Darkness in Light- Ch.23

Chapter 23: A Final Goodbye

   I looked up at Arceus with waterlogged eyes as he walked past me to Syrus' body. He stood there, looking at me.
   "What do you mean? What choice are you talking about?"
   Arceus bent down to Syrus and surveyed the damage. After looking over him thouroughly, he looked up at me.
   "I am the God of Pokemon, am I not?" Arceus explained. I looked at him, still lost in thought, as he bent to Syrus' head and seemed to nudge the body with his own head. As he did so, Arceus' body glowed, and the glow spread to Syrus. I watched, intrigued, at what was happening. Was this some burial tradition that would insure Syrus a place in the Hall of Origin? I began crying as I watched the burial.
   But then I looked on and my eyes widened. Syrus' tail twitched. His lifeless body seemed to gain color. The bruises and cuts all faded and healed, and his feathers were cleaned and shone silver. I held my breath as I saw Syrus' back lift then drop as if through breathing.
   "My choices just happen to hold a bit more power in them is all," Arceus said as he walked to Rayquaza.
   "Syrus?" I asked, actually thinking this was real. "Syrus, is that you? Are you really..."
   Syrus' head lifted, slowly, and weakly, but it raised up and he sat up. His wing went up and rubbed his head carefully, then he looked around.
   "What happened? That aeroblast...it really did destroy half the mountain. And Dark Arceus is gone..." then his head looked around violently. "Aurora! Where is she?!"
   I was behind him, and my heart skipped a beat as I heard his voice call my name. I stepped forward, as if in a dream, as I spoke. "Here I am..."
   His head stopped moving and he stood completely still. It was only a few seconds, but long, painfully agonizing seconds, before he turned around to face me.
   Our eyes met, and I began sobbing. I saw a tear fall from his eye as well.
   "Aurora?" he whispered, but I could hear. Replying was another story. Syrus leapt up rapidly and stood there facing me.
   I snapped out of my dream and flew at him, and he did the same. We collided and I threw him to the ground. We laughed and cried at the same time and he hugged me. I buried my face into his feathers as tears continued running down our faces. He began rocking me back in forth as he held me, and I just cried harder. This was the moment I had always dreamed of. The two of us together, him holding me, and we could live happily.
   I opened my eyes at the sound of scales rustling against stone. Rayquaza was sitting up, his emerald green coloring flashing in the bright sun that now shone through the clouds. He opened his eyes and looked around in a daze, not sure how he got there. Next to him, Ho-oh was stretching her wings, and they cast rainbow colors on the whole mountain top. She looked up at Rayquaza as he began hovering in the air, then she looked to Latios who was now getting up. Latios held his wing limply for it was broken, and Arceus gave it another nudge, and it was healed. Latios squealed with delight and flew around the area. As he passed over her, Moltres lifted her head and looked up at Arceus. Arceus moved to Zapdos, and Moltres watched eagerly. Her eyes watched in disbelief as Zapdos sat up, after she had clearly watched his death, and he looked around in total confusion.
   "Where the heck am I?" He said. "What happened here?! And what's going..." he shut his beak as he saw Moltres. She smiled and hugged him, and he just sat there, still confused, but then hugged her back.
   Arceus walked back to me and Syrus. Syrus looked embarrassed in front of the God of Pokemon.
   "Syrus," Arceus spoke heavenly. "You have yourself a wonderful friend. You must never lose that." Arceus looked at me as he said that. "Aurora."
   I looked up at him, full of joy.
   "I need you to come with me. There is someone I wish you to speak with." Arceus led the way to the stairway, and I followed, hesitantly. Syrus was about to come, but stopped when Arceus went up the stairs. I followed, and together, Arceus and I dissappeared into the Hall of Origin.

   The Hall of Origin was enormous. Pillars as white as snow lined the walls. Up above there was no ceiling, and so the heavens above were clearly visible. Arceus stood still and looked at me, making me stand still as well.
   "You said you had someone for me to meet...who? I don't see anyone."
   Just as I said that, a ray of divine light fell in front of me, much like a waterfall, and a figure descended down. I looked and saw that it was a lugia. It landed in front of me and the light faded, only the lugia was glowing, and was transparent, so I assumed it was an illusion of some sort. But I then stood back as I recognized the lugia.
   "Aurora," the lugia said. His voice was so familiar and I felt as though I was home.
   "Daddy?" I hadn't called my father that in forever, but I felt it was appropriate. "Why couldn't you have just waited until I got home to talk with me? You didn't need to go tell Latias to make an illusion for you."
   "Aurora-"
   "And I'm sorry I haven't been home! I've been so scared! But...why didn't you come to get me?"
   "Aurora I-"
   "Don't you love me? And now you can't face me, is that it?"
   "Aurora!"
   I was quiet as my father raised his voice, then sighed. I watched impatiently for his answer.
   "I...I'm not where you think I am..."
   "Are you in Alto Mare then?"
   "No...I'm right here...before you..." When I looked even more confused, he spoke. "I...I didn't last long after you left. My life reached its end, and now, I wish to properly say goodbye."
   My heart stopped and I felt my legs go numb. "What?"
   "You must know that becasue you are the heir, you are now the Guardian of the Sea. I pass the position to you."
   "No...no! You're just joking, right?"
   "I would never joke about things like this. Syrus, Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno all were there, and they all witnessed my last breath. And now, I wish to say goodbye. I have loved you, so dearly. And I believe you should know about your mother."
   I remembered what Zelgius had told me, so I prepared for the worst.
   "She was sick, very sick, after your egg was laid. She didn't last another day after you hatched. I didn't want to tell you, because you never seemed distraught by it. But now that I'm the only one who knew, and I havegone on, you needed to know.
   Zelgius lied. I should have known. "But daddy...I don't want to say goodbye!" I ran to him and was glad to find that I could hug him. We sat there for long minutes, but then Arceus spoke.
   "Aurora, I'm afraid you must go."
   I looked to see that I was no longer hugging my father, and that he was floating above me.
   "Don't worry, Aurora. Syrus will make a wonderful partner for you. I fully approve. I love you..." and with that, he was gone.
   I stood there, watching what wasn't there, but then Arceus led me down the stairs once again.

   I looked at Arceus when we reached the bottom.
   "Thank you, Arceus," I said, bowing to him. "You have taught me much, and you have saved all of them."
   Arceus bowed back. "You are welcome, for knowledge is the greatest power any could have." He looked on as Syrus came to hold me as I cried. "There is one thing I must ask. The mountain, and the island, and Cinnabar. They must be restored." I remembered how I killed the people of Cinnabar.
   "Cinnabar would never be fully restored, and you know...wait," I hesitated. "You can revive the people!"
   "You can," Arceus said. He gave me a small bag. "Open that over Cinnabar Island, after everything has been rebuilt, and the lives will be restored." With that, the stairs began fading as Arceus went back to the Hall of Origin, and all of us were left on the shambled Mt. Coronet.
   Moltres and Zapdos came over to us, and Latios, Ho-oh, and Rayquaza came too.
   "Well, you heard him!" Zapdos called. "Lets get cracking!"