And here is 18! Am I off the hook now or did I just make things worse? Slight spoiler for chapter 19: Harry will transform at last. You can all start wondering about what will happen. Hope you like when I finally post it. Chapter 19 is already written and in the hands of my beta.

Thanks to Menecarkawan for beta-reading!

Song: 'Ashi Kabi' by Souichirou Hoshi (from Akira)

Replaced the original chapter to put this question, although this will be for readers that haven't read the chapter yet... Anyway...

A Question For Readers: I've been planning for Dumbledore and Harry to never find each other in Larakain, but decided to bring it to a vote as I'm still not sure about what path to take regarding that. I wanted to know about your opinion in the matter. Should Harry find Dumbledore or should they never encounter each other until, well, the end. LOL What would you prefer? You already know what I'm inclined to, but if people prefer for them to find each other I can do that too. Thank you.


Ch. 18: A Temporary Leader

Janryu helped in freeing Neville and Luna, but then carefully stared at the three from the other world. "You do know you are in pajamas, right?"

"We were captured from our beds!" Neville explained while transfiguring his baggy gray pajamas to long pants and short sleeved buttoned shirt of the same colour. "I guess we'll have to stay barefooted?" he asked Harry.

"We shouldn't," Luna spoke. "What if we get things imbedded into our feet in the middle of a fight?"

Harry actually laughed at that and he told them: "Let's just transfigure something into boots, at least temporarily..." He looked around, but couldn't see anything that might serve, when Janryu offered small daggers. "Thanks, these will do." Harry transfigured his own baggy dark red pajamas into light brown pants and dark red tunic, and then he transfigured two of the daggers into boots and put them on. Luna transfigured her light blue nightgown into a light blue sleeveless shirt and light blue shorts. She and Neville also transfigured daggers into boots and soon were wearing them. Luna then used curative magic to heal their injured wrists. "Thanks, Luna." Harry said before turning to Janryu and asking: "What about our weapons and accessories?"

"Angelus has everything. We raided the Inn you were staying in, but you had already been taken. The Inn Keeper was already planning on selling all of your possessions after having betrayed you. I got a little carried away in rage and the guy's limbs ended up everywhere. Not a very pretty sight. Angelus scolded me for that one," the vampire said with a half smile. "Anyway, come on! Kroy is going to be slaughtered! We have to stop it!"

They started to run out of the dungeon and on their way, Harry grabbed Janryu's arm: "What about Sohlan and Nemaisse?"

"Angelus went for those two for some reason and left me in charge of you guys and Kroy," Janryu stated rapidly, running with Harry beside him.

"What about Dia?" Harry continued with questions.

"Haven't seen her. Sorry," Janryu spoke quickly with a lowered expression that he immediately changed to concentrate on the corridor's path.

They all stopped abruptly when they found themselves in front of a glowing long silver object floating in midair. "This wasn't here before!" Janryu exclaimed. "It looks like a sword!"

Harry extended his arm towards the floating weapon and it allowed him to take it, halting its glow. He wielded the sword in a circling motion. "I guess it belongs to me now," he blurted, not knowing why he had that feeling.

The group of four continued in their race until the exit. Janryu made them get against the wall and he looked outside, he then motioned for Harry to look too. There were many oddly masked men dancing around a bonfire and even though it was daytime the sky started to darken. Harry then saw a platform with more masked men. Behind the platform was a giant statue that resembled a maroon coloured wingless gargoyle. He figured that it was probably the representation of a deity as Janryu had mentioned something about Kroy being sacrificed to a deity. With eyes still on the platform Harry got a glimpse of a dark blonde haired man sprawled rather than lying on an altar, dressed in sparkling long white robes that seemed to gracefully dress the altar like an altar cloth. It reminded Harry of ridiculously long bridal gowns, but he pushed the stupid thought aside. The man called Kroy was tied to the altar and around where he was were several golden jars. "What are those jars for?" asked Neville.

"Those are for Kroy's organs. You know, his heart, lungs, liver, kidneys..." Luna looked horrified as Janryu spoke in answer to Neville's question.

"That's barbaric!" The girl with protuberant eyes muttered.

"How should we save him?" Neville turned to Harry, questioning and looking a bit scared.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," said Harry as he scanned the enormous crowd that howled and cheered as the masked monks started to open Kroy's robes, exposing the half Draconian's tanned chest. The monks then started to chant and one of them lifted a copper knife full of sparkling gems. At that, Harry knew he couldn't wait any longer and abandoned their hiding place. Seeing Harry run like that Neville, Janryu, and Luna also came out of their hiding spot after him.

Harry let his wings come out and took off, speeding through the air until he was hovering over the altar. The monks were alarmed and pointed at Harry before one of them lifted a staff and threw a magical bolt at the teen, but Harry dodged and in an instant was joined by Janryu in demonic vampire form in the air. Janryu used his claws on the monk that had tried to attack Harry, ripping the monk's own chest completely open as they had intended to do with Kroy. Flapping his enormous bat wings he went against another one of the monks while Harry used his new sword to break the powerful binds that held Kroy to the altar, but the half Pegasi was unconscious. Harry considered the fact of Kroy being a strong 6'5" man, but ignored it and not knowing how he even managed it, he carried the man.

Neville and Luna were working together. Luna created a very powerful barrier around them and held it as Neville used strong bolts against the masked men that tried to approach them. They were at least able to keep the men from approaching them. Harry flew toward his friends, Kroy in his arms, and Janryu, who had just finished ripping all of the monks apart, also joined the others, regaining his human form. Eventually they were surrounded and Harry considered summoning, but stopped as he saw a tiny black sphere that started to expand, consuming all of the masked men. In seconds the sphere had gained giant proportions and had sucked and swallowed not only the screaming men, but even the altar, the jars, the dead monks, the giant statue, everything. The sphere then started to get smaller and smaller until it was tiny and bounced on the ground as if happy before getting into Luna's chest. Neville, Harry, and Janryu were gaping in surprise. The vampire was the one to ask: "What the hell was that?"

Luna smiled at them. "That was Attome, my newest summon."

"The one that was with the Androktonians?" Harry realized aloud and Luna nodded. "Can he always do that?"

Luna shook her head. "He could now, but he told me his power is limited."

"That's a pity," Harry said with a smile.

"Yeah, a real pity, but we have to get out of here!" Janryu exclaimed looking around. "Come on!"

The young vampire guided them through some trails as the daylight returned to its normal brightness. Finally, they ended in some ruins where they sat. "What are we supposed to do here?" asked Neville.

"Wait for Angelus. This is the place he designated for us to wait for him." Janryu turned to Harry, who had just carefully placed Kroy in front of him. "Maybe Angelus will find Dianeia... And another thing, how the hell were you able to carry that guy?" Janryu gave a look of amusement while staring at the apparently sleeping man lying in front of Harry.

Harry nodded, having a very bad feeling creeping inside him. He would have loved to be optimistic, but he was sure Angelus wouldn't have Dia with him. He looked at Kroy, who seemed in a catatonic state. "I have no idea how I carried him, but honestly, I didn't feel him too heavy for some reason. What's wrong with him anyway? He doesn't seem to be breathing..."

Luna placed her left index finger under Kroy's nostrils and her right hand on Kroy's abdomen and shook her head. "He is not breathing at all."

Neville checked the man's left wrist for a pulse. "He has a very weak pulse. Is he in some sort of strange non breathing coma?"

Janryu stared at the twenty-five year old man whose straight dark blonde hair was disarrayed behind his head on the floor. "Maybe it will pass... Maybe it's a magical catatonic state so that he wouldn't thrash during the execu-- What are those?" Janryu abruptly changed his train of thought and pointed to the cuffs on Kroy's wrists and ankles.

"Magic blocking cuffs," Harry figured and used a spell to vanish them.

XxXxX

Soshlan and Nemaisse were inside a dungeon, both in cuffs that prevented them from manipulating magic. Soshlan kept pacing through the dungeon desperately wanted to get out and rescue Kroy. "I can't believe he is going to be executed and we can't do anything about it!" In little time, Soshlan had started to put his prejudice aside. He felt terrible when Janryu 'died' and was now feeling impotent at being unable to go rescue the mild tempered and well-mannered man. "Why is it that everything has to go wrong? And what are they going to do with Harry and the others?" He grabbed the bars of the cell they were trapped in and a strong wave pushed him backwards, making him crash horribly against the cell's wall.

"How many times are you going to do that? Don't grab those bars! This is the ninth time I fear I'll hear your bones crushing as you hit the wall. Are you made of rocks or something?" Nemaisse rolled her eyes and shook her head as she gazed at the golden haired boy. "I don't know what we'll do or what will happen, but I'm still hoping for a miracle."

"A miracle, huh?" Soshlan said as he rubbed his aching pajama clad arms. He suddenly gasped and was about to grab the bars again, but held himself. "Nemaisse!" The girl stood up and approached the bars too. "They seem to be sleeping!"

"How come? Just seconds ago those guards were quite alert! Plus it's daytime! Don't guards fall asleep on the job only if its nighttime?" asked Nemaisse curiously.

The dryad and the elven fairy started to hear screams coming from outside and Soshlan paled. "They must have executed Kroy." He fell on his knees, his whole body trembling. "They're celebrating..."

"Soshlan... That doesn't sound like celebrating to me... Those are screams of anger and howls of fighting. Now it sounds like painful moans. Something must be happening outside. Maybe Kroy turned into a dragon!" The girl's dark gray eyes wore a gleam of pure hope.

"Highly unlikely, Nema. He had cuffs like these too," the boy showed her his cuffed wrists. "I've even tried shape shifting, which is something that comes to me naturally and I can't. It takes a lot for him to turn into a dragon and with those cuffs... Impossible."

The screams subsided and everything went silent. Nemaisse and Soshlan looked at each other, wondering what had happened when suddenly the bars of the cell vanished. A man moved with amazing speed and stopped right in front of the bar-less cell. "I've come for you."

"Who are you? You-- You're that man from before, right? From when we saw that wild ice dragon that froze us?" Soshlan reacted.

"You are needed so I cannot leave you to be taken by the dark lord. Here." From Angelus' chest came two tiny silver cubes and he somehow blew them towards Soshlan and Nemaisse. It was strange that he was able to blow when his face was covered up to his nose. The cubes entered their chests and they didn't even have time to react or reject what was being offered.

"What was that? What have you done to us?" Nemaisse cowered as she asked.

"You have been chosen by the leader child from the other world so you will now be linked to me. I already did the same for the vampire," was Angelus' reply.

"The vampire?" asked Soshlan completely taken aback. "You mean to say Janryu is alive?"

"The vampire is alive, yes. He is needed too. I had to nurse him back to health, but he is alright now. Come!" Soshlan and Nemaisse stared at the man, still confused.

Soshlan felt terribly embarrassed. He had even cried and sobbed like a girl for the stupid vampire. Now he was angry with himself. "What's your name anyway? I think Harry said something like Angelus..."

"That is my name, little one," Angelus replied expressionlessly. "We have to go to the others, but first we have to change the attire you are wearing and remove these cuffs that prevent you from wielding your powers." In seconds the cuffs vanished from the youngsters' wrists and ankles. "Follow me." Nemaisse and Soshlan glanced at each other and then started to follow the man.

XxXxX

Harry, Janryu, Luna, and Neville waited for a while and Neville asked: "What time is it anyway?"

"It must be some time after noon," Janryu replied while staring at the sun. "And I shouldn't be here for so long. What is that guy thinking making me stay under the sun for such an extended period of time? Does he want me to go into combustion or something?"

Just then Soshlan and Nemaisse, in fluttery white tunics and pants similar to Janryu's and Angelus', came running to them along with the mystery man whose lower half of his face couldn't be seen due to a very high collar that went up to his nose. He then lowered the collar in front of them, but it was the same as he still wore a tight white mask up to his nose. The man approached Kroy's figure and placed two fingers on the unconscious man's neck. Angelus then removed white gloves from his hands revealing glowing fingers. He placed the glowing fingertips on Kroy's exposed chest and stomach and pressed. Still pressing his fingers Angelus summoned a small silver cube like the ones he had inserted into Nemaisse and Soshlan and did the same with Kroy. In seconds, Kroy gasped and opened his shining eerie blue eyes while Angelus retrieved his hands and covered them again with the gloves.

Kroy sat up and blinked as he focused on everyone. He quickly tied the pearly white robes to cover his chest and then tried to stand, but lost his balance. Harry caught him along with Angelus. "I can't walk," Kroy said hoarsely.

"You have to recover," Angelus' deep strong voice had a commanding and dominant tone. "Your magic was absorbed for the ritual and that affected your physical body. Rest now so that you can gradually get your powers back." Angelus and Harry lowered the half Draconian to the ground, getting him into a sitting position. As if reading Harry's mind, Angelus turned to the teen and stated. "The winged unicorn has been taken. I was too late for her. She was forced to drag a carriage along with other slaves from her species. They are being used as regular wild animals, kept in their magical forms. We can't do anything about it."

Harry glared at the man. "What do you mean by that? I will rescue her. We know where she is being taken! To a place called Baskuran!"

"And we are not going to Baskuran yet. We'll head for Pakkon, where the next fragment is. After Pakkon we can go to Baskuran, which is the city after--"

"And who says you are the one giving orders here? You appear out of nowhere, suddenly join us, and now you are leading? Who do you think you are anyway?" Harry was furious and everyone stared at him.

"You are not in your right mind, lad. Your feelings for her cloud you. She will be alright. She won't be moved from Baskuran for quite some time. Her powers will be tested so that they can know if she will be useful as a whole or if they'll simply remove her alicorn."

Harry went pale when he heard the words 'remove her alicorn', he swallowed and started to breathe rapidly. Angelus held him. "She won't die if they remove her horn, but she'll lose all her magic. It can always be recovered, but in her case, I truly believe they'll want her whole. Now sleep." Angelus covered Harry's eyes and Harry went limp. The man then lowered Harry. "It is better this way. He'll try to interfere if he is awake so I might make him sleep all the way to Pakkon. His powers will be needed there. His mutation choice wasn't the best, but it will help him."

The others were confused by Angelus' words. Kroy quickly asked: "So are you going to remain with us now?"

"For a while, yes. I might leave again though, but I'll always come back. Now you need me, so I'll stay."

"What happened to the little children from the fire?" asked Luna.

"They are safe, that's all you need to know," Angelus replied, sitting beside Harry's sleeping form.

"What did you mean by Harry's mutation choice?" Neville asked shyly.

Angelus gave Neville a curious look. "Here in Larakain you will have to choose a mutation, a change that will blend with your magic, enhancing it. You'll eventually have to choose. Your friend's way of choosing was... a strange one."

"He didn't choose," Neville clarified. "It was an accident. He--"

"He didn't know what he was doing. I know."

"Is it obligatory to choose?" Neville kept up with questions.

"It is, in a certain way."

"What if I don't want to choose?"

Angelus' golden orbs fixed in Neville's brown ones. "Then it will choose you." Neville's eyes widened.

Luna suddenly stood and walked to where Kroy was. She stood in front of him and asked to no one in particular, extending her arms from side to side: "Can I choose to mutate with a dragon?"

Neville looked horrified while Soshlan and Nemaisse laughed. Kroy blushed madly as strange thoughts invaded his mind. He even grabbed the robes covering his otherwise naked body protectively and avoided looking at the strange girl. Janryu then smirked: "Why not a vampire? As you are from another world, maybe I'm not allergic to you... Plus you are kind of cute..." He licked his lips seductively and the elven fairy hit him on the head. "Hey!" the vampire reacted while Luna and Nemaisse laughed.

Soshlan spoke: "You seem worse than how you were, you know that? When Angelus told us you were alive I almost wanted to kill myself."

"Why? Do you hate me that much?" the vampire asked him feigning hurt.

"No! It's because I pathetically mourned you, you idiot!" Soshlan hit the vampire on the head again.

"I'm thirsty," Janryu said with a yawn and his fangs coming out, making Soshlan go and hide behind a sitting Kroy.

"Go hunt, but make sure you are not followed. We won't leave until after this man is able to walk." Angelus pointed precisely at Kroy. Angelus then gave everyone their weapons and accessories and even placed the belt with sacks that belonged to the leader child around Harry's waist, placed the bronze cuffs on Harry's wrists, the fingerless gloves on Harry's hands, and placed the scabbard on Harry's body. He vanished the bronze sword and replaced it with the silver one in the sheath. "I think I will make him forget her..." Angelus said about to remove his right glove.

"You can't do that!" Neville's hand grabbed the man's arm. "That is not right!"

"It will be only temporary. He'll remember as soon as we finish our mission in Pakkon. Remembering before that will make him interfere in the mission."

Neville still wasn't sure. "Shouldn't you give him a chance? I think he is capable of controlling himself!"

"Emotions always interfere," Angelus stated. "And with the changes he is experiencing his feelings might become out of control, and if his interior becomes out of control it will reflect outside. There might be chaos, Neville." Neville was amazed to hear the man call him by his name. In the end, he nodded, considering that it would be temporary.

Angelus removed the glove and pressed his fingers on Harry's blue streaked scalp, then removed them and covered the hand like before. Everyone simply observed, not saying anything. Kroy agreed completely with Angelus as he considered Harry being somewhat impulsive, but at the same time could sympathize with Neville. Still, he refrained from having a say in the matter. Perhaps it would be for the better in the end and Kroy somehow trusted Angelus' reasoning, but there was something that Kroy couldn't handle. "Angelus..." The messily white haired man looked at the dark blonde one. "I don't think I will be able to do much in these long robes..."

Angelus' eyes seemed to smile as he opened a sack he had on his belt and conjured copycat fluttery white clothes for Kroy.

XxXxX

Two hours passed before Kroy was able to walk and they restarted their journey with Angelus carrying Harry for a while, but Harry woke up after some time and walked along with everyone feeling numb, knowing that something important was missing from his mind, but trying to ignore it.

They stopped in a deserted area and Angelus used his staff to touch some rocks, making them turn into a circle surrounding them. Then, he created a beam that traced itself inside the circle in a rhombus shape. The rhombus glowed and Angelus made them all move into the rhombus.

"What are we doing?" Harry asked the mysterious man.

"We are going to travel to another continent. In that continent we'll visit five lands in the following order: Pakkon, Baskuran, Xaphan, Ryoll, and Zanoa. Is this the first time you go to a continent?" They all nodded. "Things will be a little different from how they have been before. We are to make training side quests that are independent from looking for the fragments. Is that clear?" Neville looked at Harry and Harry lowered his head. There was something familiar about two of the lands mentioned, about Baskuran and Zanoa, but he couldn't remember well. He was extremely sure especially of the word Zanoa from somewhere, but couldn't remember well. Had he heard it in a dream? His mind was fuzzy, as if someone had tampered with it and he wondered if it could be true, but why would someone tamper with his mind?

Angelus made walls come from the rhombus, making it tri-dimensional. They started to float inside the rhombus and then they all vanished, appearing all of a sudden in what really was the middle of the desert. "Is this a desert?" asked Luna worried.

"From here we'll walk," Angelus announced.

"Are you mad, old man?" Janryu retorted in exasperation. He had been under Angelus' care for three weeks and two days, recovering. The man had taken good care of him in a cave, as the vampire had been weakened in the fire. Janryu had almost burned indeed, but the man had felt like rescuing him for some reason. Angelus had told him that he would be needed in the quest; that he had been chosen. Janryu didn't believe any of that, but if it meant being rescued from turning into a broiled vampire, he didn't care.

Angelus raised an eyebrow in Janryu's direction. "Why does walking make me mad?"

"Because we are in the middle of a damned desert! You want to kill us under a blazing sun or something? What time is it in this country anyway! And I'm a vampire! Only a vampire who is suicidal would walk through a desert!"

Angelus sighed and removed a mantle that he used over his shoulder and gave it to Janryu. "Here, use this as a turban or hood."

"Thanks!" the vampire exclaimed quickly covering his head with the mantle.

After three hours under the sun and several physical encounters with desert fiends, the whole group was tired except for Kroy and Angelus. Kroy seemed to enjoy the sun pretty much on his already tanned skin while Janryu seemed like he could wilt, even when they could only see the vampire's eyes. "Please, let's use Apparition. This really is madness!" Harry exclaimed agreeing with what the vampire had said before.

"You can all have a drink of water. You all have leather jugs attached to your belts, but we have to continue on foot. This place is full of creatures and mages that detect magic. If we teleport we'll simply reveal our location and we do not want that."

"Can't we at least fly?" Soshlan asked. "Harry has confirmed that he can fly, Janryu can fly in his vampire creature form, I can fly, you can fly, and Kroy can fly in his Pegasus form. The ones that can't fly can be carried! Kroy can handle Luna and Neville as a Pegasus and any other of us can carry Nemaisse so--"

"We can't. Look upwards." Soshlan looked at the sky, not understanding. "It's an empty sky. There's nothing to cover us. Don't you think that it would be amusing for creatures, fiends, and other beings to see so many people flying?"

Soshlan lowered his head in defeat at Angelus' answer. "It's so tiring, sir! By the time we get to that city called Pakkon we'll be exhausted!"

"Do not worry, child. I do not expect us to fight much in Pakkon. Except for the fragment's guardian that is."

Harry suddenly reacted: "The last fragment didn't have a guardian!"

"No?" Angelus asked and Harry shook his head. "There is always a guardian. Where was the fragment?"

"In some queen's room..." Harry then realized the obvious. Kharainne had been the fragment's guardian.

"The guardians vary, Harry. Do not expect them to always be fiends. Did you fight the guardian or did she willingly give you the fragment?"

"We had to fight in a certain sense..." Harry felt almost dumb. The women had indeed wanted to seduce and eat them after all. "I feel like I'm forgetting something!" Harry added out of the blue.

"You will remember in due time. Do not worry," Angelus said sympathetically. The others sent pitied gazes in Harry's direction and he felt those gazes piercing through him. They were definitely hiding something from him, but he couldn't analyze it as just then two giant vultures and a giant scorpion attacked them.

Harry went against the scorpion with his sword and chopped its venomous tail while Luna hit the scorpion's head with her staff. Nemaisse blew a strange powder into the scorpion's three sets of eyes making it blind and go berserk. Harry dodged the crazy scorpion and chopped it little by little until it vanished.

Soshlan produced a boomerang and enlarged it before sending it against one of the vultures while Janryu and Kroy threw knives and scales against the other. Neville shot the same scorpion Soshlan had attacked and in very little time the elven fairy and the human destroyed the vulture, alternating forces.

Janryu kept throwing knives with Kroy by his side producing scales that protruded from the palms of his hands. The knives hurt the vulture, but the scales burned into its skin and started to melt it until it disintegrated. All the while Angelus simply observed the team as he had done with all the previous fights they had had throughout the desert.

One more hour later, they finally arrived in Pakkon. The sky was already dark and starry by the time they got there. They were hungry and worn out from walking so much plus fighting. All of them were also sunburned. "Should we look for a place to spend the night?" Harry asked Angelus.

"No. Too risky. We will camp here." The man removed his right glove, raised his hand, and opened it. From his palm came a dust that started to unite and little by little formed tents for them. "We will eat and sleep here," said Angelus as he dressed his hand. "Two per tent. Kroy with Janryu, Soshlan with Neville, Luna with Nemaisse--" He then stared at Harry. "--and you and me."

Harry again felt that strange sensation of something or someone missing from his mind as he was supposed to share a tent with that strange man, but ignored the feeling once more. He also felt strange at noticing that Angelus knew all their names when they had never introduced themselves to him. "What are you? What kind of creature?" the teen asked.

"You will learn when the time comes. Now let's eat. You will find bread, cheese, and other nourishing supplies in your sacks." Harry kept looking at the man transfixed.

XxXxX

In the morning, the adventurers were all ready to enter Pakkon. Harry immediately made the scanning and identified the place where the fragment was. "It's in the center of the city!" he exclaimed. "What does that mean?"

"It means that we have to ready ourselves for whoever or whatever the guardian is. Let's go." Angelus' authoritative voice made them all follow him, making Harry feel awkward. He never wanted to be a leader, but now that there was someone else in charge he felt a little annoyed. The man was starting to remind him of a certain headmaster that had always wanted to control his life in different ways. Harry then remembered something about the headmaster. He had seen Al in a dream and the boy had said that he was the present one.

"Angelus!" The man looked at Harry in response. "Is there someone else from our world here in Larakain?"

Angelus frowned and stated: "He shouldn't be here. He has been summoned by the dark lord and unfortunately I can't do anything for him. He will fulfill a new mission, yes, but it won't be a nice one. He is needed though, in order to destroy both dark lords that is. The source that will link both worlds approaches. We have to avoid chaos from spreading if both worlds collide. Yes, he will be needed, but..." Angelus lowered his gaze. "Let's go on."

Harry didn't like the sound of that. He wasn't sure if he had understood right, but if he had, then Dumbledore was in Larakain too, but that wasn't all. Earth and Larakain colliding? Chaos spreading? Destroy both dark lords? Harry was starting to feel agitated, but tried to calm down. "Why is he in child form, Angelus?"

"I believe the answer to that question is fairly obvious, Harry. Think."

The teen did realize the answer. Angelus had just said that Al had been summoned by the dark lord and Nebureth wanted children, not very old men. Dumbledore had been lured into a trap. "We should rescue him!"

"We will not interfere with his destiny. He chose it, he'll deal with it." Harry glared at Angelus and kicked a rock in anger. "Your magical form is too impulsive, child. Your mutation..." Angelus stopped himself. "Forget it. It will be unleashed and then I'll confirm my suspicions."

"You know my magical form?" Harry forgot about his anger in seconds. "What is it? Am I a winged unicorn?" Harry suddenly grabbed his head as he felt excruciating pain there as he remembered the words 'winged unicorn'. "Did you tamper with my memories?" he asked in renewed rage.

"You will remember. Do not worry about it," Angelus said as before. "And about your form..." The man sighed. "You might be, but not like them. You will always be different."

By the time they entered the city Harry had calmed down, but he still had too many things on his mind. He had a bad feeling that he would be rejected if his magical form was unleashed. He was getting wary about it and wished that it would never show up, but in his heart, he knew he would transform. He also knew that it would be very soon.

The city was a very active one and even seemed advanced in comparison to other towns. There seemed to be lots of machinery and even moving human like machines that reminded Harry of robots.

In little time, they located the fragment. It was floating right in the middle of the city, above buildings. The fragment glowed and started its descent. Soon it was at their level and floated towards Neville, entering the boy. Neville smiled and everything seemed fine until the people of the city started to surround them. "Give it back!" a very old man exclaimed. "That is our protective totem! It gives us hope and luck! You cannot take it!"

The adventurers seemed in shock. "But we have to!" Harry decided to reason with the old man. "It's a summon fragment and we need them to complete our mission!"

The people ignored Harry's words. They kept screaming and yelling:

"Give it back!"

"That's ours!"

"Thieves!"

"Scoundrels!"

"Filthy bandits!"

"That's our sacred symbol!"

"Please! Hear us!" Harry kept trying to explain, but the people wouldn't listen to him. They started to transform into dark green fiends with huge red eyes and very pointy teeth. Their hands were disproportionately big and had three long fingers with long nails. They also had very big feet and they emitted a loud screeching howl that hurt the heroes' ears.

Neville raised his right hand and yelled over the screeching noises: "GRYPHONER!" The griffin soared into the sky and produced strong winds that scattered the horrendous creatures everywhere, but not harming them in any way. "I THINK WE SHOULD RUN!" The young man suggested and they all agreed. As they were the only ones unaffected by Gryphoner's winds escaping wasn't too difficult. They ran all the way through the city until they came out through the city's other side, panting. Just as they were completely out of the city Gryphoner flew towards them and returned to Neville's body.

"Were those people possessed?" Janryu asked placing his hands on a tree's trunk for support.

"No idea," replied Soshlan putting his back against the same tree as he gasped for breath.

"You did well, Neville. That was very wise and you didn't hurt any of those people." Neville blinked in disbelief when Angelus congratulated him.

"You call that people?" Harry asked. "They looked like monsters to me..."

"They were definitely very interesting people in my opinion." Luna said looking at Angelus.

"Those were that city's inhabitants. They weren't fiends even if they take that form. Not everything that looks like a monster is one and not everything that looks beautiful is good. You too also have companions that turn into what common people consider monsters. Remember that," stated Angelus referring to Janryu and Kroy. "As for our next destination--" Angelus wasn't able to complete his sentence.

"Dianeia!" Harry remembered. Just like Angelus had told them it would be, Harry remembered right after they completed their small mission in Pakkon. "We have to go to Baskuran!" He stared at Angelus with incredulity adorning his face. "You made me forget, didn't you?"

"It was for the be--"

"Don't you ever do it again!" Harry warned, but controlling his temper.

Angelus responded with a half smile that they couldn't see: "I won't, child. I won't."


It's a calmer ending, right? Right? Although you might want to strangle me for the ending of the chapter that comes next... -cowers in fear- But as that one hasn't been posted yet I do hope I'm off the hook for now!

Thanks to the people that reviewed: lovenotknown, HitoshirenzuKage, and bandgsecurtiyaw

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