"Latias?"
When Latios opened his eyes, he immediately felt an overwhelming heaviness. His chest felt as if a massive boulder was pressing down on it, making even the slightest movement of his wings incredibly difficult.
The sensation didn't lessen with time. If anything, it seemed to be getting worse.
But there was good news—his vision was slowly coming into focus. Bit by bit, the blur faded.
"Elias?"
The moment his sight cleared, Latios froze slightly.
Because he was looking down at Elias from above.
A faint blue glow shimmered around Elias, as if he were concentrating intensely on something. Beads of sweat trickled down his face.
But what truly shocked Latios was that there—beneath his own body—lay another Latios.
Where did Elias find another Latios?
That question rose in his mind, making him wonder what had happened while he was unconscious.
Just as he was about to ask, he suddenly noticed something—there was something eerily familiar about the Latios lying below him.
Scorched wings, a body covered in dirt, and most importantly—the butterfly-shaped bandage Elias had wrapped around him.
That's... that's me?!
The realization hit Latios like a thunderclap.
At the same time, a terrifying thought slowly took root in his mind.
Did... did I die?
He had long prepared himself for the possibility of death, but now that he was actually facing it, an indescribable sorrow filled his heart.
He would never see his sister again. Never see Elias again...
Death... was truly terrifying...
"Stop moving."
Just as Latios was lost in thought, a familiar voice rang out.
It carried a hint of impatience, but it snapped him back to reality.
He turned toward the sound and saw Elias staring at him, looking somewhat displeased.
"The way you are right now, every little movement drains my energy."
"If you don't stay still, I might run out of strength and only manage to create half of your body. The rest? You'll have to figure that out yourself."
Those two short sentences seemed to sap even more of Elias's energy. The glow surrounding him flickered unsteadily.
It was only then that Latios realized—Elias was actually talking to him.
So... I'm not dead?
Elias saved me?
A flood of questions filled his mind, but then he suddenly recalled the strange request Elias had made during their phone call.
"So... you can turn creatures you've killed with your own hands into what I am now?"
Latios was sharp. In an instant, he pieced the clues together.
Elias didn't respond, likely because he had no extra energy to spare for explanations.
But Latios was already convinced of his own conclusion—otherwise, his current state was inexplicable.
Yet, rather than feeling joy at surviving, an unease settled in his heart.
He could see it—while his body was slowly becoming more solid and complete, Elias's energy was fading at an alarming rate.
"Elias, stop!" Latios said firmly, his gaze serious.
They were still trapped in a raging fire. Elias was transferring his own energy to him—this was nothing short of suicide.
But Elias completely ignored his plea, focusing entirely on channeling the mysterious energy into Latios.
Seeing this, Latios grew anxious.
But before he could speak again, Elias shot him a glance.
In an instant, Latios felt an invisible force tighten around him, rendering him completely mute.
"If you want to live, stay put," Elias said indifferently.
Latios could only watch helplessly as his body regained strength, slowly being reconstructed into its former state.
At the same time, exhaustion became more and more evident on Elias's face.
"Miou~"
Sensing something was wrong, Milotic let out a worried cry.
Latios tried to signal to the sea serpent—his usual rival—to do something.
But even when Milotic's gaze flickered toward him, she remained unresponsive.
That made Latios reach a chilling realization—no one else could see him in his current state. Only Elias.
Then... does that mean Elias is doing all this just so others can see me again?
That possibility filled Latios with an even stronger urge to resist.
But it was futile. Right now, he had no means of opposing Elias.
Time ticked by, and the fire barrier Elias had initially set up was starting to collapse. Flames surged forward, inching closer to them.
"Miou~"
Milotic obediently fired off [Water Pulses], trying to hold back the flames while keeping the thick smoke at bay.
To Latios, it felt like an eternity had passed. His body no longer felt heavy.
Pop—
With a soft sound, Elias had successfully transformed Latios into a full soul state.
A wave of exhaustion crashed down on him, making his vision blur.
"Elias!"
Latios instinctively reached out to catch him.
But the moment his claws touched Elias, they passed right through.
"This..."
He froze.
"You don't have a real body yet, so you can't touch anything," Elias explained after taking a deep breath.
"It's... it's fine."
"This... this is already more than enough," Latios said sincerely.
Being able to continue existing in this world, even in this form... Staying by Elias and Latias's side, watching them grow...
That was already enough for him.
"Elias, let Milotic take you out of here."
Knowing this wasn't the time for further discussion, Latios urged him gravely.
The dense forest was ablaze—waiting for the fire to die out was impossible.
Elias had to escape before the flames spread further.
But to Latios's shock, Elias shook his head.
"I'm not leaving."
"What... what are you saying?"
Latios's voice wavered.
He didn't want to believe what he was hearing.
"Don't be reckless, Latias is still—"
"Latias is already on her way here."
That single sentence silenced Latios.
He opened his mouth, struggling for words.
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, his gaze darted to his own unmoving body on the ground.
"Then that means..."
"Yes. Someone is trying to sow discord."
Elias let out a cold laugh, confirming his suspicions.
If he hadn't stretched his psychic senses to their limit before reconstructing Latios's body, he wouldn't have noticed Latias approaching.
He didn't even want to imagine what would've happened if she had arrived and seen Latios lying lifeless beside him.
"They want to manipulate things?"
"Fine. I'll play along."
Muttering softly, Elias made his decision.
Leaving the normal way was impossible. He had noticed Ariados's silk threads strung all over the island's interior and perimeter.
It was obvious who had set the trap.
And there was no guarantee that the enemy wasn't monitoring them right now.
If they tried to leave, they would be intercepted.
Since that was the case, Elias had no intention of leaving at all.
"What are you planning?"
Latios had been watching him closely. The moment he saw Elias's expression darken, a terrible feeling gripped his heart.
"Latios, take care of Tias for me."
As if confirming his worst fears, Elias's voice was calm as he spoke.
Latios's eyes widened in horror. His breath caught in his throat.
"We can escape together—there has to be a way!"
"Don't do anything foolish!"
He tried to restrain Elias, but before he could act, Elias's gaze alone drained the strength from his body.
"Don't forget—your power belongs to me now."
Elias smiled, his usual warmth returning.
"If you can, tell Mom I went on a journey."
With that, he straightened up.
Perhaps sensing the shift in his intent, Milotic reacted at last.
"Miou!"
She lunged, trying to coil around Elias as she always did.
But—
For the first time, Elias dodged.
"You need to try something new, Milotic," he sighed.
Then, before she could react again, their eyes met.
[Hypnosis].
"Miou..."
Milotic shuddered but had no resistance. Within seconds, she slumped into unconsciousness.
"Sorry," Elias whispered, stroking her scales.
Then, he looked up.
"J... It's time to pay the price."
---
T/N: OMGGGGG PHEWWWW god i was so scared of translating the next chapter OMGGGG THANK GOOOD ELIAS WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SHOULDVE NEVER DOUBTED YOU
...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl]
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf