A Web Of Magic

Magnus thought for a moment and pulled out his wand as he muttered a spell and jumped off of the platform without further delay. But the fall that one would expect didn't happen. He floated in the air and stood as if he was standing on solid ground. While Magnus may not be proficient enough to fly with his own magic, he is good enough to hover for some time. The book seemed surprised as its pages turned in a flurry and new text appeared on it.

'Well, that's a surprise. Most would try to reduce their speed or cushion their fall. Tell me, why didn't you?' the book asked.

"You asked to jump, not to fall down. So, I jumped," Magnus shrugged.

'Interesting. Thinking out of the box, eh? Alright, you've passed the first trial. But you still have to go to the bottom. That's where the second trial is waiting,' the text showed.

Magnus nodded his head and levitated himself down slowly. He went down for a good 50m before he touched the ground. 'It's a good thing, I didn't jump down earlier,' he muttered in his head. Most cushioning spells lack the range to cover that deep a fall. The book followed him down by floating. It continued moving forward through what seemed like a tunnel. As they moved forward, the light in the tunnel seemed to follow them too like a spotlight. It left the area dark both behind and in the front.

As they walked forward, the book now spoke in a calm voice as opposed to just the text from before. It's like it only deemed him worthy enough to talk after he passed the first test. "Tell me, young wizard. A certain muggle killed the family of a wizard. The wizard in retaliation, killed the whole village where the muggle lived. Who is wrong and who should be punished?" the book questioned.

Magnus thought for a moment and spoke resolutely, "Both are wrong and both should be punished."

"Oh, and why is that? The wizard could be evil or maybe it's the muggle that is evil. How can you pass judgement without knowing?" it asked curious.

"If it's the wizard that's evil, then the muggle's wrath should be directed towards the wizard alone and not towards his family. The same way, if it's the muggle that's evil, then the wizard should direct his ire towards the muggle alone and not towards the village. To me it seems like both of them chose the wrong targets and involved the innocent. So, both are wrong," Magnus explained confidently.

"Hmm, an interesting conjecture. Very well, you pass the second trial," the book declared. Magnus understood that it might be some kind of a test regarding his judgment or character. Either way, he only spoke his mind.

"Then, the third and last trial," the book spoke loudly with more life in its voice now. The ceiling seemed to disappear as they entered into a well-lit hall with a blue hue. There was nothing else in the hall besides them.

"What if I were to tell you that there's a way to gain great power and long life if you can complete a certain ritual? Would you do it?" the book questioned.

"If there really is a way, most wizards would be doing it," Magnus retorted.

"Ah, you don't believe it I see. Here I'll even give you knowledge of it. Then you tell me your answer," the book said and without giving him enough time, it flew over and landed on his head. Immediately knowledge entered his mind. Since he was already used to receiving knowledge whenever he leveled up, he didn't feel any discomfort. The transfer barely lasted a minute and it as done. The book lifted off his head and asked him again, "Now what do you say?"

Magnus didn't answer as he digested his knowledge slowly. It was about a ritual called the Life-Power ritual. The steps and ingredients weren't very difficult, if he wanted to, he could probably do it soon. The process is a bit c.u.mbersome and the time taken is around six months. The ritual can greatly increase his magic power and lifespan. But when he reached the end of the procedure, his thoughts stopped. The most important ingredient of all in the ritual was a wizard. The ritual required you to sacrifice wizards. You gain a tenth of the magic power and the lifespan of the wizard you sacrificed. That isn't the end though. You need to sacrifice at least 100 wizards minimum to complete the ritual.

"No," Magnus resolutely replied. The ritual reminded him of what the hag did to him which filled him with disgust.

"No? Even if it would give you great power and help you complete your revenge? You know the culprits will be long gone before your Ministry does something, if they decide to do something? What about your family? Think about your parents. Would you let their deaths be in vain? Don't you want revenge? Just 100 wizards and you can accomplish all of that. You can even go a 1000 and become invincible and live for a few millennia. And when you are done, if you feel guilty, you can heal people for free for the rest of your life to atone for your sins. Isn't that a good deal?" the book spoke temptingly.

"You read my mind?" Magnus exclaimed. Even if he couldn't stop the intrusion in his head, with his level in the Mind arts he should at least feel someone intruding. But he felt nothing!

"Of course. It's part of the trial. I was made by Merlin himself. If the Founders can make a hat, then Merlin can definitely make a book. For even they aren't as good as Merlin when it comes to enchanting," the book declared proudly. "Now, your answer," it asked.

Magnus carefully filed away the information the book revealed about Merlin while he thought,' I definitely need to up my Mind arts.'

"Still no," Magnus replied unwaveringly.

"Why?" the book questioned.

"Because it's wrong," Magnus answered.

"Admirable. Right or wrong are but mortal concepts to a great wizard. Tell me the real reason," the book asked again. It seemed it wasn't with that answer.

"Because my parents raised me better?" Magnus retorted.

"The real reason," the book insisted.

"Because it's a waste of life and I can do better in time,��� Magnus finally spoke his mind. 'Such a demanding book,' he snorted in his head. With the power of the interface, he knew he could gain all sorts of knowledge that is otherwise unavailable to people. Sure, he may not be able to achieve something similar right now, but what if he reached Lv10? Or the mythical level that his aunt spoke about becoming the Master of Magic? Even if he somehow lost this power someday, with his capability he's confident in accomplishing his goals without resorting to something as barbaric as human sacrifice. This is confidence that stemmed from his intelligence. And it's not like there won't be any side effects from such a ritual. Just putting some beast blood in him brought him the Deformation curse. Imagine putting blood of 100 wizards in you.

"So, the reason is confidence, eh? And pride? Good. Very good. Remember, only that which comes from you is yours," the book advised.

"Then I passed the trial?" Magnus asked hopefully.

"This trial, yes. But the knowledge of the ritual is forever engraved in your mind. That'd be a trial of a lifetime. Will you still stick to your beliefs in desperate times or will you succ.u.mb? I'll leave that up to you," the book spoke sagely. Magnus wanted to give it a stink eye but he resisted. The book planned this too well, or rather Merlin did. While the temporary trial might have ended, the knowledge of the ritual itself is a trial meant to last a lifetime. There will always be a temptation in the back of the head to complete the trial. It might have been difficult to someone without any mental training, but Magnus is different. He has enough control to resist.

"Now for your reward. Find the laboratory of Salazar Slytherin. There lies your reward. Beware of the snake," the book spoke ominously as it turned shut and turned dormant.

"Hey, how do I get out of here? Do I go back the same way? But the passage is closed! What about the laboratory? There's no such thing! And what about the snake? Hey, answer me!" Magnus shook the book but there was no response.