♦ Dedicated to Meme_Knightwalker for being a great friend and the best spam rival one could ask for--we haven't talked THAT much, but we're both act like we're 5 sometimes and we're both better than Logi at spamming. I mean, that's all we need to become closer B) You're really amazing at everything, be it writing, art or personality <3 I hope to talk more to you in future!! ♦

Welp. I actually managed to update. I only wrote this because there's a break from killing off Ponytas hnn

:I do not own Pokemon or the images used in the cover, but the plot, personalities and the edited cover belongs to me. You may not copy, translate, or reproduce it in any form unless given permission by me, @NyxAbsol.:

༺༻

❝ And thus,

Two souls met because of this tragedy.

An unlikely alliance began.

Two souls also split because of this tragedy.

A predictable hatred followed. ❞

༺༻

Darkrai

I flew, a shadowy wisp of a Pokemon—pushing the doors to the Creator's residence open with more force than needed and scoffing quietly at the glistening coat of white that had been painted over what seemed like ethereal marble pillars.

"What false light," I murmured, not even bothering to hide the spite in my voice. As soon as my clawed hand rested upon the shimmering walls, a cloud of darkness seeped through the pure snowy hues like corrupted ink in an instant, before light fought back and prevailed once again.

My ruby eyes glinted in loathing, recoiling as if the material I'd touched was lethal.

This light created by Arceus himself... I shook my head, disgusted by the pulsating beam of radiance that I had just touched. How repulsive. It was built to be artificial.

"And I am sure that Legendaries like you will dislike my choice of setting," an empyrean voice interrupted with all the smoothness of a running river. "It is no surprise—after all, I was the one who created you, Darkrai. I will not take offence at your actions."

I made an abrupt turn, wrapping myself in yet another protective layer of twilight and replied in a guarded tone. Lord Arceus, I muttered, the formal greeting coming out in a spat, restrained voice. I apologise for not noticing your prescence.

Arceus walked up to me, cold emerald eyes remaining neutral as usual. "That is fine," he assured. "I believe that I had called you for an appointment today—thank you for coming on time."

"You should be thankful that I considered this meeting important enough to show my face," I scoffed. I was never one for ceremoniousness, and I was sure that Arceus had long known about that fact. He wouldn't do anything. It was against Fate, I'd believe, and even the Creator had to defer to this intangible entity.

The elegant creature ignored my snide remark, his face a mask of calm, controlled emotions, but I knew him better. His facade was, if I was to be honest, quite terrible—but he either chose to ignore that fact or was so oblivious to it that it was sickening.

"Come now, Guardian," Arceus muttered in his usual monotonous voice. We will talk in the throne room—I will send my servants out. "This must be discussed in absolute privacy."

Obediently—though my mind rebelled against the very notion—I followed the Creator's lead in a grudging manner, letting myself be enveloped by the brightness of the Legendary's palace.

It wasn't the kind of light that would sear into one's retinas, forcing them close for fear of going blind—instead, the creature had chosen to mirror the settings of natural daybreak. I had to admit that I disliked the day—it was spooky, just as how some would fear the night, the harsh glow laying everything bare and in plain sight, the protection of the night's blanket gone.

I will cut straight to the point, Arceus started—it was surprising for him not to talk in that winding tone of his. I need your assistance on a grave matter, Darkrai.

You need my help? I let out a short laugh in a form of twisted glee, ignoring that it was disrespectful to the Creator. That's rather unusual for you.

Arceus contorted his expression into one of condescending, his tone dropping to a warning jest. Be quiet, he replied. Someone of your position will not speak to me like that.

With that, we entered the fabled throne room—an area that would have been prohibited to others—be it Pokemon, Legendary or human. While the Legendaries had assembled in Arceus' castle for occasional meetings, even they hadn't gotten past the mysterious door.

I supposed that I should feel—in some way—privileged, but all that resided in me was a burning emptiness and the constant urge for mischief and destruction.

"Asking a Legendary far on the darker side of your creations' spectrum..." I felt my mouth curve up into a twisted grin—it was nice to have the large Legendary show me some respect for once. "You have to be either desperate—that, or you have some sort of hidden reason that you have not yet revealed."

"That is exactly why," Arceus replied in a calm voice. "I would normally gather my forces from the creatures that would be willing to follow my orders with due respect, but this matter concerns someone that you are most familiar with—your sister."

At this, I could feel the unwelcome element of surprise flit onto my face, and I mentally chided myself for not suppressing the emotion well.

"Is it..." I was a creature of few words—it was no wonder I fumbled for the correct term. Is it the news that has been circulating around the Legendary Armada as of late? The one about my sister—I spat this term—betraying us?

The Creator's expression morphed once again, his face now an indistinguishable mix of relief and worry. "Yes, Darkrai." His voice was calm. "That is the reason. Cresselia—one of my most loyal creations—has defied Fate."

"As her counterpart, I would be able to rein her in." I looked up at my supposed Father. "That is what you want me to do? To stop her before the consequences are too deeply rooted?"

"Despite me giving you the darkness to be the opposite to Cresselia's light..." Arceus nodded; am incline of the head that I nearly missed. "You have always been one of the most intelligent out of the Armada. Yes, Darkrai, that is what I would like you to help me with."

I willed the shadows of my body to expand at the cost of my form's solidity, hoping that it would at least give me a more menacing appearance.

"I will accept your offer, my Lord." I returned the nod, deepening the simple action into a bow. "Do not think that I am your side, however—I am merely doing what you created me to do."

Arceus stared back in reply, but his words were now tinged with a hinge of jaded sorrow. "I see," he commented. "I created you to be the counterpart of Cresselia—and now, you are taking it upon yourself to oppose her every chance you get."

"Why do you sound so regretful?" I spoke with sharp-tongued anger. "You are the reason why I exist—why I exist as a nightmare. You knew the consequences, and you did it. Don't you dare inject such an emotion into your speech."

I was well aware that I had been disrespectful to the Creator of all Pokemon, but it wasn't like I had cared much in the first place.

"If we are to work together..."The large creature shook his head as if he was a father disappointed in his son—which I supposed he was, but it still annoyed me to the very core. "You will have to adopt a more polite manner of speaking. This is an interesting set-up, to say the least—I do hope that this partnership will work out without any tumultuous turns."

"You are speaking as if you want us to be friends," I sneered, trying to be as haughty as possible. "I pray that does not happen. Cut your fancy language—it will not impress someone like me."

Arceus did not bother to reprimand me—was he behaving in his usual robotic style, not caring about any issues in particular, or did he know that I couldn't be salvaged any more? "You are right," he responded with an even tone.

"Let me issue you your first command, Darkrai."

༺༻

Cresselia

Fullmoon Island—I had arrived back home to this very place.

After the calamity of the past few days, I had more than yearned from a small space of calmness. Jirachi had agreed the moment I'd suggested the idea—it was most probably to escape back to Forina to recollect her thoughts—and Meloetta had decided to follow the wish-maker.

And, after bidding farewell to them, I'd made my way back to my old residence, more than happy to see my former sanctuary.

It was still the pristine, rocky atoll that I recognised, but something seemed different about it—it now lacked some of that warmth that I was used to.

Perhaps it had been the series of bursting emotions that had ignited within me when I'd left my post; left my purpose as a Legendary, but the abode I had been looking forward to seemed more empty than I'd remembered—almost...cold.

Maybe I'd been too swept up in the flow of events. Maybe the journey I'd taken on had raised my expectations of warmth.

However, it wasn't to say that the peace and quiet wasn't unwelcome—it was precious, too—in its own ways. Something so dear to my heart wouldn't be so quick to leave.

A slight frown draped itself across my face—the air didn't seem as crisp as I had remembered it to be, and though I could attribute that to the simple, rising problem of pollution, it wasn't very likely that such a change would be warranted in the short period of time I had left my home alone.

Instead, the space around me was filled with a sinister odour, the strange smell lurking at every corner of the island causing my head to spin from nausea. It wasn't unfamiliar—but it was alarming, and I had to deal with this problem right now.

"Darkrai." I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible. "What are you doing here yet again?"

There was no reply for almost a full minute, and I began to think that the shadows churning in the depths of the isle was just a false alarm, but soon enough, I had received my answer.

What resembled a indigo lightning bolt shot out at me, tearing across the area and devouring the air at a startling rate. I wanted to dodge, to do anything to shield myself from the ferocious attack, but the darkness was much too fast and I couldn't do anything.

I suppressed a shocked gasp, letting loose a Moonblast to counter my opponent as fast as my reflexes would allow, but my mind had been in too much of a frenzy—leading my aim to be misaligned, the sphere of energy swerving off its original course.

"Too shocked?" The voice was full of smugness, and I flinched at the accusing tone used. "Don't be. You keep on spouting nonsense about wanting to save me—about wanting me to be your brother again, but in the end, you're the same as the others. You are scared of me."

Despite wanting to back away, I couldn't show such weakness now—not when I was faced with this allegation. Yes, I was afraid, and I felt terrible for thinking such a thing—but it wasn't for the reason he'd imagined.

"Do you want me to admit it?" Before the next Shadow Ball hit, I'd already prepared a psychic barrier around myself, my focus snapping back into place.

The Legendary returned my question with an animalistic snarl. "Why not, sister?"

My breath hitched in my throat as I registered the furious way he'd snapped the last word, but didn't let that deter me from speaking.

"Yes, I'm scared," I stated plainly, as if it was the easiest thing for me to say in the world. "But I am not scared because you are strong, or because of your hellish powers. I am scared because this monster in front of me used to be my brother, and I'm scared that this very brother's true self is dying."

"Oh, please." The Nightmare Legendary rolled his ruby eyes, a hysterical gurgle rising in his throat. "All you know how to do is speak with that ornate lexicon of yours. Arceus is far better than you."

"Arceus...?" I kept the barrier up, refusing to budge. Confusion enveloped me, and not in a good way—I could feel the bile and worry stirring in my stomach. "I thought you despised the Creator."

The creature's grin was as thin as a knife's edge, and just as sharp.

Yet another globe of energy started to gather in his murky arms, this time bigger and darker than ever. "You are correct—I did despise our Lord," he started, and I grew uneasy at his deliberate use of past tense. "I still do not like him now, but for now, the relationship between us has grown to one of grudging acceptance."

I stayed silent, but I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, not wanting to even listen to the reality that he was about to announce.

"I suppose that you would have found it unbelievable," he continued. "After all, someone like me would not have been thought to form an alliance with Arceus."

With that, he released the attack that he'd been charging up all this while, the sphere of power stretching into a huge beam of overwhelming shadows—as messy and as furious as the user himself. The assault melted my barrier as if it was nothing, and I felt a sense of numb, hellish pain forcing roots into my pained mind.

My head rang, my brain filled with white noise that muffled out the surroundings, and Darkrai stood over me, triumphant from our short battle.

"I came here to deliver a message from Arceus." His tone was calmer now, but his words still held the same amount of deliberate malice.

"Arceus isn't happy."

༺༻

What is this?

I raised my head, the darkness that had been clouding my mind starting to fade away, but the fogginess had still remained.

I can't remember...the memories aren't clear...

Shaking my head firmly, I pulled myself back together, willing my eyes to focus on something—anything, and tried to take a deep breath. All I needed to do was concentrate—this was just a state of disconcertment.

Relief flooded through my system just as the fresh air had rejuvenated my lungs—each memory was back in place now.

It was just a dizzy spell, I told myself, stubborn to face up to reality. It'll go away.

I would not forget about the faint smattering of happy memories the both of us had made.

I would not lose the only hope I had left.

༺༻

Whoop, done. Darkrai's character is based off some mentally ill woman from a Chinese drama I watched lmao.

Thank you guys for 1.9k reads and 232 votes! Holy crap you guys literally destroyed my goal again xD My next goal is 237! :D

Read, vote and comment as always, critiques are extremely welcome and now *salutes* Nyx out! :)

~ nyxia ☆