Kamado had called the elders to assemble in the Tent of Worship, so that they might decide how to best act upon the prophetic dream that Rei had witnessed. Glimpses of myth cycles and legends lay in the future, beckoning Rei onward to a glorious destiny, or a terrible fall.
The High Elder stood behind a fair golden altar, performing the ceremonies of the Time of Assembly. As within the requirements of the Law of Arceus, several advocates were required to either support or condemn anyone, and even though Rei had plenty of supporters, it was customary to make everyone swear a Vow of Truth before the council began.
Rei's father set his weathered hand on a box with the words ARCS upon its setting, the sacred name of the Original One. "I swear upon the name of the Original One that I should tell nothing but what is true in His house, and if I utter a falsehood without knowledge, may I be forgiven."
All the other members of the assembly did the same, along with some observers who had heard that there would be a general gathering, and wished to observe the proceedings. Many strangers and familiar faces had joined the seated crowds, coming from all over Jubilife, and even some farther fiefs and villages. Adaman and a garrison of warriors from Barad Nimaras had arrived, along with Irida and her Shieldmaidens from Barad Eithel, the Tower of Mist.
Once the long-enduring rituals had been performed, Rei was invited by Kamado to give his account of the dream. Rei left his place and went and stood on a chair before the illuminated altar. The light of the lanterns fell upon his beaming face; the golden buttons shone on his dark silk waistcoat. Kamado's Fearow gave the boy a squint-eyed leer, before nesting back upon its roost by the High Elder.
"In the vision that I had, I saw the Original One in a form of an earthly creature, within a mountain to the sacred north. Many wicked men were circled around the Original One, and a man of great power, seated upon an iron throne, tore a multitude of plates from the Original One. The Lord of Light Arceus flew away in a wrath like consuming fire, and the one that was on the throne ascended to a greater height of power.
The elder Iridia stood, her escort clamoring with the discussion of Rei's revelation. "If this is the truth, then something must be done! Were there any other signs?"
"Yes," Rei contained. "After this, I saw a great armament of fifteen million soldiers and Pokémon, for I heard their number. This was in another land, as I saw olvar and kelvar, plants and beasts, that do not dwell here. And they made war with the Enemy, but I could not see the end of the terrible battle. Throughout the dream, I conversed with the Original One."
Lord Adaman scowled and rose. His livery was azure, and his face was youthful. His years were sixty and three, and he bore the Mormakil, the Iron of Death, a fell blade. "A tale of uttermost falsehood! No one may know the mind of the Original One!"
Kamado ordered him to be still, as the mind of the Original One had already been revealed through the prophets. Adaman sat back down, although he was in a fey mood, and his face was wroth with shame.
"Young Master Rei, you bring grave news. What must be done to prevent this? Has the Lord Arceus not given you wisdom?"
"The Original One...He said to follow the omens and signs, and the path would take me to the wild places of little rest, and without family or comfort. I was told that my youth would not prevent my success, and that others would go as well."
Kamado had an aide bring a small key of gold, which he sat upon the altar. "And what of the other Children of Arceus?"
"I was told that I would have need of Pokemon."
Putting the gold key in the ornate lock within the box with the sacred name ARCS on it, Kamodo unlocked it with a loud click."I, for one, believe the boy. He is a truth-sayer. But I may be susceptible to an old man's folly, and other things than the Original One can bestow prophetic dreams, and the Black Foe is the least of them. We must consult the twin stones."
Kamado lifted the box-hatch, and withdrew a stone of black onyx, and a stone of pure andesite. The entire assembly fell into grave silence as Kamado put them into a leather pouch, and then set it upon the golden altar.
"These stones are known as Urim and Thummim. The Original One has revealed that the usage of these stones is the only form of foresight permissible by Him, except for dreams and visions. Now, the usage of them is only reserved for decisions that involve the wishes of the Original One, or the fate of Hisui, since He would be willing to give us His will in such an important matter."
After cleaning his hands in blessed water, Kamado asked an objective question. "Has the boy Rei, of the descent of the Men of Hisui, had a dream sent from the Original One?"
Muttering a silent prayer, Kamado reached into the bag without looking at its contents, and pulled out Thummim, the pale stone.
Yes.
The High Elder put the stone back inside the bag after the second application of blessed water and asked aloud another question.
"Has this boy told of all the contents of his dream that deal with prophecy?"
Kamado reached for a stone, but his hand came up empty.
Neither yes nor no.
"Young Master Rei...do you remember anything more than what you have told us?"
Rei swore that he did not. He had thought that he had told everything, but then why was the answer neither yes nor no? He dreaded his own fallibility, and what implications it had for the fate of the land of Hisui. Perhaps...
Elder Calaba stood beside Iridia, her wear also pearl in hue. "Perhaps he cannot remember, but there is something he has forgotten. Either way, I see no reason to not take this visitation into account, as it was a true vision from the Original One."
Kamado asked one final question. "If the boy goes, will he succeed in preventing his vision?"
The bag burst into flames.
Kamado calmly put it down, and sealed it back in the box, while an aide stored it away within the holy tent. "I am afraid that question had no objective answer. We must abstain from the usage of the stones until the next Day of Rest, when we go to the heights of Stark Mountain to offer fruistfruits to the Original One, who in the tongue of lesser Men is called Almighty Sinnoh. If there are no further objections to the formation of a Golden Quest, we shall bring out the Elder One to select who shall be the quest-walkers."
No one objected, and there was a calm silence. All was in place for the Golden Quest to begin.
"I object..."
A member of the assembly with a Togepi on his shoulder had risen. Kamado looked at the man with deep suspicion. "Merchant Volo, I am surprised that you have the rash disposition to insinuate that the word of the Stones is false, and the boy's sincerity is complete deception?"
"Not at all, Elder. I merely have a grievance with the interpretation of events."
Rei had heard of Volo before, coming from the tales that had reached his ears from Jubilife Town. The wandering Ginko Guild merchant, a member of a glorified penal colony for outcasts and criminals, wandering the far and perilous wild, always seeming to net a profit. What this dishonorable man was trying to prove, he would have to circumnavigate his own unpopularity with the assembly.
"Dreams sent by the Original One often have double meanings, and indiscrete signs," Volo began, his flaxen hair glittering within the firelight. "The Original One does this so that His creations may use the fullness of the mental faculties that he has gifted them with to tease out the secrets that He has given. As the boy has said, the Original One said that this vision will happen, but did He reveal when, or how long your journey will last?"
Rei had to answer Volo. "No, but we need to go as quickly as-"
"Do you see?" Volo laughed. "I have no doubt that the Original One has meant for you to go with your companions, whoever they shall be, but we must also consider when this undertaking must take place. There are some dangers of setting out at this present time, which all should be much obliged to hear..."
Although nobody could see it, and Volo did not consciously register it, a small creature, steaming with redolent red smoke, clung around Volo's head, crooning words of honey and malice in his ear.
"It must be known that winter is coming. The dark night will soon descend, and as the mountain that must be journeyed to is placed in the uttermost north, the journey will be even more perilous. When the winds of winter blow, the chill can freeze the very soul with its bitter tinge. As it is said, when winter first begins to bite, and stones crack in the frosty night, when pools are black and trees are bare, 'tis evil in the Wild to fare. Can a mere boy endure this?"
Some older men remembered their many winters, and shuddered at the wicked memory.
"Nonsense and bandied words!" Iridia said, glaring at Volo. "He is nearly a man by the reckoning of our years! And will his Pokémon not protect him from the frost, and the Pokémon of others as well? His very own Typhlosion provides light and warmth with its violet flames, burning bright when all else is dark."
"Here, yes," Volo countered. "Among friends and allies, within close distance of hearth and home. But in the wild, the wraiths that fuel its flames with their presence will be far less endearing than the messengers of the Original One that provide the fire of the soul. That particular flame will not aid him. The wind can be felt from here, and a dull chill passes through this very assembly. But that is not my only fear.
"None of us here would be so unwise as to deny that this is a dark time. The servants of the Evil One walk abroad with impunity. Men worship gods that cannot see or hear, but they are a danger throughout the vast reaches of the land. The Calathrim, Kantorhim, and other wicked folk roam about, slaying whom they wish with little cause in service of the Dark Lord. The Pokemon of the wild are now fickle and ill-tempered, for the dark Willpower of the Mbelekoro is within the woodlands. Monsters and unsavory creatures have been sighted by the Rangers in Nan Unduith and Dor-na-Daecheras, the Land of Everlasting Cold, which of old was the Alabaster Icelands before the Fell Winter came.
"And there are more terrible things in this dark world than lesser Men of Darkness. The Mbelekoro rises in the Burning South. He has many servants, and not all of his chattels are warriors and kings! There are demons and Tyranitar, there are were-wolves and Lycanroc, crows, Gengar, and vampires. And their number is growing daily. Things that are more foul than fair haunt the forests, and prey on the unwary. Strangers come to our lands, bearing ill news, of wars and rumors of wars. The roads have grown perilous, and only the brave, foolish, or mad walk them far. We cannot go now. Would the Original One wish for unnecessary dangers to plague His chosen messengers?
"And what of this great army that you saw? If it was not in this land, or any other that we know of, then why would it concern us? If it is to occur, or has, then they certainly have no need of us, with what weakened strength that the Men of Hisui still possess in our waning days. If they would be so bold and mighty to strike against the Enemy in his Iron Hell, then no knowledge or strength in arms that we here possess would be of aid to them."
"What would you propose that we do, Volo of Hisui?" Kamado said. "For the Original One has said that this is to come to pass, and our desire is to go out into the north, then when should we do this? Do you wish to directly violate the word of the Original One?"
Volo looked appalled and stepped back in disgust. "Not in heaven nor earth! If I was to get to the heart of the matter, it would be wise to travel during the next summer. Then, the arm of the Enemy is weakest, and we are of greater strength. The roads would be made safe. Then, we would go with a great force to the north, and topple this Iron King who seeks to wield power that only the Original One is given to bear! No armament that dwells in the north from the Forest of Thieves to the Grinding Ice is great enough to rout the Men and Pokemon of Hisui."
Some members of the assembly applauded, although the general air of suspicion did not turn Volo's reasoning in the favor of the collective audience. Kamado had his Fearow snuff out three candles from the altar with a flutter of a tawny wing, signifying that the public debate had ended.
"Despite the reasons that you present," Kamado said aloud. "You have no authority on this matter. If one would wish to make a motion to delay the journey to the high summer of the next cycle, then two other members of the assembly that have lived in this land for ten generations must also second your wishes. Since you are not a native-born of our land, coming from a line of folk from the Old Empire of Kalos, then a third must also propose this motion as well, with the support of two others."
Volo sat down, seeming rather self-righteous, and his Togepi looked faint with terror for a reason unknown. Rei himself did not think that delaying the journey would be a wise decision. His mother had always told him that one of the great lies of the Enemy was not that there was no Original One or Sheol, but that there was still time to act.
Iridia, the Lady of the Clan of Irradiant, put forth Volo's motion. "I also believe that journeying out in this present darkness would be unwise...it would seem counterintuitive to the success of the journey to go at this time, when it would be most perilous. We are mariners, and we might be wise to go about the coasts within our white ships to the Ered Engrin, the Mountains of Iron that lie in the far north.
Rei's heart sank, and a gloom passed over his countenance. Iridia was an influential member of the Lordship of Thousands, and others among the warlike Pearl Clan would support the motion.
In a brief time, Tao of the Clan of Solacean, a supply manager, and Yojiro of the Clan of Iscan, a senior warrior, gave the necessary backing to allow the proposal to be debated upon by the group of senior Elders.
"Inasmuch," Kamado said. "This will be given heed by the Council of Elders. However, I do not know what may transpire, as the Original One may be on both sides of the argument. As such, this could last well into the day..."
Grumbling at the delay, the representatives of Rei's cause broke out into an argument. All continued to talk and think of the great journey that lay ahead, and of the perils that would accompany it. Some wished to take the route by the Burnt Sea, and others wished to cross through Johto over the Gulf of Adamant to the Ered Engrin. Still more thought that the Rangers should bring the company through the Ered Lomien, the Echoing Mountains.
As the Elders began to convene while the debate waxed, a fair-skinned man that resembled Volo hurried into the assembly tent, prompting the guards to cross their glittering spears in front of him, the steel blades shining with the hidden light of the arts of Hisui still preserved within the armament of the warriors that defended the sacred land. "State your business, for you walk on holy ground."
"May I be forgiven," the man said, his head darting about, scrying each face in the tent. "I was simply looking for...Volo!" he cried aloud. "Return to the Light. Hope still remains, and since when did you exchange reason for madness?"
When Volo looked upon the new arrival, his entire demeanor changed, and his face was twisted with amazement and anger to the likeness of some wild Pokemon that, as it crouches upon its prey, smitten on the muzzle with a stinging rod. Rage filled him and his mouth slavered, and shapeless sounds of fury came strangling from his throat. He uttered a brief cry, and then restrained his countenance and issued a reply.
"Greetings, Ginter. What is it that you require at this hour?"
Ginter asked for pardon to address Kamado, and the High Elder granted his request, seeing that Volo was filled with wrath and had been aroused to fear by the arrival of Ginter.
"Lord Kamado, do not take any word my son has said for truth! He has fallen to none other than the Enemy's black worship! I have read the signs, and just two nights ago he went off in the cold night, stealing fifty silver drachmas. I found him at the Eastenmet, by the Last Bridge, but he struck me down in a fit of madness when I questioned him." Ginter showed Kamado the large purple bruise on his temple, and the eyes of the High Elder were filled with a deadly fire.
Kamado and the other elders stood upright, and Volo recoiled from his upraised hand. "Is this true?" Kamado demanded. "Have we been taking heed to the words of an agent of the dark powers?"
Volo then began to waver, edging for the white tent flap. "Ginter, you are not my father, and I am not your son. I have been studying under this esteemed man for quite some time, and I do not know what has come upon his mental faculties. The wound that you see was from a blow to the head from an enraged customer's Arcanine two weeks prior. Do not believe this one, for he has given himself to a wicked lie...I pray for his soul."
Upon Volo's revelation, Rei knew with certainty that he was not being sincere. If Ginter had really followed him here, what was the motive? Wouldn't it be wiser just to attack him once the council had ended, instead of in the tent full of free folk and bright light? Why would Volo have not told his trade master where he was going? And an Arcanine would burn, not strike.
Most others seemed suspicious as well, and Volo felt the fell vice of suspicion at his pale throat. He opened his mouth to say something, and then glanced at his Togepi, lying silent upon his robed shoulder.
"I must leave!" Volo shrieked. "I am a messenger, and I cannot be assailed!"
The guards now drew cold swords, and Rei sent out his Sneasler, and other Pokémon in the assembly were also marshaled for a battle "You are to be bound," Kamado said, as Adaman moved to guard the High Elder. "I do not wish for combat in the house of the Original One, but if it must be done to foil a plot of the Enemy, then we may be forgiven. Be still!"
Volo pointed upward with a trembling hand. Then with a great cry, he leaped across the threshold of the tent, for his Togepi had summoned a flash of light of such dazzling potency and strength that the warriors of Hisui blanched and fell back. The treacherous Volo ran into the surrounding lands, wailing as he ambled to the River Gwaithlo.
The uproar was terrible. A mob formed and charged after Volo, who had already leaped onto a Basculegion that was in a nearby river. The Clans of Irradiant and Adamant roared as they charged, and the light in their eyes and the glint of their swords was like a hammer of wrath. The foam blew, shouts were heard, and arrows whined, but Volo vanished into the far distance.
Since most had gone after him, including Kamado and Rei, any remaining members had to wait in wrath until the group came back to continue to debate the turn of events.
After a few hours, those who had gone after Volo returned in a grim procession, bearing ill tidings. "The Mbelekoro-spawn escaped by the means of the underriver tunnels! Since he has desecrated the house of the Original One with his false testimony, may death strike him down and all his kin!"
Kamado resumed his position, although he had taken off his ceremonial robes and donned loose-fitting white ones, fit for battle, and behold! He bore a tunic of steel mail, bearing the great signal of Hisui, seven fair stars above two golden trees. "As we have now witnessed, the servants of the Evil One are directly attempting to influence this great undertaking by means of their cunning counsel! We must make the preparations for this journey, since the wishes of one who serves the Enemy out contrary to the will of the Original One.
"Since it was made known to us that others would be appointed to take part in this task, we must be given knowledge as to who shall accompany Young Master Rei. His father must not go, for it was said that he would dwell in lands without family. We must make a fellowship of strength and wisdom, yet one that shall pass through the wide lands of Hisui unheeded by the Eye of the Evil Djinn."
Kamado had an Alakazam emerge out of the outlying tent where Urim and Thummim had been sealed away with a whistle, and the Pokemon emerged with quavering steps, revealing its immense age.
The Alakazam summoned six spoons in its hand, and Kamado explained the purpose of the Pokémon, for the sake of the travelers from outside Hisui that had joined the Holy Assembly.
"This Pokémon had dwelt in Hisui for nearly eight hundred years and ten, as it was given the authority from the Original One to decide matters such as this, as it will decide upon a vision that was already known to be of the Will of the Original One, and such it is permitted to carry out this act. The Spoons of Destiny shall guide us in who is to venture into the wild northlands."
"Six?" Ginter said. "Six is the number of Men, not of the Original One."
The Alakazam put a spoon into Rei's hand, extending its limbs of aged hue to the youth. "Do you not remember that the boy is to go, and the spoons will bend to whoever shall go with him? May the first spoon give us companionship."
The spoon immediately bent into the crowd with a sudden motion, and pointed at Akari. The crowd immediately parted, and she went to Rei's side, both curious and fascinated at what this journey would bring. She had always dreamed of an adventure, outside the lands of her wistful youth. Tales of lands further south, north, and west went through her mind, and wild tales of tree-men, fire mountains, and savages in dark jungles waiting to be battled."
"The girl has been chosen. May the second spoon give us insight."
The Alakazam took the bent spoon out of Rei's hand, and gave him the next. The second spoon bent a with a greater halt than before, directed at Laventon. The man of knowledge joined the group, wondering if he had ever actually wished to go on the journey in the first place. Perhaps his place was at his lovely stronghold, crafting and improving his Capture Balls for the good of Hisui.
"May the third spoon give us kinship."
It pointed at Lian, who had been wanting to go on the mission since Rei had told him of the dream. The Avalugg trainer was thrilled to be able to have the right to go on the journey, although he remained silent as a cliff for the purposes of the Holy Tent, wishing to appear mighty and capable.
"May the fourth spoon give us strength?"
The next spoon twitched, and then turned toward the warrior Iscan. The big, southern brawler considered it an honor to be a part of the will of the Original One, and strode over to the ever-growing fellowship. Of old, the Clan of Iscan came from the Alolan refugees rescued from certain death by the Rangers of Hisui as they were cast away on the treacherous northern coasts.
"May the fifth spoon give us reason."
Moving so fast that it jerked Rei's arm, the spoon pointed toward Cyllene, the daughter of Kamado, as fair as either diamond or pearl. She joined the Company and then halted. For good or ill, she would contend with whatever hardships she would face, for the woman of Hisui oftentimes learned that those who do not wield blades can still be slain by them.
"May the sixth spoon give us righteous contention."
The spoon went over the entirety of the tent, taking the longest it had ever done to come to a halt. It almost seemed to rest when pointed at Iridia, but it switched to Adaman with a final motion. The Lord of the Clan of Adamant put his hand upon the sheath of the Mormakil, and he completed the group of seven. It was said that although he was valorous and a wonder and terror to behold in battle, the Lord Adaman was quarrelsome and sometimes unwise for his years, for the blood of youth still ran through his veins with surpassing potency.
"It is done!" Kamado said. "In three days' time, the chosen seven shall go into the Furthest Northerlands, and topple the Iron King from his dark throne! I christen thee the Fellowship of the Ring-wait, no, the Golden Company!"