Chapter 31 - Unspoken Promises

Chapter 31

Unspoken Promises

Severus looked back down at Sage. The boy was still mumbling all sorts of things. "I know I shouldn't cry.I shouldn't betray my emotions, I'm sorry. I can't help it."

Severus put a hand on the boy's head, in his black hair, as Sage let it all out. "Don't be sorry that you're crying. Sometimes we need to and you need to."

The tears were beginning to soak through his clothes onto his chest as Sage closed his arms harder around him, as if he was holding on for his life. His nephew probably felt as though that were the case.

"I'm so weak. I don't want to fight Him. I don't want you to die. I don't want to die, uncle. I don't want to die." Sage was sobbing furiously now.

Severus' own chest was pounding because of the prophecy, at the thought of what his nephew was destined to do, which in the charge of the moment he could not even fully understand. That his nephew was destined to die, and die very young, and die during the fight with Voldemort. In a few short years. What those thoughts must be doing to his nephew…was rather evident.

He was just a boy! Dumbledore never should have given him that case. Sage should have not read those prophecies. He was too young. His mind could barely grasp what it was being told. What should he say to a boy who was sobbing that he was afraid, that he did not want his uncle to die, that he did not want to die himself?

He stroked his Sage's soft, black hair. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I'm not leaving you. Prophecies are fallible. Nothing is ever certain until it has happened, Sage."

Sage's body began to shake harder. His labored and furious breathing created a myriad of noises. It sounded as if he was dangerously close to passing out.

"I'm, I'm so sorry I yelled at you, uncle. I'm sorry I disappointed you. I'm sorry I'm not stronger. I, I'm so sorry." The voice came from his midsection.

Severus sighed. "I understand why you did what you did. I only wish you would have told me before. I could have helped you. Then this wouldn't have happened."

Sage's sobbing was still strong, but it was beginning to calm, but just slightly.

"I was just, just so angry. So angry at you. At everyone. Nobody deserved it, nobody lied to me on purpose, nobody knew. I was just, felt so, so alone, and scared, and angry."

Severus allowed his cheek to fall down onto the boy's head. His entire body felt bruised and tired. Sage had to feel even worse, worse than he had during his visions. Severus knew that emotional pains were worse than physical ones.

"The prophecy says that I was chosen as well. I was chosen to teach you, protect you, and help you. You came to me for a reason. You will never be alone."

It was a few more grueling minutes before Sage finally stopped crying and shaking. He was not letting up his hold on his uncle though. The man was his life line.

"Why does it hurt so much?" Sage said, then he sat up and looked at his uncle. "It, it hurts so much, because, because I'm so afraid."

"You will rise above it. You will learn to turn your fear into power. A Magi grows to know no fear, to know no limits. You will find your own strength. And I promise I will help you."

Dumbledore looked through the painting onto the scene before him. The other two professors were watching as well. He sighed heavily and resituated his glasses on his nose.

"Albus, what is this prophecy," Minerva asked him, wiping the corner of her left eye.

Dumbledore's blue eyes shifted off Sage and Severus and onto the woman. He pushed his long, white hair away from his face and stroked his beard. He took in a deep, labored breath.

"Before Merlin died, he left behind a series of prophecies about a time that was to come many years after his death. About a time when the people would need his wisdom again. They were buried in time, or so that is what everyone thought. The prophecies were left in the care of Merlin's line, enveloped in a case that could only be opened by a Magi. As a Magi came, the case was given to him, when he passed, the case was given back to the line of Merlin to keep until the next rose. As you have figured, it was passed on to me to hold, and I gave it to Sage. You see none of us knew what the prophecies were or what else was contained in the case. All that we knew was that the case was destined for only one of the Magi to come and that he would be born in a time where the threat of darkness was again great. I had no idea that it was Sage. I had no idea that time had come."

What made little sense was that the Magi that was to come would carry the blood of three: The Nag, Fawkes, and Merlin. The combination of power from both the Light and the Dark were to make this Magi particularly suited to the task. But Dumbledore had no idea how Sage could have the blood of Merlin.

There was only one family alive that carried Merlin's blood, and Sage was not a part of it.

The headmaster focused back on what was happening in his office. Severus had his hand in the boy's black hair. There would need to be consequences for what Sage had done, to be sure, but for now the only consequence of any consequence to the moment were the consequences of the prophecy and the reaction to them happening in the other room.

"They are good for each other. Now, more than ever, they will have to learn to rely on and trust one another. Sage is going to need Severus now. He cannot handle this on his own. He was not meant to. His care fell to Severus for a reason, the prophecy speaks of it. If this is all to happen so soon, in the next few years, he must redouble his efforts to train himself and his skills as a Magi. I fear there is still much that has not yet been revealed to us."

FIN

AN - Somehow I forgot to put the last little epilogue chapter back on when I posted the revision. I ended up with more chapters somehow and I'm not sure how that happened! Anyway, the second installment of this series is also being revised (it's complete too). You can find it under my fics Sage and the Prophecy of Merlin. It's a lot of chapters to load up and replace - it's all rewritten and reformatted for the new formatting - but it takes awhile to get it done and up and there's over 60 chapters to that. I've replaced the first 10 chapters of that and hope to be finished getting it fixed over the weekend.

Thank you to MBird80 for the review and for tipping me off to the fact that I forgot the upload the most important bit. The epilogue chapter! Glad that you've enjoyed the fic. I hope you enjoy this ending and the sequel fic!

If you've enjoyed the story, please drop me a review to let me know! I love hearing what you've all liked best! 3/2020