The story of the Sky King can be traced back to the birth of the All-Father, who molded the world in his image and breathed life into the Legendaries, his children. Some become primordial forces of nature, gods in their own right, their spirits apparent in the darkest depths of the seas or in the highest of mountains. Other Legendaries gave the breath of life to the mortals, cloaking the earth in life. Others became mighty warriors and sages, imbuing the land with moral lessons and tales, teaching right from wrong. Others gave emotion and knowledge and willpower.
And others, well, others became god-kings.
Rayquaza was one of the god-kings, ruling over a massive continent known as the Sky Kingdom; however, the continent was shared by a second kingdom, one known as the Tao Empire on the eastern side, a massive mountain range running down the middle. The two kingdoms lived in relative peace with each other, with the occasional border dispute buried deep within the mountains.
Life was good for those of the Sky Kingdom; Rayquaza was a kind and generous ruler, noble and just, a harbinger of peace. He ruled through his vassals, noblemen and women who owned land in his name. Thus had been the way for many years, and the Kingdom flourished under his rule.
But then,things changed .
The Tao Empire was ruled by three kings: Reshiram, master of fire; Zekrom, ruler of lightning; and Kyurem, lord of frost. They ruled peacefully, though not near as fruitful as the Sky Kingdom. Then Kyurem, the peacemaker between Reshiram and Zekrom disappeared. There was a sudden power vacuum, the two dragons now jockeying for power and for a period of time, there was minor civil war. But suddenly, it ceased and the two brothers, much more warlike than Kyurem, turned their eyes to the fertile region of the Sky Kingdom.
Rayquaza did not see it coming. Hundreds upon hundreds of Tao soldiers, thousands of them wearing the distinctive black and white tabards of their rulers. They overwhelmed the historic fortress that signaled the boundary of the two kingdoms in the Sylph mountain pass. They marched their way down the mountains, taking over estates and cities, the Sky Kingdom's soldiers unable to truly fight back.
Then, Rayquaza disappeared as well, leaving his kingdom at the mercy of the Tao soldiers.
Some guessed he was killed, others suggested that he was paid off somehow to allow the Tao kings to take over his kingdom.
Either way, we have nothing left.
The Sky Kingdom was once my home. My father had an estate nestled in a small mountain valley near the central part of the Kingdom. He ran a winery, with grape fields as far as the eye could see. We were wealthy, I guess, but it wasn't like we flaunted it. My mother and sister provided meals to Father's workers and gave medical care to those who were injured. The workers and those who lived near us were like family.
But then that all changed, when the Black and Whites came in, changing every thing that I knew about life and those around me.
I don't think it was for the better either.
I hope that someday Rayquaza, the Skyking can come home again, and bring back peace to our chaotic war torn lands. For now though, now it falls in our hands. We must be the change we wish to see, we must be the hand that guides the sword, the shield and eventually, the quill to pen the peace treaty. I pray that day comes soon.
My name is Kephra Vulkanus Longspear, also known as Firescar.
And this is my story, my life. Should I die before the end of the war, I can at least write this, to give others hope that yes, peace once reigned and it could reign again, if we choose to let it be so.
Until then, I take up my spear and fight for my king, so I am not just a vassal of the Sky King, I am his child.
I am one of the Children of the Sky King.
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The sun seemed to pound down upon them as they patrolled the fields. They rode Rapidashes, whom did not mind their riders, as they went down the main path. The soft rolling mountains were off to the north of them, their green tops seeming more lush than ever despite the oppressive heat. The riders were blazikens, identified by their distinctive beige crest feathers and fiery wrists. The oldest of them wore a deep blue vest, trimmed and embroidered with gold thread. He wore flowing tan pants,tied with a red sash, while a curved sword rested at his side. His crest feathers were clipped shorter than the others, while the feathers lining his face looked to be longer on average, the once bright red duller with age, graying at the tips. His eyes, a crisp blue the same hue as the sky above, were still as sharp as ever, even if crow lines radiated from the corners.
The second one, who looked like his oldest son, rode next to him, taking note of everything his father did. He wore an outfit similar to his father's, with a green vest rather than a blue one. He too, carried a sword. The third blaziken was wearing a set of white robes with golden thread on the edges. He did not ride a Rapidash, preferring to walk alongside, his long limbs keeping up. He was training to be a priest of Arceus, an acolyte of the All-Father. The fourth looked to be the youngest of them all, also walking, with softer features and longer crest feathers then his brothers. He wore no vest; instead he wore what looked to be akin to a kilt, with the familial colors of deep blue, pale gold and blood red in a plaid like pattern.
The oldest one reached over and plucked a leaf off of one of the grape vines, feeling it under his neatly trimmed claws. The leaf was dray and crumbled under his scrutiny. "The sun will bake the crop if we don't get rain soon," he said.
"The rains will come father," his oldest son reassured him.
"Akhum, you are too optimistic," the father, Akhom, laughed sardonically. "Yes the rains will come, but not soon enough. The crops have been poor since the Skyking fled. Thankfully, the sales of our older wines have made up for this."
"If you were to ask me," Akhom's Rapidash, Asmos, interjected. "The wines will be much better this year than have in the past few years."
"It would seem that everyone is trying to reassure me," Akhom held up his hands in mock surrender. "Very well, I give in. The wines will be delicious this year and the rains will be perfect and arrive in time."
The second oldest son, Ezra, pointed east suddenly. "Father, what is that?" he asked, pointing to a plume of dust some distance away.
"Some of our soldiers?" Kephra offered.
"Don't be silly," Akhum scoffed. "The Tao soldiers aren't even supposed to be anywhere near here, so why would the Sky soldiers go through here?"
"Akhum, mind your tongue," Akhom rebuked. Akhum bowed his head, chagrined. "According to the reports, the Tao soldiers were miles away, avoiding the area completely until they subjugated the north." He urged Asmos forward and his sons followed, curious and apprehensive. Their father was suddenly on edge and they wanted to know why. He stopped though, consternation crossing his features, emphasizing the lines around his eyes and beak.
He turned to his youngest, Kephra. He had recently evolved, a source of joyous celebration for the family. His heart dropped, knowing exactly what was to happen, even though he fought to hide it on his visage.
"Kephra, go home and warn mother."
"What?" he was confused and frightened by his father's sudden change in mood.
"Kephra,go home." he ordered. "Now."
He nodded. "Yes father." he turned away from the party and began to run back, down the trail and back towards the family home.
Kephra ran for a while, but then stopped suddenly, deciding to hide among the grape vines, watching his father. It couldn't be anything bad, right? Father did say that the Tao soldiers were supposed to be miles away. He crouched down, hiding among the vines, waiting and praying to the All-Father.
Meanwhile, Akhom turned to his other two sons. "Let us go greet our guests, shall we?" his hand impulsively went to the heavy curved sword at his side, a tide-over from when he campaigned against sea pirates when he was younger.
A large retinue appeared on the horizon, no longer obscured by the dust they churned up. They were about fifty of them, dressed in armor, their tabards dirtied by the dusty road. Behind them was a litter, veiled in silks and carried by four rhydon. The leader of the troop was a nidoking, his left ear heavily notched and a ugly, puckered scar over his left eye. He was heavily armored and carried a scroll of parchment paper in one hand.
"Are you Akhom Vulkanus, of the Vulkanus estate?" he asked gruffly, his voice reminding Kephra of gargling rocks.
"Indeed I am," Akhom replied. "And what business do you have with me?"
The nidoking cleared his throat and unfurled the scroll. He began to read: "By the order of the Emperor of Fire and the Emperor of Thunder, the lands held by the Vulkanus clan are to be seceded to its new owner, as the land is now under the rule of the Tao Empire."
Akhum sputtered in rage, embers alight in his mouth and nostrils. "That cannot be! These lands have been in our family since, since the inception of the Sky Kingdom, maybe even before that!-"
His father placed a hand on Akhum's shoulder, the other clenching the hilt of his weapon tightly. "Enough Akhum, " he warned. He turned to the nidoking, looking down at him. " I was not aware of the Tao Empire penetrating this far into the heartlands of the country." he said coolly. "and who is to be the new lord of the estate, anyway?"
The nidoking gestured back to the litter and the emerald, serpentine head of a serperior poked out from the silk screenings of the litter. Akhom smirked at the fact the the serperior was overweight, judging by the jowls around the serpent pokemon's face. "He is Lord Berot, the newly appointed master and lord of Vulkanus estate."
"Yes, and if you would get these "Sky" barbarians off my land, it would be most appreciated." the serperior sneered.
The nidoking nodded. "Yes, we have. Now if you would so kindly evacuate your family and your valuables for the new lord of the estate."
Ezra, the acolyte of the All-Father, turned to Akhom in alarm. "Father!" he said in a panic.
Akhom's face grew dark and small embers flickered and danced on his wrists. "I will not stand by to be forcibly evacuated from my home!"
"You have no choice in the matter," the nidoking snarled.
Akhom got off the rapidash and stared the nidoking down, hands at his side, his right threatening to pull his sword out of the scabbard. "I very much so have a choice in the matter." Akhom said, the flames on his wrists growing ever so brighter, until they were blazing infernos in their own right. The air seemed hazy around Akhom as heat radiated off of him in wave.
Suddenly, Lord Berot, the overweight serperior, shrieked: "He's got a sword!" His chubby tail poked out from the silk screenings and pointed at Akhom's weapon. "He's got a swooooord!" he wailed.
Kephra wasn't sure what happened next, as the scene erupted into chaos. Akhom and his oldest brother pulled out their weapons and waded into the midst of the Tao troop, their heavy weapons slashing up and down, like the farmers in the field would do with their scythes when cutting down the harvest. The rapidashes joined in the fight, the horseshoes on their hooves flashing in the hot midsummer sun. Akhom managed to strike heavy blows with his weapon, the years of campaigning against the pirates resurfacing as he fought. Blood flew in the air in droplets as Akhom mowed the Tao soldiers. Eventually though, he grew exhausted due to age and was captured, tied up, his hands behind him. Akhum was lost amidst the chaos and Ezra, Kephra didn't know what happened to Ezra. As per the policy of the priests of the All-Father, fighting was banned, but they could defend themselves when needed.
"Burn them!" Lord Berot shrieked. "Kill them! Get them off my property!"
"But it isn't yours," Kephra was tempted to scream, but chose not to, for fear of being discovered.
One of the Tao soldiers, a rhyperior, managed to find a pair of thick stakes that had been left over from Kephra's evolution celebration, nearly fifteen feet long and a foot in diameter. The Tao soldiers that were still living helped hammer the stakes into the ground. Some of the other Tao soldiers found dried brush and kindling.
Kephra watched in horror as they managed to drag his father-who was still managing to put up a fight—and forcibly tie him to the stake. They did the same with Akhum, though the oldest son did not nearly put up a fight, for he was unconscious, blood dripping steadily from a cut on his head. He still could not find his brother, Ezra.
He did have to look to know what was going to happen. He did not need to, for the fires were etched permanently in his memory.
He ran.
He ran as fast as he could, tears streaming from his eyes. Why did his father had to do that? Why did he have to be so stubborn? Now, now it was his duty to warn mother and Kara, his younger sister of the impeding danger. He had to warn the workers and their families that were living on the estate as well, their livelihoods now utterly destroyed by the actions of some far away Emperors.
He pedaled to a stop on top of a hill when he saw his family home, now up in flames. He could see his mother, Selena, putting up a fight against the leering Tao soldiers as they dragged her away. He could see Kara, still only a combusken, trying vainly to put up a struggle against the soldiers, but not until one struck her in the back of the head, driving her to the ground.
"Nooooo!" Kephra screamed, his voice rising over the sounds of burning wood and stone, drawing the attention of one of the nearby Tao soldiers. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
He could not remember what happened next.
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Lord Berot's name is pronounced " Ber-o" like the wine "merlot", the 't' is silent.
There are a couple of things to note in the story. The Legendaries are worshiped as gods, with priests and temples and what not; however only the priests are allowed to call the Legendaries by their names, i.e, Arceus, Dialga, Meloetta, etc. The casual worshiper uses their titles, which have been provided for you (The ones bunched together are the ones usually related to each other somehow):
The All-Father/The Creator: Arceus.
The All-Mother/Giver of Life: Mew
Distortion Lord/ The Judge/The Prince of Shadows: Giratina
The Time Keeper/Crystalline Master: Dialga
Time Master/ Avatar of Chrono: Celebi
The Spatial Master/ Pearl Lord: Palkia
The Wish Maker/ Lord of the Third Eye/ Avatar of Space: Jirachi
Land Summoner/ Earth Shatterer: Groudon
Sky Dancer/ Flower Prince/Avatar of Earth: Shaymin
The Regi's: Regice, Regirock, Registeel
Regi Master: Regigigas
Ocean Bringer/ Sea King: Kyogre
Sea Prince/ Avatar of Sea: Manaphy
Muse of the Arts/The Muse: Meloetta
Field King/The Harvester: Landorus
Storm Bringer: Tornadus/ Thundrus
Princess of the Crescent Moon/ Dream Queen: Cresselia
Prince of the New Moon/ Dream King: Darkrai