Heir of the immortal
Prologue
A blue-skinned woman walked down a high-class London neighborhood, her luminescent red eyes flicking back and forth, a cool breeze sending her dark hair fluttering in the wind.
Passing through the light of the streetlamp, the child in her arms shifted, a tuft of dark hair poking out from the jacket.
A small dark blue hand grabbed the fabric of her coat.
An infant's gurgle broke the silence of the night.
Her heart ached as she stared into his red eyes so much like her own. She didn't want to leave him. Every step towards their destination sent a shiver down her spine and a fresh stab of pain in her heart. She had no choice, his father was hunting them, even now she could feel him drawing near.
Her arm tightened around his small body.
She would not let her child be harmed.
She stopped before a set of iron gates set into a brick wall that ringed a large property.
Bending her legs, she launched herself over the gate.
Feeling the properties magic try to rebuff her, her red eyes flared and she twisted in midair, vanishing in a flash of red energy.
In another red flash, she knelt before the front door.
The door opened and a man with dark hair glared at her from behind round glasses, his Hazel eyes hard.
"Who are you and what do you want?"
Ignoring his tone, the woman rose to her feet, "Hello James," she cocked her head to the side, "or is it Charlus. You and your wife had so many names over the centuries it's hard to keep track."
James Potter tensed, his grip tightened on the door, his other hand sliding towards the pocket of his robes, "Who are you?"
Shifting the child in her arms, the woman inclined her head, "I am Amalgam, daughter of Apocalypse, and I am here to call in your debt."
–XX –
James Potter leaned forward on the plush red couch. His fingers intertwined between his legs.
His wife Lily sat beside him, her long white gown hugging her curves, her red hair cascading down her back, her green eyes never leaving the child cradled in the arms of the blue-skinned woman across from them.
In 1730, he and his wife arrived here through a portal from an alternate Earth, killing the original Potters of that time.
However, unlike the people they killed, they were mutants instead of magi, so they made a deal with a mutant known as Apokolips to graft the mana gene onto their DNA, giving them access to the rivers of energy that ran through the universe known as magic.
For his help, it was understood that they would owe the bloodline of Apocalypse a debt.
Clearing his throat, Lily turned to look at him, before focusing her gaze back on the woman across from them, "So, what is it you want us to do?"
Amalgam cleared her throat, "I," her voice cracked, tears shimmered in her red eyes. She cleared her throat, unconsciously tightening her grip around her son, causing him to squirm.
"I want you to take my son and raise him as your own."
James stiffened and a gasp sounded from beside him.
James stared at the child, he took after his mother with dark blue skin, red eyes, and dark hair. He glanced at the woman, her head was tilted down, her eyes locked on the child in her arms.
It was obvious she did not want to do this.
Someone that looks so different would not be welcome in their world, private tutors would need to be hired that is if he had magical talent. If not, even more money would need to be spent on mundane tutors then their memories altered afterward, he glanced at Lily, maybe she could use her ability to make him look normal.
His wife leaned forward, a light in her eyes, her fingers twitching in her lap.
They had tried for so long to have a child, but nothing seemed to work, not even his ability to rewrite reality. She could no longer have a child, not since that day, his hands clenched into a fist.
"Why?"
Amalgam shifted her son, crossing one leg over the other, "My… Herald's father has been negatively affected by his mutation. He has become a danger for Herald to be around. Until that is no longer the case, I need someone to watch him."
"What about Apocalypse, or your mother," Lily asked, speaking for the first time.
"My father has a philosophy of only the strong survive, my mother is distracted by her projects right now."
James leaned back, a smile curling his lips, "So, you want us to watch over your son? What do we get out of the deal?"
"James!"
Amalgam stared at the two across from her, she could sense James Potter's desire for power and Lily's desire for a child.
Her hand twitched, if only she could drain their powers, she could rewrite reality and make sure her son was forever safe from the great experiment that created her, the experiment that was continuing with his birth, but that wasn't possible. Grafting the mana gene onto their DNA left them immune to power absorbers to a certain extent, she could take their memories, their life force, but not their powers.
Besides that, there were two of them, she could only replace one, and the disappearance of the other would draw too much attention. Both were now too prominent in the magical world for their attitudes to change.
She reached across her child into the inner pocket of her long green trench-coat and withdrew a silver orb.
James Potter's eyes immediately locked onto the orb.
"This is a shifting piece of technology from the celestial ship that changed you. This can push your endeavors light years ahead of your competitors, giving you more power in the world," she tossed it.
James Potter practically lunged forward, catching the orb with both hands.
"So, do we have a deal?"
Lily looked at Amalgam, ignoring her husband's greedy gaze upon the orb, "What's his name?"
"Herald."
– Chapter 1 –
Herald stood before a table in his room, the manacles around his wrist rattling as his Quill scratched along the parchment, his red eyes locked on the silver orb before him.
The chains rattled as he finished his line of runes. He glanced at the strip of metal around his wrist. Faint scars of pale blue skin rose around the edges of the shackle.
Staring at it, his mind drifted back to the time he had escaped this room.
–XX –
Fourteen-year-old Herald landed on the ground, his knees bending on impact, gravel crunching under his feet. Small rocks dug into the palms of his hands as he rose to his feet.
His borrowed black cloak fell around him, hiding his unusual features from the world. He turned to look over his shoulder, staring up at the mansion that had been his home for as long as he could remember.
He always knew he was different. Unlike, Lily and James he could not use magic. For some reason, this made James angry, and Lily sad.
James was always distant, however, his lack of magic seemed to make things worse. For three years, he'd been a prisoner in the Potter home ever since he failed the test for magic on his eleventh birthday.
However, shortly after failing the test for magic, he caught James studying a silver orb. Curious as to what he was doing. He snuck into the room to look at it. The moment he touched it, it activated and he learned the truth.
A woman 5'10" tall with dark blue skin, a lean narrow waist, wavy black hair, and red eyes stood before him. Her green jacket buttoned in the center of her stomach.
"Herald if you are seeing this, this means I did not return for you after leaving you with the Potters. Know that I did not do this out of malice, I wanted you to be safe. The magical world is hidden inside the mundane world, it was my thought that they could hide you from those who would use or do you harm."
"The orb you have touched was the price for leaving you with the Potters, but I could sense what kind of man James Potter was before I even entered his home, this orb is connected to your DNA, so only you will be able to access it."
"It will teach you what you need to know to be useful enough to the Potters until you discover your abilities and grow strong enough to leave them. It will also give you your family history. Know that if I am out there alive, I will return to you one day and if not remember that I love you."
Shaking his head, Herald began walking away from the Manor.
James had discovered him shortly after the message played. When he found out that the orb reacted to Herald's touch, he got very angry.
His hand rose to the side of his cheek, that was the first time he had been hit by the man.
Stopping before the gate, he reached into the pocket of his jeans hidden beneath the cloak.
Pulling out a slip of paper with blocky runes written on it he placed it in the center of the gate. Placing his thumb in his mouth, he bit down until it drew blood.
Spitting onto the ground, he wiped the blood onto the paper.
The runes of the paper glowed in the paper burned away.
As the last of its ashes fell to the ground, one gate swung open just enough for him to slip out.
Squeezing in between the metal, his heart hammered in his chest, night air filled his lungs with each breath.
Nervous beads of sweat ran down the back of his neck.
Lily Potter stopped James before he could get any more violent.
She seemed to like him but there was always a hint of bitterness in her eyes.
It was decided that if he could access the orb, he would copy down the information, so they could then use it to further their cause.
It was during this time they discovered he could use runic magic as long as he powered them with his blood.
They had him study rooms, and through his studies, he developed a runic array that could enhance James Potter's power. Since that day, they kept him imprisoned, learning from the orb and translating it into useful runic arrays.
However, they got complacent, unknowingly giving him the tools, he needed to escape.
He began jogging down the sidewalk, his tennis shoes slapping against the concrete.
–XX –
It took Herald an hour to reach the city. Leaning against the wall of an alley, he took a deep breath, the scent of garbage and stale urine filling his nose. Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out another strip of rune-covered paper.
Biting his thumb once again he smeared his blood on the paper.
As the runes glowed, he slipped the paper beneath his T-shirt and pressed it to his skin.
A burning itch filled his body as the magic took effect.
Before his eyes, his dark blue skin changed to a healthy tan.
Pulling down the hood of his cloak, he peered out of the alley, staring sideways at his reflection in a store window. His hair was the same inky black, but his eyes were now a crystal-clear blue instead of their usual red.
Satisfied with his disguise, he moved out of the alley, the magic in that paper should at least last half an hour, enough for him to learn about the outside world and plan a better escape in the future.
Walking to a twenty-four-hour coffee shop, he pushed the door open, the scent of roasted beans filling his nose as warm air hit his face. Moving forward, some of the occupants of the shop turned to look at him, making him question his idea of wearing the cloak.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a 5-pound note.
He stared at the note for a long moment.
It had been a lucky find, for some reason, Lily or James used it as a bookmark for one of the runic texts they had him study.
"Can I help you?"
Shaking his head, Herald stared at the slightly overweight woman behind the counter, her brown hair was pulled beneath a black cap, a ponytail hanging out of the back of it. A black apron with a steaming stylized white coffee cup stitched into the front covered the dark green polo shirt she wore.
Glancing up at the menu behind the counter, Herald let his eyes roam for a minute before making his choice, "I'll take a coffee, black, cream, and two sugars, sorry, make it three sugars."
After giving the woman his money, he took his change slipping it into his pocket, and moved to a nearby table.
Sitting at a corner table with his back to the wall, he surveyed the shop, periodically taking a sip as he watched the people go about their lives.
The front wall of the shop was large glass windows.
Tan tiles covered the floor and a darker tan granite covered the walls.
A counter split the room to his right, with small yellow tables and white plastic chairs with black metal legs taking up the rest of the space.
Shaking his head, he tore his gaze away from the shop to focus on the task at hand.
If he was going to escape the Potters, he would need supplies, money, clothes, a place to stay.
His grip tightened on the cup, crinkling the paper.
Those things would be hard to come by especially since barely anyone in the magical world knew he exists.
Finishing his coffee, he rose to his feet.
Touching his chest, he could feel that the runic paper beneath his shirt was half gone.
Moving towards the door, he pushed it open while flipping the hood of his cloak up.
It began to mist rain as he stepped into the street.
Reluctantly, he turned making his way back towards Potter Manor.
Maybe he was being stupid, to make money, he was going to have to get a job. Who was going to hire someone with dark blue skin and red eyes?
Maybe he could find a better material to use that would help the magic last longer.
Voices caused him to look up.
A group of teens in leather jackets and jeans walked down the front of the Street laughing with each other, Herald's eyes locked onto one who had grey skin, white eyes, and brown hair.
He wore what looked like a priest outfit, and his fingers ended in claws, as he laughed with his friend, sharp fangs were revealed.
'Is he like me, or something else?'
He looked at another one of the group's members.
He was 5'4" tall with pale skin and freckles on either side of his nose, blue eyes seem to twinkle as he looked at his grey skin companion, and the man laughed again.
Suddenly, the redhead looked at him, then glanced at his friend.
The grey-skinned man looked at him, causing Herald to tense. He then looked back at the redhead, "You sure Orwell?"
The redhead nodded.
Despite the situation, Herald was wondering how the redhead was communicating.
"What's going on Tom?" Another member of the group asked.
"Orwell says this guy is like us," Tom replied, pointing a grey clawed finger at Herald.
A teen in a long leather coat pushed his way through the crowd, his black hair framing his face with a scar over the left eye. His dark brown eyes drew attention away from the white streak in his hair.
As he moved, his coat shifted, giving a glimpse of the black T-shirt beneath.
Placing one hand on Orwell's shoulder he spoke while hooking a thumb into the pocket of his jeans.
"What are his abilities?"
Orwell shook his head.
The teen looked at Tom, "Bring him to me."
Tom charged forward, his brown hair flopping, his eyes glowing white.
As Tom closed the distance between them, Herald's form shimmered, the last of his runic paper burning away.
Tom skidded to a stop, staring at Herald's blue skin and the glowing red eyes shining out from beneath his hood.
Capitalizing on Tom's moment of surprise, Herald stepped forward spinning around with a kick that slammed into Tom's jaw.
The force of the blow spun Tom around, blood flew in the air as he fell to the ground.
Herald stared at his leg, the orb that gave him his biological mother's message, taught him some basic fighting skills, but this was the first time he'd ever used them.
His heart hammered in his chest and the world around him flickered.
Hurried footsteps drew his attention, he turned to find Orwell charging at him.
However, as the redhead moved forward the world flickered again, becoming a grayed faded-out version of itself.
Orwell quickly closed the distance between them, the red energy that flowed through his body the only thing of color in the strange new world.
Lashing out with his palm, Orwell stepped aside.
Twisting, Orwell slammed a fist into Herald's face.
The moment his fist made contact with Herald's skin, a portion of the red energy in Orwell's body seemed to jump into Herald's.
A rush flowed through Herald's body as he staggered sideways.
As Herald regained his balance, whispers began to fill his mind.
By the time he was upright, the whispers had become a cacophony of noise.
Herald slammed his hands over his ears, his eyes screwed shut as he staggered backward from the sound.
By this time, Tom had risen to his feet, "What's wrong with him?"
"What do you mean your telepathy vanished while you were touching him?"
"Tom, don't touch him."
"You got it, Marv."
Herald fell to his knees, pain pounding through his mind as the voices grew louder, the last thing he heard before losing consciousness was the familiar voice of James Potter.
"I think that's enough."
–XX –
Moving away from the table, his chains clanked as they moved across the wooden floor.
After regaining consciousness, he discovered two things.
One was the chains around his wrist. Two was that he had gained the power of telepathy.
Raising a hand, he ran a finger across the spines of some of the books lining the wall before him.
With Lily Potter's help, he gained control of his power.
Through which he learned that though she wanted to love him, she was resentful of the fact he was not of her blood. From what he was able to piece together, she hadn't had a child in at least 100 years. Some events happened in the past, making it difficult for her to have a child, even with James's ability to rewrite reality, and her ability to mold flesh.
Along with this information, he learned that in their home reality, mutants had created a society similar to the wizarding world. Everyone in their society was long-lived and work together.
He also learned that Lily Potter wasn't her first name, over the centuries she had been Doria Potter, Cassandra Black, and Lyra Black. However, her most interesting names were Rowena Ravenclaw and Morgana Peverell. Daughter of the infamous Cadmus Peverell.
James Potter was less of a surprise. He saw his ability to access the orb and kept him around to use the information to increase his power.
The development of his telepathic abilities just gave James Potter something else to use. Along with deciphering the information from the orb, he was now supposed to use his abilities to spy on certain individuals.
This he did not mind so much, since it gave him a glimpse into the outside world and allowed him to learn more than what the Potters taught him.
At night when the Potters were asleep, he assimilated the knowledge of martial arts practitioners. He practiced and meditated on their skills until they were ingrained in his very being.
Grabbing a book, he pulled it off the shelves and moved back over to his table. Flipping it open, he eyed the runic array inside. A triangle made of blocky runes with two serpents made of curved runes creating a circle inside as they bit onto one another's tails.
James Potter's identities were easier to figure out, Charlus Potter, Marcus Black, Gellert Grindelwald, Salazar Slytherin, and Mordred Le Fay.
He paused in the drawing of his runes as the shackles on his wrist warmed.
His eyes widened as they glowed red and opened.
With a flick, they fell off his wrist, landing on the chain as it pooled on the floor.
He was free, he glanced at the door, what happened?
James Potter used his power to rewrite reality, so Herald was forced to obey him.
The only way he would be free of that power is if James Potter died since it wasn't in-depth writing.
Slowly, he moved towards the door, his muscles tensing with each step.