42 Chapter 42. Misery or Salvation?
Summoning the broken wand I found in the previous vault, I approached the vault positioned in the center of the room.
I held the damaged wand in front of the vault and tapped it gently. The vault opened with ease, and I tossed the broken wand aside, as it had served its purpose.
As I went through the contents of the vault, disappointment washed over me. It contained nothing more than gold and journals from some wizards.
While I love gold, it wasn't my primary focus, and the books held no interest for me. I already surpassed the knowledge contained within those old tomes; my understanding of magic far exceeded what they could offer. Comparatively, the books in the first vault were much more valuable.
Regardless, there was an astronomical amount of gold, so I tossed the books and the treasure into my shadows.
What a waste of my time. I expect more of this vault.
I truly hoped to find something truly fascinating inside the vault, something that would deepen my understanding of magic.
Despite this, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this room than met the eye.
That peculiar flow of magic I sensed from underneath the floor caught my attention.
Determined to investigate further, I decided to break through the floor and explore what lay below.
Yes, that would give me some things worth my trouble.
Gathering all my telekinetic force into a concentrated fist, I unleashed it upon the floor.
*Bang!!*
Despite the tremendous impact, the floor remained intact, but a massive dent was left on its surface.
I stand there, surprised, as the floor before me begins to reconstruct itself at a remarkably rapid pace.
My initial instinct was to strike it again, but I catch myself, realizing that brute force won't work.
This floor is enchanted, and it seems there's more to unravel here. I need to think and approach this situation with a different strategy.
I attempted to break the enchantments, but it became clear that these aren't simple charms.
They are securely locked, and I must find the key to unlock them.
The question is, what is the key?
As I ponder this, something catches my eye—a peculiar marking on the ground, obscured by layers of dust.
I swiftly brush away the debris, revealing a series of inscriptions covering the entire floor.
'Holyshite!'
Astonishment washes over me as I see that the inscriptions are in various ancient languages, each word carrying a different meaning.
I recognized Latin, Sanskrit, Egyptian, Hebrew, Ancient Greek, Old Norse, Lithuanian, Chinese, Arabic, old Sumerian, and ancient runes, all intermingling in seemingly random order.
With my fingers, I trace the intricate lines of the inscriptions, feeling the flow of magic within them.
The energy is unlike anything I've encountered before, foreign yet strangely familiar, stirring a sense of curiosity and excitement within me.
Merlin's beard! I have stumbled upon something truly extraordinary.
It's amazing. More exciting than that battle I just had.
Each inscription holds a power of its own, and the way they intertwine suggests a pattern.
There must be a method to this arrangement, a hidden pattern, or a clue that can lead me to the key I needed.
Levitating myself above the floor, I sought a better view of the mysterious inscriptions that covered every inch.
With a snap of my fingers, I cast 'Scourgify,' causing the dust to vanish, revealing the intricate patterns beneath.
Seating myself in a meditative posture, learned from the Sanskrit tomes I found in the first vault, I floated in mid-air, my gaze fixed upon the floor.
I devoted ample time to studying each and every inscription, etching the details into my mind, and committing every nook and cranny of the room to memory.
When I finally closed my eyes, a vivid virtual image of the inscriptions appeared in my consciousness.
These markings resembled a complex puzzle, with words from various languages interwoven to form meaningful sentences, each leading to the next. It was like deciphering fractals, a vast spider web of interconnected thoughts.
One wrong move, and I risked getting lost in the intricate threads, forever falling into a neverending narrative.
Luckily, my proficiency in many languages assisted me in decoding the message more swiftly.
Yet, even with my linguistic skills, it still proved to be an immense challenge, a web of sentences arranged in different patterns, each telling a unique story.
Most seemed irrelevant, while others held some semblance of meaning, but none led to the answer I seek.
If it were anyone else or an entire team attempting to crack this, it could have taken them years to arrive at a possible conclusion, assuming they ever found one.
From a single starting point, this fractal would possess seven layers extending to its center, with each layer intricately woven by seven other stories.
Each of these stories tells its own tale, all interconnected through desire—the very desire that ultimately led to their downfall.
Each thread, a warning.
'In the embrace of forbidden desires, they disregarded all warnings, only to be consumed by the flames of jealousy and betrayal.'
'Greedily indulging in endless feasts, they ignored the cries of hunger from the starving, left to wallow in their own insatiable hunger.'
'Driven by insatiable avarice, they amassed vast fortunes, yet found no joy or fulfillment, only emptiness, and bitter regret.'
'Shunning responsibility and diligence, they let their potential wither away, destined to forever lament their wasted talent and opportunities.'
'In furious rage, they wreaked havoc upon others, never realizing that their own heart was the true casualty of their destructive fury.'
'Consumed by jealousy, they coveted the success of others, but in their obsession, they lost sight of their own path, leading to misery and resentment.'
'Boasting of their greatness, they alienated those around them, only to be left in the shadows, plagued by loneliness and a shattered ego.'
However, if one missteps, the threads change, and the narrative shifts, pushing me into six new layers, forming a fresh circle of desire and misery.
'अविनीतेषु इच्छासु अन्तर्मुग्धात्मा अनन्तं दुःखं विनिवर्तयति।'
[Indulgence in unbridled desires leads to a soul entangled in endless suffering.]
'क्रोधध्वंसद्बुद्ध्या जहत्यनर्थं नरो विनश्यति।'
[In the fire of anger, wisdom is lost, leaving only regret and misery in its wake.]
"लोभायां दुःखसम्पत्तिं धृत्वा जनयति चिरं।"
[Greed blinds the heart to contentment, shackling one's spirit in perpetual discontent and sorrow.]
"मोहस्य बन्धनं दृढं, असत्यानर्थदर्शनम्।"
[Bound by the chains of illusion, one stumbles through life, mourning the loss of what was never truly theirs.]
"मदात्ययासंपत्तिं त्यजति अकेलाः नरः।"
[The downfall of arrogance is steep, as it leads to loneliness and the despair of shattered pride.]
"मात्सर्यं चित्तविकारो विविधान् दुःखान् प्रयच्छति।"
[Jealousy corrodes the soul, leaving behind bitterness and torment as it consumes from within.]
In the realm of these inscriptions, I traversed through various circles of desires, each leading to its own path of misery.
Yet, I knew this lock or test was not about abandoning our desires; it held a much deeper significance.
Magic, after all, is born from desire – the desperate yearning of a curious mind, the hunger for new visions.
The notion of ceasing all desire itself is desire - one more poisonous than all the rest.
Time seemed to stretch within the confines of my mind as I moved from the Five Poisons and the twelve evil roots, examining countless possible patterns and conclusions.
Each twist and turn led to new circles, leaving me seemingly trapped in an intricate maze.
But to me, each circle represented a journey, a lesson to be learned, a cautionary tale.
After painstakingly untangling numerous webs, I finally discovered the right path—a seven-layered fractal that could guide me to what lay hidden underneath the floor.
Those final seven layers offered a revelation: a seven-layered fractal of coming to terms with one's ego and desires, while still acknowledging and harnessing them.
It was akin to a communion with something greater—the Supreme One, God.
For me, however, it was an awakening to the true essence of magic and my relationship with it. It was about reconciling my desires and their impact on my connection with magic.
"تبدو الشهوات كظلال طويلة، فاحذر أن تتبعها إلى الظلمات المُظلِمَة."
[Desires may appear as long shadows, so beware of following them into dark abysses of wrongdoing.]
"صوت الضمير يعلو كالصرير، حين يُذكِّرك بجرائمك وتقصيرك."
[The voice of conscience rings loud like a siren, reminding you of your wrongdoings and shortcomings.]
"في عمق الروح تختمر الأفكار، كدفق نهر الإبداع الذي لا يعد ولا يحصى."
[Deep within the soul, ideas ferment, like the uncountable flow of the river of creativity.]
"في سلام الذات تنعم بحلاوة الوقوف تحت زخات المطر."
[In the tranquility of the self, you relish the sweetness of standing under the raindrops.]
"بقدر الرضا تزهر الحياة، كأزهار البستان تملأ القلب بالبهجة."
[As contentment blossoms, life becomes vibrant, like flowers filling the heart with joy in a garden.]
"السلام يرتسم على وجه المرضية، فقلوبهم مروج السلام والمحبة."
[Peace radiates from the content soul, as their hearts are gardens of peace and love.]
"عندما تُطهِّر النفس من الدنس، تتألق بنور الحكمة والنور."
[When the soul purifies itself from impurities, it shines with the light of wisdom and enlightenment.]
As I finally unraveled the intricate web of fractals, it became clear that the focus wasn't on eliminating desires, but rather on mastering them and understanding how they intertwine with magic. Just as I thought.
The purpose of this puzzle was to explore the consequences of desires and how they manifest in the realm of magic.
But it left me more perplexed and confused than before.
Was desire the cause of misery or of salvation?
Quite intriguing, but frustrating.
As pondered, I found a particular clue within the center of these interconnected stories—a cryptic message.
[You found the key, now find the lock that fits.]
It was vague, but it made sense when considering all the patterns I had deciphered in my mind.
To break the enchantment on the floor, I realized that something hidden within it held the answer.
My mind conjured the image of the inscriptions, and I noticed a pattern formed by the words left behind after erasing the irrelevant ones.
The remaining inscriptions were the lock—a symbol of the Deathly Hallows inside a larger circle, surrounded by symmetrical squares.
With this, I visualized the beautiful spell that was found in the last story, one that needed to be sung, and the positions across the inscriptions where it should be placed.
I closed my eyes, focusing solely on the pattern formed in my mind.
As I descended back to the floor, I began drawing the pattern in the air using magic, each line forming with precision.
Once the intricate drawing was complete, I gently lowered all the words that were floating in the air onto the floor, aligning them with the inscriptions that formed the symbol of the deathly Hallow and the surrounding squares. And sung.
"بين سماواتي وأرضي، أروّضُ نفسي، هيمني يا أنا."
[Between heavens and earth, I tame my soul, reign over, O my self.]
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A/N:- Some might be bored with the chapter, but it is important. You will understand as the novel continues.
As I promised, this isn't just some power fantasy but with its own narrative and depth, I try to.
And you should remember, Severus foremost is a researcher and magic geek. Since it is from his perspective, more chapters will be delving into magic and its related things.
I hope you like the chapter.
And don't forget to leave some STONES.
