The Messanger of Time

Chapter 25: Confrontation of Fate

It was often said among my kind that service means more than simply assisting with small tasks. To make a decision, to do the right thing...when no one else can.

I had never hoped I would have to confront my own overseer this way...

- - - - -

A few hours have passed, and Eriah is beginning to see the Northern Flare Continent ahead. The others have been quietly following behind her for the later half of the flight, as she appears to be growing more tense at the sight of Dialga's home. It grows darker, the closer they get to the massive island, as Vincent clutches Eriah in response to the distortion of time in the area.

To Vincent and Eriah, the effects of the distortion weighs heavily, almost unbearably. But even the others feel a discomforting tension as they approach the island. The presence of something this powerful sets their nerves on edge. The idea, not only that they are becoming a part of something far greater than they could've hoped, but that they are coming in the face of the deity of time himself- a creature that, to most in the world, has been spoken of only in legends. But Vincent knows well, Dialga is as real as any other pokemon.

As they reach the shore of the island, Eriah lowers down to land. The water which flowed freely in the vast ocean behind them has all but come to a stop, the waves flowing very slowly and subtly against the blue stone on which they stand. It's as though they've entered a fantasy, and all around them it seems as if the whole world had come to a stop. An eerie silence fills the air, so much that they could almost hear one another's increasing heartbeat in the shadow of what could only be described as a twisted deity.

Christina looks around while clutching onto Aerthos' back. In a hushed voice, she utters, "I don't like this place..."

Umbros is sitting on Larisa's back, scanning the area quietly as his blue rings flicker slightly. It would almost seem as if he were overtaken by the same force which has driven Dialga into this state, the very presence almost filling him with anger. Larisa tenses a bit and glances back at him with a worried expression, before Eriah speaks up.

"Time is growing further afflicted by Dialga's declining state. The longer he remains this way, the more of the world will be pulled into this, until paralysis swallows it entirely. I know of another realm which has been affected by this already. It is believed that his task will take him there."

Melissa glances over at the black dragon with a furrowed brow. "To another world..?"

Vincent nods slowly and jumps down, taking a few paces around, and Serenity leaps down to gaze around the area as he explains.

"We call it the Dusk Realm. The Spiritual Council is particularly watchful of it among countless other realms, including this one...Earthrealm. It is in the service of Arceus that we try to protect these realms to the greatest of our power. But unfortunately, not every realm was so lucky to be saved from the dangers that befell them..."

Christina shakes her head. "But how are we gonna get there? It's not like we can just walk on in. Realms aren't joined together physically...are they?"

Vincent folds his arms in thought. "It is believed that due to events which occured three hundred years ago, the Dusk Realm and Earthrealm have been intertwined. I'm not exactly sure by what, but I've heard that Dialga has been using this to link the two realms together with a gate of sorts."

Umbros eyes him suspiciously as he continues.

"It is theorized that coming to this place, one could cross over into the Dusk Realm and arrive at the location where Temporal Tower resides...Dialga's domain there."

Eriah nods in agreement. "The Hidden Land, as they call it. Lucas once told me of it. Apparently it used to go by another name, long ago. But he doesn't remember what it was."

Melissa blinks in confusion. "Who's Lucas?"

Vincent turns back to them. "He's another Messanger, like me. Supposedly, he's in this realm as well, trying to find a way to help with this task. I have yet to find him."

She nods slowly and then glances around. "...This is worse than the Spear Pillar event, isn't it?"

Vincent sighs. "If Team Galactic were a real threat, the Council would've sent someone here to stop them. This is far more than they could've possibly done with everything they had."

Christina jumps down from Aerthos. "So you're going to confront him? Dialga?"

Vincent nods to her before looking at Serenity. "Indeed... But to do that, I need you to stay here as well."

The Ninetales blinks, then lowers her ears in response to this, and he pets her head lightly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't risk you getting in danger either. We'll be back as soon as we can."

Serenity murmurs quietly and presses her muzzle into his hand for a moment, before he walks back over to Eriah. He looks up at the black dragon, who lowers down for him to climb back onto her back. Then the two turn to face the others.

"You'll wait for us, right?"

Christina nods to Vincent, and he looks at Eriah. "The Crescent Valley should be just ahead. Dialga will be there, guarding the Temporal Seal."

Eriah snorts and spreads her wings out. "I know this. I just hope we can do something to help him. We don't even know who or what is doing this to him."

"We have to try. There's no other option."

Eriah nods and, after a moment, she takes off into the air, heading towards the north while the others watch them. Serenity looks longingly as the two leave, only hoping that they'd return quickly.

The flight, while short, seems to feel like forever. Traveling across the desolate land of the Flare Continent with not a thing to take their attention off the forbidding silence. It's almost enough to drive someone crazy, and as they draw closer to where the Temporal Seal is, Vincent grows more tense- not only from the idea of facing Dialga in an even darker state which almost killed him before, but from the effects of the Seal which he could feel since he arrived on the island. He can feel the growing distortion of time, which sends flashes through his head and makes him grip Eriah's back for balance.

The dragon glances back at him knowingly, and he closes his eyes. Visions begin to run through his mind at a rapid pace. Visions of the Dusk Realm, visions of himself as an Umbreon traveling with Grovyle in the morning sun, visions of many places shrouded in timeless darkness. All of which can be changed...the fate of everything resting on Vincent's shoulders.

As they enter the valley, the flashes become more vivid, and Vincent can almost see clearly into what seems to be the future. The sight of various relics, some of which he recognizes and others being a complete mystery, become clear to him. A small stone engraved with an intricate pattern, a statue depicting a Groudon, an ancient shrine bearing five carved slots, several teal-colored gears...and then a black stone of sorts.

Before Vincent can ponder, his attention is ripped back to reality by Eriah's call, and then a deep, echoing growl. He opens his eyes to the sight of a tall cliff below them, standing behind what he has long known to be the Temporal Seal, in a distorted blue color. And standing atop the cliff, bearing a deathly glare with fierce red eyes at them, is Dialga. His colors have become so warped that he is almost unrecognizable. The lines which were a crystalline blue are a tainted orange, tracing along a dark blue- nearly black- body adorned with dull gray ridges and a chestplate bearing the gleaming red diamond long known to preserve the flow of time throughout the realm. But now, the same diamond is twisting time, bringing it into a spiraling collapse.

Eriah stares down at him wordlessly and unmoving. The Sylverstone embedded in her chest flickers dimly in reaction to the very diamond it was created from, almost seeming as if it were losing its power. The two keep their eyes locked on one another, as if telling each other unspoken words, one threatening and the other pleading for reason. It seems to be forever that the two are simply locked in place, as though they themselves were frozen in time.

Vincent looks between the two, seeing Eriah's intent stare at Dialga, and Dialga's own intense desire to take her out of the sky being held back by his knowing of the consequences. After a while, Eriah finally speaks, in a quiet tone much unlike her usual.

"Have you ever felt so powerless that you believe your very presence is pointless to anything going on around you?"

Vincent looks at her quietly as she goes on.

"...I feel like a child in a corner, pleading to her parent- begging him to come to his senses among his hatred and rage...his will overpowering her and all reason lost to the desire to erase all around him, including herself. Dialga is too far gone. There is no talking to him."

Vincent looks back at Dialga, with his unyielding glare focused on Eriah.

"Can't you do anything? The Sylverstone is bound to him. Surely it can get through."

Eriah shakes her head. "The Sylverstone is just keeping him from attacking, but I don't know that it's enough to bring any sense to him."

Vincent shakes his head as Dialga utters a low growl, which sounds as though it were emanating from all around them. It would seem like he is holding back, with every fiber of his being, the desire to attack them. But at the same time, Vincent can't help but feel that he might be testing them. Urging them to find an answer, almost pressuring them to do so, right here and right now.
"There has to be something... Dialga knew, all along, that there would be a possibility. What can you do?"

The black dragon tenses up slightly. With each passing moment her nerves are being set more on edge. She feels as though she were failing Dialga right now- that she's let her emotions get the better of her and she is unable to think clearly about what she can do.

Service without restraint...

Vincent moves forward to place his hand along her neck. "You know you have to do something, Eriah. You're the only one, at this point, who possesses the ability."

She furrows the ridges over her eyes as Dialga presses on his intent glare towards her. "I know, I-"

"Eriah..." Vincent strokes her neck slowly. "I once failed a task due to my emotions taking over and causing me to flee my home. I nearly failed this one for the very same reason. Emotion is a very powerful thing. Please don't let the same thing happen to you...to us."

The dragon growls slightly and shakes her head, her gaze averting from the deity's as she falters ever so slightly. At that time, Dialga utters yet another, more fierce growl. The feeling is almost unbearable for Eriah, and she recoils. Vincent holds onto her, trying to get her to calm down.

...Doing the right thing, when no one else can...

She closes her eyes and lets out a quiet breath. "I hate serving sometimes. Especially during a time like this. You might be stronger than be for being able to take such drastic measures."

Vincent furrows his brows a bit. He can't help but utter a scoff, as if she said something profound. "You know that's not true, Eriah. I'm only a person."

"And I am but a dragon. Another mere living creature in the same world. Believe me, Vincent. This is no small thing. For you to tell me something such as this, at such a time. For you to be here, pushing me on."

Vincent shakes his head. "I wouldn't be able to do it if it weren't for you. You've helped me just the same."

"Doing the right thing..."

Vincent looks back at Dialga for a moment. "It is service, after all. Whether we like it or not, we have to. No one else can."

Eriah snorts a little, then looks back at Dialga. "That sounds like a curse." She stares at him for a while, which almost seems like forever. At that moment, she seems to be trying to talk to him. But this time, she's persisting- trying to find an answer even as Dialga is acting like a brick wall, blocking her out.

"Vincent? I need you to hold on."

Vincent looks back at her curiously, and she turns her gaze down to the Temporal Seal below them.

"...This will be risky. But it may be the only thing that works."

Vincent eyes the large pattern on the ground, which glows a dull blue. "You're not really going to..."

"I need you to listen to me."

He nods and grips onto her firmly, and she turns and flies back a ways. Dialga watches her intently, almost daring her to do something. She keeps her gaze off him and is staring at the pattern without aversion. "Twelve...the start of the new cycle."

The Sylverstone begins to glow faintly, and the part of the Seal marked XII glows in response. Dialga growls lowly and begins to exert waves of power, but Eriah persists. "...Five, the intervals which form each cycle."

The part marked V begins to glow as well, and the Seal, in turn, flickers slightly. "These were the keys to open the gate to the other realm. Do you remember, Vincent?"

"The Dusk Realm... So the Temporal Seal was the gate all along."

Eriah nods and then flies down closer to the pattern, and Dialga growls deeply, exerting more power to try and throw her off balance. But she doesn't falter as she lands at the center of the Seal. She speaks up, her voice seeming to echo through the area.

My name is Eriah, the Guardian of Sylverstone. I have come to pass into the other realm.

The Temporal Seal flashes in response and begins to shine brightly, almost blinding them both. Dialga then roars out and disperses a wave of energy that throws the two back. Eriah flaps her wings quickly and regains her balance, while Vincent holds onto her tightly, nearly falling off her back. But it's too late for the deity to stop them, as the Seal has already begun its process.

Eriah flies away from the pattern and looks back at Dialga, who glares at them in rage, before he is obscured by a beam shooting from the center of the Seal into the sky. The beam expands to cover the entire pattern, and Eriah and Vincent look up towards the sky.

Vincent takes a few small breaths, the exerting energy of the Temporal Seal having its effect on him but he keeps his grip on Eriah. "It's establishing the connection, isn't it? To the Dusk Realm?"

The black dragon nods. "Once it turns blue, the link has been made. The gate will be open."

Vincent nods slowly and watches as the clouds above are dispersed in all directions, and the light of the beam becomes brighter. But an unexpected thing happens- one that sets Eriah on edge.

Rather than turning blue as she said, the beam fades to a deep purple and releases powerful energy everywhere. Eriah recoils from the wave and then looks almost in shock. "This isn't supposed to happen..."

"Eriah? What's going on?"

Eriah tenses and shakes her head. "...Chaos."

- - - - -

Back at the shore, everyone looks around with growing tension as tremors can be felt across the island. Umbros growls and the rings on his body flicker as he recoils and jumps onto Larisa's back, causing her to make a surprised sound. Meanwhile, the others are gathering on the dragons to try and escape the ground. Christina calls, "Serenity! Get on, it's too dangerous to be down there!"

The white Ninetales looks back at her with a worried expression, and Christina sighs. "What am I saying..."

Serenity turns back towards the north, and before anyone can stop her, she suddenly darts off. Christina shouts out and Aerthos flies after her, but is stopped when a wave of energy blows past them.

The Ninetales crouches to hold her ground as the pulse passes her, and then she proceeds on, intent to find Vincent at any cost. At the same time, Christina's attention is averted by a man's call, and she turns to see where it's coming from.

- - - - -

Back at the valley, Eriah is taking off into the air as the Temporal Seal releases vast amounts of energy, and Dialga is heard roaring out deafeningly before dispersing his own power. At that time, the light from the Seal fades away, and Dialga is nowhere to be seen.

Eriah and Vincent look around for a moment as the area seems to settle down, just a little. Now, Eriah has become worried.

"Dialga just passed through the gate."

Vincent looks at her with concern. "...To the Dusk Realm?"

She shakes her head. "Now I can't be sure. That wasn't any normal occurance. Dialga never told me just how he was forming the link to the other realm. But that energy...was not of any realm. It exists between the realms, in an unstable environment. Dialga did tell me about it once."

"Chaos..."

Eriah nods slowly, and looks around the area as the tremors start returning. "Now it's running around here... We have to go. The island is no longer safe to be on."

Vincent sighs as she turns off and flies back towards the shore. Along the way, they are careful where they are flying, as random surges of energy disperse seemingly out of nowhere. Some are weak bursts, but others would've been powerful enough to knock her out of the air and do a fair bit of damage.

As they are flying, Vincent notices something on the ground, and calls for Eriah to stop. As he looks closer, he is shocked by what he sees.

"Serenity!"

The black dragon flies down immediately to the weakened Ninetales. Vincent jumps down just before Eriah lands, stumbling a bit and then running to Serenity's side. "Dammit, Serenity... I told you not to follow us."

She whimpers softly in response, and he puts his hand on her head with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Vincent..."

Eriah growls lightly and looks down at them. "Vincent, now isn't the time."

He slowly nods and then puts his arms around Serenity, helping her to her feet and bringing her up onto Eriah's back. He then climbs on, himself, and holds onto the Ninetales. Shortly after, the dragon takes off back into the air and flies back to the shore.

It doesn't take much longer before they reach the edge of the island and see the others flying off-shore. As they pass over the ocean, Eriah turns around and the Sylverstone shines brightly, before the island's image distorts and blurs.

Now, it seems as though things have calmed down. Though it is clear that right in front of them, the energy is still acting up, now being confined on the island itself as if held within a barrier.

Christina looks over at them and Aerthos flies towards them. "What just happened?"

Eriah stares ahead at the island. "What you just saw was an unstable force being released from the Temporal Seal. We tried to open the gate to the Dusk Realm, but...what we didn't realize is that Dialga, and the Flare Continent itself, were overtaken by something we call Chaos."

"...Chaos?"

Vincent shakes his head with a sigh. "I've heard things about it. The Spiritual Council had documents on it since more recent times. Apparently Chaos exists in a place between all realms. It's not exactly a realm of its own, but at the same time it is. But we could never keep track of it to stop it when it acts up. It doesn't have a pattern, it's just..."

Eriah snorts in response. "Chaotic."

Vincent looks at Serenity, who is lying motionlessly next to him, and he strokes her back lightly. "Well this is great. Now we can't even approach the island without potentially being blown apart. Any hope we had of going to the Dusk Realm is pretty much lost unless we can find someway to stablize it."

Christina shifts a bit. "There...might be some way."

Vincent and Eriah look back at her questioningly, and she looks down.

"Before you came back, there was some guy who approached us. He seemed to know what was going on, but he never gave his name. All he said was to tell Vincent to go to someplace called the Tempora Archipelago."

Eriah blinks. "...It's been some time since I've been there. There's a Mew there by the name of Cereos, who guards the islands all by his lonesome. He's intelligent, but he's...rather hard to talk to at times."

Vincent looks at Eriah, then back at Christina. "Did you see what he looked like?"

"He was wearing all black and riding a Salamence. He had purple eyes too, if that says anything."

Vincent blinks and Eriah stares at her. "You know who that is, right?"

The black dragon nods slowly. "Lucas."

"Right... If he's going to the hidden islands, he must know something. Only problem is...they're never in the same place. They're always moving."

Eriah shakes her head. "The Tempora Archipelago has ties with Dialga. I can use the Sylverstone to find them, so it won't take too long. Lucas must've had help finding them too."

Vincent looks back at Serenity with a small sigh. "Alright... Just get us there and we'll figure out what to do then."

The Ninetales looks back at him, murmuring quietly as he pets her head. Eriah then flaps her wings and takes off, the others following. As she flies, she is completely silent, as she is using the Sylverstone as a guide to help her find the islands. They are looking forward to reaching them, hoping for any chance to reopen the gate so that Vincent can finally take on his task. This time, his objective is reaching the Dusk Realm, and he is intent on doing so, by any means.