Story Notes:
Basically, I've been wanting to make a very long lasting series with lots of intrigue and such, and have finally come up with this. I like the story-line behind it, though for now I'm just going to post the first chapter to see just what everyone thinks of it. No sex until later chapters.
Chapter 7: Interrogation
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
The Eevee slept hard throughout the night, not dreaming, nor moving...not once. In fact, some might've thought he'd be dead if not for the slow rise and fall of his chest that went at a constant, steady rate. The day had been a rather eventful one, so naturally the boy was exhausted, despite not having much in the way of physical activity.
For once though...it wasn't a nip to the ear, or a kick to the ribs that woke him from his sound sleep, but instead the soft scent of freshly prepared food wafted across his nose, awakening the boy from his slumber. His blue eyes slowly cracked open to see that he had been placed in a bed, and a rather luscious one at that. Sheets made of some sort of fine, soft fabric covered his form, and he lay upon a plush, amazingly soft mattress that made it feel like he was sleeping on a cloud...and the stark, bleached white color made the metaphor almost seem a reality.
He blinked his eyes sleepily, and looked around, gazing at the rich surroundings that were bathed in a cheery glow from the open windows, letting the golden light of morning stream in and make everything seem bright and cheery. A small tray had been placed before him, on it was a plate covered with a napkin, and a bowl of water off to the side. His left paw rubbed at his eyes, before he scooted forward and tugged away the napkin with his teeth, revealing a loaf of bread that was slightly steaming in the bright light, showing it was freshly baked. A small bit of butter was off to one side as well.
His ears perked at this...he'd never actually had something this rich before...but he wasn't going to let the chance escape him. Syon's paws reached out and grasped the loaf, tugging it towards him, only to bite down on the end, taking as much as his mouth could fit, and ripping it off...chewing on the luscious bread. It was wonderful...the faint taste of honey and oats tingling his tongue as the treat seemed to almost melt in his mouth.
A soft whimper left him...he'd never had food this good, and it didn't take long for him to devour the entire meal and begin licking up the crumbs to make sure he didn't waste any. Not to mention clearing his resting place of the crumbs. When he had gotten the last one up, almost on cue, the door opened. He looked up, and saw an Espeon striding through. She gave the young kit a smile, the door closing behind her with a gentle psychic push.
"Hello there young sir." She said, her voice soft and friendly. "I believe you are Syon...correct?" The female asked, her head tilting faintly to the left.
The smile was infectious, and the little Eevee couldn't help the slight twitch at the edge of his lips as he replied cautiously, "Yes...I am. Who're you?"
She stepped forward and sat herself down close by in front of him...just far enough that it wasn't intruding. "I am to be your...babysitter, of sorts." She said, an eyebrow quirking.
Syon snorted softly and shifted so that he was sitting as well. "So you're here to make sure I don't get in trouble, nor cause any trouble...right?" The Espeon just nodded.
"I see..." He said, looking out the window at the city that was already bustling with activity. "So much for trust." The boy mumbled, his ears slowly splaying out.
The Espeon heard and sympathized. "It is not by your father's order. The Emperor and Empress decreed it. Your father had no other choice."
The ear facing the female perked. "...oh." He said softly, feeling a little embarrassed now. "Er, well...you know my name...but I don't know yours." He began, turning to look at her again.
She smiled. "My name is Illume, Captain-in-training of the Light Brigade." Her chin tilted up a little at this, obviously being quite proud of the station she was being trained for.
Syon smiled. "Well...can't say I've got a title other than Bloodgrass warrior in training..." He said, voice trailing off as she flinched at the mere mention of Bloodgrass. 'Ok...don't mention anything of my home around her, got it.' He thought to himself.
"I'd prefer you didn't..." She said, making the Eevee jump. "You think too loudly..." Illume explained.
"Mrf...well...don't read my thoughts then." Syon rebuked, his ears pinning back.
"I wasn't...you literally thought it out loud. It'd be like saying it at me...although anyone with telepathy probably heard you within a good radius."
The Eevee whimpered in embarrassment, his blue-eyed gaze turning downward to look at the crystalline flooring. "...sorry..." He mumbled, curling his tail around himself in a show of humility.
She shook her head and sighed. "Don't worry about it." The Espeon muttered, then shrugged and raised his chin with an unseen hand. "So, would you like to explore this place, or would you like to just stay here until you're summoned?"
He blinked a few times. "Summoned? For what?"
Illume grinned. "Well you're a guest in our palace, and from an enemy that was just soundly thrashed..." her merriment died away quickly as it was Syon's turn to flinch and almost break down into tears.
"Oh, I'm...I'm sorry..." Her ears splayed. "I keep forgetting...did you...did you lose any friends?" She asked, stepping closer.
Syon nodded. "Yes...a lot...there aren't many of us, so every loss is losing a friend and a comrade."
"Ah..." She murmured, now just a few inches away from the kit before she stopped...and sat down again. "Well...yes, the Emperor and Empress will want to meet you and int...talk to you about things from your home."
The Eevee shook his head. "I won't tell them anything. I'm not someone they can torture or bribe information out of."
Illume sighed. "Unfortunately, you won't have a choice...both of our rulers are Espeons, and very good at getting information...whether the pokemon in question is willing or not."
Syon blinked. "...how?"
The Espeon tilted her head slightly to the side. "Well...you see, we can literally rip information out of someone's head...like this." She said, a sudden splitting headache causing the Eevee to yelp in pain and duck down, his paws holding his head.
By the time it ended, he was shivering slightly and whimpering. "You see? I now know about...Ruby. Not much mind you, only a face and a name." Came the female's voice as she licked his head gently. "But with them...they'll want everything."
Syon whimpered softly and curled up, tightly, becoming a little ball of brown fluff with two large ears poking from it like antennae. "Th-they can't d-do that to me!" He said shakily.
"They can, and will..." A pause. "...and in fact...they want to see you right now." She said, and stood. "C'mon...follow me."
The Eevee shook his head. "N-no, I won't go to them just to have them rip memories out of my head!" but he obviously had no choice as something lifted his body up off the bed, and carried him above the flooring, out the door, and through a series of hallways.
He just hung there, whimpering softly out of nervousness...and a bit of fear, for what was to come. The Espeon was relatively good-natured for what was to happen to the little Pokemon, as if she honestly didn't worry too much about it. Whether this was due to a lot of conditioning, doing it herself, or just plain not caring what happened to Syon, he did not know, nor cared to find out.
They arrived at a set of large, white marble doors that had two very strict looking Hypno standing guard. As soon as Illume arrived with her charge, they nodded and stepped aside, the twin doors opening, then swiftly closing when Syon had been drug through.
"Ah...so this is the little savage." Came a cold, female voice from across the length of a humongous room, pillars of the crystal left to help support the cavernous ceiling. The lack of anything soft, besides the carpet, made the female's voice echo off the walls, giving it an almost god-like tone; as was the purpose, of course.
"Yes Empress Sola. This is Syon." Illume said, her voice still soft...though somewhat more formal now that she was in the presence of her rulers.
Syon came to the floor in an unceremonious heap as the invisible thing holding him suddenly disappeared, and he hit the carpeted floor with a startle yip. An amused chortle echoed throughout the chamber as the Eevee stood and looked up.
Far from where he stood, lay two Espeons...of very large size and stature. They were unbelievably large, each roughly about the size of an Absol. For Espeons...they were giants. Syon made sure not to think anything, lest they hear it.
"Come closer boy, don't be shy..." The male said, a sneer on his otherwise expressionless face ruining the friendly tone that he'd used.
The Eevee had to resist growling as he strode closer, coming up to the first step and stopping. He'd seen how this worked, since Arcanis had often done the same thing...you were never allowed upon the steps, yadda yadda.
The two Espeons examined their 'prisoner', before the female scoffed. "Scruffy little thing, is he not?" She commented to her mate, who nodded his agreement.
Syon actually did growl this time, his ears pinning back in a defensive view. The two psychic types were not impressed, and something seemed to encase the kit's head, cutting off any supply of air. He gasped, though no sound came out, and tried pawing at this strange bubble to push it away or pop it, or...something! But, he found himself completely paralyzed, not able to move and only whimpering as his air ran out swiftly, and he began to see spots.
Only on the verge of passing out did they let up their hold on him, and the Eevee fell to the floor, gasping and coughing in an attempt to get air back into his lungs. Now, knowing what they could do to him, he was a little bit more subdued, his ears pinning as he lay there, his breathing now calm.
"That's more like it." Said the male, who growled softly soon after. "Now, we brought you here to get information...and you're not leaving until we have it." He said, his pronged tail lashing behind him in agitation of this 'savage's' pridefulness.
Syon whined softly, but he was still true to his word...he wouldn't tell them a thing, even if it meant having the information ripped from his memory. "I won't tell you anything!" He said, gritting his teeth.
An amused, airy laugh came from the female...although the tone of it showed it was a laugh of contempt, not amusement. "Oh? Is this so...well then I guess we'll just have to take it, won't we?"
Time passes...
"Ah yes, this would be good...the names of some of the commanders, ooh, and Ruby as well...we haven't seen her in some time, haven't we dear?" Sola asked her mate.
"Ruby? Ah yes, I remember her...dastardly bitch she is." He replied, nodding sagely and tearing out another memory, the curled up body of the young Eevee jerking from the pain, his conscious mind already long gone, having passed out after maybe the tenth or eleventh that'd been taken.
"Hmm, it seems we're getting more personal information...this is Jag, his supposed father." The male said, his eyes closing as he examined the memory.
Sola followed the hole that'd been made to try and pick up anything more useful than just a face and name, but instead of finding what she wanted...she got something no one would ever want. To the untrained eye, it would appear that the female Espeon had suddenly been slapped by an unseen force. But to a psychic...it had looked like the mental tendril she'd extended had been slapped away by a black tendril that had a faint blood red aura to it.
The two opened their eyes wide in surprise at this, then they both attacked it at the same time, having dealt with similar things before. But this was different. A similar colored barrier as the tentacle, went up around the Eevee, and Sola dove right in, which was a mistake. The moment her attack hit the barrier, she was encased in a multitude of thick black tendrils that squeezed her and squeezed her...tightening like a snake around its prey.
She let out a squeak and fought to get out...but it was in vain. With an exhalation on her part, the tendrils suddenly sprang into action, crushing her body with wet crunch and popping noises, before flinging it away like a rag-doll. Her body hit the floor with a wince-inducing smoosh and lay their limply, bleeding from a multitude of areas due to bones puncturing the soft pink fur.
It was at that point in time that the Emperor released the single word that all rulers are famous for, "Guards!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, the two Hypno rushing in...then stopping dead in their tracks when they saw the crumpled body of their Empress leaving a pool of blood on the otherwise pristine floors.
They turned to look at the Eevee and the multitude of tendrils waving from his body, mostly transparent from being part of the mental power. They suddenly slithered back into Syon's body and the boy stirred, coming awake and looking around with a soft, weak little mewl.
"What...what happened..?"
When Syon came to, he'd expected to find himself back in his room, or in a prison cell most likely, though his worse case scenario was him finding himself on an executioner's block. But the scene that greeted him was anything but what he'd even hoped of seeing.
He came to with the sound of an enraged growl coming from the throne that the two Espeon rulers had laid upon, the scent of death and blood on the air, and an echoing laugh inside of his head...not to mention the splitting headache he had. Syon's blue eyes began to crack open as he got his small front paws under himself, managing to heft his head up off the ground and wiggling his ears, wincing once more as they popped and cracked with dried blood that had caked there.
But that was forgotten quickly as he saw the disgustingly crushed corpse laying across the room, his eyes widening in startlement. Someone had killed the Empress? It must've taken quite the Pokemon to do that and live...maybe a dark type. He looked around and saw that everyone was staring at him; the Emperor, the two Hypno guards; even Illume and his father were standing there...staring at him with mixed emotions ranging from shock, disgust, hatred, confusion...but mostly the shock.
"What...happened?" He asked. And perhaps he shouldn't have, because the Emperor roared. Literally, he roared.
"What do you mean what happened you...you demon you!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, rage mixed with fear.
Syon nearly jumped at the loud voice that echoed in both the room and his mind, Sloan being the only one un-affected by the mental voice due to his dark-type advantage.
"D-demon?" He asked incredulously, looking up and folding his ears back as he gazed at the Emperor with...well, confusion.
"Don't play innocent with me, boy! You just killed the Empress! You and those...evil looking mental powers of yours." He said, his once shouting voice having dropped down to a dangerously low growl.
Sloan looked like he'd seen a ghost. Evil? ...was the dreaded curse an actual possibility? "Emperor, if I may...I wish to take Syon back to my room where he will be...under my own, personal guard."
The Emperor glared at the Absol, who looked down out of submission to the powerful Espeon. "...fine. But my Hypno will be standing outside your door should anything happen." He said with a growl, his body trembling with contained rage and fear for this...strange Eevee.
Sloan nodded, grabbed the dazed Syon in his teeth, and ran. 'Screw dignity' he thought, as he dashed down the hallways to carry his son back to the room in which the Absol lived. He slowed down once he had reached the door and set Syon down carefully before opening the door, grabbing the Eevee again, and rushing inside, shutting, and locking the door behind him with the boy being set down on the bed.
"Papa...wha's goin' on..?" He mumbled, still only half conscious and in extreme pain due to the prior 'interrogation'.
The Absol sighed, resting his head down against the door, eyes closed. "...remember when you came here for the first time, and I told you about how everyone thought you would bring ruin because of the evil that your body contained?"
Syon nodded mutely, looking up at his father. "Uh huh..."
The dark type padded over and lay himself down beside his son, curling up around him. "I think it's starting to happen; the evil things that is." He took a deep breath, and let it out in a long sigh through his nose. "I was able to sense the residue of dark energy there, something only us dark types can do."
He shook his head. "There are very few dark types in this kingdom, mainly due to the Emperor hating dark types...as can be expected from us being immune to his power. But anyway...there were no dark pokemon in that room, and I managed to see the faint glimmer of what had happened. What I saw...I did not like."
The Eevee was still silently watching his father, ears tuned to listen to what had happened, even if it wasn't a direct account.
Sloan busied himself with cleaning his son's cheeks of the blood that had trickled into the fur from his ears to buy himself some time to think. "The Emperor will tell us what happened when he's calmed down, I'm sure of it. All we need to do is wait." Once he was finished with one cheek, he switched to the other. "Until then, I'm going to have to ask that you stay in this room at all times."
Syon pins his ears back and sighs. "Alright...as long as it doesn't get me killed, I'll do it..." He said, to which the Absol managed a weak chuckle.
"Trust me...no one will harm you without a good reason behind it. You are my son, and if I withdraw my support from the war effort, a good percentage of the fighting force will leave with me. The Emperor needs me." He says, grinning slightly.
"Oh..." Came the small reply from the Eevee, who leans his head a little to let the warm tongue clean his cheek of the remainder of that stubborn blood stain. Once it was gone, he gave the black skinned cheek of his father a gentle lick. "Thanks..." He murmurs.
Sloan gets a rather large grin on his muzzle. "You're quite welcome Syon." He says. "Now...get some sleep, and that headache of yours will go away in no time."
The young Pokemon nods, nestles his nose into the white furred neck of his father, and immediately falls into a deep and troubled sleep.
Once more, the Eevee was back to that strange place, one that looked like he was floating in a void on that white tiled plane. The dark ball of energy before him had a large grin from within it.
"Well my boy, how do you like getting a taste of my power?" Came the raspy voice from within, followed soon after by an echoing, sinister chuckle.
"Taste of your power? I don't even know what happened!" Syon shouted at the other-worldly being.
As if by magic, a sudden rip appeared before him, which widened to show the scene that had unfolded. He saw the tendrils of dark energy that entangled the Empress and crushed her like one would a bug before flinging her away as if she were nothing but garbage. Once the Emperor had shouted for the guards, the scene ended.
Syon was horrified. Had he done that?
"Ha ha...no, little boy. That would be me, protecting you." The voice stated with amusement. Apparently this...thing, whatever it was, was enjoying seeing the mixed emotions of the little Eevee.
Syon couldn't decide whether to thank this thing for killing one of those two snooty rulers, or to fear him for what this thing had done to the Empress for just being unconscious for a little while.
Finally, he managed to decide on something that was a most definite thing he wanted to know. "Who...what, are you?" He asked, staring up at the dark...beast that had begun materializing before him.
A single tendril of utter blackness began to extend from this thing's prison, until it coiled on the flooring in front of him. The tendril separated itself from the main ball, and began to take on a form, a Pokemon form. The form of an...Umbreon. But, this just wasn't any Umbreon; this one was bigger. Much bigger. Even giving just a slight smile, Syon could see two very long canines sticking out from its lip, almost like those of a saber-toothed tiger. Long, wicked claws unsheathed themselves from its paws, claws that made an Absol's claws look as sharp as a Buneary's tail in comparison. The Umbreon smiled down at the little Eevee, who took a hesitant step backwards.
"Hello Syon." It said, glowing red eyes with no pupil regarding the young Pokemon with no emotion. Its rings slowly pulsed to life, each giving off a dull, blood red throbbing glow. "Now you know what I am." He said. "But as to who I am..." it trailed off then, and looked off into the void as if thinking. "...ask your father about the Legend of Umbranos."
Syon awoke in a metaphorical cold sweat then, making his father yelp in surprise as the startled Eevee's head hit the Absol's chin when he jolted up into a sitting position. Sloan looked up at his son, who was panting, wide-eyed, and trembling slightly. What had happened, he wondered.
He got an even bigger start when the young Eevee turned to look at his father and just sat there...staring into the dark green eyes of the Absol and asking, "Father...what do you know of the Legend of Umbranos?"
Sloan was at a loss for words. Why had his son asked him such a strange question? "The...the Legend of Umbranos? Um..." He thought about it, tilting his head to the side with a curious look on his face. "Why do you ask Syon?"
The Eevee slowly lowered himself back down. "I...I had a dream."
The Absol would've given a smart remark, but something told him now was not the time for quick wit, so he just shut up and listened to the little Eevee. The little Eevee who was looking very afraid right now...
"It...it was about me being in this...strange place. It was just a platform much like the one in the throne room; only it was made out of some weird glowing white stone. On it were pillars with...I think, an element for every Eevee Evolution there is. There was this...this big dark orb thing in the middle though, and something..." He paused, ears splaying out then. "Someone was inside it. A...an Umbreon. He's been doing these bad things, like...like what happened to the Empress."
Sloan could feel his heart sink with every passing moment of the boy's explanation. Syon told him of both dreams, of what he'd been shown, what had happened, everything. Sol was right...this boy was evil. No...no, Syon wasn't evil, this...this Umbranos was the evil that Sol warned everyone about.
The Absol let out a long sigh once the boy had finished speaking. "I don't know much about the legend itself...my mother told it to me when I was young, as did hers, and before then. It's a legend, so...it would most likely be in the library. Wait here and I'll go get it." He said, standing, giving his son a kiss to the forehead, and stepping out, exchanging a word with the guards before he was allowed to retrieve the book he sought.
Syon waited in silence, wondering what, or who, this 'Umbranos' character was. He didn't have to wait long, until he heard murmurs from outside the door, his father stepping through, shutting the door, and padding towards his son with a scroll held in his mouth. It was a large, old thing, the paper slightly yellowed with age.
The Absol set it down before his son, who rolled over so that he could read it. "Umbranos" it read once he had unrolled the parchment, and his father held down one end so it wouldn't roll back up again. An image of this Umbranos was beautifully, if horrifically accurate, and it made the Eevee's ice blue eyes widen with fear. It was the same Umbreon he'd seen in his dreams. Now he was almost afraid to learn what was going on...but his fath--Jag, had taught him fear is something to control, not be controlled by.
He took in a deep breath to calm himself, and began reading...
The Eevee slept hard throughout the night, not dreaming, nor moving...not once. In fact, some might've thought he'd be dead if not for the slow rise and fall of his chest that went at a constant, steady rate. The day had been a rather eventful one, so naturally the boy was exhausted, despite not having much in the way of physical activity.
For once though...it wasn't a nip to the ear, or a kick to the ribs that woke him from his sound sleep, but instead the soft scent of freshly prepared food wafted across his nose, awakening the boy from his slumber. His blue eyes slowly cracked open to see that he had been placed in a bed, and a rather luscious one at that. Sheets made of some sort of fine, soft fabric covered his form, and he lay upon a plush, amazingly soft mattress that made it feel like he was sleeping on a cloud...and the stark, bleached white color made the metaphor almost seem a reality.
He blinked his eyes sleepily, and looked around, gazing at the rich surroundings that were bathed in a cheery glow from the open windows, letting the golden light of morning stream in and make everything seem bright and cheery. A small tray had been placed before him, on it was a plate covered with a napkin, and a bowl of water off to the side. His left paw rubbed at his eyes, before he scooted forward and tugged away the napkin with his teeth, revealing a loaf of bread that was slightly steaming in the bright light, showing it was freshly baked. A small bit of butter was off to one side as well.
His ears perked at this...he'd never actually had something this rich before...but he wasn't going to let the chance escape him. Syon's paws reached out and grasped the loaf, tugging it towards him, only to bite down on the end, taking as much as his mouth could fit, and ripping it off...chewing on the luscious bread. It was wonderful...the faint taste of honey and oats tingling his tongue as the treat seemed to almost melt in his mouth.
A soft whimper left him...he'd never had food this good, and it didn't take long for him to devour the entire meal and begin licking up the crumbs to make sure he didn't waste any. Not to mention clearing his resting place of the crumbs. When he had gotten the last one up, almost on cue, the door opened. He looked up, and saw an Espeon striding through. She gave the young kit a smile, the door closing behind her with a gentle psychic push.
"Hello there young sir." She said, her voice soft and friendly. "I believe you are Syon...correct?" The female asked, her head tilting faintly to the left.
The smile was infectious, and the little Eevee couldn't help the slight twitch at the edge of his lips as he replied cautiously, "Yes...I am. Who're you?"
She stepped forward and sat herself down close by in front of him...just far enough that it wasn't intruding. "I am to be your...babysitter, of sorts." She said, an eyebrow quirking.
Syon snorted softly and shifted so that he was sitting as well. "So you're here to make sure I don't get in trouble, nor cause any trouble...right?" The Espeon just nodded.
"I see..." He said, looking out the window at the city that was already bustling with activity. "So much for trust." The boy mumbled, his ears slowly splaying out.
The Espeon heard and sympathized. "It is not by your father's order. The Emperor and Empress decreed it. Your father had no other choice."
The ear facing the female perked. "...oh." He said softly, feeling a little embarrassed now. "Er, well...you know my name...but I don't know yours." He began, turning to look at her again.
She smiled. "My name is Illume, Captain-in-training of the Light Brigade." Her chin tilted up a little at this, obviously being quite proud of the station she was being trained for.
Syon smiled. "Well...can't say I've got a title other than Bloodgrass warrior in training..." He said, voice trailing off as she flinched at the mere mention of Bloodgrass. 'Ok...don't mention anything of my home around her, got it.' He thought to himself.
"I'd prefer you didn't..." She said, making the Eevee jump. "You think too loudly..." Illume explained.
"Mrf...well...don't read my thoughts then." Syon rebuked, his ears pinning back.
"I wasn't...you literally thought it out loud. It'd be like saying it at me...although anyone with telepathy probably heard you within a good radius."
The Eevee whimpered in embarrassment, his blue-eyed gaze turning downward to look at the crystalline flooring. "...sorry..." He mumbled, curling his tail around himself in a show of humility.
She shook her head and sighed. "Don't worry about it." The Espeon muttered, then shrugged and raised his chin with an unseen hand. "So, would you like to explore this place, or would you like to just stay here until you're summoned?"
He blinked a few times. "Summoned? For what?"
Illume grinned. "Well you're a guest in our palace, and from an enemy that was just soundly thrashed..." her merriment died away quickly as it was Syon's turn to flinch and almost break down into tears.
"Oh, I'm...I'm sorry..." Her ears splayed. "I keep forgetting...did you...did you lose any friends?" She asked, stepping closer.
Syon nodded. "Yes...a lot...there aren't many of us, so every loss is losing a friend and a comrade."
"Ah..." She murmured, now just a few inches away from the kit before she stopped...and sat down again. "Well...yes, the Emperor and Empress will want to meet you and int...talk to you about things from your home."
The Eevee shook his head. "I won't tell them anything. I'm not someone they can torture or bribe information out of."
Illume sighed. "Unfortunately, you won't have a choice...both of our rulers are Espeons, and very good at getting information...whether the pokemon in question is willing or not."
Syon blinked. "...how?"
The Espeon tilted her head slightly to the side. "Well...you see, we can literally rip information out of someone's head...like this." She said, a sudden splitting headache causing the Eevee to yelp in pain and duck down, his paws holding his head.
By the time it ended, he was shivering slightly and whimpering. "You see? I now know about...Ruby. Not much mind you, only a face and a name." Came the female's voice as she licked his head gently. "But with them...they'll want everything."
Syon whimpered softly and curled up, tightly, becoming a little ball of brown fluff with two large ears poking from it like antennae. "Th-they can't d-do that to me!" He said shakily.
"They can, and will..." A pause. "...and in fact...they want to see you right now." She said, and stood. "C'mon...follow me."
The Eevee shook his head. "N-no, I won't go to them just to have them rip memories out of my head!" but he obviously had no choice as something lifted his body up off the bed, and carried him above the flooring, out the door, and through a series of hallways.
He just hung there, whimpering softly out of nervousness...and a bit of fear, for what was to come. The Espeon was relatively good-natured for what was to happen to the little Pokemon, as if she honestly didn't worry too much about it. Whether this was due to a lot of conditioning, doing it herself, or just plain not caring what happened to Syon, he did not know, nor cared to find out.
They arrived at a set of large, white marble doors that had two very strict looking Hypno standing guard. As soon as Illume arrived with her charge, they nodded and stepped aside, the twin doors opening, then swiftly closing when Syon had been drug through.
"Ah...so this is the little savage." Came a cold, female voice from across the length of a humongous room, pillars of the crystal left to help support the cavernous ceiling. The lack of anything soft, besides the carpet, made the female's voice echo off the walls, giving it an almost god-like tone; as was the purpose, of course.
"Yes Empress Sola. This is Syon." Illume said, her voice still soft...though somewhat more formal now that she was in the presence of her rulers.
Syon came to the floor in an unceremonious heap as the invisible thing holding him suddenly disappeared, and he hit the carpeted floor with a startle yip. An amused chortle echoed throughout the chamber as the Eevee stood and looked up.
Far from where he stood, lay two Espeons...of very large size and stature. They were unbelievably large, each roughly about the size of an Absol. For Espeons...they were giants. Syon made sure not to think anything, lest they hear it.
"Come closer boy, don't be shy..." The male said, a sneer on his otherwise expressionless face ruining the friendly tone that he'd used.
The Eevee had to resist growling as he strode closer, coming up to the first step and stopping. He'd seen how this worked, since Arcanis had often done the same thing...you were never allowed upon the steps, yadda yadda.
The two Espeons examined their 'prisoner', before the female scoffed. "Scruffy little thing, is he not?" She commented to her mate, who nodded his agreement.
Syon actually did growl this time, his ears pinning back in a defensive view. The two psychic types were not impressed, and something seemed to encase the kit's head, cutting off any supply of air. He gasped, though no sound came out, and tried pawing at this strange bubble to push it away or pop it, or...something! But, he found himself completely paralyzed, not able to move and only whimpering as his air ran out swiftly, and he began to see spots.
Only on the verge of passing out did they let up their hold on him, and the Eevee fell to the floor, gasping and coughing in an attempt to get air back into his lungs. Now, knowing what they could do to him, he was a little bit more subdued, his ears pinning as he lay there, his breathing now calm.
"That's more like it." Said the male, who growled softly soon after. "Now, we brought you here to get information...and you're not leaving until we have it." He said, his pronged tail lashing behind him in agitation of this 'savage's' pridefulness.
Syon whined softly, but he was still true to his word...he wouldn't tell them a thing, even if it meant having the information ripped from his memory. "I won't tell you anything!" He said, gritting his teeth.
An amused, airy laugh came from the female...although the tone of it showed it was a laugh of contempt, not amusement. "Oh? Is this so...well then I guess we'll just have to take it, won't we?"
Time passes...
"Ah yes, this would be good...the names of some of the commanders, ooh, and Ruby as well...we haven't seen her in some time, haven't we dear?" Sola asked her mate.
"Ruby? Ah yes, I remember her...dastardly bitch she is." He replied, nodding sagely and tearing out another memory, the curled up body of the young Eevee jerking from the pain, his conscious mind already long gone, having passed out after maybe the tenth or eleventh that'd been taken.
"Hmm, it seems we're getting more personal information...this is Jag, his supposed father." The male said, his eyes closing as he examined the memory.
Sola followed the hole that'd been made to try and pick up anything more useful than just a face and name, but instead of finding what she wanted...she got something no one would ever want. To the untrained eye, it would appear that the female Espeon had suddenly been slapped by an unseen force. But to a psychic...it had looked like the mental tendril she'd extended had been slapped away by a black tendril that had a faint blood red aura to it.
The two opened their eyes wide in surprise at this, then they both attacked it at the same time, having dealt with similar things before. But this was different. A similar colored barrier as the tentacle, went up around the Eevee, and Sola dove right in, which was a mistake. The moment her attack hit the barrier, she was encased in a multitude of thick black tendrils that squeezed her and squeezed her...tightening like a snake around its prey.
She let out a squeak and fought to get out...but it was in vain. With an exhalation on her part, the tendrils suddenly sprang into action, crushing her body with wet crunch and popping noises, before flinging it away like a rag-doll. Her body hit the floor with a wince-inducing smoosh and lay their limply, bleeding from a multitude of areas due to bones puncturing the soft pink fur.
It was at that point in time that the Emperor released the single word that all rulers are famous for, "Guards!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, the two Hypno rushing in...then stopping dead in their tracks when they saw the crumpled body of their Empress leaving a pool of blood on the otherwise pristine floors.
They turned to look at the Eevee and the multitude of tendrils waving from his body, mostly transparent from being part of the mental power. They suddenly slithered back into Syon's body and the boy stirred, coming awake and looking around with a soft, weak little mewl.
"What...what happened..?"
When Syon came to, he'd expected to find himself back in his room, or in a prison cell most likely, though his worse case scenario was him finding himself on an executioner's block. But the scene that greeted him was anything but what he'd even hoped of seeing.
He came to with the sound of an enraged growl coming from the throne that the two Espeon rulers had laid upon, the scent of death and blood on the air, and an echoing laugh inside of his head...not to mention the splitting headache he had. Syon's blue eyes began to crack open as he got his small front paws under himself, managing to heft his head up off the ground and wiggling his ears, wincing once more as they popped and cracked with dried blood that had caked there.
But that was forgotten quickly as he saw the disgustingly crushed corpse laying across the room, his eyes widening in startlement. Someone had killed the Empress? It must've taken quite the Pokemon to do that and live...maybe a dark type. He looked around and saw that everyone was staring at him; the Emperor, the two Hypno guards; even Illume and his father were standing there...staring at him with mixed emotions ranging from shock, disgust, hatred, confusion...but mostly the shock.
"What...happened?" He asked. And perhaps he shouldn't have, because the Emperor roared. Literally, he roared.
"What do you mean what happened you...you demon you!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, rage mixed with fear.
Syon nearly jumped at the loud voice that echoed in both the room and his mind, Sloan being the only one un-affected by the mental voice due to his dark-type advantage.
"D-demon?" He asked incredulously, looking up and folding his ears back as he gazed at the Emperor with...well, confusion.
"Don't play innocent with me, boy! You just killed the Empress! You and those...evil looking mental powers of yours." He said, his once shouting voice having dropped down to a dangerously low growl.
Sloan looked like he'd seen a ghost. Evil? ...was the dreaded curse an actual possibility? "Emperor, if I may...I wish to take Syon back to my room where he will be...under my own, personal guard."
The Emperor glared at the Absol, who looked down out of submission to the powerful Espeon. "...fine. But my Hypno will be standing outside your door should anything happen." He said with a growl, his body trembling with contained rage and fear for this...strange Eevee.
Sloan nodded, grabbed the dazed Syon in his teeth, and ran. 'Screw dignity' he thought, as he dashed down the hallways to carry his son back to the room in which the Absol lived. He slowed down once he had reached the door and set Syon down carefully before opening the door, grabbing the Eevee again, and rushing inside, shutting, and locking the door behind him with the boy being set down on the bed.
"Papa...wha's goin' on..?" He mumbled, still only half conscious and in extreme pain due to the prior 'interrogation'.
The Absol sighed, resting his head down against the door, eyes closed. "...remember when you came here for the first time, and I told you about how everyone thought you would bring ruin because of the evil that your body contained?"
Syon nodded mutely, looking up at his father. "Uh huh..."
The dark type padded over and lay himself down beside his son, curling up around him. "I think it's starting to happen; the evil things that is." He took a deep breath, and let it out in a long sigh through his nose. "I was able to sense the residue of dark energy there, something only us dark types can do."
He shook his head. "There are very few dark types in this kingdom, mainly due to the Emperor hating dark types...as can be expected from us being immune to his power. But anyway...there were no dark pokemon in that room, and I managed to see the faint glimmer of what had happened. What I saw...I did not like."
The Eevee was still silently watching his father, ears tuned to listen to what had happened, even if it wasn't a direct account.
Sloan busied himself with cleaning his son's cheeks of the blood that had trickled into the fur from his ears to buy himself some time to think. "The Emperor will tell us what happened when he's calmed down, I'm sure of it. All we need to do is wait." Once he was finished with one cheek, he switched to the other. "Until then, I'm going to have to ask that you stay in this room at all times."
Syon pins his ears back and sighs. "Alright...as long as it doesn't get me killed, I'll do it..." He said, to which the Absol managed a weak chuckle.
"Trust me...no one will harm you without a good reason behind it. You are my son, and if I withdraw my support from the war effort, a good percentage of the fighting force will leave with me. The Emperor needs me." He says, grinning slightly.
"Oh..." Came the small reply from the Eevee, who leans his head a little to let the warm tongue clean his cheek of the remainder of that stubborn blood stain. Once it was gone, he gave the black skinned cheek of his father a gentle lick. "Thanks..." He murmurs.
Sloan gets a rather large grin on his muzzle. "You're quite welcome Syon." He says. "Now...get some sleep, and that headache of yours will go away in no time."
The young Pokemon nods, nestles his nose into the white furred neck of his father, and immediately falls into a deep and troubled sleep.
Once more, the Eevee was back to that strange place, one that looked like he was floating in a void on that white tiled plane. The dark ball of energy before him had a large grin from within it.
"Well my boy, how do you like getting a taste of my power?" Came the raspy voice from within, followed soon after by an echoing, sinister chuckle.
"Taste of your power? I don't even know what happened!" Syon shouted at the other-worldly being.
As if by magic, a sudden rip appeared before him, which widened to show the scene that had unfolded. He saw the tendrils of dark energy that entangled the Empress and crushed her like one would a bug before flinging her away as if she were nothing but garbage. Once the Emperor had shouted for the guards, the scene ended.
Syon was horrified. Had he done that?
"Ha ha...no, little boy. That would be me, protecting you." The voice stated with amusement. Apparently this...thing, whatever it was, was enjoying seeing the mixed emotions of the little Eevee.
Syon couldn't decide whether to thank this thing for killing one of those two snooty rulers, or to fear him for what this thing had done to the Empress for just being unconscious for a little while.
Finally, he managed to decide on something that was a most definite thing he wanted to know. "Who...what, are you?" He asked, staring up at the dark...beast that had begun materializing before him.
A single tendril of utter blackness began to extend from this thing's prison, until it coiled on the flooring in front of him. The tendril separated itself from the main ball, and began to take on a form, a Pokemon form. The form of an...Umbreon. But, this just wasn't any Umbreon; this one was bigger. Much bigger. Even giving just a slight smile, Syon could see two very long canines sticking out from its lip, almost like those of a saber-toothed tiger. Long, wicked claws unsheathed themselves from its paws, claws that made an Absol's claws look as sharp as a Buneary's tail in comparison. The Umbreon smiled down at the little Eevee, who took a hesitant step backwards.
"Hello Syon." It said, glowing red eyes with no pupil regarding the young Pokemon with no emotion. Its rings slowly pulsed to life, each giving off a dull, blood red throbbing glow. "Now you know what I am." He said. "But as to who I am..." it trailed off then, and looked off into the void as if thinking. "...ask your father about the Legend of Umbranos."
Syon awoke in a metaphorical cold sweat then, making his father yelp in surprise as the startled Eevee's head hit the Absol's chin when he jolted up into a sitting position. Sloan looked up at his son, who was panting, wide-eyed, and trembling slightly. What had happened, he wondered.
He got an even bigger start when the young Eevee turned to look at his father and just sat there...staring into the dark green eyes of the Absol and asking, "Father...what do you know of the Legend of Umbranos?"
Sloan was at a loss for words. Why had his son asked him such a strange question? "The...the Legend of Umbranos? Um..." He thought about it, tilting his head to the side with a curious look on his face. "Why do you ask Syon?"
The Eevee slowly lowered himself back down. "I...I had a dream."
The Absol would've given a smart remark, but something told him now was not the time for quick wit, so he just shut up and listened to the little Eevee. The little Eevee who was looking very afraid right now...
"It...it was about me being in this...strange place. It was just a platform much like the one in the throne room; only it was made out of some weird glowing white stone. On it were pillars with...I think, an element for every Eevee Evolution there is. There was this...this big dark orb thing in the middle though, and something..." He paused, ears splaying out then. "Someone was inside it. A...an Umbreon. He's been doing these bad things, like...like what happened to the Empress."
Sloan could feel his heart sink with every passing moment of the boy's explanation. Syon told him of both dreams, of what he'd been shown, what had happened, everything. Sol was right...this boy was evil. No...no, Syon wasn't evil, this...this Umbranos was the evil that Sol warned everyone about.
The Absol let out a long sigh once the boy had finished speaking. "I don't know much about the legend itself...my mother told it to me when I was young, as did hers, and before then. It's a legend, so...it would most likely be in the library. Wait here and I'll go get it." He said, standing, giving his son a kiss to the forehead, and stepping out, exchanging a word with the guards before he was allowed to retrieve the book he sought.
Syon waited in silence, wondering what, or who, this 'Umbranos' character was. He didn't have to wait long, until he heard murmurs from outside the door, his father stepping through, shutting the door, and padding towards his son with a scroll held in his mouth. It was a large, old thing, the paper slightly yellowed with age.
The Absol set it down before his son, who rolled over so that he could read it. "Umbranos" it read once he had unrolled the parchment, and his father held down one end so it wouldn't roll back up again. An image of this Umbranos was beautifully, if horrifically accurate, and it made the Eevee's ice blue eyes widen with fear. It was the same Umbreon he'd seen in his dreams. Now he was almost afraid to learn what was going on...but his fath--Jag, had taught him fear is something to control, not be controlled by.
He took in a deep breath to calm himself, and began reading...