beneath her long gown and gloves, c.ogita is something like a porcelain doll, even if nowhere close to being as fragile.
in ancient times, when gira.tina was a truly malevolent spirit on a path of destruction, seeking to destroy arceus’s precious holy land in an act of vicious spite, c.ogita had nearly died in her quest to seal the demon.
this, however, was something she was at peace with.
surrounded by the noble pokemon she each considered a dear and valued friends, all on the brink of drawing their last breath upon the altar of arceus, contentment had gently swaddled her, broken and dying as she was.
her people would be safe.
those who would come to hisui from that day forth would find a region of harmony and tranquility, where pokemon and people could prosper, and together bring on an era in which both could see to a bright and glorious future.
but there were other plans for her.
descending down from its sacred, higher plane, c.ogita can still remember how divine arceus had looked in the moment she had believed it to come for her soul.
gliding across the worn marble stones, as though they were too impure for it to stride upon, a gentle, golden light swathed the entire area, chasing away any lingering shadows.
as her god approached, her eyes had fluttered shut.
her duty to her people was fulfilled.
the prophecy had been completed.
with this, she was ready to be set free from the shackles of this mortal coil, released from her tired and broken body.
yet, it was not the tranquility of becoming one again with the universe around that greeted her as arceus’s gentle head dipped low to meet her brow.
broken bones reformed, torn muscle and tissue knitting together rapidly.
her eyes flashed back open, but she did not bear an expression of gratitude
why? have i not fulfilled my mission? have i lost the right to rest?
her devastated voice resounded off of the great, tall pillars built as testament to arceus’s might.
her god met her watering eyes, unwavering gaze set upon her, with a voice as clear as a bell, nigh painful in its otherworldly call, piercing into her mind.
on that day, she, and only she, was granted immortality.
all the scars of her long and turbulent journey erased, and any future wounds healed with not a trace. her companions, while given the privilege of arceus’s divine healing, did not enjoy the same.
while their lineage would carry on, they would not, following the natural order of life and passing due to age, leaving her, the chosen one, to await the next hero of hisui alone.