The light faded slowly, like a storm cloud retreating beneath ice. When Cyrus opened his eyes, the chamber had changed.
The two Regis stood motionless, yet their energy still pulsed through the cavern in waves, harmonic, steady, impossibly ancient. The floor beneath his boots was no longer just ice; it was crystallized resonance, shifting faintly with every tone they produced.
Meltan quivered on his shoulder, its metal body resonating like a bell. Tyrunt pressed close to his leg, eyes wide and unblinking.
Cyrus steadied himself, drawing a slow breath. "Okay… we're not dead. That's a good start."
The Ice-Steel Regi shifted first. Fractures of frost cascaded from its shoulders as it took a single, monumental step forward. The sound wasn't a footfall, it was like the grinding of tectonic plates, deep and reverberating.
The Water-Ice Regi followed, flowing rather than walking, its body reconfiguring with each motion. Waves of blue light rippled outward, skating across the mirror floor like living electricity.
Cyrus raised his scanner, fingers trembling as he captured data. "They're… emitting dual-wave patterns? Seems like two frequencies intertwined. Coordinated, but opposite polarities." His voice barely rose above a whisper. "So they're maintaining balance?"
A low hum filled the chamber. The light along the walls pulsed faster, brighter, until it formed visible strands, lattices of energy weaving upward through the ice. The entire cavern was reacting to their movement.
Cyrus glanced up. "They're not just guardians. They're the foundation. The island's stability depends on their interaction."
Meltan beeped in agreement, though it sounded uneasy.
Then the hum changed. It deepened, grew uneven discordant. Both Regis turned toward each other, their rhythm faltering. The light around them fractured like a broken melody.
Cyrus frowned, adjusting the scanner. "That interference… it's external." He turned toward the far wall where the resonance spiked violently. "Something else is responding to them."
A distant boom rolled through the cavern slow, seismic, the sound of shifting mass. The ice trembled beneath his boots.
Cyrus's breath caught. "It's coming from below."
The Water-Ice Regi raised one arm, and the ground between them cracked open, revealing a narrow channel of glowing water. The liquid shimmered with energy, each ripple forming runic shapes that vanished as quickly as they appeared. The Ice-Steel Regi stepped closer, lowering one massive hand into the flow. Frost spread across the water, sealing it in a perfect circle.
Together, the two constructs began to move, with slow, deliberate motions like a ritual dance. The light in the room grew almost unbearable.
Cyrus realized they were stabilizing the fault. Something beneath the island was stirring, and the Regis were acting in defense.
"Is it...Regigigas...but i thoght there was only one?" he whispered.
The cavern's pulse answered. The name itself seemed to awaken the air, a low, ancient vibration that made the hairs on his neck rise.
Cyrus set up a mobile sensor node, deploying three floating drones that projected a holographic map of the region. The display flickered, revealing the subterranean network beneath the island: tunnels, vaults, and a massive spherical chamber buried deep below the surface, pulsing faintly, like a heartbeat.
"That's it," he breathed. "The Frozen Colossus. It's still dormant."
Meltan chirped sharply, pointing toward the Water-Ice Regi. The creature was watching him — not hostile, not welcoming. Simply aware. The core in its chest pulsed in sync with his scanner, as though comparing signals.
Cautiously, Cyrus stepped forward. "You're reacting to me. My readings… are they interfering with yours?"
The Regi tilted its head, a motion both mechanical and strangely human. Then it extended one arm, its semi-liquid surface parting to reveal the glowing shape of a rune. The symbol hovered in the air between them, spinning slowly — ancient script long lost to human record.
Cyrus lifted his tablet, scanning it. "Translation attempt… incomplete. Root language matches the Regi glyphs from Sinnoh, but this structure—" His breath caught. "It's not a word. It's a name."
The rune shimmered, resolving briefly into a recognizable pattern: the sigil of balance.
The Ice-Steel Regi joined the projection, its own chest marking flaring with mirrored light. The two symbols merged midair, forming a composite seal that pulsed with energy. The resonance in the cavern stabilized again, harmonizing into a perfect, clear tone.
Cyrus watched, mesmerized. "They're communicating balance between domains. Ice and water — matter and motion." He turned to Meltan. "They're not fighting Regigigas's awakening… they're preparing for it."
Another tremor shook the cavern — stronger this time. Ice dust rained from the ceiling, scattering faint blue sparks as it hit the ground. The map on his tablet glitched briefly, showing the subterranean sphere glowing brighter.
Cyrus's pulse quickened. "No… it's accelerating. Something's forcing the process."
He turned to retreat, but the Water-Ice Regi shifted again — its massive hand lowering until it brushed the ground near him. The ice solidified instantly, blocking his path.
Cyrus froze. "You… don't want me to leave?"
The Regi's body rippled, its glow deepening into a color he hadn't seen before — pale violet, the hue of distortion fields. The Ice-Steel Regi mirrored it, stamping one massive arm into the ground.
The cavern filled with light.
Cyrus flinched, shielding his eyes — and when the light faded, he was standing in a vision of the past.
The ice beneath him had vanished, replaced by open water under a dim, stormy sky. Towering forms rose from the ocean — shapes of stone and metal, giants pulling land from the sea. He saw Kyogre churning the waters, Regigigas shaping continents with its massive arms, and the two Regis beside him freezing the chaos into order.
And then — the collapse. The Titans fell into slumber, buried in ice to preserve what balance remained.
Cyrus gasped as the vision shattered. The cavern returned, his breath visible in the cold air. The two Regis stood exactly as before, their glow dimming as if they'd spent the last of their power to share that truth.
He sank to one knee, clutching his tablet. "You wanted me to see. To understand what's at stake."
The ground pulsed again — faint this time, but deeper, older. Regigigas was stirring, somewhere far below.
Cyrus rose, determination cutting through the awe. "Then I need to find it before the balance breaks again."
He looked up at the two Titans, standing silent as statues once more. "I'll honor what you built. I'll make sure this world stays whole."
The only reply was the slow, fading echo of their resonance — ancient harmony retreating back into the ice.