'Is that... is that snow?'

Daelus' eyes slowly fluttered open, the uncomfortable chill becoming too much for his tired body to ignore. His eyes widened when his mind finally registered the blanket of thick white snow that enveloped the area.

"W-What?" Daelus' teeth chattered from the bone-chilling cold. Everywhere, it was a large mass of white, the expanse reaching for what appeared to be miles. He couldn't see very far anyways, the snowfall was so thick.

"Tiryul! Abel!" His shouts went unanswered, not that they could be heard through the screaming winds.

There was absolutely no one around. Deciding not to ponder in the blizzard, Daelus made to pick himself off the frosty bed. The movement instantly caused him to buckle in unimaginable pain. Teeth clenching in agony, he looked down to the origin.

Daelus' abdomen was decorated with intense third-degree burns, the scorch marks stretching up to his solar plexus. His flesh was a deep angry red, most of it having been cauterized by the very thing that damaged it. The armor he'd worn to protect himself did nothing to shield his body from the grasp of the intense flames, some of the metallic surfaces even melted onto the fabric that held it all together.

Fortunately, as Daelus slept, the snow had numbed the irritated flesh to the point where it was bearable. Moving, however, caused the wound to sting once more.

A familiar plant suddenly crawled it's way into Daelus' mind, one that has been used to cure similar wounds. By grinding the plants leaves, one could extract a creamy ointment that, when applied to burn wounds, would stop the irritation and sooth the pain. A quick look at his surroundings however, diffused any hope of acquiring the plant; it grew in warm temperatures and always bloomed in places that were bathed in light.

This place was quite the opposite. The clouds hid all traces of the deep starry night sky and the snow blocked any topsoil from view, about a foot deep.

Daelus groaned in discomfort while picking himself up in shaky arms. As much as he desired to relax in the snow, let the chill free him from his burden, he knew the icy bed would be his grave. His feet felt like lead weights as he dragged them through the frost.

With nothing in mind but survival, Daelus walked. He didn't go any particular direction, just forward. He would walk until he ran into civilization, or until his legs no longer had the endurance to carry him across the frozen wasteland. All that was left was to just walk.

«Two Hours Later»

If there had been a village anywhere around all this barren snow, Daelus had clearly missed it. It felt like he had been trudging through the cold chill for years, had he not known how to keep time, he would have surely believed himself. He had long discarded the metal plated armor, the frozen steel only increasing the toll on his body. All he was left with now were his gloves, his weapons, and the thin sheet of scorched clothing that protected little against the cold.

Despite the time spent in this wasteland, hypothermia was only just beginning to set in. Daelus had lost all feeling in his hands and feet, and his legs themselves traveled at a Slugma's pace. Daelus' entire body felt delayed and everything seemed to move several times faster than him. Daelus realized this, however. He didn't need to be a survival expert to know that his body temperature was dropping.

Trying to raise his body temperature, he sped up, starting off with a clumsy jog which evolved into an even sloppier run, which evolved into a shaky sprint. A sprint that went no direction.

Daelus' belly stung with unconstrained pain, he powered through it despite how much his body begged him to stop. Clenching his teeth, he willed himself to move faster. His efforts were rewarded as his body began to warm from the strenuous labor.

Eventually, his body began to tire. Daelus kept on for as long as he could before finally coming to a dead stop.

He gasped in agony before dropping on his hands and knees. The burn was more irritated than before and flared an angry red. Pus drooled out of the injury in copious strands.

'This will definitely get infected,' Daelus thought as he lightly touched around the festering wound. The chances of him dying were very high, whether it was from freezing to death, an infected wound, or having an unfortunate run-in with a hungry pokémon.

The sound of an explosion snapped him out of his musings. The thundering sound echoed across the clearing with a rumble.

'Was that a bomb?' Daelus turned to all directions for the impending sign of smoke or a form of light over the billowing snow. His search came up short. 'If that wasn't a bomb, then what-'

His thought was cut short as he lunged into the cold, icy river. In his almost drunken stupor, he failed to register that the floor beneath the thick layer of snow had stiffened, not realizing that he had traversed nearly 10 feet across a frozen river.

His hand caught the edge off the ice out of reflex before the slippery glacier caused it to slip. And so he plunged into the endless current of chilling waters, barreling into into the riverbed's blunt stones.

In a desperate attempt to save himself, Daelus brandished his blade and plunged it into the amalgam of rocks and silt. His weapon skidded several inches before finding stability between some rocks. The current of icy water ever his foe, Daelus gripped the handle of his other short sword before impaling the translucent ice above him. His lungs were beginning to burn.

The glossy surface cracked only slightly. With as much strength as his exhausted legs could muster, Daelus kicked the wall of ice. The force shattered a hole large enough for him to fit and the broken shards rushed within the powerful current. Daelus caught his short sword just as the relentless current began to sweep it as well.

In a last ditch effort, Daelus dug his feet into the stones below, intending to use the riverbed as a springboard. Despite his mind fogged by the inherent lack of oxygen, Daelus kicked himself forward. The current was so strong, he was almost swept away by the endless risk of water, nearly missing his exit point.

His arms exhausted and body battered by his tumble across the riverbed rocks, Daelus hung on the slicked ledge of ice with everything he could. Eventually his need for oxygen overruled his need for rest and he forced himself up with all he had.

The rigorous current fought against his efforts with great strength. With his need to survive, he powered through the river's current until finally poking his head over the frozen surface with a desperate gasp for air.

With his lungs finally restored with much-needed oxygen, Daelus recovered his blade with an open hand, before slowly making his way on top of the glacier. He crawled his way on; entire body aching with exhaustion.

The chill of of the frozen surface caused his muscles to twitch in discomfort. The adrenaline quickly disappeared, and the remnants of whatever energy he had left faded along with it. The cold had numbed every nerve in his body, negating any sense of pain that he could of felt, this included the 3rd degree burn which he had forgotten about until now. His body was begging for rest.

Unfortunately for his exhausted body, Daelus reminded himself off the dangers of falling asleep in a tundra such as this. If he rested here, the rest would become permanent. He needed to at last find a cave for shelter.

Daelus, with shaking hands, picked himself off the shrouded ice. The more distant Daelus made between him and the river, the better. Her wasn't willing to test the glacier's durability. He couldn't even feel his limbs anymore, just the brutal cold that shrouded him.

Daelus felt for his short swords as he walked and elicited a relieved sigh. An assassin without a weapon was defenseless. These weapons were special, however. They were a gift from his deceased father, who had perished during the attack on his village. The blades had been passed down through generations, dating back to the Ancestral War. A gift such as this was irreplaceable.

His next step caused a shudder to crawl down his spine. There was that familiar sound of thunder, although this time it didn't even give Daelus a chance to elicite a cry of surprise. The entire platform of ice shattered into dozens of pieces, no longer allowing for any form of stable footing, and Daelus fell back inside the chilling depths.

He tried desperately to gain a grip on something but the glaciers were much too slippery. The constant rush of icy water only increased the difficulty. Daelus attempted to stop himself with the help of his short sword once more, only to be knocked out of the rocks by a large piece of glacier.

He collided with any form of solid mass that surrounded him, whether it was larger pieces of ice or the rocks that laid beneath, no part of his body was to be spared. The various lacerations patterned across his body were only a testament of what was occurring and the foamy rush of water was beginning to gain a redish tint.

After an elapsed time of being knocked around underwater, Daelus finally had the opportunity to poke his head above for a breath of air. His breath came out in shivering gasps, lungs burning.

It wasn't very long before Daelus had to duck his head back underneath to avoid being beheaded by a thick shard of ice.

He poked his head back out, trying to gain leverage on one of the larger platforms that drifted across the current. His efforts were rewarded with a moment of rest. The moment was destroyed when his fingers were crushed between his current platform and a thick shard, causing him to recoil. The sudden movement caused the small glacier to tilt, before he was plunged into the water once more.

Trying to fight the current was useless. Any attempt to grab at the riverbed was deterred by stray debris. Eventually, Daelus' struggle had to come to an end. A large boulder came into view ahead, but because Daelus had been forced into a roll against the rocky riverbed, he didn't get a chance to see it until it was too late.

At the speed in which the current moved, it was as if Daelus had run into it at a full sprint. The boulder struck the side of his head as he rolled and the effect was immediate. Static coursed through every bone in his body, numbing every one of his senses.

Daelus' vision shut down on him in an instant, and as he floated among the current, he was no longer conscious.




The fires wouldn't go out. The billowing flames accentuated the blood red horizon, unleashing waves of ash into the sky.

The invaders had come from across the hills, mounting Rapidash with Houndoom following close behind. They didn't waste a second in laying waste to the village. They lit the homes of innocent families aflame, the helpless civilians were still trapped inside.

Daelus had arrived from the water well several yards from his home, before he dropped the bucket at his feet. He could only watch as his neighbor, a boy only a year younger than him, was suddenly mauled by horned canines. The horrendous sight stopped Daelus cold, and no matter how much he wished, how much he begged himself to look away, his eyes stayed rooted at the sight of two large dogs ripping away at a boy's flesh. It was then that Daelus caught a glimpse of the boy's eyes staring back at him, cold and soulless, almost as if they were screaming at him to run.

Suddenly, one of the canines turned his head to look at Daelus, before it bared its been menacingly. At the sight of the flesh between its teeth, Daelus fell back, before quickly picking himself up and running for his life. The Houndooms followed closely behind, taunting the child for believing he could escape something far superior.

As Daelus ran behind a house, he was suddenly grabbed by the neck of his shirt. He began to fight the hand that caught him, until he saw who it was that grabbed him. "Papa!"

Daelus' father, Lukas, was well onto his early forties. His face was hard and rough, just like his build. Having fought in the Holy War, he was very well conditioned despite so many years outside of combat. Working the farm allowed him to keep his figure strong, while helping maintain a healthy psyche. He stood at six feet, two inches, weighing just under two hundred pounds of pure muscle. The man sported a scar beside his right eye from a stray arrow; which was used to remind himself of how fortunate he was to have a survived long enough to raise a family. There were small wrinkles beside his vibrant green eyes, a sign that he smiled constantly.

Despite Lukas' tough exterior, Daelus believed he was a great father. The man always helped maintain peace among the village people and constantly contributed his time to help with small favors. Overall, his father was regarded as a champion, not just within his family but among all village people as well.

Daelus was suddenly shoved to the side, causing him to land on his back, when a Houndoom peered the corner. The dog was quickly booted onto it's side before a hatchet met it's head. Other Houndooms noticed the fall of their comrade and they rushed in to attack.

"Daelus, go to your mother, she's gone to the forest!" Lukas shouted as a Houndoom tried to tackle him to the ground. As he shoved the canine off of him, he noticed Daelus remained unresponsive. "Daelus, GO NOW!

The boy finally registered his father's words and rushed onto his feet before sprinting towards the direction of the Forest of Genesis.

Upon reaching the forest opening, Daelus stopped for a second wind. In his distraction, he failed to noticed an individual creeping up from behind. Daelus' scream was muted by a hand and his entire body was suddenly pulled upward. A second, he found himself in a branch high above the forest entrance, staring into another person's eyes.

Eris Green had beautiful brown hair that traveled down her back before stopping at her waist. It gleamed within the sunlight, and accentuating her beautifully framed face and bright green eyes. She was a very well tired women, nothing could distort her great figure and, like Daelus' father, constant farmwork kept her frame in top shape. The dark leather armor gave her a deadly air of cunning, accentuated by the dark hood and scarf that obscured her face from view.

The young boy immediately recognised his mother's bright amber eyes. "Mama!"

His mother immediately silenced him with a hand before looking outside the treeline for any of the invaders. When she was sure there was none, she turned back to her son. "Daelus, why are you here?"

"Papa told me you were here, he told me to find you," Daelus quickly responded. "He was fighting Houndooms near home, if we go back we can help him-!"

"I can't leave, my presence is needed here." Eris measured her next words carefully. "You're father will be fine, he can handle himself well."

Eris new the both of them hadn't been in combat for years, just as much as she knew the village was severely unprepared for an invasion. While she hoped for her husband's safety, she was unsure he would survive this. His and the village's downfalls were inevitable.

The mother looked down to her son's face to see fresh tears cascading down his cheeks. He knew his father wouldn't survive. Eris didn't need to say it for him to connect the dots.

Eris quickly hugged Daelus close for comfort and her son immediately wrapped his arms around.

Their transfer was short-lived; the barks of angry canines echoed all along the area, making everyone's heads turn.

Eris looked to the side before muttering "Nico“, to which a figure in the shadows crept out from his perch. The individual's presence had gone completely unnoticed thanks to the complex designs that decorated his face and armor. The coloration of the designs matched that if the trees' grey bark, giving off that same aged look that the real bark presented.

Behind the disguise was Daelus' uncle, his mother's brother. Nico was a very thin, very stringy fellow who spent most of his days herding Mareep and Miltank with Herdier partners. On the times he was away from the herds, he spent it working in the mess hall with pastries, helping the village people with odd jobs and sometimes guarding the fences after sundown. Despite his fragile appearance, Nico was a dead shot when it came to the bow and arrow. Trespassers would think twice before walking into the stalls, pokémon or not. Also, his adept skill in artistic design allowed for the use of realistic images that could be implemented as decorations during holidays, or as camouflage for combat situations.

The knowledge Nico had of his homeland also gave him a nasty cunning for strategic planning, making combat seem like a ruthless game of cat and mouse. He was a master of traps, having created his first mechanism at age 10, which was still being used for catching food. With his strategic knowledge, trap mastery, and skill in ranged weaponry, Nico was a force to be reckoned with.

"On it," as quick as he showed his presence, Nico disappeared back into the shadows. The branches where he hid rustled slightly before the movement seized, and another tree, much taller than the first, swayed. Nico climbed to the very peak of the large tree before peering around, being careful to maintain his position unnoticed. A second later, Daelus saw him drop off the branch and disappear back into the treeline.

"Twenty on foot, ten on Rapidash. Fifteen Houndoom following close behind." The words came from Daelus' side and he turned to look into his uncle's hazel eyes.

"Hey there, Little Gible."

"Now is not the time," Eris quickly cut in. "Focus."

"Forgive me," Nico chuckled nervously.

Still holding Daelus tightly, Eris turned to her right before muttering a familiar name.

"Dalma."

Another figure wearing a similar cloak as Nico came out from the foliage. Upon removing her mask, the face of a very pale, red-haired woman came into view.

Dalma was one of the farmkeeps who helped maintain produce in the village healthy for consumption. She was a very quiet woman, only speaking when she had something to say and hardly commuted with other villagers. Some of the village children would sometimes mock the young woman for her isolation, nicknaming her the Red-Haired Witch or the Vampire Mistress. Despite these insults, Dalma never berated nor punished the misbehaved children.

Daelus, one of the few boys who had been taught to never judge a person by their appearance, was endeared by this young woman because of how soft spoken and kindhearted she was. He would often bring gifts to her doorstep, despite being insulted by other kids, just to earn a smile from Dalma, a very rare sight to see. Eventually, he began to see her as family, and his parents began to invite her over for dinner. This gradually caused her to open up, becoming more like an elder sister to Daelus than just another neighbor. She was still a very quiet person, but around Daelus and his family she was an open book.

"I need you to take my son further into the forest. His scent may give away our position," Eris commanded.

"-But mother!"

"No! This is for your own good! Dalma!"

Daelus felt arms wrap around him from behind. He had no chance to fight back before he was pulled into the thick foliage of trees. "No! Mam-!"

His cry was silenced by Dalma's small, pale hand and he could only watch with tears as his mother's face slowly faded from view, her sad eyes the last image that could be implanted in his mind. He reached to touch her, in vain.




"Eris," Nico muttered. His sister was still turned towards the direction of her son, her face obscured by the hood. "Eris!"

The only indication that she heard him was a small sniffle, before she cleaned away any trace of her sadness, not wanting to look weak against her peers. After she knew her face was presentable she turned back to all those who who listened intently. "We defend this forest! If any Rebirth fools attempt to enter, show them what the Shields of the Divine are capable of!"

All of the shadowy figures grunted in accordance before taking off into their perches, preparing themselves for the incoming fight.




The silence that cascaded over the forest was deafening. Even the bustling sound of wildlife suddenly seized to exist. The only sounds that broke the dead atmosphere was the creaking of old branches as Dalma leapt from tree to tree. Eris had chosen Dalma specifically to see to it that her son was safe, this was blatantly clear to her.

Out of all the Shields, Dalma was the one Daelus was closest to. Eris wanted whoever was to be Daelus' guardian to make him feel protected and secure. Anyone else would have likely caused him to bolt.

Dalma was also the most recent addition to the Shields, only having a month of training to teach her how to defend herself. Such a small amount of training would serve nothing in the incoming fight. The Shields also had yet to completely desensitize her of the act of killing. She had yet to spill the blood of an enemy and to do so now would likely cause her to freeze in the midst of combat.

Dalma had no more time to think on the matter; Daelus suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts with short, silent whimpers. "Why did she make me go?"

"Because she loves you. She wants to know you're safe so that she has no distractions when going into battle," it was sad. To Dalma, her own voice sounded empty, almost cruel.

"But I could have stayed far away," Daelus argued pitifully.

Dalma was quick to cut him off. "Enough! We both know that you'd only get in their way! The enemy has fire-breathing hounds, had you stayed you would've gotten caught in the crossfire!"

Despite the cruel remark, Daelus felt no ill will against her. He decided to remain silent however, lest he incur the wrath of his older sister once more.

Again they were forced to traverse the forest in dead silence. The birds that one sang to the sunlit sky were no more. The leaves that danced with the autumn breeze stood mute. Everything was quiet, everything was still.

The air was thick with dread. Dalma could no longer stand the pressure that surrounded her, and she finally stopped upon a thick branch. The dread surrounding her was unbearable, she could no longer breathe through the intense atmosphere. It was as if the world had completely stopped, waiting for something devastating to happen. It was clear Daelus could feel it as well. His grip on Dalma had tightened considerably. His body trembled in great fear as he flinched at the slightest rustle of leaves. Dalma made to comfort her younger brother, but...

... then it hit her.

'They followed us!'