It had all happened in less than a second. Fire rained down on them like the beginning of the apocalypse, scorching the bark of trees with the wisps of hungry flames. The ferocious canines swarmed the tree trunks like an army of ants. There were so many, all for the sake of slaughtering the woman and a young boy.

Dalma took off the second the Houndoom made their presence known. She weaved around fireballs and falling trees alike in an effort to make it out alive with her brother unscathed. Daelus meanwhile was holding on for dear life, pondering what would happen should his grip falter and he plunged to the river of canines below. The numbers he had seen back at his home were dwarfed in comparison to the ones he saw now. And the Houndoom were still coming, looking behind, Daelus could see an endless expanse of them, all rushing through the trees!

Dalma noticed this but something was off. She couldn't think clearly, as if a thin sheet of translucent fiber was enveloping her mind. From time to time, she could swear she saw the glimmer of said sheet through the light of the forest canopy. The sensation was almost nauseating, her stomach churned with each step she took, as if her body was trying to notify her that gravity was working at another direction. A look at her footing pointed out the same problem; she was traversing the forest canopy entirely lopsided, her balance was almost nonexistent. Everything was so disorienting and the confusion was getting worse. 'Wait... that's it!'

She immediately halted her movement on a thick branch in an attempt to right herself before avoiding a fireball heading her direction and taking off higher into the tree line. She soon found herself above the forest canopy, overlooking the sun reddened sky.

The sky was an extravagant bright red, while the sun bloomed outward a relaxing orange with yellow arcs that outlined the massive orb. The red blended in with the blue of the dark side of the sky, giving off a peaceful appearance of tranquility.

The moment wasn't meant to be enjoyed. Dalma could already hear the faint crackle of ripping bark as the canines began their trek up the tree. She had almost forgotten Daelus was still clinging to her, from his grip it didn't appear he was faring well. "Daelus!"

"What happened?"

She gave off a sigh of relief. "We fell under the trance of a confuse ray. Clear your thoughts, we need to move again." She stood a second to rest before the threat of incoming Houndoom was almost upon them and she took to the branches again. One of the dogs almost caught her ankle with its teeth.

That was close! Where did that attack come from? She thought, referring to the confusion that had befallen them.

As if to answer her internal question, an ice cold sensation slowly crawled up her back. She looked behind her to see the vague outline of a wide, demonic grin emanate from the darkness. Dalma knew just what this was. It hadn't learned its nickname "The Midnight Tormentor" for nothing. A glowing ball of tainted purple energy manifested from the creature's wide smile before it was suddenly catapulted towards the fleeing duo. Dalma barely managed to get out of the way before the orb exploded against a branch, sending a rain of splinters flying. Another orb was prepped and fired and Dalma had to avoid the attack once more. This happened for several more minutes before it was clear what the creature was doing. 'That Gengar is toying with us.'

She leapt to the side once more to avoid the shadow ball. Her movement was suddenly cut off as a round object stood in her way and as she lifted her head, her gaze was met by the Gengar's , malicious, blood red eyes.

Soon, Dalma's eyes threatened to close and she tried with all her power to avoid falling under the purple creature's spell. Her efforts were in vain as her eyes rolled back into her head and she slowly fell off tall tree with Daelus in tow.

Daelus could only scream in terror as they sped towards their plummet to the earth below. Seconds passed on like hours as they descended from the forest canopy.

This is it, Daelus thought as he cried to himself. If the fall doesn't kill us, that thing will.

Minutes felt like hours as Daelus waiting for the coming of his death. His eyes squeezed shut mid fall, clearly awaiting the impact. He hugged onto Dalma with an unfaltering grasp, hoping that they both survived the collision with the forest floor. Daelus waited and waited.

Eventually, Daelus opened his eyes. They widened in surprise when he found they were already on the forest floor, completely unscathed. He looked around to survey the situation, wondering if someone had saved them before they hit the ground. His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he looked around frantically for their savior. When he found nothing, Daelus blamed his depth perception for having misjudged the fall. He took one brief look around before attending his unconscious sister.

Daelus rolled his escort over, checking for signs of any physical damage. He sighed in relief when he found none, and gently tapped Dalma's cheek in an attempt to rouse her from her slumber. It didn't seem to work. "Dalma!"

He resorting to shaking his sister, but that didn't work either. "Dalma, wake up!"

No matter what he tried, Daelus' sister wouldn't awaken. She was trapped inside her own mind and he knew of no way to break her out of the spell. He attempted once more to revive his unconscious sister but a growl emanating from within the trees sent a chill down his spine. The forest itself was pitch black now. Any sunlight that drained through the forest canopy was now completely inexistent. Thus, the threat was nowhere to be seen.

Daelus hadn't noticed how dark it had gotten. He was so enraptured by his need to survive that he completely failed to register the growing threat the surrounded him, the darkness. He was deathly afraid of the dark, afraid of whatever creatures lurked in the shadows, things that he couldn't see that could maim him without a second thought. His eyes were wide open in terror, he could only see the vague outlines of trees within a distance of five feet. Anything further was completely obscured the darkness that swallowed him.

Daelus was beginning to hyperventilate from his irrational phobia. Although it was no longer the prospect of being trapped in the dark that frightened. It was the fact that there were creatures hunting him down, stalking him, which he couldn't see. The low growl came again and Daelus could swear he could see his breath within the cold air. He looked back to his sister's face but he could no longer speak. His words were caught inside his throat. His breathing came in trembling gasps and his face was stuck in a mask of pure terror.

He could hear them patting around in the earth all around him. They taunted him with heavy footsteps; reveling in the fear they plagued him with. Low growls could be heard from every which way, echoing across the dark landscape with the snarls of angry dogs.

As if the fear Daelus was experiencing wasn't enough, a lone figure began to slowly make its way towards the incapacitated duo. It took Daelus several frightened glances to notice the dark body of a Houndoom alpha through the pitch black. He almost missed it because of the coloration of its fur.

It revealed a scarred snarl, rumbling with a menacing growl as it slowly made its way towards them. Daelus could see smog billow out of its nostrils with each breath it took, lacing the area with wisps of smoke. It stood still for a moment, as if pondering the boy's fate, before revealing a ferocious snarl. Daelus squeezed his eyes shut once more as the creature growled loudly, taking off in their direction with the intent to kill.

The last thing Daelus saw was the glimpse of sharp white teeth.


Daelus could feel the Houndoom's canine teeth pierce the flesh in his shoulder before the pain finally set in. He fought against the animals jaws, raising a hand to clutch it's windpipe and cut off its oxygen. The sudden push caused it to relinquish its bite and fell back with Daelus holding its throat in a deathgrip.

An acidic rage fueled his mind, dragging him further into insanity as his mind played back everything that happened that dreadful day. He would kill them; tear them to pieces with the same mercy that they showed his village. The poisonous thoughts plagued his rational thinking, controlled only by the anger that he had kept locked away for so many years. He couldn't feel anything anymore. His mind was hazed with so much madness. He couldn't think, couldn't hear, see or feel anything.

He raised his arm, preparing to end the life of the creature below him in one quick strike with the blade in his hand. The world would be cleansed of the plague that was Rebirth. The leaders of the evil organization would tremble in fear when they met him. He would make them writhe in agony as he prolonged their deaths with the most morbid tortures known to mankind. Once Daelus' mission was complete, he would pin their heads onto stakes to show the world the fates of those who disturbed the balance.

With a bellow of pure unadulterated rage, he brought his arm down with no ounce of hesitation. He could almost hear the yelp of a helpless dog as he finally ended its life.

He could see himself do this, he wanted to do it. But despite his very being urging him to do it, he couldn't. It was unjust; the creatures were just slaves. The Houndoom attacked his village because they had been promised torture and starvation if they didn't. Rebirth had put the creatures through trials of agony, making them submit to their masters' twisted ideals all for the sake of doing their dirty work. Daelus could remember the captains when they arrived to the village, how they stood by and watched as their dogs did their dirty work. The sounds of blade against blade were miniscule in comparison to the sounds of hungry canines. They were not at fault, it was their masters. They were corrupt ones.

What had once been a land that was shared between humans and Pokémon was now wrought with submission and slavery.

Daelus' rage had now all but dissipated as seconds passed by. Eventually, the blade in his hand could be heard clattering against the wooden floor. He couldn't forgive himself anymore. He had willingly let these thoughts corrupt his mind, clouding his judgment and reasoning. It sickened him to want to kill, to maim, to torture. These were the very thoughts that could be seen in unstable survivors, those who endured the traumatic events of death but were not sane enough to join the Blades. Am I losing my mind?

It was several minutes before he finally gazed up at his quarry and his gaze was met with pair of green eyes. Eyes etched with worry, not for their own well-being but of his. Tears cascaded down his cheeks as the two stared at each other, both sides not willing to move.

It was several minutes before the moment was broken, Daelus reached forward to wrap his arms around his surrogate sister for the first time in many years.

"You still have nightmares?" Daelus didn't lift his head from his meal. Dalma was cooking stew for herself over a fire when the question came. Daelus quickly swallowed a spoonful before finally answering. "Yes, they happen every time I sleep."

"And I take it you still have insomnia?"

"I don't have insomnia I just don't like sleeping." It was a lie that Dalma didn't buy for one second. She turned around to confront him of his problem, causing Daelus to finally lift his head from his dish.

"Daelus, you do have insomnia."

"No I don't, sleeping just isn-"

"Let me finish." Daelus went quiet soon after, he might have been an assassin but she was still his elder sister. "You have insomnia; it's just in a different form than most. Your mind is trying to avoid the nightmares you have fallen prey to by negating your ability to sleep entirely. In a way, it is distracting you from your nightmares by maintaining you in a constant train of thought but the reason it's bad is because the less you sleep the more exhausted you get."

"It has its perks," Daelus said the moment she finished.

"Like what, pray tell?"

"During contracts, it allows me to stay awake at night in case of enemy surprise attacks."

"-and what happens when an attack never comes? Do you feel paranoia afterwards?" Dalma quickly cut in.

Daelus mulled her response over in his head. It was true. His mind would always be flooded with anxiety and he had a tendency to become severely paranoid after nights of high tension. "You're right."

"I know I am." A moment of silence passed by before Dalma asked another question. "How long has it been since you last slept? Before today, I mean."

Daelus winced at the question, knowing his sister wouldn't like the response. "Over a year and a half."

Dalma proceeded to strike him across the head with her wooden spoon. "A year and a half! Are you insane?! Do you know how much mental strain you brain has most likely been going through?!"

She brought her arm and struck him with the spoon again. "A year and a half, and you didn't look for any psychic Pokémon that could aide you with your condition, because it is a mental condition! No, you decided to soldier through it like a halfwit for A YEAR AND A HALF!"

The onslaught of pain didn't stop and Daelus could only protect cover his head to defend against his sisters rage. Daelus, a first-class hardened assassin, was being punished like a five year old. And he wouldn't dare talk back to his elder sister.

Several more strikes later, Dalma was back near the cooking pot while Daelus rubbed his aching head. It was incredible how much damage such a frail person like Dalma could dish out.

Daelus could only watch in slight amusement as Dalma swirled the stew furiously, an action he called Angry Cooking. This was a common occurrence in his old family household, mostly seen among his mother whenever Lukas exhausted himself during farming. Eris would then proceed to Angry Cooking, Angry Cleaning, and Angry Sleeping for the rest of the week. The thought made Daelus give out a sad chuckle, remembering his life before the invasion.

"Daelus, you have to understand, insomnia will slowly drive you insane. The anxiety will twist your mind to be in a constant state of paranoia, and if you don't get your problem fixed you'll slowly fall prey to madness," Dalma said and Daelus turned his head to look at her. He couldn't help but respect his sister for how quickly she calmed herself and returned to her old softspoken self, he missed that side of her. "If your awakening was any indication, you're likely already beginning to succumb to it."

It made sense. The thoughts that had corrupted his mind upon awakening were only a testament of his mental health; he could only imagine how the recent ordeal would affect him in the field. Dalma fixed herself a plate before taking a seat near Daelus. They ate in silence for several minutes before Daelus broke the uncomfortable atmosphere. "How have you been?"

"I've been well. This place is peaceful, very beautiful on good days."

"I can only imagine how cold it gets here," Daelus shuddered. "Have you run into any trouble with Rebirth here?"

Dalma swallowed a spoonful before responding. "No, not even once. My guess is that their slaves don't have the endurance to traverse these frozen lands, since they mostly consist of dark and fire beings."

The silence returned, although much more peaceful. The tension that had been surrounding them was now gone and it made room for more important questions. "Daelus, how did you get here?"

Daelus' mind was suddenly brought back to the last contract. He clapped his hands against his face in frustration. "Our latest contract didn't go all according to plan. My squad and I were performing a raid on the village of Aldam, we completed the assassination contract and saved the slaves, but as we were escaping the psychics that were helping us must have broken their concentration and scattered us."

"You were in Aldam?" Dalma asked with wide eyes and Daelus nodded. "Daelus, we're hundreds of miles away from Aldam! How many psychics were there in Aldam?"

"There were three holding facilities that held twenty to fifty Pokémon at once. We had emptied two of them before the village was finally alerted. The Pokémon in the third building were not so lucky, however," Daelus muttered somberly. "They had succumbed to the torture long before we had arrived; the only ones who had survived were a mother Lucario and her child."

"We had rescued just under ninety Pokémon, although some of the much stronger and larger ones stayed with us to aid us in our escape. In the end we had four psychics contributing for our escape while seven of the larger Pokémon defended our location, as well as several weaker ones who couldn't escape by themselves."

"I must have broken the psychics' concentration when the teleportation was initiated," Daelus admitted with a grimace. "Abel had them read his mind to send us to a location my squad had previously been so we could all be transported there safely."

"I fear we've all been scattered to different areas in this region, I'm not even sure the Lucario and her pup even survived the entire ordeal" the weary assassin cupped his hands over his face in frustration. "I need to regroup with everyone soon but I'm not very familiar with this land and it's dangers."

"Can you help me navigate out of this tundra? At least until we reach the closest nearest village so I can find quicker forms of transportation," Daelus asked his sister.

Dalma answered with a brief, "Of course" and a wide smile made its way to Daelus' face. "Fantastic! Let me get prepared and we'll-"

"-After you've fully recovered," She quickly broke in. The troubled assassin nearly face vaulted by the abrupt ending. He turned around to see her look at him with a mischievous smirk.

"Sister I need to meet up with them as soon as possible!" Daelus pleaded before he was cut off again.

"I can't let you travel without fully recovering first. The trek to the nearest village is dangerous and in your current state you'll only worsen your condition," her smirk was gone and was instead replaced with a small frown. It was only like a sister to be worried for her younger brother.

The thought made Daelus chuckle. Dalma's overprotective personality still hadn't changed. It felt refreshing to interact with his sister after so many years. "I'm not a child anymore, sis."

"Well you are to me," Dalma quipped. "Now eat. You need to regain your strength."

Daelus shook his head with a chuckle as he finished his meal.


It was only four days later that the duo finally set off to the nearest village; only through constant pressing from Daelus, of course. Dalma had finally deemed him fit for travel and they were nearing the first village via Dragonite.

It was the second day in when the orange dragon first revealed itself, and Daelus nearly had a panic attack. The creature had swooped to the grown and landing with a heavy stomp on the just beside Daelus, who had been keeping eye on the fire pit. The dragon released a deep, rumbling growl, brandishing its sharp teeth in an effort to scare off Daelus.

Well it worked, soon enough the human was being chased around the camp by an angry Dragonite.

It was only until an enraged Dalma emerged from her tent that the attack was stopped. After several minutes of explanation (and scolding in the Dragonite's case), it turned out that the Dragonite was named Kodo, and was the one that had saved Daelus from the river, much to the assassin's surprise. The dragon and human both had a laugh at the comical scene they had just created and became quick friends.

It took four hours to arrive to Galtic Village, their destination, due to the constant blizzard that surrounded the landscape. Kodo had to manipulate the blizzard several times to make safe passage; that along with having to carry two people at a time nearly caused him to collapse from exhaustion upon arrival. By the time they had arrived, the sun had disappeared along the horizon.

"Take nice long rest, we won't be leaving until tomorrow," Dalma muttered to said dragon, to which he nodded once before somewhere else to rest.

"This is place is quant." Daelus murmured, watching the people go on with their business. There were many men, women and children about the village. "Why didn't you ever make this place your home?"

Dalma passed him, heading to a nearby inn. "There's only one home for me," she muttered. Her words gave Daelus a sad smile.

They both entered the large facility and paid for their quarters. When the two found their rooms, they said their quick goodnights before heading to sleep. Daelus laid in bed in wonder. His sister hadn't changed much after all these years, but he could tell some part of her was deeply scarred. She was still quiet and kind but she carried an edge of her that had never been seen.

Daelus could only lay in bed thinking about the piece that was making his sister's life empty.


Dalma slowly opened the door and stepped into the empty hallway. Everything she had arrived with was strapped onto her person and the room was as empty as when she entered it. She swiftly crept her way through the barren hallway, careful not to make the slightest sound. The angry winds could be heard outside the inn, drowning out everything within the facility with only their voice. She was nearly past Daelus' room when his door opened and she stood rigid.

"... You're leaving again?" The tone of Daelus' voice was that of disappointment.

Dalma couldn't stand to look at him. The shame she had experienced from her last departure was beginning to creep up on her. "Yes."

Silence echoed within the hallway as they withheld speaking for a moment. The wind was the only thing they could hear.

"Was it too much of a task to say goodbye that night?" Daelus asked, referring to when she had first left him to fend for himself.

"It would have only hurt more if I did."

This backwards response made Daelus scoff in disbelief. "You would think that after what happened we would stay together as family."

"Your desire was to avenge Mother and Father. If I had stayed you wouldn't haven't grown to be the person that you are today, I would've only gotten in the way of your goal."

Daelus grunted in irritation. "If you didn't want me to be an assassin then why didn't you say anything! Do you know how destroyed I was when the only remaining family member I had left disappeared! Did you, even once, think of how I would react if you left?"

Dalma remained silent throughout his rant. "You want to know something?" The young woman turned her head to the side at his words. "I resented you for the longest time. As I grew older I despised you almost as much as the men who invaded our home. You, whom I had revered as a child for so long, were a target of my hatred for years. It was why I had strived to become stronger for so long. To prove to myself that I didn't need family like you to protect me and later leave me behind."

"A child's hatred shouldn't be directed towards his family, Sister. Especially when his family is all he has left."

The click of a closed door was the last sound that drowned out the wind, before the whistles stood prominent once more.