Secrets of the Night

DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!

Chapter 19: Consequences of Desires

Zephyr Pillar

Stars had appeared and the crescent moon began to glow in the eastern sky. Evening had descended upon the land and blanketed the towering structure that is the Sky unit base, situated in the middle of the stretched out dense forestry where the serene symphony of the birds slowly died down to make way for the flyers of the night.

Myriads of shrieks and fluttering of wings filled the air as hundreds of silhouettes shot out of the hollow opening of the Zephyr Pillar like black smoke. It was a horde of Zubats, Swoobats, and their evolved forms. Several Noivern and Noibats mixed in as well, easily distinguishable by their sheer size compared to the other bat pokemon.

Faye Lin took long deep breaths as she neared the tower of earth. Flying on her own was indeed terrifying, even when the Latios was considerate enough to slow down his pace. The girl's arms were starting to feel like jelly, and her heart was already thumping out of control. Fortunately, the landing bay was not that far.

The Latios banked smoothly, avoiding the hordes of bat pokemon, as it closed in towards a cave opening, located near the peak of Zephyr Pillar. There were several other areas like it, but it was the closest to the main chamber which was Lord Altair's office. With light halt, the blue and white dragon landed on the earthy surface and ushered its passenger down.

Faye Lin dismounted and breathed in relief, having set foot on solid ground. But now, she was in some giant mound that had hundreds of bats flying out moments ago. What else was she going to find? Better question, where was she supposed to go?

Raius, the Latios nudged her and sent a telepathic message, "The room is out the door at the end of the halfway, to your left."

Faye Lin jolted at the male voice that echoed in her mind. She spun about and went face to face with the Latios who motioned her to get going. The blonde girl nodded and cautiously walked out of the wide landing bay and into to the dug-out tunnels that formed into a circle around the hollow centre, which was partly visible through the protective wired barrier. The floors were reinforced with fine wood, while the walls were embedded with strong wooden pillars each with a small niche carved in the middle to accommodate a warm bright lamp.

It was only a short walk, but it felt long for Faye Lin. There weren't anyone else roaming the halls. It was tensely silent, except for the echoing screeches from the bat pokemons. Faye Lin glanced around at the doors, worrying if she was going the right way. Then finally, she came across a huge door with a serpent-like pokemon with claws and a ring-like pattern adorning its body, carved magnificently on the surface.

With a quiet knock and a resulting zero response, Faye Lin entered the room.

Lower Levels, Zephyr Pillar

Aeron's friends had arrived and just witnessed the flight of the bat pokemon leaving the peak of the colossal mound. Kirian felt chills at the sight of it, unlike Rozalia who didn't seem to mind. She was more focused on seeing Aeron again.

"Are you sure we can come in here? This is the Sky unit's base, and we're not supposed to be here without Aeron," Kirian reminded, lagging behind the redhead as they ascended to the next floor.

"C'mon. My mother is head of the Rosette division, I can come and go wherever I please, and that applies to Aeron too. He drops by my unit's area whenever he wants, so I can barge in here, whenever I want too," Rozalia argued, hastening her pace up the next flight of stairs. "So hurry up, or I'll leave you behind."

Kirian panted. "Someday when Aeron takes over this place, he should really consider adding an elevator."

The two continued on. They ran in to several members of the Sky unit, but as Rozalia mentioned, she had the privilege and authority to be there, so no one argued or dared to. They rested midway when Kirian felt like collapsing from exhaustion and hunger.

Their destination was Lord Altair's office, since it was the most likely place Aeron would be, but they decided to make a pit stop at the resident cafeteria which was located in three areas spread throughout the structure. The best choice was the one nearest to their destination. It was only a single floor below Lord Altair's office, but several floors up from where they were currently at.

"Seriously, this place needs an elevator…" Kirian commented.

Faye Lin sat alone in a large room that appeared like it was dug out and supported by elegant pillars, shaped like tree roots that sprouted out of the floor and grew towards the ceiling. The interior was an earthy somber mix of the shade of rough granite and rich wooden textures, giving it an ancient forest feel. But it wasn't all that dull. Furnishings that added color to the chamber were a glass chandelier, hanging daintily at the ceiling and framed feathers belonging to several kinds of pokemon. There was a thin rainbow one, a semi-Y-shaped silver beside it, a solitary snow-white feather and a three set consisting of a fiery red, an icy blue and a vibrant yellow.

As time passed and the silence grew heavy, Faye Lin became restless. She stood up and walked around, mindful of not to break or touch anything in the room. She glanced around the collection of books arranged in a tree-like book shelf, then she moved on to the carved wing symbol etched on the floor.

Recalling the familiarity of the sign, she hurriedly pulled out from her bag the piece of paper that prior fell out of the journal. At that moment, a pokeball rolled out of her bag and dropped to the floor, releasing a fuzzy purple bat that grinned at the sight of the blonde lass.

Noir fluttered about in the room, cooing and chirping with excitement. Then he stopped when he heard Faye Lin call for him. Eagerly, he flew back and hovered restlessly around her. The blonde girl smiled at the purple bat's childish exuberance and stroked his head to calm him down.

Then Faye Lin returned her attention to piece of parchment and compared the two wing symbols. And indeed they were exactly alike. Noir hovered over her shoulder and took a peek, curious but otherwise unaware how restless his human companion was.

Faye Lin couldn't make any concrete conclusions. There was so much she didn't know. Giving up, she sat back down and pulled out her canteen in order to settle down her nerves and quench her thirst, but unfortunately, it was empty.

Faye Lin was told not to leave, nor did she want to. She was completely unfamiliar of the area, especially the place where she could possibly get water. But, there was someone else who was. Faye Lin turned to the Noibat and motioned him over.

"Noir, if it isn't any trouble, could you…?" Faye asked and extended the water container towards the fluttering purple bat.

With an eager grin, Noir nodded and took the canteen using his claw-like feet. Then with a bit of help from Faye Lin, he went out the door and flew towards the stairway, leading to the lower level.

Aeron's friends had just exited the snack bar, each with a sandwich in hand. Kirian was already more than halfway done devouring his, while Rozalia was sticking to small bite portions. They were now on their way up the last flight of stairs, when they saw a familiar size approaching.

"Noir!" Rozalia called at the sight of Aeron's partner.

Kirian nearly choked but succeeded in swallowing the remainder of his snack in order to greet the Noibat, "Fuzzball! Welcome back!"

Noir grinned at the two excitedly and lavished in the continuous petting and rubbing, before greeting back in his own pokemon language.

"If Noir is back, then that means Aeron is too," Rozalia concluded with an even more eager disposition.

"That's right!" Kirian agreed and turned to Noir who was still holding an empty canteen. "Where's Aeron now, Noir? Better yet, where are you heading with that?"

Noir looked down and recalled his task. Knowing his priority, he faced the two humans and bid them farewell before flying towards the cafeteria. Kirian and Rozalia were puzzled. They went after the Noibat and accompanied him to the water refilling area. Then after that, the three proceeded to the final level where Lord Altair's office was located.

"Looks like we were right," Rozalia pointed out as she noticed that they were heading towards the large doors with the Rayquaza carving.

Kirian stared at the entrance of the Sky unit leader's office. "I wonder if Lord Altair is inside too. If so, then we really shouldn't disturb them. I don't like it when Aeron's father is pissed. He's mostly emotionless like Aeron, but when he's angry, he's as furious as an Ursaring when you take its honey away."

"You got that right."

As they neared the doorway, Noir stopped and turned to Kirian and Rozalia. He understood that he needed to watch over Faye Lin until Lord Altair and Aeron come back. Letting other people see the newcomer was only going to lead to trouble, even if it was people he knew. Having made his choice, Noir started to nudge Kirian and Rozalia away.

"Hey, what gives?" Kirian stood his ground and placed a firm hand on the Noibat's head to prevent him from pushing the boy away.

Noir had no intention to give in. He backed up a little and in an instant bit Kirian's hand. The spiky-haired boy yelped and frantically shook the Noibat off. After Noir released him, Kirian whimpered and rubbed the fang marks on his hand.

"Maybe Noir doesn't want us to come in?" Rozalia calmly assumed.

Kirian grimaced. "Ya' think?!"

Noir resumed to nudging the two away until Kirian and Rozalia eventually gave in. They were hesitant but they figured that Aeron and Lord Altair didn't want to be disturbed.

Disappointed, the two took their leave, but as soon as Noir turned around and flew towards the door, Kirian and Rozalia decided to spy. They watched the Noibat chirp and the door slowly opened, letting the fuzzy purple bat in. After it shut back, Kirian and Rozalia moved in and pressed their ear against the thick door.

Inside, Noir returned the canteen to Faye Lin who received it with gratitude. The blue-eyed heiress took a few sips and sat back down. She was calmer thanks to the water, but as the silence continued to dawn, the tension grew heavier.

Faye Lin breathed in as she took out her sister's journal and continued reading. Noir took a seat beside her and peered over the curious-looking book she was holding.

Meanwhile, the two outside were becoming impatient. They couldn't hear a single thing. It was either the door was too thick or no one inside spoke a word. Kirian grumbled under his breath and pushed himself more against the door that started to creak from the pressure.

"What are you guys doing?" A sudden familiar voice spoke up, jolting the duo. Kirian and Rozalia turned and saw Aeron standing behind them with his father, Lord Altair beside him, glaring crossly at the uninvited visitors.

"Ae-Aeron… Y-You're back," Kirian greeted nervously under the Sky unit leader's piercing stare. "….S-Sooo… how's it hanging?"

Rozalia forced a composed smile and grabbed Kirian's forearm. Then she bowed deeply at Lord Altair. "Forgive the intrusion. We we're just dropping by to check whether or not Aeron was really back."

Aeron didn't say a word as his father did it for him. Lord Altair eased his gaze and stepped forward. "As you can see, he is. Now, you may leave. My son and I have some unfinished business…"

"Y-Yes." The two replied and bowed in unison.

Lord Altair opened the door and stepped in, followed by Aeron, but before he could disappear inside, Kirian grabbed his arm. Aeron glanced back and saw his friends smile pleasantly, only seemingly though.

"You owe us an explanation tomorrow," Rozalia warned with a grin.

"Let's meet at the eastern wing of Main Fortress, noontime," Kirian added.

Aeron paused in uncertainty, but nodded in the end. "Alright."

Satisfied, the two released him and watched the boy enter Lord Altair's office. The door closed once again, making Kirian and Rozalia sigh in relief and disappointed. They decided to leave and began to make their way down the wooden staircase.

"Geez, we went all the way here and we still couldn't get Aeron to hang out with us, or even have a chance at a decent conversation…" Kirian grunted as he placed his hands behind his head.

"Hey Kirian…" Rozalia called, feeling troubled.

"Yeah?"

"If Aeron and Lord Altair were out there, who was inside the office with Noir?" Rozalia asked with suspicion.

Kirian flinched and thought back. "Good question…"

Back inside, Lord Altair took a seat in front of his desk while Faye Lin and Aeron with Noir on his shoulder, stood on the opposite. Tension lingered. It was as if each person was waiting for the other to speak up.

Finally, the stillness faded when Lord Altair spoke up, "I assume that I should begin with thoroughly explaining what this place is to our guest."

Aeron glanced sideways and saw Faye Lin clasp her fingers and nod nervously. It was still much of a puzzle to him as to why his father brought her here, and why the girl was willing to come in the first place.

"Faye Lin Azril, the only child and heiress to the Azril noble family of Kalos," Lord Altair began, surprising the two teens that the man knew of such information. Unfazed by their reaction, Lord Altair continued, "If you come of age, then you would likely hear of this place from your current family head. This place is called Semira Isle, a secluded island belonging to neither of the six regions…Not many know of its existence. Those who do are either noble families, or new arrivals. Here, we train closely with pokemon. But unlike your usual pokemon battles, contests, and other measly tasks, here, we work in equal standing. Under any job or threat, we are not solely dependent on our pokemon. If they fight, we fight with them. We are not the type of people to merely stand in the sidelines and spout commands, understand?"

Faye Lin nodded. Her thoughts flew back to the cargo vessel where the assassins wielded weapons and killed anyone before them, with their pokemon merely assisting them as they did. The main concern now in her head was what kind of job do people here train in? Killing?

"Based on what I've heard from Aeron, you already witnessed some of the people here at work…" Lord Altair brought up, furthering the nervousness of the girl.

Faye Lin averted her eyes as fear and regret began to take over. She tried to counter the emotions by thinking of her sister and the presence of Aeron who had protected her before.

Lord Altair was reading her like an open book. Her fears and anxiety were completely obvious. He remained calm and glanced at his son whose gaze had not left him since the conversation began.

"Father…"

"Yes, I'm getting there." Lord Altair returned his attention to the girl who in turn, met his gaze once again. "You need not worry. This is the Sky unit's base. We don't specialize in assassination or any of that kind…"

Faye Lin was taken aback, but she was relieved nonetheless.

"We, here specialize in flying-types and several other pokemon like certain dragon-types and insects," Lord Altair continued. Then he explained further about the other areas in Semira as short, clear and direct as possible. The last area he mentioned was Senka Isle, which belonged to the assassin group that Faye Lin encountered prior. He didn't put it into details. There were only a couple of things she needed to know. They kill people, and they should be avoided.

Faye Lin was thankful that Semira was not a total nest of murderers. But it still led her to worry whether or not her sister was involved. She had no idea which group Maya was in. She only hoped that it wasn't the one with the assassins.

"Now on to another issue…" Lord Altair drew back the blonde girl's attention. "Like I said, the only ones who know about this place, or even set foot here, are either members of noble families that have come of age or young individuals who have come here to train… And at the moment, you are neither. That makes you an intruder here, and intruders are dealt with, accordingly."

Faye Lin flinched and backed away. And in that moment, Aeron stepped in front, like he did before when the redheaded assassin was threatening to kill her aboard the cargo ship.

Noir flew over from the boy's shoulder to Faye Lin's side while grinning optimistically. Although he found it puzzling that Aeron became agitated because of Lord Altair. There wasn't anything he could help. It was something between father and son.

Aeron was on guard. Before he wouldn't stand against his father, but then again, he could never picture his father being able to kill anyone in the first place. Ever since he found out his father was a former assassin, he became uncertain. He cared for his father but in terms of ideals, he chose to stand by the side of life.

Lord Altair stood up from his seat and walked over to them. Faye Lin shrunk back behind Aeron and lowered her gaze, as a rapid relapse of the events at sea flashed in her mind: blood, screams, and lifeless bodies.

Lord Altair took note of Aeron's protectiveness and met Aeron's gaze and sighed. Then he placed a hand on his son's head, calming the boy almost instantly. "You should learn to let go..."

Aeron suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He realized he was wrongly accusing his father of an act that he turned away from, years ago. "I'm sorry…"

Faye Lin overheard the apology. She looked up and saw Aeron's father gazing calmly at his son. There was no animosity of any kind in his expression. It was merely the look that a parent could give to his child.

"I was the one who extended an invitation, so that makes her my special guest …temporarily, of course," Lord Altair explained as he brushed his hand away and caught the girl's gaze. "It is her choice whether she goes back tomorrow, or become part of Semira and the Sky unit."

Faye Lin stepped forward, reaffirming her resolve to find her sister. She can't miss her only chance, especially after reading her sister's journal. "I… wish to stay."

"Very well."

Aeron intervened. "Father-!"

"-It'll be your responsibility to oversee her training," Lord Altair declared and murmured to his son, "Think of it as your punishment."

Aeron couldn't argue anymore. He backed down and complied in silence.

Lord Altair returned to his full authoritative disposition. "That is all. You may take your leave."

Aeron and Faye Lin, along with Noir left. Destination: Main Fortress. It is the place where all trainees start. Currently, the latest advanced trainees have taken residence within their respective division's territory so the place is nearly empty, that included the dorms.

"That'll keep Aeron busy for a while." Lord Altair waited till the sound of their footsteps faded away before he summoned his two pokemon, a Xatu and a Yanmega. The huge green dragonfly perched on his broad shoulders while the green and white avian glowed in various colors in preparation to use Teleport. "Tristan… I'm not finished with you."

End of Chapter 19

Another not so eventful chapter, but I got something to make up for it. :)
You may check the artwork. I added some new effects.

The next will consist mostly of dreams and if possible, Faye Lin's training.

I already finished the artwork for future OCs, but I'll post their links as the story progresses and they make their appearance.

Review! Thanks in advance