Chapter Text
…
Silence.
A cold, hard silence filled the air.
It was always short lived.
Mortar shells blasted against her ear for a split second, before disappearing off again.
Into that eerie silence.
A whip of dust brought a familiar sensation to her body.
Before that cold unknown filled her body once more.
After a few moments of constant flickers in and out of reality, she knew she needed to do something
Feel something.
I need to wake up, she declared. Although it’s always easier to say than do.
She tried her best, a blurry vision appearing before her. She’d nearly opened her eyes before…
Darkness consumed her once more.
So she tried again.
And again.
And again
And again
And again
And again
And aga-
“What are you doing?” A distant voice called. It sounded like they were at the entrance to a cave, the voice repeating itself toward its end. Although that couldn’t be right. All I see is the pitch black void.
I tried once again to wake up, a creeping sensation coming once I eventually stood. It was so effortless. So easy. Why was it so easy? Why was it-
“Helloooo! Hey! Over hereeeee!” The voice called over again, more louder and bellowed than before. A hint of playfulness she could sense from her.
It sickened me a bit honestly.
Bracing myself, I turned around to see who it could’ve been. Yet when I turned around, I was surprised to find my emotions didn’t heighten. I should’ve felt scared, yet strangely I didn’t. Was ease a right feeling to be felt at this very moment?
The Aromatisse I recognized was not like all the others. Her entire body instead of pink was coated with gray and black. Aside from her nails and few tufts of fur around her ears, you’d think she was born like this. She wore a flat black hat, held up on her head only by a mere eager but strong strong under her head. The only other thing I could point out about this peculiar figure was what she held at her side.
It was a sharp, clean scythe.
“Who…” I immediately started before covering my mouth with my hands. I… didn’t even feel that. Not the thought of saying anything. It just… came out. What is happening to me? I looked back up slightly to see the confused expression on the Aromatisse , realizing I never finished my sentence. Willing myself, I continued, “What is this? Where am I? Who are you?”
The figure looked at me in confusion as I kept asking questions, as if the concept of answering was foreign to her. “Um, so these are some pretty broad questions you're asking here… I’m not even exactly sure where to start…”
“Can you at least start with what’s going on?” I pleaded. “I’m quite honestly deteriorated and confused…”
“Do you… really wanna know?”
I looked at her again, wanting to express confusion but having no way to feel my face conforming to it. “Why wouldn’t I? I want to know what’s happened to me.”
“If you truly are ready to know… It is best to look behind you.”
A shine appeared in the corner of my eye, blinding me as I turned around. It appeared so suddenly, I wondered if it was Aromatisse's doing. Yet as my vision came back to me, suddenly it all came back.
The noises. The sounds. The memories. The pain. Arceus, the pain I had to endure.
The dusty painted ground showed the slump body of an Audino , laid on their side. Her ear was coated in blood, and the ground coated with it.
I knew something bad had happened. I wasn’t here for no reason. But it was still disturbing seeing my dead body in the middle of nowhere.
I just… stared at it for what felt like a millennia. I wanted to turn my head away. It would be better to turn away from the truth. But I couldn’t. I knew I had to accept it.
She was dead.