Flashback – A Few Days After Skylar's Withdrawal
The rain fell lightly outside the small, rural house.
Cynthia stood by the window, one hand pressed against the glass, her golden hair draped over her shoulder.
Her heart still ached.
Skylar's final words echoed in her mind.
"I don't want you hurt."
"I need to walk this path alone."
She closed her eyes.
Pain—deep and cutting—spread through her chest.
But Cynthia was no stranger to pain.
And no stranger to destiny.
She moved to the center of the room where the video communicator waited.
She pressed a button.
The screen flickered.
After a few rings, it connected.
The familiar, warm face of Skylar's mother appeared.
Her soft features immediately creased with concern.
Behind her, Serena appeared, rushing into frame.
Both women were clearly worried.
"Cynthia!" Skylar's mother exclaimed.
"Have you heard from him?"
Cynthia nodded grimly.
"I did," she said softly.
"But not as you hope."
She inhaled deeply.
And told them everything.
About Skylar pushing her away.
About his guilt.
His loneliness.
His despair.
Serena's eyes welled with tears.
Skylar's mother paled.
A heavy silence filled the room.
After several minutes, it was Skylar's mother who spoke.
Her voice steady.
Resolute.
"He needs someone," she said."Someone strong, but close enough to his heart to break through."
She looked meaningfully at Serena.
"You."
Serena's eyes widened.
"Me?"
Skylar's mother nodded.
"You've already helped him once. You can help him again."
Serena's fists clenched at her sides.
Her heart pounded.
But she nodded fiercely.
"I'll go."
"I'll stay with him as long as he needs."
Cynthia watched quietly.
A small, proud smile touched her lips.
"You'll do great," she said.
"But listen carefully."
Her voice hardened slightly.
"I won't be reachable for a while."
Serena blinked.
Skylar's mother frowned.
"Why?"
Cynthia glanced over her shoulder.
Toward something hidden off-screen.
When she turned back, her expression was somber.
"I have… another duty."
"Something I must face alone."
The screen flickered as Cynthia cut the transmission.
Somewhere Far From Civilization – That Same Night
Cynthia stood alone.
Before her stretched an ancient altar.
Weathered stone carved with twisting runes, half-buried by time.
The wind howled.
Dark clouds loomed.
In her hand, she held a black orb, swirling with purple and crimson energy.
The Chaos Orb.
An artifact so old that even her people only spoke of it in whispers.
According to the legends—
It belonged to the forgotten god.
The dragon who existed not in time or space.
But between them.
Giratina.
The third pillar of creation.
The shadow of Dialga and Palkia.
Cynthia knelt before the altar.
She pressed the orb into the ancient socket.
It clicked into place.
The earth trembled.
A rumble rose from deep below.
The runes flared to life.
Black and red energy surged upward.
Cynthia stood firm.
This was madness.
She knew that.
Giratina was chaos incarnate.
Unpredictable.
Untamable.
But Skylar would face enemies beyond anything normal strength could oppose.
And she would need more than faith to stand beside him.
She needed power.
Even if it came at a terrible cost.
The wind became a hurricane.
The sky split open.
A black spiral formed above the altar.
Eyes.
Crimson eyes.
Unblinking.
Hungry.
A maw of pure darkness opened.
Cynthia felt the pull instantly.
The black hole yawned wide.
Tendrils of void energy lashed outward.
She braced herself—
But she did not resist.
She closed her eyes.
And whispered a final prayer.
"For Skylar."
"For all of us."
Then the darkness swallowed her whole.