It was a cold winter night... The full moon was shining bright, illuminating the silent forest below, it's cold rays making the night bright as day. The snow crunched under the man's boots as he walked between the trees. An iron lantern was raised at chest-level, it's ghostly green light not doing much to illuminate the landscape... But that wasn't its purpose.
No, the Lantern was a Gateway, serving to unite the Mortal World and the Underworld. A quick way to send wayward Souls to the Beyond... It had appeared many times throughout the centuries, it's form changing every time... But it's purpose stayed the same. But it's bearer... That's another story.
He paused as he passed a gnarled tree and tilted his head. A quiet sound reached his ears... Was that... singing? Yes, it was. Turning in that direction he resumed walking, and fast. Could the rumors be true? He had chased similar ones for many years, but none of them were true. He had almost given up hope, and yet... He couldn't stop his search. It was why he picked up the Lantern, after all.
A few minutes later he emerged into a clearing, where he could hear the singing more clearly. The moon overhead made seeing in it as clear as day, and yet he lifted the Lantern high, it's unnatural light intensifying. Only then he stepped into the clearing properly and continued forward, towards the center. The singing was faint, and yet the voice and words were familiar, even after all those years... But still he was on his guard, ready to unleash the power of the Lantern if this turned out to be a trap.
Finally the light shone on a translucent figure huddled in the snow. It was a ghost... The ghost of a young girl, no older than seventeen, if you would judge from the height of what could be seen. Not that it was much, seeing as the man approached from behind. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back, over a white dress that left most of her back bare. The man's breath hitched as he saw that. He knew that dress... He buried her in it... This... This was really her...
"Diana?" He asked, his voice weak, both from the hope that he wished to feel and from his age... The singing stopped as the girl turned around and stared at him in surprise. His breath stopped again as he saw the familiar features of her face, healthy as if the Plague never touched her.
For a moment they both stood still, their eyes gazing into each other, his with hope and hers with fear. Then she shrieked, scrambling to get away from him.
"P-please, don't hurt me, I didn't do anything bad, please!" She pleaded, her eyes closing as she backed into a tree and curled there, trembling in fear. His first instinct was to go to her, to hug and protect her like he used to... Funny how little some things change in so many years... But he couldn't. Not when she feared him...
"Diana, please..." He rasped, trying to calm her down. "Don't you recognize me?" He lowered the Lantern and crouched down, making himself appear less imposing. The ghost stopped trembling, slowly peeking from behind her palms.
"T-that voice... A-Aries?" She asked. He could hear the uncertain hope in her voice... As if she had hoped he would come...
"Yes, Diana... It's me... I finally found you." He could feel the smile come to his face, the first in years. The ghost of his sister slowly stood up, walking to him. He couldn't blame her... He had changed a lot... Gone was the young Aries Ludovig, replaced by a frail old man. His once brown hair was gray, looking silver under the moonlight. His face was marked with age, spots and wrinkles all over it. His mouth was covered by a scraggly beard, unshaven for more time than he could bother to remember. His eyes were the only thing that remained more or ess the same, the life never leaving them...
"Aries... You... You look so... Different..." She muttered, her hand reaching towards his face. He had to suppress a shiver as the ghostly fingers went through him... With a gasp she pulled them back as she began to shake. "Aries... What... What happened?" Of course she wouldn't know... She was still a ghost, time moving like a blur to her...
"Diana..." He began before hesitating. How do you tell your sister she is dead? "Diana, do you remember the Plague?" He finally decided to ask. First he would find out how much did she remember, then he was going to explain the rest...
"The Plague? You mean the sickness that we heard news about?" She asked, tilting her head and bringing back the painful memories... Oh how many times he had confused her, and each time she tilted her head that way as she tried to make sense of it... "What about it? It... It..." Slowly realizations dawned upon her. She looked down at her ghostly arms before she slowly turned her head, taking in the clearing before her eyes settled on his face. "I'm dead, aren't I..."
It wasn't a question, and that pained him more than anything since her death... She was always smart... Sometimes too smart... All that Aries could do was nod. The result was as he expected... The ghost of his sister curled on the snow in front of him, weeping in her hands.
Aries closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight. For a minute all that moved was the trembling form of the ghost before his hand shot out, grabbing the Lantern's handle and pulling it close to him. Taking a deep breath he steeled himself before pouring his will into it. The ghostly green light shone brighter, intensifying until he had to turn his head away so that he wouldn't be blinded before it dimmed until it was naught but a green candlelight inside the iron frame. Slowly he reached out with his free hand, his breath held in anticipation. And finally his hand touched bare skin...
He opened his eyes and looked towards Diana, just in time to see the surprise in her eyes. With a smile he breathed out in relief as he squeezed her shoulder. She was no longer a ghost... Now she was flesh and blood...
She hesitated before reaching out, her fingers brushing against his face. And then she threw herself at him, hugging him with all her strength as she cried tears of joy in his shoulder. He could feel his own tears falling down his face, but he didn't care... The Lantern had given him the chance to do this one more time...
And so he hugged her. He kneeled there in the snow, hugging her and crying. Before he knew it he began to tell her what happened since her death, his entire life's story... Forty years of wandering, of searching for her...
At the end she reached inside his coat and pulled out a hankerchief... He always kept one in an inside pocket, ever since he was six years old... Smiling she wiped his tears away before doing the same with his own.
"It's alright, Aries... Now I'm back, right? We'll be together, like before the Plague." Her smile slowly faded as he didn't reply... Instead of the expected joy she saw a grimace of pain on his face...
"No, Diana..." He rasped out, tearing up again. "No... You aren't back... I had to use the Lantern to bring you over, but it's not for long... Soon you will fade away, to the Afterlife" The confession pained him, but he had to make it. She had a few minutes at most in this world...
"Oh..." Was all she could say before burrying her face in his shoulder again. When she pulled back though, she was smiling again. "Thank you, Aries..." She said, looking in his eyes. "Thank you for this..." She hugged him again, her frail arms warapping around his back. His own arms moved to wrap around her, embracing her protectively. He could start to see the ground behind her now... She was already fading away...
"Thank you Aries... You are the best brother anyone could ask for..." She whispered. And then she was gone as the Lantern burned out, the green flame dying...
The clearing was silent for a few moments before the former Lantern Bearer began to sob...
