~Sequentia~ Harry Potter One-Shots [Long]

Frozen Songs of Twenty-Two [Introduction]

Pain. Everywhere. From my head, to the tips of my fingers, to the ends of my toes. Darkness- yet it's becoming blacker. Fading. Somewhere else. Unbearable sensations. Punishment. Acceptance. Where am I going?

No, no. Not yet. I can't- this isn't for me. How could it be? Deserving? Altruism? Then where is my salvation? I fought. Every day.

My end...

The pain faded into nothingness. My veins no longer pumped blood. But I wasn't dead. Despite floating through a sea of nothingness, I was still here.

My eyes opened sleepily to reveal a circular chamber with dilapidated stone walls holding me captive. No doors in sight. Only... a man with long white hair who leaned against a wide wooden desk. His pristine blue suit appeared like he had bought it new the day before. It jarred with his veiny red-tinted eyes.

"You're finally awake, hm?" he said, voice etched with intrigue.

Never had my joints been so stiff, even when I had slept on my arm and cut off circulation. Leaning up was one challenge, but getting the rest of my body to comply was a separate issue. If only I had awoken upon a comfortable bed instead of frigid marble.

Once I got to my feet, I clambered over, ignoring the only thing I had on was a thin white dress. "Where am I?" I asked timidly.

He shook his head with an unwavering smile. The thoughts circling through his mind were unknown to me. He clasped his long fingers together and peered at me inspecting my every move. "A place of rest. It has no name. A certain god must have taken pity on you."

"God?" I repeated.

"No, not God- god. Lowercase g. What did you do to bring such attention to yourself?" he interrogated with an entertained chuckle.

I tried to think about a time before waking up and I was met only by a stinging sensation. They were blocked from me. When I tried to voice my name, my throat clamped shut. The answer was there... somewhere. 

"I don't know." I confessed weakly, feeling fear beginning to settle.

"You know nothing at all?"

I shook my head.

"Fascinating. Then I believe introductions are in order. My name is Reign, the handler of this domain, so you may say." he started with a mischievous air to his words. Reign leaned forward taking in more of my unflattering appearance.
"How would you feel... if I told you that you died?"

Anxiety flushed but my heart did not halt. There was no heart to stop. I dug my nails into my palm and nothing came. Yet, if I tried to think of the past, that static hit me again.

"You've come to accept it faster than most people. Not even curious about how?" Reign encouraged.

"Something tells me you wouldn't say anyway." I retorted indifferently.

He cackled eccentrically, echoes hitting from the walls. "Perceptive. I can see why that god chose you. You, dear, have been offered a unique chance. A chance of rebirth."

Rebirth? But how? Once someone dies, they're gone. There are no second chances.

"You can refuse, of course, if you wish to pass on to Nothingness. A realm of neither Heaven nor Hell. But such a rebirth comes at a price." he explained with eagerness.

"What's the catch?" I asked dubiously.

Reign dug into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. Pulling the topmost card, he turned it to me- The Fool- and shuffled the set. "The god that sent you here has a requirement."