Trail of Secrets
Chapter 18
Harry stood in darkness seeing nothing, but feeling the world around him spin. As it spun the darkness around him lightened, revealing a circular room made of grey bricks.
Large shadow creatures stood in rectangular alcoves.
He spun in a slow circle, finding a ring of alcoves around him.
"I should have known Herpo would have security measures. Meruda must've been keyed into them. Looks like I have to do this the hard way."
One of the creatures hidden in the alcove jumped down to the floor, giving Harry his first good look at them.
It was six feet tall and four feet wide. Large pointed ears that took up half the side of its face protruded from the side of its head. Red eyes with a black pupil locked on to him and slitted nostrils flared, taking in his scent.
Its legs were bent, its feet triangle shaped with each of its three toes tipped with a claw.
It's five fingered hand was also tipped with claws.
The cloak around its body spread open, revealing it to be too large bat wings.
"What the heck am I looking at here?"
The creature bent, pushing its bowed legs forward.
It disappeared in a burst of speed, leaving behind a thin trail of black energy.
Stretching out his right hand, tendrils of pale energy curled up from it, forming into a simple sword with the cross-shape guard. Rotating the blade in his hand, he opened his senses.
The world around him pulsed with a black energy that seem to have the consistency of oil.
The creature appeared before him, its left arm raised, its claws poised to strike down.
As it brought it's arm down, he swung up, cleaving its hand off at the wrist.
No blood flowed as its hand arced through the air, landing a few feet behind it.
The creature snarled lunging forward.
Spinning around it, Harry brought his sword around an arc that cleaved it in half.
The creature fell to the ground, its body collapsing into the same oily like energy that seem to cling to everything.
The energy leapt at him.
On instinct, he swung his sword.
The moment his blade touched the energy it changed, transforming into pure white fire.
The fire flowed up his sword in the blink of an eye, sinking into his body.
He staggered backwards at the rush of power filling his veins.
Thumps behind him let him know more of the creatures had come to play, but it was the golden energy shining from the hollow mark tattooed on to his shoulder that drew his attention.
Glancing at the mark, he found it was filling in with the same white energy that had just flowed into his body.
'Is that good or bad,' he wondered spinning out of the way of the chain fired from the palm of one of the creatures.
"I'll give Herpo this, at least he was smart enough to make each one of these things unique."
Another closed in from his left black energy flowing from his hands to create two curved daggers. Bending its legs, it disappeared in the same burst of speed as its fellow. Tossing his sword into his left hand, he spun it, stabbing it forward as the creature appeared before him.
The blade punch through its torso with little resistance.
Twisting the blade, he pulled it out in a horizontal slash.
This time instead of turning into black energy, the creature exploded in white flames that sunk into his body. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly, trying to get control of the energy flowing through his body.
Returning his blade to his right hand, he turned to face the remaining four, rotating his blade in a circle.
The four spread out, forming a circle around him.
Pale white energy flowed up his left arm, forming a gauntlet.
The creature in front of him leapt forward, black energy flowing off its claws. At the same time, the creature to his left swept at his feet.
Harry thrust his left arm forward, a blade emerging from the top of his wrist to skewer the creature in front of him in the throat.
The energy of his swords purified the creature. Power rushed into him as he fell towards the floor.
Allowing his tools to fade as he impacted the ground, Harry touched the stone, with a pulling gesture he pulled a layer of rock across him just as the creature to his right pounced on him.
Making a punching motion with his right hand, spikes grew from the dome.
Through his connection to the earth, he felt the tips of the earth meet resistance.
Seeing that he wouldn't be able to puncture the creature with earth, he extended the spikes upwards, driving the beast into the ceiling.
With a push of telekinetic force, he rose to his feet, keeping his earth dome in front of him for a shield. The curved part of the dome protected him from the creature to his left, but he forgot about the one on his back.
He cried out as sharp claws sliced the skin of his back, his face crinkling as a burning sensation mixed with the warm blood flowing down his back.
Rotating the dome to his left, he fired it at the creature that had swept his legs out from under him, driving it into the far wall.
Flaring his power, he latched on to the life force of the creature on his back, pulling it into him.
The creature stiffened, crumbling into ash as its energies left it.
Harry rocked on his feet, memories and more of the strange power flowing into his body.
Again, his hollow mark shone with golden light.
Glancing at it, Harry found that his skin had taken on the color of paper.
The sound of stone breaking brought him back to reality, the creature he had pinned to the ceiling fell towards him at a rapid speed, its wings flaring out to control its dissent.
Fire burst to life in Harry's hand, one of the main abilities of a life force constructs was a purification element. Adding that element to his fire, he thrust his hand forward.
Luminescent white fire exploded from his hand crawling over the creature like a living thing.
Ashes fell to the ground and more of that strange power rushed into him.
Ignoring the abundance of energy coursing through his body, he turned to the final creature. Knowing now that it was the purification element of life that allowed him to kill the creatures, he focused that element through the rock around the creature.
Earth needles glowing with an outline of golden energy exploded upwards, skewering the creature through its arms and torso. Within moments, the creature was consumed by white fire that flowed towards an into Harry.
Before he could catch his breath, the world began to spin again, darkness consuming his vision.
–XX –
The spinning began to slow, and the darkness around him faded, revealing a stone hallway made of the same rectangular stone blocks as the previous one. Torches lined the hallway, their orange flames creating long shadows along the walls. At the end of the hallway was an arched wooden door.
He took a step and instantly the hallway extended.
He exhaled, "So it's one of those traps." He stood there for a long moment, trying to think of a way to get out of this. Coming up with nothing, he turned his attention inward, focusing on the power and the memories he had absorbed in the last room.
From what he was getting from the memories, the creatures in the last room were called para-demons, they had been mutated in changed by Herpo's power after he pulled them from their world through a dimensional rift.
He poked the power within him, slowly it was being absorbed into his body, forcing his connection to the ether open and allowing him to absorb more of its energy.
Stretching forth his hand, he brought out some of the raw power, a golf ball sized white flame burst into life in his palm.
He stared at it.
It was unlike anything he had ever seen or felt before.
Closing his hand, he absorbed the strange power back into his body.
He began moving forward, with each step the hallway seemed to grow longer.
He stopped, "This isn't going to work."
He cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the burning at the back of his throat.
His vision began to blur.
Slowly, he sunk to his knees.
–XX –
Cool air burned his lungs as he and held, exhaling a white cloud.
He glanced at the woman next to him, her curly black hair shining in the streetlights, he pulled the clasped hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles.
What's wrong? You're awful quiet tonight.
Bellatrix Black glanced at him, her purple eyes shining.
He stopped walking turning to face her, "What's wrong?"
"Harry," she began her voice breaking on his name.
She cleared her throat, hardness coming into her eyes.
"Harry, I think we should break up."
Harry rocked on his heels, his eyes scanning the park around him not really seeing it, "What?"
Bellatrix pulled her hand from his, smoothing down her black lace dress.
"I don't think we can see each other anymore."
Harry racked his brain, trying to think of what could've gone wrong, "Why?"
"With your inability to do magic, my family believes that the union with you would weaken our bloodline."
Harry felt like he had been punched in the gut, Bellatrix knew his abilities.
Though he couldn't use magic, potions, and runes were still available to him, but with many witches and wizards gaining special abilities after going through the medical procedure to enhance their bodies, making them immune to the diseases of earth and the previous wizarding world thanks to the Asgardian tech he had built. His powers didn't seem that special.
"And what do you believe?"
Bellatrix shook her head, unshed tears glistening in her eyes, "It doesn't matter what I believe, I can't leave my family."
Pain wracked Harry's body, like a thousand needles sinking into every inch of his skin. He pushed it away, he reached out for Bellatrix, but she took a step back.
"You could be part of my family."
Bellatrix shook her head, "My family has been in the magical world since its founding, I can't discard my legacy."
"Not even for us?"
"I'm sorry," Bellatrix turned shadows wrapping around her body.
"Wait," Harry took a step forward his hand outstretched, before he could grasp her, she vanished in a swirl of black.
He stood there, his hand outstretched grasping at nothing.
Slowly he lowered his hand, curling his fingers into a fist. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a simple golden band with a diamond in its center. Tossing it into the air, he forced his aura out forming it into a sword he swept it through the air, slicing the ring in half.
As the two halves of the ring fell to the ground clinking on the sidewalk, reality flickered, giving Harry a view of walls made of grey bricks.
He shook his head, the burning in his body coming back tenfold. He cried out falling to his knees, reality flickering again as he impacted the earth. On instinct his eyes flashed emerald, his mind lashing out.
The world around him cracked, each crack shining with a light.
Harry flexed his arm, feeling resistance and sticks of pain as he moved it.
An aura of green billowed around his body forming into a Celtic dagger.
Flipping the dagger in his grip, he swiped at the air.
A screech reverberated through his mind.
–XX –
Harry blinked, the world coming back into focus. He found purple tentacles coming out of the walls, two-inch-long thorns glistening in the torch light. He reached out with his power, frowning as it responded sluggishly.
A dim emerald green aura flickered around him.
Pushing his power out, he transformed it into wind, feeling new strength flow into his body as fresh air filled his lungs.
His head pounded, and his body burned, but at least he now knew what was going on.
Grabbing hold of the power from the last room that still flowed through his body he pushed it outwards, transforming it into pure electricity.
A squeal rent the air as sparks of electricity danced along the tentacles wrapped around his arms, legs, and waist.
The tentacles withdrew leaving behind large deep holes that ran with blood.
Falling to the floor Harry caught himself on his hands and knees breathing heavily he kept the air flowing around him keeping whatever put him in his memories away.
He blinked, finding the door that seem so far away only a mere twelve feet from him.
Putting all his concentration into his manipulation of the air he pulled it tight around him, forming a moving second skin. Slowly, he began limping forward, leaving droplets of blood in his wake.
The sound of stone grinding on stone drew his gaze to the wall, tentacles reemerge from the wall, reaching towards him.
Harry put his hand forward, the vibration of the moving wind clinging to his body shredding the closest length of black spiked purple flesh.
Another squeal cut through the room.
The tentacles began to thrash, leaving deep gouges in the stone and sending pieces of shrapnel through the air. The shrapnel pinged off his wind armor, but Harry weaved, dropping into a crouch as he moved towards the door.
The tentacles slammed into the door, the spikes along it embedding into the wood.
With a sharp jerk and a sound of squealing hinges, the door broke free.
Ducking under it, Harry dived through the door not caring about the impenetrable darkness beyond.
–XX –
Harry fell onto hard stone.
For a moment, he just lay there breathing. With each breath, he could feel his wounds closing. When his final wound closed, he pushed to his feet, smearing the pool of blood that had leaked from his body.
He stood on a stone walkway.
Oval-shaped crystal mirrors lined the walkway.
At the end of the walkway was a circular platform.
Stepping to the edge of the walkway, he caught sight of his reflection in one of the crystal mirrors.
While his body still had the same broad shoulders and thick arms, his skin had turned paper white. His chin was more pronounced, and his hair had taken on the color of blood.
He ran a hand down his jawline, staring at his reflection.
"What's happening to me?" He whispered.
The power he had taken from the creature's was being absorbed. He felt it shift, at its shift, he saw his body shift, the muscles in his arms shrank, his body seeming to become leaner. He jumped up and down, wind whipped by him and he felt no loss of strength.
He ran a hand through his blood colored hair, "I need to get to a lab," he shook his head, "I never thought I would be running tests on myself," he glanced up and down the walkway, "but first I need to find Martha."
He was just about to turn away from the mirror, when movement caught his attention.
Turning back, he found a man in a woman appearing in the mirror beside him, each resting one hand on his shoulder.
He stared at both of them, trying to figure out the significance.
The woman was 5'8" tall with the same pale skin he now had. Short dark hair framed a beautiful face stopping at her shoulders. Dark eyes stared out at him with a mixture of love and loss.
Unable to stand that gaze, he turned to the man.
The man was six feet tall, hair the color of blood ran braided down his back. Goat horns curled out from the tan skin of his temples forming around his head like a crown. Red eyes stared out at him resolute and strong, a beard that matched the color of his hair flowed down his broad chest.
From what he could see, tattoos of a Celtic nature decorated the man's arms, as well as swirled around the skin beneath his eyes.
"Who are these people?"
He shook his head, "Right now it doesn't matter, I have to get Martha."
Power flared out from him, Emerald green tentacles that wrapped around the mirror. With a pulling motion, he pulled it inside his inner jacket pocket, shrinking it down as it entered.
Sweat ran down his face, and his chest rose and fell rapidly with the effort.
Changing the molecular structure of something with pure telekinetic power was not easy, especially if you weren't used to doing it.
Once his breathing evened out, he turned, making his way to the circular platform.
Standing in its center, he reached out with his mind, 'Martha, can you hear me?'
A faint voice pushed back at him, 'Help me.'
His head snapped to the left, but all he found there was darkness. Dropping to his knees, he ran his fingers around the edges of the circle. His right middle finger ran across a small groove.
Pressing down on it, a rectangle opened in the darkness, spilling pale orange light onto the platform.
Energy flowed out of his hands, forming into pale gauntlets.
With a deep breath, he stepped into the light.
–XX –
Harry entered a circular room.
Torches lined the walls, spiraling upwards to a hole in the ceiling that showcased the night sky.
A pentagram was carved into the solid stone floor, its lines glowing with magic.
Four of the points of the pentagram contained everyday objects, yarn, copper, quartz crystal, and a bit of glass. On the fifth point was a jar, the brain inside was outlined by a dull pink light.
Slowly, Harry made his way around the circle.
"An alchemical ritual, but what was he making?"
Stopping at the jar, he coated his hands and an outline of power. Leaning down he gently picked up the jar off its point, "Martha, can you hear me?"
A voice pushed into his mind.
'Help me, please.'
He pulled the jar tight against his chest, "Don't worry sweetie, I've got you." Looking up, he eyed the sky through the hole in the ceiling.
Hoping it was a way out, Harry covered him and Martha in a layer of power.
Bright green energy outlined them both as he shot into the air.
