To my reviewers: thank you so much, I'm very glad you like my story! Keep reviewing and tell me what you think, it's very important to me!
this is a rather short chapter I'm afraid ;) enjoy!
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In every story there's always a moment when the players must meet, because there's something important that needs to be brought to attention. Whether that important something is of a worrying nature or is excellent news, at some point the designated characters come together at the same time and place.
Thus happened when Cosette, Marius, Jehan and Grantaire stepped into the hall of the Palace, celestial residence of the Deities.
It was dawn. The sky was a lovely shade of pink, and the sunrays painted the white marble columns with a pale golden light. Cosette looked resplendent in the morning hues, when she stepped quietly in. Marius, walking behind her, simply glowed: the light of dawn is dear to lovers. It covers everything in velvety tones, showing translucent eyelids, dark lashes, rosy cheeks and the hard planes or soft curves of two entwined naked bodies. It is a moment of quiet discovery. Jehan's appearance had become slightly less ethereal, the blue hues of his skin made almost white by the warm sunshine, while Grantaire, with his pensive expression and troubled eyes, acquired a more relaxed stance.
The four deities met at the centre of the hall. Having grown up together they naturally knew how to read each other's faces. It took them just one look to understand that they had gathered together for a common reason.
"They start to remember" they murmured in unison.
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Sunrise was the part of the day when Eponine, after leaving earth and descending to the Underworld, felt languorous and dizzy. She couldn't explain why. She accepted the situation and tried to find some relief by swimming in her favourite underground lake; its waters were cool and clear, and Eponine loved to spend a long time bathing under the small waterfall.
That morning she mentally thanked Jehan, who had deposited her on the shore of that lake the night before. She remembered crying and feeling miserable, but her thoughts were still a bit fuzzy, so she shook her head and sank into the water.
She swam lazily towards the waterfall, enjoying the calm, when a persistent meow caught her attention. She rose from the water and looked around. Sun was looking at something behind her, his eyes wide open.
Eponine whirled around abruptly. At first she didn't see anything, so she turned her head to look at her cat, confused. The feline hadn't shifted his gaze though, so the goddess turned again towards the waterfall and stared. For a long minute she just made her eyes roam over her surroundings, the lake, the rocks, the waterfall... the waterfall! Eponine almost jumped in fright. There was something beyond the glittering sheet of water. It was very blurred, of course, but it almost looked like... the silhouette of a man.
Eponine tilted her head, curious. Like her cat before her, she stared at the figure for a long time, wide-eyed. After a while she started moving slowly forwards, as if she was under a spell. She reached the waterfall, drawn towards it like a moth to a flame. She got so close to the water she could feel thousands of droplets covering every inch of her skin. She thought the silhouette beyond the waterfall had moved too.
Eponine raised her hand, flattening her palm on the water's surface.
Raise your hand, she found herself thinking. Raise it!
She couldn't explain why, she just felt it was important that the person beyond the water copied her.
Her heart beat faster when, after a minute, she caught movement on the other side.
He's doing it! He heard me!
She felt her heart hammering in her chest, like a caged bird desperate for freedom, while she watched the figure lift its arm and splay its fingers. The hand got closer, and closer, and closer, until it touched the very same spot Eponine's hand was placed on.
A very powerful jolt of electricity struck her all of a sudden, and the force of it threw her body violently backwards. She fell ungracefully into the water, whimpering.
She blinked a few times, blinded by the water. She couldn't see anything, hear anything beside the frantic beating of her heart.
What was that? Who was that man?
Eponine blinked again. Something was wrong. There was too much light. Way too much. She covered her eyes with her hands, but the cave was flooded in the brightest white glare and it showed no sign of decreasing. Her eyes hurt a lot, they were tearing up. The light was too strong, too strong, it was like looking directly at the Sun.
Help! Someone help me!
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On the surface of the earth, in the heart of a forest, the god of the sun walks blindly out of a lake. The silvery sound of a waterfall and the happy chirping of colourful birds are lost to him. He falls on the sandy shore, clutching at his face in pain. He can't see anything. His blue eyes are unfocused and wide with terror. There's only darkness around him.
Help! he thinks, desperately. Someone help me!
