FicWad

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Authors Notes

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Mystic America. I just want to see what these characters will do when in this strange world. This is all due to a writer's block in the story proper and some computer issues with the computer the story is on.

This is mostly HP AU: Harry never went to Hogwarts until the end of cannon third year would have occurred. He has no knowledge of the current Wizarding world as it is now. He was raised in a far different place than Privet Drive with a competent parent. This is not a self-insertion with the closest thing as Samuel Stone being Harry's adopted father. In a world where no one likes those racist bigot wizards, would anyone remember the Boy-Who-Lived-And-Disappeared two centuries after the fact? What does a twenty-second century raised demon hunter do in the twentieth century where everything he learned historically is different? That's what we will see.

Only spoiler from HBP will be Horcruxes. Set end of third year cannon. First year Neville, Ron, Hermione stopped Quirrell. Second year Dumbledore interfered. Sirius Black is somewhere in Hogwarts and the Rat is still in the pocket with Dementors lurking around.

Spoilers for BTVS are up to Halloween, Charmed is still pre-Paige, Ranma up to the Wedding Disaster no OVAs, SM has just rediscovered her Identity, Naruto at least up to the Chunnin Exams and Hellsing up to the end of the first season with Incognito. Anything needed is mentioned for Mystic America. Harry's past and the info will appear in flashbacks and some in dialog.

A heartfelt thanks to all the authors' original and fanfic that I've read. There are too many to list but my lack of free time thanks you.

HP/BTVS/Charmed/R.5/SM/Naruto/Hellsing Crossover with Mystic America (Original Fiction)

Most of the crossovers will not occur for a bit as Horus/Harry travels the world.

This fan fiction is rated mature for blood, death, sexual situations and language. In simpler words,blood, sex, violence, foul language, and death will be occurring. You have been warned. Do not read if you have a sensitive stomach as there is gore. People killing people, people killing monsters, monsters killing people and monsters killing monsters do not lead to happy pleasant scenes. If you can't stand creature features or Harry killing people, then this story is not for you.

The ship for this story is Harry/Female Harem and there will be both crossover girls and odd original characters added to that.

Note sixteen, to the best of my knowledge, is still the current age of consent in England. Note mystic culture is fifteen or passing Initiate status to be considered an adult. You live with a large amount of war you get strange ideas according to normal people. Age difference is of less consideration at older ages or in longer lived societies. If you live over five centuries what does a couple of decades matter.

All character bashing are for entertainment purposes and in no way or form are about cannon characters, however the bashing will involve the trio and Dumbledore in addition to Fudge, Voldie and there minions. This is equal opportunity bashing as our main character was raised in a time and place that is rather critical on the Wizarding World's behavior even centuries later.

Feedback is welcomed. Flamers will be fed to Rian and Skrill along with the odd death row inmate. Constructive criticism will be taken with a bucket of salt.

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Part 1: My Dad Was A What?

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Prologue: When I Wish Upon A Star - A History and a Wish to Return

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In the world of Mystic America, there is a lot of confusion about the terms involved. This is of course due to the nature of the world involved. As each group became separated and developed differently, they eventually named things differently and thus each of the others chose to mean something different.

The word Warlock for instance has been used to mean the police for the sensitives that practice magic while for the past five hundred years certain communities of practitioners have those that are closer to Black Chi-Mages fall into this category. This is due to the recent theme in Wiccans being influenced by Eastern Magic Users. Having an origin as oath breakers due to there outright violence not to mundanes, but to fellow magic users has caused a lot of grief for the True Warlocks even though they limit themselves to dealing with the degenerates and operate as a form of safeguard from supernatural crimes. This is because the meaning of warlock is 'oath breaker' and while both broke an oath there was an entirely different reason for doing so.

Do to that there is definitely a need for self policing given what the wanders have been up to since there founding. At the start of the twentieth century, the results of Merlin and Morgana's conflict boiled over into a rather large slaughter of focus users. Now as it is inherent that history is often skewed in regards to facts, this argument resulted in the exile of both from the mystic community. Now as both were insistent on continuing there disagreement, but bared from higher magicks they used what loopholes they could find to continue. Taking in mundane and sensitives as soldiers they continued there conflict.

As most practitioners had been displaced by the New Ways, they flocked to Morgana who promised the preservation of the Old Ways. Merlin however recruited from Christendom and started on his influence on the Isle. Morgana rested in Avalon and preserved many things from Merlin's pillages. What this all boiled down to was that continued conflict resulting from Merlin's vilifying of his enemies and there magicks had continued. Many types of magic were viewed as evil since Morgana had them on her side and then were difficult for Merlin's side to track. Warlocks split from practitioners and Druids due to the pull they felt. The forty-seven ronin of Japan were examples of what a Warlock would do for Justice.

Now the past century has had the wanders protected by decree. The legislation is similar to the endangered species act in its use. Since wanders avoid the sensitive and mystic community and live in a word full of beings they have legislated control over, they grew arrogant. In the coming time it became common that they viewed themselves as the pinnacle of magic forgetting all others. Ignorant of Discovery they continued on this downward spiral. Warlocks were not able to punish wanders and as such they became more dangerous in there ignorance. If it had not been for a resolution passed on endangered species things would have been different.

As it was the Sorcerers had long accepted the world as it is, a convoluted place with many different groups trying to prosper so they were not too shocked by those events that had unfolded. Sorcerer is the closest translation to the term in that they influenced fate by existing and defying the previous prophecy of global extinction. Sorcerers were the result of a need similar to how Warlocks came about to protect the community from within, sorcerers were to protect from invasion of Demons. Unfortunately, like the wanders, Sorcerers eventually suffered from arrogance because they were that good. It has become apparent that sorcerers need conflict considering there origins it was an ingrained necessity. Limits however needed to form this did not occur until after the Sorcerer and Mystic Wars. With the need of combat and conflict resolution met things stabilized. Mystic vampires and shape shifters displaced the other forms in there niche. Where the magical, sensitive, and even demonic versions lacked control, the mystic excelled. The code they followed forced the magical versions such as Mideon and Nosferatu to become less overt and most demonic variants were rendered extinct or at least endangered.

While the demonic breeds of vampires were reduced in number, some remained concentrating like rats and cockroaches where they could survive. Shamans developed a hunter and ignorant of the rest of the world continued there work. The magical shape shifters eventually had difficulty in the persecution and execution of the elders left untrained youngsters ruled by instinct. Due to the lack of control greater persecution continued and several factions continue to draw support due to promises of not being oppressed by various racist organizations.

For the past two centuries, England has had the Van Helsing family in charge of containment of supernatural entities that are a threat to life and crown. There secret weapon was Alucard the name taken by Dracula after being conscripted into Abraham Van Helsing's services. The family changed the name to Hellsing after the spats with Germany. While the Hellsings have the backing of the crown there are several other organizations involved in protecting the ignorant masses from supernatural threats. Iscariot, other wise known as Section XIII, was the Vatican's main hunter force. Also in recent centuries the Watcher's Council had settled in with the African Tribal Shaman's solution to the vampire menace, the Slayer. Still there were Warlocks responsible for Practitioners going rogue and Aurors responsible for Wizarding policing a well as Hit-Wizards and Unspeakables running around as well attempting to keep the peace. None of the groups had decent communications with any other groups. As usual the situation was a complete SNAFU showing how little inter-division cooperation was there. For example Aurors never call Hellsing until they have totally ballsed up and need to eradicate the problem. The Watchers Council tends to not care about things that are not threats to their members and send teams without any external backup. That they tend to use there main resource the Slayer as a walking diversion tends to ruffle feathers. Soon this was to end for the most part.

With the coming of Discovery in March 1990, a change came about that effected mundane, sensitive, and mystic, however no one with knowledge of the various other magical community noticed the event. It was as if there was a large enchantment to make them ignorant of any magic outside of there own community. Most believe that to be the result of the wards they had devised to keep themselves hidden and obscure information and memories about them.

This belief is further backed by the fact that Mundanes that knew of the magical world seemed unable to mention Discovery to the isolated communities while some involved with that community seemed to be unable to recall it at all. There is by those who are not ignorant of the various communities a belief that the magical community has been siphoning off various talents who merely showed any talent in magic thereby depriving Mystic and Sensitive communities' new blood. Do to the fact that the Wizarding World is based on focus driven magic there is a rather large chance that other groups could be misplaced as a suitable focus with an amplifier made of a magical creature would enable the alteration of internal energies of various types to actualize and be converted to the frequency and effect of that community.

This poaching of talent had led to powerful magic users who were ignorant of their true nature and potential. In the Wizarding World this exasperated the old blood issues as supposed muggle born seemed to flood into the community. Meanwhile in what some would consider the Western Dichotomy Practitioners this had led to people being raised under false limitations such as purely altruistic or selfish uses for magic when they were not bound by such restrictions in their gift. Meanwhile those falsely named as Warlocks tended to conspire with Daemeons for mutual benefit relations.

While time passed for the different in nature so as well did the belief that they were alone in being gifted in the world. Which is what led to the deaths of these new bloods into there respected communities as they were mistakenly believed to be an inferior strain a mere quirk of magical flux where in fact most were from sensitive families or even squib or skip lines. The fact that a sorceress died in the last of their conflicts in the so called Wizarding World had lead to talk of repealment of the Wizarding Protection Act. This was the state as of a few years after Discovery. Sorcerers being long lived tended to take a much longer view in deciding what seemed to be non critical decisions. The only reason it was considered non critical is that more effort in detecting potential and latent mystics had resulted in a far lower chance of being poached.

While the magical worlds declined, the advent of reliable and replicatable magic into daily life has led to improvements in mundane life, this is due to advances in both technology and magic along with technomagick becoming a greater part of life. There was however the reason for technomagical work arounds for sensitive necessary gear. The common occurrence of crystal-enhanced technology has led to a rise in quality of life issues. The current estimates are that earth is currently far cleaner than in the past century do to this sudden rise even in the face of massive increased industrialization even in the developing parts of the word. The reclamation of the seas and the rise of space travel has brought humanity out of the cradle once again. Unfortunately, there would eventually be problems from old acquaintances as well as culture shock.

Modern mystics tend to be more open about things then there mundane counterparts. This is mostly due to the fact that separation occurred around the time of the Roman Republic and as such the culture is still considered progressive in some areas such as modern civil rights even with the more ancient values inherent in a long stabilized system. With technomagick, industrial alchemy and enchantments there were several projects that had been impossible were soon possible. Most predicted a rise in previously abandoned technology that was too expensive for the results to be worth while economically. Unfortunately, the number of gadgets that were previously props in Hollywood just proves that no matter where you go there is a fan-boy and if they have money they will get what they want. The increase in technology led by this led to the improvements that were common by early to mid twenty first century. Although the well to do were still able to live with several luxuries that the commoners did not.

By the twenty-second century, the number of mundanes had become slightly less than three billion of the planets estimated seven billion inhabitants. There were several factors for this and it was not merely the baby boom do to new fertilization techniques, but also methods to ease the natural methods complications. The fact that artificial wombs were being theorized as well as a method to transfer a prenatal from womb to womb removed several issues. There was however a rather sharp decrease in teenage pregnancies let alone unexpected pregnancies with the improved preventative medicine. With a sure fire way to temporarily prevent fertility in both parties the odds became less likely as they were made affordable and even those that despised the lessened sensitivity of condoms were more willing to use such cheap mass manufactured solutions even in the poorest of nations. China having found this preventative methods to be far cheaper than state sponsored abortions actually changed policy to require a permit to not be on the pills.

While the redistribution of childbearing ability did create a rise in older mothers there was also the fact that improved treatment and preventative medical techniques resulted in a longer, healthier and more productive life including children influenced matters. So the increased fertility time spans as well as the improved economy resulted in a bubble of births in the well to do countries while there was a rather rapid drop in the less affluent countries and parts of countries. There was still the matter of the cost of education from infancy to being able to be productive members of society and the work force in particular.

Ir was this factor of the change in education which made it likely that mundanes were more often giving birth to sensitives and those that remained were becoming more and more likely to pass the threshold and become sensitives there self. Humanity had begun to stretch to the stars once more due to this boom in the young and adventurous much akin to all expansions required in the past. Most however who left terra firma were sensitives as the control over their bodies led to less dangers than would affect mundanes in such settings. Body control and a longer life due to control of life energies seemed to hold the possibilities of another division that held the risk for race war. It seemed that now instead of the have not divide being around race it was in magical ability. It was perhaps a powder keg that was luckily doused by itself.

The near obliteration of the purely magical communities at the beginning of the twenty-first led to the WPA being far more enforced than in the past as well as the sudden drop in jealousy of the gifted. It was the advent of magical turning on mundanes that many sensitives and mystics removed the threats from the communities. This had several effects for both the hidden communities and the human community as a whole.

No longer hidden from the world they had to adapt, but they were slower to adapt than either mystical or sensitive communities had been. The complete shattering of their beliefs were massive. The periods post Revelations had resulted in harsher punishments and a wider scope of authority and responsibility for the Warlocks who were now closer to SIU and SWAT in function than the community cop they had been for most of their existence. With the repealment of the wander born bans, a large exodus from their community into the mystic and sensitive communities occurred due to a lesser biases they would face as well as the improved opportunities available. Those who were not on the top of there communities structures moved into the new world as quickly as they could to take advantage of the situation.

It seemed that humanity had stumbled into a golden age, but all that glitters is not gold and the twenty-first century had its down side as well. Many of the enemies from the mostly forgotten past had come back in some form to make trouble once more. The Infiri, Skrill, Rian and other demons tried to re-establish foot holds on Earth at this point in time as the lowered security and war footing of the age had dulled age old combat readiness.

The Diaspora of the mid twenty-first century was heralded by the inability of most demon breeds to be able to live so far from the rifts. That did not mean much to those that still dwelled on Earth as Earth was still hospitable to them as the lack of ambient demonic energies kept them bound to the planet. With a loss of human prey, their seemed to be a chance that humanity could simply temporarily disperse and wait while nature removed the foreign influence permanently.

Sadly there were complications that prevented this plan. Some Practitioners, specifically the False Warlocks, joined with the Daemeons, those demon breeds that are more human than creature in their appearance, in a collaborated attempt to take over the Earth. They believed that they could achieve their goal of complete control. This, in part, led to the almost complete destruction of Tokyo and London in 2056.

The cities were destroyed by MD level spells, which are spells that were restricted in a manner similar to nuclear weapons as the difference was solely the lacking of radioactive fallout while still having that level of destruction. Most felt that the need to use forbidden level magick was a grave error, but those that had seen what little remained from the initial invasions realized that necessity is cruel when survival is paramount. Unfortunately, it was necessary as the accidental summonings were not who the demons and there associates wanted, but that of opposition races that while wanting human extinction also wanted to destroy the other demon races for their lack of purity as well as being at most food.

This situation led to the more militant actions of the Orders and the Warlocks of London who led sweeps to purge the tainted from the ranks. That the Order of Ebon Night known for its intense dabbling in dark and even evil magic felt that the actions in London needed there assistance was considered rather telling of the severity of the situation. That one of the most sinister and vindictive groups felt that the practitioners involved went too far shocked many almost as bad as their lesson in proper sinister behavior. Suffice it to say no practitioner wanted to be caught by them; it was much better to get a relatively swift arrest and execution than whatever they had planed considering that those caught went through more pain than in a gore fest horror movie. There were reasons that even the most jaded infernal torturers avoid them besides professional curtesy. As a note of interest, they refused the Marquis De Sade membership since he was considered to nice in his activities for their taste.

While that happened in London, actions occurred in Tokyo that were as unsettling in their ramification. The Diemeons, most of whom were corrupted corporeal animal spirits, had attempted the re-establishment of their old domains. The local enforcers were sent into a state of near exhaustion in dealing with this surge of activity. Chi users and mages along with spiritualists were put to the breaking point to deal with the sudden spike in situations. Help came from an unexpected source, which had been dealing with other more dangerous threats at the time and as such were full of anger at themselves for failing to have been there at this critical time. Most told them that the locals normally would have succeeded if they had not been overwhelmed by the betrayal of some trusted allies. The Guild and a Conclave of their associates called in the best of the best to deal with the situation with as much force and as little discretion as was necessary.

The Hunter Squads of the Order of Shadows that were sent through Asia made the various native demon and devil hunters seem tame in comparison. Even the terrorist purges of the late twentieth paled in comparison to the ferocity dealt with demons they found. Blood had been spilled and someone had to pay for the losses. There honor demanded no less for there perceived failure. All that training and specialization had to be worth all the training and struggle so it had to be put to use.

The Seven Hunter Squads had specific requirements that had to be met to have the variety to deal with various situations that they would be expected to handle. The current arraignment was to have the leader be a Journeyman with four subordinates one from each of the cardinal styles. One trained as a healer, one shapeshifter and one Warlock to further there law enforcement training. At least one had to be a mystic spellcaster due to traditions as in the past Sorcerers in the Order spent rotations on the teams as an Apprentice for a year and as a Journeyman for two years to meet the combat experience those levels required for their testing.

The Hunter Squads have various types of equipment that they carried with each specialized for the threats of their immediate response zone as well as the threats more likely for that region. It was for those reasoning that while the zones existed one would defer to the specialist team if there was time or if the situation warranted it. In the business necessity was a survival goal and while their were always equipment carried for multipurpose use their was specific training and tactics for the different targets.

Squad One held the Middle East land of Djinn and rival clerics. To be rather blunt on the matter, Sorcerers tend to avoid this part of the world after Babylon do to the conflicts that arose. This has been made abundantly apparent as the rise of Islam in the past few millennium led to any magic users being there becoming to involved in politics there. The Djinn cause enough issues with their nature and that far too many think they can bind them like a common lower spirit while most recovered are higher level elemental spirits. The sand storms are bad enough without a Djinn of the Air causing even more trouble. Thankfully they tend not to be too free in their roaming.

Squad Two East of the Himalayas specialized in the lost Civilizations and their artifacts. There is enough things being kept concealed by them to drive most insane. Suffice it to say that the natives are best left alone despite what the mundanes would do to the lesser sensitives there.

Squad Three dealt with Europe and the Fae. Europe is a convoluted mess as the Dark Ages along with the religious wars emphasized why Sorcerers actually listened to an oracle and withdrew before the trying times ahead. The Fae are few and far between as most are part blooded and the pure Fae emigrated to one of the various spiritual planes of exitance. That they don't even seem to visit Summer or Winter anymore just shows how the irrationality of the past few centuries disgusted the Immortals.

Squad Four dealt with Africa and the peculiar magicks of this continent. Truth to be told most people with any sensitivity stay out of the Heart of Africa. It is still a place where spirits walk and even worse things routinely prey on humans. That the sensitives that live there are more reclusive than the monks in the Himalayas is telling.

Squad Five handled North America specializing in Nature Spirits. Due to the larger concentrations of Tribals there was a tendency to favor a mix of them on their squads more than elsewhere. There was also the requirement of at least one mid level necromancer and summoner to be on the team as far too many mundanes woke up restless spirits that caused havoc instead of mere mischief.

Squad Six dealt with South America and all of the strange things that came from the mysterious forests and lands there. As that was the last continent where the active worship of enhanced humans was present there were still the odd cult that would defer to any that served their god or goddess in any way. The problem was that only Africa had stranger altered beings.

Squad Seven normally dealt with Skrill and Rian in Continental Asia and Oceania and as such were a heavy assault team specializing in devastating area affects that would bypass the two higher level demon species resistances as well as the neutralization or more accurately pacification of infected regions. As such they tended to be the more unfortunate in drawing Code Black missions which most would consider the worst to get as they were to neutralize all presences in the area regardless of other factors. This problem did lead to a higher turnover do to the psychological stress involved.

As Squad Seven dealt with the continued attacks of Rian and Skrill in the various Pacific Islands, the peculiar natures of there enemies caused problems. With these two species having exoskeletons resistant to most low level magicks, it follows that weapons skills in these groups were high as the boss level demons could ignore most spells directed at them and the Rian Queens were able to absorb, amplify and emit spells back at their opponents.

Under Journeyman Kando, this squad faced extreme measures and made it obvious why he was one of the best assassins of the Serpent and Shadow Orders. Dressed in Black hide trousers with a black Rian silk shirt with Demon Dragon hide boots this journeyman held little apathy to his enemies. Due to the bio-toxins of Skrill and Rian, he wore goggles to protect the eyes and a mask to prevent poisoned blood from the current Rian kills with a Shadow forehead protector and Serpent neck guard completing his ensemble.

That he would spend five years as a mentor to one Horatius Stone is of some note. It is not everyday that the adopted son of a living legend gets trained by one of the legend's more infamous students. Then again, most would blame him for Horus's dress sense in addition to his more brutal methods of work. One would swear that the leaders of Squad Five and Seven were related if not in blood then in manners. That they all had the same warped made most people grateful that they rarely had to deal with them. Still that was a bit further down the road as Kando was one of the few to go through the purges and stay in the team through Apprenticeship before taking command as a Journeyman.

With time the purges ended and it was time to move on. As the vast majority of the cities infrastructure and buildings had been rendered structurally unsound there was massive rebuilding. Japan again rose from the ashes stronger and less reliant on cobbled on improvements than those who had not been decimated. The rebuilt cities of New London and Neo-Tokyo were the pinnacle of modern technomancy. Unfortunately, even they needed someone to sweep the vermin from the edges. And so the squads would patrol their regions and Squad Seven remained as infamous of an assignment as it was when Kando was an Apprentice. His student had ascended to lead the squad when he passed his Master's Quest. Things seemed to be going fine and the mundanes were in awe of their famous teams until one day an article was released in the papers.



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Loss of the Lightning Style Genius: Journeyman Horus of Hunter Squad Seven Missing

To properly understand this young man who has done so much for us, it is necessary to understand his history. Unfortunately, far too many of you fall asleep in history class in the not so recent past. Therefore, a bit of a re-cap is sadly necessary to explain the details neglected in your education.

By 2089, the removal of the various demon breeds led to vermin hunts of the breeds responsible for the cataclysm. Demeons and Daemeons were treated in a most clinical manner and those who still wished to reign were eradicated. The Fae that remained were removed from a neutral stance and the Courts of the Fae were no longer hidden from mortal eyes. Both of the rebuilt cities were warded against demons and this prevented the Skrill and Rian from taking over the Pacific Islands as well as the British Isles. The general response to the insect menace led to a rebirth of the Order of Shadows original training methods. Current rumors have a large number of lower great demons to have been lost somewhere records indicated a lost training center. That the center had been lost in the islands of the Pacific Ocean with several of the Order's more prominent fighters remains a mystery. Time passed and the world moved on. The outright invasions had stopped, but the constant threats of further forces trying to gain a foothold or more accurately, a claw hold on the world continued.

In 2180, a dimensional fissure originally believed to be a temporal displacement deposited one male child in the area near New London. Standard medical scans revealed an over exposure of en-tropic energies and a mystic core. At the time the infant was adopted by one Samuel Stone. The boy was named Horatius 'Horus' Stone after extensive searching for DNA matches led to no relatives living or dead found. He had been adopted by a sorcerer by the name of Samuel Stone and had a rather typical childhood for the age he was living in among our more traditional mystic neighbors.

Young Horatius was raised in New London and Neo-Tokyo with several trips to Americas various cities spending time in San Francisco and St. Louis in addition to trips to various areas of interest. Horatius underwent Initiate training at a young age due to the triggered awakening his arrival had accelerated. Having passed initiate level before he was six, he completed his apprenticeship at age ten a good five years under the previous record holder having spent two of his four years of accelerated apprenticeship on Squad Seven under Journeyman Kando before his promotion. Honorary member of the Serpent and Shadow Order, Horus has been a team leader for the past two years for Squad Five having one of the highest success rates of any team in the past several decades as well as being the youngest team leader in several centuries. At his current rate, it is widely held that he will reach Master level before turning twenty. This is quite the accomplishment since most sorcerers do not reach mastery until they are a century old, but for someone with a base life span of five centuries spending one fifth of it learning is no different than most of us having gone to a four-year college. Most of the fuss of the legislation around God's Bane is that the body could handle it after a century, which is when most sorcerers qualified for mastery after over ninety years of study.

The only other student in the past few centuries to reach such levels this quickly in the past few centuries was Pegasus of the line of Oroborus and Orion. Horus is considered a blood adopted member of the lines of Serpent, Dragon. Both of these individuals are blood heirs of Lord Oroborus of the Serpent line, the only person to reach the heights of mastery before being a teenager and the current Supreme Grand Master Sorcerer.

In 2194, Journeyman Horus leader of Squad Seven disappeared after an incident with a para-dimensional Rian force attempted to sabotage the naval base at Dover, England. What happened afterwards is still unknown. The last reported appearance of Journeyman Horus was in black cargo pants with a hide jacket over a shirt that said, "Repeal the WPA, Hunt in 2195." The crystalline glasses on his face and armed appearance might have caused problems wherever he reappeared.

That he, like his mentor, wore a face mask when hunting Rian would make for a more mysterious and sinister introduction to whoever met him. Then again, the emblem on his forehead protector showing his membership to the Order of Shadows in addition to his neck guard from the Order of Serpents and his face mask tends to make him seem far more intimidating than one would think a fifteen year old would be. It is a sad fact that someone so young has spent over five years directly fighting the Enemy.

The Order of Shadows is rumored to be the source behind the shinobi of Japan and has long since lost track of all of there various plots. All members carry a forehead protector and a tattoo on the back of there neck with the orders emblem, the yin-yang. This is due to the changeover in leadership and mid level leaders in the past few centuries. With the original abilities of the Order, there have been many who sought the knowledge they have preserved by any means necessary. Some rumors have circulated that the lost soldiers of the Order had founded countries in either one of the old proving grounds or in one of the natural nexi for Diemeons and stayed to safeguard escape. Rumor has it that this was supposed to be Squad Five's next mission after the destruction of the Rian nest.

The Order of the Serpent has been rumored to have been seriously miffed at outsiders, who believe the propaganda against them originating in the early Jewish and Christian theology due to there tradition of serpent familiars. One of the requirements of all members is a serpent tattoo on there neck in addition to the neck guard. All members of the order if not serpent speakers by birth learn it as a second language. Rumor of the Circles surviving had reached the ears of higher members in the early twenty first century causing massive upheaval when the mundys learned of there existence.

The Circles were a sub group of the Order who were Masters of blood, death, soul, and life magicks. Having achieved the near immortality in the days after the Sorcerer Wars they kept to themselves but adopted traditions that later influenced the Druids. The four types of the Circles were Balanced, Blood, Death and Carnal based on which sources of energy favored. There are several rumors of the various types having different falls becoming legends in the Orient. The blood drinking Gaki, the Incubus and Succubus and other legends have come from this sub group. Heavily hunted during the Inquisition by mundanes and magical beings alike because of the serpent ties and powers few Circles remained intact in Europe. The Circles in the Americas had felled with the arrival of the Conquistadors. The gods of the Maya are believed to be either of the Circles or one of the various types of vampires due to the preoccupation with blood. However, some anthropologists have suggested that Lord Oroborus was the source for Quetzalcoatl, but no one has been willing to directly ask him to either prove or disprove the rumor. It has been verified that they were planning to offer membership after he had become of age.

Journeyman Horus has led a long and interesting career in such a short time. With his disappearance much speculation on the future of Squad Five has occurred. Rumor of Master Kando having to replace his best student led to speculation on what he had taught his student in addition to whatever his father and his associates have taught him.

The roster for Squad Seven was the following:

* Horus: Squad Leader, Lightning and Shadow Stylist, Journeyman Sorcerer. Fifteen years old.

* Manix: Squad Captain, 2IC, Fire Stylist, Warlock, Battle magic specialist. Nineteen years old.

* Kat: Earth Stylist, Were-Cat, Apprentice Sorceress, Hand to Hand Specialist. Seventeen years old.

* Mark: Water Stylist, Chi-Mage/Practitioner, Potion/Healer specialist. Twenty three years old.

* Tobias: Air Stylist, Day Vampire, Illusion/Traps specialist. Forty-two years old.

The modern teams have a neural communications interface added to provide a better silent communication than the previous comms in the past to combat the heightened senses of there prey.

It is hoped that he eventually returns from wherever the Rian had gone. Our wished are with him, wherever he has gone. Come home safe Horus we need you back home.

--- Marissa Stead, New London Times August 2, 2194.