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A New Year's Carol: The Third and Final Part



(Continued from - A New Year's Carol: Part the Second)

Neth moved to join Addie at the window. Both women gasped when they looked through the panes of glass. There was nothing to see outside save for complete darkness, as if the world outside this room doesn't exist... yet. The room inside was also dark again, save for the fire, the crystal within, and a strange shadow that was cast across the floor to the opposite wall.

"Yeah," said Lif. "We're screwed."


The shadow cast across the floor seemed to be growing longer, stretching toward and then up the wall, beginning to take the shape of a figure. The room grew impossibly cold and was filled with the sound of someone breathing, though it did not come from anyone within the House of Three Graces.


Addiela’s heart raced while her eyes remained fixed on the void outside the window as Nethrida casted an uneasy gaze about the room, trying to find the source of the strange breathing sound.


“Hey, doesn’t that look a bit like a person?” asked Eduwiges, pointing to the shadow on the wall which had, indeed, taken the shape of person, hooded and cloaked, carrying a shadowy sword in one hand, though it was not brandished to fight. This was the Spirit of Future Fears.


“Yep,” Xandilif spat as Finchley hid behind her. “Screwed.”


A sigh echoed throughout the room, impatient sounding. The free hand of the spirit seemed to reach out from the wall. It extended it's hand to them, palm up, beckoning to whoever was brave enough to step forward.


Ever ready to leap into the unknown, swinging, Eduwiges approached the shade readily, only to be stopped by Addiela, who looked paler than usual.


“Nay,” said Addiela, “It has taken me once and I escaped… It shall have no more in my place.”


Eduwiges stopped and raised a brow. “I do not think this is the same thing as when you were under the influence of Mans.”


The shadowy hand recoiled slightly but then beckoned again. Another sigh echoed through the room, even more impatient.


Lif stepped forward and pushed past them. “Both of ya sit down. I made the black thing on the clock, I get first dibs from the spook.”


Neth raised a brow at Lif and crossed her arms as the elf stepped up to the shade to take its outstretched hand. Upon contact, a genderless, rasping whisper cut through the breathing. “Give me what it is you fear the most to lose…”


The Champion frowned. “I am not fecking doing that. So, kill me if ya want or we can throw hands.”


As if it were ignoring her, a quill appeared in the Spirit's hand and it handed it to her. The spirit of Future Fears retracted its hand, once more appearing to be just a shadow on the wall, and then gestured to itself, indicating to the group to write their answers upon the wall.


Lif opened her mouth to retort but Calidis interrupted her. "And what if it is our only chance?” she asked. “It feels as if time is at a standstill. What if we are trapped here forever so long as we do not write?"


The shade gestured toward itself again. The crystal within the fireplace seemed to grow slightly dimmer with each passing second, threatening to plunge the room into total darkness.


“Let’s just get this over with,” growled Edu as she stepped in line behind Xandilif. 


“Fine then,” muttered Lif, who turned and cut her answer into the wall with her own sword before handing the quill off to Eduwiges. 


Just then, the sound of the Champion’s scream filled the air, though when everyone looked to Lif, she was not screaming at all. Where she had carved her answer into the wall, a hole of light appeared inside the shade, who seemed to almost shiver.


Eduwiges went next, carefully writing upon the wall with the quill. This time, the sound of her scream echoed through the room and another hole of light appeared, joining with the first. The Warrior shuddered and stepped away from the wall, passing the quill to Elsabeth. 


Again, another answer upon the wall, another hole of light. As Elsa stepped away, the shadow seemed to almost double over and then stand upright again, as if in pain. It reached out again, beckoning the next person forward.


Calidis grimaced as she wrote her answer upon the wall, wincing when the sound her own scream filled the air. The spirit of Future Fears writhed in place as Nethrida took the quill in hand, looking equally as hesitant. When Neth’s answer was written and the sound of her scream rang in everyone’s ears, another hole of light appeared, connecting the others. The shade nearly dropped its own shadowy sword. 


Xanderian took the quill from the Knight-Bachelor’s shaking hand and penned her answer upon the wall. The large hole of light was made bigger as her own scream filled clamored in the air and the spirit writhed in pain, holding itself back from brandishing its sword in earnest. Finchley, looking absolutely horrified and pale, took the quill from the Huntress’ hands and looked away from the spirit as she hastily gave her answer. Her own scream filled her ears and she shut her eyes tight as she practically shoved the quill back into the spirit’s outstretched hand.


Addiela stared unblinkingly at the shade as she approached to take the quill. For a moment, her head shook as she inwardly strugged with multiple fears that surfaced in her mind. She glanced back to the others, catching the sight of a wince from Xanderian and Nethrida in the corner taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. Everyone was fearful and disquieted and that did nothing to help her own nerves. But, there was nothing for it, she decided, but to do as she was bidden. She turned back to face the wall and wrote her answer upon it with a thoroughly harrowed expression on her face.


 The sound of the lore-mistress’ screamed reverberated through the room as the shade on the wall was nearly blown asunder by a giant hole of light. It buckled and bent but was not yet defeated. The white crystal in the fire sailed through the air over the party’s heads as all of their screams sounded off over and over, like a macabre chorus. The shade held out its other hand now, bearing a black sword. The crystal settled within the hilt as it hefted the weapon upwards in both of its shaking, ghostly hands, as if it were pleading, begging for someone to put it out of its misery.


Xandilif wasted no time and stepped forward. “Gimme,” she demanded, gripping the hilt of the sword. “You won’t be the first future I’ve killed.”


The spirit of Future Fears relinquished the weapon and spread its arms wide along the wall, waiting and ready.


“Should we not accept what we fear to be a possibility?” asked Elsa, apprehensive about what was possibly yet to come.


“Nah,” said Lif, spinning the dark sword casually, as if it weighed nothing. “Any last screams, Smokey?”


“Just finish it, Lif,” said Nethrida as, nearby, Finchley covered her ears, just in case there was to be any more screaming.

 

Lif swung the blade once, and back again – shing-shing! – through the shade’s body. A final chorus of screamed rang through the air as the shade began to disintegrate into light. The light burned so brightly as the sword disappeared, filling the room, overtaking everything. Where once as a room, now there was a sea of white. Another voice was heard, though it sounded like a combination of voices; that of the Spirit of Past Years, the Spirit of Present Tense, and the Spirit of Future Fears.


“Well done... Joyous New Year to you all! You have acknowledged what has been left undone in the past. You have found what it is you have to carry yourself forward in the Present. And, you have faced what you fear will be in the Future... You have everything you need. Welcome, dear ones!”


The, the light faded to darkness in an instant. With a snap, everyone opened their eyes, finding themselves awakening from an hours long slumber before the fireplace. The window was ajar and outside the wind was silent. Rain and sleet fell with soft pitter-patters upon the roof. The sun was slowly rising upon a new day in a new year... In the hearth of the fire, there was a white crystal.


“Bloody hell,” rasped Eduwiges as Nethrida jolted awake and looked around. Both were terribly relieved that it all seemed to be nothing but a dream… Until Finchley stood and picked up something on the floor; a white crystal, shimmering softly in the morning light. The crystal was passed from hand to hand and each person who held it could hear the voice of someone they loved the most, living or dead, cheering them on. Clearly, this was the boon the spirits had promised.


Finchley, on the verge of happy tears, wrapped her arms about everyone as far as they could reach. 


“Happy New Year!”

(fin.)