Fables/Fairytales Fan Fiction ❯ Glimmer ❯ Glimmer ( Chapter 1 )

GLIMMER

It was dark. The sky seemed to have fallen ill as it continuously poured acid rain over a city of shadows. An eerie mist had arisen, thick enough to stop any soul from being out and about. Even those who dwelled within their fifty-story apartments could not see through the black-gray haze out their windows.

 

Alone on the street was a single boy, nearly 14 years of age. The neon-colored lamps were not enough to penetrate the darkness, but somehow he managed to see through what others couldn't. The rubble of decaying skyscrapers crunched under his sneakers as the teen wandered the deserted streets. No one knew who he was nor where he came from, only that he'd just arrived by the oldest known form of transportation: train. The boy, Sincerity, knew it was old-fashioned, but decided trains received less ridicule then automotive vehicles, formerly known as cars. 'No,' he thought, 'far too out of date.'

 

Sincerity looked around, his black eyes picking up every detail of the city. In the near distance, he could make out the Sears Tower protruding from a blanket of green water, the highest among its brothers. At his ankles, water swirled about, soaking his shoes. Gondoliers steered their long, thin boats, just barely finding their way throughout the sunken city that was once considered grand. They kept down low, those Gondoliers, hiding from the myths and curses surrounding them.

 

Over a thousand years had passed since the expansion of O'Hara airport, and the use of planes, nearly 500 since the drying up of most fossil fuels. People grew restless and terrified, searching for a scapegoat. Old beliefs unseen for over a thousand years arose like a tidal wave and came crashing down upon the world. Curses were hurled at neighbors, spirits were summoned to ward off demons, and the souls of the dead were re-awakened. Then great cities around the world fell to their dooms, killing themselves in a horrifying chain of destruction of economy. Suburbs followed the cities, then towns, and finally the tiniest of villages. Technology was pressed for quick advancements to save the helpless who had depended on it for so long, only to have everything backfire. Changes in atmospheric temperatures allowed few to survive the bitter cold or scorching heat the world had become. The stars could no longer be seen and the sun was a mere green glow in the distance. For the most part, the world was shrouded in an eerie fog. Only reflections of the sun changed its color throughout the endless nights.

 

The souls of the dead wandered the streets alongside the living, many bringing about havoc and chaos on the humanity. Magicians every kind attempted to force them back to their world, but nothing worked. It wasn't long before the demons broke free from their shackles and waged war on the specters, trapping humans in between. Curses were placed on nearly everything, so nowhere was safe.

 

Sincerity smirked devilishly to himself, his shoulder-length black hair moving in the wind. He knew many ways to destroy a demon and even more ways to exorcise a ghost. His sister was even more knowledgeable then he, but she was gone. Her soul had departed from the world quite a time ago. Sincerity was going to resurrect her in the very city that took her life to begin with. The teen glanced around quickly, giving the Gondoliers a chance to see he wanted to be alone.

 

When they had gone, he let out a low whistle and removed the pack he carried. In the distance, a loud howl was heard and a large silver wolf appeared directly in front of Sincerity, almost beckoning. The boy simply smiled at the dog and shook his head.

 

“Not now, Cerberus.” He stated, “We have work to do.” The creature whined expectantly, so Sincerity frowned. “If I'm going to bring her back, I need you to be here. After all, you are a hound of hell. You know your job is to go down to the underworld and collect her soul while I bargain with Charon, the Gate Keeper. Did you forget?”

 

The rather large animal stood panting, then as if in response to Sincerity's question, barked a few times and growled as if defending the boy from the Gate Keeper.

 

“Good, I'm glad you didn't forget her. That Charon is a rather nasty woman, don't you think?” Cerberus sulked, making a low angry growl in the back of his throat. “Now, now, we must at least pretend to get along with her or she'll destroy Serenity.” He smiled then and kneeled down to his pack, opening it and placing a few items around in a semi-circle.

 

Sincerity smiled as he poured a jar of demon's blood in the shape of a large five-point star. In the center, a clove of mandrake, also known as mandragora, some ruta graveolens, and a touch of holy thistle, were placed to represent the Maiden, the Matron, and the Crone. Over the top, Sincerity placed a few snowdrop flowers, and then sprayed them with musk. The last thing he removed from his pack was the torch of lunar fire, the skin of the serpent of immortality, and the knife of midwifery. Finally, with the howling of all coyotes and Cerberus, he began to chant.

 

As his words echoed through the abandoned city, the ground began to shake and the star of blood glowed hot, pulsating with the power that desperately longed to be released. Sincerity didn't stop; the howls became shrill, curdling screams coming from the star, which began to emit a shimmering barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The black-eyed teen stopped chanting suddenly and watched as the star vanished, in its place was a portal to the Underworld. It glimmered like a puddle the day after a downpour. Slowly Sincerity gathered the three charms of hell and stepped forward with Cerberus following faithfully behind him. With each step down the black stairs, the more the boy disappeared through the portal. Soon, he vanished completely from the living world, carelessly leaving the portal unguarded as demons, spirits, and daring humans began to slowly come out of hiding to mingle with the daily war that their lives had become.

 

As Sincerity and Cerberus descended, the hazy air around them grew dense and heavy, making it more difficult to breath with their lungs that had adapted to well to the every day pollutants that now roamed the atmosphere. The darkness seemed to have gotten thicker with each step, so much as to make the black-eyed boy feel along the slimy, moss covered wall to keep from falling down the slippery steps. It wasn't long before he reached the bottom where Charon was waiting.

 

She greeted them with a chilly smile, flashing her gleaming white teeth, stained pink with blood. Charon wore a long deep blue cloak over a dark violet robe with gold trim. Her hair seemed to come alive as Sincerity drew nearer; it hissed and snapped at him and Cerberus. In the hand of the Gate Keeper was a tall, wooden staff covered with two thick green vines that flowed up the staff and to a baetylic meteorite, also known as the Black Stone sitting at the top. It was a magic stone containing souls of the dead and also on occasions granted Charon visions of the future. The vines acted as veins, feeding the gem power from the ground around them. Sincerity smirked, knowing Charon would not resist his offerings.

 

Cerberus ran off, leaving his friend behind to deal with the Gate Keeper of the Underworld. He leaped across the river of Styx without the ferryman noticing and shot down the long dark tunnel, in search of Serenity. She would be able to help them without difficulty, for she and her brother were the children of the valiant Guardians, sworn to watch over the human race without fail. They came from another realm that held the gods and goddesses that had abandoned the Old World for a better one, seeing as how their human worshippers failed to worship and uphold the traditions that had been alive since the dawn of time. After the fall of humanity as the dominant species, only a few of the gods and goddesses returned to the Old World in attempt to reclaim their former glory.

 

In the distance, the hound could make out a tall figure of a woman dressed in rags. Her belly was swollen as she felt along the wall like a blind person, unable to find her way. Cerberus growled deeply, recognizing the scent of deception. The Matron had many disguises for hiding, concealing herself as she is compelled to be the doting mother of humanity. The hound approached the woman with child cautiously, hoping he was wrong.

 

Sincerity had made his offer to the Gate Keeper, clearly stating there was no room to negotiate. She didn't like that, yet was intrigued by the young boy. Why would a mere mortal such as himself think he could get away with such a thing? Of course, t could be that he was no mortal at all, which was what Charon suspected. After all, he must've had something up his sleeve to challenge the Grim Reaper.

 

The black-haired teen grinned as he removed the three objects from his bag as bargaining tools, smirking at the look of horror crossing Charon's face. Her Master would not be pleased if she knew these items had been stolen. Luckily, no one had yet to realize they were gone.

 

“Well, Gate Keeper, do you accept my offer?” Sincerity questioned, looking a bit smug.

 

“I do.” She answered, “Your dear sister's soul will be released to that mangy mutt just as soon as I collect my profit.”

 

“No, I need to see that Serenity is safe first, then you may have your prize.”

 

Charon thought it over; it would be long before Hel discovered her most prized possessions were gone. She nodded, looking back across the deep blue river. Inside, the faint glow of swimming souls radiated against the foggy water. Sincerity knew his sister would not be in there, but decided it would be best to pretend otherwise.

 

“Where is she, if not the River of Styx?” he interrogated, already knowing the answer.

 

“The garden of Souls, you imbecile.” She retorted hotly. “Your sister's soul was filled with much dark knowledge. If she were left with the others, they'd surely absorb her power and escape, like so many before them.”

 

“Take me to her and Cerberus.” Sincerity knew that as a living being, crossing the River of Styx would normally be detrimental, but he wanted to ensure the safety of his friends. The only protection he would get was from the skin of the serpent of immortality. The slithering creature had been much too difficult to capture, but its skin was just as valuable.

 

“I apologize, Sincerity, but I'm afraid that is impossible unless you are dead, even with the Serpent's skin.” Charon replied with an edge on her voice. He looked crestfallen.

 

Cerberus found that he was correct. The pregnant woman had been a representation of the Matron, but had not actually been her. It was a mere weak demon disguised by illusion to ward off unwanted visitors. He ran on, searching. At the end of the cave, there was a rather large, square room that smelled of snowdrop flowers. There were four doors, each neatly labeled with their destination. One, naturally, led to the Garden of Souls. The others were to Hel's Torture Chamber, a Vitality Room, and the Shrine Room.

 

Cerberus, being a hound of hell, knew his best chances were in the Garden of Souls. He shot off, opening the door with his magic. Just on the other side, a forest of dried brown grass, tumble weeds, and thirsty flowers shriveling in the hot sun were protruding from every direction. Serenity appeared from behind a rotting tree, peering at the hound with disturbing off-white eyes that seemed to gaze directly into his soul. She wore a tattered white dress that hung loosely on her petite frame, as pale as her translucent skin. She glowed, just as any other could, and hovered a few inches off the ground. The glow acted as a barrier between her and the invisible field in the doorway. To her, it was as solid as any regular wall.

 

“You are Cerberus.” She stated calmly. “Where is Sincerity? Is he alright?” Serenity spoke slowly as if her voice was hard to find.

 

“Sincerity is here, bargaining with the Gate Keeper for your soul. As soon as the deal is done, you will be ale to leave this place and I will take you to him.” Cerberus replied. Her face remained expressionless, but she nodded, a movement barley caught by the gray-colored hound's sharp eyes.

 

The Gate Keeper's smile grew dangerously. She knew Cerberus had found Serenity's soul and that they were waiting for an opportunity to escape. If Hel ever discovered yet another soul was allowed to leave, Charon would probably be locked up in the mountainous part of the Underworld with the demons for the next 200 years. That was nothing to her, considering her immortality, but it would be a pain.

 

“I cannot show your sister's soul to you, however, would seeing her material body suffice?” She questioned. “Of course, in exchange for two of the three items.”

 

“Fine.” He answered shortly with touchiness. He knew body would be needed to fully being her back to life. The only way for Hel to ever see the Serpent's skin of Immortality, the Torch of Lunar Fire, and the Knife if Midwifery again was if Serenity was fully rejuvenated to her former glory. Charon knew that.

 

The Gate Keeper then summoned a low ranking demon to fetch Serenity's mortal body from the icy depths of the mountains where dead bodies were kept categorically for 30 years after death before being properly disposed of. There're rare cases in which they would come useful for one reason or another. The demon left and returned not a moment later with Serenity's vessel in his scaly arms. Sincerity took her and laid her carefully on the ground. The demon vanished. The black-eyed boy then hesitantly gave the Gate Keeper two items, keeping the Torch of Lunar Fire. She accepted them greedily, holding the Knife and Skin close as if someone were going to snatch them away.

 

“Release Serenity and only then will I return the Torch of lunar Fire.” Sincerity declared defiantly. As if without thought, the Charon snapped her fingers, replying that Serenity would be on her way back. It seemed as if holding two of the three treasures in her hands made her more compelled to get the third.

 

The glowing that surrounded Serenity vanished as she and Cerberus waited, signaling she could leave the Forest through the barrier that would've normally stopped her. The hound gently bit down on her hand without piercing the skin and led her back through the door, into the cave, down the tunnel, and back to the River of Styx. She and the hound saw Sincerity and the Charon on the opposite end. Without needing to be provoked, Serenity jumped on the hellhound's back, nudging his side a bit. Cerberus, being a rather large hound, was able to easily take a running jump across the River of Styx. Sincerity, keeping his promise, returned the Torch of Lunar Fire to Charon, who instantly vanished upon receiving it.

 

Sincerity smiled at his sister, who returned it happily. After a short family reunion, the pair tuned towards her body lying lifeless on the cold ground.

 

“Serenity, you know what to do.” Sincerity told her. She nodded and kneeled, her colorless eyes sparkling with renewed vivacity. Slowly, the white-eyed girl painstakingly refused her soul with her body. It wasn't long before her soul disappeared completely and her body sat up, opening her milky eyes slowly as if testing them. The girl then flexed her fingers, looked up at her brother, and smiled.

 

“Thank you, baby brother. You would've made mom and dad proud today.” She stated, her long silver hair flowing down her shoulders. The tall girl stood and embraced Sincerity and Cerberus. “Let's get out of here.”

 

“I haven't heard a better idea all day.” Her younger brother answered as the trio walked back up the steps to the living world of chaos and destruction, where they would fight against the forces of the Underworld for many long years to come.