Chapter Text
It’s a comforting silence.
You’re content to bask in it. There’s nothing around— just you, your thoughts, and the surrounding darkness that envelops you. What was before this? You don’t think you even want to know. But nothing could compare to this peace, this calm, this…serenity.
Wake up.
What?
Please, I need you to—
Wake up?
The very idea of this ‘waking’ feels foreign. What would you need to wake up from? This reality is far more preferable than whatever could be waiting on the other end. Wherever that would be. How do you know the silence isn’t making you hallucinate, anyway?
Elio, please. We don’t have much time. Look, I’ve already sent help, all you need to do is…no, no! It’s already returning!
Elio. Is that what you’re called? You’d been so caught up in the peace of this place that you hadn’t even considered the idea of being…someone. A name, a person, a…
With sudden, great effort, your eyes open.
Your back is on a soft surface, sinking into it just a bit. There’s a coarse, itchy material resting atop you, which you’re quick to kick off. Bad idea— now a chilly sensation crawls up your spine, coursing through your body, your arms, your legs. Your body trembles just a bit at the feeling.
And then your eyes drift down. Your body’s dressed in some black outfit, with a white collared shirt beneath it. The legs are covered with long black socks leading down to matching shoes, and when you lift your hands to examine them, they’re covered with long black gloves. At least those will keep you…whatever the opposite of cold is.
As your feet find the floor, you can feel a slight weight on your head, which turns out to be hair. Your hair. It’s long, quite long, reaching down to just above your knees. The pale brown (blonde?) stuff seems to trail behind you as you move.
“Mew?” A soft, high pitch sound echoes from next to you, and you turn your head. There’s a pink…creature floating next to you, its head tilting just a bit in what could be either curiosity or concern. Your gaze trails down to notice another creature - this one purple and shadowy - crumpled on the floor. The only sound to come from it is a weak “Gen…”.
“What.” Is the first word that leaves your lips. The pink thing, upon hearing you speak, lets out a happy trilling noise before flowing over to you. In its paw is a piece of paper, which it proudly presents to you.
…
The paper contains nothing but symbols and shapes that you can’t put together. Was this supposed to mean something? It’s incomprehensible to you. The creature, meanwhile, gives off another happy trill. Expectant, almost.
“Thank you?” Your lips tug into a hesitant, awkward smile, which seems to appease it just enough. The paper is quickly stuffed into one of your pockets.
After a brief moment, your gaze begins to wander. The space you’re in is small— just enough to hold the mattress you were on and a bit of walking room all around. Beneath you, the floor is cold and hard, much like the rest of the walls, and it’s all only illuminated by a single lightbulb above you. Huh.
How did you end up here? You can’t recall anything before this, except that voice in your head right before you got up. That just makes this worse.
The pink creature seems to be getting impatient, with one of its paws tugging on your sleeve insistently. When you take a step toward what seems like the door, it lets out a cry before firing some beam into the metal. It crumples like paper upon impact, leaving a gaping hole where it once stood. With that out of the way, the creature flies toward the opening.
What choice do you have but to follow?
With shaky legs, you begin to walk. They’re oddly sore, each step a reminder of the dull throbbing. You trail quietly behind the pink creature, which, fortunately, seems familiar with this place. The hall is as quiet as your room as you take it all in.
Dark walls, similar flooring, nothing but a few twists and turns. Is there seriously nobody else around here? You can only hope so— you’d hate for anyone else to see you in this position. The two of you pass by several doors, some open, some closed. They’re all empty. Have there been more people, just like you, here at one point? The idea makes you shudder.
It’s not long before the two of you reach a larger room. It seems to separate into multiple different areas— a staircase at one end, a doorway into a another room, and…
There’s a short set of stairs that lead up to a small elevated area across from you. As you approach it, the faint smell of metal trickles through your senses, and when you’re even closer, you can make out faint brown stains on the floor. Strange. What could have left that there?
You crouch down despite your best instincts, one of your (gloved) fingers scratching at the material. It’s hardened and crusty, but a bit manages to scratch off onto the fabric. You’re tempted to bring it to your eyes, inspect it more thoroughly—
“Mew!” The creature beside you squeaks once again, floating up to your hand.
“What?”
Without hesitation, the creature presses one of its paws onto your hand. A soft glow bathes the two of you for a moment, and when it finally fades, the creature lets out yet another happy trill.
When you look down, your clothes have completely changed. You’re now wearing a long, black robe with some red piece of fabric draped over your shoulders. You can feel your head covered by a loose hood. You’re quick to take a step back, the clothes swishing around you as you do so.
“What was that?” You demand, eyes meeting the creature’s. Your voice comes out far different than it did before this. Lower pitched. What did it do to you?! The creature seems to hesitate, at least, bringing you some sort of satisfaction. It’s which to materialize another piece of paper before presenting it to you.
…
This paper is just as incomprehensible as the last.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me.” You sigh, beginning to turn around and step back down the stairs. With a squeak that, this time, sounds dejected, the creature follows behind.
These clothes are significantly harder to walk in, but you manage. The next room, connected to this one by a doorway, holds an assortment of wooden boxes and shelves. There’s several loose items scattered all around— red-and-white balls, spray bottles, even some diamond-shaped yellow thing that sits comfortably in your hand. With nowhere else to put them, the items end up stuffed in your pockets.
After a quick glance around, you turn toward the larger set of stairs— more likely that it’ll lead to an exit somewhere. As you approach the top, the sound of voices echo over to you.
This room’s filled with people, all dressed in the same garments that you found yourself in. At that, you feel the slightest bit of relief that the creature did…whatever it did. Speaking of which…
You glance behind yourself, only to see the creature dive into your hood. It settles against your shoulder, barely out of sight. Hiding? Why would it need to hide?
Thankfully, the others here hardly pay attention to you. Must be the matching clothes. With soft, hesitant footsteps, you begin to walk further into the room. There’s another elevated area, much like the last room, though this time with two shiny statues on either side. The people around you are speaking to one another, you can hear them, though their voices are so hushed it might as well not matter.
“Hey, isn’t that the guy we sacrificed last year?” One casually remarks as you slip past.
Sacrificed? You don’t quite know what that word means, but, combined with the crusted brown material you found earlier, the word sounds…bad. Was that stuff once a person like you? Did you turn into that person? Is that what the creature did?
“No, dumbo. Probably his brother or something,” The one next to him snorts, before pausing as he sees you listening. “Chill out, buddy. At least your brother was useful— we got to meet Darkrai that time. Even if it was for a few seconds.”
‘Darkrai? What’s that?’ The question is on the tip of your tongue when someone brushes right past you. When you turn your head, you catch a glimpse of a woman, one with white hair messily cascading down her back and dark clothing. It somewhat resembles the clothes the others are in, though she isn’t nearly as restricted.
She ascends the staircase, stopping right at the top. The rest of the room falls silent as she turns to face the rest of you. As she does so, you can get a glimpse of her eyes— a bright shade of blue that seems to stare into your soul and beyond. After a moment of glaring down the others into silence, the woman speaks.
“We are gathered here today to once again make contact with Lord Darkrai,” She begins, voice cool and commanding. “Last year, we were graced with its presence, albeit for a short few moments. It has acknowledged us in our previous ritual, and so we must continue to offer it all we have.”
After a brief pause, she extends an arm and points to someone in the crowd. “You. Come forth.”
Everyone else turns to stare at the person chosen— someone cloaked in the same robes and hood as everyone else. As the room falls silent, you can spot him taking one step back, and then another. Is whatever fate that awaits him really that bad?
“Lady Persephone, please,” He croaks out, his words trembling. The fear in his voice…it hurts. “I have done all I could in the name of Lord Darkrai! Please, I—“
“When you first came to us, did you not swear your life to our cause?” The woman snaps, interrupting his words. “Have you suddenly decided to go back on that oath the moment you need to fulfill it? Come, and prove your devotion to Lord Darkrai.”
The man doesn’t respond, taking another step back. And then another. In a sudden burst of movement, he turns his back completely, accelerating into a run toward the back of the room. Shouts of alarm and panic echo throughout the crowd. Surprise, maybe? You can’t help but briefly wonder if they will truly let him flee. After all, he seems…scared? No, scared isn’t nearly strong of a word to describe this.
But he doesn’t get far, not before two other robed figures grab him— each grabbing him by an arm and dragging him back toward the woman. His words escalate to incoherent yelling and pleading, and yet…nobody in the room moves a muscle. His pleas fall on deaf ears as he’s dragged up onto the platform, before being loosely restrained with rope.
“Please, ma’am,” He begs, and when you look closer, you can spot tears pooling in his eyes. It makes your skin crawl. “I don’t want to d—“
Red sprays all over the platform as his neck is sliced.
Oh.
Your breath catches at the sight of his body hitting the floor, red pooling out all around him. You can faintly hear the sound of choking and gurgling, something like a ‘please’ leaving the man’s lips before the room falls silent. Is this what was supposed to happen? You can feel something burning in the back of your throat, threatening to surface before you clamp a hand over your mouth.
But you don’t have the right to be this upset, do you? You watched all of it play out, and yet, did nothing, so you shouldn’t be shocked that it ended up like this.
You could’ve saved him, couldn’t you? You should have.
And yet, you can’t tear your eyes off of the man, not even as the limp body dissolves into black particles, sinking into the red patterns on the floor below. It all begins to glow for a brief moment, and you can hear those beside you holding their breath. Waiting for something more.
But it all dies out as quickly as it started. The body dissolves completely into blackness, leaving behind only the red stains on the floor. The woman does nothing but stare down at the mess, before turning back toward the crowd.
“It would appear that Lord Darkrai has yet again deemed our sacrifice…insufficient.” The words roll off her tongue with disdain. “A shame. Weak both in mind and spirit.”
There’s a short pause, allowing the crowd to murmur amongst themselves.
“Are we gonna do another one this time?”
“Dude! She’s gonna pick you next!”
“Man, Lord Darkrai did not like his annoying ass.”
“Enough.” The woman finally speaks up. “His attempt at fleeing is what caused this failure. I expect that, next time, you all consider the oath you made to Lord Darkrai, and to yourselves. You are all dismissed— I have a prisoner to check on.”
As she steps down from the platform and walks right past the crowd, you can feel the room’s tension deflate, the silence giving way to nervous chatter.
Your body hardly obeys you, rooted in place as the other people begin to mingle around you. How can they act so normally about this? Why has nobody tried to stop this?
Maybe they’re all just like you. Too afraid to try anything other than watching.
Come on, Elio. You need to think of something. That nagging voice tugs at you from the back of your mind. You force your head to turn, staring back at where the man had tried to run. Maybe he knew where he was going when he tried to escape his fate.
Your legs finally begin to move, stepping toward the back area of the room. There— you can see another hallway that leads down to a door. This one’s got two statues, one on each side. That must mean it’s important, right? Against your better judgment, your walking pace turns into a run, clearing the hallway before wrenching the door open.
And then, fresh air.
You’re only able to make it a few steps away from where you came from before your body hits the ground. It’s rocky and admittedly quite uncomfortable, but you don’t care enough to move. The creature finally reappears, floating out of your hood in an attempt to not be crushed by your weight.
What was all that? Your mind swirls with thoughts as you try to put together what just happened.
Okay. You woke up back in that little room, with only that pink creature with you. It wanted you to follow it, right? Perhaps you would have been next— no, no. That woman mentioned a ‘prisoner’ to check on. Was that referring to you? It’s possible. If what she did to that man was any hint, you could’ve met the same fate.
Maybe that’s why the pink creature wanted to help you. But why would it even care?
Maybe it doesn’t want to feel like you. Maybe it didn’t want blood on its hands (paws) for not helping you when it clearly could.
Yeah. That sounds right. Your gaze turns toward the thing, which is floating beside your head in what could be confusion or concern. One of its little paws reaches out to touch you, and when it pulls back, you feel just a bit lighter. And cooler. That robe certainly was stuffy, wasn’t it?
When you look down, you’re back in your old clothes. How strange— but with how little you know about this thing, it could be perfectly normal.
But, back there…you still don’t quite understand what happened in that room. The others were talking about some Darkrai, and sacrificing someone in the name of it. Whatever this ‘Darkrai’ is, you’re not sure you want to meet it. And why would one need to be sacrificed in order to…make it appear? Why do these people want to see it in the first place? So badly, to the point of killing one of their own.
That poor man…
You shiver to yourself, the image of him being slain burned into your mind. How badly must that have hurt? He didn’t even have a chance to scream, just gurgle out some plea before losing his life entirely. At least that man took some action, tried to save his own skin, even if it was all for nothing.
What have you done? Nothing.
No…you shake your head. You got out of there yourself. That must mean something.
Come on. You need to go.
Why?
They could come looking for you, you know. Do you want to end up like him?
After what feels like an eternity, you finally pull yourself to your feet. The creature, who had taken to laying in your long hair, is quick to float back into the air as well. At least one of you is rejuvenated from that. After dusting off the dirt from your clothes, you begin to walk.
The area is huge, with tall trees looming over you from all angles. Light filters through the greenery above you, the warmth a pleasant change on your skin. There’s a trail to follow, at least, even if it’s just made of dirt and you have no idea where it leads.
Your head’s on a swivel the whole walk, eyes darting around at every little noise. Wings flap distantly above you, squawks and squeaks echoing throughout the air. There’s a faint buzzing throughout the area— other creatures, maybe? Like the one floating beside you.
Speaking of which, the creature is more than happy to follow along, its little tail swishing from side to side in what you hope is happiness. For some odd reason, that brings a smile to your lips.
After an indeterminate amount of time that, thankfully, feels rather short, you find yourself in a bustling area. There’s people - real people, not covered with cloaks and robes - milling about, paying no mind to you. When you turn, a bunch of small children run past you, a large piece of fabric being carried by the front one.
Compared to where you woke up, this place is…bright. Happy. Perhaps those people were just anomalies. Exceptions to the happy rule.
You take another hesitant step, glancing all around the place. You can spot houses, a garden tucked away in one area, and a large red-and-white building with a flag waving atop it. The dirt path gives way to a stone one instead, which clicks beneath your shoes as you walk. As your head tilts up, you can spot a banner— though you don’t understand what it’s trying to say.
Okay. You should probably—
“Woah!” Before you can think of a plan, another person rams straight into your body. “Sorry, miss! Didn’t see you there, and— wait, what’s that?”
The boy’s eyes zero in on the creature beside you, and with surprising speed, it flies away and back toward the treeline. Well, great.
“Was that Mew? The Mythical Pokémon Mew?” He immediately continues on, as if it were some big deal. Was it? You don’t know.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Is what you say instead. Your eyes remain trained on the boy, narrowing slightly in thought. His hair’s short yet messy, colored a pale white. He’s in a green collared shirt and brown pants, and his face is as bright and cheery as the rest of this town.
“Oh, okay, then. You must be here to meet the Augur, right? I mean, why else would anyone come here?” He brushes right past the previous topic, onto more things you don’t know nor understand. You briefly wonder if he can even hear you.
“I…guess.” You murmur. If he thinks you’re meeting this ‘Augur’, maybe it’s better to play along.
“Great! C’mon, everyone’s got work to do. The Town Hall’s looking for helpers, and we should chip in, too.” The boy quickly turns, pointing at a large, wooden building. “Over there! Let’s go, uh….what’s your name?”
“….Elio.” You respond shortly. As an afterthought, you add on. “What’s…yours?”
“Oh, I’m Damian. C’mon, let’s go before they run out of things for us to do.” As he sets off down the stony path, you’ve got no real choice but to follow behind. This can’t be any worse than what has already happened today, right?
You look around as you walk, noting the people already working. Flags, banners, cleaning up trash…you can even see a large table where an assortment of items are laid. Gifts? Maybe those are also sacrifices for this Augur. At least there isn’t bloodshed this time around.