The morning was silent.

There wasn't a single soul who roamed the village at this time.

Morning was silent.

The curious gales whispered in Daelus' ears as he walked in silence. The roads were clear of civilians, only the thick snow of the night's blizzard remained.

Despite the chilling temperatures, Daelus was not swayed. He simply walked on, numb to the cold around him.

Fate was a fickle creature. The finding of his sister amongst frozen forests was the last thing he'd ever expect. Although, he would have never believed how much his elder sister had changed. The kindest person in his life had changed into something he could no longer recognize.

He couldn't understand her reasons for leaving no matter how hard he tried.

She was no longer the fearless sister he remembered all those years ago. Now she desired the life of a hermit; to live in solitude, away from any form human interaction.
Because she was afraid.

Afraid of the men who had attacked us, and the many humans like them. She didn't trust people anymore; the nervous gaze she would direct towards the people at the inn didn't go past Daelus. She didn't trust people, because she was afraid.

Daelus understood her fear, he really did. What he didn't understand is why she let it control her. She let it cloud her judgment; let it poison her with the idea that all people were the same.

He almost resented ever seeing her again. The disappointment he felt as she saw her for the last time; it tore down the thoughts he once had of his revered sister. Now all that remained was the face of a coward. She was simply a coward.

At least Kodo was there to protect her. She was still Daelus' sister, after all. And he still cared for her, no matter how he felt.

After all, it wasn't her fault she was like this. Somebody else held that responsibility and Daelus would make them pay, and ensure that the world would not suffer the same fate while he still stood.

Stupid lizard better look out for her, Daelus thought with a chuckle. His sister was still his sister, and despite having changed so much, he still loved her.
________________________________________
Several Days Later

For once, it seemed things were finally going Daelus' way since the assassination.

Daelus had managed to run into a family that was willing to let him ride along till they arrived at Vayrgrim, a merchant city several days away from Galtic Village. The ride had been quiet and serene, the roads clear and peaceful.

“My name is Dalik. This is my wife Naela, and my two sons Christopher and Dylan,” the man of the family introduced his beautiful wife and nine and eight year old children. Interesting enough, the family had actually originated from the Aldam.

With exhilaration clear in their words, they mentioned how there was an attack in the village where several families were being held captive. With orders coming directly from their commander, the guards who had been keeping them in their homes quickly left them to fight against the unknown force.

Within the confusion, they had managed to steal several Rapidash and food caravans to escape the village while the soldiers were occupied. As they were preparing a figure with a group of escaped Pokémon had come by to aid them in finding all the individuals who remained before sending the families out of the village.

This quick description made Daelus laugh. "Ah, that Tiryul."

No wonder he took so long!

His outburst confused the escapees, to which he explained to them that his team had been the ones to attack the village. He mentioned that the entire operation was actually an assassination contract, however, in an effort to put a dent in Rebirth's slave count, they did a little extra and freed the Pokémon that were confined in holding facilities.

The family didn't waste a second in thanking him. They showered him with praise and thanks, but despite the pride he felt, Daelus had waved them off. He wasn't the one who saved them, it was his partner. Still, they thanked him again nonetheless.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you heading to Vayrgrim?" Daelus asked asked Dalik with interest.
The family man quickly spoke from the front of the caravan, "We have family in Vayrgrim that can aid us in beginning a new life there. It's known as the village of plenty, and being the center of trade routes between Frostip and Carrosta, it gains quite a lot of merchant traffic."

"The market there is also home to very rare medical herbs and since I dabble in the medical arts myself, we could profit by a lot." Naela popped in.

"Hm, sounds like a great plan," Daelus said before frowning. "If I remember correctly, don’t you have to travel through Aldam to reach Vayrgrim?"

The old man chuckled. "There's an old road that my family and I used to take before we were captured. We used it whenever we wanted to travel to other villages in peace. Called it the Daybreak Forest because the area is surrounded by an incredible view of flowers. During the sunset, the area is absolutely beautiful. Anyways, the road steers us clear of Aldam. The area is home to many strong Pokémon and only a select few know of the route so we don’t have to worry about encountering Rebirth on our way to the village.”

“That’s good to hear,” Daelus smiled. The rest of the road was traveled in relative silence. The entourage stopped every once in a while to prepare their meals, to which the family offered Daelus when his rations had been consumed.
After seeing Daelus’ twin blades, now and again the children would ask him for a playful game of swordfighting. Needless to say, Daelus always lost.

After a trek of three days, the group finally arrived at the forest Dalik had mentioned. It was quite different from what Dalik had described, however. The area was blanketed by a thick layer of fog, and almost nothing could be seen through the dark trees that enveloped the area. The forest entrance had an almost ominous gaze to it, the kind that would repel any weary traveler. As the group was entering, Daelus was beginning to get more and more suspicious of the surrounding area.

Daelus was about to question the family’s route of passage before the image they had portrayed finally revealed itself.

Daelus had never seen so much color. Yellows, greens, blues, reds, purples; all mixing together to create an ocean of color. Light cascaded through the open canopy, bathing flora with orange light and warming the area with the sun’s stunning power. The flowers seemed to perfectly combine with their color compliment, igniting the area with vivid patterns and intricate designs only nature could ever provide. Even the trees seemed affected, leaves lush with bright greens; full of color and life. The landscape was the perfect embodiment of life, there was no other example for it. The area felt so alive, it was overwhelming.

“Wow,” Daelus had been left ultimately slack-jawed. He hadn’t even noticed that Dalik had stopped the caravan.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” Dalik said as he rummaged through the back of the caravan in search of something.

“This is incredible!” the assassin exclaimed. He quickly went to help the man carry several blankets off the vehicle before taking another look at the landscape. “I’ve never seen anything like this!”

Dalik chuckled at the assassin’s reaction. “Ay, first time my father showed me of this place I was stunned as well.We’ll be setting camp here till the sun returns. I think it’s safe to say we’re all tired from the long trip, am I right?”

The family nodded at Dalik’s question and he passed them sheets to prepare for the night. He motioned at one of his sons to scavenge for firewood and Christopher quickly complied. The assassin could help but get worried. “You just sent your son out into the forest. Aren’t you worried he might get attacked by a wild Pokémon?” While it was rare, there was some occasions in which children would get kidnapped by something that was hungry.

“Most of the Pokémon here are quite friendly towards those who come just passing through. They usually only get angry whenever someone is defacing their lands, otherwise they welcome most travelers.” Dalik assured before chuckling. “In fact, the last time we were here Christopher had gotten lost. It was a while before a resident finally guided him through the forest and led him back to us. Gave us quite the scare when we saw Christopher being chased by something, only to realize that it was actually playing with him.”

The thought of Dalik and Naela’s reaction made Daelus chuckle.

Daelus was offered a sheet but he politely declined, he didn’t sleep much anyways. Minutes later, Christopher returned with a relatively large pile. He didn’t come alone, however. “Papa, Papa! I made a new friend!”

A small quadruped came from behind the boy’s legs, repeating its name in a subtle cry of excitement. The creature was short with a light teal coloration. It had pudgy legs with hands that had small claws for gripping. It had dark green spots all its body that seemed to match in color scheme with the large plant bulb that took residence on its back. It had a rather large head and wide mouth with small fangs that protruded from its upper jaw, and its dark red eyes seemed to glow within the shadows. “Bulba! Bulbasaur!”

Without skipping beat, Dylan rushed up to the little green creature with interest. “Wow!”

Dalik saw the boys’ excitement and quickly said, “Christopher, if you want, you can set the sticks down and play with your new friend. Dylan why don’t you join them?”
“Yeah!”

Christopher instantly set the wood down and rushed nearby with his brother and new friend in tow, hoping to play a game of tag in the near the camp.

Pokémon here seem awfully friendly. Considering what’s currently happening outside of here, that’s very strange, Daelus thought. Daelus quickly turned to his newest comrade and the only one truly knowledgeable of the surrounding area. “How is it that the Pokémon aren’t particularly bothered by outsiders?”

Daelus soon noticed the delicate procedure the old man was involved in and waited patiently for him to finish. Daelus had tried to offer and light the fire himself many times before, but Dalik always shot him down, calling it his method for relaxation and focus.

Dalik struck two dry stones above a thin kindling, causing it to spark. The spark gently ignited the thin fiber and he quickly set it beneath some collected firewood, careful to avoid a breeze from blowing it out. He blew gently on the small ember, covering it with thin kindling to blaze with fire. Soon enough, the fiber caught and a small flame began to set.

Within minutes, there was a fire blazing within a small pit, large enough to light a wide area but small enough so as not to harm the surrounding flora.

Dalik took a large breath before finally returning to Daelus’ question. “There’s an old legend that ties with this forest. Many years ago, before our kind even existed, there had been a war. None like you or I could have seen in our lifetimes. The reason for war remains unknown, whether it was for dominance or revenge is unknown to all of us. But it was a war of the gods.”

“Palkia and Dialga were the culprits. Their feudal war lasted several thousands of years, and all of the land was soon ridden with ash and smoke. Life seized to exist. Arceus, bound with rage of such misbehavior, bound the two beings of space and time with chains made of his Plates of Origin and they remained enclosed in their celestial plains for even more years to come.”

“Mew, the being of Life and birthmother of all creatures, was saddened upon gazing at the desolate lands that had befallen the world after such a turbulent war. With the intent of restoring the world back to it’s former beauty, she created a small creature, a guardian to restore the world’s flora. However, with Mew’s power alone, the creature didn’t have enough strength for such a task. Seeing such a powerless creature, Arceus showed leniency. He aided it’s creation by relenting the power of one of his Plates of Origin and giving the newly born creature the ability to revive the most desolate plains.”

“The creature immediately headed its mother’s words and travelled along the world restoring life to every blackened plain and forest.”

“It was years before the creature finally completed its task, finally exhausted from its lifetime of travel, it settled into a single area, where it peacefully awaited its death. Upon its last breath, Mew gave it a final gift and overwhelmed its resting pace with an oasis of flowers.”

Once it appeared Dalik had finished speaking, Daelus muttered, “You mean this is…”

“Ay, this is the fabled resting place of the legendary Shaymin,” Dalik said with a small smile. “It is said that this guardian; Shaymin, still protects this forest, safeguarding it from any being who comes with malign intentions.. Tis only a fable however, I know not if this is true for this is just a legend.”

"That's a great story, nonetheless," Daelus complimented. He heard small shuffling from the brush and he turned his head to watch Christopher and Dylan trudge up to the camp with exhaustion clear in their eyes. Dalik chuckled. “Your new friend really ran you boys ragged.”

“Mhmm,” the boys grunted as they dragged their feet across the camp before finally settling into their own laid out beds.

Daelus hadn’t even noticed how dark it had gotten. The moonlight that shone through the forest canopy was swallowed by thick fog, engulfing the forest with an eerie darkness the blackened everything outside the distance of the campsite.

While Daelus was no longer fearful of the darkness, seeing pitch black emptiness such as the one surrounding him made him nervous.

He took a quick look around the campsite before he noticed something. “Wait a minute, Dalik where’s your wife?”
Dalik was too busy tending to the Rapidash beside the caravan to hear Daelus’ question.

“I’m right here,” Naela said with a soft voice before her head poked out from within the caravan. “Just getting some reading done before I start the night.”

Daelus almost let out a sigh of relief. While he shared the family’s trust in the safety of the forest, things weren’t always what they seemed. For all he knew there was something lurking in the shadows just waiting for them to sleep.

That or an enemy had managed to follow them in to the forest and was planning to kill them while they slept.
Or it could be a member of Rebirth preparing to kill Daelus and recapture the family.

His thoughts drifted to countering strategies. Whether it be pretending to sleep and striking while the enemy was distracted, hiding among the trees and luring the enemy to his position, or just sneaking into the darkness and using the family as bait. As time went on, his strategies were getting more and more complex, all different ways to draw out the enemy and strike before innocent blood was shed. His brain was over-thinking things again. The thoughts that surrounded his brain were driving him paranoid, along with the anxiety of lack of vision from the darkness.

Within the course of ten minutes, Daelus had thought of exactly one hundred and two different ways to counter an attack from their position.

“What ails you, boy?”

Daelus nearly jumped in his seat at the sound of his voice. Across the fire was Dalik, staring at Daelus with wonder. “One should not be afraid of force that doesn’t exist. Fear not the being that stalks you, but the emotion of fear itself. There is nothing to fear here.”

Daelus watched the old man lay back into his makeshift bed before the man spoke again. “That look that crosses your eyes; I’ve seen it many times in all my years. It’s the look of fear. Fear of what lies in the future. Fear of where the enemy might reside.”

“You were just a child when it happened, am I correct?” the old man asked.

Daelus didn’t need to be a genius to understand what Dalik was directing his attention to. He nodded hesitantly.

“You were a child baptized by trauma, just like many others I have met; war children that have become cold and cruel from such trauma. I used to assume you Shadow Blades were driven by thoughts of revenge, but within you I see much more than that. What is it you seek?”

There was a long period of silence before Daelus spoke. “I wish to stop the Rebirth plague before it infects the lives of more innocent civilians. No human nor Pokémon deserves to suffer through trauma and enslavement. It’s as if human nature has lost its ability for compassion. I want Pokémon and humans to work together once more, not live as master and slave. I hope that by ending the era of Rebirth, compassion can finally be restored so that we can better the lives of generations to come.”

Silence followed soon after Daelus finished his heartfelt speech. It continued on for several minutes before Dalik’s voice could be heard once more. “You wish for the return of Pokémon and human equality.”

Daelus nodded at his assumption and Dalik continued speaking. “You wish for the humans to live amongst Pokémon with harmony as they did many years ago. If such a thing is what you seek, then I believe you can accomplish this. I must emphasize this as much as I can however; you must not let your fear and hatred cloud your judgment.”

“With fear comes hatred. With hatred comes revenge. Once you fall within the grasp of these two emotions, you may as well become the very Rebirth you fight. Even the kindest of souls may become corrupted, remember that.”

Daelus nodded in affirmation before he lay back against his against the caravan. “I’m not going to ask you to rest as I know that rest does not come easy for you. I will ask however, that you ease your mind amongst this place. This place is a safe haven. You have nothing to fear here.”

Those were Dalik’s last words before he laid his head back to sleep.

Daelus thought his words over carefully. They circled around his head as Daelus stared into the fire, calculation every last word delicately as to imprint them into the recesses of his mind. These words struck true within his being and the respect that he now felt for the Dalik had now skyrocketed. He couldn’t help but have a soft smile graze his features as he watched the fire dance before him with hypnotic motions.

Before long, his eyes began to grew heavy with sleep; his mind at ease for the first time in many days.