Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Broken Ideals

Chapter 23: The Grasp of Erebus

Chapter 23

The Grasp of Erebus

It was near midnight, and Terron was still awake. His body was still trembling. He wasn't feeling the least bit tired. While his other teammates slept peacefully, he continued to lay there in bed, eyes frozen open in terror. Every time he tried to shut his eyes, he would see nightmarish images of Erebus Woods. He'd see the corpses of fallen explorers attached to the trees, slowly getting their lives sucked out of them and leaving their bodies as brittle shells.

Terron couldn't go to that dungeon. Even if it was part of his mission, Terron refused the idea of exploring that twisted forest. He wasn't going to let himself get killed.

Why did we have to come here? Terron wondered. This place reeks of bad vibes. Why aren't the others so bothered? I understand Zekra… but not Impetus, Syn, and Vantis. They clearly must feel the atmosphere here. They have to know that something about this place is very wrong…

Terron pulled the blankets off his head and got out of his bed. He slowly wandered over to the other side of the room where Impetus slept. For once, she was sleeping in a bed rather than against the wall. Terron quietly went up to her and gently shook her awake.

Impetus's eyes snapped open as she looked toward Terron. There was not a single sign of tiredness in her eyes, as though she had never been asleep.

"You're awake," she said simply.

"Yeah, I am," Terron said in a hushed tone. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Is it about here?" Impetus asked.

Terron nodded. The Mienfoo slid out of her bed and the two wandered off toward the door so they could speak as far away from the others as possible. Once they were a few feet away from the door, they stopped and turned to one another.

"You know you shouldn't be talking to only me," Impetus stated in a disappointed tone. "The others would want to hear your concerns."

"I already told you that I can't talk to them," Terron said gloomily. "At least, not now. Besides, they already know I'm scared of this place."

"Then why can't you explain that further to them?" Impetus challenged. "It's so simple… but you won't do it. They know you fear here, but they don't understand why. Explain to them. Explain why here scares you."

"Just listen to what I have to say, okay?" Terron hastily said. "We can talk about my problems later. I-I just need to get something out of my head and I need someone to listen to me. So just let me talk for a moment."

"Fine," Impetus replied. "Talk to me. I'll listen and wait."

Terron gave a wry smile as he let out a deep breath. He sat down on the floor. He expected Impetus to do the same, but she remained standing.

"Well, I guess there's two things I want to talk about," Terron began to say. "First off, as I've said countless times, this place terrifies me. Something about here just isn't right. The ominous atmosphere is about as noticeable as a thick fog. You can feel it when you see the entrance… when you wander around the inside… when you look at Yimtri and his members… even as you try to fall asleep. It bothers me, to put it lightly. But, no one else seems to be affected. No one's having the same reaction as I am. I mean, you can feel it, can't you?"

"Yes, I feel it," Impetus said. "It's a powerful, overwhelming energy. It follows you."

"Then how come you aren't bothered by it?" Terron then asked.

"I am bothered by the energy," Impetus replied. "It follows me and wishes to suffocate me. It makes strange images appear in my mind. But, I know we won't stay here long. When we leave, it will no longer stalk me. Knowing that gives me the strength to pretend it doesn't exist. If we were to stay here for a few days, then I'd say something. But one day is a time I can tolerate."