Chapter 2
It was a nice quiet day in park 246 on Hashera, the capitol planet of the Lantrisi Collective. There were few people around, and little noise save for the faint rustling of the leaves in the many trees. Under one of those trees, a young couple sat, taking advantage of the good weather and the few people around by having a picnic.
The man looked to be in good shape, with short brown hair and a kind and gentle face, while the woman had shoulder-length fiery red hair and a sharp face, while her body showed signs of heavy training.
Slowly, the wind shifted, and with it, came a scent that made the couple pause in their meal. Quickly, they went to investigate and what they found shocked them to the core. There, near the roots of one of the many trees lay a sleeping baby. The source of the strongest scent was the small scar on his head that had only just begun to heal.
"Felar is that…" The woman spoke, still shocked by this discovery. A human hadn't set foot on Hashera in almost a thousand years, not since the Lantrisi separated themselves from the Alliance. Shortly afterwards, the Terrans and the rest of the Alliance declared war on them for use of banned technology, and had remained in conflict with them ever since.
"It's a human infant, alright. But how did he get here? This will cause quite a stir, Andrussa." Felar sighed.
He turned inwards, towards the Great Link, the massive psychic connection all Lantrisi were connected to like a massive computer network. It was much more than that, but its primary function was to provide communication between them.
'Class one emergency. Requesting instructions.' He sent into the Link, and moments later, the node commander for his section of the Hierarchy, their society structure responded.
'Felar, you better have a good reason for declaring a class one emergency.' The man said with a firm tone.
'This is a private connection?' Felar asked.
'As protocol demands. Now, what's the trouble?' The man sounded annoyed at the question.
'My wife and I found a human infant in park 264.' Felar replied, already feeling the disbelief of his superior.
'If this is a joke…' The man growled. The last person who called a class one as a joke spent two weeks in the hands of the Order of Death as a test subject for new torture methods.
'I would never do something like that.' Felar replied firmly.
'I will pass the alert on.' The node commander sighed and cut the connection.
Moments later, a new voice echoed in his head, and it made him shiver, because it was the voice of Lanus Deathhand, his clan leader, head of the Collective and the progenitor of their race.
'Felar, bring the child to the Skull Temple. You will be given further instructions once you arrive.'
Shaking off the shock, he picked up the child and together with his wife, hurried to the nearest displacement facility.
The Lantrisi had great dislike for teleportation technology, calling any device that vaporized the user crude and ill conceived. They had toiled hard until they developed tachyon displacement field technology, devices that moved the user through space without affecting the user in any way. Its sole drawback was the higher power requirements, but in contrast, it was also a lot harder to shield against.
The Skull Temple, home of the legendary Order of Death, the elite Lantrisi spies, saboteurs and assassins was a vast and ominous structure that few non-members visited willingly.
"This way. Lord Deathhand awaits you." The pair were shocked by that, but followed the man who greeted them at a brisk pace.
They arrived in one of the Order's laboratories, where they met not only Lord Deathhand, but also his daughter Sophia, the High Master of the Order of Death and the second best fighter in the entire Collective after her father, of course. The pair could have passed for twins. They were tall, with midnight black hair, which in Sophia's case went to the middle of her back. They had sharp, predatory faces, with dark piercing eyes that seemed to peer right into your soul.
"Run a full scan, Sophia." Lord Deathhand instructed and the infant was quickly placed on a scanner table, where powerful sensors analyzed every aspect of his being.
"The sensors have detected two unknown energy types. Very similar in structure though, one is radiated by the infant itself, the other comes from the scar on his head." Sophia started reading the reports as they came in.
"Genetic structure, unknown variation of Terran genome." This was followed by a loud gasp.
"The sensors found faint traces of artions." She exclaimed.
"So, our little friend managed to pierce the barriers between the universes and come to us. Interesting." Lord Deathhand stroked his chin.
"What are your orders, father?" Sophia asked.
"Let me see his genetic structure." The man spent a few minutes going over the data.
"Send this to your mother for a more detailed analysis. In the meantime, Felar, Andrussa, I want you two to raise this child until he is old enough to decide if he wishes to become one of us or not. Do you accept?" Lord Deathhand turned to the couple that quietly observed their leaders at work.
"Of course, my Lord. He will be raised well, you have my word on this." Felar replied.
"He needs a name. Considering the scar, I think Daroth (lightning) is appropriate." Sophia grinned, gently tracing the lightning shaped scar on the child's forehead.
It took the couple a while to get used to caring for a human child, as their own children reached full adulthood in just five short years. Daroth grew up well cared for, if a bit lonely since there were no children to play with. He also showed remarkable intelligence and talent as he learned to speak Alliance standard fluently by the time he was four, and could read plain text by the same age.
However, his fifth birthday was the day that brought a great surprise to his parents and the whole Collective.
Felar had given him a stuffed animal toy for a present; however, Daroth protested that he didn't like the color. Knowing better than to give in to his every whim lest he spoil the boy, Felar insisted that he keep the toy.
Daroth glared at it, angry because he hated the green color of the fur, when suddenly, to Felar's surprise, the toy turned yellow. Daroth seemed happy with this, but Felar was shocked. The toy wasn't supposed to do that. Which meant, Daroth had somehow done it. It was nothing special, but the fact that he had done it in the first place was what shocked him.
Lord Deathhand had ordered an immediate study in this ability, and after several years of observation and study, they discovered that the unknown energy his body was producing was responsible for this. Somehow, he could utilize this energy to affect change in his surroundings. Detailed experiments showed that he could move objects at will, as well as change their appearance. Also, they discovered that the process was triggered by both emotion and willpower.
Also, they managed to isolate the part of his genetic structure that gave him this ability, and preliminary studies had begun on the topic of giving this ability to Lantrisi volunteers.
When Daroth turned fourteen, he was deemed old enough to make a decision about joining the Collective, and for that reason, he was brought before Lord Deathhand himself.
"Have a seat, Daroth. How are you today?" Lord Deathhand grinned at the fidgeting boy before him.
"Fine, sir. Thank you for asking." Daroth replied politely.
"Your parents explained the nature of the Lantrisi and the Collective?" Lord Deathhand asked.
"Yes, sir. I always thought vampires were a Terran myth to scare children. Learning I was living on a planet full of them was a shock." Daroth whispered.
"Yes, the Terrans paint us in a very bad light, don't they? Still before the invention of replication technology, we had done many horrible things in order to survive. For this, we were labeled as monsters and hunted as such. Even in this enlightened age, old hatreds still linger." Lord Deathhand sighed.
"But, enough of that. As you know, you have come here from a different universe, and eventually, you will have to go back. As soon as we have the means to do so, we shall return you to your rightful home. However, that day may not come for quite a while, which brings me to the reason why you're here." Lord Deathhand paused at this.
Daroth knew he came to Hashera from another universe, and that his caretakers were not his birth parents, and deep inside, he wanted to know where he came from and what that world was like, but for the most part, he was happy with his life. Now it seemed his return to this unknown universe was only a matter of time.
"I wish to offer you an honor not extended for over five centuries. The chance of becoming a Lantrisi and joining the Collective. You are free to refuse, of course. We will not think any less of you if you do so." Lord Deathhand smiled kindly.
For several minutes Daroth sat frozen, unsure how to reply to this incredible offer. But the more he thought about it, the clearer the choice was.
"I accept." Daroth stood up with a firm look on his face.
"Excellent. Follow me." He led Daroth to one of the Order of Death's interrogation rooms, where Daroth was strapped to a very sturdy table.
Lord Deathhand took an injection tool and to Daroth's surprise, pressed it to his arm, filling the vial attached to it with his own blood.
"Your own blood, sir?" His parents explained the Hierarchy to him, and how the position of your parent or blood donor in case of transformed Lantrisi determined your position in it. By receiving blood from the primary progenitor, he would be placed on the highest tier of the Hierarchy, equal to the clan leaders and the Deathhand family.
"Your potential would be wasted by any other donor. Now, you will feel some slight burning, followed by unimaginable pain." Lord Deathhand grinned as he injected his blood into Daroth and left the room. True enough, moments later, he felt a burning sensation in his bones. Several minutes later, the sensation grew unbearable. Moments afterwards, the screaming started.
After a while, the pain reached a new peak, causing his vision to darken and moments later, Daroth knew no more.
Pain. All he could feel was tormenting, all encompassing pain. His entire body felt sore, stinging and aching, while his head felt like being banged into a wall… several thousand times. His throat felt dry and raw, and, still not fully aware of his surroundings, he felt himself lifted up slightly, and something cold was pressed on his lips. He tasted a warm liquid touching them. Acting on instinct, he parted them, allowing the unpleasant fluid to enter his mouth. He grimaced at the taste, but his body continued to drink greedily, ignoring his protests. The metallic tasting fluid seemed familiar as he raked his brain for a memory of it. Suddenly, realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He was drinking blood.
Blearily, he opened his eyes and saw a man holding a metal cylinder to his lips.
The blood seemed to bring some life back into his body, as he started to feel the pain slowly fading.
"Come with me. It's best to sleep for a few hours after the turning to give your body some rest. The turning is a brutal process, and you'll feel it once the high from the blood fades away." He was supported by the man to a nearby room with a small sofa.
"Sleep now. Lord Deathhand will see you when you awaken." The man set him down and left.
Daroth awoke several hours later, feeling stronger and more alive than ever before.
He walked out, and after finding a guide, he was led back to Lord Deathhand.
"Daroth, good to see you again. Hmm, I'm surprised your scar still remains. Usually the turning corrects such minor damage. But, that's a matter for another time. I have arranged for some living quarters for you, and you can move in after you have developed immunity to sunlight. You can spend the month it takes this learning about your new self from your parents."
"Thank you sir. Anything else?" Daroth asked, noticing the slight change in his voice, as well as the pair of thin, sharp fangs that appeared in his mouth.
"Yes. I want to offer you the chance to join the military training program. With your potential, I am quite confident you'll qualify and pass not only that, but also the officer and advanced officer training. There is also the subject of magic. Once we have examined how your talent has responded to the turning, we can start researching on methods to give this power to others as well. In addition to your training, you will also need to spend time with the research teams to develop means to effectively utilize this power for the benefit of the Collective." Lord Deathhand continued.
"Yes sir. I will not disappoint you." Daroth bowed.
"One other thing. Pending your performance in training and future service record, you might get invited into the Order of Death, first level. For that, however, you'll need to be the best of the best." Lord Deathhand grinned at his shocked face before dismissing him.
Over the month, Daroth learned a lot about the Lantrisi, starting with their physiology to interstellar politics. The best way to describe a Lantrisi was a tank on legs. They aged until their body reached their early twenties, after which they remained so indefinitely. Their strength was ten times that of humans as was their speed. They healed extremely fast, and were also capable of replacing lost limbs or organs. They were also extremely intelligent, having developed a unique scientific system that had given them a distinct technological advantage over their enemies.
However, for all their superiority, they had weaknesses as well. Their arrogance for starters was one. They often dismissed serious threats as inconsequential, which had cost them on several occasions. Also, their low birthrate and many wars had kept the growth of their territories limited at best. In some areas, the borders hadn't moved in a millennium.
With a sigh, Daroth turned away from the window, feeling the slight warmth of the sunlight on his skin. Tomorrow, he would start his training and for that, he needed his sleep.
AN/ The mega flashback will take another chapter to finish, after which we'll return to Hogwarts and see how Dumbles and McGonagall react. For those interested in the first version, I named Harry's shifting ability shapeshifting (unoriginal, I know). After rereading Dune, I was inspired by Tleilaxu Face Dancers so named it Form Dancing this time. Hope you like the change. Also, I'd like to ask if anyone is willing to draw some art for this fic. Anyone interested PM me. Thanks in advance and hope you enjoy :)