Inside Snape's office, the Potions Master looked at Char with a strange expression. "You want to start learning Occlumency now?" The question hung in the air, laced with a surprise Snape rarely showed.
Char nodded firmly. His recent encounters had made the need for mental defense glaringly obvious. During his exchanges with Voldemort through the parchment, the guardian tree's effect had shielded him. But just two days ago on Drya Island, without that protection, the bewitching magic emanating from the temple had been a thrillingly close call. If it weren't for his strong will and clear planning, he might have been lured into that temple, to an unknown fate. To rely on luck was to invite disaster, and Char never did anything like that. If his mental defenses needed to be strengthened, then Occlumency was the only answer. Otherwise, what use were his other skills if his mind could be unknowingly influenced, turning him into a puppet? Harry Potter's greatest regret in the original story was not practicing Occlumency well, which led Voldemort to plant false information in his mind and indirectly cause Sirius's death. Char did not want to repeat that mistake.
Seeing Char's determination, a look of relief and appreciation flickered in Snape's eyes. "A wise choice," he said, his voice the usual low drawl. "Occlumency. This isn't magic in the ordinary sense, which is why so many wizards neglect it. They would rather spend their time learning all sorts of random spells that offer little real benefit than focus on guarding the secrets and hidden thoughts within their own minds. Often, these wizards fall flat on their faces because of this oversight."
Char agreed completely. Wizards in the magical world paid far too little attention to Occlumency. Take Slughorn, for example. The former Head of Slytherin and a Master of Potions, proficient in numerous obscure dark arts, had never taken Occlumency seriously. As a result, a student-aged Voldemort had easily used his innate Legilimency to trick him into revealing how to create multiple Horcruxes. If Slughorn's skills had been even half as good as Snape's, Voldemort would never have learned that secret, and the difficulty of defeating him would have been greatly reduced. No wonder Slughorn was haunted by his mistake for the rest of his life. Char, too, did not want his own greatest secret—the planting system—to be discovered. That would be fatal.
Snape's subsequent explanation gave Char a new understanding of the unique skill. "Besides protecting the secrets in one's mind, Occlumency also has great benefits for magic itself. Perhaps it won't allow you to master a powerful spell directly, but in the process of learning it, you will gradually increase your control over your own brain and consciousness. In other words, your will becomes more focused and resolute. The benefits of this are beyond words. Only a few wizards with true vision understand its excellence." He paused, adding, "But Occlumency practice is very painful. Not everyone can persevere. You'd better be prepared—"
Before he could finish, Snape's expression turned strange again, as if remembering all the self-torturous exercises Char had done with him before. He muttered under his breath, "Alright. I think the thing you are least afraid of is pain."
Getting straight to the point, Snape instructed, "The core of Occlumency is the control of emotions and mental focus. You must first put your mind into a state without distractions. First, close your eyes and focus your attention on your spiritual world."
Following Snape's instructions, Char took a deep breath. Sitting in the chair, he slowly closed his eyes. Snape watched him, a hint of strangeness in his own eyes. This boy can close his eyes as soon as he is told to. Such little vigilance. Does he believe in me so much? I was once a Death Eater. A moment later, a pained look crossed Snape's face, but he still silently took out a stick of incense from his cupboard. With a flick of his wand, the incense was lit, and a special, calming scent began to spread slowly.
Char was concentrating on clearing his mind, but a significant disadvantage was immediately revealed. A young wizard's mind was simple. Having lived two lives, the distracting thoughts in Char's mind were far more numerous and complex than those of an ordinary student. Whenever he tried to clear one thought, another would quietly take its place. It was an endless, frustrating cycle. The more he told himself to calm down, the more the distracting thoughts arose.
Just then, the scent of the incense reached him. It felt like a cool breeze flowing through his mind, and some of the distracting thoughts vanished in an instant. His concentration improved immediately, and his frown relaxed. A feeling of tranquility emerged in his body and mind. Time seemed to lose all meaning.
The next moment, he was jolted awake by Snape's voice. "That's all for today's Occlumency practice." Snape was frowning. "You little brat, you have too many distracting thoughts in your head. When you can turn your spirit into a blank slate, you can move on to the next step. Come and practice again tomorrow."
Char snapped out of his trance. He thought only a moment had passed, but in reality, nearly two hours had gone by. He noticed Snape pinching out the special incense with a distressed look on his face, even carefully collecting the ashes. Char understood immediately. The scent that had cleared his mind came from that incense. Seeing how much Snape, the Potions Master, cherished it, he could imagine how precious it was.
"Professor, I'm sorry to have cost you so much," Char said. "I have some strange mutant plants growing in my little greenhouse. I'll send some to you when they're ripe."
Snape glared at him, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "How? I didn't know I was so poor that I needed your help. It seems our little Mr. Sprout is quite arrogant. You think you can be extravagant just because you've planted some mutant plants?"
Char scratched his head. "I've received your guidance, Professor. I have no way of repaying you," he said sincerely. "I've just reclaimed my island, and I'm planning to plant some high-quality Chalati grass. Professor, I wonder if you'd like to try it? When it's ripe, I'll send some over. Besides these, I don't have much else on hand. The island is still deserted, otherwise I could build a vacation villa for you, Professor…"
Snape raised an eyebrow, waving his hand dismissively. "Okay, I know. Let's go. Don't you have a lot of free time? Don't you have a lot of things to do?" Just as Char turned to leave, Snape added, "It doesn't matter if it's deserted. I don't like crowds. A beachfront villa… not bad."
Char smiled. "Consider it arranged! I will definitely get you that luxurious villa, Professor!" After Char left, a rare, faint smile touched Snape's lips. He looked at the remaining piece of incense and shook his head slightly. "Looking at his progress, this amount may not be enough. I'll put up a bounty on the black market and collect some more."
After leaving Snape's office, Char's eyes fell on his system panel. There, a very faint trace of handwriting had appeared: [Occlumency]. It didn't even have a rating, the writing so faint it was almost invisible. He was still a long way from even the most basic entry-level skill. He realized that his two lifetimes of experience, while making him more mature, also made Occlumency much more difficult.
He didn't want to waste Snape's valuable time and precious resources. Besides, he wanted to learn as quickly as possible. Quirrell had only taken a month's leave. Troubles were likely waiting for him upon his return. How could he clear his mind without the help of Snape's incense? Was there a better way?
He fell into deep thought. Is there any way to reduce my distracting thoughts? Or, think about it from a different perspective. When do people have the fewest distractions? A thought sparked in his mind. Throughout history, there were tales of ascetics and scholars who used intense physical pain to sharpen their focus, to keep the mind alert when it threatened to wander. Indeed, when one is in agony, how can there be energy for any other distracting thoughts? Pain… maybe I should give it a try.
He returned to the small greenhouse, a look of determination in his eyes. With his current physical condition, even a serious injury was nothing; he would recover quickly. It was just a small amount of pain, something he had endured plenty of in his struggle with the Kraken. Why not use it to practice Occlumency?
"Shadow," he commanded, his voice steady. "Attack me with all your strength."
Under his command, the shadows on the ground instantly transformed into swords, piercing into his flesh, bringing a sharp, piercing pain. Char gritted his teeth, but he closed his eyes and began to practice. This time, he discovered that under the stimulation of the pain, the distracting thoughts in his mind were indeed much fewer than before, almost equivalent to the effect of the incense. He opened his eyes, a bright light in them. "Continue," he ordered Shadow. "When I close my eyes, don't stop without my command."
Shadow paused, then continued its assault as commanded. Char groaned. In the endless pain, he closed his eyes again. When he opened them, six hours had passed. His body was covered in blood, a testament to the damage he had endured. If it were anyone else, he would have died several times from blood loss. But Char's eyes were fixed on the system panel. The Occlumency handwriting was a bit clearer than before. It really works! He looked at the sky. It was dark anyway, and he had nothing else to do. Might as well continue. And since pain worked… why not increase the intensity?
He gestured to his abdomen. "Shadow. Come here. Use more strength. Oh, yes, after you insert it, you can stir it. This will make it more effective. Understand?"
The next moment, a shadow spike penetrated his abdomen, tearing through flesh. A piercing pain exploded through his mind. Char gritted his teeth, his eyes shining. "That's it! That's it! I can feel it… there is nothing else to think about except the pain!" He closed his eyes again. For him, fighting pain was much easier than suppressing distracting thoughts. This intense pain was his shortcut.
On the system panel, the handwriting of the skill became clearer and clearer. In this process, Char also realized some changes. Concentrating his thoughts every minute and every second in pain, his mind seemed to become more focused. It was like a sword being polished, becoming sharper and sharper. All the messy experiences from his previous life, the countless chaotic emotions buried in his heart, were all being polished away bit by bit. A sharp feeling rose in his heart. His will became more concentrated. He could feel it. Even if his magic harmony hadn't actually improved, the more focused will would make his magic more powerful. Magic was inherently idealistic. The stronger one's will, the more powerful one's magic. Grindelwald, Dumbledore, Voldemort… each of them was a master of Occlumency and Legilimency. In a sense, mental magic was a necessary piece of the puzzle for a truly powerful wizard.
Time passed quickly. Gradually, the words became clearer. When a ray of morning light shone into the small greenhouse, the words [Occlumency (Iron Level)] were completely formed on the system panel.
At that moment, Char felt a freedom he had never felt before. His spirit was unrestrained, filled with an incomparable joy and ease, as if the chains that bound him had been cut, allowing him to focus completely on what needed to be focused on. He opened his eyes suddenly, and they flashed with a brilliant light. He had experienced this state before, a state where he could make rapid progress in practicing his spells.
"Mastering Occlumency… cutting off distracting thoughts and gaining control of my mind," he realized with a jolt of electrifying clarity. "It can put me into a flow-like state!"
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