The doors swung open with a deep rumble, revealing a grand chamber filled with ethereal light.
The air shimred with latent magic, the walls lined with intricate carvings of constellations and ancient runes, each pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
At its center stood a figure.
She was breathtaking.
Rowena Ravenclaw herself, or rather, what remained of her essence.
Rowena was tall and regal, her dark hair cascading in loose waves to her waist.
Her piercing blue eyes sparkled like sapphires, frad by high cheekbones and a sharp, intelligent gaze.
She wore a flowing gown of midnight blue, adorned with silver embroidery that resembled the endless constellations above.
Upon her brow rested a diadem, identical to the one Nero had seen in the Room of Requirent, shimring faintly with ancient power.
She smiled, her voice smooth and lodious. "Welco, Nero. I am Rowena Ravenclaw, or at least what remains of her. You have exceeded my expectations."
Nero approached cautiously, bowing slightly. "Lady Ravenclaw, it's an honor. Thank you for allowing to enter."
Her lips twitched in amusent. "Lady Ravenclaw? Is that what you call your esteed ancestor?" A gleam of mischief flickered in her sapphire eyes.
Nero coughed. "Then would you rather I call you... grandma?"
Silence.
The air itself seed to still.
Rowena narrowed her eyes. "You are fortunate I do not have a corporeal form."
"...Big sister, then?"
A sigh. "That is acceptable."
He smirked. "Alright then, big sis."
She rolled her eyes but let it pass. "Now that we've established proper respect, tell , why in *indistinct sound* na are you here so soon? You weren't ant to reach this place for another four years at the very least."
Before he could answer, she raised a hand, and her eyes glowed as she activated her own Raven Eyes. Nero felt her magic sweep over him, analyzing every fiber of his being.
Her gaze widened in shock.
"And your magical reserves..." she murmured, studying him as if he were an impossible equation. "Even to , seeing a twelve-year-old with this much raw mana is absurd. Have you been training yourself to near collapse every day?"
Nero scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "More or less."
Rowena's astonishnt deepened. "But that alone does not explain this. Nero, let address the real matter at hand..."
She straightened, her gaze piercing into him like a dagger.
"Have you unlocked your mories?"
Nero stiffened.
He wasn't sure what reaction he had expected, but this? This was beyond his predictions.
His mind raced. "...How do you know about that?"
Rowena exhaled, her expression shifting into sothing more profound, both solemn and awed.
"Because you are my hope, Nero. You are our hope, the hope of all four founders."
A strange chill crept down his spine. "What do you an?"
She gave him a long, knowing look before speaking. "You and your friends are the central elent of a thousand-year-old desperate bet."
Nero's mouth went dry. "A bet? And by friends you an..."
Rowena nodded, her gaze turning distant as if peering through the very fabric of ti.
"You, Ember, Lilith, and Alaric... You are the reincarnations of souls we once chose. Each of us left behind a fragnt of ourselves, bound in ancient magic, ensuring that when the ti was right, you would rember. But your mories were never supposed to awaken this early."
Her voice darkened. "Soone interfered. Soone unsealed them prematurely."
A foreboding sense of dread settled over Nero. " So Ember, Lilith, and Alaric... are reincarnations like ?"
"Have they recovered their mories?" she asked sharply.
Nero hesitated. "...Not as far as I know. They seem normal. For now."
Rowena let out a slow breath, a mixture of relief and concern. "Each founder left behind an echo of himself, with enough power to release the seals on their chosen soul's mories. If one has been tampered with... the others may not be far behind."
A beat of silence passed between them before she spoke again. "...Since I no longer need to use my magic to unlock your mories, I can offer you sothing else. Ask for one thing, Nero. Whatever you wish to learn."
Nero considered her offer carefully. He could ask for knowledge, a powerful spell, even forbidden secrets, but in the end, the choice was obvious.
"I need allies and rivals I can trust," he said. "I need people who will grow with , who will have my back, and help reach the summit. Please, remove the seals on Ember, Lilith, and Alaric's mories."
Rowena's lips curved into a knowing smile. "A smart request."
She studied him for a long mont before nodding. "Normally, the seals would have broken on your sixteenth birthdays. But under these circumstances... I will comply. I will inform the other founders so we may awaken them properly."
She took a step closer, her expression thoughtful. "Still, my offer stands. Is there anything else you desire to learn?"
Nero hesitated, then asked the question that had been weighing on his mind for months.
"How do I remove a soul, or multiple souls, from a Horcrux without destroying the item itself?"
Rowena's playful deanor faded. Her expression turned solemn. "A wise question. More than you think"
She studied him intently before speaking. "The diadem will be essential to you, as will the other keepsakes left by Godric, Helga, and Salazar. Each one carries a legacy beyond its material form, a connection to magic far older than most wizards can comprehend."
Her voice took on a lecturing tone, clear and precise. "The best approach will be an advanced fusion of ritual and curse breaking magic. We will need to construct a thod that is both logical and stable, one that adapts to the nature of each Horcrux."
She folded her arms. "This process will require exceptional control over your magic. You'll have to monitor the Horcrux's reactions constantly, adjusting your spells in real ti. Even the slightest miscalculation could lead to disastrous consequences."
Then, just as Nero was absorbing the gravity of her words, a smirk tugged at her lips.
"Aren't you lucky to be my descendant? Godric's would never be able to manage that."
Her teasing lilt made Nero blink, and for a mont, his serious expression wavered. He answered with a proud nod, refusing to let her bait him.
Rowena chuckled before continuing, her tone turning low and asured. "Now, understand this, Horcrux magic is unlike anything else. It is volatile, deeply anchored in the darkest branches of soul magic. To cleanse one, you must achieve a perfect balance between purification and containnt. If you falter, if you let corruption slip past even for a mont..." Her gaze darkened. "The consequences will be irreversible."
Nero swallowed. "Dumbledore prefers to destroy them outright."
Rowena inclined her head. "And he is right to do so. Destroying a Horcrux is the simplest, safest thod to rid the world of its corruption."
Her sapphire eyes glead with sothing deeper, conviction, but also defiance. "But Dumbledore also had no personal stake in reclaiming what was lost."
She turned fully to him, her presence commanding even in spectral form. "We left these relics for you four, Nero. They are not re artifacts to be discarded. If you can reclaim them, they will beco invaluable tools in your journey. Trust ."
She stepped closer, her ghostly hand hovering over his shoulder. Though he could not feel her touch, a strange warmth spread through him, as if her magic resonated with his own.
"It will take ti, a long ti, for you to master this magic. But I can help you devise a thod to cleanse and reclaim what has been tainted by darkness."
Her voice softened, yet the weight of her words remained heavy. "However, understand this: such magic is not only difficult, it is perilous. You will be walking a razor's edge between light and darkness. The process will test more than just your skill, it will test your heart, your resolve, your very soul."
She tilted her head slightly, eyes searching his. "Are you truly willing to take that risk?"
Nero t her gaze without hesitation, his resolve unshaken. "Yes. Whatever it takes."
Rowena's lips curved into a proud, radiant smile. "That's my descendant."
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75 Chapters ahead on Patreon (Suiijin): Chapter 120: Embers from Afar
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