Chapter 22: Bleeding Hearts and Souls

The dozen arrows streaked at Blaidd. He held up a hand and a shimmering barrier appeared. Many of the arrows bounced off in many directions, but one managed to streak through before the barrier went up and it pierced Blaidd's shoulder. He cried out in pain as the barbed head sank into his flesh. Gritting his teeth, he yanked out the arrow, blood spraying in an arc, splattering on the walls. He tossed the arrow contemptuously on the stairs. "You'll have to do better than that," Blaidd taunted, struggling to hide his pain. "My turn," he rasped The air began to drop in temperature as Blaidd placed his hands about a foot away from each other in front of him. The Aura barrier was sucked back in the void in between them, becoming a orb of pure Aura energy, almost completely white, crackling and sizzling. The air started to swirl and smelled of ozone, the orb getting bigger and bigger.

"His using his Aura!" Stella warned. The guard placed their shields in front of them, forming a human wall of flesh and metal. Stella backed away, knowing deep down that no shield could stand up to a force of that magnitude.

"Watch the power of Aura!" Blaidd screeched as he thrust his hands forward. The ball of Aura became a huge beam, as wide as the hallway, stronger than any hyper beam, than anything Stella had seen during her service. The guards didn't stand a chance as they were overwhelmed by the sheer power of the Aura. Their flesh burned and the metal armor heated up to extreme temperatures and began to melt along the edges. They were cooked from the inside out. Stella flung herself away from the blast, protecting her face from the intensity. Night had become day. Torches went out in the wake of the beam. Blaidd's cape and clothing whipped around him as the light of the Aura cast his human face in extreme shadows, but if one were to look closer, one could see the vestiges of the Lucario within. He had lost himself to the storm.

For the first time in a very long time, Stella was frightened. She hadn't been frightened when Archer killed the old Master, nor when he killed Eldrin in cold blood, but this, this was different. This was power, unrestrained and raw, Aura at its most powerful. And yet, this was what she had been waiting for. To witness strength on such a grand scale. Now she knew why Archer wanted it so badly. The beam faded eventually, leaving behind the scent of burning flesh and lightning, leaving the corpses of the guard lying on the floor, their faces contorted in varying degrees of anguish. It was like the aftermath of a storm, destruction and death everywhere. The occasional flash of Aura popped in the wake of the beam. Blaidd leaned against the stairway, panting, his blood flowing a bit more freely; the attack weakened. Stella seized the opportunity and she stormed the stairs, swinging her tulwar.

"Die!" She screamed, lunging at him on the stairs. Blaidd was caught by surprise and barely had enough time to pull out the heavy knife he carried. He parried the heavy blade, forcing it to go wide. With his free hand, he grasped Stella's wrist and slammed it into the wall, but in the process, he dropped his dagger. He scrambled away, and snatched a scimitar off a display on the wall. He held it across his chest as Stella's tulwar hammered into it. The metal of the scimitar, worn by age and rust, shattered into jagged pieces. A few bounced off of Stella's armor; one sliced Blaidd's cheekbone. The tulwar continued on its path downwards and Blaidd had little time to escape the weapon before it slashed through clothing and skin, across his chest. He fell back on the stairs, bleeding heavily from such a wound. He wore no armor and thus, the wound was far more painful that it could had been, He felt broken and cracked ribs. Desperate, he kicked out with his good leg, the boot colliding with Stella's kneecap. The strength of the kick, fueled by adrenaline, smashed her kneecap. She fell back a step, favoring her left leg.

"Why won't you die!" She screamed. She charged again, snatching up Blaidd's dagger off the stairs. Jerking the knife high, she plunged it into Blaidd's chest. He gasped as the dagger sank in between his ribs.

Red filled Blaidd's vision and he kicked again at Stella, who dodged it. She swung down her tulwar but this time, Blaidd caught it with his bare hands, the metal biting against his already battered hands. He stood back up slowly, chest heaving, the dagger sticking from his torso, blood trickling down, staining his shirt. "Not this time," he hissed. "I won't let you have me again." He shoved Stella away as he yanked the tulwar out of her hands, much to her shock. He threw it away behind him. He took one limping step forward, then another, blood weeping from numerous wounds. Hie jet black hair was crusted with blood as his red eyes were cold and merciless. A warrior he was, one that would never die. Stella paled and back away, weaponless and defenseless. She tumbled back on the stairs, quivering. When she regained her stepping, she fled, limping all the way. She pulled out flygon's pokeball and called out to the green dragon. Blaidd had just enough time to see her leap onto the dragon and fly out the door, where she left his vision.

"Ash..." he whispered, before his eyes closed and he tumbled down the stairs, unconscious.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Max pointed towards the center of the chamber, where a stone dais rested, the black marble shot with white veins a looming presence in the room, despite its seemingly small size, going to Ash's waist. The glass sphere mounted in the center glowed with a faint ambient light, beckoning to the denizens. Lady Ilene closed her eyes. "It is the map that will lead to Sir Aaron's tomb." Her face turned slightly upward, wondering why it had to come again, the secret that had stayed hidden in her familial line for nearly hundreds of years, was now in open view for a bunch of kids to see.

As they gawked at the dais, the starlight that poured into the room began to congeal, swirling and twisting about itself, solidifying to form a shape vaguely humanoid, nearly seven feet tall. The light in the room rushed towards the center of the congealing starlight where it was absorbed. The humanoid shape gained definition and became more solid. Ash watched in amazement as the being was clothed in resplendent robes and its skin turned the color of sun warmed bronze. Its hair was the hue of molten gold as it tumbled in loose curls past his shoulders, but its eyes were the most arresting feature. They were a blinding blue, like the heart of fire and Ash swore he saw white flames flicker in the irises; there was little distinction between scelera and iris, for both were the blinding blue-white. The robe it wore spread across the floor, with voluminous sleeves; it scintillated with all the colors of the spectrum, even some he couldn't identify. There was no way to tell what gender the being was, for its body shape had no distinguishing features. Its face was noble, with high cheekbones and strong brows, a visage like the kings of old.

The being waved a hand and the others fell to the ground, unconscious, save for Ash and Pikachu. Lady Ilene's torch fell from her still hand. Ash spun around to find them collapsed, then spun back around to face the being of starlight. "What did you do?" he demanded. "What did you do to them!" Pikachu leapt in front of Ash, his hackles raised as sparks trailed form his cheek sacs.

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked in its most intimidating voice

The being crossed his arms. "They are only sleeping for now. They will wake up when the ordeal is over." Its voice sounded masculine, yet there was a feminine undertone to it.

"What ordeal? Who are you?"

The being spread its arms and the robe, the colors once dancing lazily, flared to life, and the stranger was sheathed in an intense bright light. Ash shielded his face from the light and the light faded away quickly, back to the shimmering colors. "Do you not recognize me? I am the being whom you saw on the first day of your journey. I am the Lord of the Rainbow and the Desert Sun, the Master of the Brass Tower and Creator of Suicune, Entei, and Raikou. I," he paused for grand effect. "Am Ho-Oh."

Ash's eyes got wide with shock and amazement. He took a few steps back, Pikachu still shielding him. "I saw Ho-Oh on my first day?" he wondered. "The bird in the rainbow, the golden bird." Ever since that day, he had wondered what the mysterious bird was. Younger, he had chalked it up to a Fearow, or maybe a Pidgeot, that had hit the sunlight a certain way as it flew by the rainbow. Now he had his answer and he contemplated whether his original theory was better and safer. Legendaries appearing in his life always meant disaster or an imbalance in the world. "That, that was you," he stuttered. Pikachu backed down, the residual electricity dying away.

Ho-Oh nodded. "That was me my child. I had been watching you for a very long time now. You seem to have a habit of attracting Legendaries; even Arceus at one point acknowledged your existence."

"Tell me about it," Ash grumbled. "What exactly are you doing here anyway?"

"I was sent here by Arceus to set things into motion, to set the balance of the world back on an even keel." Ho-Oh's eyes peered outside to the sky. "The world has been off balance since Lady Eilsa ran off and with her disappearance, Aura. Aura, once plentiful in the world, became scarce, to the point where only a few family lines still carried the ability and even then, their power was weak and untrained. Now, there is a chance for the world to be right, for Aura to return to the world." Ho-Oh gestured for Ash to come closer, to the stone dais. "Tell me, what do those runes say? The ones on the stone."

Ash came closer and he squinted at the runes. "How am I supposed to read the-what the?" The runes that circled the glass orb shifted and moved, changing shape and size, until they could become readable. "How did that happen?"

"You are the only one who can read those runes. Do you know why?"

Ash shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Did Blaidd not tell you of the prophecy?"

"What prophecy?"

"Very well, you will have to ask him about it later, but you see, you are the 'sun of the night', the Aura air to Sir Aaron, a knight. The son of the knight. Does that make sense?" Ash nodded. "Your blood is the key to revealing the location of Sir Aaron's tomb."

"Wait a second, if you need Sir Aaron's tomb so badly, why can't you go to it?"

Ho-Oh's looked away, his features contorted with shame. "Because, Legendaries, while we can shape certain affairs, we cannot directly interfere in human matters, unless they involve us directly. The last time we intervened, we changed the balance of power within the Legendaries. It is something I do not wish to experience again." Ho-Oh came closer and from a voluminous sleeve, he produced a wavy bladed knife, the hilt made of gold and rubies. The blade was of iron and thick, about six inches long and two inches wide at the base. "Please," he implored handing Ash the knife. "We need your help. The Legendaries, your friends, even those you consider your enemies, need this. Without you, the balance is lost."

Ash hesitated for a moment as his hand pushed away the knife. "What are you asking me to do?"

"Read the runes and they will tell you."

Ash peered at the runes once again studying them, his brows knitted in concentration. His brown eyes glanced upwards at Ho-Oh, who was patiently waiting, his hands tucked in his sleeves. Ho-Oh nodded and Ash went back to reading them. "It, the runes I mean, want me to bleed, on the sphere of light. I guess this glass thing is the 'sphere' of light." He noticed the knife in Ho-Oh's hand, as if he saw it for the first time. "Is that you want me to use the knife?"

"Yes. Will you take it?"

"How much do I have to 'bleed'?"

"Just slice your hand and place it on the sphere." Ho-Oh thrust the knife at Ash. "Here." Ash eyed the knife skeptically, then slowly took it, exposing the underside of his left hand. "You know," Ho-Oh spoke, breaking the tension. "One of my high priests used to wield that very same knife."

Ash held the knife in one hand, the tip pointed at the underside of his hand. "What happened to him?"

"I became displeased with the fact that he decided to use the knife to sacrifice people. In my name of course," he chuckled sardonically. "The fanaticism of humans." Ash froze as the Legendary said that. "Do not worry Ash, the blade had been cleaned of any crimes it has committed in the past. You are using a clean blade, both metaphorically and psychically, so to speak."

Ash felt the cold edges of the knife hilt bite into his skin as he clenched the blade. Was he the 'Son of the night' as Ho-Oh claimed? Was his blood really the key to it? Was this even Ho-Oh, or just figment of his imagination, brought on by trauma and stress? The knife felt real in his hand and his friends were unconscious behind him. He shook his head, trying to make sense of the reality before him. He dealt with stranger things before. He tilted the knife so the the razor edge dug slightly into the meaty part of his thumb. He closed his eyes as he slowly sliced the knife across. Blood appeared on the tan flesh as it began to drip onto the floor. Pain like fire swept through his veins, burning from the inside out. His teeth ground together as he pulled the knife away. The warm red liquid dribbled from the heavy blade onto the floor, staining the stone floor. The pain was excruciating, even though it was just a simple cut. He had suffered worse before this, he thought to himself. He placed his hand down onto the glass sphere, coloring the pale blueglass crimson. Ash paused, anxious. A few heartbeats later, the sphere flashed to life, lighting the room in a blue white. The ambient colors that once swirled lazily surged into life, churning and rolling about each other in a kaleidoscope.

Images came to life in his mind's eye. The pain in his hand, throbbed faster and surged up his arm, then his whole body. It was like his skin was boiling alive, then freezing. He sank to his knees, hand still on the sphere, gripping painfully. He no longer had any sensation in his hand as his vision began to darken at the edges, but he couldn't let go, he shouldn't let go, as his mind screamed.

Images flew by in his head, a movie in fast forward. He saw sweeping expanses of desert and scrub land, the dunes shaped by the wind, a sea of sand. A lone tower stood in the distance, the color of rust as pieces of sheet metal fell away. Small oases dotted the land, specks of blue and green, surrounded by men in white. A stone temple was carved into a cliff face, a dark grey compared to the sand. His mind's eye was compelled to look inside, but was repelled, causing more agony for the teen. He gasped as the images whizzed by. It was like something was boring into his head, planting ideas and pictures into his subconscious and he was helpless to stop it. Ho-Oh stood nearby, watching with indifference, the multicolored robe glimmered leisurely.

An eternity seemed to pass by before the pain went away, replaced by a groaning in his knees as he stood up, leaning on the dais for support. He yanked his hand off the sphere, taking note of the dried blood that was crusting on the glass orb and his hand. He flexed it experimentally, wincing. The knife clattered to the floor. Ho-Oh summoned the knife back to his hand. "What did you see?" Ho-Oh inquired.

"I-I saw a desert, lots of sand. And this temple built into the rock, and there was this tower, I think it was old, but, but I can't remember anything else," Ash admitted.

Ho-Oh nodded. "Ah, the land of the Western Sands, Orre. Do not worry Ash, the rest will come to you in time."

"Now what? Do I just wait?"

"We do not have time to wait!" Ho-Oh snapped. "There is no time. The powers at play are beginning to converge and we are helpless to right the wrongs without you! We cannot wait!"

Ash shrank back. "I'm sorry."

Ho-Oh paused. "We have no time to be 'sorry'." He turned away from Ash and he started to fade, turning back to the starlight he has constructed of. "The war is only just beginning my boy." Ho-Oh faded away, leaving the confused teen with the visions in his head.

"Pika..." Pikachu cooed and Ash picked him up. "I wish I knew too. Guess Legendaries aren't too keen on being honest for once, huh?"

"Chu," Pikachu echoed his sentiments.

"Oh, my head," Misty groaned as she struggled to sit upright. The others were beginning to wake up."It felt like I was just hammered by my own mallet." She spied Ash's hand with the crusted blood. "What happened to your hand?"

Ash looked down at his hand. The dried blood was there, but not the cut. A scab had already formed and was quickly healing. "It's hard to explain," he professed.

"I feel like I got a hangover," Drew moaned.

"And you would know about that how?" Max queried.

"Um well, it's from, uh, what I heard," Drew faltered. "I swear."

"What a night this was," Brock said, helping Lady Ilene up. "Did we get anything from tat podium?" He asked Ash.

"Some, just stuff about a desert and a building carved into some rocks."

May scratched her head. "Wait a sec, what about the thing in the room? The one that appeared like a few minutes ago?"

Ash blanched. "What thing?" he lied, trying to hide Ho-Oh's presence.

"The thing that you know," she trailed off. "Never mind. We should go check on Blaidd and the others. I think it's almost sunrise."

"Agreed. Tonight was quite a night." Brock said. They left the room, with Lady Ilene shutting the door behind them. Ash took one final look at the dais, then back at his hand, closing and opening his fist. The pain had all but subsided, only a lingering trace of the events that transpired. The images still loomed in his mind and he determined that sleep would be the best cure for them. As he made his way down the stairway, he spied a figure lying in a pool of blood and he recognized it instantly.

"Blaidd!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Archer growled in frustration as the bridge burst into flames, obliterating nearly his entire army. Those that had not gotten onto the bridge yet scrambled away, dropping weapons and fleeing in terror. Archer's features contorted in rage. Someone was going to pay for this, very dearly. Logic overcame his fury and he spurred the flanks of his rapidash. There was no use in losing an army in one battle. Besides, if anything, he could use the boy to lead him to the ultimate prize. "Fall back! Fall back!" He bellowed, spinning his rapidash back around from whence he and the army came. The subcommanders began relaying the same orders and eventually, the army that was left followed behind Archer, just as the night began to lighten. Those that were isolated because of the burning bridge were quickly destroyed by the defenders of the castle. The defenders didn't give quarter to the invaders and by morning, the battle was won and Cameran Palace was saved.

But that didn't mean that the war was won.

No, don't worry, it's not the last chapter, just the second to last. That probably didn't help. *Hears imaginary sobs from viewers*...Poor Blaidd...

And yes, I had to put the SSB line in there. It sounds so awesome in the game!