AN: Here's the next chapter. *Shifts uncomfortably in seat.* Truth is, I'm very nervous about posting this chapter. I've been experimenting to try to make my writing better, and I just hope this chapter is better quality than the others. You'd be surprised at all the things you learn along the way of improving your writing. Here's one I say most often, "The best ideas come with time." I HATE THAT! But, unfortunately, it is true. I just hope this chapter was worth it. Please tell me what you think in the end. Anything, just so I can improve my writing. First though, I'd like to thank my fellow reviewers:
Sirius' Sweetie: I love reading your reviews! They always make me smile. ^_^
AgentOfDeception: Legolas all the way! Gotta love that elf. Thanks for all the help and support.
Pestilence GH: Hi! Long time no see. Thanks for reviewing. ^_^
Read and enjoy! ^_^
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Sirius shivered and felt the excitement start to brew up again in his stomach. He turned around to see if the entrance was still there when he noticed something rush past his gaze. He blinked, but saw nothing peculiar. "Seraph?"
/ Yes. /
"Never mind," responded Sirius. He turned to follow Seraph deeper into the cave, curiosity lingering as he took a last glance behind him.
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The cave was marvelous! The most beautiful place he had ever seen. Diamonds and crystals sparkled all around. Different colored auras glowing over his body. Pink, yellow, blue (lots of blue), purple, lime. Sirius smirked as he saw Seraph's coat now a color of purple and pink.
"Seraph, you look like an Easter egg," Sirius joked. "Seraph, slow down!" he called. He saw him stop and wait as Sirius struggled to catch up. The floor was a bit slippery with the snow. He had to be careful not to slip.
When he caught up, Seraph started to walk in a fast pace again. "What's the rush?" he asked. He took another step and stumbled. He waved his arms and legs all around trying to regain balance. He never fell.
He grinned triumphantly and turned his gaze forward. His jaw then dropped at the sight in front of him. You couldn't notice from afar, but this was a different part of the cave. He took a step forward and turned his head to the left to see his own reflection. The luster walls of the cave now turned to a clear (still luster) surface. It looked like a hall of glass. With the snow and some crystal twinkling on the edges. His footsteps echoed as he walked deeper inside. He felt so foreign and so alien there. Plus, it was dead silent. Nothing made a sound except him. But at the same time, this hall of glass felt like it was full of life. Sirius couldn't help but stare at his own reflection on both his sides. Who, in return, stared back at him. Continuing into the hall he searched for Seraph up front but didn't see him. 'I wonder where he went.'
He then stopped in the middle of the hall and took a good look at himself. His lip twitched and he checked to see that no one was around before he undid the band around his long silky hair (which had fallen out of the ponytail) and redid it. Smiling at himself approvingly he continued walking.
Seraph had disappeared from his vision, but Sirius wasn't worried. If there were Gods in this cave, Seraph would certainly be acquainted with them. The end of the hall was closer now, so Seraph would probably be there. Waiting for him to catch up. The only company he had was his reflection. Which was what he was staring at, at the moment. He just couldn't help looking to the side as he walked, and he got a weird idea of touching the glassy wall. It was probably freezing cold, but he was still curious. So he reached out to touch it.
His index finger barely brushed the surface when an image of a grown man stared at him through the mirror. Menace burned deep inside his dark eyes. Startled and scared, Sirius drew back his hand instantly. Stumbling backwards he fell on his backside onto the cold floor.
"BLOODY HELL!" he screamed, and rushed to his feet. 'BLOODY HELL! BLOODY HELL! BLOODY HELL! Bloody hell! Bloody hell!' echoed after him. He clamped his hand over his mouth with his eyes wide. 'Way too loud' he thought and cursed under his breath. It made him more nervous when the echoes continued. It's volume getting lower and lower until it finally ceased. Which had taken ages to do. His heart returned to its normal rhythm.
He waited a minute before he let out a sigh of relief. 'I wonder if Seraph heard that, or something else.' His thoughts then returned to what had happened when he had touched the mirror. Who had he just seen? Whoever it was, he never wanted to see them again. Not even his mother's glare could compare to that one. It was full of hate and anger. He shivered and ran his hands up and down his arms.
He wanted to turn around and continue walking, but he found himself again reaching out to his reflection. It was as if his body was moving on its own accord. His mind wanted to do one thing, but his body did what it wanted to do. Ignoring all other commands. It happened instantly, as Sirius settled each of his fingers on the glass, the auras vanished and there was only darkness. So dark, in fact, that Sirius couldn't see his own hand in front of him or anything. He tried to pull his hand back, but it was stuck! He tugged and tugged. Trying to pry his hand off the glass but just couldn't. He started to panic. The fact that he couldn't see a damn thing was just scary.
A light then flickered on behind him, and he was blinded by it. Slowly, his eyes started to adjust to the new light, and he squinted to see what was behind him. He made out the shape of a person with long hair that reached to the thighs, and the person looked to be in the mirror. Sirius tried to make out if it was a girl but the figure turned and vanished. It didn't end there though. Flashes of lighted images circled the room. Silhouetted images of people and things. The images were whirling so fast that they looked as if they were dancing around the mirrors.
Sirius did make out an image of his school friends, and even Hogwarts. But then all the figures disappeared as a new image came up. As if chased away by the arrival of this new one. It looked to be a VERY old castle. Maybe even bigger than Hogwarts. It was surrounded by dark light (water maybe?) and Sirius shivered upon staring at it. He averted his eyes when a horrible screech sounded through the inside of the stronghold. It then grew colder and Sirius was starting to feel weak. He looked back at the place to see something emerge from it. Sirius paled as it came closer and closer until he saw what it was.
A dark hooded figure gliding in the mirror. It had no face, but it seemed to be staring straight at Sirius. He could feel the weight of its gaze on him. Then, what he thought couldn't happen, happened. The figure reached out its arm, and its gray, cold, decayed hand passed through the surface of the mirror into the cave. Sirius couldn't believe it. His eyes widened as he saw the figure's cloaked body start to pass completely through the glass.
After passing through the shock, Sirius desperately yanked at his hand trying to free himself. Sirius glanced back over his shoulder and saw the hooded figure now completely through the glass. Gliding over the floor just a few feet away. "Oh shit!" he turned back around and focused on getting his hand free. Sirius took another quick glance back to see the figure gliding over to him slowly. Taking its time. Feasting on the terror coming from him. It was only about five feet away. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, and the hissing sounds coming from it weren't helping.
It started getting colder and Sirius was starting to grow more weak. He whimpered and tugged harder. He was even pounding on the glass to let him free. But to no avail. He slumped to the ground. It was getting harder to move, let alone stand. A tremendous weight had fallen on him. He looked back to see the figure now only at arms length. "Seraph!" he tried shouting. Frightened eyes looked up as the hands of the figure went to pull its black hood back.
"No," Sirius barely whispered, his head falling onto his chest. "This can't be real. You aren't real. Seraph wouldn't…." Sirius' voice left him. He couldn't speak. 'Seraph wouldn't let me get hurt.' Sirius' fist clenched. New sensation coursing through is body. A newfound strength. 'Your not real. Your not real. Your not real.' "YOUR NOT REAL!" he shouted. Sirius was soon filled with warmth and a bright pink light drew back the demon. Then, it was dark once more.
Sirius' hand came free and he clutched it in his other hand. Wrapping his arms protectively around his chest, he brought his knees up to his chin. He tucked his eyes into his knees and rocked back and forth on his heels. His breathing came in and out in a ragged unsteady rhythm. He could still feel his heart pounding rapidly against his chest, and could even hear it.
He was like that for a while. Just rocking back and forth. Trying to catch his breath and relax. Slowly, he brought his head up and looked into the darkness. "Where are you, Seraph?" he asked. A pink light then flickered on accompanied by a tiny giggle. Sirius blinked and squinted his eyes to look closer at the light, but it then went zooming across his other side and up towards the ceiling. The giggling and laughter was still coming from the light as it zoomed in front and around Sirius' head.
Sirius shook his head (got dizzy following the light) and watched the light rush past him up to the ceiling and then back down. It then landed gracefully on Sirius' pulled up knees. The light dimmed and Sirius saw a tiny girl with wings on his knees. He saw that she wore a short sparkling skirt. With tears at the end that dangled over her tan flesh, and a tank top shirt with tears at the end as well. A silver tiara circled around her head, and she had beautiful amber eyes that twinkled up at him. Around the top of her eyes were winged-shaped designs. A sparkle ended on each tip, and the girl put her hands behind her back and smiled. 'A fairy' thought Sirius. 'Cute too.'
The fairy tilted her head to the side, still smiling, and the pink light around her cheeks turned red as if blushing. 'Really cute.' The fairy giggled and squirmed around funnily. She started making circles with her bare feet unconsciously on Sirius' knee and then spun around in circles. Sirius couldn't help but giggle at her. Which caused the fairy girl to rise from his head and give a quick kiss to the top of his nose. She giggled and flew around his head and stop at his eyes. Up in the air, she motioned with her hands to get up and follow her. Sirius stood up and started to follow the fairy through the darkness.
She kept on doing cartwheels, skips, and hops as she flew up front. Checking up on Sirius once in a while before starting again. Sirius didn't mind this new company and couldn't help smiling the whole time. Still walking, he asked, "Do you know Seraph?" The fairy girl turned around and nodded her head enthusiastically. "Are you showing me the way out?" she nodded again and started flying backwards. The fairy then stopped and motioned for Sirius to wait. He saw her rush forward and start to form an X pattern in the air. Her speed quickened and soon Sirius saw a pink X clearly. She soon came back and plopped herself on Sirius' head.
Sirius then heard a rumbling sound coming from the X and saw it disappear. In its place was the exit. "Yes!" Sirius said, and ran out. The fairy laughed as she was knocked off and hung onto the band around Sirius' hair. Sirius stopped and looked around his new surrounding. It was such a welcoming sight after being completely in the dark. Clear crystal shone off the walls. A blue aura floated around the room. It was full of light, but the room was bare. It was a huge room with nothing in it. Just empty space.
The fairy climbed back to the top of Sirius' head and held tight at his hair. "Er- Where's Seraph?" Sirius asked the fairy.
"La la la la la la," she sang, swinging side-to-side on his head.
Sirius' lip twitched. 'Cute, but weird.' The fairy's singing stopped and she angrily got up and started to stomp her heels into Sirius' head. "Ouch! Stop it." he went to grab at his head, and upon seeing that, the fairy jumped up and flew angrily around Sirius' body. Poking and dabbing into every open spot. Which happened 99% of the time since she had great agility. Sirius spun around in circles trying to swat the fairy away, but he was too slow. When he got to one area, she was already on the other side! Sirius, frustrated, gave up and said, "Okay, okay you win! What did I do anyway?"
But the fairy wasn't satisfied. She stopped her attacks and waited for Sirius to say the magic words. "What?" he asked, clueless. She wanted him to apologize to her, but Sirius didn't know that so she started again at her attacks. "Come on!" Sirius wailed. 'I'm getting pummeled by a fairy!'
A feminine laughter then sounded around the room. The fairy stopped her attacks and dashed to the center of the room. A woman in a long silver dress appeared before him. Long sleeves that fell to the ground covered her arms, with diamond scars around her slender hips. Glass slippers fit snuggly to her feet. A necklace made of silver jewels adorned her pale neck, and diamond earrings hung from her ears. A silver tiara circled around her head and she gave Sirius a warm smile.
She pulled her satin-made, see-through scarf around her shoulders as she walked towards him. Her silk-made dress billowing behind her magically, as well as her long straight hair. Which reached to her ankles. Dark long hair that held a tint of navy blue. She stopped in front of him, and Sirius gazed into her dark eyes. Dark eyes that couldn't have portrayed her true character. Sirius' first impression of her was that she was a kind person. Not evil. And the way she smiled at him made him feel welcomed and secure.
"I have been waiting for you, Sirius," she spoke, looking down at him. "I am so pleased to finally meet you." Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Seeing this, she smiled politely, and continued, "I have heard much about you, Sirius. Such fine things about you."
"Er…" was all Sirius could say. Now it was he who was blushing.
"Young man, now that I have met you, I believe everything that I have been told about you. Just by looking into your eyes I can tell what kind of person you are. Even if I have just met you. Do you know how I recognize you, Sirius?" Sirius shook his head. "Then you are not aware that this forest is acquainted with you. It knows every presence within it, and knows all about you."
She saw as Sirius' face took on a look of surprise. "You have a wonderful soul and a beautiful heart. You will always be welcomed here my child. Just remember this Sirius, that nothing is free and nothing is impossible." She reached our her hand and placed it on Sirius' cheek. It was surprisingly warm. "Life is a precious thing Sirius, but it isn't easy. It can be painful and heartbreaking, but you have to accept it. Learn to cope with it. Never run away from it. Never be scared, because there will always be someone out there Sirius. Thinking of you and watching over you."
She pulled her hand away and closed her eyes. Sirius saw her hold her hands out and on her palms appeared a silver chain. Hanging from the chain was a miniature staff made of silver. On top of the staff was a ball made of crystal. A scarf attached the ball to the staff, which was made of diamonds. The scarf lashed out on both sides as if a breeze was billowing against it. " Sirius, I want to give you this," she said, opening her eyes. "May it be a light for you when it is dark, and may it guide you. Make use of it wisely, Sirius."
Sirius reached out with shaking hands to grasp the staff. His fingers touched the cool silver. Sending shivers down his spine. He took it in his hand and looked at it. He then looked up to see the woman smiling happily at him. He smiled at her and nodded. "Thanks," he whispered.
"MmmmHmmm," she replied. "I'm sorry Sirius, but I think it's time that we part our separate ways. I don't want you catching a cold in here." She turned to look at the pink fairy who nodded and started to make an X in the air again. This time the outside of the cave appeared. The woman looked over to him. Sirius walked over and peered uncertainly at it. "Don't worry, walk through it and you'll end up right back at the entrance." She took a step forward and gave him a kiss on top of his head. "I hope to meet you again, Sirius."
Sirius nodded and looked at the exit. He went to take a step forward when he felt a familiar poke at his back. He turned to see the fairy. "Sorry, see ya later!" he waved. The fairy perked up and waved him good-bye in the same hyper way when they met. He then stepped through the exit. Sirius immediately felt cold wind rushing past his face, and he felt as is he was being tugged when it all stopped and he crashed into something hard.
He looked up to see that he was lying on the ground face-down. He dizzily sat up and looked behind him to see a dark cave. He was back where he started. He sighed as he got up and looked around. It was dark and the moonlight couldn't get through all the trees blocking it. He stomped his foot, "Not again. Seraph?" No answer. He couldn't get back on his own. He didn't know the way. Plus, he couldn't see anything.
'What should I do?' he asked himself. That's when he felt something tingling his hand. He looked at his hand to see pieces of light seeping through the cracks of his tightly gripped hand. He uncurled his finger and silver light shone out. The silver light then dimmed and he saw that it was the staff the woman had given him. He smiled, "Thank you," he whispered. A piece of light then parted from the rest of the light and shot out into the forest.
Sirius dashed after it. Making sure to avoid the trees and roots around him. After a few minutes, he emerged out of the forest and saw his house. Its lights still on. He smiled and saw the light of his staff go out. He saw that at the end was a clasp and hole, so he put the necklace around his neck and clamped it shut. A felling of pride and dignity crept into his stomach and he held the staff in his fingers. He then let it go and hid the staff under his shirt out of sight.
/ I see you have finally made it, Sirius. /
Sirius whirled to the left to see a pair of golden eyes staring at him. "Seraph!" he cried out happily, and ran over to him. Then his mood changed, "Where the hell have you been?!?"
/ Waiting for you. /
"No. You know what I mean. You just left me there. Why'd you do that for? Anyways, you wouldn't believe half the things that happened to me."
/ You would be surprised. /
"Anyways, look what I got," Sirius took out the staff and showed it to Seraph.
/ Ahhh. So, she gave you the Staff Of Light. A precious gift. You must be grateful. /
"I am grateful. The only reason I'm here is because of this. It helped me out." Sirius sniffed.
/ Lets get inside before you get ill. / The pair got up and walked over to the house. Sirius used the front door while Seraph used the secret way in. Which he wouldn't say what it was. As Sirius was about to go into his room he heard another door open in the hall. Out came is brother, Regulas. Regulas froze at the sight of Sirius and then ran back into his room. Slamming the door behind him. Sirius raised an eyebrow before shaking his head and walking into his room.
As he thought, Seraph was in there already. Lying on the floor. "I wonder what's wrong with my brother?" Sirius asked. He took off his jacket and threw it on his chair.
Seraph looked up at him. / Did you know that he happened to be following us? /
"What?!"
/ Yes. /
"So, then what? He was practically pissing in his pants when he saw me. You do something? Does he know everything?"
/ I did nothing to him. He knows about me, but we don't have to worry about him going off and telling the world of what he saw. /
"Why not?"
/ An old friend of ours made sure he would never repeat what he saw to anyone at all. /
"An old friend?" Sirius thought hard before he found an answer. His eyes widened, "The God Venotha?"
/ Yes. /
"What happened? Were you there?"
/ Poor Regulas. I just wish he had never followed us. I managed to transfer him out of the cave and when he saw me he left running. He was quite terrified when he came across The God. /
Flashback:
Regulas ran as fast as he could away from that panther looking thing that he saw. Tripping over a few roots he stumbled into a warm clearing. He got really scared looking around. It wasn't snowing here? Then he saw a giant plant-like thing in front of him. He panicked as he felt something clasp tightly around his ankles. Thick roots.
"You shall tell no one of what you have learned tonight child. I know I cannot trust you either. So, to make sure you do not speak of this…."
End Flashback.
"What did he do?" Sirius asked, quite into the tale.
/ I am not certain. All I know is that he won't be able to say a thing. / Sirius smirked. He got up and went to the door. / What are you going to do? /
Sirius winked before he slipped out of the room and into the hall. He went over to Regulas' door and knocked. The door opened and went to shut again when Regulas saw who it was, but Sirius held out his hand and kept the door open. "I heard you had a long night. Anything interesting?"
Regulas shoved Sirius' hand off and shut the door. A little click indicated he had locked it. Sirius laughed to himself as he made his way back to his room. Yup, there was nothing to worry about.
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AN: How was it?? Did you like it? Was it too long? I hope everyone liked it. It wasn't an easy chapter to write. Please review. Constructive criticism is always welcome. ^_^
