The Sword of King

Chapter 28. The Sword of King

Lily quickly cleared out of the forest and reached the cliff, of which the elf Elwind had mentioned during their conversation.

After a perilously steep drop by the edge was a glimmering blue sea, spreading as far as the eyes could see, on all three sides of her.

She looked around her frantically, trying to find anything resembling a legendary artefact. Harry had said that it would be easily noticeable. But on either side of her were just the uneven parts of the cliff, like a single finger jutting out of the woods. There was no space where anything godly could be kept.

Exactly at that moment, a flickering glimmer caught her eye. She sucked in a sharp breath, staring at a small island in the sea, only a couple of feet away from the cliffside.

The island was barely 10 feet wide. But the queer thing about it was the colour. It was black as if it had come right out of a volcano. The strangest thing though was a sword half buried in the rock. Its handle and pommel shone radiantly in the sunlight, sparkling like pure gold.

That was what had caused the flicker.

Without another thought, she jumped from the high cliff.

Her hair billowed above her. Her black dress was forced up to her waist due to the wind rushing past her, baring her bottoms. But Lily was in no mindset to do this appropriately or elegantly.

She was in a mad hurry.

As the island below approached her, she pointed her wand at herself and silently used the slowing charm. Her free fall abruptly turned into a smooth downward glide. And as soon as her feet touched the ground, she leapt at the sword and gripped the hilt, heaving it out of the volcanic rock.

She held it to the sky.

The silver blade shone like a star, with an emerald gem embedded below the handguard. The green light sparkled magically and soon it grew so bright, that its eerie light enveloped the whole surrounding.

Lily closed her eyes instinctively and when she opened them again, she was back home. A smile blossomed on her full lips seeing that they had succeeded in completing the quest.

"Harr– HARRY!" She screamed suddenly, dropping down on her knees as she saw her son's severed head rolling towards her.

It touched her knee.

Bile rose in her throat when she saw the confused-scared look etched on his face.

She couldn't comprehend it.

She didn't cry.

She just stared at it.

The face of her dead son.

But soon, a sob tore through her mouth, clawing out like a writhing snake, her entire body shaking violently. She let out hiccuping cries, wanting nothing more than to run away from there, so she didn't have to face it.

But she would. It was her duty.

With trembling hands, she picked up Harry's head, pushing the bile back down her throat. She hardened herself, blanking her mind, becoming silent and not shrieking at the heavens like she wanted to.

She got back on her feet with her baby's head still in her hold, blood still dripping from the cleanly cut neck.

It was hard not to puke. But she somehow persevered.

Though however much she tried to be steady, her hands kept quivering, betraying her shock.

She approached his body which lay on its back.

Lily set the head properly above the neck.

Her movements were jerky and mechanical. She was still in shock, not even knowing how she was able to move.

She felt like a zombie.

Dead and yet still mobile.

Jumping back to her feet, she looked away. Not strong enough to face her own son's body.

She pointed her palm at him and mumbled in a desperate hopeful tone. "Repair. Revive."

First, the neck automatically attached itself to the body, not leaving even a scar, the skin knitting together in a grotesque manner, making her wince.

When the body was repaired fully, Harry's eyes blinked open and he startled, panting and heaving, touching his neck.

The [Gamer's Mind] worked quickly, calming him down and making him connect the dots. He slowly sat up, gazing at his mother's trembling figure.

He offered a melancholic smile and parted his arms invitingly. "I am fine now."

She crashed into him, coiling her hands around him crushingly and hiding her face in his neck.

It was suffocating, how tightly she was holding him, but he didn't complain, opting to wrap his own arms around her. He held her and she held him. He remained silent as she loudly bawled her eyes out.

He had never seen her so sad, so pained. Not even when Iris had died. Maybe it was because of the gruesome manner of his death, which hurt her so much, which would haunt her forever, becoming the scene that would prey upon her whenever dementors were nearby.

Harry himself was traumatised by his own death. But he had [Gamer's Mind] which while not completely freeing him from the trauma like it was supposed to do, still did pretty well in making him understand it and make peace with it.

He had died, so what? Now he was alive.

Wasn't that the reason why he had kept his mother away from the action? The reason for which he had given her [Reviver] perk and [Repair] skill?

In a strange way, this catastrophe assuaged his fear of his shared Skills and Perks not working after he died.

It was one of the positive sides to this farce.

Even if he would die, his party members could keep on using the Skills and Perks. His mother could keep on reviving him.

He had made himself quasi-immortal.

Although he wouldn't have wanted to die in the first place.

That quest was doomed to fail. The odds were never in his favour. He was sure the Creator wouldn't have assigned him that impossible quest if Harry didn't already have a way to cheat death.

Was he supposed to hate him for giving him an impossible task? Or was he to be grateful that this provided an opportunity for him to test some of his limits which he wouldn't have tested otherwise?

Shaking off his reverie, he clung to his mother. Her crying had stopped, but she was still not letting him go.

Harry didn't mind. Hugging her back was the least he could do. Feeling immense guilt for making her go through this. Not that he had done it consciously.

He decided that he would hate the Creator for making his mother cry.

"Sorry that your first quest failed, mum." He mumbled in her ear.

She shook her head on his neck. "It didn't. We won. I've got Excalibur. I have the sword of the King of kings, the sword of Arthur Pendragon."

His eyes widened and he checked his notifications. Indeed, they had completed the quest.

Well, that was a pleasant surprise.

QUEST:

— Mad Mad World!

The world is suddenly strange and different than it was before. Fulfil the given quest set in this Mad World to make it right again.

Success!

REWARD: Gained!

— 3000 XP for Harry Potter

— 3000 XP for Lily Potter

— Unknown Legendary Reward

…

[Excalibur]

– The legendary weapon of King Arthur Pendragon, forged by the Lady of the Lake. It gives the user 10x overall boost.

While an immensely powerful weapon in itself, it still fell short of the twins, White Sword and Black Sword. Harry was astonished, realising that his and Iris' swords were even greater than the mythical Excalibur. There must be a story behind it which he didn't know yet.

Also, the 15 levels of the jump was appreciated. Now, he was level 465. And he was glad that his mother's level too rose exponentially, making her a level 90 Mage. Not anywhere near his or Iris' level, but still a strong number for common folks.

"Let me see your sword." He asked, standing up, and pulling her up with him.

She nodded, stepping back and holding her hand to the side.

Her green metal bracelet turned into an ostentatious sword.

Where his and Iris' swords were plain and simple, the Excalibur was overly grand and beautiful. Too beautiful if he was honest.

The handle and the pommel were lustrous gold. Even though the hilt was covered by a tanned leather grip, somehow it still managed to shine from within. The crossguard was golden too, glimmering in the grey morning light. The silver blade itself gleamed the brightest, it looked sharp and deadly, and yet gorgeous.

But the most distinctive thing about the sword was the emerald gem set right below the crossguard, glowing in a mesmerising manner. There was something about it that drew everyone's gaze.

"You've gotten quite a nice sword." He grinned, trying to alleviate the heavy mood.

He failed.

She wiped her brimming eyes and shook her head. "If I could back and sacrifice this sword to never see your decapitated head, I'd throw it away in an instant."

He sighed, taking her back in his arms, and squeezing her gently. "We can't change the past. There's no use regretting it."

Even when they went back to the manor, his mother tailed him, not leaving him out of her sight.

He led her to his bedroom and invited her into his bed.

They had more than enough time. Since after the completion of the quest, they had come back right at the time they had disappeared through the portal, it was still very early morning. And they really weren't in the mood to go for their daily jog.

She silently slipped beside him and they cuddled for the next couple of hours, just bathing in each other's heat, reminding themselves that they were alive. That they were warm instead of dead cold. No words were spoken between them. They weren't needed. Lily wasn't a child who needed consolation. She had seen her fair share of violence and knew that sometimes things don't pan out as they hope. All she wanted to do was be with him for the moment, and reassure her mind that he was alright.

If she hadn't been so sad, Harry might have tried to use this fantastic opportunity to his advantage, taking chances to grope and fondle her bits. But the current mood was truly not the right time to do those things.

So, he just spooned her from behind, holding her tight.

Was he horny? Always.

Was he inconsiderate of his mother's feelings? Absolutely not.

~xXxXx~

Harry stepped out of the fireplace and into the Greengrass Manor.

No one was there to greet him. But he heard footsteps approaching from afar.

It was noon. The time Proserpina Greengrass had called him to come. This would be the first day where he would learn advanced elemental magic from her. Or at least would start that journey.

Today's disastrous quest had affirmed his decision to dive deep into his magical side.

He had started feeling a little resentment towards the Gamer System.

To be honest, it felt like renting an apartment with a cruel landlord giving surprise visits every week. While he felt at home in the apartment, it wasn't really his home. Where he felt the system was his, but it really wasn't his. The system was just a gift given to him by the Creator, who kept buggering him now and then as recompense for that costly present.

Harry would like to do something by himself and not feel this love/hate relationship with the Creator. Of course, he wouldn't abandon his overpowered abilities from the system and would continue with the quests. Ignoring them would be totally moronic. But he would like to learn, to not always depend on this Gamer System, to stop himself from becoming a one-trick pony who needed the Creator's help to survive.

He wanted to be independent.

Training with his Aunt Proserpina would be the first step towards that goal.

He smiled as the woman of his thoughts finally showed up.

Proserpina Greengrass ambled into the room, looking pretty and graceful as always.

People would think that she would at least stop wearing fancy clothes in her own house. But no, even when she was in her own home, she still kept up with her appearances.

She had on a sleeveless sapphire blue dress with a moderate neckline. It wrapped around her tightly, fitting snugly around her delicate waist before flowing down to her ankles. Her beautiful blonde hair for once wasn't styled, instead left to leisurely fall behind her. That was one thing you wouldn't find Proserpina Greengrass doing outside her abode.

"Aunty." He greeted, giving her a brief hug and a chaste kiss on her cheek.

She had a small reserved smile, as she cupped his face fondly. "You are on time. Good. Follow me."

"Uhm, may I go and greet Daphne and Astoria first? It won't take much time." He asked.

She shook her head. "Not now. Daphne is busy training. And Tori has, at last, sat down to study. You will just disturb them. I don't need to tell you how easily Tori gets distracted. Come now, you can join them once your own work is over."

Harry nodded reluctantly, wanting to see his best friends, but knowing that Aunt Proserpina was right.

She led him to the living room where they sat on lounge chairs, facing each other, with a small table between them. Two cups of tea and a plate of cookies were already waiting for them, courtesy of the house elves

"I want to get this out of the way before we talk about your training. I know you are special. I know that you are keeping some big secret. I know there must be a reason why Voldemort is after you, which is obviously not the prophecy. And I know that Lily hasn't told us everything. That she is hiding something from us. I think even the others have an inkling of suspicion." She said frankly, picking up the cup and sipping from it, her eyes never leaving him.

Harry stiffened before relaxing, taking a small sip of tea. It was sweet. Not too much or too little.

"What if we are? What if I'm really special? What if I'm hiding a deep secret?"

"Nothing. It doesn't make a difference. Everyone has their secrets. And they are entitled to it. Just like you are. Just like I am." Her cherry-red lips curved up.

"What was even the purpose of talking about it then?" He questioned dubiously.

She chuckled softly, her blue eyes gleaming. "The purpose was to make you aware that everyone has their secrets, which cannot be shared with even their closest friends. I have things I won't ever tell your mother or my other friends. And I need reassurance that whatever we talk about here, won't reach them."

"Right. I promise then. I won't discuss our conversations with anyone else." shrugged Harry.

She shook her head at his naivety. "That won't do, Harry. I need an unbreakable vow from you. That is how dangerous my secrets are. I can't teach you or talk with you if you are not ready to take that big step."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. She was asking too much here. 'Isis, can I free myself from unbreakable vows?'

Yes, you easily can. You won't even require any Skill or Perk for that.

Knowing that he wouldn't be in any danger if he tried to break it sometime later, he agreed. "Okay. I'll give the vow."

It was her turn to be shocked. She had believed she might have to cajole him more before he would agree. But here he was, assenting at her first try.

"Well, that was fast." She mumbled.

"What can I say, I trust you." He smiled, he really did trust her. She was family after all. But he wouldn't have agreed to do this if he wasn't sure he could nullify the vow. Unbreakable vows were a big thing and shouldn't be used carelessly.

His reply brought a big smile to her face which she covered up with the mug, drinking the tea and curiously looking at him. "That warms my heart. Fine, I will teach you. You will be under my wing this entire month until you have to go back to Hogwarts."

She got on her feet, prompting him to do the same. "Since Daphne is using the training room, we have to go to my personal training area."

He nodded but asked. "So, when're you going to take my vow?"

She walked up to him, putting her palm on his head, and caressing him.

He had always craved these rare fond gestures from her, although it felt slightly awkward with how he wasn't a small kid anymore and was the same height as hers.

"I don't need the vow anymore. You have shown enough trust by even agreeing to it. I can show you the same level of trust and hope you won't reveal whatever happens here." She told him.

"I won't." He nodded resolutely.

She smiled gently and swept off the room, with Harry on her heels.

She took him through the white hallways, making him realise how it had been a while since he had been here. Usually, Daphne and Astoria came over to his house instead of him coming here.

There was a reason for it. While the Greengrass Manor was ginormous and beautiful, it was all white and grey. There were no vibrant colours. Even the curtains were pale.

It felt more like a mausoleum than a home.

He raised his eyebrows when she led him toward her bedroom. That definitely didn't feel like a place where they could practise. Well, they could train something else in there, he thought with a wicked smile, imagining himself tearing off her gaudy clothes, throwing her face down on the bed and—

"Filter away the dirty thoughts, Harry. Nothing scandalous is going to happen in here. You are too young and inexperienced for me." She said dryly, looking knowingly at his flustered face, catching him in his daydreaming.

They had reached the door of the room and she had opened it, leaning against the threshold, waving at him to enter.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He smiled innocently, slipping inside.

"Of course." He heard her mutter in amusement.

Now, now, that was a blatant challenge. She said nothing scandalous would happen because he was young and inexperienced. Which while true still annoyed him.

He made up his mind. Before he would go back to Hogwarts, he was going to have his aunt under him, getting pumped by his cock. And to achieve that pipe dream, he would do a simple thing.

He would slowly raise her lust with the help of his [Harem King] perk every day until she was ripe to be taken. He needed to test his perk anyway, and who better to experiment on than this beautiful blonde, with whom he would spend time daily?

Could this go tits up? Absolutely. But if he succeeded, he would get a chance to shag his hot blonde aunt.

As they say; nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Not giving him much time to observe her bedroom, she grabbed his hand and took him toward a wall.

She pressed her wand on it in a series of taps. Like the ones his mother did to get entry into Diagon Alley.

A section of the white wall opened inside like a door. She pulled him into the secret room and closed the door/wall behind them.

It was a big rectangular room, 30 metres long. And unlike the rest of the manor, it wasn't tiled or carpeted. The floor was cold stone. Even the ceiling mirrored the floor in its build and colour. Although the walls were the same white, similar to the other parts of the manor.

There was not a single object in the room. Not even a chair. It was totally empty, bereft of anything. Though he couldn't understand where the light, which filled this chamber, was coming from then.

"This is my personal training room. Or a venting room when I need to unleash myself. The good thing about this is that there's nothing here that can be broken purposely or accidentally. And the whole room is charmed unbreakable. A perfect place to try some of my destructive magic." She informed him, walking away.

When he tried to follow her, she placed her palm on his chest, stopping him. "Before you begin your journey to master the elements, I need to see how you fight. I need to see how special you are."

Harry smirked cockily. He roused her lust a little with the help of [Harem King] as he spoke, "Is there any reward if I defeat you?"

She arched her eyebrows in disbelief. "Defeat me? Really? That will be very surprising if you manage that. And I really don't think you can."

"Then bet on it. If I win, I get a proper snog from you. And if I lose, you get to kiss me. Deal?" he said cheekily with a grin, half-joking and half-serious.

She narrowed her eyes. "You really are shameless, aren't you? Flirting with a woman who is the same age as your mother. Fine, you can kiss me if you win. And if you lose, I will like to know your secrets."

Harry shrugged, hiding his surprise that she acceded, not even worried about losing. "Okay."

She shook her head at his arrogance, taking him as an overconfident ponce.

Pride comes before a fall.

The two stood opposite of each other, at a certain distance, their wands ready by their sides.

"Begin!" yelled Proserpina.

She was the one who threw the first spell.

A simple stunner, most probably trying to go easy on him.

Harry had his own game to play. He had to hold back, of course. If he didn't, she wouldn't even be able to see him before he was standing in front of her.

But even then, he kept his speed unnaturally fast compared to hers. No need to hide too much of his abilities. She deserved to see some of it.

He dodged her spell and ran towards her, shocking her at his barbaric approach.

She quickened her pace and showered him with harmless spells.

Unfortunately for her, he was quick. Too damn quick. In just the first half of the minute, he had closed the distance between them.

Proserpina saw him getting nearer after each spell cast, but couldn't do anything about it other than run away. She could shift into her serious battle mode and start using her special elemental spells, but she wouldn't.

They were too dangerous to be used in a friendly spar.

Even if she thought that Harry could take it, she wouldn't risk it. She did not want to kill him accidentally.

In the end, Harry jumped before her, ducking her punch and gripping her wand arm. "Yield?"

She gritted her teeth, nodding. "Yield."

Could she have tried to physically attack him? Of course, but seeing his speed and build, it wouldn't have worked much. And she was averse to wrestling with a horny teen. That would be asking for a disaster.

"You are–" She was cut off short as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him, mashing her body against his. She froze, blanking, as he hugged her lewdly, pressing into her.

"So, may I get my kiss now?" He whispered, breathing on her neck. Maybe Harry would have been more courteous if he wasn't that pent up. But since he hadn't had sex that day, every hour was bringing him closer to the explosion. Thankfully, he wasn't there yet.

She shivered as his hot breath blew over her skin. She yelped when his fingers wandered too low, fondling her arse.

"Harry! It was a kiss, not molestation, that we agreed on." She reprimanded him, feeling little satisfaction when he rested his arms back around her waist, looking sheepish and apologetic.

"Sorry."

"Just kiss me and be done with it." She grumbled, not knowing why she was getting off from this. She was fucking Proserpina Greengrass, she shouldn't be feeling these jittery feelings around a boy who was her daughter's age. She was a grown woman for fuck sake and not some hot-blooded virgin teenager.

Harry did as she asked.

He cupped her face and merged his mouth with hers, kissing her wantonly.

She was astonished at his skill.

This definitely wasn't his first kiss, not even his tenth one.

She reciprocated it, doing her part in losing the bet. Her eyes widened when he pried open her mouth and fit his tongue inside her.

Damn it, he was good. Very good. She sighed internally, snaking her hands around his neck and passionately kissing him back.

The bet was for one kiss only. And she didn't complain when he stole a few more.

When his fingers again began to inch below her waist, she pushed him away, panting, with her mouth red and wet. "Enough of your shenanigans. I am here to train you, not to deal with your hormonal urges."

He nodded with a satisfied smile which just irked her more.

What had he done to her sweet little Harry? She missed him, she wanted him back instead of this stupidly handsome cocky boy.

She scrunched her nose at that thought. It would be difficult to look into Lily's eyes from now on, after realising that she was attracted to her child.

Damn it, what spurned her to even agree to put the kiss up for a bet? That had been foolish of her and definitely out of character.

Shaking her muddy head, she stared at him. "Now that you are done complicating our lives, let's start on elemental magic. I can easily say you are qualified enough. I don't think you would give away the reason for your unnatural speed, would you?"

"Nope."

"Were you always this annoying?"

"Nope."

Ignoring the urge to curse him, she began. "Your real training will start from tomorrow onwards. But for now, you have to drink my blood."

Harry cleared his horny mind and looked sharply at her. "Drink your blood?"

"Yes. You see, I have, through magical rituals, locked my elemental skills in my blood. So, my progeny would be born strong with elemental affinity. To teach you my magic, I need to adopt you, at least magically. Don't worry, nothing will change for you after you drink my blood. It's just a stupid tradition followed whenever magical families adopt someone." She said, producing a vial of blood.

"Do I really have to?" He grimaced.

"Yes." She replied, not feeling too sympathetic at the moment.

"Fine. Give that here." He groaned, taking it and chugging it down at once. He scrunched his face in distaste. "You aren't anywhere near as tasty as I had hoped."

She huffed at his remark, mumbling a spell, tapping his forehead with her wand, and completing the simple ritual. "Now, we are mother and son, at least in the eyes of magic."

"May I call you mommy then?" grinned Harry, annoying his usually stoic aunt, enjoying that he was getting to see so much of her cute expressions.

Her eyebrows twitched. "No, never. I would rather you address me as Mrs. Greengrass. That seems more correct and appropriate."

"Meh, I'll keep calling you aunty then."

"I can live with that. Now, go away. We are done for the day. Come back tomorrow." She said, walking to the wall and opening the secret door.

"Fine with me. I'm gonna go see how Daphne and Astoria are doing."

~xXxXx~

BONUS SCENE

The former half-soul of Voldemort, Eos, looked at the beautiful establishment, smiling blissfully. "I hope Beauxbatons Academy is in need of some teachers. I'm really bored."

She really was. While finding handsome men and fucking them was good and pleasurable, it still left too much idle time. And Eos didn't like being idle.

A job in teaching sounded nice. She thought she might even love it. And then there were cute schoolboys to fuck around with. Work and pleasure at the same place? That sounded like paradise to her.

She hummed under her breath and entered through the school gate.