Thus, although Sylas had now ascended to the level of a true transcendent being, he was still some distance away from an existence as complete as Gandalf.
"Farewell, Gandalf," Sylas said with a hint of nostalgia. "I wonder when we shall meet again."
Gandalf's eyes were deep and luminous, his smile as gentle as a spring breeze.
"No need for sorrow, my friend," he replied calmly.
Sylas laughed softly.
"How reassuring. We are only one step apart now, and time holds no power over us. Decades or centuries are but the blink of an eye. When you grow weary of sailing the West, I will be waiting for you at the harbors of Valinor."
He paused, then added with a grin, "You haven't yet been there, so you probably don't know, Valinor is nothing like Middle-earth. Its beauty cannot be described with words. When the time comes, I'll show you everything."
Hearing this, Sylas's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Listening to you makes me impatient already," he said. "It's a pity there are still things I cannot abandon in Middle-earth, or I would have gone with you today."
He then added teasingly, "Besides, Hogwarts will suffer greatly from losing its flying instructor. Finding another professor with your skill won't be easy."
Gandalf chuckled, a trace of regret in his voice.
"It is a shame I'll miss the first Quidditch match of the term. I doubt Valinor will offer anything quite as lively."
Sylas laughed aloud.
"Who knows? Perhaps you could organize competitions there, Elves racing the winds, Maiar testing their agility. I suspect it would make Hogwarts Quidditch look tame by comparison."
Their lighthearted exchange dispelled any lingering sorrow. Both knew this was not a true farewell, only a brief parting before another reunion beyond the world.
One by one, everyone offered their goodbyes.
Frodo Baggins and Bilbo Baggins boarded the ship alongside Gandalf. Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck, and Peregrin Took rushed forward to embrace them one last time.
Sylas also bid farewell to Bilbo, gifting him a spatial pouch filled with a generous supply of immortality potions. Though Valinor was the Land of the Immortals, it would not grant Bilbo eternal life by itself. Sylas had prepared enough potions for both Bilbo and Frodo, ensuring they could live long enough to enjoy their journey together.
At last, the ship's horn sounded.
Those bound for the West gathered aboard, and from the shore, the rest watched as the great vessel slowly sailed into the Western Sea, bathed in the golden light of sunset.
At the harbor, Arwen leaned gently against her husband. Sylas held her hand, their two children, Elseth and Elroth, standing close beside them.
They felt reluctance, but not despair. They knew they would meet again.
Only Sam, Merry, and Pippin wept openly. With their brief mortal lives, they understood that this farewell might truly be the last time they would ever see Frodo.
Many sailed on that voyage. Afterward, the once-bustling Grey Havens grew quiet.
Not only the Elves of Rivendell and Lórien departed, but also those of the Havens and Lindon. In time, only a handful remained, until eventually the last Elf sailed West and the harbor was abandoned to silence.
After seeing Elrond and the others off, Sylas and his family returned directly to Hogwarts Castle through the fireplace network.
Sam, Merry, and Pippin returned to the Shire, continuing their lives amid grief and remembrance. Sam inherited not only wealth, but also the spatial pouch Frodo had left behind, ensuring comfort for his family and descendants.
Back in Middle-earth, Sylas and Arwen continued their lives while jointly overseeing Rivendell and Lothlórien.
Only a few Elves remained in Rivendell: Elrohir, Elladan, Elrond's secretary Lindir, and several others who chose to stay a while longer. Lindir continued to serve as Arwen's secretary, while Elrohir and Elladan assisted their sister in managing the valley before eventually departing West themselves.
In Lórien, most Elves had left with Galadriel and Celeborn. Only the Silvan Elves who refused Valinor remained, loyal to Queen Arwen and guarding the tranquil Golden Forest.
Hogwarts, Rivendell, and Lothlórien were all enveloped by the stabilizing power of Sylas's Earth Ring, protected from decay and the erosion of time.
Each year, Sylas, Arwen, Elseth, and Elroth divided their time among these three sanctuaries, living quietly, preserving what remained of the elder days.
Shielded by Kaiya's earth-aspected authority, these lands were no longer subject to the erosion of time. Flowers never withered, trees never decayed, and the land remained forever clean, vibrant, and alive, preserving its pristine beauty from beginning to end.
...
Inside the Hogwarts laboratory, Sylas was conducting an extraordinarily alchemical experiment: Biological Alchemy.
This branch of alchemy was far more complex than the crafting of magical stones. It involved life, flesh, and the soul itself, brushing dangerously close to the act of creation.
Sylas had first grasped its principles during his rebirth within Mount Doom. In truth, this was an ancient form of biological alchemy originating from the wizarding world, a discipline that, in essence, bordered on the creation of life.
Suspended above the laboratory table floated a lump of pale, flesh-colored substance.
It pulsed faintly, writhing as if breathing, emitting a clear and unmistakable life force. It looked disturbingly alive.
This was life essence, extracted from the body of a powerful beastman, then refined through alchemy to preserve its vitality and regenerative properties. In every meaningful sense, the mass before him was alive.
Sylas raised his hand and guided it gently into an alchemical formation.
With his staff, he carefully stripped away the beastman's inherent aggression, savagery, and bloodlust, erasing rebellion and violence at their root, leaving behind only loyalty and obedience.
Next, he extracted a sphere of pale crimson blood.
Elf blood.
Under his precise control, the blood fused with the flesh-mass, spreading through it like countless delicate veins, forming a living vascular network. Tiny red threads pulsed within the substance, resembling newly formed blood vessels.
At this stage, the material was no longer merely alive.
It had become magically responsive, capable of naturally interacting with ambient magic.
Sylas halted his manipulation.
With a wave of his hand, an iron cage slid forward. Inside was a trembling half-beast, shackled and imprisoned.
"Avada Kedavra."
A flash of green light erupted from Sylas's staff.
The half-beast collapsed instantly, its face frozen in terror, life extinguished in a single breath.
Sylas then lifted his staff once more and began chanting a dark incantation.
A distorted soul was forcibly torn from the corpse.
The half-beast's soul was incomplete, twisted, and corrupted, writhing in panic as it struggled uselessly in midair. It had no strength to resist.
Sylas bound the soul with a gesture, imprisoning it within the alchemical array.
Then calmly, he proceeded to the next phase of his experiment.
...
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