I've finally got 5 reviews for chappy 3! Low goal, I know, but it took three months to get there. Come on guys; let me know your breathing. Honestly, this chapter is only half of what I wanted for chapter 4 but that just means I know exactly what goes in chapter 5 :) 5 reviews and I promise I'll post it within the day of the fifth. I think I'll keep to this; it'll keep me working at it. Ok, let's be reasonable, 5 reviews or one week, whichever comes later.

So in honor of the fifth, this chapter is dedicated to cobraqueen17.

*First person style indicates a flashback or dream of the first person.

(I own nothing)

Chapter 4

"Where the hell are we? I want a status report now! Find me an astrogator!" The captain shouted across the bridge, watching with satisfaction as her crew picked themselves up and hastened to meet her commands. She was a Mare Elemental with long, flowing hair of deep navy, sharp, sky-blue eyes that were slanted slightly, and light mocha skin. The fin-like ears of her race peeked through the river of her hair, the slit gills barely discernable beneath, running along the length of her neck. Though almost completely covered by her uniform, ugly, jagged white lines could be seen sneaking from beneath the soft fabric encasing her neck and shooting in long arcs across her face. Mare Elementals refused to alter their bodies for the purpose of unnatural enhancement or beauty. It made the boy beside her wonder if those scars were a mark of shame or a reason for pride.

The boy addressed her politely over the din of rushing Elementals, "Apparition, my dear. Sorry about that."

The captain turned to glare in the direction of their honored guest, the Thanatos they called Lachi. He looked pathetic; slumped in a heap upon the floor, his small stature shaking with the effort of every shallow breath. His eyes appeared a dull green and she could feel the exhaustion rolling off him, even without bothering to concentrate. So this is the great Lachi, she mused. Her voice was deep and tone dangerous as she questioned him, "This was your doing?"

"Yes." He said roughly, as if each syllable was considerable effort. "I can't tell you much about it, you understand. If you wouldn't mind though, I'd like to be escorted to the medical bay and locked in isolation for a few hours. Six at the very least."

She disliked the serene smile he gave her. It was fake, and she was insulted by it. Surely the great Lachi would know she could feel his every emotion. She didn't know the causes but he felt like shit, mostly, and pissed off to a point beyond what any normal being would be able to rationalize through. She wanted to see him express those emotions – scream in agony, lash out in rage, or at least collapse as his body obviously wanted to do. Smiling was the last thing his body or mind wanted. He knew she would know such a gesture to be false and yet he still smiled up at her. As annoyed as she was about the whole situation, she held her tongue. The Mare Elemental had been captain to a great many different people over her long life and one did not remain so by snapping at every person that offended her in some way – especially not someone as important as Lachi.

Lachi, for his part, waited patiently for the captain to gather her bearings after the unexpected and, quite frankly, extremely dangerous and unintended apparition. It seemed Aereon had learned enough about him to be able to cause an emotional trigger within him and he wasn't quite sure how to react to that. Normally he was in complete control; with his vast magical core and unruly Hallows to maintain and command, he had to be. But Aereon had been able to get to him, in a way none had been able to for centuries. However dangerous and, in his opinion imbecilic, her actions were though, he couldn't deny that it was nice to have a connection again. Even if he was terribly angry with her right now for putting him in this position, furious with himself for leaving Furya in the first place, and downright murderous towards whomever came up with the bloody idea for prophesies, he did find a modicum of amusement in having even slightly annoyed the Mare Elemental before him. So he smiled and waited, knowing every fiber of her being was pushing to yell at him, demand he tell her what he did to her ship and wipe the smile off his face. He was impressed at how well she hid her internal battle and more than grateful to accept the helping hand up when she presented it to him.

"I'm Ebon, captain of the Drogo. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lachi." She balanced his slight form easily against her, the top of his head only just reaching her shoulder. She called for a medic to be sent up and asked if he would like to rest in her seat while they waited.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather not. If I get comfy enough to fall asleep while I'm like this I won't wake up again until I am…well, let's go with healed." Not all Elementals knew the nature of his unique abilities; actually, only a handful did. They had all heard the stories of Lachi, of how strange things would occur around him, but few knew he was the direct cause. Aer Elementals were relatively rare and guarded their knowledge well. Oh they'd share, but only if they gained something worthwhile in return. Nothing was more worthwhile than being in Lachi's good graces. And to actually be able to maneuver such a being into becoming indebted to them? He couldn't imagine the envy directed at Aereon at the moment. He didn't doubt that she cared deeply about his well being. He also didn't doubt that she loved every minute of this.

Thinking of the ship she granted him and why returned him to his somber frame of mind as he remembered his manners. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Ebon, though I wish it were under better circumstances. I have heard of you, you see, and what I've heard is that you are indeed a very competent captain. It is a fortune I don't take lightly in this mess. I'm counting on your speed, Ebon. We need to reach Furya within a week if we are to be any help at all."

Ebon's eyes seemed to soften as she sensed the quiet desperation of the boy she supported. "Even with the Drogo and me as her guide, we may not make that Lachi. The laws of physics themselves make such speed impossible."

"Good thing I have a habit of bending the rules a bit then." He said it quietly but she still caught it and frowned slightly down at him. The medic reached them then and he left her in her confusion. The astrogator reached her a few minutes later with a holoprojector portraying their coordinates, and she nearly dropped it as soon as she examined it. Somehow, they had jumped two entire galaxies in a mere instant. Who the hell is this Lachi?

Cool darkness draped over him as he lay his body down upon a sparse bed in the deserted room. After being physically cleared by the ship's medic he was given this room and solitude. He had quickly drawn runes in an oval surrounding his bed upon the floor as muscle spasms rocked his body to the core. He had kept his hand steady, one mistake and the barrier would not hold. He absolutely refused to allow that to happen.

Under the comfort of a locked door and his own personal ward upon the floor, he relaxed his mind and let go. As his muscles relaxed and he sunk into the bed, darkness rose and pulsed around him, emulating from the cloak he laid on, the wand resting upon his left forearm, the ring secured by the chain around his neck. Death Keeper, Death Giver, Death Returner – The Deathly Hallows. The one who dared gather them all became the Master of Death, a true Thanatos. Their devastating power, ample enough when alone, was terrible when bore by one master. They gained a subtle consciousness, always bent on use, on destruction, subverted only by the strength of their keeper. Over centuries of disuse their power built and pooled, a great lake of black magic forever searching for a crack to break through, for a moment of weakness in their host. With his magic almost completely depleted, the damn had held by his mental will alone. He gently let the pool flow through and out of him, only to crash upon the barrier that surrounded him, runes glowing slightly upon the floor as they strained against the assault. He did so slowly, delicately, so as to not permanently damage his own mind, the possession he valued most. His eyes glowed killing green and he moaned as the pressure upon his mind was gently released. His mind relaxed and he felt himself drift.

"So this is what it's like to see the greatest magical being at his weakest. It's quite different, you know, witnessing from the outside looking in."

Only one being could hide in the shadows and cloak his presence so perfectly from detection, even from him. The Chaos Elemental. "Adrian."

"Forgive me Eli, I was curious. Aereon also requested that I watch over you in case her calculations were correct."

He fought the thickening fog within his mind, retaining control. The Hallows pulsed angrily and his body began to spasm once more. "Eli?"

"A nickname, Emerald Lachi. A quite remarkable event has occurred, you see. You accepted a name, Emerald of the Furyans. But when you accepted me, you became one of us also, Lachi of the Elementals. You wear both now, as a part of you as the magic you so deftly wield. But such a name seems too formal for me to use in address of my Anchor. Thus the name Eli. Aeron approves."

"Aereon! Damn that sister of yours! Does she know what she did? Does she even understand what could have happened to this crew – her own people? What would have happened had we splinched? Had I lost consciousness? If the Hallows aren't contained-" His voice rasped harshly as he attempted to yell at the boy in front of him, only to fall into choked coughing as the spasms reached his throat. The Chaos Elemental smiled sadly at the boy in front of him, his amethyst eyes lit with equal fire and pain as the Thanatos' emerald, reflecting him effortlessly as if he were his own shadow.

"Hush brother," the Elemental said quietly, "I won't force you to hold on any longer. We have much to talk about after you have recovered, but for now, sleep."

The command pulled at his mind and he slept.

I had almost forgotten how raw pain could hold your body hostage – tear its motion from you and force you to curl upon the floor. This was the position I took immediately upon waking, my eyes clenched tight, along with every other muscle in my body. I had experienced this only a handful of times before and while normally those moments haunted me, my mind wasn't quite up to the task of replaying them. For that alone I was thankful for this pain.

Minutes passed, though for me they felt as hours. Slowly my body began to relax to a dull throb, the backlash of wielding such extreme black magic receding. Breathing became easier and I took large gulps of air, my mind coming back to awareness as oxygen revitalized my body. My hand reached out and swept in an arc around my head to hit upon a wall behind me. I rolled and shifted until my back rested against it. After feeling no further pain from relocating, I sighed and opened my eyes. There was no discernable light but my eyes quickly adjusted, glowing slightly with emerald fire as magic heighted my sense of contrast.

I was in a cell, contained by some type of smooth stone, to my right a translucent wall akin to glass. My eyes followed the shape of the cell but could find no door. A tomb then, perhaps? But then why would they take the effort to pump in oxygen? And, for that matter, why is it so pure? Light-headedness overcame me as I breathed deeply, pure O-two giving me a slight sense of euphoria and quickly easing the crushing pain I had originally found myself in. Beyond the air it seemed as though I was given nothing and, curiously, not relieved of anything either. Both the Hallow wand and my Phoenix wand remained strapped to my forearms in their holsters. The Hallow cloak draped around me, unblemished even as I noted my clothing seemed dyed with blood. I felt the weight of my founder's sword upon my back and the heavy burden of the Hallow ring pulling at the back of my neck. Remaining upon my hands were the rings of the families I once had, the last remnants of lives lost to me.

As my mind focused I took stock of my situation: I am in a cell without a door, fully armed albeit filthy, breathing the cleanest air I have ever been exposed to. Considering I should be awakening to the elements, thousands upon millions of corpses surrounding me, I wasn't about to complain. I had no memory of what transpired before I arrived here and for that one small kindness I was grateful. The Hallows, when joined, took possession of their host and wrought death upon the land until they were drained of all power, shutting down the mind of their host to do so. No memories of events occurring during that time were created. Only after awakening did I know how much chaos I had caused. It would be only too easy to blame my actions upon the Hallows themselves but it was ultimately me – my power, my skills, my choice to possess them. I search for any means to destroy them but I have yet to find any. Until I do, I refuse to allow them to fall into another's hand. Sometimes it bothers me that I no longer feel remorse or the need to repent after such tragedies, such large losses of life. I have brought islands, countries, continents, entire planets even, all to ruin. I've become numb to the horror of it in a desperate bid to keep my sanity. All I feel now is the grim determination to never lose control again.

My eyes caught movement in the peripheral and I watched as one of the strangest creatures I had ever encountered came to a halt in front of my cell. Her eyes took in the walls around me then came to rest upon my hunched form. She smiled. She seemed to giggle; her body went through the small spasms of laughter but no sound reached my ears. I puzzled at this – normally no construct was soundproof to my ears – and admired the small child's beauty.

She wore a simple white robe, lose and unadorned. Her skin was pale, as pale as my own but softer, like there was no true line where her skin ended and the air around her began. That truly may have been the case as her presence seemed to wisp slightly, as if her form was merely a projection unto smoke. Her hair fell in silver curls around her. Her eyes twinkled a most enchanting lavender and pale pink lips still smiled sweetly all through my assessment of her.

She turned suddenly, eyes flicking down the way she had come. She refocused upon me and brought a single finger to her lips. She gave me a quick wink before her form seemed to wisp away, appearing as though she really were nothing more than smoke cleared away by a sudden gale.

Less than a minute passed before two men appeared in my limited vision. Both wore identical uniforms of sage green and were human-like in figure. There their similarities ended. One had a long, soft blue hair drawn into a plait that flowed down his back, revealing oddly shaped ears that were fin-like in appearance and a column of horizontal slits cut into the mocha skin of his neck below each ear. His eyelids were translucent, his irises a dusty blue, and his hands webbed. His companion was significantly shorter with inky brown hair, closely cut, with a very broad frame and looked to be perfectly human. The first had stopped just outside of my cell – the second didn't. He passed through the translucent wall as if it were nothing more than air, his life presence becoming instantly apparent to me as he did so. I had never felt anything quite like the creature in front of me and I marveled how one that looked so utterly human could feel so completely alien. He stopped before me and asked, in perfect English, "Would you mind if my companion raised the lights?"

My voice was horse and soft but my response was easily discernable in the silence of the cell. "I wouldn't mind at all. Thank you for warning me."

The man before me nodded to his companion and I closed my eyes, noting the abrupt change in light through the reddening of my eyelids.

"That's better." The man before me said lightly. "Are you able to stand or do you require assistance?"

My eyes opened slowly, immediately adjusting to the new amount of light. "I think I'm able," I rasped as I slowly picked myself up, using the wall behind me for support. He waited as I regained my sense of balance then offered me his hand.

"You'll need to be touching me to be able to pass through the wall."

I nodded and took his hand as he led me out. My body became suddenly numb as we passed through the wall and feeling slammed back into me once we reached the other side. I winced in pain as my aches, mostly tolerable before, were completely removed only to be retuned in a flood. I noted that the blue-haired man winced also and swore under his breath. Interesting.

They led me back the way they had come and I noted a small life presence was following us out. I recalled the earlier girl and her obvious gesture to remain unnoticed. I said nothing to give her away as I was escorted by my two guards though remained mindful of the life presence of all three. None of them had appeared threatening – they had even gone so far as to allow me my possessions. Still, I had seen people killed by far more seemingly innocent creatures and I wasn't about to drop my guard simply because I was exhausted. Interestingly, I was certain that they were not the same species. Their life presence emissions were too different, subtle to most but glaringly obvious to one trained such as I – like the difference between a lion and a panther. Both were felines, both were predators, and yet both were completely different at the same time. Perhaps these creatures held a common ancestor but all three were undeniably different now.

The corridor opened to a beautiful garden of foreign vegetation, lush, wild, and thriving. The plants encased all the surrounding buildings to the point that it was difficult to tell where fauna ended and structure began. Dozens of different creatures met my eyes – both humanoid and animal-like, all interacting together. I watched, amazed, as a seemingly normal child chattered excitedly with what appeared to be a small scaled bird. Our procession was thoroughly ignored as we passed into another building, circular with the same glass-like substance for a ceiling and odd stone for walls.

We came to a round chamber. A lone chair stood in the center, facing a raised dais that ran along the far half of the room in a crescent. Upon the dais were a row of chairs, most of which were occupied by a humanoid creature. They seemed to be grouped by the same species or sub-species distinction I had noted earlier. The group on my far left resembled my navy-haired guard. Something seemed to be troubling this group deeply as they all held the same grimace, their eyes flickering between trained blankness and pain.

Beside them sat two individuals with skin of jet black, both without a single follicle of hair. They seemed the most unconcerned of the lot, choosing to talk quietly to each other in a rapid language barely discernable to my ears and completely incomprehensible. Beside them sat a small group of six creatures that resembled my other escort. To their left sat three elderly beings which resembled the small girl that had followed us. They held the center of the dais, the remaining nine seats were held by beings that looked entirely human save for their height, between two and a half and three meters.

I was instructed to sit in the lone chair in the center by my guard. As I did so they left me, one to stand at either end of the crescent. The panel continued to discuss with each other in an incomprehensible language, not even pausing to take notice of our entrance. I sat and waited. I felt drowsy but I forced myself remained alert. After ten minutes or so had passed, I felt the girl that had stopped at the entrance make her way over to me and come to a halt by the side of my chair. My guards watched us both warily; otherwise, her approach went completely ignored.

Again I was amazed at her beauty. She appeared no older than four earthling years but her eyes were far older. She raised her hand slowly, as if she were interacting with a frightened animal and gently took my own. Her smile returned and she introduced herself, "My name is Wynn of Freya. I never expected to meet a Thanatos." Her worlds were soft and directed for my ears alone but I had no difficulty hearing her soft voice or understanding her perfect English.

I returned her smile as I asked her, "How is it you have such an alien language but a human name? I have no problem pronouncing Wynn yet I do not believe my voice even capable of your parlance."

"I knew you'd be clever. We young ones have human names because we know that we will soon need to deal with you kind. You are having trouble because our language is more felt than heard. We understand this is impossible for your species while we have no trouble at all articulating your crude tongue. It is unfortunate but cannot be helped."

"You would give your children alien names, simply for our benefit?"

"An Elemental can only have one name. It's not as harsh a price as you might imagine though. The structure of your languages may be simple but they do hold some beautiful names, wouldn't you agree?"

I watched the panel for a moment then returned my gaze to Wynn. "Could you tell me why I'm here? They don't seem to need my input in whatever it is their discussing."

"They're debating what to do with you. You are a Thanatos, but you are different from any of the others we have seen. This has caused quite the controversy. You see, many want to simply see you dead over the destruction of Morin. Others believe you are the best option to bear the Hallows."

I readied myself to flee from this place with its strange beings, fighting my way with need be. I refused to let anyone take control of the Hallows, not one. "You know of the Hallows?"

"Yes." Wynn smiled gently as her grasp tightened for a moment within my own in reassurance. "We note all crossings that occur between planes, especially when one of the planes involved is After." Here she paused for a moment as if she was trying to find the right words. "Sorry, I should clarify, whenever a being crosses from After. And to actually bring something with them? It's very curious."

She stepped to the front of my chair, her stature so small her eyes perfectly leveled my own though her hand remained in mine. "We have known about the Hallows since their arrival and encasement. We watched as the first siblings played with fire and were subsequently engulfed in their inferno. We watched as they were passed among the humans, lost and passed again. All of this noted but only with the slightest curiosity. Not since the first three have the Hallows been together and never were they held by a single person. That was, until you. Together they grant immunity from all physical effects of this plane. You cannot be slain and you cannot age. You cannot grow and you have no real need for energy to live, only to fuel your magic. I doubt you could reproduce if you tried, even to spark the rebirth of your lost species. The point is you no longer qualify as a living organism. Yet here you are, sitting before us, appearing as if you were nothing more than another human adolescent. You have achieved what was once our dearest wish: immortality. And even though your human mind was never meant to live as long as it has, you've retained your sanity, against time, tragedy, and the very influence of the Hallows themselves. You've become a mystery to us as much as you are a viable threat should your delicate human mind ever fracture and the Hallows take control."

A slight smile returned to her face as she continued, "To Elementals, mysteries are things to be solved, not destroyed. Your existence, the fact that you are a Thanatos, a possessor of not only one but all three Hallows, it all has to mean something. Who are we to intervene? We have learned our lesson dearly, that one does not anger the Lord of After. If you are really His will, we dare not touch you. But there are those among our people that do not believe in our own lore, that believe allowing you to live will do nothing but ensure our eventual execution by your hand. That is why they, the representatives of our worlds, debate and fret over what is to be done with you. Their decision won't matter though."

Her smile now held the mischief of someone who knew exactly what was going on behind the scenes but refused to be the one to pull the curtain. Yet there was something else there, lingering behind and fairly well concealed. Not well enough however. It was possessiveness. It was the most genuine thing I could read about her. It had always been there and yet I wasn't able to read it until now. It didn't matter that she had not lied throughout our entire conversation; she had still managed to deceive. I suddenly realized I had learned absolutely nothing from her about her purpose in being here and I was reminded of how different these creatures really were. They would have different ethics, different modes of relating. Wynn seemed to mimic human emotions and gestures flawlessly but I had to remember that she was only doing so for my convenience, to make it easier for me to relate with her. To make it easier for her to ease my natural reaction to defend against her and do with me what she will. I had no doubt I had met my match when it came to manipulation. I found some irony that it was in the form of a four year old girl.

"Why are you here with me Wynn? Your fellow, Elementals did you say?" She nodded slightly at the title. "Yes, they don't seem troubled by my presence at all. Not even the ones in this room, the ones that are supposedly deciding my fate, seem bothered with acknowledging my presence before them. So then why are you here before me? What exactly is your purpose in speaking with me?"

Her other hand joined our clasped two as she stepped nearer to me, the possessive nature of her smile becoming all the more clear. "Oh they acknowledge you; they've listened to every word. But as I said, their decision won't matter. No one on that panel will decide your fate. You are to be the responsibility of another."

Complete silence met these last words, confirming that they had indeed been listening in on our hushed conversation. The being at the head of the panel broke it with what must have been a question directed at Wynn for she responded with, "English please. We have a guest with us after all. You are all being terribly rude."

The elder raised a delicate eyebrow but did as she asked. "We apologize, young Wynn, that we have your disapproval. Would you care to enlighten us as to why our meeting here today means so little?"

Privately, I thought that I would also like to know the answer to that question.

Wynn simply giggled and glanced fleetingly behind me before withdrawing her hands from my own as she spun around to face the elder head on and said very seriously, "It isn't my place to say."

Whatever leave the elder had silently granted her left with these words. Instead he moved to dismiss her. "Fine, then there is no need for your interruption. Evric, can you please escort Miss Wynn back to the garden?"

Wynn pouted and returned to my side, hand sliding into mine once again and clutching it tightly within her own as the blue-haired Elemental left his post beside the dais. He made it two steps before a voice rang out from directly behind me, causing me to jump in surprise. How did anyone approach my back without my notice?

"I've seen enough and I've made my decision. I choose this Thanatos as my Anchor." I turned and took in the being that had come to stand beside Wynn. The voice it had spoken with held no distinguishing sound – like it could have belonged to anyone, anything, and yet I was certain I had never heard any sound like it before. Had I even heard it? I recalled Wynn saying their language was felt more than heard but at the same time, I felt absolutely nothing from this being. There was no life presence for me to detect or if there was it was cloaked perfectly. The words the creature spoke left no impression on my mind and for the life of me I couldn't remember them – only that this creature wanted me for something. What that was I had no idea.

This being was more terrible and beautiful than any other I had ever seen. As much as I felt naturally repelled by it, I was drawn in, my body torn in indecision. I had the fleeting intuition that the decision wasn't mine to make. Wynn's words rang true in my mind and I realized what she had meant. It did not matter what this panel or she or even I wanted. Everything was in this single entity's hands – if it had any. Even its body was shapeless and yet definite at the same time. My human mind recoiled, fighting the glamour this creature had cast to make me see what it wanted me to then proceeded to directly fall into shock in the instant I realized what this creature actually was: a void. My mind could not hold the contradiction, could not bear its possibility let alone accept its reality before me.

The panel may have returned to their discussion but everything was a dull buzz to my fracturing mind. Wynn clasped my hand tightly once again but I found no comfort from the action. Suddenly her hand left mine and I felt both her and the panel leave the room. I called out to them, to anyone – anything that I could feel, that could distract me from this creature in front of me. I couldn't bear it; my mind was slipping, slipping, silence. I felt my heart beating rapidly, my lungs pushing staccato breaths past my open lips, my body trembling from the adrenalin coursing through my veins. Then I felt him.

I felt his soft hands upon my cheeks, thumbs gently caressing my forehead. I anchored myself to that touch, to those hands that held my head so delicately. I felt those hands become a part of me, become a part of me again. I opened my eyes to see a face, so like my own, yet darker and softer at the same time – no lines, no scares; an infant's skin. My eyes were drawn to glowing amethyst, eyes as vibrant as my own, a color I had never seen before; a color I couldn't go a day without recalling. They held nothing but concern and I felt my chest throb and constrict. How long had it been since I was shown such an emotion so openly?

I had never thought of myself as beautiful but as I took in the being before me, one that reflected my own image so flawlessly, I could think of no other word, no other description that could possibly be more apt. I found this boy beautiful in every meaning of the word and I couldn't fathom why he showed such open concern for me. I silently vowed to myself that I would protect him, that a person so beautiful and so gentle needed a knight. I would be that for him, as a sibling, as a brother, as a twin. I knew my vow was redundant the moment I made it and made it again – it was already true.

The soft caress of his thumb upon my cheek brought to my attention the wetness there. I found myself unashamed that he could see my tears. But as his own eyes began to mirror mine I realized I never wanted to see that sadness reflected. This boy, this brother of mine should only reflect, only feel happiness. I lifted my hand to cover his and smiled as best I could through my tears. His lips lifted slightly and I congratulated myself.

"Eli," he spoke, his accent the same as my own but with a slightly lower tone. 'Eli.' Was that my name? It sounded so right, more right than any other before. "How are you feeling?"

"Free," I answered. From what I couldn't seem to remember, only that it was important that I was, that Adrian know. "Adrian."

"Yes?"

"That's right, you're my Adrian. My brother, my shadow, mine." His concern seemed to deepen at my words.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright Eli?"

"I've never felt better." I meant every word.

His eyes fell shut and I felt his presence deepen somehow. A moment later he smiled gently and reopened his eyes. "Ah, my Eli, you are having a waking dream. Wake up."

I've almost doubled the word count with this chappy! I guess that's what happens when you work on something for three months.

Before you ask and to stave off confusion, Harry's full name is Emerald Lachi but he will be called Eli most of the time.

Lachi is pronounced La-k-eye

I had one question this time around: will this be entirely AU? Yes and no. I'm going to try to stick with cannon as best I can, you can be assured that everything that has happened in both the HP universe and the Riddick universe has/will happen as it did in the books/movies/video games. (One of the best things about writing this is all the video game "research" I'm doing for Riddick). That being said, as this is a crossover of Harry in Riddick's time, it will be a bit AU for him as he is now the only wizard in JKR's sense of the term. Magic is not extinct; the Furyans, Elementals, and even the Necros have their own brand of 'magic'. That being said, I won't be going over extensively what went on in Pitch Black or Chronicles simply because I'm certain you all already know and it would frankly be a waste of my time to write out something you're going to skim through. I'll probably have some flashbacks or reminiscences of those times but they won't be extensive.

I suppose I should note, however, that JKR's epilogue for the series didn't take place – that's kinda sorta important if you want to get picky with the details. Eli has only ever had one son; he was unable to have any more children due to the affects the Hallows had on his body as Wynn speculated in the chapter.

I wanted to ask you all, would you like me to write a separate story sometime about Eli's time with the Elementals when he first became Adrian's Anchor or would you just like it done in flashbacks? I'll probably do the flashbacks regardless as their relationship is an important one and deserves more explanation than I've currently given it. Just wanted to know what you'd like more.

All of this has been a 'part 1/prequel' to the story. I expect there to be two more chapters, maybe only one if I get it all written down, within this timeframe before we jump to an older Riddick.

Anywho, drop a review! 5 = chappy 5! And thank you to everyone that takes the time to read this, loves!

Rei