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**[Harry Potter]**
'When did it start?'
No, that's not the right question because I know when, why, and where it all started.
I started changing the moment I decided to become responsible for another life, when I took that little baby and decided that I was ready to become a father.
Yeah, it all started when I fell in love with that responsibility. Didn't it?
If I knew all of this, then why am I questioning myself now?
I knew the answer to that too: because now I actually have the power to keep her safe no matter what.
Now I can finally relax a little, right? Or did I just return to how I was? I don't know yet, and for once, I feel like that's okay.
My change has been a little insidious, a little bit at a time, a little more love here, a little bit more anger there and I was non the wiser. Slowly I started to feel content with the little things: feeling happy when my daughter peacefully slept, anxious when she starts crying for no reason, constantly worrying about her health, safety, and overall well-being.
Slowly but surely, I was not the same Harry Potter I had been when I first received my identity.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I was still the same cynical, arrogant maniac, but now I actually have something that I truly care about, and that scares me a little.
I was never reckless enough to do a ritual that I didn't know would work, never impulsive enough to put my own soul in jeopardy just to test and see if I could make a deal with the world.
I always had more than a 90% chance of victory in whatever I did and more than enough backup plans in case things didn't go the way I wanted. And yet, here I am, fresh out of a deal that had less than a 20% chance of success…
It all started that day, didn't it? The day I let my emotions out in full throttle? I didn't think such a thing would have lasting consequences, but I was proven wrong.
'Hah, shows what you know about emotions, Harry,' I chastised myself internally.
The sarcasm wasn't lost on me. I hated arrogant people, and yet I was slowly turning into one. Thinking that I knew everything even though I knew nothing? Hahaha, how funny…
Emotions, huh? I had been lessening my hold on those a little by little since then, hadn't I?
'Why did I only notice this now?' I asked myself.
'Because now you truly have the power to actually say fuck you to anyone in this world without fearing the consequences.' I didn't take long to answer my own question. In fact, the answer came to me instantly.
'I didn't actually fear the consequences before, though. Did I?'
No, not really, but now you actually have someone that you truly love, something you fear losing, something that reminds you that you are still human—fallible, weak, and prone to mistakes.
Mistakes that could backfire at your daughter.
Yeah, I was still human in the end, wasn't I? It didn't matter if I was a sage, a budding archmage, or the fucking strongest wizard. In the end, I didn't actually have the power to be as free as I feel now.
Power really does give you a new perspective on things, huh.
Is this why they say power corrupts? I don't know; I feel like power just brings out a new outlook on things, nothing more and nothing less.
I might be wrong, but I think power has a way of constantly testing a wielder's resolve, nature, and will. Power only corrupts those who fail its tests.
At least until one transcends such concepts…
Sigh~
I let out a deep breath as I laid back on the floor. The weight of the authority I received weighed heavily on my soul.
A normal mortal soul would have crumbled under the weight of such an authority, wouldn't it? Yet mine is still standing, slowly adapting to said weight, this heavy and suffocating feeling that will keep pressuring me, trying to remind me that even if I have all this power now, it's still borrowed.
My breathing slowed down as I started inhaling and exhaling in rhythm.
Inhale~
Exhale~
Okay, I have had enough introspection for one day; now it's time to actually start figuring out what to do next and how to go about finishing my part of this deal.
What's that, you ask? Well, in basic terms, I have to help the world level up. Yeah, that's what happens when you let your irrational side take the lead for a change.
Oh, don't get me wrong; it's very much possible. I just don't know if I can do it anytime soon. Or how to go about it…
'Don't be a pussy, Harry; stop with the excuses, you know what to do.'
Yeah, I really do.
I am going to create a small sub-reality that the world can slowly absorb into itself. In other words, I am going to create a super-realistic VR game world that's connected to the world and pull everyone in this world into it.
Why does this make me sound villainous?
It's because of the *Sword Art Online* story I read, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah, it is, but that's okay; that's where I got the idea from anyway.
Now, how do I go about creating all of this? Well, that's up to my Grimoire to figure out, isn't it? That's what I created it for in the first place—to take care of the troublesome things for me…
Yeah, plus now that I have this new authority, I don't need to do anything other than let it do its job: copying knowledge directly from the world, analyzing it, and researching ways to accomplish my goal while I do my thing.
So, with that out of the way, it's time to think about everything else. Like the fact that I need to finish the jobs I have as soon as possible, starting with my sage trees project—yeah, that's what I decided to call them—sue me.
With my new authority, I just need to erase the possibility of tampering with them, detecting them, or maybe even noticing their nature entirely.
To the world, they should appear like normal old trees. Okay, I see a problem there, so let's add into them a compulsion effect that makes people unwilling to cut them down—not like they could, but for now, they didn't need to know that…
Fiddling with the seeds in my hand and checking one last time to make sure that everything was ready.
Seeing as everything is as it should be, I willed them to be planted and grow all over the world. In forests, mountains, by lakes, on islands in the middle of the sea, and even under the sea.
They'll be everywhere. I have an idea on how to maximize my profit from this, but that's for later; all you need to know is that I have big plans for them.
I have no doubt that most, if not all, of the powerhouses in the world will or maybe already felt the shift that's happening right now, yet I was not worried at all; in fact, it brings me such joy to know that no one can do anything about it.
Okay, my feelings might be slightly influenced by the exuberant happiness that Gaia is feeling right now. I would call her reaction an over-exaggeration if I was anyone else, but no, it's not.
Do you have any idea how long she has suffered under the constant pain of corruption? The worst part—in my opinion, at least—is the fact that she couldn't do anything about it.
And now she has a way to combat said corruption without even doing anything. Yeah, her feelings were understandable. At least to me…
Anyway, now that one of the projects I have is done, let's take a break. A lot has happened in the last few days, so I think I deserve a rest.
So, yeah, let's go out and touch grass for a change, huh. Maybe swing by a few stores and buy new clothes, toys, and other stuff for Elizabeth?
I mean, I have a bank card with more money than I know what to do with, so let's go out and spoil her rotten today instead of relying on magic for everything.
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