Later that evening Harry was at the Smallville Medical Centre doing his rounds. Lana was with him today instead of with Helen.

"Dr. Potter, I've got a patient that is insisting on being seen only by you." Dr. Scanlan said as he hurried up.

"He's not a reporter?"

"We had him searched by security and his id checked… he isn't listed though, completely absent from the government databases we have access to."

"Government spook?" Lana asked.

"I hadn't thought of that." Scanlan admitted. "I was thinking either foreigner or vagrant… but he is well dressed."

"What's his name?"

"He refused to give it. He is also refusing to leave and for some reason none of us can manage to make him." Scanlan said pointedly.

"A meta." Harry nodded.

'Meta-Humans' was the term Chloe had coined for describing humans with extra abilities. She needed a way of referring to them as something other than mutants and freaks.

"That is our fear."

"Damn, this is a bloody bad time to have to deal with this. We can't even clear the floor."

"Doctor- Harry, none of us are stupid or ignorant." Dr Scanlan said carefully. "We've all seen you work, seen you on the television. Half the town suspects you are likely a Meta yourself. That said, we all trust you, do what you need to, security will attempt to maintain calm."

Harry was gobsmacked. He knew he hadn't really been covert in his work with super heroes but he hadn't expected people to assume he was one. Not before the government did.

"We'll deal with this Doctor." Lana said firmly.

"You will be safe, Miss Lang?"

Lana smiled softly with a hard glint in her eyes. "Let's just say that Harry is more than a mere Meta, he always has a guard to protect him and serve him."

Scanlan took a deep breath and held it as he eyed both Harry and Lana. He nodded before turning on his heel and walking off.

"Doctor, we'll talk more when I am finished." Harry called out.

Scanlan turned and gave a relieved and grateful nod.

"Come on bodyguard." Harry said grumpily as he headed for the room marked on the patient notes Scanlan had given him.

Lana just smiled and followed.

Harry stopped outside the room and turned to Lana with a huge grin. "This could be so much fun, he's a magical!"

Lana didn't smile. She checked for people who could see her before becoming invisible, silenced and out of phase.

Harry rolled his eyes. Some people were so paranoid.

Harry opened the door and strolled in. "So, Mr. Wizard. What did you want to see me about that you couldn't make an appointment at the castle?"

There was a look of anger and shock on the man's face before he said one word, one very weird word:

"Tropelet!"

There was a blinding light and seconds after it cleared he found himself in a large room constructed with large rocks, almost medieval.

"That… was not a smart move." Harry sighed.

"Did you really think you could go around using magic and no one would notice?" The man asked with a snarl. "There are consequences for revealing magic to homo-sapiens!"

"Do you have a name?" Harry asked, ignoring the man's attitude.

"You can call me 'Master'. Your magic will be bound until you can be trusted not to use it beyond the Hidden City." He said importantly.

"What exactly gives you the right to bind my magic?" Harry asked calmly. The room was beginning to get pretty crowded with invisible people.

"I am the guardian of the Homo Magi! I ensure the safety of the Homo Magi and that the rest of the world doesn't learn of us."

"What do you know about me?" He asked curiously as he conjured a chair for himself. He was amused by the look of surprise on the man's face.

"I know you are gifted, but brash, using your power in front of normal people and taking no care to hide it or deny your abilities. Half of the town you live in suspects you are more than a mere human." The man spat.

"That's it? That's all you know?" Harry asked with clear contempt.

"That is all I need to know to have to take action."

Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Well, go on then. Bind my magic." He shrugged.

The man could see that Harry didn't believe he could do it and this made him angry.

"Dnib siht nam! Dnib sih cigam litnu I esaeler mih!"

The words were clearly powerful and the effect they had on the room was incredible as the walls seemed to warp.

But Harry just sat there.

"I'm waiting." He said mockingly.

The man was just shocked as he kept looking between his outstretched hand and Harry.

"No? Then let me show you how to truly de-power someone." Harry sneered as he quickly rose and threw a hand towards the other man.

The man gasped in pain as Harry viciously ripped out the man's magical core. It took just mere seconds but for the man it felt like an eternity.

"And here it is." Harry said as he calmly paced before the man who was gasping on his knees. In his hand he was lightly tossing a ball of energy up and down. "Your entire magical core, in the palm of my hand."

"W- What are you?" The man asked; his fear was clear.

"Now you decided to ask that question?" Harry scoffed. "You kidnapped me from my place of work… my home town. You attacked me and accused me of crimes without allowing for discourse or trial. And only now… when I have you at my utter mercy, do you have the mere common sense to ask WHAT I AM?!" Harry roared at the man.

"He is the Avatar of Love."

The man was shocked to see a blonde haired woman in a white Grecian gown appear behind Harry to his left.

"He is the Master of Magic." A tall heavily built man appeared to the right.

There was a loud clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning appeared between himself and Harry causing him to jump back quickly and land on his ass. Out of the smoke strode a tall man with black hair and startling blue eyes that looked down at him with pure anger in those eyes, in his hand was a huge battle hammer.

"He is Death and all of creation now stands against you." The man growled angrily. "Your foolishness has sealed your fate, you should pray to Lord Death that he is merciful to the rest of the Homo Magi."

"John… what have you done?"

The room was suddenly filled with an array of people. Mostly women but also the famous super heroes Flash, Green Lantern and… Batman… who had his mask off.

"Bruce? What is this? Why would you ally yourself with someone who would threaten the safety of my people?" John asked feeling betrayed.

Bruce just looked at him sadly. "Why did you not come to me first? Why did you not trust my judgement?"

"A better question would be: Who made him the arbiter of magicals?" The first man who had arrived said dryly. "I know it wasn't the Phoenix Council."

"It was not the gods." The woman in the Grecian robes added.

"And we all know it wasn't Death, the Master of Magic himself." The blue-eyed man stated coldly. "Who made you judge, jury and executioner of magicals? How many non-magicals have you killed in your so-called role?"

"I-I-" John could only stutter in fear as he tried to back further away from the hammer that was sparking with lightning; the wall made that impossible.

"Lord Death, this is John Zatara, the man I told you about." Bruce said with a hint of embarrassment. "The last time I met him he was just a man, travelling like myself."

Harry nodded. "Answer my friends' questions, Zatara. You wouldn't want to make them… wait."

*shnickt*

*hiss**snap*

John's eyes widened as one of the men in the back held up his fists and three claws on the back of each hand appeared and another man in a dark cloak that concealed his face suddenly produced a lightsabre.

Then John's eyes narrowed. "Hmm, so you thought you could trick me with petty illusions." He said as he rose to his feet.

The man in front of him raised his hammer to John's chest and a spark of lightning leapt at him like a tazer.

As John rubbed his chest the cloaked figure with the lightsabre glided forward as though it was hovering above the ground, there were no feet to be seen.

"I am Death's Hand, I have been known to play with illusions… but never with someone who would threaten MY SON!"

John screamed as the lightsabre sliced through the flesh of his upper arm leaving a cauterised gash.

"Answer the questions! Who made you judge, jury and executioner of Homo Magi and how many non-magicals have you killed?" The being demanded.

"I'm not the ruler! I'm the protector of the Homo Magi." John said hastily as he cradled his arm. "I travel the world seeking out new homo magi and bringing them back to the city and making sure that no one remembers them."

"How do you make sure they don't remember?" Harry asked.

"I remove their memories, that's all."

"What if the new magicals are children?" The Grecian blonde demanded.

"The parents will forget they ever had a child." He said as though it were obvious.

John flinched as the woman lunged for him angrily only to be held back by the man with the hammer.

"Telepaths, take everything from his mind and give it to Lord Death before he gets himself killed prematurely!" The man ordered loudly as he grabbed the woman in his arms with ease and vanished in a flash of lightning with her.

As the array of men and women in the room started toward him with angry looks, John suddenly realised that the man with the blue eyes and the hammer was the only thing keeping him safe.


"Damn you Kal, let me go!" Aphrodite spat as she struggled in her boyfriend's arms.

"Just as soon as the others have got all the information we need you can do what you like. You can make his life as miserable as possible, but until then he needs to have some hope." Clark said firmly.

He had teleported them back to the castle where they would wait for one of the telepaths to call them back or Clark was satisfied Aphrodite had calmed down.

"Fine." She huffed as she stepped out of his reach and straightened her ruffled gown. "I promise not to castrate the bastard too soon." She glared at him.

"Clark? Where did everyone go?" Came the voice of Cassandra.

The couple turned to see Ryan, Kusano and Cassandra standing at the door.

Josie suddenly ran up behind them, clearly out of breath. "See, I told you they'd be back!"

"It's ok Cassie, there was an incident with someone kidnapping Harry." Clark explained. "We are still all a bit jumpy after last summer so we all just reacted. I'll try to remember to remind everyone not to leave without warning again."

"Right, back to class." Josie said still fairly winded.

"Why do you run everywhere, Josie?" Clark asked curiously. "Why not teleport?"

"I refuse to be fat again." She scowled. "Harry gave me this body and I'm gonna keep it in the great shape he gave it to me."

"Why don't you ask to join the Amazons?" Clark queried.

"Oh… I'm not really… I'm not like Lana and the others… I mean I look good but nothing like them." She said with a hint of shame.

"That is… completely untrue, but even if it was, that isn't how entrance is determined." Clark pointed out.

"But I'm not as athletic as they are."

Ryan just snorted in derision. "You run everywhere! You make us run everywhere! If you were an Amazon then you would be a trainer like Uncle Scott or Aunt Laura."

"There is also one small fact you all seem to be overlooking." Josie huffed. "I'm not a follower of the Greek religions."

"Neither is Kyla, she follows the Kawatche ways." Clark said with a small smile. "I'm not a follower of the Greek religions and I'm dating one of the goddesses."

"The God of the Amazons has made you the offer Josie." Aphrodite spoke up. "It is one I, as the Goddess of the Amazons fully agree with. When you feel you are ready we will welcome you, if you choose not to be one of my daughters you will still be a good friend to them."

"Clarkie, are you alright?" Kusano asked.

As they all looked to Clark they saw that he seemed fairly pale.

"Kal?" Aphrodite asked as she laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't mind me." He said weakly. "I just realised that one of my girlfriends comes with several hundred children… most of them are older than me."


It was a very unhappy bunch of people that hovered over the assembled citizens of the Hidden City of Homo Magi. The Homo Magi weren't blatantly racist against non-magicals but they definitely instilled a sense of superiority in themselves with how they manipulated them as they wanted.

"You people disgust me." Harry spat, his voice was quiet and filled with utter disgust, but magic made sure the entire city heard him. "You don't just play with the memories of non-magicals, you steal their children.

"You aren't even good at magic!"

"Who the hell are you?" Someone from the crowd shouted.

Harry shot to the ground causing the people to scatter as he landed in front of the man who had shouted. "I am the Master of Magic, an Avatar of Love and the Aspect known as Death." He growled.

Harry suddenly grinned evilly. "Want me to prove it? Please say yes."

Hovering in the air above the people, several members of Harry's family desperately wanted to roll their eyes or kick Harry in the arse… but they didn't want to show disrespect.

The man who had challenged Harry was quickly backing away.

"I want you to prove it."

Harry turned to see a stern looking woman glaring at him. She was middle-aged with greying brown hair.

"You want me to kill you? Or would you like me to remove your magical core?" Harry smirked.

"No. Prove to me you are an Avatar of Love." She smirked back.

Harry shook his head disappointedly. "I am an Avatar of Love because I defend love. I don't let others try to manipulate it or fake it. The only way you will see me display my status as Love's Avatar is by showing you just how much I disapprove of you people stealing a child away from its parents.

"Are you sure you want me to show you that?"

The woman just scoffed. "Any of us can do magic and anyone can kill. I have yet to meet someone who can truly make a person fall in love."

"And you never shall." Aphrodite said as she was teleported in by Cassie and her class with Clark. "I am Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, I would advise you to treat Lord Death with respect." She said calmly.

"So now he's called Lord Death?" The woman laughed derisively.

"I could kill you all here and now." Harry told her causing the crowd to gulp fearfully. "But then you wouldn't learn anything… Margaret."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "So you know my name. A cheap parlour trick."

"Actually one of my telepaths told me." He smirked as he pointed to the hovering group in the air above them. "Incidentally, can you fly?"

"Ylf!" She intoned and she began to rise into the air.

"Very good. Now, can you survive… everything?" Harry grinned as he rose up to meet her.

"I'm sure I can survive anything you can." She said dismissively.

Suddenly Miya and Kazehana appeared at Harry's side.

"Well, here's the deal then." He said as he took his wife's sword. "You take my daughter's sword and do what you like to me. But everything you do to me I will do to you."

Margaret frowned at him as Kazehana stood there with her sword offered.

"You want to fight me with swords?"

"No, if you want to stab me in the heart I will let you. But then I get to stab you in the heart. Which ever of us survives is proven to be correct and will cede defeat, and be the new ruler of this city and its people… Governor."

Margaret scowled. "Your little tricks with telepathy are starting to annoy me child. Two can play thaAAAAAHHHHH!" Margaret screamed as a large set of claw marks slashed her face; screams erupted from the crowd as well at the sight.

Harry waved a hand, healing her and causing the crowd to look on in awe. "Are you ready? Or would you like to challenge my mental defences again?"

Margaret was enraged; she grabbed the sword and stabbed Harry through the heart angrily. The crowd watched with hope as their leader delivered a fatal blow to the invader.

"Hmm, are you sure you can survive a sword through the heart?" Harry asked calmly as he flicked the hilt of the sword sticking out of his chest.

Miya moved in front of her husband and unbuttoned his shirt before moving back to reveal the sight of the sword clearly embedded in the body of her husband; blood trickled down his stomach.

Margaret was beginning to worry.

"Oh well, tell me when you concede defeat." Harry shrugged as he raised his own sword, Miya moved behind her to keep her from moving.

Margaret was starting to worry as she felt the tip of the Japanese sword press just above her left breast through her blouse. She wasn't that worried though… she was a Homo Magi.

She focused on her magic, she didn't want to give the tyrant trying to intimidate her the satisfaction of hearing her use an incantation. There was a reason she was the Governor of the Hidden City after all.

"OW!"

"Problem, Margaret?" Harry asked as a smile played at the corner of his lips as he carefully continued to apply more pressure. A small patch of red blood could be seen spreading out on her white blouse.

"What have you done to me?" Margaret asked as fear set in.

"I've shut off your magic. Something that only the Master of Magic could really do. Nothing like someone trying to bind a person's magic, bindings are temperamental; someone could break them. But if I remove your connection to magic… well, that's irreversible for anyone but me, and only possible for me, the Master of Magic."

"You'll kill me!"

"You agreed to my terms, Margaret. Whatever you do to me I can do to you. You put a sword through my heart and now I will put one through yours. Like I told you, you can always cede defeat."

"I concede! I concede!" She screamed.

"Hardly seems fair to me." Harry sighed as he lowered the katana. "I did let you put a sword in my heart. Seems only fair I get to do the same."

Margaret began to sag in relief.

Harry suddenly looked her in the eye with a grin. "You know what? I want my turn."

Margaret screamed in horror as Harry raised the sword and plunged it into her chest with a sickening squelch.

She screamed for a good thirty seconds before she realised that:

a) No sound was coming out of her mouth.

b) There wasn't any pain.

c) She wasn't dead.

Then she realised that she couldn't hear the crowd either.

"Are you finished?" Harry asked with a put upon sigh. She wasn't screaming so Harry removed the silencing charm. "Let's go with the obvious questions, shall we? You aren't dead because I am Death, and you have a lot to answer for before I grant you access to the after life. There wasn't any pain because as the Master of Magic I can control your body completely, including pain receptors. Any more questions?"

Margaret just shook her head fearfully.

Harry turned to look down at the cowering citizens. "Anyone? Questions?"

The voice of a little boy floated up. "Are you going to kill us all sir?"

"Hush Jacob!" Came the mother's reprimand.

"Why would I kill you?" Harry asked as he gently floated himself, Miya, Kazehana and Margaret down to the ground in front of the scared boy and his petrified mother.

"That's what Death does… doesn't he?" The boy asked as he cowered behind his mother's skirts.

"I am Death." Harry said kindly. "I am one of the Aspects of Existence along with Time, Love and Magic. Nobody tells an Aspect what to do. Aspects like myself decide what we do and I decided a long time ago that I would always work to make sure that people died when they were supposed to. That bad people who like to kill others die quickly and that good little children live long happy lives.

"So no, Jacob. I'm not going to kill you all. I'm going to protect you and make you into something better than you have been."

"Better?"

Harry smiled. "Everyone I've met in the city so far uses incantations to do magic. I can teach them how to do it all with just a thought." He said as he waved a hand causing the boy to turn into a Labrador puppy.

The mother gasped with the crowd but Harry ignored them as he began rubbing the puppy behind the ears before flipping it over and tickling its tummy. He then waved a hand to reveal a giggling little boy on his back.

"See? I prefer people don't die before their time." Harry smiled at the boy.

Harry stood up and stretched before he noticed he still had the sword in his heart. "Oops. Miya, could you come and get your sword?"

Miya strolled forward calmly and slowly removed the sword. Harry cleaned the blood and did his shirt up before turning to Margaret who was still being held by Kazehana.

He grabbed the sword and sent a smirk at the terrified woman. "Don't worry, this will only hurt if I want it to." He then ripped the sword from her body causing her to gasp in shock.

Margaret looked down at her chest and saw that her blouse was repaired and that there was no blood.

She looked at Harry with a disgusted look. "An illusion?"

Behind her Kazehana just scoffed. "Stupid bitch."

"Language sweetie." Harry chided gently as he indicated little Jacob nearby.

"Sorry Daddy." She blushed. "Sorry Jacob." She told the little boy.

"Now then Margaret, let's go inside and talk about how I want you to serve the people." Harry said sternly.

Kazehana spun the older woman around and pushed her towards the large building that served as the city's seat of power. Behind them Harry, Miya, Brunhilde, Clark and Aphrodite followed.

"Harry, Margaret has managed to obscure her thoughts. Should we dig?" Came Jean's voice over the Avenger's communicators. This allowed the Sekirei, Clark and Aphrodite to remain in the loop.

"Yes." Harry said out loud and clearly as they marched up the steps.

"What?" Margaret asked worriedly.

"I just told my friends, the telepaths to dig deep into your mind past the defences you just tried to put up." Harry smirked as Margaret's fear became obvious.

"So we aren't allowed privacy under your 'rule'?" She asked mockingly as they walked through the large double doors.

"Sure you are. Once you've taken a magical oath to never use your magic to harm others."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary." She said smugly, this caused Kazehana to go on alert and grab her roughly. "It's too late for that girl." She taunted Number 3. "Your Master has sealed his fate."

Harry suddenly fell to his knees as lightning started to expel from his body. "What is this?" He asked painfully.

"Did you really think we didn't have fail-safes to deal with invaders, even magical ones?"

Miya looked at Harry and suddenly realised what Miya had said. Harry had 'sealed' his fate. He was currently standing in the middle of the entry way and there was a seal on the floor. She had no idea what was happening or what it did but she knew it was hurting her husband.

"Superman! We need you in here." She said over her comm.

A flash of lighting and a clap of thunder revealed the red and blue hero.

"What happened?" Superman demanded as he looked at Harry carefully.

"Harry walked across the seal and… this happened." Miya said worriedly.

Superman walked up to Harry only to be repelled as he tried to breach the seal. "Harry, can you hear me?"

"Oh god yes!" Harry grunted in pain.

"What is happening to you?"

Harry gave an almost hysterical bark of laughter. "Emma once asked me what would happen if- SWEET MERCIFUL- if I ever entered an area with no ma- AAAAHH- gic. We're about to find out!"

Superman turned and glared at Margaret. "Your fate is sealed. Miya, ensure her safety until Harry is ready, it looks like Minaka is about to get a cell mate."

Superman turned back to Harry. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Oh, I don't know?" Harry said mockingly. "How about clearing everyone to a safe distance?"

"How far?"

"Oa ought to do it."

"You're not helping!" Superman snapped.

"Neither are you! But that's because you can't help me. We've just got to let this happen."

"Why isn't he dead? Any magical that enters the seal is killed." Margaret demanded.

Superman raised an eyebrow. "Attention, no one is to enter the building. There is a possible cataclysmic event about to occur and the introduction of any more individuals may make it a certainty." He commanded over the comm.

"It will?" Miya asked.

"I have no idea." Superman admitted. "But I really don't want to deal with Akitsu trying to break in to save her dad."

"He can't last much longer." Margaret sneered. "All that magic he is emitting, he'll run out soon and he will die."

A burst of lightning suddenly smashed through the ceiling of the building leaving a large hole as it struck the shielding that held Harry in the seal.

"Lana, get Miya, Kazehana and the prisoner out of here." Superman ordered.

"How did you know I was here?" Lana asked as she dropped her invisibility and silencing charms.

"Souls Lana, I can feel them. Now go!" He snapped.

"What about you Clark?" Harry asked. "This is magic, it can hurt you."

"So you'll just fix me up. Someone has to be here just in case and I refuse to dishonour Asgard by abandoning you."

"Thor will be so proud." Harry said glibly before the shield was struck by another bolt.

"This lightning, I think I can intercept it." Superman said as he examined the hole in the roof.

"I wouldn't, that's not lightning, its magic trying to reach me." Harry was exhausted as he lay on his back. "It will eventually breach the shield and release me… it won't be very pleased though."

Suddenly the external lightning began to increase as bolt after bolt pounded into the shield making the hole in the roof larger and larger until the shield suddenly burst in a blinding light.

All Superman could see was darkness; all he could hear was silence.

"Harry? Are you there? Harry!" He called out.

"Superman, hold on we're right here." He heard Jean's voice calming him from beside him.

"Are you ok? Can you make some lights, we need to find Harry I can feel him here somewhere."

There was a moment's silence.

Jean's voice suddenly sounded tense and worried. "Clark, it's daylight, your eyes have been damaged and you have gone blind."

"Would it help if I told you your dog died?" Superman asked curiously.

Jean just laughed. "Lie down so I can lean over your eyes and cry."

Fortunately Jean did not need to be told her fictional dog died just to make healing tears. Superman was soon back on his feet and blinking in the bright sunlight.

This was a problem considering he was still inside the building, one that originally had very little in the way of windows.

Of course the building was just a bunch of foundations and rubble now.

"What happened?" Superman asked.

"The building… vaporised." Jean shrugged.

Superman started walking forward. "This is where Harry is… but he's getting bigger."

"Bigger?"

"Whatever I can feel from Harry is spreading outwards. Where's Aphrodite? Call in the Flash we need to know what the other Aspects are saying now that we can't seem to reach Death and Magic directly."

"They are coming in now."

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Harry? Where are you?" Superman called out to the disembodied voice.

"Not quite sure. I can see you and Jean but I am seeing a lot of stuff."

"What happened, why can't we see your soul?"

"Well… um… you know how I used to be the Master of Magic?"

"'Used to be'?" Superman demanded with wide eyes.

"Yeah, Magic didn't really like the fact that I could be taken away from it so it… did something."

"Harry." Came the annoyed and impatient response.

"It joined with me ok! It decided that it was never going to let me get away so it became a part of me, now I am currently trying to cope with knowing where all the major occurrences of magic are happening. It is not easy!"

"Can't you just create a body and do it from there?" Jean asked.

"I need a few hours before I can concentrate enough. Talking to you is a bit of a chore right now."

"Jean, can you go and check in with the Phoenix Council, find out what they know? Also send someone back to Loki's world, see if there is any news from there." Superman requested.

Jean nodded and vanished in a burst of flame.

"Akitsu is going to kick your ass Harry!"

"Thank god I don't currently have one."


It was nearly an hour later that Kyla returned from the mission she was given by Jean.

"I found Barry." She announced as she teleported in carrying the fastest man alive in her arms.

"What happened to him?" Helen asked as she quickly stepped up and began examining him.

"I do not know. He was passed out on his kitchen floor. I couldn't wake him but I also couldn't find anything wrong with him. Do you think it is connected to Harry?"

"Beyond my pay-grade." Helen sighed. "Anyone else know a better diagnostic system?" She asked the rest of the castle residents.

"He is experiencing his first direct commune with his Aspect." Aphrodite explained. "He is very young and inexperienced, unfortunately Time also has no experience with Avatars as Barry is the first. He will recover."

"Has Love been talking to you?" Superman asked.

"Yes, she has been explaining what has happened to Lord Death. There are now two Aspects in one entity, this is a huge event as Harry Potter now has no known equals, Love and Time do not just respect and love him, they will submit to his decisions."

"Why? How did this happen?" Lana asked.

"Because Magic has always been like a puppy." Came Harry's disembodied voice. "It loves to be used and played with, given lots of attention by children. But it also sought safety and comfort from me… because I was the Master of Magic. Like the name suggests, I was its Master. When it thought it had lost me it tracked me down, it finally reached me and decided it didn't like me vanishing so it… became one with me."

"Ahh… you married your dog."

"Shut up Dad."

"My head is killing me!" Barry groaned from Kyla's arms. "But the view certainly helps." He said as he grinned up at the Kawatche born Amazon.

Unfortunately he couldn't help his eyes dropping down to her cleavage.

The now annoyed Amazon summarily dumped him on the floor.

"Ow." He said with a glare... he quickly backed off when he saw the glare the entire female contingent was giving him. "Alright, I was sent to speed up this whole integration thing for Lord Death, where is he?" Barry asked as he looked around.

"What do you mean 'sent'? I carried your lard ass." Kyla reminded him.

"I would have been here anyway. Well, where is his Grim Reaperness?"

"All around you Barry."

"Hooooleeey!" Barry jumped. "That's worse than the whole mental talking thing." Barry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How am I supposed to speed him up if I can't touch him?"

"Harry, pull yourself together and create a body." Clark ordered, he was out of uniform for now. "Barry was sent to help so help him help you!"

"Damned pushy kids." They heard him mumble. "Hold still Clark, I'm using you as a focus."

"Wouldn't one of your soul mates be better?" Clark asked.

"First this is a matter for Aspects and Avatars, I need our connection. Second… they wouldn't survive and you might. Brace yourself kid, this will hurt!"


"You've got a problem Luthor." General Lane scowled as he walked into the conference room of the hidden base.

"Which Luthor?" Lex asked.

"Senior. Someone's digging into your past and they are coming up with some very interesting facts." Lane tossed a folder across the table to Lionel.

Lionel thumbed through the folder with a frown. "I wasn't aware there were any leads for this."

"That's the problem with you Luthors. You think you are infallible. Sort this out or I won't be able to protect you."

"Do you know who is doing the digging?"

"No, they hide their tracks well."


"Mr. Madrox is here to see you, Prime Minister."

"Excellent, send him in quickly."

A few moments later and Jamie Madrox entered the office of the Prime Minister of Japan.

"Mr. Madrox, thank you for coming."

"My pleasure Mr. Prime Minister." Jamie said in perfect Japanese… something he had picked up millennia ago when he had sent his dupes out into the world. "As you know Lord Death was kidnapped and subsequently attacked. He is… I guess 'currently indisposed' is the only way to put it. He is not injured or dead but he is having some trouble dealing with his new situation as the actual Aspect Magic as opposed to its master."

"Forgive my possible insensitivity but will this affect the average magical user, I ask as we have several special hospitals dealing with certain cases and there maybe some… tragic incidents if they can't use magic for healing."

"So far none of us has had trouble using magic, I think Harry's problem is trying to acclimatise to his new awareness, he is seeing through the eyes of Magic and Magic is everywhere. He might be able to see in here." Jamie mused mostly to himself.

"Obviously a discussion for those above us." The Prime Minister said tiredly. "What of the forces securing this… Hidden City?" He asked as he checked his notes.

"North Korean troops have moved in and instituted Martial Law. They have a far better grasp of magic than these so-called 'Homo Magi'; they still use incantations and elaborate gestures. Harry's magicals only use gestures as a method of directional focus."

"Is there any chance this attack was part of a retaliation for what occurred at the United Nations today?"

"I suppose it could be, we will soon find out though. These people were informed who and what Harry is. They still tried to attack him, the reports I have been given are that there are several Phoenixes and gods walking through the streets and looking for troublemakers to smite." Jamie smirked. "If it wasn't bad enough that Loki and Sif are both fairly pissed, Heimdall came over too."

"Lord Death's son, the giant?" The Prime Minister was shocked.

"Yeah, he's not an actual giant, he's just really big. Which always bugs the hell out of me as Harry's fairly short." Jamie scowled.

The Prime Minister exhaled deeply. "I apologise, I still find the casual and light-hearted way Lord Death and his friends deal with these tense situations hard to accept. I am fighting all my instincts to put the country and the military on high alert but I can do nothing because of the ignorance of the world and would do nothing because the Great August One would not approve.

"I have faith enough, but I still worry."

"You're only what, 57? We've been doing this for thousands of years. These days when we find out about an invasion we wind up drawing lots to see who gets to deal with it."


Clark Kent was not a happy person. Neither were his soul mate and Sekirei.

Harry Potter was feeling fairly ganged up on as all of them including his own family were glaring at him.

"You had better fix this Harry." Kyla glared at him.

"It'll take me sometime. I can give him some clothes whilst-"

"Don't you dare!" Matsu shrieked.

Poor Clark was nothing but a disembodied soul… a naked disembodied soul… a naked disembodied soul standing in the middle of the city square surrounded by… lots of people… most of them gods.

"Should we really allow the Amazons to talk to Lord Death in such a way?" Artemis quietly asked Aphrodite.

"They are family." Aphrodite smirked. "This is no different than when we would throw tantrums at Father."

There was a very un-lady-like snort from their left. "I believe our sister is living vicariously through her daughters as she is not entirely pleased with Lord Death either." Athena said dryly.

"It is hardly his fault." Artemis rose to the defence of the Aspect. "With out Kal-El's sacrifice he would have been disembodied for years… possibly centuries."

"I do not believe that the sacrifice is what upsets them, merely the lack of warning."

"It is an interesting sight though, the soul of a god. He seems almost corporeal." Artemis said as she stared at the naked Clark.

"Even Thor's soul was not that strong." Aphrodite assured them. "Kal is more than a mere god. He is more than an Avatar, he is more than the Apprentice of Death… he is Death's brother."

"He certainly displays a familiarity with the Aspect that not even Father would dare." Athena said as they watched a heated argument between the disembodied God of Thunder and Death. "None of us would dare let behaviour like that stand and even now I feel compelled to berate Kal for his disrespect."

"But it is not disrespect." Aphrodite corrected with a soft smile. "It is love, only love can allow them to talk to each other so and not drive a wedge between them."


"Thank god!" Clark groaned as he touched his watch, the only piece of clothing he was re-made with thanks to Harry. He felt relief as his costume morphed around him.

There was a distinct groaning of females from all around him.

"You are such a baby." Harry grumbled. "Don't you sleep naked surrounded by women?"

"Who are technically my wives!"

Harry waved dismissively. "Semantics."

"Anyway, what's the deal with that connection between our souls?"

Whilst in his ethereal form it was clear there was a very strong link between Clark and Harry.

"We have so many links now, Apprentice, Avatar, brothers."

"I thought the brother thing was only for human legal matters?"

"One of the quirks of being us I guess. I have a very mild connection to Thor and Loki as their godfather." Harry shrugged.

"Now that you had to build him a new body couldn't you give him magic?" Jodie asked from where she and the rest of Cassandra's class where observing.

"I… don't think I need to." Harry mused. "He seems to be saturated with magic, he doesn't have a core just like I don't, he'll just have to experiment."

"Am I going to wind up teleporting in my sleep?" Clark asked with narrowed eyes.

"I'll put some wards up on your room." Harry sighed.