1) This story is inspirited by Corwalch's HPSG story: Two Shall Be As One.

2) Disclaimer: Honestly, I own nothing. Don't sue.

3) Please forgive my grammar. English is not my first language, and I'm without a beta.

One Plus One Equals One

by novacarta

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Chapter 02

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Warning: child abuse scene

"For crying out loud!" Daniel muttered Jack's favorite phrase as he kicked a nearby mirror hard. It didn't budge a bit, which frustrated him more.

The Council named this place as 'the Arcade'. He was under the impression that it would be some kind of passageways with arches supported by columns. Instead it was merely an enclosed room, with mirrors covering from ceiling to flooring. Daniel decided he like the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles Palace better.

The mirrors showed him images and visions, voices and sounds. Without an inch of spare space his eyes could rest on, Daniel was forced to watch TV nonstop like a coach potato since his incarceration. Though, instead of soap opera, this TV channel only broadcasted scenes after scenes of world destruction. Its visual and sound effect was more realistic than IMAX, and all the deaths and bloodsheds were starting to get on his nerve.

'Is it some kind of irritation therapy?' Daniel thought as another planet blew up in his face. 'Surely they don't really believe they could sway me by a Film Festival?'

The thought was so laughable.

While he understood everything corporeal would come to its end eventually, it didn't mean that the ascended shouldn't help fight injustice. The more sufferings he had witnessed the firmer he came to believe in helping innocence. So many deaths could be averted if only the ascended stop being callous.

Perhaps when the ascended gave up their bodies, they also gave up their brains and hearts.

"Okay, so I'm trapped." He talked to himself loudly. "Let's see where the hell the exit is."

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, a transparent hologram emerged from nothingness in form of an elderly man. His long white beard fell to his chest, his clothing was a worn-out medieval style robe. The old man looked more like a bard than an ascended being.

"Alterans never fear pain, as they believe suffering is one path toward enlightenment."

The hologram spoke in ancient quietly, though Daniel hear him clearly despite the surrounding noise.

"Still, conniving a crime is in fact worse that pulling the trigger." Daniel tried his hand at forming a Zen-like retort. This hologram probably reacted on some keywords, but not knowing who this person was Daniel was not sure how to proceed. He resigned himself to a trial and error approach.

"Alas! A comrade at last!" The hologram exclaimed with delight. His expression was lively like a living person. "Finally, someone worthy after a thousand year."

"Hello sir." Daniel greeted him, fascinated by its personification. "I am Daniel Jackson of Tau'ri."

"And I am Morros of Lantean, also known as Myydin by the Tau'ri."

"Oh my god you are THE Merlin!" Daniel blurted out in shock. " The existences of Merlin and King Arthur were debated and disputed by modern historians because of the lack of historical evidence. As you really exists, the Arthurian legends are not just some folklores or stories written by clerics and poets!'

"My boy you are a chatty one!" Morros shook his head with a soft chuckle.

"Sorry…" Daniel blushed fiercely.

Morros smiled at him fondly, then his face grew solemn.

"As much as I want to chat with you, our time is limited. Once this hologram is activated a shield will ward over us from the Council, we have to conduct our business before the power run out. My duty could wait no longer."

"What do you mean your duty?"

"You might not know that the Council created this Arcade solely for me. I kept violating their non-interference rule that they finally decided to re-educate me. This place was warded heavily and no ascended being could ever escape without permission." Morros then smirked smugly. "Fortunately ascended power did not interfere with magic, I could easily slip away unnoticed. But then, I saw a vision that you were trapped in here. Seeing that the Council continues to use this place for dissidents, I left my hologram here, hidden and waiting."

"Bu…But I have no magic!" Daniel spluttered. "I couldn't even light the candle." He was still sore at Oma for misleading him on Kheb. His cheeks burned every time he recollected what had happened.

"Why do you need to light a candle with magic?" Morros raised his eyebrows. He shrugged and continued his explanation. "I am a prophet and my predictions rarely went wrong. If I see you as a wizard, then you are a wizard. Now, would you accept my assistance?"

"It would be great to have a way out of…" Daniel stopped in the middle of sentences as Merlin the hologram suddenly grasped his head, an action very similar to the Repository of knowledge. Before he could react, something tickled in his brain and started to hum. Some literally 'alien' ideas popped up here and there, organizing, rearranging and adjusting.

Gradually he had a action plan formed in his mind. Apparently he only needed to break down some ambient elements into their basic form of pure energy and manipulating the essences to pulse some ley line attunement pattern.

Right. Daniel rubbed his temples after some serious thinking.

He had no idea what it was all about.

Might be he should just skip to the practical part. If he didn't need to be a mechanical engineer to drive a car, then he didn't need to be a theorist to do magic either.

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Uncle Vernon dragged Harry by his hair away from the door, then dumped him on the wooden floor before the cupboard. Harry tried to get up but a punch in his face got him knocked down again.

"We fed you, we raised you, we clothed you, and we sheltered you. Is this how you repay us? A pigtail? Threatening us with a stupid stick?" Uncle Vernon grabbed his collar then pulled him to his feet, a accusing finger poked into his chest painfully. "I will tolerate no more!"

"Vernon, keep your voice down! The neighbor would hear you!" Auntie Petunia popped out her head from the living room and shushed them urgently. She gave Harry a hateful look, then spoke to Vernon in a whispering voice. "Dudley is still recovering, we can't let my Popkin see him! My poor baby has got enough scare for his lifetime already!"

"Don't worry Honey." Uncle Vernon said with a malicious grin. "You won't hear a sound."

True to his word, with a piece of cloth stuffed in Harry's mouth, even though he had screamed himself hoarse, no one heard anything from No.4 Privet Drive that night.

Uncle Vernon was still staying in the smallest bedroom when the midnight came. Moonlight was shinning through the window. From his spot on the floor he could see a Full moon hanging high in the sky. For a moment he stared at it dumbly, then all of a sudden Uncle Vernon walked into his sight.

The scared look on that puffy face was the oddest thing he had ever seen that Harry wanted to laugh out loud. But he found himself coughing and choking on his blood before he could open his mouth. Harry wondered about his injury until he remembered Uncle Vernon stomping on him and hearing those ribs crack. He figured that his poor ribs must have been broken.

While he had a piercing pain in his chest, there were also aches in his limbs. He didn't pay much attention to them though. He was struggling to keep breathing, but his windpipe and nostrils both closed up on him. The sticky choking echoed throughout the . Uncle Vernon shrieked in a terrified voice and backed out of the door, eyeing his weakening body with disbelief and horror.

As the darkness finally came to claim him, Harry sneered at Uncle Vernon with a quirk on his lips before he slipped out of consciousness. The 11 years old boy took great pleasure in knowing his relative would face justice for murder and abuse, he only wished that he didn't need to suffer so much to achieve that.

"Oh, damn this bastard of a freak!" Vernon cursed shakily, noticed the boy had stopped those painful gasps of breath. In fact, the thin chest rose and fell, then did not rise again.

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AN: I confess! I like to torment too much that I didn't know when to stop.

Next charter: the joining of Daniel and little Harry!