Summary: The infinity clock was unlocked several times in its long existence. The destruction left in its wake made legends, but none who entered ever survived to tell the world about the mysterious presence within. (A story about an immortalish Harry in the world of Fairy Tail)
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11795751/1/Soul-of-the-Clock
Word count:178k
Chapters:41
Chapter 1 From within the Clock
Edit: A more polished version of this fic exists on archive of our own under the same name and author name. This is just because its easier to edit over there. This one still receives updates. Just an FYI for anyone interested. :)
Memory, thought, emotion. These things are all lost to the hands of time. The endless ebbing and influx of power was all that he remembered from within his dormant prison. The only thing one could feel within that place was the power that came and went from the space. It built up and then released, like clock work. Only to begin again as soon as the cycle had ended.
Dreams sustained him. Dreams from his human life. Dreams from those who had helped create the clock. Dreams of his past and future. It was hard to distinguish what was what unless he focused. His sense of self was weak within the vast sea of power, but he was there. Just beneath the surface he could feel the years pass. Centuries in the blink of an eye. He watched them pass through the yellow haze of the Infinity Clock. His people's wish. Their hope, embodied.
Centuries that felt both like eons and seconds came and went. And then, quite suddenly he found himself with new dreams in his midst.
They were curious dreams of a world so different it was barely recognizable as the one he hailed from. Surely the time that had passed could not have changed the world in such dramatic ways. And yet it had.
Curiosity spiked in his mind at the outside world. A yearning in the back of his mind to see it all with his own eyes. But his attention turned to the one who brought these new memories. A young man. His name was unimportant. His goals were where the concern lay.
He could see within the child's mind a longing for power. A strive to destroy those that opposed him. Disapproval radiated through the ether of the clock. Such mindless violence had not been the intention of the clocks creation. It was a conduit. A final defense. Not a toy to point at whomever had irked the kid.
'What do you seek?' It was the first time in what seemed forever that Harry had used the telepathic link the clock afforded him in place of his body. His voice sounded distant like an echo.
He could feel the young man flinch at the question. Clearly not having expected it. Another dream of times gone past played behind the boy as he tried to orient himself in the direction Harry's voice had come from. Harry watched with disinterest as the memory showed the kid fighting someone of approximately the same age.
"Power!" the kid said determinedly. His eyes blazed with resolve.
'Destruction.' Harry amended. 'Death.'
A frown tugged at the kid's lips.
'I shall not grant your wish.'
"I didn't go through all of this to be told no!"
Power moved within the clock and Harry would have sighed had he still been inclined to such things. A draw on the clock's power caught his attention. There were wizards outside siphoning from the collected pool.
"I'll do it myself." The kid said obviously intending to take control of the clock.
Anger took hold of Harry then. The strongest of any emotion he'd felt in years. He directed his attention to the wizards on the outside, unleashing a wave of pure destruction. Whatever they were attempting he would not allow. Not with the power he guarded. With the slight drain amended he turned his attention inward.
The boy seemed dumbstruck. "You were just supposed to a clock." He sounded awestruck.
Harry pushed, forcing the kid back out of the clock. Silence and familiar dreams filled the space once again. Just beyond the gem that held his clock's power he could see the boy on his knees staring at the damage Harry had caused.
He almost felt a pang of remorse but it was buried beneath a wave of apathy. He had defended the clock. That was what he had been tasked with doing so long ago. It was what he would continue to do. And defend it he did. The boy was not the last to come seeking to use the clock for gain. Each was turned away like the last until something changed.
At the peak of one of the many influx cycles Harry felt something. From outside the clock there was a magical presence. Something pulled at his power but did not take from it. It was as if someone was testing the power that surrounded the clock. Someone approached the face of his clock and he watched with patient curiosity as a middle aged man wrote runes on its pieces.
Sealing runes, he realized belatedly. He was being sealed. Was he no longer a necessity? Had the need for his conduit been sated? He drifted back into the ether, content to sleep.
It was some time before the runes were broken. Lazily he noticed someone had claimed ownership of his clock. Something he had quite a number of objections to. Still, it mattered little unless they attempted to misuse the power it held. He drifted back into slumber even as the bells tolled around him.
It seemed like only moments had passed when he again stirred in his sleep. New memories once more invaded his peaceful home. But this time was different. There was no power lust here. All he could see was fear and sadness… and hope. Harry's eyes turned from the dreams to the girl dreaming them.
He blinked slowly. The girl was not there by choice. If she were she would already have fully submerged into the gem that held him. This was a first. Why had someone forced a young girl into the clock? Did they not realize the extent of its magic? Had she been stuck there by some sort of egregious mistake?
She's crying. He realized belatedly. Two more figures stood just beyond his clock's gem, obviously trying to free the girl.
'Who are you?' Harry asked, knowing the girl couldn't see him. She still faced the outside world. But she could hear him. If she could have moved he was sure she would have jumped.
'I… I…' she seemed lost in thought and startled out of it all at the same time.
He waited patiently. Time was all he had anymore.
'L-Lucy… my name is Lucy.' She finally managed. 'Who are you?'
'What do you desire?' he asked instead of answering.
'Desire?' she responded nonplussed.
"A seal has fallen. Only two seals remain." Her distorted voice echoed from outside of the gem.
'You are fusing with my clock.' Harry said simply and with a tinge of confusion. The other wizards had entered, yes, but they hadn't tried to fuse with the magic itself. It was tantamount to becoming one with it. She would become a part of the clock's ether, much like Harry had.
'I don't want to.' She sounded almost defeated.
And at that moment she was enveloped completely by the gem, melting into its golden embrace. But now they were face to face and she seemed confused even with her nearly impassive face.
'If you aren't careful, you'll lose yourself in here.' He told her honestly. 'Your mind and resolve will be consumed by the ether.'
'How are you here? Who are you?' she asked without talking. Her face was frozen in a blank, emotionless slate.
Harry regarded the girl with sympathy. 'I am one of the creators of this clock. I guide its power and protect its legacy. Why have you entered this place? What do you seek?'
'I…' she seemed at a loss for words. 'I just want to help my friends. I don't want to watch them get hurt in front of me… because of me.'
'You are not the one who broke the seal.' Harry said, realizing that meant someone else outside had probably started this.
'No,' she agreed, 'That was the Neo Oraceon Seis. They're fighting my friends right now.'
'Your friends…' Harry repeated, a spark of remembrance from long ago replaying a small memory of a red headed boy 'What is their goal?'
That seemed to confuse her. 'To stop the Oraceon Seis and save me.'
Harry turned his attention outside of the gem and saw beyond the two who stood at its surface. Near the center of the room stood a man with long black hair. Beyond him was a young boy and a white haired man who seemed to be staring at a swirling vortex of black.
"Lucy!"
Harry's eyes traveled back to the small figure in front of his gem. A bright blue cat had hit the gem and looked relatively close to tears.
'Your friends are calling to you.'
'Yes,' Lucy replied almost distantly.
Harry looked back at her. She was losing herself to the ether.
'I want… to help them.' She said dreamily.
'I will grant that wish.' Harry replied for the first time. He placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and was almost surprised he could. He'd forgotten he even had limbs he spent so long in the ether.
'I can't keep crying.' Lucy said meeting his eyes now. She was moving, that was good. She was overcoming the influence of the ether. "I have to help me friends."
'Then we shall warp the dreams of their enemies.' Harry pushed out with the magic all around them until it struck its intended target. He let Lucy's magic guide his so it would strike the correct person.
Immediately the man gripped his head and started ranting about nightmares. And in the chaos Harry watched as a pink haired boy smashed through the vortex he'd seen minutes before.
"Was that Lucy?" the young girl in front of his gem asked, confusion in her voice.
"I heard her too." Said the cat.
Harry turned inward again. Lucy was by his side, watching. Her eyebrows knit in concern as the pink haired boy delivered a strong punch to the man who'd been struck by Harry's magic and they watched together as he fell.
"Well he's taken care of." Lucy said with relief.
"Lucy's gone!" the small cat that had spoken before was tearing up now. "We're too late."
"Gone?" Lucy said with confusion, hand reaching out to touch the gem. "I'm right here."
"Whoa. I just heard her again." The pink haired boy exclaimed, lifting his nose to the air. "Where is she?"
'They cannot see your true form. You have merged with the ether.' Harry supplied. 'I have granted you access to our power.'
Lucy whipped in his direction, eyes wide. "I don't want that."
'It is yours, nonetheless.'
"Lucy?" the pink haired boy said again. "Where are you? Who are you talking to? It smells like you're all around us."
Lucy looked on the verge of tears. "What do I do? I don't want to end the world."
"Yeah, don't end the world Lucy. That'd be a real bummer." Another voice joined the fray and Lucy could see all of her friends now, even the ones fighting just outside of the clocks true form. Gray had spoken that last statement.
'The Infinity Clock was not designed to end the world.' Harry said simply.
"I thought the clock was supposed to bring chaos." She said with uncertainty.
Harry blinked long and slow as dreams of destruction filled the ether around them. Dreams of renewal and creation blotted them out quickly. 'Power is directed by intent Lucy Heartfilia. Chaos comes for those who seek chaos. But hope and creation come for those who seek such things.'
She glanced back to where she could see her friends. All of them had fought hard and long to free her, and despite having won their fights she was still here. Still now some of them were trying to sever the chains that held the Infinity Clock tethered to the ground.
"So right now I'm…"
'You are one with the Infinity Clock. You are its directive.'
"I'm the Clock!?"
He just nodded as a murmuring from her friends started up.
"Lucy!" Erza's voice broke through the noise. "Can you hear me?"
"Erza, yes I can hear you." She said turning to the gem.
"Whatever's happening, you can't let yourself be manipulated. The power will most likely try to corrupt you. Can you find a way to get free?"
"Maybe we can just smash the lacrima!" the pink haired boy's voice rose.
Harry's eyes travelled to the boy and with a flick of his finger a jolt of magic leapt form the gem and struck him in the shoulder, throwing him back none too gently.
"Natsu!" Lucy yelled, concerned.
"Ow! What the hell Lucy! You said you were in control of this thing, right? Why'd you do that?" 'Natsu' cried out as he sat up.
"I didn't!" she objected before turning uncertain eyes to Harry.
'My primary directive is to protect the power of the Infinity Clock and the clock itself.' Harry's eyes left the pink haired boy and went to Lucy. 'I cannot allow the gem to be destroyed. It is the center of the clock. If broken it would release unrivaled destruction.'
Lucy swallowed a lump in her throat. "Um… Natsu… don't do that again… k?"
Natsu mumbled as he stood back up.
Harry stared at the girl as she in turn glanced worriedly at the people shown in the gem's mirror. 'Is your dream fulfilled?' he asked her blankly.
"My dream?" she said turning her attention back to him.
'You dreamed of helping your friends.' He clarified. 'Is your dream fulfilled?'
She nodded. "But I… I still want to get back to them. I'd like to go back to normal."
Harry stared at her for the longest time without saying a word. It was unnerving to her and she shifted under the piercing gaze. 'Such a dream… is hard to fulfill.'
"What?" she wanted to cry. Was she stuck like this?
'You have bonded with the ether.' Harry supplied. 'Such magic should not be done lightly.'
"I didn't want to do it at all!" She said vehemently.
Harry processed that for a moment before his eyes slowly drifted back to the clock face where her friends were arguing about the best way to get Lucy back. It sparked memories he'd long since stopped thinking about. Memories of friends long dead and the bonds they'd held. And thoughts of a particular bushy haired girl from back then triggered a thought that could help this young girl in front of him. 'Tell me, does the world still lie on the brink of destruction?'
"What?" she asked with confusion.
'For eons the clock has slept. Is it necessary any longer?'
"I don't understand."
"Lucy what's going on?" Natsu asked, laying a hand against the gem stone tentatively.
'Your confusion tells me my purpose is no longer known.' Harry said closing his eyes. 'It's answer enough.'
"I don't understand the question though." Lucy ignored Natsu and focused on the excessively confusing man before her. Had they been wrong about the Infinity Clock? Was it supposed to protect people? Did it have some specific purpose that had been lost to history?
'I shall grant your dreams Lucy Heartfilia.' Harry's eyes snapped open and Lucy immediately felt a shift in the 'ether' as the man had continuously referred to it. It began to heat up til it felt like she was sitting in a sauna.
She could hear her friends shouting and as the heat rose she could swear she felt them running along her skin as if she were the clock itself.
'You are freed Lucy.' She heard as no more than a whisper. She opened her eyes, not entirely sure when she'd closed them. She was falling and there was the man drifting away from her as she plummeted. He seemed serene now in the still night air. Like a dream himself.
Slowly, ever so slowly he cracked open his eyes. Immediately he shut them again as a blinding light glared into them. He tried again opening just one and allowing it to adjust before the other followed. Leaves danced on a branch inches from his face. They were interesting to watch in their mindless waving. It had been a long time since he'd seen anything of the sort.
He paused. Why had it been a long time since he'd seen leaves? The clock. Of course. He closed his eyes but he could not feel the familiar and comforting presence of the ether. He glanced around. A forest spread around him, serene and colorful in a way the amber ether had never allowed to experience the dreams. Everything had been sepia toned and bleak there.
He reached out and pinched one of the leaves between his forefinger and thumb. It was smooth and yet wonderfully real beneath his fingers. His eyes focused on his hand. It had been a long time since he'd really noticed his body. So long since he'd really had sensations. It's was overwhelming in its intensity.
He could feel the branch he'd woken on digging into his back and the air caressing his skin. It was all so… different.
Harry pushed himself up, marveling in the feel of muscle beneath skin. He'd always sort of just… drifted in the ether. He flexed his calves and looked down. He was several feet from the forest floor but he paid that fact little mind. He pushed himself from the branch and immediately landed as a crumpled mess at the base.
It took him a moment to orientate himself, but when he did he felt a smile tugging at his lips. Perhaps he'd have to get used to the physical world again. Maybe it was a good thing no one seemed to be around to notice his numerous blunders. Perhaps that went double seeing as the clothing he had been wearing for eons seemed to have not held up so well now that he had re-entered the physical world. It was patchy at best and just barely covered anything he didn't want showing in polite company.
He forced himself to his feet just a tad wobbly. He glanced into the sky this time, clear of the tree. Above the tree tops stretched a mountain and the remnants of a large fractured chain rested upon its face. Harry felt a pang of remorse. He had destroyed his clock. His home.
But above those ruins he saw something that gave him hope. Streaking through the bluest sky he could ever remember seeing were lines of white and pink. Auroras, lines of the purest magic he'd ever seen. The clock had done its job ten fold. It had restored the waning magic of Earth beyond what they'd ever dreamed possible.
He sent out a simple prayer and thanks to his friends long past. He would carry their legacy into this world. And he would start by finding a new pair of pants.
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11795751/1/Soul-of-the-Clock