Elemental Genesis

Chapter Twelve: Apocalypse Gates

She didn't even have to touch the marble double doors before they opened for her. She was evidently expected. Not a good sign. Melania, nevertheless, squared her shoulders and took a deep breath before stepping into the large chamber.

The whole room had an aura of darkness around it. It also was not especially welcoming. Cold stone walls had black draperies hung on them, covering what would be windows to the outside. She was always thankful of that; the view of the outside was not very pleasant. Tartarus, unlike Annuvin, deserved its dread reputation. Melania wasn't concentrating on her surroundings though. She was more focused on the man looking in his early forties wearing dark armor, currently pacing in front of two forbidding thrones. He's pacing. Now this is really bad. I'm in trouble.

"Hi," she stammered out, "dad."

His black cape swirled as he turned to face her. Blue eyes flecked with gold and silver narrowed at the sight of her. Her father was upset. Big time. "So," he said. "Do you plan on telling me what in the name of Tartarus that you're scheming?" He finished his request with an impressive glare.

Melania inwardly quailed. "Father, I-"

"Really! I can't believe you're doing this!" He ran pale long fingers through neat dark hair, a combination of anger and exasperation written on his face. "I know that you feel an obligation to protect them, but if you hadn't stayed in the mortal realm way back when, this would never have happened!"

This is going a bit to far. Now she was angry. "Are you saying that this is all my fault?!

"Hardly," Erebus scowled. "Pheta should have let things go back then. Not to mention look at thing at a level not concerning herself. But you are a cause of this, no mistake."

He has a point. Why must he always be right?! "I agree that I do carry part of the blame to this situation," she conceded. "But I am trying to put an end to this! I cannot allow any more of them to die!"

He began pacing again. "I hope you are not implying that I don't care about them, because I do." She grinned hopefully. However!" Shoot. "Do you understand that if you go against Pheta and accuse her openly, Heaven won't take your side? We are dark deities. Many gods of darkness prefer to make trouble. Look at your cousin Eris! The Trojan War made a whole lot of mayhem in Ancient Greece and they aren't going to forget it all to soon. Even if I or your aunt took your side, Pheta will get the support and you won't."

"Which is why I'm waiting! If we can show Pheta's true colors, they will have to stop her."

"Not necessarily," he responded cryptically. He strode over to one of the hangings and pulled it open forcibly. She winced as the sound of millions of tortured screams of agony seared the once silent air. Seeing she got the point, he drew them over the window once more. The shrieks of misery were abruptly hushed. "Don't be naïve. You know what those screams are, Melania. Tartarus is the ultimate of punishments for the wicked souls of both human and demons. They will be subjected to the worse kinds of pain for the evil deeds they had done while they were walking on the earth. I'm supposed to oversee this task. But you must remember that not all evil souls end up here, daughter. There is evil within the gods as well, excepting the Almighty. Which is why you have to be careful!"

"Do you know what she's planning?" She asked this with a plaintive, limp tone. Erebus frowned, but didn't inquire. He knew what she was upset about.

"I assume she wants to open the Dark Gateway. Stupid child." Erebus always referred to gods younger than himself as 'children'. As he was one of the first deities to ever exist to begin with, he called many of them this. The only few he never did that to were his wife Nyx and his sister. He, however, always had a grudge against Pheta. Her self-righteousness and her vanity irked him to no end.

"Then you must understand why I must stop her. If the Dark Gateway is opened-"

"Of course, I know what will happen! I have overseen Tartarus for eons, even longer than the humans have been in existence. Those souls will be released and kill everything. What Pheta doesn't realize is the cost of opening the Dark Gateway. It is very different from the Light Gateway. This one comes with a price. I really don't think she knows what this penalty is, unless she has finally hit the deep end."

Melania stiffened her stance. "Good, you agree with me."

"You misunderstand me. But no matter."

"But Dad-"

"MELANIA! EREBUS!"

Both turned to look at the woman who just entered the room. Where as Melania had her father's coloring and eyes, she had her mother's face and figure. The Lady Nyx, goddess of the night, held them in suspicious brown velvet glare. Her long wavy hair, pure white, fell perfectly around her curvy build. She glided towards them, her hands holding a thin dark blue veil studded with diamonds. "I knew you were here. You're father would not have opened that blasted window if you were not." She glowered at her husband. "It's there for a reason," she said threateningly.

Erebus looked much like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Melania always laughed at this. Her father was usually all fire and brimstone, but not in front of his wife. He rarely discerned her opinion and doted on her spectacularly. There was only one time she remembered that they had disagreed: he wanted to get rid of the old throne of Tartarus and get a new one. Her mother disapproved, but he did so anyway. And that's how I got stuck with Black Wolf. It was a trick of Thanatos' to have their mother there before speaking to their father. Melania seldom did that, since her father tended to make good decisions anyway. Even if he got into a bad mood, he was still wise. Besides, she always asks about Black Wolf when I'm here. What does she like about him?

Her mother made an angry sniff. "I suppose you were talking about Pheta, right?"

She always had the distinct feeling her mother watched over everything. "Right. I was going to find you right after I talked to Dad."

"Sure, you were. But Pheta is someone to be dealt with. I remember when she was very young. A spoiled brat, always saying that she had more followers than the rest of us. Also she was very possessive, as you well know. You do know that there is a lot at stake if you get involved, I assume."

"I know, but worse things will happen if I don't."

"Suit yourself. Still be careful, though. By the way, I checked on young Harry. He settling in that place just fine."

"That's good. Wait." She put a shield on Harry preventing Pheta, or anyone except herself or Thanatos from finding him. "How did you find Harry?"

"Thanatos," Erebus answered simply. "He dropped by a few days ago, complaining about Brian Jennings. You reincarnated him again?"

"Yep."

"I expect we'll see him sometime soon then. You're mother was very happy when she found Harry though." He smiled fondly at his wife.

"Of course, I'm happy! His name is connected to me!" Melania inwardly did a dance of joy. If her mother began to favor Harry, then the protection spells over him would become stronger. There was no power greater than the blessing of the night goddess. "Anyway," her mother continued. "Does he know? Or did you leave him in the dark like Tom?" Seeing her daughter's face flush red, Nyx sighed. "You are going to have to let them know sooner or later."

"I really don't want to discuss it right now," Melania quipped back.

"You never do. How's Black Wolf doing?"

Erebus then asked in mock concern. "Yes, how is the poor dear? I bet he's still cursing out souls and acting like the piece of-" He stopped when he saw his wife's angry look. "Like the wonderful stone statue I remember!" Under the two confused female gazes looking at him as if he were crazy, he gave up. "I hate the thing, can't blame me!"

Nyx said as if speaking to a belligerent child, "Black Wolf is a gentleman and I won't hear any bad talk about him." Father and daughter shared a knowing look. "He wasn't as bad as Blue Leopard, in any case."

Erebus admitted, "You have an excellent point there."

"I don't remember him, Dad. What did he do that was so annoying?"

"There is only so much time a person can stand listening to incessant talk about the wonders of cheese."

<><><>

"Morning, Hedwig." Hedwig hooted a morning salutation from where she was perched on a bird stand, given to him by the house. Truth be put, Nuitari didn't want to get up. The bed was far too comfortable. It was seven o'clock though and he was eager to start the day. Opening the window to let the snowy owl out, he reveled in the fresh morning air. He left the window open in case she wanted to come back in. Next, he made his bed. According to Zylle, if he left the any room of the house messy, then the house would lock him inside unless he cleaned up. This was a downside to having an intelligent house: it did not allow any clutter.

Nuitari loved his room. Zylle said it had to be for him, since Number 14 barred entry to any of the other bedrooms. It was on the third floor like the other dormitories. Much of the room was in greens, gray-blues, and black. In addition to a large bed, he had a black desk with many compartments for his things. Many bookshelves lined the wall, but a lot of the shelves were empty and waiting to be filled. The books the room had already provided (there weren't many) pertained to topics such as elemental history, control, theory, and the like. He had already packed his clothing away in the bureau and the closet. The large bay window even had a cushioned seat and gave him a fantastic view of the west. He had not left his own personal mark on the place, but it was to be expected. I just got the room yesterday, so I need time to get used to it and personalize it.

Nuitari threw on a white t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and a pair of socks, one of many that they had bought the day before. He also put in his contacts and grinned at his gray-eyed reflection in the small silver mirror hanging on the wall.

His dreams since he had returned from Lethe were of the peaceful sort. He did, though, feel as if something were trying to push into them. That disturbed him because he had a distinct feeling that the intruder attempting to get into his mind was not a friend. He did not know what it was though.

...A graveyard, filled with black robed men wearing masks...

As abruptly as that scene appeared in his head, it vanished. He shrugged it off and went downstairs. Nuitari did not notice Hedwig glowing slightly white and observing him with concerned amber eyes.

He immediately went to the kitchen, where the aroma of delicious food was drawing him. Sarah was making pancakes. Zylle wasn't home, but she promised to get her schedule changed. That way she could have more time to train and see him during the day. While she was at work, Sarah was to teach him about the theory behind elemental magic and its history. Also, he was to have time to explore Grey Tower Town. They did not want to confine him to the house all day. Which is a good thing. Zylle would then teach him how to use the magic in the practical sense, as well as in combat. According to her, it was necessary for an elemental to know how to fight.

"Hey, kiddo! How did you sleep?" Sarah smiled at him while deftly flipping golden-brown pancakes in the air.

"Great! I didn't know a bed could be that comfortable." It was true. The bed in his room was absolutely perfect. It was even better than the hospital bed and that bed was pure bliss.

"The house does that," Sarah responded. "Whoever put all these charms on the house was a genius." Piling six fluffy pancakes onto a plate and handing it to him, she said, "Eat up! After breakfast, I'll give you a basic history of our town. Syrup's already on the table, love."

He asked as they sat down in the dining room, "Basic? Shouldn't you give me a detailed version?" He was, after all, a great deal behind everyone else. These people have lived here all there lives, while he was just a boy who appeared out of nowhere with no memory. Shouldn't he be cramming all the facts he needed to know in his head?

"Trust me, basic is all you need." Nuitari noted in amusement that in addition to syrup, she added whipped cream to her breakfast. "The teachers at the school rarely teach anything new anymore. I was talking to Mariana Ravencroft a few days ago. Her oldest son - he's your age, I think - was doing an assignment that I myself did years ago! The only person doing anything relatively new is Vinny Coulter."

"I've heard about her. Zylle said she's pretty tough. Is it true, Gran?"

Sarah laughed. "Tough is an understatement, Night! Lavinia nearly beat Zylle at their tournament and Zylle's a sixth class. Lavinia maybe only fifth class, but she is very determined to get what she wants. That girl is extremely ambitious, not to mention cunning. Her attitude is just as cold as the attacks she uses. One scowl sends kids running. Also, she plays favorites with her students. She's one to be careful around."

"Now I'm scared to face her."

"Too bad. Knowing her, she'll come here running once she hears about you."

"I'm just so lucky."

<><><>

Sarah took him to the study on the second floor. Like the rest of the house, it was in dark colors. It had a lot of light though since the huge windows faced south. Many of the books were like the ones in the parlor. Laws of the Arashi-Tenku Dragons and History of the Clans stared back at him from especially thick bindings. There was a huge desk here and a black computer. It was connected to what he recognized as a printer and fax machine. He noticed Sarah making a face of disgust.

"Don't like computers?"

"That's not it, really. It's mostly because that daughter of mine spends far too much time in here doing work. She's so much like her father that it is scary. He was exactly the same, working himself to the bone. Hopefully," she looked at him meaningfully. "That will end soon." She ruffled his hair affectionately. "Now that she has you, she most likely won't. Take a seat! This won't be long."

Nuitari sat down in a dark blue armchair while Sarah sat in the red on opposite him. "I suppose the first place to start is about how the town was first formed. It's best to start at the beginning," she said. "Many, many centuries ago, there lived a sorcerer named Merlin. You know about him, right?"

"Of course."

"Anyway, he had an apprentice by the name of Taran Hawking. He and his wife Bryne - the only descendant of Merlin then, his daughter - came to this place and deemed it suitable for a color of magic users to live here. Using a great deal of magic, they built the Grey Tower. It was a magical watchtower that promoted the use of magic and served as a symbol of good against evil forces. When it was completed, magicians and sorcerers of all types flocked here to study magic."

"Is this why our family is so important around here? And what happened to the tower? I haven't seen it."

"To your first question: yes, that is why. I don't technically count as a Hawking since I was born a Vartar in another clan before the wars, but Zylle is the last of the line." She grinned, "Well, she was."

"But I'm adopted."

"So?! You're part of the family now. It doesn't work if it's by marriage, but it does by adoption. Since Zylle adopted you, you are now a descendant. It's some complex binding spell to keep the family going." Seeing his confused look, she admitted, "I've never understood it either, even when Thomas explained it to me. I don't think even he knew much about it."

Thomas must be Zylle's father. "What about the tower?"

"Actually, you were in it. The remains of it anyway."

"What do you mean?" I would think that I would remember being in a tower while I was here. She said the remains of it. That must be the key word there.

"The hospital."

"It's not a tower. Betty told me while I was there that all of it was underground."

"Because the underground passages and rooms are all that is left. When the Romans invaded, some genius tore the tower down. A good friend of mine, who happened to be a True Seer, said that the tower would rise again when the Gates are open. What she meant by 'the Gates' she didn't say. But Cassandra Morgaine was always like that. Moving on. It was around this time when wizards and elementals began drawing away from muggles, though elementals found uses for their technology. Wizards were always too proud to even think of doing things in the muggle way."

"I think many of them still don't like to judging from what I can remember from my wizarding education."

"Typical. That's why witches and wizards born here are taught early to accept the technology and use it. We're getting off topic, but history is always interesting."

"I used to find most of it rather boring."

"Probably because it was taught to you the wrong way. The history you learned most likely came from some old windbag who forgets the human aspect of what he or she is teaching. I hate teachers like that."

"You were saying?"

"Right! Thanks. Then, during the Middle Ages, elementals began to separate from the wizarding world. Wizards wanted to discern nature altogether. Our power is connected directly to nature, so to us that was absurd. We left them to study their books and fiddle with their wands, while we practiced our magic. By the time of the Renaissance, we were completely forgotten by them. The few that do know about us are usually relatives and are under a strict oath of secrecy. Even now we do it to our wizarding children or to people we marry that aren't elementals, whether they are wizard or muggle. We teach all our children with wizarding magic French at an early age and when they're eleven, we send them off to Beauxbatons. There is a school up north for wizards; the name is something dealing with a pig. But when we sent our kids there, they were constantly sick."

"Why were they sick? Are they alright?"

"Oh, they're fine if they go to Beauxbatons. There's just something there at that particular school that causes them to be ill. If they aren't sick, they attract trouble like the plague. The doctors at Grey Tower Sanctuary say that there is a presence there that does it. It reacts to our children, who though can't use elemental magic, have it in their blood. It got out of hand when one child, a boy, actually died."

"What happened to him?"

"Spontaneously combusted. He came from a long line of fire elementals."

"Maybe I shouldn't go there."

"I would think so. Back to the story. Around the time of the witch-hunts - which we sort of caused because some woman decided it would be funny to fly around scaring people- the clans started to form. Each clan specialized in a specific forum."

"Yeah, Mirabelle told me. The Arashi-Tenku believe in a balance of offense and defense as well as employing strategy."

"That is true, but did she tell you that fifty years ago that twenty-five clans used to exist?"

"No, but Zylle mentioned something about that. She talked about how only six of the clans around here went against this Grindelwald guy. Only five survived."

"Exactly. I used to be in Suiko-Tsuki Panthers. Specialty: reducing large areas to ruin. I didn't follow Grindelwald, so I transferred to the Arashi-Tenku."

"They're gone."

"Dust in the wind. Though, I will always remember the Black Wolf of the Sekai-Kage. Mirage Searle was an amazing person, Night."

"Did she disappear?"

"To who knows where. She was badly injured the last time I saw her and the fact that everyone in her clan was dead didn't help. I guess the fact that she killed the person who betrayed them all was a consolation, but she was still alone."

"What was she able to do?"

"She was a fifth class water elemental and very gifted. Do you now what occlumency is?"

"Nope...does it involve blocking something? 'To occlude' does mean 'to block or close', I think."

"Good deduction. Occlumency is the magical defense of the mind against external penetration. It's very useful, hiding what you are really thinking from a person who can detect lies or who is psychic. She was a master at that as well as making illusions."

"What was she like?" She sounds pretty interesting.

"As a person? Not many people liked her. She had an intense personality that was just plain intimidating. Often she was bad-tempered and serious. She held grudges for a long time and was fond of baiting those people that she disliked. You have to give her credit though. She was a great leader."

Nuitari was thinking pretty hard here. She sounds familiar in a way, like she acted like someone I knew...can't remember obviously. Sarah harshly brought him back to reality by shoving a medium-size book into his hands. "Metamorphosis Through Elemental Magic," he read aloud. "What does that mean?"

"It's turning something into something else through your element. The concept is hard to grasp and the act of doing it is even worse. But it is useful. Which is why you're going to read up on it today and practice with me tomorrow."

"Gran, I thought you agreed with Zylle that she'd teach me the practical stuff while you stuck with 'the book stuff'."

Sarah held up her hand with her index and middle fingers crossed. "Crossed my fingers. A surprise will do her good anyway."

"CHOCOLATE! YES! SARAH! YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!"

Sarah laughed as she heard Hans' shouts from Number 12 next door. "He's growing chocolate trees for fun. I didn't think they would grow. Good, I can get chocolate for my brownies cheaper."

"I think they need to be refined before you can make them into anything."

"Which is why Hans modified the seeds before planting. It's amazing what an insane earth elemental would do just to have a chocolate tree."

***