Rei woke up the others, who followed him through the eaves to the rain-curtain.
Adaman was skeptical that Beulah was only behind a wall of rain, so he climbed up a tree to see over the forest, but there was nothing but more endless leagues of dark forest, with patches of snow occasionally visible further south.
Not deterred, Rei went into the rain-curtain again, and still saw Beulah behind it. Eventually, Akari followed him and saw it as well. The others eventually went in, with Adaman being the last. He would regret it ever-after, as any second spent in that realm was better than any other.
Beulah was fashioned like a shallow depression, with rolling, shining green hills all about a central, cool plain and meadow, with a sandstone citadel in the center, barely visible in the distance. A small court of white marble, viewed through Lian's spyglasses, stood in front of the gates of the central building.
"Well, I suppose we found it!" Targon said. "I have never seen such beauty in the land, not in all my years of travelling. Perhaps the beings we seek reside in the stronghold far away?"
The Company started onward, slowly and measured, seeing what strange things occurred in this mystical realm.
Once, Akari picked a bundle of unnaturally large and sweet smelling tulips, and as soon as she had plucked them up, new ones shot up from the ground, taking the place of the old ones. The grass was more like soft fur, not the scratchy mat that you would find in the wild. The singing that Rei had heard earlier was gone, but the echo of it still resounded of the green hills, almost intangible. The sun, oddly enough, was over two times as large, and definitely a bit more bright. The strangest thing was that you could look into it with hurting your eyes, even though it would be more bright than any could bear.
The way back to the forest was shrouded in mist, but rain clouds were not visible, or even the forest. It was like the Company had crossed a portal into Beulah, instead of finding it in the natural world.
The Pokémon that dwelled in the land, for there were many, seemed to be constantly slumbering, and in incredible content. They paid the travellers little mind, other than a curious glance every so often. The Pokémon of the Company were unaffected by whatever spell that lay over the wild ones, although they seemed to be very relaxed, abnormally so for such a stressful journey.
And the colors...they certainly were earthly, but with a different element to them. They just were more vivid. Shadows were hardly seen, even where they should have been, like by a tree angled away from the sun, which seemed to hover over the centre of the land.
Iscan once stopped to try some otherworldly fruit that grew on a many-limbed, flowering tree. The fruits were shaped like a Chesto berry, but of a far darker red coloration. On one bite, Iscan dropped the fruit into the soft grass.
"Friends..." He began. "I am dying of the deliciousness of this fruit! Oh, if I could, I would forsake all that I love just to live my life eating this fruit! I could eat this for aye, never tasting a bite of anything else! Only I can imagine the wars and campaigns that would be fought to obtain even a single berry! Woe to my dreadful life, for I will never know rest once I leave this land! I should never have come here, for I would not know what I lack."
Curious, Adaman grabbed another fruit, and bit into it before Iscan could stop him. With a cry, he tossed the fruit far away.
"None of you are to eat this! If we are all to taste it, we will forget our purpose in this Paradise! I will never know rest, along with Iscan. We bear the burden of the taste of this fruit, so that no one else should be tormented by it. For this reason alone we will never eat another fruit born of the Trees of Heaven, although it greatly pains our hearts."
With that, Adaman and Iscan cast their hoods over their heads, walking in silence.
Rei supposed that they were telling the truth, and was not moved to eat of the fruit. Such things belonged to the Original One, and mortal minds were not given to experience such things.
A little ways further, Rei felt the Legend Plate, scarcely needed or even mentioned, start to shake and grow hot. As he walked, this rose in intensity until Rei was moved to put another piece of cloth in that pocket, as to diminish the heat. The emission reached its pinnacle once the Company had reached the Plain of Beulah, and the shaking stopped.
The court was clearer now, as the Company felt as though details were visible at a far greater distance in the light of Beulah than they normally would be. There lay a great table, although it was bare. Tresses of marble stone arched over the court, with vines covering them like beautiful fetters. Two stone tables lay on opposite far ends of the expansive table, and two forms lay upon them.
As well as the court, the citadel behind it was far more visible as well. Strangely, it was far more shadowed than all the rest of Beulah, and a aura of dread emanated from it, which was so uncharacteristic from the rest of the land that Rei halted when he first felt it, and was only able to work up the courage to move forward after a time.
The citadel was fashioned like a great mausoleum, a sort of tomb. It was made of marred sandstone bricks, stacked so neatly that no notch could be found in their joints. The great entranceway had no door, but one could see down a very dark hallway, with a bend at the end, barely visible in the torchlight inside, that suggested a larger room out of view.
After another hour, the Company had reached the court.
Rei first inspected the two men that lay still upon the stone tables. They were still alive, as a faint pulse was found, but there was a terrible wound on the chest of both of them, although it did not bleed despite the lack of clotting. They each clutched a spherical in their hands, one was dark and one was light.
When Cyllene approached the table, it suddenly manifested a basic meal upon it, although the amount was large enough for the entire Company.
Realizing how hungry he was, Rei reached for a loaf of rye bread. Berothrim slapped his hand away, his face full of utmost disdain.
"Look! What do you think put those two to sleep?! This food is enchanted, no less! That table responded to us when we came near, proving its magic. As my grandmother used to say, Never trust something that can think if you don't know where it's brain is, unless it's a Pokémon."
A presence was then felt by the whole Company, their attention then directed to a robed being that had emerged from nowhere, holding a wooden bowl of clear water, a thick veil draped over its face.
"The food is not what put these two to sleep," The being whispered in androgynous tones, although everyone could hear it. "They chose their own fate, to dream for ever, until the world is mended. If you have ears, I will tell you the ancient history of these two..."
Adaman started forward, but did not draw his blade. "Are you the one who is said to watch over Beulah, living in synchrony with the Pokémon that dwell here?"
The being did not give any sign of approval or denial, but merely stirred the water in the bowl with a long, pale finger. "I may be."
"Then who is it, if it wouldn't be you?" Arnethrim asked. "What would he be?"
"He is." The being simply answered.
Frustrated at the being's vagueness, Rei harshly asked if the two men had been unwillingly put to sleep by it.
"Nay," The being answered. "I will tell you the tale of these two, as to disperse any misgivings that you may have of me..."
"Two thousand years ago, in the Elder Days of the world, a powerful dragon elohim descended into the earthly spheres from Deep Heaven. It allied with two great princes of a forgotten kingdom, and together they created a new region of the world. It is known as Unova, and it endured the turmoil of the battle between Kyogre and Groudon. They then wished to establish a wise way of ruling, but there was strife between the two."
"The elder brother pursued the Truth, while the younger pursued Ideals. Even the elohim took sides, and it split into two, the pieces of it given life by the Original One. The shell that remained did not truly live, but could merge with the other two conscious remnants. There was war, and both were grievously wounded at the end of their fierce battle."
"By chance, or perhaps something greater, the two brothers, in their death throes, found a way into this land. I met them, and they begged for life. I told them that I could preserve their days by putting them into a dreamless sleep, and they accepted. Those very two, the Heroes of Truth and Ideals, now lie before us."
"Strange." Berothrim said. "I have heard this tale before, but I did not know that they came here. Legend has it that the two legendary elohim that they allied with, Reshiram and Zekrom, turned into stones, as their purpose had been fulfilled for a time. Are those stone the objects that the two sleepers now hold in their iron grasp?"
"Yes." The being assured. "The stones arrived shortly after I put this pair to rest. But your purpose here is not to bandy words with me, no? Tell me what you seek in this delectable land, and perhaps I can give it to you."
Rei boldly displayed the Legend Plate, showing that they had been given authority to carry out the mission of the Original One. "We have come here through great peril and shadow, all to ask of your aid: we wish to make a prison strong enough to hold the Enemy for many eons, if not for ever."
The being calmly sat the bowl of water down on the meal table. "My eyes tell me that you are not lying...and I suppose I could make such a prison, although you would not be able to even get the Enemy inside of it."
"That is taken care of," Laventon said. "We have such a net already. Tell us what you need to make such a thing!"
"Only the Plate which lies in the boy's hand." The being said. "I could wear it down, shatter it apart, and make a...bottle, I suppose. But such a thing will not come without cost, on your part. A deed needs to be done here that should have been many years ago."
The being pointed to the darkened citadel. "Although the rest of this land is sightly and fair, what you will find inside this stronghold is nothing but evil. A dreadful wile of the Enemy has been undertaken there, and it is near completion. Only the slightest intervention, and the eventually capture of the Evil Djinn, will end it's malice for ever."
"Then let us go, and do what you want!" Lian said. "What are we to do?"
Suddenly, a power of such Willpower was revealed in the being that Lian relented.
"Only a few may enter! Those who have touched the Plate, and Myself. Inside, the Evil cannot be combated by any others. The boy is the one to follow me. We must make haste..."
Adaman thrust out his hand, showing the being healed scars from when he had tried to test if the Plate would respond against thievery. "I have touched the Plate, if only for it to wound me. May I not enter?"
"I am sorry, but nay. You and another here have tasted the Fruit of Paradise, and your fate is forever bound to this land. You may not enter such a evil place, or any ever after if you fear for your life. Therefore, the curse upon you is this: you will search for this land after the Evil which you fight is defeated, but you will find no rest. Soon, all the world will be changed, and you will die in despair, never to stumble upon Beulah again. Cursed are those who eat of the Garden without purpose! They exist for Pokémon, and Pokémon solely. Only the boy may enter, along with me. I will give him the devices he needs to accomplish what I wish for him. If he succeeds, I will craft the Bottle."
Rei stepped by the side of the being. "I accept! It feels as though I should trust you, even though I can't say why. If only I can go inside, I better do it. The fate of the world is on us, I suppose. What is left to do?"
The being, if you could have seen its face, similed. "Well done! Only one thing remains before we go into that place. Look into the water of the bowl. Not just you, Rei, everyone is to do this."
"How did you know my name-" Rei's question was overwhelmed by the Company jostling for places to peer into the water, with Rei having to climb onto a terrace to look into it.
First, it was clear water. After a time, it did begin to ripple, despite the lack of wind at that moment. Then, Rei began to see things.
The hell-land of Dor Daedeloth appeared, vile and still. The peaks of the mighty volcanoes had stopped smoldering, and silence was over the black domain.
Then...
Fires spurted with fury into the sky! The earth broke open, and flows of magma emerged from it. The flames of the fire-mountains went upward, so far as to contaminate the stars with their detestable heat and ash. The Gates of Hades reeled, and then opened.
Line after line, ranker after ranker, the host of the Enemy poured out, with all its uncountable thousands of half-men, weapons of war, and Pokémon spell-enslaved. They moved with perfect precision, never jostling, marching southeast. Then, the image faded to still water.
"Ai! Ai!" Berothrim cried. "The armies of the Evil One are marching forth! But...it is so small for what we have prepared for!"
"This is a consequence of your journey." The being said. "He knows what you are doing, and he sent his greatest slave after you, this I know. He has mobilized hastily, and this force is but a small percentage of his power. He wishes to crush the Capital, and destroy the weave before you may merge it with the Bottle. Hurry, and you may still have time left to succeed!"
Rei ran over to the entryway of the citadel, and the being walked so lightly it almost glided over the grass, and then both disappeared into the darkness.
"So...either the hour of our doom is at hand, or his." Artherim said. "The War of Wrath had begun."