Chapter 32
"Wear me, and you will gain endless wisdom..."
*Bang!*
Devero slammed the plaster bust shut.
"Silencio!"
He pointed his wand at the bust, casting a silencing charm to quiet it.
Devero leaned against a pile of nearby clutter, exhausted, his face pale as he gasped for breath.
"Damn it! I nearly fell for this Horcrux's trap!"
Devero struggled to stand upright, regulating his breathing according to the principles of meditative practice. A cool sensation washed over his mind, helping to calm his spirit.
At this moment, he was inside the Room of Requirement. That evening, he had explored several secret passages mentioned in the original story, as well as some classrooms and towers he hadn't visited before. As he wandered, he found himself on the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle—exactly where the Room of Requirement was located.
Devero figured he might as well explore the Room of Requirement tonight. Recalling that in the original story, Voldemort had hidden Ravenclaw's Diadem, one of his Horcruxes, here, Devero was curious to see what kind of treasure this relic from one of the four founders might be. So, he entered the Room of Requirement, specifically the room used for hiding things.
To his surprise, the room was enormous. He spent nearly half the night searching but couldn't find the so-called plaster bust. Just as he was about to give up, a sudden realization hit him.
He was a wizard!
With a wave of his wand, Devero shouted, "Accio plaster bust!"
But the spell was too vague. Suddenly, every plaster bust in the room came hurtling toward him. Devero quickly ducked, dodging the barrage of flying statues.
In that moment, his magically gifted intuition told him that one of them held extraordinary power!
With quick reflexes, Devero cast a levitation charm to catch it. Driven by curiosity, he opened the plaster bust.
And that's when the incident happened.
If he hadn't practiced meditative techniques beforehand, Devero might have already put on the diadem. His fate would likely have been no better than Ginny's in the original story.
Devero approached the bust again, but this time he was far more cautious, refraining from opening it recklessly. Although he had cast a silencing charm on it, the bust continued to tremble in an unsettling rhythm.
Devero frowned. The Horcrux's reaction seemed strange. In the original story, objects like the locket or the diary only began to erode their possessor's mind after prolonged contact. But this diadem had nearly overtaken him instantly. It didn't feel like a typical Horcrux—it was as if a living soul resided within it.
Though he knew Horcruxes often exhibited lifelike qualities, tempting their holders (the locket being a prime example, and Harry himself being a living Horcrux), this felt different.
To ensure his safety, Devero knew he couldn't confront this dangerous Horcrux directly. A clever idea sparked in his mind. He decided to interact with the Horcrux indirectly to minimize the risk.
In front of the bust, Devero sat cross-legged, his gaze steady and focused. He closed his eyes, regulating his breathing and heartbeat to achieve an optimal state. With each deep breath, his mind grew calmer, and the surrounding sounds faded into a distant blur.
A thick mist began to envelop Devero. This time, he wasn't converging his magic and perception to enter the microscopic world but to peer through the plaster bust and observe the diadem.
As his perception sharpened, the mist fully covered him. In his mind's eye, only the faintly trembling bust remained. Devero focused, his perception and magic weaving into shimmering blue threads of light. These threads slowly and cautiously slipped into the cracks of the bust.
As his perception deepened, Devero felt as though he had entered a completely dark space.
Suddenly!
All he could see was filled with green light!
"Hello!"
In that instant, Devero saw a figure in a black robe, pale as a skeleton yet exuding an indescribable charm. The figure smiled at him, its voice gentle but laced with a chilling undertone.
Faced with this unexpected situation, Devero reacted swiftly, pulling himself out of his meditative state. His eyes snapped open.
The plaster bust in front of him had a small crack at one corner, emitting a faint green glow. The eerie trembling had stopped.
But Devero had no time to focus on that. A piece of information appeared in his mind!
…
[Name: Fragment of Tom Riddle's Soul]
[Age: 20 (Eternal)]
[Spell Arsenal: Avada Kedavra (Unmatched), Imperius Curse (Unmatched), Cruciatus Curse (Unmatched)...]
[Traits: Wilderness of Knowledge (Unique), Horcrux (Gold), Dark Lord (Gold/Incomplete), Born Heartless (Purple), Decayed (Purple)]
…
[Wilderness of Knowledge (Unique): The knowledge of the world is you, and you are knowledge itself.]
[Horcrux (Gold): You are a Horcrux deliberately created by a powerful dark wizard through murder, inheriting a portion of the original owner's knowledge and power, with the ability to corrupt others' minds.]
[Dark Lord (Gold/Incomplete): You are destined to become a Dark Lord who makes the world tremble. Charismatic and unparalleled in dark magic, you will command countless followers. However, due to an extremely powerful spell, your fate has been shattered, and your future remains uncertain.]
[Born Heartless (Purple): A tragic upbringing and poor education have left you incapable of normal emotions or empathy.]
[Decayed (Purple): Once radiant with grand ambitions, endless confinement has worn down your body and spirit, causing you to gradually decay.]
…
This Horcrux even has a status panel!!
And it has a unique-tier trait!
[Wilderness of Knowledge (Unique)]
*Hiss!*
Devero's brow furrowed. He hadn't yet copied any unique-tier traits. What would happen if he did?
Devero steadied his mind. For now, he pushed the thought aside and stood up, waving his wand.
"Reparo!"
The crack in the bust emitting green light instantly mended. After waiting three seconds with no anomalies, Devero relaxed and began carefully examining the Horcrux's panel.
"As expected of Voldemort! At just twenty years old, he mastered the three Unforgivable Curses to an unmatched level!" Devero marveled at the Horcrux's panel, unable to suppress his amazement.
He had only seen such an "unmatched" skill once before—Snape's Occlumency, noted in the original story as the greatest master of the art. Yet this mere fragment of Voldemort's soul possessed three such advanced spells, a testament to the immense power of Voldemort himself.
Devero's gaze shifted from the spell arsenal to the traits.
The [Horcrux] trait was straightforward. Unlike Harry, who was an accidental Horcrux and thus less affected, this diadem radiated malevolence at first glance.
When he reached the [Dark Lord] trait, Devero frowned slightly. "Incomplete? Does that mean each Horcrux holds only a part of the Dark Lord trait?"
If even an incomplete version was a gold-tier trait, then the complete trait, combined from all Horcruxes, would likely be at least red-tier! Devero nodded slightly. After all, Voldemort was a wizard capable of facing Dumbledore head-on, so a red-tier trait made sense.
He couldn't imagine the charisma and power Voldemort would have with a complete soul.
The two purple-tier traits were easier to understand. [Born Heartless] reflected Voldemort's core nature. Raised in an orphanage, treated poorly by Dumbledore at Hogwarts, and possibly influenced by his inbred ancestry, various factors shaped his sociopathic personality.
The [Decayed] trait likely referred to the diadem's long confinement in the Room of Requirement—about fifty years, by Devero's estimate.
"I wonder if this Horcrux is conscious. Wouldn't it go mad from decades of isolation?" Devero mused silently.
His expression grew serious as he focused on the [Wilderness of Knowledge] trait—the first unique-tier trait he'd encountered outside his own. Though a Horcrux wasn't exactly a person, this trait likely didn't originate from Voldemort's dark magic but from Ravenclaw's Diadem itself.
Considering Ravenclaw's reverence for wisdom, it seemed plausible that [Wilderness of Knowledge] was originally Ravenclaw's trait, embedded in the diadem. A unique-tier trait for a Hogwarts founder made sense.
But the description was frustratingly vague. What did "you are knowledge itself" mean? Devero couldn't guess its effect. Unlike his own unique-tier traits—[Magical Prodigy], which made him a peerless talent in magic, and [Traveler], tied to his unique identity or perhaps a great being protecting him—this trait seemed to involve some kind of rule-based power.
Its effect was likely extraordinary.
Devero frowned. "System, is there no further explanation for this trait?"
[Response to Host: No additional details are available.]
[However, unique-tier traits generally follow a basic logic: the simpler the description, the more complex the effect.]
What the…?
Devero felt his system was becoming increasingly cryptic. "The simpler, the more complex?"
He rubbed his chin, pondering. Did it mean a simpler description implied a more intricate effect?
He shook his head. No, it couldn't be that straightforward. His own two traits had lengthy descriptions, yet he still hadn't fully grasped their effects. But this [Wilderness of Knowledge] had the simplest description he'd seen for a unique-tier trait, fitting the system's "simpler, more complex" logic. Its effect might be stronger—or stranger—than his own.
"Could it grant me all the knowledge in the world?" Devero briefly fantasized. But even as a magical prodigy, absorbing that much knowledge would probably fry his brain.
After much deliberation, he decided to try loading the trait. It was just a trait—what harm could it do? It wasn't like a Horcrux, which could turn him into something else entirely.
As Devero began to load the trait, a sharp voice rang out, contorting his face in shock.
[Warning!]
[Copying this trait will fundamentally alter the host's existence!]
[Host, please choose carefully!]
[Would you like to proceed with loading the trait?]
Devero was stunned. This was the first time the system had warned him about copying a trait! A fundamental change to his existence? That sounded like he'd become something else entirely—something not human. Perhaps even a diadem!
He immediately abandoned the idea. It was too dangerous. Not every trait could be loaded carelessly. If he loaded this one, he might become an object, stripped of his humanity.
Devero stood, brushing dust off himself. Tonight's experience in the Room of Requirement was a wake-up call. He'd need to be more cautious when handling dangerous magical artifacts, preferably using indirect methods.
As he prepared to cast a levitation charm to hide the bust deep in the room, a voice shattered the silence.
"Hello, little wizard."
Devero whipped out his wand, scanning the room. He had checked the Room of Requirement thoroughly upon entering, ensuring it was safe. So why was there another voice now?
"Little one, I'm right here."
Devero looked down. The plaster bust's eyes glowed green, and it spoke to him.
"It seems Slytherin has produced another talented wizard."
***
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