Chapter Text
There were bodies everywhere with blood pooling hot and rank under the dead forms. A scream echoed out over what must have been a battle plane, and Harry tugged a quaking Teddy further against his form turning to the sound.
Just up a small hill remained what must have been the attacked group. The winged beasts in the sky were diving and attacking the two remaining tall forms standing protectively over three smaller. One was clearly a woman with light purple wings stretched out blocking any attacks aimed at what must be three children, while the other was rapidly casting curses and seemed to be using wind magic to slice his opponents when they got close.
“Close your eye’s pup.” Harry hissed, casting three Reducto curses at some of the bird beings circling the small group up high. They screeched as wings and limbs were torn apart, one falling dead when the curse hit him in the chest. Focusing on the small group he pulled Teddy with him into the shadows. As he stepped out next to the small group, the one wielding the wind glanced briefly over to him, eye’s lingering on Teddy’s form in his arms. “Were the royals informed?” he shouted over the rushing sound of the wind he was directing into deadly blades. Three children younger than Ted hugged each other tightly, huddled on the ground. A young girl had blood splattered up her front and was silently crying with a baby blue haired boy whose ears were pinned back against his head. The last girl was curled in a ball tucked between the two, bloody wings protruding from her back, and shouting out.
“Stop it!! Please stop. Please”
The life force standing next to him suddenly snuffed out in a wisp well before the gurgling sound of the woman's last breath reached their ears. The last remaining man cursed and screamed at the attacking feathered beings, and Harry could spot tears rolling down his face now.
Setting Theodore down he gently pushed the teen to the children, pausing a moment in confusion as Ted was also heavily crying while scrubbing at his chest. Knowing that those that needed to live would remain in the same spot Harry finally cast a rapid switching spell on his clothing, the elder wand, cloak, and stone settling on his being. Shooting a few blood boiling curses at the closest attackers he stepped past the remaining adult patting his shoulder.
“Protect the children, don’t move from this spot. If any reinforcements come, they must stay behind me.”
“They're all gone.” The man sobbed, taking a step back and sending another vicious wave or air at a diving form, severing the beings arm off. Harry didn’t know what he was talking about but assumed that he meant the others who fell in the attack. The man's life force was flickering strangely despite no outwardly appearance of injury. Harry did understand the sorrow of loss however, and he pulled that emotion up out of himself along with his fierce determination to protect his son.
“Vulnera non Laedent” he chanted, loosening his magic and letting it uncurl from himself. Death called to him and the dead wanted him. Half of his mind was in the present plane as the next verse slipped out stronger than he felt.
“Sanguinis non obliviscar”
Like a light green fog his magic rolled down the hill diving into those who had fallen protecting the few who remained, the dead twitching as spirits settled back into their old bodies.
Little necromancer, you’ve come home. In his mind he blinked, turning his head in the direction of the crooning voice. She had never greeted him with those words before. A cold hand touched his forehead and ran long fingers into his hair. They will all return to me, no lingering remember?
“Resurrecturi certare restat.” The voice murmured from his own body. On the field, dozens of beings rose once again and started to attack the remaining enemy. He could hear a cry of shock from behind him, when the woman who had just died took to the air growling.
“It’s okay now. Papa talks to the dead all the time, it's his job.” Teddy’s voice carried over to him. Gentle hands turned his face up, and lips descended to the crown of his head.
Meus. My own. You feel too much, but that is what makes you so precious to me. My Princeps Mortis.
A sharp pain in his shoulder registered and his focus briefly flickered to the plane his body was in. He held himself stiff as he reached slowly for the object embedded in his left shoulder. A bloody spear seemed to have pierced through said appendage and buried itself in the ground with four inches of the shaft protruding from his shoulder at an angle that he couldn’t pull off of. With his mind and soul still half in/half out of the mortal plane, the pain was considerably dulled to what it should be with that kind of injury.
This was the downside of using necromancy in battle, he was a sitting duck for any attack with his attention too divided to properly defend himself. Only fifteen or so of the winged creatures remained and it seemed that the living dead were well on the way to killing them all off. With slightly dazed eye’s he watched as one broke off from formation and headed straight at him, sharp talons bared in anticipation of ripping into his flesh.
A flash of light suddenly struck the thing down with a loud clap of thunder. His attention was being brought forward more and he could see some of the weaker spirited individuals suddenly slow in their attack. Other voices from behind him were shouting orders and he heard a voice calling over the din. “Stay behind him! He said to stay behind him.”
Some were calling out names, and through the bonds he could feel some of those fighting jolt slightly from his hold. He narrowed his eyes and clamped further down on his intentions.
“Sanguinis non obliviscar” He reminded them. Fire and more wind attacks from behind him mowed down half the remaining few and the resurrected dispatched the rest in short order. The light purple winged woman pulled her blade out of the last bird monster and turned to Harry.
She walked up to him dragging her bloodied blade up the hill. The other dead stood watching warily after the woman, one or two sitting or falling down, voluntarily giving up their bodies to return to the spirit realm.
“Teriul!” Someone shouted from behind him and the woman’s hazel eyes flicked over to them briefly before settling back to him. She stopped in front of him, dropping her weapon and reached for the spear sticking out of his shoulder.
“You cannot touch me. The connection will snap me out of the otherworld completely and your souls will return.” She stopped her movement.
“Teriul!”
~~~
Harry petted one of the hands on his face and buried his nose into the beings wrist, breathing in the scent of warm earth, ozone, and iron. Five minutes?
A soft chuckle and the presence beside him drew away repeating her words. You feel too much, all must return to me. Harry heard the acceptance in her voice and smiled up at the dark mass slipping away. Thank you.
~~~~
Harry blinked and focused on the woman standing in front of him, speaking as loud as he could for the others benefit “Five minutes to say goodbye, nothing more. It’s all the time I could give you.”
At those words many down below on the field moved swiftly up the hill, and those un seen to Harry rushed by him to loved ones who have passed.
“Papa!” He blinked again, mind still slowly dragging itself back as Teddy came running over, the children all following closely behind leaving what must be concerned family. Someone gently touched his shoulder and he jerked slightly at the living spirit brushing against his, burning in comparison to the ice cold ones he was currently holding in suspension. The jerk was enough for him to shift the shaft of the spear another inch back up. He hissed at the pain that now throbbed through his arm and shoulder.
“You need that removed as soon as possible before any of the medics can help.” He tilted his head slightly to the voice while offering a hand to his son who latched onto it as soon as it was offered. The other children he felt grab onto his cloak and pants with shaking hands, the one girl with wings still crying.
The man who spoke was about a head taller than he was, and had two swords strapped to his back. He had a blond bob of hair that sat just above his shoulders and handsome blue eyes that currently were looking curiously down at him.
“Not yet.” He bit out, trying to reassuringly squeeze Teddy’s hand “I promised the dead five minutes. The pain will be enough to break my connections and will cut the time short.”
“Their all dead?” asked the man, no longer looking at him but at those breaking down into tears, wailing, and hugging down below as they must have realized the same thing.
“How many of you survived?” a plump woman of what seemed to be middle age walked around him with a small bag she settled on the ground. She herself sat down on the trampled grass and offered her hand to the teal haired boy. “We brought as many medics available when the alert came through.”
“Just us five” spoke up the man to whom Harry entrusted Ted's safety too. Those who remained on the hill and were listening all let out angry and distressed rumbles and hisses, the inhuman sound spooked Harry a bit and the spear jostled back to its original spot.
“Easy there my friend.” Spoke the blond reaching an arm out as if to catch him if he pitched forward. The woman softly cursed before flicking her wrist and a strange bubble appeared.
“This is Medic Ruka. Im stopping the recall of all available medics to the alert sight. Extreme casualties, one male in need of room when transported and a soulscream room for five. Four consorts, one adult male”
Harry felt some of his magic whined itself back to him as those gone started to depart willingly before the time. Brain feeling a bit more present, he squinted his eyes and finally noted that all present were some form of creatures of various species, though those with the dragon wings seemed more prominent.
“Where are we?”
“It was a double soulscream.” Spoke the man. “I'm afraid all of the boys were lost” He flopped down, arms shaking violently as shock seemed to settle into his system. “It's just the four of us from the other.” He choked out, rubbing at his chest. Harry felt Ted move and frowned when he spotted the teen doing the same. “We didn’t even bond and it still feels like chunks have been ripped out.”
The Medic looked concerned over at the man as her hands glowed a happy yellow over the boy she had coaxed from behind Harry. Some members were heading up the hill quickly and the internal clock ticked past the three minute mark. Another woman appeared by the side of the blond man.
“Why in the name of the immortals have you not removed that spear?”
“Necromancer." He spoke, tilting his head toward Harry "Said his connection would be cut and the time he allowed the dead to say goodbye would finish short”
“Papa those people are coming at us.” Teddy whispered, squeezing his hand. He had experience with Harry and his ‘hobby’ and knew that sometimes the dead acted irrational when their time was up.
“It’s fine cub. In fact, I believe they are here for all of you.”
Teriul led the small group of dead, the living trailing behind in solemn silence. The girl who had the bloody wings snuffled and wiped her nose on his pant legs but reached out to the woman whispering out a small “Alpha.”
Light purple wings folded neatly behind the woman as she knelt next to the healer and pulled the small girl to her chest in a strong embrace.
“Hello treasure, I'm so happy you made it.”
“It hurts.” The woman made a strange sound that seemed to settle the girl and she stroked down her brown hair.
“I know. I know.” The dog eared boy was released at some point and was having his own greet and farewell with a smaller group of people, most with some form of blue features of various shades. The one remaining girl had a hand planted firmly in Harry’s pant leg and the other into the back of Ted's plaid shirt.
“You two should say goodbye as well.” He whispered, giving a quick squeeze back to Ted's hand.
“Can’t you bring them back Papa?” He closed his eyes pushing back all the raging emotions. He felt his shoulder throbbing with his heartbeat and the slow trickle of blood that escaped from around the object.
What a sight they must be. A man impaled standing up by a spear, surrounded by children he cant comfort, and the cries of the living, mourning the loss of the souls he still held bound to the mortal realm.
One minute.
“Not this time pup. Hurry now, not much time left.” The hand left his and the soft patter of feet told him that the children left his side. His hearing was becoming muffled and he knew he was about to pass out soon from the blood loss. A firm hand splayed across his chest holding him steady and Harry cracked his eyes open to look at the large hand that had a smallish ring on it with a few different colored gemstones inlaid. Green eyes looked up and took note of the other hand disappearing behind him most likely in preparation to pull the spear out of the ground, before settling on the handsome face with crystal blue eyes.
“Time” he mumbled out before blinding pain took what remained of his consciousness.