Zarius reached the cave entrance, and his vision shifted from the slightly grey with yellow hues to its normal, full range of color. The high, chilly mountain in the north-eastern-most part of the Kalos region was just one of several frosty peaks. Zarius felt the brisk chill of the cold and shuddered, glancing down at Umbreon. "Lucky you with that fur."

  "Yup," Umbreon replied as he sniffed the air. "Smell that?"

  Zarius focused on his sense of smell, and sniffing, did pick up an odd scent. Sweat. "People nearby?" he asked.

  "I think so," Umbreon stated. "Want to put your scent to use, or have me take the lead?"

  Zarius pondered the idea for a moment before nodding, "I'll take the lead. I need to learn how to use...whatever this is."

  "A Trainer takes on the physical traits of their Bonded Pokémon," Yveltal informed in a smug, matter-of-fact fashion. "You can thank some of the other gods for that."

  Zarius closed his eyes and sniffed, locking in on the scent. Behind closed eyelids, he could almost...see. A faint outline of the world with indistinct features, and a small trail of odor that seemed to have a faint blue hue. He began following that trail and had to open his eyes a few times as he treaded across the familiar and unfamiliar ground. Familiar, because he had grown up in one of the villages below the summits of this particular peak. Unfamiliar, because it had been years since he had been out of the cult's cave.

  "Good so far," Umbreon said with pride. "Happy my traits are working out for you."

  Zarius focused his words on the sword on his hip. He'd begun to associate that with Yveltal's eye, and it seemed appropriate conversationally. "If I got one of those acorns you mentioned, I could bond more Pokémon? Get more physical traits?"

  "That is correct. A decree of Mew when humans and Pokémon began to socialize and rely on each other. A Trainer may only be bound to one companion at a time. Shaymin, the species of lesser gods, were sent out to plant trees that would grow acorns. Acorns, which could contain entire worlds within them. A means to store companions in a dimension of paradise. In this way, a Trainer can bind to multiple companions."

  Zarius was fully absorbed with the fascinating lore he was now learning that he almost slipped down a particularly treacherous bit of the snowed-upon trail. As he began to slide, Umbreon bit onto his cloak and kept him steady. "Thanks, buddy," Zarius said as he sucked in a deep breath, feeling his stomach flip at the near-slide which surely would have resulted in injury.

  "..." Umbreon was silent for a few seconds, regarding Zarius. "I have decided on a name," he stated. "Please use Lucien when referring to me." There was a confidence in the way he said the name. A resolute statement of fact.

  "Okay, Lucien," Zarius said as he made sure he had solid footing. "Happy to call you that. I will say, it feels better than just calling you your species."

  "I agree," Lucien replied. He turned and pointed with his front paw, "Let us keep following the trail."

  Zarius nodded and shut his eyes for a brief moment to re-lock onto the scent trail. The faint odor had grown slightly more pronounced, and he knew that they were heading towards one of the villages that was on the way up to the summit, near a waterfall. As he opened his eyes and kept walking, he spoke to Yveltal again. "You mentioned lesser gods. Are there rankings?"

  "Oh, yes. Arceus is the one above all. Then you have gods that control concepts of reality, such as Xerneas and myself. We are greater gods. Then, you have lesser gods who may be singular, such as the Legendary Beasts, or multiples such as Shaymin or Celebi." He said the last one with a hint of disgust. "Arrogant little time-control shits. Well, not time-controlling, but sending people back and forth through time. Thankfully, one of the greater gods manages that nonsense by manifesting alternate realities."

  Zarius was floored at this new learning, as his whole world view had just been challenged. His words tumbled out in a confused mess: "I was taught that all Legendary Pokémon were gods, and that they live in Godhome, and that if humans serve well enough, we can ascend to that domain."

  Yveltal chuckled, "The greater god known as Giratina is the judge of the dead and guards the gateway to the Underworld, in addition to other duties."

  Lucien interruped, which startled Zarius because he did not know that the Umbreon could hear what Yveltal was saying. "But Death is your domain."

  "I am the Death that balances Life. I take it, but I do not escort it. That is the job of others. I am the Dark that comforts at the end, or terrifies those who fear their final quietude." Yveltal sounded quite full of himself as he spoke.

  "Can you hear everything Yveltal is saying?" Zarius asked.

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  Lucien dipped his head in a nod, "Yes. I hear him. I imagine it is due to our Bond."

  "Correct. I am speaking to both of you, in your minds, but I make it sound like someone speaking next to you. No others can hear me."

  Zarius rounded the bend of the mountain path and spotted the small spirals of smoke. New scents assailed him - more overlapping odors of distinct people. He could also smell the sweet smoke from some type of pine being burned for warmth as the lazy lines drifted skyward from well-constructed log-cabin buildings. He knew the name of the village, Frostfalls, as the enormous waterfall that was perpetually frozen cut the small village right down the middle. His sharp new hearing could pick up the loud grinding of metal screws being drilled into the ice to fish up Veluza that made their homes in the high, frozen lakes farther up the mountain and would tumble down the falls as they headed to the ocean. Their vibrant, pink fins visible just below the surface.

  And then he saw people. Heavily laden with furs as they were engaged in either ice fishing, cleaning the Veluza, or chatting as they chopped firewood and fed the flames.

  One of the villagers noticed him and he barked out, "We've got company!" This caused the whole group, about thirty people in total, to turn from their tasks. Zarius spotted a handful of children who had been playing in the snow and rushed inside. A pair of men approached holding axes, and Zarius recognized the scent of the burlier one on the right as the trail he had been tracking. "Where you come from, stranger?"

  Zarius pointed back to the cave, "Up there," he stated.

  The men's faces were fully flushed red from the cold, but he noticed a pale pallor wash over them. "Are you...are you here for new acolytes?" the one he had been tracking asked.

  Zarius shook his head and crossed his arms while Lucien padded around the two men, putting them on edge before the Umbreon returned to Zarius' side and sat in the snow. Yveltal spoke, "They have strong life essence. They would be a potent boost to our power. This is where you must make a choice, Zarius. Will our path to ascension be paved with the blood of the innocent? Or will you seek other sources of life essence more deserving of death?"

  Zarius knew he was at a crossroads here. One that would define his ascent to power, and help Yveltal reclaim his full, true form. Do I kill these people, or do I look for those more deserving of Death? The way that Yveltal had spoken regarding the blood of the innocent made it sound like he was ambivalent...but Zarius felt a tug on his consciousness. Yes, he served the gods and would do what they asked without question. However, here, the god he was a vessel for had told him it was his choice. A quicker ascension at the cost of my humanity, or a slower ascension while keeping my morals intact?

  He had been raised in a cult for his whole life. Born into it. His parents instilled in him a work ethic to support and help improve their immediate environment. But they had gone down to the various villages, and he had played with other children on occasion. His parents had done what he would argue was charitable work, and he saw the smiles of the past in his mind's eye that filled him with a warm sensation. A fuzzy feeling in his chest. Instinctively, he reached down and scratched Lucien's head between the ears, eliciting a purr from his companion.

  Finally, he spoke to the now-on-edge villages. "No. The cult is no more. All were turned to stone. I have been chosen by a god, and a Pokémon."

  The two men looked both relieved and shocked at the same time. The one of the left's face hardened into a scowl, "My wife went up there last night for a ritual...and you're telling me...she is dead?"

  Zarius nodded, "Turned to stone. I lay on the altar, was sacrificed, and chosen by divinity." He looked across the village, behind the men, and saw others watching. "I will leave you be. But if you have any old or infirm who would seek the release of death...I can grant it in Yveltal's name."

  The man on the left took a wide circle around Zarius before heading in haste up the frost-laden trail, whilst the one on the right shook his head. "We have no old or infirm. Shadows...something and something," he said with a slight chuckle as he rested his wood-chopping axe against his shoulder. "Sorry, I didn't pay much attention to the sermons."

  "Shadows bless and caress, would be appropriate for being in the household," Zarius stated as if he was reading from a prayer book. "Shadows bless and protect would be appropriate for those who are departing the household. And then you reply with "shadows bless", and the person's name."

  "Ah, well...shadows bless...Trainer."

  Zarius cracked a slight smile and headed through the village, across the icy river, and down the mountain path. Lucien snagged one of the Veluza that was sitting, still wiggling and flopping, next to one of the ice holes as they passed. He shook the fish like a ragdoll before slamming it into the ice to stun it, and then gobbled it down in several bites. "Tasty," he stated as he licked his chops, and the yellow rings pulsated to a red for a brief moment.

  "I see you have decided that life essence will not come from the innocent."

  Zarius shrugged as he reached the far side of the village and continued his journey down the now-steeper trail. There were several iron spikes hammered into the stone with an iced-over rope threaded through eyelets on top. He reached out, gripping the rope as he descended. The chill had yet to penetrate his bones, but his teeth were chattering, and he knew that in a few hours he would have to set up camp and make a fire. "I think we will visit death on whatever deserves it," he stated succinctly.

  "Interesting. Well, expect to see quite a large Pokémon population thanks to Xerneas besting me. Instead of a balance, we will see a surge of growth. A culling will be in order."

  Zarius unwittingly licked his teeth and lips as he envisioned the rain of blood that would surround him and suffuse him with strength. "I look forward to it," he said with glee.

  The Trainer and his companion traveled for a few more hours before they arrived at the lowlands. They had passed a few other villages on their path down the mountain, and Zarius informed those who inquired that the cult was no more. Some people looked distraught, and some relieved, as the cult worshipping the gods was the primary religion of this area. However, none questioned Zarius.

  Who could argue with one who claimed to be blessed by the gods and was a Trainer as well?

  He was so well received in one village as night began to fall that he was offered temporary lodging. It's better than sleeping in the snow, he thought as he accepted the accommodations and nestled into some furs by a fireplace with Lucien curled up behind him.

  If you are liking this story, here's the full list of what I've written! Go check them out!

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