The Potions classroom was thick with steam and the strange mingled scents of various ingredients. Professor Slughorn's booming voice was explaining the essentials of the Draught of Living Death, but Tom Riddle could not take in a single word. His long-fingered hand held a silver knife, precisely and mechanically slicing the sopophorous beans. Their juice seeped out, releasing a cloying sweetness that made one drowsy. His movements remained flawless, like those of a precision instrument, yet in the depths of his dark eyes churned an icy storm utterly at odds with the classroom atmosphere.
His gaze periodically swept over Ares Phoenix, seated diagonally ahead of him. Ares had tilted his head slightly as he listened to Slughorn's explanation. His platinum-blond hair glowed softly in the dim classroom light, while the golden chain mark beneath his left eye flickered in and out of sight through the steam. It was that mark, that unique power contained within this body, that had drawn Katarin's revolting "appreciation" and the attention of outside observers.
[The target's emotions remained at a high-risk threshold. Cognitive fixation was intensifying. His obsession with the host had risen to the level of "absolute possession."] (; -_-) The system's warning echoed coldly in Ares's mind, carrying an unprecedented gravity.
Ares could clearly feel the gaze behind him, one that nearly seemed capable of piercing straight through him. He knew that simple reassurance and promises of being an "anchor" had become feeble and powerless after Tom had witnessed the coveter with his own eyes and personally experienced the fragility of the guardian contract. What Tom needed was a stronger, more indisputable "proof."
During the break, Slughorn beamed as he stopped Tom and Ares, who were about to leave. "Ah, Riddle, Phoenix! Wait, my boys!" His round, plump face was flushed with excitement. "Your performance in class was as excellent as ever! Especially you, Phoenix—your understanding of how to handle sopophorous bean juice was quite distinctive... It reminded me of an old acquaintance, hm, one who stood at the pinnacle of alchemy..."
He deliberately lowered his voice and leaned closer, his honey-colored beard trembling. "I received Mr. Lefevre's reply! He is extremely interested in you two, especially in the 'unique talent' you've displayed, Phoenix! He believes it may be the key to unlocking certain ancient alchemical mysteries! He even hinted that Master Nicolas Flamel himself might, at some point in the future, be willing to have... hm, a limited exchange with you!"
The news was like a boulder cast into a lake roiling with undercurrents. Ares's heart sank. The attention of Lefevre, and even Nicolas Flamel, meant that the secret he carried was being pushed closer to dangerously open exposure.
Tom's reaction, however, was completely different. An intense light suddenly burst from his eyes. It was not joy, but a sharp gleam mixed with extreme greed and a powerful sense of crisis. The door to the secret of immortality seemed to have cracked open a sliver, but at the same time, the risk of pushing Ares onto the world stage had multiplied geometrically.
"It is our highest honor, Professor." Tom reacted with astonishing speed. He bowed slightly, his tone humble yet eager, perfectly concealing the storm raging in his heart. "To speak with Mr. Lefevre, perhaps even Master Flamel, is an opportunity we have long dreamed of. Ares and I will certainly prepare ourselves."
Slughorn stroked his beard in satisfaction, offered a few more words of encouragement, then finally strolled away.
The instant Slughorn left, the eagerness on Tom's face cooled, replaced by an almost ruthless gravity. He grabbed Ares's wrist, gripping it hard enough to make Ares frown slightly.
"Did you hear that, Ares?" Tom's voice was low and urgent, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness. "Flamel! This is the only shortcut to eternity! We have to seize it!" But then his tone shifted, and his eyes darkened. "Before that, though, we must solve another problem. Katarin, and the countless future 'Katarins' who may appear! The guardian contract is too fragile! We need a stronger safeguard, a connection... one that absolutely cannot be broken by outside forces!"
He pulled Ares through the noisy corridor at a rapid pace, arriving at a secluded corner lined with suits of armor. Sunlight shone through the high windows, casting mottled shadows across the cold stone floor, but it could not dispel the chill radiating from Tom.
"I have studied every forbidden book on soul magic." Tom stepped closer to Ares, his dark eyes locking onto him as if to drag him into a bottomless abyss. "There is an ancient magic that can separate a piece of the soul and seal it within a vessel... It does not merely mean eternity beyond death. It also means..." His voice sank into a seductive murmur. "...a bond deeper and more fundamental than any contract. The one who creates it will form an indelible connection with the vessel that bears his soul."
Horcrux! He had finally laid the word bare before Ares.
[!!!Highest-level warning!!! (;′??Д??`) The target has explicitly expressed his intention to create a Horcrux! The core mission faces its gravest threat!] [Ultimate intervention mission issued!] [Mission Name: Paradox Path] [Mission Requirements: At any cost, before the target completes the Horcrux, guide him toward an alternative solution, or make him deeply realize that the bond brought by a Horcrux is "distortion and loss," not "eternity and possession." The power of the Blood Pact may be used for limited intervention, but doing so carries the risk of being detected by Dumbledore/Grindelwald.] [Mission Reward: Unknown (to be determined based on the intervention's result and subsequent developments).]
Ares felt an icy shudder run down his spine. The most dangerous moment had arrived. He could not simply reject the idea; that would only drive Tom to the opposite side faster.
"Tearing apart your soul... Tom." Ares met his fevered gaze, his mismatched eyes filled with complicated emotions—concern, warning, and an even deeper sorrow. "That means eternal incompleteness. Is the connection you crave built on the foundation of self-destruction? How can an incomplete soul truly 'possess' anything? It would only be... a twisted obsession, one that could ultimately lead only to total 'loss.'"
"Then what do you suggest?!" Tom snarled, frustration and fear mingling in his voice. "The guardian contract cannot withstand a single blow! Flamel's attention will make you a target for everyone! I cannot... I absolutely cannot lose you! If I cannot be eternal while whole, then I would rather bind you to my side forever in a broken state!"
At that moment, perhaps because his emotions had fluctuated so violently, or perhaps because of the system mission's so-called "limited intervention," Ares felt the Blood Pact Mark beneath his left eye suddenly burn. A faint but fundamentally exalted pulse of magic spread uncontrollably from him like ripples, then vanished into nothingness in an instant.
Ares's expression changed slightly.
Almost at the same time, in a Hogwarts professor's office, Albus Dumbledore, who had been studying the pearly white mist emitted by a piece of silverware, abruptly looked up. His sharp blue eyes peered through his half-moon spectacles toward a certain direction. His brows drew tightly together, and a flash of shock and profound concern crossed his eyes.
Meanwhile, deep within distant Durmstrang Castle, Gellert Grindelwald, seated at the center of a matrix of prophecy spheres, suddenly opened his mismatched eyes. A proud, knowing curve slowly formed at the corner of his lips.
"Found you..." he murmured, his voice echoing through the empty hall. "My... bloodline."
Ares forcibly suppressed the disturbance in the Blood Pact. He knew the consequences that pulse might bring, but the crisis before him was even more urgent. He seized Tom by the shoulders, forcing him to calm down.
"Look at me, Tom!" Ares's voice carried a resolute power. "There must be another path! One that does not require tearing apart your soul, yet can truly let us stand side by side at the pinnacle of the world! Flamel's alchemy, deeper applications of the Ancient Guardian Contract, even... exploring the origin of the power within me itself! We still have choices. Do not set foot on that irredeemable Paradox Path now!"
Tom breathed heavily. The Blood Pact's pulse, Ares's words, his fear of loss, his yearning for immortality... all of it clashed violently within him. He looked into Ares's eyes, at the unwavering determination and plea there, and the madness in his own gaze wavered slightly.
He needed power, binding, eternity. Yet Ares had pointed out a path that seemed more difficult, but might lead to a more perfect ending.
"...Prove it to me, Ares." After a long while, Tom's hoarse voice sounded, carrying a barely perceptible vulnerability and a final ultimatum. "Prove that such a path exists. Otherwise... I do not know what I will do."
He did not mention the Horcrux again, but the threat hung over Ares's head like the Sword of Damocles, and over the fate of their future. Across the distant European continent, a storm stirred by the Blood Pact's pulse was quietly brewing.
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