This is probably a huge example of me getting ahead of myself. But, well, fools rush in where angels fear to tread and all that crap. This is a venture into an anime franchise that I probably wouldn't have ventured into that much, if it weren't for fanfiction.
Namely, Berserk.
While I did have some minor interest in that series, you have someone else to thank (or blame, depending on your POV) for getting me to dip my toe, ever so tentatively, into this rather gruesome dark fantasy franchise. This is deathbearABC123, whose Berserk crossover Harry Potter and the Berserker inspired this. It's a very well-written fanfic with an anime series with not that many crossovers going for it. It also needs a lot more love, so, here I am, plugging it. Here's the URL:
s/12559843/1/Harry-Potter-and-the-Berserker
Anyway, I eventually decided that I wanted to post a challenge, and I recently started correspondence with deathbearABC123. As it turned out, two of my three challenge ideas were actually ideas they had been considering for what became Harry Potter and the Berserker, before deciding on the final storyline. With their permission given, I posted the three challenge ideas all together as 'A Mage in Midland'. And because this particular plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone, I decided to write and post a prologue (or an epilogue, really) of a story I will eventually try to write in some form or another. It is called Ubi Amor, Ibi Dolor, or 'with love comes pain'.
It is, bluntly, a Harry/Casca story that, in some regards, will be similar to Harry Potter and the Berserker, if only because it involves Harry being with the Band of the Hawk. But this is a post-Hogwarts Harry, weighed down by his experiences and losses. I am also merging this story, based on the 'Casca's Soulmate' part of the challenge, with my 'Misery Loves Company' challenge, thus giving Casca a soul bond with Harry...which will be of use during the Eclipse.
While this story is set during the Golden Age, we will be seeing Harry and Casca's life post-Eclipse as they try to deal with what happened, as well as living with Flora and Schierke. Thanks to deathbearABC123's story, Schierke has already become my favourite character in Berserk, and the thought of Harry and Casca being parental figures to Schierke is such an adorable image. As for Casca's state of mind...well, she's still sane, relatively speaking. But she has been damaged by what happened to her, and while she's not as monomaniacal as Guts, she's skating close to the edge.
That being said, this story won't be continued for a while, at least not until I can get a hold of Berserk. So, watch this space.
Once more, I have to give my utmost thanks to deathbearABC123 for giving permission to post those challenges in the first place. Look up their story, give it more love. It deserves some, despite the dark story.
UBI AMOR, IBI DOLOR
PROLOGUE:
THE END IS THE BEGINNING IS THE END
The house had the sense of age about it, everything wood and rustic…but it also had a sense of, well, home to it, a welcoming nature to it, despite the accoutrements of magic around it. Emerald eyes flashing behind glasses and darker eyes, both ringed by hollow sockets, took in the sights. "Beats a gingerbread house," the owner of the emerald eyes, a young man with a messy thatch of black hair, remarked.
The dark-skinned woman he was with snorted. Her hair was cut boyishly short, but there was no mistaking her gender. Still, despite being about the young man's age, her face seemed even more haggard, almost aged beyond its years. "If they really wanted us dead, they would have let that golem pulp us."
"Come on," the short figure they were following said, a little peevishly. She had short green hair, and seemed dressed in traditional witches' gear, complete with pointed hat. The effect made her seem endearing rather than sinister, though her attitude was far more serious than any girl her age had a right to be.
"We've been travelling quite a while," the young man said. "We need to rest. Especially as during the night…well, it's hard for either of us to sleep. So excuse us if we're a bit slow."
The green-haired girl turned and shot him a look, before continuing on, muttering under her breath to a small, glowing figure with wings. They were finally brought to one room in particular, where an elderly woman was working at a spinning wheel. The woman had been a great beauty once, and even now, her features were gentle and maternal, not to mention serene.
The young man stood up a little straighter. Eventually, he said, a little lamely, "Hi. My friend and I were in the area, and we wondered if you wanted to discuss religion."
The girl looked irritated, but the older woman smiled a little. "If that truly were the case, the golems would have shown you the door. One of the advantages of having a secluded home such as this is that proselytisers are hard-pressed to find it."
"Okay, you got me there. I'm Harry."
"And I am Casca," the dark-skinned woman said.
The elderly woman nodded. "A pleasure to meet you both. I am Flora, the Mistress of the Spirit Tree, and this is my apprentice, Schierke, as well as her friend, Ivalera the Elf. I have awaited your arrival for some time. A wizard from another realm…and a woman branded by evil. You have gone through much to come here."
"…You know about the brand?" Casca asked, her hand unconsciously reaching up to her chest, her breath becoming a little quicker until Harry's hand gently clasped over her other hand. She very nearly jerked her hand away out of reflex, but stilled.
Flora nodded. "You need not fear the advent of evil near this place. It is protected, even from those drawn to people branded with the mark of sacrifice."
Harry sighed quietly in relief. "…Thank Merlin. I was worried we'd have to defend you from those things that come after us, but…wait, you know I come from another world?"
"If I didn't before, I do now. After all, Merlin is a name I have not heard of for some time," Flora said. "In any case, a mutual acquaintance told me of your coming."
Harry and Casca shot each other looks, before the former said, "Are we talking someone who loves giving ominous and enigmatic utterances, and looks like he needs a heavy dairy diet to, you know, keep his bones healthy?"
Once more, Flora smiled. "I believe we are. But it is getting late. Perhaps we should discuss what path you have travelled down, and why it has brought you here, tomorrow…"
Schierke had objected somewhat to their presence, but Flora had overridden the objections of her apprentice and Ivalera, albeit gently. Schierke had escorted them to a bedroom reluctantly, making it clear that, to her, they were here on sufferance. Harry had an urge to prank her, but it was the first time in some time that he and Casca had a proper bedroom. True, wizarding tents were handy, but there was only so much they could do against the malicious entities drawn by the brand on her.
He also knew he'd have to ask Flora and Schierke if they had any ingredients for potions, particularly Dreamless Sleep. Casca needed that on a regular basis, ever since that day when everything turned upside down. When they were betrayed by the man they had tried to rescue, a hollow shell that made a deal to become a demon.
The day of the Eclipse.
Harry and Casca slept in separate beds when they had beds at all these days. While she didn't experience all of what happened to her during the Eclipse, what she had seen up to the point when Griffith, or rather, Femto, began his vile work on her was enough to give her nightmares. The woman who had endured the horrors visited upon her home village, and who had witnessed all manner of acts of brutality and violence in war, had seen the stuff of nightmares…no, things that surpassed nightmares. A hellish landscape of faces. Demonic Apostles gathering. The Godhand, a quartet of grotesque demons who, on that day, became a quintet. The massacre of her friends and comrades.
Harry selfishly felt glad he didn't have to witness that at all, that, in the rush to retrieve Griffith, he had been ordered by Casca to look after the princess who'd helped them retrieve Griffith. But most of him felt guilty, because he couldn't save his comrades…though perhaps he may have suffered the same fate as most of them. After all, of the members of the Band of the Hawk, only four were still alive…five if you counted the demon Griffith had become. Rickert and Harry had the debatably good fortune to be out of the hell the Eclipse brought down upon the world. Guts and Casca survived…but not untouched.
Casca was branded with a mark that basically acted as a dinner gong to evil spirits, and subsequently raped by the demonic reincarnation of the man she once idolised. But she retained her sanity, or most of it anyway. She could have retreated inwards, but instead, she retreated away, through the bond she shared with Harry's soul.
Guts now lacked an eye and an arm, and like Casca, had been branded. What was more, Griffith's betrayal had wounded his very soul. As indeed it had done with all of them.
Harry and Casca had parted ways with Guts, on differing missions. Guts had set his mind on slaughtering as many of the demonic Apostles as he could, intending to slaughter his way to Griffith. Harry and Casca, meanwhile, were searching for their own answers, trying to find some way to, if not heal the brands, then mitigate their effects, as well as research their enemy.
It was a journey that led them here, to the domicile of a witch of some renown in the area. A long and dangerous one, punctuated by demons and spirits dogging their step.
One thing that hurt them both was the loss of intimacy. Since Casca being made into Femto's plaything during the Eclipse, she understandably became more skittish towards personal contact. The pair of them used to sleep together, both literally, as well as the more carnal sense of the term. But now, it was hard for Casca to allow Harry to be close. More than once, she had lashed out in a blind panic while asleep. Even in her waking hours, she recoiled a little from his touch, not because merely of the touch, but because of the intimacy. But…she still felt comforted by his presence all the same, knowing that, despite what was done to her, he would never abandon her…
They rose early, thankfully untroubled by nightmares for once, and they went outside. It had become a ritual for them, especially for Casca. She practised with her sword, her dark eyes focused on some imaginary foe, presumably Griffith. Harry, meanwhile, used his staff, a staff that had a retractable spear blade in it.
As they continued, they knew they were being watched. Harry finished his own practise, before turning to find Schierke and Ivalera peering at them. "Don't sneak up on people wielding weapons," he said, retracting the spear blade. "Even if they're just practising."
"You're a wizard…and yet you're fighting like that?" Schierke asked, curious and yet sceptical.
"I tried to avoid the attention of the Holy See and those idiot Spanish Inquisition wannabes," Harry said. "I used magic only when I was sure I could get away with it…or if we needed it. So, I had to train in a hurry. Even then, the Band of the Hawk gained a reputation for witchcraft, especially Griffith. I think he enjoyed messing with the minds of those idiots. Then again, I think he enjoyed messing with a lot of people's minds. I think I know why I like Guts better."
Casca snorted as she swung her sword. "Because you both enjoyed being reckless, anti-authoritarian and lacked subtlety?"
"Amongst other things. Anyway, you're one to talk about recklessness. Or did that battle with Adon slip your mind? I ask you, going off to battle in your condition…you're a badass fighter, Cas, you didn't need to prove it. Not to Griffith, not to Guts, and certainly not to me."
"Well, we don't trust you!" Ivalera snapped, the Elf (well, pixie in Harry's mind) crossing her arms.
"Probably wise," Casca said bitterly. "Most of the people who trusted us died. And the person we trusted the most sold us out for power." With a sudden scream of anger, Casca slammed her sword into a nearby tree.
"Cas…you'll ruin your sword," Harry said gently. "Besides, what did that poor tree ever do to you?"
Her anger subsiding for now, Casca shook her head, a faint smirk touching her lips, albeit a tired and hollow one. "Sorry, it looked too much like Adon for my liking."
"Huh." Harry looked over at the tree, his hands on his hips, and scrutinised it, before saying, "Nah. This tree's much better looking, even before Guts and I rearranged his face."
Casca snorted, actually laughing. Like her smirk, it was tired and hollow, but it still felt more genuine. "You're right." She turned to Schierke, walking over to the small girl as Harry discreetly cast a spell at the tree to heal it, and kneeling down in front of her. "How long have you been living here, Schierke?"
"…As long as I can remember," the witch girl admitted reluctantly.
"Then you probably don't know what the world is like out there, save through books. I hope you keep your innocence longer than I did." A bittersweet smile touched the dark-skinned woman's lips. "If you are lucky, you don't have to experience war or demons in any way, save for in what books you have here. I envy that, actually." And with that, she went back inside.
As Harry approached, Schierke said, quietly, "What have you two been going through?"
"I'd say Hell…but really, only Cas can say that she's actually been through it," the emerald-eyed wizard said. "But we've both been through a lot. Now, once I've made some breakfast, I'll need to ask your teacher a few questions…"
Flora nodded as she finished examining the brand on Casca's breast. "Yes, I can seal it away. So too can Schierke," the elderly witch said. "However, the seal is temporary, if only because the ink would eventually wash away. If you wish, I could teach you how to draw the seal yourself, Harry. It's rather intricate, but given your own magic…"
"I'm grateful, Lady Flora," Harry said.
"Just Flora will do," the elderly witch said, as Casca shifted her tunic back into place. "Still, I'm sure you have many questions."
"Many, many questions," Casca said. "But…the two most important ones are…what is a Behelit, and what are the Godhand?"
"Yes, very important questions they are indeed," Flora said. "A Behelit…consider it a key, a dark fetish used to summon greater powers. Namely, the Godhand. They are known to us who research matters of magic and other planes. Once human, but they sacrificed to make themselves something both more than human, and yet less. They are the agents of a power greater than themselves. Most Behelits allow the user to become an Apostle…but one type of Behelit allows the user to become one of the Godhand themselves."
"The Crimson Behelit," Harry murmured. "No wonder Zodd was so surprised…no wonder he was laughing his horned head off. Prophecy my arse, he knew that someone given that ugly, tacky piece of crap would end up summoning them sooner or later."
"I believe you speak of the infamous Nosferatu Zodd," Flora said. "And I noticed you had issues with prophecies. You had one hanging over your head too, didn't you?"
"…Another life, another time, another world," Harry said bitterly. "We came here for a few reasons. The first is to give us time to recover, maybe find a way of removing the brand, but…can it be removed?" Flora shook her head. "Figures. The second was to learn ways of getting stronger. I'd like to think of myself as a strong mage, but against Apostles, I struggle. And it's inevitable that we'll fight them again. Therefore, I wished to learn from someone of some renown, and I heard of you once in passing. And it's not just magic, but any lore about Apostles and the Godhand. Anything that might tell of any weaknesses. Lady Flora, I know you already have a student, but I ask you, please teach me as well."
"And why do you desire to better your skills?"
"…Revenge for one thing, I can't deny that. But to protect others is another. An old friend of mine used to say I have a saving people thing." He looked at Casca. "Cas can look after herself most of the time, but nobody can do that by themselves all the time. And there are plenty of people out there who need help. I thought I was doing that with the Band of the Hawk. Now I'm not so sure. A lot of what we did has probably been undone because Griffith…never mind."
He didn't want to start that argument up again, the one where Casca blamed Guts defeating Griffith as the catalyst for Griffith sleeping with Princess Charlotte, and the mess that caused. Casca did eventually get over that, but Harry got the feeling it was still a sore point for her. And as much as Harry got along with Guts, the brutish warrior's defeat of Griffith did cause, inadvertently, the problems that followed.
Guts' problem was that he was, to some degree, intensely self-centred. Of course, so too was Griffith, as they had learned, long before the Eclipse, but Guts made no attempt to pretty up his nature. He'd gladly help out an ally, but he paid little heed to the consequences of his actions. He was a blunt instrument. Not that he was stupid, but he was reckless and impulsive to a degree even Harry flinched at.
Still, he had come back to help them at their request when they had been hunted by the King's forces. And without Guts, Casca would never have been able to escape the hellish realm they had been trapped in…well, Guts and the Skull Knight.
"I don't know whether it is of any help, but I can teach you, or at least your apprentice, the magic that comes from my world," Harry added. "If there's anything I can do that she cannot, then I will gladly teach her. It may not be equivalent exchange, but…"
"What can you possibly teach me?" Schierke asked. While there was a slight edge of disdain and distrust to her voice, it was more genuine curiosity and puzzlement.
"I don't know. But I'm guessing you'll be teaching me as much as your own teacher, and whatever I can teach you, I will. A Patronus, perhaps?"
"A what?" Schierke asked.
And with that, Harry smiled. He gathered every good memory he could think of, in his times at Hogwarts, and his times in the Band of the Hawk. The one that stood out most was that time he and Casca kissed, not the first time they had kissed, but not long afterwards, when they admitted their love. And with a cry of "EXPECTO PATRONUM!", a blast of silvery misty light emanated from his staff, coalescing into the form of a magnificent stag that trotted around the room.
He could see the sheer awe reflected in the eyes of Schierke, and even Ivalera. And Flora was smiling her own smile, though it seemed somewhat melancholy as well. He knew his own smile, and that of Casca, had a tinge of bittersweetness to them.
But they were alive. They were surviving. And they still had each other. That was what mattered…
OPENING
SONG: The End is the Beginning is the End by the Smashing Pumpkins
As the opening chords begin, we travel through a dark, moonlit landscape, eventually focusing on a trio of figures surrounded by shadowy and demonic figures: a post-Eclipse Guts, a rather haggard and intense but lucid Casca, and Harry Potter, about the same age as the other two, wielding what looks like a simple staff. As the three of them fight, the screen is obscured by flames Harry summons, showing the title of the story as the lyrics begin.
The sewers belch me out,
The heavens spit me out,
From aethers tragic, I am born again…
Harry seems to fall into dark waters, which flip and become the sky above Midland, from which he plummets. His eyes open up wide and we zoom in on them into darkness…
And now I'm with you now,
Inside your world of wow,
To move in desires made of deadly pretends,
Until the end times begin.
We cut to Harry riding alongside Guts and Casca, pre-Eclipse, before shifting to see the landscape of Midland. Then, we see Griffith speaking to Charlotte as he did about the nature of friendship after he sent Guts to kill Julius, before he clasps his Crimson Behelit, which we zoom in on. The facial features suddenly rearrange themselves, and it begins screaming, before we zoom in on its mouth.
Is it bright where you are?
Have the people changed?
Does it make you happy
You're so strange?
We see key members of the Band of the Hawk: Judeau, Pippin, Corkus, and Rickert. Then, the King, Charlotte, the Queen and Julius. Then, we see Harry and Casca kissing, while Guts looks on with a wistful, even melancholy smile.
And in your darkest hour,
I hold secrets flame.
You can watch the world
Devoured in its pain…
We watch the sun being devoured by the Eclipse, then a flash of the Skull Knight attacking Zodd. And Harry conjuring flames, illuminating the hellish landscape summoned by the Behelit. He, Guts and Casca are back to back, surrounded by Apostles (doesn't actually happen in the story, but it's the opening), before they look up, to see the gathered Godhand, including the newly-born Femto, the latter peering down at them coldly.
Strange…
Strange…
We see Harry, Casca and Guts, like they were in the opening, fighting demons together, albeit within the hellish realm brought about by the Eclipse, before we finally see the aftermath of the opening, the older trio walking away from a small mountain of dismembered demonic corpses…
PROLOGUE ANNOTATIONS:
Wow. So, any good?
The End is the Beginning is the End belongs to the Smashing Pumpkins and is probably one of the better things to come about as a result of Batman and Robin. Obviously, I don't own the lyrics or the song. The fact that I chose the song for the 'opening' as well as the chapter title was a happy coincidence. I did the chapter title first, and realised, the song actually matched what I wanted for the opening.
No numbered annotations this time.