guardian of the storm | ✓

Chapter Forty-Six ~ Open Thy Savage Gate

~Chapter Forty-Six~

Winter could feel her stomach twist as the Tailed Beasts fought against Madara. While she knew that they were capable of immense power, she still could sense a bad feeling that hung in the air. Most of the Allied Shinobi force were battling against a large, wooden statue that had several hundred hands. The Third Hokage himself was leading the fight, and from where she kneeled she could sense the immense amount of chakra that was being used to battle against the wooden shield.

She turns her attention back to the scroll, her mind cluttered but her heart light. She knew what she would have to do, and she didn't have any regrets about her choice. But how would people view her after this?

Would they run away in fear once the war was over?

Would they shun her?

Would they cast her out of the village?

She knew that she was being obscene, that the shinobi would welcome any advantage no matter what shape or form it took place. Perhaps it was because she was scared. Yes, Winter Ookami was scared that she wouldn't be able to control it. She was scared that this wouldn't help them win the war, and she was scared because nothing would ever be the same after this.

Taking out a kunai, Winter ran the sharp blade down the middle of her palm, the cut shallow. Blood beaded from the wound, dark and pure. Without a second thought, she presses her palm onto the scroll, closing her eyes.

The blood would serve as a wakeup call of sorts, informing the being that Winter was ready to finally use her.

Rolling the scroll back up, Winter tucks it away, her eyes closed. "Ja'far." She whispers his name and the white haired male knows that he must do. He jumps away, turning his back to his oldest friend, and strides a few more feet forward, swiftly making hand signs. When Winter had first approached him many months ago about the ability she'd recently discovered, he'd been unsure of what he could do.

But while Winter was releasing her full potential she would be vulnerable. So it was his job to stand guard and ensure no one would be able to touch her. Ja'far took out his blades, the red wires gleaming. He kept his gaze on the battle ahead, a lonely sentinel with a goal in mind. To protect Winter Ookami.

Winter stood on the scarred land, her mind now clear, and let all the sense of time and location fade away. It was just her and her task. The series of steps required for the bond to be complete was engraved into her mind, each one as clear as day. The first thing Winter did was removed the bandages around her eye, letting them drop to the ground. Next, she unraveled the bandages that covered her forearm, the intricate, silver symbol stark against her skin.

Weaving her slim fingers into a complex sign, Winter began to whisper words in the ancient dialect that had been passed down from Ookami to Ookami, each word hauntingly beautiful. The sky darkened overhead, the ground trembling beneath her feet as she closed her eyes. One by one silver spears appeared, each one hovering around her. When the last word was uttered they dropped, the sharp blades sinking into the earth. They seemed to stagger but appeared to have no correlation, unless viewed from the sky.

If looked down at a bird's eye view, someone would find Winter standing in the middle of a pentagram.

Lighting sparked overhead before lunging down from its home in the sky, striking the many spears, the lighting never ending and brilliant against the dark space. Her hair whipped around in a sudden gust of wind, her eyes closing. Her hands still clasped in that unique sign, Winter began to murmur once more, each word ringing down into the earth beneath her feet, reaching out to a different dimension.

Survey thy worlds, open thy portal.

Hear my plea spirits of the lost and bring me to your fallen queen.

Oh, Regulus, I am the ruler of the sky, bringer of storms.

Open thy malevolent gate and let my call ring true.

I invoke the right of my bloodline and call forth the Forgotten Queen.

Oh, Hakai, Ruler of the Wastes, Queen of the Dead, Harbringer of War.

I claim my right to open thy savage gate,

To receive her blessing.

For a split second, everything went eerily quiet as the world held its breath.

And then it started.

The sky screamed the earth shook, the wind howled. Lighting raced across the sky to strike those silver spears, the bright light a beacon. The ground underneath her feet cracked and shuddered, the entire world howling as an ancient being was called forth to hold up her end of a deal.

Winter's tattoo shone brighter than anything else, silver tendrils originating from it creeping up her arm and across her shoulders, dipping down to her collarbones, slithering across her legs, and spiraling up to her face. A broken crown sat on her head, the once silver metal burnt an onyx color. Her wrists became wreathed with the same burnt metal, her black pants stitching together to become tear free, her red tank top fading away in place of a tight, black shirt that was edged in silver stitches. Her already sharp teeth became more prominent and more canine like, her nails coating over with silver iron that came into a point.

The spears melted, the liquid metal surging together and coiling up her body, draping over her shoulders on her now black cape to create a melting moon. 

"I expect great things to happen." A voice, one that did not belong to a human but was feminine, echoed throughout the air, reaching not only Winter's ears but those in the heat of battle, making the many shinobi pause from confusion. It was full of the type of wisdom that came from having an immortal life, a life that made the Immortal Queen gloriously bored. Bored enough to search through the archives of her library and find the clan that she'd created. "Go forth, little wolf, and show the world what you can do."

Winter smiled a smile full of promise and wicked intent. 

***

Eien was doing okay. He wasn't doing exceptionally well at fighting, but at least he wasn't dead. Being at the center of a war made him feel dizzy, the dead releasing their spirits that amplified his power. He could sense when a person was about to die and he felt sick when he realized that so many were going to pass on. He'd proven to be very useful to Sakura and Tsunade, the dark haired boy helping them find those who could be saved.

Then he sensed Naruto.

He knew who the young man was, in fact, everyone did. He was one of the main fighters in the war and he had an immense source of chakra at his fingertips, plus that of the Nine Tails. Or, he used to. Because as sky screeched and a voice echoed across the leveled battlefield, Eien felt Naruto's life force.

It was almost gone.

hehe, Winter is finally going to show her full power. if you're kinda confused as to what happened, it will be better explained in upcoming chapters. also, i managed to do two updates within a few days of each other, it's a miracle! but the things that i have been planning since the start of this book are finally happening so it's hard for me to not write this.

QotC: favorite (and/or least favorite) scene from the war chapters so far?

ps. I know some of you may be off put by the pentagram, but technically a pentagram is just the combination of the four symbols for fire, earth, water, and air. for this purpose, it's used as a symbol to combine all the basic elements to help strength her chakra.