Counting the Stars │(Lucario x Braixen) (Pokemon)

Chapter 1 - Darkrai's Guild

     [Soft warning: This chapter does contain several adult themes. Please read at your own risk~]

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     There was once a tale of a boy named Sulos. Sulos was a happy child, spoiled with love and encouragement from everyone he met. Sulos loved—more than anything else in the entire world—his little red flower, named Eisor.

     One day, Sulos forgot to water Eisor. Eisor withered away. So entangled with grief, Sulos could only think of one thing to do:

     He punctured his throat with a cutting knife.

-     XXXXX

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     The moon, so decorated now with a mist of cotton, hung lowly. Cresselia and the rest of the guild remained alert; no news from the dawn patrol for over seven and a half hours. They'd been tasked with a simple sweep across the borders long ago, but not a single 'mon returned.

     It was strange; situations like these rarely happened at Cresselia's Guild. Everything had a system here, a pattern so deceptively unique that every piece seemed to match the last. There was no conclusion, no sense of security whenever situations like these occurred; something was horribly forsaken.

     With dozens of men and women gathered around the plain, the ambient breeze bloomed confusion. Cresselia was at the head of the pack, staring into the sea with such a focus that—take the swaying motions of her fur—many may have assumed her soul lost.

     "What if it's the big bad Llik Clan, Papa..?" a small voice, soft and insignificant, swept along the breeze. The little girl was braver than those around her; she spoke on the fears of everyone.

     "Who told you that name, sweetie?" The dragon held her paw in his, squeezing gently. The Kirlia was huddled close to her father, quiet eyes gazing wondrously at the Garchomp.

     Everyone in Woodland District—the district closest to the outermost border, harboring a sea that led to the infamous Star City—knew of the gathering going on downstream, as well as their leader's appearance for the first time in near-months.

     Many new members—neighbors, friends, and families all coming in packs—were making their way around the field, all infected with the same silence and fear that riddled everyone.

     "I... I read their minds..." the Kirlia faced the ground. "Papa, who are they? Are they the ones that hurt Inferno and the others..?" The dragon remained still for a moment, faking a warm smile after a moment of thought.

     Such a question, in truth, had no answer. The vast sea ahead showed no signs of their crew's return; the flying-type rescue group had already gone in search of the explorers long ago, but not a single Pokemon returned. Without any updates for over an hour now, there was much reason to suspect the presence of a deeper threat.

     Of them.

     That would explain why Cresselia was here, staring intently at the ripples in the sea and voices of the night.

    "There's no need to worry, Amelia. They'll be fine," he promised, crouching low to rub the Kirlia's head. Amelia understood his gesture perfectly; she wouldn't find the answer she was looking for.

    Sighing, her bravery ceased, and she joined the others in a fruitless anxiety.

     Five minutes. Ten. Twenty-five... An hour passed. Cresselia had yet to move a muscle; she was only focused on scanning the sea, searching for something nobody else could find. Some gatherers had ditched the plain, watching from the comfort of their dens or swarming elsewhere.