Tomorrow came faster than I thought. I was standing outside while the servants were finishing loading my luggage. Misham was waiting, standing beside me. Holding the ham of my sleeves, he asked, looking lonely, "Do you have to go, madam? Can I not come with you?" Holding his shoulder softly, I said, "Wait here, I will return after some days. Till then, be a good boy, hmm?" Nodding his head, he replied. A male servant came bowing his head. He said, "Madam, it's time to leave." Casting a smile at Misham, I left for my departure. As Martha said, it took three days to reach the Will's residence.
The wind here was blowing harder, making howling noises as it blew. Tree branches were covered in snow, and the village we passed desperately needed supplies for this harsh winter.
The same can be said for the Will's mansion. It looks like more of a ghost house than a place for people to live in. An old lady was standing in front of the main door; as I stepped outside the carriage, she stepped forward to welcome me.
"Greetings to the Duchess of Dragun, welcome to our humble home." Her body trembles in the cold, yet she emits elegance. She introduce herself as Julianna.
I nod my head slightly in reply and add, "I suppose you already know about the purpose of my visit."
"Young and impatient, I see." She said, sounding inviting and enthusiastic.
The inside was simple, but the walls bear the history of these people. The craft on the walls was enough to tell how old this mansion was. The house was cold, damp, and dark. And the windows were tiny openings with wooden shutters closed at night or in bad weather, like today. Snow falls like a monsoon.
Not many people live here; hardly any servants can be seen. Each step felt heavy as we walked further; the sound echoed through the hallway. "The mansion seems big for so few people," gazing at her back, I spoke.
"Do you see these walls, these drawings," turning back at me, "they spoke of the unknown. The history buried beneath the feet of the cruel savages and the screaming of the victims was engulfed by them. That's the history this mansion speaks of, the Will's residence, the mansion of Hallow." Eyes full of sorrow, voice hostile, "Once known as the mansion of Dhraeigonrt. Strange, isn't it?"
Her words were true, true as the sun and the moon. The tragedy was unfathomable, unforgeable, but the cause was not me. Her hostility is unnecessary. My eyes remain calm yet with a bit of coldness.
"How come a heart of stone is carrying the fire?" she kept talking, to which I was silent. An iron door came into sight, that was our stop. Given the suspense, I suppose behind that door my answers lies. I was about to take a step forward when I looked through my eye corner and spoke tonelessly, "given a witch's power, I think it is them who is most responsible for their downfall. You had the power yet choose to yield. Wait for only one person whom you not know of or when might she appear. Giving up on yourself was the worst you people did. Try to correct that mistake. Who knows, it might bring out a more promising future, more then a phoenix might ever could." At my touch the iron door open, inside was obscured.
Leaving the puzzled lady behind, I went inside. In the darkness it was hard to move forward. Keeping my hand on the wall, slowly I step forward. My toes touched something on the floor making a tap sound. Drum playing sounds starts, one after another touch lighten up, reviling the mejestice room. The room was filled with various of inestimable treasure. On a stone plate "Be greedy as you be cautious. Let yourself burn it rather than for it to burn you. You who have entered the core, let your greed overflow. For the fire is not within you but for it to be conquer. For it shines in the highest depths of the sky", it was craved.
Ignoring all the treasure was not easy for someone like me, who have lived her life in poverty. Stepping onwards, a big tree made of crystal, with leaves wilted expose itself, emiting clear lights. It light was so bright that one can go blind by making an eye contract with it. I, covered my eyes with the back of my left hand.
As the light goes off, a man's figure flourished before me. A figure similar to one I saw inside the cave, The dragon Namaari. Closing our distance he came near me. A gantle smile on his lips as he welcomed me. "Hello, young one. Welcome to the heart ring, where my hearts lies." He look weaker than before, his light was dim.
"Greetings to the black dragon", placing my right hand on my chest, slightly bowing my head I spoke. "May I ask, what kind of assistance do you require form me?"
"You are not like the others Arya," modulated he says, "strong, bravest, internal flames in your eyes, have the greatest power into your hands yet of all you the the weakest one."
"Is that how I look to you?" I ask looking at him.
Silvery he spoke ignoring my question, "Do you know why only these part of north is the coldest of all other places?" I kept my gaze at him as he continues, "cause of me, cause of my heart. Although I'm the dragon of everlasting snow, my heart is the warmest of my entire being. But the curse of the sorcerer made my heart froze, covering my whole body with darkness. Beneath this tree, it's roots reaches my heart, making a golden ring of tread. As the tread protect my heart from the curse. But as the time goes by the tread is also losing its power. If darkness touched my heart it will bring out my dark part."
"What dark part?" I ask.
"There's a tale of us, six beasts. We should never make pact with humans, cause their emotions runs wild while we merely exists as protector, who does not have emotions. Getting involved with them will intervine With our function. But the phoenix took a liking to the girl, Aithne. That was the start of all these, everything started to fall apart from that moment. That child notice this but it was too late, so to protect us, she used her power, even her life force, to create this ring for everyone of us," sadness overtook his tone.
"There's more than one ring? Than total of six I presume." Mumbling I said.
"Four actually," correcting me, he spoke.
I look at him with a questionable face.
"Even though she had the phoenix power, she was just a human girl, unable to bring out the true power of the Phoenix. She could only made four rings."
"Than what about the rest?" Softly I asked.
"Those two kept fighting, till this day, their fight continues," he said looking like a person who was living in misery.
"None of the previous Arya were capable of coming this far, I pray from the bottom of my heart that you can free us, all of us," a sad smile across his face as he begun to despair, "We all know it's a big burden, one that even we are not capable of solving. But young one, I, one of the beasts, beg of you, to bring salvation for us, for the human being," his voice gradually become low, face full of brittle.
Extending one hand towards me, disembodied he spoke, "what's your greed, young one?"
I took a step forward, than another, like that each after another step I came closer to the tree. Behind that tree in a far distance I saw a dark figure, it was darkness. The same figure I saw in my dreams.
Her mournful scream was ear pricing, "it was supposed to be mine, it was supposed to be me. Why? Why everytime it's you? Why? Why? Why? Die, die, die, die…" her body shook violently, but she did not took a step forward. As if she was tide there, rooted into the floor, unable to reach me yet she kept doing her futile tries. I still could not understand her, she is darkness, the one who tried to kill me in every chance she got so why did she cry so heartbrokenly when the other Arya died. Truly, more than anyone or anything you are an enigma to me.
Sighing deeply, I entered the circle. As soon as I was inside the circle the tree lost all it's light and was turned into an ordinary glasses. That shook me from inside. The circle line glow brighter, I closed my eyes. Opening them after some moment, I noticed the sourounding was changed. I found myself standing at a hilltop beside a tree full of life.
"Welcome young one", Namaari with a smiling face came into sight.
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