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[Emissary] Chapter 7 - The Turning Point
🕑 Added 2024-02-01 19:39:18 +0000 UTCThree days had passed since Wonder Woman entrusted him with the task of guarding New York and the surrounding cities, and Harry was quickly getting tired of it. It wasn't a physical tiredness but a mental one.
The Bos-Wash megalopolis was one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. A fifth of the USA's population lived on the Atlantic coast between Boston and Washington DC. With so many people of different religions, races, and cultures packed so densely together in such a small piece of land, dozens of crimes occurred daily.
Although metahuman crimes didn't happen all that often, Harry couldn't simply ignore the 'regular' crimes. It wasn't in his nature to ignore someone's cry for help.
Now, however, he decided to take some time off to rest and recover. Despite it being almost 11 o'clock at night, he went out for a run in Central Park to clear his mind.
Once he arrived at the Lake, he grabbed a pair of transparent gloves from his black leather waistbag and put them on. Then, he took off his backpack and rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for: a walkman.
If a teenager were to see such a device, they would most likely make fun of it and call it ancient. But it's exactly because it was old that Harry had bought it. Even with his magic-insulating gloves and his [Rune Magic] suppressing his powers, he didn't trust himself to use any modern music-playing devices.
'I need to fix this issue as soon as possible,' he thought in chagrin.
He didn't know what Death was playing at by suddenly 'blessing' him with their power, but he felt ill at ease and restless. He was expecting something terrible to happen soon.
Nevertheless, he stopped thinking about it when he put on a pair of large headphones and connected the wire to the walkman. Pressing the play button, Harry sighed in satisfaction as the tape started playing one of the songs he loved to listen to the most while running: it was Shostakovich's "Festive Overture".
Unknowingly, more than an hour passed as he ran in circles around the lake. For the first time since he had joined the Justice League, Harry felt relaxed and at peace. Momentarily, all thoughts of Death disappeared from his mind. He forgot about crime, metahumans, and Darkseid.
Instead, his mind went back to the past, to his second life. He smiled as the image of his beloved wife came into his mind.
"I can't believe you're still making me run like a dog after all these years," he said, panting.
"If you think I'm ever letting you get a dad body, you're sorely mistaken," she said, her blue eyes narrowing at him sharply. "First of all, you should be happy you have a partner as energetic as me! And second, I've never heard you complaining whenever you get to enjoy this," she said and gestured to her body, trailing her hands up and down her waist and hips.
A groan came from him before he said:
"Sometimes, you make me wanna die. It's my birthday! I should be allowed to sleep in longer, at least today!"
"You've been skipping on our morning runs as of late. No way I'm letting this go any longer! How did you ever become a Quidditch superstar, you lazy bum?"
"That was in my past life. I'm just an old man now."
She rolled her eyes at him and let out a suffering sigh.
"You've just turned 20 for god's sake!"
A bittersweet feeling washed over him. Nearly 300 years have passed since Fleur's death. She died of old age, not long after her 160th birthday. He had been the one to bury her.
As Death's Emissary, he got to enjoy the benefits of having an eternally young and fit body, so he didn't need to run or work out in order to stay in shape anymore. However, he had not given up on the habit of jogging because it was one of the things that reminded him of her.
The passing of time dulled every emotion. His feelings, his passion, his memories… like an old photo album, they gradually lost their colours.
Thinking about Fleur filled him with nostalgia, longing, and loneliness… but he didn't want to forget her. And he did everything in his power to make sure her memory remained alive in his thoughts.
Suddenly, a desperate cry for help was heard over the music coming from his headphones, making him quickly take them off and stop running.
And just like that, the magical moment shattered. Nostalgia, longing, and his memory of Fleur were all abruptly replaced by irritation.
"No rest for the wicked."
Muttering that, he left his backpack, his headphones, and his walkman on the ground before turning his body into that of a wraith and speeding in the direction from which the shout came.
⁂
It was well past midnight. Now, Harry was back in his hotel room, sitting on a sofa and drinking a cup of tea as he watched the brilliant night lights of New York City spread below him through the large windows of the balcony.
It was a VIP suite in one of Manhattan's most expensive hotels; it cost him more than three thousand dollars a night, but money and material possessions were hardly important to him. After all, he was a wizard in a world of Muggles. If he put his mind to it, he could become a millionaire even before sunrise. But he didn't find any meaning in amassing wealth and riches.
Turning his attention towards the coffee table next to him, he grabbed the newspaper on it and started skimming through it. It was an older edition, from two days ago, but he didn't mind it.
Lex Luthor's sentence changed from prison to house arrest
Billionaires committing crimes and getting away with them was nothing new to him, so he skipped the article without giving it a second glance.
Two jewellery store robbers lost their lives in a fatal motorcycle accident in Brooklyn
That was actually Harry's doing. The two robbers had shot the store owner when he refused to comply with their demands, stole everything they could get their hands on, and dashed away on a motorcycle. And they would have gotten away with it, too, if not for Harry getting wind of their deeds and flying after them in pursuit.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life. Over the years, he had become a firm believer in that saying. Their fate was decided in his mind the moment he heard that they had killed the jewellery store owner.
As Death's Emissary, he didn't feel the need to explain his actions to anyone. However, he was a member of the Justice League. He knew that not even his colleagues, much less the public at large, would ever agree with his deeds, so he chose to be covert about it.
For the first time since he arrived in this world, Harry used Death's Cloak. It wasn't only for the sake of Invisibility; he could make himself invisible just fine with a spell. The true power of this Hallow made him undetectable by any means, whether they were magical or mundane. His sound and smell were erased too, and not even Death themselves could detect him while wearing the Cloak, just like in the story of the Three Brothers.
It only took casting a banal Freezing Charm to immobilise the front wheel of the motorcycle, causing the two criminals to be launched off the bike and smash brutally into a bus coming from the opposing lane. Both of them died on the spot.
Wonder Woman thwarts a kidnapping attempt on Princess Audrey of Kaznia in Paris, France.
"Looks like she's having fun," he muttered as he glanced at the photos that the paparazzi took of Wonder Woman and the blonde princess dancing in a club.
IT mogul Harlan Brooks investing in the newly-emerged Starrware Industries.
In a move that took many economists by surprise, billionaire Harlan Brooks invested a significant amount of money into a corporation of unknown origin[...]. For more information, read our interview with the CEO of Starrware Industries, Karen Starr, on page 7.
Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise when his eyes fell on the photo at the side of the article. It was a rather tall and athletic woman with short, glossy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a strikingly beautiful face. The black business suit she was wearing made her appear older and more serious, but Harry recognised her right away.
'Karen Starr…Kara?'
Not only was his memory far better than most people but Kara Zor-L was not an easy-to-forget individual either.
'What is she up to now?' he thought in amusement.
Despite her professional attire and the serious pose she struck in the photo, Harry chuckled softly to himself as he imagined the upbeat, rude, impatient, and stubborn young woman trying to act like the serious and no-nonsense CEO of a company.
Eventually, he finished catching up on most of the important events in the newspaper and decided to call it a day.
However, he couldn't fall asleep right away. Although his jogging earlier had relieved some of his stress, Harry still couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Thinking about it rationally, what could possibly threaten him while he was in the heart of New York? Nothing short of a vicious and powerful metahuman hunting him down would cause him any sort of worry.
"To hell with it."
He was risking frying all the electronics in the hotel room and causing a huge incident if he started casting spells now, but he knew better than to ignore his gut feelings.
Taking out the Elder Wand, he started muttering one spell incantation after another.
"Protego Totalum."
A translucent dome of magic shimmered over his bed before turning invisible. The lamp on the nightstand short-circuited as the dome of magic engulfed it, but he paid it no mind.
"Protego Aegis."
This time, a layer of golden light shone on the surface of his skin for a few seconds.
After that, he also cast a Caterwauling Charm and a Muggle-Repelling Charm on the door and the windows.
He also cast a Portkey spell on his pillow as a guarantee that he would be able to teleport away even if he were to be so injured that he would not be capable of Apparition.
He almost felt embarrassed at himself due to his own paranoia when he even started drawing Runes in the air with his wand.
[Rune Magic] was the second Lost Magic that he had learned during his dreadful tenure in Earthland. It was rather similar to the Ancient Runes of his homeworld, but Earthland's [Rune Magic] offered far more freedom and direct applications.
[Lost Magic: Rune Magic: Iron Skin]
[Lost Magic: Rune Magic: Enhanced Reflexes]
As he uttered those incantations, the Runes that he had drawn in the air flew to him and sank into his body.
Lastly, he drew two long strings of runes in a square around his bed, inscribing two 'laws':
[No being over the age of 16 can cross this line.]
[No creature other than humans can cross this line.]
By the time he had finished casting his defensive spells, virtually any device using electricity in the room was destroyed. But he paid it no mind.
Getting back into bed, Harry cast one last spell on himself: a Bubblehead Charm to eliminate the chance of anyone poisoning or tranquillising him in his sleep.
With his mind put at rest now, Harry finally allowed himself to fall asleep.
But while he slept like a log in a luxurious bed with silk bedsheets, an air mattress, and goose-down pillows, on the other side of the planet, Wonder Woman and Batman were fighting for their lives against an entire country's military.
Harry's newspaper was two days old, so it wasn't up to date with the most recent events. There was no mention of King Gustav of Kaznia falling gravely ill, nor any articles on Princess Audrey's rushed wedding to her fiancé, Vandal Savage.
He had no idea that, while he was sleeping soundly, dreaming of his previous lives, Wonder Woman destroyed a dozen military jets and beat unconscious hundreds of soldiers who opened fire with their tanks, rifles, and machine guns at her.
⁂
Wearing a beautiful white wedding dress, a golden tiara on her head, and carrying a bucket of roses in her hands, Princess Audrey took a deep breath before entering through the door of the chapel.
Organ music started playing as the royal bride stepped onto the red carpet and walked towards the altar where the archbishop and her soon-to-be husband were waiting for her.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the presence of God and this company that Princess Audrey II of Kaznia and Vandal Savage may be united in holy matrimony. This relationship is an honourable and sacred one designed to unite two sympathies and hopes into one, and it rests upon mutual confidence and devotion of husband and wife [...]"
Princess Audrey's smile didn't falter as the archbishop started reciting the wedding speech. Vandal Savage was far older than her, and she didn't love him either, but Kaznia needed a ruler. With her father suddenly falling ill, it was up to her to step up and do her duty as the Princess, to become the Queen.
"If anyone has cause why this couple should not be united in marriage, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
At that very moment, all the people present at the royal wedding cried out in shock as the ceiling of the chapel collapsed and an actual tank was smashed down through it.
It was Wonder Woman. Dirty and sweaty, with her clothes stained and her hair standing in all directions from her battle against Kasnia's military, the Amazon exuded an intimidating presence as she approached the altar.
"Audrey! Stop!" she said. "I won't let you marry him!"
But she barely got to finish her words before Vandal Savage pulled a gun out of nowhere and fired a bolt of electricity at her. It wasn't a mere stun gun but some sort of advanced weaponry because Wonder Woman collapsed on the floor, screaming in agony, ultimately falling unconscious.
"Does anyone else have any objections?"
Ignoring the princess's shock at seeing Wonder Woman's fate, the soldiers dragged the unconscious Amazon out of the chapel.
⁂
Once the church wedding and the reception were over, the princess retired to her quarters. However, to her surprise, Vandal Savage did not follow her to consummate their marriage.
Unable to take her mind off Wonder Woman's inexplicable behaviour (who ruins someone's wedding by throwing a tank into the church?!) and with nothing better to do, the princess, now queen, put on a burgundy robe before leaving the royal bedroom.
"Where is my husband?" she asked the soldier who was stationed to guard outside her door.
"The King is attending to a minor diplomatic matter. I'm to tell you that he will return shortly."
As Audrey walked away, the soldier continued:
"If Her Majesty requires anything, I can send a chambermaid for it."
"If I need any assistance taking a walk, I'll let you know," she replied snarkily as she left.
Walking down a long flight of stairs, Queen Audrey finally arrived in the castle's dungeons, where Wonder Woman had been imprisoned. Over 10 soldiers armed to the teeth were standing guard outside her cell, and the Amazon was also tied to the wall, her wrists locked in a high-tech pair of cuffs.
At the sound of high heels clanking on the stone floor, Wonder Woman opened her eyes to see Audrey walking up until she was in front of her prison cell's bars.
⁂
The Queen's talk with the Amazon didn't bear much fruit. Thoroughly annoyed by the accusations she raised at her husband, Audrey walked away irritated and went looking for Vandal Savage.
Eventually, she found him inside a room that looked like the control centre of a military research base. Large electronic screens showed maps of various regions on Earth, numerous scientists wearing white lab coats were walking about in a hurry and dozens of soldiers were standing guard at every corner.
"Busy?" she asked as she walked to her husband and smiled.
"Merely fortifying our defences. I can't rest peacefully after I saw Wonder Woman penetrating them so easily."
"I spoke to her just now. She just accused you of being some sort of power-mad monster," Audrey said with a scoff.
"Did she?" Vandal Savage asked in amusement.
A soldier's voice came from the side at that moment:
"We go out live in two minutes."
"Vandal, what-?" Audrey tried to ask, but he put a finger on his lips in a shushing gesture. "You'll spoil the surprise."
Leaving her behind, he went to the throne-like chair in the war room and grabbed the golden sceptre symbolising his rule as the new King of Kaznia before sitting down.
When the cameraman gave him the go signal, Vandal Savage started his speech.
⁂
Vandal Savage's monologue was streamed to television channels all over the world, and the Justice League members present at the Watchtower at the moment saw it too.
"Flash, Green Lantern! Join me in the monitor room," Martian Manhunter called the two friends who had been in the middle of a game of cards. "We have a situation."
"Well, look who's back…" John Stewart scowled when he arrived in the monitor room and saw Vandal Savage's face on the large screen of the computer.
"Today the world changes. Kaznia is at the forefront of that change. Crucial to these changes was Kaznia's contribution to the International Space Station… a contribution somewhat larger than you've been let to believe."
The camera switched from Vandal Savage's face to a footage of the International Space Station, which began to change its shape and structure.
"No. Even he wouldn't…!" Green Lantern said in disbelief, recognising what the satellite was changing into.
"This device is called a mass driver," Vandal Savage continued. "But I prefer its more colloquial appellation: a railgun. It's all very complicated. Perhaps a demonstration is in order."
As he said those words, the footage showed the International Space Station's newly emerged enormous Rail attracting a nearby asteroid into its coils.
"The asteroid is mostly iron ore," Vandal explained. "The large coils are a magnetic accelerator. The target is anywhere I say."
As he said those words, the drone filming the International Space Station-turned-railgun focused on the asteroid upon its launch. Due to it being in space, it didn't seem that fast, but that was merely an illusion. The moment it entered the planet's atmosphere, it caught on fire.
"I thought at first that I would just give the world a warning and aim at a USS Avington carrier group... However, a certain someone's intervention made me realise that it would be better to make you all feel the reality of the situation in the most direct way possible."
The camera switched back to Vandal Savage's face, who could barely contain his malicious smile.
"This asteroid is heading straight to the heart of New York City, to Manhattan."
"With our railgun in orbit, Kasnia has the ultimate high ground. I am now the dominant military power on Earth. And there are going to be some changes. First, [...]"
Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Flash watched, paralysed with horror, as the asteroid broke through the atmosphere and headed straight to New York.
They forgot even how to breathe when the camera showed from a distance how the meteorite impacted the ground.
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂
AN: this chapter was inspired by the events from the 2nd season of the Justice League Animated Series, episodes 7 and 8. Things are starting to get a bit darker and more serious from now on.
