The door to the Room of Requirement appeared without hesitation. Inside, the room transformed before me into a tranquil chamber of radiant marble, deep meditation cushions, and a glowing fountain in the corner pouring golden water into a basin inscribed with ancient runes. The very air was saturated with magic and serenity.
I stepped inside, sealing the door behind me with a whispered spell. From my inventory, I pulled forth the Essence Stone—its core still a burning orange-red, radiating heat and potential like a caged sun. I held it in my hand pausing only to ask: "AIA, is it safe for me to use this now?"
Her voice echoed in my mind—calm, serene, and direct. "Yes, Callum. However, you will not receive all potential benefits with your current body and soul state." I nodded, already planning ahead. "I'll wait for the Troll attack on Halloween… then harvest the mutagen. Until then, I'll take what I can."
With that, I clenched tightly the Essence Stone.
Crack
The burst power it contained rushed into me like a wild fire spreading uncontrollably. My amber eyes blazed golden like never before
The system reacted instantly: [NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED]
Phoenix Regeneration
As a magical bloodline ability, your body uses mana to recover from injuries burning them away like they never happened. The more severe the wound, the greater the mana cost. Passive trait acquired high fire resistance.
[FLAME PROFICIENCY UPDATED]
White Flame – Advanced (45%)
Gold Flame – Advanced (45%)
Black Flame → Shadow Flame – Advanced (50%)
??? Flame → Origin Flame – Advanced (35%)
I exhaled, heart pounding, feeling the energy coursing through my veins. My skin shimmered faintly with power, and even my thoughts felt more vibrant. "This… this is incredible," I whispered.
"AIA," I asked as I steadied my breathing. "What is the Shadow Flame? And what exactly is the Origin Flame?"
"The Shadow Flame is a Tesfaye variant rooted in two of the Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony and Greed."
My eyes widened.
"It devours everything it touches light, darkness, magic, souls, people, even memories. In return, it strengthens the user with everything. However, the flame instills hunger in its wielder. The more you use it, the more your desire will grow until even the flame consume the user."
"Wait—what?!" I stepped back, disturbed. "Then why do I have it?"
"You have multiple blessings to protect you from this effect," she said simply. "Your Tesfaye bloodline ability grants a naturally high resistance you also possess multiple Divine blessings. These blessings combined make you immune to the mental effects of the Shadow Flame."
"Blessings? From who?" There was a pause. "Authority level not high enough to answer this question."
I groaned smacking my forehead. "Of course. Why do I even ask…"
I shook my head and focused. "Okay, what about the Origin Flame?"
"The Origin Flame is the primal essence or a concept that all flames originate from light, destruction and consumption, rebirth, warmth, and inspiration. It is what your other flames are built upon."
I stood still for a moment. "That's beautiful." Then I wounder "How powerful did Magi make me to be able to use a concept which I feel like is some god level stuff." I paused, reflecting, then pushed forward with another question. "Now that I have Phoenix Regeneration, can I use the Magical Amplification Potion or the Potential Unsealing Potion? And what about absorbing more Horcrux's?"
AIA answered without hesitation. "No. The Amplification and Unsealing Potions would burn through your healing factor before it could recover. They may grant enough power to break your First Limiter, but the cost could be fatal."
"What's the First Limiter?"
"All mortals are born with natural limiters. As a child, you have ten times the mana reserves of a typical adult wizard due to you already taking the Unsealing and Amplification with the addition of your bloodline ability. Since your body is that of a human child you would not be able to handle much more of the stress of all that power in that tiny body without it being destroyed and killing you. Breaking the First Limiter would increase your mana by twenty times with other benefits. At that point, you would be considered superhuman."
I exhaled in awe. "What about the next limiters?"
"Authority level not high enough."
Of course. "Fine. And strengthening my soul? For horcrux absorption?"
"Authority level not high enough."
I groaned aloud, rubbing my temples. "This system really likes to keep me guessing."
AIA said nothing more.
I sighed and chuckled lightly. "Thanks anyway. I'm going to bed." As I exited the Room of Requirement, my body still pulsing gently with warmth, I slipped through the quiet halls and down into the Slytherin dorms.
When I arrived, Nyx was already waiting—curled on my bed like a little guardian. She opened one eye as I lay down, curling against my chest with a soft purr that vibrated through my bones. "Good girl," I murmured, stroking her sleek fur. I sank into the mattress, letting the soft hum of my awakening power lull me toward sleep.
The next morning
The golden morning light filtered through the high windows of the Great Hall I sat between Draco and Nikita at the Slytherin table, calmly enjoying coffee and eggs when the quiet clatter of approaching footsteps caught my ear.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron stood across from the Gryffindor table, each one wearing a different expression—Harry's was curious, Hermione's a mix of suspicion and intrigue, and Ron's was simple shock. "Mate," Ron blurted out, "how did you manage to rack up nearly three hundred house points in one day?"
Even Hermione blinked, folding her arms with a sharp inhale. "I checked the hourglass myself. Slytherin's emerald stones practically overflowed overnight."
Draco leaned back with a smirk, flipping his silver-blond hair with flair. "Callum's just that good, Weasley. Maybe Gryffindor should start taking notes."
"That's rich, considering Snape has it out for everyone especially Harry," Ron snapped.
Hermione added sharply, "He good but I didn't think he was that good. I know Slytherin has been improving a little but this is crazy. There's no logical way anyone could earn that many points overnight without foul play."
Draco fired back, "Unlike your House, we actually study and put in work when no ones looking instead of whining." Their voices rose with every exchange until I finally raised my hand and snapped my fingers. The sound cracked through the air like a whip.
"Enough. You're all starting to get annoying," I said plainly, eyes hard as iron. Nikita nodded beside me. "Honestly. Gryffindor is gonna lose this year—House points, Quidditch, and grade rankings."
Hermione scoffed, lifting her chin. "We'll see about the grades. I will be top of our year."
Nikita gave a teasing smile. "Maybe, if Callum and Harry weren't here. But since they are… might want to aim for top five."
The tension between the girls sparked as their eyes locked, and I felt it brewing. Before it could boil over, I intervened again.
"Enough," I said. At that moment, a flurry of owls soared overhead. One particularly large barn owl dropped a bundle of letters in front of me—neatly tied.
I looked up at the group. "Ron. Draco. If you two want to prove yourselves, then start a Dueling Club. Let action speak louder than your mouth." Both boys blinked, momentarily stunned by the idea, but then nodded slowly, already imagining the potential.
I turned to the girls. "Nikita, Hermione—let the O.W.L.s decide who takes the academic crown. Compete on paper, not with petty words."
Nikita smirked. "Fine by me. Not my fault she's in a lower year." Hermione bristled. "Sounds like you're scared." I raised an eyebrow. Hermione's getting a little too cocky these days…
Before I could address it, Pansy Parkinson—Slytherin's infamous gossip-queen and social schemer walked over confidently. Her mannerisms were still snarky like in the books, but she was noticeably more restrained than usual.
"Dawn," she said, holding out a rolled parchment. "Here's a list of upper-years still ignoring the rules you laid down."
I scanned the names. A few were familiar—students I'd already disciplined in the Room of Requirement .
Pansy's expression turned darker. "Also… they were overheard talking about ambushing you after your one-on-one with Professor Snape."
"Oh?" I said calmly, smiling. Harry and Draco stiffened immediately. Nikita's eyes narrowed. Draco leaned in. "Want backup?" He said nervously
Harry nodded. "We're not letting you walk into a trap." Draco would say. "I'm more worried about the other guys Callum almost killed them last time." The trio would look at me with surprise expression.
"What do you he almost killed them last time?" Harmonie said with a loud tone. "I would ignore the question and said. "Don't worry about it, it's a Slytherin problem." Harmonie grimaced.
"I thought were friends, why don't' you share and let us help?". I smiled and said. "When your stronger I will ask for your help , I don't want to endanger you but I feel like I cant take care of it by myself or with Harry's help I should just ask a adult."
No one said anything then. I gently picked up Nyx, who was curled at my feet beneath the table, and handed her to Nikita.
"Keep her safe. I've got this." Nikita frowned but nodded, cradling Nyx in her arms. The cat didn't even protest, simply nuzzling into her.
I turned to Ron and handed him a small pouch and a sealed letter.
"Give this to your brothers. I have a business proposal for Fred and George. Tell them I want to talk soon." Ron looked down at the pouch, feeling the weight inside, and grinned. "You got it."
I turned to Pansy. "What do you want in return for this information?" She tapped her chin with a smirk. "A one-on-one tutoring session. Tonight. Just us."
Her tone was sly, teasing. I gave her a slow nod. "Fine. You've got it." She gave a graceful curtsy and walked off with a swish of her robes. Draco let out a long breath. "Better keep an eye on that one. She's plotting something." "She always is," I replied, smiling slightly.
The rest of the day passed quickly—classes, studying, and scattered murmurs across the school about Slytherin's reputation. The whispering about me only grew stronger some good most bad, with speculation reaching even the Ravenclaw Tower by lunch.
As evening fell, I made my way through the quiet corridors, descending the stairs to the Potions classroom beneath the dungeons.
The room was dimly lit, the scent of dried herbs and old parchment heavy in the air. Professor Snape stood at the front, hands clasped behind his back, surveying the bubbling cauldron on the table between us.
"You're early," he said without looking up. "I don't waste time," I replied.
He turned and nodded curtly.
"Very well. Let's begin our dissection of the Magical Amplification Potion. Tell me—what do you know about how it could theoretically interact with bloodline traits?"