Chapter 31: A Drop of Blood...
The very moment when Epoliktzus took his last breath, the rainbow-like light in the sky also seemed to change. At first it swirled around wildly, like a kind of whirlpool in the sky that got faster, faster and faster... until it suddenly stopped completely. And after a second of calm, it exploded in a flash of light. When the light faded again, all the Pokemon were faced with a new outline. It was nothing more than the shadow of a human, completely black, and yet he himself cast a shadow through the torches on the wall. This was who Epoliktzus wanted to be. The author! Me!
"After everything that has happened... that's probably it. All of you who are here, I have to thank you. Aurora, Kel, Polar, Aurorus, Tyrantrum, Zeraora, Hail, Grimmsnarl..., Epsilon. And above all, of course, you, Darkrai. It is always a pleasure to work with you once more."
"The pleasure is all mine, for the trust you have given me to fulfill this role. And yet... you know my role! Jason, you know what must happen now!"
I glanced briefly through the ranks of Pokemon.
"Well... that's true. I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart! But now I must ask you to follow Darkrai's orders. He will finish what began decades ago!"
I vanished again quickly, knowing that this was not my task. Darkrai was the Epoliktzus of this world, a guardian and outlaw of all mistakes. And mistakes were made.
"Well then... the author said so. I'll take over here. And I hope for your cooperation!"
"That depends on what!", Aurora answered, still some sass left in her even after the spectacle.
"I am the judge of this world. As Epoliktzus, I sense mistakes, see things that have happened. And I must punish those mistakes. There is a ritual! A ritual that you all must undergo! As part of a great war full of madness and violence!"
As if from nowhere, a stone formed in the guardian's hand. It was small, but blood red, like a ruby. Its tip was unspeakably sharp. A small elevation of rock rose from the ground in front of Darkrai, like an altar.
"A drop of blood for every lie! Mistakes were made, but remorse can bring forgiveness. For this ritual, a Pokemon takes this ruby and cuts itself. In the palm of its hand, or its paw, depending on what the Pokemon has. This ruby is made from the blood of Epoliktzi and it senses, it senses truth. And for every lie on this journey, a drop of your blood will spring from the cut. This blood must fall onto the altar. As soon as the wound closes, the sins are forgiven, but not forgotten. Let me show you how it is done."
Without hesitation, the shadow cut himself with his gemstone into the palm of its hand, from which it let its red sword disappear. He held that hand over the altar and a single red drop fell before the wound seemed to disappear.
"A drop for my truth, which I kept secret from the world, from every Pokemon. A drop for being Epoliktzus."
Uneasy glances fell around the room. A drop of blood for every lie as a path to forgiveness. But in the face of this judge, refusing to cooperate seemed impossible.
"So, if anyone wants to refuse, then raise your voice now!"
Silence remained. The shadow almost seemed surprised, but he seemed to understand.
"Well then, let's begin! Zeraora, you step forward first! Let's start with you!"
In a rare fit, the electric Pokemon seemed very nervous as he slowly approached and took the stone in his hand. After a brief hesitation, he decided that hesitation would only do harm. So he ran the tip of his hand once. But nothing happened.
"I... am I doing this right? I don't want to do anything wrong!"
"Give the stone to Tyrantrum."
No sooner said than done, as the fossil seemed much less hesitant and instead quickly followed... with the same result.
"Are you sure this shit works? This thing doesn't do anything!"
"Good! Zeraora, Tyrantrum! Have you only done the right thing on this journey? Well, that's not up to me to judge. But no matter what the answer is... you stood by what you said. Deceit and violence are not what you followed. A drop of blood for every lie, but no lies were spoken! You two have completed the ritual and nothing needs to be forgiven. Now I must ask you to leave this grotto."
Relieved, the leader of Team Slash seemed to obey happily, silently following Tyrantrum.
"Grimmsnarl! You will be next!"
Even the great warrior leader did not seem to be in the mood to contradict a creature like Epoliktzus Darkrai. Instead, he too took the stone and made a cut, his hand over the altar. A drop of blood fell down, the altar briefly glowed red. But then the wound seemed to be fading.
"A lie is a lie, no matter what conscience or desire. Even if you only listened to the author, you pretended murder towards a family. But it will be forgiven by the world itself. The ritual is complete. Please leave! Hail. You're next!"
The Ninetales also obeyed, stepped forward and imitated what those before had done. A drop of blood fell down, the altar flashed white. A second drop fell, then it glowed red and the wound closed.
"You were also involved when the murder was pretended. For you too, it was a lie. But in your case, what's more, you lived a life afterward, the very existence of which you hid from the world. Your lies were also lies of necessity, out of good conscience, and yet they were lies. Remember them and think of the effect of your actions as you move forward in life. Your ritual was also successful. Step out."
Before calling the next Pokemon, Darkrai actually seemed to hesitate a little.
"Aurorus, let's get this over with. You're a strange special case... you've done enough damage, but at the same time you're crazy enough to usually do it in the open. It is difficult not to judge you for creating deadly poisons, but it is also difficult to judge you when you are doing it publicly, often even under the eyes of others. The ruby will decide."
Aurorus also obeyed, made the cut… with a little too much enthusiasm in Epsilon's eyes. A single drop of blood dripped down and this time the altar glowed yellow. The cut seemed to close, but not completely, instead it left a scar.
"Well then. Your secret support of the emperors was a true lie and that was punished. Your other actions… are, as I said, a case in itself. You should have a scar so that you always remember this day and perhaps don't fall back into old ways at the next opportunity. Although we all know, you will do so anyway. Leave!"
The more rituals passed, the more nervous the three emperors around Epsilon became. They all knew that their actions were greater, worse than all the others.
"Then we are slowly getting to the heart of the matter. Kel, let's start with you."
The lion radiated discomfort, but he still walked forward with his head held high. He too repeated what the others had done. A drop of blood fell.
"For your truth underneath the emperor's mask."
The altar glowed white. A second drop.
"For the lie about Aurorus' attack."
White again. A third drop.
"For the ambush Polar set."
Now there was another yellow flash as Kel jumped up briefly and around twenty drops of blood dripped onto the altar.
"And this is for the fighting, the violence you caused. The harm you have done."
Only now did the altar glow red and the wound closed.
"Kel. You are a good Pokemon. But a good Pokemon who went down the wrong path. I am convinced that you will be able to leave your time as emperor behind you and live a bright future. I believe in your purity. Don't disappoint me. Now leave!"
The lion seemed to hesitate for a moment... then he did what no one had dared to do before. He did not follow the order.
"No! I'm not leaving without Aurora!"
For a split second, Darkrai seemed angry, but he quickly pulled himself together.
"Very well. You are allowed to do stay. Then I will take your turn immediately, Aurora!"
The head of the emperors! Now things could get interesting! Aurora also did as she was asked. And immediately seemed to be shot through with pain. Immediately, concerned, Kel approached her, but Darkrai did not stop him. Blood gushed from the wound for a few seconds. This time, the altar seemed to be reddened not by light, but by blood. After these seconds, however, it all ended abruptly and Aurora seemed to calm down slightly.
"Do I really have to tell you what sins you carry within you? Attacks, starting a war, lie after lie! And yet you have mostly tried to avoid violence. The same applies to you as to Kel. You have the chance, the potential, the soul to become a better Pokemon. One of the best. Let the scars inside you heal! Together, you two can improve! But I warn you! Think carefully before you turn down this chance! Because if you don't use your second chance, I will have to act! And now leave! Both of you! No more staying!"
This order was obediently followed. That left two.
"Polar. Your move!"
The Ninetales was still a little unsteady on its feet, having only recently woken up from unconsciousness. At the same time, he knew that his punishment would not be much different from the one he had just seen his sister receive. But that did not change the fact that he had no real choice. And yes, it was as he had imagined. The same spectacle as with Aurora appeared to Epsilon again, even if she thought it lasted a second less.
"Polar, you too were an emperor from the very beginning, guilty of the most your sister was as well. But not to the full extent. The time after your staged attack was one in which you had almost no room to lie. You were also a follower, not the origin, even if that is no excuse. But you too are given the chance to live a future far removed from the past. You, your sister and Kel, you all have a strong sense of justice, a sense that you can use for good, now that the madness has died down. Go! And don't look back! A drop of blood for every lie, a life for every broken soul!"
Polar also disappeared from the cave, without a word, in the now black light of the entrance. Now there were only two Pokemon left in this room. Darkrai and Epsilon!
"Come on then! Take off the armor, get rid of the gloves. It's your turn, Epsilon! Perform the ritual!"
There was no answer in words, not even in actions. Instead, the Plot Empress looked at her hand, hidden by the gloves of her outfit. What followed... was a mere, cold look at the shadow in front of her.
"Come on! What is the holdup? The others have all completed the ritual! Grimmsnarl, Polar, Aurora, Tyrantrum, Aurorus, Zeraora, Kel, Hail, names upon names upon names and they were all willing! What's holding you back?"
Another moment of pure silence followed. After that, the moment had come. Darkrai's missing blade returned to his hand, completing what was the image of a demon slayer.
"You know you cannot do it, don't you? A drop of blood for every lie, a life for every broken soul! The point of turning back is longby gone for you! There exists no ritual that could bring somebody like you forgiveness! No matter how much conscience an Epoliktzus has, you can only be seen as a mistake! You have started wars, lied to every Pokemon! Multiple times! You have killed Pokemon, once with other people's poisons, but also with your own hand! A world can forgive many things, but it can never forget when the moon shines red and the seas are soaked in blood! Epsilon! You have two options! You can take the ruby! Perform the ritual! A ritual that a soul like yours cannot survive! If you refuse, then I myself will have to bring you your punishment! So! You have the choice! Fight for your life! If you dare!"