Namohysip
Dragon Enthusiast
Chapter 180 – Left Behind
The wind nipped uncomfortably at Anam’s slime. He sat on the western side of the caldera with the sun at his back. As he overlooked Kilo Village, the shadow of twilight creeping over its streets, he sighed and turned his head to the right. There, Madeline, Giratina, and James sat with him.
“Seems we’re lagging behind,” Madeline remarked. “Giratina, do you think we’ve gotten familiar enough with one another?”
“I’d like more time, ideally, but we aren’t in ideal circumstances.” Giratina chuckled. In her bulkier, six-legged form, she stood higher than all atop the caldera. “We even have Aramé with us this time.”
“Are you really gonna do it?” Anam asked. “I mean… I guess you have to… but…”
Madeline gently patted Anam’s back. “Yes,” the great Goodra said. “Unlike many of the others, though, Giratina and I… have lived very different lives. Similar, but different enough that it may be an adjustment period. Giratina spent time in the Reverse World awaiting the day to spring her trap against Dark Matter. And I… well, I’d been caught up within his realm. We were practically neighbors, yet never knew it. But while Giratina was sealed, I lived a whole life. I met James… I had you.”
“And I don’t intend to take that away,” Giratina said, nodding. “But your mother may change when we reunite, Anam. And I hope you can accept that.”
James looked conflicted. Anam didn’t need Diyem’s power to see that. However, the Decidueye nodded firmly all the same. “People change. It’s as the others have said. This unification is… just an acceleration of the same concept. I’ve changed a great deal, too.”
Madeline chuckled. “Yes. For example, you abandoned your Salandit form the moment you had the chance…”
James’ feathers puffed up. “…Do you prefer it?”
“I prefer James,” Madeline replied simply. “I’d love you no matter what physical form you took. If you enjoy being a Decidueye more, then a Decidueye you are.” She chuckled into one of her grabbers. “Usually, using a Transfer Orb of that nature is very expensive. You should be lucky, getting a divine bargain like that…”
“I suppose I am,” James said, relaxing. “…This talk, though. Are you planning on doing this, then? Unifying?”
“Yes. I think it’s time, before we start getting some nagging questions to do it. Will that be okay?”
Anam fidgeted again. He was worried he’d lose her again. But…
No. He had to be strong. For everyone. He may not be much of a leader figure in Kilo Village anymore, but he still had to put on a brave face. People still looked up to him.
“Okay,” Anam said.
“You’ve grown up,” Madeline remarked. “I’ve noticed it ever since you stopped taking on the world’s weight. Funny, the timing of that…”
“I… I had to stay positive before or I’d… you know, with Mister Matter…” Anam nodded nervously. “But then… I lost him, and my head was all quiet, and… I just… I relaxed. I dunno. I don’t know what I wanna do now…”
“It must have been a shock,” James said. “But… take your time, Anam. It’s okay.”
“You mean all the… cutesy things you did,” Giratina said, “was a defense against Diyem?”
“Cutesy?” Anam asked.
“…Ah… never mind. I thought that was what you were referring to. But I do notice a shift in your behavior without Diyem. I can’t place it in words, though…”
“Mm.” Anam bit his tongue. He wasn’t sure, either.
Madeline stood up. “Well, regardless, Giratina was able to make a small pocket for us to get our affairs in order,” Madeline said. “It won’t be long.”
“Wait—wait, now now?” Anam said, springing to his feet. “Hang on!”
“Hm?”
Anam tackled Madeline in a hug. Even with how large Anam was, Madeline towered over him thanks to Necrozma’s blessing. He squeezed her tight, just in case he may not get the opportunity again, and then used his horns to grab James and pull him in next.
“Uff—”
For much longer than they probably wanted, Anam held them there. “You’ll really stay you?” Anam asked Madeline, face buried in her slime.
“I will,” Madeline promised. Anam finally pulled away and Madeline stepped to Giratina.
“This won’t be too long,” Giratina said. “Are you ready?”
Anam held his breath as Madeline stepped into a black circle that Giratina had formed on the ground. She disappeared as if hopping into a pool of ink. Giratina followed and the circle closed behind them with a little puff of black haze.
Anam steadied his breathing. James hopped a little closer and lowered his head.
“I trust that they’ll be okay,” James said. “Anam… that was very strong of you.”
“Mmg…” Anam nodded. “I just wanted one last hug. Because… because I know she won’t be the same. I could tell. They’re too different…”
James delicately brought his wing over Anam’s thigh. “Hold strong, Anam. I’m sure she still wants to be part of the family. I’m just as worried… but I trust her. We’ve gotten to know Giratina, haven’t we?”
“Mm…” Anam nodded. “They’re similar, just… so much happened apart. It wasn’t like the others, who were, you know, Titans for most of it, so they don’t remember…”
“She was a Titan, too,” James reminded. “Just not as long.”
Anam settled down again. Maybe it would be okay. Waiting was agonizing. Was she back yet?
The silence grew louder in Anam’s head.
“Was it my fault?” Anam asked.
“What?”
“S… sorry.” Anam looked down. “I don’t know why I said that.”
“What could be your fault?”
“…I don’t… know.”
“Anam… this is all far bigger than any one person,” James said. “Are you trying to shoulder the blame for this?”
Anam couldn’t answer. In his mind, he saw Nevren controlling him; he saw Diyem in the void, berating him; he saw the vortex in the sky. He remembered knowing so much and saying so little, all to keep the peace. Waiting until it was too late.
“I guess it’s nothing,” Anam said softly.
“Anam,” James said firmly. “You did what you thought was best for Kilo. You unified the world and brought it into a golden era. You even kept at bay one of the greatest darknesses this world had. Without you, I’m certain the world would have been much worse and less prepared for today. Look.”
James spread a wing toward the twilight-bathed town.
“The world shattered and yet its people came together, all under the philosophy you had fostered. The Hearts, beating as one. Not just a Thousand, but countless souls all united for one goal—to survive, to counter the world’s trials. And much of that was because of you, Anam.”
James looked down. “I’m proud of you. I couldn’t be prouder, Anam. Even if you want to step down from that role… I hope you don’t forget all you’ve done.”
In Anam’s mind, he saw Jerry’s surprised look. Diyem, despite everything, encouraging him. And he saw so many hopeful eyes staring at him when the world had first fallen.
“…Do you really think,” Anam said, “I can still do something good?”
“Easily,” James said. “The world may be changing, but you’re still part of it. When this is all over… why don’t we find that new purpose together?”
Anam smiled. This time, it was genuine. “Yeah. Okay.”
The ground rumbled. A black portal tore open. A dark figure hopped out and landed heavily as it shed its dark coating…
“Oh!” Anam blinked and took in the new form…
It had Madeline’s size and shape. However, parts of her body had Giratina’s amber armor, especially along her neck. Her goo had taken on a similar, amber color, though the skin beneath was a much darker, grayer hue. Her front had taken on Giratina’s black, crimson pattern, just as her striking, terrifying eyes.
“Wow, um… you, um…!”
“…What?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”
James’ feathers had puffed out again. Anam wasn’t sure if he was terrified, or…
She leaned forward, staring at Anam’s slimy, somewhat reflective belly. “Oh,” she whispered. “That’s very different…”
“What is, um, what’s your name?” Anam asked. “Are you… are you still Mom?”
The Giratina-Goodra was puzzled at first. Then, as if it dawned on her, she sighed and said, “Yes, Anam. All the same. In a way…” She straightened her back. “It reminds me of… having a work life and a home life. But right now…” She pointed ahead. “It looks like we might have some work to do.”
An evening gathering collected near the town square. Anam saw individual bodies from how shadows blocked parts of the street’s Luminous Orbs as they lit up.
“Huh?” Anam leaned in. “That’s weird… I don’t remember there being any meetings.”
James’ eyes were focused at the caldera wall’s base. “I think we’re about to find our answer. Willow’s coming.”
“Sharp eyes as ever,” Madeline commented.
They descended the rocky hill until Anam, too, spotted the little yellow speck hopping toward them. “Hey! Hey, hey!” the Joltik shouted.
“Hey, Willow! What’s in the Willow Communication Foundation today?” Anam grinned.
Willow, pleased with this, raised her body higher and said, “I have a super important message! Madeline, Anam, James, and Aramé are going to work together and practice their purification circle!”
“Their what?” James asked.
“Meet at the center of town!” And, after providing zero extra information, Willow zipped off for town again.
Anam, Madeline, and James looked at one another with confusion.
“Maybe it’s part of Owen’s plan?” Anam suggested.
“Perhaps,” Madeline said, frowning. “Well… let’s find out.”
As twilight completely covered Kilo Village in its shadow, Anam walked a little closer to his parents. Even if they were heading into the unknown… Madeline felt the same. She was close enough. And for that, even the cold darkness was a little warmer that night.
<><><>
Owen had spent the rest of the afternoon holed up in the offices of Heart HQ, going over records and commandeering a space for himself to hang up names on walls. Most Heart staff assumed he was crazy and left him to his own devices. Owen’s Perceive was on overdrive, counting heads, and tracking everyone’s elements. He had to glance at people for the energy-based ones occasionally, and his wide, hyper-focused eyes unnerved them.
“Still missing a few people…”
“Well, Owen, not everyone would be here,” Amia said gently. “Some of them are still trying to handle chaos in the rest of the world. The Waypoints aren’t all online yet, I think…”
The Gardevoir gently placed a hand on his back. In terms of behavior, she was a lot like the Amia he remembered. Yet all Amia’s memories of Owen seemed so distant, the way she treated him—and, in some ways, how she treated Alex.
“Is something bothering you?” the Hydreigon in question asked, hovering just behind Amia. “That list was very specific…”
“We have a lot of Dragons,” Owen said.
“…What?” Alex asked, suddenly looking self-conscious of his three heads.
“Dragons. We have a lot of them. Actually, they’re pretty good for this.”
“P-pretty good for what, Owen?”
“The Purification Circle.” Owen pointed at the list of names. “Four people stand in a circle, channeling one of their elements that’d be stronger, and facing someone who has at least one that’s weaker to that one. Then, we have nine of those in an even bigger circle, and we put Emily in the middle of it! It works! It’s one of the strongest anti-Shadow things I’ve seen… and that was just with mortal Pokémon!”
“Umm…” Amia pursed her lips. “You’re going to have to explain that one slowly…”
“Or… simply?” Alex asked nervously. “Oh, dear…”
Owen tittered. “It’s the way auras interact. I don’t know the science behind it, just that it works. I tested it with simple mortals, and it was enough to purify a different Shadow Lugia—one that had such a deep darkness that Lugia’s feathers changed! …Kinda like Emily. And that was just with normal Pokémon in the circle.”
A great, loud, intentionally noticeable yawn caught everyone’s attention. While most turned away shortly after, Owen kept his gaze fixed on the Aerodactyl as he entered his Perceive range.
“There a reason you woke me up this early?” he growled.
“Jerry, it’s still evening.”
“Wha?” Jerry squinted, looking at the sky. “…Sun’s coming up on the wrong side.”
“Because it’s evening.”
Jerry stared at the sky for a while longer. Just then, a Willow hopped atop Jerry’s head from his back.
“I zapped him awake to make sure he came!” Willow declared.
“Whyyyy did this have to happen now and not, you know, tomorrow?” Jerry said. He looked like he was ready to collapse in the streets and call it a nest.
“Because I need everyone to gather into groups of four based on this list,” Owen said. “And I need everyone in those groups to sleep together.”
The gentle buzz of the crowd’s murmuring abruptly halted.
“Owen…” Amia sighed. “I mean this very gently, but… is there any possible way you can phrase that differently?”
“You need to spend the night together. And probably get very personal, too.”
Jerry groaned and turned around. “I’m leavin’.”
Several others groaned, too.
“Wait, wait!” Owen said quickly, spreading his wings. “I’m serious! It’s part of the plan! This Purification Circle… it needs auras that have a good rhythm with each other. Pokémon are beings of aura and emotion—you need to be in sync with each other. Get to know each other, and be nearby. That’s why I need this to start as soon as possible to make sure this works. I even tried to make it so you can all be in similar groups already, so in a lot of ways, a lot of the work’s already done!”
“Still using your ‘turn of phrase’ pranks, are you?” Madeline called dully from across the crowd. “Really, Owen. Two thousand years and you still do that? There’s no way you can be oblivious to it after all that time.”
“…Wait.” Jerry gasped, pointing at Owen. He was much more awake now. “That’s on purpose?! I thought you were just an idiot! You…” Jerry squinted at him. “You psycho! You’re a fraud!”
“H-hang on, everyone!” Owen raised his hands as the crowd started discussing things at random. “It looks like most people are gathered up now, or… enough of them before we won’t get the night at all. Just—trust me on this, okay? I made copies of the plan for everyone to read, and your groups are all in the back. I asked Anam to set aside some areas in Heart HQ for this if you can’t find housing yourselves, too.”
Jerry grumbled and grabbed one of the papers once Owen handed it over, eyes skimming through. “…This looks like some freaky alchemy circle in The Steel Chemist. You’re not gonna steal our spirits with this, right?”
“No, nothing like that,” Owen said. “Besides, if I wanted your spirit, I’d just pull you into my Orb, remember?”
“Right, you actually can claim and summon spirits,” Jerry growled. “I’ll add necromancy to your list of totally-not-evil traits.”
A deeper voice rumbled from the gathering’s edge. “To be fair, he used to side with me.”
Diyem, a Charizard with darker scales, approached with his arms crossed. “I suppose that counts as evil in some ways… at a time.” He gestured for one of the papers. Looking it over, he hummed. “Interesting. It’s building up for one big aura blast to drive out corrupting forces and leave the raw spirit behind. How strange. It reminds me of something Palkia would make.”
Owen shook his head. “It was pioneered by the research in a place called Pokémon HQ Lab in Orre.”
Palkia, in another part of the crowd, stood straighter. Owen wondered why; he didn’t usually react to those sorts of things. The mumbling crowd made it hard for Owen to concentrate on any one movement. Maybe gathering everyone like this was a bad idea for his Perceive. He was tempted to pop off his horns for the rest of the meeting but decided to power through.
His parents stared blankly at him.
“Oh, uh, I guess that’s it,” Owen said. “I just need people to get their auras tuned with each other as much as possible. It’ll help with the ‘tempo,’ or something, with the Purification Circle.”
Jerry groaned. “Fine, whatever. So, it looks like I’m grouped with… Brandon, Leo, and… who’s Lucas?”
“Me!” barked a Mega Houndoom, scampering to Jerry. He would have pounced on him had Eon not called Lucas to sit.
“…Right.” Jerry sighed. “Well, thanks. I guess. Those guys seem sane, at least. Brandon’s that Steel Machoke, right?”
“Reshiram, too, but I need him to be a Steel Machoke for this specifically,” Owen confirmed.
“What?”
“To make the effectiveness circle.”
Jerry looked at the list again, then at Lucas, and then Leo wiping his eyes a few feet away. “…Right, okay… I think I see what you’re talking about. Ugh, it’s like I’m back in school, learning all those elemental matchups… I never thought I’d have to use that outside of class. All that mattered was the stuff I used…”
Owen smiled awkwardly and left Jerry to socialize. He started passing out the papers to each person on the list. By now, the dim Luminous Orbs along the road and his tail were all that illuminated the area.
“Oh! There you are.” He’d said it to himself, but Mhynt had just entered his range. The Treecko was so small that Owen nearly missed her amid all the other moving bodies. “Mhynt!”
He spread his wings and glided to her. The Treecko had suddenly tensed and stared at Owen with scorn.
He slowed his approach. “Uh, Mhynt?”
Her expression softened instantly and she nodded. “You woke us up early,” she said. “I was enjoying a nap in clean air.”
“Sorry. I, uh… Here.” Owen leaned forward and offered her a paper nearly as tall as she was. “I hope this isn’t too—”
“Thank you.” Mhynt nodded, reading it over. Everything about her was tense… Was something wrong? She was skimming through the words, the way her eyes moved, and she never looked at him once.
“Is everything okay on Kilo?” he asked.
“Hm?” She looked up. Her eyes had quickly darted down. “Oh. Yes. They are.”
“It’s good to see you again and not, you know, in a place that’d…”
The more Owen spoke, the worse Mhynt’s body language became. Was he doing something wrong?
Mhynt’s eyes widened with a realization. “I have to go,” she said, falling backward. Owen reached on reflex to halt her fall, but then she disappeared in a flash of light. Teleport.
“…Oh,” he said quietly. He couldn’t sense her within his Perceive radius. She must have gone very far…
And just as quickly, Mu was running over to him, weaving past the crowd of Guardians and gods. “Hey, Dad!” she shouted.
“Mu! Everything alright?”
The Chaos-flamed Charmander’s head swiveled left and right. “Where’d… Was someone, like, really upset here for a second? I can’t sense it anymore.”
“I think so. It was Mhynt, but she Teleported away.”
“Mhynt? That’s, uhh… that’s your ex, right?”
“Er.. yes, I guess that’s a way to phrase it…”
“What was happening?”
“I was just giving her a copy of the Purification Circle and her group.”
“Bro.” Mu looked horrified.
“What? What did I do that was cringe this time?” Owen challenged.
“I’m trying to get away from that lingo,” Mu said. “Diyem said it was corrosive or something. But anyway, uhh… dude. She’s your ex.”
“That was a thousand years ago!”
“And? Immortal mind, remember? That’s like six moons to you guys! Or something. And she spent all that time in the Voidlands, too. Imagine how amplified and ingrained that is.”
“She was fine in the Voidlands, though. I mean… not fine, but fine with me…”
“She was guarded back then, Dad. Can’t get too negative in there or you’d lose it. But now that she’s finally had time to relax, you throw yourself at her?”
“I didn’t ask for a fight!”
“No, not—” Mu rubbed her face. “Gods, I don’t know how Mom deals with this. Okay. Dad. Mhynt’s, like, still upset about how you moved on and she kinda didn’t get to move on. Not on her terms, you know? The feelings I felt… that was deep, Dad.”
“What did you feel?”
Mu hesitated, but it didn’t seem like she was avoiding the question. It was more like she didn’t know how to answer.
“It,” called another voice—Diyem, approaching with a paper in hand, “is a feeling of hopeless longing for something that no longer exists. Seeing someone with the same face, mind, soul, and name, and yet someone so far away from the person they remembered. Someone so very close, yet impossibly distant. Someone who changed when they were left behind.”
“Yeah, what he said,” Mu said quietly. “I didn’t know how to, you know, decipher that one…”
“I don’t understand,” Owen said. “That’s… I’m still me, but… We changed, didn’t we? Even Mhynt is different from how I remember her. She changed!”
“Do you think Mhynt considers her change a good one?” Diyem asked.
“…N… No. I don’t think it’s that easy to change for the better in the Voidlands. No offense, Diyem.”
“It’s a fact,” Diyem replied. “I agree. And I think that is the root of the problem for Mhynt. It’s completely unfair that she was locked into this, changed and warped irreparably, while you… bounced back with ease. Even her daughter is closer to you.”
“Th-that’s not true! I’m sure they talked,” Owen said. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. How badly had things gone for Mhynt after being freed?
“She’s trying to sort things out with her lives. She hasn’t. Not yet.” Diyem shook his head. “I suppose Mhynt isolating herself has not helped. You haven’t been around much for it, Owen, but Mhynt has been silently present for most meetings, and then vanishes when they’re over. She doesn’t know what to do, but she follows her duty if needed. Answers when called… and nothing further.”
Owen’s wings drooped to their lowest as he envisioned it. Yet he was blind to that, and then tried to cheerfully give her his next plans as his first interaction…
He thought back to how she’d leaned against him during their hour alone. Was that when Mhynt had been happiest?
“But… we can’t go back anymore,” Owen said. “Zena’s with me, now, and… I’m not ‘Wishkeeper.’ I can’t go back to that, and, even if I did, she’s…”
“Hence her hopelessness,” Diyem said. “I’m sorry. I don’t have a solution. I can only see the problem and outline it to you.” He turned around. “When we face Shadows, Mhynt can’t help us. Her darkness is too great; it will be seized upon, and she may become an enemy. And she would be a very dangerous enemy… as I’m sure you’re aware.”
“We can’t bar her from fighting—that’s…”
“The only practical solution,” Diyem said. “If you find a way to get her out of her dark spiral, perhaps that will change. Even a glimmer during the upcoming days could be enough. But you aren’t fixing this permanently in a day.”
The wind blew. By now, the crowds had entirely dispersed, save for a few who wanted to speak to them. He sensed Zena entering his Perceive range. By the time she was within speaking distance, Owen hadn’t said a thing.
“Owen?” Zena asked gently. “Is something wrong?”
Diyem was already walking away. Mu remained, looking awkwardly between them.
“I thought I saw Mhynt. Is she okay?” Zena asked, looking nervous.
“She isn’t,” Owen replied. “I’m… trying to figure out if I should do anything about it. Diyem just broke it down for me.”
“Oh.” Zena nodded slowly. Mu seemed to hold her breath. “Is… Do you want to talk about it with me?”
“I don’t know,” Owen admitted, glancing away. “I mean, you, and her…”
By now, the crowd had entirely dispersed, having arranged their groups and beds. A few watched from afar, though none intervened, particularly when Diyem glared and told them to go away.
“Do you miss her?” Zena asked delicately. “I know we’ve spent a year together, but… I know that—that you two, there was a history, and…”
“No, it’s not like that,” Owen said with a tired sigh, mulling over his words. “I mean, I do miss her, yes, but… it’s all changed. You’re with me now, and that’s how I want things to be.” He sighed, arms crossed. “But I know Mhynt wished it wasn’t that way. Not about you, but… how she changed, how I changed, how everything isn’t the same anymore. She doesn’t have a lot of support behind her, Zena. She has Leph and Aster who are just as hurt as she is, maybe even more. Our daughter became a different person, too. She doesn’t… have anybody.”
“Oh, Owen…” Zena looked down. She seemed like she was ready to cry.
“What?” Owen asked.
“Sorry,” Zena said. “I just—that alone feeling. I know… some of it. I can’t imagine a Voidlands-style version of it, but… I get the idea.” She exhaled, tail coiling behind her. She was deep in thought.
“Do you think I should talk to her?” Owen said. “If she’s been isolating herself from everyone, it’s not like that’s going to change… right?”
“Did she tell you she didn’t want to talk?” Zena asked.
“No. She Teleported away quickly, though…”
Zena frowned at that.
“That could mean anything,” Mu chimed. “You know, I can come with you. If I feel like she wants you to go away, I’ll tell you, and we’ll leave. How about that?”
“I don’t know… I feel like pursuing her tonight might make things worse,” Owen said. “I… She’ll be fine for the night, right? Maybe I could… ask her tomorrow.” But even then, he felt the doubt in his own voice.
Mu frowned. “…Well, I’m gonna watch her anyway.”
“Mu…”
“I’ll come home, promise!” Mu said. “I can warp back at any time and stuff.”
Owen sighed. They couldn’t stop her anyway. Diyem seemed to know how, but for something like this, maybe it was for the best. “Just don’t bother her unless she’s in trouble, okay?”
“Okay. I think I got a lock on Mhynt again. So, see you later!”
Owen winced. “Don’t do that too much.”
“Can’t help it!” The Charmander ran down the road, apparently forgetting she could warp. Maybe she wanted to take the scenic route. The sky was completely black, the sun completely set. The wind blew, warning Owen of an incoming storm. Pensive, he marched down the road… He couldn’t sleep tonight. He had extra work to do first.
“Owen?” Zena called.
“Sorry, but I want to make sure Mu doesn’t get into any trouble.”
“You shouldn’t bring your horns, then,” Zena reminded.
“Oh.” True. He snapped them off and handed them to Zena. “I’ll be back tonight, okay?”
“Be careful,” Zena said. “She’s very fragile right now…”
“I know. I will be. And if Mu tells me to leave, I will. I trust her with that.”
Zena sighed, looking uncertain about something. Or maybe troubled by something else. Still, he could ask her about that tonight. With one more nod, Owen set off for Mhynt’s abode, his Perceive blind to the world.
<><><>
Alexander wandered the great abyss of Darkrai’s Nightmare with ease. Fears, insecurities, none of those things mattered to him. None of those things were true. He witnessed creatures far larger than him assuming power he didn’t have. He ignored it.
Then came echoes of his adversaries. The Wishkeeper. The asserted gods. Even the petulant Marshadow. Their echoes jeered at him but he ignored every instance.
“They’re already building an army, you know,” whispered a silhouette of the little god, Mew. “Every second in here is a second for them to ambush you. Maybe they’re already here.”
A reasonable inference, except he knew they were still hurting, and their precious leader, the one who failed them before, was missing. He’d fled. As soon as Alexander woke up from this mental prison, they were as good as dead.
And that was worth any Nightmare.
He’d been wandering this hazy land for what must have been days, unerringly and without a single misstep. In the back of his mind, Qitlan quietly urging him on, happily encouraging him to rip asunder all obstacles. His allies, his subjects, they were his power. And he had taken a lot of subjects. It was reckless, it was unstable, and it also took him a few extra days of quiet meditation to get a handle of all the new spirits flowing through his veins… but it worked in the end.
And what was a good plan without one or two little risks?
Patiently, ever so patiently, against his lesser half’s primal need for instant gratification, Alexander had waited for the precise moment to emerge from the Voidlands and seize the surface world. That day was finally at hand; Darkrai’s Nightmare was merely a setback, another small bump, in a long, long climb. Nothing but the smallest detour.
He repeated this, over and over, in his mind. The illusions were more elaborate, and more potent, but he could still see past them. He knew reality from dreams.
A silhouette of Owen appeared from the fog, coalescing into a blue-white, puffy creature with vacant holes where the eyes should have been. The eye sockets narrowed as if to glare.
The illusion was much larger. Alexander’s only answer was a defiant stare. But if he had a good guess…
“You should have remained behind,” Owen said. “You could have ruled in darkness, but you chose to climb until you could hold no more. You will never be a god. You are impure.”
“…You dare speak to me about impurity? About mortality?” Alexander replied, all three heads smirking. “Unlike you, I started from nothing and clawed my power one piece at a time. The Wishkeeper was lucky, merely in the right place at the right time to gain his immortal position. All I did… was take what I deserved from those who had godhood fall into their laps.”
The projection of Owen scoffed. “Yet you were rejected from Destiny Tower, weren’t you?”
“I never bothered,” Alexander countered. “The blessings of gods are a taint to well-earned power. I wanted to rule the world by my blood and soul, not the controlling hands of its creators. I will make this world mine, and mine alone.”
He lunged for the illusion, but then feinted left. And suddenly, his left head’s jaws caught something.
Alexander crunched down and the illusion dissipated, revealing instead the feeble arm of Darkrai.
“You slipped up,” Alexander said, pulling Darkrai closer.
The spectral Lord of Nightmares screamed and tried to break free. Alexander’s grip was too strong.
“An illusion never replied until now. I was getting close, so close, you had to use your powers to keep hidden…”
“G… get away!” Darkrai pulled again. Alexander’s jaws clenched harder. There was no escaping him now. “I’ll… keep you here. I have to. Even if you resist every illusion, I won’t let you leave this Nightmare!”
But even as he spoke, his words were disconnecting and stuttering. He had to focus on resisting Alexander’s corrosion.
“Oh, we’re far past that,” Alexander said. “You thought you were trapping me in a Nightmare to buy time, was that it? Yet in the end, you have learned like all the rest… that you have trapped yourself with me. And now…”
Like venom, a thick ichor seeped into Darkrai’s arm and through his body.
He saw the fear in Darkrai’s eyes and knew he’d won. It was only a matter of time. And he could be patient. Especially with such a grand prize—the Lord of Nightmares—at the end of it. What was one or two extra days to thoroughly corrupt a Legend of negativity?
“This Nightmare is mine.”
