Oh, my goodness.
Why is that wand in Albus's hand?
The straight shaft, the elderflower-like clusters carved along its length. It looked identical to the artifact he had used just once in a trial.
The wand of unparalleled performance, wielded within the virtual world created by Niamh Fitzgerald, one of the Keepers of ancient magic.
Though it was merely a replica manifested in a virtual space, he couldn't help but be terrified when his spells erupted with nearly ten times their usual power.
With that wand, he had been able to slay all sorts of skeletal reapers... no, defeat them. It was as if he had met the wand of his destiny.
The memory was so vivid that after returning to reality, he had even looked up the story that served as its inspiration.
As a Muggle-born, he hadn't known it, but the "Tale of the Three Brothers," which featured the three Deathly Hallows, was as famous in the wizarding world as the story of Snow White was to Muggles.
The wand from the trial was clearly modeled after this Elder Wand.
Being a very sensible person who knew how to distinguish reality from fiction, he had promptly and cleanly given up on the idea of the wand existing in the real world.
I mean, who would seriously believe in a wand that only appeared in a fairy tale?
Of course, the fact that his pillow in the dormitory had been mysteriously damp that night was a secret.
I could have taken such good care of it, polishing it to a brilliant shine every single day. Truly.
And now, that very legendary wand was in Albus's hands.
The sight was so shocking that it made him forget even his duty as a senior to guide Albus, who was once again about to concoct a Slytherin-like scheme.
"Albus. Won't you let this senior of yours see that wand? I promise I'll only look."
He barely managed to suppress the unseemly eagerness that, perhaps influenced by his younger body, felt more intense than usual.
I mean, I used the wand (even if it was a replica from a trial), so what's the problem with me taking a quick look at it?
Despite his words, Albus wore a wary expression and showed no sign of handing over the wand.
Did he really think I would snatch it from him? Hmph, what does he take me for?
Speaking of which, how has that kid not changed one bit even after ninety years? Perhaps now is the perfect time for a senior's guidance.
Yes, it has been said since ancient times that one of the best ways to discipline a child is to take away their toy. In that case—
"Ah, tsk. Forget it. I'm no ruffian. If you don't want to, I can't force you."
With a deep sigh, I lowered my arms. Albus's old face registered surprise, perhaps because I had given up so easily.
Don't look at me like that. I'm barely holding back as it is.
The most important thing for a wizard is to abide by the lines they set for themselves. Toeing those lines eventually leads to being consumed by one's own self and walking a path of ruin.
And most unfortunately, snatching a junior's prized possession, even by the standards of the romantic era I lived in, was clearly not a good deed.
It was the wand I had thought of as my own for ten years, but was I to part with it like this?
"Sir..."
Albus let out a sigh, looking as if he'd just survived a near-death experience.
Swallowing my tears, I continued speaking.
"Yes, that Elder Wand is a truly fine wand, so use it well. By the way, I believe I still need to finish your education on the Gryffindor spirit."
Right, this wasn't revenge for him not showing me the Elder Wand.
I had simply paused what I was originally doing because I got distracted by the wand. Now that I had put the wand out of my mind, I was just resuming my task.
Recalling the time ten years ago in my timeline when I had a good romp with Albus in the Forbidden Forest, engraving the meaning of Gryffindor into him, I raised my hand once more.
Yes, after ninety years, Albus must have grown immensely. He should be able to handle this much with ease now.
I focused my mind to invoke a touch of ancient magic for the first time in a long while, and—
"S-Sir! I'll show you the Elder Wand!"
At Albus's shout, I halted the flow of my magic, and a bright smile finally returned to my face.
Oh, dear. I wasn't trying to threaten him. What if he misunderstood? In any case, it seemed the saying that good deeds are rewarded was mostly true.
Albus would surely think so too.
"Diffindo."
Slice.
Slice-slice. Slice.
Despite having uttered the incantation only once, countless formless blades manifested and, in an instant, diced a section of the cave wall into dozens of pieces.
This was the result of spell amplification, something only Aisen, with his talent for ancient magic, could achieve.
Rumble...
The section of the cave wall, marked with clean-cut surfaces, began to collapse with a shower of dust and dirt.
Yet the cuts were so precise that the rest of the cave remained completely unaffected.
"Impossible."
Dumbledore could not hide his astonishment at the sight. It was an overwhelming display of power, even compared to when he used the wand himself.
The Elder Wand was the most temperamental of the three Deathly Hallows.
If used by someone whose ownership the wand itself did not acknowledge, it would not exhibit any more power than a regular wand, no matter how skilled the wizard.
But look at the sublime power of that magic. It was clear the wand didn't just acknowledge its master; it was utterly delighted with him.
And what did that mean? It meant that Aisen had acquired ownership of the Elder Wand.
"Don't tell me... it considered my submission a defeat?"
Ownership of the Elder Wand transfers in only one way. When the previous owner is defeated, the ownership automatically passes to the victor.
For the first time in decades, Dumbledore felt his mind go completely blank.
Regardless of Dumbledore's stupor, a gleeful Aisen was now testing a series of spells with the Elder Wand.
Hee hee! Hahaha!
Each spell was so powerful that Dumbledore thought he could hear the wand's phantom laughter.
A pang of bitterness struck Dumbledore's heart as he watched the wand unleash spells with more vigor than it ever had for him.
The pride he had built over a lifetime as a wizard began to waver.
But setting aside such pride, this was, objectively speaking, a catastrophe of the highest order.
If that wand ended up in the hands of his already monstrously powerful senior, the end of the wizarding world could... no. That wasn't the main problem.
Dumbledore's long-held plan.
His grand design to die undefeated, thereby extinguishing the Elder Wand's ownership and neutralizing its potential for future conflict, had just been shattered.
And in such an absurd manner.
"Ha, haha, hahaha."
A hollow laugh escaped Dumbledore's lips.
"Imperio!"
"Confringo!"
"Levioso!"
By Merlin's cracked skull, this is insane.
That was the only thought that came to mind as I continued to use the Elder Wand.
Putting aside the increase in spell power, the process of casting was astonishingly smooth.
It was a difficult sensation to describe, but it was incomparably faster than my previous method of casting magic.
Before, to use magic, I had to use my will to draw up magical power, then use the wand's movement and the incantation as a medium to form it into a spell. But with the Elder Wand, for simple spells, it felt like the magic just happened the moment I swung the wand.
It's a completely inappropriate descriptor for the use of magic, but it felt, quite literally, like magic itself.
Even the replica from the trial couldn't compare to the genuine article.
"Sir."
After I had spent some time enjoying myself with the Elder Wand, I heard Albus's strangely dejected voice call out from behind me.
Ah, right... This wand isn't mine. It's time to part with it again.
My heart grew heavy again. I patted the wand, and it seemed to tremble in response, as if it felt the same way. Right? You feel it too, don't you?
"Ah, right. Albus. I've had a good look at your wand. It's a truly fine one..."
It was a wand truly worthy of the title of a Deathly Hallow.
But I am a righteous Gryffindor. I am not the kind of person who would do something terrible to a junior over a single wand.
...I'm really not!
Unable to bear the sight of letting the wand go, I squeezed my eyes shut and held it out to Albus.
But for some reason, I didn't feel the sensation of Albus taking the wand back. What's going on?
My mind filled with questions, I opened my eyes and looked at Albus quizzically.
What is it? Take your wand back, quickly. If you don't, it's going to get harder for me to resist.
Albus, seeming to notice my expression, sighed and then spoke.
"Sir. That wand... would you, by any chance, like to have it?"
?
What was that? Did someone cast a spell that makes me hear only what I want to hear?