— — — — — —
After waking up, Tom's condition quickly returned to peak form under the influence of the space.
"To be honest, I didn't even know I had that kind of potential."
He shrank his neck a little and forced out an awkward smile. Facing Ravenclaw's murderous glare, Tom instinctively tried to look smaller.
After all… he really had put her through hell just now.
Still…
It had been pretty satisfying. He had nearly blasted a legendary witch to death. If that had happened outside this protected space, Ravenclaw would already be gone.
"I thought the contract between me and Usaki was just a normal equal contract," Tom said with a sigh. "Who knew the level of the contract was actually this high? It can influence me gradually without me even noticing."
He was honestly amazed.
If he hadn't tried fighting like that today, he would never have realized how much potential he had. Nor would he have known that the bond between him and Usaki was this extraordinary.
When Tom was stronger than Usaki, his magic and physique nourished her, helping her grow rapidly.
But when Usaki surpassed him, the bloodline of Mega Rayquaza awakened within her and began feeding power back to him, letting Tom inherit the bloodline as well.
One person and one dragon, strengthening each other in a loop. They lifted each other higher and higher.
What Tom had triggered earlier was actually a protective mechanism buried deep within Rayquaza's bloodline. Among rare and powerful species with few descendants, this kind of safeguard was common. The most important knowledge passed down through bloodlines and inherited memories was how to ensure their offspring survived long enough to reach full maturity.
"And that last blast I fired at you…" Tom rubbed the back of his head. "I was just holding in too much energy. It came out as pure instinct. My conscious mind had nothing to do with it."
He spoke sincerely, trying very hard to prove he was innocent.
Unfortunately, his explanation didn't soften Ravenclaw's murderous glare at all. If anything, her eyes became even sharper.
Grindelwald and Andros also looked different now.
Only Jeanne still gazed at Tom with pure admiration.
As expected of Tom. Even his pet was this powerful. He really must be the one true god of this world!
"…Damn it," Andros muttered, rare frustration slipping into his voice. "How do all the good things keep happening to you?"
His sense of imbalance had finally snapped.
For most of his life, he had been the one crushing other wizards with sheer talent. Only after meeting Tom did he truly understand the frustration and helplessness of those he had defeated.
So this was what it felt like.
Unfair… unbelievably unfair.
"..."
Meanwhile, Grindelwald had gone completely silent.
At least Andros could drag him down as company in misery. But what about him?
Looking at the people present, he was the one with the least impressive talent.
"Tom… could you stop making that punchable face?" Ravenclaw said through clenched teeth. "I really want to beat you right now."
Tom's eyes lit up.
Instead of shrinking back, he looked eager.
"Really? I just found a bit of the feeling earlier. I was hoping to try it again."
"Cough… well…" Ravenclaw cleared her throat quickly. "Forget it, you look tired."
The wise beauty clearly had no intention of testing that again. She swiftly changed the topic. "Oh! Since you gained something just now, you should understand what I meant before."
Tom nodded. Just as he was about to speak, Ravenclaw raised a hand and stopped him.
She glanced at Andros and the others.
"The rest of this discussion isn't suitable for you."
Andros blinked, "…What?"
Ravenclaw ignored the confusion on their faces and said calmly, "Your level isn't high enough. Hearing it won't do you any good."
Both Andros and Grindelwald gave muffled groans. It felt like another dagger had been driven straight into their pride.
With dark expressions, they stood and left, making sure to drag Jeanne along with them.
Once they were gone, Ravenclaw gestured for Tom to continue.
"I misunderstood something before," Tom said with a shrug. "When wizards use spells, it's never been about borrowing that power of the world. The real goal is to completely understand how the rules of the world operate… and then seize that authority."
"First understand it," he continued softly. "Then change it."
Tom lifted his hand.
A gray-white sphere of magical energy floated above his palm. Fine threads wrapped around it, spinning endlessly like tiny orbits.
"Do you think wizards simply didn't want to take the direct route? Why not use their own magic to forcefully alter the rules of reality?"
He smiled faintly. "Simple. It's because they can't."
"Rowena, what I just described—that's the real goal of wizards. I guess that's what sets you apart—the legend tier. Of course, I believe you didn't fully reach it… maybe just took another step. I'd say a Wizard King tier is built on the same concept."
Ravenclaw's expression darkened slightly, but she remained silent and let him finish.
"Unfortunately, the limits of humanity stop every wizard somewhere. Without an extraordinary method, they hit a hard ceiling."
Tom closed his hand gently. "But I'm different. Whether it's studying the rules of the world or digging deeper into my own potential, the final goal is the same. No wonder you said I'm a magical being."
"Good," Ravenclaw nodded with satisfaction, then glanced toward the direction where Andros and the others had left.
"Most people have to learn how to walk before they think about running. That's why I didn't let them hear the rest. Knowing too much isn't always a good thing. It can distract them instead. Better to progress step by step with solid footing."
She looked back at Tom.
"But you don't have that concern. Perhaps… you might even skip a step and leap straight to the top."
She continued explaining some of her current research. It had already entered the legendary magic. In simple terms, it was about using one's own magic to influence more and more of the world's fundamental rules.
Tom listened seriously, occasionally picking up a pen to jot down key points. Still, his thoughts kept drifting.
From a Century King… to a Wizard King?
He had never really considered that possibility before. But after hearing Ravenclaw's explanation, he realized it might not be impossible.
After Ravenclaw left, Tom went into the Meditation Room and began reviewing the battle from earlier.
Even though he had fallen into a berserk state at the time, the memories remained intact after waking. That included the strange sensation of fighting through pure bloodline instinct.
Until someone loses control once, they never truly know what they're capable of.
But he couldn't keep entering that "instinct state" recklessly. The wild power within him had to be mastered, not allowed to run free.
Only when he could control it would he be ready to dig deeper into his potential.
After organizing his thoughts, Tom started a new round of testing.
---
High above Australia, in the upper atmosphere, Usaki finally pulled her gaze away from the distant north and let out a lazy yawn.
When Tom activated the protective power within his bloodline, she had naturally sensed it. At first she had wanted to rush over to help. But through their contract she quickly realized Tom wasn't actually in danger, so she stayed put and continued her mission.
...
Down below, deep inside a forest, Fawkes was flapping his wings while blocking the path of a slightly smaller wild phoenix. The two birds chirped and screeched nonstop, arguing loudly.
Abeforth had acted quickly. With help from the Acolytes' intelligence network, he soon located the wild phoenix.
The Dumbledore family was probably the most knowledgeable family about phoenixes in the world. Abeforth knew just how difficult it was to tame one, so he had prepared a large number of herbs that phoenixes loved. He handed them all to Fawkes and let the bird handle the "luring" part.
The early progress had gone very smoothly.
Phoenixes were a mysterious species whose method of birth was still unknown. They had no parents. From the moment they came into existence, they were alone.
So when the wild phoenix saw Fawkes, it was overjoyed. This was the first member of its own kind it had ever met.
Its reaction was almost identical to how Fawkes had behaved when he first met Tom.
Fawkes was happy too. The little brother it once had was now basically a mother-level existence. But now he had gained a little sister as well. His wounded pride had been soothed a bit.
However, following Abeforth's instructions, Fawkes didn't reveal his intentions immediately. Instead he just played with the wild phoenix for a while.
Abeforth stayed far away, watching through a telescope. When he felt their relationship had warmed up enough, he signaled Fawkes to move forward with the actual recruitment plan.
But things didn't go as expected.
The wild phoenix not only refused Fawkes's offer, it became furious and started scolding him.
You're a phoenix! A creature that endlessly cycles between life and death! Why would you become a human's pet? Isn't that lowering your own status?
Fawkes got angry too.
He wasn't anyone's pet.
Dumbledore had always treated him with the utmost respect and never forced him to do anything. Their relationship was one of equals.
As for Tom…
That was his mother!
How could you talk about his mother like that?
The two phoenixes started arguing with their beaks.
Then they started fighting with their beaks.
The wild phoenix had only been born not long ago, so it was no match for Fawkes. But if it couldn't win, it could still run.
Phoenixes were incredibly fast. Even another phoenix would struggle to catch one that was fleeing with all its strength.
Realizing his little sister had flown off, Fawkes panicked and cried out toward the sky. "Chirp! Chirp-chirp!"
"ROAR!"
In an instant, the sky changed.
Thick black clouds spread like spilled ink, covering the entire forest in seconds.
The wild phoenix's instincts screamed in alarm. Brilliant golden flames burst around its body as it flapped its wings faster and faster, trying to escape.
whoosh—
At that moment, a dark shadow tore through the clouds and dove downward.
The wild phoenix immediately Apparated hundreds of kilometers away.
But the streak of black light followed like a shadow.
The moment the phoenix reappeared, a dragon claw closed around it.
Usaki held the little phoenix firmly in her grasp.
She glanced down sideways, golden vertical pupils already carrying a hint of majesty.
"Roar." (Still thinking of running?)
"Chirp! Chirp-chirp!"
The wild phoenix shook its head wildly.
.
.
.