In the prison beneath the castle, within the heart of Aindok, the air was heavy with dampness and silence.
An armored guard descended the stone steps, his boots echoing against the walls. He approached a rusted iron door, withdrew a metal key, and turned it with a sharp click.
"Hey, you two, come out!" he barked.
In the dim corner of the cell, two young girls, perhaps seventeen or eighteen, huddled together beneath their black hoods.
At the sound of his voice, they stirred.
"Sister…" whispered the younger one, clutching the other's hand tightly.
The older girl squeezed back, her tone calm despite the fear in her eyes.
"Excuse me, sir… what's happening?" she asked quietly.
The guard hesitated, glancing at them.
In the flickering torchlight, their faces became visible, identical in every way. Their height, features, and even their voices were the same, like reflections of each other.
It was this unnatural resemblance that had branded them as cursed twins.
Rumor claimed that any child born from a union with them would share their faces, an omen of calamity. Those who drew near them invited misfortune upon themselves.
The guard quickly looked away, unwilling to meet their eyes.
"By decree of His Majesty," he said gruffly, "you two are to be sent to the fiefdom of His Highness Lucien."
Lucien?
The sisters exchanged a startled glance.
Then, without protest, they rose to their feet and followed the guard out of the cell.
Through a narrow, hidden corridor they walked, until finally, light spilled in through the end of the passage.
Before them stretched a dense forest outside the royal city, mist curling between the trees.
There, hundreds of people had already gathered.
Rows of carriages and supply wagons stood ready, drawn by beasts of burden under tight restraint. Thick tarps covered the cargo, whatever they carried was hidden from view.
"Sister…" the younger twin murmured, voice trembling.
"Don't be afraid, Lena," said the older sister softly. She pulled the hood further over her sibling's head, shadowing her delicate features. "Keep your head down. Don't draw attention."
Her name was Celina Joy, and her younger sister was Lena Joy
The caravan numbered nearly eight hundred souls, and when the restrained monsters were counted, almost a thousand beings in total.
In such a vast convoy, the two sisters' presence was nothing but a drop in the tide.
"Move out!" came the shout, and with the creak of wheels and the heavy thud of hooves, the line began to move.
"His Highness… Lucien…" Lena whispered the name quietly to herself.
Though fear lingered in her heart, she kept her expression calm for her sister's sake.
They had been born in a remote border village. Their mother had loved a young villager, but tragedy struck, she died giving birth to them.
At first, the villagers pitied the twins. But as they grew and their identical faces mirrored their mother's perfectly, fear replaced pity.
They were called omen-born.
Witches. Children of the curse.
And so, the villagers drove them away.
They wandered for weeks before reaching the royal city, hungry, penniless, and desperate.
One night, to feed her starving sister, Celina stole a few loaves of bread from a baker's stall. They were caught before they could even eat.
And imprisoned.
Now, without understanding why, they were being taken away once again, toward the unknown.
The caravan advanced through the shadowed forest, its wagons rumbling across the damp earth.
So many people gathered here, their fates now bound together, walking toward a future shrouded in fog.
High above, on the balcony of the castle, the Old King stood silently, watching the long, dark line moving beneath the trees.
His face was solemn, his eyes weary.
This was the last thing he could do for his youngest son.
Perhaps… it was also the last time he and Victini would ever stand together beneath the same sky.
"Alas…"
The old king let out a weary sigh. He watched until the caravan dwindled into a mere shadow at the horizon, vanishing beneath the forest canopy.
Only when the last glimmer of sunlight faded did he turn away.His aged back, once proud and straight, now bent beneath the weight of years and regret, slowly disappeared into the dim corridors of the castle.
It was another bright spring morning, with a gentle breeze blowing across the plains.
Lucien sat within the Lord's Hall, listening to Elif report on the latest progress within the territory.
"Your Highness Lucien, the mill you requested has been completed. Once the wheat ripens, everyone will be able to grind flour themselves!"
Elif's tone was full of anticipation. For a man who had lived his whole life in the royal city, watching crops grow and turn into food with his own hands was an entirely new experience.
Lucien smiled faintly. "Good work. I'm glad to hear it."
It was already April. Thanks to the careful tending of Grass-type Pokémon such as Snivy and Snover, the wheat, normally not ripe until May, had already turned a pale gold, heavy with grain.
In just a few days, it would be ready for harvest.
The new mill used a waterwheel to harness the river's flow, its turning gears driving the millstones to grind wheat into fine flour.
"How's Elena doing?" Lucien asked.
"Lady Elena has completed the preliminary layout for the new town," Elif replied, handing over a thick roll of parchment. "She asked me to deliver these blueprints to you. Construction can begin whenever you approve."
Lucien unrolled the plans and studied them. The map depicted wide, curved streets, a central square, and designated zones for markets, housing, workshops, and even a section marked Pokémon Dwellings.
He nodded. "Good. Let's build according to this layout."
The primary materials, stone, timber, brick, and mortar, were already being produced in large quantities. The supplies would be enough to build a modest but proper town, one that could shelter both people and Pokémon alike.
"Yes, Your Highness." Elif bowed and hurried off to begin the preparations.
Lucien leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly.
Out of habit, he opened his Territory Panel, scanning the latest numbers. To his surprise, the Satisfaction Level had climbed past 500.
A subtle pulse of light flashed across the panel.
[Advanced Herbalism Unlocked]
A flood of new knowledge surged into Lucien's mind, formulas, ingredient lists, brewing methods.
[Good Potion], [Great Potion], [Silver Spray], [Gold Spray]…
Compared to the earlier basic remedies, these new ones were far more potent.
Good and Great Potions offered stronger healing properties.Silver and Gold Sprays released a special fragrance that repelled wild Pokémon more effectively.
Lucien's eyes brightened when he noticed one particular recipe.
Ingredient required: Lilyroot Leaf.
He smiled. "Lila's Lilyroots will be useful again."
He quickly wrote down the formulas with his quill, intending to give them to Lila later that day.
Once that was done, Lucien turned his thoughts to the other affairs of the territory.
The Dugtrio had grown surprisingly fond of their new life, happily tilling soil alongside the farmers. They seemed content, digging rich furrows in exchange for food and companionship.
Simsear was continuing her brick-making, though the process was still primitive. Once the miners unearthed coal veins, Lucien planned to construct a proper kiln, one that could mass-produce bricks and tiles for the expanding settlement.
Unfortunately, the underground still teemed with dangerous Pokémon.
Even with Anna and Zorua guarding them, the miners only dared to work near the surface. The deeper tunnels remained untouched, territory of unknown monsters.
Lucien sighed softly.
"So many Pokémon in the territory… yet so few that can actually fight."
He leaned forward, tapping his quill thoughtfully against the map.
"I wonder how things are going at Shuckle's."
...
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