“Then grab my Claw's handle and recite the words that come to your mind.”
Zarius heard the voice of a god – which god he had no idea – but one did not dispute the gods’ commands. He stood up, walked to the side of the altar, and gripped the handle of the blade. He felt a rush of energy surge through his arm – a warm, soothing feeling just like the blood that he had initially felt after the first cut. It filled him with a giddy sense of joy, and he saw symbols of the divine appear in the air before him. He spoke as the meaning filled his mind, repeating the words floating in front of him in crimson.
-----
[Chosen of the Dark, you will go out and make your mark.]
[Feed the holy blade through violence, war, and through death claim]
[The life energy of those who oppose and become a living vessel for a god in repose.]
-----
“Accept the Pact,” the voice uttered.
Zarius didn’t hesitate, “I accept this Pact,” he whispered with reverence as he felt the warmth coruscating down the blade.
The eye on the front opened fully, and there was a deep, resonant laugh through the chamber. A laugh that Zarius did not realize was coming from him until he was almost out of breath and had to stop. He was ecstatic, happier than he had ever been in his life, and he was cackling madly. To an outside observer, he would be a mad cultist standing amid a petrified graveyard.
And to him, it was rapturous brilliance. The culmination of years of dedication, weeks of cleansing and trial, and he received a reward beyond anything he could have conceived of. A living servant of the gods, not one serving in the afterlife.
“Now…Chosen of the Dark…you will learn your purpose. I am Yveltal. I am the Dark, and I am Death.”
Yveltal…Zarius knew the name well. A mighty god, one of the duo that governed mortality alongside Xerneas. The words rang true in his ears, and he smiled with glee. “I live to serve you…Lord Yveltal.”
“I like this title. You may use “Lord” to refer to me.”
Zarius felt confusion, though. This god was one of the two strongest, and yet it was…trapped in a sword?
The blade must have felt his confusion, as there was a deep, menacing growl that shook Zarius to his core. “I am not trapped in a sword, Chosen. I am in you. You are my nascent vessel. And when you have fed me enough…I will grow in power. You will become a god, and we will merge – a Legendary and their Chosen.”
Zarius was floored, and he could only stand there, slack-jawed, whilst the Umbreon looked at him quizzically. “I…I am the host of a god?” The words almost didn’t make sense, despite them coming from his mouth. He would not just serve, but be the host of such a powerful entity?
“Yes. Xerneas and I fought last night, and I was defeated. She struck a powerful blow that I did not expect – I surmised another legendary was working alongside her. Now, life will surge in the world. Which will doubtless lead to conflict…we must grow in power enough to oppose and maintain the equilibrium.” His use of the word life was filled with disgust.
Zarius’ throat was still dry, and he felt it now more than ever as he tried to swallow and struggled to breathe as his words caught in his mouth. I feed Yveltal through death, he thought. I will restore this god…but…my service means that I become a god with it? The idea that him, an imperfect vessel, having been chosen by a god as a host was…
He felt tears drip down his face. Tears of joy. A lifetime of serving the gods, years of preparing his body as a perfect sacrifice, and finally going through with the act as a willing victim. “Lord…” he coughed and when he regained his wits, saw that the Umbreon had vanished. Where’d he go?
He got his answer a few seconds later as the Pokémon came over with a water skin gripped between its teeth, and it hopped up onto the altar with nimble dexterity. Zarius grabbed it and chugged the vital fluid, feeling fully alive and sated as he quaffed. “Lord Yveltal,” he said as he finished the skin and wiped his mouth with his forearm. “I am ever your servant. I have some questions, if you will permit me.”
“I permit. Speak.”
“You said that I am your vessel. You are inside of me?”
“My egg is in your torso, yes. Next question.” Zarius’ eyes widened as he began taking deep breaths, trying to see he if he could feel the presence of an egg in his torso. But his breathing felt normal – better than ever, even. “Not a literal, physical egg, Chosen. Metaphysical. Beyond the bounds of your ability to feel. The egg of my power. My essence.”
Zarius felt a bit of relief knowing that there wasn’t a literal egg in his chest. “You said as well that I will become a god and merge with you.” He was humbled by the idea of becoming a deity but wanted to ensure he understood correctly. Even if his only purpose was to eventually serve as a host and his mind was lost – he was doing more than he ever dreamed of doing in service to this god.
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“That is the nature of this Pact, yes. I need a vessel; you were a quite suitable one. Now, we are one. We will feed on Death, grow in power, and eventually ascend to our true form.”
“Will…” Zarius swallowed as he pondered the next question. He lived to serve the gods, of course…but he was also alive and still him. “Will I still be me?”
“We will be two minds in one vessel until we grow in might enough to ascend once more. Then, this mortal form will be burst, and our true shape will take flight once more.”
“But will I still be me?” Zarius asked.
The voice sounded…neutral, but with a slight undercurrent of frustration at having to re-explain in a different fashion. “We will merge. We will become one. Neither will override the other. A seamless blend.”
That brought Zarius relief, and he glanced over at the Umbreon as he chuckled, “You’re Lord Yveltal’s companion, I would guess?” he asked.
“Close,” Yveltal replied as the Umbreon barked. “An Eevee that was nearby, whom I divested a sliver of my power into. They will be a companion to you.”
Zarius felt ecstatic and could barely contain his smile. Not only was he the vessel of a nascent god, but he also had a Pokémon companion. “When do we perform the ritual?” he asked, knowing that a bound person – a Trainer – had to perform some rite to solidify the connection. And, they could only have the connection to one Pokémon at a time, unless they had the mystical acorns which enabled them to connect to multiple creatures. A means to take a portion of their power and build a lifelong Bond.
“Use my blade, make a cut along your forearm, and have the Umbreon lick the wound. Then, you shall make a small cut along its ear and do the same.”
Zarius didn’t hesitate and brought the sword to his forearm, dragging the blade along the flesh as he felt the slight pain while blood dripped down. The Umbreon leaned forward and licked along the wound, its crimson rings surging a deep black before returning to their yellow coloration. He then brought the blade up, “Sorry, this might hurt a little.”
The Umbreon turned its head slightly, and Zarius made a small cut before leaning down and licking the blood. The tangy copper flavor was almost fruity, and as he swallowed it down, he heard a voice. Coming from the Umbreon.
“Didn’t hurt all that much,” he said as he turned and sat down on his haunches.
“Wait…I can talk to you?!” Zarius asked, shocked.
Umbreon cocked his head to the side at an angle, “Yes? That’s how this works. You are my bound Trainer, now we can talk.”
“Ah, I see some mysteries of the world persist,” Yveltal commented with a chuckle. “Prepare for the changes.”
“Changes? What cha-” Zarius began to ask. But he was cut off as he felt a surging, roiling heat in his stomach, and he instinctively gripped the sword despite collapsing to the ground and sucking in gasping breaths. The warmth spread, a pervasive presence through his body as he felt like retching but knew he had to keep the blood down.
His vision pulsed a deep, dark crimson before flashing to a bright, goldenrod yellow. He could see perfectly in the cave despite the darkness. His body felt…stronger. Faster. His muscles tense and waiting to be unleashed. He could feel heat atop his head, and reaching a hand up cautiously felt a small set of protrusions – just like what Umbreon had. Ears. His hearing changed, and he could hear the faint sounds of the cave-dwelling Pokémon off in the distance – predominantly, the “Zubat, Zubat” of the bat-like Pokémon.
His sense of smell heightened, as well, and he could acutely smell exactly where Umbreon had gone throughout the cave. As if he had left behind a scent trail. And on the back of his hands, golden rings appeared before fading.
“Neat, you look a bit like me,” Umbreon commented as he paced around him. “You smell different, also.”
“And now that a Bond had been established, my full nature will manifest.”
Zarius felt the heat fade and watched, transfixed, as the language of the gods appeared in his vision. Black squares with crimson iconography that morphed into words he could understand.
-----
Trainer Bond Forged
New Type: Dark – Divine Dark – Divine Death
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Zarius, Chosen of Yveltal [Level 1]
- Experience – 0 / 10
Moves (uses per day) [type]:
- Bite (10) [Dark]
- Manifest spectral jaws that crunch down on a target within 25 feet, dealing Dark damage and causing them to flinch, interrupting actions for 1 second.
- Double-Edge (5) [Normal]
- Empower a held melee weapon to cause your next strike to hit a second time from a different angle. Suffer a portion of the damage dealt from the total attack.
- Lash Out (3) [Dark]
- Only useable upon taking injury. Lash out with a beam of darkness that travels up to 100 feet, dealing Dark damage, plus extra damage from the injury suffered.
- Double Team (5) [Normal]
- Increases the user’s speed and agility, improving their evasion for 1 minute.
Abilities:
- Dark Aura
- Empowers all Dark type Moves for the user and their Bonded Pokémon.
- Inner Focus
- Prevents flinching.
- Synchronize
- When the user suffers a status effect, the same effect is duplicated upon the affliction source.
- Mending Darkness
- The Chosen of Yveltal will slowly mend injuries over time. They can pass this mending onto Bonded Pokémon by touch for a limited duration. Strengthens in areas of darkness.
- Harvester of Life
- Whenever a creature dies within a thirty foot radius, The Chosen of Yveltal is healed for a small amount, and gains additional experience, increased if they caused the death.
-----
“You may only have four Moves at a time, but they can be changed out through meditation in a place of darkness – such as a cave. Abilities are unlimited. And, if you should find those intriguing acorns, you can forge Bonds with more Pokémon, gaining new Types.”
Zarius was familiar with the words. Pokémon were sorted by type, such as Umbreon who was Dark, or those damned Zubats that were Poison and Flying. “I understand,” he stated as he stood up. “I’m now…a Dark type as well?”
“My type of Dark,” Umbreon stated, standing up and stretching by moving his paws out in front of him. “Now, let’s go and get ourselves some experience. I heard those Zubats earlier and they were assholes.” Umbreon turned to the cave entrance.
Zarius went to follow but paused as he realized he was dressed as a boot clacked on the stone floor. From being in tattered, bloody white robes to covered in a well-fitting black cloak with the same yellow circle highlights that Umbreon had. Black gloves, pants, boots, and even an empty sheath on the hip that Yveltal’s blade slipped easily into. Must come with the territory of making a Pact, he thought. Another bit of text in the god-tongue appeared before shifting to something he recognized.
-----
Inventory:
- Claw of Yveltal
- Dark Trainer Armor
- Potion x5
- Antidote x3
-----
He reached a hand up and felt the ears jutting up from his skull as he followed Umbreon. “Can everyone see these?” he asked, feeling a bit of concern about being able to fit in among other people.
“That is why your armor has a hood,” Yveltal replied with a light chuckle. “Come! Let us harvest the life essence of these Zubats!” There was a genuine enthusiasm, a greed, almost.
Zarius pulled the hood up and unsheathed the sword as he followed his bound Pokémon into the darkened passage. Finally get my payback on those damned winged bastards.
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