Wes's research was not going smoothly. Although the sacrificial ritual of the Fountain of Youth seemed simple on the surface, it was shrouded in an eerie aura.
Was the water of the Fountain of Youth naturally formed, or was it created by some mysterious "deity"?
Until he could figure that out, Wes had no intention of attempting the ritual lightly. After all, what he planned to sacrifice wasn't someone's life—but he still hadn't discovered how to use the ritual to convert the Philosopher's Stone into pure energy.
He pulled his attention away from the Fountain of Youth and turned instead to the Holy Grail. Upon close inspection, Wes noticed that the interior of the Grail was etched with a strange pattern. He suspected it might be a type of magic circle.
However, Wes had never seen a magic circle like this before.
"Maybe the library at Hogwarts has records of this kind of magic," he thought.
For once, Wes felt a twinge of frustration at the limits of his magical knowledge.
After packing everything up, he hurried back to Hogwarts and went straight to the library.
The lighting in the library was dim, and the air was thick with the musty scent unique to ancient books. He headed to the Restricted Section, where all the most disturbing dark magic books were kept.
Thick layers of dust coated the shelves. Some of the books even possessed consciousness—and the moment they sensed Wes entering, they began whispering, tempting him to take them out.
But their allure was useless against Wes. Unmoved, he focused solely on finding the book he needed.
Soon, in a secluded corner, he discovered a book titled "Sacrifice—The Forbidden Art."
The book's cover was damaged, its edges yellowed with age, as if it had been neglected for a very long time.
"This is it," Wes said, as if he'd discovered a treasure, and checked the book out.
Back in his office, Wes eagerly sat down at his desk and gently opened the title page. What greeted him was a startling sentence:
"Are you sure you want to open this book?"
Wes was taken aback for a moment.
"The title page is certainly... unique."
It only made him more curious.
"The first page is already this interesting?" he thought. For this book to be kept in the Restricted Section, there had to be a reason.
Driven by curiosity, he flipped to the following pages and began reading intently.
Unfortunately, apart from the unusual first page, the rest of the book was quite serious and formal—no more quirky phrases followed.
Through his reading, Wes learned that the author of the book was a wizard named Orba Jeremias, who had a deep interest in ancient times.
He recorded in detail how he gradually delved into long-forgotten magical and sacrificial rituals.
He had collected information from all over the world and ultimately reached a shocking conclusion: gods are real.
The evidence? Various sacrificial rituals and magic circles tied to sacrifice.
In ancient times, early civilizations offered sacrifices to gods in hopes of receiving divine protection.
Such records could be found all over the world.
At first, Orba Jeremias didn't believe in the existence of gods either. But by chance, he managed to repair an ancient magic circle and set up the offering according to the ritual.
He followed the ritual step by step. At first, nothing unusual happened—until the final step. Suddenly, he heard a mysterious voice, like it came from another world.
Then, he saw a "god" with his own eyes.
However, the cost of seeing that god was his sight. No matter what he tried afterward, he could never heal his eyes.
Jeremias documented his research and experiences in great detail and titled it "Sacrifice—The Forbidden Art."
At the end of the book, he gave a stern warning:
"Do not attempt any sacrificial rituals! They may bring you unimaginable consequences—and possibly cost you your life."
Wes slowly closed the book, a storm churning in his heart.
What exactly had Orba Jeremias seen? Was it truly a "god"?
Or just a hallucination, a dream—
—or something else entirely?
Who could say whether these sacrificial magic circles weren't someone else's contingency plans?
Unless… A sudden idea flashed through Weiss's mind—unless he could create a sacrificial magic circle that belonged to him and him alone.
Weiss reopened the book, reading every word carefully and attentively.
"It's possible. It's completely doable!" Weiss slapped the table in excitement.
The core components of a sacrificial ritual were: the follower—the one offering the sacrifice; the offering itself; the sacrificial ritual; and the recipient of the offering—the deity.
Weiss considered each point, and it seemed like he had everything he needed.
The follower? No doubt, the house-elf Jandy already regarded him as a deity.
The offering? The Philosopher's Stone—an incredibly rare treasure.
The deity? Though Weiss had yet to reach that level, his system panel granted him limitless potential.
What was missing… was simply a ritual unique to himself.
"That's not a problem. I'll just design one." In this moment, Weiss was brimming with energy, eagerly spreading out parchment to begin his creation.
He drew inspiration from the Holy Grail Grimoire's circles, attempting to construct an entirely new formation, something that was solely his. It wasn't a simple task—it involved the concept of a "True Name."
True Names held extraordinary significance for higher beings like gods and demons. If a mortal knew a demon's True Name, they could banish it.
"Wes Elwin" was a name, a title—but it wasn't a True Name. This stumped Weiss. What kind of True Name should he choose? Was he even capable of bearing such a name? More importantly—would the world recognize it?
That part was crucial.
He racked his brains, to the point his head nearly split open, but still couldn't settle on a True Name.
After all, this wasn't a decision that could be made lightly.
Fortunately, he wasn't someone nearing the end of his life. He still had plenty of time to think and decide.
Besides, designing a sacrificial ritual would already take a significant amount of time. It wasn't something that could be done overnight.
——
Just a few days after returning to Hogwarts, Wes was summoned to Dumbledore's office.
Dumbledore handed him the latest issue of The Daily Prophet.
Wes took the paper and his eyes immediately locked on the bold headline on the front page:
"The Most Ruthless Criminal in History: Sirius Black Escapes Azkaban!!"
And right beneath it:
"Massive Failure from the Ministry of Magic—Cornelius Fudge Resigns!!"
There was even a photo of Sirius Black included.
In the photo, Sirius looked gaunt and emaciated. His black hair hung in greasy, tangled clumps like seaweed.
His cheeks were sunken, his eyes vacant, his cheekbones sharp—he looked more like a walking corpse than a man.
Wes knew Sirius was a master of Transfiguration, an unregistered Animagus who could transform into a large black dog.
Thanks to that ability, he had eluded the Dementors' surveillance and become the first person in history to escape from Azkaban.
"Sirius's escape has caused widespread panic," Dumbledore said slowly. "People are beginning to question whether the Ministry can protect anyone. Fudge was furious."
"Professor, I don't see how this has anything to do with me."
Weiss had no desire to get involved. He didn't see the point in getting dragged into political chaos.
He stood up, ready to leave—right now, the only thing on his mind was creating a ritual of his own design.
°°°
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