Chapter 601: Forgiveness
When it arrived, the mist parted of its own accord.
The milky-white vapor was like a sheet of fine gossamer being pinched by
invisible fingertips and pulled back to reveal a hidden corner. Along the path,
the stems of the grass bowed low and then sprang back, as if something were
stepping upon them. Yet, if one were to look down, not a single footprint could
be found.
A shadow, thicker than the surrounding fog, moved steadily along the trail. As
it leaped silently over the threshold of the cottage, the wind-chime rang for
the third time.
Lily bowed her head slightly, the firelight from the hearth dancing in her
emerald eyes. She pushed the window open a bit wider, and the damp mist
instantly rushed in, carrying the scent of snow and a sharp Highland chill.
The shadow stopped at the doorway.
First, a pair of eyes ignited. They were the color of pure emerald, with thin,
vertical slits for pupils. Then, the silhouette emerged from the mist inch by
inch—pointed ears, a lithe, powerful spine, and a tail that swayed lazily, the
tip curling into a shape like a question mark.
It was a black cat.
There wasn't a single stray hair on its body; it was a black so deep it didn't
look like a color at all. It looked as though someone had taken a pair of
scissors to a corner of midnight and cut out the shape of a cat.
Mist clung to its fur, condensing into fine droplets of water. Each bead
reflected the warm light spill from the cottage windows, making the creature
look as though it were draped in a thousand tiny lanterns.
"Mr. Messenger of Luck?" Lily asked, setting down her teapot.
It wasn't a question. Her tone was level and certain, as if she were simply
stating that the tea was brewed or the fire was lit.
The Black Cat gave a small flick of its tail in response. It had been chased
across the Lands Between by the dark mists of judgment, and it was currently
beyond exhausted. Following an instinctive pull, it had returned to this town
and found the cottage on the outskirts.
Curiously, once it reached the town limits, the aggressive mists had stopped
their pursuit.
BONG.
A distant grandfather clock tolled the hour. In this realm, the sound of bells
was always long and resonant, as if urging the weary to sleep.
"Good evening, Miss Evans," the Cat said. Its head was drooping.
Lily felt a pang of nervousness. Usually, a person as vivacious as her would
have scooped a cat up the moment they saw it—scratching its chin and fussing
over its ears. But the weight of the legends surrounding the "Black Cat of the
Veil" made her hesitate.
She looked at the creature, her green eyes shimmering with a sudden thought.
"Since you are here... has someone arrived?"
The Cat didn't answer with words, but its tail stopped swaying.
"Who was it?" Lily asked, her eyes bright. A dozen names, both familiar and
forgotten, flashed through her mind.
The Cat walked straight to the hearth, circled once, and curled itself into a
perfect, furry comma, its tail tucked over its nose. The heat from the fire
washed over it, thick and comforting.
Lily picked up her cup and took a long, steadying sip of tea, her eyes never
leaving the animal. "Are you tired?"
One of the Cat's ears twitched, but it didn't open its eyes. It simply wanted to
sleep.
Lily made a graceful gesture, and a thick woolen blanket drifted from the corner
of the table, floating through the air to settle softly over the Cat. She
watched this extraordinary deity with a sense of wonder.
Are they all this easy-going? she wondered happily.
"Was it Harry?" she asked suddenly.
The Cat didn't move, but its tail began to sway again.
"Oh... then it must have been Albus. He must have had something he needed to
confirm." Lily watched the rhythmic movement of the tail.
"And Severus?" she asked thoughtfully after a brief silence. "Was he there too?"
The tail went dead still.
The Cat pretended to be fast asleep, doing its best impression of a normal house
pet. It "chose" to nap right then and there.
A moment later, the Cat heard Lily let out a soft, melodic laugh. Even with its
eyes closed, the Cat's nose could detect the shifting scents in the room—the
"smell" of the emotions emanating from her in the mist.
It was salty, sweet, and carried a faint, lingering bitterness—like tears that
had been dusted with sugar.
"Is he... is he alright?" Lily asked after a long time.
The Cat's body went rigid, its tail motionless.
It sensed the scent in the mist shift again. The salt and bitterness vanished,
replaced by the relaxing fragrance of gardenias.
"I suppose that is answer enough," Lily whispered. She broke into a brilliant,
radiant smile.
Visions seemed to play out before her eyes—images that felt close enough to be
yesterday.
"I know what you are... a witch! Like me." "Being Muggle-born makes no
difference." "We shall be friends... the best of friends."
Lily was the type of person who carefully archived the "best" moments.
The Cat smelled the scent of a century-old sorrow, and its ears perked up. It
slowly pulled the blanket higher with its paws.
The cottage was a sanctuary of warmth. The crackle of the logs and the low
whistle of the kettle hummed together like two instruments playing a lullaby.
"He regretted it," the Cat's voice said, sounding as though it were drifting
from a great distance.
"Oh? When?"
"Since the moment that night ended."
"He was never a bad man," Lily said softly. "He was just... obtuse."
"I know."
Lily moved her chair closer to the fire, resting her bare feet on the stone
floor near the Cat. She didn't reach out to pet it; she was afraid it might
vanish like a startled spirit if she touched it. Some souls required a certain
distance, even if it was only the width of a cat.
But the tip of the Cat's tail began to move on its own. Lazily, almost
accidentally, it brushed against her ankle. It was a touch so light it felt like
a ghost in the fog calling her name and then immediately regretting it,
swallowing the word back into the silence.
The fire dipped and then flared bright again.
Time in the cottage was a soft, malleable thing, like the downy fur on a cat's
belly, rising and falling with every breath.
Everything was perfect. Everything was exactly as it should be.
"Is my Harry well?" Lily asked tenderly.
The Cat's tail didn't sway, and Lily let out a sigh of relief. Its breathing was
deep and rhythmic; it seemed the deity had truly fallen asleep.
Lily crept forward, moving with a lightness that barely disturbed the air. She
knelt beside the Cat's tail, watching the way its fur shivered in the heat.
She thought of the statue of the Black Cat outside the door. It looked nothing
like the creature before her. The people of the realm assumed a God should be
majestic, or at the very least, imposing.
But here, the Divine manifested as nothing more than the black cat every child
dreams of seeing flash past a window after dark—a small, furry body with
beautiful, gentle emerald eyes.
"The Divine loves the wizard," she suddenly remembered the local folklore.
"He runs between life and death, blurring the borders and bringing salvation.
And so, the Lands Between has three cardinal directions: Eternity, Justice, and
Forgiveness.
"Here, every lost soul burdened by sin is washed clean by the rising mists."
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you