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Chapter 91
Dwellers of Darkness
The land of the Primogenitor was not what Zekra expected.
She, Len, Impetus, Reshiram, and Crystelle had all successfully made it through the portal Yimtri had created for them and now found themselves in a new land. Neither of them were harmed and the process had been swift and painless, if disorienting for a brief moment. However, nothing could quite prepare Zekra for what would greet her and her companions once she reached the other side of the portal. She had always anticipated the Primogenitor's land to be strange and eldritch, perhaps even twisted just as Erebus Woods was. Though the Primogenitor was nothing more than a shadow, she knew what it was capable of. She had seen what it had done when it possessed Terron and she knew what it had turned Yimtri into not long after. It knew how to strike fear into its enemies, and Zekra knew its home would perhaps reflect that. Perhaps the Primogenitor would even make its home similar to Erebus Woods, the root of her worst nightmares thanks to its borderline sentience and the insidious, ravenous atmosphere that it gave off every time she dared to go near that forest.
She was wrong.
The Primogenitor's realm was not demented nor did it try to strike the deepest, darkest dread into Zekra as Erebus Woods had done again and again. Instead, it was a bizarre world that shouldn't have existed because it defied every law of physics known. Zekra's mind almost couldn't comprehend everything that was surrounding her in this realm of existence, unable to make sense of anything. So often could she see things that she knew were not possibly in reality, and yet they were existing right before her in this realm.
Chunks of a grey, stone-like substance that Zekra hadn't seen before levitated in the air all around her, some of them the size of small pebbles while others could be considered a small island residing far in the ocean. Nearly all of the fragments were barren and appeared to be nothing more than pieces of an ancient structure created countless eons ago, as if such structure had once existed in this realm and was smashed to pieces and had its remains scattered across the realm to remain there for all eternity. They did not drift; they only remained stationary.
There was only one rock that had anything upon it, and that was the very one that Zekra and her companions were standing upon. It was perhaps the largest fragment of the ones scattered about, being about the size of the very Fellowship they had all escaped from moments ago. Most of the rock was untouched by anything, only having a multitude of cracks seeping through its strange, almost flesh-like surface. But occasionally, there would be a white, protruding pillar rising out of the ground that Zekra felt resembled teeth. She didn't know why they were there, nor did she understand what they truly were, but she knew better than to go near the strange objects.
Surrounding Zekra and serving as the dimension's version of a sky was a chaotic mesh of clashing colors. Every color of the world, along with those that had never been seen amongst mortals, was present in the atmosphere. They churned and whirled amongst each other as if the sky was nothing but a pit of writhing and ravenous snakes, twisting and mixing with one another without cease. Every time a few of the colors blended together, Zekra would see an image in the sky. She could never see the image for long, as it would always disappear within a few seconds after the colors had drifted past on another, but in those brief moments she would catch glimpses of what appeared to be other lives.
Sometimes there were very familiar things. In some glimpses, she recognized Pokémon just like her living in a universe so similar to hers. Some glimpses were of Pokémon with strange beings that she thought might have been humans from how Terron and Yimtri described their appearance to be from long ago. Others only had humans in it, though with abilities she didn't think humans could wield or in environments that she held surroundings that seemed far different from how Shiron and Kuron were. There were even some glimpses where there were no humans or Pokémon, only strange creatures she could not identify. She saw glimpses of their life in the moments the sky's colors would mesh together, allowing her to spy on their everyday life. In most of them, they were something simple, like the denizens walking upright through streets with bags in their paws to go on an adventure or eating together around a campfire. Other times, she found them in the midst of wars, the vision dyed red with the blood of everyone upon the battlefield. In one, she even thought she saw a Pidgey slam into a wall before plummeting to the ground as a battered mess of bones, feathers, and blood.
Zekra continued to watch these flashing images as they were created before her by the dimension's strange sky, finding herself lost in the wonder of it all. She almost forgot why she was in the Primogenitor's realm or that she was even there as she watched the sky, wondering what it would show her next and the meaning behind the glimpses of these creature's lives.
"Zekra."
The Zoroark's mind snapped back into order as she turned toward the voice to see Len staring at her, Impetus, Reshiram, and Crystelle gathered around him and doing the same. Zekra gave the sky one last glance, catching a flash of a disinterested human child sitting around a table in what appeared to be a basement with other humans wearing strange and colorful outfits, before she brought her full attention back to Len.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"We need to get to the Primogenitor," he told her.
"Oh, right. Right," Zekra said, shaking her head and seething in disgust. "Sorry, I was just distracted by all those weird things in the sky."
"Ah yes, those," Len said, smiling knowingly. "I remember when I saw those the first time I came here. They're quite fascinating to watch."
"Do you know what they are?" Zekra then wondered.
"Yes, they're glimpses into other dimensions," Len said with a shrug. "At least, that is what my former masters told me. They're not actually portals, so we cannot disappear into them, but they do at least provide some insight on worlds beyond our own."
"Wow…" Zekra said breathlessly. "There's so many of them. Yimtri used to talk about other dimensions and two of them that he knew about, but I didn't think that there were this many…"
"There's actually more than what you see now. There's as many of them as stars in the night sky. I'd almost say that there's an infinite amount of them. But regardless, we shouldn't dwell on them," Len then said before looking out toward the distance. "We need to get to the Primogenitor. Thankfully, I know where it resides in this realm. It's not too far from here. So come along, Zekra. Let's get going and end this."
Zekra nodded slowly before she rejoined the group. She looked at each of them, noticing the steadfast glimmers in their eyes and how though most of their fur was standing on end, they were willing to keep moving forward. She saw it in them all, especially Reshiram, whose very eyes seemed to be alit with flames. Zekra couldn't help but smile as she saw this determination in each of them, however, as soon as her eyes settled onto Crystelle, the confidence swelling within her heart faded and a chill swept through her heart.
"Um Crystelle, I know that you really want to help me and everything," Zekra started to say. "And I'm really glad too. I don't think I would have made it into this place without you. But… I really don't know if I actually want you coming with us to the Primogenitor. I already didn't want you helping us with the whole Fellowship thing, and now you're actually here, going to fight this huge monster that probably will kill you and-"
"Zekra, I'm not just going to wait here and let you guys fight all by yourselves," Crystelle said sternly. "I'm coming with you. You need as much help as you can get, and since I'm stuck here anyway and can't go back, I might as well come along. I mean, I already helped you deal with those Fellowship leaders, so what makes this any different?"
"Well you weren't really helping. You were just kind of tagging along…" Zekra said quietly. "It just feels really weird having you here when I never thought you'd come along. Because you're not plagued, you don't have a vendetta against the Primogenitor for taking Pokémon you care about away, you don't know me that well… You're like the only one here who doesn't have a real reason to actually kill the Primogenitor. And you actually have a life that you can look forward to outside of this… I just feel like I'm robbing you of that if you come with us."
"Zekra, stop worrying about all that," Crystelle said with a small smile. "You don't need to keep thinking I shouldn't be here helping you against all of this crazy plagued stuff. I know what I'm getting myself into. Mom and Dad know too. They know I might not ever come home again. Sure, they don't want me to go off to my death, but they know it's my choice. And it's my choice to want to help you stop the Primogenitor. And really, do I need more of a reason to stop that thing than because I want to help you succeed?"
Zekra sighed, but she knew that Crystelle was right. There was no point in arguing with her any further. Whether she liked it or not, the Umbreon was going to be fighting by her side against the Primogenitor. It didn't matter if the two weren't nearly as close as Zekra and Terron were. In the end, Zekra needed all of the help she could have by her side, no matter the connection Zekra shared with them.
She needed the help when she no longer had Terron or Yimtri to be there for her.
"Alright, I'll quit worrying about it," Zekra said softly.
"You better," Crystelle returned with a smug smile.
"Well then, now that that's out of the way…" Len then said, interrupting the two's moment. "I believe it's time to go destroy the Primogenitor before it figures out we're here and do who knows what. Now then, Reshiram, will you allow us to get onto your back? I believe that you can bring us to our destination far more swiftly than I ever could."
"Most certainly," Reshiram said with a nod as he lowered himself. "However, I warn you that if I do see the Primogenitor attempting to flee when grow near to it, I will give chase to that creature. You'll all need to find somewhere other than my back when that happens if you care for your well-beings."
"Aw, you're going to ditch us so quickly?" Zekra teased. "We barely even get to see anymore! At least let us help you out so we can all die together!"
"There's no reason to fret, Zekra. I'll be sure to deliver the Primogenitor right back to you so you can help me fight as well," Reshiram returned with a smug smile. "We will all fight together, just as in the olden days when I was nothing but a pitiful Quilava. I know not to overestimate my abilities after everything that has occurred with the other legendary creatures the Primogenitor has encountered."
"Good!"
Zekra then clambered onto the great dragon's back before Len, Impetus, and Crystelle followed shortly behind her. Within a few short moments, the four were safely positioned upon Reshiram's feathery body that emitted enough of a blazing aura that Zekra felt she was standing right beside a campfire. Nonetheless, Zekra still gripped onto the dragon as Len settled himself directly behind Reshiram's neck. The dragon glanced back at his passengers for a brief moment, eying each of them carefully, and then unfurled his majestic wings.
"The Primogenitor is straight ahead of us on a further part of this very foundation, is it not?" Reshiram asked Len as he kept him in the corner of his eye.
"Yes, that's correct," Len affirmed. "The last time I was here, it resided near the top of a massive tower that spires quite high into the sky. I'm fairly certain you can't miss that tower unless you're blind."
"I'm fairly certain that I could find that tower even if I was blind," Reshiram stated as white smoke billowed from his nostrils. "I can feel the Primogenitor's taint quite strongly, even from here. I can only imagine how overpowering it will be once I actually confront that monster in this form. I hope that I do not faint from how overbearing it is."
Nonetheless, the dragon shook his head before launching himself into the air. Everyone on his back grabbed onto any ridges they could find upon his feathered body as the dragon swooped forward, rushing toward the supposed tower Len spoke of. And though the dragon soared with the air with the speed of a blazing comet, Zekra couldn't feel the wind threatening to push her off Reshiram's body. Her mane didn't even billow behind her as Reshiram flew through the air, watching ahead with keen eyes. From how lax everyone else seemed to be as they sat upon the dragon, Zekra guessed that they couldn't feel anything either.
And wonder how much this weird place is going to affect our fight. Zekra wondered. Because if gravity doesn't exactly exist here, or wind for that matter…
Probably a lot. Venri chimed in. But hey, I bet it'll make everything easier! I mean, if you're flying somebody and then they fall off of you, you don't have to worry about them plummeting to their death. Well, assuming there's even any kind of ground around here. Place is like some kind of giant void.
Maybe.
Zekra looked down at one of the tiny islands as they passed by it and thought that it vaguely resembled a Cubone skull. As soon as she saw it, something lightly prickled at her heart. Zekra closed her eyes and looked away from the levitating stone.
I wonder if Yimtri was going to help Tear when he ran away from us. Zekra wondered.
Well sure, why not? If you got possessed by some freaky monster, I'd do the same thing. I'm the only monster that's supposed to be inside of you.
Yeah, but I just wonder… why didn't he tell me that's what he was doing? He could have told me, but he didn't. He just said that he was sorry. What did he mean by that? Is something going to happen to him? Is something going to happen to him and Tear?
I wouldn't worry about it, Zekra. You know that they're both going to be fine. They've both made it through way worse stuff than things possessing them, so why should we worry about them now? I bet that they'll even show up when we're fighting the Primogenitor right when it's going to eat us! They'll come swooping in and save the day like you did when Tear was being attacked by all those Pokémon in Erebus Woods in that lava place. Just watch, it'll happen. Calling it right now.
Zekra had to resist laughing aloud as her shadow smugly made her statements as if they were an undeniable truth. Venri was right, however; there was nothing to fear. Terron and Yimtri would be fine. Yimtri was going to help Terron overcome the monster that was controlling him. Then together, they would come to aid Zekra and her companions against their true enemy. Or perhaps they would stay behind and help Yimtri's followers ward off the Fellowship members from the portal. Either way, they would fine.
The only thing Zekra had to worry about was the tower that was now entering her peripheral vision.
Just as Reshiram had predicted, it stood near the very edge of the massive island, stabbing its summit so high into the sky that it hulked over the Pokémon with its daunting presence more sinisterly than Pledge Mountain ever could. It cast no shadow as its warped, grotesque, and vaguely metallic form remained cemented before the edge of the island. Various segments of the tower were slanted at multiple angles or even curled in on itself. Its uneven, paradoxical steely exterior gleamed of iridescent colors as it stood before the five as black tendrils curled all around the shaft, preventing the mangled mess of a tower from toppling over. However, even without the tentacles, Zekra was sure that the tower would have stayed upright just fine. There was no sense of gravity in this twisted realm. Its non-Euclidean shape that seemed to bend in ways that Zekra knew were impossible proved that.
Reshiram gave it one look before promptly ascending, making everyone tighten their grip on him. However, it proved to not be nessecary, for though the dragon climbed into the air in almost a straight line, not one of them felt themselves slipping. They could sit comfortably upon Reshiram's back with their arms up in the air, not sliding backwards in the slightest. Even still, they kept their paws close to the dragon's plume, just in case.
After what felt like an eternity later, Reshiram finally reached the very summit of the tower. He swiftly swooped down and settled upon it. Zekra feared that his weight would shake the very foundation and have the tower collapse from under their feet thanks to how frail it was, but miraculously, nothing happened. When Reshiram's massive feet touched the flooring of the tower, nothing trembled, nor was there any sound to be heard.
While Zekra didn't feel particularly comforted by this, she did proceed to jump off of the dragon's back along with everyone else and land beside him on the tower. She was soon to find that the pinnacle was almost an entirely different world from the rest of the dimension.
The flooring now seemed to be made of a unique glass that reflected the sky above it and there were a few pillars that seemed to be made of the same material that glimmered of many soft colors. Pink and yellow flowers with large, lazy petals sprouted out of the flooring and gently brushed against Zekra's feet. At the top of the monstrous tower was still the wondrous view of all of the flashing images that would manifest themselves in the sky, surrounding her from every angle. But now, the colors of the sky were as pastel and warm as the architecture of the pinnacle. She could even see the images flashing down upon the reflective flooring for just a few seconds longer than they were within the sky, but now with a pink and light blue hue to surround the images.
In some ways, the pinnacle was beautiful, a complete juxtaposition to the fearsome beast that dwelt within the dimension.
"Why does this place look like this?" Zekra wondered aloud as she gazed down upon the ground.
She could see her own reflection gaze back at her, though with any of her red fur dyed a vibrant pink and her black fur made a soothing lavender, along with nearly all of her demonic attributes erased. She moved her claw up, and watched her reflection do the same.
"Like seriously, what's with this place?" Zekra asked. "I thought the Primogenitor was supposed to be creepy and everything. This looks like a place where I'd find some fairy-types hanging around."
"I don't recall the inside of the tower appearing this way either," Len remarked. "It wasn't nessecary dreadful, though certainly not nearly as colorful as here."
"Maybe it's a trick," Impetus stated as she glared down at a flower near her. "Perhaps it appears like this to catch us off guard."
The Mienshao then swiped at the flower and ripped it out of the ground. She held it in her claws and watched as each of the petals slowly blew off of its stem and drifted away into the distance while the rest of the plant dissolved into sparkling powder that dissipated into Impetus's paw. As soon as all traces of the flower disappeared, a new flower was soon to sprout of the ground where the old one once stood and took its place.
"Reshiram, where exactly is the Primogenitor? Can you still sense it?" Impetus then asked as she shook her paws clean.
"I feel it somewhere here," the magnificent dragon answered. "Very close, quite honestly. I suspect that it is watching us from within this somewhat whimsical paradise."
As soon as everyone heard that, they stopped taking in the wonder of the surreal world around them and drew close to the dragon. They turned their backs to him as they anxious gazed about the pinnacle, watching for any sign of movement within the pastel colors that surrounded them. Zekra herself kept an eye on the flooring more than anything else, waiting to see if something other than her reflection would manifest itself upon its slick and shiny surface.
And yet, all that stared back was her reflection, still appearing as off-color as before with images from the sky above mixing into the reflection. She could see everyone's reflections right alongside hers, trembling and warily eying everything around them. It was a complete contrast to the pastel colors that the flooring created for their images.
That was when Zekra's reflection suddenly smiled on its own. Not even one second afterwards, the eyes suddenly became circular and white. Zekra flinched as she stumbled back just as the reflection shot out the ground and grasped the spot where she once was with ghostly claws. When it realized that it had missed its target, the reflection let out a scoff before a wave of darkness went over its body. Len, Crystelle, and Reshiram retreated back with Zekra as the entity sprouted twenty times its original height, soon towering over them as a mighty behemoth.
It was now a black dragon seemingly made out of darkness, its body solid yet wispy at once just as all of the weak and simple Plagued Ones were. It flapped its massive, torn wings before tucking them into its body before gazing down at the five with its blank, hollowed-out eyes that Zekra felt could see into her soul. The white that was the eyes were abysmal and eternal, almost captivating and hypnotic in the most spine tingling of ways. She couldn't even focus on the lines of light that flowed across its body, softly changing colors every few seconds.
The beast took one look at them before it seemed to snort out of its non-existent nostrils.
"You actually made it here, despite everything," the dragon spoke, its voice both echoing in their minds and in their ears. "But this was to be expected. You were not going to stop until you reached myself no matter what happened. You even made yourself a portal here when all have been removed from existence."
"So you're it…" Zekra said quietly, unable to muster up the strength she wanted from her voice. "You're the Primogenitor, the thing that's making all the Plagued Ones and everything…"
"Yes Zekra. I am the monster you have wanted to kill the second I had my followers descend upon your hometown."
Zekra felt a growl emit from the back of her throat, but it was not out of her rage. Her insides squirmed as the Primogenitor brushed its long, winding tail along the ground behind it.
"I know who each of you are. First we have Len, the former Fellowship leader who continues to rebel against myself despite everything he held dear has been stripped from him. Then we have Impetus here, the feral that was with the original Dimitri for quite some time before she and the deplorable Serperior made The Shadow Hunter that wreaked havoc on my plans for quite some time. Next we have Crystelle, this Umbreon who should not be here under any circumstances yet comes because she believes that she can make a difference and help little Zekra. Highly amusing and childish quite honestly.
"And of course last… we have a fragment of the one who betrayed myself long ago. Part of the one that cast myself aside when he decided that he did not want myself to linger within his soul any longer.
"Here you all are. Here are all of you, here to kill myself and put an end to everything.
"Here you all are, ready to kill yourselves."
"We will destroy you, spiteful shadow," Reshiram hissed as various parts of his body began to emit an orange glow. "You cannot avoid your fate. You have brought suffering upon Shiron for long enough."
"You speak just as Rem did. You truly are Rem's passionate side," the Primogenitor mused. "You think you can kill myself because you are a fragment and two of the others standing beneath you are synchronized with their blights."
Dark shadows seeped out from under the dragon's ghostly claws and flooded into the peaceful and colorful plants surrounding everyone. Zekra watched as the darkness crept over the reflective flooring, dying it purple and black so that it appeared she was standing in a massive, incomprehensible void before it pooled around the flowers. The flowers shuddered and trembled violently before they were swiftly pulled down into the darkness without any traces of them to be seen. There was no a single petal upon the ground, only an endless sea of purple and black.
A shrill, hissing noise filled the air, and then something seeped out of the ground near the Primogenitor's claws. It was an amorphous being, nothing more than a blob that would shift its shape at every chance it could just as Yimtri's sinister shadows dd. More hissing soon followed, and Zekra was horrified to know to see hundreds of other nebulous beings seeping out of the ground just about everywhere. She shirked back toward her companions as she watched every single one of them crawl out of the ground and silently levitate in the air.
And then, white and circular lights opened up at once on all of the shadowy creatures. A bright and orange light quickly leaked into the circles just as each of the beings' forms twisted and writhed into the air, shifting into something as they settled themselves on the ground.
Within a few seconds, Zekra was met with a horrifying sight.
She, Len, Impetus, Reshiram, and Crystelle were all surrounded by hundreds of Plagued Ones with their very master towering over them. They all gazed up at it with their heads bowed, as if obediently waiting for its orders.
"You almost had enough to kill myself," the Primogenitor said as it withdrew its claws from the ground. "You have resources unlike the others of your stature that tried to kill myself. You have four to aid you in your endeavor to kill myself. The two without blight have pins to protect themselves from having blight seep into their souls as well. If you had both Dimitri ones, you could have killed myself. They had my power and could use it. I would have fallen."
The Primogenitor's eyes flashed, prompting all of the Plagued Ones to swivel their heads around and lock their gazes onto Zekra and her companions.
"Original Dimitri would have stopped my followers before they could have hurt any of you," the Primogenitor went on. "He would become their new master and use them to hold myself down so you all could strike away at myself. They would have listened to him and ignore my own calls. Shadow Dimitri would have used any power he absorbed in the castle and any he absorbed here to aid you. Or they would have synchronized and they would use both of their abilities at once. They were a threat. They had the power to stop myself. If you had brought them here, you would have succeeded.
"But you could not save either of them, and now they are both gone. Your chance of victory has been vanquished now that the Dimitri ones are no more."
Zekra's heart stopped as soon those words rang through her mind. Her mind immediately thought back to Yimtri just as he was fleeing away from her right after he made a portal to the Primogenitor's realm. She could remember the last words he had spoken to her. When he had been saying that his departure was inevitable and he warned Zekra not to follow him, had he only said that because he knew he would die? Had he killed Terron so that the Cubone could no longer run amok, possessed by his plague and killing everyone?
Zekra felt a sting in her eyes at the very thought that Terron and Yimtri were dead. It was inevitable that they were both going to die, as they had all agreed that would happen as soon as the Primogenitor was defeated, but Zekra had wanted them to fight alongside her. If they all had to die, she at least wanted them to be with her so they could enjoy their last moments amongst one another. It was the most Zekra could ask for if this fight against the Primogenitor would be her last.
She wanted to believe that the Primogenitor was lying. She wanted to believe that it was only saying these things to break everyone's spirits and make them feel that everything was futile. But all she had to do was realize that neither Terron nor Yimtri had been themselves last time she saw them. They were both in corrupted forms, tainted beyond recognition.
I'm sorry. It has to be this way.
I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you, Zekra…
Guys… help me.. Please… Please help me…
THERE'S NOBODY TO SAVE!
Zekra could hear these thoughts in her head, taunting her. She pushed her ears down with her claws as she shook her head, but the thoughts would not stop. They only bombarded her relentlessly and clawed away at her heart.
No… No, I can't let this get to me. she told herself. I can't break. I can't break over this. I have to keep fighting… Tear and Yimtri would have wanted that. They want me to keep fighting…
Though her heart still stung and water filled her eyes, Zekra lowered her claws from her head and stood tall. She could still hear the relentless, miserable thoughts tearing away at the walls of her mind, but she knew she couldn't listen to them. She would only tell them that she had to fight for the two Pokémon's sake, no matter how many times they bombarded her. She could not let the misery drown her.
She had to fight until she met her end.
She had to finish what the Dimitri Pokémon had started long ago.
"The time for chatter is over," the Primogenitor then said with cold calculation, not even a hint of satisfaction in its voice. "You are all the last ember of resistance, and it is time to snuff you out once and for all. None of you are welcome in the world of shadows that will be crafted so very soon."
A monstrous maw ripped open on the dragon's face, allowing Zekra to see that it held an alarming amount of black, needle-like teeth. The beast released a loud, ferocious roar that shook the very ground, sending shockwaves across the tower that could rival that of an earthquake Groudon might conjure up with a stamp of his foot. Zekra forced herself to crouch just before she could topple over, but in doing so, she could feel the vibrations ripple through her body all the more strongly. She could practically feel her insides trying to eject out of her throat.
And then all at once like a massive swarm of one mind, the Plagued Ones swooped toward Zekra and her companions with eyes glimmering with sinister delight.
Zekra filled her claws with red power the second that the ground ceased to tremble. She was just about to send the power deep into the ground, but then she remembered that Reshiram, Len, Crystelle, and Impetus were standing near. If she dared to use her explosive power, they would inevitably be caught up in the blast, perhaps eradicated from existence in the process. When she realized this, Zekra reabsorbed the power back into herself and hurriedly plotted for a new, less explosive way to take out the oncoming swarm.
But as it turned out, she didn't have to.
A blast of fire rained down upon the oncoming Plagued Ones, eradicating them instantly. The great pillar swept across the landscape with an alarming speed, incinerating any Plagued Ones in sight the moment they would touch the blazing power. Within a matter of seconds, every single Plagued One the Primogenitor had summoned was erased from existence, leaving only the mighty dragon behind a veil of billowing smoke and shadowy wisps.
"You will not be snuffing out this last glimmer of resistance so easily," Reshiram's voice bellowed from behind Zekra. "The last ember will not fade until it has incinerated every last speck of your being!"
Zekra watched the majestic white dragon of fire then shoot into the sky before soaring straight toward the Primogenitor. He opened his jaws wide as fire burst out the back of his throat and coated his fangs, making them gleam a frightening blue as he closed in on the shadowy dragon. He sank his fangs deep into the Primogenitor's throat and tore his head to the side, but he was not swift enough. The shadow dragon abruptly erupted into hundreds of fragments, scattering away from Reshiram before swiftly flying toward the ground. They melted into it, becoming dark puddles before they swiftly disappeared, leaving no traces. Reshiram spat out a fireball the size of his head at the spot where the Primogenitor once stood before he released a flustered, ear-piercing roar that echoed throughout the dimension.
It was not even a moment later that the Primogenitor shot out of the ground in its whole form. It flung itself at Reshiram, ripping open a jaw on its mouth as a green light formed at the back of its throat. Reshiram was only barely able to swoop into a nosedive as a massive beam shot out of the beast's maw, sailing past the fire dragon and blasting into a flashing image high above. It disappeared harmlessly into the image, though Zekra swore that she saw a flash of green appear within the image's very background not long after.
"We need a plan if we want this to work," Len quickly said, catching Zekra's attention.
Zekra turned toward the Luxray to find that he was gazing at the ensuing between the two Rem fragments with a faraway, ponderous gaze. Impetus and Crystelle also had their attention focused on the Luxray, though they did not speak, only waiting to see what else the former Fellowship leader might say.
"We cannot simply attack that thing," Len explained. "Obviously it's far too swift for us. If we want to be able to defeat that monster and end everything, we have to somehow attack it before it can disperse. We need to distract it while someone else attacks it."
"You really think it's possible to even distract something like that?" Crystelle asked. "I mean, do you see how big that thing is?"
"Of course we can," Len stated firmly. "Anything can be distracted so long as said distraction is adequate enough."
"The Primogenitor seems distracted as of right now," Impetus noted. "Maybe we can use this time to attack it while it attacks Reshiram. I'm sure Reshiram would appreciate us helping him as soon as possible."
"No, it needs to be slightly distracted more," Len said with a shake of his head. "I'm fairly certain that it is still watching us even as it fights Reshiram. I even suspect it might split off a part of itself to attack us so that we cannot create a counterattack."
It was as soon as Len said this that something shot of the Primogenitor's back, erupting from its flesh, and swooped down upon the four with a thunderous thud that nearly knocked them off their feet. They were instantly horrified to find themselves staring face-to-face with yet another dragon, an exact copy of the Primogenitor, if slightly smaller than the original.
"You just had to say it was going to split itself," Zekra growled bitterly under her breath. "You just had to, Len."
The dragon dug its claws into the ground, causing a great wall of darkness to shoot out of the murky ground and circle around the five. The wall rose higher and higher until it seemed to touch the very sky, something that even Zekra knew she could not fly over in her swiftest form. All of them became trapped within this massive barrier, leaving very little room for Zekra and her companions to move and effectively cut off from Reshiram. The Primogenitor copy unfurled its tarnished wings, nearly taking up all of the room in the enclosed space as it glowered down at the puny four.
"Venri and Feral, why do you join with these two hosts?" the dragon asked. "You two know they only synchronized with you because they crave your power. They do not care for your well-being. They still do not heed the suggestions you give them, do they?"
"Zekra cares about me!" Venri shouted as she manifested herself into reality as a Sableye, wearing a deep scowl. "Now shut up! I know what you're trying to do, and it's not going to work! Don't you dare trying to change my mind! I'm not going to get brainwashed by you!"
"Hmmm, and you too Feral," the dragon mused. "I can hear your words so clearly even though you're trapped in that Mienshao's mind. You both continue to rebel against myself. You both are ready to kill myself if it means that your hosts will be happy. That spiteful Darkrai. She has brainwashed both of you with her corrupted taint of the blight. I can only vaguely call you kin now."
A large, red sphere suddenly impacted the dragon's face, creating a large cloud of smoke. Zekra and her companions turned toward Impetus to find that she was holding out one of her paws toward the dragon, shooting it a dark, hateful glimmer.
"I never wanted to be considered kin with you," Impetus spat in a voice that was almost too venomous to be her own voice before turning toward the others. "Create your plan. We'll give you time."
The Mienshao instantly bounded up, landing onto the dragon's massive tail before sprinting upward towards its massive body. As she ran along, she turned her feet into dagger-like objects, creating deep punctures into the beast as she made her way onto its back. The dragon growled under its breath before snapping its head back at Impetus, but just as the jaws were to close in on her, Impetus leapt up and landed on the top of its head. She reeled back her arm, changing it into a lance, before drilling it deep into the spot between the dragon's two eyes. It groaned as it shook its head vigorously, but Impetus only launched herself upward to descend upon the top of its head.
"Venri, seeing as how you're a Plagued One, where exactly are you most vulnerable?" Len asked, turning everyone's attention away from the on-going battle.
"Uhhhh, well let's see," the false Sableye said as she rocked back and forth on her heels. "It really hurts when you attack Zekra's heart, because that's where most of me is. I hang out all over the place inside of Zekra, connected to literally just about every part of Zekra, but a lot of me is where her heart is. Well, where her heart used to be anyway. I'm her heart now."
The Sableye smiled and laughed giddily upon mentioning that, much to Len and Crystelle's apparent dismay, but the two made no remarks. The Umbreon only continued awaiting directions while Len stared up at the behemoth before them, who was busy trying to grab Impetus from off of itself with an alarming number of tendrils produced all over its body.
"I suppose we will have to do the same with this dragon," Len stated. "Perhaps this isn't the true Primogenitor, but if we can vanquish this copy, then maybe we can significantly damage the real one and can kill it with far more swiftness. So, we're going to need somebody who can pierce through its shadowy hide."
Len and Crystelle immediately brought their gazes over to Zekra and Venri. Zekra couldn't help but feel a shudder go down her spine as they locked their eyes onto her.
"Right, because I have huge claws and Venri can make organs explode. Right," Zekra realized. "And um, I guess you guys are going to distract that thing like Impetus while I try to do that?"
"Correct," Len confirmed.
"You'll be fine, Zekra," Crystelle assured her. "You're great at this kind of stuff. Just do your thing and we can hopefully get this over with as fast as possible."
Crystelle and Len gave Zekra a nod, and then swiftly dashed off toward the Primogenitor, closing the already limited space between them and firing bolts of lightning and waves of darkness at the dragon. They crashed into the dragon's chest, causing it to swivel its head away from Impetus momentarily before shooting them a flustered glare. A dozen Plagued Ones sprouted out of its chest before swiftly descending upon the two, fangs open and shrill laughter emitting from their nightmarish forms. Crystelle and Len wasted no time in firing attacks at the ghoulish beings, eradicating them if only for a temporary time. Zekra knew that the Plagued Ones would probably respawn within another minute or two.
Wasting no time, Zekra sprinted toward the behemoth, allowing Venri to synch back up to her as she did so. She felt her plague's thoughts and energy seep back into her body, granting her the power she needed to leap onto its front leg. She sank her claws deep into its tar-like flesh, resisting the urge to shudder as a virulent cold swept over her, and then climbed upward. She could feel something moving beneath the dragon's scales as she ascended, something slithering and writhing beneath her, but Zekra paid it no mind. She couldn't let anything distract her. She had to reach its chest before it noticed that she was on it.
Within a matter of moments, Zekra found herself at the very base of the leg. She could see her area of interest in sight, and knew that she had to make her move quick. There were now about a hundred Plagued Ones surrounding Len and Crystelle, and though the two were fairly successful in fending them off, Zekra knew that they would be growing weary after a while. She needed to vanquish this copy of the Primogenitor and all of the spawn that it was creating.
Zekra took in a deep breath as she flung herself from her spot and shot herself at the spot where the dragon's presumed heart was. Then, she latched onto it with her claws, holding herself steady until she was able to sink the claws upon her feet into the dragon's flesh as well. She could even feel Venri's tendrils crawling out of her claws and tying themselves to something within the Primogenitor to keep her steady.
Alright, ready Venri?
As ready as I'll ever be. Urgh, it's so gross inside of there. There's a bunch of freaky things in here too. Let's just get this over with so I don't have to look at it anymore.
The Zoroark took out one of her claws from the dragon, steadied it in the air, and then jammed it straight into the Primogenitor's chest. She felt Venri's tendrils slither out of her and seep into the Primogenitor, worming their way through a mess of writhing darkness and chambers that she was fairly certain no living creature had within themselves. She could practically see the insides of Primogenitor as Venri made her way through, making her stomach churn. However, she stayed strong and waited for Venri to find the heart of the creature, or something equivalent to it.
I SEE YOU, ZEKRA.
Zekra's heart stopped as the chilling, insidious words entered her mind, and for just a moment, she couldn't move. She felt completely paralyzed with her claw still dug deep into the Primogenitor's body, Venri still slithering her way to the heart.
ARE YOU TRYING TO HURT ME?
Venri… Venri… Did you find the heart yet?
ARE YOU IGNORING ME?
Venri! Hurry it up in there!
THERE IS NO MORE VENRI.
VENRI, WOULD YOU SERIOUSLY HURRY IT UP AND ANSWER ME?!
SHE'S GONE. YOU CONNECTED HER WITH MYSELF AND NOW SHE IS NO MORE.
JUST LIKE YOU WILL BE.
Before Zekra could even comprehend what was happening, a large burst of tentacles sprouted out of the spot where her claw was dug deep into the Primogenitor and wrapped themselves around her arm. Zekra screamed as they then began to pull her into the Primogenitor's body, sucking her into a massive hole that was beginning to open up on its chest. Though she could not see far past the darkness that encompassed the very entrance, Zekra thought she saw the faintest glimmers of eyes staring at her with ravenous intent.
"Zekra!"
Zekra looked up to see Impetus swooping down toward her, claws extended. The Mienshao grabbed the Zoroark before slicing her claws through the mass of tendrils clinging to the Zoroark, cutting through them cleanly. However, just as the two began to descend, a dozen more tendrils shot out of the Primogenitor and tied themselves around Zekra, preventing the two from going anywhere.
"I'm not going to let this thing take you," Impetus vowed as she sharpened her claws with plague energy. "I have lost enough friends already. I am not about to lose another one."
She slashed her claws down upon the tendrils once more, striking them all in one swipe. This time, no tendrils chased after Zekra, allowing the two to fall at a gentle pace due to the dimension's distorted sense of gravity. However, Zekra couldn't help but note that she couldn't hear Venri within her mind. She could clearly see the plague's tendrils seeping back into her claws, but there were no thoughts or even energy to be felt from the normally talkative and vigorous shadow.
"She's myself now…" Zekra whispered hollowly. "What does that mean?"
"What are you talking about?" Impetus asked.
"I heard a voice in my mind say that to me when I was attacking the heart," Zekra explained quietly. "It said there's no more Venri. I mean, I can see her right now and can probably use her powers, but I can't hear her anymore. And that makes me wonder…"
"What do you mean you can't-"
One second, Impetus was giving Zekra a concerned, almost frightful stare. One second, the two were closing in towards the ground with Impetus surely readying them to land safely.
The next second, a massive jaw appeared in the corner of Zekra's eye, stretched wide open with black teeth dripping of a sludge-like substance.
Then before Zekra could realize what was happening, a loud snapping sound filled the air, and darkness suddenly swarmed her vision. Zekra felt herself hit something cold and wet before she fell down a deep, abysmal chasm. She could not stop herself as she plummeted down through the endless black, feeling her mind being sucked into a void of insistent, throbbing migraines. All she could do was allow her mind to drift away as every thought in her mind slowly became meaningless.
All she could register into her fading mind was that Impetus's screams were ringing through the black all around her, harsh and tortured.
And then, there was nothing.
For a while, Zekra couldn't feel or hear anything. All she could remember was falling before she abruptly blacked out, becoming one with the eternal abyss.
And then, she felt something crawling in one of her ears, somehow bypassing the plague armor that covered them. Something cold and slimy, something whispering alien words that held no meaning.
Zekra's eyes snapped open as she swatted at whatever was slithering down her ears, prompting a shrill shriek from the entity. The Zoroark swiftly sat up and swiveled her head toward the noise. What she found made her want to scream and run far away.
It was a black tendril. The sight of it alone, along with the thought that it was trying to get inside of her body, was already unsettling enough to Zekra, but it was what the tendril was retreating into that made her feel as though she had descended straight into the bowels of the underworld.
It was crawling back into a hole in the wall not far from where Zekra sat.
That hole was a mouth on that wall.
There were hundreds of mouths within that wall, all of them connected to a face. Each face belonged to a different type of Pokémon, but they all blended together in a horrifying mesh along the black wall that seemed to writhe and shudder every few seconds. Their eyes, all of them frozen open and glimmering with no light, gazed at her. They showed no movement as their dead eyes bored into Zekra's soul, watching her as they remained embedded into their wall. All of their mouths hung open and were filled with needle-like teeth that seemed just ready to clamp down on any foolish person that dared go near them.
Zekra scooted away from the grotesque wall of faces, but soon found there was no salvation from the horrifying sight. Right behind her was yet another wall of wriggling faces, watching her as tiny tendrils occasionally slithered out of the gaping mouths like serpentine tongues. Even the very ceiling was covered in these frozen faces. The entire hallway-like place she found herself in was infested with the grotesque and unsightly display of faces. Her only salvation was the ground that she sat upon, despite it seemingly being made out of clumps of massive tendrils that would squirm underneath her every time she moved.
What… what is this place? Zekra whimpered within her mind, too afraid to speak aloud. Where am I?
Zekra anticipated that Venri would make some sort of remark, but there was nothing to be heard within the Zoroark's mind. It was only Zekra's thoughts, nothing more.
Venri? Venri, are you there?
There was still no response. She thought she saw a flicker of light near her that for just a second resembled a Sableye, but it vanished before she could gaze at it any longer.
Venri, where are you?
There was another flash of light, this time disappearing into the darkness far more quickly. Zekra didn't even think it had any semblance of a recognizable form.
Venri's gone. The Primogenitor did something to her… and now I'm all alone here.
Zekra felt her skin crawl from beneath her fur as she hugged herself, trying to ignore the slinking movement beneath her and the faces upon the walls. She had to force herself to look down, and though seeing tendrils skulking wasn't a pleasant sight either, she knew it was better than having to gaze at the soul-less and hollow eyes of the numerous faces surrounding her.
No… no I can't stay still. I've got to get out of here. Wherever here is.
Zekra shakily got to her feet, and took in a few deep breaths. Then, she looked down one end of the long and winding hallway she found herself in. She couldn't see anything at the very end of it except for more darkness, but the other end of the hallway was no different. They both led to seemingly nowhere, both to abysses that were quite eager to swallow Zekra whole.
Zekra closed her eyes for a moment, and then dropped on all fours. She was about to bolt down the first hallway she had laid her eyes upon, but then stopped when she saw something resting near the wall close to what appeared to be the face of what was once an Onix. She couldn't make out the details very well from where she stood, but there was something oddly familiar about its vaguely oval-shaped form. The Zoroark crept toward it cautiously, tense and ready to bolt in case the tendrils beneath her sprang up and ensnared her, having no idea what to expect. She considered that maybe it was someone she knew that was down here, or perhaps an object that she had once seen a long time ago. Perhaps it could be something that could even provide her a clue of where exactly she was in this nightmarish, demented realm that was something out of her worst nightmares.
Eventually, Zekra was near enough to the object to see it clearly enough.
What she saw made Zekra bolt down the hallway, not even caring where she went. Her heart raced in her chest, her stomach churned painfully, and her vision was becoming hazy, but she didn't stop. She only kept running, never looking back.
The object that she had seen, lying so silently and so harmlessly, had been Impetus's head.
It had been completely severed from the rest of her body, which was nowhere to be seen. It had been resting there, no blood pooling around it, its wide, panicked eyes staring up at the ceiling with its mouth twisted open, as if screaming endlessly. Black tendrils had been trailing out of its neck, lying as inertly as the head.
Why… Why… Why… Why…
Zekra knew where she was now. The second she locked eyes with the disembodied head of her former friend, she knew exactly what had happened to her.
Zekra had been eaten by the Primogenitor, and now she was wandering about its eldritch bowels.
She would join Impetus's fate soon enough. There was nowhere to escape within the innards of the Primogenitor.
She would die, and so would Len and Crystelle. Then the Primogenitor would devour Reshiram and take over the rest of Shiron. What would happen net, Zekra didn't know. But she didn't need to know.
Shiron's fate had been sealed the second she had been swallowed whole.
Everyone was going to be infested with plague.
And yet, despite knowing this undeniable truth, Zekra kept running. There was a point where she told herself to stop, but she couldn't. Her legs rebelled against her and forced her to keep moving.
She did not know why she ran as though she were the lightning in a great storm. She knew there was no escaping from the intestines of the plagued beast. There was not an opening in sight.
Maybe she thought there was a way out. Maybe some part of her, deep within her subconscious, truly believed she could escape and still defeat the Primogenitor.
Zekra didn't know. All she knew was that she was racing through the insides of the dragon, never stopping even as her legs grew sore and ached.
There's no opening. It's not going to let me out of here. I can't get out. I'm going to be like one of those faces. I'm going to be like Impetus.
Why can't I stop? Why can't I tell myself to stop?
The Zoroark reached a room-like chamber within the Primogenitor that had several platforms made of grotesque chunks of black flesh. They each stood at different heights, leading to something high above that Zekra could not see past in the infinite darkness. Zekra bounded onto them, leaping up one at a time as she went toward this higher area of the Primogenitor's innards. Each time she landed upon the platforms, tendrils emerged from the surface and attempted to wrap around Zekra's ankles, but she was always too quick. They would only loosely tie themselves around her feet before she sprang free and descended onto a new platform, where more tendrils welcomed her. However, she would escape those ones just as easily, and thus the process would repeat over and over again until Zekra finally found herself in another chamber within the Primogenitor's innards.
It was a large, spacious place, holding the same grotesque walls as the rest of the Primogenitor's insides did. However, when Zekra looked closely enough, she saw that in one segment of a wall, there was only one face meshed into the fleshy surface. Unlike the other faces that were practically melted into the walls, this one had its two eyes glimmering with a dim, blue light. White, smoke-like energy seemed to seep out of the wall where the face lay embedded.
Zekra's irresistible urge to run finally ceased as soon as she gazed at the singular face. As soon as she studied it for a few more seconds, she was vaguely able to understand why.
That was face was Nyx's.
Nyx… that's right. Tear said that she got absorbed into the Primogenitor. Zekra realized. So she's just like another face. But why is she all alone? Why aren't there any other faces with her?
You came. I am very glad. I had hoped your blight could still hear me.
Zekra nearly jumped. Zekra got ready to bolt out of the chamber and dash off. She had no idea where she would go, but she couldn't stay in this room anymore.
Zekra, wait. It is okay. It is me. It is Nyx.
The Zoroark stopped herself. She looked back at the Darkrai melted into the wall and thought she saw the faintest traces of movement in its eyes. Grimacing, Zekra crept closer to the Darkrai.
"Nyx?" Zekra asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Nyx… you're alive? But you're…"
I know. This is the fate I have been met with after purposefully absorbing myself into the Primogenitor. But I will not hurt you. You are safe with me.
"But how are you talking to me? You're a part of the Primogenitor's body right now…"
I am communicating through your blight. It might not be able to do much of anything anymore, but it can at least let you hear me.
"Oh, so that's why I couldn't stop running… but Nyx. Nyx, why do you want to talk to me?"
Because I know how all of you can defeat the Primogenitor.
For a moment, Zekra couldn't think of anything to say. She could only stare at the Darkrai deep within the Primogenitor's bowels with a glazed-over expression, trying to register what had just been said.
"Nyx… I'm trapped inside of the Primogenitor. I just got eaten by that thing and I can't talk with Venri anymore. I'm not even sure I can use her powers anymore. And everybody outside probably isn't doing any better, otherwise I still wouldn't be here. How can we possibly beat the Primogenitor?"
All of you are approaching this the wrong way. You think you can destroy the Primogenitor by bombarding it with your most powerful attacks from the outside, but you cannot. The Luxray and Umbreon will not be able to do any lasting damage because they are not blighted. Reshiram does not have the power needed to obliterate every soul that the Primogenitor is using for power. If you still had the Dimitri ones, it would be possible to kill the monster from the outside, but you do not. You will all die long before the Primogenitor ever grows the least bit tired.
"Yeah, I'm already aware…"
If you want to defeat the Primogenitor, there is only one option left.
You need to re-create Rem.
"Rem… you mean that Pokémon that made the Primogenitor in the first place?"
Yes. You need to make Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem merge back together and Rem will be reborn. If you can do that, then the Primogenitor can be defeated.
Quite fortunately for us, Zekrom and Kyurem are here with us in the Primogenitor's bowels and I know exactly where they are.
"Wait… so what you're saying is that-"
Yes. We need to free them.
Any of the despair that had been building within Zekra slowly started to fade away. She felt her jaw drop open as she continued staring at Nyx's frozen state.
"So… we have a chance, then."
Yes. Though the Primogenitor split itself into two beings, they both share the same body. We can find Zekrom and Kyurem in time if we hurry. I do not know how much longer the ones outside will last.
"Alright, let's go find them. Um, how do I get you out of here? You seem really stuck…"
Put your claws above my head. I will tell your blight what to do. It can still free me even though it is crippled.
"Are you really sure that's a good idea? Won't you get hurt? Won't the Primogenitor notice?"
We do not have time for being careful or discreet. Go ahead. Do not worry.
Though the Zoroark couldn't feel the confidence that she wanted to have upon hearing the Darkrai's reassuring words, she still did as asked. She pressed a handful of claws against the grotesque and clammy wall right above the Darkrai's smoke-like hair. As soon as she did so, she felt Venri's tendrils wriggle out of her body and slither into the wall. Zekra watched as multiple cracks sprawled out along the surface, deepening as her tendrils dug further into the bowels.
Then, with a thunderous rumbling noise, Nyx was torn straight out of the wall and collapsed on the ground, ripping Zekra's hand out of the wall. Venri's tendrils were wrapped tight around her body, constricting her like a serpent and sinking into various parts of her wispy form. The wall that Nyx had been torn out of now had a gaping hole within it, hundreds of tiny worm-like tentacles squirming about wildly and smacking one another incoherently. However, Zekra didn't have to look at the dreadful sight for long, for the tendrils soon tied themselves to one another, and then pulled each other closer the other. The two sides of the gaping hole were then pulled together, and within a matter of seconds, there was no longer a massive crater.
Zekra glanced back at Nyx to find that Venri's tendrils were withdrawing themselves from Nyx and retracting back into Zekra's claws. The Darkrai seemed well, unharmed even despite spending months within the Primogenitor, but she did not rise. She only remained on the ground, her eyes flickering dimly with blue light.
"Nyx, are you okay?" Zekra asked cautiously.
Yes. I am only not used to moving again.
The Darkrai pushed her claws against the ground, and then forced herself into the air. She staggered for a moment, as though she had suddenly forgotten how to levitate, before straightening herself out. Once she was able to remain stationary in the air for a moment, she looked back at Zekra.
Thank you. Now, let us find Zekrom and Kyurem. Then, we can finally end everything.
The Darkrai swooped down toward the chamber that Zekra had just emerged from, prompting the Zoroark to follow after her. She followed after the Darkrai as she hurried down another grotesque corridor, her eyes darting about as she eyed seemingly every face upon the walls she passed by.
It was then that a low, guttural growl emitted through the hallway-like bowels, sounding off the walls and seeping into Zekra's ears. Zekra glanced about, searching for the source of the strange, frightening noise, but found there was nothing but the usual sight of nightmarish faces plastered along the walls. She glanced over at Nyx, perhaps seeing if the noise might be coming from her, but found that the Darkrai was only swooping forward in silence.
"Nyx, do you hear that?" Zekra asked quietly. "That weird, growling sound?"
Ignore it.
"Wait, so you can hear it? What is it?"
I do not know, but I do not want to find out. Keep moving and do not talk aloud. It might find us if you do.
Though Zekra wasn't comforted by this, she kept her jaw clamped shut and continued tailing Nyx. It wasn't long before the two exited their elongated hallway and found themselves in yet another chamber. However, Kyurem and Zekrom were nowhere in sight. All that made up the faces of the walls were ordinary Pokémon. Zekra thought she even recognized one or two of the faces.
Nyx stopped in the midst of the room, gazing at the three pathways that lay before her. She glanced at each one of them as her eyes glimmered softly in the darkness. Then, after observing the sight for a moment, she chose the corridor farthest to the left. Zekra was only barely able to chase after her before she disappeared too far into the darkness, becoming one with it.
As the two raced through the corridor, Zekra couldn't help but notice that something did not seem right with the walls. Though they were still made up of hundreds of melted, meshing faces, there was something decidedly off about the particular walls of the corridor the two were rushing through. Zekra couldn't name what, as none of the faces appeared to be showing any signs of movement nor were there any tentacles seeping out of their mouths, but there was something about the deadness in their eyes that Zekra felt was not present in the other faces she had seen throughout the Primogenitor's innards.
When the two of them reached the end of the tunnel, they found that they were in yet another chamber devoid of the great dragons they each sought. Not only that, but they had reached a dead end as well. There were no corridors that allowed entry to other segments of the Primogenitor, nor platforms that could give access to higher chambers. They were simply in a spacious circular room the size of a Fellowship base conference room, the faces of the Primogenitor's devoured the only things to keep them company.
Nyx hovered in place as she glanced around with a dark glare.
The layouts of this demented dragon changed.
Huh? Zekra asked within her mind.
The paths in the Primogenitor's bowels are changing on me. I know where Zekrom and Kyurem are after spending much time in that wall and being one with the Primogenitor, but the Primogenitor does not want me to reach them. It is creating paths that lead to places like this.
That's… well I get that we're inside of a freaky shadow dragon. But I don't think it knows we're here. Plus, I really don't know how it can actually rearrange its guts so that we can't get to those two… that just sounds really, really out there.
Nyx glanced back at the Zoroark with her resentful gaze still present, but before she could seemingly transmit her thoughts to Zekra, there was a loud and unnatural hissing sound. Zekra and Nyx watched as their only exit suddenly swarmed with hundreds of tendrils that swiftly meshed together. Then, before the two could fling themselves through the disappearing gaps of the wriggling tendrils, they formed a solid wall, sealing them inside of the vacant room.
"I FOUND YOU."
Zekra twisted her head toward a nearby wall to see that there were no longer a large number of faces melted into it. Instead, there was now one singular, massive face embedded into the wall. One face with large, glowing white eyes and a massive snout that was far larger than both Zekra and Nyx's entire bodies. Its entire mass almost took up the whole surface of the wall.
Zekra knew that face all too well.
"TRYING TO TAKE THE FRAGMENTS FROM INSIDE MYSELF I SEE. HOW AMUSING."
The eyes gave off a sinister glint as the face slowly seeped out of the wall, detaching itself from the lining of the Primogenitor's bowels with the rest of its body following suit. Zekra was horrified to see that the body was not a replica of the Primogenitor's actual body, but rather composed of parts of from what appeared to be other dragons. Though it was difficult to see beneath the thick plague energy covering that protected the beast, Zekra could see what lay beneath that shadowy exterior in the fleeting moments the darkness would recede for just a moment. Its body was seemingly made of obsidian and frigid ice, meshed together in an awkward and disjointed fashion that made Zekra feel that the creature would break apart with one strike. Its arms were muscular and hung near its feet, able to smash a boulder into pieces with one blow, yet its two wings were far too small to adequately support it in the air as well as fixated upon its back with such frail ice. And yet, it showed no signs of weariness as it emerged from the wall upon its stooped and short legs.
You took them… you absorbed Zekrom and Kyurem instead of leaving them on the walls like me.
"YES."
It slid completely out of the wall before it hulked over Zekra and Nyx, watching them with its circular, soulless eyes, as if relishing the petrified states of the two. Then, it rushed toward them on all fours, its claws making a terrible scratching sound that made Zekra want to cover her ears.
Nyx fired a black pillar of energy at the beast just before it was to collide into them and perhaps tear them to pieces. It swiftly leapt over the Darkrai's attack and continued its impressive bound over the two Pokémon before crashing into the wall behind them. The two watched as it oozed harmlessly into the black lining of the Primogenitor's body, seamlessly merging with it until there was nothing but a pair of glowing white eyes staring straight at them.
"THIS IS YOUR NEW HOME NOW."