A woman sat at the zenith of Stoatshead Hill, blue flowers never seen on Earth all around her. The sky was a blinding endless field of white. Her blonde hair was tied back in a loose braid and her dress was black as night.
"Mummy!" a young girl shouted. The girl looked to be only six years old in appearance as she ran up the hill, barefoot and wearing a white sundress. She was followed by a small flying moogle. "Mummy, I've missed you!"
Her hair was equally golden blonde as her mothers. However, she had her father's silver colored eyes, which were wide open, as if the young girl was in a constant state of surprise. She glomped onto the woman, by all indications her mother, and held her tightly. The woman reciprocated the clench.
"I know, Moonbeam, but it was necessary," the woman soothed the girl. "As powerful as I am, Luna, it is far more difficult for me to manifest on the physical plane than it is for the others."
"But now Harry hates you!" Luna cried with a pout.
"He was always going to hate and mistrust us. I'm merely giving him an excuse to do so," Not-Luna's Mother replied.
"But why? If you need to work together, why let him hate you?" Luna asked.
"Because this is the best way forward," Not-Luna's Mother answered.
"I disagree," said a deep voice. It belonged to a red lion-like creature. His proud mane was a glowing orange and yellow and the colors shifted as if it was made of fire. Then end of his tale was a simple flame. His large cat-like eyes were yellow and red. He was the bestial Eidolon of Fire and Pride. He was Ifirit. "Enflaming the ire of the King of Magic is counter-productive to our aims."
The moogle that had been trailing after Luna, landed on his head. "Kupo!"
The single, two syllable word said more than it implied as the moogle also showed it's disapproval of their leader's plan.
"More than any other being, alive or dead, I am far more aware of the grim realities of our world. Of Magic. Of Fate," Not-Luna's mother stated. "If the King of Magic is to truly succeed, he needs to contront and take control of destiny, independantly of us. For far too long, we have been inactive in this world. We, moreso than any mortal, are bound to Fate's whims. If we are to have a say in our destiny, we need Mortals- a specific mortal, Harry Potter, to intercede on our behalf. The only way to do that is to have him take control of his own fate and, by extension, our own."
"I can see the logic in it," A buxom woman with long white hair responded. She was a full figured woman, who wore armor that only accentuated her assets. Her winged helmet looked draconic and her spear also had draconian design influences. Her gauntlets had taloned finger tips and the greaves of her boots were shaped like a dragons paws. She was the Draconic Eidolon of Honor and Valor, Bahamut. "But you play a dangerous game, Eldest."
Not-Luna's Mother, sometimes referred to as Eldest by her siblings- a title bestowed upon her for the obvious reason, conceded the Dragon Knight's point. "I know, Bahamut, but what else can I do? Three potential Chosen Ones, two of whom would see the world to it's end, either through stagnation or destruction. Harry Potter is our best hope, but not while he is being held back by his Brothers-in-Fate."
"Is there truly no other way, Eldest?" asked their mutual sister, Shiva, Eidolon of Ice and Magic. She was completely nude and was completely comfortable in being so, having transcended the need for clothing. Her pale blue skin glittered, her eyes were like bright sapphires and her dark blue hair was done up in a series of elaborate and intricate braids and reached down to her ankles. The only adornments on her body were a series of glittering gold bangles and anklets on her arms and legs respectively and glittering earrings, with a single golden stud on her left eyebrow. Her hair was also held in place with a number of jeweled, golden hair fasteners. Her finger and toe nails were painted blue with snow flake designs on them, though she had white painted lips and eye shadow.
"There are plenty of other paths we could follow, Shiva. Some of them would even see the King of Magic succeed in completing his own personal destiny and reuniting with his lady love, living a full and happy life. One he richly deserves for his deeds in this life alone," Eldest admitted. "But those are not the optimum paths he or we could take."
The moogle frowned. "Kupo!"
"No we don't, but I'm going to any way. A time of great upheaval is coming and if the world is to stand a chance, it's going to need us. As we are now, we'll be unable to act. We've languished over the centuries. We are no longer as we once were," Eldest stated firmly. "For far too long, we have held ourselved apart from humanity and the physical world."
"We had reason to do so," Ifirit argued. "Our interference was causing more harm than good. We all agreed, some more reluctantly than most, that our separation from the humans was for the best."
"At the time, it was the best decision we could make," Eldest agreed. "But that time has passed. We are older and, hopefully, wiser than we were back then."
Bahamut leveled Eldest with a hard glare. She'd been one of the strongest objectors to separating from the Mortal Plane. "You've seemed content not to act until now. What has changed? Why do you suddenly care now?"
Eldest closed her eyes. "Content, but not satisfied. Don't take my inaction as apathy. Our separation from Mortals was never meant to be permanent. But there never seemed to be an ideal time to reintegrate with them and because of that, Magic has suffered and fallen into obscurity. For a long time, I have sought champions to restore the balance, but each time I was met with nothing but disappointment. Contrary to my advocacy for separating from the Mortal World, my connection to it is stronger to it than yours, than everyone else's. Intricately linked in ways few could understand on a conscious level. I can't fully explain it, not even to myself, but Harry Potter is different and not simply because of his soul. Harry of Earth will far surpass Noctis of Eos if given the chance. Moreso than the magical giants like Myrddin who came before him, Harry Potter has the greatest success to succeed as my champion. But ours will not be a partnership of equals. He will be as much our King as he will be of Magic."
Ifirit frowned disapprovingly. "You intend to make us subservient to mortals. To be nothing more than servants to their whims."
"Kupo!" the Moogle argued.
"Kupo has a point," Bahamut agreed. "They couldn't do any worse than we did when we were worshipped by them as Gods and we treated them as our servants."
"I intend for Eidolons and Mortals to be partners. Equal in all ways," Eldest interjected. "The only one of us to be bound in subservience will be me and ONLY to King Harry. However, he must be strong enough to bind me. Just as I am the most powerful Eidolon to have ever existed, he must be the strongest Mortal in magic and character to be worthy of binding me."
Bahamut giggled in amusement. "Kinky."
Eldest leveled Bahamut with an unamused glare. Her current form was influenced by Luna- the image Luna associated with her Aspect. Something Bahamut was all too aware of, as Eldest's true form held no actual concept of gender.
"Mummy, what did she mean by that?" Luna asked Eldest in a completely innocent and unassuming manner.
Despite not actually being Luna's mother, Eldest held a certain fondness for Luna. A fondness that intensified whenever Eldest took on Luna's mother's form. "I'll tell you when you're older."
Luna closed her eyes and Eldest had to admit, if only to herself, that the child looked absolutely adorable with her face scrunched up in concentration, right up until Luna jumped from being six years old to her actual thirteen years of age. "Will you tell me now, Mummy?"
Eldest leveled Luna with a glare that could only be described as maternal. "No."
"But..." Luna began to protest.
Bahamut got a playful look on her face. "I could..."
"Kupo!" Kupo admonished the Draconic Eidolon, who looked completely unashamed.
"Why not have the Oracle handle this one," Shiva suggested.
Luna frowned. "But I still don't know who she will be. You've refused to tell me."
"You will know, as will Harry, once the time comes," Eldest assured the teenage girl.
Luna pouted cutely. "Why can't you just tell me?"
"You know why, Moonbeam," Eldest replied.
"Even if we wanted to, such matters are not for us to interfere," Ifirit chided her sternly.
Luna frowned. Of all the Eidolons she'd met, Ifirit was her least favorite. His stern, humorless demeanor clashed with her free spirited nature.
"Kupo..." Kupo stated with a frown directed at the bestial Eidolon.
Ifirit merely scoffed at the Moogle. "Coddling her does her no favors."
"Ignore him, Lu. He's grumpy when he hasn't eaten recently," Bahamut said conspiratorily to Luna, though she made no effort to hide what she was saying about the lionine Eidolon. Luna generally liked Bahamut. She was like the bad influence Aunt that every girl was supposed to have. At least according to Bahamut. Actually, Bahamut said she was the "fun" Aunt, but Kupo had said that she was a bad influence. Still, Bahamut was fun, even if her mother- who wasn't really her mother, but looked like her- seemed to generally disapprove of the Dragon Knight.
Ifirit's eyes narrowed. "I don't eat."
"Thus, why he's always grumpy," Bahamut replied, as if she was inparting wisdom of the ages upon Luna, who was by far her most favorite human she's ever interacted with.
Ifirit growled at Bahamut, his mane glowing more brightly, his eyes turning more red than yellow.
Kupo sighed in exasperation. "Kupo..."