Writing Nightmare
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RE: Nightmare [PG] - Chapter 17 up!
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Whaddya know, it's been almost a month. Thank goodness Lucky reminded me to post the next chapter or I might have never remembered!
So let's see, the next chapter is #18...and it consists of basically a fight scene, but with a few interesting details mixed in.
I'll let you find out yourself what they are, since I don't want to spoil it!
Stats for this chapter (18):
Page Count: 4.1; Word Count: 1608
All other Flareon are now obsolete.
Feedback, comments, and constructive criticism are always appreciated. However, as I have previously stated, keep your replies at a minimum of 20 words apiece. This is not a PokéBeach forum rule, but I'll probably ignore you if you don't have much to say.
[Back to Top]
Whaddya know, it's been almost a month. Thank goodness Lucky reminded me to post the next chapter or I might have never remembered!
So let's see, the next chapter is #18...and it consists of basically a fight scene, but with a few interesting details mixed in.
I'll let you find out yourself what they are, since I don't want to spoil it!
Stats for this chapter (18):
Page Count: 4.1; Word Count: 1608
~~~
18 – Courage
[Tuesday, July 20, 11.18 AM]
Cepheus and Jentus, both in their respective rider forms of Hector and Aggron, now faced each other on a field north of Olivine. Jentus was clearly the superior fighter in terms of stature and strength, but Cepheus had speed and agility to his credit. Cepheus made sure to step carefully when fighting Jentus – even more so than when he fought Lazaro, because, unlike Lazaro, Jentus had the advantage of not only solid metal body armor, but also intelligence.
Then again, Cepheus, being fire-based, could use that metal to his advantage.
Cepheus didn’t wait for Jentus to make a move, but rather made a swift upward motion with his foot, as if to kick. As he did so, a blue fireball roughly two feet in diameter launched forward from his foot and was headed straight for Jentus at a remarkable speed. Jentus managed to see the attack and intercepted it with his left arm, but even when taking the blow he winced slightly as the fireball made contact.
“Blue fire...Impressive!” Jentus called out. “Even with that, though, it won’t be enough to stop me.”
“I’m well aware,” Cepheus responded, shifting his feet slightly as if preparing an Agility technique to keep a few steps ahead of Jentus. Jentus, however, did not move from his position, but rather spread his arms open as if to bask in the sunlight. Cepheus moved slowly towards Jentus, dashing in a zigzag pattern to keep Jentus from getting a constant lock on his position, gauging what he could be planning. The plan soon became apparent, however, as Jentus appeared to quickly glint in the sun all over, as if he had used the sunlight to polish his body as one polishes a rock. He then gathered the reflected sunlight all in the palm of his hand, then hurled it towards Cepheus in a Flash Cannon projectile. It was moving at a rather fast speed, but due to Cepheus’ erratic movements he only caught the side of the attack. Even so, he flinched slightly, his arm hanging limp for a few moments.
“Interesting combo...” Cepheus muttered, recovering from the blow.
Jentus didn’t let up the attack, however, and let out a loud bestial roar. Cepheus then prepared a Double Team move, creating illusory copies of himself to delude Jentus, and while Cepheus along with his copies were all moving haphazardly towards Jentus’ position, the ground began to erupt in several places, not having any set pattern, but just exploding at random to try and disrupt Cepheus’ footing. The Earth Power attack did succeed in hitting a few of Cepheus’ copies, but Jentus wasn’t able to block a swift Flame Charge attack made by Cepheus on his midsection. Cepheus wasted no time and retreated about thirty feet after striking, as he wasn’t sure if his attack would cause Jentus to lose ground. His judgment was sound – Jentus endured the attack completely and didn’t even move an inch backwards.
“You possess...great power,” Jentus said to his adversary. “It’s a bit of a shame that we’ve had to meet under such circumstances.”
“Circumstances aside,” Cepheus retorted, “if you insist on fighting me, I will defeat you.”
“Heheheheh...”
Jentus then unleashed a powerful shockwave from his body, as if he had been preparing to use this surprise attack from the very beginning of the fight, and was saving it for just the right moment. The force of the shockwave should have knocked Cepheus out instantly, but much to Jentus’ surprise and dismay, Cepheus managed to block the attack completely by surrounding his hands and feet in blue flame, then using the imbued power to form a wall of fire in front of him, disrupting the shockwave completely.
“What in...!?” Jentus exclaimed. “How!?”
“Metal Burst...has nothing on me,” Cepheus responded, and after pushing the wall of fire forward to envelop Jentus, he followed up that attack with another, running towards Jentus with incredible speed, his body filled with energy, and charged into Jentus’ stomach with a devastating Superpower tackle. The sheer force of the strike caused Jentus to fall backwards, unable to even fight.
Jentus then involuntarily changed back to his human form, being utterly defeated by Cepheus. He couldn’t believe it himself – he, one of the Three Terrors, had lost to this youth. Perhaps he did really have a dream to fight for, and maybe that is why he fought despite the overwhelming odds against him. Lyon was equally surprised that Cepheus had won without needing any help, but Solano did not even do so much as react at all – he had been watching the battle, but he didn’t even appear remotely surprised. Could it have been that Solano...already knew that Jentus was going to lose?
Cepheus then walked slowly over to his now fallen opponent and reached his hand down, as if to help Jentus to his feet.
“Not bad at all,” Cepheus said, extending his aid.
“You...” Jentus grunted. “You offer to help your opponent up. Cepheus...I am your enemy. Yet you still wish to hoist me to my feet?”
“You are not my enemy.”
“What?”
“I saw how you fought, how you acted. You are a man of honor. You see the nobility in things. Yet I know that you are also a man that follows orders. Were it not for that, just like you said, we could have met under vastly different circumstances. I do not care if you are one of the Three Terrors...you are not my enemy.”
Jentus then grabbed Cepheus’ hand, accepting the offer, and Cepheus then pulled Jentus up to a standing position.
“You do realize that I could come after you again?” Jentus asked.
“Actually, you won’t,” Cepheus answered. “Remember...our agreement. You lost, therefore you must drop the charges and leave me and my friends be. And... I know you are the kind of man who will uphold the agreement.”
“Cepheus... I do not know what will happen in the future. But... I will not forget what you have done for and said of me. If need be I will find a way to repay you. And yet I cannot disobey a direct order.”
“I know that regardless of what you do, you will have acted justly. You have no reason to regret what you have done.”
“...I understand.”
Jentus then turned to his companion, who was standing at the field’s edge, stoic as ever.
“Solano,” Jentus said, “we’re leaving.”
There was a brief pause before Solano spoke. “You didn’t arrest White. How do you plan to explain this?”
“I agreed to his terms and I lost. I must respect that.”
“...Jentus.”
“What is it?”
“You do know that if Ura gives the order, I will kill both you and Cepheus without a second thought?”
“I do.”
“...In that case, let us depart.”
Jentus then turned to Cepheus. “I hope we can meet again,” he said, “and next time not as enemies, but as allies.”
“As do I,” Cepheus replied. “Farewell.”
The two Terrors then slowly departed, not to return, but before Solano left, he stopped in front of Cepheus and turned to him, staring into his eyes. Although Solano and Cepheus were roughly the same height, Solano’s appearance looked downright intimidating.
“White,” he spoke.
“Yes?” Cepheus answered.
“Will you follow the dreamlord’s orders to the letter until you die?”
“...! How do you...”
“He didn’t tell you? That doesn’t surprise me. He and I...were once friends.”
“What?!”
“But then Deus...He did something unforgivable. And now I serve Ura.”
“...In that case, let me ask you two things.”
“I don’t have to answer you.”
“I know, but let me speak first.”
“...Fine.”
“First of all, Deus ordered me to avoid the Three Terrors at all costs, and not to engage them in battle...especially you. Yet I’ve fought against two of you. And if I have to fight against you too...then so be it.”
“... ...What’s the second thing?”
“Will you follow Ura’s orders to the letter until you die?”
“...I have nothing else to live for.”
“That look of sorrow in your eyes tells me a whole different story.”
“...I do not have sorrow anymore, Cepheus White. The only thing I feel now is hatred...hatred for Deus and for all Pacters.”
“Deus was wrong about you. He said you had no heart. But I see otherwise.”
“... ... ...Hmph. Rest assured, we shall meet again...and I may very well kill you.”
“...Goodbye, Solano.”
Solano then turned away and walked out of the field, following Jentus and leaving Cepheus’ presence. Lyon then rushed up to Cepheus, not only congratulating Cepheus on his victory over Jentus, but also asking what Solano said to him. Cepheus responded that he could see that Solano had a heart, even though Deus or anyone else couldn’t see it. Lyon said that he was once again skeptical of Cepheus, but that he would trust him.
Fortunately, no other events transpired for the rest of the day, and Cepheus was able to return back to Esmeralda’s house and get a good day’s rest, completely uninterrupted, while he allowed himself to fully heal from his wounds. However, Cepheus desperately wanted to ask Deus about Solano and about his past. It was quite a shock to Cepheus that Deus and Solano had once known each other, and had been friends, up until Deus did something ‘unforgivable’ and shifted Solano’s alliance to the merciless General Ura. He wanted to know what made Solano tick, and what made him hate Pacters so much, as well as what this so-called ‘unforgivable’ action was on Deus’ part.
And he did, that very night, in another dream visitation by Deus, the sixth in a row.
18 – Courage
[Tuesday, July 20, 11.18 AM]
Cepheus and Jentus, both in their respective rider forms of Hector and Aggron, now faced each other on a field north of Olivine. Jentus was clearly the superior fighter in terms of stature and strength, but Cepheus had speed and agility to his credit. Cepheus made sure to step carefully when fighting Jentus – even more so than when he fought Lazaro, because, unlike Lazaro, Jentus had the advantage of not only solid metal body armor, but also intelligence.
Then again, Cepheus, being fire-based, could use that metal to his advantage.
Cepheus didn’t wait for Jentus to make a move, but rather made a swift upward motion with his foot, as if to kick. As he did so, a blue fireball roughly two feet in diameter launched forward from his foot and was headed straight for Jentus at a remarkable speed. Jentus managed to see the attack and intercepted it with his left arm, but even when taking the blow he winced slightly as the fireball made contact.
“Blue fire...Impressive!” Jentus called out. “Even with that, though, it won’t be enough to stop me.”
“I’m well aware,” Cepheus responded, shifting his feet slightly as if preparing an Agility technique to keep a few steps ahead of Jentus. Jentus, however, did not move from his position, but rather spread his arms open as if to bask in the sunlight. Cepheus moved slowly towards Jentus, dashing in a zigzag pattern to keep Jentus from getting a constant lock on his position, gauging what he could be planning. The plan soon became apparent, however, as Jentus appeared to quickly glint in the sun all over, as if he had used the sunlight to polish his body as one polishes a rock. He then gathered the reflected sunlight all in the palm of his hand, then hurled it towards Cepheus in a Flash Cannon projectile. It was moving at a rather fast speed, but due to Cepheus’ erratic movements he only caught the side of the attack. Even so, he flinched slightly, his arm hanging limp for a few moments.
“Interesting combo...” Cepheus muttered, recovering from the blow.
Jentus didn’t let up the attack, however, and let out a loud bestial roar. Cepheus then prepared a Double Team move, creating illusory copies of himself to delude Jentus, and while Cepheus along with his copies were all moving haphazardly towards Jentus’ position, the ground began to erupt in several places, not having any set pattern, but just exploding at random to try and disrupt Cepheus’ footing. The Earth Power attack did succeed in hitting a few of Cepheus’ copies, but Jentus wasn’t able to block a swift Flame Charge attack made by Cepheus on his midsection. Cepheus wasted no time and retreated about thirty feet after striking, as he wasn’t sure if his attack would cause Jentus to lose ground. His judgment was sound – Jentus endured the attack completely and didn’t even move an inch backwards.
“You possess...great power,” Jentus said to his adversary. “It’s a bit of a shame that we’ve had to meet under such circumstances.”
“Circumstances aside,” Cepheus retorted, “if you insist on fighting me, I will defeat you.”
“Heheheheh...”
Jentus then unleashed a powerful shockwave from his body, as if he had been preparing to use this surprise attack from the very beginning of the fight, and was saving it for just the right moment. The force of the shockwave should have knocked Cepheus out instantly, but much to Jentus’ surprise and dismay, Cepheus managed to block the attack completely by surrounding his hands and feet in blue flame, then using the imbued power to form a wall of fire in front of him, disrupting the shockwave completely.
“What in...!?” Jentus exclaimed. “How!?”
“Metal Burst...has nothing on me,” Cepheus responded, and after pushing the wall of fire forward to envelop Jentus, he followed up that attack with another, running towards Jentus with incredible speed, his body filled with energy, and charged into Jentus’ stomach with a devastating Superpower tackle. The sheer force of the strike caused Jentus to fall backwards, unable to even fight.
Jentus then involuntarily changed back to his human form, being utterly defeated by Cepheus. He couldn’t believe it himself – he, one of the Three Terrors, had lost to this youth. Perhaps he did really have a dream to fight for, and maybe that is why he fought despite the overwhelming odds against him. Lyon was equally surprised that Cepheus had won without needing any help, but Solano did not even do so much as react at all – he had been watching the battle, but he didn’t even appear remotely surprised. Could it have been that Solano...already knew that Jentus was going to lose?
Cepheus then walked slowly over to his now fallen opponent and reached his hand down, as if to help Jentus to his feet.
“Not bad at all,” Cepheus said, extending his aid.
“You...” Jentus grunted. “You offer to help your opponent up. Cepheus...I am your enemy. Yet you still wish to hoist me to my feet?”
“You are not my enemy.”
“What?”
“I saw how you fought, how you acted. You are a man of honor. You see the nobility in things. Yet I know that you are also a man that follows orders. Were it not for that, just like you said, we could have met under vastly different circumstances. I do not care if you are one of the Three Terrors...you are not my enemy.”
Jentus then grabbed Cepheus’ hand, accepting the offer, and Cepheus then pulled Jentus up to a standing position.
“You do realize that I could come after you again?” Jentus asked.
“Actually, you won’t,” Cepheus answered. “Remember...our agreement. You lost, therefore you must drop the charges and leave me and my friends be. And... I know you are the kind of man who will uphold the agreement.”
“Cepheus... I do not know what will happen in the future. But... I will not forget what you have done for and said of me. If need be I will find a way to repay you. And yet I cannot disobey a direct order.”
“I know that regardless of what you do, you will have acted justly. You have no reason to regret what you have done.”
“...I understand.”
Jentus then turned to his companion, who was standing at the field’s edge, stoic as ever.
“Solano,” Jentus said, “we’re leaving.”
There was a brief pause before Solano spoke. “You didn’t arrest White. How do you plan to explain this?”
“I agreed to his terms and I lost. I must respect that.”
“...Jentus.”
“What is it?”
“You do know that if Ura gives the order, I will kill both you and Cepheus without a second thought?”
“I do.”
“...In that case, let us depart.”
Jentus then turned to Cepheus. “I hope we can meet again,” he said, “and next time not as enemies, but as allies.”
“As do I,” Cepheus replied. “Farewell.”
The two Terrors then slowly departed, not to return, but before Solano left, he stopped in front of Cepheus and turned to him, staring into his eyes. Although Solano and Cepheus were roughly the same height, Solano’s appearance looked downright intimidating.
“White,” he spoke.
“Yes?” Cepheus answered.
“Will you follow the dreamlord’s orders to the letter until you die?”
“...! How do you...”
“He didn’t tell you? That doesn’t surprise me. He and I...were once friends.”
“What?!”
“But then Deus...He did something unforgivable. And now I serve Ura.”
“...In that case, let me ask you two things.”
“I don’t have to answer you.”
“I know, but let me speak first.”
“...Fine.”
“First of all, Deus ordered me to avoid the Three Terrors at all costs, and not to engage them in battle...especially you. Yet I’ve fought against two of you. And if I have to fight against you too...then so be it.”
“... ...What’s the second thing?”
“Will you follow Ura’s orders to the letter until you die?”
“...I have nothing else to live for.”
“That look of sorrow in your eyes tells me a whole different story.”
“...I do not have sorrow anymore, Cepheus White. The only thing I feel now is hatred...hatred for Deus and for all Pacters.”
“Deus was wrong about you. He said you had no heart. But I see otherwise.”
“... ... ...Hmph. Rest assured, we shall meet again...and I may very well kill you.”
“...Goodbye, Solano.”
Solano then turned away and walked out of the field, following Jentus and leaving Cepheus’ presence. Lyon then rushed up to Cepheus, not only congratulating Cepheus on his victory over Jentus, but also asking what Solano said to him. Cepheus responded that he could see that Solano had a heart, even though Deus or anyone else couldn’t see it. Lyon said that he was once again skeptical of Cepheus, but that he would trust him.
Fortunately, no other events transpired for the rest of the day, and Cepheus was able to return back to Esmeralda’s house and get a good day’s rest, completely uninterrupted, while he allowed himself to fully heal from his wounds. However, Cepheus desperately wanted to ask Deus about Solano and about his past. It was quite a shock to Cepheus that Deus and Solano had once known each other, and had been friends, up until Deus did something ‘unforgivable’ and shifted Solano’s alliance to the merciless General Ura. He wanted to know what made Solano tick, and what made him hate Pacters so much, as well as what this so-called ‘unforgivable’ action was on Deus’ part.
And he did, that very night, in another dream visitation by Deus, the sixth in a row.
All other Flareon are now obsolete.
Feedback, comments, and constructive criticism are always appreciated. However, as I have previously stated, keep your replies at a minimum of 20 words apiece. This is not a PokéBeach forum rule, but I'll probably ignore you if you don't have much to say.
RE: Nightmare [PG] - Chapter 18 up!
Metal Burst is a real attack; I didn't make it up. I don't think I made up any attack that I called by name.
And yeah, it was a little boring, I agree. Fight scenes are not my forte. I tried to give the chapter a bit more life with the side conversations that happened in it, but it didn't quite balance everything out. It does give a bit more character insight, though...
Metal Burst is a real attack; I didn't make it up. I don't think I made up any attack that I called by name.
And yeah, it was a little boring, I agree. Fight scenes are not my forte. I tried to give the chapter a bit more life with the side conversations that happened in it, but it didn't quite balance everything out. It does give a bit more character insight, though...
RE: Nightmare [PG] - Chapter 18 up!
Your writing is solid as always, but I hated the chapter content-wise. In my opinion, putting focus on an extended one-on-one fight scene is the best way to kill a story‘s momentum. I understand those fights have to happen for the plot, but mixing them up with other plot events in the same chapter makes for more interesting reading.
I also keep marveling at how you manage to keep things interesting with Cepheus as the only focus of events, but you do pull it off almost every time.
Your writing is solid as always, but I hated the chapter content-wise. In my opinion, putting focus on an extended one-on-one fight scene is the best way to kill a story‘s momentum. I understand those fights have to happen for the plot, but mixing them up with other plot events in the same chapter makes for more interesting reading.
I also keep marveling at how you manage to keep things interesting with Cepheus as the only focus of events, but you do pull it off almost every time.
RE: Nightmare [PG] - Chapter 18 up!
I've been trying to overall cut down on the number of fight scenes that I write, mostly because they don't look nearly as well in words as they do in my head. With Nightmare's sequel there are more than I'd like, but I cram them all at the end.
So did I. Fight scenes are a necessary evil that I seem to have to run into just to keep things going, and having to put what goes on in them to paper is probably one of the most irritating things I've had to do. Consequently, I try to make them as "quick and painless" (?) as possible.
I've been trying to overall cut down on the number of fight scenes that I write, mostly because they don't look nearly as well in words as they do in my head. With Nightmare's sequel there are more than I'd like, but I cram them all at the end.
I think as far as fight scene chapters go though, I like this one better more so because of the talking that happens on the sidelines, but that's just me.
Considering how he's not even the protagonist of this story, so do I.
RE: Nightmare [PG] - Chapter 18 up!
He‘s not? Now there‘s a surprise...
Deus: Nightmare Autarch said:
He‘s not? Now there‘s a surprise...
RE: Nightmare [PG] - Chapter 18 up!
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First I'd like to thank Lucky Fire for reminding me to post this, even though I should be heading out the door right now.
We're at Chapter 19 now, and it's a bit of a turning point in the story. It's actually quite a big turning point; there are three major events that happen in this chapter, and they all progress the plot forward quite a bit. On their own they don't take up much space but they have a pretty big impact on the story, and to stick them all in one place like this...well, it's quite interesting. I'll let you decide if it was the right thing to compile them all into one chapter like this.
Stats for this chapter:
Page Count: 5.6; Word Count: 3017
I didn't have a chance to proofread this lately, so this probably has a handful of mistakes in it.
Feedback, comments, and constructive criticism are always appreciated. However, as I have previously stated, keep your replies at a minimum of 20 words apiece. This is not a PokéBeach forum rule, but I'll probably ignore you if you don't have much to say.
[Back to Top]
First I'd like to thank Lucky Fire for reminding me to post this, even though I should be heading out the door right now.
We're at Chapter 19 now, and it's a bit of a turning point in the story. It's actually quite a big turning point; there are three major events that happen in this chapter, and they all progress the plot forward quite a bit. On their own they don't take up much space but they have a pretty big impact on the story, and to stick them all in one place like this...well, it's quite interesting. I'll let you decide if it was the right thing to compile them all into one chapter like this.
Stats for this chapter:
Page Count: 5.6; Word Count: 3017
~~~
19 – Heart
[Wednesday, July 21, 2.54 AM]
“Deus.”
“Cepheus, what do you need?”
“It’s about Solano.”
“One of the Three Terrors?”
“He told me something interesting. He told me that you two were once friends until you did something ‘unforgivable’.”
“...How did you meet him?”
“He was with Jentus.”
“... ...I see.”
“And I myself do not believe that Solano has no heart. I saw it within him. It’s trapped, hurting, and full of sorrow.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I want to yank his heart out of the sadness, and the only way I’m going to be able to do that is if you tell me all you know about Solano.”
“...You really think you can do that?”
“I can.”
“Very well...I suppose there is no harm in telling you, although I don’t want you doing anything reckless.”
“I’m listening.”
“As you might have surmised already, Solano is actually not a Pacter at all. I won’t get into details and it’s really not too important, but before he was born he was injected with Pokémon DNA...effectively, he was like an experiment.”
“How’d he feel about it?”
“If someone had told you that you were injected with Pokémon DNA before you were born for the sake of science, how would you feel?”
“Incredibly resentful of my parents.”
“Exactly. And as a result, he grew resentful of...well, everybody and everything. At the same time though, since he was infused with Pokémon DNA...specifically, Solrock...he started manifesting some rather...unusual characteristics. Rocky red skin, spikes from his back, and those eyes on his chest.”
“They’re real?”
“Indeed. When he turned about seven, he had become so angry at his parents and everyone around him that he...couldn’t control his own power. They all died in a fiery explosion he set off, leaving him with no one. However, he knocked himself unconscious in the process and had sent himself hurtling through the air, clear into Hoenn.”
“How’d he survive an explosion if he was the one who created it?”
“That, Cepheus, is nothing short of a miracle.”
“Aren’t miracles usually good?”
“In regards to this particular event, I can’t really answer that for sure. Regardless, he was found unconscious in Fallarbor, and the town elder took Solano in and raised him as her own grandson, despite that he looked ‘different’. But the elder’s sentiment and consoling couldn’t nullify all the looks and jeers he received. For ten years he put up with it until he was fed up with it...but fortunately, he did the wiser thing and just left Fallarbor without a word. That’s when he met me.”
“How did you two meet?”
“I found him meditating in Meteor Falls. Truth be told I’d been watching him and saw how much he hurt. I told him about Pacters and how they too were quite different from other. I had even introduced him to a Pacter girl, and the two of them fell in love pretty quickly. When Solano was with her...I’d never seen him so happy. And...now I never will again.”
“What happened?”
“There was news of a serial killer on the loose, who would break into a person’s house at night and kill them in the most unusual way...it would be like their life force had been totally sucked dry. As soon as I heard about this, I said that I would try to stop the serial killer at all costs.”
“Did you?”
“...Unfortunately, no. I was trying to follow the serial killer’s movements, and even thwarted him a few times...”
“It was a man?”
“Yes...but I never ever got a good enough look at his face. In any case, I managed to stop him from taking a life in a few instances, but he always vanished before I could catch him. I’ve got my theories about who the serial killer was...”
“Was?”
“There was one count where I couldn’t thwart the serial killer – I had gotten there too late. The victim was Solano’s girlfriend. After that, the serial killer...vanished. He never appeared again and never took another life. Yet I didn’t stop him in time, and Solano blames me for her death, because I couldn’t save her.”
“That’s terrible...”
“That’s why he hates me and all Pacters, Cepheus...because we couldn’t save his girlfriend. With nothing left to live for, he was approached by Ura, who said he’d give him a purpose to live...namely, to get revenge on the people who stole his happiness.”
“I see...”
“Do you understand why I told you to avoid Solano? I don’t know what he will do when he finds you. Ura could have ordered him to kill you and he wouldn’t have hesitated at all. Yet he spared you. That could mean that you were successful in trying to draw his heart out from him, but it could also mean that he just didn’t get an order to kill you yet.”
“I understand the risk, Deus. But I must still try.”
“... ...I see. Well, that is all I know about Solano at this point, Cepheus. I recommend you get some sleep. I have a feeling that this war is rapidly coming to a close, and I’ll need the help of all of you to end it.”
The next morning came bright and early for Cepheus, much sooner than he’d anticipated. He was still hurting a small bit from his old battle scars, but fortunately there was nothing too serious. Cepheus took the opportunity to review the items that Deus had retrieved from his house in Hearthome for him, and checked to see if everything he wanted was there. Sure enough, Deus had brought everything that Cepheus wanted – including, notably, the Cherrim synthetic. Yet even though he was glad to have a companion with him, he’d still been sworn to silence about its existence. And still he wanted to show it off. What was he to do?
The question seemed to be answered for him when Lyon suddenly entered the room, and as he entered, he espied the Cherrim.
“Cepheus...what is that?” Lyon asked.
“This?” Cepheus replied. “It’s nothing, really. Just a synthetic.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen or heard of that one before. Did you make that yourself?”
Cepheus paused for a few moments before responding. “Yes, I did.”
“It’s very high-quality, so much that it almost looks lifelike. Why not show it to the rest of us?”
“I’ve technically been sworn to silence on its existence, so I can’t.”
“Actually, that was partly the reason I came in here.”
“What?”
“Since you’re on injury leave from the Olivine Synthetics Plant, I’ve actually been working there in your stead. Don’t worry; I’m able to handle all your duties quite well. And while I am there I also receive a few messages from your supervisor Jenkins to relay to you.”
“You have a message from Mr. Jenkins?”
“Yes, and he says that the Cherrim synthetic will be put on the market tomorrow, albeit in the normal coloration. Because of that, you no longer have to keep it a secret – you now have an exclusive model, as it were.”
“Mr. Jenkins said that?”
“I’ve never lied to you, Cepheus, nor do I intend to start.”
“...Thank you.”
As could very well be imagined, Cepheus was immensely pleased at this fact – he could now share his creation and his happiness with those around him. When Cepheus revealed the prototype to the rest of them, they were all surprised and applauded Cepheus for his work. Emma remarked upon how cute the Cherrim was, Esmeralda and Lyon both mentioned how it had such fine handiwork for a synthetic, yet Abigail was still adverse to the thought of a synthetic since it was just a machine. Cepheus responded that he understood completely as he is much the same way, but at the same time, admiring the work of one’s own hands, and then receiving praise for it later, he said, is truly a wonderful thing.
At about 11 o’clock in the morning, the doorbell of the house rang, and once again, no one was expecting any company. Lyon told the others that he’d be the one answering the door, and he told the rest of them to go hide. They all complied, although Cepheus said he’d still stay close by, and Lyon opened the door to find a rather enraged Lazaro.
“Where is Cepheus White!?” he screamed, huffing and puffing as he spoke.
“What makes you think Cepheus White is here?” Lyon responded.
“Jentus! He came here yesterday...and fought Cepheus...and lost! And now I want the chance for my own revenge!”
“Why is that?”
“He shamed me by leaving a burn mark on my chest that may never heal! And were it not for that ice-breather I would have finished him there and then! So get out of my way! I want Cepheus White!!”
“I cannot let you pass.”
“In that case...I’ll just have to bowl you over!”
Lazaro then attempted to leap through the air, trying to knock Lyon out of his way, but as he did so, he found himself frozen in the air mid-leap, unable to move, held in place by some unusual psychic power.
“What...!!” Lazaro screamed. “What’s going on!”
The question was answered when Solano appeared about twenty feet behind Lazaro, with his hand outstretched and glowing with an unusual blue energy. Clearly, he was restraining Lazaro with telekinesis.
“Solano...!” Lazaro protested, turning his gaze toward Solano. “Let me go!”
“You received no order to attack Cepheus,” Solano said, “nor did you wait for Ura’s command. Ura said he would think about it. But, he has not allowed you. In fact, he has specifically told you the opposite until you receive further instruction.”
“I know he will let me eventually! Just let me go!”
“Not to mention, you are intent on harming this man here. Ura has not given you any order concerning this man. And I doubt he would – after all, he is the ‘ice-breather’.”
“You!?” Lazaro yelled, turning back to Lyon and flying into a rage, but he was fixed to the spot, as Solano was still holding him in place.
“You know the rules for disobeying an order, Ura,” Solano continued, walking towards Lazaro. “And yet you went ahead anyway. You are either overly brave or overly foolish.”
“No...No, Solano, please...!!” Lazaro begged, his voice quivering with fear.
Cepheus had chosen his hiding place behind a wall that was about twenty feet from the front door, and he was overhearing the entire conversation. Lazaro had come here to kill him, and yet he’d been given the exact opposite order. He’d disobeyed a command, and according to what Jentus told him, the punishment of that was.....!!
“Orders are orders, Lazaro,” Solano replied, cold and heartless in his response. “I will be the one” – he produced a small dagger concealed in his belt – “to hand down your judgment.”
Solano then moved right next to Lazaro, holding him in place, as he brought the dagger closer. Cepheus was frozen to the spot, unable to move from his position, because of the overwhelming fear that Solano generated – even though he couldn’t see Solano, he was still fixed to his hiding place by dread. Solano then took the dagger and thrust it straight through Lazaro’s heart, killing him instantly and causing his blood to form a pool on the ground, where it was then absorbed by the beach sand. Lyon flinched when he saw this, as he’d never seen anyone kill so mercilessly and efficiently as Solano. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen a person as merciless as Solano. When Solano withdrew the dagger, Lazaro’s corpse fell to the ground, lifeless, and Solano cleaned the blood off on Lazaro’s shirt before sheathing it again.
“This will be rather irritating to clean up,” Solano said to himself. “By the way, White, I know you’re hiding behind that wall, so why not reveal yourself?”
Hesitantly, Cepheus emerged from his hiding place. Solano was able to see him even behind a wall, presumably with those eyes on his chest.
“White...Come here, now,” Solano continued.
“Why?” Cepheus asked.
“Because I asked you to, and if you don’t I’ll kill you.”
Reluctantly Cepheus walked forward until he was standing at Lyon’s side.
“Do you know why I came here?” Solano asked.
“No, I do not.”
“I came here not only because Lazaro was disobeying orders, but I also came here to see you personally.”
“Why me?”
“How much has Deus told me about you?”
“He has told me about your past. And hearing about it...brings pain to me as well.”
“Why would it bring pain to you? You have lived a perfect life. So why should hearing about someone else affect you?”
“Because I am concerned for other people. Solano, you are not evil, and I know it. I told Deus to tell me everything in the hopes that it might save you. And I will not be dissuaded so easily – I’ll draw your heart back out of you again if it’s the last thing I do!”
“...Your resolve is admirable, Mr. White. So you really are intent of ‘drawing out my heart’? Is that what you think?”
“I do.”
“In that case, the only thing I can do now...” – he unsheathed his dagger again – “is to silence you for good.”
A chill of utter horror permeated Cepheus’ entire being, rooting him to the spot. He was so immobilized by fear about Solano saying he was going to kill him, but he couldn’t even move to try and prevent that. Solano lunged forward at Cepheus with his dagger, but then suddenly, as if it were a miracle, Deus appeared in front of Cepheus, cloak and all, and he grabbed Solano’s arm, preventing him from stabbing Cepheus, as was his intent.
“You will not lay a finger on him!” Deus shouted.
Solano then withdrew, stepping back from Deus, and re-sheathed his dagger.
“Deus...” Solano murmured. “Did you come here to stop me?”
“I will not let you harm him, nor any other Pacter under me.”
“So why did you tell him...about my past?!”
“He wanted so desperately to know because he thought it would save you.”
“Don’t you get it, White?” Solano responded, turning to Cepheus. “No matter what you do, you can’t bring someone back from the dead!”
“In that case, I will need to find a way.”
“Does such a way even exist?”
“If it does, I’ll find it, and I’ll bring her back to you.”
“... ...I should feel nothing but hatred for you right now. But for some strange reason, I do not. You’re...so foolish, Cepheus White, but not without cause. Regardless...I’ve nothing more to say to you.”
Solano then vanished as quickly as he’d come, leaving Cepheus along with Deus and Lyon, who was still standing at a distance, guarding the front door.
“If you hadn’t shown up when you did...” Cepheus began, but he was cut off.
“I had a feeling,” Deus replied, “a feeling that Lazaro would come for you. I didn’t imagine that Solano would follow him, though, but it is a good thing I did. Now do you understand why I didn’t want you to provoke him? Had I not intervened, he would have killed you, make no mistake.”
“...I still had to try.”
“I know...I know."
"But, like he said...unless there’s a way to bring someone back from the dead, there’s no way to cure him.”
“That’s true...”
“What was that?”
“I said, that’s true.”
“...You hesitated a bit when you said that. You know more than you’re letting on.”
“...Even if I told you it wouldn’t change anything, Cepheus.”
“There must be a way, then!”
“...I really don’t know, Cepheus. I really don’t know if bringing her back will change anything. Solano could very well be beyond redemption.”
Deus then vanished himself before waiting for Cepheus to respond. This caused Cepheus to be incredibly confused at this spontaneous reaction, but from what little that Deus had said, he was able to piece together an answer – there was a way to bring Solano back again, but it would involve his girlfriend being brought back from the dead. Deus implied that there might have been a way, but he didn’t know it himself, or that if doing it would actually change Solano back to the way he was before.
Yet, to Cepheus, it was worth a try. All he needed to do was contact Deus that night about this way, and he’d gladly do it. It was worth anything to save Solano.
But Cepheus’ dream that night was unlike anything he had ever dreamt before...save for that one fateful night five years ago.
When Cepheus entered the dream, he was standing on the same stone floor, in the same environment he’d always appeared in, but this time, something was different. The creature called Arceus, that he had first met five years before, was standing before him. It was staring down at him, as if in indignation.
“Cepheus White!” it yelled with a scream that pierced through the darkness. “It is time!”
“Time?” Cepheus asked. “Time for what?”
“Time for you to return what is mine! Remove that wristband now!”
“I can’t...It’s affixed to my arm and won’t come off.”
“In that case, I shall tear it from you! Prepare for judgment!”
Arceus then began to gather energy above its head, forming itself into the shape of a giant globe, charging it up with the intent of firing the orb straight at Cepheus. Much to Cepheus’ surprise, Deus then suddenly appeared and stood in Arceus’ path.
“No!” he yelled. “Don’t do this!”
“Deus,” Arceus replied, still charging his attack, “get out of my way!”
“I cannot do that...”
“In that case, I shall have to finish you both!”
Cepheus then flinched and crossed his arms in front of him as if anticipating the attack, but before it landed, Deus delivered a swift punch to Cepheus’ chest, knocking him unconscious instantly, just as he had done at the Fortree base. Yet with Arceus’ attack headed straight for him, was this going to be the end for both himself and Deus?
19 – Heart
[Wednesday, July 21, 2.54 AM]
“Deus.”
“Cepheus, what do you need?”
“It’s about Solano.”
“One of the Three Terrors?”
“He told me something interesting. He told me that you two were once friends until you did something ‘unforgivable’.”
“...How did you meet him?”
“He was with Jentus.”
“... ...I see.”
“And I myself do not believe that Solano has no heart. I saw it within him. It’s trapped, hurting, and full of sorrow.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I want to yank his heart out of the sadness, and the only way I’m going to be able to do that is if you tell me all you know about Solano.”
“...You really think you can do that?”
“I can.”
“Very well...I suppose there is no harm in telling you, although I don’t want you doing anything reckless.”
“I’m listening.”
“As you might have surmised already, Solano is actually not a Pacter at all. I won’t get into details and it’s really not too important, but before he was born he was injected with Pokémon DNA...effectively, he was like an experiment.”
“How’d he feel about it?”
“If someone had told you that you were injected with Pokémon DNA before you were born for the sake of science, how would you feel?”
“Incredibly resentful of my parents.”
“Exactly. And as a result, he grew resentful of...well, everybody and everything. At the same time though, since he was infused with Pokémon DNA...specifically, Solrock...he started manifesting some rather...unusual characteristics. Rocky red skin, spikes from his back, and those eyes on his chest.”
“They’re real?”
“Indeed. When he turned about seven, he had become so angry at his parents and everyone around him that he...couldn’t control his own power. They all died in a fiery explosion he set off, leaving him with no one. However, he knocked himself unconscious in the process and had sent himself hurtling through the air, clear into Hoenn.”
“How’d he survive an explosion if he was the one who created it?”
“That, Cepheus, is nothing short of a miracle.”
“Aren’t miracles usually good?”
“In regards to this particular event, I can’t really answer that for sure. Regardless, he was found unconscious in Fallarbor, and the town elder took Solano in and raised him as her own grandson, despite that he looked ‘different’. But the elder’s sentiment and consoling couldn’t nullify all the looks and jeers he received. For ten years he put up with it until he was fed up with it...but fortunately, he did the wiser thing and just left Fallarbor without a word. That’s when he met me.”
“How did you two meet?”
“I found him meditating in Meteor Falls. Truth be told I’d been watching him and saw how much he hurt. I told him about Pacters and how they too were quite different from other. I had even introduced him to a Pacter girl, and the two of them fell in love pretty quickly. When Solano was with her...I’d never seen him so happy. And...now I never will again.”
“What happened?”
“There was news of a serial killer on the loose, who would break into a person’s house at night and kill them in the most unusual way...it would be like their life force had been totally sucked dry. As soon as I heard about this, I said that I would try to stop the serial killer at all costs.”
“Did you?”
“...Unfortunately, no. I was trying to follow the serial killer’s movements, and even thwarted him a few times...”
“It was a man?”
“Yes...but I never ever got a good enough look at his face. In any case, I managed to stop him from taking a life in a few instances, but he always vanished before I could catch him. I’ve got my theories about who the serial killer was...”
“Was?”
“There was one count where I couldn’t thwart the serial killer – I had gotten there too late. The victim was Solano’s girlfriend. After that, the serial killer...vanished. He never appeared again and never took another life. Yet I didn’t stop him in time, and Solano blames me for her death, because I couldn’t save her.”
“That’s terrible...”
“That’s why he hates me and all Pacters, Cepheus...because we couldn’t save his girlfriend. With nothing left to live for, he was approached by Ura, who said he’d give him a purpose to live...namely, to get revenge on the people who stole his happiness.”
“I see...”
“Do you understand why I told you to avoid Solano? I don’t know what he will do when he finds you. Ura could have ordered him to kill you and he wouldn’t have hesitated at all. Yet he spared you. That could mean that you were successful in trying to draw his heart out from him, but it could also mean that he just didn’t get an order to kill you yet.”
“I understand the risk, Deus. But I must still try.”
“... ...I see. Well, that is all I know about Solano at this point, Cepheus. I recommend you get some sleep. I have a feeling that this war is rapidly coming to a close, and I’ll need the help of all of you to end it.”
The next morning came bright and early for Cepheus, much sooner than he’d anticipated. He was still hurting a small bit from his old battle scars, but fortunately there was nothing too serious. Cepheus took the opportunity to review the items that Deus had retrieved from his house in Hearthome for him, and checked to see if everything he wanted was there. Sure enough, Deus had brought everything that Cepheus wanted – including, notably, the Cherrim synthetic. Yet even though he was glad to have a companion with him, he’d still been sworn to silence about its existence. And still he wanted to show it off. What was he to do?
The question seemed to be answered for him when Lyon suddenly entered the room, and as he entered, he espied the Cherrim.
“Cepheus...what is that?” Lyon asked.
“This?” Cepheus replied. “It’s nothing, really. Just a synthetic.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen or heard of that one before. Did you make that yourself?”
Cepheus paused for a few moments before responding. “Yes, I did.”
“It’s very high-quality, so much that it almost looks lifelike. Why not show it to the rest of us?”
“I’ve technically been sworn to silence on its existence, so I can’t.”
“Actually, that was partly the reason I came in here.”
“What?”
“Since you’re on injury leave from the Olivine Synthetics Plant, I’ve actually been working there in your stead. Don’t worry; I’m able to handle all your duties quite well. And while I am there I also receive a few messages from your supervisor Jenkins to relay to you.”
“You have a message from Mr. Jenkins?”
“Yes, and he says that the Cherrim synthetic will be put on the market tomorrow, albeit in the normal coloration. Because of that, you no longer have to keep it a secret – you now have an exclusive model, as it were.”
“Mr. Jenkins said that?”
“I’ve never lied to you, Cepheus, nor do I intend to start.”
“...Thank you.”
As could very well be imagined, Cepheus was immensely pleased at this fact – he could now share his creation and his happiness with those around him. When Cepheus revealed the prototype to the rest of them, they were all surprised and applauded Cepheus for his work. Emma remarked upon how cute the Cherrim was, Esmeralda and Lyon both mentioned how it had such fine handiwork for a synthetic, yet Abigail was still adverse to the thought of a synthetic since it was just a machine. Cepheus responded that he understood completely as he is much the same way, but at the same time, admiring the work of one’s own hands, and then receiving praise for it later, he said, is truly a wonderful thing.
At about 11 o’clock in the morning, the doorbell of the house rang, and once again, no one was expecting any company. Lyon told the others that he’d be the one answering the door, and he told the rest of them to go hide. They all complied, although Cepheus said he’d still stay close by, and Lyon opened the door to find a rather enraged Lazaro.
“Where is Cepheus White!?” he screamed, huffing and puffing as he spoke.
“What makes you think Cepheus White is here?” Lyon responded.
“Jentus! He came here yesterday...and fought Cepheus...and lost! And now I want the chance for my own revenge!”
“Why is that?”
“He shamed me by leaving a burn mark on my chest that may never heal! And were it not for that ice-breather I would have finished him there and then! So get out of my way! I want Cepheus White!!”
“I cannot let you pass.”
“In that case...I’ll just have to bowl you over!”
Lazaro then attempted to leap through the air, trying to knock Lyon out of his way, but as he did so, he found himself frozen in the air mid-leap, unable to move, held in place by some unusual psychic power.
“What...!!” Lazaro screamed. “What’s going on!”
The question was answered when Solano appeared about twenty feet behind Lazaro, with his hand outstretched and glowing with an unusual blue energy. Clearly, he was restraining Lazaro with telekinesis.
“Solano...!” Lazaro protested, turning his gaze toward Solano. “Let me go!”
“You received no order to attack Cepheus,” Solano said, “nor did you wait for Ura’s command. Ura said he would think about it. But, he has not allowed you. In fact, he has specifically told you the opposite until you receive further instruction.”
“I know he will let me eventually! Just let me go!”
“Not to mention, you are intent on harming this man here. Ura has not given you any order concerning this man. And I doubt he would – after all, he is the ‘ice-breather’.”
“You!?” Lazaro yelled, turning back to Lyon and flying into a rage, but he was fixed to the spot, as Solano was still holding him in place.
“You know the rules for disobeying an order, Ura,” Solano continued, walking towards Lazaro. “And yet you went ahead anyway. You are either overly brave or overly foolish.”
“No...No, Solano, please...!!” Lazaro begged, his voice quivering with fear.
Cepheus had chosen his hiding place behind a wall that was about twenty feet from the front door, and he was overhearing the entire conversation. Lazaro had come here to kill him, and yet he’d been given the exact opposite order. He’d disobeyed a command, and according to what Jentus told him, the punishment of that was.....!!
“Orders are orders, Lazaro,” Solano replied, cold and heartless in his response. “I will be the one” – he produced a small dagger concealed in his belt – “to hand down your judgment.”
Solano then moved right next to Lazaro, holding him in place, as he brought the dagger closer. Cepheus was frozen to the spot, unable to move from his position, because of the overwhelming fear that Solano generated – even though he couldn’t see Solano, he was still fixed to his hiding place by dread. Solano then took the dagger and thrust it straight through Lazaro’s heart, killing him instantly and causing his blood to form a pool on the ground, where it was then absorbed by the beach sand. Lyon flinched when he saw this, as he’d never seen anyone kill so mercilessly and efficiently as Solano. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen a person as merciless as Solano. When Solano withdrew the dagger, Lazaro’s corpse fell to the ground, lifeless, and Solano cleaned the blood off on Lazaro’s shirt before sheathing it again.
“This will be rather irritating to clean up,” Solano said to himself. “By the way, White, I know you’re hiding behind that wall, so why not reveal yourself?”
Hesitantly, Cepheus emerged from his hiding place. Solano was able to see him even behind a wall, presumably with those eyes on his chest.
“White...Come here, now,” Solano continued.
“Why?” Cepheus asked.
“Because I asked you to, and if you don’t I’ll kill you.”
Reluctantly Cepheus walked forward until he was standing at Lyon’s side.
“Do you know why I came here?” Solano asked.
“No, I do not.”
“I came here not only because Lazaro was disobeying orders, but I also came here to see you personally.”
“Why me?”
“How much has Deus told me about you?”
“He has told me about your past. And hearing about it...brings pain to me as well.”
“Why would it bring pain to you? You have lived a perfect life. So why should hearing about someone else affect you?”
“Because I am concerned for other people. Solano, you are not evil, and I know it. I told Deus to tell me everything in the hopes that it might save you. And I will not be dissuaded so easily – I’ll draw your heart back out of you again if it’s the last thing I do!”
“...Your resolve is admirable, Mr. White. So you really are intent of ‘drawing out my heart’? Is that what you think?”
“I do.”
“In that case, the only thing I can do now...” – he unsheathed his dagger again – “is to silence you for good.”
A chill of utter horror permeated Cepheus’ entire being, rooting him to the spot. He was so immobilized by fear about Solano saying he was going to kill him, but he couldn’t even move to try and prevent that. Solano lunged forward at Cepheus with his dagger, but then suddenly, as if it were a miracle, Deus appeared in front of Cepheus, cloak and all, and he grabbed Solano’s arm, preventing him from stabbing Cepheus, as was his intent.
“You will not lay a finger on him!” Deus shouted.
Solano then withdrew, stepping back from Deus, and re-sheathed his dagger.
“Deus...” Solano murmured. “Did you come here to stop me?”
“I will not let you harm him, nor any other Pacter under me.”
“So why did you tell him...about my past?!”
“He wanted so desperately to know because he thought it would save you.”
“Don’t you get it, White?” Solano responded, turning to Cepheus. “No matter what you do, you can’t bring someone back from the dead!”
“In that case, I will need to find a way.”
“Does such a way even exist?”
“If it does, I’ll find it, and I’ll bring her back to you.”
“... ...I should feel nothing but hatred for you right now. But for some strange reason, I do not. You’re...so foolish, Cepheus White, but not without cause. Regardless...I’ve nothing more to say to you.”
Solano then vanished as quickly as he’d come, leaving Cepheus along with Deus and Lyon, who was still standing at a distance, guarding the front door.
“If you hadn’t shown up when you did...” Cepheus began, but he was cut off.
“I had a feeling,” Deus replied, “a feeling that Lazaro would come for you. I didn’t imagine that Solano would follow him, though, but it is a good thing I did. Now do you understand why I didn’t want you to provoke him? Had I not intervened, he would have killed you, make no mistake.”
“...I still had to try.”
“I know...I know."
"But, like he said...unless there’s a way to bring someone back from the dead, there’s no way to cure him.”
“That’s true...”
“What was that?”
“I said, that’s true.”
“...You hesitated a bit when you said that. You know more than you’re letting on.”
“...Even if I told you it wouldn’t change anything, Cepheus.”
“There must be a way, then!”
“...I really don’t know, Cepheus. I really don’t know if bringing her back will change anything. Solano could very well be beyond redemption.”
Deus then vanished himself before waiting for Cepheus to respond. This caused Cepheus to be incredibly confused at this spontaneous reaction, but from what little that Deus had said, he was able to piece together an answer – there was a way to bring Solano back again, but it would involve his girlfriend being brought back from the dead. Deus implied that there might have been a way, but he didn’t know it himself, or that if doing it would actually change Solano back to the way he was before.
Yet, to Cepheus, it was worth a try. All he needed to do was contact Deus that night about this way, and he’d gladly do it. It was worth anything to save Solano.
But Cepheus’ dream that night was unlike anything he had ever dreamt before...save for that one fateful night five years ago.
When Cepheus entered the dream, he was standing on the same stone floor, in the same environment he’d always appeared in, but this time, something was different. The creature called Arceus, that he had first met five years before, was standing before him. It was staring down at him, as if in indignation.
“Cepheus White!” it yelled with a scream that pierced through the darkness. “It is time!”
“Time?” Cepheus asked. “Time for what?”
“Time for you to return what is mine! Remove that wristband now!”
“I can’t...It’s affixed to my arm and won’t come off.”
“In that case, I shall tear it from you! Prepare for judgment!”
Arceus then began to gather energy above its head, forming itself into the shape of a giant globe, charging it up with the intent of firing the orb straight at Cepheus. Much to Cepheus’ surprise, Deus then suddenly appeared and stood in Arceus’ path.
“No!” he yelled. “Don’t do this!”
“Deus,” Arceus replied, still charging his attack, “get out of my way!”
“I cannot do that...”
“In that case, I shall have to finish you both!”
Cepheus then flinched and crossed his arms in front of him as if anticipating the attack, but before it landed, Deus delivered a swift punch to Cepheus’ chest, knocking him unconscious instantly, just as he had done at the Fortree base. Yet with Arceus’ attack headed straight for him, was this going to be the end for both himself and Deus?
I didn't have a chance to proofread this lately, so this probably has a handful of mistakes in it.
Feedback, comments, and constructive criticism are always appreciated. However, as I have previously stated, keep your replies at a minimum of 20 words apiece. This is not a PokéBeach forum rule, but I'll probably ignore you if you don't have much to say.
RE: Nightmare [PG] - Chapter 19 up!
This chapter was entertaining, to say the least.
There's alot of "honorable man" talk going around. And I mean the rate they're happening in this fic is on a steady increase. That, and consecutive ellipses. Clearly, the story is under a quiet takeover of awkward silences.
This chapter was entertaining, to say the least.
D'awwwww
I'm fairly sure it's "he," rather than "he'd." The "clear into Hoenn" sounds weird to me, but it's probably a phrase that I'm just not familiar with.
Your quasi-protagonist baffles me. One moment he cares about Solano, and in the next, he's more concerned about clearing up the semantics of "miracles" with Deus.
This is quoted as as. I'm sure you'll notice one tiny problem.
I think Ura just wants Lazaro dead. Forget the rules, he just wants an excuse to kill him.
There's alot of "honorable man" talk going around. And I mean the rate they're happening in this fic is on a steady increase. That, and consecutive ellipses. Clearly, the story is under a quiet takeover of awkward silences.
Oh, now we're getting fancy with the dialogue too.
RE: Nightmare [PG] - Chapter 19 up!
I think it can go either way, but "he" would probably look neater in this case.
Are you talking about the lack of a question mark at the end (which I believe I left out on purpose)? If not, then I don't see it.
There are plenty more where that came from.
Oh wow, you're right, that was terrible of me. I think in the sentence I just quoted, I somehow shifted from Deus to Cepheus, mid-speech. I need to fix that, pronto. Edit: Fixed. The double-slash was where the quotation break was actually supposed to be. I'm surprised I didn't notice that until now; thank you.
RE: Nightmare [PG] - Chapter 19 up!
As far as I can tell, this chapter was probably written a long time ago. There's a lot of mistakes (before Zyflair pointed all of it out), including the dialogue in the beginning, where there's a lot of talking without stating whose voice it belongs to. I got a little confused by that point.
I don't really like to just end this with this- but Zyflair covered it all.
As far as I can tell, this chapter was probably written a long time ago. There's a lot of mistakes (before Zyflair pointed all of it out), including the dialogue in the beginning, where there's a lot of talking without stating whose voice it belongs to. I got a little confused by that point.
I don't really like to just end this with this- but Zyflair covered it all.
RE: Nightmare [PG] - Chapter 19 up!
[Back to Top]
New chapter! ...because Lucky Fire is ever so good about reminding me.
Chapter 20 is where the story actually starts to take a really interesting turn, and you get to see a hidden layer of the story that, up until now, wasn't really brought out into the open. It's also the point where either you didn't understand the plot at all and it's starting to make sense, or you thought you understood it but now it isn't making sense. I'll let you be the judge of that.
Stats for this chapter:
Page Count: 5.9; Word Count: 3497
Again, didn't have a chance to proofread.
Feedback, comments, and constructive criticism are always appreciated. However, as I have previously stated, keep your replies at a minimum of 20 words apiece. This is not a PokéBeach forum rule, but I'll probably ignore you if you don't have much to say.
[Back to Top]
New chapter! ...because Lucky Fire is ever so good about reminding me.
Chapter 20 is where the story actually starts to take a really interesting turn, and you get to see a hidden layer of the story that, up until now, wasn't really brought out into the open. It's also the point where either you didn't understand the plot at all and it's starting to make sense, or you thought you understood it but now it isn't making sense. I'll let you be the judge of that.
Stats for this chapter:
Page Count: 5.9; Word Count: 3497
~~~
20 – Death
[Thursday, July 22, 9.12 AM]
“Uxie, the Mind-Watcher. Created from the thought of an immensely intelligent being, this creature gives us each our knowledge...
“Mesprit, the Heart-Watcher. A being of intense emotion, she taught us how to laugh, how to cry, and even how to fall in love...
“Azelf, the Soul-Watcher. His great courage gives us each a purpose for living, giving each of us what makes us truly unique...
“Dialga, the Time-Watcher. With all of history bound within his chest, his very thought causes time to move ever forward...
“Palkia, the Space-Watcher. Harnessing the boundlessness of the universe within her shoulders, she causes space to expand ever outward...
“Giratina, the Death-Watcher. Dwelling in a world opposite reality, it serves as the counterbalance to existence itself...
“Deus, the Dream-Watcher. Keeping both Watchers and humans alike in line, he gave us the ability to speak into our dreams...
“Arceus, the Omni-Watcher. The head over the Watchers, containing infinite power, its benevolence watches over and keeps us all...or does it?”
These words played over in Cepheus’ head as he was fast asleep. He wondered why all of this was being told to him, but he also believed it was for a very specific purpose. Cepheus had read about the Watchers before, and Deus confirmed for him that there were exactly eight; now that these words had been told to Cepheus, he now knew all their names. Yet, the statement regarding Arceus ended in a question... could that mean that there was more to Arceus than met the eye? It did make a bit of sense...Arceus had just tried to attack and kill Cepheus, and were it not for Deus’ intervention, he would have died.
Cepheus felt immensely groggy as he lay in bed – the punch that Deus had given him in the dream had affected him outside the dream as well, and he felt like he could barely move. He’d wanted to ask Deus a few more questions in a dream, but the attack by Arceus precluded that. There was no time for laziness, though – Cepheus had to wake up and face the day.
And when he woke up, he was in yet another totally unfamiliar environment. He should have been used to this by now, but he wasn’t. He briefly scolded himself for not seeing this coming before surveying his surroundings.
He appeared to be in a small house of some sort consisting of a single room in the shape of a cube, fifteen feet along each edge, and the room was a single shade of gray throughout. There were no windows, only a single door, and the only pieces of furniture in this house were the bed he was sleeping on, which had sky blue sheets, and a small gray bedside table which appeared to be made of wood despite its bizarre color. Despite the lack of windows in the house, Cepheus was still able to see perfectly well, as if the house was lit from an unknown otherworldly source. This led Cepheus to think – was he still dreaming?
Cepheus decided to call for Hector to see if he could answer any questions, so he looked down at his right hand and attempted to summon Hector...but his insignia was missing, gone without a trace. His bronze wristband was still there, meaning Arceus hadn’t taken it from him, but the insignia missing? This hadn’t happened before in any dream of his...what was going on?
A note was affixed to the door of the house, as if it was left there specifically for him. Cepheus took the note and began to read it. Much to his relief, it was from Deus:
“Cepheus, this is Deus. If you’re reading this, you are probably wondering where you are and what is going on. First, find the mayor and ask him where you are, and then ask the mayor to speak to Giratina. Also, do not worry about Hector – he is fine and anxiously waiting for you.
“Additionally, when you talk to the mayor and Giratina, ask for someone named ‘Felicia’. Before you come back again, I want you to bring her with you. Anything else you need to know you can learn from the mayor and Giratina.
“Good luck, Cepheus. We’re all counting on you and waiting for you to come home. Best wishes to you, Deus.”
It was a very perplexing letter indeed. Yet, it was much like Deus to say something like that – give Cepheus an order, not explaining it right away, but that everything would make sense in due time. Cepheus didn’t see much point in protesting, so he took the note, stashed it into his pocket for future reference, and opened the door outside the house.
And upon seeing the view outside, if he hadn’t been confused before, he was now dazed beyond belief. Cepheus appeared to be in a city where the ground appeared to be made of circular gray platforms, suspended in midair, connected to each other via a series of gray staircases and bridges. All the houses looked pretty much the same – gray, cubical, and monotonous. Some of them had windows, and a few consisted of multiple cubes connected to each other. What perplexed Cepheus the most was the sky – it was a mass of color, predominantly light blue, light pink, and white, constantly swirling around and rotating in itself repeatedly, giving a contorted image much like one would expect in something that had no respect for the laws of reality. The people that were walking around appeared to be normal enough, but the question still remained:
Where on earth was he?
Cepheus departed the house he’d been sleeping in, and looked for a person or a house that looked like it was of the mayor – that was his first task and he was intent on following it through no matter what. As he walked through the city, he received a few odd looks, as if there was a newcomer in their midst. Some of them even showed disdain for the band he was wearing – did these people know about Arceus? Before long, Cepheus saw a rather large cubical residence, the main cube being sixty feet on each edge, having a bunch of smaller cubes attached, that was larger than all the houses around it. Cepheus thought that would be a good place to start asking – if it wasn’t the mayor’s residence, then it was the residence of someone with a lot of clout or at least knew the mayor. He approached the house and knocked on the door, and a rather short plump old man, wearing a tuxedo with coattails and having a rather large bushy white mustache, almost reminiscent of Uncle Pennybanks, answered the door.
“Hm? Can I help you, good sir?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. I’m looking for the mayor...? I’m hoping you might know where he is.”
“Look no further, my boy!” he answered joyously. “You have found him. Come in, come in! Make yourself at home!”
Cepheus accepted the man’s gracious offer and was ushered into a rather large living room. It looked much the same as would a mansion, were the walls not a peculiar shade of gray, and all the furniture were not either gray or sky blue. Both Cepheus and the mayor took seats in rather luxurious chairs and faced each other, and they began to talk in a very informal fashion.
“How can I help you, my boy?” the mayor asked Cepheus.
“Well, I just woke up this morning here, and I’m not exactly sure where I am.”
“Ah, yes, that’s why your face doesn’t look familiar. Let me tell you where you are. You’re in a place called Orbit City, the main city in this realm of the Underworld. All newcomers are taken here when – ”
“Hold on a minute,” Cepheus asked. “Did you just say ‘Underworld’?”
“Yes, I did. Why does that surprise you?”
“If we’re in the Underworld, then...wouldn’t that intimate that I’m dead?”
“You are dead, my boy. We all are.”
This winded Cepheus more than anything else he’d heard in the past week, and he scooted back into his chair. He was dead? So Arceus did end up killing him after all? But if that was the case, wouldn’t Deus be dead as well? Maybe that was how he’d left the note...but that didn’t make sense. Deus was waiting for Cepheus to come home – meaning that there was a way out of here.
“D-Did you just say that I’m dead?” Cepheus asked.
“Yes, I did. Why, do you not remember how you died?” the mayor asked.
“I don’t, no. But perhaps if you tell me a bit more about this place, it’ll help fill in all the gaps in my brain.”
“Of course. Orbit City is a city in the Underworld, where the people who want nothing to do with Spirits, Pokémon, or Pacters are taken when they die. When people die they are given the choice to go to one of two places – here, or the Spirit Plane. The people that come here are the ones who don’t like Spirits. As a result, we live here peacefully, free of their influence.”
“If that’s the case, then...there’s got to be a mistake. I myself was a Pacter when I was alive. Yet I wasn’t given a choice at all – I just woke up here and that was that.”
“That is odd. Do you think you know why that is?”
“I don’t have a clue, but one of the Watchers wrote me a note telling me what I was supposed to do here.”
“Which Watcher might that be?”
“It was Deus.”
“Deus...I know that name. He leads the Pacters in the real world, does he not? Many people here don’t want anything to do with him because of that status, but I know that Deus is a soldier of justice. And you say he gave you...some sort of mission to do here?”
“That’s correct.”
“This may explain everything...What did he ask you to do?”
“First, he told me to come talk to you and to ask about someone named Felicia. Second, he told me to talk to Giratina...who apparently is one of the Watchers as well.”
“Felicia...I remember a girl here by that name, but she vanished a long time ago. I don’t know where she is now. But Giratina...I can help you with that. Follow me.”
The short elderly mayor then got up from his chair and moved into an even more elaborate room, the walls decorate with all sorts of high-end artwork, such as paintings, sculptures, and even suits of armor near the walls. The mayor walked over to one of these suits, rotated its round shield slightly, causing a piece of the wall to slide back into the rest of the wall, revealing an elevator, which opened before them.
“Come this way, my boy.”
Cepheus did as instructed, and both he and the mayor walked in to the elevator, which closed and began to move lower down.
“What is your name?” the mayor asked during the descent.
“It’s Cepheus...Cepheus White.”
“Cepheus...the name means ‘king’. Maybe that is why Deus chose you. I will not forget your name.”
The elevator then moved slowly to a halt, and it opened up onto another circular platform, twenty feet in diameter. The elevator was connected to the platform via a large square column that led into another circular platform directly above Cepheus, 200 feet in diameter – the main body of Orbit City. Leading away from the platform Cepheus was actually standing on was a staircase, walled and railed on both sides, that spiraled ever downward and looked as if it had no end.
“Giratina is at the bottom of these steps,” the mayor told Cepheus. “Cepheus, I will be waiting here until you return.”
“Thank you very much, sir.”
Cepheus began to descend the steps, holding onto the rails as he descended. He wondered when the staircase was ever going to stop – it looked like it could go on forever and there would be no end to it. Finally, after about 200 steps downward, the staircase emptied out onto a semicircular platform, the diameter being 20 feet. Cepheus stood on the platform, looking ahead of him, but there was nothing else there. He waited for Giratina to appear, and after 30 seconds, a great serpentine dragon, about 15 feet long and having great dark spiked tendrils for wings, flew into view. Its face was covered with a golden helmet, revealing only blood-red eyes beneath it. Its body was mostly gray, but also had red stripes along its chest, and it had golden spikes protruding from either side. It had no arms at all, but appeared to be floating before Cepheus. It was staring right at him with a look that could pierce through a man’s soul.
“Who are you?” it asked, its voice deep and resounding – even more so than Deus’. Was a deep voice a trademark trait of a Watcher?
“Noble Watcher, my name is Cepheus White,” Cepheus said, kneeling slightly in awe of Giratina’s grand presence. “I have come here on the orders of the Watcher Deus, who told me what the purpose for me being in this place is.”
“I had anticipated your arrival, Cepheus,” Giratina replied, “and I shall answer your questions to the best of my ability.”
“All right...Why was I sent here instead of the Spirit Plane? Who is Felicia? Why did Deus write me a letter? And, most importantly...who killed me?”
“Deus wrote you a letter? Let me see it.”
Cepheus did as instructed and took the letter out of his pocket for Giratina to read, holding it up to the creature’s face. The undead dragon pored over it for about a minute before speaking again.
“I see. Return it to your pocket.”
Cepheus did so.
“Deus came to the Underworld carrying your body with him. He summoned me to take you here to Orbit City, as he himself cannot enter the Underworld, nor does he have jurisdiction here. He’d also given me the note as well, actually. I did as he asked and brought you here.”
“He couldn’t enter the Underworld? Why not?”
“Because he is still alive. Those who are still living are not allowed to enter the Underworld. He came as far as the entrance and no more.”
(He’s...still alive? Then that means Arceus didn’t kill him at all...)
“What of my other questions?” Cepheus said aloud.
“Deus most likely carried you here because of this Felicia person. I don’t know who she is – the mayor might know.”
“He said she vanished a long time ago from the city.”
“In that case, she’s living somewhere outside the city...and I think I know where. There’s a big bridge that leads out from Orbit City and it’s at least 300 feet in length. At the other end of the bridge are two staircases – one leading down, and one leading up. The one leading up takes you out of the Underworld; Felicia is most likely living down the other staircase.”
“So, there is a way out of here. But when I cross that big bridge, will there be anything that will jump out and attack me?”
“No. There are no strange creatures in the underworld, much less rogue swordsmen.”
“Wait, what?”
“...Never mind. In any case, Deus probably did not intend for you to die. There is actually a way out of the Underworld back to the real world, but many people choose to not take it and instead live a peaceful life here. But you...I can see the purpose in your eyes. You still have business to finish in the land of the living, do you not?”
“I do.”
“Then perhaps it is for the best you take this Felicia girl back with you.”
“And what of my last question...who killed me?”
“I cannot say, Cepheus.”
“You can’t say, or you won’t say?”
“Let me just answer you this...By the time that you leave the Underworld, you will know full well who killed you.”
“You say that as if you don’t want me to know.”
“It is a harrowing thought to know the name of your own murderer. That is why I do not tell anyone who was murdered the name of the person who slew them – it would fill them full of hatred.”
“But I have business in the land of the living. Could you not tell me the name of my murderer so I could avenge myself?”
“You wouldn’t be able to do so. Your murderer is...too powerful.”
(Then maybe my dream was true...maybe Arceus was the one who killed me, and his attack, although powerful, wasn’t enough to kill Deus, but at least severely wound him. But why would Arceus attack either of us anyway?)
“That is all I can help you with at this time,” Giratina continued.
“You have been a great help,” Cepheus replied. “I shall be leaving now to accomplish the mission for which I was sent here.”
“...Wait.”
“Hm?”
“Before you leave...On the path that leads out of the Underworld, there is a small detour that leads to a place called the Wheel. Before you exit the Underworld, I would like you to visit there – as soon as you do...you will know everything.”
“Including my murderer?”
“Including your murderer.”
“Very well...thank you.”
Cepheus then ascended the nearly-endless staircase back to where the mayor was waiting for him, and relayed all that Giratina had told him. The mayor listened to every word Cepheus said, carefully taking it all in, and as Cepheus left the mayor’s house to head out of Orbit City, the mayor gave Cepheus his blessing and wished that his journey out of the Underworld would end in happiness. Cepheus asked if he could possibly have supplies for his expedition, to which the mayor jokingly remarked that dead people didn’t need to eat. Cepheus smirked and chuckled himself, and with that, he headed out of Orbit City on his mission. Crossing the bridge out of Orbit City, he fully understood what he needed to do before he returned to the living: Find Felicia and discover who exactly she was, locate the Wheel and have all his questions answered, and then finally return back to the land of the living, where all his friends were waiting.
However, from now up until that point, Cepheus’ understanding of his current situation would be turned completely upside-down and thrust into total confusion...before being turned right-side-up once again. Nothing could have prepared Cepheus for what he was about to encounter in the Underworld...nothing.
Crossing the bridge took only ten minutes, but due to the length of the bridge and the expanse of nothingness all around him, Cepheus felt like the bridge-crossing took almost an hour. When he got to the other side, just as Giratina had said, there were two staircases – one leading up, the other leading down. The one leading up seemed to connect to a series of circular platforms and bridges that seemed to lead constantly upward, whereas the one leading down seemed only to lead to a single large platform – however, this one had a cubical house on it. Cepheus rushed down the staircase to get a closer look, and when he got to the bottom, not only was there a house there, with no windows much like his own, but there was also a gray rock there from which a stream seemed to flow forth. The terminus of the stream was at the very edge of the platform he was standing on, and at that point the river simply vanished. A wonder of the Underworld, perhaps? But why would the dead have any need of water?
Cepheus decided to knock on the door to see who was there, and much to his surprise he heard a high-pitched squeal on the other side. There was a 3-second pause, and then “Who’s there?” a woman spoke from inside the house.
“Is this the residence of Felicia?” Cepheus asked.
“...Who’s asking?”
“My name is Cepheus White and I was asked to come here.”
“Asked? By who?”
“A friend of mine.”
There was another three-second pause, and after that the door opened, revealing a rather young girl, only a few years younger than Cepheus and about eight inches shorter. She had bright pink hair, piercing blue eyes, and was wearing a beige sleeveless shirt and denim shorts. Her skin was very light, showing no evidence of tanning, and she looked like she was wearing blue tennis shoes.
“What do you want?” she demanded.
“Are you Felicia?” Cepheus asked again.
“I am...why do you care? Who’s the friend that asked you to come here?”
“I...don’t really know his name.”
“If it’s Deus, then you can forget it.”
“Wait, you know Deus? How?”
“How could I not? Seeing his face was the last thing I can remember before coming to this miserable place!!”
“What are you talking about?”
“That Deus is evil! He’s the one who killed me!”
20 – Death
[Thursday, July 22, 9.12 AM]
“Uxie, the Mind-Watcher. Created from the thought of an immensely intelligent being, this creature gives us each our knowledge...
“Mesprit, the Heart-Watcher. A being of intense emotion, she taught us how to laugh, how to cry, and even how to fall in love...
“Azelf, the Soul-Watcher. His great courage gives us each a purpose for living, giving each of us what makes us truly unique...
“Dialga, the Time-Watcher. With all of history bound within his chest, his very thought causes time to move ever forward...
“Palkia, the Space-Watcher. Harnessing the boundlessness of the universe within her shoulders, she causes space to expand ever outward...
“Giratina, the Death-Watcher. Dwelling in a world opposite reality, it serves as the counterbalance to existence itself...
“Deus, the Dream-Watcher. Keeping both Watchers and humans alike in line, he gave us the ability to speak into our dreams...
“Arceus, the Omni-Watcher. The head over the Watchers, containing infinite power, its benevolence watches over and keeps us all...or does it?”
These words played over in Cepheus’ head as he was fast asleep. He wondered why all of this was being told to him, but he also believed it was for a very specific purpose. Cepheus had read about the Watchers before, and Deus confirmed for him that there were exactly eight; now that these words had been told to Cepheus, he now knew all their names. Yet, the statement regarding Arceus ended in a question... could that mean that there was more to Arceus than met the eye? It did make a bit of sense...Arceus had just tried to attack and kill Cepheus, and were it not for Deus’ intervention, he would have died.
Cepheus felt immensely groggy as he lay in bed – the punch that Deus had given him in the dream had affected him outside the dream as well, and he felt like he could barely move. He’d wanted to ask Deus a few more questions in a dream, but the attack by Arceus precluded that. There was no time for laziness, though – Cepheus had to wake up and face the day.
And when he woke up, he was in yet another totally unfamiliar environment. He should have been used to this by now, but he wasn’t. He briefly scolded himself for not seeing this coming before surveying his surroundings.
He appeared to be in a small house of some sort consisting of a single room in the shape of a cube, fifteen feet along each edge, and the room was a single shade of gray throughout. There were no windows, only a single door, and the only pieces of furniture in this house were the bed he was sleeping on, which had sky blue sheets, and a small gray bedside table which appeared to be made of wood despite its bizarre color. Despite the lack of windows in the house, Cepheus was still able to see perfectly well, as if the house was lit from an unknown otherworldly source. This led Cepheus to think – was he still dreaming?
Cepheus decided to call for Hector to see if he could answer any questions, so he looked down at his right hand and attempted to summon Hector...but his insignia was missing, gone without a trace. His bronze wristband was still there, meaning Arceus hadn’t taken it from him, but the insignia missing? This hadn’t happened before in any dream of his...what was going on?
A note was affixed to the door of the house, as if it was left there specifically for him. Cepheus took the note and began to read it. Much to his relief, it was from Deus:
“Cepheus, this is Deus. If you’re reading this, you are probably wondering where you are and what is going on. First, find the mayor and ask him where you are, and then ask the mayor to speak to Giratina. Also, do not worry about Hector – he is fine and anxiously waiting for you.
“Additionally, when you talk to the mayor and Giratina, ask for someone named ‘Felicia’. Before you come back again, I want you to bring her with you. Anything else you need to know you can learn from the mayor and Giratina.
“Good luck, Cepheus. We’re all counting on you and waiting for you to come home. Best wishes to you, Deus.”
It was a very perplexing letter indeed. Yet, it was much like Deus to say something like that – give Cepheus an order, not explaining it right away, but that everything would make sense in due time. Cepheus didn’t see much point in protesting, so he took the note, stashed it into his pocket for future reference, and opened the door outside the house.
And upon seeing the view outside, if he hadn’t been confused before, he was now dazed beyond belief. Cepheus appeared to be in a city where the ground appeared to be made of circular gray platforms, suspended in midair, connected to each other via a series of gray staircases and bridges. All the houses looked pretty much the same – gray, cubical, and monotonous. Some of them had windows, and a few consisted of multiple cubes connected to each other. What perplexed Cepheus the most was the sky – it was a mass of color, predominantly light blue, light pink, and white, constantly swirling around and rotating in itself repeatedly, giving a contorted image much like one would expect in something that had no respect for the laws of reality. The people that were walking around appeared to be normal enough, but the question still remained:
Where on earth was he?
Cepheus departed the house he’d been sleeping in, and looked for a person or a house that looked like it was of the mayor – that was his first task and he was intent on following it through no matter what. As he walked through the city, he received a few odd looks, as if there was a newcomer in their midst. Some of them even showed disdain for the band he was wearing – did these people know about Arceus? Before long, Cepheus saw a rather large cubical residence, the main cube being sixty feet on each edge, having a bunch of smaller cubes attached, that was larger than all the houses around it. Cepheus thought that would be a good place to start asking – if it wasn’t the mayor’s residence, then it was the residence of someone with a lot of clout or at least knew the mayor. He approached the house and knocked on the door, and a rather short plump old man, wearing a tuxedo with coattails and having a rather large bushy white mustache, almost reminiscent of Uncle Pennybanks, answered the door.
“Hm? Can I help you, good sir?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. I’m looking for the mayor...? I’m hoping you might know where he is.”
“Look no further, my boy!” he answered joyously. “You have found him. Come in, come in! Make yourself at home!”
Cepheus accepted the man’s gracious offer and was ushered into a rather large living room. It looked much the same as would a mansion, were the walls not a peculiar shade of gray, and all the furniture were not either gray or sky blue. Both Cepheus and the mayor took seats in rather luxurious chairs and faced each other, and they began to talk in a very informal fashion.
“How can I help you, my boy?” the mayor asked Cepheus.
“Well, I just woke up this morning here, and I’m not exactly sure where I am.”
“Ah, yes, that’s why your face doesn’t look familiar. Let me tell you where you are. You’re in a place called Orbit City, the main city in this realm of the Underworld. All newcomers are taken here when – ”
“Hold on a minute,” Cepheus asked. “Did you just say ‘Underworld’?”
“Yes, I did. Why does that surprise you?”
“If we’re in the Underworld, then...wouldn’t that intimate that I’m dead?”
“You are dead, my boy. We all are.”
This winded Cepheus more than anything else he’d heard in the past week, and he scooted back into his chair. He was dead? So Arceus did end up killing him after all? But if that was the case, wouldn’t Deus be dead as well? Maybe that was how he’d left the note...but that didn’t make sense. Deus was waiting for Cepheus to come home – meaning that there was a way out of here.
“D-Did you just say that I’m dead?” Cepheus asked.
“Yes, I did. Why, do you not remember how you died?” the mayor asked.
“I don’t, no. But perhaps if you tell me a bit more about this place, it’ll help fill in all the gaps in my brain.”
“Of course. Orbit City is a city in the Underworld, where the people who want nothing to do with Spirits, Pokémon, or Pacters are taken when they die. When people die they are given the choice to go to one of two places – here, or the Spirit Plane. The people that come here are the ones who don’t like Spirits. As a result, we live here peacefully, free of their influence.”
“If that’s the case, then...there’s got to be a mistake. I myself was a Pacter when I was alive. Yet I wasn’t given a choice at all – I just woke up here and that was that.”
“That is odd. Do you think you know why that is?”
“I don’t have a clue, but one of the Watchers wrote me a note telling me what I was supposed to do here.”
“Which Watcher might that be?”
“It was Deus.”
“Deus...I know that name. He leads the Pacters in the real world, does he not? Many people here don’t want anything to do with him because of that status, but I know that Deus is a soldier of justice. And you say he gave you...some sort of mission to do here?”
“That’s correct.”
“This may explain everything...What did he ask you to do?”
“First, he told me to come talk to you and to ask about someone named Felicia. Second, he told me to talk to Giratina...who apparently is one of the Watchers as well.”
“Felicia...I remember a girl here by that name, but she vanished a long time ago. I don’t know where she is now. But Giratina...I can help you with that. Follow me.”
The short elderly mayor then got up from his chair and moved into an even more elaborate room, the walls decorate with all sorts of high-end artwork, such as paintings, sculptures, and even suits of armor near the walls. The mayor walked over to one of these suits, rotated its round shield slightly, causing a piece of the wall to slide back into the rest of the wall, revealing an elevator, which opened before them.
“Come this way, my boy.”
Cepheus did as instructed, and both he and the mayor walked in to the elevator, which closed and began to move lower down.
“What is your name?” the mayor asked during the descent.
“It’s Cepheus...Cepheus White.”
“Cepheus...the name means ‘king’. Maybe that is why Deus chose you. I will not forget your name.”
The elevator then moved slowly to a halt, and it opened up onto another circular platform, twenty feet in diameter. The elevator was connected to the platform via a large square column that led into another circular platform directly above Cepheus, 200 feet in diameter – the main body of Orbit City. Leading away from the platform Cepheus was actually standing on was a staircase, walled and railed on both sides, that spiraled ever downward and looked as if it had no end.
“Giratina is at the bottom of these steps,” the mayor told Cepheus. “Cepheus, I will be waiting here until you return.”
“Thank you very much, sir.”
Cepheus began to descend the steps, holding onto the rails as he descended. He wondered when the staircase was ever going to stop – it looked like it could go on forever and there would be no end to it. Finally, after about 200 steps downward, the staircase emptied out onto a semicircular platform, the diameter being 20 feet. Cepheus stood on the platform, looking ahead of him, but there was nothing else there. He waited for Giratina to appear, and after 30 seconds, a great serpentine dragon, about 15 feet long and having great dark spiked tendrils for wings, flew into view. Its face was covered with a golden helmet, revealing only blood-red eyes beneath it. Its body was mostly gray, but also had red stripes along its chest, and it had golden spikes protruding from either side. It had no arms at all, but appeared to be floating before Cepheus. It was staring right at him with a look that could pierce through a man’s soul.
“Who are you?” it asked, its voice deep and resounding – even more so than Deus’. Was a deep voice a trademark trait of a Watcher?
“Noble Watcher, my name is Cepheus White,” Cepheus said, kneeling slightly in awe of Giratina’s grand presence. “I have come here on the orders of the Watcher Deus, who told me what the purpose for me being in this place is.”
“I had anticipated your arrival, Cepheus,” Giratina replied, “and I shall answer your questions to the best of my ability.”
“All right...Why was I sent here instead of the Spirit Plane? Who is Felicia? Why did Deus write me a letter? And, most importantly...who killed me?”
“Deus wrote you a letter? Let me see it.”
Cepheus did as instructed and took the letter out of his pocket for Giratina to read, holding it up to the creature’s face. The undead dragon pored over it for about a minute before speaking again.
“I see. Return it to your pocket.”
Cepheus did so.
“Deus came to the Underworld carrying your body with him. He summoned me to take you here to Orbit City, as he himself cannot enter the Underworld, nor does he have jurisdiction here. He’d also given me the note as well, actually. I did as he asked and brought you here.”
“He couldn’t enter the Underworld? Why not?”
“Because he is still alive. Those who are still living are not allowed to enter the Underworld. He came as far as the entrance and no more.”
(He’s...still alive? Then that means Arceus didn’t kill him at all...)
“What of my other questions?” Cepheus said aloud.
“Deus most likely carried you here because of this Felicia person. I don’t know who she is – the mayor might know.”
“He said she vanished a long time ago from the city.”
“In that case, she’s living somewhere outside the city...and I think I know where. There’s a big bridge that leads out from Orbit City and it’s at least 300 feet in length. At the other end of the bridge are two staircases – one leading down, and one leading up. The one leading up takes you out of the Underworld; Felicia is most likely living down the other staircase.”
“So, there is a way out of here. But when I cross that big bridge, will there be anything that will jump out and attack me?”
“No. There are no strange creatures in the underworld, much less rogue swordsmen.”
“Wait, what?”
“...Never mind. In any case, Deus probably did not intend for you to die. There is actually a way out of the Underworld back to the real world, but many people choose to not take it and instead live a peaceful life here. But you...I can see the purpose in your eyes. You still have business to finish in the land of the living, do you not?”
“I do.”
“Then perhaps it is for the best you take this Felicia girl back with you.”
“And what of my last question...who killed me?”
“I cannot say, Cepheus.”
“You can’t say, or you won’t say?”
“Let me just answer you this...By the time that you leave the Underworld, you will know full well who killed you.”
“You say that as if you don’t want me to know.”
“It is a harrowing thought to know the name of your own murderer. That is why I do not tell anyone who was murdered the name of the person who slew them – it would fill them full of hatred.”
“But I have business in the land of the living. Could you not tell me the name of my murderer so I could avenge myself?”
“You wouldn’t be able to do so. Your murderer is...too powerful.”
(Then maybe my dream was true...maybe Arceus was the one who killed me, and his attack, although powerful, wasn’t enough to kill Deus, but at least severely wound him. But why would Arceus attack either of us anyway?)
“That is all I can help you with at this time,” Giratina continued.
“You have been a great help,” Cepheus replied. “I shall be leaving now to accomplish the mission for which I was sent here.”
“...Wait.”
“Hm?”
“Before you leave...On the path that leads out of the Underworld, there is a small detour that leads to a place called the Wheel. Before you exit the Underworld, I would like you to visit there – as soon as you do...you will know everything.”
“Including my murderer?”
“Including your murderer.”
“Very well...thank you.”
Cepheus then ascended the nearly-endless staircase back to where the mayor was waiting for him, and relayed all that Giratina had told him. The mayor listened to every word Cepheus said, carefully taking it all in, and as Cepheus left the mayor’s house to head out of Orbit City, the mayor gave Cepheus his blessing and wished that his journey out of the Underworld would end in happiness. Cepheus asked if he could possibly have supplies for his expedition, to which the mayor jokingly remarked that dead people didn’t need to eat. Cepheus smirked and chuckled himself, and with that, he headed out of Orbit City on his mission. Crossing the bridge out of Orbit City, he fully understood what he needed to do before he returned to the living: Find Felicia and discover who exactly she was, locate the Wheel and have all his questions answered, and then finally return back to the land of the living, where all his friends were waiting.
However, from now up until that point, Cepheus’ understanding of his current situation would be turned completely upside-down and thrust into total confusion...before being turned right-side-up once again. Nothing could have prepared Cepheus for what he was about to encounter in the Underworld...nothing.
Crossing the bridge took only ten minutes, but due to the length of the bridge and the expanse of nothingness all around him, Cepheus felt like the bridge-crossing took almost an hour. When he got to the other side, just as Giratina had said, there were two staircases – one leading up, the other leading down. The one leading up seemed to connect to a series of circular platforms and bridges that seemed to lead constantly upward, whereas the one leading down seemed only to lead to a single large platform – however, this one had a cubical house on it. Cepheus rushed down the staircase to get a closer look, and when he got to the bottom, not only was there a house there, with no windows much like his own, but there was also a gray rock there from which a stream seemed to flow forth. The terminus of the stream was at the very edge of the platform he was standing on, and at that point the river simply vanished. A wonder of the Underworld, perhaps? But why would the dead have any need of water?
Cepheus decided to knock on the door to see who was there, and much to his surprise he heard a high-pitched squeal on the other side. There was a 3-second pause, and then “Who’s there?” a woman spoke from inside the house.
“Is this the residence of Felicia?” Cepheus asked.
“...Who’s asking?”
“My name is Cepheus White and I was asked to come here.”
“Asked? By who?”
“A friend of mine.”
There was another three-second pause, and after that the door opened, revealing a rather young girl, only a few years younger than Cepheus and about eight inches shorter. She had bright pink hair, piercing blue eyes, and was wearing a beige sleeveless shirt and denim shorts. Her skin was very light, showing no evidence of tanning, and she looked like she was wearing blue tennis shoes.
“What do you want?” she demanded.
“Are you Felicia?” Cepheus asked again.
“I am...why do you care? Who’s the friend that asked you to come here?”
“I...don’t really know his name.”
“If it’s Deus, then you can forget it.”
“Wait, you know Deus? How?”
“How could I not? Seeing his face was the last thing I can remember before coming to this miserable place!!”
“What are you talking about?”
“That Deus is evil! He’s the one who killed me!”
Again, didn't have a chance to proofread.
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