The Chaos Dimension:
Magic swirled around Hydrus like a cascade of lights as he manipulated the vast amounts of ambient magic. Ordinarily, controlling this much ambient magic would completely destroy the body of any living creature, but thanks to everything he went through in the Chaos Dimension he was much more durable.
Hydrus entered Clear Mind, pushing his magic and occlumency to their extreme. With the strength he had gained from fighting the Faceless, all three Synchronicity Waves touched. With his soul in perfect sync for the first time, he began to transform.
His hair was bright white, his violet eyes had turned crimson and excess wisps of energy leaked from them. His skin had become celestial, displaying the heavens as galaxies and stars moved across the surface.
A swirling portal of the Space Force opened before him and Hydrus stepped through, leaving the Chaos Dimension behind.
? ? ?:
Hydrus landed face first in the dirt, suddenly exhausted. His Total Synchronization had lasted three seconds and had left him drained of most of his energy.
There was a sudden flash of light and Hydrus felt his danger senses blare. Forcing himself to his feet, Hydrus dodged a beam of light from his opponent, and with great speed snapped the light-beings neck.
"Where the hell am I?" Hydrus asked no one in particular, panting as his stamina waned. He heard the cracking of bones and he quickly turned around. The thing he had just killed was back on its feet and was attacking again. It attacked in the same way, predictable and slow.
Determined to put the thing down for good, Hydrus ripped its arms off, punched a hole in its chest, and clawed its brains out. The thing was beyond death, but it regenerated, clearly, death didn't apply to it.
So he ran. Hydrus wasn't going to expend any more of his limited energy trying to fight something that couldn't be killed. The light-being easily kept pace with his speed. It spoke, trying to command him with the Order Force, but Hydrus ripped its throat out, stopping it.
All this fighting and running had drawn the attention of reinforcements and Hydrus was struggling to keep up.
"Cease resistance and surrender." The light people said, their voices filled with Order. Against his will, Hydrus placed his hands behind his head and got on his knees.
"We'll take you to Lord Lumina and you will be executed. The darkness of the world will be purged at last." One of the light-beings said. Just as he was being handcuffed and getting ready for transport, Hydrus mentally called for his sword, Antinomy. It never came to him, and Hydrus was taken away.
Sanctuary City:
With tall buildings made of sparkling malachite and dyed cloudstone, Sanctuary City was breathtaking. Hydrus had no time to take in the sights, however. He was taken to a tower that stood above everything else, its spire reaching the heavens. As they ascended it became harder to breathe and Hydrus could feel his energy slowly being sapped away and his senses becoming fuzzy.
He was roughly thrown onto the floor and Hydrus caught sight of Them. Lumina was transcendent and they radiated light and authority. Hydrus was actually having a hard time perceiving and comprehending Lumina's presence. He suspected Lumina looked different to everyone.
At first there were no words spoken between the pair as they met for the first time again in eons. Lumina raised a finger and deep gashes appeared all over Hydrus's body. He hadn't even seen the attack happen.
"You've grown weaker, Noctis. Good, that means everything has gone according to plan. Out of respect for the history we share, I shall allow you your last words." Lumina said softly.
"How?"
Lumina blinked at the simple question, perplexed. "How what? Speak now or forever hold your peace." They commanded.
"How do you plan on killing me when you've erased the concept of Death? Surely you wouldn't break your own rules, would you?" Hydrus asked, his bloodied eyes never wavering as he struggled to breathe.
Lumina seemed genuinely stunned as if they hadn't considered the issue. They shook their head, trying to rid themselves of any doubts and started to raise their hand again.
"Besides, even if you could kill me, I wouldn't stay dead." Hydrus continued.
"What are you talking about? I am in control now. There is no trick or power that can save you now." Lumina said, looking at Hydrus warily.
"That simple isn't true." Hydrus said with a laugh, spitting up blood. "While I was away, I learned something. That no matter the era, no matter the restrictions, and no matter the hardships, people's dreams never die. The desires of mortal souls persist long after death and that with every shooting star a wish is granted." Hydrus said, reflecting on his time within the Palace of Wishes.
He looked out of the window, causing Lumina and everyone else to look as well. In the distance, a lone shooting star could be observed, twinkling in the twilight sky. Lumina's eyes widened and they quickly turned back to Hydrus.
"Heavenly Decree: Atomic—!"
"WHITE STAR GUN!" Hydrus shouted, punching Lumina in the face with the full force of a star. The entire room exploded as everyone was vaporized. The shockwave of the blow traveled throughout all of Sanctuary City, destroying the foundations and rupturing organs. The fodder began to reform slowly but Lumina and Hydrus continued to battle.
At first it seemed like Hydrus may have had the upper hand. With the years of physical training he had done in the Chaos Dimension, Hydrus was physically stronger, faster, had better reactions, and was far more refined in hand to hand combat.
His stamina simply couldn't keep up. His body was beginning to fail him, and he was taking more damage than his healing factor could account for.
"I'll seal you away forever! Be washed away within the endless flow of time! Heavenly Decree: Endless Future!" Lumina gathered a massive amount of Time Force and Hydrus began to panic.
"ANTINOMY! I need you!" He yelled for his sword.
"Nothing can save you now! It's over!" Just as the Heavenly Decree was about to take effect over the world, Antinomy sliced through Lumina's shoulder, disrupting their concentration.
Hydrus grabbed his sword, sheathed it and with pure physical prowess disappeared in a burst of speed, activating his Total Synchronization in the process.
"Shishi Sonson!" With a single iai slash Hydrus had finally done significant damage to Lumina and it showed. From the wound across their chest, Lumina leaked Time Force energy.
"Damn you! I've had enough of your tricks!" Lumina spat as they slowly began to heal, raising their fingers for another slashing attack.
Hydrus couldn't help but let out a mad giggle as he faced death. He had needed Total Synchronization to do any sort of damage to Lumina and it had cost him. His body was unresponsive, his magic was depleted, and his mind was frayed and unfocused. He was going to die, with or without Lumina's help.
Except, Antinomy was still in his hands. Being a sword made of goblin silver it took in anything that made it stronger.
Like the Time Force.
Just as the first slash began to appear on his neck, Antinomy glowed with rainbow light and the blade, and its master disappeared.
Thunder Cloudian:
Hydrus face planted onto hard, cold cloudstone floors, bleeding everywhere.
"Hydrus?! What the fuck?!" There was a panicked voice. It was one he recognized, and it instantly soothed him.
"I'm so glad you're alive, mum." He said weakly.
Hydrus didn't remember much of what happened after that. He had only brief flashes of consciousness all of which seemed to contain Bellatrix.
"I will find who did this and I will make them suffer. Rest, my baby boy, and let mummy destroy your enemies."
Those words echoed constantly in his thoughts and Hydrus couldn't help but worry how the rest of his family was. His worry was put on pause as he was lulled back to sleep.
Rookwood observed the healing tank with extreme intensity. No matter how he tried to look at it, the sequence of events just didn't make sense to him. One moment he and His Majesty were discussing the results of Yaxley's cloning and the next the young Prince was on the floor covered in deep cuts and on the brink of death.
How did that happen? More importantly, how was he going to stop Bellatrix and the others? They had gone on a rampage, interrogating and murdering anyone who might've had the ability to cast long-range cutting spells.
His equipment beeped and blared, and Rookwood quickly began draining the fluid from the tank.
"Master Hydrus! How are you?" Rookwood asked through the glass. Hydrus motioned for Rookwood to stand aside before blasting the glass and freeing himself. With a wave of his hand the tank was instantly repaired.
"Master Hydrus, I still need to run a few more tests to make sure everything is in order. If you could please return to-."
Hydrus transfigured some of the equipment Rookwood was using into clothes and got dressed. He didn't have time to waste on test when he was already healed. He needed to get stronger. Much stronger.
Lumina had had him dead to rights. Granted, Hydrus wasn't operating at full capacity but that was no excuse. Even at full power his Total Synchronization lasted only three seconds. With Lumina tapping into the Order Force more and more, he simply wasn't good enough to compete.
"Resume your duties Mr. Rookwood. I have other matters that require my attention." Hydrus said and a rift in space opened.
Obsidian Venue:
Hydrus appeared within his home, utilizing his True Invisibility. As much as he longed to see his family again, there was no way he could face them as he was now. Between the Chaos Dimension and his fight with Lumina, he had been beaten and it was shameful.
"Antinomy, to me." His sword manifested within his hand, thrumming with power. He needed to find a way to utilize the Time Force trapped within. He needed more time to become stronger.
Lost in his own thoughts, Hydrus was tackled to the ground, undoing his invisibility.
"You're alright! Thank god! I was so worried!" It was Orchid, pinning him down and licking his face. Shadowy tendrils gently forced her off of him as Hydrus got to his feet.
"How did you find me?" He asked quietly. Orchid gave him a very sarcastic look and tapped her foot with impatience.
"Never mind that. Why were you hiding? And why aren't you in bed, you still aren't fully recovered." Orchid asked sternly. Hydrus shook his head. He couldn't possibly explain his ordeals within the Chaos Dimension or his fight with Lumina. Everyone was already freaking out because he had gotten badly hurt, but if they had found out he died multiple times the information would break them.
"Listen, Orchid. I can't explain anything just yet, but please, let me go. I'm not nearly strong enough to stop them." Hydrus said, tightening his grip on Antinomy.
Orchid looked at him seriously. "What do you think you can do all by yourself? Bashing your head against a wall isn't going to bring it down. You already have everything you need to defeat any foe. How you use your tools is what makes the difference." She said, taking his hand.
"Everything I need?" Hydrus repeated, replaying the fight in his mind. If three seconds was his maximum, then he needed to make them count. A single decisive blow backed by the full power of the Chaos Dimension to put Lumina down. That was the goal, but how did he get there?
He paced as he tried thinking of a solution, but nothing made itself known, he stumbled, and Orchid was there to hold him upright.
"You still need to rest. Come on, I'll fix you a snack." Orchid said, guiding him to bed.
"Thank you." Hydrus said, leaning on her.
"Anytime, my love."
Obsidian Venue:
Hydrus awoke sandwiched between his mother and grandmother. Bellatrix's eyes were full of tenderness as cupped his face and snuggled with him.
"You gave us quite the scare young man." Druella said from behind him. "Do you know what happened?" She asked, kissing the back of his neck.
"I'm not sure but I think it might have something to do with the Time Force. Maybe those were injuries I would have gotten in the future." Hydrus said, lying convincingly.
"Perhaps, Rookwood said that the energy residue was unlike anything he had seen before. Nonetheless, I'm grateful that you're ok. We'll try and figure out what could have caused this, but I don't want you to be unaccompanied until further notice." Druella said softly, squashing her massive breast into his back.
"Mhm." Hydrus replied, still feeling tired. Overtaxing his healing factor was having major drawbacks on his recovery and energy levels.
"Get some rest darling. We'll be here when you wake up." Druella said, but Hydrus was already fast asleep.
Obsidian Venue:
After a full week Hydrus had finally recovered. He had spent a while thinking about what he needed to do and had come to one conclusion. He needed to go back to the Chaos Dimension.
Once there he would fuse all of the resources, he had to create the ultimate weapon, and to do that he needed Enigma's help. There was only one problem, however. Time clearly moved differently between the two dimensions and Hydrus did not want to give Lumina any more time to come up with a better plan while he was away.
He needed more Time Force. Last time, Chrono had come to him, however Hydrus doubted he would be that lucky again. He tried to think but it was hard to focus under his mother's attention. Neither Bellatrix nor Druella had left his side since he returned and while Hydrus was grateful for them, they were distracting.
How had Lumina become so strong? Perhaps following their path would lead him to greater power. Was it their influence over the world? Despite the ongoing war, there were more mundane things in the world than magical.
Remembering the conversation between Death and Chrono, Hydrus knew that Lumina was stuck charging for the next two years. Charging for an attack to erase humanity and mold them after his own image. So, Hydrus would do the same. He would spread chaos throughout the world.
Hydrus sent his underlings to do his bidding. With their magic they healed the sick, repaired damage, sped up food production, and delivered gold to the poor. They also burned cities down, enslaved mudbloods, and pillaged and raped at their leisure.
The constant dichotomy between the two orders strengthened his connection to the Chaos Dimension, but it wasn't enough. Hydrus couldn't do what he wanted until he had the Time Force.
In his search for time, he needed to be patient.
Obsidian Venue:
A few weeks had passed since Hydrus's fight with Lumina. He had gathered another piece of Time Force since then and had powered up Antinomy even further.
Hydrus had been very busy over the past couple of weeks. He had resumed his training and his Total Synchronization now lasted five seconds instead of three, and he was able to draw upon the Chaos Dimension to manipulate souls. He was very excited about this particular ability and utilized it frequently.
By manipulating souls, he was able to do the impossible. He was able to grant muggles magic. It was only sometimes as most muggles couldn't handle the strain of the excess energy their bodies now generated. The few who could handle it manifested their magic in a unique way.
None of the unique abilities interested Hydrus so far, but it wasn't about the power. Muggles gaining magic was the most chaotic thing that could happen, and it strengthened not only Hydrus, but all of wizardkind. Despite their newfound abilities, telling the difference between a regular wizard and a neo-type was easy.
Hydrus stood on a balcony, overlooking Darkwyn. Preoccupied with his own issues, Hydrus had been neglecting his country, leaving it to Amelia and Orchid. Meridian Street had all but been destroyed as Orchid and the other werewolves claimed it as a hunting ground.
Amelia had completely transformed Darkwyn. What was once a luxurious castle town was now a military occupied dictatorship. Amelia forced the citizens to work regardless of age or disposition and those with high magical potential were taken from their families and forced to become soldiers. With her unparalleled psychic abilities, Amelia managed a very tight spy network within the city and would send the Shadow Guards after anyone who so much as thought anything negative about the royal family.
With Amelia's suffocating control over Darkwyn, Bellatrix took a vicious interest in the town. She would skip down the streets dueling, torturing, and murdering whoever she felt like. She would invade people's homes and steal their possessions and secret magic, kidnapping women who met her standards to be her son's slaves.
Hydrus was unconcerned about any of it, however. When he conquered the world, he could always start again. Continuing to look down upon his city he was surprised when Orchid popped up right beside him, undoing her own True Invisibility. He flinched and scowled at her.
"Don't do that." He grumbled. Orchid only gave him a sly smile as she licked his face, pulling him in for a tight hug.
"Guess what?" She said, her hand drifting lower and lower.
"What?" He asked. Orchid's smile became feral.
"We quelled a neo-type rebellion and found someone rather interesting among them. They have the Light." Orchid explained.
Hydrus perked up at that. To think that one of the neo-types would turn to Lumina wasn't that shocking. The speed at which it happened was a little surprising however, and Lumina should still be stuck charging their energy. Which meant that they had to have gotten their power from someone else in Lumina's service.
And the only people who could reasonably do that would be…
"You found another Luminary?" Hydrus asked sharply.
"They referred to him as Mr. Nicolas. But other than that, we weren't able to get any more information out of the thing. We still have other uses for it though." Orchid said offhandedly, slowly beginning to stroke him and watching him squirm in her clutches.
Before Hydrus could ask for clarification, Orchid captured his lips in a kiss that sent lightning coursing through him. Hydrus found himself cuddling closer to her, wanting her touch.
"Good boy. Now then, we have somewhere to be." Orchid said, contradicting her words as she continued her actions. With extreme will, Hydrus separated himself from Orchid, causing her to pout.
"Where are we going?" He asked, dodging her needy grasp. Orchid crossed her arms and growled a tiny bit.
"Keep acting like that and maybe I won't take you." She said huffily. Hydrus gave her a sideways look and thought something rather unflattering. Orchid's wolf ears flattened against her head.
"You take that back! I am not a bad dog!" she said indignantly, whining just a little. Hydrus rolled his eyes and reached up to scratch behind her ears.
"Yes, yes, good dog. Now lets go." He said with a touch of impatience. Orchid grabbed him and they apparated away.
Obsidian Venue:
Orchid had transferred them to a rarely used part of the castle. Waiting for them there were Bellatrix and Druella and a nervous sort of excitement bubbled up within him.
Over the past few weeks, the most chaotic and unexpected thing had happened. Orchid, Bellatrix, and Druella had started to get along, putting on a unified front. It was like dealing with Enigma all over again, except times three.
"What's going on here?" He asked, eyeing the three warily.
"Ritualistic sacrifice!" Bellatrix said with glee. They led him inside a room covered in bloody magic circles, lit with candles. There was a gleaming ruby in the center and in the corners of the room were various people. Their presence set Hydrus on edge as he sensed Lumina's power within them.
"What sort of ritual is this?" Hydrus asked, taking his mother's hand. Druella took his other hand as she answered.
"It's a Ritual of Protection. It's supposed to help guard you against the Light. It took us a while to gather enough powerful sacrifices, but this ritual will help keep you safe." She explained.
"What do I have to do?" Hydrus asked curiously.
"Channel your magic into the circle and we'll go from there." Druella said. Hydrus nodded and placed his hands on the circle, letting his magic flow out of him. The room began to glow with ominous red light. The sacrifices screamed in pain as their life force was forcibly taken from them and began to course into the ruby.
Once the ritual was done, and ruby had absorbed all the life of the sacrifices, Bellatrix presented the shrunken gem to him. She had put it in an exquisite golden necklace and gently placed it on him.
"As long as you're wearing this, you'll have good resistance against that pesky Light. Don't ever take it off." Bellatrix said seriously, cupping her son's face. A hidden spark of insanity gleamed within her eyes and Hydrus placed a kiss on her cheek.
"I'll be careful, thank you." He said. Hydrus started to squirm in his mother's grasp as she began to kiss at all of his weak spots, and soon Orchid and Druella joined as well.
Thunder Cloudian:
Hydrus sat in the main office of Thunder Cloudian with his sword drawn. It was late at night, and he had stuffed his family full of his seed in order to put them to bed.
"Death, show yourself, it's time we had a talk." Hydrus said seriously. Death appeared on the other side of the desk, smoking his cigar.
"It's been a while. I was wondering when you would call upon me again." Death greeted.
"Shut up. Don't say another fucking word." Hydrus said, glaring and baring his sharp fangs. There was silence between the two as Hydrus brought his magic under control.
"Against my wishes, you sent me to the Chaos Dimension, failed to protect my family and territory, and got yourself erased as a Concept." Hydrus spoke softly, radiating anger that shook the room.
"Having failed so disastrously, what do you think would be a suitable punishment for you?" Hydrus asked, standing up and grabbing Antinomy off the desk.
"What was for your own sake. Had you not awakened to the Chaos Dimension, then all would've been lost." Death explained.
"That's not what I asked you. So, let's try that again. What do you think would be a suitable punishment?" Hydrus said, unwavering.
"There are many abilities that I can still grant—."
"Get in the goddamn sword." Hydrus interrupted, slashing Death through the ribcage. Antinomy absorbed the full power of Death, leaving Hydrus alone in the office. The sword had transformed from absorbing so much energy. The cutlass had become a massive broadsword that Hydrus needed two hands to wield, even with his superhuman strength.
Conjuring a stand for it, Hydrus stored it in the office before going home.