Chapter 14 - Time is Only A Construct
As it grew darker, Regulus grew antsy- deciding to go find Ivan and Claudette to distract himself.
He headed through the hall that connected the entrance to the bleachers.
The sound of footsteps caused him to snap around.
Nothing but shadows.
Regulus shook it off, blaming it on his anxiety.
He continued walking, only for the footsteps to continue.
He stopped and turned around again.
Nothing.
This time he sped up, turning the corner with speed, only to get pressed against the wall.
The cloaked figure kept a hand on Regulus' mouth and another jabbed a wand into his throat.
"If you want to live, you'll do as I say." The voice hissed.
Regulus tried not to showcase his fear as he stared at the darkness that covered the figure.
The person removed his hand from Regulus' mouth, grabbing his arm before roughly dragging him- the figures wand still poked into his jugular.
The figure walked him towards a wall, pulling something from his pocket and throwing it against the wall.
It popped open leaving some kind of weird portal behind.
The figure dragged him through as they ended up somewhere in the maze.
Regulus spotted the cup, glowing atop a pedestal- signaling they were in the middle of the maze.
The figure pushed him forward as he smacked into an invisible wall.
He hissed as he clutched his nose, fresh blood dripped from it- coating his fingers.
He pushed his hands out in front of him walking in a circle as the invisible wall surrounded him.
He was stuck in some kind of cylinder trap.
He banged on the wall only for it to make a boink sound, a veil of purple appearing wherever he hit.
"Do I know you?" Regulus spat at the figure.
"No, but I know you", The figure spoke in a deep voice, "Where I come from, you are quite the legend. And I have to say, you are nothing like I'd pictured."
"What do you want from me?" Regulus hissed as he banged against the barrier.
"It's not what I want from you, it's what I don't want", The man explained, "let's just say it's not where I'm from, but when that should concern you."
Regulus stepped back, backing into the barrier, "You're from the future?"
"They always did say you were a smart one." The man chuckled as he began walking away.
"Wait!", Regulus called as the man ignored him, "Hey!"
Soon Regulus was alone, the maze grew darker and made noises Regulus didn't even want to think about.
He sat bored on the cold ground as the maze was eerily silent for the longest time.
"Shibana kuchka! (Fucking bitch)"
Ivan and the man appeared as Regulus jumped upwards.
The man pushed him a ways away from Regulus and the boy watched as the cylinder trap activated with a purple flash.
Regulus tried making out what Ivan was saying as he spat harsh Bulgarian words at the man.
Regulus compiled, 'stupid' and 'bitch', from what'd he'd picked up from Ivan over the past year.
The man didn't even bother with Ivan before disappearing again.
Ivan seemed to scramble up as he noticed Regulus' presence.
"Regulus!" Ivan exclaimed in relief and worry.
Ivan hit the barrier before glaring at it.
"What the fuck does this guy want?" Ivan spat.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Regulus huffed.
"Think it's broken?" Ivan quizzed as he gestured to Regulus' nose.
The bleeding had slowed for the most part, leaving a trail of dried blood down his face.
His adrenaline must've been numbing the pain as Regulus' didn't feel it anymore.
"Yeah, probably", Regulus explained, "James'll be pissed, but I have a feeling this won't be the last of it."
Ivan didn't like that answer and he definitely didn't like Regulus' pessimism.
If Regulus thought Ivan was pissed before, he was practically growling at the man as he dragged Claudette into another cylinder trap on the other side of Regulus.
She had blood dripping down her left arm, though Regulus didn't see any cuts- making him believe she must've gotten a good hit in.
She was also torn between pleased and worried to have found Regulus.
"What do you want from us?" Claudette hissed angrier than Ivan had been- even Regulus was scared she'd freak.
"Patience", the man laughed, "Shouldn't be long."
Ivan just muttered Bulgarian swears under his breath.
The man disappeared into the shadows once more, leaving the trio to the gloomy maze.
"Are you alright?", Claudette quizzed as she looked towards Regulus' nose, "We got worried, so we came looking for you."
"I'm fine. I'll- I'll be fine." Regulus stumbled on his words as the pain returned with full force, the blood returning.
It was almost so bad he felt lightheaded and it didn't help with the sudden claustrophobia.
"You're both alright?", Regulus quizzed turning to Ivan, "No cuts, wounds or scratches?"
"We're fine, Regulus." Ivan sighed at Regulus' inability to worry about himself.
Footsteps could be heard, rustling in the grass.
Within seconds James appeared, drenched head to toe in water.
He spit out water, ridiculously like a fountain.
To his right from another path, Jacques appeared, covered in mud from his waist down- dirt littered his face and clothes.
Shortly after Eva appeared to a path left of James, her face was dusted in ash and her hair was slightly charred at the ends.
Something about it wasn't right. Regulus didn't like it at all.
Mud, as in Earth. Fire and water.
And then Regulus felt the gust of wind.
His stomach dropped- it was some type of ritual.
"Regulus?" James questioned as the others noticed the presence of the trio.
"Dont! Don't step-" Regulus started, only for the three to ignore him, stepping into the cylindrical barriers as they flashed purple, "....forward."
"What's going on?" James questioned banging on the barrier.
"Ah. Now I would say 'just in time', but time is just a construct." The man spoke as he re-emerged from the shadows.
"Someone better start talking." Eva hissed.
"My pleasure", The man jeered, "You see, before you are three legends."
"What?" Ivan quizzed.
"In due time, of course. Three Horocrux destroyers. Each death painful and slow, so I guess you can say I'm doing you a favor." The man explained.
"You and I, have lots of history in my time." The man said stopping at James.
"At least this way I can rid my time of your spawn- he never stays dead long." The man hissed manically.
"Only cowards abuse time, maybe if you were strong enough you would be able to defeat him in your own time." Regulus sneered.
James cursed internally at Regulus not knowing when to keep quiet.
He swallowed back his fear as the man moved towards Regulus.
"Feisty one, aren't ya? I personally never had the pleasure of meeting you. You were fish bait long before I ever had a chance", The man spoke as he grabbed Regulus' chin to force the boy to look at him, "Do you wanna know how you die, Regulus?"
Regulus couldn't figure out how the traps worked, the man was able to stab his hand through, but Regulus couldn't.
It was technology way beyond his comprehension.
James slammed against the barrier, practically growling at the man.
His fingers were rough and clammy against Regulus' chin.
"You drink a potion, one that makes you see your worst fears- your deepest regrets- and plays them in a constant, never-ending loop", The man explained slowly as he squeezed, his nails digging into Regulus' chin as the boy tried ripping away, "That's not even the best part, after the mental torture- Inferni drag you underwater. Dozens of hand claw at every inch of your body and your lungs flood with water. Then your brain slowly shuts down and your lungs collapse- and then your heart.... stops."
"Leave him alone!" James spat as Regulus hissed from the pain.
The man roughly let go of Regulus' face before stepping back.
James got the opportunity to take in Regulus, blood dried below his lip and down his chin- most likely a broken nose.
He'd been running around this stupid maze for the past hour and desperately wanted to pull Regulus close.
The man flicked his wand as Ivan and Claudette hissed.
Regulus snapped towards Claudette, his eyes widening at the blood dripping from a cut across her wrist.
He moved towards the wall that faced Ivan, worrying filling him.
"Ivan!" Evangeliya cried.
"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Ivan choked out as he pressed his hand against the wound.
Regulus didn't believe him. He would continue to lose blood at a faster rate than the rest of them.
The man approached Regulus, blood on both of his thumbs.
Regulus backed up as far as he could, his back hitting the wall.
The man dragged the blood across Regulus wrists, mumbling.
Suddenly it burned, aggressively, like he was being branded.
Regulus cried as he fell to his knees, he clutched his arms close, desperate for the pain to stop.
"What are you going to do?!" Jacques spat.
"Kill them. Well, technically only one." The man explained.
"No!" James croaked, his voice cracking as his strong front crashed to the ground.
The man grabbed Regulus' curls before dragging him out from his barrier and towards James as he hissed.
"You see", The man spoke gesturing towards the fresh burns on Regulus' wrists, "Regulus dies, they all die."
The man jabbed his wand into Regulus' temple.
"Any last words?" The man quizzed.
Regulus swallowed, "Tell Sirius not to let anger cloud his judgment. Tell him- tell him I love him-"
"No- no!" James shook his head, stubbornly.
"Remus and Peter and Lily, they're all going to be there for you and Sirius." Regulus went on, his voice wavering.
"Please! Please!" James begged as he banged against the barrier desperately.
"I love you- I'm so sorry." Regulus choked as tears pooled in his eyes blurring the last ever picture of James in his mind.
"Avada Kadvra." The man spoke.
Green flashed.
Regulus fell to the ground and with him moments later Ivan and Claudette.
It was silent.
One could almost say dead silent, but the joke would go unappreciated.
It was as if time froze all at one and not at all.
Silence so thick, the teens were afraid to breathe.
Silence.