A stunned silence reigned over the peak of Mt. Coronet for seconds that felt like minutes until, as though snapping out of a trance, Candice stomped her foot on the ground with enough force to startle everyone, and yelled.
"No! I am not… there's no way I'm letting you…!"
The three other women beside her, and the two legends hovering over her shoulder looked at her with pity. This was an inevitability. Most of them knew, and those who didn't could probably guess, based on Darkrai and Cresselia's words.
"There is no other choice," Cresselia said. "If we do nothing, we will die regardless. At least this way…"
"…hope remains that we may be reborn," Darkrai finished. "There is, as I'm sure you know, precedent for this."
Candice grit her teeth so strongly they almost creaked, hands balled into fists. Beside her, Fantina cleared her throat and spoke.
"I've heard of the tale. The myth of the Lunar Dance, I believe it's called. The day the two halves of the moon stopped relentlessly pursuing each other and… became one."
Cynthia nodded. "The reason varies depending on the version of the tale. In some, the two band together to combat some great calamity, while in others it is a simple desire for touch that leads them to… clash, after a long dance throughout the night sky. Regardless, the result is the same. Being so diametrically opposed, their bodies are torn apart, yet their spirits merge into a light powerful enough to rival even the dawn of creation. A light that pierces through heaven and heals all that it touches." She swallowed, taking a moment to breathe. "It is one of the oldest tales in possession of the clan of Lorekeepers, and also the origin of one of our most ancient sayings. May–"
"May the moon always guide you," both legends said in unison.
"A somewhat useless sentiment, if I must be honest," said Cresselia.
"Yet appreciated," said Dakrai. "Even if I'm not the one people usually think of when they speak those words."
Clutching her chest, Candice looked over her shoulder at the two beings sharing her soul, and felt her lower lip shake with rage and impotency. She was not ready to accept this.
"T-then you're just going to give up!?" she demanded. "There has to be another way!"
"So I wish that were the case," Darkrai mused. "However…"
"This is our best option," Cresselia finished. "You know what happens at the end of that tale, do you not?"
Candice didn't reply, closing her eyes tightly in a vain attempt to keep tears from forming. Her throat felt clogged up with something hard and icy.
"I-I…"
"When the two halves of the moon clashed and tore each other apart, small scraps of them survived," Darkrai explained. "Two crescent-shaped feathers, no larger than a petal."
"The wind carried them over the sea, until they finally came to rest upon a couple of nearby islands," said Cresselia. "These islands were shaped like the two opposite phases of the moon, and they were home to beautiful crimson flowers. Yet when the white feather touched upon the ground, its radiance was such that all color bled out from those flowers, and all who would ever grow there in the future. And the same happened with the black feather, the heaviness of its shadows tainting the soil forevermore."
"The two feathers remained there for a long, long time, yet they were not forgotten. With each of its cycles, the moon nourished them. Slowly returning what was once theirs."
"Until finally, the two who became one were born again, their bodies reforged by light of moon."
There was silence for a moment after they finished speaking, and it was Fantina who finally spoke, clearing her throat.
"T-then it's true…"
"Indeed," said Cresselia. "I do not remember our reasons, as our memories from back then have been lost, but there is no doubt we clashed, and destroyed each other in our folly."
"And we will do so again, if we must," said Darkrai. "Not only may the light of our union cross the barrier between worlds and serve as a beacon for Inyssa and the rest, but it may be our only salvation from death. Our bodies will be destroyed but, if fate wills it, there will be enough of us left to… one day be reborn, as we have in the past."
Cynthia could only glance down at the floor, ashamed at her own uselessness, while Fantina simply looked on with pity. Behind her, an enigmatic expression had formed on Sanbica's face. She whispered something under her breath.
"And in the end, two souls will…"
Her voice was quickly drowned out by Candice's.
"F…fuck that! There has to be some other…"
Candice's fists shook, tears now unceremoniously sliding down her face. The anger and bitterness in her expression was indescribable.
"W-why? Why… for them?" she asked, looking up at the two legends. "W-we'll find another way, so let them rot! Did you forget Shadi's with them!? Are you seriously going to give your lives in exchange for hers!? She's the reason this all happened!"
"We will die regardless," Cresselia said, her tone brutally honest. "And I said so before, didn't I? For freeing Darkrai, I owe Inyssa a debt I'll never be able to repay. This way, at least..."
"L-like hell I'm going to accept this!" Candice bellowed, eyes shooting wide with fury. "Your lives aren't just something you can give up on a whim! What about the people that cherish you!? What about me!? W-what do you think is gonna happen when… w-when you're gone and…!" She grit her teeth, focusing on her words instead of the way her voice shook. "I didn't do all this just so you two could die!"
"…I'm sorry. Truly," Darkrai whispered.
"Your compassion saved us, and I pray it will continue to save others still," was all Cresselia could say. "It was a pleasure knowing you, Candice."
Light and shadows started bleeding out of Candice, spiraling upwards like smoke and turning physical what were once the ethereal forms of the Lunar Duo. The girl gasped, looking down at her own body. Her eyes were slowly returning to their normal pink, and her hair bled out to its usual black, falling weightlessly atop her shoulders.
"W-wait!" she begged, raising a hand toward them. "Stop, d-don't...!"
But they didn't listen. Now fully corporeal, the two legends began flying in circles around each other, slowly rising through the night sky. Their eyes were locked. Their bodies moved in unison, what little remained of their power shining through them as they began their dance.
"STOP!" Candice let out a raw scream, from the bottom of her stomach. "DARKRAI! CRESSELIA!"
"Please, return what is left of us to Fullmoon and Newmoon island when this is all over," said Darkrai. "Thank you… and I'm sorry."
"Farewell, child."
Further screams rang through the sky above Mt. Coronet, but the two legends did not hear them. There was no longer a world around them, or between them. Only the two of them existed, like lone will o' wisps flickering below a moonless night. They flew, and danced around each other and the dark outline of the moon above like two opposite sides of a magnet slowly being forced together.
And it was a true spectacle. Below, onlookers all across the region would report seeing glittering trails of luminescent white and flowing black circling the moon like dancing ribbons. They were whisper thin, yet all saw it, and all heard as two voices as ancient as Sinnoh itself addressed each other with the charming embarrassment of a pair of young lovers first touching.
"…May I have this dance, then?"
"Of course. I would never deny you, my gentle darkness."
"Nor I, my burning light."
With each circle they danced around each other, they came closer and closer, until finally they stopped within the dark outline of the moon itself. Their bodies were but silhouettes for all looking from below. Yet the two legends saw each other clearly, eagerly holding onto every small detail about the other's being, as though this would be the last chance they'd ever get.
And when Darkrai's hand finally reached forward, pushing through the force repelling them and touching the side of Cresselia's face, those spots broke apart and a potent light burst from within. Pain exploded through their bodies, but they did not feel it. There was only happiness, and the satisfaction that comes from ending one's longing. He raised another hand, this time touching his beloved's wing, and the two once more burned against each other, releasing another burst of light.
Amidst the brightness and the sound of burning, another whisper was heard.
"Tell me… do you think a single moment can last forever?" asked Cresselia.
"Of course," Darkrai assured her. "That is what love is, no?"
Cresselia closed her eyes and smiled, as though she'd expected nothing but that response. She leaned forward, and her beloved did as well. Their foreheads touched, softly, lovingly, and even amidst the pain and brightness that ensued, their words were as clear as though they were whispering them to each other's ear.
"I see. In that case…"
"Yes. I am not letting go. Never again."
"Neither am I."
They embraced, smiling, dying, and spoke their last words in unison as their bodies became light.
"Let us be together for all eternity."
----------------------------------------
Inyssa opened her eyes, finding herself back within the World of Distortion, laying across the cold, wet rock of one of its many floating platforms. Her body was numb, muscles stiff like they were made of stone. She blinked, her vision slowly coming back into focus, and found herself face to face with Mars' dead body.
Her memories returned, all at once like a flood. The wetness under her body was undoubtedly Shadi's blood, and that knowledge alone was what finally urged her to move, an icy sharpness grasping at her heart. She rolled over, pushing herself to her knees with wavering arms. There Metchi and Barry were, glowing like two miniature suns. An endless stream of golden light poured out from their bodies, keeping the darkness around them at bay, if only for a moment longer.
No more than a minute had passed, yet deep within her mind it had felt like hours. These two were still fighting. They hadn't given up yet, not on themselves, and not on her either.
Weakly, almost reluctantly, Inyssa turned her head and looked down at her sister's body, laying limp and unconscious next to her, blood still pouring out of her fresh wound. She was still alive, but not for long.
"…I promised."
Something changed in Inyssa then. She lifted her chin, and though shadows like storm clouds still hung over her face, now something flashed behind her eyes. Once, then twice, then a hundred times. Her eyes burst ablaze, crawling veins of luminescent gold expanding through her body like vines, like golden bolts arching off a pillar of thunder.
Inyssa rose to her feet, stomping the ground with a sound like the crack of lightning. Then silence. The roaring golden flames, the rushing golden wind, even the endless hunger of the darkness around them came to a stop. A caesura.
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Still with their backs to her, Barry and Metchi looked over their shoulder, and their mouths gaped. Inyssa stood behind them, wavering on weak legs. Her arms hung limply beside her, and her eyes were hidden by the shadows of her hair. At first, she said nothing. Then, taking in a quick breath, she lifted her chin high enough for the gold of her eyes to shine through the darkness falling over her face.
image [https://i.imgur.com/Yugmt6M.png]
There was no smile. Her expression was pained, exhausted… but determined. It was the face of a wounded Pokemon about to throw itself at those hunting them.
A voice spoke then. Familiar and reassuring, it gave Inyssa another small boost of strength, so that she may stand up to her full height.
"…Inyssa. I am so glad you're back."
Her lips twitched ever so slightly at Uxie's words, but she did not reply, her throat dry like sandpaper. The pain and exhaustion she'd experienced during her delusions had felt real, but it was nothing like this. Nothing like the weight of reality bearing down on her shoulders.
She would not let it break her. Not until they made it back home.
Before her, Barry and Metchi blinked for the first time, and as though returning to reality both opened their mouths to say something.
Just then, an impossibly large shadow fell upon the small platform they were in. Barry looked up, eyes widening, terror twisting every muscle in his face. There was the sound of something impossibly large coiling around itself, and the feeling of eyes boring down on them. Inyssa simply glanced to the side, and caught a glimpse of Giratina as it dove straight toward her, maw wide open, eyes like burning coals.
"NISS!"
Inyssa moved unconsciously, as though on autopilot. She raised her right arm in front of her chest, and countless bolts of furious light exploded through the sleeve of her coat, sending stray scraps of red cloth flying in all directions. Her vine-like scars opened, lightning pouring through them instead of blood as she threw her arm to the side behind her, just as Giratina was about to reach her. The light grew, expanded upon touching the heart of nothingness, and…
The entire world disappeared, and for a moment there was only white, and silence.
Then a roar, a sound like a thousand thunderstorms blaring at once. An exploding pillar of white light cut upwards into the World of Distortion, dividing it in two. And within that light, Giratina itself shrieked in agony, its massive body nothing but a pale black outline within that world of stark white. It was driven back, pushed outwards like dust as wind is pressed upon the ground, the force expanding in great shock-waves.
Yet the light disappeared, just as fast as it had appeared. The white pillar broke apart into thousands of fluttering motes of light, which rained down upon the small platform like snow.
Barry and Metchi stood there, somehow unharmed, staring at Inyssa's raised hand. The entire sleeve of her coat had been burned away to nothing, and the pale silver scars that once adorned her arms were now glowing like veins of fire, steam rising off her fingers. The girl had her eyes closed, teeth clenched in pain.
"Niss!"
They rushed toward her in unison, and Barry was just in time as her knees failed and she keeled forward. He caught her between his arms and hugged her tightly, as though not wanting to let go.
"N-Niss, I…!"
But Inyssa placed a hand against his chest and pushed against him, supporting herself against his shoulder. The shadow over her face remained, souring her expression. Every ounce of her soul and body was focused on keeping her from falling unconscious, and so there was no time for sentimentality.
"W-we…" Getting words out was like pulling teeth. "We have to… go. I… b-back home…"
The meaning was clear. Barry and Metchi looked at each other, then the latter glanced up at Giratina's massive form, already starting to recover from Inyssa's assault. Her lips became a thin line.
"What about now?" Metchi asked the air around her. "We're all together. Could we…?"
"I am not sure," Uxie said, a frown in its voice. "However…"
"With the three of us gathered in one place…" Mesprit added.
"There… must be something we can do," Azelf finished. "If our combined might is capable of dragging Dialga and Palkia down from their homes, I'm… sure it can shine a way out of this place."
There was silence for a moment. Then, Mesprit let out a sour chuckle.
"…Who'd have thought I'd witness you being the optimist for once?"
Uxie tittered nervously. "I admit, I share the surprise."
"…Enough of both of you. There is work to be done," Azelf blew them off. Then, under its breath, it whispered. "It's time I started learning from my mistakes as well…"
Metchi rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you're all so fucking charming, now how the fuck do we do this!? Do we just…?"
She was cut off by a deep, roaring bellow that felt as though the world itself were rumbling with rage. All eyes shot up, and the three saw with horror as Giratina circled down toward them once more. The darkness that surrounded them began to bleed into the platform, crawling inwards, hungry.
"I-I suppose we simply…" Azelf thought for a moment. "Our light, combined…"
Mesprit made a sound as though it were clicking its tongue. "If only we had some kind of marker or a beacon of sorts…"
Uxie sighed. "I don't believe we count with that luxury, unfortunat–"
A shimmer of sound answered their prayers, echoing like bells behind them. It was a calm, ethereal sound, yet powerful enough to send violent shivers down their spines.
"Wh–!?"
The three of them turned around, and were blinded as a sphere of light appeared on the horizon, opposite to the black sun that had once been Giratina.
A light like that of the full moon.
----------------------------------------
Deep within the World of Distortion, yet oceans and continents away, a lone man sat on a broken piece of ground the size of a small island, his legs dangling off the edge down toward eternity. He was hunched down, hands resting on his thighs, eyes lost in the beauty of the nothingness around him. For a moment, the paleness of his eyes seemed to have regained some color.
Then, the light shone behind him, snapping him from his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder, a slightly bewildered look on his face.
"…I see."
The smallest smile formed on Cyrus' lips. A hint of emotion. A gleam of the light he had once lost, but was now finally reunited with.
And yet he did not move, nor gave the oddity much consideration.
"So you have found a way out of even the binds placed by entropy," he whispered. "Should I assume the voice calling for me is…?"
He pondered, then shook his head and looked away, simply letting that light bathe his back as he looked down once more. His expression was peaceful. Complete.
There was no regret. And even if there were, Cynthia would never again accept…
But no, those thoughts were not productive. There was no point in pondering what ifs.
"I have finally found my home," he whispered, sounding wistful. "I can only hope you will one day find yours, too."
And he closed his eyes, letting everything disappear around him.
----------------------------------------
Cynthia breathed in, and the silvery strands of light raining down from above filled her chest, spreading outwards through her veins like liquid ambrosia. It burned away her pain and calmed her nerves. What energy she had expended throughout the day was returned in full, and then more. Her blood, mind and body felt alive like never before.
She looked around, and found the others to be the same. Fantina and her daughter glanced down at their bodies as scrapes and cuts and bruises disappeared like they'd never been there. Candice remained on her knees, face hidden by shadows and tears streaming down her cheeks, but her breathing was less pained than before.
And Lorencia… her Garchomp looked at her own arms in amazement, every wound on her body closing in an instant. She breathed in deep and stood up to her full height, her scales gleaming under the bright light above.
Then, the light reached the two extra set of Pokeballs hanging off Cynthia's belt, and instantly they opened with a blinding flash. She jumped back, surprised, and raised a hand over her eyes on instinct. When she lowered it, she saw a multitude of Pokemon now standing amidst their group; Barry and Inyssa's team. They stared at themselves in awe, probably surprised as well by their strength returning.
The red, carapaced creature in the middle then looked up, and blinked in surprise, like she'd seen something no one else had. Her tiny eyes grew wide.
"B…belele!" she cried, raising her scythe-like arms toward the sky. "Bele-belele!"
At first, Cynthia didn't understand, but then she felt a shiver, and looked up one more time. There. From within that light, tiny specks of what almost looked like gold were trying to burn through to their side. Like the glow of a Volbeat's tail trying to outshine the sun.
"Beele!" The Kricketune yelled again, desperate, hopeful. "Belele!"
Soon, the Kricketune was joined by the Infernape beside her, then the Empoleon next to him, and then every single one of their companions, until all Pokemon were crying out in support, clamoring with all their might at something they felt from the other side of that sphere of light hanging from the sky.
Calling out for their trainers to return.
----------------------------------------
Barry squinted at the sphere of light, as though sensing something within that neither of the others could. It washed against him in waves. Warm chills, like a summer breeze in the middle of winter. He breathed in, letting it fill his chest with an all too familiar sensation.
Hope.
It exuded from him with each heartbeat, enveloping Metchi and Inyssa in gentle swirls of golden wind. They breathed in, and understood as well. It was as though their hearts were beating in sync. Mesprit's power, made manifest.
Above, Giratina roared so powerfully they feared the entire world would break in half, and once more it dove toward them, attempting to stop their escape. And once more, Inyssa rose to repel it. This time she didn't even need to move. She simply glanced upwards, eyes narrowing, the boundless light behind her exploding out of her body like a cluster of lightning bolts, covering the entire platform they were standing upon.
Light flowed freely from her scars like blood, dancing through the air as luminescent wisps of smoke, and then solidifying into what could only be called apparitions of solid light. In an instant, they were surrounded by an army. Dozens of blindingly white figures stood protectively around the three of them, their radiance forming a dome that pushed Giratina back, burning away its smoke-like tendrils.
Barry blinked. He recognized these figures. Enma, Shadi, Steven, her entire team… people and Pokemon, friends and foes, those she'd encountered and those she had vanquished, they now came to their aid and shielded them from oblivion. More and more figures emerged from within the light swallowing her whole, from within the large creature she had manifested around herself like an ethereal suit of armor.
Golurk, the first truly powerful foe she had vanquished, and the first to have come to her aid.
Inyssa spoke from within that light, her voice strained, full of pain.
"G-grab Shadi! And… a-and Mars…!"
Metchi's face tightened for a moment, but she did as she was told without questioning. Phasing through the army of glowing figures around her, she knelt in front of the unconscious woman and prepared to lift her, when something odd caught her eye.
The wound on her stomach, it looked like it was… closing itself.
Metchi stole a glance back at the strange light burning in the distance, but decided not to give it more thought. There'd be time for questions later. She lifted Shadi up and handed her to Barry, who hoisted her over his shoulder with some difficulty. Then, she walked over toward Mars' corpse and… to her credit, she only hesitated for a second before snorting derisively and throwing her over her own shoulder, then returning to the other two.
"Are we ready now!?" she yelled over the furious crackling around her.
Inyssa, her body but a blurry shadow within that pillar of light, looked over her shoulder, and froze at the sight of Mars. The light seemed to dim for a second.
Metchi felt something constricting the inside of her chest. "It… wasn't your fault, half-pint."
Inyssa said nothing. She blinked, and spring of light disappeared, leaving only the small, exhausted girl behind. Her expression was unreadable. She stared at Metchi for a few long seconds, then whispered.
"You were right."
"What?"
"Caring is the only weapon I have left." A tiny smile formed on her lips. "But no one can take it away from me."
She seized up at that, not expecting her own words to be fed back to her. She snorted. The nerve of this fucking girl…
"…Let's get you two idiots back home," she said lovingly. "Alright?"
Inyssa nodded, then looked at Barry, shining her that same weak smile. In unison, they reached for each other and held hands, grasping so tightly it would take a miracle to separate them. Metchi rolled her eyes, but said nothing else.
"Ready, Azelf?"
"…Of course."
She looked up, and raised her hand toward that brilliant light hanging from the sky. A second later, Barry joined her, fingers grasping desperately toward salvation.
"Mesprit…!"
"Hmph, I was waiting on you, boy."
Inyssa said nothing, too weakened to utter another word, but with effort she raised her hand skyward as well. It was pale and shaking, looking so small next to the other two's, but the light radiating from her fingers was no lesser.
"Inyssa…"
Uxie's voice washed over her as the light emanating from them began to grow. It was more than the sum of their parts. Burning, crackling, whispering… just as flame, wind and lightning gave way to storms, an unfathomable tempest of glowing, concentrated humanity exploded around them, cutting through the heart of nothingness. It was a storm like no other. A wellspring of Spirit that bridged the two worlds and punctured straight through them. A new singularity, unlike any other in existence.
And as their bodies became weightless and their Spirits became one, Inyssa let Uxie's words touch her, for once letting all of her defenses down.
"…I will be by your side," it whispered. "No matter what."
Inyssa closed her eyes, and let herself be carried by the force of the tempest, everything disappearing around her.
----------------------------------------
Three people fell to their knees atop Spear Pillar, and two other bodies collapsed on the ground beside them, only one of them still breathing.
Time seemed to stop. Cynthia's mouth gaped. Fantina inhaled sharply and clutched at her chest, eyes growing wide. Sanbica said nothing, and Candice remained on her knees and hands, unaware of what happened around them.
Above, the sphere of light dimmed, then popped as though it were a bubble, a million luminescent wisps falling like rain around them. Yet even as it disappeared, its light remained within the celestial body above, illuminating what minutes before would have been Sinnoh's darkest night. A full moon. Darkrai and Cresselia were nowhere to be seen, only the two small feathers left behind, floating down toward them, but their parting gift shone for them nonetheless.
No one moved for a few breaths. Then, Metchi grunted and lifted her chin to look around, her face flushed and covered in sweat. She blinked rapidly, and the sight that met her made her laugh with relief.
"We… d-did it…"
That seemed to break the spell. As though suddenly woken from a dream, Cynthia and Fantina rushed toward them, worry and relief clear across their faces. They both spoke at the same time, urgently, so it was hard to make out what they were saying. Asking if they were okay. Reassuring them. Metchi and Barry could only kneel there, almost all strength gone from them, fighting to remain conscious.
Then, a sudden, sharp sound caught everyone's attention. A sob. Weak, brittle, a noise like broken glass retching up Inyssa's throat. All eyes turned toward her, and the first thing they all saw was red.
"N-Niss!?"
It wasn't coming from her coat. The scars running through the length of Inyssa's arms had opened due to the amount of power she'd cursed through them, and now it looked as though someone had carved dozens of thin, vine-like trails across her skin with a knife. Trickles of blood ran down her arms to the ground she was supporting herself against. It slid under her fingers and her hands slipped forward, landing her across the floor with a loud thump.
Screams rang out. Barry and Metchi and everyone shot up to their feet in a panic, saying words she could not understand and kneeling beside her, hands reaching for her.
But all Inyssa could focus on was the pain. The sharp, searing agony that licked at her skin like tongues of flame, and the crushing exhaustion that weighed down upon her soul. It was sharp like broken glass. It felt like drowning, like being crushed by the weight of a whole ocean's worth of water.
Inyssa curled into herself, hands shaking uncontrollably, and cried like she hadn't done in a long time. Loud, ugly sobs wracked through her spasming body. She closed her eyes, and there was no more warmth, no more light, only the vitriolic bitterness of the world she had chosen to come back to.
At the very least, it didn't last long. Her body had long since reached its limit, and her mind mercifully dragged her into unconsciousness after only a few moments.