Caelum goes “BOO!”
The air inside Black Castle was always cold, the kind of cold that seeped into your bones no matter how many layers you wore. The walls were ancient, thick stone that had withstood countless storms and centuries of whispered secrets. But to nine-year-old Caelum Black, this chill was strangely comforting. It resonated with the very soul of the castle, enveloping her like an old cloak, familiar and intimate. The stone walls, draped in dark, velvety tapestries, whispered ancient secrets, and the flicker of enchanted candles cast shadows that danced like the spirits of the past. This was her world, a realm steeped in magic, secrets, and traditions, presided over by her parents, Regulus and Pandora Black, the keepers of the family’s ancient legacy.
On that particular morning stained with the hues of early dawn, Caelum sat at the long, dark wood dining table, her small legs swinging just above the floor. She watched her father, Regulus, who sat across from her, his normally lively countenance shrouded in solemnity. He stirred his tea absentmindedly, eyes staring deeply into its swirling depths as if searching for answers hidden in the steam. His brow furrowed, a frown etched into his features, betraying the weight of thoughts that swirled within. At his side, Pandora picked at her breakfast, a plate of untouched food before her. Caelum noticed the dark circles under her mother’s usually bright eyes, the shadows suggesting sleepless nights filled with worry and dread. Something had changed in the last few months. Her parents, once attentive and full of warmth, had become distant, as if they were grappling with a rift that was too perilous for her to understand.
“Father?” Caelum’s voice broke the heavy silence laden with unspoken worries, her words soft but steady as they expanded to fill the void.
Regulus blinked, his trance broken, and offered her a weak smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yes, darling?”
“Is something wrong?” she pressed, glancing between him and her mother. “You and Mother… you seem worried.”
The silence stretched between them like a taut string, and Caelum felt an unsettling knot pull at her stomach. Pandora exchanged a look with Regulus. It was a look heavy with concern, dripping with unspoken fears, a look that made Caelum’s heart tighten painfully in her chest. She wasn’t used to seeing them like this. There was always an unyielding strength in the bond between her parents, but lately, it felt as though something untouchable was eroding it, like the relentless waves of the sea against fragile shores.
“We’ve just been busy, my little star,” Regulus said, reaching over to gently squeeze her small hand. He used her childhood nickname, the one that usually made her feel treasured and invincible. But today, that familiarity felt hollow, echoing emptiness rather than warmth. “Nothing for you to concern yourself with.”
Pandora smiled through her worry, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “We love you, Caelum. You are safe. That’s all that matters.”
Yet still, a nagging something in her tone felt off, and Caelum's budding intuition wouldn't let her be convinced. She had grown up in Black Castle, a realm filled with ancient magic, forgotten lore, and untold stories. Her education had begun the very moment she could speak, and she was no stranger to the notion that her parents might be keeping secrets beneath the surface of their carefully maintained facade. However, the coldness that had crept into their home was new, an alien chill that was a stark contrast to the warmth and safety she once associated with her family. It was a shadow that loomed ominously over their once-harmonious household.
In the days that followed, the atmosphere in the castle grew heavier, thick like the air before a storm. With every fleeting moment, her parents would disappear into their office, sometimes for hours on end, emerging only to exchange hurried, whispered conversations that felt to Caelum like muffled warnings. Despite their reassurances, she couldn’t shake the prickling feeling deep within her, a sense of foreboding that something was terribly wrong. Whispers of ancient magics, tales of the past, and the wretched specter of darkness alone seemed to hang in the air around her now.
Flashbacks often visited her dreams, vivid and haunting reminders of a time when everything was different. There were moments that felt like gilded memories, glimmering in the sunlight of her mind. She would remember running through the castle gardens with her parents, laughter ringing in the air like chimes of merry bells. The sun had been warm then, bathing everything in golden light, not like the ever-present chill that had settled over them like a suffocating fog. She could still envision her mother’s laughter, which had once been a melody of joy, as she conjured shimmering butterflies that spun through the daylight and danced around her head.
“Look, Caelum!” Pandora had called out, her voice bright, a sonorous light in the world, “Catch them if you can!”
Her father had watched nearby, a fond smile curling at his lips, softer than the winter sun. It was the kind of day that made the world feel safe, a precious moment in time where nothing could possibly go wrong. But those days were long gone, replaced by the heavy pallor of uncertainty. Now, Black Castle felt cloaked in a burden, a spectral weight that pressed down on them, as though the very stones of their home were burdened by the secrets and fears that once danced so gracefully in the shadows.
The heaviness grew in the following weeks. Caelum observed her parents exchanging glances that lingered just a heartbeat too long, those quiet meetings that carried more meaning than words ever could. She felt each passing day elongate as she strained against the gnawing worry that gnawed at her.
Later that night, when the castle had fallen into its usual deep slumber, Caelum found herself back in the library. But this time, her focus wasn’t on ancient tomes or defensive spells steeped in the weight of history; it was on a hidden compartment beneath one of the old bookshelves, a compartment she had unearthed by accident only months earlier. Inside lay her father’s journal, a portal into his soul, steeped in emotions and truths too raw for daylight.
Her hands trembled slightly as she pulled the leather-bound book free from its hiding place. She knew she shouldn’t be reading it, that Regulus had always been a private man, safeguarding the pages within that journal as if they were written in the stars. But her curiosity had spiraled, becoming an unbearable itch beneath her skin.
Unclasping the journal, she flipped through its early pages, entries penned when her father was just eleven years old, embarking on his own journey at Hogwarts. His writing was more formal than she’d expected, almost as if he were imitating the elaborate styles of adults even at that young age.
“September 1st, 1972. First day at Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat placed me in Slytherin, as expected. I saw Sirius on the train, but we didn’t speak. He’s been Sorted into Gryffindor. Mother will not be pleased…”
Each page glimmered with the memories of a boy who would one day inherit a heavy mantle of legacy. Caelum continued to skim, absorbing the fragments of her father’s youth, the struggles, the conflicts, and the evolving narrative of a boy caught between light and shadow, between family ties and the darkness that lurked beyond.
As the pages turned, Caelum’s breath hitched in her throat. Her father’s journey had become suffused with darkness, a burden that loomed large and unshakeable. Yet, it was the final entry that pierced her heart:
“October 30th, 1980. Pandora is with child. I never expected to feel so protective, so desperate to make the right choices. But the Dark Lord’s methods have become unbearable. His cruelty… his Horcruxes… I know now that I cannot continue to serve him. I will not allow my child to grow up in a world ruled by his darkness.”
Fighting against the tears welling in her eyes, Caelum shut the journal with a trembling hand. Her heart pulsed with the knowledge that her father had lived under the weight of heavy decisions since he was young. And now, she felt the echoes of that burden beginning to settle upon her, a cloak she didn’t know she was already wearing.
The tension within the castle had become unbearable. Caelum felt as though she were constantly walking on a tightrope strung above a yawning chasm, waiting for something terrible to snap. The air grew thick with dread, each quiet moment stretching into eternity, filled with unasked questions and withheld truths. Her parents’ whispered conversations devolved into frantic mutterings that no longer resembled the bonds of love she knew.
Two years passed, yet the weight of unease lingered like a shadow over their lives, dimming even their brightest moments. Now eleven, Caelum had learned patience, waiting for the right moment when everything would fall into place. That moment arrived tonight.
She moved through the castle’s cold, silent halls, shadows clinging to her like restless spirits, her father’s journal clutched tightly in her hand. Her eyes fell on her parents’ office, a door slightly ajar, candlelight spilling into the corridor like a beckoning secret, laced with dread.
She hesitated, the memory of that fateful night gnawing at her, fear coiling deep within. But tonight felt different; the air crackled with an urgency she couldn’t ignore. Instinct whispered that something vital was unfolding.
With steely resolve, she pushed open the door, her heart hammering in her chest, breaths shallow. Two years she had waited for this, waited to confront her father, to prove her maturity, hoping that now he would give her the answers she craved.
Inside, her parents stood in the heart of a glowing circle of runes, hands outstretched as they chanted in an ancient language that slithered through the air with eerie elegance. The magic in the room was palpable, thick and alive, wrapping around them like a storm. It sent a shiver down Caelum’s spine.
Pandora’s gaze snapped to the door, her eyes wide with horror. “Caelum! No!”
Before she could move, the room erupted in a blinding flash. A force slammed into her like a wave, hurling her into the wall with bone-rattling force. Pain exploded through her body as her vision swam, consciousness slipping away. Through the haze, she saw her father rushing toward her, his face contorted in fear and desperation.
“Caelum!” His voice cut through the ringing in her ears, raw with anguish.
Everything spiraled into chaos, light, magic, the sense of something shattering around her. And then, like a wave crashing down, there was nothing but darkness.
When she awoke, the air was thick with the fading hum of magic, a haunting echo of what had transpired. But her parents’ presence was gone, leaving only cold emptiness in their place. The only warmth came from the journal still gripped in her hand, the last remnant of her father.