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Chapter 69
Run Away With You
Zekra knew there was no turning back as she and Crystelle marched through the rain.
Within minutes, the two of them would have to confront Lyra and Frazil and tell them that they were leaving and heading back to Shiron. While Zekra knew she had to be vague about their reasons for leaving, she knew that it didn't matter what she said in the end. Lyra and Frazil knew that Zekra leaving their home was the exact same thing as walking to her death. She had given them that much information when she had first arrived on the island, much to Zekra's chagrin. She resented that she hadn't been strong enough to hide that from them. Though she knew that at the time it seemed like a good idea, she knew that in the end it had done nothing but make the parents wary about Shiron. Zekra hadn't minded that consequence before because she had no intentions of ever returning to Shiron, but now that she had her strength and resolve renewed...
But in the end, it didn't matter. She would have to live with the consequences of her weaker self's actions and there was no point in dwelling over what could have been different. Zekra would find a way to convince her caregivers to let her leave just as how they had let her leave before with Terron and Novus. And if they didn't let her leave, she knew she could always flee from the island. Unlike last time, she still had her Deception Amulet upon her. It still provided her the power to change into a Skarmory that no one could catch.
However, that didn't quite solve one other problem that was becoming increasingly bothersome in Zekra's mind.
"Crystelle, I'm starting to wonder if your parents are going to let you leave with me," Zekra said, breaking the solemn silence between them. "I mean, what kind of parents let their kid run off with some friend to do dangerous stuff?"
"Oh, they'll listen," Crystelle said dismissively. "I mean, I got to leave to become an awesome Umbreon, so why can't I go with you?"
"Because there's a difference between going to get stronger and going somewhere that you might die in," Zekra stated. "Your parents know Shiron is dangerous now because I messed up and sort of told them what happened to me."
"So… they know about the Plagued Ones?" Crystelle asked cautiously.
"Well no, I was smart enough to be vague," Zekra reassured before sighing and shaking her head. "But they know that something horrible is going on Shiron. So I really don't know if we can convince your parents to let you go. I mean, I know I can go since I can just run away, but you…"
"Well you can just take me with you!" Crystelle suggested with an evil smile. "I'm sure you can turn into something that can fly me out of here with you."
"Um, I don't think I like the idea of smuggling you off the island…"
"Well maybe my parents will just say yes and let me go with you. Then you won't have to kidnap me and we can do whatever we want without worrying that my parents are hunting us down!"
Zekra groaned as she turned away from the Umbreon. While she was touched that Crystelle wanted to do everything in her power to help Zekra, the Zorua didn't feel very comfortable with her almost insane dedication. She didn't know how someone could so boldly proclaim that they'd be willing to die because they wanted to renew their idol's lost strength. Even if she understood that idolism could be a powerful motivator to help out such a revered figure, she didn't think it could drive somebody to become borderline suicidal.
It was then that Zekra was struck with a memory. It was a memory from what felt like was so long ago in another life when she stood with a Sableye atop a church building and listened to his profound words of insight he had gained over his years of living.
"Your heart tells you that you need to live the life of a hero and follow on a dramatic journey against all odds." he had told her. "Your heart tells you that you need to ignore what's safe and what's simple and to do the things that other people don't have to courage to do. That's an instinct that doesn't come from the wild. That's something only civil creatures seem to have, whether they are human or Pokémon. And most of the time it's useless. It makes Pokémon do things that are stupid and risky and ultimately makes everyone unhappy. But do you know why we still have that instinct?"
"Why?" Zekra had asked him in return.
"Because sometimes, it's absolutely correct. For instance, Novus could be correct in thinking that we are the last hope for destroying the Primogenitor and stopping all of this death. If we did not have this instinct, we could let the opportunity slip through our claws, and all would be lost. That is why we all want to be a hero. It is because there are times when the survival of everyone truly does rely on the valor of only a few."
Zekra smiled half-heartedly at the memory. How much she wished she could continue to hear more of that strange insight from him. There was a sort of fascination in it the things he spoke, perhaps because she knew what it was like to have thoughts almost alien to everyone else. For a brief second, she missed the Sableye.
But just as quickly as the feeling swept over her, it passed, leaving her with an empty heart.
Maybe that's why Crystelle wants to help me so much. Zekra considered. Maybe it's that instinct that Yimtri was talking about. She said she wanted to help me because she wanted to be my hero, so it makes sense. Maybe I shouldn't really be worried about this. Maybe this is pretty normal. Besides, I really could use somebody with me. Being all alone on Shiron could be a problem with everything that's out to get me…
Zekra nodded silently to herself as she continued on, slightly more at ease with the situation. Several silent minutes passed, and the two dark-types found themselves standing before their home. Zekra crept over to the window that would lead to her bedroom and found that it was still open. She leapt inside, landing upon the carpeted floor in silence, Crystelle following right behind her and shutting the window.
"Alright, I know that we could probably wake up your parents right now to tell them what we're doing," Zekra said as she tore off her cloak that still hung at the foot of her bed, "but you need rest. I mean, it's barely dawn right now. Your parents aren't even going to be awake for like another three hours or whatever."
"We could still wake them up," Crystelle said pointedly. "I mean, we kind of are in a rush to go back to Shiron, aren't we?"
"No we're not," Zekra said dryly. "You need to get as much rest as you can get. You don't want to have something stupid happen all because you weren't at full strength and were tired."
"Alright fine, fine," Crystelle grumbled. "I'm sleeping in here, though. My old bed is probably too small for me."
"You could just sleep on the floor," Zekra said absently as she changed into a Sableye and fastened her cloak around her neck before changing back into a Zorua. "Better get used to it too since we're not going to be staying in any hotels or whatever."
"Well of course I know that," Crystelle scoffed. "I didn't sleep in that many hotels when I was traveling around on Shiron you know. Half of the time I was outside. But yeah, whatever. I'm still sleeping in your room because you and I are going to have to stick together while we sleep anyway. Might as well get used to it. "
"Do whatever you want."
Crystelle strolled past Zekra and sat down upon the wooly rug still sprawled out along the ground. She felt it with her paws, then fell over on her side and squirmed about until she was in a relatively comfortable position.
"You know, you shouldn't be sleeping in that bed," Crystelle then said. "You should sleep on the floor like me so that you can get used to everything. There aren't going to be any beds out in the wilderness."
Zekra, who was about to leap into her bed, stopped and looked over at the Umbreon with a frown. At first she considered rejecting Crystelle's advice and saying that she wanted to enjoy her last night of comfort and security, but then remembered something; going to sleep meant she had to face Venri. Venri was in her mind, waiting for her to fall asleep so that she could speak to the Zorua once more. Zekra couldn't face the monster within her again. Who knew what Venri would do to her this time? She had been lucky enough to escape before with little consequences.
Lying in a bed would surely lull Zekra to sleep. Even if she tried to stay awake as she had planned, laying in the softness of the blankets and mattress was certain to bring her false comfort and make all of the lethargy within her overwhelm everything else. However, lying on the floor wasn't the case. True, Zekra had fallen asleep on the ground multiple times in the past, but it was much more difficult to fall asleep on the ground than in a bed.
"You're right," Zekra replied. "Alright, fine, I'll sleep on the floor with you."
"And you'll cuddle with me too since we're going to have to do that," Crystelle said evilly.
"I'm not cuddling with you," Zekra shot back.
"Aww, don't be that way," Crystelle said in mock hurt. "I saw you cuddle with all of your other friends, so why should I be any different?"
Her false pain was suddenly eradicated as an evil smile crept its way onto her face.
"Or maybe you just cuddle with Pokémon you've got a little crush on," she teased. "I mean, you cuddled with Terron the most and you guys always did seem to hang out so much. Not to mention you guys look so adorable together…"
"Shut up, Crystelle, it's not like that," Zekra grumbled. "I just don't want to cuddle with you because I barely know you. I only cuddle with Pokémon I've known for a while."
"Or you're just lying to me," Crystelle said coyly. "You don't have to lie to me, Zekra. I'll keep your secrets safe."
"Ugh, fine I'll cuddle with you," Zekra groaned, rolling her eyes. "Just get that stupid thought about Tear out of your head."
Crystelle snickered, though said nothing more as Zekra made her way over to the Umbreon and collapsed on the rug right next to her larger companion. The Umbreon smirked as she scooted closer to the Zorua and rested her paw on top of Zekra's head, instantly weighing the little Zorua down and making her chin crash onto the rug.
"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Crystelle asked with a sneer.
"Just go to bed," Zekra snarled. "And get your foot off of me."
"Heh alright, good night, Zekra," Crystelle said as she removed her paw from the Zorua. "See you in like three hours or whatever."
And with that, the Umbreon fell asleep, leaving Zekra alone in the dark room. Zekra sighed as she loosened her posture and stared out at the window. The storm that had been brewing was now fading away as the light of dawn crept over the horizon. The splattering of the rain against the rooftop lessened as Zekra turned over on her side, keeping her back to Crystelle.
Zekra remained awake, forcing herself to imagine a number of horrifying scenarios regarding Venri in order to stave off lethargy.
After what felt like an eternity, Zekra finally heard the sounds of Lyra and Frazil's footsteps roaming about the house. She shook her head vigorously, waking herself out of a strange, trance-like state she had fallen into, then leapt to her feet and prodded Crystelle with a paw.
"Your parents are awake," Zekra said in a whisper. "It's time."
In that instant, Crystelle snapped awake and bolted to her feet. She grinned eagerly and pranced about the room, not acting the least bit groggy. Zekra couldn't help but chuckle a little at the sight as she went over to her bed and reached under it. There she found Zeverous's backpack resting, dust collecting along the fabric. Zekra smiled sadly as she hooked her claws around one of the straps and brought out into the light of the day before putting the strap into her mouth.
"You're gonna bring that with you?" Crystelle asked. "Don't you think that it's a little too big for you?"
"Yeah, it is," Zekra admitted. "But it's got all of the stuff we need. Maybe we could go buy two bags once we get to the main land and split everything, because I'm sure they don't have adventure supplies here on Shirra."
"Hmm, well alright," Crystelle shrugged before turning to the door. "Well, you ready to go talk to my parents?"
"Yeah… I think I am," Zekra answered reluctantly. "Kind of nervous, but I know we have to talk to them. It's not right to just ditch them without saying something."
"I'm sure they'll say yes," Crystelle assured softly. "I know my parents; they'll understand."
"I hope you're right…"
Zekra took in a deep breath as she opened up the door and peered down the hallway. Lyra and Frazil were nowhere in sight, though Zekra knew that they were still in the house. She could vaguely hear their footsteps clattering against the floorboards. Zekra looked back one last time at her bedroom, and then made her way through the hall. She was quick to find Frazil and Lyra both heading out the front door, presumably heading off to run errands.
"Hey," Zekra called out, her voice sounding weaker than she wanted it to be.
The two guardians stopped and looked back at Zekra, soon shooting her warm smiles.
"Oh, hello Zekra," Lyra greeted. "Up already? You usually sleep in for a lot longer."
"Yeah, I'm awake," Zekra answered shyly. "I'm… I'm actually awake right now because I wanted to talk to you guys about something."
Lyra and Frazil shared a confused glance, but stepped back into the house and shut the door behind them. They stood before Zekra, both of them giving her a concerned, but assuring stare.
"Alright, what do you want to tell us?" Lyra asked.
"Well, I'm really glad that you guys let me stay with you out of nowhere," Zekra started to say, finding it difficult to look at them in the eyes. "I mean, even after everything I told you, you still let me stay and I really appreciate that. But… I um… I need to leave and go back to Shiron. Again."
"And with me as her company!"
The three flinched as Crystelle hopped into the space between the adults and Zekra, grinning evilly. Zekra shot Crystelle a horrified look, knowing that her actions would in no way help convince Lyra and Frazil to let them leave, but Crystelle didn't seem to see it. Instead, she stood strong and kept her carefree yet resolute stare upon her parents.
"Zekra has something she needs to do back on Shiron," Crystelle explained. "You see, she lost something there and she needs to go get it back. It's probably incredibly dangerous and she might die while she's trying to find it, but that's why I'll be going with her! I'm going to make sure that nobody kills her. She and I are going to be awesome together and nothing is ever going to take us down! We'll be an invincible force! So is it alright if we both go?"
Frazil and Lyra both stared at their daughter with dumbfounded gazes, unable to speak. Crystelle only remained there, still wearing her smug grin while Zekra only groaned to herself, now knowing that they would never be able to leave the island with permission. It would seem that they'd have to escape like fugitives…
"Crystelle… you really are back," Frazil said after a moment of composing himself. "Zekra said you came home, but I never saw you."
"Yeah, I got here when you guys were on errands or whatever," Crystelle shrugged. "And I didn't come home til way past midnight last night because I was out doing stuff. But I'm back now! Well, sort of, since I kind of do want to go with Zekra back to Shiron."
"So… you just got home, and you already want to go back to Shiron?" Frazil asked.
"Yep! Zekra can use all of the help she can get," Crystelle confirmed.
Frazil sighed in a saddened tone as he shook his head.
"But we barely got to see you again," Lyra then said to the Umbreon, a hint of pain in her voice. "I mean, I know that you're all grown up now and you're an Umbreon, but I really thought that you might stay here a little while longer. I really missed you, Crystelle."
Crystelle's confident smile turned into that of a reluctant frown as her ears drooped.
"I missed you guys too," Crystelle said softly. "I'd really like to stay too and tell you guys everything, but right now, Zekra needs to find something and she can't wait any longer."
"What does she need to find?" Frazil asked.
"Well you see, she needs to find-"
"I need to find myself."
The three Eevee evolutions turned their heads back over to Zekra, finding that she was now standing before each of them with a much stronger stance than earlier. The Zorua shirked back as their eyes all settled upon her, but she quickly reminded herself that she had to remain resolute and stood firmly upon her feet.
"What I need to find on Shiron is myself," Zekra said again. "I lost a lot of myself on Shiron and I need to go get it back. I'm like half of myself right now, and even though it'd probably be easier to just stay here and forget everything about everything, I can't do that anymore. I need to find what I left behind so I can figure out what I really want to do with my life. Because right now, there's two voices in my mind, telling me to do different things, and I need to figure out which one to listen to. And the only way I can do that is to go back to the place I left a part of myself behind in. So please, let me go back to Shiron and let Crystelle come with me. I promise that I'll bring her back in one piece when I find what I need, but for now, I really need her with me. She's… the only reason why I even have some of my strength back again."
Frazil and Lyra looked upon the Zorua with pitiful frowns, clearly not wanting to let her go back into Shiron that they knew was plagued with danger. However, Zekra remained strong, keeping her gaze glued to them and forcing herself not to break. In the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Crystelle smiling proudly at her.
After a long moment of silence, Frazil and Lyra both looked over at each other and gathered themselves in a faraway corner where they soon whispered something amongst each other. Crystelle rejoined Zekra's side, still smiling.
"Good job, Zekra," Crystelle grinned. "I saw the old you again just then. See? Your strength really isn't all gone."
Zekra ignored her remark as the two guardians stopped their hushed conversation and made their way back over to their two children. Both of them were smiling sadly.
"Alright, you can go," Frazil announced. "I'll admit that I don't want either of you to go, especially after I saw what you looked like when you came home Zekra… but I do want you to be happy and be yourself again. You haven't seemed the least bit happy since you came here, Zekra. So if you really think that going back to Shiron will help make you a happier Pokémon, then you're free to go."
Crystelle smiled triumphantly as she leapt into the air, bounding in place while Zekra chose to instead smile softly.
"Just promise me that you two really will come back," Frazil urged. "That's all I ask. Can you please promise me that in a month from now, you'll come back so that I know you two are still alright and well?"
"Yeah, we can promise that," Zekra said gently. "That won't be hard to do."
"Alright, then you're free to go back to Shiron," Frazil said, sighing. "I'll miss you both, but at least I'll have the reassurance that you'll be keeping each other safe."
Frazil, still wearing his bittersweet smile, approached the two children and nuzzled both of them. Lyra was soon to join, wrapping the two younger Pokémon in an embrace using her ribbon-like appendages. Crystelle and Zekra smiled as they remained in the circle of warmth, enjoying the last tender and comforting moment they would have for a long while.
"Keep each other safe," Lyra said softly. "Stay close together and promise never to separate."
"We won't," Crystelle assured.
The four remained in their large embrace for a few more moments, enjoying each other's company. But as soon as the circle broke, Crystelle and Zekra knew that they had stalled long enough and it was time to return to Shiron.
With heavy hearts, the four went outside and stepped out onto the sand surrounding their house. All of the storm clouds from last night had already disappeared, leaving nothing but a clear blue sky with the morning sun rising higher and higher with each passing moment.
Zekra took in a deep breath as she closed her eyes, and then tapped into the power of her Deception Amulet as she became a Flygon. She crouched down low, allowing Crystelle to climb onto her back and awkwardly wrap her paws around her neck as the false Flygon grasped Zeverous's bag in her claws. The two looked back at Lyra and Frazil one last time.
"See you guys soon," Zekra assured. "When you see me again… I'll be a much better Pokémon."
And then, she shot into the sky with Crystelle in tow, leaving behind the island as she flew back to the world of Plagued Ones.
She only hoped that she would be able to retrieve the rest of herself she had left behind before the Primogenitor and its puppets could devour what little remained of her soul.
Kuron
Terron watched from atop of a large building as Zekrom sent dozens of lightning bolts into the night sky miles away from his location and into a massive storm cloud of Plagued Ones. Each of the corrupted beings let out a demonic screech before they promptly dissipated into the air, permanently erased from existence. However, some still remained and quickly scattered away from the vicious dragon. Unfortunately for them, Zekrom proved to be relentless and pursued after them, shooting pillars of blue fire into the sky as she zipped through the air like lightning.
Terron stood there upon that rooftop with Novus and Nyx by his side, the two of them watching the distant spectacle in reverent silence while Terron only observed with a glazed over stare.
"That is the third swarm Zekrom has attacked today. The number of Blight Demons here on Kuron has been increasing at a disturbing rate."
"Yes, it is," Novus replied. "The first week we were here, there was only maybe one attack every three days. But now, it seems that they are pouring in multiple times in the night. I'm fairly certain that Zekrom has killed at least a million Plagued Ones in the entire twenty days we have been here. Probably even more."
"And yet it does nothing to decrease the number of those in the Primogenitor's army. The number of Blight Demons in the swarms on Kuron are much smaller than they are Shiron, and I have a feeling that the Primogenitor might have abandoned all subtly and is putting the blight in every Pokémon it comes across in a much more drastic fashion. But I cannot say for sure."
"Doesn't the Primogenitor need to eat? It cannot hope to control so many Pokémon into Blight Demons without devouring a good number of Pokémon as well," Novus stated. "It needs energy and I highly doubt it is a self-efficient creature."
"Of course it needs food, Quilava. That is why it sends its army out of its dimension and into Shiron to bring back Pokémon the Blight Demons have captured. But you must realize that the Blight Demons are the husks of the food it devoured. It lives off of life energy and it puts its blight into living creatures so that it might make their soul malleable and easy to tamper with. It clings to their most violent and negative aspects of their personality, for they are drawn to it. And then, when the blight has tampered with the soul long enough so that it is easy to withdraw, the Primogenitor will suck out the life force of the fragile soul, leaving behind a body controlled completely by blight with only the most violent and negative aspects of the former Pokémon's self left. These aspects are left because the blight clung to them so deeply for whatever reason, and refused to let them vanish even when the rest of the personality did. Their spirit will still be inside of the Blight Demon, for the body must have a spirit in order for the blight to manipulate it, but that spirit is useless and empty and will never awaken. If it begins awakening and resisting, the blight will suck out the renewed life force and quickly silence it, leaving the spirit in a coma similar to the one I put Cubone Dimitri and the others in."
"The number of times an explanation about the Blight Demon's workings is elaborated or outright changed thanks to your perspective never ceases to amuse me," Novus replied dryly. "I had always imagined that the Blight Demons simply ate anybody they could find right then and there. But I suppose they only deliver them to the Primogenitor to have their energy stolen. So then in the ancient past before it used Blight Demons, the Primogenitor must have stolen everyone's life energy and completely devoured their bodies as well. After all, I was never able to find any corpses, but never saw any Blight Demons flying about the planet. I wonder why it decided it wanted to keep the bodies now in today's time and make Blight Demons out of them…"
"I do not know. The Primogenitor would never explain its motives to me. It only gave me commands and let me be. It did not like to explain anything and often hid itself from myself and the others. It was a very strange, secretive creature. I honestly think I only saw it twice the entire time I was working for it."
"How odd," Novus mused. "I would have thought that a creature of such mighty and terrifying power as it is would be more directly imposing. The way you describe it, it almost sounds like a cowardly shadow."
Novus and Nyx continued on with their conversation, but Terron paid no attention to it. Instead, he only continued to watch Zekrom incinerate the Plagued Ones from afar, somehow not fatigued from the ongoing struggle. He would have helped her, but he knew that he was useless. He didn't have the power to erase Plagued Ones from existence. And from how neither Novus nor Nyx had volunteered to assist Zekrom, he could assume neither could they.
Though he pretended to find fascination in watching Zekrom destroy Plagued Ones, in reality, he was contemplating over much darker, more troublesome thoughts brewing within his mind. Ever since he had realized that his days were numbered if the Primogenitor was killed, it had sent the Cubone into a haze. It wasn't a depressing, suffocating haze as he had feared, but it still lingered over him like a heavy fog, obscuring all of his other thoughts so that all he could think about was the haunting information. It left him oddly detached and quiet, something that he imagined Nyx felt quite often.
And as soon as we get back to Shiron and find Novus's body, I'm going to die. Terron thought to himself. Because as soon as Novus turns back into Reshiram, he's going to have Zekrom help him destroy the Primogenitor. And when that happens… everybody with the plague inside of them will die too. We're so deeply connected to the plague that we can't live without it.
Terron looked down at his paw where the dismissed Fellowship sigil remained scarred into his scaly skin. Then, he looked at the Fellowship sigil he had received from Chrysalis on the back of his hand, this one lacking the dismissed marking upon it, even if he truly was banned from all of the Fellowships thanks to his actions. Not that he ever had intentions of trying to rejoin the Fellowship.
I joined the Fellowship because I wanted to stop the Plagued Ones with Zekra. I wanted to put an end to those horrible creatures. I knew that I'd be sacrificing so much in order to eliminate the Plagued Ones, but I never would have thought that having to actually die was the only way to get rid of them. I thought there could have been another way, even if we were all plagued. Is this really the only way to bring peace to both Shiron and Kuron?
I'm not ready to die right now… not when there's still so much for me to do. And yet, I feel it looming closer to me every single time I watch Zekrom kill those Plagued Ones…
As if on cue, Zekrom obliterated the last of the Plagued Ones infesting the sky. Only a second passed before she was right in front of Terron, hovering off the edge of the building as she held out a claw toward him. Terron would have flinched at her sudden appearance, but after spending nearly three weeks in her presence, he had found he had become desensitized to her lightning-quick agility.
"All of the spawn are gone now," Zekrom reported. "But, it's almost dawn, so it's best that we find rest."
"Are you sure that we can't just search during the day this time?" Terron asked. "I mean, I get that we shouldn't let the humans find us, but it'd make things a lot easier by not having a bunch of Plagued Ones attacking us."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Zekrom said with a shake of her head. "I need to rest during the day to be able to protect the night. The guardians the humans crafted can only do so much to ward off the spawn."
"Alright, fine," Terron sighed in defeat. "Let's get going before the sun comes up."
Without wasting another moment, the Cubone climbed onto the dragon's outstretched hand, Novus following shortly behind him. When Zekrom set the two of them upon her shoulder, Terron idly gripped onto her rough hide. He was barely even able to blink afterwards before Zekrom shot off into the distance. Terron grit his teeth as he held onto her for dear life while pressing his mask deep into his head. His grip trembled as he felt himself slipping, but he refused to let the wind overpower him and dug his claws deep into her flesh. It had seemed that no matter the circumstances, Terron could never get used to her phenomenal flying speeds.
But thankfully, the stressful ride was short-lived, for what felt like five seconds later, Zekrom came to a stop and carefully set him and Novus back on solid ground. Now Terron found himself in what appeared to be the decrepit remains of what once a massive, dome-shaped building that stood at least a dozen stories tall. The ceiling was punctured with many holes, allowing the moonlight to pour into the ruins. Tables and chairs were scattered across the floor and flipped over, some even resting in various pieces among broken shards of what he could assume were machinery. Power lines hung limply from the ceiling, swaying silently in the wind while debris from the decaying ceiling fluttered down to the Cubone.
"This was some kind of office where humans used to work before, wasn't it?" Terron asked.
"At one point I imagine it was," Zekrom answered. "Or perhaps a gathering area for the humans to socialize. All I know that it has been abandoned for quite a time and that it serves as a sufficient hiding place for a massive creature such as myself in a world that could find me so easily. Even if they probably won't harm me, I'd rather not dwell among them. Guardians such as myself were never meant to remain in the presence of those that they protect. There's always the potential that someone will capture me and attempt to drain out my power."
"You sure have a lot of hiding places," Terron remarked. "This is like the fifth one you've taken us to."
"Of course, Cubone spawn. I circle this dimension endlessly to protect the humans. Having only one shelter to remain in during the day would be insufficient, even if I could reach it with ease. Besides, I could be found more easily if I stay in one location for several hours a day. I'd rather not be spotted."
"I suppose that's a fair point."
The black dragon nodded silently as she settled herself down into a sitting position, sending a powerful tremor into the ground. Terron staggered for a moment, but kept his stance steady as Zekrom gently fell over onto her side and lowered her wings. She smiled at the Cubone as the lights upon her body dimmed, eliminating the light blue glow in the room. Terron didn't return the smile, only choosing to keep a blank stare before he turned back to his friends. He found that they were both standing a fair distance behind him, Nyx watching Novus digging through his bag with both of his paws.
"Where are those Sleep Seeds?" Novus muttered to himself. "I thought we had at least five more left."
Terron sighed to himself as he made his way over to the two.
"You used them all up," Terron stated. "I mean, we only had like twenty."
"Impossible, I would have noticed that we were running out," Novus said pointedly. "Perhaps the seeds we have left are buried underneath all of this clutter."
"No Novus, we're all out," Terron stated blandly. "I saw you use the last one last night. You're just going to have to force yourself to sleep during the day. Unless, of course, you want to start investigating during the day while Zekrom sleeps."
"I'd rather not abandon Zekrom," Novus argued. "We've found her after this long and I have no intentions of separating myself from her. Even if it means that I must adapt to her abnormal sleep cycle, I'll do it if it means staying with her. The last thing I want is for something to happen to her while I am gone and searching for a way back to Shiron."
"I don't think anything's going to happen to Zekrom. She's an indestructible dragon capable of killing Plagued Ones. Besides, she's been alone for five years on Kuron with nobody helping her. I really don't think that us being here has changed anything. Besides, what could possibly hurt her? You remember how easily she overwhelmed us when she first attacked us."
Novus didn't answer the question, only continuing to search through his bag with haste. Terron pressed his paw into his forehead as he shook his head. He glanced back at the lightning dragon to find that her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow. It seemed that she had fallen asleep, though Terron didn't know how deeply. For all he knew, she was feigning slumber so she could eavesdrop upon his conversation without suspicion.
But that wasn't what irked the Cubone the most. What bothered him more than anything else was seeing such a massive creature slumbering before him as though she were an insignificant, mortal creature. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that an almighty Pokémon with such a ferocious stature as Zekrom would be one of his traveling companions. He always had a feeling that he would one day encounter a legendary creature that would make his jaw drop open in awe, but certainly not as someone who constantly remained at his side. It was almost unnatural, like it wasn't supposed to happen.
He knew he had no reason to think this, for standing behind him were two Pokémon of similar power, but he couldn't help it. Every single time he saw Zekrom sleeping, it made him realize that his journey truly was coming to an end. Because with her by his side, there was nothing that could stop him. She could obliterate everything in sight with her draconic power that coursed through her immortal body. All that stood in his way of stopping the Primogenitor were those elusive Unown.
It was upon thinking this that Terron suddenly had something stir within his mind, prompting a question to formulate within his thoughts. After letting it stew in his mind for a brief moment, Terron returned his gaze back to his companions. He found that everything had remained unchanged with Novus still shuffling through the bag and Nyx only hovering beside him wordlessly.
"How much longer do you think it will be before we find those Unown so we can get home?" Terron asked them.
"I can't imagine it taking longer than another few days," Novus answered absently, his head now in the bag. "Those Unown can only avoid us for so long. Besides, we cannot afford to stay much longer on Kuron. Three months have passed on Shiron already. Quite a number of things could have changed that are irreversible. Therefore, we need to find our way home soon lest our efforts of finding my body and Zekrom will be in vain."
"And how long do you think it will take us to find your body once we get back to Shiron?" Terron then asked.
"Well with Zekrom with us, I imagine that it would only take a day or two," Novus replied. "She could probably sense my body, given that she is my other half and can fly across the region with relative ease."
"And then after that you'll try to wake up your body, which could take another day or two, and then you'll go off to stop the Primogenitor with Zekrom," Terron stated blandly.
"That's the plan I have, yes," Novus affirmed before letting out a snort. "Accursed seeds, continuously eluding my grasp…"
The Novus stuffed his head deeper into the bag as he continued digging through it. Nyx continued watching in silence, making no effort to help him.
"So we have maybe a week left before you go kill the Primogenitor," Terron said in a quiet voice.
Novus stopped rummaging through the bag and pulled his head out to look at the Cubone with a confused frown.
"Approximately. Is something the matter?" Novus asked gently. "You've been acting very strange with these questions you ask me. Are you worried that we will not stop the Primogenitor quickly enough because of how long we have lingered here on Kuron?"
"Well… yes, I'm worried about that a little," Terron sighed. "I don't want to get the Primogenitor killed if all of the Pokémon in the world are Plagued Ones. Because you know, if we kill the Primogenitor, I'm pretty sure all of the Plagued Ones are going to die too. If we kill that thing when it's corrupted everybody, it'll be like performing a massive genocide on the world instead of saving it…"
"I suppose that is a legitimate concern to be worried over," Novus said empathically. "I always did suspect that such could happen. But, I do not think that the entirety of Shiron will be corrupted by the time I am reawakened in my true body. Zekra and Zeverous should be able to fend off the blight from the innocent long enough, and there's always the possibility that your ghostly half might do the same should the time call for it. He did seem to be committed to purging the world of those Blight Demons regardless of his circumstances."
"I guess you have a point," Terron said in a subdued, reluctance voice.
Terron looked at his Quilava companion, noticing the earnest concern in his eyes. Novus truly did want to know what was tormenting the Cubone and causing him his grief. However, despite how solemn and open he appeared to be, Terron knew he couldn't speak of the true fear cycling through his mind. He didn't want Novus to grow anxious about Terron's impending doom. If Novus knew the truth, there was a very good chance that it would sabotage his fighting spirit, rendering him to be weak and unable to combat the Primogenitor. Even though Terron didn't want to die, he knew there wasn't any other choice. He knew he couldn't allow the Primogenitor to continue existing in the world and turn everyone into its puppets.
"Well, I guess we'll see what happens then," Terron then said. "Sorry for bothering you with my silly troubles."
"You don't have to apologize for that," Novus assured. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to talk about your bothersome thoughts. You don't have to hide anything from me."
"Yeah, I know," Terron said with a dry smile.
"Alright. Well, I'm afraid that I'm not finding the Sleep Seeds and I really do need to sleep now if I am to wake up at dusk," Novus grumbled before turning to Nyx. "So, I'm going need your assistance in putting me to sleep. You can do that without infesting my mind with nightmares, can you not?"
"Of course. Tell me when you are ready to sleep."
Novus grinned to himself as he lead the Darkrai over to the slumbering black dragon. He paced about for a few moments, and then finally settled himself next to one of Zekrom's massive arms that rested upon the cold ground. He gave a nod to the Darkrai, where she formed a black sphere in the palm of one of her clawed hands. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she flung it at the Quilava. The second the sphere impacted Novus, it sank deep into his chest, becoming one with his being.
Then, just like that, he went out like a light, slumping to the ground against Zekrom. Nyx lowered her hand as she turned her head toward Terron, who hadn't moved from his spot.
"Do you want me to put you to sleep as well?"
"No, it's fine," Terron said with a shake of his head. "I can just force myself to go to bed. I think I'm getting used to being nocturnal."
He stuffed his paws into his front coat pockets as he rocked back and forth on his heels. He wasn't ready to go to bed just yet. He wanted to spend at least a few more minutes in the waking world now that nearly everyone was asleep and unable to disturb him.
Nyx cast him a long stare for a brief moment, and then slowly swooped over to him until there were only a couple of feet of distance between the two of them. There was a knowing, vaguely pitiful glimmer in her visible, glowing sapphire eye.
"You know that you are going to die just as I will when this is all over."
The lull that was slowly overcome Terron was instantly eradicated as Nyx's words pierced through his heart. He flinched out of his dreary state as he shot her a wide, horrified glare. But before he could question how she could have possibly read his mind, she continued speaking.
"I know what is troubling you because I was the one who told you that I would die when the Primogenitor dies. I suspected there was a possibility that you would be able to deduce from that information that you are no different from me and will be met with the same fate. So when you began to act this way, I knew that my suspicions were correct."
"So I really am going to die if the Primogenitor's dead?" Terron asked weakly.
"Yes, you will, just as myself, all of the Blight Demons, and all of your friends I put my blight into. Everything connected to the Primogenitor will perish."
Terron averted his gaze away from the Darkrai.
"I was kind of hoping you would tell me that I was just having a lot of paranoid thoughts and that I'd be okay, in all honesty," Terron chuckled bitterly. "I wanted you to tell me I would get to live through all of this. It would have made things easier."
"I did that before, and you constantly badgered me to tell you the truth until I finally gave you a dark secret regarding my fate. Now you are telling me that you want to be lied to all over again regarding that one truth I chose to share with you."
"I thought you were going to keep lying to me to keep me safe and happy," Terron answered dryly before softening his voice. "But, this isn't your fault. This is my fault for making you tell me the truth. And, I guess it's only fair that you keep telling me the whole truth about that one secret instead of lying about everything else. You can't just reveal part of a secret to somebody and expect to keep the other parts hidden…"
Terron took in a deep breath as he removed his persona from his head and glanced down at the empty eyeholes. He mindlessly ran his claw tips along the many cracks that grazed the ivory surface of the skull. He needed a new persona; this one would soon crumble in a moment of need. Perhaps he could find himself a Hydreigon skull this time, or maybe even a Charizard. Their skulls would surely last longer than that of a weak Deino's.
"Do you have any regrets now that you know your days are coming to an end?"
"Hmm?" Terron asked, bringing his attention back to the Darkrai before him.
"Is there anything you wish you could have done differently in life, or had a chance to do?"
"Oh," Terron said, hugging his persona to his chest. "Well, I guess I wish I was still with Zekra for one thing. She and I were always there for each other, even though we didn't exactly get along sometimes. We'd get into stupid arguments or have silly disagreements sometimes, but she'd always be there for me. Even after all of the things that happened to the two of us, we were never torn apart. Except… it's not like that anymore. I don't know why, but Zekra doesn't want to be with me anymore. It's like she's scared of me or something and I just can't figure out why. I mean, the last thing that happened between us before she suddenly didn't want to be around me was us spending time in Aurora Town. But that was a good moment for the both of us. I just… don't understand what went wrong and why she suddenly doesn't want to be my friend anymore. I really just wish that I could see her again and talk to her like I could before. There was nobody else like her and she meant a lot to me. She… was the only reason I wanted to stop the Plagued Ones. I never did all of this fighting for me; I did all of this fighting for her. I've nearly died countless times and gone through endless sufferingbecause I wanted to help her and make her happy. I wouldn't do all of that for just anybody."
Nyx didn't make a comment, presumably because she found there was nothing to say to Terron's words. However, Terron didn't mind. Even he didn't know what he was saying; the words had simply come to him in a stream of thoughts and he had given them a voice without hesitation.
"So, if there's one thing I regret, it's that I've lost the friend I loved so much and might never get her back," Terron went on. "That's something I honestly wish I could change but probably never will."
Terron felt his heart break at the thought of a future without his best friend at his side, but he refused to let it bring tears to his eyes. He forced his helmet back onto his head as he stared at the ground.
"There is one other thing that I regret, though," Terron then said. "Maybe I don't regret it as much as I regret not having Zekra as my friend, but… I wish I could have known more about myself when I was Dimitri. I know that Yimtri's got all of his memories, but it's not like I'm going to be seeing him anytime soon. So, I'm left all alone without a clue of what my life was like as a human. And it's even worse because I'm here on Kuron where I used to live, but I can't go visit anything because I can't be spotted by the humans. I can't go visit Dimitri's house to go see what my parents were like and I can't even see what the humans do in this world. It's almost like torture. It's like someone's dangling a carrot in front of my face that I have no hopes of ever getting.
"It never really bothered me much before because I was always busy helping out Zekra with destroying Plagued Ones, but now that I don't have her by my side anymore and I'm literally surrounded by everything from my old life… it's just awful."
"I see."
Terron sighed as he put his paws back into his pockets and strode past the Darkrai, not even exchanging a gaze. He knew there was no longer anything to say. He had spilled out everything that had been churning up a tempest within his heart. He had thought that the conversation would have alleviated some of the pain in his heart, but in reality, it only put a heavier weight upon him. It made his legs feel as though they were made out of lead, making walking silently a draining chore that sucked out all of his vigor in a second.
"I think I'm going to go to bed," Terron said. "Everybody else is asleep and I should join them."
Terron felt a clawed hand on his shoulder, prompting him to stop. He slowly turned his head to find Nyx hovering right beside him, casting him a saddened gaze. But upon closer inspection, he realized that there was more in her eye. There was an odd glimmer of unwavering resolution.
"How would you like to see Kuron during the day?"
"What?" Terron rasped, barely believing his ears as he fully turned around to face her. "You mean… like actually go there right now?"
"Yes. We could go while the others sleep and visit the home you once lived in."
"But… I thought you were the one who said for me not to give my hopes up about finding anything from my old life here," Terron argued.
Nyx seemed to smile as she removed her clawed hand from his shoulder.
"I know I said that, but that was only because I wanted to give you hope that you would actually return to Kuron one day when the Primogenitor was finally slain. But now that you know the truth, I see there is no longer a reason to prevent you from searching for remains of your old life. You may not find anything, but with this being your last time on Kuron, I think it is right to give you a chance to find what you want. And maybe if you are fortunate enough, you will find something and you will have one less regret about your life."
Hearing this left Terron touched. He really had wanted to visit his home ever since they had come to Kuron, but he had been continuously rejecting the longing because he knew that there were more important things to do in Kuron. Even if each day had ended in a failure and the group was forced to remain on Kuron, he told himself that he could not search for his old life. He had continuously told himself at the end of each of every day, but despite his efforts, the longing had never been silenced.
Now, it seemed that he could finally put it to rest.
"But what about the humans?" Terron then asked, doubts still lingering in his mind. "If we go in the day, they'll spot us. Who knows what they might do if they spot us."
"I would not worry about that. I will accompany you and make sure that no one can harm you. Reshiram and Zekrom should remain asleep until we come back at dusk. You will be safe with me."
"Th-thanks, Nyx," Terron managed to say, choking on a lump forming in his throat. "That really means a lot to me."
The Darkrai's eye seemed to brighten before it dimmed back into its regular dreary shade. She carefully reached down and picked up the little Cubone and cradled him in her arms. She and Terron looked up at the ceiling to see rays of warm light leaking into the building.
"We should find a transport device close to here. They are our best chance of finding a way back to your hometown when neither of us know where it truly is. Most of the humans should still be slumbering at this hour, so they should not bother us for the time being."
Then, with the silence of a fall breeze, the two flew out of the building and into the dawn of a new day.