Vortex Chamber

There is something strange about this room. Something so strange, that Tav and Valerio have made a rule forbidding anyone under the age of 17 to venture in here by themselves. And even then they weren't too happy about anyone going in there alone.

The room is entirely made of stone, with very little else in the way of resources used. There are two niches at opposite ends of the room, east to west, and a series of stone cylinders with numbers chiseled into them at due north.

A total of three columns form a triangle in the center of the room, with two of them directly lined up to a fake archway or window sil... the chiseled marks are really too faded to be able to discern for certain. A series of runes - in the same pattern above as below - lines this doorway/window.

It is truly a mystery The Remnant have yet to unravel...

((continued from Tunnel corridor))

Tav entered the room with Valerio right behind him and stopped short to examine the triangle. "How many times have we attempted to get this thing to work?" he asked, jokingly, feigning exhaustion. He crouched down and traced the faded marks with a finger.

"Oh, I dunno..." Valerio sighed in the same jocular manner. "I lost count at sixty-six-million, five-hundred-fifty thousand..." he returned with a slight snicker and examined the remarkable craftsmanship winding round the pillars for anything he may have overlooked before.

Same old pattern... same old faded engravings...

"So maybe another set of unlocking spells?" he suggested. They'd even pulled out a dusty rune book to try to translate the carved runes, but to no avail. "There's gotta be something we're just not seeing."

"Yeah, I suppose we could try it... kind of odd nothing has worked thus far yet, though," he replied.

Valerio squinted at one particular engraving that caught his eye. He had the sinking feeling he would soon need glasses like his father, though hoped it was just the light quality in the room and the age of the stone. The wizard touched the symbol in the hopes that perhaps some sort of remembered knowledge might come to him...

A sudden rush of air and light knocked both young men off of their feet as it erupted from the along the engravings and the triangle. There was a soft lilting voice whispering something in Gaelic and the fiercely blowing air calmed until only the bright light remained, spilling from the triangle.

Tav stumbled backwards, covering his eyes and let attempting to see what was happening at the same time. The voice was too soft for him to understand, and his Gaelic was beyond rusty besides.

The light condensed into a shape and began to fade. Along with the light the voice diminished until it was silent. The shape soon began to take on more features and within moments, the ghost of Eglantine Rosier-DeLanquar-McKevin was floating before them.

She was dressed in a flowing white robe that floated behind her a good meter and her long pale hair was unbound. Still she was recognizable by the embroidered shawl that was draped over her robes and the shadowy version of Excessum that she held in her hand.

Valerio staggered backwards in response to the air and light, the former whipping about his ear-length mop of curly blond hair. Immediately he flung up a hand to prevent himself from being blinded by the bright light. Every time he tried to finagle his line of sight so he could see he got the same view of just the light and nothing more.

His ears strained to hear what the voice was saying... but unfortunately he didn't know much Gaelic. What he did know, he learned from Tav, and it had been quite some time since he used the language. If he didn't feel what was being said was important, Valerio would have spoken up. However, this could very well be crucial... even if they couldn't discern what was being said.

As the light faded, Valerio blinked away the spots dancing before his eyes as though someone had taken his picture full on with the flashing feature on. "Well, that was really odd, wasn't it?" he asked Tav once silence had returned. "What did we do this time that was so different, I wonder?"

Upon lowering his hand, Valerio jumped and tried to sail backward a few feet but ended up running into the wall. "Sweet Merlin's carnivorous daisies! ... P-Professor?!" Valerio gasped at the ghostly form.

Immediately, he turned his head to inspect Tav's reaction to this. "Please tell me this isn't a joke... and that you're seeing the same thing I am...?"

Tav's eyes were wide and he had retreated from the ghost as quickly at Valerio had, only he had not banged into a wall.

"No joke, Val. That's Professor DeLanquar, well...sorta." He returned. The ghost appeared to be ignoring them for the moment, as if they were students hiding in a shadow afraid of a detention.

Finally her pale eyes turned to their fallen figures. "Ich war sandtet zu abhelfen." she stated softly in German. Tav sighed. He knew about three things in German, somehow he doubted, yes, good-bye and cheers would be coming into a conversation anytime soon.

"Fui mandado socorrer." she repeated, this time in Spanish. Tav was beginning to feel rather stupid.
"I was sent to help." Professor DeLanquar repeated for the final time, in English, much to Tav's relief.

"Sorta... yeah," Valerio breathed, wincing slightly at the repercussions of running shoulder blades into stone. He hadn't meant to do it, of course: he was scared out of his bloody wits at the apparition at first. The young wizard was glad that Tav was seeing the same thing. It either meant that the vision was real or they were both certifiably insane. The notion that they were out of their gourds made Valerio want to laugh, though he kept it quiet. This was important.

Val blinked curiously and cocked his head. He could tell it sounded... Germanic, at least, but as to what she'd said he had no idea. Though, he thought 'ich' meant 'I'... based on a song he'd heard sung in German, once.

The next language he knew was Spanish, but his knowledge of this language was little better than German. Valerio doubted the words 'yes,' 'no,' the numbers one through five, a slew of hellos and good-byes, and 'Where is the bathroom?' were going to be used in whatever she had to say... ghosts really didn't need to use the toilet insofar as he knew.

Comprehension flooded the young man's being when he heard the words repeated in English. "Magical Universal Translator, Tav... bet it'd be a brilliant money-spinner..." he whispered to his best friend before returning his attention to the Professor's spirit.

Valerio stood up. "We... we could always use a hand, Professor," he told the ghost sincerely. "It... it's good to see you, ma'am. Are the others coming too?" For the briefest of moments he envisioned the entire Vortex Chamber filled with the spirits of those who had gone before them - gave their lives for the continuation of The Remnant - though had a feeling that it really only took one of them to deliver whatever message or assistance that was needed to help them achieve their goal.

Tav nodded, wondering how in the world Valerio could think of things like that when faced with a ghost. Then again he supposed he had a point, that would make a fortune.

He carefully rose to his feet, brushing a bit of dust from his knee caps.

Professor DeLanquar shook her head. "No, only I." she returned. "The Vortex is a passage through time. Gaelic will open and seal it." she informed them.

Tav almost cursed. So it was a spell that opened the Vortex, and it was in Gaelic no less. Well that counted out most of the group right there. Ewan and Ean spoke it fairly fluently, but he immediately disliked the idea of them dabbling in...wait, a passage through time.

"Val, its a time portal!" he muttered.

Enlightenment, after a fashion, shone on Valerio's face. Well: that explained why nothing they tried worked... they were speaking entirely the wrong languages! Gaelic... who did he know that spoke Gaelic? Tav... but he wasn't sure how much his friend remembered... hadn't he heard someone else speaking Gaelic? Or had it been two someones?

Then it hit him: the McKevin twins! They had a decent grip on the language!

But could they really allow them dabbling in such things? They were only ten, after all. Technically they weren't even to be allowed courses from Hogwarts yet. On the other hand, Hogwarts no longer stood as it once did. That was about when Tav interrupted his train of thought. Time portal... this?! Incredible!

"Awesome! We've been looking for a way to get back to the past! Professor, how does this Portal work, precisely? Like, how do we activate it and seal it up again? Can we pinpoint the era of time we want to go?" Valerio asked. That was one of his fears about time travel: being randomly flung into the void and spat back out either too far back or accidentally flung way ahead... but if it would save their families, Valerio would risk life and limb for them.

Professor DeLanquar moved to hover beside the numbered cylinders, pointing at them with Excessum. "These control where and when you go." she stated, softly. Her pale hand pushed up against the cylinders in an arrangement as a day, month and finally a year, although her hand passed through them. Obviously she was only pointing out how it was to be done.

"You will need Neci and Gero." she continued. "To open the Vortex."

Tav sighed. "You realize that those two wands belong to your sons, don't you? And that Ewan and Ean are only 10 years old." There was a bitter note to his voice. He was very protective of all of those under his care, even Valerio, who was the same age and had the same basic responsibilities. The youngest four, Ewan, Ean, Michelle and Lyn he was even more protective of than the others.

"Nothing is hidden from the dead." the Professor returned. She hovered back to the triangle as if awaiting their next actions.

"Ne-who and what?" Valerio asked. The names were vaguely familiar... An answer finally came to him when Tav spoke up. Of course: Ewan and Eans wands comprised the two halves of... Excalibur? No... that wasn't it... Excessum! That's what it was! Valerio decided next chance he got he was going to somehow inscribe the name 'Excalibur' on his wand, just for kicks.

But, back to seriousness: yes, this would pose a problem. "Would they even have it in them to cast the spell? Perhaps we could manage if we asked to borrow their wands?" Valerio suggested. Though, based on what he'd been told upon purchasing his first wand, a borrowed wand might not work quite as well in another's hands. The younger ones in his care - and the ones who've reached young-adulthood if he were to be any degree of honest - were on his list of People to Protect. It didn't really matter what became of him so long as they would be safe.

Valerio glanced down at his feet in response to Professor DeLanquar's concise statement. It seemed like a reasonable one to him. "How far back do we need to travel, I wonder?" he asked both wizard and spirit, feeling quite like the outsider in this matter. "And are we really certain they're ready?"

Then again, on the other hand, Valerio thought to himself: could they really afford to spend the time for to make them any more ready?

"Neci and Gero." The professor repeated. In death she had as much patience as she had in life. "They are the two halves of Excessum; the wand which formerly was in the possession of Eglantine McKevin." She seemed oblivious to the notion that she had just referred to herself in third person.

Tav sighed turning away from the hovering ghost. "Val, the twins can do a bit of magic, despite the fact that they are underaged... but this is totally different than "lumos". Some complex spell to open a time portal. It is too dangerous."

"Life is comprised of dangers both seen and unseen. Neci and Gero will only work with their masters. The spell can only be used with Neci and Gero. Thus you shall have to "risk" it." Apparently, the dead's knowledge hadn't been exaggerated.

He turned to face the ghost. "They are your sons. Don't you worry about them? What if they get hurt or killed?" Professor DeLanquar laughed softly.

"They have already died. The past, future and present are one in death. Time is a line which does not exist for those who have passed it." Tav nodded, finally understanding. She didn't worry about them, since sooner or later they would die anyway, and then they'd be with her...or something like that, he mused.

Valerio's question had merit, although he wondered why the ghost was here to help them go into the past when time was the same to her... maybe she had been sent by someone who didn't believe as she did, if the dead thought differently...

"You must use your own judgement. Life is made with the choices of men and women who are never "ready" and yet, many times, they succeed." Tav sighed, it was never just take what you are told and do it...they always had to sit down and figure something out.

Valerio nodded at Tav's assessment of the twins being in danger if they attempted such a spell. However he had to agree that the spirit of Professor DeLanquar-McKevin had a point, too. He watched the exchanges between his friend and his former professor as he tried to think of a way that Ewan and Ean's risk could be lessened enough to pacify Tav's worries, and his own. "What if we augmented their magic with ours? Or imbued a magical object with some sort of restorative ability, or possesses a magical reserve?" he suggested, though his brown eyes sparkled with worry.

Valerio sighed in time with Tav when they received the cryptic answer as to when they should go back to. He couldn't understand why such things couldn't be clearer. Perhaps that was why he never fully got some aspects of his studies. "Looks like we'll need to convene with the others at some point, then if we're going to do this..." Val muttered to Tav.

"What are the incantations needed to operate the time portal, Professor?" the young wizard asked. Not that Valerio felt he'd be able to pronounce them correctly the first time round...

Tav nodded in agreement with Valerio. "Sounds like a good idea, the augmenting." he muttered. concern for the youngest Remnant members was first in his mind.

"Fuinneog nocht, said by both casters with their wands touching shall activate it." Professor DeLanquar stated. "Beyond that I leave to you."

Tav suddenly looked alarmed. "You're leaving, Professor!" he exclaimed, not liking the idea that the ghost might vanish and leave them to sort everything out on their own.

She nodded. "I have fulfilled what I came to fulfill."

Valerio nodded, glad to hear his friend liked the idea. If this was indeed their only chance, they would need to do it. And if they wanted to make sure the youngest of their group were safe, they would likely need to provide a boost to their powers. Protection of those unable to fend for themselves against the purgers came first; vengeance against their oppressors second.

At the incantation, Valerio's brows furrowed in an attempt to lock the pronunciation in his mind. He just hoped he or Tav could repeat it properly in order to relay it to the twins.

A twin countenance of alarm crossed Val's face when the Professor stated she was leaving, though Tav had spoken before he could think of an adequate response. "What if we need further assistance?" Valerio asked the spirit... hoping to get an answer before she left. "I mean, can you tell us if the younger ones are really ready for all of this?"

Though he wouldn't have admitted it before, Valerio was rather glad to have someone older and wiser assisting them now... something he realized he'd taken for granted in his youth.

Professor DeLanquar was now hovering over the centre of the triangle. "They are ready." she stated calmly. There was a flash of bright light and she vanished from the room.

Tav sighed. "Well, I suppose we should be grateful she came." he muttered. There was the sound of something clattering to the ground as if the shaking of the flash of light had broken something from the ceiling. Tav looked up to see that something shiny hung from the ceiling.

"Is that a knife?" he asked, nudging Valerio. From below, he was almost certain it was the ritual moon dagger that he had seen in Professor DeLanquar's possession.

Valerio closed his eyes at the bright light that flooded the room once more as the departed professor, well, departed. Hearing the sigh he looked to Tav and nodded. "At least we know what this place does, and how it's to be done..." he remarked, slightly dubious about relying on two ten-year-olds to successfully execute a complex spell. It wasn't that he doubted them themselves... but it was hard to put into the proper words.

His reaction to the clatter was very similar to Tav's: first his eyes scanned the ground to see what had fallen, and then up to see where it had fallen from. The object was a metallic thing at could've been a scepter or an odd-shaped knife. Said object seemed to have been hanging from the ceiling, as it turned out. Hopefully its being knocked from its perch did not hint at a cave-in. Val was inspecting the natural cracks in the ceiling when Tav nudged him.

"No, it's a ceiling... what are you-" Valerio began, but paused when he noticed precisely where his friend was looking. "Oh... Hmm... could be. Either that or a very flat disco ball..." the young man joked before casting a summoning charm on the item. It sailed into his hand freely. Valerio held it between him and Tav for examination.

"I've seen this before... but where? Looks like a dagger... shaped like a moon," Valerio commented, turning the dagger this way and that for he and Tav to observe.

"Haha, very funny." Tav chuckled, rolling his eyes although he truly was amused. "That is Professor DeLanquar's knife. I saw her with it once or twice." He found it hard to believe that its appearance had nothing to do with the fact that DeLanquar's ghost had appeared only moments before. "Think this has something to do with the ritual?" he asked, running his finger over the smooth blade. "Nice design any way."

Valerio snickered; he knew that tone whenever it followed that expression. He'd just completed one of his daily tasks: Make Tavish Laugh... Or At Least Amuse Him. The young man crossed this off of the to-do-list in his mind. "Ah, so that's where I seen it. Well... that rules out even a broken, flat disco ball now doesn't it?" Val continued the vein of humor. The professor really didn't seem like one to get up and disco without more than just a little coaxing from another certain professor...

"Either that or the Professor's trying to tell us we need more nifty-looking cutlery..." Valerio couldn't resist joking good-naturedly, though did pay the blade a compliment at the same time. "It is a nice design, though... wonder what we need it for? I mean, she didn't say anything about cutting something..." Val replied a bit more seriously this time. Though, he had the distinct feeling the 'something' could potentially be 'someone' - old magics tended to require blood. But he didn't want to worry Tav.

Besides... if the vortex required blood, surely the spirit of Professor DeLanquar would have mentioned that?

"Yeah, we can cross off the disco ball, Val." Tav rolled his eyes again, but chuckled heartily at the "cutlery" remark. "Maybe." he winked. His smile faded though as Valerio mentioned cutting which immediately made him think of blood. And more worridly, the twins' blood.

"Ghosts in my limited experience often like to leave you hanging." he muttered. "Maybe it will require...blood." he sighed. "Where is Horatio's ghost when you need him?"

Valerio continued to smile, glad to see Tav amused. The other lad worried enough for a group nearly twice their size, sometimes. Not that Val could blame him... he just didn't let it show quite as much. Perhaps it wasn't exactly a good thing, but he found it boosted morale sometimes. However, when Tav's smile faded so did his. What had he said...?

"It is a nice design, though... wonder what we need it for? I mean, she didn't say anything about cutting something..." he heard himself say. Oh... cut - blood. 'That's what's bugging him,' Val concluded with certainty. He honestly hadn't meant to bring the other wizard's spirits down again.

"Well, it's a ritual, isn't it? Therefore, it's not like it'll require too much, right? ... They'll be fine, Tav. We'll all be fine..." Valerio attempted to console the worrywart of the group and placed a firm hand on his friend's shoulder. At the mention of Horatio's ghost, Val laughed. "Yeah - if anyone'd give us answers, it'd most likely be him, wouldn't it? Good man, Horatio...

"So, shall we add this latest piece of information to our congregation's skull session on all of this?" he queried, gesturing to the door out of reference to the Round Table room. "Or do we want to examine this place a bit more? I mean... we know how to work this now, right? Wand - or wands, really; Gaelic spell and turn-y stone things... and something about this blade... We have a lot more pieces for this puzzle than we did, thanks to Professor DeLanqar-McKevin..."

"Yeah, probably just a bit..." Tav muttered. "And you're right. It'll be fine." he sighed and slid the knife into its leather sheath which had fallen with it. "Yeah he was..." Tav smiled. Horatio hadn't been dead very long...if you compared it to how long everyone else had been dead. It still felt odd to think of him in past tense.

"Yeah, it would be good to let everyone know. Get a few opinions. Not to mention a few ideas about whether or not we should use it." he looked back at the triangle. "We could change everything, Val...everything."

((later on))

The door opened and Ewan and Ean entered.

"What did your dream say?" Ewan asked Ean. His twin sighed.

"Fuinneog." he murmured, examining the triangle... Ewan nodded.

"Mine said 'nocht'." Together they touched their wands and took a deep breath.

"What if this doesn't work?" Ean asked, concern in his eyes. Ewan frowned...

"A better question would be... What if it does work?" Both boys looks concerned for a moment... but then it passed.

Their dreams had been vivid and detailed... and now it was time to test it.

"Fuineog nocht." they said together. The vortex activated, causing all of Morpheus Keep to shake slightly. A bright light filled the room and both boys grabbed hands and leapt into the triangle...

The light vanished as did the McKevin twins...