Aidois - welcome aboard!

Visual Bliss - re: if archmages were more common? Short answer: Yes. Long Answer: Yeeees. Lol. But seriously, yes Atlantis had many many more Archmages. By nature of where Atlantis was, the fact that they were a community of magicals that progressed isolated for thousands of years without muggles. Because of this isolation and because they were a community of tens of thousands, they were able to reach heights of magic that until very recently wasn't reached.

In many ways, the Atlanteans were more primitive than the current magicals with their variety of magic and flexibility of magic but they more than readily made up for it with a greater understanding of magic itself. It does sound paradoxical (how can they be primitive but yet have greater understanding?) but you should consider it something akin to someone who hunts for fun and primitive humans who hunted for necessity if that makes any sense?

Anyway, I deviated a bit but it is tangentially related to why there are more Archmages. Because of this greater understanding, over thousands of years, more and more bloodlines became more 'magical' so to speak and so per thousandth person, the Atlanteans had 10-20 times more Archmages than the current magicals.

But that will change in time as Illos leads the magical world into the stars.

- Exactly that. Short memories and lack of demonstrations is a problem. No one stays fearful forever. It is why Tyrants who fail to secure loyalties with rewards get toppled by their subordinates.

Without further adieu, please enjoy the post!

Note: If you would like to read ahead, the next chapter is available on discord whilst at least the next three chapters after it are available on P^A^T^R^E^O^N / Boombox117

The discord channel is d^i^s^c^o^r^d^.^g^g^/^v^r^8^8^t^6^4^Y^e^7


27th of July 1957 – MACUSA

Viola Clito-Beauclerc POV

Her gaze fell on the red carpet, the vivid carpet that covered the path towards the small steps that proceeded the President's chair. It would be her last, perhaps second to last time that she'd stand here. She looked up and felt all of their eyes on her.

The eyes of the MACUSA's senators.

Her elevation to President had been smooth, smoother than since any before the Grindelwald Crisis of the late twenties and the Great Depression of the thirties.

And in the years since her first term, things had only become more difficult especially by rocky periods like the Sayre Crisis and the economic crisis that hadn't touched MACUSA in any significant way.

In many ways, her presidency was defined by her nephew and her House and somehow it felt strangely poetic, albeit morbidly, that her last few months would be defined by it once more.

"You have all been informed of the discussions between the Illosian Chancellor and the ICW." She began, her voice carrying through the hallowed halls of their seat of power and her voice sounded more solemn than she had thought it would.

"A disaster!" A senator for Texas called out and agreeing murmurs echoed quietly. The papers had taken to call the discussions as 'The Disaster of Soho', an obvious homage to the disaster in 1926 at the Civic Centre in Lower Manhattan and it was an homage that bore ominous undertones given how important many had come to see the day many lives were lost because of Grindelwald.

She sombrely wondered if it was tragic or if it was simply unfortunate. From her perspective it certainly was both, she mused silently to herself. Once again her family was at the centre of global wizarding affairs even if circumstances were different.

She had lost her parents that 1926 winter in New York and years later lost her brother to the machinations of the same monster who caused their deaths before her nephew triumphantly avenged their family by ridding the world of Grindelwald and at the same time establish himself as the most powerful wizard alive.

After Grindelwald, there was little doubt the ICW became more intolerant of powerful independent mages and Atticus' unwillingness to even somewhat toe the line as others may have, was a threat that it would whatever it could to at the very least marginalise if they could not eliminate.

She spared a glance to her niece who was here as a Senator for Boston due to House Sayre's privileges as part of the Twelve Founding Houses and saw that she bore an expressionless mask amidst a sea of Senators who were no doubt curious about Sophia's reactions – and no doubt her own – but Sophia was far too much like Markus to allow her emotions to rule over her.

She turned to address Congress "A disaster" she agreed with a grim look on her face "A disaster that our people have said is without modern international precedent." Never had she thought such discourteous and shameful demands could be levied.

It was reminiscent of the Statute Wars era only this time it had come before communities that fought against the implementation of the Statute of Secrecy were defanged and had no recourse but to accept the demands levied onto them.

It took a hundred and fifty years until international cooperation of the magical world resembled anything healthy as a consequence of those conflicts and for the ICW to demand humiliating terms that breached sovereignty and dignity…

"It is also par for the course given the naked hostility of the ICW towards Illos." A senator for Nevada, Senator Wirasuap said ponderously "They never intended to reach a diplomatic solution to their issues with Illos" he said as he looked to her meaningfully. 'Their issues with Atticus Sayre'.

"They must at least know the optics of how they will look to the rest of the magical world?" Another senator argued causing several to scoff.

"Why would they care about optics?" a senator for Florida asked sceptically

"No authoritarian institution would care for optics, not when all those who 'matter' have already agreed that this was always going to happen." The senator for Florida said cynically though it was with merit. The ICW was changing before their eyes as their grip on the magical world began to tighten every year that passed.

Already their partnerships with several ICW nations in Central America was 'under review' by the respective nations and they'd already seen trade diminish. It was miniscule in comparison to the American economy but it was noticeable and it was indicative of things were headed…where MACUSA stood with the ICW.

"Which brings me to what we will do." The other senator for Boston, Senator McCuskey said with a hard expression as he stepped forward, his gaze trailing across the room.

"Must we do anything?" a Senator for Michigan said with a heavy frown "We have worked to facilitate a peaceful end to their hostilities and despite our admirable attempts, it has failed. That should be all of our commitments…" he looked to her and then to Sophia, a sympathetic look on his face as he uttered his next works "to both sides, even if we share much more in common with one of them." It set off murmurs amongst them.

"I agree." She said though it was with a heavy heart as she looked to the Senators.

"You know of my steadfast duty to our nation and to our people. It is for those reasons that I have halted any further negotiations with Illos until a President Elect without traces of implied conflict of interest" she said, stressing implied more forcefully to highlight her displeasure at even the insinuation of disloyalty to their people "may take things further it is within the interest of our nation."

She raised her hand to silence the noise had started to rise and once more commanded total silence as she continued "It is less than fifteen years since the end of the Great Wizarding war that claimed many American lives and though we are recovering, it has been a wound on our nation that I am ill-prepared to repeat…even if it is warring with my conscience as someone who feels gratitude to Atticus Sayre for his actions to bring that monster to justice and as someone who loves her nephew."

She said before ending with a look to her niece who she saw give a slight nod in agreement. The rest of their family would be unhappy, namely her sister-in-law and her grandfather Benedict, but they would understand.

She could not sacrifice American lives against an ICW that was far more militant and more powerful than it was two decades ago. They didn't have a Charleston anymore and whilst their population was quite likely the largest in the world after the splintered Chinese Confederation of Mages, it was unlikely they could stand against an ICW that had thousands of battlemages and Aurors under its banner and capable of calling on thousands' more Aurors from across the magical world.

She could not risk her citizens in a war that it objectively had nothing to do with.

Not in defence of a nation that is able to protect itself far better than MACUSA would be from invasion or assault even if her nephew could aid in their defence with his Sight.

Along with the fact that Illos was unassailable by conventional means, then there was the knowledge that Atticus had access to, the knowledge of their ancestor Moira's people, she really doubted that the ICW could even hope to defeat Illos even if they had ten thousand battlemages of Sorcerer level of power.

"Madame President" a Senator for Iowa, Nielsson, began as he stepped forward with a bowed head in respect "Please know that I consider your integrity to be without rival. MACUSA will lose one of its greatest presidents in recent memory once your term ends in November." She smiled at his kind words and the approving claps she received.

"It is never easy to choose duty over family, especially when duty demands that we accept gross injustice in return for safety and health of the people who have entrusted us with their care and wealth." Nielsson continued grimly.

"Yet about our greater duty to justice?" Senator Coolidge questioned. "Our duty to uphold the values that bind our people, a duty we're abandoning in pursuit of safety."

"I cannot imagine the American people will be pleased for us to declare neutrality in what is rapidly becoming a danger to the American people." Coolidge said as he looked around the room. "How long until we're the recipients of ICW aggression?"

It was an uncomfortable question that many had thought about.

It was why the bill to increase funding to the Defence department with special focus to the Special Forces department had passed effortlessly through Congress.

"The American people will be disappointed but they are also hesitant to involve themselves in a magical world that many are growing tired of. Where many of our citizens would at best be seen as mutts and rabble fit only to fill their coffee cups." The senator for Michigan said amidst murmurs.

"Our first and most important duty is to our people and by declaring neutrality we are fulfilling that duty to the best of our abilities." The senator for Michigan said and he gained approving looks from the senators.

Sophia stepped forward with graceful intent and a quiet hush fell within the halls of Congress. "I know my brother well." She began, her voice unwaveringly calm as she spoke further "And if there is anyone who understands duty, it is my brother who lives and breathes duty." She looked around the room.

"And that is why he would understand our decision for declaring neutrality in any conflict with the ICW should they choose to pursue a useless war against Illos."

She watched as the room looked at Sophia with sympathetic expressions on their face, some even moved by her decision to prioritise American lives over that over her brother and his people. Of course, underneath that there was also the understanding that she was making her choice to remain with MACUSA.

Sophia had won many of their respect with her business nous and her not inconsiderable charms, some who only gave it grudgingly but gave it nonetheless, and she knew that it helped that Sophia had adopted the American life wholeheartedly.

"Can Illos survive?" a senator for Nebraska, McCoy asked. It was a loaded question, a question in a vein that hadn't really been asked of her before, a question that implied that she knew much more than any of them did.

Atticus' disappearance for many years took its toll on the family – even if he hadn't really disappeared – but thankfully her family by marriage and her decades' of friendships and favours had assisted in stifling questions of her family in that regard.

All eyes were intently on Sophia who took the curious and intense looks in her stride. "Yes." She said confidently "Illos' greatest defence is its secrecy. No one knows where it is, not even I or the citizens themselves." She smiled coyly at McCoy.

"He might just rib me a little in a letter once he learns of our neutrality but he won't be too upset. I suspect I should still receive my Yuletide gifts." And it garnered some much needed light hearted chuckles.

"There are rumours Illos is allied with Japan" Keller said musingly and in the process drew attention to himself.

She looked at the Californian senator. He was a relatively young man, only in his forties yet he had a sense of charisma that spoke to many people across demographics just as his ancestry appealed to the many peoples of America.

As an heir of House Keller, a Founding House and as a son of a Mojave daughter, he had all of the ancestry he needed to appeal to the public. The polls across America were reflecting that and he was edging out Flint as the favour to succeed her as president.

Keller looked around the Congress chamber "They may not alone in this and I suspect that Magical Britain may well follow Japan's footsteps in exiting the ICW and allying with Illos."

Murmurs broke out and the tension in the room returned in strength.

"We know that Japan trades with Illos but an alliance? Military Alliance?" Senator Kōnstantînos of Oregon posed with a heavy frown. "Such an alliance is unheard of."

"In recent times? Yes. But that's because the International Confederation of Wizards made such alliances pointless. Before the ICW, there were many such alliances between communities, especially in Asia." A senator from Virginia commented.

"It would change the dynamics of the conflict if Illos doesn't stand alone." Senator McCoy said concerned "It could escalate into a World Wizarding War."

It made many people uneasy. The though that a world war on a greater scale of the Great war may actually happen…

Neutrality may not even be an option if the war escalated to such a degree.

The Statute may end up in great peril if it was being fought across the world and given the concerning rapid advancement of the muggles, the last thing they needed was exposure to happen during these perilous times.

"It wouldn't come to that. My brother wouldn't let it happen. He would not let it escalate to that degree if it was unnecessary and it is unnecessary. The ICW cannot breach Illos." She said firmly and confidently.

"You're confident in Illos' defences but I have to call you out on this confidence. Are you certain Illos' defences can hold when the full weight and power of the ICW is set against it?" A senator from Maine asked.

Sophia shook her head "I don't know as much about Illos as you think I know." She said with a disapproving tone and internally Viola applauded at her ability to lie without even a slightest hint of deception

"My brother never involved me in the building of Illos. This was, in his own way, done to protect me from the enemies that arrayed themselves against him because of his abilities and because of his beliefs of equal opportunity and equal rights that many powerful people felt threatened by." She said firmly

"But if you have to guess." the senator from Maine, Quahog insisted. "Your brother is known to be perhaps the most powerful wizard alive, perhaps even more powerful than Merlin himself but surely they don't think they can hold out against the ICW in any meaningful way?"

She looked at him with a displeased look but answered anyway "Do I believe Illos can hold out indefinitely?" she paused momentarily "I don't know." She admitted. "I know my brother is powerful and extremely knowledgeable but power and knowledge alone won't allow Illos to win against the considerable forces of the ICW. I believe they know that." She finished and causing murmurs to break out.

She decided to intervene. "Such speculation does us little use. Let us refocus on our course of action." And with that debate reopened on how to extend their neutrality on the world stage.

-Break-

28th of July, 1957 – London, British Ministry

Abraxas Malfoy POV

"Are you certain you cannot tell me what I could expect?" Livermore asked with his fingers tented together on the table in a bid that Abraxas was coming to understand as his own way to calm his frenetic nerves.

Livermore was the British Minister of Magic and an early member of Ouroboros. Despite his politically powerful position, he was only a third generation pureblood from a merchant family but he was an astute sort that knew who to thank for his rise.

He'd joined Ouroboros nearly from the beginning and had increased the wealth of his family by nearly thirty fold over the years.

It made the Livermore family firmly entrenched in their allegiance to House Slytherin and it was through that loyalty and his ability to navigate through the Ouroboros Party without making enemies that earned him the Minister of Magic position.

"You know how Her Majesty likes to ensure no secrets are given avenues to escape." Abraxas drawled as he stared at the Minister.

Livermore drew his lips to a thin line though he made no outward expression.

"Minister…" Lestrange began, deciding to interject "All we can confirm is that we will meet with His and Her Majesties to discuss relations between their nation and Britain."

Lestrange's voice dropped low "That should be enough, should it not? Or have you forgotten?" he asked, his tone dangerous as he stared at the Minister.

Her disappearance from Magical Britain had caused a frenzy amongst the public – the senior members of Ouroboros had known of her plans long before she left – and Abraxas had noticed over time that some amongst them had begun to waver somewhat in their common cause.

No one had broken rank.

Nothing that severe however curious comments here or there made more appearances over time, not questioning but certainly probing validity in small ways.

The public had been given the explanation months after she left that she had returned to her husband that she missed, an explanation that they accepted yet still wondered often about, but it gave her detractors…opportunity to claw back power from Ouroboros…or even within Ouroboros as some sought out likeminded individuals who may wish to carve out their own little political space in opposition to their cause.

Of course, as soon as news of Illos was made public, such wavering disappeared easily enough. Unfortunately for them, he doubted that it would be so easily forgiven and Livermore knew the comments by Nott were said with warning in mind.

Livermore was taken aback at the tone before he bristled visibly. Abraxas watched him carefully and idly wondered if there was anyone who didn't allow power to get to their heads.

"I have not forgotten my loyalties!" Livermore said with hints of anger in his tone before he visibly calmed himself "But this" Livermore waved towards the letter in front of him "doesn't really explain anything…except that I am will be taken to Her Majesty via a portkey! I am the Min-"

"Yes you are the Minister." Nott spoke up for the first time, his cool calm tone cutting through the room like a sharp knife through flesh. "And it doesn't matter."

Nott leaned forward, his cool grey eyes as hard as cloudy diamonds "In the end, it doesn't matter if you were in charge of a dozen Ministries. You are sworn to her. We all are and we serve her."

The death of Nott's father had more than just an impact on his outward demeanour. It had also solidified his loyalties to Lady Slytherin when she gave him those who were responsible for his father's death just as she had given Abraxas his own measure of revenge.

It had been a curious thing to witness, Abraxas mused as he looked on at Nott's cold hard expression. The fervent loyalty she was now commanded in so many people, powerful people…something that had only come years after Hogwarts.

It hadn't been difficult to notice the shift in her approach…the shift from ruling through fear but through winning over individual loyalties to her personally.

She'd won the respect and fear that came with her name as a Slytherin and of her power – it had been what shored up the loyalties of their peers at Hogwarts when she came out as Salazar's heir – but she hadn't won the kinds of loyalties he'd seen the Knights of Mimpost give the King.

With perhaps the exception of Lestrange and Rockwood.

No, over time as she formed Ouroboros, more and more people who were in close proximity to her were convinced that her way was the way it should be, even if it spat in the face of centuries of pureblood beliefs.

That had been her most cleverest alteration, to change the beliefs from pureblood supremacy to magical supremacy. The moral high ground was to be maintained through guiding individuals and children into the right way of thinking, to integrate them into productive members of common society and eliminate the contamination of the muggle world into their own at the same time.

It helped of course that her ideas were in line with the traditionally minded nobility…those who wanted a return to ancient traditions that had been suppressed due to being considered as pagan and a danger to exposure to the muggles.

And now with the reveal of Illos and her status as royalty in a magical-only kingdom, the only one of its kind…well, to say many felt vindicated in their support of her more than they already were would be an understatement.

The news that made its way to Britain thanks to the Daily Prophet, had made Illos seem like a veritable magical paradise, one where magical tradition, culture and spirituality were embraced by every single citizen.

Atticus Sayre, the man and his family the previous 'corrupt' government had ousted, the man who many had seen grow up from the golden boy he had been into Britain's prodigal son who defeated the greatest threat to the magical world had ever seen, had done exactly what he promised to do in Britain…just somewhere else.

To say that the images, the news and the account of many formerly British citizens had created interest would be an unquantifiable understatement.

All across Britain, in its shopping and residential centres, he knew that Illos was something that was discussed daily even now, even weeks after the news was broken.

And he knew that Atticus Sayre's legend was resurgent in a way that reminded him of the days just after his defeat of Grindelwald. That coupled with the adoration many of the people had for Emily Sayre who helped improve their daily lives…

Not many found the idea of two of the greatest British magicals – everyone and their mother still claimed them to be one of their own – as royalty as offensive which was surprising given that not even Merlin reborn would have such considerations.

It was ironic given that Magical Britain had a…complicated history with royalty.

British magical nobility even more so.

From Alfred to William the Conqueror, to Richard the Third, to Mary Queen of Scots to Queen Anne of Great Britain, none of those Kings and Queens had truly been considered as the Sovereign of the magical peoples of the Isles.

Only once in their history had they really considered any royal member proudly as one of their own and that had been Princess Morgana, the half sister of King Arthur, the Archmage witch that history had cast as a Dark Lady by history thanks to Merlin as a consequence of her threat to King Arthur's reign.

'Of course she was actually a Dark Lady but that wasn't a crime, it was only a negative term given by political opponents' Abraxas mused silently to himself.

In any case, the news had sparked massive amounts of interest and as more information was being released about Illos, more and more people grew envious as people they recognised and knew and were related to prospering in ways that seemed incredible to most ordinary people. To see those people prospering when many British people, whilst doing much better now, had suffered for years…

Fortunately, it was not angry envy…not even slightly.

Rather it was covetous, one that had people readily research and discuss the ancient kingdom of Camelot, the last True kingdom that wizards and witches had been able to call their own.

Combined with the people's resurgent fascination in magical history, further strengthened by the plays about King Arthur, Excalibur and other cultural propaganda shown in the Nine Realms Theatre, the idea of Illos was proving to be more enticing than any could have imagined.

Which alarmed a number of their strongest detractors about where things were going. Much to his amusement. It was already too late, he mused to himself.

History had a kind of momentum of its own and right now, they were in freefall towards the inevitability.

After all…

It was at their hands history was tumbling towards this inevitable eventuality.

Silence reigned for a few moments until the Minister collapsed in on himself.

"V-very well." Livermore said with a defeated sigh before he eyed Nott, surprisingly no hint of disdain in his eyes "You know the ramifications for Britain should the ICW find out about our mission will be grave."

"Ramifications that will be of little consequence." Nott dismissed emotionlessly "Our economy can withstand the sanctions they may place on us. Trade with Illos, Japan, MACUSA and even South America would easily fill the gap in our economy."

"I wasn't simply speaking economically." Livermore noted critically. "As you are well aware."

Abraxas smiled thinly at Livermore "And equally it is of little concern. The ICW will be dealt with." Abraxas' smile sharpened "It is an eventuality."

Livermore said nothing for a moment as he stared at Abraxas before he nodded, seemingly accepting their words for the truth they were. "I am a loyal servant of Her Majesty." He simply said and Nott leaned back in his seat, a pleased expression shadowing his face. And with that, they were all aligned once more.

"Excellent." Abraxas said with a nod as he made to stand up and before he made to leave he added "We leave early tomorrow. Dress in your finest Minister."

A day later and an uncomfortable portkey journey later, they arrived at a silver grey polished stone place, a plaza he'd only been to twice before. He frowned slightly and he noticed the others who'd been before did the same. Illos felt…different. Magic felt…thicker, more plentiful, more substantial. More than even Hogwarts.

He turned to Nott and he was almost surprised to see the man almost look hungry.

He returned his eyes to the waiting party. There were six people in front of him though only two were dressed somewhat normally as the other four wearing silver armour.

Noises of surprise rang around him and he looked towards the sounds. There were seven others with him.

Amongst them, only Lestrange and Nott had been here before.

"Welcome" the man who seemed to be in charge said as he stepped forward. "To Belva Hallos Terminal."

"And who are you?" Livermore questioned before he looked to Saunders who Livermore recognised from the papers.

"I am Ryan Smith-Rowe, the Chief Representative of Illos…the equivalent of a Minister of Magic." He gestured to his right where Saunders was.

"And this is the High Chancellor Sandra Saunders who is a senior member of the Illosian government." He explained before he paused momentarily "There isn't quite the equivalent of what she does however she is at equal rank to myself."

Abraxas inclined his head towards her which she returned with a neutral nod.

Over the years he'd begun to respect her despite her unfortunate blood status. She was fully committed to the goals of their mutual leaders and had fully integrated into the magical world. She was a symbol for those of similar backgrounds to aspire to.

"I see." Livermore said a little more reserved – and guarded – as he straightened himself out a little.

Abraxas exchanged a look with Lestrange before he glanced at Sidwell who looked unconcerned. Abraxas never did find out why Director of the DOM was requested to come to what was essentially a 'diplomatic' mission.

"I am Jacob Livermore, the British Minister of Magic." He gestured to the rest of the company "With me are Lords Lestrange, Nott and Malfoy along with Misters Proudmore and Diggory who are senior members of Ouroboros" and then he gestured specifically to the other two "And these are the Chief Unspeakable Sidwell of the DOM and the Head Director of International Cooperation Siegfried Davos."

Rowe nodded to them before he gestured towards the exits "If you follow me, we will depart towards the Main Tower, our governmental building."

"I thought we were here to meet His and Her Majesty?" Livermore said with a frown as they began walking.

"Their Graces will meet you in time." Saunders only said as they descended down the stairs. They followed silently knowing that they were being made to wait purposefully.

Abraxas watched the expression of his companions.

Livermore, Davos and Diggory were all impressed though the latter two hid their awe at the architecture of the station poorly.

It wasn't long before they reached the bottom of the stairs and made their way towards the open platform and it was here that Livermore had slackened his indifferent expression into an open display of awe as they gazed open the massive country that was Illos.

"How large is Illos?" Diggory asked with a small hint of trepidation in his voice. The papers never really showed scale of Illos, nor the massive metal frame that encircled the country like how the Alpen mountains encircled magical villages in hidden valleys.

"About the size of Crete. About 8000 square kilometres." Saunders said casually and he heard Livermore choke slightly before he recomposed himself.

"Impressive." Livermore said, this time excitement overcoming him and it wasn't hard to guess what Livermore might be thinking. That amount of space could host millions of wizards and witches.

No doubt that once things were in full swing, there would be a heavy demand to purchase land on Illos. He glanced at Nott who smiled knowingly at Abraxas.

It seemed that Nott had the same idea.

It wasn't long before they were in the air in a skymobile. Aside from Diggory excitedly chatting with Rowe about how it worked and if it would be included in the trade agreements, the journey had been mostly silent.

No doubt Sidwell and the other first timers were taking in all they could in their trip.

After a brief settling in their hotel, they were brought for brief discussions with Saunders and Rowe as they lined up an agenda. It seemed like they would not meet with His and Her Majesty today or tomorrow.

The day of tourism as Saunders so usefully supplied, had been informative, even for him as he'd gotten to know how much things had changed in the years since he'd last been here. And things had changed significantly.

The population doubled and all around Illos, there were simply more as they were taken on tour starting from watching a game of Threepeller at the Thunder Arena to the shopping districts to the Pandrosion Institute that admittedly rivalled Hogwarts for beauty.

Their tour ended with the Temple of Celestis, a massive temple on the outskirts of the city which had a hundred foot statue of Lady Magic merged into the domed temple that radiated magnificently in the light of the three artificial suns.

It was the highlight of the tour, going to this temple, a temple that was almost as tall as the 'Main Tower'. From almost anywhere in the city, one could see the beckoning Lady Magic as she held a spear in one hand and a golden apple in the other with the golden armour and the golden crown alight like a beacon almost like calling one to prayer.

The path that directly led to the temple was long yet he could not imagine anyone tiring from walking towards the temple. Perfect trees and perfect grass were on either side of the path and as he entered the temple, his breath was taken away by beauty of the art.

Paintings and portraits of popular depictions of Lady Magic in all kinds of cultures adorned the great walls of the multi-floored temple.

There were paintings of a gentle Hecate, a triumphant Shakti, a powerful Circe, an embracing Isis, a loving Freya, a seductive Angitia and a wrathful Morrigan.

The robes, the clothing and the togas moved in undulating waves as the bodies stood still like anchors. He'd never seen such magnificence in all of his life and it was without question he would hire this Fatimah to make such work for him in the future.

There were some eight floors to the temple, each floor dedicated to some version of Lady Magic throughout the magical world allowing any magical to pray to their culture's version. There were not any organised kinds of prayer, no, magicals did not conform to religion, instead it was left to the individual to find their spirituality.

He'd seen a few people pray in their own way, some sitting before a small statue of Lady Magic in silence whilst others elaborately weaved orchids or light around them whilst chanting quietly in Latin.

Hours past and as the rest of their party returned to the hotel to prepare for their meeting with His and Her Majesty, Abraxas stayed behind to admire the art and the temple itself.

He wasn't the only one either.

After a little while, he came across Sidwell staring at a painting of Morrigan below a dark cloud only brightened by streaks of lightning amidst a backdrop of moving rain the colour of blood and Abraxas stood next to him.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Sidwell enthused, his gaze still on the painting.

"Yes…it's powerful image." Abraxas confirmed as he stared at the painting. In the distance, one could see nearly a dozen hills yet those hills were too…oddly shaped. They were wavey, ribbed hills and if one looked closely, it almost began to resemble mountains of bodies. It wasn't surprising given who Morrigan was from legend.

"A tribute to the might of magic." Abraxas added as he stared at the streaks of lightning. Sidwell turned slightly to him and seemed to look at Abraxas from the corner of his eyes.

"I would have agreed had I not noticed the shoulders." Sidwell stated before returning his gaze to the painting.

Abraxas lightly frowned as he looked at the painting and took in Morrigan's form. Her back was all that could be seen but her stance and the way the painting was framed had her at the centre of the painting, like she was the linchpin, the important figure in the message of the painting. Yet as he looked closer…he began to see.

She was…slumping.

Her shoulders were not tall or level they were buckled, cast down as if there was weight pulling her down. Her posture was not straight but rather almost hunched. "I see it." Abraxas said as he turned to look at the rest of the painting for more clues.

The Morrigan was associated with war and fate but there was also the lesser known association of magic and nature. He had thought it was the latter associations that had he included in the band of known names of Lady Magic but perhaps not.

"It is a tragedy." Sidwell noted after a few moments of silence as he raised his chin as he brought his brows down in a scrutinising way.

"For her? Or for them?" Abraxas questioned as he stared at the mountain of bodies.

"For us." Sidwell corrected and Abraxas turned to Sidwell who wore an expressionless face. "We have lost much in war, our kind." Sidwell said musingly.

"The magic taught in schools whilst more pragmatic and utilitarian pale to the more…raw forms of magic that our ancestors once used. Most of which is long dead, forgotten by and burned away from history." Sidwell glanced at him momentarily before returning his gaze to the painting. He remained silent for some time before he spoke again.

"Thousands of years of conflict has weathered away our knowledge. Thousands of years of magicals killing one another after the loss of Atlantis, each generation losing more knowledge than the last." Sidwell turned to him and Abraxas intently studied the man.

"You think The Morrigan slumped form in is indicative of her mourning of those happenings?" Abraxas questioned curiously as he eyed the painting with scrutiny.

"In some way or another." Sidwell said musingly.

The way he was speaking…it was likely he knew more than Abraxas previously thought about the Sayres' greater plans about the magical world.

Abraxas had not spent much time talking with the man who rose through the Department of Mysteries in a quiet affair – Rockwood never spoke of the goings on in his workplace – but he did know that the man had some close association with their leader.

Whatever he was here for, Abraxas was certain that it was linked to whatever she needed in Department of Mystery and it was likely linked to the current happenings.

"The mountain of bodies is symbolic in many ways. It took a great many mountain of bodies to get where we are for good or ill and it will be up to us to ensure we do not end up as the final mount." Sidwell said before he took his leave, leaving Abraxas on his own to ponder Sidwell's words and what he might know.

A day later, he stood before a massive set of doors at the Main Tower.

The massive silvery grey doors, engraved with golden runic symbols that he had difficulty placing, opened with a heavy thud and they were led inside by the armoured guards.

Livermore, Diggory and Davos were quiet as they all walked in though he could feel the nervousness radiate from them. The assuredness they had in their meeting with Saunders and Rowe had disappeared like ash carried away in a gust of wind.

He shared a glance with Lestrange and Nott, one looking almost giddy whilst the other had an intensity in his gaze, and knew that this was new territory for them as well.

This would be the first time they'd see her in over a year and the first time since she'd been elevated as Queen. He had not seen Atticus Sayre years longer.

They quietly walked into the huge chamber, their feet echoing quietly in the multi-storied high ceiling that gleamed with silver ornaments whilst the white pillars shone almost like rods of white light with the way the sunlight was hitting them through the arched windows at the edges of the ceiling.

Though that was not what drew all of their attentions. They came to a stop in front a set of steps, their eyes affixed on the two who sat before them in huge chairs ornamented with Sphinx symbols and Serpentine carvings.

They were attired in purple robes with Atticus Sayre's robes accentuated with silver whilst hers was accentuated with dark green.

A flag with a purple green Sphinx in flight was surrounded by a circular dark green serpent that framed the crest stood proudly behind their seats next to the strange flag he'd seen all around Illos of a purple tree like stump with white roots growing from the stump reaching out to blue, yellow and green stars.

Their expressions were expressionless but their eyes were aglow, his eyes a maelstrom of purple and greens whilst hers were near black blue hue of power.

He could almost hear the crackling magic and the hissing sound of the burning air amidst the indomitable aura they so effortlessly exuded.

Even from this distance, he could feel instinctively of the imbalance of power.

That the two before him within an instance could make that imbalance into physical reality if they chose to unleash the restraint on the magic that roiled underneath their skin, magic that churned in unfathomable magnitude.

The way they looked and felt and held themselves in smouldering authority, it was almost inhuman, almost as if they were like two beings of divinity whose very radiance could burn them into ash if they got too close.

It would have been laughable if it hadn't felt closer to the truth than not.

And he knew that the others felt the same the way the air surrounding them grew thick with tension, thick with the weight of authority the two before them had.

An authority that all of them felt despite their lack of crowns.

'How far they had come…' Abraxas mused to himself.

In hindsight, the two of them had always been marked for greatness. He'd seen both of their rises almost from the beginning and he scarcely could believe he was present for almost all of it...or that these inhuman beings had such…human beginnings.

And as he stared at them, their lack of crowns seemed…irrelevant.

Crowns didn't matter.

It wasn't needed and he did what his senses screamed at him to do.

He bowed.

"Your Majesties." Abraxas said in a calm smooth tone as he bowed from the hip, his back perfectly level as he stared at the steps before him.

A chorus of 'Your Majesties' immediately followed.

"Rise" Atticus' commanding tone was unmistakable and neither was the immediate effect it had on all of them as they rose as one.

"Your Majesties." Livermore began, his voice was surprisingly calmer than Abraxas might have thought him capable "I am honoured to be here today."

He looked at Her Majesty and his head dipped once more "Your Grace" he said with his voice woven with a sense of reverence.

"Henry. It is good to see you again. I am glad you chose to come despite the short notice." Her Majesty said with piercing dark blue eyes.

"I am of Ouroboros." Livermore only said as his head dipper deeper. 'I am your servant' had been left unsaid but it was not needed.

Her Majesty's expressionless face broke and a hint of a smile made its way on her face yet "Good." Her eyes trailed across towards the rest of them.

"Then you understand at least in some way why you're here."

Livermore stood straighter "I do." He confirmed before he glanced at the others in his government. "We do." Diggory and Davos bowed their heads in confirmation.

Her gaze turned from them and turned towards him, Lestrange and Nott and it was a gaze that seemed to make time itself obey her as the moment stretched into infinity.

In their world power was everything.

Blood, Nobility, Magic.

In the aftermath of the muggle plot against Magical Britain, many in Ouroboros despised muggles especially the muggle royals with a cold hatred in their hearts.

Who were the muggles to command them?

Who were the muggles to think they could hold their magic hostage as they destroyed everything that made them who they were?

They were nothing but muggles who got lucky with Merlin's acquiescence.

Yet, as he stood here, in the presence of those who had pure magic running through their veins as if it was blood itself, those who were favoured by Lady Magic in a way that made him a believer of her existence as an entity…

Momentarily all that came to mind was…they had the Right.

A fleeting thought passed through him, about his surprising acceptance of their unparalleled greatness, of their Right over him.

Perhaps it was because he had fourteen years to come to terms with it, fourteen years after he witnessed them bring down a massive piece of rock from the lifeless Void that they shaped into the realm of magic that was Illos.

Maybe it wasn't just that either, perhaps the years of his association with her and by proxy him had been enough for him to simply know that Magic favoured them.

It was a simple truth equal to the certainty that the sun rose and fell.

It simply was, this truth that Magic favoured them just as he knew by experience that they favoured Magic above all else and it was because all of that that he knew…knew that they truly had the Divine Right.

A Right that hadn't come from some false God that hated their kind but from Lady Magic herself. A Right that Dark Lords and Ladies and rulers unconsciously tried to tap into but never managed to fully channel.

Not since admittedly King Arthur. Not since ancient Wizard-Kings of Babylon.

Not until now.

He glanced at Nott and then Lestrange before he returned his gaze back at His and Her Majesty. The look on the King's face seemed to indicate that he knew what Abraxas was thinking.

Abraxas bowed his head before he took a knee.

In their world power was everything.

Blood, Nobility, Magic.

"I, Abraxas Septimus Malfoy, pledge my loyalty and that of House Malfoy to the Royal Houses of Sayre and Slytherin. This I so swear!"

Golden magic encircled him and he felt a binding settled around him, a binding that wasn't uncomfortable though he could feel its pull towards them.

He looked up and saw the shocked looks of Livermore, of Davos and Diggory on him. Not surprising given it is the first and only time they'd ever see a Malfoy on their knees. They would soon enough join him.

Neither Nott or Lestrange had such shocked looks, at least not overtly. Amusedly, he wondered how much it offended either of them that he did it first.

He turned his gaze towards his monarchs and he wasn't disappointed.

On the King's face there was a look of acceptance, a look that spoke of his understanding of why Abraxas did what he did and on hers…

Unbridled glee shone in her eyes and a look of satisfaction and Abraxas knew for certain now that House Malfoy's position was more secure than it had ever been.

'To survive and thrive wherever the coin fell'

Those were words Malfoys knew and lived by.

Abraxas had never been content with simply surviving and the magical world would bow before these two. He knew this to be the will of Magic herself.

And when the magical world bowed before these two, House Malfoy would behind them above all the others.

Not because of magic, not because of a Divine Right but because of the will of Abraxas Septimus Malfoy.

A glimmer of assurance shone in his eyes as he stared at the two before him from his kneeling position. Their greatness would thrust House Malfoy into what it was always meant to be.

That was the promise that Abraxas would live by.

-Break-

Hypatia Agoralos POV

She pulled herself out of time with a quiet gasp with a profound sadness gripping her heart. Why? She wondered. What was the point?

'You know why…' the quiet voice of Atticus interceded in her thoughts.

She knew why. She knew the point. She just didn't want to understand and her travels through Living Time aimed at trying to find out how to avoid it.

She never found a way. It was almost as if it had to happen. That so many thousands of people would have to die because of the uncompromising beliefs of one tiny group of people who thought they knew what was best for the future of Magekind.

That war was inevitable because of the threat Illos and its ideals and the future path that it opened for the rest of their kind were posed to their machinations for a slim almost impossible future of a united muggle and magical world.

The war was inevitable when the world threatened to become a darker place under the shadows cast by the Raven's wings where she'd Seen people take a deep savage joy in destruction and murder.

She let off a breathless sigh as she closed her eyes momentarily.

All of her life she had thought war was a pointless exercise that weak people allowed to dominate them, that people allowed the primitive parts of their biology to dominate over them.

They had magic.

They had powers to alter reality, to create everything they would ever need. Why would they need to war when nothing was out of reach for them? When no one would have to go hungry, or be homeless or without purpose when magic gave so much?

Bitterly, she thought, it wasn't enough…to simply have magic. People had ideals, people had beliefs how the world should work, who shouldn't be part of the world…

It seemed like war was part of human instinct, part of their genetics that only transcended in complexity even if at its roots it was simple.

Denying others what they want or need

She looked up and met his gaze as he sat across from her in the same lotus position she was in. She must have looked desperate, harrowing even, with the way he looked at her with eyes that filled with sympathy even as his face was set in grim acceptance.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat and in sorrow even as her eyes met his in silent understanding. She had Seen this conversation.

She knew the exactness of the words that would be said. Her questions were always the same each time she Looked. Each time she fell through the images in motion.

And his answers were always the same just as his expression of sympathy and acceptance never altered. "It is unavoidable?" she asked quietly and sounding as desperate as she had Seen a dozen versions of herself.

"Yes." Was his simple answer but the tone conveyed so much more.

How often had he tried to change the future? How often had they prevented it?

She broke away her gaze and looked past him and into the peaceful gardens of Sayre Manor. Her gaze settled onto the ancient Persea tree, the lone tree that overshadowed all other life in the gardens.

"Other possibilities exist." She said, going through the motions.

"They do." He confirmed "None of them bear fruit. Not in the way you would want."

Her expression broke into deep sadness "Why?"

He said nothing for a moment. The artificial winds swayed the Persea tree with a gentle caress, the rustling leaves almost chimed musically. It was beautiful.

She wanted to lose herself to this ambience but she knew it was only eight seconds until it was ruined, until he spoke and told her of the narrow path they wanted it all to happen so that Illos could not grow to what it could be.

Three, two one…

The light shimmered slightly and she blinked. 'What…'

He still said nothing seconds later and her eyes widened in shock as her mind caught up on the impossibility and she turned to him and saw a triumphant gleam in his unique green and violet eyes "How?!" she exclaimed.

She'd tried and tried for days and each time the likely possibilities were only slightly different. Never had she ever encountered this moment in all of her visions.

"With great difficulty" he admitted with a vague smile.

She felt like she was about to burst with questions before she could, he spoke again.

"I will explain later." He said as he outstretched his hand.

She kept her tongue deciding to wait and she eyed his hand curiously before looking at him quizzically "Give me your mother's necklace." He said to her and she frowned but as she made to speak he conjured a coin. "Heads you say yes, Tails…no."

The coin floated towards her and she picked up the coin and she looked it over. It was her face and the face of a serpent tail on the other side.

She looked at him once more and he had an unreadable expression on his face and she just decided to flick the coin. When he got all 'Mysterious Sage', there was annoyingly very little she could do but to play along until they got to the end of whatever learning moment they were in.

The coin soared into the air with a ding and a shiver went down her back, a shiver as a result of the strange tingling sensation that seemed travel through her spine which almost felt like a sense of déjà vu passing over her half a second before the coin landed back into her hand.

She blinked away the strange sensation and opened her palm and the serpent tail stared back at her. She looked to him "Tails." She said with a deep sense of curiosity tinging her voice. He closed his eyes, seemingly haven gotten what he wished for.

Moments passed, the soft sounds of rustling and dancing leaves in the mild wind loomed over them before she felt something change. The sense of déjà vu became pronounced, so pronounced that she felt like it was crawling across her nerves.

It was discombobulating, the way the world seemed to break at the fault lines, no it seemed to grow at the fault lines, breaking and splitting into mirror images as she began to see an overlay of existence. She saw doubles, traces of doubles wherever she looked. Two of Atticus, one hiding behind the other. Two of the Persea tree and of the statue and she looked down and saw her right hand turn into two.

And just as soon as the discombobulating feeling emerged, it disappeared and she raised her towards him. Her eyes turned wide as her hands turned to her neck instinctively but instead of finding comfort in the presence of her necklace hanging off of her neck, she instead was confused.

In his hands was the exact replica of her mother's necklace, her necklace.

"Why did you conjure a replica of my necklace?" she asked, her tone conveying her confusion ably.

"It's not a replica" he said softly as the necklace floated towards her, his voice carrying a level of gravitas that was surprising her and no less confusing her furth-

Her jaw turned loose, her eyes impossibly wide as her shock became overwhelming.

The moment her hand touched the necklace, she knew.

Ooh, how could she not?

Her mother's enchantment sung the moment the necklace fell into her hands, a song that echoed in harmonious symphony with the necklace around her neck and she knew, despite the impossibly impossible impossibility, that this somehow was her mother's necklace, her necklace.

Nothing could replicate her mother's enchantment, her magic that imbibed the necklace with facets of her own magic and full weight of her love for her daughter.

"This is my mother's necklace…" she said with clouded eyes that were on the cusp of reigning. Her mother had died before she could teach her how to make one herself.

She wanted to make one for Pandora but had been afraid to damage her necklace that became so very part of her core, the nurturing and loving magic that caressed her being and magic made everything so much brighter and wonderful to experience.

But now…now she could try without losing what was part of her.

She looked at him, and saw that he had a kind look on his face though there was a graveness in his eyes. She blinked, letting the errant build-up of tears run amok across her face before she wiped them away with her hand.

"That sense of déjà vu…." She trailed off, beginning to put things together and he nodded silently before he looked away and over his shoulder towards the Persea tree.

"That was you experiencing two moments in time at the same time." The coin that she had dropped floated towards his hand and he played with it, flipping it in between his fingers as he stared hard at it. "Two different moments in time that could have, would have existed in different timelines, in universes, but instead were brought to exist at the same time, in the same moment." He said as the coin fell on its edge onto the floor.

"B-b-but that's…" she tried to say as she troubled with grasping with the full weight of what he was saying. He looked back at her and the emerald flecks in his sea of violet shone beautifully like glowing embers of a dead fire and for the first time in her life she was truly, utterly mesmerised by the impossibility of the man before her.

It was breaking every single law she ever thought she knew. Laws of magic, laws of the universe. She knew of the existence of alternate timelines, alternative universes that infinitely came into existence with every divergent choice that was ever made in any moment but to think that one could cross that border between universes?

To cross and literally pull at time and space at the inception of the creation of a new universe to bring in extra-universal matter into their own universe?

Was it even crossing? She thought wondrously.

As she thought about it, it was more like taking advantage of a state of existence that was indeterminable, like Schrodinger's Cat, where Atticus simply took advantage of the fuzzy properties of Time and Reality to create circumstances where both choices existed the same time.

She wanted to laugh and maybe even cry a little at the possibility of something that she never even thought to think of being possible!

Atticus continued "Time…it was once described to me to flow in one direction. That it could stretch, that it could be accelerated but that it will never go back. This, I believed to be the truth of the universe." A facetious smile seemed to make its way on his face as he looked briefly towards the sky.

"Even now, the Monk teaches me." and she wondered who this Monk was.

He met her gaze "Time is so much more than simply a flow in one direction."

He said it with such conviction that it felt like a universal truth and she was pulled back into her earliest memories of when she'd been a child with her parents telling her stories that she believed wholeheartedly and without further consideration.

"More than just twinning roads or rivers or paths heading into one albeit different directions. We see this, you and I, of these twinning rivers that break the linearity of Time that most others perceive and understand but there is an underlining state of possibilities that can be manipulated and pulled and split apart and made to happen or made to disappear from likelihood." He paused as he spared a glance at her necklace she held in her hands, the same necklace that hung from her neck.

"We do this at present by manipulating our choices and choices of others to change the most probable present into another present and in that vein, we rip away the present and pull another present in its place."

"And that's what you kind of did but not?" she said with a frown thinking aloud more than she was talking with him "In the first instance I mean when you didn't behave as I had Seen you would."

He inclined his head, his expression breaking into an encouraging smile "I ventured deeply into the somewhat unlikely possibilities, some near thousand likely possibilities away, and was able to manipulate one of those unlikely possibilities into occurring at that exact moment." He paused momentarily.

And a thought clicked in her mind "Like what you did with the coin flip and then later the necklace but in a slightly different way."

His smiled broadened "Yes. In the first instance, I manipulated the rivers of time until the very last moment before I pulled in that unlikely possibility."

He turned the coin's faces again and again as he spoke "In that instance, I pulled the lesser possibility whilst blinding you to the increasing probability of that present happening." He stopped playing with the coin as he looked directly at her.

"How?" she asked confused.

She didn't understand how Time itself could be deceived.

"Through affecting your Sight in Living Time itself." He said seriously.

He raised his hands and a conjuration that resembled the image in the Biology Today Journal was created around them. Neurons, she remembered. The conjuration was of strange similar blobs of neurons that were clustered in both big and small blobs with threads and paths that linked them all together.

"The structures of Time and of the universe itself are malleable." He began as the conjuration began to light up in all kinds of ways.

"And Living Time is the underlying structure that binds many of the structures of the universe together like a suture, and it is a structure that we have a connection to.

It is that connection that allows us to see beyond our immediate space and time, beyond our present and into dozens of futures that are the cream of likely possibilities.

However, our connection is…limited. We can see the events, the choices of others and our own choices that lead to a particular future but the scope of our connection is limited for there are infinite choices, infinite events and infinite spontaneity at any and every moment." He paused momentarily as he met her gaze.

"Yet despite the limits of our connection to Living Time, one thing that is not limited is our interconnectivity through Living Time." He said as his eyes bored into her.

"Our choices connect one another, choices that are made in the past, that are made in the present or made in the future, it matters not. That is how I am able to deceive your perception for I am taking advantage of this connection we share with Living Time to manipulate what you see in Living Time itself."

She slumped slightly as her mind worked hard to consider what he was saying. A flash above her drew her attentions and her eyes widened as light travelled through a tunnel-esque…tunnel to another cluster of neurons and her head swivelled back towards him. "You're like one of those central clusters redirecting signals!"

Choices…it was all about choices.

The way he pulled the unlikely possibility into existing was only possible because of the past, present and future choices that connected both of them which allowed him to access to her connection to Living Time and deceive her Sight.

His smile widened as he nodded with a pleased glint in his eyes.

Her brows furrowed before she looked her him intently "How can we ever trust our visions if someone can manipulate them like that?" she asked a little tentatively.

"That was the first time I was trying it" he said gently as he arched an eyebrow.

"It does not work on just anyone after all."

Right, she thought a little embarrassed. Plus, she would have known if things didn't happen at all like she expected it would.

He continued "To assuage your fears, I believe we can trust our visions because we're inherently capable of sensing sudden unusual changes to the timeline." He said as he eyed her intently "You remember the sense of déjà vu?"

She nodded carefully as she thought back on what she felt and her eyebrows scrunched a little. "I…I think I felt something similar before." She said as she met his gaze "Some kind of light?"

Atticus nodded pleased "That was as a consequence of reality…adjusting for a lack of a better word as I pulled an unlikely present in the path of the current present"

It made her feel a lot better to know that she could at least know when she was being deceived. "But that would only happen in the moment" she said with frown as she looked to him "Couldn't you manipulate Time and keep someone blind?"

Atticus chuckled softly and looked at her with a proud look on his face. "Hypatia, you amaze me." Atticus said appreciatively and she felt her cheeks burn.

Before she could make a fool out of herself he continued "Yes. You could manipulate Living Time to blind someone for an…extended period of time." He said a lot more serious now. "I think it's far too difficult however." He added, a more contemplative look on his face.

"I was able to do this to you because it was a small manipulation that I was devoting much of my concentration and efforts on. I don't think it's…practical to do it long term…especially if you're doing it to someone who can See multiple possibilities. Even manipulating this path of possibility into the current present while keeping you blind was almost as taxing as it was to pull two opposite moments into the same moment of space." He told her.

Hypatia nodded absentmindedly as she thought it over. She didn't know how he did it, the way he manipulated her sight through this connection they shared but she wasn't surprised that it took so much out of him.

"Will you teach me this?" she asked him as she looked up to him.

"I will." He told her as he tilted his head as their gazes were affixed onto one another.

"After all, I want you to be as capable as I am when you teach our fellow Seers at the Office of Far-Sight." He said to her and she gave him a small smile.

She knew that this was pretty much her future. She had not seen any different future where she wasn't the Overseer of the Office of Far-Sight. Pandora would even one day join her after she finished Hogwarts.

"How did you do that anyway?" she asked as she sat a little straighter and held a little tighter to her second necklace. "The coin and the necklace"

He smiled gently at her.

"The universe exists in all possible states, in any and every combination, in the present and in the future until it can no longer support such existence of possible states once they have become the past" he frowned "Even then I am not sure that not even the past is safe." He said before shaking his head and returning his gaze towards her.

"And in those possible states, it is possible to pull two moments into a singular moment, a yes and a no, into the single moment of the present forcing a merger of two opposing choices into consolidating into a singular moment that accommodates both choices." He nodded towards the necklace.

"When faced with an abnormality, with something that has a fuzzy existence in reality, the universe in all of its malleability moves to accommodate it."

She stared at the necklace before she looked to him, a helpless look on her face.

"It's ridiculous." She said blankly.

Atticus laughed heartily before he smiled at her with an amused look on his face "I know…I have learnt to simply accept that rules are merely roadblocks to simply step aside from and just continue onwards."

A curious look fell on his face as Atticus looked up, his eyes setting on the conjuration of the neurons that hovered above them "I believe that it is an instinctive ability of our kind."

"To make a mockery of the universe?" she proposed in half-jest.

He smiled though he kept looking at the neurons. "In a way, yes. I think we have been blessed as a species with the potential to reach the pinnacle of existence."

She frowned as she took on his expression. There was a deep sense of contemplation on his face. "Pinnacle of existence?" she wondered and her eyes widened as the conjuration changed into a representation of galaxies, countless of galaxies.

"Do you think our current existence, our current array of powers are all that we are capable of?" Atticus posed as he stared at the galaxies with a fervent look in his eyes.

"We have so much room for development, Hypatia. So so much." He said as his voice trailed off in a whisper. "Even this sensitivity to sudden abnormal changes to our timeline isn't unique to us Seers. I'm fairly certain even those blind to Living Time have this genetic sensitivity. Some even instinctively understand Time and the fundamentals of the universe. It's what allowed the creation of Time Sands and the creation of Time Turners." He said with a smile on his face before it fell away.

"Can you imagine where we could be in five hundred years, in a thousand, in ten thousand?" he said almost to himself more than to her.

She looked up towards the galaxies.

Admittedly she had wondered.

She knew of their origins as a spacefaring civilisation. Of Moira's true origins. Of Atticus' drive to see them on a completely different world.

But the war with Men of Symbols and the Ravenites was so destructive, so horrific…

It dominated her mind as she saw Europe bathed in so much blood. Even her own Greece was not spared of the atrocities of the Ravenites as they took advantage of the war between the ICW and Illos.

All of it would be pointless if their people destroyed themselves in war.

If…

"Atticus…" she whispered as a wonderful thought sparked into her mind.

"Yes." He simply said as he turned to her and she was taken aback by the cold glint in his eyes. "Other possibilities exist." He said meaningfully.

She remembered.

"But not in the way I would want?" she asked tentatively.

The cold glint in his eyes that threatened to send shivers down her spine disappeared and sympathetic look came across his face. "War is unavoidable. But how it is fought isn't." he said and she understood.

She understood why he showed her…all of this.

She swallowed harshly as she broke off her gaze.

Without them, this war would not nearly be as bad as it could be.

In all of the futures she'd seen, they were like a shield for their forces that cost so many Illosian lives to be lost. They were the cause that caused the war to be extended for years and they were what would turn the magical world against them slowly but surely.

She understood why he went to this extreme to find another way to break the deadlock they were in.

"I-I understand." She said, her eyes closing.

It would change everything yet it would change nothing. The course was already set, only now there would be war without them.

Only this time it was likely more of the 'enemy' would die than their people would.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she saw with wet eyes that he was kneeling in front of her. She wasn't crying for them but she was crying of the kind of choices they were saddled with.

"It is a gift. It is a curse." He said softly as he gently carried away her tears with his thumbs. "But is not one either of us will carry alone. Nor those who learn from us."

"I don't know if I am strong enough to make these kinds of choices." She knew that eventually she'd be in a position to make such difficult choices. Could she make a choice of who didn't deserve to live because of the danger they posed to their people?

Could she make the choice of manipulating a person or a bunch of people away from an event, a choice, that would lead to an unfavourable future?

"You're stronger than you think." Atticus told her as he sat back down in front of her, a melancholic smile on his face "You will struggle with it. More than I did. Less than I do. But you'll never lose yourself. Nor will you allow me to lose myself." He said, surprising her.

She idly thought that she'd had more surprising this past hour than she had in ages.

"I am not blind to the fact that this is a great and sometimes even terrible power that we have. We literally can change the fate of anyone and everyone." He said quietly before his eyes picked up and met her wet eyes.

"I am only human, Hypatia and I know my own shortcomings." He smiled wryly. "Even if I don't seem like it" she chuckled a little wetly and he smiled gently before he grew serious again.

"It is why I want this Office established. It will break the weight of the decisions we have to make for the betterment of Illos into smaller chunks and you Hypatia…" Atticus said with his voice picking up in strength.

"You will provide the foundation of the morality of the Office that will last the ages. In time, choices such as the ones I'm having to make, choices that I know are terrible even if they are lesser evils" Atticus said with a melancholic smile.

She kept eye contact even if she wanted by instinct to look away. She knew that Atticus had the capacity to truly do horrible things. Emily even more so.

Both of them were capable of battling hundreds of wizards at the same time and win. She'd seen them scorch and crack entire battlefields with less more than a flick of their hands.

So often she'd seen them appear like vengeful archangels battling at the end of times, their magic mere expressions of will as they altered entire landscapes with the great and terrible powers.

"Will not even have to happen, not when they are stopped long before they can even hope to happen." He finished.

She nodded. "Alright." She said as a newfound resolve settled within her and as their eyes fixed onto each other, she knew that he understood that she meant a lot more with that singular word.

Some would call her foolish, perhaps even terrible for the way she stuck to him, the way she trusted him. She knew that Atticus wasn't perfect, Merlin, she had Seen enough of what he could do, what he did do, to know that.

But she also knew that it wasn't done with malice nor to innocents. There was a deep humanity in him that he didn't really know that he had that drove him to do all the good – and bad – that he did.

He cared.

He utterly, completely cared about the magical world. With all of his soul.

And it was that that inspired her to stick with him, to help him with all of this.

Because…

It wasn't right for only one person to carry the weight of the magical world on one set of shoulders. Not when they were in such a hostile universe that would happily destroy all of them.