Enter the Badlands

The Temple, Avalon

"Ok," Tracey whispered.

They alley's were widening and establishments made their presence known with architecture borrowed from all parts of the globe. Although, Harry found it strange they were all still closed. He'd expected near noon to be atleast a little busy. He had been looking forward to seeing the different people who populated Avalon.

"We're going to enter the courtyard and we need to remain silent. It will be crowded and the chances of being recognised by Bellatrix's friends is high. So keep your hoods up."

Harry's heart quickened, feeling the rush of excitement. He loved this feeling. The thrill of finding a secret gateway.

"And if we're attacked, you and I run and let the asshole fight," Freya said to Tracey seriously.

He was looking forward to seeing what Bellatrix would do. She was going to be there. Regardless of Tracey's schemings, truth heard through the Void was fated to be faced.

When they turned left into an enormous courtyard, Harry first saw an enormous black temple rising from the centre of the courtyard, absorbing all the colours and making a faint sound that reminded him of home. It was gorgeous.

His eyes absorbed the surrounding gardens, stalls and large archways embedded in the corners which obviously served as the entrance and exit to Avalon. He vividly noticed the massive courtyard was empty. Bellatrix, he thought. It had to be.

"What the fuck?" Freya gasped. The courtyard was always milling with people. How was it empty?

Harry smiled, containing his growing excitement. He was attracted by a faint blue light glowing out of the temple and decided to do what he came here to do.

It was the source. It was calling him. Nothing could obstruct his path.

As if in a trance, he walked towards the temple. Scriptures engraved into the stone became larger as he grew closer and the light of the temple began to welcome him in.

"Let's go," Freya whispered to Tracey. This was a trap. They had to get out of here.

"What about..?" Tracey began. Harry was her clue to finding her friends again.

"Forget him! The exits are clear. Let's just go."

Freya and Tracey took on a fast pace towards the closest archway.

The courtyard turned into soft grass and Harry felt a calm wash over him. He kicked of his sneakers and sank his feet into the soil beneath. "So this is Avalon," he breathed in wonder and closed his eyes as he felt something magical wash over him. It felt like an awareness.

Tracey and Freya were almost at the exit when a black shadow moved in the corner of their eyes.

Freya grabbed Tracey by the waist and kicked of the ground with immense force just as the ground was sliced into pieces.

Another blur cut their exit and Freya was forced to dodge.

Harry felt aggressive power and smiled wryly. She was here. What did she have up her sleeve?

The entrance was right before him. If he wanted he could just teleport in and avoid this confrontation all together. But the itch to fight and flex the Void was strong.

Freya drew her waist gun and fired three rounds at the new arrivals who were wearing black robes and a hood obscuring their faces.

"Assassins," Tracey breathed with fear.

Her plan had failed. Bellatrix had played her.

A fourth shimmered in front of Harry and had his hood down.

Harry narrowed his eyes to read the man's colours. He was tall and his skin pasty white with four deep red scars across his face. His red was of high contrast and masked every other colour of his magic. The man had abnormal physical strength. Harry decided to make him the example.

The Void burst out of him and the man felt the full force of it and was blown away from him into the temple.

A loud crash resonated from the inside and Harry exhaled deeply as the Void readied for battle.

He turned around and faced Bellatrix.

Freya and Tracey were surrounded by three smaller black robed figures. Freya was calm but Tracey was nearing a panic attack.

"Did you really think it would be that easy getting away from me?" Bellatrix said to Tracey with amusement. "Who's the shepherd?"

Freya ignored her and looked at Harry. He was not far enough not to hear her. "Oye!" she shouted. "You gonna honour your word?" He had agreed to lead Tracey to the exit. They were not there yet. "Just be calm girl," she added with a whisper to Tracey. "I've got some tricks up my sleeve if things get hairy."

"Aren't they already?" Tracey whispered back urgently. She didn't object to Freya's hand being firmly wrapped around her waist. The woman was strong, she was realising. Far stronger than she had imagined if Harry had chosen to back away after seeing the power she could not, in her.

Bellatrix shrieked a laugh. "You agreed to shelter her Harry? I didn't realise you were that pathetic!"

Harry had no time for banter. He was focused. Far more focused than he had ever felt in his life.

The Void had already surrounded them and they didn't even realise it. He hoped it wouldn't be this easy to subdue them.

He nodded to Freya and the Void wrapped around his attackers in a tight grip.

Outward, nothing happened. But, through the Void, Harry felt a resistance he had never felt before. They could break out of his grip at any time. What were they waiting for?

"Let them go," Bellatrix said calmly after a moment. His touch was soft. It made her shiver in anticipation of making him her pet.

"Let them go?"

One of assassins was a woman and her tone was full of scorn.

"Tracey Davis faked a contract." A man. He broke free from Harry's grip like it was fake glue and pointed at Tracey.

Harry blinked. He didn't notice a force. It felt more like a transmutation.

"And I gave you a real one," Bellatrix snapped. "We're here for the boy. You chose what's profitable."

The third lowered his hood and the Void shattered around him like glass. He was young, seemingly of Indian descent. He felt the fourth he had punched into the temple return with his anger flowing through the magic around them.

"Go!" Bellatrix barked to Tracey.

Freya laughed. "Thanks Kid! I didn't want to waste my bullets on idiots. Come on, Tracey," she said tugging her to the exit. "You're going to love Albus."

Harry heard it just as they disappeared and a deep yearning pulled him into a black hole. "Wait!" he shouted.

"Did she mean?" Bellatrix gasped, her eyes wide.

Harry didn't know why he called out. Hearing that name had just triggered an emotion in him. He wasn't able to understand it. What was it?

"Oh well," Bellatrix sighed. Stupid old men didn't merit her attention. Younger, virile ones did.

Harry let go of his grip.

Now was not the time to lose focus. He was surrounded by powerful beings being paid to subdue him and another wanted to seduce him.

It was his advantage. He was aiming to kill. It had been too long since he had felt his killing intent. Letting it wash over him felt like nostalgia. His blood lust rose and the Assassins felt it.

"Bellatrix," Harry warned softly. "Don't regret this." He could sense his control wavering. That dark grin that he kept controlled began to bubble to the surface and his body automatically went into a slight crouch.

Avalon's heartbeat slowed to a crawl and Bellatrix's sword cut through with the speed of sound.

The Void thrummed with a dark energy and from the abyss of the void rose the will to rip open the space between him and Bellatrix's magic and unleash it on the big man emerging from the temple.

He was sliced without mercy and dead before his two halves hit the grass.

Bellatrix snarled and the other three assassins burst into movement; sprinting in unison to surround him.

Harry watched in fascination as magic began to construct around them, a language that spoke of death. Magik that could skewer him hurtled at him and he ripped the space around him and stepped away near an exit, just as their curses shredded the air where he had been.

Harry's heartbeat drummed at the back of his head. He raised both his arms and slapped them together, pouring his will to destroy into the void. A pulverising force ripped through the courtyard and Harry weaved it around them, pouring more power into the deathly trap.

"Watchout," the man shouted in alarm.

The Void had turned into a deadly cage that was rapidly shrinking on them.

Their shields held for a moment and then two piercing screams of pain tore through the courtyard.

Two shields held firm until the curse dissipated.

Only Bellatrix and the man had survived.

Blood soaked the grass and Harry breathed it in, it's smell sweet and intoxicating.

The sacred temple was witnessing a slaughter.

The last Assassin, glanced at his dead with apathy. At least their death was swift.

"Miss Black," he said, his voice deep and soft. "Who is this boy?"

"Harry Potter," she said and licked her lips. He was putting up a good fight, she thought with excitement.

"Why is he abnormally strong?"

"I'll find out when I break him Kristof. Tracey had put in a contract of one million each. Well, now its five million for you if you make him my bitch. Are you running or staying Kristof?"

Harry waited patiently, curious to see what their next move would be despite their force being cut in half. They couldn't sense it. The Void was already a part of every particle in the courtyard. Being a part of it, he could feel the call of the Badlands grow stronger. It was excited too. It could sense his power and was eager to test it.

"You're underestimating me Harry!" Bellatrix laughed. She raised her sword to the sky and touched her wand to it.

Harry barely saw a flash and ducked instinctively barely avoiding the side slash. He was looking at after images and felt shock when a finger brushed him between his legs. He kicked out and teleported to maintain distance between them.

Bellatrix was fast, Harry realised, his heart raced, the feeling of almost being violated thundered inside him, messing with his senses. She could have almost ended him there.

He clenched his fist and took a deep breath. He wasn't going to fall for her provocation. That was what she wanted. The Void began to manipulate the weight in the air to weave a cocoon around Bellatrix and the man.

They felt it surround them and Bellatrix immediately cut it to pieces, with swift slashes of her blade while the man did nothing.

Harry and Bellatrix were surprised. The Assassin was making no move to attack Harry.

"I'm returning the contract," he said calmly.

"What!" Bellatrix shrieked. "Why?!"

Harry withdrew his hold around him. If he wanted to leave he wasn't going to stop him.

"There are some beings we cannot fight," he said softly. "We will give you five minutes. If you haven't left, both of you, the Avalon Council will never allow you to return."

There was an Avalon Council?

"Well," Bellatrix huffed, feeling annoyed. "I didn't realise you Assassins were such pansies. That's probably why I never felt like joining your creed," she mocked.

"Do not test fate Bellatrix. You will lose."

"Wuss," Bellatrix spat and turned her attention back on Harry. "Look's like your lucks earning its bucks!" she laughed.

She attacked rashly, without purpose, without reason. Suddenly Harry found it all pointless. This was too easy. He had expected more. They hadn't even drawn his blood yet.

Disappointment flooded him and deflected Bellatrix's magic with ease. It cut a ten feet deep smoking chasm in the ground. The Assassin had left, probably to brief the Avalon Council, he thought idly.

Her reaction was swift, a swirling current of pulverising power sprung out of her wand and Harry swat it aside like a bug. The curse flayed about and crashed into one of the exits, exploding it into dust and ash.

She didn't stop and followed with a good old fashioned sword thrust at his heart.

Harry clapped his hands together and caught the tip of the blade.

Bellatrix's let go of the blade and ran into him.

Harry didn't expect it and was caught off guard when she crashed into him.

Bellatrix sensed an opening as they stumbled back and grabbed his balls and squeezed.

Harry went blank for a moment as his heart did a stunned backflip and he snarled instinctively and drew his wand, a glow of dark green on its tip.

Bellatrix let go and skipped away, laughing hysterically.

"The look on your face!" She squealed. "I can't wait to sit on your face!"

"Touch me again, and I'll fucking feed you alive to Vultures," Harry growled furiously. She was aiming for his vulnerabilities with vicious sexuality. Harry felt its sting deep. Don't fall into her trap, he said to himself. Calm down. His hormones were aroused. Was she channeling magic through her nails? Was he affected?

Harry's thoughts were beginning to spiral. If Bellatrix pushed him, good things were not going to happen.

"Awww," Bellatrix mocked. She had drawn her wand and was tapping it on her shoulder, carelessly walking in circles with measured distance around Harry. "Did I make the itty-bitty baby feel uncomfortable?"

"We have four minutes left," Harry said, breathing heavily. He was struggling to keep focus. "You have a choice. Back off and live or attack and die. Either way, I'm walking through the temple in three minutes."

Bellatrix pouted. "Aw come on Harry. Don't tell me being forced to stay on your toes is not fun? I know you're enjoying this. You're powerful but you're not invulnerable. Exploiting invulnerabilities is a speciality of mine," she said.

Don't get caught of guard again, he said to himself and to her, with an ice cold tone he said, "And eventually you'll run out of tricks. I'll have no choice but to stain these grounds with your blood and I'll meet the Avalon Council to hear what they have to say. Two minutes."

"Your guards up," she acknowledged. "I can feel it." She knew it would be difficult to pierce his defence now and she had to chose the time for her next attack carefully. The hunt was on. He was a predator and so was she. She first, had to understand what kind of prey he liked. Bellatrix reached to a conclusion.

She picked up her sword. "Go on then," she said. "Runaway. Now you have a choice. Run and chase your imagination. Or stay and fight like a man."

The seconds ticked and time ran out.

Harry was not going to be baited. He turned his back on her and walked into the temple with the Void protecting his back.

"I'll be seeing you around Harry!" Bellatrix shouted. She cloaked herself and promptly followed him in. She was addicted to him. She wasn't going to stop until she tasted his blood and heard him scream her name in agony.

Inside the temple Harry found everything was too bright and had to shield his eyes. The colours radiating were of a large spectrum and Harry wasn't able to see a path anywhere. Nor walls or a ground. It was just energy.

He kept walking, his footsteps a soft echo.

Was there a secret to entering the Badlands, Harry wondered. He kept walking blindly, waiting for a clue.

The energy of the temple was different. It had no language. It did not exist to communicate. It existed to guide.

He had to ask, he realised with a start. "Take me to the Source," he said softly, hoping it would work and to his delight, it did. The light began to fade away and Harry's eyes adjusted to a dawn of an endless grassland.

Tall leaves of grass, five feet high, swayed in a gentle cool breeze and the sky; scattered with clouds, cast a red hue on the surface.

Harry couldn't sense energy. He looked around and it was the same everywhere. Grass. Apart from his own, he couldn't see or feel magic in any direction to the horizon.

How strange, he thought curiously. He could not even sense life. The grass looked fresh but they radiated no energy. He knelt down and plucked it out of the hard ground. It had roots and it felt real.

Harry grinned. If there was anything he had learnt in his travels of the desert. If something felt real, it was probably an illusion.

He drew his wand and conjured a coat. Night was falling and there didn't seem to be a moon around.

Perfect prowling time for a predator, Harry thought happily. He chose a direction in random and began to walk, teleporting whenever he desired. It would be a couple of hours before he'd begin to feel hungry. He had to find a place to camp.

An end to a fabled Quest was upon him.

Review :)