[Cynthian] Mystifying Woods

[Namohysip]

It was dark. Cynthian knew this. And despite that, she could see perfectly fine through the gloom of these familiar trees and flowers. She was on the ground, staring skyward, but inevitably she would have to rise to the sense that she was being watched.

Nothing moved, but she could feel them. All of them, watching, waiting, holding their breaths, but never leaving. They were all muttering to one another, keeping their distance, but all of them felt hostile toward Cynthian. Watching for an opening. Perhaps already preparing something. Like a village hunting down their catch...

What would they do to Cynthian?

Where was Ivy?

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian pressed her head with a grunt. She sat up, taking steady breaths. What happened? Right, she got blasted by lighting and then hurtling down into the storm. There were screams at the time. Out of them, she surely heard Ivy's loud and clear.

"Ivy!" Cynthian sprang to her feet and ready to run, but she ground that impulse to a halt right away. "What in the world? I'm back home?"

She was on the ground, staring skyward, but inevitably she would have to rise to the sense that she was being watched.

Nothing moved, but she could feel them. All of them, watching, waiting, holding their breaths, but never leaving. They were all muttering to one another, keeping their distance, but all of them felt hostile toward Cynthian. Watching for an opening. Perhaps already preparing something. Like a village hunting down their catch…

Cynthian took a deep breath and stared the presences down, even if she couldn't quite make them out. Separated from the group. Isolated. In a mockery of the forest she so loved. Where was

"If you're here to fight me, don't think I'm going down quietly," Cynthian said, the air around her sizzling in a cinnamon scent. She needed to find the others and regroup.

Cynthian took a step towards the presence surrounding her.

 

[Namohysip]

Hisses and frightened muttering followed. Countless footfalls came next, like they were getting into formation, but they had yet to make any kind of move.

"There she is!" cried what might have been a village leader. "Get her!"

"Protect the other one!"

"Get ready...!"

They got into formation and a few revealed themselves. There seemed to be a lot--ten, twenty? It was hard to tell. But it was probably nothing compared to what Cynthian could do.

Further in the back, there was Ivy--with red eyes staring back at Cynthian with hatred...

"Submit now... and it will all be over soon," shouted the leader in front. "Hold still..."

The featureless silhouette opened its mouth, charging an attack. Several other villagers did the same.

The hostile villagers are attacking!
Villagers: 5,000
Ivy: 1,000

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian stepped halted and took a step back at the approaching crowd. There were so many of them, but why did they all seem so familiar? The machoke at the front was Chief Gram, the buzzing ribombee was Ciel, and there were a few others she recognized.

Had she really come back home? Without any of her companions around, she couldn't tell what's real from fake. A lemon scent filled the air as she watched the surrounding pokemon carefully. If they kept approaching like that, would she have to fight them all?

Further in the back, there was Ivy--with red eyes staring back at Cynthian with hatred…

"Ivy, you're safe! Thank goodness…"

At first, a wave of relief washed over her when she saw Ivy. Almost as quickly, Cynthian's face crumbled to confusion. Was something wrong with her? Something was wrong. Something had to be wrong.

"Ivy, are you okay?" Cynthian asked. Her heart drummed in her chest. The hatred in Ivy's eyes felt like a thorn ripping into her chest.

"Submit now... and it will all be over soon," shouted the leader in front. "Hold still..."

The featureless silhouette opened its mouth, charging an attack. Several other villagers did the same.

"No! Ivy, I'm going to save Ivy, and none of you will stand in my way!" Cynthian growled and her shadows flared.

Cynthian used Void Nightshade!
Net stat changes: +6mag, +3spd, +3eva.
Net Corruption: +80shd
Net Stm & Hp: -73stm, -190hp
Misc changes: Grassy Terrain

Cynthian staggered as she stood. A searing pain coursed through every inch of her body, and the shadows felt like they were eating at her mind and soul. The only thing suppressing her scream was the bouquet she planted firmly over her mouth.

Her mind spiraled out of focus briefly. What the hell was that? Using that ability had never felt so overwhelmingly painful before. Not once. Did her surroundings cause it?

"Ivy…" Cynthian uttured with a wince. Things weren't looking too good…

 

[Namohysip]

Suddenly, the villagers shrieked and several of them backed away, some outright fleeing. But others acted instantly, particularly the ones that believed they had an advantage against Cynthian.

"Back! Get away! E-everyone! Rally! RALLY!"

The villagers attacked as a horde! A few strikes got through--Cynthian was struck by a Flamethrower, taking 74 damage!

Ivy watched, frowning. She gulped, looking afraid again. Another villager approached Ivy and tried to comfort her, but she didn't even acknowledge the shadowy haze.

Villagers: 5,000

Ivy: 1,000

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Ivy, come on, snap out of it! This place isn't real! The others are waiting for us!" The irony of her words didn't escape her. The shadows burned away at her, engulfing her in a sinking cold.

Cynthian struggled to keep her mind together and couldn't react at all in time before getting doused in flames by the villagers. She screamed in pain and drew back and away from them.

Cynthian Unleashed!
Net changes: +30shd, +30rad

Instinct kicked in, shooting out a coiled cage of thorny vines around Cynthian. As soon as she did, plumes of shadows and wisps of radiance erupted from her body. She clutched her head tightly, doing whatever she could to hold on. Dread filled her as she felt herself slipping away bit by bit.

"I have to hold on… I can't…"

Images flashed in her mind. When she looked at Ivy's face, she remembered that night again. The fire. The horror in Mama Rosa's eyes. If she gave in now, it'll end the same. Cynthian would destroy everything, just like she did back then.

"I WON'T ALLOW THAT!

Cynthian used Void Nightshade!
Cynthian lost all of her Hp!
Cynthian survived with Reviver Seed!
Net stat changes: +6mag, +3spd, +3eva.

Cynthian could barely stand anymore, and she couldn't help but find the situation a bit ridiculous. However, she looked up at Ivy with a smile.

"You were born from my own nightmares and shouldering the worst of my fears and pain. You mean more to me than that, sister." Cynthian said, closing her eyes and sighing. She met Ivy's gaze again and smiled.

"I'm sorry for pushing all my burdens to you, Ivy, but I'd rather fall here than watch myself harm someone I love again."

 

[Namohysip]

The villagers shrieked when the Roserade's Shadows flared up, several of them immediately firing at Cynthian the second she did. And for a brief moment, Cynthian would hear a voice in her head--a dark, horrible voice, urging her to kill them for what they did to her. Kill, kill, kill, for all their betrayal and hatred. They didn't deserve her mercy. They didn't deserve any mercy.

Because that was what you were supposed to do.

But then the Shadows disappeared, awash with a golden light.

Ivy gasped, looking away. The villagers all paused. "She's weak... she's weak! We can finish this!" The villagers' eyes grew into a malevolent, eager glow.

Ivy watched a little longer, her fists squeezing tight. She wanted to say something, but was hesitating. The red energy around her core was crackling madly, even less stable.

The villagers are preparing another attack...
Ivy looks conflicted.

Ivy: 1,000

Villagers: 5,000

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian strained to breathe even as the green glow around her slowly mended her wounds. The voice from earlier had lulled her heart, like a noxious poison urging her to eviscerate the villagers surrounding her. If she'd let go for even a moment…

"She's weak... she's weak! We can finish this!" The villagers' eyes grew into a malevolent, eager glow.

Cynthian cast a wistful glance at the crowd. She could fight them all off, but her heart didn't yearn for it. She had no fighting spirit.

Cynthian called out to Ivy!

"I once heard a saying. If the older sibling follows the right path, those younger would follow. If they lose their path, the others will learn and carve a new path!" Cynthian said, even as the villagers closed in on her. She cast the rosemew another glance at reached her bouquet out.

"Ivy, you don't have to worry about me anymore. Find your own path, be your own flower. Be free."

 

[Namohysip]

The villagers readied their attacks; a horrible voice was still shouting for Cynthian to strike, to do anything, and while it felt like this presence was powerful, like it was trying to force her into attacking against her will, it couldn't get a single foothold. There were no longer any Shadows to control Cynthian...

"Kill it!"

The villagers fired several attacks at Cynthian!
Cynthian took 0 damage!

Embers danced around Cynthian, yet none touched her. It was hard to see with all the heat, but... someone was standing in front of Cynthian. Or, rather, floating, with her Core heavily damaged, and all the villagers looking stunned.

Ivy: 216

Villagers: 5,000

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian stood firm, showing no sign of moving from her spot. She gazed down in contemplation. For the first time, she understood why Mama Rosa put her life on the line for her.

Though her task left unfulfilled, she knew that others would pick up where she left off. Everyone else must be going through a trial… Ivy will find a place with them, when they rescue her.

"Kill it!"

She snapped her eyes shut, awaiting the inevitable. Bright orange lights lit the air for a brief moment… and yet Cynthian still stood. She did not feel that pain of her leaves burning, nor did her life extinguish in a flash before she could even think.

It was hard to see with all the heat, but... someone was standing in front of Cynthian. Or, rather, floating, with her Core heavily damaged, and all the villagers looking stunned.

"Ivy?" Cynthian couldn't believe her eyes. Cracks split across Ivy's core, sending a strong chill down Cynthian's spine. Why? What was she thinking?! "Ivy!"

Cynthian clung to her tightly as if to keep Ivy from falling apart. She didn't know what to do. How could she fix Ivy's core? Would a life dew work? Cynthian didn't want to harm anyone she loved, but…

"This isn't what I meant. You knew that," Cynthian said, her voice a soft whimper.

 

[Namohysip]

Ivy stared, wide-eyed, at the sky at first, making what might have been a gasp. When she did, her core expanded, then contracted, like lungs, and she winced. "Ivy is okay..." She wasn't; she looked badly hurt. But she smiled anyway, even as the villagers loomed over them. "Ivy... wants you all to go away! She won't... harm anyone... anymore! You saw... what she did! She did that... even without you hurting her!"

The villagers listened.

"You saw! She refused to use her Shadows... She used it only to get rid of it! Dark Matter... does not control her!"

And that horrible voice in Cynthian's head hissed at that, but it was a weak influence. A fading, distant one.

And the villagers, after a long silence, one by one... started to back away, disappearing into the gloom.

Eventually, it was just the two of them...

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Ivy, I…" Cynthian tried her best to hold back her tears. She finally understood now… Everything Ivy did, it'd all been for her. To help Cynthian make peace with her haunting past. Mama Rosa never left her. She'd given her a chance for a future, just like Ivy had done now.

"I've caused you so much trouble, but I've changed. I've grown, so I won't cry." Cynthian held Ivy close to her chest for a fleeting moment that seemed to last an eternity.

"Thank you, Ivy, for sticking by me."

 

[Namohysip]

The forest's storm was calming. The moon and the afternoon sun shined bright above them. The blotchy clouds continued to obscure the vast majority of it... but it was a welcome bit of light in the gloom.

Ivy's body was shifting from Mew to Roselia. Perhaps that was why her mannerisms, too, had changed some. But then, it was shifting even more... Her core disappeared into her body, dissolving. And then, she whispered...

"I think I'm going to wake up now."

And the red light faded, the strange influence leaving her.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"I think I'm going to wake up now."

And the red light faded, the strange influence leaving her.

Ivy couldn't quite put into words how she'd felt. The weight of sharing Cynthian's torment loosened from her mind like chains snapping apart, and her thoughts became clear as a calm lake under a twilight moon.

Her body shifted and changed: Her legs fused together into a tail that ended in a spade. She opened her black beady eyes, catching her ears in her periphery. They felt like twin tails on the sides of her head. Finally, she raised her arms to materialize a flower with an ominous star shaped crown.

"I see you… clearly now, Cynthian," she said, her smile faint and voice calm.



"Ivy… but your core. I don't understand, but—"

Ivy took the initiative this time, and held her in a tight embrace. Cynthian gently wrapped her arms around Ivy too. Being able to perceive senses came as an amusing surprise, but Ivy was more than having to bask in the soothing fragrance of the Roserade's flowers.

 

[Namohysip]

The skies cleared more, and distant rumbles indicated where a battle raged in the eye of the storm. But for now, it was Ivy and Cynthian, recovered and rejuvenated, as the newly formed, sacred Eternal Flower gathered her new form together. It was, briefly, peaceful... And that hint of eternal light flowed between both of them.

Cynthian's Eternal Spirit awakened!
"For Mama Rosa..." - Once per battle, when Cynthian is about to be KOed, she instead gains Endure and +1 Action next turn.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"The others are still fighting," Ivy said, withdrawing from the hug.

"Yeah," Cynthian said, instinctively wiping her eyes even though she didn't shed any tears. The distant rumbles of the fighting reached them all the way from their position.

"I'm worried about Petram too, but your boyfriend's with him, so we probably don't need to worry about them for now." Ivy chuckled lightly and balanced her flower behind her like a parasol.

"They're either already up ahead or not too far behind." Cynthian smiled in relief and glanced at Ivy. She reminded her of Mama Zahra somehow... but they can talk about that later. She rose to her feet, dusted her cloak and stared up ahead, determined. "Come on, let's go."

Ivy spun her flower and nodded. "Lead the way, Sister."