You're dead.
But alive.
If you do, I'll simply take away what you're living for.
I know exactly who they are, and it's time you lost them.
Hazyl's POV
The funeral was prepared within the hour, mostly thanks to magic.
It was held outside, on the lawn of the safe house. Precautions had been taken, and spells had been cast. Ms. Lovegood has come, and so did Granger, I guess to comfort her sons. I went up to the podium.
"We do not have Asia's body with us," I began, "But we have her in our hearts." I cringed at how cheesy it was, but I continued. "If anyone would like to say anything about Asia, please stand up and come up here. One at a time, please," I said, despite the fact there was only me, Willow, Tom, Lucas, Granger, and Lovegood there. I knew how Asia would feel at such a turnout, but it was supposed to be secret. We'd have a larger receiving after this was all over.
Lovegood was the first was come up, despite the fact that Lucas made a move as well. She came up and I went back to sit down as she began to speak: "Asia was the smartest little girl I knew," she said, choking up. " I knew her mostly all her life, and she was totally like a daughter to me. She was the best little kid, and the best teenager, but it's so sad she was never able to become the best young woman." She went on to say more, but started to cry in the middle of it, breaking the spew of the peculiar tone of her voice.
I waited for someelse to come up. Next, it was Lucas.
He leaned on the podium uncertainly and said, "Asia was a bundle of mystery, most of the time," he said, "She was set to die because of her curse, but I loved her anyway, and it wasn't because she was smart or kind, it was because she accepted me as I am," he said. He took a deep breath. "I don't know if you guys knew, I mean, I know Tom and Willow and Hazyl know, but Mum, I really did love Asia and I..." he stuttered, "I planned on wanting to marry her, I guess..."
Granger didn't make a move, but she was smiling. 'I know, honey," she said.
Lucas plowed on a little happier, touching on moments of Asia's life and revealing things I hadn't known about her, like her parents or her dark magic. Once he was done, Tom came up and talked a little bit, mostly about what Asia had told him about her days in the orphanage and how she was strong, then he was done. Willow said a few things about how she was a good friend, and Granger said a few things.
Before long, it was time for the main ceremony.
The funeral was interrupted by a spray of sparks, spell sparks set to warn us if someone intruded. We couldn't move a muscle as the tall man walked up to us. He wasn't Handison, but someone we all recognized as the one who had taken Asia. And killed her, presumably.
We had presumed wrong.
Asia Abernathy, plain as day, was swung over the man's hip so we could see her.
She looked terrible.
Her mouth was covered by a large handkerchief, silver in color, and blood was staining it. Her hair was scruffy and dirty, her eyes closed with large dark bags under them, and she was beyond thin. Her clothes were torn and more blood than I had ever seen covered them, as well as her face. Her head hung to one side, and her legs were so weak and buckling the man had to support her.
She opened her eyes, the yellow was dull.
"Asia?" I said quietly. She made silent struggles.
"You can have her," said the man bitterly, shoving Asia down. Her hands were tied behind her back, so she couldn't brace her fall. With a sickening thud, she hit the ground. Everyone ran towards her, but the man leapt in front of her, resting one foot on her back. "But only," he purred, "If you give me one of your own."
I realized that Asia's pant legs were crusty and dry with blood, not just her face and shirt. Open and healing wounds lined every visible part of skin, and scars crisscrossed her neck in an odd, grotesque display of the obvious torture she had gone through. When she breathed, her breaths were raspy and dry. Lucas had noticed all of this before me and was already gritting his teeth. I don't know how he could've seen it, maybe he could feel her pain somehow.
Tom, who had been acting odd all day, started towards the man. The man smiled and said with a detached sweetness, "So, she called you, didn't she?" the man smiled again, wider this time. "If you just leave, if you come with me, all their pain will stop, but so will yours. You, Tom. Let's stop your pain, let's stop it-"
Several figures appeared around us, dark edges dissipating as they moved, like fog. They said the same thing over and over again.
"Stop your pain, stop your pain," they said.
The man stood in the middle, the only solid thing in the mass of smoky people. They went through him, and moved towards us, their breaths cold and smelling like cigar smoke. They all disappeared within a minute, but the man remained and said,
"All the agony you feel, it is only the start. If you continue to live in it, it'll only grow. There's only one way out, and that's the shadowy path. Where will it lead? Only time will tell, only our master knows." the man's voice started to get shriller, the highest pitch of every word stretching into something like a scream before he spoke the next. "Only time will tell, only the master knows. And what the master knows is everything, he can end everything that haunts you, he can give you everything you want, and he can make everything you need." The man's voice suddenly began to sound more like a woman's as a shadow figure rose above him, looking like a lady, and as she spoke, it sounded like a siren's song.
Tom's eyes were glassy.
He glanced at everyone, and with a step, he told them his answer.
Hope you liked it! It's longer and more interesting, end of book 2! I left the end open so Knight could let Tom answer as she'd like. Looking forward!!! 47 chapters for the second book, 30-something for the first! Thank you for reading!
