The Room of Requirement never opened to the same shape twice, but tonight—Aarav didn't come looking for a place to hide, train, or read.
He needed something else.
"I need a ritual chamber… old, hidden, safe… and ready."
He passed the blank wall three times.
The door formed. Massive. Obsidian. Covered in runes that hadn't been seen since the time of the Founders.
As he stepped inside, the Room of Requirement became something ancient and terrifying.
A stone dais sat in the middle, surrounded by hanging lanterns filled with violet flame. The walls hummed with stored energy.
In the center was a ritual circle, already inscribed—complex enough to confuse even the most learned scholars.
System Ping
▶ You have entered: Arcane Mode – Resonance Tier
▶ Room of Requirement Adapted to Spell: "Magia Nexis Arkanos"
▶ Function: Core Alignment & Channeling Amplification
▶ Prerequisites Met:
— Dual-Affinity Wand
— Combat-Level Magic Control (Rank C)
— Ritual Component: Blood of the Initiate (Ready)
Aarav bit his finger and let blood drip into the center.
The runes lit up, spiraling outward. The ritual began.
Aarav stood in the center. The room began pulling on his core—his raw magical center. It didn't hurt, but it felt like something ancient brushing his soul.
Spells he had learned pulsed in his memory:
Echo Somnus
Rift Flicker
Aquila Tempus
Wyrm Lash
Chain Volt
Each lit up in sequence above his head.
Then came… something else.
The Elder Wand's aura whispered through the chamber. Not present, but echoing through legacy.
System Alert:
▶ Elder Wand Trace Detected
▶ Partial Resonance Engaged: +5% Channeling Speed | +8% Spell Potency
▶ Incomplete Link – More needed for full synchronization
▶ Memory Flash Triggered
A vision struck him.
He saw a younger Dumbledore—back straight, hair auburn, dueling Grindelwald across a burning tower.
The Elder Wand howled in his hands, thunder striking with each gesture. Grindelwald wept as he cast spells made of regret and rage.
In that moment, Aarav understood:
The Elder Wand chose power with pain, not pleasure. Strength with sacrifice. Skill forged in choice.
He snapped back.
The ritual ended.
System Reward:
▶ Ritual Complete
▶ Magic Core Efficiency: +22%
▶ Trait Upgraded: Spell Fusion Unlocked (2-slot combo chaining now available)
▶ Elder Wand Resonance: 1/3 Synchronization
▶ New Spell Gained: Arkanos Pulse – AoE energy burst; disrupts nearby magic
▶ EXP +3000
The room dimmed. The ritual circle burned itself away, having served its purpose.
As he turned to leave, he found someone already there.
"Curious magic," said Albus Dumbledore, standing at the threshold, eyes twinkling.
Aarav's heart jumped.
"I didn't… think anyone could enter while the ritual was active."
Dumbledore walked in, slowly.
"The Room obeys need, not ownership," he said. "And it seems… you need guidance."
Aarav looked away. "I need to be ready."
"For what?"
Aarav hesitated. Then answered:
"For Voldemort. For whatever's coming. For what I saw."
Dumbledore's face turned serious. "You've seen it, then? The mirror."
Aarav nodded.
"You may not understand yet," Dumbledore said quietly, "but Time is bending around you, Aarav Gaunt. Something… or someone... has granted you too much too fast."
Aarav whispered, "Then I'll carry it."
Dumbledore stepped closer and placed a hand on Aarav's shoulder.
"Power is not evil. But obsession is. And the Elder Wand… loves the obsessed."
He handed Aarav something wrapped in an old phoenix-feather cloth.
"Flitwick asked me to give you this, should you pass the trial. It's yours now."
Aarav unwrapped it—inside was a crystal lens used in ancient spell-weaving.
System Update:
▶ Item Acquired: Spellcrafter's Lens (Tier I)
Function: Allows creation of new spell combinations and visualizes spell harmonics
New Feature Unlocked: Spellforge Menu
Aarav looked up. "Thank you."
Dumbledore only smiled.
"Just don't forget to live, dear boy."
And then he vanished, as if never there.