Hello everybody and welcome back to "To Eternity, My Witch". I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the story so far. Hope y'all had a chance to check out and/or read FantomPhan33's stories and her other alias' ThatOtherWirterGirl's stories.
I DO NOT Own any of these as they are and were created by their respective creators. Marvel is owned by the late and amazing Stan Lee via Disney. Phantom of the Opera (PotO) is owned by Andrew Llyod Weber. LofZ: TP and OofT by Shigeru Miyamoto. Fire Emblem by Shouzou Kaga. Black Butler by Yana Toboso. And finally, Inuyasha by Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 27 ~ Death's Haunting Melody and His Rejected Pet
~Third person's POV…~
Several hours later at the inn, Steve and Stefan were standing near Sleipnir and two other horses. Reila hugged them all before disappearing into the inn to help Pepper and Laura made dinner. After an argument over the journey to Svartelfheim, Stefan growled, commanding the others, "Mind as well stay the night here. With night comes many more monsters and evil creatures of the night in that evil realm. Best to try to arrive in the day light."
Breaking the meeting from the inn's library, the Avengers and Stefan and his brood all went to their respective rooms and slept. The night went on as normal as possible and, in the morning, as they all finish breakfast, Steve, James, and Wanda followed Stefan outside.
"I'll explain the Shadow Temple and Svartelfheim as we travel. Come." Stefan mounted Sleipnir, waiting for Steve and James to get on their horses before they were well on their way to the Bifrost. "Svartelfheim is home to the dark elves. They are quite hostile to Asgardians and just about anyone else who arrives there that are not of their world. And just like Muspelheim, we'll need to avoid all contact with the denizens of the realm." Stefan explained.
"I did hear Thor retelling the other night how the dark elves tried to invade earth several years ago to get the Aether from Jane, before Thor broke it off with her. Do you think they would be on guard with all that's happened? And how populace are they?" Steve inquired. James frowned, looking at Stefan expectantly, also wondering these things.
Stefan hmphed, "As for them getting the Aether from Jane, as you know they failed, not that it mattered anyway. Especially since Thor broken it off with Janes because of her lying about her cheating on him with another man. And since that invasion of earth and of Asgard, their numbers have greatly dwindled over the years. Of the 3 billion of them a little over a thousand years ago, only a tiny fraction of 290 million some dark elves are left of those times, give or take a million. They don't, or at least didn't back then, care much about their denizens. I'm thinking they may be trying to restore their people before they try to invade anyone for the next millennia. Perhaps they'll leave us alone there; however, we still need to be greatly on guard."
Soon they arrived at the Bifrost. The golden wolf was in front of the Vanaheim gateway. Steve raised a brow whereas Stefan outright ignored it, knowing it was Jedidiah in wolf form waiting to teach the young hero. James raised a brow to Wanda, but they knew they had to wait until after the last mirror fragment was in their hands. One by one each of them touched Heimdall's sword, transporting to Svartelfheim.
In Svartelfheim, it was just like Stefan said; dark and evil was greatly increased. Monsters and dark elves prowled the area, but far fewer than Stefan anticipated. The four of them cautiously made their way to the Shadow Temple that was located where the Aether used to reside more than 100 leagues to the south. It was the farthest temple from the transgate to date. Fortunately, there was a group of twilight beasts outside the Transgate courtyard, giving them a portal to teleport to, afterwards.
Two more groups of Twili were discovered, one outside the temple's entrance and the other at the Spirit's spring. It took nearly nine days to travel to the temple and the spring, far quicker than Stefan's educated guess earlier, though also far too long as well. It would have taken far less time had he been able to turn into dragon form, though with the greatly increased threat of dark elves and monsters about, transforming and flying there was completely out of the question. A thunderstorm threatened them the whole way slowing their progress even more, and it started raining on them two days after then arrived and didn't stop even when they arrived at the temple's entrance.
Once they arrived, it was outside the temple's entrance, which was a large, dried-up, crumbling well just three feet outside an equaling crumbling graveyard that had both headstones and unburied skeletal remains in it. If evil could be gauged, this place took the cake compared to all the other temples combined. James stared down the well, a surprisingly rare shiver going down his spine as he did so at the evil wind coming from its depths. Despair filling him, just like when he was trying his best when resisting HYDRA's brainwashing sessions. A scream of terror was heard from within, long and faint. It sounded as if the person was hopeless. The rain didn't help with the atmosphere.
Steve felt it as well. The evil that was coming from the temple's center and from their current surroundings. It was like a stench so horrible, he wanted to shy away from it like a dog hiding in a closet with its tail between its legs. Stefan, having dealt with such feelings before, placed comforting hands on their shoulders, "It will be alright, soldiers. Wanda, I suggest you fuse with James for the duration of this journey through this temple. It's a very dark and sinister place. And I don't want you to be grabbed by something nasty." He commanded as he took out a match. Steve and James thanked him for lighting their lanterns. They had until then tried to use the lanterns as little as possible to avoid detection from the dark elves.
Wanda fused with James and soon the trio were climbing down into the depths of the dried-up well. Entering the first chamber, which had eight posts surrounding a center one, both Steve and James felt the chill of fear run through them. Despite being out of the rain and the graveyard, this place was far darker and eviler inside than they had realized, despite Stefan's warnings. They preferred the outside and the cold rain to this dark, sinister place.
Stefan walked forward to the center pillar and pulled out the lens of truth. James poked Stefan's shoulder, "What are you doing, Stefan?"
Stefan ordered, "QUIET! I'm concentrating." James frowned and Steve simply crossed his arms, listening. Both were surprised at Stefan's order, and immediately became silent. He rarely ever became that scary intimidating general they both knew he could be. Intimidating to be sure, but easy to approach and talk with.
Stefan pointed the lens in a circle to the surrounding pillars, only stopping once he had completed the turn. Putting the lens away, Stefan went to three of the pillars, touching each in a pattern before tapping the center one. Every single pillar lighted up in flames, illuminating the area, giving James and Steve a small amount of comfort, albeit only a little.
Stefan turned to them, "This is where I must leave you to go finish the temple, James. Steve and I, like I said, are here for moral support and whatnot, but we cannot follow you from here on out."
James went wide-eyed at that, and Steve's jaw dropped open. Both were fearful, even as they were super-soldiers. James stuttered, backing up a step from the temple, "Why? I had the impression you would be there for me the entire way…"
Stefan's face blanched, clearly caught in his words, "I seem to have found myself in a pickle. I should have explained you further that we couldn't go past this point. However, in my defense, had I said anything, you and Wanda wouldn't have come. I…"
Wanda appeared, determined, "Stefan, I will make sure that James completes this temple all the way. As quickly as we can. James…" She turned to said person, who now was shaking in fear, something no one ever seen Bucky do, except maybe Steve. "James, it will be alright. I will be right there with you. Until the end of the line."
James set his jaw, and he stopped shaking in fear, courage coming to him, "Very well, Wanda. Until the end of the line." Steve and Stefan clapped him on the back and Wanda smiled at him, both her and his courage rising.
"Now go with courage. Look for the reflection's lens of truth." Stefan charged Buck. Said man took a second deep breath before he turned and crossed the bridge that had formed when Stefan had done the pillars, going deeper into the eerie temple. Pausing to pull out his other lantern he pilfered, James breathed in deep and continued again once he lit the wick. He handed it over to Wanda to hold as he held the one Stefan had given him.
James went through this temple slowly, fear coming to him far more often. Throughout the temple, shadows were everywhere and without the two lanterns darkness would reign. The moments where he and Wanda were forced to douse the lanterns were terrifying and caused false nightmarish noises and monsters to move towards them. Whenever that happened James would panic, and the winter soldier tried his darndest to appear.
Every time James found his courage again and Wanda her own, they moved on. As James moved through the temple, he found several torches in the walls and lit them, giving some light to the temple, and giving him some semblance of calm. James was forced more than once to face his memories of HYDRA. Every single memory. It forced Buck to stop multiple times to fight his panic and his sense of fear.
The Winter Soldier tried his best to appear, something that he fought with tenacity and will power. Wanda greatly helped in the matter and each time the soldier tried to appear, his fear would disappear, and his courage would replace it, giving him the resolve to continue and the Winter Soldier would shrink back and become further and further powerless.
And since the beginning of their relationship, Wanda had done a wonderful job of desensitizing him to his trigger words. Even finding the specific reason and way to stop the soldier from appearing. Every so often he would get a flair up when someone said a word without meaning to and the Soldier within would make a few seconds of appearance before Wanda would force the Soldier to fall unconscious back within James.
Coming to a room halfway through the temple, James and Wanda both jumped in surprise and ran as five Redeads came upon them suddenly from a hidden chasm, nearly paralyzing James with fear. Though seeing a room to his left, he quickly opened it, ducking inside with Wanda on his heels, not realizing the Redeads were herding them to that room deliberately. As soon as he slammed the door shut it locked of its own accord, trapping them inside. James growled, yet looked around the room with Wanda, observing it.
The room was black in color, with bones littering the floor to such an extent, the bones made up the floor and with the bones piled higher in the corners. Blood, despite being old, was still splattered on the walls and on the bones covering the floor, tacky and still deep red. The floor itself was a mass of old bones and mummified flesh. Who knew where the true floor was beneath all the old, mummified flesh and bone? Several intact skeletons were scattered around the room, bloodied and mouths opened in silent screams, though it looked as if something had gnawed through their chests as if something ate the organs within, their ribcages damaged and the clothing on them shredded from the sternum down. The room reeked over of rotten flesh and waste. It was sickening, nauseating.
James felt sick to his stomach, which was rare, and he emptied his stomach near the doorway. Wanda patted his back trying to comfort him. Soon James wiped his mouth, his stomach now completely emptied of its content. His courage rose again as he thought of Brenna and Lenna and how his life with Wanda was going to be so much better after this disaster was over and done with.
Though the good memories were cut short when a shrill, ear-shattering scream cut the silence. Wanda and Buck, with hands over their ears and wincing, watched in sickening horror as a monstrosity so horrible came rising from the floor in front of them. The creature's flesh was bloodied in patches against its white rotted flesh. Out of the top of the mass of flesh came a long neck to which a twisted, deformed human skull with stretched skin on its main body. Its jaws were overly large, and its teeth, old and rotted, were jagged and sharp.
Two eyes, if one could even call them eyes, were entirely black, boarding on eye sockets with glowing red centers staring right at him. Two appendages acted as arm stumps. Four, inhumanly long arms with hands, just as grotesque as the monstrosity, came out of the ground, acting as anchors for the monstrosity to grab Buck, to keep him from fighting back.
The closest floor arm grabbed at him and held him down. Buck struggled and barely managed to get free himself from the closest hand's grasp as the monstrosity came forward to try to gnaw on him. Retreating a safe distance as courage and rage… and fear… flowing through him, James wiped out Psipherion to face the creature which he dubbed Dead Hand.
Wanda fused herself in him, to both avoid being grabbed by the disembodied hands and to give James further courage. And to combine their Triforce pieces, which gave him a great boost in strength and stamina. The battle with Dead Hand was far longer than the two warriors with the spears; in fact, it took many hours to defeat the monstrosity. During the battle, many memories flashed through his mind, bringing pain, both psychological and physical pain to go through his body.
As Buck delivered the killing blow, a deep chested, hilt deep blow, Dead Hand screamed in defeat, its voice gurgling as it breathed its last breath, causing terror to go through him. Its blood seeped onto the bones beneath it, a dark sickening greenish red mix. James groaned in pain, both physical and mental pain. He shuddered as he fell to the floor of bones, breathing heavily, trying to dispel the fear and panic. He retreated into his mind, never noticing that Wanda had become physical again. Even the Winter Soldier withered at the appearance and encounter with Dead Hand.
Wanda, letting off swirls of her power, comforted James. "James, take it easy, love. I am here. Focus on me." It took some time to comfort him, to console him. However, it wasn't Wanda that comforted him this time. His mind wasn't even in the present, never hearing Wanda's comforting words. The thing that started restoring him was the memory of when he and Amelia were talking on the roof of the palace in Wakanda months ago.
*Flahsback*
I heard her voice, soft and gentle, no condemnation in it, only love and forgiveness, confusing me to not end, "I said to you all those years ago that you are forgiven James. With all my heart. To the end of the line."
To the end of the line? I am a monster, Amelia. A messed-up man who couldn't fight control. HYDRA messed my head up. I screamed in my mind, hitting the ground in anger, tears still running down my face. How can you forgive me of such an act of treachery and betrayal against you? Against everything and everyone.
"Because I have had much worse happen to me in the past and I have forgiven them. If I can deal with over 1500 years of tortured captivity and forgive those in that time, I can forgive you. I have been whipped, beaten, and bruised by many worse people and groups other than HYDRA. If I can forgive them, I can forgive you. You were a victim James, just like I was when I was under tortured captivity.
"We were used and forced to do things that were deplorable to our base morality and nature. For me it was not just with HYDRA, but with other captors from centuries and millennia past. HYDRA forced you against your will to do that to me. And because of that very reason, you are not a monster. Now you are a survivor, a conqueror of your past and our past together. I see you as a person who needs love, forgiveness, friendship. I see you as a friend, a brother, a comrade, a fellow warrior. You remind me so much of my son Sesshomaru. So conflicted and yet so loved." Amelia explained with a loving tone as she came to stand right behind me.
I didn't turn around, barely able to believe those words she said. They were just the same as before, yet so much more freeing. Has she truly forgiven me? Why would you forgive me? This… this… wretched creature? I asked in anguish, unwilling to turn to her, to trust her word which could be ruined if I ever was forced to hurt her again.
"Because you never deserved what was forced upon you, James. Neither of us did. Like I said before, you are forgiven. Besides… I know another who would wholeheartedly forgive you…" I heard the hope inside her tone, feeling her smile that I did not see. Yet I did hear her grief-stricken, yet hopeful reply, You know of who I speak of, James…
I looked up as she came around to kneel in front of me, through tears as I looked at her feet, You mean… Wanda would forgive me?
Amelia smiled, nodding, "Yes, I know for a fact she would forgive you James. Until the end of the line, remember?" Surprisingly I felt her hand lift my chin, forcing me to meet her eyes. In her eyes, I knew what she said was true. She had forgiven me. Fully forgiven.
I finally felt freedom, forgiveness taking hold as I held her gaze. I let out a ragged freeing cry, finally able to let it all go. I laughed, joy, peace filling my soul as Amelia's joined mine. I stood, as did Amelia, surprised to see her scars had turned slightly jagged, but her smile made me smile. She approached me, saying, "Soon we will be able to hug and touch again, James. As much as I want to do a Soul Merge to help you completely understand, it can't be done at the present moment. Come, let us join our family downstairs. They're worried about you."
I chuckled, a freeing feeling, "Sure, but Amelia, I have a question." She turned to me brow raised. "Do you truly forgive me?"
She smiled, a silent exasperated sigh coming out, touching her transparent hand to my check, "Yes, I do, James. I said it many times and I will say it again. I forgive you. Do not doubt my word, I mean what I say and never go back on my word. But before we do down, closed your eyes James… I want to give you a hug…" Even though she was a spirit, I closed my eyes, and I felt the arms of Amelia slide around me. She laid her head against my shoulder. I hugged her back, finally able to feel that sense of forgiveness and peace from her. Soon her presence against me disappeared and I opened my eyes to see her transparent form standing in front of me again.
*End Flashback*
James came back to reality and finally felt like the courage to look up at Wanda, his beautiful wife. She was worried. He reached out and placed gentle fingers to her check. She gasped but smiled moments later. "I am here. I am back." James murmured to Wanda.
Thanks for reading this chapter! Hoped y'all liked it. Please leave a review and/or smash that favorite button. Until next chapter!
WS. Z.
