Here I stand upon the brink of oblivion. Here I stand upon the dawn of space.

Here I watch the universe die. Here I watch the universe live.

Here I gaze upon the past, present and future.

Here the dead and living gathered, friends and enemies old and new, to watch the end. Here the living and dead gather to watch the beginning.

Here I write our tale, the tale of how this universe died. Here I will write the tale of the birth of our universe.

Here I will tell our story before the end. Here I will end the story before the beginning.

Here I will sin. Here I will atone for my sins.

Here the foolishness, hatred, deception, lies, love, lust, faithlessness, broken dreams and shattered hopes will be laid bare. Here purity, truth, honesty, virtue, justice, charity and hope will be concealed.

Here death will end. Here death will start.

Here I will end. Here I will begin.

I, Warlord, Reaper, Master of Ruins, Lord of Death, Master of the Blackstone, Godslayer, Merlin Reborn, will account for all my sins.

I hope that this account will survive by some miracle. I hope this account will not survive by some miracle.

I hope who ever reads this may learn from our mistakes. I hope none will learn from our mistakes.

I hope the paradox will be broken. I hope the paradox will never be broken.

I prayed that this fate might be averted. I pray this fate might not be averted.

...

If only…

...

Chaos Stars:

Chronicles of the Ascension

The date is the fifth of January, 5567 Temporal Calendar.

Chaos has quieted their eternal rage, but it will not last. It never does.

The Warlords, masters and mistress of war, have agreed to a ceasefire. For the first time in over thousands years the immortals have silenced their guns. The universe has been irrevocably changed. Millions of planets have been blasted out of existence; tens of thousands more rendered incapable of supporting life of any kind, entire civilizations have been wiped out or fought to the last against the infinite armies of the Warlords. How much culture, knowledge and more have we lost in these pointless war?

The power that once where, like the Time Space Administration Bureau, are now unrecognizable. Earth has become a fortress world, one of many worlds were the weapons of the Warlords are birthed. The void between worlds has become the battleground, just one of many. Vast armies clashed in the jungles, plains, mountains, glaciers, and seas of a thousand worlds. Primitive savages with iron weapons clashed with cyborg soldiers with laser weapons. In the name of their masters, by either by deceit full lies, misguided loyalty, or personal choice, they slaughter each other with pleasure. All for the sake of the immortal Warlords and their ancient grudges that had consumed the universe.

The Warlords are immortal beings. Powerful beyond belief, they were born in the days when the TSAB did not know the touch of the Dark Angel. It is a curious fact that most of the Warlords knew each other in their youth or associated with other would be Warlords as young adults. That tidbit of information had come at great cost, a dozens of my friends had been killed to get that information out. A number of them even came from the same planet, but I could find no more information on those ancient days. Much knowledge has been lost in the last five thousand or so years. Even the names of the Warlords have faded from memory. Some doubt that even the Warlords themselves remember their names, but accounts of two or more Warlords fighting have reported speech in ancient tongues that were no longer spoken by any mortal and what could be names.

There's a number of greater Warlords and fewer lesser Warlords who pledge their allegiance to the greater of their kind, for they are a species apart from mortal man. The greater Warlords are known by their titles White Devil, Lighting Goddess, Reaper, Dark Angel, and more. The lesser hold titles like Blood Hammer, Silent Death, Death's Princess, Dread Knight, Wolf Lord and many more. At one point there were others, but many have been killed over the past five thousand years by their fellows. Below the lesser Warlords are more of their immortal brethren, warriors of old that have sworn to follow their Warlord to death and beyond. Those warriors are blessed with magic and powers no mortal could stand in exchange for their eternal loyalty as the generals, admirals, and commanders of the hosts of the Warlords.

Some say the Warlords are magic incarnate. Others claim they made a pact with eldritch monsters. Still others claim they are vengeful ghost that hatred and loathing have allowed them to exist in the mortal realm beyond death. I have no idea which may be true, but I will find out. It was these beliefs and the temporary peace that drove me to seek answers.

I wanted answers as to who these Warlords are, what their story is, how did it end up like this, why do they hate each other with a passion that snuffs out stars. These mysterious titans, who we know so little about, will be unmasked by me and cast down. The end of their age is coming; soon their armies will rise up against them. My work will hasten their fall, sway more to our side.

Days after the ceasefire was signed an old man approached me while I patrolled the streets of the jungle city we had taken from the forces of the Reaper. Insurrectionist and loyalist to the old regime still lurked about, actively fighting us in the city and surrounding jungle. Praxis II was a class zero world with natives who thought iron weapons were the peak of technology and if the rebels kept fighting us we would be forced to destroy the planet with the dreadnoughts in orbit. Such was the value of life in this age, none! the human life had no value in the eyes of the Warlords and their warriors. Humans were numbers to them, not the unique and special lifeforms that The thought of invaluable species and young, intelligent life cut off so soon by a whim of our master or any Warlord sickened me.

The old man who approached me handed me a thick, leather bound book and hobbled away before I could speak. He turned the corner and I gave chase, only see the body of the old man dissolves into dust. With an unsteady hand I opened the book and read the first page…

My name is Dylan von Saphera, rifleman of the 908th company under the banner of the White Devil.

I am the one who ends the time of the Warlords or at least I'll try to...

He had come to Japan to get away from fighting that had raged for the last six years of his life. Instead he found himself in yet another fight, this time between two groups of mages. Sometimes he wondered what cosmic force hated him enough to constantly throw him into these situations. The last six years of his life had been lived in the ever growing shadow of a madman hell bent on his destruction. The same madman had battled his parents and murdered them when he was a year old.

All around him the darkness had grown. He watched his mentors and friends fall to the madman. The journey to send his enemy back to hell was a long and tedious, but in the end he had succeeded. Never again would that madman kill or be reborn by necromantic rituals. He had assured that the soul of the madman was torn to bits, never to return to the land of the living. The cost had been high and the scars still burned.

So he did as many others would have done once they completed a long and arduous task. He went on vacation, even though it had all but forced by the circumstances. The first week in Japan had been blissful. Far from the pressure of the media, the wannabe arm candy, awards, speeches, and corruption, he found his own bliss in the coastal Uminari City. He had wanted to spend days on the beach, hiking the mountain trails, and generally enjoying life, but fate conspired against him.

The fighting had left its mark in the form of a stick, a ring, and a cloak. All three bore power unimaginable and as he cast down the madman, he gained a new title. A rank that set him above mere mortals, yet he had no wish to accept the title when it was offered. Master of Death, Master of the Hollows. Legends now adorned his hand, back, and wrist as he made his way once more towards the sound of battle.

Uminari City was silent. Someone had cast a barrier over the location to prevent the locals from coming to any harm, but he had found himself trapped by the barrier. The stick in his hand, the Elder Wand, called for him to move forward towards the sounds of battle. The ring on his finger, the Resurrection Stone, called out for him to call upon the dead for support. The cloak, Death's Shroud, rendered him invisible to mortal eyes and called for him to assume the garments that were rightfully his. He might refuse his title, but he knew the power of his tools and armor.

He looked down at his jeans and black tee shirt. "I'd rather not have to replace theses. Fine, I'll use it… Azriel begin setup."

"At once Master," three Hollows answered as one. "You know, if we could find my missing components we would be nearly invincible."

"You've only mentioned it a dozen times since we came to Japan. I don't need that much more anyway, not right now at least." He swore he heard her scoff at his statement.

Magical energies began to swirl around him faster and faster. In a flash of purple light he was transformed. The Elder Wand was no longer a mere stick. It took the shape of two hand sword, the blade glowed a fierce dark blue, the hilt was a diamond inset with the black Resurrection Stone, the pommel was an elaborately carved, grinning skull. The Shroud expanded into a voluminous cloak complete with a hood covering his body.

"Set up complete. What is your will Master of Death?" Azriel asked.

"Scan the area and find the location of the fight. I want my vacation, my peaceful vacation, back quickly. And don't use that title! It gives people the wrong idea," he commanded though he knew Azriel would never obey. She, at least he thought Azriel was female, had a will and mind of her own. Her only loyalties lay with the bearer of the Hollows. It was she who had chosen him to take the mantle of Master of Death and he was beginning to suspect her claims of being an object from a long dead civilization from another galaxy might have some merit. It would go a long way to explain her quirks that he was sure a normal magical object shouldn't have.

"Very well my master. Scanning…scan complete. Magical signatures located. Distance 873 meters north, 376 meters east, altitude 34 meters, five unique signatures. Anything else my master?"

"Any idea of the power levels of our trigger happy friends?" he asked.

"No accurate measurements can be taken at this distance. Judging by magical output the best estimate is at least two warlock ranked magic users. Engage Reaper Mode?" Azriel asked.

"No, engage Fury Mode, scythe form," he commanded. Azriel's sword form glowed for a moment and reformed its self into a black scythe. The Stone was set in the forehead of a skull that made up the tang of the weapon. "Let's go!" Four black wings formed at his heels and he shot towards the battle. The air was still as he dodged between buildings, the sounds of battle grew. He heard the crash and crackle, slash and hiss of magical attacks.

"Master, why are we intervening? This is not our battle and I have not fed for some time."

"I know, but I want my peace and quiet for this vacation. As for you, don't kill them no matter how tempting it may be…unless I tell you too." He knew that it might come to dealing death once more. These types of battle had a way of escalating out of control rapidly. "And no rampages either. It was hard enough to explain the herd of elk you slaughtered last time. A bunch of humans…I don't think I could escape that one."

Azriel seemed to giggle, or at least what might have passed for a giggle. "You could kill the investigators."

"Then what? Be hunted by that faction for the rest of my days? No thank you," he shot back.

"There are other worlds, infinite worlds out there you could make a new beginning on. No one would find us and if they did we could deal with them. In time nobody with the wish to live would challenge us."

"The fate of the Daywalker huh… Ah here we are!" The tell tale flashes of magic came from the roof top of the hospital. Two of the magicians were dueling near the edge and a portion of the roof was on fire. "The question is how do I go about my entry? Ambush or a sudden appearance in the middle of the fight? Any ideas Azriel?"

"A dynamic entry while you shout something suitability impressive perhaps?"

"Nah, too flashy, beside that's a hero thing," he said shaking his head.

"I would like to take this moment to inform you that by the definition of hero you are one. Why do you not act like on?"

"One, have looked at the survival rates of heroes? Hooray, save the world and then die for it in the sequel. No thank you. I like living. Second, fangirls, heroes seem to create them like breathing. Ginny was bad enough, remember? Remember that time in France?"

"Assessment complete. You are in denial," Azriel stated.

"WHAT? I am not!" He was glad the crescendo of battle drowned out his voice. He still had the element of surprise. "Fine, we'll take about this later. Prep a Nova Blaster and an Aegis Shield." Azriel was, by her words, a singularly unique Intelligent Device capable of feats far beyond the limits of other Devices. She claimed she was from a long dead universe that had destroyed itself and she was one of the few weapons from those last days that had survived. She claimed that unlike other Devices, she could prepare up to two spells before casting so long as her master was able to maintain the constant drain of mana.

"All spells ready, awaiting your command."

"Alright then, we rush up that wall, get above the battle, and let the Nova Blaster free," he said as he grabbed the scythe with two hands.

"I would like to point out the fact that no plan survives first ..." Her words were lost to him in the sudden rush of wind as he stormed upwards to the battle.

A devilish grin came over his face as the roof edge appeared before him. His brilliant green eyes shone with a glee that wouldn't have been out of place on a devil's face. Time seemed to slow as he blasted past the roof edge. He saw three figures; two locked in combat, and knew he had his target. The fighting pair were the most dangerous. The blonde haired woman behind the two combatants looked to be a support type he could deal with later or quickly she tried to do something.

He was pleased by the looks of surprise from the blonde girl, maybe nine or ten, and older girl was about his age, with what appeared to be purplish hair that neared pink. The pair was mere feet apart and he smirked. Soon the fools that wrecked his vacation would pay. A jade colored magic triangle appeared beneath his feet. "Fire," he commanded as time seemed to return to normal and made a sweeping arc with the scythe

A massive bolt of green lighting struck the two with tremendous force. The dust cloud nearly blinded him before he could escape to a higher altitude. Only battle honed instincts saved him the next moment as a sword crashed into his innate barrier. The purple haired, it really was purple hair, woman glared at him as her sword sought to pierce the shield. For a millisecond he considered letting the shield break and hope she would be off balance, but the barrier was nowhere near strong enough.

"Aegis Shield, release!"

The swordswoman was forced away by the sudden appearance of the shield. The barrier flickered as something else smashed into it from the other side. A glance over his shoulder revealed the little, blonde girl and her scythe trying to break the shield with a mere physical attack. "Azriel, overload the shield!"

"Yes, my master."

He felt the shield pulsate with the sudden influx of magical power and shatter explosively. The force of explosion propelled him down before he could regain his footing a mere foot from becoming friends with the sidewalk.

"Who are you?" the little blonde yelled, descending to be level with him.

"Nobody of importance really. Now then can you and your sword wielding friend put an end to this fight so I can get on with my vacation?" he asked her nicely.

"You will not harm my Mistress!"

A wave of flames hurtled towards him. Quickly he raised a shield as the fire impacted the hastily thrown up shield. Seconds later, a furry of strikes battered his barrier with unwavering ferocity.

"Reaper mode, Blaz form," Azriel acted on her own accord and shifted into her sword form.

He threw himself backwards as hard as he could. For a moment he was free of the pounding of furious strikes. Gritting his teeth, he charged the swordswoman. Blade met blade is a symphony of steel as he tested his opponent trying to find a hole in her defense. Every stroke he gave was blocked as she flowed from offensive to defense seamlessly. Every strike she took, he was forced to call upon desperation and let Azreil guide his hand. The swordswoman was far better than he in terms of the sword arts.

Abruptly the swordswoman was forced to wheel around as the blonde girl struck with her scythe. He activated his Flash Move and blitzed the blonde. He lashed out at the blonde with the broad side of his sword. He had no will to kill these two, incapacitating via broken limbs was perfectly acceptable though. The blonde vanished with her own Flash Move and he found himself once more exchanging blows with the swordswoman. So focused on his desperate defense, for the swordswoman seemed to have gotten more powerful or at least more force behind her strikes, that he never saw the bolts of lighting careening towards him.

He vaguely felt the sensation of flying and then the force of impact against a fall. His Barrier Jacket, the technical name of Death's Shroud, absorbed most of the impact, but he felt the bruises starting to form. He made a choice in that lull moment, "Azriel remove the Shroud."

"Master, your armor will not be able-"

"That's fine. I need the speed to keep up with the swordswoman." He pulled himself up as the the bulky cloak vanished. "Prepare Nova Blaster and Fiendfyre Whip."

He took to the skies as the swordswoman crashed down were he had previously been. She yelled something in a foreign tongue that reminded him of German and her weapon changed into what he recognized as a sword whip. "Aegis Shield!"He barely had any time to through up his shield when the whip struck. The weapon moved to attack him on every angle, hoping to find a weak point in his shield.

"Fiendfyre!" he called the cursed flames into existence. Cursed flames met the whip as he sought keep the steel from reaching him. He released the Aegis shield and poured his magical power into controlling the flames. In a single moment they could turn against him and seek his destruction. Calling upon all his battle experience he broke the flames into two streams. One he used to block the whip and the other he sent careening towards the woman.

He heard the second stream impact the woman's shields, but her whip began a renewed assault. Sweat rolled down his brow as he sought to control the flames, but he felt his control slipping. The mental focus, willpower, and mana needed to use and control the whip was exhausting to even the most powerful wizards. There was good reason he was called the Merlin of the new age by the witches and wizards of Britain.

Abruptly the whip retreated. The second stream of cursed fire was pounding into the woman, but cascading off her shield before returning to try again. Azriel shifted from sword to scythe and the triangle appeared again as the Nova Blaster took form. He threw the rest of the cursed fire towards the woman and dashed after it. With a single thought he set the cursed flames into the ground and smashed into the woman's barrier. "Nova Blaster!" he screamed. The green bolt impacted the shield at point blank range. He was thrown backwards head over heels. He recovered in mid air and saw his opponent was in a similar state. She looked dazed a second, but recovered quickly.

The roar of thunder brought his attention skywards just in time to see a lighting blot with his name on it. Azriel saved him from greater damage with a hastily constructed shield, but he was set into the hard pavement below. His magic was getting low, his black hair, normally untamable, was standing straight up, and his barrier jacket, a black shirt and pants, were torn. He saw the blonde girl go after the swordswoman in a flash of yellow light. The two escalated their battle into the sky above the hospital.

Unsteadily he climbed to his feet, but soon recovered. He took to the air once more, eager to end the fight. As he passed over the hospital roof what he heard made him stop dead in his tracks.

"If I'm a devil then I'll use my devilish powers to make you understand!"

As a wizard he understood the importance of such magical beast and monsters. He knew the binding power of magic and the magical power of a devil. The devils were extra dimensional monsters with enormous power and egos to match. Most of the time the devils were content to stay within their dimension and rarely venturing into others, but sometimes a mean spirited one would come to places like Earth. The resulting path of carnage and destruction was something unseen for the past thousand years. Legends told of vast armies being exterminated by a single devil, of powerful mages and wizards blasting a devil with everything they had to no avail. And now this little girl, she couldn't have been older than the blonde, could have just signed a magical pact. Words held power and magic always listened to those who commanded it for good or ill.

"Azriel, did she just sign a pact with a devil?"

"Unknown. Surface scans indicate her Linker Core output is much higher than earlier. Assessment: Deeper scans required."

"Damnit, that last I need is a fool running around with a devil pact. We'll end this fight with a single spell. O ye Lords of Darkness hear my plea and open the...UG!" Blue chains from a binding spell ensnared him. They pulled tight leaving him gasping for air. He felt his magic being locked away. Only the bare minimum needed to survive was allowed to slip through the binding chains. The only blessing was that the other combatants were equally bound by the blue chains.

A man in a white suit appeared in front of him. He wore a white mask concealing his face, but had the strangest hair he had seen since coming to Japan, slightly spiked blue hair. He was seriously starting to wonder about the nation of Japan, the hair dye must have been killing off brain cells. Pink hair, blue hair, what was next? Perhaps light green hair?

The man cocked his head at him then vanished, only to reappeared on the rooftop of the hospital. Another man, identical to the first down to the last hair, joined the party on the roof. Both waved their hands and took the form of the blonde girl and brunette who made the devil proclamation. One of them cast an unknown spell and a light blue triangle appeared on the rooftop. In a small flash of magical energy a girl, around the same age as the scythe girl, was in the center of the summoning spell.

He frowned at the two mages who tossed summoning magic around like it was nothing. To casually cast such powerful magic around like it was nothing spoke of great talent or premeditation. He was leaning towards premeditation; something about the situation was off, very off.

The two illusionist mages said something to the recently summoned girl that drove her to tears. They summoned a floating book and gave a command. The swordswoman, the woman in green, and the most recent arrival, a wolf like beast, began to dissolve. Their magic power, their Linker Cores, shot towards the open, floating book in a cascade of light. The girl who had made the devil declaration began to scream as the little red head with the hammer started to dissolve. He caught the name clearly as the girl screamed in agony had had seen only when one saw their best friend die and their cooling, headless corpse fall beside them.

"VIIIIITTTTTTTTAAAAAAAA!"

Black magical power began to gather around the summoned girl. The once blue triangle turned a dark purple. The two illusionist mages used a Flash Move to vanish, leaving the book floating the air. On its own accord the book floated towards the girl. Suddenly the binding vanished. He stumbled a bit and took a deep breath. Looking up he saw the girl in the circle be consumed by the magical energies. The blonde and brunette were yelling for the girl to respond as a black vortex of magic formed around her. The amount of dark magic he felt in that vortex was greater than when he faced down the strongest of the dark wizards and witches with a lifetime of experience behind them. This power felt…older, grander, and deadlier.

"That is going to ruin my vacation without a doubt. What the hell, I guess its time to make some new friends…or at least temporary allies." His Flash Move carried him to the roof top, a few feet from the brunette. The feeling of raw dark magic was even worse the closer he got. It was hard to imagine the pain the girl in the center was feeling. "You two," he pointed to the two girls, "what's the deal with this…book?"

"You!" The blonde's anger was apparent as she gripped her scythe that was now in a staff form.

"Hn? Fate you know this guy?" the brunette said rather obviously.

"Woah! Woah! Woah! Take a chill pill girl," he said trying to placate the blonde. He let Azriel fall to his side, a non-threating move. "I'm just trying to stop a domestic disturbance from wrecking my vacation, nothing personal. You people insist on fighting in the places I'm trying to relax in. Sure it might be nice to watch other people beat the crap out of each other sometimes, but this is what? The third time you people just have had to fight here."

"Sorry, we were just trying to stop this world ending artifact from consuming all life by defeating its guardian knights," she said with refreshing honestly and bluntness. Her eyes were open and honest, even if they were in pain. This child was the empathic type who wore her heart on her sleeve.

"Another day at the office then. Name's Harrison James Potter, or Potter Harrison, but just call me Harry. Now then when you say 'world ending artifact' what kind of world ending event are we talking about?"

"All life being wiped out by an ever expanding darkness. The plant ripping itself apart, that sort, but we'll stop it," the brunette answered with a thin smile. "My name is Nanoha Takamachi, Pleasure to meet you Potter-san

"The pleasure is mine Nanoha. For the time being I will assist you in bringing down this…thing." He was glad that his old instructors had shown him universal translation enchantments otherwise he would actually have to learn Japanese. "By the way, just call me Harry, I deal the respect stuff enough back home."

"Okay! This is Fate," she pointed to the scythe girl, "but you already knew that since you two already met."

He swore her brightness was contagious. There was a…lightness around her. "Now then, what's the plan?"

"We wait and see what comes out then save Hayate," Fate answered.

"Sounds good to me. Hayate is the girl from earlier right? The one that was summoned?"

"Yeah, her name is Hayate Yagami and she the mistress of the Book of Darkness," Nanoha said as the three moved a few off the ground for more maneuvering room.

"The real name of the book is the Tome of the Night Sky. It's a Lost Logia we have been looking for," Fate supplied.

"Er, what's a Lost Logia?" His attention as captured by the sudden changes in the magical vortex. The dark magic was gathering into a single point, dissipating the vortex. "Here it comes!" he yelled the warning. "I hope you have more allies because whatever coming out of that thing is going to be strong as a dragon at least."

"A Dragon!" Nanoha said in disbelief.

"Yeah, scaly thing, claws, breathes fire, yeah that sort of dragon. Which is equally believable as the three of us defying the laws of physics, throwing magic around and this Logia thing," he replied sardonically.

"Oh! I get it!" she said brightly completely missing the point.

"She really is oblivious," he stated looking at Fate, who was still warily glancing at him before she nodded and mouth 'at times'. The vortex died away and he sighed at what emerged. A young woman with stark white hair and red eyes in a short black dress stood at the one time epicenter of the vortex.

"Once more I must destroy the world…" she said softly.

"Stop this! Where's Hayate? She wouldn't want you to do this!" Nanoha pleaded.

"My mistress sleeps. I will grant the wish in her heart. This world will end. I must make it end before I lose control."

"Then you can't be reasoned with. So be it," Harry stated as he prepared a Nova Blast. "Nanoha, Fate you do want her alive or dead?"

"What? We have to save Hayate and we can't blame the Book for doing this. She's doing this for Hayate!" Nanoha was aghast at his casual suggestion of death.

"You see the best in people. Nobody is beyond redemption in your mind." Harry raised Azriel to launch the Nova Blaster. "I envy you. Nova Blaster!"

The bolt hurled towards the Book woman. It met a magical shield in a crackle of energy. The woman was unfazed and called her equivalent of a Barrier Jacket into existence. A blue long coat with gold trim covered her. Red bands wrapped around her arms and legs and six black wings flared from her head and back.

"I know you. You are the Master of the Hollows," she said raising an arm.

"Guilty as charged, but what's it to you?" he was surprised by this Book woman knowing what Azriel was and was determined to find out more.

"I will…destroy her. She is … The data has been lost," the woman said curiously. "Interesting, it seems the data was ruined some time ago. You must die here. The Hollows must perish, that is all." She raised her hand high and black magic began to gather. A black dome concealed her from view as the hospital roof was torn to shreds.

By unspoken agreement the three fled to the street below. Looking back he saw the dome was growing and consuming more of the city. Without a doubt the dome was a wide area destruction spell that would most likely explode outwards when it reached it maximum size.

"Fate, get them out of here!" He heard Nanoha yell and whirled around. Near the intersection two girls about the same age as Nanoha and Fate clung to each other in fear.

"Civilians at a time like this…" he grumbled. Many civilians had been killed in the skirmishes during the fighting back home merely for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Too many had died in the crossfire from both sides…

"Master!"

He heard Azriel's cry as he looked up to see the dome of darkness rapidly approaching. In mere seconds it would be upon them. "Aegis Shield!" he cried as the dome overtook him. Like a never ending sea of dark energy crashed against and was deflected off his shield. He poured his power into maintaining the shield. Teeth gritted, he threw more power into the shield, gaining a few precious inches of breathing room. The unending assault began to slow a little at first, and then faster as the waves died down, their wrath spent.

Sweat covered his brow and he gladly dropped the shield as the final wave of energy dissipated. It took all of his strength not to collapse in heap. A quick glance revealed that Fate and Nanoha were no better off, but the two civilian girls were fine at least on the surface.

"Is everyone alright?" Nanoha cried.

"I'm fine," was Fate's quick answer. "Suzuka, Arisa are you okay?"

"We need a plan now! Before that Book woman attacks again and I'd rather not have to ride out that spell again," Harry shouted as he took to the air to gain a vantage point.

"Fate, get Arisa and Suzuka and go! Find our friends and Chrono." Nanoha looked towards him before spilling her plan. "We'll draw the Book of Darkness's attention away by going on the offensive."

Her words were punctuated by a sudden column of flames bursting from the street. From his vantage point behind an office building he could see similar gouts of flames all across the city. The spell had apparently expanded downwards too and messed up the Pacific Plate itself. The natural gas lines probably were broken and probably would be fueling the fires making anywhere they ran a potential mine. The barrier covering the city would contain the damage and keep the non magical people from being harmed, but once it fell… He cursed whoever had unleashed this monster. "The natural gas lines are broken! This city going to turn into a bomb if we fight here. Let's go, before the city rips it' self apart."

"Okay!" she chirped as they shot towards the Book woman.

"Azriel switch to telepathy mode," he commanded quietly as he prepared his next spell.

~Yes my master. Wraith Blaster confirmed, Nova Blaster confirmed~

The magic triangle formed at his feet and he swung Azriel is an arc. Five orbs of green magic formed and he cast them towards the Book woman, who was waiting on the rooftop. ~Wraith Shot!~ The magic orbs soared towards the woman leaving a blazing green trail. He set them on course and let his control over them fade.

A dozen pink orbs joined his, not doubt cast from Nanoha. He grinned as the woman faced the onslaught with stoic silence and unmoving resolve. The orbs smashed into her shield and filled the air with dust.

"We have to lure her out of the city. How about over the water?" Nanoha asked the older boy.

"Sounds fine to me," he quickly agreed with her as the dust cleared. He tore towards the sea. ~Nova Blaster!~ he fired the spell towards the woman who had finally taken to the air. The green bolt smashed into her shields and she changed her course towards him.

She raised a hand towards him and cast some spell, but the words were lost to him. His eyes widened when dozens of blood red daggers appeared around him. Dropping downwards he heard the daggers impact each other, before coming after him again. He flew towards the water line, desperately swopping and spinning to avoid the lethal daggers. His flying training on a broom paid off, but it seemed that as the chase wore on the daggers only increased in speed.

A hastily cast Aegis Shield saved him from worst of the impact. One dagger slipped past and delivered a lacerating strike to his lower calf. He hissed in pain, but kept flying towards the sea. Vaguely, he was aware of Nanoha blasting the Book woman at random intervals as they lured her away.

~Nova Blaster!~ Once more he cast his spell and once more the woman created her accused daggers. So focused on dodging the daggers, he narrowly missed falling into a bind trap. A quick look revealed that the area before them filled with faintly glowing bind traps the Book had laid. it was a crafty book, he gave it that much credit. Against another her trap might succeeded. "Ahead!" he warned his temporary ally. He missed her reaction as he swopped to avoid another blast of ice spikes. The smell of the ocean assaulted him at once and he suppressed a sigh of relief.

Nanoha gestured further out to sea. He nodded and threw another batch of Wraith Shots in the general direction of the woman. He had given up aiming with his mana running low. Fiendfrye was far too difficult to control and in his current state it would consume him before it took the enemy.

The game of cat and mouse finally ended over the open ocean miles from land. Sweat rolled off his brow and his leg stung with every action. His temporary ally was no better off. Blood rolled down her right arm, her white Barrier Jacket was dirty and ripped, and her movements were unsteady. She probably had never expanded a large amount of mana in a single battle, nor had to fight a siege were every spell had to count. He wanted to kick himself for forgetting the same thing. He was use to wizard giving in after a short time, very few wizards were brave enough, smart enough or stupid enough to fight a long battle.

"Damn, I wish I knew some restoration magic…" He cursed his refusal to learn the support magic and the temporary boost that restoration magic brought. The attraction of battle magic had been too great him to resist, but luck was with them at that moment. The Book woman stopped, her arms fell to her side and vacant eyes stared forwards, as they faced off over the sea. Beneath them the sea began to roar and above dark clouds gathered. He was thankful for the respite and joined Nanoha, while keeping half an eye on the Book woman.

"What's going on?" he questioned more to himself than the girl.

"Hayate is talking with the Tome I think."

"Oh…" He vaguely felt the presence of several others coming towards him. He turned around and prepared to strike.

The new arrivals halted before them and he relaxed his stance, but kept a hand on Azriel ready to blast away at a moments notice. Fate had returned, her task completed, and she had brought the cavalry. The first was a red haired woman in a skimpy white top and cut off shorts with armored gloves and boots that made him raise an eyebrow at her attire. It really wasn't casual clothing, provocative was a better term though. She wore a short black cape and had what he would almost call dog ears. The second was boy, about the same age as Nanoha, with neck length blonde hair. He wore a green and cream colored tunic, a tan cape and boots and a cut off gloves. The last was a boy with blue hair in a black great coat with a small spike on each shoulder. Why most of them looked no old than ten he really didn't want to know. There had to be something in the water of Japan that lead to pubescent children gaining magical powers. That's the only explanation that makes sense he mused.

"You're here!" Nanoha cried, joy in her voice.

"Good job you two. I've directed my Enforcers to start damage control in the city. We should have the fires taken care quickly. The gas won't be too much trouble either," the blue haired boy, no older Nanoha herself, informed them.

Harry kept half an eye on newcomers and the other on the Book woman. Enemies on every side… ~Just like old times master~ Azriel quipped. He was inclined to agree with her. It wasn't the first time they had found themselves in the midst of enemies and potential enemies.

"You," the blue haired demanded pointing at Harry with his staff, "who are you? What is your business with the Book?"

Harry for a moment considered striking the boy down for his demanding tongue, but decided to humor the boy. "My name is Harrison Potter, but my friends call me Harry, of which you are not. My business here is my own and that Book woman," he jerked a thumb towards the still woman, "is of no interest to me. Or at least until I learned she plans to wipe out all life on this planet, which I'm fairly fond of. I wonder…"

"Harrison Potter, Harrison Potter, Harry Potter… That name is familiar for some reason," the blue haired boy mused.

"Perhaps A History of the Modern Wizarding World by Joseph Leywyn," he suggested.

"That's it! You're a wizard!"

Harry gave the boy a mocking applause best he could with Azriel in hand. "Got it in one. Give that boy something good, perhaps a car or maybe a trip to the moon or a one way ticket to death," Harry swung Azriel to face the boy. "Yes, I'm one of those oath breakers, heretics of magic, lost and damned kin, but that makes you a dog of the TSAB or a thrice damned sorcerer." He glared at the boy, who met his glare with on of equal force. His hatred for the TSAB was a several years old as he had uncovered a number of books covering the last thirty years of the cold war between the wizards and TSAB He knew of their willful inaction during the first rise of Voldemort and refusal to assist in the madman's removal that had broken the alliance the two had held for so many years.

"Huh? Wait I don't understand. What's going on here Chrono?" Nanoha asked. The rest of the group was equally puzzled by the boy's actions towards their apparent ally.

"Nanoha, get away from him," Chrono commanded coldly. "That man is a danger and cannot be trusted."

The girl for her part looked confused and worried. "Why? Why do you two hate each other? You just met!" she cried.

"Wizard," Chrono ignored Nanoha's plea, "I'll let you go for the time being. Leave this place and never return heretic. Never contact anyone in this crowd again!"

"I suppose you have a ship is in orbit, pup, if your arrogance is anything to go on. That must be why your so confident." Harry let out a mocking laugh. "Your authority does not reach this place. Earth is not your domain, I may do as I please and my pleasure to stay here."

"If you stay then I will forced to take you into custody for abuse of magic, interfering with a TSAB investigation, and conspiracy to steal a Lost Logia."

"I am a Wizard, you lot," Harry pointed the rest of the group, "are mages. Wizards are the…cousins of mages you could say. Our magic is the same, but our cultures, methods, spells, and technologies vary. Technically speaking I'm a soon to be Exiled Wizard, so I can go crazy and not get in trouble!" He gave the boy a sadistic smirk.

"Oh great! Not only is he a Wizard, but he annoyed his own government too. Were do you people come from? You people have that warped morality license to defend yourselves, what's you call it? The Statue of Secrecy otherwise known as do-what-you-want-and-erase-memories-of-anybody-who-sees-you-doing-it," Chrono spat at Harry.

"Go ahead try me, pup. You know that all it takes are two words, two simple words that every child of this world learns, to end your life. Three words and your group will die in my green light. Still think your ship can save you? I'd assume that all these people are your fellow pups or should that be slaves. I know how the TSAB rolls."

The tension rose along with confusion from the turn of events. Only an idiot could have missed the hate and raw power the two boys were giving off. Fate looked once at Nanoha and again at Harry. She could see the same desperate desire for companionship that Nanoha had worn when they clashed over the Jewel Seeds in the eyes of this Harry Potter, before Chrono had accused him of being a wizard.

She knew some of the history between the mages and wizards, but her mother had never deemed it an important part of her education. They were the same in many ways, but the differences had led to numerous hostile encounters. These two were acting the way they had been conditioned to act towards the other branch. She found herself disappointed in Chrono. He was suppose to be a mature officer of the TSAB, yet he had started the argument for no reason she could see. This Harry Potter had the look of a skilled fighter and the grace of a killer. Violence wasn't the best solution, but it was a means to an end; she had learned that from Nanoha, though it had be an unintentionally lesson, but this the green eyed wizard was on the verge of doing real harm. She had seen the same look in her mother's eyes as the whip bit into her skin. Fate quickly suppressed those memories, they were still painful.

In Chrono she saw a boy trapped by the weight of his station, a boy that just wanted to be free and enjoy life. A boy who's childhood had been taken, who's happiness had been stolen, by the Book of Darkness and who sought the light as he trudged on with the burden of duty. He was doing his duty as a TSAB officer in confronting this wizard. Do I have a right to interfere? A boy had offered to be her kin and give her everything she ever wanted in a family. Violence was a means to an end and these two would fight for old grudges and nothing more. Pain would lead to more pain, death to more death, and she would only see more families torn apart.

She could have done something. She could have rushed to the older teen and stood by him, though she knew little of him, to talk down Chrono. She could have stood with the younger teen and let him lay the burden of adulthood down for a moment with all its grudges. She could have saved both by forcibly tearing them away, but the sins of their forebears were too great. She could strike down the older teen. She could strike the younger down and chose her side. It was within her power to do so... she churned her options around and around in her head, trying to find the best option.

There wasn't a best option that she could see. She trembled; there were always options to control the situation, but she couldn't control this feud without losing something she wasn't willing to give up yet. She could have stopped the downward spiral at that moment. She could have lived up to her namesake and set them towards a new fate. She could have stopped the creation of monsters, merciless, and powerful monsters. She could have saved her friends, new comrades, and allies, but she was frozen by her own mind.

Indecision plagued her.

Indecision would damn her.

Indecision would send all of them and the multitude of dimensions into hell and beyond.

Indecision would ruin her life, love, and all she held dear.

Indecision would require no uncomfortable action.

…

No discomfort was a good thing for her.

She needed some stability.

…

…

Indecision was her choice...

And she knew her fate.

In the infinite void of temporal space, between the worlds and dimensions, in a distant corner of that space a small spark came into existence. The spark hopped and skipped along the surface of the frozen star in that lonely sector of space. Unexplored and unmapped dozens of stars lay cold and silent since the days of yore. Their light had died out long ago, leaving nothing but frozen lumps falling in space.

The spark skipped it way across the surface of one star, its light the only light in the inky black void of the temporal sea. Finally it found what it sought, a crack in the shell. Nimbly the spark dove in, driven by ancient wills to restart the star.

Slowly a faint yellow light issued from the star, the smallest of glows that stood out among its dark and silent kin like a lighthouse on a desolate coast. The shell began to shake as the star rumbled to life once more like a waking titian. Thousands of cracks began to form as the core began to rumble to life, the second dawn had started. From the depths of the star there came a sound where no sound could travel.

A roar and clash, a tinkle and rushing noise born by some unseen will slowly grew in power. The sound, guided by unseen hands, knew it's master. A purpose was given, an intent was formed by some eldritch command given when the core was nothing but gas. The sound resonated through its kin and beyond; into the void between worlds, between dimensions it brought the dread sound of it power as it rushed onwards.

The first of the Chaos Stars had awoken.

I shut the book. My arms trembled ever so slightly. Some how I knew this book was more than it seemed. The characters seemed familiar to me, their weapons were akin to the ones the Warlords carried, but it could only be a passing resemblance This book was important for some reason so secured it in my pocket and rejoined my squad. Though I had no idea who the writer was, but I knew the information within the pages would be revolutionary.

My only hope was that no Inquisitor was on the planet. I felt the magic power surrounding the book, not all of it pure like the White Devil's magic. Her Inquisitors were trained to track down the magic of other Warlords and given almost complete freedom to do so by any means necessary. Not to mention the fact that she had personally empowered and trained each Inquisitor who in turn trained the Mage Corps. The Mages then lorded over us, the common, magicless soldier for no reason other than they could.

I ignored the curious looks from my teammates and pointedly ignored any attempts of conversation for the rest of the patrol. I had no wish to fight for any of the Warlords, the monsters, but when you are given the option of watching your entire village flayed alive or fighting until death and beyond, the choice is clear.

The book…the secrets in it would change the world. That I knew instinctively.

A/N: If you can't tell this is a very AU Harry Potter and Nanoha A's is already being changed by his mere presence. I will be ignoring the sound stages and will be pretty much sending Nanoha off is a complete different direction from here on it. Chapter has be re-written, but not beta read... still waiting for my beta to get back.