Tethered to You (Alastor X OC)

Ch 63

Ariels POV

Where am I...?

I squinted and shielded my eyes. It's so bright...

After my eyes adjusted I realized I was...standing in front of large golden gates.

"Huh...?" I whispered, looking down at myself.

I was wearing a long white robe, and that's when I realized my back felt extremely heavy.

I looked behind me, seeing I had two large white wings.

"What..." I breathed out.

I turned in circles, looking for someone, anyone.

"Hello?" I called, my voice echoing.

There was silence, and I walked around a bit. For as far as I could see it was just...clouds. White, fluffy clouds.

"Um...is anyone there?" I called again, my voice once again echoing.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when there was an answer.

"This way, child," came a male voice. It sounded familiar...

I turned around, looking for the person it was attached to. It seemed to have come from the gates, that were now slowly opening.

"This way..." the voice spoke again, except now it sounded layered. The male voice was the most prominent, but beneath it seemed to be many other voices.

I took a few steps towards the gates, my brows turned up in concern.

"Who are you...? Where am I?"

A large ball of light appeared at the entrance of the gates. I blinked, staring at it. It looked almost like the sun, except it didn't hurt my eyes to look at it.

For a moment we just stared at each other in silence, me and this orb.

"What are you?" I said quietly. I'd be surprised if it even heard me.

Yet a soft chuckle sounded. The voice seemed to be all around me, yet also focused at the orb.

"I AM, my child...what are you?" It returned my question.

I took a few more steps towards it. We were a few feet away now, and I stared up at it. The light was almost...captivating.

"Who's voice is that...I recognize that voice..." I barely even spoke, ignoring the question it asked. My hand slowly reached out towards the light.

"It's the voice of whoever you love the most...your most cherished connection earthly or otherwise."

It's so familiar...

"But...I-I can't...I don't even know who I am..." I breathed, unable to break my trance as my fingers barely touched the orb.

"Let me show you..." the voice said, and I gasped sharply when the orb grew, enveloping my sight and blinding me briefly.

Memories flashed all around me. Laughing. Little me, running around.

"Ariel!"

Ariel...that's me. My head swiveled, my body felt as if it were floating. I watched the memory of me as a child. My mother yanked me up off the floor after I'd fallen during a dance lesson, screaming at me.