Chapter 24
Nightfang
Nightfang sat alone in his quarters, both Tesla and Kindle nowhere to be found. Now all he could do was ponder on his thoughts.
'What did that damn bird mean? I hold the key to the gate of despair? I can't wrap my head around what he had meant by that.'
He sighed in irritation and watched a candle on a nightstand burn. As he watched the rhythmic dance of the flame, he became hypnotized into a trance that slowly drifted him into a state of deep thinking.
'Things used to be so simple... when did it all change?'
A field of orange tall grass swayed with the winds. The autumn breeze carried with it leaves of red, yellow, and orange. The sun rested peacefully high in the blue sky while blotches of grey clouds crawled across its horizon threatening to spill their fresh rainwater.
Nightfang sat calmly with his eyes shut while the soothing winds caressed his fur. He took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly, feeling at peace and that feeling brought a light smile to his mouth. His peace was interrupted as something wet slid across his nose.
Nightfang jumped back with wide eyes which shortly softened as he beheld the Pokémon before him. The absol giggled to herself before approaching Nightfang and brushing up against him.
"Startled you, didn't I?" She teased.
"That you did," he replied with a grin. Though he did wonder why he hadn't picked up on the sound or scent of her approaching.
The absol sat next to Nightfang and leaned towards him. "What brings you all the way out here on a day like this?"
"I'm not alone. I have you don't I?"
She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. So what gives?"
"It's just a nice day. I needed some peace in my mind for a moment."
The two sat in silence for a bit before the absol decided to lay on the ground and bring the poochyena down with her to cuddle with. "Hey, Nightfang."
"Yes, Angel?"
"When are you going to evolve? You're so small."
Nightfang laughed. "I'm not that small-"
Angel grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and carried him like a cub. "You were saying?"
"Okay, maybe I am a bit smaller." He had then been set back on the grass. "I don't know, honestly. I've been too consumed with work to be worried about evolving."
Angel tilted her head. There was something in his tone that caught her attention. "Hey, is something on your mind."
Nightfang hesitated to reply. He tried to avoid the subject, to just tell her everything was fine, but those beautiful eyes of hers were enough to compel him to be open and straightforward with her.
"I... I don't know how to approach this. This job... What we're doing just feels wrong. Don't you feel that way too?"
Angel sighed and turned away from his gaze. "Yes. I too have been bothered by it. It never gets easy and I feel ashamed for what we do... but... we have better lives now. No longer do we live lives of poverty, no longer are we scavenging the streets for stray coins just praying to survive another night, we have a home and food now."
"None of that changes the fact that what we do is horrible. We're constantly preying on the same poor souls that we no longer are so we no longer have to be, that is basically our job."
"I don't deny the truth in your statement, but what other options do we have?"
"We could live better lives elsewhere"
"Nightfang..."
"No, Angel, listen to me. Being here in Zerith just feels like we're fighting the war on the wrong side. Tenebris has such flawed views and he's continued to build up this country on those fragile beliefs that it's bound to fall on itself one day or another. We need to leave, whether to Mardol, Jagorii, or even Anoon. Anywhere is better than here."
"And what? Do you think these nations are just willing to open up their arms and accept us with a warm embrace? The people of Mardol strongly hate dark types, they'd have it out for us the second we got there. Jagorii isn't much better than Zerith, they pretty much have the same endgame in mind just a different approach. And Anoon? You might as well toss those thoughts aside. We already swore our allegiance to the Dark Legion, Tenebris has a fate worse than death in store for all who oppose his order."
"Tenebris doesn't scare me. That umbreon acts tough, but he's no less skin and bone than the rest of us."
Before the two could continue, the sound of a low horn rung out in the air causing Nightfang's ears to lower. The two looked at each other before heading towards the sound and agreeing to drop the subject.
'Why did things have to change?'
Nightfang found himself in the training grounds of a castle, panting with exhaustion. Before him were three targets with humanoid-like shapes, banged up from countless physical attacks he had been working on. He took another deep breath before charging the center target. As he closed the gap between the two he pounced at his target latching his teeth into where one's neck would be. He dug the claws on his forelegs into the back while the ones on his hind legs dug into the stomach area.
"Nightfang!" A voice bellowed. Nightfang let up his attack and jumped to the ground to see who had called him. It was one of his superiors, a toxicroak. "Magnus wishes to have a word with you. I wouldn't keep him waiting if I were you."
Nightfang could nearly feel his blood grow cold. He nodded towards the toxicroak and made his way to Magnus's chambers. The poochyena felt unnerved as he walked the oddly tall corridors of the castle. Its walls were made of an unusual stone that had a faint blue glow to them. Because of this, Magnus hadn't bothered installing any sort of lighting to his castle.
Nightfang came to a familiar t-section in the hallway and looked down the path that leads to the chambers. The hallway had an illusion that made it appear to always be swaying in a slow rhythmic motion. Why anyone would have a hallway designed like that was beyond Nightfang. With the desire to just get the conversation over with, the dark-type walked steadily towards the doors at the end of the hall. Nightfang let out a deep sigh before wrapping on the door.
"Proceed," came the hollow voice of Magnus from the other side.
Nightfang pushed his weight against the door which seemed to open surprisingly easier than it appeared it should have. The room was dark - similar to the rest of the castle's interior - and had a teal fog that wafted through the air. Orbs of various sizes were crafted into the walls, odd lights dancing within their smooth confines.
At the far end of the chamber was a banner sharing the same golden color as Magnus's cape. The banner displayed a tapestry of a large bird chained down to the soil. The bird looked up towards the clouds with yearning eyes. In front of the banner was Magnus's throne: a seat made up of sea-green stones with odd engravings all around it. Of course, seated on that throne was Magnus.
Nightfang held up his professionalism while steadily pacing to what he assumed to be the center of the room. Once there, he bowed before his commander. The golurk stood up from his throne and approached the poochyena.
"You may rise." He obeyed. "Speak."
Nightfang was confused mainly since he had been called to his commander's chambers without being told what for and now was expected to explain himself. "I'm reporting as you had requested, sir."
Magnus put his hand to his chin in thought. "You're Nightfang, correct?"
"That is correct, sir."
"Right. I suppose I'll make this brief as I assume your time is as precious as mine. I'll start by saying that you aren't in any sort of trouble, so you don't need to be so stiff."
Nightfang took a breath and relaxed his muscles a bit but still held his mannerisms.
"I'd say it's a little needless for this information to get to me but it appears to be becoming an issue amongst your peers. Being one of Zerith's troops has its fair share of benefits and it's reasonable that a man at your age would want to perhaps settle down in his life. While we may not have any rules or guidelines against relationships with your peers, it does become an issue when that relationship interferes with your ability to perform your duty."
Nightfang fought the urge to roll his eyes as he could already tell where this conversation was leading. "I'm here to address the affair between yourself and Angel. Your affection towards each other has become quite apparent and has led to a decline in your overall work quality, as reported by your captain. He has given you warnings and has talked with the two of you separately but to no avail. Now, this matter lies in my hands. I consider myself both a reasonable and benevolent figure. From your quarterly data review summary, you hold a significant amount of potential. I'd say you could easily climb the ranks were you to continue your best efforts. It's pokémon like you that we leaders are to keep an eye on so that we can one day recommend you to Tenebris. I don't want such an opportunity to be missed. I care for my troops, but with this recent decline in your work, you could potentially lose the said opportunity. To put it simply, Angel will no longer be part of my command and is instead being transferred. We are aware that this will impact your two's relationship slightly, but I believe that it's for the better. You are dismissed, Nightfang."
'Why did I become who I was? Why didn't I stop then, when I actually had a chance?'
Nightfang came running out of a forest with tears burning through his eyelids. He still heard the screams from behind him which were shortly muffled by the sounds of roaring flames and the cracking of trees. Something that was once a peaceful village on a hillside had become nothing more than a burial ground that would soon be covered in smoke and ashes.
Nightfang collapsed into a ball and fell into a fit of dry-heaving. His cries died down as he heard footsteps approaching him. He whipped his tears and stood back up to look at who had been arriving. He was met with Magnus. He felt pathetic, crying before his leader.
Magnus knelt to the poochyena's eye level. "I would ask if you're alright but your eyes have answered me clearly. Why do you weep?"
Nightfang struggled to find the words. "It just... never gets easier. Taking another life. It feels like we're killing innocent people."
"Anyone who defies Tenebris is not innocent. Understand that this is natural selection. These pokémon died because they were not strong enough to survive and they refuse to fight the good fight."
"There's more to survival than strength alone," he argued.
Magnus let out a sigh and lifted his arm to show Nightfang the bindings around his wrists. "These bracelets were originally an item I tried enchanting but instead it had backfired and became a curse. They read 'With strength, I burn.' The curse itself has caused the ghastly aura inside me to forever burn me and as I grow stronger, the more this fire burns. Strength is more than the ability to overpower one with one's own brawn, but it is also mental durability to withstand such things. The anguish I feel burrows into my head each day and the fire feels as though it has consumed me a thousand times over, but I use my willpower of strengthening myself to feed the flames and make them stronger. Consider this a demonstration of my power."
Magnus looked behind him to observe the forest being engulfed in blue and green flames that began bleeding into each other. If the color wasn't off-putting enough, the flames also had a mind of their own, almost working together to block off pathways that could provide an exit for the hopeless victims the fires would soon feed upon.
"It may not be easy to take a life," Magnus continued. "But this is the nature of our job and it is what you are obligated to do. In time, you will learn to come to grips with this and to lift the weight of one's life against your conscience. You will either learn, or I'll beat it out of you."
Nightfang was washing his mouth out by a river, the unsettling metallic taste strong on his tongue. After a few more rinses, he sat by the stream and stared blankly at the hilltop of trees in front of him. He was visibly shuttering as he played back his previous actions. The more he lingered on those thoughts, the sicker of himself he felt.
Nightfang's attention was grabbed by the sound of rustling leaves and talking. He turned to see a houndoom and a slazzle chatting while approaching the river. They briefly looked his way but didn't pay him much mind and continued their conversation.
"As much as I like battling," the houndoom spoke. "I'd prefer being on the frontlines rather than hunting these small tribes and villages. They pose no real threat and often flee than fight back. The only real challenge is chasing after them."
"Pfft, good luck getting into Banshee's command. She's much in favor of only having ghosts and only makes exceptions for talented potential."
"What are you saying? You don't think I meet some prerequisites to fit among her ranks?"
"Yeah, pretty much. All you have going towards you are a few dozen villagers killed. That's not enough to get in there."
"That's what pretty much everyone here among Magnus's ranks does! If Banshee has such a prestigious requirement for allowing pokémon into her ranks, then how did that absol get transferred there?"
"I don't know. Why don't you go have Nightfang over there enlighten you?"
"Piss off," Nightfang spat.
The houndoom looked confused. "What's his deal?"
"Ah, you don't know, do you? Nightfang and Angel were in a close relationship," the salazzle said while making a circle with one hand and inserting a finger from her other into the hole. "Magnus wasn't too keen on how much they were getting distracted from their work and sent her to a different command."
"Oh-ho-ho! Is that true, Nightfang? I never took you as the type to have a girl. Well, one you would keep longer than a night, that is."
"I said piss off."
"Don't mind the sour puss," interjected the salazzle. "He's still a bit salty about the whole ordeal. Maybe he's pretty sensitive about Angel because he's concerned for her well-being, her now being on the frontline and all. I bet the poor lady must be terrified out there. Heh, but I'm sure a few guys are giving her the right amount of company she needs."
Nightfang felt something inside him burn to his very core. Something that caused him to lash out at the salazzle. He had lifted his paw and raked it across her scaley face, barely missing her eye socket.
The salazzle was surprised, but her face soon turned to one of rage. "That does it!" She unsheathed her claws and was just about ready to pounce.
"Enough!" A voice threatened. "I will not be having my troops fight amongst each other." Magnus then emerged from the foliage.
The salazzle lowered her claws. "But Nightfang-"
"Shut up." He replied flatly. "I will handle this. Nightfang." The poochyena looked in his direction, daring not to speak back. "Return to the camp and meet me by my tent tonight."
Nightfang stood there underneath his penetrating gaze. He tried to say something but the words never formed. "Now," Magnus said coldly.
And Nightfang did so. The walk back was long and left Nightfang to his thoughts. All he could do was think about his upcoming scolding. He detested feeling like a child before his leader and ever since Angel was removed, he could tell he became more distant from everyone else. It had seemed as if the salazzle had read his mind; he constantly was concerned about the wellbeing of Angel. He eventually made it to the camp and found his way to Magnus's tent where he then waited. And a long wait it was indeed. It wasn't until most of the camp, and almost Nightfang too had fallen asleep that Magnus had returned.
Magnus walked past Nightfang but gestured for him to follow. The poochyena did as he was told and followed the golurk into the woods. The canopy of leaves darkened the area even more and the terrain was difficult to traverse due to the tree roots overlapping each other. Nightfang had a negative feeling about being this deep in the woods alone with Magnus. Eventually, the golurk had stopped and stood with his back towards Nightfang who sat obediently behind him, like he had been trained to. Magnus looked down softly shaking his head. Nightfang tilted his head in confusion from this gesture.
Magnus spun backward, slamming his arm against Nightfang. The poochyena was swept off his paws and hit the nearest tree with now both of his sides burning in pain. His eyes widened from the impact before they began registering the pain to where he then coiled in on himself and gnashed his teeth, a subtle flow of tears forming in his eyes.
"Why? Why can't you learn? Why is there always something wrong with you? Why can't you just listen for once? Why can't you just shut your damn mouth? Why? Answer me!"
"W-what do you want me to say!?" Nightfang shot. "You're mad at me because I'm not a mindless killer like the rest of your damn army. You're mad because I don't change because I actually have a heart because I actually care about these people we're killing. I've done what you've wanted! I kill now. I don't enjoy it. Not one bit. But I do it because this is the life I've been forced into. I don't consider this a sport or a competition, this is a straight-up genocide against innocents. You can call it what you want. Label it something different. But even if you called a lily a rock, you took nothing away except its name, it's still the same thing at the end of the day. You're mad because you don't want us to be individuals with minds of our own."
"It's always the same shit with you, Nightfang. You're causing too much drama within the ranks and Tenebris is sure to pick up on it. And when that happens, it'll be my ass, and when that happens, it'll be your ass afterward."
"How selfish can you fucking be? It's always a give-and-take situation with you. We're all just a bunch of tools for you to use so you look good for Tenebris. Just how far do you have his dick down your throat?"
Magnus just snorted while shaking his head. "It's easy to say from your perspective. There's a lot more happening 'behind the curtains' that you don't know about. You want to know why we're sent on these trivial missions to hunt down villages and tribes? It's because this is more of a punishment than anything else. A punishment to do the lower-end jobs because we aren't showing good performance for Tenebris. You want to go to those frontlines and fight the people who actually want you dead, the people who aren't 'innocent' by your standards? Then you do your fucking job and keep your damn mouth shut. The next evaluation is approaching and if we're lucky, we'll be moving onto bigger and better things."
Nightfang again found himself at a loss for words and instead sat moaning in pain as his adrenaline and shock decided to ease away. Having nothing else to say, Magnus left, leaving Nightfang to himself for the night.
A few months had passed and it was now time for the evaluation cycle in Zerith. Tenebris had the royal leaders form outside his castle, alongside them were several of their trusted troops. Nightfang wasn't all that surprised to be standing there with Magnus. Though Nightfang got into a lot of trouble, it was undeniable that he was an excellent tracker and a fair combatant. Magnus had with him Nightfang, the same houndoom from earlier, and a drifblim. Nightfang didn't really remember their names but neither was he too worried about that right now. He decided to look around to see what the competition looked like.
Toxin had with him a beedrill, an accelgor, and a mareanie. Frostbite appeared to be by himself. If Nightfang had recalled correctly, he caught wind that the weavile was more of a lone wolf and a spy. So why exactly was he here? Lastly was banshee who had a haunter, a gorgeist, and...
Nightfang nearly felt his heart skip a beat. The last person standing there was Angel. She looked happy as she conversed with the gorgeist next to her. Nightfang wanted to call out to her. Say something. Anything. But instead stood there, frozen.
Shortly after, the gates to Lord Tenebris's castle began to open. His castle was built atop a steep mountainside, reaching above the clouds. The castle itself was made of a black brick material and was covered in mounds of snow. The castle's position was very strategic as anyone daring enough to invade it would be fighting, quite literally, an uphill battle. The main disadvantage was the blanket of clouds obscuring the view from below, so it was nearly impossible to tell if an army was approaching or not. Supposedly, Tenebris had his ways of knowing, though he had never been keen on sharing the information.
The leaders and their troops walked inside and made their way to the main chamber. All the while, Nightfang would constantly make glances towards Angel.
She's alive... that's definitely a relief.
She still hadn't taken notice of him but Nightfang couldn't worry about that at the time being. Instead, he focused on his surroundings. The castle had a gloomy and gothic design to it. Nothing too interesting caught his eye. It seemed that Tenebris wasn't as concerned about interior design as Magnus was. After a few minutes of walking, they found their way to the main chamber. As they entered, the royal leaders all knelt towards Tenebris's throne which, soon after, the rest of the troops kneeled. Tenebris sat upon his throne casting a glance at all of those who had entered his chamber.
"You all may rise. As you may be aware, this is the annual evaluation. As you may have already noticed, things are a bit different this year around, as I have requested each of my faithful leaders to bring what they believe to be their most promising troops to my castle as well, and there is a reason behind this," he paused. "The Legion is growing in numbers rapidly and we are sure to surpass our enemies in troop count very shortly. However, this inflation of troops has the possibility of being overbearing for my leaders. For the first time in a long time, I am looking for a new suitable royal leader. This decision will be decided on several things, but most importantly is that you all will be competing for the position."
The intrigue was fast to develop in the troops present in the room.
"Now, before we continue, I'd like to meet all of you formally. I'll be starting with your troops, Magnus. As for the rest of you, you may wait outside until I send for you."
The others had left, leaving Magnus, Nightfang, the houndoom, and the drifblim alone with Tenebris. Tenebris called for Magnus and then met one on one with the individual troops. The first to be called was the houndoom. From what Nightfang was able to gather, it appeared to be some form of an interview. The troop would sit before Tenebris and answer a few questions. Nightfang couldn't hear what was being said but he was clearly able to make out that the houndoom wasn't holding his composure so well. He was nearly shaking and shivering just being in the presence of Tenebris. Eventually, they had concluded their meeting and the drifblim was called up. He seemed a lot more confident in his interview than the houndoom had been.
Eventually, they had concluded their meeting and Nightfang was up. Nightfang sat up and steadily, yet hastily, made his way towards Tenebris. His crimson eyes following his every sudden move. Nightfang stood his mental ground and refused to show any sign of fear or intimidation. He then calmly bowed to the umbreon and sat down.
"Ah, Nightfang, I've heard both good and bad things about you," Tenebris said with a grin. Nightfang wasn't sure whether he should have responded or not but Tenebris continued. "Quite a record you have. Magnus has told me a fair bit about you. Says you're a tracker."
"Yes, m'lord. Born and primarily raised from a pack of hunters, I'd say tracking is nearly second nature to me."
"Indeed, always a useful ability, especially in these times. Now, before I ask some questions, I feel we should settle the air between us, so I'd like to know a bit about you. Your background and your reason for joining the Dark Legion."
"Well, like I said, born and raised by a pack of hunters. A majority of my youth was spent with those close to me."
"So you're a bit of a family man, I see, and quite sympathetic of those close to you. It must have been a nice life."
"Yeah, it was," Nightfang's tone began to grow sour. "But my past seems to have lasted just as quickly as it was ripped away from me."
Tenebris picked up on what he had meant. "I'm sorry to hear about your loss-"
Nightfang interrupted. "They were killed - no, slaughtered - by soldiers of the Dark Legion." The atmosphere suddenly grew thick.
Tenebris brushed aside the fact that he had been interrupted. "I see..."
"I was lucky to make it out of there alive. I remember that night so vividly. The blood, the distinct scream of everyone I had once cared for, and worst of all... the smell. God, it was insufferable, the scent of charred flesh. Every time I smell smoke, it's the first thing I can ever think of."
"You're not too keen on the Legion, are you?"
"If I'm being completely honest, my lord, no, I'm not."
Out of the corner of his eyes, Nightfang could see the glare Magnus was currently casting. It made him feel good.
"Then why join? Why join those that took everything away from you?"
"I want to make a difference here in Zerith. I want to lead pokémon to fight for a greater cause. Working under Magnus, I've done nothing but destroy more families - recycling my past life into the hearts of more innocent people. I don't want that for anyone."
"Then tell me, were you to sit in my position, what would you do for Zerith? Remember that we are still engaged in war, how would you react to this?"
Nightfang furrowed his brows in thought before answering. "The first thing I'd work on would be ending this war and try making amends with the Jagorii and Mardol. Both are at war with us because of Zerith's own doing. Both opposing nations have great militaries that would make great allies in the event a greater threat was to arrive."
Tenebris clicked his tongue while shaking his head. "You sound just like the Emperor. Wanting to make alliances rather than show the strength of our great nation. The war started long before our ancestors' ancestors had walked these lands. The core concept that Zerith was founded on was through the teachings of Yveltol's scrolls. And, as the leader of Zerith, I am to see that his Great Purge is put into effect to bring balance to the nature of things."
"Killing people isn't bringing balance! It's mindless genocide!"
"There are many things you don't understand about this war. It's not just the black and white of bad versus good. Your beliefs are on the well-being of every 'innocent' person in Zerith, though you know none of these people. What if these pokémon you so desperately want to save were found to be rapists or sex traffickers?"
Nightfang began to backpedal a little bit. "Well, there are exceptions, of course. We could determine which of these villages and tribes house good and bad people."
"It doesn't work like that. You blame my army for being blind when you yourself fail to see that you're blinded by your own moral compass. You still believe that good and bad are the only two categories pokémon can fall into. Everyone is 'evil' to some extent. Everyone. What you still fail the most to see is the overall agenda of my Legion. For the past century, we've been guided by the text of Yveltol. Within these scrolls, the Great Purge is mentioned. Our goal is to bring balance to the world population through survival of the fittest. We must weed out the weak if we are to prosper as a species."
"Wait, so you mean to tell me that all of this is guided by your religion? Your faith is in the legendary of death?"
"Always has been. Do you mean to tell me you aren't religious, Nightfang?"
"I consider myself more agnostic than anything else."
"Heh, you of little faith," Tenebris muttered beneath his breath. "I feel the two of us have rambled on long enough, and though we don't see eye-to-eye, that doesn't mean I'm not interested in having you as a leader, Nightfang. All people can bend to a voice of reason. You'll definitely be a tough person to break, but I predict you'll eventually understand my point of view." He then turned to the golurk. "Have you anything else to add, Magnus?"
"I do, my lord. This was found at a village, all thanks to Nightfang's tracking abilities."
Magnus then presented an orb-shaped gem. It was perfectly round and its surface devoid of any blemishes or abnormalities. Within the confines of the black, glass orb was a swirling nebula of crimson energy. Tenebris grew quiet as he eyed the gem. His eyes shifted between Nightfang and the orb. Something had caused the gears in his head to start turning causing him to go into deep thought. Tenebris grabbed the gem and admired its lustrous beauty before re-addressing the golurk.
"This is quite the find indeed," he continued with a tone very different from the one he previously had. "This will be taken into consideration for your evaluation. Magnus, you are all dismissed. Send in for the next group on your way out."
The golurk bowed and exited the room with his three pokémon all while Tenebris was still perplexed by the gem.
Nightfang growled in frustration to himself while pacing back and forth. The meeting didn't quite go as he had planned. He fully intended on letting Tenebris know he despised his position and wanted things to be changed. Of course, the umbreon was well rooted in his beliefs and never appeared angered by any of the poochyena's responses. It irritated him, but he was determined to put up a fight for the entire evaluation. Another thing that didn't sit well with him was the orb he had found. Magnus had sent in a few of his squads to infiltrate an unsuspecting village where they had then attacked a shaman who had that orb locked in a cleverly concealed location. Nightfang had a negative gut feeling about the item from the start and seeing as Tenebris appeared to have some sort of interest in it didn't make him feel any less uneasy.
His consternation subsided as something caught his sight. It was Angel. She was conversing with one of her peers. A smile was stretched across his face as she listened to what the other was saying which eventually elected a laugh from the absol.
How long has it been now? He thought to himself while unknowingly walking towards her. Does she even know I'm here? Does she even remember me? Has she even once thought about me since we were separated?
All of these thoughts flowed through his head, seemingly washing over his previous thoughts regarding Tenebris. One by one, step after step, he approached Angel until he was standing just behind her. What would he say? Would she even be happy to see him? His mouth opened and nothing came out. He no longer had the confidence to talk to the one person he had ever been comfortable talking to. He opened his mouth once more, and although his voice almost faltered, he managed to call her name.
The absol nearly froze after hearing his voice, no longer paying any attention to who she had been talking to. She slowly turned around and met eyes with the poochyena before fully turning around to face him.
"Nightfang?" She simply replied. Though her emotions weren't quite as simple. At first, she was shocked, but then elated. Her face went from happiness to a brief sadness to confusion. "What are you even doing here?"
Nightfang nearly winced having not expected the conversation to head in such a direction. If he were being honest, he wasn't too sure where he was expecting it to go.
"I was selected for the evaluation by Magnus. I see you were selected as well... congrats, I'm happy for you." He tried to sound more enthusiastic, but everything just felt off. The fact that her eyes met with the ground didn't make him feel any better.
"We're not supposed to be talking with each other right now."
Each word chipped away at his heart.
The gorgeist, who Angel had previously been talking to, interrupted. "Come along, Angel. Banshee wouldn't approve of you conversing with the likes of him."
Angel just nodded her head and followed the gorgeist away. Before she completely left, she gave Nightfang an apologetic gaze. The poochyena stood there in vexation. At a loss of both words and thought. He was hoping things would turn up more positively from their reunion but it ended up more sour than he could have imagined.
She was able to move on much more easily than I was... I- his thoughts were cut off from a burning sensation in his eyes. He felt moisture building up and his eyes threatened to stain a tear down his face. He clenched his eyes and teeth shut, resisting any urge to show emotion.
Think clearly Nightfang. It's not that she completely forgot about me. She clearly was shocked to see me and wanted to catch up. But now is not the time nor place for it. I need to maintain my bearing here. Don't cave into your emotions.
He took a deep breath before exhaling and slowly opening his eyes. Now feeling more calm and collected, the poochyena retired back to his corner where he paced in thought.
Eventually, all leaders had their subordinates interviewed by Tenebris. The royal leaders were then held in a meeting with the umbreon to decide who was no longer cut out to be a future royal leader for Zerith. The houndoom from Magnus's group, the haunter belonging to Banshee, and Toxin's accelgor had all been removed from the evaluation. Night had come and the remainder of the selected pokémon for the evaluation had been sent off to various rooms within Tenebris's grand castle. Nightfang sat restlessly in his room, his mind still a clutter of thoughts. With his continued difficulty in rest, he departed his bed in search of water.
The room he was in was rather small and had no windows. The walls were formed out of the same dark bricks that had made up the rest of the castle. He walked himself to the thick door made of dark wood. Using his weight he was able to push the hefty door ajar, a shriek of its rusty hinges haunted the halls. The poochyena exited his room and walked down various hallways until he had found a fountain. Said fountain was built into the wall. At the top was the source of water which poured from the mouth of a stone gyarados and into a small pond that held a large amount of the water. Nightfang steadily approached the water and lapped at it until his thirst had been quenched. The water was cold to the touch, yet highly refreshing.
Nightfang continued drinking the water until he had heard footsteps coming his way. He turned to see the approaching pokémon only to be met again by Angel. Silence lingered as the two stared at each other. Nightfang tried but failed to read the emotions painted on the absol's face.
Nightfang decided to break the silence first. "How did you know I'd be here?"
"In truth, I didn't." She then continued to the fountain to satisfy her own thirst. "I assume you, too, were unable to sleep?"
"Yeah. All of this still doesn't sit well with me, I was fully expecting my behavior towards Tenebris to be a one-way ticket out of this damn evaluation but instead, they kept me here. Then I find this strange gem during one of my missions and the next thing I know that's apparently something Tenebris has a strong interest in. All of this just feels like my insides are being twisted from the inside. Angel, I don't know too much what he's planning but I'm honestly scared."
Angel listened to him with her full attention, nodding along as he explained. "That does sound strange. You're possibly overlooking some things but I'm sure you're right to trust your gut instincts."
Angel looked about their surroundings before lowering her voice. "We shouldn't be talking against Tenebris in such an open environment. Follow me."
"Where are we heading?" Nightfang asked while following her lead.
"To my room. We can discuss things there and, you know, catch up with each other." She turned and flashed a gentle smile. "It's been a while, I'm sure we each have things to catch each other up on."
That remark alone was enough to calm some of the storms of thoughts that were keeping him up. He realized that it wasn't that she didn't want to talk to him earlier, they just couldn't do so publicly.
Angel's room was fairly similar to Nightfang's, the main difference being a single window that looked out over the mountainscape. Angel climbed atop her bed and gestured for Nightfang to join her. The poochyena's heart began to race, it had been nearly a year since they had last seen each other or done intimate activities with one another. To say he was a bit nervous was an understatement.
Nevertheless, he obliged and joined her side. As he climbed up, the absol grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into her. All of his worries seemingly faded, it felt just like the days they used to spend on grassy hills overlooking sunsets. For what felt like hours, the two sat in each other's embrace enjoying the almost foreign feeling.
Nightfang again had broken the silence. "I was so worried about you. I hear the things That Banshee's troops go through."
"Do you really have so little faith in me?"
"It's not that, I just couldn't stand the thought of something happening while you were gone."
"Well nothing bad has happened yet, so you can stop worrying."
"Alright, alright. I'll stop worrying. But at least give me clarity on one thing. Are there..." Nightfang struggled to find the correct words for what he wished to ask. "Have you been... seeing other people since you left?"
With a huff, Angel stood up and loomed over Nightfang intimidatingly. "Are you actually accusing me of potential being unfaithful? That I'd just leave and up and forget about you? Yes, I encountered plenty who made their interests in me clear but I had declined them all. I've been longing for the day that I'd see you again and of all places, the evaluation is the last place I would have imagined. But not only that, I go through all of this loneliness and waiting just to be accused of having relationships with other men?"
"I-I-" Nightfang stammered in a faint attempt to defend himself.
Angel had interrupted him by shoving her paw over his mouth, one of her claws coming unnervingly close to a fatal vein on Nightfang's neck.
"Answer me this then, have you been seeing anyone else since I left."
Nightfang was able to push her paw away from his mouth. "No! I swear, I've been faithful since our relationship started." Angel gave him a questioning stare. "I swear on my family's grave."
Her glare quickly shifted into a smile. "Good, that's all I needed to hear."
Nightfang was about to let out a breath of relief but was interrupted as Angel had connected her lips to his. Taken aback, he had no idea how to react to her forwardness but he quickly joined in with her movements. It wasn't long before the two had slid their tongues into each other's mouths letting their tongues do what they do best when in such a situation.
For minutes the two fought for dominance in the other's mouth. Their lust for one another had been amplified by the length of time it had been since the last time they engaged in such an activity. Nightfang basked in the stimulation of his senses, he never noticed just how much he missed seeing Angel, how much he missed her scent, how much he missed the taste of her. He missed everything about her.
Above all, nothing could compare to the physical touch of her body. The feeling of her voluminous fur brushing against his, the freedom of his paws feeling around the various dimensions of her body, and even the friction of the way she rubbed their crotches together as she sat atop him. As much as they wished to tell each other what their lives had been like the past few months, they couldn't deny the pent-up sexual tension they each had bottled up for so long. They were both quickly aroused by one another's actions and it wasn't long until the two began their passionate acts of sex.
After having exhausted each other out did they finally talk. Nightfang informed Angel of the difficult tasks he had to do for Magnus, including killing. He expressed his opinion on the matter and how it had affected him mentally. Angel, of course, reassured him and provided the emotional support he needed. Angel's story, however, was more eventful. She talked about how she had traveled to many different camps across Zerith's coast and had actually seen a small portion of combat herself. Nightfang was apprehensive of the matter though Angel brushed it off as nothing too serious and nothing she wasn't capable of handling on her own.
Afterward, the two continued cuddling with each other. Eventually, Angel had succumbed to sleep and rested peacefully on her bed. Nightfang took this as his cue to leave, it would only make matters worse were anyone to find out he had even been in the room, to begin with. Nightfang reminisced on how warm his heart was feeling after seeing her and as much as he would love to stay up and think more about the absol he loved, he couldn't deny that he desperately needed to sleep as well.
As the poochyena entered his room, he noticed something felt off. He observed the surroundings but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Shrugging it off, he closed his door and buried himself in his bed. Shortly after shutting his eyes, he felt a cold chill crawl down his spine. Abruptly, he sat up and again scouted his room. It was as empty as before. Trying to push the negative feelings into the back of his head, he lied back down and tried again to sleep.
From the dark corner of his room, a limb stretched outwards towards the unsuspecting poochyena. The shadow moved slowly yet purposefully as it gravitated towards his open and exposed throat. Then, with unmatched speed, the shadow lunged towards its target, ensnaring itself around the canine's throat. Nightfang shot up and tried lashing out at his aggressor but was ultimately pinned down. The appendage now trapping Nightfand was a foot covered in talons as dark as night. Standing above him and pinning him down was a bird decorated in dark blue feathers and a white feathery mane, a honchkrow. The bird wore a blindfold with a yellow eye pained over as well as a necklace with a shimmering, blue shard.
The bird put a feather to its beak as it shushed Nightfang. "I'm not here to harm you. I require your compliance to help set things right down a distant path."
To say Nightfang was confused would be an understatement. He tried to struggle more but the honchkrow's grip only tightened. "Listen to me Nightfang, I haven't much time."
"How do you know my name?" He managed to squeeze out.
"You need to get the gem away from Tenebris. Such power is not safe in his hands. You're currently the only person I can assign to capture this right now. I have seen through the window of tomorrow, the clouds of that rainy day will scatter as the sun shines its opportunity on you. Answer its call and seize the day. After you have the gem, send it to me, I will be at the shores of the ash sand. From there I will explain more to you."
Within an instant, the grip had loosened and the honchkrow dissipated like mist in the wind. Nightfang's heart was beating rapidly. His mind was unable to tell if what he had seen was indeed reality or perhaps a delusion from his lack of sleep. With hesitation, Nightfang gave one last attempt in trying to fall asleep and was eventually whisked away into his realm of slumber.
The sun peered over the horizon, eclipsed by a dark castle and darkened by the low hanging clouds. A new day was born as the remaining pokemon for the evaluation sat by their respective leaders in Tenebris's training grounds. Magnus was preparing his two remaining troops for their next step in the evaluation, one that decided leadership potential within one's self.
"With this next test, you will be examined on your leadership qualities. The main focus areas are integrity, your ability to delegate, communication, self-awareness, gratitude, your learning agility, influence, empathy, courage, and your ability to garner respect."
"And how exactly is all of this even tested?" Asked Nightfang. "It's a bit biased for already existing leaders to determine if we are leaders, is it not?"
"Which is why we are not directly grading all categories, during the end of the assessment you are trying to earn the respect of those who will be in your immediate command if you are chosen as our next Leader."
Before he could question any further, Nightfang noticed Tenebris entering the training grounds, behind him was a large gathering of children and young adults who he could tell had little or no experience fighting.
Tenebris had then stopped in front of the examinees, his eyes scanning the now smaller line-up. "So, I'm sure as of now, your current leaders have informed you of what this next exam will be testing you on. We are here to find more leadership characteristics in you all as I have picked up on some that each of you has from our individual meeting. This time, you aren't trying to impress me, you're here to impress these future soldiers," he said while motioning towards the crowd behind him. "They need to be taken under someone's wing and it is now your goal to develop a trust for you so they have a desire to be led by you. From here, you will be competing with your ally to win over these people."
Both Nightfang and the drifblim looked at each other. Though lacking a face, Nightfang could tell it was throwing him a smug grin causing him to glare at the ghostly balloon. The two of them eventually had a small group of around ten or so pokemon before them. The children looked at the two of them with great interest. The two introduced themselves to their strangers and pretty much debated on why they would make a better leader over the other. Nightfang threw in examples of missions he had done in the past and used past experiences as a way to empathize with the group. It turns out that most of them were in a similar predicament of being stripped of their families and being forced into Tenebris's military. The drifblim countered with a few arguments on how much of a slack off Nightfang was, these tactics would have worked had Nightfang not known of a key detail regarding the drifblim. Unlike the rest of the group, the drifblim was born from a military family, predestined, and having a desire to be in the military in his future. After Nightfang brought that to the table, he knew it was a nail in the coffin for the drifblim. Nightfang had then developed a new drive to win over the examination, and it was to lead these like-minded people and to eventually free them from the chains of Zerith.
Later, the results had come in from who the people would rather prefer as a leader. Sure enough, Nightfang was selected from his group, Angel had again pulled through, and lastly was Toxin's mareanie. The three of them would then go into the next test the next day, but for now, they were treated to a meal in the guest dining hall. For the most part, the three of them were alone.
"Good to see you somehow crawled your way up this far into the examination," Angel teased.
Nightfang rolled his eyes. "Just happy to get the boring stuff out of the way. I've heard the last part of the evaluation is usually a battle."
The mareanie raised a brow. "Where'd you hear that from? Been years since the previous evaluation."
Nightfang just shrugged. "Mainly just word of mouth but it makes sense to me seeing as battling is something each leader specializes in; Toxin has his barbed armor that he uses while rolling and is capable of poisoning any pokemon, regardless of typing. Banshee is impervious to physical attacks and can curse people and bend their minds to her will. Frostbite has his potions and Magnus has his enchanted gauntlets that can 'shatter mountains.' I wouldn't be too surprised if they held a battle to see which of us stands out defensively and offensively."
"It's a fair guess," Angel joined, "but there's three of us, what's stopping them from having any of us gang up on one person specifically?"
"Nothing, I guess, but even if two were to team up on one, it would be a short-lived pact since only one of us will make it to the top."
Angel and the mareanie both looked down at their plates in contemplation, the events of tomorrow clouding their thoughts. The rest of the night was uneventful for the three. They had finished their meals and went to their designated chambers to rest for the night. The sun had again warded off the night and shone its light throughout the region. However, it was not the sun that had awoken Nightfang, rather it was the sound of unnecessarily loud knocks on his chamber doors. Upon opening the door, he was greeted by his leader, Magnus. The two stared into each other's eyes, exchanging no words. The golurk turned and walked away. Nightfang understood the implications and followed.
The two had walked through countless corridors and down many steps. Their short venture led them lower and lower into the castle. Nightfang noted that they had gone deeper than the regular ground level of the castle. The two were now walking a corridor, dimly lit by torches, that lead to a rusty portcullis. The guards had recognized Magnus and began turning the gears to lift the portcullis and let the two through. From there, more stairs lead further down. Nighfang couldn't help but feel a foreboding feeling crawling down his spine. Eventually, they found themselves in a large, open room. The room was circular in shape and a fairly small battlefield of drab, grey stones decorated its terrain. After a quick glance, Nightfang found both Angel and the mareanie already on the battlefield, he also took notices of the royal leaders spectating the from an overhang.
"Nightfang," Magnus called, grabbing the poochyena's attention. "Just try to not embarrass me out there."
After that, he had left. Nightfang was unable to read the golurk's emotion but was pretty set on assuming he wasn't too impressed. He just decided to not think about it and found his place on the battlefield.
Tenebris made his way towards the overhang and spoke to the three. "I would like to start by congratulating you all for making it this far. Though your previous evaluations were rather mundane and simple tasks we still need to determine each of your all's battling prowess. The rules are that of war in the sense that there are no rules in this battle. Do whatever you must to achieve victory in your battle."
The three each got into a battle stance, preparing to attack. Nightfang began creating his strategy. He knew he didn't want to hurt Angel but also knew that only one of them would make it through the evaluation. The one thing he was aware of is that he couldn't make it obvious if he was going to fight alongside Angel.
"Begin!" Tenebris commanded.
Instantly, the three sprang into action. The mareanie seemed to be on a more offensive side as she jumped up in a spinning motion into the air, all while a hailstorm of her poisonous barbs rained onto the battlefield. Both Angel and Nightfang were quickly able to take cover from the onslaught as they hid behind pillars of stone. Angel formed a path to the mareanie by dashing between various stone formations. She eventually found an opening and rammed into her side, halting the storm. Nightfang took this as an opportunity to join the battle.
Though pinned down by the absol, the mareanie saw the approaching poochyena and quickly shot a spike in his direction. Nightfang had been caught off guard as the thin needle connected with his shoulder. Instantly, Nightfang felt a pain shoot through his muscles, knowing he had now been poisoned.
Angel's horn began glowing as she prepared her next attack. The mareanie appeared to be faster, though, as one of her tendrils stabbed into Angel's gut and threw the absol off of her. Nightfang, now getting over his brief pain continued charging the mareanie. She swung a tendril at him but he was reflexive enough to duck under in time, he then lunged at her and pinned her back on the ground.
Her eyes shifted towards the needle in his arm and she grew a grin. "It's already over for you, Nightfang."
"It's just a little bit of poison, I'll manage."
"Oh?" She mused. "Are you sure about that? Or have you forgotten about my merciless ability?"
Nightfang's eyes widened, now realizing the imminent danger he was in. Before he could even prepare an attack, she connected her head sharply to his. A sharp pain rang throughout Nightfang's head while he backed away from her rubbing the wounded area. Just as he had regained his composure, he saw a jet of some strange, purple liquid rushing his way. The venom was quick to drench his body and he could feel his muscles beginning to weaken more and more.
This was bad and it didn't help him knowing she possessed both ranged and close-quarter attacks. The mareanie barricaded herself behind a wall of her tendrils and launched a spike cannon towards Nightfang. He was able to dodge most of the attacks though some were inevitable and connected effortlessly to his body. The power of each strike had been amplified by the mareanie's merciless ability.
Angel was now recovering from her attack, both of her paws held over where she had been struck. She had moved her paws to observe her fresh wound. A red stain was noticeable present and her abdominal region appeared inflamed. she was luckily not poisoned, just wounded. She looked out over into the battlefield and saw that the mareanie was already occupied fighting Nightfang. Angel slowly stood back up and concentrated a large amount of energy into her horn. A mass of electricity swirled and crackled around her. With a motion of whipping her head in the mareanie's direction, she was able to launch a crooked bolt of electricity.
The mareanie never knew what hit her. Within a fraction of a second, her body was enveloped in electrical energy. She let out a loud shriek as the electricity flowed through her body. She felt as if she was slowly being cooked from the inside out and soon after she was rendered unconscious. The two huffed after finishing her off. Angel felt fine, but her wounded stomach was bothersome, if only minorly. Nightfang, on the other hand, felt he had done himself in. He felt fatigued and the constant growing pain of the poison biting into his muscles. The two stared at one another, neither of the two wanting to fight each other. But they both knew they had to put up an act for Tenebris and the others. Angel decided to initiate the offense as she charged Nightfang.
Nightfang tried with all of his might to dodge but his movements were far too sluggish to outmaneuver the brisk movements of the absol. Angel had been expecting Nightfang to have easily dodged her attack, so to say she was surprised to see what happened next was an understatement. Angel's horn had pierced through Nightfang, cutting into him like he were butter. Her horn found itself embedded inside of the poochyena's chest, narrowly grazing between his heart and lung. Angel's eyes grew wide while he dangled like freshly butchered meat from her horn. The viscous blood steadily oozed down the weapon absol were notorious for. Hastily, Angel lowered her head towards the ground and withdrew her headed blade from his chest, unknowingly making it worse. She was quick to cover the wound and apply pressure around the surrounding area.
"Oh my god, Nightfang..." she remorsefully said. "I-I didn't... I didn't mean to... I-I-"
"Well done, Angel," the voice of Tenebris came. The absol's body stiffened as she heard him approaching. "The three of you fought well and you have emerged victorious among your peers."
"My lord," she interjected, trying her best to maintain her composure. "Nightfang was injured rather badly, could I request for him to be seen by your medical experts?"
"I see no reason to. You have prevailed over both the poochyena and the mareanie. I have no further use for them."
"But, my lord, have they not proved themselves? Both of them have already met high criteria to proceed with your trials and to have made it this far is no easy task. Surely they can still be of use to you?"
Tenebris closed his eyes and shook his head. "You don't quite understand, do you Angel? The three of you have proven yourself plentifully. But my army has many fighters. I need someone who can take charge of these people. Someone I know who can make rational decisions. Someone who can give orders just as equally as they can follow orders. Someone who won't let emotions guide them," he said while emphasizing his gaze on Nightfang.
"And the final thing you can do to prove yourself loyal to me is to kill the two of them."
Angel began shaking while her eyes shifted between both of the dark types. The more she outweighed her options she couldn't help but find it convenient how the outcome came to be. As if it was all pre-planned and special tailored to be this way.
Tenebris seemed to have caught on to what she was thinking. "That's right, Angel, this whole trial was a plan. Banshee talked highly of you and the more I looked at your record the more intrigued I was to see you in action and see what you were capable of. But I needed something to be an extra... push. A sort of incentive to see if you really were suitable for my ranks. You see, this is where Nightfang came into play. I had heard plenty about him from reports given to me by Magnus and even mentioned to me the relationship you two were in. From the second Nightfang stepped in here, we knew he was bait to see your full potential. Now, Angel, prove yourself to me and kill him."
Angel now glared and took a few steps back away from the umbreon. "No," she hesitated. "No, no, no... I don't care how meticulously you all planned this, I am not going to kill Nightfang. This won't prove my loyalty to you! All you're trying to do is destroy our relationship even further!"
"Your love for each other is an unnecessary distraction. Being bound to one's feelings causes this exact irrational expression you're displaying right now. Release yourself from these chains of yours."
"But how is this even productive for you?!" Nightfang then interrupted, blood still dripping out his maw. "How does this help morale for your great leaders? How are we supposed to continue creating further generations of people if you forbid such relationships? How can people be proud fathers or mothers if they constantly hold them down?"
"We have plenty of pokémon among my army, plenty of which who have no care or need for petty interests in relationships. Why should they when there's plenty more village for us to conquer? The ripe women there are reward enough for my troops, no?"
"You disgust me," Nightfang seethed. "That's all life is to you. Only ever caring about yourself. You drag everyone down to your level because you yourself have never loved anyone. I doubt you even have children nor will you ever. You'll never understand such emotional intricacies of being a father or a husband. Because you have never been loved."
There was a bit of a pause from Tenebris. Almost as if Nightfang had struck a nerve with the Dark Lord. But out of all things that could have happened next, Nightfang hadn't expected to see a grin creep across the umbreon's maw. With a flick of his tail, he made his cape flip to the other side of his body and he began advancing steadily towards Angel.
"You stay away from me," Angel hissed.
Tenebris paid her no mind. "How about this, Nightfang. How about I make you understand my perspective a little more."
Neither Angel nor Nightfang knew exactly what he meant, but Tenebris wasn't going to give them the courtesy to ponder his words. Tenebris narrowed his gaze on Angel and flicked his tail in her direction.
The absol began to scream as she collapsed in on herself and coiled pathetically into a ball. Flames could be seen spreading across her body. The flames never seemed to consume any source of matter and only continued to burn as they crawled across Angel's body. She tried to smother the flames by rolling around, but all of her efforts were in vain.
Nightfang tried pushing himself from the ground, but the pulsating pain from his chest faltered his movements. All he was able to manage was rolling onto his stomach. He could only stare in bewilderment as he watched Angel writhe in pain.
"Stop!" Nightfang begged. "Please stop! She hasn't wronged you, damn it! It's me you have a vendetta against! please..."
Tenebris only barely glanced at the pleading poochyena. "Magnus, Banshee, Toxin. Leave me to these two. Frostbite, dispose of the mareanie."
Each had nodded their heads while exiting the chamber. Frostbite had taken the unconscious mareanie into his hands before casting a pitiful look at the absol. He shook his head and made his exit.
Nightfang could feel tears prying their way through his eyes. He wished deep within him there was something he could do to end Angel's pain. He extended his paw and began dragging his body closer to Tenebris.
"Look at her, Nightfang. Watch and see how futile it all is."
Tenebris momentarily halted his attack. The flames had seemingly vanished though the pain remained ever clear across Angel's face. She gnashed her teeth together and coiled in on herself like a dying insect. All the while, Nightfang continued to drag his heavy body closer to the umbreon. Tenebris now took notice of the poochyena and decided to walk closer towards him. Tenebris sat himself in front of Nightfang and used his paw to force their eyes to meet.
"Life... life is cruel, dear Nightfang," he spoke with a soft tone. "And to assume I don't comprehend this, to create these baseless ideas of who or what I am is more or less a boast of your ignorance. We are all disposable beings in this world. We are born only to die, that is the set path in each of our lives. But we were not all born equal. Many of us stronger than others and many of us faster than others. Death is the predator of life just as the strong are to those that are weak."
"It still makes no sense, what are you trying to prove?" Nightfang snapped.
"I am only recruiting the strongest for my army. Over time, all who are not strong enough to hold their own will be weeded out until only the predators stand at the top. We have been entrusted to see this into fruition and I will do anything to achieve such goals. Angel, she has so much potential, but her heart is still set towards a path of empathy for the weak. Naturally, I obviously would have no interest in such a member for my army, but due to her combat prowess I can make certain...exceptions"
Tenebris dropped Nightfangs head as he instead found interest in the writhing absol. He stood over her and retrieved an item that appeared to have been tucked away within his fur: a necklace. Attached was the gem that Magnus had given to Tenebris during Nightfang's interview. Nightfang's eyes widened as he began recalling his encounter with the haunchcrow the night prior.
"As for what I'm trying to prove..." Tenebris trailed on while grasping the gem within his paw. "Remember how I said I would do anything?"
With no hesitation, Tenebris clenched tightly around the gem, enveloping his paw in a frothing aura of red clouds. Tenebris then brought his paw down on Angel as the aura now shaped themselves into sharp tendrils that began to bore their way into Angel's head. All pain she had previously felt had vanished as new pain introduced itself in the form of an insufferable migraine. She arched backward in pain while trying in a futile effort to remove the umbreon's paw. With what little strength he had left, Nightfang was able to get back to his feet but still was unable to properly move.
Suddenly, Angel's movements had stopped and she collapsed to the floor. The aura from the gem now returning closed inside of itself.
"A-Angel!" Nightfang cried.
"You needn't worry, she's much better now."
"What the hell did you do to her?!"
"Why not find out for yourself? Wake now, Angel."
By command, the absol began to rise up and stretched herself as if waking up from a nap.
"Huh..." She groggily spoke. "W-where am I?"
"Nevermind that, Angel. I need you to dispose of this pest for now."
Nightfang felt his blood run cold. Tenebris was speaking too casually to the absol and Angel appeared as unfazed just as the umbreon. Angel looked towards Nightfang and then back towards Tenebris."
"Could you not handle him yourself? He looks really roughed up, he couldn't be that much of a burden for you."
"No..." Nightfang said to himself. "Angel, snap out of whatever this is. Tenebris is your enemy, not me."
Angel just raised an eyebrow in confusion. "He's a bit of an odd one, but if you need him to be handled, I suppose I could take care of it."
Angel got down low, preparing to dash at Nightfang but suddenly she collapsed back to the ground, completely exhausted from the pain throughout her body.
"I suppose I shouldn't have overworked you so much if I intended to use this," Tenebris mused to himself.
Tenebris was too distracted to notice the charging poochyena. Nighfang had rammed into Tenebris' side. Before the momentum could carry the umbreon's body, Nightfang had positioned his forelegs to yank at both Tenebris' robe and necklace. As The umbreon was tossed, Nightfang was easily able to yank the two items off his body. Tenebris tried to get to his feet as quickly as possible, but Nightfang's adrenaline had pushed him to outspeed the umbreon.
Nightfang cast a saddened glance towards the absol as he clenched tightly onto the robe. Angel looked too exhausted to move, but as he looked into her eyes, he knew something was very off about her. The usual sense of a serene gentleness now replaced with a sharp emotionless stare. Nightfang closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he placed the robe to his head he slowly exhaled.
Once he opened his eyes, he was in a new environment. Waves crashed nearby and all around him was a beach of grey sand. Nightfang fell to his side, his wound having nearly been bled dry, his body completely numb, and a couple of tears stinging his eyes.
"You did well, Nightfang," Spoke the now approaching honchkrow. "Here, let me treat your wounds"
The honchkrow placed his wings around Nightfang like a blanket and suddenly the poochyena could feel his wounds begin to heal.
"The gem..." he struggled to say, "what...does it do?"
The honchkrow remained silent for a bit. "I presume you saw Tenebris use it first hand?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.
Nightfang could only weakly nod. Again, the Honchkrow was reluctant to respond. "I'm sorry, Nightfang. I tried within the best of my abilities to make it not happen."
"Make what happen?"
"The gem, it's... it's a work of pure evil, honestly. I don't know too much of its origin, but with it, the wielder can... they can rearrange someone's thoughts, memories, and even fabricate new ones and choose what the victim believes. To put it more simply... Angel, has fallen victim to Tenebris and is now completely under his control."
Nightfang clenched both his eyes and teeth while his claws dug into the sand. "Can it be undone?" He said with vexed emotions.
"It... can, but the stipulations are nearly impossible. You would need Tenebris to undo its effects. This is the only known way to undo the mental alteration. Again, I am heavily sorry."
"Dammit!" Nightfang screamed while slamming a fist into the sand. Slowly his frustration developed into sadness as he began sobbing with his face buried in the sand.
"Your battle is not over yet, Nightfang. I foresee that we will meet again in the future once more in this spot." Nightfang heard his words but chose not to speak, only finding comfort in letting the sand collect his tears. "Stay strong, Nightfang. Your endeavors shall not be in vain."
With that, those were the last words Nightfang would hear from the honchkrow in a long time.
Nightfang was still sitting in the underparts of the ship. His mind briefly brushed past the future encounters of being imprisoned and tortured for information on the gem's location. He had spent two years in prison and recalled encountering Angel on numerous occasions, each occurrence slowly driving a nail further and further into his chest. Over the two years, the emotions eventually left him as he started accepting fate for what it was. He still clung on to a sliver of hope that he could somehow manage to undo the gem's effects on Angel but he had no idea as for where to start.
Just what else more does that Honchkrow need me to do? He wondered to himself.
In all honesty, he had his doubts about the honchkrow but only chose to follow along seeing as he hadn't much else to look forward to. All he could think of now was what his next big important role would be. As according to the honchkrow, he would again see the gem in Whitestone. But that wasn't as important as the trial he had to get through first upon his entrance into the city.
Many rewrites and nearly 13,000 words later, here is the chapter that almost made me give up this story entirely. And it's still not exactly what I want but it's been a year and a half since the story was last updated.
Without spoiling too much, this chapter is important in setting up some upcoming events in the sense of foreshadowing and whatnot, it was also an interesting way to give some backstory to some of the other characters (And because of some inconsistencies here, I need to alter a couple of previous encounters with Angel and Nightfang)
There will be periodic updates over the next couple of days as I'm currently doing a spelling and grammar check for the older chapter. God, the story feels so much different than it did back then and I've been cringing at a lot of older stuff to and... strange dialogue I for some reason decided to write at my young age... I'll eventually be rewriting the older chapters but that'll be a project for a later time. For now, I want to focus on actually finishing this story. I've been working on this project far too long to just through in the towel and I can't trust myself to finish more serious projects if I can't commit to this project, which is serving as a stepping stone into writing.