Dark Arts and Dark Minds

Chapter 4: Surprises Around Every Corner

*Risk's POV*

*Dreary Depths, B28F*

How... Much... Farther...? I can't keep going much longer!

My body ached, each step more painful than the last. My feet were already cut up from the jagged stones strewn around the interior of this place, and the rest of me wasn't faring much better.

Painstakingly, I lowered the Leafeon off of my back and collapsed, just enough strength to left to move my arm under my head before it hit the ground. I wanted to continue- to move on- but my body simply refused to cooperate.

Cedric, now slightly revitalized from the journey aboard my shoulders, nuzzled me slightly,

"Come on, Risk! We've got to keep pressing onwards!"

The Leafeon grabbed a small stick off the ground, and bit off the end to create a makeshift walking stick. He offered me his creation, concern in his eyes,

"Risk, use this! Together, we can make it!"

I wrapped my arm around Cedric's soft back, and we began to walk- the world's bloodiest three-legged race- for what seemed like a few hours, until a dark shadow began to creep along the wall in front of us.

Instinctively, I spread my arms between the shadow and Cedric- even in my greatly weakened state, I was not about to let the Leafeon bite the dust before I did.

Then, part of the shadow moved into view, and I saw a black horn stick out of the darkness. It was only enough to vaguely make it out, but simply the appearance of the object the made me wonder,

Haven't I seen that kind of horn before? No... It can't be!

Not sure whether to be overjoyed or befuddled, I told Cedric to follow the direction that the horn had taken. The Leafeon led me multiple small tunnels and turns, never letting the horn out of his sight. However, just when I thought our hobbling had caught up to the Pokemon it was attached to, the horn disappeared into the darkness again. Perplexed, we walked a little farther, and a little farther, and a little farther...

Slowly, but surely, the horn came back into view, but, this time, the entire Pokemon appeared, as well. I gasped,

It's an... An Absol!... Wait... I took a closer look at the scarf wrapped around the Pokemon's leg,

This can't be real... That's Blade's scarf! But... He died! How is he... Here?

"Blade?" I asked the figure, tentatively.

"This place..." the Pokemon cursed under its breath,

"It isn't here! Where is that little... Hmm?" the Pokemon looked up, upon hearing that name. The Absol blinked a few times, as if its eyes were playing tricks, then said, calmly,

"Risk, what are you doing here?! Why are you...' My face lit up, when the Absol addressed me by name,

"Blade, it really is you!" Abandoning my crutch, I ran to the Absol, hugging him tightly.

I don't want to believe this is a dream... But, at the same time, I need to know...

"How? I watched you die, Blade! How did you...?"

Blade's stone-cold gaze stopped me mid-sentence, his low tones evident in his speech.

Even death could not fix his voice, it seems,

"How did I survive?... I didn't," the Absol said.

"I won't try to hide that fact- I feel, dead, Risk. It doesn't feel like I belong here. Even down here, in this inhospitable area, I feel fine. Why would that be? It's because I'm dead. I shouldn't be here... Some force dragged me back into the world. Obviously, whoever did this needs something out of me, so I hid myself down here, secluded from everyone and everything else. That way, the perpetrator couldn't get what he wanted out of me, and those who know me as dead can keep it that way."