Carracosta looked up at the early morning sky as he walked along the path that led towards the village proper. There wasn't a single cloud in sight, and the only sign that there had been a storm recently were the puddles on the ground. He'd spent all night at the orchard, as the storm had come in early and he hadn't finished his preparations before it was too dark to safely head back to the village. Right now, his only thought was of getting home to his bed.

Even though he had to sleep in the storage shed because of it, Carracosta was thankful for the rain. Watering all the berries himself was becoming more and more tiring, and while he'd never admit it, he was starting to feel the effects of his many years of tending to the orchard.

As he reached the village gate, Carracosta could see the early risers moving about in the village plaza. He exchanged a few words with Kecleon as she passed by, promising that a delivery of fresh berries would be ready by the end of next week, before continuing down the path that led to the residential part of town. It only took another few minutes of walking before Carracosta was faced with the familiar sight of his front door. He opened it quietly, not wanting to wake the kids, before shaking his head slightly.

It was hard to think of them as anything but kids, especially Faye, but he had to admit that they had grown quite a lot in the last four years. Neither of them had changed completely of course; Faye still managed to get into trouble wherever she went and Kara would let her drag him along for the ride, but there were moments where he felt like he was seeing two different 'mon entirely. He knew that they'd been working hard at the Expedition Society, and were doing very well for themselves to boot, but he wasn't sure that he liked all the changes he saw.

It didn't happen often, but he did take notice when Faye would sit quietly for an hour or so before going out in the evenings, or when Kara would play with some of the younger children in the village, a smile on his face but a sad look in his eyes. Something had clearly happened, but neither of them spoke of it so Carracosta hadn't pried. He figured that they would open up about it if they wanted to, and in the meantime he would make sure they knew he was there for them, no matter what.

Of course, that was all before the two of them had escaped the Voidlands and saved the world from Dark Matter, which had to have taken a heavy toll on them as well. Carracosta was no fool; he'd been sent to the Voidlands along with all the other villagers, and the things he saw in the darkness there still haunted his dreams. Much like the others, he was hopeful that these things could be forgotten, given enough time.

Moving through the kitchen, he kept his eyes glued on the hallway leading to Faye's room for any sign that he'd woken either of them. Just as he was about to leave the kitchen, his eyes landed on the pot he'd prepared yesterday's dinner in. It sat on the stove, covered. He'd asked that they leave him some to eat for when he got back, but somehow this didn't seem right. There were no dishes on the counter or in the sink, or any other signs that anyone had actually been in the kitchen since he left. Uncovering the pot, Carracosta was surprised to find that it hadn't been touched.

With some concern, Carracosta headed to Faye's room and found it empty. There was only one bed as well, which only made the feeling in his chest worsen. Questions and thoughts ran through his mind like lightning: Faye would never skip a meal! Did they go somewhere? But then why wouldn't they leave a note? Neither of them said anything about needing to leave the village soon, did they? He didn't think so, but he couldn't be sure.

His mind racing, Carracosta found himself heading back outside and down the path to where Kara used to live with Nuzleaf. He couldn't help the sudden surge of anger and disgust that welled in his chest, although there was more than a little fear as well. Could Nuzleaf have something to do with this?

I opened my eyes slowly, blinking a few times before looking around. I recognized this place, but something seemed wrong. Wasn't I just in Serene Village? What am I doing on top of Revelation Mountain? As I stood, trying to make sense of everything, I heard someone walking up behind me. I turned around, about to ask whoever it was how I got up here, but the words died on my lips.

Standing there, no more than twenty steps away, was Nuzleaf. The 'mon who had been under Dark Matter's control, who had betrayed everyone in Serene Village and turned us all to stone. The 'mon I had called my father for the past twelve years.

I felt my heart start to race as I examined him. His face was blank, like he was in a trance, and he didn't move or speak. I wanted so badly to move closer to him, to ask him where he'd been and if he really meant what he'd said at the Tree of Life, but something inside me was screaming for me to run away. I opened my mouth to speak, but a loud, hacking cough came out instead. My eyes watered and my throat felt drier than Sand Continent is during the dry season.

The coughing fit subsided as quickly as it had come, but Nuzleaf didn't seem to notice. He simply stared at me—through me, really— and I watched as his expression began to change. His eyes seemed to grow sharp, as if he was just now noticing my presence, but it was the smirk that ran across his face that made me shiver. I'd only seen it once before, but I knew that smirk; seeing it again confirmed that something was very, very wrong.

Nuzleaf said nothing as he slowly raised his arms, closing his eyes in concentration. His hands began to shimmer as they became engulfed by a wispy black-and-gray energy. I've seen this before. It was the same dark power that had sent Faye and I to the Voidlands less than a month ago.

Wait, what?! Panic set in as I realized what I was seeing. No, no that's impossible. We beat Dark Matter, and Xerneas herself confirmed that Yveltal, Nuzleaf, and the Beheeyem were all freed from its influence! My mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening, and my breaths became quick and shallow. Just then, a terrible thought hit me like a bolt of lightning and my eyes went wide.

Did… did Nuzleaf ambush Faye and send her to the Voidlands!? Is that what 'Faye is gone' means? Is this why I couldn't find her?

Fear cut through me like a cold wind. Instinctively I tried to create a barrier between us, hoping that it would block the attack, but nothing happened. I tried again, but still no barrier appeared. I could feel my psychic energy there in my mind, the same as always, but for some reason it wasn't responding to me. Trying to use it now gave me a headache similar to those I'd get whenever I tried to use too much energy at once.

I didn't know what was wrong, but I knew that I wouldn't have time to figure it out. There was only one thought in my mind: Get away and find Faye. Despite my fear, both for Faye and for myself, my legs wouldn't move. They felt numb, like I'd run for hours without rest, yet I knew I hadn't done anything of the sort.

If I can't defend myself or run away, then I have to attack! I took a deep breath, feeling a familiar heat swell within my chest as I prepared to unleash a stream of fire. I'm sorry Nuzleaf. I don't know what's going on, but I'm not going to just let this happen! Right before I opened my mouth to release the flames, the fire inside me went out so suddenly that it might as well have been dunked in the ocean. I coughed and sputtered, feeling like I, too, had been dunked in the ocean. The ground beneath me grew damp, trickles of water running down my legs as I noticed that, somehow, my fur really was wet.

I looked up to Nuzleaf again, hoping to see my father instead of an enemy, but it was not to be. His eyes remained closed, his concentration unbroken, and the air around his hands grew thick with power. Watching the energy swirling in and around itself between his hands was apparently a mistake, as my headache grew steadily worse, but I couldn't look away.

Why is he doing this? I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tears filling my eyes. I don't understand. Everything felt wrong. I was utterly exhausted, but somehow alert at the same time. I was completely soaked, but my body felt hotter than any time I ever channeled my fire. My psychic energy was there, I could feel it, but it vanished whenever I tried to actually use it.

Tears continued to run down my face as I watched my father preparing to turn me to stone for a second time. Nuzleaf should be back to normal now that Dark Matter is gone! Everything he said at the Tree of Life was a lie, wasn't it? I looked at Nuzleaf, wanting him to tell me that I was right; his words were lies, twisted by Dark Matter's influence. I wanted him to tell me that it was all real, that he took me in because he actually cared for me and not just because he needed me to break that seal.

Nuzleaf raised his hands over his head, the dark energy forming into a single mass. Even knowing what was coming, I still couldn't force myself to get out of the way. Fear had frozen me, and I couldn't break free from its grasp. He's really going to do it, isn't he? He's going to turn me to stone again. It must be true then, that he honestly doesn't care about me. All along, I was just a tool to him…

On top of everything else from the last two weeks—Nuzleaf's betrayal, being sent to the Voidlands, Mawile's sacrifice so they could escape, finding the residents of Serene Village and Lively Town turned to stone, fighting Yveltal and the others, facing down Dark Matter itself, and now being unable to find my partner, the most important 'mon in the world to me—that thought was simply too much.

I collapsed to the ground, as my last vestige of hope shattered. My heart was broken, but the ache in my chest was slowly replaced by an eerie sense of tranquility. Everything I was feeling—the fear, the pain, the anger—it all disappeared as I lay there on the ground, my eyes locked on Nuzleaf.

Faye is gone, my loving father was nothing more than an illusion, and I'm just too tired to fight anymore. Maybe… maybe this is for the best.

Nuzleaf flung his arms forward, launching the swirling dark mass towards me. I bowed my head, eyes closed as I accepted my fate.

I- I don't want to be alone.

Lily was awoken by the sound of knocking coming from the front door. She stood up, still half asleep, and was on her way to the main room when she heard her father talking to whoever was outside. She glanced outside and decided that going back to sleep probably wasn't worth it. Yawning, she headed for the kitchen but was surprised to see her father closing the door behind Mr. Carracosta.

"Good morning Lily, I'm glad you're already awake," her father said, noticing her presence. "I was just coming to get you, Mr. Carracosta needs to ask you some questions if you don't mind." He ushered Mr. Carracosta into the room, prompting him to sit. "Please, Marc, let me get you something to eat. You must be exhausted from being out all night."

As Carracosta shook his head at her father's offer, Lily looked at the two with some confusion. He looked awful, to be honest, but there was an energy in his eyes that unnerved her a little. She moved to sit at the table, her father sighing before sitting down as well. "No, I don't mind at all. Sorry for asking, but are you doing okay Mr. Carracosta? You don't look too good."

"You don't need to call me 'Mr.', just Carracosta is fine. As for your question, I probably look better than I feel." He leaned forwards slightly, putting his flippers on the table. "I'm sorry to bother you so early, but it's urgent. Faye and Kara seem to have disappeared, and I was hoping that you might have some idea of where they went."

Both Carracosta and her father looked at Lily, nothing but serious expressions on their faces. She gulped. "No, I didn't know that they were going anywhere. I mean, they just got back and were on vacation, right? Maybe they decided to take a long walk or something?" Lily looked down at the table, before continuing quietly, "Besides, it wouldn't be the first time they've left town without saying anything to anyone."

Carracosta winced. "I can't say you're wrong, but this is something different. I left dinner for them yesterday, just in case I got stuck out in the orchard, but everything was exactly as I left it. Neither of them touched the soup." He looked right at Lily before continuing, noting the shocked look on her face. "I can tell that you realize that to be as strange as I do."

Her father seemed confused, but Lily nodded her head knowingly. "If Faye wasn't talking about going off on adventures or her dream of joining the Expedition Society, then she was talking about your cooking. If you made food, especially for her, then there's no way that Faye would go anywhere without eating it." She took a moment to gather her thoughts.

"Well, I didn't actually see or talk to Faye at all yesterday, but Espurr and I did run into Kara when we were on our way back from the market a little before noon. He said he was going to the tree on the hilltop to look for her, something about her getting up early?"

Carracosta frowned slightly. "Yes, that sounds about right. He showed up at my house looking for Faye, and I told him just what he told you." He looked down at the table for a moment, but he couldn't hide the fear in his eyes. "Did he say anything else? Anything at all that might give us a clue about where they went?"

"No," Lily murmured, her eyes downcast. "We didn't talk long since Espurr and I both had things to do, and I was busy all afternoon so I didn't see them later either. I'm sorry."

Carracosta slowly sank down to the table, as if he had deflated, and said nothing. It was then, after a few moments of silence, that Lily's father spoke up. "Marc, it might not help right now but I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. Why don't we all have some breakfast, hmm? I'll help you look around the village when we're done, but you have to eat first."

Lily nodded her head. "Yeah! Espurr should be awake by then, so I'll ask if she can help us." Lily's smile morphed into a small scowl as she continued "She might be able to tell us roughly where they are, and if Faye and Kara did skip town again then we'll go out and drag them back if we have to."

Carracosta chuckled and looked up. "Oh, you'd have to drag them back alright. Trying to stop Faye from doing something she's set her mind to is almost impossible. Neither of them have evolved yet though; I can always just pick them both up and carry them back."

Laughter broke out among the three, each imagining the sight of an angry Faye being carried like a sack of potatoes, causing Lily to relax a little. Once his stomach started voicing its opinion on the matter, Carracosta needed little prompting to agree to stay for breakfast.

The smell of roasting berries woke Lily's mother and siblings, and before long the whole family was gathered around the table. Lily noticed that Carracosta was starting to relax as they ate. His smile, fragile as it might be, was genuine: breakfast may only be a momentary distraction from his worries, but it was clear that he was enjoying himself all the same.

As she focused more on eating and less on the conversation, Lily's thoughts returned to the reason for Carracosta's visit. Lily couldn't believe that Faye and Kara would leave so soon, especially since they had literally saved the world just last week! They didn't get to visit Serene Village often, and they would often joke and complain about not having more than a day or two to relax and enjoy life in the quiet village.

Adding to her worries were the events right after Faye and Kara arrived in the village two days ago. Lily happened to be in the market at the time and she watched as Faye threw herself into Carracosta's arms, sobbing and apologizing for not being able to protect him or the rest of the village from Nuzleaf's attack. It was the first time that Lily, and probably most of the village for that matter, had ever seen Faye cry so openly. She let go of her father after a minute or so, and without delay she went to everyone in the village, one by one, to check up on them and apologize for taking so long to free them from the Voidlands.

Having almost the complete opposite of Faye's reaction, Kara seemed to be unusually still. He had stopped just before the village gate and was looking around with a combination of relief and guilt all over his face. It didn't take long for the closest villagers to greet him, which brought a slight smile to his face, but it wasn't until Carracosta came over and said something to him that Kara actually stepped through the gate and entered the village.

Shaking her head slightly to bring herself back to the present, Lily started to listen to her mother lecturing her twin brothers on table manners before she was startled by a familiar voice in her head.

[Lily, are you awake?]

The table quieted as the others turned to look at her, her mother giving her a look of concern. "Lily, is everything okay? You just jumped halfway out of your seat."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Espurr just started talking to me telepathically and I was surprised" she replied. "What's going on Mina? I know you don't like using telepathy this early in the morning" she thought in response to her friend.

[No time. Bring Mr. Carracosta to the hilltop, now. Kara's in trouble.]

Lily looked to Carracosta, her eyes wide. "Espurr says that Kara's at the hilltop and that he's in trouble."

Carracosta was on his feet and heading for the door before Lily had finished her sentence. Lily and her father were right behind him, the latter only pausing long enough to apologize for rushing out before breakfast was finished.

The hilltop was in sight a few minutes later. As the trio made their way up the path they could see Espurr standing near the tree. Reaching the top of the hill, Lily stopped as she saw the form of a limp fox lying at Espurr's feet. She knew it must be Kara, but it was still hard to believe that this pathetic-looking creature was the same 'mon that she had seen just yesterday.

His entire body was soaked, the water compressing his fur making him look ragged and thin. Mud coated every part of him that touched the ground, turning the fur from yellow to various shades of brown. Moving closer, Lily could make out a faint line of red running from Kara's ear down the side of his face. She heard her father gasp quietly as Carracosta knelt down next to Kara's body.

"What happened to him?" Carracosta asked as he looked at Espurr, his voice shaking. "Was he attacked? Wh-"

"I do not know what happened to him Mr. Carracosta," Espurr cut him off, her voice even. "He was like this when I arrived; I contacted Lily as soon as I found him to be unresponsive. I believe he is running a high fever, although I know little about the normal body temperature for fire-types."

"You're right, he's burning up" Carracosta agreed as he slowly lifted Kara out of the puddle. "We need to get him to Audino right away, can one of you run and tell him that we're bringing Kara in?"

Lily's father started to go, but Espurr spoke up before he could. "I have just informed Audino of Kara's condition. He will be ready for our arrival."

If Carracosta was at all surprised, he didn't show it as he stood up. Cradling Kara's body as if it was about to shatter, he slowly started down towards the village clinic. Espurr looked at Lily briefly, nodded her head once, then followed Carracosta. Lily just stood there, thinking. Her father stepped up beside her, the two watching in silence as the others descended the hill.

Minutes passed, and Lily was surprised to find that she was the one to break the quiet that had settled on the hill. "Sometimes it's hard to believe that he's the same age as I am," she said, unsure of whether or not she wanted her father to reply. When he did not, she continued. "I mean, we grew up together and went to school and all that, but then he and Faye left to become explorers," Lily trailed off, looking up at her father. "I don't know how to explain it, but this is just wrong! He looked like he'd slept outside during the storm or something, and Kara would never do that voluntarily. He hates getting wet!" Lily looked down to the ground, stomping a hoof in frustration. "He and Faye were practically inseparable, so why would she let Kara end up like that? Where even is she?"

She heard muffled steps as her father shifted slightly, before feeling him place his head on top of her own. The weight, a reminder of his presence and protection, helped to calm her. "I don't know, Lily. I may not know her personally, but I can't believe that someone like Faye would intentionally leave her friend and teammate in a sorry state like this. There must be something else going on that we don't know about and I'm afraid we won't find out what it is until Kara wakes up."

Lily said nothing, but nodded her head in acceptance of her father's words. Her eyes strayed to the tree, still standing tall over the village as it likely had for decades, before moving to the patch of flowers growing just beyond the tree. They were swaying in the wind, their petals moving in a disorganized harmony to create a sea of dancing colors.

Seeing the flowers instilled a sense of peace in her, no doubt an effect of her innate connection to all living things. Despite that, something about them felt unnatural but Lily couldn't quite describe how. All she knew was that, two days ago, there were no flowers on top of this hill.