Chapter 14

Hayden knew the day was special the moment Lady Gracidea walked into the dining room at lunch.

She lived in the house, and it wasn't like she avoided seeing Hayden. Even so, she was someone Hayden rarely encountered, devoted to numerous, inscrutable tasks. In three months of living there, Hayden could count such meetings on his fingers. 

Servants followed her, filling the table around her with plates of fine food. Hayden still didn't really care about luxuries like that. Even so, Liz looked up, her nose twitching. There were all kinds of strange flavors there, things neither of them had ever tasted.

When she joined them, the change to Eleanor was immediate. She sat up straight, and Loch changed. She lifted him into her lap as another small Shaymin. Hayden and Liz had mastered many simpler pokémon, but not that one. "Afternoon, Mother," Eleanor said. "It's a pleasure to see you."

"Likewise," the lady said. She turned on Hayden then, acting as though she'd forgotten Eleanor completely. "Child, this is a momentous day, perhaps for both of you. I had no idea it would come so soon—but instructor Maylene has spoken quite highly of your progress."

Hayden did his best to copy Eleanor's posture, but his heart wasn't really in it. Math and history lessons were interesting, but manners and decorum were so boring. But that silly tutor just kept going on and on. "My… Unity lessons?" Hayden guessed. "Does this mean I'm going to be allowed to leave the grounds again? I know I can't fly yet, but Liz can lift us both when she wants to! We're getting better every day!"

The lady waved him off with a single dismissive hand. She selected one plate from the many around her, then picked at it with a fork, eating little. "If tonight goes as I imagine, yes. The Hayden that walks out of our shrine will take their first true steps towards joining the Great Families. You should be safe to travel again, if you bring a watch with you."

Hayden winced at the correction, but said nothing. His confusion was powerful, but so was his fear. Lady Gracidea could take away things he loved, or hurt the people who mattered to him. He didn't want to make her mad.

"You're talking about his Unity," Eleanor muttered. "Which would only matter if…" She gasped. "Mother, is a Guru coming tonight? Which one?"

"Camael," Lady Gracidea answered. "You should know, Hayden, your case was a subject of great interest to the Awakened Masters. There was considerable deliberation before Camael was chosen to make the trip to you."

"Just when it felt like we were starting to figure out what was going on," he thought.

"Maylene has mentioned the Awakened Masters before. She studied with one of them when she was younger. I… don't remember if she said anything else. Lucario was trying to crush me at the time."

Hayden sat up again, straightened his jacket. The whole outfit was still a little ill-fitting. Once it had probably cost more than his family's whole house, but that was long ago. Shaymin House had yet to send him to a tailor. "Forgive me, Lady Gracidea. I don't… I don't know what a Guru is. What's happening? And what will be… expected of us?"

The ruler of Sinnoh smiled at his question. "A meeting like this cannot come more than every few years. It would be wiser to wait, to give you more time to grow at your own pace. Shaymin House cannot afford to wait so long. That is why your training was so intense, and so rapid. There is a role for you to play in this family, Hayden. We cannot abide a passenger any longer."

She stood up, with almost all her food untouched. Did the lady of the house even eat like regular people? "It will be frightening. It will be painful. But when it is over, you will have secured your place in our family. You will be 'child' no longer." She leaned forward, resting one hand on Hayden's shoulder. 

From his own mother, it would've been a gesture of affection. It didn't matter that Lady Gracidea's fingers were as soft as flower-petals, her grip was an inescapable vice. "Do not fail, child. It would be a terrible thing for my family if you cannot rise to this challenge. I assure you, what would be painful for us will be unbearable for those you left behind in Sunyshore."

She let go, patting his head. "But with your success will come theirs, and an end to your compelled practice of Unity. You will still have responsibilities—but no more will most of your time be spent within the shrine. Whether you choose to grow beyond tonight or not will be your own decision to make over a lifetime, not forced on you by exhausting ritual. If you succeed."

She let those words hang in the air for a few seconds, before striding away. She took her servants with her, leaving Eleanor and Hayden alone. 

The silence persisted between them for a few painful seconds. Then Eleanor scooped up a plate her mom had left, and eagerly started eating it. She deflated into her seat, melting back into her larger, purple-haired version with a visible sigh of relief.

Hayden remained in silence, his appetite gone. Liz was feeling a little braver—she flew over to another plate, and started nibbling at the strange meat-dish resting on it. 

"She didn't answer my questions," Hayden muttered. "You noticed that, right? She didn't tell me what I'm supposed to do. She didn't say what the Guru was. Do you know?"

Eleanor lifted Loch up onto the table, where he could have his chance at the strange food they were eating. A disgusting-looking gel filled with bits of fruit and vegetables. 

"The Awakened Masters are the most powerful beings in the world—stronger than anyone, except maybe the Eldest of Mew House. But they're not interested in ruling. They spend their time in meditation atop the highest mountains, and in the deepest forests. Sometimes they step in to resolve disputes between families, but mostly they teach."

Liz floated across the big table, hovering in front of Eleanor. "Why would Lady Gracidea want to bring one here? Why would they care about us?"

Eleanor shrugged. But there was more to it—a bitterness behind her movements. She folded both arms, staring down off the table. "Some of the Masters serve as Gurus—they teach Unity directly. I don't know exactly what it's like—they only do it for legendaries. I can watch, but I'll never be good enough to be their student."

"Oh." Hayden stood, and started pacing nervously back and forth. "Seems like a lot of pressure for me to learn stuff Liz can already do. Why does your mom care so much?"

"She used to tell me things, before I settled. Now she barely tolerates having me around. I could go ask, but she wouldn't tell me."

Some of that pain was aimed at Hayden. "Important enough that she… would threaten my family," he whispered. "What can I do to get ready?"

"I don't know!" she yelled, rising from the table. "I told you! The Guru doesn't care I exist! Loch and I are too common for him. We're worthless, and you're special, get it? Go ahead, replace us! We know that's why you're here."

She scooped up her daemon and fled the dining room, before Hayden could say another word.

He left the table of fine food behind, wandering over to the window. Even the smallest dining room had a spectacular view of the gardens. Much of what he saw out there was in better shape than the house itself. Many doors might be locked and many pieces of ancient furniture covered with sheets, but every bush was trimmed, the grass was always the right length, and red flowers always bloomed somewhere.

Liz landed on his shoulder, silent too. When she did speak, it was only into his mind, a feeble whisper. "Do you think she'll really hurt our family?"

Hayden's hand tightened into a fist. "We won't find out. We'll do this, no matter how hard it is. And when we do, we'll be stronger. One day, we'll be strong enough that no one can hurt them."

It was a bold promise. Liz didn't argue with his confidence, just nuzzled up against his cheek, giving what comfort she could. Whatever nightmare the Guru would bring, at least they could face it together.

He wanted to go out into the woods to walk for a while, maybe even stumble into Cody if he was lucky. She would understand what was going on here, and be able to tell him what to do. 

But the house guard didn't let him leave the perfectly manicured lawns and walkways around the mansion. Maybe he could sneak past—but that would only get him in more trouble. If things didn't work out, the last thing Hayden wanted was for Lady Gracidea to be angry before they even started.

He reviewed everything Maylene had taught him, rehearsing each step of the complex meditation on his own. But no matter how many times he went through the motions, he didn't feel any new insight. Would a few more hours of quiet contemplation really make a difference?

He didn't feel any stronger when the moment came, and he entered the guys locker room just after nightfall. A servant waited for him there, already dressed in ceremonial clothing, and with a folded bundle in his arms. "Please, Your Eminence. This occasion is sacred—you must wash before entering, and wear this instead. No unclean thing may stand before the Awakened Masters."

Hayden obeyed. His anxiety at having a stranger sitting in the room behind the showers certainly didn't help. But it was a small thing compared to his fear over what was coming next.

"There's something in the shrine," Liz said, when he dried. "Something… strange. We've never felt anything like it before."

Hayden felt something too—power, like Lady Gracidea, but well beyond her. As he was to her, so she was to this strange force. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Part of him wanted to run—but maybe that was why a servant waited here.

The man did not stare as Hayden dressed, but he did move between him and the exit, watching the door in meditative silence. It took longer than usual to get the strange clothes on. They were nothing like the outfit Hayden was used to—they hung too long, more like the dress Eleanor wore when in the shrine. Only this was made of strange fabric—incredibly soft and comfortable, instead of a rough sack. 

Even the rope he used was made of braided silk. "Are you sure this is the right one?" Hayden asked, when he'd put it all on as best he could. "Does the Awakened Master want me to wear a pink dress?"

The servant bowed again. "Your Eminence—forgive me. But you are a mew, are you not? What color would you wear?"

He had no answer. Ceremonial clothing could look really weird, he'd seen enough of it go through the family's shop. Given the great age of everything he'd worn so far, maybe he shouldn't be surprised.

Besides, it was more the fear of embarrassment that bothered him, not any problem with the outfit. Being longer would just mean less skin to get bruised and bloody in whatever nightmare waited for him.

"Alright." Hayden nodded to the servant, then made his way out. He dragged the hem of the strange clothes out through the door behind him. At least the ground wasn't wet.

Compared to its usual energy, the shrine was practically empty today. There were no other groups of servants practicing, no squad of soldiers, not even the shrine's monks tending to its intricate gardens. 

Lady Gracidea waited just past the door, where the womens' side exited. She wore a nearly identical version of the dress Hayden did, at least in cut. The colors were greens accented with reds, and the rope around her neck was missing in favor of a flower-pin. Otherwise, it was the same.

The lady herself was radically changed. Her hair was short and wild. She didn't hold her daemon anymore, but he hovered beside her. Hayden hadn't even seen her in Sky Forme before.

The locker-room door was open a crack. Hayden saw a single eye peering out through that opening, one he recognized. Eleanor. "Are you ready?" Lady Gracidea asked, extending her arm towards Hayden. 

He had no choice but to take it. "Does it matter if I am?"

The woman stiffened, her grip on his arm becoming more intense. "More than anything. Your future and mine depend on this moment. There is no time for more training, child. Your miracle came at the perfect moment to save Sinnoh. But your appearance itself is not enough. You must rise. Your ascent will prevent a war, and preserve my house."

She took his arm, leading him across the shrine. At first, Hayden thought the shrine was completely empty. But then he noticed the silhouette, located on the highest platform in the building. He saw little detail, as the man had his back to him, at a high angle. 

Hayden had never ascended any of those platforms before. It was forbidden to climb them in any way that relied on his daemon for strength. As Hayden couldn't fly himself, that meant he was trapped on the ground.

The lady's grip tensed on his arm. "You will speak only the truth to Camael. He is ancient beyond your imagination, and powerful beyond me. If you anger him, I can't protect you. Do you understand?"

He nodded. Liz tucked herself fearfully into the top of his weird robes, hiding from whatever waited above them. 

It would do her little good. Lady Gracidea gripped Hayden's arm hard, yanking him up into the air. She flew straight up towards the platform, her daemon circling around them. Whatever danger waited there, Hayden had no paths left to escape it.

He had to endure it, instead.