So apparently everybody liked the last chapters x3 Who would have thought than an OC ship would actually surface from this. Clearly, I don't have to say how happy I am! I was practically brimming when so many long reviews came it :D
And as thanks, I'll be answering all and then some:
-LightandDarkHeart: Yes, a sweet confession is best at times like those -w- And hell yeah! Let's sail the heck of this ship! xD
-Tris PhantomEvans: I'll answer to your reviews in order -w- First I'm super happy you liked the kiss on the cheek xD And second about Skia, perhaps you'll have to wait and see for that one. As for Claire's killings confession, all in its due time. She was a Baskerville, right? The kiss was quite spontaneous but I still loved it too cx glad you did as well. And I have a question for you: what did you mean by book and that other question? Just got me a little confuse. I'll gladly answer as much as I can c: Just need a bit of a clarification.
Just one last announcement. I have as of now only nine more chapters to rewrite. After those I will be officially making new content and continuing with the story! xD Now then, let's get to the actual chapter you guys have been waiting for.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Breaking Point
This place can't be this big. I can't fathom how one could live in a place this enormous and not make an evacuation plan in case of this kind of things happening. Then again, I don't suppose anybody checks for some maniacs who might start randomly killing innocent victims and setting the place on fire.
Yeah, don't think many cover for that.
"How are we suppose to find Oz in this crazy frenzy?" My yell came above the roar of panicking people all about us. We had returned to the ballroom where people were still trying to find a way out through there.
"There's no other way to find him," Gil replied while we traipsed through the crowd.
"Yeah, but I don't think running around like headless chick—oof!" My sentenced literally got silenced when I ran into Gilbert when he had so suddenly stopped. I was about to cuss him off for not alerting me until I saw why he had stopped.
A few meters in front of us were a couple of Fiana's children clad in red robes. But that wasn't what stopped him in his tracks. What did and what shocked me most was the eerie form of the Chain that formed above their heads.
It was grotesque. It was very unpleasing to the eye to say the least. A round shadow of a body and hollow eyes and huge mouth that remained opened to show the sharp tongue that lashed around. Suddenly it swiped at a statue's head and beheaded it.
Gilbert raised his gun towards it and pushed us aside as to not be hurt. He knew about what was happening to me. And I hated that I couldn't help.
"C'mon, you useless body. If it's all you've got left—" I raised my hands and stretched them out to shoulder length and began summoning Hades. "Then give it one last shot!"
"There won't be a need for such drastic measures."
In the blink of my eyes the whole scenery changed before me. Now instead of seeing the manor burning up in flames, all I saw was a dark void of nothingness except for the tiny flecks of bright snow that fell all around the place. I took a step forth only to feel something alike light sand that supported my weight. But it wasn't normal sand but instead black and left my footstep in an outline of highlighted blue hue.
"I'm glad that he allowed me this one meeting with you." At hearing the same woman's voice my heels spun around with Hades at the ready. But I froze completely when a pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around me and embraced me tightly. So much was the shock that I dropped the blades that disappeared at clanking against the floor. For a mere second I couldn't speak. I couldn't find the voice to. Instead an insurmountable joy and comfort overwhelmed me. Her giddy giggling gave me a sense of peace and happiness. "Your mind may not remember, but your body and heart surely do recognize me." At those words, I noticed that I had involuntarily hugged her back. My arms were tightly wrapped around her slim figure and my head had sought out to rest upon the crook of her neck. It felt so safe here. So loving.
"W-Who are you?" My voice was shaky and I couldn't think straight for a reason. All that I could muster was the thought of a stranger that had suddenly gotten a hold of me.
"I am someone who has missed you immensely, m'gias."
That word—without realizing it, that single word brought tears to my eyes. "M-Matisera?"
She suddenly brought me out to face her completely and at seeing her face my breath hitched. Her face was gorgeous and it was one I recognized. Cloude and I—We looked so much like her. Her small face cradled a pair of gentle cobalt eyes while her platinum, almost white, long hair fell upon her shoulders. She wore nothing more than a simple white chiton with flowing sleeves. Adorning her beautiful hair was a small diadem of golden leaves.
She gazed at me as a whole before swooning and placing a hand upon my cheek. How...could she feel so real? "In my days, I had dreamt aplenty on how my daughter would be. How her ceremony would be. Of who she would marry and how she would have her own children with the one she loved. And let me say that you surpass even my wildest dreams." She gave a chaste kiss to my forehead before coming back to stand before me. "Your brother, father, and I are delighted to see that you have found your reason to keep living. That you haven't abandoned the hope we, so long ago, did. And that that hope you clung so much to has given you your life back."
My life... "What do you mean?"
"That boy... Because of the love you found in each other, your heart found the necessary strength to unite as one and continue to bestow upon you the gift of life."
That boy? She must mean Elliot. So what I heard that time with him— "You mean, I'm not dying anymore."
She gave me a curt nod before smiling too. "I rejoice as well, m'gias. Your time is not now. Neither was it then when you died at the hands of the darkness that consumed you. Your brother and you have forged a new path for you to tread upon. And I—well, all I can offer is the key to open the door and begin that journey."
She laid her arm out with her palm open and facing me. Out of nowhere, a streak of white light flashed across her palm and when she closed it an old sword materialized. It seemed to be an antic broad sword made for her. The hilt was black while the handles were melted silver in the shape of folded-up wings. The blade was steel that shone in the flecks of snow.
"M'gios closed the door of your old destiny and gave you the option to open one for a new future. Now here I stand giving you the key of our people and a token of our heritage that will allow you to open any fate you wish to pursue." She brandished the blade like a pro but then took the blade with her left hand and motioned the hilt towards me. "This is the sacred blade of our people. It is evil's bane to those who you deem your foes. It is the power and blessing passed down from generations of sages and my legacy to you. Now, it is your decision whether you accept it or not."
"I want any gift you have to give, matisera. All to protect those whom I love in this world." Without a second thought, I took the hilt in my hands and took the sword from my mother. In that instant a burst of light blinded me for a second before I opened my eyes.
I gasped at noticing that the snow and the darkened place had changed to show me a paradise much like the Grey Garden. At glancing down though, now I saw the blade differently. It wasn't shadowed in darkness anymore and shone with a glow that illuminated it. The wings around the blade's hilt unfurled properly encase the blade and a single small zircon diamond was etched upon the hilt.
"What just—"
"It has accepted your wish and is now yours, m'gias. The moment you baptize your blade, it will be only yours to bear and only you who will be capable of wielding it's powers. The Thirteenth Hour."
Thirteenth...? I've read about that somewhere. The Thirteenth Hour, the time when those otherworldly beings came to inhabit this world. Where all was born and all perished. This was the time in which the Abyss was also perpetually frozen in. Time never passed but it didn't cease to exist.
It was much like here, in the Grey Garden. Everything was bright and brilliant and that never changed. The seasons never passed. The sun never went out and the lives that lived here coexisted. It was just so resplendent.
"It's a radiant dawn." In my hands I felt the hilt of the blade vibrate soothingly at my voicing of that thought. I lifted it to my eyes and finally said it's name. "You'll be Radiant Dawn."
"I have given you all I have got to give. My time here is scarce and is almost done." She reached out and embraced me one last time. For an instant I swore that I heard her sobbing. "I'm so proud of you. Just like your brother, you're as stubborn as me but as courageous as your father. Never change, m'gias. And I will tell you as he did, cherish those you love. They'll be the only light in the unforgiving darkness of this world."
Out of the blue, I felt a pair of hands reaching from behind me and pulling me back. I fought hard trying not to fall away from my mother. No, I wanted to have some more time with her! I wanted to know her now more than ever!
"Matisera, agapo!" The words escaped my lips in a lilting scream that echoed in the garden. She smiled as the tears fell down her cheeks.
"And I you, Clarice. My dear, little Claire."
I caught a gasp of air just before I heard a gunshot near my ears and a pair of hands brought me down to take guard behind a parapet. At looking around I found myself back at Yura's mansion and noted that only a fraction of a second had transpired in the Grey Garden. Elliot had pulled me down to avoid the hits that Humpty Dumpty was giving towards us.
"Are you trying to kill those children!?" Elliot bellowed at Gilbert after having diverted the gun's trajectory.
"They're not children! They're illegal contractors!"
"No they're not." Before they could stop me, I jumped over the parapet that guarded us and stood a few feet between both ends. "They're just like Oz. They're no different!"
"No! You can't fight with your body like that!?" Gilbert bellowed my way.
"Yes, I can!" I shouted back not looking away from the kids. "Isn't that right, matisera?" Reaching out with my palm open and my confidence ever-growing, I began to summon it. "My name is Clarice Florence. As your master, I command you. What I desire is—" The flash of light came to my open palm and I grabbed a hold of it just as the hilt and blade materialized. "Radiant Dawn!" Brandishing it, the glow that it had let sparkles of light wash away.
At seeing me armed, the Chain attacked. Swinging out Radiant Dawn and calling out for Seiren, the blade swished out leaving behind a wave of energy that served as my shield.
"Chronos!"
"On it!"
The Chain stopped in its tracks when I placed my time-out around it. The children fidgeted seeing their only weapon contained like that.
"Lacrimosa!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The children's weight suddenly augmented pinning them to the ground when the gravity increased. Seeing my chance there, I launched at them and pierced through Humpty Dumpty and, with it giving one last anguished cry, destroyed it. The children then were knocked out by someone that had appeared and that I hadn't noticed before.
"Those are some scary powers you've obtained."
"Vincent! Echo!" My gaze went over my shoulder to see Vincent and Echo just steps away from the unconscious bodies of the two kids while Gilbert and Elliot came to my side.
"Hey big brother..." he yawned out while he approached the children. Gilbert fuzzed over about the blood that covered Vincent but he dismissed it as nothing.
Ignoring them for a bit, I glanced down at my hand that was no longer trembling. So it wasn't dream. I'm not dying anymore. A great sigh of relief left me as the words left me as a whisper. "Thank you, mom."
Just then I felt a disturbance of a Chain and turned to face Vincent. I saw him kneel before the kids while touching their heads and call for Dormouse to appear. "It would be safer to kill them but I suppose putting them to sleep for a while would be of preference. Don't you think so, Gil?"
"Thanks, Vince." Elliot and I rushed over to the kids as soon as Vincent was done. Elliot because he wanted to make sure they were alive; me because I wanted to know if Vincent had lied and killed them. Both of us were assured of what we hoped and stood up to be with the others.
"Thanks." It was funny how reluctant I sounded about my appreciation.
"You're very much welcome," he replied with a small smile and stood up. "At least for once my Dormouse is actually useful. Well, at least it's always better than Reim's Chain."
"Damn! Reim and Break. Did you happen to see them?"
"Did something happen?" Vincent asked nonchalantly.
"It seems Reim had an altercation with the Baskervilles while he was searching for the sealing stone," I reply to that question. "We still don't know what happened to him. And as for Break..." Involuntarily, I turned towards Gil who seemed a bit guilty about something that had most likely happened between them.
"He was acting so...strange," Gilbert finally added. "He went after them himself."
Vincent began to belittle the fact that it wasn't odd at all. And although he wasn't in the wrong to think so, I was still irked myself about him going away just like that.
"You see? There's no need to worry about—"
"I saw him." We all turned perplexed at hearing Echo's unexpected retort. "On our way here...I saw him fighting two Baskervilles outside. Probably—Vincent-sama didn't notice."
An expression of shock came over Gil for a few minutes before he came back to us. He suddenly turned to me and said, "Can you locate Oz?" Giving him a curt nod, I summon Lacrimosa.
"Scanning." We started heading at Vincent's suggestion while I got the more or less exact location. "Scan completed. Subject's location not found."
"Shit. Try through sonar location. And locate the others as well. I want to know where they all are and if they're safe. Chronos, put a time-out on the fire. A spare second could really help us out."
"Ditto. I'm on it." They did as I told them to. Within a few seconds she found an approximate location. It was right underneath us.
"That would make sense," Vincent said while we all went down through the stairs.
"What do you mean?" Gilbert asked the question that was in all our heads. With that Vincent began telling us all that he had found out. "A new tragedy of Sablier?! Is that what Yura's trying to do!?" Gilbert's tone was of completely disbelief because of the lunacy that the man was attempting to do.
"Yes..." Vincent's languid speech and slow walk said much of how much this mattered. "There were a lot of guests in the mansion besides the Barkervilles—" He told us then about how the religious fanatic he had gotten the information out of had said that they had taken Oz and Alice. And Leo, as well. Suddenly we all stopped when we noticed that Gilbert had stopped some feet behind us. "Are you worried about the Mad Hatter?"
"Yes..."
"He'll be alright," Vincent assured not really meaning it. "You should know that. The Mad Hatter is strong. A mere Baskerville could never defeat him."
"You're right..."
"Tch." He really pissed me off sometimes. I went to stand between them and the path ahead with a scowl on my face. "Yeah, we know how stubborn he is and how strong he is but—" I turned from Vincent to Gilbert on this and calmed my tone down. "He's only human. Like all of us. And more importantly he is our friend. And no friend is ever left behind to his own." With that out of the way, we headed out and soon arrived at a library.
"Over there..." Vincent pointed out to a certain bookcase. Moron, making me use my powers when he knew where we were heading all along.
"Claire. Claire."
"What happened?" I asked aloud not caring while we descended the staircase.
"The radius of the fire has been contained. I can't hold it forever though."
"I've located Sharon and Ada Vessalius, they're somewhere outside but safe. Reim-san is still undetected to my radar. As for Break, he is outside of the mansion battling with two other Baskervilles."
So, Echo was telling the truth. "Who are they?" For the moment, even though they weren't the enemy to be worried about, it wasn't out of the question to want to know who they were. Plus, I felt a sort of attachment to some of them from the memories that I had recovered through the months.
"Fang and Lily Baskerville."
"Fang...and Lily." Thinking it over, I decided for a course of action. "Place strings on the last three. Keep searching for Reim.
We pushed through the entrance only to arrive at an alcove full of more robed men. "I don't have the time or patience for junk like you!" I bellowed and summoned Achlys to suffocate a pair into unconsciousness. Summoning Radiant Garden afterwards, I helped out Elliot and Gilbert as we plowed through the enemy line. At the end of the room in which Gilbert had rushed into, we finally found Oz. I let Gilbert and him get some things sorted out.
I was glad to see him as well. But for some reason I was exhausted even when I had regained my vitality not long ago.
"Claire!?"
"Augh!?" I yelped when the two voices yelled in my head. "W-What's the matter with you two?!"
"Claire, it's Break! His essence is ebbing away!"
"But, how!?" I cried out without noticing that the other two had already finished and that Gilbert had already left. "W-Where's Gil?"
"He's going to help Break. But he'll be back in ten minutes," Oz assured me while we headed out.
Then the ebbing of his presence must mean he's overusing Mad Hatter's power again. "Hurry Gil." Get to Break before he loses...or worse yet—dies.
Dun-dun-duuuuunnnnn!
Yes, I'm horrible for leaving you with this cliff hanger for the rest of the week xD Mwahahahah.
Jk but this is it for this week c: By the time we get to chapter thirty I'll start a countdown for the new,actual, chapters of this story.
Ref.:
- m'gios/m'gias: my son/my daugther (the former was borrowed from SK Dark-Hunter Series again -w- I love those books. Have them and read them all.)
- matisera: mother (again x3)
Stayed tuned for the next chapter! :D
