"Then what exactly is going on here… and what's your current state?"
Under the perception of his Rinnegan, Ash Ketchum could easily tell whether the other party was lying, especially someone like this woman, who was clearly panicking.
"Huh…"
Ash withdrew his pressure, and the kimono-clad woman immediately let out a breath of relief. The suffocating feeling from before had been unbearable. Beside her, the Ninetales also relaxed, its body no longer tense.
"Who… who exactly are you?" the woman asked, still shaken. This was the first time she had met someone who could completely see through both her and her Pokémon.
"My name is Ash Ketchum, I'm from the Kanto region… although it looks like you've been here for at least a thousand years. I doubt you even know what a region is."
At this point, Ash had already grasped most of the situation surrounding the altar. Judging from the ruins and traces, this place had existed for at least a millennium.
What surprised him even more was that such an obvious structure had remained undiscovered for so long. And that strange white mist from earlier clearly wasn't natural.
"What is… a region? I've never heard of it. My name is Dario… I'm from 1,300 years ago, and this Ninetales is my Pokémon. As for everything that happened… it's a long story."
Dario paused briefly before continuing.
"A thousand years ago, this place was the territory of our Havira Tribe, and I was its princess. One day, while I was out playing with my partner, who was still a Vulpix back then, we discovered a strange gem."
"The gem that was placed at the intersection… it seems you've already taken it."
Ash remained silent, confirming it.
"At first, nothing seemed unusual. But after I brought the gem back to the tribe, it suddenly released a blinding white light."
"I was enveloped in that light… and when I woke up, I had become like this."
"My soul had separated from my body. No one could see me anymore… except for Vulpix, who had also been illuminated by that light."
Her expression dimmed slightly.
"My death led the tribe to believe that the gem was a divine object, and that I had been punished for offending the gods."
"My father… placed my body inside the crystal coffin behind you, as a memorial."
For over a thousand years, Dario had only spoken to her Pokémon. This was the first time she had spoken to another human.
If Ninetales hadn't left without permission this time, she would never have encountered Ash… or Sabrina.
"Wait here."
Ash's Rinnegan faded, replaced instantly by his Sharingan. A space-time vortex appeared, and Sabrina's figure emerged from within it, appearing before Dario and Ninetales.
"I see… so that's what happened. Then Miss Dario isn't a ghost."
After listening to Ash's explanation, Sabrina quickly understood the situation. Bringing her here directly had saved Ash the trouble of explaining everything again.
Dario, however, was completely stunned. Ash's abilities far surpassed the supernatural powers once possessed by the Havira Tribe.
"Continue," Ash said. "What about the bodies in this altar? Your tribe wouldn't use human sacrifices so casually."
He had already noticed something strange. The corpses showed almost no signs of struggle, as if those people had willingly accepted death.
"No… no, we would never do such a thing," Dario shook her head firmly. "The Havira Tribe worshipped gods, but we would never commit such cruelty."
"The real problem… lies with that gem."
"I don't know what it truly is, but every few years, it releases that same light."
"And anyone illuminated by it… ends up like me."
"Their soul separates from their body."
"But unlike me… the others who ended up like this would completely disappear after their souls left their bodies. Only I remained, able to exist in this world."
"As this happened more and more frequently, my father began to believe that our Havira Tribe had been cursed by the gods."
"The deaths were seen as punishment… a divine judgment upon Havira."
"To appease the anger of the gods, my father built an altar for the gem, the very one you see now."
"To prove our sincerity, many members of the Havira Tribe willingly offered their lives, hoping to gain the forgiveness of the gods. My father was among them."
"After passing the position of Head to my brother, he… along with the others, chose to sacrifice himself within this altar."
At this point, Dario's eyes dimmed with sorrow. The origin of everything traced back to her, to the moment she had brought that mysterious gem back to the tribe. What began as simple curiosity had ultimately led to the downfall of Havira.
"Then what happened after that?" Ash Ketchum asked.
Since these sacrifices had been voluntary, he didn't dwell on it. Ancient civilizations often clung to faith and superstition, and in this world, beings like Legendary Pokémon did exist, so such beliefs weren't entirely unfounded.
"After that… just as you can see."
"I was the only one left."
"When the Havira Tribe realized that the altar had no effect, they sealed this place and took the remaining people away, relocating elsewhere."
Dario's voice carried a trace of helplessness.
"For over a thousand years, only Ninetales has stayed by my side. Without her… I might have already lost my sanity."
"For some reason, I also can't stray too far from her. That's why I was so anxious earlier when she left."
"I see…"
Ash's gaze shifted toward the Ninetales, whose spiritual energy was far stronger than that of ordinary Pokémon. The three tomoe of his Sharingan slowly rotated as he analyzed her condition.
"I think I understand now."
"The reason your soul hasn't disappeared… is because of Ninetales."
"According to what you said, anyone exposed to that light should have their soul separated and eventually vanish. But both you and Ninetales were affected at the same time."
"It's likely that Ninetales underwent some kind of mutation due to the light, and that change is what allows your soul to remain in this world."
Hearing this, Dario was slightly stunned, then slowly nodded.
"So it was Ninetales… no wonder I've always felt like I couldn't leave her side."
Her gaze softened as she looked at her partner, finally understanding the invisible bond that had tied them together for over a thousand years.