— — — — — —
Meanwhile, Dumbledore arrived at a small village at the foot of Mount Cairngorm in northern Scotland.
Inside a shabby little yard, a man sat across from him, his face crisscrossed with scars and a fake eye set in its socket.
This was Alastor Moody, the greatest Auror in English history, a name that made countless Death Eaters tremble.
"So, Alastor," Dumbledore asked, "have you given it any thought?"
Moody took a long swig from the flask he carried everywhere. His magical eye spun, fixing on Dumbledore for a moment.
"Albus, I've just gotten used to retirement. And now you want to drag me back in?"
Dumbledore smiled helplessly. "I don't have much choice. Suitable professors are in short supply. Remus did well, but he's found a new direction in life. I had to let him go."
Moody snorted. "So you came to ruin mine instead?"
"One year," Dumbledore said seriously. "I only need you to fill in for a year. Hogwarts will be… lively next term. And there will be some unstable factors. I need your experience and your instincts."
"Unstable?" Moody frowned. "You mean Grindelwald?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "Threats out in the open are rarely the real danger. What matters are the undercurrents hidden beneath the surface of peace."
He had found a few clues in Africa, but Voldemort had acted decisively, cutting off outside contact and burying himself even deeper.
And then there was North America. If Agilbert Fontaine were the one coming to the next event, Dumbledore would actually feel more at ease. But if it was the vice headmaster again, that could only mean Fontaine was hiding something he didn't want discovered.
Dumbledore didn't say any of this. It was his habit to keep unpleasant secrets to himself.
And Moody knew him well enough not to expect many answers.
"Fine," Moody said after a deep breath. "I've got nothing better to do. I'll go knock some sense into those brats."
Then something occurred to him, and he changed tack. "Albus, there's a hell of a kid at Hogwarts right now."
Dumbledore paused, then said at once, "You mean Tom Riddle?"
"Who else?" Moody snorted. "His reputation's almost on par with yours these days. Filthy rich, founder of the Astra Abyssum Guild, host of the Quidditch World Cup. None of that bothers me."
"But the blood on that boy," Moody said, his eyes narrowing. "I've never seen anything like it. Albus, have you thought about how young he is… and how many wizards have already died by his hand?"
"Compared to him, the Death Eaters rotting in Azkaban look like model citizens. And you're telling me you're not worried?"
"Worried about what?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"Don't play dumb with me. Worried he'll become the next Voldemort."
Dumbledore suddenly laughed, leaving Moody completely baffled. "What's so funny?"
"Alastor, you're underestimating Tom," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "I've spent a lot of time talking with him, and I understand how he thinks. He is reasonable, loyal to his friends, and the very fact that he has a Patronus proves he isn't evil—a person filled with hope and life. He simply has different ideas and sometimes uses deceptive methods."
"Voldemort can't be compared to him. Alastor, when you get to the school, don't ever say something like that in front of Tom. Otherwise… I'm afraid he'll hold a grudge and teach you a lesson. He could even team up with Severus..."
Both of Moody's eyes flew wide open. Even his magical eye whirred at full power, as if checking whether the man in front of him was an impostor. "Albus, are you serious? There's a cold-blooded little devil killing without blinking among your students, and you can still laugh?"
Dumbledore's smile faded slightly. "I'll admit that Tom has sent a number of people on their way. But that isn't his fault. A child raised in suffering is always more sensitive than others, and more prone to extreme reactions."
Moody finally accepted that the Dumbledore before him was genuine.
But there was no way this man wasn't under the influence of some damn Confundus Charm. How else could someone's views change so drastically in such a short time?
---
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Tom was still sitting in the crater where he had first landed. For the entire seven days, he hadn't moved an inch. He'd visibly lost weight, his frame thinner to the naked eye.
That was only possible because his life force was so abundant. Anyone else would have dried up into a human husk by now.
Physical hardship no longer posed much of a challenge for him. His magic and preparations were enough to keep him alive in the vacuum of space.
The real trial was mental.
The more arrogant a person is, the harder it hits when they're forced to confront how small they really are.
In the distance hung the small blue marble. That was home. Every loved one, every enemy lived there. Countless epics, heroes, and legends had been written upon its surface.
But once you pierced that atmosphere, all of it suddenly felt meaningless.
Tom found himself wondering whether even a hundred years, two hundred years of effort would ever truly free him from the shackles of that tiny planet. And if that was the case, what was the point of trying at all?
Doubt crept in, and his mental state slipped badly.
No one noticed the change, except Usaki, bound to him by contract. Floating beyond the atmosphere, her huge eyes looked toward the Moon, filled with worry.
She felt Tom's heart and mind, and she could feel the emptiness inside him, like a dried-up well.
This wasn't a feeling unique to humans. Even divine beasts like Rayquaza experienced it. The difference was that they had inherited memories to shield them. They fed on meteorites. In other words, the starry sky itself was Rayquaza's hunting ground. Vast as it was, that familiarity dulled much of the awe and fear.
But she couldn't pass those insights on to her master. This was a barrier Tom had to cross alone. If he made it through, the world would open wide. His vision would rise to new heights, yet his feet would stay firmly on the ground. His eventual achievements would surpass everyone's expectations.
If he failed…
Then Tom would be stuck playing it safe forever, capped by his limit.
Thankfully, outside help arrived at just the right moment.
[Tenth Trial: Star (completed)]
[Objective: Relying solely on your own power, travel to the Moon and remain there for seven days (Earth standard days).]
[Reward: One opportunity for physical evolution.]
The seven days were finally up. And the tenth palace erupted with light, its radiance transforming into an incomprehensible energy that reforged Tom's entire body.
An overwhelming, almost blissful comfort yanked him out of his trance, or rather, his aimless drifting.
The loss and loneliness were swept away. The emptiness in his eyes slowly gave way to clarity.
"What's the point of overthinking it?" Tom muttered. "I still have to walk the road one step at a time."
He stood up, staggered, and nearly fell again. Sitting motionless for seven days would leave anyone numb.
But he adapted quickly. He stomped his foot, raised his wand, and pointed it toward the distant mountains. A burst of explosive magic shot out, and a chunk of the range vanished in an instant.
"The best way to fight that emptiness is to throw yourself back into real life, to feel yourself growing stronger, bit by bit," Tom said quietly. "Four years ago, I had nothing. Four years later, I have endless power and potential. So let's set a small goal first: become a legend. After that, I'll come back and face the universe."
Somewhere along the way, the system's mission completed itself without a sound. Tom opened his palm, and an ancient book with a red cover appeared in his hand.
Antonidas' lifetime of insights. This was only one volume. There were more than a hundred in total.
They covered far more than magic alone. Alchemy, herbology, even select core texts from Dalaran's archives were included.
They weren't limited to magical theory either. Alchemy, herbology, even selected core texts from Dalaran's most prized collections were included.
If Dalaran's accumulated knowledge still wasn't enough to push him to the next level, then there was Medivh's Karazhan. And beyond that, the titan Pantheon.
Tom didn't know what the system's upper limit was, but he was certain of one thing. One day, he would drain it dry.
One could say he only succeeded because of the system. But that kind of talk was meaningless. Plenty of people were handed opportunities again and again and never managed to seize a single one. Being able to push your advantages to their absolute limit was a skill in itself.
Having pierced through illusion and reclaimed his true self, Tom finally felt at ease.
To commemorate the suffering of the past few days, he decided to cut loose properly.
He shot toward the Moon's south pole at top speed. There lay the largest crater on the Moon, the Aitken Basin. Over 2,500 kilometers across and more than 13 kilometers deep. If the Moon hadn't intercepted that meteor, Earth would have been finished long ago.
Tom's way of venting was simple. He unleashed magic without restraint, bombarding the crater until its diameter expanded by another hundred kilometers. He ended up panting and exhausted, but it felt incredible.
Letting loose like that, without holding anything back, was pure bliss.
After lying on the ground and resting for most of the day, fully recovered, Tom finally flew toward Earth.
...
The moment Tom entered the atmosphere, a streak of black light shot toward him at extreme speed.
"Wuu—!"
"All right, all right, see? I'm fine."
Tom lay sprawled across the little… fine, the big one's back, soothing her. "Honestly, this is kind of your fault too. Why didn't you warn me last time? If I'd known, I would've done some adaptation training before going to the Moon."
"Wuu—!"
Usaki looked utterly wronged. How did this end up being her fault?
Even Tom felt how shameless that sounded once the words were out. He scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
To make it up to her, he let Usaki shrink back into her old small-snake form and took her home to keep her company for a few days.
Once back on the ground, Tom headed straight for the Greengrass estate and had the three house-elves lay out an entire feast.
Daphne and Astoria rushed over as soon as they heard Tom was back.
Seeing how much thinner he looked, both sisters' eyes instantly turned red. What on earth had he been doing? How could someone lose that much weight in under ten days?
But there was no time to question him now. Judging by the way he was devouring the food, he was clearly starving.
"So good… I feel like I've come back to life…"
After wiping out two full tables of food, Tom leaned back in his chair and sighed in bliss.
Apparently, when you're truly focused, you don't feel hunger at all. Once you finally relax, it all comes crashing in at once.
Daphne looked at him with watery eyes. "Tom, what did you go do?"
He answered honestly. "I ran into a really tough problem. I thought too hard and forgot to eat these past few days."
As he spoke, he pulled Daphne into his arms and planted several loud kisses on her. "See? Other than being way too hungry, I'm not hurt at all. Don't worry."
Daphne puffed out her cheeks and nodded. "Then no matter what trouble you run into next time, you have to eat on time."
"I promise."
Tom buried the girl's head against his chest and hugged her tightly. While Daphne couldn't see, he stole a quick two-second kiss from Astoria as well.
That finally soothed the Greengrass sisters.
Unfortunately for him, Lady Greengrass chose that exact moment to walk in.
.
.
.