PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [35]
Chapter 44 : Return to Kalos
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Princess Rin—no…she was officially Queen Rin now—bowed delicately, her black veil covering her no doubt tear-stained face. “Thank you for coming, your Majesty,” she said flatly.
I bowed my head in turn. “Of course. I only wish there was something I could have done.”
A faint chuckle escaped from behind her veil. “Please King Azett. No one lives forever, but my father certainly seemed to be getting close. He was proud to have hosted you this past month. The ties between east and west have never been stronger because of your visit.”
In truth, I was worried that my extended visit had put undue stress on the late king and perhaps contributed to his failing health, but I decided against speaking it aloud. There was no sense in dampening Queen Rin’s already somber mood. “I’m glad he felt that way. That was my hope for this trip. With so much strife across the world, the petty rivalry between our lands must be extinguished, for the sake of all those living today, and those yet unborn.”
“I agree,” King Aaron said, wrapping his arm around his wife and pulling her closer.
She leaned closer to him and allowed herself to let her husband take the spotlight. It made me glad to know that she felt comfortable staying a bit unguarded when it was just the three of us.
“I will not let the groundwork laid by King Jurock go to waste,” Aaron continued. “Together, Azett, let us bring peace to this world in our lifetime.”
I nodded solemnly and extended a thumb between the three of us. “For King Jurock.”
Aaron paused, before adding his thumb. “For King Jurock.”
We both glanced at Queen Rin, and after a moment, she raised a dainty hand and added her own thumb. “For King Jurock,” she croaked.
My attendance at the wake did not last much longer. Aaron and Queen Rin remained to mingle with the many townsfolk in the chapel, but I slipped out earlier to head back to my quarters. Two of my guards peeled away from outside of the chapel once I appeared, folding in beside me.
“Your Grace,” one of them began as we walked through the halls of Cameran Palace. “The men are beginning to get restless. I’m not sure they want to stay another month. And with the king passing while we’re here…we’ve already heard whispers from some of the Guardians...”
“Let them whisper,” I growled. “It is only their grief talking. King Aaron will not let baseless slander fester for long,” I said. For as much time as I spent with Aaron, I could only change the Guardians’ perception of the east so much in so little time. It was natural that they mistrusted me. “But I do intend to leave soon. Tell the others to begin packing up. I want to reach Vermillion Town before the weather changes.”
“At once, you Grace!”
I could tell my men hadn’t even wanted to stay for one month, yet they had kept quiet and persevered for my sake. Even I had seen more Lucario this past month than I ever wanted to. They all had a certain glare that made them look like they would pounce at any moment, which was made all the more unsettling at the fact that they possessed near-human intelligence and could communicate with their Guardian partners silently. And with Aaron now ascending to the throne, I doubted our conversations could continue as before. He now had a country to run.
And I also had my own country to run, and no offense to Aaron, but far more of it. Just recently, we’d taken the Galar Kingdom and Unovan Empire under our wing, and every day I spent in Rota only soured our relations with those two. They’d get tired of talking to my proxies eventually and wonder where the actual king was.
For one of the last times, Aaron and I, joined by Queen Rin, enjoyed a conversation over dinner that night, but as I was gathering my belongings later that night, I began to feel a wistful malaise. Rota was so far, and back home, I had no friends. Only subjects and allies. This trip had given me far more than I’d expected.
Of course, it hadn’t given everything. At the end of it all, I still knew nothing more about the Age of Carnage, or the Paragons who cast their shadows over it. Aaron was now king, but I could hardly bother him at a time like this to badger him about divulging the Guardians’ secrets, despite what I’d said.
It would have to wait. But perhaps that wasn’t the worst thing. It’d mean I was leaving behind a reason to return.
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“Are you sure you can’t stay any longer?” Aaron asked.
Aaron stood dressed as he always had in the entrance hall of Cameran Palace, flanked by a pair of his royal guards, and Queen Rin. Dust swam in the rivers of sunlight that streamed through the mosaic windows, brightening the velvet floor into a field of ruby fire. He wore a resolute look, but his brows were knit tighter than I’d ever seen them before. I tried not to take pride in it.
“Unfortunately so. I must thank you for extending your hospitality for so long, especially under such turbulent circumstances. My condolences again.” I bowed, and nodded at Queen Rin, who bowed sadly in turn.
Aaron drank in my reply, before nodding in resignation. “I understand.” He extended his hand.
I met his eyes and grasped his hand. A curious warmth spread from his to mine. Power coursed through him—the power of Aura, the life energy of pokémon. It was as if in donning the crown of the Guardians, he had also taken one step away from the rest of humanity. From me.
I tightened my grip on his hand. “Perhaps again someday, I’ll invite myself back.”
Aaron gave my hand a firm shake. A kingly shake. “You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. As long as I'm king, you can always call Cameran Palace home.” He smiled. “My friend.”
I smiled, and took a deep breath. It must be now. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a roll of parchment, sealed with the crimson seal of Kalos. Aaron glanced at it curiously as I offered it to him.
“For you, your Majesty,” I said. “I’m sure you have no shortage of duties to attend to, but, eccentric as I may be, I have my own duties as king I must carry out as well. I’m afraid I must insist you consider this, as a matter of state between our two lands.”
Aaron rubbed the paper between his fingers before passing it to his wife. He fixed me with a thin smirk. “I have some ideas about what this may be. Very well. I’ll speak with my court.”
I smiled, then turned to Queen Rin and kissed her hand. “My lady.”
Taking one last glance around the royal palace, I exhaled and turned away, joining my men near the enormous wooden entrance doors. This journey had been a blissful reverie, but temporary. Here, it’d been easy to forget about my own crown and throne, and act as a guest in this faraway place. Perhaps I’d been even a little too casual with Aaron, especially now that he was king. Though, I was also a king, and he japed at me all the same.
Ah. It dawned on me as we were crossing the stone viaduct. Floette was dancing on my shoulder and the sun had never felt better on my skin. So this is friendship.
I’d teased Aaron for his quaint wedding, but he’d looked happy, as did Rin. I was unmarried, but I’d been to a few weddings already. The ones back home had been cold and uniform, meant only to tie together houses for political purposes. Those I spoke with there only had an interest in the crown on my head, and the myriad ways that it could benefit them.
In that sense, I felt a bit guilty about handing that offer of an alliance to Aaron. In a way, Rota seemed untainted by the incessant machinations of the east, and here I was trying to rope him in. But what I’d said was still true. As the king of Kalos, it was my duty to make our empire stronger, and safer. An alliance with Rota would undoubtedly be a step in that direction. It just so happened to align with my personal desire, was all.
A couple weeks of southern travel later, we departed from Vermillion Town, our ship hauling into the black abyss of night. I watched as the light of civilization dimmed from the deck the further we got, until we found ourselves alone in the darkness. It would take even longer to return home than the time we’d spent at Rota.
Lucky for us, we were not assailed by any pokémon on the journey, save for a Tentacruel that had latched itself to our hull, and may have climbed up the sides of the ship if not for a trainer we’d hired in town. His Golduck jumped into the sea and harrassed it until it let go. Still, it’d taken a couple days for my men to fully calm down.
Kanto was a rather undeveloped land, nothing like Rota or Kalos. But it did hold a few towns and villages. Kanto was the Land of the Hero, after all. It was from its fertile soil that the First Trainer had been born. I didn’t put much stock in myths and legends, especially those concerning humans, but it was easy to tell that said myths and legends had seeped into the very ground of Kanto. There were more trainers here than anywhere else, and unlike most of the world, many of them did not fear pokémon. Perhaps it was the influence of the nearby Rota.
One day on the voyage, I decided to try my hand at pokémon battling like I’d seen that trainer do. He was respectful enough of us that he kept his Golduck and his other pokémon sequestered away in their pokéballs most of the time, but he did release them at night to feed, after many of my men had already gone to sleep. It was just after lunch, and my men were attending to their duties across the ship, so I had some time alone in my cabin. I sat on the floor, leaning against my bed.
“Knock over that stack of books, Floette,” I urged, pointing to a stack five high on the desk.
She twirled through the air and sat herself down on them. As expected, they moved not an inch. She turned around and smiled, flitting back toward me.
I smiled and stuck my finger out for her to land on. “Of course not,” I muttered. I’d received Floette as a gift from my mother. She’d died when I was young, but from what I’d heard, she had also been strange, like me. Apparently, she hadn’t been well liked by many in my father’s court. Chief among the reasons why was her love of pokémon. I believe Floette was a dream of hers, foisted upon me, knowing I’d one day be king. Receive this flower, and keep it. And maybe then, if people see you with her, they will begin to see her as we do.
“We,” she’d said.
My mother loved pokémon even more than the Guardians did, to the point of obsession, from what I’d heard. Though I enjoyed Floette, I could never bring myself to see pokémon as she had. After spending so much time in the castle, it seemed she’d forgotten what pokémon really were. She saw them as little more harmless than pets or companions. The meek creatures, like Floette, who lived in and around the castle’s gardens likely only reinforced that notion.
But it was a false notion. It would have been irresponsible, as king, to think otherwise.
Nevertheless, I’d honored my mother’s wishes. But she underestimated our people’s hatred of pokémon. And Floette, dainty as she was, was hardly analogous to the monsters they so detested. But, I’d honored her wish. And in the time we’d spent together, I’d grown to care for Floette quite deeply. Perhaps that had been my mother’s real wish, all along.
A tall wave passed beneath us and jerked the ship, sending the stack of books sliding off the desk. Floette looked back as they hit the floor. Then, she turned back to me, and grinned proudly.
“What’re you smiling at?” I smirked, and got up, picking up the books and stacking them back on the desk. “Let’s see you try it again, then.”
This time, Floette seemed less interested in obeying. She moved a bit closer to the books, but something else in the air seemed to catch her attention, and she drifted off course. However, a moment later, she shook her head and refocused, before turning back to the books.
She trembled in the air, and I was afraid she was in pain. “Floette,” I warned, standing.
But suddenly, a sharp gust of pink wind peeled off from her tiny body and hit the stack of books, sending them thumping into the wall, before scattering to the ground. Now, Floette turned and flew back over, placing herself in the palm of my hand before I could protest.
“Are you alright, your Grace?” one of my guards asked me from without.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I said absentmindedly. I cupped Floette in my hand and tried moving her to my shoulder, but she refused to leave, curling up and pressing herself against my skin. She was quite warm to the touch. Warmer than usual.
I walked over and picked up one of the books. As I turned it over, Floette chirped with pride.
She’d burned off the edges of several pages. When I brushed my fingers against their blackened end, they felt even hotter than Floette.
I glanced down at her face and her tiny little body. Even her flower smelled sweeter now. So even you are capable…, I thought.
I brushed her face gently before heading back over to my bed and laying down. Time for a nap. Floette rested on my chest, and I watched her as she drifted off to sleep.
Despite what she’d shown me, I felt no fear at all toward this creature. On the contrary, my affection for her had only grown. I was proud of her.
Proud of her ability to cause danger…?
No, it was something else. But I couldn’t put it into words.
Is this what the Guardians feel for their Lucario?
For the umpteenth time since I’d left, I began to think about Aaron again, and the answers he might have.
I wanted to return. Even if for no other reason than to tell him that I understood, however little, why they partnered with pokémon. I couldn’t explain it, but I could feel the embers of what must have been burning within the Guardians, smoldering within my chest now.
Hopefully, their response to my proposal would not take long.
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A shroud of fog clung to Kalos’ coast the morning we arrived within eyesight of home. However, the gleaming lighthouse of Shalour cut through the haze, allowing us to moor safely. A woody scent filled the air, the smell of dew and moist dirt. I was wrapped in a warm wool coat, but my breath curled visibly in front of me.
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As my men uploaded the ship, I released Floette. She would disappear for now, off on her own adventures, but I knew she would return. The wilds never messed with fairies, no matter how small, so she was safe on that front.
It took yet another month until we reached the capital. Though we’d sent a missive ahead to inform them of our return, we passed through the intervening towns and villages without delay. Ordinarily, I’d have liked to visit with the local lords and survey the lands, but we simply didn’t have the time. The townsfolk knew I was someone important because of the size of our host, and they gathered in droves around us at every stop, yet my men ensured we were not stopped for long. Just a cursory word to the local lord, and we were on our way with a replenishment of provisions.
The capital was called Kalos City, and my home was called Kalos Keep. We passed through the stone walls of the city to much fanfare, the torchlight of civilization basking us in a warmth that, to this day, still filled me with a certain pride. With their own hands, my ancestors had carved their place into this verdant valley. Crystalline rivers ambled through rolling hills, beneath wooden bridges, and through mushy fields of ripened fruits and vegetables. Thatched cottages and cobblestone apartments stretched as far as the eye could see, and already, the smell of smoke and whatever it was cooking filled my nostrils and made my mouth water.
My court seemed to have cracked open our coffers for the occasion, with dyed banners and flags fluttering in the hubbub to welcome us. I waved to my people as we passed through, and they shouted back.
As we passed through a market full of stalls peddling all manner of wares, from garish, woven textiles, to clay pottery that still stunk of earth and dye, to mouth-watering meats and pastries oozing with sugar, a band of children ran in front of our path. As my men shooed them out of the way, one of them caught my eye.
It was a little boy, no older than ten. And yet, where his right ear should’ve been, there was, instead, a scarred patch of milky white scratches. His hair was short, but it was nonexistent on the right side of his head. He smiled and laughed, chasing after his friends, and his scars crinkled as he ran.
I watched him go, and my mind seemed to whistle as the wind passed through it. I’d been away far too long. None of the Guardians I’d seen bore scars like that. They had the power of Aura. The power to defend themselves. Yet my people did not. It fell upon me, as their king, to protect them. And yet, a child like this had paid the price for my failure.
This. This is what I wanted to end. Black fire burned in my very core. This. I needed to eradicate it.
“Your Grace?” One of my men turned to me curiously.
I glanced at him, and began walking again soon after. “It’s nothing.”
But even as we began to walk again, I still couldn’t get the sight of the boy’s mangled head out of my mind. Without a doubt, it had been caused by a pokémon. I had to make a conscious effort not to slow my gait as guilt crept forth within me.
How would this boy take to an alliance with the Guardians, who let their pokémon walk out in the open with impunity? How would his parents? How would the rest of my people, for that matter? I was suddenly overcome with an awful sense of dread. I had offered the alliance to Aaron personally precisely because the idea was mine and mine alone. Another of my whims. But was this a step too far? Was Kalos ready to embrace pokémon?
Before long, mired in my thoughts, we passed within the walls of the royal keep. The majestic fortress scratched the heavens with its imperial turrets and towering belfry. Huge stone arches curved over the manicured front lawn and an elaborate fountain spewed crystal water into the pond surrounding it.
It was midday when we finally stepped foot back within the Kalos Keep. Officials, officers, and dignitaries swarmed us instantly, alongside chefs. Yes, chefs. A grand feast had been prepared as well.
I muscled through the crowd, asserting as much authority as I could. My vacation had lasted plenty long enough. I had a mind for duty now. “Send the feast down to town, I have no time right now!” I roared. “Summon the court, and have them meet in my chambers! We’ll take our lunch there, and our supper, I imagine.”
As they scrambled to take care of my orders, I hurried ahead to change and prepare for the meeting. At this point, I’d been gone for nearly a year. There didn’t seem to be anything overly harrowing to attend to, but a year was a long time, and I needed an update immediately. After changing into a velvet shirt and leather greaves, I headed to my chambers.
About twenty minutes later, I found myself gathered at a round wooden table at the top of one of the towers, a map of Kalos already laid out before me. The twenty or so men seated with me stayed silent as I flicked through the many reports stacked before me, sipping a goblet of dark wine as I did.
“Well then, gentlemen. What should I know first?” I finally said.
The captain of the border defense raised his hand. “Your Grace. There was an incursion three months ago. Five Pyroar breached the southern wall near Santalune.” His mouth became a thin line. “Twenty-five dead. Eighteen soldiers and seven civilians. Fifty-nine more injured. We routed them and repaired the breach, but not before they torched half of our fields in the city.”
I closed my eyes and cursed silently. We had a surplus of grain for now, and Santalune wasn’t one of our big producers, yet we’d surely feel the true sting of this attack come winter. But more importantly, the families of those lost must have wondered where I’d been during such a tragedy. “I’ll visit the families before week’s end.”
“No need to trouble yourself, your Grace, we compensated them handsomely and they were quite thankful, so—“
“Quiet. Open my schedule and organize a trip.” I nodded at the minister across from me, and he penned it. “What else?”
The finance minister raised his hand. “Your Grace. Our mining operation beneath the capital continues to grow, and the harvest this past spring was larger than expected. Our presence on the southern continent is expanding, so much so that the colonies have begun requesting increased investment. Their request is well within our budget, but I elected to defer their request until your return.”
“Excellent news. Have them draft a proposal and I’ll review it the moment it reaches my desk.”
The finance minister nodded and took his notes.
Finally, the prime minister raised his hand. As expected, he looked the most exhausted of the lot, and I felt a twinge of guilt. I could imagine what he was about to speak about.
“Your Grace. An envoy from Galar is currently staying in the city, but they are…displeased with your extended absence. They have politely threatened on multiple occasions to withdraw from our arrangement.”
“Politely threatened,” I muttered. “Is it the king?”
“At one point in time,” he nodded. “But his Majesty has since returned home. Only his diplomats remain now.”
I shook my head. I only had myself to blame. “He was always a testy man. Very well. I’ll have dinner with his men tomorrow evening. Hopefully it’s not too late to salvage this relationship. What about Unova?”
“We receive letters from Lord Harmonia often. He waxes on about the stresses of government and assures us endlessly that he’ll wait as long as he needs to for your return.”
I nodded, lacing my fingers together and resting my head on my hands. “Let's send him a gift as thanks for his patience.” Lord Harmonia was limitlessly accommodating and very easy to work with. Almost too easy.
As the prime minister jotted down my instructions, I bit my lip and glanced around the table. “I apologize in advance for assigning even more to you all, but while I was in Rota, I elected to extend an invitation for an alliance to the Guardians as well.”
My court knew better than to make a scene, but I could feel the heat from their unease emanating across the table as they glanced between each other.
“We heard of King Jurock’s death,” one of my generals said. “Surely not the work of our…?”
“Of course not!” I snapped. “Do you think I would stoop as low as assassination?” He recoiled respectfully, but I understood his concern. Rota and Kalos were not friends, and never had been. In the realm of statecraft, that meant we were enemies. And regicide was common enough in these trying times. “I spoke with his successor King Aaron quite a bit. He seems a good man. I’d like to bring him into the fold.”
A frosty silence settled over the table. No words were spoken, but I could tell what they were thinking. Ah, here he goes again. Another one of his ridiculous ideas. It wasn’t the first time I’d introduced an unorthodox proposal, and, truth be told, it probably wouldn’t be the last.
“Well, if you gave them an invitation, then I suppose all we can do now is wait for their reply,” my prime minister eventually said. Very diplomatic, as usual.
I decided not to press the issue further because, at the end of the day, it was out of our hands now. I’d already issued the invitation.
The rest of the day was spent in exactly the same way. My men continued to inform me of the goings on within and without Kalos, and I issued directives as needed. Much time was also devoted to an account of my entire journey, culminating in my trip to Rota. I left out the details of my many conversations with Aaron, but tried to impress upon them the nobility of his character. Whether or not my words resonated, unfortunately, I could not say.
Far past midnight, I finally retired to my room, and collapsed into my own bed. When I woke up, Floette was there to greet me.
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Several months later, a strange man arrived at the keep hoping to speak with me. I’d been taking care of menial tasks in my chambers, and, looking to distract myself from the monotonous work, I allowed him an audience.
When my guards opened the door and let him in, I immediately recognized his attire. He wore the navy coat and pointed cap of the Guardians. He swept inside and knelt before me, splaying his coat across the floor with a dramatic flair.
“A Guardian,” I said. “Rise.”
He stood and locked eyes with me. His black eyes seemed to lack light. “Thank you for permitting me, your Grace. I am Zagreus, and I come with some rather troubling news about Sir Aaron.”
My eyes narrowed. “Surely you mean King Aaron, Sir Zagreus?”
Realizing his misstep, he covered his mouth with the back of his hand. “Ah, Sir Aaron rather mislikes his crown. He prefers a more casual address.”
My eyes narrowed. Though I can empathize with the sentiment, no Guardian I met within that palace would ever grant that request. They respect him far too much. Who is this man who speaks of Aaron so callously? I stood from my desk and began walking around it. “You don’t seem to be a messenger sent on Aaron’s behalf, so what brings you this far east, Guardian?”
Zagreus didn’t flinch at my approach. He simply rolled his head on his neck as I approached, his eyes never leaving mine. “You’re right that I don’t represent him. But as I said, troubling news from the good king.” He licked his lips in thought. “Sir Aaron, even more than his predecessors, adores pokémon. With the death of King Jurock, he has begun to change the Guardians. He wishes us not just to coexist with pokémon, but to love them. And this he wishes not just for the Guardians, but for all of mankind.”
“Is this the troubling news you came all this way to report?” I said, barely keeping a sneer off my face. “Aaron is a Guardian. That falls well within his creed. Not to mention, he’d told me as much, and more, whilst I was there.” I could sense that this man did not like Aaron. Something about his presence was rather slimy.
Zagreus stepped away from me and walked toward my chamber’s balcony overlooking the city below. One did not usually walk away from me without license, but my curiosity outweighed my distaste for his rudeness, and I let it slide.
“The troubling news is that Sir Aaron has begun to act on his archaic dream. In the month following his coronation, he’d been mired in procedural work related to his unexpected crowning. But he has since begun to make substantive decrees as king.” He turned toward me. “First among them was the rejection of your offer for an alliance.”
I smiled, unamused. “If you do not represent Aaron, then why should I believe a word of what you say concerning the decisions of Rota’s government?”
“Oh, it’s not a matter of belief, your Grace,” Zagreus said, clutching his chest. “Of course, officially, Rota has yet to reply to your offer. But I’ve overheard their council meetings. They don't believe they could ever align with Kalos, a land they believe to be steeped in hatred toward pokémon.” He frowned and rubbed his fingers. “The truth is, they intend to destroy Kalos.”
“Nonsense,” I spat. “And I’ll hear no more slander about Aaron or his adminis—“
“Have you ever heard of the Plates of Arceus, your Grace?” Zagreus suddenly asked, his gaze so sharp he was nearly glaring at me.
I was certainly glaring at him, however. I’d been seconds away from tossing him out. “No,” I said curtly.
“Of course not,” Zagreus said, glancing away. “The existence of the Plates is a secret the Guardians have kept for many years. Even I just learned of them recently.” He paced back inside. “As you may know, Arceus is a deity venerated in the north. But, it has another name, another epithet. It is also the so-called king of the Paragons.”
I frowned. “What did you just say?”
Zagreus nodded. “Yes, the king of the Paragons. The strongest pokémon of them all. And its Plates are said to be the shards of its very soul, each one containing a facet of its depthless power.”
Aaron never mentioned the Plates in our conversations. Perhaps he didn’t know about them. “And what does this have to do with your obscene claim that Sir Aaron intends to destroy Rota?” I growled. “Choose your next words very carefully, Sir Zagreus.”
The man dipped his head and held his palms up respectfully. “Your Grace. The Plates of Arceus have the power to do exactly what I described. And as it happens, one of them has appeared in Kalos. The Guardians desire the Plates for themselves, and they fear you possessing it. That is why I hurried here as fast as I could. Forgive my impertinence, but it is imperative that your Grace obtains this Plate before the Guardians. If you do not, it could very well spell the end of Kalos.”
I shook my head, anger smoldering in my chest. “You expect me to listen to your fairy tales? Run back to your king, Guardian. I’ll not have you sully my halls with your drivel any longer.” Any more, and I fully intended on imprisoning him for the Guardians to come collect. The only thing that stopped me was the knowledge that he was a Guardian. With his Aura, there wasn’t a prison cell on this continent that could hold him.
Zagreus bowed in resignation. “I understand how ridiculous it sounds. But if I could say one last thing, your Grace. The Guardians fear the Plates not just because of their power, but because in the proper hands, they can be used to do anything.” He glanced up at me one last time. “Anything. Including defeating the Paragons.” He strode over to the door and pulled it open. “I apologize for any disrespect I may have caused. I felt it was only right that I pass this warning to you. If you’re interested, I’ll leave further details here.” He reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope, before placing it softly on the floor just beside the door. After bowing one more time, he left.
After he closed the door behind him, I stayed standing in place for a while. I regretted allowing such a man to speak to me. His claims about Aaron and the Guardians were patently absurd. But about the Plates…
Even if they are real, and Aaron knew about them, I’m sure he has a good reason for not telling me about them. At the very least, these Plates sound far too good to be true. Artifacts that can do anything? Ridiculous.
Nevertheless, I walked over, picked up the envelope, and ripped it open. Inside was a crude map of Kalos, with a marker in the forests of northern Kalos.
I scowled. I was going up there just tomorrow to sup with the mayors of all the northern villages.
They can be used to do anything, he’d said.
Well, it can’t hurt to take a look.
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A few weeks later, I arrived in northern Kalos. The weather was temperate, and the air smelled of ice. Here, just beyond the border wall, pokémon lived in droves. I’d been here once before, and it was here that I’d caught my Goodra. It was a fearsome beast now, but it’d only been a sluggish Goomy back then. Left behind by its pod, only a sudden sense of moral responsibility had led me to capturing the dopey creature. My men disapproved, knowing what it would one day grow up into, but Floette’s mere presence instilled the fear of death in the thing, so I hadn’t ever been too worried.
The meeting with the northern lords went off without a hitch, and on the night just before we were due to depart back south, I remembered Zagreus, and the map he’d left me.
Taking a pair of guards with me, we entered the forest after dark. This far north, the stars above illuminated our path even through the trees, whose leaves seemed to glisten silver in the moonlight. The map wasn’t detailed at all, so my expectations weren’t high. Perhaps if I’d let Zagreus speak longer, he could’ve given me more information. But the fact that he’d already had this map prepared suggested the contrary. If nothing else, this night was pleasant, and this walk would allow me to burn off a bit of that feast I’d stuffed myself with.
We walked in silence. But after some time, I found myself in front of a certain tree, and I stopped. I glanced back down at the map, but of course, I had no idea how close to the marker we were or not. Nonetheless, I’d stopped before this tree, with its gnarled branches and lichen-laden trunk, which looked no different from any of the others around it.
“Your Grace?” one of my guards said.
I reached my hand out. My eyes saw nothing out of the ordinary, but I saw that tree limned in light. A heavy light that pierced the ethereal darkness.
When my fingertips touched the surface of the bark, the entire world seared white, and I could no longer tell if I was alive or dead.
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I woke up on the forest floor, my eyes drinking in the glistening mosaic of stars and leaves above. A breeze caressed my face, and the ground felt cold beneath me. I could feel my chest rise and fall as I inhaled each breath, and exhaled. It was quiet here. Peaceful.
Sitting up, I noticed my guards had collapsed as well, though I could see them breathing. I slowly stood and glanced around.
All the trees around me looked the same again. None of them looked like that one I’d seen, ringed in destiny. Thinking back now, had it even looked different from the others? Something else had drawn my attention to it. Something beyond my human ken.
Holding up my hand, I studied the fingers that had rested upon that tree, but they seemed no different. I clenched and unclenched my fist.
“Sir Zagreus,” I murmured.
Next — Chapter 45 : Decaying Peace
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I actually had this chapter completely finished last weekend, I just had no time to revise it. Also, I finished the ER DLC, so I can’t use that as an excuse going forward.