Author's Note: Hello All! Apologies for the late chapter. Life has been getting kinda busy, but with any luck I'll be able to get back in the game. Also, if you haven't already, I'd highly recommend you check out the complete revisions of the prologue through chapter 4. They're not perfect, nor necessary to read in order to continue enjoying the current chapters, but I believe its made the beginning of the story something I can be proud of.
The feeling was eerily familiar.
Eoin's entire being had been forced out within the span of a few seconds. It froze his body, taking away any chance for locomotion. There was no doubt in the Pallid's mind that his conscious would soon follow. There was perhaps only one experience he could describe as more painful.
So, why did he feel fine?
The precedence of an answer came easily enough. Eoin felt a familiar hand grab his, while another pressed against his forehead. With their touch, came visions of the aura that had stemmed from the room's inhabitants. He gasped; all the blue radiances forming a path toward the time gear had disappeared. The gear itself had been haphazardly dropped in front of the Charmander. It pulsed with unprecedented brightness, enough that Eoin was forced to shield grey eyes already covered by opaque goggles. Seeing such vivid imagery brought another realization to the Pallid; in exception to the time gear, only two other sources of light filled the room.
Azelf, and Eoin. Every other pokemon was stuck in aura-less paralysis.
Now you see. For Arceus's sake, Eoin, if you still plan on going along with that Bagon and Raichu's plan to remove the time gears, I'm not sure what else I can do.
His face was fixed in shock. The pallids before him, while not from the dungeon of his origins, were his kin. They had lived, stared back with eyes so much like his own; Now, they were little more than clay soldiers guarding a charged gear. Eoin tried to scurry toward one, but was stopped by the same arm clamped onto his.
I know it's awkward for both of us, but please keep holding my hand. Or don't, if you want to end up like them. Lending you my aura can get a little taxing.
After feeling a surge of pain crawl up his chest from their grip loosening, Eoin complied. For a couple seconds, he stood in tentative silence, before adrenaline again shot up the Pallid's spine. Grey embers fell to the icy floor, born from recollection of an instance that had given the draining sensation so much familiarity.
"The cave of my origins also had its time gear removed. Are...are my kin there—"
Just as stiff? Ee-yup.
A slight chuckle beamed into Eoin's mind.
Gotta wonder if there's a lucario below that cave. What would they call it? The no-aura pokemon?
Both pokemon could hear a pin drop underneath their mountainous surroundings.
Apologies...too soon. But anyway, the pallids here and there don't have to be like this. A time gear only needs to be restored for it to go off of emergency mode.
Azelf grabbed hold of the time gear, holding it in the direction just before it was originally taken. Perhaps it was simply from being the only other pokemon in the room truly living, but the Charmander could see a change in the lake guardian's expression. Eoin scarcely remembered Azelf looking toward the Pallid with anything other than in impassive glare. Now, however, there was a hint of a smile. He doubted the legendary had much chance for fraternizing after millenia spent protecting the time gear.
My siblings have already abandoned their duty, Eoin. You and me, we're the last line of defense from the same thing happening across Faire. If the time gears are brought together...lets just say they have a habit of amplification.
Just as the words finished beaming into Eoin's mind, Azelf eyes closed. The legendary's head drew to the floor, seconds passing as his expression grew fiercer by the second. Nothing had shifted inside of the mountain to justify such change; Eoin could only assume he was likewise stuck in contemplation.
"Azelf, are you—"
The Charmander keeled over. Reverberations of Azelf's voice echoed through his mind, more of a scream than anything.
Don't you dare put that on me, you traitor! They trusted us. We were made with an express purpose. We had a duty, and you just...left.
Once again, silence. The initial shock of the psychic scream ended, and Eoin was able to pick himself up. With no one else to turn to as target of the lake guardian's accusation, the Pallid could only return Azelf's aimless scowl.
"Is that really how you think of me? Look around you. Thousands of creatures with the potential for a better life, denied so because of some preconceived notion that they be forced into a higher purpose. Doing nothing to try to fix it, you're no better than...than them."
This isn't about you! Azelf blared, spatting the words into the recesses of Eoin's mind. Consider yourself lucky you don't have to deal with a voice in your head whenever you try to knock some sense into someone of our destiny. In fact, why don't you come out, brother? It's been long overdue that we settle this face to face.
Immediately, a brief flash manifested before Eoin and Azelf. When the frost settled, the same remorseful stare between three red gems greeted him. The Pallid had long wondered where it stemmed from, and now he knew.
"Greetings, Eoin. I'm sorry our reunion couldn't have been under better circumstances. It's not every day you sense a time gear being removed."
The knowledge pokemon seemed the slightest bit different since their last meeting. A dark blue lei was wrapped around his neck, relative tackiness accompanied by a slight shift in Uxie's posture. Eoin couldn't put his claw on it, but the legendary seemed...looser. The piercing, blind stare that had been donned by Uxie ever since their first encounter had been abandoned, in favor of a melancholic grin.
But that wasn't it, there was one more glaring difference in the lake guardian. After a moments contemplation, the answer ran clear through Eoin's eardrums. Uxie had only appeared seconds ago, but he had already done something the Pallid had long thought impossible.
"You are...talking. How? Why?"
Uxie's face brightened, in spite of the continued stares of his sibling. Another flash of light filled the room, replacing the knowledge pokemon before them with a Charmander. A second burst of illumination, and in the Charmander's place was an Espeon, before being exchanged for a Xatu. In all three transformations, Uxie's smile, as well as the lei around his neck remained.
"Pokemon around Faire don't exactly take well to having words beamed into their minds, and you can't expand your horizon under an illusion of invisibility. Personally, this is my favorite form. In fact, does it seem a little familiar?"
Eoin racked his thoughts. The Pallid rarely had the opportunity to see a Xatu on his journey, but a single instance ran clear through his mind. He chuckled; How had he not seen it sooner?
"You were...the quiet librarian I met at the edge of Pith Town, the one I had to call toward because you were so enamored in a book."
"An Unabridged History of Political Philosophy, Volume 3," Uxie replied, "a little too didactic for my taste, but after seeing it catch the attention of a certain grey Charmander, who was I to not give it a try?"
Eoin's fire flared from its cover in recollection. A part of him had always wondered how Uxie had delivered the tools for his education from one side of Faire to the next. Still, even with such familiarity, the knowledge of how it was attained brought uneasiness. They had said goodbye weeks ago, but had they really? Hearing Uxie's telepathic call in comparison to what few words the Xatu had said, the latter was somewhat higher pitched. Less the expected call call of an omnipotent being of knowledge, and laden with stammers more along the lines of a pokemon not used to hearing their own voice.
"Do you know how nice a ukulele sounds, Eoin?" Uxie continued. "You can't exactly learn how to play one sulking in a cave. The culture of these pokemon has been a tremendous experience to learn, all things considered...notwithstanding the hardships accompanying them."
For a brief second, Uxie's smile dimmed, letting nostalgia between them fade into the chilling air. He turned to Azelf, arm still held tightly to the Pallids.
"I...decided to take a page from Eoin's book, and give myself a name different from what the gods had proclaimed. Koios, that's what I call myself now. Would you consider taking up one, brother?"
Azelf was unamused. With the grey charmander still holding his hand, he floated over to a similarly tinted scorbunny. Its face was frozen in shock. With no control over its own body, Azelf casually laid his other hand over its shoulder.
Well, that is just fine and dandy! Did you hear that, Scorbunny? Uxi-oh, I'm sorry, Koios here just picked himself up a name. Doesn't that just make you want to jump up in joy? Oh, right...you can't.
Azelf turned to Eoin, renewed willpower perceivable through the stream of aura flowing between their arms.
No more avoiding the obvious. So long as 'Koios' here continues shirking his work, the pallids below his cave are stuck in a fate worse than death. Is that truly what you want?
Eoin already knew the answer. In relinquishing the time gear, the Pallid was the sole survivor of Uxie's Cave. He turned to Koios, the hint of a scowl forming under inquisitiveness.
"True enough. I need to know. All that paralysis, all that suffering, for what? For me? Whose redemption is this, mine, or yours?"
There it was, the same solemn expression that had been their parting glance. Koios breathed a deep sigh, eyelids locked in perpetual stare towards the icy floor.
"We've known each other for…a long time, Eoin. Well, in soul at least. I still remember the first day after Dialga instructed me with defending the flow of time. I was making my rounds around the gear, floating in a little circle. I glance around to the creatures I was told would provide the necessary aura, and lo and behold, a small, grey charmander was sitting in the corner, observing. Not quite understanding, but watching nonetheless."
Eoin let out something between a chuckle and a snort . A part of the Charmander's brain couldn't deny such enduring familiarity, only it was the part that had wrestled for control of his body since the beginning.
"Was it really me?" he asked. "Ever since I received your gift, my conscious has been...split. If it was not the same body, nor the same mind, how can we truly say that was the same pokemon?"
"I have no doubt," Koios instantly replied, "when I dove into your mind, it wasn't my mission to divide it. I simply sped up a natural process, gave it the capacity to experience new knowledge and emotions. I'm sure you know that it can be an overwhelming experience. In hindsight, you'd probably be dead from mental overload if your mind hadn't made such a defense mechanism."
Eoin wasn't sure if that was better or worse. On one hand, he could hope that the it wasn't permanent. With enough time, perhaps his conscious could adapt further, and not require going back to a mindset unfit for the world he imagined? On the other...
The pallid let out a small, defeated sigh. "No more denying it then." He let his goggles fall around his neck. "Everything it has done, that it could do—I am responsible for, whether I like it or not."
Eoin's eyes closed. Underneath blackness, the Pallid swore he could see himself, staring back with the same feral smile that had preceded it taking control. It was naive, brimming with simplicity, and for a brief second, Eoin questioned why he was returning it with a scowl.
It cuts both ways, I suppose. You are a ceaseless aggression, but...only one of us will end up with blood on his claws.
He huffed, halfheartedly kicking a chunk of ice across the floor. Azelf and Koios levitated in silence. They were, at the moment, blind to the Pallid's thoughts, but an understanding floated between them to let the Charmander have his moment.
I really should hate you. You have been my enemy from the beginning, more keen on sinking their fangs into another than taking the time to improve yourself. But, in spite of all of it...I pity you, and envy, in a way. Bitterness, ambiguity, affection for reasons more than simple reproduction, you know none of it. You do not spend hours thinking and overthinking the path you must follow. For all of my life's joy, sooner or later it envelopes the conscious.
It continued smiling. Arceus knew whether the Charmander staring back at him had gotten the message, but Eoin nonetheless paused. Memories played on repeat, bringing with them another realization.
And, whenever I started to drown...you held your hand out. True, many instances your timing could have been better, but if Koios truly is correct, then...perhaps we can be more than adversaries.
A familiar sensation surged up the back of Eoin's spine. It brought along the usual strain, but the discomfort was much less forceful than usual, almost as if being more of an offering than a demand. The Pallid grasped for the collection of stun seeds in his bag, but after a seconds glance at his double's expression, stayed his hand.
Please, not now. I can handle it currently, and there is much work to be done.
The Charmander in his conscious remained, as did the strain, but it did not advance as usual. Under Eoin's shut eyes, the Beast's expression remained neutral. Its feral eyes seemed almost...unconvinced. Eoin let out a deep sigh; if it had to be done—
For my own health, I will stop fighting, I promise you that. You will have time in control, just under less...urgent circumstances. You have my word.
To his surprise, the Charmander disappeared, taking with it the pressing against his conscious. After a few tentative seconds testing his bodies jurisdiction, the grey blaze on Eoin's tail subsided to an ember. He turned to the lake guardians, motioning to continue.
"Oh, alright then," Koios said, clearing his throat, "for generations I served just as my brother did, floating alongside the grey, unthinking pokemon that attacked any who dared enter the mystery dungeon. My entire lifetime I thought nothing of it, until my wandering mind began to notice...changes."
We did our duty, Azelf added, I still do. Time continued flowing, the pokemon of the outside world started gaining their sapience, and Dialga made sure that a time gear being taken wouldn't be the first step to catastrophe.
"They weren't the only ones," Koios interjected. "The signs took thousands of years, and millions of resets to appear, but they became unignorable. A cubone polishing its club with the cavern walls even after its soul was put into a new body. A beedrill smearing its pincers with charcoal to make drawings on the walls. Or...the straw that broke the camerupt's back, a charmander walking away despite everything in its programing telling it to attack."
Shut eyes stared toward Azelf.
"You've been doing this just as long as I have, don't tell me you didn't also see the pallids changing."
Of course I did, Azelf replied, breaking eye contact to stare towards the gear in his hand, but it was not our place to question or alter it. If the pallids did change, it was for a purpose. You were the one that left to go on your own selfish soul-searching, in the process condemning the creatures you supposedly care about. What justification could you possibly have for throwing away your time gear like a used candy wrapper?
All eyes were on Koios. Azelf punctuated the statement by pointing his own gear towards the knowledge pokemon. His sibling's three gems fumed with every second of silence.
"It was, pardon the wording, an eye opener, seeing the paragon of the pallid's development. Knowing they could fear, they could experience pain, they could question their decisions, I realized that it wasn't right. The gods couldn't have made these creatures only for them to be trapped for all eternity."
How can you be sure? Azelf asked. Did you hear their intentions? Did you watch Arceus rubber stamp the form himself? Who's to say it wasn't their place, or that you haven't interfered in the god's plans?
Azelf turned towards the cave's epicenter. With time gear in hand, he began levitating in its direction, only for his other hand to be tugged back down. He pivoted back, finding Eoin with his feet planted firmly to the floor.
"I didn't leave simply for myself," Koios growled, "when I looked over memories of the first real visitors I had in decades, I thought...I hoped, that by transferring the time gear to them, they could find a way to fix the faulty system you seem so intent on defending."
I thought Mespirit was the bleeding heart, Azelf huffed.
Eoin glanced between them. Shards of psychic energy began forming around the two legendaries. In an instant, he turned toward Koios, just about to jump to his side when the energy dissipated. The Pallid breathed a sigh of relief, accompanying the silent nod between siblings. It seemed, both were content to let words damage where attacks couldn't.
And how did that plan work out?
"Better than the alternative," Koios replied, "with protecting the gear out of my hands, I was free to leave that undersea prison and implore Dialga to find another solution to the dilemma. I would have done it immediately, if not for...complications."
The Pallid shuddered. In his infancy, taking care of a pokemon feral and completely new to the outside world must have been a full-time job. The grey stares from his surrounding kin grew ever heavier.
"Why bother with me, then? With a cause as important is this, why take the time fretting over a pokemon who didn't even know how to use a toilet?"
Koios and Eoin looked down in recollection, an impudent smile on one, met by a cringe from the other. Seeing the Pallid droop, and his face turn away in chagrin, Koisos approached. The legendary laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Memories aside, the answers already been said. I knew what would happen when the time gear was removed. For a brief period after the two left, I accepted it, told myself that the pallids would have to lie in stagnation if I were to have the chance to make my claim. But...when you popped up on that isle, I-I thought of it as a chance to undo at least some of the harm I had caused."
Levity fell to the floor. Eoin looked up, jumping at the moisture seeping through Koios's eyelids.
"Lost, afraid, ignorant to what had become of the pokemon your soul had known for eons, y-you deserved better, all of you did. Unfortunately, my powers weren't strong enough to gift everyone. With so much time spent guarding, I let them fall into debility. But...if I could just save one."
While the correlation was not immediate, guilt still crept up the Pallid's spine. Arceus knew he was thankful his gift, but the knowledge remained that his new life came at the expense of countless others.
"So, that's it then," Eoin said, chuckling, "I...guess we both have much to atone for, a duty to absolve the incapacity our own existence has caused."
Koios nodded, lifting up a hand to rub his eyelids. He turned to Azelf.
"Haven't you ever thought about it? Traveling the world, finding your true purpose, raising a...a son? Does none of that sound appealing to you?"
Eoin jumped, mouth suspended mid-breath. Analyzing Koios's studiousness in his growth over the past month, the realization dawned on him of the statement's true implications. The smile dawned by Koios whenever he brought the semi-sapient Charmander another book, the proud look it had given the creature once it had learned its first words, every memory came to the forefront. The Pallid had once thought Dialga was the closest thing he had to a father; locking eyes with the attentive legendary before him, he now knew that wasn't true.
I know my place, Azelf replied, it's not for you to decide. I was made to protect the time gears, and uphold their decisions. By Arceus, I'll have the willpower to see it through.
"But what if their decisions are outdated?" Koisos retorted. "That's why I came here. One lake guardian isn't enough to be considered worthy of their audience. If I—if we, are to change this broken system, we both have to have the will to ask questions."
All eyes shifted to Azelf. With Koios's statement, dread crawled up Eoin's spine. The Pallid realized just how important the legendary before them was, and how difficult their mission became. If Dialga was as self-assured as he seemed, they'd in all likelihood need three guardians to jam their feet in the god's door.
We...we all have a destiny. Since the dawn of time, they've kept the status quo; I doubt three of their washed up children would be able to convince them otherwise. I'm willing to let my destiny stay in this mountain; it's only right the pallids do the same.
Eoin sighed; This was getting nowhere. Ironic as it may be, the source of the surrounding pokemon's locomotion was the very thing keeping them confined from the rest of the region. They needed some outside source, some extra variable to convince the faithful servant before them that its mission was folly. After a moment's recollection of his arrival, a smile crept up the Pallid's face. He had it.
"From our actions or not, Azelf, you will not be able to keep the time gear here, anyway."
He saw the legendary's incredulous scowl and matched it with a smirk.
"You must know I did not come alone. What will you do about the representatives of the guild?"
Oh, the half-dead band of two trekking through the mountain as we speak? Azelf asked, voice dripping with gloomy humor. I could restore the time gear right now, let the pallids they've passed tear them to shreds, but the threat of doing so will probably be enough to make them turn away.
Eoin cursed. The willpower pokemon was correct in how perilous his companion's situation was, and he couldn't possibly bluff against a pokemon that could peer into his mind. Luckily, he didn't need to.
"Whether they come back dead or alive, Azelf, the Girafarig knows where your time gear is now. If it's not the Bagon and Raichu, it will be another ten exploration teams. What will you do when that happens?"
Azelf responded with a frown. Eoin felt the legendary peer into his conscious, only now, it was to his advantage. Assured of his honesty, Azelf's three gems dimmed.
I saw in your memories the influence of the guild. If they invaded, I could hide, but...they'd have pokemon who could sense my aura. I could fight, but the tenth or hundredth team might have a chance of prevailing. To keep the time gear safe, my only option is to—
"To flee," Koios continued, "during which these pallids would have their aura sucked out from the time gear's emergency mode anyway. Like it or not, you can't stay here. They'll hunt you down, like they would have done for me, whether those two come home empty-handed or in a casket."
Silence overtook the mountain. Even without the psychic capabilities of the pokemon at his side, Eoin could see Azelf's mind spinning. The willpower pokemon's head lowered to the floor, during which seven stages of grief seemed to flash through his face. Sharp pain coursed through the Charmander's body and into his mind, stemming from the short arm that had been the only thing protecting him from the time gear's hunger. The migraine ended as soon as it appeared, punctuated by the three gems fading to a near non-existent radiance.
Damn you, damn them too. We give the pokemon of this world a working system, and what do they do? They misuse it, repurpose the instruments of time for their own needs. I...I had a purpose. I knew what I was.
"You still do, brother," Koios replied, holding his hand out, "I implore you, come with me and let us fix this. Heck, you can argue against me for all I care, but at least let us get through the front door."
The lake guardians locked eyes, at least as well as they could with only one open pair. Eoin put a hand to his chin. He couldn't let them report the mission as a failure. If Eoin knew the Girafarig well enough, he'd flood the island with more exploration teams than there already was. The Pallid had plans, and such undue attention at such a critical point was something he didn't need.
Well then, what do we do? Throw away our second used candy wrapper? You already know what'll happen if they're brought together, and that's not something any of us want.
Eoin's fire blared. It was a risky venture, but at this point the Pallid doubted he had many options left.
"I will do it, then. Give me the time gear."
Even Koios's stare was the slightest bit incredulous.
"Let me explain. If I posses the time gear, they will report the exploration as a success. After that, I only need to buy time. Once I show them...once they see why terror filled my heart, they will both know why they must not complete their mission."
"Please," Koios continued, "it will be in good hands. The time gear is not being thrown away, just...repossessed. You're still fulfilling your duty, and as the guardians of these objects, it is in our best interest to make sure their use is as moral and efficient as can be."
Azelf's expression was unchanging. He clutched the time gear close, looking between it and the grey Charmander that could only be described as partially sapient. In a way, Eoin could understand the legendary's apprehension. They both had a duty, were both honor bound to goals that couldn't help but contradict each other. He turned to Koios, finding that he had again reached out toward Azelf, expression solemn.
"You're right about one thing, brother. I did abandon you. I left on a whim, and I can't imagine how much that has degraded my character. You have very little reason to follow me now, but I ask that you humor me one last time."
Bits of rock and snow fell to the icy floor, alleviating the silence. It did little to dull the piercing, yellow eyes staring towards Koios's hand. For a brief second, Eoin expected the legendary to act on the red light fuming from its gems. To end their truce in a righteous last stand against the pokemon that sought to take it away. When Azelf's mouth opened, however, what left was not a Shadow Ball, but a long-winded sigh. Yellow eyes met eyelids, owner of the former chuckling softly.
Do you...do you remember that stupid game we all used to play over telepathy to pass the time? How the decades fly; how long has the campaign been going for?
Koios returned the sudden grin. Eoin could only shrug at the statement. He looked over between the crowd of pallids, finding an isolated corner of the room. Carved stone of varying shapes lined the ground. The most prominent one, an icosahedron, lay in the center. Carved on its utmost side was a small number one, sending a shiver up the Pallid's spine for reasons unknown.
"I've lost track, honestly." Koios replied, holding a hand up to hide a snicker, "You always were the best arbiter of our trio. If I remember correctly, we left off in the middle of the dungeon after—"
After both of your characters spent hours trying to solve the incredibly easy gems puzzle? 'Don't worry brother, you don't need to handhold us'. I was this close to just giving out a vision of the future that would tell you how to solve it.
Eoin grinned. It was Koios's turn to cringe.
"I-It...it seemed more complicated than it looked. And it's not like you're the perfect player. How many of your characters died from their stringent adherence to the laws? It got so bad that Mespirit and I started calling your alignment lawful stu—
Point taken, though...those thieves got what was coming to them.
Eoin's head tilted. What the two legendaries had said could barely be called cordial, and yet the smile between them had not faltered. It seemed, even with his gift, there was much to learn about civilized interaction. He continued looking toward Azelf. The willpower pokemon's eyes wandered, shifting between closed recollection and the mechanism of time in his hand.
I guess, what I'm trying to say is... I miss the olden days. When you told me that you were leaving, I was angry, of course, but after a month without either of your psychic presence, I understand the reason for that nostalgia.
Without another word. Azelf met the Pallid's hand, loosening his grip of the time gear. Silent gasps escaped both Koios and Eoin, quickly replaced with a melancholic smile.
The mission was important. It still is, but it's not a journey that can be done alone.
He turned to Koios, posture loosening ever so slightly.
If you ask me, it's still a fool's bargain, and I'll make that known to the gods, but I suppose resolving this conflict personally is better than letting silence burn whatever bridges I have left.
"Oh. I am...glad, brother," Koios replied, "this'll be better for both of us, I promise you that."
Azelf's expression remained unchanged, but he nonetheless redirected his attention to Eoin. The gear was heavy in his hands, a sensation exacerbated by the willpower pokemon's glare. It was still a smile, through holding much more purpose than previous.
The torch is yours to hold now. Keep it close to the chest; I don't think I need to remind you of the stakes at play.
Eoin nodded. With tentative silence flooding the mountain, he turned toward the stairs. After his first step, however, he shifted back, finding his arm held firmly in place by Azelf. The smile had faded.
One last tidbit, Eoin. It's a dangerous game you're playing. I'll go along with my brother on our mission, but from one guardian to another, focus on the pragmatic. You know as well as I that these aren't the only pallids that are confined. Help those that can still be helped.
The Pallid dug his feet into the floor. His tail flared in resolution.
"You said it yourself, we all have a role to play. You do your part, and I will do mine."
Koios joined in. He had the appearance of the priest of a mountainous graveyard. Looking over the grey pokemon that surrounded, it appeared too accurate.
"We've both seen your memories. Your path ahead, I can't deny its righteousness, but the facts remain. Upsetting the status quo… you'll be starting a war."
Eoin turned away, re-donning his goggles. With Koios's eyes already closed, it was a pointless gesture. Embers fell to the floor as he returned the legendary's gaze.
"You know that. Don't you?"
He did. For a brief second, Eoin's eyes closed, and the imagery of a previous dreams flooded his thoughts. He shook his, forcing the blood from his claws as best he could.
"If it has to be done, I go there proudly. Thank you again, Koios, for everything. We both have a mission greater than ourselves. It is too late in the gambit for doubt."
Slowly, the knowledge pokemon nodded. Eoin again turned to the stairs, stopping only at a sight that drained the spirit from his soul more so than a time gear ever could. Two freezing and fading figures, brimming with familiarity, appearing as though they'd soon be climbing stairs owned by a higher power than Azelf.