Chapter 21: The Devil
To prepare for the coming fight for their Wizarding World, Sylvia had to find out how to get control of the dark devil in her heart.
She tried many times when she was young in Asgard, but she was dark enough back then to have no light to be on the devil's opposite. It was like the devil was her darker side, not the dark side.
But now it was different. She wanted to be good for once, and perhaps for all. She wanted to be facing the light for a second instead of falling into the eternal darkness.
"Alright, I think you should come out for a sec," facing a broken mirror in Grimmauld Place, she sighed to her own reflection, "I need to know who, or what you are, and we really need to talk."
To her surprise, the devil responded and took control of her body. When she got her own mind back, there was a line of words on the piece of paper in front of her. She looked at the time to find that a minute had slipped away without her knowing.
I'm Wings, your "dark devil", as you call me. I live in your body and help you out a bit when I think you need it.
"You've gotta be kidding me." She breathed to herself, "Dissociative Disorders." She decided to "talk" with her other self through the paper.
Are there others? Or is it just you?
The next line wrote:
No, it's just me. Dual personality.
She let out a relieved breath, knowing that there were only two spirits in her body.
When did you come to me?
When you needed it, I came to you and helped you get out of the sorrow from your surroundings. I know all about you, Gloomy.
Right, to the point, will you stop killing anyone for me? I mean, Alumy's not that bad, and you… killed her. She's my sister no matter how much she wanted to kill me.
Killing is my personality.
What are your personalities, anyway?
Cruel, cool, no emotions, and enjoys killing.
And bold, I guess.
Yep, I'm not afraid to let the powers hurt anyone.
For the sake of Merlin, why are you doing this? I don't kill, even if I'm really, really mad.
Gloomy, I think we're one piece instead of two.
What?
You're the bright side that longs for the dark, I'm the dark side that gave you the dark.
How very kind of you.
You're welcome. Anyways, I'm only a dark side of you.
Wings, we've got to get this right. I am definitely not going to kill anyone else, and you're not going to as long as I live.
I told you, killing is what I do.
But you didn't kill anyone when we were in Asgard.
True, because you weren't this weak back then, and I had no need to kill and make you realize the fact that you need to settle yourself back, back to your dark self.
Am I supposed to be that dark? I'm not Sylvia Hoderta like you knew, I'm Sylvia Black. Sylvia Nyphadora Black. What do you know about me that I don't?
Well… we have the ability to use 75% of your brain.
That is not possible. The average is like, 10%.
I know, but 50% of that is mine, 25% is yours.
Promise me you won't kill anyone without my permission again? This is my body, no matter what happens.
Alright. But in that case, Wings and Gloomy have to exist at the same time.
What do you mean –
She didn't get to finish writing when a sharp pain ran through her. She felt the dark devil – Wings – taking over, but not entirely.
She stared at herself in the mirror. Her left eye was dark purple, while her right one was still silver.
"This is insane." She murmured, knowing that Wings was inside her, taking half of her mind.
"Merlin's beard! Sylvia, what did you do to yourself?" Rodfort rushed into the building and saw her eyes, "You're the best person we've got at the moment, you're our leader! You can't just give up on yourself -"
"I didn't give up." She growled in gritted teeth, "Now contact Delphi. We'll need her help."
"Great, just absolutely great." He muttered, "Daughter of the Dark Lord against Blood Devil."
"She's half-blood, but she's the heir of Slytherin, she'll be able to get the remains of Death Eaters organized."
"Wait, what? You're gonna get the Death Eaters to help?" Rodfort stared at her as if she has gone mad.
"They're pure-bloods as long as they believe that pure-bloods should remain like they are. And besides, you're becoming one as well."
"Nope, not gonna happen…"
"You're a pure-blood, and we need an organization, while the Death Eaters are ones that's already there for us."
"Maybe we should think of another solution -"
"The Dark Mark will be a good way to communicate."
"What about the Ravenclaws?"
"They won't refuse unless they want to quit."
"What happened to you?" Rodfort stared at her, "You're different, ever since you came back from the library, on November 22nd."
"I am different, Rods, do you think that matters?" She replied, knowing if she didn't have this under control, Wings would come out.
"I – it doesn't." He sighed in defeat.
"Exactly, now go to Aunt Bella and get Delphi, and then summon the Death Eaters with their children if they had any and meet me at… at this place an hour later."
"You're so strict as always." Rodfort chuckled slightly.
"Now." She hissed impatiently and he went down to the door quickly before Apparating away.
She took another look at herself in front of the mirror. Heterochronic pupils. Great.
Her left eye – the purple one that belonged to Wings – was in a dark shade without any light reflected inside, while her right one – her own one that was bright silver – was bright as usual, having a few spotted lights reflected from the dim light. Apart from her eyes, everything else was normal for her – on the outside.
"Mistress, is there anything Kreacher can do for you?" The long-lived House-Elf appeared out of the dark corridor with a significant "pop".
"Get the meeting room ready, we've got some guests." She ordered swiftly, leaving Kreacher to vanish with another "pop".
Thinking of who she was going to see in about an hour, she went upstairs to her father's room. Opening the tall wooden wardrobe, she knew what she was looking for this time.
Surprisingly, Regulus Black's Death Eater robe was still fine and in one piece just like it had been about 50 years ago. The silver mask that looked like a skull shone like new.
If she was going to summon the Death Eaters and let them fight on her side, listening to her commands, she'd better become one.
She didn't know how exactly to do the Dark Mark, but she was sure that it would be painful and there would be an ugly tattoo on her left forearm.
Time passed quickly within that hour and before she knew it, the first Death Eater came.
"Hello, Draco." She smiled at the not-so-young-anymore Death Eater, pulling off her mask to show her face, "Good to see you alive."
"Sylvia?" Scorpius showed up from behind his father, surprised to see her.
"Get inside before Lestrange kills you three." She smirked and moved out of the way for them.
"You didn't tell me you're going to get your father's cloths." Rodfort hissed as he passed her, earning a glare from Aunt Bella.
"Welcome back to where you belong, Delphi Voldemort." She greeted the silver-haired lady coming after Rodolphus Lestrange.
Ivan Rosier - Evan Rosier's younger brother and father to Dormine Rosier – came along with his daughter, Antonin Dolohov, Alecto and Amycus Carrow came at the same time.
More former Death Eaters with their pure-blood kin came, too many for Sylvia to name them all. They all settled in the meeting room when the last people from Ravenclaw came in.
"Why are they here?" Amycus spat at Tim and Tiffany, along with Davina, Miya and Tommy.
"Mind your words, Carrow," Sylvia warned the Death Eater, not afraid of any of them at all, "they fight for us as long as this war lasts."
"Since we're all here," she continued, "I'd better get to the point."
"We need a leader." Rodfort raised his hand as if they were in a class.
"I thought we have one." Tim looked over to Sylvia.
"Delphi is, but I need to explain -" She was cut off by Richard.
"Why should the failed one be the leader?" The Rochefort boy asked. Murmurs of agreement rose from the crowd.
"She's the only one still loyal to the Dark Lord since he died, while all of you stayed put like nothing ever happened."
"Who says we did?" Mr. Lestrange objected, "Who do you think raised her?"
"Fine, shut the hell up, all of you." Sylvia said sternly, "If you won't listen to Delphi, then you'll all listen to me. Any objections?"
There was silence. No one dared to speak against her.
"Great. Now, let's get to where we should be five minutes ago. The Blood Devil is rising like how the Dark Lord did, but right on the opposite side. Which means, it's not Mudbloods that are going to be harmed this time, it's us. Pure-bloods and the ones who fight for us, they're killing the old and honorable wizarding blood, spilling them like they are unworthy.
"To fight against this Blood Devil, we have an advantage. We dare to use Unforgiveable Curses while they don't. We dare to kill with magic, we have advanced Dark Magic that runs through our wands.
"Since we've already got Death Eaters as an organization, we'd better use that. Does anyone here still remember how to do the Dark Mark? Delphi? Aunt Bella?"
"The process is painful." Delphi said uncertainly.
"It's supposed to be painful." Aunt Bella snapped.
"That's not the question," Sylvia sighed, "I asked if you still know how to do it."
"I do." To her surprise, Richard answered her question.
"How do you know?" Rodfort stared at his friend in shock and surprise.
"His father was the Dark Lord's right-hand-man." Mr. Rosier explained, "Joseph Rochefort, Mechanical Eye."
A few gasps of fear for the name responded to his words. Joseph Rochefort was one of the very first Death Eaters of the Dark Lord, and one of the most loyal ones. He was killed by James Potter, father to Harry Potter when he was young. Mr. Rochefort was responsible to the deaths of Charlus, Dorea, their only son, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, along with the attacks on the Longbottoms and McDonalds, and many other events with the Muggles.
Sylvia showed no reaction to his father's name, "If anyone doesn't want the Dark Mark, they can leave this room now."
No one moved, nor dared to move. Sylvia looked like she was going to kill anyone who said "no".
"Good, now Richard, I think you should start." She shot an icy gaze at him.
"Now?" Tim stared at her, while Rodfort kicked him from under the table.
"We don't have the whole day." Sylvia growled, "I'll go first."
"I've got to warn you that this will be very painful and if you don't want to show people your weak side, we can do it somewhere else." Richard informed her seriously.
"Do you think I'd feel anything? After killing my own sister?" She knew Wings took over when the words came out. She pulled up her left sleeve to show her thin and pale forearm.
"Alright." Richard took a deep breath and murmured some complicated indications under his breath, pointing his wand to her forearm. A dark green glow formed at his wand-tip and a black silky figure slowly moved on her skin.
There was pain, she could tell, but she felt none of it. At least Gloomy didn't feel anything, and Wings could take in the pain without a mental movement.
The Dark Mark was on her forearm when it was over. There was a black snake coming out of a black skull for the tattoo, and she could feel the magic it contained running through her veins.
"Beautiful." She commented, gaining back the control of her mind when Wings left her.
"You were supposed to scream in agony and writhe in pain," Aunt Bella looked confused, "but you looked like nothing happened."
"Told you, I don't have feelings." She replied with no emotion.
"It doesn't look that painful at all." Rodfort commented.
"You're next." Sylvia glared at him.
"If you say so." The young Lestrange walked over to Richard.
"You shouldn't have believed her, you know." Richard murmured to him as he showed his left forearm.
"True, because you and I show a big difference towards pain." She told him calmly.
The next five minutes they listened to Rodfort's screams as Richard pointed his wand to his arm.
"Well done, for believing my lies." She said in mock approval when he finished.
The ones who didn't have the Dark Mark had their turns one by one, all went through the great pain.
"My fellow Death Eaters, our fight begins now." Sylvia could feel Wings agreeing solemnly in her heart.