A Dragon's Tail
Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity
Tail 7-8: Descendant of the Serpent
"Everything must be done for the power and victory you seek, no matter the cost…"
The Pendragon, Jormungand and Fenrir Jr. looked at where the Altar of Desire was located, which was cloaked in the dark aura emitting from the altar, with a concern look on their face. They knew of the story of the artifact with a power to grant any wishes, at the cost of losing something important in their life. The artifact was stolen from this temple 19 years ago, and now that it had returned to this place, it was once again used to get a wish granted…
"!"
Suddenly, the dark aura gradually became lessened, revealing two Pokemon there. One of them was the Zoroark who had just used the diadem to get her wishes granted, Fenrir Sr.
However…
"…" Fenrir Sr. slowly stepped forward from the Altar of Desire. Her body was cloaked in the very same dark aura that surrounded her earlier. These dark aura, however, didn't look like an ordinary aura. It looked more like a burning dark flame that's burning through parts of her flesh. Her eyes, which were now void of any pupil, were glowing red through the demonic mask she's wearing. Also, she was now wearing something on her head…
It was the lost diadem, the very artifact that answered her wish.
"Mother!?" Fenrir Jr. said as he, along with everyone else, looked at his mother in horror.
"KYAKYAKYAKYA!" Fenrir Sr. let out a sinister laugh as she gripped her scythe in her paw.
However, that wasn't the most horrendous thing…
Behind her, at where the Altar of Desire was located, was another Zoroark who was consumed by the dark aura earlier, Hel the Somber Priestess. Unlike Fenrir Sr., however, she didn't move a bit. She was laying on the floor in front of the altar, with her eyes opened in shock and surprised, but the look in her eyes, along with her body, clearly suggested that the owner of that body was no longer alive…
"Oh, no…" Korben mumbled as he looked at Fenrir Sr. in disgust. "You ask for power from that thing at the cost of your sister's life?!"
"…" Fenrir Sr. didn't reply the Kommo-o.
"W… Why must you do that?!" Korben shouted. "What's the point of obtaining something like that at the cost of someone dear to you?!"
"HAHAHAHA… THIS IS IT…" Fenrir Sr. spoke as she looked at her paw. "THIS IS WHAT I NEED. POWER! POWER IS ALL I NEED, AND NOTHING ELSE MATTER TO ME!"
"Mother, what have you done?" Fenrir Jr. shouted. "No… You aren't mother that I know! What have you done to her?!"
"THIS IS ME, MY SON…" Fenrir Sr. replied. "AND NOW, WITH THE POWER I HAVE, I CAN FINALLY AVENGE YOUR FATHER, AND I DON'T NEED ANYTHING ELSE!"
"No! That's not it!" Fenrir Jr. said. "Do you really think that father really wants this?! Do you really think your husband wants you to let your sister die at the cost of you avenging him?!"
"SILENCE!" Fenrir Sr. said as she swung her scythe, sending a shock wave through the main hall of Newmoon Temple. "DON'T SPEAK AS IF YOU KNOW HIM BETTER THAN ME! I KNOW HIM BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE!"
"GRRRRR!" Everyone, especially the Pendragon, groaned in pain as the shock wave passed through them, damaging them in the process.
"HAHAHAHA! IT'S WORKING!" Fenrir Sr. roared as she raised her scythe upward. "THIS POWER IS WORKING! WITH THIS, NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP ME!"
"No! You're—" Fenrir Jr. was about to approached Fenrir Sr. when a sword was suddenly pointed to block his way.
"No, kid." Baromyteus mumbled as he used his sword to prevent Fenrir Jr. from approaching Fenrir Sr. It was clearly seen that he was also horrendous by Fenrir Sr.'s action. "She has already lost her mind. There's no way that we can help her other than killing her."
"DON'T THINK THAT YOU CAN DEFEAT ME EASILY!" Fenrir Sr. said as she raised her paw to summon several waves of dark energy. "NIGHT DAZE!"
"GARRRRRRARARARA!"
Everyone in the Pendragon was hit by Fenrir Sr.'s Night Daze attack. Even when they tried to guard themselves from the attack, all of them still found themselves being hit directly by the attack. This caused everyone in the Pendragon to fall on their knees after suffering from the injury they got from the attack. Even Fenrir Jr. also found himself being attacked too, but not to the extend of the Pendragon.
"FOOL!" Fenrir Sr. roared as she looked at everyone in the Pendragon, who were trying to stand up. "I ASK FOR THE ULTIMATE POWER TO DEFEAT YOU, AND WITH THIS, YOU ALL STAND NO CHANCE AGAINST ME!"
"Grrrr…" Everyone in the Pendragon groaned in pain.
"DON'T THINK THAT I WOULD LET YOU DIE EASILY!" Fenrir Sr. raised her scythe upward, using it to create several more waves of dark energy, and then released it to attack the Pendragon with the move Night Daze again. "I SHALL GIVE YOU THE TORMENT THAT MY HUSBAND HAD SUFFERED, UNTIL ALL OF YOU BEG ME FOR DEATH!"
"GARRRRARARAAR!" Everyone in the Pendragon roared as they were attacked again. This time, the attack was too much that none of them managed to stand up!
"Mother…" Fenrir Jr. said as he tried to stand up. He also suffered from Fenrir Sr.'s attack too, but not much as the Pendragon. "You really already lost your mind…"
"AND NOW!" Fenrir Sr. said again as she raised her paw to prepare an even larger attack. "I WILL LET YOU EXPERIENCE THE PAIN MY HUSBAND HAD SUFFERED! TAKE THI—"
"No."
Suddenly, Fenrir Sr.'s raising arm was grabbed from behind, and before she could do anything else, another arm appeared from behind her and started choking her at her neck!
"Y… YOU?!" Fenrir Sr. roared as she realized that the one who was behind her and choking her right now was none other than her younger brother! "W… WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!"
"Ssssssssimple…" Jormungand replied as he continued choking his elder sister, despite himself being burned by the flame that covered his sister's body. "I am stopping you."
"L… LET ME GO!" Fenrir Sr. roared as she felt the arms around her neck became tighter and tighter. She was struggling to break free, but to no avail. "OR ELSE I WILL KILL YOU TOO!"
"I… I don't care." Jormungand replied. His voice started shaking as he was burned by his sister's flame. "Y… You only wisssssssssh for the power t… to defeat them, but not me, so I ssssssstill sssssstand a chance againssssst you… A… And I… I will sssssstop you at any cossssssst, even if I have to die in proceed."
"WHY YOU?!" Fenrir Sr. roared as she struggled even more.
"N… NO!" Korben roared while he was trying to stand after realizing what Jormungand was doing. "Don't do that!"
"Hehe… Remember what I sssssssssaid earlier?" Jormungand spoke to the Kommo-o as he endured Fenrir Sr.'s struggle. "I have lossssssst too much in my life, and I refusssssssse to losssssssse anything elsssssssse, even if I have to ssssssssspill my venom."
"NO! I don't understand!" Korben roared. "Why do you have to go this far?!"
"You know the answer, Korben." Jormungand replied before turning his attention to Fenrir Jr, ignoring his sister's groan as she struggled to break free from him. "Fenrir! The land of darkness issssssssss now yourssssssssss! Take a good care of it!"
"…" Fenrir Jr. said nothing to his uncle.
"You!" Jormungand said as he directed his gaze toward Baromyteus. He was nearly at his limit as Fenrir Sr. was also using her weapon to attack him, but he still didn't loosen his grip on her neck. "… I… I leave Korben in your care."
"Don't just giving out your s—" Baromyteus spoke up, but his words were cut off as Jormungand spoke up again.
"And you, K…Korben…" Jormungand turned his attention back to Korben. "… T… This world isssss a c… cruel place, b… but do not let it blind your v… virtue, essssspecially your virtue of f… fairness."
"W… What?!" Korben said after hearing Jormungand's words.
"Y… Your heart of fariness i… isssss your greatest asset, K… Korben, a… and do not ever let it be q… quenched." Jormungand said as he started to have a hard time putting his though into words as the dark flame gradually burned his body. "A… And… Finisssssh what I sssssstart, can you?"
"No…" Korben said with a shaking voice as his body was also shaking. His eyes started leaking tear. "D… Don't do this to me… Don't repeat it… Don't make me experience it again… After all this time…"
"F… Forgive me, Korben, but I…I know that you w…will be sssssstrong." Jormungand said.
"GRRRARARARARARARARARAAAR!" Fenrir Sr. roared as she still struggling, but her strength was gradually sapped away as the amount of air that passed through her neck gradually decreased.
"Ssssssorry for waiting, ssssssissssss." Jormungand said as he tightened his grip around his sister's neck. "NOW!"
Jormungand focused every bit of his strength at the arm he wrapped around Fenrir Sr.'s neck, snapping it!
"GREAEAEAEEAEEAAEAEAEE!" Fenrir Sr. let out the last cried in pain, emitting the intense amount of dark flame from her body, which quickly burned her younger brother's body!
"GRARARARARAARARR!" Jormungand cried in pain as he was burned and charred by the dark fire from his sister's body.
"NOOOOO!" Korben roared out as he watched Jormungand being consumed by the dark flame from Fenrir Sr.'s body, burning his entire body in proceed.
And then… It ended…
"GRINK!"
The diadem fell from the head of Fenrir Sr. onto the floor as the bodies of two Zoroark collapsed on the floor. Fenrir Sr.'s body showed that she was no longer alive as her neck was snapped and she was choked to death by her younger brother. Jormungand's body, on the other hand, showed that he was also no longer alive after being burned to char by the dark flame from his sister's body. The dark flame then gradually extinguished… Leaving two lifeless corpses of two Zoroark right next to each other…
"No…" Korben mumbled as he fell onto his knees. His eyes still leaked tear non-stop. "After everything I have done… After all these times… Just to see it gone beyond my grasp again… Why? WHY DOES IT HAVE TO HAPPEN AGAIN?! WHY?!"
The sound of Korben's roar echoed through the main hall of Newmoon Temple as the Kommo-o mourned for the departed souls. His sorrowful cry pierced through the heart of everyone who heard it, even the most hardened one.
"Korben…"
As the Kommo-o continued mourning, he felt someone approaching him and started embracing him. Through his teary eyes, he could see that it was one of his friends, the very same Pokemon that consoled him after he survived the Dragon Massacre, Freya.
"…" Freya said nothing as she continued to embrace him gently.
"…"
Then, the Kommo-o felt a paw reaching to touch his shoulder shortly. He looked at the owner of that paw and realized that it was the Pokemon who had just suffered from losing someone, Fenrir Jr. However, unlike Korben, Fenrir Jr. didn't shed any tear, but that didn't mean that he didn't suffer from this whole event like Korben too.
"..." Fenrir Jr. looked at Korben with eyes that showed empathy toward him, as he had also just suffered in the same way as him. The Zoroark then walked toward the Altar of Desire, to where a lifeless body of a Zoroark was lying.
"… Rest in peace, Aunt Hel." Fenrir Jr. mumbled as he reached his paw to Hel's motionless eyes to close her eyelids, and then he gently lifted her body up. The Zoroark then approached where the two other corpses were lying before placing Hel's lifeless body right next to the lifeless body of her brother.
"… Three siblings. All were born in different day, month and year, yet all die at the very same time in the very same place…" Fenrir Jr. said with an emotionless voice as he looked at the corpses of Fenrir Sr., Jormungand and Hel. "The one whose body and soul was used as the sacrifice for a wish was the high priestess of this very place, the Newmoon Temple. The one whose body was burnt alive was the general of this very nation, Shadowlost Territory. And the one who suffered from suffocation was the chancellor of the land of darkness, as well as the Heroine of Legend who once saved this very continent, Symmetria."
As soon as Fenrir Jr. finished speaking, the body of his mother started glowing with a black aura again, and the very same aura appeared and surrounded her son's body too. This aura, however, was completely different from the dreadful aura that devoured her body earlier. It was a gentle and protective aura, as if it was embracing both Zoroark.
"…" Fenrir Jr. stood still with his eyes closed and let the aura be absorbed into his body, feeling a new power being awakened inside his body, and as soon as it finished, and the aura was fully absorbed into his body, he opened his eyes again.
"And now, I have inherited your duties." Fenrir Jr. said as he kneeled down in front of the corpses of three Zoroark and reached his right paw toward the corpse of his mother to close the eyelids of her mother, just like what he did to Hel's corpse earlier. From here, a newly-made mark could be seen from the back of his right paw…
It was the Mark of Legend, the symbol of the Hero/ine of Legend…
"… I must ask of you, mother, to allow me to keep your weapon, the Jasper Scythe." Fenrir Jr. said as he picked something from beside his mother's corpse. It was the very same scythe that she used in her battle earlier. While its former owner was corrupted, the scythe itself didn't show any sight of being corrupt. Instead, the scythe itself still sparkled the black light from its body, which was black, sharp and sinister, as if it concealed the forbidden power within itself.
"…" Korben said nothing as he looked at Fenrir Jr. stand up and looked at the scythe in his grasp, with Freya now standing right beside him after she released him from her embrace. Then the Kommo-o could feel the Zoroark looking at him, before he started speaking again.
"… Korben, thank you." Fenrir Jr. spoke to the Kommo-o. His voice sounded sincere and genuine. "From my heart, I thank you for everything you have done for me. But… If you would allow me, there's a plea that I wish to ask of you."
"…" Korben said nothing as he slowly nodded to the Zoroark.
"… I wish to ask you to shed your tear for the fallen souls here in my place." Fenrir Jr. said. "As you can see, I am unable to shed any tear, even when my mother had just died right in front of my eyes, so… Please…"
"… I will." Korben replied. "And I wish to thank you for everything you have done for me too."
"Hm… And for all of you…" Fenrir Jr. directed his attention to everyone other than him in this place, the Pendragon. "… Your intention of coming to the land of darkness is to kill the chancellor, my mother, and you all have succeeded in doing so, though not in the way you intended to…"
"…" The Pendragon said nothing as they waited for the Zoroark to continue speaking.
"However, the death of my mother and others came from their agreement with all of you, and so, I will respect that." Fenrir Jr. continued speaking. "With this, all of you are never here, in the Newmoon Temple, at the time when my mother and others died, and the chancellor, the Serpent General and the Somber Priestess died from the cursed power of the diadem that was returned to the temple today."
"Thanks… But… The diadem…" Korben said as he looked at the artifact, which was now lying on the floor between the corpse of Fenrir Sr. and Jormungand. "… What are you going to do with it?"
"… To everyone, the diadem was destroyed as it takes away the lives of the chancellor and others." Fenrir Jr. said as he looked at the very artifact that caused the tragedy in this place. "But for you all… I will leave this… artifact's fate to your decision, Korben. I trust you and your judgment in dealing with this, after everything we've been through together."
"I will…" Korben said. "And I also trust you too, Fenrir."
"… Trusting me may bring you to your doom one day. Such a sinful virtue…" Fenrir Jr. said. "However, while being sinful, trust is still a virtue too..."
"…" Korben said nothing to the Zoroark.
"… Nevertheless… All of this doesn't change the fact that you all are the enemies of my mother." Fenrir Jr. continued speaking. "And as her son… I don't need to tell you the rest, do you?"
"No." This time, it was Baromyteus who replied. "We already know what you want to say, and we accept that."
"Good." Fenrir Jr. said. "Then, please excuse me. As the new lord of Shadowlost Territory, I have many duties that I must fulfill. Also, I advise all of you to leave the Land of Darkness, or at least this temple, as soon as possible. The police of Shadowlost Territory will arrive here to retrieve the corpses of the chancellor and others in about two hours from now on, and I won't guarantee you the consequence you desire if you still stay here."
"Understood." Baromyteus replied. "Once we finished preparing, we will leave Shadowlost Territory at once."
"Then… May the darkness of Shadowlost guide your path."
After finished speaking, Fenrir Jr. started walking, passing Korben, Freya, Baromyteus, and everyone else, to the foyer of the temple. The Zoroark was about to leave the main hall and entered the foyer when he was stopped when someone spoke up.
"Fenrir…" Korben spoke up, which caused the Zoroark to stop walking, but not turning his head back. "… Are we… still friends?"
"… If one person can be both friend and enemy at the same time, then… Sure." Fenrir Jr. replied without turning back to look at Korben. The Zoroark then continued walking toward the exit of the temple, leaving the Newmoon Temple.
"…" Korben lowered his head a bit after he heard Fenrir Jr.'s answer to hide his face from everyone else.
"… Look like our mission here's complete." Baromyteus spoke up after Fenrir Jr. had left the Newmoon Temple. "And so, we have nothing else to do here. Let's get back to Pendracomonium to plan our next move."
"Right…" Anastasia nodded to her brother. "I am sure that all of you, especially Korben, Freya and my brother, would appreciate a nice rest."
"Hm." Korben raised his head again and nodded at the Goodra.
"Then, let's—" Freya was about to say something, however, her words were cut off when Korben spoke up again.
"One last thing…" Korben said as he slowly approached where the corpses of three Zoroark was lying on. The Kommo-o then picked the object that was lying between the corpse of Fenrir Sr. and Jormungand, the lost diadem.
"That diadem…" Anastasia spoke up with a sad voice as Korben looked at the diadem without saying anything. "Such a dreadful artifact…"
"Korben…" Freya spoke up as she looked at the Kommo-o with a worried look on her face. "… What are you going to do with it?"
"… This thing… Despite its power to make any wish come true, it also caused much suffering to everyone in process… Not just us, but also the people of Shadowlost too…" Korben said as he looked at the diadem with a look of disgust in his face. "And so… I'm going to destroy it."
"Destroy it?" Freya repeated the words that the Kommo-o had just said.
"Right." Korben said. "After all, I am sure that's what my mother and… he want to do, to not let it bring suffering to anyone else again."
After finished speaking, the Kommo-o raised the diadem gripped by his paw upward, preparing to destroy it…
But then…
"!"
Just as Korben was about to destroy the diadem, a dark aura, the very same one that devoured Fenrir Sr. and Hel after Fenrir Sr. used the diadem to get her wish granted earlier, was suddenly emitted from the diadem, which quickly engulfed the body of the Kommo-o!
"GAHHH!"
"Korben!"
Everyone shouted as the Kommo-o was swallowed by the dark aura from the diadem. But just before they could do anything else, the dark aura suddenly disappeared, revealing the Kommo-o again. However, as soon as his body was revealed again, the Kommo-o slowly fell down onto the floor, as if he was a tree that was cut down, and his eyes didn't open anymore as he had already become unconscious!
"KORBEN!"
-About An Hour Later…
"Geez… What is that Zoroark doing?!" Largo mumbled in frustration. He, along with his elder sister, was still in the very same room that he, Natasha and Fenrir Jr. was in earlier before Fenrir Jr. suddenly left the room and told him and Natasha to stay here. "It has been a few hours since he left. Why does it take him so long?! Did he go to Theocracy of Venturnome to visit his younger brother?!"
"Don't be silly, Largo." Natasha said as she tried to calm her younger brother down. "It takes a few weeks to travel from Shadowlost to Venturnome by foot, and I'm sure that he would leave to somewhere that far all of a sudden."
"Yeah, yeah…" Largo mumbled. "I just hope that he will be back soon, or I'm going to get bored to dead—"
"BANG!"
"HM?!" The attention of everyone in the room was turned to the door that was opened suddenly, and the one who opened it was none other than the one they were waiting for.
"Finally!" Largo spoke up. "Where have you been, you ass—"
"I was just dealing with something." Fenrir Jr. replied as he walked into the room. His tone, however, was serious and ominous, which quickly shut the Alolan Marowak up.
"Fenrir, you seem tired." Natasha changed the topic of conversation. She decided to avoid asking him what he was doing or what happened to him earlier. "Do you want some food or water? I can prepare—"
"No." Fenrir Jr. replied. "Anyway, did something happen here while I'm away?"
"No, unless you count that you have two guests here." Largo said as he nodded toward two other Pokemon who was also in this room, both who had their attention fixed at the Zoroark. One was a Charizard in a tribal cloth with blue body-paintings on his body, and another one was an Aerodactyl.
"You're back." The Aerodactyl was the first one who spoke up as Fenrir Jr. looked at them. "It has been some times since the last time we met, Prince Fenrir."
"Just Fenrir is fine" Fenrir Jr. said. "I remembered you. Aren't you Prince Terrus' retainer? What business do you have with me?"
"Yes. I come here in the name of Prince Terrus." Soryl said. "He requests all of you here to depart for Theocracy of Venturnome at once."
"… For what reason?" Fenrir asked with his arms crossed.
"A few days ago, Prince Terrus received a sealed letter from Theocracy of Venturnome, and the sender of that letter was the pr—I mean, the new Pontifex of Theocracy of Venturnome." Soryl answered. "The content of that letter is that the Pontifex requests all who possessed the blood of legend in their veins to come and meet him at the Theocracy of Venturnome, for that he had foreseen an upcoming crisis that was about to strike the Land of Equilibrium, and he needs all Hero/ine of Legend to gather together in order to stop that crisis at once. That's why he asked Prince Terrus to gather the Hero/ine of Ground type, Flying type, Fire type, Rock type, Ice type, Dark type, Poison type and Dark type while he will gather the Hero/ine of Normal type, Fighting type, Fairy type, Grass type, Bug type, Electric type, Steel type and Water type."
"And that's why I'm here." The Charizard who was standing beside Soryl spoke up. "I am Dinus, the current Volcano Guardian of Fireview Kingdom. I was coming here as the ambassador of Fireview Kingdom. Earlier, as my work here had already finished, I prepared to leave for the land of stone and flame when I encountered the Hero of Flying type, who asked me to come and join him, for that I am the current Hero of Fire type."
"Hm. I remembered you from King Apollo's Coronation Ceremony 3 years ago too." Fenrir Jr. nodded to Dinus before turning his attention back to Soryl. "Did the Pontifex of Venturnome mention anything else about the upcoming crisis that he spoke of?"
"Unfortunately, not much." Soryl replied. "Most parts of the letter he wrote to Prince Terrus was either about the stars or as cryptic as it can be, but for what Prince Terrus could gather, he didn't mention anything else other than the ten void spots that were dormant for 3 years have just awakened again, which will be the harbinger of the crisis that's even bigger than the Fallen Crisis."
"Ten void spots… He did say something like this before when we all met him at King Apollo's Coronation Ceremony 3 years ago, and now, he mentioned that the ten void spots had been dormant for 3 years too…" Fenrir Jr. said.
"And…" Natasha spoke up as she and Largo joined the conversation. "We didn't age since 3 years ago too."
"You too?!" Dinus and Soryl spoke up at the same time.
"Y… Yes." Natasha said. She was startled a bit after she heard Dinus and Soryl spoke up at the same time. "We assume that it happens to those who carry the Blood of Legend, and since the two of you also didn't age too, it seems like my assumption is proved correct again."
"Either way, it seems like everything was linked to 3 years ago…" Largo said. "Other than the assault at the inaccessible valley, I can't think of any major event that would cause a global-scale impact."
"Ten void spots… Could it be them?" Fenrir Jr. mumbled to him. "But… There're 12 of them… So… It couldn't be them, right?"
"Hm?" Natasha turned her attention to the Zoroark. "Did you say anything, Fenrir?"
"…. Nothing." Fenrir Jr. replied before turning his attention to Soryl again. "Understood. Once I finish my work here, I will depart for the Theocracy of Venturnome at once."
"And Largo and I will go with Fenrir when he finished his work too." Natasha said.
"Great." Soryl said. "Prince Terrus said he also had to deal with his work as the new emperor of Dustorm Empire too, so it may take him a while before he could depart for Theocracy of Venturnome."
"I see." Fenrir Jr. nodded to the Aerodactyl.
"Wait a minute…" Largo spoke up and looked at the Zoroark. "The Pontifex of Venturnome wants to summon Fenrir Jr. to Venturnome, right? Well, I understand that he has the Blood of Legend too, but right now, I think that it's his mother who holds the title of—"
"… No." Fenrir Jr. said as he showed everyone the back of his right paw, which had the Mark of Legend there!
"The Mark of Legend?" Natasha said as she looked at the mark that appeared at the back of Fenrir Jr.'s right paw. "Fenrir, how did you get it? I thought that you didn't have it this morning. Wait, could it be that the whole time that you've been missing—"
"… I will speak about it later." Fenrir Jr. replied to the Dragalge.
"At first, I came to you because I wish to relay this message to the chancellor via you, but now that you're the Hero of Dark type, I don't need to do it anymore." Soryl said. "And so, I must take my leave right now."
"Are you going to go back to Dustorm Empire, Soryl?" Largo asked.
"No." Soryl replied. "I must go to Snowlost City next."
"Snowlost? You mean the capital of Queendom of Riverbrine?" Natasha said.
"Yes." Soryl said. "After receiving the order from Prince Terrus, I came straight here, to the Shadowlost Territory, to relay you all this message. However, I still need to relay this message to Queen of Riverbrine, the Heroine of Ice type. And I still need to find the Hero of Rock type too."
"That would be Queen Misvale, isn't it?" Dinus spoke up. "Very well, I will accompany you, Soryl."
"Hm?" Soryl looked at the Charizard.
"Chronos, the Hero of Rock type, is now the bodyguard of Queen Misvale." Dinus said. "He's my close friend, so it would be easier to speak to him and Queen Misvale if I'm with you."
"Then, I accept your help, Dinus." Soryl said.
"Then, let's depart for Snowlost City." Dinus said to Soryl before turning his attention to Fenrir Jr., Natasha and Largo. "Here, I must bid you farewell for now. May the flame of Fireview protect you."
"Me too." Soryl said. "Good bye for now. See you all again soon."
"Good bye to you two too." Natasha said.
"Yeah. Let's meet again." Largo said.
"Safe travel." Fenrir Jr. said.
After they finished their farewell, Dinus and Soryl left the room, leaving Fenrir Jr., Natasha and Largo in the room.
"So, we are really going to Venturnome, huh?" Largo spoke up after Dinus and Soryl left the room. "Talk about coincidence…"
"Venturnome, huh?" Fenrir Jr. mumbled with a sarcastic voice. "Guess it's time for me to visit Ridley again after 3 years… I wonder what 'good news' I should bring to him…"
"So, you are going to visit your brother?" Natasha said to the Zoroark.
"… He's now the Hero of Fighting type after our father dies, so I will get to meet him there anyway regardless of our action." Fenrir Jr. said to the Dragalge. "And… My brother, huh? Isn't that such a cold way to call your cousin, Natasha?"
"Hm… I guess you're right. I am sorry about this." Natasha said.
"Wait…" Largo spoke up as he looked at Fenrir Jr. and Natasha. "What are you two talking about? Cousin?"
"Oh, I haven't told you about this yet?" Natasha said as she looked at her younger brother. "Fenrir and I are cousins."
"WHAT?!" Largo said as he looked at Natasha and Fenrir Jr.
"She's right." Fenrir Jr. said. "The late Empress of Dustorm Empire, Empress Sharon the Dragalge, who is Natasha's mother, is the elder sister of the Hero of Justice, Rucas the Lucario, who is the father of me and Ridley. That means that Ridley and I are cousins of Natasha, and vice versa."
"Not many people know the connection between the Hero of Justice and the Empress of Dustorm, so it's no surprise that you didn't know about this, Largo." Natasha said. "Terrus already know about this too, but I guess I haven't told you and Freya yet."
"Then…" Largo whispered to his sister. "Zetarus…"
"Yes, he also applies here too…" Natasha whispered back to her brother before turning her attention to Fenrir Jr. and spoke again. "And me being your cousin made it easier for you to befriend me too, right?"
"…" Fenrir Jr. said nothing to the Dragalge.
"Oh, that's right." Largo said. "When I arrived at this place the first time over ten years ago, it took me several weeks to befriend you, Fenrir Jr., and I heard that other Pokemon also has a hard time befriending you too. However, I heard that Natasha was able to befriend you easily when she got here. So it's because she's your cousin, huh?"
"… You're right." Fenrir Jr. sighed before he spoke up again. "While I am far from being a trusting person, I tend to trust those who share a close blood tie with me more than anyone else. I guess this action of mine is right to the subconscious level too, as I was able to befriend the one who share the close blood with me without knowing that they are my close relative beforehand."
"Hm? Who're you referring to?" Natasha asked.
"… Never mind that." Fenrir Jr. replied. "Anyway, do you have anything else for me? If not, then… I have a large amount of work to do. So, if you'll excuse—"
"Oh, no. You don't." Natasha spoke up.
"Hm?" Fenrir Jr. looked at the Dragalge.
"Fenrir, you are pushing yourself too hard, I can tell." Natasha said. "Since when you entered this room, I can see that you're very tired, and you didn't have breakfast earlier today too, yet you still push yourself forward. Aren't you afraid that you will break?"
"Heh… Don't worry about it." Fenrir Jr. mumbled to himself. "After all, I was already broke earlier today…"
"Hm?" Natasha and Largo looked at the Zoroark.
"… Never mind that." Fenrir Jr. said. "So, what do you want me to do, Natasha?"
"Just sit down here." Natasha said. "I will bring you something to eat. After that, let me and Largo help you with your work."
"Help me… With my work?" Fenrir Jr. repeated the words he had just heard.
"Yeah." Largo spoke with his arms crossed. "Thought I am not fond of doing any work that doesn't involve fighting, I can't leave my friend when he needs help, right? Especially after he had helped you so much before."
"Largo's right." Natasha said. "So, let us help you with your burden, and once we finish, let's go to Theocracy of Venturnome together, okay?"
"… Thanks." Fenrir Jr. replied with a soft smile on his face.
"…"
"…"
"Where am I?"
Korben mumbled to himself after he regained his consciousness. He stood up and looked around, finding himself in a very dark place. Everywhere around him was a complete darkness. He couldn't see anything else other than nothingness, but strangely, he could still see himself clearly.
'I… I remember that I was at Newmoon Temple, after the battle's over…' Korben tried to recall what happened before. 'Then I was about to destroy the diadem when… I remember that everything suddenly went dark, but I can't remember anything else…'
Korben looked around himself again, trying to find anything that could help him recognize the current situation, when…
"Welcome, mortal…"
Suddenly, the Kommo-o could hear the noise from right in front of him, and when he turned his attention to it, he found a hazy silhouette of a Pokemon, which was too hazy for him to tell which kind of Pokemon it was. The only feature of this silhouette that Korben could clearly see are two intimidating red eyes that were gazing at him, like a light that was piercing his soul.
"W… Who are you?!" Korben decided to ask the questions. "And… Where am I?!"
"Strange…" The silhouette spoke with a creepy voice. "I thought that you must surely recognize my voice…"
"Your voi— Wait a minute…" Korben said before he realized something, which made his blood almost frozen. He had heard this voice before two days ago, when he visited the Newmoon Temple for the first time, when he offered his prayer to the Altar of Desire. "It's the same voice I heard when I touched the Altar of Desire two days ago! Then, you must be…"
"Ah, you remember me at last. And you are correct. I am the god who communicates with the mortal via the artifact of chaos, and I am the one who answers their plea and grant them the wish they asked me."
"Y… You…" Korben mumbled. His voice was mixed of anger and fear. "I… It's because of you, you are the one who brings the pain and suffering to the Pokemon of Shadowlost Territory…"
"… I think you must have misunderstood something, mortal. Those mortals asked for my blessing, and I merely granted them what they desired with a price that they must pay, for that everything in this world has its price, and if anyone wants anything, they must be ready to pay the price for what they want."
"…" Korben said nothing after hearing the words of the mysterious silhouette.
"And even knowing that they will have to pay the price should they ask for my blessing, those mortals still asked for my blessings. So, all I did was just oblige to their plea. After all, the fact that they decided to ask for my blessing means that they are ready to pay the price of their wish. With this, how can you really say that I am guilty of bringing pain and suffering to those mortals, for it was they who chose to accept pain and suffering into their lives by their own will?"
"… There are so many things that I still don't understand about you." Korben spoke up. "First, the land of darkness was ravaged by chaos for several decades until the discover of the altar and the artifact, which stopped all the chaos that happened earlier, only for the Pokemon of this land to start abusing this wish-granting artifact to sate their own desire, which is pretty much equal to another chaos, and when the artifact disappeared 19 years ago, the peace of the land of darkness was disrupted again as the chaos returned to this land in the form of war. With this, it could be said that it was you who are behind all of this—"
"Again, this is a huge misunderstanding. I have nothing to do with the chaos that wreck upon this land, for that the world is the work of chaos. For the periods you claimed that I was the one who brought upon the chaos are but the natural state of this world, and the periods that the chaos disappeared was but a coincidence of temporary break of chaos, which didn't last long because the world will return to the chaos again. It's the endless cycle of this world. Everything was born from the chaos, and they all will try to stay in order, only to return to chaos in the end…"
"… Next." Korben decided to ask the next question. "Why must you do all of this? Why must you grant the wish to everyone who pled to you? If you only just ignore their wishes, all of these would never happen…"
"Alas, you seem to forget my earlier words that I am a god. Everyone who gives their prayer to me is my follower, and as their god, it's my duty to answer their plea, with a price, of course. Also, while I am a god, I am merely the forgotten one, for that most mortals in this world turn their worship toward Arceus or Yggdrasil, but not me, for that I was banished from this world a long time ago. The place you called Newmoon Temple is the only place in your mortal world that links with my realm. Pity, for that, as of now, the link between your world and my realm has mostly faded away, leaving the artifact and the altar as the only place where I could communicate with my followers."
"God… Banished… Another Realm… Wait…" Korben looked at the silhouette in disbelief. "W… Who are you?!"
"For the world, I am known as the treacherous god who opposed Arceus since the beginning of your timeline, as I betrayed Arceus and rekindled the war against them after the Dragon God was defeated. For countless years, I have lived in solitude in my own realm, the Distortion World, and the world has already forgotten my name, but my vengeance still remains. I am the god of renegade, and I am called Giratina."
The Kommo-o looked at the silhouette in front of him in awe and shock, for that he couldn't believe in what he had just heard. Right now, he was having an encounter with Giratina, one of the gods of Pokemon World, the very same god that opposed Arceus since the beginning of the world!
"Y… You are Giratina?!" Korben was finally able to muster his words to reply the silhouette in front of him.
"… Judge by your reaction, you seem to still have an idea of who I am, which is very unusual, for that most Pokemon would only remember me by the name of the god of renegade."
"I… I have read the history of this world since when I was young, so I remembered your name and the story about you in War of the God I." Korben said. "But I never thought that I would be able to meet the very same god who appeared in the history book I read…"
"I am flattered, but I digress. Do you still have anything you wish to question me? But make it quick, for that my patience is limited."
"Y… Yes…" Korben spoke with a shaking voice, for that he felt the feeling of dread and fear within his body as he spoke to the silhouette in front of him. "L… Last questions. Where am I? And why did you bring me here?"
"I didn't do anything to your physical body. I merely put you into slumber and trap you in your own consciousness, for that I have something I wish to speak with you alone."
"W… With me?!" Korben repeated the words he heard. "W… What do you want to speak with me?"
"… Since when the artifact that links to my realm was discovered by you mortals, I have met many mortals who gave their prayer to me, all which their heart was filled with greed and fell into the temptation for my power. You, however, are the first and a very rare one who could resist the temptation of my power, which makes you special in my eyes."
"You mean the fact that I decided to destroy the diadem?" Korben asked.
"Correct. As I said, the artifact is the link between your world and my realm, and the altar in Newmoon Temple is the only place I could communicate with mortals, for that the link between both realms is the strongest there. However, even with only the artifact, I am still able to observe the world through it, and since you once have the artifact in your possession, I have been observing you for quite some time."
"S… So… The feeling of dread and uneasiness, the feeling that someone is watching me, that I felt since I arrived at the land of darkness… It was because of you, isn't it?" Korben said.
"The closer the artifact is to the altar, the stronger my influence in the mortal world is. With you being in what you called the land of darkness, my power would e strong enough to affect your soul, but I digress. I have been watching you for some time, and even after you discovered the nature of the artifact in your possession, you didn't show any interest in using it to sate your desire, and you even determined to destroy it too."
"... I just feel like this is something that I should do…" Korben said.
"You could just choose not to destroy it and keep it in your possession, for that you could have a chance to abuse my power again in the future, but you didn't, which proved that your heart and soul is strong enough to resist the temptation of my power."
"… Actually, I am not the only one who's capable of doing that…" Korben said. "My mother stole the diadem from Newmoon Temple 19 years ago, and there's… Jormungand too…"
"But the one who took the diadem from the altar 19 years ago chose to keep the artifact in her possession instead of destroy it, didn't she? And for another one… While his intention may seem like he's able to resist the temptation of my power, he actually planned to execute what he intended to do by wishing upon me. With this, I would say that both of them aren't above their desire, unlike you."
"He… planned to do that?" Korben mumbled. "I… I have no idea… So… It means that he…"
"… Enough about nonsense matter. Back to our topic, the reason why I wish to speak with you is because you are the only one I have met who's able to resist the temptation of my power. With this, I saw a potential in you and wish to observe you and your future path, and so, I deem you worthy of my true power…"
"Your true power…" Korben mumbled. "What do you mean by that?"
"It means that my true power, which is far greater than what you have seen before, could be yours to use as you desire, if you accept my proposal. I offer you to form a pact with me, mortal."
"… A pact…" Korben mumbled the words he had just heard. "You mean… Something like…"
"I am positive that I have no need to clarify my words, for that I know that you are currently associated with other mortals who have already formed a pact with other Legendary Pokemon."
"Which means that… I would gain more power from our pact, and I would be able to harbor your power as I wish…" Korben said. "But… At the cost of power, I would be cursed to lose something in my life…"
"I have mentioned this before. Everything has its own price. You can harbor my terrible power, but you must also be ready to pay the price of it too."
"…" Korben said nothing after hearing the words of Giratina.
"… Now, then… Give me the answer to my proposal, mortal."
"… I refuse." Korben replied.
"You… refuse my power?"
"Right." Korben said. "While it's true that I'm walking a dangerous path, and I need as much power as I could. However, one thing I can't stand is inequity. I know that equality doesn't really exist in this world, and I'm trying to accept that. However, I will not allow anyone to abuse their superior power to take advantage of those who're inferior to them, and that includes me. And so, I will have to refuse your proposal, for that I have no wish to harbor your power, especially the very same power that caused pain and suffering to many Pokemon in this world, both in the distant past and in the recent past."
"… Once again, you seem to misunderstand something…"
"What?" Korben looked at the silhouette in front of him.
"… Since when you're in the place that you could bargain with me, mortal?"
"What—ARGGRRGRGRGRGRGRRRRRR!" Suddenly, the Kommo-o felt an unbearable pain at his left shoulder, as if some mysterious force was ripping his left arm from his body. It didn't take very long for him to realize that his left arm that was attached to his left shoulder was now lying on the floor right beside him, with blood still flowing out of the wound!
"W… What have you done to me?!" Korben's face grew pale as he saw what happened to his left arm, and he could still feel the lingering pain in his left shoulder, which was almost unbearable.
"You chose to oppose to my words, and that's the price that you must pay for your action, mortal."
"D… Damn you!" Korben cursed as he tried to endure his pain.
"Now, I will ask you again, mortal. Will you form a pact with me?"
"NO! ARGGRGRGRRRGRGRGR!" Korben replied, which was followed by him feeling the very same pain he felt before, but this time, he felt it at his right shoulder. Soon, he could no longer feel any of his arms, both which were now lying right beside his body.
"Now you have lost both your arms… And I will ask you once again… Will you form a pact with me?"
"NO! ARGGGGGRGRGRGR!" Korben answered again, and he soon felt another unbearable pain being inflicted onto his body. This time, he felt the pain at both his thighs, which soon followed by his body fell down onto the ground, as both his legs were just ripped away, leaving him as a limbless creature lying on the ground, with blood gradually seeped from where his arms and his legs were.
"Pitiful mortal… Your stubbornness leads you to lose all your limbs… And let me ask you again, which you should know what would happen if you refuse me again, will you form a pact with me?"
"N…. NEVER! ARRGRGRGRGRGRGRGRRGRGRRG!" Korben replied again, and again that his body being ravaged by an unbearable pain. This time, he felt like a sharp object was pierced through both his eyes and ripped it out, rendered him completely blind!
"Now the price you must pay is your sight, which sent you to the world of eternal darkness…"
"… S… SHUT UP!" Korben replied.
"… I will ask you again, will you—"
"My answer is still NO! Don't try to—ARGRGGRGRGRGGRGRGGR!" Korben spoke up, but before he could finish his words, he felt another unbearable pain at the side of his body, and he felt his ears being ripped from his body, which rendered him completely deaf!
"Now you lost your ability to hear… And yet you still stand with your idea, despite all the pain you feel." This time, while he was already deaf, Korben 'heard' the voice of Giratina right in his mind, as they were talking to him using telepathy instead. "How do you feel right now? Are you able to endure all the pain you're feeling right now? Or are you desperate for the embrace of death?"
"N… No…" Korben replied with a shaking voice. "I will… n… never submit to the l… like of you…"
"If that's so… Then… Let me ask you again, and if your answer still remains the same, the only wish you will have afterward is death, mortal. Will you form a pact with me?"
"N… NO!" Korben replied, and his words were immediately answered by him paying the last price. This time, he didn't let out any cry, as he could no longer do it as his body was ripped apart, like a rock that was blown apart by a bomb into countless pieces. The only thing left at where the body of the Kommo-o was was a single glowing light, which was none other than Korben's soul…
"… You impress me, mortal." Giratina spoke up as they gazed at Korben's soul. "You believe in your virtue of fairness, and you still stand by it, even when you have to pay the price with your body. I must say that I can't remember the last time a mortal managed to impress me like this."
"…" Korben didn't answer Giratina's words, for that he no longer capable to do so.
"But now that you have lost everything, including your limbs, your senses, and your body. You will now able to focus on you and yourself even more, don't you think?"
"…" Korben didn't reply to Giratina.
"Now that you have time to be with yourself, you must have seen things from a new light, and so, I will ask you one last time, and your answer won't matter, for that its consequence would be the same. Will you form a pact with me?"
"…"
"… I have received your answer, mortal. And so, let's begin."
After finished speaking, the silhouette of Giratina turned into a eerie black light, which gradually approached Korben's soul and merged with it.
"Now that our pact are formed, our souls are bound. My power is yours, and your soul is mine, mortal."
"…"
"…"
"Yawn…"
The Kommo-o slowly opened his eyes as he woke up. As he tried to adjust his sight, he saw the familiar vision right in front of him.
"…This is…" Korben mumbled as he looked right in front of him and saw that he was in his own room in the Pendracomonium, and he was sleeping in his own bed.
"When did I—Wait…" Korben mumbled before his memory started flooding into his head. The first thing he did was looking at himself. He then realized that he could still see, hear, and his arms and legs still existed, and so do his body.
"What… just happened?" Korben mumbled as he looked at his body, which showed no sight of injury other than some bandages that were wrapped around some parts of his body, which most likely the injuries he got from the battle at the Newmoon Temple. However, he still remembered the pain he felt when his organs were ripped from his body…
"… Good morning, Korben."
A calm voice was heard by the Kommo-o from beside him, and as he turned his head to the source of the voice, he saw a Latios with a chronicle watching him from beside his bed.
"R… Richard?" Korben spoke up. "What are you doing here? And… When did I come back here?"
"… After you fell down, we carried you back here." Richard answered with a calm voice. "And for your information, you slept for only just one night, which made the whole time you fell unconscious nothing different from an ordinary sleep."
"… I see." Korben mumbled in response.
"… But most of us know that you didn't just fall asleep randomly." Richard continued speaking. "So, how's your meeting with your Dragon Legend?"
"Drago—What?!" Korben looked at the Latios in confusion. "H… How did you know about… this?!"
"Not just me. All of us know this since most of us could feel it due to 8 of us had already formed a pact with different Legendary Pokemon, including me." Richard answered. "Baromyteus and Anastasia could even pinpoint which Legendary Pokemon you met, but since that Pokemon lives in a different realm, we couldn't do much except for waiting for you to wake up."
"So… It's true…" Korben said as he looked at his paws. "I… I already formed a pact with a Legendary Pokemon."
"… Judge by the identity of the Dragon Legend that formed a pact with you, I can assume that it wasn't a pleasant experience, was it?" Richard said.
"…" Korben didn't response to the Latios.
"Anyway, as I am the 'doctor' of our group, I came here to check your health." Richard continued speaking. "But since you seem to be fine, I will take my leave."
"W… Wait a sec…" Korben spoke up again. "A… Are you sure that I will be fine?"
"If you're talking about the pact, don't worry about it. You will be fine." Richard answered. "The only negative thing from forming a pact with a Legendary Pokemon, not counting the social stigma, is the fact that you will be cursed to lose something in your life…"
"So… This is no different than everyone else who wished upon that diadem..." Korben said.
"… I don't think so." Richard said, turning the attention of the Kommo-o to him. "It's true that the pact gave you a benefit at the cost of losing something in your life, the thing that you will lose doesn't have to affect other Pokemon, unlike the wish-granting altar at the Newmoon Temple. Also, unlike that altar, you didn't just do it one thing and get over it. You are bound by your action for as long as the pact exists. With these, I would say that forming a pact is different from asking for a wish."
"… If you say so…" Korben said.
"Then, I will go now." Richard said as he moved toward the door of the room, only to stop when the Kommo-o spoke up again.
"One last question, Richard…" Korben spoke up. "… Where's everyone right now?"
"If you're referring to everyone in our group…" Richard answered. "Rachael, Freya, Claura and Anastasia are having a tea party at the lounge on Floor B2. Zetarus and Diego went to Valley of No Return to hunt some games. Snow's preparing lunch in the kitchen. Baromyteus' in the Meeting Room, and he's calling me and Xavier to meet him right now."
"Wait…" Korben said. "Baromyteus called you and Xavier to meet him right now?"
"Yes. I plan to go there after I finish checking you." Richard said. "I assume that he wants to talk about our next plan now that we have already finished our mission at the Shadowlost Territory."
"… And where's Sirius?" Korben asked.
"… He's exploring the cave on Floor B5." Richard replied. For some reason, Korben knew that the Latios didn't mention Sirius in the first place on purpose. "And speaking of Shadowlost Territory reminds me one more thing…"
Richard didn't say anything more. Instead, he used his eyes to direct the Kommo-o's attention to something that was lying next to his bed, which was none other than…
"T… The diadem?!" Korben spoke with a voice that showed both surprise and disgust toward the artifact next to his bed. "W… What's it doing here?"
"It was with you when we brought you back here." Richard answered. "And since it's now your Dragon Relic, destroying it is out of option."
"Dragon Relic?" Korben repeated the words he heard.
"It's the prove of your pact with the Legendary Pokemon." Richard explained. "You can use it to communicate with your Dragon Legend, and you can use it to harbor your Dragon Legend's power by summoning them to help you in the battle too. Also, since the Legendary Pokemon could communicate with each other, we also use it as a way to communicate with each other too, not counting Freya, Snow and Sirius who didn't form a pact with the Legendary Pokemon as of now. So, no matter what you do, do not ever lose it."
"…" Korben looked at the diadem right next to him. He didn't know what to feel after hearing the words of the Latios.
"… I think I should go for real. If I'm late, Baromyteus won't be happy with me." Richard spoke up. "… See you, Korben."
After finished speaking, Richard moved toward the door and exited the room, leaving Korben in the room alone.
"…" After Richard left the room, Korben reached his paw to the diadem and grabbed it. As soon as he touched it, he could feel a dreadful energy coming out of it.
"… Giratina." Korben spoke to the diadem. "… Can you hear me?"
"I have been waiting for you, Korben." Giratina spoke to the Kommo-o via the Black Moon, the black diamond located in the middle of the diadem.
"So… Everything that happened… It wasn't a dream, was it?" Korben said.
"Yes, and now, you and I are bound by the pact we formed." Giratina said. "With the Diadem of Chaos in your possession, now you can ask for my power me in a battle, and I will answer your plea by striking fear into the heart of your enemies with my power, Shadow Force. However, keep in mind that everything has its own price, and you'll have to pay the price with your soul every time you summon me."
"You mean… That I'll have to sacrifice my Hp in order to summon you?" Korben said.
"Correct." Giratina answered. "Considering that my power is far greater than the power of other Legendary Pokemon your friends had formed a pact with, your soul is a reasonable price that you must pay for using my power, don't you agree?"
"… I was right." Korben mumbled. "I was right to decide to form a pact with you, Giratina."
"And what do you mean by that?" Giratina asked.
"… I don't care if you'll continue torturing me when I refuse to form a pact with you or not…" Korben spoke up. "But if I still refuse to form a pact with you, sooner or later, there will be other Pokemon who faces the same fate as me, and I don't want anyone else to suffer like me. That's why I chose to harbor your power and accept this curse into my soul, for that no one else would suffer like me."
"Oh? Didn't you talk like a real hero?" Giratina said. "But don't try to conceal it from me. Deep down, you still wish to really harbor my power for your own benefit, don't you? After all, no one in this world would do anything that doesn't benefit them, for that the greed in their heart would motivate them to perform the action that benefit them, no matter what it may seem like."
"… At least no one would have their soul stolen by you again." Korben mumbled.
"Again, you misunderstood me." Giratina said. "Losing part of your soul when you summon me doesn't have anything to do with the curse of losing something in your life after forming a pact with me. It's just me taking the price of my power."
"Then.." Korben looked at the diadem in his paw. "What is it? What was I cursed to lose when I formed a pact with you?"
"You may not realize it yet, for that the time hasn't come." Giratina answered. "But when the time come, you'll finally have your answer you seek."
"…" Korben looked at the diadem. Then he gently lifted it up and placed it above his head, wearing it on his head. "… Now that this thing is mine, I'll wear it."
"Good choice." Giratina commented. "If you wish to speak to me, call my name, and I'll answer you as long as the Diadem of Chaos is with you."
"… Okay." Korben said as he got out of his bed. "Then… Talk to you later, Giratina. For now, I'll need to find my friends."
"Then, I wish your foes an endless suffering." Giratina said before his presence disappeared from the diadem.
"… Next…" Korben mumbled before he approached the door and exited his room.
-Meanwhile…
"Thank you for letting me borrows this!"
Rachael spoke with a cheerful voice as she handed over a book to Anastasia, who was sitting beside her. Right now, the four dragonesses of the Pendragon, Rachael, Freya, Claura and Anastasia were having a tea party in the lounge of the Pendracomonium.
"Thank you." Anastasia said as she received the book from the Latias. "Did you like it?"
"Yes, I like it…" Rachael answered. "Though it's such a sad story with a tragic end, which I'm not very fond of."
"But the story you lent me before we went to Shadowlost Territory is also very sad too." Anastasia said.
"I bought it because I thought it's going to have a happy ending." Rachael replied.
"Oh…" Freya spoke up. "D… Do you mean the story you told us when we were having a bath? The one about two lovers who fought in the war together?"
"Yes, that one…" Anastasia said.
"I… want to know what happen next." Freya said. "You said that their love is perfect, with nothing that could separate them, and none of them were killed by their enemies. So… How did their story end up as a tragedy?"
"Tell me about it too…" Claura spoke up. "I am kinda interested in this story too."
"… The man wishes to build a nation where he would rule over with his beloved fiancée by his side. However, while they've won so many battles, their victory in the war didn't last forever…" Anastasia said with a sad voice. "Soon, their enemies started to gain an upper hand as they gradually regained the land they've lost in the war, forcing the armies of the two lovers to retreat back to their land. However, the man's loss of battle left a huge emotional wound to himself, who views himself as someone with no equal, and this wound gradually expanded when their enemies started invading their land and won over his army in a battle. This made the man gradually lost his mind, despite the woman's attempt to comfort him."
"…" Freya, Claura and even Rachael carefully listened to Anastasia. For some reason, they started to feel uneasy as the story went on.
"And in the end, they lost everything…" Anastasia said with a sad voice. "Their army lost the war as all of their lands were claimed by their enemies, leaving the man, the one who was called the god of war, emotionally devastated, with is unbearable for him. The feeling of shame and disgrace he got from the war was too much for him, and even his beloved fiancée wasn't enough to comfort him. The negative feelings soon overcame him as he completely lost his mind, and he turned to his last resort. He asked for the blessing of the dark god in the story, for a power that could defeat his enemies, with a price…"
"O… Oh, no!" Freya said. "D… Don't tell me that…"
"… The price was his beloved fiancée." Anastasia said with a grim voice. "His fiancée was sacrificed to the dark god, turning her into the thrall of the dark god, but again, it could be said that the man also died the moment he asked the dark god for power."
"No…" Freya said as she covered her mouth. "This is… so sad…"
"… But even with the power of the dark god, the man still lost to his enemies." Anastasia continued the story. "But this is actually a good thing, as being defeated freed both the man and the woman from the dark god's grasp. In their last moment of life, the woman told the man that she didn't hate him for what he had done, for that she knew that the heart of her fiancé. The man apologized to his fiancée for everything he had done, and promise her that he would find a land where they could be together, and their story ended as both of them depart to the Afterlife together."
"This… is such a tragedy." Freya said. "I felt very bad for both of them, but at least, I felt at ease that both of them are freed and be together at the end…"
"…" Claura didn't say anything after the Goodra finished her story. However, she seemed like she wanted to say something.
"Claura?" Noticing the Kingdra's reaction to her story, Anastasia decided to ask her. "You seem to have something on your mind. If you want to, you can share it with us."
"… I am just surprised how real this story can be." Claura spoke up. "After all, this story is eerily similar to what happened at the Newmoon Temple…"
"…" Rachael, Freya and Anastasia's faces suddenly turned grim at the mention of the event at Newmoon Temple.
"You can see it too, right?" Claura said. "At the beginning, the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory seemed calm, and we could see her confidence as she battled Baromyteus because she wanted to kill him as a revenge of him killing her husband. However, as the battle proceeded, she gradually became more and more frustrating of not only Baromyteus started to overpower her, but her younger brother, the Serpent General, also refused to listen to her too. And when Baromyteus defeated her, she had lost her mind and turned to the Legendary Pokemon inside that diadem, which granted her power at the price of her sister, the Somber Priestess,'s life. I think it could be said that she didn't die when the Serpent General snapped her neck, but she died as soon as she was given power from the diadem."
"… That's… That's truly tragic…" Rachael mumbled.
"Yeah…" Freya said. "While they're our enemies, I can't help but feel bad for all of them. They didn't deserve this."
"… For me, while I am not very fond of those Hero/ine of Legend, I still can't help but feel pity toward them, especially the chancellor." Claura commented.
"But at least, all of them are finally freed, or at least I hope so…" Anastasia said. "Their story also helped inspiring the song I'm writing right now."
"The song?" Rachael looked at the Goodra. "Oh, that's right. You said that you're writing a song from the story you told us earlier."
"Right." Anastasia said. "I plan that the song of mine may sound like power is the key to the victory you want to achieve. However, the true meaning of that song is that everything has its own price, even the power or the victory you seek. My song may seem like it encourages you to obtain power for the victory you seek, but it will actually reminds you that they will have to pay the price for the power they want to obtain, and it's often that the power they received isn't worth the price they must pay."
"That's deep." Claura commented. "I hope that it'll be complete soon."
"Me too!" Rachael said.
"S… So do I." Freya said.
"Thank you, everyone." Anastasia said with a gentle smile on her face. However, their conversation was soon interrupted with the sound of someone knocking the door of the room.
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!"
"Oh! Come on in!" Rachael said.
The door of the room then opened, revealing another Pokemon stand at the entrance of the room. Upon seeing him, Freya quickly stood from her seat and approached him.
"K… Korben!" Freya said with a cheerful voice as she saw the Kommo-o. "Y… You're alright! I was so worried about you."
"I'm sorry for making you worry." Korben replied with a calm voice as he entered the room. "But now, I am already recovered, so you won't have to worry about me anymore."
"T… That's a relief..." Freya said.
"Anyway…" Korben turned his attention to the other three Pokemon who were still sitting at their seats, looking at him. "I am sorry that I interrupted your party, but… Anastasia, may I speak to you alone for a few minutes?"
"Oh, of course." Anastasia said as she stood up from her seat. "My brother's at the Meeting Room, so we should be fine."
"Great." Korben said before he looked at the other three Pokemon in the room. "Freya, Rachael, Claura, I'll borrow Anastasia for a few minutes."
"Okay." Rachael, Freya and Claura replied.
"I'll be back soon." Anastasia said as she approached the door of the room, and then the Kommo-o and the Goodra left the room together.
"So…" After exiting the room, Anastasia spoke up with a gentle voice. "What do you wish to speak with me, Korben?"
"… Anastasia." After looking around the main hall of Floor B2 to make sure that no one else was here, Korben spoke up to the Goodra with a serious voice. "Please tell me what happened on your side during the… Dragon Massacre, specifically the part when you, Baromyteus and Dimitri left the village to fight in the enemy territory together."
Meanwhile…
"… Sorry that I'm late."
Baromyteus turned the attention to the door of the Meeting Room, which was just closed after Richard entered the room. The Latios then approached him and found that, other than him and Baromyteus, Xavier was also here too.
"Finally…" Xavier mumbled. "Thought I should say that you should take more time to come here, so that I will have more time to sleep."
"I have just visited Korben." Richard ignored the Dragonite as he spoke to the Shiny Haxorus. "He has already woke up. Overall, his condition seems to be fine… Not counting the fact that he had already formed a pact with a Legendary Pokemon."
"… I see…" Baromyteus spoke with his arms crossed.
"Then… Let's get this over with, so that I would be able to go back to sleep…" Xavier said as he looked at Baromyteus. "You want to discuss over next course with us, right?"
"I thought that the choice is obvious." Richard said. "Among two Hero/ine of Legend during the Fallen Crisis that are still alive, one is missing right now, and the other one is in the Theocracy of Venturnome. With this, I think our next course is already set."
"You're right." Baromyteus said. "But that's not what I want to talk with both of you today."
"Then, what's your reason for taking away our free time?" Xavier asked.
"… I saw your reaction to the whole thing during our mission at Newmoon Temple…" Baromyteus spoke up with a serious voice. "… And I can see that both of you must have realized this already."
"… What are you talking about?" Xavier asked.
"I'm talking about Korben and… him." Baromyteus replied as he gazed at the Latios and the Dragonite.
"Oh… That." Richard mumbled as he looked at Xavier, who seemed to also understand what Baromyteus was talking about.
"… Thought it's no surprise that both of you were also able to figure it out, considered that you two are the smartest one of us." Baromyteus said.
"… What does it have to do with you calling us here?" Richard asked.
"… Since Korben doesn't seem to aware of this fact yet, and we're the only 3 Pokemon in our group that figure this out…" Baromyteus continued speaking. "I want all of us to keep this as a secret from everyone else, especially Korben himself."
"… And what is the reason for doing that?" Richard asked.
"… Just look how much that he has suffered in his entire life so far…" Baromyteus said. "He lost his mother before he even born, and 3 years ago, which is just a few weeks ago for us, he lost everything in his life, be his home, his friends, and his family, and now, he has just died right in front of his eyes. If he knows the truth, I am sure that he'll break beyond repair, which is something that we don't want to happen."
"Oh, please…" Xavier spoke up. "Baromyteus, you can't just go around and tell other Pokemon not to break the law while you just do it yourself."
"What?" Baromyteus said as he gazed at the Dragonite.
"Don't think that no one was able to see what you've done these fast few days." Xavier continued speaking. "You have been acting like a jerk to the poor Kommo-o these past few days, am I right?"
"While I can say that you are far from being the nicest Pokemon, you didn't act like this to Korben before." Richard said. "I think you started acting like this to him after our meeting in this very room before going to Shadowlost Territory—"
"That has nothing to do with both of you!" Baromyteus suddenly spoke up with an intimidating voice.
"Yeah, I know…" Xavier said. "But you can't just go around and tell other Pokemon not to do what you constantly do to him like this."
"I have my own reason for doing that, which has nothing to do with this!" Baromyteus said.
"… Even if we don't talk about that, I'm still surprise that it's you, of all Pokemon, who wishes to conceal this truth from Korben, considering that you hate lies and deceptions more than anything." Richard spoke up.
"… Not speaking of the truth isn't a lie." Baromyteus spoke up. "It's like a demon that was sealed beneath the earth. If the seal is never broken or weakened, the demon will never emerge from the ground."
"But that would be a deception, isn't it?" Xavier said. "This would mean that we will deceit Korben with his ignorance, which is still something that you despise, Baromyteus."
"… If I can't convince both of you with my words…" Baromyteus spoke with an intimidating voice as he reached his paw to the hilts of his swords. "Then, I have no choice but to—"
"Don't do that, please…"
"!" The attention of Baromyteus, Richard and Xavier were drawn to the entrance of the Meeting Room as the door was opened, with another Pokemon stepping into the room. What truly surprised all of them was that this Pokemon was none other than the very same Pokemon they were talking about.
"Korben?" Richard was the first one to speak up as the Kommo-o closed the door behind him. "… You have been eavesdropping us, haven't you?"
"… I wouldn't say that it's eavesdropping, considering that I can somewhat hear your voices when I was just standing in front of the room." Korben said. "But that doesn't matter, because I have an idea of what you all are talking about. However, you all have no need to argue about it any further, because I already know the truth, even before we came back here."
"…" Richard, Xavier and Baromyteus said nothing as Korben paused speaking for a bit, and then he continued.
"I was able to figure it out even before our battle at the Newmoon Temple." Korben said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "And I'm very sure that he knew that I'm his son from the moment he knew that I'm the child of my mother, Diadora, for that she's his wife."
"… Since when did you figure this out?" Richard asked.
"At the exact same time I figure out the identity of the one who sent me the blackmail." Korben said as he reached his paw and showed everyone the note that contained the third blackmail sent to him. "At first, I had an inkling that this handwriting seems familiar, but I was able to figure it out as I saw that my name that was written at the end of the message. The handwriting of my name is exactly the same as the handwriting that wrote my name on the small piece of paper that my mother had with her alongside the egg that contained me when she came back to my village 18 years ago. While the paper was already lost in the Dragon Massacre, I still remember that handwriting, because I've looked at it so many times that there's no way that I could forget it."
"But that would only tell that it's your father who sent you the blackmail. It still doesn't tell that the one behind everything is him." Richard said.
"Yeah, at first, I still can't link from the handwriting I saw to him…" Korben said. "But when I start to reconsider it, everything rapidly started to shed the light. I mean, as I said before, who could be capable of sending the first blackmail to me, considering that it's in my room at the inn, and Xavier is there the whole time, and Zetarus is the only one who entered the room before I did. The only answer I could think of at that time was that someone must have disguised as Zetarus in order to enter my room without any causing any suspicion. From here, when you think of the disguise and Shadowlost Territory together, the thing that we would think of is Zoroark, a Pokemon that's capable of disguising themselves via illusion. From here, he is the first one that I suspect as he's the only Zoroark I know who could also be my father, and when I think back to his reaction when he's around me, I became very sure that he's the one who sent me the blackmail, as well as my real father."
"His reaction?" Richard questioned.
"While he was the one who sent me all the blackmails I got, and he also knocked me out and locked me in the shack, all he did was trying to protect me." Korben said. "I can't say that I really know what my father was thinking, but… The reason he did all of that is because he's trying to protect me, for that I'm in a group that will have a duel to death with the chancellor, and he didn't want to risk getting me killed, and if I left the Shadowlost Territory, the diadem would also be taken away from the land of darkness too, so it couldn't cause any harm to anyone. However, I still refused to leave, so he had no choice but to lock me in that shack, and he also took the diadem from me because he didn't want it to cause any more harm, especially to me."
"... If that's true, then why did he challenge you to battle him at the Newmoon Temple?" Xavier asked.
"I can't say for sure, but… Since I was already at the Newmoon Temple instead of still being locked inside the shack, he decided to take the matter into his own account and challenge me to battle him, for that if he didn't, I still have to battle the chancellor, which is at risk of me being killed." Korben replied. "And during the battle, you can see that all he did was attacking me, despite that his battle style is at a disadvantage against mine. The reason he did it was to prevent his sisters from attacking me, as I would be at a disadvantage against the chancellor and the Somber Priestess in the battle, even if it's at the risk of him being killed."
"That's very reckless of him." Richard commented. "But again, everything he did was reckless, so it's no surprise here…"
"Yes, but… He's actually desperate…" Korben said. "I, the child that he didn't know of, suddenly appeared, only to be walking on the path of doom. He had lost his wife, and his own son is in peril. With this, he would do anything in order to protect his own son, even if it means that he has to pay the price with his life…"
"You think too highly of him." Baromyteus said with his arms crossed. "It's true that he's your father, but you barely knew him before he roasted himself. You don't even know what his favorite food is, so how can you say that you really know what he's really thinking?"
"I never said that I know how he felt or thought…" Korben said. "But that's what I assume based on what I know about him, and since he's already gone, there's no way that I will know the truth."
"And you just create an illusion for yourself to cope with?" Baromyteus said with an intimidating voice. "That's nothing different than lying to you."
"… It's not a lie if we don't know if it's a truth or a lie…" Korben said with a faint smile on his face. "And Baromyteus, you don't have to continue pretending like that…"
"What?" Baromyteus said as he gazed at the Kommo-o in front of him.
"You have been antagonized me for these past few days. However, now, I can see that it's not what you really feel about me. You just pretend to be a jerk to me, am I right?" Korben said.
"… But this still doesn't change the fact that I killed Dimitri, your best friend." Baromyteus continued speaking. "This still made me—"
"There's always more than one truth, no matter what it may seem…" Korben said. "I already asked your sister about what happened during the Dragon Massacre, and she already told me the truth about you and Dimitri…"
"… You spoke to my sister?" Baromyteus said with a hint of anger in his voice.
"Yes, but that's beside my point here…" Korben said. "She told me the whole story, about what happened when you three left the village to fight in the enemy territory, and how Dimitri died. It's true that you are really the one who killed Dimitri. However, you didn't intend to do so, but it was your enemy who grabbed Dimitri off-guard and used him as a shield from your attack, while you were losing yourself in a battle."
"…" Baromyteus said nothing as he looked at the Kommo-o with his arms crossed.
"… My grandfather once told me something…" Korben continued speaking "In order to count that someone's at the guilt of killing other Pokemon, there are five conditions that must all be fulfilled. First, that victim must be alive. Second, the killer must know that the victim is alive. Third, the killer must have the intention to kill the victim. Forth, the killer must attempt to kill the victim. And fifth, the victim must die following the killer's attempt. For you, Baromyteus, your action of killing Dimitri didn't have all five conditions for, for that you didn't intend to kill him, and thus, for me, you aren't responsible for Dimitri's death, so there's nothing that—"
"But that still doesn't change the fact that I did it." Baromyteus said. "And do you think that I really care about you and your nonsense conditions?"
"… If you really wish to continue thinking that you're guilty of killing Dimitri, then you're free to do so." Korben said. "Our adventure in Shadowlost Territory had taught me one more thing. Only you's capable of hurting yourself. So…"
"Heh…" Xavier spoke up as he looked at the Kommo-o with a look of interest in his eyes. "Our little Korben has grown up so much in such a short time. You must be proud of your son, Baromyteus."
"What did you just say, Xavier?!" Baromyteus said with an intimidating voice as he glared at Xavier.
"Aw… Don't look at me like that…" Xavier said, ignoring Baromyteus' deadly glare. "Before he died, he entrusted his son to your care, didn't he? That makes you his adoptive father, Baromyteus."
"I'm not!" Baromyteus roared at the Dragonite.
"And why is that?" Richard asked with a curious voice.
"… If I would be a father, I would teach my child to be tough, relentless and aggressive, so that they could survive in this cruel world." Baromyteus said. "And this Kommo-o here won't like it!"
"… That's what you did to him these past few days, didn't you?" Richard said. "You basically act like the kind of father you just described—"
"Do you want me to act like that to you too?" Baromyteus said to the Latios with an intimidating voice, which immediately shut him up.
"And so…" Korben spoke up again as he looked at the Shiny Haxorus. "Baromyteus, you can drop your act now, for that I can see that you didn't really intend to be antagonized toward me."
"… If you say so…" Baromyteus said. "Beside, I have no need to do it anymore now that you have formed a pact with… THAT one Legendary Pokemon, for that they would do my job instead, and they're much better at it than me."
"What are you talking about?" Korben said. "Also… I still don't understand one more thing. Why did you have to pretend to be a jerk to me? What's your reason for doing so?"
"… I refuse to answer that." Baromyteus said. "All I can tell you is that I have a reason for doing so, which I refuse to tell you for the rest of our lives."
"If that's so, then, it's fine…" Korben said.
"And so, we have nothing else to speak here." Baromyteus said. "Richard, Xavier, Koren, you're dismissed."
"Finally…" Xavier said as he walked toward the door of the Meeting Room. "If you want to find me, you know where to find me and what I would be doing when you find me."
"Me too…" Richard said. "See you then."
After finished speaking, Xavier and Richard left the Meeting Room, leaving Baromyteus and Korben in the room.
"… I guess I should go to." Baromyteus said as he approached the exit of the room.
"Where're you going?" Korben asked.
"… I'll go to Valley of No Return to help Zetarus and Diego." Baromyteus replied. "And I'll be back around dinner time."
"Okay…" Korben said as he watched the Shiny Haxorus leaving the room, but just before he left, Baromyteus turned back and spoke to the Kommo-o one more time.
"Korben…" Baromyteus spoke up as he looked at the Kommo-o with an unreadable looking in his eyes. "What I said to you during our first night in the land of darkness… I wasn't lying. If you ever make a mistake, I'll still be the one who puts an end to you. Never forget this."
"…" Korben silently nodded to the Shiny Haxorus, who left the room after acknowledging the Kommo-o's response.
"… I should go too." Korben mumbled to himself before he left the room.
-A Few Minutes Later…
The Kommo-o arrived back in his own room. After looking at the time, he realized that the lunch time's still about an hour from now.
"… Maybe I should do some training, or should I do meditation?" Korben mumbled to himself. "Or maybe I should take it easy today and lost myself in the books that Freya lent me…"
The Kommo-o then grabbed his bag and looked through his stuffs. However, while he was doing so, he found something in his bag that he didn't remember he had one.
"What's this?" Korben said as he pulled the unfamiliar object out. It was a white envelope, similar to the one that contained the second blackmail sent to him, the same one he got from the Serpent General during his second night in the Shadowlost Territory. However, as he looked at it closely, he found that this envelope had four words written on it, and he immediately recognized the handwriting.
"To Korben, My Son."
"H… How did he…" Korben said while looking at the envelope with a look of surprise on his face, before he realized it. "C… Could it be that he slipped it into my bag after he knocked me out, and I didn't have a change to check my bag until now… If that's so, then…"
Korben's paws were trembling as he carefully opened the envelope, which had nothing but a single letter inside. As he pulled the letter out, he could recognize that the handwriting on the letter indeed was his father's.
To Korben Forcenter the Kommo-o
I didn't plan to let you know about the truth, but since you have already figured it out who I am, I guess you also deserve to know the truth about me and everything I've done.
I met your mother, Diadora Forcenter the Kommo-o, about more than two decades ago. She suddenly appeared as the new priestess of Newmoon Temple, which caused a little surprise to me as her kind is very rare in this land, but I didn't get a chance to speak with her much other than a normal greeting. However, we gradually became closer as we often met each other since I usually paid a visit to the Newmoon Temple (Come to think about it, she appeared just a few years before the artifact's true nature was exposed.), and we always have a chance to speak with each other every time we met, and we soon became friend of each other.
Finally, she told me the reason she came here. She said that she left her village in order to find her close friend, who had left her village several years ago, even before the time of Fallen Crisis. She had been searching for her in many places, but she couldn't find anything about it, until she reached Shadowlost Territory. Here, she discovered the grave of her friend at the old graveyard near the abandoned Lunar Village. However, she still wished to know more about her friend's fate, so she decided to work as a priestess here while trying to find more clue about her friend. And when I asked her more about her friend's name, I found that her friend, Helen the Haxorus, is actually my uncle's wife, and so, I could inform her the fate of her friend, for that my uncle, Eric the Zoroark, also lived next to my family, for that he's my father's brother.
You may have heard about the berserk Pokemon who appeared outside the Lunar Village 7 years before the monster of the Skeleton Woods appeared, or 50 years ago. That berserk Pokemon killed one female Pokemon from the Lunar Village, and it caused her husband to face a miserable death. Their two sons later mysteriously disappeared afterward, along with that berserk Pokemon. The victim to the berserk Pokemon is, unfortunately, none other than Diadora's friend, Helen, and her husband who died shortly afterward is my uncle, Eric. Their two sons who mysteriously disappeared are my cousins, Noirus the Zoroark and Blumiere the Shiny Haxorus. By the time everything happened, I was quite young, but I still remember it clearly, for that Fenrir, Hel, and I were very close to Noirus and Blumiere, and I was able to inform Diadora the fate of her friend. She didn't say much other than thanking me from letting her know the fate of her friend. Then I asked what would she do next, now that she already found what she was looking for. She told me that she wished to stay here a bit longer, as she also wanted to learn more about the world outside her village.
Time passed, we gradually became closer and closer, and finally, we started to have a feeling for each other. We later confessed our feeling to each other, for that our feelings are mutual, and we planned to announce our relationship to the public soon, and she would quit being a priestess in order to marry me. For the time being, we would secretly meet each other at Diadora's house, as her house is located outside the city, and be with each other. We trust each other with our life, and she even trust me enough to reveal the true nature of her village, a place where many Dragon type Pokemon live in isolation in the inaccessible valley, which is another reason why she decided to leave her village, to see the world outside the valley. We even go so far to come up with several names of our child, and one of the name I came up is Korben, a name that she likes more than any other name. I must say, that few years with her is perhaps the most wonderful time in my life, and I wish that our happiness would last forever…
And then, everything changed when the true nature of New Moon Temple's artifact was discovered, and it brought many pains and suffering to the Pokemon of Shadowlost. As the general of Shadowlost, I have a duty to protect the Pokemon from Shadowlost from harm, but this time, my opponent isn't the invaders from the outside. It was the unseen force that we didn't truly understand, and I don't know how would I fight against such opponent. With this, there's only one thing that I can do…
I must destroy the diadem, the cursed artifact of Newmoon Temple…
However, I am aware that such an arcane artifact couldn't be destroyed by a normal method. It must be destroyed using a special method, a method that could overcome its power. The only method I could think of is to wish upon the artifact, to ask it to destroy itself. When I told Diadora about this, she was scared because she knew very well how the artifact works. If I wish upon the artifact, even if the artifact will destroy itself afterward, I may have to pay the price of my wish. I didn't wish to hurt anyone, for that I already lost too much. And so, if it happens that I have to pay the price of my wish, I planned to pay the price with my life.
Diadora didn't agree with me. She asked me not to do so, for that she didn't want me to sacrifice myself to save everyone, but I didn't listen to her. As the general of Shadowlost Territory, I have to put my duty of saving my people above all. I was stubborn and foolish too, for that I believe everything will work in the end, and I could do it on my own.
Alas… Things didn't go as I want it to be.
Desperate to prevent me from risking my life, Diadora decided to steal the artifact from the Newmoon Temple. She left a message to me that she will take the diadem to the place where it couldn't hurt anyone, so that I wouldn't have to risk my life. After seeing her message and saw that the artifact's gone, I felt like my heart was ripped from my chest, I quickly went after her, but I couldn't do much because Bloodmoon War happened shortly afterward, and I have to command the army of Shadowlost, but my heart was still cold, for that my beloved one is missing, at the time of war too. After the war ended, I quickly went to look after her. I was able to figure out that she would return to her village in the inaccessible valley, as it's a place isolated from the outside world, so that the artifact couldn't hurt anyone. However, I couldn't find the entrance to the inaccessible valley, and Diadora still didn't return. At this point, I realized what a fool I was, and so, I made a promise to myself that, should I meet her again, I will not let her go, and I wouldn't ignore my heart again, for that I do not wish to lose her again.
But she never returns, and I haven't heard from her ever since…
And then… Three years ago, we received a request from the Hero of Justice. He requested Shadowlost Territory, as well as six other nations of Symmetria, to send our special force to join a mission at the inaccessible valley, for that Pontifex Hawkins' murderer had fled into that place, and they already discovered the entrance to the inaccessible valley. Since it's a request from her husband, Fenrir immediately answered his request. I, on the other hand, know what everyone else didn't know. I know of Diadora's village in the inaccessible valley, but since Diadora asked me to keep the existence of her village a secret, the only thing I could do was stubbornly refuse to oblige to her order, for that I have no wish to cause any harm to befall on her village, for that Diadora might be there. That's, unfortunately, the only thing I could do, which still didn't change anything. After it ended, I heard from the survivors of the battle that they massacred everyone who lived in the village in the valley. At that most, I felt like my heart was torn apart from my body before being shattered into countless pieces, like it would never be the same again, for that I realized that my beloved one had gone beyond my reach forever…
All of this is because I am not capable of protecting her… Because I was stubborn and foolish…
When I met you for the first time at the entrance of Shadowlost City, I have a suspicion about you, for that you greatly reminded me of your mother, and this was confirmed when you introduced yourself. I immediately knew that you are Diadora's child, for that not only you are of the same specie, same surname, and same birthplace as her, but your name is also the very same name I came up with for our child. You can't imagine the joy of a man who thought that his wife is gone forever, only for his own child to show up unannounced. However, his own child is currently walking in a dangerous place, and he may die soon following his group's promise with my sister. I knew all of these, and I refused to lose you again, for that I have lost too much in my life. I will do anything to keep you alive, even if it means that I have to spill my venom. However, I knew that I have no right to be his father, for that I failed to protect his mother, and so, I decided not to let him know who I am while I carried out my plan to save him.
I was reckless and desperate…
Because I can't talk to him directly, the only way I could think of was to send him a warning message. The reason why it had to be a blackmail is because I fear you will just be more curious if I just send you a normal message to tell you to leave, and I hope that a blackmail is enough for you, for that I can see that your mind isn't stable, which is not a surprise considering that you have just lost everything in your life. However, it didn't work, and it became even worse when I discovered that you have the lost artifact with you. That's why I tried harder to get both you and the lost artifact out of this land, but you still refused to leave, and you were even able to figure things out. With this, I have to resort to my last resort. I decided to knock you out and lock you in a shack, which was where Diadora stayed while she was in the land of darkness, and hope that you will be able to get out of it after everything's over. The reason why I took the diadem from you because I realize that, even if you can be saved, the diadem would still be exist, and no matter what happen, it would still be able to cause pain and suffering again. That's why I decide to carry out what I planned to do earlier, to destroy the diadem. I plan to destroy it at any cost, even if I have to die in doing so. If it means that I would be able to save everyone, including my son, from pain and suffering, then I have no regret in doing so.
That's everything about me, about my story and your mother's story. By the time you read this letter, I'm sure that I would be dead by now, but if I happened to still be alive, do not stop me, for that I will not let anyone stop me, even you. Do not shed your tear for me, because I'm not worth your sorrow, after all the pain and suffering I brought to you and your mother. All I wish is for you to survive in this world, my son. If everything I did could save your life, then I have no regret. I'll probably meet your mother on this side too, and if I did, I promise that we both will look after you and see how your story would proceed, even from another life.
Jormungand Illunight the Zoroark
Everything you have done ends up in vain…
Everything you are doing will soon be just a futile action…
You will not gain anything from it, and you will soon lose everything…
Even the victory you seek will be too far beyond your grasp…
If you want to achieve the victory, then you must obtain the power…
And if you want to obtain the power, then you must be ready to pay the price…
You must be ready to lose everything, even if you have to sacrifice your loved one…
Everything must be done for the power and victory you seek, no matter the cost…
-End of Tail 7: Inequity-
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: After a very long journey, the seventh tail finally comes to the end, and the origin of its name of inequity is somehow explained too.
The Pendragon went on their first mission in the Shadowlost Territory, and they succeeded in their mission of killing the Heroine of Dark type. Korben also encountered several unexpected events that revealed more about him and let him become stronger, at a price, of course. And with this, only two Hero/ine of Legend remain…
I'm very sorry that it took a whole year for me to finish this tail, even longer than the sixth tail. However, I would say that this tail is very hard to write due to it having so many details, and I need to create a case (The whole incident about the blackmail and the lost artifact) of this tail, which is much more complicated than the cases in the first tail (The incident of the mysterious Tsujigiri) and the fourth tail (The incident of the sea monster). The hardest part is to make sure that I didn't forget anything, which I'm not sure if I did a good job at that…
(Also, cookies and milk to all of you if you can tell the reference of the story that Anastasia told, the one about two tragic lovers…)
Well, the next chapter would be the interlude, which will come out before this year ends. After that, I'll take a break for a while, and then, maybe I'll write Paralogue II. But after all of that, it will be the time of the eighth tail! This time, another Pokemon will serve as the main protagonist of the tail, but who? All I can say for now is that you may not expect this character to be the main protagonist, or if you do, then you may not expect this Pokemon to be the main protagonist this soon, even before some other characters who are more likely to be one…
One last thing, Merry Christmas, everyone! Thank you for supporting me this whole time. I hope you a happy time, and see you in the next chapter!
Q&A Session:
Tail 7-8 – Question: You wake up in the morning of the Festival of Present Day (This world's equivalent to Christmas Day). As you left your room, you found a bunch of presents under the festival tree, some which are addressed to you! You quickly open the present. What do you find in your present box?
Answer:
-Korben: This… It's the mask that my father always wears when he's still alive. I think it's some kind of traditional mask of Shadowlost Territory… It has several burnt marks on it… Thanks, I'll keep it as a memento of him.
-Claura: Hm? Isn't this the picture of me, Xavier and Syros that was taken a few months before we graduated? This brings back a good memory… Hm? Who's Syros, you ask? Well, he's the close friend of Xavier and mine back in Kingdom of the Dragonking.
-Xavier: Pillows. A bunch of them. From Principality of Leafburg? Not too shabby…
-Anastasia: A Kimino! This one is very beautiful and well-crafted, as it seems to be made in Theocracy of Venturnome, and it has a cherry blossom pattern too! This is my favorite pattern! Thank you for a wonderful gift!
-Baromyteus: … A black pearl? I heard that this thing is exceptionally rare and could only be found around the Sparkling Island in the Riverbrine Archipelago, making it extremely valuable. Hm… Maybe it could be some use for me, so I'll keep it for now…
-Diego: I remembered this. This is the traditional liquor of Fireview Kingdom, which is my favorite. The liquor of Fireview Kingdom is infamous for its strong taste, the strongest one on this continent, actually. This is because Fire type Pokemon usually have a higher alcohol tolerant than most Pokemon, which also applies to me too, so I can drink it without any problem. Thanks.
-Zetarus: A book?! From the Underground Bazaar of Republic of Civilight?! Excuse me?! Didn't you know that I can't read?! Why would I get— Hm? It's a picture book? Fine, I will just take a quick glance at it, and… Oh? Oh?! OOOOHHHH! *Nosebleed*
-Rachael: A new scarf! Wow! This one is so cute and fluffy! Thanks!
-Richard: Another scarf? A matched one with Rachael's? Hm… Both of them were made in Dustorm Empire… Not bad...
-Freya: A new novel book?! For me?! I… It seems to be based on the true story that happened a long time ago in the land that's now the Snowy Part of Queendom of Riverbrine, making it famous in the said region. T… Thank you very much!
-Snow: Ah, new tea sets! A porcelain one, too! This is such a skilled handiwork of a famous artisan from Windsky Plateau! Excellent!
-Sirius: ! (Dragon of Vale: Sirius got a bunch of delicious treat from various regions around the continent of Symmetria for being a good boy this year.)