Hermione and the Radiant Chaos
Chapter 12
The Dance of Elysium
It was a dim room, where a solitary figure resided. The being was cloaked in shadows, and was stiff. It moved not. The room itself was odd, there were no windows, nor were there any doors. For a figure within the room it felt as though one could reach up and brush the ceiling. However, when that same person looked up the ceiling would elude them and when one reached they would only grasp empty air.
Besides the cloaked figure there was nothing in the room.
A cool voice spoke in a mechanical tone.
"So..The cogs of fate have begun to turn."
"Indeed." A figure cloaked in gray stepped out from the shadows.
The shadowed figure didn't bother to turn but spoke.
"So, you have come."
The gray figure nodded.
"The woman has been quite disruptive."
"That's typical of her." The black figure turned and faced the other.
"What has the council decided?" The black figure asked.
"She is both a blessing and a curse and so the council is in a bit of a quandary."
"Oh?" The shadowed figure asked curiously.
The gray cloaked being nodded.
"If it were not for her the Counsel would be not. Yet, because of her destruction of time and space the counsel breathes."
"So some feel that it'd be best for her to live?"
"Some of our more...fearful members feel that it'd be too dangerous to dispose of her anyways." The gray figure snorted in disgust.
"I've watched her closely, it might be prudent not to attack her...unless with large numbers."
"Cowardice! She's a mere mortal!"
"She might be mortal, yet she's lived over a thousand years. She's powerful indeed. Only one fully immersed in the corrupted shadow arts was able to harm her and she still recovered on her own fully. If we were to attack her, we'd need to send in the legion."
"They'd only get in the way of each other! Sure, they are the best but one million for one woman?"
"She's destroyed prophesy itself for the one she loves. Prophesy is powerful but since she's destroyed time and space she now moves outside of the typical rules."
"What do you mean?"
"Take a look at the tapestry." The shadowed figure ordered.
The gray cloaked figure glanced at a barren wall and an intricate tapestry appeared. Once it did so the gray cloaked figure stared at it intently. The crimson, black and golden threads were woven intricately amongst themselves. Some of the threads were constantly changing, others were completely destroyed and others were being woven into the fabric as they observed.
"The threads of fate...time...prophesy...space...and...all broken?" The gray figure said with surprise.
"She cannot be underestimated. She's too powerful to do that to. Yet, if she moves outside of the boundaries set by the council and even the accord of the dimensional rift...Then she could destroy everything...or fix everything. She's a complete wild card."
The gray figure nodded.
"Indeed. Now, if we let her live...what of the vassal? He's too vital to allow to be corrupted by the wild card."
"There isn't much I can do. I am merely a gatekeeper. You'd have more power to change things than I would. After all you are the Counselor for the vassal of destiny." The black figure replied.
"As you are the Gatekeeper for him." The Counselor added.
The Gatekeeper shrugged.
"Be that as it may, we are finding ourselves in a tight spot. Should the counsel decide to attack...Well, what are we to do? Follow their orders? Or should we assist the maverick?"
"Are you insane? Assist a maverick? A renegade to destiny itself?" The Counselor asked.
"If she's a maverick to destiny..Then she'll have the power to fix this mess, and perhaps even recall the Emperor from his long absence."
"I thought you didn't know the greatness of the Emperor." The Counselor replied.
The Gatekeeper stared at a marble basin that hadn't been there a moment before.
"Her destruction of time passed knowledge to many and as a gatekeeper I was privy to much of it."
"Incidentally, what of the time compression? The destruction of existence itself." The Counselor prodded.
"She described it well, think of it as such: Time is brought into a single instance. No life can survive such a thing...unless you're the one who did the compression. Next, after compressing time space would also fold. I suppose nothing can exist if there is no dimension of time. So everything that was, is, and was to be would be brought into a single plane where no life except the creator's would exist. The creator of that compression wouldn't be able to die, and in a strange sense in that frozen existence one would be able to be considered a god or goddess. For you'd have total control over everything."
"She'd have controlled nothing since she'd exist without anything else." The Counselor noted.
The Gatekeeper nodded.
"True, and she didn't have any intentions of staying there, but instead used it as a gateway to allow her access to a different time era. Somehow, and only she knows how, she managed to decompress time after the compression, but into the time era she wanted to be 'dropped' in."
"Is it possible for one of us to compress time?" The Counselor asked curiously.
The Gatekeeper shook his head.
"Hardly, while we have some power over time she has total control over time and space. We lack physical manifestations and are unable to interact with the physical realm. While our warriors have ethereal shells they are only temporary and therefore, unable to interact long enough to gain any control over mortal space."
A few moments of silence passed between the pair as the Counselor pondered the Gatekeeper's words.
A crimson cloaked figure stepped out of the void and into the room.
"Is it that time already?" The Gatekeeper asked.
The crimson cloaked figure nodded.
"The counsel is summoning you. You have much to answer for Gatekeeper. After all, you were the one who assured the counsel that the vassal deserved the second chance in the first place. If you had not intervened then the resurrected darkness would have fallen, the vassal would have done the majority of what needed to be done and the shadows would have been pushed back. Instead, because of the interference of you it lead to this...this situation."
"Prophesy wrought cannot be so easily trumped." The Gatekeeper chided as the three faded into a massive chamber.
Ten thousand figures, each covered with cloaks of blood red were seated in a great auditorium. At the front of the auditorium on a throne of crimson gold a figure garbed in blackest night sat. For it was this being that was the head of the counsel.
"So you have brought the Vassal's Gatekeeper. Well done Vassal's Fury."
The crimson cloaked Fury nodded.
"I have completed my task. Shall I depart?"
"No, not yet. Your input could prove...useful."
"Very well Director." Fury moved off to an open seat.
"I hope you can explain yourself Gatekeeper."
"Shall we get started then?" A figure asked.
"You may begin Inquisitor."
"Gatekeeper, take the seat of the inquisition." The Inquisitor ordered.
The Gatekeeper did so and thus began his questioning.
"Why did you ask us to return Potter to life? And don't give us your original reasons. We all know that they were bogus reasons."
"I made a promise to James Potter."
"This was before you were the vassal's Gatekeeper wasn't it?"
The Gatekeeper nodded.
"As you are all well aware, sometimes when a person dies they pass through the wrong gate before they are directed to their resting place, either paradise or the second existence; hell. The process takes approximately two to three hours as you know. However, Sometimes, the gates are unseemly and there are accidents. People are sometimes sent to the wrong gateway. The process then takes the three hours. Once James Potter arrived at my gate he struck up a conversation with me and before I knew it he had extracted a promise for me to watch over his baby boy; Harry Potter. I sadly, did not do a proper job at that until more recently."
"So you returning him to life was to fulfill a promise...To A MORTAL?!?!" The Inquisitor roared.
The Gatekeeper nodded.
"As interesting as all this is Inquisitor, this is rather pointless." The Director noted.
"Now, the question remains, what are you going to do?" The Inquisitor sighed.
"Isn't it truly marvelous that there are clauses that prevent me from telling you about my charges? After all the Eternal Creed is-"
"Silence! I know what the Eternal Creed is and what it means!" The Inquisitor roared.
"Then this inquisition is rather useless isn't it?"
"Perhaps." The Inquisitor snarled in a defeated voice.
"That's true enough. However, there is something else that we called you in here for. As the Gatekeeper to Potter you are privy to his other halves secrets."
"That's true." The Gatekeeper conceded.
"But because she isn't your charge you can tell us about-" The Director was cut off by the Gatekeeper.
"I"m afraid that isn't possible." The Gatekeeper interrupted.
"Why is that?" The Director Snarled.
"She is in fact a charge of mine. I cannot tell you how that happened or why but..."
"Damn you Gatekeeper and damn your gates."
"Now, now Director, there isn't any reason to get touchy on the subject." The Gatekeeper chided.
Several Hours later the Gatekeeper, Counselor, and Fury left the Great Chambers of the Counsel.
"You play a dangerous game Gatekeeper." Fury warned.
"Indeed I do. Nevertheless, that wild card of a woman might prove to be the true bringer of the Reformation. The vassal is powerful yet, he is blind to the truth of the counsel. The woman knows little of us yet she wouldn't trust the counsel. Perhaps, the Emperor's final words will ring true indeed." The Gatekeeper replied.
"The Two as One entity?" Fury asked with some surprise.
"The Emperor liked to speak in riddles, perchance to protect us from our own folly as his plans came to fruition. Yet, this one seems relatively clear to me. The two as one...Chaos and Destiny are united in those two. She has brought chaos. He is to bring order. It is truly an interesting match up."
The Counselor nodded.
"But the question is; what will this bring up? Elysium's counsel will not long maintain it's patience with one who disrupts their plans. Nor will the Players in the political dance of this realm be patient with waiting as they watch chaos unfold in their play pen."
"Sadly, the Counselor is right." Fury agreed.
"Lowly though I may be, I shall use my powers to aid them."
"Your Promise to James Potter then?"
"Perhaps."
For once a chapter not focusing directly on Hermione. For those who read LOH this will make a whole lot more sense. For those that didn't...Well, there will be bits and pieces that just won't make much sense. After all this is Light of Honor's Sequel and as such it expects you to know a few things of this universe.
"This is like the sequel to a movie I missed." In a sense it IS. :D
2037 words long.
The figures and their alignments are discussed within LOH and while this will get into more depth than LOH did it won't cover some of the basics (Unless they trickle in.)
I did have them mention a few things so that readers that Didn't read LOH could follow a little easier though. (For example a little about that Vassal's Time Traveling.)
The Title fit this chapter well. Now, who know why it was called that and such?
(Besides me ;) )
10 FG (Fan Gold) for the right answer.
This is redeemable. (Just not for actual money!)
For example, ask to exchange for a one-shot, or a review, or critique of something...
If you ask for a one-shot make sure it's an interesting idea please...Not something like: harry kiss hermione. harry wuv her so mush! hermione hav harry babyies! giny jelous! giny say she hav harry baby!
Anything like that will be promptly ignored.
A couple of things I will not write.
Slash (Sorry Yaoi fangirls I just won't touch the stuff...This includes yuri.)
I might allude to it occasionally. (Such as calling Draco a poofter/gay/homo, etc) but I won't write actual homosexual stuff. There's too much of that as it is. (Ahem...Good example...Sirius and Remus...even in a lot of H/Hr fics...)
'Erotic' Rape. It's not erotic, or attractive it's just plain evil. It's downright disgusting. It is simply...unforgivable.
According to more recent reports (U.S. Rates) 1/3 of women are sexually assulted. 683,280 women a year are... Is this something erotic to anyone!?
Okay, I've calmed down.
As a male I feel it's our role to cherish women. (Our wives especially.) Not...not that.
So I cannot accept the idea of writing some 'erotic' out of such a...
As a human it's our role to love other humans. Not sexual love. Just pure love. (No I'm not a hippie! I'm a person of faith though)
Q: Why did this chapter take so long?
A: I got a couple new games, and I've got finals this last 2 weeks were accelerating homework, etc.
Sorry it took as long as it did!