-Blessed by Divinity: Eternity-

Snowpoint Temple

"There you are Aaron! You just disappeared out of nowhere."

Ninetails and I stepped through the clearing and were instantly greeted by two concerned girls who had been waiting in the freezing snow for me. I exchanged a knowing look with the fox pokemon and as I turned to the girls, they had already continued on.

"Wow, guess I'm getting the silent treatment from two girls." We followed after the pair, a city gate visible through the snowstorm ahead.

We made our way through the gate and thankfully, the weather was clear in the city. The sun had past its peak, now in its late afternoon phase. Even with the sun out, the snow around the city must have been a few inches thick.

Elaine and Dawn had already made their way to the pokemon center, leaving Ninetails and I at the gate. The fox pokemon was enjoying the nice weather and the comfortable snow beneath her feet. The two of us made our way through the city slowly, something catching the corner of my eye.

Above the tree tops to the north, I could see a large temple structure jutting out from the mountain. From what I had seen, it had already become a place of interest. Deciding against going to the pokemon center, Ninetails and I made our way through the city toward the ancient temple.

The temple could be seen from just over the city's gym. As Ninetails and I turned to make our way around, the glass doors slid open, revealing a young woman. Her dark black hair was tied behind her head in two pigtails. She wore a light blue bow across her shirt that matched the colour of the sweater tied around her waist.

As I looked closer at the young woman, who couldn't have been much older than me, I noticed something peculiar. Her aura glowed with a vibrant gold, and not the deep blue that most other people had.

We made eye contact before I could react. She waved her arm excitedly to me, as if we were old friends seeing each other for the first time in ages. When I hesitated, I saw her shake her head before making her way over to me.

"Name's Candice. I'm the gym leader. You look like a strong trainer, and I don't see those often round here."

She extended her hand, which I took. Her lips were stretched into a wide smile that couldn't be fake. I introduced myself and Ninetails who immediately captured the young woman's attention. As and ice type specialist, seeing such a rare regional variant must have sparked something in her. Soon enough, we were joined by Elaine and Dawn, the blunette recognising the gym leader.

"Man, it's sure been a while since I've seen you Dawn. If you're here, I guess it's important."

Candice's smile faded, a more serious expression on her face. Dawn looked to me nervously before speaking up, "We need to get to the Battle Resort. I know-"

"The island was closed off for a reason." Candice cut Dawn off, which I immediately recognised as out of character. She spoke as if it was non-negotiable, a rule that we should know.

"What's going on there? Why can't we get to the Battle Resort?" Elaine spoke up, a curious tone in her voice.

Firmly, Candice folded her arms across her chest before replying, "It's the volcano. A few years ago, it erupted after remaining dormant for so long. Now, it erupts randomly and without warning."

"So, there's no Battle Resort anymore."

Candice nodded as I confirmed the truth. She remained quiet for a moment before speaking up, "The port's been closed. There's no getting in or out of that island. If you go there, there's no turning back."

Dawn thought for a moment, before coming up with an idea, "It's a one time trip, you won't need to wait for us."

The gym leader smiled at her friend's tenacity. As she turned to the rest of us, Candice had made up her mind. "Be by the dock in an hour." At that, the three of us let out the deep breaths we had been holding.

"Aaron, could I speak to you real quick?"

Before I could say anything, Candice had taken me by my hand, making her way toward the temple. When we were far enough away from the two confused girls, I had a moment to catch my breath. The gym leader let go of my hand, turning to me as if we still had further to go.

"W-Wait a second. What's this about?"

Candice shook her head, "I have to show you, I can't just say it here." When she saw I understood that, she spun on her heels, making her way toward the temple.

A few minutes later, and we could see the grand temple's entrance. There was a large opening at the centre of the front side and at the top of the stairs, I could see two people wearing thick brown winter jackets. When they saw Candice and I approaching, they nodded in our direction before letting us enter the temple.

On the inside, I was immediately greeted by a huge stone tablet, which had various inscriptions scribbled onto it. My eyes flared up in the dimly lit room, but I was unable to understand the new language. I focused harder, but sure enough, I couldn't understand what I was looking at.

"Well, what can you see?"

Uncertain, I turned to Candice, telling her that I couldn't understand what I was reading. She let out a sigh, before her face turned serious again. I could see she was thinking deeply about something and when she seemed satisfied, she turned to me again.

"You know what this temple is right?"

Again, I stared at her blank faced. I was new to region and from what I could tell, nothing here was giving me any answers. But as I thought harder, I connected the dots. Once more, I turned to the foreign text, looking closer.

As I looked closer, I could see that it wasn't a language or a form of text. In fact, they weren't words at all. The dotted patterns painted the face on a statue that had been carved into the mountain wall.

"Yeah, this is the temple of the Master of the Legendary Titans."

"And you're looking at it's guardian." That explained the vibrant golden aura. Candice continued, "Team Galactic are likely on their way here next."

The gym leader took a few steps forward into the open space. She slowly turned to me, her voice echoing in the huge room, "They tried before, but they were no match for us. But if they have truly captured Heatran, then they'll roll through this place."

A half smile crossed her lips before fading. Candice looked up from her thoughts, her eyes meeting mine, "I can't leave this temple. So, Aaron, I need you and the girls to deal with Team Galactic before they get the chance to come here."

I understood the situation, knowing that there was much more depending on this than just this temple. Team Galactic had set their sights much higher than last time, but this time they were actually a threat.

"Yeah, we don't plan on losing. Don't worry, we'll deal with them."

At that, Candice was satisfied that I understood everything. We didn't have time to explore the rest of the temple as our ship would leave soon. The two of us made our way out of the front entrance, toward the docks at the south of the city.

As expected, Dawn and Elaine were waiting for me. Candice had already left to return to her gym, leaving me alone to deal with the girls who undoubtedly had a lot to say.