Chapter 2 -"Good luck, Harrison."
Harrison stood by Aldon outside the orphanage as a carriage being pulled by what looked to be horses made of wind flew down from the clouds to land in front of them.
He stood, mouth agape, at the black and gold vehicle with the school crest plastered on the side. As Harrison gaped at the carriage, Aldon already fastened his trunk of clothes in the rear. "Well come along, dear boy. Let's not dilly."
Harrison snapped out of his shock and climbed into the fancy transport. The inside was deceptively bigger than the outside. "Magic is so great!" He breathed out in wonder.
"That it is, lad. I would advice you never lose that fascination with it. If you continuously show your appreciation to her, she will do the same for you." Aldon advised. "Go ahead, and make yourself comfortable. If you would like to see out the window, sit in that chair over there. You will see around the outside of the carriage as if you were flying."
Without more prompting, he made his way directly towards the chair. As he sat he immediately looked around as he witnessed the takeoff. It was exhilarating. Being in the air and seeing how fast they were going. They only thing that would make the experience better would be if he felt the breeze.
He hopped off the seat, and he stumbled a bit before catching himself. He saw Aldon sitting and reading his book again. "Who's flying this?"
"Ah. You see, lad, when people do bad things in life, they get punished in their afterlife. Towards the end of their punishment, there are those who get the option of being a coachman for out esteemed academy."
"How long is the trip?"
"Depending on if we have to pick up other students as the trip progresses, a couple hours. I'd advise a nap." Aldon replied. He seemed to enjoy answering questions. Harrison felt he shouldn't keep bothering the man, so he took the advice, and went to one of the cots that were prepared. It was more comfortable than the bed in the orphanage.
He didn't notice a shift in perception until he sat up and saw he was in a forest. It was dark, and he felt eyes on him, making him very scared. He looked around and didn't see anyone, but the feeling persisted. He did notice a light flickering through the trees, so he cautiously made his way towards it.
He walked through the trees that rustled without a breeze, and found a man sitting on by a flame, picking at it with a stick. He wore a buttoned shirt with a vest that had several small knives strapped to it, black pants, and brown boots that rose to his knees. He looked oddly familiar to Harrison. "U-um, excuse me, sir, but where am I? How did I get here?"
The man looked up, then gestured to the ground beside him. "Welcome, Harrison, to your mindscape. I am Damian Nightshade."
'That's where I've seen him!' Harrison recalled the portrait in the bank where he got his middle name. "This is my head? Why is it so dark? How did you get here?"
Damian chuckled. "This is more like the result of the connection between the Lord's ring and your mind. It's dark because, Nightshades are stronger in the night. As for why I'm here, the ring siphons a bit of a Lord's magic to leave an imprint of that Lord as a guide for future Lords."
"So you're the previous Lord? What are you going to teach me?" Harrison sat near the man on the ground.
"Yes, I am the previous Lord, and I will teach you the core values of House Nightshade. The ring holds our Grimoire, so I would advice reading from it as often as you possibly could and become acclimated with all the spells and rituals. I'm pleased that you will be attending Ambrosius Academy. Only the chosen of Magick are allowed to attend, and very few Lords And Ladies know of it's existence outside those who graduated. Well done, little chick." Damian praised, clapping him on the back.
"Did you attend? Do you know what I can expect?" Harrison asked.
"I did attend, but I won't share what you can expect. Where's the fun in that?" Damian laughed. "Now, like I said, I'm here to teach you the core values of our House, so lets begin."
He awoke from some slight nudging on his shoulder. "Come on, lad. We're about to reach our destination, and I know for a fact that you'd regret not being able to see the sights before we land."
"Thank you, Aldon." He said as he hopped off the cot to get a cold bottle of water.
"Think nothing of it, dear boy." Aldon waved his hand before going back to his book.
Harrison sat in the special chair, and saw that there was a lot of snow. He was confused about where exactly they were, then the snow abruptly changed to a forest. The sharp shift from white to green made Harrison jump slightly.
He looked around and all he saw was a sea of green. Then, he saw another carriage appear near him, then another, and another. More and more carriages appeared around him as they all flew in one direction. Looking ahead, he saw… something. It was small at first, but it was quickly growing in size, giving him an idea of just how fast they were going.
He quickly realized it was a castle. All the carriages flew over a massive body of water, then made a large lap around the enormous structure. He could admit that this castle made both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle look like regular homes with it's magnitude and magnificence. He's able to make the comparison because, he's toured both places with the orphanage.
He noticed something large in the body of water swim around, and he also took note of the two, winged creatures that rested by the entrance.
"Are those… dragons?" He muttered in awe.
The drawbridge lowered and the carriages flew into the entrance in a single line. They flew pass the dragons, and he was able to get a closer look at the fearsome creatures. They were a lot bigger than they seemed from the air.
The carriages all landed in neat rows and a giant set of double doors were open for all new students to enter.
"Come along, young Lord. The first step of your journey begins now."
Harrison was surprised by the large crowd of kids that filled the expansive room. It was shaped like a stadium with the children at the center and adults seated in the front rows of the benches. Harrison saw Aldon sitting and talking to other adults that wore the same clothes as him. They also all had pointed ears, so Harrison assumed they are elves.
All the kids around him seemed to be the same age, and were all seated in cushioned chairs waiting for something.
An orchestra of floating instruments were playing music around the room.
Suddenly, in the small stage in front of them, a woman faded into view with a small smile. She was an older woman wearing a black business suit with a skirt and a black shirt. The tie was multicolored and it looked as if it was shifting its colors. She also wore a shoal that matched the tie. She had several rings on each finger, as well as multiple earrings. Her black hair with silver strands is tied into a tight bun, and she wore small round glasses that rested at the tip of her nose. A large projection of her from the waist up appeared above her, making it easier to see and hear her.
"Welcome, young witches, wizards, sorcerers, and sorceresses! My name is Angélique Lucienne Flamel, and I am Headmistress of the oldest and highest ranked magical school in the world, Ambrosius Academy of the Arcane."
There was a light show and fireworks. Spectral constructs of different animals, both magical and mundane flittered and trotted around the room. In the center of the chaos was the crest of the school. There was raucous applause, and excited chatter at this display.
"You have all been deemed worthy by Magick itself to attend this school! Everyone of you is a powerful individual, and it is our job as educators to teach you all how to properly wield said power." Five small pillars with different colored crystals rose in a row behind her. "I will be calling each of you up, and you will place your hand on this gem beside me." A clear, crystal like rock rose next to her and it's height stopped just below her chest. "Once you touch this gem, one of the five crystals behind me will glow, and it will determine what your first area of study will be. Here at Ambrosius, we teach our beginning students what core magic subject they are most comfortable with for the first two years, then we add another core subject for the next two, then another, and so forth. The five core subjects you will be studying are: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Herbology, and Ancient Runes. When I call your name, you will be teleported next to me to touch the gem. After you do that, you will be teleported to the appropriate seating behind your future professor. Do you all understand?"
She waited for the kids to either nod or agree verbally. "Good. Let us begin."
With the amount of children present, it felt like forever before Harrison was called. Whenever the crystals glowed, everyone gave polite applause to the student who teleported to their appropriate section.
"Harrison Damian Nightshade." He thought he would feel the same displacement like he felt when Aldon shifted them. In one moment he was sitting, in the next, he was standing near the Headmistress. "Go ahead, dear."
He hesitated a bit, then placed his hand on the warm crystal rock. The warmth was comforting and welcoming. Like something inside him was communicating with the crystal and having a nice discussion. He was shaken out of his trance by raucous applause from the adults in the room. This was the loudest they've applauded, and some even stood and clapped. Harrison was confused at this until he looked at the five crystal pillars.
All five were glowing.
They all gave off a glow brighter than any other child who made only one glow. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see the Headmistress smiling a bright and genuine smile. "It's not often an Umbra Walker is born, and one hasn't been from the United Kingdom in over a millennia. I wish you good fortune in your future endeavors, dear."
Harry nodded dumbly, still reeling at what happened. Then he once again found himself in a different place.
He found himself in an office. One wall was just a map. Different areas were highlighted, and upon further scrutiny, it seemed to be interactive. The water was moving, and he could see things that were labeled moving in the waters.
Another wall had a fire place with weapons of all kinds mounted on the wall around it. There were two stands with armored mannequins placed on each side of the fireplace.
A third wall had a door with two couches on each side of it. The wall had different pictures and portraits scattered on it.
The last wall was a giant window with a view of the different fields where kids of all ages were playing sports. In front of the window was a desk with an old, Asian man hunched over a massive tome. The man had short, grey hair and a small grey beard. From what Harrison could see, he only wore a black cloak.
"Ms Flamel, I've already told you I've got better things to do than watch children be sorted." The man stated gruffly.
The way he said it made Harrison nervous. He was always a good child, so being spoken to in such a way made him hesitant to speak up.
The silence was enough to make the man look up and take notice of him. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
"I-I-I-" Harrison stuttered while keeping his eyes downcast.
The man sighed, closed his book, and got up. "I apologize for scaring you, child. Have a seat while I get you a drink."
Harrison made his way to the offered seat and sat down. He was offered a cup of what he assumed was juice. He drank it and instantly felt calm.
"Feeling better, child?" The man asked.
Harrison nodded. "Sorry." He mumbled.
"No no. The fault lies solely on me for frightening you. So who are you, and why are you here?" The man asked again.
"Um, all five of the crystals were glowing when I touched the stone, and I remember Ms Flamel mention something about an Umbra Walker, then I ended up here." Harrison recited.
"May I ask what your foci is made out of?" The man asked, seeming very hopeful.
"Blackthorn and Yew woods, and Phoenix feather and Thestral as cores." Harrison answered.
"Finally. Finally I can soon rest." The man said, sounding incredibly relieved. "I have been dutifully waiting for this day."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"You, child, are the next member of the Umbra Walkers. We protect the World in the shadows by slaying monsters, and mages that the average mage has no way of defeating. Over the millennia, our numbers dwindled to the point where there's only a dozen of us left. As you can see, child, I'm an old man. I'm not as agile as I was, nor do I have the stamina to properly hunt. Thankfully, Magick has gifted me you, meaning after giving you sufficient and proper training and teaching, I can finally retire." The man said with a content smile on his face. Then his smile dropped, and he became serious. "Be prepared, child. You will receive harsh training in preparation of what you will face."
Harrison swallowed, but nodded all the same.
"What is your name, child?"
"Harrison Damian Nightshade. What's yours?"
"I won't tell you my name until I deem it necessary."
Harrison frowned but nodded.
Deep in the mountain forest of the island of Honshu in Japan, a shadow was moving quickly between the tree's.
A trio of arrows shot forth from a trap, causing the shadow to quickly spin around a tree trunk while using it as a shield and moving on.
His footsteps were silent, and his breaths were even.
Each leap from a single foot was enough to propel him from one tree to another in a race against time.
A gleam of light just barely caught on the gleam of his amethyst eyes from the starlight above, making the shadow adjust his course and dive under the branch, snagging it with his hand, and swinging himself to the next.
But a hidden string behind the branch snagged on his chest, creating a near silent click that caused the shadow to mule kick the next branch, just barely missing five thin needles coated in a paralytic poison, and change directions to a tree off to the side. He kicked off between it and an adjacent tree to regain his height without losing momentum and continuing on.
On and off he changed directions, avoiding traps where he caught them and dodging the ones he accidentally tripped in his haste.
Every now and then, a silent blade or the flash of a muzzle that had nothing to do with the traps would be sent flying his way, and he would have to dodge by instincts and intuition alone.
Almost all of them were perfect dodges, although, he had a few cuts, but they were naught but surface wounds. Things the shadow had long since learned to shrug off without an issue.
Occasionally, the frame of a target would shoot up between the tree's and the shadow's hand flashed, drawing his wand, and firing at the targets before holstering it again.
The course went on for hours, drenching the shadow in sweat, blood, and chips of wood before he finally broke through the forestry into a clearing at the top of the mountain.
The light of the moon shone down and illuminated the shadows face showing the image of a young man with long, midnight black hair and amethyst eyes. His eyes were hardened and held a wit in them far beyond what many double the young man's age might have.
Standing at around 6' with a frame carved from harsh and diligent training, stood Harrison. He was sweating, but his breathing was only slightly labored, not the harsh panting it should've been.
Despite finishing the course, he still kept his eyes peeled. A gleam of familiar metal gleamed from his blind spot, and he drew his daggers to block the slice from a katana.
"Good. Never let your guard down." Harrison diverted the energy behind the blow enough to quickly spin and aim a stab at his teacher.
The old man easily evaded it, and swung his blade again. Their dance continued for a few strikes until Harrison heard the unmistakable voice of a snake. "Damn two-legs! Can't they see I'm trying to sleep!" Directing the fight to find exactly where the snake was, he found it, then led the bout in order to keep his back to the snake. He took a step back and then kicked the stone with his boot, sending the snake at his teacher.
The old man's eyes widened slightly, and his sword flashed and took the head off the snake, but that moment was enough to give Harrison a chance to draw and aim his wand.
Without hesitation, he fired spells at his opponent. In most cases, that would be the end of the fight. Unfortunately, his teacher was more skilled and better equipped than most. His sword flashed out and each spell was deflected or cut in two without much effort.
His teacher maneuvered around a rock, and Harrison followed his path with spells. He caught a shadow on the corner of his vision and quickly aimed and fired, only to find a cloth as his target. He suddenly felt cold steel resting by his neck.
"Never fully commit without confirmation." His teacher's calm voice spoke.
"Look down, sensei." Harrison stated, equally calm. His teacher obliged and was surprised to find a dagger pointed at his stomach. A dry chuckle escaped his teacher's lips.
"Well done, child." They both sheathed their weapons before his teacher spoke again. "I'm proud of you, Harrison. You beat your record on the course tonight. I even used every trap, and you passed magnificently. You still have a few rough edges, and you need to work on your balance, coordination, and evasiveness, but you beat the record. Not just your own, but mine."
Harrison's eyes shot open.
"Indeed, you finished the course a full nine minutes earlier than I did when I was 17, and you're 14. You have truly come a long way, child." His teacher patted his shoulder.
"It's only thanks to your tutelage, sensei."
"And your own effort. You have given it your all and will definitely bring honor to the title of Umbra Walker with your hard work."
Harrison bowed. "Thank you, sensei."
"Your welcome. Now come, let's go have a nice soak in the hot spring."
The next year was spent focusing on magical theory. Harrison needed to study for his OWLs, so they spent mornings with light sparring, midday with spellwork, and evenings on theory. Then once a week, they'd return to the obstacle course, with increasing levels of difficulty. Instead of mere targets to fire at, Harrison's teacher brought in animated dummies to fire spells at him.
Now, Harrison sat at one of the locations that the International Confederation of Wizards convene. It was underneath the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Adults, both young and old, milled about, clearly nervous about the tests they were going to take.
Finally, the doors opened, and they all filed in. There were numerous single desks with paper and pens ready for their use. The pens were the infamous anti-cheating ones. None of the students had been allowed to take anything with them for the exams besides their wands, which had to be placed onto the desks to ensure that no student used them for spells to cheat off of others.
Each desk had a name tag on it, which meant the students needed some time to find their seat. He sat down and patiently waited for everyone else to find their own seats.
At the front of the room was a large sign. 'Ordinary Wizarding Levels / Charms' was written on it.
As soon as all students were seated, an ancient looking witch stepped forward using her cane.
"Welcome everybody to your first OWL. I am Madam Professor Griselda Marchbanks of the British Isles and I would like to give you some basic information about how these exams will be done. For each OWL, you have a written and a practical part, except for the purely theoretical classes, like History of Magic and Arithmancy. The written tests for the mixed classes will take three hours, from nine to twelve in the morning, and will be followed by practical tests in the afternoon. There you will be called by alphabet. The purely theoretical subjects have written tests that last four hours. You will only write with the special writing utensils in front of you. They are charmed to prevent any kind of cheating." She spoke in a stern, no nonsense tone, the strength in her tone contrasting her appearance.
"All answers are to be given on the paper that we will be handing out after the general information part is done. There is enough space to give your answers. Write your full name, meaning including all middle names, onto the line at the top right of the first piece of paper. It will automatically be copied to all other pages you get. You will notice a box at the front of your desks. They are for your wands, as we don't want anybody using his or hers to cheat. If you haven't learned enough by now, it won't help you anyway. And anybody that attempts to cheat is out of the exams, so you better don't even risk it.
If you need to go to the toilet, you are to use the restrooms provided at the side. We also have small bottles of water that you may take if you need something to drink. All of them just hold mineral water, no potions or anything else, which is why you were forbidden to bring any kind of food or drinks of your own. Additionally, when the examiners hand out the exam papers, they will perform a spell to check for potions or spells you have used prior to the exams. If they are the type that is considered cheating, you are out of here and fail the exam. We will check this every new exam day."
Everyone nodded at the information, then the examiners walked along the lines and left a set of exam papers on each desk. Once that was done, they swished their wands to perform the spell, thankfully nobody was caught for cheating. It would have been embarrassing to have that happen on the first exam day. The tests lay top down, which meant the students couldn't read them. Once they were all done, Madam Marchbanks spoke up again.
"The hourglass in front of the hall shows you how much time you have left. Keep the time in mind while working. You may begin, now." She stated and turned the hourglass around, which made blue sand fall down slowly.
The students turned their papers and started working.
Harry read the first question and had to suppress a snort. 'Give the incantation and describe the wand movements to make objects fly.'
He quickly wrote the answer and then continued with his test.
Madam Marchbanks was surprised. Never in her over a century old career as an educator had she seen results like these. She had seen powerful and skilled students excel in their specialties, but never somebody that managed to get results like these in all subjects.
One Harrison Nightshade had just done that.
Sixteen OWLs he had applied for. Sixteen OWLs he had aced. Outstanding all over the board with distinction in all subjects.
She had tested Albus Dumbledore, but even he, who had got twelve OWLs, thanks to self-study of languages, in both human and magical creatures languages, which replaced the OWL subjects Divination and Care of Magical Creatures for him, hadn't managed to get all Outstanding grades. Albus got Exceeds Expectations in Arithmancy and Astronomy and an Acceptable in Herbology. Albus would be the first to admit that he had no talent for plants. He knew all the theory but didn't do that well in the practical.
Tom Riddle, another exemplary student who had then suddenly vanished from the wizarding world when he was in his early twenties, had got ten OWLs, nine Outstanding and one Exceeds Expectations in Care of Magical Creatures.
As she sat in her shock, she barely managed to see a request form from the same young man who shocked her so. It was a request to take his NEWTs early.
"You will be training under another for the foreseeable future, Harrison. He is the man who taught me all I know in kung fu, and I believe he will be the best to expand your repertoire."
"Who will I be learning under, sensei?"
His sensei hummed for a moment before speaking again. "Let me tell you a story first. Once upon a time, in China, some believe around the year 1003 AD, the head priest of the White Lotus Clan, Pai Mei, was walking down a road, contemplating whatever it is that a man of Pai Mei's infinite skill would contemplate, when a Shaolin monk appeared on the road traveling in the opposite direction. As the monk and the priest crossed paths, Pai Mei, in a practically unfathomable display of generosity, gave the monk the slightest of nods. The nod was not returned. Now, was it the intention of the Shaolin monk to insult Pai Mei? Or, did he just fail to see the generous social gesture? The motives of the monk still remain unknown. What is known... were the consequences. The next morning, Pai Mei appeared at the Shaolin temple and demanded of the temple's head abbot that he offer Pai Mei his neck to repay the insult. The abbot, at first, tried to console Pai Mei, only to find Pai Mei was inconsolable. So began the Massacre of the Shaolin Temple, and all sixty of the monks inside, at the fists of the White Lotus. And so began the legend of Pai Mei's Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique."
"What, exactly, is the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, sensei?" Harrison asked, intrigued with the story.
"Quite simply, it is the deadliest blow in all of martial arts. He hits you with his fingertips at five different pressure points on your body and then lets you walk away. But once you've taken five steps your heart explodes inside your body and you fall to the floor, dead." His sensei spoke gravely.
"Did he teach you that?"
"No. He teaches no one the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique." Something flashes across his sensei's eye, too quick to see. "One of the things I've always liked about you, Harrison, is you are wise beyond your years. Allow me to impart a word to the wise: Whatever, whatever Pai Mei says, obey. If you flash him, even for an instant, a defiant eye, he'll pluck it out. If you throw any sass his way he'll snap your back and your neck like they were twigs, and that will be the end of your tale."
Harrison packed some clothing, and the two portkeyed to the base to what looked like stairs that went up forever.
"Wait here." His sensei ordered before he sprinted up the steps.
Harrison when his sensei returned, he had a black eye, and a busted lip. "He'll accept you as his student."
Harrison knew better than to ask, so he just moved on. "Why did he accept me?"
"Because he's a very, very, very old man, and like all rotten bastards, when they become old, they get lonely, which has no effect on their dispositions, but it does teach them the value of company." He sighed in both fondness and fatigue. "Just looking at those steps again makes me ache. You're gonna have a lot of fun
carrying buckets of water up and down that thing."
"When will my training with him end?"
"When he tells me you're done, and that, my apprentice, depends entirely on you.
Now remember, be as humble as possible, never show anger nor defiance, and only speak when spoken to, preferably in Mandarin or Cantonese." His sensei instructed as he patted Harrison's shoulder.
"Yes, sensei." Harrison bowed. His sensei nodded once, then portkeyed away.
He looked at the steps, took a deep breath, and climbed. He jogged up the steps at a moderate pace. When he finally made it to the top, he saw a man sitting at the opposite side of a courtyard that had weapon racks on each side. From the small glance he was able to take, the man had a long, white beard, long eyebrows, and long hair both also white. His hair was tied.
He kept his head down as he walked forward, then stopped at steps the man was sitting on. He placed his bag down, then sat in seiza in front of the man, never looking up.
Pai Mei stayed silent for a long time before before speaking up. "Why are you here?"
"I wish to learn and grow to be something more than a worm before an eagle." Harrison stated calmly.
"Your Mandarin is passable. Can you speak Cantonese?"
"Yes, sifu." Harrison replied in Cantonese.
"Ho? What a surprise! A Caucasian willing and able to learn and speak a language not his own." Pai Mei stated mockingly. "Where are you from?"
"I was born in the United Kingdom, and lived there until I was eight. Then, my teacher brought me to Japan to train me." Harrison answered.
Pai Mei laughed derisively. "One colonizer being trained by another. A foolish Jap at that!"
Harrison remained absolutely calm despite the anger he felt. This old man was insulting his sensei.
"Ho? No anger? Takeshi is your master, is he not? Someone insults your master to your face, and you do nothing?"
"My teacher has yet to tell me his name, so I cannot confirm nor deny. What use is a worm's anger before the mighty eagle?"
"You are the first to truly understand that, I will admit. Perhaps I won't regret imparting knowledge onto you, little colonizer." Pai Mei laughed.
"Thank you for your generosity, sifu. I am undeserving."
"Draw your weapon, little colonizer. I must ascertain just how much work you will need."
In one fluid motion, Harrison drew his dagger and launched himself at Pai Mei.
Harrison, now eighteen, stood at the base of the steps that he last saw his sensei. The last three years have been brutal, and very trying.
He didn't know if he managed to get his sifu to like him, but he did elevate his status from little colonizer and worm, to serpent. Of course, snakes still get eaten by eagles, but that's besides the point.
"Hello, Harrison." He heard from behind him. Turning, he saw his sensei who looked the same as he always did. "You've grown taller."
"Hello, sensei. Your student is ready to continue his education." Harrison bowed.
"Your training is finished, Harrison. What you need now is experience. I know I've brought you with me to a lot of easier missions, but this time, you'll be going on a mission with the other apprentices for one final test, then we go and present you to the next ICW conference." His sensei explained.
"Other apprentices?"
"Yes. I should give you a fair warning. I am the eldest and most experienced Umbra Walker, so I'm seen as the leader, of sorts, even though we rarely convene and converse with each other. The others may look at you with increased scrutiny because of this." His sensei explained.
"I understand, sensei." Harrison nodded.
"I am no longer your sensei, Harrison. My name is Minamoto Takeshi, also known as Kage." Takeshi bowed in greeting.
"You will forever be my sensei, sensei, but I'm glad to finally have earned the knowledge of your name."
Takeshi clapped Harrison's shoulder. "Come. Let's get you a proper meal. I have no doubts that you've grown sick of rice and fish. I know I did when I first left here."
Harrison grinned as he held onto the offered rope, and portkeyed away.
Harrison walked into the room right behind his sensei with a casual ease that put others on guard. He wore black combat boots that reached just bellow his knees, with black combat pants. He wore a black hooded poncho with the hood up that completely covered his torso. With the hood raised, the area around his face was pitch black, not allowing anything to show.
Despite the fact they walked in exactly on time, they were the last to arrive.
The room was filled with different people, most having something to obscure their appearance, while an arrogant few remained maskless, and lightly sneered in his direction.
At the front was a figure that only wore a robe with the face darkened like Harrison's stood. The broad shoulders gave the impression that the figure was male.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen." Harrison noted the accent was Eastern European, likely Romanian or somewhere close. "I will not waste your time with unimportant details. This is your final test before you'll all be an official member of the Umbra Walkers. It's honestly just a formality at this point. Your mission is a simple observation one. The Lux have recently began to move again, and we have received info that they've been recruiting for a long time. We have a probable location on where they'll convene, and it's your job to just observe, then return and report."
They all nodded, and verbalized their accent to the easy job. The speaker floated small sheets to all the apprentices. "The mission will be at eleven tomorrow night. You are to meet at those coordinates, then proceed with your mission. Remember, this is a simple observation assignment."
The speaker finished then left the room. His sensei told him that he may leave if he wishes, but he's staying a bit to greet his comrades. Harrison promptly turned and left, much to his sensei's amusement.
"So that was your apprentice, Kage? Quite the mystery. Why does he hide his face?"
"He's at that age. He thinks it's cool. I doubt he'll keep it after receiving his badge."
Harry appeared at his allotted location and stalked his way through the forest. He ran and parkoured from branch to branch silently and quickly, never slipping nor slowing.
He could feel the magic being used in the distance, and he sped up his pace. He stopped just before the clearing to analyze what he's currently seeing. In front of him were men and a couple of women dressed in white robes standing around a glowing intricately designed circle. From reading his Grimoire, he could identify the ritual circle as one to summon a Demon, more specifically, a Demon King.
He noted the big werewolf that was chained up and held in place next to the circle. It was being held in place by two pairs of glowing, golden chains, chains that were being kept in existence by two of the mask wearing men who were aiming their wands at the werewolf. The ritual circle came alight with flames as the people kept chanting lowly.
Harry noted his fellow apprentices scattered in different shadows. He truly hoped none of them were stupid enough to actually interrupt a ritual, especially a demonic one.
That hope was dashed when he saw one of them draw their wand. They fired a spell, most likely hoping to hit the nearest one but that person managed to get a shield up in time. Unfortunately, it bounced off the shield and struck the shoulder of one of the men responsible for keeping the werewolf chained. The chains weakened and the werewolf realised it as he now started trying even harder to break them.
This seemed like this was all the others needed as incentive because, they all started firing spells themselves. It was almost pathetic how easily they were defeated. They were all bound, stunned, then piled together.
Harrison edged closer to their location, and saw two Lux were keeping watch while the others went to calm the werewolf. Seeing his opportunity, he sent a cutting arch towards the two keeping guard killing them instantly. He sent a spell from his Grimoire that negate any spell towards the stunned and bound apprentices. They were freed and awoken, but they were injured. Making a split decision, he took off his emergency portkey activated it, and tossed it on them. They were all in contact with each other, so they safely escaped, but Harrison was barraged by spells.
Aiming down, he sent a concentrated burst of air from his wand, launching him airborne. He landed in the center of they fray, and spun with his blade, killing several. He was a blur, firing spells at those too far, and stabbing those that got too close.
What he, unfortunately, didn't notice was that he accidentally made his way onto the ritual circle. The fresh blood from the Lux members empowering it further. He a deflected a spell downwards, which hit a portion of the ritual circle.
"Oh shit!" One of the Lux exclaimed just before the werewolf got free, and the ritual circle burst into flames. Before Harrison could make it out the flames, he was pounced by the wolfman. He'd be in more pain and burning if all of his clothes weren't heavily enchanted.
He dodged a claw swipe towards his face, but couldn't avoid one directed towards his chest. He grit his teeth in pain, then jabbed one of his blades straight into the jugular of the werewolf. It scratched Harrison's chest twice more before finally dying.
That seemed to be the final ingredient to whatever happened because, all Harrison could remember was an explosion.
"What the hell happened?" One of the Umbra demanded. The apprentices were portkeyed straight to the meeting place. The Umbra went to work healing them and now are waiting for an explanation.
"We went to our allotted locations and observed our target. They were in the middle of a ritual. One of us, I don't know who, fired a spell at them that was easily shielded. We began to attack and were soundly defeated. We probably would've been taken and tortured for information if it wasn't for Lord Kage's apprentice. He dispelled the binding spell, and stunner placed on us and tossed an activated portkey onto us." One of the apprentices spoke.
Kage didn't even speak as he turned and left, determined to find out what happened to his precious student.
"Which one of you was foolish enough to interrupt an active ritual?" An Umbra asked, incredibly disappointed. "You were all taught not to disrupt an active ritual, so which one of you was daft enough to do so?"
All the apprentices remained silent.
"I see. It seems we must review all of your memories to see if you are all truly prepared to become Umbra Walkers."
-
Minamoto Takeshi stood stoically staring at the seen before him. There was a lot of blood, a burnt area that used to contain a ritual circle, but no Harrison.
He was very angered at the fact that his student was forced to act. He knew Harrison wasn't an impulsive fool that would interrupt a ritual, so he was forced to save his fellow apprentices at the cost of his own wellbeing.
Now he was missing.
Harrison opened his eyes, and sat up. He was in his mind again. The forest trees briefly became engulfed in flames before they were quickly healed over.
"What the hell?"
"Hell just happens to be where this came from." Damian responded.
"What happened?"
"The werewolf prevented you from leaving the ritual circle. When you killed it, it completed what was needed to finish the ritual, but one of the runes became damaged in a way that it killed the Demon that came through. Do you remember what happens when you kill a Demon?" Damian asked.
"They release their energy to the closest organic life form, usually other demons." Harrison replied.
"Exactly. The difference this time, you were the closest organic life form. From the density of the flames, it was a Demon King that was killed. You were lucky it was a Demon King instead of a Devil noble, or you'd be hunted by them. Good thing Demons are less than second class citizens in Hell."
"What does this mean for me?" Harrison asked with trepidation.
"Right now? Nothing. Your Lordship ring is containing the flames, as you can see." He gestured towards the trees that healed after being on fire. "As soon as you can, you need to perform a cleansing ritual. It will turn the demonic magic currently assimilating into your core into regular magic, then that magic will turn into your own. My hypothesis is you'll become a pyrokinetic. Then, I recommend binding a majority of your magic and only release them when it's needed."
"I see. I'll do that immediately then." Harrison said, getting up.
"Good luck, Harrison."
Harrison roared as all of his nerves suddenly felt like they were on fire, the pain yanking him out of unconsciousness.
The after effects of the torture curse left him panting as he quickly began looking around the room. He saw that he was in a dark room, he quickly changed that to a dark jail cell when he saw the cell bar doors in front of him. There was a small light coming from each side of the room, he could feel very small amounts of heat coming from each so he believed they were candles.
The walls were likely a dark colour but he could barely see thanks to how tired his eyes were and the fact that the candle light was very small. He felt a strap around each wrist and ankle, he looked down and his eyes widened upon seeing the brown and old wooden chair that he was strapped into. His wrists strapped to the armrests while his ankles were strapped to the legs. He tried to get out but the straps were too strong and barely moved at all, leaving him to believe that spells were placed on the chair.
"Good morning." A voice said from behind him, one Lux man walked around from behind him and stopped in front of him. He wore white everything, from the combat boots to the hood of his opened robe. "How are we today?"
"I've been better." Harrison said as he looked at the man. He had just become aware of the fact that he no longer had any clothes on the top half of his body, he could feel the splinters from the chair on his back.
"I've been given orders to torture you until you agree to join our ranks. We could use talent like yours in Lux."
"We'll be here for a while then." Harrison retorted.
"It doesn't matter to me if you do or not." The Lux man replied. "My job is merely to torture you and keep going unless you agree. I know you're probably tempted to try and escape but don't bother, the chair prevents you from using magic. Today we shall be dealing with the cruciatus curse. Not very original but it gets the job done. But first... there are a few things that need to be done."
He picked up a knife, and held it gingerly. "This is a cursed knife used by curse breakers, cuts through anything and cuts leaves permanent marks. Got this one from India, isn't that fascinating?"
Harrison focused on what this fool is revealing, curse breaker knives were known to help curse breakers get through objects and traps with spells.
"If you're going to torture me then get it over with. Your constant rambling is annoying." Harrison replied as he looked his torturer right in the eye. "What? You need permission from someone? If you're going to hurt me, then hurt me. Stop talking about it."
"Oooh! A fighter! My favorite. I'll enjoy breaking you, just like the others." He said as he placed the knife on Harrison's left pec then cut along one of the scars the werewolf left. Harrison grunted in pain as it went. "Did I forget to mention that it's also enchanted to increase pain? Silly me."
Harrison muttered in an inaudible voice as his looked down to the floor, breathing heavily.
"Hm?" The torturer blinked.
Harrison once again muttered under his breath, and the torturer leaned closer to hear properly. "What are you saying?"
"Thanks for the opening." Harry whispered before quickly biting down on the Lux's ear, causing him to holler in pain. He powered through the pain and punched Harrison in the stomach but the young man refused to let go.
The Lux man slammed the knife into Harrison's right leg, he just tightened his jaw and put more force into bite. He powered through two quick punches to his stomach before he let go and headbutted the Lux agent in the side of his neck.
As the man stumbled back, Harrison used the momentum of being pushed away, and added onto it as he fell backwards. The force was enough to break the crack the chair, and a bit of force was used to free himself fully, wrist and ankles still tied to pieces of wood. With a grunt, he ripped the knife out of his thigh, then cut through the straps on his wrists and ankles.
The Lux man managed to fumble his wand out and fired at Harrison, which he ducked, then retaliated by throwing the blade right between the eyes of the Lux agent.
Two more Lux agents rushed in, and Harrison in one swift motion, pulled the knife from the dead agent's head and slashed a cut through one agent's chest up to his neck, then used the momentum of the turn to kick the other on the side of the head. He quickly slammed the blade onto that same head. He picked up the wand from the floor and cautiously stepped out the room.
He had taken a few steps forward when a large burst of fire shot in from the door, the fired oddly didn't burn him but the impact sent him flying back. He crashed against the wall before behind him before sliding down to the ground, he coughed violently just before he felt his body stiffen and straighten from the effect of a body bind.
"Take him to the other cell and tie him to the wall!" One voice ordered seconds before Harrison's world went black once more.