Well, hello everyone and welcome to the home stretch of this fic. I am not apologizing for the last chapter. XD

That being said, whatever you think happened ir is going to happen is wrong and I am so excited for this chapter because of it. Why?

Well...I'll let you read and find out yourselves. Just do me a nice favor and leave a fav/review/follow and ill catch you huys next time! :D

Chapter 36: Stardust

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Axl opened his eyes. He was lying on the grass of an open meadow with a bright light washing around him and a soft ambient sound above his head. For a few heartbeats he relaxed, reveling in the warm air.

Then he realized he didn't recognize his surroundings at all, with the sky above him looking like a sheet of diamonds that sparkled beautifully. The landscape around him looked like a normal field with trees and a massive body of water that stretched like an ocean into an endless skyline.

Abruptly, he sat up. He was not alone. Multitudes of Pokémon species littered the clearing, illuminating it with the shimmer of their bodies and the gleam in their eyes. For a moment, Axl didn't recognize any particular face of the dozens he saw, until he locked eyes with a certain hulking mass not too far away: Thorn.

The Nidoking huffed. "Hello, Axl." He growled, grinning.

Axl scrambled to his feet, not comprehending anything for a moment. "What's going on?" He demanded, unhooking his scalchop.

Thorn chuckled and pointed at the water with his tail. "Look, fool."

Axl turned his head to what Thorn was motioning to and followed his line of sight to where the body of water was. Given him a suspicious look, Axl carefully walked to the shore line that licked the grass. At first he thought Thorn was being ridiculous, but suddenly he realized the surface was filled with the faintest outlines of Guildmaster Finnegan, Nero, Liza, Duncan, Ceren and Erin. Their faces were so distraught and pale they barely reflected the starlight-like glow of the diamonds above.

"If you haven't put two and two together, we both died." Thorn said, crossing his arms.

A shiver ran through Axl. So this is what is was like to die. He stared in mingled curiosity and fear at his friends' pale faces that slowly trudged through the forest. As he squinted his eyes to make them out further, he saw them hunched and bleeding, their bodies ragged and the light of desperation burning in their eyes.

Axl wrenched his head aside to break the sight. He sighed, a mixture of sadness and relief. They were banged up, sure, but if they were moving in…whatever the hell this ocean was, then he assumed that meant everyone survived. Right?

He glanced at Thorn, putting his arms behind his head. "So, uh, what ended up happening?" He asked him. "I'm assuming we won?"

Thorn rose his head. "I was killed by Finnegan. I do not know what occurred afterwards, I arrived here a little bit before you."

"Ah, I'm guessing I'm in hell then if you're here." Axl said slyly, dropping his aggressive demeanor towards his former enemy. "Makes sense, I suppose."

"Pfft, not sure if you'd call this hell." Thorn said humorously. "I would've offed myself a long time ago if I knew this was"hell "."

Axl glanced around again and squinted his eyes to unsuccessfully adjust them to the light. Now that he looked harder, his surroundings were distorted. Almost as though a rainbow colored haze briefly obscured his vision. He swore if he thought hard enough, he could make the landscape a completely different setting if he wanted.

The delusion in power made him stumble backwards and clutch his head, overwhelmed by the amount in his head.

"It's normal for it to feel like a bad trip at first. You'll forget what pain is soon enough, so just breathe…er, or something."

Both Axl and Thorn snapped their heads back to the water, and made a reflexive defensive move. A sharp pain entered both of their chests at the sight of what hovered over the water.

Axl had never seen a Pokémon that looked like this before. It was a black shadow-like creature with a small head with a white fog-like ghostly plume billowing from its head covering one of its bright blue eyes, with the portion on its face resembling hair. A red spiky growth hung around his neck.It had an hourglass body covered in tatters, almost as though it was wearing a tattered cloak.

It looked like a nightmare.

It stared down at them with a tired look. "Sup?" He asked, sensing their fear.

Thorn took a step back, his eyes wide and a bead of sweat on his head. "No way, you're supposed to be a legend." He said, sounding astonished.

The shadow like a pokemon turned his icy blue stare towards him. "Technically, I'm a 'myth'." He retorted monotonously.

Axl glanced at Thorn. "Er, you two long lost brothers?" He asked, darting his eyes between them both as though trying to see the resemblance.

Thorn kept a guard up, as though he was stuck between feeling threatened or exasperated. "I'm sure even you have heard of the boogeyman in some term." He said, slowly moving his eyes to Axl. "Well, I grew up on an island named Newmoon, where legend says he was born. Typical frightening little children stories and all of that. Except, our local library had an interesting section on him. The term means 'frightening spector' in our native tongue and the sketches of sightings describe him as a 'shadow-like demon with a gaze almost as cold as the air around him'. He was also known as…'Darkrai'."

An awkward moment of silence was allowed before Axl gave him a baffled look. "Did you just tell me an idea for a Halloween film, or were you being serious?" He joked, also unsure how to act.

Thorn finally settled on exasperation. "Honestly…I'm not sure." He muttered.

Darkrai turned his gaze to Thorn and even Axl fell for the tale as suddenly the air felt like it turned past absolute zero in a heartbeat. Stumbling in pain as his heart went into brief shock from the sudden temperature drop, he soon froze from the intensity. Even Thorn, for the creature he was, found himself in a cold sweat underneath the intense stare.

It was countless times more paralyzing than even the aura Guildmaster Finnegan could protrude.

When Darkrai spoke, his voice was darker than the shadows that composed his body. "I'm…used…to scare…children?" His voiced dragged on, almost as though he was in just as much disbelief at the news.

Then a brief pause in time fell over them.

Finally, in an instant, Darkrai was hunched with his back turned towards the both of them. He was visibly depressed as he rested his head over his crossed arms in defeat. "Couldn't even give me a cool name like 'Samael' like Giratina got, instead they named me after boogers…" He grumbled irritably.

Axl sweatdropped. "I think you might have gotten clocked on the head before you died." He told Thorn, finding himself much more relaxed and accustomed to the feeling of…no feeling.

A brief pause preceded Darkrai floating back up, continuing. "Anywho, welcome to the next step in your existence. The one and only afterlife." He said, sounding just as monotonous as before.

Thorn raised a brow. "Are we in purgatory or something?" He asked, looking around at his surroundings.

Darkrai scratched his nose. "Well…I guess." He murmured. "This plane is known as 'Stardust', where all Hazaranmon go after they die."

Both Pokemon blinked, flabbergasted at this bit of info. They glanced at each other and both had their Hazaranmarks back in their respective places.

Thorn lashed his tail, snorting. "So even in death, we are not equal." He mocked. "Unbelievable."

Axl rolled his eyes. "On the contrary, at least we won't have to worry about you murdering anyone down here." He jabbed, before turning back to Darkrai. "So, what's the deal with segregation, bogey?"

Darkrai narrowed his eyes on the otter. "Well…we'd love to be able to judge your souls and send them to where they belong. The problem is, we can't." He told him.

Neither spoke, and Darkrai sighed. "Very long story short, Hazaranmon aren't a creation of Arceus. That mark not only binds your psyches, but your souls themselves. This plane was made through the dreams of the one that created you." He continued, pausing again.

When they didn't speak, he sighed again, almost as though he didn't want to continue. "So, in short, your souls are trapped here unless you die or come back to life." He said, pausing again.

This time, Axl comedically lost his patience. "WILL YOU TELL US THE DAMN STORY ALREADY??" He yelled, eyes white in anger. Thorn sweatdropped, but tapped his foot impatiently at Darkrai's hesitations.

Darkrai sighed. "Look, do you know how many lives are lost each day? Can you imagine having to explain life countless and countless times? Give me a break." He said tiredly.

Axl threw his scalchop on the ground at the shadow's apathy. "THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE??" He shouted.

"Well, me and my partner are capable of inhabiting dreams." Darkrai said, crossing his arms. "Making this place bearable is the least we can do ... .since the war…"

He paused again, drifting his gaze far out.

This time, Thorn was the one to uncharacteristically snap at him. "JUST SPILL IT ALREADY!" He yelled.

Darkrai sighed. "Uggh, listen, if I were to explain it all, there may not even be enough time to. At the very least, I might not have enough time to even explain it to you." He motioned to Axl before turning back to Thorn. "You might not even make it fifty years from the looks of it."

Axl gave him a look. "Wait, what?" He asked.

"Your bodies." Darkrai instructed them.

Following his directions, both took a glance at their bodies and quickly got what he was stalking about.

Axl's body was far less opaque than Thorn's, almost appearing as his body had once before. In fact, with a glance around the clearing, his body was the most solid of anyone's. Some were so ghostly they hardly seemed as though they were there at all. More like mist than flesh. Thorn seemed to have a crystal like fog around him, with Axl being able to faintly make out the landscape behind the Nidoking.

"What's with some of us being ghosts?" Axl asked as Thorn was studying his body.

Darkrai shook his head. "Well, they either have been here a long, long time and are being forgotten, or they either didn't have enough to remember them before they died." He explained and motioned them to the water once more. "Tell me, how many Pokémon do you see on the surface?"

Axl narrowed his eyes at the surface. As he squinted, he realized he could make out dozens and dozens of shapes. He recognized every face, whether they were friends or even a stranger he helped out on a mission.

He answered first. "I see a lot, at least dozens."

Thorn was next. "I see a handful."

Darkrai nodded. "Those are the souls that remember you, dead or alive." He pointed at Thorn. "Once everyone has forgotten you, you will move on to…the afterdeath, I suppose."

Thorn lashed his tail.

Darkrai continued. "The ones you killed didn't remember 'Thorn' they remembered a demon taking their lives." He said, as though reading his thoughts. "Soon enough, you will just be another face in the crowd."

Meanwhile, the thought of being forgotten by everyone suddenly chilled Axl. So…even in death, there's eventually another destination?

Turning his attention to Axl, Darkrai continued. "Being forgotten is nothing to fear. Nothing was ever made to last forever. All lives fade and disappear eventually. I, personally, would love the peace." Darkrai told him. A brief moment of silence saw the shadow-like creature move his gaze away from them. "So…anyways…if that's all, I should be-"

"OH, DARKRAIIII!"

A sudden loud, feminine voice echoed in the clearing as a new creature bounded towards them. Weirdly, none of the Pokémon in the clearings seemed to pay attention as a blue, swan-like creature floated towards them. Pink eyes stared at them underneath a pink tuft underneath her eyes. Her head sported a yellow, crescent-shaped ornament that looked like a moon. She seemed to be propelled by glowing, pink, ring-like wings on her sides and back.

Darkrai put a hand over his eyes. "Oh, Arceus…" He muttered, sounding annoyed.

Axl raised a brow. "So, even you take the lords name in vain." He commented.

The pink creature made her way quickly towards them. "Oh, we have new souls with us, welcome!" He cheerful voice, while a nice contradiction to Darkrai, irritated the pair of Pokémon that were confused. "I'm Cresselia, Darkrai's partner. Welcome to the afterlife."

Axl crossed his arms with a frown. "You know, I think leading with her might be more welcoming in the future, Bogey." He told the Darkrai, earning another glare.

Thorn lashed his tail. "This is ridiculous!" He muttered, although his usual grin clashed with his words. "Even in death, we remain stuck in a limbo, just waiting to die. Except this time, we are stuck with a mopey emo and this pink puffy bitch!"

As he said this, he slammed his tail in the ground, cracking it around him. He had stood to his full height, considerably more massive than the other two Pokémon they had just met.

Darkrai remained on the water, but Cresselia was directly next to Thorn as he lost his temper. For a moment, Axl felt nervous for the pink Pokémon as he looked over her.

The shadow-like Pokemon scratched his head as he sweat dropped. "You might be right about leading with her." He said to Axl as he slowly floated away from the two. "I'd recommend moving back a few hundred feet."

Axl stared at him bewildered. "Shouldn't we help her?" He asked him wildly, acting out of habit. However, what sounded like a cannon blast suddenly knocked Axl off of his feet. Rolling with a few somersaults, Darkrai nonchalantly caught the small otter in a cold, ghastly hand.

Rubbing his head from the noise, he whipped his head around to see what had happened. At first, he was surprised to see Cresselia still in the same spot looking annoyed at the outburst. Beyond her, a good thirty feet, was a smoking hole with two thick purple legs sticking out of it.

Axl's face was completely white in shock and fear.

Darkrai gave a nervous cough. "Anywho, in case your friend is either stupid or crazy enough to threaten her again, I should inform you two that you can in fact be killed in this realm as well. You would pass on as though you were forgotten."

All of this information was making Axl's head spin. So much for even death being simple.

Suddenly, a realization hit him. "Wait! If this is where all Hazaranmon have come…do you know a Judith Ingrassio?" He asked, feeling his chest tighten.

His stomach sank as Darkrai shook his head, his eye briefly illuminating. "Don't recall, I'm afraid." He replied.

Axl scoffed. "So much for making this place bearable!" He snapped, wanting to clobber the apathetic asshole.

"If you're looking for a manager, I'll be happy to assist you."

Three heads snapped around and a fourth dazed head emerged from the crater he was launched into. The mood of the environment changed and Pokemon in the clearing scuttled away nervously. Further evident of the shift were the sudden serious auras of the two legendary Pokemon.

The speaker of the voice was another creature Axl had never seen. He walked on two legs with a frail-looking pale, orange body that was covered in a dark cloak covered in tatters. His shape reminded Axl of an emaciated monkey-Pokémon. The sharp points of his ears poked out of long blonde hair that reached a little past his shoulders. Emerald green eyes were peering at them through his long, gnarled fingers that ended in dirty brown claws.

Darkrai scrunched his face in anger. "You…" He growled

Axl whipped his head to the dark Pokémon. "Who is this guy?" He asked tensely.

Darkrai didn't budge. "We call him Phantom…the dreamer if you will." He started before trailing off.

A slight groan from behind them preceded Thorn. "What does that even mean?" He asked in confusion.

Phantom grinned with fangs the texture of gravestone. "It means I'm god, bitch, now bow." He answered in a menacing high pitched tone.

Moving one of his fingers, both Axl and Thorn's body's contorted as they were forced to bend at the waist. Despite fighting with all of his strength, Axl couldn't break out of the movement whatsoever.

And judging from Thorn's face, neither could he.

Phantom let out a hyena-like screech as he placed his face over his head. It was slow and drawn out, almost as if he was emphasizing every 'ha'.

Darkrai, who remained unaffected, suddenly whicked as though a sharp wind had pierced him. "Knock it off." He growled at the creature.

Phantom calmed himself down. "Oh, come now, Mr Booger Man, no need for the fuss." Suddenly has eyes went crazed as he grabbed Axl's face in a flash. "HEY KID, WANT TO WATCH ME TURN HIS HORN INSIDE OUT!"

With a menacing, deep, growling voice that came from nowhere, Thorn's horn suddenly seemed to cave in at the top and sunk inwards before the massive Nidoking was sent squirming on the ground in a hysterical agony.

Phantom wasn't finished as he watched in glee. "AND I BET YOU'VE NEVER BEEN ELECTROCUTED BEFORE, RIGHT? WELL HERE'S A WELCOMING GIFT OF 50,000 VOLTS." His eyes seemed to become spirals as suddenly Thorn thrashed as his body seized and convulsed in an amount of pain at which Axl couldn't begin to fathom.

Worst of all, Phantom was cackling. "LET ME GUESS WHAT YOU'RE THINKING. "I WANT TO DIE! I WANT TO DIE!" Axl couldn't tell if he was frozen in fear or if Phantom still had a spell on him. "WELL, GUESS WHAT, YOU ALREADY DID!"

Suddenly, another cannon blast boomed in the clearing and in a bright, pink flash Phantom was flat on his back, smoking piling from his body. However, manic giggles still showed life in the creepy phantom.

The attack seemed to break Thorn out of his own spill, leaving the Nidoking in a heavy breathing state on the ground. Darkrai narrowed his eyes in pity for even Thorn. Without a word, a dark void appeared underneath Thorn before pulling him.

Seeing the bewilderment on Axl's face, he spoke. "It's a move called 'Dark Void', he'll stay asleep in my own consciousness until the pain subsides." He told him.

Phantom finally found the breath to speak, also speaking to Axl. "Marvelous, ain't it. How something so powerful is just as insignificant as you in the end. No matter what you wear, what your wealth, what you do, everything one day ends up six feet under ground." He sat up, but stayed there. Propping a knee up, he rested his arm on it as he made eye contact with Axl. "All as powerless as the day they were born."

Cresselia instinctively got in front of Axl. "I suppose Darky told you about this creep?" She asked him.

Darkrai faltered in his serious demeanor for a moment. "I may have…given them the cliff notes." He said slowly, entering a cold sweat as Cresselia turned her glare to him. "But he's the reason we are here."

With her cheeks puffed out, she returned to the situation. "Well, in short, Phantom is the creator of this world and your Hazaranmarks. A long time ago in order to win a war, there was a Pokémon that struck a deal with Giratina to become a 'Demi-legendary'. He's the one who created the marks, the one who created this space and the one trying to return to life."

Axl almost guffawed. "Seriously, it feels like I'm just stuck in a corny horror film right now!" He muttered, joking to distract himself from his fear. Then he really thought about her words. "Wait, back to life?"

Phantom clicked his tongue. "Oh please let me tell him, I won't be able to talk about it anymore." He mockingly begged Cresselia. The pink Pokémon didn't speak and Phantom giggled. "You see, big bro Giratina also gave me another power. While I can never be immortal like a legendary, I do possess the power of one. A gift I happily passed on to all of my children. The power of negotiation."

Axl sweatdropped.

"For the cost of your Hazaranmark, I can grant any wish your little, fragile hearts desire. Murder, plagues, rebirth all at your fingertips. In return…" As he spoke, he suddenly tossed his cloth away, revealing a body covered in an extraordinary amount of Hazaranmarks. "I take my Hazaranmarks back! Just one more powerful mark returned to my being and like that I'm back baby!"

He loudly giggled, once again holding every heave to extend each of his laughs.

Darkrai also moved in front of Axl. "I probably should have worded it "trying to keep a great evil returning alive" bearable." He said sheepishly.

Then, Phantom slowly calmed himself as though he knew a grave secret over them. "Of course, explaining myself again must be like hearing your dad repeat old stories of his youth, eh?" He mocked Axl, earning a slight scowl from the otter. "I'm rather hurt you forgot a face as remarkable as mine."

Taken aback, Darkrai looked between Axl and Phantom as though trying to see the resemblance. "Wait, are you two long lost brothers?" He asked, mimicking Axl's earlier joke.

Phantom cackled. "I get it if you don't remember his mother, but tell me you haven't forgotten this little guy's face. Granted, he was younger and squishier back then I suppose." He said, using his hand to condescendingly measure Axl's short stature. Phantom himself stood taller than both Darkrai and Cresselia by a decent amount.

Darkrai looked back at Axl and seemed to concentrate for a second, then suddenly his eyes grew wide and panicked. "No way." He said so quietly, Axl didn't know if he meant to speak.

Darting his eyes, Axl didn't like the feeling he was getting. "What does he mean?" He asked frantically.

Then, as if Phantom wanted to answer his fears, his green eyes flashed momentarily and Axl instantly found himself writhing in the ground much like Thorn.

It was as though freezing water was rushed into his mouth, causing a terrible tearing and burning sensation as it filled his airway. His body felt stuck in molasses, almost as though he got caught in a surprise sinkhole. The light was dimming and Axl's eyes rolled back as the overwhelming cold threatened to take him before the pain or lack of air. It was almost as if he was gasping for air while gasping for air.

Phantom pointed and laughed at the seizuring Oshawott. "Ah ha ha, he's like a fish out of water." He chimed happily, earning another psychic blast that sent him barreling backwards. Still, his high-pitched giggles grated on the ears of the two legendaries.

Finally Axl's struggles finally stopped and he lay with his eyes staring blankly at the sky. For a brief moment, it was almost as if his mind glitched before he returned to his setting.

He was in a cold sweat, clutching his scalchop in a shake as he could barely sit up.

Phantom returned himself to his feet and grinned at Axl. "Apologies." He said with a wink. "I was replaying his own memories to be fair."

Darkrai was angry, but Axl pushed himself up, his eyes wide as…memories were coming back to him.

He couldn't focus on anything in particular. "W…what?" He said quietly in disbelief.

Phantom shook his head. "You didn't think it was feasible for a child as young as you to survive a swim that far, did you? Especially because you were both so emancipated and weakened. I couldn't believe you two survived for as long as you did."

Cresselia darted her head between the two. "What does he mean?" She asked the two shocked looking Pokemon next to her.

When neither couldn't answer, Phantom started walking towards them. "Well, have you remembered. That night you and mommy escaped to the ocean, the nightmare that has haunted you your whole life was missing one major plot hole, bucko: you died for the first time with your mother on that day!"