"Again… *Sigh* I have to protest… this place is far from what I expected… like for fuck's sake, I just went through the whole past of human history in the last world.

On top of that, I can't tell if what I'm looking at is real or not."

"You're not alone Harry.

Even I'm struggling to understand how this is possible." Gruffly stated Albert, or better known as Dudley, standing beside his cousin atop a hill, looking out in the far distance where they saw a modern Neo-Michelangelic architectural style city.

Paved roads lined with extravagant statues of godly humans, though it didn't scream damaged or ancient, but rather sleek and clean.

Pyramid styled temples and buildings could be seen from the distance, each covered in plenty of lights to not just showcase its beauty, and to illuminate the nearby area.

Harry and Dudley though, hated the about of metal utilised in creating the city, as a single plant or tree wasn't in sight.

Dudley had studied engineering, architecture, design, and a couple other fields, all covered by his cousin, after he found a passion for building and planning, so the sight of the futuristic city with heavy tones of ancient architectural styles, was far from being noteworthy or even artistically beautiful.

His eye for such matters became more prominent during his early years in High School, after which Harry came to know of it and fuelled his passion to levels no one could have imagined.

Paying for Dudley to meet with all sorts of professionals, mundane and magical, greatly helped Dudley gain a serious name in the public eye shortly after graduating from university.

When he arrived in the Terra Dimension, the world where the Terra Empire existed and remained sealed away from Harry's grasp currently, Dudley found himself undergoing further education at the Hogwarts University.

The different campuses of the university were stretched out across the region formerly known as the Dukedom of Hogwarts, located not only in Hogsmeade, but on the other side of the Black Lake and on the expanded island within its waters.

Each served various purposes, which Dudley made full use of in his time at the university before apprenticing under various Goblin and Dwarven Master smiths.

Only after that would his long and arduous ordeal be worth every single moment, as he'd begun leaving his mark across the empire, designing, and overseeing the construction of buildings, many of which were beneficial to developing society.

Though it was far from the only thing he learnt during his time inside of the Terra Dimension.

By the time they left it, heading through the Veil, Dudley, his parents, wife, and her family were all safely awaiting Harry's call for them to leave his Pocket Dimension World.

Upon his arrival in the new world, which in fact was Earth of another universe, Harry spent a short while understanding his new magical strength before calling on a few friends to help out in the unknown time of the planet's history.

Lady Death and Magic left a message with Harry, appearing in his mind only after he'd arrived in the new world, stating the era wasn't known to most, though its formation came from his actions causing echoes.

As such, Harry wasted no time calling on his friends from the pocket dimension, though only after Milly appeared with her team, and some scouts to get a lay of the land.

Right after them, Harry brought Dudley, Neville, Blaise, Ronald, Justin, Dean, Seamus, Ernest, and Colin Creevey, advising each of them about their current circumstances before everyone split to spread the news and form plans.

Hermione, Susan, Hannah, Daphne, Astoria, and others were told by Neville upon his return to the pocket dimension to form the squadrons, along with Ronald, while Justin, Dean, Seamus, and Ernest all left with Blaise to head out on a long-term trip to location a home base.

Using maps of earth, especially those scaled back for hundreds and thousands of years, if not millions, the good friends were working together with Blaise leading the team.

They had oversight through magical artifacts they wore, allowing them to communicate with others already on earth, but more than likely the group wouldn't need to call unless of an emergency or they'd settled on a home base.

In that short span of time with everyone fulfilling their various tasks, Harry and Dudley decided to walk around, casually scouting the nearby area until human tracks were found leading to few vantage points, however they were mostly eroded.

Only a wave of the hand from Harry had made the tracks more obvious and easier to follow until they noticed the city in the distance nearby a flowing river, and open expansive land surrounding it.

They admired the view of the vantage point, as well as the city momentarily before they critiqued it heavily, seeing nothing more than a jungle of steel in a time when such feats of human ingenuity and knowledge shouldn't be possible to attain.

"Let's go… I want to see what sort of place we've found ourselves dealing with… for now." Harry stated crisply, with Dudley silently following, looking out to the surroundings for anything that seemed or appeared out of place.

Thankfully nothing came for the two from the wild forest, however they noticed plenty of unique points as they neared the grand city with skyscrapers reaching unimaginable heights.

A gift Harry developed after absorbing the last few Deathly Hallows, having two sets bound to his magiks, body, and soul, allowed the wizard to easily hide himself and anyone else from the sight of others to same level the Invisibility Cloak offered naturally.

It wasn't an issue to transfigure another's clothing and keep the magic funnelled for Harry, especially if it were just Dudley to protect, but he found it easier to simply hide their presence entirely.

And it worked in their favour after passing by the city gates and discovered guards approaching their previous location, they'd stopped at to admire the inner workings of the steel jungle.

This little fact led them to hasten their movement in the cityscape, gathering any and all sorts of information, including goods to better understand where they had found themselves.

Eventually they left after spending a couple hours touring the city, storing away whatever they found interesting.

Dudley had long gained magical capabilities after Harry named him an Acolyte of Magic and Death through his will as Herald for the two primordial entities, but more importantly, the bonded wielder of a true set of Deathly Hallows.

The artifacts only unlocked their more latent powers and abilities after two sets of three were combined, a feat not possible for any to achieve expect those in service of Death.

But as Harry had done the impossible, Dudley receiving magical powers was nothing more than a magical oath and bond between the two.

It ensured Dudley wouldn't run off and cause utter mayhem to fulfil his selfish desires, but more importantly, it was to stop the man from running off with a tap into the energy released from the primordial beings to those all in their service.

Dudley wasn't the only one to take such an oath as it ensured an extremely long life, and greater magical capabilities than anyone could have imagined.

Hermione had furthered her knowledge over magic and made some startling achievements through not only her runic script achievement which consisted of an entirely new language.

But more recently, using her House Magiks which had strengthened remarkably under her supervision to help develop dozens of new potions with plenty of marketable potential.

Her love for foreign and ancient languages had led her mother, Emma Granger, to call on Harry long ago to begin teaching at Hogwarts University, leading up to the trip Beyond-the-Veil.

.

In Dudley's case though, a separate curriculum involving magical studies was organised for him to attend during his time at Hogwarts University, allowing him to further improve his craft and talents through magic.

However, Pleiades made sure to put him through the ringer, leaving him utterly wrecked by the end of each training session until Dudley became another monstrous person standing side by side with Harry and Neville.

Thankfully Harry nor Dudley did anything to attract any sort of attention going forward, having found they were much better off remaining away from the steel jungle.

One thing that irked Harry though, was not knowing how the security or guards of the city were able to suspect someone had entered the confines of the city, leading the wizard to believe they had some sort of technology that may have noticed a factor ignored by his magic.

Fortunately, no forces left the city to pursue them either, so the duo was scot-free as they made their way back to a predetermined location accepted by everyone to set up a temporary base.

It wasn't too far away from the vantage point, but enough to give them privacy and security to survive sudden intrusions and possible attacks.

Setting up temporary constructs previously held in stasis by Harry within one of his many storage rings, Harry and Dudley sorted out some of the goods they gathered from the city to better understand their closest neighbours for now.

What they found though from examining the items, only heightened the anxiety both felt after visiting the city and seeing its grand appearance with plenty of futuristic aspects.

Yet the humans they found appeared to be the furthest from the state and appearance of the city, though none were lacking anything, dressed in various fabrics, not of the highest quality, as they were mostly pieced together to create the clothing items.

Only those working at various stalls or the markets around the city were better off but not by significantly more.

However, the people appeared happy which Harry checked out further through his subtle use of Legilimency, but that was largely because they didn't know it could be far better.

Further investigation by Harry led him to discover there were people considered Godlike for the masses, yet they appeared no different to humans besides greater height, and other characteristics not visibly noticeable.

Harry wasn't a fan of this notion nor the fact there were people considered by the masses to be Godlike, when they were more than likely nothing more than a long-lived species incredibly similar to humans.

But there was no way they were going to face them straight up without some sort of strength in their hands to showcase, so it didn't lead to conflict right away.

.

The two continued to ruffle through the items they found in the markets, and scattered around the city, until everyone returned from the small trips in the surrounding space, or called through the Communication Mirrors, such as the team led by Blaise.

When they all gathered, Harry began the conversation as they settled into the various seats laid out in the vast open space lounge room.

"I'm afraid we are in a time period where humanity is nothing more than a basic life form catering to a superior one.

One that is strong enough to notice we had entered the city and were not recorded by their system…

The only conclusion I can come to, based off the items we gathered during our tour through the city, is that the superior life form may view humanity as nothing more than a labour force, one subservient to their race."

A few gasps and cries of anger came from the women safely secure in the pocket dimension who'd joined the conversation through a Communication Mirror.

The connection was possible as Harry acted like an antenna for it to exist, therefore everyone inside of the pocket dimension were included in the meeting, even reaching Blaise as his team set up camp for the night.

"I suspect something is brewing, since we saw a great deal of people migrating to the city, spending a portion of their time at the gates leading in.

Harry only confirmed the part of the people migrating when we were leaving the city, so we don't have anything concrete to say my thoughts have some foundation, but I wouldn't put it past the superior life forms to fall into conflict from time to time."

Dudley's statement drew everyone back from their thoughts before they fell into a deep spiral, so Harry was thankful for the comments, but wasn't pleased with all it went.

The possibility of finding themselves in a war began to worry most, however Harry knew Lady Magic and Death were far from sending him straight into the middle of a conflict between two species, one that would possibly require them to stand at the forefront of battles.

"… I'll speak with Dwarven Lord Kevgnor, and Goblin Lord Ragnok… they'll be prepared in case of war… however, why don't you go and see if a private meeting can occur with the superior life form?

What do we have to lose?" Neville wasn't wrong, and Harry knew it as he had similar thoughts to head back out later tonight to see if he could find the person overseeing the entire city.

Others in the meeting wanted to oppose the idea once it was aired, however Neville, Blaise, and Daphne agreed it had to be done.

Dudley only agreed after thoughtfully speaking with his cousin alone, after the end of the meeting, though it didn't mean he would stay behind.

While Harry went off to scout out the possible location of the superior being, Dudley toured the city, finding anything of value they could use to their advantage in the best and worst-case scenarios.

Yet he never expected the outcome Harry achieved with the supposed superior being overseeing the city and its inhabitants.

..

.

In a private room with glass walls from floor to ceiling, a man relaxed in front of the fireplace with a glass of the finest wines sourced from a neighbouring city, with his mind on other matters.

Safe away in his bedroom, the wiseman, fairly fit and healthy for his age, continued to watch the flame dancing in the fireplace that brought added warmth to the bedroom.

Yet it failed to bring any sort of true warmth to the seated man, however it helped him notice the approach of another, far too silent than one should be in his honest opinion.

"You know… it is considered the height of rudeness to enter one's private space of living..."

"Well… I've already entered the confines of your home… so what does one private space equate for another?" Harry replied in a calm tone, not once expressing his emotions at the sheer shock of seeing person so tall, muscular, and imposing, even while seated.

Yet Harry wasn't aware that his own presence cast a large enough shadow to leave the wise, seated man to question if he really was interacting with a simple human, or something far more worrisome.

Remaining on his two feet and a short dozen or so metres away from the seated man, Harry stared into the eyes of the wise man, never once turning his gaze away as neither said a word to break the silence.

It didn't last for long as the wise man spoke first, though his words left Harry wondering the state of the world.

"… Have you come to kill me?

Before I can begin my work?"

Tilting his head slightly to the side, Harry replied with a tinge of confusion laced to his tone, "I must apologise, but I have no clue what you are on about…

My late night… 'visit', is nothing more than to fulfil my curiosity to know who I'll be dealing with possibly, for the foreseeable future."

Intrigued, the wise man relaxed somewhat, knowing the chances of an attack had lessened significantly, yet it only caused him to wonder what sort of agreement the man wished to strike up.

Waving his hand to the seat opposite himself beside the fireplace, the wise man said, "Please… I can say for a fact you have… caught my attention, so proceed."

'In truth, you've had it since stepping into my bedroom…' he thought to himself, knowing it was near impossible to achieve such a feat, as he'd never heard of another in all his time.

.

Harry on the other hand fell completely into his salesman persona, started spouting spiel regarding not just the state of the city, but its inhabitants, and the lack of 'life' or culture for the masses to mould around naturally.

"In one day of touring your city… your home, I have found it lacking.

Built to reach the heavens above, your vertical castles are nothing more than large slabs of metal pieced together for efficiency, not effectiveness.

Not an ounce of greenery can be seen anywhere in the city, requiring the people to leave the dreary grey of your metal forest to see natural life.

But putting that aside for a moment, the people migrating to your city screams to me there is likely a war or large conflict to come, and possibly in the vicinity, within reason."

The wise man said nothing for a few moments, but Harry saw a slight twitch escape from the man's grasp of his emotions.

Not racing off to any sort of conclusions, Harry waited for the wise man to speak, however he never expected to wait a couple minutes, yet the answer made it all worthwhile.

"The history of my people… the Isu… is far from peaceful and safe from bloodshed, as it was the only way we achieved our current position in society, even with our brethren scattered and fighting one another today, nothing has affected our position.

Yet the desire to stand above all else draws too many by its allure, that escape from its grasp can be near impossible to achieve.

Many of my kind currently fight to rule over the rest, while in the hopes of pursuing a noble goal, having only made their path full of pain, misery, backstabbing, and inevitably, death.

Therefore, to save myself the heartache of being dragged into such a mess my people have started, I have stepped away from society to live as I please, away from the oversight and knowledge of my kind.

However, this hasn't stopped the masses from finding my lands, as they have escaped from the front lines which once hosted their homes.

This is as much of an escape for them, as it is for me… though unlike them, I cannot stay hidden away from my kind for too long without raising some serious concerns.

It means my creation may appear dreary, yet it is a haven for myself and those seeking shelter."

Harry could only look on at the wise man, who appeared to have aged dozens of years in an instant, as someone they could work with, not having to worry about a sudden attack from the shadows against them.

His mind already settled on the path to take ahead, Harry summoned a bottle of Firewhisky to his hand, shocking the wise man as his eyes widened for a few moments before settling.

"My name is Hadrian James Potter, however you may call me Harry."

Grinning lightly, the wise man replied after taking a sip of the Firewhisky poured into his glass cup, "I am called Hephaestus, though only a few have the privilege of knowing me as Heph."

.

The two continued to drink and talk late into the night, with Dudley soon joining them after he contacted Harry to determine his whereabouts since he hadn't checked in at the appropriate time.

This led to Hephaestus calling on his student, Consus, to join and partake in the conversation to learn about the real negotiation that occurred in closed quarters, in a relaxed but serious manner of their own, away from official settings.

Young and eager to learn, Consus listened eagerly as his Master conversed with the human like being shrouded in a unique form of armour that went by the name Hadrian Potter.

Dudley too caught his attention, but not too the extent Harry had, as the man continued to communicate with his Master on an equal footing, if not greater as there was no exact idea of their strength and capabilities.

What caught Consus and even his master by surprise was the revelation of the two false alarms earlier in the day were a result of their guest's actions.

Hephaestus explained how the city entrances were engineering to remove dirty and other harmful substances on the body and clothes, but it also noted the number of people coming and going.

The knowledge of how they were 'noticed' by the guards of the city, brought much needed relief to both Harry and Dudley, though it also led to many other questions and discussions in regards to engineering and knowledge.

This went on to the early hours of the following day, where they only further developed until Hephaestus and Consus made several Magical Oaths, enacted by Harry, to secure a temporary home for their people and the right to establish a business.

It brought a whole lot of relief to most people wanting to leave the pocket dimension and explore, but after hearing they were restricted to the city and surrounding lands for a short while, most didn't wish to leave the safety of their current homes.

Only those willing to toughen it out with Harry and the others outside of the pocket dimension were prepared to leave.

Yet upon hearing Harry wanted to form a working relationship with Hephaestus and Consus, Kevgnor and Ragnok were the first to leave the pocket dimension, along with plenty of other craftsmen, and artists, as they all ventured into the city of the Isu civilisation.

It was called Aestia by Hephaestus after completing its construction decades ago, in the hopes of creating a place for knowledge to flourish and develop freely amongst not only the Isu, but others part of their civilisation.

Yet it wasn't long before he knew such a task wasn't achievable in the current client of the world in which he resided in.

So, it instead became his home away from society, and all others willing to move far from the troubles of conflict, exploitation, and the increasing possibilities of death.

..

.

A year had passed since Harry and Hephaestus had forged the magical oath, a fact the wise inventor, scientist, metal forger, and weaponsmith still found hard to accept.

Yet he came to begrudgingly accept magic after meeting Ragnok and Kevgnor, only to see their forging capabilities were of a whole different nature to his own.

To his shock and delight, magic gave way to a whole range of capabilities his own forging skills weren't able to cover, therefore leaving dozens upon dozens of projects on hold until the technology caught up.

Most of the projects were previously deemed unachievable, yet now another source of knowledge had helped him successfully complete the various projects he had deemed not worthy of completion in his lifetime.

Magic as well as cultural knowledge from Harry and the others had immensely helped Hephaestus and his student over the course of the year to expand upon what they already know, but furthermore using it to create various items and weapons.

Though the duo didn't hold back what they knew already and shared knowledge in their hands with Kevgnor, Ragnok, and especially Harry as he spent most of his time collaborating with Hephaestus on various projects and improving the state of the city, including its inhabitants.

The people now wore proper clothes, each stitched and sorted to last a long time, even with excessive wear and tear, thankfully it wasn't comparative to the lifestyle changes they brought to the people.

They could now enjoy meals at various businesses set up to provide meals for a price, whereas another place began to offer the customers a chance at various activities which required specific tools and equipment.

For a small fee one could rest in one of those establishments, and enjoy the activities on offer, like Darts, Pool Table, Air Hockey and so forth.

They were all improved upon by Consus and Hephaestus as a way to help relieve their minds of the stress caused from other projects, yet their own brilliant minds had brought improvements to the 'Bar Crafts', as they were named by Hephaestus's daughter, Aelius.

She worked beside Daphne, Hermione, Tracey, and Pansy to manage the business operations across the city, catering to the human masses, allowing Harry more time to learn from the wise metal forger.

The work they forged in private easily exceed the knowledge in the possession of mundane humans from two similar worlds, however the in-depth cultural pool and ancient techniques, styles, and crafts had intrigued Hephaestus far more over the course of their work.

Consus similarly learnt more than he could have imagined with Ragnok, and Kevgnor assisting in his education regarding magical forging and artificing.

Though it led to a study in understanding magic and how it could be drawn upon for use in crafting and other serious works.

Yet nothing major was done in regards to studying magic as Hephaestus deemed it a pointless venture for the time being.

Though Consus believed it had more to do with his Master and Harry forging dozens of weapons, all rooting their influences on the knowledge brought their friends from other worlds of Aia.

What the young man didn't know was the extent Harry had aided Hephaestus in creating some of the deadliest and powerful weapons known to Isu kind, and other intelligent species of Aia.

Sadly, none of it could stand up against the project largely developed by Consus until Hephaestus joined after seeing his student left exhausted by the late-night dedication to the project.

But it soon drew Kevgnor and Ragnok, only for the two experienced forgers to immediately inscribe cooling runes throughout the device to handle the heat it expelled when powered on.

The nature of the item also led to Harry hearing of it and questioning what exactly Hephaestus wished to use it for, if everything the Dwarven and Goblin Lord said was true.

Though when he asked the wise metal forger for an answer, the reply had left him with many more questions that needed answering.

"Harry… *Sigh* I am creating a Dimensional Gate to allow transportation into worlds possibly connected to our own, though I am not certain it shall forge open a stable bond to freely allow anyone to travel between the worlds.

Without a stable power source and a thin wall between dimensions, including our own, the likely chance of more than a couple seconds to walk through are fairly slim," stated Hephaestus emphatically, but appeared rather physically exhausted.

The wise inventor and metal forger hadn't truly explained his own reasons pertaining to the project, as they were personal but more specifically, a possible means to escape the growing tension throughout the Isu civilisation.

Harry suspected as much, hearing a great deal from Aelius, as she spent more of her days with the ladies managing the business of Clan Heiðruind.

The name had returned once more and was accepted by all as Clan Heiðruind brought stability and safety to the ancient magical world in the past world for a very long time, only reducing their influence after the Statue of Secrecy was signed.

However, in this world, everyone agreed for the return of Clan Heiðruind, though the riders were without their magical enhanced Direwolves, as they were left to roam in the Terra Dimension.

.

There were no plans for Harry to broach the subject further as Hephaestus was content with the level of progress made on the project by Ragnok and Kevgnor as of late.

However, after Consus advised them of a Isu group visiting the city in a couple of weeks, Harry became rather alert and determined to know the truth regarding the Dimensional Gate, worried the visiting Isu may attack their people on principle.

When he next saw Hephaestus, Harry brought up the subject of the visitors coming in a few weeks, to which the wise metal forger sighed heavily, only to accept this conversation was bound to occur at some point in the near future.

"My friend… Consus, my dear boy, does not know yet, but our people are not all ethical or morally sound in their day to day lives.

It is a sad fact I have long accepted though not willingly; therefore, I have planned for the safety of your people, but I do not know if it will be enough to keep you all safe till, they leave, which is another fact I have no knowledge of."

What he hadn't said but Harry realised, was the possibility of his death occurring at the hands of the Isu visitors.

Before Harry could say anything, Hephaestus continued, "I have organised other means to keep you and your people safe… though it may not be where you might suspect, my friend."

"Heph… while I am thankful for what you have planned, my people can be safely secured away, far from this city without anyone being the wiser… what concerns me though, is your safety and that of Aelius."

It was known by all at this point that Consus could not be harmed in any shape or form without it causing untold bloodshed for the whole Isu species as the young man's father oversaw a large portion of their civilisation.

So, no one worried for his safety, even Hephaestus, who had chosen his student as the Heir to the city and his work.

And somewhat at peace with the future to come, Hephaestus simply waved off Harry's concern about his wellbeing, "Trust me friend, I shall be fine, even up against a group of my kind as they will be inside of home… my fortress… my forge.

If they choose violence, then they shall feel the wrath of my forges flame and the weapons I have created with my own two hands."

Harry simply nodded and didn't bother to further delve on the matter, knowing Hephaestus wouldn't change his mind, and would need to suffer some sort of failure to understand his own hubris.

But by then it would be too late, so Harry began to plan on his own, calling on Dudley and others to help with the relevant decisions to be made.

They were ready a couple of days before the Isu group arrived, which led to most people to return back inside of the pocket dimension, with the business operations they settled around the city passed over to Consus.

Aelius had left along with Hermione and the others, having reduced her body stature to match the others so didn't appear different than the rest, but her beauty and strength had alerted too many within their small world, however it wasn't of anyone's concern.

Rather they were more interested in the operation to take place in saving Hephaestus if the visiting Isu were to attack.

Harry suspected news somehow got out about the forged weapons, and the visiting Isu hoped to use them to their advantage, so a couple items were already in Harry's hands, while the rest remained in Hephaestus's city vault.

The Dimensional Gate was also in Harry's grasp, with a rough idea of how to make it work, including a power source they could actively tap into; however, it would be left behind and become a serious danger to the world.

Harry and the others from the pocket dimension worked on a separate solution to the power requirement of the Dimensional Gate, but only came up with a possible solution around the time Hephaestus' life was in danger.

The wise metal forger wore a ring gifted by Harry that was invisible too all except the emerald eyed wizard and himself, though its true purpose was to fight off poisons and alert of any serious dangers.

When Hephaestus became aware his life was in danger after dining with the Isu visitors, his night became far more difficult as the modified poison started to take effect.

Harry's artifact largely reduced the severity of the poison, but it still caused plenty of harm to Hephaestus, causing the wise metal forger to head into his bedroom far earlier than usual.

It wasn't long before he was joined by Harry, as he simply apparated into the bedroom, and rushed over to his bedside with another of his kind, someone he'd met before, and had come to respect quite dearly.

"Madam… Pomfrey… I must say I am glad to be blessed by your charming presence in such a dire time, My Lady," spoke a delusional and carefree Hephaestus, as Poppy fretted and cursed under her breath while waving her wand to understand the severity of the damage.

"Keep quiet unless spoken to, Hephie, or so help me Merlin, I shall kill you myself and then revive you from the land of the dead, just to ensure my lesson sticks.

Am I understood?"

Without saying a word, a meek yet giant Hephaestus nodded his head, while a renown magical healer got to work healing her patient that suffered from a poison unlike anything other.

Thankfully, it wasn't able to fight off Phoenix Tears, which they had plenty of in stock, and shelved long ago in case of such emergencies by Poppy when she learnt of the precious magical substance being sourced daily by Harry's people.

.

By the time Hephaestus felt better and appeared capable of travelling, Consus was called to the bedroom and informed of the plan to fake his Master's death by Harry and that the city itself was now in his control.

Consus found it all hard to accept, but realised soon enough that there wasn't any other real option for them to proceed ahead without alerting other parties of a new faction joining their conflict.

The young Isu wasn't left on his lonesome completely, as he was given greater knowledge on magical health, potions, runes, and other such fields to help further his crafting capabilities.

A couple stasis potions were left behind as well, all to ensure that when the time came for his supposed death, Consus could use the potions to remain in a semi-death like state until he could be revived and strengthen once more to his peak.

Harry suspected they wouldn't be remaining on this world for long, but were likely to return later down the road, a gut feeling his magic gave off, one that never had led him wrong in all his time alive and dead.

With their sad goodbyes said for now, Harry, Poppy, and Hephaestus all left the bedroom after leaving behind a transfigured corpse double to fool the Isu and others of the wise metal forger's death.

Though it wasn't much of their concern anymore after leaving Aestia, and Harry sent Poppy, along with Hephaestus to the pocket dimension while he rode on his broom for the best location know to modern mankind in his past world of a possible portal to another dimension, the Bermuda Triangle.

Upon his arrival near the sea region considered the Bermuda Triangle, Hephaestus had gotten in contact with Harry through the Communication Mirror to advise of how to activate the Dimensional Gate while heading into the region.

It was still of the far coast of Florida, though the current state of the world landscape meant there were islands present that weren't known of in the past worlds of Earth, but it didn't stop there as the sea and sky appeared more temperamental.

Focusing on the device, Harry placed some shields around himself to protect against any sudden changes from nature in its turbulent weather and began to funnel energy into a magically modified crystal to power the Dimensional Gate.

The idea came to Harry when he examined some of the jewels around Hephaestus' private workshop, though they were of synthetic nature, they had to be the closest he'd seen any fake compare up against the quality beyond the genuine product.

So, Harry made some changes to the device well in advance of the Isu's arrival and made it adapt to power drawn directly from Death's Domain due to its potency.

Sadly, for the wizard, he never expected the draw on Death's Domain to be instantaneous that the forming of the Dimensional Gate happened faster than expected, including the draw on his body to send him flying through, but not before falling unconscious.

..

.

Elsewhere in another world at roughly the same time, a gruff, bearded, and hard silvery grey eyed man stepped out on the captain's deck of his ship, the Grey Wind, as it sailed towards the sea of the east, a region still considered uncharted for the more experienced sailors.

The Galley ship leading the large fleet consisted of other galleys and Cogs scattered amongst the spread-out fleet at sea, yet they couldn't match the greater number of Carracks manned.

They were considered the best seafaring vessels, with plenty of space to store away extra goods and crew, especially those not exactly human in nature.

Besides that, they were ideal for any large fleet to incorporate, as they held more than any other ship in comparison.

Other unique ships from all over the known world had joined the fleet as it made its way home from a grand voyage around the continent, but before they could truly let their sails free, the sea itself stopped them dead in their tracks, as an unholy storm brewed in the far distance.

Worried for his people, the man with dark drab brown hair of hard grey eyes of steel and ancient power, watched silently as the weather raged in the distance, with faint sounds of a roar echoing through the sea.

"Heahþrym Magnar… shall we wait for the weather to stop raging?

The captains of the ships are signaling it isn't wise to proceed ahead, as we'll be caught up in the storm, losing many to the depths of the sea as the waves sweep through us without nary a warning."

"Aye, Deryn… they may be right…

Let us take this day as a warning from the Old Gods to stop and wait out the storm." Said the grey eyed man, with all looking in his direct from the main deck of the ship, holding their breaths for the answer that'd determine their fate in life.

Thankfully, their Magnar had said enough to give them all relief from the stress of not heading straight towards their death.

Yet as the order was given, the sky above tore apart, sending a screeching sound through the air to leave everyone single person on the ship decks of the fleet to their knees, only for the mentally strong to gaze up at the hole in the sky to see a man fall through, speeding towards the sea.

As the sky hole closed up and the man hit the temperamental seawater, a piercing shout reaching all the ships, instantly forcing all those still on their knees to stand up and race to their station.

"MAN OVERBOARD!

ALL SHIPS FULL SPEED AHEAD!

WE MUST NOT LEFT THEM FALL INTO THE GRASP OF THE DROWNED GOD!"

'"AYE!"' came from all the ships across the fleet, with those onboard the Grey Wind, leading the way towards the unconscious man floating in the sea some distance away.

Majority of the ships across the fleet remained standstill, knowing it was pointless to send everyone to recover a sole person, however they were prepared to set sail for their homeland, though only after the order came from their Magnar.

Thankfully they didn't have to wait long for a response, as news spread across the fleet to advise the captain to hasten their journey home to the North.

None knew as of yet that the order came from their High King, the Heahþrym Magnar, after he saw the visage of the young man they'd managed to scoop out of the frigid cold waters of the sea.

..

.

"Urghh… my god…what the hell… was that?" croaked Harry, after his consciousness had returned, though not before his mind started to wonder where he had arrived, simply by the dreary state of the room he currently occupied.

Before he knew it, a reply to his question came from right beside him, though spoken in a language unknown to him.

But he didn't need to wait long for a searing pain to run through his mind, leaving behind various pieces of information and knowledge pertaining to the world.

This thankfully included the local language, which allowed him to notice what the person beside him was saying finally.

Though the manly and stoic voice caught him off guard more than he would have appreciated in his dehydrated and weakened state, leaving him barely capable of speaking, much less movement of any kind.

"I do not know of the tongue you speak, but I can sense what you may have tried to say out aloud…

Understand this, young man, it is not wise to curse the Gods, when they may have led my people to witness your arrival from the sky above.

Rest now, child, you do not have the strength to rely on yourself, so lay back and allow your body to gain back its lost strength.

Though I must congratulate you for surviving the fall without nary a break of your bones."

Harry noticed the genuine shock in the man's gruff voice when he spoke of surviving the fall from the sky, yet in truth rituals conducted in the past world and those while in the care of Lady Death gave Harry a monstrous body, capable of surviving most injuries with a shrug of the shoulders.

In this case though, Harry noticed the drain on his magic, which in turn slowed his recovery, but now that he was awake, it wasn't difficult to recharge his magical core.

Even in the presence of the gruff man, Harry easily started to recharge his magical core, though his eyes settled on the greatsword made of milky white steel, with sparks of icy blue layered through the blade, yet the wizard sensed something else in its creation that he couldn't think of right away.

"What is… it made of?" croaked Harry, catching the attention of the man cleaning the blade, as the man's steely hard eyes locked onto his swirling emerald ones.

Neither blinked nor made a move of any sort, though after a short time, the gruff grey eyed man broke the silence with a slight grin across his face.

"The tale goes, as told by my father and his father and so forth, stretching back to the time when we made the north our home, that the metal came from a fallen star to have impacted in the mountains of our homeland.

My forefathers sent men to scout the mountains for the fallen star, only to discover enough metal to forge several blades for our House, though none of our smiths understood how.

In pursuit of the knowledge, they sought out new alliances, some of which brought unwanted attention to our House, however it mattered little once the two blades came in our possession.

One for the Lord, and King to wield, and the other for the Heir to use as their blade until it is time to rest it for the greatsword in my hands.

Though both blades have seen many improvements with each generation, the biggest having occurred during my very time as the Lord of House Stark and Heahþrym Magnar of the Northern Kingdom."

For a moment, it seemed like the man was searching for a reaction from Harry, but the wizard gave none, with his eyes still firmly locked onto the figure of the one calling himself Lord.

In truth, Harry's mind had relayed the information was correct as it was heard from the man, like it was always stored away in a corner, waiting to be called upon.

"Tell me… where are we currently… Magnar Stark?" Harry barely got out before his mouth dried up, leading the man to serve him a mug of water.

Helping Harry to drink, the Lord of House Stark watched on with a smile reaching up to his eyes, as if this was all expected.

"We are heading home… to my lands of the North, young man.

A place you will call home soon enough as well."

Harry wasn't sure he liked what the man insinuated, but he couldn't say anything now, without it coming back to bite him quite harshly in his current capacity of being unable to move.

"What… is your name?" was all Harry could think of asking in the end, making sure it was the last question asked.

"I'll tell you mine, though only after I have seen you stand upon your own two feet, young man.

For now, get some rest.

We are still some ways away from my homeland, the North."

Nothing else was said, as Harry watched the Lord of House Stark leave out of the cabin, with blade stowed in its sheath.

Left behind all alone in the cabin, the only thought on Harry's mind was, 'Where the fuck have I found myself?' after reaching out to tap into the natural cycle of magic travelling around the world, only to find it is comparable to magic left untouched and at its rawest form.

..

.

Several weeks passed by in no time for Harry as he made landfall once the ships had reached the land of the North, a broad land with near perpetual winter spread across the land for some time now.

Harry heard it had something to do with a war in the far north, but learnt nothing more about the subject, even when he broached it with the Heahþrym Magnar of House Stark.

As it turned out, the man was rather forthcoming with his name after Harry greeted standing, though the act itself caused a few to glare at Harry for not kneeling, but the Heahþrym Magnar said nothing.

The man in question only smiled and introduced himself as Brandon Stark, the High King of the North Kingdom.

This led to more questions why he was the High King, and not simply 'King', causing boisterous laughter from the man, but ignored answering the question.

"All shall be told once we reach home."

Nothing else was said by Brandon, leaving Harry to wonder where exactly the man was leading him, especially after they made port on the western coast of the Kingdom of the North.

House Frost oversaw the port, and made sure everyone reached Winterfell, even providing the necessary transport for other beings' part of the convoy.

It was then Harry saw the Giants being helped out of the ships that carried them from one side of the continent to the other.

Overhearing the crew for the ships, the curious wizard determined they had aided Brandon in constructing castles, which only led to more questions, but held himself back from saying a word until they arrived at the seat of House Stark.

.

While this all went on, Harry still made time to speak with those sealed away inside of the pocket dimension, having conversations with his friends, allies, and family.

The most interesting conversation he had to date occurred with Hephaestus, as the Isu metal forger was rather intrigued to learn about the craftsmanship.

He wasn't alone, as Ragnok, Kevgnor, and plenty of other craftsmen and artisits were prepared to leave the pocket dimension and 'enlighten' the world, or preferably the North Kingdom, as they appeared rather straight forward and direct, instead of overly sweet words with little substance.

Even if they had to wait until they reached Winterfell, it was worth the wait, one Harry found rather worthwhile, as his eyes fell on the grand castle of Winterfell.

It wasn't capable of measuring up against Hogwarts, from the past world, and that of the Terra Dimension, especially after the castle underwent transmutation with the castle from the other world.

On that day, Harry and many others had to admit Hogwarts was not just the repository for all knowledge in the Empire, but the very heart of what a magical educational institution should hope to reach.

Even so, Winterfell had its own beauty and magnificence that emanated the culture and nature of the North from what he had seen so far.

As they reached closer to the castle gates, Harry noted plenty of points where the walls could be improved and how to effectively station the guards, but again, he said nothing on the subject as it wasn't his place, plus there was no privacy.

Harry also knew not to say anything aloud that may seem disrespectful, more so since the people rather saw him in high esteem.

Yet as they entered the gates of Winterfell, Harry had to take a moment to not just admire the interior structure of the seat for House Stark, but also race ahead with his horse to keep up with Brandon after he called out to him.

They stopped outside another set of walls, though Harry saw only trees and other shrubbery in the enclosed space.

"Come along Hadrian… it is time you met the Old Gods and the family."

Saying nothing, Harry fell in line with Brandon as the Magnar led them through the woods, until they reached a large clearing where many others remained gathered around, including a couple large wolves that appeared familiar, and a couple beings that resembled a child of Elven and Nymph nature.

But more importantly, Harry felt the pulsating magic coming off the large tree with a white trunk and red leaves, only made haunted through the etched face upon the trunk.

"Winterfell is once more yours, Heahþrym Magnar," spoke the young man only a couple years younger in appearance than Brandon.

"Be welcomed by Bread and Salt," said a child, that Harry had no doubt was Brandon's own son.

The young child stood beside his young uncles, while his mother waved on the castellan to approach Brandon with the bread and salt.

Harry ripped himself off a piece without being told and followed Brandon by dipping it in salt, before throwing it in his mouth, only to find the bread rather tough and the salt unrefined.

'Some chances already worth improving to make life better.' Thought Harry to himself before Brandon, and his eldest, younger brother walked over to the grand tree with broad branches with red leaves glistening in the winter sun, as it was called by the locals.

"Join us Hadrian… you may be our guest, but there is naturally more to you, is there not?" said Brandon, his smirk bare for Harry to see.

None stopped Harry as he approached the tree, only to be surprised by the small ritual both brothers naturally performed as if it were second nature, but they were overseen by the Elven Nymph-like beings.

The being pulled from a dark stone knife from her back, cutting the palms of both brothers before instructing them to smear their blood on the broad white tree trunk, only for it to be quickly absorbed as they all spoke a language somewhat familiar yet distant.

Stunned by the display of ancient magic of a whole another nature he wasn't aware of, Harry moved forward without being told to do so, and cut his palm without any weapon or instrument, utilising his magic without thinking of his surroundings.

As it slammed into the trunk, Harry naturally spoke the language spoken by the Starks, though it felt oddly natural, "I, Hadrian James of Houses Potter, Peverell, Black, and Heiðran, stand before the Old Gods to not just seek shelter in the House Keep, but promise to shield their back and provide counsel when asked upon.

I swear it by the Old Gods.

I swear it by earth and water.

I swear it by bronze and iron."

Yet the last words were said by all three together, "We swear it by ice and fire," after which Harry's blood was fully absorbed by the trunk, only for a magical reaction to occur that saw the tree gaining strength and power it never knew possibly of attaining.

It even drew many shocked expressions from the present parties all witness to the event, however none said a word, furthermore when Brandon began to say, "I vow that you shall always have a place by my hearth, and meat and mead at my table.

And I pledge to ask no service of you that might bring you dishonor whilst in my halls."

"I, Hadrian James, Formaðr of Clan Heiðruind accept the oath of guest rights expressed by Brandon, the Heahþrym Magnar of House Stark and the Kingdom of the North."

Moments after, Brandon spoke, though his words sent an icy chill down Harry's back, "Arise, High-King of the Terra Empire…"