∞« Ceruλεαn § ΣkÎes »∞
Introduction
The woman stood silently in the doorway of the kitchen, watching her husband. His head lifted slightly from the thick parchment at the scent of the delightful aroma diffusing from the kitchen into his study, across the way. Everything was so quiet. All that reminded him he was not alone was the soft whisper of his wife's breathing.
"Dinner is ready, my dear." Her soft, soothing voice spoke from behind. He smiled and withdrew from the large, leather-bound book before him, leaving the ink to dry. "Is it complete?"
"Almost, my dear." He slowly raised his hand and caressed her cheek. She smiled back, her soft brown eyes glowing with love. Suddenly their moment was spoiled by a loud cry from the kitchen.
"Papa! Food!"
"I'm coming, Sorcha." Her father replied. After a last look back at the book, he slowly pulled away and walked into the adjoining room, disappearing from sight. For a moment, the woman's eyes spun round and gazed at the object on the desk. The book. The temptation to read it was desperately overwhelming. It had been her husband's passion for the past few years, and he still denied telling her any of it. Why? What was there that she should not see? What secrets hidden in there could truly be that dangerous for her to know? Or at least, what harm could come from knowing the truth about the past?
She stepped over to the desk. The ink was dry. The woman sat down softly on the chair. Silently she closed the book and read the title. It said "CERULEAN SKIES" in large, gilded letters, then below these in smaller print read, "Come before these Vermilion Horizons." The title intrigued her, urged her to turn the cover. As she placed a finger on the tight leather rim, her ears pricked up. What was that noise? Oh, it was only Sorcha playing with her food again. Partially relieved, she flipped open the cover.
A fresh breeze swiftly swept past the back of her neck and round to the nape, ruffling her thick, long hair. A soft, eerie voice floated by in the wind. The words it spoke, she could not comprehend, yet the tone chilled her to the bone. She spun round to see where the stirred air had come from, but the window was shut and the air inside was as warm as the sun's rays. After all these years, she thought, she had never sensed the essential power of the Arcana, until now. Wizard's magic was easy to pick up, but her husband continued to amaze her. She could never underestimate him. That's why she loved him so, yet trust for her was harder to acquire these days. Guiltily, she became aware of a presence behind her.
"I was going to let you read it soon anyway. I thought it would be a nice surprise." Lines of slight disappointment showed on his still young face. For all her virtues, she lacks trust and patience, he mused.
"I'm sorry, please forgive me!" She rose from the chair desperately. "I couldn't resist. It called out to me-" Tears rose to her eyes as she gazed upon him. She needed the memories of the past. She needed to know why. She needed him.
He moved over to his wife and took her in his arms. Clearing his mind of all thoughts, he allowed her emotions and feelings to waft over him, into his mind, where he would console her. After a moment, he determined this woman had suffered a lot more than she had ever let him know. Being torn forever from her friends because of her love for him was the greatest.
"I thought I'd lost you... forever... If he had taken you I would've-" Her voice broke down into sobs of grief.
"Shhh... Do not worry about what might have happened. We are safe now, and for that, we should be thankful. I know I won't do anything that stupid ever again." He whispered. Suddenly she lifted her head from his chest and swallowed.
"Then let me read me it. Now. It's the only way. I'm ready, I am." He pulled back from her and paused.
"You may not like what you read. There are things that – for your protection – I would rather you not know."
"I swear on Merlin AND Zafir that I can handle anything that's in that book." The abrupt use of his mother's name caught him of guard. He looked at her hard. Could she handle it? He had not intended for a witch to be the book's first reader. The magic bound within it was slightly unfriendly to wizards it seemed. It would take a strong will to tame and train it. Yes, she was the one. After all, he didn't love this woman for nothing.
"It seems I have no choice." His smooth voice hardened. "Besides the fact that the curse on the book will drain the life from you until you finish it." He was deadly serious. She managed a laugh and wiped a tear from her cheek. She moved over to the desk and sat by it.
"You are cruelly evil. Who else would put such a curse on a book that you wanted people to read?" She said. He told her it gave them a fairly good incentive to read it.
"Now, you must remain calm." He knelt down and whispered in her ear. "This is a powerful book, naturally, even to me. But I don't know the effects it could have on you. Remember I will be here for you in case you need me. I love you and I will ensure that nothing will happen to you."
"What do mean?" Her voice contained a hint of uncertainty.
"Do you trust me?" He asked her seriously. She paused and gazed deep into his silvery blue eyes. They looked back critically with a cold, hypnotic edge.
"I trust you with all my heart." His wife told him at last with sincerity.
She relaxed as he passed his hand over the book. Suddenly its pages began to spin furiously until the black words seemed to form swirling symbols as they flew past. As she watched unblinkingly, the book began to vibrate. Bright white light poured out from the spine through the pages throwing images of many all-too-familiar scenes onto them. She leaned forward, captivated. Suddenly the book slammed shut. A symbol she had last seen only a long time ago was etched in flame across the back of the leather-bound book. What did this mean? Her fingers cautiously moved over and caressed the surface. The small flames caused her fingers to tingle. A strange sensation began to pass up along her arm, towards her face. What was happening? At first it was warm and comforting, but the heat spread and grew until it felt like it was melting her bones. She tried to scream. Nothing but air rushed out. Then her vision began to blur and fade. Flashes of swirling flames flooded her mind, draining her every moment. Her stomach clenched. The beating of her heart resounded in her ears. She knew she was going to die.
Then, as if someone had grabbed her by the hand, she felt herself soaring forwards through the kaleidoscope of colours towards a black square at the end. As she drew closer, it formed the shape – the one on the back of the book and the one she had seen so long ago. But she did not slow down as it drew closer. She realised she was going to crash into it. She tried to stop herself, but she was out of control. There was nothing she could do. Her body smashed through it like glass.
On the other side, her body was hurled into something very hard. The woman barely had the energy to open her eyes. Her head was spinning. She had already forgotten why she had wanted to read the book so badly after all. Then suddenly, a man's strong hand took her by the arm and pulled her shakily to her feet. Her helper was tall and dressed all in black. His face could hardly be seen in the sudden darkness in which she found herself.
"Where... where am I?" She murmured. He did not reply. "Who are you?" This time he smiled.
"I am the narrator. That is all you need to know."
"You are the book?"
"I would prefer if you did not ask questions, did not even speak at all. Its not that they can hear you, it is because you will have a greater need for your voice later." His black eyes glinted in the moonlight. "Allow me." The strange character hooked her arm in his and they began to walk.
"This, my lady" he motioned with his arm along the dark alley where they stood "is where the story begins. I advise you never to leave my side, or you may not return to the present reality in one piece." She nodded in sincere acknowledgement. He turned and faced her grimly. "Now, my introduction.
"Greetings, my intrepid reader... Allow me to express my sincere gratitude that someone holds as deep a desire to understand the recent revelations of
time and fate as I do. I however, am not disposed to give an unbiased verdict on these generally misfortunate events, so I have taken the liberty to transcribe all of which I am certain, uncertain, and those of which I
know not. This is a tale of times past returning to haunt the Earth as it is; leaving little hope and much dread for the events which have not yet come to pass.
I begin that things are not always what they seem, and sometimes it's the simple choices that we have to make, which change the course of humanity most. Yet, in the end, it seems that a pinch of love in this world can make all the difference between life and death, success and defeat. You know of
what I speak, my dear, and so I will say no more.
However, I must warn you in all seriousness of the mortal peril in which you place yourself by reading the subsequent pages. The events that I have recorded speak not of my own thoughts and opinions, but the truth that is. And let's face it, not all of us can face up to the truth. Even fewer can
do something about it. However, this book contains raw, unbiased truth, which in this life is so precious that men would go to unspeakable lengths
to get their bloody hands on it.
So, let us at last depart on our journey, for no tale begins at the end,
every book has its genesis..."
As she stood beside him, the mysterious man stretched out a thin but gracious hand and drew a long circle of light in the air before them. Upon looking through, she saw that it was nothing like the area around her; dark, foreign and uninviting. The place into which she gazed, she recognized very well.
"Hogwarts." She whispered unbelievingly. It had been too long.
"Shall we?" He asked politely, beckoning her forward. The smile that rose to her face would have lit up the street. And so together, they stepped into a whole other realm of magic, and deep into the dark, bloodstained, nightmare of the past, ruled by the blackest Hell Earth had ever known since the beginnings of time.
******************************** A/N: This chapter is set in another realm/ universe and is a few years in the future. The next chapter is the chap 1 of C.S., set in Harry's 5th summer (the "past" mentioned). All will be revealed my friends...
Introduction
The woman stood silently in the doorway of the kitchen, watching her husband. His head lifted slightly from the thick parchment at the scent of the delightful aroma diffusing from the kitchen into his study, across the way. Everything was so quiet. All that reminded him he was not alone was the soft whisper of his wife's breathing.
"Dinner is ready, my dear." Her soft, soothing voice spoke from behind. He smiled and withdrew from the large, leather-bound book before him, leaving the ink to dry. "Is it complete?"
"Almost, my dear." He slowly raised his hand and caressed her cheek. She smiled back, her soft brown eyes glowing with love. Suddenly their moment was spoiled by a loud cry from the kitchen.
"Papa! Food!"
"I'm coming, Sorcha." Her father replied. After a last look back at the book, he slowly pulled away and walked into the adjoining room, disappearing from sight. For a moment, the woman's eyes spun round and gazed at the object on the desk. The book. The temptation to read it was desperately overwhelming. It had been her husband's passion for the past few years, and he still denied telling her any of it. Why? What was there that she should not see? What secrets hidden in there could truly be that dangerous for her to know? Or at least, what harm could come from knowing the truth about the past?
She stepped over to the desk. The ink was dry. The woman sat down softly on the chair. Silently she closed the book and read the title. It said "CERULEAN SKIES" in large, gilded letters, then below these in smaller print read, "Come before these Vermilion Horizons." The title intrigued her, urged her to turn the cover. As she placed a finger on the tight leather rim, her ears pricked up. What was that noise? Oh, it was only Sorcha playing with her food again. Partially relieved, she flipped open the cover.
A fresh breeze swiftly swept past the back of her neck and round to the nape, ruffling her thick, long hair. A soft, eerie voice floated by in the wind. The words it spoke, she could not comprehend, yet the tone chilled her to the bone. She spun round to see where the stirred air had come from, but the window was shut and the air inside was as warm as the sun's rays. After all these years, she thought, she had never sensed the essential power of the Arcana, until now. Wizard's magic was easy to pick up, but her husband continued to amaze her. She could never underestimate him. That's why she loved him so, yet trust for her was harder to acquire these days. Guiltily, she became aware of a presence behind her.
"I was going to let you read it soon anyway. I thought it would be a nice surprise." Lines of slight disappointment showed on his still young face. For all her virtues, she lacks trust and patience, he mused.
"I'm sorry, please forgive me!" She rose from the chair desperately. "I couldn't resist. It called out to me-" Tears rose to her eyes as she gazed upon him. She needed the memories of the past. She needed to know why. She needed him.
He moved over to his wife and took her in his arms. Clearing his mind of all thoughts, he allowed her emotions and feelings to waft over him, into his mind, where he would console her. After a moment, he determined this woman had suffered a lot more than she had ever let him know. Being torn forever from her friends because of her love for him was the greatest.
"I thought I'd lost you... forever... If he had taken you I would've-" Her voice broke down into sobs of grief.
"Shhh... Do not worry about what might have happened. We are safe now, and for that, we should be thankful. I know I won't do anything that stupid ever again." He whispered. Suddenly she lifted her head from his chest and swallowed.
"Then let me read me it. Now. It's the only way. I'm ready, I am." He pulled back from her and paused.
"You may not like what you read. There are things that – for your protection – I would rather you not know."
"I swear on Merlin AND Zafir that I can handle anything that's in that book." The abrupt use of his mother's name caught him of guard. He looked at her hard. Could she handle it? He had not intended for a witch to be the book's first reader. The magic bound within it was slightly unfriendly to wizards it seemed. It would take a strong will to tame and train it. Yes, she was the one. After all, he didn't love this woman for nothing.
"It seems I have no choice." His smooth voice hardened. "Besides the fact that the curse on the book will drain the life from you until you finish it." He was deadly serious. She managed a laugh and wiped a tear from her cheek. She moved over to the desk and sat by it.
"You are cruelly evil. Who else would put such a curse on a book that you wanted people to read?" She said. He told her it gave them a fairly good incentive to read it.
"Now, you must remain calm." He knelt down and whispered in her ear. "This is a powerful book, naturally, even to me. But I don't know the effects it could have on you. Remember I will be here for you in case you need me. I love you and I will ensure that nothing will happen to you."
"What do mean?" Her voice contained a hint of uncertainty.
"Do you trust me?" He asked her seriously. She paused and gazed deep into his silvery blue eyes. They looked back critically with a cold, hypnotic edge.
"I trust you with all my heart." His wife told him at last with sincerity.
She relaxed as he passed his hand over the book. Suddenly its pages began to spin furiously until the black words seemed to form swirling symbols as they flew past. As she watched unblinkingly, the book began to vibrate. Bright white light poured out from the spine through the pages throwing images of many all-too-familiar scenes onto them. She leaned forward, captivated. Suddenly the book slammed shut. A symbol she had last seen only a long time ago was etched in flame across the back of the leather-bound book. What did this mean? Her fingers cautiously moved over and caressed the surface. The small flames caused her fingers to tingle. A strange sensation began to pass up along her arm, towards her face. What was happening? At first it was warm and comforting, but the heat spread and grew until it felt like it was melting her bones. She tried to scream. Nothing but air rushed out. Then her vision began to blur and fade. Flashes of swirling flames flooded her mind, draining her every moment. Her stomach clenched. The beating of her heart resounded in her ears. She knew she was going to die.
Then, as if someone had grabbed her by the hand, she felt herself soaring forwards through the kaleidoscope of colours towards a black square at the end. As she drew closer, it formed the shape – the one on the back of the book and the one she had seen so long ago. But she did not slow down as it drew closer. She realised she was going to crash into it. She tried to stop herself, but she was out of control. There was nothing she could do. Her body smashed through it like glass.
On the other side, her body was hurled into something very hard. The woman barely had the energy to open her eyes. Her head was spinning. She had already forgotten why she had wanted to read the book so badly after all. Then suddenly, a man's strong hand took her by the arm and pulled her shakily to her feet. Her helper was tall and dressed all in black. His face could hardly be seen in the sudden darkness in which she found herself.
"Where... where am I?" She murmured. He did not reply. "Who are you?" This time he smiled.
"I am the narrator. That is all you need to know."
"You are the book?"
"I would prefer if you did not ask questions, did not even speak at all. Its not that they can hear you, it is because you will have a greater need for your voice later." His black eyes glinted in the moonlight. "Allow me." The strange character hooked her arm in his and they began to walk.
"This, my lady" he motioned with his arm along the dark alley where they stood "is where the story begins. I advise you never to leave my side, or you may not return to the present reality in one piece." She nodded in sincere acknowledgement. He turned and faced her grimly. "Now, my introduction.
"Greetings, my intrepid reader... Allow me to express my sincere gratitude that someone holds as deep a desire to understand the recent revelations of
time and fate as I do. I however, am not disposed to give an unbiased verdict on these generally misfortunate events, so I have taken the liberty to transcribe all of which I am certain, uncertain, and those of which I
know not. This is a tale of times past returning to haunt the Earth as it is; leaving little hope and much dread for the events which have not yet come to pass.
I begin that things are not always what they seem, and sometimes it's the simple choices that we have to make, which change the course of humanity most. Yet, in the end, it seems that a pinch of love in this world can make all the difference between life and death, success and defeat. You know of
what I speak, my dear, and so I will say no more.
However, I must warn you in all seriousness of the mortal peril in which you place yourself by reading the subsequent pages. The events that I have recorded speak not of my own thoughts and opinions, but the truth that is. And let's face it, not all of us can face up to the truth. Even fewer can
do something about it. However, this book contains raw, unbiased truth, which in this life is so precious that men would go to unspeakable lengths
to get their bloody hands on it.
So, let us at last depart on our journey, for no tale begins at the end,
every book has its genesis..."
As she stood beside him, the mysterious man stretched out a thin but gracious hand and drew a long circle of light in the air before them. Upon looking through, she saw that it was nothing like the area around her; dark, foreign and uninviting. The place into which she gazed, she recognized very well.
"Hogwarts." She whispered unbelievingly. It had been too long.
"Shall we?" He asked politely, beckoning her forward. The smile that rose to her face would have lit up the street. And so together, they stepped into a whole other realm of magic, and deep into the dark, bloodstained, nightmare of the past, ruled by the blackest Hell Earth had ever known since the beginnings of time.
******************************** A/N: This chapter is set in another realm/ universe and is a few years in the future. The next chapter is the chap 1 of C.S., set in Harry's 5th summer (the "past" mentioned). All will be revealed my friends...