Authors Note: Okay, so . . . LAST CHAPTER . . . Awe, there is sadness in my heart :( Oh, and don't forget to review, please! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! But anyway, read on, read on!
Iggy: What do you mean this is the last chapter!?
Miz636: It means she's done with th-
Iggy: IT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION!
Me: Why are you so upset?
Fang: Because he knows we have to leave . . . and that means he can't secure his precious Blufadoodle.
Me: Not exactly . . .
Iggy: What do you mean?
Me: Well, I talked to my sisters and they said they'll let you have the Blufadoodle . . . Since you're leaving and all.
Iggy: . . . REALLY!?
Chapter -:Thirty Seven:-
Morbid Decisions That Delegate Your Destiny
My first though was, we're saved!
But then two events occurred that tipped my whole world upside down and left me hanging, head first, off a cliff with no discernable bottom. Two things that would ultimately ensure even more chaos in my already hectic mind.
First, I felt the weight from my pocket shift sideways and then completely disappear. I whipped my head around, looking down in horror as the glass orb, my glass orb, tumbled out of my now open pocket, the torn edge of cloth clearly visible. It seemed like all time stopped at that moment, slowing down to a decresendo. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words got caught in my closed throat. The sphere hit the ground and cracked audibly down the middle, and kept rolling with a 'thunk, thunk' that I couldn't hear through the uproar as it hit at least five steps before exploding in a shower of crystals. A shadowy figure emerged, pearly white and glowing. I saw it's mouth moving, but with the resounding sounds of the battle raging on around me, I couldn't hear a word it said.
Then it began to fade away into nothingness and I finally jolted myself out of my stupor enough to dive forwards, taking the tiers two at a time in order to reach the spirit (or whatever it was) before it disappeared. I wasn't really sure what I was planning on doing when I reached it. What was I supposed to do? Ask it to repeat itself? For some odd reason, I didn't think that was going to work very well.
Then the second event occurred.
Maximum, stop!
The voice rang loud and clear in my head, and it wasn't just any old tone either. It was The Voice.
"Hey there Voice. Long time no talk. Can't say I missed your crabby, fortune-cookie crap butting in on every situation, but hey! What can you do?" I replied sarcastically, the momentary shock from hearing from the Voice for the first time in so long wearing off quickly.
I'm always present Maximum. You may not hear me, but I'm always there.
"Well isn't that sweet? Unfortunately, I don't really have time to have a good-goody reunion with you, my dear friend. I'm in a bit of a situation, in case you haven't noticed yet Yoda."
That's why I'm here. You need to remove yourself from the premises.
"What!? Why? There's no way I'm leaving Harry," I insisted.
This isn't your place, Maximum! This is not your part of the battle. It's Harry's turn to take charge now.
"What are you blabbing about?" I asked suspiciously, not really even hoping for a straight-forward answer.
All will be explained in time.
"Thanks, I really fricking appreciate that."
If the Voice could sigh, I'm pretty sure they would have been doing so at that exact moment. Assist Neville with escape and get back to the others. You are needed elsewhere.
"And you're lucky numbers are . . ." I replied acidly.
No reply . . . Well surprise, surprise.
I hurried over to Neville, who was now cowering behind a piece of stone that had been uprooted from its place on the floor by some spell. His feet were perfectly calm, if you didn't count the twitching, though I guessed that to be more due to nerves than a jinx.
He saw me looking and replied simply, "Kingsly."
I nodded in affirmation, pretending to know full well who that was, even though in reality I didn't have the slightest clue. I just grabbed his arm and hefted him up, not even bothering to watch my back as I made my way out of the room. I was confident in the fact that everyone else was rather busy with their own problems.
Just as I crossed the threshold I heard the agonizied cry of Harry screaming Sirius's name.
Countless dreams in the moonlit night, to be fraught with peril, and the urge to take flight . . .
The fog surrounding me was endless. White colored my vision, and even though I held my hand not even two centimeters away from my face I couldn't see it, the smoky mixture was so complete.
Even so I kept walking, stumbling around in no particular direction. There was no discernable sceenery, nor anything to make me trip either. Even though I should have been confused by the situation, all I felt was a blissful blankness in my mind. It was a welcome state from the previous.
All too soon it was over, and I found the fog to be dispersing. I felt an inexplicable pull to the area ahead, and as I continued walking everything that had happend of the late slowly trickled back into my mind, like sand in an hour glass.
Finally I emerged from the fog completely as the last remnants of my hazy stupor vanished along with it. I was now standing in a small clearing; towering trees with gnarled roots completely still around me with no leaves or other vegetation. I took a few steps more before halting in my tracks, peering curiously at the far end of the clearing, where I could faintly see the first signs of two hunched figures walking towards me.
As they came closer my apprehension grew, but I couldn't seem to make myself turn and run away. Something was keeping me rooted to the spot, and as much as that scared me, I couldn't be bothered to fret too much about it.
Just as the two reached the fringe the taller of them stopped the other, bending their head and saying something in earnest. The other seemed to argue for a moment before nodding their head contemptuously and stepping back a few steps, where they became shrouded in shadows. Then the taller one turned to face me once more and adopted a slow gait as they walked out into the wane light.
Before me stood a crippled old man, desolate and hunch-backed, though he walked with no cane. His hair was gray and stringy, grizzled features sticking out in stark contrast to his pale skin. His eyes though, oh his eyes- such a captivating and young sort of blue, like an endless sky of opaque waters. They glistened and shimmered like a beacon.
"Cyfarchion, greetings, Maximum Ride." He spoke in a deep, grovelling tone, like stone grating against stone.
"H-How do you know my name?" I asked hesitantly, realizing that this old man wasn't a threat to me in the least.
"A god knows all," he said simply, cocking his head to the side and staring at me quizzically.
"You're a god?" I couldn't help the incredulity from sneaking into my tone, his statement so doubtful to me.
"Not just any god my dear, I am Gwythry, King and Supreme Ruler of the Upperworld," he said majestically.
My mind went blank at how stunned I was by this new feat, and I couldn't help the words that tumbled out of my mouth next. "Uh . . . No offense, dude, but you don't look anything like how I imagined."
I thought he was going to kill me then, or otherwise punish me in the cruelest way possible for dissing his appearance like I had, when the exact opposite happened.
He laughed.
And not just a tiny chuckle. No, he threw back his head and let out a resounding boom that sent birds scattering into the air, like bullets against the background of the gray sky . . . and as he laughed, he changed.
Before my very eyes, just as the original Elfen Comanderaid had done, his appearance morphed into something else entirely. His back began to arch, his previously hunched spine straightening to perfection. His limbs grew slightly longer and his skin began to darken to a rich, tan, caramel color. The gray hair grew to shoulder length where it then changed to a golden hue. His eyes though, oh his eyes, with their perfect shade of twin cobalt stayed exactly the same. He was absolutely breathtaking, emitting a glorified shine that seemed to go on for ages, lighting every nook and cranny of the forest.
"Gwythry," I murmured, dropping to my knees. I could pretend I was doing it to honor him, but in reality my legs had given out from the force of his stunning appearance.
"Stand Maximum. For at this time we may register each other as yn dychwelyd, equals," he said proudly, his voice now strong and powerful.
I felt myself rise, though I was still a bit shaky.
Gwythry's expression turned grave then, and he said; "You must know that I visit humans rarely, if at all. I can go thousands of years before letting myself be seen by my brethren. You, however," and he seemed to grow amused then, "are a special case."
"Special?" I squeaked, not able to help myself.
"I am to understand that during your recent battle at the Ministry of Magic, you were able to access the prophecy inscirbed with your name, am I correct?"
"Y-yes . . . but I-" I began to explain.
"But you lost it, yes I know. Due to a rather unfortunate tear in your pocket, I believe?"
I nodded mutely, ashamed.
"Maximum, I am here now, to inquire as to whether you would like to know the contents of the prophecy . . . More simply put, I believe you to be ready to fulfill your destiny. Now the only question is, do you have enough confidence in yourself to take on such a responsibility?"
Everything was going so fast. My mind was racing a million miles a second. Thoughts that I had yet to fathom were flashing by at incrasing speeds. Did I want to know? Did I even want to begin to imagine the hefty weight this would put on my shoulders? I guess in the end, my curiousity would always win out.
"I want to know," I stated firmly, no questions asked.
A few moments of silence passed as Gwythry fixed me with an impenetrable stare. He seemed to be stripping down my soul, leafing through its contents to see if my words were true.
"You, Maximum Ride, will save the world."
I waited for him to continue; to elaborate further, but he seemed to be done speaking on the matter.
"That's it? I went through all this trouble to hear that!? Jeb's been telling me that for years! It's nothing new!" I exclaimed, my fury growing.
"You speak as if it will be easy. There will be immeasurable obstacles, one's in which you will not be able to stand alone. One such predicament would be that of Tom Riddle."
"Voldemort?" I inquired uneasily.
"He is one of the most potent of Arawn's agents. He has been deeply influenced by Arawn' s voice in his head from a young age. I have yet to determine whether Tom is aware of this fact or not, but be rest assured that Arawn will make you one of his biggest targets. Righ after two other people."
"Who?" I asked breathlessly.
"The second is Albus Dumbledore, who is the only one Tom ever feared. The first is a close friend of your's, is it not? Harry Potter."
"Voldemort's out to get Harry, I knew that . . . but why?"
"For a hefty reason. Harry Potter has a destiny much like your own. He is the only one who can kill Tom Riddle."
Ever so slowly things began to click into place inside my head.
"Harry's the only one who can kill Voldemort . . . and Voldemort needs to be killed or else he'll take over the world, thereby ensuring Arawn a ruling seat. If Harry's able to be rid of Voldemort, then I would be able to stop Arawn from taking control of the Between-Land, and keep peace with its human inhabitants."
Gwythry grinned widely, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"You will do a fine job, Maximum."
"And what if I can't? What if I can't protect Harry so that he can go in for the kill? What if Voldemort wins?"
"Negative thoughts bring negative actions. Be confident in yourself, and you will go far."
The edges of my mind began to grow fuzzy, and out of my peripheral vision I caugh first sight of the fog creeping towards me, the tendrils clutching out like a crippled hand.
"You will have two guides to help you. One from Earth, and one from the Upperworld," Gwythry announced, gesturing to the figure standing a few paces back in the forest, watching on. "They will assist you in making the correct decisions."
The fog was coming closer, wrapping around my ankles, and drifting higher on my body. Every second that passed wasted precious snippets of my mind, the blankness coming back with increasing fervor.
"Wait! WAIT! I have so many questions!" I shouted, knowing that all the previous things meant my time with Gwythry was ending.
"I must go now, Maximum. Know that my faith lies within you. I will lend you the strength of a god in your weakest times. You will never be alone, so long as you believe in yourself . . ."
And then the fog was in my eyes, making it impossible to see and my mind was freezing over, going numb. I was trapped, with no way out . . . no way our . . . no way ou-
"MAX!" Fang shouted, shaking my shoulders roughly.
I gasped, shooting straight up and clutching at my shirt front.
"Max?" Fang asked in concern, taking a seat beside me.
"I'm fine . . . I just had a . . . Are we there yet?" I inquired, changing the subject quickly. Something told me that now wasn't exactly a good time to be blurting out all the new information I had leanred.
"We just pulled into the station."
"And the others?"
"I assigned Nudge and Iggy the job of securing our packs. We have a long flight ahead of us, on a plane. Harry and the others are saying their good-byes," he replied.
I thought back to my last few days at Hogwarts. Things had been pretty hectic. It was all a blur of inquiries and re-telling the same story again and again. I had been locked up in the Hospital Wing for far too long, and by then the tale of our heroic deed had spread like a wildfire, becoming even more outrageous as it went along. I was barely able to see Harry or any of the others who had been at the Ministry, because after a few days I had holed myself up in the house, as far away from society as possbile. I had had enough of all those people. In that time I flew a lot, just thinking about all the mysteries I had yet to solve . . .
. . . And those that were sure to come.
Authors Note: It's . . . finished? The last chapter of Magical Mayhem: The Phoenix Flies . . . is done? I'm stuck on whether this is a happy event or not. I'm going to miss writing it . . . but after a few stories, I should be getting right back to it in:
Magical Mayhem: Flight of the Half-Bloods, which the summary for it is:
Apocalyptic dream/visions, breaking one boy's heart, rescue missions, and startling revelations about family origins? Not to forget an enemy on every side, threatening to overcome Max's sanity. Will she prevail?
Okay, let's talk about a few key points. First, we discover Max's destiny. Second, we get an explanation as to why Voldemort is the way he is. Third, Angel and Gazzy obviously aren't back yet. If the summary didn't give you a clue as to when they are coming back, then you should really go and re-read it, as is with; four, Max's choice on who she is going to choose, romance wise.
I think that's it. Forgive me if I missed anything.
Anyway, I'd just like to say thanks to all you wonderful people who have reviewd, alerted, and/or favorited this story. A special thanks to those who have stuck with me through the first and now the second story in the series as well. You make me smile :D
If you have any further questions or need any other information please feel free to PM me. I'll do the best I can to keep you informed. I think the only thing I have left to say is be on the look-out for the third installment in the series. Keep this on alert's, and I'll add a chapter telling you when it's out . . . and good-bye until then my lovely's (:
My sisters: *Tosses over the Blufadoodle* Have fun!
Iggy: Gimme', gimme', gimme!
Miz636: Fine! Take it, you idiot!
Iggy: FINALLY! Finally the hunt is over! The Blufadoodle is now mi- . . . WHAT THE!?
Me: What's wrong, Igs?
Iggy: IT'S AN *$&! STUFFED ANIMAL! *goes into an hysterical fit*
Me: . . . So you guys are gonna come and visit right?
Fang: * Nods * Of course.