After many moons of travel, battles and revelations across Eravate, the Tholander coast emerged into view. It took conquering one final hill, but they reached it at last. A shore with pristine beaches, and cottages that looked too small to fit more than a fisherman’s tools. The vegetation of the plains grew no less dense towards the shore, the same grasses and bushes sprouting out of the dirt until coming to an abrupt stop by the sand.

Picturesque as the sight was, it hid a certain emptiness underneath. Much like the rest of Tholander, life aplenty was visible, spare for other Pokemon. They had gone with the wind like the seeds of a dandelion, with just the cottages there to remember them. George stopped to take in the sight, then looked towards his feet.

‘I don’t know what I expected, yet… we’re going to a safe haven, right? Then again, if there’s no one around, no one can hurt you either.’

Dusknoir Hein appeared besides George, his hands behind his back. “We’re almost there,” he said. “I appear to have miscalculated. Our spot should be a little further to the south.”

George’s head whipped around. “Excuse me?”

Hein shrugged. “I’m a man of many talents. Remembering exact points on a coast is not one of them.”

The Dewott just about deflated. ‘You know, saying you’ve been in a rough spot would’ve been perfectly understandable…’

Sea winds whipping past, Terez stepped onto a rock resting on the ground ahead, then glanced over her shoulder. A blue glow lingered in her eyes. “Are you sure no one’s been following us?”

“Oh, there certainly are Corrupted looking for us. The odds that any of them are on our scent are slim to none,” the Dusknoir answered.

Terez’s hair wavered, as if a strong wind manifested; neither George nor Hein felt anything. “I’ll double check myself. Sit tight,” the Gardevoir said. She held a hand upside down besides her waist, her pointer the lone finger stretched out. Slowly, she bent her finger by a few degrees, and the rock she stood on became coated in a blue glow. It rose into the air at the speed of a falling leaf.

“Hang on!” George blurted out. “If you think we’re being followed, won’t this just give our position away?”

“Oh, not quite,” came from the Dusknoir beside him, rather than the Gardevoir raising herself out of earshot. “She’s a masterful psychic, you know. Any unwanted eyes aren’t much of a hassle here.”

George smacked his tongue out loud. “Right,” he deadpanned.

“Evidently, she hasn’t taught you all her tricks yet,” said the Dusknoir next, followed by villainous laughter.

The Dewott, watching Terez’ body disappear behind an invisible veil, frowned. ‘Way to make me look stupid.’

A minute passed before the rock returned to earth, Terez still perched atop. The veil melted off like snow before the sun, though her appearance raised no eyes. Hein had more than enough experience with her antics, and George’s sixth sense tracked her all the way down. The peculiarity of that wasn’t lost on the Dewott. Her tricks weren’t weak; most likely, she let him.

“No one nearby.”

Hein gave a deep nod, bending his antenna ninety degrees. “Good. Not unexpected, of course. But we can depart as soon as we reach the dock.”

The Dusknoir once more taking the lead, they moved down the hill, then followed the beaches southwards. Up close, the cottages looked weary. Rain had warped the walls, and cracks appeared at several spots. Some of the cottages even lacked part of their roof; others had collapsed entirely, with little more than rubble and sties marking their spot.

‘Fishermen,’ George thought to himself. ‘I think I can guess… They’d have been out at sea. Or right here on their own, maybe fixing their tools or… taking care of family, maybe? And then… A whole army came along.’

He struggled to suppress the urge to clench a fist. What a cruel end they must have met that day. Perhaps they had been buried on the shore, or washed out at sea. Maybe they’d sailed or swam far enough out. His knuckles ached. What kind of Pokemon had even lived here? Aquatic ones, sure… But what other species would be attracted to the coast, in a land rich in grains and fruits? Both the sea and earth’s bounties in one place. Who could make use of that?

A Dewott?

It stung. He stopped. Terez asked him if he was okay; he gave an excuse Blitzer would see through, let alone two adults. Or war veterans, for that matter. Nevertheless, some reassurances, and they got going. Their journey neared its end; plenty of time to enjoy broken records later.

Even then, George’s thoughts went all over the place. He looked at Hein’s back, and the creepy smile that ran across. Nothing that bothered him now, after these weeks. Still, he recalled the sheer despair coming from that Dusknoir, the horrors he’d gone through, and what that led him to. Sad as it was, even he found light to cling onto.

Terez was next. No unsettling features on her body, save for the protrusion coming out of her back. Not quite the smile, but still alien. It stuck out of her chest too, as if she’d been stabbed with a broken blade. She must’ve gone through a lot as well- Not as much as Hein, but still nothing you’d wish on anyone. George didn’t know the details; she hadn’t told any of them yet, but the odds were in favour of her spilling the beans one day. After all, she’d been far more clandestine about her intentions, and far more pushy with telling George what really lurked in the shadows. A far cry from when she had been with Skal.

What were the odds she’d go back into hiding now, save for that armoured behemoth showing his ugly mug? In hindsight, George didn’t like him and his brass attitude. Even the way he slurred words felt too much. But admitting that wasn’t fair to the other Rubyfolk out there, was it?

Speaking of folk, the walk along the beach unturned more stones. Sea on one side, hills on the other; and inside those hills, all sorts of little burrows and nests stuck out. Didn’t matter if the hills gently rose up or were a steep drop from the top, life found a way. Bird nests, overgrowths, entrances for the ones that preferred to dig underground, even the lone bug hive. Or what was left of them, rather. Just a handful hadn’t caved in or weren’t falling apart; maybe ferals used them.

Stolen novel; please report.

It must’ve been a sight in the glory days. How long had the shore been in limbo for? Sure, it had been several decades, but times change. Wood rots, earth shifts, supports fall apart. Yet so little had been reduced to rubble. It’s as if time stood still, and waited for the old inhabitants to return, wherever they are now.

And that was another question, wasn’t it. Physically, they weren’t here anymore. George knew that; he’d made peace with it. In that sense, it wasn’t any different from visiting a museum or historical site on a class trip. Take in the vistas, read and listen to the stories of times long past, try to visualise what life was like back then, then accept that the world had moved on, and that life had gone into the annals of history. But what happened to you after death? Was there a life after death? Do you simply cease to be, and that was that? Or did the heavens exist? Was reincarnation the path? Would you appear in another world? As a different species?

‘Have I died already…? On that night…?’

His ears flicked back and forth. The ambience of the waves washing over the shore must’ve gotten to him; it was awfully quiet otherwise. The mind works in mysterious ways; the best way to keep it from spiralling out of control is to focus on what mattered. For George, that was simple enough: Get to the island. He was here now, as a Dewott, accompanied by a cyclops ghost and a psychic. No point in pretending it wasn’t real; why would it feel real if it wasn’t?

“Are we getting close?” he asked.

“Any moment now,” Hein replied, without so much as turning his head.

He didn’t lie; after ten minutes, they came around a minor bend in the shore, to the sight of a wooden dock sticking out into the sea. It pointed in the direction of a thick mist on the horizon. At the shore itself, nothing aside from the dock was particularly different; if anything, even less structures and ruins littered the area. Them, the dock, and the smell of salty sea spray. That’s all there was.

Hein glanced over his shoulder. “Terez. Have you already organised the transport?”

“No need to ask,” the Gardevoir said, her emotions muted. “I did so yesterday already. I told them to drop off a boat at noon. You tell me how late it is.”

The Dusknoir raised a hand above his eye before looking skywards; the undead needed shielding from the sun too, apparently. “Couldn’t be much after noon,” he said, removing his hand… without looking away. “We shall see, then.”

George folded his arms. “So we don’t even know for sure if we can even get there?” he asked, tilting from side to side. “Say, isn’t there a better way of communicating this? Or planning this…?”

“As a matter of fact,” the Dusknoir said, spinning a full one eighty degrees at record tempo, “that would be pleasant. Alas, that’s not how the world works. Safety is paramount, convenience not so much. If we telegraphed our intentions more clearly, then bad actors could exploit that. And there’s plenty of bad actors out there. I think you know who they are, don’t you?”

‘Oh.’ George bit his lip. “Yeah. Artanouk’s boys,” he said, then smirked. ‘Artanouk’s boys.’ “So no one’s been keeping an eye on Tholander in a while, have they? I mean, if this is the only way to the island…”

“We’ve kept it a secret as best we could,” Terez answered, raising a hand to block the sun. “It’s a long story, but the Isle of Swords is a special part of the world. It isn’t so easily taken over by scoundrels.”

“Mhm. And do not forget, the corruption needs time to spread. They’ll find these shores, most likely…”

George’s eyes shifted around upon hearing that remark. “Doesn’t that mean they can set up shop here?” he asked. “On the coast. Stop anyone from leaving the island.”

Hein nodded. “Oh yes. But not to worry. We’re not quite so foolish to rely on one entrance.”

As they reached the dock, George sighed. “I just hope you’re not saying that for my sake.”

The boat had been anchored about halfway onto the dock, where it was tied to a pole that had been hammered into the water. It had enough room for some six passengers of Terez’ size, no more. Hein, to whom levitating was as natural as speaking, did the busy work of untying the boat, whilst Terez and George wandered down the pier. It felt like a point of no return. George glanced back to the mainland one last time, and the purple cloud which expanded overhead.

‘It’s not a goodbye, yet it feels like one.’

Feelings aside, it wasn’t long before Hein had rowed the boat to the pier’s end, at which point Terez got onboard. George hesitated to climb; his legs didn’t quite reach. Then again, what was a little water going to do to him, anyway? He hopped on board, at which point Hein tossed Terez a second paddle.

“Let’s go.”

The paddles struck water, and onto the seas the boat went. At first, the boat careened back and forth uneasily; Hein was putting far more energy into his strokes than Terez was, and came more often. Each input threw the boat off a straight course, and had to be corrected. And every correction went too far, bringing seawater dangerously close to the rim. The seas were no forgiving place for landlubbers.

“Careful, careful! You’re going too fast!”

“Too fast? None of us wants to loiter on the water for hours, nitwit.”

“Just keep to my rhythm! It doesn’t take that long, creator damn you!”

As Terez and Hein argued, George covered his face with both hands, peeking in between his fingers. ‘All this drama, and it’s not even that rough… I don’t see any waves, at least.’ He thought to himself while the boat continued to go astray, a frown widening on his face. ‘What are they even arguing over? They’re like an old married couple!’

“Put your back into it like I do. I’ve told you this before, haven’t I?”

“We never rowed a boat together before! You told me this once from the sidelines! How often do we need to row, anyway? We can both float!”

“Oh, usually, yes. But the mists only let in the right people, remember.”

“Under the right conditions, yes…’”

“Hey, can I help?”

George straightened his own back out, like Hein was advising Terez to do. Listening to nails on a chalkboard sounded appealing at this point. And this was supposed to be their grand entry to safety, no less.

All eyes were on him - all three of them. “We only have two paddles,” Hein deadpanned. “Otter paddling won’t help us, I’m afraid. Besides, you must be in the boat.”

The Dewott raised an eye at the Dusknoir’s eye. “Why though?”

“One, you still have the Azure Flute around your neck,” Terez said. “Two, the mists don’t accept strangers at all.”

George, now biting his lip, got onto his toes to see the mists in question. Hein’s bulk sat in the way, but the mists went up high enough for her point to come across. A greyish mist grew closer on the horizon as the two mentors paddled, the lands beyond an enigma to the world at large. A tingly feeling ran up and down the Dewott's spine. Traversing the mists seemed mythical, like something out of a book he’d read.

It also seemed like a bad idea.

‘You don’t want to go there, do you?’

A voice rang in his ears. No one on the boat spoke.

‘You don’t even know what’s in there. Who says they’re telling you the truth?’

George’s ears twitched, and he frantically began to dart his eyes in search of where the voice came from. ‘Wh- no…’

‘There’s a safe way out of all this, you know.’

‘Where are you talking from?!’

‘Just come back to Luminity~’

His hands shook. His head whipped back from whence they came. The sky glowed as if the sun was inches away. Each wave battering the boat sounded like a tsunami rushing in.

‘You can’t hide from yourself forever~’

“Mrrph..”

‘You know where you’ll be happier.’

“He’s slipping. Quick!”

‘You know where a second chance is just waiting for you.’

Water splashed all around. He felt something come up his throat. Like his stomach was coming out.

‘Kids are not supposed to live through wars.’

Distant voices. Close crying.

‘Blitzer will be alright. You care about him, so do I.’

A glimpse of Blitzer rolling through the snow flashed by. Was that a Carracosta watching over him?

‘You just have to believe… in me…’

Suddenly, a huge pressure was lifted off his throat. George gasped for air, limbs flailing around in Hein’s arms. Ectoplasm bubbled all around him as his fists landed, the motions reducing to jitters overtime. His tongue hurt. His eyes were sore.

“George? Do you hear us?”

He looked up to see Terez halfway across the boat. He hadn’t moved from his spot, yet had found Hein’s arms.

“We’re past the mist. He’s gone… for now.”