Interlude 1- Akari

August 30th, 2022

I glanced at my new traveling companion, a sigh escaping me as I glanced over at her tent. A simple forest green one that would work well for housing for both herself and her pokémon.

Having a traveling partner hadn’t been originally in my plan, I had gone onto the journey for my own sake and the sake of my clan, because we’re all running out of time. Our seers had seen the signs of the End encroaching us as it had time and time again, had seen the rise of technology over the last three hundred years.

We weren’t luddites, but that wasn’t the issue, it was stupid people opening doors that should never have been open, how many times had humans tried to chain down the gods like it was our right?

They had kept the flame of knowledge alive against the dark, including an old prophecy created by powerful Maijin Tamers, a plea for help, reaching into the void for an answer to the disaster that was coming.

Once upon a time, a Legend was whispered among hidden monsters. Of Hopes and Dreams, of Man and Monster borne of light under the same sky.

This is the Legend of the Convergence.

For millennia, the great cataclysms have been solved by Man and Monster alike, bringing peace and balance to the World. By the design of the Original One, the God of Gods, Void Given Focus; Void Given Power. The Hub of the Wheel.

So listen well to our plea, listen well to our warning, listen well as we weave fate with burning souls of Man and Monster as the sky fractures with holes in Time and Space, tears in the fabric of His Great Design, glimpses of Her enemies out across the great voids between the stars and and the twisted shadowy In-Between of Their creation.

Cataclysm comes once more, a beast that does not sleep and can not die, all the evils of the world, the worst possible version of ourselves given form, given will, given focus. Legends will walk once more upon the Earth, Man will become Masters of the World from shining sea to shining sea.

A convergence of worlds, outworlders born under a different star, light against the dark cast by the Deep as they have been since infinite time and space and symmetry.

Their choices and ours will decide the fate of all.

There have been dozens of false alarms over the centuries, no prophecy was a guarantee, it was a fate weaving spell of unimaginable scale. But the last twenty years had seen an enormous spike of Fallers from countless worlds, some human and others… not so much. We couldn’t guess the when, the why or the how.

My mother had been killed by one such outworlder, a monster from another world that we couldn’t even be sure was a Pokémon. I had planned to go out on my journey at sixteen.

I am now nineteen years old.

We had time, but no one knew much of what the face of the enemy was. Was it human greed turned to horrific ends, was it a god gone mad, or some other third thing?

For now, it was a problem for the future, I had agreed to be traveling partners with Brandon… Brandy or Brenda maybe? There hadn't been that many people who had transitioned in my clan, and my knowledge of that was… not the best.

Well, it didn't matter, she was eager, curious, and a suitable traveling companion. There was no need to worry. Happy was enjoying the revelry in the dark, eyes gleaming and his cute lava tail swaying back and forth.

The Faller was setting up camp where she could, despite her modest physical conditioning and inexperience she was enthusiastic, and her buneary had clearly been taught some fundamentals when it came to using the multi-tool. The campfire was modest, but good enough for the work of an amateur, and good enough for my cooking kit.

Pots, pans, a wok, as well as a rice cooker, other tools, and utensils, it was a bit overstocked in my opinion… then again that might be my own strangeness coming into play. Being able to rip into a raw magikarp with my teeth as a child was… not normal.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“So, you wanted to forage for food to save up our own supply?” Brandon spoke up, brushing back her growing hair while her pale face was lit up by the flickering light of the fire. “So we made wild rice with mountain vegetables and that poor magikarp?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’ll need to get used to distasteful things in the wilds, or do you want to starve?”

She glared at me. “I'm a complainer, I'll do it, doesn't mean it's not gross. At least the tomato berry adds some nice kick to it for me.” I flinched as she easily consumed the spicy berry, what kind of monster is she?

Oh, right.

“Is there a name you’d like to be called by?”

There was an awkward silence, and I realized that was a stupidly invasive question to ask, why did I do that, why did I do that—

“—! I… never really thought about it, ya know?” Her laugh was soft and awkward, a bit higher pitched than it had been a month ago. “I haven't had a lot of time to process certain things about myself, aching, burning questions I had buried deep into my psyche. Kinda been going through the motions until recently.”

“I'm…” I went to apologize, but she continued, squinting at me from the opposite end of our campfire.

“But I think Brandy would make a good name wouldn't you?” She sounded uncertain… like she was using me as a sounding board. And she might well be…

I smiled back at her. “It's a lovely choice of name, if you want to be called that, it's well in your rights.”

Her lips pulled into a wide smile, dark, brown eyes shining in the faint campfire light.

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Twilight was only an hour away, and Brandy was fast asleep, having tuckered herself out with work. Happy was tired as well, but I wasn't letting him sleep just yet, there was something the both of us had to do first.

I breathed, and let the call of the wild sing in my veins, gently bringing my aura to the surface. Gently letting it circulate throughout my body, visualizing the flow of energy, and reaching out to the connection between myself and…

Like a word, a sound, a song.

It was a vast and happy trill, my name twisted along the breeze like notes of music. The natural flow of energy began to orbit around that great presence, unadulterated control over external flow of power was the nature of the Fae.

Happy’s eyes were open wide, and I held him close and shielded him under my own aura. He made a quiet snorting sound and I nodded. “Yes, that is Lord Azazel.”

There was a grumbling from Brandy’s tent, and I swore I heard her say ‘Shut up, dumb bird’ and thus I ignored it for my own sanity. I don't see Azazel close by, but I can feel his gaze and the pressure of his aura, waves of fey energies surging and clinging to the air.

Be not afraid.

It wasn't quite words, but it was his intent as he examined the world around him.

“I've been doing well,” I decided to speak with Azazel, I knew he could hear me or at least figure out the context. “I've gotten a pokémon after all those years, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting.”

There was sorrow in his ancient song, and I sighed. “We’re going to have to watch out for more outworlders, my companion here fell between worlds, so attracting monsters is… more likely than she or I would hope.”

He agreed with a song of clashing swords and ever-present fairy wind, and I could tell he was offering protection.

“Only against monsters from the Beyond,” I pointed out to the incredibly powerful pokémon. “Warn the others, because they always come for their prey.”

There was a loud trill from Azazel, noise forming into words, into understanding.

So it shall be.

There was a sudden whirlwind of fairy wind, the presence of a great host of fey energies forced them into life. I could see a shadow emerge from nothing, as wings of purest white blotted out the moon.

I will do as I must, and so shall you.

Azazel’s presence vanished in a quiet shockwave that was felt more than seen, and I relaxed as the pressure of his power faded.

The world was quiet once more, and I thought about the future. What else was coming our way now that the door was open?