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Chapter 93
Don't Go
Zekra always knew she was destined to die after her great battle against the Primogenitor.
Since the very moment she became plagued deep within Erebus Woods, her fate had been sealed. Though her plague was not nearly connected to her back then as it was now, she was a Plagued One either way. She held a part of the Primogenitor within herself that clung to her body and soul, absorbing her power as it grew stronger.
She knew the moment the Primogenitor fell, she would too. She had always known this in the back of her mind, even long before Terron had ever confirmed it. If she was to save the world, she had to be willing to give up her very life. She had to relinquish her hold on the mortal realm of existence and allow her spirit to fade away to the spirit dimension.
And yet, just as Rem was to kill the Primogenitor and fulfill Zekra's destiny, she had a thought.
What if she didn't have to die? What if there was a way to keep living, even with the Primogenitor no longer a menace?
It was with this thought that she then understood the Primogenitor's begging words with more clarity. She saw what it truly wanted and realized that perhaps there was a way for her to continue living after all.
Perhaps there was a way for everyone to stay alive and for everyone to be happy.
So she had stopped Rem. She had told him what the Primogenitor truly wanted and that there was another way to prevent Shiron from falling under the shadow's control. She told the great deity these things because she did not feel that so many Pokémon dying in the name of saving the world was right. To her, it felt more similar to genocide.
She of course said these things as well because she knew how the Primogenitor felt. Of course she understood the loneliness and deep sorrow that it felt deep within its soul after being rejected by Rem. Venri had felt all these things, and in some ways, Zekra had as well. She could still remember how her very heart seemed to be nothing but a dark, endless abyss in the times where she had lost those she cared most for.
But mostly, she wanted a way for everyone to be able to live. She didn't want so many lives to perish with the Primogenitor.
Zekra wanted a happy ending.
But as it turned out, it did not matter. Rem had absorbed the Primogenitor back into himself, she had clearly seen that, but it did not keep her alive.
She had died, as if Rem had actually killed the Primogenitor as he originally intended to.
Zekra didn't understand why. She had been so sure that Rem synchronizing with his shadow will keep everyone alive. The shadow wouldn't be destroyed, and it could continue to peacefully live on within Rem. Perhaps Rem would even gain the power to harmlessly retract the plague from everyone's bodies thanks to the synchronization.
But that had not happened.
Death was the fruit of Zekra's labors.
Zekra realized that perhaps she had been too hopeful. When she took the time to further ponder in the idea, she realized that there never was a reason for her to believe that the synchronization would keep everyone alive. So what if the Primogenitor became a part of Rem again? It probably only meant that the shadow had relinquished its power as it became one with Rem. And in doing so, it had probably released its hold on the plague it put within so many Pokémon. Then the plague, having no one to command it, probably withered up and died. It most likely could not live without someone to give it orders. With so many of the hosts so dependent on the plague for life, it would only be natural for the hosts to die not long after the plague left their bodies. Or perhaps the plague simply retreated back into the Primogenitor after it merged back with Rem, ripping out the host's spirit in the process and killing them that way.
Zekra wasn't exactly sure what the reason was. She couldn't wrap her mind around it.
However, it didn't matter much in the end.
All that mattered was that Zekra was residing in a strange place. She still held her synchronized Zoroark form, much to her surprise, but she knew she wasn't anywhere within the mortal realm. She was instead within an abysmal world of red and black with splotches of a smoke-like substance drifting aimlessly above her. Within those clouds, she would see flashes of images, just as she had seen within the Primogenitor's realm. However, rather than showing a seemingly infinite amount of worlds of varying species, she only saw glimpses of Pokémon and strange, bipedal creatures she could not recognize. She knew that the Pokémon were from Shiron, as the landscapes all seemed very familiar to her, but she did not know the location of the glimpses that the unknown, two-legged creatures remained in. However, Zekra decided not to dwell in it.
In some ways, this realm reminded her of the mindscape that she and Venri once shared before they were synchronized. There was no ground in this realm, yet she lay upon something clearly tangible beneath her, just as Venri's realm did. And yet, this dimension held slightly more life to it with the red that streaked through the atmosphere, yet at the same time, held a gloomy and oppressive air to it.
Venri… I wonder if she can talk now.
Zekra closed her eyes, even though there was not much difference between the back of her eyelids and the world outside. She called out Venri's name within her head as she searched about with her mind's eye, peering into every crevice, dark corner, and gap within her mind that she found.
Venri? Venri, are you here?
There was no response. Just as with before, her shadow was nowhere to be found. She could not feel Venri's presence anywhere. The overbearing vigor and carnal cravings that were Venri were nowhere to be found.
Zekra sighed as she opened her eyes and sat up before staring into the sky. She saw a particularly large, purple cloud with stripes of black pass her by before seemingly disappearing into nothingness.
So this is the spirit realm, I guess. It's so empty and sad… I figured that there'd be Pokémon here. Or at least my friends and family. I always thought when you die they come greet you so that you're not scared. But no one's here… not even Tear…
Not even Venri…
Maybe this isn't the spirit dimension. Maybe I'm literally just trapped inside of some other place.
So I don't even get to die, I guess. I get to be here in this weird place.
All for not killing the Primogenitor and just wanting to find a way to let everyone live…
The Zoroark hung her head and held her face with her claws. This was her reward for foiling the Primogenitor's plans apparently. Her reward for stopping its infestation of Shiron was to forever remain within this ethereal and eternal dimension, no one to keep her company.
Zekra felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She could feel them overwhelming her vision and making everything around her blurry. She could feel the darkness filling up her heart and draining the miniscule amounts of vigor she still had left.
But just as Zekra was to submit to the despair crawling over her, she saw something between the spaces of her claws. Something that was not black and red as the rest of this strange world was.
It was something brown.
The Zoroark lowered her claws before wiping away any tears that had trickled out of her eyes. Then, she squinted her eyes and peered at the strange, brown object that was not far from where she sat. She only had to gaze at it for one second before she realized what it was. The moment the realization hit her, she nearly gasped.
It was a helmet-less Marowak, lying motionlessly on its side.
Zekra sprinted toward the Marowak before she even knew it. All of the lethargy that had been threatening to pull her under was eradicated as she hurried over to the Pokémon's side. She knew that it could have been a trick. She knew that the Marowak might not be who she thought it was. However, she didn't care. She had to see the Marowak. She had to know for sure.
Seconds later, Zekra stood right beside the Marowak. It still had not woken from its seemingly peaceful slumber. It only remained asleep with its eyes shut gently and its breathing soft and deep. Its paws were curled inward, as if it were grasping a bone that its species was known for, and its tail would gently slide along the invisible ground every so often. Despite lacking a weapon or a helmet, it appeared to be a normal, average Marowak.
But Zekra refused to believe that. She knew who this Marowak truly was. There was something in the way it slumbered that seemed so similar to the way a particular Cubone she knew once did.
Zekra knelt down beside the Marowak and placed her claws on its side. The Marowak did not stir, though its brows knitted together and an unpleasant scowl quickly etched itself over its muzzle.
"T-Tear…?" Zekra asked softly. "Tear, is that you…?"
The Marowak didn't respond. Zekra then shook the slumbering Pokémon, trying to be gentle, but ultimately failing. She needed the Marowak to wake up. She needed to know who it really was.
She needed to know that she wasn't alone in this dimension.
The Marowak's eyes suddenly snapped open, revealing a pair of blue irises. Zekra felt her heart soar when she saw those eyes. She knew those eyes.
Those were Terron's eyes.
"Tear! Tear, it's you!" Zekra cried joyously. "Oh, I'm so glad! I-"
A bright light went over the Marowak's body. Zekra retracted her claws from his hide as the Marowak's entire being was devoured by the light, making it so that she could barely look at him without seeing colorful dots in her vision. She watched as the light morphed, changing from a Marowak's shape to a larger, taller shape that was about a head taller than Zekra's own body. The head shrank and became more rounded while the paws split, creating five individual claws on each hand.
Then, the light vanished, and Zekra found she was no longer gazing down upon a Marowak.
She wasn't sure what it was. It had a similar body structure to the Marowak, only its limbs were more elongated and its body lacked a tail. There was no fur or scales to cover its body anymore, there now being a fabric similar to what Terron had worn as a coat at one point. It was a dark brown coat with a hood, though now it reached closer to his knees than his abdomen. There was a strange, metal line running down the middle of the coat, along strange, leathery strap around his waist and various parts of his arms. From underneath that coat Zekra could see that the creature had black fabric attached to its upper body and lower body. More strange fabric covered his feet that seemed tough and durable, far more so than the fabric already covering the creature's body. The only part of the creature not covered up by fabric were its delicate yet strong hands and its head.
Zekra found the head to be the most puzzling part of the creature. It was a round head and the top of it was the only place where the being had fur. It was black fur, though it seemed far more lengthy and messy than most fur she had seen on various Pokémon's heads, going past the creature's ears at various parts. Which of course lead to the rest of the creature's head traits, like the ears that were on the side of its head and were in an odd, curved shape that Zekra had not seen before on other creatures. Its nose and mouth did not protrude out, instead remaining upon a mostly flat face like a Jynx. And perhaps strangely of all, it had a rather long neck. Perhaps not quite as lengthy as some Pokémon's necks, but still longer than ones on a Marowak.
Zekra gazed down into the unknown creature's eyes, and was immediately startled by what she saw.
They were blue eyes. Blue eyes that seemed so deep that she felt she might practically become lost within them if she stared at them for too long.
They were still Terron's eyes.
"Tear… what happened to-"
Before Zekra could further comprehend what this meant, the creature finally noticed Zekra crouching over it. It let out a scream before abruptly sitting up and backing away from the Zoroark.
"How?" the creature demanded in a male, gravelly voice that resonated with both almost inhuman strength and escalating unease at once. "How are you talking?"
"Wha… What?" Zekra asked, laughing nervously. "Tear, what kind of a question is that? I've always been able to talk."
"You're a Zoroark," the creature spat as he pointed a finger at her. "Zoroark don't talk. That is, they're not supposed to from what I've read. Unless…"
The creature glanced around, glaring at his ethereal surroundings for a moment before bringing his harsh stare back to Zekra. Any traces of unease that had been present in the creature's eyes suddenly melted away as a stronger, resolute light glimmered in his eyes. He did not tremble nor did he show any signs of bolting into the distance. He was firmly rooted to his spot, completely in control and unwavering before Zekra.
"This is an illusion, isn't it?" he asked. "You trapped me in one of your illusions and you're making yourself talk in it. Is that it? Is that what's going on?"
"What? No, Tear! I'm not trapping you in an illusion!" Zekra said quickly. "You can understand me because you're a Pokémon just like me! Tear, I don't-"
"I'm not a Pokémon, Zoroark," he hissed. "Look at me. I don't look like any Pokémon in existence."
"But just a second ago you were-"
The creature abruptly stood up. Then, he outstretched both of his arms, making himself look as large as possible as he shot the Zoroark a glare that made her insides churn uncomfortably.
"Look at me. I'm not a Pokémon. I am a human being."
Zekra's heart stopped. She knew there was a reason why she thought the creature's form seemed so familiar. Though she had never seen humans in real life, Terron had always provided adequate descriptions of them. He was able to create a visual image within her mind that somewhat resembled some Pokémon she had seen, but at the same time, was a type of creature unique all on its own.
Zekra looked over the creature again, and soon realized how much this creature matched Terron's descriptions. The bipedal body, the fur that only grew out of his head, the hands with five flat claws, the almost frail form…
A human stood before Zekra. A younger adult from how Terron described their ages as well. Or perhaps he was an adolescent. Zekra wasn't entirely sure. She had always felt they were almost the same in appearance. But that didn't matter. There was a human standing in front of her. A very angry, frustrated human who did not realize he had been a Marowak seconds ago.
A sudden thought came over Zekra. It was momentary, but it struck with a surprising amount of clarity that instantly explained what was occurring before her.
And yet, she did not want to believe it. Even though it made so much sense, she did not want to admit that it was right. Because if it was right…
"I don't know where you came from when you're just a myth or why you've trapped me in this odd illusion…" the human said, lowering his arms, "but I want out. Take me back to Kuron, Zoroark. I don't want to play games with you."
It took Zekra a second to find her voice again. There was something hard clogging her throat and she had to swallow to make it more bearable.
"I'm not trapping you in an illusion," Zekra explained. "This is just some weird dimension I got sucked into. And I guess you got sucked into it too for some reason…"
"You're lying," the human growled at her, boring his spiteful gaze deeper into her own more shirking one. "You brought me here. You dragged me here so you could mess with me. You are the one distorting my entire perception reality."
"I'm not lying!" Zekra cried desperately. "Tear, I swear, I'm not the one who brought you here! Tear, please, listen to me. I-"
"My name isn't Tear. I don't know why you're calling me that, but that's not my name. My name is Dimitri."
Zekra's heart shattered. She found she couldn't move. She told herself to get up, or say something to the human, but she could not. She was frozen to her spot, staring at the human with her eyes frozen open.
No…
No…
This isn't…
This isn't happening…
"Take me back to Kuron," the human said again, this time more firmly. "I don't want to be a part of your illusion anymore."
"But… but I don't even know where we are…" Zekra babbled. "I just woke up here just like you. I have no idea where we are. Tear, I'm-"
"Stop calling me Tear!"
Zekra didn't know what was happening until it was too late. One second, the human was yelling at her, demanding to be taken out of her illusionary trick. And then the next second, he had closed the gap between them with an astonishing, unnatural speed. He shoved her down to the ground and wrapped all of his fingers around her neck. Zekra couldn't help but shudder as she looked into his narrowed eyes that seemed to burn with the very fire from the underworld. She could not even move despite knowing that she could easily overpower the human. She could not, because she saw something in those human's eyes.
She saw Yimtri within those eyes, glaring down at her the exact same way he had when he was trying to kill her within that church.
Zekra realized in that moment that her dreaded thoughts were right; this human wasn't Terron.
It was Terron and Yimtri.
They had finally synchronized, forming the human that they once were so many years ago.
"Dimitri…" Zekra said in a quiet, pained voice. "Dimitri… what's the last thing that you remember?"
"What kind of a question is that?" he asked in return as he narrowed his gaze.
"It'll… It'll help me figure out what's going on," Zekra answered. "I need to know… So just tell me, and I'll try to figure out a way for us to get out of here."
Dimitri scowled at her and for a moment, he did nothing. However, his hard gaze eventually did soften, if only by a small amount.
"I was going home," Dimitri answered. "I was coming home after going to this ice cream parlor I have nearby. I was having a nightly craving for ice cream for some reason, and I went out to get myself some. The last thing I remember was walking up my driveway. Then I'm suddenly here, with you."
"You don't remember anything else?" Zekra asked, her heart sinking deeper and deeper with each word he spoke. "You don't remember ever meeting any other Pokémon?"
"Pokémon aren't real," Dimitri scoffed. "They're just myths we like to think are real but don't have any real proof, like aliens or Black Lightning. At least, that's what everyone says. But of course you're here with me, so maybe Pokémon are real after all."
"No Pokémon…? Not even… you 've never even seen a huge black dragon at the bottom of a cavern?"
"No, why would a dragon even be at the bottom of a cavern? What kind of a question is-"
Dimitri suddenly winced and released his hold on Zekra. He got off of her as he squeezed his eyes shut and grabbed the side of his head, grasping thick wads of his hair. He dug his fingers deep into his scalp as he turned away from Zekra, releasing low groaning sounds.
"Dimitri?" Zekra asked cautiously as she slowly got to her feet, though keeping her distance from the human. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
The human didn't answer her. He only fell over onto his side, now holding his head with both of his hands. Zekra, despite knowing better, hurried over to his side. When she was right before him and was about to place her claws upon him, she saw something that made her freeze in place.
Dimitri's hands emitted black wisps. They were not completely enveloped in them, and they were the only part of his body that held the darkness, but they still streamed from his flesh just as the haze of the Plagued Ones did.
Before Zekra could attempt to comprehend this, Dimitri's eyes shot open and locked onto her. His pained expression suddenly vanished as an almost primal and dangerous glimmer glinted in his eyes.
"What did you do to me?" he demanded. "What are you putting into my head?"
"I don't know what you're talking about…" Zekra tried to say.
"Why are you putting all of these images in my head?" he demanded, harsher this time. "Why do I see myself living amongst all of these Pokémon in this giant tree? Why am I leading an entire army of Pokémon out of these mines and away from other Pokémon that want to kill us? Why am I watching myself being taken over by a monster and eating everyone in sight? Why do I see myself killing a giant monster in a huge volcano? Why… Why do I see all of these things that don't make any sense and contradict one another?"
Dimitri's eyes glimmered with a frightful light as the wisps escaping from his hands seemed to increase in number. For just a brief second, Zekra did not see a human being before her.
She saw Yimtri when he had been an eldritch abomination within the Fellowship.
"What are you doing to me?" he snarled in what was undeniably Yimitri's voice.
"I'm not doing anything!" Zekra cried. "Those are your memories! Those are your memories as two different Pokémon! When you were a Cubone and a Sableye."
Dimitri shot her a panicked expression for a mere second, but it was quick to be drowned out by an even more spiteful glare. Zekra even thought she saw his eyes give off a sinister blue hue.
"No, those aren't my memories," Dimitri growled. "They're not mine. They're fake. They're imagined. I was never a Pokémon, let alone two of them! Quit toying with me!"
"But you were!" Zekra insisted. "You were split in half because of an incident and you got thrown into the Pokémon dimension!"
Zekra grabbed the back of her mane and reached for the black, folded cape holding it. She swiftly brought it closer to Dimitri and pointed her claw at it.
"This was yours!" she told him. "You wore this when you were on Shiron leading everybody in Dusk Mines. Don't you remember this? Don't you remember you giving it to me?"
Dimitri flashed her a dangerous glare before squeezing his eyes shut and curling inward.
"That wasn't me…" he told himself. "That wasn't me… I never…"
"You were my best friend!" Zekra went on, her voice begging. "You were always by my side! We fought together against the Plagued Ones, no matter what happened! You... you meant everything to me! You were my reason to live, and my reason to die!"
Tears welled up in Zekra's eyes as dropped her mane and reached toward the human with a claw.
"Tear, Yimtri, please…" she whimpered. "Please… please remember! Don't do this to me! I LOVED YOU!"
"NO! IT'S ALL FAKE! STOP DOING THIS TO ME! I'M DIMITRI, NO ONE ELSE!"
The human slammed one of his hands into the ground. The dark wisps escaping from his skin suddenly ceased to stream up into the air and sank into the ground, merging with the perpetual black and red atmosphere. Zekra and Dimitri both watched as the darkness suddenly swirled around like a vortex, growing larger and larger with each passing second as streaks of purple seeped into it.
Within moments, the two found themselves in the presence of what Zekra knew to be a portal. It looked exactly like the portal that Yimtri had conjured up to allow her and her friends passage to the Primogenitor's world.
Dimitri glanced back at Zekra for one fleeting moment, watching her with a hesitant, almost fearful gaze.
Then, he dove into the portal.
"Dimitri, NO!" Zekra screamed.
She flung herself at him, but it was too late. Dimitri disappeared inside of the vortex, and by the time Zekra reached the spot where he once stood, the portal had closed itself up.
Thus, once again, Zekra found herself all alone, but now with a bitter revelation that tore into her heart and seemed to rend it to pieces.
Terron and Yimtri were still alive and had synchronized successfully. They had become Dimitri just as they had predicted.
However… they could no longer remember who they were.
They had lost all sense of identity the second that they had become their whole self. Even though Dimitri seemed to have their memories, they meant nothing to him. They were completely disconnected from him. He could not comprehend that he had two previous lives as two very different, yet very similar Pokémon. To Dimitri, Terron and Yimtri and their experiences were nothing more than figments of his imagination.
This only meant one thing to Zekra. One thing that she had tried to reject over and over again the second Dimitri woke up, but could do so no longer.
Terron and Yimtri were gone forever and would never be coming back.
It was with this epiphany that Zekra finally lost any strength that Dimitri's presence had conjured up within her. Despite being trapped in an otherworldly dimension far removed from Shiron and having no one to keep her company, she had found the strength to not break down the second she saw Dimitri. She had thought that she would no longer be alone in this realm and be reunited with the synchronized form of the one she loved most and his shadow.
But now she knew that Dimitri wasn't who she thought he was. Terron and Yimtri no longer existed within Dimitri. They were wiped from existence, never to be seen again. Not even in death could Zekra be reunited with them. She would never see the one who had been by her side since the Plagued Ones had destroyed her old life, nor would she see the insidious yet valiant one she had misunderstood for so long.
When this awful revelation hit Zekra, she did the only thing she could do with the dwindling strength of a broken heart.
She slumped to the ground and cried bitterly.
Zekra didn't know how long she had been crying. Perhaps it had only been minutes. Perhaps it had been hours. Zekra wasn't sure.
All she knew was that her tears had finally run dry and she was lying on the ground. She felt numb all over, and she could not feel anything within herself. Her thoughts were non-existent, there was no beat within her chest, and there were no feelings from her exhausted heart.
She was simply empty.
All she could do was stare off into the distance with glazed over eyes. She could see more smoke drifting past her and also thought she saw bursts of red lightning from within their dark mass, but she could barely register the sight. To her, it was as interesting as a blank wall.
Everything lacked meaning to her. There was nothing to connect to anymore. Everything seemed to be on another plane of existence, separated by an invisible veil.
Zekra didn't know what she wanted to do anymore. She could not even will herself to sit up. All she wanted to do was stare up at the meaningless sky of the ethereal dimension and do so until she died.
If she ever died, that was. She knew she was still plagued. Even though she couldn't hear Venri, she knew that the plague still existed within her. She would have held the appearance of an ordinary Zoroark if she had been stripped of her plague. But she did not. She still held her demonic attributes, meaning that she was still synchronized with the plague. She could even see the tinniest hints of tendrils leaking out of the tips of her claws for just a brief moment before retracting back inside of her body.
She was still immortal most likely and thus doomed to remain in this dimension until the end of time.
There's a way out of here.
It took Zekra a moment to realize that those sudden words were echoing from within her mind and not from the dimension. She had forgotten the sensation of hearing her thoughts. The sensation and even the voice sounded alien to her.
Dimitri left with a portal he made. Maybe I can make one too.
Zekra didn't know how that was possible. She had many abilities, but making portals was not one of them. She wasn't sure how Dimitri was able to create his portal, but that didn't change the improbability of Zekra creating her own portal.
No, there is a way for me to make a portal.
Zekra closed her eyes and released a sigh.
No there isn't. she told her thoughts. I'm stuck here. Stop talking.
I'm getting out of here.
No I'm not. I'm staying here. I'm tired. I just want to sleep.
I'm leaving this place and I know how to do it.
I can't make portals.
I can make portals.
No I can't. I can't… I'm stuck here. I'm stuck here all alone because I wanted to live instead of die. I'm stuck here without anybody. I'm stuck here knowing that I'll never see the one Pokémon I loved more than anyone ever again.
There was a pause within her mind. Zekra exhaled deeply and tried to find peace within the vapid space that was now her mind.
Yes, I can. I can get out of here. I can because I can copy any power anybody else does in front of me.
Zekra's eyes snapped open as the thoughts' implication registered into her mind. She swiftly sat up as something dawned over her, something that broke her gloomy and hopeless mind state.
She was not doomed to forever live within this empty realm. There was a way out.
Zekra thought about Dimitri and the moment before he disappeared. She thought about how his hands gave off those shadowy wisps and how when he slammed them into the ground, they created a portal.
Zekra knew that she had to do just that. She knew that she was an illusionist and that theoretically, she wasn't supposed to replicate powers and make them her own. However, she was synchronized with the plague. Thanks to the plague, her illusions were no longer imaginary.
They made everything real.
Zekra held out her hands, took a deep breath, and then concentrated. She focused hard on the very power that had been streaming from Dimitri's hands, and though it stung her heart to think about him, she pressed on. She needed to get out of this realm.
She needed to get back to Shiron and see what had happened thanks to her efforts.
She had to make sure that Shiron still existed and that it had not been wiped out because of her actions.
There was a flicker of light, and then black flames sprouted out of Zekra's claw tips. She couldn't resist smiling a little as the darkness spiraled down her claws, covering them completely and spreading further. Within seconds, both of her hands up to her wrists were encased with the wispy energy, licking at the air excitedly. Zekra marveled the wondrous sight as she flexed her claws, feeling the power coursing through her body.
It was so unlike plague power, and yet at the same time, so similar. It filled her with a great power that felt almost like a living flame was burning in her heart as her plagued power always did. However, it also plunged infinite possibilities into her mind. Hundreds of thousands of locations filled her thoughts, all of them shifting and folding in on themselves in her thoughts like a kaleidoscope. She nearly lost her hold on reality as she watched all of the images swirl and morph into new images within her mind, putting her into a hypnotic trance.
Yet, Zekra was able to stop herself before she fell too far. She forced her wandering mind to come back to reality and focused all of her thoughts on making a portal manifest before her. She spread out her claws as she imagined the portal into the existence, remembering the swirling mesh of black and purple that appeared before Dimitri. She told her mind how much she needed that portal so that she could return back home to Shiron, imaging the world that she belonged to and all of the Pokémon that she had known.
The black wisps seeping out of Zekra's claws wafted into the air before her, and slowly created a familiar circle shape. Zekra's smile widened as a vortex of black and purple the size of her eyes manifested before her before growing larger, making low whirling arounds as it did so.
Within a matter of moments, the exact same portal Dimitri had created was before Zekra, beckoning her to enter it.
Zekra lowered her claws and sighed deeply as she took a moment to revel in her victory. She had actually done it. She had created a portal just as Dimitri had. She had actually copied his power and could finally escape from this otherworldly realm.
"I can go home," Zekra whispered under her breath.
Zekra looked behind her and took in the dimension she had not yet left. Though she had created an exit out of its seemingly vast endlessness, the dimension did not create a malicious atmosphere. There were no denizens summoned from afar to keep her within its infinite land, nor any supernatural forces arising from beneath her feet. The dimension only remained empty, as if apathetic to Zekra's departure.
And for that, Zekra was grateful.
She brought her gaze back to the portal to find that it was still before her, patiently waiting for her and showing no signs of disappearing. It had not shrunk in the slightest.
Zekra took one last look at the empty realm, making sure nothing was watching her from afar, and then stepped inside of the portal.
For a moment, there was nothing but darkness. There was no light to guide her as Zekra fully submerged herself into the portal. The light of the surreal dimension wouldn't shine through the portal, and for just a moment, Zekra grew afraid that she had created a portal with no exit. She thought that perhaps she would be dropped off into a dark dimension, or perhaps a black hole, and she would never be able to escape.
But just before her thoughts could become erratic, the darkness disappeared, and Zekra found herself in a world of light. Zekra looked behind her just in time to see the portal dissipate into the air, shrinking itself down. Within a few seconds, it had completely removed itself from existence, not a trace of it left. Zekra stared at the spot for a moment longer, waiting to see if the portal would rematerialize, but it never did. All that she found herself staring at was a damaged pillar, chunks of its shaft shattered and resting on the marble floor beside Zekra.
When Zekra finally realized that the portal would not return, she slowly turned back around and took in her new surroundings. It didn't take her long to recognize where she was.
She was back at Pledge Mountain's Fellowship, in a hallway near the entrance of the grand building.
Shiron still existed despite her earlier worries.
The corridor was in complete ruins from what Zekra knew to be the battle that had occurred when the Fellowship members were defending the castle. Tapestries lay shredded in heaps, deep black marks charred the walls and floors, all of the windows within the hallway were shattered, and a number of corpses lined the corridor, their blood staining the marble a thick red. There was not a single living Pokémon to be seen.
Zekra went over to one of the broken windows and peered out of it. The sun was beginning its descent far into the smoke-filled horizon, casting a warm glow over the castle, bringing an almost peaceful feeling despite the carnage surrounding Zekra. She could clearly remember it being the afternoon when the attack had started and began to wonder if it was still the same day. For all she knew, that dimension she had been trapped in had worked on its own time, and she had been whisked away from Shiron for several days.
It was then that Zekra remembered the corpses. The blood that ran out of their bodies and pooled around them was still fresh. It had not grown rancid, nor had it stained the flooring with smudgy brown coloring.
It was still the same day after all. Zekra had not been gone for more than a couple of hours, much to her great relief.
However, that still did not answer the question of where everyone was. Surely there had to be survivors. Not everyone could have perished while she was fighting the Primogenitor with her friends, and she was certain Rem's synchronization didn't obliterated all life on Shiron as well.
Zekra left the window and made her way out of the Fellowship. The second she exited the grand hall and found herself near the mountain's edge, she found quite a baffling sight before her.
Rayquaza lay sprawled out along the ground, the end of his tail hanging off the edge of the cliff and dipping down into the foothills. Both of his eyes were shut tight and not a single muscle upon his body twitched. Zekra would have thought that the guardian of the sky was dead, but she could distinctly see the rise and fall of his chest and hear the air exiting from his nostrils.
But perhaps most surprising of all, Zekra could no longer detect any plague within the dragon. Before, he reeked of plague, as if completely doused in it. Zekra could feel it wafting from his body even as she flew past him to save Yimtri and Terron from splattering all over the Fellowship entrance. It had been that powerful, which Zekra knew was the result of him being a legendary beast tainted with plague.
And yet, she could feel none of that ominous energy from the dragon. She could feel a great power still emitting from his scales and seeping into the atmosphere, but it did not seem insidious. It seemed something entirely natural, something similar to the atmosphere that she felt whenever she was close Reshiram.
Zekra watched Rayquaza's eyes for the subtlest hints of movement. However, the dragon continued to remain within a deep slumber. He did not show any signs of waking soon.
When she realized this, Zekra made her way over to the cliff's edge. Then, once she was perched precariously over the edge, she peered down into the foothills far below. In the sunset glow, Zekra could see that the hills were utterly ravaged. Reshiram's divine flames had doused everything with their great heat, leaving the entire landscape a charred wasteland. There was not a single speck of green or brown amongst the hills as the last remnants of fires burned quietly in the distance. Embers and ashes drifted through the darkening, hazy sky.
But it was not the burnt remains of the foothills that got most of Zekra's attention. It was the fact that amongst those charred hills, at the very base of the mountain where the staircase lay, there were Pokémon.
There were hundreds, if not thousands of them. Zekra couldn't see them as well as she wanted, given that she was quite a distance above them, but there was one detail about the large gathering that she could see quite clearly.
Rem was standing before the congregation of Pokémon.
Zekra dove off the cliff and swiftly changed into a Skarmory. She tucked her wings into her body as she swooped in towards the great gathering, descending so swiftly that she could feel the wind threatening to unfurl her wings from beneath her. However, she kept them pinned to her sides as forcefully as she could until she was only about a hundred feet above the group. Then, she finally spread out her wings and perched upon a stone that was protruding out of the mountain's side. When she settled herself comfortably, Zekra then brought her gaze upon the group once more.
Now that she was much closer, Zekra could see that everyone before Rem was either a Fellowship member or one of Yimtri's members. Almost every single one of them were covered in a number of cuts and bruises, some of them even having scarves wrapped around various parts of their limbs to presumably stop any bleeding that was still occurring. And yet, despite the opposing groups being so close together, they did not quarrel. They did not even seem to care who they were standing beside. All of them only had their gazes firmly glued to the great dragon standing before them.
Rem had not changed since Zekra last saw him. Though Zekra had seen him synchronize with his shadow, nothing about his appearance had changed, unlike what had happened when she, Impetus, and Syn had done so. For just a brief moment, Zekra wondered if Rem had not actually merged with the Primogenitor and had instead destroyed it after she disappeared into that surreal realm.
However, all she had to do was take a closer look at him to know that he and the Primogenitor truly were one. He held himself differently than he ever had as Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, or even as himself before he synchronized with his shadow. He stood tall and mighty, his head towering over the puny mortals before him. Energy radiated from his beings, sending out waves of pressure that seemed almost oppressive. And yet, at the same time his yellow eyes glimmered with a kind, knowing light as he seemed to beam down upon the mortals.
Within the softness of his face, Zekra saw Rem's Shadow, happy and content to be one with Rem once more. Zekra couldn't resist smiling at the sight of that.
Zekra was about to take in more of the interesting sight before her while she was still undetected by the mass gathering, but then she finally realized that the Pokémon were not actually watching Rem. A good number were, as the sight of a giant dragon was rather difficult to ignore, but most focused on something else. Their gazes were fixed onto something else, something that was once at Rem's side and was now positioning itself before the great dragon.
Within a matter of moments, the creature stood in front of Rem, and all eyes turned onto it.
Right in front of the dragon, standing upright with just as much strength and valor as Rem, was Len. Even though he seemed just as injured as the ones before him, perhaps even more so, he still stood without any signs of weakness. He only gazed upon all those before with him with a steadfast glare.
Crystelle stood beside him as well, though with less power in her stance. She seemed to struggle with keeping her eyes open, continuously staring ahead before slowing losing the will and closing her eyes before jolting awake and opening them right back open in a hurry. Then she would repeat the cycle over and over again, all the while uncomfortably shifting in place and softly shaking her head.
As soon as Zekra caught sight of the two, her heart soared. They were still alive after all. They had somehow made it out of the Primogenitor's realm with Rem, and now they were all safe and sound. She eagerly glanced around, waiting for Nyx to take her place beside them, but quickly found that no one else was coming to join them. It was only Crystelle and Len standing before Rem.
Zekra's heart returned to its dampened state as her mind flashed back to the last time she had seen Nyx. The Darkrai had been enveloped in many radiant, golden lights and her body had been disappearing the brighter those lights became. And though Zekra had not seen the aftermath, it did not take her long to reach a conclusion.
Nyx had perished, just as Impetus had. The two of them had both lost their lives in the fight and they would not be returning to reunite with Zekra.
Zekra's stance slouched as she bowed her head, feeling the full impact finally hit her. In some ways, she couldn't believe that the two of them had both died. She had just reunited with them, albeit, in very different circumstances. In both of those circumstances, she thought that perhaps all would be well again and that they could be amongst one another until death.
And yet, just as quickly as she had been reunited them, they had both been ripped from her life once more. Impetus had been eaten by the Primogenitor during the battle. There was no denying that. Zekra could still remember Impetus's head resting within the Primogenitor's bowels, as well as the fact that she was not present with Len.
As for Nyx's death, Zekra still didn't understand why that had happened. The Darkrai had claimed that she was dying because her plague was withering away, but if that was so, why was Zekra still alive? Zekra knew that her plague was still very much alive within her, if now muted for an unknown reason. Why hadn't Zekra joined the Darkrai's fate as well?
Zekra wanted to ponder more in these melancholy questions, but it was then that she heard a great hush fall over the crowd. She opened her eyes and cast her eyes down upon the Luxray, and watched as he stepped forward, his imposing stature still not broken.
"Pokémon of Shiron... thank you all for coming here with so little resistance," Len spoke, his voice resonating with such power that Zekra could believe that he was a legendary Pokémon in disguise. "I know all of you must feel lost with the events that have occurred in the past few hours… but I am here to shed light on what has occurred. I do not expect all of you to believe me. I know that some of you might readily believe me because your faith in me is so strong. Some of you might have a difficult wrapping your mind around my words and feel lost for days at a time. Some of you might even leave here and never return because you refuse to believe my words. Whatever you choose to do is your choice and I will not deprive you of your freedom. However, I ask that you listen to everything I say before you decide on your course of action from here. As the last living leader of the Fellowship, that is what I demand from each of you. Do I make myself clear?"
Hushed murmurs swept through the crowd for a moment, but the moment that Rem let out a snort and grey smoke billowed from his nostrils, everyone snapped their attention back to Len and unanimously nodded.
"Thank you," Len said as he straightened himself and held his head high. "As I said when I asked all of you to gather here, your leaders have all perished. The Suicune, Raikou, and Entei that once founded the Fellowship now reside within the spirit world. Many of you who saw them in their last moments claimed that they were quite joyous and relishing in a supposed spell that they were free from before their bodies disappeared into a shower of golden lights. Others have said the same about Rayquaza just before he collapsed."
There were more whispers of agreement amongst the crowd. Len gave everyone a moment to process the information.
"The reason that they were acting this way was because in their dying moments, they were not the mythical beings that have led the Fellowship for fifty years," Len explained. "They were their true selves for the first time in centuries, when they were nothing more than wayward mortal legendaries roaming the land.
"When they were not Plagued Ones in the guise of the Fellowship's legendary founders."
A deafening silence fell over the group. Nobody moved as the information hit the Pokémon before Len. A few Pokémon gained the strength to whisper with the ones beside them, but that was all that Len allowed.
"The Fellowship was never resisting the Plagued Ones. The Fellowship, since its very genesis, has always been allied with them," Len went on. "The Fellowship only existed so that it could keep an eye on its enemies and to shelter them, making sure that they never grew powerful enough to rebel against it. So many of your leaders, and even your very teammates, were nothing more than Plagued Ones disguised as ordinary Pokémon. Through a variety of means, they lived amongst us, watching us and reporting back to their leader, the very one who created the Plagued Ones: The Primogenitor. You were all being deceived so that it might continue to prosper and in time, engulf the entire world with Plagued Ones.
"However, this dastardly plan was foiled, thanks to an underestimated factor. The fearsome beast known as Erebus, the one who helped create so many Plagued Ones, broke free from the Primogenitor's hold and created her own strain of the plague. It was a benevolent strain, one that would not consume souls and instead synchronize with its host to make them stronger and capable of killing the true plague. She leaked this strain into all of Dusk Mines' Fellowship and a number of other Pokémon, thus creating the only true resistance against the Primogenitor.
"Of course, we of the Fellowship weren't allowed to know this. We were taught to believe that this benevolent strain was actually the true strain and were sent to eliminate it. We forced all of those supposedly plagued Pokémon to become fugitives, all the while being ignorant of the true threats brewing right beneath our noses. We were so close to killing the only ones who could truly save us, all because we could not see the truth right before us…"
Len paused for a moment, taking the time to catch his breath. No one spoke as they anxiously waited for their leader to continue speaking. Zekra, even from her distance, could see several Pokémon uncomfortably fidgeting in place.
"Thankfully, in the end, Erebus's followers prevailed. All of the Plagued Ones have been wiped off the face of the planet. They no longer exist thanks to the actions of the plagued Pokémon. There is no longer any trace of plague amongst the land. Not in the dead, and not in the living either. It has been stripped away from this planet once and for all."
Zekra's jaw almost dropped open. She almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. Most of Len's speech she was quite fine. She thought it was a thoughtful and riveting speech, and she could see how much of an effect it was having on the masses.
It was the part about the plague no longer existing in Pokémon did she find herself at a loss. She could clearly feel the plague within her body, and yet here was Len saying that no plagued Pokémon existed upon Shiron. For just the briefest of seconds, Zekra thought that Len was purposely fabricating the information so that any Pokémon that actually were plagued could continue to live their lives in peace and without thought that they were still monsters. After all, everyone that was part of Yimtri's Fellowship seemed the same. There didn't seem to be anything particularly different about them.
However, she did notice that there was a new air about them. Even from her distance she could not detect the darkness that clung to their atmosphere at all times. But Zekra did not take this as a true sign of anything as she knew that this could have been because they were so close to other normal Pokémon and their auras were becoming harder to discern.
"I know what you must be thinking," Len said, interrupting Zekra's thoughts. "You must think, 'Oh, but how can know for sure? What if all of the plagued Pokémon are only pretending to be freed of their corruption? How do we know that they will not turn on us when we least expect it?'. And for that, I say that I cannot force you to believe me. I cannot force you to believe anything that I have said to you just now. You must choose what you want to do with the words I have spoken to all of you. However… regardless of your choice, there is one truth that I will speak that you must never forget. You're allowed to believe that everything else I have told you has been nothing but lies, but you must accept what I tell you next as an undeniable truth."
Len glared down upon the great gathering and a strange light glimmered in his eyes, as if he were seeing through every single Pokémon before him.
"The Fellowship was created to oppose the shadows, to keep watch on them as enemies... after we had forgotten they were meant to be our allies," Len told them. ""Though we had stopped watching them, they never stopped watching us. Even now, with the Plagued Ones gone, the shadows within our souls continue to watch us. They never will cease to watch us, never cease to speak within our minds, never cease to exist no matter the measures you might take against them.
"Do not fear them."
"Do not believe them to be your enemy."
"Do not shut them away."
"And above all else, realize that they are your greatest allies."
"Remember this, my fellow Pokémon, or the Plagued Ones will surely return and take back the world they long to be a part of."
Len kept his stern, radiating gaze upon the crowd as silence resonated throughout the group. No one said a word as they pondered in the Luxray's words, quietly deciphering their meaning. Zekra was surprised that Len hadn't explicitly stated that Rem's shadow was the cause of the Plagued Ones and that the shadows allied with it because they were tired of everyone ignoring them. She almost wanted to swoop down and explain this herself to the crowd.
However, she didn't. She realized, after a moment of pondering, that Len had done the right thing. Everybody was terribly exhausted and their minds were not stable. They had just been informed that the ones they had trusted all their lives to had been their greatest enemies in disguise, and they didn't need even more information to further destabilize their foundations. Len had made the correct choice. Like the true and virtuous leader he was, he had done everything he could to make sure that Rem's mistake could not be repeated, as well as enlighten everyone and give them the truth they deserved.
However, that still did not solve the issue with no one in Shiron being plagued. Zekra still had the vaguest thought that Len was hiding that truth from everyone.
"With that said… I am proud to announce that everything is over," Len then said, breathing a sigh of relief and beaming gently at the crowd. "The Plagued Ones are no more. Our world has been saved, and their presence no longer slinks throughout the lands."
Loud wallops filled the air. Zekra smiled from her perch as she watched many Pokémon within the crowd embrace one another. And though the Dusk Mine Pokémon and Fellowship Pokémon mostly stayed separate from one another, there were a few Pokémon from both sides that mingled with the other and give congratulatory pats on the back or nuzzled their cheeks.
There were some Pokémon that chose to do nothing, instead staring blankly ahead, but they were vastly overwhelmed by the overjoyed ones.
"But it was not because of my efforts alone," Len then said, calming the crowd. "First, I would like to thank Crystelle here. Though she is quite young and held no plagued powers, she still was the very reason that we were able to make it to the Primogenitor's realm. It was her encouraging words, even when all seemed lost and we were drowning in despair, that allowed us to reach the Primogenitor in the end."
Crystelle, who had finally lost her struggle and was dozing off in place, instantly snapped awake as soon as her name was called. She scrambled to straighten herself, prompting a short laugh out of the crowd, followed by a loud cheer. She smiled awkwardly as she stood tall and mightily, puffing out her chest and making the rings upon her body glimmer.
"Next, I would like to thank this great dragon here, whose presence I am sure all of you are so curious about," Len said with a laugh. "This is Rem, once the great guardian of this land before complications occurred. He was once the great beings we knew as Reshiram and Zekrom, now formed into one being after a great number of long and tedious events that I am sure you can ask him about much later. He was what allowed the final victory against the Primogenitor; his power is what allowed us to succeed."
Rem bowed his head and smiled smugly as another cheer rang through the crowd.
"I would also like to thank the Pokémon of Dusk Mines for granting us safety as we made our way to the Primogenitor," Len then said. "Though none of you may feel that you contributed much in the grand scheme of things, know that I am grateful for each and every one of you. Without your efforts, Crystelle, Rem, and I would have had to race through the Fellowship all on our own. I thank you, former plagued Pokémon.
"And finally… I would like all of us to take this moment to remember all of the ones that perished on this day," Len stated, causing silence to sweep over the gathering. "So many lives perished today, a great amount that brings me great sorrow. Your friends, your family, your beloved teammates, your very leaders… so many of the ones we have loved are no longer amongst us for far too many reasons to count.
"Let us take a moment to remember each of their lives, and to remember everything that they have ever done for us. No matter who they were, remember them. Let us pay our respects to the ones that were unfortunate victims of this terrible war."
Len bowed his head and closed his eyes, prompting everyone to do the same. An air of deep reverence came over everyone as they each remembered the lives that had been lost during the clash. As their memories swarmed and their hearts filled with pity, the sun finally set into the horizon, plunging the world into the calm of night.
"Now then," Len said, making everyone open their eyes and bring their gazes back to him. "In honor of the Plagued One's eradication, a great celebration will commence tomorrow night within the castle, with a great bonfire to gather around. All of you are free to come, regardless of who you are or what side you once stood on. We will no longer be divided by the lies the Fellowship has fed us all. Consider this celebration a time to mend the wounds that this great schism has created. But until then… rest easy within the safe houses the Fellowship created in the other mountains…"
The Luxray gave one last bow of his head, then climbed onto Rem's back, Crystelle following after him. Then, once the two seated themselves upon the dragon's back, Rem shot into the sky, ascending toward the summit of the mountain and disappearing from view. Within a matter of seconds, Zekra found herself amongst the crowd, watching all of them exchange confused glances with one another.
For a few minutes, no one did anything. They only whispered amongst one another, their voices unclear to Zekra from her distance as some of the Pokémon seemed to become more skittish as time went on. Eventually, a small number of Pokémon did disperse from the crowd and retreat into the growing darkness of the horizon.
However, the majority of Pokémon did not follow them. They stood still before the mountain, indecisive and hesitant, but after some time mustered the strength to go toward the other mountains within the vicinity. Everyone split into two groups as they went toward two of the largest mountains in the area. From Zekra's viewpoint, she could vaguely make out a small cluster of boxes built within the sides of the mountains, perfectly capable of housing everyone.
Zekra watched everyone's forms disappear into the darkness for just a moment longer before she took off and ascended to the castle.
When Zekra reached the Fellowship, she found Len, Crystelle, and Rem standing near the entrance, all three of them now appearing far more drained than they had presented themselves moments prior. Zekra swiftly changed back into a Zoroark and settled herself behind a rock near them the moment she saw them. Then she peered from behind it and silently observed as Len gazed into the entrance of the Fellowship before sighing deeply.
"So many lives line the hallways of the Fellowship…" he said somberly. "Too many lives…"
"What are we going to do about all of the bodies?" Crystelle asked. "Are we just going to leave them inside for everyone to pay their respects to?"
"No, no we can't do that," Len said with a shake of his head. "No one wants to see their loved ones in the mangled states they're currently in. What we'll do instead is gather them all up, and then we'll have to incinerate all of them in a great pile. Perhaps we will create a memorial the day after tomorrow as well somewhere within the castle. Even if we will not know all the names of those that perished…"
"Alright," Crystelle said with a slow nod. "I guess tomorrow we can do that. Lots of bodies to get… and I guess we clean the place up too for the party?"
"Yes. We must rid the castle of any lingering signs of death. We need to go over to the safe houses and ask for volunteers who can cook as well," Len added. "I'm sure everyone wants to feast despite the great losses in their lives."
"Let's try not to make it too depressing though. We did just save the world after all, right?"
Crystelle smiled brightly at Len, as if to cheer him up, but it did not remove his gloomy gaze. He only gave Crystelle a glance before making his way into the Fellowship.
"I am going to rest," he told her and Rem. "I'll see the both of you in the morning, or whenever I do awaken after such a long and tiring day… I hope you two choose to do the same soon."
Crystelle and Rem said nothing as the Luxray continued walking away. He said nothing as he kept his head low and his ears flattened, appearing to be nothing more than a shell of the leader he once was. Zekra felt her heart sink as she watched him wander away, but no made no effort to go after him. She had no idea how she wanted to approach him when he seemed so miserable.
Len passed by the rock she was hiding behind, and then suddenly stopped.
The gloomy glimmer in Len's eyes vanished as he twisted his head toward the rock, and for a moment, he did not move. He only kept his eyes fixed on it, his expression blank.
Then, he turned his whole body toward the rock and walked around it. Within seconds, he was staring right at Zekra, his eyes locked onto hers. Zekra froze in place as his eyes widened and his ears perked up.
"Zekra?" he asked. "Is that really you Zekra?"
Before Zekra could even begin to think of a way to respond, Crystelle and Rem rushed over to Len's side in a hurry.
"Wait, what?" Crystelle cried. "Zekra's here? Really? She's still alive?!"
It wasn't long before the two gathered at Len's side. The moment they did, they immediately spotted Zekra, and soon, three pairs of eyes were gawking at her. Zekra suddenly felt very small before them despite being larger than most of the group. She couldn't resist shirking back a bit.
"Zekra! You are alive!" Crystelle cried joyously. "Oh thank Arceus!"
She then trotted over to Zekra's side and nuzzled her, making Zekra's insides crawl even more. She had to resist the urge to back away from the overjoyed Umbreon as Len and Rem crept closer to Zekra as well. However, unlike Crystelle, they kept their distance and only gave her relieved and bright gazes.
"You are still alive. This is nothing short of a miracle," Rem told her. "We had thought that we would never see you again. I… Oh."
Rem narrowed his eyes at Zekra, as though he were trying to gaze directly into her soul. Zekra tried not to shudder under the gaze of the ferocious dragon.
"You still have the blight within you," Rem remarked. "It has not faded like with the rest."
"Wait… wait, you mean… when you guys were telling all those Pokémon that there's no more plague in the world…" Zekra tried to say. "You guys really weren't lying?"
"Yes," Len said with a nod. "It's true; all of the Plagued Ones are gone. The moment Rem synchronized with his shadow, they all disappeared."
All of Zekra's thoughts came to a halt. She looked at Len, then at Crystelle, then at Rem, trying to see if their solemn expressions would break. She waited to see that they were joking for an odd reason she couldn't quite understand. Because of course they were lying. There still had to be plague within the world.
She couldn't be the only Plagued One left.
However, their expressions did not change. Zekra felt her insides twist as she gazed down at her claws and watched a ripple of red light flash down her arms and into her hands. She even thought she felt Venri slide a tendril across the surface of her brain.
"No… that doesn't make any sense," she said quietly. "What about you, Rem? You still have the Primogenitor in you don't you? Doesn't that make you a Plagued One?"
"I suppose if you want to be technical, I am one," Rem explained. "However, I was always meant to be one because the Primogenitor is my shadow. You however, not quite so. You were never meant to keep the abilities my shadow and Nyx supplied your own shadow with. Your shadow should have relinquished its powers after I merged back with my own shadow."
"What… what exactly happened to me then?" she asked. "Why am I the only one left?"
"I am wondering the same," Rem replied. "Hmm. What exactly happened to you after I merged back with my shadow? Len and Crystelle told me that you simply vanished after I synchronized, but not in the same way Nyx did. They said you were sucked into a vortex growing beneath your body."
"I remember I felt really weak," Zekra said quietly, taking a moment to fully remember the details. "And then I passed out. Then I woke up in this weird realm with all this black and red stuff around me…"
"A red and black realm you say?" Rem mused."In this particular realm, did you see flashes of Shiron above you, along with bipedal creatures?"
"Yeah… there were. Those bipedal creatures were humans, I think," Zekra clarified.
"Alright. Go on," Rem then said.
"I was stuck there for a while… and then I um… I figured out how to make this portal and I used it to get me out of there. Then I showed up in the castle and I watched you guys talking to all those Pokémon about what happened and everything. And… that's what happened."
Zekra considered telling Rem about Dimitri. She did, as she knew he might know why Dimitri refused to believe his memories were real. However, she didn't have the heart to talk about it aloud. Her heart was already breaking at the thought of the human and the spiteful words he had said to her. She still couldn't believe that it had even occurred. It almost seemed like a bad nightmare.
"Ah. I believe I know what happened to you now that you told me these things," Rem said after a long pause. "I had my suspicions, but now that you told me you went to that particular dimension, all is clear."
"Really?" Zekra asked. "You know why I'm the only Plagued One?"
"Yes," Rem said with a nod. "You see, when my shadow and I merged back together, all of the blight that was put into others was promptly withdrawn from them and absorbed back into me. For the Blight Demons that traveled in swarms and their hosts were mostly dead to begin with, they simply perished the moment that happened. The same happened with the mortal legendaries due to their bodies being far too ancient to sustain themselves without the blight. However, the ones that were either immortal already or simply were not too deeply connected with their blight, continued to live after the blights were ripped out of their bodies. They are perfectly fine, but no longer hold any traces of the blight within themselves.
"But an anomaly occurred with you. Because you are synchronized with your shadow so deeply, it refused to let go of the plague that bound you two together. It kept the both of you tied together, resisting against the pull that urged it to return to me. It resisted so greatly that it tore a hole into the veil that separated Shiron and Kuron from right under you, for deep down, your blight must have had the potential to travel through the dimensions, just as my shadow could. You then fell into that hole, and it led you to a dimension that exists in between Shiron and Kuron."
"Venri… she did all of that?" Zekra asked, staring down at her claws once again. "She didn't want to leave me that badly?"
"This is what I presume, yes," Rem verified. "Based on what you have told me and the fact that I can still sense the blight still merged with your soul, this is what I believe to has happened.
"You are the only Blight Demon in existence."
Zekra felt her claws tremble. No, she wasn't the only Plagued One in existence. There had to be someone else besides her that held the Primogenitor's power within their body. Someone.
"Zekra, it's okay," Crystelle said softly. "Nobody's going to hate you because you're a Plagued One. In fact, everybody will probably think you're really awesome! I mean, you did help us stop the Primogenitor and a lot of Pokémon know that. We can say you came back even though we thought you were dead during the celebration if you wanted."
Zekra didn't respond. She could only keep thinking about her apparent fate as being the only Plagued One left.
If Syn and Impetus were still alive, they would have been just like her. They were both synchronized, so surely they would have kept their plagues. But they weren't. They had both been killed.
"I know that you must have a lot on your mind, but I want you to know that I'm very happy that you lived, Zekra," Len then said. "I truly thought that you were gone and would never be able to see you again. I cannot express how relieved and overjoyed I am to know that you are safe. I am happy to know that in the end, you were able to have your team's aspirations met and live to see it."
That was when Zekra realized that there actually was someone else who was still plagued. Someone else that she had known for so long and cared for so deeply. Someone she once had at her side at all times, in moments of great joy and happiness, and moments of terrible suffering and mourning.
Someone who she had seen within the dimension between Shiron and Kuron.
Dimitri.
Now he was gone, having disappeared to who knew where.
"Zekra…? Are you okay…?"
"Do you need to rest, Zekra? Are you tired?"
Zekra snapped back to reality to find Len and Crystelle were both giving her concerned glances. Even Rem seemed to, though it was more difficult to tell from how much he towered over her. Zekra forced a smile onto her face as she discarded the thoughts from her mind.
"Yeah, sorry, I was just zoning out," she said with a shake of her head. "Was thinking about how everything's finally over now and stuff."
"Yes, I suppose it can be quite surreal," Len agreed. "After all these years, it's finally over. If Rem were not standing beside us, I would still have a difficult time believing it."
"Yeah, exactly. So how about we all just get some rest?" Zekra suggested. "We've got a busy day tomorrow, and we're already pretty tired from fighting the Primogenitor."
"Yeah I agree," Crystelle chimed in. "My legs hurt and I really don't think I can keep my eyes open for too much longer."
"Alright alright, let's find a place to sleep inside the castle then," Len said with a small laugh. "Rem, care to join us?"
"I think I will remain out here," the dragon told them."Rayquaza still slumbers, and I want to be able to speak with him when he awakens. He will undoubtedly be very lost and confused, and as one of his godly brethren, it is in my place to help him. But rest assured, you will be seeing me tomorrow for the celebration."
"Very well, if you say so," Len said before looking back over at Crystelle and Zekra. "Well then, I suppose we should get going then."
Crystelle nodded vigorously, and then practically galloped inside. Len quietly followed after her, disappearing into the darkness of the castle within moments. However, Zekra did not go after them so quickly. She only remained outside and let her sights wander off into the distance. She peered into the horizon to behold a myriad of stars glimmering through a blanket of infinite darkness, leading to worlds beyond.
Somewhere, in one of those vast and faraway worlds, Dimitri was there. Or perhaps he was in an entirely different dimension that held its own worlds.
He was out there, somewhere.
He was out there, unable to remember who he truly was.
"Are you alright, Zekra?"
Zekra turned her eyes away from the night sky and brought them over to Rem to see that he was gazing down upon her. Zekra plastered a smile back onto her face and nodded gently.
"Yeah… just really tired," she said. "Guess I'd better get some sleep."
"Yes. Get some rest, Zekra. You deserve it."
Zekra widened her smile just a tiny amount, and then crept into the Fellowship. She could see Len and Crystelle in the distance, wandering down the hallway and finding rooms for themselves. And for a moment, Zekra considered joining them and sleeping by their sides, just as she did with her old friends. She could remember how warm she felt when she slumbered beside the ones she cared for most.
But in the end, Zekra crept back outside. She found Rem had his back turned to her and was sitting beside the still slumbering Rayquaza by the edge of the cliff, watching him mournfully. She cast him a sad glance for just a moment, and then changed into a Murkrow and ascended to the very top of the highest pillar protruding from the castle. The moment she landed, she reverted into a Zoroark. Then, after making sure that no one was within the vicinity, she fell onto her back and gazed up into the worlds beyond.
She did not sleep. Her eyes would not close, nor did she feel any lethargy come over her. Her eyes could only remain open and stare blankly up above, where she could bask in her utter meaninglessness within the vast infinity that was the universe.
Everything was quiet.
Everything was still and unmoving.
Everything was cold and lifeless.
Everything was empty and disconnected from all that it was surrounded by.
And Zekra was nothing but a tiny speck amongst it all.