VI. The Casket of Winters Past

After Galdir had left for the Archives, Lords Canadion and Anuon, along with Lady Aglareth, decided to retreat to the House of Aglaron. From here, they continued to survey the Wizarding world while they waited for Galdir to return. After 5 days of waiting, tempers were running high.

"I think we have waited long enough! What if Galdir is lost? Should we not go and find him?" snapped Anuon.

"Galdir has spent more time than anyone else that I know inside the Archives. He knows his way around and has never lost his way. We should wait for him", spoke Aglareth in irritation.

"How can you be so sure? Surely finding a way to solve this problem does not take long! I could very easily think of a couple of books in the first level that–"

"Yes, Canadion, but if Galdir is taking so long it must be for a reason. We should wait." Aglareth glared at Canadion.

"I will give him one more day. If he hasn't returned by then, I am going in there to find him myself", countered Anuon.

Aglareth merely shook her head in annoyance and left the room, leaving the very irritable Elves inside.

Aglareth walked through the gardens of Aglaron. She had always liked it here. She always felt safe inside the Galdir's House, even more so than her own. A silent tear slid down her cheek as her thoughts turned to her dead sister, and the grief that it had caused her and Galdir.

He had never been the same since her death. Lost was the youthful spark in his eyes, replaced by a haunted look. Of course, in 300 years, he had learned to mask the pain so people would stop asking him what was wrong. He had learned to smile and laugh. But she could see the truth behind his mask. She could see the wound that would probably never heal. That would never stop hurting.

Due to their immortality, marriages amongst Elves were rare. For them, the phrase "'till death do us part" took on a whole new meaning. The vows that were exchanged were forever, and so it made the commitment of marriage something not to be taken lightly. There was also the matter of the bonding that took place upon marriage. Since they were born from magic they had a very deep connection to it. While humans could lose their magic and live as squibs, for an Elf to lose their magic meant death. As such, whenever two Elves decided to marry, a ritual was performed, one that bound their magic together, essentially making them one entity. This only worsened the pain that Galdir felt further. He had not only lost the chance to have a mate for all eternity, but he had also lost a part of himself. It was not uncommon in the Elven World for Elves to commit suicide if they lost their mate. Death was preferable to living a half-life. Yet Galdir had not done so, and this intrigued Aglareth. Of course, she was happy for this, but it struck her as odd that he would not follow her sister.

Though she had not known all the details of Galdir's youth, and she was fairly certain that her sister did not either, she had learned enough to know that Galdir had lead a life of solitude, plagued with horrors that they could never dream of facing. His life had taken a significant upturn when they had met, and her sister had described the transformation from the Galdir she had met to the Galdir that she had fallen in love with and eventually married as miraculous. So it made little sense that if she had died, Galdir had not ended his own life as well. But there was more, or so Aglareth suspected. Although grieving for the death of your spouse could take several decades, it seldom went as long as Galdir had. She suspected there was a more powerful reason for Galdir's grief, but she did not have the heart to ask him about it.

Sighing, she continued her walk. Her feelings towards Galdir had been confusing lately. She had come to terms with her being slightly jealous of her sister when she had decided to marry Galdir, having never been married herself. She had been infatuated with Galdir at some point, but got over it quickly and accepted him as a member of the family. She cared for him like a brother, nothing more. But this all had changed when her sister had died. Having lost her parents a couple of decades prior to her death, Aglareth was suddenly left alone. She had no more family left, and her House did not really count as her family anyways. Galdir had been far too encased in his grief to pay her any attention, and so she was left to wallow in her grief alone.

At some point in the past 300 years, Galdir changed. Something seemed to snap inside of him and it was strong enough to draw him out of his misery. Sure, the pain was still there, but he ignored it as much as he could. He laughed more, and had recovered some semblance of the smile that had infatuated her so many years ago. She knew that he cared for her, and that he was completely and utterly ashamed of not having considered her needs. She also knew that she cared for him as well, she just wasn't sure that it was the same feeling as before. She knew Galdir would never marry again, nor would he consider courting another woman. But she still felt something for him; something that had troubled her for a long time, and had not been able to name. Sighing, she returned to the House to continue the surveillance of the Wizarding World, hoping that Galdir was not lost and would return to them soon.

It was late evening of the sixth day since Galdir's departure. Anuon gathered his things, followed by Canadion. Aglareth had finally agreed and was ready to leave as well. Just as they were about to walk out the door, they saw Galdir running towards them, with a smile that they had not seen in a long time.

"I solved it! I solved it!" he yelled in delight as he ran towards the three dumbstruck Elves. They had not seen Galdir smile like that in quite some time. It was a smile that was reserved for the moments of sheer genius that he had when attempting to solve a particularly hard problem. Snapping out of their trance, they walked in with Galdir.

"Why are you in my house? I thought you were going back to Mainor?" asked Galdir.

"We thought of that at first, but it turns out that your house is better equipped for surveillance of the Wizarding World, and so we moved here. Your Elves were kind enough to let us in, and we have been camping out in your study ever since", replied Canadion. Galdir nodded.

"So Galdir, why don't you share our findings with us?" asked Aglareth.

"You might want to take a seat. This is going to take a while, and I am going to need your help at the end." Galdir motioned towards the chairs in his study. The three Elven Lords sat down, looking at him expectantly. Galdir mused at the faces of Canadion and Anuon. Those were the same faces of interest and admiration they had always sported when he lectured them throughout their Apprenticeship.

"Well, as you all know, Hogwarts and its wards were built with the help of the Elves. As such, the first thing I had to check for was the properties of the wards: what they could and could not do", explained Galdir. "It turns out that wards negate all concealment charms, as well as any form of transfiguration. Once inside, however, the user can cast whatever he or she likes."

"Well, that is terribly unhelpful", commented Aglareth.

"My thoughts exactly. Looking back on recent events, I noticed two instances in which an outsider got past the wards. They are–"

"Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Jr.!" said Anuon.

"Indeed. Further examination proved that they had managed to find, unknowingly of course, a gap in the wards. Since Elves do not delve in the art of Potion brewing and the Founders did not believe it worthwhile to construct additional wards, the use of Polyjuice negates the effects of the wards", continued Galdir.

"It would not have made sense to create them. Polyjuice potion is relatively recent. It was created some 500 years ago, if I recall correctly", said Canadion.

"Precisely. And since carrying a flask of Polyjuice would be completely impractical, not to mention absurdly inelegant, I decided to investigate on Pettigrew. He was, as you know, an Animagus. After translating three books from Protean Elvish, I came –"

"Why were those books in Protean? The theory for animagi is not that old. Protean Elvish was discontinued 39,000 years ago was it not?" asked Aglareth.

"True. But there are some factions of the House of Mainor that still believe that Protean is more pure than Ancient Elvish, and so they still use it. I was fortunate enough to find that this particular dialect is very close to Ancient Elvish, and so I was able to translate the majority of the texts without much difficulty. This is why I took so long to return. In any case, the information was useless", said Galdir.

"Why would you go down that road? Animagi are charms are they not? But then…" Canadion's brow creased in thought. Galdir smiled as his former Apprentice tried to solve the problem.

"Because an animagus changes his state. It is a different state of being, correct?" asked Anuon.

"Indeed, Anuon. I see that your mind has not slowed in the slightest. Had it been a charm, Pettigrew would not have been able to enter, as the wards would have negated it. However, as an animagus, he can change his state, and as a result he could bypass the wards. Unfortunately, Elves tend to turn into more… noticeable creatures. So that plan was useless as well", continued Galdir.

"So no charms, transfiguration, or animagi. But we do know that you need to change state in order to bypass the wards. That narrows the options down considerably", commented Aglareth.

"Right. Frustrated as I was, I delved deeper into the Archives. On the sixth level, I found an interesting book. Have you heard of the Encyclopaedia of All Things?" asked Galdir.

Aglareth shook her head. She had never been lower than the third level herself, as her studies of magic did not require her to go that far in history. Her speciality was charms, but her Master had decided that only knowledge of the spells and their theory from Ancient Elvish was enough. Canadion and Anuon were a different story entirely. Being apprenticed to Galdir meant that they had learned everything from the dawn of the Elves to the present. They had visited all levels in the Archives, but their purposes were different. Canadion was an elemental, which meant he could control the four elements: air, water, fire, and earth. As such, his focus had been to find spells, no matter how ancient, in these areas. It was actually he who had discovered a way to control the treacherous Fiendfyre, and had also created equivalents for the other elements. History had never been his strong point, so he shook his head as well.

Anuon was a rather curious elf. He was a warrior, and most of his teachings had focused on that. However, he later found that he was a bit of a Seer. Though he could not make prophecies, he could See roughly two minutes into the future. With the guidance of Galdir, they had honed this ability so he could use it in battle. As a result, his studies had to go deeper into magical theory and objects, since Seers always used something to focus their energy and the foundations of Divination were ancient.

He nodded. "Is that not the book that I used to find the Gem of Lüme?" asked Anuon, as he withdrew a beautiful gem that hung from a necklace that he wore. The stone was carved to the point where it shone brighter than any diamond carved by Goblins or humans, and it reflected light in every direction due to its multiple facets. The centre was perfectly flat, resembling a magnifying glass of sorts.

"Very good. It was that book that told you of its existence, but not its location", corrected Galdir.

"The Gem of Lüme? I thought that was lost thousands of years ago", said Aglareth incredulously.

"It was. But thanks to some help from the Encyclopaedia and Galdir, I managed to find it", responded Anuon smugly.

"Pardon my ignorance, but what is the Gem of Lüme?" asked Canadion.

"It is an ancient relic, from the Fourth Age. It was designed to help Seers focus their power, however they quickly found out that their vision was limited when they used the gem. Due to the way that the gem is made, it does not allow a Seer to see anything beyond a couple of hours. However, it was found that it magnified and sharpened visions that were in the range of 5 minutes ahead. It was deemed worthless, and it soon disappeared from all knowledge", explained Anuon.

"Indeed. I had read tales from it in some ancient texts, but was never able to prove that it had existed. As a Final Task, I told Anuon to find it. He proved its existence with the Encyclopaedia, and then journeyed far and wide until he found the Gem. I then helped him hone his abilities with it", continued Galdir.

"So that is why you were gone for a long time when we were training! What was it, some 80 years?" asked Canadion.

"Something like that", answered Anuon with a smile.

"We are getting side-tracked. What did you find in this book, Galdir?" asked Aglareth.

"Have any of you ever heard of the Casket of Winters Past?" asked Galdir with a smile.

The room was silent. Galdir removed the entry that he had copied from his robes and presented it to them.

"What is it?" asked Canadion.

"It is a device that was created approximately 50,000 years ago. The book does not record why it was created, only that it was", answered Galdir. Aglareth skimmed through the entry and then gave it to Canadion, who merely looked at it before giving it to Anuon.

"What does it do?" asked Aglareth.

"That is where it gets very interesting. The Casket of Winters Past is a gateway into some Realm of Magic. Where exactly this Realm is and what it is for is not known. What we do know, however, is that in there is an exact copy of every magical and non-magical signature of every living being. Fundamentally, that means that there is a copy of every living being in there. They are not alive, they are simply there, whatever that means", answered Galdir.

"The Casket is used to perform a type of time travel called stationary travel." Anuon looked up at this. "Stationary? So that means that your body is sent back?" he asked.

"Not quite. What the Casket does is replace you with what you were at the time requested while preserving memories, knowledge, and magical power. So in essence it will return my body to the equivalent of 16 while preserving everything that I am", answered Galdir.

Anuon broke out in laughter. His image of Galdir as a 16 year old was actually going to come true. Canadion joined in as well, once he understood what Galdir was suggesting. Aglareth rolled her eyes, and Galdir simply stood there, waiting for them to finish.

"Is it permanent?" asked Aglareth.

"No. There is a counter, but it does require the Casket itself and someone to perform it with me. As soon as I am thrown back into my 16 year old body, a copy of my current one will be stored within the Casket. I need someone who remembers what I looked like to help me restore my physical self. I do not want to spend over 1,000 years to return to my old self", replied Galdir.

Slowly, the roars of laughter died down, as Anuon and Canadion composed themselves.

"So… you… are… going… to… infiltrate… Hogwarts… as a student?!" asked Anuon between fits of laughter.

"Yes, Anuon. I will join the ranks of students at Hogwarts. There are some obvious complications that we need to address, so if you two buffoons are done", he glared at them as he spoke. "We will continue." Shocked back into their senses by Galdir's statement and glare, Canadion and Anuon straightened themselves.

"Right. Well the first obvious challenge will be to enrol you. Does Hogwarts allow students to transfer?" asked Canadion.

"I think they do. I would have to check with my contact in the Board of Hogwarts. But I am confident it can be arranged", replied Aglareth.

"The second problem is your knowledge, which can lead to the revelation of our world", continued Anuon.

"That is not a problem. I was apprenticed at a time when it was still required for Elves to know how to interact with humans. I can speak English fluently and without an accent. As for my knowledge, I can limit what I use. You are aware that when I started training you both I held back most of my power. It will be similar", replied Galdir confidently.

"Right. We can act as your Guardians, in order to cover your background. We can say that you were home-schooled after the death of your parents", offered Aglareth.

"I think it should only be you Aglareth. As much as I am sure that my Apprentices would love the opportunity of bossing me around, we do need someone with more… experience", he replied. Canadion's and Anuon's face immediately fell.

"Well, we will also need to open an account at Gringotts for you, but I am sure that won't be a problem. After all, the treaty with the Goblins does allow us to open accounts in the Wizarding World should we ever need to. We will also need to buy all of your things, including a wand", said Aglareth.

Galdir's face drained a bit at the thought of having to wave a wand.

"Can we not use an Elvish one?" asked Canadion.

"There are none. The ones that know how to make them swore not to do so again after the results of the last one they made", said Anuon.

"Well, we can worry about those things later. For the time being, I assume that you know where the Casket is hidden?" asked Aglareth.

"That is the only real catch. The book merely says that it exists, not where to find it. Being such a powerful object, I would guess that it is in the vaults of Mainor or Aglaron. That is a good place to start, which is why I said I needed your help", replied Galdir. "Shall we?"

The three Elven Lords rose from their seats and followed Galdir as they went to the entrance of the vaults of Aglaron.

Unlike the vaults at Gringotts were they are located in deep caverns that stretch through thousands of miles, the Elven vaults are comprised of underground chambers, protected with just about every ward known to Elven kind. While families had smaller vaults that contained family heirlooms, and as such did not require to be heavily guarded, the main vaults of each House were impregnable to say the least. Only a Lord can enter them, and only a Lord may retrieve items from the vaults. Fortunately, Elves did not have currencies like the Wizards, since they could very easily conjure what they needed or grow it if necessary, so the vaults were there to protect family heirlooms, as well as objects of immense power. The entrance required a drop of blood from the Elven Lord, and the door would then melt away, revealing a pedestal that contained a single scroll. In here, was a record of every single object that resides in the vault. It contains the name, year of creation, year it was placed in the vault, and the name of the last elf to retrieve it, along with the date.

Galdir lead the Lords into his vault, and checked the manifest. He closed it in defeat. "There is no entry for the Casket of Winters Past. I can only assume that it is in your vault, Canadion?" he asked.

Canadion shook his head. "I have checked the manifest of mine recently. The Casket is not there, Galdir. I would remember had I seen it", replied Canadion.

"What about the hidden vault?" asked Galdir.

"I checked it as well, and there is no record of the Casket. The runes that are used to represent it are far too unique, and I would have recognized them", replied Canadion.

Conjuring chairs, the four Elven Lords sat down, deep in thought.

"Who created the Casket?" asked Aglareth.

"It did not name a creator, only that it belonged to my House", replied Galdir.

"So it must be here, but where?" asked Anuon.

Galdir relaxed and began to meditate, allowing his mind to follow the faint trail that had been revealed when he had seen the name. His memories lead him to a second roll of parchment, hidden deep within the vaults. Rising from his chair, Galdir checked the scroll again.

At the bottom, there was a single line that said Vault of Lords Past, followed by the location.

"I think I found it", said Galdir.

"Where is it? Is it here?" asked Canadion.

"Yes and no. It is here in the vaults, but it is not in the principal one. There appears to be in the hidden vault, deep within this one. I have not seen this since my apprenticeship, so I am only vaguely aware of its existence. Come on." Galdir banished his chair and headed down a corridor, followed by the other Elves.

After what seemed hours, the four Lords arrived at a wall of crafted out of solid gold. Protean runes were carved on its surface, along with the symbol of the House of Aglaron.

"Can you read this, Galdir?" asked Aglareth.

"Not quite. This is pure Protean Elvish, easily more than 65,000 years old. It was the single most complicated language ever created, and none live who can read it fluently. I used to be able to read it, but it has been a long count of years since I had the need to do so. I can, however, recognize some of the runes", said Galdir.

"Well, what do the runes that you know say?" asked Canadion.

"This one is blood. This is royal, and this one I am pretty sure means entry. The only other one I recognize is this, which means death", replied Galdir, pointing at the runes as he spoke.

"Could it be that it is opened like the entrance to the vaults? A drop of blood?" asked Aglareth.

Frowning in concentration, Galdir tried to remember how to open the door.

"No. A drop of blood would be too easy. This is a secret vault, and as such it must be more secure than the main vault itself. Which means this is not a blood ward", replied Galdir.

"The hidden vault of Mainor is opened with my ring, along with blood", offered Canadion.

"Yes, I remember. But each hidden vault is different. Besides, my House does not have a signature ring like yours", replied Galdir.

"A spell then? A secret word? That is how I opened the chamber where the Gem of Lüme. I had to give a secret phrase", offered Anuon.

"A secret phrase…" repeated Galdir. He stared at the runes, as his knowledge of how to read them slowly came back. "Speak… that is what this is", he said pointing at a rune. He frowned in concentration. "Speak, royal blood, entry. Speak royal blood? No that wouldn't work, unless…"

The Elves stared at Galdir intently. Anuon scratched his head, trying to figure out the puzzle, while Canadion and Aglareth patiently waited. Suddenly Galdir's head snapped upwards.

"Of course! How could I have forgotten!" he exclaimed. Before anyone could ask, he started chanting in an alien tongue. It reminded them of the sounds of nature: the wind caressing the trees, a river flowing sleepily, the ocean brushing against the shoreline. All of these sounds mixed together into one beautiful symphony of sound. As Galdir ended his chant, the golden wall shined brightly and then vanished, revealing a pedestal similar to the one at the entrance of the vaults, but crafted out of crystal.

"What just happened?" ask Aglareth

"Anuon was right. A spell was needed to enter. Since the wall was crafted at the time of Protean Elvish, then it made sense that the spell had to be in that tongue. As for the spell itself, it is actually a phrase that is passed down through the Line of Aglaron, one that only the true Heir can speak. It is our equivalent to your ring Canadion", replied Galdir.

"So what you spoke is Protean Elvish? Pure Protean Elvish? I never heard you speak it throughout our apprenticeship" asked Canadion.

"Yes. It is an incredibly complex language, meant to emulate the sounds of nature. The other major difficulty to it is that the magic is bound to the language itself. One of the major improvements of Ancient Elvish was to separate magic from the language, binding it to the intent behind the words instead. That is why everyone can understand it, though few can speak it", explained Galdir.

The four Elven Lords walked into the hidden vault. Galdir checked the manifest. As he had expected, it was written in Protean runes. He produced the entry he had copied and checked for the spelling of the Casket. He then simply skimmed through the document until he found it.

"How long has this been closed?" asked Aglareth.

"More than 37,000 years ago, judging by the dates on the entries. It makes sense, since Protean was quickly abandoned in favour of Ancient Elvish once it was created and Elves realized its power. Besides, the objects that reside here are very powerful. Many of them have not been seen since their creations", replied Galdir.

He lead the Elves through the vault. All around them was a collection of the most beautiful objects that they had ever seen. Although humans believed that Goblin craft was the finest in the world; a belief shared by the Goblins, that was after the Elves vanished from the world of man. Before, no one could doubt the beauty of the Elven craft. The most delicate figurines could be crafted from silver, with strands as thin as hair that would never break. They had learned all materials, from wood to gold, from gemstones to crystals. If Goblin weapons were strong, Elven weapons were even stronger, since they were deeply imbued with magic upon creation.

They felt drawn towards many objects, but they refrained. There was no missing the deep thrum of magic in the vault. This was ancient magic. Very powerful, but also unknown to them, and hence dangerous. They continued to walk until they found a chamber that contained a single pedestal, carved from the same crystal as the one that contained the manifest. On top of it, lay a crystal box. Its edges were made of what appeared to be silver. Energy swirled in its centre, giving a blue aura to the object. Written on the edge were Protean runes, and the crystal had lines carved on it. The lines converged at a centre ring that sat at the same height as the nexus of the energy within. The Elves could feel the immense power that the object projected.

Galdir slowly walked towards it, followed by the other Elves.

"Is that…", began Canadion.

"Yes. That is the Casket of Winters Past", finished Galdir.

They stood there in awe at the object, too hesitant to move. Drawing on his courage, Galdir grabbed the Casket. He expected it to be heavy, since the body was made from crystal, but found it to be surprisingly light. As soon as his hands touched the cool surface, the Casket glowed brighter and emitted a wave of blue energy.

"Do you know the spell?" asked Canadion, mesmerized at the infinite depth of the magic contained within the Casket.

"Yes. I just have to say it, along with the number of years I want to reverse. Theoretically, it should work", said Galdir,

"Theoretically?! What do you mean? Do you not know if it works?" asked Aglareth, her voice shaking with fear.

"No. The entry did not mention of any uses. It did say that the Casket had been tested, but it never specified if it worked", replied Galdir.

"Please Galdir, don't do it. It is far too great a risk, there must be another way–"

"There is no other way, Aglareth. I realize that this is dangerous, but it is a necessary risk. There is far too much at stake", said Galdir, trying to sound as comforting as he could. He was scared. He knew that there was a chance that he could die. Though he was not scared of death, he still felt he had things left to do. Too much depended on the success of his mission.

"Now, let me explain what is going to happen. Locked within the Casket is my signature. After I say the spell, my mind will be drawn in, and I will have to find it. The entry warns that it is possible to lose yourself within it. After I find the signature, my mind will return, and my body will change. The counter is written in the entry, and I will teach you how to pronounce it once I return", explained Galdir.

The other Elves stood silently as they acknowledged the risk that Galdir was about to take. Anuon approached him, and placing a comforting hand on Galdir's shoulder, bowed deeply.

"Good luck, my Master. May the stars and magic herself watch over you." Galdir returned the bow and thanked him for the blessing. Canadion walked up to Galdir and bowed as well.

"I will not say farewell, for I will see you again, my Master. Good luck", said Canadion. Galdir thanked him and returned the bow.

Aglareth lunged at him, her eyes streaming with tears.

"Galdir, please come back. I cannot be left alone. After my sister died I–"

"Shhh. It's alright Aglareth", said Galdir. He returned the hug, and spoke as soothingly as he could. "You have my word that I will return. You won't be alone", he lifted her chin as he spoke. Eyes glinting with hope, Aglareth nodded and released Galdir.

"I shall see you all on the other side", said Galdir. He then began to chant in Protean Elvish. A strong wind whirled past them and enveloped Galdir, as the Casket began to glow to the point that the Elves could not stare at it anymore. Galdir felt the magic course through his body, like having ice shoved through his veins. He felt his consciousness waver as the Casket seemed to draw on him. When he uttered the last word, Galdir fell and knew no more.

Head throbbing, Galdir rose. He was on an icy wasteland that stretched as far as he could see. Well this is odd. This does not feel cold at all, he thought. He looked down on himself to find that he was wearing simple white robes with a white cape. As soon as he took a step forward, Galdir froze. A high pitched cry pierced that calmness of the air, and he suddenly found himself surrounded by a wall of dark creatures. They were deformed and twisted by the long time they had spent in the Realm of the Casket, but Galdir could still make out what they had been. Lions, dragons, horses, centaurs, giants…. Every creature that Galdir could imagine was looking at him like he was a piece of meat. He could hear them whisper in Protean, all saying the same thing: "Take me. Take me." Galdir then realized the reality of the Casket. Although it was a doorway to another Realm of Magic, these creatures wanted to get out. They wanted to exist, but were bound by the Laws of Magic. Whenever someone came in, the risk was not of losing your own mind. The risk was of either getting destroyed by these creatures or trying to bring something other than yourself back. The rules of the Casket were very clear: if you attempted to bring back something other than yourself, you would be locked inside for all eternity.

Galdir tried to move forward, but his way was blocked by the wall of creatures. He tried to speak, but he could not. He tried to speak in Modern and Ancient Elvish, but failed miserably. Hang on. This thing was made in a time when Protean was the only language available. So maybe that is the only language that is allowed in here. "Stay back", he said in Protean. His voice was even, but he had given the statement enough force for the creatures to realize that he was not to be trifled with. Ignoring the warning, the creatures moved forward and prepared to lounge. "I said, stay back!" The wall of creatures was projected backwards with a force comparable to that of a hurricane. Since Protean Elvish was bound to magic, the force with which something was said was related to the amount of power that would be applied. It was also connected to the amount of power you wished to use. This is why it was such a dangerous language and why the Elves had to perfect meditation. Allowing their emotions to rule them would be catastrophic, and so meditation was a necessity to speak in Protean.

Galdir sprinted forward before the creatures had a chance to recover. "Find me", he said. Immediately six arcs of light shot from his outstretched hand. He watched them go as he ran, and then turned to see if the creatures were following him. All he could see behind him was a wall of black creatures running towards him. Trying to remember the phrasing for flight, Galdir closed his eyes in concentration. "Give me flight", he said. His body immediately rose into the air, but quickly found he could not control his direction or speed. Cancelling the spell, Galdir fell. He rolled and recovered quickly, trying desperately to stay ahead of the creatures. "Give me flight under my control." He launched into the air again and angled himself forward, increasing his speed. Because of the way Protean Elvish was created, each phrase was a spell. As such, you had to be very careful in phrasing so that the spell would react in the way that you expected. He turned around and saw that all the land-based creatures had given up the pursuit. This, however, had not stopped those creatures that could fly from following him. Galdir focused on flying as fast as possible. He suddenly saw a glint of light ahead of him, as the Seeker Spell returned. Following the path it had traced, Galdir sped forward until he reached a plateau. Standing here were two black figures. Landing, Galdir froze as he recognized them.

The male figure was himself. The female figure was his wife. Standing next to her was an Elvish girl, forever trapped in her youth. Galdir felt his heart break as he saw them there, and tears poured from his eyes. He kneeled, clutching his heart in pain. His eyes contracted into slits, and the dark lines that were etched on is skin began to glow ominously. Inwen broke from her husband's embrace and walked towards the kneeling Galdir. She kneeled and lifted Galdir's face with her hand. She stroked his cheek with the other, wiping the tears that streaked his face.

"Do not grieve love", she said soothingly. "I am happy, and I do not regret my passing. I had my time with you", she continued.

"It should have been longer than that", said Galdir. "We were meant to be together for eternity—"

"We still are, Galdir. We will be together, once you cross over", she replied.

"How will I find the strength to carry on? Every day I feel the burden of the oath you had me take. Every day I feel the weight of 1,000 years of life. Every day I feel the wound in my heart that will never heal", said Galdir, his eyes shining with tears.

"Draw it from me. I never left you Galdir. I am here." She pointed towards his heart. "I am always with you. If you despair, think of me. Think of us. If there is one thing that you can trust, is this." She held his hand. "There is something that I left behind for you Galdir. It is hidden inside my jewellery box. May it be a light for when you are lost in the dark. A shield so you can fend off your fears and grief. A net, to catch you when you fall. Always remember Galdir, I love you with everything that I am." Galdir nodded, trying to control his emotions.

"Galdir, I want you to know that I forgive you for not telling me, and that I understand", she said.

Galdir froze in horror. He had been very careful not to allow his 'condition' to show when he was with her, and had gone to great lengths to prevent her from finding out the truth, resorting to every known Glamour Charm in order to cover the dark lines he had. He had always feared that she would reject him as others had if she found out what he was. He eyed her, new tears finding their way down his cheeks.

"I-I…", he could not speak. Words were stuck in his throat. Things that he should have told her but never did.

"I understand Galdir. I know what you have been through—"

"That does not make things right Inwen. I lied to you out of fear. Out of cowardice", he said bitterly.

"You are many things Galdir, but a coward is not one of them. No one could understand what you have lived. I understand this and forgive you for not telling me."

"I do not deserve your forgiveness Inwen. Just like I never deserved your love", he said.

"Galdir. You are so much more than the emotions that have plagued your life. I want to ask you something before you leave."

"For you, I would do anything", he said.

"When the time comes, and you will know when it does, promise me to reveal everything to them. Tell them the truth Galdir. They will never understand, even he will never fully understand, but they can help you get through the trials that lie before you. Can you do this?"

Galdir stared into her eyes. Pools of the deepest sapphire met his own pale blue, and he could see the same thing that he had always seen since that day that they had bonded: love. It was that love that had caused him not to change throughout their time together. It was that love that had held him together. And it was that love that would drive him to do things that he had never dreamed possible.

"I promise", he said softly.

Inwen smiled and slowly placed her lips on his. Galdir marvelled at how soft they felt. The utter perfection of the kiss caused his eyes to return to normal, and the glow from his marks to cease.

"Is that…?"

"Yes. We will be waiting for you on the other side. Now go. The others approach." Taking Galdir's hand, Inwen helped him up and led him towards himself. Before Galdir touched his image's hand, he turned around to look one more time at his wife.

"Galdir?" said Inwen.

"Yes?" he said softly.

"Take care of my sister. My death struck her hard, and she is alone."

"You have my word", said Galdir. He then grabbed his signature and was immediately whisked away.

The three Elves eyed Galdir's body as it floated in stasis, with the Casket hovering above. Canadion paced restlessly, mimicked by Anuon. Aglareth merely chewed her lip, trying to contain her fear. Images of Galdir never returning plagued her mind, and she tried desperately to hold on to the promise that he had made. Minutes turned into hours, and the Elves grew more nervous as time passed. Suddenly, the Casket began to spin, and its light grew more and more intense. The Elves shielded their eyes with their arms, but the light was far too bright, so they had to turn around. "Well, did it work?" asked Galdir. The Elves turned around when the light had faded, and they smiled when they saw a 16 year old Galdir standing in front of them.