“Well, at least, that is how it was meant to go. You see, I am not really fond of following rules.”

“Huh?”

Enuma chuckled at Zephyr’s dumbfounded look. “When they chained me, they thought they had gained complete dominion over me. But too bad for them, I was always someone that excelled in chasing freedom…”

The atmosphere around Enuma suddenly changed, and he gave Zephyr a stare that felt like the outer space. Dangerous and mysterious, a reminder that the ‘thing’ in front of him is beyond his understanding and capabilities. Something a human cannot hope to overcome. Zephyr was starting to believe his words about different worlds. “Tell me, Zephyr Potter, if I could give you the power to achieve whatever you desire, what would you do?”

“I would help my sister.” The answer shot out of him swiftly, as if rehearsed many times.

“Oh, do you now?” He chuckled again, but this time it had a different quality to it now. It felt mocking, as if he could see something that Zephyr could not. “Oh my, you truly are an amusing young man, do you know that? Very well, I will grand you my aid, but with a restriction. I won’t leave this world with you until you reached your goal. If your journey towards it sufficiently satisfies me, I will grant you access to the wide multiverse out there. So what do you say? The future of the multiverse lays in your hands, succeed and become their hero, or fail and doom them all. Do you accept?”

What a question… Zephyr didn’t know what to say. On one hand, the offer was mouthwatering for someone like Zephyr. Most of his problems were solvable with enough power. On the other hand, the amount of things suspicious about this were staggering. It didn’t slip his mind that Enuma barely provided him any information during his explanation, which meant he either was hiding something from him for whatever reason, or he simply deemed him not worthy enough. It could also be both. What also made him wary was the utter disregard of all existence, if the man’s word was to be believed. He would doom everything if he didn’t feel like offering his power.

He puts his principles above the life of uncountable people.

Furthermore, if he is already showing such a callous nature in a short amount of time, can he really trust anything the man says? It was not the first time he was deceived by someone because of his greed for power. So far, this looked exactly the same as last time… But did it? Enuma was way more transparent with his wickedness, completely unlike Tom. Would he really act like that if he wanted to manipulate him?

Zephyr shook his head and looked Enuma square in his eyes. He should stop mulling over this. It would lead him nowhere. No matter how you look at this, he should decline. Everything about this was shady and, more importantly, dangerous for his sister. He didn’t want to hurt her again. Last time he was lucky, but this time he may… kill her.

“I accept.” Yes, for his sister’s sake, the only important thing left in his world, he should have declined. So why… why couldn’t he do so?

Hearing his answer, Enuma grew excited as he stood up from the chair. The ominous air around him vanished as if it has never been there. He stepped away from the table and gestured widely to the empty chair. “What’s with the sombre face? You should rejoice, young Zephyr. You just took the first step into freedom!”

Zephyr sighed as he walked towards the table, ignoring the words of the shady man. It did not matter what problems this union will cause, he will deal with it in the future. For now, he would use this opportunity to defeat his sister’s nemesis. Yes, before this year would end, he would utterly eradicate Voldemort. Every single last bit of him…

“Oho… the determination is practically flying out of you, Zephyr. Maybe you will not disappoint me after all.”

“I aim to please.” He snarked as he sat down in front of the table. “So what now? Do I have to drop my blood on the magic circle or something?” He was suddenly startled as, from nowhere, a thick and ancient looking tome appeared next to the circle.

“Well, open it!” Enuma said, urging him on. He did just that, and skimmed over the first pages that were filled with, what looked like, spells. It was a bit hard to read, because of the sparse light from the heavenly bodies above him, but it was manageable. Wait…

“Hey, these are just spells I already know. What is the meaning of this?”

“Well, of course. This book records all the spells you have a good enough understanding of, and the things you have to offer me to use it. Do you know what that means? Whatever spell out there you gain knowledge of, you can master it. Different races, bloodlines, or magic systems, it doesn’t matter. As long as you give what I ask you of, you will be able to wield any magic. After all, there is no spell that I do not know of, no magic I did not master. Because I am the greatest magic god in existence, and no one is my equal!”

‘Yet with all that power, you still got defeated’, Zephyr thought but wisely held his tongue. Angering a potential god, if the man was telling the truth, would not be healthy. Honestly, this situation was getting more and more dangerous and creepy… Instead of stewing in fear, he focused on the elation and awe coursing through him. With these tools, he could do it. He could fulfil all his wishes…

“Wait! What is this?” He gestured to the page with the fire-making-charm, or more specifically, the ingredients for it.

Having calmed down from his excitement of his narcissistic speech, Enuma asked him indifferently. “What? There should be nothing to explain here. The spell only needs two offerings, simple right?”

“That’s not the point! Why do I need hot air and fucking phoenix flames for it? You know that this is a first year spell, right? The cost is too high!”

Enuma’s eyes grew cold. “Too high? Yes, it is a first year spell, but you can still barely do it, right? And here I am, giving you the opportunity to do something that was impossible for you so far. So how is the cost too high?” Zephyr winced at hearing that. But Enuma wasn’t done. “What did you expect? Me to shove powerful abilities down your throat until you resemble a fat pig? Maybe, while at it, I should assume a female form and service you while you arrogantly prance around with powers you did not work for? Do you think this is a game, boy?” Enuma took deep breaths to calm himself down, as Zephyr turned silent. “The more powerful and valuable something is, the higher is the price. And I am especially pricey. Always remember that…”

They both grew silent, as Zephyr went into deep thought. He was right; the possibilities made him too excited, and he lost the grip on reality for a moment. There are no free lunches. Despite that, this opportunity is still massive, he just needs to be careful what he prioritises from now on. As he should have expected, his rise to power won’t be easy.

“This reminds me, you are aware that I’m sick and soon dying, right? So unless this… room heals me, the multiverse is doomed anyway.”

“Hmm, you are right. I almost forgot, you are suffering from a botched reincarnation, right?” Zephyr stiffened. Reincarnation? So it was true? Those dreams were about his past life?

“Your new body is barely connected to your soul. Without a proper earthly anchor, your soul should have been departed long ago. But you managed to keep it with you all this time. Impressive! Most people would have not lasted as long as you.” Enuma said without a care in the world, while Zephyr felt like the world was spinning with all these fresh revelations. “But that is not good for your soul, obviously. All this time, it lacked protection. It’s like a constant open wound. Must have hurt a lot… This must be the worst reincarnation I have ever seen! The one that did it must have been truly incompetent. Or maybe it was intentional?” He chuckled, delighted at the implications. Zephyr was not nearly as amused. “Also, no wonder you suck at magic! The entities here are not fond of outsiders. It is honestly baffling that you have access to the magic system here at all. I don’t know if it speaks for you abilities or the patheticness of these wannabe gods, hah!”

Wannabe gods? Zephyr’s head was hurting at this point. He could only take so much information a day. “So? Do you have any tips for me?” He asked tiredly, not really expecting an answer.

But he was proven wrong. “I might have something…” He said in a mischievous tone. Again he looked like he knew something that Zephyr didn’t. It pissed him off. “I have the right spell for your problem. See it as a gift for our new pact. Of course, you still have to pay the price…”

The pages of the book turned themselves over until it landed on a blank one. Slowly words appeared on it. Zephyr read the name of the spell out loud.

“Heaven’s Feel…”