Dark Fascination
by Asurahime
~*~*~*~
Chapter Eight
~*~*~*~
Tears can only accomplish so much and anger gives way to nothing more than the most brilliant pain. I have barely lived to have discovered that freedom is nothing more than a fleeting dream. Closing my eyes, I could see even more truth in the unforgiving darkness than in the false light of the world. Opening them, I have learned nothing but that the ties of blood are not as strong as those of sadness and fate.
I can never forgive the bad ones and as the roses wilt into gray ashes and words fade into false echoes, so does my insistence in the past. It has taken so long for me to accept change that I have forgotten to live. To hope. To cry. To sacrifice.
Courage and love are more than skin-deep, but they are not emotions which are easily accepted and even less easily understood. I am willing to live past the lie and break the barriers surrounding me. A silver-gilded cage and rose-scented shadows can no longer haunt my waking dreams and follow down the path I tread. There are those who have chosen to follow me out of hell, but the journey to heaven is just beginning. These are the crossroads leading to eternity, an eternity in which green eyes can sing me to sleep once again.
Danger may lie ahead and the crimson flames of my end have started to flicker and burn, but I implore to the eerily gleaming moon that my questions will not fade with the winds. Legends must die to become eternal but my own dark life becomes amaranthine. I would create my own legend, for I am more than just a rose. I am an amaranth.
Kiss the moment.
~*~*~*~
The blue skies of the ocean of stars and the bright pinpoints of light passed through the windows of the airship. Harry stared at them blankly before closing his eyes and letting a sad smile curve on his lips. He didn't think that he be so comforted by their light, and only now did he realize that there was not a single star in the everlasting nighttime sky of Facinaturu. Everything there was so mysteriously beautiful yet so deceptive. "They're real, at least."
But how can I know that? Everything that I have seen so far are so intangible and confined... "So... artificial."
"Merciless."
"Unforgiving."
Harry lowered his eyes to meet those of the rose-crowned girl clinging firmly to his arm. ".............."
Eyes darkening, Hermione released the half-mystic's arm and sat up straight, bringing up her knees to her chest and holding on to them. A lock of her tawny brown hair fell across her face and she brushed it off with a careful hand. "Don't think that I don't know exactly how you feel, Harry. Even though we are no longer in the confines of the Mystic Region, that does not mean that Charm Lord has relinquished his hold on us yet. Specifically not on you. I have said before that Lord Severus is extremely possessive of those he has marked as his and you are bound to him by the ties of blood."
Ron ran a hand through Harry's black hair, moving the strands gently away from the boy's pale forehead, exposing the silvery scar. "It's difficult, we know. Draco might be on our side, but sooner or later, Charm Lord is going to find out that we have escaped. I fear what will happen when that time comes."
"Will he punish Draco?" asked the half-mystic worriedly, tensing up.
Thin lips thinned even further and flattened into a line. "Honestly, I don't know. Even if this does come to be, that bloody git is bound to find a way to ferret his way through without getting harm on himself. Besides, the Sanctuary of Kurenai is one place where Lord Severus cannot harm anyone."
"Why?"
"The Eternal Flame forbids any sort of violence within the sanctuary. It is a place of life and warmth in a dark and lifeless place such as Facinaturu. Although he is only in his metaphysical form, Kurenai holds precedence over the fate of all mystics," said Hermione earnestly, raising her face to look out the window. "I have forgotten how stars looked like. It's amazing how such small points of light could make such a difference in a black sky."
Mystics are cursed, thought Harry. I have not been in this life for as long as others have, but even I can tell that little detail. Otherwise, there wouldn't be eternal night. This is sad but true.
Blue eyes blinked down at him as Hermione stood up. "We're in danger. I can just feel it. We may be safe for now, but it's not always going to be so. Lord Severus is bound to send someone to either retrieve you peacefully or kill us to get to you."
"This may be bloody dangerous for us to attempt, but I want to try it either way," said Ron sincerely, getting up and lowering a gloved hand to help his friend up. "If we stayed in Facinaturu, we would have lived, but living that life was so empty. Dying would have been better if I am not such a coward as to fail to commit suicide. Zero Princess was brave, even braver than Princess Virginia."
Harry rested a hand upon Asura's hilt while the other fiddled with one of the silver clasps at the neck of his robe. Nothing they have done or will do can be classified as safe, but it is the danger of traversing the unknown which can prove most fatal. "The two of you really didn't have to come with me."
Ron just raised a hand to stop the half-mystic from speaking further. With a wide grin, he shrugged and rested an arm on Hermione's shoulders. "What is so difficult for you to understand, Harry? Herm and I wanted to go with you. Even if you told us to stay we would have gone with you anyway."
"Too true, that it is." The Arch-Princess had a smile on her face that was the mirror of the one on Ron's.
"Hey! Are the three of you still all right back there?" asked Terry as he set the controls of the airship from manual to autopilot and glanced back at his passengers. Seeing the three mystics stare back at him, seemingly unharmed from the day's happenings, he let an apologetic grin curve on his lips.
"Do you do this often?"
Nodding his head with a sense of pride, Terry answered the red-haired man. "Yeah, I'm probably the only one who is crazy enough to take something as big and foreign as a regional airship and sail it to that sinister place. If they say that curiosity killed the cat, then I should have died long ago."
Hermione protested this. "No, you are not crazy! That is probably one of the bravest things that I have ever heard a human do!!" Realizing what she said, a blush came over her face. "T-that doesn't mean that I have had a lot of contact with humans, but attempting such a thing is courageous enough!"
Terry guffawed and wiped a tear coming out of the side of his eyes. "I never did believe all they said about mystics being nothing but a bunch of cannibalistic, loathsome, blood-sucking creatures. The three of you are far more amiable that most humans I know."
Harry pretended to cough to hide his amused laughter before steeling himself. "Where are we going now?"
The pilot shrugged before heading back to handle the controls again. "You can tell me later where you want to go. Right now, we have to make a stop at Owmi so that I can get an engine check-up and refueling. I think one of your friends back there managed to hex most of our fuel away. We're just fine though."
"Humans are strange," whispered Ron in Hermione's ear. "And I think that this is all going to get even stranger."
Green eyes stared questioningly into cerulean. "Owmi? I've never heard of such a place? Is it another of these 'regions'?"
Terry raised a gloved finger to point at what seemed like a quickly approaching white-blue star. It sparkled against the ocean of stars like a magnificently cut white sapphire against rich blue silk. "That is the human region of Owmi. The entire place is surrounded by crystal-clear water and have the most amazing food. The three of you should take a look around and maybe get something to eat as I take care of my business."
"Aren't humans afraid of mystics?" asked Harry.
At earned him a wide grin from the pilot. "Don't worry. Aside from his Highness' green eyes, the three of you look human enough to pass for the real thing. You shouldn't even have to worry about your clothing because you wouldn't believe the strange things the younger generations wear these days. Just keep your cool, don't suck anyone's blood, and don't go waving your swords in people's faces and you'll be fine."
"....... Thank you."
......... Someone is calling for me.....
~*~*~*~
Owmi.... such a beautiful and tranquil region untainted by the slightest bit of malice. As the three companions left the port through automatic sliding doors, they couldn't help but shield their eyes from the blazing sunlight which greeted them. Compared to the desolation and dusky crystal-light of Facinaturu, the brilliance of Owmi cut through the mystics' senses like a knife, burning its image into their memories.
Harry could have collapsed with relief, but he only tightened his hold upon Asura. Slowly lowering his gloved hand from his eyes, he let the sunlight blaze fully against his face, playing with his hair and highlighting his smile.
Seagulls took flight as Hermione hesitantly took a step forward into the unfamiliar region, slowly reaching a hand to link her arm to the fire-haired Ron. Both of them then turned towards the half-mystic, but neither could do anything but watch as Harry raised an arm to hide his verdant eyes once more. "Harry, is there something wrong?" asked Ron tentatively. He was as worried as Hermione over the current state of his Prince but had no inkling of what may be wrong with him.
"Nothing. Nothing, I'm fine," said Harry, his voice and resolve stronger than the two have ever heard him speak with. Hermione and Ron then almost stepped back with surprise as the half-mystic gave them a brilliant smile, the light glinting off Harry's dark hair to form a halo. "The light... is white here. I'm glad."
Harry walked forward until he reached the edge of a bridge which stretched across a gleaming lake. Removing his white gloves, he raised his hands to his face in memory. "I'm so pale. I didn't think that I could get any paler." Harry walked half-way across the bridge as if in a daze, his green eyes absorbing the light. A glint of white and red caught his eye as he looked that the water under the bridge. "What is this?"
Two figures approached either side of the half-mystic and mimicked his actions. "Harry, what are we looking at here?"
"There is something in the water," came the answer. "They look like rose petals or something of that sort to me."
Hesitating only a moment, Hermione leaned forward and squinted her eyes to see clearer. She stifled a gasp and frown when she saw what the petals were forming. "The petals are forming words."
Ron did not look at Hermione but she still caught the questioning glint in his eyes before he voiced it out. It clearly surprised him that she could see something in the seemingly randomly scattered petals that he could not. "What are they spelling out?" He saw the concentrating look on her face and smiled slightly. Then again, Hermione is much more cultured than him and Harry. The Strategist and the Prince of All Mystics are trained in the arts of strategy and war while the Arch-Princess has had the time to refine herself with more lofty pursuits.
"Water mystics are searching for their lost daughter," Hermione supplied, looking more than a little perturbed. "That's odd. Water mystics are usually protective of each other and would rarely let one of their numbers out of sight."
There came a sudden start from the half-mystic as he pinned his two companions with his eyes. Once again, they found themselves starting to fall under the unchecked spell of Fascination the Prince didn't realize he had cast. "There are types of mystics? I know about the lesser mystics, but there are mystics who live in lakes, rivers, and oceans too?"
An uncomfortable silence settled upon the three of them as Ron and Hermione fought to tear themselves or give in to the unconscious summons. When he did not get an answer to his questions, Harry realized what was happening and rapidly broke his gaze. "I'm sorry... I forgot that I am capable of that sort of thing sometimes."
A sigh escaped from Hermione as she clutched her hand to her chest, letting out the breath she was not aware she was holding. On the other hand, Ron just shook his head to clear it and reached a hand to ruffle his friend's raven-colored hair, loosening the crimson ribbon which held the strands together. "So sorry, Harry. But you really must learn to control that ability of yours somehow. Yes, there are mystics who live in waterways as well--called water mystics. They are lower in class, lesser mystics, but they answer to Lord Severus as well. I suppose that this one is lost."
"I see." Harry unconsciously raised his right hand in front of himself, palm-up. A ball of magenta light edged with white and black sprung forth momentarily in his palm before subsiding. As the light burst into particles of energy, Harry felt his mussed hair become tamed under the crimson ribbon once again. He looked at his hand in amusement. "Why am I not surprised that I can do that?"
"How terrible! She must miss her family just as her family misses her! Water mystics are very tightly knit," murmured Hermione. She turned to look at the baffled Harry and hid her giggled behind her hand. "That is just simple glamour, Harry. All mystics can do it."
Their conversation was heard by a kindly old woman who approached the mystics without fear. "Oh, so you young people heard about the water mystic that our Lord is keeping, I see?"
Her smile only widened when the three faced her with surprise etched on their features. She liked them on sight despite their strange clothing, so she went further. "The poor thing got caught in a fisherman's net about a month or so ago. Our Lord happened to pass by and took pity on the girl, taking her to his mansion to tend to the bruises and rope burns she got from the net."
"Where is this mansion?" Harry asked, keeping his head low to allow the fringe of his hair to hide his silver scar and uncommon green eyes. It would not be a good idea to bring more attention upon them then necessary.
The old woman's smile got even warmer as she pointed a finger to a large house resting on a hill far above and away from the rest of the town. "That is our young Lord's home. If you can, please convince him to let the poor water mystic go. There has been problems with the fishing and water supply since he took her in. The other water mystics must be worried about her. Good luck."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione each gave her a grateful, polite bow before rushing off with god-like speed towards the mansion. They did not have to say a word to each other, for there was an unspoken agreement between the three of them to check out what was going on. Something was not normal with a prolonged interaction with the human and mystic worlds. Although only a lesser water mystic is in question, she is still a mystic and most importantly, a life.
The three of them arrived in the mansion at about the same time. They could not help looking at their surroundings before approaching the house, for everything was the total opposite of Chateau Aiguille. Green bushes, trees, and small ponds with fish lined the way to the mansion. Instead of thorny roses, white lilies and golden daffodils sprung forth from the ground, tame and beautiful. The mansion itself stood like a gleaming white diamond among the foliage, a sheltering and protected sanctuary for the insecure.
Looking again, Harry noticed one more baffling element in the monolith. In the second floor of the house was a round rose window. However, instead of each pane being painted a different jeweled color, the rose's petals shone a strong white light. So simply and elegant, it is a testimony against the lavish extravagance of mysticism.
"Do you think that we should go in?" asked Hermione as they walked towards the gilded mahogany door. "Wouldn't it be rude to just barge in like this?"
A clicking and creaking sound was heard and Harry and Hermione glanced up to see a mischievous smile. "Ah well, it's open now. We might as well take advantage of this obvious offer."
Disapproval was clear in the Arch-Princess' features. She was about to reprimand the Strategist, but she changed her mind when she saw their Prince shaking his head and trembling with suppressed laughter. Hermione just shrugged her shoulders, grabbed on to Harry's sleeve and rested her rose-crowned head on his shoulder. "I don't know what I am ever going to do with you. You are turning as bad as Seamus!"
....... Seamus.....?
"I will take that as a compliment," Ron smirked.
Without further ado, the three mystics walked through the door and into a bright room. A staircase wound around the far side of the room and the crystal chandelier handing from the ceiling glittered with the light it caught. There was a gentle, pleasing Rococo style to the room which showed the calm, tensionless life of its inhabitants.
A young man came down from the staircase. He wore a loose, leaf-green poet shirt and white slacks. He looked congenial enough, but his blue eyes grew wary of the strangers who had walked into his home unannounced and dressed in strange clothing. "Hello, I am the lord of this house. How may I help you?"
"We heard that a water-mystic was in this mansion," started Hermione. However Harry, like Ron, was never one for much ceremony. "You must let her go back! Her family is searching for her."
Blonde hair flew back as the young man gave a start. His eyes flashed with a strange emotion which moved the three mystics. There was something about the unholy light within them which provoked sympathy and pity from the three rather than anger. "How dare--get out of here now!"
The three companions exchanged a look before turning back to leave. "Wait." Looking around, they saw that the lord had fallen to his knees, his golden hair in disarray and the glint in his eyes, gone. "Is it true? Is her family really looking for her?"
"Yes."
The lord covered his face with a weary hand, his face gaunt with fear and anxiety. "I know that I should let her go, but I--"
Hermione's voice was kind and calming as she cut him off. "Let us speak with the mystic." Ron and Harry then realized why Hermione's voice was so sympathetic. Ron nodded his head with understanding, but Harry's eyes darkened as he looked away.
"All right, please follow me."
~*~*~*~
The blue-green furnishings of the large, luxurious room gave an illusion similar to that if one is underwater. It was beautiful and elegant, but just like the deadly majesty of Facinaturu, everything is false. Unlike the vibrant shifting of the cresting waves or the calm ripples of the lake, the room was in a silent stasis.
"This is the room. The water-mystic asks to be left alone, though," started the young man.
Ron asked a question which had been bothering him. "What is her name?"
"She never told me... she rarely ever speaks at all."
The Strategist then turned away from him and went through the door. "I see."
Harry raised a hand to stop the man's coming tirade, sending an extremely mild spell of Fascination to the lord, meaning to stun and nothing else. "Please leave us alone. We would like to talk to the water mystic alone. She will listen to us."
The human's eyes were slightly glazed over, his limbs frozen in place before the three. "But--"
Ron and Hermione had already ushered the half-mystic into the room and closed the door. "Please excuse us."
As the door closed behind them, a splashing sound from the side of the room caught their attention. Light poured through the window and was reflected upon a pool of water. Iridescent flashes of light also flashed from the raised dais, as if gleaming off the scales of a fish or the sky after the rain. "I smell the blood a a noble mystic," started a quiet voice. A figure rose from the water. She had long, straight white hair, blue eyes, dark skin, and ears and tail like a fish. Sea-colored eyes rested themselves upon the black-haired figure who had approached. "But you are human!"
Pain lanced through Harry's mind at the truth of the mystic's words. Although he has managed to wake up and accept what he was, the half-mystic still couldn't help but flinch whenever someone brings up the topic of his impure blood. "..........."
"Have I offended you? I humbly apologize," said the mermaid quickly, lowering her head in shame. "My name is Fleur. I am a water mystic of this region's lake."
Pointing to himself, Harry smiled to acknowledge Fleur's apology before pointing to his other two companions. "My name his Harry and my companions are Ron and Hermione."
Ron pulled out a chair from the table at the center of the room for Hermione while Harry sat on the stairs at the side of the pool. He rested Asura upon his right shoulder as Fleur swam next to him. "Are you happy here?"
The water mystic placed both of her hands upon Harry's and rested her forehead upon them. "I know that I should be grateful because this human saved me... but I can't stand the stench of humans and I miss my family. There is nothing more that I can ask for except to go home!"
Red hair glinted blue-green as Ron stood near Hermione's chair, his green robes contrasting with the white of Hermione's dress. "Can we help you get out of here?"
"But my Lord his only a half-mystic!"
"You're right. I am half-human and half-mystic. I now understand and accept that. Still, I can try to get you out," replied Harry, smiling.
Pride was evident in Hermione's voice as she addressed Fleur. "He has inherited the blood of Lord Severus."
Fleur suddenly became panicked as she leapt out of the pool of water. As her body left the dais, her tail split into legs and a white gauze dress covered her. The water mystic quickly prostrated herself before Harry, her hands shaking as she took hold of the crimson trails of the half-mystic's robes and brought it devoutly to her lips. "Lord of All Mystics, Severus! Oh please forgive my insolence! I had not known, my Prince!!"
"Why are you so afraid?" asked Harry, uncomfortable at how Fleur was acting. "I am not him."
"I would die if I could ever offend Charm Lord!" wailed the water mystic. She took off a necklace with four white-blue pearl-like stones and smaller pieces of coral separating them. "Please take this as a token of my utter servitude. I am yours to command as you wish."
Harry backed away in shock, but Fleur was insistent, so he took the necklace. He examined it for a few seconds, clearly unhappy that the half-mystic was acting this way, but he put it on. "........ Come on."
Ron lowered a hand to help Hermione stand up. Likewise, the green-eyed boy drew both Fleur and himself to their feet. Something fell upon his palm and he raised the small round object to eye-level. It was a coral-colored pearl. Harry looked at the girl before him, who turned out to be a couple inches taller. From her eyes came salt water tears which traveled down her face in streams and along the curve of her cheeks. What surprised Harry was that the moment Fleur's tears left her skin, the drop formed into a pearl which dropped into the half-mystic's gloved palm. "We should go now."
Fleur wiped the tears from her eyes, feeling slightly ashamed that she would allow herself to break down before her prince. "But that man refuses to even let me leave this place! He has the front door locked!"
Scratching his head, Ron looked around. "How about a back door?"
It disheartened him to see the white-haired water mystic shake her head. "Damn."
"We'll find a way," said Harry with determination. "There must be a way."
Sad eyes implored to Harry, but blue-eyes were hesitant as Hermione gazed at him. "But he loves this--"
Harry headed for the door in a flash of red and gold, looking like the Phoenix he could never be. Resting his hand upon the knob, he addressed the three others without looking at them. "No one should be kept as a prisoner of another. It does not matter what the other wants or even if a life-debt is owed. The captive will break if not given the freedom they used to have. Let's go."
Fleur, Hermione, and Ron did not have to be told twice as the followed their Prince out of the door. There was no spell of Fascination to ensnare the three of them this time, but what the half-mystic said cut them so deeply that they could do nothing but follow. Each has known how it feels to be loved, cherished, and set up above others like one who has received a laurel wreath, but two of them also know the feeling of being abandoned. Experiencing this pain once is one time too many.
Outside, the four mystics were stopped by the young lord of the mansion, his face was gaunt and showing signs of shock and disbelief that these strangers managed to speak to the water mystic. "W-What are all of you doing!?"
The Strategist just shrugged as he gestured to the house and to Fleur. "Can't we just walk around the house? The water mystic is getting tired of being trapped in that room all day."
The young man's attention was instantly drawn to Fleur, who was hiding behind Hermione with her white hair hiding her face. When she looked up at him, his breath caught and his resolve died. "All right, you can walk around. Two things though, please do not go outside and please stay out of the basement. It has been infested with all kinds of horrid creatures lately."
Harry just smiled blindingly at the flustered young man. "Thank you."
~*~*~*~
"...... Harry, what are we doing here?" Hermione clung to Fleur just as the water mystic clung to her. Both were not terribly optimistic about the situation in comparison to the other two. "Didn't the man say not to come to this place?"
Harry just smiled as Ron put an arm around his shoulders. The strategist had an aggravating smirk on his face. "Since when has Harry or I listened to an order when we are desperate to escape?"
"Yes, if there are monsters down in the basement, there must be an opening of some sort somewhere from where they entered that is not the front door," added the half-mystic.
The Arch-Princess cocked an eyebrow at them. "And if there isn't?"
The smiles grew brighter. "Then we find a weak spot in the walls and break everything down."
Neither Fleur nor Hermione would find a way to argue with those points, but what they saw next did. The arched red door of the basement was not too large that it could be intimidating, but the chains, locks, and barricades which prevented the door from being opened could certainly pose as a problem. "How will we get through that door then?"
A mild laugh answered them as Ron pushed the two girls out of the way and stepped back a few feet from the door. "Leave this to me." The Strategist started running towards the door, the very air around him sparkling with mystic energy. Flipping in mid-run, Ron used his momentum to apply greater force as he used both feet to knock chains, locks, barricades, and the door itself off its hinges. How fun it is sometimes to be a mystic!
What Ron was not expecting was to be suddenly shoved aside. He closed his eyes, expecting more impact, but all he heard was a blade slicing through the air above him and the brutal death-cry of a monster. "Lord of All Mystics....."
"Ron!" cried Hermione as Fleur helped him back to his feet. "Are you all right?"
"I-I'm fine." He wasn't quite sure. "What was that?" Sapphire eyes opened and were drawn to a figure standing on top the what appears to be the ruins of the door. "My... my Prince."
Harry grinned as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crimson cloth. "I don't know where than came from." He flicked Asura to the side to remove most of the monster's spilled blood before using the cloth to wipe the rest from the sentient sword. "I'm sorry about that, Ron. I didn't mean to push you that hard."
Three pairs of varying shades of blue eyes blinked disbelievingly at the half-mystic, who just stared back blankly. "What is the matter?"
"Did you do that?" asked Hermione as Fleur pointed down to the dead cockatrice on the floor. Its pale pink feathers were dull rather than their former glossy state, and the petrifying grey eyes were glazed over with a white film, signifying death. The peaceful look on its features belied the diagonal slash which almost cut it in half, blood pooling quickly on the floor like water from a stream. It was killed so quickly that it did not even have the chance to feel pain.
Harry sheathed Asura quickly, looking at his companions with trepidation. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No one can move that fast, not mystic nor human," whispered Ron. "Not even Charm Lord nor Draco can move at that speed without teleportation and they are the greatest mystic warriors of Facinaturu. You could not have learned that ability yet and there was no chance for a fade-out of your body before teleportation."
"Let us go on."
Not another word was said as they all entered the basement, on razor-edge from what happened before. Inside was dark, damp, and that very darkness and dampness was deceptive. Water trickled slowly from the walls and the air was thick with malevolence just as it was thick with humidity. No light penetrated these depths except for a few rays of light which streamed like holy spears through the darkness.
They descended two sets of winding stairs before arriving into a room in which the very walls moved and emanated a feeling of evil and insatiable hunger for blood.
The water mystic stopped in her tracks as the monster horde approached them, beady crimson eyes shining in the shadows. Even from far away, the four companions could already sense the evil intent of the creatures among the shadows. "They're coming."
If anyone had looked at Harry at the moment, they would have been shocked to see his eyes flash shaded of crimson similar to Charm Lord's. "Split up, we're going to take them one by one."
The road to heaven is long and filled with trials, for the pristine roads of ivory can be stained by the journey of mortals. Just as Asura is made be stained by the blood of the wicked.
~*~*~*~
Hermione extended her hands before her in the formation of a diamond. Magi spheres for the magic school of light formed around her before gathering within the diamond of her hand. Her features twisted with concentration as she cupped her palms and tossed the energy to the ceiling, bathing the room with light.
"I hate to do this, but you are in the way. I can't be helped," smiled the Arch-Princess as she stood up straight, bringing both of her hands to clasp her chest. White-hot fire blossomed in a circle around her as a sickle-like creature approached her, purple venom dripping from its vicious mouth and fragile-seeming wings extending from its back like blades.
She threw her arms up and threw her head back as if imploring or swearing to the sky. Tawny hair and white roses framed her face as they flowed with a strong fire-borne wind.
guided by the crimson triangle I call upon the lord of fire
burn and raze through the land guided by the green star
the lord of the wind tears through the insecure
there is no forgiveness
The spell acted as a trigger as the sickle-bug approached the crowned mystic. The ring of fire blossoms grew and raged into an inferno. Searing heat spiraled from the air around Hermione, leaving dark feather-shaped scorch marks on the floor and decimating part of the monster horde, including the sickle-bug.
"Nothing you can do can stop us."
FlashFire
~*~*~*~
The figure in green smirked darkly as he wove in and out between big, slimy Gaeatoads and the shape-shifting Liquidmetals. Both were poisonous to the mystic and human races, but they were nothing when compared to Ron's strength and shrewdness.
Ron pivoted twice, bypassing the first Gaeatoad's giant tongue before its poison could paralyze him and the Liquidmetal's extensions of itself, which were laced with fire, before it could smash him with heat. This was all child's play when compared to the monstrosities of Chateau Aiguille, so the Strategist allowed himself to enjoy the fight. He finished pivoting and ended up behind the creatures, who were wondering where their supposed victim was before.
"Too slow and just plain bloody stupid!"
The mystic's right gloved hand shone a bright, magenta-white light as he raised it above his head. Like before, a fine mesh of energy settled over him like a veil, causing static to lace through the air. Ron's smirk then flattened to a thin, serious line. "Check."
All it took was one blow from that glove to incinerate the creatures. Said creatures were caught up in the mesh of energy to face into nothingness. A smaller smile than before curved on Ron's lips. "There is no allowance for a draw when you go up against the Strategist. Check and mate."
~*~*~*~
"Please!! Stop this and just let us go!" whispered Fleur as she dodged the raging claws of a Manticore. "I don't want to have to fight you...."
The Manticore just growled from deep within its throat as it rushed the insolent girl it front of it. There was something about her which smelled of sadness and of desperation, which pleased it greatly. However, there compassion it could just hear from her voice was driving it crazy with madness. It pleased it greatly that one of its claws had managed to draw blood. Raising the claw to its fanged mouth, it licked at the blood before spitting it back out. This was not the blood of humans which it craved!!
The mystic must die.
Fleur figured that she did not have a way to get through the creature, for it has been driven mad by bloodlust and by the dark. The is no other choice but to fight. She pulled a strand of silver-white hair from her head and watched it lengthen and grow as strong as a garrote's wire. Her bangs hid her eyes as the Manticore reached for her once again.
"I hate that I have to do this."
Claws reached nearer.
"But you give me no choice."
Fangs were about to fasten themselves upon her shoulder.... and were stopped in mid-air. Blue-eyes glittered with tears as Fleur held on to one end of the thread. The other end was wrapped around the monster's throat from one of the beams on the ceiling. There was no sound coming from its throat.
"I am sorry. Good bye." Fleur pulled hard on the thread, cutting off the breathing of the creature which tried to kill her.
~*~*~*~
Harry's face was passive as he ran in a speed that the Banshee's eyes could not follow. Not even the bright colors of his robes could be seen at this speed and not a sound could be heard. He moved with the wind through the shadows and his footsteps were non-existent. Finally, he stopped in front of the female witch and drew Asura.
"There is no reason for us to fight, but let me just say that you all attacked us first."
Although the witch's features were beautiful, the sneer which twisted in her mouth made her look hideous. "That will be the last words that will ever come out of your mouth, human. Our leader will destroy all of you!"
The green eyes of the boy unnerved her, but that did not last because he disappeared again without a sound. Her sneer was wiped from her face when she raised her eyes and heard the boy whisper something to her ear. "That's too bad then. I am no longer a human."
She turned her head and the last thing she saw was green flashing with slight magenta color. Then, she knew no more.
The half-mystic jumped impossibly high into the air, Asura raised above his head with both hands as white sparks of electricity gathered along its blade. He looked down upon the frozen Banshee and as he came down, brought the charged sword down on her head and through her with such a force that Asura made a deep cut on the ground. At the blink of an eye, he released his right hand and held the crimson sword with his left.
Heaven/Hell
"It can't be helped, Asura." The weapon curved in a wide horizontal cut through the air before him and through the Banshee. The emotion in her face is still as it was before he leapt into the air and there was no semblance of pain even if she has been cut into four.
Harry looked at the dead Banshee for a few seconds before shaking his head to clear it, losing the glazed look his his eyes. He quickly brought Asura close as to wipe the blood away once again, but he starts when there was not a drop on the sword's surface. "I hate this... but I am starting to understand why it must be done."
As he walked back to his companions, he could get a feeling out of his mind that someone or something is watching him at that moment. The Banshee had warned him that something more powerful than her or anything else they have faced so far is in the way, but what could it be?
The road to heaven is long and difficult, but an honest heart would always know the way. But... what of me?
~*~*~*~
to be continued...
~*~*~*~
Disclaimers:
This is my first slash story ever, so I am sorry if it offends anyone. I decided to cross two things I really love, which are the Harry Potter universe and the Saga Frontier universe into a crossover-AU work of fiction. Thus, I own nothing. I'm not really too certain about writing this piece since this is a whole new frontier for me. Please bear with me and I hope you enjoy reading.
Notes:
~This is actually something more like a filler chapter than anything, but a filler chapter that is important since it shows out beloved heroes the way out of Facinaturu.
~Heaven/Hell is an actual technique and FlashFire is a spell from the game and those are my descriptions of how they look. Heaven/Hell is not one of my favorite sword techniques in the game, but it's really a fitting one for this stage of character development. FlashFire isn't too powerful, but the way the spell looks is pretty cool.
~First it's Fleur the veela, now it's Fleur the water mystic. Any problems with this? I couldn't think of anyone who would have fit the part better, but I had to make her lose the accent.
~Water mystics. Think grey-colored mermaids with long, platinum-blonde hair and gills instead of ears.
~A garrote is a weapon of execution. It's really just a very strong wire which is used to strangle people. Gruesome weapon, I know, but I was feeling kind of strange when writing that part... I had fun though.
~I haven't updated since November and I should be skinned for it.
~Food in Owmi contain no crap like MSG.
~I left this at kind of a cliffhanger... I had to cut this kind of short too, forgive me.