Ian stood quietly in front of an ancient manor. The night wind blew by, the flames between the stone pillars swayed, and the edges of his black robe undulated slightly.
Not long after, the air became distorted and a figure appeared out of thin air.
"Severus, how are you doing recently?" Ian said with a smile.
"Everything is going according to plan." Snape replied calmly, but with a hint of suspicion in his tone - he had rarely seen Ian so "easy-going".
"Where is the research progress on clones?"
"A month ago, I completed the pharmaceutical formula and stabilized their genes." Snape stated calmly, "Those Muggles scientists are extremely fascinated by this. They said that this result is enough to completely change the cloning technology. According to their calculations, we are not far away from achieving 'perfect cloning'."
He paused, his expression slightly solemn. "But I found a problem."
"Oh?" Ian looked at him with interest, "Tell me about it."
"These clones... seem to have independent souls."
Ian raised his eyebrows slightly, with a flash of light in his eyes. "It's really interesting. I will verify it myself when I have time. But don't worry, I can still retrieve these souls when needed."
Snape nodded, but his expression was still wary. "Then why did you call me here today? If you just want to inquire about the research progress, you can come directly to the laboratory."
Ian didn't answer immediately. He approached Snape and patted him on the shoulder.
"Severus, have I been fair to you all these years?"
Snape frowned, and an ominous premonition emerged in his heart.
"You always keep your word, and I have no complaints."
"That's right." Ian smiled faintly, "Compared to the two 'masters' you served in the past, I am much kinder. Voldemort regarded you as a slave, and even broke the promise and killed Lily.
And Dumbledore--he binds you with emotional shackles and makes you feel guilty for the rest of your life, but never gives any real reward."
Snape's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was turbulent. What made him even more uneasy was that he suddenly realized that Ian was reading his memory.
He immediately ran Legilimency, trying to seal Mind Stone; however, the energy Divine Power poured in like a sea tide, and he could not resist it at all.
He turned to create false memories to confuse the other party, but was easily seen through.
--Sure enough, the strength of the soul after "body strengthening" is far beyond that of ordinary people.
Ian analyzed silently in his heart.
"It seems that the strength of my soul is far greater than that of ordinary wizards. Even masters of Legilisman such as Snape cannot resist my invasion."
After thinking briefly, he even began to deduce:
"Perhaps I can further develop spiritual magic - Telepathy, Telekinesis...? No, this is not the way of a wizard. A real wizard should control the elements and manipulate time and space, rather than playing with consciousness like a psychic."
However, this new ability is not useless.
"If we can use this to spy on Mind Stone of Dumbledore, we may be able to directly obtain all his knowledge... Forget it, use the contract first; if the contract is invalid, then use torture. Legilimency can only be used as a last resort."
These thoughts only flashed through in an instant, but Snape was already cold all over.
He saw Ian implant a memory in his mind - that memory came from the future.
He saw himself protecting Harry Potter for many years under the orders of Dumbledore,
Seeing Voldemort Resurrection and summoning Death Eaters, he became a double agent;
I also saw Dumbledore personally telling me that Harry must die and sacrifice for victory.
The pain of being played by fate almost tore his heart apart.
The end of memory is death.
He saw himself being ruthlessly killed by Voldemort just because of the ownership of the wand.
Before he died, he told Harry the truth.
The memory disappeared, Snape was silent for a long time, and his fingers trembled slightly.
"That's-"
"Your future." Ian replied calmly.
Snape tried his best to stabilize his emotions. "Why did you let me see this?"
Ian stared at him. "Because I need to confirm - your loyalty."
He paused for a moment and said in a calm and firm tone, "Dumbledore has warned you that I am establishing a new world order.
That will far exceed the glory of any era in wizard history.
But before that, I must know - which side you are on."
Snape was silent for a long time.
He knew that he could not pretend in front of Ian. So, he thought calmly:
"I once served Dark Lord. As long as the new master is strong enough to stop the old master's revenge, I don't mind changing my allegiance. And Ian--he gave me a chance for redemption."
He finally knelt down on one knee and whispered, "I am willing to be loyal."
Ian raised his hand to help him up. "It doesn't have to be like this. I'm not Voldemort."
His tone was calm, but with unquestionable power. "What I want is not surrender, but cooperation.
In the new world order, I need people like you - talented, sensible, and convinced."
Snape responded in a low voice, "I understand."
Ian smiled slightly, "Did you know? In fact, few people really see your talent clearly.
You can create your own spells at Hogwarts. There are only a few wizards who can do this.
As for Potions's achievements - even I have to admit that your improved formula is amazing.
If you weren't trapped by pain and prejudice when you were young, maybe you would have been another Dumbledore."
These words left Snape speechless for a moment.
He has known Ian since he was fifteen years old,
At that time, he knew that if one day this person fell into darkness, Wizarding World would usher in disaster.
He even once wanted to warn Dumbledore to prevent him from rising,
But thinking "Maybe we can see Lily again one day",
That thought was finally buried deep in my heart.
"Thank you for your compliment." He whispered.
Ian chuckled, "Don't worry Voldemort. If I don't allow it, he won't even have a chance Resurrection."
Having said this, his eyes sharpened. "Now, let's get down to business--
Show me your Dark Mark."
Snape raised his hand without hesitation.
Ian touched the dark snake pattern lightly with the wand.
The runes ignited with dim light, and the space in the distance began to vibrate.
"The assembly order has been issued," Ian whispered, "
Let them know - from now on, the new Overlord has arrived."