Advanced chapters on [email protected]/Saintbarbido.
(Loth's P.O.V)
I woke up gasping, face pressed against cool dirt, the coppery tang of ozone still clinging to the back of my tongue.
Hecate's voice echoed in my skull:
"Learn about Order. Learn about Chaos. Master every kind of magic you can."
The words didn't fade. They anchored themselves into my thoughts like runes carved into stone.
I sat up slowly.
Trees surrounded me. Not the ancient, gnarled giants of Hogwart's Forbidden Forest or the divinely maintained groves around Camp Half blood, but a dense, wild woodland that pulsed with a different kind of life. The air was thick with untamed energy. A static kind.
Aura Sense could feel it in the pull of gravity, in the texture of the Mist as it clung to my skin — thin here, stretched like gauze and too fleeting to properly harness. This world clearly had magic, but not the same kind. Not Wizard. Not divine. Something else.
Something wilder but eerily familiar.
Another Earth, I thought. One of the stars she showed me.
I stood up, brushing soil from my hands, only to hear a loud snap-hiss followed by a series of panicked yells crashing through the underbrush.
"PUT IT OUT! I'M ON FIRE! I'M—AAAAAAH—STILL ON FIRE!"
A blur of movement exploded out of the foliage.
The figure was humanoid, if you ignored the bright orange skin, glowing red eyes, and the fact that he was literally made of fire. His limbs flickered with living flame, his head pulsing like a furnace as he flailed in a blind panic.
Then I saw it.
On his chest — unmistakable. Circular, glowing green dial.
The Omnitrix. And Heatblast. Which meant...
"...You've got to be kidding me," I muttered, stepping back.
The alien flamed around in circles, flailing his arms. "WHY IS EVERYTHING STILL BURNING!?"
Heat poured off him in waves. Trees ignited. Leaves caught like dry tinder. Branches cracked and fell as the fire spread like a curse through the canopy.
He screamed again, still spinning. "SOMEONE DO SOMETHING—AAAAH I HATE THIS ONE!"
His panic snapped me out of my surprise. "Okay. Right. Intervention time. Questions later."
Raising a hand, I ignited the warmth in my chest and summoned a construct — basic blanket shape, controlled output. Just enough to smother the fire around him and keep it contained.
But something was wrong.
The construct shimmered pink, vibrated—
Too fast—
Then detonated in my hand.
The shockwave threw me backward. The alien shot in the opposite direction like a cannonball, slammed into a cluster of trees, and tumbled to the ground.
Smoke cleared.
A small figure groaned, face-first in the grass. Eleven. Maybe twelve. Brown hair. White shirt and camo green pants.
Definitely not Heatblast anymore.
Benjamin Kirk Tennyson. Ben 10. One of my favorite heroes growing up as a kid.
I blinked. "It's really him..."
The forest wasn't done punishing me. Fire crackled through the underbrush, devouring the foliage. If I didn't stop it now, it would spread across the whole valley.
I took a breath and steadied myself. This time really focusing on my magic.
The Anodite heat swirled in my heart like a coiled dragon. My hard earned control had dropped by half while the quantity and quality had grown by twofold. Unmistakably unstable. Overloaded. Explosive.
Fine, I thought. If it wants to explode—then I'll aim it.
I brought both hands forward and let the beam fire — a violent stream of pink energy that arced directly into the nearest blaze.
The effect was instantaneous. The construct broke down, cracked mid-flight, and detonated, sending a concussive blast across the clearing. The fire folded under the sheer force of displaced air.
Then, reflexively, I did something that wouldn't have occurred to me before.
I called it all back before I destroyed half of the forest. Even uncontrollable, it was still my energy.
The scattered particles of my energy paused—then rushed backward, flooding into my skin like a reverse explosion. It wasn't painless. My body screamed from the sudden surge.
But the flames were gone.
The air sizzled. Leaves smoldered. The forest had survived.
And Ben, now groaning again from the dirt, sat up and blinked blearily at me. "Did I do that?"
While the fire was gone, the stunt I pulled had also left a small crater behind me. Then again, better that than the alternative.
I wiped the soot off my face before responding, "No, I did."
"Oh, cool" he said. "so who are you Mister?"
-
Brief introduction later, Ben was limping.
An awkward hobble, foot twisted slightly inward. Sprained, maybe. Not broken, but definitely painful.
"Hold onto my shoulder," I said, letting him brace himself against me as we pushed through the last of the scorched forest.
"Ugh, this sucks," he complaines, wincing as he dragged his leg along. "I didn't even do anything. I turned into Fireguy and the next thing I know I'm on fire and then I get blasted into a tree."
"You were already on fire," I replied dryly. "I just helped speed things up. And it's Heatblast, Fireguy sounds...just go with Heatblast."
"Not funny." he grumbled, looking away,"Heatblast's cool though..."
Hiding a small grin, I adjusted his weight slightly. "How long have you had that thing on your wrist?"
Ben blinked at me. "The watch? Like... an hour? Maybe less. I found it in this crashed pod. It just jumped on me."
My eyes dropped to the Omnitrix again.
Even without touching it, I could feel it. The device radiated energy unlike anything I'd sensed since coming to this world — deep, structured, alien. Not just a tool, but a vault of hundreds, maybe more energy signatures. A library. A weapon.
And it wasn't fully unlocked. Jeez, talk about overpowered.
The forest thinned. The light broke through the leaves. In the clearing ahead, I saw a battered RV parked next to a dirt trail. Rusted sides. Satellite dish bolted on top. Faint steam rising from the engine. A classic tourist nightmare.
Standing outside it was an older man in military greens, gray hair cut close, broad shoulders — clearly ex-military talking to forest rangers. And beside him, a redheaded girl around Ben's age with sharp eyes and arms crossed tight.
The second they saw Ben leaning on me, they rushed forward.
"Ben!" the girl yelled. "You said five minutes Dweeb!"
The man's pace was steadier. Slower. Controlled. His eyes swept over Ben, then moved to me.
"You alright, kid?" he asked, checking Ben's ankle with a practiced hand.
"Twisted it," Ben replied tacitly. "This guy helped."
The man turned to me. I saw the shift in his eyes immediately — not just gratitude, but assessment.
Survivor. Soldier.
"And you are?" he asked carefully.
Before I could speak, the two men in ranger uniforms jogged toward us from a nearby patrol vehicle. One pointed a finger at me.
"You there! Stay where you are. We need to ask you some questions."
Here we go.
I stood straight, letting Ben lean against the RV. The rangers glanced at my torn Hogwarts robes, scorched and grimy, and I didn't need aura sense to know what they were thinking.
I probably looked like some weird LARPing hiker who'd gotten into a meth lab explosion.
"Name and identification," the taller ranger demanded. "We got reports of fire — you seen anything unusual?"
Before I could answer, the old man stepped between us.
"He's with us," he said calmly. "My grandson. Bit of a… dramatic dresser. The fire's out, and there's no damage past the tree line. We're taking him and my other grandson into town. That a problem?"
The ranger blinked. "Grandson?"
"You want my license?" The old man asked, pulling out his wallet without waiting for a reply.
The rangers hesitated — clearly not in the mood for paperwork. After a beat, they nodded, mumbled something about being careful, and walked off.
The old man turned back to me.
"Max Tennyson," he said. "You've already met Ben. The girl's Gwen."
"Name's Loth, Marcus Lothal. Nice to meet you." I shook Max's offered hand.
As for Gwen, she gave me a suspicious once-over.
"You don't look like our cousin, I'm surprised they fell for it." she said.
I shrugged. "Long-lost. Black sheep. Pick a label."
She didn't laugh.
Max opened the door to the RV. "Get in. You both look like hell."
"Thanks Loth." Ben grumbled as I secured him on a seat, leg propped up. As he and Gwen fussed over the watch, I took the chance to study the rust bucket.
Inside, it was cramped. Dusty. Cluttered with maps and alien tech and half-eaten trail mix. But it was safe.
Max handed me a towel and nodded toward the tiny bathroom. "Clean up. We'll hit the next town for supplies."
I didn't argue, his focus seemed more on the Omnitrix than the stranger they'd let into their car.
The bathroom was barely large enough to stand in, but it had a mirror and running water. I peeled off the remains of my robes, turned the faucet, and let the cold water shock me back into focus.
After scrubbing the soot off, I found a disposable razor and went to work on the stubble.
In the mirror, my reflection stared back — tired eyes, pale skin, faint pink cracks of magic running along my collarbone. Residual energy. The aftermath of uncontrolled casting.
Hecate didn't send me here by accident.
She dropped me into this world with a reason.
But what? This wasn't just some run of the mill reality. It was the Ben 10 universe. A world with tech as powerful as magic, with dimensional breaches and alien wars — and more importantly, the only place in the multiverse where you can find other Anodites. The source of my powers.
I could feel it.
Both Gwen and Ben carried the heritage. Raw and sleeping. Gwen especially — her aura burned with untapped potential. Magical aptitude off the charts. Dumbledore would have wept to train her. Or condemn her as the second coming of Grindelwald.
Could this be the reason I was here? To train them? Nah, I doubt it.
Leave alone learning this world's magic, I couldn't even help them awaken their anodite powers. Not yet.
Not until I got my powers under control.
I glanced at the door behind me, then at the tiny RV ceiling.
Something's coming for the watch. I knew that. Vilgax. Others. Bigger threats later.
If I didn't figure out why my magic was acting up and how to regulate it soon, I wouldn't just be a danger to this world — I'd be a beacon.
And something far far worse than Vilgax would notice.
I only hoped Percy and Annabeth were having better luck wherever they were.
(General P.O.V)
-Unknown Universe-
-Unknown Castle-
The castle was falling apart. Walls scorched, barriers fractured, and the marble floor littered with craters. Mana hung thick in the air, residue from divine-level weapons that had already been fired once too many times.
Gilgamesh advanced through the wreckage, golden armor gleaming, each step echoing across the ruined corridor. Behind him, the Gate of Babylon hovered—an array of ancient weapons ready to be unleashed, each humming with fatal precision.
He glanced at the defenders ahead with open contempt.
"A broken faker, a half-blood godling, and a deluded girl with a phantasm book. This is the mongrel resistance the king of heroes is offered?"
In front of him, Percy Jackson stood firm, sword in hand. Blood ran down the side of his face. Behind him, Shirō Emiya sat slumped against a pillar, too injured to stand. His projected weapons fading from his grasp.
"He's not dying today," Percy said, voice steady despite his injuries.
Annabeth was beside Shirō, holding him up with one arm and the Necronomicon with the other. Purple symbols pulsed along the floor beneath them, growing faster and more complex.
"I just need seconds," she said under her breath. "Keep him back."
Gilgamesh raised a hand. "You think divine blood makes you a match for me?" Portals shimmered open behind him. "You're just a footnote. A child of footnotes from a forgotten age."
Percy's grip on Riptide tightened. "I've beaten Titans before. A king can't be too hard."
Gilgamesh's fury didn't wait. With a flick, he launched a wave of weapons. Blades, spears, chains—all aimed to kill.
Percy dashed forward. Water clad celestial bronze clashed against Phantasm metal, echoing across the chamber. The floor cracked. Sparks and steam filled the air. Behind him, Annabeth kept reading.
Shirō coughed, weak. "He wants me. Leave me."
"No," Annabeth refused. "You're not dying for nothing. And someone's coming."
The summoning circle flared. Mist crept out of it. Something powerful stirred.
Percy barely deflected a halberd. His shoulder buckled. "Annabeth— anytime now!"
She didn't hesitate. One final word. One final glyph. One final POWERFUL name-
"-LOTH!"
The summoning spell fired.
The world shifted.