Outsider Chronicles: Dark Eclipse
The First Year is over and Leo is already working to right wrongs. However, darkness is beginning to stir, and not just at Hogwarts. As Leo gets more powerful, his nature as an Outsider begins to take effect and worlds are drawn together. Add in some family drama and reveals and Leos migraines are only going to get worse. Sequel to Black Zodiac
And we're back and we get to see Leo tap into his innate Gryffindorisem that comes with being a Demigod! Hope you like it!
Chapter 11
White hot fury shot through me, manifesting as an aura of black and white energy that flickered like flames across my skin. Screw subtly, the Heir was dead!
I slammed down on my Occlumency as my magic pulsed in response the that thought, actually generating enough force the blow the blankets on the beds slightly. I inhaled deeply and turned to my friends and teachers who were eyeing me worriedly.
"Sorry about that," I said.
Mcgonagall swallowed.
"N-not a problem Mr Black, its perfectly understandable," she said, before shaking herself off, "They were found near the library, along with this."
She held up a mirror.
"I don't suppose it means anything to any of you?"
I shook my head as I took a seat between Holly and Hermione's beds, slipping into my Occlumency trance in an attempt to get my anger back under control. My Occlumency had taken the brunt off, but I needed to do something about the anger or I'd end up charging in like a Gryffindor and get myself killed. But...to see Holly laying their...it made my heart clench far more than I thought possible and this anger...it went well beyond what a friend would feel. I wasn't a fool, I knew I was falling for her, but the anger I felt when I entered the Wing and saw her laying there like a corpse...I clenched my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms and using the pain to drag my mind out of the blazing fury that attempted to consume it.
"Leo?"
I blinked and looked up. I was mildly surprised to see that I was alone and the light streaming in from the windows was the orange of the setting sun. That was odd, I didn't normally lose myself to my thoughts to that degree. I looked at the person who had attracted my attention and was unsurprised to see that it was Luna.
"Hey Luna," I mumbled, "Whats up?"
"The Nargles told me you needed a friend," she said, "And that you'd need some help to get through this."
"Yes, I guess I do," I muttered, "I need a distraction before I kill something…"
"I find that tales of the ancient past are a good way to bank a burning temper," said Luna, pulling out a book of storys from behind her, "And you may find answers to your questions."
She handed me the book and I saw it was the book I'd got for Christmas. I looked back up to thank her, but she had already vanished.
"That girl," I muttered, shaking my head with exasperated fondness.
I could already feel my anger ebbing thanks to Lunas brand of madness. It was still their and I doubted it would go away until I tore Riddle a new one, but I was no longer fighting the urge to go down to the Chamber like a half baked Gryffindor. Deciding to take Lunas advice, I let the book fall open at a random story.
"A History Long Lost," I muttered, reading the title.
I glanced at Holly, wondering if she could hear in that state, before shrugging. Why the hell not? I wasn't going anywhere and I could pretend she was just sleeping instead of a lawn ornament. I shifted, getting myself comfortable, before I began reading aloud:
"Long, long ago, way back when the Earth was newly formed, it was a dead place, no different from the other rocks in our Solar System. However, in the center of the planet thrummed a power rarely seen in the Universe, the spark of Magic. This spark attracted the attention of a race of wondering people who were fleeing the destruction of their homeworld. No one remembers the name of these people, however, their technology and magic were both so advanced as to be indistinguishable. They came to Earth and made it their home, using their magic to bring life to the desolate hunk of rock.
The People flourished, protected as they were by magic, science and the powerful Magic Knights that served to protect all, the most powerful of which were known as the Knights of Heaven and wielded the seven Heaven Gems, magical crystals formed from the Magic Sparks of the nomadic peoples past homes. For centuries, nay, millennia, the People thrived but, as was inevitable, something went wrong.
A young mage, frustrated over his lack of progress, decided to attempt a forbidden spell in an attempt to gain more power, opening the way for an unimaginable evil to enter the world. A race of Godlike beings simply known as the Faceless Ones serged through the gap created by the foolish mage and, in an instant, the world was thrown into chaos. By virtue of surprise and nearly unstoppable power, the Faceless Ones crushed all resistance and quickly claimed dominion over the planet, smashing the once paradise into a hellish world of suffering. For nearly a century they ruled over the People, spreading death and destruction.
However, unknown to the Faceless Ones, they hadn't managed to take over completely. During the fighting, the King had activated the failsafes that transported the Capital of Avalon to the Moon, sacrificing himself in the process. For 100 years, the remaining mages gathered their strength, offering what help they could to the people on the planet below while maintaining their secrecy. Then, exactly 100 years after the Monsters arrived, the Mages struck. With the aid of the Earths Magical Spark in crystalline form, the Knights of Heaven, lead by the Princess, attacked, destroying any that stood in their way until they reached the portal that had started it all. Finally, they arrived and the Princess sealed the tear with her power, forcing the remaining Faceless Ones to flee lest they be trapped on Earth and destroyed.
With the threat now gone, the People gathered on the moon to lick their wounds and take stock. Out of the many people who once called the Earth home, now only eight of the Families survived and many of the magics and technologies had been lost. As a result, they could not move on to a new world as their ancestors had done. However, they knew that they could not return to Earth, not when the wounds were still so fresh. Eventually, it was decided that the Families would scatter, each taking one of the planets in the Solar System as their own. With the help of a spell that was only to be used in dire situations, the Magic Sparks of the other planets were activated and the Families settled into their new homes, with the Royal Family remaining on the Moon.
However, this was not the end of the Earth. The remains of the Faceless Ones that had been slain seeped into the magical system that had been created to connect the Planets, giving birth to the first Primordials on Earth. These beings were so powerful that they made the Faceless Ones look like gnats in comparison, being formed from the Magic of Planets and the remains of the Gods. However, they seemed oblivious to one another's presence, as well as the presence of the People. Each of the Primordeals eventually found themselves in a different part of the Globe where they settled down and began to breed. The offsprings were weaker than their parents, but still immensely powerful, the greatest of which were the offspring of Gaia and Uranus known as the Titans.
Time passed and the People regained their old power and returned their gaze to Earth. They were surprised to see the mass of new beings and the powerless race that had been created by the Gods that so resembled their own. Curious, the Queen sent a number of volunteers to Earth to form a colony that would serve to keep an eye on the beings born of Magic, including the Seven Knights. The colonists formed the city of Atlantis within an area of immensely high magical power and began to hesitantly put out feelers to the Humans.
Time passed and both Humanity and the Moon Kingdom as it was now known thrived, with some members of the Moon Kingdom even mating with Humans, producing a new race who could tap into Magic from within their own bodys.
Alas however, all good things must come to an end and this time of (relative) peace was no exception. Slowly, reports of strange creatures began to trickle in and a dangerous new cult emerged from the Darkness, claiming to follow a Dark Empress. At first, the reports were brushed off, but when a small village was found to have been murdered, the Queen ordered the Knights to investigate. Six of the Seven tracked the Cult down and discovered the single worst possibility they could imagine. The Dark Empress was a Faceless One. Well, not entirely. After spending who knows how long feeding on the Magic of the Planets, the Godlike monster had evolved and changed, gaining the ability to tap into a previously unknown source of power to give birth to the monsters that had been attacking innocents all over the world to steal their energy.
The Knights prepared for battle, but before they could attack, they were betrayed. Darquesse, the Knight of the Void and best friend of the leader, Leonus, turned her Scepter on her comrades and, before they even realized what had happened, had slain three of the Knights, leaving only Leonus, the Knight of the Zodiac and Harlequin, the Knight of Eclipse left standing. However, these two Knights proved to be a far more dangerous opponent than all the others, being ready and a formidable team after nearly a century of marriage. However, the Traitor was able to get through the couples defencive and strike a glancing blow to the Eclipse Knight, sending her to her knees and allowing the traitor to land the finishing blow.
That proved to be a mistake however as the now enraged Leonus summoned all his power and blew the Traitor away, causing her Scepter to be lost beneath the earth. Now spent, Leonus fell to his knees beside his wife and, with the last few dregs of his power, cast a spell to scatter the Gems until they could be found by the Knights descendants.
With the death of the Knights, the Dark Empress made her move, sending her army of zealots out to take the Planets. Unfortunately, she had spent so long gathering her power that she had forgot to make sure the Earth was as weak as she thought. The Gods of the Earth made short work of the enslaved Humans with the aid of their Children and Champions.
The Moon Kingdom on the other hand wasn't so lucky. Although still powerful, the Dark Empress had chosen a time to attack when the Guardians and most of the armys were attending gatherings. The suddenness of the attacks, coupled with their unexpected nature meant that the armys were quickly crushed under the attackers sheer numbers and magical enhancements. Before long, only the Moon remained, mostly thanks to the Princesses royal guard. Alas however, it was not enough for the Dark Empress herself swiftly brushed aside the attacks of the Guardians with ease.
Finally, in desperation, the Queen used her power to tap into the full power of the Solar Systems Magic Spark and used the power to annihilate the attackers, but not before they managed to slay the Princess, her lover and all of her Royal Guard. Wracked by greaf and dying from channeling so much magic, the Queen cast a spell, scattering the souls of the People throughout time and space so that they could be reborn. Just before she died, the last of the Knights, the Knight of Meteor, appeared and, as was typical of the Seer Knight, made a prophecy:
The Moon's power Wains,
But Its people are not gone.
Time shall return all,
Born anew.
At a time of strife,
Titans, Darkness, Serpents return,
Our heroes Awaken and emerge.
Prophecy given, the Seeress vanished once again, leaving the Ancients and their Kingdom to fall into Legend."
After reaching the end of the story, I stared down at the next page in the book. It was a drawing that depicted a group of seven people laughing and smiling, each clad in armour and holding a different weapon. However, what really caught my attention was the fact that five of the people there I recognized. They looked older of course, but their was no mistaking Hermiones untamable hair, Ginnys grin or Lunas dreamy expression. The last two however I recognized because I had seen them in the Mirror last year. It was Holly and I, looking older and wearing armour, but their was no doubt about it. I gently ran my finger over the image of Holly on the page and glanced at the frozen girl on the bed. Yep, definitely the same person. Now for the big question. HOW THE HELL WAS THIS POSSIBLE! I mean its one thing to run into Sailor Venus in the halls but...wait a second!
My eyes widened as I thought back to when I'd first met Minako and the vision I'd seen. I'd brushed it off at the time and, due to the hectic nature of school I had largely forgotten it, but this… But how was something like this possible? I mean, I was already a Reincarnated Soul, right? So how could I also be a member of the Moon Kingdom?
"Mr Black."
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the unexpected voice and fell out of my chair with a crash. Madam Pomfrey sighed as I sheepishly got to my feet.
"Yes, what is it Madam Pomfrey?" I asked.
"Visiting hours are over Mr Black," said the Matron, "Actually, they ended a few hours ago and Curfew is in a couple of hours, so you really should be going back to your dorm."
I sighed and nodded.
"Alright."
I glanced down at Holly and hesitated for a moment, before kissing her on the forehead.
"Hang in their Holly, you'll be alright soon and I'll get the one responsible," I muttered.
I nodded to Pomfrey and left the Wing.
I pushed a tree branch out of the way so I could get a better view of our target. The castle looked dark and twisted, made of a strange, grey stone that pulsed with the Darknesses foul power and seemed to suck in the moonlight.
"This is the place, no doubt about it," whispered Perseus as he opened his eyes, "I can sense a number of those things inside, but none of them are that powerful. We should be able to handle this with no problem."
"Their are guards on the wall, but it shouldn't be too difficult to take them out," said Harmony as her hair danced in the gently twisting wind that surrounded her.
"Great, lets get moving!" said Ifrit from where she was spinning her sword around her finger, "Ow!"
"Calm down Ifrit, we need to make sure we're not walking into a trap," said the musical voice of Harlequin, making the redheaded fire user pout.
I smiled as I watched the small spark of levity that always accompanied Ifrit, no matter how dire the situation, before my smile faded slightly as my gaze landed on the last member of our little group, Darquesse. The black haired woman was stood apart from the rest of us, partly concealed in the shadows as had become her custom. It saddened me to see the girl I remembered as a bright and friendly child wearing a scowl and hiding in the shadows.
"Denarii for your thoughts?" I asked as I approached the Void Knight.
"Its nothing," said Darquesse, "I was just wondering where Selena is."
"Her powers aren't exactly all that useful in a combat situation like this," I said, "Besides, I think the Queen had another mission for her."
"I see," mumbled Darquesse, frowning slightly.
I gave my old friend a worried look, before glancing at my watch. No more time to worry, it was time. I rejoined the others, who had stopped messing around and were all now sporting serious looks.
"Its time," I said.
They nodded and moved into position. Harlequin paused, before wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me.
"Be safe my love," she said.
"You as well," I replied, finishing what had become our ritual before heading into battle.
We moved silently, crossing the distance between the trees and the castle like shadows, easily subduing the guards and making it into the castle proper. We made our way through the halls until we reached a pair of huge, double doors. Persius indicated to them and signed to me that this was where the enemies were located. I nodded and signaled for my comrades to ready their weapons, before I blasted the doors open and charged inside, only to find...nothing.
"What..?"
Suddenly, the doors slammed shut and I felt powerful Wards spring up.
"Its a trap!" shouted Persius, spinning to face the doors with his hammer ready.
Before he could do anything however, a flash of black light struck him from behind and he exploded, covering Harmony in gore. The Wind user froze in shock, sealing her fate as she was hit by a second bolt and killed. I reacted, throwing up a shield between the attacker and Harlequin, just in time to prevent her death as well.
"Aww, thats no fun," wined Darquesse, "You blocked me."
I stared at my friend as the shield faded, taking note of the crazed look in her eye and, more importantly, the fact that her normally dark eyes had become a bright, bloody red.
"Why?" I asked.
"Why? You ask why?" said the crazed Knight, "Because the Dark is going to win! You have no idea the power She possesses! We can't fight it, so why not just embrace it?"
She smiled at me. It wasn't a nice smile, more like a jackal preparing to kill a helpless rabbit.
"You know, I was ordered to kill you all, but if you embrace the Darkness then I won't have to. I don't want to hurt you Leonus, not my old friend…"
"Shut up!" shouted Harlequin, unleashing a blade of water at the corrupted Knight.
"Be quiet you slut!" shreaked Darquesse, her face twisting into an animalistic snarl as she blasted the water to steam and Harlequin away with a bolt of purple energy, "I wasn't talking to you!"
She turned back to me, the sickening smile slipping back onto her face.
"Come join me my love," she purred, making me flinch back, "Oh yes, you didn't know, did you? I've always loved you, ever since we first met in Atlantis. I would have done anything for you, but instead you chose this whore from Mercury."
She shot a dark glare at Harlequin.
"Seeing you two together felt like someone was tearing my heart from my chest, seeing her in that white dress stood where I should have been nearly killed me. But I grinned and bore it. I wanted you to be happy Leonus, but I should have just taken you! I gave you everything and you left me with nothing!"
She stood there panting, her hair a mess and her eyes blazing with madness. I stood in silence for a moment, my eyes shadowed.
"Darquesse, your wrong," I said, making her jerk back, "I did love you. Maybe not as a lover, but I considered you to be my sister. You are my oldest friend, we grew up together in the Palace like siblings, alongside my brother and the others. And you don't have nothing. You had us, your friends. I am sorry for hurting you, but I will not apologize for following my heart."
Darquesse stared at me in shocked silence, before she began to laugh. It started of quietly, before it built to a true insane cackle that showed just how far she had fallen.
"You're sorry?" she shrieked, the laughter vanishing as quickly as it had come, replaced with an insane rage, "I don't want your apologies you bastard!"
She took a deep breath and seemed to calm down.
"Well, I tried," she said in a baby voice, "My Lady said it wouldn't work, but I had to try."
Suddenly she swung her Scepter and I found myself caught in a Binding I couldn't escape.
"What are you doing?" demanded Harlequin as she struggled to her feet, "Let him go!"
"I told you to be quite!" roared Darquesse, thrusting a hand at Harlequin and casting a binding that slammed her into the wall and held her there.
With her annoyance dealt with, Darquesse sauntered up to me and leaned up, wrapping her arms around my neck and placing her mouth next to my ear, moulding her body to my own.
"One last chance my love," she purred, "Join me or die."
My response was to headbutt her, or try to at least as she was to quick to draw her head back.
"Very well," she sighed, before looking over at Harlequin, "Watch closely whore. I'm going to do to you what you did to me!"
She raised her Scepter, the crystal glowing an ominous black, and pointed it at my heart. I closed my eyes, already knowing that their was nothing I could do to escape, and pushed as much magic as I could into one last spell that would break Harlequins bonds and allow her to escape.
"I'm sorry love," I thought, "I couldn't keep my promise."
My eyelids lit up with a black flash as Darquesse unleashed her attack and I prepared to accept the embrace of Death. However, instead of the feeling of the Voids energy tearing me apart at the Atomic Level, I heard a very familiar cry of pain and felt something warm splash against my face. My eyes shot open and I watched in horror as Harlequin fell, having taken the attack meant for me, blasting a hole in her stomach with a shower of blood. I stared at her still form, my mind not able to fully process what had just happened. Then, Darquesse started laughing.
"AHAHAHAHAHA! Oh how pathetic!" she crowed, "She sacrificed herself for you! For nothing! She should have run, she would have lived a bit longer!"
I gritted my teeth as grief turned to rage, a burning, blazing fury that consumed everything in its path. My magic surged, manifesting as a white aura that resembled flames around me, cracking the binding. Darquesse didn't seem to notice, too busy mocking Harlequin, but every word out of her mouth just made my anger, and my magic surge even higher. Then, she said something that sent me well and truly over the edge.
"And to think, she was so happy when she told me! Now look where she is, dead along with the brat!"
Everything around me froze, including my anger.
"What?"
Darquesse looked up at me and cocked her head on one side.
"You don't know? Oh, thats right, she said she would tell you once we were done with this mission but I guess that isn't possible any more."
She gave a sick grin and kicked Harlequins body in the stomach.
"This little whore was carrying your child."
My...child? My mind went back to the past couple of weeks, how she had been sick nearly every morning and yet for some reason looked happier than I'd ever seen her. When I'd asked her what was wrong, all she'd said was that it was nothing, just some great news she'd received.
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore!" crowed Darquesse, "Shes dead and the brat along with her!"
SNAP!
I fell to my knees beside Harlequins body, the only thing left untouched in the crater that had once been a castle, cradling her in my arms. I stared down at her face, taking in her peaceful visage that, if not for the blood splattering her face and the gaping hole in her stomach, could have been mistaken for sleeping. I let out a sob as tears welled into my eyes and began to fall, landing on her face as I cried.
My eyes snapped open when I felt a cool hand on my cheeks, wiping away my tears. I looked down and was shocked to see Harlequins eyes were open and filled with pain and love. I couldn't believe that she was still alive, but I didn't need to be a Healer to see that she didn't have long. I wanted to try and get her to a Healer, but I had seen enough wounds to know that this one was fatal, no matter how powerful the healer.
"Don't cry beloved," she said as blood trickled from between her lips, "I have no regrets."
She paused and moved her hand to her ruined abdomen.
"Well, maybe one."
"So then…"
"She was telling the truth. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I knew you'd try to keep me away from the fighting if you knew and I wanted to help as much as I could."
"Y-your right, I would have," I whispered with a smile, "But you would have fought anyway, for as long as you could. I would never have been able to win that argument."
"Is that really such a bad thing?" she asked, before letting out a gasp of pain as more blood welled in her throat.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, "I should have…"
"Shh."
She stopped me with a finger on my lips.
"Don't blame yourself for Darquesse's choices. Its the Darkness's fault she fell so place the blame their."
She drew in a shuddering breath and I could tell she didn't have much longer.
"Don't go," I whispered, my eyes tearing up again, "I don't think I can go on without you."
Harlequin smiled.
"Don't worry my love. This isn't the end, it's only the beginning. I promise that we will see each other again and when we do, make sure to give this back."
She pulled me down and kissed me. I could taste the blood on her lips, but ignored it in favor of burning the memory of her lips into my mind. Then, her arm fell from my neck and I felt her breath leave her. My cry of grief echoed through the forest as the heavens opened and released their deluge.
"LEO!"
I sat bolt upright, the dream, no, memory, fading as my eyes landed on a frantic looking Ginny.
"Ginny? How did you get in here?" I asked.
"Not important, Leo, you need to come no!"
"Why, whats wrong?" I asked.
"Its Luna. The Heirs taken her."
And thats the end of that. Man, two chapters within hours. I hope you lot appreciate it considering I'm supposed to be in bed and have a seminar at nine tomorrow.
So, what do you think of the Legend and Leos past? Interesting? Maybe. Tragic? I bloody hope so! That was really hard to write and I can't help but worry that I've made a total hash of it. I probably should have done it in the Third person rather than First, but I can't be bothered to go back and change it.
Who do we think are the other Knights? Some are obvious, others less so.
Don't expect chapters to be this long in the future, the only reason this is is because I wanted to get both the legend and Leos dream in one chapter. The next chapter will likely finish Year Two and this book, so I'll welcome ideas for the next ones title. Until then, leave me a review!