This chapter didn't turn out the way I expected because of how long it's gotten. Also, over one year has passed since I started the Acedia series. I meant to finish this chapter up earlier but real life takes precedent so sorry for the long wait~!


Chapter 3: Break Away III

Trident Shamal was considered to be the best medical expert in the realm of Flame-related diseases and conditions. However, there was a catch when it came to getting treatment from the man: he refused to treat men. So, like so many others who came to Shamal seeking treatment, he turned Hadrian away. But that didn't stop the stubborn teen from trying again… And again… And again...

The first week consisted of the teen tracking him down using the snowy owl that was his Flame-bonded Animal Partner (which he swears might be psychic or something since it never fails to locate him no matter where he is). Time and time again, Hadrian would request his medical expertise only to be shot down each time.

The second week and most of the third week, Hadrian resorted to bribes. At first, it was purely monetary until the former-Wizard got the idea to include mouthwatering homemade lunches to sweeten the deal. However, Hadrian's patience began to dry up after three whole weeks of repeated failed attempts. The green-eyed young man resorted to politely "warning" Shamal that he would take drastic measures to force the Flame Doctor's hand.

Needless to say, Shamal didn't take the threats seriously. After all, he was a seasoned assassin. What could one malnourished teenaged civilian do to him?

In hindsight, he shouldn't have underestimated the kid's resources.

After rejecting yet another plea for his help, Shamal went on his way only to wake up the next morning, stripped down to his birthday suit with a very irate teenager holding a bottle of sulfuric acid ready to be poured over his groin area.

Trident Shamal was quick to agree after that... Not to mention a whole month of gourmet meals of his choice and 500 thousand euros wasn't that bad of a trade.

Fifty-six hours later, the Flame Doctor successfully extracted the Discorded Flame Shard from the teen. However, Hadrian didn't exactly come out of the Flame Surgery unscathed. After the procedure, not only did some of the teen's health problems previously caused by the Flame Shard, like severe vision loss and poor nutritional absorption, clear up within a few days, but the side effects that came with the extraction quickly reared its ugly head. Shamal wasn't the least bit surprised when he found out that his patient ended up developing a mutated form of Flame Starvation, a relatively uncommon but somewhat treatable Flame-related ailment.

Flame Starvation was a condition commonly found in Flame Addicts, people who'd become addicted to the Flames of a certain Element due to overexposure or a conditioned biological response. As a result, they would constantly crave those Flames, acting not unlike a drug addict desperately seeking out their next high. The majority of cases were cured within a few years with a mixture of therapy and tapering. However, Hadrian's case was different.

Much to the Flame Doctor's shock, a quick post surgery examination revealed that Hadrian Temperanza wasn't a pure Cloud as everyone had originally assumed. Instead the former-Wizard possessed primary Sky Flames and secondary Cloud Flames. As it turned out, his patient had been subconsciously overproducing his secondary Flames. This method neatly covered up the fact that he was an unaffiliated Sky. It probably wouldn't work against an expert actively trying to find out his Flame Type, but against inexperienced Users, it was more than effective.

Shamal later theorized that the young man's native Cloudy-Sky Flames may have also heavily influenced their Flame Starvation to be more severe and aggressive than normal. His Sky's Harmonizing factor combined with his Cloud's Propagating warped the symptoms and enhanced the effects of Flame Starvation.

Humans naturally seek out the things they lack. For Hadrian, his body was reliant on the presence of foreign Flames of any type in order to function normally. This made it impossible for him to be weaned off because even the most severe of Flame Starvation cases only dealt with one or two Elements rather than all of them in Hadrian's case. In addition, the teen became more hyperaware towards the presence of Flames, leading to more frequent migraines especially if he was in a building full of Flame Active people. On the plus side, this ability would make it harder for Mafiosi to get the drop on the teen. Unfortunately, Hadrian's Flame Starvation would probably never be cured, but it was relatively manageable to a certain extent that it wouldn't cause too much trouble to him and others around him.

That was the last time Trident Shamal would see the kid, and he thought it would stay that way…

Until about a year later in Namimori when he saw Hadrian with the Varia as not only their Cloud Officer, but also as Xanxus's representative for the Vongola Cloud Ring Battle.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

Inside Varia Headquarters, Mammon and Belphegor burst into the Lussuria's office. The tiny Mist rapidly honed in on to the martial artist. The blond teen, on the other, had the widest maniacal grin the Sun Officer had ever seen on the young Storm.

"Lussuria, what kind of luck do you have to have someone like that fall onto your lap?!" Mammon demanded.

The Sun Officer in question frowned in confusion and pondered for several moments until he finally realized that the Mist Arcobaleno was referring to Hadrian. "Oh! Is Hari-chan some sort of exiled prince or something? Now that I mentioned it, he does have that 'nobleman's child' look about him." His imagination ran wild as it came up with a variety of romantic backstories his young friend might have had.

"Ushishishishi... Technically, he's a Lord, and an heir of at least two or three lines that I know of. It's impressive because even the prince acknowledges his lineage," Belphegor clarified before adding as an afterthought, "but only as a peasant-Lord since he's not royalty like me even though his ancestry is a few hundred years older."

The House of Potter could trace their family line back to around the 1000s when they used to refer to themselves as Peverell. Belphegor's own lineage, on the other hand, established themselves as a ruling monarchy around the same time the duchy of Prussia was founded in 1525. Technically, Hadrian would've been Belphegor's better if it wasn't for his "commoner" mother. However, exactly how "blue" the other teen's blood was compared to the Storm Officer's was still up in the air, mostly due to the recent groundbreaking discovery that all Muggleborn Witches and Wizards had been proven to be descendents of disowned Squibs who'd fled to the Muggle World.

Later in a meeting with Squalo, both Mammon and Bel gave a report on why Hadrian was such a big deal to them. Apparently, the kid was some big shot celebrity just for surviving a serial killer. Not exactly a big deal in the Mafia World, where the laws of physics were broken just as easily as federal laws, and faking one's death pretty much counted as a hobby. Sure, the kid may be famous in the world of wands and brooms, but that wasn't what the Varia cared about.

Well, not completely.

"We've hit the jackpot!" Mammon squealed as they practically can-can danced about Squalo's office. "His connections, his influence, his money! So help me, Squalo, if you let Temperanza go, I will charge you so much that all the currencies in the world won't be enough to cover your debt with me."

"VOI, would you quit floating around, baby trash?!" The swordsman roared in reply before adding, "Besides, you know the fuckling rules. He has to earn his place in the Varia fair and square. First, we need to see what the brat could bring to the table."

"In that case, why don't we all visit Hari-chan in between our missions? It'll keep Ottavio from getting too suspicious and you guys can see for yourself how he'll fit into the Varia," Lussuria suggested as he got out his phone to call up his little emerald-eyed friend to inform the teen about this new update.

Just as he was about to press the "call" button, a text message from said teen popped up on the screen.

Smol Kitten texted to Macho Sorella: hey, Luss… Shamal fainted when he redid my flame exam after surgery. my results say i have sky primary and cloud secondary. cloud i can understand but sky… is it bad i have 2 diff flames? ¯\_()_/¯

...

Oh…

That would explain why Lussuria warmed up to Hadrian so quickly. Maybe Mammon was right after all. What did the Varia do to have Lussuria stumble upon someone like Hadrian?

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

Superbi Squalo's first meeting with Hadrian Temperanza didn't turn out the way he expected to go. He wanted to see if the kid had any kind of combat experience. He had plans made and everything. He was even going to scare the baby Cloud brat a little to keep things as authentic as possible.

On the contrary, that didn't happen. However, what he did discover was that the kid could be a twisted piece of shit of Quality proportions when pushed.

At a table outside of a smoothie shop, Squalo found the black-haired teen slumped in his seat, cradling his cup of pureed fruit like a shot glass with one hand. His head was facedown and his other arm dangled freely below the table. He resembled a drunken alcoholic. Not only that, the sight of the former-Wizard's pet owl nonchalantly using her owner's prone head as a perch painted an amusing picture for the Varia Rain.

"VOI! Are you still alive or are you too busy crying over a fucking smoothie?" Squalo bellowed at the teen.

"...I just quit my job last night..." Hadrian mumbled into the table surface as Hedwig physically drooped in depression.

"And why the fuck should that mat-

"This is the eighth time. EIGHT! I can't keep a job for more than a few months at best. At this rate, I'm probably better off being one of those people who stay at home and upload videos about themselves reacting to that anime thing my cousin was obsessed with," the teen ranted as Hedwig angrily waved her wings around in sync with her owner's words.

According to Lussuria, the kid apparently had been having problems finding a stable job and keeping it. Some of the reasons why he got the pink slip of the week were pretty typical...others were downright hilarious (like the one time Hadrian went Gordon Ramsay on a shitty kitchen staff).

"Just out of curiosity, why did you quit?"

At that, Hedwig snorted and turned her beak up as though she smelled something disgusting. "My former boss's son. The guy was an arrogant, entitled manchild who got his job as assistant manager because daddy dearest is the owner of our workplace."

Squalo scowled in distaste. "So one of those then…" He was familiar with the spoiled brat type back during his school days. In Mafia Academy, there was no shortage of heirs and heiresses of wealthy Famiglias who were used to throwing around their Don's influence to get what they want. "Voi, you better tell me that you at least gave him a good punch in the face or something."

Hedwig shrugged innocently as Hadrian replied, "Well no... but I did trick him into eating Rocky Mountain oysters..."

Squalo frowned in confusion. "How the hell would an appetizer solve anything!?"

The teen interrupted him. "I'm not done… Rocky Mountain oysters made from his own balls," Hadrian finished with Hedwig spreading her wings wide and shaking them lightly in a tah-dah manner.

For the first time in his life, Squalo had gone completely silent. The awkward moment seemed to last forever as it stretched on for several moments. Finally, the Varia Rain burst out into a full-bellied roar of laughter.

"VOI! Most civilian men can't stomach that sort of thing," Squalo hiccuped out in between snickers.

"Most civilian men didn't stay up late into the night researching how veterinarians perform the operation," the teen dryly commented as Hedwig puffed up her chest in pride. "Long story short, I was thinking about how he was so into his own hype that much so I figured he would enjoy sucking on his own nether regions. Hence where I got the idea."

"So how'd you avoid getting arrested for pulling that stunt?"

"You have to have evidence in order to persecute someone," Hadrian purred as Hedwig gave Squalo the evilest smirk he'd ever seen on an owl's face. "You'd be surprised on how little people pay attention to an innocent-looking, doe-eyed brat."

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

DUMBLEDORE'S NEGLIGENCE? THIRTEEN HOGWARTS STUDENTS KIDNAPPED DURING HOGSMEADE WEEKEND

By Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet Senior Reporter, Special Correspondent

KIDNAPPED STUDENTS FOUND AT LAST:

Heroic Aurors Recovered All Thirteen Missing Children

By Jean Dupont, Daily Prophet Photojournalist

HEARTBREAKING DIAGNOSIS OF TOP MEDIWIZARDS!

By Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet Senior Reporter, Special Correspondent

THE CURSED STUDENTS TRAGEDY TAKES A CONTROVERSIAL TURN:

Hogwarts's Idea of "Helping" the "Bloodless" Cursed Students Is Expelling Them

By Nomen Nescio, Wizarding World News Investigative Journalist

MOTION CARRIED OUT BY SCHOOL BOARD:

All Thirteen Bloodless Are Formally Expelled From Hogwarts's Student Roster

By Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet Senior Reporter, Special Correspondent

BLOODLESS IS THE NEW MUDBLOOD?: CURSED STUDENT INCIDENT MAY GIVE RISE TO NEW PREJUDICES

Luna Lovegood Sheds Light on Her Perspective in One-on-One Interview

MAGICAL CORE DRAINING CURSE TAKES ITS FIRST BLOODLESS VICTIM:

What Does Will This Mean For The Wizarding World?

By Joe Bloggs, Daily Prophet Data Journalist

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

The Burrow may not seem like the most fortified of headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, but it was the only available stronghold Dumbledore had access to now that Sirius had barred him and the Order from Grimmauld property. After much persuasion, he had managed to convince Arthur and Molly to allow him to conduct an emergency private meeting in their home. Perhaps it may have been cruel of him to take advantage of their lapse in judgement due to grief, but this meeting was for the Greater Good of the Wizarding World.

"Albus, what are we going to do? Poor Neville was one of the victims! How can we expect him to defeat You-Know-Who if he's about to die before the end of the next school year?!" Emmeline Vance wailed in despair.

The old Wizard laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You needn't worry, my dear. While it's a shame that we've lost two boys to unlucky circumstances, I may have found a solution. After a bit of searching here and there, I came across an interesting read."

Reaching into the bag he brought with him, he took out several sheets of parchment bounded by some string. They were yellow with age and looked as though they would crumble to dust at the slightest touch. Even the words written on the ancient pages revealed just how old it was, the ink having been faded due to the passage of time.

This was an unusual sight for most of the Witches and Wizards present. Nowadays, ancient records spanning back centuries could be easily kept as though they had just been written with a few Preservation Charms. However, what Albus had showed them may have existed prior to the invention of those Charms.

Albus carefully passed them over to Minerva who took the papers while giving them a dubious look. Her curiously aroused, she looked down at the faded front page and slowly read the title to the best of her ability. "...'Secrets of the Seven Gems' by Lavinia Lockheart?"

"The unpublished remains of an underappreciated Witch's research left to be forgotten to time," he answered easily. "This is how the Light will win the war."

"How will a moth eaten pile of papers help?" Severus sneered dubiously as he flipped through the papers, eyeing both the Headmaster and the research notes with no small amount of distrust. "Half of the contents are missing and the rest you can barely read."

"Inside contains information about a power that Voldemort knows not about. If Witches and Wizards are able to utilize this power, then there may be no need for a Chosen One to defeat him."

"You all have forgotten a few things," Alastor Moody interrupted his old friend. "The majority of Voldemort's Death Eaters are from old Pureblood families. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two of them have a copy hidden somewhere in their family libraries. What's stopping the Dark Lord from strolling into his followers' homes and gaining access to this and more."

"After much deliberation, I have reason to believe that it is an unlikely scenario," Albus concluded confidently. "Firstly, Miss Lockheart only made a handful copies of these notes because she couldn't take the risk to publish her findings as her research was viewed as almost heretical at the time. After she shared her research with a selected group of trusted colleagues, she destroyed the original. It's highly possible that this copy is the only survivor. Another factor, you see, also plays in our favor. This 'Soulfire' power, as Miss Lockheart explained, comes from an unconventional source. "

"Where?"

"Muggles."


AN: To be honest, I had forgotten about Hedwig. Then again, there's currently not much I can do to make her shine like I had in the original. Maybe once Hadrian finally enters the Varia.

Shamal's Kidnapping: Hadrian used the Cloak of Invisibility (Yes, he still has it. He just hasn't had the opportunity to use it until now.) with a healthy dose of Slytherin cunning to catch him off guard. I know, canonically, the Cloak can only protect its user from optical detection and anything else that would affect the Cloak itself. Therefore, it shouldn't have been possible for Shamal, who was scouted as a potential member of the Varia, to not at least hear Hadrian coming. I would like to defend this sudden onslaught of Gary-Stu-ness by having Shamal underestimate Hadrian's capabilities because a) he's a civilian, b) has no training whatsoever on how to professionally kill a person let alone using his Flames for combat purposes, c) assumed that Hadrian wouldn't have the guts to try and hurt him, d) gotten so used to Hadrian that he became complacent with his awareness towards Hadrian's actions, and e) doesn't know that Hadrian had some practice sneaking around to survive (ie. Hogwarts misadventures and Dursleys).

Rocky Mountain Oysters: A North American hors d'oeuvre delicacy consisting of deep fried cattle testicles. For those of you who've read Acedia, you've probably noticed that this idea from the alternate scene omake was recycled into Hadrian's bonding moment with Squalo.

Newspaper Titles: If you're wondering what the heck is going on behind the scenes, there will be a back-to-back series of interludes explaining things from Hadrian's future Guardians POV.

OC Names: All of the non-canon character names in this chapter are various equivalents of "John Doe," aka placeholder names for people. I make it a habit to not name any background characters, especially if they're not all that important and you're not likely going to hear from them ever again.


Omake III: Meet the Mother Hen(s)

Lussuria had just found himself a new best friend. She was cold and ruthless to her foes, but with just the right amount of sweetness towards her loved ones to be endearing. She's a bit haughty, but that arrogance is backed up by her dazzling beauty, dizzying intelligence, and a hidden malevolent side waiting to come out at a moment's notice. But what Lussuria liked most of all about his new friend was her creativity when it came to punishing her enemies in the most humiliating, agonizing ways.

"What do you think, Widdy-chan? Does our little canvas have just the right amount of purple or does it need more red?" Lussuria asked the owl after she finished disemboweling the battered form of the man in front of him.

Their current victim was Hadrian's ex-coworker who had tried to frame the teen for theft and assault. The incident escalated to the point where the police was called in. Luckily the investigation proved Hadrian's innocence, but the real culprit was never found. His workplace then decided to fire him in order to save face for their customers, allowing the guilty party to get away scot free at the expense of a teenager.

Unfortunately, the culprit's luck ran out. He didn't take into account that Hadrian Temperanza had some very vindictive friends eager to make him bleed.

At Lussuria's question, Hedwig barked only once in reply as she hopped away from the pathetically crying human. Her amber eyes narrowed as she gave the gurgling human in front of her a wicked glare. Her bloodstained talons scratched at the ground almost impatiently as she carefully cleaned her claws of every drop of blood.

The flamboyant man hummed a little before giving the man a critical look. Then, he nodded and made a small noise of agreement towards the snowy owl. "Oh, you're right, darling!" Then, the martial artist's eyes fell on the man's miraculously still intact teeth. "There needs to be a little less white~!" Lussuria purred menacingly as he tightened his black leather gloves.

A month later, a group of hikers found the horribly mutilated body of Pinco Pallino, aged 36, in a cave. The investigators ruled that his death was an accident. After getting into a bar fight, he stumbled into the forest and had a bad run in with one of Italy's larger birds of prey, which ended up killing him after a few lucky strikes in the stomach and throat.


AN: The omake was an idea inspired by Arekkusu Akuma1. Give them a shout-out for Lussuria and Hedwig's bonding session~!

To be honest, I had a bit of trouble writing this part out. The first few drafts didn't go so well. Originally, the omake was more light-hearted. It was supposed to be Lussuria recording Hedwig and Hadrian having a glaring contest (read: argument) over her pranks on his ex-bosses/douchebag co-workers. However, I fell back into my old habits, and the whole thing felt forced. So I wrote a different omake, and this is the final result.

Once again, thank you, blackkat1325, for all your help.

And thank you all for reading this reboot~! Any and all reviews, favorites, and follows are appreciated~! =(ω)/