On Friday night, Filch was patrolling the castle corridors as usual when a pleasant young voice called out to him.
"Argus."
"Oh, Mr. Prewett, what can I do for you?" Filch raised his oil lamp to see the visitor's face clearly.
"Do you remember what I promised you before?" Aiden's figure was somewhat ethereal, his voice floating and uncertain like mist.
"Yes, I remember, of course, oh no sir," Filch began to speak incoherently, his excitement making him stumble over words.
"Follow me, Argus," Aiden instructed gently.
He led Filch through the winding corridors to the eighth floor, their footsteps echoing softly in the darkness.
Entering the Room of Requirement, they found an intricate alchemical matrix with multiple layers stacked together, emitting a faint, otherworldly glow.
This was an alchemical matrix that Aiden had learned from—no, borrowed from—the Department of Mysteries.
In the previous campaign against the Deep Realm King, the weapon from the Brain Hall, the alchemical ritual called the Mind Corridor, had demonstrated unparalleled connectivity. It had even transported massive amounts of material into Avalon, laying the foundation for victory in their crusade.
The entire alchemical matrix consisted of three layers stacked together, with a huge crystal ball at the center to absorb and emit energy.
Four directions were anchored with runes as nodes by Aiden: Inner Perthro (ᛈ), Rebirth Berkano (ᛒ), Breakthrough Dagaz (ᛞ), Continuation Othala (ᛟ).
The second layer was inscribed with symbols of the sun, moon, wind, and earth, with sulfur, mercury, and salt placed around the edges to represent the transformation of matter and spirit.
The topmost layer used threads cut from the Deep Realm King's body as connection pathways—writhing, alien things that seemed to pulse with their own malevolent life.
Looking at the writhing threads on the top layer, Filch swallowed hard.
"Mr. Prewett, could you tell me honestly—will I die here?"
"Of course not. What are you thinking, Argus? This technology is already quite mature," Aiden said calmly. After all, the serial killers recruited by the Peaky Blinders in London had given positive reviews.
"Come on, Argus, don't be afraid. Think of your lifelong wish."
The devil's voice gently brushed across Filch's cheek, stirring his greatest desire in life.
"Come on," Filch said, preparing to remove his clothes and enter the matrix.
Aiden blinked. "..."
"Stop, stop, stop, Argus, you don't need to take off your clothes," Aiden said hurriedly, very worried about whether this chapter would pass content review.
"Oh, sorry, Mr. Prewett, I was too eager," Filch said, calming his emotions and approaching the matrix again.
Stepping into the alchemical matrix, Filch felt like he was entering a swamp. Though there was nothing visible in the air, every step forward was extremely difficult, as if reality itself was resisting his presence.
Finally, after considerable effort, Filch reached the center of the matrix.
"Are you ready, Argus?" Aiden called out.
"Ready, sir."
As Filch's words fell, he felt his head being struck by an invisible hammer. His mental body was directly pulled out of his physical form, floating in the air like a ghost.
"Am I dead?" Filch murmured, staring down at his own body.
"Not yet," Aiden replied, moving to grab Filch's spirit form. He transformed into a dream spirit and traveled to Avalon through the remnant's connection.
Inside Avalon, the psychic cloud server had been debugged for months, waiting patiently to welcome its first user.
A flash of white light signaled the server's activation, and soon a shimmering 'cable' connected to Filch's mental body.
"As above, so below; thus the miracle of the One is accomplished," Aiden softly recited verses from the Emerald Tablet, watching the ancient ritual unfold.
"By what power does God grant anointing oil to the people—this you know," the system suddenly interjected.
"System, are you trying to hint that granting miracles to people is the work of divinity?" Aiden teased.
"Ding, no."
"Sigh, why did you 'ding' again? No wait, you almost changed the subject. Are you being tsundere?" Aiden joked.
"..."
Soon, the connection was complete, and Filch awakened from his confusion, his consciousness returning to clarity.
"Mr. Prewett, did I succeed?" Filch asked anxiously.
"Let's go out and try," Aiden suggested.
He guided Filch's spirit back to reality, where the caretaker's body awaited.
"Try it," Aiden said, handing him a homemade wand.
Filch raised his trembling right hand and took the wand, his unsteady grip betraying his nervous heart.
"Lumos."
Filch waved the wand and spoke the incantation. This simple action had been repeated countless times in his dreams throughout his life.
Receiving the server's enhancement, Filch finally achieved mental priority over soul. Magic operated according to Filch's will under the control of his enhanced mind.
Finally, the miracle responded to him. The tip of the wand glowed with soft, warm light.
"Oh, Merlin above, did you see that? Woo woo woo," Filch cried, first whimpering, then kneeling on the ground and wailing with decades of suppressed emotion.
The moment Filch successfully cast the spell, Aiden also felt his Potion acting progress improve significantly.
Indeed, the advancement from Sequence 5 to Sequence 4 is essentially a process of development from individual to collective. Although I can enter the collective unconscious sea in advance, I clearly haven't worked toward influencing groups. No wonder the acting progress was so slow before, Aiden thought to himself.
Filch had finally vented enough emotion. He stood up and approached Aiden with reverent eyes.
"Sir, I am willing to give this life to you," Filch said, bowing his head deeply.
Aiden snapped back to attention. "That's not necessary, Argus. So, would you like to join my organization?"
"I'm willing to dedicate everything to you," Filch replied, lowering his head.
"Come on, Argus, repeat after me: Outsider who does not belong to this world, great ruler of the sea of consciousness, gray-white dragon who controls the mind, I voluntarily join the Twilight Hermit Society, uphold truth, and strive tirelessly for the coexistence of wizards and ordinary people."
Filch followed Aiden in reciting the sacred oath, feeling himself being marked by tremendous, otherworldly power.
"Alright, Argus, I have a task for you," Aiden said, taking out a magic book and a wooden ring and handing them to him.
"Of course, please give your orders," Filch said, bending respectfully.
"Learn the magic in this book when you have time. Your task is to contact other Squibs as much as possible and get them to join this experiment," Aiden ordered.
"Oh, are you planning to make this secret public?" Filch inquired.
"Hmm, that is a problem. How about this: you screen Squibs who agree with our organization's ideals, then guide them to join. Spellcasting ability will be their gift for joining the organization," Aiden decided.
"Your will is my command, Sir," Filch said, bowing again before leaving the Room of Requirement.
"Are you sure you want to transform people on a large scale?" the system asked.
"It's fine. With the oath constraining them, there shouldn't be a big problem," Aiden replied after thinking for a moment.
"But you don't have enough Deep Realm King fragments on hand," the system pointed out a critical flaw in the plan.
"Heh heh, have you forgotten where the core of Foolishness is?" Aiden showed a smug smile.
"The Department of Mysteries. I see—you want to cooperate with them?"
"Otherwise? I can't carry such a big responsibility by myself. The Director and I are good friends—I enjoy the benefits, and he takes the blame."
Aiden's smugness turned decidedly evil, with dark aura rising behind him like smoke.
"..." The system was rendered speechless.