Chapter 3: A New Name, A New Life

The soul from the void had been given a second chance, but this time, it wasn't just any life—it was one of magic, secrets, and ancient power. Born into the prestigious House of Black, the child was named Alaric Black. It was a name steeped in history and carried the weight of expectation. Alaric's parents, Regulus Black II and Valeria Black (née Selwyn), were not part of the main branch of the Black family, but they were nonetheless proud bearers of the Black legacy, deeply rooted in the same pure-blood traditions.

The Memories of a Past Life

In his past life on Prime Earth, Alaric had been Aaron Larkins, an unremarkable man by all accounts. Aaron had been a quiet soul, a daydreamer with an insatiable curiosity for the unknown. In his former life, he had always felt something was missing—a sense that the world he lived in was too mundane, too constrained by the ordinary. He was fascinated by stories of magic, fantasy, and alternate realities, spending much of his time engrossed in books and movies about worlds filled with enchantment. But his reality was anything but magical.

Aaron's life ended abruptly at the age of 34, due to a car accident on a rainy night. The last thoughts that flickered in his mind were ones of regret—regret that he had never chased the extraordinary, never pushed beyond the limits of his ordinary world. In the void, those feelings of unfulfilled potential haunted his drifting soul, until the moment he encountered the tree and chose a new fate.

Alaric Black's Physical Appearance

Alaric, even from infancy, had an ethereal quality about him. His skin was fair, almost translucent, as though the magic within him was barely contained. His jet-black hair framed his pale face, falling in soft, unruly waves that often seemed to move of their own accord. His eyes, however, were his most striking feature—icy silver, like molten moonlight, glimmering with an intelligence far beyond his years. There was a sharpness to his gaze, a sense that he was always observing, absorbing everything around him.

By the time he reached four years of age, Alaric had begun to show the early signs of his magical heritage. His magic was volatile, often manifesting in bursts of energy that even surprised his parents. Objects around him would sometimes float, books would open by themselves, and occasionally, his toys would animate and play with him. His parents, though proud of his natural affinity for magic, also noticed that he had an odd maturity about him—a quietness that was unusual for a child of his age.

The Parents: Regulus Black II and Valeria Selwyn

Regulus Black II was a distant cousin of Sirius Black and was named in honor of Regulus Black, Sirius's younger brother who had died under mysterious circumstances. Regulus II had a quiet, calculating demeanor, preferring the company of books and ancient magical texts to social gatherings. Though he did not align with the more extreme views of some of his family members, he remained fiercely loyal to the Black family's values, especially the preservation of pure bloodlines. He was a skilled potioneer and spent much of his time studying the ancient magics his family had guarded for centuries.

Valeria Selwyn came from the equally old and proud Selwyn family, another pure-blood dynasty with ties to dark magic. She was beautiful and cunning, with long, raven-black hair and piercing emerald eyes. Unlike her husband, Valeria enjoyed the intrigue and politics of the wizarding world, often mingling with other pure-blood families to maintain her family's influence. Though ambitious, she was fiercely protective of Alaric, seeing in him the future of both the Black and Selwyn legacies.

A New Family Member: Lyra Black

Alaric had an older sister, Lyra Black, born five years before him. Lyra was everything the Black family hoped for in a daughter—intelligent, beautiful, and immensely talented. From a young age, she had shown a natural talent for charms and enchantments, often impressing her parents with her control over magic. Lyra had inherited their mother's striking looks, with her sharp, angular features and piercing green eyes, but her temperament was softer, more nurturing. She took to Alaric immediately, watching over him with the care of an older sister who understood the weight of their family's expectations.

Unlike many of her Black relatives, Lyra was not cold or cruel. She had a deep sense of empathy and often comforted Alaric when his young magic spiraled out of control. The bond between them grew strong in the early years, and despite the occasional outbursts of wild magic, Alaric found a sense of safety in his sister's presence.

The Early Years (0-4)

From the moment Alaric could walk, he was surrounded by the strange and mysterious world of the Blacks. The family's ancestral home, an ancient manor on the outskirts of London, was filled with magical objects, some too dangerous for even the most skilled witches and wizards to handle. The house was a living, breathing entity, enchanted to guard its secrets, with rooms that seemed to change location, hidden passageways, and paintings that whispered as you passed by.

In these early years, Alaric's memories of his past life were fragmented. He didn't fully understand the strange visions he had, or why he occasionally recalled moments from a life in a world without magic. But those memories fueled his curiosity, setting him apart from other children his age. He would often sit by the fireplace in the grand library, gazing at the old tomes that lined the shelves, imagining a life he couldn't quite grasp but instinctively felt connected to.

His parents, though indulgent, were also strict in their teachings. By the age of four, Alaric was already being tutored in the basics of magic, even though he wouldn't officially attend Hogwarts for several more years. His father, Regulus, taught him the importance of understanding one's power and wielding it with precision. His mother, Valeria, spoke of the family's legacy, drilling into him the importance of maintaining their bloodline's purity and status.

Yet, even at this young age, Alaric felt a quiet resistance growing within him. Though he didn't fully understand it, his memories of Aaron's life had left a lingering desire for something more than the rigid traditions of the Black family. He was a child of two worlds—the magic of the Black family and the unfulfilled dreams of a man from Prime Earth.

The void had given him another chance, but what he would make of this new life, and the weight of his legacy, remained to be seen.