Once Upon a Rainy Night

Once Upon a Rainy Night

It was pouring down when Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus left their aunt's old, shaky, almost broken-down house. They had been there to attend their uncle's funeral, but as far as they were concerned, they visited just in the hopes that their uncle left them something. But as usual, the old man was nothing but a rotting casket of disappointment. 

"Maybe we shouldn't travel. It is raining heavily," Ignotus shouted over the heavy pelting of the rain. But Antioch scoffed at his youngest brother.

"Don't be stupid! We are wizards! Rain should be worries of those filthy mu*bloods!" He tutted, to which Cadmus snorted. 

Antioch swished his wand and held it facing the clouds that seemed to have been venting anger on the earth. A transparent umbrella grew from the wand's tip, big enough to cover the three brothers.

"See, that is the power of the wizards, brother! This, and more!" He smirked, and the three men continued their journey while the sky seemed to have taken offense at their arrogance that they could defeat nature with their wizardry. The rain became heavier.

They continued walking till it was midnight. The night sky was starless, and the rain had caused it to be darker than it should be on a non-rainy night. The three men halted as they looked at the river. If it hadn't been raining, this river surely would have been very deep. But even though the water level had risen, the rain had caused the speed of the water to multiply tenfold. The chances of crossing this river were nil. They looked at each other and smirked. Pulling out their wands from the cloaks' pockets, they made movements. Out of nowhere, a sturdy wooden bridge stood on the river, waiting for its creators to cross over. The brothers crossed over, and Antioch turned and looked at the bridge for a few seconds. Then, he moved with his wand, and the bridge disappeared. Ignotus looked at his brother in shock and then shook his head in dismay.

At that very moment, the winds grew stronger, and the leaves on the trees around them started rustling. Despite the loud noise of rain, they heard soft footsteps behind them. They turned and looked at the tall figure standing over them. It was so dark that they couldn't see a thing, and the rains made it hard to keep their eyes open. But this figure was so enigmatic, so mysterious that even nature seemed to have bowed down to it. The heavy pouring turned into a drizzle, and the clouds cleared a bit.

"Who are you?" Antioch bellowed, his wand pointing at the stranger. Cadmus too pulled out his wand, but Ignotus knew that there was certainly something more sinister at play. 

"Passengers, do not be so apprehensive. I am Death, and I wish to congratulate you!" He said in a silky voice.

"Death, do you say?" Cadmus looked at the figure in mock surprise and scoffed. His elder brother shared his amusement, and Ignotus just watched the exchange, his head trying to figure ways to get a way out of this mess.

"Yes, I am Death, and I have claimed a lot of souls that have tried to pass this river."

"So why do you wish to congratulate us?" Ignotus plucked up the courage to ask.

"For the first time, humans have won, and I have lost. You have not only managed to cross the river but have managed to survive your tumultuous journey," he said encouragingly. Had it been any simpler man, he would have fallen for the smooth voice, but the brothers were smarter than that.

"Oh brave men, ask me anything, and each of you shall receive a reward of your choosing," Death smiled at the three men who looked at each other. Cadmus shrugged while Ignotus nodded in confusion. Antioch thought of the recent duel he had with his uncle that had caused him to have a heart attack and die. The thought of owning everything and not dieing to preserve what was his, made him clear his throat, for he knew what he wanted from Death. 

"I want a wand that is more powerful than any in existence. It should win duels for me and be worthy of only those who defeated Death, himself," he said the last part a bit arrogantly, hoping to get a reaction out of Death, but Death just smiled. He glided to the oldest tree near the river and plucked a branch. Charming it, he presented it to the elder brother, who stared at it with excitement that could rival a child's. He took the wand and stepped aside.

Cadmus stepped forward and looked at Death arrogantly. "I want to call back people who died. I want those who you took away from me," He said snidely. He knew that reversing death was impossible, but Death himself was ready to give him anything his heart desired. Death picked a stone and said, "If you wish to see the people who have died, turn this stone thrice in your hand." 

Cadmus wanted to throw a fit. While his brother got a wand, he got a stone from the riverside. He controlled his urge to toss the stone and moved aside.

Ignotus looked at Death, but not of spite or arrogance, but curiously. He knew that Death is for everyone, and no man can ever achieve immortality. "And what would you like, youngest of the three?" Death egged him on. Deciding, Ignotus nodded his head. "I want something that would help me get out of here, unharmed by you."

Death looked at him in surprise and then tore off his cloak, which gave him invisibility and the chance to sneak up on his victims. Ignotus took it from him, and the three walked away, but none of them saw that Death had lost his cool and was seething at the men who had deceived him two times. Death wanted his revenge.

The three brothers then separated, each going on their way. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Antioch traveled to a village he had been to previously. He reached there in a week and searched for the barman of the local pub with whom he had quarreled some years ago. He challenged him to a duel, and the barman just huffed and engaged in a duel with him. To the shock of the people at the bar, the barman was lying dead on the floor soon after.

"That is right! No one, and I mean no one, can defeat Antioch Peverell. I have defeated Death himself to win this wand, and it is unbeatable," Antioch said as he beat his chest after his sixth cup of fire whisky. He didn't see the small man sitting at the corner table, eyeing the wand.

When Antioch fell asleep on the table, drunk out of his wits, the small man slipped in, picked the wand, and slit his throat. He vanished in the night, with the noise of the rain covering his footsteps.

Cadmus returned home and sat on the armchair, watching the rain pour outside his window. He sighed as he thought of Elizebeth, his beautiful fiancè, and her love for rain. Cadmus pulled the stone that Death had given him out of his pocket and turned it between his finger. He gasped as Elizebeth stood there, in the wedding gown that she had picked, looking radiant as ever. He tried to hold her but couldn't. Elizebeth looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Cadmus! I miss you so much!" She cried, and he started sobbing.

"I want to be with you, Cad. Please come to me," She said and fell to the floor, and Cadmus stared at her small figure as sadness engulfed him. Determination drove in him as he pulled a rope and stepped on a chair. After a few minutes, he could hold and hug Elizebeth. His body hung from the ceiling.

Death smiled proudly as he looked at the souls of the two men and then started searching for the third brother. Years passed, but his search was fruitless.

Until one day, he saw Ignotus, now old and living in a small hut across at the countryside. He had a young son and a wife. 

"I assume you are here to take me with you? I am ready." Ignotus smiled as Death approached him, one rainy night. The next day, Aldrich found his father in his favorite armchair and a silky, silvery cloak was on his lap. He had died in his sleep.