"Watcher"
The code of the Adrellos:
We obey no one. Power is the only god we serve.
Children of the Adrellos must never abandon the hunt for power. We must never be content. Creatures who live without purpose are weak and useless; our undying hunger for power is the source of our strength.
We are the watchers of the land, the cullers of the harvest. No other creatures may lay claim to our role.
Children of the Adrellos must never trust. Children of the Adrellos must never be trusted. Trust is complicated and fleeting; fear is absolute. Every other creature must learn to fear the sound of our name.
*Clang!* *Clang!*
We are the shadows which extend at dusk, we are the wind which sifts the trees: unconquerable, invisible.
When you hunt, do not be seen.
When you kill, do not be heard.
*Clash!* *Clang!* *Clang!*
… … …
By custom, the young Scyther hatched alone, so that it might imprint upon no one.
By custom, the young Scyther was left alone in its infancy, watched and protected from afar, so that it might learn to survive, learn to listen to its instinct. Learn the primal pangs of pain and hunger, and what they mean. Learn by nature how to walk, to eat, and to fly. Learn where to sleep safely. Learn which creatures were predators, and which were prey. Learn to respect the predators, and the dangers of the wild. Learn to fear them.
Learn to hate them.
Learn to hunger for power, so that it might overcome them.
… … …
*Clash!* *Clang!*
*Thump!*
An elderly Scyther hit the floor by the force of a body slam.
"Magnificent, hatchling," it growled, moving to kneel up. "Alrac has trained you well, it seems. I may have nothing to teach you."
"You're being easy," the hatching hissed back at it, standing over the old one and panting in exhilaration, its blades held in an offensive stance. "Don't be easy. Fight me."
"You want me to try to kill you?" the elder asked wryly.
"Yes," the little one answered without hesitation. "Otherwise I will not learn."
"Adron, I am your teacher, not your murderer," the elder reminded him. "Wipe away your pride. You would stand no chance against me if I didn't hold back."
"You've tried to kill me before, sending me into the wild alone," the little one replied. "Why hesitate now? Fight me!"
Returning to his feet, the elder Scyther stood over the short child, but the little one was not intimidated. It tensed its body, focus burning in the eyes, like a cat trapped in a corner preparing to fight.
Of course, the elder would not give the little one what it wished, but he doubled his efforts in hopes that the hatchling would be satisfied with a greater level of challenge. Opening his wings, he propelled himself far above the clay-ridden ground to attack his student from the air. The hatchling rose to the challenge, swarming at the elder and zipping past in attempt to strike from confusing angles. But every attack was blocked, as the elder expertly pivoted his blades to defend himself. The ringing cries of opposing steel filled the air once again.
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*
The little one's heart raced to the pulse of the battle, as did his mind. His senses burned with information, every little impulse meaning something. The angle of attack. The likelihood of a counter. The propulsion of his own wings. The shadow his trainer cast upon his body whenever he blocked out the sun, providing such a tiny advantage to move unexpectedly. The continual rhythm of the metallic collisions. Clank! Clang! Clash! Over, under, around. Vulnerabilities, defenses always shifting. Patterns to see and to subvert. It all meant something, if only he paid attention to it.
… … …
Focus, Adron… Focus!
Remember! …Remember why…
…Remember why we fight…
… … …
We are children of the blade.
Children of the Adrellos must never don the red armor; it is a false strength. We are the color of the grass and leaves, so we may hide from our prey. We are swift and winged, so we may strike fast and overtake our prey. Our blades are nature's perfect weapons. We are hatched with them, we train to understand them, and with them, we will die.
We are nature's favored.
Children of the Adrellos must not mate unless they have lived to become an elder; a long lifespan signifies good traits to pass to the offspring.
Once mated, children of the Adrellos must surrender all eggs to the clan; a father shall not know his son, and a son shall not know his father. There are no fathers or sons among the Adrellos, only brothers.
We are one.
Children of the Adrellos must never keep secrets from one another. We are one will with many blades. Silence and shame must not mar our communication.
We must never hesitate to pass judgment upon others.
Children of the Adrellos must never hesitate to leave a brother behind; we are one entity, our strength must not be compromised by sympathy for our weakened brothers. We fight as one, we stand above our fallen brothers to defend them, but with blades we cannot lift a fallen brother back to his feet.
… … …
By custom, he learned the code. Learned that it held the secrets to acquiring power, the power which he hungered for, the power he required to defeat the dangers and enemies he had once respected and feared. Power which would let him do anything he desired.
By that code, he had been tested. His faith, his willingness to follow the code was challenged each day of his life. He had undergone hunger and thirst, loneliness and abandonment… special tests, difficult decisions… and battles, so many battles, until sparring came as natural as walking or flying…
Passing every test, a place among the clan had been reserved for him…
…Reserved, but not assured…
…And in these final months, it was the hatchling's goal to claim that place, to prove once and for all he was worthy of being called a child of the Adrellos…
…And so he would be a hatchling no more…
…Hungering for this place of power, he fought on, mastering all he was taught…
…Until…
… … …
*Slash!*
The elder Scyther staggered in the air, a bloodless scar now visible across his face. The hatchling's attack had connected, clashed against the skeletal armor of the elder's forehead. The hatchling wore a smug expression, drifting away from his opponent and preparing for a counter-attack, but one did not come.
"Wonderful," the elder gasped, withdrawing from the battle. "Adron… you are a gifted hatchling, if I've ever seen one. Your concentration, your focus… I have never known anything like it."
"You still were holding back," Adron said condescendingly. "How am I to learn?"
"Adron… I think you have learned enough."
"I don't know that," Adron insisted, as the two of them settled back to the barren ground. "I can't assume I'm skilled enough to be accepted by the elders. And my time runs short."
"Adron… you are only a hatching," the elder Scyther told him. "We have taught you how to take control of your own self, but that is only the beginning of your life. Next, you must learn to take control of the world around you; and that you can only learn when you become involved in the affairs of the Adrellos and you gain experience. And believe me, they will accept you. You will be a pride of this clan."
The hatchling held his head high. He loved it when his elders said that. They constantly were praising him about how he was the superior of his generation, how he excelled at the tests and demonstrated outstanding judgment for one so young. He loved the praise, and so he kept on challenging himself, pushing his abilities forward, hoping to keep this favor and increase it as far as it would go.
After all, it was the first law of the code: never be content with your power. Never abandon the hunt for more.
"But your mind is still small and closed," the elder said. "Only by growing and living will you learn more, do you understand? Your pride can strengthen you, as I see that it has, but do not let it blind you to the reality of things."
"Yes," Adron replied. "I know."
"But by the gods, I have only met you weeks ago, and already you hold yourself as a war hero, and you fight like one as well," the elder complemented, stepping close to the little one. "The other hatchlings… they are all so easy to distract. One little diversion in battle brings their demise. They have much training to do in these final months. But you… your mind is already as bright as the sun, your focus as sharp as steel! What has Alrac done to you that she has neglected to do with your brothers, huh? Or, should I say… what has great Arceus given to you that the others do not have?"
"Arceus has given me nothing. I have earned everything I have."
Amused, the elder chuckled. "That very well might be, little one," he said affectionately. "Well, you have no more business here. Go and rest. We will train again, but you must let me focus on the others. They require much more of my attention than you do. If you would like to better yourself even beyond what you are now, I'm sure you will find other ways to do so. You can consider helping to train your brothers. Understand?"
"Yes, Sensei Adram," the hatchling replied respectfully, though with a hint of reluctance.
"Good. Now leave," the elder commanded. "Tomorrow I must work with Adarc. His mind is so slow, he hesitates before every move. And Adiel, he is too reckless. And Alros, she has a lingering fear of heights, doesn't trust her own wings… Perfection is rare among you hatchlings."
*Thwack!*
As was customary when two Scyther parted ways, Adram swung the back of his blade as though to blindside his student in the head, and it was promptly blocked by Adron's own blade. It was a reminder to always stay alert, even among trusted companions.
"Share some of yours with the others, if you might," the teacher uttered, looking the young one straight in the eye.
… … …
*Clang!* *Clang!*
*Thump!*
What is this… what is…
No… this… this isn't right…
I can't focus…
Why…? Why can't I focus…?
… … …
The young Scyther returned to his clan's nesting ground, a maze of rock piles and stone protrusions that towered like a forest above the brown, hardened badlands. The evening growing near, the sunlight dimmed, darkening the shadows around the stones and obscuring the passages within.
The Adrellos had no home to call their own. All of Ambera was their home, and occasionally the neighboring lands as well. As a Scyther bears blades, not claws, the clan could not easily stockpile food and resources in a permanent residence. Instead, they moved about the land, settling where food could be found for the season, and leaving when the setting was no longer acceptable to them.
In this fall season, the Adrellos had moved into a treacherous place known as the Shattered Plateau, a maze of sandstone cliffs and towers. It suited them, providing shelter while confusing any intruders who would trespass, while they memorized all the ways to and from their nests.
As the little Scyther stepped through the branching paths between the rocks, he did as he had been taught, taking note of every detail to assure himself everything was the same. He felt the cold breeze as it swept over him, moaning and howling as it flowed between the many rocks. He listened to its voice, and the voices of the wild Pokémon as they scavenged for their final meals of the day.
A pebble shifted in a direction he had not expected. He smirked.
"Adiel, is that you?" The Scyther called. "No… it wouldn't be. Adarc?"
There was a scratching noise. Adron's wings trembled in amusement.
"You don't want to fight me right now, Adarc," the Scyther teased. "You might find it painful. I just finished practicing."
*Thwap!*
Adron spun around just in time to block the blow to the back of his head. He twisted his body and swung his other blade around, swatting his opponent in the back and sending his fellow Scyther stumbling away.
"Too predictable, Adarc," Adron taunted, standing cockily over his fallen brother. "And you forgot the first of the mistakes when deceiving an enemy,"
"Be sure the enemy is not deceiving you instead?" the other Scyther recited regaining his balance and casting an annoyed glare in Adron's direction. He realized that Adron had turned his head in the wrong direction on purpose.
"No," Adron replied, setting off to walk farther into the craggy maze. "Do not attempt to deceive an enemy who cannot be deceived."
"Lies. That's not one of them at all," Adarc shouted, hurrying to catch up. "And there's no such thing as an enemy who cannot be deceived!"
"Then maybe you will prove it the day you manage to deceive me," Adron returned, now with an affectionate smile.
… … …
Adron knew his other brothers looked up to him. He was always the one who could never seem to be outsmarted. When they went hunting, he was always the one in command. When they trained with the elders, he was always the one who remembered everything he was taught. Knowing this, he cared for them in his own ways and helped them where they could be helped. They were, after all, his future allies in the clan, friends he would need to rely upon in whatever wars or battles it was that the Adrellos fought. He didn't yet know the role his own clan played in the world; he could only guess it was important, given the high standards he'd been brought to live up to.
While Adron and the other hatchlings lived under the wings of the clan, and often met the clan's warriors in person, they were forbidden to become involved in the clan's affairs. Instead, some of the elders took turns raising and watching them, until one thousand days from the hatching of the youngest child when they would be presented to the clan for acceptance. Sensei Adram was the fourth and final caretaker of this generation's hatchlings, and as such, he was not a lenient teacher.
Though, Adron wouldn't have known that if it hadn't been for the other Scyther children constantly complaining about his methods since three weeks ago when they had all been handed over to him.
… … …
"You beat him, didn't you?" Adarc laughed in surprise. "You wouldn't be smiling otherwise. Adron, how do you do it? Last week he kept talking about how he wasn't going to go easy on you anymore. How do you manage to read his mind so well?"
"He went easy on me, that's how I beat him," Adron huffed. "He could have challenged me, but he decided not to. He doesn't think I'm prepared for a true duel. And it worries me, because that's what the Adrellos are going to expect from us when we're presented. They're going to challenge us to a true duel. I don't understand how I'm supposed to learn if sensei Adram won't teach me."
"I can't even stand up to him like you can. Where do you think that places me?" Adarc returned. "If you're not worthy of the Adrellos, none of us are. Please, stop pretending to be so humble all the time, Adron. We all hate it."
"I'm not humble! I only see the truth," Adron insisted, appraising the rock walls and deciding which path to follow. "Why do you think I fight so well? It's because I can see the truth and not the lies the enemy wants me to see. The little tremble in their form when they're trying to deceive me. Like you. You had the perfect chance to strike at me, but you hesitated, and you kicked a pebble. You're too shy, that's your weakness."
"I am working on becoming more certain of myself, but not all of us are prodigies. We can't all see into the future like you can."
"I'm tired of telling you, it's not magic. It's focus," Adron insisted. "Focus is everything. Teach your mind to see what is happening, see what will not happen, and see what may happen, and don't see anything else. Don't see what you wish to happen, and don't dwell on the details. Just look, and see the truth. Focus!"
"Hmm… You speak of focus, but this is the wrong way," Adarc noted, stopping in his steps. "I know we've not walked these paths since hatching, but even I know the way to the den is in that direction."
"Go to the den if you want, I'm hungry," Adron said, walking in the other direction. "I haven't eaten in two days."
"The cache is empty by now, you know!" Adarc called. "It's too late. There will be nothing there by this time…"
"If you haven't noticed, I'm not going to the cache either," Adron said, disappearing around a bend in the path.
"You're going to hunt…? It's too late to hunt! Adron!"
Adron said nothing more, his path taking him deeper through the maze of stone pillars. Puzzled, Adarc decided to follow him, opening his wings and flying forward to catch up.
… … …
*Thump!* *Thump!*
This must stop!
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clash!*
This is too much!
Great spirit of Adrel… please, make this cease!
… … …
In a secluded stone alcove already drenched with the evening's shadows, six Scyther hatchlings were huddled around a ditch in the base of a cliff face, all visibly upset. They grumbled to one another in frustration, scratching the rocks with their blade tips. Adron approached. Adarc hung back in the shadows, afraid he was getting into a matter he did not want to face.
"Out of the way," Adron ordered. "I need to eat."
Despite their irritation, they knew better than to disobey the alpha of the group. Upon hearing his voice, they leapt out of the way and let him through… only to reveal that the ditch was empty.
Adron scowled. This was their secret food stash, rightfully claimed on their own hunting trips. The elders filled the food cache with fresh kills only once a week, and if the children wanted anything else to eat, they would have to hunt on their own. A few of the hatchings, however, kept a few secret stashes of their own hidden from the elders, so they never had to worry about pacing themselves—they could eat whenever they wanted. Except now, where there had been a plentiful, rotting corpse just a half-dozen hours earlier, there remained only a few discarded bones. The food was gone. Adron snarled in disgust, his grumble adding to those of his hungry brothers.
"Where's the swine?!" he blasted at his brethren who stood nervously around him. "You can't tell me you finished it! I told you to leave me some! Who? Who ate it?"
"No one has, I swear it," another Adeis pleaded. "It was too much for us to finish, and you know we're the only ones who knew about it. It's gone missing! Besides, look at us. We're all as starving as you."
"The elders must have found it!" Adlam guessed. "Or maybe the other hatchings!"
"The hatchlings couldn't have!" Adron growled, stomping around and glancing at the surrounding paths. "This is too good a hiding place. Nobody would have found it unless they were told."
He turned back to the small crowd of his brothers, his questioning gaze passing to each one of them.
"Who? Who betrayed?"
… … …
*Thump!* *Thump!*
I don't know…
Everything is so fast…
… … …
Nervously muttering, the others all denied having spoken of the hidden food stash to everyone.
"I'm certain there was no bribe. There could be no incentive great enough to convince us to tell the others," Adiel noted. "As you said, this is the perfect hiding place. No reward is good enough to lose it."
Adron glared at them for a moment longer, then sighed and glanced at the ground. "It's true. It couldn't have been found," Adron admitted. "It's likely the rats got to it. Or a wild blue lion wandered too close and spotted it through the rocks. Whatever the case… We're all left hungry."
"I swear upon Adrel, if I would have caught the thief, he would have filled our stomachs first!" Adlam roared, swatting his blades upon the ditch ridge in anger. "I must fight the sensei tomorrow and my belly is empty."
"I battled for the last of the fruit in the cache, but Alwry and her gang defeated me," Alros added. "I'll be starved tonight."
"Then let's not stand for it," Adron suggested, raising his voice. "We are enough to form a hunting team. Let's take back what nature stole from us."
"We can't," Adlam said. "Look at the sun, it's too late. Sensei forbids us from hunting so late in the evening."
"The sensei's rules are for our safety, not his," Adron reminded. "We're free to risk our own lives whenever we want. You aren't afraid of dying on a simple hunting trip, are you?"
There was silence among the Scyther group. They were all a bit speechless at Adron's sudden suggestion, and hesitant to reply: afraid both to defy his suggestion, and to agree with it. It was a dangerous place beyond the Shattered Plateau, especially in the evening when the nocturnal Pokémon crawled from their dens and began to prowl the land. Even the adults, the warriors of the Adrellos, never stayed out at night alone.
"He's right," Alros declared. "If we can't learn to break the rules when they need to be broken, we'll be hatchlings for the rest of our lives. I'm starved. I would hunt."
"Adron, you say you haven't eaten in two days," Adeis said. "I haven't eaten in four. If you would lead us on the hunt, I would follow."
"I will," Adron decided, addressing them all. "My belly is impatient, and so am I. I'll wait by the northern stream. Follow me if you will, we'll regroup there and plan our route."
Adron didn't have to wait long. One by one, his kin followed his suggestion, turning north and leaving the secluded hiding place. But the last member of the Scyther group hesitated, eyeing Adron suspiciously.
"It was you," Adiel said wryly. "You moved the swine."
Adron said nothing.
"You wouldn't have led Adarc here and allowed him to eavesdrop on us if you hadn't already known the hiding place would be empty," Adiel said, eyeing the shadows where the hidden Scyther lurked. "You did this on purpose. You wanted to hunt."
Adron didn't respond and refused to look Adiel in the eye, but the slightest hint of a smirk crossed his face.
"See, brother? I learn, too," Adiel told him. "Very well, then. Lead the way. I will follow."
… … …
The hunting party of eight began their excursion into the Savage Meadow to the north-east of the clan's ground. They moved across the land quietly and carefully so as to not bring attention to themselves, either from the wild Pokémon or from their own superiors…
Adron headed the party, crouching low in the tall grass as he crept just beneath the crests of the hillsides. The others kept a full watch in the other directions, as he had ordered them; they could not afford to frighten away whatever wild animals they would choose as their prey. A prowling band of Scyther was a feared force to any creature, and wild Pokémon species often aided each other with alarms or mobbing cries when a mutual threat had been sensed. He breathed a long sigh through his nostrils, testing the scent of the air.
"You must be mad," Adarc hissed in Adron's ear as he peered over the hillside, appraising their next route. "Do you know what the elders will do to us?"
"You didn't have to come," Adron reminded him. "You followed me out of curiosity, you've got nobody else to blame for being here. Besides, I'm not doing this for myself. Pay attention, and learn what you see."
They laid in wait for a moment more, the various creatures of the land moving about upon the plains ahead.
"A migrating flock of Doduo, to the east," Adiel reported. "Those are easy to kill. Though not so easy to sneak up on silently."
"No… I'm not interested in those," Adron decided, focusing on the surrounding terrain. "We need something else. Something… more difficult. Adiel, signal the rest. Let's move under the cover of those trees. I think I know where to find our prey."
… … …
It won't… stay still…
I am lost…
… … …
Minutes later, the group had advanced to a small patch of trees at the eastern edge of the meadow. From there, they watched as a heard of brown beasts crowded around a great lake to take a drink. Adron grew excited; it always thrilled him the way the sunlight changed colors and deepened as the sun would set. The land, and all the creatures upon it, turned into a giant blood-stained battlefield in his eyes—a battlefield he commanded.
"Tauros?!" Adarc cried. "You want to kill a Tauros? Adron, even the warriors have trouble facing a Tauros heard."
"I want something that tastes good," Adron said wryly. "Tauros are only difficult because they stay in a heard. If one member of the heard falls, the whole heard stampedes to defeat the enemy. That is why other creatures fear them. It's an evolved behavior for survival. Each one of them could trample a Scyther with ease. But we have one thing they do not have: focus. They have only their instincts. We have our minds."
"And wings," Adiel added. "They might find it difficult to hit us in the air."
"We can take them," Adeis assured him. "If Adron says we can take them, we can do it. What is the plan?"
"We have to trap them, to begin with," Adron explained. "We have to move immediately, since they don't linger around the watering hole for long, especially not this late in the evening. First, we surround them, so they become frightened…"
… … …
*Thump*
Blood everywhere…
Charging Tauros…
Why… why am I still alive?
They charge when they're attacked…
Even… even if… one is defeated…
Is that why… is that what has… happened?
Is that what has caused this…?
No, it wasn't… it was something else…
… … …
Commanding his followers, Adron cornered the herd against the watering hole, so they could not understand which direction the threat came from… They were spooked, huddling against the water's edge, as the Scyther clan loomed around them, hungry for blood…
At once, like the cornered beasts they were, they charged.
"Here they come!" Adron hissed. "Now! NOW!"
… … …
Why!? Why can't I focus…?
*Thump!* *Thump!*
Oh, Adrel, hear me…
I am lost…
… … …
Once the provoked heard began to retaliate, the Scyther children fled and caused the heard to scatter in many directions. In the confusion, Adiel and Adeis pounced from their hidden positions by the lakeside and slew three Tuaros who had yet to find an escape route. When the other bulls noticed their fallen companions, Adiel and Adeis retreated over the surface of the water, where the bulls could not charge.
Eventually, the bulls had all cleared the waterside and stampeded off elsewhere, leaving the fresh prey for the Scyther children.
One Tauros was too much for eight Scyther to eat in a single evening, but the children had won themselves three. Victoriously, they sliced open the dead animals and filled their bellies, and Adron watched in satisfaction.
… … …
Why is everything so fast…?
*Clang!* *Clang!*
I can't… see…
… … …
Adron noticed when two large, dark-furred hounds prowled upon the hilltops, watching the Scyther clan warily. The creatures of the dark were emerging and claiming dominance of the land, and it was his job as a leader to protect his brothers.
"We must return now," he announced. "The darkness looms. Adiel, guide them back to the den. The way is not far; you shouldn't meet any opposition."
"Me?" Adiel answered. "Why not you?"
"I'd like to stay out here for a little while longer," Adron replied. "Sensei Adram has told me that he has nothing to teach me, and I should find my own means to better myself. So I think I will say out here for a time. I have never fought a fire-breathing hound before. I think it would be a thrill."
"Do not get cocky, my brother," Adiel warned. "It would dishearten us all to know that you died in the field.
"Even if they overpower me, I know how to retreat from a lost battle," Adron assured him. "I will not die. I promise…"
… … …
In the dead of the night, Adron began his journey back to the clan's grounds.
Alone, he had wandered the land and explored the cold, dark meadows and forests as they were after the sun went down. They were filled with insects, and vigilant predators such as owls and wolves. He knew how to remain hidden, so he did not fear an attack, but as he watched the dark lands he made the judgment that he would not battle any of these savage creatures. He just didn't understand them well enough, and would not foolishly assault them from the shadows they probably knew more intimately than he did.
One day, he determined, he would rule the night. But his clanmates would need to be there at his side. That day would come much later. Right now, he knew he was only an oblivious hatchling…
The autumn moon peeked from behind the clouds, and the countryside lit up before him. He squinted and saw how close the Shattered Plateau was, content that he would soon be resting for the night.
But as he was about to fly across the quiet stream on the northern outskirts of the clan's domain, a frightening sound came from above.
"EEEEEEaaaah!"
Adron tensed. He crouched low to the ground, hid beneath the tall grass, and opened his blades wide.
"EEEEEE-Eaaaaaahh! EEEEheee!"
Frightened that he could not imagine what sort of creature made this noise, Adron held his breath silently as he peered through the grass to watch for the source of the noise. It was somewhere in the air, somewhere on the other side of the river…
…Something which glowed.
It was a tiny, black-skinned creature which drifted in the air without the aid of wings. It s form was small and circular, wrapped in a cloak of tattered flesh which waved like a flame in the breeze, its color such an invisible shade of bluish-black that the creature seemed like an unnatural shadow cast upon an invisible surface—except for the eyes. Two monstrous yellow eyes glared from its dark form, glowing as though the sun itself sat behind them. Between its eyes there sat a dulled horn, an awkward weapon, but not one Adron was willing to underestimate.
For a few moments, the young Scyther held his position, simply admiring this strange new wonder of the world as it sang a strange song, its brilliant eyes reflecting upon the surface of the stream below.
What could it be? Adron wondered. I've never seen anything like it. Is this one of those ghost-creatures Alrac spoke of from time to time? What is it doing here?
Nagged by his curiosity, Adron shifted in the grass and started crawling towards it. The creature didn't appear to notice his presence as it drifted over the stream, emitting its soft cry.
I should slay it, and bring it to the elders, Adron considered. They will be able to tell me more about it. And if it is too powerful for me, I'm close enough to the den. I can outrun it easily.
No!
Though he'd been growing weary on the return home, it was gone now. His heart was racing, his mind brimming with questions and possibilities. He focused on the creature, watching its tiniest movements, wondering if it would retaliate to his attack…
Silently, he positioned his feet to spring him forward with undetectable speed.
No! No!
His wings twitched, prepared to spring open and to motor him forward. His scythes were held in the striking stance.
NO!
The Scyther's muscles tensed one last time, building up a final surge of energy. This was it.
As fast as the speed of sound, Adron pounced, his eyes locked onto his target. In the split second it took to close the distance, it surprised Adron that the creature had not even flinched when his presence was made known as most creatures have a startle reflex when something unexpected happens. This one, though, still floated distantly, obliviously, above the water…
With a skillful maneuver that had been burned into his instincts, Adron thrust his scythe forward, moving to decapitate the apparition as he passed it. He expected to feel a quick bump of resistance as the creature's body would come apart; but what he experienced was a strong, unknown throbbing sensation from the nerves behind his blades.
A few feet past his target, Adron halted his attack and pivoted his head to survey the result.
The creature was still whole. And now, it had noticed him.
No, no, NO!
It was an awkward standoff for the following moments, Adron staring baffled at the creature which should have been dead, and the creature returning its bright, glowing gaze.
He knew he had to make a decision. His blade had not cut the creature, so the creature did not conform to normal, physical laws of being. He guessed that a spiritual-based attack could harm it, though he did not know how to wield spiritual attacks with any kind of consistency. He assumed that trying again would yield similar results.
Fine, then, Adron decided, continuing to eye the creature as he walked away. You live. I will not fight you—
Skreeeeeeeeeaaaaaah!
Wailing like a pained infant, the shadow-being launched its own attack. It spun through the air directly at its assailant.
Adron felt himself flooded with adrenaline once more. He opened his wings and fled as fast as his body could carry him.
But, still, it wasn't fast enough.
STOP! STOP! STOP! NO! STOP THIS!
Adron saw a flash of light, brighter than the sun, as the creature collided with him.
A screech rang out through the night. It was his own voice wailing in shock. But it felt so far away… it felt disconnected…
A cold sort of pain flooded every nerve, like he had been submerged in freezing water. He knew that he had probably stumbled into the stream. But that didn't matter now, it was so far away, so disconnected. He couldn't even see himself anymore, couldn't control his own numb body, didn't understand where he was…
Visions pulsed in front of his blinded eyes, distorted images from his own memories…
He struggled with all his will, but he couldn't escape…
For so long, he couldn't escape the confines of his own mind… The convulsions, the impulses, the flood of emotions and sensations would not let him go…
I cannot survive this any longer!
Vaguely, he heard his own voice, begging for relief and freedom from this whirlwind of visions.
*CLANG!* *CLANG!*
He heard the ringing of his own blades against rocks as he blindly struggled to overcome himself… He felt his head thumping against something, each forceful collision changing the flow of thoughts and memories through his confused consciousness…
At last, there was another blinding flash of light, light that existed only within his own head…
And it stopped.
The Scyther's eyes snapped open. His heart raced as fast as a Beedrill's wings. His breath panted uncontrollably, hyperventilating him and causing his nerves to tingle.
He groaned and tried to stir himself in an attempt to survey his surroundings, but he found it painful to even move. It was still the darkest hours of the night, with only the dim light of the autumn moon to bring any sense to the setting. He had been washed somewhere downstream, and was sopping wet, his body sprawled across the riverbank. There were numerous scratches in the rocks around him, rocks which he had attacked with his blades in blind rage, as well as several dents where he had rammed his horned faceplate repeatedly.
His own body was pained with bruises, all of them pulsing in and out of his perception as the pain-killing adrenaline still raced inside of him. He looked upon his left blade, beholding a crack in the very steel. His blind rage had been intense, his assault upon the rocks had been merciless.
"Muuugh," he groaned, reluctant to even twitch a muscle. "What… I was struck… I was struck with… a psychic attack…"
The realization dawning upon him, he by habit remembered the five questions of self-orientation. He was taught to always recite them upon gaining consciousness, whether it'd be from a night's sleep, a concussion, or a psychic attack. It had always been such a simple recital, but now it seemed the questions were not so simple; his thoughts were fuzzy, as if he needed to grasp for them…
The first question… he recalled. Who am I? I'm… I'm Adron… A Scyther… Adron the Prodigy, they call me…
His stomach roiled in disgust. His own thoughts did not sound right.
The second… Where am I? I'm… the outskirts of the plateau, my home… It has to be… I was… I was washed downstream…
He did not even care to rise to his feet to verify this. His energy was gone, replaced with a cold, painful exhaustion, and an icy throbbing in his head which seemed to disrupt his thoughts… he remained sprawled upon the rocks, allowing his eyes to flutter closed again.
Focus…! Focus… he commanded himself, struggling to regain control of his mind. Third… Third question… whom do I serve? Power, power is the only god we serve… No, that's not it… The Adrellos… I serve the Adrellos clan… I serve… Sensei Adram…
Fourth… What is my purpose? I must get home… I must get home… I need help… Healing… I must… return… home…
Fifth… Am I capable of accomplishing my purpose?
Can… I… get home?
He tried to imagine his position relative to the Plateau… but he couldn't.
He tried to remember the many paths and routes through the maze of the Plateau, his favorite routes back to the nesting grounds… they all became a tangled mess of memories to him.
His mind couldn't concentrate. He couldn't think.
I don't know… he realized, his blood running even colder than ever. I can't answer the question! I don't know! Why don't I know…?
That was when he felt it for the first time: there was a great chasm now in his mind, a chasm which swallowed many of his thoughts, and caused others to drift off-course…
And from this chasm, many new, foreign, nonsensical thoughts bled forth with impunity, like a broken dam washing away all semblance of reason…
I…
I have lost my sanity…
Powerless to continue sustaining his consciousness, he surrendered to the exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.