Ch.75: A Look into a Withered Past! The Destruction of the Memory!

Sailing through the blustery and cold winds of the Snow Zone wasn't the optimal environment for the Wasteland, but they were directed to station themselves around here until further orders. Arid was almost convinced Nightmare wanted them to freeze to death or catch hypothermia. The Snow Zone was barely hospitable, with very few towns and cities to turn to.

However, what made the trip more unbearable than the cold was their evil stowaway that kept tormenting them. No privacy or peace on their ship. It was just that evil looking shadow staring at them with the evil eye. Labor on the ship never felt so uncomfortable.

Lyra did her best to keep crew morale high, playing away on her concertina and doing her usual happy jig, though she didn't quite have the same pep in her spirit. The shadow apparently didn't appreciate her taste in music, which rightfully ticked her off. Even without speaking, she can express a whole lot of anger in mere gestures.

Arid watched his crew from the upper deck, scowling at the pestering shadow loathsomely. Jeffery fluttered onto his shoulder and crossed his wings. "I've been pleading for years to get them to fear and respect me. Now this jerk is thrown onto our ship and I'm starting to feel as down as them."

Arid closed his eyes. "The unfortunate circumstances of the deal. If we even try to overthrow him, that Nightmare fellow will capsize us."

Jeffery sneered. "Who do they think they are? We're the terrors of the sky! The raiders of the people's treasure! Reduced to the lowly position of delivery service! And for what?! The promise of their corruptive power?!"

Arid pinched down on the bird's beak. "Pipe down. You're giving me a headache." He glared as the shadow slithered up the crow's nest. "I want nothing more than to be rid us of their threats. Their power is starting to become less tempting. However, it is best we see this through."

Jeffery pulled his beak from his grip. "For what?! We're supposed to be the best! You, the great pirate captain, are too proud a man to play second fiddle to an apparition of death!"

"Do you forget our original objective?" Jeffery crossed his wings and raised his brow. "They, too, seek the Idol of Origin. It doesn't matter how powerful these shadows are. With that kind of power in our hands, we can easily overthrow their king."

The Chatot grew a devious smirk. "Oh captain…that's positively perfect!"

"Let them think they are in control. Once we've proven ourselves and gained their trust, things will be all the easier for us." He glared up, spying the shadow watching from the crow's nest. "This isn't how I would want things, but we must take what we get to make our names known. And the Desert Beasts will go down as the Legendary Pirate Crew to terrorize the seas." He clenched his fist. "We will surpass the name of the Underworld Raiders."

Jeffery closed his eyes and smirked. "The pirate crew that disbanded almost sixty years ago. Real legends, they were. I bet you could beat their captain, though."

Arid shook his head. "I don't hold the same faith as you." He resumed glaring up at the shadow. "What is that thing so jittery about?"

"Nightmare told us to wait for orders out here." Jeffery grunted at the thought. "I'm still convinced he wants us to freeze to death."

"We'll have to consider new modifications for the ship."

Inside the ship, lunch was being prepared for the crew. On cooking duty was Ambrosine, Zerif, and Rico. Ambrosine was still getting used to most of the crew, though she has yet to make steady relations with Zerif. They weren't on bad terms, but nothing to really relate to. Also, she finds it a bit strange he walked around with a teddy bear (but she would never say it to his face).

Rico was one of the kinder pirates on board, so she found it easy to talk to him. He was stirring a pot of stew, then tasted the batch. He smacked his lips together as he silently judged it. "Hmm…Ambrosine! I need some pepper over here!"

"Pepper! Got it!" She rushed to the other side of the kitchen and tossed the container to him, which he caught.

"Appreciated." He stirred the pot while sprinkling and mixing the pepper in. "How good are you at cooking?"

"Pretty basic. I had to learn while I was on my own. A handy skill everyone should know."

"Heh, it's a skill you have to pick up if you want to stay afloat with us. We don't take slackers on this ship." He tasted the stew again, then nodded. "Now that's what I wanted!" He closed the lid over the pot. "How those rolls coming along, Zerif?"

The Zoroark was having a side of rum as he worked, so he was standing a little tipsy. "Don't-hiccup- rush me! Mr. Pooky and I are working as fast as we…c-can!" His bear sat beside the cutting board where the rolls were being kneaded. It was even wearing a little chef's hat. "Mr. Pooky, you handle the chopping!"

The bear's head tilted to the side.

Zerif waved a cutlass at him unsteadily. "A-Alright, you lazy feller…I-I'll take this one, but you-hic- owe me!"

Ambrosine calmly pulled the fox away from the counter. "Uh, Zerif? You sure you should be cooking like that?"

"Don't sass me! I've been far more wasted than this!" He shoved Ambrosine off and stabbed the cutlass into the cutting board. "These rolls will be tasted delic-hic-ious when I'm dOnE with them!" He took another swig of rum, then rolled out the dough.

Rico pulled the baffled Steenee away from him. "Best not to bug him. There's an artillery of knifes in his hair waiting to be thrown." He pulled out a second bottle of rum and some shot glasses. "Leave him be and we can take our break." He handed her a glass and poured her a drink.

"Eh…thanks."

Rico poured himself one and downed it in one shot. "Ah…" He poured himself another. "So, don't think I've gotten the memo."

"Uh…what memo?"

"You were a stowaway, right? I figured by now you would've told Indigo or Tyrone what you were doing before you decided to board us." He took a second shot. "I'd feel left out of the fun."

"Oh." Ambrosine looked at her glass and swirled it around. "Um…nothing special. Just been running around on my own."

"Come on, there's more to it than that. You don't look like someone who has been running her whole life." He pressed on her forehead. "I can see it in your face. The eyes never lie. You used to live in a nice place. I'd say you came from a pretty wealthy family."

Ambrosine's eyes widened. "How…did you know that?"

He smirked impishly. "Oh, I didn't. Did you know I'm good at bullshitting?"

"Wha-HEY!" She punched him in the side, making him laugh. "Jerk!" she yelled with a puffy pout.

"Another thing you pick up around here: making shit up as you go along." He poured himself a third shot. "So, you really did come from a wealthy family?"

Ambrosine calmed down, then sighed in defeat. "Fine…I did. I came from a…family of doctors."

"That explains your magical talent. They taught you a whole bunch of healing spells."

"More than healing spells." Ambrosine lifted her hand and lit it up in her magic. "Studying the body and its properties to heal damage or invigorate it. There are several fields of magic for utilizing the full scope of healing magic, even for combat of all things!"

"Ah, yeah! I heard something about that!" Rico kicked his leg up and raised his rum bottle. "I will heal you…to DEATH!" He chuckled to himself. "Makes absolutely no sense, but sounds kind of badass."

"Heh, sure…" Ambrosine waved her hand around. "I use my healing magic to help where I'm needed…though, I wouldn't go as far as save someone's life if their fate is inevitable."

Rico raised his brow. "What do you mean? Aren't doctors supposed to do all they can to save another life?"

"I'm not a doctor, I'm a basic healer. And really…there's just no point in going that extra mile when you do all that you can." She sighed and held her face. "…Those treasure hunters…I was stuck with one of them back in that underwater temple. He…saved my life."

Rico smirked to himself. "Eh, at the end of the day, they're a bunch of nice guys."

"It just makes no sense to me, though. Shouldn't someone's first concern be getting themselves to safety? He was in just as much danger as I was."

"From what I recall, you were unconscious when you got through into the whirlpool. The Flareon wasn't. And he also had equipment on."

Ambrosine rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, whatever. So…maybe he wasn't doing anything stupid or out of his way. But…the idea still baffles me. I mean…ask me this: would you throw yourself in front of a stranger if they were going to be shot dead?"

Rico shrugged. "Not really."

"Exactly! But…would you do the same for someone like…Ray?"

Rico held his shot glass up his lips and paused. He blinked a couple times, then glared slightly at her. "…Okay, what's all this about?"

"What?"

"Look, if something like that were to happen to Ray, I would throw myself in the way to save him. He's just a kid."

Ambrosine narrowed her eyes. "But…doesn't your own life mean more to you than anything else?"

Rico set the shot glass down. "Ambrosine? Can I call you Amber? Why are you asking all this? Are you…afraid of something? Are you scared of dying?"

Ambrosine bit her lip, then placed her hand over her heart. "…It's something that…never made sense to me as a healer. The lengths someone will go when it's well out of the parameters of life. To save a life and live or to save a life and die. Why would anyone go the extra step if it means an untimely end for themselves? They weren't the ones in danger. So…why would someone want to save someone on the verge of death…if it means they might die as well? Why is another life more important than your own?"

"Um…" Rico rubbed the back of his head. "Geez Am, I'm…not really qualified to give you a philosophy lesson. Where did this all come from?"

Ambrosine sighed. "From a rather frightening experience I don't want to go through again…" She touched over her heart timidly.

Rico narrowed his eyes, then held her shoulder. "Hey…I didn't mean to upset you…"

She touched his hand and patted it softly. "I require more time until I feel comfortable around you guys…" She smiled lightly. "But…I'd say we're off to a good start…" Rico grinned, accepting the answer.

Just then, there was a loud rapping on the kitchen door before Julius forced himself in. "Hey! Put everythin' on hold! Ye need to see this!"

Zerif, having finished making the dough for rolls, glared at the crustacean. "What's got your cannon in a twist?"

"Our ship flew over somethin'! Ye need to see it for yerself, trust me!" Julius ran back outside, leaving the cold winds to invade the kitchen.

Rico groaned before zipping up his jacket. "This better be good…" He and Zerif ran out after him. Ambrosine took the stew off the burner, turned the burner off, then chased after them.

Most of the crew was gathered at the main deck, some still confused while others were preoccupied with looking over the side. Ambrosine couldn't find Rico or Zerif in the crowd, but she spotted the captain hanging in the upper deck. She ran up to his side as he looked at the ground.

"Captain?" Ambrosine called out, stopping by him. "What's going on? Did something happen?"

Arid narrowed his eyes. "Jeffery spotted something over the horizon, so I had Jones change our course." He pointed ahead. "And we happened upon that."

Ambrosine followed his finger, then her eyes widened in disbelief. She could see the place in question, as it stood out from all the white in her vision. A sight riddled with gray and black, filled with destruction.

A destroyed village hidden in the snow.

With their encounter from the two shadow assassins, Fernando's group were escorting Jonathan through the Storm Zone until they reached the Snow Zone. After that, it was sheer luck if Jonathan would be able to find his way to the hidden library. He still had time to plan for the long search through the snow. All he knew was that it was going to be a long, tiresome search.

After a long walk through the rain, the small group decided to camp out for the night. Mack set up a large tarp they could all sit under while Fernando made a campfire. Holly got out a frying pan so they could cook a meal over the flames. Jonathan just sat on his log and let them work while he read through the Immensus Library book.

Since there was time before food would be ready, and just from general lack of conversation, Mack decided to start off with, "So, a college professor is risking his ass all the way out here to find some library that's hidden in the second largest zone of the Mysto region and he has NO idea where he's going?"

Jonathan looked away, slightly embarrassed. "With…recent matters, I didn't quite account for the consequences of my quest."

"You don't say?" Fernando asked sarcastically. "Geno, my friend, I respect your commitment to your friends, but this is way out of your league."

Jonathan rolled his eyes. "So, I've been told…"

Holly shook her head. "Well, that's what we'd assume if it weren't for that little demonstration of kung fu you managed."

"I still don't understand how you obtained such skill," Fernando brought up. "It just seems so unlike you to know how to fight. And at such a mastery, too."

The Scrafty rested his arms in his lap. "I can't blame you for your suspicion. Even I am lost to my own hidden talents. I know my history well and I know for certain that I've never went to a professional dojo in my life. There's simply no way I could've learned these skills."

"Hmm…" Mack went as he tapped his chin in deep thought. Suddenly, he snapped his digits with an idea. "I got it!" He stood up and exclaimed, "You've been possessed by the ghost of vengeful street fighter, seeking the one who bested him in an epic showdown before stabbing him in the back!"

Complete silence was met with wide eyes staring at the nutty Sudowoodo. Holly rolled her eyes to the side and whistled quietly. "We'll…put that in the 'maybe' pile."

Jonathan sighed and rubbed the space between his eyes. "At this point, I'll accept any answer, no matter how irrational."

Fernando shook his head. "There's definitely something unnatural about your inexplicable moves."

"Hardly matters to me now. I'm more concerned with getting out alive through the Snow Zone." Jonathan pulled on his jacket. "I'll have to buy winter clothes to make the journey. And the problem with even making it to the library. Where do I even start?"

Mack smirked. "Try one of the snowy hills. I'm sure the library is on one of them."

Holly bonked him on the head. "Yes, because it's not like there are hundreds of hills that all look the freakin' same."

Fernando closed his eyes and thought it over. "Well, it's unlikely even in the Snow Zone that a library like that could stay hidden in plain view. My guess? It's hidden behind a magic tunnel."

The professor held his chin and nodded. "I assumed the same idea." He groaned and rapped his knuckles against his head. "But I possess no magic. I have no means of tracking it, much less a key." He looked to the only two magic users in their group. "Perhaps one of you could accompany me."

Holly shook her head. "Sorry sir, but I can't leave Mack. Either Griffin or I need to keep an eye on him." She leaned forward and whispered, "Seriously, he's a nut who needs special attention. If it weren't for me, he'd be wanted in several towns for punching cops. Half the times because he was drunk."

Jonathan winced, then nodded in understanding. He sighed and held his cheek in his hand. "I'll have to get lucky and hope to come across a traveler to lend me some magical assistance. Though, I want to keep the library as secret as I can."

"Not much of a secret if you discovered it existed," Mack mentioned with a smirk. "Though, with the secret of the idol out of the bag, makes you wonder how many other legends aren't just mere tales?"

Jonathan sighed and looked over the Immensus Library book. "A studious and dedicated enough scholar could certainly see past the veil the Legends left behind during their time on our realm." He ran his hand across the book. "They've contributed a lot to the creation of our world, and our myths." He narrowed his eyes. "It seems meddling in the gods' world has its own consequences."

Fernando folded his arms in his lap. "Geno, how can you be so sure you'll find this library?"

Jonathan closed his eyes. "I just know. And even Hal agrees the library is out there." He glared at the book. "Even if I have to search the entirety of the Snow Zone for the rest of my life, I will find it."

"We don't have that long," Holly reminded. "Sooner or later, the shadows will become more active in their search. Ravenfield got lucky so far, but how long until that luck runs out? Hate to remind you, but we're not dealing with a typical enemy here. And the Shadow King is still out there."

Fernando nodded. "Far as we know, he's still inhabiting Alex Ghostwind. We just don't know where he has been hiding out all these years. My witness couldn't give me an exact specification on his species."

Jonathan rubbed at his chin. "This entire adventure has been one big headache for me…"

Fernando narrowed his eyes. "That…does bring up a new point. You obviously had to go into some in depth research on the library to come to this conclusion, right?" Jonathan nodded. "Perhaps you can shed some light for us. Why?"

Jonathan chuckled to himself and waved the book at them. "If I told you, you'd think I'm crazy."

Mack smirked. "I know crazy, buster. I don't judge it."

Holly rolled her eyes at him, then gazed upon the professor. "We've seen many things, Mr. Geno. Try us."

The professor sighed, then opened to the middle of the book. "I own many books in my home, but never remembered owning a copy of this. It appeared to me during the earliest parts of my research." He glared. "I was at my lowest, searching for every answer I could unearth. The shadows are an enigma to our world with no origin. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I didn't expect the search to be maddening. I was about ready to quick by the request of my acquaintances…then this thing appears out of nowhere.

"It's so strange, too. I didn't have anything, but then this book was able to provide all I lacked. It was like a gift bestowed from the gods. A miracle."

He looked to the others after his admission. He wasn't surprised to see their skeptical faces. He doubted he would believe such a possibility himself. A book just magically appearing out of nowhere with no reason. Even with magic, it made no sense. There was no reason for a book to appear there, unless someone was playing a prank on him from afar.

Jonathan closed the book and rested his hands on the cover. "Perhaps I have gone mad."

Holly held her sickles up and shook them. "Hold on a minute, old timer. No one here thinks you're crazy."

"Well-" Holly struck Mack in the arm. "Just saying!"

"It just seems a bit suspicious, is all. I mean…you do know how important that library was in the myths, right?"

Jonathan chuckled under his breath and looked to his feet. "With all the research I did, how can I not? The library is supposed to be an ever-growing vault of knowledge. Legends say it holds the secrets to all. Records on our history, lists of spells, known and forgotten, and the very process of creation by the gods. It was supposed to be their magnum opus."

Mack looked to the side with a slight smirk. "Imagine the shadows with some fancy books on their side. Now that's scary."

Fernando glanced at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

The Sudowoodo grinned nonchalantly and shrugged. "Well, just saying, but that library is dangerous in the wrong hands. What's that say, knowledge is power? If you had the secrets to the world, maybe even the universe, at your disposal, plus the all-powerful Idol of Origin, you got yourself a recipe for disaster."

An exchange of surprised looks came around the circle. Jonathan looked down at the book, running what he said over in his mind. It never dawned on him just how dangerous a combination those two would be. The only thing that reassured him was that the shadows had no authority inside the library, but…would that matter with the Idol of Origin?

Jonathan clenched his teeth and pressed the book against his forehead. "That…That can't happen. It just can't…"

Holly grunted to herself. "Now I'm going to really push Griffin to get those keys…"

Fernando glared at Jonathan. "I'm beginning to have doubts again. There's no telling what you'll find in that library."

The Scrafty professor narrowed his eyes solemnly. "I've gotten too far into this to back out. I have to see this through, for Team Ravenfield's sake…and my own…"

Mack raised his brow at the professor, noting the sudden spike in his fear. An invisible purple aura flaring up from the Scrafty as he clenched tightly on the book's side. The Sudowoodo narrowed his eye seriously and leaned forward. "Hey professor…there something else you not telling us?"

Jonathan looked up. "What do you mean?"

"I can sense your fear. And it's not just general fear of the shadows. No…you were directly harmed by one."

Jonathan scratched his arm. "Oh, w-well…I did have to fend for myself when they first showed up-"

"No…this is different. Your fear is stemming from someone of great authority and power. Fear not born from pain…but born from repeated torture." Jonathan's eyes widened in shock. Mack smirked and winked. "I can read you like a book."

Fernando and Holly were getting curious, with the former asking, "Geno, what is he talking about?"

Jonathan exchanged quick glances with each of them, then sighed quietly. He set the book aside and clasped his hands onto his lap. Looking down at his hands, he said, "I suppose I owe you an explanation. But…it's not something I wish to admit." He looked at them, seeing they were preparing themselves for his admission.

"…The Shadow King has been haunting me in my sleep."

The Desert Beasts landed their ship and hopped off to get a closer look at the torched village they came across. Such a sight wasn't new to them. They have had their share of leaving being small tokens of panic for their victims, but they never got out of control to this degree. The whole village was incinerated, still standing up to the winds of the storm.

The crew looked on, some with sympathy, others with questions in mind. One such question being:

"Why is there a village out here in the freakin' Snow Zone?!" That one came from Julius.

It was no surprise they wouldn't know about this. Very rarely do they ever travel through the Snow Zone, or for that long. It was certainly unusual to see a normal looking village out in the snow. Unless it was populated by Ice-Types, the villagers must have adapted to the cold over time.

Arid narrowed his eyes. "How strange." He looked at where the village was set up.

Twin mountains on both sides of the village, and rather tall ones. Not much light was casted through the twin mountains. Their size alone could easily block out the village, with the added assistance of the blustering wind. It was a strategic location to stay hidden in the cold. Could've been marked on local maps if they wanted to stay extra hidden.

The pirate captain glared at the site, then proceeded on ahead. Jeffery, who was shivering on his shoulder and covering his sides, looked at the captain in confusion. "C-C-C-C-Captain? W-W-W-What are you-?"

"I wish to investigate the damages for myself. Perhaps we can find loose valuables still hanging around, assuming this place hasn't been picked clean."

That was enough convincing to get the rest of the crew to follow along. Stepping through what was left of the village borders, they took in just how big it was. A safe guess that the village could hold over a thousand Pokémon at once. Hard to tell when all the buildings were reduced to their most basic form. They couldn't tell a shop from a house.

Banama, Lyra, and Malcolm split off and searched around one section of the village. The silent Zangoose skipped ahead, eyes darting around curiously, then landed on a blackened object dusted with the powdery snow. She picked it up, blowing some of the snow off, then identified the object as a toy train. Or…that's what it looked like. It looked to smashed up and melted to officially declare.

She showed it to Banama and Malcolm, with the Golduck taking it in his hands. He squinted and turned the item over a couple times. "Well, this paints a dark image in my head."

Banama frowned with a small glare. "Afraid so." Lyra frowned sadly, trailing her claw down from her eye to her cheek, mimicking a tear. "You said it…" He looked around, hands in his pockets. "I can't imagine what all those villagers were thinking in their final moments."

Malcolm scowled. "I don't think we've ever officially killed anyone in our attacks."

"Think this was a raid?"

"It certainly wasn't because some idiot left their stove on."

Graham hopped along the scorched support beams of the buildings. He crouched atop a beam and looked down at the remains of the house interior. He could make out a few things. Photos burnt away, furniture lacerated to pieces, and the ash of the drywall from the collapse.

He sat down on the beam and looked upon it with slight disinterest. "What a waste of valuables. This was done out of spite, no doubt."

Julius marched through with a glare. "Aye. Can't find a speck of gold in sight. Not even some good ol' alcohol!" He crossed his arms. "Suppose there's anythin' worth salvagin'?"

"It's all junk now. Completely worthless to me." Graham hopped off the beam and walked away.

Indigo, Leigh, and Tyrone wandered around through the center of the village. Tyrone had a saddened look to his eyes as he gazed upon the destruction. He had to give the Desert Beasts credit: they've never gone this far when leaving behind a raided village. A small fire, at worse. It only reminded him of how criminally unjust other pirates and bandits were.

He crouched down and picked up a stuff toy, with burnt fabric and barely any material left inside. It was only good for a used rag, now. He gripped it tightly. "…I can't imagine what those poor children were thinking during all of this."

Indigo glanced to the side. "I've seen the worse of pokemanity myself." She ran her claws down the side of a building. "But I've never seen bandits going this far in an attack. I haven't seen or heard of violence like this since the dark ages."

"Village burning is an archaic practice," Leigh mentioned. "Still attempted, but never successfully pulled off. This was the exception."

Tyrone dropped the old toy, then looked around at the mixed ash and snow in contempt. "Did the entire village populace die?"

"I can't say for sure." Leigh glared. "Geez…"

Arid walked through the desolate land, keeping his eyes only on the path ahead of him rather than the ruins. He heard his crew searching around for anything they could take and salvage. His only concern was investigating the wreckage. Nothing here was of interest to him.

Jeffery stayed atop his head, shivering his tail feathers off. "M-My captain…let's j-just leave. W-We shouldn't dillydally in this dump."

Arid closed his eyes. "…The shadow has interest in this place."

"H-Huh?"

"I've noticed it has been getting antsier the closer we got. It senses the anguish felt from the hundreds of voices crying out for mercy. Many merciless slain for common gain." He glared at the houses. "Bandits never go this far for cash. A few casualties and deaths are expected in a raid, but this is way beyond the typical behavior."

"S-So?"

"This wasn't just a raid. They were carrying out a vendetta."

Jeffery's eyes widened. "A vendetta?! As in a hate attack?!" He looked around at the damages once more. "You're saying this was all done out of spite?!"

"Precisely."

"This…That's outrageous!" Jeffery exclaimed. "Who does that?!"

Arid glared. "Bandits who have been wronged hundreds of times over and had enough." He spotted some arrows jabbed into the building frames. Some were stained with blood. He grabbed one and pulled it out, examining the arrowhead. "This entire village could've been on their hit list…or maybe they were just trying to send a message to just one villager."

Jeffery cringed. "This is messed up…"

"I don't think you're the only one who thinks so." Arid picked up a helmet and looked it over. It was caved in from a heavy blow. It had a disfigured insignia of a dagger with teeth. "…The Barracuda Raiders."

The Chatot scratched his head. "Didn't half their troops mysteriously disappear over five years ago?"

"This attack looked like something that happened five years ago."

"Oh boy…"

Arid sighed and dropped the helmet. "Whoever they were sending a message to sent their own back…" The Darmanitan crushed the helmet under his knuckles. "There was a second massacre here…out of rage."

"You are correct, mortal." Jeffery shrieked and hid behind Arid as the shadow appeared out of the ground with its usual creepy smirk. "What glorious rage and anger that transpired here. This land will remain unmarked by our stretch of influence. It will be marked as a monument to the shadows."

Arid narrowed his eyes. "Why is that?"

"This is the village that changed everything. The village that set up the events for my king's return!"

Jeffery poked his head up. "W-What?"

"Hey! Captain!" They turned and saw Cheshire waving them over. "Found something!"

The shadow grinned excitedly and darted over. Arid glared and dragged Jeffery by the talons. Hidden behind a small elevation, they were shown a row of stone slabs, each with a name etched into the face. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Cheshire found.

"Damn…" Arid muttered.

"No kidding…" Jeffery murmured.

They clenched their teeth as the shadow flew around them and cackled. "Oh yes, YES! I can feel the remnants of his rage! His sorrows! His hopelessness!" The shadow hooked his arms around Arid and laughed in his ear. "Just picture the thoughts of a broken man having to bury each and every one of his villagers? Each dead body. Each slab to memorialize their death. Each passing minute of dying hope."

A look through the slabs told them everything they needed to know. There was a range of emotions in how the stone writing was etched. Some were done normally, like any gravestone, but others looked like they were done by a drunk. An angry drunk. No care placed in the stone. Some had cracks in the sides, likely from a strong, frustrated grip.

The shadow snickered joyfully. "That is true darkness. To think, even in this age, there are still those with no morality for the innocent. Nothing so heinous could top the reign of darkness, but this shows potential in the truly despicable." He patted Arid in the back. "This is what you sign up for, my friend. Take it all in with pride."

Arid growled and shrugged the shadow off. "Don't. Touch me."

The shadow snickered and tapped his claws together with his freakish smirk. "This is nothing compared to the wrath of darkness. The shadows feed off negative emotions and thrive from only the most spiteful of hosts. Rage, fear, vengeance…they're all flaws in mortals that you refuse to give into. We shadows accepted the darkness…and have ascended past the mortal world.

"These actions are an example of our tyranny. And we'll do far worse to those who resist darkness." The shadow cackled aloud, while Arid simply glared at him. "The sooner you accept your place in our darkness, the better you get out of this alive." He flew off back to the ship with a bounty of cackles.

Arid and Jeffery were silent as they watched the shadow flee. They exchanged glances with each other, then looked back at the gravesite. They were starting to feel how the last villager felt, the storm of emotions rattling inside him.

The crew gathered around the gravesite by their captain's side. Ambrosine gripped her arm tightly. "…So many lives needlessly taken."

"…And the shadows will do far worse," Pain Train added.

Arid exhaled through his nostrils, then closed his eyes. They make us look like saints.

"Haunted by the Shadow King, you say?" Holly asked after the professor's confession sank in for her, Fernando, and Mack.

Jonathan nodded with his eyes closed. "During my initial research, he came into my dreams and tortured me with images of Hell on earth. I can't even recall how many times he showed me the fates of Team Ravenfield." He cringed uncomfortably. "He killed them…in so many different ways…I don't know how I was able to stomach so much…" He held his face and sighed quietly.

Fernando rested his arm on his propped-up knee. "But why go after you? If he could reach you from wherever he is, why not just go after Team Ravenfield?"

"Something with me getting to the truth…but I don't know what truth he means." He clenched his fist and settled it on his bouncing leg. "He wanted something out of me…I just don't know what."

Mack narrowed his eye suspiciously. "Still odd he chose to waste his time on you. If I were him, I'd do everything in my power to tear the wills of Team Ravenfield apart until there was nothing left of their determination." He glanced dryly at the glares he received from Holly and Fernando. "…What? I'm just saying!"

Jonathan held his head. "He hasn't been bugging me recently, but these weird glimpses certainly have. I'm still not certain where they originate from. I don't even know if they're truly mine."

Fernando took hold of the frying pan on their fire. He grabbed some plates and gently poured freshly cooked stir-fry onto each plate, passing around their circle. "Are you sure you've never experienced amnesia in your life?"

"Well, if I have, my parents would've told me. Plus, some of these images just look too fantastical for someone like me. I grew up in a pretty normal community. Nothing too exciting."

"Maybe you're seeing into another life?" Holly suggested. "Perhaps your spirit, at one point, was that of a Scrafty with tremendous fighting capability."

"How would something like that trigger, though?"

"Well, that, I can't explain. You don't get a lot of cases like that to have research notes."

Fernando picked around at his food. "Could it be more of the Shadow King's mental torturing?"

"How would this be torture?" Holly asked.

"The shadows were devious creatures who did everything they could to get what they wanted. The Shadow King was no exception. History says he could get the sinful and desperate to follow in his command. Perhaps it's his own subtle way of driving you crazy."

The Scrafty smiled tiredly and looked at his feet. "If that's the case, it's certainly working…"

Mack shoveled his stir-fry into his mouth, chewing with bugling cheeks. "Ah thank ya mat bay…hang an…" He swallowed in one gulp and sighed with relief. "Phew. I said I think you may be thinking this in the wrong way. I mean, let's be serious for a moment, why would the Shadow King give you false memories of when you were cool?"

"I'm not cool?" Jonathan muttered.

"Scale of one to ten, I give you a four. Not the point, though. If this is his way of torturing you, he's going about it the wrong way. I wouldn't give someone memories if they're just going to get cool fighting skills out of them." He narrowed his eyes. "Course, though, I never heard of someone remembering instinctual movements in stressful situations."

Holly blinked, then set her plate down. "What's crawling through that brain of yours, now?"

Mack shoveled the rest of his stir-fry into his mouth and swallowed. He set his plate aside and crossed one leg over the other, resting his arms in his lap. "This whole business with the Shadow King is still a mystery to us. Until we get to that tomb, we'll remain in the dark."

Fernando narrowed his eyes suspiciously and nodded. "True. Again, we don't have much knowledge on the shadows."

"And I bet they'd hate if we did!" Mack smirked. "What do we know so far about the good ol' king? One thing's for certain: he hijacked some poor sap named Ghostwind and is probably still lumbering around like an underpaid stock boy who forgot his morning coffee. Who knows what he's been up to in the last five years? Plenty of time to get your facts straight."

"Is there a point to this?" Holly asked.

"This torturing business with the professor does raise some unusual questions. Like…why are you getting these memories back? Why is he solely after you when he has bigger enemies to crush? What is he up to?" The Sudowoodo settled his arms behind his head and leaned back. "I'm starting to question what's fake and what's the genuine article. If I wanted to be so confused about the answers, I would've demanded a multiple-choice test."

"What are you prattling about?" Fernando asked.

Mack leaned up and stared straight at the professor with serious eyes. "…Muscle memory."

"Huh?" the three went, blinking at the Sudowoodo for answers.

"That's not the same memory we're talking about. Works a little different."

Holly blinked, then started looking at Jonathan more closely. "You know…he has a point. Mental memories are different from physical memory. You're performing moves you've never seen before and…execute them flawlessly, like you've been doing them your entire life."

Jonathan's eyes widened. "What…are you saying?"

Mack tilted his head. "You said your life was normal. Nothing extraordinary ever happened to you."

Jonathan clenched his teeth, starting to become worried. "Nothing…"

"Almost like your mind created a false backstory to fill in the blanks you didn't know."

"W-What?!"

Fernando held his chin, starting to catch on. "Hmm…he makes sense. There's simply no way you're learning all of this in one day. You would've had to done some training in your life. You aren't the type to get things done on the first try."

"W-W-W-What are you three trying to say?! Is there something wrong with me?!" Jonathan exclaimed fearfully.

Mack shrugged. "For the moment, no. Can't make any assumptions yet, but…there's definitely something off about you as a person."

"H…How…?"

Fernando nodded. "Jonathan…I'm starting to understand what Mack might mean. Though…I'm not sure you'll like what you have to hear."

The Scrafty clenched to his seat uncomfortably, shivering as sweat dripped down his face. They were staring at him with piercing eyes, digging into his fidgeting soul. Maybe a part of him knew what they had to say, but it scared him all the more. And Mack didn't hold back ripping the bandage off:

"Professor…it might be possible…your whole life, the memories you claim to be yours, and everything about you…never happened."