Chapter 22 – The Endless Forest
"Wh-what's going on?" Owen said.
He was weightless – nothing was around him except a swirling, blue-black void in all directions. He looked up; he saw blackness with a flickering, cyan mist. But then, when he squinted, he saw that this mist also had brighter spots in it. "Are those…" They reminded him of Rhys' paws when he was meditating or fighting. "Are those auras?"
"Yep," Star said.
"W-wah!" Owen jumped, losing his balance in the void. "Where'd you come from?" He was stuck rotating laterally.
"Oh! Sorry. I got distracted along the way; nearly lost you, ha!" The Mew chuckled, patting him on the back. She grasped him gently by the shoulders to halt the spinning.
Owen sighed. "Don't—don't do that! Just tell me where we are!" Owen pointed at the mist but then noticed his arm. It looked blurry. "What's…?" He brought his left hand on his right arm; it passed right through. The scales flew off like dust in the wind—along with everything else in him. His hand went first, the little fingers washing away like a wad of mud in a river. There was no pain—and for some reason, that made it worse. "What's happening?!"
"D-don't panic, Owen! You're fine!" Star said, holding his right shoulder. "Uh—oops." When Star pat him, his entire arm fell away, floating in front of him. It dissolved into a fine, cyan mist. Owen stared helplessly as his body faded into light. While it didn't hurt it didn't feel good, either. He lost all sensation. He tried to move his arm—but he no longer had an arm to move.
After the arm, everything else advanced much more rapidly. His claws and tail, then the legs. Did he have a head? He couldn't use his arms to feel for his head, because those were already long gone. His torso floated past his vision like smoke. He tried to gasp with the lungs he no longer had.
He tried to talk, but it didn't work. He didn't even know how he was seeing anything—he had no eyes. No eyelids to blink with—no mouth to speak with, nothing. Nothing.
"Just—just talk with your thoughts, Owen. It's okay," Star eased. "You're in the aura sea right now, Owen. You're pressed up against the edge of, uh… the living world."
Owen struggled to work with this new sort of communication. It felt like it was all he had left. What do you mean, the edge? Isn't that just the Grass Orb, and the other Orbs?
"Yes and no," Star said, rubbing her head. "C'mon, stay by me, okay? Or you'll get caught up in the flow."
Flow… right… Owen reflexively tried to look down at his hands. Not only did he not have hands, but he also didn't have a head to look down with, or a neck. He didn't know what nothing felt like, but this was as close as he'd ever gotten to it.
"Don't worry, don't worry. This'll all go back to normal soon. It's just, weaker auras don't last very long here. They dissolve into their most basic component, the flare, which encapsulates their spirit."
Owen adjusted. He looked at the many others who looked exactly like him. They were moving in the opposite direction that he and Star were, toward some other void. Where are… they going?
"Oh, just the spirit world," Star said. "This is sorta the passageway from the point when an aura passes on, to the spirit world."
So this is… I heard legends about this…
"Legends? Huh. Once a mortal gets here, there's no going back, usually. I guess some of them just guessed correctly."
Something else was floating ahead. A hulking creature, to be sure, with a gray body with yellow stripes and a single, glowing, red eye. Dusknoir. Owen hesitated on advancing, but when he fell too far behind Star, he felt a strange force pulling him toward the void that the other auras were heading. He tried to call out to Star with his nonexistent mouth.
"Don't be afraid," Star said, reaching over to keep Owen from slipping away. The mere gesture of her hand created a force that drew Owen closer. "That's just Hecto."
Hecto?
"Well, one of him."
They were going right toward him. Eventually, they were right in front, and the Dusknoir stopped whatever he was doing. "Star," Hecto greeted. "Hello. I didn't expect to see you here. Are you not with my others?"
"Oh, I was, but I had to grab Owen." Star pointed at the flare. Owen felt himself shrink.
"…He has perished? Already?"
"No, no, nothing like that," Star said. "Barky summoned his aura when he was asleep, and now I'm taking him back on the down-low so the Alpha can cool off."
Wait, Barky? What? Huh? Oh, you mean….
"She means Arceus," the Dusknoir said. "It is a nickname developed by Star, specifically because, as you put it, he barks a lot."
"Barks orders, more like," Star muttered. "I could've called him RC instead, because he's a pain in the—" Owen caught an amused glint in Hecto's eye. Star, perhaps in response to this, balled up her tiny paws. "Look just because he has a few more Hands than I do doesn't mean he's the strongest in the pantheon. I'm important, too!"
"You certainly are," Hecto said. Except for that brief glint, he was quite expressionless. Owen had no idea if his statement was sarcastic or genuine. "Would you like me to create a fast route to your home, then?"
"Nah, I could've done that myself. I just wanted to take the scenic route so Barks can cool down."
If I call Arceus that… will he kill me? Owen said.
"Probably." Star shrugged. "But hey, do what you want. I've got you protected."
Okay, actually, hang on, Owen said. Why am I protected? Compared to the other Guardians? What's so important about me? I'm not even that strong compared to some of the others.
"Hm. So you haven't explained this to him?" Hecto said.
"I mean, I explained most of it. But now that Barky's in the picture. I guess I should give him more of the story. Did your others tell you about what happened?"
"Of his memories returning? Yes."
Star nodded. "Owen… I think it's time that we explain to you why you're so important in all this. I mean—I don't think we can tell it… tell it all just yet, but at least what sets you apart from the others."
You mean aside from the fact that I'm a freak of nature, Owen said.
"Yeah, actually," Star said. "There's more to it. Want to come along, Hec?"
"My others will be there. I am still watching the flow."
…What do you do here? Owen asked.
"I watch," Hecto said. "There is a lot to learn… if you just watch."
Watch? Owen turned his focus on the flowing auras. All he saw were a bunch of cyan flames in a thin stream. Each cyan aura had a small, golden glow in the center. Was that their spirit?
Star sensed his concentration and chuckled. "Sure, let's spend a bit of time doing this."
Owen stared, and stared, and stared…. And then, he started to hear something. Little whispers, voices. Confused voices, mostly. Some sounded sad. Others were relieved. And others still, angry. Desperate. Eager. Worried. But he couldn't make out what they were saying—it was a cacophony. He heard words, but he couldn't make it all out. There was too much to hear—a thousand words a second, a million… He had to break away.
U-ugh…
"Pretty overwhelming, huh?" Star said. "Don't worry. Let's get going, huh?"
Y-yeah. I'll leave that stuff to Hecto.
Owen appreciated that the rest of the trip through the aura sea was quiet. Star didn't ask any questions, but she did give him a little, reassuring smile when she sensed he was feeling uneasy. Somehow, it helped. He knew he was still experiencing some sort of shock from having the very creator of reality try to kill him. How deep into this mess was he? Still, Star had his back. And she seemed to be able to fend him off, at the very least.
Star eventually broke the silence. "Oh, we're almost there. It's gonna get bright."
Just then, Owen's surroundings lit up—he was still an ember, but now he was floating in a brown, rocky cave. Directly ahead of him was the mouth of the cave. He couldn't see anything from where he was standing, but it appeared to be overlooking a cliff. Behind him, further inside, was a complex network of tunnels and corridors, and even some furniture. Owen was unnerved at how… normal it all seemed, after what he had just gone through.
"Welcome to my hangout," Star said. "Oh, uh, sorry. Forgot that your body dissolved. So, just focus, and you'll form it back."
Just focus? Owen said.
"Yeah, like, imagine that you have a body again, and you'll become what you're thinking about."
Owen bobbed in the air and concentrated. First, he felt his legs return to him, and then his tail and waist. Then came his belly, and then his arms, and finally his head; next, from his back, two large wings sprouted, followed by two horns on the back of his head.
Star blinked, but then smiled sadly at him. "Oh, Owen…"
"H-huh?" Owen said but then gasped, clutching at his long muzzle. He didn't expect his voice to be so deep. "Oh, I… I guess I…"
Star chuckled. "You really want to evolve, huh?"
Owen looked back at his massive tail, swinging it a few times, and tried to outstretch his wings. It felt… strange, having two new limbs, yet familiar. "Did I… look like this?" the Charizard asked.
"Mn… no," Star said. "You… didn't look like a normal Charizard. But, you know—just work with this! I think you look good in whatever you're comfortable with, Owen. Just, uh, walk carefully. Your balance is going to feel different."
Owen rubbed the back of his neck. That was strange, too. It felt so much longer now.
"Actually, this might turn out to be useful," the Mew said. "See, I want to go down there." She pointed to the mouth of the cave and floated to the entrance. Owen followed, wobbling for the first few, heavy steps, but had to stop just to admire the view.
"Whoa," Owen breathed. "It's… it goes on forever!"
Below him was a sea of green leaves atop tall trees. There was a bluish tinge to them, vaguely reminding Owen of the auras of the sea he was just a part of. There was certainly something mystical about it—it must have been the glow. And indeed, it went on endlessly, blending into the purple horizon like a lumpy field of aether.
"This is Aether Forest," Star said. "It's kinda where I go if I want to think—I made it myself a long time ago." She jerked her head to the side, motioning for him to follow, and floated down to the forest floor. Owen hopped and stretched his wings—by instinct, he knew how to glide and descend to the bottom.
His heavy body felt like air for that brief moment; a stupid grin spread across his face halfway down. He broke through the trees and landed on dark, blue grass, where the leaves blocked most of the sun. Instead, the plants underneath glowed, similar to the mushrooms of Hot Spot Cave. The same went for the black tree trunks. Owen kicked over a pebble and saw a fine, cyan mist puff out and dissipate. Entertained, he kicked over another, and another; he accidentally crushed one, and it, too, burst into little blue lights.
Owen suppressed his smile to address Star. "Um, so, why did you want to come here?" Owen asked.
"To talk," Star said. "This is my turf. Barky can't bother us here. So… I just wanted to tell you about… what makes you so special. And not in the stupid way where everyone is special. I mean like, on a practical level, you've got something that sets you apart from the other Guardians. And also, you're synthetic, but that's beside the point—okay, so… are you still with me?"
"Halfway."
Star sighed. They continued through Aether Forest. Owen took some time to admire the blueness of the leaves, and then at the seemingly infinite web of trunks ahead, behind, and all around him. He ran his hand along the trunk. The wood was hard, but it wasn't dry. He'd have to really put forth an effort to knock one down.
"Let's just put it this way," Star said. "Yeah, you've got special powers, and maybe a few perks from being genetically crafted by crazy aura-bio science, but… the main difference that you have between all the other Guardians with us? It's that you aren't… aligned with Barky yet."
"What? You mean the Guardians all made a Divine Promise to him?"
"Yes," Star said. "But Barky didn't see them as a threat. He made them Promise… to never gather the Orbs together into one person. I guess that's why he's not complaining about them joining up with you to fight the Hunters, because even if they win, they still can't overpower him."
"Wh—I mean, yeah, isn't that what we're trying to avoid?" Owen said. "That'd usurp Arceus! And I feel like that'd be really, really bad news."
Star was quiet. Owen stopped walking through the infinite forest; Star floated a few more feet ahead.
"Star?" Owen said. "What… what are you getting at with this?"
Star stared at the treetops, flicking her tail. For just a second, her tail split in two, akin to an Espeon's, and the two ends swatted at one another.
"Owen," Star said. "Times… change. And leaders… that are in power for too long… can lose touch with the world they rule. Don't you think?"
This time, Owen was quiet.
"There's… a lot that I don't know if I'm ready to tell you, or anyone," Star admitted. "But… you saw how Arceus was to you. That wasn't some exception. He's just like that, now. High and mighty, forgetting that he works for mortals, not the other way around."
"Wh-what do you mean? Aren't… aren't we supposed to be thankful to Arceus for all he's done for us? Maybe he's a little worried or—" Owen shook his head. What was he saying? He tried to kill him!
Star laughed weakly. Owen never heard a laugh so bitter. "Maybe that's the opinion you were taught," she said, "but come on. I know you weren't the sort to believe in either of us until recently. But you know what? I think we can do better than sit in our kingdom and stare down at the world. If you guys are forgetting about us, we aren't doing a good job, are we? I know we can do better."
Owen shifted from his left foot to his right, shuffling his wings awkwardly.
"I know you aren't ready to decide or anything, Owen," Star said, "but… you want all this to end, right? You want to stop the Hunters from trying to gather the Orbs, and you want to stop Arceus from being… well, the way he is?"
"I—I do," Owen said. "I just want everyone to be happy, and I don't want anybody to feel afraid." He felt like he'd said this a thousand times, but he said it again. "Just like Anam."
Star nodded. "Well, I'll… help you, okay? We'll stop Arceus and the Hunters, together." She stopped floating ahead and turned around. "Hey, Owen. Would it be okay if…?" Star looked right in the Charizard's uncertain, blue eyes.
Owen gulped. He got that feeling again, even from Star. An icy pit formed in his chest, already flashing back to that warmth that Arceus radiated while coercing him to make a Promise. He didn't feel that from Star. But knew the question was coming. She was going to ask him the very same question all over again. She just rescued him to get his's loyalty for herself…
Star smiled slightly. "…No. It'd be wrong of me to ask you that now, of all times, huh? Okay. No Divine Promise from you. But… can you just give me a regular promise that… you'll hear me out when the time comes?"
The icy pit subsided, but only slightly. No Promise? His pulse slowly lowered, but that didn't free him completely of his lingering doubt. He just got through denying one deity a Promise, and he felt like he had just gone into round two. "What's a regular promise to you?"
"The ones you can break… if… I dunno, if you need to," Star said. "Won't take your power away or anything. Just a normal one."
Owen shuffled uncomfortably where they had stopped walking, admiring, again, the dark trees and dim glow. It distracted him. If Star could just vanish for a while, that'd be lovely. Unfortunately, Star seemed adamant about staying by Owen. "I guess so," he said. "I'm just not comfortable making promises to a god right now, okay?"
Star winced. "Y-yeah, I'm really sorry," she said. "I didn't think it through. I shouldn't have hinted like that. Bad taste. Too soon."
"I mean, you were planning to ask me this some time anyway, right? To pledge… loyalty to you, or something." Owen looked down. "I'm just not comfortable doing that, Star. To anybody. Because that's not what it means to be a Heart."
"Not what it means to…?"
Owen shook his head. "Hearts aren't loyal to Anam. We fight for the world and everybody in it. We're supposed to keep them safe."
Star stared at Owen for five seconds. Owen maintained his eye contact. If anything, his gaze, while neutral, intensified. And then she smiled, breaking the stare, laughing.
"What's so funny?!"
Star shook her head, covering her mouth with her left paw. "Your eyes looked just like Anam's for a second," she said. "I mean, yours are blue, and his are green, but they were so full of light! I don't know, Owen. I just felt really happy for a second, if that makes any sense."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Owen frowned.
"I should expect it. That's the sort of personality that Anam likes to recruit. Bright-eyed."
Owen sighed, settling down. Star slowly did, too, lowering her altitude until she was at eye-level again. A slight tension returned. Aftershocks from meeting Arceus, he was sure. Owen clenched his claws and breathed deeply. He wondered if meditating worked in the spirit realm.
"Star," Owen said. "I'm… I'm sorry, but I don't know if I'll be able to make a Promise to you. Ever."
"Oh." Star quieted down. She curled her tail around her floating body. "H-how come?"
Owen rubbed his right arm with his left. "I know that you saved my life a little while ago, and I know you've been going out of your way to try to get as many Guardians together as you can, but… after what happened back there… How do I know you aren't doing the same thing to me?"
"Well… I'm not trying to kill you right now, aren't I?" Star said.
Owen flinched. "I guess," he said. "But—"
"Owen, do you seriously think I'd try to kill you? I've been trying to help you guys this whole time!"
Owen wondered how much he should press when in Star's 'turf.' But he still had the smallest bit of trust in Star, at least enough to believe that she wouldn't kill him. It was a low bar of trust.
"How do I know you aren't just doing it to eventually turn on us or something? Gather up the Orbs to steal from us all at the same time…" he trailed off.
Star crossed her arms. The Charizard gulped, realizing the flaw in his idea. "Go on," Star said.
Owen sighed. "You could've just killed us one by one if you could've done it to all of us at once."
"Uh-huh. Also, if Barky's worried about gathering the Orbs together, then you're technically a threat to me, too. Just pointing that out."
"R-right. Right." Owen nodded. "Okay."
"But," Star said, "I'm glad you're being careful, Owen. To be honest, I think a lot of the other Guardians are kinda indifferent about me." She rubbed the back of her neck thoughtfully. "And Zena's… uh… I need to try to patch things up with her in particular. And the others… They're just going along with it because it's better than how they were before. It's not like they… trust me, either. I know what I did to them."
Owen briefly thought back to Zena, alone in her home just that night. His heart hurt just thinking about it.
"I just want to make things right, Owen," she said. Owen looked up, hearing her voice, just barely, strain. "I'm sorry that I'm not ready to tell you guys about all the mistakes I've made. But I will, okay? I will. Then I'll… let everyone judge me. For everything. I'm… I'm just not ready yet. I thought I was, but then, the way Zena reacted…"
"Rightfully," Owen said automatically but regretted doing so moments later.
Star shook her head. Owen was ready to vocalize an apology, but Star held her paw up. "Y-yeah. I just—I need time. I'm sorry. I'll feel better about it after I actually fix everything I broke. Okay? Do we have a deal?"
Owen tensed.
"Sorry, bad phrasing," Star tittered nervously. "I mean, are you okay with that?"
The Charizard relaxed, puffing a small plume of smoke from his nostrils. He nodded. If anything, he sensed no malice from Star the same way he did from Arceus. He supposed that, deep down, he trusted Star for him to question her so openly in the first place.
There was still one question nagging at him. "So," he said, "how about why you can't tell me about my issues?"
He caught a twinge of annoyance in the way Star's left eye twitched.
"Listen," she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her tiny snout. "Think for a second. What happened when you found out that you killed Klent? All the memories started flooding back, right? And why I told you not to try to jog Gahi's memory. Because that'd make him get the same panic attack, yeah? You were losing it. Now, imagine that, times, like, fifty. That's why I can't tell you yet."
"Oh." Those memories were overwhelming. "But—does that mean I have to never remember at all?"
Star shook her head. "They have to come slowly, and when you can control yourself when you're totally… unsealed. If you can fully evolve, and stay sane—that's gonna be the best time you can handle it. Your brain won't… break, trying to reconcile all the craziness of remembering being a Charizard when you're still a Charmander."
Just listening to that statement gave Owen a sharp headache near his right temple. He grumbled and grasped at the area just above his right eye.
"That," Star pointed at him, "is my proof. Believe me now?"
"O-okay." If just knowing a little about his past made him panic, he can only imagine what would happen if he knew the trigger.
Star sighed again, shaking her arms and legs as if getting the last of her vulnerability away. "Are you satisfied, now?" she asked. "Your memory seal is teetering, and if too many come at once, it'll scramble all over again. Don't make me do that again."
Owen felt the tension leave his chest. He nodded, but then said, "No promises." He smirked.
"Not funny." Star smirked back.
They spent a few seconds just staring at one another, and Owen finally had the sense to continue walking. But then, he heard something off to the side; his tail-fire lit up bright and he swung in the direction of the noise, ready for some disciple of Arceus to come to take his soul. It was a strange, canid creature with a black body and green, hexagon-like markings all over, with white, hexagon eyes. "W-wait, isn't that a…?" Owen trailed off. "That's—that's a tenth of a Zygarde!"
"Oh, don't worry!" Star said quickly. "That's just another Hecto! Yo! Hecto! Were you eavesdropping again?!"
"I apologize." He stepped out from the bushes and bowed to Owen. "You already met my Dusknoir manifestation, yes? I monitor the flow of the spirits transitioning into the spirit world, but most of my copies are dedicated toward observing the living realm. I suppose you can call me Star's eyes."
"And my better half." Star winked at Hecto.
The Zygarde, expressionless, said to Owen, "Yes. That as well."
Owen had to stare between the two. He shook his head. "You guys are weird," he said. "I don't think all this cosmic stuff is good for my head. Got me all confused and… I dunno. I feel like I should focus on simpler stuff."
"Hah!" Star said. "You're my kind of guy, Owen. Glad that you can keep a down-to-Kilo head even after becoming Mystic and stuff. You'll need that."
"Y-yeah." Owen tittered. "So, uh… where does this forest go, anyway?"
"It goes to where you wish for it to go," Hecto said. "I mean this literally. Moving forward is all that is required to reach a place you desire, so long as it is within the spirit realm. It takes some time, but you will indeed arrive."
"Wow," Owen said. "That's crazy. And why does it work like that?"
"Just because," Star said. "It's the spirit world. I mean, it's my realm. I kinda make the rules."
"Oh, yeah, that's right."
It only took a few steps before Star saw what appeared to be a forest that was paler and greener than her blue, ethereal one.
"Oh, so you wanna go to your Orb's realm?" Star noted.
"Yeah," Owen said. "Just… I think I'm ready to talk to them. And see Amelia. Like how you wanted me to at the lava river."
"O-oh."
"I want to apologize, even if… I know that's not enough."
Star nodded. "I think it'll go okay," she said. "Not great, but… okay."
Owen smiled slightly. "Thanks."
Eventually, they were halfway toward the Grass Realm. Owen found himself focusing on how the sounds of his footsteps were louder like this. He was starting to grow self-conscious of it. Was that loud sound annoying the other two? Hecto walked softly, and Star simply floated. "Star," Owen said. "In the memories I have right now, I… have really vague memories when I was a Charizard, or—the synthetic version. I felt… fine. Felt normal. I didn't really… go crazy."
"You weren't in your battle mode," Star said. "That's when you go crazy. Synthetics like you have two modes—controlled by your masters. Or, well… that's how it was supposed to be. Something went wrong with you guys, and you couldn't get out of that mode. Manny figured out how to sorta grind it away for the spirits he has, but it's not as easy for you guys. You're unstable."
"I mean… we were the first of our kind, right?" Owen said. "I guess that's part of the reason." He looked at Star again. "What caused it to go wrong for me? Do you know? What's the trigger that made us go crazy and couldn't get… not-crazy without resetting us?"
Star hesitated. "Didn't we go over this already?" she said. "Please, Owen. Not this line of questions."
"…Oh, is that one of the things that might make me lose it?"
"It's probably the single worst thing I can make you remember."
Owen's jaw clenched, frowning with worry.
"You're close to suppressing it already," Star said. "You almost pulled through at that fight with Azu, but we lost you. Amia had to reset you—Rhys taught her how, since we had to keep you with her so you were away from the other three. Rhys could handle them."
"Not me?" Owen said.
"Ohh, no." Star chuckled. "Of the quartet, you're the brains. Rhys saw you as a real threat if you had enough resources. That was your specialty—being resourceful. Your head… it was just so good at using everything at perfect efficiency. That's your special move, Owen. Fire Trap. A trace of your true abilities…. But… I don't want to trigger the memories yet. It might mess with you even in your current state," she said. "So… I'll just tell you this. If you ever see Demitri, Mispy, or Gahi evolve to their synthetic forms…" The Mew stopped floating to look right at Owen. "Run. Okay? Get as far from them as possible."
The forest stood still, and Owen gulped. He nodded.
"Good!" Star grinned. She turned around and advanced. "C'mon! The Grass Realm is just this way!"
Hecto and Owen watched her. Then, the Zygarde turned his head, looking up at Owen with his blank, hexagon eyes. "She is very proud of you," he said. "It isn't often that she puts so much trust in a mortal to handle something this large."
"Oh, really?" Owen said. Then, not saying it, he thought, Do I even count as mortal?
Hecto nodded. "You have potential," he said. "She wishes to harness that potential for the good of the world. I do hope you can align with her one day."
"I—I don't think I'm at that level," Owen said. "I just want to help everyone…. And no alliances! Not until she tells me everything. I already had Arceus try to trick me onto his side, and don't think Star's getting any favors, either! As far as I'm concerned… they're just trying to use me for their own war. And I'm not having any of that."
"Mm," Hecto said.
Owen tried to push his powers into overdrive to sense any sort of twitch from the Zygarde. Now that he knew this was part of his synthetic, weaponized talent, he had even more confidence than before that he'd be able to use it. And yet… nothing. From Hecto, Owen couldn't sense anything. No positive or negative reaction. Could he be hiding it? Even from him? Hecto was listening, and that was all Owen knew for sure.
"U-uh, anyway," Owen said, unnerved, "what's your story? With Star?"
"Hm? My story?" Hecto said. They finally resumed their walk. "Star and I are partners on the cosmic scale. While I am native to the world she created, I suppose I caught her heart, long ago."
"…Huh?"
"We have a history," Hecto said.
"I mean, sure, I figured that much," Owen said. "You… caught her heart?"
Hecto stared at Owen. "Hm." The Zygarde walked on.
"W-wait! What does that mean?!"
Soon, they exited the ethereal forest.