So, I should really preface this chapter by saying I'm not wholly sure if this will become a full fic. I honestly tried doing this because I wanted to try another Overlord crossover, but one with a fresh angle. While there have been ones where Harry ends up in the New World as part of Ainz Ooal Gown, I thought this one had a novel twist: what if he was actually part of the Thirteen Heroes...and what if he got screwed over by the Platinum Dragon Lord. I don't have a high opinion of the PDL, given how, for all his righteous bleating, he doesn't do anything to help any part of the world, despite the fact that it's going to hell even without the Players causing trouble.

The irony is, Harry is not only going to give Momonga a mission to focus on (taking down the PDL and the Slane Theocracy, amongst other targets), but he's going to be Momonga's moral compass, as well as a walkthrough for the New World. And because some key characters know the truth about Players and NPCs (like Emperor Jircniv and Fluder Paradyne, along with Foresight) thanks to Harry, they're not going to be quite in awe of Momonga and Nazarick like they were in canon, though they'll still be justifiably nervous.

Choosing a pairing was difficult. I eventually decided on Imina, with Hekkeran shacking up with a cured Leinas Rockbruise instead.

Before I tell you to enjoy this sample chapter, I have a few announcements to make on potential future fics. I've bought the re-releases of Persona 3 and Persona 4, and I hope to do a crossover with the latter one day soon, with a Harry/Naoto pairing tentatively pinned down. However, there is a more exciting crossover in the works, one I think will get you excited.

I intend to do a crossover with The Witcher. Specifically, the games, with some of the novels thrown in. And naturally, it'll be set during the third game, and will almost certainly be a Harry/Ciri fic. Yeah, there's a lot of them, but I think I have found a good angle. Beleriond was kind enough to discuss their own thoughts on a potential story idea in correspondence, but I hit upon an idea myself, one I have posted as a challenge.

Imagine Harry with control over the White Frost. I'm sure for many Witcher fans, that's Brown Trousers Time.

Now, this crossover is in its earliest stages, just as a notion. I only just finished the Bloody Baron quests in the game after many, many diversions, and I'm about to begin the Novigrad quests. I want to play more of the game before I start writing a crossover, especially as my only prior experience with the franchise was a half-remembered reading of The Last Wish years ago. Plus, I want to have Harry and Ciri take a greater role in the events of the game, instead of just having the story be about Ciri and Harry being chased all over the Continent by the Wild Hunt until after the Skellige missions.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter...

EDIT: I soon realised that this take on the story wasn't working out. I decided to revise it, ditching Imina as the pairing, and substituting Albedo instead. Look out for the new version...

200 YEARS, A LONG WAIT FOR FRIENDS (ORIGINAL)

CHAPTER 1:

REUNION

The room was filled with shadows, shadows so thick, they seemed almost tangible. Yet it appeared to be a room made of stone, like a room in a medieval castle. Innocuously, however, there was a strange cube, each of its faces divided into nine coloured panels, sitting on a shelf. Someone from a different world may very well have recognised the contrivance as a Rubik's Cube.

Into this room moved an armoured figure. The metal of the armour seemed vaguely blue-tinged, while dragon-like decorations were embossed on it. Blue eyes seemed to glow from the visor of the helmet. The armoured figure picked up the Rubik's Cube up. Eventually, a voice only the figure could hear spoke up. Where…where am I?

"Where you belong, Player." The deep, tenebrous voice coming from the armour was laced with venom and contempt.

After a brief pause, the voice from the Rubik's Cube began anew. You…you treacherous monster! I helped you save the world from those damned NPCs, and you not only manipulated the others into killing each other, but now you've done this?!

"I did what was needed to do to ensure the world isn't tainted by your ilk. Your inability to die was most irksome, but thankfully, Rigrit needed little persuasion to find a way to seal you into this…toy. I will be sending you to the Theocracy, to their quaint little vault. There, you will remain for the rest of eternity. The Players are too dangerous to allow to run amok. It pains me to have to lie to the others, especially Keno. She became quite fond of you. But I cannot take the risk."

Wow, the Rubik's Cube snarked. You make Mad-Eye Moody look sane by comparison. Know this, Platinum Dragon Lord. One day, I will be free. And you will rue the day you betrayed me.

"I will not. You will never be free. You never deserve to be. I would say fare thee well, but a Player does not deserve such a courtesy…"

Mismatched eyes, one emerald, the other golden, opened in the dark, and a gasp escaped his lips. Next to him, his lover stirred. "Bad dreams again, huh?"

"Yeah. It was the one with that damned dragon again, when he imprisoned me. Sorry if I woke you."

"No, I was already awake. I had a nightmare about one of our previous jobs that went badly. I mean, before we met you and 'Lene." The woman sat up, stretching and yawning in the darkened room. Despite the fact that she was an adult woman, she had few curves, even naked. Then again, her body was lithe muscle. "Plus, I'm worrying about Arche and her sisters. Their parents are spending even more, if that was possible. We'll have to adopt them soon. Hopefully, the Emperor will expedite the process."

"Maybe. But the Furts are delusional idiots. Even if we practically bought the kids off them, they'd still find some way to fuck it up for us," the man said. "Hopefully, Jircniv won't mind if we send Leinas over to beat them up a bit. Yes, I know she's officially out of his service, but I think he still thinks of her as his employee, even if she's our guard."

"You mean yours and 'Lene's, not mine, and even then, she's more here to scare away any thugs. Speaking of which, I'm glad she killed that bastard who ran the Tenmu Worker group. How that Theocracy slaver was tolerated here is beyond me."

"You and me both. I'm glad she unsealed me, even if it was because she threw that Rubik's Cube against the wall and used a skill on my prison. And even that was only enough to allow her to hear my voice."

There was a pause for a time, before the woman asked, "It's about that time, isn't it? Every century or so, there's either more Players or their NPCs that come to this world from Yggdrasil, like you did, like the so-called Six Gods did, like the Greed Kings did. You're hoping for more allies against him."

The man nodded. "…Don't get me wrong, by the standards of this world, you're strong and talented, you and the rest of Foresight. But Players, assuming they levelled up, are on a whole other level. And we need Players and their NPCs to stand any chance against that monster."

"And you and 'Lene aren't enough?"

"Probably not. I have a few ideas, true, but I don't want to make a suicidal attack and drag anyone else down with me. And I certainly don't want to get sealed away again. Then again, if my old friend from Yggdrasil hasn't come by now, I'm not sure if he ever will."

As if putting the lie to his words, he suddenly felt a familiar sensation. That of a Message spell connecting. And then, a deep, tenebrous voice, not that of his hated foe, but as if Death itself was speaking, spoke. Well, albeit uncertainly. "…It connected? Please, let this be him…"

The man didn't need to speak out loud for a Message spell, but he did so regardless, signing to his lover what he was doing. "A Message spell? Who is this?"

"Enzo? Is that you? That sounds like you. It's me, Momonga!"

The young man, thus named Enzo, scowled. "Nice try. How do I know it's you?"

"Umm…what? Why are you…? Ugh, well, ask me a question only I would know."

Enzo frowned, before he hit upon something. "Who saved you from the PKers and invited you into Nine's Own Goal?"

"Touch Me, of course."

"Who created Shalltear Bloodfallen?"

"Peroroncino, naturally."

"…And why did you give your NPC, Pandora's Actor, a Spetsnaz uniform?"

"What? No, I gave him a uniform based on the neo-Nazis who took over that arcology when I was young!"

At this, Enzo laughed in relief. Leaving aside that Momonga had answered the questions correctly, including the deliberately-tampered one, he sounded flustered briefly while answering, and the cadence had been Momonga's, even if the voice was not. Instead of the nasal, whiny tones Momonga had, this voice was very deep. "…Sorry, Momonga. But…it's a long story. Before I get into it…let me guess, you've been incarnated in your Overlord body, and the NPCs have come to life?"

"Yes. How did you know? The last I remember of you, you left the throne room a few minutes before shutdown, saying you were going to watch the fireworks. Enzo, where are you?"

"…I don't know where I am in relation to the Tomb of Nazarick, but Yggdrasil hasn't come to life. I'm currently in a mansion in Arwintar, the capital city of the Baharuth Empire. I've been living here more or less incognito for the last few years, ever since breaking free of imprisonment."

"…Imprisonment?"

Enzo nodded solemnly. "Momonga…I've been here for two centuries. Admittedly, for most of that time, I was sealed away, by someone who despises and fears the Players who ended up in this world. We weren't the first to end up here. It's a very long story, and we don't have time to tell it over Message. If you want, I can head over to Nazarick. I can backtrace the Message."

"Come to the entrance, don't go directly inside, Enzo," Momonga said after a moment's pause. "I sent Sebas out with one of the Pleiades to scout out the area. I've also put the Tomb on high alert, just in case."

"Hopefully, you won't need it. That bastard won't notice you for some time, I hope, but he knows Players and NPCs come to this world once every century. I'll be bringing a couple of guests. Ensure the NPCs treat them as honoured guests of Ainz Ooal Gown. Give us a few minutes to get dressed, okay?"

"Got it. And Enzo…I'm glad you're here…"

Despite being an animated skeleton now, and thus lacking lungs, Momonga, known IRL as Satoru Suzuki, sighed in relief. With all the weird shit that happened, it was good to hear a familiar voice. True, Enzo's words were foreboding, but it still meant that Momonga wasn't fumbling in the dark for information. He had a reliable source of intel on this new world the Tomb of Nazarick had ended up in.

Well, assuming what he said was true. Two centuries on a new world…Sebas reported back shortly after the Message from Enzo, and the Tomb of Nazarick had certainly shifted away from the poisonous swamps it had been situated in back in Yggdrasil. It already sounded unbelievable, like one of those old isekai stories he and Peroroncino used to discuss.

He hoped he hadn't made a mistake. It sounded like his old friend. More weary, yes, and definitely more paranoid, but it sounded like him. But had he been overly elated and invited in an enemy? Then again, he knew things that few outsiders would know.

Momonga reflected on his friend, even as he warned Sebas to be ready to escort Enzo and his guests to the Tomb. Enzo was one of the few members of Ainz Ooal Gown to choose a humanoid race, albeit of Elves, who were allowed unofficially. Despite sharing the name with a famous video game character from the Assassin's Creed franchise, he actually stated he chose the name as it was Italian for his old one.

Enzo's life had been a sad one. His parents had been murdered by a terrorist, and he had been, effectively, forced to fight said terrorists as a child soldier, only to end up in a medically-induced coma by his handlers, as they deemed him too dangerous. In a fit of mercy, they hooked him up to Yggdrasil. In effect, he was in the game 24/7.

Enzo had knocked back the role of guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown, citing that he detested being in a position of leadership. Instead, he had proved a capable helper to Momonga, remaining there even when the other players drifted away, or left. He'd also helped a few of the others craft their NPCs. Enzo had helped tweak elements of Pandora's Actor, even if he expressed disdain towards the neo-Nazi uniform, citing bad experiences with the like. He'd also helped BubblingTeapot craft Aura and Mare. Notably, the two Dark Elf children had wondered where Enzo had gone, and once they had beaten the Primal Fire Elemental, Momonga gave them the news while they were drinking the glasses of water. He swore them to secrecy, intending for it to be a surprise.

And then, the other Floor Guardians, along with Albedo (and missing Gargantua and Victim, for obvious reasons), knelt and swore fealty to him. After acknowledging that fealty, Momonga decided now was the best time to make the announcement, especially as Sebas had discreetly used Message to signal that he was on his way. This might help the morale, solidify their loyalty to him, and to Enzo.

"But that is far from all, my loyal servants," he said. "As you are aware, my good friend and loyal comrade Enzo was not present in the Tomb of Nazarick when we made our transition to a new world. He too made the transition…but for various reasons, he ended up in this new world two centuries prior." He decided not to bring up the imprisonment yet. He wanted to find out the details from Enzo first, and he was already angry enough, even though the emotional suppression of his new body caused it to merely simmer below the surface. He wanted to discuss it with Enzo first before he discussed it with the newly-alive NPCs.

He noticed Aura and Mare's faces in particular light up. In a way, he guessed Enzo was like a father to them. They certainly shared the emerald eye he had, even if their other eye was sky blue. Shalltear looked elated too. Albedo, oddly enough, looked conflicted. Maybe she remembered the debate Momonga and Enzo had in the throne room about Momonga rewriting her character background?

"In addition, Enzo will be bringing guests here," Momonga said. "Sebas has just notified me, and Enzo has arrived with two others in tow, both of Elvish extraction. They are to be treated as honoured guests of Enzo's."

"Understood, Lord Momonga," Albedo said. "Your will be done."

Ugh, enough of the worship already. I'm not a god, just a worn-down salaryman at some shitty company! Yeah, I'm now in the immortal body of an Overlord, but still… Momonga sighed inwardly. Well, hopefully, things would work out.

Soon, Sebas entered, the dignified if grizzled butler being followed by a trio of forms. Momonga smiled (well, his skull was always in a sort of grotesque smile, but he actually felt like smiling if he could) at seeing his old friend. True, he looked wearier, but there was no mistaking that messy thatch of black hair, or the mismatched emerald and golden eyes, to say nothing of the pointed ears that marked him as an Elf. He wore a trench-coat and fairly basic clothes, nothing enchanted or smithed. Confident that he was amongst friends.

The others were curious too. They appeared to be both female and Elvish. The one closest to Harry was…well, flat, to say the least, even if her features were beautiful. She was clearly an adult in stature, her purple hair done up in twin ponytails. Her pointed ears marked her as having Elvish heritage, while her outfit…was that a ranger's outfit or something? Her attitude was wary, understandably, but when she saw Momonga, she started briefly, only to have a shaky smile, and she whispered something to Enzo which he chuckled at.

The other appeared almost completely at ease. Unlike the other Elf, this one appeared to be in her early teens, dressed in a thick white sweater and a leather skirt. Her eyes were, like Harry and the Dark-Elf twins, mismatched and heterochromic, but one was a silvery lavender, the other was dark. Her hair was similarly mismatched, albeit on opposite sides. And her pointed ears were showing beneath her hair. Her cute face nonetheless had a lazy smirk, vaguely feline, but her movements were very much those of a fighter, even more than the other one.

Before anyone else could say anything, the younger of the Elves brought in actually squeed. Squeed! "Oh gods, they really are adorable!" she said, clapping her hands together as she looked at a bemused Aura, Mare and Shalltear. "Oh, I can't wait to meet Shizu and Entoma!"

As everyone looked to her in shock, Enzo cleared his throat with an amused smile. "Forgive her, I've regaled her with tales of Nazarick and the NPCs for a few years now. She wanted to know how cute some were."

"It's fine," Momonga said with a wave of a hand, sensing a very long story. "It's good to see you, Enzo."

"Likewise, Momonga." Momonga felt relief at hearing those words. "Can I speak to them?" Enzo asked, indicating the Floor Guardians. Momonga nodded, hoping that Enzo wouldn't mess things up.

Enzo turned to them, and said, "Greetings, Floor Guardians. I'm sorry if I made you worry with my absence. I didn't realise what was going to happen. I have spent the past two centuries on this world. I have many tales to tell, but for now, I just wanted you to meet my family."

FAMILY?! Momonga screamed in his head, before the emotional suppression kicked in.

Enzo must've noticed Aura and Mare's shared look, worried about rejection, because he hurriedly said, "I did not intend to replace any of you. But I needed companionship in this new world. I only established this family in the past few years." He indicated for the younger-looking Elf to come over, and she did. "Aura, Mare, meet your new stepsister. This is Antilene Heran Fouche, formerly known by the title of Zesshi Zetsumei. Without her help, I would probably not be standing here before you today."

Antilene trotted over to the twins, who were still kneeling. Her cat-like smirk became something a touch more warm. "Hey there," she said gently. "He told me a lot about you two. The Tomboy Tamer and the Trap Druid. I look forward to spending time with you."

Momonga, meanwhile, wondered about that epithet of Antilene's. Certain Death, it meant in Japanese. But his thoughts were interrupted by the Elf woman stepping forward. "I am Imina, ranger working with the Worker group Foresight. And it's my job, full-time, I might add, to keep Harry…I mean, Enzo, out of trouble."

Ah, Enzo had trusted her enough with his real name? They'd eventually exchanged their real names. Apparently Enzo's real name was Harry Potter.

Momonga, sensing potential outrage from the Floor Guardians at how casually Imina was with them, hastily said, "Well, to be sure, he was like that in Yggdrasil. Still, I have a number of questions for the three of you. Once we are done here, may we discuss this in private?"

"Sure," Enzo, no, Harry said, before he gave him a weary smile. "But Momonga…it's good to see you again. It really is…"

CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:

Wait, what's this? Harry was once part of Ainz Ooal Gown? Then he was part of the inaccurately-numbered Thirteen Heroes? And now, he has Imina as a lover, and Zesshi Zetsumei as an adopted daughter? What the actual fuck?

No numbered annotations this time.