Choice in the Shadows

The Potions classroom was filled with steam and the strange scent of mixed ingredients. Professor Slughorn's booming voice was explaining the essentials of the Hellfire Elixir, but Tom Riddle couldn't hear a word. His long-fingered hand held a silver knife, precisely and mechanically slicing sleeping ড্রাগন's tears, their sap oozing out and releasing a cloyingly sweet aroma that induced drowsiness. His movements were still perfect, like a precision instrument, but deep within his profound eyes, a cold storm raged, utterly incompatible with the classroom atmosphere.

His gaze occasionally swept over Ares Phoenix, seated diagonally in front of him. Ares was slightly tilting his head, listening to Professor Slughorn's lecture. His platinum blonde hair softly glowed in the dim classroom light, and the golden chain pattern beneath his left eye flickered in and out of view through the steam. It was this mark, this unique power contained within his body, that had attracted Katarin's nauseating "admiration" and drawn external prying eyes.

[Target individual's emotions remain at high-risk thresholds. Cognitive fixation tendency is intensifying. Obsession with host's association has escalated to the "absolute possession" level.] (;一_一)

The System's alarm echoed calmly in Ares's mind, carrying an unprecedented severity.

Ares could clearly feel the gaze behind him, almost piercing through him. He knew that simple reassurances and promises of an "anchor" were now pale and powerless after Tom had personally witnessed the covetous gazes and experienced the fragility of the Guardian Contract. Tom needed a stronger, more irrefutable "proof."

During the break, Professor Slughorn, with a smile, called out to Tom and Ares, who were preparing to leave. "Ah, Riddle, Phoenix! Wait, my boys!" His plump face was flushed, looking particularly excited. "Your performance in class just now was as outstanding as ever! Especially you, Phoenix, your insights into the treatment of sleeping ড্রাগন's tears were very unique... it reminds me of an old acquaintance, hmm, an old acquaintance who reached the pinnacle of alchemy..."

He deliberately lowered his voice and leaned closer, his honey-colored mustache twitching. "I received a reply from Mr. Lefevre! He is very interested in your, especially your, 'unique talent'! He believes it might be the key to unlocking certain ancient alchemical mysteries! He even hinted that Master Nicolas Flamel himself might be willing to engage in... hmm, limited exchange with you at some point in the future!"

This news was like a boulder dropped into a turbulent lake. Ares's heart sank. The attention from Lefevre, and even Nicolas Flamel, meant that the secrets he carried were being pushed to the dangerous edge of exposure.

Tom's reaction, however, was completely different. An intensely bright light erupted in his eyes, not of joy, but of a sharp glint mixed with extreme greed and a strong sense of crisis. The door to the secret of immortality seemed to have cracked open, but at the same time, the risk of pushing Ares onto the world stage increased exponentially.

"This is our utmost honor, Professor," Tom reacted with astonishing speed. He bowed slightly, his tone humble and eager, perfectly concealing the tempest within. "The opportunity to exchange with Mr. Lefevre, and even Master Flamel, is something we have always dreamed of. Ares and I will certainly be prepared for it."

Professor Slughorn stroked his mustache with satisfaction and offered a few more words of encouragement before walking away.

As soon as Professor Slughorn left, the eagerness on Tom's face instantly cooled, replaced by a solemn gravity that was almost ruthless. He grabbed Ares's wrist with such force that Ares frowned slightly.

"Did you hear that, Ares?" Tom's voice was low and urgent, with unquestionable decisiveness. "Flamel! This is the only shortcut to eternity! We must seize it!" But his tone immediately shifted, his eyes becoming sinister. "But before that, we must solve another problem. Katarin, and the countless 'Katarins' who might appear in the future! The Guardian Contract is too fragile! We need a stronger guarantee, a connection... that absolutely cannot be broken by external forces!"

He pulled Ares, walking briskly through the noisy corridor, to a secluded corner with suits of armor. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, casting mottled shadows on the cold stone floor, but it couldn't dispel the chill emanating from Tom.

"I've consulted all the forbidden books on soul magic," Tom approached Ares, his profound eyes locked onto him as if to draw him into a bottomless abyss. "There is an ancient magic that can separate a part of the soul and seal it in a container... It not only signifies eternity beyond death, but also..." His voice held a seductive low tone, "...a bond deeper and more fundamental than any contract. The one who creates it will forge an indelible connection with the container that carries its soul."

Horcrux! He finally laid the word bare before Ares.

[!!!Highest Level Alert!!! (;′??Д??`) Detected explicit expression of Horcrux creation intent by target individual! Core mission faces the most severe threat!]

[Ultimate Intervention Mission Released!]

[Mission Name: Paradox Path]

[Mission Requirements: At all costs, before the target individual completes the Horcrux creation, guide them to choose an alternative solution, or make them deeply realize that the connection brought by a Horcrux is "distortion and loss" rather than "eternity and possession." The power of the "Blood Pact" can be used for limited intervention, but carries the risk of being perceived by Dumbledore/Grindelwald.]

[Mission Reward: Unknown (determined by intervention outcome and subsequent developments).]

Ares felt a cold shiver run down his spine. The most dangerous moment had arrived. He couldn't simply deny it; that would only push Tom faster towards opposition.

"Tearing apart the soul... Tom," Ares met his fanatical gaze, his heterochromatic eyes filled with complex emotions – concern, warning, and a deep sorrow. "That means eternal incompleteness. Is the connection you crave built upon the foundation of self-destruction? How can an incomplete soul truly 'possess' anything? That is merely... a distorted obsession, which will ultimately lead only to complete 'loss'."

"Then what do you suggest we do?!" Tom roared, frustration and fear mingling in his voice. "The Guardian Contract is vulnerable! Flamel's attention will make you a target for everyone! I absolutely cannot... absolutely cannot lose you! If we cannot be eternal in a complete state, then I would rather bind you to my side forever in a fractured way!"

Just then, perhaps due to the intense emotional fluctuation, or perhaps due to the so-called "limited intervention" of the System mission taking effect, Ares felt the Blood Pact Mark beneath his left eye suddenly grow hot. A faint but extremely high-level magical fluctuation spread outwards from him uncontrollably, like ripples, instantly dissipating into nothingness.

Ares's expression changed slightly.

Almost simultaneously, in Albus Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts, who was examining the pearly white mist emanating from a silver artifact, suddenly looked up. His sharp blue eyes peered through his half-moon spectacles in a certain direction, his brow furrowed tightly, a hint of shock and extreme worry flashing in his eyes.

And deep within Nurmengard Castle, Gellert Grindelwald, seated in the center of a matrix of prophecy orbs, suddenly opened his heterochromatic pupils. The corners of his mouth slowly curved into a proud and knowing arc.

"Found you..." he whispered, his voice echoing in the vast hall. "My... bloodline."

Ares forcibly suppressed the anomaly of the Blood Pact. He knew the potential consequences of the fluctuation just now, but the crisis before him was more pressing. He grabbed Tom's shoulders, forcing him to calm down.

"Look at me, Tom!" Ares's voice carried an ironclad power. "There must be another way! A way that doesn't require tearing apart the soul, yet allows us to truly stand at the pinnacle of the world together! Flamel's alchemy, a deeper application of the Ancient Guardian Contract, or even... exploring the very source of this power within me! We still have choices, don't step onto that path of eternal damnation, the Paradox Path, right now!"

Tom was breathing heavily. The fluctuation of the Blood Pact, Ares's words, the fear of loss, the desire for immortality... all sorts of emotions warred fiercely within him. He looked at the unyielding determination and pleading in Ares's eyes. His frenzied gaze wavered slightly.

He needed power, he needed to bind, he needed eternity. But Ares had pointed to a path that seemed more difficult, yet potentially led to a more perfect end.

"...Prove it to me, Ares," Tom's voice finally sounded, hoarse after a long pause, with a hint of imperceptible vulnerability and a final ultimatum. "Prove that such a path exists. Otherwise... I don't know what I might do."

He didn't mention Horcruxes again, but the threat, like the sword of Damocles, hung over Ares's head, and over their future destiny. And across the distant European continent, a storm, triggered by the Blood Pact fluctuation, was quietly brewing.