How the moonlit night comforted Kalil, a companion through the solitary trek of the woods. The air fresh against his scales, teal-green eyes peering out from the sockets of his mask, not unlike a forlorn specter through the darkness.
No flame to bear, he settled on sight and the stars for aid in navigation... or, he had – before he'd stumbled into a grove unknown to him. Empty, lit by the glow of the moonlight, carrying an eerie air that made his scales spike and stand at their ends.
The next moment, the hybrid Charmeleon held up his guard, claws and tail raised, snout and eyes darting about - a thrumming presence causing the idle flourish of wandering ferals to cease.
Then, the shadows seemed to darken. The light of the moon dimmed... and a single mote of untraceable light floated through the air, followed by another, then another...
Kalil wasted no time, reaching out to catch one in his hand - observing his scaled palm to glimpse no trace.
Hm... so it's not just me feeling this, then.
"I was about to ask if you saw as I did..."
A few steps forward, the lizard's pointed ears twitched - then lowered.
...And no quicker than that, a whirl of bright light amassed from nothingness at the center of the clearing, a roar cutting through the air - tearing through the trees, gone in the next as Kalil lay prone on his back from the force of the apparition.
Adrenaline surged, he recovered immediately - to halt at the sight, uncertain of what it was he was exactly looking at.
A mess of energy that seemed entirely beyond this reality - tangible, yet it carried neither aura, nor magic. It was... paradoxical. As though it did not entirely belong.
If I didn't know any better... I'd say we had the misfortune of walking into one of those ever-annoying labyrinths so keen on popping up from nowhere - but, no, this is something... different.
"Are you saying they are connected...?"
...You feel it as well, don't you? Surely you must.
Open your eyes, my vessel. Observe.
Kalil blinked, body still as he listened to the air. Nary a breath nor breeze which brushed along the canopy, the chill which crawled up his spine served as confirmation through the stilted silence.
It was as though he'd walked into another world entirely – as any Mystery Dungeon – but it was different. A flicker of incandescent emotions welling up in his chest, a tug and pull toward a direction – the very essence that formed his being felt like it would be sapped and torn away at any moment the more he observed.
...At the center of it all, the ephemeral force that was present was neither material or metaphysical - a remnant of an otherworldly essence; neither dream nor reality... fading yet remaining forevermore in eternal flux. Flittering through the air, wisps of bright colorless light, motes and specks seamlessly adrift, coagulating around the unrecognizable forms before him.
So still was the silence, Kalil could barely will himself to move in admiring it, till Zeiros' voice returned.
Now do you see? That light was no mere trick! What you see before you is a fractured remnant of one that was once whole... a phenomena only occurring due to the remnants of a Mystery Dungeon's energy.
...Or, something like that; let's just call it... an echo of memory.
The masked lizard stifled his breath. He'd heard of such things before. Cautionary tales per his father.
At the height of one's emotions... so was it said they spilled from the soul to remain till time's end.
Rumors whispered amongst the tribefolk, through the annals of Karayka's and all its rivals history, the bloodstained remains of a wartorn history. Phantoms of warriors fallen in battle eons past, now entombed in labyrinths beyond this realm, would rise to strike down those of the present who dared challenge them. Incorporeal beings bearing resemblance to a long-dead healer luring a lost child out from the woodland depths. Shamans scorned and cast out laying hexes upon those foolish enough to tread upon the grounds where they were persecuted. An elder sister aiding her younger brother against an alpha, the very same that had slain her days before.
...Echoes could not be compared to lost souls. As a shaman, he knew what sat before him was not the same. They held no life, no soul, no spirit - they were but an echo of a time long lost.
No more than flickering remnants of lingering, tangent emotion.
Automatons endlessly repeating the last moments of whatever life that had once remained.
And... now, Kalil could truly see the echo before him for what it was. For what it depicted.
A Fraxure frozen in time, form flickering in an unstable space – clad in a mask, wielding a pair of twin swords with painted scales accentuated by tribal robes. Fending a great beast he could not discern through the deep shadow of the forest bar its crimson eyes.
Curious to him, a single white flower seemed to be clutched in one of the warrior's hands, wilted petals barely visible as its stem lay crushed against the hilt of a blade.
Karayka were the only known tribe to don masks – yet the clothing and embroidery sewn into the ensemble of the dragon were of different design, as were the intricacies of the paint and patterns along the mask.
Which meant this Fraxure could not be of Karakya – perhaps a warrior before its founding...?
To observe in caution is one thing... but I believe more can be gleaned from this remembrance – this echo – of time.
...So go on, my vessel.
Time is in your hands.
See with it, the truth.
Kalil needed no further direction, his own curiosity welling up despite his apprehension.
Slowly, he strode forwards; the runic patterns along his body glimmering brighter with every step.
Tail swishing with eyes aglow, the crest at his brow alit, geometric pattern matching at the back of his hand following... he raised his claws, and held it out, the tips flittering with celestial patterns barely meeting the shoulder of the masked Fraxure, scattering motes of iridescent light through the unmoving air–
"L̷̈́͑.̶̛͆.̷̄̕. L̷̏͠Ä̴́͑Ẻ̸L̵̕.̸.. LA̶E̶L̵...! L̵A̶E̴E̵E̵EEEEEEEEEL!"
Live to fight. Fight to live.
Don the mask – uphold your ideals.
Let not emotions take hold.
Let not your blade waver beneath their weight.
That was the creed the warrior had taken. His mask, patterned with the sun, depicting the crest of Solgaleo - its ethereal rays stretching along its exterior painted colors red and green – to uphold justice.
That had been his purpose, his very reason for existence, until this moment, when all he knew had been ripped from his grasp.
The cry of anguish poured from the Fraxure's jaws as the reflected visage of his slain sister lay stained upon his gaze. Breaths heavy with rage and regret - mournful strength so lurid his lungs threatened to seize and burst from their intensity.
She was not the only one. His mother, uncle, aunt, and cousins alike lay strewn about – cleaved, bisected, disemboweled, staining the green grass of the forest with deep red. A crimson as rich as the eyes of the great beast looming overhead.
Smile wider than any creature he'd seen, scarlet slurry trailing down its chin and neck, pooling at its feet, surroundings showered in gore and the internals of the small shape he could barely even recognize anymore.
It paid him no heed, the current meal so fresh between its jaws.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
The draconic warrior's clawed grip tightened round his weapons, and he charged, screaming mad fury as high his voice could carry.
Pride, ideals, truth, justice, no more did they hold any meaning.
He craved the death of this butcher, and he would have it - he would savor it, just as he would have savored the smile on her face!
When he had been so close!
"MUST YOU TAKE EVERYTHING FROM ME?!"
The flower between his fingers fueled him, and flipping to stab his tusks into the ground, the Fraxure spun with blades outstretched, kicking into the air - aura flowing through his limbs, brilliant blue glow the color of his eyes and tusks causing the metal to elongate with the power of a Sacred Sword –
– and plunged.
Savoring the bright red petals that blossomed, the tips of his twin weapons sprouting from the titan's back like thorns; his large smile wilted at the screech of pained anguish which followed - enough to make him recall his anger.
"SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"
He plunged.
Again. And again. And again.
Tusks, fangs, claws, blades, he wouldn't stop even as one after the other broke from the force - a masked specter, symbol of the sun buried beneath the butcher's blood, surroundings showered in bright red and dots of white wood.
The flower he once carried, so too had it been left by the wayside. A cure for a disease wrought by a plague... that had been the whole reason for his departure.
That flower was going to let him see her smile again -
And now it meant nothing!
Soon, he stood atop the toppled corpse, plunging into the remains of its chest, tearing its heart free to eye it with glee - beaming beneath the sockets of his mask - offset as he crushed it to bits, admiring the bright scarlet burbling between his fingers with a smile.
He couldn't save them... but he could at least avenge them, yes!
Their souls could rest, a̴n̴d̶ ̸h̴e̶.̷.̶.̶
He... could s̵e̷e̷ it so v̸i̸v̸idly!
His s̶̗̓i̵̤̓s̵̨̔t̷͍̏e̵̲̓r̶̮̐'̴̜̍s̵̘͝ smile!
His mother's nod of approval as he s̶h̶̅ő̵w̵̟̓e̶͔̾d̶ her the fe̶a̵s̷t̸, a feast given by his fat̸h̷e̸r̴'̶s ̷c̵o̶r̵p̴s̶e!
Ṭ̷͗h̵̹̀ǐ̵͚ṣ̵̈,̴̦̑ ̷̣̈a̷̢͛n̸̿ͅd̷̎͜ ̵͇̓s̷̘͂ȍ̷̧ ̵̬͋m̵̩̾a̶͉̿n̸͇̆y̷̡̒ ̸̡͛m̵͎̏o̶̢͛r̷̹̈é̵̺!̵͚͋
"L̶̿̑E̴̿͝T̸̰̓ ̵̈́̔M̸̎͝E̵̍̇ ̸̓̒S̶̉͒Ẽ̷̉E̸̐͘ ̶͝͠Y̸̓̍Ǒ̵́Û̵́R̷̃͘ ̷͂͑S̸̏̚M̵͓̑I̸̐̈́L̵̒̀E̸̐͘ ̵͋̐Â̵̄Ǵ̸̯A̴͂̕I̶̒͋N̷̍͂!̵͒͐"
The cyan glow of the patterns etched along azure scales glimmered, brightened, then dimmed.
The emotions entombed tore through his mind, flashing all at once akin to a flurry of still moving images; fracturing his heart with such forceful intensity a scream threatened to well up in his throat.
A shocked gasp, and Kalil stumbled onto his back, caked in sweat and rasping for air, tail thrashing against the ground – as though he'd been shoved beneath the waves, and only now resurfaced at the hinge of unconsciousness.
He clawed at the ground, digits digging into the soft soil, eyes wide as sensation returned. The split second endured lasted an eternity, lost and toiled among a sea of ancient memories.
How long he remained there, breathless and rasping, the cool breeze kissing his face, Kalil couldn't say, the disbelief finally registering.
"W-What... what was that...?"
...A vision of truth. An echo of time. A memory eternal.
I cannot exactly discern what it is we saw... and yet…
"...A-All that felt... so vivid, It was as though the warrior's feelings were my own..."
A trembling voice, Kalil shook his head and shakily rose to sit. Seeking to quell his rising fear, the hybrid sighed and placed a palm atop his scaled chest, clutching the tooth dangling from his necklace.
"The rage, the sorrow... all that, out of love...? But the one he faced..."
...
All creatures in this world are attached to those they consider familial.
Such is the nature of those who share the same blood… even should it prove detrimental, chains that bind through time and blood cannot so easily be unshackled.
Kalil paused, then lifted his head.
"Can the same be said for you?"
…It most certainly can.
A hint of sadness carried in the ethereal lizard's voice, reminiscent feelings flooding his being as he spoke.
My family... I wonder who and where they are. Have I descendants? What exactly could they be doing now? Would they even remember me, in spite of all I've forgotten?
Every time I try and think of them, my voice wells up inside my chest. I feel nothing but strong, passionate emotions. Is it fear? Hatred? Sadness? Longing? Regret?
If I could just… glimpse past this fog, extend my hand toward one of those fading visages, heed their words, then…
"Zeiros?"
Silence.
"...Zeiros?!" Worry flooded Kalil's voice as the ache in his chest worsened. He hadn't realized he'd stood up – or yelled, for that matter.
So deafening was the brief pause, the azure lizard flinched as the voice returned. Quiet, barely above a whisper, having lost all trace of its perpetually teasing tone.
...I ask you, to promise me one thing, Kalil.
This time you have... when next you see your sire, come the dawn and our return... I want you to treasure it. Every last moment.
Do not take for this happiness for granted.
Do not let it remain as a visage doomed to fade.
...Otherwise you will be left with nothing, and left to stow in your delusion of what the dead desire, time stolen.
Unable to speak without feeling as though he'd utter the same sayings of the warrior, Kalil simply nodded - then turned to gaze at the spot where the remnant had first manifested.
Nothing remained...
Nothing except a single, brilliant flower nestled in the vegetation, white petals gleaming like a bright star in the moonlit sky.