Author's note: Sorry for the delay, chapter 79 was a monster and a half, and while proud as fuck for how it turned out, it took a bit more time than usual. Either way, Hope you all enjoy these last chapters in Britain because we won't be here for a while after this. The holy sword arc ends in six chapters, around three weeks, and it's juicy and good in my biased opinion haha. See you all on Wednesday/Thursday for the next installment!
Celestial Ascendancy
Chapter 74: The One Who Kneels.
Elias Black.
Hogwarts.
"Well, hello to you, too. It's nice to meet such an esteemed god," I said, rolling my eyes and shaking my head.
I was thankful for his assistance, even if he had his own motives, but that didn't mean he'd be privy to my secrets. I didn't really know him, and honestly, the sheer gap between us made me feel a bit on edge.
I could sense that I was significantly stronger after my sleep, for various reasons, including the fire building inside my soul, urging me to challenge the god before me. But even if I went all-out and somehow forced Incinerate Anthem along with my full magic, I knew I'd fall short.
The unimpressive look this god maintained was merely a façade. He couldn't hide his true nature from me.
Thankfully, Odin just sighed and stepped back, taking the seat Iris had previously occupied.
"Fine, fine. I can see I'm making you nervous. Our relationship can't function like this if we want it to work," he said simply.
I nodded and clapped my hands. Dobby appeared with a faint pop, quickly looking around.
"Dobby is glad Master Elias is awake now!" His head bobbed rapidly, a happy grin spreading across his face. "I know what Master Elias will ask. Dobby will bring tea and pastries shortly and inform Miss Hermione and the others that you are awake. They should be with Miss White-hair in the Room of Requirement."
Without waiting for Iris or me to respond, he vanished immediately after speaking, and I couldn't help but feel my lips twitch.
Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted. I just needed a moment to calm down and think clearly.
Whatever.
I returned my attention to the intimidating old man, briefly wondering if I was somehow a magnet for wise old men who enjoyed meddling. According to Iris, and what I could infer myself, this meeting wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Odin had been helpful, and I doubted this would suddenly take a turn for the worse.
"My apologies," I said with a polite nod. "Dobby can be quite… excitable."
He snorted, tapping the armrests of the chair thoughtfully. "Don't worry, brat. I know my fair share of excitable servants."
"Dobby is a friend," Iris scowled, clearly still annoyed by the grade Odin had given her.
Odin rolled his eyes. "Should we get to the important part of this meeting, then? I'd have given you more time, but honestly… we both need to resolve this mess quickly if we want to come out on top."
"Sure," I replied seriously. "But first, I wanted to thank you. Walburga wasn't someone I wanted to fight inside the Ministry. I know I would have won, especially after my… Death. But even so, thank you for making it easier."
"Yes," Odin chuckled. "I noticed the Sacred Gear chose to follow you. It doesn't surprise me much, given what you are."
Dobby returned, setting tea, coffee, and pastries on the table. "The missus are aware Master Elias woke up. They should arrive soon."
Then he vanished again.
"Speaking of that, Lord Odin," I began hesitantly, "you seem to know more about what I am than I do. Could you explain what you know?"
"You don't know?" He raised an eyebrow quizzically, then closed his eye. "Fine. Consider this a gesture of goodwill, brat."
"Before I start, tell me something, boy, are you religious? Specifically, do you believe in the Abrahamic God?" he asked as an amused look appeared on his face.
I shrugged. "Not really, no. I mean, I know he's real. We've got angels, devils, and all that running around, so obviously the big guy upstairs has to exist. But I don't follow the teachings. Never did. I get the idea behind some of it, sure, but I wouldn't call myself religious. Why?"
Odin stayed silent for a moment before snorting loudly, followed by a laugh so booming it reminded me of Hagrid when he met us while drunk. He slapped his leg, wiping away a tear before finally calming down.
"Oh, that's hilarious," he chuckled again, almost slipping into another fit of laughter. "I have no idea what stars aligned to make this happen, but I can't wait to see Michael's face when he finds out about your existence."
"Can you please explain?" Iris asked dryly. "We're lost and don't get the joke."
"Brats these days," Odin shook his head. "No respect for their elders. Fine. You, Elias Black, somehow became blessed by the system left behind by the Abrahamic God. In fact, you feel remarkably similar to the mortal who was struck by the spear that became the First Longinus."
"A messiah," I murmured absentmindedly. It seemed I had been somewhat correct. Ever since that burst of holy energy impacted me during my fight with Walburga, I'd been accepted by Heaven's system. After my Death, I'd changed even further.
"That's right," Odin nodded thoughtfully. "Absurd, if you ask me, but here we are. I don't know how, or more importantly, why, but Heaven's system accepted you and granted you that mantle."
"If you can call it a blessing," Iris whispered, looking at me worriedly. "Aren't messiahs… supposed to die for the greater good of humanity?"
Odin regarded her with surprising understanding before shaking his head slowly. "You aren't wrong, lass. But not exactly. A messiah is someone who upends the world, someone burdened with something enormous. Yes, they suffer through their journey, but not all are meant to die like the most famous one."
He took a deep breath. "Every faction, or at least most of them, has a messianic figure that already passed or are prophesized. The Hindu prophecy of Vishnu's final avatar, my own son Baldur, who will die to start Ragnarök and is foretold to return to rebuild from our ashes, Maitreya in Buddhism. But there's something else to consider before you get all gloomy about losing your man, lass."
Iris had gone pale, and only now was her color beginning to return. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then looked at Odin with utmost seriousness.
"He isn't only a messiah, absurd as that sentence is," Odin exhaled, turning his gaze toward me. "No, somehow, for whatever reason, he was blessed even though he's part of the kind most despised by the winged brats. He is a Fae, and if there's one thing I know about the Fae… fate means nothing to them."
"Perhaps that's why he was chosen," Odin murmured thoughtfully before a knock at the door interrupted us.
"Enter," I smiled brightly, already sensing my girls' energy from the other side of the door.
The door opened, and Hermione and Fleur rushed in, accompanied by a beautiful girl with white hair who was glaring angrily at Odin, her cheeks puffed out.
"You left me alone, Lord Odin," she said through gritted teeth as my girls threw themselves at me, hugging and checking me over.
I quickly kissed them, pulling them close, and smiled when they settled down to watch the verbal sparring in front of us. We were all safe, and that's what mattered most. We could have our moment together later.
"It's not my fault you couldn't keep up, lass." Odin rolled his eyes, ignoring the blushing and sputtering Valkyrie.
"Brat, meet Rossweisse, my… guard," he nodded toward the beauty. I smiled and gave her a polite nod. "Lass, meet Elias Black, a wizard… or whatever. He's just a brat."
"Well met, Miss Rossweisse," I said, a little unsure. I didn't really know the right way to greet someone from her side of the world, but her smile told me I hadn't completely screwed it up.
"A pleasure, Mister Elias," she replied with a nod. "I'm glad you're finally awake. Talking about magic was fun and all, but I could tell Fleur and Hermione were worried sick."
"Thanks for being with them," I said honestly. "That… really means a lot."
Before she could reply, Odin grunted loudly.
"Enough of that. We have serious matters to discuss, not the woes of a boyfriendless Valkyrie."
Rossweisse bristled, her cheeks puffing out again. I smiled at her apologetically but turned my attention to the old god.
Odin leaned forward, fingers steepled together. "The pact was created to keep the Fae exiled. Whatever Walburga did to break it… Well, it puts things in a strange spot. The seal is technically still in place, but it's leaking. And that's the problem."
"Leaking?" I repeated curiously.
"Yes. The energy from the Fae lands is bleeding into our world," the Old God said. "That's something nobody wants. It gives the Fae a foothold here. A bridge they can use later on."
I nodded slowly. "What can we do to fix it? Wizards, as a whole… we're not ready to enter the supernatural world. Not like this."
Odin shook his head grimly. "It might be too late for that. But we can delay it, at least."
He glanced at us all, tone serious. "Wizards will be exposed now. What happened to the Veil is already being talked about. And the Celts are watching closely."
"How do they know already?" Iris asked, eyes narrowing.
"They arrived shortly after I did," Odin replied. "To inspect it themselves."
I narrowed my eyes slightly. He was holding something back, I could feel it, but I let it go for now.
"So, what do you suggest?" I asked. "Because wizards are in a bad position. I only know of two Ultimate-class wizards, Iris and me. There might be another somewhere out there, but I'm not sure. And the worst part? We're not united. I'll protect Britain, I'll give it my all, but I can't watch the whole world. I'm not looking to be burdened with that. And even if I was, I'm too weak right now."
Odin nodded in understanding. "Alliances."
He continued, "I told Lugh I'd make sure the mess stayed contained, and I plan to do so. Thankfully, as we said, you are a messiah… and you have access to holy magic."
"What does that have to do with this?" I asked, confused.
"Didn't you notice, brat?" Odin raised an eyebrow. "Your magic burned through the Fae influence near the Veil. The Abrahamic God is the complete antithesis to their chaotic magic."
Odin folded his arms over his chest, studying me for a long second, "There is a path forward, though it's not easy."
I raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"
"An alliance," he said simply. "With my people."
I blinked. "Asgard?"
He nodded. "While I'm technically retired from leading it, my son rules now. Baldr. He's less grumpy, more idealistic, and annoyingly hopeful, but he listens when I speak. I can put in a word, let him know what's happening here. That the Veil is cracking. That someone with potential walks among the wizards."
Iris straightened slightly beside me.
"But," Odin continued with a pointed look, "don't expect handouts or everyone to support you without asking for anything in return. We Asgardians are warriors and pragmatists. They'll help only if they see value in doing so. You will need to earn their respect."
"I wouldn't expect anything less," I replied quietly.
Odin nodded in approval. "Good. Because right now, they have a vested interest in keeping a close eye on the Veil. If it shatters, the Fae get a foothold in all our realms, not just yours. Access to someone like you, and Death's lass, might be just enough to push them to act, if only to have assurances."
"That's still a big if," I muttered.
A voice piped up from behind me, "Our magic and artifacts could be useful too."
We turned to Hermione, who stepped forward slightly, and continued thoughtfully, "We may be unprepared, but we have ancient relics, knowledge, and types of magic that don't follow the same logic as supernatural systems. If you're willing to work together, there might be things we can do to offer the Asgardians."
Odin rubbed his beard, humming thoughtfully. "You know… that could work. Wizards have always had strange magic. Unpredictable and sometimes volatile, but I've seen things in this castle that don't exist anywhere else in Asgard."
"Bones will support this, as well as the old man. Britain as a whole should not be a problem once we explain the mess we find ourselves in. The rest is impossible to say… but we do have an open invitation to the ICW. I'm sure some people will see things our way," Iris mused, closing her eyes for a second, "It can work."
"Not everyone will follow us, we will receive a lot of backlash," Fleur warned seriously, "I can talk to papa, he might be able to sway the French Ministry. But even then, many people will still refuse to believe us. What will be done with them?"
A thick silence fell over the room for a moment, broken only by the soft clink of Odin putting his cup down.
"Then we won't do anything for them unless innocents start dying," Iris said firmly, looking ahead and ignoring the alarmed look Mione was sending her, "We can't take everyone under our wing… we lack the strength to do so. We will need to let them go."
Odin finally let out a long breath and stood. "That should be enough for now."
I tilted my head. "You're leaving?"
"And you're coming with me, yes," he said, brushing off his cloak. "I've got a few messages to send and a son to lecture. But more importantly… I have an idea to delay the seal from breaking further."
My eyes locked onto his. "How?"
"I'll need access to the Veil itself. We can seal the room off limits and ward it to the high heavens. I would prefer making a separate dimension, but Fae magic tends to make it even more funky than usual. But it might be possible to strengthen the outer edges… delay the seal from breaking down, buying us time we sorely need."
"Will it hold?" Iris asked.
Odin looked tired for the first time since I met him, "If we're lucky. And if not… then we'll at least know we tried."
Ministry of Magic, The veil room.
Elias Black.
Odin and I stood in silence before the Veil.
The room had been cleared, emptied of all curious eyes save for a select few: Iris, Rossweisse, Hermione, Fleur, and Amelia Bones. Even then, they kept their distance, standing near the arched door with tense shoulders.
No one spoke. Not because they didn't want to, like Amelia, who looked confused, but because everything felt wrong.
The Veil thrummed like a living thing, and whatever Walburga had done to it… It wasn't done reacting.
The air here was different. Thicker. I could see Amelia, Fleur, and Hermione having trouble breathing.
"It feels heavier than before," I muttered.
"That's because it is," Odin replied, already pulling something from the folds of his cloak. It shone faintly with runes that shifted as he allowed a bit of his tightly coiled magic to move, "Whatever she did… it didn't just break the surface. She stirred what sleeps beneath."
He didn't say what. I didn't ask.
I wanted to… but I also wanted to leave as soon as possible. The whispers coming out of the Veil were making me angsty.
I stepped closer, feeling my magic crawl to the surface like it wanted to lash out on its own. Not out of hatred, not entirely.
It was instinct. A rejection of chaos. I was the light to that shadow.
"I don't like it," I said, not bothering to hide the tension in my body.
"You're not supposed to," Odin muttered, carefully stepping toward the other side of the arch. "It doesn't like you either. That's the point of you helping me here, brat."
My magic pulsed again. Not my usual spells, not even the refined control I'd been building.
This was different. It was raw holy power. Ever since I got impaled by that cursed spear, then returned to life thanks to what I supposed was the spirit inside the heavens system, I had changed. The holy essence now settled in my core didn't like what it was sensing here. It didn't want to cleanse it.
It wanted to erase it. Because it was the right thing to do.
"I shall prepare the foundation," Rosseweise said seriously. "This place must not be visited."
She clapped once, and lines of power shimmered across the ground in neat, circular formations. Unlike wizards, who needed incantations most of the time, or Odin with his godly magic, her magic had a different feel. Runes spiraled outward and latched onto the very stones beneath our feet, wrapping the chamber in warding like a spiderweb.
I stepped closer to the Veil and raised my hand. The divine energy in me rose smoothly, glowing faintly with each breath. Golden tendrils extended from my palm, forming protective circles that rotated in rhythmic sequences.
Each rotation destroyed whatever foothold the Faelands had in here, erasing the flora from existence. Bit by bit, what my mind said was corruption retreated back toward the Veil.
"Do it slowly, boyo," Odin warned seriously, still carving into the stone with the sharp point of his spear. "Too much too fast, and the arch might collapse entirely. You're not just patching a wall. You're patching something alive."
I nodded. The idea of the Veil being alive shouldn't have made sense.
But it did, with the way it whispered to me in anger.
My holy magic hovered around the room like fog on a rainy day, steadily burning away the mist curling from the arch's edges. It hissed as the opposing forces met, but I didn't pull back. The pressure built, and for a moment, I wondered if the entire room would explode outward. But then my magic slowed… not because I told it to, but because the Veil… yielded. Just a little.
Not out of fear, as I had hoped. No, it was more like respect. Acceptance.
"Something shifted," I said quietly.
"It knows you," Odin answered, still working the edges of the runes. "That's both a good thing and a very dangerous one."
Rossweisse moved up, placing a rune near the edge of the arch. She looked calm, but the way she stood made it clear she was anything but. "Lord Odin, the perimeter's holding. But if more than three of us push energy into it, we'll risk blowing the whole thing wide open."
Odin gave a sharp nod, "Death's lass, keep an eye on him. If things get ugly, pull him out."
Iris didn't say anything, just crossed her arms and stared like she was about to burn a hole in my behind. I didn't need to hear her to know what she was thinking.
I shouldn't be this close, and none of us should.
But this wasn't about what we should do.
This was what we had to do. If Odin had a hand in this, it would mean his son would understand the importance of keeping an eye on it, allowing the alliance to exist while we worked out how to fix this mess. I was worried, genuinely worried about the Fate of the Wizarding World.
A part of my mind whispered that I shouldn't care, that I should leave and live my life with my girls in Kuoh, but I simply couldn't.
Odin raised both hands now and chanted softly in a language I didn't recognize. The words weren't meant for me or for the others. They were old, thick with a meaning that made the room tremble in time with his voice.
Blue light, colder than anything I'd ever seen, began sinking into the floor like frost freezing through time itself. The contrast between his energy and mine was striking. Ice and fire, order and divinity, but they didn't repel each other.
They complemented each other.
"We'll form a pressure seal," Odin said aloud, probably for the others more than for me. "A false surface over the crack. It won't stop the Veil from collapsing… but it'll slow it down. Buy us time."
"How much time?" Hermione asked curiously.
Odin didn't answer immediately.
"Depends who notices first," he finally said.
I frowned, "The Fae?"
He nodded. "Them. Or someone from here that thrives in the chaos the Fae would bring."
"The purple witch had outside help. A God must have helped her hide this place from my sight, and the list of Gods capable of that is worrisome."
Another layer of runes clicked into place, and the mist recoiling from the Veil stuttered. It didn't vanish, but it slowed, like it had bumped into something it couldn't quite pass through.
"It's working," Rossweisse muttered.
The Veil looked… quieter now.
Not safe, but still much better than before.
Iris threw something at me that made my eyes twitch, and I looked at Odin, barely hiding my hesitation, "Lord Odin, are you sure this will help? I told you I'm not his follower; would my prayers even sanctify this cross?"
"You are a messiah now, brat, just act like it," Odin rolled his eyes, "Now get on with it. At the very least, something should happen."
"Can you at least make sure this stays between us? I don't want more factions around us Wizards for a while if I can help it. I'm already dreading meeting Ajuka again, but he should have some advice at least," I sighed.
"Chummy with the devils, brat? How do you even know them?" Odin raised his eyebrow.
"I'm dating Lucifer's sister," I smirked at him.
He gave me a look of such profound respect that I almost blushed before he burst out laughing. When he calmed down, he nodded, and a considerable amount of magic blanketed the room. The light dimmed and after some seconds he gave me the go ahead.
"You are lucky I'm known as the hooded one, brat," he said simply.
"Ugh… let's hope this really works," I muttered before taking a deep breath.
I stared at the metal cross in my hands.
It was nothing special. Just a plain, iron symbol, Iris had probably taken from somewhere. Cold and silent, like it was just plain metal and nothing more. And yet… I couldn't shake the feeling that it was meant to be here.
That something was waiting.
The others stood back, silent. Odin said nothing, just looked curiously with a tiny smirk on his face. Iris had her lips twitching, and the rest weren't far behind.
The Veil pulsed behind me, and I decided to get to work.
I knelt.
The stone was cold beneath my knees, and the weight of the chamber pressed down on my shoulders. I didn't speak immediately. I just breathed, then closed my eyes as I used to do in my past life, when I acted like I was praying so that my mom wouldn't bother me.
I didn't know how to pray.
Not really.
But maybe that didn't matter. Maybe Odin was right, and I could make this work.
So I spoke.
Not to the god I had never worshipped, but to the one who had marked me. To the system I didn't choose but had become part of. To whatever sentience that gave me this third chance at life.
"God of Light. Creator of the firmament, the stars and everything in between…"
My voice echoed softly, carried by something that wasn't wind.
"…If You see me, if You hear me, then bear witness. I am not here as your chosen. I was not raised to kneel. But I kneel now. Not for myself, but for those who will suffer if this thing continues to expand."
The cross in my hands began to feel warm.
"This place… it touches wrongness. It brushes the edge of something not from this place. Something old. But I don't ask for dominion. I don't ask for clarity or guidance, I just ask for your presence. A reminder that our light still stands here. That even in the shadow of the ignored, something holy remains."
Golden light began to pour out of my chest. Gentle at first, like candlelight.
I didn't stop.
"Let this symbol bear witness to that truth. Sanctify it. Purify it. Let no corruption take root near it. Let no corruption pass here without knowing that You are watching."
The light grew brighter; no longer like candlelight. It was now a roaring inferno. It flowed from my skin like water, like breath, like something I no longer could contain.
It wrapped around the iron cross, clinging to it, seeping in through every dent. The metal began to tremble in my grip.
"Not by my power, but by Yours alone. Bless this mark in the name of all that is sacred. Let it be a shield."
The iron hissed before it cracked.
My eyes opened just in time to see the cross burn white. Not like when metal was really hot, but my holy light white. The metal ran like sludge between my fingers, falling away in molten streaks as the divine light within it devoured the shape it had once been.
And then it reformed.
Not as metal, nor as steel.
But as fire.
A perfect silhouette of the cross hovered just above the ground where I had placed it. Its edges pulsed with golden heat yet gave off no smoke. No destruction. Only warmth. The flames burned clean, held in a shape too precise to be luck. Too solid to be mere magic.
The Veil behind me fell still.
For the first time since Walburga broke it open, the whispering stopped.
And in the silence, the flames whispered something else. A single feeling that settled into my bones.
Sanctity.
I lowered my head again, whispered the last words more for myself than anyone else.
"Amen."
When I rose, the cross remained.
Even Odin looked impressed. He said nothing, but his eye shimmered faintly. Respect, maybe.
Or fear. Maybe both.
"I'll place it here," I said quietly.
I stepped forward and placed the flaming cross into the center of the runic ring Rosseweise had carved.
The flames didn't scorch the ground. They didn't leave a mark. But they settled, like they had found their home.
And for a moment… There was Order.
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