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"But I've no light..." Magnolia replied.

"TYou made it through the Howling Forest just fine, remember?" the Jirachi said with a roll of his eyes. "But if you'd rather remain here and freeze to death, be my guest..."

"You little snot," she cursed. "But fine! Fine, I'll follow the stupid path adkfjdkdkjf..."

Swallowing, the fourteen year old touched her left hand upon the left side of the cavern and continued to pat her way from the entrance and deeper into the mountain. When Magnolia's view was clouded only with blackness, she tuned her head in the direction of the crevasse opening and shook her head at the whistle from the wind.

"The snow's still going..." she said to the Jirachi as she continued to walk.

"Don't worry about that now... J-Just keep walking forward."

For hours, Magnolia traipsed through the tunnel walking in a single direction. Eventually, the girl buckled over when her legs couldn't walk anymore. Altais urged her to get back up with a few light shoves to her chest.

"C-C'mon, Magnolia," he pleaded.

"I-I'm sorry, Altais," she apologized. "Anymore and I think my legs'll fall off..."

"But we're so close..."

The girl staggered to her feet only to collapse again. With her arms sagging, she replied, "It's no use, Altais... Ah-"

Magnolia's eyes flicked up when she noticed something bright gleam in her vision. Finding the strength to stand, she peered up into the hole on the tips of her toes. Sliding a thumb over it, the girl realized it was a hole barely bigger than her fingernail. Through the small opening, she could make out the side of another mountain adjacent to the one she was currently in.

"What's wrong?" Altais asked.

"There's a hole here..." Magnolia replied. "This wall, right here-" She patted it for emphasis. "It seems thin; I can see outside just through his hole here. Do you... Do you think you have the strength to break through here, Altais?"

"I... I can try...

Drifting up from the girl's arms, Altais located the sliver of light poking through the hole with his eyes. Closing them, he concentrated for a moment. Energy encompassed his form and the legendary glowed white before a powerful beam shot from the star-named Pokemon to the wall. The area before the two exploded; bits and pieces crumbling away down the side of the mountain as the passage they were in opened up to the outside air. Magnolia covered herself from the debris before peeking between her arms. From where she stood, the mountain dipped down into a rocky valley that seemed to be somewhere in the middle of the Kesfas range. The air was cool and, as the girl stepped to the edge get a better look, she leaned forward and shrieked back upon seeing how long of a fall it was.

"We're so high up!" she gawked.

"Y-Yea..."

"It's a bit of a climb, but if I use Eta, we can get down there in a few minutes."

"Yea..."

"Uh, Altais?"

"Ye...a?"

"Oh, no..." the girl breathed as she caught the legendary again.

"I used... too much energy there..." Altais responded. "But here... Here... I'm home..."

This tunnel wasn't as long as the one the two had traversed before. Instead of long and twisting, the opening Magnolia and Altais passed through was more like a gate that opened up to a hollow peak that towered high into the sky. The interior twinkled blue from a pockets of tourmaline sprouted between cracks in the cavern walls from a sliver of moonlight descending through a hole at the point above. The teen gawked at the beauty her eyes beheld.

"This is your home, Altais?" she gasped. "It's beautiful!"

The Jirachi didn't answer her. From her shoulder, he weakly drifted to a stone formation that was more like a pedestal. Climbing up onto it after him, the girl noted a chunk scooped from it.

That's where he once was.

Altais stopped just at this spot and placed a hand at the lip of the cavity. His cerulean eyes drifted up and locked on a point invisible to the naked eye, but well aware to the wishmaker. Magnolia watched as Altais, as if he were in a trance, floated up a few inches above her with his eyes still glued to that single point high above in the star-marred heavens. His body went horizontal and his once tense muscles relaxed. With eyes closed, he found comfort as he entered into a meditative state. He suddenly hummed in discomfort as the lid on his belly began to peeling back. The teen took a step back in astonishment.

His third eye! she gaped.

The pupil dilated before slowly glowing a bright blue. This continued for a few moments before the energy within Altais's body brimmed to a burst. A beam of energy shot up from his third eye straight through the hole above and into the heavens. Clouds above swirled around the release of untapped power as the extension turned from a release to an connection to the power of the cosmos above. Altais weakened form suddenly became energized by the vim of the stars and the Millennium Comet. Before long, the beam thinned, and the only sight it left in its wake was Altais glowing blue from residual energy.

Magnolia gazed upon him with awe. Her eye watered over at the sight of him. In return, the legendary gave her a gentle smile incredibly unsuited for a face usually scowling.

"A-Altais..." the girl hiccuped as tears freely streamed down her face. "No... No- I, not yet... You can't, not yet..."

"Magnolia..."

"I... I don't want this to be the last time!" Suddenly, the girl pushed herself from where she stood and clasped her arms about the legendary. Energy burned against the side of her cheek and palms, but the girl refused to release Altais from her embrace. Hugging him tightly to her bosom, she sobbed, "This isn't fair..."

"Magnolia..." The legendary raised himself to her face and hugged her cheek lightly. Resting his forehead against it, he said, "You've been so good to me. The last thing I wanted was for you to cry. Please see me off with a smile."

"Altais..."

His separation caused the girl to reflexively shoot out a greedy hand, but she stopped herself and instead hugged it weakly to her bosom. The Jirachi hovered before the hole he was once torn from. Before he closed his heavy eyes for his slumber, he told Magnolia, "Hey, make a wish."

"Eh?" The girl pursed her lips.

"I grant wishes, y'know... So pick something, anything."

The girl balled her fist. "There's only one thing I want," she sniffled. "I wish to remain friends with Altais forever."

The legendary let out a small, amused chuckle. "I should've guessed," he replied as the cave began to glow white. "But your wish is my command."

Magnolia blinked in surprise. "Altais?" she spouted. "Altais, what's going on?"

"Thank you for being my friend, Magnolia."

"A-Altais!"

Magnolia's outstretched hand was swallowed by a mist of glowing white that even clouded the girl's vision. The world that was once seen in pure ivory quickly shifted to a deep ebony as the teen passed out. When her unconsciousness gave way to a clawing need for reality, the girl suddenly burst upward to standing. Unfortunately, her legs tangled in the comforter atop her and she tumbled to the wood-paneled floor of the room face-first. Wincing and rubbing her aching nose, she looked around to discover she was back in the hotel room Altais, Rho, and her had departed from those many weeks ago. Pushing herself up, she was stopped momentarily by the sight of Rho at the door. He trotted over and sat before her, tilting his head in concern.

"Ah, I'm sorry if I worried you, Rho," she apologized, patting his head. "I... I was just frightened awake..."

"Glamrrow," he mewed in understanding.

"W-What happened?" she blinked. Turning to the window, she noticed that a crisp morning sun was blared against the peeled paint of the window pane. "How did we get here...?"