"...huh?"
Taral opens his eyes to find himself in a familiar forest.. The gentle sound of flowing water emanates from a nearby stream. He looks around as he pulls himself up.
"Stella? Where are you?" Worry begins to set in as he realizes he's not where he should be.
"Cedrick? Wyatt? Anyone?!" His eyes dart around wildly as he searches for any sign of his companions. Instead, he sees a faint thread of prismatic energy extending from him deeper into the forest. He tries to hold it in his palm, but his hand phases through it. It feels slightly warm, like putting one's hand into a shaft of sunlight.
"What is this?"
He strains his eyes as he stares off into the distance, trying to get an idea of where the thread leads to. The thick foliage prevents him from seeing more than a few dozen feet out.
"The others have to be around here somewhere."
He follows the thread of colorful light, curious to see where it takes him. He keeps going until he reaches the next clearing, struggling as the foliage clings to his baggy clothes. He looks up through a gap in the canopy, trying to get a look at the sky. The sun is clearly still out, but it's hidden behind the treetops. It's impossible to tell if it's morning or evening, which makes the whole situation even more confusing.
His ears perk up as he rests against the base of a nearby tree.
"Why is the forest so quiet?" He closes his eyes and focuses on the sound of the forest, but no comforting chirps or calls can be heard. Not a single one. The sound of the wind rushing through the leaves is all he hears.
His concerns grow as he reluctantly gets up. He looks back down at the thread of prismatic energy connected to him. It's like a thin braided cord of light, each strand pulsing with a different hue.
"Perhaps this will lead me to Stella?" He thinks back to how their previous attempts to LINK have failed. Every time he tries it's like some invisible barrier is preventing the connection from forming.
"If she isn't at the other end of this thing, then who is?", he wonders aloud as he walks.
He keeps a close eye on the multi-hued thread in front of him as he continues, making a mental note of its properties. It does not react to any of its surroundings. It phases through everything despite being connected to him. It does slowly undulate of its own accord, but the wind has no visible effect on it. It also has no defined length; it's always exactly as long as it needs to be. It does not grow slack as he walks forward nor does it grow taut as he walks away.
The most concerning part is the gentle warmth in his chest that grows as he follows the thread. The warmth is strangely comforting, and leaves the surface of this chest tingly.
Eventually, he makes it to the edge of the forest, and his heart sinks as he sees his parent's sprawling mansion before him.
"What- how-" He stumbles over his words as he slowly backs away. Worry is replaced with full-blown panic as he suddenly feels the strand of golden light grow taut, preventing him from turning back. He tugs with all his might against the cord, but now the length is finite. It does not extend as he pulls the other way, despite his efforts.
It does, however, grow shorter every time he moves forward. Every step towards the mansion, no matter how small, draws him a bit closer to his childhood home. Despite living outside its confines for barely a month, the house feels ancient to him. It's like he's stepped into a bygone age, rife with all the issues that it brings.
He grunts with effort as he shifts his weight in the opposite direction, desperate to either stretch the line or break it entirely. In response to this, the length of prismatic cord begins shrinking.
"No! Leave me be! I don't want to go back!"
His pleas are carried away by the wind as it picks up. It blows towards the mansion, nudging him in its direction. The pace at which it reels him in is agonizingly slow, giving him ample time to drown in his own anguish.
He feels like a Magikarp on a hook, being reeled in by some unseen angler.
The double doors on the rear of the mansion swing open as a particularly powerful gale ushers him through. His nails dig into the dense mahogany wood as he grips the door frame for dear life. The thread is like a heavy-duty leash, and whoever is on the other end is tugging hard. With one final yank his grip fails, causing him to tumble backwards into the mansion.
His hands frantically grasp for something, anything to hold onto, but he finds no purchase on the smooth wooden floor.
"Ah, there you are, Taral. It's been a while, hm?"
His blood runs cold as he hears a familiar voice. An invisible force twists him around to face the man.
"W-what did you do to me! Is this why I can't LINK with Stella?!", Taral asks as he grabs the prismatic thread. Unlike before, it feels solid. It radiates a gentle warmth, like a stone left next to a fire. The surface is smooth to the touch, like glass. His eyes follow the thread as it leads up to the other end of the room. A massive green crystal floats on the upper balcony across from him. Two staircases on the left and right side of the room lead up to it, and an old woman in robes can be seen tending to the crystal itself. A thin cloth veil covers her face, but her wrinkly, gnarled fingers can easily be seen in its soft green glow. The other end of the cord is embedded in the crystal, and now that he's so close, he can see pulses of light traveling from him to it.
"Oh? You've tried to LINK with a pokemon of yours?" Mr. Feng casually makes his way down the steps of the right staircase, keeping his eyes trained on Taral. A brilliant masquerade mask of green crystal obscures the top half of his face. He sports a fancy white suit that adds to his air of sophistication. His mouth is twisted in a wry grin as he leisurely approaches Taral. "I'm afraid you're out of luck. You're LINKED with the crystal, after all, just like everyone else who donated Essence to it."
"Had I known that I would've declined!" Taral yanks on the cord with all his might, trying desperately to remove it.
Mr. Feng laughs as he watches Taral's feeble attempts. "I'm afraid it'll take a bit more than elbow grease to break a connection as strong as yours."
"I'll find a way to break it. I did not consent to this!" Taral's words are filled with anger and spite as he continues his efforts to sever the cord.
Mr. Feng frowns. "But why would you want to do that? That LINK you have will elevate you to new heights! While we all have a LINK with the crystal, only yours is so strong that it can be seen with the naked eye." Feng pinches the LINK between his fingers, appraising its strength.
"The crystal chose you to be its patron, Taral! It would be a sin to decline its blessings!" Feng gets within a few feet of Taral, looming over him. At this distance Taral can see the frenzied look in his eye. The other eye is completely obscured by a lens fitted into the mask. The lens glows a faint yellow.
"Well, consider me a heathen, then, because I want nothing to do with your damned crystal! Same goes for you, my parents or anything else having to do with Ransei!" Taral tries to back away, but the LINK keeps him closely leashed, preventing escape.
Feng's face contorts into a disgusted sneer at Taral's words. "If you knew the extent of what this crystal is capable of, and the gifts it can offer, you'd change your tone." He speaks with conviction as the lens on his left eye glows red.
"Perhaps I should give you a taste of what it can offer? Surely that will sway you!" He pinches the cord tightly between his fingers before turning to the woman in the back.
"Do it."
She nods, remaining silent as she digs her nails into the crystal. Its glow intensifies until it's bathing the entire room in a dazzling green light. This same light travels through the LINK, causing it to glow brightly as well. The flow is blocked by Feng's hand as he keeps the LINK pinched between his fingers.
"When you finally come to your senses and embrace your destiny, feel free to come back to Ransei. Then we can discuss your role in this further."
Taral tries to object, but Feng lets go of the LINK before he gets a chance, allowing the built up energy to shoot through the LINK into him.
"I….don't…want…." His chest tightens up as a faint green glow blooms from within him.
"Consider this a token of peace between us, Taral. I don't want to be your enemy." He grabs the LINK with one hand, using it to pull Taral's limp body into the air to meet his gaze.
"...unless you force my hand, that is." His voice is dead serious as the red glow from the lens on his mask intensifies.
"Go find…. Someone else…. To accept your 'gift'..." Taral has to force the words out as the energy spreads through his body. His limbs grow numb and tingly. He tries to push Feng away but his hands are like lead weights. He can barely muster the strength to raise them.
Feng's frown deepens as he lets go of the LINK, letting Taral fall to the ground.
"Perhaps you need some more time to reconsider."
Taral's vision fades to black as he watches Feng walk back up the stairs.
"Don't think running off to Alola has saved you, Taral. You will play your part in all this, even if we have to drag you back here to make it happen." Feng's bitter words echo throughout the room.
Taral's eyelids grow heavy as he struggles to keep them open. He fights the urge to close them for as long as he can, but eventually the exhaustion overtakes him. He closes his eyes, leaving the mansion behind.
"...Taral? You alright?"
Taral opens his eyes, and is comforted with the sound of Wyatt's voice. He looks around, relieved at the sight of their guest room. Everything is where it should be. Despite this, his limbs are still incredibly heavy, and as he looks down he swears he can see a faint green glow coming from his chest before it fades.
"W-where's Stella?!", he stutters out in a panicked tone. His face is deathly pale as the stress from what he just experienced catches up to him.
Stella rushes up to him, embracing him in a warm hug. He lets his head rest on her shoulder as he focuses on regulating his breathing. He breathes in, counts to three, then breaths out.
Anything to keep the panic from that horrible nightmare at bay.
Wyatt stands there awkwardly, unsure of what to say or do.
"Sorry if I worried you, Wyatt. I just, uh, had a bad dream, is all.", Taral says as he gives Stella a few affectionate scritches behind her ears.
Wyatt hesitates before mustering up the courage to ask. "...are you sure it was just a dream?"
Taral cocks his head to the side, giving Wyatt a confused look. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you were writhing around in the bed like someone was attacking you. You kept arching your back like someone was grabbing you by the chest, or something."
Taral frowns. "Yeah, it was a pretty bad dream-"
"-also, your body was glowing." Wyatt blurts it out, unsure of how Taral would react.
Taral's eyes go wide as he looks down at his chest. The silk shirt covers his body, so he pulls it up to get a good look. Upon seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he lets the shirt fall back down.
"I think It's time I be honest with you. Both of you." Taral looks over to Cedrick, who is snoring softly on the other bed, drooling all over his pillow.
"Well, if it's something you want to tell us both, it'll have to wait. Cedrick's not exactly an early riser."
Taral nods. "It'll take a bit for me to gather my thoughts, anyway."
Stella looks up at him with worried eyes.
"Don't worry, Stella. I'm fine. Thanks for coming to my aid, like that."
She wraps her tail around his arm, refusing to let him go.
Taral smiles. "I'm fine, really-"
Three hard knocks ring out from the door, followed by a muffled voice.
"Get ready, you three. Lusamine's on her way now. She wants to have a word with you in private."