So, here's the second chapter of Unique Skill: Obscurus. As always, there's no guarantee that it'll become a full fic, but here's hoping it does.

Now, before I get into the chapter proper, I thought I'd take the time to reply to WearyCurmudgeon's review, seeing as I couldn't PM them. Harry did love and cherish his magic to a degree, but when Magical Britain basically turned on him, it forced his thinking in another direction. He hates his magic, and that of his enemies, specifically the Ministry and the Death Eaters. Plus, he was already on the verge of becoming an Obscurus at the Dursleys, but Dumbledore, being a well-meaning idiot, placed a seal on it that Azkaban eroded away.

It's less that he never saw the positive side of magic, and more that he can't see anymore the positive side of HIS magic. This is a recent development, but due to the trauma of being arrested and bunged up in Azkaban, awaiting the Dementor's Kiss. Given time, encouragement, and a LOT of counselling from certain characters (Rimuru, Shizu, Shuna and Milim, of all people), he learns to not only control the Obscurus, but master and evolve it. At least one ability using the destructive potential of the Obscurus will be similar to one of Wamuu's abilities from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, for example. Imagine an Obscurial acting in a similar manner to the Divine Sandstorm attack, and you get the idea...

Plus, there's the second Unique Skill he has. Without going too much into spoilers, it's a class from the Final Fantasy games that will make him potentially able to fight alongside Rimuru and his allies. Plus, he's definitely going to be using some abilities on Clayman.

You are right, though. JK Rowling's claims of Harry not being a potential Obscurus is bullshit. Then again, bullshit is one of the greatest weapons in the arsenal of an author.

Anyway, here's the second chapter. Enjoy!


UNIQUE SKILL: OBSCURUS

CHAPTER 2:

UNEASE

It took some coaxing, but the pair of them had exchanged stories. Rimuru was quite surprised to learn that there was a hidden society of mages back home, though not like Fate/Stay Night or the like. Assuming there wasn't some parallel timeline stuff going on, anyway.

Harry said that he had been summoned to this world in 2005, over a year before Satoru Mikami got shanked by a drugged-up mugger. At first, Harry was grateful, as he was in a pretty nasty wizarding prison for a murder he didn't do. He felt responsible for it, but that was because he got the victim into the situation.

Long story short, Harry had been roped into some sort of magical tournament between magic schools meant for older students. At the end of it, he and another guy, Cedric Diggory, had been magically abducted to a graveyard where Voldemort was reborn, and soon afterwards, Cedric was murdered. Voldemort's lackeys framed Harry for the deed, and the corrupt moron in charge of Magical Britain had him banged up in that prison.

Anyway, Harry was summoned to this world, specifically a country to the northwest called the Kingdom of Falmuth. Harry, at first, was grateful to end up there, until he learned he was basically going to be made a weapon for them. They put him under something called a locking curse, preventing him from harming his captors and being made to obey any command by the court mage, Razen. Only using a spell that he had learned on Earth had him able to free himself, and even then, he only remembered it and tried it in a panic when he learned Razen was intending to visit him, perhaps to force him to fight or execute him.

Harry had unleashed his Unique Skill on them then and there, before fleeing the fortress, flying with his Unique Skill. It seemed to turn him into a raging black cloud, one that caused destruction. An Obscurus, whatever that was. Harry barely seemed to know what it was, and he seemed worried about it. Only Rimuru's offer to help gave him any cause to stay here.

True, it sounded a bit unbelievable, but there was a haunted quality Rimuru had seen in Harry's emerald eyes. And it certainly tallied with what he learned from Voldemort's Horcrux. Rimuru had asked Great Sage to discard anything that was too dark.

Still, what he learned was troubling. Veldora had warned him about Otherworlders being here on this world, and if Harry was right, this Falmuth place used them as living weapons. And the three of them weren't just unpleasant because of their abduction. Harry had been treated badly by them too, seemingly because he hadn't been as belligerent, initially. Shogo Taguchi, a berserker and brawler. Kyoya Tachibana, a superficially civil and polite boy with a vicious edge. And Kirara Mizutani, the bratty girl with a compelling voice.

And Falmuth was a human supremacist country, one that could pose a threat. Maybe Rimuru could tweak the rules governing humans? The rule suggested even killing in self-defence was not allowed. Hmm, something to consider for later.

And that was without going into the fact that Harry was a traumatised teenager. Back when he was Satoru Mikami, Rimuru had an older brother, but no younger siblings. He had no children, being a lifelong bachelor after having no luck with the ladies, and in truth, mental illness was often viewed rather poorly in Japan. One was expected to carry on through adversity, no matter what.

But even Satoru Mikami knew that was wrong, or at least handled wrongly back home. And he wasn't going to tell Harry to…how did the Brits put it? Keep calm and carry on? He was a kid, thrown from one bad situation into another, and he'd kept his sanity and his morals, unlike Rimuru's fellow countrymen in Falmuth.

By comparison, Rimuru got off lightly. After the initial shock of being reincarnated as a Slime, his new life had become a rather enjoyable one. He'd made new friends, had become the leader of a community of monsters…you couldn't call his life cushy, but it was fun and interesting, a far cry from Harry's own treatment in this world.

Rimuru hopped onto the bed next to Harry. "Hey, Harry. I literally can't imagine what you're going through, I really can't. I was just a 37-year-old salaryman and otaku from Japan before I got reincarnated as a Slime. By the way, avoid getting stabbed to death, it ain't a fun way to die."

"…Is there any fun way to die?" Harry asked pointedly.

"…I guess not…well, unless Succubi are real. You'd probably regret it afterward, but man, what a way to go, huh? Crap, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be joking about that stuff. I'm not a psychologist, and Japan's not a good place for people with mental illness and that. Plus, I reckon I've become less tactful since I was reborn on this world. No more kowtowing to the boss, no need for office work…I guess it's loosened me up. Or maybe that's becoming a Slime. Anyway…my point is…you shouldn't have had to have gone through that crap. And if you want to, you can have a home here."

"…But my Unique Skill…"

"Hey, we'll build you a house on the outskirts or something if you want, at least until we can figure out how to bring it under control. I want this place to be somewhere where everyone can be accepted, human or monster."

"…That's pretty idealistic." Was there scepticism in that tone? God, he sounded too old and cynical for a teenager.

"What can I say? Anyway, Harry, could you keep the fact that I was human in my past life under your hat for now? I'll tell the others when the time is right. We're currently getting stuff together with the infrastructure and all. Not going to be much in the way of creature comforts anytime soon."

"…That's fine."

Wow. It was sad how resigned and accepting he was. Then again, he missed his friends. He had only a few real friends, despite being famous amongst the wizards on Earth. But if he only had a few, then being so far away, with no real way back home…Rimuru decided to say something. "Hey, Harry…I know you got framed and stuff back home…but if I could find a way to get you back home, would you take it?"

After some time, he said, "Only to see if my friends are all right. I mean, Voldemort's back, and they…they…" His voice caught in his throat. "Sorry, I'm just worried about them. It's been over a year…hell, probably close to two by now. For all I know, they could be dead."

"…They won't be, Harry."

"You can't know that!" Harry snapped. But as Rimuru recoiled, Harry sagged. "Sorry. You're probably the first person I could talk to this properly for ages, you didn't deserve that. It's just…after being put into the Tri-Wizard Tournament, my life took a major turn for the worse. My magic is a curse. So's my Unique Skill. Whereas you can eat monsters and gain their skills and stuff, if what I heard is right."

"Hey, if there's one thing reading tons of manga and light novels have taught me, any power can be a good one. Besides, wouldn't you be scared of something that ate things and used their abilities?"

"…Okay, good point…"


Rimuru Tempest was a bloody idiot, Harry reckoned. A wide-eyed idealist not far from what Harry used to be, before he got a wake-up call as to how cruel the world truly could be. Not that he didn't know it to some degree before, what with the Dursleys doing all they could to beat the magic out of him. But when he got his Hogwarts letter…he thought things would change.

They didn't.

Oh, they felt like they had changed. He'd gotten friends in Ron and Hermione, in the Weasley Twins…but he had been returned to the Dursleys, not once, not twice, but thrice. And every time, they had made his life miserable. All because he had the misfortune to be born with magic.

If he hadn't magic, he wouldn't have been in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Cedric wouldn't have died, or at least not to Voldemort, and Harry would have, hopefully, had a happy life. If his parents hadn't had magic, someone else could have stopped Voldemort.

Magic seemed to corrupt so many people. Even on this world, it did. That man, Razen, the one who put the locking curse on him…he may have acted as kindly as Dumbledore at first, but in truth, he was as power-hungry as that damned fat fuck of a king.

Still, it didn't mean he hated everyone with magic. No, not by a long shot. He still yearned for his friends, feared for them. He hoped they would be okay, but he knew they probably wouldn't be. Voldemort was running around, targeting anyone who didn't agree with his ideology. His friends would've been top of the list, assuming the Ministry didn't go after them too.

"So, the Goblins, well, Hobgoblins you're leading, to say nothing of those Tempest Wolves…they're friendly, right?" Harry asked, watching the green-skinned beings bustling around outside the hut. They certainly were taller and more human-looking (for the most part) than the Goblins he was used to.

"Yep! The Goblins had me save them from the Direwolves, and the Tempest Wolves now follow my lead. I'd bring out Ranga to meet you, but he's a bit big for this hut. Don't worry, they won't hurt you."

"…Well, I wouldn't, unless they hurt me first," Harry said. "But I don't think a lot of people from Falmuth would give a damn. I can't speak about any of the other countries, I only learned a little about them before they decided to lock me up because of my Unique Skill, but Falmuth…it's a treacherous place, and the King is a greedy old bastard. Hell, most of their income apparently comes from tolls and excise on goods passing from Dwargon. Didn't you say you were there recently?"

"Yep! And I guess I should ask Kaijin about that stuff. I mean, I know you lived there for a time, but you were banged up, and Kaijin might know more. No offence."

Harry chuckled tiredly. "None taken. I don't know that much about this world anyway. Falmuth at least seemed to be at a medieval or Renaissance level. What about Dwargon?"

"Hmm, I'd say Industrial Revolution to a degree. Mostly Renaissance though. I can't speak to any other place, obviously. Then again, history isn't my strong suit, or at least stuff from outside Japan. Anyway…thanks for telling me this stuff. It can't be easy trusting anyone after what happened to you."

"…Honestly, you're the first friendly face I've seen in a while…well, so to speak, given that you don't really have a face. I mean…I'm not sure I actually trust you, but…it's not like I have anywhere else to go. Besides…a monster like me should live with his own kind."

"…It can't be that bad, right?"

"…It is," Harry said bitterly. "Magic is a curse I was born with. I just hope I don't take you guys down with me."

"You won't! I'll help you!" Rimuru said. "Helping other people is always the right thing to do!"

Harry scoffed, but didn't say anything else for now. Some people couldn't be helped. Some people shouldn't be helped. True, he wouldn't say no to being helped. He may view himself as cursed, but not as evil. But Rimuru helping the wrong person could spell disaster. Like how Harry showed mercy to Peter Pettigrew. That came back to bite him on the arse, and hard. The moment he could, he escaped, and he went and resurrected Voldemort.

"Look," Rimuru said, sensing his scepticism. "I told you about the Great Sage Unique Skill I have, right? She can analyse your Unique Skill and maybe find a way for you to control it. I mean, we're working on freeing Veldora from his prison. Compared to that, your problem will be a doddle. Well, the Obscurus or whatever it is problem will be, anyway. Dunno about getting you back home, but hey, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Burn it, more like," Harry muttered.

Rimuru sighed. "Look, I'm just trying to help."

"I know, it's just…sorry. What happened to me…I think it killed off most if not all of my faith in humanity, and any love I had for magic."

"Then I'll resuscitate it! I know CPR! I'm sure I can somehow apply it to abstract stuff like that!"

Once again, Harry couldn't help but emit a weary chuckle. He hoped that his impression was correct, that Rimuru was genuinely that cheerful and nice. He'd put up with enough cruel twists to his life, he didn't need another. He was already broken. He didn't need to be shattered.


Events would soon come to a head, though. Soon, Harry would meet someone whose journey had been a mirror to his own…and with a darker end. Someone who would have a great impact on his life and that of Rimuru's.

A woman called Shizu…

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Harry and Rimuru have discussed their pasts.

No numbered annotations this time.