Roads To Remedy
Chapter 1
Take In The Air
Star ducked quickly behind another corner of milky marble and stone, praying her golden tails following behind her did not betray her position as she hid herself behind a column of intertwining shimmering crystals, out of sight. In a moment, many shadows grew against the waxed floor, appearing numerous and in many shapes and sizes.
"Yeah, I saw her around her last!" a voice echoed off the storied walls, just barely audible over the fervent murmur of crowds and groups. "Let's try down here; I think she might have went this way."
Star slunk further into whatever miniscule darkness the corner could offer, wincing as the group of Pokémon; a Furret, Makuhita, Eevee, more and more, strolled past her haven with golden amulets on their persons, shaped like the red phoenix they all worshipped, that she offered guidance towards.
Once they had finally passed, slipping into another mass of idle, chatting bodies, a long-held breath finally escaped her throat; a sigh of relief.
They no doubt, like many before them, had wanted her blessings. Normally, she would be elevated to offer a prayer for them and their fortune, but so many had come to her tonight- a night she was already far too swamped with worry for- that she needed this small moment of peace.
Tonight had been the bi-annual Luster Conference within Heartstone Palace; a fleeting time when the palace's halls were open to all from every corner of the Undercast, whilst more influential figures convened deeper within the great house of crystal and stone.
As the second, newly dubbed Illumini of the faith in this buried kingdom, it was both her obligation and pleasure to attend like her mother before her.
If she could even make it past the crowded corridors vying for her attention, that was. Then there was also the issue of this being her first time ever in the palace; the path was lost to her. She had been exploring in a manner, trying to find any room of importance she might stray into. Now, she had taken too long on her little detour; late for an important meeting.
Star peered back around the pillar, her eyes scanning the hallway ahead of her. Glancing back and forth, her exits had been blocked by countless others, standing without purpose in the middle of the halls. If she were to leave now and try to find the conference, no doubt many of the event comers would hound her with questions and ask for favors. Just the thought made her throat ache with how many prayers she had uttered this evening alone, let alone the daunting thought that she would have to lead a large session later tonight in the palace's gardens. She did not blame them; if anything, she was happy to see the faith her mother garnered was still so fervent and popular.
But a little part of her did wish she could gather the courage to say 'no' to their requests when she needed to be elsewhere. "Oh, benevolent Sacred Fire," she whispered to herself, "Ho-Oh, grant me strength."
As her mind buzzed with ideas and plots on how to best slip past the crowds, a faint gurgle, a sound like boiling water sloshing beside her made itself known. A puddle, flushed a deep, warbling purple, had emerged on the wall near her side- a trick she had known one person to use quite frequently.
From that shadowy opening emerged an arm covered in bark and legs like roots, pulling themselves out of the wall, revealing the form of an old, mossy Trevenant as they stepped out and closed the ghastly opening they had left.
An amused, curt giggle bubbled in Star's throat. "Still not a fan of using normal doors, Willow?"
Willow's red eye quickly swung to her, surprised to see someone else in the off-shoot hallway. A moment of pause filled the air between the two as he examined her, examining the red clothing she wore and the colorful dyes that now painted the tips of her tails. Once the realization hit, the old tree's posture relaxed. "A Ninetales, dressed red and white, bearing colors of the Sacred Fire. Well, now," Willow spoke, his voice curt and strong, "if it isn't Star. I had heard the news- no doubt everyone has- but I never imagined I'd run into the new Illumini herself whilst I was here. I thought she would have been busy playing with all the other big names in the banquet hall," he said, his voice slick with sarcasm.
Star laughed. "Ha. You're one to speak. What are you doing sneaking inside walls here?"
"Just needed to step outside quickly for a breath of fresh air, I'm sure you understand. It gets tiring always being on the watch for the more unsavory characters," Willow shrugged. "But what I'm doing pales in comparison to you. This wing is far from the banquet hall; nothing but old records and gibbering texts here. Shouldn't you be with the Magistrates, drinking fine tea? It wouldn't be a good look for the new Illumini if she were to keep such important and esteemed figures waiting, wouldn't you agree?"
The reminder stung her. "I know, I'm very late, but…" she peeked back around the corner, finding the same crowds as before… but had they gotten larger? She groaned. "I need to get to that hall, but there's all this," she said, pointing her nose at the gathered bodies, "and I don't even know the blasted way there."
"Is that it?" Willow chuckled, amused. "I thought my chaperoning days of you were done. Does the second Illumini need a helping hand?"
"No, no! I can manage just fine," Star hastily replied. She needed to do this herself. "If there was maybe a distraction, or something like a call for attention, then maybe I could…"
Star's mutterings only made Willow's eye roll. Having heard enough, he stepped closer to her and a shadowy aura enveloped them both in an instant, pulling them into the floor as Star yelped in surprise.
The world around her became dark, black as streaks of violet and scarlet whirled around her as she floated in nothingness; the whisperings of faint voices talking of the event, distant echoes of close conversations tugging at her ear as they faded through walls.
As quickly as she had vanished, a light shone itself onto her, growing closer and closer before she was thrust back out another, different wall with stumbling steps, in a hall someplace else. There hadn't been a column of diamond like the previous one, but old, weathered paintings of plains and streams of places unknown to her, lined with black brushwork of old houses.
The puddle of black she emerged from began to shrink into the floor. "Have a good first day of political minglings, Illumini! And do try to play nice with the others," Willow's voice jeered from the other side. His deep chuckle rumbled out of that darkness, vanishing with the ethereal portal she had arrived from, leaving her alone.
Stepping out, she found a long line of large and small figures, scales and fur, that reached far from further down the marbled hall. At its end was a grand set of grand, golden doors, shining a brilliant luster and pristine in its form; like gates to a world beyond. In front of this sparkling entrance was a mess of Carbinks, a number of them floating by its side, monitoring and assessing each individual who wanted to enter with small, azure eyes. This no doubt had to have been the way to the banquet hall.
But the line had not been moving. At the front had been a ruffled Delibird, frantically searching its bag-like tail, looking for something as several Carbinks hovered patiently above- the gemlike stewarding Pokémon being a common sight as of late. Words were quickly spilling out of the Delibird's small beak, only just unable to be made out as they bounced off the palace walls; only fervent cursings could sometimes be made out.
It may have been some sort of identification it needed, or money for a fee, or any number of things. It didn't matter. The line remained locked in place behind this poorly prepared bird, as did her meeting with the Magistrates.
She had almost taken her first begrudging step into the line when a passing glance from a slouched Ursaring at the back of the formation caught her leaving the nook she was in. At first, his attention switched back over into the back of the Delibird, then, his shoulders seized, his eyes fixated, and his back straightened as if he had just stepped on a thorn. Turning around confirmed his suspicions; the Illumini was standing right behind him, a meek smile on her face as she stared back. On his broad bear's chest, he wore a golden amulet, one shaped like a simple form of a phoenix.
An excited grin took hold of the Ursaluna, parting his lips to speak though no words came out. Raising his thick arm, he nudged the next in line ahead of him, a Kecleon who lurched forward from the sudden hearty taps. The Kecleon spun around, poised to unleash a verbal lashing, but similarly froze upon seeing the Ninetales. Unlike the Ursaluna, the Kecleon had no trouble finding his words.
"The Illumini?" Many ears ahead of them pricked; some heads swiveled. The earnest excitement between the two Pokémon grew. "You're really her, aren't you?" he asked again more loudly.
"The Illumini! Oh, it is such a pleasure to-" the Ursaluna's words soon became lost in the rising thrum of the crowd gathering around her, repeating this fact over and over; countless eyes crashing onto her, making her shrink. The entrance to the hall vanished from sight, blocked by a growing circle of praise and asked favors.
"Please, Illumini! Could you bless this-"
"Illumini! Oh, how great it is to-"
"Over here, Illumini! This would only take just a second, but could you-"
Their words trampled over each other, smothering one another and becoming nothing more than a block of noise.
"Oh, thank you, thank you all!" Star said with as much patience as she could muster. "But I really need to…" She stopped. Her words had fallen on deaf ears; each burly figure or small character in front of her only kept speaking, kept asking, vying to be heard over the ruckus they contributed to.
She was at a loss as to how to slip through. It was then she noticed the crowd shifting; light from the banquet hall returning, growing as the mass parted closer and closer to her. Someone was pushing their way through.
"Pardon us, pardon us!" A voice cut through the crowd as they did. Pushing their way between the shoulders of the Ursaluna and Kecleon, a trio of sturdy Carbinks made themselves known, gathering within the small circle the crowd had created around Star and putting themselves between her and the flock of followers.
"The Illumini is an esteemed guest!" one of them announced as they kept the crowd at bay with frantic body-blocking.
"Please, we ask that you all behave yourselves and make way for the Illumini!" another added.
As the two Carbink shepherded the group, the third floated to Star, hovering in front of her. "Please, follow me, Illumini!" it asked. "You're a very important guest, and we shall see you to the banquet hall post-haste!"
Star blew out of a relieved breath, feeling her tensed tails relax. "Thank you."
Guided by the Carbinks; two at her flank and one directly ahead of her, she managed to squeeze her way through the crowd, feeling as their eyes remained glued to her back.
Having slipped through, the grand doors appeared before her once more, tall, lustrous, and marked by a golden sheen; rays of light shining through frosted glass. The Carbinks left her side to join their remaining comrades, and together, they mustered their small, chiseled bodies and parted the doors with the groan of metal.
"Illumini, please enjoy your visit to Heartstone Palace; courtesy of Princess Mayala!" the Carbinks chimed, dipping their bodies in greeting.
Star offered a quick 'thank you' with a bow of her head in return, and quickly entered the golden gates as they shut behind her.
At once, the walls that had been so constricting around her flushed open into a grand, domed hall as big as a field and as constructed so brilliantly as a masterwork should.
The banquet hall's dome was speckled with diamonds and gems that glittered like stars; a golden chandelier nestled below them softly glowing like the setting sun. The dome was upheld by tall, reaching pillars of marble draped in swaths of vines whose lively green flourished against the milky stone. Numerous sizes and shapes of attendees- the tall, the short, the scaled and the furred- had gathered into groups that spread themselves across the hall into bubbles of discussion, sitting at draped tables. More of the stony servants of Carbink droned themselves in the air, their bodies glittering as they looked for groups who needed service. As expected of a banquet hall, the air smelled rich; of juicy, sizzling meat that wetted Star's mouth and of sweet desserts.
She shook her head; she would have to make time to sneak a bite later. Right now, she had not been noticed, lost in the murmur of conversation, and she hoped to keep it that way.
Her gaze swept over the room, trying to look past packed shoulders and bulging figures, trying to find the group of people she needed to introduce herself to: the Magistrates.
She knew what they looked like, or at the very least, she had heard. As she peered through the event, she had found them, all bunched together over a round table at the very back of the room. More of the Carbinks who patrolled the palace floated by their sides, as if to keep those who lacked business with them at bay. Thankfully, she was very much a part of their business.
Star crossed the shining tiles, hoping to not catch any more unnecessary attention from the groups she snaked between, and found herself before their table as the three remained locked with themselves.
Sitting at the left had been an Empoleon, one finally dressed in a thick black coat with not a single crease on it, his hands occupied with sheets of paper and a pen in hand as his eyes silently poured over inscrutable details. It seemed as though he was lost in the paperwork, his attention never wavering from the dull words, nor his robust posture slacking. In moments, he shuffled through several different papers, signing off on some while discarding others to the side, a sip from a small, pristine cup the only change in his constant routine.
In the center was a white Salazzle, her slender body draped with a thick, dirty apron stained with ash and grime; a pair of black goggles also resting on her head. Truthfully, her attire looked far out of place at the event, like she only hurried here after finishing work on some smithing project. She was leaning over the table, a plate of leftover chocolatey crumbs shoved aside, her slim hands fidgeting with some metallic joint. With her finger, she pressed the digit against a flaming tongue and caught some molten spit, then without a second thought rubbed it into the groove of the apparatus, welding it closed.
The last of the Magistrates sat to the right: a Florges sporting an array of pure white flowers blossoming behind her head. Her figure was cloaked with violet robes that hung off her; a crown of scarlet petals also resided on her head, giving a brilliant pop of color. Whilst the other two Magistrates fiddled with their menial tasks, the Florges sat patiently in her chair, her hands folded neatly in front of her. A plate of fried eggs and rice lay untouched with her. The Empoleon and Salazzle both were busy, yet the Florges waited for them before she dared take a bite- perhaps out of kindness, or maybe formality. Regardless of how patiently she waited with idle hands, a faint look of tiredness seemed to bag underneath her eyes, resting above a waning smile.
Three seats of the six at the table had been empty.
She had made it to them.
Clearing her throat, Star spoke loudly to cut through the swamp of noise between them. "Good evening, Magistrates!" She held back a wince from saying that, but it would be even more awkward to call them anything else. A flicker of acknowledgement from the Empoleon; a gaze from the white Salazzle; and the full attention from the bouquet'ed Florges fell to her.
Immediately, the eyes of the Florges lit up. "Oh! The Illumini! Star, is it?" she asked.
Having made herself known, Star went to one of the few open seats and leapt onto it, letting her tails fold against her body off the floor and straightening her posture. "Yes, and if it isn't too much for me to say, but it is a pleasure to meet all of you! And you, you look great!"
The Florges gave her a genuine, flattered smile.
The Salazzle kept her head down, her fingers buried in the apparatus in front of her. "Nice to meet you, too. Gimme a sec…"
The Empoleon's only response as well was to get back to the mountain of paperwork in front of him, something that garnered a frown from the Florges once she noticed. She cleared her throat in a not so subtle way "Lucius, the Illumini is speaking to us. Please, introduce yourself."
The Empoleon scoffed, not letting his gaze leave a paper in front of him. "I'm aware. She's here to familiarize herself with us and to fulfill obligations to her station. Just as she must, I need to focus on my own work. Now, Peony, if you don't mind…" A stroke of his pen engraved his name into another one of the papers before he picked up another one.
"Lucius-"
"I'll introduce myself once my work demands it." The Empoleon's beak disappeared behind a raised, steaming cup.
Peony huffed, folding her arms and turning her body to the white Salazzle close to her. "Ada, as representatives of the people, shouldn't we offer our full attention to the Illumini?" No response came. "Ada?" When she finally looked, the Salazzle was back to fiddling with the metal joint. When she pulled on the hinge and on the legs of the device, a smile of accomplishment crossed the lizard's face when it did not break.
"Ha! I knew I still had it in me," Ada boasted. "Finally got this joint ready for our next build right after this. Alright, what were you saying?"
"The Illumini," Peony repeated. "I think she's more deserving of your attention than that trinket."
Ada tossed the metal joint in her hand, feeling the comfortable heft of its weight as it fell. "I like to think they were equally important," she said as she stowed away into a pocket on her apron. "Now, Star, is it? I heard you did great last night! Really managed to keep your nerve in front of the crowds and princess, right?" Ada's hand reached across the table towards the Ninetales, an open, fiery palm offered in front of her.
Star giggled, placing her paw into Ada's grasp and both shook. "It was a little nerve-wracking, admittedly, but in an exciting, refreshing sort of way! …If that makes sense."
"Oh, it kinda does, in a roundabout sort of way, don't you worry!" The Salazzle fell back to her chair, a proud thumb sticking towards her chest. "Name's Ada, as I'm sure you've known, heard, or figured out through social context by now. Been the Magistrate of the Pride Sector for my second term now, building over the old with the new! If you're ever in need of mechanical support, been hearing strange noises groaning from the beams of a building, or are just curious about the wonderful world of 'torque' or generous amounts of 'stress,' I'm your girl."
"Oh, I'll… keep that in mind."
Ada tilted her head with a smile. "Now I know what you want to ask, and yes, feel free to visit Pride anytime you want to hold a sermon, or even if you're just in the mood! It's hot in there this time of year, so I'm sure a fellow Fire-type such as yourself would feel right at home! Nothing like some fire and fiery to stoke the spirits!"
Star's ears perked at the confirmation for a question she had not even asked yet: the permission she sought was already hers. "Oh, thank you! How did you know that's what I was going to ask?"
"Your mom, that's how. A bit more seriously, she asked me the last conference, as well, and I'm willing to bet you're shooting for the same angle here."
A stiff, unwavering line drew itself across Peony's lips; an unamused stare followed suit. "Ada, it's always hot there. It's literally filled with lava and fumes and fire and geysers."
"It's still a true statement," Ada shrugged.
A small sigh blew out the Florges' mouth before she recomposed herself. Finding her posture once more, she turned to Star. "Illumini, I am Peony: the newly elected Magistrate of the Charity Sector. You won't find streams of molten rock nor towering pillars of basalt in Charity; I'm happy to say we're a more accessible sort, comfortably living in the beautiful, rich breaths of forestry and the scent of flowers."
Star nodded her head. "I'm aware: I remember visiting there as a kid before to play with some friends! If things haven't changed too much since I've been away, I'm sure I'll still like it."
Peony's head listed, weighed by thought. Knowing what she had been thinking, an empathetic look of guilt sulked Ada as well. "Well, it's still very beautiful… and you're more than welcome to visit!" she nervously chuckled.
"We're dealing with a wee bit of troublemakers, you see," Ada spoke up. "The three of us, even. I don't know if you know, but-"
"There's been a considerable uptick in crime," Star interrupted. "I'm aware. I've read as much in the papers when I first returned here. And don't worry. Like I said, if Charity is still as wonderful as I remember, then I'll fight to keep that image preserved, just as my mother had."
A reassured grin tugged at Ada's crooked mouth, though one less confident seemed to waver on Peony.
"I mean…" the Florges croaked, her eyes falling to the side, "if you really think that's for the best."
Ada was quick to glare at her. "What's with the hesitation? She's offering to help, and I say all helping hands are welcome! We all know that ol' oaf isn't gonna be any help, and Her Brilliance is off doing who knows what."
"I know, I know!" Peony defended. Her shrunken form turned to Star for a second. "But still, the Illumini? In the thick and dirty of it all?"
"I can hold my own," Star confidently reassured. "I never had imagined I'd be taking over my mother's position when I was younger, but I still wanted to help the community she loved just the same, so I worked on becoming a rescue team member. I have ample experience in battle: type effectiveness, positioning, field treatments; you name it. The situation's changed since then, but my experience has not."
Peony's body swayed side to side, still unsure. "I don't doubt you're strong. But even still…"
A ceramic cup sternly slamming into the table shut down Peony.
Lucius cleared his throat, neatly tapping his papers into a straight, organized block against the table and set them aside. Offering his full, undivided, unflinching attention, his eyes latched onto Star, revealing only an indecipherable look. "Lucius, Magistrate of Glory," he announced as clear and loud as a holy bell. "Tell me, Illumini: what do you know of the recent crime surge?"
"Only what I have read in the newspapers," Star admitted. "Organized robberies by criminal gangs; assaults and threats against witnesses; and the disappearances of some the most unfortunate, many of which have yet to be found."
"They're dead," Lucius spoke plainly. The white Salazzle and Florges on his side exchanged stiff, worried looks winced with small amounts of shock at his bluntness. Only Star's piercing ruby eyes remained locked with Lucius. "And if they're not…" He shrugged. "Who knows if they wish they were by now. But back to my main point: what do you know of the recent crime surge?"
"I've said what I've known."
"And you've said too little. Illumini, it has been well over a year since the previous Illumini's sudden passing. Her leadership of the Saism faith was a spectacle; a true marvel of her ability to touch hearts and guide souls through guidance towards this Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh. A true pillar of the Undercast. Yet now, during a community's strife, this pillar would abandon her post, to fight the vague notation of crime she has only read of in papers, without a clue to her name? Not witnessed, nor experienced by her?" Lucius leaned forward, an elbow resting on the table and holding up his chin as he leered at Star. "This is the new Illumini's idea of help?"
"Me and my bleeding heart," she scoffed. "I don't need to have seen it myself to care. If there is such depravity now found in the peace my mother secured, then I will burn it away."
"Flowery words, but nothing more than wind. You are the Illumini: a pillar of the community and bearer of their faith- the Sacred Fire's trumpet. Your actions when you were younger only reflected on yourself, but now, you stand to represent something more. Let Don or perhaps the princess sort the rubble out."
Star's ears twitched. "Don?"
"The Magistrate of Regret, who regrettably," he waved a wide, flat flipper over an empty seat nearby, "seems to have failed to attend this conference. While us three- the Magristates of Glory, Pride, and Charity- were elected by our respective communities to lead them, the Magistrate of Regret lends himself to a different crowd: the cowardly, the lying, the condemnable. He was recommended for managing the super-prison that houses all of the Undercast's undesirables, and oversees the kingdom's
"I know that, thank you," Star huffed, meeting Lucius's stare with resolve, "but I still want to help. My mother would have done the same. If there is darkness in these tunnels, then I will find it and burn it away."
"Your mother acted to protect what she could see and identify; you on the contrary, are describing a crusade against the most vague of criminal elements. If you really wish to be of aid, may I suggest simply reinforcing your role as the Illumini? Perch yourself upon your chapel, and offer words of strength to an afraid community, and become their bedrock. This recent crime wave is just that: recent. Let the investigations and arrests be performed by the capable and dutiful."
Ada scoffed between them, a flicker of ember shooting out her nose. "Yeah, like that's gonna happen."
"Excuse me?"
"Am I wrong?" she continued to protest. "'Cause it feels like the 'capable and dutiful' would have stepped up by now. Even ol' Don nor Her Brilliance are here on the day you think they should be, with the Illumini and all."
The Empoleon shook his head. "That proves nothing; it only means they're working tirelessly even now to protect and serve. Please, think before speaking, Ada; otherwise, I'm sure they're a few loose bolts or screws somewhere around here you could occupy yourself with." He grasped his cup again, taking another steaming sip.
Ada said nothing, only using a pinky to pull at the corner of her eye and sticking her tongue out at Lucius once he hadn't been looking.
With a breath of relief, Lucius finished his coffee, setting the empty cup aside and focusing back onto Star. "You know too little, and say too much, Illumini. Your mother had decades of experience, familiarized herself with every groove of life and acted only as necessary, working to protect the vulnerable. Her house of faith is what the people need now during these trying times; soothing words, not fiery action, and I won't endorse your presence in Glory if your plan is to rouse tempers." He planted his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his hands. "If you truly wish to help the people, then be the voice they need."
At first, Star said nothing. Those words tumbled in her head like a boulder crashing into a ravine; making her pause as she tried to think of any response. Like he had said, she was young. To leap to action now into trouble she knew little about would be reckless. If she waited, maybe someone would step up to help.
No.
Good had to be fought for.
She turned her head away, a frown on her face. "I will be."
Turning to each of the Magistrates, she offered each a quick bow. "Thank you for your time." She leapt off her chair to the tiled floor, her tails trailing behind her as she made her way back to the hall's entrance.
Ada snapped her fingers and shot her a quick point; Peony gave her a small wave, almost seeming to mouth the word 'bye.'
Lucius said nothing more; did nothing more. A stack of papers still needed his attention.
Star tried to clear her head; brush Lucius's comments off her thoughts.
She needed to host her first prayer session in the gardens, and she had been late enough.
—-
From the stuffy, sweet air of lavish meats and food, to the free, open scent of flowers and dew.
The gardens connected to the palace had always been a tranquil place; so filled with serenity and love that even on a hectic, busy evening such as this, the kempt fields of green and hedged walls were as quiet as tranquility could be; not one soul daring to break this sacred scarcity of calm.
There had been no natural light here; they were much too deep for the tender love of the sun to reach. Clouds could not fill the sky, for what sky was there to fill? Rather, instead of a breadth of blue and billowing clouds, the Undercast knew only buried light: crystals which branched like trees along the immense rocky walls and caved ceiling; the varied and dirty sediment which hinted to a rich geological culture they would never know, only witness. Even here in the gardens, white, milky walls of quartz and marble encircled these fields like a bubble; not too small to be claustrophobic, but not large enough either for true freedom.
The Undercast was like: another world swallowed under, marked by black. Forests, streams, fire; all interwoven by winding tunnels and cavern walls that only climbed higher and higher, both separating yet binding these wonderful ecosystems. It had been a desolate haven, protecting from the suffocating sea of black that choked the world above so long ago. Even now with the calamity passed, it served as a home for many. They had everything they needed: clean, drinkable water; fields that gave bountiful harvest; and shelter from a world gone. Everything.
But light.
"Illumini," a voice asked behind her, "are you ready to begin?"
Star turned her head around her shoulder, spying another serving Carbink awaiting her response. "I'll begin in a moment." The Carbink turned to leave, but before it could, she uttered some final words. "And thank you for your diligence." Content with her response, the Carbink nodded with a pleased look, and left to patrol once more.
The Ninetales shook her head; she had let her thoughts wonder again, away from her duties. She wrangled her focus away from the Undercast itself, and back to her prayers and vows. In her mind, countless rehearsals announced themselves, echoing tirelessly. The virtues she wished to see the world cherish; the love and charity she held so dear, yet hoped to share and see shared; the prayers that would guide them all. And their benefactor, the holy god of fire and light whose heart all good flowed like a deep fountain from: the Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh.
"Illumini?" the same voice pierced through her concentration. Star turned to look, this time spying that the Carbink carried a slouched bag on its small body, awkwardly shaped and sagging to the ground from some weight within. "Another had found this bag placed right next to the stage; they say they do not know how long it had been there, and we do not know who it belongs to. Should we try to find its owner?" As the floating gem spoke, it moved as if to let her look past it.
Peering past the trunk of a tree she had secluded herself to, Star saw the very crowd she had to preach to some distance away. They were gathered in the grass, sitting or kneeling before a beautiful platform of polished wood and braziers of emerald fire, either talking contently amongst each other- like a pair between a Nidoran and Sentret- or stooped in prayer as a familiar Ursarang was. No doubt they had been waiting for a while now, waiting for her, yet they still remained so patient. On many of them as well, they proudly carried glimmering amulets shaped like the Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh.
This was the peace she longed for.
She hummed a thought. "Put it back where you found it," Star smiled. "I'm sure they'll be back for it soon."
The Carbink offered a curt nod, and left.
Alone once more, she steeled her thoughts again, back to rehearsing. She knew she had been late enough to begin already, but to be late and offer balked words would be far worse than to be later and provide a great sermon.
The Sacred Fire, the simultaneous awe and peace of the cycle of eternal return they were all binded to, and her words of comfort- of promise- to a troubled community. Once she had echoed these chiseled words endlessly within her head, she took in a deep breath of cold air, and picked herself up, ready to begin.
Ahead had been the same Carbink that had excused itself before, the bag it carried no longer in tow, coming close one last time to her. Seeing her up and on her feet, its eyes brightened with anticipation. "Illumini, are you ready to begin?"
She nodded. "I am ready. Has the bag been returned?"
The Carbink bobbed its body towards the stage, pointing clumsily at the bag in question as it lay harmlessly on the grass behind the crowd, a rough, edged shape protruding from its sides. "If you're all set, I'll let the crowd know."
She heard those words, but didn't respond. Instead, her eyes remained fixed on the bag. It had seemed to… move. She could have sworn a corner had popped into the air if only for a second. She shook her head; maybe it had been a trick of the light, and she just needed to look at it again with a clear head.
But to her growing concern, it had been no trick. Again, the bag jumped a few inches off the ground, rumbling and jerking randomly as if something terrible was trying to break free. A scent had just begun to make itself known to her as well; something bitter and sickly, an abhorrent stench that stung the nose like vinegar. No one else seemed to notice it: they didn't have the keen sense of smell as she did.
Then she saw it. In one final flip, the bag laid itself flat against the ground, its flap undoing itself and spilling onto the grass.
Inside the darkness of the canvas, a faint, feeble, shimmering light like a prism bled out.
"Illumini?"
Star pushed herself past the Carbink, throwing its sturdy body against the tree as she breathlessly tried in vain to stop the flash that came next.
A fine dust spilled into the air that glittered, engulfing much of the crowd who had seen the signs too late; a horrendous crack and screech blasted off the cavern walls as the seams of the world split. From the bag, a blinding flash of light, a boom, crashed the once leisure atmosphere to solid earth. A wondrous whir of black smoke coalesced on the stage, quickly growing in size and intensity before a final thunderclap solidified what it had been- what Star had feared it would be.
Now towering in the gardens- immense; spherical; a violet hue tainting its whirring, crackling walls- was a space-time distortion.
The plague that the Undercast had been protected from since forever, now stood uncontestable, indomitable, in its heart.
Shaking the daze off, the Carbink picked itself off the trunk's roots and rose into the air, a growing terror in its soul as it gazed upon the unnatural curse. Hurriedly, its body swiveled this way and that, taking in the scene of chaos around it as event attendees fled, their screams drowning out thought; many of its colleagues were doing what they could, flying about and urging calm. It was then it noticed the Illumini, her back to the Carbink, staring down the distortion. Without a moment to lose, the steward rushed to her side.
"What has happened?!" it yelled over the madness.
Star's vision snapped down to where the distortion met the ground. In the chaotic scene, some Pokémon had not been running: more worryingly, they were trying to help. A Ferret lay curled on the ground; their lips trembling and eyes soggy as a small group hovered over her. They were discussing something. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been good as several of them threw themselves into the rift without a second thought: the Ursaring, a Kecleon, and a Growlithe; leaving the Furret where they found her.
"Stay here!" Star barked to the Carbink, "and keep everyone as far as you can from the distortion!" She didn't even have time to see if the Carbink had heard her before she darted across the grass, trusting it to do what was needed.
She skid to a stop beside the Furret, and found that she had been crying; the tears kept on pouring like waterworks. Deliberately, she relaxed her form and released any tension in her body, calmly lowering herself down to the shuddering puddle on the floor. "Ma'am, are you hurt?" Star asked, concern dripping in her voice. "Why did the others leap in?"
The Furret managed to tear herself away from her pitiful huddle on the ground, weakly lifting a head up, the fur near her eyes soaked. "It's my baby!" she burst. "It happened all so fast! This thing sprung out of nowhere and I was knocked to the floor, and now my baby is missing! I don't see him! He must've fallen in! He must've!"
Star glanced over the whirring black storm beside them: so that's why the others had been so intent on leaping in, despite not knowing the risk. "Stay here, I'll find him and the others."
A tepid, wavering murmur was all the Furret replied, tucking her head back into her curled tail.
Positing herself before the wicked wall of black, Star braced herself; she knew nothing of what lay on the other side, and that's what made these distortions so dangerous: they could be anything. A serene beach; a storming forest; blissful and terrible and everything in-between. She only could pray it would be on the safer side, for the sake of all involved.
"Sacred Fire," she uttered to herself, pulling her body back, poised to leap, "grant me your favor!"
Star threw herself through the abyssal wall, feeling as matter surged and static shocked all around her; feeling as turbulent, wild energy pulsed as she crossed the seam. As quick as she entered, she emerged onto the otherside, finding only one thing:
Black.
The world around her had been replaced. A wondrous wall of chaotic energy curved around her like a giant sphere, traveling away to converge unseen elsewhere. Where once flushed roots ran across blades of grass so lively they exuded a scent that hugged the nose, now was infested, overrun by black dust blanketing the ground and towering, skeletal trees packed so tightly one couldn't breathe. Their jagged limbs, bare of life, reached over one another towards the obscured heavens, pleading for light that would never come; their gnarled roots crawling over the sea of darkness Star herself now stood in.
What she now stood in…
Once the realization struck her, she winced, her breath held for a moment as she glanced at the endless swaths of obsidian filth that enshrined her. This had been the very same dust that choked the world so long ago; what had driven the lucky few to the world under for so long.
She needed to be quick: this dust should never be breathed.
A will-o-wisp was summoned to her side, the ember flickering against the consuming night with a resolute sapphire blaze. From where she stood, the light revealed a golden glint buried in the darkness: a small amulet, discarded on the ground, shined in the light. A number of divots lay beside it in the tainted soil, traveling deeper into the moonless forest. They were small and large, round and pointed, led by three claw marks or more. She had her path.
Building pace, she dashed over the airy field of dust with the wisp guiding her footfall, leaping over protruding roots and fallen limbs as she encountered them, her path marked by the footprints. Her heart quickened, its rhythmic beat growing in tempo to match her stride- demanding more air. Each breath drew in more and more of the smoldering dust into her lungs. In moments, a small cough burst from her throat, continually hacking until she stifled it with a shudder.
She needed to hurry.
"Is anyone there!?" a voice shouted from a knot of trees- a series of light coughs followed soon after. Stepping around the growth, Star saw the origin of the coughing: a Kecleon, their scales dinged and dirtied by the dust, an arm covering their large mouth. He had noticed the glint of light offered by Star's wisp, and found her when he looked up, giving him an assured smile. "Oh, Illumini!" he spoke, "thank goodness you're here. We-"
"You were looking for a child with others, I'm aware," Star hastily interrupted. A small cough burst unbidden from her throat. "Where are they now?"
The Kecleon raised an arm, pointing past the dark nook of trees. "They found the kid- a little Sentret- over there and are still with him. We got turned around in this cursed forest and got lost… It's so dark. I was supposed to find our way back, but…"
Star nodded. With a small flick of her tails, the wisp left her side and hovered closely to the Kecleon as he stared quizzically at the blue ember. "Thank you, truly, for helping. But you need to leave immediately!" Another coughing fit, much deeper than the last, erupted from her throat.
"Illumini! Are you alright!?"
She took a second to catch her breath, calming a growing ache in her chest; feeling as though something were choking her lungs.. "I'm fine," she lied. "Go, find your way out of this horrible forest. My wisp will guide you to back out."
The Kecleon raised an arm in protest, but stopped when he himself began a nasty coughing fit. Sparing no more time, he began to follow the ember as it glided through the air. "Please, hurry." He- and the light that guided him- vanished behind a cluster of rotted trees.
With the Kecleon out of sight, Star summoned another wisp, and began to trek once more down the path he had pointed.
The darkness seemed to be growing: becoming less of an absence of light, and more of her vision growing… tired. The pain in her chest returned, serving as a constant, stinging reminder of the world closing in around her. In the stalking dark, a flicker, a small shadow seemed to dart through the trees beside her. She could only spare a glance, but found nothing in the tangled growth and continued onward.
Ahead, she heard the deep ruckus of more hacking, more coughing and the trampling of branches. Letting the light lead, she approached the cacophony of choked breaths, just beyond a hill.
"I see-" a cough so visceral it sounded as though they might throw up their lungs had interrupted them.
"Take it easy! We'll get out, I'm sure!"
The coughing fit came to an end, choked back. "A light! I see a light!"
Just as they had said that, Star crested the hill and found a small group below her: an Ursaring coddling a shivering Sentret against his chest; and a Growlithe. They were all slouching weakly and darkened, covered in the dust that clung so tightly to them, refusing to let go. This had been the remainder of those who had entered.
"Are you all fine?" Star immediately asked.
The Growlithe's head hung low, clearly out of it. "We're hanging in there. Did you find-"
"I've already sent him back to the exit; he's fine," she again interrupted. "How's the kid?"
The Ursaring held the Sentret even closer to his chest, burying him in a layer of thick fur. "I'm hoping he's fine. I've got him close to me, so hopefully he didn't breathe too much."
Star sighed: both of relief, and exhaustion. Her legs felt as though they were about to give out. "That's good." With a weak sweep of her dusted tails along the ground, the wisp was sent to the small group, hovering in one direction. "If that's everyone, then please: follow me out immediately! We've spent too long here!"
The Ursaring and Growlithe nodded. Comforting the shuddering child, they trekked back up the hill to her side, ready to leave. Star had turned around, ready to escort them back, but the Growlithe seemed stuck in place behind her. On his face, he wore a heavy expression of worry.
Star frowned. "What's the matter? Hurry! We'll be out soon enough."
The disheartened mutt looked up, concern eating away behind his eyes. "I think I heard someone else!"
Star froze. She hadn't seen anyone else enter. Her brow stiffened. "Explain."
"I know I might just be hearing things, but I heard chirps!" The Growlithe's ears twitched, a faint sound tickling them. "I just… we can't just…" A light approached the Growlithe, giving him pause: it had been the wisp that had been accompanying Star. It flickered in the air, hovering towards one direction.
"I'll find them." Turning her back to the messy group, she climbed down the hill. "Get the child out of here. Now."
"But we might already be too late!" The Ursaring added, still holding the child. "We've been here long enough here as is. You should leave with us."
Star didn't respond.
"Illumini?"
A prickly, sticking pain tore at Star's chest, one she couldn't ignore. She almost crumbled to the ground, but caught herself.
"Illumini!" he continued. "We should-"
Star's head swung around, a fiery grimace telling of her unwavering resolve. "Go!"
The Growlithe and Ursaring glanced to each other, then to the Sentret: he had been clinging tightly to the Ursaring's fur, their round chest rising and falling slowly, fighting for breath.
A solemn frown of understanding fell onto him. Taking his first steps forward behind the wisp, he and the Growlithe seemed to relent. Stopping for only a second, he turned his head, quiet words leaving his lips.
"May the Sacred Fire shield you."
Gesturing towards the Growlithe, the three left over the hill, the azure light fading into dark.
She remained in place, alone in the ensnaring black, catching her breath. Once the pain had receded, another wisp was called to her side- one flickering, fighting to stay ignited- and she pressed on.
In all her life, she never felt so closed in. The trees seemed to curve, bending over her as she stumbled through the forest; their crooked limbs threatening to ensnare her, curling in the air, and their terrible roots promising to catch any misplaced footing. Unseen, unknowable whispers of the air murmured around her, quietly beckoning, but towards what? Small shadows followed her, darting from behind trunks into the lost dark. Only within the failing light of her wisp did these visions cease, did she find comfort, as the trees became nothing more than lifeless bark and the bleeding words were pushed out once again.
Yet as she pushed onward, one sound grew louder, more clearer- more real than the rest.
Chirps.
A pitched cacophony of chittering made itself known, filling the stale air like a storm of madness. Just above, barely visible through the web of limbs, black splotches were racing ahead of her, traveling to where she had been going- chirping all the way. More and more of them were filling the air, flying past over the trees and gliding over the ground, yet never daring to come closer to her light.
Ahead, there was a breakage in the forestry: an opening to a clearing. The bleeding sound of the chirring was at its peak in front of her, in the field she knew lay beyond. Pushing her way through the clutch of bark, she finally found the source of the chaos, hoping to find the stray so that they both could flee this abyss.
And her heart sunk.
The field was as black as the forest she left, blanketed in heavy layers; a wall of chaotic, violet energy close behind- an exit. Yet in the flatness of the field, rose two bumps: one large and one small, their figures just barely silhouetted by her wisp. Two had collapsed here, and were not moving.
Then there was the source of the ceaseless chirping hounding over them; battering them. Black symbols were swarming over them, their bodies shaped like signs to a language lost long ago, and one large eye centered on each of them. The unknown things were in a frenzy, dancing in the air over the two bodies and sailing down to strike them as they lay unmoving: a maddening sea of chirping rising in their turbulence.
Star's breath quickened; a fiery, burning sense of loathing growing to her throat as she focused on the characters. "Don't you dare!"
All sense she had lost seemed meaningless now. What sense was there here?
Darting across the field, she dove into that black storm of figures and eyes, burying herself deep and lashing out at any she could with burning fangs. With a deep breath- ignoring the pain- she exhaled a stream of fire, whipping it through the air and driving the swarm back- their large eyes reflecting in the light as they recoiled away from the flames. They still swarmed over them, but had given her just enough space and time to check on the two.
Hovering her wisp closer, she carefully flipped the first one over with her nose- the small figure. They had legs and arms too thin compared to the rest of them; a necklace of buds encircling the bottom of their pointed head and a large bud- bigger than they were- sitting on their head like a crown. They should have been white, but they were so caked with the black dust that it was nearly impossible to tell without a closer look.
The more she looked, the more it hurt her. They were cold to the touch, stiff, not breathing.
Gone.
She could do nothing for them.
"I'm sorry."
They would return to the cycle of eternal return: on this she comforted herself, that they would live a better life… some day.
Tearing her attention away, she stepped closer to the far larger one next to them. Their figure was familiar to her: appearing like a Rapidash, maybe even one from Galar given the luscious mane on their head. They too were deeply coated black, and any vibrance of color their mane may have held was lost in this field, muddied into a deep violet. In their mouth sat sapphire reins trailing out towards the first body, and on their person they wore a dirtied scarf and dressage. Pulling herself closer to the unmoving Rapidash, she looked for signs of life in the light, yet her pessimism argued against it.
In that darkness, she found it. Their chest was rising weakly, fighting for air.
Alive, but only just.
Star froze. She should be overjoyed- wanted to- but this world demanded elsewise. Never would she consider condemning whoever this was to this forests; to leaving them behind. Yet this Rapidash was far larger than her, at least three times her size. Still, she had to try.
Burying her head underneath them, she pushed herself further and further beneath until they were clumsily on top of her. Surprisingly, this Rapidash was remarkably light for their size- a mere fraction of the weight she imagined. Yet further still, it remained strenuous nonetheless. Her body yelled for her to stop, her lungs burning and her legs feeling as they might fall out from under her at any moment, threatening her death.
Still, she had to try.
A wall of the distortion was only a short distance away. If she could just reach it, pass it, they both might make it.
Each step was fought against a sensation of pricks and stabbing pain; the shroud of darkness around her never felt so closed in. She pulled herself along the deathly plains, dragging the Rapidash on top of her, looking for the light of the wisp.
It wasn't there.
It was gone, extinguished to the bleeding wall of sable air and the infinite amount of eyes looking down on her.
Their meaningless chirping became muddled, blending into a muffled blur of lost squabbling. Some of the eyes became emboldened once again, diving and slamming themselves against the Rapidash on her back before cowardly retreating. Each hit sunk itself into them both, battering her until she would stop and submit herself to these fields.
She was nearly out of energy now. Truthfully, the enshrouding wall around her seemed almost… comforting now.
She shook her head. The exit was so close now, just a few more agonizing steps away.
A fire built in her throat; rising against the pain within.
They would not have her.
"Leave us alone!"
A torrent of fire erupted from her mouth in dazzling light. Consuming all she could, the geyser of flame was torn through the air, engulfing each and every eye she could find. Whatever she could not incinerate had fled, scattering away into the forest, their chirping falling silent with distance- leaving them alone.
Small thunks hit the ground around her in repetition as charred symbols fell from the sky, sinking their sharp angles into the grime below.
Immolating fire had burned the darkness away.
She was breathless. That had been all she had left. The wall was so close now, just a touch away. Its crackling, spectacular surface of chaotic energy never seemed so welcoming. But she didn't enter- not right away. Star took a moment to gleam over the charred remains of the creatures with what failing sight she had left.
That whispering had returned to her, now so much more recognizable that the air was clear.
Hearing their familiar words, a small, warm smile pulled itself onto Star's face as she lost consciousness, falling forward and through the wall with the Rapidash.
'We will meet again.'
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Author's Note:
Sorry for the wait! Been busy with college and trying to adjust to a move.
Make sure to check the Ao3 version, since that one features chapter art!
