Slythrein observed the human before him and waves of nostalgia struck him.
Sirius, once a child too small to understand anything, now stood as a man who cut down his body outside.
" Hello," Sirius greeted softly.
The voice... it reminded him of another human child he had once given refuge to.
Allysane was like another daughter to him and seeing her son here opened a Pandora's box of memories spilling joy and warmth... yet wrapped around with sadness and anger.
He was so lost in his own mind and feelings, that this once mighty guardian didn't notice Sirius standing before him, waiting for a word.
For a moment, he was drowned in the past, blind to the present, the man standing before him
" Dad " Slythra nudged him, pulling him from his dreams of the past.
" Ahh yes, It's good to see you, child. Have a seat, there is much to discuss and talk about " then something struck him, and he spoke again " Your child and that other human with you, you can ask them to come inside too ".
" It's alright S-- " Sirius stopped, words caught in his throat. He was clearly struggling with how to address him.
With a low chuckle, Slytherin replied, " You can call me grandpa if you want. I'd like that "
" I - I am not really sure about that " there was a weird expression on his face, as if his mind refused to come up with a reply.
" Slythrein. You can call me by my name then "
" Very well, that would do. So yes, it's alright, Slythrein. I think they are really comfortable outside, atleast for now "
Atleast for now.
Those words lingered and caught his attention. They told him enough, trust wasn't yet there...but a window was open.
So Slythrein didn't push. He only smiled softly. It was a smile of an elder that seeing the young ones grow.
When his gaze shifted, he noticed Slythra. Her stance was taut, protective, but her eyes betrayed a conflict only a parent could read.
She was seeing Sirius for the first time, yet not as a stranger. He was part of someone she had heard of a lot in her life, not exactly him but his mother... she was someone important to her father.
For her, it must have been surreal too.
" I suppose you have a lot of questions, so let's not waste any more time. Start from the present, and then we will confront ghost of the past too. That's the main reason you are here, right? "
" Alright, fair enough " With that, Sirius found a comfortable spot on the ground and sat with his legs folded, back pressed against the wall.
He might have looked relaxed, but it was only a mask. His mind was alert, and he was ready for any action if it were to come to that.
This made the old guardian smile again.
----
" Alright, fair enough " i found myself a comfortable spot. I might have looked relaxed, but it was far from the truth.
I would be lying if I said I didn't want a break, because I did. My body was felt torn, and my mind was worn out. The last fight took took a lot out of me, it had drained more than just physical strength.
The only thing pushing me forward was our safety, and the anticipation of whatever my mother left me. And now the moment was finally here, within reach.
I looked up and found the guardian looking at me eagerly.
He wasn't as much of a wisp as I imagined. I had picture some vague shape of a round floating ball, but I was made a fool.
The guardian had retained both his features and his size. From afar, one might barely discern the difference, but it was there. His form was incorporeal... he could talk, converse but that was the extent of it.
As Slythra said, no physical body. You could pass through him, and he through you.
He was what Sylv would essentially call...
' A ghost '
And on his forehead, i could make out the mark. A big red ' X ', the same as the body... proof that he was indeed a guardian.
The X mark signifies someone's oath as a guardian, and served as an identification as well.
This was something Toby told me before coming here, something I hadn't known before.
And this guardians was essentially family. Not blood related but nonetheless.
' Grandfather ' that's what he said to call him. I was naturally not comfortable with that. He was not even an unknown stranger, but it was more complicated... more tangled.
We were at each other's throat just hours ago, and I had killed him. Well, his body but that didn't change the truth at its core... He tried to kill me and Toby.
I was sure that he won't do it again, not right now. He had sworn the oath. And he was barely surviving as it was punishment for oath breaking was beyond question.
So it was time to get the answers, for all of us.
"Why did you attack us?" I asked, the words sharper than I meant. " Why not warn us first? "
The guardian's form shifted, eyes dimming with something like shame.
"The body you fought… it isn't mine. It hasn't been for years. It's a shell bound to one purpose ... to guard, to destroy intruders. I don't command it anymore. Not fully atleast. "
That didn't explain it all.
" Then why Toby first? Why not me? "
His gaze flickered, as if looking past me, back into the fight.
"Because your friend moved like a threat, felt like a threat. The body sees such things first, and it strikes. It reacts to danger... nothing more."
"And me? Why hesitate with me? I am sure I saw it, the recognition, the hesitation "
That's when he looked directly at me, something raw breaking through his hollow expression.
"Because even in that cursed shell, fragments of me still remain. Maybe memories, Echoes. And when it saw you, it remembered her. Your mother. That resemblance… it stilled the hand for a moment, because I recognised you... whatever was left of me in that body did."
A chill ran down my arms.
"So you're saying… it wasn't really you at all. Just a weapon. A weapon that almost killed us."
His head dipped. "Yes. And when the body began to break, the tether between us weakened further. I could not even lend hesitation then. It raged on its own."
" That still doesn't explain why you didn't warn us first? Isn't that reckless? irresponsible?" I stood up, my voice louder than I realised, and the calm of the cave shattered.
"As I said, the body wasn't rational. And yes, it is reckless. But sometimes guardianship demands recklessness, Sirius." His eyes met mine, steady and unflinching.
"I am the Guardian of this forest. To protect it, I bear the price. Even if that price is guilt… even if it is the weight of blood. But remember this, it has been more than two decades since anyone who reeked of blood, and is strong crossed this path. My body does not stir for the weak, so in that at least… my conscience remains clear."