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Humanity was foolish to build its own cage in a self-wrought miasma of fear and ignorance. They thought themselves as shepherds guiding the flocks of unwise o'er the night. Will the Jailors and their ilk see the blindness with which they swing their blades against the anomalous? Of course, they couldn't help themselves.
-L.S, assorted Serpent's Dialogues.
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When the four returned, they were surprised to see that the entire battlefield had been cordoned off and secured. The corpses of the uvanimor had been carted away for dissection and study. The Logarian wraiths had been freed from their oath. The rift was gone, the forest was vacant except for dozens of International Police agents and Association representatives, with the Chairman and the Commissioner of the International Police discussing what they would do with the Spear, which lay unmoving and dull in the blasted heath.
The Serpent's Hand was rallying their members, their words against the officials becoming more zealous and heated. The government officials were attempting to convince the thaumaturges and heroes to submit to an interview, but the invitation was not taken kindly by the Wanderers.
"Bring us to your strongholds for questioning?!" the lead agent protested. "I think not! We have saved you from the metaphorical blade of Black Surtr, and now you seek to contain us with your measures and calculations and damnable science, until we are condemned to rotten stagnation as you hold back our righteous fires?! You fail to see what we are: deliverers from other worlds. The Garden is the Serpent's Place! Hail Elyon!"
"Hail Elyon!" The others chanted. If they were not allowed to return to the Library unhampered, the situation would quickly become violent. Pokémon against magic, a terrible cocktail of violence.
"At ease, Men of Light! This is no time for such a quarrel."
L.S stood between the two parties, and the Spear lit up once more. Dislodging itself from the ground, it returned to its current bearer.
"Are you the head of this operation?" The Chairman blustered. "I don't care who you are and what you think you are doing here, but under Clause 14-G4 of the Terramist Treaty, any military personnel conducting operations on Western Rorian soil are subject to full court marshal at the mercy of the Council of the Change! You are to order your men to allow themselves to be detained immediately-"
"No," L.S replied. "Let us leave. The warriors of the Library are not yours to chain behind your concrete towers. Behind weapons and protocol, you hide the fact that you fear us. Let us return to our own land, and you will be all the more enlightened for it."
The Commissioner's face was veiled by the brim of his bowler hat and a dark balaclava, but cigarette smoke was visible in the night air. "Now, listen. A man has to act for his own interests, and there is nothing that I am more interested in than the continued safety and security of the Association and the Rorian Confedered States. I got into this business because I wanted to be better able to anticipate the effects posed by the evildoers of our world, and by Arceus, I have seen my share..."
He reached into his chest pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, slid one out from inside, and caught it in his shadowed teeth. He lit it with a spark blown from the mouth of a Magmar, and took a long draw.
"Yes," he continued. "We have benefitted immensely from our International Police force. Hell, I wouldn't even be standing here if it weren't for those perks. None of us would. I'm no monster, not at all. You see, you have something that we can reach an agreement on, miss. I don't want any bloodshed for no reason, so I'll give you an offer since you folks were so gracious to help us against that tin can. Might be the best offer you can get."
L.S squinted at him. "I'm listening."
The Commissioner chuckled again. "How about I let you and your followers scamper back to the woods where you came from, and in exchange, you get to hand over that Spear you have your hands on."
Doing a double take, L.S made a motion for her invisible photon disperser. Her synthsuit was nearly worn down to failure, but she could probably take down most of the officers before they had a chance to order their Pokémon to attack. "The Spear? What do you want with it?"
Flicking the end of his cigarette, the Commissioner sent ashes spiraling upon the ground. The Chairman looked nervous, clearly uncomfortable at the high-ranking officials' display of unsanctioned authority.
"Well, I saw that Spear in action. That metal bastard was blown to shreds. It did the trick then, and it will do it again. That Spear is old. It's got a sort of magic around it that you just don't see anymore. The things that it could do would surpass any army or Pokémon or bomb I could come up with. You think if Giratina or Yveltal or the flying spaghetti monster descends from wherever and decides to screw up the world, that we have some sort of weapon to deter their advances?"
He shook his head. "No, we don't. But that Spear could. That Spear can kill gods. I don't know if there is a more deadly stick in the whole dang multiverse than the one you have in your hand, m'lady. So, that's the deal. Give me the Spear, I make the world safe forever, and you can go back to wherever you came from and live your merry lives blowing up robots, helping defend universes, whatever you like."
"I can't do that."
The Commissioner sighed, and the sincerity in his voice ran dry. "Yeah, I was worried that you would say that. Kill them-"
The Serpent's Hand attacked, and the Commissioner was gone. An agglomeration of spells and projectiles slammed into the Interpol head, leaving nothing but a patch of withered grass and scorched dirt.
L.S sighed, and the remainder of the officers backed away, more intent on self-preservation than fulfilling the wishes of a madman. "Run to your dark realm, Jailor-kind!" the zealous Hand member screamed. "This is the fate of those who resist the Hand! The Garden is the Serpent's Place! Let us slay these oppressors, and do another blow to the forces of censorship and restrictive normalcy!"
"No!" L.S commanded. "As your superior officer, both in honor and skill, I order you to disperse without incident! I still remain a Cano Noldorian within the ranks of the Army of Creation, and I doubt that any of you can say the same. Honor the fallen Nolek and cease this slaughter. We will defend this world, but not within its circles. We must remain in the Library."
"A wise choice," Bronze said, appearing from the dark wood. Tess saw the change in his hair and gasped. Jake paused along with the Chairmen. "Now, you are going to listen to what I have to say. Very. Carefully."
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"Do you know what we are fighting? I do." Bronze said, giving a wan smile. "My hair is a token of the sight. I don't care about your politics anymore. This is a War for Existence. Let these warriors leave, Chairmen. L.S, you must oversee them and control their wildness."
"We do not take orders from an outsider!" the zealot spat. "Who are you to claim to have seen the Black Foe?"
"I declare myself a member of the Serpents Hand," Bronze said. "And I hereby swear my troth to the Great Lord Elyon in all things. I am no longer an outsider. The Great One has shown me his foe." Bronze gritted his teeth. "I know what we fight, and it has both the lifespan and patience to overcome the wound that has been dealt to it. We must have unity within the many worlds to resist it, and even then, we cannot defeat it unaided. The anomalous is on the rise, whether we would like it or not."
The Chairman wrung his hands. "This is all quite overwhelming, hem hem. We need restitutions and policies on inter-universal commerce. We must make a vote, I will consult the Council of the Change. Or perhaps we can put this up for arbitration? Bronze, as a Pokedex Holder, you are legally indebted to the Association under-"
"QUIET!" Bronze roared, causing Tess to jump. The Chairmen took a cautious step backward, and L.S looked troubled at the teen's unwarranted outburst. "Can't you see what you idiots are doing?! Do you know why the Evil Djinn was allowed to return? Because we got comfortable! And in all this time, there was something worse, much worse. Hear my words! I demand a full report of this incident released to the public on all available channels, along with the related information to the late Commissioner. I understand your wishes for national security, but what enemies do we have outside of the Forces of Darkness?"
"That is completely unsustainable! We would cause another mass panic, how do you think that the public will react to extraterrestrials invading Rorian soil? Do you have any idea how my polls are doing-"
"Hang your polls!" Bronze spat. "We must defend ourselves against supernatural threats, in whatever form they may take. Dangerous Pokemon we knew of already. Did you see any outbreaks of hysteria once Giratina attacked? Of course. But it died down once we defeated that demon. Cypress was a product of a broken system, a spiritually deprived and bloated bureaucracy. The public must know what has transpired here. Would you try to protect people from nuclear weapons by not telling anyone that they exist?!"
"Chairman," Jake said, stepping forward, his pulsesword deactivated. "This is your chance to be really brave. You can say that you had the opportunity to cover up internal corruption and a world-endangering threat, but you didn't because you wanted the people to know what they were up against. Your handling of the Eclipse crisis was flawed, yes, but you were entirely within the bounds of the law. If you act, you will be hailed as a hero. If you cover this up, the information will get out one way or another. These Hand members? That is literally what they do for a living. They expose the supernatural."
"I also think that you should reveal what happened here this night," Tess pleaded. "Yes, it's big and scary and there is a lot of danger. I for one never want to face the supernatural ever again. This stuff does pose a danger, but so do rouge Pokemon and germs and forest fires. It won't do any good to cover it up. We might get attacked again, but this time we will be ready. Please, sir."
The Chairmen wrestled with his own indecision for another moment, and then did the bravest thing he would ever do.
"I have been delivered by children, albeit no ordinary youths. We must try to repeat what we have done correctly while eliminating the mistakes of the past. I will declassify all related documents within the purview of national security. I will still need to put this up for a vote, but I should be able to allow the bill to pass unhindered. The anomalous will not be concealed from the public eye!"
L.S smiled, the Spear growing warm. "Much appreciated, sir. Do not forget to see the beauty in even the palest flower of the supernatural. The Serpent's Hand will guard your world, along with the recovering forces of the Army of Creation. You do not need the Spear to remain secure, only the power of Arceus Elyon. You have broken free from the monster you were so afraid of: yourself. We gave thanks for your joining us in the Light."
"Yes, well done," the nearby zealot conceded. "But do not stray from this path. As many have learned throughout the many worlds, our fury will crush them like a hammer of wrath. If you keep silencing civilians, if you keep forcing the world to stay in the dark...then you will meet the fate of all the murderers and tyrants in the world's history before you. We will free those you imprison. We will rescue those you try to kill. For the Jihad! The Garden is the Serpent's Place! Hail Elyon!"
"Hail Elyon!" the Hand members stowed away their weapons and turned to leave. L.S followed them, giving one last look at the three.
"I may return at a later date to see you again. I may not. You could see me in a car, on a boat, atop a building, soaring through the clouds. But I am afraid that this is goodbye for now. Expect my letter to arrive soon! Look for an unexpected visitor. The Garden is the Serpent's place!"
"The Garden is the Serpent's place." Tess echoed. When she looked again, L.S had vanished, leaving nothing but a small green piece of cloth on the ground, in the shape of a serpent.
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The Rounderpede looked through the Way, wishing that it could leave its appointed boundaries and explore a foreign world. Such privileges were not allotted to it, but it could long nevertheless.
"Well done, warrior of creation." the Rounderpede chittered to L.S. "Our enemies have been dealt a deadly blow. We will be able to recover lost ground for millennia to come, as the element of Evil in the universe has been drastically reduced. But the War of Creation still continues. We are seeing some above-average trouble with the Jailors in the Outlying Worlds. That means..."
"All hands on deck?" L.S said. "I'll be there. I still have a few things left to do..."
The Rounderpede retreated into the shelves, reaching into the dull pseudo-sky. Celebrations echoed through the stacks, and fireworks drove away every last vestige of darkness in the Library. A new era had come, along with all its challenges, triumphs, and failures that were to follow it. The Garden was the Serpent's place...
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Bronze looked at where the Hand members had stood with weary eyes. Perhaps he should have gone with them? Bronze did wish to know the secrets of this Library, and experience it for himself, not just hear about its wonders in Tess's vivid descriptions.
The others had left, leaving Bronze as the last remaining human in the clearing. His thoughts were racing, reaching dark lows and wuthering heights. Plans and correlations and stratagems filled his mind, and he realized what he must do.
He would need to build his political platform. The schematics he had for the Class-I Interplanetary Dreadnaught would be feasible for construction with proper funding. The world would have a permanent guardian vessel, eliminating any threat from space. House Berlitz would fund it with proper... incentives. Perhaps he could find a way to obtain the assets, although there were several options available to him. A dowery payment, possibly?
Also, once he came of age, he would certainly attempt to become the Chairman of the Pokemon Association. He would reestablish the sovereign state of Hisui, a deed that he had only told his parents that he wished to do. This new region of "Galar," hidden behind long unexplored and enchanted seas could be another source of possibilities. Progress stopped when exploration stopped.
Yes, he would make Roria rise again on the world stage. Perhaps a Second Logarian Empire? Many might call it that. He felt destiny beckoning, every mental connection a new chance for greatness. Despite Elyon's warning, he felt a new calling. A calling for dominion.
Feeling the white streak in his hair, Bronze gave a devilish smile. Something about that unholy visage of the Shadow had changed a fundamental part of him. To fight Greatness, one must be Great. He thought of the sciences; fusion, psychology, and technological development, and how they would aid his campaign against the Darkness. Out of the darkness of the Prime Enemy, a foe would rise against him.
It must be hidden, with only Bronze and his closest allies knowing the true purpose of the campaign. The prospect of fighting an Elder God was far too esoteric for most of the voting population, however true it might be. It would be settled. In the name of the Serpent's Hand, Arceus Elyon, and the Free Peoples, Bronze would forge a new path for this world.
And he swore a secret oath of revenge and darkness. Filled with anger and an inflamed heart, Bronze silently screamed for vengeance. Full of hate, full of rhyme, full of pride. And in the small hours of the night, his mind was rent with the sounds of nightmares, and he would not return to his friends for a long while.
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Below the earth, a small facility had been disturbed by the howl of the Shadow in its terrible death pangs.
Off the coast of the Shadowy Seas, the closest discovered island near Galar, an antique preservation lab had been activated by the sheer force and eldrich magic of the banshee howl. Made by the late Jonathan Rowell Cypress to oversee his experiments with immortality, it had been abandoned in order to divert resources to the greater Eclipse Alliance war campaign. "A foolish flight of fancy," Cypress had called it. "The Great Djinn will bring us to everlasting life, not the fragile machines of Man."
Deep within the preserved lab, crysplaz screens flared to life. Flowmetal doors arranged themselves in an airtight lock in each hall, while emergency heating lamps powered on, melting the cryonic deep freeze that now encased much of the machinery.
The lighter powered up, revealing rows and rows of suspension pods. Hundreds of dead Pokemon were contained within the tanks, failed experiments in the art of necromancy and cryogenic revival. Not even the dark spells of Cypress's wonder workers or magicians had been able to save the specimens, and most of the facility had been left to rot, the Pokemon locked in a grotesque rendition of life in their unchanging state.
Further within the ground, a single room had been disturbed by a minor earthquake. Eternatus had rolled over in his slumber, activating countless bizarre and unnatural contraptions, pressure gauges registering air quality, doors sealing their contents within. A sterile chamber held a single machine, which in turn contained a central compartment. The electrical wiring sent several amperes of voltage into the device...
...nothing happened. At least, not yet. The Will of the Mbelekoro that still moved through the world was prepared to execute a subtle and terrifying plan. It would take decades to complete, and even then it may not see fruition for another century. Eternatus was still diminished, but that could be amended in time.
But the Darkness would not ever cease its conquest. The spiritual could outlast the organic.
