Chapter 9: Frozen in time
AD 2011
Trying to convince a mortal that you are a reincarnated soul that still have intact memories of their previous lives?
Good luck with that.
Convincing the gods and Chiron of that fact was already quite a challenge. Though they are no strangers to the concept of reincarnation, they did not believe that a soul could be immune to the effect of River Lethe. The river that is even powerful enough to wipe all the memories of a Titan. When she first made that supposedly preposterous claim in AD 1500, Zeus immediately threw one of his lightning bolts at her, killing her once again, sending her to the Fields of Punishments. He was convinced she was a rogue soul controlled by his enemies that managed to be reincarnated without even going into the Lethe. He was paranoid that she was the result of a successful attempt of his enemies trying to disrupt the order in the Underworld. Only after all the gods watched her soul actually taking a dip in the river fifty years later when she was about to be reincarnated once again, were they more ready to accept that she was a reincarnated soul that was unaffected by the Lethe. It took several more lifetimes before they managed to understand why she was unaffected, and that she did not mean them any harm. After all, there was no one else that existed that had the same experiences as her. And no one else had incurred the same intensity of hatred the Fates felt toward her. Well, since she did sacrificed herself just to delay the awakening of Gaia, the least they can do for her was to believe her story and leave her to her own devices. Maybe that was the reason why they easily believed her when she told them the partially true story of her past, her predicament, and her destiny.
Trying to get Albus Dumbledore to accept that in AD 1945 was even more difficult. He was already completely exhausted by his ordeal with Grindelwald. It did not help that he was utterly confused if he had romantic feelings towards his ex-student, or if deep in the recesses of his heart, still had some remnants of love of his greatest enemy. And once, his greatest friend. It was no surprise that he would be incredulous when she claimed to be someone close to him. That she was reincarnated with memories of her past life as Ariana, his sister. The sister that he might have murdered. To complicate matters further, Albus had quite a few reservations about reincarnated souls. Blame the Resurrection stone and the Inferi. The soul that was brought back to life when Cadmus Peverell used the stone had suffered greatly from being forced back into the world of the living. Albus felt those that could return from the dead with memories still intact should remain in the Underworld. He also suspected that she was a subject of Dark wizards, an advanced form of Inferi sent to kill him. But the main reason Albus did not want to believe her was because he did not want to give himself false hope. False hope that he could actually have a second chance to provide a better life for his sister he had neglected in his youth. And she did not have the luxury of time to explain matters with Albus. His life is a lot shorter than immortals and she did not know if she would ever have the time to do so again. Only after daily visits, many emotional breakdowns and hundreds of times of Legilimency, did Albus reluctantly admitted to himself that she was really the same person he knew previously. After he did, he made sure he showered her with all the love he did not before. That was why she did not have the heart to tell him about who she really was, and about her horrible fate that was already set in stone until AD 2007.
If magical beings had such a hard time accepting who she really was, a mortal would not even be able to comprehend what she was saying. They might not be willing to understand what she was saying. After all, it was common knowledge that mortals fear the unknown. But the mortal she was dealing with would be an exception. As a ranger, Halt was used to being exposed to the unknown. In fact, he made learning about the unknown his business. That was necessary in order to keep the peace in Araluen and to survive. And Halt was not completely unfamiliar to the concept of magic and life threatening monsters due to his experience with Morgarath and the Kalkara. However, this did not make matters easier for her. Halt was not as inclined as the gods, Chiron and Albus, to accept explanations of reincarnation and the Underworld and its rivers. Those concepts were absolutely foreign to Halt, and he would never believe that places in myths could really exist. That was why she could not blame Halt for his initial reaction.
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"I'm back."
Halt's heart starting pumping furiously the moment he saw a stranger holding that particular necklace in her hands, her cloak blocking most of her face from view, except for her mouth. He just stood there, his eyes fixated on the necklace. His blood was boiling. How dare she? Glaring menacingly at the offending figure on his doorstep, he whipped out his saxe knife in a swift movement, making it clear that he would not hesitate to kill her.
"Why do you have that necklace? If you dare to step out of line, you'll find that this knife in my hand would magically be embedded in your neck. Spit it out, gravedigger." Halt was enraged. And alarmed. How could that cloaked stranger break into that tomb? Was it to spite him? To remind Halt of his most painful memories? To try and break him? Then again, no one else knew how precious she was to him. That part of his life was the only secret he had never shared with Will Treaty and Pauline. He could not bear to do so. Every single time he tried to talk about her, there would be a lump in his throat, his overwhelming emotions would prevent him from making a sound. No one should even know about her, given that she lost her life before he met Crowley. No one would ever know about the girl that died in order to save his life.
To his fury, the infuriating girl in the cloak did not seemed frightened by his threat and weapon. Didn't she understand that her life was on the line? The rangers had quite a reputation for being able to instil much fear into others if they chose too. And Halt, being one of the most respected and powerful rangers, is able to do that exceptionally well. He was able to reduce a strong man into a mere child, and they would not even dare to look directly at him. Yet, that infuriating girl in the cloak seemed to be unfazed by Halt. Her head was held high and she easily maintained eye contact with the intimidating ranger in front of her. Halt was taken aback when a smug smile formed on her face and she started shaking her head.
"You did not scare me then. You do not scare me now. You are becoming more docile in your old age, Halt."
Halt could no longer think straight. Not because of the insult the cloaked menace had thrown at him but by his anger. She talked in the exact same way as her. All he knew was that he wanted that girl dead. To punish her for not letting his saviour rest in peace, and to have the nerve to steal that necklace from the grave. To have the audacity to open up old wounds, to remind him of the girl that sacrifice her life for him. That gravedigger had no right to remind him of her. Instinctively, with a flick of his wrist, he sent his knife flying out of the door. To his absolute horror, the knife did not even make a mark on her neck, even when he threw the weapon at such a great force. And it was not due to his lack of accuracy. Being a master marksman, Halt was confident he would be able to hit her neck. It was a relatively easy hit to manage. Instead of piercing her skin and drawing blood, the knife literally bounced off her neck and landed on the floor with a clang. The cloaked stranger just shook her head again.
"I thought you would have better self-control than that. It's not like you to act on impulse." She said in mock exasperation.
Uneasiness rose within Halt when he realised that he had just broke the law. He attempted to murder someone that he felt was a threat to him. Standard procedure should be to question her and find out her true intentions first. But he simply cannot restrain himself from doing so. The emotional wounds that necklace reopened was too much for him to handle rationally. Furthermore, the resemblance of that girl right in front of him to the original owner of the necklace was increasing by the second. The only other person that he knew would be unharmed when a knife is thrown at her throat was his saviour. But Halt was a hundred percent sure that she died. The memory where she died what seemed to be like fifty years ago was etched in his mind permanently. It scarred him. Her death was still the most horrifying ones he ever witnessed. Even scarier than any deaths he saw throughout his life. That memory was his driving force, one of his motivations to help Crowley reform the Ranger's Corps. The least he could do for that poor girl was to help her maintain the peace in her homeland, to eliminate all the enemies, especially the enemy that cruelly took away her life. And to ensure that no one else had to suffer as horrible a death as her.
"I am quite sure Ithila would strongly disapprove of you if you continue not to show basic courtesy to your guest." The cloaked stranger said with a small smile on her face.
Halt felt his boiling blood rush into his head as he clenched his hands, digging into his skin. If he wasn't sure before, he was now. That cloaked bastard in front of him had went to disturb her grave. That was the only way the creature on his doorstep could learn her name and possess the necklace.
"What's she playing at?" Halt thought to himself as he moved aside, gesturing for the gravedigger to enter, glaring daggers at her. He cannot let his emotions get the better of him. He needed to keep a cool head and figure out intentions of the cloaked figure that showed up at his door at five in the morning. His instincts were screaming at him. That he should at least listen to the stranger, no matter how much his hands were itching to land blows after blows on her.
His hair was standing on its ends as he watched her every move, and his body tensed, ready to react in a split second if she posed a danger to him. The moment the girl stepped into the cabin and removed her cloak, Halt felt as if his heart was trying to leap out of his body in shock, but it got stuck in his throat. Her eyes. That was the feature that shook him so greatly that he could not bear to look at them for longer than a second. He didn't need more time to know what her eyes look like. He could remember it. The myriad of colours dancing around in her irises that never failed to lift his spirit whenever times got hard. When the bright colours darkened to form a deep black colour that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Halt could not bring himself to believe it.
"Ithila? I…I…" Halt's voice faltered. He shut his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts. Most of her face was completely unfamiliar to him, but her eyes. Only Ithila had the exact same eyes. He was pretty sure she did not manage to have any children, being only thirteen when she tragically lost her life. He felt as if someone was profusely pounding his brain with a hammer.
"Who are you?" Halt sat down on a chair, massaging his temples, totally frustrated.
"My name is Sable."
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Halt looked a lot older than she remembered.
That is not surprising, considering that it has been three hundred years since she last met him.
Actually, Halt should be dead a long time ago.
Sable recalled the night a few years ago when she realised that the state of Araluen has not been wiped off the face of the earth yet. She was hunting down a few groups of creatures that were terrorising the countryside of England. Sable noticed that all of them seemed to be avoiding a section in the forest. And there was hardly any man that approach that section. If someone got close to it, they would automatically turn around and head to the direction they came from. It was as if there was a border around that section that is keeping unwanted guests away. After the creatures all met their ends, Sable decided to explore that section. The closer she got to the invisible border, the slower time past. The minute she crossed the border, her eyes widen in amazement. There were completely no signs of vehicles that she was used to seeing in the cities. But there was an abundance of carriages, with horses pulling them. The streets were littered with numerous three-story red-bricked houses, with smoke escaping from the top of the chimneys. It was as if Sable had stepped into the past. Sable could not shake the feeling that she had been to this town before. Then it hit her. This place looked exactly like Redmont. But how was that possible? Only one way to confirm her suspicions. She weaved through the throngs of people bustling in the market place and made her way to the woods. The minute she saw the lone wooden cabin in the middle of the woods, and saw the grey-bearded Halt sipping his coffee on his doorstep, she knew that her suspicions were spot on.
It seemed as if the country of Araluen has been frozen in time.
Or at least, time in Araluen had past tremendously slowly for the past three hundred years.
After her death.
Sable felt an urge to rush toward Halt and revealing everything that every instant. She could hardly believe that Halt was still alive. But her mind ruled over her heart. She didn't need to open a new can of worms when she had not even settled matters at camp and at the Wizarding world. Steeling her heart, she turned away from the cabin, vowing to return when the time was ripe.
And now she was back. She had promised herself she would. Even though she had not settled her other matters. But Sable desperately needed a distraction and an excuse for herself to peel away from the frustrations of the magical worlds. Approaching Halt would bring her a new wave of concerns and problems. But at least she was a lot more confident that she would be able to deal with mortal problems than magical ones.
Besides, the time was approaching for all of them to unite. Sable knew Halt would needed time. He is going to have much to take in.
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"I'll ask you not to interrupt me for now. I need to leave by six. I'll visit you at five in the morning every single night to answer all of your questions. So, please. Just bear with me and listen for the next half an hour." Halt scowled, clearly displeased at having to listen to a gravedigger, but he gestured for Sable to continue, leaning against the wall. Despite being angry at the girl, he was intrigued by her. He wanted to hear just what she could come up with.
"Judging by your reaction when I removed my cloak, I'm guessing you noticed that I have the exact same eyes as Ithila. There's no point in beating around the bush. I was once Ithila. But I am Sable now."
Halt raised an eyebrow, wondering what other ridiculous claims the gravedigger can come up with.
"You asked me how I got this necklace. I didn't take it from the grave. It was never there. If you went back to the grave, you will find that it's untouched." Halt's eyebrows narrowed and his face hardened. He would pummel the gravedigger that minute if he wasn't curious to find out more.
"This necklace belongs to me. Do you still not understand, Halt?"
Halt just stared at her, not knowing how to react.
"I was reincarnated. With the memories of my previous lives. That's how I knew her name. I was once Ithila. I do not expect you to believe me fully now. But you will, eventually. Only Ithila will know every single detail of your past, your persistent attempts to get her to care more of her welfare. I'm guessing you do not need her to remind you how stubborn you were about having her to eat proper meals three times a day, or to have eight hours of sleep a day." Halt could not stop himself from smirking at that memory.
"I would try and convince you that I was Ithila tomorrow. But I'm running out of time for now. Tell me, how many years has it been since her death?" Sable hurried, realising that she only had twenty minutes left. She had to return to camp before the first camper got out of bed at six.
"Fifty years. Fifty years since I last saw her." Hat sighed, depressed at the thought of Ithila's death.
"What if I told you that it's has been three hundred years after her death?"
"So you're telling me that I am three hundred and sixty over years old? Do you know how ridiculous you sound? You tell me that you were Ithila in your past life. I'm not completely sure if that's true. But so far, you manage to convince me to believe that, even if I have some doubts. But three hundred years? You have got to be joking."
"I would not be so quick to dismiss that as a joke. Didn't you realise that Araluen has lost contact with Arrida, Nihon-Ja and Skandia, Gallica? Don't you find it strange that trade has been cut off? Didn't you realise that not a single soul has crossed the border of Araluen for what seems to be like the past ten years? Actually it has been more than a century since anyone went in or out of Araluen. Most of the people you knew in those countries were wiped out by a plague, or destroyed during wars. Araluen has been frozen in time. You might not know it, you might not believe it, but you can feel it. Time is passing extremely slowly here, even slower than before. But some of you have to come into the twenty-first century wold. It is crucial for our survival." The seriousness in Sable's voice quickly erased the possibility that she was joking in Halt's mind.
"Alright. Let's say you are right. That Araluen is frozen in time. But why do we need to integrate into the new century? Honestly, why should we care about the survival of your people? We have enough troubles of our own. Besides, none of us will be willing to leave Araluen to go to a completely new place, to experience a new age." Halt was annoyed. He had an inkling that time was passing way too slowly to be normal. But to have someone claiming that his ridiculous suspicions were true, it was mind blowing. Halt was happier not knowing that Araluen was stuck in time.
"What if I told you that your world is threatened? That the enemy that I am facing now will destroy your world? And you will need the help of my world in order to survive? The Ranger Corps swore that they will maintain the peace in Araluen. Now, your precious homeland is at stake. And the only way to protect this place is to help my world defeat our enemy. You said the people of Araluen will be against the idea of going into a different time-dimensions. Can you say the same about the Rangers? You and I both know that they, including you, will go to great lengths to protect this world. They would be willing to integrate into the twenty-first century in order to protect Araluen. We need the help of the Rangers to defeat my enemy."
"If Rangers can help destroy your enemies, there are plenty of others that can do the same. Just leave us alone."
"I would disagree. Very little mortals in the modern age possess the kind of skill the Rangers have with the bow. And you know that the rangers are the ones who are closest to perfecting the art of disguise. The mortals of the modern age are accustomed to using guns and advanced machinery. Archery has been reduced to a mere sport. Using bows and arrows on a battlefield now is a joke for the mortals. Guns and bombs are much easier to use, the destruction is much greater, and the casualties are much lesser. However, we cannot enlist their help. Enlisting them would mean revealing my world to them. Also, unfortunately for us, those weapons do not destroy our enemies. In fact, they make our enemies even stronger. That is why I am requesting for the Rangers to join the world of the twenty-first century, to join the effort against our enemy. We need as many swords, bows, arrows and magic as we can muster. That is the only way we at least have a chance of defeating our enemy."
"First thing, I have no idea what enemy you are talking about. It is your enemy, not mine, not ours, but your enemy. Secondly, the Rangers are not going to risk leaving Araluen unprotected just to fight an enemy we do not know of. How do we know you are not the one planning our downfall? Thirdly, why do you keep referring to the people of your world as mortals? Are you saying you are not one? Why should I trust anything you say, Sable? When I do not even know who you are?" Halt asked in frustration.
"Still as alert as ever. Picking on every little single detail I say." Sable said, shaking her head, quite amused.
"All of your questions will be answered in due time. After all, I am still returning every night. Just to specially convince you of everything I said today. But I am afraid that is all for now. I have to take my leave now. Nice meeting you again, Halt. Enjoy the rest of your day." Sable flashed him a brilliant smile, before getting up abruptly from her chair and headed out of the door.
Halt just stared at her, completely dumbfounded at what happened. As the sun slowly crept higher into the sky, Halt realised that there was no strand of thread from her cloak that got stuck to the grass, nor any sign of footprints on the muddy ground outside the cabin. There was no sign that anyone had made a visit to his cabin an hour ago.
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It was five minutes to six by the time Sable arrived at the border of camp. She had to make her way back to her cabin, slip under her covers and pretend to be asleep until the camp councillors started going around to wake the others up. She would have a lot of explaining to do if they realised that she had slipped out of her bunk before six. There was a strict rule restricting movement of the campers at night. They were only allowed to get out of bed at six, both for security reasons, and to ensure they all got enough rest. Sable glided to her cabin, not making a single sound along the way, like a shadow. She managed to reach her cabin without being detected.
Sable gingerly twist open the handle, and proceeded cautiously, watching where she put her foot to ensure that the wooden floor did not creak.
"You there! What are you doing?" Sable halted in her step, forcing herself to remain calm. Slowly, she turned her head to the direction of the voice. To her immense relief, it was only a harmless, sleep-talking Aralien. Aralien mumbled a few more words before smashing her face into her pillow and continued sleeping.
"Alright. Just a few more steps." Sable prayed that the rest of the occupants were all deeply asleep.
She took a step. The camper on her right decided to start tossing and turning on her bed. Sable cringed, worrying that it would wake someone. She had a great urge to dash and leap onto her bed. But she had to control. It would defeat the purpose of her acting so cautiously to avoid making any sound.
A few more steps to her bed. Sable finally manage to reach her bed. Through the darkness, she could see a pair of disapproving eyes from a figure sitting on her bed, with his arms crossed. Looks like she was not the only one awake in the cabin…
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"How does she expect me to have a good day after dumping all those worries on me? I need another cup of coffee." Halt grumbled in frustration.
Grabbing his coffee mug, he filled it to the brim with the still piping-hot coffee, and dumped in generous amount of honey inside. He took a long swig from it, trying to clear his mind.
"I must have been dreaming just now. That conversation did not happen. No weird gravedigger called Sable that might not be mortal just came up to my door requesting the help of the Rangers. And telling me that Araluen had been frozen in time. Ha! You are having hallucinations in your old age, Halt. None of those ridiculous things just happened. You have to find a way to warn Pauline that you are losing your mind." Halt muttered to himself, taking another long swig of his coffee, determined to treat the events that happened that morning as a figment of his imagination.
Well, fate was not going to be kind to him.
An object on the table caught his eye. He heart beat rapidly increased as he realised that the necklace was lying on the table. Letters spelling out her name, with a bow and arrow charm, all strung together with a pure silver chain, glittering as the sun rays shone on it. Halt kept his eyes on the necklace, both entranced and haunted by the sight of it. All thoughts about forgetting the conversation he had flew out of the window. That necklace was enough proof that Sable came to his cabin.
"No. No. No." Halt groaned, repeatedly pounding his fists on the table. He knew that his life would never be the same again. His past is going to return and haunt him. Till his death.
Chapter 9 is up. Hope you enjoy it:) The next update will be a week from now (hopefully)
aviendhaphiragon: YES Ranger's Apprentice is awesome :)))
