Icetales was shivering and breathing harshly, trying hard to regain his composure after
the mad run from the others.
They were probably going to hate him for ditching them without a reason, but that hardly mattered to him. What he needed was to keep them safe… from
himself.
He was terrified. Terrified of what he was tempted to do. Why did he feel this sudden desire? He didn’t have these dark cravings in a long time, and was even spending a pleasant time with his comrades, so why now?
A fresh breeze caressed his fur, and he redirected his attention toward the lake in front of him. Small ripples and waves were distorting the reflection of the partially clouded sky, while an elderly Whiscash was sleeping peacefully by the lakeshore. At quick glance, it was improbable that the boom of an Explosion could have woken him up.
He stared blankly at the fish, then he blinked. Yes, the voice and the urges were gone, much to his relief. Feeling more relaxed, he strode toward the water and glanced at his reflection. Golly, he looked exactly like in his pup years. Those were… quite the memories, indeed.
“Well, this is as close as I can get to a fountain of youth, I reckon…”
He sat on his haunches and thought about his cravings, the frightening thought refusing to leave his mind. What had triggered everything? The last thing he remembered was a sudden sense of powerlessness, and…
And then, everything rushed back to him. He couldn’t do anything against that daemon at the beach, and when they faced that creature again and he had the chance to do something… he did nothing.
Everybody had everything under control. They didn’t need his powers. They didn’t need
him.
Useless. Powerless. A waste of space and air. That was all he was.
He rubbed his eyes with a paw to dry the tears that were threatening to come out, then he looked again at his reflection. Then, the shock: there wasn’t a Vulpix anymore, but rather the imposing reflection of a Ninetales. Same star-patterned fur on the paws, same blue ribbon, same velvety tails. It was… exactly how he looked like back in his homeworld.
However, a quick glance at his physical body confirmed that he was still a Vulpix. He frowned — was his mind tricking him?
Thou could be like this once more, Keo’Keo X. Regain thy true powers…
Icetales blanched. “No…”
He looked again at the reflection, and this time he let out a horrified scream.
The Ninetales in the water… was different. Nine long tails flailing around and covered by dark purple wisps, a dark silver and perfectly trimmed fur, and a eerie and daemonic smirk.
Father.
Look at that lousy body, my son. So weak and tiny, incapable of stopping a creature much smaller than thee…
And yet, thou know there is a way to fix that…
“No! No! I am not heeding thy words!” he screamed at the water.
Why the persistent rejection of thy destiny, Keo’Keo X? Doust thou not wish to become powerful? To have the prowess required to… well, ‘save the day’? To rescue those two damsels? To prove to not be a worthless whelp?
“I abhor that! I do not want my paws marred by dastardly acts and arcane sorcery! I refuse to become like thee, Father!” he snarled, gathering a frigid mist between his tails and a cold energy inside his jaws. “So, back off!”
Foolish twerp. Thou cannot hide the truth and thy nature from them for all eternity…
The smirk in the Ninetales’ face became more twisted and demented, while his entire body was tinged in a hue as black as a dark void.
Because thou know what thou truly are. An aberration! A curse! A bad omen! A filthy bast—
“I said
back off!”
A massive burst of frost struck the water, raising a column made of frozen chunks and heavy mist. Icetales breathed harshly and shuddered, the energy required to fire off that Freeze-Dry having taken its toll. Then, he collapsed on his side, staring at the now limpid water.
“…I am not a curse…”
He held a paw over his eyes, while his tails wrapped around himself, unconsciously trying to embrace his body.
“…I am… n-not a…”
He began sobbing, alone with his despair.
