AN : Hey guys! Thank you for the wonderful reviews, follows and favs. I'm happy that you like the idea.

First off, I don't know if you had realized it or not, but I changed the cover for the fic. It's actually a drawing I made myself, but sadly it's cut at the sides and you can't see the whole image. So follow the link in my profile to see it. I hope you'll like it! (Actually it's a little spoil for what is to come in the future ;) )

Again, thank you for your encouraging reviews!

Oh, and this chapter is about 4+ words, and I think I will try keep this length so as to keep the updates more frequent.

Now, on with the story!

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June 15, 1912

*sigh* After a City underwater, now a City in the clouds… Damn it. Why can't people just stay on the ground? And I'm not even speaking about men behind all this. They're always madmen with delusions of grandeur, trying to destroy humanity. Always. Each and every world is like this. A constant, an invariable, as the Luteces would say. I wonder why it's always like this. *sigh* Will the Circle be Unbroken? I think that this sentence holds a greater meaning than I gave it credit. Is every world, universe, dimension, call it whatever you like, fated to extinction? If it is, what does that make of me? What is my role in all of this? I wonder…

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Chapter 3: Heads or Tails?

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"So, Mr. Potter, have made your decision?" I heard Rosalind's voice behind me, again… This time I was less startled than the first, but nevertheless was relieved that I actually hadn't just imagined the twins. That would have been very sad.

"I think that you know my answer already." I replied, pointing to the chest on the ground beside me.

"Hum, and what, if I may ask, is in that coffer?" Robert asked raising an eyebrow as I finally turned toward them. He sounded interested.

"Gear…" was all I said.

"Gear?" Rosalind repeated, as if doubting my word.

"Yes, gear." I continued. "As you probably know, Rapture made some interesting breakthroughs; scientific as well as technological, so it would be a complete waste to not take a few useful tools, wouldn't you agree?"

"You may have a more reasonable mind than I previously thought, Mr. Potter." The ginger haired woman remarked without batting an eyelash.

"I would take that as a compliment." I said with a sigh.

"You should." Her brother informed me. He seemed the more caring of the two.

"So…" I began, after a moment of silence. "What exactly do I have to do?"

"Protect the girl." Oh, well, he wasn't that caring after all…

"I got that. The question is, from whom and why?" I asked, hoping to receive an honest answer.

"From everyone." Rosalind replied. There, my honest answer.

"For how long?" I asked.

"Until it is enough." Robert continued.

"Can't you elaborate? I don't want to go in there headfirst, without any background information." I explained, feeling the beginning of a headache.

"Oh, and I thought it was one of the qualities that defined you." The woman remarked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I may have had a hothead in the past, but I learned from my mistakes. Even if I want to help you, and I will, I just can't enter the game unprepared." I continued. I needed information.

"I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but we're not at the liberties to divulge information. We may show you the way, but the choice is always yours…" Robert explained, with a hint of mystery in his voice. "The only thing I can say is that the girl is in Monument Island, nothing else."

"Fine! You win this time, but I'll get my answers." I promised. "So, how are you getting me out of here?" I asked, changing the subject. Without waiting for an answer I waived my wand over the chest and it shrank to the size of a necklace that I carefully attached to the chain around my neck.

"Simple." Robert replied.

"A tear." Rosalind continued and after tracing her finger in the air, a window, not unlike I used, appeared beside her. "Simple" she repeated.

"I wondered how you traveled, and now I have my answer. You're like me, like us." I said, after seeing her open the portal.

"I'm afraid that you are incorrect in your assumption, we do not use tears for travel. But we can open them." Rosalind explained. "Now if you may?"

"Any last advice before I step in?" I asked, approaching the rip in the space-time continuum.

"Beware of the Birds…" Robert said with a smile, before pushing me inside.

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The next instant all I knew, was the rush of wind fluttering my hair and clothes, as I rapidly and silently…fell from the sky.

"Damn you!" I cried out in anger, frantically looking around for a way out of this bothersome situation. But all I saw was clouds… "Damn it!" I cursed again. They were going to pay for this… Suddenly I perceived something bellow. It looked like the top of a building but I wasn't sure, the clouds were still blocking my view. But then, I finally saw what was bellow me…a city. A goddamn flying city!

The sight was magnificent. Much like Rapture, its uniqueness was astounding. Who would have thought that a flying city was actually a possibility?

With a jolt, I remembered my situation and panicked a little bit, as adrenaline was pumped in my blood. Quickly, I skimmed through every spell that could be of use, when my concentration was broken by a few birds that I met head-on in my descent to the ground. "Damn birds!" I exclaimed, quickly regaining my composure. Finally, I brandished my wand and an instant later, my fall slowed down and I was able to calmly step on the solid ground…

I let escape a relieved sigh, and looked around. Fortunately no one was nearby to witness my prowess, so that meant fewer problems for me. Despite myself, I smirked. The rush of emotions brought by near death situations was exhilarating…

Of course, my anger came back tenfold as I gritted my teeth. Had I been someone else, I could have fallen to my death. Those redheads were playing a very dangerous game...

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After shaking my head, I analyzed my surroundings. The city was nicely illuminated and created a very open and warm atmosphere. Sun's rays reflected in the numerous windows of houses or vending parlors. Again, I was charmed by the cheer magnificence of the city.

Strangely enough, there was no one around. Not a single being. Was it like Rapture? But yet it didn't have that desolated feeling that the underwater city gave off. Something else was behind this absence. And I discovered it soon enough under the form of a poster. "Columbia is celebrating! Prepare for the annual raffle!"

So the city was called Columbia and I had arrived on a fair day. How convenient...

The girl was in Monument Island, wherever that was. I needed information, and for information I needed sources.

Slowly I began walking toward what I thought to be the city center. If this event was annual and important enough to warrant every citizen's attention, so a gathering was the most logical choice. That meant I had to find a city square.

Again, my deduction was correct as I began hearing music, people singing, stand announcers etcetera.

After I entered the crowded area, I was surprised by a few things I saw. Mainly the technology that was out of ordinary for the many muggle things I saw during my travels. Mechanical horses powered by strange cores, robotic beings that they called 'Handy-Men' which had beating human hearts in their chests, or even their liquid-power-ups vigors, that were strangely similar to the plasmids I found in Rapture. The last ones, much like the plasmids, were actually different sorts of liquids, that once ingested, modified the user's DNA structure, making him able to do impossible things, like controlling lightning or throwing flame. All those things considered, made this Columbia a very strange and advanced place, much like the city underwater.

I didn't know in what period of time Columbia was situated, but the logical explanation would be in the future, and heavily influenced by Rapture. That's when I got a shocking revelation. Actually, I was in 1912!

"Holly shit…" I whispered, eying the poster on the wall. How could it be possible? To have such advanced technology so far back in time was…impossible. Even muggle science of my future didn't come up with such advanced machinery. Something was really fishy about this city, and its flying factor only added to the mystery. 'What did I get myself into, again?' I thought with frustration. Things got weirder and weirder with each time.

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Sighing, I sat down on a bench near me. I needed to calm down. Closing my eyes, I leaned back, letting escape another sigh. Yeah, I sighed a lot these days.

Suddenly my magic tingled and instantly I was on my guard. With years of battles, trainings, and everything else I did to survive attuned me with my magic to a level where it acted as a sixth sense. And right now I felt someone watching me, very closely.

Slowly I opened my eyes a little bit, just enough to allow me to see. And I nearly lost it. Oh how long it was since I was stared at for this particular reason. Three young women that were sitting on the bench across me were literally eating me with their eyes, blushes adorning their faces. It was a pleasant change, as I really couldn't remember the last time I felt like I man and not a selfless savior of worlds.

But that instant of appreciation ended a moment later as I remembered why I was here. I may not be the savior of worlds, but the selfless part of that title still remained. I had no time to be the man. So plastering a charming smile on my face, I glanced toward my admirers. They responded the same way. I needed information, and a glance was all I needed. Yep, no time to be the man…

The gathering of information was very quick and easy with my level of Legilimency. With just a glance I discovered that this Columbia city was strongly driven by nationalism and religion, in particular by a certain prophet, Zachary Comstock, which was viewed like a saint. Columbia was actually a city-state that was once part of United States of America, but after an event, that this woman really knew very little about, the city segregated from the States, and flew away, in the clouds. Columbia was an utopian city, much like Rapture. But there was no utopia without a rebellious faction, a job occupied by the so called Vox Populi.

Of course all this information had to be confirmed from other sources, but one thing was sure from all of this, this woman knew where and what the Monument Island was. Actually it was the giant gold angel-like statue that could be seen from anywhere in the city. And it was made especially for the girl I came to protect, or as people here called her, the lamb. I wondered why those people would need such an immense construction for one lone girl, but I had my suspicions. And with all my heart I hoped that I was wrong…

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Now with information about my objective, I stood up and began walking in the direction of the giant monument. After passing many crowds that avidly watched the wonders of Vigors, I came to a stop before a large closed metal gate. A strange robotic device stood at the entry and as I approached it, it exclaimed that it couldn't let me pass, for I wasn't on his list. With a rapid glance, I looked around to make sure that no one could see me, and when I was content, I flicked my wand toward the gate, and it opened with a small click. Not paying attention to the still babbling machine, I entered the new district. But again my path was blocked, by humans this time.

"You!" I hissed with anger at seeing the two redheads. "I may have fallen to my death because of you!" I continued.

"Oh, really?" Robert asked me, faking surprise. "And I thought that you couldn't die…"

"What?!" I exclaimed, surprised by his words.

"Oh! Must have slipped my tongue…" he whispered, turning toward his sister.

"What does that mean?!" I asked with anger. What were they talking about, and why had they appeared again before me?

"A matter for another time, Mr. Potter." Rosalind answered, making me even angrier. Their secrecy was getting on my nerves… "Now, the more important question is, Heads?"

"Or Tails?" her brother finished.

"What…?"

"Heads?'

"Or Tails?" they asked again, and this time I remarked the double chalkboards hanging on Robert's shoulders. It was divided in two parts, one for Heads and one for Tails.

"Heads?"

"Or Tails?" they repeated again, with Rosalind giving me a coin. With a frown I continued to watch the two redheads and the coin that they gave me. What were they playing at? A coin toss, for what purpose? Slowly I circled Robert and observed something peculiar. There were one hundred twenty three Heads, and only one Tails. Something was odd about all this setting. Again I twirled the coin between my fingers and frowned even more.

"Heads?"

"Or Tails?"

They were really persistent…and wouldn't leave me alone before I played their game. Suddenly, a memory flashed before my eyes and plastering a smirk on my face, I flipped the coin. "Spine."

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The coin twisted in the air for a second and fell to the plate, spinning like crazy, and after a few agonizingly slow seconds, stopped on its spine.

"Remarkable, truly remarkable, wouldn't you agree sister?" the redhead asked.

"Indeed, brother." The woman answered. "The Circle is straining."

"So what now?" I asked intrigued by the new occurrence.

"Nothing, Mr. Potter, nothing at all." Robert said with a smile before turning around and walking away, followed by his sister. "I always wondered how he did that…" I heard him say to the woman.

"Hey, wait!" I exclaimed following them.

"Mister. Mister!" I heard a female voice behind me, before a hand touched my shoulder. On instinct I turned around, clasping the hand in a vice grip, a deadly spell already at the tip of my wand. She looked startled by my reaction; she was a salesgirl with a basket of green bottles over her shoulder. Quickly I glanced back toward the twins, but they were gone.

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"Damn it…" I whispered. They had evaded me, again. With resignation I turned back to the young woman that was the cause of their escape.

"What is it?" I asked with a sigh.

"A sample of our Vigor, sir. Don't you have any desire to try it?" she asked me with hope. What was it in for her, if I tried it or not? Wasn't it just a sample?

"What does it do?" I asked, intrigued.

"Possession, sir, of everything and everyone." she answered surprising me. Possession? Why the rulers of this city would provide means for conflicts, was completely a mystery to me. "Total control." she continued. "With just but a simple sip." she finished handing me one of the green bottles.

"Thank you, but no. I'm not really interested." I replied calmly. I had other means to control people, and I really had no need for their power-ups. Magic was more versatile and more powerful.

"Oh I see... You already have what you need, haven't you, handsome?" she slurred leaning toward me.

I raised my eyebrow at her remark, but nodded nevertheless. She smiled and turning around walked away. Rolling my eyes I continued on my way. I still had a girl to find.

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After walking for a few dozen minutes, I met a few policemen on my way. The information I had about this place was minimal at best, so I needed other sources. Unsurprisingly they knew more than the first woman, and I confirmed that the girl was indeed alone in the Monument. What I discovered in addition though, was that there was a wanted man running around; a certain False Shepherd. And according to the Prophet Comstock, he was here to lead the Lamb astray. Besides I knew that the lamb was the girl I was here to protect. Everything was so messed up that it gave me a headache. What was I supposed to do with the addition of this Shepherd? Who was the bad guy? The Prophet that had confined her in that tower, all alone? Or this Shepherd that wanted to get her away, but had killed many people on his way?

I'm sure that if I had the same mindset as a few years back, I would have done everything in my power to save everyone. Punish the bad guys and help the suffering. But I was no longer that Harry Potter. I was exhausted from carrying the burden of the whole world on my shoulders. I no longer wanted to have the fate of many in my hands. It was enough…

My mission was to protect the girl from everyone. The Luteces made that very clear. And everyone in my book was every-single-being… Her father, mother, sister, or an old aunt. Everyone. The girl could do whatever she wanted, for all I cared. My duty would be to make sure that she survives until it is enough. Not because the twins had asked me to do it, but because the girl, was like me. And if she had experienced even a tenth I had, she had suffered enough for a few lifetimes…

With a strengthened will, I strode toward the Monument Island at a rapid pace. Suddenly I came across another problem. Columbia was actually a grouping of many flying islands, and people moved from island to island using flying airships or trains that rode over a sky-line rail. Unfortunately, I had neither at my disposition. The only solution was apparating, but the next island was quite far away, that I hardly distinguished anything form this distance.

Suddenly an idea came to mind. Summoning my Elder wand I narrowed my eyes and looked in the distance. Taking a big breath I pointed the wooden stick forward and conjured a circular stone platform in the air, halfway to the island. Quickly focusing on the platform, I apparated on it without making a sound. Not wasting time, I rapidly glanced toward the island and disappeared again. Touching the solid ground of my destination I smirked. Ii had worked like a charm…

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Pinpointing the Angel-like statue in the distance I apparated away. Repeating the process a few times I finally arrived before the entrance of Monument Island. Opening the doors with a flick of my wand I entered, and was instantly on alert. The feeling I got from within this building was…inexplicable. Something was very wrong here. Slowly I continued forward, and the first thing that triggered a foreboding feeling was a panel on which was written in big scarlet letters: Do not approach or speak to the Specimen. Don't enter while the Siphon is in activity.

Specimen… Siphon… I had a very bad feeling about all this. Carefully I continued on my trek. I encountered a few similar panels on my way, before I finally arrived in a hall with two doors at each side. My curiosity getting the better of me I entered the right one first. There stood an old projector, and was currently playing a film. And as I watched it progress in front of me, dread filled my heart. Specimen… They were studying her, like an experiment. They were experimenting on her… Suddenly, a hot anger gripped me and I clenched my fists, nearly drawing blood from my skin. Taking a big breath of air, I turned around and entered the second room, across from the first, already dreading the worst.

There I discovered pictures of the girl. From where she was reading a book, to where she was changing in the dressing room…

"Those bastards…!" I whispered with anger. How dare they? I thought.

Having seen enough, I opened the door at the end of the hall and walked in. This time I saw where the girl lived; her living room, dressing room, kitchen…and every time there was a big window that enabled to see in the said rooms. And I was certain, that those were actually one-way mirrors… Taking another big breath, I continued. Seeing a little panel on the far wall, I approached it and realized that it was actually a tracking device, which indicated that the girl was in the Library. I marched in the direction that the signs on the walls showed when a great tremor shook the building making me stumble to the side.

"What the hell?!" I whispered looking around. Another quake caused me to meet the wall beside me with force, making me curse in anger. But this time, the tremor was followed by a female scream. My eyes widened and I began running toward the Library, as pieces of ceiling fell around me. What the hell was going on?

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Bursting the metallic door from its hinges I hurriedly entered my destination. But there was no girl… Looking around I spotted another, more intricate, metallic door, which was widely open. Beside the entry I used, it was the only way out. The girl must have escaped using that door. Quickly I took the exit and ran as fast as I could. It actually led to the top of the statue.

After a moment of furious sprint, I climbed to the top of the monument's head and spotted the girl, but she wasn't alone. A man was shouting something, but the wind made it impossible for me to discern. Shielding my face from the strong gale, I approached the two, when suddenly a too familiar screech resounded in the air and an instant later the solid ground under my feet crumbled to pieces, as the head of the statue slid to the side.

"Fuck!" I cried out in anger desperately looking for the girl. I spotted her a few feet below me as the man caught her hand and with his other attached to the sky-line using a strange device. And as I apparated to the statue's still intact shoulder I saw what had caused all this. The same bird-like creature I saw die in Rapture…

And it was pursuing the girl and her temporary guardian as they sled along the sky-line. The bird was actually destroying everything on their path, probably to stop them. I wasn't in the bests of moods before all this, but right now I was pissed… And the bird was on my way…

Letting escape a savage scream, I apparated away, travelling the whole distance to the bridge the bird was trying to destroy. With a violent flick of my wand, I launched a banishing charm toward the creature, but its speed allowed it to evade my spell. It produced another of its blood freezing screeches and slammed in the bridge's pillar with astounding force. The construction began to crumble under my feet, again, and I heard the girl cry out in surprise as the sky-line having lost its support, began to fall toward the sea bellow.

Crying out in anger, I skydived from my position and followed the two falling humans. With my side vision I saw the bird fly toward us.

"Oh no you don't!" I cried out, and pushing a great amount of magic in my next action I teleported toward the girl. With dexterity I caught her around her waist, and ignoring her surprised cry, I twirled us in the air so as to face the oncoming creature. Gripping my wand as hard as I could a slashed it toward the bird crying out a spell: "Diffindo!" The overpowered severing charm completely sliced its left side and producing a frightening screech it crashed in the water. And after I slashed my wand for a second time, we slowly landed on the sandy beach of the coast. A second later, the girl's temporary guardian splashed in the ocean a few dozen feet away. With another flick of my wand, I summoned the man toward us and let the girl take care of him.

I knew she was still under the shock, because she asked me no question, nor said a word. I would be shocked too, if I had been in her shoes…

Finally, she turned around and stared intensely at me for a few seconds, before deciding to speak up. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice quavering.

"My name is Harry Potter. And I'm here…to protect you."

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AN : Finally the action ! Please review and say what you think!