Episode 19: The Tapu's omen
"It's quite cunning of Mother to make my personal retainer a Constellar," Leos said, back to rummaging through his notes. Prem and Blossom watched him with paws on their lips. "Don't beat around the bush. What are you truly here for?"
"Exactly what you wish for, Master Leos. Ariala told just how much you want to study the Constellars and their powers, so I guess she opted for one when it came to finding a retainer for you," Blossom answered. She started using Psychic to help the Oshawott out, lifting a few books that he tossed aside. He paused until he realised it was her.
"Constellars are always in groups, and you have your sermons to attend. You can't be a Constellar and serve me that obediently," Leos challenged. There was a pause.
"You're good. That's right, I'm not a Constellar right now; I left the religion a while ago. But as you can see, I'm branded, so I have a good amount of experience that I can help you on," she posed proudly. "I can also still perform some artes, as well as maintaining the right to enter and leave their churches as I please."
Leos stopped what he was doing to twist around and face her, his face one of interest. Finally having his full attention, Blossom giggled and posed. "Do you get what I'm saying, Master Leos? I'm here to help you do what I know you want to do right now."
"Which is to go to the capital to find out what is really happening to our world," he put his hands on his hips. She copied him right down to his facial expression.
"Yet still, in the back of your mind, you're quite excited, aren't you? A living Constellar, free of will, is standing right before your eyes. You don't want to pass this opportunity up, that's why you're not directly objecting to me being your retainer anymore," she giggled.
"I'm not objecting to that because I likely don't have a choice in the matter," he replied, straightening up. She copied in perfect sync. Her perfect mimicry got Prem's attention.
"Mother won't let it go easily, so there's no point right now," Blossom said at the same time as Leos. The Oshawott gasped and edged back a bit, antagonized by how perfectly she had copied him. "This is also why I was chosen. I'm a very special Mime Jr., Master Leos. When I mimic, I can get the exact thoughts and feelings of my target. That will let me pinpoint your true feelings and needs. With the exception of the discomfort mimicking can cause, you couldn't have a better retainer."
"That's so cool! Can you do it to me, too?" Prem said excitedly.
"I could, but I have sworn to only do it when necessary. Mind reading can be a crime, you know," she said, and returned to her own pose. "Back on point, you could say that I'm basically here to fulfil your wishes to study the Constellar religion. I'll do my best to aid you."
Leos didn't reply, and stared directly into her blank eyes.
"Didn't you tell me not to beat around the bush? You're the captain, Master. You decide when we set off," she said.
"Even if it's right now?" He cocked a smile.
"I'm impressed that you're this excited to let me help you. Normally Pokémon don't have that friendly an impression of me, especially when they learn that I can read their thoughts," she replied. "I believe you were searching for proof of your royalty, though. Ariala has that, doesn't she?"
"That would make sense," Leos muttered as Ariala made herself present. He didn't know what to say as she arrived in unfamiliar clothes that he knew the function of, but unfamiliar because the Clefable was rarely in them. She was wearing a dress, decorated with the iconic patterns and colours of the Tapu. Thick white fluff covered the top and bottom edges of the dress like that of a royal robe.
"You want to leave that soon? For some reason, I did not think you would be that excited about getting your retainer," Ariala giggled, stood in the doorway. Leos was quiet as he stared back with half-lidded fatigue. "We're not leaving today. You haven't even eaten, young man. But either way, a chaperone will be here tomorrow morning to pick us up. So make sure you pack your bags since we will not be returning here for a long time."
"Wait, you said 'we'," Leos replied.
"Yes. You should know how this is. If the public get anywhere close to where we currently live, we will have to relocate. You getting caught earlier puts us in that situation," she explained. His face tensed up. "That said, I'll admit that I have concerns about the capital."
"About time you got shaken up. Former Faernian knights teaming up with Erinian rogues is quite an extreme, if I'm understanding our world's history correctly," Leos said. Ariala went quiet and shut her eyes.
"We will be departing before sunrise, so ensure you are ready or I will leave without you," she warned. Leos frowned as she left.
…
Ariala's idea of a 'chaperone' just so happened to be Naomi and a few soldiers in a very basic, cheap wagon. The group couldn't have looked more casual. Their royal status was hidden only by a white sheet that covered their cart's interior. It was quite cold and noisy as a result, but Leos didn't care. He always felt sick anyway, so some chilly conditions weren't worth complaining about.
Ariala sat in front of Leos, but their seats weren't facing each other so she had her back to him and the others. To his right, Blossom watched the silhouettes of the outside world through their sheet, lost in her thoughts. On the opposite side, Prem bounced eagerly and played with his hands and feet constantly.
"What's got you in a buzz?" Leos almost complained.
"We're going to the Tower of the Tapu and the castle, right? I've never been before. I'm so nervous I could burst!" Prem threw his arms up.
"We're not going for a field trip, you know," Leos raised an eyebrow.
"Aw c'mon Leos, you know I know we're going to study," he said. His hoodie bobbed up and down with the cart's unsteady movements. "But that's what's so exciting about it. Who knows what we'll find! Plus, well…"
"Well?" Leos said slowly. Prem blushed a little.
"I might get to meet your family, too. That's pretty exciting," he admitted.
Leos sighed and looked down at his feet. "My family won't be there. I don't have grandparents. Well, direct grandparents. You live with my Mother, and gods knows what's become of Father. It'll just be a bunch of royal bigshots while Mother sorts out her business. No one else important to me will be there."
"Right right. I got it," he nodded.
Leos glanced at him, surprised to see a peppy smile on the Pikachu's face. His own face flushed red a bit, yet he dared to face the Pikachu and scratched his messy head fur. "Then again, maybe you're right. We've never been out this far, so it'd be wrong if we didn't commemorate or something."
"What do you fancy? Food? Shopping? Whatever Leos wants, I'm happy to do, too!" Prem asked.
"I'm here to study. I ask about the side trip because that's what you want to do, right?" Leos cocked his head.
"If you wanna focus on work, then let's focus on work." Prem leaned towards the Oshawott. Blossom had turned to watch them now, confused by the light-hearted topic.
"Prem, you've been helping me out with all sorts of stuff for like, the past how many years now. I thought this was you implying you wanted to take a break for a bit. So come on, just choose something you want to do," Leos said.
"Okay. And I choose to do what Leos wants to do!" Prem replied.
"That's not- is this going to be another one of those times where you just be difficult for the sake of it?" he frowned. "I'm letting you choose anything for once, Prem. Take it or leave it!"
"Wait, anything?" Prem slowed down and tilted his head. "Even, uh, the Luvdisc Lookout?"
Leos' eyes widened and his heart picked up. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We probably won't even have much time if we did go there."
"So much for choosing anything." Prem pouted.
"Please don't be like that. I didn't say no, just that we won't have time." Leos looked away. He noticed Blossom staring, and shut his eyes with a rough sigh. "Don't get any ideas. Keep your mouth shut. This doesn't concern you."
"Leos, please! If the two of you are planning a date, just call it a dinner," Ariala giggled as she glanced back at them.
"It's not a date. It's just a break from studying," Leos replied. "Then again, no surprise you have no idea what an actual date is."
Ariala's face switched instantly, but she didn't argue with him. "We're here, anyway. We're taking a secret entrance into the castle, so keep quiet now, please."
Prem still laughed in excitement anyway, until everyone stared him into silence. Minutes later, they had to deal with heavy bumps that made the whole carriage jump, as well as an almost unnoticeable rise in temperature. Wherever they had gone, he still felt cold, yet his body felt some need to sweat as if he was boiling hot. The ending result was him breathing through his mouth. Not enough to warrant a health concern, but it did keep him on edge.
"All of you please follow my lead. I dislike saying this, but refrain from making comments unless necessary," Ariala instructed as she got up from her seat.
Their ride came to a stop a moment later. Leos made sure he was carrying his own backpack, which was filled with nothing but books. He ignored Blossom's obvious concern to look around freely, impressed by the clean and smooth hallway they had stopped in. They weren't inside a carriage depot or parking lot, but a hallway within the castle itself. He took note of the electronic lights on the ceiling and the fact that they were off. Prem copied him, only with more excitable sounds and eagerness to look around.
"This way now. Stay close," Ariala said. She had the guide of the soldiers and Naomi, but Leos could tell that she was walking her own way. He still played it safe and stayed within the boundaries of the soldiers, where he had to look between their rigid formation to admire all of the rooms and alternate paths they passed.
As the ascended the castle, the lighting became more pleasant, the temperature levelled out, and the background noise became more of what was expected. Pokémon practiced chants and took on orders, hurrying back and forth throughout the castle's bustling halls, the smell of extravagant foods seeping out from rooms where they might have been prepared, and more.
He never grew up with it, but he knew enough about it all to feel stifled and bored by the predictable setting. The way the knights, butlers, and maids rushed back and forth, fretting about the orders of their superiors and whether they were doing them right or not. Even the soldiers that were escorting him felt like a bother, with their stale formation and robotic movements dulling any excitement he hoped to have from this visit. They had barely been here for a few minutes, and yet he already wanted to leave.
After minutes of excessive stairs and winding hallways, they finally reached the throne room. A set of eight Granbull clothed in elite knight armour guarded the way, and two of them shoved their spears across the door the moment they saw Ariala's group approaching.
"Queen Magearna is in an extremely important audience right now. None may see her, no objections!" one of the knights shouted. Ariala pushed her two protective knights aside to stand beside Naomi, and the elite knights to staggered back.
"Your highness! With the high priestess mark as well," the same Granbull gasped. She exchanged a glance with her partner, who nodded. The duo knocked hard on the door before pushing it open.
"Your highness!" Granbull interrupted a conversation. Ariala and Naomi were the first to gasp, and froze in the middle of the doorway.
"Do my eyes deceive me? Did you receive the news and decide to return?" Azu asked first. Four Pokémon were present: Azu the Azumarill, a Purrloin wearing a feather hat, Queen Magearna, and an old face that Naomi and Ariala hoped that they would never see again, the blue faced monster of an unrecognisable species, Master Lin.
"Who or what?" Leos whispered. Ariala immediately reacted to his words with a frightened shift, and stuck her arm in front of him as if to protect him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a low tone.
The humanesque monster remained formal as he turned to her. Both of his wrinkly hands clasped each other, barely poking out from his dark-brown robe. Leos was mostly drawn to the large sash around his neck, which was adorned with the twelve zodiac symbols. His dark eyeballs made Leos uncomfortable however, so dark that it was almost as if he didn't have eyeballs at all. If it wasn't for the light reflecting off of them, or the piercing gleam of his red pupils, they would surely be seen as empty sockets rather than eyes.
"Master Lin has proven to be an invaluable asset over the past week when this ordeal started. Aren't you aware of what's been happening?" Azu replied, a hint of bother in her voice.
"Only from what the public has hinted to me. Very little has been reported to me as of late!" Ariala cried.
"Your highness, if I may," Master Lin said in his ragged, elderly voice. Despite saying so little, every word reeked of conniving intention, yet the Queen acknowledged him with a nod. "The princess has been absent for a long time. It would be best to catch her up to speed by letting her see the current situation for herself."
"That would save us a lot of trouble, actually. Follow me," Azu ordered. She walked off before they could respond, but stopped at Leos as if she only just realised that he was there. "This might be unsuitable for children."
"You don't need to concern yourself with me," Leos replied, a little offended by the comment.
"My son will be fine," Ariala added.
"Very well then. You've been warned." Azu shook her head. Master Lin and the Purrloin followed, but Ariala made sure that there was distance between their group and hers before doing the same.
"Mother, what's going on? Who is he?" Leos asked, taken by her wariness. She didn't answer him however, urging Blossom to speak up.
"He is Master Lin, the high priest of the Constellars. Of all the Constellars, he is the direct link to the stars themselves, and the only one able to translate the will of the zodiac into modern language," she explained. "But this is news to me as well. I was sure that the Constellars were enemies of Faernia, since they followed the will of entirely different gods."
"That's what's immediately got my concern. Why would the Queen ever request his help?" Leos rubbed his chin. "It's time to study."
The group were escorted right out of the castle, where a new group of knights took over. Leos' thoughts raced on possibilities of everything he'd learnt so far, too much to care about the unnecessary protection. They quickly reached their destination, a large temple not far from the castle that was home to Tapu Fini, where Pokémon could consult the goddess to get their fortunes told. The temple was off limits and guarded by more knights, even though the city felt empty in this area.
"I'll warn you again. This will be visually displeasing," Azu said.
She stepped aside to let Ariala's group through first. The Clefable marched in so quickly that Leos and his friends had to jog after her. They all came to halt at the same time, jaws dropped and hearts heavy with disbelief.
The temple was damp and cold, just like Tapu Fini's Misty Terrain. However, said terrain wasn't up right now, revealing the temple's decayed stone walls and dark, spacious, single room interior. Right in the middle of that was Tapu Fini with her arms hung lifelessly to her side, head hung forward, and eyes strained shut. An iconic sword was stabbed directly into the top of her head so deeply that the blade couldn't be seen.
"I-it's a dead body!" Prem turned away.
"No, no! How can this possibly be?" Ariala cried. She had to force herself not to dive forward. The Tapu's body had taken on a stony appearance, and wrinkles could be seen across her arms and face. She looked like she'd had the life drained out of her in every way imaginable, and barely retained a recognisable body shape. "What is the meaning of this?"
"She'd locked herself in the temple about two weeks ago. Now we're used to Tapu Fini doing that, but when she wasn't even responding to our prayers, we had to investigate," the Purrloin began. "Master Lin was the only one who could open the temple without collateral damage, since it had a magic seal that only priests could open. When we got in, this is exactly what we found. Faernia's royal treasure, the Sword of Divine Elements, stabbed directly through the goddess herself. We even checked the chamber where the sword is kept – it was stolen from right under our noses."
"Who is responsible for this? Haven't you started an investigation?" Ariala raised her voice.
"Calm yourself, princess!" Azu snapped. "Of course we did. That is what we were just discussing the results of. We've reached a wall in our findings."
"A wall?" Ariala replied.
"Yes. Everything we've managed to decipher from the evidence is not only vague, but collectively makes no sense," Purrloin informed. "We decided to let Queen Magearna decide based upon our findings."
"Wait wait wait, Leos! You're really smart; you can figure it out, right?" Prem piped up excitedly. "You should share your findings with Leos. He'll figure it out in no time!"
"If our group of professionals couldn't come to a solution, what makes you think a kid can?" Azu argued.
"Actually, my son is rather intelligent for his age, I'll have you know. Either way, you'll be sharing your findings with me, so he is now involved," Ariala replied.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious now, too. I don't approve of Prem's excitement, but please, allow me to have a crack at it." Leos folded his arms. Prem scratched the back of his head and snickered.
"Hmpf. This ought to be a much needed laugh," Azu folded her arms as well. "Keep up, now. When we entered the temple and discovered Tapu Fini, we immediately set out to seal the scene off and use forensics to find out who had been here."
"Good. You have paw prints from any possible entrances and any handprints on the sword, right?" Leos asked. Azu hesitated.
"We found no recent prints on the ground, walls, or ceiling. We found proof of very aged prints, likely from long before Tapu Fini died, but they had all been washed away by her Misty Terrain. It has that effect," Azu continued. Leos made a sound and started tapping his foot. "However, on the blade itself, only Tapu Fini's handprints were found."
"Only Tapu Fini's? And no recent footprints?" Ariala began to shudder.
"Exactly. Whoever committed this crime has covered themselves exceedingly well. We just don't understand how it's possible. Someone managed to get in here while Tapu Fini had been sealed, used Faernia's royal treasure to stab her with it, and then replaced their handprints with Tapu Fini's," Azu said. "Stealing the royal treasure without us even knowing how is an impeccable feat in itself. I can't possibly think of a species that is capable of doing that. Very few Pokémon even know that Faernia has a royal treasure."
"Tapu Fini would know that, right?" Leos asked.
"Naturally, she would. She is one of the creators of that blade, alongside the other Tapu gods," Azu answered.
"And Misty Terrain erases any prints, right?" he quizzed.
"It erases them to the point that they're unrecognisable. We can still decipher how old the prints are, and all of the prints we found in the temple minus the handprints on the sword were from before Tapu Fini sealed herself in the temple." Azu explained. "It's actually fool-proof to a frightening degree."
"No, it isn't," Leos answered quickly. "Eliminate the impossible, and whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
"You mean to say you have a solution? Already?" Azu said mockingly.
"The only Pokémon who could have done this is one who leaves no footprints, can erase prints with Misty Terrain, and knew about the existence of the Sword of Divine Elements," Leos said, slowly turning to Tapu Fini. The others slowly copied and raised their eyebrows at him. "The only Pokémon who could have killed Tapu Fini this way, with this evidence, is Tapu Fini herself."
There was a mass gasp. Azu flipped out and stomped a foot down in front of Leos. "That's absurd! What possible reason could our intelligent goddess have to murder herself, and with our planet's royal weapon of all things?"
"I can't speak to know why. That lies in Tapu Fini's thoughts. But if everything you told me is true, then that's the only solution," he replied, unfazed by her. "You didn't even know that the sword had been stolen until you found it here, yes?"
"Y-yes, that's right. There were signs of Misty Terrain having been used in the castle as well, I believe," Purrloin said.
"My divine goddess and mother of health and fortune," Ariala whispered, slowly putting her hands together in prayer. "If this is truly an act of self-harm, for what reason have you done this? Have you forsaken us?"
"You mean to tell me that you believe this ludicrous claim?" Azu cried.
"Whether I do or I don't matters not. That was a prayer in request to Tapu Fini," Ariala said. "The fact of the matter is now, we are without Tapu Fini's guidance, and this poor goddess is deceased. Do the mass public know about this?"
"Rumours have spread, at most. Between you and me, the other Tapu have been shirking their duties as well, so most Pokémon are starting to lose faith," Purrloin said.
"Ida!" Azu shouted.
"The Pokémon need their princess, Azu. Right now, more than ever, we need to cooperate to understand what our planet is going through," Purrloin said as she spared the bunny a glance. She nodded back to Ariala. "The Tapu's blessings have been dwindling, and most recently, have almost completely stopped. They no longer answer our prayers, nor have any of them been seen by anyone recently. If this is what has happened to Tapu Fini, then I fear greatly for what may have become of the others."
"Mother—" Leos gasped.
"It's okay, Leos," Ariala said, and gulped. She put a hand out to stop him from moving. "I know. I've waited too long to return. As princess of Faernia and high priestess of the Tapu's teachings, it is my duty to do everything in my power to resolve this situation."
"And if we don't, the war you ran away from will undoubtedly start," Azu stated. "Our armies have only been ready and waiting for the past sixteen years."