A/N:
I was really motivated for this chapter. Explains why it is longer than the other two.
Still unbetad, can't help it.
Enjoy
Chapter 16
Harry had awoken to find himself in an unfamiliar room, on an unknown bed. Dark blue silk covers had been laid over his form. He sat slowly up examining his surroundings. The room wasn't very large, next to the bed stood a black marble nightstand, a lit candle and a small stack of books that by the looks of them had been read quite a lot. Otherwise the room was bare except for one cupboard standing near the door.
He moved to the bedside and moved to get up. Cold air hit his naked feet. A small shudder ran up his body and he quickly scanned the room for his shoes and socks. Seeing them at the end of the bed he crawled over and settled to put them back on. Once ready he stood up and walked to the door that was a slit open. Reaching for the door handle he froze when he heard his name being said.
"Is Harry the next Yorae?" he recognized Professor Lupin's voice.
A moment of silence followed before Harry heard his godfather's gasp. "Oh god! How?"
"You really shouldn't call upon us, in times like these." A new voice said. "We sometimes know as little as you." Harry couldn't recall why the voice seemed familiar yet slightly off to what he was used to.
A god had come to Hogwarts? Someone else had arrived from the Inner World? Who?
Harry let his hand drop to his side, wondering whether he should keep listening in or face the consequences to his actions.
His actions?
A rush of memories washed over him. He let out a strangled sob when he recalled the events. He had completely lost control of himself and had let Tom take over. He was so used to it as Jathy that he hadn't even fought the Voldemort when he pushed by Harry's mental barriers and had influenced his actions.
He looked down at his hands, he could remember the energy that he had gathered…
Everything had happened so fast and then… and then…
"I think it would be obvious as to how one happened to end up like that, Sirius…" Harry's head snapped up at the sound of the Potion Master's voice.
Sirius?
Since when-
"One, if not both parents have to be dragons. But let's us not drop into that now, there are other matters that need to be attended to first." Snape continued. "I believe you said you had two questions, Lupin."
"Who are you?"
And then the unimaginably to Harry happened. The man laughed. A laugh which filled Harry with warmth and love.
He had never heard him laugh, especially not like that.
Suddenly Harry's found himself in the room with all the others. Yet at the same time he knew that he was still standing behind the door. He found himself slightly hovering above the ground next to the Potion Master.
The man's face seemed younger as he leaned slightly forward trying to calm down from his sudden outburst of amusement. Harry reached tentatively out to touch the face but stopped himself inches before he could come in contact.
"Are you alright, my boy?" Albus asked worriedly. "You have been behaving slightly…off."
Severus calmed down and a smile formed on his lips, illuminating his face in a way Harry couldn't describe. It was a smile that did not seem to belong to him. A strange image suddenly overrode Snape's body and Harry found himself starring at his father with the same expression on his face.
The air around them both was of a hint amusement filled with a deep sadness.
As quickly as the image had appeared it vanished again, and Harry wasn't even sure if he hadn't simply imagined it.
"I don't know who I am anymore…" Severus said and closed his eyes and moved his arms as though to hug himself before letting them drop in some kind of resignation to his side. "I am Severus Snape…" he stated in a calm voice. "I am the Yorae Dragon Lord James and… I am neither and yet both."
There was the truth.
Out in the open making complete sense in Harry's head…
Explaining why Harry yearned to be respected by the man…
Why Harry wanted his attention like a little spoiled child who was being denied his wishes…
Why he loved despite his hate…
Why they had connected…
The reason for their disputes…
Because he held his father's soul.
Harry shook his head. No that was wrong. It wasn't that Severus held James Potter's soul, it was that they had become one.
A sadness filled Harry. He could understand Tom's loneliness, his hate and his anger because for a twin it would be like being ripped of a part of their body once they were separated.
He looked pitifully at Fred and George.
They too would learn of this rupture.
Not today, but soon. Harry could feel it.
He returned his focus to the Potion Master when the man reached up to his face pushing his hair behind his ear. Gasp filled the rooms when the others saw the mark Harry had given to the man, because the Yorae knew that he had done so although he couldn't recall the how or when.
"Even before my birth James had decided that I should become the anchor to the one that would be his heir." Severus explained. "He had foreseen that with me at his side, Harry would have to highest chances of success against what is to come.
"A Yorae Lord born without an artificially created meiosis to separate him into a god and a dragon. A Yorae born as in Old Times. Yet that alone would not be enough. The Yorae would have to be born of a human living on the Outer Shell in order for him to feel the connection towards both worlds." Severus paused and turned facing Harry, looking him directly in the eyes as though he could see him.
Harry wasn't so sure he couldn't.
"Raised here his connection to this side of the Realm would be obviously much stronger. His feeling and familiar connections that he has formed here are not enough for him to fight for the humans, but James wasn't sure it would be enough for him to willingly make sacrifices to protect the Inner World as well.
"A human with a soul born in the Inner World would have to become his partner." Severus snorted slightly. "He thought that a loving bond would be the strongest motivation."
Black eyes turned blue and starred at Harry. The Yorae shifted uncomfortably under the gaze. "Can you see me?" he asked, but received no answer to his question as Severus continued his narration.
"I thought that by giving Harry a mate that would be bound to him, a mate that would understand his suffering and the madness that he will experience for being who he is, he could find a balance to fight the curse that a Seer like us has to live with." The eyes held so much sadness that Harry felt a part of him tear in two as though the pain in them were his own suffering.
Severus reached up to his face with his hands hiding his eyes behind them.
"We see when we don't want to see. Our lives are full of events in which we see our beloved die countless deaths, because we see everything and nothing. All the choices that are made open up a new path, and although I know that death is an inevitable result of living, I hate to believe that I cannot change the future and their lives." He cried desperately out. "Always watching, always seeing, we both are unable to stop this curse from consuming us as we struggle to find which truth is the most likely.
"And when I though that I could no longer withstand this chaos from invading my mind I saw a soul that would fight these visions that plague me. A soul that would understand my pain because he simply wouldn't believe in them. This boy, who could be the key to regain the balance that we disrupted countless years ago by creating the Outer Shell.
"And so I came here. Hiding this secret form my other half, hiding it desperately from everyone else, because they wouldn't understand. They would surely try to stop me, not stopping from killing me as they have done to my clan for thousands of years. When the burden that we present to them becomes to much and everything seems to fall into darkness they destroy our lives. Ripping it straight out of our bodies!"
Severus' legs gave away from under him and Harry reached instinctively out trying to catch him. But his hand passed right through the man.
"I have seen it in my dreams as they gather us and seal our magic before violating the very same by sending us into oblivion." Blue eyes starred in shock up at Harry. "You have seen it, have you not?" he cried out, desperation sounding clearly in his voice. "Those nightmares in which you run, dreams from which you wake up with a racing heart trying to jump through your rips.
"But they cannot live without us." His eyes held anger now. "You have seen, you have seen!"
Harry couldn't take it anymore. He reached out again finding himself in agony as emotions echoed through his body. Without thinking he pulled Severus into an embrace, hugging him unable to do anything else while not realizing that this time they had touched.
"Thank you." Harry whispered. "For not letting me be alone."
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Poppy had healed Dracos' wounds quickly after attending to his mother before proceeding to tend the students. Drake had angrily retreated into the back of their minds blocking whatever connection they had completely of. It had felt like a harsh slap across his face when the walls between them had sprung up from nothingness.
"What happened out there Draco?" Narcissa asked as he moved her arm to check if everything was fine with it. "And don't you dare tell me nothing, son!"
Draco looked around them, although he was male again, he had kept the physical body of someone close to his thirties. Students kept glancing at them whispering among each other.
He let out a soft whistle raising the wind around them as a blocking barrier for sound to travel, before turning to his mother.
"Years ago James did a prediction in front of the High Council. He indicated that changes would come with the new Yorae, but that another would awaken similar and yet not bound to our laws because he would be human."
She narrowed her eyes. "Severus?"
Draco nodded. "I'm not quite sure how it worked, and Drake refuses to speak about it. She has completely blocked her memories of James from me." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "That must be an ability only bestowed upon those that are loyal to the Yorae."
"We are loyal to them." His mother protested vividly.
Draco smiled sadly. "I'm not sure how loyal we have been in the past to them, mother, but I'm starting to think that there is more to the past connecting our future that I was first told by my predecessor when I took the seat as High Councilor.
"That man that confronted Harry and managed to control him was not only able to do such because he is Harry's chosen, but because he has been given the power beyond us." Draco looked seriously at his mother while pulling at his too short school uniform uncomfortably. "To be able to control Harry to such an extend and to be able to drive Tom out of the boy's mind is not something we can take quietly."
"Do you believe him to be a god then?"
The High Councilor snorted before pulling his wand out and enlarging his clothing with a spell to fit him. "A god, mother? Could you sense a god in him?" he shook his head. "No, he possesses a connection to James, I can feel it, but I do not understand why."
Narcissa passed a hand through her hair. "We must move soon, we cannot delay our return much longer, Draco. And we do not know how many of the Sanctuaries have fallen to the Dark Lord."
Draco crossed his arms. "We could ask father, if he is back in his right mind, you know."
His mother tensed visibly in her seat. He looked quizzing at her expecting her to tell him what was wrong, but instead she got up from the sleeping bag they had been given and turned his back to him.
"I don't think we can do that, Draco." She said before stepping out of his silencing shield. "We should make a Master Locator to establish our possible routes to a still functioning Gate."
"Mother?"
"Not now, Draco!" she hissed in obvious pain. "I can't speak of it now."
FLASHBACK START
Lucius stood with wild eyes over her, hands bleeding, his face contorted into a horrible way as the dark energy seeped out through his Dark Mark over him and onto her, burning the clothing on her should where he held her.
"Lucius!" Narcissa called out desperately trying to convey into her husband recognition. "Please stop this, Lucius! I beg you."
But he, like the rest of their attackers, wasn't hearing anything but the call of chaos ruling their minds.
His weight was heavy on her making it hard for her to breath.
"Please, my love, I don't want to fight you, Lucius, please!" she begged with tears in her eyes, but her desperate cry landed on deaf ears.
A spam ran through his body and he vomited right into her face.
She closed her eyes as she was also hit with a wave of nausea by the mere sound of his action.
Suddenly Lucius was hit by a wave of energy off her. Someone she knew she should know came to assist her pulling her to her feet.
"Quickly, we must flee, the Gate is closing, Great Mother!" the man said pulling at her as she stumbled awkwardly after him while looking back in sorrow and worry at her beloved.
All around them battles were being fought, shouts of spells cast while the Death Eaters moved forward shielded by their Dark Lord's power.
Not looking where she was being pulled to she stumbled over a dead body causing the man that had assisted her to let go of her.
Confused for a moment she looked up at the man and screamed when Lucius appeared with a loud cry next to him pushing his arm straight to the man's body.
Blood was spilled upon her as her husband let the lifeless body fall to the ground before turning to her. Like a dead man he moved in slow motion towards her. Fear overwhelmed her senses and she gathered quickly to her feet raising her arms in front of her releasing a whistle sound through her lips. Wind moved to her command between them, slashing at Lucius clothing and skin as he struggled on towards her.
Scared she took a step back, another whistle and a word to strengthen the magic was cast in order to will him back. And for a moment it worked. Lucius was stopped where he stood, but the arm with the Mark let a bubble of dark energy out forming like a whip and lashing out at her.
Unprepared for it she found herself chocking as the energy closed tightly around her throat. Tears streamed down her eyes, her body already aching from other wounds received earlier on the battle field.
"Please." She begged. "Please, Lucius." She coughed when he moved in with unimaginable speed and hit her in the abdomen. She could taste her own blood in her mouth now.
He stood before her, holding her up with the dark whip, her feet barely touching the ground. This man before her wasn't Lucius.
She cried frustrated.
But somewhere inside of him still resided the man she loved dearly. She couldn't attack him, no matter that her live was at risk, she simply couldn't…
But when he moved his arm back in order to strike her down in a similar fashion as his previous victim, her instincts overrode he love for the man.
Blood was coughed upon her as Lucius stumbled upon her pushing her with him to the ground.
"Oh no!" she pushed him off her turning him around. She had stabbed him with a wind sword right through his chest. "Lucius!" she screamed reaching out for him to heal, but a hand stopped her.
"Don't." he coughed, breathing heavily. "He will…just… take…control… again…"
She starred at his face, his eyes shining with a sad recognition and love for her.
"I… am… sorry…" he whispered before a coughing fit caused him to turn away from her so he would choke on his blood.
She reached for his face turning it to her. "It's me who should be sorry. There was so much I wanted to tell you that-"
He laid a trembling hand on her lips. "Don't…" he closed his eyes. "You must live… Draco… Dra…" his voice was too faint for her to understand.
She cried leaning down to him wanting to kiss him.
"Take care… of… our son…"
A strangled sob escaped her. "I love you." She whispered kissing him, but he had already lost consciousness. She cried desperately unable to stop herself.
Others came pulling at her insisting that she accompanied them, but she struggled and cried out to be left to die. Holding Lucius body to her, she called his name over and over again
"We've already lost the Gate!" someone cried out behind them.
She screamed in agony the moment Lucius body stopped to breath. Arms and hands forced them apart and she had to watch as her beloved's dead body was left to be consumed by the lingering darkness while she was hauled out of the Sanctuary by the others.
FLASHBACK END
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Salazar Slytherin was a name by which he had let himself be reborn in the Outer Shell. It was a name that the Yorea God held in dear memories.
He had lived a lifetime of experiences that under no other circumstances he could have been given here in the more controlled Inner World. He had been shown what it meant to be human for a short time, because for such as he, a human life span was nothing but a passing moment in his true live.
Yet even there responsibilities had haunted him. Secrets his sister had told him, secrets that were not to be spoken out loud.
"Master Salazar!"
He looked up from his work at the woman standing in the arc leading to his office. He let his eyes scan quickly over the marks on her arms. She was a guardian of the Gates.
"Yes?" he spoke indicating with his hand for her to take a seat.
Shaking her head in denial, she strode quickly over to his desk. "I have been told by the Elders to inform you that the Gates are being closed and that the Young Yorae Lord has still not arrived. There are not many left open, and even those that we can still hold are no longer in any condition that anyone else should risk travel."
His hand holding his writing utensil shook slightly at the news. "What of the High Councilor?"
Again she shook her head. "Neither he nor his mother have returned, although Lady Undine says that the Great Mother of the Wind had fled with others out the Sanctuary at the Church in London. It appears that she continued on to inform the High Councilor of the situation."
"But?" he raised an eyebrow.
She looked worriedly at him. "But it was after she left that the attack strength of our enemy increased tremendously. We had to close the southern Travel Area completely off."
Salazar led himself fall back in his seat in defeat. "How many are still remaining outside in Great Britain?"
"I'm not sure, I mean-"
"How many!" he snapped.
She shrunk back at the sound of his voice. " About 5 maybe even 15 of the dragons remain, besides the High Councilor and his mother counting to the still missing are the Fire Dragon Lord and his twin, the Lady Rem and High Lord Arthur, the Valkyrie Council members as well as various members of the Old Clans and not to forget many of the gods and their children that live on the Outer Shell."
Salazar sighed. Many of those missing held high status in the High Council and their own Family branches. The fact that twin Leaders were also missing did not bode well for them.
"How close to Hogwarts is the next Gate?" he asked.
"Hogwarts?" she asked confused.
He rolled his eyes, of course she wouldn't know. None of the Gate Guardians had ever traveled beyond their domain.
"The Gate at the Ancient Stone Circle of the Gods, is it still open?"
"Stonehenge?" she asked. "No, on the main island all the Gates were closed. The energy outlet was too strong there. We cannot open them for a while."
"Are you saying that you left many of the Clean Leaders without access to a Gate, not to mention the High Councilor and the Yorae Lord!" he burst out.
This time she stood straight facing him. "I'm sorry, Master Salazar, but it was not something we could prevent if we wanted to protect our world." She look him directly in the eyes now. "The two Gates in Ireland will be held open for as long as we can, also we have reinforced the number of Guardians to the Gates in Belgium, France and Holland. It is not that we have completely cut them off from us."
He took a deep breath trying to calm his temper. "Thank you for informing me Guardian of the Gates."
She bowed to him unsurely of her dismissal. Salazar stood up from his seat and walked to the balcony behind his desk turning his back to her. Sensing that she was no longer welcomed, the Guardian headed back to the exit.
"There is still another Gate in England that you do not know of…"
She turned surprised back to him. "Master Salazar?"
"Please leave, there is nothing you can do here for now." He told her. "I need to think of the next steps to take. Please inform your superior Lord Odin that I will inform him once I have spoken to High Priestesses of the Yorea."
Again she bowed.
Salazar listened to her retreating steps. He needed to make contact with the Yorae, there was still the Gate beneath Hogwarts that he had build with his sister's help shortly before her death. It had never been finished thus it could only be activated from the Outer Shell, and the energy needed to activate it was tremendous.
It would be instable and a one way portal to the Inner World. The time it could be held open would depend on the energy level that the summoners had or if they had made a mistake during the construction it would end up killing the one used a medium.
Still it would be the safest traveling point for them, since Tom didn't know about it. And what the Dark Lord didn't know…
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Sirius watched as his godson held Snape to him. Harry had suddenly come rushing into the room kneeling down and ad pulled the man to him. A faint glow of magic had brightened the boy's features before they touched.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there." Snape continued desperately, his blue eyes wide as he starred into nothingness.
"It's okay." Harry answered. "I understand, but now you need to calm down and submit to him or everything you have built up until now will have been for naught." He pushed Snape slowly into a sitting position. "Submit to Severus, the spell is still not completely settled, father." Blue eyes looked scared at Harry. "You have already given him your magic, your memories and feelings, now you must surrender what is left of your soul. I beg you, submit, you're tearing him apart. I can see it as much as I can feel it!"
"Is this what you want?" The image of James flickered unstable over Severus form, like a blurry afterimage. "I cannot longer tell what is I must do, everything is the same…"
Harry's eyes turned golden. "I'm here now, your duty is finished. Let go. We will take care of everything now. Have faith in us, father."
Severus nodded slowly. "It was never attempted before, I cannot say how much change I have caused in him. I can no longer see…" A happy smile formed on his lips. "I cannot see…" and then Snape's eyes turned with a slow change black and the Potion Master stumbled forward onto Harry.
"You okay there?" Harry asked touching Snape's head and letting his fingers run in a caress through the man's hair.
"Not sure." Was all he received as a reply. "We thought the spell was complete, but…I don't know…" Snape whispered tiredly. "Something is still off…"
Sirius watched as his godson gently helped the Potion Master to his feet. Then Harry turned to them, his green eyes still held a shimmer of gold in them which made Sirius feel slightly nervous.
"I'm sorry for earlier." Harry apologized, his hands still resting on the other man's arm and neither seemed to notice.
"What the hell is going on!" Sirius finally couldn't contain himself any longer. "Are you all out of your minds?"
Snape snorted. "Considering that Potter fused his soul to mine, there is a very high possibility that such thing might have happened."
"Potter? You mean James, isn't it so?" Neville asked raising an eyebrow looking him up at down. "I had heard of such a thing to be possible for dragons, but I had always thought that in order for a unification to work the two parties involved had to be closed related to another, which is why it is nowadays still in use for Twin Leaders."
Snape shrugged. "It certainly didn't stop James from doing this to me." He laid a hand on his chest to emphasis his statement. "As though being indebting to him wasn't enough already."
"Can James still influence you actions?" Goerge asked leaning forward in his seat.
Sirius glanced annoyed from Snape to the red haired young man. "Why would James even do something like that?"
Snape rolled his eyes at him and Sirius just shook his head. "I know what you said, Snape, it's just very hard to understand. I'm not an idiot. I mean a lot of what I have been told today makes sense with James' behavior. He always seemed to favor you and although I cannot comprehend what he must have gone through to come to the decision that you could possibly be any good for Harry, I am willing to accept the fact that he choose you for whatever awaits us." Sirius shrugged. "Besides it's clear that there's something I can't change." He wiggled his finger at them demonstratively.
Harry had tensed visibly at Sirius last comment and his grip on the Potion Master's arm tightened. The man just laid a hand on Harry's hand trying to calm the younger man.
"What I meant was that I would like to know why you or James, or both of you reacted the way you just did." Sirius gestured around him. "You were freaking. Not that it would be a new concept about you, Snape, but even for your standards your behavior was extreme."
"I think I might be able to explain it." Neville said. "If you allow me of course, professor." A nod for the Potion Master noticed him to proceed. "I remember a conversation I had with one of your ancestor Young Yorae Lord." He looked meaningfully at Harry. "She used to say that being a dragon seer was a terrible curse that no one who had not experienced it first hand would ever be able to comprehend. Victory is what allows history to be written. It is what allows marking the future, but it is not necessarily the right thing." He added in a tone that made it clear that he wasn't happy with such things.
"Yorae are linked to time and space." Neville raised his hands holding the palms a few inches from another. "Imagine this as my hands as the cores of existence." A small almost tiny light ball started to form between them. And then another and another until thousand of tiny little light floated between the boy's hands. "Every light shall represent a live. It could be any of you, even me. And if you look closely you will see that none of then touch each other."
They all moved forward in their seats to see the demonstration better. "In between the light lies darkness. There is no right, beneath, behind or such only the light as it exist now. That is the concept of a normal being about his life, unless told, you don't know the past of someone else, unless experienced you cannot tell how a person behaves. All that makes a being unique is only visible to you for your own person."
Red lines started to connect the dots and it reminded Sirius strongly of a game.
"And something like this is the vision of a Yorae. It naturally varies with the level of power for each individual." More and more lines formed until the space between the hands was but a red blur. "Everything that lies within is visible to the Yorae, while for the normal seer only a few strands of the whole continuum becomes visible. Past, present and future are not separable for them. Everything is linked." Neville lowered his hands letting the light disappear and looked calmly at Snape. It was kind of surreal to Sirius to see the boy who feared the man sit with such steady demeanor.
"If I understand correctly there is a flaw in the transfer James did to you or it might merely be possible that you soul is still cooping with the last changes. Whichever it is, the part of James within you strengthen when you tried to access to knowledge that once belonged to him, while trying to explain things to us. It grew so far that it caused you to get lost in the late Yorae Dragon's power.
"I imagine that you must have lost yourself for a moment in the surrealism of the paradoxes that invaded your mind." Neville took a deep breath. "Your perspective got altered and it alarmed you. It is a complete normal reaction considering that you had never before been exposed to it." The last part sounded more like a question to Sirius, but he didn't comment on it.
In his head he started to pull the little puzzle parts together. He remembered James odd behavior when it came to Snape. His best friend was always in for a joke when it came to 'Snivellus' but at the same time Sirius had always sensed a sort of interest for the Slytherin from James.
Then there were those times when he would sit quietly looking out of a window not noticing that he was completely shutting everything else out, it had even appeared to Sirius that James' eyes would hold a strange glow. Back then he had always associated it with the light reflecting on the window and then on his friend, but now seeing Harry's gold shimmering eyes it became clear that his friend had held secrets from him that he wouldn't even have imagined it.
Back at the Great Hall when he had seen Harry's change, he had panicked. His emotions had gotten the better of him and it was something that James had always warned him about: Never to judge things too early. But as many good meant advises that he had received in his live, it simply passed by him.
Harry's appearance had stirred the memory of James looking at him from the windowsill with long ears and slit-pupil eyes. It had unnerved him.
And now here he was. Being told that his godson was not human, that his best-friend had lied to him, and that in a very strange manner Severus Snape, the man that he hated almost as much as his cousin Bellatrix, held the memories and, god forbid, the soul of the man who had been like a brother to him.
His view of the world was starting to fall apart.
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With long steady strides Salazar- Yorae God - hurried through the halls of the Chronos' Sanctuary, resting place of the Great Father of Time, Keeper of the Streams to Chaos and Representative of Eternity. The residents were those who had sworn an Oath of Loyality on their lives and those of their families. They bowed as they saw him pass by, but he was currently more worried about his great-grandson whereabouts as to stop even for formalities.
Stepping through a large arc leading to a long stairway up into the sky he tried to think of the possibilities of transferring the message he needed to send. Taking two steps at the time, he was glad he had decided to wear less formal clothing today. With long robes it would simply have been too complicated to walk this fast.
The glass stairs rose in circular shape up to the Zodiac Wheel were the High Priestesses lived and Chronos himself was sleeping since the beginning of time. Or at least that was what was being told. His resting body chained in the air by a craft so old that none but the Yorae Master knew of it. His sister had never spoken of it, just looked with a sad expression at the man before kneeling before him muttering to herself quickly before returning to Salazar's side.
The clouds moved through the pillars of the stairs when he was closing in on the top until he finally touched the white-silvered stone-glass of one of the Wheels of Time. He looked beneath his feet at the slowly moving structure.
"Lord Salazar, what a surprise to see you." A woman said.
He looked up to see a tall dark skinned woman with leaves growing over her body come closer to him. Her tail moving gracefully with every step she came closer until she finally halted before him bowing deeply.
"High Priestess San-Go, there is no need for formalities." He said reaching out and raising her face to look up at him until she stood straight before him again.
"What brings you to the Zodiac Wheel, if I may ask?"
Her curiosity always astounded him, just as much as her straight forwardness. She was one of the most natural quick-wittedness beings he had ever met, always aware of what was going on around her and she possessed and incredible genius when it came down to causing mischief. Oh how James had loved her.
"My coming does not bode well for us, I think." He finally said nodding for her to accompany him on his way deeper into the Zodiac Wheel.
"The Yorae Dragon, is it not?" She said walking with a bounce in her step next to him. "We were informed of the Gates' closing."
Straight to the point and she had probably already started to work out solutions for him.
"Yes, I believe there is a way to allow him and those close to him to come to us." He explained.
She swung around her tail caressing his hand for an instant when she walked backwards in front of him not slowing their pace. Her face had lit up in a way that made you automatically trust her, but he knew her for too long to fall for that innocent act.
High Priestess San-Go was named after the hours between 3 and 5 in the afternoon as Guardian Zodiac of the Monkey, which were her ruling domain. She held a certain manipulative character, her charm and her incredible persuasiveness made people feel privilege just by knowing her, but sometimes even that was not enough for Salazar to reveal everything to her at once.
"I need to speak to the Keeper Verdandy." He said slowing his pace and like he had expected San-Go halted startled looking slightly bewildered at him.
"You wish to speak to the Norse?"
He nodded. "I am aware that the sisters are the Guardians of the Chains of Chronos, and that their duty keeps the Norse sisters busy, but currently there are problems that cannot be ignored. I would call upon the three sisters, but Verdandy will have to do."
"That won't be necessary." A new voice said.
Salazar and the High Priestess turned to see another woman approach. Her hair white and long, it moved in waves around her that even for a god like Salazar it seemed that she was not earthbound. Long dark bands covered her voluminous body, but still showed more skin that Salazar was used to.
Feeling himself blush he moved quickly forward to great her and to hide his treacherous body's reaction. "I greet you, Keeper Urðr, Leader of the Dis of Death, Guardian of 'That which has come'." There was a reason why he hated formalities and found it so incredibly nice that those living outside Chronos' Sanctuary bore marks to show their title and status without having to say it each time you met. Not to mention that many of the High Priestesses here had names which no one could pronounce, which is why he always addressed them by their guardian title or similar. Although he had to admit that Urðr was one of the easier names, that alone said everything about the others'.
"Urd will do Lord Yorae God Salazar." She said looking at the High Priestess intensively until the other woman stirred nervously and left with a deep bow to the two of them.
"Lets us leave mine to just Salazar then."
Urd nodded. "My sister Skuld foretold your arrival. She spoke of things rather disturbing."
He sighed. "Disturbing?" Could things get any worse?
"You wish for Verdandy to assist you in guiding the Yorae Dragon Master back to us." She stated crossing her arms under her chest and causing Salazar to feel more uncomfortable. "But they won't return alone, it will change things. The consequences are not something that Skuld can predict. Although she posses the sight, her powers are not strong enough to let us- "
He raised a hand stopping her speech. "I am more than aware of the consequences, Keeper Urd. A war has been in growth for years on the Outer Shell, and the time for war has come!" He let his hand slid through the air pointing at the ground. "Have you forgotten the late Yorae Dragon's prediction?" He saw her flinch at his words. "'May there be gods and dragons… For the world to see and witness… ' I think this is just it. This is what James was trying to tell us. We cannot defeat the Chaos alone, it's not only them who need us, but we have need of them just as well."
Urd sighed. "That is not something we can decide."
"No!" he snapped. "This is something we can decide. Our old ways have led us to what is happening now, we need change."
"But the High Council and the laws-"
"Screw the laws and the High Council!" he was losing his temper now. "Are we dragons?"
She shook quickly her head in denial.
"Exactly, we are gods. There are only a handful of dragons currently at the Sanctuary that might feel obliged to points such things out, Keeper Urd. But you and I, and your sisters and so many other here are gods and you are all bound to the Yorae by the Oath."
"Are you implying that…" she pointed at him.
"If there are any repercussions you can all say I ordered you to do it." He nodded a little more calmly.
She passed a hand through her head troubled. "I can't believe we are going to let other people into the Chronos' Sanctuary, not to mention humans."
He laid a comforting arm on her shoulder "Things change, Urd, things change." And with this both walked into the deeper parts of the Zodiac Wheel until they reached an enclosed door with the Eye of the Yorae as a seal.
"To the Chamber of Secrets?" Urd asked raising her hands to the seal.
"Yes, it is their best escape route."
She nodded lifting the seal from its place. A hiss and smoke creped through the opening as it moved slowly open. Salazar felt a long forgotten thrill run through him, like when he was younger and about to create some really big mischief.
The High Council was going to be so very displeased that he really hoped that things would go well so that he wouldn't have to deal with their anger.
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A/N:
For this chapter I used a lot of references to mythology of different cultures. I thought that since generally the gods and the dragons created the 'world' in this story I should use cultural influences, legends, mythology and such from anywhere I liked. I'm going to be doing a little more research later on to see how to let the future interaction of the characters proceed.
Here are a few notes for those who are confused or don't remember details of mythology.
A some might remember Neville is actually the Egyptian god Thoth, who stands for writing and in the mythology he's also mentioned as the one to keep the balance of justice.
Chronos is, if I remember correctly, from the Greek mythology. He's supposedly an old man and is the personification of Time
San-Go is a fictional name. I made it up from the time frame that the Chinese Zodiac 'the Monkey' stands for. I used the Japanese names for 3 and 5, since that is the monkey's time according to the data I found.
Urd, Verdandy, Skuld are the Norse that stand for the different time periods. I chose them because I did not remember how the greek equivalent of the sisters are named.
If you still have questions you can e-mail me or (which is much faster) go visit wikipedia for further information.
Well, from here on things are going to be happening a bit faster in the story. Hopefully I can keep my inspiration and write some more in the next two week before classes star again. Let me know what you think so far.
V
P.S: I know Harry and Sev are behaving at the end kind of strange, but please remember that there are both kind of influenced by outside forces to be close. It is bound to be a bit weird.