Chapter 35 – The Hunters' Leader

Upon returning home, Owen felt exhausted. Despite not needing sleep, he wanted it. Zena offered for him to rest near the pond inside her home again, and he happily agreed, though he realized soon after that his bed might not be big enough for him. That gave him an idea. He was planning on visiting the Grass Realm while he slept—or was that technically meditating?—so he felt it'd only be appropriate if he switched to his Grassy form for the night. His tail curled around his body and his limbs slowly dissolved into a tapestry of vines. He then focused on his wings; they went from green and leafy to actual, thick leaves, which he used as blankets.

Then, his limb-vines twisted around the leaves of his tiny bed. He curled around his self-made nest and closed his eyes, though he could still sense Zena staring at him.

"Uh, is something wrong?" Owen asked.

"N-no, nothing." Zena looked away. "I was just… interested in how you decided to sleep."

"Oh. Uh, is it weird?" Owen looked up, resting his head on a clump of vines.

"…Yes. That's a bit strange, Owen."

"I mean, it's no weirder than you becoming water and sleeping as the lake, right?"

"I… I suppose so," Zena said. "You aren't going to turn into a giant flower next, are you?"

"I don't think I'll try.". He curled around again, readjusting his vines. Something about resting against a thick bed of vines felt familiar.

Slowly, he drifted off to sleep.


Nevren returned to Hot Spot Cave under the cover of darkness. Lit only by the mushroom glow, he tilted his head to the side and narrowly dodged a Moonblast.

"Sorry!" Willow called.

"Quite alright," Nevren replied.

Willow skittered toward him; Nevren held out one of his spoons for her to land on. "Are you back from your boring paperwork?"

"Yes, though I fear there is still quite a backlog remaining," Nevren said. "Is Anam resting in his home?"

"Yep! He was talking to himself."

"Talking… to himself? Ah, you mean to his spirits."

"Yeah. But I dunno what he was saying."

"Well, thank you, Willow." He lowered his spoon and she hopped off. "What are the others doing?"

"Mostly meditating. I saw Manny trying to summon someone, but he was too blurry to see. Everyone else is just being boring so the mortals can sleep."

"Mortals. What a funny word for the mutants," Nevren said. "Well, I will be going to Anam now."

"You sleep with Anam?" Willow gasped. "I knew it!"

"Pardon?"

"Rhys is gonna be sooo upset!"

"…Pardon?"

"You two are mates, right?" Willow's eyes shined with mischief. "You and Rhys? I thought you two were. But it's you and Anam instead, huh? I didn't think you'd be like that."

Nevren stared at Willow.

"Are you the one that keeps sending Rhys love letters and Pecha berries? That's what Demitri told me. He keeps getting them and sometimes he hugs a huuge pile of letters when he thinks nobody's watching. You seem like you'd write a ton of letters!"

Nevren walked on. "I do not send Rhys letters. That is from an old, close friend of Rhys. They speak through telepathy, but I suppose they also enjoy physical correspondence."

"Are they mates?" Willow asked, sparking. "Are you mad that Rhys is still in love with him? A secret admirer?"

"It's hardly a secre—we are not mates. We never were. Rhys is with Elder."

"Elder? That's his name? Is he really old?" Willow hopped onto the bottom of Nevren's mustache. "How come we never see him? Did they have a falling out? Do they have kids?"

"Two males cannot have children."

"Not with that attitude!"

Before Nevren had a chance to reply, his bag suddenly beeped.

"What was that?" Willow asked.

"A message from the Hearts. I must take this. Please, some privacy."

"Oh. Okay." Willow hopped from his mustache and scuttled toward Enet's home next. Upon hearing a low growl, she redirected herself to ADAM's polished abode.

Nevren spun around and glanced at Valle in the center of town. He then turned back and went for the exit of Hot Spot, blinking once. With a simple Teleport, he was at the entrance again.

"Eon," Nevren said into his communicator, "it is very late."

"Actually, in your time zone, it's very early."

Nevren looked at the sky. Dark blue. "My word."

"Nevren," he said. "Do you still have that Waypoint set up in the Chasm?"

"That's an ancient Waypoint, Eon, but yes, I do have it in my Badge, and it has been transferred into theirs. Do you intend to visit the Dark Guardian next with their help?"

"Later. I'm coming over first."

"…What?" Nevren said. "Was the plan not to use the Guardian's own shroud to mask your presence while taking it down? That was the plan."

"Owen evolved, right?" Eon asked.

"Yes, he has. But—"

"Then I'm coming over."

"Now, Eon, I warned you that it may happen early. He's not ready for—"

"I'm coming over."

"Eon, no. Patience. The rest of the Alloy has not evolved. Owen's memories are still sealed, as are theirs. And, frankly, I'm not sure if—"

"I'll just unleash them. It'll work out!"

"Now, Eon, the likelihood that it will 'work out' is—"

The communicator buzzed.

"Eon? …Eon."

No reply.

Nevren lowered his hand, sighing. "Eon," he grumbled, pulling out his bag to stare at a little Badge with a blue, glowing diamond in the middle. "…No. It isn't worth it," he muttered, closing the bag. He then looked into Hot Spot. "I suppose I should warn them."


The forest within Owen's spirit was bright as ever, and the Charizard was happy to revisit the former Grass Guardian at night. While still 'daytime' within this realm, Owen was mentally exhausted and wanted a break. Owen looked at his hands. Orange. He hoped he was still Grassy in the real world or he'd be waking up with some serious neck pain.

"Klent?" Owen called. "Hey, Klent! How do I look, huh?"

The spirits witnessed the transformation from within, but they didn't see him in person until just then. They recognized the form instantly—but were unnerved at how calm he was compared to their first encounter, so long ago.

"Owen," Klent said. "You're so… calm." He floated a bit closer and prodded at his leg tentatively, nervously. The way Owen reacted was nothing like he'd imagined just days before.

"Calm, huh? I mean—I guess compared to how I used to be…" He rubbed his left horn nervously. "I'm sorry if me being here is bringing back any memories. I mean…"

The deceased Jumpluff shook his pompoms dismissively. "If anything, it's helping," he said gently. "That was a long time ago. It's good to see the same thing, in a different way. Amelia is a bit nervous, of course, but…"

Owen felt her presence in the bushes and nodded. "It's alright. I figure it's gonna be the hardest for her. I'm gonna be leaving anyway—I wanted to see Star and Hecto. Have a few questions to ask."

"Oh? About what?"

"Just some things I saw at the factory. And maybe whatever that was that happened down south."

"Ahh." Klent nodded. "Well. I'll be seeing you."

Owen nodded and walked straight ahead, following the rules of the spirit world. The bright forest he knew transitioned into trees with a blue, ethereal glow—Aether Forest, Star had called it. Owen thought back to his last time there—he was a Charizard then, too, wasn't he? But a normal one. He knocked a claw against the sharp tip of his horns. He wasn't quite normal this time, but… he preferred it this way.

Someone was nearby. From the walking pattern and softness of the steps, it was pretty obvious who it was. "Hecto? Are you there?"

"Yes."

Owen sighed. "You're pretty much everywhere, aren't you?"

"Not precisely everywhere," Hecto replied. "Are you here to see Star?"

"Yeah, actually. Um, is she in her cave and stuff? I can just walk that way if you want."

"That will be fine. I imagine you are here to discuss our encounter in the abandoned factory. About Brandon, the humans, trainers, and their culture?"

"I mean—more or less, yeah," Owen said. "Like, why Barky wants to keep that factory there when he can just destroy it whenever he wants through Brandon?"

"Brandon possibly doesn't have the power necessary to destroy the factory in its entirety," Hecto said. "I also imagine he wants to use it as leverage."

"Leverage?" Owen said.

"It is more advantageous to have the ability to use those items rather than nobody use them at all, risky as it is."

"Do you know why Brandon was sent from the human world?" Owen asked. "It seems crazy to think of a human that became a Pokémon at all. I mean—it's crazy! I thought humans were just scary stories that Mom made up to keep me behaved. They're real?"

"They are, though they are not very strong," Hecto said. "You have little to fear of them. A Pokémon with the same equipment would be significantly more dangerous. Additionally, there are no humans in this world."

Just like before, a short walk was all that was needed to reach their destination. Where the trees began to clear out, Owen saw the rocky mountainside of the cave through which he had first entered Star's domain. "What's that mountain called, anyway?"

"Star Mountain."

"…Oh."

He walked for a few more seconds when Hecto said nothing else.

"So, uh, you're saying that there's a whole other universe with humans in it?" Owen said. He ducked under a particularly low tree branch; his tipped horns grazed against the dark wood, surrounding them both in little blue mist.

"Hmm… yes," Hecto said.

"Wow…" Owen nodded, entranced by the shimmering shower. "That's pretty cool. Millions of humans, all in one place?"

Hecto didn't say anything. Instead, he pointed out, "Ah, I believe Star is coming down now."

"He-ey, Owen!" Star waved from the mouth of the cave. She hopped out and floated until she was in front of the Charizard, bumping his chest. "Ha ha—look at you! All evolved and sane at the same time! Took long enough, right?"

"No kidding." Owen laughed, and was surprised at how genuine it felt. "Actually, I was a little worried for a few seconds, but I'm glad that it turned out okay after all. Um—Star, do you know if I can go insane again?"

"On your own? Probably not, maybe—okay, possibly? But, let's play it safe, yeah? You might still lose it temporarily, and that might slip into another reset, so keep it steady. And… just keep an eye out for Gahi, Demitri, and Mispy, still. They might make you go crazy again, but don't think too much about it yet."

"That's the second time someone told me that," Owen said. "Thinking about what they used to be could send me over the edge, just like that?"

"I mean… maybe?" Star said. "Just try not to think too hard, okay? Besides, it's probably still too blurry. I wouldn't risk it."

"Ugh, okay," Owen muttered. He didn't want to risk everything for a little curiosity. But maybe if he did a little peek?

"Hey, I know that look," Star growled. "You already almost jumped into the Abyss like an idiot, so—"

"Okay, that's not fair! I didn't even realize it!"

"Well, be careful next time! We can't afford to have you blacking out for a day or whatever that guy does." She sighed, pinched her forehead, and then looked Owen over. "Anyway, whatever, I'm actually glad you came. Look at you, all grown up! I mean, you've been a grown up forever, but, I mean it more in a literal sense. I mean, even then, you were kinda like a confused teenager or maybe a young adult most of your life, but—"

Owen's amused stare slowly turned into a glare.

"What I mean is, uh—you're a little above average in height for a 'Zard, huh?"

Owen took it with a resigned sigh. "Yeah, and good thing, too," he said. "Last thing I wanted was to still be shorter than Enet after all that trouble she gave me for being small."

The most minute of smirks appeared on Hecto's face.

"Man, Owen," Star said. "I didn't think you'd be the sort to care about height! But you're right. You'd think Charizard would be bigger in general, huh? But no, they're a little on the small side for pseudo dragons."

"…You take that back." Hearing it from God hurt more than expected.

Star bumped her tiny fist on Owen's chest. "Hey, let's go someplace! What do you want to do, Owen? We should totally celebrate!"

"C-Celebrate? Where? How?"

Star flicked her tail; a dark blue portal appeared behind her. "C'mon! I wanna show you someplace fun. But I wanna invite the others. Zena's sleeping, right? We should totally get her, too!"

Star tugged at Owen's claw, and he followed. But Hecto didn't move. "Uh, Hecto?" Star said. "You're invited, too, y'know!"

"We may need to reschedule," Hecto said.

Star stopped tugging. "What do you mean?"

"Owen should wake up."

"Huh?" Owen asked. He felt a phantom sensation of someone pushing at his shoulder. He swatted gently at it, but then his whole body shook. "What's…?" Little bubbles of golden light floated out of his body.


"Owen, you must wake up. Owen!" Rhys said.

"Muh—huh? What?"

"Owen, get up! We need to leave."

"Uhh—"

Rhys tried to lift the Charizard. Owen dumbly stumbled around until finally shaking himself awake. He tripped over his own vines on the way, forgetting that he didn't have proper legs to stand on. "What's going on?" he said in a moan. "Is it morning? Just five more blinks…"

"Follow me. I don't have time, just follow me."

"Mrgh…" Owen sluggishly reformed his limbs, returned to his Fiery state, and walked behind him. Rhys urged Owen to go faster; grudgingly, he did.

Almost everybody was in the middle of town; Demitri and Mispy were being carried out by Azu and Roh, while Gahi sped over to Owen.

"Oy, Owen! Wake up!" he said. "We gotta run! Yer holdin' us back!"

"What do you mean?! What's going on?" Owen rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Anam was fiddling around for his Badge; many others were doing the same. It looked like there was enough Badge power to bring everybody somewhere else. Owen felt something approaching, too. Now that he was more awake, he took the time to tune his aura to it. What was that…? It was an intense power, a bit away from the entrance to the cave. He couldn't tell if it was stronger or weaker than what he'd felt from Zero Isle, but it was, at the very least, a lot closer—and a lot stronger than any other aura he'd felt before. Why did it also feel familiar? And he sensed someone else, too.

"Wait—I think I feel Rim."

"Yes, you do," Rhys said. "But don't you also feel Eon?"

"Th-that's Eon!?" Now he remembered. The leader of the Hunters—the one who told Rim where to go, told Nevren what to research, Rhys who to fight. He was here? Now?

"Why?" Owen asked. "Why's he—"

"I don't intend to find out," Rhys said. "Let's go! We have to move!"

Anam and the others raised their Badges.


If it wasn't for Owen's tail or Rhys' aura, they'd be blind in their destination.

"Oh—goodness, how dark!" Amia waved her hand in front of her, but even her blue flames seemed inhibited by the thick atmosphere.

"This isn't a normal sort of darkness," Rhys said. "It feels like something more. Like our light is being… drawn away. I can barely see."

"Oooh… I don't like the dark all that much," Anam said, shivering. "Especially the kind where even the light doesn't help…"

Amia felt the ground. It was oddly soft, and had a lot of give, like thick grass. "What a strange material," she said, standing back up. "I don't know how to describe it, but… it doesn't feel that good."

"Feels fine ter me," Gahi said, rubbing at the ground with one of his feet. "Dunno what it is, though."

"It might not be a normal material," said Rhys. "I'm sensing the presence of an Orb nearby. Anam—where did the Badges take us?"

"Ah, I can explain," Nevren said through the communicator. "We may as well multitask. I instructed Anam to take you to where there were sightings of a strange aura in a cavern deep within the ground, far to the south. You're in the depths of a place known as the Chasm of the Void. We set up a registry here quite some time ago but found nothing the first time."

"Oh, no." Owen looked around, but even his enhanced eyesight saw nothing. He had to work with his feelings instead; he sensed that they were in someplace quite expansive. He could fly quite a few body lengths into the air without any trouble. He also sensed that there was somebody watching them—but he had no idea where. It felt like everywhere… Perhaps that was literal.

He remembered the swirling things in the inky blackness, and the eyes that stared at him when he Perceived them for too long. But he didn't sense any of that this time. Nothing was moving. The darkness felt frozen and tense.

Also frozen and tense was Anam, who was hastily looking left and right for something. Owen couldn't tell what else he was doing, but he assumed it was because of Anam's natural fear of all things dark and spooky.

Owen could relate. There was some primal fear bubbling inside of him at not being able to see light, not even the fire of his tail. True darkness to the Charmander line was practically a foreign concept. To be plunged into a place that he could not even see the light of his tail? Owen gulped, keeping it together for the sake of the others. Even in this complete darkness, he could still see with his Perceive. And he could still sense that there was a lot hidden away in this darkness, staring at them from all sides. Silent.

"Um—hello?" Owen called.

"Owen, what's wrong?" Amia asked.

"I feel like… someone's here, but I don't know where, or… anything else."

"So, just that they're here," Rhys said. "Hmm. That's concerning. Excuse me—Guardian! Please reveal yourself! We mean you no harm—in fact, we would like to help you! So, if you could come with us…"

They were answered with silence.

"…A bit shy, don't you think?" Amia said.

"Maybe… nervous," Enet said. Owen figured she could relate—after all, with a party this large suddenly invading her home, she'd be afraid, too. And with how strong they were, well—for all they knew, this Guardian was plotting to run away. "We're… too big."

"Too big, hmm…" Rhys said.

"Too big? Oh! Then I can just shrink us down!" Willow said.

"N-no, no! We don't need to do that, uhh—" Owen couldn't tell where anybody was unless he concentrated on his Perception. They had to work with just voices. "How about we… have one of us move forward, and maybe try to interact with this Guardian, or something? I know they're still watching—I can feel it. So, if something bad happens, I'll know, but I think they're just nervous. So… uh… I guess I'll go."

"Oh, I can go, dear," Amia said, moving forward.

"Ngh—"

"S-sorry, Manny!"

"Eh?"

"Oh, you're there? Then this must be Rhys."

"Yes," Rhys said. "Can you not see my aura?"

"No, I can't. Can you see mine?"

"…No. I can't."

"Great," Owen muttered, "so even our aura senses are being blocked. That's kinda powerful."

"What is… aura again?" Enet asked.

"Uh, the… I'll explain later," Owen said. "Guys? How far is everyone from everyone? Do we know? Uh—spread out your wings, or arms, or whatever, let's try to figure out."

After a lot of fumbling, Owen got an idea of how close everybody was. They were scattered randomly within their range of warping, perhaps a stone's throw in diameter.

"Okay, uh… Zena, how about you slither forward a little, and try to talk to the Guardian?"

"Mm, okay. Is this forward?"

"No, uh—no, turn, turn, turn… okay, now go forward…"

Owen 'watched' Zena's advance, and once she was ten paces—his paces, at least—away, he said, "Okay, stop! That should be fine enough, uhh… okay. Guardian? Are you there? Is it okay if you come out now?"

It was still quiet.

Owen sighed. "He must be really shy…" he said. "Or…" He still felt threatened, Owen theorized. He looked around, but no matter how much he did, he wouldn't see. Swiveling his head around was just useless muscle memory. "Well, uh…" But then, he did sense something else. But he didn't like what it was. "Uh oh."

"What is it, dear?" Amia said.

"Y-you can't feel it?" he asked.

"The darkness is dulling even our aura senses, Owen. Only you can sense what is here," Rhys said. "What is it?"

"Hi."

The voice was like ice on their spines. It was familiar and foreign; the sound was almost exactly like Rhys, but the tone was unmistakably unlike him.

"Who—who's that?!" Anam said.

"Oh, me? I think you know who I am," said a voice that sounded like Anam.

"Th-that's not funny!" Anam pulled his tail around his body and gave it a tight squeeze, oozing fearful goo on the darkness below.

"Eon," Rhys hissed. "Why are you here?"

Eon mimicked the sound of the last person he spoke to. "I'm here simply to say hello, perhaps investigate why you're gathering the Orbs conveniently at the same time I am. Trying to stop me, I take it…"

In the dark, none of the group dared start a fight. They didn't know where anybody was—and if Eon was mimicking voices, he could easily make them hit each other. Perhaps they could take him on if they were all grouped against him—he wasn't that powerful, right?

"But… but why?" Amia said. "You're the leader of the Hunters. So why are you doing this? Any of it, I mean? We just—want to live peacefully!"

"You can't live peacefully and live together at the same time," Eon said. The careless tone combined with Amia's voice made Owen want to vomit.

In an effort to have Eon sound like anybody but his mother, Owen spoke up. "What do you mean, can't have peace? Pokémon live in peace all the time together!"

"But not as a Guardian," said Eon. "Not with the power we all have in play. Not with the powers that are playing with us."

"Eh?" Manny said.

"Do you really think you're fighting for yourselves and for your peace?" Eon said hastily. It almost sounded rehearsed.

"Uh—" Owen started, but was interrupted again.

"That you really think that gathering everyone together so you'll be happy is what Star really wants? You never thought that perhaps she has another motive?"

"I mean—"

"She had centuries to bring you all together, and only now, when I make my move, does she try to gather you together. Isn't that odd?"

"Wait!" Owen quickly said. "Star said that she made you guys, but then had a change of heart when you went crazy!"

"Oh, went crazy!" Eon said, raising his arms. "What a story! Truly, I'm the crazy one for trying to do precisely what I was asked to do. By the way, made us? No. She conscripted us. I was supposed to gather the Orbs for her, but then she gets a change of heart and wants to stop it all."

"Yeah, because you killed them."

"Are you sure?"

"Wh—yes? You killed us! I mean—no, not us, the Flying and Ground Guardians!"

"I did," Eon said. "Or, I sent others to kill them, to take their Orbs. But I sent Elder first."

"Elder," Rhys said. "You still believe in that?"

"Of course," Eon said.

"Who's Elder?" Owen asked.

"Sounds old," Gahi said.

"We're all old," Demitri mumbled. "Rhys? Who's Elder?"

"He's a Torkoal," Rhys said. "He used to be the first person we'd send to a Guardian to negotiate whether we'd take the Orb or not from them. But… I thought you did away with that part of the plan."

"Oh, no, I still try," Eon said. "The Guardians just don't listen when he speaks to them. I just sent him on a mission to the Frozen Oceanside, actually. I wouldn't bother going there at this point—we might have a new Guardian on our side, after all."

"Yer bluffing," Gahi said.

Rhys growled, already in a battle stance. "You should leave, Eon. None of us can see anybody, and Owen can. You wouldn't win in a fight here."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll put up a good fight… but I'm not here for that."

Owen sensed Eon looking up. His body seemed almost impatient, like something—some aspect of his plan, that rehearsed speech, wasn't going as he had hoped. Or perhaps he was waiting for something else to happen? Eon was tense about something. Owen struggled to figure out what sort of body he had, but it kept shifting and changing…

"It looks like this Guardian is docile after all. Given how foreboding the Abyss was, I was thinking we'd have to fight him together, you know."

"Fight with you?" Zena said. "I'd sooner die to you."

Eon huffed. "Guardian of the Dark Orb!" he said in Zena's voice. "If you wish to speak with Elder, I will be sending him over in a few days. I'd suggest you don't make any decisions until he comes, so you can hear all sides of the story."

"All sides?" Owen asked. He felt Eon's presence turn around. "W-wait! I'm—not gonna let you go! You're going to answer my questions, and—"

"Do you… still not remember me?" Eon asked. "You… you evolved."

"Star put a block on my memories so I didn't go insane," Owen said.

"What?"

Owen felt Eon's body shaking. The Charizard smirked, putting it together. Eon was here to try to control him now that his memories were back. Was that what Rim was trying to do? No—that couldn't be it. Rim… seemed genuinely happy that he was at peace during that chess game. But now, with Eon, learning that he was fully evolved, he was upset. This reaction wasn't at all like the Espurr's. Was Rim working with Eon anymore? Did she defect from him, too, just like Nevren and Rhys?

But that didn't matter. All Owen knew was that he was fully evolved, and Eon was mad about it. It seemed pretty clear what that meant. "Yeah. So, you can't control me, Eon."

Fists clenched. Eon's body took a slow step forward, trembling. Owen could see only the darkness, yet he felt the intense, mad stare. "Owen," Eon said lowly. "Come here."

"Yeah, sure!" Owen opened his mouth and blasted Eon with a Flamethrower; everybody ducked, feeling the heat, but Owen knew just where to aim. Eon couldn't dodge well in the darkness; he bumped into somebody. They retaliated with an angry bite on his hand.

"Ngh—! You little feral!" he shook his hand and knocked Enet away. She yelped.

"D-don't you hurt her!" Owen shouted. He swung his claws through the air, sending an Air Slash at Eon, suspecting that he was mimicking his form, based on the sound of his voice. He fired again; Eon didn't feel like he was getting hurt at all. But he was being a nuisance—maybe he could buy some time for the others to escape. "E-Everyone! Try to get him! Maybe we can take his Orbs, or—something!"

Several attacks slammed into Eon from all sides, though most of them missed or only grazed him. Eon's low, impatient growl in Owen's voice shook the air. "You can certainly try," he said. "Just like you're trying to keep them in the dark, Rhys! Not anymore!"

A strange aura radiated off of Eon in a pulse. He recognized this aura—and he clutched at his head, feeling his senses slip away. He had to focus to keep calm. Breathe. Easy. Slow. It felt like the exact opposite of Rhys' Suppression Aura. The radiant blast went past Owen, but it hit someone else. It had stopped prematurely against someone who had been flying blindly in the air. But that meant—

"Nggg…. Rrrr…."

Owen knew that growl. "Gahi! Gahi, stay calm! Stay—"

A white light coupled with black sparks illuminated the room, briefly cutting through the darkness.

"No!" Rhys fired a Suppression Aura, but it did nothing.

"There's no resetting it this time, Rhys!" Eon shouted. "You can't torture them anymore! I've fixed your mistakes; thank me later!"

The light faded; in a confined place like this, if Gahi lost it in a stressful situation… No, they might never get him back.

"Hang on!" Owen shouted.

He grabbed a Badge and ran toward the light. He thrust the Badge in the air—Eon shouted something, like for Owen to stop, but he didn't listen—and the two of them, just himself and Gahi, vanished from the void.