GARGOYLES: Re-Awakening

Betrayal: 2

Goliath was standing alone atop the tower at castle Wyvern. Below, the courtyard was shrouded in darkness, covered by a thick white mist. He started, then looked from side to side. There was no one.

How did I get here? He wondered. He had been below, surrounded by his clan and Xanatos' machines and now he was atop the tower, looking down. For a split second a part of his psyche wished that perhaps he had imagined all of the events of the last days, that he had somehow been lost in an exceptionally vivid day-dream. It was a thought that was not on a conscious level, but rather one that sparked in a corner of his mind and created a flash of hope through his chest. He began taking a step forward, acting instinctively on that hope, when a voice that sounded like that of a little girl rang out.

"No Goliath, it is real," the voice said.

Goliath spun on his heels.

"Who's there?!" he roared.

"All that you have experienced has been the truth," the voice said. "As will this be."

Goliath was spinning, looking skyward when suddenly he stopped. Before him were three young girls, one with black hair, one with blonde hair, and one with white hair. They were dressed in the ragged clothing of tenth century Scotland—little more than pants and shirts made of the same crude linens as grain sacks held on with a string tied at the waste.

"Children," Goliath said, almost to himself.

"We are sisters of the Ethereal plain, Goliath," said the blonde.

"We have brought you here because you stand at the precipice of an event that could alter the course of time," said the black haired sister.

"We must not allow you to alter that which has been ordained," the white haired one said.

Goliath was still disoriented. "I do not understand," he said.

"You do," the three said in unison.

"Demona intends to use the Phoenix Gate to return to this time and alter the events of this night," the black haired sister said.

"If she succeeds," the blonde said, "she will annihilate an entire thread of time. It would be most unfortunate."

"You must stop her, Goliath," the white haired sister finished.

Goliath was finding his feet again. These children were not children, they were beings of the realm of magic. He was astonished. While he knew of sorcery, and that sorcerers themselves drew their power from the Ethereal plain, and that this plain was populated by beings beyond the mortal realm, he had never expected to see any. In fact, most sorcerers spent their entire lives hoping that one day they might see a being from the next realm, believing that only the greatest amongst magicians would be blessed by such an encounter. Most died with their dream unfulfilled. Now here he was, being visited by three—or were they only one, presenting as three?

"How do you know what Demona plans?" Goliath asked, because he really could not think of anything else to say.

"He is resistant," the black haired sister said.

"In his heart, he wishes for Demona to succeed," said the blonde.

"We must show him," the white haired sister finished.

"Show me what?" Goliath asked.

"You have been deceived," the sisters said in unison.