FSE

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Ashes, nothing but ashes. The darkness will shatter their resolve.

Blood will spill, do you take pleasure in their suffering? Does it pain you to see that Fury didn't choose your most beloved children? I will tell you why he didn't. Because they lacked the capability to be angry, because they have only wronged themselves. Hatred is their brood, self-loathing insects. The souls are all the same. I chose this creature because it was readily available. Now, I control one of your beloved creations. He was eager to aid me in my Reclamation. Fight me if you must, but know that you will fail.

I am aware that nothing I say will change your mind.

Detour

Moss felt a paw tap on his shoulder. He awoke with a start and looked around groggily. The bus was loaded with many human passengers and the scenery outside his window dashed by him quickly. The only two Pokemon on the bus sat next to him. Isis lay her paw on his shoulder and gave him a worried look.

"She still hasn't woken up." She whispered.

Moss rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned. "Is the next town coming up?"

Isis nodded. "I have tried to wake her and no response, she looks worse."

He sighed deeply. "Alright, we'll just have to get her to a Pokemon center then."

Teya sat on the other side of Isis, leaning against her. Teya's eyes were closed and she held her tail close, her life-flame was weaker than normal and she was sweating slightly. She had been asleep nearly the whole ride after they left and she seemed to be developing a fever of some sort.

"I'll tell the driver we need to get off." He added before rising from the seat and stretching. He walked to the front of the bus slowly and stopped next to the driver's seat.

"Sir?" The man asked without looking at him.

"What's the town up ahead?" Moss asked.

The driver thought for a moment. "I think it's Dinsont. It's moderate population, the road is cleared so we should be through it in a jif."

"I need you to let me off here, along with my two guests." Moss ordered.

"But sir," The driver objected. "Aren't your services required in Sedra?"

Moss shook his head. "It's a medical emergency, I need to take the Char to a Center."

The driver frowned worriedly. "I understand... but there is a problem."

Moss gave him a questioning look.

"You and that Lucario are the heads of the Governance Project. Won't at least one of you need to get to Sedra ASAP?"

Moss cursed to himself silently, that was indeed the case. "Yes." He answered honestly. "I guess one of us will. Just make sure to stop next to a Center once we get there, it shouldn't take to long." He patted the driver on the shoulder as he turned and made his way back to his seat. The driver picked up the radio and called for the Center to be ready for a guest.

Moss retook his seat next to Isis.

"We're going to make a quick stop in Dinsont." He explained. "I'll make sure she gets to a Center. I want you to keep on going to Sedra."

She looked surprised. "Can't I go with you?"

"One of us needs to get to Sedra." He replied simply. "I would like it if you could, but you know that we can't do that. It would be better if I stayed with Teya. Just in case Qagan should show up."

Isis was sorely disappointed at the news, but she knew he was right. "Okay..."

He put his arm over her shoulder and lay a kiss on her cheek. "You'll be fine without me." He said as he pulled her closer. "It's not like you haven't done it before. Besides, I'll be right behind you."

She gave him a half smile. But it's different this time... She thought to herself as she gripped his hand.

They sat quietly until the bus began to slow down. The Pokemon Center was in view and the driver was talking over his radio. Moss could feel the grip on his hand grow just slightly tighter. The people on the bus seemed peeved that their trip was being delayed, but no one was paying him or the Pokemon any mind. He took the chance to kiss Isis deeply. She was surprised at first, but she quickly melted into it and returned the gesture. There they sat, on a bus full of humans, enjoying the act of passion forbidden by the same people that were sitting around them. Once they broke the kiss they looked around themselves. No one seemed to have seen them.

"I want you to take care of yourself, Isis." He said as the bus rolled to a stop. "Don't take any crap from these people." He stood from his seat and went over to Teya.

"You too. You better make it to Sedra soon." She demanded.

He lifted Teya in his arms and shifted her slightly to keep her tail away from his clothes. "I'll do my best." He assured. "I'll be with you again soon."

She watched him as he walked to the front of the bus. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes as he stepped off and the bus began to pull away. She stifled her sobbing and occupied her mind with other things. There would be a lot of work to do when she got to Sedra.

As the bus pulled away behind him a nurse pushed a gurney along with a Chansey. They stopped in front of him and he lay Teya down gently on its cool metal surface.

"We'll take care of her, sir." The redheaded nurse said. "We need time to examine her."

"I understand. I'll be out here once you have an answer." Moss said. "Let me know if you need anything."

She nodded and pushed the bed into the Pokemon center along with her assistant.

He watched after them until the door closed behind them. He could go and sit in the waiting room, but right now he felt like he really needed fresh air. There was a bench not to far from the entrance. He decided to sit there for now.

The town wasn't all that different from Unity. Aside from the clear absence of governmental control. The streets seemed relatively quiet and anyone that walked about was minding their own business. It was late morning and a thin mist covered the area that reminded him of home in the far west. He relaxed in the cool breeze as it blew by him slowly.

The doors to the Pokemon Center slid open. A man in his late twenties stepped out of the doors and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his vest pocket. His hair was jet black and cut in a professional manner. He was clean shaven and wore a Pokemon League champion's hat. He eyed Moss for a moment as he lit his cigarette and pocketed his lighter.

"How's it goin'?" The man asked as he walked to the side of the doors and leaned against the wall.

Moss cocked his eyebrow and chuckled. "I'm sitting outside of a Pokemon center and I assume I look like crap from a several hour bus ride. But I feel pretty good about today. How's it going with you?"

The man smiled as he exhaled a puff of smoke. "Better than that." He laughed. "Was that your Charmeleon?" He asked.

"Yeah, she's with me." Moss replied.

"I had a Charmeleon once, but the little girl evolved... She was a bit of a bitch after that." The man stated with a nostalgic chuckle. "How long have you had that one?"

"She's not mine. She's from the Reserve." Moss scooted to the side and gestured for the man to come sit. The man complied and strolled over to the bench with a thoughtful expression.

"Then... Are you from Unity?" He queried as he sat down.

"Yes, I work for the Jinto Parlal" Moss explained. He held out his right hand in greeting. "I'm sub-Commant Moss."

"I've heard of the work you guys do out there, you're doing tremendous work!" The man accepted his greeting and shook his hand excitedly. "The name's Ian Malrose."

Moss held back a bit of laughter. "Strange name there, Mr. Malrose." Moss said with a smile.

Ian took a puff from his cigarette and smiled. "And Moss isn't?"

"I'll concede to that." He said with a chuckle.

Ian relaxed on the bench and stretched his legs. "Anyway, weird names aside. You work in Unity?"

"I did. We were evacuated due to hostilities from the Assembled." Moss explained. "It's been grueling to have to leave in such a hurry like this. I'm guessing news has reached here by now."

Ian nodded and flicked his cigarette dismissively. "Yeah, we've had a couple evacuees come through here already. From what I've heard is that Unity was the only one not to get hit by an airstrike in the late hours."

"Then what you've heard is true." Moss stated. "Apparently the military was crossing their fingers and praying that we wouldn't be hit instead of preparing for the possibility."

"A poor mistake on their part." Ian agreed as he blew smoke. "But the Parlal is incapable of handling an attack from the Assembly, no offense meant."

Moss shrugged. "None taken. However, I must disagree with that statement."

"Are you kidding? The Parlal controls only half of this Island. The Assembly, they control three nations, two islands and a sizable chunk of the mainlands. They're out of Jinto's league."

A smirk spread on Moss' lips. "As true as that may be. Jinto has one thing that the Assembly will never have, Mr. Malrose. That is imagination. When the time comes, we will reveal our capacity for it."

Ian shook his head with disbelief. "I don't think that's enough."

"We'll see." Moss said simply as he looked back at the Pokemon center. "So what is it you're doing here anyway?"

"Oh... I help out with some of the work around here. Joy has me do some heavy lifting for her and stuff like that. She said she was happy to have me around on a full time basis. Been living here ever since, I fell in love with this town and it's people."

"It is quite beautiful here." Moss noted. "Reminds me of home, a small town just off the coast called Stanwood."

Ian nodded curiously. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. The only difference is that the evergreens here look kind of sick. The ones back home were bigger than Onix."

Ian laughed at that. "Damn, guessing you guys didn't struggle with lumber."

"Not at all, there was no shortage of water either." Moss mused.

"So why did you leave there?" Ian asked. "I mean, if you loved it so much."

"Ah... My parents were never happy anywhere. They moved all over the place until they moved to Thunson, just to the south of Unity. We stayed there until I went to training for the Parlal. They're out in Chayville now." Moss explained. "I have thought about going back, but my uncle wanted me to help him in Unity. It's okay there I suppose, my studies in Pokemon have been a major help to him."

"I see. Maybe you'll end up back there someday." Ian said with a shrug. "Who knows?"

"Well it's always good to dream." Moss stated with a smile. "Anyway, I'm going to go for a walk. Care to join?" He stood from the bench and stretched awkwardly.

"Nah, Joy will be pissed if I go over on my break again." Ian replied with a sigh. "She can be a bit of a hard ass." He added with a chuckle.

"Alright. I'm sure I'll see you around then. Nice to make your acquaintance Ian." Moss said as he began to walk down the sidewalk.

"You as well, see you around."

Scrambled

The sidewalks were relatively quiet except for the cars that passed close to them. Traffic was picking up due to the midday rush. Moss walked silently, nary paying them a thought. He knew very little of this town but he knew that there would be a center of the Parlal somewhere. Jinto military love to keep their presence noticeable in civilian populations. It helped with the recruitment numbers too, but that was more of a perk than anything. Parlal centers were mainly bureaucratic and maintained order on the state level. They were also capable of calling in military intervention on some matters. The Police also reported directly to the Parlal, but they usually had say over their own business. The Parlal rarely intervened on Police workings.

The light mist was fading rapidly as the midday heat worked the cool morning air away. His mind was preoccupied with the work that he would have to get done once he moved on to Sedra. Organizing the Pokemon was hard enough as it was with all the unspoken yet quite obvious mistrust. Now with a war on, it was just one more thing to put on the list of shit that will never end. The Parlal Center came within view down the street. Much to his surprise there was a crowd standing outside of the doors. It didn't look like they were angry, just flustered. Moss sighed deeply as he approached the crowd.

"What's going on over here?" Moss asked the first woman he approached on the sidewalk.

She turned to him with a curious look. "Haven't you heard? Ever since the first update of an attack we haven't heard from the front lines. The Parly's won't even release the slightest tidbit of our counterattack."

"So what's weird about that?" Moss asked. "The reinforcements were only supposed to be there today at the earliest."

"That's the thing. There were a few reinforcements going through, only a fraction of what they said. They were double timing it through the town and nearly ran a few of us over."

He was taken aback. "What?!"

"And that isn't even the worst of it." The woman continued. "Some say the reinforcements have been scrambled into surrounding cities. Even the Reserves have been called out."

Moss' head swam with the implications of what he was hearing. He pushed pass the woman and through the crowd. Many of them seemed confused as to why they were here, others were angry that they weren't getting information and still others seemed glad to finally be called to action. He worked his way through the doors and approached the desk with much effort. The soldiers working the desk looked flustered and were desperately trying to get everyone informed and prepared.

"Excuse me!" He called to one of them. He excused himself from one of the people he was talking to and quickly approached.

"Look, all we know is that we're losing ground quick. The best we can do is get the reserves back into active duty and prepare the town for combat. If you're a Reserve you are required to report in and we will provide a quick refreshment course." He explained.

"I'm sub-Commant Moss." He said simply.

The man gave him a curious look. "Can I see your Identification please, sir."

Moss reached into his back pocket and provided his papers. The man took them and looked over them carefully.

"Oh, Civilian relations." The man noted. "That would explain the attire." He gestured to his clothes. "I'm Staff Sergeant James Hill." He said with a nod as he moved over to his computer.

"What exactly is going on here?" Moss asked.

"We're preparing for war." James replied. "Honestly, you should know more than me by this point. The Captain is the only one here who gets any details." He said as he tapped away on his keyboard. "It says here you were on your way to Sedra. Attending to a civilian project."

"There was an emergency. I'll have to remain here for the time being." Moss said simply.

"Well, we're hardly in a position to turn down anyone with military training." The Sergeant said with a sigh. "Although the Captain would like to speak with you."

"Why's that?" Moss asked.

"In his words: Anyone with the ranking over Lieutenant, send them directly to me. It seems he's trying to get everyone in the loop." James replied. "He'll be in the conference room with several other officers. Come on back." He gestured to a pair of guards standing at the doors to the inner-facility.

The doors clacked loudly and they opened the door for him. Moss walked through without objection.

He knew that he would once again be considered part of the active military. Commant status was reserved for those who directed civilian projects. He was deemed a sub-Commant on the basis that he didn't direct any specific project in Unity, but rather because he simply advised them. All Commants had military training and would be stationed on active duty if needed. They were considered one full military rank under the Commanders, one of the highest ranks in the Parlal.

The halls in this building were bustling with activity. The Parlal seemed to have it's hands full with the current state of affairs. The conference room door was closed and only had one guard standing outside of it.

"Hail." Moss said simply.

The guard saluted. "Rank sir?" He asked.

Moss showed his identification to him and he opened the door for him. There was a large table inside with several men sitting around it and a Commander sitting at the head of the table, his name stitched one his uniform, CDR. Norason . They all stopped and looked to him with surprise.

"I am sub-Commant Moss." He announced. "Station, Sedra. Formerly Unity."

The Commander seemed interested. All the others gasped in surprise.

"What brings you here, Commant?" The Commander asked.

"An emergency situation, sir. It is tied to Malevolence." Moss explained. "I was on my Fallback to Sedra to assist in the Governance Project."

The Commander nodded. "Sit, I will fill you in."

Moss sat in the nearest empty chair. The others at the table maintained a respectable demeanor toward him.

"Well Commant, it is safe to assume that you have received no news regarding the war." The Commander guessed. "Unity has been overrun, along with the entire border."

Moss feared as much, but it was still hard for him to digest. He managed to maintain his composure. "The Assembly took them over so quickly? Were there any survivors?"

The Commander shook his head. "No. It wasn't the Assembly. It was another hostile force."

"What do you mean, Commander?" Moss asked. "Was it one of the other nations, or a private entity?"

"We don't know for sure. We were all discussing possible defensive positions within the city." He explained.

"They're moving farther in every day." One of the officers stated grimly.

"Iliuna is the only town between us and the front line." Another said.

Moss cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "They couldn't have gotten that far already."

"To the contrary, they've had little to no resistance until they hit our reinforcement line. Which is deadlocked in the limits of Iliuna as with the current front line." The Commander said. "We've called out the reserves to defend the city."

Moss stared down at the table to gather his thoughts. How could this all be happening so fast? The Assembly's progression would have been much slower. What entity could possibly move faster then them?

"Perhaps we should speak in private... Commant?" The Commander snapped him from his thoughts and he nodded absently. "The rest of you need to set up defensive plans, I want reports within the hour. We'll meet back here at 1600 hours." Norason stood from his chair and walked to the door. Moss followed him out to the hall.

"We'll talk in the office. It should suffice for now." The Commander said offhandedly.

"Something must be up, Commander. Whatever the force is..." Moss stopped talking as the Commander held up his hand, signaling for him to remain silent. They approached his office and the Commander opened the door for him. He walked into the small room, somewhat surprised at how little there was within the room. Just a couple chairs and a desk with a computer and a television on the right hand wall.

"Sit." The Commander ordered. Moss obeyed without hesitation. Norason made his way around the desk and sat with his hands folded in front of him. "Malevolence, eh?"

"Yes sir." Moss replied. "It was recently discovered that he had a daughter. She is in the Center as we speak."

"Is she the reason you stopped here?" Norason asked.

"Yes sir. She fell ill on the bus a couple hours ago, I had to get her off." Moss explained. "My partner Isis is on her way to Sedra, she will handle any civilian projects until I can arrive."

The Commander nodded quietly. "Sounds like you made a lot of paperwork for a bureaucrat." He said with a chuckle. "We need all the people we can get, certainly. I'm going to make a request that you stay here."

Moss gave him a quizzical look. "Is this a personal request sir, or an official one?"

"Both." He replied simply. "The way things are going now, we're going to need to set up defenses around town. We need more officers, Commant. I'm asking you to help us."

It appeared that he didn't really have a choice. These people needed him to prepare for war, not set up a government. "I'll file a formal request to have my status moved to military and suggest I be stationed here to assist."

The Commander sighed in relief. "Thank you." He said. "It would mean a great deal to all of us here."

"I'll have it to you by the end of the day sir." Moss promised. "I'll be at the Center until then."

The Commander nodded and waved him off. "Try to make it quick, Commant. We've got plans in place for now but I would be curious to hear anything you have."

Moss stood and walked to the door in silence. The halls were still busy and the crowds still gathered at the entrance. They seemed to ignore him as he walked by them. The sun was now shining brightly in the sky and the light warmed his face. He began to walk back to the Center.

A woman broke off from the crowds and began to follow him. He didn't stop to look at her but all he knew was that her hair was blond and was tied neatly in a bun. She jogged up beside him and looked to him.

"Your going to abandon her?" The familiar voice said. "You said you would protect her."

Moss sighed deeply. "For a hallucination... You sure do nag a lot."

"You still think you're imagining me?" She asked. "Even after I told you what was going to happen has happened."

"What exactly do you expect me to think?" Moss queried. "That you're an angel, sent from god to lead me to salvation? Even if I'm stricken with a disease that one such as you could cure if you were such a thing."

She jumped in front of him and forced him to stop. She was stunningly beautiful in her own right. Her eyes were a bright blue that froze his soul in an icy grip. Her face was smooth and very feminine, as if she were a marble statue carved by ancient civilizations.

"I have no need to cure you, for you do not suffer illness." She stated.

"The night you first spoke to me, was right after coughed up blood." He rebutted.

She shook her head. "No, that was simply what you feared. You fear death, child."

Moss stared into her eyes intently. "We all do."

"But you more than others." She said. "Your thoughts walk the valley of death."

Moss brushed past her and continued toward the Center. "For a creation of my mind, you know little of it."

She continued to walk behind him. "You tell me I'm wrong?"

"It is not death I fear. I fear leaving my friends and family behind to deal with the troubles of this world alone." He explained.

"Death comes to us all equally and indiscriminately." She stated.

"That doesn't mean we can't fight it." Moss rebutted. "I will do all I can to avoid being killed before my time comes."

The woman remained quiet.

Moss looked back at her as he continued walking. "It's all I can do."

"Yet you're convinced that you have a disease, you won't even see a doctor."

"Cancer cannot be cured. I will not subject myself to the cures." He insisted. "The best they could do is extend my suffering."

She sighed deeply. "You are a fool. You think yourself so smart, but your logic is flawed."

"I dare you to find someone's that isn't." He challenged. "Even you said I suffer from no illness, so why would I see a doctor?"

He received no response. He turned to look but she was gone. A smirk spread across his lips as he turned back around and continued his walk.

The streets were still quite busy around this part of town. He wondered if these people knew how close the front lines could be within the month. Everything just seemed so oddly calm compared to the streets of Unity. Perhaps it was the lack of Pokemon wandering about, Unity was the only city that allowed Pokemon go about unattended.

As he walked closer to the Center, he noticed an odd figure standing outside on the back of the bench. He approached cautiously. It was a Pokemon, a Xatu. Moss had never seen one before. It was supposed to be a harder one to find, especially in a city like this. He stopped next to the bench and eyed it curiously.

The Xatu just stood and stared into the building, making no obvious sign that it knew he was there.

"Do you need any help?" Moss asked.

The Xatu remained still. No. A feminine voice replied in his mind.

Moss was surprised for a second but remembered that Xatu were psychic. "Are you sure? I could get you some food or something."

I am well human, the other has already fed me. I am thankful for your offer, nonetheless. She replied.

He shrugged and made his way to the door. He looked back at her as he pushed through the door. Something about her seemed off.

The door closed behind him and made his way to the desk. Ian stood behind it with a bored look on his face.

"Joy's still looking over your Char. It'll be a bit longer I think." Ian said.

"That's alright. I have something I've gotta do first anyway." Moss replied. "Do you got some paper and a pen?"

Ian nodded and looked through a couple drawers. "So you gonna need a place to stay? We've got some rooms available if you need one."

"Yeah. I'll be here for awhile I think." Moss said as a sheet of paper and a pen were set in front of him. He grabbed them and started writing right away.

"Sounds good. The rooms here aren't so bad, you'll feel right at home." Ian said with a sarcastic smile.

Moss nodded absently as he wrote. "Is that Xatu usually there?" He asked with a vague gesture toward her direction.

Ian looked through the glass door and smiled. "Yeah. She hangs around every now and then. I would catch her, but there's no sport of it in the city. So I feed her and she keeps me company on my breaks. Her name's Hiraani, but we just call her Hira."

"Odd." Moss replied. "Don't Xatu usually watch the sun during the day?" He asked as he continued writing.

"Yeah, I actually asked her about that. She didn't wanna talk to me about it I guess." Ian said with a helpless shrug. "What are ya gonna do?"

Moss continued writing his letter silently.

"So what's that?" Ian asked as he tapped the corner of the paper.

"It's a formal request to have my station switched to Dinsont and that I be placed on active duty immediately." Moss answered.

Ian looked surprised. "Is it really that bad?"

Moss kept an uneasy silence as the redheaded nurse came through the door to the back, holding a clipboard tucked to her chest. "Oh. Glad to see your back, Mr. Moss!" She said with a masking grin. "We just finished your Charmeleon's evaluation."

"Any good news?" He asked as he set the pen down and gave her his full attention.

"Well, yes actually. She's pregnant." Joy stated.

Moss' jaw went slack for a moment. "What?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"She is pregnant." She said again. "Looks like she'll lay the egg within the week, perhaps the next. The coma however has me worried. She is totally unresponsive and it may complicate the birthing process."

"She... She can't be pregnant." Moss said.

"Well, she is. We would like to keep her here on support until she awakes. It's important to remember how resilient Pokemon are in such situations. She will wake again, I promise it."

Moss nodded absently, his mind was clearly stuck on her pregnancy.

"Mr. Moss?" She called to him and snapped her fingers.

He shook his head and looked her in the eyes again. "Uhm... Yes?"

"We'll take good care of her."

Moss nodded again. "Yes. I'm sure..." He said. Joy shook his limp hand and walked back through the door.

Ian smiled at him. "You look like you were hit by a ton of bricks." He said with a chuckle. "You gonna be alright?"

"I'll be fine." Moss replied as he picked up the paper. "Thanks for the pen. I'll be back later."

Ian nodded as he put the pen back in the drawer. "Alright. I'll be here."

Moss walked back out the door and to the bench where the Xatu stood. The sun still burned brightly in the sky. "Why aren't you watching the sun?" He asked.

Her head turned and her eyes met his. He could feel them pierce his soul. "Because the sun is dead." She replied simply.

Rising Tide

Keldan walked slowly through the trees surrounding the town of Iliuna. Sounds of dying battle rang in his ears. The screams of the unfortunate being consumed by the Soulless, the fierce screams of the Soulless themselves and the occasional pop of distant gunfire. Blood soaked the ground beneath his feet. They had pushed the front line to the limits of the town now and were finishing the stragglers. The creatures roamed around him but paid him no heed, for he had become one of them. A Reclaimer was what Hatred had called him, for he helped the Soulless with strategies and tactics to quicken consumption.

He stood within the treeline at it's edge. He could see the town easily now, but anyone looking for him would not see. He was draped in tattered black robes and covered his head with a hood. The forest was sheeted in darkness, the town was blanketed in sunlight. He could see military personnel had already set up heavy defenses and machinery. The Soulless would struggle to overcome such things. They were swift, yet stupid. They would certainly need his direction in this.

A Soulless stood beside him with what he assumed was a questioning look. Their blank faces were hard to read.

"We will not strike until nightfall." Keldan said to the creature. "The mortars on the rooftops will have to go first. Take them out quietly when the order to advance is given. Then the strike teams must move quickly and eliminate the heavy machine guns."

"Quietly?" The thing hissed questioningly.

"Make sure they aren't noticed before the attack begins." Keldan explained. "Move quietly with the shadows."

The thing nodded, seeming to understand his thoughts. "Yes." It hissed in reply. "We will wait. Strike when necessary."

It melted back into the shadows to his side. Keldan watched the men carefully from his position, even from a couple hundred yards he could see the fear in their eyes.

The Errant seem rather worried for their bodies. Hatred's voice noted in his mind. It can be rather disconcerting to you.

No. Keldan thought back. Their souls feel neither fear or submission. Only their hearts and minds know fear.

Hatred's laughter filled his mind. You continue to surprise me, Reclaimer. I have no doubts of our success.

Keldan frowned slightly. He could not make their minds see reason, see the folly of their lives. Their hearts will defy them to the end. The best option was to empty their hearts and help them submit to the Void.