[Pokémon] The Lost Sacrifice

Hello! I hope you enjoy this. I've been sitting on this idea and decided to throw it over here. All thoughts and criticism would be greatly appreciated. I'll be editing and adding to this as time goes on.


Chapter One

Big brother, big brother!"

Elis put down the greenery for his flower arrangement. He couldn't help the wide smile breaking his mask of poise, his younger brother bounding down the hall. "Noa, how I've missed you!"

He clutched the small boy who leapt into his arms, their embrace holding a conversation of unspoken emotion.

Once he placed Noa down, a fresh pink bouquet was pushed into his hands.

"Big brother, I brought you gracidea flowers, your favorite!"

Elis was touched as they weren't simple for a young boy to obtain- they were expensive. However, he then realized just how the boy obtained them, with a sinking heart. "Your caretaker is here too, is she not?" He just barely kept open distaste and disappointment out of his words.

Noa nodded, drooping with guilt. "Yes... They wouldn't let me come alone..."

A harsh, banshee-esque voice came piercing through the thin paper doors. "Young master, you must be frank and explain exactly what you mean, so you won't be misunderstood!"

The little boy turned away to look at her as she walked in, most likely with the face of a silent plea, but the caretaker was as ruthless as Elis remembered her to be. "Go on, young master."

"M-mother a-and Fa-fa-father didn't w-want me to come h-here... to s-see you. S-so Miss Ma-magnolia had t-to come with m-me." Noa was in tears, sobbing as he brought up the situation honestly.

"And why is that, young master?"

Noa sobbed, miserably. "B-because..."

"Because? You can't leave your sentences short, young master."

"B-because big brother is the sacrifice." The words were so soft, they were barely heard in the silent room.

Elis was hurt some, but he felt more for his younger brother, heart torn asunder between his hapless brother and strict parents. Noa would never have the freedom to come and go as he pleased, nor the freedom to love and be near who he wanted. The situation was evidence of that.

Well, not that he had those freedoms himself, but it was even more heartbreaking to see the position his tiny little brother was in, with ironically similar restrictions.

Elis managed to keep a grimace off his face, maintaining his placid expression. "Don't mind it, Noa. Why don't I teach you to arrange these beautiful gracidea, since you and Miss Magnolia were so kind to purchase them?"

Noa smiled through the tears. "Yes, please, big brother!"

Magnolia scoffed, an unpleasant look on her unpleasant features. "Don't apologize to that, young master."

Unusual for the kind little boy, Noa got upset and argued with her. "Elis is a person, not a thing, Miss Magnolia! I won't tolerate any more mean comments this evening." Noa's grey eyes got hard like cold stone, and for once, the caretaker quietly relented. Normally, she would've taken the young boy home right then, but that night she did not.

The evening was a wonderful one. For the first time Elis could remember, Noa was permitted to stay the night with him, even as much as Miss Magnolia hated it. As their parents hated it. The temple staff even brought in more gracidea and flowers as well as other things he liked.

Elis already knew why, but didn't let it dampen the magical evening.

"I can't believe I get to sleep with you tonight, big brother!" Noa was hyper after their supper, giddily laying their beds together.

Elis almost suppressed his laughter, but then with a deadman's realization, laughed until he cried. For once, he could laugh as much as he wanted, when he wanted.

Noa hugged him tightly during this- he didn't think Noa totally understood the situation, but could sense most of it, somehow.

He held the precious boy for what felt like a life time, until his arms got tired and he sat back. "Noa, how come you never call me Elis? You always call me big brother, but surely you can't call me that forever?"

The stubborn grey eyes of stone returned, and Noa stared him down. In that moment, watching the fragile, tiny future leader of Orr e's prestigious Ho-oh clan, he was sure the boy would excel. The boy, strangely enough for his gentle constitution, was leader material, without a doubt.

"Everyone else can call you Elis, and you'll be Elis the sacrifice, or the diplomat to them, but to me, you'll always be my big brother. There may be a thousand Elis out there, and it may be your name, but to me, you'll first and foremost always be my big brother. No force in this universe will change that."

A chill ran down Elis', surprised by the wisdom of such a little boy. It may have been the result of poetry reading and intensive schooling Noa underwent, but the teen was spooked all the same.

Elis sighed, almost feeling that his little brother was more mature than he was. "Have you been practicing that, Noa?"

A cheeky grin was his answer. "Possibly."

Ever since Noa's birth, Elis always thought that the boy was something of an enigma. Even as a pudgy potato-thing, Noa almost never cried, not even when he was born. Noa only cried when he was hurting others- unfortunately, something that he had to do often, and was part of the role of a leader. He didn't hate what hurt him, and he was intelligent and wise, even at 9 years old.

"You aren't allowed to grow up so quickly, kid." Elis picked the little boy up easily, who was giggling and wriggling in his grasp. He placed the boy over his shoulder and went outside, to the magikarp pond in the garden.

All the monks were already asleep in their quarters, so it was serene and quiet. The moonlight filtered through the trees, reflected in the pond.

Elis set his brother down softly, and put his feet into the water. "You know, Noa, if you grow up too fast, a gyrados will appear and take you down to the depths of the sea. They'll sense a mature soul that doesn't fit a little body like yours, and take you to the sea prince. The monks told me as such."

Noa was stricken with horror, staring at his brother with big doe eyes, and turned his gaze to the peaceful pond, fearful. "If the monks told you so..."

Elis felt guilty for telling his little brother a tall tale, but it was all for good fun. Noa was still too innocent to believe his own brother would trick him. At least, not without other evidence. "Are you not going to put your feet in? You look a bit stuffy, Noa."

"S-sure..." Slowly, painfully slow, Noa scooted closer to the pond, pale. Just when he dipped a toe into the water, Elis pulled his leg in.

Noa squealed and reeled back, falling on his bottom. "B-big brother!"

Elis stuck out his tongue, grinning. He wasn't usually childish, but then, he wasn't usually with his brother. "Come on, we should go bathe. It'll close at midnight."

*​

The bath had been much more colorful than with his usual company. Usually, the monks of the temple used the time to meditate and think in silence, while Elis tried to imitate. Generally, he failed and ended up bored and tired, so he tried to bathe late and alone. Not to mention, bathing in silence with 30 men was creepy in any which way he could try to spin it.

But this time, he just had his brother.

"I've never been in an a hot spring!" Noa exclaimed, eager to run into the bathing area, but held back by Elis.

It was a strange sensation, doing what he did normally alone with his little brother. It was nice, but strange nonetheless. "Noa, we need to wash off first."

He almost felt like he was floating in happiness, being able to act like a proper older brother for once. Elis was sure the night would be his most treasured memory, without a doubt.

Elis made sure that Noa was clean as dew, making Noa wait by washing Noa's hair and feet throughly. "You guys probably change your bath water frequently, but because its so big and its a natural hot spring we can't do that, so we have to wash off before we get in so we don't dirty it."

"Like you always say, your body is a temple, right?"

Elis smiled quietly, walking into the hot water slowly, getting used to bit by bit. "It's really the monks that say that. I'm not really religious, but it is good advice."

Noa, on the other hand, jumped straight in. "Bitter shit, that's hot!"

He stared at his younger sibling in disbelief. "Noa, who taught you that? That's foul language."

"Ah." Noa winced, keeping his face mostly in the water. "Father uses it sometimes, is all. Sorry, big brother."

Elis let his tense body relax in the onsen, thinking himself much like tea, brewing. The teen was also brooding over the mention of 'Father', but he put his mind onto happier things, like tea, and the precious treasure next to him to distract himself. "Don't apologize. I don't really mind, but I suppose it's frowned upon for children to use foul language."

Noa groaned. "I suppose so. Why don't you use foul language ever, anyway?"

Elis knew Noa brought up their parents on the sly frequently to try and create conversation about the subject matter. But Elis also knew that he didn't want to have that dark, ruthless talk with his nine year old brother. Thankfully, Noa didn't seem too persistent about it, either.

"The monks raised me, and I'd say none of them have ever been taken with it. Although, for them, its for religious reasons."

After enough time, Elis deemed it was time for them to exit and prepare for bed, as much as he dreaded the end of the night. He made sure the younger was completely dried from head to toe, and tied the sash for Noa's robe.

"How is it that a young, bright mind like you has trouble tying a simple knots?" They got snug in the bedding, facing each other as they laid on their sides.

Noa was still quite red from the bath, although the cool night air seemed to be helping. He really hoped he had dried the little boy off enough- he wasn't experienced enough in caring for frail children.

"I'll be learning about practical subjects soon, I just haven't yet. Normally, my other caretaker, Mister Taka, does it for me. He's much nicer than Miss Magnolia."

Elis was relieved to hear the boy had a more positive figure in his life. He had never met the Taka person, but Noa talked about them with a smile. That was enough to for him to trust the Taka man.

"Is that so? How does your normal day go, Noa?"

Noa snuck into Elis' arms, cuddled into the teen. "I'll tell you, but... may I sleep like this with you, just for tonight?"

Elis didn't know if brothers were usually as close as they were, but he was sure that Noa too could feel the finality of the night. "Of course."

It was the first time he had ever slept next to someone, much less sleeping with someone's embrace. It was warm, if not too hot, in the summer night, but nice too. Too nice for either to mind, he was sure.

Elis fell asleep to Noa's murmuring, barely awake by a string when Noa stopped talking about his day-to-day life. "Goodnight, big brother."

"Goodnight... little brother."

*​

Elis woke up alone.

He was lonely, and even lonelier after discovering the gracidea in his hair.

He went about his morning as he usually did with a smile on his face, but felt himself emptier than ever on the inside.

"Sir Elis, I have your schedule for the day."

Having a 'schedule' meant that he was to be a diplomat that day. The monks never really paid attention to him unless he had a task to do.

"Thank you, Ven. I appreciate it."

Ven was the one who always gave him the schedule- a nice, if not quiet and unassuming man. "You're welcome, sir Elis. But please use my title."

Elis grimaced as he said it. "I always feel sarcastic when using the title, Holy Ven."

And that was where the conversation ended, as usual. Ven wasn't talkative, unfortunately.

Sometimes, he wanted to be angry, that the monks nearly ignored him. But he knew better, as it was the way it was. The monks served the sacrifice, but did not get involved. The only people Elis really got to talk to were representatives of other clans- Elis was a head religious figure, and as a sacrifice, represented his clan.

He found it ironic, as he only ever lived in the temple, and hardly knew his own clan.

The day's visitor was his most common- the successor to the rivaling clan.

There were two- his own, the righteous and religious Ho-oh clan, and the other, the darker and practical Lugia clan. There were other clans as well, but the Ho-oh and Lugia clans were the most prominent of the Orre region.

They used to wage savage war against each other until they took up blades together against the larger threat- the very same monster that Elis was sacrifice to.

There was a lot of history and mythology, but Elis didn't care to think about it much more than he had to. He didn't like to think about his death, since it would only upset be depressing.

"Hello, pidgey-brained fool."

The Lugian heir, Arie, was a tad rude.

"It's good to see you still have your health, Arie."

If Elis had anything like a friend, it was Arie.

The Lugia clan had lost much of their religious zeal over the generations, which greatly upset most of the Ho-oh clan, and they had long since dropped the idea of the sacrifice. The Ho-oh clan, however, stuck to tradition and religion dearly, as it was the foundation of the clan.

Only Elis never really understood the religion, unfortunately. Even his own position of sacrifice was lost on himself.

"It's good to see you still have your position as bitter shit, I see." Arie mocked him, before promptly pouring himself water and draining it.

Elis sighed again, somewhat forlorn. He was thankful it was Arie visiting instead of another representative- he didn't have to pretend to be peaceful and happy, and wear a fake smile. "I apologize, Arie, I am tired today. What business do you have?"

Arie scowled at the frank attitude the other teen took, but said nothing about it. "Ugh... As the Lugia clan heir, I'm supposed to express gratitude for the upcoming nonsense festival. Anyway, why are you tired? You do nothing but study and sleep anyway."

Arie had quickly tried to get off the subject, but Elis' fears were confirmed. The celebration of peace, or the sacrifice ceremony, was to be held soon. "I spent the night with my brother. And I suppose, for the ceremony of things, the Ho-oh clan appreciates the acknowledgement. We propose to continue existing in harmony, and create more lasting relations. We are grateful for the respect the Lugia clan shows for our religious traditions, even if the clans have differing views."

The other boy was openly upset and having difficulty with the next words. "These words are worthless, but... the Lugia clan will continue to support your clan, even with our varying views. We hope the festival of peace goes well and smoothly... this is such utter bullshit! It's absolute crockery!"

Elis was able to muster a smile, seeing Arie angry for him. "I think you mean crookery, Arie. And they aren't worthless. Let's sign the annual papers, shall we?"

The heir held out until they finished inking the papers.

"How are you so casual concerning this?! You, what is in your head? Fairy tales and drivel?! It's your own useless death, and yet you still don't bat an eye! Even after finally being able to spend time with your 'most precious, amazing, wonderful little brother'!"

Arie shouted as he continued to rant, and Elis was glad that the monks weren't permitted to enter the meeting room. Some rather derogatory names were yelled at them, but Elis knew Arie didn't really wish them anything personal. "Calm down, Arie. It's not as if this is anything new, you know. I was raised from birth with this role in mind, and it's something I cannot rebel against."

"Y-you aren't even religious! It's like a tragic comedy, at this point!"

Elis never really knew the offensive red-head cared for him so- it was quite nice, having so much affection from people in his life. "Don't mind it, Arie. It's not as if it's your own life, you know. Anyhow, are you coming to the festival?"

The Lugian heir took in deep, ragged breaths to calm down. "I don't want to. I don't want to see you die some stupid death, but I have to. The Lugia nobles are all going, to show respect." He spat the last word, body tense with rage.

"If it's any consolation, I go to the monster's layer alone, and far away from the crowd. You don't actually see me die or anything upsetting like that."

"You're a sick bastard, you know that? Biggest herbivore in history. Don't you have any desire to escape?"

Elis smiled. They never usually conversed with such emotion or length, but he felt as though he could consider Arie a good friend. His first and only friend, most likely. "I don't know if I do or not. It's just something that I must do, regardless. However, for now, I have something to ask of you."

Arie shivered, scowling. "Don't smile with your own death in mind, cretin. Anyway... name it."

"Take care of my little brother for me, please."

"I- I- that's dark, even for you- don't you dare!"

Elis was on the ground, head touching floor. "I request that you care for my brother in my place, as I won't be able to. I apologize to ask for such a selfish thing. If there is anything you want and it's within my power to-"

"Yes, yes, but what I want for you is to get up off of that floor! What's wrong with you, you great big dope?!"

The even wore on and the two had a long conversation, longer than they ever had and ever would, Elis was sure.

As he watched the Lugian heir leave, he felt the weight of the world on his back.

Within the week, he was measured for the ceremonial robes. Brought more 'gifts of gratitude' from monks and other people, and met with more ambassadors. None he knew very personally, however.

The monks became even more skittish of him, and he went days without talking to anyone.

*​

The day came. The robes had been finished, and Elis was dressed up finely. Ornaments were placed in his hair, around his wrists and his ankles. Each one felt like an adamantite chain, pulling him to his duty like a puppet. Every step he took was miserable and tired, and he could barely function. He had hardly slept in the past weeks.

The monks placed him on a platform which they carried on their shoulders and for the first time he could ever recall, he saw his clan. Not just the people, but the buildings, trees, roads. But the people as well.

For the first time in years, he saw the solemn figures of his parents, in bright outfits. He could even make out their faces a bit.

Elis saw his brother and Arie who were separate from the other nobles that he recognized, including his parents. Two sad, tear streaked faces met his gaze. They wore plain things, compared to everyone else who were simply celebrating peace and life.

Elis wasn't sure if it was strange to be both heart broken, seeing the most important people in his life crying, and happy, to have two people crying over his death.

The rest of the festival was a blur- he danced for the crowd, and said some words he memorized long ago for the ceremony. There was a lot of music, colors, and acts of entertainment.

Before he knew it, he found himself alone in a large, deep cavern.

He was dizzy, sick, and exhausted.

Elis didn't quite mind the idea of eternal slumber right then.

"Monster, are you there?" He called to the darkness, stupidly ready to charge into danger. It was the moment he had been waiting for his entire life. His 'destiny', as the monks put it. "No, that's not quite right, is it? Giratina, show yourself! Your sacrifice has come, finally."

The cavern was silent- unnaturally so. There wasn't a sound in the cave, not wind nor water nor critter. It was, for lack of a better word, dead. Giratina's power was so enormous, even the atmosphere scared away life.

He quickly found himself crying, courage sapped away in moments. Snotty, coughing sobs, soul quivering crying.

Elis didn't want to die. He didn't want to be a sacrifice- he wanted to live, more than he ever thought possible.

He could feel himself fraying. He was laughing at something, though he didn't know what it was, and still crying.

Then hot shame struck his thoughts and calmed him- what if his bother had been watching? Just how pathetic would Noa think his big brother was?

He knew if Arie saw him right then, he'd get a pleasant punch to the face.

Elis wasn't sure how much time passed as he picked up his pieces and stopped crying.

He wondered if unraveling was part of the process. "Please, just take me, Great Giratina. I'm done. Just... finish it."

Silence met him. The cavern's unwavering quiet was proof of the monster's presence, but the monster himself no where to be found.

It'll be okay. He told himself, ridiculous as it was. All that could happen was his death, no?

He marched farther and farther into the abyss until he could walk no more. He almost fell asleep right there, when a clang awoke him.

Elis put down the greenery for his flower arrangement. He couldn't help the wide smile breaking his mask of poise, his younger brother bounding down the hall. "Noa, how I've missed you!"

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Very good language here

Unusual for the kind little boy, Noa got upset and argued with her. "Elis is a person, not a thing, Miss Magnolia! I won't tolerate any more mean comments this evening." Noa's grey eyes got hard like cold stone, and for once, the caretaker quietly relented.

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Wow okay

Elis made sure that Noa was clean as dew, making Noa wait by washing Noa's hair and feet throughly.

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I...don't think I get the simile

"Thank you, Ven. I appreciate it."

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Ventus is that you bro

"How are you so casual concerning this?! You, what is in your head? Fairy tales and drivel?! It's your own useless death, and yet you still don't bat an eye! Even after finally being able to spend time with your 'most precious, amazing, wonderful little brother'!"

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Arie's personality is considerably trite

"You're a sick bastard, you know that? Biggest herbivore in history. Don't you have any desire to escape?"

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I thought he misspoke at first, but apparently not. Is, ah, being a vegetarian an insult now?

"Monster, are you there?" He called to the darkness, stupidly ready to charge into danger. It was the moment he had been waiting for his entire life. His 'destiny', as the monks put it. "No, that's not quite right, is it? Giratina, show yourself! Your sacrifice has come, finally."

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Ehhh? I thought he'd be sacrificed to Ho-Oh, so...gotcha? o_O

Ah, thank you so much for leaving your thoughts, Aisu! I super, super duper really appreciate it. I apologize if it didn't make sense in some thoughts (I got like really excited about the idea and probably got ahead of myself '^w^) And I'll try to revise it soon to make it more comprehensible.

Aisu said:

I...don't think I get the simile

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So, Elis isn't a creepy dude (I mean, I hope not) he's just very, extremely happy to be able to do simple brothery stuff. I probably made him smile far too much (and sound creepy, whoops) in trying to express this.

Aisu said:

I thought he misspoke at first, but apparently not. Is, ah, being a vegetarian an insult now?

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Ah, I used herbivore as in noncarnivorous, and lacking in the ability to fight for himself/his life. I suppose I should find a less confusing alternative for that owo.

Aisu said:

Arie's personality is considerably trite

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Ah, I suppose he's not a very developed character besides some guy screaming insults and all that. I didn't think too much about Arie as he won't really be a big character at all past this point, but are his lines too much or annoying? I'll be reworking it.

Aisu said:

Ehhh? I thought he'd be sacrificed to Ho-Oh, so...gotcha? o_O

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I didn't really want to dump the dry mythology randomly into the story, so I thought I'd leave the monster as mysterious until revealing it to be Giratina, but I guess that's also confusing for the reader.



Thank you again for your thoughts!! Just having someone show interest in this at all made my day :D I'll see what I can do to straighten out the first chapter with this, and if you continue to read, I hope you enjoy. ^u^

An interesting premise, and story. It's unusual, but it somehow fits the source material: Pokémon. I'm liking how you are handling the entire theme here, including 'life as a sacrifice in a temple of religious monks'; excellent job!

Here are some of the most prominent negatives however, which you should be aware of:

Regarding what Aisu said about Arie coming off as trite, I think I also agree with that. The moment he was introduced, he became a mild annoyance to read. As for Elin, he does feel quite bland as well, but I'm sure his character development will pick up soon enough properly, so it's good. Plus, it fits his circumstances for him to behave like he does.

However, I couldn't help but notice how the tale began quite slowly. I read, and read, and read, and it felt as if I didn't have anything to hold on to as I went; especially when he was meeting his younger brother for the first time, in the opening scenes. Yes, we got bits and pieces in reveals here and there afterwards, but they came late, and it felt quite dull. That didn't motivate me to retrace my steps and revisit the information you gave before (reread), instead, I felt like pushing on and racing my way out of this fic as fast as I could.
To be honest, everything became more enjoyable to read as I re-read that opening for the second time. Because now, I know what is happening here, and all of the brotherly affections you tried to convey are not lost as much as they were in the first reading. Why? Because, what to us might sound like a normal, inconsequential meeting of brothers, to the characters is something that's likened to a once in a lifetime event. It's incredibly special, and I think the audience should be notified with that same importance. What it implies to be a sacrifice.


Nevertheless? I actually ended up wishing to read a next chapter. Which is rare when it comes to fics, and owing also to my short attention span, so congratulations on achieving this. Your story has amazing potential.

To recap, you have great world feeling/world building. As well as great wording.

But your cons are in characters, as well as knowing how to deliver key information efficiently.
(Although I am not complaining about the Giratina reveal, that one was done right.)

Please keep it up.

Thank you so very much, Vagrant Pixels! I've been using the given criticisms and rewriting the first chapter a lot (still rewriting it) and it meant a lot to have a concise and helpfully formatted post and I'm really happy you bothered to reread it. I hope I can continue to deliver an enjoyable story for you, and if not, I'm still very grateful for your through and helpful thoughts. ^w^ thank you very much and I apologize for the slow progress and late reply.

A/N: This one is written as half of the second chapter, so it's going to be rather short. Thank you very much, Aisu and Vagrant Pixels for your wonderful feedback ^w^ I hope you enjoy, and as always, I appreciate and value all thoughts and constructive criticisms.





Chapter Two


Elis was nearly blacked out from heavy exhaustion when a distinct clang sliced through his dazed fog.

The only thing he felt was an empty apathy. His blurry thoughts were eaten by a morbid curiosity- death was certain, the only unknown variable was how, and his brain was deducing the possibilities, as if he were attacking a puzzle.

If he laid there, he would likely die by whatever went with the clang sound.

After a long period of stillness, he turned over. A couple yards away laid a sword, with no wielder or reason to be there.

Was he supposed to end his own life, perhaps? It'd be a painful, messy death.

Well, not that he cared anymore.

He crawled bit by bit to the sword, his instincts silent as he inched over to his death.

"Elis. Fight."

He searched for the source of the voice and found nothing- he just barely missed the swiping claw of the blade.

It wasn't any ordinary sword, but a living creature. Elis had heard of them before. A strange sort of pokemon claimed to be born from a restless warrior's soul, the life stealing sword, Honedge.

But they certainly weren't native to Orre's mountainous, forest like conditions. They were supposedly in the northern regions, like Unova, where bitter battles and death were frequent.

Orre hadn't been in a state of war for over 300 years. There was no reason for a honedge to be in a underground cavern in Orre, much less Giratina's cavern.

"Pay attention."

He very nearly got cut in half- his millisecond to back step only just saved his life, earning a long, shallow gash from his shoulder to hip. Strangely enough, it neither hurt nor bled.

The sword let loose a strangled growl in his mind, or what Elis assumed to be the sword. He had never heard nor read any personal accounts of honedge interaction, but it seemed to possess communication powers similar to psychic types.

The pokemon howled sharply and high pitched, an unnatural sound that quickly snapped his attention back to the present. "You will die now if you do not fight."

It came at him again and again, somehow floating. He would've pondered how if not for the metal clipping his body continuously. Try as he might, no matter how he dived and dodged, it was suddenly dancing on his flesh, cutting up his arms.

Why he was protecting himself? He hadn't the slightest idea, only that his body was everywhere at once, and the sword was only a breath behind.

"You will not survive unless you chose, now. Uncertain actions will kill you."

There was no malice behind the words that fell into his mind, nor behind each strike. He was certain it could've easily struck his vital areas but it didn't. However, he didn't feel he was being toyed with by some sadistic ghost either- it was pushing him, pushing him, pushing him. Pushing him to live?

Still, Elis did not feel pain and he still did not bleed. If he was to die, it was an ideal situation. He had his excuse- the determined honedge, already in the process of making mincemeat out of him. It would be painless and easy- to fall into a blow, to take a hit. All he had to do was slow down, to let the blade catch him.

Still, he did not falter, he did not dare.

The sword was effortlessly nicking him, and it was nothing short of a miracle that he hadn't slipped yet on his confused feet.

"Live or die, you choose!"

Elis rolled underneath the next stab and nabbed the hilt of the sword with one hand, grabbing a fist full of its sash with the other.

He wasn't out of breath, nor was his body tired from exertion. Although wounds littered his body, none hurt, bled, or impacted his movement.

"Got you." Elis said simply, unsure what to do with the sword now that it was restrained. What were its motives, and why was it there?

"Since you caught me, I will honor those questions with answers."

Sensing the fight was over, he relaxed his grip so they could talk properly, trusting a warrior ghost's honor. Warriors were always steadfast with their promises.

The sword promptly lunged out with its hand-like sash and commandeered his arm.

"H-hey, what are you-"

The hand-sash began to dig into his arm, and the muscles in his arm were moved as the material clamped down with a force he had never felt before. At first, he was relatively calm about the situation as one could be, thanks to the lacking presence of pain, but found himself quite wrong in that regard.

It was burning. The material was crawling its way into his flesh, and it was so intense he hadn't even realized it. He could even smell the searing meat his arm was becoming.

"Think about something other than the pain. Don't let it sink in. Walk."

Elis was in agony- he wasn't sure if he felt it, or just knew he was supposed to be in agony, but actually was not. Was it a hallucination? Why was it only in his arm? Was it torture delivered from the Archdemon, Giratina? A great evil monster wouldn't be given the title for nothing, after all.

"My lord Giratina is not the monster you think he is. Walk. Turn right."

He turned right and found his world spinning- suddenly, he was looking down at where he had just been standing. Had he just flown? He was almost certain that physics didn't work like that.

"You're a liar." Elis stated, too dazed to understand if he was upset about it or not.

He realized only then that the sword had an eye, and it was looking right at him. "I have a scabbard around here, too. Keep walking straight."

"Why is Giratina portrayed like a monster then? What about the other legends?"

"Don't think too much. Pick up my scabbard. Place me in it."

He wondered if the smell of his cooking arm was any different in scent than cooked miltank or cooked bird. "Where next?"

"Straight. Be quick, we do not have time. I will tell you everything, later."

There was a lit passage ahead, much brighter than the dim cavern. He hadn't payed much attention to the little light in there, but it couldn't be from the entrance, being too far back.

"Will-o-wisps are generating the light. Now walk through the portal."

It only then really occurred to him to be worried. What traps would likely be waiting for him? He had no reason to trust the sword. Was the passage the way to Giratina? His end?

Regardless, he kept walking forward without any hesitation. What being, be it human or ghost sword, would answer their victim's idle questions? The mystery behind the honedge's actions spoke volumes, and Elis felt able to trust it.

"I will protect you, sacrifice. I swear my life on it."

"As a ghost, you don't really have life to spa-"

He walked through the passage and found himself completely blinded by intense sunlight. With undefined vision, he could make out a lot of green and blue shapes.

That is, before he fainted from his injuries that had started to bleed and burn.