Disclaimer: I do not own anything, everything belongs to JKR.
A/N: Well here's the sequel for my story, hope you enjoy it.
The Potter Brothers: The Shadow Seal
Chapter 1: The Last Disciple
The summer air blew softly against the sand in the forgotten beach. The deserted island stretched for a couple miles, with a vast jungle surrounding a mountain that reached not too high into the sky. Small waves crashed one after the other under the bright sunlight and few seabirds flew in the ever clear skies. A blue light flahsed in a split second, leaving a lone child in the sand. The dark haired boy was clad in a dark cloak, clearly different and unwelcome in the jovial tones and colors from the beach. He slowly got up and grunted spitting a mouthful of sand, after having landed with his face to the ground. He took a deep breath after cleaning his cloak and he rummaged through his clothes. After a few moments, he let out a deep sigh and pulled a wooden polished stick. His green emerald eyes scanned scene in front of him. Everything seemed unreal, but then, since last year, his life had changed completely.
Leaving the particular trail of thought, he stood transfixed at his surroundings and felt somewhat overwhelmed. Every smell, every sound, every touch felt foreign to him. Not taking the heat anymore, he relieved himself of the cloak and other heavy garment he wore. This kind of sunlight was something he was not accustomed to. He took a few steps into the island and leaned under the shadow of a palm and sat down. The first thing that he did was to assess all his possessions. He blessed the skies for letting him bring his wand with him, since it would be the most useful item in his arsenal. Being a wizard surely had its benefits. He also had his invisibility cloak with him, but nothing else. Worst-case scenario, he would have to create a Portkey. But before making any decisions, he decided that he would explore the island where the guardians had sent him. Still, he was unsure if accepting their offer had been a good idea.
He didn't know any shrinking charms yet, so the best he could do to carry all his things was to pull several huge leaves from a palm and make a rudimentary bag. After half an hour of making some rope out of the trees fibers he decided the rucksack was as good as it would get and he put his normal and his invisibility cloak inside, leaving him with only his shirt and trousers. He aimed his wand towards the top of a palm and wondered for a second if he could do magic in the god-forsaken island without being detected by the ministry or any other wizard.
"Diffindo"
The palm made a ripping sound and several coconuts fell to the ground. They probably weren't the best he could get, but he figured that he wasn't going to find any other food so easily. He had never gone to the beach after all. No owls from the ministry came after he did the spell so he probably wasn't in England anymore. The next thing he had to do was to make a little hole on the coconut, to get some fresh drink. On his first try, the coconut was so badly trashed that the only thing he could do was to grab some and eat it before trying again. He already missed Hogwarts' food.
After another two tries he realized that it wasn't going to get any easier. An hour later, the boy was lying on the beach with literally thousands of coconut pieces around him. He wished Hermione were there, since she would probably know a spell that would pierce the coconut without obliterating it in the process. He wondered for a minute if he was putting too much power into the spell and if he could control the magic he put behind it. An idea came to his mind, remembering his last predicament before leaving the castle. Closing his eyes he begged silently so he could be able to use his eye's new ability. Not that he knew what it really did, but he had a general idea of it. He opened his eyes once again but noticed nothing different, so he gave another try. After ten tries he punched the sand in anger. He breathed trying to relax and wondered how he could call the power again, and, examining his wand, he tried to remember how he felt while doing any spell. He fixed his eyes to the wand on his right hand for what seemed for an eternity, but nothing happened. Another idea came to him and he aimed to the water.
"Reducto"
Several gallons of salt water flew a couple of feet, but his attention was elsewhere. He scrutinized his hand and realized he had felt something on his arm when doing the spell. He had never really paid much attention when doing magic in the school because he thought it was a normal thing. But now he knew something had been different between the two spells he had done. Once again, he aimed to the ocean and tried to feel the magic as he casted the blasting curse again. It took him several tries but he finally managed to get a grip on the sensation. The feeling was as if blood was flowing rapidly through his hand and leaving through the wand. He decided to give another try with the coconuts and he took some of them from another palm. He tried to relax and said the cutting charm once again. He felt how the magic flowed through his arm and he attempted to lower how much he would let out. But instead of doing a small hole on the coconut, a huge blast sent him flying to the sand, and he felt his head hit something hard as he landed. Then everything went black.
The next thing he knew, he was resting comfortably. Maybe it had all been a dream and he would wake up in his dorm or maybe on the cupboard on Privet Drive. A massive headache then hit him and he disregarded the idea. He opened his eyes and for a third time he was grateful that he didn't need his glasses anymore.
"You hit your head pretty bad, kid" said a voice next to him.
Harry jumped immediately and reached for his wand, but he didn't have it with him anymore. He rummaged through his clothes but didn't find it and he lifted his gaze to face the stranger, who watched him amusedly. The man had a light brown skin, probably from being too much under the sun, and long dark curly hair fell behind his back in a pony tail. He looked neither old nor young, perhaps in his middle thirties, but his dark brown eyes looked like he had seen too much, just like himself and his friends. Like reading his mind the man said out loud what he was thinking.
"Your eyes have seen much death, boy" he said, his accent slightly unfamiliar "No wonder the old fools sent you here. My name is Cyrus."
The hut in which Cyrus lived looked like the mixture of an archeologist lab and the armory of a battalion. Maps and all kinds of cartography instruments were scattered around but in contrast, the walls had all variety of armors, shields and swords up and down. One could see the whole history of mankind portrayed through such weapons. It was truly amazing.
"My name is Harry, Harry Potter" he answered "So what is this place?"
"Where you will begin your training…" he said simply with a serious look.
And train he did.
'I take it all back' Harry thought 'I really miss Hogwarts now.'
His legs were about to give up and the freaking steel buckets weren't getting lighter. It had been a week since he had gotten to the island and every single day had been like hell. The man didn't even answer to him. He just made him run every day up and down the mountain, every single bloody day. Not without refreshments of course.
"Are you ever going to teach me some magic?" he asked once as he grabbed a bit of some sort of bread, but he was answered with a small rock thrown to his head.
After having rested for the first day, the strange man had forced him to carry two buckets of pure steel full of rocks to the top of the mountain. Rest assured, Harry only made it halfway. Five days later, he had finally made it to the top… by mid night.
"Great" he muttered throwing a rock down the mountain.
"I see you've finally made it" the man said, after appearing out of thin air. Harry was startled at first, but he shook his head.
"Now come, I have something to show you."
The man was clad in what looked like a medieval armor that had seen better days. He followed Cyrus through the edge of the mountain and they finally arrived at a clearing. The very peak of the mountain looked like it had been flattened and tiles of broken stone floor were the last remainders of whatever construction had been before.
"It has been a week and you have told me nothing" grunted Harry angrily.
"I needed to know if you could survive the training" was the man's answer "Reaching this peak it's only the first part of it."
"Before you go on… I want to know who you are." Harry demanded "Why were you sent to train me? Who sent you?"
"My name is Cyrus, and that is all you need to know until I guarantee you are truly ready for the things you are going to be facing. For now you will continue with the mountain trail, but we now start another… type of training".
The smirk at the end of the sentence did nothing to calm Harry down.
"This place" he said walking by the broken tiles with his arms open "used to be a temple , a sanctuary for cleansing of mind and soul. It was a place where heroes were born."
"Right…" muttered Harry.
But in that very moment he was about to turn around when his face came to a stop an inch away from a tip of a sword.
"Bloody!..." he said as he jumped backwards. "Are you trying to kill me? How did you do that?! Are you going to teach me?" he added excited.
"There's much yet to learn, boy" he said as he spun his sword and walked around Harry "Swordsmanship isn't just spinning and swinging around your weapon carelessly. First you need to understand the sword, hear her voice as it whispers…"
"It's a she?" Harry asked amusedly, but in a split second after he had finished the words he found himself in the ground with the sword pointed at his face…again.
"Never disrespect Kataigida" said Cyrus angrily "she doesn't react well to insults."
Harry gasped as the blade actually glowed in a soft white light and let out a soft hum. Cyrus held his hand and helped him stand up.
"Whichever weapon you choose" he said holding the sword for Harry to see "is not a hollow tool of death for you to slay your opponents, quite the contrary in fact. There is one weapon deadlier than any blade, axe or arrow. And that my friend is here…" he said tapping Harry's forehead with two fingers.
"But what good is a weapon against another wizard?" asked Harry.
"Much to learn…" he mumbled barely audibly "Let me show you. Here, have your wand, use it against me. Aim to disarm or stun."
The man smirked as he took a few steps away from Harry and bowed. Harry followed the gesture and held his wand fiercely in his right hand. With a slight nod, Cyrus prodded him to attack.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry bellowed, his wand forming a red beam which Cyrus merely sidestepped.
"Poorly aimed" Cyrus taunted "Try again"
The next time, Harry casted the spell twice but both were dodged easily. He decided then to change strategy and sent a blasting hex to the ground before sending a stunner were Cyrus had landed after leaping away.
"Epistrofos" Cyrus muttered. A faint glow surrounded the sword and Cyrus covered his chest against the ongoing spell. The last thing Harry saw was his own spell flying back to him.
Harry woke up groggily the next day inside Cyrus's hut. The mysterious man was nowhere to be seen. Instead a pair of steel buckets joined by a single wooden pole awaited him on the edge of the mountain trail. Grabbing a quick breakfast, which consisted of a rare kind of eggs and something that looked a lot like raw fish, he grabbed the two buckets and carried them on his back up the mountain. Once he reached the mountain top, a bit earlier this time, Cyrus was waiting him with two wooden swords.
"You are slowly building your agility and resistance, but before starting to learn to attack and defend, you need to learn how to move…" he said "and how to hold your weapon. The first question is… which weapon will you choose?"
"Well, I suppose there are pros and cons for all of them, right?" Harry asked, and since his only response was a nod, he continued "mm… I think I'd like to learn how to use a sword, but I don't know which one will fit my skills better."
"Good thinking, boy" he said smiling and out of thin air, several weapons appeared floating on the air. Harry frowned when he realized Cyrus hadn't use a wand. "There are one handed swords, which will give you a good attack and speed, but will allow you to use another weapon, either another sword or a wand for example. The two-handed swords have a much greater power and are heavier, thus, disabling you from using another weapon or shield and restraining your speed. The spears have a wider range than the swords, but lack in their speed, and the only point of attack is at the tip. However they do make up in strength. An axe has a shorter range than the sword but can deal greater damage and is by far the slowest. The bow and arrow require great accuracy and patience to master, and of course, they provide the longest range of attack. There are other alternatives for weapons, like knives, that are faster and staves that allow great mobility. Whatever your decision is, I will show you how to wield it and do more damage to your opponents.
Wizards have forgotten the battles of old, and rely only in their funny little sticks. But what they ignore is that a wand is only a meaning for focusing the magic. Anything can be used for such purpose. You will not be weakened by wielding a 'muggle' weapon, as they call it. It will aid you, opening a whole new margin of opportunities to do magic."
Harry reflected on his options, and silently agreed with his mentor. Wielding a weapon of this kind would be really helpful if he ever encountered the Snake Lords' minions. And he was curious about the spell that Cyrus had done the night before. Could he really be able do magic with a sword? Perhaps it had a magical core of its own… He watched every weapon that was available and pointed at one at last.
"A one handed sword…" said Cyrus, as he banished the rest of the weapons "May I ask why you chose it?"
"Well…" Harry said as he held the sword on his left hand "Like you said… the sword has good range for close combat, and will allow me to use another weapon. I was thinking that using my wand and the sword I could do good long range damage and defend myself against close attacks."
"That is correct, but don't forget that you can also deal great damage if you know how to reach your opponent or lure him into your sword's range. Now we will be using one of the oldest techniques for combat training with swords."
With a flick of his sword the stone tiles of the floor rearranged themselves in two circles. One was large with various smaller circles inside, with another circle on the edge.
"This is called the Master's Circle" Cyrus announced "The circle is your world and as your skill improves, you will advance to a smaller circle until you reach the center. At that point it will take a truly masterful swordsman to even get near you."
"But how will it help if I move to the smaller circles?" asked Harry.
"Think about it, boy" said Cyrus crossing his arms "In the greater circle, you will be able to move around easily without limits. But as you move inwards, this freedom will subdue, therefore, your skill must be greater to defend yourself."
"Oh…" Harry said "I think I get it now. I won't be able to dodge your attacks so I will need to defend better."
"Indeed" said Cyrus chuckling "Now, every day you will carry these buckets to the top of the mountain. After that you will begin training with me in the master's circle. When your resistance and your ability with the sword have improved we will start meditating at the end of the session and I will start teaching you Occlumency."
"You're on" Harry said stretching his limbs as he smiled slyly.
"Very well, let's begin."
From that moment on, the training became even harsher. In addition to the daily jog up the mountain, they would spend each afternoon sparring with training wood swords, followed by an hour of meditation for Occlumency lessons. According to Cyrus, one should be able to know their mind in and out. Protection of the mind wasn't about imagining fictional walls and barriers. In order to understand how to defend against a Legilimency assault, one had to actually be a target of one. When Cyrus did it the first time, Harry started hearing a voice, subtle and inviting, ordering him to remember his memories, to bring them out, even when he couldn't recall most of them. It was very disturbing in many levels. The key however, wasn't to clear one's mind either.
"Ever tried to think of nothing, kid?" Cyrus asked when he tried to explain the mechanics behind Occlumency "And when someone tells you something, you get distracted and start thinking of whatever comes first to your mind. Even the slightest sound draws your attention, and that's when the Legilimens attacks. I doubt there's someone that could actually stay completely unfocused for an entire minute."
"I hadn't thought about that" said Harry.
"The clue is to think of something that completely captures your attention. For instance, if you're good at Quidditch, you start thinking of strategies, drills and matches; if you're good at math, start thinking in numbers, equations or whatever. Catch my drift? The point is to confuse the attacker. Eventually, you will be able to create a layer of undecipherable thoughts that no Legilimens will be able to crack. After you learn how to defend, I'll teach you how to read a mind."
And so, Cyrus began attacking his mind at every chance he had; at his runs, during their sword lessons and even when sleeping.
Two months passed like a mere whisper of a second. Harry could actually do the mountain trail twice before noon at that point. His sword technique wasn't as good as Cyrus', but he had advanced a few circles already and with each improvement he pushed harder, and with each fall he picked himself up and began again. Cyrus complimented him at his tenacity and persistence, something he had never done, apparently.
"Who trained you?" asked Harry once after a particularly nasty sparring session "It's not like you learnt all this by yourself, right?"
Cyrus merely groaned and launched a Legilimens assault. Harry wasn't in a particularly good mood, and his response came more violent than he had intended and blasted Cyrus away. With a calculating look and a frown, he glanced at Harry from the place he had landed. A heavy silence overcame both master and student, before one of them spoke.
"You have potential, kid" he just said while standing up.
Something changed from that point and Cyrus became a tad friendlier. He taught Harry several moves that improved greatly his sparring and he quickly got hold of Occlumency. He even joined Harry in his morning runs with some weights of his own.
"One must never stop training, remember that" he told him.
October passed in a quickly and November arrived with strong, chilling winds. Raging clouds seem to form on the horizon, surrounding the island, as if they were waiting the right point to block the remaining sky with storms. Cyrus also seemed on the edge, urging him more and more in his training. The tension could be cut with a knife like warm butter. Harry also began to felt uneasy, like being watched. He would look over his shoulder sometimes, when a rustle of a crack would break the silence in the night. But nothing happened.
November came and went in a blink of an eye, and Harry could already keep Cyrus completely out of his head. His skill with the sword also surprised him. It came natural to him, just like flying did. Even in the cold weather, Harry could already run up the mountain in less than two hours. He already felt the changes in his body. He got less tired during his sparring lessons, and he could protect his mind easily. His muscles were already getting in shape and he began doing other types of exercises, like crunches and pull ups. But he couldn't wait to learn about the magic that Cyrus did. Every now and then, he would catch him doing magic without the aid of a wand. So, when he wasn't watching him, Harry tried to figure out what he was doing, without any luck whatsoever. But by the time that December arrived, he decided it was enough, and to demand to teach him about it after their usual training.
"Nicely done boy" Cyrus said smugly "You have finally arrived at the last circle. It's almost time…"
But before Harry could say anything, a great shadow covered the sky. Both student and master looked up and saw as a great cloud formation loomed over the island. A shiver crept through his spine and a loud roar was heard in the distance.
"Take out your wand boy" muttered Cyrus fiercely "Things are going to get nasty. They have found us."
And extending his arm with his hand opened, Cyrus muttered something and a small stone pillar formed in the center of the training ground. Harry instantly recognized the sign on the stone as the symbol of the Book of Magic.
His attention, however, was drawn to the other end of the island, where a massive shadow had descended from the dark skies. Harry did a double take to confirm if he was mistaken, but unfortunately he wasn't. The shadow was alive and it floated through the tree tops apparently searching for something.
"Be prepared boy" said Cyrus "The pillar takes about five minutes to be ready. So, in the meantime, we must hold the beast off"
"What is that thing?" asked Harry frowning.
"It's a shadow dragon"he muttered "Creature of the night and darkness. It was created by one of the Snake Lords. This storm is not natural; it strengthens the power of the dragon. They know everything that happens under the dark storm. Its weakness is light of course, but I doubt any sunlight will come to us any time soon. We just have to survive for five minutes."
The pillar started humming softly, as if building up energy. Harry could actually feel its power surrounding him. But the great shadow on the island seemed to have felt it as well, and turned its attention to the mountain top. Cyrus unsheathed his sword and clenched his teeth. Harry was unsure of what to do, with only his wooden sword and his wand. But remembering his training, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second. A roar on the other end of the mountain signaled the arrival of the dragon, and Harry opened his eyes.
The beast was unlike anything he had seen or heard of. Its reptilian body was made out of smoke and darkness, but the eyes were a bright, demonic red and inside its fauces, a black fired brewed waiting to be released.
Both master and student leapt away from the place they had been just a second before the first fire volley burnt them to ashes. The dragon paid no attention to the man and concentrated on Harry. However, before it could launch another blast, a bright light came from behind and struck the dragon's head and diverted the fire. Harry took advantage of this and rolled under the beast's legs and joined Cyrus.
"Reducto!" Harry bellowed, but the blasting curse merely passed through the dragon's smoke body.
Cyrus muttered something after they had evaded another attack, and before Harry understood what had happened, his teacher had jumped ten feet over the beast's head and charged downwards with his sword.
"Astraph!" the man bellowed as he swung the sword downwards. Harry stood transfixed when he saw that Kataigida looked like she had been electrified. But the Dragon was too fast and barely avoided the sword with a deep scratch. When he landed, Cyrus made a crater on the ground and an electric web formed on the floor around him for a second, but left him at the Dragon's mercy.
Harry felt a familiar pull on his head and time seemed to slow. The world around him seemed to have stopped just before the beast sent the attack that would doom his mentor. In that moment he realized that he could actually see the Dragons real body, formed of black scales, and the ground around Cyrus was filled with a pale blue mist.
Harry had called his eyes' power without knowing again.
And out of the blue, he understood what he needed to do. It would not destroy the Dragon, but it would stop him for the precious minute that the Pillar needed to be ready. Time seemed to catch on and started speeding up when Harry raised his wand.
"LUMOS RADIX!" Harry bellowed.
A great light formed on the tip of his wand and was sent to the Dragon's face. With a great blast, the light sphere impacted on the eyes of the beast, stopping it from sending another round of black fire. The dragon roared in pain and flew to the darkened skies with a blinding glow over its eyes.
"Quick, boy there is no time!" Cyrus bellowed as he grabbed Harry from his arm and pulled him to the pillar. Another roar came from top of them and just at the moment when they both reached it, the symbol on the stone began glowing. The last thing that Harry saw was a dark beam rushing directly at them, before he felt his whole body in pain and everything went black. The whole island was obliterated in a great explosion, leaving only a great vortex in the water where the temple had once stood. The skies cleared and no trace of the dragon, the boy nor his teacher remained.
Harry slowly opened his eyes, trying to make out the surroundings. He had already lost count of the times he had passed out in the last six or seven months, but he hadn't got used to it. Of course he wasn't in Cyrus's hut anymore, that much he could say. The bed he was resting in wasn't uncomfortable; in fact, the mattress was soft and relaxing with blue silk sheets covering it. He got up and found his wand resting on a wooden nightstand on his right. His room looked like it had come out from a Greek legend. Huge white columns reached up the ceiling, with marble sculptures adorning the walls, telling stories of heroes of old who fought against mythical monsters. He also noticed that his clothes were gone, and went looking for something to wear. Again, in the nightstand he found a blue silk robe that matched the sheets, along with a set of armor taken from one of the sculptures on the wall.
Light was pouring in from several windows and the room's entrance, so he made way towards it. The sight in front of him was beyond his imagination. His room was one of eight located around a circle which had a small fountain in the middle, with pure clean water pouring down the marbled sculpture of a beautiful woman. The sky was clear, with a few clouds hovering and he could smell the breeze of the see surrounding him. He got the feeling of an extreme calm that soothed him. The ground around the fountain was made out of white stone that went in a circle and ended in a street that led straight to a huge temple. He had never gone to the Parthenon, but he figured it out that was the way it would look back when it was built. Several other constructions stood on the sides of the street with the edges growing a lively green lawn. He continued walking through the streets and he was amazed when he saw that from the temple, many other paths led to many other constructions, and further, on the opposite side of the temple was a great round building. It was an entire city completely made out of Greek architecture.
But there was no sign of life.
He then decided to enter the round building, and as he approached, he distinguished a sign carved on the stone in ancient Greek that read 'ακαδημία'. Ignoring its meaning, Harry entered a room with many archways that led to an inner courtyard surrounded by a hallway that lead to many other chambers. The courtyard was enormous with a circular track course. In the middle a round stone clearing was surrounded by a thin layer of grass, and on the very center, his mentor was waiting for him.
"Welcome child" he said with a smirk on his face. "I'm glad you're finally up"
"What is this place?" asked Harry looking around.
"This city is the last ancient city of the Greek empire" Cyrus said solemnly "People once thought that the island had sunk into the ocean, thousands of years ago. I think you might have heard of it."
"Wait… you mean this" said Harry frowning and crossing his arms in disbelief "is the lost city of Atlantis? This time you lost it, mate"
"Have I really lost it?" asked Cyrus smugly "Are you certain of that boy? Look around you."
"But…" Harry said taken aback "If it's true... what happened here? Where are all the people why has no one find the city if it's not underwater?"
"You ask too many questions kid" he answered shaking his head "Sit down and I will tell you about the Lost City. Once, the great Atlantis was the last bastion of the Greek empire, more than a thousand years ago. But the ancient Greek people were not the first ones to arrive here, or so the legend says. It is said that all kinds of magic folk were drawn to this very place, due to its magic. Magic draws upon magic, and therefore many wizards and witches settled here, so to study the eternal mysteries of the universe, life and magic. But like all stories, most never have a happy ending. And so, the Atlanteans disappeared, banished in the ashes of time, and the city was lost forever. That's what the legend says…
Now, in reality, during the first magic war, the city was under siege. It was said that inside the temple, there was hidden a great secret. Of course no one could understand what it was or how to retrieve it. But the evil witch wanted it at all costs. In their last attempt of protecting the city, the first guardians opted to conceal it. To hide it forever and have everyone think that Atlantis was destroyed. The wards of the city alone make it impenetrable, unplottable and untraceable. Only the guardians and people they chose can enter the city. For centuries, it has been the training ground of exceptional wizards who protect the secret of the city."
"You mean… you were trained here?" asked Harry.
"Indeed" said Cyrus somberly "I was the last one trained by the Guardians, their last disciple…"
"But… aren't the guardians, you know…" said Harry not knowing how to put his thoughts in words.
"Dead, you mean?" asked Cyrus seriously "Of course they are. That didn't stop them, though. But they choose not to train another wizard again. Instead they left the duty of training the chosen ones to me and their last disciples. Now enough of stories, it's time we start the next phase of your training. You must be ready by the time the others arrive."
"My friends are coming here?!" asked Harry excited "When?! Have they been training like me too?"
Cyrus rolled his eyes and messed Harry's hair. He sometimes forgot how easily excited could a child become.
"Yes, they will be coming" he said as he walked towards the track's edge "And no they have not trained like you. Each one of them has had a different mentor who in turn was trained in completely different ways than I was. As you must already know, in a year's time since you left England, you and your friends shall return to continue your studies in Hogwarts. Now… I have a present for you…"
Cyrus went to a room on the north end of the training ground with Harry following closely. The room looked strangely similar to Cyrus's hut, with all kinds of weapons, armors and shields. Most of them were wrecked but nevertheless, they looked magnificent. Cyrus grabbed a chest and put it up on a lone table on the middle of the chamber. Muttering some words, the lock opened on its own accord, and the inside glowed faintly. Harry tried to look inside but before he could get anywhere near, Cyrus took a long package covered in a linen sheet and closed the chest immediately. Then he held the parcel with both hands and offered it to Harry.
"This is Xalasmos" he told Harry, as the eager boy unwrapped the gift from his teacher "It belonged to my predecessor. I trust you will find it useful. It has a Dragon heartstring core which you will learn to use in time. "
Inside the package there was a sword, but it was not any sword. Its dark hilt was made of a marvelous dark crystal with a blue diamond on the end. The sheet was made of the same dark stone and had silver patterns that shone brilliantly. On its blade, the sword had engraved some words in Greek that were probably its name. He could hear a faint hum in a soft tone as he swayed it in the air. He now understood what Cyrus had said when the sword had a voice of its own. It was completely enticing.
"Now, you must get to know the sword as she gets to know you. Your training will be the same of before. In the morning you will run an hour around the track with extra weights. After that, we will have some sparring lessons. After lunch you will train your body. There is a chamber similar of what the muggles call a 'gym'; two hours will be enough. Then comes the good part: magic lessons. Once you've had dinner, another hour of studying in the library and after that, a brief Occlumency practice and perhaps Legilimency as well. That's all."
"Really?" said Harry rolling his eyes "I thought that was just the beginning. What have I gotten myself into? At least you will now teach me some of the tricks you do."
The rest of the day they spent relaxing and wandering through the empty streets of the city. He quickly got over the fact that he was really on Atlantis. After ten years of being prisoner inside the cupboard of Privet Drive and, after that, discovering that he was really a wizard, nothing could really surprise him that much anymore. He didn't get too much sleep the next night, with several nightmares of dragons, swords and talking hats. The excitement for finally learning some magic had been too much.
He got up early, before dawn, and he decided to run around the city instead of the track. A few green hills stood on the distance as the sun rose on the furthest part of the city. Countless white building stood here and there through his path, silent and somber, shadows of what Atlantis had once been. He was marveled when he arrived at the city's edge, a beautiful beach that glittered against the few sunlight rays that signaled the arrival of the new day. After an hour of running he arrived the 'Academy' as Cyrus had called it.
"Off to explore the city, boy?" he asked smiling "Wonderful sight isn't it? Very well, there's time for sightseeing and time for training. On guard!"
Cyrus took out his sword and leapt forward, but Harry was ready and rolled sideways. Remembering his training, he unsheathed Xalasmos, and prepared for defending. Back on the island, he had finally earned the right for training in the smallest circle, but he had yet to practice inside it. Also, it was the first time that they would be using real swords as opposed to the usual wood training 'sticks'. But he felt more than ready, so, when a sideways slash came from Cyrus sword, he blocked it masterfully with his left hand.
Using the momentum of both blades, he jumped, doing a full spin on the air, and slashed his sword towards Cyrus's head who dodged it in the precise moment. However, Harry had forced him to take two steps back. Harry spun his sword and blocked another strike coming from his right. With his sword pointing down, he docked, letting his teacher's sword pass over him only to return again towards his back. Harry however had already foreseen the move and blocked it quickly and docked once again, this time leaving an opening on Cyrus's side for him to attack. However, his teacher turned quickly and stopped it.
Harry lost track of how much time had passed, but he was completely concentrated in avoiding his mentor's attack and trying to strike him down in the process. He didn't know if it was minutes or hours, but after a well aimed kick from Harry, Cyrus had to back down again.
However, he charged again aiming higher this time, making Harry lower his head. Harry took advantage of this and did a low kick, which his teacher evaded easily, and as both fighters got up their swords collided with a metallic clang.
Harry knew his teacher was stronger, but he used a technique Cyrus had taught him, consisting of using your opponent's own weight to one's advantage and deal a greater blow, but the teacher caught on quickly and swiftly blocked the strike.
"Nice done, boy" Cyrus said as both swords collided "You have learnt how to attack even when you can't move out the circle."
"You talk too much, old man" said Harry smiling.
"Time for teaching you a new lesson, kid" Cyrus said with a sly smirk before he muttered a spell.
"Treksimos"
Everything happened to quickly for Harry to understand. All he saw was that Cyrus had somehow become a blur in front of him, and in a blink of an eye his own sword was on the ground, he had been kicked several feet away and the tip of Katigida was once again an inch from his face.
"Holy sh…."
"Language, boy" said Cyrus smirking as he helped Harry up.
"What in the world was that?!" said Harry frowning "You cheated!"
"It's the first spell that I will teach you" he said returning Harry's sword to his owner "The Treksimos enchantment allows the user to gain incredible speed and focus. Essentially, it slows the world down for you while you remain whit your same speed, relatively. It is very simple, but it was forgotten long time ago. It was 'upgraded' to a latin based spell called Impetus" Cyrus said making the quoting marks with his fingers "But it never gave the same effect, it only made the caster slightly faster, but not to the extend as the Treksimos. To do it, you must point your wand, or in this case your sword a bit towards you and say the incantation, but to get hold of it you must visualize how the world will be when you speed up, because if you don't, you will only see a blur and end up a mile further than you intended. Give it a try then"
Harry quickly discovered that the spell was in fact not that hard and started practicing running some drills and practicing rapidly with his sword. The feeling of the world slowing down was unlike anything he had ever felt. Even flying wasn't compared to this. He could hear his heart beating slowly and a rush that could not be put down in words. However, staying under the spell during long periods of time was extremely exhausting and left the boy panting on the ground.
"Now you understand why you had to train your body that much boy" said Cyrus while helping Harry stand up. "This kind of spell takes a heavy toll on the user's body and not anyone can use it."
"I feel like I have run a hundred miles in a minute" said Harry as he slowly walked to a stone bench on the edge of the track.
"That's enough of the spell for today, you will continue practicing tomorrow" said Cyrus patting his back "Now let's go grab something to eat and then you can rest for an hour."
Both student and teacher walked to a small building near the main temple, where Cyrus had the provisions stored.
"Er… Cyrus?"
"Yea, what's up?"
"Since I have nothing better to do…" said Harry casually "Can I go look for a book to he library? I want to see if I can learn some defensive spells on my own."
"Sure, it's the main building in the eastern plaza. Just don't take too long, you still have to practice and I have some things I need to teach you."
The library reminded him of an observatory. A circular building surrounded by white columns in every direction, with a sculpture of Athena, goddess of wisdom, just ahead of the main entrance. The interior was spacious and Harry figured that could fit at least four times the Hogwarts library. Hundreds of curved wooden bookshelves stood in every direction with countless books, rolls of parchment and tablets containing all kinds of knowledge. And right in the center, an enormous floating planetary was illuminated by sunlight that poured from an opening in the ceiling. However, to Harry's misfortune, many of the books were written in old languages, mainly in Greek and Latin, but also Welsh, Egyptian and some others he ignored.
Harry wandered through the aisles and finally found a secluded area that had books written in English. Since he didn't have a clock, he decided to look quickly for a Latin-English dictionary and grabbed the first book that caught his attention, which was titled "The Power of the Mind". He gave a brief glance and made way back to the Academy.
"You're late boy"
"Sorry" said Harry scratching his head "Got sidetracked"
"Doesn't matter" said Cyrus indifferently "What do you know of magic, boy?"
"Er…"
"I see…" said Cyrus shaking his head "Don't they teach you some theory behind the magic at Hogwarts? Wait, don't answer… Only at N.E.W.T levels right?"
"I think so…" said Harry shrugging "What does it have to do with the training?"
"Everything!" said Cyrus excited "If you can't understand how magic works you will never be able to improve. Most of the wizards nowadays are content with the things they learnt during their seven years at school, and a very few continue their studies when they enter the Auror department or become a healer. But even so, that is still settling for the minimum."
"Maybe they are too busy in their jobs?" said Harry unsure of his own answer.
"Lazy it's what they are!" bellowed Cyrus "For Merlin's sake, they're wizards, if they wanted they could even make some time to study! You don't think that Merlin himself settled for just what they 'taught' in school, do you? No! Of course not."
"Ok, just chill, I get it" said Harry rolling his eyed.
"I apologize" said Cyrus taking a deep breath "I tend to get carried away."
"I hadn't noticed" muttered Harry sarcastically.
"Enough then" interrupted Cyrus "Where was I? Oh yea, magic. What do you think is magic, boy?"
"Mhhh…." said Harry crossing his arms as he bit his lip "I don't know, like some kind of force that only wizards have? Maybe something in our blood?"
"Yes and No" answered Cyrus "You got right the part of the magic being some sort of 'force', but not only wizards and magic creatures have it. You see, magic is all around us, inside you, inside me, on the grass, on the tree, on the wind and on the cloud. Even when magic is not what gives us life, it affects everything. It's like a current that flows through our bodies that we can draw and mold as we see fit. The difference between magic folk and 'muggles' it's not blood, but their ability to feel that flow. Don't ask me why, but something in our body is different from theirs, but even so, once in a while, a muggle couple gives birth to a child that can hear the magic inside."
"I… I…" Harry struggled to speak any word "I think I know what you're talking about… Ever since I arrived at the island I got this strange feeling whenever I did magic, some tingling sensation coming through my arm and leaving through my wand."
"That is right" said Cyrus "And magic is not restricted to them wands. After all, their cores are made out of a piece of a magical creature, aren't they? And, aren't we magical creatures? The difference is that these magical beasts are capable of understanding magic on instinct, in a whole different level; therefore they work as conduits for our own magic. Now, you capabilities are just on the lowest level, meaning that you rely completely in the wand. But, should you learn to understand and control how it flows through your body, you will notice that you are actually wasting much energy in ordinary spells. Once you understand, levitating a feather or changing a needle into a match takes much less energy than it did before."
"You have really thought it all through, haven't you?" asked Harry somewhat dizzy from the explanation "But I did get what you were talking about. I guess there's no easy way to do it right?"
"Correct" said Cyrus "Now, I can teach you something that will help you get a better grasp of what I just said. Remember when we were fighting the dragon?"
"How can I forget that?" said Harry "It's not every day that I get to even see a Dragon. I have two on my record already, and the first one was but a month or two old."
"Well, you might remember this, then" said Cyrus as he unsheathed his sword.
"Me'urra"
The blade of Kataigida became instantly electrified, with several sparks jumping out of the polished metal. He gave a spin to the sword, which made a cracking sound as it cut through the air. Then he stretched his hand and pointed to the sky.
"Eximus" he muttered and an actual lightning came out of the sword and shredded a cloud up above.
"Wicked!" whispered Harry at loss of words.
"This is elemental magic" said Cyrus seriously glancing at Harry again "It is unlike any other type of magic that you will ever encounter. There are five main elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning. Make no mistake, this is not magic electricity I'm using here, nor it is a common thunder, it's a combination of both. Elemental magic it's the only type that is completely and purely wandless. It can be used through other means, like I did with Kataigida. But it is also a special sword. Her name actually means 'Thunderstorm', meaning that it was imbued with the power of the lightning. And while using an element is one thing, imbuing a weapon with it its much, much more difficult. Normal wizards often call the ones that use this type of magic as 'Elementals'. But even when you could use more than one element, very few wizards in history have actually mastered the five of them. Merlin it's the perfect example of course. "
"So are you planning to teach me on this century or what?" asked Harry desperately.
"Always rushing things, ain't that right boy?" said Cyrus smirking "Remember how you first learnt Occlumency?"
Harry's eyes widened at this, but it was too late to escape.
"Yes boy… you need to experience it first"
Five months passed and between all the training and studying, Harry hadn't had time to miss his friends. But once in a while, before going to sleep, he wondered where they were and how they had been training. The book that Harry had taken from the Library had been must helpful during his Occlumency training, which quickly changed to Legilimency when Cyrus couldn't even enter Harry's mind anymore. There was something else about the book that intrigued him. It was a term called Praeceptimency, the third of the mind arts, which was used not only to read a mind, but to control it. He virtually devoured the entire book and always had it for reference when practicing with Cyrus.
"Just don't try to take too much too fast, kid" Cyrus said a time when Harry had suffered from a massive headache down during April.
. His physical training had improved a lot, but the learning curve had already lowered down, and Cyrus had started focusing on defensive spells. Harry started mixing his sword skills with his wand, but realized that it was extremely difficult to concentrate on both things.
But the greatest advance during the five months was his control of the Air and Lightning elements. His thunderbolts weren't anywhere near Cyrus's but he could actually put up a good spark, and he had focused on the air element by trying to push ocean waves back into the sea. It was harder than he had imagined, and the waves hadn't even flinched at his attempts. But nevertheless, he could actually deal some nasty damage with both of the elements. The last trick that Cyrus taught him was to use the element as means of transportation.
"Apparition and portkeys aren't the only means of getting from one place to another" said Cyrus a week before his training ended "Since you have already good control of the wind element, you should be able to use it to transport yourself in an undetectable way, since you will not need to use your wand. Now think about the place you want to be…"
The first time, he actually appeared on the top of the library, nothing that couldn't be refined with a little practice. By the end of the week, Harry could already vanish from one spot to another in the blink of an eye.
"I have seen the Snake blokes doing this" said Harry once "But they always arrive in a dark smoke cloud or something like that."
"That is because it's not the wind element they use, but a variation" replied Cyrus "They call it, with no imagination at all I might add, 'smoke travel'. It has the same basics, but it doesn't require the wind mastery."
"Cheaters" Harry muttered with a smirk on his face.
Finally, the time had come for his friends to join him in the lost city, and Harry could not help feeling nervous. Not only was he going to see them after one year of only seeing Cyrus, but they were also going to return to their "normal" world; what would they tell people?
One thing he was sure of, there wasn't a chance in hell that he would return to the Dursleys' house in Privet Drive. Not even if his life depended on it. He wasn't sure how, but he was certain that he would convince Dumbledore not to send him there again. When Harry asked Cyrus what he was going to do, he got a kind of dreamy look on his face and he said something about his kids missing their dad too much, making Harry a little bit jealous.
"You're going to dig a trench if you continue pacing, boy" said Cyrus, who was resting comfortably on a sofa, with his legs on the arm stand. "They aren't coming for an hour so you might as well sit down and read a book or something"
"I can't concentrate" said Harry quickly.
"I figured it out as much…"
Now that Harry did wanted time to go faster, the clock betrayed him and every minute seemed like an eternity. 4:40 it marked, only twenty minutes for them to arrive. He wondered if his feet could catch on fire if he continued pacing, but his nervousness got the best of him and refrained from stopping.
Fifteen long minutes later, Harry jumped and ran toward the main temple, followed closely by a half-awake Cyrus, who had dozed off half an hour before. Harry started pacing again, in front of the entrance of the temple, and his teacher finally caught on.
"You're getting old" said Harry as Cyrus panted for air.
"I'm not in the mood for your jokes, boy" replied Cyrus glaring.
"How are they arriving?" asked Harry ignoring him.
"I ignore it" said Cyrus leaning against the temple's wall "There are too many traveling methods for me to guess. I can't see the future, you know? So do us a favor and relax."
"I'm going to miss you, old geezer" said Harry joking "You aren't that bad for a teacher you know?"
"Right back at you, kid" he said messing Harry's hair. "Finally, here they are!"