Spooky Campfire Tales: Will-o-wisps

Will-o-wisps​

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Written by: Airenee​

Artwork is mine too ​

Rated K+​

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A still silence crept upon the land. Up above, the solemn silver sky loomed with ominous gray scars, foretelling the coming of the long rainy season. Though not a drop has fallen yet, a somber shroud of mist had already rolled in, in anticipation. Sunlight was scarce and the constant wailing breeze blew gentle chills unto the atmosphere.
Truly, it was fine-weathered day, considering you lived in Lavender Town.

It was a calm afternoon. Not many were visiting the graves inside the House of Memories, the famous tower that housed the hundreds of souls of departed Pokémon. It gave the spirits and ghosts a time of peace from all the bustling and weeping voices of their loved ones. It was not like they hated it. They would feel lonely and forgotten, if that was the case. The quietness was merely a breather in order for those who linger to reflect upon their lost lives, and silently wish for those left behind to move on.

Outside of the tower of graves, a small girl was strolling in the nearly empty streets, flaunting her white gothic laced dress and silky flaxen locks, curled in dainty ringlets. Her pale complexion and airily light-green eyes made her appear like a ghost, but of course, Chidori was a living breathing girl.

In the midst of the thin fog, Chidori happily hummed back and forth the local lullaby while she held her in right hand a small bouquet of white flowers. Following beside her was a small brown foxlike Pokémon; an Eevee, by the name of Ester. Though almost appearing invisible in the mist, she trotted dutifully whilst listening to her trainer's joyful voice.

Upon reaching the tall black iron gates that led to the tower of graves, Chidori twirled lightly on her doll shoes and finally signaled the end of her humming. Ester smiled, sounded off and flapped her ears, as if to applaud.

"Today is the day," Chidori declared, taking a deep breath to calm her excitement. Ester let out a soft cry and nodded in response. A moment later, they entered.
Tombstone after tombstone lined up in rows, welcomed her upon entry. The alabaster walls were dusty and stained with a strange grime at the edges, particularly the unnoticeable corners where shadows sprouted out. A faint scent of roses permeated the old corridors, probably from the lit candles that were left in front of the graves. No other visitors were in sight, but voices echoed throughout the empty halls. They were singing the same melody that Chidori hummed, but it was more like chanting rather than singing, as it resonated over and over. Each voice was slightly different but all had this eerie vibe.

Chidori made her way across, carrying the small bouquet in her pale dainty hands. Her shoes clicked with every step, adding a distinct sound to the already creepy ambience. Ester stayed close, glancing occasionally at the graves to read the names out of curiosity. Many were old and almost hard to make out. Others seemed like they were scratched out purposely.

After a while, they arrived at the fourth floor. Like the previous levels, more graves lined all around the room, but there was something different there, compared to the other floors. The air was cold and thin. The shadows were denser and the voices had increased in number.

With a short intake of breath, Chidori stepped forward towards the center where a large tombstone stood. Other than its sheer size, it was obvious that it was not merely a run-of-the-mill grave marker. For one, the base was made up of several clusters of smaller graves that appeared to have mutated out of the main one. Besides that, a purplish haze was emanating from it. It didn't seem poisonous, more like it had a will of its own.

The mysterious mist swirled around the girl and ushered her closer. Chidori let herself be led until she stood in front of the very face of the large gravestone. She clutched the flowers securely in her hands and stared at the gray obsidian structure. Her emerald eyes trailed the lettering carved in unown language. Much was unreadable because of the black grime, but she could make out a few words:

...Dead

...Weeps

...Soul

...Desire

...Judged

...Granted

Although that was all she read, she knew the full version, having read it somewhere in an old book. Chidori brought the flowers close to her chest and prayed once again. Then she laid the small bouquet of jasmines before the mysterious tomb. Ester wagged her tail lazily and looked up at her trainer with a small smile.

The chanting voices grew more distinct, and out of the shadows, ghost-types of various kinds materialized. Haunters and Gengars flew overhead. Dusclops and Banettes crawled out of hiding and loomed over the forgotten graves. The more basic forms like Shuppet, Misdreavus and Gastly hovered by at the sidelines, waiting patiently as onlookers. The last to appear were a pair of Litwicks that came out from behind the large graves, accompanied by a large Dusknoir that towered over the girl, with its bulky body and ogre-like presence.

Chidori became nervous, but stood her ground. She stared deep into the gripper Pokémon's sole crimson eye. Ester stood nearby, cautiously observing the horde of ghost-types. As long as none of them would attack, she wasn't going to either. The Dusknoir let out a husky groan, summoning several Mismagius that circled around them, chanting the song over and over. Chidori backed away as Ester moved in front, growling fiercely as her fur stood up. None charged in, but the Eevee was on full alert just in case.

All of a sudden, the circle of Mismagius halted at the wave of the Dusknoir's hand. Chidori breathed but was still very much nervous, while, Ester remained vigilant. The Dusknoir motioned the Litwick duo and the two little candle-like pokemons picked up the flowers and set it ablaze.

Purplish blue cinders ascended into the air, crackling, sizzling and filling the air with a calm scent. The Dusknoir grabbed the ashes in the air and gripped it firmly in its hand, just as the group of Mismagius let out an eerie wail while lighting up the amethyst-like gems embedded on their chest. Will-o-wisps appeared all around in various shades of violet, blue, red and indigo.

Chidori awed at the floating lights and reached out unconsciously, but before she could touch it, her eyes suddenly diverted to the ground where a large mass of light accumulated and began to pulsate. Ester found herself surrounded by light. All around, the will-o-wisps swerved and joined in, adding more mass to ghostly energy that enveloped the Eevee.

Finally, the Dusknoir released the ashes unto the brown little fox who sneezed in response. Chidori watched motionlessly as the light dissipated and a furry indigo creature with, black spots, tattered ears, red gems and crimson eyes appeared out of the empty space. It shook and flicked its long and unruly tail, whisking away the dust and cinders.

"Ester?" Chidori muttered, kneeling down and motioning the Pokémon with open arms.

Stunned speechless, Ester stared at the girl in disbelief. It took a moment for her to realize what had happened. She saw the she had transformed. It was like a miracle. Ecstatic, Ester leaped into the girl's arms and whimpered with pure happiness. Chidori began to tear up as she wrapped her arms around the indigo foxlike Pokémon. She recalled how Ester's fur was once warm and fluffy, but now it was sort of cold and faintly smelled of jasmines. Still, all that didn't matter, her Pokémon was back. She could see Ester and be with her again, even if she wasn't an Eevee anymore.

The other ghost-types grinned and faded back into the shadows, leaving the two to celebrate their reunion. The last to leave was the Dusknoir who wiped away the grim from the gray slate.

Thou art stand before the bridge, intertwining the living and dead.
Voices of thy lonely heart weep with the desire to return,
a lingering soul sharing the same desire.
Thou shall be judged.
Thou shall be tested.
Thy bond shall be questioned.
Only then shall thy desire be granted.​

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--Fin--​

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"Wispeon"​