Chapter 54: Burdens Of Truth

  Dawn crept slowly over Newleaf Village, but it felt less like morning and more like a grudging compromise the sky agreed to after a night spent trembling. Captain Kaen stood at the main gate, paws planted firmly in the dirt, tail unmoving, eyes fixed on the horizon where the final threads of darkness still clung to the mountains like smoke. For the third morning in a row, he had not slept.

  Behind him, the village stirred with anxiety disguised as routine. Patrols doubled. Scouts ran their routes twice as often. Guards rotated so frequently that several were half-conscious but refused to rest. Every few minutes, Kaen caught murmurs, whispers of fear traded between families, worried looks cast toward the borders, small children clutching their blankets and asking why the sky had 'flashed again'.

  A tremor of orange light pulsed beyond the distant treeline just as the sun’s first rays reached it. Kaen narrowed his eyes. That flicker, brief as a heartbeat, was not sunlight. It had been an explosion of type-energy, kilometers away but unmistakable. That flash, without a doubt, had been Vian using his fire-type energy for something extremely volatile.

  The entire village had seen such flashes throughout the last week. Sometimes it was pink luminescence, other times simply white bursts, or streaks of lightning with no thunder trailing behind them. And, of course, the orange flashes of Vian.

  As he'd learned back when Auri and Yuki had returned to the village, what was happening over there wasn't some senseless display of power by two opposing Mythicals clashing. No. All of the Mythicals and even the Lesser Legendary Velari had assembled in an coordinated effort to bring down the freed Storm Menace. A being of such incredible power that even after over a week of constant fighting it seemingly still refused to fall.

  Captain Kaen exhaled slowly, watching frost bloom in the cold morning air. If he closed his eyes, he could still hear last night’s distant rumble, a low, rolling impact that had vibrated through the ground like a heartbeat. The guards around him had flinched. The villagers had woken in a panic. And he had stood right here, staring into the dark, hoping the rumble meant progress and not another failed attempt at breaking the power of the Storm Menace.

  A rustle behind him made him turn slightly. Two young guard tainees whispered as they swapped shifts, full of fear and exhaustion, but also determination. Newleaf Village was many things, but cowardly was not one of them. They would stand and fight against anything that came their way. The problem was… Captain Kaen didn’t know if what was happening out there was something normal Pokemon like them even could 'fight' back against. Mythicals and Legendaries going all-out were more like unstoppable natural disasters than Pokemon you could actually fight back against, after all.

  He lifted a paw and rubbed his face, feeling every hour he hadn’t slept settle onto his shoulders. Responsibility pressed heavier than armor ever had. Losing Auri had already fractured the village’s sense of control.The person most saw responsible for this entire mess in the first place. Losing Yuki on top of it had sent cracks running deep through the foundation. Many were split between believing Auri and believing Elder Seori, or had problems seeing Yuki abandon all of them just to follow a single Pikachu that had most likely ended up dead. And now this storm of light and destruction beyond the horizon… He wasn’t sure how much more Newleaf Village could take before something snapped.

  When Auri fled Captain kaen had obviously mobilsed the entire guard to find him but between Myra betraying them and slowing them down, and with the downpour that destroyed all trails, it had been hopeless. He didn't blame Auri for running either. And he couldn't blame the kid for his decision to flee either. Shattering anothers type energy reserve completely was... incredibly cruel on a level where he had never even heard of it except in stories before learning how strict Newleaf Village was about breaking its unbreakable rules and how tremendous the punishment for doing so could be.

  So yes, in Auri's place he would've probably done the same, rather trying his luck with sealed type energy in the wild instead of letting his type energy reserve be shattered without any resistance. And the only one truly to blame for what had happened was he himself. Because even though the guards of Newleaf Village were under his command he had not managed to stop the chain of events that had pushed him that far.

  Back in Newleaf Village, after two days of useless search for Auri, his frustration had only grown. He had gone to check on Yuki himself, not as Captain of the guards, but as her uncle, expecting to find her sulking in her room and he would've completely understood it. She had every right to be angry at him and everyone else right now.

  He had not, howeer, expected himself to be stopped by Mira and Daigo in the doorway with the sort of frantic calm that fooling no one. They had danced around the truth with excuses about Yuki resting, recovering, and needing space. And the more they tried to cover it, the more suspicious he had become that something was in fact wrong. Parents hid things when scared. That was normal. But lying to the guard? Lying to a relative like him? That was something else entirely.

  Suspecting that something had happened with Yuki he had went and questioned other kids that he knew for a fact were Yuki's friends. It had only confirmed what his instincts already screamed. Mina practically vibrated with nerves. Lio couldn’t hold his own gaze steady for more than a heartbeat. Neku stumbled over his own lies so badly Captain Kaen had nearly told him to stop before he hurt himself. None of them had cracked and dared betray whatever promise they’d made to Yuki. But something was going on.

  He had went back, this time with Risa and Vira at his side, and he had not let himself be stopped by Daigo and Mira this time. And as much as the two tried to block him, they were not interested at all in actually fighting with a family member that was clearly just worried for their daughter. And like that he had found out that Yuki had vanished. And not just a few hours ago, but the morning after Auri had fled. That had told him everything he'd needed.

  From Yuki's direct family he'd gotten nothing. Ayra held his gaze with a quiet resignation that spoke volumes. Mira and Daigo were worried, deeply and unmistakably, but not panicked like parents whose child had vanished without warning. No, they were uneasy, not frantic. And that was worse in its own way. It meant they knew something, that they expected Yuki to be gone for a long time, and it was obvious that they had helped her, or at the very least stepped aside and let her choose her own path.

  Piece by piece, he had putthe picture together, even without their cooperation. Yuki had left willingly and quite a few people in the village had at the very least known, if not even helped. She had probably went out to find Auri. And they had done their very best to make sure the guards would be unable to catch up to her by buying time.

  He understood that just like he did, they all loved her. They trusted her instincts more than anything the guards might order or forbid. They believed in Auri too, saw something no threat or suspicion could erase. He respected that love. He admired that trust. But it endangered the village. Yuki. The guards. Everything.

  So he'd nonetheless ordered the guards to persue Yuki's trail, or what was left of it, as quickly as possible. As the best tracker in the village he'd even joined the search personally. And finally they'd gotten lucky. Even days later and even throughout another downpour Yuki's scent had clung stubbornly to the forest floor, guiding them through the Umbral Abyss. And soon after they had found out that his niece had known exactly where she was going.

  Their group had grown restless the farther they pressed, knowing they were getting closer and closer to Velari's teritory while following Yuki's trail. They had even found Auri's trail again, though far more weaker than Yuki's. But it had told them that both of them had apparently survived. The guards had pressed on, all the way to the border of Velari's territory where they got intercepted by a group of the local sentries that of course had noticed their approach instantly.

  "Turn back," one had said. No fury, no threat, just absolute self-assurance because they knew they stood under the protection of a Lesser Legendary. "You are not welcome here guards of Newleaf Village. Keep to your territory just how we keep to ours."

  Captain Kaen had tried the respectful approach first. Checked his pride, lowered his stance, and then explained as calmly as he could. "Two children of ours may have crossed into your territory. I only request information and maybe your support in getting them back into Newleaf Village safe and sound."

  "Turn back," the Krokorok sentry had simply repeated. At that point Captain Kaen had seriously considered to just outright confront the sentries. And while his guards would've won should a fight actually break out, the consequences at a later point would've been dire. And if Auri and Yuki truly were in Velari's settlement, there was no chance of getting them out of there anyways.

  It just wasn't worth it. Captain Kaen knew that. And so, with a heavy heart, he had ordered a retreat.

  Even now, the admission made something inside him twist. They were guardians. Protectors. They weren’t supposed to retreat when children might be in danger. But he’d had no choice. And that knowledge didn’t make his failure to the village, to his niece, and to Auri sting any less.

  Kaen’s thoughts drifted upward as he stood his post. As much as the two of them were a problem, they were not nearly everything he had to deal with. After all Myra was still out there as well.

  He didn’t need to see her to know it. The air always shifted a little differently when she was near, as if the wind itself recognized the Talonflame who once cut through the skies as Newleaf’s guardian of the air. She still flew those old routes, patterns etched into muscle memory from years of faithful service, but she never came close enough for him to call to her. She made no effort to hide her presence… but she made every effort to avoid him, the Elders, and the other guards. Even the stronger gatherers she kept away from.

  Captain Kaen leaned forward. He scanned the skies with a quiet, resigned patience. When his eyes finally caught the faint glimmer of sunlight off crimson wings, he felt that same old mix of exasperation and reluctant gratitude. There she was, and he wasn't even surprised. She allways seemed to keep around when he was out and about these days.

  Myra dipped suddenly, folding her wings to strike at something in the tall brush. A moment later, a startled cry echoed up, some Dungeon Pokemon prowling too close to the village probably. Captain Kaen watched her cut through it with quick, efficient motions, not killing it, but driving it far back into the undergrowth. Then she resumed her circuit without so much as a backward glance towards the village.

  "Still working the job you abandoned, huh…" he muttered under his breath.

  It hurt to think of her that way, that she had abandoned them. Myra had never been a traitor in heart, only in the eyes of the rigid rules they had both sworn to uphold. She’d helped Auri escape. Lied for him. Shielded him. Everything she had done, she’d done deliberately. Everything she had done, she had done knowing it would sever her from the guards and from a home she cherished.

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  He completely understood why of course. And still, understanding didn’t erase the consequences of her actions. He shook his head with a rough sigh, rubbing a paw over his face. It was somewhat infuriating how she continued to care for the village while refusing to speak to him or the other guards. A shadow-guardian, clinging to duty while rejecting the rules that had once defined her.

  And it forced the same question into his mind every time he saw her. Did Myra know where Auri and Yuki went? Had she been involved enough to know their plans? She probably had. And part of him didn’t know whether he wanted answers… or preferred ignorance.

  If she had actually known, that would only make everything she'd done so much worse. But still Captain Kaen had to ask himself the question... would he even be angry? He wasnt so sure anymore. And he really didn't want to see his loyality between his family and his village tested that way. Not as the Captain of the guards, a group of Pokemon that was supposed to act as a stabilising factor and not as a disturbance to the fragile peace.

  He caught one last glimpse of her before she vanished behind the far cliffs. A streak of red. A flicker of light. A guardian who no longer belonged to them, yet refused to stop protecting them. "Thank you," he whispered. "And damn you for making this so hard on me."

  When Durro arrived to replace him on guarding the remains of the gate, which Architect Norris hadn't gotten around to repairing yet since it had burned down, he knew the time for another meeting with the Elders had unfortunately come.

  The air was already thick with tension long before he reached the building. Voices carried easily, sharp and heated, but also tired. It had been like this every evening since the Elders hat decided to make these meetings a daily thing. Arguments looping in circles, no progress, and no unity. It was disheartening.

  Nonetheless, Captain Kaen stepped inside, knowing he had a job to do. The fire pit at the center burned low, casting the meeting hall in uneven light that flickered across strained faces. It felt less like a council chamber these days and more like a battleground where logic went to die.

  Elder Brenno, massive and unmoving, sat near the far wall, his patience worn thin to the roots. His emerald plates caught the firelight as he rumbled in that slow, gravel-deep voice of his.

  "We gain nothing by acting. The situation has passed us by. The Storm Menace fights Velari and the Mythicals far from our borders. The children are gone, vanished to where we cannot follow. We cannot change it now. We should calm the village, keep order, and leave the rest to fate."

  Elder Seori snapped her tails with such force the air cracked. "That is exactly the sort of thinking that will doom us all! Have you forgotten what he is!? What Noah did!? What Auri might still do after already freeing the Storm Menace!?"

  Captain Kaen flinched internally. Every time she said the name Noah, the room seemingly chilled. Elder Seori’s eyes glowed faintly, her fear sharpening into something brittle and dangerous. "I felt the shift in the Domain two nights ago. A surge like nothing seen since the catastrophe. Velari and the Mythicals are not enough. They will fall. And when they fall, Zuko will come here. You would protect the village by doing nothing? That is madness!"

  Elder Brenno growled, plates grinding softly. "You call caution madness. I call your panic destructive."

  "Panic!?" Elder Seori hissed. "I am the Lorekeeper of this village! I know exactly what power storms through the Umbral Abyss right now! You should all be terrified!"

  Captain Kaen glanced toward Elder Ilyra. The mutated Slowking sat impeccably straight, her expression unreadable beneath the eerie helmet-like coral growths that adorned her skull. She had been quieter than normal these past days, letting others argue while she held herself rigid, like someone refusing to look at a wound she herself had caused. She spoke only when the room fell into a brief lull.

  "Whether our decisions were right or wrong no longer matters," she said softly, voice like drifting fog. "The course is set. Auri is beyond our reach. The punishment is irrelevant. Our responsibility is to the village, and the village alone."

  Captain Kaen felt something tight coil in his throat. She regretted it, he could hear it buried beneath the practiced composure. She regretted punishing Auri. She regretted setting this disaster in motion. But she would not admit it. Would not undo it. Would not reconsider her stance. Pride, fear, guilt... It all tangled inside her until even she no longer knew which part ruled her. He was quite sure his assessment was correct.

  And then there was Elder Gorun. The Dusknoir floated in the rear corner, silent, observing, his single eye glowing a faint, thoughtful blue. He had been the calmest voice in all of this. So calm, in fact, that it had made Captain Kaen quite suspicious of him. Elder Gorun had been too unshaken by Auri’s escape. Too steady about Yuki’s. Too firm in his belief that both children would 'find their path safely'. And he had not forgotten how the Dusknoir had argued for Auri from the very beginning on either.

  The debate escalated again, voices rising. Elder Seori pushed for sending an armed envoy, something Captain Kaen knew Velari would interpret as an act of aggression. Elder Brenno pushed for sealing the borders, as if isolation could protect them from a Domain-level disaster. Elder Ilyra resisted both extremes, insisting on maintaining the course she had set even if she doubted it.

  And through it all, Captain Kaen felt the weight of their contradictions pressing down on his shoulders. While Auri might've been brough trouble... it had been them that decided to punish a child for something he hadn't been responsible for just because it had been the easy way out.

  But he would never speak that thought aloud. His duty didn’t allow him the luxury of moral rebellion. The Elders’ word was law, and he was its enforcer, whether he agreed with them or not. Even if their unity was fracturing exactly when they needed it most. And he wondered how much longer Newleaf Village could endure before it broke too.

  Elder Gorun caught him as the meeting finally broke apart, the room still buzzing with arguments that hadn’t actually ended, only run out of breath. Captain Kaen had been ready to retreat to the night air just to think, but Elder Gorun’s low voice stopped him at the threshold.

  "Captain Kaen," the old and powerful Dusknoir said quietly. "Do you have a moment? Preferably in private."

  Captain Kaen’s ears twitched. Elder Gorun didn’t sound commanding or frustrated. He sounded… burdened. That alone guaranteed the Elder as much of his time as he wanted, because now Captain Kaen was curious. "Very well," he answered, following him into a small storage alcove. The door slid shut behind them, muffling the other Elders’ continuing dispute.

  Elder Gorun didn’t speak at first. He folded his hands in front of him, a gesture Kaen had only ever seen when the Dusknoir was delivering news families didn’t want to hear. Captain Kaen’s stomach tightened. "Elder… what is this about?"

  Elder Gorun inhaled slowly. "There is something I must finally tell you. Something I should have probably told you the moment you found out that Yuki vanished."

  Captain Kaen stiffened. Yuki. So it was that. "Go on."

  The Elder’s single eye dimmed. "She did not flee the village because she was reckless. Nor because she slipped past our vigilance by accident. I believe you already know that much. She left because she intended to follow Auri and because multiple Pokémon in this village helped her do so."

  Kaen felt the air leave his lungs. So he had been right after all! "Helped her…? Elder, what are you saying?"

  "I am saying," Elder Gorun replied gently, "that Mira and Daigo knew. That Ayra, Lio, Neku, Mina, and Myra also knew. And that I myself permitted it."

  The silence that followed felt like a blow. Captain Kaen just stared at the Dusknoir, truly stared, as if trying to measure whether Elder Gorun had finally lost his mind. "You… allowed my niece to walk out of the village!? While under house arrest!? Throwing herself straight into danger again!?"

  "Yes," Gorun whispered. "Because none of us could bear the wrong done to Auri and we saw a chance to fix it."

  Captain Kaen’s heartbeat thundered in his ears. "You believed she could fix this!? A child!?"

  "Yes, but that's not everything," Elder Gorun said with a sad shake of his head. "We also believed she deserved the chance to choose her own path. Do the exploration she always wanted to do. We wanted to give her a chance to actually take the first step towards achieving her dreams. And Kaen… you know Yuki. Once her heart settles on a purpose, nothing on this continent can sway her."

  Captain Kaen did know. That didn’t soothe the heat rising in his chest.

  "You let her go," he said, quieter now, too quiet.

  Elder Gorun nodded. "We did. And we ensured she could slip away quietly, without anyone intervening. Some provided cover. Some delayed questions. Some simply kept their mouths shut out of love."

  Kaen’s breath hitched. "Even Myra…?"

  "Oh, yes," Gorun murmured. "She guarded the skies the night Yuki left. Not to stop her, but to be sure no one else would. It's not like she could destroy her reputation much more after helping Auri to flee."

  Captain Kaen closed his eyes. It was too much, too tangled, too deeply rooted in everything he’d been trying to hold together. "Why didn’t any of you tell me?"

  "Because we feared," E?der Gorun answered softly, "that if we told you the truth that night, Kaen… you would stop her. Or worse, follow her, which you did try in the end. And you know tha unlike all of us Elder Seori isn't simply an Elder, but a weak Ancient. Just a single stage before becoming a Mythical. And in her current emotional state... heads would roll."

  He wasn’t wrong. And that made it hurt worse. He swallowed, jaw aching from how tightly he’d clenched it. "You all kept me in the dark. My own niece. My own guards. You thought lying to me was safer than trusting me?"

  Elder Gorun bowed his head, the crack of shame clear in his voice. "I am sorry, Kaen. Truly. But I still believe it was the only right choice. And I tell you now because we can no longer pretend this is within our control. Yuki reached Velari’s territory. She and Auri were accepted there. And now… it is almost certain they have left the Umbral Abyss entirely. They are beyond our borders, beyond our authority. Whatever happens next… is no longer ours to shape. And it's good that way."

  Captain Kaen felt something heavy settle inside him. Not anger, but a helpless, exhausted ache. "If this falls apart," he murmured, "Newleaf Village may face the consequences. And Auri and Yuki… even worse."

  Elder Gorun nodded somberly. "I know. And still, I stand by what we did. I only regret not trusting you with the truth sooner, though I still wouldn't have told you from the very beginning." Elder Gorun hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I also gave Yuki your teams old rescue team badges."

  Captain Kaen’s head snapped up. "You what!?"

  "They may help her and Auri far beyond this crater and you didn't need them anymore. Consider it… a final act of faith."

  Captain Kaen rubbed a paw through his mane, exhaling sharply. "Then we need more than apologies. We need perspective... And a strategy." His thoughts flicked to a face he had not visited in far too long. "Come with me. We’re speaking to Irren and Risa."

  Elder Gorun blinked. "Your old rescue team?"

  "This involves the Mist Continent now," Captain Kaen replied. "If those two walked out of the Umbral Abyss, they’re walking into a world only the three of us understand. And if you’ve given Yuki our badges… then the least we can do is decide what that means. Because I doubt you know all the implications of what you did."

  They left together, slipping into the dim twilight streets. Risa joined them wordlessly when Kaen called. She was leaning against a fencepost like she’d expected him to come eventually, arms crossed, eyes sharper than usual. She had probably waited for him to be done with the meeting for some guard report or another.

  She listened to a condensed explanation on the walk, her only response a soft exhale through her nose and a muttered, "Of course it’s an even bigger mess than I knew. Why did I ever expect something else from these two?"

  They reached Irren’s home soon after. The Absol opened the door before they knocked. Since a certain... incident in the past she wore an eyepatch over her left eye, "I felt you coming," she said simply, stepping aside. "And no, before any of you ask, this situation does not lead to disaster as far as I'm aware." Her red eye flicked toward Gorun. "You may speak freely."

  Captain Kaen nearly sagged with relief. Irren’s senses had never been wrong in the past. And that counted for something.

  Inside, the four of them settled around the low table. Risa paced. Irren lounged. Elder Gorun recounted the essentials once more. Auri’s flight, Yuki’s choice, the quiet conspiracy of some villagers, the rescue badges, the crossing into Velari’s lands.

  Risa groaned. "I hate this. I hate all of this. A secret like that? From us, the guards who are expected to keep this village safe?" But even as she said it, she added, grudgingly, "But I understand why you did it. And I won’t betray the trust they put in me by knowing it now."

  Irren simply stretched a paw. "There is no calamity in their path. Whatever lies ahead for the two of them, it is not doom. At least not in the next few weeks to a month," Her voice was cool, serene. "Let them chase their dreams."

  Kaen sat for a long moment, staring at the worn wood beneath his paws. Then he sighed. "If they chose this path… then I’ll stand by that choice. Yuki believed in it. And Auri… that boy never wanted to harm anyone. He deserves at least one Pokemon who believed in him."

  Elder Gorun placed a hand on Kaen’s shoulder, warm and steady. "You have not failed her, Kaen."

  Captain Kaen wasn’t sure he agreed, but he nodded all the same. The four of them remained there for a while longer, discussing next steps, the village’s fractures, and how best to keep panic from tearing Newleaf apart. But beneath all of Kaen’s frustration and exhaustion, one truth settled with surprising clarity. Auri and Yuki were far beyond his reach now.

  And all he could do, all any of them could do really, was trust them to survive the journey they’d chosen.

  Important characters in the chapter:

  To Be Added Later