Ker woke up in a vast, sprawling field, still as a Zorua.

The warm, life-bearing rays of the morning sun beat down upon her. The cool, gentle breeze whistled through her erect ears. The grass swayed and brushed up against her fur. The strange doppelganger that had been with her was nowhere to be seen. She was alone here in this strange land that seemed to stretch on forever in every direction, save for some imposing mountains not too far east from where she lay.

At first, Ker was convinced she was still trapped within Gallows, still stuck within his plethora of universes. After all, if she really did escape, she should have been a Sableye. That was what she looked like before Gallows took her away. At least, that's what she felt was true. She seemed to have vague memories of running around in reality as that cave-dwelling gremlin.

However, as she continued to lay there in the sun, she started having second thoughts. As the elements of nature continued to brush past her, she felt strange sensitivities she never would have while she was within Gallows. The glare from the sunlight was starting to hurt her eyes. The grass was beginning to tickle her nose too much. The wind began to grate on her ears.

If she was back in reality in her real body, then it would explain these irritating sensations. These discomforts of life were never a concept to her in that strange, ethereal form Gallows had given her. But if that was true, and she truly had escaped the Gallowsverse…

"Gallows?" she called out quietly. "You there?"

No answer. She looked around. She didn't see a Chandelure anywhere, or any sort of creature for that matter. She sniffed the air for a few seconds, seeing if she could detect his scent instead. She had no idea what he smelled like, but surely he had one. Surely even a godly creature like him had a scent.

She didn't smell anything out of the ordinary; only the plants around her. She had to admit it was a little strange trying to locate Gallows based on smell when she never did that as a Sableye… but it felt natural in this body. Instinctual. Maybe it really was a sign this was her old body before Gallows stole her away.

She sighed as got onto all fours. She shouldn't have been surprised he was nowhere in sight; he was always being coy like this. Always playing games. It seemed even when she finally escaped from his multiverse, he didn't want to let it up.

"Alright, fine, be that way," she muttered. "I'll find you, you'll see."

She headed toward the mountains. Though it was faint, she could see that there was some sort of structure near the summit. Something large and impressive, even if it looked to be nothing more than an insignificant dot from where she stood.

As it turned out, walking on all fours wasn't so bad. She hadn't done it much when she was trapped in this form back within Gallows, but walking felt good here. She almost dared to break out into a sprint, that was how confident she felt in this body, but she refrained from that. She wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere. She deserved a bit of a break after the hell gauntlet Gallows had put her through.

The sun had begun to set by the time she arrived at the mountain. The clear blue sky had become a soft purple and orange and the shadows of the mountain seemed thicker and longer. She looked up and realized it would take many more hours to reach the pinnacle. She was tempted to start climbing, but her legs were beginning to ache. Though the whole journey had been peaceful and leisurely, she had still walked a good while to reach this point. As an ethereal Sableye, fatigue didn't exist, not to mention she primarily traveled using portals, not by walking everywhere. But as a real Zorua, a creature of flesh and blood, now she had limitations. It was a wonder she even traveled this far. She had to stop maybe three times at most for breaks, and that was only for a few minutes before she got moving again.

She stared up as the light slowly sank into the horizon and darkness silently took its place. She wondered if maybe she should call it a night now and begin the climb in the morning. She didn't know if anything lived atop the mountain and she didn't trust herself in combat right now. She'd probably be fine, as her instincts would kick in and guide her, but still…

Ker was about to start looking for a place to sleep when she noticed movement in the sky. She squinted her eyes and saw nothing. She looked down, but saw the movement again in the corner of her eye. She looked up, and again, the sky remained empty.

She didn't look away this time though. She sat down as she waited for another flash against the darkening sky. Sure enough, a few seconds later, she saw something. She saw what appeared to be a Talonflame fly by and disappear into the mountain. Another few seconds later, she saw a Skarmory do the same thing.

Ker realized, as she watched all of these flying-types, that they were probably all going to the building atop the mountain to roost for the night. She scowled as she watched their wings flap against the sky. In her Sableye body, she could get around much better than those birds ever could. She could even fly, if she really wanted to. But now, as a Zorua, she was inferior to them. She was doomed to forever remain tethered to the ground like all terrestrial creatures across the world.

Or did she?

Ker's scowl lightened as she remembered she was a Zorua now. Normally Zorua could only make convincing illusions of whatever they were copying and couldn't actually use any of their talents, like breathing underwater or commanding the grass to bend to her will. But Ker had the strangest memories that she was a bit special, that in this world, Zorua illusions were more similar to actual shapeshifting, not mere imitation. Or maybe it had just been her that could do all of this.

She didn't know, but that hardly mattered. She focused her thoughts on that Talonflame she first saw, taking in all of its form in her mind as she imagined what it must feel like to be one. To be a large, predatory bird that ruled the skies, feared by no one. Even some dragons didn't dare antagonize these great birds of prey.

A violet light washed over her being, and she was suddenly three times larger. And stood on two, feathery legs. And had massive wings that glimmered like embers.

The Zorua-turned-Talonflame laughed triumphantly. She smiled and puffed out her chest. The illusion twisted so that the beak unnaturally curved up at the base to accommodate for the smile that would otherwise be impossible on a bird. It was a good thing no one saw Ker right now, otherwise they would have screamed at the bizarre sight.

She spread out her wings, and then with a flap and a crouch, took to the skies.

Flying came naturally, somehow. She thought she'd crash the moment she lifted off, but her body instantly adjusted to the new body structure. Somehow, she understood the way she needed to adjust her primary feathers to change directions and gain lift. It didn't make much sense, but this all felt very familiar to her. Like she had been a bird in a past life.

A few minutes later, she made it to the summit. Though she found flying to be relatively simple, for some reason, the same couldn't be said about landing. She pulled back her wings and held her taloned feet out as she neared a boulder, but she still stumbled the second her feet touched the rock. She squealed as she rolled forward and tumbled across the stone before landing face-first into the dirt. Her illusion instantly fell apart, and she found herself as a Zorua once again. She grumbled as she rubbed her snout with a paw, trying to chase away the ache.

After a moment of that, she put her paw down and beheld the settlement that stood atop this grand mountain. What she saw made her gasp and nearly backpedal.

It was the Shadow Alliance, the impenetrable castle that she would sometimes frequent out of boredom. The castle that stood within a world that had once been ruled by shadowy creatures that eagerly devoured their hosts, but had since been placated.

She had thought The Alliance only existed within Gallows's fake realities, but no, it existed here too. It was real. Unless…

An uneasy thought came over Ker. Maybe she hadn't actually escaped from Gallows. Maybe she was still inside of him, still wandering within his endless dream worlds. Maybe this so-called reality she found herself in was yet another dream world.

She didn't know and she realized standing here wouldn't give her any answers. She needed to stop gawking and head inside. Maybe the Alliance world was real and Gallows simply made a copy for himself. Why he would do that, she didn't know. Maybe Gallows would be inside the castle and she could ask him that herself.

As the last of the day's light disappeared and cast the Zorua in darkness, Ker made her way into the castle. She hoped no one would find her presence suspicious, though she supposed she could disguise herself as a member if too many Pokémon started giving her strange looks. Hopefully that wouldn't be necessary since she never recalled the Alliance being paranoid about outsiders visiting. Surely the culture here was similar to the Alliance she had grown accustomed to within Gallows.

Chandeliers lit the Alliance as she made her way through, though it wasn't needed when her eyes so easily adjusted to the dark. There were only a couple dozen or so Pokémon wandering about, and a majority of them had tired, hazy looks in their eyes. She imagined these Pokémon had recently returned from missions across the land and could use a good rest after the long day. That was good for her, because it stopped everyone from paying her any mind.

On quiet paws the Zorua continued along, walking atop the grand carpets that lined the corridors as she glanced at the tapestries and paintings that hung from the walls on either side of her. A particular dragon was etched into the crimson fabric, one that seemed to be the original dragon before Reshiram and Zekrom came to be. She vaguely recalled that in this world, those two had recombined to be their original self.

So far, all of this Alliance seemed exactly the same as the Gallows version. The layout of the castle, the colors and arrangement of the tapestries, the scenes each of the portraits depicted, all of it was identical to the one she traversed through as a Sableye. Even the little things were exactly the same, such as the one chandelier in the great west hall having two missing candles or the little crack in the wall right underneath the painting of an Articuno taking flight in the lodging area. Ker couldn't help but laugh a little as she thought this.

She continued along as she occasionally glanced up at the chandeliers, expecting to see Gallows amongst them. Regretfully, none of them even remotely resembled a Chandelure.

"Gallows, we've been playing hide and seek an awfully long time," she grumbled. "This is getting boring. I wanna see that big smile on your face now that we're both real!"

If he heard her, he didn't respond. She doubted it though. She groaned as she turned up her nose.

"Fine, I'll stop looking for you then," she huffed. "You'll realize how boring life is when I'm not playing your games and come flying back to me in no time, you'll see."

Without waiting another moment, she trotted along. However, it was aimless. She had no idea what she was supposed to do now. She had only come into this castle to find Gallows.

She decided that maybe it was best to get some rest. She had walked all day and now was in a perfectly comfortable castle. Surely no one would mind if she snuck into an empty room and slept there for the night.

Ker went into the boarding area of the castle and started looking for a place to sleep. She remembered there being one or two rooms that had been vacant in the Gallows version of this castle, so maybe it would be the same here. After all, everything else was exactly the same. She might need to steal some bedding though. Even with her dense fur, the idea of sleeping on the barren floor didn't quite sit right with her in this new, sensitive body.

Eventually, Ker found one of those empty rooms she had been hoping for. She looked both ways to see if anyone was watching her. There were a few Pokémon out and about, mostly to turn into their rooms for the night, but none of them seemed particularly bothered by Ker's presence. They only gave her an odd glance before continuing along their way. Ker momentarily wondered how this castle hadn't been infiltrated by spies yet with everyone so lax about strangers, especially so close to their resting chambers.

The Zorua opened the door to the empty room and stepped inside. It wasn't terribly big, only enough for a team of three small Pokémon, but it suited Ker plenty. She smiled as she stepped in to find some hay bedding laid out neatly for a future potential team, but otherwise, nothing decorated this small space.

She closed the door before wandering over to the nearest bed. She patted down some of the hay before carefully laying down in it, adjusting herself so the dry strands didn't poke into her fur too much. Once she had found a comfortable position on her side, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She fell asleep much sooner than she expected.

A Zoroark and Marowak were sitting beneath a large oak tree after a long day's journey. Something was off about both of them. The Zoroark, for one, seemed mutated. Ghoulish red streaks stretched across her dark limbs like thick veins and black fur bled deep into her crimson mane. The Marowak, at a glance, seemed fine. He wore a black cloak that covered most of his body from the neck down, but that wasn't unheard of. Several Pokémon liked to wear articles of clothing. No, it was his eyes. Beneath his ivory mask, something wasn't right about them. They seemed darker, hazier, than normal Marowak eyes. As though he were perpetually watching something no one else could see. Potentially something that didn't even exist.

These two uncanny Pokémon rested together, staring off into the distance in contemplative silence.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea," the Zoroark said with a sigh. "Maybe we should just go home."

"You're not happy with any of the places we've visited thus far?" the Marowak asked.

"No… not really. I mean sure, it sounded like a really cool idea at first and I have been having fun but…"

"You don't feel you belong."

The Zoroark nodded her head slowly. The Marowak breathed deeply as he drew a little closer to the fox and set his paw on her knee. She smiled softly as she set her own paw atop of his.

"You know, I think what it really was, was that I felt alone back home," she went on. "Sure I had Len and Crystelle and everyone else at the Alliance but… none of them will ever know what I've been through. Everyone who could ever understand that is dead. So I thought maybe I needed to find somewhere else to go, somewhere where I wouldn't constantly be reminded of how alone I was."

The Marowak chuckled awkwardly as he scratched at his helmet.

"Suppose I wasn't smart enough to realize that's what was going on in your head when I came back," he said bashfully. "I thought maybe the best thing you needed was a change in scenery. Hah… I should have realized you just wanted your friends back."

"It's okay, you were just trying to help," she said with a soft smile. "Besides… there was kind of another reason I wanted to leave Shiron and look through other worlds that had nothing to do with just getting away from everything."

"Oh? And what was that?"

The Zoroark swallowed as she took a claw and held it over her chest. She looked down at that claw forlornly.

"This is going to sound crazy, but I think a little while after we all took care of the Primogenitor, something happened to me. Venri got real tired and she said she needed to rest for a while. I thought she'd be back after maybe a few weeks, but she just… stayed asleep. Like she was in a coma or something. And then about a year after all of this happened… I couldn't feel her anymore. Like maybe a little part of her was still there and keeping me this way, but her spirit… it was gone."

"Okay… so Venri disappeared. What does that have to do with why you wanted to leave Shiron?"

Her mouth tightened into a long scowl.

"I think someone stole Venri from me, and they're hiding her in another world."

Ker woke to find it was still dark. Something had roused her out of her slumber, an entity that wanted her oblivious to its presence. Ker's first instinct was to think Gallows was in the room with her, but she quickly realized it wasn't him. She couldn't feel his delightfully morbid aura around her. Not only that, but this presence felt mortal, ordinary. It was a normal Pokémon in this room with her.

The Zorua blinked a few times as she looked around the room. Whoever was spying on her wasn't very good though because she spotted them near the doorway. It was an Umbreon who had dimmed her golden rings completely, allowing her to blend into the darkness.

It only took another second for Ker to recognize this mysterious Umbreon.

"Crystelle?" Ker asked as she sat up in bed.

Ker realized too late she should have kept her mouth shut. It was stupid to let someone know you had found them out. Not only that, but she hadn't used the Umbreon's name. How was she supposed to explain how she knew Crystelle's name? It wasn't as though they had met before in the real world, or even in the fake Gallows world. They were complete strangers.

Regardless, the deed was done. The Umbreon's rings lit up as she gawked and backpedaled. Crystelle could barely get a word out as she stared dumbfounded at the Zorua, babbling nonsensically to herself.

"L-Look, I'm sorry if I'm using this room and I'm not supposed to be," Ker said quickly, folding her ears back. "I just needed a place to rest because I've had a long d-"

The Umbreon pounced at Ker. Ker screamed as she tried to leap away, but wasn't fast enough. Crystelle pinned her down and pressed her face into Ker's neck. Panic flooded Ker, knowing any second now she'd feel sharp teeth puncture her throat. She was about to scratch the Umbreon across the face, but then she heard a sob. Water started soaking her fur and the Umbreon held the Zorua closer to herself.

"Oh Zekra… Zekra you came back…" she cried. "You actually came back… I've been so worried about you…"

Now it was time for Ker to be dumbfounded. She wriggled out of the Umbreon's hold, which wasn't very difficult to do when Crystelle was sobbing so much. Ker shook her fur, spraying the tear droplets off her neck, before shooting the Umbreon a confused glare.

"I'm not Zekra," she stated. "Just because she was a Zorua at one point and I'm one doesn't mean we're the same Pokémon."

"B-But you sound just like her… you look just like her," Crystelle insisted as she looked up at the Zorua, tears streaming freely from her face.

At least she remained still, not trying to smother Ker anymore. Ker scowled harder, finding this to be too weird for her liking.

"I'm not Zekra."

Ker paused after she spoke those words. She didn't know what had happened there. Her voice… Why had it reverberated like that? This had never happened before, even when she was a much more ethereal creature within Gallows's worlds.

Crystelle's demeanor seemed to shift at Ker's sudden tonal change. Her pupils shrank as her mouth fell agape.

"Are you… Venri?" she asked quietly, as though afraid to say the name aloud.

Time seemed to stop around Ker. That wasn't her name, she knew it wasn't. Her name was Ker, that was what she wanted to say to Crystelle and that she should stop saying how much Ker looked like Zekra. But she couldn't. No words could leave her mouth as she stood there, a strange itching slowly spreading across her brain.

She remembered the strange vision she had before Crystelle had woken her up. About the Zoroark and Marowak sitting together. She especially remembered the Zoroark, the strange, unnatural creature she was. She thought about the Zoroark she always used to visit in Gallows's worlds, the one that used to live in this very castle and work alongside this very Umbreon with her.

She saw both of those Zoroark together. Saw them side by side. And then the realization hit Ker: they were the same Pokémon.

Both of those Zoroark had been talking about a particular Pokémon. A particular Pokémon that they both missed very much. A particular Pokémon that had gone missing after they both defeated a great entity of darkness. Both of their hearts missed the little spawn of that great entity that had grown within the Zoroark and slowly became their ally.

That little spawn.

That infection.

Zekra's shadow.

Ker could now hear something echoing in her head. She could hear Gallows's voice as she fell through oblivion before waking up in reality. She hadn't understood his words before; they had been jumbled. A cacophony of clicking noises she wasn't meant to decipher. Yet, those words echoed in her mind now with startling clarity, with all the understanding he never wanted her to have.

He had called her Venri. The name of Zekra's shadow brought to life by an unnatural creature.

"Venri…?" Crystelle called again, more loudly this time.

The Zorua's eyes drifted toward the Umbreon. A chill came over her being as this revelation slowly sank in. She could feel her paws trembling.

"… how long has it been since the Primogenitor was taken out?" Ker asked in a hollow voice.

"About ten years, pushing on eleven now," Crystelle answered carefully.

Ten years. Ten years since the Primogenitor's defeat.

Memories started trickling into her mind.

Someone had come into Venri's domain within Zekra a year after the great dragon's fall. Someone had seeped inside and told Venri he could save her from her supposedly eternal slumber. Someone had swayed her, entranced her, won over her trust with his gentle reassurances.

That had been Gallows, she realized. He was the one that took her from Zekra.

He had taken her away for nine years. Kept her inside himself for nine years. Created entire worlds for her to romp through for nine years. Turned her into a Sableye for nine years. Taken her host's name and twisted it into a mockery of itself before proclaiming that was Venri's name for nine years.

Nine years.

And he had made it seem like thousands.

"… where's Zekra?" Venri asked after a while.

"She's not here," Crystelle said with drooped ears. "She left almost a year ago. No one knows where she is. But umm Venri, how are you even here? I thought you couldn't exist unless Zekra was around. And I thought you also weren't feeling too good and kind of didn't exist anymore?"

Venri thought back to that strange vision she had woken up from. If that vision had momentarily let her see Zekra in the present moment, then she was far away from here. She was in another world, somewhere no one on this planet could ever hope to reach. It made sense, but there was still so much she didn't understand. Too many gaps existed between so many of her memories still pushing through. She was only able to piece together everything she had so far because of what she had seen as an outsider in Gallows's version of this world. To think he had made an exact copy of this world and let Venri wander about it, knowing she would never learn the truth…

"Is Len still around?" Venri then asked, sharpening her gaze.

"Yeah of course," Crystelle said with a nod. "But Venri you didn't-"

"You want to know what happened to me, I know," Venri said unflinchingly. "I know. I'll tell you, don't worry. But I want to find Len first. I want both of you to tell me everything you know about me."