Ch.80: Into the Immensus Library! Knowledge is the Key to the Future!

Passing through the magic tunnel had blinded them in the golden light. It was like walking through a fog of light made of molasses. Moving through the tunnel was difficult. They had to really push themselves to get through without tripping over themselves. They kept close as they pressed on through, holding onto each other and baring their teeth.

There was no end in sight. They weren't sure how far the passage went down. They weren't even sure if they were still in the magic tunnel. They might as well be in a long hallway heading straight for the main library. Their first moments in the library and it was already a huge pain just to get through the door.

Trudging through the heavy light took, maybe, five minutes. The closer they got, the easier was to move. The light was easing up. For all their efforts, they soon managed onto a white light at the end of the tunnel. With one leap into discovery, they threw themselves from the tunnel and collapsed to the floor.

Wes groaned into the marble floor, uneasy from the treacherous walk. "How…the hell…was that harder than walking through the snow?"

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Jonathan grumbled.

"Are we sure…the gods made this?" Tony groaned into the floor. "I don't remember legends say anything about making mortals queasy…"

Gwyn sat up, arms in her lap. "I feel fine."

"Of course you do…"

Flint held his head and rubbed his eyes. "Ugh, everything's all spotty…"

Griffin stood up and took off his winter coat. "At least it's warm in here."

Ella rubbed her eyes and looked around. "Though…where exactly is here?"

They expected their first steps in to be the library itself, but it seemed they stumbled into a different room. A lobby of some sort. Aside from the marble floors, the walls were a pearly white with garland hanging along the edges of the ceiling. The walls had diamond shaped crystals hanging off them, giving off a natural light source. Four columns were held up, also wrapped in garland. There was a small area with crystal cylinders, possibly meant as chairs.

Standing out in the room was the pair of wooden doors across from them, with a golden plate on the right door written in the Ancient Text.

Ella walked up to it and traced her finger across it. "Archive…of Books…" She gasped. "Guys, I think this is the library!"

Flint perked up. "Really?!" He raced over and grabbed the door handles. "What are we waiting for?!" He pulled on them, but they wouldn't budge. "Huh?!" He bit down on the handle and pulled with his weight, growling in determination. "Open…up!"

Tony stood up and dusted himself off. "Huh? Guess the gods locked this place up when they abandoned it."

"Looks pretty clean for a place that's been abandoned, though," Wes commented.

"There's hardly anything here to create dust…well, save for the garland." Tony rubbed his fingers between them. "Though, it does seem these aren't some special long-lasting garland. Gwyn?"

She sniffed the plant decoration. "Hmm…well, they seemed preserved, but yeah, something like this shouldn't have lasted for thousands of years without aging in the slightest."

"Does that mean someone else comes here?" Griffin asked out loud.

"Who else would know about this place?" Jonathan asked.

Flint was sweating as he pulled on the door. His jaw gave out and he flew back, rolling into the wall with a loud thud. "Ugh…"

Wes grinned. "Good effort, bro!"

"Thanks…" His ears perked up at a crackling sound. "Uh, what's that?"

They looked to the other end of the room and saw yellow energy crackling in the space. Wes activated his Star Amulet while the others prepped for a fight. The energy compressed into a single point, then expanded into a sphere that gave off a strong pressure across the room. The light exploded outward, washing over them.

"Who dares disturb this sacred library?!" a booming voice called out from the smoke. "Reveal yourselves to me!"

"AAHHH!" Gwyn hid behind Flint and covered herself in his tail.

Ella glared and pulled out Daybreak. "Who wants to know?!"

"Do not play games with me, mortal! I am-ACK!" Their eyes widened as the figure started coughing. "Ugh…okay, that wasn't as fun as I thought…oh me, that hurts the vocal cords." The smoke blew away. "Sorry about that! I don't get to do that often with mortals!"

Their eyes then bugged out, as they were in the presence of the one of the Legendaries: Uxie. He was dressed in a white toga and wore golden bracelets on his wrists. Contrasting the earlier scare, he looked rather jovial in appearance. Friendly, too.

"Greetings, mortals!" Uxie exclaimed. "I see you've found the Immensus Library." He scratched his head. "Geez, no one thought someone would actually find it. What with all the legends surrounding it and being so out of reach, Mesprit thought it would stay hidden for the rest of time." He held his hips and laughed. "Looks like she owes me a lunch!"

Flint was sweating bullets and hyperventilating. "God…in front of us…actually…here…can't…handle…so much…" He fell over and passed out behind his brother, who was pretty stunned himself, as was the others.

Uxie tilted his head. "What's with him?"

Griffin blinked and managed to find his voice. "Um…he…doesn't do well with pressure."

"What about me would cause someone to hyperventilate?" Uxie asked.

Tony narrowed his eyes dryly. "You're…You're serious, right?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Bringer of Knowledge, everyone! I'm all kinds of serious!" He scratched his head. "Well, Azelf and Mesprit have helped me loosen up, I suppose. Though, Mesprit proved my point why I have to be the responsible one after that whole little incident a few thousand years ago. She goes on one love spreading adventure and then a legend about someone named 'Cupid' is born." He looked at the others. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I boring you?"

Ella breathed in, slowly adjusting to the fact they were in the presence of a Legendary. "Um…Uxie, supreme Bringer of Knowledge…why are you here?"

"I should be asking you the same question, but I already know."

"You do?!"

"Duh! I keep track of everything that goes on over the world!" He crossed his arms. "But, my reason for being here…someone set off my alarm that indicated mortal activity in my library." He scratched his head. "You should've seen the amount of DUST that thing collected! I almost completely forgot about it! And I'm the Bringer of Knowledge!"

"W-Wait…this place…isn't completely abandoned?" Wes asked, still processing his shock.

"Well…technically, it is. When we came up with a more efficient way to observe mortal activity, the library became obsolete. So, the others abandoned it. But not ME!" He gestured around. "I put a lot of hard work into making this! Architecture was all done by yours truly! I couldn't leave this place to collect dust! So, I come here often to spruce the place up. I personally like coming here to read up on the information on mortals. I've got plenty of time on my hands, of course."

Griffin held his head, looking down at his feet, for once thinking he has lost his mind. "I…have…no words to describe what I'm feeling."

Uxie crossed his arms. "Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, I suppose I should be asking why you're here, though your activity has caught my interest."

Tony gritted his teeth. "You mean…you know what we've been doing?"

"Of course I have. We know all about the shadows and their misdeeds lately." Uxie held his chin. "Though, they are incredibly difficult to keep tabs on."

"What do you mean?" Wes asked.

"They are unlike normal creatures. While I'm given information about any other creature, the shadows seem to slip under our radar. I would have to manually keep out for them, but I sometimes can't keep track of everything. And I know about the incident with Alex Ghostwind, but…I don't know, he slipped out of the radar a long time ago. It's like he's being suppressed and we can locate him."

Jonathan narrowed his eyes. "Can't locate him…?"

"When he was taken over by the Shadow King, after a huge conflict with Garret Ravenfield, he slowly disappeared from all forms of tracking until he vanished." Uxie held his head. "Frankly, it's been causing lapses in my memory, too. I feel like I know where he is, I just…can't quite figure it out. The shadows are good at erasing their presence to hide themselves away…"

Griffin held his chin. "Was this a problem before?"

"Sort of…the shadows don't seem to like being spied on by the Legendaries, so they seemed to have developed a way to slip past our sight. Since they aren't normal mortal creatures…" He shook his head. "The shadows were such a dangerous threat during those times…"

Flint was picked up by Ella, finally recovering from his shock. "Um…M-Mr. Uxie, sir? We're, um…actually here about-"

"You're here to find a way to stop the shadows, huh?" He tapped his chin. "Well, the All Seeing Well isn't good at keeping track of the shadows, but I think the library isn't suffering the same problem. Anything on them would be in here."

Jonathan bowed to the god. "If…we are allowed your almighty permission, we wish to find whatever we can to correct this troubling time that has befallen us. We're in search of answers to banish the shadows away, once and for all."

Uxie floated down to their level. "The thing is, we can't just have any mortal sticking their nose around in here. The other reason Arceus called off the library was because mortals could misuse this information. I could just have you all kicked out and erase your memories."

Gwyn jumped out from behind Flint's tail. "Please, wait! We really need to use your library! Countless lives are at risk with them roaming about!"

Uxie's closed eyes widened, then he broken out into a large grin. "Well, well, well…to think I was expecting it, but never thought I'd get to see it! Mew's daughter!" Gwyn squeaked as she was suddenly hugged by the god. "Oh, how wonderful! When I heard about you, I was dying to meet you! Mew said you were the most adorable baby in the mortal realm!"

Gwyn blinked, then blushed bashfully, holding her cheeks. "Aw shuck~! Me, adorable?" She giggled to herself.

Uxie grinned. "Man, when we heard Mew got with a mortal woman, we were shocked. Even more so when we found at he had a kid with her, too." He crossed his arms. "Arceus was not happy about this, though."

Gwyn blinked. "He wasn't?"

"We have a strict policy on exposing the world to Legendaries. We're not allowed to get close to mortals, otherwise things like this could happen. Last person to do it was…well, my sister, Mesprit. Fell in love with a mortal and it caused some complications down the line, though…it seems the Mesprit line didn't quite make it all the way through history. Point is, we can't have Legendaries having kids with mortals, otherwise the children might be used for nefarious purposes."

Flashes of Callista made Gwyn look to the floor with a sad face. "Oh…does that…make me a mis…mis…?"

Uxie gasped and shook his head. "N-No! Absolutely not! You're not a mistake, child!" He sighed. "Look, Arceus wasn't happy about it, but he wished nothing ill against you. We made it clear that mortal lives shouldn't be tampered with. It did enrage Mew with what happened to your mother, though…my condolences."

Gwyn gripped her jacket tightly. Flint frowned, then nudged his head against her. "Hey…I think this shows your dad does care about you. He clearly never stopped caring."

Gwyn smiled a little. "I guess so…"

Uxie looked at the group, before sighing. "I've heard a lot about you six, actually. You're supposed to be the ones that will bring order and vanquish the shadows."

Tony smirked. "Does…Dialga know how things will turn out for us? We could use the confidence boost."

"Dialga has been looking into it him, but it seems you all and the Shadow King bring about an undecided flux in time. A point in time that cannot be truly determined. There is no guarantee of victory."

Tony's whiskers drooped. "I…was afraid you'd say something like that."

Uxie crossed his arms. "From what it seems, I can't just have you all leave when you've come so far. And as the world's hope…" He rubbed his chin. "…Perhaps I can allow you all access to the library."

Flint's eyes glowed with cheer. "Really?!"

"I'm giving you special permission, so please be mindful of how you go about yourselves in here." Uxie glared. "Knowledge is power, and it cane be dangerous in the wrong hands, whether for good or evil purposes. Do I make myself clear?"

Everyone exchanged looks, then nodded. Jonathan followed it up with, "Divine Uxie, Bringer of Knowledge, we will not misuse this special permission you are granting us. You have our word."

"Better be true to your word." Uxie floated up to the door. "Be mindful of where you step. This library isn't known as the Infinite Library for nothing. It's a lot bigger than it seems." He pulled open the doors and showed off the sealed room.

Everyone stepped through, then gawked at the magnificent sight before their eyes.

A large space that seemed to go on forever. Rows upon rows of bookshelves were scattered about in an organized fashion. Off to one side were some tables and cylinder-shaped chairs, possibly a reading area. The interior was much more crystal like in design. The walls were a whitish crystal, while the ceiling was a shade of blue. The floors and pillars were just like the lobby's.

On the bookshelves were, of course, books. Self-organizing books, actually. There were books flying all around, reshuffling themselves by the minute, like new data contributed to how everything was organized in this space.

Uxie floated over them and grinned at their stunned faces. "Classy, right? I wanted this place to look amazing. I'd say I did a great job keeping it in shape."

Jonathan held a hand over his heart and breathed in awe. "This…This is…"

"AMAZING!" Flint jumped and raced over to a shelf, staring at them with glee. "So much knowledge floating around! So many books to read!" He laughed as a few books flew around him. "This is a dream come true! A library filled with all the knowledge I could ever want! Oh man, oh man! Where do I start?!"

The others stared at him questioningly, with Ella giving him the dry brow raise. "A geek's paradise, I suppose…"

Gwyn giggled behind her hands. "Flinty's so silly."

Uxie grinned. "I'm so happy to meet someone who shares my ardent feelings for books." He grabbed one that fluttered in the air. "These books not only contain the history of Mysto on them, but also some fun stuff here and there. Even collections of books written over the centuries can be found here."

"No way!" Flint exclaimed. "Even the 'Lance Wolfe' detective series?! Battle Warriors?! Adventures of the Lost Souls?!"

"They're all here."

"EEEE!" Flint jumped onto his hindlegs and spun around. "I've found my heaven!" He hugged some floating books and fell on his back, kicking his legs like a child who just got the best present ever.

Griffin raised his brow in subdued bafflement. "This is…rather disturbing…"

Tony smirked and nudged his side. "Hey, never get between a geek and their love of literature. I think I'd be happy, too, if I ended up in my own slice of paradise. Nice stormy area with plenty of cute girls calling out to me~."

Ella rolled her eyes and smirked. "Keep dreaming, Casanova."

"Oh, I will, my dear."

Wes chuckled at his brother's excitable behavior. "I haven't seen him this happy in a long time."

Jonathan looked to Uxie. "And you're sure it's alright for us to be using this library?"

"As long as you do it in moderation. I don't care if you look for any reading material, but you're not allowed to look up any personal information on anyone without my permission. I'll allow anything involving family and the shadows, of course, but nothing else."

Ella shrugged. "Fair enough."

Flint bounced up and threw the books into the air, letting them fly off back to their shelves. "What are we waiting for?! We've got reading to do! Come on, Gwyn!" He raced off.

Gwyn giggled and ran after him. "Wait for me, Flinty!"

Ella rubbed her paw through her hair and sighed. "Well, I can't pass up the opportunity to see this place for myself. I'm going to see if I can find anything on the psychic martial art." She walked off.

Tony smirked at Griffin. "Got anything in mind, Hothead?"

Griffin narrowed his eyes and looked around at the numerous shelves, then crossed his arms. "…I think I want to look into a bit about my clan."

"I thought you knew everything from your archives."

"I do…and I want to read about it again." He walked off in some random direction. He figured with the way this library was designed, he'll find what he wanted even if he was blindfolded.

Tony folded his arms behind his head. "Whatever. I'm doing some looking." He strolled off, also in a random direction.

Jonathan set his stuff down, then smiled at Wes. "Care to lend a hand looking for those books?"

Wes grinned awkwardly. "You sure you want my help?"

"Everyone else seems to be busy. I think you can handle a little reading."

Wes shrugged. "If you say so." He raced off into the library.

Jonathan took a step forward to follow, but stopped as a sharp pang crossed his chest. The twitching of muscles stiffened his step, almost greeting him to an ungracious fall onto his face. He held his chest and lurched his head down, breathing with some manner of difficulty. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he took a moment or two to readjust himself to his senses.

He rubbed his eyes, then gazed weakly at the selection of books surrounding him. With the information of Mysto at his fingertips, maybe he could do more than just look up the shadows. After all, whoever he was, maybe there was a chance it had something about him. Certainly possible, but…the chance was whether or not he was willing to see it for himself.

'How desperate am I to end these dark thoughts in my mind?'

"Professor?" Jonathan looked up and saw Wes waving him over, while trying to chase a flying book that was escaping him. "Hey! Get back here so I can read you!"

Jonathan closed his eyes, collecting himself from his erratic pains. Was it best to keep this to himself, knowing that the others were doing everything they could to help him on his quest? The idea of coming out here, so far from home, made him wonder if this whole journey was worth it. Something didn't feel right inside him, and it was more than just the heartaches.

Was he fine?

"Heh…coming, Ravenfield." Slowly, Jonathan walked over to the Umbreon as he lassoed some books from the air with a rope he seemed to possess with him. How fitting for a treasure hunter. Guess Wes was often prepared for the worse. As expected from his most rambunctious and ambitious student.

Now to himself, Uxie stared at the professor with a look of suspicion. He recalled something about the professor from the data he collected, but…something felt incomplete. A lot felt incomplete, in fact. He couldn't quite place it. Not…at all.

The constant storms of snow made it difficult to tell what time of day had befallen the wandering pirate crew as they sailed the skies. Best guess, just based off how tired some of them were, it might be close to dusk. Truly frightening, to sail through a snowy desert with no idea of where to go but to follow their onboard compass, also known as their less than stellar squatter.

With the time spent in the Snow Zone, being fully unequipped for the harsh cold, some of the crew were bedridden, too exhausted to continue on. Only ones handling the cold better were those who actually lived in the Snow Zone, apparently one of them being Lyra, and those who were of Fire or Ice-Type. It was a miracle Jeffery wasn't out of commission yet, given his natural aversion to the cold, but he was holding strong…off pure stubbornness for the sake of his captain.

The Chatot was perched atop his captain's head, showing unwavering resolve, offset by the jittering of his frost covered body. "M-M-M-My c-c-captain…we are r-r-r-reaching the d-desired location, as r-r-requested by N-Nightmare…"

Arid glared. "He said the times are changing soon…don't like the sound of that."

Banama, who was wrapped in some thick blankets as he shoveled snow off the deck, looked up to their captain. "He did invite us to the grand revival of his king. I don't see how that would be a good thing."

Cheshire floated around. "At least we get rewarded for it."

"At what cost?" Banama leaned against his shovel. "Case you've forgotten, these guys plan on covering the landscape in their 'darkness.' Sounds harmless, but these guys don't really use harmless as a descriptor."

Arid glared to his side. "…Steady as she goes, Mr. Jones."

"Aye, captain." The Barbaracle was long since adjusted to the raging snow and maneuvered through with only the few occasions of trouble. The wings of the ship were likely growing restless and deprived of fuel they would need to refill soon, but he rather not risk angering their shadow. He got pissed from something as minor as having fun; the crew didn't want to deal with his wrath over a quick pitstop.

Speaking of the shadow, he lurched his head up and chuckled sinisterly. "Yes…Yes! I feel the excitement from the Boss Shadow! Soon, our time will come! A glorious time indeed!" He smirked over his shoulder. "You all should be grateful. As mortals, you get to witness the greatest event in all of your pathetic history. Isn't that grand?"

Graham, who was sitting on the ship's edge, crossed his arms. "Oh sure! We're quivering in our boots just thinking about it." He rolled his eyes. 'Think I finally have something to agree on with these losers.'

The shadow sneered at him. "Do not be ungrateful, wretched mortal. These are the times where destiny will be rewritten in our name. We have evaded the gods' eyes before starting our war on the world. Now, we will continue where we were interrupted, only there will be no second chances for all of you." He smirked and snickered through his ghostly teeth. "You should feel honored that you will be willingly joining us in the darkness."

Arid glared. "…And you need the Idol of Origin to do that?"

The shadow laughed. "It was our king's goal from the very start of the Grand Imperium Age to find that relic and use it for himself. He, above anyone else, understood the weight of its power. With it in our possession, we'll have this world become ours, so we can live a peaceful existence of our own. No more restrictions of the mortal plane. We get to decide how things are done. You mortals will learn to accept this, or perish into oblivion."

Silence was met, with the crew exchanging unsure glances that spoke more than what they could say. Shoved into a corner with a knife to their necks, with the promise of glory so long as they agree, or the cold steel would run across their necks and let their scarlet life drip away as the seconds ticked away. Though, it was more than just fear. Something different. Something not as frightening, but just as ominous.

Dread.

That feeling of uncertainty. It was like being stalked, but not knowing from where. Constantly having to look over your shoulder, with the impression that something wasn't quite right. Perhaps like a cold hand just grazing your shoulder, nothing terrible or painful, but something uncomfortable that forces you to hold your breath. You want to scream, but you can't in fear of triggering your own death.

What the shadows were doing was embodying that dread in the name of their king. They were numerous, a myriad of creatures whose numbers can be easily duplicated in a manner of seconds. They were much more than just monsters. They were a force. Whatever is acted upon them, they'll push back with greater force. The pirates knew acting against one meant dealing with the whole army on their own. A near endless army that requires them to exterminate all of them to survive. It's almost a paradox.

Arid turned his back from the shadow and breathed out a long-held breath. He snorted smoke from his nostril, which caught itself in the wind to hit Jeffery's face. He coughed into his wing and shook his head. "Ugh…captain?"

The Darmanitan captain gritted his large teeth, grumbling internally. "Jeffery…are we making a mistake?"

"A mistake, sir?" Jeffery shook his head. "N-Never! You n-never m-m-make mistakes!"

"Stop being an obsequious buffoon and just say it…"

Jeffery flinched, then fell into a worried demeanor as he rubbed his frozen side. "Um…s-s-sir, we can't…deny how…dangerous these guys are. Great power in our hands would be amazing." Jeffery wasn't shivering as much, probably do to the heat Arid was giving off from his mood. "We're doing this to get closer to the idol, but…we are taking a huge risk with these guys.

"The way I see it, three options are in our future. We successfully get the idol from working under their noses, we end up joining them in their darkness, or we…die."

"And one of those is difficult enough…"

"My point exactly."

Arid sighed, then looked at the crew. "…They're willing to put up with this crap just to help achieve my plans."

"They are your crew."

"True…" He glared ahead. "Sooner or later, we'll be reaching our destination. Have all the magic users ready so we can begin our assault. We need to make sure this…place doesn't have any exits."

"As you command, Captain!" Jeffery took off, but the frozen wings prevented him from flying for too long. "Ah SHIT!" He crashed into the main deck.

Arid rolled his eyes and huffed, "Idiot…"

"Um…captain?" Arid gave attention to their crew healer, Ambrosine, as she ascended the steps to the operating deck. "I couldn't help b-but overhear what you said." She was bundled up in some blankets, a lot of them, to maintain warmth. "I'm…surprised, actually."

"About what?"

"About…well, your crew's loyalty." She gestured around. "I mean, we're being forced into all this labor and, while I've heard a handful of complaints, none were ever directed at you. I've heard many stories of captains throwing crew overboard for mutiny or questioning their orders or…simply being mean."

Arid understood the confusion in her question. That idiot they once fought, Thane, was the type of guy to take on new crew members and rid himself of the old ones in a snap. Many pirates would abandon their crewmates just to get stronger. No weak links about.

"Kid…" Ambrosine glanced at him. "Let it be said that a pirate is about living the free life of luxury and pillaging." He glared. "Captains often vacillate between who is the most useful crew member and who is the weakest. One moment it's the battle axe wielding strong man, next it's the rogue who gets the most money. These days, you see pirate captains who will easily drop crewmates if they're not putting in the work.

"But if that's what they think it means to be a pirate…they should just throw themselves off their own ship and take their life." Ambrosine's eyes widened. Not a hint of hesitation in his voice, either. She expected this kind of temerity from him, sure, but it was still a bold statement to make. "My crew knows what I want…and they stay around. So…I won't deny them that freedom, even if I have to fight for it."

"…Why go through all that trouble, though? What do they owe you?"

Arid gave her a dry stare from the corner of his eye. She felt unnerved by the lack of emotion in his eyes, then flinched as he held his hand up. Thankfully, it wasn't to chastise her for speaking out. Instead, she was given a comforting pat on the head, an action she definitely didn't expect from him. His touch was warm, filling her with the desired warmth she needed to survive. She stared with awe as he retracted his hand and walked away.

"Nothing."

"Huh?"

"They owe me nothing." He looked back at her. "…and I owe them nothing. They choose to owe me." Ambrosine narrowed her eyes. "You'll see for yourself, should it ever come up." He descended the stairs and walked onto the main deck.

Ambrosine held her hand over her heart, looking on with contemplative eyes. "Choose to owe you…"

Arid marched across the deck and shouted, "Look alive, people!" The crew stood at attention. He glared at the snowy skies. "Get your weapons ready…we'll be having another go at Ravenfield and his friends soon."

Potentially being the first mortals to ever enter the Immensus Library was a momentous occasion that many hardcore scholars would dream of. The team was using their time wisely with the permission they were given…well, most of them were. Wes, Flint, and Jonathan were doing the bulk of the research on the shadows, but the others were going through their own worlds and looking at all the available material they could handle.

Ella was calling over an assortment of books about Psionic Style. She figured books like this were found all over Mysto. It wouldn't be bad if she took some of these with her and practiced some advanced techniques. Though, she had to check it out with Uxie so she didn't earn a free mind-erasing for unorderly conduct and theft.

"Ah, you're learning psychic martial arts?" Uxie asked as he looked the books over. "Hmm…ah yes, you're Ella Cipher. This is something we have known about you in recent times. How are you coming along?"

Ella chuckled as she took the book from him. "Honestly, not that bad. Really working on using Psychic with a bit more flair and all. You know how it is, developing new skills off of existing ones. I'm hoping anything I find in these books will give me more of an idea of what I should achieve."

"Well, you are free to take them with you."

"Really?"

"Of course! The idea of this library was to store all the knowledge of Mysto into a single point, so all mortals could better understand their history. These guys of things replenish after a while, so they won't be missed." Uxie scratched his chin. "Though, I suppose Arceus put it best how risky that would be, but…well, that's why I occasionally come back here."

Ella smiled. "Well, thanks for the books." She chuckled awkwardly. "I…still can't believe I'm talking to a Legendary. This is…really weird."

"You've gotten used to your friend over there," he reminded, nodding his head over at Gwyn.

"Yeah, but…Gwyn's weird and quirky." She snickered. "…and adorable. I think it was easier to get used to her than…well, you."

"I will take no offense to that. Carry on." Uxie flew off.

Ella walked over to a table and set the three books down, then grabbed the first one of the stack. "Alright, advanced techniques…advanced techniques…ah, here we go." She held the book up with her Psychic and silently read to herself.

Over with Flint and Gwyn, the Flareon was combing through as many books as he could. He kind of lost track of what he was doing because he was overwhelmed with euphoria that he was in an ancient library. He was taking advantage of his privileges as much as he can.

"To think, the greatest mysteries of the world could be solved by spending just a little time in this one library!" Flint grabbed a book and looked up some information about various wars before and after the Grand Imperium Age. "This is like an archeologist's heaven! I can find out about anything I ever wanted to know! Like how magic first came into our world!" More books flew over to him.

Gwyn, who was laying on a few floating books, lowered down close to him. "Aww, that doesn't sound like fun."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Gwyn jumped off the books and held the Flareon's cheeks. "What's the fun in discovery if you knew right off the bat what happened? That sounds BORING!" She grinned. "And you are not boring! You are a geeky, history loving fluffball who will become a great archeologist!"

"You really think so?"

"Yep!" She took the book from his paws and threw it away, which simply hovered and curved around a shelf like a boomerang. "No cheating!" She poked his nose. "You will find stuff on your own merits!"

Flint rubbed his nose, then smiled with a bright blush. "Heh…guess I'm letting the excitement get to me."

Gwyn giggled. "You're so goofy." She sat down and caught a book flying by. "You think I could ever go with you on one of your excavations?"

Flint tilted his head. "I mean, it would be a lot of digging and me looking at aged skeletons. It would get boring."

"Not for you!" Gwyn shrugged. "I mean, I would probably get bored because I don't have a CLUE what you're looking at…" She grinned, "but that doesn't matter. If you're happy, then I'm happy!"

Flint pulled down his hat and hid his cheeks behind it. "…You really are too sweet." He sighed, then placed his hat back atop his head. "You know…just for that, I would love to help you run your potion shop."

"Really?!" she gasped in surprised.

"You've taught me quite a bit, and…" He puffed his chest out proudly. "Well, I don't mean to brag, but I'm quite the assistant!" Gwyn covered her mouth and flailed her legs as she laughed at how silly he looked. He knew just the right ways to make her laugh. "I could always help you stock inventory, organize things…" He raised his brow at her with a knowing smirk. "Keep the shop clean…"

Gwyn's eyes widened, then she rubbed her head with a sheepish grin and bright blush. "Hehe…it's not like I…don't know how to take care of myself…"

"Don't worry, I wouldn't mind. If you've seen my brother's apartment, you'd understand." He scratched his chin. "Though, I do wonder if he got evicted by now…"

Gwyn held her hands together, then smiled fondly at the ground. "Would…you really consider running a potion shop with me?"

Flint smiled. "Hey…I like spending time with you. I don't get to meet a lot of people outside a few friends who take legitimate interest in what I have to share. And…I love hearing how enthusiastic you are about your potions and experiments…even though you like to test them on me."

Gwyn giggled. "You were so cute when you had that squeaky voice."

Ah yes, one of the many seeds she made him eat. Felt like he ate a seed that somehow compacted tons of helium into a cramped space. Apparently, the seed was being tested for a potential Naturae Fruit to make her fly. Anything to help, though he was expectedly teased for the high-pitched voice.

It should've annoyed him, but seeing Gwyn happy just made him laugh along with the others. It was strange how less self-conscious he felt with her around. She truly made him feel happy, and vice versa.

Gwyn blushed and looked at her feet. "I would…love to run a potion shop with you."

They stared at each other with big smiles, seeming to lose track of the time. It was only when Flint realized how close their faces were that it forced him to turn away and pick up a book. "Hehehehe! Y-Y-Y-Yeah! We'll…think about it more when we don't have a deadly prophecy over our heads!" He shoved the book into his face, groaning inwardly.

Gwyn held a hand to her lips, then giggled behind it before snatching a book from the air. 'So silly…' She read the book cover. 'Ooh, magical cooking!' She opened it and skimmed through the text.

A few shelves over, Tony was flipping through pages and books out of boredom. Not the heaviest reader in the world (certainly nowhere on Flint's level), but there wasn't much to catch his eye.

Tony snatched a book and read the title. "'Samples of the Ocean?' What is this, a romance novel?"

He opened it, finding two things about the book he didn't expect. One, it was more akin to a picture book about water than a novel about seafaring Pokémon taking to the high-end seas on a romantic journey. Two, 'Samples of the Ocean' was a literal title, because the image of a raging see sprung to life and spray him in the face. The force threw him back, causing him to drop the book and let the geyser shoot into the air.

Tony immediately recovered and slid on the stomach across the wet floor and slammed the book close. He sighed and picked himself up. "Okay, if I find its sister book, 'Samples of the Volcanoes,' I'll just book a trip to an actual volcano instead." He shoved the book back on the shelf.

Griffin walked out from around the shelf, reading through a book. His foot stepped on the wet floor unexpectedly. He lifted the dripping sole and looked at Tony with a confused glare. "What-?"

"Don't ask." Tony pointed at the book. "Whatcha' got there, Hothead?"

"Found a book dedicated to the architecture of my clan from long ago. Our homes looked much more different than they did now."

"Is that a fact?" Tony leaned over and looked at the images.

They were certainly different. The huts seemed to be more akin to small temples than standard huts. The interior showed to be decorated with tapestries of the family crests. He didn't see anything like that hanging around when they all went to the village. Of course, with everything nearly incinerated, perhaps he wouldn't have seen anything of the sort.

The crest itself seemed to be made up of the five colors of the Emotion Anima, made into equal parts of a star. Overlapping the star was a broadsword pointed downward. A representation of the warrior clan and their innate power.

Griffin noticed this look and figured what he was thinking. "We don't make them like this anymore. We don't really bear our family crest with as much pride."

"Why's that?"

"They acted as unfortunate reminders of the what the Grim Ash Clan represented so many years ago. We don't abandon the old crest, but…it does bear shame in our actions." He sighed and closed the book. "…My clan was considered enemies of the world. We've brought countless lives to their knees and slayed many others."

Tony folded his arms behind his head and leaned his back into a shelf. "A clan of killers who tried to make amends for the misdeeds of their ancestors." He glared slightly at Griffin. "Why are you so interested in the past of your people if they brought so much shame?"

"I am one of three surviving members. We three have no shame to give after all we've been through, hunting for the sake of revenge." He glared at the ground. "I'm thinking…of bringing back some of the old culture to the village…if we ever get around to restoring it."

"Ah, trying to stick to your killer roots?" Tony joked.

"Making the Grim Ash Clan what it was and better. Amending for the blood we spilt by wearing our symbol with pride." He crossed his arms after putting the book inside his jacket. "…I want to make that my new goal."

Tony blinked, then looked ahead. "Yeah…I guess I can understand that." He narrowed his eyes. "…Do you really think you can beat Voss?"

"It's the only thing that matters to me."

"I'm hurt. I think I'm worth mattering," Tony joked again. He went serious again. "You're hung up on revenge…you've kept that burning rage inside you for so many years and it has only grown stronger. Your family means that much to you?"

"It's more than just my family now." Griffin glared. "I want to disprove Voss' ideals and show that every warrior he vanquished had a purpose. This is more than just about me…"

"Heh…you're not as selfish as I thought." Tony closed his eyes and smirked. "For what it's worth, even with all the arguing we've gotten into, I have your back."

Griffin blinked, then walked away. "Your sentiment is appreciated, Sparks…"

Tony narrowed his eyes. "Have you ever even said my name ONCE?"

"You mean Sparks isn't your name?"

Tony smirked. "Don't try hiding that smirk from me, bastard!"

Away from the chitter chatter of the group, Wes and Jonathan were at a separate table, looking through some books on the shadows. Most of them were about the Grand Imperium War, though, and they have yet to truly come across a recount or origin to their existence. They have found detailed accounts of the various battles over the fifty-year period, even marking the training that took place when magic became more widespread.

Jonathan skimmed through a section, running his finger along the text. "Wes, have you found anything?"

"No, can't say I have," he mumbled, eyes glued to a book. It was the most attentive Jonathan has ever seen the young Umbreon read.

Further examination, however, revealed wide. "Ravenfield, that is a spell book."

Wes put the book down and smiled sheepishly. "I got bored…"

The professor smirked tiredly and just rolled his eyes before turning back to his book. "Why couldn't you be this focused in class?"

"Magic's a lot more interesting."

"History tells the origins of magic. I'd argue you would've enjoyed our lessons on the Grand Imperium Age." Jonathan flipped through a couple of pages. "Since you seem more fascinated with that book, why don't you tell me what you've found?"

"Eh, just some neat little spells to consider. Nothing that captures my interest. I like learning different spells just for more variety. You can't expect me to be like Tony or Gwyn and use a specific kind all the time."

"Yes, but from my basic understand of it, knowing how a certain type of magic works gives you great advantage over it. You seem to be a jack-of-all-trades kind of fellow with great potential in magic."

"You think so?"

"That was the basic overview of your talents during your Magic Harnessing period. I asked your teacher to give me your results." Jonathan glanced at him. "You have great will and magical potential. Only when you have the amulet around your neck."

Wes felt the Star Amulet under his shirt. "It sucks that I can't bring it out naturally, having to rely on an amplification amulet to force it out."

"And yet, you always manage to survive an encounter with pirates and bounty hunters. What is your secret?"

"A lot of dumb luck, really." Wes laughed out loud. "I read a little book as a kid, highlighting the most important traits to be a treasure hunter. Luck was…very important, it seemed. Sure, some people will argue that skill beats luck, but from my experience alone, that simply isn't the case. I mean, I've set off traps just to test myself and I always manage to get through unscathed." He scratched his head. "Even I can't believe it half the time. One of them should've ended me by now."

Jonathan chuckled. "We need more free spirits like you." He closed the book he was reading and went for another. "Though, one should never purely rely on luck…unless they had magic that can alter probability."

"I'd argue I have unreasonably high luck, so I'm all set."

"You're missing my point, Wes." Jonathan turned and faced him. "Treasure hunting is your passion, but it isn't always the most stable career choice. Your father only got as far as he did based off luck alone. You need luck to get to the next big treasure before any competition can. That's why the profession isn't always looked upon with high regards these days. Your income comes purely from whatever you find."

Wes scratched his head. "I mean…the last hunt I went on did lead me to a useless knife…"

"No one thought you were a bad treasure hunter, Wes. Everyone just thought that…you might not get that lucky all the time. You're a smart lad, whether you want to believe it or not. I'm sure everyone who cares about you would agree when I say…you have a lot of potential to take yourself to new heights."

Wes crossed his forelegs. "Such as…?"

Jonathan leaned back. "Well, as your professor, I tend to keep an eye on my students and encourage them towards fields they are best at."

"I thought you said treasure hunting wasn't the best field to go in."

"Let me finish." The Scrafty cleared his throat. "I encourage you to go out of your way to prove you can do it, but I want to encourage you to not take too many risks. Bounty hunters will always have work to do, because crime doesn't just stop. Same can go for hitmen and assassins. Their income relies entirely on the immorality of others and the innocence they tarnish."

Wes scratched his head. "So…you're saying I should at least try to pursue a career other than treasure hunting?" Jonathan nodded, flipping through some pages. "I…really can't think of anything else I would want to do. I mean, unless tying people up is a valuable skill."

Jonathan chuckled. "Actually, I think you have one applicable skill that you don't realize."

Wes raised his brow. "Oh, back to this again."

The Scratfy chuckled. "Wes, I tease you about your grades, but you are a bright young man. You have a clear focusing problem, sure, but that's something that can be overcome. You're passionate about magic and even shown interest in the history of magic. That's the kind of enthusiasm someone should bring if they want to teach others about it."

"Teach…?" The treasure hunter's eyes then widened with surprise. "Wait…are you saying…I have the potential…to be a teacher?"

"Maybe even a college professor."

Wes blinked, taking a moment to make sure he wasn't in some hypothermia induced sleep and wasn't hallucinating. After assessing he was, indeed, awake, he waved his paw at Jonathan and laughed it off. "Hahaha! Good one, Professor! You got me!"

The Scrafty wasn't laughing. He kept flipping through his book, finding some information about how the shadows overwhelm their prey, before casting his glance over at Wes.

Wes took a second look at his face, then felt a lump go down his throat. "Wait…you are pulling my leg, right?"

"I am not."

"Uh, Professor, it's me!"

"Yes. And?"

"Heh…I'm not the most studious person on the planet. Do I look like someone who can teach math or something?!"

"I'm not talking about math, Ravenfield." Jonathan closed the book, finding nothing of interest, and faced him. "Wes, you have a real fascination with magic and learning it. I think you would make a good teacher."

"You sure? I'm not that confident in it myself. I'd probably fall asleep in my own class!"

"Heh. Wes, don't give yourself a hard time. You are smarter than that." He folded his arms onto the table. "Look, I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't see your potential. Your brother came to me when he wanted my opinion about becoming an archeologist. I said something similar to him: he had the enthusiasm, drive, and intelligence to go through with it."

"I'm kind of lacking in the intelligence department."

Jonathan shook his head. "First of all, stop saying that. You are smart. And second, intelligence isn't strictly academics and logic." He pressed his finger against his head. "You have a great understanding of your environment and have keen observation prowess. You have a clear understanding of the emotions of others and often want to help them or not bother them."

Wes pulled on his hat. "Well…"

"I think where you truly lack…is intrapersonal intelligence, to understand yourself." Jonathan leaned back, mindful of how far since there were no backs to these seats. "You act confident, but do you believe in that confidence? You cast doubt and don't think much of what else you're good at. You know you are excellent at treasure hunting, but you deny the fact there's anything else that you can succeed at. Whether that be being a professor…"

"…Or being a leader to my team…" Wes mumbled under his breath.

"Don't cast so much doubt on yourself, Wes." Jonathan reached over and patted his foreleg. "You are not stupid. No one with a lack of intelligence could've made it this far. You know what you're doing. You just need to know if you know what you want."

Wes scratched his cheek. "Becoming a professor…" He narrowed his eyes. Before he could give it any deeper thought, his eyes flickered back to the professor as he stood up. "Where are you going?"

"I want to check out some…other books, see if there's anything we can find on the shadows." He looked around at the huge library. "So far, nothing, but there's bound to be information somewhere." He looked back over his shoulder. "Think about what I said. I'm not telling you to pursue that kind of career path, but…who knows? You might end up liking it." The Scrafty waved before disappearing behind some shelves.

Wes blinked, then folded his forelegs onto the table and rested his head in them. "Me…a teacher?" He shook his head and laughed. "Silliest thing I've heard in my…" He narrowed his eyes. "Huh…would I even be fit to be a teacher?" He tapped his digit against the table.

Was he smarter than he gave himself credit for?

The Wasteland closed in on their destination, with the crew gathering aboard the deck, armed with their weapons. Arid stood at the end of the ship, overlooking the snow with his serious gaze. He glared at the shadow beside him. "Are we there?"

The shadow chuckled. "Oh yes…we're here." He turned and floated to the middle of the ship. "Show your respect, mortals. Our superiors will be here any second."

The crew stood at attention, though not without casting nervous glances over at Arid. The pirate captain's brows furrowed as a dark spiral appeared on their ship.

Four forms of different sizes rose up in a dense smoke. The first to emerge was Nightmare, who stretched his body out and towered over the pirates, flashing his terrifying grin. "Mortals…I see you can follow simple directions." Arid glared, but focused on the other three.

The three they were warned about.

This was their first time standing in the presence of the three heralds, and they were just as imposing as they were led to believe. Callista clicked her mandibles together, hissing quietly as she took her first step out of the dark ring in the floor. Voss had a hand around his sword, with his usual stoicism in full effect. Aeternus floated above their heads and held his cheek in his hand, snickering at the pirates.

Even the bravest of the crew stepped back, feeling the maleficent aura they exuded in a thick pressure. Jeffery lost the strength to fly and fell beside Leigh, who had her teeth tightly pressed together. Even the always grinning Cheshire felt his wicked expression falter in their presence. Fear of the shadows was one thing, but…it wasn't just fear they were facing.

Death itself was staring at them.

Aeternus pressed his feet onto the ship and bowed. "Greetings, mortal filth. Allow me to give my thanks for your assistance. The Shadow King will see great use for your services." He smirked at Arid. "And the mighty captain will get his place alongside our forces." He walked up to him and pressed his finger against his forehead, which shocked the crew. They've hardly met anyone so bold to step within their captain's space without wishing death upon themselves.

Arid scowled lightly. "Is that so?"

"We've been looking for a new herald to join our side. Trust me, once you've accepted this power, you won't want to go back…" Aeternus's grin stretched. "…and you can't go back."

Arid dropped the scowl, but retained his composure. Any shred of active defiance will have his whole crew eradicated. "Of course…"

"Enough wasting time, Puck," Nightmare growled. "…Is it ready?"

Aeternus floated in the air, then reached behind his back. He pulled out a vial with a black liquid inside. "The Rebirth Formula is complete." He tossed it over to the boss shadow, who swallowed it into his hand. "Make sure you get a clean shot."

Voss walked to the end of the ship with Callista. "Team Ravenfield hides in this sacred library."

"But it'll become their resting place after our work is done…" Callista hissed. "I shall have my sacrifice…and soon, we'll have our glory return and more."

Aeternus landed on top of the bowsprit and smirked out at the open space of blowing snow. "Heralds of Darkness…" He raised his hand and set his palm ablaze in a pale-yellow, fire-like energy. "It's time to wake our king."