Reborn

24 - Fluctuating Reality

Something slammed into the ground, large cracks snaking through the ground. Kristoff desperately pulled on the reigns, Sven skidding to a stop and it took everything in Kristoff to not fall headfirst off the reindeer.

He stared ahead and saw something - no, someone - crouching, head bowed in the crater that had formed when the person had landed. The person stood up and began making his or her way over.

There was a loud clap of thunder and a flash of lightning, enough for Kristoff to make out the person's - a female, he deduced - features.

Kristoff then gasped as he recognized the person. The person was somehow taller and her hair was dark brown and in a ponytail and was dressed in a pair of pants that were a strange mixture of different shades of green and brown and an odd grey shirt that had no sleeves, but about an inch-wide...strapes? that went over her shoulders instead.

But it was definitely her.

"Anna?"

~

Asphale groaned as she came to. She felt herself being yanked up onto her feet. Her mouth opened and she spewed out her stomach's contents. "Ohhhh," she moaned as she opened her eyes and was relieved to see that she hadn't vomited on anything or anyone else but the floor.

She then became aware of someone gripping her arm when she felt someone drag her along through a...room? made out of solid rock. She turned to the person to snap at them and as soon as she laid eyes on the person, she gasped.

Her.

She didn't know the platinum blonde's name, but she knew her.

Suddenly, an image appeared in her mind.

The platinum blonde, albeit a younger version, looking up at her - Asphale - with pleading, tearful eyes.

"Do you have to go?" the blonde said.

Asphale gasped. She was talking to me! Suddenly, there was a sharp burst of heat on the back of her neck. She then felt something slither it's way inside her neck. Her hands automatically went to her throat as she gasped for air, but her neck seared upon being touched.

She tried to scream, but nothing came out.

"You wanna' remember?" a voice whispered in her ear. "You wanna' remember everything from Before?"

There was a building pressure behind her eyes. "Yes," came out of her mouth instantly, unbidden, unwanted.

"Then I'll show you..."

~

As soon as Kristoff said her name, Anna went stock still. Kristoff frowned. What the hell is going on? "An-"

Her eyes seem to suddenly start burning and there was an orange glow underneath her skin. Sven began taking a few steps back. "Whoa, boy. Whoa," Kristoff said, only loud enough for Sven to hear. Every inch of him was screaming at him to run, but...this was Anna. There was no way he was leaving her.

"My name is not Anna," she replied, her voice sounding like Anna's, yet it was deeper and...darker, like the distant rumbling of thunder.

Suddenly, she rose into the air, twirling around. There was a loud whirring sound and then she erupted into flames.

Sven let out what could only describe as a scream and he reared back. Kristoff tumbled off and toppled down one of the large crevices. He lashed out with one of his hands.

Connected with nothing.

No!

Suddenly his whole body jerked as he came to a stop. Looking up, he saw that he had managed to grab hold of the edge.

Looking around, he couldn't see Sven. Sweat trickled down his cheeks. In fact, his whole body was heating up. Turning back to Anna, he squinted at the bright light radiating off of her.

She landed a few feet infront of him. The ground shook and instantly began cracking up. Kristoff screamed as he found himself tumbling down further. Seeing a ledge, he grabbed its edge as he plummeted past and pulled himself onto it.

"It's Phoenix," she stated.

Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix her words echoed around, taunting him.

Suddenly a ball of fire shot out towards him.

He tumbled sideways and the fire slammed into the wall just a few feet above him. Rock and dirt tumbled down on top of him as the fire began to quickly spread in all directions. He began to recoil backwards, but he soon met the edge of the ledge.

"You can't do this!" he shouted up at Anna, his voice desperate; unhinged.

Anna threw her head back and laughed. A ring of fire suddenly surrounded her, then disappeared. A large black hole appeared in the sky and everything began being sucked up into the hole.

Kristoff tumbled backwards in shock and fell over the edge. He felt himself being yanked up towards the hole and desperately grabbed hold of a nearby tree root. He felt his fingers beginning to slip and held on tighter.

"My dear boy," she hissed and he caught a glimpse of a huge wave of water coming tumbling towards them, Anna infront, still engulfed in flames. "You have no idea what I can do."