Chapter 141 – Final Wings

There he stood, the final remnant of Rhys, mindless and operating on the basic instructions that he had left behind. His battle stance was the same; Owen knew it all too well, even though the memories would be even more painful and prominent to Team Alloy. But Owen, too, had trained under him for a while.

"But… it's Rhys," Owen said quietly.

"There is nothing left of him in there but instructions, Owen," Lucario said. "Please, I understand it looks like him, but I'm Rhys, now. And I know precisely what I wanted at the time this was created: for the power to go away from Dark Matter, and toward someone who is supposed to carry us to victory. Owen, I believe you are the most in need of this power, among Team Alloy's quartet.

"It must be you."

"It… it can't." Even in this part of Hot Spot, the caves had collapsed, revealing the clear and bright skies. It still felt so good on his scales, but somehow it couldn't fill that empty feeling in his chest when he stared back at Rhys' remnant.

"Is there," Demitri said, "even a trace of Rhys in that we can talk to?"

"I'm afraid not," Lucario said. "It's all with me. That aura is nothing but power and instructions, and it won't last, either. Over time, it will decay and weaken. Now is the best time for you to strike it down."

It all spoke to reason, and Owen knew he was correct. That didn't make the pain any better, though. With an unease in every step, Owen approached the aura Lucario and crouched, tail up, knees bent, arms forward and a little wide. Alert, ready, defensive for now.

"Alright," Owen said. "Come on, Rhys. One… one last battle."

For the first few seconds, neither of them moved. Owen wondered if Rhys was waiting for the first action, or if it simply hadn't 'activated' yet. Eventually, Owen lost his nerve and shifted his weight, spitting a small ember toward Rhys.

That was enough. It weaved past the ember and sped toward Owen with a paw outstretched, aura forming at the end. Owen brought his arms up and deflected it with a gold barrier. He countered with another ember, this time closer, and it struck true. Cyan flames exploded out from Rhys' shoulder, and the mist that it became drifted toward Owen, seeping into his scales with a strange, energetic warmth.

The effects were instantaneous. Massive power and clarity, familiar to Owen but unfamiliar to his current body, rushed over his muscles and all the way to the tips of his claws. His flame was hotter, and everything seemed easier to do. All of that happened in an instant, and when Rhys tried to strike him up close, Owen brought an arm up to stop the swing. The spike on Rhys' paw was inches from his cheek. A gold sheen coated Owen's arm from a hastily conjured Protect.

Owen countered again, this time with a point-blank explosion of fire. More aura poured from Rhys' chest and into Owen's body, and his strength immediately reached new and familiar heights.

This spike in power should have left Owen feeling elated, but unlike so many sparring matches that he'd had in his long, long life… there was no joy he could feel from this fight.

Owen landed another strike. This one was easier than the last, and it also occurred to him, with dissatisfaction, that this aura wasn't much of a skilled fighter at all. Every single movement, which he couldn't Perceive well since it was aura and forces rather than actual matter, was very clearly telegraphed. It wasn't Rhys at his best. Owen wondered how much it had already decayed…

A punch landed in Owen's gut followed by a blast of energy that sent tingling paralysis through his body. Another weak one; he'd seen it coming and elected to take it directly to counter with more fire. Owen wondered if the ease of battle was because it simply didn't have the same smarts that Rhys did. He wondered if the copy Demitri and Mispy had fought was more advanced because Rhys was directly controlling it from afar…

Could Dialga do that, or was it now a lost art? A skill that he only remembered as a dream?

More blows were exchanged but it wasn't satisfying anymore. There were a few times where Owen wanted to remark something to put some emotion into the fight, but, of course, the one time he tried to speak, it did not reply.

"You can do more than that, can't you?!" Owen called, speaking at first to the remnant, but then spared a glance at Lucario. He blocked one of the remnant's attacks before hopping back to gain some ground. "Rhys controlled these, didn't he?! Gave them more advice?!"

Lucario's eyes widened a little at that. "Oh?" he repeated. "You knew?"

"It's obvious after fighting it now," Owen said. "He… made it tough. He made it so we really had to work for our strength, that it wouldn't just fall in our laps. Why isn't that happening now?!"

"Well, this method of strength transfer is quite straightforward. Making it difficult was… just a matter of flair. Style. Considering how dire things are, perhaps we should keep things basic and only get the battle pathways of your aura flowing enough to pull the energy in. Nothing more is necessary."

"It is necessary," Owen shouted, parrying another blow. "It's how we fight! It's… how I get to know him! How I can get to know you, now, too!" He shoved Rhys away and sustained a stream of fire over the aura. An equal stream of aura went toward Owen, energizing him.

Lucario tilted his head. "How you get to know me," he repeated. "As in…"

"Don't Pokémon communicate through battle?" Owen said desperately, cutting the flames. "That's… just how things are! Sure, a lot of our ancient ancestors used to be human, so maybe it's not the same, but I have always been a Pokémon, and my bloodline… works like that, okay? And I don't… feel anything from this battle. There's nothing because it's not being controlled."

"I… I see." Lucario shifted awkwardly. "I hadn't thought of it that way before. To think I could lose sight of that… Yes, I used to be human. How could I forget? I'd trained Elder himself for a time."

"…Wait, you what?" Demitri asked. "Aren't you a couple now?"

"Er. Well, yes. We'd forgotten about… that aspect of our past, so things developed quite differently…" He shook his head, as if refreshing himself, and breathed. "Fine, yes, I'll train with you, Owen. A sparring match against what remains of the aura?"

"Yes!" Owen said, flame doubling in size. "I—er, I mean… yes, please, Rhys."

Lucario smiled a little. "Mm. Rhys. So long since I'd… well. Fine." He made a simple gesture with his paw, and the aura duplicate went back into a fighting stance. Owen mirrored it.

And for a moment, Owen felt like things could be okay.

That was all it took for Owen's vision to go white. Owen ran forward, arms ready for another strike against his Protects. His body felt malleable; his back was hot and tore painlessly apart; every step became heavier as the world around him grew smaller. Suddenly, he towered over the Lucario by at least two heads. His arms felt shorter but his strength had redoubled. By instinct alone, he beat his restored wings and knocked the remnant off balance and then tossed an orb of fire at its chest.

Owen landed heavily several feet back and made a gesture with his hands, summoning a pillar of fire below the remnant's feet. It fizzled and leapt out of the way before it could dissolve completely, but so much of that power siphoned into the new Charizard's body.

Something green caught the corner of his vision. An instant later, something entered his Perceive range, too fast to get a lock on, and that could only mean it was Gahi. Crouching, Owen's wings projected a golden shield, narrowly parrying Gahi, who snarled while inches from the barrier.

"What are you doing?" Gahi spat, using his speed to press further, straining the barrier.

"What?!" Owen groaned, briefly startled by his deeper voice.

Gahi suddenly disappeared. Owen's Perceive caught him on Owen's opposite side and below, but Owen was too slow to counter it. Gahi slammed into Owen with claws wrapped in psionic force, which then exploded and sent him flying ten feet across the rocks. He kicked his legs and beat his wings to right himself, but Gahi reappeared on top of Owen and slammed down.

"Why're you hurtin' Rhys?!" Gahi roared. "That's… that's him, ain't it?! An' he's disappearin'!"

"Gahi, it's training! Rhys left that behind for training, don't you remember seeing something like this before?!" But Owen could already tell just by Gahi's body language, his twitchy movements and wide eyes, that he wasn't about to listen to reason. He was too far gone.

They should have gone after him. He'd seen the sparring, assumed the irrational worst, and…

"Just try'na steal his power fer yerself, jus' ter get stronger?" Gahi hissed.

He disappeared again, but Owen predicted the reappearance and lunged toward the incoming flash.

"Geh!" Gahi disappeared again just as Owen's claws scraped at his chest. Instead, Owen grabbed at the lingering aura behind and internalized it, eyes darting around now that he'd taken that Teleport for himself. He saw Gahi in the air.

"I'll be back," Owen muttered to the others.

"Er, right." Lucario focused on the remnant, sustaining its power.

Now, he could focus entirely on Gahi. With a blink of light, Owen disappeared into the sky, spread his wings, and conjured another updraft to keep afloat. Just ahead, Gahi snarled at him, treating the sky as an arena.

"What're you doing, Gahi?" Owen called tiredly, still trying to get familiar with flight again. Proper flight, not the strange Mysticism that granted an imitation.

"Was gonna ask you th' same thing," Gahi said. "Rhys… that was Rhys. You ain't gonna… just kill him like that! He's all that's left of'm!"

"Gahi, he's going to fade anyway," Owen said. "It'd be better to—"

"NO!" Gahi was at his side, clawing into his scales and breaking through into flesh. Owen only snarled and whipped his tail at Gahi, scorching his side before blipping ten feet away. Gahi closed the distance in less than a second, but Owen parried him with a Protect.

"If that's how it's going to be," Owen snarled, staring at Gahi through his shield, "then fine. We'll understand each other the old… fashioned way!" He pushed, overpowering Gahi. Then, he Teleported behind him and conjured a wisp of indigo flame instead, which burned much hotter against Gahi's back.

The Flygon screeched. His wings became constellations of stars, galaxies impossibly floating in the afternoon blue, and he disappeared before the fire could do any real damage.

That was their battle. Owen kept reading every single strike that came, mitigating or completely parrying what Gahi tried. The Flygon refused to let up; his stamina was far higher than Owen's, and that meant to Owen that he had to conserve his energy. He had to parry with minimal movements, minimal exertion, just to ensure that Gahi wouldn't take advantage of him slowing down.

It helped that the hits Gahi did connect were not very strong.

The sun continued its trek across the sky. Some time during the fight, when Owen entered a strange sort of rhythm, he'd noticed that Demitri and Mispy had been sent off to Kilo Village. Owen figured it was because they had to let the others know they weren't dying or in any real trouble after splitting off. That meant only Lucario and Zena were watching them. He felt a little guilty for making them wait for so long, but what else was he supposed to do?

"Why?" Gahi finally said, puffing between his breaths. "How come y'ain't goin' down?"

"Is that what you care about?" Owen asked, hiding his own exhaustion.

"What's that s'posed ter mean? You… were hurtin' Rhys. Weren't you?"

"It was something he left behind to be taken by me. That was his intent, and Dialga said the same thing."

"Dialga…" Gahi's fists squeezed. He disappeared again and Owen easily parried the attack from the left, having sensed Gahi's brief glance in that direction. That only made Gahi more frustrated, slamming his claws against his shield over and over.

"Just tell me how you feel, Gahi!" Owen shouted, rushing forward until he Perceived Gahi's telltale preparations for a Teleport. It was going to be behind him.

Just as predicted, he disappeared and reappeared, so Owen brought a hand backwards and blasted more indigo fire in Gahi's face.

He roared in pain and covered his snout, disappearing several feet backwards.

Owen didn't let up. He beat his wings and flew backwards, twirling at the same time until his hands were locked onto Gahi's shoulders.

"Answer me!" he shouted. "Do you think I'm killing Rhys?!"

"What else is it?" Gahi roared. "I just wanna see'm again and yer killin' the last o' what he had left off! Y'saw the way he fought, that… that copy, I was watchin'! When I realized what was happenin', I…"

"You panicked and attacked me." Owen held firm. "Gahi, it's… I get it. I get it."

Gahi kept afloat with psionic energy, but it wavered. He said nothing.

"But Rhys is gone. He's with Dialga now. He's in there, just… different. Like friends we never saw for a long time."

"But why?" Gahi snarled, squeezing his claws against Owen's shoulders, but he wasn't pushing away. It was more like he was desperately clawing for something solid.

They were descending, slowly. Owen let it happen.

"Why does it gotta be like this?" Gahi said. "How come… how come Rhys's gone, 'n Dialga's still all here? How come they ain't…"

"I think Rhys is still here, in a way, Gahi," Owen urged, ignoring the pain as Gahi held him even harder. "It's just, maybe they're both different. We barely knew Dialga, so maybe he's also a little different. I bet Dialga wouldn't have turned into a Lucario, or cared about how we felt as much, don't you think?"

"Like he ev'n cares…" Gahi's grip loosened a little.

"He does care, Gahi," Owen said gently. "He really does. That's why he was trying to be gentle, but it's hard for him to relate. That's probably it. I mean… imagine us trying to explain anything that we're doing to the average person."

"Average… person," Gahi repeated. "What's that mean anymore?"

"Just someone who wakes up, goes through town, maybe works a shop, goes home, works on some hobbies, and… that's all. A simple, daily life." A pang of envy swam in his chest. "A normal life. Imagine explaining even a little bit of what we do to them. Maybe that's how Dialga feels when trying to explain how he has Rhys' memories now, how he is Rhys, just… with more responsibilities now. More on his mind. Dialga's probably a lot older than Rhys, when you think about it, right?"

"How?" Gahi asked, voice trembling.

"How…?"

"You'd know. H-how much older is Dialga than Rhys? World ain't that old, I know yer older'n it!"

"I… well, I…"

That was a good point, wasn't it? Rhys… How old was Rhys? He had his brief human life in the world with Kanto and Orre. He didn't seem too old then, maybe a few decades on him. Then came his time as a Lucario for a little while before ascending as Dialga. So, a little less than a thousand years for Dialga, after a few decades as a mortal Rhys.

In terms of what would have been said about gods in stories and fables, that was nothing at all… And after what happened with Wishkeeper, something terrible happened that split the immortal half from the mortal half, even if it left the mortal half with barely enough power to remain immortal. The Hunters, the Mystics.

There was still a blank spot in Owen's memories, a haze, where he'd been reincarnated again as a Charmander, and then revived over and over until he became the mutant Charizard he was today. That could have been for decades or centuries. But at the very least… Owen knew he'd been reset, over and over, for five hundred years.

Suddenly, Rhys' fraction of how long 'Dialga' had lived… was far more significant. Owen's heart sank. Why, then? Why was Rhys so weakly present?

"You're killin' him." Gahi sniffed again. "All that was left fer him… it's…"

Owen stared at his claws. That… couldn't be it. Could it?

"We can ask," Owen said. "I… I know Lucario mannerisms, body language. If he lies, I'll know."

"Huh?" Gahi pulled away, sounding surprised. "Y… you'll listen t'me?"

"Of course," Owen said. "Fighting is understanding for both of us. Maybe I need to listen to you, too."

Gahi looked stunned. Owen wondered why. Was it because he expected himself to be wrong? Did Gahi… always expect that? That was what the total surprise in Gahi's body language suggested.

"But you need to talk to him," Owen went on. "With words. I don't know if he's interested in fighting it out; you know how he is."

"Do I?" Gahi asked.

"He may not be exactly the same," Owen said, "but he still has similarities… don't you think?"

Gahi didn't answer. Finally, they touched the ground, and Gahi's wings returned to their normal colors. He slumped against Owen, who slowly guided him along.

"Can we fuse?" Gahi asked weakly.

"No," Owen said, this time firm. "You need to confront him as yourself, but… I'll be by your side. Okay?"

It didn't satisfy him, but perhaps Gahi knew enough that he wouldn't budge.

Zena waved them over once they'd gotten within their sights. Lucario was still maintaining the aura remnant, looking focused.

"Hey," Owen said. "Uh, sorry about that. But… can we talk to you, Rh—Dialga?"

Lucario had a knowing frown, but nodded.

"…So yer really Rhys," Gahi said. "What's left."

"I am. I have all of his memories, because they are my memories," Lucario replied coolly. But then, there was a soft sincerity when he added, "And I'm sorry that I act so differently. I'll really try to be more like him. I think… he meant more to you than I did."

There was part of Gahi that Owen knew wanted that. But the way Gahi deflated meant he might have seen it another way.

"Don't fake it," Gahi finally said. Owen noted silently that his throat was tense.

"I'm sorry?"

"If y'ain't feelin' like how y'used to… then don't fake it. Jus' be yerself, but… if yer really Rhys…"

"I am. Gahi, I'm… I really am. Maybe, with time, things will start to feel normal again…" By now, Owen had a sense that Lucario was becoming fatigued with this, and Gahi was searching for an answer that just wasn't going to be there.

Eventually, though, the despair seeped into Gahi's posture, and he finally nodded, voice hollow. "Alright."

"Gahi…" Zena reached out, but stopped herself and looked to Owen for the answer. He had none that could heal Gahi now except for, ironically, time.

"In any case, we do still need to, er… complete this matter." Lucario gestured at the remnant. "I'm barely maintaining it. Just one touch will get the rest, and there isn't much left …"

"Right, I…" But Owen felt Gahi's gaze go toward the remnant, longing, wistful, but ultimately crushed. There was no fight left in Gahi. Owen wondered what could possibly help. He was a very hands-on Pokémon. Gahi couldn't understand the concept behind things that were purely mental or through words. He had to… feel it.

"Gahi," Owen said. "Why don't you do this?"

"Eh…? Y'mean…"

"That's Rhys' power. He wanted it to go to someone who needed it."

There was a blank stare from Gahi, like he was trying to understand.

"A little bit of him will be with you forever this way," Owen explained. "Some of his power."

"What d'you… y'mean…?"

"It's only fair," Owen said. "Demitri and Mispy trained this way a few months ago, remember? And now I trained. Now, it's your turn."

"Hm! Quite true," Lucario said. "I have no objections. In fact…" He held his chest, nodding. "Deep inside, something feels… very pleased by this."

Gahi was holding his breath, like he was wondering if that was true or not. The way he glanced at Owen confirmed it, and Owen was confident. "I think so, Gahi. You should."

Owen wondered how Gahi would do it. He was fast, so maybe it'd be a jab, or some kind of claw… But Gahi would also probably want to honor his memory. But he couldn't sense any fight from Gahi at all.

Just one touch, the words echoed in Owen's mind.

Gahi stepped toward the remnant, sizing it up. His jaw clenched, his wings folded back. "…The last o' Rhys," Gahi mumbled, crouching down to get to its height. "…I know yer behind me… but this is what y'left jus' fer us ter be stronger. Until the very end, y'always… were thinkin' about us, huh?"

The remnant stared blankly forward.

"I figure I treated ya pretty hard. Maybe I should've… said more, 'n stuff. Maybe I still can, if yer really in there. But I ain't gonna…"

Owen didn't know for sure what Gahi was going to say after that, but he never finished. Owen wondered if he'd ever know, even if they fused, what Gahi meant to say. If Gahi would know his own words.

The Flygon leaned in and pulled the hollow Lucario copy into an embrace. It accepted it passively, its whole form fizzling.

"Thanks," Gahi whispered. "I'll miss you."

Something strange followed. Just as the remnant's body dissolved, Owen thought, perhaps a trick of the eye, the arms raised to reciprocate. But it was so blurry, and as an aura Owen couldn't Perceive any of the details that his eyes didn't see.

But maybe believing that it did was good enough.

A warm breeze caressed the ruins of Hot Spot. Wings and fur blew with the gusts.

Gahi was alone. A cloud of aura sank into his scales, and he took in a slow, long breath. He didn't turn around.

"Gonna stay here," Gahi said, "fer a li'l."

Zena sniffed and wiped her eyes with a ribbon. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Gahi still didn't face them.

There was a hint of uncertainty… but all things considered, Owen trusted that he'd be safe. Null Village was right there, Hot Spot Dungeon showed no signs of expansion, and the ruins were easy to flee from.

Maybe Gahi needed this.

"Well, I suppose we should stay, too, Owen," Zena said.

"Uh?"

"Safety," Zena explained. "And… I wouldn't mind some quiet before returning to Kilo Village. Maybe we can greet the next wave."

"Oh." She also had a point there.

"A fine idea," Lucario commented. "I will return to Kilo Village to inform the others. Will that do?"

"Sure," Gahi mumbled. He was trembling, barely holding it in.

"Right. Thank you, then. And, Gahi…"

Nothing in reply.

"…I do still love you. Call me as you like, when you are ready."

Gahi breathed in, but only Owen could tell. The Flygon merely nodded, eyes fixated on the wall. Owen gave an assuring, somber smile to the Lucario, and he gave a hesitant nod back.

Without another word, he left. It was just Zena, Gahi, and Owen who remained.

Zena was staring at Owen, who glanced at her. Zena jerked her head in Gahi's direction.

The Flygon was still staring at the wall. Zena urged Owen again, so, obeying blindly, he approached.

"Er, Gahi…"

"Yeah?"

"How about uh…" The sand pit was probably going to give Gahi too many bad memories. Owen wasn't sure if he was ready to confront his old home with Alex and Amia just yet, either. "…Want to stay at Zena's place tonight?"

Gahi sniffed. "It ain't a wreck?"

"Well, we could take some time to clean it up," Zena piped up.

Another sniffle. "Alright. Y-yeah. That's fine."

He didn't start walking. Owen brought a wing over Gahi's shoulder, and Gahi leaned against him. Zena slithered over to Gahi's other side, and Gahi abruptly pulled her in close, too.

They didn't say anything. Slowly, they walked through the ruins of Hot Spot until Gahi could regain at least some of his stride.

"Thanks," Gahi mumbled. "Y'don't think Trina'll think this is all stupid, do you?"

"Trina?" Zena repeated.

"Yeah. I tell her about a lotta stuff."

"Oh, I see. Well, then she'd understand more than anyone, don't you think?" Zena asked.

"Guess so," Gahi said, his muscles relaxing a little.

"…Hey, so," Owen said, seizing the opportunity, "tell us about her a little."

Zena's eyes lit up. "I'm curious, too. I didn't think you two would be so close, but you even share meals together, don't you?"

"Heh. Yeah." Gahi rubbed his cheek. "Pretty easy when she's so small, but she really wants ter be a Serperior again."

"I can relate to that." Owen flexed his wings unconsciously. "Think Xerneas will feel charitable about that?"

Gahi scoffed. "Didn't ev'n bother with you. But she's regal. Maybe she'll know how ter work 'im over."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Zena commented. "Serperior evolve fairly early, don't they? Maybe it won't be as hard for him."

Word by word, Gahi's pace gradually quickened. It was never his normal, brisk pace. Still, it helped that they were able to calm Gahi down. There was still a little hope that, after all that had happened, they could find a new normal for each other.

News from Null Owen—he supposed, Kilo Owen now. Kilowen. Kilowen said that Gahi was taking the news about Rhys badly. Cipher Owen could relate; he was still coming to terms with it, or maybe it simply hadn't hit him.

But the important, tactical news was that Xerneas was able to revive a good number of the team and send them out of the Voidlands. It was a start, and it would be a boost in morale, which was probably the strongest part about this move. They wouldn't really be getting much stronger, at least for the ones who hadn't died. Trina and Amia, and even Owen himself, would benefit from the power boost to get back to their final forms again, though…

It had been a few days. Owen was still biding his time. Keeping Qitlan wondering, but not making any major moves. Occasionally, Owen would fake cry a little, or look like he was hiding some distress. It was all to make sure Qitlan thought he was still under some control. But Owen couldn't let them feel too confident, either. Too confident and they may try to interrogate him again, but if Owen showed too much confidence himself, they would get too paranoid and do something drastic. Unpredictable.

That was really what it all boiled down to. Predictability versus uncertainty. Owen had to keep that up until it was time to put everything into action.

With pangs of guilt, he only wondered what Mhynt was doing to pass the time. The things Alexander would force her to do… Aster and Leph could have been in a similar predicament, too. The two children of the gods, and Necrozma's disciples, all captives to the Void King.

But there was one thing he did want to do. He had no idea if it actually worked in this godless place, but perhaps that was why it was called faith.

Hey, Star, Owen prayed, eyes closed. He had remembered, a few days ago, that Star, Arceus, and the others could hear prayers. Barky hadn't heard a thing while Owen was in the Voidlands, but he wondered, if Star was also here, would she hear him?

Living on that, this was the fifth time Owen had reached out to her.

It's been about one sleep since I last contacted you, if you're keeping track of time. I hope you've gathered up some strength for more of the plan. When the time comes, you need to keep as much of that power as you can, and then we'll both break out of here, okay? Aster… I don't know how he feels. Leph doesn't even speak to me. And Mhynt… I can't tell her anything or she'll speak to Alexander. She's loyal to him.

In about twenty days from now, though, I'll have something working. I gave specific directions to a servant guard. In about five days, he's going to do the first step, and you'll probably see him coming to the dungeons to scout the place out. Try to reach out to him, okay? However you can. Just, be subtle.

I know I told you this plan before, but I just don't want you to forget. And, maybe hearing a voice would be helpful, right?

Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine. Keep counting the days. It'll all be over soon, and I'll get us all out by then, even if it has to be alone. I have a plan.

That was a longer one than usual, but it was the same story as before.

He could only hope that it would have the effect he wanted…

"Twenty days, he says, hmm?" asked Qitlan, kneeling down next to Star while yet another Psychic—this time a Hatterene—stood next to him.

And they overheard everything Owen had just prayed to her. Star's heart was pounding in her chest. She struggled to keep a straight face, but nothing was going to hide her distress this time. The only way she could hide more of her thoughts was by mentally cursing and covering it all in profanity.

Her eyes darted left and right, and then she closed them, focused entirely on that.

"A real shame, isn't it?" Qitlan asked. She could hear his smirk. "You're so good at keeping your own thoughts private, but you have no hope of hiding incoming telepathy… even if it's through that strange, divine prayer you have…"

That he somehow figured out. How?! Were they observing Owen, did he let it slip somehow?

"You must be wondering why," Qitlan said, and Star refused to give him any sort of reaction. "It's simple. Owen thought he was clever… but we saw through his plans. We saw what he did while meditating, and we saw how it corresponded exactly with when your breathing patterns changed. Not always, though. He tried to shake it up…"

He chuckled. "Well. He can plan as much as he wants. We also know he can't hear you." She patted her on the head. "So, I'm going to ask you one last time for the night. Give us what we want… and this will all be so much easier. The aura key. Will you?"

But she couldn't do that. Even if they knew everything, she still needed… to let this happen and endure. Owen got this far. Would he figure it out?

Besides… she already betrayed him too many times. This was the least she could do to make it up to him.

"Well. You did this to yourself," Qitlan said, stepping away. "Come." He nodded at Hatterene, and they both left the cell. When the doors opened, Star saw a Mightyena waiting for her on the other side, fangs bared eagerly.

She just closed her eyes. Just another day.

Just twenty more.