I was amazed by the number of reviews/story alerts/story favorites/author favorites that I have received during these past two weeks. As long as this story has this kind of interest I will continue to update as soon as I am able; finding the time somehow between class and work. I read every review I receive and take them all very seriously. I will only answer one here though as the others will be answered in due course of the story.

The use of the name Emerald was brought up as clique – I almost cringed myself when I used it. It is, however, a name of convenience to address Harry as he has forgotten his own name and refuses the other titles they would give him. He is known by different names to different people. The Furyans in particular are in awe of his eyes and the knowledge that they hold – thus the name Emerald. Harry never introduces himself, he allows others to conceive a name for him and will only answer to it if he believes it warranted.

I thank Raven for pointing out an incorrect word in the previous chapter; it has now been corrected. I now have GeminiCancer as my beta so mistakes such as that should be very rare between the two of us.

A great thanks goes out to Gemini for agreeing to be my beta and her quick yet thorough work. I couldn't have asked for better.

I do not own Harry Potter or Riddick; if I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

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Chapter 2

"You've become quite difficult to find, Aereon. How long has it been now? I apologize for not sending my condolences earlier. I truly am sorry for your loss." They sat in a comfortable lounge of the Elemental's home-away-from-home on a small planet known as Elys, third in the Centari system. Being an envoy of her race, she traveled constantly. Even this planet was only one home of many. He had not counted on her elevated status as envoy; a search that should have taken months had taken years instead.

"Our world died long ago, Alden*, when the humans came. I have already mourned for that particular loss. As for how long, it has been a little over a century now." Aereon studied the lad before her. He appeared no older than nineteen, though she knew him to be many times her elder. His raven hair was tussled and mussed, the tips of which fleetingly kissed his shoulders as he moved. His bangs were parted along the left and fell diagonally across his brow, obscuring the right of his forehead and shading one brilliant green eye. His skin was of cool white marble, akin to that of a corpse, though smooth and soft. At five feet, five inches, his height was hardly intimidating. He stood even shorter than the elemental herself. He was slim; his face thin and muscles defined yet small. His overall appearance screamed fragile, as if he would crumble in the slightest of breezes. This was one of the many reasons why he was so dangerous; many dismissed him due to his petite frame.

Then there was his demeanor. He had a way to put one at ease, simply with his presence alone. If one looked passed his stature, there was real power there. And though the sheer amount should have been terrifying, paradoxically, it gave others a sense of complete security. He could gain trust with a smile, loyalty with a look. He was the most dangerous man she knew.

Aer elementals, such as she, moved like the wind. This man before her moved like a cat. Every motion was calculated, smooth, and flawless. Even the emotions he chose to show, though they appeared natural, were carefully constructed to inspire the desired reaction from those he interacted with. He was always in control – for good reason. Even she could not calculate the damage his magic, growing ever vast with age, would do should he ever lose the iron hold over his emotions.

He wore simple black slacks that flowed elegantly down his legs and flared out over boots made from the scales of an animal she knew became extinct with the demise of Earth. Scales that were impervious to everything – even time. There were once called dragons she believed. A deep amber tank clung to his chest under his open cloak. The cloak itself was another curiosity. It shimmered, bleeding from a frozen silver to pitch black in an ever changing pattern, and yet the change was so constant and so subtle it was barely discernable to the passing eye. Two rings graced his hands. One, a deep garnet set in gold, rested upon his right ring finger; the other, a black onyx wrapped in silver, upon his left index. Another hung from a chain around his neck, the stone a smoky white, a symbol comprised of a split triangle embracing a circle engraved upon it. His wardrobe rarely changed as he was able to do all repairs with magic; other clothing would have been an unnecessary burden. He carried all things precious with him. Though they were concealed beneath the cloak, she knew his royal sword and both wands were secured close to his body; the sword upon his back and one wand, each encased in dragonhide holsters, on either arm.

"It's true, Tyrisla was not your original world. However, the loss of any home, no matter how temporary is still a thing to be mourned." He took another sip of tea, as if he were discussing the weather. No one, not one of these humans she had met during her two hundred plus years of life unsettled her as he did. He spoke of all matters as though they were trivial, as if nothing was worth true concern. Perhaps this was indeed how he viewed his surroundings, but she knew he also noted everything. He was always watching, always present.

"And you Alden? How many homes have you mourned?"

He smiled slightly, amusement in his eyes. Carefully he set his cup upon the plate in front of him, a soft click rung throughout the room. He seemed to consider for a moment before he addressed her again. "Tell me again Aereon, what is the rate at which Elementals such as you age, compared to a human that is?"

Her eyebrows rose slightly at the seemingly unrelated question but decided to indulge him all the same. "Five to one I would say."

"Then it seems perfectly logical that you should have five times as many homes as an ordinary human would during the course of your lifetime, does it not?" He paused politely for her answer.

"On average, yes, that seems reasonable." She conceded. He leaned forward slightly, his face neutral but his eyes piercing.

"And myself?" he queried quietly.

"I won't pretend to calculate a rate where there is none to be calculated." She said it dismissively, yet he caught her answer and held it to the implied conclusion.

"So I do not change?"

A silence hung between them as she contemplated what exactly granting him this point would lead to. She decided this had to be false – even over the comparatively small amount of time during his vast life that they had known each other she had seen change occur within him. That is not what she had meant at all. Simply that, "you do not age."

"Really?" His smile returned. Not many would note the difference so aptly and he was elated to know the attention his friend was giving his seemingly unrelated argument.

"That has been my experience with you."

His grasp returned to his cup and as he lifted it, said conversationally, "I have heard that Elementals can view the past stripped of all bias."

"You've been well-informed." She watched him finish his draught and offered to poor him more. He declined and returned the cup to its place upon the plate.

He shifted slightly and relaxed further into his chair. He asked her lightly, "What can you see of my past?"

Her answer was prompt and bespoke of fact. "Only till that point in time when I myself came into existence. That is our limit Alden, we cannot see beyond our own time." She trusted him with such intimate information about her race only because of the lengths he had gone to in order to ensure their continued survival. Without his interference, they would have been among the countless other races that were exterminated when the humans found their planet. Almost all of the still existing races owed this one man everything. He claimed it was due to a saving people complex; indeed.

Some understanding seemed to bloom upon his face then. "I see. Well then, your assessment of me could only lead you to the conclusion that I do not age."

"That is what I said."

"Follow me then. Humans who age at a rate of x call y amount of places home. Elementals such as you who age at a rate five times that of a human, call five times y amount of places home. What of me then, one who does not age?"

She frowned. She saw where this was leading but refused to give it to him. "I see the logic Alden, but I will not believe that you have never had a home. You may distance yourself from others and places due to your immortality yet you still live. Connections are a part of life; you cannot convince me that you have made none during your long years."

He waved his hand dismissively. "You are correct Aereon. Yet you cannot see far enough into my past to help you solve this question. And that is what truly bothers you, isn't it?" He leaned forward again as he made his point. "You are unable to read me. You are blocked from calculating my future."

She huffed a bit at his conclusion. It was true after all; for one who is able to calculate the odds of future outcomes in all lives to be as effectively blocked as she was from deducing outcomes that involved him, was more than frustrating. "What is the purpose of your visit then? I will not pretend to know your mind."

His lips quirked at her dismissal; she had just confirmed for him something he had always wondered about. He allowed her some pride however and did not call her on it. He had his answer and he too wished to move their discussion along. "Information," he said bluntly.

"You have already gleaned quite a bit of that from me Alden, or is it not facts about Elementals that you seek?"

He chuckled under his breath and she smiled coyly. "Though any information I glean from you is invaluable to me," he answered her, "my query lies in an altogether different topic. I wish to know the nature of a certain prophesy, one that was made very recently."

She stood and began to pace slightly, thinking, her feet barely heard upon the wooden floor. "How recent?" she asked after a minute, pausing in her pacing for his answer.

He pondered himself for a moment, adding the time quickly in his head. "How long did it take me to find you? Just shy of three years I believe."

"Do you know whom it concerned?"

"No. But I do know the scope of the damage it foretold: the complete destruction of entire galaxies."

"Ah. I know of which prophesy you speak." She returned to her seat. "I was actually the very person who performed the telling of it."

"Really?" He sat up straighter, truly intrigued. "Go on then, what did it entail?"

"Do you wish me to recite it or simply tell you of its meaning?"

"Tell me both, in that order. You Elementals may be masters at calculation but I may be able to notice something you've missed."

"Very well." She closed her eyes as she remembered the words she herself had spoken and slowly recited them to him. He carefully listened to each word, committing each to memory.

"He, reborn from the state where death counts for nothing, the fate of all he meets pliable to his will. None can surpass him. Death cannot touch him, for he has become a part of death; unavoidable, unbeatable, everlasting, cold, hard. Only an Alpha born of Furya will cause him to lose his companionship with Death and become His rival once more."

She noted how his eyes hardened slightly at the mention of a Furyan. Interesting. "I believe the one who was reborn is a Necromonger officer named Zhylaw. The Alpha Furyan remains unknown."

His questions were quieter now, more pointed. She could tell his mind was deep in calculation. "What reasoning has led you to believe this Zhylaw to be the one reborn?"

"Do you doubt my logic?"

He shot her a look that told her quite clearly that he was no longer interested in idle conversation but politely answered her all the same. "I am simply curious Aereon. The manner in which you elementals reach your conclusions has always fascinated me."

"Very well Alden. I believe Zhylaw to be this man who is one with death because he is, in fact, half dead. He has traveled to the Underverse and returned anew. He is able to separate from them a person's very soul, while he progressively masters his own. This mastery makes him far quicker and far more perceptive then any whole mortal. He has become undefeatable."

"I see no flaw then, in your assessment of his candidacy. Are there any other possibilities?"

"Not that I can see, Alden. He is the only one in my sight that matches the description."

"Alright. On to a question of far greater importance: is he aware of the prophesy?"

"I'm afraid he was the one who heard it Alden. I'm sorry. I didn't realize how fond you had become of your Furyans."

He stood up swiftly, his face paler than usual. "I must leave."

"He is but a system away from reaching Furya!" Aereon exclaimed, also standing. "Even if you took our swiftest ship you would not reach them for a fortnight!"

His words were forceful when he next answered her, his course of action decided and unyielding. "It will have to be enough. I will not allow them to perish Aereon. Where is this ship?"

"The sixth hanger." She knew better than to get in his way once his mind was determined. The best she could do for him would be to give him all the support she was able.

"Envision it for me." He gently clasped her fleeting hand as she did so and turned on his heel, silently apparating them to the hanger. He looked to the small fritter before him and noted the crew flitting about running final checks on the equipment. "It is already prepped?"

"All our ships were upon your arrival."

"Are our meetings always so eventful to warrant such a precaution?"

"Elementals are blind in matters where you are involved. I would be prepared for the worst if it meant living another day. She is yours Alden, a gift."

He turned to her and said sincerely, "Thank you."

She held his gaze for a moment. "Don't thank me until she is of use to you. You will need more than even her speed if you are to reach them in time."

He left her side as the hatch opened for him. She instructed the crew to follow his every lead.

"I expect both this ship and her crew to return here safely – including you Alden."

His attention left the inspection of the crew and returned to her. He asked her gravely, "What are my odds?"

"I cannot know," she answered in kind.

"Guess."

"Nearly nonexistent."

He thought for a moment, his eyes downcast. His head snapped to her again and questioned her, desperation tainting his voice. "But there is a chance?"

"There's always a chance." He nodded, his face grave but determined. He made to enter the ship when she called for him again. "Oh, and Alden?" His turned to her and as he did she captured his eyes. "I do hope you make it. After all, the loss of any home, no matter how temporary, is such a great weight to be mourned."

His eyes darkened and he withdrew into the ship. The latch sealed tight and Aereon smiled as she watched the cobalt mass vanish from view, a resounded boom following its abrupt departure as air rushed to fill the sudden vacuum. Perhaps she would never be able to read him intimately enough to calculate his future. But then, perhaps she knew him well enough.

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*Alden means old friend

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Loves, Rei