Guest Enterprise: Atlantis made most of the magical plants but not all of them. Some happened by accident purely by being in proximity to magical beings and others created by prodigious magicals lost to history.

Sci-fy: Your replies are always a delight to read lmao. Your critiques of Emily are fairly fair - she's not the best person, not at all. Fortunately for her - and for everyone, Atticus loves her. I do disagree with others re: her character growth. She has her prejudices but she doesn't act out on them. The situation with the Queen was in part to learn on how to be a 'better Queen' for the masses. It shows that she has a willingness to learn at least to show a certain mask of herself that people will like. Voldemort wouldn't have cared.

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


29th of January 1971 – Avalon Heights

Lily J. Evans POV

She ducked under the duvet when she heard the door open and she cursed under her breath as she didn't turn off the night light by the nightstand.

She heard her father chuckle as he walked and she knew she was caught and decided to peer from under her duvet.

She could see her father smiling under the faint light of the nightlight with his entire face, the edges of his eyes were creased to suit his wrinkles.

"Can't sleep?" her father asked.

Lily smiled a little apishly before she nodded her head. All she could think about was tomorrow. So much so that she couldn't sleep and time was going so so slowly!

Her father sat by her on her bed.

"Tomorrow won't come any sooner if you keep worrying about it." Her father said with a gentle smile as she sat up, her head resting against the backboard.

"I know." She said a little mulishly "Bu-"

"But you can't help it?" her father interjected and she nodded a little.

She was nervous and excited and scared and hopeful all at the same time.

He smiled again and tapped against the spot beside him and she crawled out of her duvet and sat next to her giving her a little smile before he looked away from her.

"I was the same the day before your grandmother and I were meant to go to the docks to welcome your grandfather back." Her father said in soft remembrance, his expression cloudy with his mind momentarily lost in memories.

"When grandpapa came back from the war?" Lily asked wide-eyed. Grandpapa had died when she had only been five so she never really got to ask grandpapa about the war

Her father turned to her and gave off a smiling nod.

"Yes. Your grandfather had been gone for more than four years by then and I only somewhat remembered him by the time the war was over."

Her father had only been ten when the war ended.

"And then the war was over and my dad was coming home." Her father chuckled softly. "I was excited and nervous all at the same time." Her father said to her with a knowing smile and she felt her face flush a little.

Dad always seemed to be able to read her so well.

Dad placed his arm around her shoulder and she snuggled against him before he continued the story. "I will tell you the same thing my mother told me when she came into my room." She looked up and met his brown green eyes.

"Tomorrow will come whether you worry or not, so choose not to worry for tomorrow yesterday will only be a memory" He said and she furrowed her eyebrows.

"What does that mean?" she asked a little confused.

Her father chuckled "It means that your fears and worries will be only a distant past when you deal with new challenges, deal with changes to your life so why fret needlessly at a time you can't do anything about it?"

She thought it over for a moment and her father continued.

"It is good advice now that I can look back on that day on the docks, a day I will always remember" she looked up to her face and saw him looking away from her, a fond smile on his face.

"I saw so many people waiting for their fathers and their sons, waiting to welcome them home and all of my previous nervousness washed away." Her father looked back to her, his caring smile somehow setting her at ease even more.

"And when my dad saw your grandmother and I, his smile could have lit up the entire world with the way he looked so happy and all my fears that your grandfather wouldn't be happy to see me and your grandmother was all gone within an instant." Her father tapped her nose as he met her gaze.

"You have nothing to worry about tomorrow, sweetie" her dad said as he withdrew his finger, a sad little smile on his face.

"You are my special little girl and I knew that from the moment I held you in my arms. They would be fools to say no to you especially after the amount of talent you've shown every day at school" her dad said with a conviction that made the rest of her worries melt away and she launched herself at her dad, hugging him tightly.

He really was the best dad ever.

She broke away from the hug and saw her dad looking at her with a little sad look in his eyes and she knew why. "Dad…do you…" she trailed off as she looked away from his sad eyes, a feeling of guilt spiking from within her.

She had been little, just a bit over six, when she had her first accidental magic.

She made flowers bloom all around her even though it was winter. Her parents hadn't believed her when she swore up and down it was something she had done and not long afterwards they were visited by strange people wearing strange clothes explaining that she was magic confirming that what she had done was real!

It had been wonderful and even to this day she remembered the feeling of specialness she felt at being told she was magic and that there was this entire world of magic with unicorns and dragons and pegasi!

That she could learn how to do more magic and be with others like her! It was a dream and she wanted more than anything to be part of it.

But…

She also remembered vividly the consequences of her having magic, of how it led to angry arguments her parents had with the strange people when they said they would have to move away from Cokesworth as it wasn't safe for her…or her family.

They had explained that the witchhunts had been real which was why they had to hide in a secret society safe from the eyes and hands of evil people who wanted to experiment on them and to kill them which had been frightening.

And that to protect the magical world and all of its wonders they would have to move to make sure those things would not happen.

They had to leave everything behind because of her.

She remembered how scared mum had looked when she'd ordered her and Tuney to bed but the pair of them stayed together in Tuney's room where the walls were thin and where they were able to eavesdrop on their parents who were heatedly arguing.

Both she and Tuney were scared when they heard their mum speaking about 'losing them' and 'taking them' and they had slept together that night.

"Never." Her father declared and his finger reached the bottom of her chin and he raised her head so that they were once more meeting each other's gazes.

"It was never your fault that we were thrust into the magical world, sweetie." Her dad said softly "Magic has always been part of our family's heritage and it was bound to happen."

Dad was referring to the secret that Grammy had held for so long until she admitted that she was born in the magical world when she came the next day.

Apparently Grammy had come from a very old family before she was made to leave everything she knew because magic had skipped her.

So magic was always in their heritage – even in mum they discovered! – only this time it had come in her.

"We wouldn't have had to move if it wasn't for me." Lily whispered quietly.

Her parents and Grammy had to leave everything they knew behind because of her.

She loved Avalon and just the whole magical world but most of all she loved the magic she was learning and her friends that she wouldn't have met otherwise but that came at the cost of her parents being forced to leave behind the mundane world.

Her dad looked at her intently for a little while before he spoke again "You've felt like this for a little while, haven't you?"

She only nodded a little timidly.

She wasn't blind or stupid. She could see that her parents sometimes were sad.

As she grew older, she noticed a lot of things.

How unfair things were sometimes for people like her parents. Everything was about magic in Avalon and for people who had almost none of it…

And then there were the orphan children like Simon Hargreaves and Marie McDonald whose parents gave them up because they were magic. Lily knew it disturbed her mum and dad a lot even if they didn't want to tell her anything.

She was so glad that mum and dad never gave her up.

"You've always been a perceptive and clever girl" her dad said with a sigh before he peered at her. "It hasn't been easy" her dad admitted.

"And you also know that we're very lucky." Her dad said knowingly and she jerkily nodded her head. She knew that very well.

Dad was a carpenter, a very skilled one.

Even if magic made everything so easy, creativity and things made by hand had a lot of value and because of that, they never needed any help from the government.

"Ultimately the magical world is very different to our own world." Her father said with a wan smile with a look she didn't really know what it meant "And it has taken us a little while to get used to but" Her father paused as he tapped her on the nose "everything has worked out in the end hasn't it?" Her father posed to her. She nodded a little reluctantly.

Yes, things worked out but she also knew that there was a lot that dad wasn't saying.

Dad smiled a little amused at her, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes "Tuney would certainly say so." And she almost giggled before she nodded her head seriously.

Not long after they moved in 1966 to Avalon Heights, they found out that for Tuney her 'dormant' magic could be 'activated' if they wanted because their parents both came from magical heritage.

It was too late for mum and dad but not for Tuney.

Tuney had been terrible the entire time ever since mum and dad agreed to move on that day…until she learned she also could have magic and ever since then, they were as close as anything. She dreaded even thinking how bad things might have been between her and Tuney should she not have been able to have magic.

"Thank you dad." Lily said quietly as she leaned to him and her dad wrapped her in a big hug. He was always able to help her feel better.

"No problem sweetie" her dad said in a laughing voice before they separated.

"Now, go to bed." Her dad said "Tomorrow will be waiting for you."

Her eyes blearily open, the sounds of the alarm ringing waking her up.

She groaned, her eyes still half closed as she heaved her head up and her hand smacked the alarm button off before she promptly fell back to sweet sweet sleep.

It was Saturday, she didn't have to –

Her eyes smacked wide open before she shot roughshod up.

It was Saturday!

It was tomorrow!

The sands of sleepiness fizzed away from her eyes and her mind like steam escaping a kettle of boiling water and she hastily got out of bed. It was still dark out even though it was 7 o'clock in the morning. She threw open the door and ran towards the stairs, nervous excitement coursing through her body like electricity.

She could smell the cinnamon and the wonderful smell of bacon turning crisp and practically flew down the stairs. The lights of the living room were on and she waved at the moving pictures – that waved back – before she turned a corner towards the kitchen and she saw her Grammy standing there before the stove, humming lightly as she cooked, the sounds of sizzling bacon filling the air alongside her humming.

Grammy must've heard to come down as she spoke without turning "Good morning Lily." Grammy said with a smile in her voice.

"Morning grandma" Lily said with a wide smile and her Grammy turned around and gave Lily a kind smile. Grammy was always up early in the morning, sometimes she'd even be in the garden tending to the flowers.

Her parents were the same so it was a little surprising – and disappointing – to see them not up yet. "Your parents are out to Verdant Valley. They'll be back soon I should think." Grammy said as she looked at the clock that hung by the backdoor before she turned to Lily.

"You're a little up earlier than usual." Grammy said with a knowing smile.

"Is there a special reason?" Grammy said with a hum in her voice whilst she turned the bacon. Lily knew that Grammy was teasing her, everyone knew how important today was! She even borrowed dad's old alarm to make sure she wouldn't miss it!

Lily took a seat by the kitchen stand nearby the shopping dial "A special letter."

She tapped on the round dial and a holo popped up. She cycled through the food and drinks until she saw a carton of orange juice and she tapped on it.

A small pop later, a small carton of orange juice arrived in the delivery square and she picked it up before she pulled the straw and pierced through the carton.

"Ah." Grammy said as she turned to Lily, her soulful emerald eyes that were so similar to her own gazing down at her. Lily was very grateful that she inherited Grammy's eyes as well as her name rather than mum's blue ones like Petunia did.

It was so very pretty.

"You mean this letter?" Grammy said playfully as she fished out an envelope from her apron and Lily itched to float the envelope into her own hands but that would be rude so she settled on waiting impatiently

Grammy must have sensed her impatience because she chuckled as she gave the envelope to Lily and she carefully looked it over and her hand trailed over the school emblem. There was a big 'H' in the middle of the emblem with a lion, a snake, a raven and a badger around it. Gold rimmed the edges of the emblem.

"Lily, you're shaking." She heard her Grammy said and she looked up to her Grammy who looked kindly at her before she looked at her hands again. She was shaking.

She had looked forward to this day for so long from the moment she learnt from her classmates about the best school in all of Avalon. She took a deep breath before she opened the envelope gently and began to read

HOGWARTS PREMIER SCHOOL OF MAGICKS

Dear Ms Evans,

We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to the Hogwarts Class of 1978.

Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment.

The term begins on 1st of September.

We await your owl by no later than 31st of July.

Yours Sincerely,

Headmaster of Hogwarts,

Horace H. Slughorn

She squealed out of joy as she let the letter go which Grammy picked up and read before she looked up at Lily with a warm but also a little strange look on her face. "Congratulations Lily. I'm happy for you" Grammy said and Lily jumped off her seat and careened into her Grammy.

"Best birthday ever!" Lily squealed out as she hugged her Grammy who chuckled softly as she patted Lily's back. She was afraid that she wouldn't get to go to the same as Alice and Marlie and Sarah because her magic wasn't strong enough because she was squib-born and would have to go to somewhere like the Dolorian Public School which was for people whose magic was very weak.

She knew it wasn't true and her friends had told her so too.

Just as dad told her last night.

She'd been the top student in her class for the past three years and she excelled in Magical Theory and Wandless Practical which was unheard of for a squib-born. But Frederick Pucey's and his stupid friends' comments hurt a lot and she thought maybe

She would not doubt herself again, Lily vowed.

"Why don't you go and wake Petunia up? Breakfast is almost ready and you can share the news with her" Grammy said gently as she unpeeled Lily from her and Lily was struck silent at the serious look she was giving Lily "Don't rub it in." she warned Lily and Lily nodded seriously as her excitement died down a little.

"I won't" Lily promised.

She knew that Tuney was very grateful to also have magic but Lily also knew that it stung her that Lily was so good with magic and that Tuney would only be ever at best below average even once she went through all of the rest of her maturities.

Still, Tuney was the best and helped her a lot when she'd cried to Tuney about the bullies'. Tuney was very smart and had helped her a lot with her classes when she professed she wanted to be the best at the school which was difficult to achieve when most were from magic-native families.

She got into Tuney's room carefully and saw that she was still asleep and she felt mischievous and drew in a deep breath. She shouted from the top of her lungs "TUUUNEYY, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!" before she launched herself on top of her yelping confused no-longer-sleeping sister.

"Wha- What, you little !" Tuney tried to say, progressively a little angrier and Lily couldn't help but giggle louder. Tuney finally made it out of the little duvet prison.

Lily yelped out as she tried to scooter away but Tuney got her by the ankle "Gotcha, you little beast" she said as she pulled at Lily's ankle and proceeded to tickle her to death.

"S-s-STOP" Lily managed to say in between her unstoppable bout of giggles that were turning a little painful "P-p-PLEASE" Tuney stopped and Lily managed to breathe again.

"Don't…" Tuney began lowly and Lily turned her head towards Tuney and saw Tuney giving her a death-ray of a look "do that again or I will think of a way to make new potions with Lily ingredients" she said dangerously with slitted eyes. Her blonde hair was like a mane and she looked like a dangerous depraved lion.

Lily gulped before she nodded. Tuney could be horrible in the morning and she probably deserved it a little. Tuney sighed "Come on, get up." She said and Lily scooted up and sat on her bed. Tuney's eyes widened slightly before they narrowed.

"So?" Tuney only asked, her blue eyes penetrating deeply into her.

Lily allowed a tremulous smile before she nodded and Lily waited anxiously. Tuney's expression didn't change for several seconds before they softened and opened up her arms. "I knew you'd get in." Tuney said warmly and Lily launched herself into her sister's arms, pleased and relieved that Tuney was happy for her.

"Happy birthday Lily" Tuney said as they broke away from the hug. Tuney let off an amused smile "I doubt any presents or cake can compare today, huh?" Tuney said with amusement. Yes, not even double choc cake could compare to the acceptance!

A little while later, when she was eating with Grammy and Tuney, an array of explosions happened behind her making her jump in fright and she swivelled around and saw big words with lilies curling at the end of each letter hovering in the air that spelled out 'Happy Birthday!'.

But that wasn't all, there was also 'congratulations' mixed into them with her parents looking very happily at her as they walked in with a few hover-baskets and Lily turned around looking at her grandma who was smiling at her warmly as she tapped on her com-watch.

It was a few hours later that they left the house around noon time after she had her little family party that she loved even if she was a little impatient to get her supplies and her books and her wand! Grammy was even coming this time!

As they sat on the Flying Tram that seemed to ride along invisible rails through the sky, she stared out from the windows as they left Avalon Heights, the views of beautiful homes and shops of all kinds, big and small, towering and wide, was scenic even if it was growing smaller as seconds passed. It was home. Her home.

A home in the North Sea not far from Lewis and Harris Island on an island that was long hidden from the mundanes and where only ten years ago was home to dozens of Hebridean Black dragons before they were moved to make way for Avalon Heights.

It was the second largest town in Avalon though there were many other much smaller magical only villages in the Hebrides islands and the Scottish Highlands.

It had not also been like so, no, things had begun to change some ten years ago when Avalon was restored when the Queen – it was a shock to learn that there was another Queen! – had found the legendary sword of King Arthur, Excalibur.

As the heir to Arthur Pendragon, Queen Emily decreed the restoration of Avalon and thus came the total secession from Britain in 1958 which was things really changed.

Villages were built in Scotland as people moved away from mundane places like London and Manchester and Liverpool – even from Godric's Hollow because of how close it was to mundane towns and cities.

Marlie's dad was part of the Avalon planning committee so Marlie knew a little of the details and so Lily knew too. Marlie had a lot of pride of what her dad had helped build though Mrs Fawcett helped explained a little more about the changes.

Apparently not everyone was happy with leaving their homes and very old centres of trade, even the nobility, but the King and Queen of Avalon and Illos had convinced everyone according to Ms Fawcett and so history was made.

Speaking of history, Hogsmeade's name was changed to Morfay to symbolise the birth of the new capital of Avalon and it was the seat of the Council of Avalon, a democratically elected council of mages, and the seat of the House of Lords where all of the old nobility had a small say in what changes are being made.

Her dad said that a lot of the magically raised adults had said that a lot of changes had happened in the past twenty years, especially since she was born. Things like the Flying-Tram, the holo, the food delivery and all kinds of other things all happened at the same time and that it was like a 'golden age' whatever that meant.

Soon enough they were flying over the North Sea and she never could get tired of watching the deep blue sea. She rarely got to leave Avalon Heights. Not when it had everything they needed as one of the larger towns in all of Avalon with nearly six thousand people calling the place home which was like fifteen percent of the entire population of Avalon!

And that didn't even compare to the eighty thousand that called Illos home! She sighed inaudibly, her mind drifting like the sea that looked so vast.

One day she'd be there for real instead of watching holo-vids of the huge flying country with its flying cars and the magical creatures that lived alongside people, she vowed. She would definitely sign up to the inter-school exchange program in her third year! Maybe she'd even get to see Aziza or Ame-No-Ukihashi!

The Flying-Tram sped up as it crossed the waters between the Avalon Heights and the mainland of Scotland and after half an hour passing over the mountainous and hilly parts of Scotland, they were finally approaching Morfay station with the capital clear to see behind it.

As they disembarked from the Tram, she couldn't help but think the station was amazing! It had changed a lot since the last time she'd been here!

The ceiling was high and it had pillars that looked they were grown together in a honeycomb like way that merged as they created the ceiling with glass in the between the triangular shapes that showed every light imaginable making it seem like they were on a rainbow bridge like in the M-Vision show The Adventures of the Warrior Three!

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she twisted around and saw her dad smile at her a little amused "Come on, this isn't the only thing that's changed in the last three years" her dad said to her and she felt a huge swell of excitement.

What else had changed?!

She'd come to Morfay first in 1966 when they moved from Cokesworth and at that time there was a lot of building happening. The second time had been in 1968 when they went shopping for Tuney who was going to the Dolorian Public School.

They left the station and they descended down the huge and long stairs that reminded her a little of the Pyramids with how long it was though she could see why it was done!

From here she could see everything in Morfay.

There were not many tall buildings, after all, there was little need for it when there were things like space expansion charms – and the fact that there were only twenty thousand people in the capital anyway – but there were so many of all kinds just like there were in Avalon Heights just bigger and…more.

Though what Morfay had that Avalon Heights didn't even in small amounts was that huge building at the very centre, Circum Domum which only really meant 'The Round House' – a strange name Lily thought – which was where most of the government was located.

It was a huge building made out of black stone that really stood out even more as it towered over the capital. Mrs Fawcett said that the governmental building was made out of basalt stone out of symbolism. To display strength and courage as it brought stability and steadfastness during an era of many changes.

She found it a bit strange that stone could mean that much to people!

Soon enough they were walking the streets Morfay and her eyes sparkled with wonder as she took in everything! As much as things seemed similar since she'd last been, there was a lot that really changed too, she thought with wonder.

The streets were packed with people and kids her age and it was almost difficult to walk through the crowd "Stay close" Grammy said as she held firmly onto Lily's arm and Lily wanted to say that she need to worry but the look of concern on her Grammy's face stopped her.

"Are you alright, Grammy?" Lily asked quietly as they followed dad and mum and Tuney who were just in front of them. Grammy looked down kindly at her and Lily was growing a little more concerned from the way Grammy's eyes looked sad.

She'd forgotten that this was only the second time Grammy had come to Morfay. Grammy never wanted to leave Avalon Heights preferring to stay home all the time.

"I am" Grammy reassured Lily with a smile before she looked up towards the stores. "Just a little…overwhelmed." She said before she looked down again with a brightening smile "There's a lot to see, isn't there?"

Lily gave Grammy a blinding smile before she nodded and peered her gaze towards the wonders before her. Grammy was very right for there were adverts of all kinds floated around above every other shop and they were different from one another, they shared the same similar misty blue hue.

Some, like the Wiggle Potions Shop, were copies of people who held cauldrons and opened their robes to reveal all kinds of ingredients hanging off of their inside robes whilst others like Cunbridge Arts and Portraits had items and utensils making elaborate but fun motions to draw you in and Lily delighted in it all.

That wasn't the only thing that was surprising her as they bought the list of ingredients and equipment she'd need for Hogwarts, no, everywhere where they went she heard all kinds of accents and different languages and peoples!

She heard French, Spanish, Swahili and even a few people that sounded like Mr Lally the leprechaun from the cartoon The Druid and the Singer.

Not only that, people wearing all kinds of clothes were around, including what she thought was wicked and colourful robes worn by a dark man.

"Morfay has become a centre of the magical world" dad said as they walked away from the famous bookstore Flourish and Blotts that relocated when all of the Alleys were relocated away from London to Morfay towards their final destination.

"Mr Gunn said that with Illos restricting travel only to those of specific citizenry under treaty much like Aziza and Ukihashi, Morfay is seen as a go-between." Tuney piped up next to mum. Mr Gunn was her professor of International Magical History.

Despite Avalon and Illos being part of a union, both had their own government even if they shared the same King and Queen. Though Marlie once said that her dad thought the next time the referendum is held in 1983, her dad thought that full union was really going to happen. Maybe even Ireland would join the union by that time!

Apparently Marlie's dad thought the danger of the mundane world blowing everyone up was really too high to remain on the island of Britain.

"Like Alexandria?" Lily asked and Tuney nodded.

"Yes. Mr Gunn also said that it wouldn't be long before Morfay overtook Alexandria as the centre of the magical world." Tuney paused for a moment.

"Well, at least the free parts of the magical world" Tuney said uncaringly.

"Tuney" their mum said warningly with a reproaching look and Tuney sniffed a little but said nothing further.

Lily looked a little put out but she kept her tongue quiet. It wasn't as she didn't know what was happening in the world even if they thought her too little.

Still, she paid it no mind as the dingy store sign of Ollivander's came into view, a shop that looked out of place in comparison to the smooth buildings and clean stores that surrounded the shop.

Yet despite beaten down look of the shop, she felt a burble of excitement in her core. Even if all kids were allowed to practice some magic freely at home and at school, they were not allowed wands until they were eleven years of age.

She despaired about that, especially after Marlie said her father told her that children in Aziza and in Illos were allowed at the very least totems or other foci if they proved they were responsible enough even before they started secondary magical education!

They entered the shop and a bell tinkled as they walked through. Lily's eyes swept across the shop. Everything in the place looked old, from the table before her, to the books and the lights that lit up the store and she couldn't help but wonder if the shop was the same since 382 BC!

An old man with more greying hair than blonde peered through an opening from the back of the store and she was captured by the strange pale eyes the man had, eyes that made her ill at ease.

She felt like he was a character from the novels she'd read, those wise old men who knew the heroes of her stories more than they knew themselves.

"Ah, welcome" the old man said as he walked over towards his till with sauntering speed. His gaze fell on Grammy and it had a strange quality to it and she could see Grammy visibly wilt under the old man's gaze and Lily felt an anger rising but as soon as it rose, Ollivander broke his gaze from Grammy and looked past her to Tuney. "Petunia Evans. Birch wood, rigid and eleven inches with a unicorn hair." The old man muttered.

"Has the wand served you well?"

"It has." Petunia said a little stiffly and Lily could see her hold the wand a little too tightly. The old man only hummed drawing her attention once again and she almost took a step back under the weight of his gaze

"We're here for my youngest daughter, Lily Evans." Her father said before she felt his hand on her back. She hadn't come to Ollivander's last time when Tuney came for her wand.

"The natural witch." Ollivander said curiously.

She felt her dad's hand grow still and she looked up.

His expression was calm but she could sense the anger in his eyes. Petunia wasn't as guarded with her emotions and Lily could see her withdraw into herself.

Lily swivelled her head back towards the old man, anger boiling from within.

Idiots like Pucey made fun of Lily because she was squib-born but that was nothing compared to what other idiots said to Tuney, saying like she didn't deserve being 'gifted' magic, that she wasn't natural because she wasn't born with active magic.

She remembered when Tuney cried to mum about people calling her a 'fake' witch or saying that her magic wasn't real and it wasn't true at all. It was even hypocritical when everyone knew even the old families had kids that went through the treatment to fix their magic!

"My sister is also a natural witch!" Lily said furiously.

"She can do magic like anyone else!"

"My daughter is correct, Mr Ollivander." Her dad said with sternness in his voice.

"I hold no prejudices against those who were…gifted magic." Ollivander said after a few blinks later before he tilted his head curiously "I meant no offense"

A tense few moments passed before dad spoke up "Mr Ollivander."

"Yes, yes" Mr Ollivander said, nodding his head with each word he spoke "Shall we find you a wand, Ms Evans?" Dad pushed her a little forward and she breathed out slightly as she walked forward.

"What is your dominant hand?"

"I'm ambidextrous." Lily said a little nervously.

Mr Ollivander's eyebrows raised "How curious" he muttered as he picked up a tape measure with intricate markings from his pocket before he bid her to come closer.

"Hold out both of your arms then."

She did as he asked and measured her left arm first from the shoulder down to her hand before he measured her left shoulder to the floor then knee to armpit.

He repeated it again with her right side "Your right hand is slightly more dominant than your left hand." Ollivander said as he put away his tape measurer and moved back behind his till and his eyes roved over the boxes on the right side of the shop.

"Let's try Holly, nine inches, bendy with a core of dragon heart string"

It hadn't been a match and so began attempted match after attempted match until nearly ten minutes passed before he brought out another box "Let's see if this is the right one" Ollivander said and opened the box.

The wand had a dark brown hue with a slight greenish tint to it yet that wasn't what struck her, no, it was the strangest of feelings…like she already knew that this was her wand. The box drew closer to her. "Go on." Ollivander's gentle words had a sense of urging behind it.

"Take it."

Her hand moved towards the wand and she rolled the wand into her palm and she breathed in as she felt a kind of magic she'd never felt before. It was indescribable, like she was always meant to have this wand and it felt so so right.

She was brimming with magic, so much so that the tip of her wand shot off a shower of electric golden light that sparkled and fizzed before they turned into a shower of vivid red and brilliant greens.

"Wonderful" Ollivander breathed and she returned her gaze to the old man and she blinked out of surprise with the way his pale silver like eyes stared down at her.

"Ten a quarter inches, swishy, made of willow. Good for charm work. Good for those with great potential" Mr Ollivander said in a quiet but appraising voice.

She broke away her gaze but her hand tightened around her wand, the feeling of rightness subsiding but she could see feel the echoes of it thrumming within her.

"Seven galleons?" her father asked and she could hear the unease in his voice.

"Yes." Mr Ollivander said and they couldn't get out of his shop quickly enough.

"Was he like…that with Petunia?" Grammy asked of her parents, rousing them all from the silent struck state they were in.

"He wasn't that weird" Tuney said before she looked at Lily with a strange look on her face "or creepy" Tuney muttered under her breath.

"Enough." Her dad said firmly and checked the time "Well, we've gotten what we needed. Let's go home, shall we?" her dad said and no one really protested.

Still, Lily wondered as she still kept holding her wand, no matter how…creepily…the day ended, she was still as happy as she ever was.

Her gaze went towards to the distance towards where the signs signalled where Hogwarts was. 'Soon' she thought to herself. Soon she'd be at Hogwarts, a new start, a new challenge in her life and she couldn't wait to meet it!

-Break-

3rd of February 1971 – Hewlett Harbour, New York

Pandora Agoralos POV

"Remind me to introduce milkshakes back home." Atticus said happily with a sigh before he drank of his strawberry milkshake – his third so far – again.

She took a sip from her own chocolate milkshake and hummed agreeably. She wasn't sure why they hadn't had any milkshakes, they had ice cream and sorbets and flavoured tea.

It was a bit of a travesty really.

One of the waitresses came by, Tracey, with a wide beaming smile and a lingering look at Atticus "Would you like anything else?" she asked though Pandora could sense the hopeful note to her voice that was a little too much.

Atticus smiled kindly at the woman "No thank you" Atticus said in a perfect New York accent before he eyed Pandora for a moment and she shook her head "We are satisfied for the moment."

"Alright then. Well if you need anything else, just give me a hoot" the blond waitress said with a wink before she sauntered away.

"Gross." Pandora muttered.

Atticus was as close as a fatherly figure she had in her life and the last thing she needed was to see others try to flirt with him.

"She wasn't that bad." Atticus said with a smile that was far from innocent.

Pandora only sent Atticus a look which caused him to smile a little wider as he rolled his eyes. She knew that Atticus was very much devoted to Emily and vice versa but she also was learning that Atticus quite liked the normality of flirtatious muggle women who didn't know who he was.

And who didn't know who his wife was either.

"Watch." Atticus only said as he nodded towards the door and she straightened up a little. Atticus had taken her on a trip through America – illegally – for the past few days.

She had thought the purpose of the trip had been to meet Comanche, an elderly Native American whose aura was amazing and so attuned to the natural world that she thought her Sight had gone wonky but it turned that it was only a side trip and that the main reason was so that she would learn something truly astonishing…

As if learning a little from magicals who could communicate with the forests, the plains, the rocks and animals wasn't astonishing!

An aging bespectacled man walk through the diner on his lonesome sporting what she could only describe as a caterpillar for a moustache above his upper lip whilst wearing what was quite curious khaki clothes.

One of the waitresses came to meet him with a kind smile on her face with a look that said that she knew the man rather well. The man was seated towards the far end of the diner and Atticus stood up.

Pandora eyed him curiously and more than a little confusedly. What was so special about that man? She got up and followed.

"Mr Stan Lee?" Atticus asked with a respectful tone and the bespectacled man looked up, a little startled before he gave a warm smile before he turned his gaze to him.

"That's me." The man said with a smile.

"I'm a great, great fan of your work, sir." Atticus said with wonder in his voice.

The man chuckled heartily and looked at Atticus amused as he looked him over. "You're a little different from the demographic that usually love my work."

Pandora's lips twisted in mild amusement at the way the man looked at Atticus. Atticus as much as she would never say it out loud was a handsome man even with those dull brown eyes that he wore in the muggle world.

Atticus looked reproachful as he scratched the back of his head "Ah, your comic books helped me through some tough times sir. For that I can only thank you from the bottom of my heart."

The man's expressions softened "I'm glad I could help." The man said genuinely before he paused for a second as he peered at them curiously.

"Why don't you sit? I could do with some fine company this mornin'."

"Oh gosh, really? Thank you Mr Lee." Atticus prattled and she struggled to keep her giggles down at the over-exaggerated acting. Atticus gestured her to slide in before him though not before their gazes met.

'Open your Sight and look" Atticus delivered to the front of her mind and she gave a slight nod as she sat down. She sighed a little, her sight activated and the world turned brighter as she opened herself to the universe.

The sounds of Atticus and the man talking were reduced to mere whispers and almost immediately she was drawn to him. It was so odd, so surreal to all that she'd seen before and she'd seen a lot in her eighteen years of life.

Pandora couldn't help but stare at the man, the strange lights that surrounded him was so unlike anything she'd ever seen before. It was almost like he was the epicentre of a black hole, light and matter bending around him in disconcerting ways.

Except it wasn't light or matter. It was almost as if the fabric of reality were twisted around him in knots and ties and anchors that seemed like it didn't belong here and now.

Bending and twisted reality that somehow seemed slightly out of phase, like ghostly images of reality that was seen through concave lenses, his shape distorted at the edges of his being, and she couldn't grasp how…or why it was happening.

She felt no magic from him yet she felt nothing ordinary from him, it was as if her eyes were defective.

She must've been staring for a little too long because the man looked at her a little quizzically, almost humorously and she blinked several times before she flushed a little out of embarrassment "Sorry…I'm a big fan." She said a little lamely.

Thankfully the man seemed to accept and laughed heartily before Atticus thankfully interceded and continued his conversation about some kind of X-men and mutants.

"I saw what you mean." Pandora said as they crossed the road once the walking signal went green. "He is…odd." She said with a frown.

"He is." Atticus agreed, a strange smile on his face, his eyes alight with fascination as they made it back to their blue automobile that was being eyed by more than few passer-by's.

She supposed it wasn't surprising if the 1969 Ford Mustang automobile was akin to a second generation Mercury skymobile even if she thought it was a messy creation that made a lot of harmful gas.

Really, why couldn't the muggles make something less noisy and harmful instead of putting all of their ingenuity into making those terrible nuclear bombs?

As she went towards the passenger seat, she saw him look at her with curiosity.

"Tell me what you think." He said to her before he got in and she paused momentarily as she pondered it over. She opened the door and got in, a thoughtful frown on her face. Truth was, she really wasn't sure at all what to think. Only…

"Is he really from here?" she finally settled on as she looked to him and she saw his lips widen as he stuck the key into the strange slot and turned it, the automobile coming to life.

"He is most certainly born mundane and raised mundane." He said as he glanced at her.

"What makes you think otherwise?" he asked her and she knew that she was on the right track. He had a tell, a pleased tone of voice that bore hints of encouragement.

The automobile began to move and she turned away, her eyes fixed on the diner that they were passing by. "Because he is different. perceived different. Not like muggles or magicals who are both very different still feel…the same?" she said with a wince, a little bit unhappy with the way she was explaining.

"Don't be discouraged." She heard him say and she turned to him and saw that he was giving her a warm smile. "You're much further ahead than I was at your age, Pandora."

Atticus paused as he turned his gaze back on the road. "You are more or less right. Mr Lee is a very, very special man. I believe Mr Lee is a convergence across universes."

"Convergence?" 'universes?'

Atticus hummed as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving the road. "Convergence." He affirmed. "I believe that in any universe, in every universe, there is a Stan Lee in existence." A smile tugged on his face.

"I believe that what we're seeing is that convergence, that slight difference in universal resonance that is utterly unique to him." He further explained.

"So the twisting…" she trailed off and Atticus made a contented noise.

"Yes, I believe that is part of the phenomena that allows him to be connected to other versions of himself." Atticus said and Pandora sat back in her chair, her mind wandering away in a maze of thought.

Convergences had a special place in magic.

When planets were aligned, specific acts of magic in line, attuned to the alignment of planets whose meanings were rooted in magic could be achieved. Specific acts of magic that were terrifying acts of great power.

It was said that the ancient druids of Northern Europe and Britain had used the convergence of Venus and Jupiter in their ritual to 'warm' Europe.

A powerful, terrifying display of magic that may have ended up warming the entire planet and in the process ending the ice age.

So for this man to be a convergence across universes...

She dreaded to think what could be done with that if that was actually really true.

"How is that even possible?" she finally asked, her voice teeming with hopeful doubt. She knew that the man was far too odd to be normal but connected to every version of himself across universes?

That was just…

"I don't know." Atticus said with a hint of excitement in his voice. "But the fact that is it even possible in the first place…" Atticus hummed with a pleased note in his voice.

"Mind you" Atticus continued, his tone more reflective now. "I wasn't sure until we met with the man today." Atticus said as he glanced at her.

"You read his mind?" Pandora asked with a frown.

"I did." Atticus confirmed as he met her gaze, a warm smile on his face that reassured her a little. "Nothing too invasive. I was more interested in his inspiration for his work" Atticus' eyes now seemed to gleam a little as they made it off of the main road towards the countryside.

"His dreams are too vivid, too real, for them to be simply dreams. Events in other universes filter through his subconscious and that is what is responsible for his work, at least for the most part."

Pandora digested that. The idea of other universes were not that crazy to her.

After all, researchers at Illos had confirmed the existence of no less than six different dimensions very alien to their own reality so the idea of other universes extant that are parallel to their own…

"What makes him so special?" She finally asked after a while. If there were parallel universes, shouldn't all of them be connected to their counterparts?

"I don't know." Atticus said cheerfully as he tapped on the wheel. "Why him, why Mr Stan Lee, I don't know. Maybe he won the lottery of multi-universal randomness, maybe it isn't random at all." Atticus expression turned into a deep frown.

"I suspect that we would be very unlikely able to determine which one is righter than the other." Atticus turned to her with a contemplative look.

"I wanted you to see that there are many questions to the universe that one might spend a lifetime deciphering, perhaps more than a few lifetimes even."

Pandora smiled at her pseudo-uncle.

Most people only knew him as the King and the greatest wizard in all of history.

In Illos, he was the man who, with his wife, built their homeland and who they had to thank for the growing legend of the Illosian people and their magic that was gaining a reputation of being Atlanteanlike. The man who people were utterly devoted to with their hearts and magic and who venerated him akin to a god.

A veneration that was not dissimilar in Avalon where he was their hero and who with the aid of Emily was ushering a golden age hitherto unseen.

Yet despite all the ways people knew him and interacted with him, few got to see this side of him, this goofy academic dreamer that loved to teach and who marvelled and wondered at the great questions the universe posed to him, to them.

That was not to say, she was so blind to who Atticus Sayre could be.

She knew that he had an absolutely terrifying side to him. She'd Seen enough from her glimpses of the future that Atticus had earned the fear of many people in the magical world.

Whether they feared him because of feats of creation like Aziza and Ame-no-ukihashi or because of his capacity for death and destruction against would be enemies, mattered not. After all, each was a side of the same coin and Atticus was someone who sat on the very edge until he needed to be one side or the other.

It was a shame, she thought silently, really. She thought he was born to stand on that edge forever, that side that defied everything in his quest to search for answers.

It was a shame that he didn't get to be this side of himself more often and even more so that all but a few would even get to see this side of him.

It was a beautiful side.

And his most true side.

"Questions that one might never find an answer to, even you?" Pandora asked quite curiously. Atticus chuckled slightly before he inclined his head before he turned his gaze forward, a few moments of silence passing between them.

"Just so." He said a little quietly, his expression shifting into a distant look.

"But perhaps…perhaps one day we might find what makes Mr Stan Lee so special…and what it means for us" Atticus said, his voice trailing off as he spoke.

She understood what he meant. If it was a natural phenomenon, one born from utter and total randomness then that would have been one thing but…

She shared his hidden doubt that it was random.

The way things spiralled around Mr Lee…

That had a touch of something more.

The rest of the journey towards Wharton State forest – where they had a little enclave protected from the impressive magical sensors of MACUSA they developed in response to Atticus' portals – was quiet and she leaned her head against the window, staring out towards the green but lightly snowy countryside of northern America.

The last few days had been the only time she'd ever been to America yet she was widely impressed by the country, not least by its nature and its creatures.

Comanche, the leader of the Iroquois people, had told her many stories of his ancestors and the lands they or other peoples inhabited. With so many different peoples from different backgrounds, Pandora had never been sheltered away from different ways of life or ways of looking at magic yet she had found herself quite in love with the way the Iroquois had seen magic.

They believed magic was the connection between nature and the spirit world where ancestors and great spirits dwelled, a unifying force of energy that permeated throughout all of existence. It was so close to how her mother had taught her and found herself grateful to Comanche for sharing his and his peoples' perspective.

MACUSA also – finally – was recognising their very beautiful way of looking at life and magic and were listening more and more to the ancestral peoples of this beautiful lands according to Comanche so she was very happy for them.

It would have been a shame to see such beautiful people neglected.

She blinked away her thoughts, an unconscious smile coming across her face.

She would have to come here again with Xeno, she thought with warmness. Maybe if he was more attuned to nature he might find that ever evasive Horned Snorkack, she thought with a spark in her moonstruck eyes.

They travelled further down Route 206 though she had put on the radio and it was a highlight when 'I Want You Back' by the Jackson 5 came on.

She'd Seen herself go to a Michael Jackson concert with Xeno long in the future and she found it quite neat to know how far he'll go in the future.

Soon enough they arrived at their destination.

Atticus waved at his clothes, the mundane clothing of shirt and trousers disappearing as his distinct royal Rosi clothing materialised over him and just as his clothes changed so did his demeanour as an air of regal authority began to manifest around him.

"Ready?" Atticus asked her and she nodded as she tapped her backpack.

"Got everything"

"Good. You'll come with me to the Main Tower. Your mother will be waiting for you there." Atticus told her. She nodded easily. Mum would've Seen her coming.

Atticus raised his hand and orange runes flashed into existence before they spread out and the portal at the centre grew into one large enough to fit the pair of them.

They walked through and arrived at the central dais in Sayres Gardens, the majestic Celestis Mount coming into view all while she felt the familiar and powerful magic of Illos seep through her, once more feeling content. She always missed it any time she was away from Illos and had struggled in her first few months away at Hogwarts.

"Your Majesty" the dozen guards saluted Atticus.

"Gentlemen." The King acknowledged.

"Is my transport ready?"

"It is, Your Majesty." One of the guards said and soon enough they were led towards outward towards the skymobile and in the air.

Even Kings were bound by rules, she thought as they rose and rose in the air. With his portal magic, he could easily go anywhere in Illos but that would be breaching 'etiquette' according to mother when she'd once asked as a child.

As they moved past the base of Celestis Mount, the Eternal City grew in her line of sight and an unconscious smile grew on her face. She had seen a bit of mundane America, especially New York City, which is said to be the most developed of the mundane world yet…

It could not compare to the Eternal City. Even if she wasn't biased since it was home.

She watched as a few skymobiles and skybikes darted around in the skyline, the content feeling increasing in strength.

How could a city compare, a city that was made from grey and slab stone compare to that of a city teeming with tall silver white stoned buildings that shone brightly at any angle under the Sun, glittering like timeless jewels topped with golden animated statues on the roofs of many domed buildings and pillars?

A city that was ringed with clear blue waters of such purity that one could see the underwater villages of the Merpeople and their herd of Hippocampus?

A city that had Veela, Sirens, Dwarves, Mages, all living together in harmony and peace where all had homes to go home to and careers in comparison to the heart breaking poverty and homelessness she'd seen in New York City?

No…

No, she thought as they passed by the Pandrosion Institute, the school with spiralling towers and arching bridges built from crystalline stone that seemed to be carved from a single block of crystals, the sight of a game of Threepeller in the courtyard vaguely see-able, no…

New York City could not compare to the majesty of her home.

The skymobile descended down at the central platform where she could see her mother waiting with a few guards and as the skymobile landed.

"Hypatia." Atticus said with a small smile.

"Your Majesty" her mother said with a coy smile before she looked to her, her eyes squinting a little. "You look tanned." Her mother said with a deadpanned tone.

Pandora's eyebrows raised before she looked at her arms. "I haven't…." she looked up back at her mother "Have I?"

Her mother nodded seriously. "Like a fourth of a shade."

Huh, she thought to herself. That was quite a lot for only day and a half under the shade of Midwestern sun. She definitely would go back to the Iroquois.

"Right" Atticus said with a clap "As much as I would love to stay" he paused with an amused glint in his gaze before he lost it and looked her directly in the eye.

"Think on what you saw." Atticus said to her as she met his gaze.

A few moments before she nodded a little slowly. She knew for certain that this trip would have later ramifications, ramifications that would lead her down a path that Atticus had Seen be important.

As much as she liked the trip with her pseudo-uncle, she wasn't so ditsy to not realise that as much as he might be a dreamer, he was foremost a King and a leader.

Every action had meaning and purpose behind it.

"I will." She promised and Atticus' expression softened before he nodded and turned away slightly but not before looking over his shoulder as he began to walk away, his guards in tow.

"Don't forget to come by soon. I will have milkshakes at the ready" Atticus said as he walked away and her lips twitched as she shook her head in amusement.

"Milkshakes?" her mother asked curiously and Pandora seized her mother's arm and linked her own with that of her mother's.

"Imagine your favourite ice cream, pistachios and salty caramel but instead as a fluffy and runny liquid drunk out of a straw" Pandora said conspiratorially.

The gleam in her mother's eye made it clear they would be catching up with a gallon of pistachios and salty caramel milkshake.

-Break-

5th of February – Daily Prophet Headquarters, Morfay Avalon

Theodore Pyrites POV

His fingers were silent as they danced on the holo-keys, words and sentences flowing likes trickles of water down the grooves in weathered rock.

He leaned back in his chair, a light exhale escaping his lips as he put down the last exclamation mark, his eyes trailing across the headlines.

'CROATIA AND SLOVENIA ON HIGH ALERT AMIDST TROUBLING ACTIVITY AT THE HUNGARIAN BORDER!'

A grim frown adorned on his face. Europe was a shambles. Truly.

The Ravenites had nearly all of Eastern and Southern Europe under its sphere of influence if not actually ruling it outright. Even Italy was now no longer independent from the reaching claws of the Ravenites with some Italian Senators openly spewing the Ravenitic Ideology in the Senate no less.

He hoped that they would be able to resist, truly, he did.

Even if it came at the cost of war.

He grimaced before he sighed and gripped the bridge of his nose.

He remained like that for a few minutes, his mind thankfully taking a pause before his thoughts once more came back with the fury of a lightning storm.

He let go of the bridge of his nose and stared at the headlines that he wrote. How ironic the contrast between the British Isles and Europe was…

Where Britain – later Avalon – had grown and grown, both in power and in population, over the past thirteen years, Europe had only gotten worse.

Where Avalon became enlightened, Europe was cast down into a dark, dark age.

Well, at least that was the narrative, he mused to himself silently. Avalon, as much as it projected a sense of superiority to the rest of the magical world, still had its own issues…especially like the way it dealt with the squibborns.

Yet despite what some families would accuse the law being draconian and inhumane, it was a solution that the detractors had no answer to safe for returning to the status quo, something even South American, African and much of Asia were abandoning and instead actually replicating due to the success they'd seen in Avalon.

After all, even they had realised how dangerous the muggles were getting after the Cuban Missile Crisis in '62.

In any case, it was still a narrative was truer than not, this enlightened era they were in, an era in stark contrast to that of what was happening in Europe.

A strange mix of blood purism and fascism was borne out of the cesspits of Bulgaria that washed over Europe much like the Black Plague once washed over Mundane Europe so many centuries ago and it seemed to be unstoppable.

Just like that insidious plague, countries were beset suddenly and Ministries were toppled as they had never been there in the first place.

Hungary in 1959.

Slovakia, Moldovia and Serbia in 1960.

Germany and the Scandinavian League allied with the Ravenites in 1961.

Lithuania-Poland, Czechia and Austria in 1962.

Greece, the home of some of the most powerful families in all of Europe…1964.

After that, the smaller Ministries in Eastern and Southern Europe fell like dominos yet the worst had yet to come.

Russia

The home of the people that resisted Grindelwald with the blood and magic of thousands…fell just as easily as Albania did in 1967.

He shook his head. And the ICW did nothing against them.

Though…

It was looking like they never really had the power to do anything anyway

Not after all of the things he had heard all those years ago and further confirmed lately through accurate sources from those in the ICW and those who had connections to the organisation.

He sighed as he grimaced. The ICW was all but a nundu made out of parchment with traitors painted across the organisation like unwanted stains.

How ironic it was that only fourteen years it was the strongest it had ever been, preparing itself with war against Illos and the Sayres when only a decade and a bit later it was looking ten times weaker than it had been in the immediate aftermath of the Grindelwald war!

It seemed like after the infamous conference of '57 between Illos and the ICW, everything had fallen apart for the organisation, as if something had been cut loose descending the organisation into a spiral of indecision and power grabs and incompetence culminating into a corrupt body that was a shadow of its self.

He stared at the headlines once more before he shook his head and pressed the button to send it to one of his staff to fact check. He wished the poor bastards in Croatia and Slovenia the best of luck.

They had relied on the good relations they had with Atticus and Illos to remain free but he was doubtful that was going to stop them. Not anymore.

Especially if the rumours were true…that the Raven and Cullaica were Archmages.

The dread in the pit of his stomach deepened. He knew almost for certain that they were Archmages. Selene's accounting of the butchery of her strongest people at the hands of Cullaica could be nothing short of the strength of an Archmage.

He'd seen Selene's strength for his own and if she wasn't even the strongest of her lot, a lot that attacked and died at the wand tip of Cullaica…

He'd dreaded to think how powerful the man he was following truly was.

The fear of the King and Queen's retribution would no longer hold the zealous Ravenites back from wanting to avoid conflict with Illos any longer. Not when they would believe they had Archmages of equal strength to Illos and had a population of nearly thrice that of Avalon, Illos and Ireland combined!

And if Italy falls in line…or was conquered…

If that happened, if either happened…

They would gain the resources of powerful families that were only slightly behind France and Avalon when it came to number of sorcerers per capita!

And realistically, he knew the Italians would capitulate instead of standing against the Ravenites he thought with a grimace. The current Italians were far removed from their famed and feared warrior mages ancestors.

He only wished they had the pride and strength of their forbearers.

He sighed. Realistically, only France, the Benelux and Iberian Ministries had any chance of remaining free and standing against the Ravenites as a consequence of their mutual defence treaties.

Treaties, if rumours were true, would be aimed towards including Avalon and Illos.

"Mother Magic…" he muttered under his breath.

Even as educated and well informed as he was, it was a difficult and near impossible choice to make. In theory, he was for it but in practice

He was all but certain war with the Ravenites and their allies would be even more disastrous than the Grindelwald war. If only for the fact that the muggles had grown even more insane with their warmongering!

The Cuban Missile Crisis was less than a decade ago and the majority of magical Europe had no idea that it was even happening or how close the muggles had been to destroy the world!

The Ravenites cared not about the mundane world – he thought it was why the ICW, when it still could, ignored the happenings of Europe – but that kind of ignorance was dangerous.

And if war was going to happen, he really thought that any war would spill over to the muggle side and with Europe being under intense surveillance by both the Soviets and the Americans…

He shook his head and banished the depressing thoughts away.

"Karl!" Theodore bellowed out from his office, the windows rattling at the power of his voice. The door swung open and a weedy man-boy scampered through, a tweed hat nearly flying off of his head that he about managed to secure with his hands.

Theodore could feel his spirits already lifting at the sight of the boy.

He knew it was a little cruel of him but the boy never failed to get him out of his funk. It wasn't even because he was pleased to see the boy. Merlin knew that the boy was wholly unimpressive in everything he did…and also just simply wholly unimpressive in stature and in talent.

Maybe it was because he could see a sliver of himself in the boy.

Still…he was never this bad as an intern.

"S-ssir?" the boy stammered nervously and Theodore sent a withering look causing the boy to stand up taller.

"Where is my report?" Theodore demanded. As the Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Prophet, he pretty much had free reign to run the paper any way he wished.

Something that lead the Daily Prophet being read all over the world under him.

He asked the boy to follow up on the Dwarves' first major works ever since they were hounded into near extinction all those centuries ago before they holed themselves up – or down – in Switzerland.

"I-I have it here?" the boy said – no asked – as his hand went into his inside pocket and he brought out a stack of parchment. Theodore resisted to face palm and simply looked at him blankly causing him to fumble the stack before placing it on the table.

Of course no one really used parchment any more when it came to anything non-magic related but he had to use parchment and an old type writer during his trials as an intern and then later as a junior and even into his career before everything changed to Holo-tech.

If he had to do suffer like that in his early career than they all should suffer that!

He sent a last long-suffering look at the boy before he looked down and read the report, a frown deepening as he read it.

The Dwarves had left Switzerland some six years ago after they decided to take up the offer made by Illos to become part of the nation as citizens equal to mages and other races.

They had seen the writings on the wall in Europe after the refugees – mostly consisting of 'light' families, people of interesting heritage and non-human magical races – had poured towards France and the Iberian Ministries…even to Avalon.

It worked out quite well for them, he mused to himself.

They were experiencing their first population boom in centuries and they had also regained much of their lost heritage.

He had no idea how Atticus managed to even find what was once thought to be destroyed wholly by the Goblins but he did and gifted it away to the Dwarves who were once again master smiths and craftsmen with a drive to once more become the renowned Dwarves of the antiquities as age old legends claimed them to be.

And for their first major works, this particular project was going to be quite spectacular. The Gate Network of Illos was an impressive piece of work but it was also slightly…pedestrian.

And so collaboration with the Dwarves had come to create a rail network that could use the Gate Network but also do so in a way that safety – from both operational and enemies – was maintained.

The Dwarves managed to figure out an unbreakable runic scheme that made either the train or the stations – stations that 'piggybacked' off of the Gate Network connection – useless in isolation. Only their trains could travel through the Rail Network and only the stations could facilitate travel through the network.

So far they had made several test runs between Illos and Avalon and it was a roaring success and the report from the boy confirms the case. He looked up from the parchment "So they estimate it will be opened publically by April 26th"

The boy nodded fervently "Yes sir. In time for the Beltane Festivals."

Theodore hummed distractedly as he thought on it. Smart to do it so close to Beltane.

It would create a buzz of excitement especially if even people from the villages could simply take a train from their enclaves in Scotland to Illos in time for the Festival.

Not just from Avalon either…no, the network would open to all those in treaty with Illos. From Argentina to Samoa to China to Ireland, the network would be open to all at a cheap price of seven sickles a ticket.

Huh. He'd have to speak to Selene about arranging a trip.

He picked up the slack of parchment and the boy walked over hastily "Give it to Cordelia for editing." The boy looked surprised but nodded and turned on his heels.

"Kid." The boy stopped in his tracks and looked back warily.

"Good job." He said a little gruffly. "It seems like you're not completely hopeless."

The boy looked surprised but the smile he gave was almost warming. Theodore let off a light scowl and the boy quickly scampered away, closing his door as he did so.

Theodore chuckled to himself as he leaned back in his chair but as soon as he did so, his PA spoke through the Com. "Sir, your wife is on line two"

Theodore's amusement fell off. "Did she say why?" he asked his PA a little hesitantly. She rarely called at work.

"…I may have heard her mutter 'forgetful inconsiderate' and something else that I am disinclined to repeat." His PA said in what he thought was rather a schadenfreude-esque tone.

His face paled a little. Merlin's motherlode! He'd forgotten to send for a pickup of Selene's prescription and now they would have to wait until tomorrow evening for it to arrive.

"Put her through" he said with a slump of his shoulders. He hoped she got it out of her system through the phone so that she wouldn't be mad once he was back home.

He picked up the Com and placed it by his ear. "Darling…" he winced as he put the Com away from his ear. He sighed. This might take a while.

-Break-

Teispes Sina POV

"First Minister" the Ambassador folded his hands as he leaned back in his chair, his legs crossed with his folded hands falling into his lap.

The blonde-white haired man with cool hard eyes was the very image of European aristocratic arrogance accompanied by a slight up-turned nose and hard pressed lips.

As much as he disliked this man before him, the fact that he was here meant that perhaps there was hope after all that agreement could be reached after they rejected the first round of proposals almost immediately out of hand.

"The proposal of your…League is promising." The ambassador tilted his head ever so minutely. "However geographically speaking, such a proposal may see…limited benefit." The man gave a cold smile "To both sides of course."

Teispes said nothing for a few moments, his expression blanked even as he eyed the man critically. Geography meant nothing to anyone in the magical world.

With the Floo Network, the Gates and even this new Rail Network, there was little that could stop either side aiding from one another. But of course that wasn't what he was referring to.

No, what he was referring to was the sheer advantage Illos, Aziza and Ame-No-Ukihashi had with their floating country-ships.

Try as they might, they had not been able to replicate the kinds of magic that could lift a significant portion of a landmass into the air, let alone sustaining it and even flying it. Not even the Americans had been able to get anywhere. And then there was the ability to make it all but invisible to any and all muggle eyes and their cameras…

And with that ability to practically be unassailable came safety.

A safety Avalon undoubtedly shared should it come to that and it was a safety his League did not have nor could hope to possess in the wake of the growing threat of the Ravenites and that monster.

With the fall of Russia all of Asia became open to them, becoming a fundamental threat that was unacceptable. A strip of mountains and land in the Caucuses was all that stood in between the Ravenites and his home, Persia now.

And it was unacceptable.

The magical net was at war time and at its strongest in centuries. Every Persian over the age of seventeen had to go under battle magicks training, something that magical enclaves under their protection had replicated albeit in a lesser fashion.

The Ottomans, the other regional power was acting similarly as well, having finalising dozens of safe houses in the Taurus and Sultan Mountains to accompany the draft of wizards and witches started five years ago knowing that holding Thrace was going to be near impossible should the Ravenites come in full force.

The other tribal clans in the Middle East that were part of their league were similarly preparing themselves in whatever way they could but their efforts were meagre just as their contribution would be meagre.

Which was why they were here in this moment of time, why he was negotiating on the behalf of a League that spanned all the way to the Indian Sea.

Why they were all but conceding defeat and their pride to put forth a proposal that would see the League answerable to them.

Illos and their alliance were powerful, supplanting entirely the ICW as the world authority in the magical world in a way that hadn't been seen before.

They, along with the Japanese and the Beninese and their coalition of African Ministries, had become a trifecta of power with their country-ships.

Magical advancement after magical advancement were made by these nations with Illos leading them from the front, revolutionising everything from food all the way to curing diseases that plagued magical-kind despite their magic.

The Sayres had even trivialised squib conditions as nothing more than an error to be corrected shocking the entire magical world as much if not more as when the Japanese received their country-ship.

As the ICW rotted to death from the very inside, the treaties the trifecta carved out had continued with unprecedented speed. Argentina had been amongst the first to join in a 'treaty of friendship' that marked them all but a junior member of the alliance and now there was a level of peace in the South American country that it has never experienced.

And it was a story that replicated itself all across South America and regions in Asia.

Even the Americans were but a stone's throw away from caving in and joining this Grand Alliance as some had taken to pressure from within their Congress to request their own country-ship deviating from their one-feet-in, one-feet-out approach.

They lived in an era of great change, one that surpassed the kinds of changes the muggles were undergoing with their ridiculous weapons and their disregard for their world.

And it wasn't the only similarity with the muggle world either.

Just as they had their 'cold war', the Magical World was in the process of something similar yet infinitely more sinister.

The hunger of the Raven was not contained to Europe alone. He wanted to seize all of the magical world, all living under his gaze, under his rules and way of life.

One bereft of freedom and choice.

He'd seen the reports of the Balkans captured from some of the undercover Ottoman wizards. All was provided for. Children were in school, parents had work and there was little crime. All things considered, it was not a bad life…on the surface.

Disappearances were common for the slightest of infractions. The rule of law was non-existent and abuse of power was frequent. Those who had betrayed their country and countrymen were in positions of power and effectively able to do whatever they wanted to those who mattered not.

It was a kind of unjust that did not belong anywhere in the magical world.

All under the direction of Cullaica and this Raven who, much to his bitter dismay, are truly Archmages of a similar vein as that as Grindelwald.

There were only Credence Aurilius, Dembe Habe, Eiji Seko, Li Lei and of course the Sayres that were verified as Archmages after Khari died last year…and all but one, Li Lei, was part of the Grand Alliance.

There was little choice now but to capitulate at least somewhat.

Between the choice of the Ravenites and the Alliance…

The choice was easy and he'd be damned if he let his people be subjected to them.

"That is true." Teispes said as he picked up the carton on the table and drew out a cigarette before placing it in his mouth. He rubbed his fingers on the end of the cigarette, the end of the cigarette set alight and he leaned back in his chair, his eyes once more set on the blonde-white haired man.

He drew a breath and breathed a healthy draw of smoke that settled in the space between them and he remained silent for a few more moments before he spoke again

"We do not have the option to simply…drift away from challenges." Teispes said with a cool stare "Something that Slovenia, Croatia and the rest of free Europe do not have." He drew another pull from the cigarette as he met the ambassador's gaze.

The ambassador's expression didn't change but Teispes could see the slight hardening of the man's cold eyes. Good.

The last thing they needed was doubt to be thrown about their ability or willingness to go through with their commitments. Even if Slovenia and Croatia never entered a treaty with Illos with regards to their defence against hostile forces, it is well known that they, particularly Slovenia, had come to their defence on the international stage when they unveiled themselves.

That was partially in repayment of the liberation of their country by the Knights of Mimpost and by King Atticus himself. That initial political backing resulted in later trade agreements very favourable to the small nation, however limited, and throughout the years, it was clear they held the King's personal favour.

A favour that has protected them for years even if their neighbours crumbled under the claws of the Ravens. He continued, his arms a little spread out in a gesture meant to signal peace "And I do not believe you to be so limited in being able to fulfil your commitments once you make them." Teispes leaned a little forward.

"Which is why this proposal does very little to inconvenience you."

The ambassador remained silent, his expression unchanged and Teispes continued "In fact, if anything…this proposal is just what you need" That gotten a slight reaction and Teispes pressed on as he smiled a little grimly, his eyes alight with certainty

"After all, unification of the magical world must be able to jump over any inconvenient and troublesome hurdle…isn't that right, Ambassador Malfoy?"

The powerful Lord sat back in his chair, his cold hard eyes scrutinising every inch of Teispes. Cunning, ruthless and dangerous, Malfoy had garnered a reputation that bled and drank respect…of a certain kind. He spoke the language of power and the aura of it. It was no surprise then the man had risen high in the world, effectively becoming a trusted problem solver for Avalon and Illos on the international stage.

"Unification is not our goal." Malfoy said with a bland, toneless voice even if his eyes spoke entirely differently. Teispes resisted the urge to send the man a look.

It was not hard to see the goal of the Sayres, not after all they had done, not after the number of regime changes that had happened to a number of smaller Ministries and enclaves around the world only for them to join in treaty with Illos and the rest of their alliance.

'Friendship treaties' that bound fates of peoples to that of Illos wrapped in gifts and advancements and obscene wealth that practically had leaders beg to join them.

The worst thing about it was that it was almost insidious with how it was so…benevolent. Compared to those living under the thumb of the Ravenites, those who lived under the sphere of the Grand Alliance had their lives improved in whichever way they needed it…even going so far as opening their schools to them.

And each moment where that was more diffusion of Illosian ideals and culture and magic into other societies, the more they were tied to Illos…and by proxy the King and Queen. Through soft power, they were winning the magical world over.

"Though it is an admirable dream to have." Malfoy said musingly as he unfurled his hands, his gaze never falling away from Teispes' own.

"In any case, perhaps I have been hasty in dismissing the proposal as having little benefit to either of our peoples." Malfoy said with a thin smile that seemed to more belong on the face of an eel.

Teispes equally smiled with a thin curl of the lips.

He didn't know what the end goal of the Sayres were with all of their schemes but he could read between the lines. He was almost sure they meant the magical world very little harm even if they sought to dominate it and unfortunately in the end…the alternatives were far worse than those two.

"Would you like a drink?" Teispes asked and so began hours long negotiations.

-Break-

Celestis System

Gaius Hardy POV

The cold fusion reactor's soft thrum in the background was like a silent song that he'd almost forgotten, just as he'd become less accustomed to the cold dull silver white gleam of the metal walls and flooring that once upon a time might as well have been his home.

This was the main observatory in the tower where every facility on the moon was connected to and where he could make adjustments if he needed to.

Adjustments that thankfully didn't need to be made all too often. Perks, Gaius supposed, from having a robust integrated techno-magical system – and able people.

His hands roved around the round holo, his fingers tapping on the Illosian symbols, the screen before him changing and he paused to take in the readings before him.

8.7904379964 meters per second.

A 3.2 x10-5 meters per second increase to yesterday and the increase in mass per day was rising steadily on target to achieve Earth parity in three years' time.

Good.

It meant their third phase was successfully initiated.

He jerked his arms, moving slightly and the round holo rotated and information about gravity's strength came to forefront.

As always, gravity was the strongest in four regions on Dexirus with Spiros II, the tower he was on, marginally strongest amongst the other three towers that were located in equally spaced locations around the moon with two spaced equally along the equator with the other two located on upper most north and lower most south.

Reaching nearly two kilometres in height, the Spiros towers were vital in the creation of Earth-normal gravity planet-wide. Dexirus had been a planet with a small inner core less than ten times the size of Earth's core – relative to its size – and it had been barely able to sustain an atmosphere, an atmosphere that was thinner than even Mars'.

And that was where the Spiros towers came in where in conjunction with the Terra Stones – Alchemic stones with the gargantuan ability to alter topographies to a set specific design and habitability – Dexirus was brought to life.

The Spiros Towers were directly connected to the planet's core and through transmutation the content of the planet's inner core was altered to iron and nickel whilst the outer core was altered to a combination of iron, nickel and osmium.

Magic was used to permanently altered the composition of the planet's interior whilst technology was used to create massive 'driving' machinery that kick started the 'churning' of the small-ish mantle and outer and inner cores to generate the magnetosphere that would work in tandem with the greater magnetosphere of the planet Dexirus orbited.

It was different to the way the Ancient Humans terraformed planets…more primitive yes but it was also undeniably quicker thanks to the sheer brilliance of magic.

In that regard, their people trumped the Ancient Humans even if they were completely overshadowed by them in most other ways.

Even the machinery they created with aid of what they were able pilfer from the crashed scoutship paled in comparison to the kinds of intricacies they had been capable off…like the World Engines they had found references to.

Automated World Engines that manipulated gravitons – a particle they were hard pressed to see let alone manipulate – to create heavier elements at the cores and mantles until, over the course of decades – or only years if they really needed to – along with heavy excitement of molecules through wireless transmission of energy at the core, the planet's inner core was churning and heavy enough to establish strong gravity, magnetosphere and atmosphere.

Still, they were able to get it done anyway and in the end, that is what mattered.

The doors hissed lowly and he turned around.

"Sir." Appius said respectfully as he entered the main observatory.

"Appius." Gaius said with a nod.

Appius was one of the senior planetary researchers of the Exodus Project Gaius was in charge of. A brilliant mind with aptitude for potions, alchemy and chemistry, he was mostly involved in matters of preparing habitation for Earth life on Dexirus.

Appius came to him with a tablet in hand "We have the results, Director." Appius smiled before he added "It's a success."

Gaius' eyes gleamed "Even the beta generation?" Gaius questioned as he took the table and the data sprang to life on the tablet and he began to read it in earnest.

"Even the beta generation. The migratory birds are now able to see the magnetic fields." Appius said happily and he had a right to be happy. Biological modification was proving to be more difficult than even planetary modification.

Migratory birds had the ability to detect the magnetic field generated by Earth's – or any other planet's – molten core to use it to determine their position and direction through magneto-reception, a phenomena made possible through photo-chemistry in their eyes.

The migratory birds relied on quantum effects in short lived molecular fragments that form photo-chemically in their eyes. They see the magnetic field lines and use that information to chart their course between their breeding and wintering grounds.

What they hadn't thought of at first was the sheer attunement the birds had to Earth's magnetic fields. It was a problem that had caused delay after delay.

After all, it wasn't just about making it habitable.

It was about making it liveable for Earth life as much as possible. No planet would ever have the same magnetosphere, it was impossible to replicate exactness even with magic but what they could do was test out if they were able to get close enough.

The birds were modified in a test facility that had conditions as per what they projected Dexirus would be like once Earth-normal gravity was established and the moon was stabilised – which included completing its stabilisation in its new more distant orbit around Celestis to account for its greater gravitational force which will have minimal effect on Celestis itself.

So it was a relief to hear that they were able to adjust the birds to be able to navigate Dexirus even if it was delayed by about sixteen months.

"What about their sense of direction?" Gaius asked as he looked up from the tablet.

They had to remove the internal clock that migratory birds had, this innate direction and sense of time that migratory birds inherit from their parents that are genetically encoded to their DNA.

"Unimpeded." Appius confirmed he said with a triumphant note "And their genetic instructions to head south for breeding 'season' has not been impacted either."

Gaius smiled at that. That was very very good to hear.

There were no seasons at present – likely never would there be any seasons in any meaningful way – given that the moon Dexirus was effectively tidally locked with one face of the planet in perpetual darkness due to the gravitational interactions between the moon and Celestis which synced up the moon's rotational cycle near perfectly with its orbital phases.

It was a curious and fascination cosmic accident and it was something they weren't going to change as the Celestis had grown accustomed to a moon like this even if it was almost twice as far away now.

It was a problem they had focused on given that the temperatures on the face that faced the sun continuously would have reached greater than a hundred degrees Celsius had it not been for the intricate natural weather system they created.

The dark side of the moon was essentially a vacuum that sucked in the winds of the expanded air – as a consequence from being heated up by the constant sun light – and what they were doing was exacerbate that vacuum by creating wide and very steep valleys kilometres deep valleys that rivalled the Mariana trenches on the dark side of the moon that would 'flood' entire regions with warm air equalising the temperatures across the moon.

That along with several Mediterranean ocean sized oceans in three different locations, with one on the dark side of the moon, created a stable weather system that prevented wide climate variations that might naturally occur if left unbalanced with only a fifteen degree Celsius difference between the two faces on the planet.

There were ideas to have permanent volcanoes on the dark side of the moon to further reduce this imbalance but it that was for the future. At present, the conditions were excellent enough for most Earth life on the sun-facing side.

With the genetically modified beech tree forest on the dark side of the moon creating bio luminescent 'dust' particles that simultaneously were reflective and emitting, it created a kind of pseudo dusk every eighteen or so hours – two thirds of Celestis' day night cycle – which simulations have confirmed to be adaptable within four generations by most animal species, mundane or magical.

"Good" Gaius declared as he handed back the tablet "Then we can get started on the transgenic agents"

"Already on it." Appius said as he took the tablet.

The transgenic agents would introduce the modified base genetic instructions that would 'overwrite' genes in birds and other animals that were keenly sensitive to Earth's planetary activities.

The genetic modifications were simple in real terms – a change here, a change there – and only made possible due to genetic sequencing and powerful Magi-Comps that were made incredibly intuitive to the user's desires made possible by the technology and tangential science they secured from the ancient scoutship.

As such, they wouldn't make this adjustment to every animal, no, that would be impractical, unnecessary and…difficult. To get this far took years and a team of Seelie. Thankfully they could modify the transgenic agents to suit other planetary bodies in the Celestis system were they would replicate what they were doing on Dexirus.

Gaius bid Appius goodbye before he returned his attentions on the matter at hand and continued to work on it for several more hours. As Director of the Exodus Project, he was ultimately responsible for the success – and failures – of the team.

Something he wasn't sure he wanted to thank or curse His Majesty for.

It was hours later that he left the Tower and flew above the sun-facing side of Dexirus at sub speed of sound – lower than that of Earth – more content than he was when he was in the Tower.

He stopped when he arrived at his favourite spot on Dexirus at this time of day – a place he was greatly entertaining requesting to set a home onto – and proceeded to walk a few hundred up the hill before he slumped onto the soft grass.

Gaius breathed in heartily, the odd minty scent of the purplish tall grass a balm to his lungs whilst he sat leaned back on his arms on top of a hill that overlooked the unique grasslands.

The air was thicker and it was always noticeable when he left the regulated Tower. The oxygen content of the air was hovering stably at 22.3%, just over a percent below the safety threshold and about 0.4% higher than that of Earth.

His gaze fell on the horizon, the slight pinkish purple sky as a consequence of bio-luminescent product of a family of trees in the forests some hundred kilometres away adding an ethereal quality to an already beautiful scenery.

A scenery that incorporated the beautiful blue green world of Celestis front and centre in the night sky – if it could be called night sky, the moon orbited Celestis so close that even during this period of maximum 'clouding by bio-luminescence' it was as light as dusk on Earth – the world that would one day be home to all of their people.

His fingers dug into the soil, the firm but soft soil parting under the pressure of his fingers, just as Dexirus would be a part of their home.

Just as every planetary body in the solar system would be eventually.

Just as his former mentor had envisioned and entrusted him to make happen.

He wasn't sure how long he was gazing away at the sky when he came to hear the noise of the tell-tale dull whizzing of a sky-bike but he realised it probably had been too long. He sighed. No rest for the wicked, he mused to himself quietly.

For the past six years, he'd only grown in terms of authority to everyone on this project. Before they arrived, he could tell that his subordinates had thought he got the position of Director because of his apprenticeship with His Majesty instead of his own merits.

There was nothing more offensive to any Illosian than being promoted without having earned it and for a little while, let's just say that he hadn't been the most popular amongst the near three hundred strong collection of people.

Fortunately though, he had proven time and again that he was not promoted due to favouritism and in less than six months even the most grudging individual like Marcellus of Clan Richmond could not believe that he wasn't the best person for the job.

He dusted off his hands and got up onto his feet, stretching slightly as he did so.

He recognised immediately who it was as the sky-bike began its slow approach before it stopped in front of him. "Felix" Gaius welcomed the member of the Strickland clan that he'd known since childhood.

"Sir" Felix saluted with a thump on his chest with his wand hand.

It was a way of saluting superiors amongst the Illosian Guards of which Felix was a member of as part of the attaché of guards assigned to the Exodus Project. At present, Felix was also doubling as an extra pair of hands for the ritual that would make this moon truly alive.

"Is there a problem with the ritual crafting?"

Felix climbed off of the bike, shaking his head as he did so. "No, no problems. It's all proceeding as planned." Felix confirmed and Gaius nodded to the answer.

It was one thing bringing an almost dead planetary body to life but it was another thing entirely to make it magical. Life and magic were interlinked and where life thrived, magic enriched and suffused but

It was not as simple as that.

There were conditions required for magic to suffuse itself onto and into life, conditions that existed for planets like Celestis and Earth as a consequence of their placement within the galaxy, within the universe.

Conditions when unmet missed that spark that came from abundant magic nearby for the living planet to latch onto, a spark that came as a consequence by way of inhabiting a region of space where universal leylines crossed like it did on Earth and Sol or intersected like it did on Celestis and in the Celestis System.

Dexirus was fortunate in that regard.

As a moon with the flimsiest of atmospheres hostile to even bacterial life due to little protection from powerful radiation emanating from the sun, it had been at least several times more attuned to magic than Luna was despite the billion year seniority that Luna had over Dexirus, a story that repeated itself all over the system no matter how dead or hostile to life the planet may be.

In time, now that Dexirus had its atmosphere built and planted with abundant plant life that covered every crevice of land and ocean, that spark would have naturally come after several millions of years, perhaps even sooner simply for the fact it was so close to an intersection point of two powerful universal leylines, but that was a little too long for all of them.

And so, the ritual crafted by their Majesties would 'jump-start' this spark into blooming, a ritual that worked to, very simplistically explained, effectively turn Dexirus into a massive wardstone to draw in the magical energies that surrounded the system that would turn said energies inward into the planet itself.

It wouldn't pull in magic from Celestis, its range could not reach that far but it would pull in magic for over a hundred thousand kilometre radius.

With magic being effectively constant, this would mean that there would never be a dip in magical intake into Dexirus and with how strong ambient magic was in system, it would at most take three to four decades before it was as magical as Celestis.

An accomplishment that he would be rather proud of once it was complete.

"No, Captain Fisibilillah has asked to see you." Felix explained.

"Did he say why?" Gaius asked with a frown whilst he tapped on his arm causing a holo interface to appear. A few taps later and his sky-bike would be on its way.

One of the things they had noticed was that the magic of a world heavily influenced one's own magic. So much so that apparating was an ill-advised gambit until you were familiar enough with the magic of the world.

Whilst apparation was effectively wormhole travel in the classical point to point sense, the medium through which one travelled was magic itself, specifically magic of the planet itself.

Memory and sight were important of course but the vital point was instead one's ability to 'commune' with the magic of the planet itself, to let it help guide one's own magic towards a specific destination.

Port-keys worked similarly enough as well although they were centred around coordinates that 'told' magic where it was meant to go.

On a planet like Dexirus, or even Celestis, such communing or interaction with the planet could only come once one was familiar enough with the planet's magic.

Gaius had become familiar enough with Celestis over the past six years to manage to apparate across it but Dexirus was still a mile too far.

"He did not." Felix said and Gaius nodded, the answer an answer in of itself.

The silver sky-bike zoomed down towards him "Alright, let's go then." Gaius said as he hopped onto the bike. He pressed his hand onto the middle of the steering and the silvery hull began to morph and change to encapsulate him within the bike, his legs no longer dangling freely as his entire body was encased in a silver arrow like shape.

Seconds later, he shot off towards the sky, climbing and climbing until his angle of ascent was three hundred and forty-five degrees and it was only minutes later that he breached the atmosphere

A significant portion of researchers on Dexirus were on the far side of the moon where it was perpetually dark as a consequence of the moon being effectively tidally locked conducting experiments on the creation of bio-luminescent plant life that could create enough artificial light on a day/night cycle in line with Celestis' twenty-eight-hour rotation to make the absence of sunlight a little less noticeable.

The dashboard came into life, the entire solar system mapped out in two dimensions, and the dot that represented Gradus came into view with Felix right behind him. Gradus was currently at Celestis' Lagrange point L2, where it has a clear view of deep space.

Gradus was the only spaceship they had capable of making this journey – at least that was the case years ago – and as such, its importance couldn't be understated.

It doubled as a command post, especially in the early days, and it also was where the automated-mining drones were commanded. Drones that mined the asteroids within the system in preparation for the building of a Starbase that would be the first of many defences of their soon-to-be home.

It took about an hour or so until he finally came close to the spaceship, the five hundred twenty-nine metre long ship that floated in space in a backdrop of stars and nebulae with virulent blue light glowing from nearly every inch of its hull, and he began his slow deceleration towards the ship.

He circled around towards its rear where a blue force field was the only barrier between the insides and cold harsh space and he passed through the force field with no difficulty and landed to where he was signalled to land. The sky-bike morphed away like rain trickling down a pane of glass and he stepped off of it.

"Sir!" one of the crew saluted as they approached.

"The Captain is waiting on you in the Captain's Room."

"Very well." Gaius said as he walked away and made his way out before stepping on the walkway that would take him to the one of the Hub-Ports.

As he walked and nodded to a few people he knew well, he was brought back to when the ship had first been designed. There had been heated discussion about whether or not to integrate passageways, passageways that could anywhere and everywhere as soon as you were by a bulk-way.

In the end it was disregarded as lazy, he thought with amusement, but not completed as this method was preferred where the Hub-Ports functioned much like portkeys and were able to have multi-destinations fixed within the chamber linking it to any other Hub-Port.

A swirl later after he'd gotten in, he was on the bridge. The bridge was ovoid and decked with holo stations though it was half occupied at this hour.

He eyed the captain's chair with mild envy. The chair was heavily integrated with neural and magical interface control systems. The closest approximation, when it was activated, was a Pensieve with the way one was immersed.

Only in this instance, instead of being in a memory, one was the ship itself.

One could feel and know the status of the shield, damage was relayed immediately to the Captain and even able to relay commands to the crew via a kind of Legillimency in dire situations, potentially enabling critical actions to be undertaken that otherwise would be done too late.

He was saluted to by the security personnel who he outranked even if he was not military per se. One might think that security was unneeded given that they were in an empty system but eventually that wouldn't be the case.

It was important to set out good habits and practices and in time these people would train the next generations. He arrived at the door and waved his magic against the door.

The door turned alight with a soft glow and he felt his magic being sampled by the pseudo-ward on the door and soon enough the door opened and he walked in.

There was a marked difference between the rest of the ship and Fisbililah's room. Instead of decked in the same grey-silver metal as the rest of the ship was, his room was decked with wood wall panels that were of some considerable age.

That along with a thick rug in the middle of the room made it almost a homey place.

He waved at his shoes with a lazy hand and became transfigured into thick socks before he walked further into the room until he walked through into Fisbililah's office.

Tirtayasa Fisbilililah was behind his desk, his eyes fixed on a Holo-pad, his posture rigid and collected. The man had a well-kept beard, one that aided him in cutting an impressive figure of authority.

Just as Gaius had to prove his own worth as a leader in his own right, Fisbililah had to prove his own worth as Captain of the first long distance expedition.

Though it had to be said that Fisbililah had a greater and steeper mountain to climb to get where he was now. Disadvantaged as he was by not being born to active magic with limited magical potential, he had only his intellect and his drive at first.

Yet as time when by, he proved his worth again and again especially so after he created the Mahameru Predictive Algorithm that made travelling through slipspace possible through incredibly intuitive near sentient magical program algorithms that saved them from needing to develop computer systems like the Ancient Humans did once upon a time.

And from there, he continued to prove himself until he was rewarded with this post and he'd taken to it like a fish to water. His eyes swept to the moving picture on his desk, a picture of his wife Fatimah, the famous artist, and their two sons.

Fisbililah looked up from his Holo-pad and Gaius looked to meet the man's gaze.

"Director Hardy" the Captain said with a stiff nod as he set the holo-pad down.

"We've received a tight-beam from Illos"

A tight-beam was a method of communication that was near instantaneous centred around the quantum entanglement principle that their ancestors the Ancient Humans used though instead they used the connectivity of universal leylines that they had arithmantically mapped out in the sectors that connected Earth to Celestis

They hadn't had the expertise to replicate the Quantum Entangled Communication network that hinted in the ancient scoutship database nor the knowledge to make the mathematics work but they had been able to with the principle and they refashioned it in ways that was most practical and achievable in the short term.

The number of leylines that existed in this galaxy alone were arithmantically proven to be numbered in the tens of thousands and they used a clever approximation and derivation technique to pinpoint the flow of leylines into one another.

A flow that connected Earth and Celestis through a series of leylines that wasn't actually in a straight line but rather curves and tangents that didn't matter one whit given that magic was constant and thus communication was constant.

Unfortunately, at the moment they were only able to communicate in 'bursts' of magic, magic that near indistinguishable from the universal magical frequency, that could be unpacked with a receiver that was several hundred thousand times more sensitive than even their Majesties were to magical fluctuations.

At present, anything greater than these bursts of magic would unravel through the flow of leylines, like a balloon holding water bursting under the pressures of the deep ocean whereas these 'bursts' were more like pellets of metal holding a drop of water protected against the uniformity of neutral magic that permeated throughout the leylines.

"They want us to return." Fisbililah said, cutting to the chase.

"Why?" Gaius asked surprised. The journey back would take months and as far as he knew, there was little necessity to cut short their mission.

Yethea, Sentanis and Dagolia were all in mid to late stages of Terra-Alchemy with two further moons seeded with alchemic stones. To cut short now would potentially set them back years.

"We're at a critical stage and they know this." Gaius said with a frown.

Fisbililah nodded "They are aware." He said before he sighed and placed his hands on the table, meeting Gaius' eyes.

"They're not asking us all to return. Only Gradus, non-critical staff and yourself." Fisbililah thinned his lips as he paused for a moment

"The mission is to be expanded into Phase Two."

Gaius controlled his expression "It's a little soon." He simply stated.

Fisbililah nodded "I am leaning towards agreement yet this is an order from the King himself." Fisbililah said meaningfully and Gaius grimaced before he nodded reluctantly. If he believed that they were fine to proceed to the next stage then they likely were.

Gaius eyed the man critically "Any idea who and what will be first?"

Fisbililah shook his head minutely "Only a guess." He stated and Gaius raised an eyebrow which Fisbililah smiled a little in response to as he leaned back in his chair.

Generally speaking, if either of them had a guess, it tended to be more right than wrong. Fisbililah continued "Centaurs." He stated simply and Gaius nodded agreeably. He thought so too.

The Herds of Greece were amongst the first displaced from their homelands by the Ravenites. They'd asked for sanctuary from Illos. Not many people were privy to their discussions though he did learn later – just as Fisbililah had – that the Centaurs knew of their plans to move worlds and had asked for settlement rights.

Relations with the beings weren't the easiest, xenophobic as they were, but they did join the alliance even if it was in a limited capacity.

"It would be nice to go back home again." Gaius said after a moment in a musing tone as he looked towards the moving pictures of Fisbililah's family. The last time he'd gone home was years ago and he'd love to see his family again and catch up.

"That, I can easily agree with." Fisbililah said with a sigh "We won't leave for another few days. We will leave the majority of our fighter and heavy ship complement and crew behind along with half of the security personnel."

Gaius nodded gratefully. It wouldn't do to leave those under his responsibility undefended. Still…

"I hope they've built another ship." Gaius said with a slight look of displeasure.

"I wouldn't surprise me if there at least another two or three." Fisbililah said "They were training enough crew for two ships two years ago when we'd last been."

He hadn't gone back last time so he took the man's word for it. He nodded to the man and turned on his heel "I will tell my people to flash a shopping list of items we'll bring back for them." He said with a wave as he departed.

As he walked down the walkway back to his skybike, he couldn't help but allow a small smile bloom in his face. It might be unexpected to go back home but he most certainly was looking forward to it.