Chapter Text
Gandalf knew something was wrong when what was a sunny day just a moment ago, became a storm that brought just darkness, wind and lightnings. He ran upstairs as quickly as he could, he needed to find Gem, but the door was closed.
He tried scratching the door. No response.
He tried meowing. No response
He tried- A thunder fell outside the tower, he turned his head to the window. A laugh returned his attention to the study's door. And a presence he hadn't felt in several years paralyzed him for a few seconds.
"Gem... what did you do?" He ran downstairs as soon as his body allowed him. He needed to find someone who could help Gem, and he had an idea of who he needed to find.
The Grimlands was receiving lighting strikes every minute or so, rain wasn't pouring out of the dark clouds, and wind made walking on the streets almost imposible, so, what Fwhip just saw was...
"... peculiar." Fwhip said watching the cat that had just climbed his office window. "What are you doing here... Gandalf? Was that your name, right?"
The cat meowed and nodded.
"Alright, Gandalf. Aren't you suppose to be with Gem?"
The cat look in the direction of the Crystal Cliffs and meowed.
"Okay... is all of this related to her?"
Gandalf nodded.
"If you came all this way, I suppose you want me to go there, to check on her?"
The cat nodded again.
"Alright, I think I can do-" The door scretched open. Fwhip turned around.
Gem entered the room, and smiled seeing Fwhip "Fwhip, I have good news." She ran to hug him, but was stopped as Gandalf jumped between the two, and hissed at her. She crouched. "Gandalf? What... are you doing in here?"
"He appeared a few minutes ago here, and wanted me to go see you in the Cliffs." Fwhip responded. "Gem, what happened?"
She turned her attention between the two. She focused on Fwhip first. "Just the most wonderful thing." She smiled. "I got rid of the locking sigil that kept my magic limited."
Gandalf backed away slowly from her, hissing.
Gem turned her attention back to the cat. "Gandalf? What is happening with you? You seem, like..." A bit of sadness got in her voice. "you are scared of... me?..." Her eyes widened as realization hit her. "Oh... I know what's happening." Her voice turned serious. She stood up, and glared at the animal. "How could I been so blind... of course it's you." Poison filled her words.
Fwhip looked at her with some fear. "Gem?"
Gem raised her hand, Gandalf started floating. "This is proffesor Ahaen. The one that locked my dark magic away." She looked at her brother for a second, returning quickly her eyes towards the cat. "The one that provoked the constant pain I have been feeling all these years." She closed her eyes, with the memory of all the pain she felt during all those years. "The one that made me believe I was a MONSTER." Her voice came out distorted, and her eyes shined red as she opened them.
Fwhip got close to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't flinched. "Gem...?" His voice trembled.
Gem turned her face to her brother, her eyes stopped shining, and Gandalf fell to the ground. "I- I finally opened my eyes again... the dark magic that resides within me, it isn't a curse... is a blessing, that will allow me to change this world." Her eyes shined red again, and a devilish smile appeared on her face. "Xornoth showed me the future, and how beautifully dark it is, they-"
"Wait" Fwhip interrupted "Xornoth? The demon that Shrub has said destroyed her home?" He backed away a step or two.
Her smile dropped. "Fwhip...? Please don't tell me that you are scared of me now? Wasn't I not a monster for you?"
"I... Gem..." He sighed, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I have always supported you, but I cannot let you get down a dark path, because even when that's the nature of your powers, I don't think that's your fate-"
Gem pulled away from his hands. Tears filled her eyes, which refused to look at him. "I thought that if anyone wouldn't turned their back on me, it would be you, Fwhip." A red shining symbol appeared on the floor, and a second after, Gem dissapeared.
The tears Fwhip had been holding, finally poured from his eyes.
A flash of red filled the room, once it was gone, Gem backed to one of the walls, lowered to the floor, and began sobbing- no. Crying with her head on her knees.
"WHY? WHY? WHY?" She hit the ground repeatedly. Her ragged screams reverberated trough the whole tower. "Why was it him...?" She murmured between sobs. "I thought that he would be the happiest for me"
"He isn't worth your grief~" Something whispered on her ear.
"What? Who said that?" Gem looked everywhere, but the room was empty.
"We can help you~"
She hid on her legs again. "And how you pretend to do that?"
"Wizard." Another voice said. She looked at them, it was Xornoth.
"Oh, hello." She swept away her tear. "It didn't go well..."
"He turned your back on you."
She looked surprised. "H-how did y-?"
"The king of Rivendell, he is my brother, or at least he considered me his-" Xornoth began.
"Scott..." Gem interrupted.
"He was once like your brother, he stayed by my side when Exor selected me as his champion, and everyone else started treating me as a monster, not him though, he defended me when they attacked me, and comforted me in every sad night."
Gem hid deeper into herself.
"But once I started acting outside of his 'acceptable' boundaries, he turned his back on me, and exhiled me." He stopped a second, almost seemed nostalgic. "You need to let go of any attachments you have if you want for the future you were revelead to become true."
Gem kept hiding on herself, but raised her eyes. "And how am I supposed to do that?" She said sarcastically
Xornoth crouched in front of her. "I already unlocked the prison where your dark magic was, but now you need to let it to flow freely, you need it to take charge of your emotions."
"And what? Would that stop me from griefing over his betrayal?" Gem asked sarcatiscally
"No. It would make you stop caring for him, but your grief... your hatred-"
"I don't hate him..." She jumped to try and refute him, her eyes filled with tears. "I don't hate him... I think..." She quickly hid on herself again. "I don't hate him... I don't hate him..."
Xornoth grin grew. "Are you sure? Or you just don't want to see the reality? He fears you. He hates you. So why shouldn't you do the same?"
"He doesn't hate me... right? He... just doesn't understand yet... I don't hate him... I don't want to hate him..."
"Oh, but you do, you just need to open your eyes again~" The whispers appeared again.
"I... just need to open my eyes again..." She repeated.
"Yes! Listen to the magic, let it take over..." Xornoth voice showed some kind of excitement.
"Fwhip... you were right, I was no monster..." She stood up. Xornoth did as well. "But if just accepting the power I have, makes you fear me as one..." Her staff appeared hovering over her hands, when she touched it, the wood began to rot, and the amethyst that crowned it flickered as it began to bleed red. Gem seemed to have zoned out, her eyes focused on nothing. "Then I'll be one."
Xornoth smiled, and took a few steps away from Gem, as her eyes shined red, and then filled by a void black. The green of her outfit was slowly being replaced by grey, and the purple of her cloak becoming deeper.
After some minutes her open mouth became a grin. And the void on her eyes retretated to let the red shine again. "We need more allies, and I have an idea for the first one." Gem said.
Xornoth smiled.