Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 49 - Burn Away

Amia stepped forward protectively. The first was followed quickly by a second. Soon, the momentum completely dissolved the paralysis she once had at the sight of Eon.

"Amia!" Star shouted.

But she didn't stop. She stood beside Owen and then held him on the shoulder.

"Mom?" Owen asked, looking down.

"Stay away from him, Owen," Amia said softly. She pulled him back.

"Owen," Eon said, "don't let her push you around. It's me! Don't you remember me?"

"You murdered Guardians like Owen," Amia said. "Forrest and Cara were—"

"They were dead long before I met them," Eon said coolly. When he looked at Amia, his body slimmed down into an exact copy, including her voice. "What kind of life is it to be sealed away, alone, for the sole purpose of keeping two dead gods in power? That isn't living. That's purgatory. That's prison."

Zena, on Owen's other side, visibly flinched. The Charizard eyed her, but realized why—what Eon just said must have resonated with her particularly strongly. He glanced at Star, but she was suddenly missing. He focused in an effort to find her; she was hiding behind Emily, who was nervously nibbling on her massive arm with her teeth. It seemed like Emily was ignorant to the full scope of their conversation; to her, it was just an argument between people she didn't know, taking place in her home.

Amia didn't break her stare. Flames the same color as Amia's blue arm enveloped her fist.

"I freed them," Eon said. "They are, literally, in a better place now."

"They could have been with us," Amia said. "They could have been happy!"

"Forrest was sick of living. He didn't even put up a fight," said Eon. "Star conveniently didn't have you speak to him, did she?"

"F-Forrest said that he wasn't interested in talking," Owen spoke up.

"Who told you that?"

"S... Star..."

Eon didn't reply to Owen. Instead, he looked back at Amia. "Cara is easily swayed by others. Star used her silver tongue to keep her in check, thinking that everything she did was worth it. But really, was it?" he asked. "Was it worth it, Star? You can stop hiding behind the Stormbringer now."

Owen blinked. "Wait, what was that last bit you said?" He thought he heard it, but then it left him as soon as it had registered.

Eon looked at Owen with a gleam of realization in his eyes. "Oh, of course," he said. "The Decree. You don't know what Emily is, do you?"

"I guess we don't," Owen said. "Arceus made it so we wouldn't. Even Emily doesn't know, right?"

"Know what?" Emily asked, nervously pulling her arm away from her mouth—a thick line of drool connected the two.

"Hmph. There's no point, then. You have to get stronger so you can resist Arceus' warping of reality."

"Is that a Decree?"

"Mysticism, Promises, Decrees—it's all the same thing." Eon shrugged while listing them off. "It all stems from the ability to warp reality to your will. Mysticism is localized to wherever the user is. Promises are rules between two Mystics, with the effect of breaking one resulting on the forfeiture of one's power. It's just another rule, with consequences. And Decrees permeate the universe, like a fundamental law of reality, no different than gravity. Which, as you know, Mystics can ignore, if they're strong enough. Same power, different scope."