IN ANOTHER LIFE , josie saltzman ✔️

54. Raven

There were multiple voices overlapping eachother, no one really listening to one another as they all went loud with panic.
    „Now with the Order gone, there's nothing between us and the elders!" John yelled and Henry quickly chimed in, „Are we supposed to act as the bridge of inbetween now?"
    Suddenly, a shrill sounded in the middle of the throne room and all eyes diverted to Astoria and their raised arms.
    „The Regulus Order not only stood between us and the elders, but us and the dark world in its entirety. If we don't find a quick solution, we will find ourselves suspended into a dark winter and the ones in this room who experienced a dark winter must know that they don't want that for their loved ones." While not only I, but several others were confused, Sophia and Ruby shared a daunting look between eachother. That was until the white double doors opened and a darker presence stepped in. Cassius lead Rose behind him with a string of gleaming white light. Rose's boots didn't touch the floor, they were hovering in the air behind the first revilas. Henry was the first to move, he quickly positioned himself before him and Eve, who looked all tough, but was shaking slightly. „State your business." Sophia said and stepped forward.
    Cassius tilted his head and his eyes went from John who stood strong by the window to me, sitting cross-legged on the crimson colored rug. His dark eyes stayed on me and the corners of his mouth moved upwards until he turned to Sophia.
    „The lot of you must know that there is nothing that can act against the elders, nothing and no one but me." His voice was smooth. „And if they were to get even more playground, they would not hesitate to kill you all." Sophia laughed, „And you just want us what? Cowering and afraid? We're not afraid. We've dealt with the elders before, we'll do it again. And then we'll deal with you."
    The magic around Rose lifted into nothingness and she fell to the ground. Astoria moved instantly and held her before her head could've hit the ground. Cassius let her and moved gracefully towards Sophia, almost not touching the ground himself.
    „You don't seem to understand, so let me make myself clear. The second the elders feel the shift in power, they will not only come here and kill you but they will look for Hope Mikaelson and Josette Saltz-"
    „Amaya, no!" Someone yelled but I was already a moving blur.
    Cassius smiled and turned toward me, wrapping me in his arms before everything seemed to move twice if not more as fast than normal. He opened a portal and unleashed a dark, withering creature on Sophia and John who were moving the fastest as he opened another portal, glistening emerald and pushed us into it.
    We emerged in a room lit by a few candles and a familiar bright light illuminating everything around us.
    The portal closed as soon we came through it.
    A yelp escaped my throat as something bit itself into my upper left arm. I quickly moved into a corner and away from Cassius.
    „Don't be afraid. And don't fight." He told me sternly and I couldn't help but laugh. I sounded mad as a hatter.
    „You're insane." I spat and looked down to see something black and mist like having hold of my arm, leaving me in unimaginable pain.
    Golden clouds appeared at the palm of my right hand as I summoned magic with my hurting and numb left hand pressed to the wooden floorboards.
    Cassius suddenly turned and rushed toward me as I began to heal myself, grabbing hold of my hand and pushing it away.
    „Don't touch me!" I screamed but his fingers clasped my wrist only harder. „Stop fighting." He grunted as I began to kick him to bring distance between us. Only a little more room and I could open a portal.
    He brought both my hands down on the floor hard and his eyes shone golden, creating a stark contrast between him and his pale face and black hair. He moved closer and seized my legs, bringing them down even harsher than my hands as I realized that I couldn't move anymore. Panic built up inside me rapidly. „What are you doing to me?" I asked breathlessly.
    My throat closed up as his hands seized my hurt arm and healed it with one swift pulling motion. Then he brought his hand down and did it again and again.
    I screamed louder than I knew I was capable of when he finally cleansed me of the dark, old magic having bitten itself into me. In the end, his fist was a cloud of black and death and he purged it by holding his hand into the fireplace on the other side of the room.
    Finally, after the pain and the throbbing subsided, I could sit up and look around. There were no windows, but it was unnaturally warm. Whether that came from all the candles and the fireplace or from outside or from the bite of death I just had exorcised from me, I couldn't make out.
    „What do you want from me?" I asked and he turned around and studied me.
    „You might be the only one who'd understand me." He said and sat down on the ground before me.
    I stifled a bitter laugh. „There's no understanding you or redeeming you or saving you. You're not misunderstood. You're plain evil." I barked at him with no regards. He tilted his head again and raised his hand as a glimmering dark blue magic emerged from my chest. „But you, you're good, right?" He asked tauntingly. „I never said that. I know what I am. I know what I can do and I still choose to try to be good."
    Now he laughed and it was as melodic and charmed as his voice. „Right. Yes. I've seen you. Probably more intimately than anyone has before. You want to be good. But there is a darkness inside of you and you can fight it all day long, but you know that the only thing really stopping is you."
    „And you can turn off your humanity, go dark to really achieve all you want but did you ever need to hide behind that? Did you ever feel that need to stop blaming it on your mother, or the elders and just be true to yourself?"
    I shook my head and laughed, „I don't hide behind my humanity being gone or being dark! I am true to myself. I..." before I even knew what I was doing, I recognized it. The up coming guilt rush, the need to hide under a blanket.
    „So, that's how you got Rose to get this weak, huh?"
    His head tilted again.
    „I mean, sure, you make a person see that the only thing they need to do, is unleash all that darkness no matter who gets hurt and no matter what happens to the person, right? You make me realize that going dark and fully embracing all that darkness in me is all I ever needed to do so you can hook your claws into me and own it, own me."
    „You're wrong-"
    „Or better yet, make me fall me in love with you and just like that, I can look past every evil thing you intend to do and maybe even help. Is that how Rose knew what I was up to when I went against my mother? Is she an evil mastermind too?"
    Cassius rushed forward and wrapped his hand around my neck.
    „You do not say a single word about Rose!" He yelled, cutting off my air.
    „You think her to be evil while she is the purest soul when she is not with me! Rose is a revilas worthy of life and the magic she created. Not like you." He spat and released my throat.
    I gasped for air and held my neck. The bruises were already healing, the pain fading.
    „You're a menace, a danger to be wary of, a mistake soon to be corrected." He told me as he was bringing more and more distance between us, the veins on his fists popping up.
    „You're not worthy." He whispered, „And that is why you're so perfect." he whispered, his voice already back to his smoothness.
    „I won't be used." I said when my vocal cords were all healed up.
    „No, of course not." He turned around to me. „You'll willingly march against the people you're so fond of, trust me,"
    My throat escaped a bitter, cold laugh. „When hell freezes over." Cassius smiled and crouched down to me and his black eyes met mine. „Oh, it will. Soon. Sophia has no idea how to stabilize the realms. And they will come. And you'll see that I was right."
    „Right about what?" His hand began to shimmer dark and he brought it up with a mist darkening his fingertips.
    „Right about what?" I asked again and his hand came down and struck me.