Judging from the descriptions on the murals, the Unown seemed to have lived with the residents of Celestic Town for a while.
It remained unclear whether the Unown had appeared by chance or if it held deeper significance to Celestic Town itself.
After observing the mural for some time, Aoki followed Cynthia and continued moving deeper into the ruins.
As they walked, they passed several more murals, each depicting Unown in different forms. The symbols varied from one painting to another, their intricate patterns swirling across the ancient stone.
Aoki counted carefully—twenty-seven pairs in total. He wasn't sure if he had missed one or if there had only ever been twenty-seven. The uncertainty nagged at him.
Vaguely, Aoki sensed that these murals were trying to convey something, but their meaning remained just out of reach.
The further they went, the more the murals seemed to tell a fragmented story, one that had been lost to time.
Eventually, the murals ended, and Cynthia led Aoki into a vast, echoing hall.
The moment he stepped inside, Aoki froze in awe.
At the center of the hall stood two towering statues, their forms weathered but still majestic. Despite the wear of centuries, the craftsmanship was undeniable. The sculptures were so lifelike that they seemed ready to move, as if Dialga and Palkia themselves might step forward at any moment.
Only the hollowed-out eyes of the statues broke the illusion, the missing pieces making them seem eerily incomplete.
These were no ordinary Pokémon—they were the deities of Sinnoh, Dialga, the Temporal Pokémon, and Palkia, the Spatial Pokémon.
Clearly, Celestic Town's history was deeply entwined with these legends.
Noticing Aoki's stunned expression, Cynthia gave a small, knowing smile.
It was the same reaction everyone had upon seeing these sculptures for the first time.
The statues were carved with such precision that they seemed to breathe, their every scale and crest perfectly rendered.
Legend said that a master sculptor from Celestic Town had spent nearly a decade shaping them, striving to capture the true essence of the two deities.
Dialga.
Palkia.
Swallowing his astonishment, Aoki's gaze shifted to three smaller statues nearby.
These depicted the Lake Guardians—Uxie, the Being of Knowledge; Mesprit, the Being of Emotion; and Azelf, the Being of Willpower.
Though their carvings were intact, their presence paled beside the grandeur of Dialga and Palkia.
Yet they were no less revered.
"These two are Dialga, the master of time, and Palkia, the ruler of space," Cynthia began, gesturing toward the larger statues. "And the three smaller ones are—"
"Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf," Aoki finished, recognizing them immediately.
Cynthia raised an eyebrow, impressed.
He really did know his legends.
"Correct. Uxie, the giver of wisdom; Mesprit, the bestower of emotion; and Azelf, the granter of willpower," she clarified, emphasizing their divine roles.
Like the Legendary Titans of Hoenn or the Legendary Birds of Kanto, the Lake Guardians were not unique in species—but only one of each held true divinity.
Aoki nodded in understanding.
This was one of Celestic Town's greatest secrets.
The fact that these statues existed at all suggested that someone had witnessed these Pokémon firsthand.
That in itself was staggering.
Encountering the Lake Guardians was one thing—but Dialga and Palkia were another matter entirely.
The two deities were known to be fiercely territorial, clashing whenever their paths crossed.
Thankfully, their battles rarely spilled into the mortal world, for even they respected the balance maintained by its protectors.
Aoki circled the statues, searching for anything unusual.
Then he noticed it—an empty pedestal near the others.
Not just empty—broken.
Fragments of stone lay scattered around it, the remains of what must have been another sculpture.
From the jagged pieces, Aoki could just make out the shape of… hooves?
Sharp, distinct hooves.
Nothing else remained.
Aoki stared, his pulse quickening.
A name flashed through his mind, accompanied by an image of the Pokémon it belonged to.
Arceus.
The Original One.
As the thought formed, three faintly glowing marks on his wrist—ones he hadn't even noticed before—pulsed weakly.
The light was so dim that even in the shadowy hall, no one saw it.
But why was this statue destroyed?
Had someone truly seen Arceus?
The remnants proved that a statue of the Creator had once stood here, meaning someone had encountered it—witnessed it.
Cynthia watched Aoki's fixation on the shattered pedestal, her expression briefly unreadable before she schooled it back into calm neutrality.
This was Celestic Town's final secret.
One still unknown to the world.
Aoki studied the ruins of the sculpture for a long time, silent.
Cynthia offered no explanation.
And one burning question refused to leave Aoki's thoughts:
Who would dare destroy the image of Arceus?
The question lingered, unanswered.
With effort, Aoki pushed it aside.
Noticing his return to the present, Cynthia spoke again.
"These ruins hold ancient records, inscribed in a language now lost. Even Celestic Town's archives don't hold the full key. But one thing is certain—the legends of Sinnoh began here."