Sat through a marathon run of Nanoha 'A's and the scenes with Fate in the dream world that the Book of Darkness conjured for her just tug on the heartstrings, you know... And then I started thinking to myself, what would a believabe method of restoring Fate's sister to life involve... in the DSKS universe, that is...
Precia entered the study to find Zeke, studying some randome tome while facing the great bay windows... and then stopped. She suddenly felt like an animal that had just caught wind of a predator. For certain, she had fought against Zeke and knew that the self-made technomage was, by no means whatsoever, a pushover. However, when she laid eyes on his back, she could not shake the feeling that she was a fly entering the spider's parlor.
But, she also knew that Zeke would never do anything to her without provocation - especially after that Senshi girl had hit her with that mind-healing attack.
Fighting off her nervousness, she cleared her throat and said, "I was told that you wish to meet me, Mr. Darkwood."
Snapping the tome shut, Zeke turned and said, "Oh, not Zeke per say. As the line goes, misqouted to fit, 'There is no Zeke, there is only Raven.'"
Precia's breath stopped and she thinks her heart did as well for a few beats. Zeke's Avatar-Brand had grown, extending to his jawline and trailing to lethal looking points at either side of his chin. His eyes were the blackness of night and his traveler's cape held a nearly mind-breaking kaleidoscope of stars in its lining.
Precia struggled to find her voice. "You... You are the one... he said he serves?"
"In the flesh," said Raven with a wolfish grin. "Or at least his flesh. The whole avatar deal, you know."
"Then you must have a reason for being here right now," she murmered, barley able to get the words out in a coherent stream.
Raven simply grinned and said, "One of the things I like about you, Precia, is that no one can ever really accuse you of being stupid. A bit overly ambitious, but definitely not stupid. You, Lady Testarossa, have a great deal of passion. Passion that has driven you to do some rather questionable things... however, no matter the circumstances, I appreciate passion. Ezekiel has that in spades, I'm sure you've noticed."
Precia only nodded in reply.
Raven went on, "As such, I am willing to make an offer to you. One which I am fairly certain that you will accept. Are you prepared to hear it?"
Precia's curiousity began to overide the ingrained fear that all mortal beings have of true diety. "I... must admit that I am curious, Lord Raven."
Raven chuckled softly. "Good girl. As the Master over Life and Death, I stand in a unique position to offer you the resurection of your Daughter, Alicia."
To say that Precia was flabberghasted was an understatement. She had to find a chair before she passed out and hit her head on something. With some diligent breath control, though, she got ahold of herself once more, then looked Raven in his bottomless eyes and said, "What would I have to do in return?"
Raven's grin returned in full force. "Well, that part is a little problematic. Certain balances must be maintained, you see. If it was simply a matter of restoring the girl from a state of near-death or a deathly-like state, then I would simply settle for taking your life."
Precia's brow furrowed. "Forgive me, Lord Raven, but I am afraid that I do not understand."
Raven's grin softened into the sort of smile that a teacher gives a diligent student. "Of course. Though with your mastery of interdimensional travel, I am a bit surprised that you haven't come to understand the subtle nuances of life and death yet. No matter. You see, Miss Testarossa, your daughter is thoroughly dead. Her soul has been in the next life for quite some time now and I must have someone else's death in return for hers.
"It is possible for me to do this because it is my Crows that ferry the souls of the departed to the next life. However, as the old legend states, if the was a wrong so grievous that it upsets The Balance, sometimes they will bring the wronged soul back at my request to set things right. However, this only a temporary affair. As soon as matters are righted again, my Crows bring the wayward soul back. That, or they remain there on permanent assignment, working for me as it were with my Crows acting as guides and messengers.
"But you want me," said Precia.
Raven only nodded as though to say, 'But of course!'
"But why me? Who would take care of my daughters? Both Fate and Alicia... I can't leave them here alone. And I must attone for what I have done to Fate!"
"Silly woman. Your love for your daughters is admirable, but reconciling with Fate... I am afraid that you have wounded that girl far too deeply for her to ever love you as a mother again. There is more than psychological scarring, but spiritual scarring as well. It is so terrible that even Ezekiel, for all his talents with mortal hearts, would be unable to repair. I am sorry, Miss Testarossa, but she is lost to you."
It was almost more than Precia could stand and the tears came freely, but silently. Not a sniffle or a sob was uttered.
Raven went on, unhindered, "As for why you... who else would give their death willingly?"
Precia's tear-filled eyes widened in confusion. "Wha... What?"
Raven smiled indulgently and chuckled like a man that loved his job. "There are two kinds of death, Precia. The most common kind is the Unwilling Death. Even deaths that seem to be willing sacrifices... are not. A true, Willing Death is one that is completely and utterly dedicated not to some ideal of self-martyrdom. You do not care about being remembered, so long as your death means that someone you care about lives on. That kind of death is the sweetest of them all. Finally, and most importantly, when you dedicate that death in MY name... then I own you completely. You do not move on into the next life unless I choose to release you. You are to remain at my side in whatever service I deem fit. I trust that you understand me now, Miss Testarossa?"
It was all so clear now that her fear was gone, yet the sorrow of what she faced remained. "Yes, Lord Raven. I understand completely."
Raven nodded. "Very good then. So, have you come to a decision, or should I come back later?"
"No, I have already decided. I just need a bit of time to put everything together."
"But of course, Miss Testarossa. I can allow you that time, even if I must take your life as well as your death. But do be prompt, if you will."
In the end of that chapter, Fate wakes to the smiling face of Alicia, who greets her as the sister she has always wanted, and she carries a note from Precia stating that she has left what remains of her estate to her daughters and that she wants Lindsy Harloan to take care of them both.
And Fate's life is just a bit sweeter for it all - something that Zeke feels was worth all the trouble and near-death experiences on his part to make possible.
Willing and Unwilling Deaths idea is from, in part, The Blood Jaguar by Michael H. Payne and Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane. Trust me, you're just gonna have to read these books to see what I mean - I'm not gonna spoil the surprise any more than I have.
Precia entered the study to find Zeke, studying some randome tome while facing the great bay windows... and then stopped. She suddenly felt like an animal that had just caught wind of a predator. For certain, she had fought against Zeke and knew that the self-made technomage was, by no means whatsoever, a pushover. However, when she laid eyes on his back, she could not shake the feeling that she was a fly entering the spider's parlor.
But, she also knew that Zeke would never do anything to her without provocation - especially after that Senshi girl had hit her with that mind-healing attack.
Fighting off her nervousness, she cleared her throat and said, "I was told that you wish to meet me, Mr. Darkwood."
Snapping the tome shut, Zeke turned and said, "Oh, not Zeke per say. As the line goes, misqouted to fit, 'There is no Zeke, there is only Raven.'"
Precia's breath stopped and she thinks her heart did as well for a few beats. Zeke's Avatar-Brand had grown, extending to his jawline and trailing to lethal looking points at either side of his chin. His eyes were the blackness of night and his traveler's cape held a nearly mind-breaking kaleidoscope of stars in its lining.
Precia struggled to find her voice. "You... You are the one... he said he serves?"
"In the flesh," said Raven with a wolfish grin. "Or at least his flesh. The whole avatar deal, you know."
"Then you must have a reason for being here right now," she murmered, barley able to get the words out in a coherent stream.
Raven simply grinned and said, "One of the things I like about you, Precia, is that no one can ever really accuse you of being stupid. A bit overly ambitious, but definitely not stupid. You, Lady Testarossa, have a great deal of passion. Passion that has driven you to do some rather questionable things... however, no matter the circumstances, I appreciate passion. Ezekiel has that in spades, I'm sure you've noticed."
Precia only nodded in reply.
Raven went on, "As such, I am willing to make an offer to you. One which I am fairly certain that you will accept. Are you prepared to hear it?"
Precia's curiousity began to overide the ingrained fear that all mortal beings have of true diety. "I... must admit that I am curious, Lord Raven."
Raven chuckled softly. "Good girl. As the Master over Life and Death, I stand in a unique position to offer you the resurection of your Daughter, Alicia."
To say that Precia was flabberghasted was an understatement. She had to find a chair before she passed out and hit her head on something. With some diligent breath control, though, she got ahold of herself once more, then looked Raven in his bottomless eyes and said, "What would I have to do in return?"
Raven's grin returned in full force. "Well, that part is a little problematic. Certain balances must be maintained, you see. If it was simply a matter of restoring the girl from a state of near-death or a deathly-like state, then I would simply settle for taking your life."
Precia's brow furrowed. "Forgive me, Lord Raven, but I am afraid that I do not understand."
Raven's grin softened into the sort of smile that a teacher gives a diligent student. "Of course. Though with your mastery of interdimensional travel, I am a bit surprised that you haven't come to understand the subtle nuances of life and death yet. No matter. You see, Miss Testarossa, your daughter is thoroughly dead. Her soul has been in the next life for quite some time now and I must have someone else's death in return for hers.
"It is possible for me to do this because it is my Crows that ferry the souls of the departed to the next life. However, as the old legend states, if the was a wrong so grievous that it upsets The Balance, sometimes they will bring the wronged soul back at my request to set things right. However, this only a temporary affair. As soon as matters are righted again, my Crows bring the wayward soul back. That, or they remain there on permanent assignment, working for me as it were with my Crows acting as guides and messengers.
"But you want me," said Precia.
Raven only nodded as though to say, 'But of course!'
"But why me? Who would take care of my daughters? Both Fate and Alicia... I can't leave them here alone. And I must attone for what I have done to Fate!"
"Silly woman. Your love for your daughters is admirable, but reconciling with Fate... I am afraid that you have wounded that girl far too deeply for her to ever love you as a mother again. There is more than psychological scarring, but spiritual scarring as well. It is so terrible that even Ezekiel, for all his talents with mortal hearts, would be unable to repair. I am sorry, Miss Testarossa, but she is lost to you."
It was almost more than Precia could stand and the tears came freely, but silently. Not a sniffle or a sob was uttered.
Raven went on, unhindered, "As for why you... who else would give their death willingly?"
Precia's tear-filled eyes widened in confusion. "Wha... What?"
Raven smiled indulgently and chuckled like a man that loved his job. "There are two kinds of death, Precia. The most common kind is the Unwilling Death. Even deaths that seem to be willing sacrifices... are not. A true, Willing Death is one that is completely and utterly dedicated not to some ideal of self-martyrdom. You do not care about being remembered, so long as your death means that someone you care about lives on. That kind of death is the sweetest of them all. Finally, and most importantly, when you dedicate that death in MY name... then I own you completely. You do not move on into the next life unless I choose to release you. You are to remain at my side in whatever service I deem fit. I trust that you understand me now, Miss Testarossa?"
It was all so clear now that her fear was gone, yet the sorrow of what she faced remained. "Yes, Lord Raven. I understand completely."
Raven nodded. "Very good then. So, have you come to a decision, or should I come back later?"
"No, I have already decided. I just need a bit of time to put everything together."
"But of course, Miss Testarossa. I can allow you that time, even if I must take your life as well as your death. But do be prompt, if you will."
In the end of that chapter, Fate wakes to the smiling face of Alicia, who greets her as the sister she has always wanted, and she carries a note from Precia stating that she has left what remains of her estate to her daughters and that she wants Lindsy Harloan to take care of them both.
And Fate's life is just a bit sweeter for it all - something that Zeke feels was worth all the trouble and near-death experiences on his part to make possible.
Willing and Unwilling Deaths idea is from, in part, The Blood Jaguar by Michael H. Payne and Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane. Trust me, you're just gonna have to read these books to see what I mean - I'm not gonna spoil the surprise any more than I have.