Edited 05/06/2020
Harry opened the door to a public library. He passed through slowly taking in the interior. Dust had collected upon old tomes of forgotten authors. Old benches and hardwood tables made up the sitting area. Beside the door a proud sign claimed the building was over sixty years old. There was no librarian and the doors were unlocked. Anyone could break in and steal whatever they wanted but what was there to steal. Old hardwood tables too big to fit in anyone's home weren't ideal. There were still books but who'd steal them from a library.
Everything was in another language. The words were written from right to left and foreign to his mind. Even his spark lacked reference. Gondor had little interest in learning Chinese, Korean, or Japanese. Still, Harry found himself rifling through books to view their illustrations. Never more than now did he resemble his true age of a child and a mortal.
From page to page Harry flipped through the books. Harry found a table in the back and sat down. He was waiting for someone to enter. This place was a haunt of his target.
Harry saw himself reflected in a window and found himself wondering when it would crack. Could that be considered a power? That's why he wore bandages wasn't it? It was so people didn't vomit at the sight of him. Oh, how great and terrible he was when none could stare directly at him without falling ill. Truly he was the living embodiment of Nurgle's rot. Harry rolled his eyes at his own cynicism.
It was better for everyone that he looked like a mummy. Some of his bones hadn't healed right leaving his skull misshapen. A green glow surrounded him spinning and growing before he calmed himself down. The pages from the book he'd grabbed were ripped free and covered the windows. Harry sighed and pulled out his wand. The book was back to normal and returned to the shelf. His emotions were messing with his aura control.
The presence entered his range. Harry pulled an English to Japanese dictionary from his bag of holding and found a table. With the book in hand he slowly went to work learning the phonetic squiggles that pronounced kanji. It's not like he had anyone to speak Japanese with here in Japan of all places.
She drew closer as he focused on his project. He felt like he made some progress when she walked in. His breath caught in his chest when he saw her. She was young maybe twelve with low cut mint green hair. Her eyes were a green that rivaled his own and she moved with grace found only in human dancers. His weak human eyes were barely able to pick up what his superior sixth sense detected. His brain catalogued her every movement and saved it to his spark for all time.
She paid him no mind. The mint haired girl found a book in horror and found her own seat far from him. His heart began to pound, and his aura picked up. It was foolishness and he knew it. Harry cursed his own wants as his sixth sense stretched out to her. He had to fight to keep from glowing. Instead of going to meet her he worked on his own task. She was busy taking notes and Harry didn't want to disturb her. This felt like courting a dangerous predator. He needed her to get used to him first before making any changes.
"Are you a cosplayer of some kind?" She asked him. He paused his mind half distracted by his studies. He turned to see one of her mint green eyebrows raised.
"No, I was in an accident. It's easier to stand out by choice rather than by fate." A small light appeared in her eyes. Was it interest? He kept his senses from her. Harry wanted to find out himself. He wanted to use his weak mortal senses to determine her opinion.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. How impolite of me. Was it a ghoul?" She asked, the light of curiosity burned in her eyes. She tapped a pin against her note pad.
"Nothing so interesting. I was caught in a storm, took shelter in a building, and it nearly became my tomb. Metal, concrete, and glass buried me; the rescue team barely reached me in time." Harry said.
"Oh, perhaps I shouldn't have asked. It was too personal. What brings you to Japan?" Harry picked through several lies he could tell.
"I'm looking for a fallen angel." Harry said. She burst out laughing.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect that. Are you a Christian?" She asked.
"No," Harry replied.
"What brings you to the library? Are you working on a school assignment?" Harry said.
"No, I'm an aspiring author. Does this library hold some clue about your fallen angel?" She asked.
I've found the clue already. The fallen angel has already been dispersed. Its power has fragmented. That sounds insane doesn't it." She smiled and nodded.
"I think you're crazy. How old are you?" She asked.
"I'm eleven, I'll be twelve on the last day of July." Harry said.
"Where are your parents, did they leave you here while they went sightseeing?" She asked. She turned her head.
"No, they died a long time ago. I came here for the summer." She frowned as if she found something distasteful.
"You don't seem broken up about it." She said.
"I haven't thought about them in a long time. What about you? Do your parents know you're here?" Harry asked.
"No, my father gave me up after my mother died. I don't have a memory of them. Even my caretaker has died." She said. An uncomfortable silence fell between them. She continued writing as he looked her over with his weak mortal eyes.
"You're easy to talk to, my name is Harry Potter." Harry said.
"Sen Takatsuki, Potter you have a very overactive imagination. Are you rich?" Sen asked.
"No, I'm a shareholder in a powerful corporation. They cover my food, travel, and living expenses." She raised an eyebrow.
"A simple yes would have sufficed." Takatsuki said.
"I'll try to remember that Sen." Harry said. A glare spread across her face like she would slap him at any moment.
"That's improper Harry. You should call me Takatsuki until I give you permission to call me Sen. You speak Japanese well enough; you should know basic etiquette." Takatsuki said.
"Sorry, I'm wearing an implant that translates it for me. To me you're speaking perfect English." Harry said.
"An implant," she took down a note. From what Harry could tell she had a page with his name written down. Sen was taking notes on him. Harry found it endearing.
"Am I that interesting?" Harry asked.
"I thought you were illiterate in Japanese." Takatsuki said.
"I am very illiterate. But I've studied enough here to know how to sound out my name. I have no idea about the rest." Harry said.
"It seems you truly are illiterate. I don't have time to teach you how to read. I only have a few hours to take notes. Can't your corporation find you a tutor?" She asked annoyed.
"They could pay you to do it." She frowned.
"I'm not patient. Is the implant real or was it a lie?" Takatsuki asked.
"Its real enough to work. Why?" Harry asked.
"I want you to turn it off and learn for yourself. That's the only way to really learn. I'll stick around to help." She said with a smile. There was something hidden behind her eyes. She was a ghoul after all maybe she thought of him as a potential meal. Nomine was quiet now only observing him. Perhaps she gained some amusement from his floundering.
"It isn't a technological implant. It's more like self-hypnosis. Once its off its off and the mind can't be tricked I that way again. You're also a stranger why should I trust you not to abandon me." Something flickered in her green eyes. He saw a twitch on her lips and a slight dilation of her right eye.
"Trust me, and you'll learn my language." Sen said. He'd need to go all the way back to the airport and ask a Japanese wizard to recast the spell. Harry could learn at insane speeds when needed. He'd use his spark to catalogue everything. That was one advantage of a spark the vast potential to store and access data.
Harry nodded his head and blinked. He crushed the spell with his superior consciousness power. Just like that her words became alien to him. She offered her hand and despite his better judgement he took it.
She spoke slowly and then had him repeat her words. Each time he added her words to his data base. "Do you understand?" She asked him like he was a child. There was odd humor in her eyes and sadness. He might have been looking into things that weren't there. His eyes were mortal and unreliable.
"Yes." Harry replied after another line from her. She kept staring at him as she gripped his hand. She continued to grip it and frown.
"Strange, you aren't, unknown, so alien and familiar. What are you?" Takatsuki asked. Her eyes were inspecting his every detail. Did she through his mortal body and into the flow of aura? He knew he was crazy for thinking such nonsense. She might have been a ghoul, but she couldn't peer into his aura.
"I'm human." He replied.
"Yes," she replied. In her voice was all the doubt but the questions never came. Not that he could understand them anyway.
He heard her stomach rumble but said nothing. "Hunger is universal." She said. Harry nodded. His feed had changed from calories, protein, and fat to essence in all its forms. When he didn't consume a blood stone for a while, he wanted one. His refinery only felt full when he consumed a vast supply of essence. Satisfying that hunger was annoyingly pleasurable. He couldn't get that satisfaction through standard cultivation.
They parted ways as the sunset. Her stomach continued to growl. He heard it still just before they parted ways. Harry made his way back to his hotel.
He opened the door to see Dick in the living room. On the TV was a sex video with blurred out genitals. Dick's gun was in pieces. He was slowly oiling them. Harry sat across from the teen and waited.
"You're practicing colonialism and using the Umbrella corporation as your proxy." Harry didn't say anything. He sat down and pulled out his English to Japanese dictionary. The words came to him quickly as he added to his vocabulary. "Answer me Harry." Richard said.
"Dick, do you have a problem with colonialism?" Harry asked with a sigh. Of course, self-righteous isolationist Dick would have a problem.
"You're damn right I do. I thought you wanted more piers not more of the same." Dick accused.
"I'm confused, what's the problem? You didn't want to over saturate the world with cultivators. Now you want a chaotic and bloody beginning. What do you think a sect does?" Harry asked. Harry mentally added idiot to his descriptor of Dick. They had a war coming infighting while they had a common enemy would be stupid.
"They are a group unified by a belief or common interest. If Umbrella had a common interest its consolidating power. You're no different than Vincent." Dick accused. The moans from the porn were growing louder. The woman started pissing from being pounded by the man. Harry was deeply confused and a little interested. Dick was using this as a distraction, so Harry would make mistakes.
"I'd be disturbed if Umbrella wasn't consolidating power. Soon they'll have foundry qi experts to hunt down monsters and they'll spread to multiple locations." Harry said. They'll bite off more than they can chew and boom the war begins. They were just who Harry thought they were.
"Five from that building died already while you were playing mortal. They failed to light their foundry and their qi violently tore them apart. Umbrella fed them to the cancer covering the building. I've been watching them. I think I'm going to build my own organization. Except, I'm going to do it right." Dick said.
"I wonder how many need to die before they figure out foundry." Harry said.
"You don't care about them." Dick accused.
"The weak and unfit should die. Making the leap is only a matter of control. Tell me, how do you build a sect?" Harry asked.
"Its obvious the leadership should be first. I will select them among the strongest and smartest refinery qi experts. I'll uplift them into foundry myself to make them loyal. From there we will recruit the lower levels filling the ranks with refinery qi experts. We'll choose scientists, soldiers, and public leaders. As the sect master, I'll lead my own people safely through the new age." Richard said.
Harry thought the guy was counting his chickens before they hatched. Harry had completed his goal. He set qi experts against the gods with a need to harvest their bodies. It will be easier for muggles to reach foundry than ever. He had a few goals left before he could focus solely on himself.
"I'd like to commission your sect to the creation of power armor. I'll go ahead and invest now." Harry said. He reached into his bag of holding and pulled out five bags of blood stones. In all they were enough to bring three cultivators to foundry. If used sparingly perhaps ten might reach foundry with them.
"We aren't going to begin under the thumb of Umbrella." Richard yelled.
"I don't expect you to. This is an investment. I'm buying into your sect for the purpose of acquiring power armor and advanced weaponry. You want to build a group of elites you'll need resources to get started. You can't invite the president to join you in a cardboard box." Harry said. "I'll be a silent partner." Harry said. He wasn't sure if Richard was dumb enough to agree.
Richard picked up each bag sealing the strings of karma. "Advanced weaponry and power armor, I'll see what I can do. You know it could be decades before you see anything." Harry shrugged.
"It's an investment, I have decades to spare. Do we have a deal?" Harry said and raised his hand. Richard stared at Harry's hand for a long moment before grasping it slowly. They returned to their seats as another porno played. A Japanese man dressed up as a tentacle monster began having his way with schoolgirls.
"You know the ghouls are going to become cultivators too." Richard said.
"I know, I'm not giving them the secrets to cultivation, until we have a council of core experts. A system expert or twelve would be ideal." Harry said.
"What happened to friendly competition?" Dick asked. Harry looked at Richard as if he were special. "It would take a very special ghoul to convince me to teach them." Harry said.
"They're going to learn it sooner or later. The towers are nearly worthless to them. They'll have to cultivate the old fashion way. Unless they eat a powerful cultivator." Harry said.
"Are the towers built for pure humans?" Dick asked. Harry nodded his head.
"We need a swift way out of the foundry stage. I've cut down on my refinery to increase my mastery of aura but it's still slow. I'm at least two years away from core. I've deviated from the orthodoxy." Harry stared at Dick. "That's what their calling the original cultivation texts now. It keeps changing. The council of states continues to argue. Techniques are floating around forums, but no one has developed a fast track." Dick said.
"I don't think a ghoul in the refinery stage would be a match for us in the foundry stage. Not if we develop a dark essence technique." Harry said.
"You mean that stuff that flows naturally during the new moon?" Richard asked. "I've seen what happens when refinery experts try it. The tumorous blobs they become aren't pretty." Dick said.
Harry focused on the dark that naturally existed within him. It originated in the bicorn, but it had since integrated with Harry. He touched a slight amount of it and infused it through his body. It was a small amount, but he felt his strength increase dramatically. Harry opened his eyes and stood up. His muscles bulged and aura raged around his body barely restrained. He felt unprecedented power flow through his muscles. The dark fed from his aura and boosted his physical strength.
The aura was Harry. It was essence refined into Harry Potter and magnified through a lens. This was the quietest dark Harry had ever felt. That was the scariest part about it. It didn't want to become a million different things it was himself filled with power. It repaired the damage from the nuclear light instead of purity spiral. Harry felt better than he'd ever felt. He was sure of himself of everything he'd ever done or said. This was his power and together they were perfect in every way.
He pulled away from the dark and sent it back. It reached for him struggling to hold on as Harry cast it back into his recesses. It would take time to adjust to that power. That time would be Hogwarts.
"Are you alright Harry?" Dick asked. Harry felt weaker, frail, and empty without the darkness. The light took over repairs once more making Harry feel damaged. His cells were screaming for the darkness back, his body wanted to be balanced again. Ever since he ate that fruit, he'd been full of nuclear light. The dark was a natural counterbalance. It also messed with his head.
"Sorry, the dark isn't a problem for us physically. There are mental issues that come with it. It's addictive, I'm sure you can handle it." Harry said. That completeness was beyond anything he'd ever felt. It had to be a trap nothing that felt that good came without strings attached. He wanted to feel that again.
"No, I think I'll wait until a proper technique arrives on the forum. I have no idea how you summoned the darkness." Yes, Harry knew his power was unorthodox, but Dick was hardly one of the orthodoxies.
"If I wrote a book documenting the darkness could I post it to this forum?" Harry asked.
"You'd have to get a username and show that your skills are competent. If you post it to the theory section, I'm sure you'll have a few test out your research." What would he gain from that?
"I'll look into it. Why are you here?" That was the question he hadn't asked before. What was the point of coming to his hotel room? This wasn't a social call.
"I couldn't decide whether I was going to kill you or not. Divine beasts are hard to find. I decided to forgive you just this once. After all you aren't going to go against me now that you've invested in me." Dick said. He walked behind the bed and picked M60 out from under the bed. His weakness to gunfire needed to be dealt with.
He could have touched darkness and decapitated Richard where he stood. Harry felt it was better to let him live and see the new world. It was better to turn this man's sect into a client of Umbrella. Harry held off taking Dick's life to enjoy what the future would hold.
Perhaps electromagnetism held some potential. Dick pulled out a pack of camels from his jacket and lit one. "Those things will kill you." Harry said.
"We're immortal or at least long lived I'll be fine." Dick said.
"Get the bloody hell out of my room." Harry said.
"Let me finish my cig, I'll be out in a minute." Dick argued. Harry flicked his finger burning through the tobacco. Dick pulled the yellow filter from his mouth. "Spoil sport, fine, I'm gone you should come visit me in America. We'll go on another hunt, I'll let you gift me the kill." Dick said. Harry shook his head as Richard gathered up his stuff and tucking the M60 under his arm. He opened the door to the balcony. It was unlocked clueing Harry in on how his friend entered unannounced.
"Goodbye Dick, I'll keep in touch." Harry mumbled. As much as Dick annoyed him it was good to talk to another young foundry expert. He'd never tell Dick that.
"Yea bye Harry, it's been fun despite the rocky start." Richard left in a flash of red crossing out of Harry's senses in an instant.
He followed a specific form through the back alleys of the 20th ward. He floated a little off the ground and glided through the alleys in search of his friend in the black dog mask. Harry had learned a lot from the English to Japanese book but there was something about putting data to good use that was satisfying. There was little other satisfaction other than research, forging, or getting to know people in the world.
"What are you doing out late at night little boy?" A large ghoul with a waxed mustache asked. The man's eyes were kagugan already his chin was covered in drool.
"I'm a member of Umbrella we are protected by the Black Dobbers. If you attack me, they will destroy you. This is their territory." As much fun as he might have destroying this man, it was better to let locals handle local problems. He had faith in the system.
"Mmm… young and stupid, no one is afraid of a few girls in dog masks. Maybe if it was the devil apes." The ghoul said as he walked closer.
"They handle security detail in their area. This is the black Dobbers side." Harry responded.
"Too bad for you then." A koukaku burst from the man's mid back and traveled down his arm. Harry found the RC sac within the ghoul with his sixth sense. Of course, he was going to get blood all over his bandages when he didn't have a spare roll on him. He'd have to dig in his bag of holding and hope for a roll. He could unwrap his arm afterward and hope for a pharmacy to be open.
"Bow wow, the leader of the black Dobers appeared." She rushed down ukaku out and showered the rogue with shards. He managed to block the initial attack. He stepped back and took on the defensive.
"All I have to do is wait you'll tire out and then I'll have two meals." The ghoul shouted.
"Are you really going to force me to dye my bandages red?" Harry muttered. He vanished from sight and appeared beside the ghoul. His sword moved first edged with aura. It cut through the ghoul's throat severing the brainstem. The ghoul's head fell back dangling from tendons. Blood shot out of the ghoul's neck stump. Harry stabbed his hand through the ghoul's chest and wrapped around the kakuhou within. He crushed the organ and ripped it free. His bandages were died red as he thought. Just as he pulled his hand free, he realized he could have blocked out the blood. A mere adjustment of barrier would have sufficed.
He cleaned his blade on the last untainted parts of the ghoul's cloths. "At least you'll give something back." Harry said.
"You're stronger than you let on. Why work with us at all?" Was she questioning his motive? Good, he didn't like blind followers. He wasn't a god.
"Some would prefer to serve in heaven. Others would rule in hell. I prefer the difficult imperfect earth to either. It's better to go through the difficult path and try to understand each other. Some will rule, others will serve, but the path to either will be forever open. I'd rather work with ghouls and build trust than to throw away all possibility out of hand." It will break down it always does. No matter how optimistic the beginning rot and entropy are the future.
"What if someone reveals you to the CCG and the government attacks you?" She asked.
"We'll take our allies with us back the UK and we might change our name. You're an asset of Umbrella. Not even one of our researchers have died under your watch." Harry said. Given enough time there is always a slip. Would Umbrella keep their dogs after they failed their task? Harry didn't know he wasn't on the executive board. He was still a private contractor.
"Is that why you're here. I'm flattered but a text would have sufficed." She was frightened. His sixth sense plucked it from her posture, body temperature, pheromones, and the sweat running down her back. She had a right to be scared, was this what a normal human felt when dealing with a ghoul? Harry looked down to his hand. He was still clutching the kakuhou. His grip relaxed and he dropped it.
"Don't be scared, I'm not here to hurt you." It felt strange for a monster to see him as a monster. What did that make him to normal humans? What would asking her not to be scared do? It was stupid on his part. He needed to choose his words carefully.
Harry walked over to her with human slowness. Every blood-soaked step made things worse. He could feel her heart beat louder and she must have thought him the devil. Could she have guessed what she traded her information for? She might have questioned the sanctity of her soul and chastity if either existed.
"I need relationship advise." The woman stopped and stared at him. He could see the gears in her mind slow to a crawl or stop utterly. Did he break her?
"Is it the girl you were stalking?" She asked.
"Yes, I'm going to meet her in the morning. We're going out on the town and she's teaching me the finer points of Japanese." She turned her head to the side.
"You sound literate enough to me." She said.
"It's artificial. I've only spoken your language under my own skill with her. I had to reapply the translator." It was a long line in the airport and the price was suspiciously higher than the first application.
"What do you want to know?" She asked.
"What kind of signals could I give to let her know I'm alright with her being a ghoul?" Harry asked.
"If you go right out and accuse her, she'll do everything in her power to escape you. She'll never trust you not to turn her in. Just show her your invested in your shared relationship. Don't look like prey." It was Harry's turn to turn his head to the side.
"We can feel attraction towards certain humans that look enticing. It's hard to separate a human from food for most ghouls. I'd advise moving more like a human but not as prey. Confidence without your alien steps." She said. Ok he could duplicate a mortal human's mannerisms again with a little study. It would be hard to find the right person to duplicate.
"Could you teach me Inu sensei?" Harry said with a smile. This was perfect, he couldn't imagine a sudden change in mannerisms going wrong. If he did it slowly, adjusting a little at a time making his mannerisms more human then maybe. He'd need more meetings with his inu sensei.
She shifted her hip and gave him an odd look. "Just walk around like you would in public." She ordered. Harry did so careful to keep his feet on the ground and aura under control.
"No that only works if you have human senses. You still smell human but you're off. Your steps are too quiet, and fluid. Does gravity effect you?" She asked.
"When I want it to. I'm also light, I weight only 35kilograms currently." That was a problem. He was still growing, and he did gain a little weight, just not much.
"Try to make your steps heavier. Don't expose your neck, and slow down." Harry followed her instruction making his steps a little heavier and less graceful. Walking as she instructed brought on a realization. He was further from humanity than a ghoul. If he was to live among humans, he needed to move like a human should. It was more difficult acting weak than he thought.
"Is this how you tell the difference between humans and us?" Harry asked.
"Yes, you smell like a human, but you don't move like one. In some ways you smell more human than the normal humans. Many ghouls and even your kind have died from the blunder." She said solemnly. That was his fault, what would she think if she knew he added an alien species to the habitat?
"If integration was easy would it have any value to the people?" Harry asked. He'd forget about the ghoul he killed in a few minutes. Only the blood on his bandages would serve as a reminder. Harry thought about sliding his blade into Dick's chest and dodging that final round aimed at his head. He played that memory repeatedly. It was a hard memory to forget. Then there was the battle against the cockatrice. He remembered the sharp talon piercing his stomaching and ruining his insides. The fist sized scar on his stomach would serve as a further reminder. Then there was the eagle that blew him away by flapping its wings. Its magic caused the wounds that littered Harry's body. The ghoul he killed with ease would be forgotten another shadow in a long line of shadows.
"I don't know if integrating with you people will end well for us. It's something new. Why are you so interested in that girl?" She asked. She's a green-eyed beauty that drove his blood to boil with her every step. She challenged him to learn her language. He felt her sinking into darkness and wanted to give her his hand.
"She's pretty," Harry said.
"You don't have to tell me. I can't hear you move anymore increase the sound. Let me hear your footsteps. You aren't a shadow on the wall." She said. Harry endured her teaching for an hour before she let him stop.
Harry felt more mentally exhausted acting human than learning a new language. "Remember don't expose your neck or turn your back on her. Those actions convey weakness. If nothing else, you'll appear as interesting and alert prey." She said.
Author's note: Thank you for reading tell me what you think with a review. As for why Richard was able to keep up with Harry. Controlled aura is an overwhelming advantage over uncontrolled. Controlled aura can rip through barriers, it increases all physical traits, and greatly increases damage potential. Different qi types attack each other. Only certain special types of qi strains can absorb the qi of others.