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Its form resembled that of a majestic stag.
Velvet fur of deep blue and black cloaked its body, radiating dignity and solemn grace.
Cross-shaped plates of pale ivory armor covered its limbs, engraved with intricate, divine patterns.
But its most breathtaking feature was its antlers.
Eight massive branches extended outward, like the limbs of an ancient tree. Beneath their ivory base shimmered brilliant colors. Orange. Red. Purple. Blue. All woven together into a radiant crown of life.
Tall and elegant, its presence was serene beyond words.
The sovereign of the forest.
The wielder of life itself.
The divine embodiment of wisdom and balance.
The legendary Pokémon, Xerneas, had awakened.
After centuries of slumber, it had returned to the world.
Vital energy surged outward from its body, flooding the clearing with warmth and life.
Raven lay sprawled on the grass, staring up at it.
Her wounds healed rapidly under the gentle tide of life energy.
But she did not notice.
Her mind was consumed entirely by its divine presence.
Time passed.
Then—
Xerneas turned its gaze toward her.
And Raven snapped back to reality.
"Now!"
"Activate it!"
Her voice cracked as she screamed the order.
The Phantom Order operatives jolted awake from their trance.
They slammed their hands down on their control devices.
CRACK!
Lightning erupted.
Silver-blue currents surged from the machines surrounding the clearing, forming a cage of pure energy around Xerneas.
Their plan was flawless.
Xerneas had just awakened after centuries of slumber.
It was at its weakest.
With ancient technology recovered from forgotten ruins, they could bind it.
Control it.
Steal its power.
But they had miscalculated one thing.
The Nightmare Seeds.
Xerneas had not entered its slumber willingly.
It had been fighting corruption.
For centuries, it had resisted the Nightmare Seeds spreading through its body.
Sleep had been its last defense.
A desperate attempt to preserve its mind.
Now—
That defense was gone.
The violent awakening.
The electrical assault.
It was too much.
Its mind is shattered.
The Nightmare Seeds seized control.
In that moment—
The strongest Nightmare Pokémon ever created was born.
The wisdom in its black eyes vanished.
Only rage remained.
The electric prison collapsed instantly under an overwhelming surge of emerald life energy.
It spread outward like a tidal wave.
Life energy was gentle.
Warm.
Healing.
But too much life was a curse.
Grass exploded into wild overgrowth.
Plants swelled beyond their limits, their structures collapsing under their own unnatural expansion.
Trees twisted grotesquely, their trunks splitting open as malformed branches burst outward and fused together in horrifying shapes.
The forest itself became a nightmare.
Even nature could not endure it.
And humans…
Had no chance.
Their wounds healed.
Their bodies are perfected.
Every flaw corrected.
For a brief moment, they became flawless.
Like newborns.
Then—
Their blood multiplied uncontrollably.
Veins burst.
Blood poured from their eyes, mouths, and noses.
Bones grew violently, erupting through flesh in jagged spikes.
Muscles are torn apart and regenerated endlessly.
A cycle of unbearable pain.
Raven could not even scream.
Her body was no longer hers.
Her mind still clung to victory.
To dreams of conquest.
But reality had already claimed her.
Death.
Ambition had brought her here.
Ambition had destroyed her.
In an instant, the Phantom Order was erased.
Reduced to unrecognizable masses of flesh.
And at the center of it all—
Stood the corrupted god of life.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
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