Inception: Rise of the Heir
After the murder of Hepzibah Smith, Tom Riddle disappeared for ten long years. He sank deeper into the Dark Arts & pursued knowledge that others could only dream of, consorting with the darkest members of wizarding society. With his eyes set on North America, he has no idea that the magic he so desperately seeks will shape his life & his inevitable future for years to come. TomxOC
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my o/c's and my own storyline.
No sooner had the words left Cassian's lips that the cave's dark surroundings suddenly disappeared, swallowed by a bright white light, it's jaws encompassing them all. Tom raised his hands to cover his eyes, squinting in irritation until its brilliance began to fade, the shapes and shadows coming into view once more.
As his eyes began to grow accustomed to the veil of darkness around them, he could make out two familiar shapes crumpled amongst the dirt, Lyra's dark hair splayed across her face, her seemingly lifeless body on the ground before him. A choked gasp assaulted his ears and he watched curiously as Cassian made his way quickly over towards her side looking back towards the gruesome tomb in fear.
"What did you do?"
The chamber remained eerily quiet as his question remained unanswered, the only sounds audible were the lone ragged breaths escaping Cassian's lips as he knelt down next to her body, brushing the hair from her face as he held her limply in his arms, his face twisted in regret.
"I didn't wish for her to die, I wanted -"
"She is not dead." The strange voice answered him quickly. It's graveled tone finally responding to his frenzied cries.
"If she isn't dead then what have you done to her?" Cassian retorted angrily, his face turning sharply towards the creature's sarcophagus once more.
"What was necessary."
"You told me I would get what I desired if I spoke your name. This is not what I wanted, none of this is even remotely-"
"And you will get exactly what you wished for...in time. But as for now, there is no time to waste. If you still wish to attain those deepest ambitions then you must listen and do as I say."
"Do as you say?" Cassian said suspiciously, his voice full of confusion and hesitance. "Why would I do anything else you asked of me?"
"Because you have no other choice."
Cassian let out a strangled cry as he glanced towards his companions bodies and back toward the tomb once more. "You lied-"
"Come here." The voice demanded softly. Its pitch less gentle than it had been before, as if its patience was wearing thin.
"Why would I do anything else you ask me to?" His voice shook with trepidation as he carefully moved Lyra's unconscious body to the ground once more and slowly rose to his feet, his hand trembling as he held his wand about before him. "I should destroy you for what you've done-before you hurt anyone else- "
It interrupted him once more as a high pitched laugh filled the cave, seemingly amused by his threats. "Stupid boy. You cannot kill me..you haven't the strength. There are only two choices before you now. You can either do as I say or your body can lay here in this crypt until the end of time. I could kill you right now if I wanted, it's so far and few in between that my meals come to me…or have you forgotten what it was that brought you here in the first place?"
Cassian let out a shaky breath, his face paling in fear and approached the tomb slowly, his wand still poised and ready. "You brought us here on purpose."
The echo let out a chuckle and retorted quickly. "I lure everyone to me on purpose…without it I could not have survived as I have. But in some manner you are correct…your company here was desired…for reasons that are beyond comprehension to your sex."
Cassian raised his wand slightly higher, his grasp more firm than the long wooden handle than it had been before. As if it already knew , the creature spoke to him once more, disarming him with it's response to his courage.
"You can put that flimsy little piece of wood back in your pocket. It won't do you any good. Not here."
"Who are you?" He asked quietly, his voice trembling again as he took careful steps towards the grisly tomb, wary of the decrepit body still laying lifeless in its reccesses. If the pile of bones and flesh could move, it did not show it.
"You already know my name."
Cassian grimaced slightly, the disgust spreading across his face. "What are you?"
"I was made from flesh and blood once, same as you. Before I was forced to become what it is you see before you now."
"You're nothing like me."
The voice let out another laugh, amused by his answer and spoke softly. "Yes, I suppose in certain ways you are correct."
Cassian remained quiet as he came to stand next to the grave, looking down upon the body in terror and back to Lyra's unresponsive figure before he spoke softly. "What is it that I need to do to wake them up? To make this right?"
"Ah. so you've made your decision. A wise choice.
"Stop talking in riddles and tell me what it is I must do."
"The talisman around my neck. You must take it."
Tom watched as Cassian hesitantly reached into the crude stone coffin, pulling the grotesque pendant off from a small leather cord around the corpse's neck, the expression on his face twisted in repugnance.
"That's it?"
"Go to the girl." The voice demanded. "You must take it to her and place it in her mouth. None of you will be able to leave this place unless this is done. No one leaves here without my permission."
Tom grimaced at the words, his fears about the cave confirmed. "In order to leave this place, whatever we're dealing with must be destroyed."
Walking slowly over towards Lyra, Cassian hesitated momentarily as he looked down at the disgusting, calcified object in his hands before clenching it tightly, kneeling down to move Lyras delicate figure onto his lap. Tom waited and watched as he opened her mouth gently and placed the stone-like object inside before looking towards the corpse once more.
"It's done…now wake her up."
Frustrated by the continued silence, he looked towards the altar and spoke once more, his voice no longer shaking with trepidation. "I've done as you asked…now do what it is you promised."
The voice did not answer him and instead remained eerily silent at his words as if it seemed determined to ignore him, the sounds of the cave around them echoing off into the distance.
"Did you hear me? Wake her up!" Cassian repeated himself once more, his voice cracking in anger as he held onto Lyra's limp body.
"Patience." The creature finally spoke out softly to him as a strange breeze started to billow around them, a dusty curtain of wind starting to form up from where the corpse lay and rush towards them like a rogue wave, kicking rubble and dirt into the air. The sound of rocks and earth hitting the cavern's walls echoed like thunder and Tom watched as Cassian raised his hand up over his face to protect it from the swift, violent assault of debri.
Almost as quickly as it had started, the whirlwind of dirt and ruins suddenly ceased, blowing past them, leaving the cave strangely still and serene. Lowering his arms slowly, unsure of what had happened, Cassian opened his eyes and looked towards the beautiful woman in his lap, his eyes betraying his emotions, as a lone tear rolled down his cheek.
"Lyra?...Please…wake up."
Tom watched in disdain as shaky, gentle hands that were not his brushed the dirt and earth off her face, cradling her body in his arms once more, the man's face now more visibly distraught.
"LIAR!" Cassian screamed towards the sarcophagus, pulling his wand from his pocket. As he struggled to regain his composure an intonation answered him back, this time it sounded more forceful...more present, less like a whisper in a dream.
In shock, Cassian's cerulean eyes widened in horror at the sight that unfolded before him, the gruesome and decrepit corpse slowly starting to rise from its tomb, each mangled and rotted limb slowly bending and moving towards him in an unearthly manner. At once Tom recognized its familiar face, the sharp skeletal-like claws at the ends of each fingertip, the long white hair that fell from its head in stringy ribbons and it's black eyes, glittering like diamonds in the dark.
"I do not deal in lies. Only in truths."
"Then why haven't they woken….why haven't-"
"I never said they would awaken. I told you SHE would awaken. Your other friend I'm afraid is dead. An unfortunate casualty, but one that was needed."
Cassian stared at the wraith before him, his eyes still wide with shock. "That's not what was agreed upon! I didn't want anyone to die…that wasn't-"
"With great rewards come great sacrifices."
"Great rewards?" He replied warily, his voice soft and confused.
"You will get all that it is you desire and more, but it will take time. She will awaken soon." The creature looked at him and pointed towards him menacingly. "For either of us to get what we want, she must not know what has happened, otherwise I fear my power will not return and I will not be able to help you attain what it is you wish."
"How will I keep her from finding out what happened here? And Albert?" Cassian motioned towards the dead man. "How do I explain his death to her?"
"Is there no magic you can't think of to change her perception? To disguise your deceit?" Its rotted lips said softly, a grotesque mouth pulling upwards towards what could only be perceived as an effort to grin.
He observed on as Cassian looked down towards the soft face that lay in his lap and frowned, slowly raising the tip of his wand to her forehead. "If it's necessary, I could alter things a little…it wouldn't hurt her."
Disgusted by the scene before him, Tom ripped himself from the memory, knowing already what had followed afterwards.
He paused slightly as he heard another whimper come from the man's before him and narrowed his eyes sharply, a grin tugging at his mouth as he let out a harsh laugh, his hand steadily grasping Cassian's hair as he yanked his head backwards, his voice soft and unnaturally calm. "Coward. You think this hurts do you? I could unravel your mind if I truly wished. I could cause you pain unlike anything else you have experienced in your life…and you would deserve it."
Cassian murmured something inaudibly as Tom let go, staring at him coldly through dark eyes, the expression on his face curious and cruel. "Perhaps you'd like me to show you."
His threats were met with nothing but a choked sob as he suddenly dove into the wizard's mind, his malice and hatred focused entirely on the man before him as he practiced what had taken him years to perfect. Without moving a finger he began to twist the visions floating through Cassian's mind, creating illusions that were meant to torment him, diving into his deepest fears and anxieties and exploiting them to his will. Tom watched the man before him begin to weep, the tears starting to trail down his clenched cheeks and in a moment full of spite, he felt himself grow angrier at the sight, unsatisfied with the suffering before him and curled his hand slowly into a fist, murmuring a dark curse softly. He began to smile wickedly as the man begin to shake, Cassian's face now beginning to turn red in pain, his veins pulsing in agony and Tom held steadfastly onto the torture he inflicted until his ears were finally met with a high pitched scream.
"That's better." He whispered smugly, relishing his victory and at once relinquished his control over the man's mind, partially satisfied with the result. "If I cannot kill him, then he will know pain beyond pain until I get what I need."
He observed Cassian momentarily, joyously listening to the ragged pants of relief amidst choked sobs and tears and let out a short sigh.
"Now that you've had a small taste of what I'm capable of, there are a few questions I need answered before I fix this little mess you've made...and you're going to give them to me."
Cassian made no reply to the taunts and instead looked up towards him fearfully, his eyes full of misery and defeat.
"You really are quite pathetic, you know...such a pity." Tom murmured before diving into the man's psyche once more, violently flipping through his mind with no sign of resistance or struggle, relishing his triumph.
Memories continue to barrage his senses, each one more insignificant than the next. Visions of Cassian's youth flooded his mind once more, aggravating scenes depicting his longing and his pain, watching Lyra grow from afar, unable to bridge the gap between them. Tom wrinkled his nose in disgust as he quickly sifted past them, pausing as a few more flew into his mind, interesting, yet unnecessary, flashes of Lyras trial at MACUSA and her refusal to talk to him afterwards, how Cassian had evaded being questioned and interrogated by flirting with his female colleagues. A vision of an empty office and a heart wrenching pain that filled his chest, despite his efforts to push the feeling away.
"I need to think about something else other than Lyra." Tom frowned, frustrated by the foreign feelings that invaded his own psyche, unwilling to feel the man's useless emotions any longer. "Clearly there's an overabundance of memories pertaining to her…perhaps it's time to try something else."
As he narrowed his eyes and continued to sort through Cassian's recollections, a familiar item flashed across his mind and quickly he latched onto all of its distinct characteristics, recalling whatever he could remember about it, determined to find the answer he sought. Without warning he felt himself rush into another memory, the darkness around him exploding into a bright white light, as if he had been shot through a tunnel, and felt his feet hit the earth, the rubble crunching under his feet. His eyes slowly grew accustomed to the sights around him and once more he realized that he was back in the cave, standing not so far from where he lay in the present.
Tom strained his neck curiously as he found himself back in the cavern, watching as Cassian took a small bracelet off from around his wrist and held it out before him, waving his wand over it carefully, murmuring a spell under his breath. A few minutes passed them by until he finally reached down towards Lyra's limp body, securing the jewelry quickly around her wrist before laying down next to her, waiting patiently for the wraith to finish its work, waking her up from her forced slumber.
He whispered softly as he let go of her hand, staring at her unconscious body sprawled out across the dirt next to him. "I had hoped to give that to you one day, not like this...but as a gift...but I suppose for now this is what it'll have to be."
Tom let out a soft snort, repelled by the vision and quickly pulled himself away from the scene, flipping through a few more visions in repugnance, until another, more interesting object came into view, one he had spent hours scouring over and reached towards it immediately.
He was swiftly thrust back into the crypt once more, only this time Lyra and her dead companion were nowhere to be found, signifying that the event had passed and that this had taken place further in the future and closer to the present. A familiar voice assaulted his ears and he watched as the gruesome creature stared angrily towards Cassian, its voice low and threatening.
"What do you mean she has disappeared?"
"She's left MACUSA…no one has seen or heard from her in months...I've written her letters..tried to find her, but I'm having some difficulty-"
"FOOL! I thought you told me you were able to track her movements. That it would be impossible for her to hide. She still resides in your immeasurable city does she not?"
"Yes, but there are exceptions to that sort of magic…and even though she's unaware of the spells I placed around her…when she's concealed herself as well as her location…the tracking spell is useless. New York is large…too large for me to find her quickly before she moves again."
It made a disgusted noise and through flayed lips, Tom heard the corpse change its tone quickly. "It's no matter. For now she can hide herself as long as she wants…I still hold sway over her body when I need it. In time, she won't be able to resist my will as easily and she'll be forced to show herself. She cannot hide forever. Through my thoughts and visions, I can help lead you where your spells cannot." It moved around the altar menacingly, its glittering black eyes looking towards it's bloody claws, smiling in satisfaction. "I still need some time to regain my strength. With every victim she helps me claim, I regain more of my power…it's a slow process, but soon I will be strong enough to become whole again." It pointed towards him and hissed. "When that time comes she needs to be brought to me, so I can reclaim what it is she's borrowed and get my true body back."
"How am I to get her back here without giving it all away?" Cassian asked quietly, his voice trembling with hesitation. "Her skillset is -"
"Yes, her skill set is far superior than yours. That I've witnessed. But I leave it to you to figure that out. If you want any of your desires to come to fruition, you must do this. Otherwise it will all be for naught and you will pay for your failure...dearly."
He watched as Cassian grimaced and nodded and looked towards his right, where a small stone altar lay in the shadows, a large weathered book upon its surface.
"T-this book. What is it?"
The creature let out a few ragged breaths and Tom looked on as it began to make its way towards its tomb once more, noting that it's previous vigor was now gone, it's speech and speed slowed as if it's energy had started to fade.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. You could not understand the natives tongue even if you tried. Its pages are filled -" The corpse struggled as it lay down. "- with the languages of my ancestors. Here long before yours ever crossed water."
Cassian's eyes suddenly widened as he tried to mask the excitement that crossed his face, the hint of an idea suddenly dancing across his eyes as he looked towards the tomb and squinted, making sure the creature could not see what he was about to do. Softly and carefully, he leaned over and plucked the book from its resting place and tucked it carefully away into his coat, pulling at the fabric to disguise his deceit.
"Leave me now. I am no longer in need of your presence and I grow tired. It is almost time for me to feed again, do not tempt me to spare your friend and use you instead to satisfy my needs."
Tom pulled himself out from the memory and into another, feeling his feet hit the ground, recognizing the uneven cobblestone underneath him.
"So that's why he stole the book. The native language that the creature spoke of…He knew that if she were to possess it, eventually her questions would lead her back home...closer to this place. He knew Sani would be able to read it and that Lyra would seek him out…"
"Chadswick Square…" He thought to himself and paused as he recognized a familiar face through the crowd make its way down the street across from him, pausing to stand before a small bookshop.
"Lyra."
Quickly hurrying across the street he followed Cassian as he trailed her into the store, pulling the hood of his cloak over his head.
"Once we left her safe house in New York, Cassian was able to find us through the bracelet...which means he could have followed us to every location we didn't enchant with protective spells…" A sinking feeling started to rise through his gut as he realized his own secrets could have been compromised as a result, leading his body to fill with an unshakable anger.
Tom viciously looked on as she made her way through the aisles and piles of books, a strange sensation rising in his chest, replacing his rage when he realized why she had been there in the first place and noticed her pick up the first of the two books she had gifted him before making her way into the next section. Cassian's hooded figure trailed her from afar, finally seizing an opportunity to knock into her while she was distracted, dropping the weathered leather text at her feet before quickly disappearing.
"So that's how it was done." He mused to himself as he quickly wrenched himself from the memory and into another, following Cassian's hot pursuit to retrieve the book from her possession. "But he didn't know why Lyra was in that shop in the first place. He didn't know that she was in there purchasing those books for me...my presence threw a wrench in his plans…which means that at this point he didn't know she was with me, otherwise he might now have left the book so foolishly."
"His interference could still have potentially compromised your plans as well." A small voice nagged at him in the back of his mind, beginning to stoke the flames of his temper once more. "There's no way to find out for sure without exposing yourself or making it seem like you're vulnerable. He will need to be dealt with properly."
Tom was distracted once more when he found himself fade into familiar surroundings, the old adobe house still fresh in his memory, but knew that somehow his body was changed, unfamiliar and seemingly small in comparison with the room. He felt as if he was floating in mid-air and recognized the scene before him, Sani and Lyra deep in conversation in front of the roaring fireplace and himself beside them listening carefully.
"Strange…"
But this was Cassian's memory, not his own and he knew for a fact another human body had not been physically present in the room for the conversation.
As the scene played out before him, he could feel Cassian's worries, his fear and apprehension and he watched as the memory of himself stood up, ignoring the conversation at his side and walked over to where they were, curiously staring at the open empty space.
"But it never was empty space, was it?" Tom thought. "Those voices, the feelings…what I was hearing...it was Cassian..and his thoughts."
He frowned grimly at the affirmation of his suspicions and looked around carefully, he finally noticed that his size and the angle at which they were posed, could only mean one thing.
"A literal fly on the wall." He mused as he ripped himself from the man's memory and back to the present.
"How long have you been an animagus?" Tom asked softly, his dark dangerous eyes focused on Cassian's face as he watched a lone bead of sweat fall from his hairline. The wizard looked up towards him and trembled, murmuring inaudibly under his breath.
"Speak up. It's rude to mumble."
Silence still permeating the short space between them, Tom lifted his wand lazily and placed the pointed end under the man's chin, forcing Cassian's head upwards. If he would not speak voluntarily, he would force him.
"Let's try that again shall we? How long have you been an animagus?"
"A-a few years…" The man mumbled quietly, his eyes trying to avoid Tom's cruel gaze.
"Lyra never knew?"
"No."
"And tell me, how many years have you been flittering around her like the little cockroach you are?"
"N-not a cockroach, a locust -"
"I could care less what insignificant flying pest you turn into whenever you feel like being cowardly, I asked you -"
"-I never used it to spy on her until recently!" Cassian spat towards him through clenched teeth, a faint glimmer of courage darting across his eyes.
"How chivalrous." Tom retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure you did it out of love."
"I did what I had to out of necessity!"
"Is that what it was?" Tom said, his voice unnaturally quiet, devoid of any emotion. "I'm sure it was a necessity to switch her potion out that night you spied on us."
Cassian remained quiet at the accusation, seemingly unwilling to confirm, nor deny it, instead his eyes darted upwards nervously towards Tom's face, as if dreading what he would say next.
"How else would you have gotten both of us out of the house that night?"
The man's eyes widened in terror as Tom let out a soft laugh and shook his head. "You killed the old man. I thought so."
"H-how-"
"-I heard you that night you know." Tom said calmly, running his hands gently over the length of his wand. "How long did you sit there, stalking her from the shadows, waiting for that perfect moment? I'm sure it wasn't easy to stand by and watch her wallow in misery, considering how much you claim to care for her."
"Stop…"
"And I'm sure it was just as difficult for you to rob her of the only person that you knew would be able to help, especially since the man you killed considered you to be his son."
"I didn't want to do it, but there was no other way. I -" A lone tear fell from Cassian's eye as it made its way down his cheek, settling onto his chin before falling onto the dirty cavern floor, unable to finish his thought.
"You lured her there...so I would say you knew exactly what you were doing." He let out a soft laugh. "Come now, it's a little too late for regrets...wouldn't you say?"
"I can still make this right."
Tom shook his head and let out a snort, raising his eyebrows skeptically. "I think you've done quite enough."
"P-please. I can help. I don't want her to -"
A high pitched scream echoed off the walls of the chamber, preventing Cassian from finishing.
"It seems our little chat has come to an end." Tom murmured sharply, standing up from where he was crouched, looking back towards the man at his feet in disgust. "It's time for me to finish what you started, I'd end your miserable existence right now if I could…but your life isn't mine to take."
"H-help her. Please. I never wanted…" Cassian let out a choked sob, unable to finish his thoughts and looked up towards him. "You have to believe me."
Dark brown eyes looked down at Cassian coldly, the malice glittering behind them and he spoke softly before turning towards the main chamber, his hand gripping his wand tightly at his side.
"If she is dead, all of the pain you've experienced just now will pale in comparison to what I have in store for you."
Well it's been months. I haven't forgotten about this story, I've just been going through a lot in my own personal life, so much so that I really didn't have time to update, nor could I. On top of that I also experienced such severe writer's block, that I just found I needed to put this away for a bit and come back to it at a later time…lol. Hope everyone enjoyed the latest update, hopefully I'll be able to wrap this journey up soon! As always please review if you've liked it so far! It's been months and feedback would just be so awesome!