Into The Unown

The Last Rights

Charlus had seen the film before.

He shook him—once, twice, thrice—as long as it took for Gary to finally wake up from his sleep and criticise him like he always did. But for some reason, Gary seemed intent on taking a long nap.

"He's just sleeping," he kept saying on repeat, "Dawn, just... he's just sleeping."

But Dawn wouldn't let go. She lay there cradling his son in her arms, crying. The air was filled with the after math of the explosion. Thick clouds of smoke mixed with particles of dust engulfed the four of them. Charlus's chest hurt, but his ears even more.

"He's just sleeping, Dawn." He repeated.

She looked up, her eyes bloodshot. "He's dead," she whispered. "There is no pulse, we've tried everything short of manually pumping his heart. Epinephrine and defibrillation doesn't work. He's... he's gone."

Charlus laughed. "No, he, he—" He wiped the dust away from Gary's face; his hands trembled as if one misstep might tear the skin off. Charlus pushed back his hair, and placed his knuckles on his forehead. Gary was cold. "You—you can't be—"

Charlus warned his hands before he touched his son's face again. He rubbed his temples, wiping the soot away from his skin. Gary had hated it whenever Charlus touched him. A few times he'd sneaked in the infirmary when Gary was injured and just sat beside his bed, cradling him in his imagination. A few times Gary had cried from the pain, Charlus had reached out, but his son had woken the instant his hands touched Gary's body. It didn't matter how deep a sleep he was in. He'd hated Charlus's touch.

Dawn stood up, and walked to the far end when Charlus pulled his son close. "I know I missed a lot. After your mother died—I—I bailed on you. I didn't do it because—I—I knew I wasn't a good person to raise you, that my father would do a much better job. It's not an excuse, but I—I am proud of the man you became."

His vision blurred and voice cracked. Charlus cradled Gary tighter in his grasp. As if holding him close keep his soul a little longer.

"Is..." his eyes met Calem and Dawn's. "Is there nothing you could do? Something with Aura?"

Calem, whose presence had barely registered, shook his head. "It doesn't work like that, right Dawn?"

Dawn didn't answer, but her eyes did.

"They won't save you, but you'll save them." She whispered.

Charlus half croaked and half sobbed. "What?"

Dawn's eyes widened as she quickly dropped to her knees besides Charlus. "When—when I was trapped. She—Cosmo—appeared to me in my dream. She said that she gave away her aura to Luke who was dying and—she told me that I will save them."

"Who's them?"

Dawn ignored his words. "Calem, what about our unown bracelets? Do we have them?"

Calem shook his head. "Dawn, you aren't seriously considering it? Gary—Gary died using those wretched things and you wanna do the same?!"

Dawns gaze wandered purposefully around the wreckage left behind. Recognition dawned on her face as it finally landed on a broken piece of metal. She quickly went to retrieve it.

"Step back," she ordered, Gary's broken bracelet in her hands, "both of you step back."

"No!" Calem spread his arm, towering over Gary's limpless life form, "no! I will not let you do this."

"Calem," Charlus called out, "I—I don't want her to risk her life either, but... but if there is any chance I can get my son back... I—I hadn't even wished him a happy birthday."

For the first time in his life, Calem was quiet. He sighed, retreating back to the ground. "If you do anything stupid Dawn, I—"

"She won't," Charlus's hand tightened around his sons body. "I... I will get her out before anything happens. I promise."

What happened next was a blur. Charlus distanced himself from Gary's limpless body, brushing his hands over his temple one last time.

Dawn gulped, her grip on the unown bracelet tightened as she towered over his body. "Aura isn't created," she turned to face Charlus, "Aura is within us, running through our veins."

Calem nodded, "It's harnessed."

"Yes, what is running through our veins and these bracelets... they're both different. I just need to harness my own Aura."

"So you'll use the bracelets as a jumper cable." Calem insinuated. "It's... it won't work."

"It doesn't hurt to try!" She cried, "Just... back off, the two of you."

Dawn closed her eye. Her hands shook violently as she grabbed Gary by his shoulders and pulled him close.

"You're alright," she whispered in her ears, "I won't let anything happen to you."

And so, Dawn willed. She willed her Aura towards Gary. She imagined him alive again, laughing, pulling her hair, calling her blue and arguing with him over anything and nothing all at once. As seconds turned into minutes, her grip kept getting tighter, she pulled Gary close until his chest was fused with hers.

"Come on, come on, come on!" She whispered, "Come on!"

Dawn called on to the Gods—the old and the new. She called on to Arceus, to Alessar and when all was lost, she called out to Cosmo.

"I..." tears clouded her eyes, but she still refused to let go, "I... I can't—"

"Let me help,"

In an instant, Charlus was beside her, wrapped in his hands were the broken metal rings which Mark had worn.

"It's a conductor of sorts," he said, "let's... let's try."

His hands settled over her shoulders. Charlus looked up to Calem, whispering, "You know what to do," before he took last look at his son, closing his eyes.

Charlus heaved a sigh. He had lived a life. He'd found a love, and lost it. But Gary hadn't.

Gary hadn't.

He ransacked his brain, trying to find something to latch on to, but all of his memories of Gary had been stained with blood and betrayal.

Charlus was left with nothing, but memories of him.

James was five with a broken teeth and crooked smile. He was dangling on the trees branches, calling out to him to join. When the scenes changed again, he was ten with Dex on his shoulder, holding out his gym batch in the blazing son. He was twenty soon, saying vows to his wife, promising to love her until his last breath.

Gary was the same age James was when he'd died. No... when he'd been killed.

Charlus was never meant to be a father, but James was. And he'd missed it all—his sons smile, first steps, graduation. He'd missed it all.

Charlus left it before he saw it. There was a warmth spreading inside of him. It began deep in his ribs, and spread outwards, painting him whole. Then... the symbols appeared.

"What is happening?" Calem braced himself.

Unown circled Gary's body, diving in and out of his body like children on see-saws. At first, Charlus had smiled. Whatever they'd done, it had worked.

But if their plan had worked... the horrid expression on Calem's face didn't add up. It didn't explain how violently he pulled Dawn away from Gary, holding her back as she kicked and screamed.

When Charlus understood what was happening, it didn't matter anymore. He looked down at his arms. His veins were shaded brown, providing a stark contrast to his skin. The blood under his skin twisted and turned, transforming itself into unown as it seeped out of his body and into Gary.

He looked at Calem. "Tell Delia, I'm sorry."

Charlus closed his eyes and hugged his son for one last time before he took his last breath.