A dreadful sense of déjà vu filled the BGAC as they sat outside the remains of the Faucher hideout. This feeling of lowliness after a harrowing battle fighting for the safety of their dear friend, now sitting among the wreckages of their defeat with their lives intact.

But now, the days of hope that kept their hearts going had drawn to a close.

Evelot Faucher was no longer in need of rescue, abandoning the comforts of her friends in search of a darkness that had haunted her for years. A darkness that was only allowed to grow due to the misguided efforts of those closest to her to keep her safe, accomplishing in the very creation of the scenario most feared to come to life.

Everyone was tired. Magni, having taken a hefty beating with little time to rest throughout the last few days, had collapsed to the ground to finally sleep off his injuries. Caractacus seemed to be lost in thought, tracing his paw through the dirt while occasionally glancing up at the sky.

Phoebe? She felt an unbearable guilt weighing heavily on her shoulders.

Sitting with her back to a chunk of wall, she hugged her legs up to her chest, burying her face into her knees as she wept. The haunting visage of eyes permeated her mind, the idea that beneath that cocoon of sludgy vileness was the sweet, little alchemist that took the lowly Aipom into her care. She thought she was doing Evelot a favor by keeping the events of that night a secret. She couldn't imagine Evelot bearing the weight of what she did, the things she saw, and the cruelty she repressed from the trauma. Was it wrong of Phoebe to spare Evelot that torment, or would she have been able to come to grips with the unfortunate reality?

Regardless of the scenarios, they didn't matter anymore. What was done has been set in stone. Evelot lost to her own darkness.

Phoebe shuddered, hugging her legs tighter. "Evelot…"

She felt movement beside her, looking up a bit to see Amos sitting beside her with a canteen. He gently shook it at her, prompting her to take it. She accepted meekly, lifting her head enough to pour the water into her mouth.

Amos adjusted his goggles and leaned back, setting his gaze upon the sky. "What do we do now?"

"…" Phoebe closed her eye. "I give up."

"Don't say that—"

"No, I mean it. I give up." She handed the canteen back and wiped her lips. "Evelot's long gone, we have no means to track her, and we have no idea where Spring-Loaded Harriet is. We don't even have a hunch like we did coming here. And now thanks to my stupidity, Evelot knows the truth and is going to get herself killed."

"Try thinking positively," Caractacus chirped in, still drawing in the dirt. "Maybe Evelot will kill Harriet, and this matter will finally resolve on its own."

Phoebe grimaced. "I don't think Evelot's in the right state of mind to just let this go, even under the slim chance she does manage to kill the region's strongest martial artist," she emphasized bitterly.

He shrugged. "I'm just saying…"

Amos sighed. "Despite Caractacus' bluntness, he's right. We need to keep our chins up. We'll find a way to save Evelot…again. No matter how many times it takes."

"…I'm not sure she wants to be saved anymore." Phoebe pressed her face into her knees again, shuddering. "I've never seen her get that angry before. What happened to her? Even if Absalom pushed her into snapping, that was still Evelot. That was her anger. Her rage. What can we say to help her?"

"…" Amos looked away unsurely. "I don't have all the answers, but I didn't come this far just to say we failed. And you shouldn't either."

She scowled. "Oh yeah? Has it ever occurred to you that your friends might be dead by now? I'd say that's a pretty big failure to come back to! Life sucks, Lamecaster! Everything's so fucking…! F…Fu…" She growled and buried her face in her hands. "I don't have the energy to swear…"

"…" Amos closed his eyes, sighing deeply. "There isn't a day where I don't think about that. I've spent so much time helping you guys that I've lost sight of my original goal. So, understand my reason for sticking around to help is because…I do care about Evelot, just as much as you do."

"…"

"I admit, you two were nothing but a pain in the ass for me, and I've been ungrateful for a lot." He crossed his arms. "Even so, I stuck around because I chose to give a damn for once in my life. Regardless of the pain I endured in the past, I want to believe there's a chance for redemption. I can do better."

"…"

"And so can you. Evelot believes in you. She endured so much because she believed there's goodness in this world. She's lost sight of that, and it's our job as her friends to remind her of the hope she buried in that darkness. We're going to save her, no matter how long it takes."

"…" Phoebe sniffled and wiped her eye. "Didn't expect you to be the optimistic one."

He shrugged, flashing a weak smirk. "You all have been a bad influence."

She snorted before sitting up straight. After stretching out her limbs, she said, "Even if there's a chance, we have no hope of finding Evelot." She gestured around. "We're on the edge of the Outlands, and Evelot could literally be anywhere in Virdis looking for Harriet. She could be going to the Great Gate Empire, the Senbo Kingdom, the ocean—"

"Mt. Algus."

"Exactly! Mt. Algus, the Verde Kingdom—"

"No. I mean she is going to Mt. Algus."

Amos and Phoebe looked toward Caractacus as he finished sketching in the dirt, dusting his paw off. Curious, they walked over to see what he had been doing. Looming over the sketch in the ground, it was a complex series of calculations with a rudimentary diagram of the hideout, Evelot, and the Virdis region.

"Tac, what is this?" Phoebe asked.

Caractacus scratched his chin. "Right when we woke up, I noticed Evelot was staring intently in a certain direction. I had Alpha refresh my memory to get a clearer picture of it." He pointed toward the sky. "She was staring roughly in that direction where the sun rises in the east."

Phoebe grimaced. "What does that have to do with anything? Evelot was just staring at nothing."

"Look, I nearly drowned today and saw the vestiges of my dead village who may or may not have been a realistic hallucination. I'm willing to suspend some scientific explanations."

"…" Ignoring that, she glanced at his diagram again. "So, your point…?"

"Well, if she was indeed staring at something, then based on the angle of her line of vision while taking into account a degree of deviation…" He pressed his paw down on the rough sketch of a mountain. "That places her here."

"Straight toward Algus," Amos muttered.

Phoebe groaned. "This is ridiculous."

Amos glared. "No. No, I think Caractacus is on to something. When I went down into the basement to grab Evelot, I noticed she was staring at the ceiling. I can't say for sure if it was the same direction, but she was staring at something while lost in thought. Plus, Absalom was speaking to her when I found her, and he even spoke to me. Whatever Absalom is capable of, it's beyond our level of understanding."

Phoebe glared. "Oooookay, as crazy as all of this is, I did manage to lead us here based on a hunch." She glared. "Still one major problem, though. It's the 25th, and this prophecy nonsense all comes together on the 31st. How are we going to get to the Algus Kingdom in six days? Evelot already has a head start being able to cut the travel distance in half."

Caractacus grunted. "It would take us a couple weeks to circle around the ruins, and we would run into resistance if we're caught entering New Chariot's territory. We might be able to get there faster if we cut straight through the Great Ruins, but that would still take us a week."

"…Not if we no stop." The group looked back as Magni roused from his slumber, staggering to his feet. He panted heavily, but looked upon them with resolute determination. "I make journey to big mountain…"

Phoebe shook her head. "Magni, you've already pushed yourself too hard getting us here and fighting Babylas. You're going to seriously hurt yourself."

"But if Magni can make the trip without resting, it would get us to Mt. Algus faster," Caractacus said. "In fact, at his top speed, we could actually get there a day early."

"Giving us time to intercept Evelot and talk her out of revenge before she encounters Harriet," Amos concluded. He growled. "But Phoebe's right, Magni. You've been working yourself too hard just to get us this far. We can't ask you to do that for us."

Magni glared. "Evelot is…family. I no leave family behind." He stomped his foot down. "I make journey. I push through pain. Nothing stop Magni from finding Evelot."

"Magni…are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

Magni nodded. "Save Evelot…like Evelot saved Magni."

"…" Amos sighed. "Caractacus, what's the latest we can leave while still getting to Evelot on time?"

The Boltund did some quick calculations in his head before answering, "I'd say midnight is the latest we can leave."

Amos nodded, then glared up at Magni. "We leave an hour before midnight, then. You're going to spend the rest of the day resting and getting your strength back up. Once we set out, you won't have time to sleep or rest your legs. You understand what that entails, right?"

Magni snorted, proudly stamping his foot down. "I get us to big mountain and save Evelot."

"Good. Caractacus, we need Magni to conserve as much energy as he can. Help me drag the wagon over. Phoebe, you stay and keep watch in case there's any Freaks left wandering the town."

Phoebe glared. "We can't afford to let Evelot escape again, Lamecaster. You understand, right?"

Amos nodded. "We'll reach her. I promise."

"…Then we better get ready."

The deathly quiet of Knife's Edge was palpable. In wake of Arethusa's attack and the destruction of the Faucher hideout, all felt still in the world. So quiet that the sounds of pebbles striking the ground boomed like thunder. The Outlands, a chaotic realm where only the most horrible of beings resided, entered a moment of peace.

Such a phenomenon seemed miraculous.

Amidst the quiet, hardly a Freak stirred, dead or weakened by the late Arethusa's grand attack.

Not all would go down so quietly.

Babylas escaped death by a hair, even if he had already deployed a method of escape should the worst come to pass. He had hoped he could reach Evelot, but words alone wouldn't save her heart. Thus, he opted for the only recourse available and fled.

He panted softly, letting the pain from his injuries subside. He clutched at his shoulder, massaging the bullet wound. He could feel the stinging of his face where Evelot dug her claws into. Even when he deployed the delayed switch, he couldn't escape having some of his skin ripped into.

He kept his left eye shut, resting it from the overuse. He leaned into the walls of the soaked building he took refuge in, focusing on the sound of water dripping from the ceiling. He could laugh at how close to death he came if only to ease himself.

He wavered in his attack. If he had went through without hesitation, he could've knocked Evelot out and ended the nightmare. He could've kept her from leaving. And yet, he chose to stay his attack, realizing what it was he would be accomplishing.

He acted in the promise of protecting Evelot from death, even if it meant placing her in an unfavorable position. Though he had no desire to work with Last Autumn in the long term, he was willing to put the region at risk if it meant Evelot would be spared for a short while. He would've acted to delay whatever horrors that unfolded before ending their tyranny in one fell swoop.

He miscalculated.

No. He didn't miscalculate.

He got too greedy.

He wanted to do everything. He wanted to protect Evelot. He wanted to keep up appearances with Last Autumn. He wanted to be one step closer to his immortality.

Evelot was the key to his immortality. She was the reason he worked so hard to keep her safe. He never anticipated her right eye awakening to the power gifted to her without her knowledge. She wasn't supposed to be strong enough.

The awakening of a Heavenly Emotion, a rare phenomenon in its own right, complicated matters.

But no, the true issue was that Babylas was being selfish, and he knew this.

That want and desire had followed him since he was a child, and it continued to follow him into adulthood. He couldn't help being greedy. It was in his nature. It was who he was meant to be, and he selfishly dragged Evelot into his schemes to learn the secrets of the immortality the Fauchers have been studying.

The details of the Book of Faucher, which he knew Evelot left buried in Copper Gorge, were lost to all but Evelot herself. Not even Babylas knew of its contents. The Fauchers knew more about these strange creatures known as Logos than anyone, and Babylas had been uncovering bits and pieces of their history.

What he found in the Great Ruins led him to pursuing the Fauchers. It was a simple scheme. His unobtainable treasure was within his grasp.

Babylas chuckled softly. "What a fool I was. I got too greedy seeking my treasure. It's like what you warned me about, Pops. I shouldn't have confused an epic dream with reality." He shook his head. "No. I shouldn't have forgotten the purpose of a dream. I could've made it real, but a dream is only as strong as what we do in reality. Heh. Are you still out there, Pops? Are you still searching for that legendary castle that floats above the ocean? Heh. A ridiculous dream, but it's your unobtainable treasure. Heh. Even though I've never met you, I've admired your adventures. I got lost in the dream. Sorry, Pops."

Babylas took a deep breath and stared up at the dripping ceiling.

"Hey Pops. If you're out there…if you can hear me, what should I do? Am I strong enough to beat Absalom?" He glared. "Actually, no. I was wondering…if you cared about someone enough, would you sacrifice your dream for them?"

He placed his hand over his left eye.

"The ritual hasn't been completed yet. Because our eyes are linked, I can link our shadows. If anything were to happen to Evelot, there's a way I can save her. But if I do that, then my dream is over." He sighed. "Everything I worked for, too." He chuckled softly. "Then again, I remember the last thing you wrote to me before you went out on your journey. I think I know the answer already. Thanks for watching over me, Pops. I hope you find Heaven's Wings. May your name be remembered throughout history…"

"…So close to death, you're already speaking to an old fool's spirit."

Babylas lowered his gaze as someone stepped into the light. A familiar Skuntank who he hadn't seen in months, though with some noticeable changes. Darker fur, a redness in his eyes, and a stagger in his step.

"…Plouton, wasn't it?" Babylas smirked. "How quaint. You're late, by the way."

Plouton glared. "I came on time. I just didn't expect Arethusa to make a mess of things, or for you to actually struggle against scum."

"A complicated series of matters, I suppose."

"You look terrible."

Babylas snickered. "You don't look so good yourself."

Plouton winced, scratching at his side with his hindleg. Regardless, he smirked back. "You may look down upon me all you wish, but you stand before an evolved being brought forth by the makings of science."

Babylas glared, opening his left eye a bit. Immediately, he noticed a foul aura surrounding the skunk, a vileness that made Evelot's breakdown look like a mild tantrum. It was the foulest miasma he witnessed, and he could feel the anguish within the skunk, something akin to thousands of voices screaming as their lights were chained down by his will alone.

"How did you—"

"It was Cain's handiwork. He proposed a theory to me, and I was his test subject. All in the name of science."

"Symbiotic Reincarnation…"

Plouton glared. "Oh? There's an actual name to it?"

"So, Last Autumn really does have a cluster of those things at their disposal." Babylas clenched his teeth. "And he forced a handful to bond to you."

Plouton smirked. "You know, now that I'm actually looking at you, I do sense a familiar energy coming from you. So, you're familiar with Logos as well?"

Babylas pressed his hand to the wall and picked himself up. "These creatures didn't consent to bonding with you. You and Cain forced what is considered a sacred act of trust upon them. You know nothing of the forces you're playing with."

Plouton snickered. "You're getting angry, aren't you? So, you've encountered these creatures, too, and found a way to trick them into giving power to you."

"…I never tricked them. They asked me to. It was a gift for laying down my life to protect Evelot." He covered his left eye. "You've committed a grave sin for misusing their power. This wondrous gift. It is beyond the limited energy bestowed by Heavenly Emotion and Inherited Will. This is their trust in another creature, sacrificing their bodies and spirits to bond with us mortal beings to become something greater. You've effectively turned your body into a prison of constant agony for them."

"I don't see what the big deal is. The results are the same. I just have more of their power than you do."

"…Heh." Babylas covered his face and laughed. "You think having more of them makes you stronger? Some scientist. You and Cain are just power-hungry opportunists. You couldn't comprehend the wondrous gift these amazing creatures bestow upon us mortals. Nothing more than fools"

Plouton gritted his teeth. "Silence, you. You stand before a god—"

"A god? HA! I'm more of a god than you'll ever be! I understand the beauty of these creatures! You just see them as a power source. The things I've learned after bonding with just one of them…makes me thousands of times stronger than you. An incomplete ritual it may be, but I intend to fix that very soon."

Plouton scoffed. "You think you're making it out of here alive?"

"Even if I'm injured, you can't stop me." Babylas pulled Majestic Wind halfway from his cloak. "I'll cut you down to pieces—"

"I'd advise against that," Plouton warned, his confidence returning. "Unless you want your newfound friends to die in the aftermath."

"…" Babylas glared. "What did you do to your body?"

"Why don't you kill me and find out?"

"…" Babylas pocketed Majestic Wind and sighed. "You know you can't kill me, so why are you still here?"

Plouton grinned. "They're going to look for Evelot Faucher. I already know where Spring-Loaded Harriet is, and something tells me you do, too. I figured I could meet them halfway to Mt. Algus, all nice and rested up, and take a test run of my newfound godhood. Of course, you can't kill me without putting them in danger. In fact, I'd welcome it right now if you rip my head off. It'll allow us to see if Cain's handiwork paid off."

"…" Babylas backed away. "I have no interest in fighting you."

"If you leave me to hunt them down, they will die. And Evelot Faucher will either be taken into our custody or killed by Harriet. Evelot's too much of a rogue factor, and now her recent metamorphosis has complicated any hopes of forcing the Rainbow formula out of her. It's a lost cause to Project Talos as we simply don't have enough Rainbow to fully realize its potential, but it stands to be enough. So, you have no choice."

"…" Babylas smirked. "Actually, I'm betting on them killing you."

Plouton laughed. "You're a fool—"

"Then you shouldn't see much issue, O Mighty Plouton." Babylas bowed to him. "See, no matter what you've got cooking up inside that mutated body of yours, I could easily kill you. However, I seek a deadlier opponent in the future and must conserve my strength. But let me assure you of one thing…"

The Banette backed away, fading into the shadows with only his eyes and grin lingering behind.

"If you pursue the Broken Glass Alchemical Company, you will die. Because the folly of gods…will always be their arrogance."

The building went silent in Babylas' departure, leaving a stunned and irritated Skuntank to ponder the puppet's warning. He didn't want to admit a part of him was shaken by the Banette's confidence, thinking he had the upper hand in making him angry. He now understood why Cain saw Babylas as a wild card to their operation. It wasn't his strength that terrified him.

It was the Banette's unparalleled confidence.

Plouton shook off his doubts and grunted. "Fool…" He whistled, calling upon a teleporting Staryu to his side.

"Where to, Master Plouton?" the Staryu asked, bowing to the skunk.

"Take me to the outskirts of the Great Ruins leading to Mt. Algus. Those wannabe alchemists are making a direct trip there, and we've got a few days to prepare the area for their arrival."

Top of Mt. Algus

The bitter cold of Mt. Algus was not for the faint of heart. Only those of strong will, body, and mind (and perhaps a natural resistance to the cold) would dare traverse and reside on the ever-snowy peaks of Virdis' hardiest kingdom.

The Algus Kingdom was the domain of the strongest warriors in Virdis, those who dedicated themselves to the fight. However, unlike the neighboring empires, their strength came as individuals. The Algus Kingdom and its warriors believed in the glory of battle, and that dying in glorious combat was the ultimate form of victory. It was the truest honor that could be bestowed upon an Algusian warrior.

And it served as the perfect hideout for Virdis' strongest martial artist.

Sitting atop a flat rock in the snow that coated her robes, the Mienshao, Harriet, meditated. Away from her undercover duties, she secluded herself from civilization to strengthen her mind and spirit. Years of meditation granted her precise control of her internal energy, sustaining her body against the harsh cold even in her loose robes that offered little insulation from the elements.

With her task at hand for Last Autumn's mission, she kept to herself on the mountain until the time had come to be summoned again. She was tasked with persuading the heir of Algus to Last Autumn's side, but she took a methodical approach to earning her pupil's trust. Having inserted herself into the good graces of the royal family for many years, she wanted to ease the suggestion into the prince's mind before striking. Besides, she had plans for his training, and she wanted him to be ready before accepting him into the heir system.

Aside from her undercover work, her days were spent meditating and perfecting her training. Despite being considered the pinnacle of martial arts in the criminal underworld, not a day went by where Harriet wasn't improving herself. Each time she mastered a skill, she would relentlessly train that mastered skill until it ascended to an even greater form. The power she possessed was a gift that she studied feverishly, wishing to grasp every aspect of its theoretical limitations until she reached the peak.

It is why she devoted herself to passing on her training to promising students. The creation of Ground Dance Art was the first step to her training during her days as a novice, thus it would be the basis for her pupils. So far, none have grasped the finer points of her sacred technique, unworthy of advancing to the next step.

The ascension of Ground Dance Art to its next state was key to understanding the bond between body and spirit. If one can find the balance between both, they would be granted insight into the next step: Sky Dance Art.

Only then would she consider someone worthy of learning her sacred martial art.

But who among the many Pokémon in Virdis had the potential to master her Sky Dance Art?

Only time would tell.

Harriet finally released the breath she was holding and opened her eyes, the light within them having been extinguished many, many years ago. "…Fate is strange. The connections between individuals are vast and ever-growing. A single interaction creates a new network of connections that ties the world together. It is like the threads that make up a tapestry. We are all just threads to a greater canvas. Thus, I wonder what fate has in store for me." She glanced over her shoulder. "You would know, wouldn't you?"

Without even needing to look, she felt the presence of a spectral force that left no shadow or footprints in the snow. It stared at her back with blood red eyes, a palpable force emitting from them.

"…You said my destiny is incomplete, and that by completing it, I would bring fortune to Last Autumn. You know a lot, Master Absalom."

The specter narrowed its eyes.

"Was it fate that brought us together? On the day we met, I thought my life was forfeit. I threw everything away, lost in despair, yet I awoke at your side. You said my spirit, my resolve to live, was what kept me from passing on into the next life. Was I fated to live, or have I defied a written web of fates?"

The specter gave no reply, silently staring at her.

"This unjust world will be reborn under Lord Terrowin's vision, and I shall gladly serve who becomes the true ruler of Virdis. I, too, wish to see a world removed of villainy." She closed her eyes, breathing out deeply through her nose. "You know why I choose to serve Lord Terrowin. Master, tell me, what is your story?"

The specter stared emptily at the Mienshao.

"Everyone has a beginning. What drives you to serve Lord Terrowin? You speak little for your past, yet I can tell you carry great resolve in your loyalty. Is it truly loyalty that guides you to his vision? Or do you perhaps seek your own vision of the future?"

"…" The specter turned away from Harriet and walked toward the mountain's edge, collapsing into a plume of fog.

Harriet sighed and resumed her meditation, exhaling softly. "If I were to wager a guess, I'd say your tapestry is still being written. Your tapestry. Could it be exactly as I described? A never-ending network of threads making up a never-ending tapestry? Who are you, Master Absalom?"