An absolutely massive chamber greeted us as we pushed through the gates, something I was immensely grateful for as my boots scraped the bottom of the stone floor as my ride frantically pulled up. A large set of stairs extended up on either side of the room to a central stone arch that led further into the castle. Though it wasn’t the only offshoot, from the main entrance, it was the most obvious path forward and the target of Crash’s ascent as she beat her wings harder.
The palace itself seemed to have other plans.
I bit back a scream as tendrils of snow and hail lurched up after us, a stabbing pain shooting up from my ankle as a weight pressed down on it, and we froze for a moment, sleet pushing up against my pants, as a wave of powdered snow encircled us.
A blue fire erupted from the shadows, consuming the grasping cold in an eerie glow before washing over the offending elements. The attack melted away, and I let out a scream as the spectral fire sunk into my leg.
‘Sorry, but a small burn is probably better than frostbite,’ Duskull shouted as we rose higher towards a set of banners. A large blue sphere resting on top of a red orb could faintly be seen through the snow and frozen bits.
I gritted my teeth before breathing out of my nose. 'It’s fine. It wasn’t that hot. Like accidentally leaning up against the oven.’ Liar. Fuck, that hurts. Legends above I wish I had some vinegar right now. ‘Don’t worry about-’
We dived down before I could finish, and I once again fought back the urge to throw up at the involuntary roller coaster ride that was flying with this stupid Hawlucha.
A volley of ice spears fell from the rafters, their pointy bits aimed at the airspace we had been occupying. They ripped through the banners, tossing bits of snow and hail into the air that seemed to home in on us as we moved.
I bit back a swear as a massive sheet of ice started to inch forward from the outreaches of the stone arch. Great, the whole damn place was alive, and it was trying to pincer us. Green wings pulled up slightly before a faint blue aura urged them back down.
Crash glanced down for a second. ‘What the-’
‘Keep going forward,’ Emilie shouted as she shoved herself up, her head inching out from my coat. ‘I got it.’
Hawlucha leaned her head down, a faint blue glow engulfed us, and the world lurched. In a flash, we were at the end of the stone hallway, well past the ice wall that had completely sealed itself off behind us and pushing into another massive chamber. Ice and stone greeted my knees as we crash-landed into the new room, my head roughly slamming into an old half frozen wooden bench as we did so.
The world swam for a moment as I clutched at my skull, wincing as things slowly came back into focus. I spied stained glass, each displaying an impressive contrast of colors to the cold stone walls. An Absol guiding a kid out of the cold, a Mawile huddled up close to a campfire with knights on either side of it... the glass murals painted a picture as I rose to my feet and traced my eyes along the beautiful scenes up to...
I stopped and felt my jaw go slack at the three glass carvings at the front of the chamber, each an ornate masterpiece that extended all the way up to the ceiling. A man garbed in red and gold stood regally in the window on the right, his hand resting on a familiar looking pommel. Long golden locks flowed freely down, framing a smooth face with bright blue eyes and a short, trimmed beard, his gaze locked to the stained glass on his left.
A woman with black hair just as long stared back, cloaked in a flowing blue dress that concealed her feet and frame. The same symbol I had seen on the banners outside repeated down the front of her garments, and seven yellow dots were shaped in a wide cross along her chest.
Beneath the glass rested a small altar for prayer and a podium that someone might stand at to speak, but what really stole my breath away was the largest of the windows.
At the center of it all, looming overhead like a blight, stood the stained visage of Regice, his depiction resting on the shoulders of the two smaller images below. Blue skin contrasted against a red backdrop as a sun shined out from behind him, almost seeming to dim his presence with its glow.
It was equal parts breathtaking and intimidating, and I found myself at a loss for words.
“Ow...” Emilie shoved her head up through the opening in my coat, hand rubbing her bruised skull as she looked up at me and grimaced. “That looks like it hurts.”
I lifted my hand away from my skull and recoiled as it came back red before giving the room itself a more thorough once-over, warily glancing at anything that looked even remotely snowy or icy. What I had taken as benches before were actually church pews, and unlit candles stood at the far end of both. “As shit as I feel, it probably looks worse than it is. What the hell was that? You never have rough landings.”
Emilie grimaced before shifting in my coat so that she could look up at me. “We’re usually standing still. I’m not used to teleporting moving objects other than myself and we were under duress.” She looked away. “Probably something to work on if we get out of here.”
I glared down at her. “When we get out of here. Ain’t no quitter talk on this team.”
‘Damn right,’ Crash called out as she flew down and landed next to me. She pecked at her wings to straighten out some feathers before turning her beak down and offering me a clawed hand. ‘Sorry. I either let you go or slammed you into the benches. Didn’t have enough time to pull up with how low Emilie brought us in.’
I smiled before carefully grabbing her claw and shaking. “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine, really. Barely even got a headache.”
Snow started to collect on the ground behind us, and I cursed. Of course we weren’t clear yet, we were in this stupid golem’s domain. “Crash, we need to-”
A loud bang rattled the building, forcing me to spread my feet out wide to keep myself upright. In a single instant, the world froze as a large crack ran up the stained glass depicting the ice demon that loomed over us. The malevolent snowstorm fell to the stone floor alongside a fresh deposit from the rafters above.
I sagged down low before sighing out a long shuddering breath and glancing over toward our avian escort. “Never mind.”
I pressed my hand lightly against the pews and winced at the cold that somehow pushed through my gloves. Definitely not taking a seat. I spied a number of doors and halls all leading away from this room and frowned. The world was our oyster, it would seem, and we had no idea where to go.
“So... who’s up for a rousing game of pick a door?” I asked, before wincing at the frosty glares I received. “Eesh, tough crowd.”
“Forgive us if we don’t share your coping mechanisms.” Emilie sighed before easing back down into my coat. “Don’t know whose sense of humor is worse; you or Lucas.”
Said ghost slowly rose up from my shadow, I assumed, at the teasing.
I grinned down at him, hoping to gang up on my starter. “Lucas, do me a favor and defend me, would you? I-”
‘With this vow, I offer up my heart, my soul, and my people. May we stand together in life, hope, and joy and through sickness, pain, and loss. Though our nights may be cold and struggles many, with this fire, I now join my life to yours, for you are the light of my world.’ Lucas slowly rose up higher, his voice distant and hollow as he locked eyes with the stained glass behind the altar, his gaze focused on the bottom left. ‘May that light guide your heart, and I pray that we’ll always be by each other’s side.’
I froze for a moment, the words and their meaning sinking in as I glanced sadly at my Pokémon. “Lucas?”
He froze, before leaning back and turning to face me. ‘Sorry, I seem to be a bit out of sorts. This place... I was just lost in a memory, it would seem.’ He looked away, focusing on the stained glass once again.
I nodded before stepping between the pews, unsure if I should comment further.
“You had a lovely wife,” Emilie said, instantly stepping on the landmine I had wisely stayed quiet about.
Lucas winced at the words, and I sucked in a breath before thwacking my starter on the head.
‘Emilie.’ Legends above, I needed to teach this girl tact.
Emilie winced before looking over at Lucas, her head downcast. ‘I, sorry. I wasn’t thinking.’
Lucas chuckled lightly. ‘The past tense in that statement cut me a bit deep. I just... wasn’t ready for it. I know you meant it as a compliment though, so thank you all the same.’ He smiled at me. ‘Don’t be quite so hard on her, eh?’
I nodded slightly, before nodding toward the altar. “Quite the sanctuary.”
A faint glow shone in Lucas’s eye. ‘The gods made it a habit of making themselves known in the olden days. Can you blame us for being devout?’
I looked up at the cracked stained glass of said frozen deity and winced. “Suppose not, though I’d still like to know what exactly I did to piss this ‘god’ off so bad.” I sighed before looking back down toward Lucas. “So is your palace actually a church or-”
‘Both,’ Duskull answered. ‘I... This place reminds me of a story I heard. Back when I was an Absol, no bigger than a stuffed bear, of a sanctuary at the height of a great city...’ His form wobbled slightly as he moved around the room. ‘It’s a memory that sticks out, separate from what you gave me.’
Lucas nodded. ‘I’m not surprised.’ The ghost floated up closer to the stained glass depicting an Absol. ‘As you can see, we were on rather friendly terms with the pride that lived here. Considering where we found Sol, they were probably your ancestors. They aided in natural disasters, foretelling attacks...’ The light in Lucas’s eye faded slightly as the last word faded into an awkward silence.
I winced, worried about just what exactly he was remembering. “Do you remember the end, then?”
‘Not quite. It’s... odd. I don’t think the ice deity was responsible for the sordid state of our kingdom, though it’s probably hard to believe that.’ He waved his tassel around. ‘Something prompted this, I believe. I just... can’t seem to grasp it. To bridge my thoughts.’
Emilie looked around the room, her eyes narrowed. “I mean; to be fair you probably don’t want to remember it. I can’t imagine whatever caused this kind of reaction from your guardian deity as terribly pleasant. Are the motives of our illustrious host a bit easier to make out?”
I winced again. Damn it, Emilie. ‘Tact. Please, I’m begging you. Learn it.’
Emilie blushed and looked away. ‘If you don’t mind answering, that is. I’m guessing you’ve got a good idea of what we need to do, so we can just-’
Lucas chuckled lightly before turning back to us and grinning. ‘Seriously, don’t be too hard on her, Lea. It’s in a child’s nature to be inquisitive, and we’re all a little on edge.’
I stared at Emilie, my mouth pressed in a thin line, before sighing and looking back toward Lucas. ‘Suppose my private nudge was a bit obvious, huh?’
Lucas chuckled before nodding.
I smiled. ‘Just don’t feel pressured to answer every question that pops into her head, alright?’
Lucas smiled before staring down at the ground. ‘I feel like I must, though. We’re here for a reason, and we don’t know what that reason is. I need to remember, for all our sake.’ The ghost sword floated up to the cross made of dots. ‘To be honest, I don’t quite remember seeing that thing in person at all. I know I did at some point, it’s a feeling I have, but...’ Lucas shrugged.
I nodded once, before drifting off in thought. Considering Duskull barely remembered what his own daughter looked like, I supposed that I should be grateful that Lucas was doing as well as he was.
Wait.
He did remember something though. Quite vividly, if that earlier reaction was any indication.
It couldn’t be that simple, could it?
“Lucas, I want to do a little experiment if you don’t mind?” I smiled as he turned and dipped his hilt down in a silent nod. “I want you to visualize the clearest memory in your head from back then. What sticks out to you the most out of every single image in your mind?” It felt weird asking that considering I already had a good idea, but I wanted to mimic how Emilie did this with me as much as possible.
The patterns on Lucas’s scabbard scrunched up in a frown before a smile played across his features. ‘Probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering earlier. This place cemented that memory into my head. I can picture it so vividly. Soft, plush lips. Long dark hair... an anxious jilt in her step as she gazes up into my eyes, a breathtaking smile on her face. There’s music playing, quiet music.’ Lucas stopped as a chuckle left his lips, and he turned away from me. ‘The pews are filled, but I can’t for the life of me recall their faces. I’m not sure that I cared to notice them.’
I nodded along, a small smile pulling at my lips. I moved to walk closer but felt a chill run up my spine, locking me in place. I glanced up, getting a better look at the front of the chamber.
Was I seeing double?
It was like a canvas come to life. For a brief moment, I could make out her features as though she were standing in front of me. The masterfully crafted structure seemed to pale in comparison to the real thing. Fair skin, a kind, regal smile, eyes that smoldered with a passion and longing that made me take a step back.
I blinked and it was gone. The world righted itself as I reached up to rub my eyes, only to be met with nothing.
“Good, now play the memory forward, focusing on the woman. Keep her as your focus,” Emilie said, her tone calm.
I glanced around the room, trying to catch a glimpse of it. I saw it! I know I did. Maybe. Legends above my head hurt.
His smile stretched wider. ‘We’re... exchanging vows. She was smiling, but nervous. The rest of the world almost seemed to drift away as the ceremony concluded.’
Fuck it. Focus on what’s in front of us. A happy memory to start things off with then. Good. That’s good. I had a feeling things were going to get worse as we went. “Now, keep playing those memories forward, focus only on her. Where do we go next?”
Lucas snorted, before turning and giving me a salacious grin. ‘Lea, honey. I love you, but no. I am not telling you about our wedding night.’
Red creeped up my cheeks as I coughed, my throat burning as I sucked in a violent breath and pulled a bit of saliva down my windpipe. Hacking up a lung, I gave Lucas a halfhearted glare that was probably undercut by the grin that pulled at my lips. “Just... keep playing your memories forward in your head with her as the focus and tell me when something stands out.”
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Why the hell did it feel like that glass portrait of Mawile was smiling at me? If you can see this, you old crone, I hope your family reunion is seven different shades of ass!
Lucas chuckled, before nodding and kneeling his head down. A white veil draped down across his eye, and I briefly entertained the notion that this was how he closed it.
“Is that what it looks like when you close your eyes?” Emilie asked, and I slapped my palm against my forehead.
‘EMILIE!’ I shouted in her head.
She winced before turning back to me, her frame smaller than usual. ‘Look, you have your coping mechanisms and I have mine, alright?’ She huffed before turning away from me, her arms crossed. ‘Besides, he’s so out of it right now I doubt he even heard me.’
I glanced back toward Lucas, still floating listlessly in front of the altar, before sighing and ruffling my starter's hair. ‘And you’re the only one allowed to complain about coping mechanisms?’
Emilie groaned and buried herself in my coat, her face petulant. ‘Yeah, that’s how it usually works.’
We stood in silence for a minute, and a sense of awkwardness fell between the two of us. I didn’t like it. ‘I’m sorry if I’m being a bit overbearing. I-’
‘Good idea, by the way,’ Emilie said, cutting me off. ‘Organizing his thoughts I mean. He’s still a ghost though, so don’t be too surprised if you hit a brick wall somewhere. Some memories are just... gone.’
I frowned at the subject change, then nodded. ‘Thanks for keeping it up for me. I got distracted by something.’
Emilie tilted her head. ‘See something bad?’
I shook my head. ‘Nah, I think it’s just the minor head injury playing tricks on me. Nothing too ser-’
I stopped and winced as the ground shook once again, sending me to my knees as cracks ran through the stained glass on either side of the room, fracturing the still landscapes portrayed in both. A long line ran exactly through the Mawile as the chaos stopped, and I frantically pushed myself back up to my feet as a cold air started to waft through the church.
‘I... I remember her getting paler.’ Lucas explained, seemingly unbothered by the chaos that had just taken place. ‘We’re in the throne room, and a group of merchants have requested an audience. A number of Lapras have taken ill, and it has delayed a few supply shipments. There’s several Absol in the chamber, and they look tense.’ He frowned. ‘My wife offered to bolster the town’s food supply with reserves from the castle and I decided to up the guard around the wall. Something didn’t feel right.’
“Alright, now let’s stick with your wife. We’re trying to make a chain of memories and tie it to something. What’s next?” I asked, doing my best to ignore the uneasy feeling that was stirring in my gut.
‘The scene’s a bit different. This memory is... I think it’s fairly soon after that audience. My queen is guiding me through the Howling Chasm. I... I don’t know how we got here, but this place feels wrong. The wind that’s pushing through the valley sounds like the wails of the damned. I,’ Lucas stopped, before shuddering. ‘She looks so much smaller than she used to. Her hair’s lost its shine. She’s turning to look at me and her face is sunken-’
He stopped completely, his eye regaining its usual vibrance as he locked eyes with me.
"What is it, Lucas?” I asked, my voice calm and low as I tried my absolute best to imitate how Emilie talked to me in my mind.
‘Her eyes. They’re bright red.’ Lucas swallowed, and I briefly wondered how that instinct worked considering his anatomy. ‘Something is very wrong.’
Duskull floated up and rested a small, cloaked hand on Lucas’s pommel. No words were spoken aloud, but something seemed to pass between the two.
"Do you need a moment?" I asked, feeling like a third wheel.
Lucas shook his head before turning and grinning at Duskull. ‘I can keep going. My wife is guiding me somewhere. These caves... they’re fairly sacred. I remember that now. We come down here hoping for a miracle, as it’s the closest point of contact we have with our god. It’s... more commonly walked by our high priestess or her matrons.’
"Where are you going?” I asked. “Do you know where this place leads?”
‘I...’ Lucas trailed off, before freezing, his red eye shining bright as his mouth dropped open. ‘The howling caves open into a massive chamber, and it descends onto us the moment we enter. It’s... I don’t know that I’ve ever felt cold like that before. In life or death. The air in my lungs felt painful to breathe, like it was heavier somehow. I know we just met the damn thing out there, but this... this felt far different.’
"Might be that he was focused on you. I know we all saw it out there, but when I locked eyes with it, right before we teleported out," I trailed off, before swallowing and nodding at Lucas. "I don’t know that I’ve ever felt anything so intense."
‘Maybe...’ Lucas didn’t sound sure. ‘Still, I don’t know what’s going on. What’s wrong with my wife?’
Keep calm. Just keep calm and help him through this. I can do that. “How does the rest of the memory play out? That might shed some light on it.”
Lucas’s eye dimmed as he looked down. ‘She’s smiling at me as the ice golem descends. There’s a rather... passionate kiss. Then... She told me goodbye? Why...’ Lucas trailed off as he froze again, his scabbard losing a bit of color as he floated down. A snarl ripped itself from his mouth as he stopped floating and stabbed down into the cold, stone floor. ‘Nix the allies part. It... why would it do that? I don’t understand.’
I swallowed, wondering why I was even asking. ‘Ice statue?’
Lucas nodded, his face grim. ‘I just... Why am I not doing anything in the memory? I’m just content to look at her crystalized beauty as the ice demon slinks back up to the upper recesses of the chamber.’ Lucas stopped before taking a deep breath. ‘There are others in the room, all frozen solid. I... I think I recognize a few. Priests and matrons, a few Pokémon, it’s...’ He stopped before pulling himself out of the ground. ‘They’re all thin. Gaunt, even. It’s hard to tell, given the circumstances, but they don’t look particularly healthy.’
I nodded along, my mind drifting back to Mawile’s advice. How our friends were functionally frozen in time.
‘I’m... really hoping my past self wasn’t the type for human sacrifice and that’s what this is. I’ll seal myself back up in the damn dark room if that’s what’s happening.’ Lucas’s voice started to shake as he continued.
Emilie lifted a snowball and chucked it at my sword. ‘Lucas, there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that you did anything like that.’
Lucas stared up at her. ‘Have you looked around us recently?’
Emilie’s glare worsened. ‘You’re a goofball, not a psychopath, calm down.’
I nodded before moving forward, a dull throb pushing out from my ankle as I moved closer. ‘Maybe that was the only choice? Buying time for something? If they’re sick, then maybe Regice is keeping them alive long enough to find a cure. Brawly mentioned that the person that cast the Sheer Cold could undo it.’
Lucas visibly relaxed. ‘I... yes, I suppose that might make some sense. Still though... witnessing that firsthand is...’ His body vibrated. ‘It’s instantaneous. They’re real one minute, then the next it’s just... a void. A moment, trapped forever in ice and snow.’
I frowned at the wording. “Not forever.”
Lucas shot me a smile, though his eye seemed to lack the vibrancy that it usually had when he did so. “I suppose not, no.”
I wasn’t sure if he believed that or not.
A tremor rocked the chamber once more, this one exceedingly violent as more cracks started to form along the floor. A number of candles tipped over as the glass murals all started to shatter, sending multicolored shards raining down onto the stone and snow.
Crash quickly panned her head from side to side, taking stock of the room. ‘Is this going somewhere useful? I’m getting a bit antsy being in this room like this and you’ve all been quiet for a bit.’
I looked over toward Emilie, an eyebrow raised. ‘I might have cut her connection when Lucas mentioned human sacrifice. WE know he’d never do something like that, but-’
‘Probably a good call.’ I nodded toward the luchador with a Mareepish grin. “Sorry, the subject matter was... slightly sensitive.”
‘There was a Mawile among the frozen,’ Lucas shouted, his tone of voice oddly gleeful. ‘I just remembered. It... You don’t think?’
I stared down at him like he was a moron. “You had a stained-glass portrait of a Mawile near a campfire. Who did you think that was?”
Lucas chuckled, looking slightly embarrassed. “Well, it’s... look, something being alive for a millennium is a bit hard to wrap my head around, alright?”
I stared after him for a moment before sighing. “I... fair enough. Okay, so we can’t follow that thread anymore, but we have a new memory thread we can follow.” I winced at how that sounded considering the previous subject matter. “That is-”
Lucas cackled slightly. ‘Get on with it, Lea, and stop worrying so much about my mental state. I’ll speak up if I need to stop.’
I nodded once before pressing on. “You remember seeing Regice, now. He exists in your memories, which means we have something new to focus on and move the story along with. What else do you remember about him? Focus on him and see what else comes of it.”
Lucas nodded once at the prospect as he closed his eye but froze a moment afterwards. His eye snapped back open as he glanced nervously around the room. ‘That’s a sharp idea, it’s just... why am I so scared to do that?’
I rested my hand on Lucas’s crossguard, trying to channel the same kind of energy Brawly did when we talked earlier. I probably didn’t have the level of cool energy to make it work, but maybe my inner dork could be corny enough to make him laugh instead. ‘It’s alright to be scared, just... don’t let it rule you, okay? If you want to, at least.’
Lucas chuckled. ‘The alright to be scared speech, really?’
Yup, too much dork energy. Damn it all. “I mean-”
‘Stop, I think I gave this speech to my men more times than I care to admit. I-’ Lucas trailed off, his eye regaining some of its earlier shine. ‘I’m more than a ghost in a sword. I should be the one giving that speech.’ He floated up higher before falling back down, his eye closed.
A light clapping met my ears and I glanced around the room. No one had moved from their spot. Though the chamber was in shambles, the stained-glass portrait of Lucas’s wife still seemed to hold its form.
I was starting to wonder if something outside of physics was helping that along.
A frown pulled down at Lucas’s inlays as he opened his mouth. ‘Fire comes to the island. That’s how it starts.’
I leaned forward. "What starts?"
‘The end.’ Lucas trembled slightly as the words left his lips, as if they left a foul taste in his mouth. ‘There are ships. Quite a few of them, actually. I can see dragon Pokémon flying overhead, a great many I don’t even recognize. Fire meeting waves of darkness and ice. Swords clashing against swords.’
‘An invasion,’ Emilie said.
Lucas nodded. ‘My troops were weak; something was afflicting them. The walls were broken in places. Civilians are being roasted alive in the streets. It’s... a slaughter.’ A faint misty veil was cast upon Lucas’s crystalized eye. ‘I’m sprinting toward the square, cutting through enemies with ease, but they don’t stop. I’m trying to get somewhere...’ He trailed off again.
‘Where?’ Crash asked, her head tilted up to gaze at my ghost sword, her eyes eager like a child waiting for the next part of a fairy tale.
‘I... sorry. My guard connected back with me. They... they held back our enemies and helped me cut a path back to the palace. Not... not everyone lived through the exchange.’ Lucas stopped for a moment before smiling. ‘Sorry. I know everyone from that era has long since died but remembering it like this…it feels fresh.’
“Do-”
‘Stop asking if I need a damn moment. We need to know where to go!’ Lucas glared at me, then winced and turned away from worried eyes. ‘Sorry. That was uncalled for.’
I sighed and nodded. ‘You’re right, though.’
Lucas nodded back before pressing on. ‘I’m rushing through the castle halls. I push through this room to get to where I’m going, actually. Clanking metal, an iron taste in my mouth, a faint tinge of red coating the ground, desperation...’ Lucas stopped, his mouth clenched as a haunted look overtook him.
“Take-” I snapped my mouth shut at the glare Lucas shot my way.
He took a deep breath. ‘I... I threw open the doors to a small chamber with a glowing red orb atop an altar. Damn thing is as vibrant as the summer sun. Heat washed over my skin, and I moved toward the device with purpose. Before I got the chance to grab it, a sword pushed through my chest from behind.’ Lucas winced hard and began sinking low. ‘I... as I hit the ground, a wave of cold air pushed through the room. Through the bars on the window, I can make out a massive wall of ice ascending around the city as my vision starts to blur. I’m... I’m shivering-’
“Stop,” I ordered, my voice a pitch higher than I intended. “That’s more than enough, Lucas. You, you can stop...”
Emilie nuzzled closer to me, and I lifted my arms up and wrapped them around her.
‘Regice froze the entire kingdom and dropped it into the ocean rather than allow it to be claimed by an invading force,’ Lucas said. ‘Why wouldn’t he lend his aid before that? I don’t understand.’
I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know.”
Lucas just vibrated in place as he looked away.
‘It’s not invincible,’ Crash said, cutting into the conversation with a pinched brow as she looked over to our storyteller. ‘It was hurt when we came here, and Toa hurt it worse to get us in here. You saw the force that came to attack, do you think it could beat them all?’
Lucas opened his mouth but hesitated.
Crash nodded. ‘You were there, as hard as that is to believe. Do you truly believe that thing was your ally?’
Lucas tilted his blade in agreement. ‘It’s odd, but... I do. I know it for a fact, but I don’t quite know why.’ He glanced around the room. ‘And I doubt we have the time to fully figure it out.’
Crash nodded again. ‘Then it acted in your interests, and I assume you acted in its. I don’t know why this thing is attacking us now, but in the end, that’s not what this story is about. You valued getting to that orb. Your whole world was going to hell, and you were desperate to reach it... I’d say that’s something worth checking out, don’t you?’
Lucas paused, before turning up to me and grinning. ‘Captain... I do believe we’ve found our heading.’ He floated across the chamber toward an untread hall and beckoned me to follow.
I hesitated. “Are you sure you’re alright to push forward?”
Lucas huffed. ‘Doesn’t do us much good to wallow in our memories. I’ll mourn my people when we’re out of this death trap, but for now, we have our heading and I’m ready to push through.’ He smiled. ‘I’ve got a warrior’s spirit, Lea. As long as I’ve got a mission, I’ll push through.’
I nodded, then winced as another tremor wracked the chamber and forced me to my knees. A wave of blue surged across the chamber, and I felt a chill go up my spine as it washed over me. “Getting a move on is probably a good idea.” I turned toward Crash as I pulled out a set of three Poké Balls. “Please tell me I can let the team out in full. I know you’re probably more badass than my entire team combined, but I feel so naked without them.”
The masked avian shook her head. ‘It’d be faster to travel in a smaller group, and I’m leery of someone getting trapped if the snow and ice come to life again. This place is more of a death trap than I thought it’d be, considering what’s going on-’
Another loud crash met my ears, and I braced myself for a tremor that didn’t come. I glanced around the room before focusing on the altar at the front of the chamber. The ground was bulging, cracking as something pushed its way up. The tremor that I had been expecting earlier came in full force, forcing me to my knees once more as the entire chamber began pulsing.
I was shoved, hard, to the left, my body knocking into one of the benches as a chandelier slammed into the ground I had been standing on. I glanced up to see no one there, but the faint feeling of cold air on my shoulder seemed to give it away. I whipped around to look at our escort, who was already moving toward the door that Lucas was standing by. I pulled myself up to my feet and sprinted forward, careful not to trip on the still shaking ground as the ground at the front of the chapel threatened to rupture.
As I pushed past, I noticed that Lucas’s gaze hadn’t wavered. He was staring, straight on, at the place I had been standing, eyes wide as he looked at the offending ceiling ornament.
“Lucas?” I shouted.
No response.
The chamber shook harder, and I moved forward to grab him. A faint sickening feeling pushed through my stomach as my hand phased through his hilt. “Lucas!” I called again, this time getting a reaction.
‘Lea?’ He looked lost, like he wasn’t grasping what was happening around him.
“Lucas, we need to leave. Now!” I shouted, urging him to follow as my hand reached down for his Poké Ball.
He cast one last glance to the front of the chamber, his eyes locking on to the still standing visage of his late wife, before glancing at the mound of crumbling stone and ice. His eyes widened as he turned to me, nodded, and ushered me through the stone arch he had floated to moments prior.
Two sets of eyes bore down on me as we fled the room. Two blue eyes, filled with worry, followed me as I pushed through the gate to parts unknown, their presence a comfort in the cold that now dug its way into my bones as the last of the stained glass finally shattered.
The other, however, promised nothing but pain as it slowly surged out from beneath the ground, their gaze reptilian and fierce as a long, slender frame slowly started to push out from below the stone. One thought permeated my brain as Crash picked me up by the backpack once more:
Run. As hard and as fast as I could.