Chapter 7: The Dream Wards

“This way now, quickly, we’re nearly there.” Alice the Absol urges Eric onward while keeping Riley steady on her back. She kept her gaze intently forward, striding through the forest at a brisk pace. Eric did his best to keep up, though given the circumstances, it was clear that he was getting rather tired again.

“Hey umm, Alice was it? Where are we going again? Or more rather, where are you leading us to?” Eric asks, panting a bit.

“To the village I live in. That’s where.” Alice replies, not yet looking back at the Eevee.

Eric was a little nervous at first, but such nerves would be quickly suppressed at the sight of Riley, who was looking very tired, holding his still wounded leg.

Fortunately, the trek onward would only last not much longer as Alice approaches a particularly large cluster of blooming hanging moss. She comes to a stop toward it & raises a paw, lightly pushing at it to see it would actually resist her touch for a moment. “Ah, here we are.” She then turns her body a bit to present the armband she was wearing & the emblem on it begins to glow. Eric & Riley would look in growing astonishment as the hanging moss would begin to glow in the same pale pinkish light that Alice’s emblem was glowing, then it would slowly begin to part, & they come to see a large clearing, & a little further ahead, the group would see a wooden archway, with that same pale pink glowing moss wreathed around it. Alice steps in, then looks back to Eric, having noticed he wasn’t walking forward.

“It’s okay. You won’t be in trouble. I can vouch for you if anyone were to ask.” Alice says calmly. “Please, let’s make haste. Your friend here is still hurt after all.” She says as she then continues onward.

Eric was quiet as he watched Alice move onward. He still couldn’t bring himself to move forward for some reason. He wanted to stay by Riley’s side, but he still couldn’t move his legs, as if something were grabbing onto them & holding him in place. Then, as a growing suspicion entered the Eevee’s mind, Marco would speak up. “Err, yeah sorry kid. You sure we can’t just wait out here?” Marco asks.

“What? Why!? I need to go in to make sure Riley’s okay.” Eric replies as he watches Alice continue onward. “Marco, is there something wrong? You seem weirdly nervous about something. What’s up?”

Marco lets out a slight grumble. “Bah screw it. Might as well say this now. I thought I recognized the armband that Absol was wearing but after seeing it glow in front of that thick patch of hanging moss, now I’m positive. She’s part of a clan kid. And not just any clan, it just haaaad to be none other than the Dream Wards – or the Dreaming Wards, or whatever! Whichever you prefer really, I don’t think they care.” Marco admits, sighing heavily at the end.

“Wait really? Alice is a member of the Dream Wards? Hold on, you make it sound like that’s a bad thing.” Eric remarks, glancing off to the side as if he were actually talking to someone next to him, despite the fact he clearly wasn’t.

“Well, I mean. It’s not, baaad bad per se. It’s just,” Marco lets out a small huff of exasperation, seemingly trying to find the right words to explain himself. “It’s just, the clans can be…. Weird. That’s all I can really say right now.”

“Weird? Weird how?” Eric tilts his head in confusion. “I mean, Alice is in a clan and it seems like she’s normal enough. What’s the big deal?”

“Hey! Eric, right? What’s the hold up?”

Before Marco could try to explain any further, the two were cut off by Alice calling out to Eric. She approaches the Eevee with a questioning look. “I brought your friend Riley over to our healing hut and he’s being taken care of right now. I thought you were following me? What’s up?”

“Oh! Umm, I’m sorry. Everything’s fine. I was just uhh, tired. Nearly fell asleep standing up.” Eric nervously chuckles at that, though Alice merely squints at him in return.

“Hm, if you say so…” Alice trails off as she briefly takes note of Eric’s eyes, noticing the different colors between them, though her looking at him gets cut short when Eric suddenly lets out a yawn. “Well, anyway, if you still want to, follow me and I can take you to where your friend is so the two of you can rest.” She spoke, giving Eric a kinder stare before turning around & walking ahead of him again.

“Yeah! I’m coming.” Eric replies, then glances down briefly. “Ya know, anytime Marco, I dunno what you’re doing, but walking would be nice. This is something that you’re doing, isn’t it?” As Eric says this, he could feel the strange force holding his legs in place recede, followed by Marco grumbling bitterly.

“Fine. Just don’t blame me if you wind up getting on this clan’s bad side.” Marco retorts before going quiet, leaving Eric somewhat relieved at being able to move his limbs, but also feeling rather confused & a little nervous. Regardless, he then moves forward, catching up with Alice as she leads the way.

“Anyway, I said this to your friend earlier, but welcome to Crescent Grove Village, home of the Dream Wards.” Alice turns to Eric briefly, flashing him a welcoming smile before walking onward.

Going further into this village, Eric could see it was quite a sight. What with it still being late into the night, the glowing hanging moss that lines the village was in much thicker patches than before, giving the whole village, which appeared to be decently sized overall, a beautiful pale blue luminescent glow that was mixed with the gentle rays of moonlight peeking through the foliage up above. Walking straight ahead, Eric would see first a very large hut that was decorated with pale pink & gold etchings & tapestries on the front & sides of the hut, along with a large banner that had the same emblem as Alice’s armband. Looking around, Eric would also see some smaller huts that are decorated in similar fashions to the larger hut. One hut in particular had more of the pink tapestries hanging over the front, & it had an emblem of a blossoming flower. Alice approaches this hut, then turns to Eric. “Right, here we are. This is the healing hut I took your friend to. He should be done getting patched up in no time at all.” As Alice said this, the two of them could see a warm pink glow coming from the edges around the door, along with some quiet whispering. “Well, don’t be shy. Come on in. Gloria’s very sweet” Alice would then go over & push open the door gently, letting it drift open before stepping inside.

“Uhh okay, sure. Who’s Gloria?” Eric asks as he follows inside after the Absol.

Inside, the two of them would see a Chansey wearing a pale pink robe with golden trimming, & on top of her head was a small nurse’s hat that had the emblem of the Dream Wards embedded on the front. A pale pink light was emanating from her hands as she held them over Riley’s cut leg, the Riolu in question was laying on a bed with his injured leg propped up slightly. He was holding onto his glasses as he watched the Chansey do her work.

“There you go dear, how is that? Better, or worse?” The Chansey asks, giving Riley a caring look.

“Better. A lot better.” Riley replies as he watches the wound gradually close on its own. “The pains just ebbing away. So that’s the move known as heal pulse, huh?” He asks, shifting his gaze over to the Chansey.

“Indeed it is dear. Learned it from me mum when I was smaller than you.” The Chansey replies with a small giggle. “It’s perfect for healing wounds like this, though you’ll be needing plenty of rest after I’m all done.”

“Hm? Why’s that? The wound is getting healed, so wouldn’t I just be back in fighting shape?” Riley asks, tilting his head in a curious fashion.

“The wound may be healed dear, but exerted energy can’t be regained. You could break an ankle running three marathons & someone casting heal pulse could fix up the ankle well enough, but you’d still be all sorts of exhausted from running those marathons. Does that make sense?” The Chansey explains.

“Umm, I think so…?” Riley looks down at his leg, it now appearing to be fully restored back to normal, as if a deep clean cut was never there to begin with. “I’m sure it’ll make sense to me in time. Probably.” He says & the Chansey nods her head.

“Yes I’m sure it will, which is why I strongly advise you to rest. Or you can learn what I’m explaining to you the hard way. How does that sound?” She asks, giving Riley that same smile, but Riley could sense a bit of a stern undertone beneath her caring demeanor, so he shakes his head in response.

“Uh, I’m good. Thanks ma’am.” Riley replies while he lays down more in the bed, getting himself comfortable. Though it would only be a second before he bolts up upon seeing Eric & Alice come walking over.

“Hello Gloria. How is he?” Alice greets the Chansey, who was in the middle of wiping her hands.

“Oh! Alice, welcome back dear!” The Chansey, Gloria smiles & strides over toward the Absol, giving her a small pat on the head. “Well thankfully, your quick arrival allowed me to quickly and efficiently treat his wound. He’ll be back on his feet by morning.” She says while she walks over toward a nearby chest & flips the lid open, taking a look inside. “Oh! Dearie me, it seems I’ve run out of Oran berries. Alice, be a dear and keep an eye on our guests for me please?”

“Sure thing, I got it.” Alice says while Gloria makes her way outside, leaving the three of them alone. After she leaves, Alice turns her attention back to Eric & Riley. “So, I’ll just cut right to it, what exactly happened that resulted in, well, that whole altercation?” Alice asks, her gaze on the two of them a bit more firm than before. “How exactly did you two find that lake? Even without being chased and attacked by some Bisharp.”

Eric & Riley look at each other briefly, then back to Alice. “Err, I honestly couldn’t say. We kind of just stumbled upon it, I guess.” Riley admits, shrugging his shoulders.

“But that can’t be! The only ones that would be able to find the lake are those who would previously have seen it or known about it in some way. And those that obviously know about it are members of the clans that live in these woods.” Alice retorts, narrowing her eyes further, as she dons a more skeptical look at the two of them.

“Umm, i-if I may Alice. I think I might have an answer?” Eric offers, looking rather nervous as Alice continues to have growing suspicions of the pair. “I mean I know it isn’t much, but I did happen to see a lake in a umm… a dream I had…?” Eric slowly pulls back a bit as he speaks, much to Marco’s chagrin but the voice decides against commenting at the moment.

“A dream you say?” Alice tilts her head in confusion, to which Eric nods her head. “A dream…” She repeats, her look now going from growing suspicion, to more intrigue & curiosity. “You saw the Crescent Lake in a dream. Can you describe this dream of yours? I would be curious to know more.” She asks, taking a step back & sitting down.

Eric looked a bit perplexed at Alice’s request, but he would nod his head. “Okay, sure…”

After a brief bit of time passed with Eric describing his rather memorable dream to Alice, the Absol listened intently to every word. She lightly scratches the side of her head with a claw, taking everything in & processing it all. “So you saw the lake while you and your friend were getting chased, just like what happened tonight. As you were going along, you saw a pair of eyes, then you got caught in front of the lake. And you could see it all so vividly. How very interesting. How could you have possibly visualized that lake so vividly despite never having seen it before?” Alice muses aloud, now looking over at Eric once more.

“I dunno. It all just sort of happened.” Eric replies. “I get weird dreams that also turn into nightmares from time to time. I’ve just sort of gotten used to seeing things I don’t recognize in dreams. But you know what I think is the weirdest part?”

Alice half-cocks an eyebrow. “What would that be?”

“It’s that I saw some pairs of eyes in the darkness beyond the foliage – two to be exact. One of them I think was actually your eyes.” Eric raises a paw, gesturing toward the Absol sitting in front of him.

“My eyes? You don’t say…” Alice blinks twice, then lets out a quiet chuckle. “We’ve never met until now, yet you say you saw my eyes in a dream. Is this supposed to be some sort of strange linking of fates or something?” She says in slight bemusement.

Eric merely shrugs before Riley suddenly clears his throat, getting the other two’s attention.

“Hey uhh, so I’m not really following all of this dream stuff, but I wanna say something. Two somethings actually” Riley chimes in, leaning forward a bit. “First off, eyes or no eyes, or whatever, I did want to thank you again Alice. For helping us both out of that situation.”

Alice nods in acknowledgment at that while Riley continues. “And the second thing is that the Bisharp we got attacked by, he had mentioned earlier that he was gonna try to do something to that lake of yours. Doesn’t that raise a red flag or two?” Riley asks but Alice raises a paw.

“Oh don’t worry, I was going to get to that.” Alice remarks. “But, that is a good enough segue I suppose. That Bisharp knew the way to the lake as well. And he clearly seemed to have some sort of impure intentions. This is something I cannot let go. Now I’ll be blunt when I say this, but are you two positive that you weren’t in cahoots with him for whatever reason?” Alice spoke, her tone getting far more stern than before as her eyes once again narrow.

“No! We weren’t! That guy just attacked us because he heard me!” Riley very quickly retorts, rising up to try & meet Alice but he winces as some lingering pain in his leg stopped him. “I think that Bisharp was definitely gonna try and do something, but because I interrupted him, which led to him chasing us, then getting interrupted again by you, we were able to stop him.” Riley explains, giving a slight grin at the end.

Alice goes quiet for a moment, thinking to herself for a short while. She looks at the Riolu & Eevee before her, a mixture of thoughts & feelings swirling through her mind. If there really was someone out there trying to tamper with that lake, there had to have been others. And if they were in cahoots, why would they suddenly turn on each other? Could it all just be some ruse that Alice unwittingly had fallen for? It was a question that Alice could not help having lingering in the back of her mind, as much as she did not wish to think this hard on. It had been some time since any outsider of any kind had ever shown up in this neck of the forest. The majority of them always simply read the sign & stayed on the beaten path & merely passed on through with no incident. Whatever the case for these two to suddenly appear, especially in the situation she found them in, something had to be up. She had to know. She wanted to put such potential troubles to rest as quickly as possible. But first things first, was figuring out these two.

The Riolu, he seemed energetic, a bit headstrong, but he seemed like a dependable sort nonetheless. The way Alice noticed just how often Riley would sneak little glances at Eric seemed to suggest that he did care for the Eevee’s well-being. His eyes, bearing a light brown, almost orange coloration, seemed to show only nothing but what he was currently focused on. Nothing in the way of inner planning or scheming or anything of the sort, as far as Alice could figure out. Her hearing would also focus on the light tapping of one of Riley’s fingers on the bed, a slow rhythm that she picked up on, but did not think much of.

The Eevee on the other hand, a bit quiet, clearly nervous. His body language seemed to suggest he keeps himself more guarded than he lets on, but she could not quite say for sure on why. His eyes were each a different color, which did intrigue Alice to a certain degree. She felt she had seen an eye of that shade of cerulean before but at the moment, she couldn’t put a claw on it. But despite that, behind those eyes, Alice could not sense malice. Mystery? A bit, though to be fair, any stranger would have mystery surrounding them. Anxiety? More likely, but she didn’t want to assume straight away.

Neither of them seemed to bear any ill will as Alice would look at the both of them for a few short minutes, gazing into each of their eyes.

“Well then,” Alice steps forward, her gaze now softening once more, but not completely dropping her guard. “I’ve decided, I’m going to put my trust in you two. But, there’s going to be something I’ll ask from you both. Will that be okay?” She asks, looking at the both of them.

Eric & Riley look at each other once more, then they both nod their heads. “Sure, yeah totally.” Riley says first. “I mean, that Chansey helped me out, and I would feel bad not returning the favor somehow.”

“Yeah, I’m with Riley. You already helped us. It seems only fair that we do the same for you.” Eric adds.

At that, Alice’s expression brightens as a warm smile spreads across her face. “Wonderful! Thank you! Now, as for what the help will be, I’ll let you know in a bit. For now, you two are probably tired. Get some rest okay? I have to go speak with someone important.” She says as she then makes her way toward the door.

After she leaves, Eric & Riley both collectively let out sighs of relief. “Geez… why was that so nerve-wracking?” Eric says exasperated.

“Heck if I know dude! That Alice, she can get intimidating. She really knows how to put the pressure on someone.” Riley remarks, taking a moment to rub the space between his eyes. “But hey, it’s nice that she trusts us. That whole situation was pretty crazy.”

“Yeah. I just hope nothing disastrous comes out of all of this.” Eric says as he makes his way over toward an empty bed & he climbs up onto it. “I dunno if I can even sleep now after all that. How about you Riley?”

Eric waits for a response from his friend, but after not getting one after a few seconds of waiting, he looks over to see the Riolu in question eyes closed, his chest softly rising up & down as he appears to have already gone asleep. “Wh-How!? How can he sleep so quickly!?”

“I mean, he did take a nasty hit for you kid. You remember that, right?” Marco chimes in, making Eric jump.

“Oh! Y-You’re right. He did get hurt instead of me. Again…” Eric’s ears flatten to his head before he slowly lays down.

“What’s wrong with you kid?” Marco asks, but Eric shakes his head.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Eric replies, closing his eyes as he tries to fall asleep. Marco lets out a low grumble, but after mulling it over, he decided to just stay quiet for the time being.

Meanwhile, Alice was busy making her way through the village of the Dream Wards, Crescent Grove Village was still a sight to behold to any outsider as she made her way toward the largest hut that was there, it having the largest tapestry with the Dream Wards emblem embroidered upon it. She takes a small breath, then pushes past the cloth door. Going inside, Alice was greeted with the sight of a large oak table in the center of a massive circular chamber, decorated with various items, mainly gemstones, candles, even a lovely, ornately crafted marble chess board. And at the table’s center, a large clear glass orb resting atop a large plush pillow. Alice looks past the table to the figure sitting on the opposite side, their back turned to her as they appeared to be talking with someone. Alice was about to say something before Gloria, the Chansey from earlier steps to the side. “Oh! Alice dear, hello again!”

At that, the figure turns & now facing Alice, was a rather tall, somewhat older looking in his years Noivern. He had on a set of pale blue, pink & gold vestments custom tailored to fit a pokémon of his stature, & the moment both the Noivern & Alice locked eyes, the Noivern’s eyes go wide & he smiles wider. “Alice! So good to always see you! Come here!” He holds his arms out for a hug, to which Alice chuckles & walks over, letting the Noivern embrace her for a moment.

“Hello Elder Reigan. Always good to see you too. There’s something I have to discuss with you however.” Alice says after pulling away. The Noivern Reigan nods his head at that & looks to Gloria.

“You can take your leave Gloria, Alice here will fill me in on the details.” Reigan spoke. The Chansey nods, then takes a bow to the Noivern before briskly leaving. “Well, I already know why you’ve come. Gloria filled me in on the gist of things. So we have some guests in our lovely little village now, do we?” Reigan asks with a cocked eyebrow.

“Yes, we do. I can of course explain in greater detail…” Alice says, & at that, she would spend the next few minutes explaining what she had dealt with so far in regards to her meeting Eric & Riley, all of which would fill Reigan with growing intrigue.

“Hmm, I see. So these two strangers were attacked at our lake, but you rescued them and brought them here.” Reigan summarizes & Alice nods her head. “Alright, allow me to ask you then,” He shifts a bit in his seat while Alice takes a seat nearby. “What do you make of all of this? What does all of this happening mean to you?”

“What do I make of all this?” Alice looked a bit perplexed at the question, but then she goes & closes her eyes in contemplation. “Well for starters, I don’t think Eric and Riley are bad pokémon. I think those two were in the wrong place at the wrong time.” She says & Reigan nods his head. “Additionally, I think there might also be something else at play here. Riley mentioned that the Bisharp they were attacked by, mentioned something about the lake. I think there are in fact more bad pokémon out there. Bad pokémon that wish to try and assault us, or something…” Alice mused, lightly scratching the side of her head.

“Hmm, alright…” Reigan trails off in thought, scratching his chin. “Well then if that is the case, then what do you think we should do about this?” He asks, which makes Alice jump a bit in surprise.

“What do I think we should do? Elder, why are you asking me such things? Isn’t this your job to figure out a course of action? I know Madam Mora is away speaking with the Lunar Saints, but even still. I’m not Lady Cresselia’s Left Hand ‘mon. You are. The safety of us Dream Wards could be at stake here!” Alice remarks, giving Reigan a bit of a terse look.

Reigan looks at Alice silently, before he lets out a low sigh. “I know, you’re right about that Alice. But you also know why I am asking these questions. Don’t you?” Reigan looks down softly at Alice, who in turn feels her terse look fall away to a more quiet, nervous one.

“I do… it’s just, I don’t know if I’m ready, or even worthy for that matter.” Alice replies, now no longer looking at Reigan. “I mean, I-I’m not even your….” She starts to shudder a bit in her words, before Reigan suddenly brings a winged arm around to pull Alice into another hug.

“Hey, hey now. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to suddenly drop something like this on you. But I am serious about this. I’m getting older, & I think you’ll be a perfectly worthy candidate. Ties of blood mean nothing when among a clan. Everyone treats everyone like family. You know that just as everyone else does here.” Reigan spoke, warmly embracing the Absol as she closed her eyes, gladly accepting the hug as she soon returned it, a soft smile on her face upon hearing the Noivern’s reassuring words.

“Thank you Elder. You always know what to say, don’t you?” Alice sighs softly, feeling much better now as she pulls away from the hug.

“Oh come now Alice, no need to keep with Elder this, and Elder that. Please, you can call me your Father.” Reigan replies, smiling warmly at Alice.

Alice on the other hand, gave a slightly awkward, but still well meaning smile in return. “I know, it’s just a force of habit, I suppose.” Alice admits in a sheepish tone. Reigan lets out a small laugh before he clears his throat.

“Right, back to the matter at hand though. I believe our best course of action for now though would be to wait a bit, and see what develops. You said that this Bisharp ran off after you intervened, correct?” Reigan asks & Alice nods her head. “Well if I had to guess, he might be looking to get some backup or something along those lines. I’ll send a few others to the lake to patrol it for the time being. I’d like you to continue to keep an eye on our guests, alright?”

“Yes, I can do that.” Alice says as she then gets up. “I don’t think those two are in cahoots, but better safe than sorry, right?” She asks & Reigan nods his head.

“Of course. Now, if there’s nothing else, why don’t you go back to them now? Keep an eye on them and I will speak to you further when things develop. Alright?” Reigan spoke.

“Well, I suppose there’s one other thing I’m a bit curious about, but that can wait for another time.” Alice remarks, keeping some thoughts to herself for the time being.

“Hm, very well then. Off you go now.” Reigan says with a small wave of a clawed hand.

Alice nods, then gives a bow to the Noivern, who gives her a gentle pat on the head in return before she makes her way out of the hut. “Oh, one more thing Alice.” She hears Reigan speak up again & she turns her head to him.

“Just remember, whatever may happen, I want you to know that we will always be proud of you. No matter where you go or what you do, the Dream Wards will always be family to you.”

Alice tilts her head down for a moment, then after wiping her eyes briefly, she gives another warm, appreciative smile. “Thank you Elde… Thank you… Father.” She replies before silently making her way out of the hut & back to the healing hut, where she would find her guests sound asleep. Not thinking too much on the matter, she would then take a spot near where Eric would be sleeping, curl up & gradually fall asleep as well & she would soon begin to dream…

As Alice would sleep, her dreams would gradually shift & flow. She would find herself at first, gazing out toward a massive snowy expanse, snow gently falling as she overlooked a massive sea of pure white, untouched by pokémon from all over. Looking to her left, she would see a massive mountain range, blanketed in snow & frost. Far off in the distance, she would hear the distant echoing of a whistle, one that belonged to a train, but she could not see where it was. Normally it would perplex someone, but this gave the Absol a sense of familiarity. Though before she could ruminate on such a scene, it began to shift as her vision was getting more & more encompassed by falling snow. The snow would then gradually turn to falling white petals, presumably from some flowers & after blinking her eyes twice, she would find herself standing in a dark forest. However this dark forest would soon come alight with rays of moonlight, & with that, the same beautiful hanging moss now blooming in the full moonlight. The Crescent Forest that she found herself calling home. A smile spreads across her face as she takes in the sights of the dark & light shades of blue, green, & silver all around her.

But then something else would catch her eyes, a faint red? Alice peers deep into the direction of this strange red glow, like a speck deep within the foliage. Peering closer, she takes a few steps until a loud whooshing sound would wash over her, & with it, a terrible heat. Alice staggers back as the scenery around her, quiet, soft & glowing, was abruptly replaced with an overwhelming, fiery red. Flames suddenly lapped against the thick trees all around her. The hanging moss was burning away like so much fine silk & dancing in the now ashen winds. In the distance, through the fire & flames Alice could hear a voice. “ALICE! HURRY!” She recognized it immediately as Elder Reigan.

“Elder! Where are you!?” Alice yells out, her gaze frantically moving side to side.

“FLEE ALICE! YOU MUST!” Reigan roars out. His form was still unseen which only made Alice worry even more. Alice begins to panic more, but then even through the chaos, she closes her eyes & composes herself. With a roar of her own, she swings her head to the side, lifts up her front paws, then slams them down on the ground & unleashes a large whirlwind, blasting a path through the thickening smoke to which she runs forward.

“I’m on my way Elder! Hang on!” Alice yells afterward, charging through as fast her legs could carry her.

Rushing through the suddenly burning forest, Alice would look on in shock at the sudden sight before her. The village, Crescent Grove Village, her home, was up in flames. The heat was getting unbearable at this point as she had to keep casting the move whirlwind, to ensure she herself would not suddenly catch fire, while also trying not to suffocate from the smoke. The more she looked, the more she would see bodies of former members of the Dream Wards, many of them horrifically burnt to the point of being unrecognizable. But the sight that would shock her most of all, was Reigan Noivern, battered, burned & down on one knee. He looked like he was on the verge of falling right then & there, but the moment the two of them locked eyes, a look of relief, which then turned to bewilderment was on Reigan’s face. “Alice!? Why!? I told you to flee! The village is lost!” Reigan says as he tries getting back to his feet, but he suddenly lets out a loud roar of pain as a blast of fire sears his back, causing him to collapse to the ground.

“ELDER!” Alice hurries to the fallen Noivern, a look of shock & horror on the Absol’s face as she could only stare at the fatally burned Noivern. She then looks in the direction of the fire blast to see only a strange wispy shadowy mass. “YOU! Who are you!?” Alice demands, stepping toward the dark shade, surrounded by flame. It seems to shift & writhe around in response to Alice’s question, but the only sound that comes out is an oddly distorted, indescribable noise, which makes Alice wince & shrink away from the shadow. “H-How dare you! I’ll make you pay!” Alice declares after recomposing herself. She got into a fighting stance, but she found she could not move her legs. Before being able to ponder why, the wispy shadowy mass lets out another distorted noise. At that, fire began to gather in front of the mass, & as Alice continued to try to move, she looked down briefly to see her legs partially engulfed in a dark, inky black void, rendering her immobilized. Panic rapidly wells up inside her as the heat would only intensify & she would look back up just in time to see a fire blast flying right toward her. And just as her vision became all encompassed in flame, darkness would then completely envelop her…