I'm sorry it has taken so long for this chapter to be written, but once the summer ended things became quite hectic at work, and then I got sick, so… yeah, a lot of things got in the way. Hopefully, there won't be too much interference after this, but you never know. Anyway, on with the story.
Edited 26/10-2017
Fixed a continuity error 20/06-2018
Day at the Museum
When Halios awoke the next morning, he felt more refreshed than he had for months. While Hogwarts sat on a cluster of intersecting ley-lines, and thus is highly saturated by magic, his realm – like all Daedric Realms of Oblivion – was a realm of pure magic. Since he had yet too truly bond with the realm, which would happen in a few years' time, his powers depended on the amount of magic in the area.
For example; at Hogwarts, his powers were only a fraction of what he had whilst in his own realm, yet still far beyond anything mortals could hope to achieve. This was due to the magic he could absorb through the lay-lines. If he were to spend a large amount of time in a non-magical area, he would slowly weaken over the course of a month, until he was down on the level of a mortal magical child of his age.
That being said, as he was rested and in his home, he was at his strongest. Feeling better than he had for a while, Halios began his morning routine of training, and circulated his magic and essence through the environment, slowly increasing the area of effect. At first, it was only his rooms, but as time went on, he covered the entire floor, then the 'house' (which was more like a palace) and after almost two hours, 40% of his realm had been touched. That was when he was forced to stop, as he reached his limits. Slowly letting his magic retreat back into himself, Halios gave a sigh and went to the bathroom for a shower. Thirty minutes later, he left the room and went down to the kitchen in order to break his fast.
After he had eaten, he went to the library in order to study. Time passed slowly as he went over his books and began his summer homework. Yet, soon it was time to leave for the Leaky Cauldron, where Hermione and her parents would be waiting in order to take them to the British Museum. Switching to his female form, she then changed her clothes to things more common in the mundane parts of Earth. She then opened up a portal and stepped through to the small alley behind the Leaky Cauldron.
Entering the pub, Halios looked around, trying to spot her friends. She soon saw them at a table in a corner, so she made her way over to them.
At the table, Hermione and her parents, Seren and Sirius, and Neville with his grandmother, sat and talked as they waited for Halios. They had all arrived a bit early, and had thus been there for about 20 minutes already.
"Right, so it's two minutes past eleven now, which means Halios should be here any moment now." Hermione said, as she looked at her watch.
"So, how do you all think the meeting will go?" Neville asked while looking around, completely missing the redhead that were walking towards them.
"Well, that depends," Sirius Black answered. "If you give him back his Stone, and only ask for some minor things, then I think it will go rather well. But if you ask for something ridiculous, or dangerous, like how to make a Philosopher's Stone, then he will most likely deny your request and take the stone before giving you a warning about greed, or something."
"Which is why we should only ask for tips or help with something at a later date."
The group (minus Seren and Sirius) jumped in surprise when a voice spoke. Looking to his left, Neville saw Halios standing there, smiling. Seren spoke up.
"Merlin's saggy balls, Halios! Did you have to sneak up on us?"
Chuckling, Halios sat down beside her before she answered. "I didn't really sneak up on you. Neville just didn't notice me when I approached. But then again, my physiology is closer to that Mer rather than Men."
The Grangers and Neville looked shocked, while the Dowager Longbottom had a thoughtful look on her face.
"So, you are not fully human, then?" She asked Halios.
"Define 'human'," Halios answered. "But no, my kind are known as Daedra, though there's another branch called Aedra. Both the word Aedra and Daedra are elvish in origin, and can roughly be translated to 'our ancestors' for Aedra and 'not our ancestors' for Daedra. They became known as such, as the Aedra used parts of their powers to create the realm of Mundus, on which the races of men and mer rose to prominence."
Here, she looked at Hermione as she was almost jumping in her seat, wanting to ask a million questions. "Don't worry, Hermione, I'll explain what 'mer' means in a second."
"Anyway," she continued, turning back towards the others. "Mer is the collective term for the elven races. There is the Altmer, or the High Elves. Dunmer, the Dark Elves. Bosmer, the Wood Elves. Orsimer, the Orcs. Falmer, the Snow Elves. Maormer, the Sea Elves and the now extinct Dwemer, or Dwarfs as they are now known."
Taking a short moment to accept a Butterbeer from Sirius and taking a sip, Halios then continued.
"As such, the Aedra are seen as gods on Mundus, and even if there's only eight of them, they are very powerful. They are; Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time and the chief god amongst them. Arkay, the God of the Circle of Life, Death and Mortals burials and funeral rites. Dibella, the Goddess of Beauty. Julianos, the God of Wisdom and Logic."
Here Halios takes a break again and looks at Hermione, who is now practically vibrating in her seat.
"Then there is Kynareth, Goddess of Air, wind, sky and the Elements. Mara, the Goddess of Love and Compassion. She is basically the Mother Goddess, and the one in which temple, almost all marriages takes place. Well, at least amongst humans. The final two are Stendarr, the God of Mercy, Justice, Charity, Luck and rightful rule by might and merciful forbearance, and Zenithar, the God of Work and Commerce."
Taking another sip of the Butterbeer, Halios checks the time.
"Perhaps we shall begin to move towards the Museum, so that we get there in time, while I continue the explanation on the way?"
The Grangers all looks at their watches, and agrees that, while they could sit a bit more before they had to go, it was better to err on the side of cation and go when you were sure you would be on time. Standing up, the group moved towards the door, and as the exited the pub, Halios continued his explanation.
"The Daedra, on the other hand, choose to create their own realms, over which they rule. They became known as Daedric Princes, and created lesser Daedra to inhabit their realms. There are at the moment seventeen Daedric Princes, as I have yet to take full control over my Realm. As with the Aedra, each Daedric Prince has their own realm of realms of influence, and they are thus;
Azura, the Queen of Dusk and Dawn, the Lady of Twilight and Prophecies.
Boethia, the Prince of Plots, Conspiracy and Deceit.
Clavicus Vile, Child-God of the Morningstar and Lord of Pacts and Wishes.
Hermaeus Mora, the Golden Eye and Lord of Fate, Knowledge, Learning and Memory.
Hircine, the Father of Man-Beasts and Lord of the Hunt.
Jyggalag, the Lord of Order.
Malacath, Lord of the Spurned, the Sworn Oath and the Bloody Curse.
Mehrunes Dagon, Lord of Destruction, Revolution and Change.
Mephala, the Webspinner, Lady of Sex, Secrets and Murder.
Meridia, the Goddess of Light and Lady of Infinte Energies. Her domain is everything that is alive, and she is my Mother.
Molag Bal, the Father of Vampires, King of Rape, Domination and Enslavement.
Namira, the Ancient Darkness, and Lady of all things Repulsive, such as cannibalism.
Nocturnal, the Lady of the Night, Darkness and Thieves.
Peryite, the Taskmaster, Lord of Natural Order and Pestilence.
Sanguine, Lord of Hedonism, Debauchery and Indulgence
Sheogorath, Lord of the Never-There, The Mad God, and my Father.
Vaermina, the Gifter, Lady of Dreams, Nightmares and Omens.
And then there's me," Halios ended. "While I've yet to reach the rank of Prince, so far my domains appears to be Music and Healing."
"This is all very interesting," the Dowager Longbottom injected, "but what does this has to do with your physiology?"
"It's simple, really." Halios said. "Aedra and Daedra are being of pure magic. Thus, the form we take are influenced by our domains and personalities. For example, Mehrunes Dagon. Due to his personality and domains, he has a massive build, four arms, red skin and horns. He basically looks like what most would imagine a demon. Hermaeus Mora, on the other hand, is an amorphous blob of darkness, with a multitude of eyes and tentacles, simply because that form is the easiest way for him to keep track on all his books with."
Augusta Longbottom nodded, as she finally understood Halios point.
"I see… So your body is mainly magic given form, rather than flesh and blood?"
"That is correct, Madam Longbottom."
The conversation ended there, as they had reached the Museum and all the magicals wanted to see what the Museum was all about. Entering the Museum after paying the entrance fee, the group made its way through the exhibitions. The magicals were awed by the dinosaur exhibition, and both Blacks and Longbottoms could feel the cold sweat running down their necks as they saw the documented destruction caused by the atom bombs in the WW2 exhibition. Soon, they came to the exhibition on Ancient Greece, where they were to meet the Alchemist.
Looking around the exhibit, Halios could see several interesting items. There was a large, ornate bronze shield, a big club made of olive wood, though it was so old, the wood had almost turned to stone. A bit further away, there was a display containing a helmet and a dagger that looked almost like a lightning bolt.
On the far side of the room, an older man stood and waited for them. As the group neared him, his penetrating grey eyes made everyone but Halios feel as if they were before a parent who was trying to discern if they had been good or bad. Even the Dowager Longbottom felt like that, despite being the oldest in the group by almost half a century. As the only one unfazed by the Alchemists gaze, Halios was the one to greet him.
"Greetings. Mr Flamel, I presume?"
"That I am, girl. Now, who are you?"
"Halios Meridian Sheoth," Halios said with a slight bow. "With me are Seren Black-Weiss and her father, Lord Sirius Black. Neville Longbottom and his grandmother, the Dowager Augusta Longbottom. And Hermione Granger with her parents Emma and Dan Granger."
As Halios introduced them, each of those present gave the Alchemist a small bow or a curtsey. The Alchemist bowed back before addressing Halios again.
"Now, the letter you sent said you had found something that you believed to be mine, and the description you wrote down does indeed match the Stone, but I would only be able to confirm or deny if I were to see the object in question. So, if I may..?"
Halios nods before taking out a small lockbox. Opening the box reveals the thing they believe to be the Philosopher's Stone, and she hands it over to Flamel. Flamel looks the Stone over, and sends a small burst of prana into it. Nodding to himself, he puts the stone down again.
"Yes, it is my Stone. How did you find it, and what do you want for returning it to me?"
Halios begins to describe how she and Seren had found the stone, and at the end of the story, Flamel just shakes his head.
"Dammit, Albus, this is not what I had in mind when I allowed you to use the Stone…" He mutters to himself, before speaking louder. "I have to thank you again for returning the Stone to me, but I still have to ask; what do you want as a reward?"
Looking at each other, the four youngster just shook their shoulders, before Seren spoke up.
"At the moment? Nothing. But perhaps in the future we would need your help with something, so perhaps a favour each to be agreed upon on a later date?"
Nodding to himself, Flamel could agree to her reasoning. Since he knew they had years of wizard education yet to go through, a favour for a later date was far more valuable than anything else they could have asked for at this time.
"Agreed. Each one of you will have one favour you can ask of me at a later date, but I reserve the right to deny it, if I find it beyond my powers. If I were to deny the request, the favour will remain until later."
"Agreed." Halios says, after a short conversation with her friends and their families. After shaking the Alchemists hand to seal the agreement, the group left the exhibition in order to return to the Leaky Cauldron to have lunch, before each family went their own way.
A short while ago, with Sheogorath
Having felt Halios leave the realm, Sheogorath was wondering what to do. Perhaps he should go and visit some of the worlds' leaders? There were a lot of them that belonged in his domain after all, especially in that 'Middle Eastern' region of the world…
Nah, that would be boring. But what about visiting that museum Halios had spoken about? After all, there weren't any museums in Tamriel – well, except that small place in Dawnstar, but that was more of a glorified shrine to Dagon that celebrated the death of the Septim dynasty and his friend Martin, so he hadn't really felt like visiting it before the Dragonborn killed the proprietor all those years ago…
Giving a resolute nod, Sheogorath rose from his throne, having decided to go to the museum. Taking a single step forward, Sheogorath suddenly stood in the centre of a room filled with relics from the past. Moving through the room into the next, Sheogorath came face to face with and old man with red eyes.
As the two beings stood in front of one another, the yellow cat-like eyes of Sheogorath met the red eyes of Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, and the smiles on their faces caused Gaia, the Will of the Earth, and Alaya, the Spirit of Humanities collective thoughts, to shudder in fright. For now, the Embodiment of Madness, and the Multiverse's Greatest Troll, had met.
So, that's the end of this chapter and the end of the first year. The next chapter will be more of the meeting between Sheogorath and Zelretch, plus the end of summer and shopping for the second year.
Next to be written is a chapter for Hollow Magic, followed by the third chapter of 'A Ninja Summoned'.
Until then. Enjoy.
-Baleygr
