The Burden of Destiny | Sequel to The Aura Within

37 | Descendants

The time for battle approached much quicker than many anticipated. The Rota-Indigo Knights, along with their Kalonesian allies, had marched onward to the location where Claudius van Dyne and his remnants of the Obsidian Knights awaited them. They were all currently deployed at Northern Kanto, and not far from them was the Tree of Beginnings. While many didn't pay the location a second thought, Hope and Nicholas were the most cautious. After all, Claudius had revealed his true self in more ways than one: tyrant, rogue aura guardian, monster, and now the catalyst of the world's end.

Once the forces confronted one another, very few words were exchanged before they engaged in an all-out battle. This war was no longer about conquering Kanto nor was it about defeating the tyrant; it was about killing the enemy before getting killed. The way the Obsidian Knights handled themselves during this battle made it clear as day how devoted they were to their leader. Some would even go as far as to take lethal attacks for themselves if it meant Claudius could live.

Unfortunately for the Rota-Indigo Knights, Claudius's presence created a violent wind that swept everyone up. With the help from Raven's aura at his disposal, Claudius was practically unstoppable. He had quickly avenged those who sacrificed themselves for his sake. Their deaths would weigh on his shoulders until the end of time, but for now, he had one goal in sight: to steal the Ethereal Sphere.

Hope, Nicholas, and Riolu tried their best to track him, but it was almost impossible. Neither of them had this much trouble tracing an aura signature before, and quite frankly, it alarmed them. The overwhelming forces aside, there was so much land to cover in order to find them. Reluctantly, the three of them agreed to split up in order to continue to search.

Riolu's first instinct was the return to the Tree of Beginnings. He couldn't quite explain it, but he had a gut feeling that something wasn't right. The guardian Pokémon that scouted for abnormalities were nowhere in sight. In addition, the Regi Trio remained fixed and unresponsive once he passed through the cave.

The further Riolu walked into the Tree, the more uneasy he grew. Something was terribly wrong, and the voice in his head told him to rush to the heart as quickly as possible. Riolu ran as fast as his small legs could handle until he finally reached the heart. His crimson eyes widened upon seeing Mew on the ground breathing heavily.

"Oh no..." he mumbled as he rushed to Mew's side.

Riolu's heart dropped when he saw how much Mew was struggling to breathe. He placed a paw over Mew's forehead and winced when he felt how hot he was. It was a fever without a doubt, but why? Upon making physical contact, Riolu realized what was wrong with Mew. Someone who wasn't supposed to be here took something, and it was the very thing that the revelation had warned him about.

«» • «»

Hope didn't know where else to look. All she saw around here was an unending sea of trees with the occasional wild Pokémon and soldiers who strayed away from the battlefield. Very few of them were from the Obsidian Knights, which immediately ended with them being pierced by Hope's sword. She didn't have time to deal with them. Right now, she needed to focus on finding Claudius.

A sudden sense of paranoia urged her to halt in her tracks. Something in her gut told her, warned her, that there was a disturbance in the natural order of things. Her heart rapidly beat against her chest and an unpleasant feeling crawled up her stomach. There was definitely something wrong, yet she couldn't pinpoint what it was. However, the realization dawned on her the moment an intimidating figure stepped out of the sea of trees.

Hope's eyes sharpened at the sight of the monster behind her losses. Seeing his face clear as day flared a fire of hatred within her, but she held back her urge to slice his head off. Nothing good would come out if she just attacked him out of the blue.