Post by MEG on Sept 12, 2023 15:43:03 GMT -5
●●●
i am the
monster
you
created
The stage was set - Marianna could only hope that Death was distracted enough by her offering that it would ignore the bodies in the manor.
She had left Piper with a note to pass along to her daughter when the time was right, though she could only hope that the vampire who held her precious Bella would give Piper the grace to deliver it to her. Marianna had come to terms that she was never meant to be a mother - fate simply didn't have it in the cards for her, no matter how she longed for it. Each attempt to keep her child close had failed - time and time again, Bella had been ripped away from her.
She could only hope that she was doing her daughter justice now.
Marianna had descended into the depths of the manor, into the lengthy catacombs. They'd chosen a non-descript room for Death's final resting place - it was filled with various books and tarnished plaques from the Malvolio family past... though, it was all very much an illusion. There were Order members just behind the powerful magic that constructed the room, waiting to assist as needed. Claire Fernsby and the future Benson Preece were talking amongst themselves on the side, plotting their last minute roles in this plan of theirs.
She closed her eyes, allowing the tendrils of her influence reach out to the room around her. There were those that kept their minds from her but, for the first time, Piper Steele's was open to her. She couldn't see the woman, who was upstairs with Damien and Vitoria ready to break the wards to allow Death in. The Seer seemed to sense her in her mind.
"Wards going down now," Piper confirmed. Marianna opened her eyes, glancing at Claire and Benson. They'd stopped talking, and positioned themselves at the center of the room as planned. They took each others hands, giving them a quick squeeze, before nodding in Marianna's direction.
Carefully, Marianna pressed her wand to her Mark. It burned immediately, and the former Dark Lady focused her energy into her message.
"I have the Stone, and a gift for you to prove my loyalty. I'm ready to join you."
-----------------------------------------------------
If Claire hadn't known to expect Death, she might have been caught off-guard by its arrival. It appeared silently, in its usual coldness and darkness. The being solidified in the room before them, standing between where Marianna faced it, back to the door, and where Claire and Benny knelt. Their heads were down, but Claire could see the tendrils of smoke that made up the entity's cloak-like figure. She squeezed Benny's hand gently, and he did the same.
"You have the Stone?" the creature hissed, its tone unreadable. Claire felt the hair on the nape of her neck raise, her heart-rate accelerating. She had to remind herself of the plan for the upteenth time, calming herself. There would be the smallest of windows to make this work.
"I do," Marianna lied. They'd learned where the Stone was from Benny, but knew that it was too risky to have in the room, even just to lure Death in. The likelihood of it overpowering them and rising to full power was far too great to take the risk.
"Then where is it?" Death demanded, voice harsh.
"Not here. Not yet. I needed insurance. You understand," Marianna said, talking smoothly. There was part of Claire that was afraid the Dark Lady would turn on them here, that all would be for nothing... but, she trusted Piper with her life. Whatever Piper had said to her, whatever she had done to convince Marianna that this was the only way...
She had to trust that this was right.
"As a show of good faith, I brought you two souls to feast on," Marianna crooned, moving alongside Death to stand before Claire and Benny. She rested a hand on her shoulder, and one on Benny's presumably, waiting.
"Before you feast, though," Marianna said, eliciting an annoyed noise from the creature. "I need assurances."
"You'll receive them only when I have the Stone. These will suffice for now - do not test me, human," it hissed. As its gnarled, ghostly hands reached out towards Claire, she held her breath. Marianna's hands squeezed, and both Claire and Benny shot to their feet, wands drawn. There was a flash of white light from both of their wands, disorienting Death for a moment. It staggered back, hands clawing at its featureless hooded head.
The decor in the room fell away, revealing the multitude of Order members and Children of the Moon that had stayed. Their wands were drawn, lit up in a perimeter. Claire saw Piper and Damien appear, wands drawn as well as they joined the circle.
"What is this?!" Death hissed.
There was no answer from the trio as they begun to spin the containment spell around them. The lights from their wands extended in a brilliant blue, extending until they were rope-like. They bound themselves around Death like chainlinks, tightening around the creature.
And now, the moment of truth.
-----------------------------------------------------
Vitoria watched from the side, clinging to her wand desperately as she watched the containment spell wrap and warp its way around Death.
Marianna was first to step up. Her wand was the vessel as she began weave the spell. It floated above Death as the woman subtly cut her own hand, the blood rising to meet it. The light around Death flashed red, and Marianna began to wilt.
Claire was next. The same movements, the same spell, only her wedding ring was the vessel. The glimmering thing floated from her palm and she kept it steady with her wand, cutting her hand in the same manor. There was another flash of red, and the ring moved to join the wand. The wand slipped through it at the base, and the two were joined. Claire stumbled to her knees, but managed to keep her wand centered on it.
Benny was last. The time turner was yanked from his neck unceremoniously, the chain breaking. It too floated upwards with focus from his wand, the vessel joining the others once he'd cut his hand and joined it in his blood. The chain coiled around the wand and the ring, the bonds around Death glowing and pulsing red.
And then, they began to crack.
It wasn't going to work.
Vitoria and Piper seemed to realize this at the same time, and both women lowered their wands. Vitoria shot a glance at the woman beside Piper - Aelizia. There wasn't a word said between them, but she understood immediately. The brunette's wand dropped and she quickly grabbed for Piper, holding her back. Through the thrumming of magic, Vitoria couldn't hear her protestations, but she could see the word No formed on her lips. Damien's eyes shot towards her as his lover, the mother of his unborn child, was dragged from the room by her friend.
"I love you," Vitoria told him. Whether he heard her or not, she would never know.
Vitoria stepped forward, grabbing hold of Ruko, who was wrapped around Damien's shoulders. She ran her hands over the dragon's spiny back before her hands caught on a stray scale. She pulled it, hard, until it popped out, the tip bloody in her hand. Ruko hissed, mouth snapping at her on instinct, but Vitoria was already parted from her and her brother.
She didn't look behind her again.
Vitoria mimicked the motions of the spell, ensuring to wipe the blood from the scale before cutting her own hand on the sharpness of it. It floated to join the others, topping the items and glimmering iridescently in the red light.
There was one final flash.
In her last moments, she thought of her children - and of Damari - and of all of the mistakes that she had made.
She hoped, desperately, that this might undo them.
-----------------------------------------------------
As the light faded from Marianna, her eyes caught sight of Vitoria from across the way, and of Piper, being dragged out of the room by one of the Order members. With what little strength she had, her lips curled into a smile.
In together, out together.
In the end, the image of Bella was what soothed her as she was pulled into the sweet embrace of the abyss.
-----------------------------------------------------
Claire's eyes caught Gen's from across the room. She hadn't wanted her to be here, hadn't wanted her to see this... but, her beautiful, strong wife didn't want to leave her.
In these last moments, she hoped that Gen knew that she was grateful for it, even if she never got to say so.
Seeing Gen's eyes full of love and tears in the blinding red light, seeing that last smile upon her lips, Claire knew that she knew.
She loved her fiercely - in the end, that was all she could've done.
-----------------------------------------------------
As everything faded, Benny's thoughts first turned to Maggie. She had elected to stay, though he'd had the opportunity to talk to her in his last few hours. She didn't ask any questions of him and of the future - she simply hugged him tightly, smoothed his hair back the way she'd done when he was a kid, and told him how much she loved him.
It was her prideful face that was the last thing his eyes saw.
But, when they closed, they were filled with visions of no one but Corvus. All their fights and spats on a loop - but also, of the future that they had shared when the world had ended. Those long nights of holding one another, of stolen kisses under the moonlight. The talks of a future that they could've had, if only the world hadn't fallen apart.
Because of him, they had that chance.
Benny had given Maggie a letter to give to himself, and one to give to Corvus. He wasn't sure how long it might take his past self to love that precious boy... but, he knew with his whole heart that it would happen.
They could live that life together.
And that was comfort enough.
-----------------------------------------------------
There had been no bodies to bury.
Piper hadn't been allowed back into the room until that flash of red turned blue, before fading all together. Damien had told her that it wasn't clear what had happened - just that Death was gone. The four objects had clattered to the ground, and that was that.
Benny, Claire, Marianna, and Vitoria were gone, too.
Maggie, Gen, Piper, and Damien were the four to take the new Hallows and hide them - telling no one where they stashed them. The hope was that, in time, they would be lost. They kept no documentation, no record of what they had done. The scroll was locked, the journal along with it, and the manor was locked away. When Piper had asked Damien if he was sad to let it go, he had told her no - but, she knew that part of him was lying. He'd taken what material things were needed, and managed to pull the family tree from the grounds in their new home, but the manor disappeared into the Alps.
Piper and the Order launched as many protective measures as they could, keeping a cycle of guards on the grounds at all times - determined never to let Death escape again.
Before Benny - the future Benny - had gone, he had Piper pull his memories - as many as she could from the five years they had prevented. Within a matter of days, she had sorted through them all, labeled each pertinent vial, and delivered them to the Ministry. After a press conference, they agreed to tell the world what had happened - and who had prevented it.
It had taken some convincing but, eventually, the general public came around to the truth - the world had been saved from Death, and it had taken a boy and his Time Turner to do it.
And, when, eventually, the magical world and non-magical world merged with one another, humans got to know the truth, too.
Often, at night, Piper still thinks of them:
Marianna, the woman that had come to realize the error of her ways to better the world.
Claire, the most selfless woman that Piper knew.
Benny, the brave boy who had gone back in time in desperation and hope.
And Vitoria, her sister, the missing piece.
And finally, all was well.
She had left Piper with a note to pass along to her daughter when the time was right, though she could only hope that the vampire who held her precious Bella would give Piper the grace to deliver it to her. Marianna had come to terms that she was never meant to be a mother - fate simply didn't have it in the cards for her, no matter how she longed for it. Each attempt to keep her child close had failed - time and time again, Bella had been ripped away from her.
She could only hope that she was doing her daughter justice now.
Marianna had descended into the depths of the manor, into the lengthy catacombs. They'd chosen a non-descript room for Death's final resting place - it was filled with various books and tarnished plaques from the Malvolio family past... though, it was all very much an illusion. There were Order members just behind the powerful magic that constructed the room, waiting to assist as needed. Claire Fernsby and the future Benson Preece were talking amongst themselves on the side, plotting their last minute roles in this plan of theirs.
She closed her eyes, allowing the tendrils of her influence reach out to the room around her. There were those that kept their minds from her but, for the first time, Piper Steele's was open to her. She couldn't see the woman, who was upstairs with Damien and Vitoria ready to break the wards to allow Death in. The Seer seemed to sense her in her mind.
"Wards going down now," Piper confirmed. Marianna opened her eyes, glancing at Claire and Benson. They'd stopped talking, and positioned themselves at the center of the room as planned. They took each others hands, giving them a quick squeeze, before nodding in Marianna's direction.
Carefully, Marianna pressed her wand to her Mark. It burned immediately, and the former Dark Lady focused her energy into her message.
"I have the Stone, and a gift for you to prove my loyalty. I'm ready to join you."
-----------------------------------------------------
If Claire hadn't known to expect Death, she might have been caught off-guard by its arrival. It appeared silently, in its usual coldness and darkness. The being solidified in the room before them, standing between where Marianna faced it, back to the door, and where Claire and Benny knelt. Their heads were down, but Claire could see the tendrils of smoke that made up the entity's cloak-like figure. She squeezed Benny's hand gently, and he did the same.
"You have the Stone?" the creature hissed, its tone unreadable. Claire felt the hair on the nape of her neck raise, her heart-rate accelerating. She had to remind herself of the plan for the upteenth time, calming herself. There would be the smallest of windows to make this work.
"I do," Marianna lied. They'd learned where the Stone was from Benny, but knew that it was too risky to have in the room, even just to lure Death in. The likelihood of it overpowering them and rising to full power was far too great to take the risk.
"Then where is it?" Death demanded, voice harsh.
"Not here. Not yet. I needed insurance. You understand," Marianna said, talking smoothly. There was part of Claire that was afraid the Dark Lady would turn on them here, that all would be for nothing... but, she trusted Piper with her life. Whatever Piper had said to her, whatever she had done to convince Marianna that this was the only way...
She had to trust that this was right.
"As a show of good faith, I brought you two souls to feast on," Marianna crooned, moving alongside Death to stand before Claire and Benny. She rested a hand on her shoulder, and one on Benny's presumably, waiting.
"Before you feast, though," Marianna said, eliciting an annoyed noise from the creature. "I need assurances."
"You'll receive them only when I have the Stone. These will suffice for now - do not test me, human," it hissed. As its gnarled, ghostly hands reached out towards Claire, she held her breath. Marianna's hands squeezed, and both Claire and Benny shot to their feet, wands drawn. There was a flash of white light from both of their wands, disorienting Death for a moment. It staggered back, hands clawing at its featureless hooded head.
The decor in the room fell away, revealing the multitude of Order members and Children of the Moon that had stayed. Their wands were drawn, lit up in a perimeter. Claire saw Piper and Damien appear, wands drawn as well as they joined the circle.
"What is this?!" Death hissed.
There was no answer from the trio as they begun to spin the containment spell around them. The lights from their wands extended in a brilliant blue, extending until they were rope-like. They bound themselves around Death like chainlinks, tightening around the creature.
And now, the moment of truth.
-----------------------------------------------------
Vitoria watched from the side, clinging to her wand desperately as she watched the containment spell wrap and warp its way around Death.
Marianna was first to step up. Her wand was the vessel as she began weave the spell. It floated above Death as the woman subtly cut her own hand, the blood rising to meet it. The light around Death flashed red, and Marianna began to wilt.
Claire was next. The same movements, the same spell, only her wedding ring was the vessel. The glimmering thing floated from her palm and she kept it steady with her wand, cutting her hand in the same manor. There was another flash of red, and the ring moved to join the wand. The wand slipped through it at the base, and the two were joined. Claire stumbled to her knees, but managed to keep her wand centered on it.
Benny was last. The time turner was yanked from his neck unceremoniously, the chain breaking. It too floated upwards with focus from his wand, the vessel joining the others once he'd cut his hand and joined it in his blood. The chain coiled around the wand and the ring, the bonds around Death glowing and pulsing red.
And then, they began to crack.
It wasn't going to work.
Vitoria and Piper seemed to realize this at the same time, and both women lowered their wands. Vitoria shot a glance at the woman beside Piper - Aelizia. There wasn't a word said between them, but she understood immediately. The brunette's wand dropped and she quickly grabbed for Piper, holding her back. Through the thrumming of magic, Vitoria couldn't hear her protestations, but she could see the word No formed on her lips. Damien's eyes shot towards her as his lover, the mother of his unborn child, was dragged from the room by her friend.
"I love you," Vitoria told him. Whether he heard her or not, she would never know.
Vitoria stepped forward, grabbing hold of Ruko, who was wrapped around Damien's shoulders. She ran her hands over the dragon's spiny back before her hands caught on a stray scale. She pulled it, hard, until it popped out, the tip bloody in her hand. Ruko hissed, mouth snapping at her on instinct, but Vitoria was already parted from her and her brother.
She didn't look behind her again.
Vitoria mimicked the motions of the spell, ensuring to wipe the blood from the scale before cutting her own hand on the sharpness of it. It floated to join the others, topping the items and glimmering iridescently in the red light.
There was one final flash.
In her last moments, she thought of her children - and of Damari - and of all of the mistakes that she had made.
She hoped, desperately, that this might undo them.
-----------------------------------------------------
As the light faded from Marianna, her eyes caught sight of Vitoria from across the way, and of Piper, being dragged out of the room by one of the Order members. With what little strength she had, her lips curled into a smile.
In together, out together.
In the end, the image of Bella was what soothed her as she was pulled into the sweet embrace of the abyss.
-----------------------------------------------------
Claire's eyes caught Gen's from across the room. She hadn't wanted her to be here, hadn't wanted her to see this... but, her beautiful, strong wife didn't want to leave her.
In these last moments, she hoped that Gen knew that she was grateful for it, even if she never got to say so.
Seeing Gen's eyes full of love and tears in the blinding red light, seeing that last smile upon her lips, Claire knew that she knew.
She loved her fiercely - in the end, that was all she could've done.
-----------------------------------------------------
As everything faded, Benny's thoughts first turned to Maggie. She had elected to stay, though he'd had the opportunity to talk to her in his last few hours. She didn't ask any questions of him and of the future - she simply hugged him tightly, smoothed his hair back the way she'd done when he was a kid, and told him how much she loved him.
It was her prideful face that was the last thing his eyes saw.
But, when they closed, they were filled with visions of no one but Corvus. All their fights and spats on a loop - but also, of the future that they had shared when the world had ended. Those long nights of holding one another, of stolen kisses under the moonlight. The talks of a future that they could've had, if only the world hadn't fallen apart.
Because of him, they had that chance.
Benny had given Maggie a letter to give to himself, and one to give to Corvus. He wasn't sure how long it might take his past self to love that precious boy... but, he knew with his whole heart that it would happen.
They could live that life together.
And that was comfort enough.
-----------------------------------------------------
There had been no bodies to bury.
Piper hadn't been allowed back into the room until that flash of red turned blue, before fading all together. Damien had told her that it wasn't clear what had happened - just that Death was gone. The four objects had clattered to the ground, and that was that.
Benny, Claire, Marianna, and Vitoria were gone, too.
Maggie, Gen, Piper, and Damien were the four to take the new Hallows and hide them - telling no one where they stashed them. The hope was that, in time, they would be lost. They kept no documentation, no record of what they had done. The scroll was locked, the journal along with it, and the manor was locked away. When Piper had asked Damien if he was sad to let it go, he had told her no - but, she knew that part of him was lying. He'd taken what material things were needed, and managed to pull the family tree from the grounds in their new home, but the manor disappeared into the Alps.
Piper and the Order launched as many protective measures as they could, keeping a cycle of guards on the grounds at all times - determined never to let Death escape again.
Before Benny - the future Benny - had gone, he had Piper pull his memories - as many as she could from the five years they had prevented. Within a matter of days, she had sorted through them all, labeled each pertinent vial, and delivered them to the Ministry. After a press conference, they agreed to tell the world what had happened - and who had prevented it.
It had taken some convincing but, eventually, the general public came around to the truth - the world had been saved from Death, and it had taken a boy and his Time Turner to do it.
And, when, eventually, the magical world and non-magical world merged with one another, humans got to know the truth, too.
Often, at night, Piper still thinks of them:
Marianna, the woman that had come to realize the error of her ways to better the world.
Claire, the most selfless woman that Piper knew.
Benny, the brave boy who had gone back in time in desperation and hope.
And Vitoria, her sister, the missing piece.
And finally, all was well.
MADE BY VEL OF GS