In the Shadow of Power - Hogwarts Legacy

Chapter 22

Everything was blinding, searing pain as though Alayna were being roasted on a fire her skin peeling off while knives scratched at her insides. She had felt pain through her monthly cycle that felt like someone tearing apart her insides, but this was several times worse. Her vision went black as she fought hard not to pass out. She could not hear anything, in fact, she could barely tell her ears were ringing. She wasn't even sure she was breathing.

Then that hold the curse had over her stopped abruptly. Or at least the continuous hellish pain ceased. Alayna's vision began to come back to her, but there was still a lingering pain. The ringing of her ears registered and she knew she was panting. She'd fallen to her knees and was clutching her arms around herself. Sebastian had done it, he'd cast the curse on her. She raised her head to see if it had worked, but the first thing she saw was Ominis.

Kneeling next to her, Ominis looked panicked, scared, and worried. Alayna's eyes landed on his, being this close she had never quite realized how beautiful they were. There was a fogginess that covered his iris turning what should have been a bright blue into a pale shade. The dark pupil was replaced with white something. She didn't know what caused it, those white streaks like lightning that spread out into the iris. They were striking and welling up with tears she realized.

"I'm okay," Alayna managed to say, unsure if Ominis had even asked if she were. Feeling began to return to her fingers first, traveling up her arms and across her whole body. Ominis's arm was wrapped around her shoulders, helping to keep her upright. She fought the urge to simply lean against him, all of her strength gone, but he pulled her against him anyway in what she thought must have been relief.

The door. Right. Alayna turned her head enough to see that the door ahead of them had opened from the use of the spell. Sebastian had already walked inside, probably eager to get out of the hallway. Although she was a little disappointed that he didn't stay to make sure she was okay.

"Do you think you can stand?" Ominis asked, turning her attention back to him. She placed a hand on his arm sending a series of sharp tingles up through it. It felt like her whole body had been asleep.

"Just...give me a minute," Alayna responded. Her breathing at least was back to normal, it was just this sort of phantom pain lingering in her body that made her hesitate at the thought of trying to stand on her own two legs. In her mind, she saw them simply collapsing beneath her.

That phantom pain lingered for a while though, so after a few minutes Alayna mustered up the strength to try and stand anyway. Ominis remained beside her the whole time as if afraid she might vanish outside of his touch. Her legs were still weak and tingling, but she at least managed to stand and Ominis helped her out of the hallway and into the Scriptorium.

"I can't believe we made it!" Sebastian stood in awe within the chamber. A circular room filled with items that had once belonged to the Slytherin founder. Directly in front of them was a carved stone face of an old wizard with snakes curling out around it like tendrils of hair. Below it was what looked like an altar. Empty thankfully, but Alayna still got a chilling feeling from it. To the left and right of the face were stairs that led to a small upper level and presumably the exit. Sebastian began to head that way as it seemed the most promising. There was a workspace set up there with books and scrolls scattered about. It took only a few moments before he held up a book to the two of them down below.

"It's Salazar Slytherin's spellbook! There has to be something about curses in here."

"Then let's hurry and get out of here. I don't want to spend a moment longer in this place," Ominis replied. He sounded angry.

"Are you okay?" Alayna asked him.

"Me? Worry about yourself, Alayna. You are the one who took the Cruciatus curse," Ominis spoke a bit harshly before his expression immediately softened. "I'm sorry, I'm...not angry with you." She took that to mean he was angry with someone else. The only other person in question to be exact. He continued to offer his help in exiting the Scriptorium, but after walking a little Alayna felt confident she could stand on her own.