Hello, everyone, and welcome to chapter 23 of The Glacial Ones!
…
Isn't this novel, chapter 23 already when I didn't expect to pass chapter 5.
Anyway, I've had a few interesting reviews, so let's start this off!
Tsunashi777: Hmm, I don't know about the idea with Wild Hunt, but it is certainly something to think about. Dorothea may be saved simply because I have a few plans for her involving the mirror.
With said mirror, I quite like the idea, but I'm scared of turning this into one of those stories where the main character just gains more and more power through various means. Some people can write that kind of story well, *cough* Lupine Horror *cough*, but I'm not confident in my abilities at the moment.
Also, with Esdeath being away dealing with the Rebels, I intend to twist the timeline slightly so that Wild Hunt can be exterminated. That will probably be happening in the next few chapters. Finally, thanks for the review and your continued support!
XIVth Primarch: I find it pretty funny that you suggested this. I haven't said it directly in the story, though I think I put it in my Author Notes, but that was actually the original idea for the three girls. Great minds think alike!
Aku no Kotei: First, thanks for the compliment! Secondly, no, the other two names are still free, and Airs Teigu isn't even decided yet, so any suggestions are welcome though, since the book is called Lilith, I would prefer that they were somehow related to demons/ devils. As for other universes, I intend to have them return to the Potterverse to wipe out Voldemort in fourth year, but after that I intend to just send them wherever fits my fancy. So the answer is yes. Thanks for the questions and compliment!
FatPanda: Well... I'm think blushing now. Seriously, thanks for the compliment and support, it means a lot. I myself think I could have done the characters better than I have, but it nice to know at least some people think I did well. Thanks!
And of course, a big thanks to Imperial warlord for his continued support.
Now that that is all out of the way, let us begin chapter 23 of The Glacial Ones!
I hope you enjoy!
I do not own, in any way, shape, or form Akame Ga Kill or Harry Potter.
-T.G.O-
Chapter 23: A Moment of Peace
The trip back to the Capital was an odd one for Harry. Not that there was anything hugely different or strange about the trip back nor the Jaegers themselves or anything else. He, Esdeath, Wave, Ran and Kurome were all flying towards the Capital at high speed on the back of one of Esdeaths little pets, a rather large draconic type danger beast.
That was pretty normal, though Wave seemed to be rather new to it and he and Kurome were enjoying themselves an almost disturbing amount.
No, what made the trip odd was not the method, nor the other Jaegers, nor the knowledge that they had failed their mission. Instead what had made it odd, was Esdeath. It was subtle most of the time, but Harry had spent the last three years almost permanently in her presence, so noticed the differences rather quickly.
Since the battle in the chapel she had begun to shoot him odd looks he couldn't quite identify, and other times she would stare at him, not that that was really that strange, and look as though she was trying to puzzle something out. She seemed almost… uncertain at times.
Which was almost the equivalent of saying the world was a triangle. It was simple wrong.
Harry was more than willing to let it go, knowing that if she wished for his assistance or help then she would ask for it, if it wasn't for the single, latest thing that had brought the oddness out into the light.
He was sitting in front of her.
That was very, very strange. Harry had never, ever seen Esdeath sitting anywhere but at the front while she was flying, not only because she was normally directing whatever danger beast they happened to be flying, but also because it was simple not done. She was the leader, as well as the most powerful, so her position was naturally in front of everyone else.
Except for now, when, for whatever reason, she had seen fit to make him sit in front of her, almost on her lap.
Harry let out a sigh as the chilling wind, not that he noticed the temperature, swept across his face as he decided to dismiss the oddness. He was hardly an expert on human emotions and behaviour, so maybe it would be best to not overthink himself.
Instead he allowed his joy at flying again to overtake him, a grin almost as wide as Waves stretching across his face as he held out his arms, as though he was trying to hug the very sky, his voice shouting over the rushing wind.
"We haven't done this since we took Air, Fal and Luna out hunting in the mountains, where we found that stone!"
Behind him, Esdeath smiled, an oddly affectionate look on her face.
"Indeed, it has been a while. We have been spending too much time in the Capital. Come to think of it, has there been anything new about the stone? I believe you handed it over to one of the science departments, did you not?"
Harry tilted his head back, looking up at her with his head upside down as he grinned.
"Yup, but they haven't been able to find out much about it. They have identified it as a possible alchemical creation from the East, but beyond that the only thing we know is that it likes to suck the power out of stuff and not give it back. Greedy little bastard."
She nodded with an amused smile, ignoring the other three remaining members of the Jaegers as they gossiped behind them.
"It is of no real importance, so it doesn't really matter. Hmm… Once we get back to the Capital, we need to find a way to obtain Shambhala from the Prime Minister's son. We need to make sure that he doesn't escape using the Teigu if we go to attack him."
Harry spun around towards her, his back to the wind as he sat crossed legged on danger beasts back, his face thoughtful.
"Hmm… It would be annoying if the Prime Minister got onto our backs about it and Shambhala didn't work the way we want it to. We need more information first."
He peeked over her shoulder as he spoke, watching the other three Jaegers converse, Ran speaking with a small smile that was mirrored by a surprisingly energetic Kurome, Wave just grinning like a loon. Esdeath nodded to his comment before following his gaze over to the other Jaegers.
She smirked.
"Enjoying yourself are you, Wave?"
Wave grinned over at her, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Of course! It's not my fault I've never flown before. This is awesome!"
Harry grinned at him, shuffling around himself so that he was sitting beside Esdeath, looking at the other three remaining Jaegers.
"You're really, really, childish about it, you know that right?"
Wave pouted as Esdeath shot an amused look down at the boy beside her.
"Can you really criticise him about that, Harry? I seem to recall an interesting reaction from you the first time we flew."
Harry mirrored Wave's pout as the older teen perked up.
"I was only eleven then. I was allowed to act childish."
He crossed his arms, turning his head away from the others in mock anger as Esdeath grinned wider.
"Of course. I was rather amusing. Especially when you almost feel off the danger beasts back."
Pouting harder, Harry turned back to the remaining Jaegers, noting their questioning looks of amusement.
"Nope! I am not telling you anything."
He kept his arms crossed over his chest, facing the sky above as he glared playfully down at the group before him.
Ran smiled at the act, joining in.
"Come on Harry, don't make us use our secret weapons."
Harry waved his hands in front of him as though warding them all way.
"No! Never! I will never surrender!"
Sitting beside him, Esdeath grinned widely as she watched the byplay, speaking up after a moment of amused deliberation.
"It was back when we were putting down some of the eastern tribes and…"
She was cut off as Harry dived at her, trying to stop her as she fended him off, telling the story to a laughing audience as Harry tried to stop her from finishing, laughter echoing through the empty skies.
And so they flew onwards, back to the Capital on a massive danger beast, laughing and telling stories as they went, as though they weren't a group of emotionally stunted, mentally unstable, super soldiers under the command of a homicidal maniac with a sadistic streak a mile wide.
They almost looked like a happy family, or a group of ordinary friends laughing together at a pub.
Except for the fact that they were flying on a massive, extremely dangerous draconic danger beast well above the cloud line.
Minor detail that.
-T.G.O-
Far away, inside a tent set up under some shade in the middle of the barren wasteland, Night Raid was sitting in a circle, most of them covered in swathes of bandages as they listened to Najenda start speaking
"The mission was a success, so good work people, especially you three."
She nodded over at where Akame, Mine and Lubbock were sitting. Najenda grimaced slightly as she thought of something else.
"Unfortunately Susanoo has not made it back, so Esdeath must have eliminated him."
The group became silent for a moment, a solemn moment passing through them all. Akame stoke up, breaking silence's tyrannical reign.
"We need more information about the boy who was with Esdeath."
Najenda nodded seriously.
"Most definitely. The Revolutionary Army has only done a little digging because he wasn't deemed much of a threat, but this changes things massively. I've already sent them a note with one of our falcons with what we have found out on it."
Mine put her hand up, getting Najenda's attention.
"Do we have any idea what Teigu he was using? I mean, I saw him create ice spears like Esdeath, as well as a domed shield to block Pumpkins shots and a shockwave that could shatter rock."
Beside her, Tatsumi piped up, grumbling slightly.
"He hit me with a freaking lightning bolt that managed to pretty badly damage Incursio as well."
Najenda nodded to both their comments, gazing into nothing for a moment.
"I'm afraid that he wasn't using a Teigu."
The members of Night Raid looked at her sharply, eyes wide in disbelief as she continued.
"I've memorized all the known information about each of the forty two Teigu, even the lost ones without a lot of data. None of them can do what the boy, Harry, was doing, At least, not all at once. And he was also not using any weapon beyond his swords and they were ordinary blades issued to Esdeaths army."
She sighed, placing her chin on top of her hands as she laced them in front of her, leaning her elbows on her knees.
"Which brings me to the conclusion that they were either abilities that somebody has managed to give him, or they were natural. The first is actually the least likely, as if the Empire could give people those kind of abilities, that can even trump some Teigu, then we would know about it. The whole world would. The same goes for if any other group had managed it."
Her gaze swept over the silent members of Night Raid.
"Which leaves us with the conclusion that they are natural abilities of his. Considering that the Lord of the Path of Peace had his own supernatural powers, it's not too unbelievable and explains why Esdeath keeps him around."
Akame nodded, looking thoughtful.
"It seems the most likely option, but he has far too many powers. The Lord's powers are based around precognition and are generally related. We've seen Harry fling lightning, generate ice, and control stone as well as create shockwaves. They are completely unrelated."
Nodding Najenda leaned back with a sigh.
"And teleport."
The eyes of Night Raid snapped to her.
"When Susanoo went to kill Borick he teleported in the way of the attack. From his reaction though, I can only assume that he didn't know he could do it. That means that he himself doesn't know his full abilities, which is both good and bad. Good because he isn't used to using his abilities yet, but bad because it means he may learn new abilities by the time we fight him next."
Leone nodded, gazing off into the distance.
"So we have an unknown kid who travels with Esdeath, the Empires Strongest, and has a bag full of different abilities on par with some Teigu, with the possibility of gaining more. What are we going to do about him?"
"Nothing yet, other than gathering information about him. We saw how she reacted when Susanoo almost killed him, meaning that she is emotionally invested in him."
Lubbock spoke up from his spot opposite Najenda.
"Doesn't that make him a weakness for someone like Esdeath? Could we use him to get to her?"
Najenda shook her head.
"No. Not yet anyway. Maybe when we have more information on his abilities we may be able to do something, but it would be risky. We saw how Esdeath reacted back in the chapel, so chances are that she would hunt us all to the ends of the earth, then lead a crusade against the Revolutionary Army before their ready if he were to die. For now we leave him alone, at least until we have more information. Understand?"
The various members of Night Raid nodded seriously. A new piece has been revealed against them.
They wouldn't move against it… yet.
-T.G.O-
Harry grinned as he entered the Jaegers HQ beside Esdeath, spotting Air, Fal and Luna sitting together talking around the table. Walking towards them, he brought his hand up to wave as they looked over at him, smiling brightly as they did.
"Hey, Luna, Air, Fal."
Fal grinned wider, waving back, Air a moment behind her.
"Hey, Harry! Hey, Esdeath!"
"Welcome back Harry, Esdeath."
Luna just gave a smile and wave as Harry and Esdeath sat down at the table with them, Esdeath speaking first.
"I trust that you have been continuing your training? It would be unfortunate if I had to help catch you up."
She spoke with a smirk that told them exactly what catching up would be like as the three girls shuddered slightly, nodding rapidly in confirmation as Harry grinned from beside Esdeath. Reaching down into his storage pocket, he spoke up in Esdeaths place.
"Good, because we found something interesting that one of you might be able to use."
He grinned wider as the three girls eyes light up, various stages of excitement on each of their faces as they realised what he meant. Pulling the Book of Lies from his storage pocket, he placed it on the table in front of him.
"This is the Teigu known as the Book of Lies, also called Lilith. I don't actually know the full details of what it does, but the Lord of the Path of Peace gave it to me."
He glanced over at Esdeath as he spoke, letting her take over as Air reached for the book. Harry handed it to her and she began turned it over in her hands, eyes sweeping over the intricate designs of blacks and dark blues before looking up and speaking.
"Do we know what it does?"
She passed the book over to Luna as she spoke, Esdeath nodding opposite her.
"We have a general idea. It was a lost Teigu, so we don't have the full details but the rundown of it is that it records the names of every sentient being in the users range. The user can then cross out the name and that person will no longer be a part of reality."
Fal gave her a quizzical look as she took the book from Luna.
"No longer part of reality?"
Harry nodded.
"I know, it confused me as well to start with. The idea is that by crossing out the name, they book tells reality a 'lie' and says that person does not exist. It pretty much means that as long as the user sustains it, those with their names crossed out cannot be seen, heard or touched. We will have to do some experimenting with it if any of you can use it to figure out its full limitations."
Fal nodded as she placed the book back on the table, Luna speaking up for the first time as she did.
"So what do you want us to do with it?"
Esdeath took over from Harry once more.
"The Book of Lies is actually one of the safest Teigu to test if you can use it as it doesn't have any backlash effects from rejection. You just have to be able to open the book. Of course…"
She grinned sadistically.
"…if you try to force it open, chances are you will spend the rest of your existence unable to interact with reality. At least you'll starve to death, so you don't have to warry about living like that until you die of old age."
"Ah."
Luna nodded grimly, Air and Fal nodding on either side of her.
"So no trying to force it open."
Harry laughed as he picked up the book again.
"We don't actually know if that's what would happen, since the book has been missing for a while, so we don't know anyone who tried to force it open. It just seems like a likely end result. So yeah, don't try force it open, just in case. We would be annoyed if you ceased to exist on us."
The three nodded again and Harry handed the book back to Air.
"Okay then, now that we know no one will do anything silly, you may as well give it a try."
Air took the Book of Lies tenderly in one hand, holding it lightly as she reached over with her other to try pull the cover open.
Nothing happened.
She tried again before shaking her head, looking a little disappointed.
"It looks like I can't use it."
She felt a little better when she say Harry grin at her as she passed the book to Luna.
"That's fine. It's one of the safest to try and use, but it is also one of the pickiest. It's not really surprising."
Across from him, Luna took the book, staring at its cover for a moment before reaching up and tugging on the cover.
It opened without a hitch.
Harry blinked and grinned as Esdeath smirked widely.
"Well… That was easier than expected. Just like that?"
Luna grinned brightly back at him as Air and Fal watched, slightly envious as Harry spoke again.
"Let Fal have a go to. It may be unlikely, but we may as well make sure."
Nodding, Luna closed the book and handed it to Fal, who took it carefully in the hands and tried to open it for a moment before shaking her head.
"Looks like I can't use it either. Not surprising, I prefer to bash things rather than read. Luna was the best option, with Air being the second best for a book."
She handed the Book of Lies back to Luna as Harry smiled at them.
"It doesn't really matter either way. The information I was given with it suggest that it came from a set of three Teigu. Hopefully we can find the other two at some stage. I know that one is a set of gauntlets, so that would fit you better than the book, Fal."
She grinned widely as Harry turned to Air.
"I'm afraid I don't have any information on the last one, so I don't know what it is, but no matter what if one of you has a Teigu then we may as well see if we can sneak you two one as well."
Air nodded with a small smile as Esdeath spoke up.
"We can start testing the book later. For now however, I feel like having something sweet to eat."
She turned to Harry.
"Do you remember the shop I took you too before the Three Beasts died?"
He nodded, his grin only slipping slightly.
"Good"
She turned back to the three girls in sitting around the table.
"Get changed into some casual wear and meet us down her in five minutes. If you're late we leave without you and I'll give you a lesson on why people must be on time."
The three stood, nodding rapidly before leaving the room, Harry and Esdeath standing and leaving once more, walking towards their bedroom.
Looking around the room as they entered, Harry let out a sigh as he began to undress, his back to Esdeath.
"It seems like forever since we've been in here."
Pulling on another set of clothes behind him, taking an odd amusement in Harry's refusal to see her naked, Esdeath made a dismissive movement with her hand, knowing he couldn't see her.
"We normally spend more time out of the Capital than in it, so it's not overly surprising."
She looked him over as she pulled on her shoes, Harry buttoning up his trench coat before spinning around as Esdeath stood. Without another word, the two left the room, Harry slinging his sword over his back as Esdeath attached her rapier to her belt.
The two walked side by side back into the common room just as the three girls walked in, wearing more casual versions of their normal clothes, their weapons placed over their clothes.
Esdeath nodded in approval.
"Good. No matter what, never go anywhere without your weapons. If I catch you without your weapons and you aren't broken and bleeding with said weapons in pieces, I'll have you training until you are broken and bleeding."
The three girls nodded seriously.
"Good. Come on then, I am a bit peckish right now."
With that, she turned and strode from the room, Harry and the three girls a step behind her.
-T.G.O-
Fal looked over at Harry as he walked in front of her on Esdeaths right. Sometimes she still found it hard to believe that within that small frame was a power that had killed hundreds, almost thousands, that had transcended the dimensions themselves and smashed a hole in reality three year ago.
She glanced over at Luna and Air, noticing that they too were glancing at him whenever they weren't looking at the city around them. Their training had left them little time for exploring or viewing the city, and nor did they want to, much unlike Harry's own enthusiasm for new things and places.
And once again her thoughts returned to Harry. That was happening a lot lately, though, oddly enough, it didn't annoy her as much as it should have. Thinking about him was rather nice for some reason. She shook her head clear as she looked around the crowds that split around them.
"Where are we going?"
Harry spun around with an innocent grin on his face, his hands laced behind his back as he walked backwards as easily as he normally did forwards.
"There is a little shop that Esdeath took me to not long before the Jaegers were formed. We were going to take the Three Beasts to try something there, but they went and got killed by Night Raid."
She nodded, only slightly perturbed by his acceptance of the death of the Three Beasts. She, and the other two, were pretty much used to Harry and Esdeaths attitudes by now.
Beside her, Luna glanced at Harry again, noting that Fal and Air often did the same thing. She had noticed that it wasn't a conscious thing, but more that when she had nothing else to look at she would kind of default to just looking at Harry. Noticing her looking at him as he started to turn and walk forwards, Harry smiled at her.
"Do you want to know something?"
She crushed the urge to blush slightly, instead nodding.
"I was just thinking that Esdeath doesn't really seem the type to come out into the Capital for some ice cream."
Harry just shrugged, still grinning.
"She likes to enjoy the little things, and ice cream is one of her secret pleasure. The shop we're going to just happens to sell very good ice cream."
Grinning, he spun and began to walk forwards again, completely missing the fondly amused look Esdeath gave him as she heard him speak before she turned back down the street. She didn't have the three girl's odd need to look at her companion, but she did admit that she found it oddly fascinating. Looking at him that is.
Stopping in front of the shop they had come to the first time as the owner rushed out again, the mouse like man jiggling nervously on his feet once more as he looked up at Esdeath. This time Harry wasn't the only one amused by the rather pathetic man.
"G-good afternoon, Esdeath-sama."
Esdeath just gave him an unimpressed look. She was here to enjoy some decent ice cream, so the less she had to interact with the annoying man, the better.
"I trust that you recall what was ordered on my last visit?"
The man nodded his head up and down rapidly.
"Good, I want five, as quickly as possible."
The man continued nodding.
"O-of course, Esdeath-sama!"
He turned around and rushed into his store, Esdeath sitting down on the bench out in front of it. A moment later Harry sat down next to her, Air instantly taking the seat beside him, fully aware of the annoyed looks that Fal and Luna gave her as they sat down.
Esdeath just watched with amusement and Harry didn't even notice, forever oblivious.
Air wasn't entirely sure when, or how, it had become a competition to sit at Harry's right. She didn't think that the other two did either, but it was a simple matter of him always sitting at Esdeaths right, so if they wanted to sit next to him they had to compete. When it had become important to sit beside him, she didn't know either.
She glanced down at him as the shop owner rushed out, delivering their ice creams before rushing back inside. It was rather… nice sitting next to him as he chatted mindlessly, just letting his voice drone on in the background. How sitting next to him was somehow better than anywhere else was something else she didn't know.
And, she realised, it was something she didn't care about either. Instead Air just relaxed as she sat next to the odd boy that was Harry, perfectly content to remain there as long as possible, sitting under the sun beside him.
And so it was that for a single day, the wheels of fate stopped turning. But somethings cannot be put off forever.
And tomorrow, the gears of the future must move once more.
-T.G.O-
And we have finished chapter 23!
I must admit, for whatever reason, this seems to be my favourite chapter so far. It was also the easiest to write, since it just seemed to flow quite easily once I got on track.
Also, as a mere thought that popped into my head while I was typing this, has anyone at all thought about what might happen when Esdeath learns about Dementors?! Yeah, I know, nightmare fuel.
On the subject of Harry Potter thing, I admit I am looking forward to being able to use magic and runes etc. to help create/improve Harry and Esdeaths gear. It could be fun.
Finally, just out of pure curiosity, did anyone notice the importance of Harry's location when he walked anywhere with Esdeath? If you didn't but are curious, look at where he was position whenever they walked somewhere in the first chapters and compare it to where his is located when they walk now. This is merely curiosity though, so is of no real importance.
Right then, as I always say, any and all constructive criticism, ideas, likes, dislikes and advice are welcome and appreciated! Please review!
Finally, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and have enjoyed The Glacial Ones so far!
Goodbye and see you next time!