Child of Thorns - A Pokemon Sinnoh Reimagining

Spear Pillar stood in the very middle of my homeland, a beautiful temple built by the most talented architects and stone-weavers of a hundred generations past.

It was, of course, a ruin by the time I got there. Which meant that at least I didn't have to feel bad for making it look any worse.

And so, with all and any obstacles in my way removed, with the siblings of Spirit at my command, I stood in the very middle of the temple and raised my hands toward the sky.

Looking up, even the sun stood within my grasp.

Sarah made her way through the outskirts of Solaceon with her heart in her throat, one hand casually hovering over the holster of her gun. Kyle and Zofia, her escorts, walked at her side. The latter had refused to let her come here alone, while the former had been unlucky enough to have been assigned night shift that day in particular.

"Over there," said Sarah, pointing toward a flat, circular building down the road. "That's the Geographical Institute. Let's hurry."

"No complaints here," muttered Kyle. "Still hoping we can finish this before that new episode airs."

Zofia nodded. "You lead the way, boss."

In all honesty, tonight was a really bad time for this. After a week of complete silence from the Geographical Institute, Stella had told Sarah that it was probably a good idea to send someone over to check on what the hell was going on. That had been three days ago. Unfortunately, Lucian was a busy, work-hoarding man, and it had taken a while for Sarah to convince him to let her go down to Solaceon, after the man was unable to do it himself three days in a row.

I definitely should've convinced him sooner, she thought, biting her lower lip.

Then again, maybe this was for the best. At least this gave her something to do; an excuse to walk around and vent her frustrations out on someone while her husband and the rest of the strike team led their attack on Pastoria's port.

At the very thought of that, Sarah felt something cold and hard form in her stomach. Yes, this was for the best. She'd have gone crazy all cooped up in her office, anxiously tapping her foot as she stared up at the clock, waiting for news. Not that she doubted Palmer, of course. Her doofus of a husband had proved more than capable time and time again, but she'd learned not to underestimate Team Galactic's craftiness.

"Halt."

Kyle and Zofia stopped at her sides, pistols at the ready. Before them stood the Institute; a small, disc-shaped building with no windows and a single steel door separating them from the inside. Sarah had seen a picture of it before. However… something about it seemed off.

"They haven't pitched up the gable around the building yet," she said.

"Huh?"

"It's winter already."

"O-oh…" Kyle looked up at the ceiling, frowning. "I mean, Solaceon's pretty warm all year 'round, isn't it?"

"It still snows occasionally," said Zofia. "She's right, it's weird that they haven't put up a gable yet."

Sarah clicked her tongue. Something felt wrong; she could've sworn she heard a hushed voice as they approached the building, but now the place was completely silent.

"…Stay sharp."

She unholstered her pistol with one hand while she knocked strongly on the door with the other. The sudden bangs broke through the silence like a hammer on ice.

"This is Sarah Paladino from the League Association!" she announced, tone firm. "There's been suspicion of withholded information from this department, so I'm here to investigate. Open the door."

No response came from the other side. The knot in Sarah's stomach tightened up.

"Maybe they went home early?" shrugged Kyle.

"Then we'll have to break in," said Sarah. "Take a step back. I'll…"

A sharp ringing sound cut through the air. Sarah almost jumped to action, only a moment after realizing it was coming from her Poketch.

"Dear Synn above," she whispered, placing a hand against her chest. "Give me a fucking heart attack will you?"

"What is it?" asked Zofia.

"Is it Lucian telling us we can go home early?"

Sarah tapped on the screen, and immediately the words 'Emergency League Broadcast' popped up in a red so bright it would've stung her eyes even if it wasn't flashing. Yet, of course, that was the least of her worries.

"What?" Sarah swallowed, feeling a cold pit in her stomach. "What the hell happ–"

The door behind them was crushed open like it was made of paper. As its two halves fell to the ground beside them, Sarah only managed to get a glimpse of a tall, sharp silhouette before two enormous purple arms swung at them.

"AGH!"

"SHIT!"

Sarah knelt on instinct, but the blow wasn't aimed at her. The Pokemon threw his arms to the side, hitting Kyle and Zofia hard enough for their bodies to bounce as they slammed against the ground, pistols flying from their hands. She cursed and took a quick step back, aiming up with hers. Her finger pressed against the trigger, but there was another flash of movement and suddenly her vision went white.

"GRHK!"

An enormous hand covered in scales closed around her torso with enough force to push the wind out of her lungs. Pain shot through her spine like fire. Her vision went blurry, and by the time she came back to herself it was too late. She was trapped in the Nidoking's grasp, and her pistol now lay at her feet.

"A-agh! W-what… what the fuck do you think you're… UGH!"

The Nidoking moved his fingers inwards, and the tip of his extremely sharp claws dug slightly into Sarah's side. The pain was indescribable. Her teeth clenched strongly enough that her face was going numb, and through the tears she noticed three other silhouettes standing behind the Pokemon.

"Secure the other two," said a familiar voice. "This one's already neutralized."

Two Galactic grunts sprinted past them, headed to where Kyle and Zofia were. Yet that wasn't what surprised Sarah. Even through the pain and confusion, she had no problem recognizing the voice that had just spoken, nor who it belonged to.

"Y-you…"

Stella stepped out from the darkness of the room, moonlight illuminating her pale, guilt-stricken face. Just then, realization dawned on Sarah. Of course. How could she have been so stupid?

"T-this… all of this… it was a trap," she spat out, fury clinging to her voice. "You l-lured me here."

The woman's face scrunched up in something like pain, arms folded under her chest and hands gripping tightly against the fabric of her coat.

"I know this doesn't count for much," she said, "but I really am sorry for this."

Lucas was –as his good friend Inyssa would probably put it– in some pretty deep shit.

"Crap! Right, right!"

Wind whistled in his ears as Kevorkian took a sharp turn mid-flight, a beam of white energy as thick as a tree passing just under them. The world around him spun, but he tried his best to keep his eyes on the enemy. Three winged silhouettes approached from his left and right, as well as above; Fearow, if he wasn't mistaken, each one carrying a Galactic grunt on their back. And, probably, each one having given the order to either kill or capture him.

At least I know I'm in the right place, he thought.

"Swift!" cried one of the grunts.

A volley of white projectiles flew through the air in random patterns before coalescing around them like heat-seeking missiles. Lucas let out a yelp. If one of those hit him…

"Kreeak!" yelled Kevorkian, in what Lucas interpreted as 'Hang on tight'.

He had no intention of disobeying.

Veering up, Kevorkian stood up straight in the middle of the air and extended his wingspan to its full length, shielding Lucas from the attack. Now almost upside down, he held on for dear life as the threads of energy crashed against Kevorkian like bullets, every single impact reverberating through their bodies like a second heartbeat. Lucas grit his teeth and, still trying his best not to fall to his death, realized that this would get them nowhere. Those Fearow were strong, and there were too many of them. Kevorkian might've had the type advantage, but that didn't mean much right now, especially when they could call on reinforcements at any time.

It was up to him to get rid of the enemies, then.

"Fly down!" he yelled. "Have them follow us!"

Kevorkian let out a loud chirp as he let himself fall, folding his wings for maximum speed. The world became a blur. Past the corner of his eyes, Lucas noticed the Fearow chasing after them, slowly closing the distance. This was it.

Lucas let go of Kevorkian's torso, grabbing onto him with only his legs as he looked for something inside the pocket of his coat. The thin, silver cylinder almost flew off his hand by the sheer wind pressure. With his other hand, he retrieved a sturdy iron lighter and turned it on. The wind would almost certainly put the flame out, but he only needed one second. One spark to ignite the wick.

There was a click, drowned by the sound of the rushing wind, and then he pale flame came to life. Sparks began to consume the wick. Time slowed to a crawl as Lucas gripped the silver cylinder tight and raised it over his head. He caught a glimpse of his pursuers behind them, and frowned. The image of Saturn's face came to his mind.

To be honest, I always agreed with Team Galactic on something, he thought sadly. This region relies too much on brute strength. Whether it's that of human or Pokemon… That's why…

He threw the cylinder up into the air behind him. The burning wick disappeared into its insides. Lucas and Kevorkian looked away, closing their eyes.

…Let me show you that science and ingenuity can get you much farther than that.

A blinding flash exploded in between all three Fearow. Screams and chirps of pain rang through the air and even with his eyes closed Lucas could feel the intensity of the light above them. He heard the sound of both trainers and Pokemon falling around them like Cutiefly who'd flown straight into a bug-zapper.

Maybe I went a little overboard, he thought, feeling a tinge of guilt.

It was a rather rudimentary flash bang grenade, one he'd made mid-flight with materials he usually carried inside his backpack. A cardboard tube, some aluminum, black powder, the works. The Professor would have most likely reprimanded him for coming up with such a lousy, poorly thought-out plan, but he didn't have time to lament his lack of preparation at the moment. Not when there was a job to do.

"Now, to the base!" he yelled out. "Cut through the barrier with Night Slash!"

"KRYAA!"

Kevorkian slashed at the air with a darkness-infused wing, cutting through the barrier hiding Galactic HQ from view as though it were made of butter. With a burst of speed, they slipped through the opening, which closed behind them a second later.

"There!"

The enormous grey building stood before them, almost hanging on the edge of the cliff. Its back was bathed by the pillar of white moonlight cutting through the ocean behind it. Lucas couldn't help but let his mouth gape a bit. It was at least twenty floors tall. And judging by the way the ground was slightly broken up around the base, it must've counted with a few subterranean floors too.

He shook his head. No, he didn't have time to admire the architecture. He needed to get inside before any more grunts came after him. They were approaching at a fast speed. Should they enter from the roof? The main entrance? Or…

"Air Slash at that window!" Lucas cried out, pointing forward.

Kevorkian obeyed at once. With a twirl of his wings he sent forward a knife-sharp current of air that completely shattered one of the windows leading toward the seventh floor. The perfect distraction.

"Now do the same with that one!" he yelled, pointing at a window leading toward the fourteenth floor. "And enter through it!"

Wind and glass exploded into the room as they made their entrance, his body singing in joy at the touch of cold, hard concrete under his feet. Lucas allowed himself a moment to breathe, leaning with one hand against the nearest wall. The corridor they'd emerged into was dark and empty. Perfect.

With a flick of his hand he produced a Pokeball, and a moment after a flash of light formed into the familiar shape of Tiresias, his Noctowl.

"Use Reflect on there." He pointed at the hole they'd come through. "That way they'll think we entered through the seventh floor."

Tiresias did as he was told, his eyes glowing a bright pink as a trans-lucid barrier of psychic energy materialized where the window used to be. Lucas let out a sigh of relief. This should at least buy them so time before the rest of the grunts found them, assuming this floor wasn't already crawling with them.

"I can't… I can't believe that worked," he whispered, clutching at his chest with one hand. "God… my heart's gonna leap out of my chest. How do Barry and Niss do this all the time?"

No response came from his Pokemon, both of which were too preoccupied staring at the end of the hallway, wingspans drawn in anticipation. That's right. He needed to get going.

"You did amazing out there, Kevorkian. But… I need to be stealthy for now." With that he produced his Pokeball on his hand and returned him to it. "Tiresias, I need a psychic wave on the entire floor. Tell me how many people are here."

A pale glow overtook the Noctowl's eyes and Lucas felt a shiver. He swallowed, waiting with bated breath. Tiresias closed his eyes, and the feeling vanished. Then he shook his head slightly.

"N-no one? Really?" Lucas began walking through the hallway, looking through the windows of every room he came across. "Hm… Looks like a residential floor. But all the rooms are empty, like no one's been living here." He scrunched up his nose. "I know for a fact Team Galactic isn't hurting for recruits, so…"

Maybe they'd been deployed somewhere? But that raised the question of why then it looked as though the rooms had been stripped clean, like the grunts hadn't expected to come back. Moreover, shouldn't there have been more commotion? He couldn't hear anyone or anything in the floors above or below. No people or Pokemon. This was all incredibly bizarre.

"… Tiresias, to my shoulder. Keep your eyes and ears open for signs of… anything. Literally. I don't want any surprises tonight," he said. "We'll move up first. Keep using those waves to check if the Professor is nearby."

"Prhwoo!"

"Agreed," he nodded. "If push comes to shove and they come at us, we'll try to run and find another way to…"

There was a click, and the speaker at the end of the hallway came to life. Lucas jumped in place, tensing up like a startled Glameow. From the other side of the feed, he heard the sound of a man clearing his throat. Then a voice like sharpened ice began to speak.

"It has come to my attention that our base has been breached by an intruder."

Lucas had heard that voice once, in a recording of the Celestic incident a few months back. And just like then, the very sound of it send a powerful shiver down his spine. There was no warmth in that voice. It was a terrifying thing, so much so that he almost missed what the man said next.

"To the few remaining grunts still inside of the facility, know that this is of no concern. If you are looking for this intruder, stop. Continue with your evacuation. We are short on time, and our main guest is sure to show herself soon. The building must be empty by then."

Evacuation? Guest? What… what on earth was he talking about? Lucas swallowed, frozen in place, a million questions flying through his head. He felt as though he'd chosen a terrible time for his impromptu rescue mission.

"And as for you, Lucas."

Lucas gasped. It felt like someone had grabbed at his inside with sharp, icy fingers.

"Your arrival is auspicious. Professor Rowan and I will be waiting for you in my office on the top floor. As I said, time is of the essence, so do make haste."

The speaker went dead with a sharp click. Lucas stared up at it as though expecting it to come back to life again, or perhaps hoping for it, since it would give him an excuse to stand on his spot a little longer.

"That…" He swallowed, feeling his lips dry. "… is one hundred percent a trap."

"Pryoo," Tiresias said in agreement.

Lucas sighed.

"… But it's not like I have a better lead than that," he said. "Come on, I'll have hopefully come up with a plan by the time we get there."

Sarah was still and quiet as she and her two escorts were dragged inside of the building, fury calmly simmering inside of her chest like magma before a volcanic eruption. The Nidoking's massive hand was still closed around her torso. The fucker was squeezing hard enough that she could barely think from the pain.

"Alright, bound and gagged," said one of the Galactic grunts as he finished immobilizing Kyle and Zofia. "Should I do the same with her?"

"That won't be necessary," replied Stella, still avoiding her gaze. "This is Sarah Paladino we're dealing with. I'd be surprised if she doesn't know more than a dozen ways to escape being bound. Besides, it's not like we're using the Nidoking for anything else."

Sarah looked around the room, trying to make sense of what was happening, but there really wasn't much to see. A few computers littered around the room. A tall bookshelf resting against the opposite wall, right next to a rather impressive map of Sinnoh. A few desks and filing cabinets. It looked exactly the same as countless offices she'd seen over the course of her life. Had she not known what the institute specialized in, she would've wondered what the hell Team Galactic wanted with a dingy place like this.

Unfortunately, she did. And so all the pieces started to fall together inside her mind. She fucking hated when that happened. Nothing good ever came from unraveling a conspiracy.

"I just paid you a compliment, Sarah. Least you could do is say 'Thank you'."

Sarah struggled to lower her head, Nidoking's index finger curled around just under her neck, but once she did the look Stella was met with could have frozen a stampede of Tauros in its tracks.

"You and your escorts don't have to worry," said Stella, flashing her an apologetic smile. "Lucian was actually our target for this ambush. But of course, I should've expected him to delegate even the act of falling into a trap… so here we are." She let out a sigh. "In all honesty, Sarah, you're more of a thorn in Team Galactic's side than they are aware of, but unlike your boss, I respect you. Moreover, I respect your commitment to protect your family. As long as you behave, I'll let you all walk out of here safely once our job is done."

It wasn't hard to imagine what kind of response Stella expected. For Sarah to scream at her, to ask what the hell she thought she was doing, maybe even plead to her. Any kind of reaction would've benefited her. As such, all Sarah did was roll her eyes and look away.

Stella's smile dropped rather quick.

"I really am sorry you had to be caught up in this," she said. "For someone so loyal to the Association, I'm sure this must feel like the worst kind of betrayal. But I wouldn't be doing this without a good reason."

Sarah continued to ignore her. Trying to think past the pain of the Nidoking's grip, she began to mentally go through all of the pieces she had, in the hopes of forming a clear picture.

This couldn't have been just a trap they set for Lucian, she realized. The Champion had given a strict order that no one was to enter Mt. Coronet without permission from the Association. Soon after, the Geographical Institute had been taken over by Team Galactic. The second event had to be a response to the first, but why?

"Deep down, Sarah, I know that you agree with me," Stella continued, a hint of pleading in her voice. "Team Galactic is right. Our region, our Champion, the entirety of the Association… it's been all rotten ever since the war ended. Nothing has changed."

Sarah frowned. Team Galactic needed to do something inside of Mt. Coronet, but how did taking over this institute help? It had something to do with hiding information from the Association, clearly. Those odd tremors occurring all around the mountain, that report Stella had shown her… was all of that true, or just part of the ruse in order to lure Lucian here? Maybe it was both.

They took over this place in order to hide whatever it is they're doing regarding Mt. Coronet, she reasoned. Luring Lucian here was just a helpful bonus.

"I… honestly, I feel bad for you, Sarah." Another sigh. Stella looked up at her with kind, understanding eyes. "Ever since you came back from Kanto, you've been trying to do everything in your power to keep your family and the rest of the region safe from another war. But how can you rely on the system to help you with that when the system itself is broken? You know it's true. You know it better than I do."

Now the only question was… what exactly did Team Galactic want with Mt. Coronet? Sarah had read reports of the kind of terrifying technology the terrorists had deployed in the past, especially those devices capable of disabling all Pokeballs within their vicinity and even return Pokemon to their balls remotely before locking them. Maybe they'd finished a more powerful version of that machine? One they planned to activate from within Mt. Coronet, the very heart of Sinnoh.

She shook her head slightly. No, that couldn't be it. The inside of the enormous mountain would interfere with whatever signal they would want to send out, and such a plan didn't explain the tremors nor the odd geographical reports.

Thinking back to Palmer, to the Champion… she couldn't help but worry over the fact that this so-called mission of theirs happened to be scheduled the same night that the strike team was to find and raid Galactic HQ. That couldn't be a coincidence. The thought made her insides feel cold and heavy.

There was something here. Something she wasn't seeing, surely because she was almost being squished within an inch of her life while the person she currently hated most in the world was lecturing her about something she couldn't have cared less about.

I guess I need to fix that, then.

"… and the Champion herself is at the center of everything, "continued Stella. "This trainer-centric society, the current divide between trainers and non-trainers, between the rich and the less privileged… you can't tell me it's always been like this, Sarah. Even during our darkest times, we Sinnohans have always banded together. But now we've been divided and-"

"S-stop talking."

A shiver ran down the woman's spine at the sheer fury behind Sarah's voice.

"I… don't care how you want to justify this to yourself," said Sarah, struggling to speak through her captor's grip. "You teamed up with Team Galactic, putting everyone I cared about in danger. That's all that matters to me."

Stella formed a nervous smile. "Come now, Sarah… We all have people we care about."

Slowly, tentatively, Sarah twisted her right leg so the tip of her boot touched against the small, unprotected crease in between the hardened shell of the Nidoking's stomach. The beast didn't notice, too focused on squeezing the life out of her.

"Sometimes you have to smash a few eggs. You know how the saying goes."

A dry, low chuckle left Sarah's lips. She clicked her heels against one another and there was a swish as a blade protracted from under the front of her right shoe.

"I'll get to smashing, then."

"Wh–"

She drove the blade into the unprotected crease with as much force as she could muster, stabbing deep into the beast. A sharp, earth-shaking roar boomed through the room. The grip loosened and Sarah fell into a heap on the floor, giving herself enough time to breathe in once before jumping to her feet, fingers hovering over the holster of her gun.

"Wha–! Nidoking, stop h–!"

A deep growl reverberating through his body, the Nidoking turned to Sarah with furious, bloodshot eyes, only to find the barrel of a pistol inches from his face.

Five deafening bangs boomed in succession, the smell of blood and gunpowder filling the air. The beast stood still for a long moment. Then his muscles lost all strength and he fell on his back, floor tiles cracking under his weight, stained with the purple blood oozing out of the five holes in his forehead.

Behind him, Stella stood frozen, unable of even taking her own gun from its holster. Silence hung heavy in the air.

"S-Sarah… I can–"

She didn't give her a chance to finish that sentence. In a flash she fell upon the woman, hitting the back of her head with the butt of her pistol, sending her face first to the ground. Grunting, coughing from the pain, Stella tried to get up. Sarah's foot came upon her back, pining her back down, and she seemed to get the message then. She did not try to move again.

"You two."

The two Galactic grunts shivered and tensed up at the heat in her voice, not to mention the pistol now pointed at their faces.

"Untie my escorts," she said. "Now."

There was no need to press them any further. The two grunts couldn't have been older than eighteen, and thus probably unaccustomed to being threatened with a gun. Sarah felt a pang of sympathy at the thought. Then, remembering the group they belonged to, she promptly snuffed it out.

"Phew… thanks, boss."

Kyle and Zofia rose to their feet, rubbing their wrists and enjoying their freedom. Sarah acknowledged them with a nod.

"That was hardcore," chuckled Kyle. "I hope I grow up to be as cool as you someday."

"Can it. Use the ropes to tie those two up," she ordered. "I've got my hands full over here."

And with that, Sarah pointed her pistol down at Stella, applying a stronger grip with her foot against the woman's back. A pained grunt left her lips.

"What's the cause of the tremors? Why did Team Galactic take over this institution?" she asked. "I'm all out of patience, so I suggest you give me a clear, concise answer."

"Sarah… c-come on, we're…" She hesitated, taking a moment to breathe. "You… you know I wasn't trying to hurt you or your f–"

Sarah's left foot fell upon the back of the woman's hand, and a rather ugly crack echoed through the room. A choked scream caught up in Stella's throat. In sheer desperation, she tried to move to the side but Sarah stomped on her back once more, pinning her.

"AGH! SHIT!" Stella took in a sharp breath, beads of sweat forming all over her face. "Y-you… you bitch!"

"Answer my question if you don't want me to do that again."

"I don't…"

Another slam, another crack, this time to the woman's wrist. An ear-splitting shriek of pain filled the air, and all throughout Sarah looked coldly at her victim, no mercy to be found in her expression.

"H-hey… boss?"

She turned sharply toward Kyle and Zofia, both of whom looked more than a little disturbed at what she was doing. All complaints, however, vanished from them as their gaze met hers.

"Next will be your arm," said Sarah. "I have no problem breaking every bone in your body until…"

"T-tunnel!" Stella screamed out, voice shaking from pain. "They… they d-dug a tunnel from under their HQ that goes s-straight to the inside of Mt. Coronet!"

Sarah frowned, considering the information. "How did they–?"

"Pokemon! A Pokemon… I don't know which, I swear! It w-was… a really strong one, I've never heard of it. It's o-owned by the… that old Kantan scientist I think."

Old Kantan scientist? She mentally went through all of the members they were aware of, and soon realized she must be talking about Charon, one of Team Galactic's commanders. So that was the origin of those tremors. But why had they created that tunnel in the first place? To escape? That couldn't be the only reason.

"What are they planning to do inside of Mt. Coronet?" she asked.

To that, Stella fell silent. She looked hesitant, though the words began to flow as soon as Sarah lifted her foot again.

"Y-you… you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Sarah's brow furrowed. "Try me."

"T-the computer… the one right behind you."

"What about it?"

"It's… a thermal map of the insides of Mt. Coronet. You just n-need to take a look."

At first, she thought it might have been a trap. But Stella looked too defeated, too pained to try anything. Letting out a sigh, Sarah told Kyle to hold her in place while she turned around and walked toward the computer, feeling the pain of at least one if not two broken ribs in every step.

"Let's see, what's all th–"

Her breath caught in her throat. She didn't know what she expected, but it clearly wasn't for the thermal map to be almost entirely a bright white, surrounded at the edges by a pale shade of red. She didn't know much about these things, but she remembered what those colors represented. The colors shifted violently, unnaturally, as though what was inside of the mountain wasn't air, but something viscous, liquid.

"The… hell?" she muttered, eyes wide. "That's… this can't be right."

Stella said nothing, but her silence spoke volumes. Realization dawned on Sarah a few seconds after. The tunnels, the tremors. The reason why Team Galactic absolutely needed to keep the Association away from these thermal readings. It was insane. She wasn't even sure it was possible, and yet…

Sarah jumped to her feet and dialed up a familiar number in her Poketch, her own heart echoing in her ears. She didn't feel the pain anymore. All she could feel was a terrible mix of panic and adrenaline.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Lucian picked up the call on the other side.

"Lucian! I have urgent news!"

"S-Sarah?" A commotion could be heard from the other side. "Listen, I'll have to move your call to one of my other employees. I don't know if you heard the report but–"

"No! Wait, listen…"

"We've discovered the location of Team Galactic's base. I was just about to leave and–"

"LISTEN TO ME!"

That certainly got his attention. His voice froze on the other side, and Sarah didn't waste a second.

"The whole mess with the geographical institute was a trap to lure you in, but that doesn't matter," she said, voice shaking with pain and panic. "Listen! Eterna, Celestic… every single town and settlement in the vicinity of Mt. Coronet… they all need to be evacuated immediately!"