PROLOGUE:

Prologue:

A thick, pearly fog surrounded her as she made her way across the deserted plain. She didn't exactly know where she was going, let alone why she was there, but a force in the back of her mind kept nagging her to go on. The further she went, the colder it got causing her to fold her arms in front of her and squint off into the distance. But something changed. The fog began to swirl and she paused to watch as a small figure formed in the distance. The figure seemed to almost fly towards her and she froze. It became bigger…bigger than she was.

"You come, Sorceress of Fire," the figure spoke with a croaky voice and lifted their hand towards her.

"Who…who are you?" Karista asked, unable to mask the fear in her voice.

"I am Amanuet, one of the nine dynasty. You seek protection, Sorceress?"

The woman's form became sharper. She was now shrinking, becoming almost human.

"I…yes, I am."

The woman looked sharply at her before she smiled. "You are powerful, child. Almost too young for your burden."

"No…no, I am not," Karista said indignantly. Whoever this woman was, she wasn't sure that she liked her.

"You say these words, child, but you aren't ready for a battle. Not now," the woman said, her smile becoming wider. "I know you are brave and possess cunning, but there is more to a fight than these."

"I can fight…you don't need anything but courage," Karista said smartly, although it was nothing compared to how she thought and felt inside. The woman's smile flickered before she smiled, showing her gleaming white teeth.

"The prophecy of the Sorceress of Fire stands. In order to defeat, you must lose. In order to become strong, you must be defeated and powerless. You must overcome many obstacles before you can possess your true powers."

Karista was puzzled, and it must have showed on her face, because the next moment, the mysterious woman was swirling the mist until a small globe formed in front of Karista. It took the shape of a crystal ball and inside, figures were shown.

"You have seen your downfall before, Sorceress. The god Morpheus showed it to you."

Karista stared into the ball's murky depths as the picture lurched violently. The dream, Karista thought, It's the dream. She could make out herself, kneeling on the grass in front of Hogwarts, the students and teachers as well as Harry Potter all inside watching in horror as Lucius Malfoy plunged a dagger deep into her side. The dagger, which carried a poison on the handle, immobilized her before Voldemort got his wand and killed her in a flash of green light.

"It is your destiny, child," the woman whispered, jerking Karista away from the ball and back into the fog. "You will rise again and defeat the man they call Voldemort. You will reclaim your power, but will not use it until you know the right time."

"What do you mean?" Karista asked, but the woman was already fading. The mist slowly rose around her, clogging her senses and spinning her around. Soon the woman disappeared and Karista was alone in the cold, damp and murky surroundings. A black hole opened at her feet and she plummeted to the ground.

Karista smashed into the ground, which she immediately realized was a grassy slope. She got gingerly to her feet and looked around her. Their was a light fog, yet off in the distance, she could see the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After walking for a few minutes, Karista paused, a grouping of menacing figures ahead of her. A high, cackling voice broke through the night air and sent tingles up her spine.

"Thought you could be me, Karista?" Voldemort cackled as he circled the spot where a large, pale and bloody lump lay. She was clutching a hand over a wound that was now bleeding freely through her robes. "Thought you could lay waste to me? Looks like you thought wrong."

Karista stared at the lump on the ground before realizing it was her.

"Too…b-bad it w-wasn't y-you that d-did it," Karista-in-dream spluttered as a small amount of blood trickled from her mouth. Karista could barely make out Voldemort's face, yet knew that he was once again flushed with anger at the Karista-in-dream's statement rested upon him.

His wand raised and his breathing coming out raggedly from Karista's snide comment, Voldemort circled her once again.

"You think you and Harry can win against me, do you?" Voldemort spat as Karista-in-dream crumpled further into the ground. The real Karista looked up into the pale light floating from the castle and noticed the whole of the school watching the scene with bated breath, Harry out front and clutching his hand in a death grip. Karista heard her voice, soft and distant from below her.

"I…I k-know…h-he c-can beat y-you," Karista-in-dream said, her voice growing fainter.

"I would think not."

Voldemort stopped in front of her and raised his wand to meet her heart.

"It was a shame you never chose to take my offer, Karista. I am certain that you would be alive right now," Voldemort said casually, clicking his tongue. Karista-in-dream slowly began to sit up, taking very harsh breaths as she did so.

"I…I w-would n-n-never j-join y-you," Karista-in-dream gasped, propping her self up onto her knees and clutching the ground for support. "A-and H-harry w-will w-win."

Voldemort narrowed his eyes into sharp red slits before closing the distance between himself and Karista-in-dream. "Say goodbye, Karista."

"Avada…"

Karista watched in horror as Voldemort's face scrunched itself up into a sneer. Karista-in-dream raised her arms above her head and peered into the heavens, watching as the clouds parted for the briefest of instances and letting the moon pour down across the grounds.

"…Kedava."

She watched the green light shower over herself and hit Karista-in-dream directly in the chest, sending her sprawling backwards; blood flying everywhere. The Karista before her was dead and glowing eerily in the night.

"You see child?"

Karista jumped and spun around; the same old, smiling woman stood before her, a heavy wooded staff clutched in her left hand. She approached Karista and laid a hand on her arm.

"You must understand child, that you have not yet become the Sorceress of Fire. When he who is called Voldemort is finally destroyed, you will have earned the title. The gods know that now is not your time. You and your followers must suffer before you can rise."

Karista glanced back around to see Hogwarts, but it was gone. Instead she found herself in her room in New York, which belonged to her friend Raquel.

"The one known as the Raven will help you. The Raven was your unknown protector before and will soon help you on your way to greatness. Be ready child, for your destiny awaits you."

The woman faded once again along with the mist until finally, Karista was plunged into blackness.