A/N:
So I guess I need to put a disclaimer in this.
I do NOT own Harry Potter or any related properties.
I do NOT own Sandman or any related properties.
I do Not own ANY recognisable character or setting.
All of these belong to their respective owners, I am merely borrowing them for entertainment purposes.
With that said, the first 4 chapters are the Prologue and are basically Info-Dumps. Necessary but tedious and a bit dry. I'll post actual chapters eventually, but these needed to be done right away.
Timeless Void, The Outside
Harry's vision remained black even as he felt himself moving somewhere through means inexplicable. He could somehow feel that Teleute was next to him, but that was all. His senses seemed to be dulled to the point of absence, yet he felt fine. Just then, Teleute let out a soft cough to get his attention, proving to him that he still had his senses, there was just nothing to… sense.
"I know that what you're feeling at the moment is probably as close to true sensory isolation as you are likely to ever get, but there are multiple good reasons for you to not discern anything in the Void. Suffice to say it's for your protection since the adage holds; stare too long into the Abyss, and the Abyss stares back.
Now, there are a few things I need to mention before we get to our destination. The first is to enlighten you about your body's situation going forth, separate from informing you of your abilities and limits.
You are currently just a Soul due to taking a Killing Curse to the face. Right now, we can talk freely about things, but the moment we get to your teacher's domain you will be inserted into your body and the changes to your Soul will start happening. I warn you now, it will probably be the most painful thing you ever feel, since the Soul is meant to be inviolable; normally only an act of God can change it, the best a mortal can do is willingly break it as Riddle did to his.
I'd wish you luck, but only a strong resolve can see you through the excruciating pain."
Harry scowled at the thought of even more pain in the immediate future. He guessed that the Horcrux ritual would be the part of his parent's ritual that affected his Soul, and even that looked incredibly painful from what he could recall. The fact that his Soul was changing worried him as well since it meant he was no longer human at a fundamental level. He comforted himself with the fact that his parents would always love him even as Teleute moved on.
"As for your teacher, she's a special case. I likely would have recommended her anyway, even if you didn't request a teacher connected to the Land of the Dead.
Scáthach, Queen of the Land of Shadows, Witch of Dun Scaith, Lord of Spirits and ultimately one of the Greatest Human Warriors. She trained legends such as Cú Chulainn, Ferdiad and Connla, becoming known in the Ulster Cycle. She was relatively obscure, only mentioned as the mentor and sometimes lover of Cú Chulainn, but the reality is much grander.
She fought and killed many spirits in her vigil over the gates to the Land of Shadows, earning enough power to gain control over and seal them herself. She is over 2000 years old, and yet she achieved that through martial and magical skills alone. Fighting spirits that range from mundane dead spirits to near-gods, she was forcibly ascended to a half-divine state herself.
She trained many brave warriors through the years until the Land of Shadows was sundered from the World beside her. No longer human, she cannot die unless the World disappears first.
She is an exceptional mentor who is extraordinarily skilled in every possible field. The only thing she couldn't teach you would be skills that are unique to certain physiologies or items. She could teach you any magical discipline, but not ones that deeply rely on a connection to an outside source.
She is amazing, one of the few people that I genuinely like. And the reason I would have chosen her is that she is like you in a way.
She too has something of a death wish, but like you aren't about to lay down and die without dignity, she wants to be defeated in all-out combat. That is why she trained others, with her greatest hope placed upon Cú Chulainn's shoulders.
Like you, she has been sundered from her mortality by circumstances outside her control and hates it, though your situations are different. She also shares your dislike of cowards, and likes those who are brave and full of potential; she'll definitely like you. Maybe a bit too much…
Anyway, if she accepts training you, which is likely, she will ask you to kill her. Take this seriously, as she would no doubt notice any hesitation and beat it out of you. It's not a promise to kill her, she just wants you to do your best without expectation of it working."
Harry was amazed, horrified and conflicted by the tale Teleute spun about Scáthach. Someone who fought so many beings near the level of gods that they became one on their own. He was astounded that he didn't know of such a powerful figure and that she merely gained an offhanded mention as a trainer and lover.
What terrified him was the fact that merely being exceptional could lead to being granted immortality. He wondered what it was like to be alone for a thousand years against an endless horde of enemies? It must have been lonely, never mind how mind-bogglingly boring your life would get. Even if you become immortal, that is no protection against monotony.
The fact that she was still hoping for someone to kill her, even if she did not expect it to work, was confusing to him. Harry wondered if he would feel the same in a thousand years. Two thousand? How long until he too gets sick of existing but cannot find a way to stop.
Banishing his thoughts, Harry pondered his future as they hurtled towards their destination, wherever it may be. He decided that he would do his best, even if it meant trying to kill his teacher. With that resolved, he settled himself as he waited, trying to mentally prepare himself for the pain to come.
Teleute just hummed a soothing tune beside him, recognising that he wanted to prepare himself. Their destination was close, relatively, and she wasn't looking forward to hearing Harry's screams. And he would scream, at least until he has no more air to make noise with. So, for now, she tried to give him his space. He would need it.
May 1611, Fortress of Shadows, Land of Shadows
The second Harry felt the World materialise around him he rocked over in unimaginable pain. His insides were molten fire, his head felt as if someone had tossed the Moon at his brain and that was the easiest to bear. The agony he felt deep within himself, in a place he had no idea was able to feel pain, was quite maddening. He felt his sanity being eroded, even as he could vaguely feel his body contorting in a twisted parody of a foetal position.
Nothing mattered to him besides the pain he was suffering, not even time. He didn't know how long it lasted, hours, days, years? His World was agony and the impossible task of not going insane due to the torturous totality of his existence.
And then it was done, all that was left being mere echoes of the pain. He felt as if he had screamed his throat raw, while his body ached with the echoes of his thrashing around. Blearily looking around, Harry finally noticed Teleute standing a small distance away, talking to a voluptuous masked woman. What struck Harry as odd was the waist-length purple hair; everything else was acceptable, but that hair colour was just baffling. The area closest around him was shattered and broken, and he noticed a magical shield enclosing the damage.
As his awareness returned, he could hear them discussing his situation.
"—See that he has an unyielding will. That sort of agony normally drives people insane, yet he retains a somewhat lucid state. Very well, I'll teach him. From what you've revealed of his history, I can recognise the potential that has been squandered until now. First things first, get up Harry! We can get better acquainted later, but for now, Death still has to share your talents before she leaves!"
Equal parts awkward and cautious, Harry stood up with surprising ease. The lack of any real pain was unexpected but a welcome relief to him. As he approached the 2 ladies, the purple-haired stranger, who he presumed was the trainer they were here to meet, flicked her hand and dispelled the shield around him. Harry thought he caught a brief glimpse of what looked like a Norse rune.
"Congratulations Harry, you endured the pain of your change and Scáthach here has agreed to teach you. I'm proud of you because not many people have survived such pain with their sanity intact. Now I can tell you what you asked before.
The ritual that has just been completed on you has 3 main effects on you. Essentially, what happened to you has made you a Vampire, turned you into a dormant Werewolf and then pumped a massive amount of Magical Power into both your new forms and your original Magic Core; this had the unfortunate side effect of modifying your soul as well, but that shouldn't affect you for a very long time. Because what you have become is unique in your World, and you were being banished from said World, I had a lot of influence over the templates your changes were modelled after.
To start with, your Vampirism is modelled after a particularly strong variant while also only technically being Vampirism."
Scáthach gained a thoughtful look on her face, before dismissing whatever she thought about. Harry was just confused about Teleute's words.
"Only technically? What does that even mean? How can you technically be a Vampire without being something like a Dhampir? Is that what I am?"
Teleute wobbled her hand back and forth as she made a noise of deliberation.
"No, but I guess technically, yes? You're a Dhampir so far as you're half-Vampire and half-Werewolf, but that's just because the only other word to describe that mix is 'Hybrid' and you started as a human. And you're only technically a Vampire so far as the fact that drinking blood does something for you, but ultimately you don't need it or even crave it. Drinking blood would increase your power a tiny bit, but other than that is pointless. And you'd have to drink the blood of a god or something to achieve an appreciable and long-term power up.
You are a Shinso Vampire, one considered to be part of Nature and thus not an Undead Abomination. You're an immortal and corporeal Nature Spirit, which sounds redundant but you're more resilient than a usual Nature Spirit and can't dissolve into the Ether to do Spirit stuff. You will discover many abilities as you train; as well as weaknesses. Those will subside with age and power, even disappear entirely due to the influence of your Werewolf side when you awaken it.
Now, on to your Werewolf side. Although dormant for now, it still increases your power passively. The strain I modelled it after is complementary to your Vampirism, well, once I reworked the conceptual side of the abilities. Instead of a Feral Beast like your World or in common mythology, you are a dormant Garou.
You will eventually reach a point where the First Change happens, though since you are past adolescence, it might take a life-threatening event. Scáthach will be good for that, no doubt."
Harry chuckled nervously as Scáthach seemed to radiate innocence with her body language and closed eyes. Teleute just smiled indulgently, all three knowing how fake Scáthach's innocence was.
"Garou are half-Spirit and half-Physical, protectors of Gaia and enemies of… well I guess me? But their World's equivalent, the Wyrm who is evil and interferes in the World much more than even Dream does. Don't bother with the lore though, since I changed that; now your Garou is a half-Nature-Spirit under my Patronage. And I charge you to go forth and do whatever you want as long as you stay true to yourself, and your ideals!
Anyway, like Shinso, the Garou has weaknesses and strengths. Surprisingly the main weakness is their all, too mortal bodies. You sidestep that neatly by being a Super-Vamp, so all you need to watch out for is… silver and conceptual attacks; those are your Shinso weaknesses as well. Plus, the fact that both are Nature Spirits means that your spiritual abilities are strengthened. Try Shamanism out in the future, maybe take a look at the Spirit World for inspiration.
The last benefit you gain is the massive increase in Magic pumped into the other aspects, including trying the amend the payment. That's why you have so few weaknesses, as well as such a massive upgrade in your Hybrid Species powers. The remainder went to increasing your pool of Mana plus Channelling Ability, as well as attempting to keep your 'Other Power' that was the payment for the Ritual."
Harry had absorbed all of this exposition with an open mind, wondering how he could be so lucky. He was going to be powerful, and he didn't know how it was possible; sure, the build-up of over a decade's Mana might have increased the potency of the Ritual, but not even close to this extent. Suspicion grew, tempered by a warmth that grew as he considered if he was right. Deciding to find out now, before he got distracted again, Harry interrupted Teleute as she was about to go on.
"Teleute, you interfered with the ritual to increase the positives above what they would have been, didn't you? Why? What did I do to deserve this much power?"
Teleute smiled, giggling as Scáthach sighed in fond exasperation and Harry's face scrunched up in perplexed frustration.
"Harry, I did it because I could. And you deserve it because you are one of my favourites and I can finally help someone for once. You know, I have a lot of analogues in other Universes and even a few that are almost identical.
Of those identical to me, there is one quote that is almost universal to us all:
'I'm not merciful or blessed. I'm just me. I've got a job to do and I do it... When the first living thing existed, I was there. Waiting. When the last living thing dies, my job will be finished. I'll put the chairs on the tables, turn out the lights and lock the universe behind me when I leave.'
Do you know what that means? I leave the Universe I was created it, when it dies, and travel across the rest of Creation. Yet I still keep my Rules, or maybe I'm just unlucky; regardless, whenever I get too close to a Mortal, bad things tend to happen to them. I can only befriend the Dead or those that cannot die. Yet most Beings that are 'Eternal' are not the type to 'make friends' so it's a lonely existence; no offence Scáthach.
But now it's different because you are here! You are one of my favourites, and I say that without shame. And because you're technically not Mortal anymore, the Ancient Rules don't apply. So yeah, I interfered with the Ritual; I want the best for you, and I can give it, so why would I refrain?"
Harry studied Teleute closely, ironically missing Scáthach's amused grin, before nodding to himself. He knew that she was keeping something to herself, but for all that secrets had hurt him before, Harry could tell that this one was personal and thus not his business. Maybe.
"Then thank you, Teleute, for the kindness you've shown me. Not many people in my life have done so, thus I treasure it all the more."
Teleute grinned as she hugged him in response to his thanks while shooting a subtle glare at Scáthach behind Harry's back; the Witch of Dun Scaith mimed zipping her lips but kept the grin on her face. Teleute just rolled her eyes in response. Releasing Harry, Teleute moved on to the last part of her explanation.
"Your payment for the Ritual, the 'Other Power' you had was taken apart before the influx of Mana stabilised and mutated it. Now instead of Reality Warping, you have lesser power, though that's relative; you can manipulate Light and Dark Energy. Photo-Umbra-kinesis if you want a fancy name.
Basically, because of the Phoenix Tears and Basilisk Venom in your blood, as well as the extra Mana, you gained the ability to manipulate Light and Dark Energy, as well as the mixture of both. Since you're technically a Neutral Entity, due to a mix of the Extreme Light of a Phoenix and the Extreme Dark of a Basilisk, you're now uniquely suited to straddle that border like you would the border between Life and Death as a Nature Spirit."
Harry frowned at the thought of the Basilisk he had to kill. Honestly, that was the only kill he regretted, since the creature wasn't evil inherently. Being forced to listen to Riddle had been the downfall of a 1000-year-old Beast, one that had been around since the founding of Hogwarts. Harry had been forced to put it out of its misery, having gone mad due to Riddle perverting its life purpose of protecting the school. The rest of what Teleute said was confusing though.
"How does Reality Warping become Energy Manipulation? They don't seem to have any connection?"
Teleute just chuckled while Scáthach seemed to smirk beneath her mask.
"No connection? Harry, you're creating Light and Dark energy Ex-Nihilo, or at least get it from somewhere that is not accessible by normal means. Then making them act in ways contrary to their normal behaviour. What do you think that is, but warping your Reality to achieve your ends? Much smaller scale, but the same thing, no?"
Harry let out an embarrassed 'Oh' at Scáthach's words, wondering how he missed that but wanting to move on before he says anything else stupid. Scáthach obliged him, while Teleute seemed content to let her.
"It's good that you ask questions, Harry. I am to be your teacher and that means I want you to put your all into learning. It's going to hurt, you might come close to death quite a few times, but by the end of it all, you will be… outstanding. But you need to put the effort in, otherwise, you'll die, most likely by my hand."
Harry, at first apprehensive, burst out into laughter at the end of Scáthach's speech. Then he went quiet, gaining an intense look in his eyes as he stared at her.
"Scáthach, if you teach me anything it would be an upgrade no matter what! My last set of instructors routinely put my life in danger, some even trying to kill me, yet I learnt more on my own rather than them teaching me. I won't back down because of danger, rather that just makes it even more familiar.
And if you want my all, you've got it; but that goes both ways too, and I want you to give me everything you can. Trump cards are fine to keep secret, but no holding back on my account. You teach me everything, and I'll learn it all!"
Silence reigned for a minute as they stared at each other, Teleute to the side watching both of them with a small smile on her lips. After the tension reached a peak, both Harry and Scáthach started smiling; Scáthach even pulled her mask off, finally seeming to acknowledge Harry properly.
"I like your conviction. Don't worry, you'll get everything you could wish to learn. The first and only rule: address me as Sensei, it's the only word you'll likely feel comfortable using that conveys respect and reminds you of your status. If you find something else to call me, feel free, but you have to earn the use of both my name and a nickname!"
Harry stood up straight, pride in his heart. Scáthach didn't care about his stupid title, nor did she have any pre-conceived notions beyond a first impression. She was willing to teach him, and allow him to improve himself. And he would not squander it. There were no Dursley's to push him down, no Weasley-Granger alliance to continue stunting him, no reputation keeping him locked in a certain role. Here, he was just Harry, a teenager with potential wanting to realise it. And he was ready.
Scáthach grinned wide at the fire in his eyes, while Teleute just smiled warmly at a truly motivated Harry. She hadn't seen him like this ever before, so she wanted to wish him well before he started.
"Well, that's that. Everything else you need to know you'll learn from Scáthach, or via experimentation. This is your time Harry, and I look forward to watching you truly shine. Unfortunately, I've lingered long enough, and need to get back to my job; there's a very old Wraith I need to collect when it dies, to toss into the Void. Toodles, guys, love you both!"
With that, Teleute vanished into the Void, leaving a stunned Harry, and an amused Scáthach. Snorting, Scáthach moved to Harry and started dragging him towards her castle in the distance.
"Come on, lover boy, she'll be back and you need to start your training immediately. Best get to it!"
All Harry could do was splutter out denials as she dragged him, even as his face split into a wide smile and his heart started beating in anticipation.
Thus, Harry started his training, which would last a long time. Lucky he was immortal now!