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Frontier Town Frontier Town Outskirts

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"Not the first time I heard that tale. Did Alexander have anything to do with it?" asked Bellatrix. She didn't know what a 'Lunala' was but the concept of a light being sealed away into a void was more than familiar to her. "Even still, my point stands. The idea of multiple worlds existing in the first place only became a reality for me recently."
 
"Alexander is the Void King," Mhynt said flatly. "Well... almost. That title technically belongs to someone else, but he's... absent, and arguably also evil. The difference is Alexander is clever. I don't know why the dark force of this world favored him, but..."

She sighed.

"Yes. It must have been... overwhelming for you," Mhynt said. "I can't imagine the kind of eye-opening scope it'd have for you."
 
Bellatrix shrugged. "It became secondary in light of more... pressing matters. Some worlds, like this one, just seem more open than others, I imagine mine was more reclusive. You have an entity akin to Powehi in your world? A bit of a common theme as well it seems."

For a moment, the zoroark looked pensive. Between the dream encounters with Powehi and witnessing Alexander's capabilities, Bellatrix was convinced that she had a run-in with another one of their ilk back on Kythra, although why it seemed to hold a particular grudge against her was still beyond her at this point. A bit besides the point but she couldn't help but ask, "It makes me wonder how they manifest to begin with, why they manifest at all. What even is the point of them?"
 
"I have a feeling each world may have a different answer for you," Mhynt said. "For mine? My understanding is... his existence was a mistake. A flaw in the world that propagated as it continued to spin and spin. Basically, an anti-power, harnessed to go against Pokemon and their natural abilities. If Pokemon are beings of energy in a world bathed in light, then of course this anti-power is called Shadow." She crossed her arms.

"I have noticed, though," Mhynt said, "that despite how different it all is, you're carrying yourself well. Have a crisis of your own that hardened you? Back home, I mean."
 
"I have to," answered Bellatrix with a nod. "Because if I don't, it gives more ground for paranoia and uncertainty to run rampant and if at least one person can keep a level head, then the entire group can remain grounded. I am always trying to be that person." She brushed the hair out of her face to look to the sky.

"But yes, things have begun to take a turn for the worse there. Gradually, out of sight in the deepest pits of dungeons, but turning nonetheless." She closed her eyes with a sigh. "And it all seems to be pointed towards me in a way that goes beyond coincidence."
 
"Hm." Mhynt nodded. "Yet you're perplexed by why. Have you any history with... the strange, deep pits of Dungeons?" Mhynt inquired, relaxing more as she talked about... other things. Things that didn't pertain to Mhynt and her past.
 
"Recently, yes." She glanced at Mhynt and after taking a moment to find her words, continued, "One that had formed not too long ago and within, there were many things that I had never seen before. Such as living shadows - although different to what we saw in the quarry - and a shoot that glowed with prismatic light. But beyond that, I had nightmares of being chased down by a being of shadow, so very similar to the living ones I saw in the dungeon."

Bellatrix hesitated for a moment, then at the tips of her claws manifested an illusionary miniature of her nightmare. Dark and wispy with no discernible features beyond the suggestion of four limbs, a neck and a pair of white rings for eyes. Tiny red flecks that glistened in the sunset dotted its sides.

"I haven't a faintest clue," she admitted, "but it left me ill. Very ill. To the point where I may not survive. Nobody knows how or why and I was not in any state to speak so the best they could do was make me comfortable."
 
"I see... Dire indeed," said Mhynt with a pensive frown. "A shoot of prismatic light, you say?" She considered this, but then summoned her Leaf Blade and drew a few sigils and sketches. "What sort of light... And was it a particularly large shoot? A light like that..."

The sigil became more elaborate, like a great tree with long, trailing ribbons of light that nearly touched the roots.

"It could be a Tree of Life in its infancy."
 
"It would probably easier to show you," Bellatrix said, dispelling the miniature shadow to focus on the ground before her. The shoot flickered into view, stem and leaves aglow with a bright light that emanated a soft multi-coloured (though predominantly red) glow. Glittering moss that reflected the shoot's light surrounded it though it didn't extend more than a metre and height-wise it only reached Bellatrix's shin.

She looked at Mhynt's sigil and nodded. "I was surprised to see something growing down there at all seeing that the dungeon used to be a mine meaning there was not much in the way of light or nutrition for it. But it was able to repel those shadows, creating a 'safe zone' so to speak."
 
"Interesting..." Mhynt analyzed the illusion with a thoughtful hum. "It does give me the... impression of a Tree of Life. For it to appear in such a random place, though... Was that mine of any significance?"
 
"None that I know of. It could have been a sign, a lucky coincidence, or perhaps even an extension of the Tree." She certainly hoped that it wasn't the only one on her world given that she had accidentally swallowed it - a detail that she didn't exactly feel comfortable sharing. "Similar to a genet," she clarified. "Although it is all guesswork on my end."
 
"I see." Mhynt nodded. "Well... A shame you won't find any answers to that here. I imagine this world is far too different from your own." Not that they were likely to remember much of any of this when they did return.

She sighed. "I suppose, in the end, many of us carry problems on our backs, even when we're a world away from them."
 
Bellatrix straightened herself with a sigh of her own, dispelling the illusion. "We do, don't we? Ironic then that I thought this mission would be an opportunity to clear my thoughts of what was happening back there but its only made me think about it more." There a brief flicker of sadness crossed Bellatrix's features as she knew that Mhynt had to deal with far more than simple thoughts or nightmares. It made her troubles seem quaint in comparison.

"Until then, however, we can only continue to push forward and prepare for our eventual return to our respective worlds."
 
"...Yes. I believe so," Mhynt replied, followed by giving Bellatrix a more thoughtful stare. "So. I've been practicing my Leaf Blade and all the powers I've reawakened from it. What have you gained?"

Mhynt brandished her sword again. Bellatrix could see how, at its very edge, there seemed to be... more to it, as if touching it would try to siphon away her very spirit, should she touch it carelessly. It was unlikely to be the case, but perhaps it was an echo of Mhynt's world...
 
"As of late?" Bellatrix drew her own blade in response, holding it just in front of her. Spectral energy danced on its edges before it froze and solidified. She lowered it then brought up her off-hand, revealing a fine dagger made from that very same ice. "An extension of the freezing aspect of my ghost-type abilities." She quickly glanced at the dagger. "And, what I believe to be a clue. This dagger feels familiar to me. I don't believe it to be mine, as while my preference for weaponry lies within the sword, but I know that it is important to me somehow."
 
"A blade is a blade," Mhynt remarked. "As long as it's an extension of yourself, perhaps there is more to it..." She smiled faintly. "It's funny. I'm surrounded by people who seem to have memory issues, but mine are fine and whole. For better or worse." She moved her blade to the dagger out of curiosity, wondering how they'll react. "Any theories?"
 
"That it belonged to someone I knew but had forgotten," answered Bellatrix. "And the number of candidates from the fragments I have recovered are very few." She looked at the blade thoughtfully, watching the interaction between it and Mhynt's - she definitely felt something but wasn't able to pinpoint what, exactly. "Though I will say that I have been having an easier time recalling them here on Forlas than I ever did back on Kythra. Perhaps that is yet another difference between worlds."
 
"Forgotten," Mhynt repeated. "...Another with memory issues, hm? What do you recall about yourself at all? Because I wonder..." She trailed off. "There might be a pattern to why some people seemed to understand Owen, even when I couldn't, and..."
 
"Not a lot," Bellatrix admitted. "Perhaps the most significant was that I was once human and that, despite my current appearance, I was old. Very old, although I imagine 90 years is a drop in the bucket compared to half a century or so." A curious tilt of the head followed Mhynt's next statement. "What do you think it may be?" she asked.
 
"...That's just it," Mhynt said with a hum. "Being human. I know that... Owen once spoke of those kinds of bonds. Humans and Pokemon share a certain bond in how they communicate with each other--and some humans... can understand Pokemon in ways that nobody else can. Could that be enhanced here?" Mhynt theorized. "Just paying attention... close enough to Owen..." She was murmuring to herself, now. "Well... Just theories. But maybe it could help."
 
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