~The Oracle of the Lake of Tears~
Disclaimer: I do not own RC9GN. I only own my OC's, the plot, and the Dimension Walkers. I will also apologize if there are any errors, mistakes, and/or typos.
…..
And then, Avril woke up.
She instantly sat up, and looked around. She found herself sitting on a beach, with Carrie lying next to her. The Lake of Tears spread out before her, so Avril could guess they somehow ended up on an island in the middle of the lake. The sand on the beach was cherry blossom-pink, with seashells scattered around. Beyond the beach, there was a dense forest with tall, towering trees. A gentle sea-breeze felt blew through the beach.
Right where the forest and beach met, a small cottage was rest. The cottage was one-story, white with red trimmings. The porch had a swing and a table covered in dark purple cloth. On the table, a crystal ball was placed in the middle. A girl stood in front the cottage, sweeping the floor. The girl had long, cherry-red hair tied up in a messy ponytail. Her skin was peachy and her eyes were vibrant, emerald orbs. She looked about fourteen or fifteen, with a round face and freckles dotting her cheeks. She wore a long-sleeved, candy apple-red turtleneck, black skinny jeans, and brown Mary Janes.
Avril slowly got up to her feet. She winced, and knelt down. The dark-haired girl looked over at Carrie, who was still sleeping soundly. She sighed, and grabbed the French by her armpits. Avril started dragging Carrie towards the cottage, where the girl had stopped sweeping and started running towards them.
"Thank fucking god," Avril sighed as the red-head helped her carry Carrie. "Carrie is heavy as fuck. Thank you…"
"Cheri," the girl said with a smile. "My name is Cheri."
"Thank you, Cheri," Avril said.
They got on the porch, and placed Carrie on the porch swing. Avril leaned against the railing while Cheri continued sweeping the floor. Avril watched as Cheri swept the floor, softly singing to herself. It was odd that a modern girl was living in the middle of a dark, dreary place. It made Avril wonder who she was and how she got here.
"I am a Diviner," the girl said, smiling towards Avril. "I am known as Cherīorakuru, the Oracle of the Lake of Tears. My mother was a DW, a Diviner, while my father is Lord Jaakuna kage, a proud member of the Dimensional Council."
"So…you a daughter of a god and a DW?" the dark-haired girl asked. "That's fricking awesome."
"I supposed it is…"
Avril looked back at Carrie, who was still sleeping peacefully. The purple-eyed girl was frowning in her sleep, muttering quietly. It was strange. Avril walked over and knelt in front of Carrie. She gently poked the girl's forehead, only resulting with Carrie shifted slightly. She frowned, slightly puffing her cheeks in frustration.
"She's been in the dreamscape without protection," Cheri said, clicking her tongue. "She needs her rest to regain the life force the Dark Fairies stole. Carolina will wake up soon, don't worry."
"So…Ananke was right when she said she was protecting me?"
Cheri sighed, and put the broom against the railing. It instantly stood upright, and began sweeping the floor itself. Avril stared at it, wide-eyed. But then, she just shrugged. It was surprising for her to be so comfortable with strange things at this point. She was a Dimension Walker, after all, so she had to learn how to accept that strange things will happen.
"Come, come," Cheri said, motioning Avril to sit with her at the table.
They sat at the table, facing each other. Cheri looked down at the crystal ball. The crystal ball was made of sparkling, see-through crystal, and it had mists of different colors swirling around inside. The red-head waved her hand above the crystal ball, and the mist revealed an image.
It showed Nomi throwing a bouquet of Bloody Roses at the bridge, making it shake. Dante appeared, and snatched up the roses. The spirit smirked, and said something Avril couldn't make out. Dante disappeared, and Nomi, Randy, Ally, Alice, and Natalia appeared on the other side of the bridge. Avril sighed in relief. Her friends were safe; they made it over the bridge. All they have to do now is to find her and Carrie and together find the Forest of Misery.
"You're going to need me for that," Cheri smiled. "I am the only one in the Land of Shadows who knows where the Forest of Misery is, since that place has been lost for centuries."
"What do you mean 'lost for centuries'?"
Cheri just smiled. She waved her hand again, the image faded away. Inside the crystal ball, a new image appeared. This one made Avril stomach churn.
It was a forest, with towering, black trees with bare branches. The ground was covered with pure white snow. Snowflakes floated down, while a white fog rolled through the woods. Shadow figures of people and animals danced around the forest, singing sweet melodies. There was no sun, and the sky was dark blue mixed with black. A golden, amber moon shined, yet the forest was shrouded in darkness. It was creepy yet calming.
Morgana walked through the forest, smiling wickedly. Avril noticed her appearance had changed. She still had her delicate, heart-shaped face, high cheek bones, and ruby-red lips. Her skin was now creamy, milky-white. She had long, silky, dark hair; her curls cascading down to her waist. Her eyes were piercing, swirling pools of emerald mixed with obsidian. She wore a dress made of silvery, ebony silk and raven feathers, with long, lace sleeves and a high collar. Around her neck, she wore a silver necklace with a screech owl-shaped pendant. A tiara made of onyx and ruby jewels rested on her head. Her wings were larger, more powerful. The left wing was pure white, with the ends of the feathers gold. The right wing was ebony-black, with the ends of the feathers silver.
As the goddess walked, the shadows started following her. They chatted excitedly, and Avril got a good look of each of them.
They were not figures, but looked like actually humans and animals. The humans' skin was light grey, and their hair was ebony black. They were tall and slim, with milky-white eyes and sharp fangs. They reminded Avril of the Shadow People she met back Camp Walker, only they did not look very friendly. The animals, which were mostly wolves and ocelots, had pitch-black fur and golden amber eyes. They had razor sharp teeth, and their eyes screamed bloody murder.
They stopped at a cave, where different colored mists pooled out. Morgana stood in front of the mouth of the cave. The goddess smiled, and held out her hand. The shadows and the mist gathered, and a long, silvery-black staff appeared in her hand. She stomped the staff on the ground, and a pair of golden eyes peered out of the cave.
"Yes…?" a voice drawled.
Morgana laughed, and the image faded away. Avril slammed her hands on the table, and stood up. Cheri seemed unfazed as Avril glared down at her.
"Why did you stop!?" she exclaimed. "I need to know what's going to happen!"
"I can only show you want you are about to face," Cheri said. "I cannot show you everything, because no one can know everything about what they are going to face."
"Bullshit," Avril hissed. "I really don't have the fucking patience for this, alright? Morgana is messing with my head, and I want to know what her deal is!"
"You will learn more about Morgana as you go through the trial of the Prophecy of Destiny," Cheri stated, calmly. "Word to the wise, this quest is going to be the easiest thing you are going to face."
"Oracles!" Avril exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "The worst thing to ever happen to me!"
"I'm not the oracle you're going to meet," Cheri chuckled. "You're probably going to meet…two more oracles."
"Flipping, fricking, fucking fantastic," Avril growled.
She moved away from the table, and walked over to the railing. She tightly gripped the railing, looking down. The dark-haired girl closed her eyes, slowly breathing. Avril looked up, staring at the beach. The Lake of Tears looked more like an ocean than a lake. Waves crashed on to the beach, and a gentle sea breeze sprayed Avril in the face. It reminded her of going to the beach during a family trip to Los Angeles. Tears slowly started forming. Why was she thinking about a happy memory during an urgent quest?
Avril slowly walked off the porch, and towards the beach. She didn't realize she was crying, nor did she realize she was walking towards the water. She stopped, vaguely feeling the water soaking her feet. Her tears were falling freely, going down into the water. With each tear drop that fell into the water, the Lake of Tears glowed. Avril looked down, and saw a bony hand gripping her leg. She screamed, pulled out her dagger, Unity. She swung the dagger, decapitating the hand. There was a loud shriek, and the hand turned into sea foam. Avril gripped her dagger tightly, looking around for any other strange things. The water started bubbling, and figures started rising up from the water. Avril took a step back, pointing her dagger at the figures.
The figures were female, no doubt. They had creamy white skin, and angelic faces. Their bodies were slim and curvy, with no flaws whatsoever. They had long, blue-black hair and ocean-blue eyes. The females wore white, gossamer dresses that flowed like the air and golden necklaces and bracelets. They were smiling, but the smile didn't reach their eyes. Avril gripped her dagger so tightly, it quickly turned into a katana.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"We are the Sirens of the Lake of Tears," they said; their voices ethereal and raspy. "We are only summoned when a powerful being cries and their tears fall directly into the lake. Thy tears summoned us…and now we shall destroy thou…"
"How about, you don't destroy me and you go away?" Avril asked. "Because, I'm the Chosen One of the Prophecy of Destiny, my friend is the daughter of Deamata, and I have a katana that can kill you."
"We will not leave," the Sirens said in perfect unison. "We cannot be killed. Only a child of a god or goddess can destroy us or you use a divine weapon…but none are present and you do not have a divine weapon! You shall perish, girl."
"Blah, blah, blah," Avril said, rolling her eyes. "Let's skip the roar-play and get to the fun stuff!"
The Sirens roared, and charged. Suddenly, a blade went through a Siren. The Siren's eyes turned milky white, and she turned into sea foam. Randy appeared behind her, fully dressed as the Ninja. Avril laughed, smiling widely.
"You stole my line, Burgundy," Randy said. "But, whatever. Let's get to the fun stuff!"
Avril grinned, and turned back to the Sirens. She sprinted up to them, and swung her blade. Their head fell off, and they turned into sea foam. Randy dealt with the other Sirens, calling out Ninja moves and swinging his katana. The Sirens didn't stand a chance, and they all turned into sea foam. Avril and Randy worked in sync, swinging their swords and taking down Sirens. Avril didn't break a sweat, and Randy was having the time of his life.
"I am so glad I can use my suit again!" Randy called out. "I swear, it feels good to be the Ninja."
"Less talking," Avril yelled. "More slicing!"
Randy struck down the last Siren, and sighed. Around Avril and Randy was sea foam, slowly retreating back into the Lake of Tears. Avril's katana turned back into a dagger, and Avril placed it back in its sheathe. The dark-haired girl hugged Randy tightly, catching the boy off guard. The purple-haired teen smiled underneath his mask, and hugged Avril right back.
"How did you get here?" Avril asked once they broke apart.
"We found another bridge that led us to this island in the middle of the lake," Randy explained. "We walked through the forest and found a cottage. We were about to check it out when I saw you surrounded by these…things. I told Nomi to stay with the others and went to help you out."
"Great," Avril said. "We need to talk to Cheri about things."
Randy raised his brow. "Cheri? Who's Cheri?"
"Her full name's Cherīorakuru," Avril said. "She's the Oracle of the Lake of Tears. Cheri knows how to get to the Forest of Misery."
"Perfect," Randy said. "At least something is going our way on this quest…"
"Don't jinx it, Cunningham," Avril warned.
Randy just rolled his eyes. They walked back to the cottage, where everyone else was already chatting with Cheri. Carrie was awake, and was quietly chatting with Natalia. Nomi and Cheri were talking seriously, with Ally and Alice voicing out their questions. Randy came to Nomi's side, softly kissing his cheek. Nomi blushed, muttering under his breath about Randy being an embarrassing boyfriend. Avril stood in between Ally and Alice, earning a squeal from both girls.
After everyone shared their stories, they all looked at Cheri. Cheri was staring at Nomi, her smile sad.
"Young Norisu," she said. "You are going to face some hardships on this quest, as well as facing your past. But, all will come to a happy end."
"But how?" asked Nomi.
"For now," Cheri said, raising a hand, "your main concern is what awaits you in the Forest of Misery. Now that all of you are here, it is time for you go. Be ready and I hope you are not afraid of the dark."
"Wait," Avril said. "What are you—?"
Cheri waved her hand, and the shadows started gathering around them. They slowly started disappearing with the shadows, their vision going dark. The last thing Avril saw was Cheri smiling at her and saying one thing:
"Be wary of Morgana," the Oracle of the Lake of Tears warned. "She knows you better than you know yourself, Avril-Drew Claire Burgundy-Hood."
And then, Avril was consumed by the shadows and her vision went black.
…
*Cherīorakuru (Japanese) = Cherry Oracle
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry if it's not long enough! I tried my best to make it as long as possible.
The next chapter will be a special one! It will be about Avril, Alice, and Ally's parents coming together and discussing what happens to their children! And yes, they are all Dimension Walkers and it will be a very interesting chapter with foreshadowing and some secrets being mention and vaguely revealed or described!
Please review and I will see you next time!