Hey there!

This is my latest update of Kaleidoscope of Magic. I hope you will be with me for the upcoming chapters, despite the regrettable lateness of this particular update. Again, I make no excuse for the lapse of time between this chapter and the last, but only plead understanding of the business of life.

I sincerely hope this chapter is to your liking.

Regards,

Karldin.

CHAPTER 37

"Tell me, Potter, have you ever faced a Mistfiend?"

"Not really, Namshiel", replied Harry affably, satisfied by the man's slightly widened eyes. His Sharingan could pick up such minutiae no matter how subtly it was thought to be hidden. "I know you failed to defeat my forefather Arcturus in a duel before; that trauma probably weighs on you now and you've summoned something from the Nevernever to do your fighting for you. A wise decision, actually…I mean, you got defeated by a Mangekyo. How will you stand against my eyes, that are eternal and compounded with the strength both of Arcturus and I?", he asked, infusing a touch of wondering curiosity into his tone. Evolette really was a fount of information, one that he was beyond glad to have.

Oh, he's angry. Unlike most other opponents, Namshiel grows extremely focused when angry. Congratulations, you just made this fight very hard for yourself, sighed Evolette within his mind.

"I have grown, boy", Namshiel said quietly in reply, and Harry was slightly alarmed by the amounts of Hellfire he saw roaring within the man's magic. It literally lit the air up everywhere to his perception, afire with evil and so elemental that it made his hair stand on end. "I am no longer the one who lost against your feckless ancestor. Do you actually believe I fear a stripling like you? Do you think I know so little? If so, you are quite mistaken. Voldemort, leave us", he said, not looking at the Dark Lord.

Harry glanced at the Dark Lord, who seemed satisfied at this turn of events. "Yes, Voldemort. Run along like a good little dog", he added with a taunting smirk. The darkness that reigned everywhere in the town seemed to deepen instantly as Voldemort looked back at him with a calm look, a look that screamed death to Harry in every way. "I know why Namshiel wants you to leave", he continued conspiratorially, looking towards the Dark Lord, "he doesn't want you to see him being torn to shreds by me. Yeah, that must be it", he said, nodding his head as if he finally understood.

You are suicidal, declared Evolette. And if I weren't within your being, I would think delusional.

I like living on the edge. The edge of a knife, he added whimsically, recalling the line from the verse about the Rinnegan. The screams of the dying, and the lamentations of fear had died out by now, leaving only the occasional scream to tear the fearful silence of the night. His Eternal Mangekyo began to faintly observe a faint mist forming behind Namshiel, taking on a large, vague shape with numerous tentacles of possibly longer than thirty foot that hovered in the air in all directions. And you know why I need to win this fight. This fellow is a Denarian, as is Voldemort. They have within them a sliver of one of the powers I seek. And I cannot use Susano since I am close to my limit, he told Evolette seriously.

Harry, you realise I am not worried about you, not as I used to be before. Now I am just concerned. Break his connection permanently to his summons. It is an enormous risk, but one I think you should take. Use Tsukuyomi the way I taught you, Evolette suggested quietly.

I love you, Evolette, he said seriously, and felt that faith in him that she spoke of flood his mind like a river of light. "Bye, Voldemort! I can almost see a tail tucked between your legs!", he called out, peering through the darkness as Voldemort seemingly prepared to disapparate. The two Wizards seemed to have reached an agreement after their muttered argument. Voldemort stared straight at him, frowning.

"Harry, I promise you will suffer for those immature taunts. You will pay with blood, both your own and that of those you hold dear",promised the Dark Lord quietly, as he slowly dissolved into black vapour. Harry could not quite come up with an adequate retort to that heartfelt promise of pain, and instead settled for another simple retort even as his Mangekyo observed the Mistfiend forming completely behind Namshiel.

"Screw you!", he shouted to Voldemort, watching his enemy disappear completely and race far into the sky as a comet of black vapour.

"Yes, very eloquent", Namshiel commented dryly. Harry scowled at him, and his expression didn't change as the Mistfiend finished forming completely and attacked without an instant's delay. The world seemed to slow down to his perception, and he could see the tentacle falling towards him like a steel-edged whip, its gaseous structure belying its utter danger. Namshiel seemed to be able to command the thing effortlessly, something that required deep knowledge of the thing's composition. He knew from Evolette that such knowledge had to be given, not acquired…such a thing would take more than a single lifetime to obtain.

The Fallen possess centuries of arcane knowledge. Be extremely careful when you cut the connection, and expel him the moment it is done, Evolette whispered in his mind as he completely ignored the tentacle that would likely slice him into pieces. Attacking the creature would not solve the problem; if he had to end this decisively, he would have to finish off Namshiel.

He looked right through the darkness to where Namshiel stood, and gazed into one of the two pairs of eyes the wizard possessed. This would be a terrible gamble, but definitely the fastest way to even the odds.

"Tsukuyomi."

The dark town, the slicing tentacle of the Mistfiend, the nearly ceded screams of the wounded…they all faded away like crumbling paper to reveal the Red World, the nightmare realm generated by his most powerful illusion. The white clouds raced against the red skies much faster than in 'reality', and the contrast in this world was much more pronounced than ever before.

"Don't bother, I am God here, Namshiel", said Harry flatly to the Denarian who was crucified to a tall cross. The clouds in the world began racing in response to his anger, evoked by Namshiel's rasping laugh.

"Do you even know the meaning of that word, boy? God? You are merely in control of this world, that's all. Those eyes of yours magnify the control to a level that might seem impressive to the odd Wizard, but not to me!", said the Denarian, still laughing disdainfully. Harry's gaze narrowed at the man, and the next instant blood splattered on the ground, followed by the pained howls of his victim. Oddly, he did not feel the enjoyment he did when he had done this previously. A faint sense of revulsion filled him at this cold torture he was doling out, even to one as darkly corrupt as Namshiel.

"One month here is one second in the real world, Namshiel", Harry said without emotion. "And I know the power of the Fallen. This illusion is powerful, yes, but I know it was not designed to hold the servants of the Almighty…fallen or otherwise", he continued speaking, even as he appeared before the Wizard who was pinned to the cross by steel spikes at every joint of his body. Harry held no false ego about Tsukuyomi's potency; Evolette had always said that the Fallen were far too ancient and skilled to be held down by illusory magic…even if cast by the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

Especially Namshiel, whose knowledge of sorcery was beyond any of the Fallen.

Already he could feel the edges of the Tsukuyomi being disturbed, by something even his Mangekyo could not counter. As it is he was barely suppressing the Fallen, exerting most of his strength into the illusion. Namshiel roared as practically every inch of his body was pinned to the cross by sharp spikes appearing out of nothingness, and his scream continued to pierce the heavens of the illusory world as Harry's hand thrust into his chest.

Instead of pulling out gore, however, Harry pulled out a string of gaseous substance that seemed to be pulsing at the edges.

He was about to break the connection Namshiel had forged with the Mistfiend, merely by the momentary control he had over the Fallen's mind.

"Clever boy. So you do have some skill. But I already feel the matrix of your being, and I can see the holes in your weaving", panted the Fallen, as Harry completely pulled out the string of 'gas' and cast it into a pit of lava that opened up at his will. "I will show you the true meaning of Hell, and roast your soul in its fires for eternity. Perish for daring to enter the mind of a Fallen Angel!", roared Namshiel, and Harry felt his mind fold in on itself. It was pain beyond anything he had ever felt as he, for the first time ever, saw Tsukuyomi shatter completely.

He couldn't even scream as he felt fires hotter than anything he had ever felt become his entire world, replacing his familiar Red World. Namshiel seemed to be everywhere, and Harry's mind was filled with sheer torment of being burned alive. Each moment felt like an eternity as Namshiel's oppressive presence stole over his consciousness, using the connection the Tsukuyomi had connected with incredible skill.

"No", he said with a cracked voice. He felt Namshiel burrowing ever deeper into his mind like a relentless drill, about to find Evolette within him. "No", he whispered again, the pain making him float senselessly as whips of white fire lashed at him from every direction. Gathering the prodigious amounts of Lifeforce he had been gifted by the Flamels, he once again became aware of his eyes.

The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, eyes greater than those with which Arcturus Peverell defeated this Fallen long ago.

"NO!"

Harry was roughly aware of his knees hitting the cold stone pavement forcefully, and his eyes stung as if it were being gouged out. Backlash of the Tsukuyomi's shattering. Thank you for stopping him before he discovered me, said Evolette softly, as he blinked, still seeing Hellfire even in the pitch darkness of his surroundings. He dimly observed Namshiel panting some distance from him, and the absence of the Mistfiend. He had succeeded but not without feeling a taste of the strength wielded foremost magician of the Denarians.

I…it hurts to use Sharingan, he said faintly.

It's our only chance, Harry. You have weakened Namshiel too, and it is only your lifeforce that keeps us standing now. Bring him down now, with whatever spell you can, before he can recover!, Evolette urged. Harry growled as he stood up, his body screaming as it remembered the illusory torments he had undergone under Namshiel's mercy. Anger gave wings to his energy, and he looked at the Denarian who was ostensibly still reeling from what Harry had put him through.

Too tired. Too hurt, he said weakly to Evolette as he crashed back to the ground. My skin still feels like someone is burning it from within..Aargh!, he groaned, watching hopelessly as Namshiel stood up, all four eyes glowing in the dark as the Denarian seemed completely recovered from the assault of the Tsukuyomi. Evolette, I took too much. I can't-

I'll fight for you this once, she assured him, calmness and resolve spilling from her being into his own. Harry felt control of his body leave him, and was faintly aware of his body moving without his direction. You haven't yet conquered fear, but I am proud of you for facing Namshiel knowing these would be the consequences. Let me do the rest…you have cut his connection to the Mistfiend permanently, and that blow has weakened him quite some even if he does not show it.

"You are no Arcturus. You have eyes that surpass his, but you don't know how to use them as he did. Foolish boy", said Namshiel as he approached Harry on firm feet. "I'll admit your audacity in using an illusion on me of all people caught me off guard, and I was surprised by its strength…but you forget who I am. Pathetic illusions will not work on me, I who have seen the Creation of the world by the First Word of the Almighty!", the Denarian proclaimed proudly, his raised hands growing with green light…ready to smite a kneeling Harry down once and for all. The minute twitches of the Denarian's hands did not go unnoticed by Harry, even though he had temporarily ceded control of his body to Evolette.

Namshiel too had taken heavy mental damage through his Tsukuyomi, as Evolette said.

I'll have to rest for a few days after this, I think, said Evolette grimly as Harry stood up. It's been a long time since I truly felt the power of a Mangekyo Sharingan. I should do this more often, she said in an increasingly delighted tone as Harry felt a new presence connected to his eyes alongside his. It was a curious sensation, but quite intimate. It felt like he had surrendered almost everything to Evolette now, and he did not relish the vulnerable feelings that came with it.

Finish him, please. I won't be conscious for too long now, he pleaded with her, feeling the burns of Namshiel's counter illusion even now. His mouth moved but it was Evolette who spoke to Namshiel.

"Kamui."

Namshiel immediately swept his hands in a wide horizontal circle in response to that intonation, and Harry's heart leapt as he saw the ground erupt all around them in a shower of rubble and shining green light. The dark night was lit everywhere by the sinister light of Namshiel's spell, and the force that sought to crush him was so overpowering that the entire town shuddered. The pavement was now more, being crushed uniformly into floating powder around him in all directions. You're much better at this than me, he thought admiringly and somewhat jealously as Evolette used the space-time technique with absolute ease and finesse.

Of course. This used to be my technique. You inherited it by having my soul inside yours, she replied amusedly as pieces of rubble that would have ordinarily carved him into ribbons seemed to pass through him as if he didn't even exist. And yes, Namshiel is very powerful. I already told you this, she spoke in return to his amazed observation of the effect of their opponent's spell. If that force had struck him, Harry doubted he could have blocked it with anything other than the Yata Mirror.

"My turn", said Evolette through Harry's lips, as the dust cleared and the flickers of green light lighting up the air subsided to reveal a faintly surprised Namshiel.

"This is the technique of Arcturus' daughter, boy. How is it that you can perform this?", he asked in a disdainful voice sprinkled with curiosity at the edges.

Harry was even more surprised at this, but Evolette's resolve grew. I was young when I first met him, she told him in before he could ask the question. It is a long story. Maybe I should try acting arrogantly like you do, I've never done that before, she pondered and looked up to face the Denarian.

"I can do things you can't even imagine, you sorry excuse for an Angel. If I were the Almighty, I would smite you and be done with it."

How was that?, she asked Harry curiously.

Its working, replied Harry dryly, as they saw through their shared Mangekyo Namshiel's convulsions of pain turn into convulsions of sheer anger. Now please finish this. I can't-

Oh, my apologies, responded Evolette immediately. Watch how i use the Kamui, if you can. You expend too much lifeforce on using it. Maybe you can pick up something useful here, she told him as Namshiel's hands began crackling with light again. Harry peered as much as he could through the hazes of the residual pain, and was alarmed once more at the spell the Denarian was creating. The air all around them was beginning to literally electrify, causing static to fly around wildly as several crashing and whirring sounds were heard all around the town.

Is he creating real lightning?, asked Harry, amazed despite himself. This was Spellwork he had seen Merlin Emrys do in what seemed like a different lifetime, a memory he had shown Hermione to stoke her desire for power. Wand Wizards could only accomplish a weak imitation, their spells lacking the true power of Nature. The same was true of Raw Wizards, thought their spells were far more devastating. Can you even dodge this, Evolette? You cannot remain intangible forever, he said anxiously to her. He was quickly beginning to take Namshiel very seriously; pain did not drive him mad like before, but he was not eager to go through that ordeal again.

"Peverell…how I hate that name", Namshiel spat, his hands alive and glowing with crackles of green electricity so bright as to be white. "And I can finally rid this world of your cursed blood. Disappear with the lightning, cursed child.Välk!"

What followed was one of the most incredible displays of the Sharingan Harry had ever seen. He was so close to Evolette's soul that he could even perceive the world that she did through his eyes, and he was amazed by how much more she saw with them. Flashes of lightning that would have blinded him completely were not so to Evolette…she could see through them with no effort. She was easily as talented as him, if not more.

Evolette, I am just jealous of you now, he said flatly.

She had little time to reply though, for their entire field of vision had become filled with forks of deadly lightning. The entire landscape would simply appear a searing white to one of normal vision, but Evolette simply used the Kamui with such stunning skill that they disappeared and appeared elsewhere faster even than the lightning. They were not dodging the lightning, Harry realized.

The spell was not what Evolette was anticipating.

She was looking directly at Namshiel, and was predicting his next attack through sheer mastery of the Sharingan. Harry knew then and there that he had ignored a powerful ability in his arsenal…Evolette's smugness at this realisation became known to him as she dodged hundreds of forks of lightning with no apparent effort. Namshiel's terrible attack lit up the entire sky, and tore up the town in a display of horrible devastation; it was possibly one of the most powerful spells Harry had seen.

I missed doing this, you know, Evolette said calmly to him, as she easily saw the next forks of lightning coming at them and disappeared in several successive spirals of air. She seemed to be circling them ever closer to Namshiel, whose four eyes were alight with raw power. Your eyes are much stronger than mine used to be. I can do things much easier than before, she observed to him, even as she turned them intangible just before an enormous fork of green lightning descended from the skies and speared through their form.

I'm so glad. Now can we get this over with? I'm…close to losing consciousness, he sighed, the pain eventually giving way to a debilitating fatigue. If I do so, you will probably lose it too. So you better-

Evolette didn't even respond, but he felt her serene acknowledgement as she turned them intangible a dozen times in succession to avoid getting fried by as many blasts of energy. This was real skill, realized Harry, deep respect for Evolette rearing after seeing her fight for the first time.Namshiel was literally destroying the entire town in an attempt to kill him with attacks of real lightning, but it was of no avail. The air warped around Namshiel almost like a heat haze in all directions as Evolette caused them to circle ever closer with just the Kamui while dodging at speeds unprecedented, and with a series of twists of air, evaded Namshiel's lightning and appeared right in front of him.

Eternal Mangekyo met demonic green eyes, and the world seemed to slow down for Harry. Awareness of pain and exhaustion suddenly became known to him again as Evolette abruptly returned control to him. He could feel her own exhaustion as she retreated deep within his psyche while speaking tiredly:

Harry, I am sorry but I cannot use-

He did not waste time as he summoned the last of his strength, and released the heavenly flames with the power of his Eternal Mangekyo.

"AMATERASU!"

Namshiel reacted with instant, unhesitating brutality, and met the torrent of heavenly flames with enormous forks of his lightning that arced thirty feet into the air. Harry shielded himself with a wordless charm, as the ground around them literally burnt into glass at the extreme heat exuded by the attacks. Blindingly bright forks of lightning in the dozens met the walls of unquenchable flames that seemed to swallow it up eventually.

Finish it!, exhorted Evolette, and Harry summoned even more of the Black Flames. Like the night swallowing the last of the sunset, Amaterasu burnt away even the full force of the lightning. Harry grinned lopsidedly as the flames summoned by his eyes surrounded Namshiel like a tornado; the fires were so hot that as they swept through, the Denarian simply ceased to exist.

We got him, thought Harry, as he ambled over slowly to where the Denarian had simply faded into ashes. He dimly observed the poor Muggle town destroyed completely by the force of their battle, random debris littering everywhere. They're taking down the isolation wards. The Ministry is probably coming in at last, the cowards, he thought disdainfully, sinking down to his knees from the utter tiredness. Amaterasu did not harm him, though it raged around everywhere in walls of unquenchable black, blending into the night and exuding heat enough to melt the earth.

Harry.

What, he asked, his body not obeying his will to stand upright any longer. Three figures became visible to him, all of them finding a way through the torrent of Amaterasu gingerly. Oh, they're holding electric torches, Harry whispered faintly, feeling the powerful beams of light upon

his face as he fell to the ground. They're muggle.

Harry, these are not Wizards or Muggles or anyone you know, Evolette said to him, as his eyes began closing to the world. They are-

Harry lost the sound of her voice as he felt strong arms grasp him, and lift him up as if he were nothing but a child.

"Sleep, boy. You have done more than enough of His work today", said a deep voice to him, and it was all he needed to lose the war to soothing unconsciousness.

…

"Professor, the Obliviator Squad has rounded up the remaining muggles, fixed their memories and redistributed them across the country temporarily. The town is being repaired even as we speak, and the dead are being taken care of as well. This place should be back to normal within tomorrow", said a department operative crisply.

"Very well, David, thank you. Please see to it that the Ministry is stalled until we have had enough time here", she said with a nod to the black-robed operative, watching him disapparate. All around her, the destroyed and burnt town of Devonshire was being put back rapidly by one of the Department squads under her direct command. Reparo, she thought, waving a hand absently at the wrecked pavement and houses lining it.

"Your spellwork is grand as ever, Perenelle."

"Rashid", acknowledged Perenelle, turning to greet the tall Raw Wizard even as the entire street seemed to put itself together at her spell. Entire sections of the pavement flew around randomly, and seamlessly formed into its previous state. Sections of the victorian houses lining the road flew up from where they were lying on the street, and assembled themselves back to where they belonged. It was a dizzying dance of reconstruction, and Perenelle took a moment to admire her own work as she faced the Gatekeeper.

"Where is Nicholas?", asked Rashid idly, his eyes looking over at the distance.

"He is otherwise occupied", sighed Perenelle as she looked to the side to follow his line of sight, and her eyes watered slightly as she beheld an entire section of the town burning down, encircled completely by the flames of Amaterasu that towered higher than most buildings there. After centuries of life, her brother had faded into the many things contained in her subconscious. Seeing the heavenly flames of Amaterasu blazing like thisafter all this time brought back memories she thought long gone, brought them back with a rage.

You once protected me by destroying our enemies with these very flames, Arcturus. Your heir is now doing the same, she thought sadly, remembering those desperate times when Arcturus had saved her from the Black Court nest when she was but a young girl. Her mask of composure cracked ever so slightly as she considered how little she had done for her brother's descendant. All she and Nicholas had done had been too little too late, trusting people they should have known were too jaded to care for an innocent child.

"We cannot find him, Rashid, nor could we find Namshiel's coin", she said to the Wizard who was waiting respectfully for her to gather herself. The last pieces of debris flew around in a dance, and before long the once destroyed pavement was as good as new but for the people that once inhabited it. "We agreed he was to be in your charge, and that of the Archive's. Nicholas and I trust you alone in the Senior Council…we do so because of you stay away from their disgusting politicking. When we called upon the favour you owed us, I did not expect you to send Harry to fight!", she said, her anger mounting at the Gatekeeper.

"Calm yourself, Perenelle", said Rashid in that curious middle-eastern accent, mixed with a refined upper-London tone. She could clearly see his artificial eye as he removed the hood concealing his face in shadows. "I know what I am doing with young Harry. The boy is special, especially to my duties and the Archive's. I will not let him perish. I swore to you and your husband that I would see him become greater than Arcturus, and you know I do not make my promises lightly."

"Be that as it may, how did you expect someone like him face one as vile as Thorned Namshiel?", asked Perenelle angrily of the Wizard.

"He was being watched over even as he fought. I called upon my allies to watch over him", responded Rashid serenely, tapping his long staff's butt upon the ground. "I hope that helps in your efforts to heal the destruction here", he said, nodding towards the ground where the unquenchable flames burned.

"It helps", said Perenelle, watching the ground under the torrential Amaterasu flames tremble and sink into the ground. The earth shook and quaked as Rashid's spell buried the heavenly flames under the earth itself, erasing them from the surface. The flames would probably burn under this town for centuries, eating through the earth to its very core and beyond. "But I need to know where Harry is now. So, where is he?", she demanded sharply of the Gatekeeper.

"The place where he can remember faith, now that he has remembered friendship. It should not be so hard to reason out, Perenelle. There are three people in this world to whom the Order of the Blackened Denarius are sworn opponents, and they will be the ones who Harry will accompany for the next few months", replied Rashid.

"The Knights of the Cross", breathed out Perenelle. "Rashid, have you gone completely-"

"I admit they have their own beliefs, but there are few in this world whose faith is stronger. They will teach the boy what it is to be truly strong, instead of being hard", the Wizard said, looking down to the ground. "Do not censure me, Perenelle. It is you and Nicholas who have ultimately turned him into what he is now, even after hearing that prophecy. I am only making him whole, and that needs perspective so he can begin healing himself. You train your apprentice, Perenelle, and I will train mine. I just allow the world to teach more than I do- a harsh method but more effective in the end."

"Very well, Rashid", agreed Perenelle softly after a few moments. It was out of their hands anyway; it had been out of their hands ever since Albus had condemned the poor child to Azkaban in some misguided attempt to awaken the Sharingan. They had failed the moment Harry had awakened the Mangekyo, when Albus had made him feel true betrayal by bringing the Potters back from hiding. Sheer rage overtook her for a moment and she wished she had the ability to bring Albus back from the dead and kill him a hundred times over.

It was foolishness and stupidity all around as far as the Wand Wizards' dealings with Harry Peverell went, and that had ultimately prompted them to distance their young descendant somewhat from the confederate magical society.

"The first thrusts of War are already being made. I wonder what else Voldemort will bring down to bear upon Britain", she wondered aloud. All around them the Wizards were swiftly putting the town back together but the lives lost were painful and many. The Ministry of Magic was already in uproar from this attack and Perenelle doubted that the inept ministry would get any better as the war began in earnest. Voldemort had been slow in gathering strength, but their recent duel with the Dark Lord had convinced Perenelle that this time even the Department would find it extremely hard to hold back the tide of the dark side.

"Oh I assume he has plenty cooked up, if he can just casually unleash one of his Denarian allies like this", said Rashid humourlessly. "You hold Voldemort back, Perenelle, while we hold off the Red Court and too many other foes to name. We each have our roles to accomplish until the prophecy is fulfilled. I will see it happen, and maybe there will not be a fence between our factions any longer."

"That old prophecy, Rashid?", asked Perenelle dryly. "Our seers are vague enough, but to take the faith of those Knights at face value?"

Rashid sighed. "You are so much older than all of us, Perenelle, but your mind is curiously closed to some things. The first signs were there, and it was that that caught my attention. I could not ignore Harry Peverell any longer when he awakened the Divine Treasures. I had almost forgotten the prophecy Shiro had told me all those years ago, I had dismissed it as some piece of old lore. But just being in his presence tells me so much. If you could only see what this eye sees", said the Raw Wizard, indicating his artificial eye.

"Powerful eyes should not be trusted more than their wont", Perenelle said in a downcast tone. "I have seen this many times in the past, Rashid. Ocular techniques have brought nothing but pain on my family. Harry is just bearing the brunt of a centuries old misery, and it was my brother's obsession with that worn out legend that caused it."

"The time and circumstances are different, Perenelle. You may not believe in the coming of the Sage of the Six Paths as your brother did, but some of us still do. Magic is divided now between the confederates and the Raw Wizards, and between humanity and so many other races to name. You may not have faith yet, but you will live to see the Sage teach us the meaning of what it is to wield true magic", Rashid said softly.

"Curse you and your childishness, Rashid. I should never have told you of the past all those years ago", Perenelle snapped, almost seeing her long-dead brother's shadow in the Gatekeeper. "We like you, but your insistence with following my dead brother's foolish beliefs will get you killed and bring pain upon you and yours. I have known you for a long time, and consider you a friend. Don't bring Harry into whatever you believe about my long-dead brother's forgotten life!"

Silence fell between them at that.

"I should go, Perenelle. Wish Nicholas well from me", said Rashid eventually, turning away from his perusal of the last of Devonshire being repaired. Perenelle allowed him to take her hand and kiss it lightly, and watched him create a portal into the Nevernever. As Rashid disappeared into the vastness of the Nevernever, Perenelle turned back to those barren sections of the town that had been reduced to cinders by Harry's Amaterasu.

"Bartlett", she called out, and an operative silently appeared beside her. "Ask Nicholas to bring Neville down here, when he is fully recovered."

….

"It's been quite some time since we met like this. I've missed being in this place in this manner", said Harry with a faint smile, as he appeared in a deciduous forest. Rays of light filtered through the tall trees as he stood opposite Evolette, safe within the projection of his own mind.

"This fight was far too dangerous for my liking, Harry", said Evolette seriously, as she seated herself upon a rather green log. "I cannot even sense the outside world for you now, we were hit so hard by the backlash of Tsukuyomi's breaking. You are strong now, but we only barely won that fight. There are those with powers greater than Namshiel's, as you well know!"

"What would you have me do?", sighed Harry, while leaning against a tree of his own and admiring the skill in his Tsukuyomi. He could actually feel the odour of the wood, its texture as clear as in reality. His eternal eyes were getting easier to manipulate, and he could weave magic with ever increasing strength. But still there would be those who would be ahead of him, if only by virtue of time and instruction.

"Gather strength", Evolette replied simply, tucking a strand of bright blonde hair behind her ear.

Harry felt truly annoyed at this.

"Exactly what do you think I've been doing all this while?", he asked her, his expression reflecting his feelings. "I've trained practically every second of every day, and I've fought enemies and gotten wounded more times than I can count! After Azkaban I thought I would be happy doing this kind of thing forever, but I'm not!", he told her loudly. "I'm not happy fighting anymore, Evolette! Far too much has happened in the last two years, I don't want to keep doing this forever. I just want to take Voldemort out, and then-"

"You misunderstand me", said Evolette softly, and his tirade was cut off when she placed her hand on his cheek. "I said you had to gather strength, meaning you need people to help you. You need people in whom you can repose your faith, so they can fight your battles for you and yo can fight theirs for them. You need true friends."

"I'll seem like an arse if I go back to Vector now, after all…that", said Harry, closing his eyes at the memory of his and Vector's last conversation. Those had been one of his more confused moments, and he still couldn't decide if leaving her that way was the right thing to do.

"This is true", Evolette agreed with a smile. "But there is still-"

Harry exhaled loudly, as he felt torn out of his illusion by a sense of utter coldness. He sat up rapidly, noticing the plain bed and whitewashed walls of the room he currently slept in. The windows were wide open, giving him a rather beautiful view of the Thames and Big Ben. Sorry Evolette, we'll talk later. I've got to take care of a bratty little girl now, he said firmly, as he looked around frantically to see who had awakened him, only to see the worried face of a certain Archive of the human race.

"Ivy, you just woke me up with icy water! What is wrong with-"

He staggered as she barrelled into him, hugging him so tightly that he could scarcely breathe. He didn't even have to think about it as he enfolded the sobbing Archive in his arms, feeling her shake slightly against him. His Sharingan registered the sheer distress the young girl was feeling, and the front of the white sweatshirt he was currently wearing was slowly dampened by Ivy's copious tears. His frustration at being rudely awoken by a bucket-worth of ice water ebbed away rapidly at Ivy's reactions.

"What's wrong with you, Harry? What on earth possessed you to go after Namshiel, of all people, and attack him with Tsukuyomi? I thought you had died when I knew of what you were doing!", she wept, as he tried to be as gentle as possible in disengaging. In the end he had to be firm in separating himself from the emotional girl.

"Calm down, Ivy. I'm all right", he said quietly, wiping away her tears with her hand; using magic didn't even occur to him. The girl held on to his hand on her cheek as if it were a lifeline, and the desperate look on her face reminded him of her human youth rather sharply. "And what do you mean, 'what on earth possessed me'?", he asked, alarmed by her reaction, "Rashid came in abruptly and told me to save those people Namshiel and Voldemort was about to slaughter. I couldn't let them be-"

"That wasn't Rashid who spoke to you, Harry!", yelled Ivy at him, cutting through his reply as she punched his arm as hard as she could. "Rashid was with me when he supposedly spoke to you; I know I was speaking with the real Rashid, it is not so easy to fool me", she added, before he could burst with questions.

"That was the real Rashid alright, my Sharingan could not see anything amiss", said Harry quietly, with an edge to his voice as he considered what he had been told. Ivy was playing absently with his hand as she climbed on to his bed to sit beside him, and looked serious at his statement. As well she should. But I must say we let our guard down in Chile, Harry. That half-vampire place became a sort of haven to you, and we have ceased the same vigilance we used to have at Hogwarts. It's possible we didn't look hard enough at Rashid to discern differences, said Evolette gravely to him.

"I almost lost you today, Harry", she said sadly, and two tears leaked out of her eyes as she did so.

Harry was honestly confused by this outpouring of emotion. "Am I really that important to you, Ivy? After all you've got Kincaid and stuff", he said, bewildered as she wiped away the errant tears.

"You are very, very important to me. You cannot imagine how important, Harry. I will need you by my side very soon, or I will be impeded in the fulfilment of my task- and that can have disastrous consequences", explained Ivy, looking him directly in his eyes with no fear, only utter seriousness. "Finish your time here, and then come directly to me, Harry. We cannot waste anymore time…we are on the edge of a knife as it is",she said, using that curious prophetic phrase once more.

"I'm more concerned about who impersonated Rashid today", Harry said flatly.

"You need not be, not with the people who own this particular apartment. I don't know why the impostor did what he did, but i'll know soon enough. But for now, the fact that you were rescued by the Knights of the Cross is very telling. It seems…ordained somehow", pondered Ivy. At this Harry couldn't contain himself.

"Ordained? Are you completely bonkers?", he yelled angrily at the little girl, only to see the door to the apartment crash open. His head whipped around to face the intruders, and he felt strong enough to reactivate the Eternal Mangekyo immediately. Whoever had healed him had definitely done a good job. He cursed as he glanced to the side: Ivy had disappeared.

"Why on earth are you shouting to the walls, child?", said a short, asian man with white hair, heavy eyebrows, and a rather short white beard. His harmless-old-man appearance was completed by his thick corrective glasses. "I understand being dissatisfied with Him for your lot in life, especially you, but this is quite unseemly", continued the old man mildly. Harry's eyes flew to the sword strapped to the man's waist, and his eternal eyes saw the supernatural powers of that blade. Its aura was highly intimidating, even to him.

"Oh leave him be, Shiro. He took Thorned Namshiel down, after all", grinned a very dark skinned at his friend, tall and powerfully built man. "Well done with that, Peverell", he congratulated Harry, winking at him. Harry completely ignored the man's heavy Russian accent, and immediately noted that the fellow bore on his shoulder a sword glowing as powerfully to Harry's eyes as the old man's. Harry felt Evolette gaze through his eyes for a moment at the swords, and felt her nostalgic awe run through him.

These are the Knights of the Cross in front of you, Harry. We were brought here for a reason, she said quietly to him, The old man bears the sword Fidelacchius, also known as Kusanagi. The tall man bears the sword Esperacchius, also known as Durendal. There should be another Knight, who bears Amoracchius, also called Excalibur.

"Who are you?", asked Harry, mostly to buy time as he rapidly consulted with and digested the information Evolette provided him. Excalibur? The sword of Arthur the great? Merlin himself held that sword in his hands, he said with reverence, his esteem for these Knights rising slightly. Are they any good or should I just-

Don't bother, they won't hurt you. They are the closest you will find in this world to absolute altruism, said Evolette in an indecipherable tone. Be careful of the seedy old man though; Kusanagi is the only sword in this world that can counter your Totsuka Blade. He is the real threat to you here in the highly unlikely scenario that a fight breaks out. As you may expect, Father got on the wrong side of one of our time's Knight of the Cross, and had to defeat him in the end without Mangekyo.

Oh. Then I just have to make sure I won't have to fight. I'm getting bored of it anyway, said Harry confidently. His eyes could see the Knights' inherently non threatening behaviour, and that reassured him more than anything. "Well, who are you?", he asked again, but they did not reply, instead checking their watches and looking to the door to the apartment. He opened his mouth, this time to shout, but it seemed completely unnecessary as the door opened this time to let in a plain looking, blonde-haired man with a sword strapped to his shoulder that Harry immediately recognised as Excalibur. He began to get the feeling that all the Knights and their respective swords assembled in one place, with him in the middle, was a significant event.

"Oh Michael, you're here. How is Charity?", asked Sanya concernedly of his fellow Knight.

"Just fine", replied Michael with a soft voice, and turned to Harry. "And I see you are awake, . Dresden told me some about you, but it appears you really are beyond reckless. But you have our thanks for exerting yourself to stop Namshiel. That would normally be our duty, but He intervened and saved the day for us, I see. We would have been too late."

Harry's mind churned, swimming with questions and conclusions from the happenings of the day. He began by blurting his first question, noting the emphases in Michael's utterances:

"Who is 'He'"