Shoutout to:
BeraniandSeverus4eva: Yahooo! You're very welcome! :D Haha, lemme ponder about that idea for a bit. Right now, I'm still in the process of finding a good plot and setting for the new story but it's definitely going to be a SeverusxOc! Say, college life for a change? Because, lets face it, high school plot is SOO overated. At least to me xD
Notwritten: Hey there! Hope you have a good year ahead of ya! Keep on smiling too! ^^
A/N: All right people! For this chapter and the next, we will be focusing on our girl! It's time for her to finally get some real action. Don't worry, I won't be dragging this scene for too long. It might end at the end of the next chapter before we can move on to the other characters' scenes. :D
Overall, please enjoy and leave feedbacks!
P/S: sorry for the short chapter. Will make it up to you the next one! :P
Chapter 25 First Trial: The Black Warrior
BY the time Claire realised what the time was, it was already late midnight. She cracked her stiffed neck to left and right. Her legs were already numb down to the toes.
Claire slowly opening her eyes to the clear and glorious full moon above her. She blinked for a few times, with drops from the waterfall still crushing down on her. The water wasn't as cold as she'd previously expected. It was merely tolerable.
Claire shivered and sneezed as cold wind blew at her. Her stomach began to growl loudly; Claire had just realised she didn't had anything to eat since lunch.
Focus, Rollins! Her mind argued. Keep your mind clear! Come on. You can do it, girl!
It had been hard for her to concentrate on meditatation without her mind wandering on as it pleased. As soon as Ono had left her all alone, her mind kept wandering to his wise, deep and meaningful words. From there, her mind wandered to the people she had left behind in England, to her complicated relationship and finally, to Lucius Malfoy.
No! Get him out of your mind right this instant, Claire Rollins! You're much better than this. Now breathe in deeply,and focus.
Claire inhaled and exhaled. She did it for a few times, trying hard to push all thoughts away and make her mind as blank as an empty canvas.
Unknown to Claire, six pairs of eyes were watching her from afar, from the depth of the water. They muttered faintly in their own language before they moved.
Claire breathe in and out calmly and steadily. She had managed to keep her head cleared from all thoughts and only focused on her breathing when she heard a sharp faintly sound coming from her surrounding.
Slowly and hesitatingly, she opened her eyes. To her extreme shock, she came face to face with a group of creepy, scaled-covered monkeys with webbed hands and a water-filled depression atop its head.
"Oh my..." The kappas shrieked and started attacking and strangling her before she could finished her sentences.
The Kappas continuously assaulting Claire who was having a hard time getting them off her, from the wet rocky ground. They bit her skin, pulled her outfit and even strangled her. Blood were soaking through her already wet haori as Claire tried to fend them off by punching them as hard as she could.
Claire could feel her heart pumping from the adreline rush. When Claire finally managed to get the Kappas off her, she tried to run away - but failed when one of the Kappas who were on the ground caught her leg and caused her to stumble down.
Not giving up, Claire crawled her way to the exit, all the while trying to loosen her leg from the Kappas who began to drag her back to the ledge stone she had sat on earlier - down and into the pool below where many Kappas had already gathered and waiting excitingly to kill her.
"You got to be fuckin kidding me!" With one full swing, the Kappas managed to pull her closer to the ledge.
"Shit!" Claire held on fought with every strength that she had to not let them drag her down to the ledge and into her ultimate death.
"Must...Not..Let them take me.." She felt her hands slipping from the ledge as more Kappas began to glue to her body. Their body weights were pulling her down.
Claire's fingers slowly losing their grips on the ledge.
As her pointed finger lose its touch against the ledge, the Kappas began dragging her down into the depth pool of the waterfall where her demise await.
Somewhere hidden down below at the bushes, Severus Snape watched with widened eyes as the Kappas had pulled Rollins from the stoned ledge down to the pool where the rest of inticipating Kappas awaited her.
He barely breathing.
"It can't be..." he finally spoke after a moment. "It's.. impossible. She can't possibly be dead!" He nearly screamed out at the last word.
Severus dared himself to moved foward from his hidden spot, not caring if the Kappas did spot him. His feet moved faster until he reached closer to the stream and stopped.
Severus had many thoughts running through his mind as he prepared himself for bad sceneries of what he might found while making his way over.
None of which had prepared him an icy stream along with frozen kappas.
Severus breathed in relief. At the very least; she was still alive. Though, where on Earth was Miss Rollins?
CLAIRE coughed loudly and water sputtered from her mouth, the last excesses of the water from the stream that entered her body while she was being pulled down to the pool by the Kappas earlier. She panted and rest her head against the familiar grassy ground, looking at the moon still shining ever so brightly.
Everything had happened in a flash. One moment she was screaming and the next, she felt icy cold coming from her fingertips. Before long, the ice began to engulf everything her hands touched.
Claire stayed on the ground for a short while before forcing herself to get up.
"Ouch!" Claire winched at the pain on her body. She looked at herself on the now icy pool; she looked absolutely horrible.
Her hair was in great mess, her face was paled and her white haori were being ripped apart. Ugly bruishes and cuts from the Kappas' assaults on some parts of her body had began to show.
Claire sighed wearily. Maybe she should head back to the Shrine and told Shuujin-san what happened. But where exactly was she?
Claire looked around her. The forest that had looked peaceful in the day suddenly looked so haunting at night. She felt as if the trees had eyes and they were watching her every moves. Shivering harder as the cold wind blew at her direction, with her body soaked wet, Claire hurriedly made her way out of the forest when all the sudden, the ground started to shake.
"Who dares to stumble upon MY territory?" A groucy and roarful voice echoed throughout the forest.
Claire unintentionally let out a squeal at the mighty voice. Soon afterwards, a strong blizzard suddenly being cast at her direction, frozen everything in its path; Claire included.
The blizzard calmed down as quickly as it came. A huge gigantic shadow hidden amongst the tall trees, stepped out of its shadow - a green/brown tortoise with a snake coiling around it's body, appeared before her.
"A mortal child," Genbu, the mystical creature, moved swiftly around the frozen Claire. "Dared to treepassing my territory? Tell me child, why have you come here? What do you seek?"
Genbu's golden eyes glowed as it cast at her direction. It was using a Legilemency spell on her.
Claire's body was freeze from top to bottom. She had her eyes shut tightly, and hugged herself in protection before being completely frozen. Yet, even in this state, she could clearly heard what was being said by the creature.
She felt like thousands of needles were stabbing on her skin as the cold temperature kept on increasing by each seconds.
"So you seek to find a way to control your elementarily powers, do you?" Claire couldn't respond yes even if she wanted to.
"Well then, let's see just how well you fend off the power of Genbu!" Genbu opened its mouths again and another blizzard fell on Claire, making the ice covered her body doubled the layers.
"You have few minutes before your whole system being completely freeze, Elemantalist. A true Elementalist should be able to endure it until the very end!"
I can't...Breathe. Is this the way..I'm going to die..?
Claire barely could feel her feet, let alone her body. She could barely moved a muscle.
"Claire.." A gentle female voice whispered in her ears. She felt someone was stroking her cheek very softly.
"Claire honey, wake up. Open your eyes."
Claire slowly opening her eyes. To her surprise, there was no signs of the Genbu or her being in the forest whatsoever! Instead, Claire found herself laying on a cold ground in a mysterious place covered with thick white mist.
Four familiar looking figures stood before her and greeted her with a smile; two of them whom she knew very well and missed greatly while the other two were people whom Claire had never gotten the chance to know about them before they passed away.
"Mum...Dad..."
Claire's parents stepped forward into the mist. Her adoptive mother opened up her arms before pulling her into a big hug.
"I missed you so much, my dear Claire."
"M-Mum?" Her eyes wandered from the woman who was hugging her to the woman standing beside her, wiping away her tears rolling down on her cheeks.
"We couldn't be more happier to know how well you've grown. We are so proud of what a fine young woman you've become, dear child." Her biological mother, Sophia, spoke gently before giving her a kiss on her forehead.
Claire was then, handed over to the two men.
"Dad!" She jumped into her adoptive father's arms and hugged him tightly.
"Haha! Heyya there, sport. It's so nice to be able to see you again for the last time..." Her father tightened his wrapped around her. "I miss you."
"I miss you too, dad..." Claire sobbed.
After a moment, Claire was handed over to the other man. She couldn't speak at all. Claire didn't need to. Because as soon as she was handed over to him by her adoptive father, the man instantly embraced and planted kisses on her forehead repeatively.
"My precious baby.. My sweet Claire.." Glittering tears were evidencely in his eye as he smiled widely. "I am so sorry we weren't be able to be there for you, watching you growing up. You are our treasure, Claire. Our priceless treasure. We will always be watching over you. So do not give up. Never give up."
"Dad.."
"It's time, Edward."
Edward nodded and released her from his embrace.
"It's time to go, Princess. Don't worry. We'll help you." He smiled and wiped the tear rolling down her cheek.
Claire's parents each took their place and surrounded her. They lifted their hands in the air and toward her.
"We love you so much." Were the last words Claire heard from her adoptive mother before a surge of heat crawled onto her skin.
The first layers of the ice broke and scattered to tiny crystal pieces.
"What?" Genbu looked astonishing at the scene.
Only one icy layer of was left for Claire to break.
When Claire opened her, she found herself yet once again at the mysterious place covered in white mist. However unlike before, she could feel heat slowly emitting from her body.
There were no signs of her parents this time around either.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
No answered.
Claire was about to move her cold feet forward, when she smelled it: the scent of fresh Citrus, old books and chocolates filled on the air.
Claire had smelled them before, constantly even.
Inhaled deeply, she remembered it was the smell of home: of the three grown men in her life.
Opening her eyes to the newfound scent, Claire found herself missing home more than ever. She missed Lucius, Severus, Wonka,Draco, the Golden Trio, Ginny, Luna, and even Rita Skeeter's strong and horrible choice of fragrance! She missed everyone.
I can't lose. Not like this! I have people waiting for me back home. People who put a lot of efforts into this mission. People whom I care about!
"I won't give in!"
The ice layers on her body began to crack. Claire struggled to move her muscles.
"I...Won't...Give..UP!" Her eyes suddenly changed to crimson. At the same time, fire bursted from her fingertips and surrounded her body, thus; melting the ice.
As soon as the ice melted, Claire fell on the ground, breathing heavily. Smokes were coming out from her body. She felt her skin burning from the heat rush from before.
Claire was feeling very exhausted she felt her body began to slowly shut down.
"Very impressive, Elementalist." Genbu's deep voice greeted her. "You've managed to successfully achieve no other Elementalist had ever done before; summoning Hell's Fire and also, defeating my Ice Prison with only the power of your strong wills and desire."
"My...will powers?"
Genbu nodded. "The will power of not giving up and the burning desire to live and to be able to see your loved ones again - those two had enable you to successfully used the Fire Element, and thus, summoned Hell's Fire."
Claire, still shakened by her new found power, merely mutely nodded.
"For passing this trial, let me reward you with something that may be able to help you with your next task." Genbu summoned a ring with a small Aquamarine and Ruby gems atop of it and handed it over to her.
Claire looked astonishingly at the given ring in her hand.
"The ring shall allows you to be able to control your powers from overflowing and allow you to summon us."
"Understood." Claire bowed her head. "Thank you so mucn for giving me this, Genbu-sama."
"Here." Genbu summoned few berries and handed it to her. "Consume them. It will helps you to regain back your strengths which you have lose and also, prepare you for your next trial."
Claire hesitatingly accepted the berries, before she ate one. As soon as she tasted the wonderful heavenly taste of the berries, Claire consumed it like there was no tomorrow.
"Eat, child. Your next trial will begin as soon as you walked into the clearance." Genbu pointed out at the clearance a few feet away from where she was.
Claire stood up. She brushed the leftover berries stained on her mouth with the back of her hand, feeling more energised and confidence than before standing up.
She looked at her attire, it looked far worse than before, but somehow Claire didn't mind it at all.
Looking at the clearance ahead, Claire turned and was about to bow to Genbu again when she stopped.
The Mystical beast God had dissappeared.
Claire bowed nevertheless. "Thank you, Genbu-sama."
And then made her way carefully to the clearance where her next trial was.