Author's Note:

Updates may become more infrequent for a little bit.

I've applied and been accepted to a Master's of Fine Arts program for creative and professional writing, and I'm a bit stressed. This wasn't what I majored in for my bachelor's degree, and even though I know I'm capable, it doesn't make it any less intimidating looking at a list of 20+ novels to read. In the end, only a blank page satisfied my imagination, and the ambition to make this decision blossomed here, with what I filled it with.

That said, despite all the assignments, I will continue to write. It's in my nature now. I'll fight to update at least around the same times as I have been, with no guarantees. Maybe I'll have new and better techniques to bring to the table.

By the way, every sign of life means a lot to me. A short review or comment adds a lot of fuel to the fire. Thank you for reading so far.

Character: Luke Pharaoh

Species: Lopunny

Age: ?

Year of character creation: 2016

Story: A mysterious explorer who calls himself a history buff. He seems to appear just about anywhere, but recently touched down in Verity. He seems secretive, and has proven to be by holding back knowledge, but even that's well hidden by a thick wall of optimism. Even after losing an ear, he's giddy to have survived an encounter with Mesprit at the Origin Point. Just where does he come from?

"How long have we been rowing?"

"Too long."

A cool ocean breeze whirled past Togetic Morgan's body. She took turns rowing with Buneary Luke. The stars at night helped them navigate in the right direction. Morgan doubted Luke could tell, but the atmosphere had started to thin. Less fish swam these waters, and it would only get worse with every mile. Soon, there wouldn't be any food, and their journey would transform to a race to the finish, whatever that might be.

In broad daylight, the sight of stars and outer space leaked through the sky. Animals went extinct by the day, though that had been happening for a long time. She laid out all of these things for Luke, but his optimism remained high. A bud of faith warmed her chest. Maybe things would turn out alright.

"When we hit land, we should stockpile food," said Morgan. "We'll reach a point where we'll have to run for Stargazer Castle. If there is no food, and the atmosphere vanishes, we'll run out of time. We must prepare ourselves quickly."

Her voice had strengthened. Weeks of conversation helped with that.

"Is it on the next continent?" Luke asked.

"Yes, it is. On the other side."

"You're probably better on the whole food thing than I am. I'll make us some bags to carry them in."

"Good."

Luke's eyes drifted up. "Man, check out that asteroid. Looks incredible…"

Morgan followed his line of sight.

A red dot traced its way along the sky. Morgan smiled at first, but then her face fell.

"Oh," she uttered.

Luke's smile half-faded when he saw her. "What is it?" he asked.

"That is a species known as Reshiram," she said. "During the fall, it ambushed cities and towns from the air, and wiped them out in a blaze in moments. We should avoid its sight at all costs."

"I was kind of hoping we'd prioritize avoiding that instead."

Luke pointed behind Morgan's back. She twisted around, then groaned.

"You should have warned me sooner…" Morgan said.

"Didn't want to bother you while you were sleeping."

A wall of glass shaped like a cyclone blocked the horizon. Clear thorns and spikes caressed its uppermost edge. The late evening sun punctured through it at an angle, and cast a long shadow over the ocean.

"We will have to take shelter inside until nightfall," said Morgan. "Reshiram won't be able to spot us as well then. It will be safer."

"If it's such a problem, why don't we just, y'know, wreck it?" Luke asked.

"Reshiram is not like Lugia. It has been under dark influences for a long time. The atmosphere is thinning out. We don't have time or energy to waste."

"Alright. You know better than me."

Indeed she did.

Morgan kept an eye on the sky for about half an hour. The distorted shadow of the wall lurched over their rowboat and swallowed it up. Murky brown, black, and gray colors clouded the glass. As they drew near, she noticed a torrent of sharp edges and knives along the wall. They were close enough to the mainland for a new strategy.

"I'll fly us over," Morgan said.

"How will we get out of here without the boat?" Luke asked.

"We're not too far from the mainland. I'll fly both of us there."

"Uh, if you're sure."

She had to be. "I am."

Luke snatched up his Keldeo horn from the floor of the boat. Morgan grabbed Luke's paw and stretched her wings. She tugged his arm to judge his weight, and lifted up nice and slow. Her solid stance held them stiff in the air, to protect them from any stray sea breeze that might shove them into an early grave. They ascended close to the wall. It kept them better hidden.

"What is this place?" Luke asked.

"I will explain later," Morgan said. "Stay quiet."

They rounded over the top of the wall.

Dark ocean waves rolled underneath a horde of glass structures, many of them, shattered beyond recognition. A tower, sliced off at the top, overlooked the miles' long area. All of the sharp edges cut out a lot of hiding places. They needed one as soon as possible. This terrain would pike Luke twenty times over before it offered him any footing.

"Do you see a good place to hide?" she asked quietly.

"Over there," Luke pointed. "That should work, right?"

"Yes."

Luke pointed them to a small platform, suspended over the sea by two glass poles. It sat underneath an amalgamation of glass walls and ceilings. As Morgan flew them lower to the water, she wondered how he even spotted it. Comfort warmed her chest under the shade of the clouded glass. She set Luke down on his own side of the platform, and landed on her own. It didn't matter much. The lack of room forced Morgan to sit close enough to feel his breath on her forehead.

"Y'know, I've just been kind of going with the flow this past while," Luke said. "But, this amnesia thing sucks. What is this place?"

"It was the first of Reshiram's bases," said Morgan. "When it flew, it targeted anything visible from the sky. It made large-scale civilizations impossible."

"How old were you when this all started?"

"I wasn't born until near the end. I grew up in the sky."

"In the sky?"

"Yes, a floating palace with my mother and father. I lived there until I was twelve. That's when Reshiram found us, by some foul luck." A flame ignited into a frenzy under her throat. "If we see it, I may not be able to contain myself."

"Oh. I… I get it. Sorry. I'm just more annoyed with myself, cause, sometimes, I feel like I'm just about to remember, then, I just don't. And if I did, it could save us a lot of trouble."

"We'll find out either way. Don't worry. Try to sleep."

"Okay. I'll try."

With any threat miles over their heads, Luke calmed down enough to sleep, Morgan figured. His head laid low on his neck, and his eyes closed. The horn leaned on the crook of his shoulder. She didn't especially feel tired herself.

She wanted to kill it.

More than anything, that's what Morgan wanted to do right now. Even finding Reshiram would be nigh-impossible once it left this area. It had taken everything from her. Even so, a clean kill, if even possible, might not dull the pain. It would be like destroying a volcano that wiped out a village or slashing a tornado in half when it returned twenty years later. Try as she might, she couldn't pin all of her anger on a base force of nature. Her thoughts spiraled in a circle, for hours. Somewhere through all of that, she nodded off.

Morgan's eyes opened up to a star-filled sunset. Something had snapped her, and Luke, awake.

Then it happened again; an explosive boom far over their heads. The glass around them rattled. Luke looked to Morgan for answers; she had none to give. If Reshiram roosted here, it would spell trouble. Since it hadn't left already, odds weren't in their favor.

"Stay low and don't make eye contact," Morgan whispered.

Reshiram swept the area before it settled in. They'd have to move around to avoid it. Down here didn't provide a lot of options, but they couldn't risk going topside. Their current position had to work.

Morgan grabbed Luke by the arm and flew them further down. Her wings worked harder to lower them steadily. Reshiram's shadow passed overhead. Saltwater splashed against the bottom of glass spikes, some larger than others, and sprayed their feet. Morgan wanted one with murky colors to hide behind.

None of the larger ones had that. Morgan found a smaller one, perfect for Luke, right over the water. It had a ridge large enough for him to stand on. She placed him on it and searched for one for herself.

A small, tiny edge of a spike, a smidge larger than her body poked out of the ocean surface. At points, the waves completely covered it. She'd make do holding her breath for short moments. After another wave rolled over, she flew down and hid. She creased her eyes to guard against the gentle sting of saltwater and focused through the noise.

Morgan didn't hear Reshiram, or see its shadow. She couldn't afford to lose track of it. A glance up, down, left and right showed nothing. Luke hadn't moved either.

A wave drowned Morgan out. She held her breath, kept sturdy, and made a point to keep breathing quietly once the cool air hit her face again. Her lips tingled. She wiped specks of salt from her mouth.

Luke pointed upwards, to a large blue eye boring down on them. Morgan pointed at her eyes and shook her head. He nodded back. With the horn in his grip, he pointed it up while looking at Morgan.

A blow to the eye to start off an ambush.

Morgan considered it. Reshiram, from what she knew, checked its surroundings thoroughly. It might save them a lot of heartache. In a way, it might be the safer option: to take the advantage while they still could.

Morgan glowered and nodded. Luke got the message.

Before Reshiram moved away, Luke hopped up, landed, gathered force in his legs, and bounced up in the air. He rocketed up through the glass ceiling.. A harsh cry and shards of glass sprinkled down. Morgan flew up over another wave, through the new hole in the glass overhead.

Buneary Luke fell back down. Morgan moved to catch him. She lurched in the air.

She caught him, by the tip of his ear. The Keldeo's horn dangled in his paw.

Rather than pursue, Morgan fluttered away from the hole and stayed underneath it all, close to the water. They shouldn't engage it straight on if it could be helped. With one less eye, Reshiram would struggle to find them. If all went well, maybe they could coax it to leave instead of fight.

The glass overhead rattled. An explosion went off, and distanced itself. Silence followed.

"Let's check," Morgan resolved.

Morgan flew with Luke back up through the hole he made. Miniature remnants of glass continued to trickle down. Morgan whipped around in a circle, and only saw random glass shapes. She looked up to double check.

A red comet flew away in a wide arc. It left behind a razor-thin trail of smoke. Morgan floated over to the side and gently set Luke down.

"Is it running?" Luke asked. "Seriously?"

"It makes a point to never fight wounded," Morgan said. "It's a coward. That's what made it unkillable."

"Are you okay?" Luke quieted.

"Yes, I'm fine. We should be safe now. Let's still leave at nightfall."

Luke stared off hard in one direction. Morgan watched him. His eyes shimmered, as if deep in thought, or like he'd realized something important. She stayed silent and offered him a moment. He noticed a minute later, and turned back to explain.

"This whole place looks familiar," Luke said. "Like, really familiar. It's hard to tell since it's all torn up, but do you think you can help me find parts that aren't?"

"Of course," she said. "Here." She offered her hand.

Morgan flew them up high enough to view the entire area. Most of it, as expected, had been turned into shattered rubble. Some of it stacked on top of itself to make unwalkable hills of knives or masses of spikes. They were lucky before to find anything to stand on.

It made her wonder how Reshiram rested here. There had to be some area still left intact strong enough for its whole body. She usually discounted the towers, but no other answer presented itself. Maybe it wouldn't collapse at a touch like it seemed it would.

Morgan flew towards the top of the tower in an arc. Luke stayed quiet. He must've been nervous she'd drop him. A gust shoved her a touch closer to the jagged tower wall. His grip nearly cut off her circulation.

"It's fine," she said. "We're almost there. I won't crash."

"It's not that," Luke said. "Just have this headache. It's annoying as heck."

"Oh, sorry."

Morgan hurried along. The wind howled in her skull when they reached the top.

The round walls of the tower had torn up, which left a room surrounded by an uneven wall. Morgan cleared it, floated down in the center to set Luke down, and dropped to the floor.

Only up close, Morgan realized the floor was made out of stained glass, along with what remained of the shattered walls. Small details and a multitude of scenes on the glass left her head in a blaze. She focused on a few of them.

A green butterfly made out of light hovered around a scene of a Buneary, Pikachu, and Riolu. Morgan wiped her hands and rubbed her eyes to double check; the Buneary looked exactly like Luke. Her gaze scattered around. Every single Buneary looked exactly like Luke. She doubted he knew why.

Or maybe he did. Luke stared hard at each of them. His eyes shimmered like something had clicked. She let him be. If anything would answer what this meant, it would be him, with time and focus.

An unfamiliar buzz settled on her skin, like a weak, constant electric shock. It emanated from the center of the chapel, from on top of a small, out of place stone pedestal. A sword stuck out, or at least the tattered remnants of one. It had been chipped off at multiple points, with two deep gashes closer to the end. Some kind of heat emanated from it.

Morgan reached out her hand and touched it. The sleek metal handle warmed her hand. With a little more certainty, she grabbed and pulled it from its slumber. Unexpected weight pulled it to the floor. It clinked against the glass. Morgan held it up sturdier.

It had a blunt edge, and no tip. It seemed to be designed that way on purpose; some kind of peaceful ideology used in a weapon. Wouldn't that only make it weaker? Morgan flipped the blade over and raised it horizontally.

Luke's blade smashed into it. Morgan's wings flourished to rebalance herself.

"Luke!?" Morgan demanded.

Luke's hazel eyes turned manic. His arms trembled. He looked at her like she'd been replaced by some kind of monster.

"What's wrong?" Morgan asked. "Luke?" He didn't respond. "Can you hear me?"

He didn't seem to. Morgan wondered if Reshiram had gotten into his head earlier. But, then… it would've happened earlier. This had to be something else.

"Luke…" Morgan said quietly. "Easy…"

Morgan tensed. She raised up her sword to counter an over-the-shoulder swing. He swung early, rotated the horn's angle, and slashed diagonally upwards. She pirouette backwards. It grazed her wing.

He swung left– no, right– neither.

Luke slammed down with an overhead. Morgan angled her blade and took it. The aftermath stung her arms. She used her legs to shove him back and force some distance. His technique had changed out of nowhere, as if it lost all of its purity in exchange for something more powerful, darker.

No, she recognized a bit of him in there. He must've remembered something; a lot of things, at once. She had to defend herself in earnest.

Morgan circled to maintain the same distance between them. Luke's face scrunched up in a panic. The tip of the horn in his paws shuddered. He swapped through several angles to strike from. Morgan kept still. She refused to tip him off to what her reactions would be.

Luke jumped and flipped forward. Morgan leapt and tackled him in the chest. He flew back, landed on his back, and rolled back up to his feet, all to spring forward again.

His foot pointed to the left and twisted. Morgan shrugged off a strike to her left flank and slashed down. Luke flowed past it like air; the only thing she hit. His blade danced along the floor and snaked back up.

Fire bloomed on her chin. Morgan recoiled back and snatched at her face. All of her patience vanished. She snarled and flashed her teeth. Whatever had gotten into him, Luke would have to forgive her for smashing it out.

Buneary Luke tossed the horn up and zipped to the right; a bold-faced trick. Togetic Morgan tore her eyes away from it and focused on the threat, him. Once close, he aborted any sort of plan he had and flipped back. The horn fell back down into his paws. He lunged forward and thrust.

Morgan swiveled to the side, and with extra force from a flap of her wings, swung up towards his gut. He failed to adjust in time. It struck. Luke slumped over the blunt edge. Morgan shoved him up in the air and jumped. She flourished her weapon over her shoulder and slammed it down.

Luke soared and slammed against the stained glass wall. He and the Keldeo horn fell and clattered on the floor. He rushed to stand up again.

"Luke!" Morgan yelled.

Her shout froze Luke in his tracks. He blinked a few times and glanced between her and his weapon. Morgan held her weapon up in case.

A creak from her sword drew Morgan's face closer to its edge. She jolted back with a snap.

The electric sensation left the air. Half of Morgan's sword smacked against the floor, while the other stayed in her hand. It didn't exactly give her a lot of reach anymore, but she held it up anyway. Luke still seemed out of it.

"S-sorry," Luke said. "I.. I thought I was somewhere else."

"If you're alright," Morgan exhaled, "we need to leave while Reshiram is gone." She re-balanced herself. "Are you?"

"I think so?"

Good enough.

Morgan hopped forward, bent down, and snatched the horn away from Luke. He didn't seem to mind. His attention landed on her chin. Morgan imagined a deep red mark there, given the sting.

"I-I can explain," he said. "I… I think."

"You can explain when we're safe, and far away from here."

Carefully, Morgan took Luke by the arm. She flapped her wings hard to get them out of there, as fast as possible. She stole a glance back down, past Luke's body, to see the stained glass again.

In every scene, Luke seemed at peace. All of them were beautiful. What came after must have upset him, or triggered something. He had no reason to attack her. Whatever. It had to wait. Morgan flew them out of the tower and aimed for the land she knew waited for them, past the horizon.

Morgan's arms burned. After she set Luke down right on the edge of a beach, they shook for hours. Her wings failed to help her more than a few flaps off the ground. The flight over the ocean left her completely spent. Lucky enough, Luke didn't have any more mishaps.

While Morgan rested under a palm tree on the sand, Luke gathered firewood, food, and enough leaves and vines for bedding. Whenever he started to explain himself, she cut him off. She waited until he finished setting everything up before she'd listen. He deserved her full attention.

Night fell. The crackle of fire wavered under the breeze as it traveled out to sea. Luke sat down on the sand opposite of Morgan and the bedding he made. Morgan waited a minute to see if he would do anything else.

"What happened up there?" she finally asked.

"I thought I was somewhere else," Luke said. "It felt like I was reliving some kind of battle, one that I had to win. And I thought you were someone else."

"Who?"

"My brother."

So he had a family. "Why were you fighting your brother?"

"I don't remember." Irritation leaked out of his voice.

"But you remember how you felt. Scared, desperate, and through all of that, focused, because life depended on it."

"I… wasn't all that."

Morgan sat up. "But you were. Please. Don't run from it. Remember how you felt. There might be something in there that can help us."

"We don't need help." Luke rose to his feet and walked in a short circle. "We'll be fine. And besides, it's too risky, clearly. What happened wasn't okay, Morgan."

"Ignoring it may be even more dangerous. The atmosphere is thinning. We'll find less and less food. This is our final opportunity to deal with this before it could potentially end our lives."

He sat down again. "I don't even know what to tell you. You hit it right on the money. I was fighting like my life depended on it, or even more. But I don't remember anything from it. I just don't want to feel that way anymore."

"If that's your choice. But remember, I will defend myself."

Morgan didn't have much weight to throw behind that threat. In truth, she had no plans to survive for very long when she first met Luke. Now, she would either reach Stargazer Castle with him or die trying. She would defend herself, but not at the cost of his life.

"You won't have to," he said. "We should get some sleep. Good night."

"Sleep here," said Morgan. "Now."

"Okay…"

Luke stalked over. He set himself down next to her and turned his back away. Morgan did the same.

They were more than lucky to have made it this far, and Morgan held hope their miracles would continue. One setback meant nothing. Soon, this Stargazer Castle would loom in the distance, and answers would follow.