Act 1: Phoenix Rises From Ashes
Ignoble, thin Harry Potter exited the orphanage, holding a pickaxe on which his misery and hardship lay crossed. The Sun had just risen, spreading its orange-purple light across the sky and creating a picturesque scene. Yet Harry spent only a moment to appreciate its beauty, before preparing himself for the day that awaited him.
He was 17 this year, though he didn't look the part. He was skinny and short, scrawny and stunted. On his head was a mop of messy hair that covered a curious scar located on his forehead, shaped like a lightning bolt. He didn't know how he got the scar, but it had always been on his forehead.
'I hate my life,' Harry sighed as he made his way towards the mines. As far as he could remember, his life was misfortune after misfortune.
The first misfortune occurred when he was not even two years old. One night, someone had murdered his father. His mother fought the intruder off, but both his mother and the assailant disappeared, with no bodies ever being found. No one even knew who the assailant was, making it a complete dead-end case.
It was followed immediately by the second misfortune.
After that night, he was dropped off at an orphanage. Specifically, Wool's Orphanage, located in the poorest areas of Crystal Mine City.
Crystal Mine City was a small city built around a number of eponymous Qi Crystal mines. Living in the city were a few thousand people whose livelihoods depended on mining and selling the Qi Crystals produced. Over time, these people had formed a number of loose organisations, one of which was Wool's Orphanage.
In reality, calling Wool's Orphanage an orphanage would be stretching its definition. True, it did offer orphans a place to live and food to eat. But it also employed them – shelter and meals were provided at a cost of 20 Qi Crystals a day. An orphan who didn't meet the quota was an orphan who went hungry. It was the perfect reflection of the cruel nature of the world.
Nonetheless, Wool's Orphanage was a necessary organisation in Crystal Mine City. Orphans were all too common here, and without it, they would all starve to death.
And as for the third, fourth, and next few thousand misfortunes, Harry had long lost count. As far as he was concerned, every day spent in the wretched mines was one of them.
After a short walk, Harry reached the entrance of the mines and stepped inside. It was a gloomy cave, which stretched deep and far into the ground. Even though the lighting provided by the torches was poor, Harry navigated it like the back of his hand.
Some twists and turns later, he reached the area he had left last night. It was a high-risk area, as the workers had not yet reinforced this section of the cavern with the wooden supports. As a result, few people wished to mine here due to the danger of a cave-in.
But mining in this area also had its benefits. With fewer people here, there was less competition over the Qi Crystals. In a lawless area like Crystal Mine City, it was common for disputes to occur and fights to break out. Especially orphans, who had no support, were a frequent target of the miners from other organisations.
It hadn't always been like this. Harry could still recall the times of relative peace, back when making a living hadn't been as difficult. For the most part, people would mind their own business and leave Harry and the other orphans alone.
It had all changed a few years ago. For the past few decades in Crystal Mine City, the largest organisation was Grunnings Drill Company. After the head of Grunnings passed away, a man named Vernon Dursley became the new head. Under his rule, Grunnings aggressively grew in size, forcing the other mining organisations to disband and join Grunnings through various underhanded means.
In a few years, Grunnings grew to control nearly 80% of the mining business of Crystal Mine City. As for the other 20%, they were comprised of small groups like Wool's Orphanage, which were too trivial to enter Vernon Dursley's notice.
However, that didn't mean Wool's Orphanage didn't feel its effects.
Before Vernon Dursley assumed command, there had been a balance of power between the large mining organisations. At that time, Crystal Mine City could be considered a somewhat lawful area, with rules set in place to maintain a sense of fairness. For example, certain mines belonged to certain groups, which was vital for the orphans of Wool's Orphanage, as it ensured they had a place to work.
But after Vernon took charge, and the large mining organisations all merged into Grunnings, the rules of Grunnings became the rules of Crystal Mine City. Furthermore, Vernon imposed strict quotas upon his workers, some as high as 50 Qi Crystals a day. And mining was only one way to get Qi Crystals – it was easier to just steal them from someone weaker. Such as an orphan.
Just last week, a group of workers from Grunnings Drill Company had robbed hundreds of Qi Crystals from some orphans returning from the mines. The orphans had no power to resist, and the matron of Wool's Orphanage, a horrid woman named Ms. Cole, didn't care for their excuses.
Needless to say, it was best for an orphan to keep a low profile. Hence, Harry worked in the most deserted areas of the mines.
Lifting his pickaxe above his head, Harry swung it at the cavern wall, starting the day's work.
The process of mining Qi Crystals, in theory, was very simple. One swung his pickaxe at the cavern wall to dislodge large boulders, and then broke the boulders apart to find Qi Crystals. Qi Crystals were translucent rocks which contained dense amounts of Qi packed inside. They ranged in size, some the size of a pebble, others the size of a fist. They emitted a soft, silvery light, making them easily identifiable from ordinary rocks.
However, the actual mining process was more complicated. There was no way to tell if a rock contained a Qi Crystal without smashing it apart.
There were cases of small rocks that contained dozens of tightly packed Qi Crystals, there were also cases of massive boulders that didn't contain a single Qi Crystal. Therefore, the mining process always involved an element of luck.
Around half an hour later, Harry managed to knock out a large boulder, which crashed to the ground with a loud BANG. Wiping the sweat off his face, he began attacking it.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With practised strokes, the boulder split down the middle, revealing two silver objects inside.
'Two Qi Crystals, not bad,' Harry thought, before swinging his pickaxe to break up the two halves. But to his disappointment, no other Qi Crystals were found amongst the ruins. Setting the two aside, he began loading the smashed bits of rock into one of the nearby wheelbarrows. At the end of the day, they would be carted out of the mines.
With his years of experience in the mines, he was usually able to complete his quota a bit after noon, which was when he would eat his first meal of the day. At this point, most of the orphans would waste the rest of the day away, finding ways to amuse themselves in Crystal Mine City.
But Harry was different. When Harry completed his quota and ate his fill, he returned to the mines.
Qi Crystals were valuable mainly because they were the standard currency in the Scarlet Phoenix Empire. There were thousands of small cities like Crystal Mine City that produced the raw materials to supply the empire's entire economy.
However, Qi Crystals had another use. They could be used for cultivation.
Cultivation was the process of understanding and using magical force. In this world, cultivation and strength were everything. The strong ruled, and the weak were ruled. That was the way of life since ancient times.
It was everyone's dream to become a strong cultivator, but reality was cruel. Especially in a backwater place like Crystal Mine City, most people had long given up on such thoughts.
Yet, Harry was not one of those people. He wanted nothing more than to leave this wretched orphanage, leave these cursed mines, leave the forsaken Crystal Mine City, and head into the wider world. Most of all, he longed to find his mother.
15 years ago, he was dropped off at Wool's Orphanage with only two things on his body.
One was a note, which said his name was Harry Potter, his father was murdered, and that his mother was missing, presumed dead. There was no other information on the note – it didn't even mention their names.
The second item was a necklace, which he had worn for his entire life. It was a simple loop of string, with a small decoration hanging off it. The decoration was made of red metal and shaped into a bird with its wings outstretched, resembling a scarlet flame.
Other than those items and the clothes on his body, there was nothing else. No one had seen who dropped him off, and the note was unsigned. Harry's background was a complete and utter mystery.
The note had said his mother was missing, not that she was dead. So, Harry had held onto the hope that she was alive, and convinced himself that his mother was out there somewhere. However, he knew his parents weren't from Crystal Mine City, as no one here was surnamed Potter.
Therefore, if he wanted to resolve the mystery of his parents, he had to travel elsewhere. He didn't care if he had to question everyone in the empire to find his mother. Even if his quest was ultimately a waste of time, it at least gave him a purpose, and it was better than working in the mines for a lifetime.
But, in order to realise those dreams, he had to cultivate. With his measly strength, he could barely maintain a livelihood in Crystal Mine City. And Crystal Mine City was one of the weakest locations in the Scarlet Phoenix Empire, which was a massive empire filled with strong cultivators.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Another rock was split apart, this time revealing four glittering Qi Crystals. Harry set those aside and once again began attacking the wall.
A few hours later, his pile of Qi Crystals had doubled in size.
By midday, he was thoroughly exhausted. But in front of him were 20 sparkling Qi Crystals.
Wiping the sweat off his head, he cleaned the broken rock bits around him and gathered the Qi Crystals into his sack. He swung it over his shoulder and headed towards the cave entrance.
He was in a good mood, as he had completed his daily quota earlier than expected. After his meal, he'd return to mining and –
His good mood vanished the moment he saw the people loitering outside the cave.
They were a group of five teenagers, around Harry's age. In the middle was Dudley Dursley, the son of Vernon Dursley. Surrounding him were his gang of bullies, Gordon, Malcolm, Piers, and Dennis.
Dudley's gang frequently robbed Qi Crystals from the orphans. The orphans were their favourite target, as most didn't even dare to fight back. Offending Dudley was the same as offending Vernon, and no one, especially not the orphans, dared to offend Vernon.
And out of the orphans, Harry was their favourite target.
"Hehe, Doggy Potter. Good harvest today?" Dudley smirked as he saw Harry head out of the cave.
"Good afternoon," Harry responded politely. But inside, he cursed his bad luck.
"You know why we're here, don't you?"
"If you want Qi Crystals, there are plenty in the mines. With the five of you, I'm sure you could get some in no time."
"But why should we do that?" Piers sneered. "We can just take yours."
The rest of the gang loudly laughed.
"Don't you feel ashamed of yourselves?" Harry tried, in a last-ditch effort to save his crystals. "You are all at the 4th level of the Body Tempering Realm, and Dudley, you are at the 5th. I'm only at the 2nd level. Besides, you took all my crystals three days ago."
"Haha, ashamed?" Dudley guffawed. "Why would we feel ashamed? And so what if we took your crystals three days ago? You should thank us for not taking them yesterday."
"Right, right," Malcolm chimed in. "The winner is the king, the loser is the bandit. Just hand over the crystals, and we'll spare you a beating."
"I'm not handing them over," Harry snapped. He had worked hard all morning to get these crystals. How could he just give them away?
"We gave you a chance, but it's a pity you didn't take it. We'll be taking them by force!"
Dudley leapt forward and threw a punch. Harry raised his arm to block it.
Fights between cultivators were affected by a great number of factors, but generally, a lower-level cultivator couldn't defeat a higher-level cultivator. It was rare to find a cultivator who could; those who could perform such feats were referred to as geniuses.
But Harry was no genius. He couldn't even beat other cultivators at the 2nd level, much less fight against those a level above. How could he beat Dudley, who was at the 5th level?
Each level of the Body Tempering Realm allowed the cultivator to exert a few dozen kilograms of strength. Someone at Dudley's level could lift small boulders. If Dudley bothered to work in the mines, he could mine Qi Crystals far faster than Harry could. Besides, Harry was already exhausted from mining.
As such, Harry's arm was swatted aside like paper, and the rest of Dudley's punch landed solidly on his chest. The force was enough to send him tumbling backwards. He landed on his side, panting for breath as the wind was knocked out of him.
'The gap between the 2nd and 5th level is too large,' Harry cursed as he struggled to get back up.
Just as Harry got back on his feet, Dudley reappeared in his vision.
Wham!
Another fist landed on his chest. Harry felt like a rock had been smashed into his body, and once again tumbled onto the ground.
Gritting his teeth, he got up again, only to be struck right in the stomach. Immediately, he was back down on the ground.
The pummeling continued, the cycle repeating itself over and over. Dudley would hit him, Harry would fall to the ground with a fresh injury, and the moment he got up, he'd be sent back down.
Cursing his life, Harry struggled back onto his feet. He turned his head, searching for where Dudley had vanished to, and then –
Dudley's foot landed right in the centre of his back, sending him crashing right into the ground. He tasted the bitter dirt and dry grass.
"Haha hahahahaha!" Dudley's gang laughed and jeered, throwing clumps of dirt at Harry's prone body.
Mustering all of his remaining strength, Harry got back up.
What happened next was completely unexpected. Just as he got into a standing position, Harry was struck by a spasm of pain and lost his balance. In a desperate attempt to reclaim it, he wildly stuck his legs out. Meanwhile, Dudley, not expecting Harry to fall, overshot and tripped over his outstretched leg. The result was that both Harry and Dudley landed in a heap, faces in the dirt.
There was dead silence.
Harry scrambled to his feet, backing up as quickly as he could.
"POTTER!"
"I-I-I didn't mean to –"
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Enraged, Dudley leapt up and shot towards Harry, releasing all the strength in his body.
'I'm screwed,' Harry thought in terror. He now realised that Dudley was just toying with him earlier. The punch coming his way was like an unavoidable rock aimed at his head.
A fist landed on his nose, caving his face in, and painting it with blood. Another landed on his stomach. Thankfully, he had not eaten yet.
The combined force of the two hits propelled his body ten meters away, and he sailed through the air like a ragdoll. Landing on his back, he opened his eyes just in time to see the bottom of a shoe –
STOMP!
He screamed as his already throbbing nose was broken even more, and then screamed again when the next foot landed on his chest. Over and over, Dudley kicked him, like how a child might kick a ball, until he was panting on the grass and coughing up blood. The grass beneath him was stained red.
There was a loud CRACK as Dudley stomped on his right thigh, and another CRACK as Dudley stomped on his left thigh.
"That's what you get," Dudley spat on his face. "Serves you right. Spiritless Orphan, my father will hear about how you injured me."
Dudley kicked him a few more times, breaking a few more bones until he was satisfied, and Harry slipped into unconsciousness as the pain became too much to bear.
Harry awoke on a familiar mattress, staring up at a familiar ceiling.
He was back in the orphanage, lying on his bed. His entire body felt sore, like he had been beaten within an inch of his life – oh right, that's exactly what had happened.
Needless to say, the Qi Crystals he had painstakingly mined all morning were all gone.
Groaning, he turned his head, seeing a plate of food on the table near his bed. Forcing himself into a sitting position, he tried to eat.
Harry may not have been very strong, but he was rather clever. He knew that as an orphan, he had no background or influence to support him. If his Qi Crystals were robbed one day, he'd have no way of retaliating or getting them back. Instead of dooming himself to starve, he planned ahead.
Wool's Orphanage had a credit system, where orphans could submit extra crystals for a future date. Over the years, he had submitted many extra Qi Crystals for this very situation. And although Ms. Cole was a stingy and uncaring woman, at the very least she was fair. She kept track of each orphan's contributions and credit, and fairly handed out food and shelter.
So, Harry knew he was not in danger of starving, and there was no immediate rush to return to the mines. He could take his time recovering.
Perhaps a few days off would be good for him.
However, he quickly discovered that his injuries were much worse than he thought. On his right hand, only his thumb and forefinger would respond. On his left hand, not a single finger did. And with the tremors racing through his body, he couldn't even hold onto a spoon.
He gave up on the cutlery and just shoved his mouth into the food. When he finished the bread and vegetables, he lay back down in bed and checked the injuries on his body.
His legs were broken and strapped against some crude crutches. If he was lucky, he'd be able to walk in about a week. His chest and legs were a mass of bruises, and a quick glance in a mirror showed his nose was crooked. There were at least 10 broken bones in each of his hands.
Gingerly, he tried to set his nose back in place.
"Fuck!" he swore. The moment he touched it, he felt like someone had stabbed his face. He decided to let it be.
But his body injuries weren't the most pressing concern on his mind. Rather, he was more worried about Dudley's father, Vernon Dursley.
Vernon Dursley was famous in Crystal Mine City and was mainly known for three things – his size, his love for his son, and his ruthlessness. He had spoiled Dudley, rather impressive considering the scarce resources and widespread poverty in Crystal Mine City. He was also the sort of man who would take revenge for the slightest grievance. Those who crossed his path or went against Grunnings were mercilessly stamped out. That was how he had forced his way into the top position in the city.
But, Harry hoped, perhaps Vernon wouldn't do anything to him. Dudley had already beaten him to such a pathetic state, perhaps his father would feel that he was already punished enough. And though he had tripped Dudley, it was a very light injury.
Sighing, he lay in his bed, mulling over his pathetic life. His entire life, he had been Dudley's favourite bullying target. Not a single week could go by without Dudley harassing him in some way.
However, there was nothing he could do, and he had no support. The other orphans knew to avoid Harry, or else Dudley and his gang would bully them by association. Ms. Cole didn't care as long as Harry brought Qi Crystals back – and even if she did, she wouldn't go against Vernon Dursley.
A man like Vernon Dursley had a hundred ways of getting revenge in Crystal Mine City.
Ultimately, Harry supposed, it was all due to cultivation.
Cultivation was divided into a number of realms, the first being the Body Tempering Realm. In this realm, cultivators focused on strengthening their bodies by opening their meridians. The human body contains nine meridians, which are passageways in which Qi flows. Meridians were closed from birth, but by absorbing Qi and pushing it through the meridians, they could be opened.
Each open meridian corresponded to a level in the Body Tempering Realm. When one opened the first meridian, they were at the 1st level of the Body Tempering Realm and officially started cultivation. When one opened all nine meridians, they were at the 9th level.
Harry had opened his first two meridians by saving Qi Crystals over many years and refining the Qi inside. Dudley had opened five, probably through all the resources his parents had given him.
As for Vernon Dursley, Harry had no idea what his cultivation was. However, the rumour was that he had reached the 7th or 8th level of the Body Tempering Realm. That was frightening to think about – with that strength, Vernon could move about unhindered.
Each level of cultivation came with increased strength. And with strength came power and status.
Due to cultivation, the weak were at the mercy of the strong. The strong set the rules, the rules favoured the strong; in fact, it would be better to say that the rules only applied to the weak.
If Vernon wanted Harry dead, he wouldn't even be able to resist.
His thoughts drifted back to the fight from earlier. He had been utterly crushed, without a single chance of fighting back against Dudley. The 2nd level of the Body Tempering Realm was just far too weak.
He hated that feeling of powerlessness, he hated it, he hated it, he hated it, he hated it, he longed for the day he could punch that arrogant smirk right off Dudley's face and repay everything Dudley had done to him a hundred times over. Fantasies of beating each member of Dudley's gang to death ran through his mind every day, but he knew that would never happen. Just thinking of Dudley filled him with shame and hate, yet…
Even if he could beat Dudley, he couldn't beat his father. And as long as he couldn't beat Vernon Dursley, he didn't dare to do anything to Dudley. Perhaps he'd never achieve Vernon Dursley's level of cultivation in his entire lifetime, and he was destined to live under Dudley's shadow forever.
Just as Harry's thoughts grew darker and darker, the door opened, and in walked Ms. Cole.
"You have visitors," she said, not even sparing a glance at his injuries. Taking the empty plate, she walked out.
And in came the three people Harry hated the most.
First to enter was Dudley, who gave Harry a mocking grin when he saw his injuries.
Next was his mother, Petunia Dursley. She was a skinny and tall woman, with a disproportionately long neck. Her face was perpetually stuck in a sneering expression, like there was something smelly under her nose.
After Petunia Dursley came her husband.
Vernon Dursley was the largest man Harry had ever seen. In a poor place like Crystal Mine City, it was difficult to get fat. Nearly everyone was thin and underfed. On average, three people died of starvation every month. Yet, Vernon Dursley had managed it. He was so large he barely fit through the door, with a thick moustache and heavy scowl on his face. Seeing that expression, Harry knew there was no chance of being let off.
Lying immobilised on his bed, Harry could do nothing as Vernon walked closer. He was well aware that he was powerless to even move. In the worst case, his life would be over in the next five seconds.
"So, you're the brat that injured my son?" he finally asked. His voice was gruff and wheezing, like just speaking was a massive effort. How he was able to reach his level of cultivation, Harry had no idea. Generally, cultivators were all in good physical shape.
"It was an accident," Harry said back, trying to hide his nervousness.
"An accident? You accidentally called my wife a whore, and my son a bastard? You accidentally kicked him in the crotch and knocked him onto the ground?"
"What?" Harry asked, bewildered at the questions. What was he –
And then he saw Dudley, who gave him a nasty smile back. He was standing near the back of the room, so his parents didn't see his face. But it was in plain view of Harry.
Everything was immediately clear.
"I didn't say or do any of that," Harry responded quickly. "I just accidentally tripped him."
"LIES!" Petunia screeched. It was the first time Harry had heard her talk, and he almost leapt off his bed in fright. Her voice was shrill, like nails on a chalkboard, making his body shudder.
"Brat, you have the guts to lie to our face! How dare you hurt my son?"
"I'm not -"
SLAP!
The slap came without warning. It felt like a hammer had hit his cheek, knocking half of his teeth loose. If it had been any harder, he would be toothless.
Tears welled up in his eyes from the pain, and his face turned red as he started to cry. On the other side of the room, Dudley had a look of schadenfreude on his face.
"The punishment for those who insult me has always been death. But you're just an orphan, no different from a stray dog. I can't be bothered to deal with you, except you hurt my son. So, you will be punished."
"This time tomorrow, I'll hang your body outside Grunnings as an example."
Hearing that, Harry felt like his heart had stopped.
Only one body was hung outside Grunnings at a time. Whoever was unlucky enough to offend Vernon last was killed, and his body was hanged as a warning. It could hang for weeks, or even months, until it was just a skeleton with some strips of rotting flesh left. Eventually, it would be replaced by the next unlucky person. Without a doubt, it was one of the worst punishments imaginable.
"B-but," he stammered, "I-I-I didn't -"
"You what?" Vernon sneered. "You think you have a choice?"
'No,' Harry thought bitterly. In Crystal Mine City, Vernon's words were the law.
"Don't even think about running. Try, and I'll beat you like the dog you are."
With that, the three of them left the room, but not before Dudley shot him one last smirk.
It was nighttime now, a few hours after Vernon Dursley had given him his death sentence. Since then, Harry hadn't moved from his position on his bed. The reason wasn't just because his injuries hadn't healed – it was because he was still numb from shock.
He was going to die!
His entire life, he had worked his fingers off to carve out a living. He was an orphan with nothing to his name. Step by step, day by day, he managed to achieve a semi-stable life in the volatile Crystal Mine City. Just earlier, he had dreamed about leaving this city and travelling the empire to find his mother.
Yet it had taken only minutes for his life to be over.
'WHY?' he wanted to roar into the sky. What did he do to deserve this?
Out of all the people in the world, why did his parents have to be killed?
Out of all the orphanages in the empire, why was he sent to this hellhole?
Out of all the orphans in the orphanage, why did Dudley target him?
Why?
WHY?
What had he done wrong?
Thinking back on his entire life, he could not recall a single instance where he had made a mistake. Was it his fault his parents were attacked? Of course not, he was still a baby. Had he provoked the Dursleys in some way? Not that he could recall.
Should he have handed his Qi Crystals over? Perhaps. But if he had, wouldn't Dudley return the next day and continue snatching his crystals away? If he at least put up a fight, he hoped Dudley would feel it was too much effort to bother Harry and would go target someone else.
How could he imagine that Dudley would concoct such a vicious lie?
All he could feel was regret. If he had the opportunity to redo the day, he would have handed his crystals over without a second thought or complaint. Better yet, he wouldn't even get out of bed. He'd tell Ms. Cole he was feeling sick and spend the day indoors, and cash in some of his credit.
Even when thinking about his entire life, all he could feel was 17 years of regret.
He had tried to live righteously, a very difficult task in Crystal Mine City. When other orphans didn't reach their quota, Harry would lend them crystals so they could eat. He shared his food, and never bullied the younger ones like others orphans would.
Perhaps he was biased, but out of all the people in Crystal Mine City, Harry felt like he was the kindest, most humane one.
Yet, why was such a thing happening to him? What had he done to deserve this? Where was the justice in the world?
Harry had no doubt Dudley thought his life was worthless and would treat his death like a massive joke. He would probably gloat about it for weeks with his friends, laughing at how he had gotten Doggy Potter killed. And to Vernon Dursley, killing an orphan was no different from stepping on an ant.
Harry also knew that Vernon was only killing him to send the rest of the city a message – that his son was not to be touched. It was a way to establish his prestige. And of course, giving Harry a day to live was just to let him suffer a bit longer.
Understanding all of this made Harry incomparably angry. However, he kept his calm.
The scariest people were not the ones who gave in to their emotions and acted on their anger. Rather, the scariest people were the ones who stayed quiet and directed their anger for a different purpose.
All night long, Harry racked his brain to find a way out of his mess. All sorts of thoughts ran through his mind.
Could he negotiate with Vernon? It was worth a try, but realistically, there was no way. He had nothing to offer, and Grunnings didn't need a weak boy like him.
Could he beg? Also worth a try, but also unlikely to succeed.
Of course, there was also the option of running. But his legs were broken, and he couldn't even get out of bed. Even if he could, he had no chance of escaping from Vernon Dursley.
Tossing and turning all night, all sorts of thoughts flew through his head. Yet, none of them were able to get him out of his predicament. Before he knew it, exhaustion overtook him and he fell sound asleep.
The Sun was high in the sky when Harry woke up.
The events of the previous day, from mining Qi Crystals to being beaten, and ending in his death sentence, had exhausted him to the bone. When also considering his injury, it was no wonder he had slept for twelve straight hours.
Experimentally, he tried to lift his legs.
He managed about an inch before a streak of pain shot through them, and had no choice but to put them back down.
'I won't even be able to get out of bed today,' he thought gloomily.
Was he really destined to die?
Just as he was debating whether he should try crawling away, the door opened and Ms. Cole came in, holding a plate of food. She set it down by Harry's bed and turned to leave.
"Is that for me?" Harry couldn't help but blurt out.
He had gotten to know Ms. Cole's character very well over the years. She was stingy and especially meticulous when it came to money. If there was an opportunity for her to avoid spending it, she would. As such, he had assumed she wouldn't bother feeding him today – he was going to be dead anyway.
She stopped and turned back around to look at Harry.
"Is there anyone else in the room?"
"Well, no, but… thank you," he finally said. He had never expected such kindness from the normally uncaring woman.
"Since you still have credit, you can eat," she said, then left the room.
Harry couldn't help but feel grateful. In the darkest, worst moment of his life, one of the people he had hated the most had been kind to him. It had caused his entire perception of Ms. Cole, entire years of resentment, to vanish in just a moment.
Perhaps it was because he knew he was going to die. On his deathbed, he couldn't even muster angry thoughts. All he felt was hopelessness.
When he finished eating, he settled back down in bed. With nothing to do until Vernon showed up, he let his mind reminisce.
Growing up in the orphanage…
Mining Qi Crystals…
Getting robbed and beaten every week…
Trying to cultivate…
The desire to find his mother…
Flashes of his life flew through his mind, and as they did, he realised just how pathetic his life was.
The Scarlet Phoenix Empire was a huge land with millions of people. And of those millions, Harry felt that he was the worst off.
Who else was an orphan who slaved in the mines for scraps of food? Who else had the horrible luck to be targeted by the Dursleys? Who else was doomed to die over a teenager's lies?
It was just so… unfair, but Harry had long grown used to that. In the cultivation world, there was no such thing as fairness. It had always been the Law of the Jungle, with the strong making the rules. And Vernon Dursley made the rules of Crystal Mine City.
Harry lay in bed the whole day, just staring out the window. The Sun inched towards the horizon, each setting inch representing an inch closer to his doom. Any moment now, Vernon Dursley would barge through his door.
It was agonising torture to know you were about to die, but to be unable to move or resist.
Minute by minute, hour by hour, the time trickled by. Ms. Cole came back in to hand him some dinner, which he gratefully ate, and then tried once again to lift his legs.
They refused to respond.
By this point, the Sun had nearly set. Just as he weighed the pros and cons of trying to crawl out of Crystal Mine City, his door opened with a loud bang.
In strode Vernon and Dudley Dursley.
"Well?" the former asked, his face expressionless. "Have you prepared yourself?"
"Your son lied to you", Harry replied in a defeated tone. After thinking all day, the best plan he could come up with was this.
He didn't expect Vernon to believe him, and perhaps he'd be slapped again for the trouble. But he had nothing to lose.
"Yesterday, your son and his friends ambushed me outside the mines. He attacked me first, and I only defended myself. I never said anything about you or your wife, and I only tripped him by accident."
There was a long pause as the two of them stared into each other's eyes. Two cruel, beady eyes looked into two defiant green ones.
Even if Harry was going to die, he at least wanted the truth to get out.
"I know," Vernon responded.
All the arguments Harry had planned out in his mind collapsed.
"Y-you know?"
"Of course. I know you're a coward. You wouldn't have the balls to touch my son even if you had 100 times the courage."
Harry felt a spark of hope rise in his chest.
"So, does that mean -"
"What, you think I'm going to let you off?"
All the newfound hope was snuffed like a blanket over a torch.
"But -"
"Accident or not, you still tripped and injured my son. That alone gives me the right to punish you. And if I can use your death to send a message that my son is not to be touched, then why shouldn't I? It will spare me trouble in the future."
Despicable. Absolutely despicable. Suddenly, Harry realised that his previous understanding of Vernon Dursley was too naïve. Vernon was a far, far uglier man than he had realised.
"Drag him," Vernon ordered his son. Dudley was only too happy to comply.
Dudley roughly grabbed his arms and yanked him out of bed. He landed on the ground, sending a fresh wave of pain through his body. He cried out, only to receive a kick in the chest.
Powerlessly, he was dragged like a sack of flour behind Dudley, out of his room, and down the hall of the orphanage. He saw the other orphans peek out of their rooms, wondering what the commotion was, only to quickly duck back inside after seeing the Dursleys.
Eventually, they reached the front door and exited the orphanage. Outside was a crowd of people who had gathered around.
"Hehe, Doggy Potter, look around. The entire city knows you're next on Grunning's Hangman."
It seemed like there were dozens of people crowded in the streets, all of them craning their necks to get a good look at the unfortunate orphan. And thus started the most humiliating journey of Harry's life.
Grunnings was located on one side of Crystal Mine City, while Wool's Orphanage was located on the other side. Vernon walked down the main road, followed by his son, who dragged Harry behind him. He took care to walk through the bumps and rocks on the road, all to inflict a bit more pain on Harry.
As they walked, the crowd followed. Seeing the large crowd, more and more people came over to view the spectacle, eventually joining the crowd themselves. It wasn't long until the crowd doubled, then tripled in size. In just a few minutes, there were hundreds of people following a close distance behind Harry.
Harry could see plenty of people whispering to each other. Though he couldn't hear their conversations, there was no doubt they were about him.
"Look, son, that man is Vernon Dursley. Never offend him, or else you'll end up like that boy," one mother whispered to her child.
"What did he do?" another person whispered.
"I heard that he insulted Petunia Dursley and sneak attacked Dudley."
"What an idiot, doesn't he know who the Dursleys are?"
"No, no, my friend saw what happened with his own eyes," another person whispered. "The boy was coming out of the mines, but Dudley tried to take his crystals. They had a fight, and the boy accidentally tripped Dudley. Dudley beat him into that state, then reported to his father. The stuff about injuring Dudley is all a lie."
"What a pity," other people sighed when they heard the story.
"Help me," Harry moaned into the audience. But everyone just looked away, pretending not to see or hear him. All he got was a kick in the ribs from Dudley and a taunting smile.
In Crystal Mine City, no one dared to oppose Vernon Dursley.
In everyone's mind, of course, their own lives were more important than that of a stranger. Harry was just an orphan, not just that, he was the only Spiritless person in the city. People died in Crystal Mine City all the time, whether it be from starvation, illness, exhaustion, or from being framed. In the end, it was all the same. His death would just be one of many, and life would simply continue on.
The walk was only for a few minutes, but to Harry, it felt like hours. He stared at the darkening sky and the setting sun. If he saw the heartless eyes of the crowd, he'd go berserk with rage.
'I'll remember you,' he vowed in his heart.
'Vernon Dursley, Dudley Dursley, each and every one of you in the crowd. If there's an afterlife, if there's reincarnation, I'll engrave your faces in my memory and get my revenge.'
Perhaps in the back of his mind, he realised he was being delusional. There was no afterlife, there was no if, his life would simply be gone in a couple of minutes, and he would become little more than a warning to the rest of Crystal Mine City.
His body would hang on the Grunnings Hangman, his flesh would rot, he'd be eaten by birds and flies until he was just bones, and then the next unfortunate person would replace him.
At least death by hanging was quick, he supposed.
The dragging abruptly stopped, and Harry turned his head around.
He was there.
Grunnings was a large, imposing building. It was made of grey and black stone, giving it a sombre and dreary feel. Or perhaps that feeling came from the execution platform outside the front entrance.
The platform was made of wood and was a few feet tall. A horizontal beam was suspended above, with a noose hanging off it. A trapdoor in the platform was located directly under the rope. The victim stood above the trapdoor, the noose went over his neck, and then the trapdoor was opened by means of a lever. Gravity did the rest.
Harry was carried over and dragged up the short flight of stairs. He struggled the entire way, but it was useless. With Vernon's meaty hands grasping him, not to mention his broken pair of legs, there was no way for him to escape.
He stood on the platform, though it was more accurate to say he was leaning against one of Vernon's henchmen, while Vernon himself grabbed the rope.
"Well, boy, any last words?"
The noose tightened over his neck.
What was he supposed to say?
Proclaim his innocence? What was the point? Vernon already knew he was framed, and so did anyone else who had half a brain. Did anyone actually believe he was stupid enough to provoke the Dursleys?
Maybe beg? But again, what was the point? At the very least, he'd die a real man.
'That's right,' Harry thought. 'I'll go out like a real man.'
He took one last look around him.
The setting sun cast its final pale rays of light on the city. Around the gallows was a crowd of about 300 people. Some looked uneasy that a boy was about to die. Others were indifferent. A few even had looks of anticipation. After all, one didn't get to see a hanging every day.
"I do have some last words," Harry said. He spoke loudly and slowly, enunciating each word. Strangely, he felt an absolute lack of fear in his heart.
"Vernon Dursley, Dudley Dursley, Petunia Dursley…"
He stared right into Vernon and Dudley's eyes, getting a good look at their pudgy faces, letting the words hang in the air.
"… go fuck yourselves."
Vernon snorted, then pulled on the lever.
The trapdoor opened, and Harry felt his body go weightless.
He was suspended in the air for the briefest of moments, and then he began to fall.
And then…
There was a searing pain on his chest, like he had been burned. The necklace around his neck, no, it was the metal decoration hanging off of it, had heated up, the metal bird turning into a wisp of fire. There was a bright flash of light, a hook behind his navel, and then Harry Potter was gone, leaving behind an empty noose in front of a stunned crowd.