A Dragon's Tail
Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity
Tail 7-6: The Last Straw
"And if you want to obtain the power, then you must be ready to pay the price…"
"…"
"…"
Far to the north of Shadowlost City of the Shadowlost Territory was the spot known as the northernmost point of the Land of Equilibrium, the Cape of No Return. This cape was like the 'appendage' that grown from the rest of Symmetria and pointed toward the north of the continent, at the vast sea of nothingness. Like the other area of north Shadowlost Territory, the area of Cape of No Return was veiled in the eternal night. Moreover, while it was the important spot of not only Shadowlost Territory, but also the whole continent, Cape of No Return remained as one of the most isolated, most mysterious and most ominous spots on the continent because the area beyond the Darkveil Chasm of Shadowlost Territory was considered as the 'Danger Zone' of the nation due to it being a home to many Shadow Pokemon. And thus, not many Pokemon made their journey to the Cape of No Return, and among those who dared to journey to the Cape of No Return, not all of them had reached their destination or returned from there alive…
Today, however, Cape of No Return received a visit from not one but two non-Shadow Pokemon, which was probably the first time in a long while…
At the tip of the cape, a Latios and a Latias stood there silently as they gazed into the vast nothingness beyond the land and sea. Both of them had just arrived at their destination, at the Cape of No Return.
"So, this is the Cape of No Return…" Rachael broke the silence. "Can you see anything beyond us, Onii-chan?"
"… I wouldn't say I do." Richard slowly replied as he still had his attention on the landscape ahead. "The area beyond the Darkveil Chasm is veiled in the eternal night, and the sea beyond here is no exception. And the fog makes it worse."
Rachael looked in front of her again. At the far-off horizon in front of her, she could spot a thick group of fog that prevented her from seeing anything beyond that, and this fog didn't only exist on the sea in front of her, but it also spanned across the horizon around her, as if the fog was
"… Rachael." Richard spoke up again. "… Do you know why no one has ever discovered the lost continent of Irtha before?"
"… Let me guess…" Rachael tried to think for a few minutes before she came to the conclusion. "It's because of the fog in front of us, right?"
"Correct." Richard nodded to his younger sister. "The continent of Symmetria was surrounded by the impregnable wall of fog, which renders any attempt to sail beyond here impossible. Normally, the thick layer of fog is unnoticeable from the land due to it being located further away from the mainland continent. However, Cape of No Return does span from the center spot of the entire continent more than anywhere else, so it's the only area on the mainland Symmetria where it's possible to observe this fog."
"…" Rachael listened to her elder brother and waited for him to continue his talk.
"… Many explorers have tried to sail pass the fog, and all of their journeys end up as the journey of no return." Richard continued speaking. "Unless there's a way to penetrate this thick fog wall, there's no way that anyone would hope to go beyond the sea of Symmetria."
"… I don't understand one thing, Onii-chan." Rachael spoke up, turning the attention of her elder brother to her. "If no one has ever returned from sailing into the fog, then everyone should know that travelling beyond the sea of Symmetria without dissolving the fog is dangerous, and yet you said that many still try to do that… Why don't they stop going beyond the sea and try to find a way to pass the wall of fog instead?"
"If you ask me, it's because they're both imbecile and arrogant." Richard answered. "They either thought that the travelers that had disappeared into the wall of fog had just discovered a new land and chose not to return to Symmetria… Or think that they could do better than their peers. All of these made them choose the path that they would come to regret later."
"The path… that they would come to regret later…" Rachael repeated the words she heard from her brother slowly with a soft voice, which caught the attention of her elder brother.
"Rachael… Are you alright?" Richard asked with a soft and caring voice. "I may not be able to sense people's emotion as well as you, but…"
"Onii-chan…" Rachael slowly spoke up again. "… Did we choose the right path?"
"What do you mean by that?" Richard asked.
"I mean that… Is siding with the Pendragon a right choice?" Rachael replied. "I know that… Everyone in the Pendragon is our friend, and we can't ignore our friends when they're in trouble… But… The Pendragon's goal is to revenge the dead of everyone in the Hidden Village of Dragon… To kill the remaining Hero/ine of Legend… Is it something that we should really do?"
"…" Richard said nothing to his sister's words.
"For me, revenge is never a good thing. It never brings upon a good thing, and the only thing it brings is the endless cycle of pain." Rachael continued speaking. "Moreover, even if the other Hero/ine of Legend had caused the chaos and disorder in the world, there's no telling that the remaining Hero/ine of Legend will be the same as them, at least for the Archsage Iris and Chancellor Fenrir."
"… Why did you say that, Rachael?" Richard asked.
"You were there with me, aren't you, Onii-chan? Archsage Iris didn't do anything wrong, and she was also trying to atone for the mistake done by others, only to be killed just because she's the Heroine of Legend." Rachael said. "And for Chancellor Fenrir… When we met her earlier, I can sense that she's not a bad person at her heart, and when we were in the city, everyone was saying that they truly respect her for what she has done to their nation, and they're grateful to her. With all of these… To think that we have to kill her… I… I…"
"That's enough, Rachael." Richard cut the word of his younger sister as he looked at her. The Latios then wrapped his arms around his sister's body and gently hugged her.
"… What about you, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked as she continued hugging her brother. "What do you think that we should do?"
"… The best thing that we can do right now… Is to go with the flow." Richard replied as he released his sister from the hug.
"Why is that?" Rachael asked.
"… Back when we woke up after the Dragon Massacre was over, the world has become a dangerous place for all of us." Richard answered. "And so, I figured that joining with the Pendragon would be our best option as not only they're in the same situation as us, but they are also dependable too. Of course, doing so would be equal to declare that we both are, like the Pendragon, the enemies of the rest of the world."
"Then…" Rachael said.
"With all of these, I decided that we should stick with the Pendragon, at least for now, and see what would this path lead us to." Richard said. "After all, the Pendragon isn't really known by the world yet, so we still have a chance to choose a different path should something go wrong, because after everything that happened, I'm not letting any danger befall on any of us again."
"… Thanks, Onii-chan" Rachael said as she turned her attention from her elder brother to the horizon in front of her, to the wall of fog that separated Symmetria from the rest of the world. Both siblings remained silent and spent their time looking at the sea in front of them for a few minutes…
And then…
"… What do you see in front of both of you?"
"!" Rachael and Richard immediately turned back as they heard a loud and majestic voice coming from behind both of them, which revealed another Pokemon standing behind both of them. This Pokemon was shrouded in the golden armor suit, just like the last time they met him.
"B… Bahamut?!" Rachael said the name of the Pokemon that stood behind them.
"… I see that both of you are still alive, Rachael the Latias and Richard the Latios." Bahamut said as he slowly stepped forward, to where the siblings were standing. "Tell me… How is the Pendragon doing right now?"
"And what about you, Bahamut?" Richard asked with a tense voice. "What have you been up to this whole time? And how could you find both of us here?"
"You still haven't warmed up to me yet?" Bahamut said with a plain voice. "If you want to, we could trade the information that each of us has gotten. What do you say about this?"
"Deal." Richard said. "If you want to know how we're doing, we have found ourselves a team base after you left us. Later, one of us sneaked out of our team base and killed the former Hero of Ground type, Emperor Garland of Dustorm Empire. This leaves us with only three remaining Hero/ine of Legend. And now, we're going after the Heroine of Dark type, Chancellor Fenrir."
"That explains why you're in the land of darkness…" Bahamut said. "But that still doesn't explain why both of you are here while the Slave of Dark type is still alive in the capital of darkness."
"… Baromyteus and the chancellor agreed that they would 'finish' everything in three days after our meeting with the chancellor." Richard answered. "I won't go into the detail why both of them agreed to do something like that, but as of now, the moment of truth hasn't arrived yet, so my sister and I took a little journey to the infamous Cape of No Return."
"Hm… Baromyteus and that Slave of Darkness… Just as I thought…" Bahamut spoke to himself before turning his attention to the Latios and Latias. "That's enough information for me. Now, what information would you like me to inform you? But keep in mine that I may not be able to share everything I know with you."
"For starter… Why are you here, at the Cape of No Return?" Richard spoke up again. "And what had you been up to this whole time after our meeting in the ruined Hidden Village of Dragon?"
"I can answer those questions." Bahamut said. "After our last meeting, I have been operating on my own. Of course, I could just go to where the remaining Slaves of Legend are and kill them right away, but I didn't because I figure that leaving this task to the Pendragon would be a better choice as I have learned that some of you have something personal with the Slaves of Legend, such as Baromyteus and that Slave of Darkness."
"And how did you know all of that?" Richard asked.
"All I can say is that I know more than you think." Bahamut replied. "Anyway, I decided to lay low for now and search for some information that could be useful to us."
"And what did you find?" Richard asked.
"No. I can't reveal it to you yet." Bahamut replied. "While I was able to get a hold of some information, I need to find more proof to make this information valid, and I wouldn't go and spread any information without valid proof."
"Hah… I can't say that I am not disappointed with this, but I have to agree with you." Richard said. "After all, a rumor will never be a truth without a valid proof."
"Right, since you already shared your information with me, there's no way that I won't fulfill my end of the bargain." Bahamut said. "And so… Let me tell you something else that may… pique your interest."
As he finished speaking, Bahamut slowly walked toward the edge of Cape of No Return and stopped there, gazing toward the vast sea right in front of his eyes. Rachael and Richard then slowly approached the dragon in the armor suit and stopped behind him when he spoke up again.
"… When you look ahead from this place…" Bahamut slowly asked with a calm voice as he still had his attention on the sea in front of him. "… What do you see in front of your eyes?"
"I… I see the vast sea..." Rachael answered. "And… I see a thick wall of fog on the horizon too…"
"For me… I see the same thing that my sister sees." Richard answered. "However, I also see the lost continent beyond the wall of fog too… The lost continent of Irtha… Which is the remnant of the Great Continent… That's what I see."
"… For me, all I could see is the total destruction." Bahamut answered with a calm and emotionless voice. "I see the land that was shattered by the dreadful calamity. I see the sea that was dyed with the blood of the countless Pokemon. I see the sky that was torn apart by the devastating catastrophe. And… I see the advanced civilization… that was crushed by the foolishness of a single group of living creatures."
"... Have you…" Richard slowly asked. "… Have you ever visited the Land of Sorrow before?"
"Yes, thought that was a very long time ago..." Bahamut answered as he lowered his head a bit. "You have seen what happened to the Hidden Village of Dragon after the Dragon Massacre… But what happened in the Land of Sorrow is far worse than what you have seen… And to think that all of this happened just because…"
"Wait a minute…" Rachael spoke up. "Bahamut, if you have been to Irtha before, then it means that—"
"You are absolutely right." Bahamut replied. "I know how to cross the impregnable wall of fog right in front of us, and I was able to make a safe passage to the Land of Sorrow thank for that, otherwise I would be lost in the fog forever."
"I see…" Rachael and Richard spoke in response to Bahamut's answer. Both Latios and Latias then turned their attention to the wall of fog ahead of them again, until…
"… Do you want to know how to cross the wall of fog and travel to Irtha?" Bahamut suddenly spoke up.
"What?!" Both Rachael and Richard quickly turned their attention back to the dragon in the golden armor suit at the same time after hearing his words, and they both couldn't believe in what they had just heard.
"As I said before, since I couldn't provide you with much information, I suppose that I would give you an information about something else as the compensation." Bahamut said. "And I consider that this would be enough to compensate you… Or not?"
"… Don't you know what you have just said?" Richard replied to the dragon in the golden armor suit. "Many Pokemon of Symmetria had wasted their lives trying to cross this wall of fog, and all of their effort ended up in vain, because they don't know how to. And so, the information you have would be considered very valuable that many Pokemon would trade anything just to obtain it, and you are just going to give it to us easily like this?!"
"Of course, you are right. Many would kill just to obtain this information." Bahamut said. "However, even if they obtain it, this information would be useless to them unless they are able to execute it, and not many Pokemon are capable of doing so... Do you understand what I'm trying to say, right?"
"You mean… That Onii-chan and I can do it?!" Rachael asked.
"Precisely." Bahamut nodded his head slightly. "You two have a potential to execute the method to dispel the wall of fog that surrounds this continent, and so, this information could be useful to both of you… If you ever want to leave Symmetria for… whatever reason."
"… Are you sure that we both have a power to do that?" Rachael asked with a soft voice. "We both are much weaker than the other members of Pendragon, especially physically."
"… You two haven't realized it." Bahamut mumbled to himself before looking at the siblings again. "First, it doesn't require one to be physically strong in order to put this knowledge into a good use, and you two are capable of using it."
"And how do you know that?" Richard asked.
"Because you two have a lot more potential than both of you realize." Bahamut continued speaking. "Even right now, there's one thing about both of you that are outstanding among your group. Just so you know, I am not talking about the group of Pendragon, but I'm talking about a group of those who forms a pact with the Legendary Pokemon."
"…" Richard and Rachael said nothing after they heard Bahamut's words. All they did were staring into the distant sea in front of them, with their paw reaching toward the Luster Pendand and the Mist Pendant that were worn by either of them.
"… Enough talking about that." Bahamut said. "Now then… Let me pass this forbidden knowledge to both of you, the Lustermist siblings."
-The Next Morning…
"…"
"Now then…" Korben mumbled to himself as he looked around himself. He had just finished his breakfast and was now standing in the center square of Shadowlost City. Today was the last day of a break before the Pendragon's confrontation with the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory. However, for the Kommo-o, the past two days weren't a 'break' for him at all, as so many things had happened to him. He had learned many things that he never thought that he would learn, as well as many things that he shouldn't learn…
During the breakfast, he learned that Rachael and Richard still hadn't returned from their trip to Cape of No Return yet, as well as Claura who hadn't come back from her trip to the Venom Isle yet. For others, Freya said that she would be looking around the city today, as she hadn't seen Zetarus since their encounter at the inn during the night of the first day. The same thing could be said for Diego, as, while he was seen around the city sometimes, the Mega Charizard X didn't spend much time with the other members of the Pendragon during these three days. For others, Snow decided to leave the city for today in order to study the native ingredients from Shadowlost Territory that could be used in cooking. Anastasia decided to take it easy and stay in the city for today. Baromyteus, as always, left the city to train his battle skill. And Xavier, as always, went back to his room as soon as he finished the breakfast.
And for Korben, since this was his last free day in the Shadowlost Territory, he decided that he would do something that he felt like he should do…
'… I will find the one who sent me these blackmails…' Korben thought as he glanced as two pieces of paper in his paw before closing his eyes. '… I will find out the truth behind the diadem I received from grandpa… And… I will find my father…'
The Kommo-o openned his eyes again after he made a resolve. He was determined to do something that he should do.
'But… I only have one day left, so I must be hurried…' Korben thought to himself. 'First… From what I know, I can deduce that it was mother who stole the diadem with her nineteen years ago and brought it to Valley of No Return eighteen years ago. Considered that she had to travel across the snowy realm that was in the middle of the war while having this damned diadem in her possession…' Korben glanced at his bag, which he could still feel the negative energy coming from the object inside it. '… Being able to endure all of this until she reached the place of her origin… Mother…'
Korben closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about a mother whom he had never known, before he opened his eyes and continued thinking. 'This also explained why, according to grandpa, mother didn't have any injury on her body as she lay dying… Carrying this damned diadem with her during the arduous journey would soon exhaust her life force… But then… There're still many questions left unanswered. Why did she have to steal this thing from the Newmoon Temple? Is there any reason behind her action? And what about father? Did he know about her action of stealing the diadem? If he knew, why didn't he stop her or go with her back to Valley of No Return? Or could it be that he accompanied mother back to Valley of No Return, but he didn't make it to the end? But what if he's still alive? Where is he right now?'
Korben continued thinking about his parents and the diadem for a few minutes before he shook his head. 'No… I don't have enough clue to go any further… I should stop thinking about my parents and the diadem for now… And think about something else… Maybe I should think about these blackmails that I got—'
"… Hey."
"GAHH!" Korben let out a short yelp as he was startled by the voice of someone. The Kommo-o then quickly turned his attention to the owner of the voice that called him and found that it was none other than the son of the chancellor, as well as the Zoroark whom he spent his time with during these past two days.
"… Must you overreact like that every time I call you?" Fenrir Jr. asked with his arms crossed.
"And must you appear like that every time?!" Korben countered the words of the Zoroark.
"Fair enough." Fenrir Jr. shrugged. "Now, let's skip a little pleasantry and go to the real business, shall we?"
"What do you mean by 'real business'?" Koren asked. "Do you need something from me?"
"…" The Zoroark glanced around himself, as if to make sure that no one heard their conversation, before he turned his attention back to the Kommo-o. "First, let's go to somewhere else… To somewhere that's far from any prying eyes and ears, shall we?"
"… Okay." Korben nodded to the Zoroark, as he knew that Fenrir Jr. wasn't a trusting Pokemon, and he could guess that the Zoroark didn't want anyone else to hear what he's about to say. The Zoroark then started walking toward the exit of the city, with the Kommo-o following him.
-Meanwhile…
"SHANK! CREEAK! SPLASH!"
The sound of swords slashing through the air and the sound of blood splashing on the ground echoed throughout the wasteland of Shadowlost as Baromyteus swiftly slashed his swords through the bodies of Shadow Pokemon he encountered in the wasteland. After only a few minutes, the battle ended with the victory of the Shiny Haxorus who stood among the corpses of his foes.
"…" Baromyteus put his swords back in their sheath after he finished the battle. He was about to move on when he heard the sound of paw clapping from behind him.
"… Impressive as always, Baromyteus."
"!" The Shiny Haxorus quickly turned back, swords in his paws again, to face the one behind him, which was none other than…
"… Why are you here, Fenrir?" Baromyteus asked with a grim voice as he pointed one of his blades at the Zoroark in front of him.
"Is it really that strange for me to take a short stroll outside the city?" Fenrir Sr. asked with a calm voice, unfazed by the aggressive action of the Pokemon in front of her.
"I remember you said that you have a lot to do during these three days, and now you're here, standing right behind your enemy." Baromyteus continued speaking.
"Oh, being behind you is a complete coincidence, let me tell you…" Fenrir Sr. said with a calm voice. "Also, I have already completed most of my tasks, so I just simply take a break right now. Does this answer satisfy you?"
"…" Baromyteus said nothing as he slowly lowered his swords.
"… And since you're here, why don't you join me, Baromyteus?" Fenrir Sr. asked.
"… Are you out of your mind?" Baromyteus asked with a serious voice. "We're the enemy of each other, so why should I—"
"Oh… Then, what about what you did during the Fallen Crisis?" Fenrir Sr. spoke up with a crafty voice. "If I remember correctly, just before you fought us, you mentioned that you have been our enemies since even before you joined us, and yet you still hung out with us several times during our journey together…"
"That's…" Baromyteus said before he let out a groan. "Fine… I give up."
After he finished speaking, the Shiny Haxorus put away his blades before he approached the Zoroark in front of him. The Zoroark then nodded slightly before she led Baromyteus to the nearby tree, and then both of them sat down under the tree together.
"How was your time in the Shadowlost Territory, Baromyteus?" Fenrir Sr. started another conversation with the Shiny Haxorus beside her. "Does the sight of the land of darkness please you?"
"… Do you ask this as the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory or—" Baromyteus said.
"I ask this as the one who… was your friend." Fenrir Sr. replied with a calm voice.
"Then, I would say that coming here gives me a feeling of nostalgia." Baromyteus replied. "I really miss the time when you were but a simple villager from Lunar Village, and I was but a heartless monster lurking in the Skeleton Woods. But now, I must say that you did a really good job in creating a nation of darkness."
"… But did you know that, among the seven nations of Symmetria, Shadowlost Territory is considered as the poorest, the least developed, the most dangerous, and the most 'sinful' nation?" Fenrir Sr. spoke with a plain voice.
"… I won't comment on the 'poorest' part, but… Being the most 'developed' land doesn't mean that it's the best land, and being the least 'developed' land doesn't mean that it's the worst land." Baromyteus spoke up. "I have travelled around Symmetria, and I have been to all seven nations on this land, and I would still say that all nations are dangerous in their own way. And for the 'sinful' part… What's the definition of 'sinful' anyway?"
"Heh… Well spoken, Baromyteus." Fenrir Sr. chuckled after hearing the words of the Shiny Haxorus.
"Enough chitchat." Baromyteus spoke up again as he turned his attention toward the Zoroark. "Fenrir, you didn't ask me to hang out with you just for a reminiscence or a pleasantry, right? If there's any business you have with me, say it."
"Ah… Straight to the point… As always." Fenrir Sr. commented before her voice became a bit more serious. "There are two things that I need to speak with you about. The first one is that… I have already issued the Newmoon Temple's 'pilgrimage'. All priests and priestesses of the temple will leave for their task today and won't come back until five days later. Meanwhile, the temple will be close for any visitors, making it free of any Pokemon until it reopens."
"… I see." Baromyteus nodded to the Zoroark's words. "And what about the second thing?"
"… Other than what I asked you when we met two days ago, there's one more thing that I want to ask you." Fenrir Sr. said with a grim voice.
"… Didn't you say that we don't have anything else to speak with each other?" Baromyteus asked.
"Yes, I did. However, that was two days ago." Fenrir Sr. replied. "I have been thinking about you and your personality, and I came to the conclusion that there's something else that I need to ask you, regarding Rucas' death."
"…" Baromyteus said nothing after hearing the Zoroark's words.
"Baromyteus…" Fenrir Sr. spoke up again after seeing that the Shiny Haxorus won't say anything. "I want you to tell the whole story of what happened in the inaccessible valley three years ago. If you don't want to tell me the entire story, then just tell me the part of your battle with Rucas, and well as Rucas' death."
-Meanwhile…
"… This place should do it."
Fenrir Jr. said as he stopped walking after he reached the destination. He, along with Korben, had left Shadowlost City a few hours ago, and both Pokemon had fought many Shadow Pokemon that appeared in their way during their journey. At last, they had reached their destination, which, surprisingly for the Kommo-o, was none other than…
"… Why are we here again?" Korben asked as he looked at several dark and creepy trees around him, which was the common sight of the place where he and Fenrir Jr. were in right now, the Skeleton Woods.
"If we want to speak privately, we might as well go to the place where there's nobody else…" Fenrir Jr. replied. "And no one would bother to come to a place with a scary tale like this woods, so, isn't it a perfect place for us to talk? Besides, I always feel calm and at peace every time I come to this place too."
"Okay…" Korben mumbled. "Anyway, what do you want to talk with me?"
"… If I remember correctly…" Fenrir Jr. said. "Korben, your surname is 'Forcenter', right?"
"Y… Yeah." Korben replied. "Does it have anything to do with this?"
"Yes, but first, a little story is needed in order for me to say anything else…" Fenrir Jr. said. "Yesterday, after we came back to the city from our visit to the Newmoon Temple, I returned to the city hall, and my mother, the chancellor, asked me to do more work regarding the Newmoon Temple's pilgrimage. Of course, I don't mind doing it."
"What did the chancellor ask you to do?" Korben asked.
"Nothing special. Just some ordinary paperwork." Fenrir Jr. replied. "However, while I was making the list of the priests and priestesses that will join the pilgrimage, I was happened to look at the list of all priests and priestesses that had ever worked in Newmoon Temple, both those who currently work there and those who didn't. And… There's one name that caught my attention."
"A… A name?" Korben said as he looked at the Zoroark in front of him.
"… Korben." Fenrir Jr. spoke up as he looked into the eyes of the Kommo-o. "… Do you happen to know a Pokemon by the name of Diadora Forcenter the Kommo-o?"
"!" Korben's body froze after hearing the name of a Pokemon from the Zoroark in front of him, and his face showed a strong expression of shock and inconceivable, which didn't go unnoticed by the one who mentioned the name.
"As I guess…" Fenrir Jr. mumbled. "Korben, are you, by any chance, relate to this Pokemon?"
"T… That's—" Korben's voice was shaken as he slowly spoke, but his words were quickly cut off by the Zoroark.
"No. If you don't want to, there's no need to tell me that." Fenrir Jr. said. "Anyway, the name that I mentioned is listed under the 'former priestesses' of Newmoon Temple. According to the list, this priestess became the priestess of Newmoon Temple around the time that Shadowlost Territory was found, and she disappeared sometime around the time Bloodmoon War. Strangely, she's the only priest and priestess with no confirms of their whereabouts and status after the war ended, but considered the period that she disappeared, the list recorded her whereabouts as 'deceased'."
"…" Korben said nothing after hearing the Zoroark's words.
"… To be honest, if I have to guess, she must have something to do with the disappearance of the artifact in the Newmoon Temple." Fenrir Jr. spoke up again, which immediately upset the Kommo-o.
"W… Why would you think that?" Korben asked with a shaking voice.
"As you know, the artifact was stolen just a bit before the Bloodmoon War started, and this priestess also disappeared around the time of the Bloodmoon War too." Fenrir Jr. said. "Moreover, since she's the priestess of the Newmoon Temple, she must have learned of the wish-granting effect of the artifact too, making her a prime suspect in this theft. However…"
"W… What is it?" Korben asked.
"… If she was the priestess of Newmoon Temple, and she knew about the wish-granting effect of the artifact, then she must also know how the artifact works too." Fenrir Jr. said. "The artifact won't have the power to grant wishes unless it was placed on the Altar of Desire. So, if she was responsible for this theft, why would she steal the artifact in the first place, knowing that it won't be any use to her? Or… Could it be that she stole the artifact because she wants to make money from it, knowing that there are many priceless gems embedded in the artifact? But… Wouldn't it be easier if she just wishes for fortune from the altar? Or… Maybe she had another reason to steal that artifact… Or there's someone else who was working with her—"
"B… By the way…" Korben interrupted the Zoroark. "I… Is there any investigation about this theft? I… If you can deduce all of that, then the investigation team of this theft would also figure it out already too, so…"
"I understand what you're trying to say." Fenrir Jr. spoke up. "However, the theft happened right before Bloodmoon War started, so they didn't have any time to do any investigation, and when the war ended, the trail had gone too cold to investigate, and so, there was never an investigation regarding the theft of Newmoon Temple's artifact. That's what I found writing in the archive of Shadowlost Territory."
"I… I see." Korben said. "By the way, Fenrir Jr., why are you so interested in this case? It's something that happened nineteen years ago, and it doesn't seem like you pay much attention to this case until our trip to Newmoon Temple."
"You have already known me for two days, Korben." Fenrir Jr. said. "Actually, I have been interested in the unsolved crime and mystery, and the theft of Newmoon Temple isn't above the exception. I have been doing an investigation of my own for several years, but I couldn't find any clue regarding this case until yesterday, when the name of a priestess whose surname is the same as the Kommo-o I knew caught my attention."
"O… Okay." Korben said.
"And since you share the surname with the major suspect in this case, I thought that you might know something that would be useful to solving this case." Fenrir Jr. said. "Of course, I won't force you to say anything that you don't want to, but if there's anything you know that you want to tell me, then—"
"WOOSH!"
"!?"
"!"
Before Fenrir Jr. could even finish his words, both Pokemon could feel something small and fast passing the air between them, like the arrow that was shot from the bow. And in the next second, both of them found that the 'object' was now stuck in the trunk of the tree just beside them!
"W… What's that?!" Korben said as he looked around panically.
"WHO'S THERE?!" Fenrir Jr. roared as he also looked around, trying to find something, but all he could see were the trees of the Skeleton Woods.
"W… What?!" Korben said after seeing the Zoroark's reaction to what happened earlier.
"… I feel… a presence of someone other than us…" Fenrir Jr. said as he still looked around carefully, trying to find any other creatures around him. "… It's no use. The presence I felt is gone… The one who tried to attack us must have already escaped."
"Attack us?!" Korben repeated the words he had just heard.
"Don't you see it?" Fenrir Jr. said as he turned his attention to the tree beside them, which had something stuck on its trunk, and the 'something' was none other than…
"A… A dagger?!" Korben said after seeing a short, sharp blade with a handle stuck in the trunk of the tree beside him. "I… If that thing moved only a bit left or right as it passed between us, it might hit you or me, Fenrir Jr.!"
"… Or maybe the one who threw it missed us on purpose…" Fenrir Jr. said as he slowly approached the tree where the dagger stuck on. "… Look."
As he looked more closely, Korben noticed that, other that the dagger itself, there was something else stuck on the blade of the dagger too, and that thing was…
"… A piece of paper." Fenrir Jr. said as he reached his paw to the handle of the dagger and pulled it from the trunk of the tree, revealing that there was a small piece of black paper stuck on the dagger too. "… Wait… It isn't an ordinary paper… There's something being written on it too."
"What!?" Korben said as Fenrir Jr. flipped the paper to see the words that were written on it. "W… What does it say on that paper?!"
"… You have ignored my warning not once, but twice…" Fenrir Jr. read the words that were written on the paper. "If you still refuse to oblige to my words, your life will be forfeited, and your soul will be sealed within the darkness forever. Heed my warning, leave the land of darkness and never return again, or else a terrible fate would befall on you. This is the third and the final warning, Korben."
-Meanwhile…
"… And that's what happened during the Dragon Massacre three years ago." Baromyteus said after he finished telling the story to the Zoroark.
"I see…" Fenrir Sr. nodded after hearing the entire story from the Shiny Haxorus. "So… That's the truth… The battle between the six armies of Symmetria and a small legion of Dragon type Pokemon, which results in the massacre of the dragons in the inaccessible valley."
"…" Baromyteus said nothing after hearing the words of the Zoroark.
"Thank you for telling me the story, Baromyteus." Fenrir Sr. said to the Shiny Haxorus. "Your story has confirmed my suspicion. Baromyteus, you may have changed a lot during these three decades, but there's something else about you that hadn't changed at all."
"What?" Baromyteus said as he looked at Fenrir Sr.
"It's your way of twisting the truth with just a few words." Fenrir Sr. said. "I know that you don't like telling lies. So, when you are in the situation that you don't want to tell the truth, or when you want the listener to get the wrong idea of the truth for whatever reason, you would choose to use the words that make the listener get a wrong grasp from what really happens, yet the story remains true."
"…" Baromyteus still remained silent.
"In this case, you told me that you were the one who killed Rucas, and it wasn't a lie." Fenrir Sr. said. "However, you didn't really kill him, but it was Rucas who sacrificed his life in order to save you and Anastasia. I think that it's his way of redemption for the crime he committed to the dragons of the valley."
"Nonsense." Baromyteus spoke up. "That bastard would never think of something like that. He believes that what he was doing is right until his last moment, I'm sure of it. I don't really understand why he killed himself just to save me and Anastasia—"
"You aren't Rucas' spouse, Baromyteus, and you are never his friend, so it's not strange that you wouldn't understand." Fenrir Sr. spoke up. "But that story still changes nothing. It doesn't change the fact that you are responsible for Rucas' death, and it doesn't change my mind."
"I know that, Fenrir." Baromyteus said. "Enough about that bastard. Now, since you asked me a question, there's something that I want to ask you too, and I hope that it will be the truth that I got from you."
"Fair enough." Fenrir Sr. said. "What do you want to know, Baromyteus?"
"… As I said before, I sided with the dragons in the Valley of No Return, and we fought against the armies of Venturnome, Leafburg, Fireview, Riverbrine, Civilight, and Dustorm." Baromyteus said. "However, we didn't encounter any Pokemon who seems to belong to Shadowlost Territory. I don't think that it's because the land of darkness didn't receive any word about this invasion, considered that the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory is the wife of the bastard who led the invasion of Valley of No Return. Can to explain?"
"Oh? When it comes to Rucas, you never hold anything back, do you? Especially that his wife is now sitting beside you…" Fenrir Sr. said before her voice turned sour a bit. "Answering your question, yes, Shadowlost Territory had received the request to send our army to join this 'invasion', and we would dispatch our special force there if it wasn't for my stupid brother."
"Your brother?" Baromyteus repeated the words he heard. "You mean the Serpent General?"
"Yeah, Jormungand, to be exact." Fenrir Sr. said. "He refused to oblige to the request we received, saying that there's no reason for us to do so, and the request of the seven armies of Symmetria just to catch the one who murdered Hawkins isn't reasonable, or any other reasons he mentioned for us to not dispatch our army to the inaccessible valley, and we couldn't do anything about it."
"Aren't you his elder sister, as well as his superior?" Baromyteus asked.
"He didn't listen to me." Fenrir Sr. answered. "Jormungand is a very stubborn person, even more than I. If he set his mind on something, there's no way for him to change his mind easily, and he had caused so many troubles to me when we were young, as well as during the Fallen Crisis. Also, he's the general of Shadowlost's special force, and the special force is under his absolute command. So, if he refused to, the special force of Shadowlost couldn't be dispatched, and we didn't want to dispatch other armies of Shadowlost and risked of weakening our defenses. If I knew that Rucas would meet his demise in this battle, I would dispatch some other army from the land of darkness… Or at least… I would go and join the battle myself, so that Rucas might not have to waste his life in that valley."
"…" Baromyteus said nothing after hearing the Zoroark's words.
"… But that's all in the past, and we couldn't do anything to fix it." Fenrir Sr. said as her voice returned to normal. "The god of time doesn't allow us to mess with the flow of time, or else we will be punished. All we could do is move forward… and do something that must be done."
"Yes, I agree with that." Baromyteus said. "There's no point in looking into the past, and the future holds no importance to me either. All that's mattered to me is the present."
"But for me, the future is important too, especially tomorrow." Fenrir Sr. said as she stood up. "I'm looking forward to our final battle tomorrow, Baromyteus. I hope that your battle skill have improved during these three decades."
"And I hope that you haven't become weaker during these times, or I would be sorely disappointed." Baromyteus said as he also stood up.
"… Are you saying that you want me to be strong enough to defeat you?" Fenrir Sr. asked with a crafty voice.
"T… That's not it." Baromyteus replied as he turned his face away from the Zoroark, only to find that he and Fenrir Sr. weren't the only Pokemon around there.
"You?!" Baromyteus said as he noticed the present of a Pokemon who was standing nearby him, which was none other than a Kingdra who was also the member of the Pendragon. "What are you doing here, stalking other people like that?!"
"I should be the one who ask what you are doing!" Claura said. "I have just come back from Venom Isle, only to find you having your sweet time with your 'friend' here. What are you thinking you are doing?!"
"That's none of your business, you Salty Seahorse!" Baromyteus roared.
"What?! How dare you call me by that name, you Dragon Jerky!" Claura roared back at the Shiny Haxorus. "And shouldn't you be doing something more productive than this?!"
"You spoke as if what you are doing is a benefit to anyone else, you Salty Seahorse!" Baromyteus roared at the Kingdra.
"And you are no better than me, you Dragon Jerky!" Claura roared at the Shiny Haxorus.
"Salty Seahorse!" Baromyteus roared.
"Dragon Jerky!" Claura roared.
The Shiny Haxorus and the Kingdra continued bickering with each other, unaware of the fact that the Zoroark was still there, and she was having her attention on both of them.
"... I see… So, that's how it is…" Fenrir Sr. mumbled to herself, and a crafty smile appeared on her face. "… Not bad, Baromyteus, I might say… After all, the story of living creature's existence is truly unfathomable…"
-Meanwhile…
"You mean…" Fenrir Jr. pondered the detail he had just received. "This isn't the first blackmail you received since you arrived here, right?"
"R… Right." Korben said as he reached his paw into his bag and pulled out two pieces of black paper, before he showed them to the Zoroark. "These are the two notes I got during my first and second day in this land. The first note was placed in the room at the inn that I stayed, and the second note… It's what's inside the envelope I got from the Serpent General."
"So… What uncle Jormungand was asked to deliver turn out to be a blackmail… Being used by a criminal like that… Not too bright, aren't you, uncle?" Fenrir Jr. mumbled to himself before he spoke up again. "Have you told anyone about these blackmails yet?"
"No…" Korben replied. "I don't want my friend to worry about me more than I already did."
"What about the police?" Fenrir Jr. asked. "Have you told them about this yet?"
"Po… lice?" Korben repeated the words he heard. "What is that?"
"… Don't tell me that the village that you came from is so remote that you don't even know what 'police' is?" Fenrir Jr. said with a plain voice after hearing the answer of the Kommo-o.
"W… Well…" Korben mumbled as he tried not to meet the Zoroark's eyes.
"Whatever… The police here are pretty incompetent, and they won't be much of a help to you anyway." Fenrir Jr. said. "Anyway, since you got three blackmails in a row, and the one who sent you these clearly wants you to leave the land of darkness. What will you do next?"
"… I won't leave." Korben replied. "My friends and I have something that we must do here, and I refuse to abandon any of them."
"Even at the risk of losing your life?" Fenrir Jr. asked.
"I… I have already lost almost everything in my life." Korben replied. "My friends are all that I have left, and I have decided that I will walk alongside them, even if I may have to lose my own life."
"… I see. Either way, it's not my place to judge your action or decision anyway." Fenrir Jr. said. "Back to our topic, since you say that you and your friends are here, in the land of darkness, because you all have something that must be done here… I won't ask what it is, but… Since you're with your friends, did any of them receive the similar blackmail?"
"I… I don't think so." Korben said. "If any of them got blackmail like this, they would likely tell the others about it, or they may act restless after they receive one."
"But you didn't tell your friend about it, did you?" Fenrir Jr. noted. "And… Since you receive the blackmail, won't your friend notice your restless action too?"
"W… Well… I suppose that some may prefer to keep their problem to themselves…" Korben replied. "And for the restless part… I have been restless since when I arrived here, so I'm not much different than before anyway."
"Now that you mention it, you act quite restless during our first meeting, as well as during our journey to the Newmoon Temple too…" Fenrir Jr. said. "Anyway, can I see the first two blackmails you got?"
"S… Sure." Korben said as he handed over two pieces of black paper he picked from his bag earlier to the Zoroark.
"Thanks." Fenrir Jr. said as he received two notes from the Kommo-o. The Zoroark then took a look at both notes, as well as the third note he just got earlier.
"… Well?" Korben asked as he patiently waited for the Zoroark to finish looking at the blackmail he received.
"… There's something unusual with these things…" Fenrir Jr. said as he showed the Kommo-o the first two blackmails that Korben had just handed over to him. "As you can see, the letters on the first two blackmails are very unusual and hard to read, indicating that the writer did it on purpose in order to conceal their real handwriting."
"Yeah, I can see that." Korben said as he looked at the two blackmails. "And what?"
"… But the third one…" Fenrir Jr. said as he showed the Kommo-o the third blackmail, which the Kommo-o immediately noticed that…
"T... The handwriting is different!" Korben said after he looked at the third blackmail. Even at first glance, the Kommo-o could easily notice that the handwriting on the third blackmail was different from the first two blackmail. The letters now looked natural and was much easier to read, and…
"… There's one more thing that we could tell from the handwriting on the third blackmail." Fenrir Jr. said as he flipped the third blackmail back to himself. "It isn't easy to see, but I can still see that the one who wrote the third blackmail was rushed, as if they wrote this in the last minutes before they sent it to us…"
"T… Then…" Korben said. "It means that the one who sent me all these blackmails didn't expect me to still be here, and they wrote the last one in desperation to drive me away from this land!"
"That may be true…" Fenrir Jr. said. "However, the one who wrote the blackmail and the one who delivered it may be different Pokemon, or something else… We can't deduce the truth with just the clues we have here…"
"You're right…" Korben sighed.
"But still…" Fenrir Jr. looked at the third blackmail again. "… This handwriting looks familiar."
"R… Really?!" Korben said with an agitated voice. "W… Where did you see it?!
"I'm not sure…" Fenrir Jr. replied. "I am quite sure that I have seen this handwriting before, but I can't recall where or when I saw it…"
"I… I see…" Korben said.
"… Korben, I will go back to the city." Fenrir Jr. spoke up as he handed over the blackmails that Korben got back to the Kommo-o, including the third blackmail that he had just received a moment ago. "… There's something that I'd like to investigate. Will you come with me?"
"Actually…" Korben thought for a moment, before he answered the Zoroark. "I think I'd like some time to be alone. Will that work?"
"Whatever you say." Fenrir Jr. nodded. "However, be sure to stay safe. After all, you have received three blackmails in a row, and now that I left you, you will be alone, making you an easy target. However, since I can't sense the presence of anyone around here, you should be safe from anything but the Shadow Pokemon in this Skeleton Woods, not counting that bloodthirsty monster, if it's still alive. Well, just take care of yourself, alright? I'd hate for someone like you to die young."
"O… Okay." Korben nodded to the words of the Zoroark. He recalled that someone once told him not to die young, but that 'someone' was also the one who killed his best friend…
"Then, farewell… For now. Be sure not to let any terrible fate befall on your soul, Korben." After finished speaking, the Zoroark sprinted out of the area of the woods to the vast Shadowlost Wasteland, leaving the Kommo-o alone in the Skeleton Woods.
'Now then…' Korben thought to himself after seeing that he was now alone. 'First, let me recap what I learned from this encounter…'
-Meanwhile…
"So…" Zetarus said as he looked at the building in front of him. "This is where you must go, huh?"
As Natasha finished her task of receiving the power of legend and became the Heroine of Poison type, Zetarus, Natasha and Largo left the Venom Isle and went back to the mainland Shadowlost Territory, and trio then resumed their journey. This time, they headed toward the north of the land of darkness, to the ominous place called Darkveil Chasm.
Darkveil Chasm was a deep chasm formed by two small ranges of mountain on the east coast and the west coast of the north area of Shadowlost Territory that led to the northernmost point of the continent of Symmetria. Because it was located very far to the north, and there were two ranges of mountain on each side of the chasm, Darkveil Chasm was always a dark and desolated place, making it a habitat of many Ghost type Pokemon. However, due to a large amount of Shadow Pokemon that made the area north of Darkveil Chasm their home, this chasm was also regarded as one of the most treacherous places on the entire continent, which was the reason why not many non-Ghost type Pokemon came here beside the fact that beyond this chasm lied nothing but the most dangerous area of the continent…
As the trio journeyed through the dark chasm, they had encountered many Ghost type Pokemon, and most of them just tried to play a prank on the trio. However, as Largo was also a Ghost type Pokemon, he was able to detect where other Ghost type Pokemon were hiding, waiting to pull their prank, and then foiled it, to the disappointment of the other Ghost type Pokemon. However, the trio also encountered many Shadow Pokemon, which appeared in a larger number than those that appeared in the Shadowlost Wasteland, but the trio was able to persevere until they reached their destination.
"Yeah. No doubt about it." Largo said as he looked at the map of Darkveil Chasm in his paw, and then looked at the building in front of him. "This area is the deepest part of Darkveil Chasm, so the place in front of us must be the Spirit Shrine, our destination."
"Are you sure that you didn't flip the map upside down?" Zetarus asked with a teasing voice.
"WEEEELL, at least I CAN read." Largo replied with a sarcastic voice as he put away the map and walked forward, approaching the shrine, with his elder siblings following him. The trio then entered the Spirit Shrine.
Inside the Spirit Shrine was very dark comparing to the outside, but the trio were still able to get a good look of the interior. At first glance, the shrine reminded them of the Misty Shrine on the Venom Island, but as they looked around more closely…
"… The architecture of this place… is different from the one inside the Misty Shrine…" Natasha commented as she looked around. "While the architecture of the Misty Shrine is similar to the one in Leafburg, the architecture of the Spirit Shrine is similar to the one of Newmoon Temple, indicating that this architecture of this shrine is of the pure Shadowlost style, with all these primitive and chaotic carving on the wall…"
"Err… I don't like this place." Zetarus commented. "I feel very uneasy since when we entered this place. It reminds me of that hellhole I grew up in."
"… That's because, like the Desert Prison, this place is haunted and plagued by the unrest spirits…" Largo spoke as he had his attention on something at the end of the shrine, which was none other than the altar similar to the one in the Misty Shrine.
"And how do you know that?" Zetarus asked.
"Don't forget that I am a Ghost type Pokemon, Zet." Largo answered before he slowly stepped forward to the altar in front of him. "Now, please excuse me for a few minutes… It's my time to… face my destiny."
Largo slowly approached the altar, with his elder siblings watching behind him, before he stopped right in front of the altar. The Alolan Marowak then slowly moved the bone club that he held with his right paw at one end to the level of his eyes, and then he moved his left paw to grab the other end of the bone club before he reached it forward and closed his eyes.
Just like what happened to Natasha at the Misty Shrine, as soon as Largo finished preparing, a dark purple blue aura was emitted from the altar, and it quickly formed itself around the body of the Alolan Marowak. The aura was then gradually absorbed into the body of the Alolan Marowak, waking the power within his blood.
"G… GAH!"
Largo suddenly let out a yelp of pain as the last bit of aura was absorbed into his body. The Alolan Marowak then quickly fell onto his knees as soon as everything was finished.
"Largo!" Natasha said as she quickly approached her younger brother, following by Zetarus. "W… What happened?! Did it hurt?!"
"Well… A bit…" Largo said as he used his bone club to support his body.
"Something's wrong…" Natasha continued speaking as she tried to support her younger brother. "It isn't suppose to hurt when you receive the power of legend. I didn't feel any pain when I receive one, and I don't remember Terrus saying that he felt a pain when he received his power from father—"
"That's because Terrus and you inherited the power of Ground type and Poison type… From father and mother." Largo said. "But for me, I inherit the power of Ghost type, which is the type with no inheritor for many generations, so the power that was inherited by me becomes a bit… drastic."
"Ah… That's right." Natasha said. "As far as I know, there's no record of the Hero of Ghost type as far as before the Twilight Crisis… So, that makes sense…"
"Either way…" Largo said as he was finally able to stand up again. The Alolan Marowak then flipped his paw and, as expected, found the Mark of Legend on it. "I am now the Hero of Ghost type, right?"
"Right. The first one in a very long time." Natasha said as she turned her attention toward the bone club held by her younger brother. "And your bone club is now the sacred weapon of the Hero of Ghost type."
"Y… You're right!" Largo said as he took a good look at his weapon. While his bone club mostly remained the same, the color of the bone became a bit darker, and its texture became a bit smoother, making it easier for Largo to use while remain a deadly weapon. "Hm… Then I guess I'll give it a new name too… Alright, from now on, you shall be known as the Zircon Club."
"Ser… con?" Zetarus tried to repeat the words he had just heard. "What the fxxk is that?"
Natasha and Largo were about to replied to their brother's question when another voice was heard by all of them.
"Zircon is the name of the mineral in the group of Siligate, and it's also a lustrous crystal that's known as gemstone too. It can be of several colors, but the most common colors are brown dark gold, thought the colors most favored by everyone are white and blue.
After realizing that the voice came from the entrance of the shrine, the trio turned their attention back and saw two Pokemon standing at the entrance. One of them was a Latias while the other one, which was the one who answered Zetarus' question, was a Latios.
"Sigh… You just have to be here at the moment I ask a question, huh?" Zetarus said after he recognized the two new Pokemon.
"More like you just have to ask a question when I'm around here…" Richard answered as he and Rachael slowly flew into the Spirit Shrine.
"Um…" Largo mumbled as he and Natasha turned their attention to Zetarus. "Your friends, Zet?"
"Well, you could say that…" Zetarus answered before he turned his attention back to Rachael and Richard. "And why are both of you here, in the haunted chasm of Shadowlost Territory? Don't you afraid that a big bad ghost would appear behind you and f—"
"That's enough, Zetarus." Richard interrupted the Garchomp's words. "Answering your question, Rachael and I are on our way back to Shadowlost City when we noticed this lone building in the deepest part of the Darkveil Chasm, so we decide to stop by for a bit. And what about you? Why are you here instead of being in the Shadowlost Territory? And who are these two Pokemon with you?"
"Introduction time." Zetarus said as he looked at the Dragalge and the Alolan Marowak beside him. "This gal here is my elder sister, Natasha Venomist the Dragalge, and this brat here is my younger brother, Largo Boneskull the Alolan Marowak."
"And this asshole here is my elder brother, Zetarus Quakersand the Garchomp." Largo spoke up as soon as Zetarus finished introducing.
"… My name is Richard Lustermist the Latios." Richard introduced himself with a plain after the trio finished their introduction. "And this is my younger sister."
"I am Rachael Lustermist the Latias! Nice to meet you!" Rachael said with a cheerful voice before it turned into a questioned voice. "But… Have we met before? I think that I have seen both of you somewhere before…"
"Of course you would." Richard said. "Since these two Pokemon are Zetarus' siblings, they are the members of Quakersand Royal Family, as well as the prince and princess of Dustorm Empire."
"Ah!" Rachael spoke up after hearing her brother's words. "I remember now! I saw you two in Fireview Kingdom at the Graveyard of Warriors!"
"Fireview Kingdom?" Natasha repeated one of the words she heard.
"She was talking about when you two, Terrus and Freya went to Fireview Kingdom three years ago." Zetarus clarified Rachael's words. "If you can remember, while all of you went to visit the graveyard at the outskirt of the city, I was happening to be around there, and so did both these siblings."
"I see." Natasha said.
"Anyway…" Rachael spoke up again. "Zetarus, what are you doing here?"
"Me? Well… I ran into my siblings in Shadowlost City during our first day in this land, and I decided to keep them a company, so… Here I am."
"You still haven't answered our question yet." Richard spoke up. "If you want to keep your siblings a company, why did you three choose to hang out in a place like this?"
"Heh… I see that there's something that will never chance, such as you with your fetish for knowledge." Zetarus replied with a crafty voice.
"Sigh… You with your choice of words…" Richard mumbled to himself before he continued speaking. "Anyway, Rachael and I are going back to Shadowlost City. What about you, Zetarus?"
"Hm… If you want an honest answer, I haven't thought about it yet." Zetarus replied.
"Well… We have just finished our business here…" Natasha spoke up. "And if you don't mind, why don't we all go back to Shadowlost City together? I want to learn more about Zetarus' friends."
"Hm… I don't have any objection with your idea, Princess Natasha." Richard said and turned his attention to his younger sister. "What about you, Rachael?"
"Of course, I don't mind!" Rachael replied. "It would be more fun if we all go together!"
"And what about you, Largo?" Natasha asked her younger brother. "Are you alright with this?"
"Well… We have already endured our 'beloved' brother Zetarus here well enough, so these two wouldn't be worse…" Largo replied. "The Latias here reminds me a lot of Freya, and this Latios seems like a good brotherly model of his younger sister, unlike my beloved elder brother here."
"If only you know…" Zetarus spoke up in a playful tone without looking at anyone.
"Um…" Rachael said. "If you don't mind me asking, why aren't Freya with you? I thought that she's also your sister."
"Well… It's a long story, but if you must know…" Zetarus replied. "I met my siblings while I was alone in Shadowlost Territory, and they were about to head to some nasty areas in this land. While I decided to go with them, all of us decided that we won't tell Freya about it until we came back, because, you know… Freya works really hard for the sake of the people she cares, to the point that she wouldn't care how many dangers she has to face, as you can see when Freya followed me into Valley of No Return by herself. If Freya knows that we all would go to these areas, she would insist on coming with us despite than she works really hard to support all of us, or despite that the places that we would go are some of the most dangerous places on this entire continent."
"… I get what you're trying to say, and I respect that." Richard said. "But, if you ask me, you should at least tell Freya that you two are here, Princess Natasha and Prince Largo."
"We will keep that in mind." Natasha said. "Now then, shall we go? I want to go back to Shadowlost City before dinner time, so that we would be able to have dinner with Freya too."
"Agree." Largo said. "Too bad that Terrus isn't here, but I guess it couldn't be helped."
"What? I did tell you that I would be your elder brother figure in the place of Terrus, didn't I?" Zetarus said to his younger brother.
"Yeah, yeah… Whatever you said, my 'beloved' brother." Largo said as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
After they finished their conversation, Zetarus, Natasha, Largo, Rachael and Richard exited the Spirit Shrine together, leaving the shrine with nothing but the haunted and unrest spirits of the past…
-Meanwhile…
'First, it was confirmed that my mother was really here, in the Shadowlost Territory, before she went back to Valley of No Return and gave birth to me.' Korben thought. 'She was working as the priestess of Newmoon Temple while she was here. With this, there's no doubt about it. It was my mother whole stole the diadem with her before she fled the land of darkness… But to what purpose? That's one thing that I don't know…'
'Next… About my father… If my mother was working as a priestess in the Newmoon Temple before she went back to Valley of No Return and gave birth to me, then it would be very likely that my father is also someone from Shadowlost Territory.' Korben continued thinking. '… But who is he? And where is he right now? I don't know. The only clue I have about my father is the piece of paper with my name on it that my mother had with her during her last moment, and that hardly gives me any idea.'
'And last… About the blackmails…' Korben thought. 'Since when I came here, I received three blackmails from an unknown being. Whoever sent these must really want me to leave the land of darkness for sure, but for what? I hardly know anyone here, and I don't think that any of those I know here would send me these blackmails, as they have no reason to do so, or even if they have, it wouldn't be only me who received these blackmails. So… Who was the one behind this?"
Korben stopped thinking about what he was thinking of for a moment to let his mind sort out his thought, before he spoke up for the first time in a while.
"At least Fenrir Jr. seems to know something that could be a help to me…" Korben mumbled to himself. "He said that he has seen the handwriting on the third blackmail before, and he is investigating this. Hopefully, we would be able to find the one who blackmailed me soon…"
After finished speaking to himself, Korben looked at the three pieces of paper in his paw. They were the three blackmails that the Kommo-o received during his stay in the Shadowlost Territory. He then looked at the first blackmail, which was being placed on his bed in his bedroom at the inn two days ago.
"iF YoU sTiLl VaLUe yOUr LifE, TUrN bACK aNd LeaVe ThE sHAdoWLosT TErRiTorY, oR eLSe YoU wILl bE pLunGEd iNtO tHe eNDleSs oBlIViOn."
"…" Korben moved his attention from the first blackmail to the second blackmail, which was placed inside the envelope that was given to him yesterday by the Serpent General, who claimed that he received it from a stranger.
"YOu aRe sTiLL hErE, wHIch wILL bRInG uPoN nOThInG buT PaIn aNd sUffErinG. IF yOu sTill vaLuE YouR lIFe, LeaVE tHIs pLAcE anD NeVEr ReTUrN aGAiN. ThIs iS tHe sEcOnd waRnIng."
"And the last one…" Korben moved his attention from the second blackmail to the last blackmail, which was sent to him by being shot right at the tree right beside him a few moments ago. From the moment that it was sent to him, Korben had just taken a quick look at the message when Fenrir Jr. showed it to him, so he hadn't gotten a good look at it yet until now.
You have ignored my warning not once, but twice… If you still refuse to oblige to my words, your life will be forfeited, and your soul will be sealed within the darkness forever. Heed my warning, leave the land of darkness and never return again, or else a terrible fate would befall on you. This is the third and the final warning, Korben.
"Fenrir Jr. was right." Korben said to himself as he slowly read the third blackmail that was sent to him. "The handwriting on this one is indeed different from the one on the first two, for whatever reason. Fenrir Jr. said that he had somehow seen it before, but… Now that I look at it, I feel like—"
The words of the Kommo-o were cut off as he finished reading the message of the third blackmail, and his eyes suddenly widened in shock, as if he was jolted by electricity, except that he wasn't.
"W… Wait!" Korben looked at the message of the third blackmail again. "I… Isn't this… But… How could it be?! Hold on… If this is it, then…"
"!" The Kommo-o's body was stiffened by a sudden realization that hit him, as if he had just received the missing piece of clue about the mysteries that he was chasing after this whole time. The Kommo-o remains in silent for a few minutes before he spoke up again.
"T… That's it!" Korben said. "That answers everything! Well, not really everything, but for the most parts… If I put everything together, it really makes sense! And if I am right, the one who sent me these blackmails must be none other than—"
"BASHHHHHHHHHH!"
"ARRGGGGGGGGGG!"
Before Korben could say anything else, he felt something hard and heavy hitting the back of his head really hard, causing the Kommo-o to yell out in pain before his body collapsed onto the ground, and he quickly lost his consciousness before he was able to grasp what was happening…
"… You have ignored my warning again, dragon whelp. You ignore it, not once or twice, but thrice! You think that you would be able to find the truth by your own, but you are just digging your own grave! I will not let you be in my way again, exactly like what your mother did on that day. I will do anything in order to achieve my goal, even if I have to get you out of my way, the child of Diadora."
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: The third day has arrived, and many encounters happen in this chapter too. Unfortunately, not all of them seem to be what the characters want it to be…
The next chapter would be the start of the showdown between the chancellor and the Pendragon… But would things really go as they want? We will see…
Q&A Session:
Tail 7-6 – Question: What is your favorite time during the day?
Answer:
-Korben: I like the time before the daybreak most. Perhaps it's because I always get up before the sun rises to train and help everyone since when I was living in the Hidden Village of Dragon, and the fresh air in the daybreak makes me feel refreshing and energetic.
-Claura: My favorite time is the evening, I guess. Because, after the sunset, it's the time for me to call it a day and spend my time soaking in a nice, warm bath, and it's very relaxing after a long and arduous day.
-Xavier: My favorite time is any time that I could sleep, and I think I don't need to tell you why.
-Anastasia: My favorite time is at the moment of sunset. It's because, every time I see the last light of the day disappears from the sky, I start reflecting everything that happens in my life, both good and bad, and it somehow brings peace to my mind…
-Baromyteus: As unlikely as it sounds, my favorite time of the day is the late morning before noon. Why? Because it's the time after I finish preparing for a new day, so I am most ready to get into any action that's waiting for me during this new day.
-Diego: Hm… I guess my answer is the early afternoon, as it is the time when the sunlight is very intense, and as a Fire type Pokemon, sunlight makes me very energetic and ready for a battle or two, and sunlight also increase the power of my flame too.
-Zetarus: My favorite time is always the late night, around the time before the midnight. Well… Back when I was in the hellhole, late night is the time when everyone sleeps, so they would finally leave me alone after all of their tormenting to me… But now, I still like the late night because it gives me some 'private time' to do my 'private stuffs' such as taking care of my 'spears'… or sneaking into Diego's bedroom to have a 'nice' time with him.
-Rachael: My favorite time is the early morning, the time after the sun rises, of course! The air in the morning is so refreshing, and it's a good time to take care of the plants and harvest berries. Oh, and the world as the sun gradually ascends to the sky is so beautiful too!
-Richard: I can't believe that it would happen, but I share my opinion with the first half of Zetarus' opinion, except that I prefer the time after the midnight instead as there would always be idiots who still awake before midnight, but their number drastically decreases after midnight, making it a good time for me to induce myself into the good books without being interrupted.
-Freya: M… My favorite time is the late afternoon, because it's the time when everyone would be finished with their work, and seeing the fruit of everyone's work after a long day of hard working makes me very happy for some reason. And… The vermillion world as the sun gradually descends from the sky is beautiful too…
-Snow: My favorite time is at the moment of daybreak, because it is the best time to harvest the tea leaves as the tea leaves harvested during this time are the highest quality one. Also, a cup of tea at the moment when the first light of the day shines upon the earth is heavenly, don't you think?
-Sirius: … (Dragon of Vale: Sirius says that it doesn't have any favorite time because any time is the same to him when he was in the Civilight Laboratory, and even now, each time of the day doesn't hold any difference to it.)
Question from Ridin Valon: From: Alvin
To: Diego Pyrotorch So... I've heard news about your comrade-in-arms, Zetarus! How would you like to tell me what your relationship is-
(A-ALVIN! WE DO NOT ASK THIS SORT OF QUESTION! ASK SOMETHING ELSE!)
Fine... So... who's your type?
(Alvin...)
-Diego: My relationship with Zetarus? We are just friend! F-R-I-E-N-D! Nothing more than that! And don't listen to what Zetarus says. He's just messing around with me! I am not his fxxkbuddy! Never! Are we clear?
-Dragon of Vale: You still have one more question to answer, Diego.
-Diego: Another question… WHAT?! W… What kind of question is that?! That's the question for an elementary-schooler, not for me! I'm leaving now!
-Dragon of Vale: Hey! Wait! You still have a question to answer!
-Diego: Fxxk off!
Question from Parousia45: To Anastasia: The way how you sing and dance was beautiful, how did you learn how to dance so majestic? I hope your brother won't kill me.
-Anastasia: Thank you for your kind compliment. For how I sing and dance, half of it is a self-taught, and the other half is from my experience of seeing other dancers or singers and practicing it by myself. Also, wanting to help my brother is another thing that helps too. And for Baromyteus, please forgive him for his aggressive action. He is just overprotective of me as we didn't spend much time together when we were young, and then I got myself injured very badly when he wasn't around, so after that, he is quite tense when it comes to me, but he's a really nice guy when you get to know him.