Every Time a Bell Rings Dream [Warning for Child Abuse/Nanoha Spoilers]
The wind blew through Arf's hair and tail as she stood in the desolate wasteland. She'd long given up calling out for Fate and Vivio. It seemed, despite the warmth in her chest telling her Fate was still there somewhere, that she was alone. She didn't recall how long she'd been searching, just that no one was there. No movement, no cries for help or pain... nothing but the howling of the wind and the occasional shifting of rubble. It was odd to look upon this in her human-like form. Last time she'd been restricted to wolf form. When had this happened again and where was--
Wait. Movement. There.
Arf caught the sight out of the corner of her eye and turned, ready to call out and greet the approaching figure. And then she stopped herself. The approaching figure wasn't right. It couldn't be right. White, untouched coat, dark shirt and pants, a matching white hat and short grey hair. She appeared to be younger than the wolf familiar, but Arf knew otherwise. And she knew this couldn't be right. After all these years, she still knew instinctively who this was. And it shouldn't be.
"Linith?"
The woman smiled warmly and nodded at Arf. It seemed she knew the reason behind the question as she came up to Arf and gently rubbed the wolf's favorite spot behind one ear, even while in this form.
"Shh... Little wolf. I know you have questions, but you need to listen to me. I only have a short time before I will fade again," Linith replied.
Arf whined a little as she leaned into that ear rub. She was taller, bigger than Linith, but in the presence of her, Arf felt like a puppy again. It had been years since Linith had ceased to exist. She shouldn't be... "This is a dream."
"It is a dream, but it's also a break in the barrier constructed around Mayfield. Look."
Arf raised her head, pulling away from the pet, and looked around. The wasteland flickered between it and Mayfield as it should be. Which one was real? Arf couldn't tell, so she looked to her and her master's teacher.
"This place exists in a secluded dimension, separate from the normal time stream, much like the Garden of Time was," Linith explained. "Basic laws of time, space and dimension exist here, but the rest is mutable. It can destabilize if too much stress is placed on it. And lately, it's been under a tremendous amount of stress. It is going to collapse."
"But Linith, that's what we want. We want it to collapse and the barrier to fully break so we can be freed."
Linith shook her head, like a mother to a child, and put an arm about Arf's shoulder, guiding her to walk along side her. There was silence for a few moments before the scene around them shifted back to the apocalypse. A blink of the eye later and there was nothing there. Nothing but the black of unstable space with cracking energy through it.
"Do you feel her? Search, little wolf. You share your master's heart. What does it tell you?"
Arf stopped, floating amid the blackness and searched her heart for Fate's. And she found it. Agony, despair, torture, pain.... and then... then nothing. Absolutely nothing. In a shimmer of orange, Arf left her human form and howled, calling out for her master. Panic rose in her voice because she could feel herself start to break apart. Even though there was no ground to run upon, the large wolf barreled through the space, calling for her master, calling for Fate. And silence was all that responded.
Finally stopping, Arf looked down at her body and watched as it began to fade, as she began to disappear, knowing she has failed Fate. She was to be her master's fangs in this place, in Mayfield, and she had failed her master. This knowledge as she laid down and slowly broke apart was crushing. Fate had given her so much, so much more than any familiar deserved... to fail like this, to lose her master and not even have the chance to save her...
Arf looked up as she felt something press against her side, blue eyes looking up to find the mountain cat Linith really was leaning against her in comfort. At this point, Linith's true form was half Arf's, but the comfort was needed. And at that moment, Arf's form solidified and they were no longer in the blackness, but in the Garden of Time.
Blinking, the wolf followed the cat as they padded through the old, now destroyed, time fortress Presea Testerossa had created and spent her last few years of insanity within. It was where Arf and Fate would go to report their progress with the Jewel Seeds to Presea. And where... Arf didn't want to think about that.
"You haven't failed her, little wolf. Not like you believe. And you never will actively fail her. It's worse than that and I wish I didn't have to tell you. But you were a mistake that will cost Fate everything one day," Linith said as gently as she could, but the cat's eyes peered deep into Arf's soul when the wolf stopped at those words.
And that's when she realized where they had walked to, and what she could hear. The sounds of that whip cracking and Fate's screams and tears as the lash tore into her flesh over and over and over as the girl's insane mother beat Fate for 'failing' and 'disappointing' her. The many times Arf had to treat the lacerations on Fate's back, shoulders and upper arms after visiting Presea...
And there, sitting on the other side of the door was Arf, curled into herself, trying to block out the sounds with her hands over her ears. She felt Fate's pain back then, could feel the way it ripped at Fate's soul with every crack, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop it. And seeing herself sitting there, from this bizarre outside perspective, made her so angry. She couldn't do anything about it back then, but she could now. Lips peeling back in a snarl, the wolf rushed at the door, intent on barreling right through her dreamself to break through it and rip Presea's throat out...
And then there was a sharp pain of claws on her haunch and her tail being held tight. It stopped her and she looked back at Linith. "You cannot interfere," she explained to Arf. "This has already come to pass. Remember, this is a dream, but it is also an opportunity. Do you know why Fate suffered like this? Think hard."
Arf's response was immediate and full of anger. "It's because of that woman. She was insane! Nothing was good enough for her! She hated Fate because Fate wasn't Alicia! Because she thought of Fate as nothing more than a tool to go get her those precious Lost Logia. When Fate didn't bring enough, Presea saw her own failure as Fate's! That's why Fate was--" And Arf flinched as she heard the whip crack once more on the other side of the door and Fate scream again.
"That's not right," Linith replied calmly.
Arf stared at her for a moment, fur bristling. "How could there possibly any other reason? Presea was insane!"
The mountain cat shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, little wolf, but Fate suffered like this because of you."
"No. I protected her. I couldn't stop that bitch. I tried! She nearly killed me! This was not my fault!"
Again, Linith shook her head, her voice becoming even sadder. "But it's true. You didn't directly cause it, but you are the reason why."
"TELL ME WHY!"
"...because you exist."
"What? Why... How is that... I don't understand. Because I exist. I don't... How can that be?"
Linith shifted back into her human form and wrapped her arms warmly about Arf. "Remember your training, little wolf. Familiars are a large drain on their master's magic. That is why we are placed under contracts and once the conditions of that contract has been met, we fade away. You are unique in that your master, a child, didn't place any conditions on your contract. You will exist as long as Fate lives, as long as her linker core is intact, and you will continue, even in your lessened states, to be a burden to Fate's magic. Without you, how much stronger do you believe her magic would be?"
Arf was silent as she listened to that, listened to Linith speaking words she knew were true. The wolf started to shake as the truth began to sink in. "At least one rank higher," she finally whispered out.
"And how much do you think that one rank, that one single rank, would have done for her when she was searching for the Jewel Seeds?" Linith didn't wait for an answer as she held Arf tighter and continued. "She wouldn't have failed in Persea's eyes. Which meant--"
"Presea wouldn't have done that to her," Arf interrupted, finishing the thought in a shaky voice. "Fate wouldn't have those scars..."
"That's right. And with that rank, when tragedy strikes Mayfield, and all is restored to Fate, she will be strong enough to save everyone. You wouldn't be holding her back. Even with you fighting at full strength at her sides, you'll only weaken her. Fate's magic will be divided." Divide and conquer... Arf understood that well.
"I... I can't let that happen," Arf sobbed out.
And then the scene changed, taking Arf and Linith to a familiar Mid-Childan mountain range. This was her birthpack's territory. And there, laying in the middle of the path, was a wolf pup. Fur brittle and a faded orange, the pup was having a hard time breathing, and looked as if the wind could blow her away if it gusted. Pulling away from Linith, Arf padded over to her younger self and looked down at her.
"You are unique among familiars, little wolf. Your master granted you freedom. What will you do with it?" Linith was once again in cat form when Arf looked back at her, watching the older familiar sitting there calmly. "You have a choice you can make."
Turning back to her younger self, Arf nudged the pup with a paw, surprised that she could make contact with the sickly form as the pup's eyes opened, glazed over with film, but seeing her. Something twisted in Arf's gut then. "How do I know this isn't a trick of Mayfield's? Your contract ended a long time ago, Linith."
"...You don't. But you know inside what I say about your existence is true. Can you take the chance?"
Arf looked up from her younger self and down the path, hearing the sound of Fate's voice as she talked to the Linith of this specific day. Her tail and ears drooped. "Fate's the best master any familiar could hope for. Kind, caring... strong, noble... I love her..."
The wolf stood there, listening to that child's voice as it grew louder for a moment longer before whispering, "Forgive me, Fate."
Then Arf whirled about, fangs flashing and jaws snapping savagely down. And everything went black.
Wait. Movement. There.
Arf caught the sight out of the corner of her eye and turned, ready to call out and greet the approaching figure. And then she stopped herself. The approaching figure wasn't right. It couldn't be right. White, untouched coat, dark shirt and pants, a matching white hat and short grey hair. She appeared to be younger than the wolf familiar, but Arf knew otherwise. And she knew this couldn't be right. After all these years, she still knew instinctively who this was. And it shouldn't be.
"Linith?"
The woman smiled warmly and nodded at Arf. It seemed she knew the reason behind the question as she came up to Arf and gently rubbed the wolf's favorite spot behind one ear, even while in this form.
"Shh... Little wolf. I know you have questions, but you need to listen to me. I only have a short time before I will fade again," Linith replied.
Arf whined a little as she leaned into that ear rub. She was taller, bigger than Linith, but in the presence of her, Arf felt like a puppy again. It had been years since Linith had ceased to exist. She shouldn't be... "This is a dream."
"It is a dream, but it's also a break in the barrier constructed around Mayfield. Look."
Arf raised her head, pulling away from the pet, and looked around. The wasteland flickered between it and Mayfield as it should be. Which one was real? Arf couldn't tell, so she looked to her and her master's teacher.
"This place exists in a secluded dimension, separate from the normal time stream, much like the Garden of Time was," Linith explained. "Basic laws of time, space and dimension exist here, but the rest is mutable. It can destabilize if too much stress is placed on it. And lately, it's been under a tremendous amount of stress. It is going to collapse."
"But Linith, that's what we want. We want it to collapse and the barrier to fully break so we can be freed."
Linith shook her head, like a mother to a child, and put an arm about Arf's shoulder, guiding her to walk along side her. There was silence for a few moments before the scene around them shifted back to the apocalypse. A blink of the eye later and there was nothing there. Nothing but the black of unstable space with cracking energy through it.
"Do you feel her? Search, little wolf. You share your master's heart. What does it tell you?"
Arf stopped, floating amid the blackness and searched her heart for Fate's. And she found it. Agony, despair, torture, pain.... and then... then nothing. Absolutely nothing. In a shimmer of orange, Arf left her human form and howled, calling out for her master. Panic rose in her voice because she could feel herself start to break apart. Even though there was no ground to run upon, the large wolf barreled through the space, calling for her master, calling for Fate. And silence was all that responded.
Finally stopping, Arf looked down at her body and watched as it began to fade, as she began to disappear, knowing she has failed Fate. She was to be her master's fangs in this place, in Mayfield, and she had failed her master. This knowledge as she laid down and slowly broke apart was crushing. Fate had given her so much, so much more than any familiar deserved... to fail like this, to lose her master and not even have the chance to save her...
Arf looked up as she felt something press against her side, blue eyes looking up to find the mountain cat Linith really was leaning against her in comfort. At this point, Linith's true form was half Arf's, but the comfort was needed. And at that moment, Arf's form solidified and they were no longer in the blackness, but in the Garden of Time.
Blinking, the wolf followed the cat as they padded through the old, now destroyed, time fortress Presea Testerossa had created and spent her last few years of insanity within. It was where Arf and Fate would go to report their progress with the Jewel Seeds to Presea. And where... Arf didn't want to think about that.
"You haven't failed her, little wolf. Not like you believe. And you never will actively fail her. It's worse than that and I wish I didn't have to tell you. But you were a mistake that will cost Fate everything one day," Linith said as gently as she could, but the cat's eyes peered deep into Arf's soul when the wolf stopped at those words.
And that's when she realized where they had walked to, and what she could hear. The sounds of that whip cracking and Fate's screams and tears as the lash tore into her flesh over and over and over as the girl's insane mother beat Fate for 'failing' and 'disappointing' her. The many times Arf had to treat the lacerations on Fate's back, shoulders and upper arms after visiting Presea...
And there, sitting on the other side of the door was Arf, curled into herself, trying to block out the sounds with her hands over her ears. She felt Fate's pain back then, could feel the way it ripped at Fate's soul with every crack, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop it. And seeing herself sitting there, from this bizarre outside perspective, made her so angry. She couldn't do anything about it back then, but she could now. Lips peeling back in a snarl, the wolf rushed at the door, intent on barreling right through her dreamself to break through it and rip Presea's throat out...
And then there was a sharp pain of claws on her haunch and her tail being held tight. It stopped her and she looked back at Linith. "You cannot interfere," she explained to Arf. "This has already come to pass. Remember, this is a dream, but it is also an opportunity. Do you know why Fate suffered like this? Think hard."
Arf's response was immediate and full of anger. "It's because of that woman. She was insane! Nothing was good enough for her! She hated Fate because Fate wasn't Alicia! Because she thought of Fate as nothing more than a tool to go get her those precious Lost Logia. When Fate didn't bring enough, Presea saw her own failure as Fate's! That's why Fate was--" And Arf flinched as she heard the whip crack once more on the other side of the door and Fate scream again.
"That's not right," Linith replied calmly.
Arf stared at her for a moment, fur bristling. "How could there possibly any other reason? Presea was insane!"
The mountain cat shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, little wolf, but Fate suffered like this because of you."
"No. I protected her. I couldn't stop that bitch. I tried! She nearly killed me! This was not my fault!"
Again, Linith shook her head, her voice becoming even sadder. "But it's true. You didn't directly cause it, but you are the reason why."
"TELL ME WHY!"
"...because you exist."
"What? Why... How is that... I don't understand. Because I exist. I don't... How can that be?"
Linith shifted back into her human form and wrapped her arms warmly about Arf. "Remember your training, little wolf. Familiars are a large drain on their master's magic. That is why we are placed under contracts and once the conditions of that contract has been met, we fade away. You are unique in that your master, a child, didn't place any conditions on your contract. You will exist as long as Fate lives, as long as her linker core is intact, and you will continue, even in your lessened states, to be a burden to Fate's magic. Without you, how much stronger do you believe her magic would be?"
Arf was silent as she listened to that, listened to Linith speaking words she knew were true. The wolf started to shake as the truth began to sink in. "At least one rank higher," she finally whispered out.
"And how much do you think that one rank, that one single rank, would have done for her when she was searching for the Jewel Seeds?" Linith didn't wait for an answer as she held Arf tighter and continued. "She wouldn't have failed in Persea's eyes. Which meant--"
"Presea wouldn't have done that to her," Arf interrupted, finishing the thought in a shaky voice. "Fate wouldn't have those scars..."
"That's right. And with that rank, when tragedy strikes Mayfield, and all is restored to Fate, she will be strong enough to save everyone. You wouldn't be holding her back. Even with you fighting at full strength at her sides, you'll only weaken her. Fate's magic will be divided." Divide and conquer... Arf understood that well.
"I... I can't let that happen," Arf sobbed out.
And then the scene changed, taking Arf and Linith to a familiar Mid-Childan mountain range. This was her birthpack's territory. And there, laying in the middle of the path, was a wolf pup. Fur brittle and a faded orange, the pup was having a hard time breathing, and looked as if the wind could blow her away if it gusted. Pulling away from Linith, Arf padded over to her younger self and looked down at her.
"You are unique among familiars, little wolf. Your master granted you freedom. What will you do with it?" Linith was once again in cat form when Arf looked back at her, watching the older familiar sitting there calmly. "You have a choice you can make."
Turning back to her younger self, Arf nudged the pup with a paw, surprised that she could make contact with the sickly form as the pup's eyes opened, glazed over with film, but seeing her. Something twisted in Arf's gut then. "How do I know this isn't a trick of Mayfield's? Your contract ended a long time ago, Linith."
"...You don't. But you know inside what I say about your existence is true. Can you take the chance?"
Arf looked up from her younger self and down the path, hearing the sound of Fate's voice as she talked to the Linith of this specific day. Her tail and ears drooped. "Fate's the best master any familiar could hope for. Kind, caring... strong, noble... I love her..."
The wolf stood there, listening to that child's voice as it grew louder for a moment longer before whispering, "Forgive me, Fate."
Then Arf whirled about, fangs flashing and jaws snapping savagely down. And everything went black.