Author's note: Well, first off I'd like to apologize for taking so long with this update. Truthfully, this chapter was very difficult to work on because I ended up confusing myself so many times, re-writing, scraping, and trying again with it. However, I think I finally managed to clarify the meaning behind the Avatar the last airbender character I've used here. He shares same name, same appearance, but his job is so much more different and more devious. You'll see why in later chapters. Second of all: Thank you to Aalyrial for her constant support! She's a loyal reviewer of mine and her support means a lot to me. She's going to be very helpful in later chapters :) And to the Anonymous reviewer, I love this story: I'm so happy you love my story, it means a lot to see a new reviewer. And yes, the semi-references to ATLA( Avatar: The Last Airbender) and FMA are intentional, though they do not play the same role here as they do in their respective shows.
Song for this chapter: My Gift and My Curse by Blood On The Dance Floor
This is the twin chapter to "My Gift"
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my characters and my plot. Harry Potter's world is J.K Rowlings and Koh is from the creators of ATLA
Her friends stared at her, not knowing what to make of the words she had just spoken. They had heard of past lives, but such an abstract concept made them question. "What is this about Lia?" asked Ashley as she narrowed her eyes. "These nightmares I keep having, I keep meeting this spirit who I've found is named Koh and he keeps saying weird things like 'Surely you remember me?' and then I flash to this graveyard where I'm tortured into tears with this snake like man standing over me. That particular nightmare has progressed where a woman has taken a knife and carved into my arm. The last thing from that nightmare was 'You betrayed me little one'" she said.
"I've heard of that spirit. Isn't he a spirit of Asian lore? Koh is especially dangerous and is supposed to mean ill-fortune, but also a knowledge keeper. However I heard that its dangerous to try to get information out of him" said Audrey. Auxiliadora nodded. "yes, because what he says and what he knows are two different things" she explained. "But why is he in your nightmares?" asked Penelope. "He's a sign of darkest fears, guilt and regret. I need to ask him when I see him next" she said. "NO!" cried out Isabella. "He'll kill you" she said in a softer tone.
"He already killed my great-great-great-great-great grandmother. I just need information from him then I'll vanquish him" said Auxiliadora. "How?" asked Audrey. She fell silent and looked out the window to find snow falling from the sky. "I don't know" she said softly. "That's why I need his knowledge. I have no idea what's going on anymore" she said. Ashley sighed and she looked around the room, her gaze landing on Auxiliadora's left wrist. "Lia...look" she said, pointing to the scar. It was now more defined so that someone could effectively see the mark of a serpent eating its own tail. "Its the same mark as in my sketchbook!" she said, looking at the two marks. They were exactly the same, causing Auxiliadora to become confused more. They stayed until the sun fell and it was time for Auxiliadora to venture back to Koh's lair.
When she closed her eyes, she came face to face with the Noh mask face of Koh. "Hello Koh" she said monotonously. "So you have figured it out. My it only took you awhile" he said, hanging upside down in front of her. "May I ask you a few questions?" she asked. "Certainly, but you can't always trust in me" he said with a smirk. "Why are you here?" she asked. He frowned. "You always were brighter than this Rachael. Or is it Auxiliadora? How do I know? you look the same. I am nothing more then the mere embodiment of your darkest regrets and fears." he said indifferently. "But I haven't done anything yet" she said.
He roared and his face turned into the ogre's mask. "You foolish girl! you know nothing of your heritage or of why you are always hurt do you? Rachael was the fool who created the Ouroboros Ringlet and after that she was filled with regret. You know why? Because she doomed the people who were to be the reincarnations of her to a life of pain and heartbreak. Equivalent exchange works in harsh ways" he spat as he came to stand behind her. "The Ouroboros Ringlet allows the user to have immortality by means of rebirth. But in order to gain that one must perform an action of greater or equal value. When she created this artifact, she had cast a spell on certain decendents who would take up her place and protect the artifact" he purred. "Does that make sense?" he asked.
"Yes. But why am I seeing these flashes of me being tortured in a graveyard?" she asked. Koh resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "This is your third repeat of this life. You failed your mission the past two times, getting only to the graveyard and ending up dying" he said. "But why didn't I just reincarnate?" she asked. "You did you foolish girl! Those are memories of your past lives. I am the embodiment of your darkest fears" he snarled. "I am what you fear!" he said with a growl. "Why did I fail my mission?" she asked.
"Oh dear do you not know? You let yourself fall into the hands of the most powerful Dark Wizard of all time. He sapped you of your power, equivalent exchange. Your life for his immortality" Koh spoke with glee. When he got no reaction, he growled and move away from her. "One last question Koh" she stated. "You have asked enough don't you think?" he mentioned. "No. I need to know, why me? Why is my sketchbook the key?" she asked. "That's two, but I'll answer" he purred as he hovered in front of her. "She chose you because she was a seer and saw that you alone could change the Dark Lord's ways. Your sketchbook holds all the answers. Did you never wonder why when it was full it would rip out every page and begin anew? The answers lie where it's hidden" he said. "How do I get rid of you?" she asked. "That's a question you already know the answer to" said Koh as she vanished.
When she opened her eyes, she saw her friends had returned. The healer did not want her to leave until she knew she was one hundred percent healed. She sighed and looked at her friends. "My grandmother, Rachael, first encountered the spirit Koh after creating the Ouroboros Ringlet" she said to her friends, her hair falling over her eyes. "When she created the Ringlet, she unknowingly sacrificed her happiness when she tried to rid her mother of her illness" Auxiliadora explained.
"Equivalent exchange" Audrey muttered. "Yes. The Muggle Alchemist's theory on how alchemy works. She had spent her whole life studying it in order to finally create something to keep her mother alive, but instead it cursed her and her decendents. We were cursed with misfortune for tampering with the forces of nature, for no one should evade death. I know very little of my family's history before my mother. All I know is every woman was marked to be the bearers of the Ouroboros, but in the end, only one would wield its power. According to Koh, it was always meant to be me who would wield it. What is more confusing is that this is my third time through this life. I failed to prevent the destruction of this world...twice. I don't know where I went wrong. But I know that I can only remember bits and pieces of my past lives" Auxiliadora explained with a sigh.
"So what you are telling us is that your great grandmother created an artifact that could answer the users wishes so long as there was a reasonable equivalent exchange involved. But because of this, death came to her in the form of the spirit Koh and punished her and her decendents for all eternity?" asked Isabella, trying to wrap her head around this whole thing. Auxiliadora nodded her head. "And because of this, shortly before her death, her last vision was of you with this future Dark Lord?" Penelope piped up. Again she nodded. "So when her daughter touched the artifact, it wouldn't heed her desires. And then the cycle continued until you were born as you were destined to wield the artifact" said Audrey with a thoughtful expression. Auxiliadora nodded again, a smile forming on her face as her friends began to solve the confusion of her history.
"Which is why she left that sketchbook. It holds all the information you needed to wield it, because otherwise if one not destined to wield the Ouroboros Ringlet tried to harness it's power they'd live a cursed life of unimaginable horror. The Ouroboros Ringlet is a weapon! It's like that Elder Wand my uncle once told me about! The Elder Wand, if defeated in a duel, will be under the ownership of the one who defeated it, so if the owner of the Ringlet is defeated in a duel, then it's power would be relinquished to the one who beat them. But by doing this it causes a parallel universe if the new owner is a Dark wizard or becomes one. That's why you said past lives, it's not so much as you were a different person. You were the same person, but the path you walked on became one not dictated to you by fate!" cried Audrey as she beamed brightly.
Auxiliadora grinned. "But what does Koh have to do with this?" asked Isabella. "He's death! His job is to take her life, but at the same time he is helping her. But...he is also the embodiment of unimaginable grief and regret, as well as self-loathing. The only way to vanquish him..." said Penelope as she trailed off. "...Is to face whatever demons caused his appearance" Ashley finished. "The bits and pieces you see in your nightmares are from the other worlds where the future's fate was sealed" muttered Audrey. "The ringlet is never meant to fall into the wrong hands" said Penelope.
Auxiliadora just smiled and laid back against her pillows. "Thank goodness I have you guys around, otherwise my brain would've exploded due to all of this" she said with a tired laugh. "You have the oddest history here Lia. But we're glad we can be of help, however, how can you read that sketchbook?" asked Ashley. She groaned and rubbed her eyes. "I don't know, I don't know what this scar means either" she said. "That's the mark of the bearers of the ringlet Lia. However, yours is heavily intricate" Isabella murmered. Auxiliadora's eyes drifted shut, listening to her surroundings until she fell asleep once more, silencing her friend's chatter.
Author's Note: thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this! Oh and if you have any questions about what I was trying to explain, please message me and I'll be happy to clarify any confusion you may have.