CHAPTER 22:
MENDING BRIDGES
Harry, albeit a little reluctantly, allowed Fitoria to stay with them overnight. Tensions were still a little high, though thankfully, the next morning, they were refreshed, the heightened emotions relieved. Fitoria, however, had not slept in any of the bedrooms. In fact, they found her, slumped in an armchair in the study, the original journal of Ignotus in her lap. It was actually quite adorable.
When Harry cleared his throat, the Filolial Queen stirred, her eyes flickering open. It took her a moment to realise where she was, and she looked a little embarrassed. "Have a good time reading?" he asked.
"Actually, I cannot read this language, though Ignotus tried to teach me," Fitoria said, holding up the journal. "I wanted to just see his writing again, and smell what is left of his smell. Not that there is much, but…his magic still permeates these pages. I actually had another of his journals, one he left with me before he returned to your world. But it was stolen by one of the Cardinal Heroes. He claimed it was a 'walkthrough' that I was selfish to keep to myself."
Raphtalia facepalmed. "Was he another one who claimed this world was a computer game?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I've only managed to gather what such a contrivance is after a long time speaking with other Cardinal Heroes. A few are summoned from times long before what you call electronics are developed, like Ignotus, but most are summoned from times when computer and video games are developed. I find it curious that many of them have played games that have elements from this world. Curious…and suspicious."
"So did we," Harry said.
"I doubt that is a coincidence. I don't know who it is, or what it is exactly, but there is definitely a malign intelligence directing the Waves of Catastrophe. Whether it is using those games to shape the thoughts of those chosen as Cardinal Heroes, or some other, more benign force uses those games to prepare those chosen, I don't know. I wish I could tell you more."
"I just had a thought," Raphtalia said with a frown. "We encountered a practitioner of the martial art Hengen Musou. She seemed to indicate that it had caused much havoc thanks to a user who went power-mad. Could that person have been influenced by this force?"
"There's still someone practising that? I see. I do remember the incident in question. But it is a shame. Hengen Musou was a powerful art, and while a rogue user is definitely a cause for concern, it is like any tool or weapon, capable of being used for good or evil."
"Granny looked so cool doing her thing!" Hedy said, before doing her own imitation of katas and kiais, to which everyone present, even the stoic Fitoria, chuckled.
"If this practitioner could be persuaded to instruct you, it would be a boon to all of you," Fitoria said. "I believe that the art uses a form of lifeforce, what other Heroes from Japan called ki or chi. It was designed to allow practitioners to fight on a par with Cardinal or Vassal Heroes. While I doubt any of you could master it, even learning the basics may help you. I never learned it myself." She smiled, and ruffled Hedy's hair. "Hedy could do with the discipline of a martial art."
"Hey, Daddy and Mummy discipline me plenty!" Hedy said with a pout. "They won't let me do all the fun stuff!"
"Because they clearly care for you, Hedy. Believe me, I can tell. They just want you to avoid getting into too much trouble, at least with the other people of this world."
"Yeah, well, it didn't stop that mean king and that nasty princess from framing Mummy," Hedy groused. "And that Spear Hero looks at me funny, almost like he wants to mate with me."
On Fitoria's look, Raphtalia said, "The Spear Hero basically wants a harem, but he has a thing for angel girls, even if they look too young. I'm sure if he saw you, he'd be over the moon."
Fitoria facepalmed. "Oh no, another one like that?" she muttered. "And, of course, you said he was the major exception to getting along with the other Cardinal Heroes, not helped by this Princess Malty. I suggest working on strengthening your relationship with the Sword and Bow Heroes for now, and wait until such time as Malty's influence can be mitigated or removed. Anyway, excuse me a moment."
She began leading Hedy out of the room. "Hey, where are you taking me?" the younger Filolial Queen protested.
"I intended to teach you lessons on how to fight later, but I believe there is a most urgent lesson you need to learn forthwith. Namely, how to deal with perverts…"
They weren't gone for more than twenty minutes, though Harry had to wonder how much of that was the brevity of the lesson, and how much of that was due to their desire for breakfast. And Hedy's reply when asked about the lesson weren't reassuring. If anyone made her too uncomfortable, she was going to kick them below the belt.
Then again, on Motoyasu, it'd probably be Super Effective. Hopefully.
As they had breakfast, Fitoria smiled as she ate her meal. "There is definitely one thing you are better than Ignotus in. You are excellent at cooking. Ignotus was many great things, but his skill at cooking was average at best, even with enhancements provided by the Shield."
"He lived back in medieval times," Hermione remarked. "They still cooked food according to both religious strictures and the Four Temperaments theory(1)."
"And I'm not exactly Heston Blumenthal," Harry said.
"I presume that is a supreme chef on your world," Fitoria said. "But that is irrelevant. I have to admire your prudence in unlocking as many Shields as possible. Even with the headstart Ignotus' journal would have given you, to say nothing of your magic, you must get stronger, for there are threats that would give me pause for thought. And I am one of the strongest beings on this world. This is a fact, not a boast. You have the conviction to fight, all of you, but you need strength coupled with that. And hopefully, you won't have to rely on the Rage Shield, or any other Curse Series. Have you warned the other Cardinal Heroes about them?"
"Damn," Harry muttered. "It must've slipped my mind. I doubt Motoyasu would listen to me, but Ren and Itsuki might. They'd probably question my source, though. I first heard of them through Ignotus' journal."
"That is fine. If you wish to cite a source, cite me, at least until you feel it is safe to share the journal's existence with the other Cardinal Heroes. Legends of my existence are widespread across this entire world. In my Filolial form, I am…conspicuous, to say the least. I believe a previous Sword Hero, from a country known as America, claimed I was as large as a skyscraper. I believe it was hyperbole, but I am large enough to fight on equal terms with a dragon."
"Wish I had you on my side during the First Task," Harry joked. On her look, he said, "About five years ago, I had to face down a dragon with nothing but my wand. I had to steal a planted egg from its nest."
"And he managed it quite well," Hermione said.
"I see. That sounds fairly impressive," Fitoria said. "And you would have been but a boy. What else had scarred you in your youth? I glimpsed those scars, the scars on your soul, last night. And this one…" She reached over, and gently touched the infamous lightning bolt scar. "Some small shred of darkness yet remains in it. It's mostly gone, but even now, echoes linger."
"…The man who murdered my parents gave it to me. Part of his soul ended up bound to it."
Fitoria hissed, withdrawing her hand as if burnt. "A Horcrux…Ignotus spoke to me of such vile things…you are lucky it no longer remains."
"Ignotus Peverell knew of Horcruxes?" Hermione asked.
"He had learned of such a thing. He was afraid of Death, both the state of existence and the Reaper. He considered many means of making himself immortal, but most of them were too vile to even contemplate, including the Horcrux. To split one's soul in such a manner, and with a vile ritual like that…" She shook her head. "There are many things that disgust me…dragons…the folly of people, squabbling when they should fight together…but Horcruxes and those willing to use them surpass them."
"What about other people seeking immortality?" Harry asked.
"It depends on the means. Most are foul and vile, but there are a few, such as the Elixir of Life, that are tolerable. Why do you ask?"
"…Well, you are aware that there are other worlds?"
"Of course."
"We were warned by a Vassal Hero from another world that one of his fellow Vassal Weapon wielders had gone rogue." Harry briefly outlined what he knew about Kyo, and Naofumi.
Fitoria, by the end of it, seemed utterly shocked and appalled. "…What madness is this? What folly is this creature perpetrating?!" she hissed, her eyes wide. "He must be stopped!"
"Not that I'm arguing, but I'm asking why?" Raphtalia asked. "I mean, you seem to know something that he might be after."
"…The Spirit Tortoise is designed to gather souls and their power, harvest them to help protect this world from the Waves, being one of the four Guardian Beasts," Fitoria explained after a brief pause. "But in order to do so, deaths will be caused. They have many familiars in order to do so. As a subtle ploy, the Spirit Tortoise first sends out a human-like familiar, to sow discord. She takes no pleasure whatsoever in her deeds, I must emphasize. Should things become more urgent, however, the Spirit Tortoise will send out monsters to kill and harvest souls. As a last resort, the body of the Spirit Tortoise will rouse from its slumber and walk the lands, destroying all in its path until it absorbs the requisite energy to protect the world from the Waves of Catastrophe."
Harry and the others considered this. It was a horrific prospect, though it had a cruel logic to it. Hermione's eyes widened. "With all those souls, the Spirit Tortoise would be a reservoir of a vast amount of energy, correct?"
"Indeed. I believe, as I am sure you do, that Kyo covets this energy, assuming Naofumi was telling the truth. I personally think he is, though I cannot rule out falsehood. I have ways and means of contacting the human familiar of the Spirit Tortoise, its soul's avatar, if you will. This familiar currently takes the form of a woman called Ost Hourai. She may contact you for further information. I assure you again, she takes no pleasure in what she does, and at this point, she is only preparing for if she is needed."
"But the Spirit Tortoise would need to cause destruction on a massive scale to gather that energy," Raphtalia said, horrified.
"About two-thirds of all living beings in this world, I would estimate," Fitoria said. "But you must understand, that is the difficulty of dealing with the Waves. Do you save the world, or its people? That is the choice the Cardinal Heroes face. I know you already enough to know what you would choose. You would try to save everyone you can, Harry Potter. That is a more difficult path, but…I have faith enough in you and your companions to do what you can."
"…That's probably the nicest thing you've said to us," Harry snarked. He was still a little miffed about last night, but Fitoria was trying her best.
Fitoria winced, before she sighed. "I needed you to understand how high the stakes truly are. And…I do not interact with people that often. Not to mention that a long life is not always a pleasant one. But…you are family to me. I do not wish you to be harmed, especially not by my own hand. What I said last night was out of necessity. And there is no nice way of giving a message with such dire import."
"…I suppose not," Harry conceded. "But part of the problem is the state of Melromarc, with the Three Heroes Church, not to mention that damned King and Princess playing around while Queen Mirelia is away."
"Hmm. And with the Replica gone…"
"Replica?" Hermione asked.
"Towards the end of his time as the Shield Hero, Ignotus became worried that the Cardinal and Vassal Heroes may not be enough. He worked on a weapon that would change form into one of the Cardinal Weapons, and replicate the abilities of said weapon," Fitoria said. "The Replica Weapon, however, was coveted at the time, so Ignotus imbued it with a number of safeguards. If the wielder was worthy, the Replica could be wielded without draining mana reserves too much. It could even be wielded by a Cardinal Weapon bearer, with Ignotus finding a way to bypass the restriction. However, anyone who was unworthy to wield the Replica would have the mana reserves drained from them, potentially fatally. He called this measure the Excalibur Charm, after a famous sword on your world that could only be drawn from a stone by a worthy bearer. However, the Replica Weapon vanished some time ago."
"Lost…or stolen?" Hermione asked.
Fitoria nodded. "I suspect the latter. By whom, though, is the question. It was housed in Melromarc, so the obvious culprit would have been the Three Heroes Church, which was on the ascendancy at the time. But many other countries and powers would covet such a weapon."
"Joy," Harry snarked.
"You will have to overcome such petty concerns, for they are petty compared to saving this world and its people," Fitoria said. "I know, it is far easier said than done, and they are still major problems. But the Waves are the real threat." She sighed quietly. "In any case, I may yet travel with you for a couple of days. I do not wish to involve myself in the petty affairs of people, but…I miss going on an adventure. My responsibilities mean I can stay with you no longer than that." At this, she winced. "…Assuming I am welcome with you?"
Harry had a fairly strong impulse to tell her to sod off. What happened last night was still rather painful. But by the same token, he knew that she did so not out of malice, but because she lacked tact and was trying to get a serious message across. Eventually, after giving the others looks to see if they were fine, he said, "Well, why not? As long as we stay off certain subjects for now, I'd like to get to know you."
At this, a genuine smile touched Fitoria's lips. "Thank you," she said softly.
They had gotten off to a shaky start, but perhaps they could bond anyway. Besides, she was the last living link to Ignotus Peverell, a tangible link to his ancestor. And in the end, she wasn't trying to be malevolent. She was just very old, and very serious, and unlike Dumbledore, she at least was upfront with him. So, he'd give her a chance.
He just hoped he wouldn't regret it…
CHAPTER 22 ANNOTATIONS:
So, I wanted to show more of Fitoria trying to get back into Harry and company's good graces, after a bit of a shaky start.
Review-answering time! Jose19: Haven't you been paying attention? Naofumi made an appearance some chapters ago. He's on Glass' world.
Dragon Man 180: Glad you liked the fic so far. I'm only a chapter away from Melty's debut in terms of writing, as I've just written the chapter where Harry first uses the Rage Shield. And Fitoria wasn't impressed by what she learned about Motoyasu, as seen above.
BlindAsABat95: I get your point, and honestly, I think she's a bitch in canon. But I wanted to give Fitoria more texture to her character in this, hence the last couple of chapters.
ZLC genesmith: A good point, but it must be fairly rare to unlock the Blessed Series, and perhaps she's too cynical to comment on it if she knew.
L: I got the impression that canon Fitoria's emotions have been worn away and blunted by the centuries, and part of that was mitigated in this fic by her having a Pensieve to remember. Fitoria and Hedy will eventually have their duel.
As for similarities between them, they are superficial. I personally feel Fitoria is closer to Dumbledore in many regards. She's very much the top good guy of this world, but she has an extremely utilitarian view. Fitoria will become something of an aunt/big sister figure to Harry in some regards.
1. No, really. It wasn't just Lent, but red meat was banned on a variety of days for religious reasons, amongst other strictures on food. In addition, many recipes were created according to the Four Temperaments theory, which had to do with the four humours, blood, phlegm, and yellow and black bile. It was pretty much the leading nutritional…theory of its day, though calling it a theory is akin to giving the Ptolemaic System of astronomy credit in my opinion. I read about this in one of Heston Blumenthal's books, Historic Heston, and it was really quite fascinating, despite the theory's inaccuracy.
