Chapter 402: The Prophet Abraham

Ivan didn't know what Flamel needed him for, nor did he know what he could be sure of. If it was something difficult, perhaps Flamel would be better off trusting Dumbledore.

But looking at Flamel's expression, it seemed that only Ivan could pull it off.

"It is true that I am the only creator of the Philosopher's Stone known to the wizarding world." Flamel said slowly, "But I am not its inventor; at best, I have made minor improvements to it. In fact, this advanced alchemy was originally the work of ancient magicians, who used the Philosopher's Stones as a continuous source of Magical Power for the exploration of the greater unknown existence, not for the Elixir of Life or for making gold."

Ivan nodded, and he already knew this. Each of the four founders of Hogwarts left a Philosopher's Stone, which they turned into keys to unlock secret treasures according to ancient methods of use.

This was what he knew for certain, but Ivan had his speculations. He thought that perhaps the ancient sorcerers created the Philosopher's Stone to conjure evil spirits.

Perhaps that is what Flamel meant by 'the greatest unknown existence'.

This inference also explained why the evil god discovered by the centaurs would teach the fallen ones the power of the Philosopher's Stone to summon their magic from the world. Not only that, but through further research into the subway relics of Aragog's Lair, Ivan had the decisive evidence.

He believed that in the process of creating or transforming himself into an evil god, Herpo the Mad had also used a Philosopher's Stone.

No wonder that, in the most critical steps, he must have used the power of a Philosopher's Stone to merge his soul with the body of the evil god he created.

"With the disappearance of the ancient sorcerers, the art of making the Philosopher's Stone had also been lost." Flamel closed his eyes and showed an expression that he was remembering. "But by chance, I had that half-finished Philosopher's Stone and a book..."

Ivan was moved. He had read Nicolas Flamel's biography, which mentioned a mysterious book of magic that was also considered the basis of modern alchemy.

Flamel was said to have made the Philosopher's Stone according to the records in that book.

"The book was delivered by a man named Abraham," Flamel said quietly. "You may not be unfamiliar with this name. In the Muggle world, you are considered a prophet of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, a person chosen and blessed by God from among all living things on earth, a messenger of God to the world, and a common ancestor of both the Hebrews and the Arabs."

Flamel paused for a moment, allowing time for Ivan to digest this shocking news.

"Of course, besides the prophet, he has many other identities. In the world of magicians, he is one of the most powerful ancient sorcerers in history, with a very strong power." Flamel said slowly, "Abraham is a man who lives in legend. I used to think he was fictional, not an existing man, but I didn't expect to receive the magic book he left behind."

Flamel gasped and continued speaking slowly in an old voice, "I remember graduating from Beauxbatons. Back home, I found a steady job at the Ministry of Magic. But my mind was full of restless ideas, and driven by them, I eventually followed a group of people from Paris to Egypt on a reckless expedition, despite my family's advice."

"No one could think that my ordinary life would change dramatically during that expedition." Flamel continued, "There was nothing commendable about the expedition itself. After a few months of travel, we found a relic left by an ancient Egyptian magician according to a treasure map that I don't know where we got it from. Everything seemed to be going well, but waiting for us behind the door was not a treasure, but four hungry and angry Manticores. After a hasty battle, the few that were left alive scattered and fled."

Ivan could imagine the situation at the time. Faced with this extremely dangerous monster, one should not even think about fighting. Turning and running away was the most correct choice.

"I was lost in the desert alone, without food, without fresh water, without hope... I thought I would die there." Flamel pulled his robe tighter. "I still remember that night. After the scorching day had passed, the desert quickly went to the other end. There was no heat in the endless cold sand, and the whole desert reeked of death."

"I died alone in the cold sand; my wand was destroyed in the battle; I had no way to use Apparition. In fact, even if I had a wand, I could do nothing. The desert seemed to have powerful magic. Under its interference, all my magic and magic items did not work."

More than 600 years had passed, but at the mention of this incident, Flamel's tone had a touch of despair in it. "After exhausting the last thread of physical strength, I collapsed and fell into the yellow sand."

Chasing the despair in Flamel's tone, Ivan tried to imagine the scene.

In the endless desert, a person felt alone and helpless, only death was slowly approaching him, and the image of death became clearer and clearer in his mind.

"That night, I had a dream!" Flamel frowned. "So far, I can't say what that magical dream was like. Perhaps I have a prophetic lineage. All in all, in that dream, I met a man with a strange scepter. He said he was Abraham. He told me he would give me a magic book. As long as I studied it and understood it thoroughly, I could gain extraordinary power from it."

Ivan thought about it, too. Could Flamel's dream be just a prophecy?!

Or in other words, wouldn't it be more like a powerful force at work in his mind while he slept?

Perhaps it was magic left by an ancient sorcerer named Abraham that was sending him a message. It wasn't impossible for ancient sorcerers to do this.

"The next morning, I miraculously awoke. Although my body was abnormally weak, I survived!" Flamel said, quickened as he spoke. "And that dream came true. Under divine guidance, I was rescued by an Arabian caravan of Muggles. To thank them, I gave them all my gold galleons, and in return, they gave me a huge, ancient book and a stone."