The air around me was like mist, my soul was free. I remembered the blood, surrounding me in a pool, staining my skin and dying my black hair. The pain of drowning in my own blood was all but forgotten in this space. The feeling of the sunshine on my skin made me smile. Everything was so peaceful...from the mist ahead two separate figures emerged. I recognized them from their eyes first, crystal and blue like my own. My parents stood before me just as I remembered them. Tall. Regal. Warm. Their eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"Our boy," came father's voice. It cracked with some emotion as he regarded me. I stood, walking toward them. Although it seemed that the faster I moved the farther away they became. So I stopped. Mother strolled forward, her steps measured and graceful.
"Christian...oh Chrissy," she wrapped me in her embrace, it was just as warm as the sun that had just been dancing across my cheeks. I hugged her back, beginning to feel the unfamiliar sting of tears. We talked for hours in the misty field, as I looked around it seemed that nothing had changed, but that was impossible. We'd been reminiscing for so long, the sun that had hidden beyond the fog of this place had yet to set. As I looked around my parents began vying for my attention, screaming my name as if inspecting the place we seemed to be resting in would ruin it all.
The mist separated as light shot upwards, through the unstable ground. I spun toward my parents, confused only to find them viciously fanged, blue eyes rimmed in red once more. Fear tore through me as I tried to calm myself with logic. I was dead what could they do to me? Unfortunately it seemed that not knowing was worse than knowing. They both began moving forward, flickering between monsters and people just as the familiar feeling of drowning brought me to my knees. I gasped helplessly, writhing in pain along the misty plane. My efforts to breath were in vain and I was dying all over again. Blood was filling my lungs, making my muscles scream and plead for oxygen. The only sound within this empty plane was the sound of my desperate chocking. Just as the pain reached the end, the floor crumbled beneath my weight, causing me to come crashing downward.
As if by some grace of God my next breath came easy. If I could have I'd have spent the next half of eternity just breathing, in and out, nice and smooth. Unfortunately, there was no time. As I peered upward the flames became evident, they consumed the images of my parent, exposing the vague faces of demons chattering and cackling wildly. Then and only then did it become apparent that I was in hell.
Trying to ignore the images above me I began inspecting the area around me. It seemed that I landed (harshly) against a glass like dome. The semi-bubble extended so that I was obscured within the clouds. If I wasn't trying to ignore the sinister noises coming from above I may have made a joke about this being a net for hell rejects. Image that: too good for hell, but too dark for heaven.
The sound of weeping was faint, but broke through the glass bubble all the same. Then the pain seized me again. My body bucked helplessly, drowning on invisible blood. A part of me insisted -through the pain- I shatter this prison, the other part simply begged for this pain to subside. I hit it with all my might, nearly missing the crack that creeped along the dome. The first lines branched off into three and then ten and then twenty one until the dome was decorated in minuscule cracks. The light shattered the dome. The glass exploded, shards raining downwards, but turning to rain halfway down.
I was falling, falling, falling for days, hours, and moments. All the same and all inconsequential as I thanked whatever grace that my pain had gone. Then there was a shock that dragged me back to confinement. More fear clenched my heart, forcing me to spring upwards like Frakenstien. The casket gave way easily. Before me were hundreds of faces, all seated here out of obligation, not sorrow. Lissa had been crying and I realized with a start that it was eerily quiet. The guardians didn't seem to know what to do. Everyone was just staring at one another. It wasn't until Mia, the only one with any good sense, got up and darted off did anyone think to move. Moroi and dhampirs alike went running, only the guardians on duty stayed. They seemed to be considering if they should attack or haul ass.
The only one who didn't run was Rose. She stared at me, expression hard, stake pressed to my chest.
"What are you?" I could feel emotions that weren't all mine, pouring into me: fear, determination, wariness, elation. I opened my mouth the speak, but found no words. The last I checked I was a moroi, but then I died. I remembered dying. No one could simply imagine the genuine unpleasantness that came along with drowning to death.
"Answer me!" She shouted. I jumped, resisting the urge to cower behind my hands.
"I don't know!" I croaked. Her resolve wavered, the stake trembled against my suit. Again more emotions pounded into me, emotions that I couldn't take responsibility for: confusion, fear -there was so much fear it was unbelievable, but I wasn't afraid- more joy, more fear.
"Let me see your eyes," nervous about being staked, I did as told. Her stabbing arm fell to her side. Hesitantly, she brushed her knuckles over my own and frowned, "it's like you're back from the dead." She whispered: anxiety, hesitancy, happiness.
I didn't say anything, just watched. Then the guardians came to a decision: kill the unknown. The guardians raced toward me, stakes in hand ready to end my new short life. I recognized one of those Guardian's as Eddie Castile, a close friend of mine and Lissa's. They seemed to move in slow motion. I analyzed each move, watching as Belikov adjusted his grip on his stake. Alto was behind the others still watching me warily. The others weren't very incredible and in that moment I was sure I could have taken them on. A part of me wanted to try. Then Rose threw herself in front of me, demanding that I run.
I hopped out of the coffin, amazed momentarily at my grace. They moved so slowly, with a shake of my head I did as Rose said -seeing how the last time I defied her I died. There were more guardians heading at me from the other entrance, each one slow and incompetent. What was going on? The wards were starting to make me feel weak, but even with that hindrance I was certain I could take each guardian here. Not wanting to waste much energy I summoned a ring of fire. I was sure it made me look like a creature from hell, but in a way… I was. Rose came running my way, her hair flying behind her in a magnificent curtain.
"Come with me Ozera," she yelled. I followed her, sending the ring to surround my attacker, away from the wards and the silver and the magic to her room. Her hair was wind blown from the run and her eyes alight. Then the emotions hit me again: pride, confusion, wonder. We passed the mirror and much to my delight, I could see myself. This ruled out the strigoi option, but still skeptical I paused to see my eyes. They were still blue, so brilliant, so blue. I sighed in relief.
How can he be so calm? He just came back from the dead…
"I'm tired, coming back from the dead isn't a cake walk you know. You'll have to excuse me if I'm not jumping for joy, singing the Lord's praises and what not. Maybe tomorrow."
"What are you talking about," she scoffed, how the hell did he hear that?
"I died I didn't go deaf," I growled. You'd think that that'd be a far touchier subject. She turned on her heels glaring at me. Only now did I notice how weak she seemed to be. Her eyelids drooped as she regarded me, but she was ever vigilant.
Her mouth said, "Stop it." But I heard, How are you doing this? Except this time I could see her mouth wasn't moving. Her eyes widened in fear, but I knew what she was thinking.
"You brought me back to life?"
She stared at me with disbelief, "I couldn't have. I'm a dhampir...I don't have any magic." Her eyes were wide and frantic. Why is it always me? Her thoughts were so loud, so intense that I jumped. Everything about Rose was explosive and I was learning this the hard way. Her thoughts and emotions crashed into me, nearly sending me staggering. All the while she watched me in disbelief, her mask was broken as she realized that she had been the one to bring me back. It still didn't make any sense. Dhampirs were about as magical as broken chairs, even if half of them came from magic.
She wanted to blame Lissa. Her instinct was to assume that because she was shadow-kissed she had once again found another power that tied her to the world of the dead. All I wanted for her to stop staring at me like a science experiment. This was crazy and impossible, but that didn't mean I liked being stared at.
Finally, she stepped closer and flung her arms around me. Holding her was the last reminder I needed to prove that this was real. She was warm against me, sturdy, and firm. She was invincible and mine to protect all at once, causing my moroi senses some serious grief. Her knees gave beneath her weight causing her to droop in my arms.
Leave it to Rose to bring someone back to life, fight off a group of guardians, run half a mile, and -only once her badass-ness had been proved- pass out. Without much trouble, I hoisted her upwards and placed her gently on the bed.
*******Im rewriting this entire Fanfiction and then finishing it. Why? Because I can! I don't know if old readers will get an update or not, but if you do….here you are. Oh yeah and review I'm REALLY trying to to become a better writer and to do that I need criticism.*****