?

Such thoughts continued running through her mind. The small purple wisp floated in the void of darkness, contemplating this utterly alien feeling. These feelings of anger, of spite, and of helplessness were a daily occurrence for her, ever since they met up with the guild in the desert. She spent a vast majority of her time in this void, alone, with no others to speak with.

A mind, alone in the void with these feelings would cause even the stoutest of minds to break. Her mad ravings to the nothingness were simply further fuel to her desires of vengeance and destruction. It is pitiable, in many ways, yet she would never see it that way. Any reason to continue her goals was a good reason to her, and she would never rest until everything was gone, or she herself was erased from the fabric of existence

As time passed, her inability to grasp the emotion she felt caused her considerable anger. Had she a physical form, she would head out and end the lives of several towns and villages out of spite. As it was, however, she couldn't leave the Realm of Spirits for longer than a few moments, no matter how much she wished.

This only brought further frustration to her. Someone with power such as her shouldn't be so limited! She was a god after all! Why did she have to rely on the will of others just to accomplish her goals!

Why was this world so unjust? All she wished was for its untimely end, was this truly so much? Why couldn't the world be more bleak, hopeless? Why did the world care that it kept revolving? Did it truly matter? No, of course it did not! It's like how she felt with the guild. Did it truly matter if she rid herself of them? Ugh, and these feelings, what are they?

It started with the guild when they all met in the desert. However, that doesn't make any sense! How are they causing these feelings? Why am I so worried? The guild truly means nothing. I don't feel anything when I think of them, no fear nor worry. I don't have any worries about them, it'd be easy to beat them. I am not directly worried about them. It's- argh! It's like there's someone, something associated with them which I can't recall! It's annoying, it's, urgh.

It's like an itch, a tingle in my spine. What is it? Why am I feeling this way? What is going on? It doesn't make any sense from angle I look at it! None of the guild had the power to stop them, not even the ones who were divinely blessed.

All we were doing was proving our superiority, the fact they escape was because we let them. We needed to do nothing more, anything else would be a waste of time and energy. Why then, do I feel so apprehensive, so uncertain about this? It doesn't matter, they do not matter. There's nothing they could do to stop us. Even now, my power grows and outpaces anything they could ever hope to accomplish.

In a few years' time, my power will have grown to what we need, and I can put them all in the ground. I can finally have my utter revenge on the world which killed me. All I must do is simply wait until then. Just a few years more and everything will be erased.

All of existence on this miserable planet would be gone, every atom and molecule will be rendered to nonexistence, far more gone than even myself. Yes, I have been waiting for a long enough time, several hundred years, in fact. However, I can spare a few more. I can wait if I need if it means the world's erasure. That will make all these years well worth it. Every bit of anger and spite will go into making sure this works.

Yet… I still can't get rid of this feeling of worry, of fear. Urgh, stop it! Grah! Stop it!

The wisp continued floating, unable to do anything more but bide her time and wait. This monolog continued as a daily event, the stress, anger, spite, and hate only further fueling the spiteful spirit. However, she would never truly be able to convince herself that nothing was wrong.

Whatever was this lingering doubt which stirred this paranoia, it would not be removed. It could never be convinced to budge. Whatever may be the cause, she would be doomed to this ceaseless paranoia until she had finally removed the planet from existence.

For most Pokémon in the town, it was no different than any day, truth be told. For one Pokémon, an eight-year-old Zigzagoon, it was special. It was their birthday. For the small desert town of a few hundred, any birthday was an event. Aside from that, it was quite a normal, quiet, average day. The community was split into five small towns, one in each cardinal direction surrounding the main town itself.

While initially formed by desert Pokémon who banded together to survive the harsh climate, eventually a small community formed by wandering travelers and the occasional outlaw who wished to hide away from authorities.

The day rose on one home, a home not special in any way it seems. The sun began shining through the small window on the small, white furred Zorua. Long, red strands flowed down the bed, one from his head and one from his tail. The Zorua was curled neatly into a tight ball shape, though he occasionally squirmed and twisted.

Usually, he can maintain an illusion over the night, but the previous day he was simply far too exhausted from helping with the crops which were being harvested. It was an average life for him. The only thing otherwise notable was in a week, his birthday would come around. Until then, however, life went on exactly as it always had.

The day for the Zorua began as expected. He stretched his arms and legs, taking a deep breath when he smelled something good. Someone made breakfast. Stretching one last time, the toddler sized Pokémon hopped out of his bed and grabbed his bag, easy to find in his impeccably clean and barren room.

He marched towards the kitchen, determined to finish the quest he set for himself; to find the source of the delicious smell. His mom and dad, two bipedal, black Zoruark, were sitting at their small table in the kitchen and dining room. A small breakfast, pancakes with berries, had been prepared. The smells mixed with the floral scent of the blooming flower on the porch, creating a wonderful scene for him. He had taken care of the flower over the winter, a Gracidea flower, over the winter, and it was finally about to bloom. This time next week, he knew, it would be ready.

"Breakfast is ready, Azor. I know how exhausted you were yesterday, so I made something big for you." The mother said. Several huge stacks of pancakes topped with Aspear berries and some Pecha berry juice to drink was his favorite breakfast. The small Zorua smiled, hopping onto his chair.

"Thanks!" Azor cheered. He began devouring the pancakes as if he hadn't eaten in a week, ravenously consuming several stacks to fill the bottomless void the teenaged fox called a stomach. Eventually the fox was full, and the multiple large stacks of pancakes had formally begun the digestion process.

Against all odds, the Zorua was alive and didn't tear a hole into his small stomach. Well, as alive as he could be as a ghost type, anyway. He lacked a pulse and was icy cold to the touch. Technically he didn't even need to eat, nor did he really feel hunger, not that he noticed or cared most of the time. He enjoyed eating as it made him feel normal, like anyone else. It also helped him regain energy as well.

"Well, I'm off to school, then!" He cheered, oblivious that his illusory form having dropped.

"Looking like that?" His parents questioned. Azor turned towards them, mildly confused before looking at his small, fluffy white body.

"Oops! Heh, sorry." He stated, feeling a bit embarrassed. With the powers of illusion, he made himself into a naturally sized, dark furred Zorua. He'd have very little issues with his appearance if he wasn't so short. Ever since he was a kid, he never actually grew more than an inch, making him notably tiny compared to everyone else.

"Now I'm off to school!" He responded. Making his way north to the town, the Zorua traveled to school The day went along, school eventually ended, and soon he was going to sit and hang out with his friends.

"Hey!" A voice called out. Lavis, the Larvesta, was waving towards him. Jen, a Joltik, was standing at his right, and Dustin the Duskull was next to Jen. The quartet would make their way to their usual hang out spot, a small canyon the Zorua passed over on the way to the main town, right underneath the bridge and at the entrance to a strange, dark cave. Staring into the mouth of the cave for a moment, they began talking about whatever they wished.

"School was dull today, huh?" Lavis questioned. A few quiet nods were his response. Lavis was busy in the fields, and unable to attend that day.

"It wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, to be fair." Jen responded. Dustin nodded, but the other two friends simply stared at one another. School was school, no matter the day. The trio discussed how the day went, what they learned, and other things. The topic was dull to them, but it was helpful to Lavis, so they went into as much detail as their bored minds could muster.

School was not a subject any of them would prefer to talk about usually. However, there was an event in school which was coming up, an event in school which they could barely wait to see.

"It'll be better next week." The Zorua responded. The Zorua's face beamed. The other's faces lit up as well, literally in Jen and Lavis' case.

"Team Hodgepodge!" Lavis cheered. Lavis visibly quivered in excitement. This soon led to a long conversation about exploration teams, arguments about rescue teams versus exploration teams, and more. The consensus was that Rescue Teams had harder work, but Exploration Teams tended to deal with more tricks while solving the puzzles of the ancient civilizations. However, it seemed their conversation was being listened to.

"Oh, look, it's the quartet of losers. What do you think you're doing?" It called. The three friends sighed and rolled their eyes. A Sableye stood ten feet away, leaning against the rocky canyon walls. Benjamin, the Sableye was the local bully, he liked to pretend he was some hotshot. In truth, however he was just a rude loner who didn't have any friends.

Not a single person in their class liked him, and he had somehow convinced himself that he was far better than any of them. While he was decently strong, he was far from the strongest Pokémon in the school. He was tenacious, though, no one would really deny that.

"Go home, Ben." Lavis stated. The trio glared at the lone ghost type. They didn't want anything to do with him, nor did anyone else.

"Heh, what? And miss out on seeing you fail? Nah, I'm curious, what's in that cave, huh? Oh, that's why you're down here, isn't it? Heh, makes sense. A lame adventure for a bunch of lame Pokémon." Ben stated.

"Let's just go somewhere else." Azor stated, turning around to leave. He began to walk away when Ben shouted something.

"Heh, don't get your fur all scuffed up, prissy freak." Ben taunted. Azor stopped.

"Azor…" Jen stated. Azor was breathing deeply, visibly angered by the Sableye's comments. The annoying Pokemon simply laughed at this, finding joy in Azor's anger.

"What, I know what you like. I know who you like, Azor. Heh, I'll leave the three of you four losers to have this make out session in private." Ben laughed, waving them off as he turned away. This was the last straw for Azor who charged at the Pokémon and bit him on the arm as hard as he could.

The Sableye, caught off guard by the sudden attack, fell to the ground and screamed. Shoving Azor off, the bully ran, tears streaming from his bejeweled eyes. Azor stood there for several seconds, his anger still fuming. His breaths were rapid and short.

"Azor. Azor!" Lavis shouted. The Zorua shook his head, suddenly calm once more.

"Huh, what?" He questioned. He was standing at the cave entrance, but then…

"Hey! Azor!" Lavis stated. A concerned look was on his two friend's faces.

He smiled at them, stating, "I'm alright." His friends looked at each other. This wasn't an uncommon thing for him when he got mad, and no one could get Azor angry like Ben could. Whenever Azor got angry, he stopped hearing things, not even acknowledging the presence of others.

He would attack anything in his way, no matter who. He would treat everyone like an enemy, even his family and friends. Until he could calm down. He just went feral for those moments, and no one really knew why.

"Are you sure you're okay now?" Jen asked, clearly worried for her friend. Azor nodded, looking a bit remorseful.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have gotten angry." Azor stated, looking to the ground. It was obvious he was remorseful. More than that, he knew he would get an earful from his parents when he got back. Don't get angry, don't attack others, he knew he shouldn't, but he just couldn't help it.

It was like a demon was in control of him sometimes. He couldn't help himself; he couldn't control it. It didn't make a lot of sense to himself, either. His friends simply sighed, looking at their friend with concern one last time.

"Are you sure you're sure?" Lavis questioned in a mostly jovial tone. It was clear none of the friends truly cared about what he did. This made Azor smile. His friend's straightforwardness, his smile, Azor liked that, even if he couldn't say that to him.

Ultimately, their conversation resumed, once again heading to the topic of exploration teams. However, this led to the quartet's curiosity about the cave. They had known about it since they were little, but they never truly were willing to explore it. Perhaps emboldened by their prior conversations, or perhaps caused by lingering resentment from the Sableye, Lavis stared into the cave before suddenly speaking.

"I'm going in." Lavis stated. Jen jumped in front of him before he even began taking a single step.

"That's dangerous, you know." Jen responded. The fiery bug scoffed, clearly not really worried about it.

"It's just a cave. What's the worst that could be in there?" He questioned. The small yellow bug looked to the ground, quieting for a moment before she responded. With a quick inhale, she gave her response.

"We should have some supplies first, just in case." Jen responded. This did halt the fiery bug's advance at the very least. Lavis turned around, looking to his friends. A quiet voice soon called out, only further aiding Jen's arguments.

"Oran harvest is soon." Dustin stated. They looked at him, thinking about what he just said. Oran harvest being soon meant they would be able to have easier access to Oran berries, and thus would be safer. Interpreting their friend's words, or rather the lack there of, was sometimes difficult, but they managed. It helped force them to stop and think about the problems. It has, on multiple occasions, prevented several messes they might otherwise have found themselves in. What he said made sense at the very least. Lavis sighed, but ultimately relented, walking away from the cave.

"This next Zapsday we'll go in. It probably ends about twenty feet out, anyway." Jen stated, smiling. The four of them nodded. That was the day before his birthday.

"That'll be an eventful two days, huh?" The Zorua stated. The others nodded.

"I doubt there'll be much in the cave, but it certainly will be nice to know." Jen responded. The conversations continued until the sun began to dip past the canyon, making it notably darker. Then the friends made their way home to finish their homework and any chores which needed to be done. Dinner was as expected, a bit of meat and Oran berry stew, something easy to make in the winter seasons.

"So, how was school today?" The Zorua's mother asked. The Zorua rolled his eyes and smiled. He took a long slurp of his stew, wetting his throat before answering.

"Same as yesterday, it was alright." The Zorua responded. It was an average day for him, not good, not bad, just a day. The two parents nodded.

"Didn't get into any fights?" The father questioned. The Zorua's smile faded. Azor looked to the ground, somewhat ashamed.

"Not today." Azor stated. It was a lie, of course. The two Zoroark looked at him. They knew. However, instead of admitting to it, he doubled down with his lie.

"You really don't trust that I'm not going to get into a fight, do you?" The Zorua questioned. The parents sighed. Their son was quite aggressive and defensive about many things sometimes. Somedays it truly was hard to trust him with not attacking someone when he gets angry. They knew the truth, but he was going to be stubborn to the end.

"You know how you get sometimes, we just wanted to make sure." The mother stated. This was true, but he felt they went way too far. The Zorua seemed hurt, though he mostly seemed annoyed by their questioning.

"I know, but you don't need to bring it up. Ugh." The Zorua got up, leaving the table. Against all odds, he managed to avoid being yelled at, but he still didn't feel very good about the situation. The night turned into day, and he woke up to an empty house. A small note noted where his parents were: working in the fields early. It was the weekend, however, so he headed out across the small stretch of desert to talk with his friends.

Azor headed over to his friends. Stopping by Jen's home first, he decided. Heading eastward, he made his way across the small stretch of sands and to the eastern houses. The small row of ten homes suddenly appeared seemingly from nowhere. The fifth house of ten, Jen's house. The unpainted brown wooden home was somewhat sand worn, but it was still sturdy enough.

Walking to the door, Azor knocked n the door and waited for a minute. A female Galvantula opened the door.

"Oh, Azor. Hello. Jen's not here right now, she already went up to wake all of you." She stated. Azor chuckled at this. Seems he had to head to his home again, since Jen would be meeting him there.

"Alright, thank you." Azor stated, smiling. The Galvantula nodded and wished him farewell. Walking back to his home, Azor's head was mostly unfocused, not really thinking on much. Within an hour Azor had traveled back to the small circle of homes they called the south houses. Jen and Dustin were standing outside their door.

"Hey!" Azor shouted. The small yellow bug jumped slightly, but Dustin simply turned towards the loud voice, smiling happily.

"Azor, there you are. I was wondering what was taking you so long." Jen stated. Azor nodded. A wide smile rested on his face.

"I got up to wake you up." Azor stated. The bug wasted little time in responding.

"I got up to wake you up!" Jen stated. The three friends began laughing for quite some time. Jen laughed so much she had run out of breath at one point, which only caused them to laugh more. Eventually the three caught their breahs, though they still giggled on occasion, threatening to restart the entire process. Jen was splayed out on the ground, trying to catch her breath.

"Heheh, Ow… my chest hurts…" Jen stated. This was when Azor noted that one of them was missing.

"Hey, where's Lavis?" Azor questioned while slowly tilting his head to the side. He was mostly being silly, Azor figured he knew what was up. Jen gave her response, and it was exactly what he thought. Lavis was busy helping in the fields. It was a cold night previously, so they needed all the fire types they could have to help keep the plants warm. Azor nodded, not too surprised by this.

They were often volunteered to help, though he didn't blame them. They all needed to do their part, or they'd starve. Food was scarce in the middle of the desert; the nearest city was Mesac. However, it over a dozen miles away, so they had to rely on the food they could grow themselves.

Azor, like many other teens his age, dreamed of heading out and seeing the world. He had heard of a dessert named "ice cream" which he really wanted to try sometime. There were a lot of foods he wanted to try, and a lot of places he wanted to see. However, as it was, he couldn't leave. He still had to finish school, and he had to find somewhere to go. He couldn't be a hermit, and he still didn't truly know what he wanted to do in his life.

"So, back to our usual spot, then?" Azor questioned. The two other friends nodded, following the Zorua to their normal spot under the bridge. The wood and stone bridge provided ample shade to the trio, and the small sandstone canyon was far cooler than it was above. Though, none of them had any issue with the heat regardless, so this was mostly just a private place away from everyone where they would chat for hours about things they heard.

They mostly talked about things they read and learned, rumors and gossip around town and the occasional snippet of information they heard. Exploration Team Hodgepodge visiting was one such thing, as it always has been and always would be.

Team Hodgepodge had been exploring since they were kids, so they had a ton of experience. At some point it turned out they had divinely gifted powers! They were like the chosen ones in the stories he had read, yet these were real! It was crazy. It was unbelievable, yet it was true! More than that, they were going to be in their town.

This was apparently as a part of some exploration team recruitment search thing? Apparently Squared has suggested it, though no one truly knows why. Still, if it meant they get to meet living legends like them, no one was going to question it.

The day once again slowly turned into night and day once more. Life continued in the small town. The week from then on passed excruciatingly slow, as expected. When one has something to wait for, time always passed far slower than they wanted. From the weekend to the weekday, time crept forward, far too slowly for him and his friends.

Eventually the day, much like any other, began in the small and sleepy town of Lush Sands. The night slowly fell to the light of dawn, of day. Some creatures had already been up and about, accomplishing the daily tasks and work required for this small town to continue surviving. Foods were quickly being harvested. It was becoming a bit easier to harvest as the spring was setting in, and the air became mildly more humid.

Soon they would need to transition into the summer fruits and vegetables. Indeed, some of the farmers already had. In any case, the weather was finally warming up after a long, dry winter from before. It was the day before the Zorua's birthday. In just one day he would have a big party celebrating his sixteenth birthday with his friends. However, until then, he had to endure two days of school, this day and the next. It was tough.

Sitting in English, he was learning about some famous playwriter. What was his name, Bill, a Pelipper or something? The Zorua didn't really care enough, more focused on what would be happening the next day. Tomorrow was a special day for everyone in school as well. Four famous and powerful heroes would be showing up to demonstrate the basics of exploring and combat! It was the talk of the school; everybody was extremely excited for it. No matter how indifferent you tried to be, they all were unfathomably excited for it.

Star and his impossible levels of strength, he could lift a mountain with one arm and still carry more! Ray, who was tough enough to be thrown out of the sky and land without even a scratch. Squared, who held the sum of the world knowledge and more, able to access it whenever, wherever he needed. Nera, who could be anywhere she needed, even across the oceans with how quick she ran, not to mention she's quite cute.

They were all super famous and they were going to be at their school the next day! Not to mention it was his birthday, too. There would be nothing which could make that day go badly. Soon, the old wooden bell clattered and clanged, indicating the arrival of the next period. The small, single room school had fourteen students and four teachers, so the teacher who was there left the room, her job having been completed for the rest of the day.

The next teacher, a metallic grey Klang who taught science and math, entered the open-air classroom while the other teacher exited and prepared for his lesson on basic chemistry, the last period of the day. A slightly more thrilling class ensued. Instead of learning about the Bard of Camelot or whatever, they were learning about how fire interacts with air and oxygen.

This was something the entire group thought was interesting, if only because the teens were drawn to the flames like absentminded Mothims. All too soon for the insatiable, figurative fire bugs, the bell clanged and clattering. The lesson, and by extension, the day, was finally over.

"…And remember, with how dry it is here fires are easy to begin in this region and very hard to put out, so please be careful." The clicking gears stated as the group of teens silently picked up their belongings and began exiting the class. Some were heading right to work, others to hang out, others still going to home. Stretching his limbs, the Zorua made his way home for the time being.

He and his friends would be hanging out later, but he had some things he needed to do, first. Across the desert, a small stretch of a mile of sandy wastes awaited him. It was nothing he hadn't done a million times before, and a walk he would do a million times more. The lifeless brown plains of sand stretched for miles beyond the small collection of towns, with the occasional dune stretching between them blocking the towns from direct line of sight.

The walk was as safe as any mile walk through empty desert could be. The only real danger was if there was a sudden sandstorm, which weren't uncommon in winter months as the winds would occasionally suddenly pick up. Regardless, the Zorua slowly made his way home from school, a bit tired and more than a bit hungry.

It wouldn't take the Zorua long before he made it to the small collection of houses that he called his hometown. Wandering past Geoff, he waved to his rocky form as he was tending to his small garden. Of course, he didn't notice the Zorua, too busy focusing on his plants. The Zorua shrugged, continuing to his house, visible from where he had first entered town. The walk through town took far less than a minute.

The dry winds blew a little bit of sand to his face, unsurprising as the straight rows of houses acted as a funnel of sorts, making the town far windier than it would otherwise be. The Zorua winced, keeping the sand out of his eyes as he walked to his home. Once within the threshold, he shook the built-up sand in his fur, cleaning the grit from between his paws, something particularly annoying to the Zorua.

The sands would get hot, but the lack of materials and rough environment meant shoes were both scarce and less useful than they would otherwise be. The small house was furnished sparsely. There was not much need for lavish decorations in a small desert town. In the small, closed porch, one table stood with his Gracidea flower next to it.

The flower had finally bloomed, something he was extremely proud of. The scent of the flower was amazing to him, and the fact he got it to bloom on his own only made it all the sweeter. The Zorua picked up a watering can and gave the plant some water. He would do task every day until the seeds were ready to replant.

The room he found himself in upon entering the main portion of the home was a plain, unpainted dining room and kitchen. You had to enter it when you first walk into the house unless you went through a wall or window, something Azor has done before on multiple occasions.

In the back right, a stove and fridge stood. The fridge tended to be used more as a storage container as most foods they had could withstand the heat. The Zorua walked over to the entirely to warm fridge and pulled out some jerky, noting a small platter of dried meats. When he closed the fridge top, he finally noticed a note was stuck to the fridge.

"Azor, with the seasons changing, we will be planting new crops for the summer months, so we will be home late. I have made you some food and put it in the fridge.

Love, Mom"

The Zorua known as Azor smiled and nodded. He would probably need to help with that on the weekend, but for now he had the house to himself. Like any good teen would do with the house, he finished eating his jerky and walked through the doorway to the living room, taking a right. Azor deftly swerved, nearly colliding with the small couch. From there, he went directly into his bedroom, his oddly clean bedroom. From there, he plopped into bed and fell asleep.

A short, grey void awaited him, nothing special, nothing memorable. No special dreams, no visions or prophecies telling him how special he was, nothing. Those things were just childish fantasy, anyway. It didn't really matter ultimately; his life was one of mundanity and not adventure. When Azor woke up, he didn't exactly know what time it was.

Looking out the small round window, he noted where the sun was. It was probably almost time for him to go. He and his friends had found an odd cave nearby and they were going to explore it. Azor wanted to be an explorer someday, but he knew how dangerous it was. Truth be told, everyone in his school wanted to be an explorer, but not everyone would be able to.

Some would be stuck in this small collection of farming towns for the rest of their lives. This was just how life went ultimately. Azor stretched his limbs, looking towards his nearly immaculate bedroom. His room was extraordinarily clean. That isn't to say it wasn't sandy or dirty, it was impossible to keep it completely sand free. However, the standard for a teen was far lower than of an adult, yet he kept his room free from food and other such litter in his room.

Not a crumb of food lay on the single rough, yet sturdily made desk, and no papers of any kind lay on the floor. Only his bag which sat in the corner near the door could indicate this was the room of a student. Azor suddenly hopped out of bed, ready to start the exploration.

His friends, Lavis and Jen, would be joining with him. His other friend, Dustin, unfortunately, was busy tending to the crops so couldn't come along. He headed to the kitchen, grabbing a few Oran berries in preparation. Walking out of his house, he passed by Geoff, the Golem, who was resting in some shade. Azor waved at him, and the Golem smiled and happily waved back.

With a smile and a small skip, the Zorua headed back to the town he had just left. The sandy walk wasn't a difficult one, and soon enough he headed to the small, quiet underpass. The bridge allowed traffic in instead of winding through the small canyon, a canyon which the four of them had discovered a cave.

"You're late." Jen said. The Zorua winced, he knew he was a bit slow, but if Jen was complaining then it must have been particularly bad.

"Sorry, I fell asleep." Azor apologized. The Zorua rubbed the back of his head, feeling notably embarrassed for being late. The small bug sighed and rolled its eyes, a terrifying sight to behold for a creature with as many eyes as Joltik.

"I get it, I get it. Anyway, you ready?" Jen questioned. Azor enthusiastically nodded, ready to go in, however Jen interrupted them.

"Wait. You have the berries?" Jen questioned. This time it was Azor's chance to roll his eyes as he handed each of them a single Oran berry. It wasn't a lot, but it should be enough for the three of them, he felt. Lavis nodded, and Jen stared into the dark cave. Her fluffy yellow fur was twitching with anticipation, a bit unusual for her, but ultimately not very surprising. All three of them were excited for this. Whether it was an empty cave or not, this was an exploration! It was exciting for the three of them.

"Well, then, let's go!" Azor stated, smiling, before charging into the caves with his friends.

The dark cave would be difficult to see in if it wasn't for Lavis's flames. His fire lit the way well enough. Though his flames didn't travel very far, so anything further out looked dim, grey. If anything lived in there, the monsters would be on them far faster than they could react. A shudder ran through the trio's bodies. The cave suddenly seemed bright.

Looking to the ceiling, they noticed sun was not visible. Despite this, everything was clear as day. The towering sandstone walls loomed over them, filling the three with an uncomfortable sense of dread. The three of them looked towards each other, knowing something was wrong.

Without saying anything, the three friends all agreed they had to leave While they hadn't fully explored the cave, they decided to exit. They would have, rather, if the cave behind them hadn't disappeared entirely. Azor walked directly into the cave wall, smashing his nose against it.

"Ow…" He grumbled, rubbing his snout. However, much pain he was in was minor compared to the panic and the three friends searched around for at the wall, trying to figure out where the entrance was. They looked at each other, and then around the large, sandy room they found themselves in. Somehow, on accident, they managed to wander into a mystery dungeon.

"What do we do, what do we do? We don't have the supplies for this!" Lavis questioned. The fiery bug was pacing back and forth, hyperventilating.

"I don't know, I-…" Jen stated. Even Jen was fairly panicked at this. Though, she was handling it better than Lavis, who had curled up into a ball and was rocking back in forth, muttering about how they weren't going to survive. The three friends looked to each other mumbling and muttering how this was a very bad thing. Only Azor seemed to know what they had to do, even if they didn't like it.

However, his mind was distracted by several other thoughts. The adults didn't tell them about this, so they couldn't have known about it, right? No, it was possible they could have known, but it was more likely they weren't aware of it. Everyone knew how dangerous these places were, that much was drilled into them from an early age, so if someone got lost and hurt in a dungeon it would be a more effective deterrent than simply not saying anything

Azor took a breath, readying himself.

"Guys, hey!" He shouted. The two nervous friends stopped suddenly, turning towards them. Azor took one last deep breath.

"We have to continue; the only way out now is forward." Azor stated, turning towards the hallway, pointing. A sickening sense of dread crept into his stomach, and it was clear from his friend's expressions they felt the same way. This was dangerous, but they had no choice. With a few deep breaths, the friends slowly, shakily, made their way to the nearest hall.

With Azor leading the way and Lavis lighting the dark halls, the three of them crept forward, one step at a time. Every shadow they gasped at, every flicker of light they jumped from. However, ultimately there was not a single wild Pokémon in sight. As relaxing as this should have been, this instead was scarier. Why were there no Pokémon, was something keeping them away? None of them liked this, this didn't feel normal. Then again, dungeons in general weren't normal.

They changed every time they were entered, it was a place full of chaos. The place oozed an impossible amount of creepiness. None of it felt normal, so perhaps this abnormal feeling was normal in a weird sort of way. The trio wandered into an open area, not seeing anything but a black tile with a green arrow facing what the trio presumed was north, and an inexplicable set of stairs. Looking at each other once more, the trio nodded and headed down.

Once down, they suddenly appeared elsewhere. There was no woosh, no feeling of dizziness, one moment they were heading down the stairs and the next they were in the middle of a room with one exit. They looked at each other, nodding. They had to continue.

They made their way down the hall, slightly bolder this time. Though it was possible they simply wished to finish their unintentional dungeon exploration sooner rather than later. The trio walked forward in utter silence, the only sounds the heard were their own foot falls. This was odd to them. They didn't expect the dungeons to be completely silent. It wasn't surprising, but they expected the dungeons to make more sound than that. Still, eventually the silence was broken by Jen.

"So…" She stated. The three friends stalled for a moment, looking at her, but soon continued walking.

Jen continued, "I was thinking, if this place isn't known about, maybe we could come up with a name." Lavis stopped, looking at her friend incredulously.

"Is now really the time to be thinking about that?" He wondered. Jen shrugged, looking at Azor.

"What do you think?" She wondered.

"I think Lavis is right. Is now really time to be making a name for this place? I think we should continue walking, but knowing Jen, I somehow doubt she'll continue without us choosing one. Ugh, Jen..." Azor thought, but he shook his head. What would they name it, then? It was directly underneath the bridge into town, so perhaps something involving that? Yeah, that, that could work.

"Underpass Canyon?" He stated. Lavis rolled his eyes as expected, but Jen nodded once.

"Good enough for me, I think." Jen responded, smiling widely. Well, at least she liked it.

Lavis sighed and questioned, "Okay, now can we get back to finishing this place up?" The two looked at him and nodded. They were on floor two of an unknown amount, they had to be careful. Soon enough, however, stairs leading down were in sight. Silently, the trio headed down once more.

Underpass Canyon

BF 3

Once again, the large, empty, utterly silent dungeon walls loomed over them. A sense of foreboding, of sheer horror emanated from them.

It was as if the walls were saying "You should not have come in here." The trio felt like they were trespassing into a domain they shouldn't have. Though, Azor supposed, they were in some ways. They crossed a dungeon threshold, something they shouldn't have done, and now they were stuck traveling in a dungeon no one knew about. If they couldn't get out, no one would know where they were. They would surely… no. They couldn't think like that, they were going to survive. They were going to survive. With this chanting in his mind, Azor courageously took the lead, traveling down a dark hall.

His ability to see through the dark would come in handy, though even he had his limits. It was still dark, just not quite pitch black as it would be to his two allies. Either way, he led. He was shaking and shivering in fear, though his illusion prevented the others from seeing this. What if something attacked, then he'd be first. He'd-no. He had to be brave. He had to for his friends. With a gulp, he charged forward with as much courage as he could muster. A left, right, dead end? Turn around, right, left, ah! There it was, they saw. With a tiny bit of hope this was the end, they walked forward and down the stairs.

Underpass Canyon

BF 4

Well, there went that hope. Ah well, The Zorua thought, it had to be over soon, right? Dungeons forming this close to a town couldn't be very long, right? Most of them were only about four or five floors max, anyway. Though Brine Cave was apparently decently close to Treasure Town, then again…no. Stop it, relax, calm. They had to trust this wouldn't be long. Maximum dungeon lengths tended to be ninety-nine, daunting and scary, as he could already feel the fatigue and hunger setting in.

Indeed, he could feel his stomach growl despite him not being hungry earlier. Rather, he was hungry despite him not being much of an eater in general. He never really ate much, likely due to his ghostly form. Such is how dungeons worked, and a small part of why they were called Mystery Dungeons. Whatever may be the case, the trio walked down another long, empty corridor.

He began to wonder if all dungeons were this uneventful but knew they couldn't be. They were just getting very lucky. Extremely lucky, Azor knew. He had heard horror stories about Pokémon lost in easy dungeon for those on a team. He heard stories from his own parents about how badly they were hurt because they underestimated an easy dungeon.

Then why, exactly, was there nothing here? He doubted they could be so lucky, yet somehow, they hadn't even met anything dangerous. He also doubted they had just discovered an empty dungeon. Still, he knew, they had no choice but to carry on.

"None of us do." Lavis responded. For some reason, this annoyed the Zorua. His anger would have certainly boiled over at this; however, he was far too exhausted for the anger to fully take control of his mind. However, as much as his anger burned, he knew he had to continue. His stomach growled, and he was tempted to eat his berry, but he knew he had to hold off in case he really needed it. Soon enough another set of stairs were upon them, and they descended yet another floor, hoping this would be the last.

Underpass Canyon

BF 5

Canyon. Hallways. Empty. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing! There was nothing, empty walls, empty hall, it was nothing. Why, how, no. They-urk. This was getting hard. Everything was going to b-be okay. It- Urgh. The mental toll being taken on the trio was staggering. There had to be something, right? They couldn't be alone, right? There had to be something, someone! Anyone, anything! Please, someone, anyone, even if it's feral, we need someone, anything. Please! P-please…

No one came, no Pokémon came. Just the three of them were there, no more, no less. The fear that was building, they were rushing through the dungeon. It had to end soon for the sake of their sanity.

A moment of clarity struck the trio, suddenly they realized this was why dungeons were dangerous. It was more than just the wild and feral Pokémon. It was more than the extreme hunger and fatigue that the dungeon forced upon them. It wasn't just the anticipation. It was the dungeon itself filling them with this fear.

The dungeon was causing them mental stress. It was the dungeon itself being malevolent, causing them fear even when they didn't need it, and it was working. The dungeon was quickly driving them mad, breaking them down, abusing their expectations, playing with they like a toy. The worst part for them was how effective it was. This had to be the end for them, their minds couldn't take another floor of this. The trio wouldn't make it out if they had to endure any more.

Left, right, left, wait were we here before? Argh! Left, right, this room, no. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing! Agh! His way, right, down, this way. Stairs? Stairs! Please no more, please no more. Please... Please...

Underpass Canyon

BF 6

Even knowing why, they were feeling this way didn't ease any of their stress and fear. If anything, realizing what what was happening only made them feel even more terrified. The stress was far too much for one of the three friends. Beginning with a weak whimper, Lavis soon began screaming before running off.

The two remaining allies silently looked at each other, far too exhausted to give chase. They would have to have an exploration team return. They knew he would probably be fine until then. They hoped he would be, anyway. However, they could only hope, something they didn't have much of.

The Zorua looked at Jen, who was shaking in fear. Neither of them could continue for much longer, they knew. Taking a deep breath, the trio turned duo staggered their way through the dark canyon halls.

Left, right, left, backtracking several times as they had long since lost their sense of direction. Their efforts weren't in vain, as soon after a set of stairs appeared, leading down, which they eagerly walked down. With a surge hope in their hearts, they traveled.

Underpass Canyon

BF 7

Hope, the ever-fleeting emotion they needed now more than ever. The yellow electric bug was hyperventilating, barely keeping herself together. The Zorua was not faring much better. but it couldn't be long. It couldn't be, we have to be done soon. We need it. Please, let it end soon… The duo continued, left, right, wherever, aimlessly wandering, barely focusing on what was going on at the time.

"We have to... keep going..." The Zorua stated. The yellow bug looked towards him with an expression of anger.

"I know that." She growled. Sparks came off her small form. The Zorua simply looked at her, too exhausted to care. The sparks stopped and she shook her head, a remorseful look in her eyes. Left, right, back track, right, right, left, forward... Upon entering a large room, the duo barely even recognized the stairs when they saw it. This was it, must be. Must be. Must be. Needs to be.

Underpass Canyon

BF 8

The disappointment at being stuck in this dungeon for any longer had pushed the bug past her limit. She ran off, uncaring what would happen next, driven mad by the effects of the dungeon. No. No, please. Where are we. Where am I? Jen! Don't...? Jen? What? Who? Who is… Jen? Why did you run, though? Don't leave me, whoever you were I-I have to get out. I- I need out.

Who… Was I here before? Was I? I feel like I'm forgetting something. Who... was I? What's my name? Urgh. Where am I! What is this! H-huh? What is this? Is this the stairs? I don't even know anymore! I don't know…

Underpass Canyon

BF 9

Let it end. Let it end. Let it end. Let it end. Let it-urgh! What is this? S-stairs? Is- is that what they're called? I- it won't be the end. It won't be the end. It won't be the end. It will never end. It can't ever end. This suffering will never end I will always suffer here.

Underpass Canyon

BF 10

It won't end it won't end it won't end it won't end it won't end. Let it end let it end no end it can't ever end because it won't let me it won't end my suffering someone end it end it end it, please. What is this where am I what is going on.

I want to go home mom dad where are you I want to go home what is going on. I want to go home mom dad where are you I want to go home what is going on-s-stop. I-where am I Wh-what is-? I- I don't… I don't remember… What is… this? Where…?

Underpass Canyon

Depths

Wh-what is… where? The extraordinary horror had dispelled, but he was far too fatigued to know where he was. His stomach growled, hurting him physically. He wasn't going to make it if he kept pushing himself. The fog in his mind had cleared mostly, he just needed to eat or he'd perish, simple right?

His mind went to what food he had. What did he bring again? It was hard to focus. The dungeon took so much out of him, physically, mentally, he was utterly exhausted. The spark of a memory returned to him. The berry. It wasn't a lot, but it had to be enough, right? Practically diving into his bag, he found his savior, the round, blue, life giving berry.

Eagerly, he took a large bite, feeling its juice, tasting a thousand times better than any other he had ever eaten. Savoring it wasn't going to help him, he knew. With remorse, he swallowed the berry. He took a long look at his surroundings. Behind him was a long hall which led back into the dungeon, clearly.

In front of him was a wide-open canyon. The sky was visible, a lovely, welcome sight. Judging by amount of light and the stars being visible, it was very late. A second pathway led upward. A spark of hope filled Azor, and then a bit of dread. If this wasn't the exit, he would likely starve. With no other options, the Zorua made his was forward.

It was pure chance he had managed to escape the dungeon, if he survived only to perish there, that would be horrible. Exhausted, the Zorua made his way through the small canyon hallway. Looking down, he noted there was an overhang blocking him from seeing where he was, and cliff which dropped about ten feet to the sand. You wouldn't even be able to see it unless you were standing directly underneath the drop point.

Azor shook his head and stumbled down, landing in a cloud of sand. He looked up, noting he had no idea where he was. The nearest mountainous structure which could feasibly hold this place was about a mile northwest. That would be great if he knew where north was. He would be able to figure it out if the sun was out, however the sun had completely set by then, and the moon was missing, so he couldn't use it, either.

A few hundred feet out was a large dune. He had made his decision, he would get to the top and hope he could see something, anything which would tell him where to go. The nearest sand dune was not useful, slowly, he became more and more exhausted as he continued traveling up and down the dunes. Soon, he would have to give up. However, the last dune he went up, he noticed a small light in the distance. It had to be it; he knew he found it. There couldn't be anything else, right?

With renewed vigor, the Zorua rushed towards the light source. He had, indeed, found the northern most town in the cluster of towns they called a community. He rushed into town, knowing exactly who he would talk to. A large, mummified Pokémon with a single eye opened the door, gasping as he saw the exhausted Zorua. His illusion was flickering by this point, barely able to keep it up.

Attempting to maintain the illusion wasn't something he was doing intentionally, his parents and teachers said it would be easier to make friends if I didn't look as scary. It eventually became habit for Azor, and then instinct. Two Dusclops walked up to him, asking him several questions, seemingly both worried and mildly angry. However, Azor could heat none of them.

His illusion dropped, and the two ghosts gasped. Azor's heart was pounding in his ears, he was sick to his stomach from running and mostly starved by the dungeon. If he wasn't a ghost it is very likely he would not even be alive.

Speaking as loud as he could manage, Azor mumbled, "Dustin, that cave was a dungeon... Our friends..." In just a few moments the world tipped to the side, and everything became gray before fading entirely.

W-where? Urgh. The Zorua looked around the room as best as he could. The sun was beginning to rise, but clearly it was very low. He was in his room, he noted. The familiar sight and sounds of his hometown greeted him. It was a miracle, he felt. Tears welled up in his eyes, born from the utter relief he was feeling. His quiet sobbing wasn't even interrupted by his parents rushing into the room and squeezing him tightly. The silence of this family was only interrupted by the mother questioning her son.

"What happened?" Thus, Azor explained all that he could. Their plans to explore a cave, the mystery dungeon, and how the two of them were stuck in there. The parents were shocked and angry, yet they knew he was not at fault, none of them were. No one even knew about that dungeon, and unless Azor was lying, they didn't realize they were walking into one until it was too later.

In any case, they had some famous explorers heading their way, so this wasn't the worst timing, they supposed. It was the most convenient timing if anything. Still, why did it happen at all? Why did no one know about this? It didn't make any sense. Of course, mystery dungeons themselves didn't make sense. They appeared in strange places at odd points, so it making no sense made sense in a twisted way. The family remained in a huddle until the sun truly began to rise. With only a bit of hesitation, Azor headed back to school that day.

Meeting the legends was a once in a lifetime experience, and he wasn't going to let trauma stop him. Before crossing the bridge, he stood there staring. He stared vaguely towards where the dungeon would be, knowing his friends were trapped underneath. He shook his head, shaking as he began walking towards school.

When he was at the to the school entrance, he took a deep breath. Entering the small doorway and turning to the left, he entered the room and noticed something. A Riolu, a Larvitar, A Buneary, and a Porygon were standing at the front of the classroom. More importantly, his friends were sitting in their seats! Rushing to them, he teared up. He was glad they were alright. The three friends huddled close, relieved that they made it out alive.

"Hey, you." One of them stated. Azor shook his head, breaking away from the circle of fluff. He looked towards them, noting it was the Riolu, Ray, speaking.

"Huh?" Azor mumbled. Who was he talking to?

"You, the Zorua. You were with them before, right?" The Riolu asked. Azor jumped back. The world-famous Ray was talking to him? Addressing him directly? Azor suddenly wasn't certain if he was dreaming, or if he had died in the dungeon and this was all a hallucination. Azor stammered and stuttered, unable to properly say anything, but he simply nodded.

"I see. I'd heard they ran off from you, so I won't blame you for their actions. Still, my point is most Pokémon wouldn't have been able to make it as far as you did, so good on you for that." Yup, he was dead. There was no way such a legend would be complimenting him otherwise. He simply stuttered and spat a bit, unable to say a single coherent word. It seemed Ray found this amusing, however, as he simply quietly chuckled to himself.

"Well, now that that is done, we can begin today's lesson." Lang the Klang stated. The quartet of legends nodded.

"First, we assume you know the whole spiel of Mystery Dungeons, you know, dangerous, makes you go crazy. So, let's skip to some exploring basics. This" The Riolu pulled out a badge, showing a round, silvery badge. "Is an Exploration Team badge. There are many forms it can take depending on if you were registered as a Rescue Team or an Exploration team. We were registered as an Exploration Team; thus, this is what our badge looks like." The entire class oohed and aahed at this. Ray seemed amused that something so simple would be so amazing to everyone.

"Next…" The lessons continued for an hour, teaching the most basic things, including what the rank systems were and what exploring and rescuing entails. Then, they eventually went on to a more physical demonstration. Specifically, they would be inflicting uncommon status effects on the class, Infatuation, in this case

"Nera, you're up first." Ray stated. The Buneary smiled and nodded, hopping towards the front of the crowd.

"Infatuation is a status effect which will prevent you from acting for a while. It does end on its own after some time. However, it only works on opposite gendered Pokémon, pokemon you'd be attracted to. It usually is only single target, but we can use it on more if we focus hard enough and everyone is willing to be affected, which we know you are. You signed the wavers and got your parents' permission, after all. So, eight boys here, eight targets for infatuation. So, here we go!"

She spun on the ball of one foot, releasing a kiss as pink, heart shaped energy flew towards the entire class. As expected, every single one of the guys was infatuated, indicated by the pink glow in their eyes. However, the energy did nothing to affect the women. Just as she had stated, in a minute the affect had worn off.

"We didn't forget about the women, either. Ray, do your thing!" Nera cheered, hopping away. Ray nodded, heading to the front.

"Seven targets, let's do this!" Ray exclaimed. Ray smirked and flexed, winking, releasing more pink shaped energy. Upon hitting Azor, he felt his heart flutter.

"Seven targets and, uh, eight successfully infatuated? That's, different, I guess. Wasn't expecting... Ah well, I'm not one to judge. I am pretty handsome if I do say so myself." Ray stated, gesturing with one hand, brushing past his face in a somewhat flamboyant manner.

"And clearly you are so very humble, too." Squared stated, rolling his eyes. The seven boys in the class laughed at this. Soon enough, the effect had worn off, and the Zorua looked to the floor, more than a bit embarrassed by the situation. Still, the lesson had otherwise been a complete success.

All they had left was one single thing, the fight they were going to participate in. Ben eagerly volunteered himself, but the quartet deliberated to themselves instead. It seemed they came to a consensus and stood in front of the class. Looking over everyone, Ray pointed to the Zorua.

"You. You'll be who we face." Azor jumped, shocked by this. Why did they want to fight him? There were certainly other opponents who would work just as well, if not better! Still, Azor wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to face one of them.

"O-okay." Azor stated. The entire class headed to a large, open area typically used by kids to play. This day, however, it would be used as a battlefield. Ray would be facing Azor. Azor knew he would be able to go all out, all Azor to do was land a hit, just one hit. If he could do that, he would be happy.

"You made it through a mystery dungeon, in case you were wondering why we picked you." Ray explained.

"I-I only barely made it through, and there weren't any wild Pokémon there..." Azor admitted. Ray smiled and laughed, shaking his head.

"That doesn't matter, though. Dungeons are dangerous, and the fact you cleared one at all is still quite a feat." He responded. Azor could only look to the ground, feeling quite embarrassed and unsure of how to respond. However, Ray didn't let him think on it much.

"Ready?" Ray asked. Azor shook his head, shocked out of his thoughts. Gathering his focus, Azor took one long, deep breath before nodding. Utilizing his illusions, he tried to sneak towards him with his illusion. However, Ray turned right towards him, staring him down. Impossible, no one could see where he was! Luckily, Ray soon clarified what was happened.

"You may not be visible with sight, but your aura can still be detected." Ray stated. This got an "ooh" as the crowd sat, extremely impressed by his capabilities. While his initial plan of sneaking was bust, there was one single thing which he couldn't know about.

Abandoning all pretenses of stealth, Azor instead charged forward. Ray stood standing, took a step back, and threw a force palm. However, instead of the solid body he expected, it continued right through his form. Ray was surprised by this, briefly stunned by what he thought should have been a super effective attack completely failing.

This was all the time he needed. Azor crunched down onto Ray's arm as hard as he could possibly manage. The young Aura Pokémon seemed completely unaffected by this, instead simply lifting his arm, and slamming Azor into the ground in a makeshift seismic toss. It was enough, and the illusion broke. Azor's actual form, a very small, white fox with flowing red tufts of fur on its head and tail lay there, dazed by the attack.

"What are you?" Ray asked, taking a step back. Azor wasn't too surprised by this, he was odd looking. Looking over to the other members, the others all seemed to be the same, except Squared, who appeared to be thinking of something.

"A Zorua." I responded, smiling. Ray looked to his friends, and they all seemed equally confused. However, Squared buzzed loudly for some reason. Everyone turned towards him, surprised by the sudden noise.

"The book carries what to see!" He shouted. Everyone either tilted their head or jerked theirs backwards. Everyone was utterly baffled by the gibberish he just said. Even his own teammates seemed utterly baffled by their friend's inane outburst.

"What are you talking about?" Ray wondered, obviously concerned for his friend. Squared promptly ignored his question, instead rushing towards Azor, stopping just in front of him.

"What is your name, exactly?" Squared questioned, tilting his entire body at an odd angle. Azor was more than a bit confused, taking a half step backwards. Normally he'd be all for one of the legendary heroes speaking with him, but this was just odd.

What? What was this all of a sudden? I-this is weird. I-I'd best give him my answer, though.

"A-Azor." He eventually stuttered. Squared closed his eyes, thinking for a moment before he nodded.

"Would the word 'Manitowoc' mean anything to you?" He questioned. Azor swore he could see a grin of his face, but the Porygon didn't even have a mouth in the traditional sense, let alone lips.

Manitowoc? What? What does that mean? Did he just make up a word or spout gibberish or...? Ugh, wh-what's going on?

"No, it... doesn't?" Azor stated. Suddenly, a strange dizziness coated Azor. Azor felt his eyes droop down and a strange feeling washed over him. He felt his legs shake and his knees grow weak before he collapsed. Nera and Star looked at the Porygon with a confused look, clearly unsure of what their friend had just done. Ray seemed confused for a moment but shook his head, rushing over to the fallen Zorua. Squared bobbed up and down happily.

"We found you, finally." Squared stated, still bouncing up and down. This earned him even more impossibly baffled looks and a bit of fear. Did he know of a word which could cause someone to pass out?

"Wh-urgh." Azor groaned before completely collapsing. Soon enough, the grey spinning world stopped spinning as the grey void overtook his senses. Time passed within the dark void. The grey void of unconsciousness, one of the emptiest places, held only Azor for the moment.

However, it wouldn't be for long a voice called out. At first it was a quiet, distorted mumbling, impossible to distinguish. Azor wondered briefly if he was hearing someone trying to wake him up. However, it soon became louder and louder, growing until it eventually became very clear as to exactly what it was saying. The several chanting voices soon settled down into one before it loudly proclaimed what it wished for.

Remember. Remember. Remember! Remember who you are, Jake!

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

So... Here's chapter 12, my longest chapter to date. I have a few things to say, thank you to EnigmaScribe for proofreading/Beta Reading this chapter, for Lokins2005 who also agreed to beta read and to the many others who put up with the slop I call my writing. That means you, reader. Genuinely, thank you.

With the heartfelt thanks out of the way, a few things to note: The first arc, Shadow Fall, finished and now the new one, the Requiem arc, begins. I have a vague structure of what I plan on having the rest of the story end up like, but I may end up screwing that up a bit, so who knows, honestly! Either way, the most stressful part of the chapter was wondering if it's good enough. I worked for over two weeks on this, trying to make sure it's as good as I could possibly hope for. I only hope I succeeded in this.