NOTE ON THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER: ALL BUT ONE OF THE JOURNAL ENTRIES HAVE BEEN REMOVED. Using the entries as a pseudo-ending is nullified by the publication of this chapter.

More in the footnote.

Chapter XXX - Cursing the World

"What are you doing?"

I just about leapt out of my fur, immediately realizing my folly in believing I would have privacy after dark.

I spun around to meet Shep, who'd just returned from some business outside the settlement. I hurriedly pushed the note I'd just finished writing back behind the curtain to my nest.

"Nothing," I said, knowing full well I'd been seen. I'd totally been seen, but Shep was peering at me curiously as if he had yet to put the pieces together.

"You and I have very different definitions of 'nothing'," he shrugged, "Oh well. I don't mind you—… Is that my ink?"

My claws were stained purple and I'd failed to hide the wooden inkwell as quickly as my "journal", a palm frond with a bunch of words written on it.

"It's alright," Shep sighed. "Chesto is rare to find except in the summer, so I only have a limited amount of this color."

He crouched down and gently grabbed his ink.

"Just please ask me or Zyra before you take the stock. I need to save this ink for marking my map."

Grateful he wasn't angry or too inquisitive about my theft, I took the opportunity to ask, "Your map?"

He nodded and gestured for me to follow as he made his way towards the cave's back room. Unlike the outside, the walls weren't lined with herb wraps and random junk, but instead, actual glass jars of all shapes and sizes. Inside them were usually fine powders, though there was the occasional liquid. I almost immediately singled out a larger jar of the ink I'd stolen.

There was a wooden table in the center of the room, and it took me a moment to realize it was covered entirely by a piece of parchment. Thankfully, there was a stool nearby too, from which I was able to get a better vantage point. Most of the table was covered in random junk—trinkets, concoctions, and it smelled as if someone had used too many spices in a Pidove stew.

The parchment, indeed, was a map, although a fairly tattered one. It was marked up with inks of all different colors.

"Each color represents a different year," he said, "I use it to mark where mobile plant species are, season-by-season."

He pointed a claw at a few distinct spots on the map, marked in purple.

"Tanga berry patches come and go like it's nothing during the summer, but in the winter, they flourish and remain still. They're fairly rare, too, so for a berry as important as that, it's nice to have their locations marked."

"Tanga berry? I haven't heard of it."

"They give some resistance to Bug type attacks, and work as our best remedy for ambush victims. There's always Bug nests around Eterna, see, and often juniors on patrol will stray too close. Our susceptibility to Bug types doesn't make it much better for them."

"I had no idea…"

"If a nest gets too big we also have to go through and break it up. Lots of stings. Tanga really is a lifesaver for us Dark types in a forest like this."

Man, I could've used some of those back in the old days. Until Somin learned Flamethrower, both he and Vita both got destroyed by Bug types.

Shep pointed at a few other locations. I noted none of them were marked with characters, but instead with a crude sketch of the berry plant in question. I was even able to recognize the occasional Aspear or Iapapa plant.

"That's Zyra's job, essentially," he explained. "While she's learning from me, it's her responsibility to keep up on stalks, leaves, and berries. The ones that don't require a long trip, anyways. I was on my way back from one of those when I met you and your… friend…"

The way he enunciated "friend" perked one of my eyebrows. Curiosity, however, mandated I ask, "What were you trying to find when you ran into us?"

A sheepish smile took over Shep's face. The Shiny Zoroark beckoned me towards an alcove in the wall a few feet off the ground, about the size of my own body. It appeared entirely empty, just a dent in the otherwise boring stone wall.

When he reached into the alcove, however, a glass vial materialized from nothing in between his claws. It was the first manmade object I had seen since arriving. It was only about the size of a pencil, and filled with a pinkish red sand, the finest I'd ever seen.

"Stardust," we both whispered simultaneously.

"Oh? You know of it?"

I'd never seen a vial of it in-person before, but I recognized the color. The substance was commonplace in high-value, underground Pokémon battles, and a pretty common sight growing up in the Alistair household.

"I don't know what it does," I lied. "My dad told me to stay away from it. How did you get some?"

"Your father is very wise. There were rumors of a fallen star to the southeast, and even though there were dozens of human onlookers, my illusions helped me swipe from some of their collection. They say everything that falls to Earth is blessed by Palkia, and Stardust in particular is a very strong stimulant."

"Stimulant?"

"Yes, a very strong pick-me-up. One whiff kick starts your core into producing an otherwise impossible amount of energy. So much energy, in fact, that your core can permanently be stunted out of its normal production. If used incorrectly, it can create a physical need for Pokémon that depend on it for any energy at all. But, in the right hands, its healing powers are unmatched."

"Really? Something like that, able to help people?"

The question was genuine. I'd never seen nor heard of the substance used anywhere but in the UPF. To hear it had healing properties seemed preposterous.

Shep shook his head. "Not people, but Pokémon. More energy means faster healing, and with something like this, enough energy circulates to save someone on the brink of death. Injury, illness… It's exactly like eating an Oran berry, except a thousand times more potent. Very, very dangerous, but very, very useful."

He gave me one last look at the vial before placing it back in its alcove. As soon as it left Shep's claws, it again disappeared from view.

"I can hide some of my most valuable and most dangerous substances in this cave using illusions. Stardust can make your body susceptible to even the weakest concoction, so its only uses are in dire emergencies or devastating shortages. That's why I traveled so far to get it."

"The illusion stays up, even when you're not around to keep it up?"

Shep smirked.

"How much do you know about illusions, Nox?"

I shirked back, realizing I was no longer trying to feign youth to dragons unfamiliar with illusions. I would have to reestablish the 'advanced for my age' act with a new audience.

"I was taught by my father. He was a Zoroark who got far in the humans' Pokémon League."

"So you are a trainer's Pokémon."

"N-not really," I stuttered. The last thing I needed now was to be kicked out before gathering my bearings. "Just the son of one. His trainer never put me in a Pokéball."

Shep smirked at the distinction, betraying the fact it hardly mattered to him relative to how difficult the question was to answer.

"Eterna is a special place, Nox," Shep explained, thankfully getting off the topic of trainers. "We are always shielded by one, constant illusion. The Entree's illusion, that is. A special power veils our paradise, and though the power is not ours, we as illusionists are able to "adjust" the veil and change the illusion."

"And that lets you do stuff like you do for the Stardust?"

"This is the home of all Zorua and Zoroark," he said simply. "It would be a shame if we didn't get a bit of a boost. Illusions are a powerful thing, Nox, made even more powerful when the place around you is an illusion itself. Think of it like one, giant canvas where whatever we create can remain as permanent as we'd like. We even have professional 'painters', if you will, who make it so no human can ever come here."

Shep turned to leave and beckoned me to follow.

"Your Axew friend… Did you two grow up together?"

I was suddenly reminded of Misa and the conscision of my current living arrangements. Now that I was feeling better, it was about time to reunite.

"We did. She's known me since I hatched."

Shep smiled wistfully. "She told me the same thing… A few days ago, I mean."

His smile turned quickly into a blank gaze. He led me out onto the balcony, where the waterfall poured overhead. It was almost midnight, and not being acclimated to the nocturnal schedule of Eterna, I was already ready to head to bed.

Shep was silent for a period long enough to allow the echo of the waterfall to envelop us completely. Soon after, his eyes grew strangely crestfallen.

"I went back out to the den you both were in earlier today to check up on her…"

"And?"

"Nox, I'm sorry… Misa's, she's… When I went to see her, she was gone."

His words startled me awake. "Gone?! What do you mean gone?!"

"I'm sorry, Nox. I waited for her to return, but the den reeked of humans. It would seem the trainer that was tracking you both finally caught up."

I sat there for a moment, flabbergasted. Jake had made his appearance this quickly? How? Why?

Panic was soon to set in as the realization grew heavy. Excuses immediately started popping up in my mind.

"There's no way!" I exclaimed. "He was halfway across the region a week ago! How could he have gotten here so quickly?!"

"I don't know, Nox," Shep said softly. His face twisted empathetically when he saw me looking about every which way, as if an invisible Jake was in the very same room. "I'm sorry there was nothing I could do."

"No, no, no, I need to go after her! That trainer was horrible! I… I need to—"

I was getting choked up and had to stop for a moment to catch my breath.

"Misa," I groaned helplessly, finally coming still. I plopped down on the cold stone beneath as a whimper escaped me.

"You know I can't let you do that," Shep said, voice still soft. He sat down next to me and laid a purple claw on my back. It was a simple comfort among a sea of confusion, almost like Somin was back with me for a fleeting moment. "You're much too young to be out there on your own, and you're still healing. There's space for you here, Nox, in paradise."

"N-no, I can't stay," I said breathlessly. "I can't be here alone, I-I… I just can't. I need Misa, I need Vita, I need someone. I don't want to be here alone…"

A hitch in my breath cut off the rest, but Shep got the idea. He betrayed nothing but pain for me in his eyes, but even with his good intention, I had to reject his offer.

"This place is amazing, Shep," I forced out. "But it's not mine. I need to be with my family. I've stayed too long already."

I got up to leave. It would be the last time I stepped foot in Shep's medicine den, or in Eterna. I had no belongings to take with me, but it was already apparent I'd stayed for far too long.

"That's a rash decision you're making, Nox," Shep said, frowning. He made no move to stand and stop me, however. "Do you have the skill to track them down?"

"No, but you can show me where to start," I responded. Shep stared blankly at me as I waited for an answer.

"I don't think I'm going to do that, Nox."

"Why not?!"

"You're putting your anger over your own wellbeing. Let's sit down and think about this for a bit, shall we? I can give you something to ease the anxiety."

I shook my head fervently. "No drugs. My decision is made."

"Nox, I hate to treat you this way, but you're too upset to be making these decisions so soon after hearing unfortunate news. I want you to be able to choose your own fate, but it's pointless if you throw your life away before it's even had time to blossom."

I started walking away. The more I waited, the further Misa got away. If there was any chance of me finding her, it started with me leaving Eterna, here and now.

However, upon focusing my full attention towards the entrance to the den, I noticed the way was now shut by a gigantic boulder. It was much too large for any Pokémon the size of a Zoroark to move, and it most certainly hadn't been there before. I turned back towards Shep with a very unsatisfied frown on my face.

His mane was glowing with the purple energy of illusions. A low growl stirred in my throat as I spun and tried walking headfirst into the fake boulder. Though I knew it was only a figment of my imagination, the bump and shock of cold, hard rock on my skull as it pushed me back felt very real.

"Shep. Let me out."

"All you have to do is really think about your plan for more than ten seconds," Shep retorted, voice still calm. "You'll notice how irrational you're being."

"I don't care!" I said. "It's not like I can stay here! I'm not like you, or Zyra, or any other Zorua here. You'd be making a massive mistake by keeping me here."

"And why is that, Nox?"

"B-because that trainer could come here!"

"Not much chance of that, I'm afraid. Our Conjurers' life ambition is to keep us safe with the illusory barrier. Do you have another justification?"

"I don't want to be here! Is that too hard for you to understand?"

"No, not at all," he said, though his illusion did not fall. "But as a Healer, I'm exercising my duty to tend to your wellbeing, Nox. We look out for one another here, so though I barely know you, I have an obligation to you. Misa is gone. Can't you stay temporarily and weigh your options?"

I turned around to get another good look at the illusory boulder Shep was maintaining. It looked practically solid—I would have a strenuous time getting through it, and that was only if Shep didn't make any other moves to stop me. I would have to convince him, here and now.

I wasn't going to ever step into Eterna again after today… What I said now had no filter.

"I'm not a Zorua."

"Hm?"

"You heard me. Nox the Zorua is nothing but a lie. My name is Ray, and I'm a human Pokémon Trainer. I'm also an international fugitive on the run. It's not just a kid Pokémon trainer looking for me, it's every Pokémon trainer in the world hunting me. Keeping me here would be the most dangerous thing you could possibly do for your paradise. Lower the illusion and let me leave."

Silence clung to the cave walls, and once again only the sound of the adjacent waterfall could be heard. It felt great to have said those words—powerful, even. It was a secret I had tried very hard to keep from anybody but my closest confidants, and the rush of adrenaline I felt from betraying it to a suspicious Pokémon I hardly knew prompted me to narrow my eyes in challenge.

Shep's reaction, however, was anything but shock. There was a moment of confusion, but it was almost immediately washed away by some wave of enlightenment.

"Are you? Well, I suppose that's interesting, now isn't it?"

I held my defiant stance for a few more moments before his words finally sunk in and sheer confusion spread through my thoughts like plague.

"What, you don't believe me? I'm a human, Shep."

"And the Zorua outfit is just a costume."

The shiny Zoroark laughed heartily. "I kid, but any human that looks the way you do would fit well here in Eterna, don't you think?"

"I can prove it," I said, growing angry at his lack of faith. "I can read and write the human language."

"Calm, Nox, I believe you," he chuckled. "Or Ray? Which would you rather me call you?"

I stared, flabbergasted at Shep's lackadaisical nature regarding the subject. What happened to the 'sanctity' of this place as a Zorua-only paradise?

"I guess Nox is more fitting," he said, "you might believe you happened upon this place by chance, but humor me for a moment, would you?"

I said nothing—clearly he'd lost his marbles.

"I see a thread connecting you to this place," Shep said, stepping forward. He was soon upon me, and I quickly regained composure to posture rebelliously, but instead of touching me he outstretched his arm and grasped at something invisible with two of his claws six inches in front of my nose.

"What do you mean? There's nothing there."

"Maybe not to the unobservant eye," Shep retorted. "But I can feel it, right here between my claws."

Almost immediately after he finished speaking, a winding, translucent strand of pink energy materialized between my eyes and slowly grew, looping through the air. It was a thread, like Shep said, its path seemingly random until it snaked between Shep's outstretched claws. From there, it continued its indeterminate journey behind him before flowing off the balcony towards the center of the settlement.

"It is a thread that connects all: past, present, and future," he said wistfully, eyes glazed. "The same energy runs through your body as does the Entree—it's right here."

I huffed, unbelieving. "Your illusion is pretty and all, but I can see right through it."

"Snicker all you want. You'd think I'd know the spirit of my very own home. An illusion, yes, but nonetheless, your connection to this place is something impossible to experience without an acute spiritual sense."

I focused on the swirling motion Shep made with his claws as he wrapped the illusory string around one. He took a step back, and I found I had inadvertently matched him. As he retreated, he lightly pulled me along, compelling me to continue. We soon made our way back to the balcony and adjacent waterfall in a strange dance. It was only an illusion, but I couldn't bring myself to shy away again.

"Look. Do you see?"

I followed the illusory pink strand with my eyes as it snaked across the beautiful nighttime landscape. Shadows—other Zorua and Zoroark—moved across the ground, but the bright shine of the tether continued unhindered until it finally reached the central lake.

From there, it wormed its way across the water until sliding up the barren trunk of the Entree itself. It wrapped itself round and round until finally reaching the outermost branches. The energy soon adorned the massive tree like pulsating holiday lights.

"Plain as night," Shep whispered in awe, looking out at the same sight with his jaw agape. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It's an impressive display," I admitted, "but still just that: a display."

The glow of the illusion reflected off the water like starshine. Only after a few seconds of silent observation did I notice the rhythm of a heartbeat in its sparkle.

Shep smiled. "Why is it you are a Zorua, of all creatures?"

I was at first hesitant to answer his question, but it was almost as if he drew answers from me with each turn of his claw, each pull of a thread connected directly to my core.

"I was wounded… My friends tried to save me, but the only way was to… to make me into this," I replied with a shiver.

"You were reborn in the spitting image of the Matriarch," Shep uttered, a content smile quickly growing on his face. The thread finally dissipated as he moved his claws to rest against his cheek. "Your form was no mistake."

His words shook me at my core, and for a moment before realizing what I was even arguing, a question popped in my head.

Is it a bluff? It has to be. Else… What did Mew do to me?

"I'm back!" came the sudden muffled voice of Zyra from the now totally clear entryway. Upon spinning to face her, I noticed her jaws were clenched shut around half a dozen green plant stalks. She wore a bag on her side that was filled to the brim with weeds, flowers, and the fruits of her harvest.

"Zyra's back!" announced Shep. His intonation made it very apparent he'd known of Zyra's arrival—at the very least enough to dispel both his illusions before she even entered the cave. He lumbered over towards her and assisted with her bounty.

I chose not to acknowledge Zyra's presence, and it didn't seem she had noticed any of what Shep and I had been discussing. I peered at the now-open entrance again, but caught the corner of Shep's eye for a fraction of a second as he turned towards his storeroom.

In that gaze I saw an excited purple flame of illusory energy, snuffed out before I could even register it was there. It imprinted itself upon my mind, however, so much so that I saw its faint outline when I closed my eyes.

I was a prisoner again. Shep wasn't going to let me leave without a struggle, deluded as he was with his prophecy mumbo jumbo. Damn him! Misa was getting further and further away by the moment, and I was trapped here by a watchful illusionist.

Zyra sent me a small frown, but shrugged and went about her business. With a sigh, I peered back towards the once again modest Entree, taking note of the moon's arc in the sky.

Daytime, then… I would escape after Shep went to sleep.

Misa cursed the world with every frost-ladened breath she took, every shiver to run down her spine and into her tail. The days were only growing colder now, and the trees had long since started losing their leaves. The skin around her eyes had been rubbed raw, as any tears left unchecked would freeze in the night.

Never had she felt so alone. Every other day, she'd receive a visit from Shep as he delivered to her some scraps so she could sustain herself, but she knew he was just counting the days until she'd drop dead and he'd be rid of her as a responsibility.

For most of the days following news of Ray's passing, she'd sit in her makeshift den with knees drawn close to her chest. She lamented the fact that without him, she was lost. She had no clue how to get back to Opelucid on her own, assuming Drayden's team was still even alive.

She held onto hope, believing Shep had been lying to her about Ray's fate, but as the days passed her resistance dwindled. The reality of her situation was creeping in.

There was no way for her to get back to Twist Mountain and her trial, either. Though, logically, if she could hardly handle the weather now, there wasn't much chance she'd have survived long on that snowy mountain pass. She'd failed her trial, she'd failed to protect all that she had after leaving the mountains, and the free road to becoming a Fraxure was no longer cut-and-dry.

She pawed at her broken tusk yet again, a cruel reminder that her place was, and always had been, at the bottom of the food chain. The only one to take pity on her now was the very Zoroark who'd had a hand in breaking one of her only means of defense. She angrily squeezed the air where her tusk used to be.

She hated it, but couldn't find the energy to express that hatred anymore to anybody but herself and the blank, gray walls of her underground shelter.

Even with all the uncertainty of her present situation, she knew one thing, though, and that was with time, the human that had captured her would catch up. The Pokéball she was slave to, which now sat in its own, isolated corner of the den, was a constant reminder of her fate. Shep wanted nothing to do with the device, and even peering at it proved a struggle for the shiny Zoroark on his infrequent visits. She figured if he'd been capable of breaking it, he would've done so already out of pity.

Was that really her fate? To be caught once again by that Mienfoo? The human was tracking her every move with his human technology, which meant her life would go in one of four, very distinct paths.

The first, and most likely, was that she would once again be abducted with no chance of escape, forced to follow the whims of a human boy in his 'training' endeavors. Ray had once explained how the Pokémon League worked, and even though he was one of these trainers himself, his outlook seemed pretty negative on the entire process.

This path was the safest, though. Even if subjugation by a human was suicide to her independence and any ounce of pride she had left, she'd be fed, protected by the elements in her little trap-ball, and maybe, eventually grow strong, like Vulcan.

Just thinking of the Haxorus got her riled up again. Reluctant tears leaked from her eyes, carrying with them a yearning to be back with Drayden.

That was the second path—the happy ending. If, by some miracle, Drayden and Ray's teams were still alive, there was still a slim chance they'd be found. Granted, with how far she had run from Opelucid, that chance was even slimmer still. As much as she wanted to be optimistic, every single sign told her otherwise. Regardless, how could she bring herself to return without Ray? Friendship aside, if not for the value of avoiding the wrath of Ray's team, he was still valuable as a token of loyalty to Drayden's. Going back alone was only a last resort.

The third option was to continue living as she was, free, but alone. Even if Ray was alive and managed to escape whatever Zorua society he'd been abducted to in order to rejoin her side, it would still be a hard life. Her tusk would regrow in a matter of weeks, and throughout the course of her tenure as an Axew she'd lose many more, but it left a considerable weakness to be exploited without a protector around. Shep's goodwill would run out someday, and she'd have to truly fend for herself. When would that day come?

Last, and certainly not least likely, was her death. She'd never wanted to contemplate her demise, but it was a very likely scenario given how things were now.

She loathed knowing if she were to die, she'd do so without leaving as much as a dent on the world. Everything she had done up until now was in service of that hope—dying without achievement was a dragon's worst humiliation.

And yet, it took her two weeks after the announcement of Ray's death to realize that moping about and waiting for Shep to feed her was the fast track to her untimely demise.

Even if logic told her she was a weak creature that couldn't fend for herself with a single tusk, when had she ever listened to logic? Logic was Ray's thing, a tool for weaklings to gain themselves some leverage. She was a dragon, and a submissive dragon wasn't a dragon at all.

Her parents had let her start her trials early because of her adamance that she could—gods, what would anybody think of her after seeing a huddled, anxious mess? It was her sole responsibility in life to bring pride to the name Misericors, and by all the gods she'd do it without an idiot trainer, and without dying first.

Who cared if Ray, or Vulcan, or Seraph, or Skipp, or even Drayden was alive or dead? She was alive, and with every frost-ladened breath she'd curse the world, but now so that she could better herself.

She started by pooling energy into her remaining tusk and, with a great yell, ramming it into the chilling metal of the nearby Pokéball.

"Shit."

Vertigo overtook her as her body disappeared in a flash of red light, absorbed into the Pokéball without so much as a squeak.

Being prisoner inside of the ball meant respite from the cold, but her frustration remained. Its effects manifested within the swirling mass of energy that made up her core being—even past her physical body, her anger persisted.

That volatile energy was left to stagnate until, hours later, she was suddenly back in one piece.

Shep dropped the branch he'd been holding with a withdrawn sigh. He'd evidently used it as a poker to unlatch the device and release Misa. Given his previous apprehensive reactions to it, Misa wasn't surprised he'd gone through great lengths not to touch the Pokéball personally.

"You got cold enough to get in the ball?"

"No!" Misa spat. She kicked the branch away from her with a forceful snort. "I tried breaking it! The damn thing just swallowed me instead!"

"The human devices are attuned to Pokémon energy. Did you use a move on it?"

"How the hell else am I supposed to do it?"

"That's the point," Shep sighed. "They're designed to be hard to break. If you use your energy on it, it'll automatically retract you."

"... Humans suck."

"I won't disagree."

Misa, still angry, turned to the last item in her immediate vicinity to kick—the Pokéball. It bounced off the wall and landed back near her without much fanfare. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from yowling in pain at how hard the cold steel had been on her foot.

"You… Seem a bit agitated."

Misa turned a violent gaze in the Zoroark's direction. Shep paused, contemplating, before shrugging carefreely.

"Well, at least you can direct that anger at something productive," Shep said simply. "Have you thought about hunting for yourself?"

With that, he nudged forward a couple of small carcasses. Misa knew from looking at them that they'd been dead far too long to be tasty, but food was food. She scrambled for them with a hunger in her eyes and almost immediately started dining in.

"Hunting and eating on your own means warmer food," Shep pointed out after Misa's face twisted at the poor taste. "It's a good morale boost during the winter."

"Don't know how," Misa finally admitted, mouth full. "Most dragons are too loud to catch anything small, so the Fraxure in my clan usually catch a couple larger 'mon to share. Axew can't do that for themselves until they're almost ready to evolve, else we get trampled."

As she was speaking, Ray's words about how far she was from evolution rang true in her head. She knew that deep down, but learning to fend for oneself was part of the trials, anyways. All Axew would have to forage before actually hunting when left on their own for the first time.

"And I ain't gonna be evolving for a while," she finally spat, scowling.

"Not with that attitude," Shep asserted. "And as far as I see it, you don't have much of a choice, do you?"

Misa shook her head after a few seconds of silent thought. The big question at the forefront of her mind now was simply 'how'?

Shep didn't seem to have any advice either, seeing as he was already getting up to leave. As the thought occurred to him, however, he asked Misa to show him her broken tusk.

"Seems to be growing back nicely. No deformities." With a laugh, he added, "Maybe I did you a favor—Axew need to break their tusks more than a few times so they grow back stronger. Was this your first time?"

Misa's subsequent glare told Shep everything he wanted to know.

"Well, you seem to be feeling a bit more fired up than last time, so I'll leave you to your own devices," Shep said, turning to leave again. "Good luck getting rid of the ball."

"Good luck? Is that really all you're gonna give me?"

"Hm? No… I definitely gave you some food…"

"Not that," Misa said. "If you hate humans so much, then why not help me get rid of this thing? You don't want them in your forest, right?"

It was a gamble, and even though Misa loathed Shep, his size and strength could yet prove invaluable in getting her out of her predicament. She'd been reluctant to ask him before, but time and thought led her to realize she really was at the end of her rope.

"It's not my forest, Misa," Shep replied calmly. "Humans are fine to roam as they please as long as they don't cross the illusory boundary."

He pointed outside the den—Misa knew from her limited exploration of the area that he was referring to an invisible 'wall' not far from her shelter that marked the border of Shep's territory. Beyond it, the forest seemed to twist and turn violently on itself, and traveling any direction but backwards proved near impossible.

"And besides," Shep finished, voice lowering. "I mean no ill will towards you, Misa, but I half-hope the human you're bound to returns to collect you."

Misa was taken aback by the declaration. Hearing him say that, despite his obvious hatred for humanity, stung like ice-water on her scales.

"There's no life for someone like you out here," the Zoroark put simply. "I wish only the best for you, really, but captivity seems like your best option. As big of a game you may talk, you said it yourself: you're not fit for this world. I'm afraid that's reality."

How could he say that? Misa found herself too stunned to even retort as the shiny Zoroark finally slunk out into the cool, fall air. Any words she tried conjuring got caught in her throat. Expletives she'd never fancied herself using, curses to the gods, none of them made any headway.

Misa clambered after the larger creature, hardly noticing the nips of the evening breeze through the fire in her heart. But, after multiple furious glances in every direction, she noticed he was already gone. She wanted so badly to tell him how wrong he was, but his words echoed against her skull and stopped her dead in her tracks.

"As big of a game you may talk, you said it yourself: you're not fit for this world."

He was just like Ray; why was it these damned foxes felt so high and mighty about themselves? Pride? Jealousy? Oh, she'd give them something to be jealous about.

What followed was the first real roar Misa had ever mustered. It was a deep, guttural thing that sounded nothing like the young, helpless dragon she was trying so desperately to leave behind.

"If words mean nothing, then how's that!?" she screamed. Furious tears filled her eyes, but she had never felt more resolute in her entire life. Her heart raced as energy filled her limbs. The cold was no more than an afterthought now.

Adamant, she raised her left arm across her chest and steadied her trembling hand in a vice grip around her remaining, single tusk. There was no time to waste.

Then, her right arm came down like a guillotine, shimmering with the noblest blue energy Misa had ever manifested.

It cut through the weak ivory like butter. Further, even: it completely shattered under the force of her blow, beyond any salvaging. Her last tie to the shivering little dragon on the mountain was severed, and soon cast aside.

When Shep finally returned two days later with his next kill to share, he couldn't help but let a smile overtake him. When he had told Nox that Misa had gone missing, it was without any confirmation, but he had a feeling his harsh words would likely do the trick.

All that remained of Misa in the cold, dark, and uninhabited den were the fractured remains of both her tusks.

"Finally," Shep whispered to himself. It was still morning time, but the sun was so much more annoying than the Zoroark would have hoped for. He made for the cover of trees as he walked, and with each step he took a satisfying 'crunch' came in return. The trees were nearly all leafless here, some distance away from the evergreen beauty of Eterna proper.

The trips he'd been taking to ensure Misa's wellbeing were tedious. Though he wanted to care for the little Axew, her existence was an active detriment to keeping Nox safe. Her disappearance finally meant he could focus his efforts on better things, and that he could avoid lying to Nox about his friend's disappearance. It was the truth at last.

Leaves danced along the brisk fall wind. Reds and yellows of the dormant forest found themselves among the purple fur of Shep's mane as he padded along the journey home. He let his mind slip away—his footfalls were so light as to not elicit a single sound. He always had an unconscious illusion about him when outside Eterna, not enough to render himself fully invisible, but enough to stave off the curious eyes of the forest.

It was this camouflage that made it nigh impossible to see the shiny Zoroark until a very unlucky Zorua very literally crossed his path.

I immediately froze, not five feet away from the very creature I was trying to use the cover of daytime to escape. We looked right into the other's eyes for a couple beats, and my mouth opened in a stunned silence.

Does he ever sleep?!

I took a step back, then another, paused for one more moment, and was gone. I'd taken off in the opposite direction, too anxious to get away to even contemplate my unluckiness in meeting him.

It seemed Shep was taking no immediate steps to stop me. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I ran, and he simply remained still with confusion permanently etched on his face.

What kind of luck is that?! Of all the places he had to be…

I could no longer see the Zoroark when I turned around, but I knew I had to keep running. I darted to the left, then to the right, hoping to randomize my path as much as possible. I didn't know which way was the right way to Misa, so any random direction would do the trick.

I ran, and kept running for what seemed like forever. The forest appeared no different: each turn was identical to the last.

"Nox…"

What was that? My pace slowed, but I refused to stop. Had I just heard my name whispered among the rustle of the leaves?

"Nox…"

There it was, even louder. I scrunched my face and resolved to pick the pace back up again. Without being able to see Shep, it would be impossible to fool him with illusions.

"Nox? What are you doing out of Eterna?"

I practically tripped over myself from spinning so harshly to the right. Surely enough, a Zoroark stood there, as still as the waters before the Entree. He stood before a large, leafless sycamore, one I had just checked as I was running by. I had been absolutely sure the area around it was vacant only a few moments before.

My lip curled to reveal a snarl as I jumped back a few leaps. I made no attempt to run, seeing as it did quite little the first time.

Instead, now that my target was right before me, I had to rely on my illusions to get out. Tapping into my memory of the illusion I used against Drayden's team and Vicus, I attempted to make a connection with Shep. I soon found, however, that when I extended my invisible strand of energy out to him, it never found its mark.

Now what was I to do? I couldn't make an illusion without a connection, and something about Shep was preventing that from happening.

A low growl formed in my throat.

"Nox, is that really necessary?" Shep asked. He crossed his arms and rubbed his thin biceps back and forth. "It's almost freezing out here, and it's the middle of the day. Wouldn't you like to come back to the den and get some rest?"

The sun was high in the sky. The idea of rest felt unnatural… So what if other Zorua did it? I wasn't one of them, damn it!

In a haze of red I darted forward, pooling energy into my claws. So what if Zorua weren't meant to fight without illusions? I would prove here and now that I wasn't one of them, and Eterna wasn't where I belonged.

Shep made no effort to move out of the way. In fact, he was now standing unnaturally still. This was a Zoroark, after all, and an illusion was to be expected. If memory served, this exact circumstance was one that played out between Somin and I back before the dragons found us.

I wheeled around and swatted at the air upon reaching Shep, expecting to land my Scratch on something solid but invisible. Instead, I completely whiffed, falling on my side from the weight of my own attack.

I scrambled back to my feet, scowl still intact. I had prematurely expelled the energy from my claws, meaning I had to take a moment to recharge them. Shep's illusion was still standing dead still, watching me with an expectant gaze. Gods, I couldn't wait to wipe it off his face.

I spent the next thirty seconds or so lunging around me in seemingly random directions. Anything would set me off—the lightest rustling of leaves were undoubtedly his footsteps, and the softest touch of the breeze was his breath, close enough to rouse my fur.

But, for the life of me, I just couldn't find him. I lashed out all around the clearing, slowly but surely using enough energy through Scratch after Scratch to render my breathing labored. It seemed I'd gone through every possible spot he could be, all except for the illusory clone to remain, watchful, the entire time.

Charging Scratches was a difficult business now. I had to be sparing with the little energy I had left.

I finally grew too frustrated with his illusory copy to let it keep watching me for free. I slowly walked up to it, and, with a grunt, drove my head through its lower leg.

At least, that's what I was expecting to happen. Instead, I was met with fur, skin, and bone. Illusions weren't meant to take a hit, not even direct contact. It had been the real Shep the whole time. Anger overtook me.

"What is your deal?!" I interrogated, laboriously charging up a Scratch now that my real target was finally known. "I have people to find! My own people! Why is that so hard to get through your head?!"

"You have a connection to this place, too. Did you not see it?"

"Screw you!" I exclaimed, finally raking my claws across his skin. I was congratulated for my effort by the parting of fur and the smallest of cuts left behind. It wasn't enough.

"Our Matriarch was an outsider, too… Someone from outside the primitive Zorua tribes that dwelled in the forest long ago."

I had an attack ready with both claws this time. I reached up and aimed for his thigh, instead. However, yet again I was met with no reaction, no grimace. Just the parting of fur and the tearing of skin. Blood rolled down his legs, but he made no move still to stop me.

"It's her energy, Nox. The reason you're here is because you possess her power. She's a part of this land, now, and she drew you here with the thread between you… It's her energy which flows from the Entree and protects this forest."

"I don't care about your fairy tales!"

More attacks, deeper cuts, and still no reaction.

"Tonight will be the third quarter moon," Shep said wistfully. His lack of capability to take this situation seriously prompted another set of blows.

He was bleeding rather profusely now, and I'd used just about everything in the tank. My stamina was much greater now—I could do some serious damage before going down. Granted, Shep was still standing dead still and I probably wouldn't have gotten in a hit otherwise.

"Are you done?" I asked, panting.

Shep blinked at me innocently.

"You're gonna have to deal with those cuts," I pointed out, doing my best to keep my posture as much as possible. I couldn't betray weakness, nor the fact I felt like my legs were going to collapse from under me. "You'd better retreat, Shep."

A massive smirk overtook the Zoroark's face before he fizzled out of existence like a sand sculpture in a hurricane. I stood in shocked silence for a few moments, only able to hear the sound of my own heartbeat as it pounded against my chest.

"Do you want the power to save your friend?"

My head snapped upwards at the remark, towards the barren branches of the massive sycamore I'd halted under. Sure enough, there Shep was, suspended among the branches without a scratch on him.

"H-how?! I was tearing you apart!"

"There is no limit here… Illusions are the very air we breathe in these woods."

"No," I said, vehemently shaking my head. "How did you do that? You aren't hurt?"

Surely, he'd just conjured an illusion to mask the scratches. Those were real, right? There was no faking with that level of detail.

"I've toiled over Zoroark anatomy for a hundred of your Zorua lifetimes," he admitted. "That's the benefit of being a Healer, I suppose. The more you know about what you're crafting, the more real it becomes."

He looked around the woods from his tall perch. "Though, I also have the forest to thank. It would take quite a lot of energy without the power of the Matriarch lending me strength. The very same power you so strangely possess."

I could only stand, staring at him with my mouth agape. His illusory copy felt so real. It was bleeding, even. Somin's illusions involved conjuring sensations, like pain, that he had to familiarize himself extensively with in order to reproduce. As a result he could make an illusory copy realistically attack a foe and inflict the proper amount of hurt, but I'd had no idea making such a durable clone as Shep's was even possible.

"B-but…"

"Your body, your connection, or the fact I unwittingly came across you when you needed it most… Your eventual arrival in Eterna was the object of it all!"

Saying everything had been fated was a stretch, but there was surely at the very least a suspicious string of coincidences that had led me to Eterna.

That sensation I'd felt on the balcony when Shep was pulling on the thread between me and the Entree… That was real, wasn't it? For a brief moment, I imagined the Entree all dressed up as I'd seen it the previous night: beautiful and inviting.

In that moment, Shep's vision of the thread materialized once again, extending from between my eyes to deep within the forest back towards the settlement and the Entree I had no doubt it would lead to.

"There are many things a Zorua can only learn here, in the birthplace of illusions," Shep finally said. "You can learn to paint, to change the world around you in ways that only Zorua born here can even fathom. It can be the power that saves your friend."

A world of possibility opened before me. Shep must have seen the stars to suddenly overtake my eyes, because he soon continued.

"The third quarter moon rises tonight, and a new moon will soon follow. You may be a fugitive, but there is a reason you found this place to shelter. You will have protection more comprehensive than anyone else can provide, and you will have the full ability to discover yourself, your abilities, and your kin. To do so, you may take a pledge upon the new moon in seven days and live as one of us. We will teach you how to save Misa."

"And that's it? I can just leave afterwards? No strings attached?"

"Sound enticing?"

"How long would it take?"

"As long as you feel it is necessary."

I pulled back. He'd piqued my interest, but there had to be some sort of catch.

"Do I have to decide now?"

"You may decide in your own time before the ceremony, but you are going to sleep on the news of your friend's disappearance first at the very least. For now, you will join me back to Eterna, one way or another."

Flashes of the Mienfoo who'd let Misa go the first time appeared in my head. I couldn't rely on her momentary kindness again if I ended up miraculously catching up with them. Jake had a whole team built up around him, and I couldn't hope to take them all even if they were pitifully weak. The only solution would be to steal Misa's ball again and make a break for it, but then I'd be in the same guessing game as last time.

I swallowed. Shep was at least correct about my immediate circumstances. I had been up most of the previous day and all through the night. Perhaps it was the exertion of the fight against Shep's clone weighing down on me like a lulling blanket, but running in a random direction sounded like a much worse idea than it had just a few minutes prior. Could I survive on my own, even at full strength?

At the very least, I could wait until I next woke.

When I finally raised my head to give Shep an answer, though, his face told me he already knew what I was going to say.

Hey, guys.

A lot more of you have arrived since I last updated. Seven and Counting's follower count grew by about a whole hundred users, despite a complete lack of updates for over a year. The amount of support I received upon releasing the last chapter was nothing short of phenomenal. I received so many messages, so many reviews, almost all of them from excited fans of this world I created wondering what would come next.

What I didn't want to admit at the time was the fact I believed it was the last chapter I would ever publish of this story.

It wasn't by design, of course. The fic's general outline has it continuing for a whole arc and a half beyond where we are now. However, last year I had full intentions of discontinuing a hopelessly flawed project. Instead, I briefly dipped my toes in different waters with the hope of a fresh start, but the publication of a new story didn't do anything to augment my motivation.

This was the reason behind publishing the now-removed journal entries of the last chapter: to skip to the end of the current Act without having to put in any of the extra work its new characters and settings would require. It would put the story at a much less volatile point where I could feel just a little more satisfied hanging it up forever.

What I've learned over the past year, however, is how much some of you love this flawed little creature of a story, and that doing what I did wasn't fair to you. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then I had to learn that my dismal interpretation of this fic wasn't what many of you reading experienced. Instead, even with my concerns aired out for all to see, I seemed to receive more support than ever.

While this doesn't mean my update schedule is going to return, nor is it a promise that the fic will end one day, I've decided the end isn't going to be with a cop-out Cliffnotes version of the very arc I first envisioned when building this story.

You all deserve as much. I mean it when I say I can't thank you enough. If so many of you love what's been done here, then who am I to deny you its true ending (or, at least the trailhead to it) just because of my own doubts?

Thank you, really. Thank you. Your support showed me there's a lot of love to be had for a very imperfect story. I thoroughly hope you all can forgive what I've done to continue this fic—sacrificing a quicker end for a more faithful interpretation of where it was meant to go from the very beginning.

You may find that small details have changed here and there. I don't have the motivation to go through with a full rewrite so previous chapters may change as time progresses.

Until we see each other again. It probably won't be another year and a half this time.

- Sammich