Just as Alex was about to depart Apocrypha he was surprised to sense Hermione returning, in quite the emotional state at that.
"Hermione? What happened?!" Alex asked her in alarm as he flashed to her side.
"J-just LEAVE ME ALONE!" She shrieked emotionally, though Alex didn't do as she asked and instead held her in a hug as she began sobbing uncontrollably.
He didn't know what state the Harry Potter world was in right now, but Alex was willing to bet with its popularity there was at least one reincarnator there. He may not have been able to actually question Hermione just yet about it, but Alex was also willing to bet that whatever was going on with her now had to do with it.
"Hermione. I need you to tell me what's going on." He told her in a serious tone, making the bushy haired girl look up at him confusedly.
"Why? How can YOU understand?"
"Because I know more than you realize about your world, Hermione." Alex told her seriously, making Hermione scoff despite her teary eyes.
Alex however didn't let up as he continued staring at her for several minutes, until Hermione began transitioning from heartbroken to uncomfortable. Eventually she relented as she reluctantly said,
"I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me..... With his own aunt..." Alex blinked in surprise as whatever he had been suspecting was wrong, it certainly wasn't THAT.
"I see.... It must've been shocking to see Ron in such a way." He said slowly, making Hermione look up at him with....revulsion?
"Ron WEASLEY!?!?!?!?!?!" Hermione exclaimed with undisguised disgust at the mere thought, surprising Alex since the two had ended up marrying each other in the original series.
"My boyfriend is Harry Potter, I'll have you know!" She declared proudly, before Hermione quickly deflated as she recalled why she was there to begin with.
"Interesting..." Alex uttered quietly to himself, his mind racing with what Hermione was telling him.
"I think we need to sit down and have ourselves a very serious discussion." Alex told her, before taking himself and Hermione to a more private location to do just that.
There Alex and Hermione shared the different things they knew of regarding the different timelines.
Firstly Alex explained to her how originally Harry was raised as a muggle by his aunt and uncle, before finding out about magic on his eleventh birthday. He then befriended Ron on the Hogwarts express, and later Hermione when the three of them defeated a troll on Halloween. Later the trio would go on to protect the Philosophers stone from Quirrell, a servant of Voldemort.
Hermione however 'corrected' that Harry had been raised by his grandparents after his parents died, alternating between James and Lily's parents, meaning they too were still alive. And when he boarded the Hogwarts express it was Hermione that Harry quickly became friends with, with Harry's own aunt Rose, on his mother's side, introducing them to each other since Rose met Hermione when SHE originally received her letter. As Rose was apparently one of the school's professors already.
That was the point that quickly caught Alex's attention, as the only living blood relatives Harry had originally had been his aunt Petunia, and his portly cousin Dudley. Now there was another one, whom Alex suspected was the reason so much was different from the original timeline.
Hermione then continued to explain how it wasn't her and harry(and apparently Ron) who had protected the Philosophers stone, but Rose as she engaged in a dangerous duel against Quirrell and Voldemort. A duel that had apparently seen the permanent defeat of Voldemort, as he had never been seen or heard from again.
Hermione then went on to explain that the Chamber of Secrets hadn't opened in their second year, as it DID open several years prior while Rose had attended Hogwarts instead. And the result of that had been her publicly slaying the basilisk that had been slumbering within.
The Dementors also hadn't been stationed around Hogwarts in their third year, because apparently Rose had advocated for Sirius to receive a fair trial years prior. Which then led to his release when she discovered that the REAL traitor that led to her sister and brother-in-law's deaths had been Peter Pettigrew, whom she proved was still alive and in hiding as he waited for the return of his master.
In their fourth year they still had the Tri Wizard Tournament, but Harry hadn't been forced to compete by Barty Crouch Jr. in a plot to revive Voldemort. Instead, Rose had apparently revealed that the supposedly dead younger Crouch was still alive during the fiasco at the Quidditch World Cup, and he was promptly given the Dementors Kiss.
And with Voldemort not being revived at the end of the Tournament, their fifth and sixth years were relatively normal, outside of her and Harry officially becoming a couple in their fifth year after he kissed her during the Yule Ball in their fourth. There had also been the unfortunate passing of their Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, in their fifth year.
After he had died peacefully in his sleep, Rose Evans had been raised to the position of Headmistress as per his will, making her the youngest Headmaster in Hogwarts history.
"So what does this all mean?" Hermione asked the stunned Alex.
"This means...." Alex began slowly, still trying to organize everything Hermione told him.
"There IS in fact a reincarnator in your world, as I believed... Though I knew that from the moment that I learned the timelines were different. However I'm not sure exactly how to categorize her based off her actions. Both those you mentioned, and those you didn't..."
Alex then descended into thought as he tried to think of everything Hermione had and hadn't said.
At a glance this reincarnator may seem benevolent, as Hermione had also told him that this Rose Evans had also made a name for herself hunting dark wizards and putting dangerous magical beasts down when she wasn't teaching. Not to mention the swift elimination of Voldemort before he could return to power.
However there had also been plenty she had glossed over or hadn't mentioned.
The Chamber of Secrets for example.
It's premature opening told Alex that this Rose had something to do with it, and it apparently had also led to the deaths of numerous students instead of mere petrification like in the book. Rose however had been hailed as a hero for defeating the basilisk, even as a mere student.
Then there was Dumbledore's death, which wasn't supposed to happen until the end of Hermione's sixth year, and would've been because of him being killed by Snape on his own orders. Though it WAS possible, Alex knew the chances of Dumbledore dying naturally and an entire year ahead of time were incredibly slim. So he readily suspected Rose of being the perpetrator.
And finally there was the scene Hermione witnessed that she had described to him, of the orgy going on involving Rose, her blood related nephew Harry, professor Snape, and Draco Malfoy.
That told Alex that either she was either able to influence those around her mentally, like Alice had to Natsu and Gajeel, or she was a skilled manipulator. Alex was inclined to believe the latter though, since he couldn't detect any trace of mental manipulation within Hermione's mind when he considered the possibility.
"Haaa..." Alex sighed in exasperation suddenly, alarming Hermione as she asked him,
"What's wrong?!"
Alex however just shook his head as he told her, "nothing really. I need to go and investigate this other reincarnator, but based on her actions so far there doesn't seem to be any reason to rush. I'll focus on other things that I was already planning on, and deal with her later."
"Why are these reincarnators such a big deal? You should try working together with them instead of assuming every one you meet is a threat." Hermione stated as a matter of factly.
What she didn't expect was for Alex to adopt a serious demeanor as he said, "tell me Hermione, how do you think I met Yami and Lala?"
The bushy haired bookworm was confused at Alex's question, and she glanced over to the serious and happy-go-lucky duo he'd mentioned.
"I don't know. You went to their world an decided to 'collect' them or something." She said finally, tossing in a bit of attitude when she said the word 'collect'.
"You're not too far off, but also not remotely close." Alex said to her cryptically, annoying Hermione as she snapped at him.
"And what exactly is THAT supposed to mean?"
Alex fixed her with a look that made Hermione feel somewhat uncomfortable, before he said to her, "I mean that one of the reincarnators DID go to their world to 'collect' them, along with every other girl who caught his eye. And by using his abilities, he claimed every single one and turned them against anyone else they cared about. Lala's mother was even forced to murder her own husband, while Lala and Yami themselves were forced to watch as the man they loved was shot out into space. And neither one cared in the slightest."
Hermione thought she felt a chill go down her spine from what Alex described. It sounded like the Imperius curse, which was considered unforgivable to use on another human being. But Alex wasn't finished yet.
"And then there was the girl I fought on Earthland, who was able to seduce numerous men away from the women they cared about. Not only did she steal them, but she had made them unable to resist the allure of other men. Even after we removed the effects from their minds, they still preferred each other. Just asked Lucy and Levy about it sometime. They might be willing to talk about it now."
When she heard THAT Hermione paled, as that sounded almost exactly like what she saw through the Clairvoyance spell with Harry.
Nodding slowly at her mortification, Alex then stood and told her,
"For safety's sake I would ask that you return to your world and collect anything you might need. After that go and hide yourself somewhere before rereading the Black Book to come back here. When you do I'll try and pull your entire physical body through with you, so that you may hide out in Asora if you wish."
His piece said, Alex turned and walked away from Hermione to let her decide what she was going to do. If she was going to continue living in her world then she would either have to try and pretend she hadn't seen what she saw, or confront Rose about her true origins. That, or take Alex's offer and seek refuge in Asora until he could travel to her world himself.
Whichever option Hermione went with, Alex would support her. Even if she decided to confront Rose and faced retaliation for it, he would smash apart the boundaries between universes and save her if need be. If for no other reason than the fact that he was involved now.
His resolution firm, Alex shifted from Apocrypha back to the villa of the space-time orb and turned his attention to the Chatroom to see how everyone was doing.
***
"Let's go." Ordered a figure of a rather round and menacing size, as they directed several other figures through the streets and alley ways in the darkness of early morning.
They all wore cloaks to hide their features, yet everyone in the homes and businesses around them knew exactly who they were, and what they were doing. And even up on the rooftops numerous figures watched those moving through the streets and alleys below them warily, ready to jump in at a moment's notice if need be.
"Why are we here?" One figure asked another irritably, before trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.
"Because Cara is STILL in the Dungeon, and we're needed to ensure nothing happens to the civilians if a fight does break out." Replied the figure next to them, who was remaining completely alert and focused on what was going on despite their own tiredness.
They watched as another group joined up with the first, so that now there was a group numbering well into the hundreds hurrying towards their location. But unknown to them several other figures were also keeping an eye on what was about to happen.
Some watched out of curiousness. Others from concern. But regardless of the reason, there were so many eyes on the current situation that it rendered the sneaking completely useless.
Soon however the group's arrived at their destination, a dilapidated church that was home to a certain goddess.
Filing in from the surrounding alleys and streets, soon the church was completely surrounded by the cloaked figures as the majority of them prepared for combat. And from the group, two of them stepped forward directly before the doors at the front of the church.
One of them was the large and round menacing person who had been barking orders before, while the other was a mature and beautiful woman who wasn't wearing a cloak. Instead, all she wore was a round strip of cloth that hung down from her neck to barely cover her chocolate nipples, while a pareo covered her from the waist down.
Standing before the crowds, the beautiful woman direct a cold and leveled glare at the church until she cried out,
"Hestia! I know you're in there! And so is my 'child'!"
For a moment there was no movement as everyone watched the church expectantly, before the doors began to slowly creak open as they revealed the oppai loli goddess.
"What is it Ishtar? I can't sleep with all the noise you're making." Hestia complained groggily, seemingly oblivious to the situation she was in.
"Hestia. I always knew you were stupid, but I never thought you'd be stupid and desperate enough to STEAL another god's 'child'!"
The word 'child' echoed off the surrounding buildings as Ishtar spat it Hestia, who was awake now, still appeared uninterested in what was going on.
"Who said anything about stealing Ishtar?" Hestia said suddenly, drawing every eye to her as she continued, "I just 'found' a couple of children who had no Falna, and so offered my own. There's nothing against that, is there?"
Ishtar blinked from what Hestia told her, as the most incomprehensible thing happened. Hestia was telling the truth.
All gods could of course discover truth from lie when spoken before them, but what disturbed Ishtar was that Hestia was telling the truth about her 'children' having no Falna when she granted them her own.
Ishtar would still destroy the Hestia Familia for this, and the guild would let her because of Hestia 'stealing' Haruhime from her. But even then she couldn't help but to be concerned about the possibility of someone being able to remove the Falna whenever they wanted.
The blessing of the gods was NOT a trifling thing that could tossed away at one's convenience. And Ishtar was going to remind Hestia of that. Harshly.
"Turn Haruhime back over to me now, and I'll let you off with a light sentence of a hundred years working within my brothels. Refuse, and I'll extend the sentence to a thousand years. I expect there's quite a few people willing to pay a king's ransom to send the night with one of the three maiden goddesses."
By this point Hestia was fully awake and frowning as she listened to Ishtar's 'offer', but worry never came as she fully believed in Alex's protection for them. Instead, the door behind her opened wider to reveal Haruhime and Lili, both attired and ready for combat.
In order to strengthen them further until they could level up more, Alex had sent the two girls numerous items called Dresspheres that granted them all kinds of unique abilities, depending on the one they were using.
Lili had developed an affinity for the Thief, Assassin, Ranger, and Alchemist Dresspheres, which enhanced the numerous skills she'd developed throughout the years stealing from other adventurers, sneaking around the Dungeon, and using all manner of items to support them. She was even using the Alchemist Dressphere to create numerous items such as potions and ethers for Hestia to sell.
Haruhime meanwhile was more magically inclined, so she used the Black Mage, White Mage, Gun Mage, and Psychic Dresspheres. This worked out well, as her special skill, Uchide no Kozuchi, allowed her to increase the power of her spells when needed. And she of course was made the Captain of the Hestia Familia, with absolutely no argument from Lili.
With Haruhime and Lili in their Black Mage and Alchemist attire, they were both ready for combat if things developed to that point. But they weren't the only ones.
Following the two of them, numerous non-humanoid figures exited the church behind them.
"Growl..."
"Vuuul..."
"Flare..."
"See see!"
The Growlithe, Flareon and Vulpix all positioned themselves in front of Hestia defensively, while Chansey was behind them all to perform healing if necessary.
"What are those!?!" Exclaimed one of the gods watching the scene play out, a God with an elephant shaped mask covering his face.
His gaze was transfixed entirely on the strange creatures at Hestia's side, which he had never seen before despite being the God with the largest amount of tamers in his Familia.
"Do you want them, Ganesha-Sama?" Asked a beautiful woman with azure colored hair.
"No no Shakti. I'm not going to steal them from Hestia. I WOULD however like to learn more about them."
"Understood." Shakti stated in affirmation as she made a mental note to arrange a meeting with Hestia-Sama later.
"Well well well. THIS is certainly turning into something interesting." Said another God who was also watching the scene play out with interest.
"Please tell you're not going to cause trouble again, Hermes-Sama..." Uttered an exasperated woman to the god's side, with light blue hair.
"Asfi! You wound me!" Hermes exclaimed with mock despair, though his Captain just ignored him as she continued watching the scene play out below.
Even as they and the other gods spectating were watching with increasing interest, Ishtar snorted from the appearance of the strange creatures as she sneered at Hestia, "What are those? Some stray mutts you took in Hestia? They look really pitiful."
If Ishtar's comment bugged her Hestia didn't show it, which surprised those who knew her since Hestia was not at all known for her self control. Instead, she simply looked down at Growlithe and Vulpix silently, as if questioning them.
"Grow!"
"Vul!"
The duo exclaimed at once, making Hestia nod as she placed her hand on their warm and soft bodies. Immediately the duo began to shine with a brilliant light as she channeled a small fraction of her divine fire into them, strengthening both of the Pokemon while also triggering an evolution within them without the need for a fire stone.
When the light down down the small Growlithe and Vulpix had both grown significantly, with the former now towering over Hestia and the other two girls, while the fox now had elegant golden fur with nine fluffy tails swaying behind it.
""NINE!""
The duo roared out challengingly to the people surrounding them, power radiating from their bodies that sent chills across the skin of the gathered adventurers. And as if that wasn't enough, above the church appeared a brilliant golden sword that radiated such divine power that even the spectating gods felt a chill go up their spines from it, a sensation that startled them all.
"You see Ishtar, my new hubby is VERY protective." Hestia stated suddenly, her entire demeanor shifting as she now seemed like a maiden in love bragging about her boyfriend.
"So the question isn't whether or not I'll return Haruhime to you, but rather 'how much are you willing to lose to take her back'." Hestia stated confidently, as Lili and Haruhime, her Pokemon, and Ascalon all prepared to fight.
***
"Such beauty...." Uttered a beautiful woman with silky long black hair, as she sat upon her throne and stared at something only she could see longingly.
"Snake Princess..." Muttered the elderly woman who had been watching her worriedly.
Hancock had been like this ever since the day she somehow managed to remove the 'gorgons curse', which the elderly woman knew the truth of. What surprised everyone was that Hancock had attributed the removal of the curse to a 'Dragon Emperor', whom she firmly denied had any relation to the Celestial Dragons.
But the elderly woman, Gloriosa, the former empress of Amazon Lily that was more commonly known as Elder Nyon, was growing worried.
WHO was this Dragon Emperor?
WHAT did he want with Hancock?
And HOW had he affected her so?
These questions and more plagued Elder Nyon's mind as she anxiously watched over her latest successor, alongside Hancock's own sisters.
"Elder, what is this strange affliction that has gripped our sister?" Marigold demanded of her urgently.
"This... Only one possibility comes to mind... But it is impossible... Incomprehensible!" Elder Nyon proclaimed in complete disbelief.
The idea was so incomprehensible, that Elder Nyon did not even bother putting it to words. Instead, she turned about and made to leave the throne room.
"I must think on whatever other possibilities there might be." She told the two of them, and neither tried to force her to stay.
Elder Nyon quickly journeyed to her small cottage where she kept a number of books and other items from the outside world, hoping that there was SOMETHING there that would help her.
Bound and determined, the elder poured over hundreds of pages from dozens of books, desperately looking for something to describe the Snake Princess's current affliction. But she found nothing to help her.
Instead, as night fell, there was a desperate banging at her door.
"ELDER NYON! THE SNAKE PRINCESS HAS COLLAPSED!" Screamed ther servant that had been sent to fetch her.
Elder Nyon moved with a speed that didn't match her wrinkled and elderly appearance, dashing to the castle with haste to Hancock's bedchambers where she undoubtedly had been taken.
There she found Hancock sprawled out on her bed, groaning and moaning as if in agony. Clutching her chest as if something within caused her pain.
"Elder! What's wrong with her?!" Sandersonia pleaded desperately, as those gathered around Hancock parted to let her through.
"It must've been that Dragon Emperor! He did something to our sister!" Marigold declared angrily, followed by several of the Warriors present as they prepared to locate this man to lynch him.
"No. Let me see." Elder Nyon ordered them, and everyone quickly quieted down as she looked over Hancock's body.
Seemingly, there was nothing wrong. But Elder Nyon had seen this affliction numerous times before, and now she had no choice but to acknowledge it for what it was.
But before she confirmed or did anything, Elder Nyon had to be sure as she knelt beside Hancock's head. Putting her mouth next to the Pirate Empress' ear.
"Dr-"
"Ngh!"
"-gon-"
"Ha!"
"Em-"
"No!"
"-per-"
"Please!" Hancock cried out, as if in agony, leaving absolutely no doubt in Elder Nyon's mind as to what was wrong with her. She then informed the rest of those gathered around them in a grave voice,
"Our Empress is going to die."
"!!!"
"ELDER! THIS IS NO TIME FOR BAD JOKES!" Sandersonia declared angrily.
"I am not joking." Elder Nyon said gravely.
"Our Empress is suffering from a deadly and terrible virus. A virus that killed our previous Empress, and the Empress before her. I too once suffered from it, but thankfully I managed to survive its affliction."
"Then you can help our sister survive it!" Marigold exclaimed desperately.
"No I can not. For the virus cannot be treated the same way by those it has afflicted, otherwise I would've treated the previous two Empresses the same way. This is something Hancock, and Hancock alone will have to prevail through."
"Tell us elder... What is this horrible disease?"
Silence descended upon the group as they awaited her answer, before Elder Nyon declared dramatically,
"This horrible disease, is LOVE!"
"..."
No one knew how to answer the stupidity of Elder Nyon's declaration, but before they could she stated to them all,
"Do not doubt it! The last two empresses fell in love, and tried to fight it, only to die from it in the end! And I'm willing to bet all I own, that the Empress is in love with the Dragon Emperor!"
By this point even Hancock had barely opened her eyes to see Elder Nyon, having heard what she was saying in the midst of her heart wrenching fit. The elder then declared to them all,
"Remember, love is always a hurricane!"
***
"What the...?" Alex uttered suddenly, as he received some notifications in rapid succession while playing with his kids.
[NOTICE! The titles Divine Terror, Amazonian Emperor and Amazonian Husband have been acquired!]
"What the fuck?!" Alex accidentally swore in front of the kids.