Now, after I've just posted my Harry/Jalter fic set during Fate/Zero (now retitled Ephemeral Flames of Vengeance and Desire), you probably weren't expecting another sample chapter. And I'm sure you're groaning, "Oh no, not ANOTHER Fate/Apocrypha fic." Well, tough.

Now, people might recognise part of the opening from Last of the Titans. Yes, this is a Harry/Altera fic. Altera is one of those Servants with a lot of rich lore behind her, especially given what happens in the two Fate/Extella games (I've finished the unforgivably brief main story of the otherwise immensely enjoyable Fate/Extella Link, and I have, as of writing this, just finished the Altera arc of Fate/Extella). While all three of the main Extella Servants (Nero, Tamamo, and Altera) are ones I want to write, it was Altera I really wanted to do a story for. I have a soft spot for kuuderes, and Altera is something of a kuudere.

Another part of the puzzle was sakurademonalchemist and her story fragment Shatterglass. She had never turned it into a full story, and I wanted permission to use that story as the basis of my Harry/Jalter fic. sakurademonalchemist, unfortunately, never responded to my original PM, and I had to find other avenues. I eventually, after trying a couple of times more, got her permission to adopt and adapt Shatterglass, but it was too late for a Harry/Jalter fic. I considered other Servant pairings, but after considerable contemplation, I decided on Altera. This allowed me to give some considerable justification to a few things, including Dumbledore-bashing (with his motives being understandable and sympathetic, unlike many of my Dumbledore-bashing fics, as he wants to stop the end of the world), while setting things up for a Fate/Apocrypha character to make a surprising contribution. Shatterglass' sole extant chapter is present here:

s/9495509/220/Short-Story-Drabbles

This is actually a hybrid of ideas from Shatterglass combined with my 'Homunculus Harry' challenge, where Harry is reborn as Sieg. Sieg hasn't developed yet enough to awaken, thanks to what happened below, and Harry will be taking his place. Admittedly, Sieg was pretty damn cardboard (comes from being a tabula rasa, though), and you have to wonder exactly why Jeanne became so infatuated with him. Don't worry, they'll interact and become allies.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this first chapter...

EDIT: I found myself unable to continue with the story, as it was. However, I am still doing a Harry/Altera fic using Shatterglass and my 'Homunculus Harry' challenge as a basis. I'm just not having Harry as a fragment of a herald of Velber this time. No Dumbledore-bashing either. Because the actual differences with the first chapter are actually quite minimal (mostly cutting out any reference to Harry being a herald of Velber), I'm not posting a revised version of that chapter. Instead, you'll get the second chapter (if and when it is completed) of the story and its new direction.

VANGUARDS OF DESTRUCTION (ORIGINAL)

CHAPTER 1:

DEATH OF A GUINEA PIG

There is a legend known to those who study the arcane lore of prehistory. The legend of the Umbral Star, Velber, and its heralds. The White Titan, and the Gold Titan. It's a legend surprisingly supported by science, if only because there was evidence for the mass extinctions that occurred about 14 millennia ago, albeit one of many such mass extinctions happening during the end of the Pleistocene Era. This extinction was chalked down by the scientific community (albeit not without reason: they were right about the reasons for other extinctions in the geological ballpark) to climate change caused by the end of the Ice Age, as well as other factors.

In truth, like more than a few harbingers of extinction, the cause came from space. But not in the form of a meteorite that struck with apocalyptic force. Rather, something landed, and then began spreading death and destruction in its wake.

When people speak of the fall of Atlantis, they usually think it was due to the hubris of its natives. However, Atlantis was but one of the ancient civilisations that was decimated by the White Titan. Mu, Hyperborea, Lemuria, all fell to the White Titan's rampage…though in truth, the White Titan was an entity bound to do its job. In truth, even as its body destroyed, its mind was asking of itself, Why? Why? Why?

Of course, this meant little to its victims. All they saw was a monster whose very presence corrupted man and beast alike into monsters. And then, a second such monster appeared, its skin shining gold like the Sun, just as the White Titan's shone a pale bluish-white, like the Moon. With a grand weapon, struck down the pair of them. Parts of their bodies, struck by the blast of the weapon fired at them, flew into the distance. One landed elsewhere in the land that would one day become the island of Britain, where it would be found eventually by the Unspeakables. The other eventually landed in a part of Western Europe that, one day, would be taken over by the Huns. About twelve and a half thousand years later, said Huns would stumble across it…and find a baby girl, whom their elders would name Attila. A name she would come to detest, but that's getting ahead of ourselves.

The gathered people who had managed to fell the two Titans knew that killing them might not be possible in the limited time they had, so, using arcane magic that was soon forgotten to the world, they imprisoned them, deep within an island. There, it was hoped they would never threaten the world again.

But there are always fools who want to harness destruction for their own ends...

Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia was NOT a good man, even he would admit as such. Then again, given that he fused with infant souls to remain youthful (hence why he looked to be in his twenties or thirties when in reality, he was already a centenarian), you couldn't exactly call yourself a man or good. Darnic did not care for the morality of his actions, and to tell the truth, he was sure that any Magus would do the same if they could get away with it. Magi were, on the whole, notoriously amoral.

However, Darnic did have certain standards. True, he was a megalomaniac, driven by a bruised pride after being made a political outcast within Clock Tower early in his life, and his method of remaining young left a lot to be desired by those who clung to tattered remnants of morality. He'd even collaborated with the Nazis to steal the Greater Grail, though he backstabbed them as soon as their use was finished. But Darnic was also a pragmatist. A good Magus had to be, and not unnecessarily sadistic or brutal. If nothing else, it was cleaner.

And yet, one of those under his care was beginning to show herself to be something of a liability. And just when his plans to secede from the Magus Association with the Greater Grail as leverage were coming to fruition. Hence why he was making his way to the dungeons of the Yggdmillennia castle, where said personage resided. It suited her, really.

Yggdmillennia, unlike other Magi bloodlines, didn't give their teachings and Magic Crests to a single heir, but shared them amongst their members. In fact, it had become a refuge for bloodlines that were either dying out, or losing political capital in the Magus Association. Darnic really gave this aspect to Yggdmillennia to reap the fruits of the research of other bloodlines, but it helped give his clan some supporters at Clock Tower, for many were disaffected by that coterie of hidebound dinosaurs and antediluvian politicians, only marginally better than the inbred lines of the wizards and their pathetic Ministries of Magic and similar bodies.

Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia was a pompous arse from a decaying bloodline, but his knowledge and expertise on Homunculi was valuable. In fact, the only way Darnic could do better was to retain one of the von Einzbern line, and given how reclusive they had become since Darnic stole the Greater Grail and put paid to their Master back in the Thirties, well, good luck getting that done. Fiore and Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia were young prodigies. True, Fiore, despite or because of her disability (caused by magic circuits interfering with her leg nerves), was the actual magecraft prodigy, and she certainly had a keen mind (so much so that, in the unlikely event Darnic perished, she was the only one he trusted to be his successor), but Caules, while a mediocre Magus, was also more aware of modern technology and had a good mind.

Roche Frain Yggdmillennia. A child prodigy when it came to golems, but an eccentric and misanthrope, despite his young age. Hyouma Sagara, who was currently in Japan, wrapping up his sideline in host work and preparing to use his lover as a sacrifice to summon Assassin, was mediocre, but surprisingly creative when it came to mind control, suggestion and curses. Then again, he exchanged notes with the very woman Darnic was going to see. Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia, the last scion of the near-extinct Icecolle bloodline.

He entered the dungeon to find Celenike cleaning one of her knives. In her twenties, her silvery hair framed cruelly beautiful features, golden eyes flashing from behind glasses, her Yggdmillennia uniform deliberately opened in a way to expose part of her bosom. She was beautiful, but Darnic was never attracted to her. He wasn't quite asexual, but he never really viewed sex as being anything other than recreation and procreation, and besides, sleeping with someone as unstable as Celenike was dangerous. She had ambitions, dangerous ambitions, and although an expert in curses and torture, she was not a pragmatist, save for hiding her urges as much as possible.

"Darnic, what an unexpected pleasure," Celenike said with a smile. "I heard from the Homunculi that you and Lancer had to go and deal with some more pests. I thought you sent that disciplinary squad Clock Tower sent packing…well, after killing all but one of them." She shivered with delight.

Darnic was not amused. While it was enjoyable to see 49 of the 50-strong disciplinary squad of Enforcers sent to retrieve the Greater Grail impaled by the Noble Phantasm of his Lancer, Vlad III of Wallachia, Celenike took an inordinate amount of pleasure in it. "It wasn't Enforcers this time. They were representatives from the British Ministry of Magic. I was forced to receive them a little more cordially than I did the Enforcers. It seems that your little deal with Dolores Umbridge has finally been revealed."

Celenike scoffed. "It only took them two years. And I don't see how this is my problem."

"It means a greater response, Celenike. The Greater Grail has already allowed for a second team of Masters to oppose us, but now, given that it's been made public that your little test subject is still alive and has been our guinea pig for those past two years, we have the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore gunning for us, now that Voldemort has apparently been vanquished! Do you not understand what I am getting at here?"

"Lancer and Caster should be enough to deal with the pathetic wizards until we finally summon the rest of the Servants," Celenike said, waving a dismissive hand. "They disposed of their so-called saviour like trash. Anyway, I'm pretty much done with him. I've extracted all I usefully can to enhance Gordes' Homunculi, or at least some of them. I swear, Caster wouldn't stop whining after I hybridised the one he was most interested in with Velber material. Said it would contaminate his masterpiece. He and Roche are made for each other. A kid and a kike, both obsessed with golems."

Darnic felt a flash of anger at her slur. While he used the Nazis as allies, he despised their policies when it came to race. Then again, more than a few Nazis had accused him of having Jewish or Slavic blood. As long as someone was useful, who cared what race or creed they came from? "I'm afraid that they probably already suspect us of using him in experiments. And until Dumbledore revealed it at the kangaroo court our guest went through, knowledge of Velber, its heralds, and just how dangerous they were were mostly known only to those who study the most ancient histories of magic. Now, it is relatively common knowledge amongst wizards and Magi alike, thanks to how public that farce of a trial was. To suspect that we are experimenting with part of one of Velber's heralds…"

"Is irrelevant," Celenike sneered. "We have the Greater Grail, as you are so fond of reminding us. In addition, Lancer, due to being summoned and stationed in his homeland, is all-powerful here. So what if they respond? The wizards are almost spent thanks to their war against Voldemort, they can't muster up any substantial response, and they don't get along with the Magi either. They can muster a token force at best. The Red Faction, the Magi working for Clock Tower are our biggest threats, not those inbred fools of Magical Britain."

That was probably correct. Not that Darnic would give Celenike the pleasure of knowing this, as it might encourage her more wilful tendencies. Instead, he said, "I am ending the experiments forthwith. This was a dangerous gamble already, given the hazards dealing with Velber's heralds posed. And you have given me little to show for it. A few of the enhanced Homunculi can be used for combat, but others still are fit only for fuelling our Servants. Our test subject has to be euthanized. Immediately. We might be able to buy some breathing room when we ensure he is dead."

"You can't do that!" Celenike protested.

"Yes, I can," Darnic said, moving over to Celenike and glaring at her. "I am the head of the Yggdmillennia clan, not you."

"Darnic, I need you to at least wait until I summon Astolfo," Celenike protested. "According to Charlemagne's papers, it was Charlemagne and Astolfo who discovered the ruins that were later destroyed by an edict of the Magus Association(1)! Astolfo may have pertinent information on the Titans!"

Darnic's hand reached out, settling on her shoulder, but gripping it just hard enough to be uncomfortable. "I do not care. I doubt that Astolfo has any useful information beyond what was in Charlemagne's writings. Do not defy me, Celenike. You forget your place. Your guinea pig and torture doll must die tonight. The body must be disposed of. I will do this. And if you dare go behind my back…remember the price for defiance and insolence. If I need to, I will give your spot as a Master to someone else. There are others within our clan who desire to be a Master. Have I made myself clear?"

Celenike snarled, but in the end, nodded, albeit with the utmost reluctance. Darnic knew he would have to keep his eye on her, though. She might not remember her place in the pecking order, and might turn on him…

He made his way down to the laboratory where the Homunculi were kept. Dozens of tanks were filled with a glowing green liquid. Breathable, and laden with nutrients so that the Homunculi floating within, clad only in basic utilitarian underwear, didn't need much. They were the energy supply for the Servants, those summoned, and those soon to be summoned. A few were the result of Celenike's experiments, done in coordination with Gordes, after she bullied him into it. Those would be set aside as trump cards. One in particular, Caster, real name Avicebron, had lamented as he would not sully his creation with that Homunculus, despite the rich density of magic circuits within him. Then again, tainting Caster's Noble Phantasm with Velber-derived lifeform cells might be dangerous anyway.

However, in one tank floated a normal human…or rather, what many had believed to be one. A scrawny boy in his late teens, with dark hair that drifted around his head like seaweed. Unlike the Homunculi, whose faces were set in gentle repose, his face had an absent, slackjawed expression, his mouth open in an imbecilic gape as he inhaled the oxygenated liquid. A faint scar, like a lightning bolt, marred his forehead. The eyes were emerald, and should have been brilliant in the glow from the tank, but were merely blank and unseeing. Huge chunks were taken out of his flesh, tubes running in and out of surgical implants all over his body.

"I regret that it has come to this," Darnic said, his hands dancing about the control panel in front of the tank, shutting down the life-support and introducing a drug that would send him off to sleep, and then into death. "You and I have suffered through much the same thing. Both of us had reputations like Icarus, climbing to the greatest of heights, only to be plunged to the greatest of depths because of the envy and jealousy and fear of others. You probably wouldn't appreciate it, if there was any scraps of your consciousness left to do so anyway. You'd probably oppose me out of foolish principle. And you are too dangerous to allow to live. Lily Evans' experiments with Ypyrion's backup core is a risk. Still…if there is any scrap of you left in your body, then I can give you a painless death."

The EKG monitor began to flatline. The EEG had shown very little activity, and even now, there wasn't much response in the brain to the body's impending death. This is the way his life ends, Darnic thought to himself. Not with a bang, but with a whimper. He felt sad that he was dying in such an ignoble manner.

Soon, the last vestiges of life left the body. There wasn't any difference to the body inside the tank, save that the chest no longer moved. Darnic knew why. Celenike's experiments, little more than torture disguised with inquiry, had destroyed him, body, mind and soul. It was like the experiments of Josef Mengele and his ilk, only marginally more scientific. The Nazis cared little for more than their own affirmation of their theories of racial superiority and self-gratification. Celenike, while she wanted to create weapons, also cared for her own pleasure more. And in the end, very little was done.

Darnic ordered a couple of Homunculi orderlies over to decant the tank and take the body away for disposal. He then looked at the body one last time. "Goodbye, Harry Potter," he said rather sadly. "I'm sorry your life ended like this."

As he moved away, he didn't notice that the Homunculus he had been thinking of, the one with the heaviest hybridisation of Velber cells, had opened his eyes. One was the distinctive pink of the Musik Homunculi. The other was a distinctive emerald.

It was an ending. But the moment had been prepared for(2).

CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:

Oh? Has Harry died already? And only one chapter into this story? What the actual hell is going on? And why does a certain Homunculus have one of Harry's eyes?

Now, I thought you might have issues with Darnic holding any kind of sympathy for Harry, but I think that, given Harry's fall from grace, Darnic might have some pity for him. Darnic may be a pragmatist, but what happened to Harry in the backstory has him drawing parallels with his own life, and his own fall from grace thanks to Clock Tower politics. Oh, Darnic would use or kill Harry in a shot, but he does feel a connection, though Harry wouldn't consider it mutual.

1. This is a reference to how Astolfo and Charlemagne stumbled across a mural relating to Velber and its heralds in Fate/Extella Link.

2. A paraphrase of the Fourth Doctor's last words in the Doctor Who story Logopolis.