NEW MOON/NOCTURNE

current plot-arcs: - -

First, Sinistra, Alhazred's 'sister'. Her skirt looks like a mix of snowflake and crosses, like the cold faithful person she is. She has Extremely Long Claws because with her musical ties i wanted to reference the old myth that paganini had the devil's fingers for how long and easily they stretched across the violin when playing. also helpful for the piano if you ask her.

then there is the golden fr*ddy jumpscare himself in all his glory.

everything about Beelzebub is ew.

Where  a  Darkrai's  'voice'  was  an  unbearable  cacophony,  crudely  merged  together  from  a  choir  of  fearful  memories,  Cresselia's  united  the  sound  of  all  the  heart  held  dear  into  a  pleasant,  calming  serenade-like  tone.  Even  when  the  envoy  of  dreams  sounded  downcast,  her  being  kept  all  other  darkness  from  pouring  in.  Her  hands  are  drawn  close  to  herself,  though  even  when  rested  it  seemed  like  they  were  kept  together  in  a  prayer.

"You  who  are  blessed  by  both  the  moon  and  its  shadow...  I  came  to  warn  you  of  the  danger  you  have  courted.  His  evil  powers  have  shielded  you  from  my  influence  for  so  long,  I  was  worried  that  I  could  never  reach  you  to  unveil  his  true  purpose."

"I  saw  that  you  are  being  enthralled  by  the  wicked  Darkrai you call  Alhazred..  You  cannot  fall  for  his  lies,  my  child.  I  have  foiled  and  undone  countless  of  his  plans  for  thousands  of  years  as  his  counterpart.  I  know  that  there  is  only  bottomless  malice  beneath  his  mask,  for  the means by which the  Original  One  created him were different from even all other of his kin.  As  Alhazred  isolated  you  in  your  dreams  from  me,  he  will  soon  do  so  in  the  waking  world  too  and  begin  to  strike  at  those  dearest  to  you...  I  fear  the  lengths  he  will  go  to  claim  your  soul  as  his.  You  must  expel  him."

𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄: 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

Neither  time  nor  space  had  hold  on  that  which  wasn't  real,  yet  the  intricate  ways  and  circumstances  that  gave  rise  to  Lumiose's  dream  reflection  made  it  inherit  these  attributes.  Alhazred  stepped  back  into  reality  and  took  note  of  time's  passage  since  his  sudden  departure.  It  was  still  in  the  dead  of  night,  likely  not  more  than  half  an  hour.  No  sight  of  Amethio  nor  Hamber  or  their  partners.  Hopefully,  a  sign  that  they  immediately  evacuated  and  sought  medical  attention.

Smoke  still  rose  from  the  damaged  surroundings  at  the  site  of  that  Metagross's  explosion.  That  Zygarde  had  obtained  its  complete  might  in  such  a  short  time-frame  since  their  last  ordeal  even  took  him  by  surprise,  yet  he's  glad  that  it  proved  useful  in  destabilizing  their  foe's  emotional  state.  Even  Hamber's  carefully  picked  taunt  contributed  to  this  outcome  in  a  way  worth  praising.

No  human  was  left-  except  their  enemy,  their  target.

The  night  breeze  rustled  against  the  clothes  and  hair  of  the  man  they  had  come  for,  his  body  laying  on  the  concrete  exactly  where  its  puppeteer  had  abandoned  him.  Alhazred  opened  a  dark  portal  beneath,  vanishing  Spinel's  figure  from  the  surface.  Before  he  followed,  instinct  compelled  him  to  cast  a  last  glance  at  the  night  sky  that  witnessed  it  all.  Then  another  circle  of  black  and  violet  energy-ribbons  was  conjured  around  his  own  person  to  take  him  to  his  secret  place.

---

To  think  that  months  ago,  these  catacombs  housed  stolen  Pokémon  destined  for  experimentation  and  the  black  market.  Now  the  one  who  may  have  received  the  got  to  experience  this  luxurious  lifestyle  himself.  It's  convenient  that  Darkrai  never  bothered  to  clean-up  after  the  smugglers  whose  den  he  raided  here,  he  thought  to  himself.  The  empty  boxes  were  still  propped  up  as  chairs  and  tables  and  the  sleeping  bags  in  the  corner  hadn't  been  touched  ever  since.  Now  that  he  knew  how  to  use  Charge-Beam  and  Will-O-Wisp,  he  could  charge  the  battery  for  a  pair  of  the  electronic  handcuffs  that  some  of  the  former  captive  'mons  wore  and  light  up  some  of  the  lamps  and  torches  that  hung  at  the  walls.  The  roomiest  cage  would  do  nicely  for  their  esteemed  VIP.  There's  a  little  fridge  connected  to  a  generator  meant  to  be  powered  by  a  Pokémon...  in  a  moment's  notice,  he  walked  through  another  portal  of  Phantom  Force  and  returned  to  place  some  bottles  of  Fresh  Water  in  it.  That's  all  the  amnesties  this  hole  can  offer  for  the  next  few  days  until  he  found  a  permanent  holding  place.  Sanitary  needs  were  reduced  to  a  bucket.  Nothing  he  could  do  about  that,  considering  the  location.

With  that,  he  propped  Spinel  inside  the  cage  on  the  boxes  that'd  serve  as  chair  and  table.  Alhazred  gave  him  a  look  over,  then  used  his  telekinetic  powers  to  remove  all  the  Pokéballs  and  possible  hidden  Strong  Spheres  from  the  other's  person.  With  this  secured,  the  shade  stepped  outside.  From  there  he  forcibly  mended  the  broken  bars  with  his  hands  and  Will-O-Wisp  melded  them  back  together.  The  cage  door  had  multiple  locks  still  in  place  since  he  and  the  other  Pokémon  had  broken  out  with  brute  strength  from  the  other  side.

Finally,  he  allowed  himself  a  pause  and  his  shoulders  to  droop  in  relief.  CEO  captured.  He  made  himself  a  mental  note  to  test  which  Pokéball  was  Umbreon's  to  release  it  later...  the  others  could  be  quickly  greeted  with  Dark  Void  and  put  back.  There  was  the  issue  that  Beheeyem  was  absent,  never  having  been  recalled  and  he'd  been  too  busy  following  the  battle  that  had  ensued  to  secure  it...  and  Metagross  was  still  outside,  since  he  didn't  know  which's  ball  was  its  own  to  try  recalling  it  himself.  Though  he  briefly  went  back  to  the  site  of  their  decisive  encounter,  it  had  already  disappeared  from  there.  The  thought  of  Spinel's  aces  in  the  hole  missing  was  somewhat  eating  at  his  need  to  have  his  schemes  proofed  against  tricky  variables  but  it  shouldn't  cause  any  issue  as  long  as  neither  of  them  could  find  him.

This  also  couldn't  be  a  permanent  hold,  even  if  it  was  secure.  Granted,  compared  to  the  jails  he'd  personally  known  this  was  quite  the  high  standard  but  humans  were  too  frail  and  high-maintenance  to  keep  under  such  circumstances.  Even  the  other  places  he  used  for  hideouts  were  ruins  without  the  necessities  humans  needed  to  live.  Was  there  no  choice  but  to  ask  another  human?  Amalthea,  Mable,  Amethio  and  Hamber  would  need  to  learn  of  this  outcome  anyway  and  they  all  could  be  trusted  with  spotting  a  secure  place  to  keep  someone  like  Spinel  hidden...  though  with  the  state  the  battle  likely  left  those  last  two  in,  approaching  Amalthea  with  this  may  be  the  wisest  even  if  it  was  for  him  personally  the  most  bitter  choice.  Spinel  was  still  unstable  and  dangerous  in  his  current  state,  the  real  ego  wouldn't  return  any  time  soon  and  Amethio  needed  time  to  recuperate.  They  needed  a  way  to  surveil  Spinel  beyond  just  using  Rotom,  a  way  to  intervene,  deter  and  control  him  before  they  could  let  him  go  lest  he  caused  more  trouble  for  everyone.  Decisions,  Decisions.  At  least  he  had  time  now.  A  lot  of  quiet,  peaceful  time  to  waste  on  brooding  as  he  pleased.

Last  thing  left  to  do  now  was  to  have  his  own  darkness  envelop  him  in  his  disguise  once  more.  To  monitor  his  captive's  state  and  pass  the  hours.  Alhazred  used  Rotom  to  send  Amethio  a  message  first,  then  to  Mable...  he  hesitated  with  the  final  message  to  Amalthea.  Rotom  had  to  erase  and  redo  these  texts  several  times  until  the  Darkrai  was  fine  with  sending  something  that  was  honest  and  direct.  She  likely  wouldn't  see  it  until  she  woke  up  anyway  with  how  late  at  night  it  was  now… 

MESSAGE  TO:  Amethio TXT:  We  succeeded. TXT:  Target  is  secured  in  the  catacombs  where  we  first  reunited.  TXT:  I'll  have  him  moved  elsewhere  soon.  I'll  keep  you  updated. TXT:  I  wish  you  a  swift  recovery.  I'm  not  sure  if  I  could  have  done  it  without  your  help. TXT:  The  end  was  chaotic  but  we  prevented  the  worst  case  scenario  and  put  a  stop  to  Spinel  and  the  mastermind  behind  him. TXT:  It's  not  over  with  Exceed  but  you  accomplished  something  great  today.  TXT:  Thanks  to  you  I'm  finally  free  to  roam  again..  TXT:  I  hope  I  can  meet  both  of  you  and  Hamber  in  person  in  the  near  future  again  so  I  can  express  my  gratitude  proper.    

MESSAGE  TO:  Mable TXT:  I'm  here  to  report  that  your  device's  deployment  was  a  success. TXT:  The  psychic-link  has  been  severed  immediately  and  Malamar  has  been  successfully  contained. TXT:  It  entered  Rogue  Mega-Evolution  and  tried  to  broadcast  its  mindcontrol  using  the  city's  radio-towers  this  night.  TXT:  I  had  to  isolate  it  in  Hyperspace  to  prevent  it  using  Teleport  and  subdue  it  in  combat  after  it  showed  itself.  TXT:  I'm  still  on  standby  to  observe  if  the  capsule  holds  up  against  it.    TXT:  I  will  follow-up  with  more  details  soon.  TXT:  For  now,  be  proud  that  yours  and  Thea's  work  saved  the  city  yet  again. 

MESSAGE  TO:  Amalthea TXT:  Thea,  I  will  not  be  coming  home  for  a  while.  TXT:  I'm  not  in  any  danger  but  I'm  in  a  situation  . TXT:  There's  no  need  to  worry,  I  didn't  kill  anyone TXT:  Nothing  big,  just  dealing  with  a  problem  that  needs  my  attention  TXT:  I  know  humans  consider  it  a  crime  but TXT:  I'm  stuck  in  the  catacombs  with  someone  I  kidnapped.  TXT:  Can  you  spot  a  secure  location  for  keeping  a  CEO  hostage?  TXT:  It's  who  you  think  it  is. TXT:  I  promise  I'll  explain  everything.

And  with  that  sent,  the  little  ghost  returned  into  the  dark  and  left  the  masqueraded  nightmare  and  his  victim  alone.  To  wait  more.  Wait,  wait  and  wait  until  Alhazred  could  personally  welcome  Spinel  back  to  his  new  reality.

A  reality  of  silence  between  storms.

"That  can't  be.  I  know  this  weaving,  I  would  recognize  the  traces  of  these  threads  anywhere!  The  Darkrai  that  spun  this  nightmare  is  a  scheming  villain  who  has  brought  nothing  but  perdition  to  humanity  for  thousands  of  years.  He's  an  underhanded  mastermind  who  hates  humans  and  revels  in  causing  others  pain."  Quite  clearly,  she  was  familiar  with  the  being  had  dwelt  here  until  not  too  long  ago  to  the  point  her  arms  tensed  at  the  mere  imagination  of  it.

"I  have  been  trying  to  hunt  him  down  for  a  long  time  but  he's  always  hiding  and  moving.  I  sensed  that  he  was  here  and  must  have  done  something."  Not  unlike  Spinel  himself  had  been  not  too  long  ago.  Neat  parallels  are  drawn  to  illustrate  the  danger  and  the  shining  crescent  moon  radiated  an  aura  of  sincere  concern. Alhazred's  presence  was  her  reason  for  being  here,  she's  clear  that  they're  opponents  playing  cat  and  mouse.  "He  always  targets  vulnerable  souls...  He's  no  savior.  How  would  he  have  saved  you?  Are  you  sure  you're  not  being  exploited  for  one  of  his  schemes?"

safe pride month everyone. i'm acearo and my disaster creature is too. gender rambles under the cut bc i don't even

It's a thing that Darkrai prefers to refer to Pokémon with 'creatures', 'beings' or 'monsters'. He only uses the term Pokémon when speaking to humans or when it's clearer to use it but he has a dislike for it. It irks him that the vastness of Arceus' creation of sentient life is deemed 'something to stuff and fit into a human's pocket'.

Talking about Arceus- when he speaks to others about his maker, he is quite formal and distant, referring to them strictly with their revered titles and preferring to keep it genderneutral. When he's on his own or with others very close to him, he prefers to refer to them with 'mother' and use femme pronouns. It's a bit personal and embarrassing to do so since he's only one of hundreds as opposed to the greater legendaries. But Ava'strae himself encouraged him to view them as he wants.

Now here's something: moves that change types don't work on him either, it's not just Terastral-Energy. No matter what, he's a pure dark-type.

When he's in a dire state that won't let him use his telepathy properly, "vg'f abg hapbzzba sbe uvz gb fgneg fcrnxvat yvxr guvf." He briefly did so in Levincia all the way back. Which, btw, he did to try calling out his true name but fell short of it. That row of unspeakable keyboard smash is actually just a rot13 Caesarian cypher but it looks Cthulhu wgah'nagl fhtagn enough, right? He only slips into this when at the very edge though.

Its difficult for him to bend his stilts, even if they're just a bone-less appendage of shadows. They're not made for walking... he only uses them to rest or adjust himself. Theoretically he could and other Darkrai may do that but it's uncomfortable and absurdly inconvenient compared to levitation. While he never walks on them, he very rarely does kneel before other legendaries out of respect.

'Can he technically exist in the vacuum of space' yes he would thrive there if he can stay away enough from the moon's lit side and not die of boredom i guess.

Though he uses something like 'soulmate' to describe the pairing of his kind with his counterpart, Alhazred means it literally. A Cresselia and a Darkrai are halves of a soul which gives his trouble of not having a 'destined other' a completely different dimension. He still does not know whether he never met his specific counterpart for unknown reasons or if she never existed in the first place. He gave up finding out why he's the only one who is incomplete.

In the PMD AU where she definitely exists, at first his Cresselia partner seems to be the complete opposite to him in personality... but, since they share souls, their core personalities are actually completely the same except for experiences and events altering their surface personalities to match them. Their troubles as a pair are hence much closer in nature to someone's trouble with themselves.