Safe Haven

Harry POV:

He was full by the 4th course of the meal.

Even with their small sizes his stomach hadn't ever had this much food. So even though it seemed like a waste, the boy didn't dare touch the 5th. For fear that his tummy would explode.

He sat nervously in his chair waiting for the other two to finish.

The woman finished after 10th courses while the male didn't stop until the 16th.

"Sorry to keep you waiting little one we require a lot of energy so we eat more than the average human would" Ward explained while placing down his silverware for one of the servants to take away.

"Now if you would all leave us. We have some private matters to discuss with your Young Master" The man commanded. With a bow in recognition the servants cleared the table and left the dining hall swiftly.

"Well I am aware you must have been waiting quite some time to finally get answers to your many questions" Diana said with a smile.

The boy nodded before stammering "Wher-e am I? Also ho-w did I get her-e?"

"Where we are is a bit complicated, but as to how you came to be in our abode… I was the one that brought you here" The woman admitted. "I had heard your core cry out so strongly I couldn't well ignore it. Wouldn't you know when I went to investigate. I found you there shivering in the cold. I couldn't well leave a child such as yourself there alone so I brought you back with me" She answered.

"My core?" The boy asked, confused. "What is that?"

"I believe they call them hearts where you come from. Much like they pump blood it also has the responsibility to cycle energy around the body. This energy is what we call mana. All things have mana inside them from plants to trees and even rocks and mountains. How much depends on how much mana they can absorb from the environment. It is believed that mana comes from-" She continues to ramble on before she is cut off by her companion.

"I believe that is enough darling. The child can learn more once he is older. We have other matters to converse about" He stated grasping one of her hands gently.

The boy took in all the new information he had learned about both the world and himself. He reached up a hand and placed it over where his heart was beating steadily in his chest or should he say his core. The boy was fascinated by everything the woman was saying and was a little disappointed when the man stopped her. He wanted to know more.

"Sorry I got a little overzealous" She takes a moment to calm herself down. "I get a little excited when talking about mana, but Ward is correct we have things of greater importance to discuss mainly about you" Diana said looking straight at the boy.

"Me?" The boy asked uncertainly, worried about what they could possibly need to talk about him for.

"Yes cause as for now your body is holding out, but it won't forever. It is expending massive amounts of energy to keep you alive here" Ward cut in taking over the explanation. "Reason you aren't feeling the drain is because we are currently replenishing any lost mana with our own. This is not a permanent solution however another problem is the stress. Even now your body is still feeling the strain of this domain" The man said sombrely.

This got the boy thinking why his body was feeling a stain. They were just in a huge fancy house right? What was so special about it? It wasn't like this was a different planet, it was still Earth. He hadn't had a problem before. Unless… A thought struck through his brain like lightning. Was he on Earth still?

"Where are we?" He asked again now thinking along of which planet they could be on rather than cities or country.

"As said before it is convoluted, but I can tell you the story of how our realm came to be" The woman piped up. "It has been over 125,000 years since the discovery of this world. For your Earth however it has been roughly 500. The elders of our races realized that there was a calamity that was silently brewing that would eventually erupt. That being the loss of Mana from the world" Diana spoke.

"What is so bad about that?" The boy asked curiously.

"For one, humans would not be heavily affected. Seeing as their bodies can adapt to survive without Mana. The world itself while it wouldn't wither, it would however enter a long hibernation until its stores of energy are replenished. At that time it would be hard for new life to be born and plants would have difficulty growing as mana is the life energy of all things.

The story is different for our species. We are beings that live off mana without it our bodies would shut down. Not being able to function at the loss of what gives our bodies life and we would all perish" Diana continued.

The boy sat there amazed by the story being told. A clear look of admiration was on his face as he listened to her every word.

"The cause of the decline were the humans that called themselves "Witches and Wizards". Which were really just descendants of our races. Some of our ancestors fell in love with humans and had offspring. They inherited our ability to manipulate mana. The closer related to a being of mana the stronger their manipulation was.

They were not much of an issue in the first few hundred years in which the crossbreeding had started. Roughly around 1000 years ago in Earthen time. As stated before cores hold mana that is absorbed from the environment and stored inside. This happens naturally over the course of one's life until it reaches its max capacity. An untrained core usually holds a very small pool of mana which can be increased through training.

The problem arose upon their deaths. When ordinary humans die a small amount of mana is released which is naturally absorbed back into the world. When a person of large mana reserves dies however that amount of mana cannot be naturally soaked up and needs to be manually assisted through something we call the rite of return. It is a ceremony performed to assist the world to ingest large amounts of energy at one time. Without it the mana would dissipate not being able to return to its rightful place breaking the what we call The mana cycle.

The mana cycle is the process of the use and recovery of mana. When an existence is born mana is poured in from the world into the body to give it life. Then over time the core absorbs mana from its environment. When the being reaches the end of its life the mana it has collected is given back to Earth. Renewing the mana it had spent in accordance with the cycle of life.

We of course taught all our descendants this ritual and its great importance. It was lost, however, due to negligence and the passage of time. The ritual was misinterpreted over the generations till there were few who followed the proper procedures. Leading to a great upset in the balance of nature. Mana was flowing out, but none was given in return.

The elders had tried everything they could think of but couldn't find a solution. It was too late by then the wheels were in motion leading to the depletion of mana from the world. That was when they started looking into the possibility of moving to a different world still rich in mana. They searched for over 200 years before one of them happened upon this world. It was discovered that the Earth actually had a twin. It is located on another plane of existence overlapping with the Earth.

When a team of scouts were sent to investigate the condition of the new world. They found it not only to be a suitable environment to live in, but an exceptional one. As it was untouched by man and was completely ruled by nature. You see before humans came into existence our species used to be the main inhabitants of Earth. Over time however the humans slowly began pushing our territories until we had to hide in places far from the reaches of man. So now being able to have a world all to ourselves was a great pleasure and calmed many worries about the day if ever humans discovered us.

The only difference between the two being the flow of time. For every year on Earth it is roughly 250 here. It was not of importance to our species but a minor detail. Not everyone agreed with this course of actions saying they should stay and try to find another solution. The ones that stayed behind were few, most deciding to leave the Earth and its dropping mana stores.

Thus began the mass exodus from Earth. To the world we came to call Arcadia. We used special portals that were created specifically to travel between the two realms and thus our ancestors began living here in this paradise. Many years have passed since then but our world continues to flourish with proper management and protection, it will continue to do so." Diana concluded with an exhale.

"That was a fine explanation my mate. You always do love giving lectures educating others on topics of interest and the like" Ward spoke with a fondness in his voice.

"Well it is nice to have someone around who actually enjoys them. I am sure Alistair would love having a break from my speeches" She says in a pout.

"Come now, I am speaking from a place of affection. I have no desire to cause you irritation" Ward soothed.

"So this really isn't Earth?" The boy murmured to himself in astonishment.

"Precisely while it may be its twin the environment here differs from Earth. While we may not find it a hindrance. Fragile human body will feel the strain" The man said "That is why as you are now you will not be able to stay here with us. You will have to be returned to your own world" Ward explained.

No…

No No NO NO NO!!!

The boy screamed inside his head. His body was shaking from the overwhelming emotions. He couldn't go back to Earth… to the Dursley's house… to his lonely little cupboard under the stairs. Tears built up in his eyes threatening to fall. His breath seemed to be caught in throat that left him gasping for air.

He couldn't go back to the supposed "family" that treated him as if he was a speck of dirt under their shoes. He couldn't go back to the seemingly constant pain of hunger. He couldn't go back after he had gotten a taste of what true kindness was.

His heart was racing in his chest. His lungs spasmed at the lack of air. His eyes squeezed shut trying to stop the tears. His ears heard people talking but his mind was too far gone to understand their words.

That was when the tingling sensation erupted from his chest once more stronger than it ever had before. He felt powerful arms wrap themselves around him bringing him in close to a strong chest. That was before the room exploded.

With the boy at its epicenter it was akin to a bomb going off. The table and chairs went flying crashing into the walls of the room, splintering. The walls of the room trembled from the power of the blast. The stone floor below them was cracked leaving behind a small crater. It lasted a few moments however the damage it caused was quite significant.

Ward POV:

When it was finished the boy's body went limp in his arms, exhausted from the act.

"Well that was certainly a strong mana manipulation. Who knew such a tiny little thing could show that much power" The man said with a laugh. He really hadn't been expecting the boy to react quite so energetically. He was however able to produce a shield just fine before any damage was caused to any of their person.

"He is quite a spirited one indeed" The woman chimed looking down at the boy cradled in his arms with a beaming smile. "He reminds me of you when you were a youngling" She chuckled.

He scoffed at her words "Do not remind me. Plus I did not behave that poorly, did I?".

The woman only giving a wide smile in response to his words. "Now come along, let's return the child to his bed. I'm sure he will rest for some time before he arises again after that stunt" She said walking off paying no mind to the rumble scattered around the room. He followed closely behind.

While walking towards the boy's room they encountered Alistair. Who greeted them with a bow.

"Master and Mistress may I inquire as to what that ruckus was all about" The elderly man asked.

"Oh it was nothing much, the boy merely got a bit excited during our talk, but the dining room however may need a few repairs" Diana said charmingly.

"Oh I see then I shall get some people to fix it at once. Do you need me to return the Young Master to his room?" Alistair questioned.

"No need Alistair, we shall take care of it" He said.

"Very well have a good evening Master Ward and Mistress Diana" He bowed and took his leave heading in the direction of the dining hall.

They made their way up the stairs and down a few hallways until they reached the same room the boy had awoken in.The woman opened the door allowing the people behind her to enter the room.

Walking across the large room to the bed the man deposited the child onto the bed. Before working carefully to remove the boy's shoes.

"I shall get him some sleep ware" Diana said before entering the closet and inspecting the choices before returning with a set of simple black pajamas.

He had already worked off the waist coat and with the help of his companion they got the rest off and got the boy into the sleep ware. Then tucked him into bed to let him rest.

"Sweet dreams child" The woman said softly, brushing her lips lightly upon his forehead.

He himself brushes his hand gently across the boy's cheek. "Pleasant slumber little one" He whispered quietly.

The two then took their leave of the room. Closing the door behind them leaving the boy to his rest.

Harry POV:

The boy awoke with a start. A few beads of cold sweat on his brow. Looking around he gave a small sigh of relief. It wasn't just a dream someone had really taken him away from the Dursley's.

That was when the events of the previous night entered his thoughts. Did it even matter though if they had to return him back to his own world anyway. Before he could start working himself up again the door opened.

"Why good morning Young Master" Alistair said in greeting entering the room. I could sense that you had woken up and were getting agitated again. What is troubling you Young Master?"

"They are going to send me back" Boy mumbled quietly bringing his knees up to his chest curling into a ball "They said humans can't stay here".

The butler took a second before answering "Hmm… While yes indeed humans cannot stay here for long. That does not mean you can't stay here. I believe you may want to hear the rest of what the Master and Mistress were going to say to you"

"There was more?" The boy asked in confusion what more could there be. It was simple, he was a human, meaning he couldn't stay here with them. That was a fact.

"Indeed there was but I believe they were interrupted when someone got a bit flustered" Alistair said looking straight at the boy on the bed.

The boy's face burned red when the memory of what happened entered his mind. He was ashamed of what he had done.

"I want to hear the rest" The boy said in determination even if the situation would not change. He had to hold on the the small hope there was possibly a solution to the problem.

"Well then it is best you get dressed then. I think something more casual is in order for today" Alistair walked over and pulled a plain green short sleeved shirt and a pair of black shorts and socks. The materials and fabric were still first-class but the design was more similar to what he usually wears. Not needing the help of the maids this time the boy simply went into the bathroom to change out of the black pajamas he was put in.

Exiting the bathroom and seeing Alistair waiting by the door for him he walked over.

"You look dashing, Young Master, are you ready to go?" The man complimented before opening the door for the boy to exit.

Once in the hall Alistair once again held out his hand to guide the boy to their destination. The boy took his hand less hesitantly this time.

Their journey this time took them to a different room. Alistair gave a knock to the door, a faint "Enter" coming from inside.

Opening the door led to a library of massive scale. Looking around in awe at the sheer numbers of books within the cases there had to be at least 10,000 books. Alistair silently leaves, giving them time to talk.

In his search he also spotted the two people he was looking for, the man and woman. One sitting at a desk doing some kind of paperwork, the latter sitting on a couch reading a book respectively.

The woman seeing them puts down her book, beckoning them over. Before she has the chance to say anything the boy steps forward.

"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused yesterday" He says with his head lowered.

"That quite alright little one. Things got a bit emotional yesterday, we understand. Here come and sit" She says softly patting the seat next to her on the sofa.

The boy moved to the seat and sat down next to the woman. She then raised a hand and gently patted his head in calming strokes. The motion was so relaxing that he almost fell asleep again, still feeling a bit tired after yesterday.

"Um if it is alright I would like to hear the rest of what you were going to tell me please" The boy asked.

The man finally put down the pen he was using, looking over at the boy. "Do you promise to be a bit more composed and to let us fully explain?" Ward questioned receiving a sharp nod from the boy as a reply.

"Excellent, as for where we left off last night I think it was when we were discussing your living arrangements" The man stated "As said before humans can not live here for long. You, being a human too, must leave before a great strain is caused to your body. Unless that is…"

"Unless?" The boy said looking hopefully to the man sitting behind the desk. If there was any chance that he would be able to stay here then he would gladly take it.

"Unless you become like us" The man explained.

"Like you?" The boy thought back on it and realized that although he knew he had never asked what kind of beings they were.

"Yes you see we are creatures of mana. There are many different types and species but there are common traits between us. Some being our greater intelligence and ability to manipulate mana freely compared to ordinary beasts. I also believe humans have written many stories about us over the years. Those "Witches and Wizards" especially have written many books about how evil and dangerous most are. Seems to have forgotten their roots now calling us beings merely savage animals" The woman spoke in annoyance.

"Well then how come you look like humans?" The boy asked in confusion.

"These are simply our human forms. Many creatures' forms are massive so planning meetings and get togethers as creatures can be a bit cumbersome. That is why we change our appearance to match that of humans. We are still ourselves just given a human shape. In fact Diana and myself are rarely in our human forms but we thought you would open up more to these compared to our usual selves" Ward admitted.

"So then how do you fit inside this house as creatures?" While the castle was indeed huge he didn't think it would be very comfortable for giant creatures the boy thought.

"This abode is rarely used. It is mainly for large family gatherings and the like. We spend most of our times outdoors in nature's embrace. Some even build homes such as burrows or nests depending on the species" The man said.

This was when the boy finally decided to ask the big questions "Then what kind of creatures are you? How would I become like you?" He said in puzzlement.

"Both excellent questions, the first one is simple enough" The woman beamed. "You have probably heard of Ward before they are a pretty popular species in human children's fairy tales" Getting a huff for the man himself. "He is a dragon" She stated matter of factly.

The boy's eyes glowed with amazement as he stared at Ward. A dragon, he was a real dragon. He had actually met a real life dragon before turning to the woman excited to hear what she was as well.

"You might not have heard of me as we are not that well known. I am what is known as a thunderbird. We are a species of large avians that are well versed in the manipulation of mana contained in storm clouds" Diana said with pride.

The boy showed no less excitement than when he had heard the woman's true form both sounded equally interesting and extraordinary. "Do I really get to become like you?" The boy inquired.

"But of course if it is your wish to stay with us we would gladly welcome you into our home." Ward declared a warm smile on his face.

The boy with no hesitation spoke the words that changed the course of his future.

Once upon a time a little unloved boy was stuck in his cupboard until a giant took him away to a world filled with magic with darkness hiding under the shining surface. That boy grew up a pawn in a war between two old puppeteers fighting for control.

This boy however would be different. For he had unknowingly changed his destiny with but a few spoken words. Sure the path ahead might not always be bright and he will encounter dark times ahead. Would not however be alone on his journey for he would have people by his side that he could count on and have the pleasure to call family.

"Please. Please let me stay!" The boy cried.