Chapter 50: The Library of Memories

Nero stood in an enormous library of memories, its endless shelves stretching infinitely in every direction, towering far beyond what the eye could perceive.

The air was thick with the scent of parchment and ink, laced with the faint hum of magic that made the very walls seem alive.

The flickering glow of ethereal blue light bathed the towering books, their spines shimmering with words he could not yet read.

And in the center of it all, waiting for him with quiet pride, was Rowena Ravenclaw.

She regarded him with the same knowing gaze she always did: sharp, unreadable, yet undeniably fond. There was a warmth to her presence, a silent reassurance that, despite everything, she was on his side.

"You did well," she said, her voice as smooth as flowing water. "And now, you are no longer alone."

Nero let out a small breath, his fingers tracing the spine of a nearby book as he let her words settle.

"Was I ever truly alone?" he murmured, his gaze drifting over the endless tomes that held the lives he had lived, the past he had forgotten. "In this life or in the previous one?"

Rowena didn't answer immediately. Instead, she simply smiled, as if the truth was something he would come to understand on his own.

Nero turned to face her fully, a smirk curling his lips. "So, big sis, is this the place you prepared to help me regain my memories?"

She chuckled softly. "Indeed it was. What a troublesome troublemaker you are, my dear descendant."

He rolled his eyes at that, but there was a certain lightness in his chest at her words.

Rowena crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly.

"Since your friends will be spending the next few hours sorting through their memories, I thought, why not make good use of this space?"

She gestured to the grand library around them. "And why not use it to educate you about something far more important: the first step towards what it truly means to become a powerhouse in this world."

Nero raised an eyebrow. "That's quite the introduction."

"You'll see why soon enough."

She waved a hand, and suddenly, the space around them shifted.

The bookshelves melted away, and in their place, a vast, starry void unfolded.

Floating orbs of water, fire, wind, and earth hovered between them, each pulsating with raw elemental energy.

"To make it simple," Rowena continued, "people like myself, Godric, Helga, and Salazar, are those who have gone beyond what most wizards can fathom. We did not simply wield magic, we understood it at its core."

Nero watched as the elements intertwined, shifting between states: water becoming ice, fire turning into lava, wind changing into lightning, and earth solidifying into metal.

"You yourself have begun to grasp water magic," Rowena said.

"Through that, you've taken your first steps into manipulating one of its more advanced forms: ice. Your understanding of water's magical properties allowed you to derive a new branch of magic."

She flicked her wrist, and a sphere of pristine ice appeared before them, its surface gleaming like a frozen star.

"Now, tell me, Nero, have you ever tested your ice against your water?"

Nero nodded. "I have. If we ignore my lack of speed and control over ice, it feels like ice overpowers water on a fundamental level."

Rowena's lips curved into a pleased smile. "Correct. And why is that?"

He frowned, thinking. "Because ice is… more structured?"

She nodded. "That is a way to describe it. Ice is a more advanced form of water. It follows additional principles beyond those that govern liquid water. It's like comparing…"

She paused, considering.

"Think of it like a sword and raw iron," she continued. "Water is the raw material, versatile, adaptable, but ice is the refined version, shaped by an understanding of structure, stability, and transformation. It is not simply frozen water, it is a higher concept of the element."

Nero absorbed her words, watching as the ice flickered, shifting in density.

"Now," Rowena said, her gaze sharp, "people who reach the same heights as us do not simply stop at advanced elements. We go beyond, we learn to comprehend Principles."

Nero looked at her, curiosity sparking in his eyes. "Principles?"

Rowena waved her hand, and suddenly, the elemental orb shattered, replaced by something far more profound. A ring of glowing symbols floated around them, shifting and morphing, each radiating an undeniable power.

"These," she said, "are the Principles of Magic. They are not mere elements, nor are they spells. They are universal laws, forces that govern the very fabric of our world. To wield a Principle is to alter the state of reality itself."

She gestured to one of the glowing runes, and instantly, time itself seemed to slow, the library's lights dimming, the air thickening.

"A prime example," she said, "is the Power of Time. You've seen glimpses of its lesser applications in your past life, through artifacts like the Time Turner. But what you saw was merely a derivative, a tiny fraction of the true Principle."

Nero inhaled sharply, the weight of her words settling in.

"If the leap in power between a regular element and an advanced element is 1 to 10," Rowena continued, "then the leap between an advanced element and a Principle is 1 to 100."

His mind reeled.

This wasn't just stronger magic. This was something entirely beyond it.

And then Rowena's expression darkened slightly. "Which brings me to why I needed to talk to you."

Nero narrowed his eyes. "Go on."

"I had my doubts when you first came to the vault a year ago," Rowena said, her voice steady, measured. "And after testing you, those doubts only solidified."

She took a step closer, her gaze piercing, as if seeing through him, past flesh and soul, into something deeper.

"While you were explaining the situation to your friends," she continued, "Godric, Salazar, Helga, and I examined your past. We sought to understand what happened to you before you came here."

Nero felt a tightness in his chest. "You mean… why I regained my memories early?"

Rowena nodded. "Yes, but not just that."

She lifted a hand, and the space around them shimmered.

A memory flickered into existence, his past test.

He saw himself, bound by invisible chains, trapped within the confines of the Spatial Test she had given him.

"The test," Rowena said, "was meant to temper your resolve. To teach you that giving up is sometimes necessary. I constructed it using a rudimentary application of the Law of Space, binding you tighter as you progressed, until, eventually, you would become completely unable to move."

Nero's eyes narrowed. He remembered that feeling, the sensation of space itself pressing down on him, trying to crush his movements, to deny him his very presence in that place, yet to no avail.

"I also knew," Rowena continued, "that you had a predisposition for Spatial Laws. I had hoped that, during the test, you would glimpse a fraction of its understanding."

The memory continued to play. Himself: unmoving, yet unyielding. And then starting moving. Effortlessly.

Rowena exhaled sharply. "Yet, you passed it with impossible ease."

Nero swallowed hard. Something deep inside him stirred, something he couldn't quite name.

"In that test," Rowena said, "you displayed something beyond normal magic. You were carrying something within you, not actively, but passively."

Nero's fingers curled slightly. "What do you mean?"

Rowena's eyes darkened. "Your body protects you from spatial attacks, not through deliberate manipulation, but through instinct."

Her next words sent a chill down his spine.

"I presume you've never had trouble with Apparating or using portkeys, have you?"

Nero hesitated. "…No."

"Of course not." Rowena sighed, her expression turning almost… pitying. "Because, in a way, your body has already adapted to the Laws of Space itself."

Nero staggered, his breath unsteady.

The realization hit him, not as a slow dawn, but as a crashing wave.

Rowena's voice softened. "Love is a truly complex Principle. It can only be activated unconsciously. Try as you like, as long as 0.01 percent of your thoughts are reaching out to it, it will remain elusive. Truly a whimsical power"

She held his gaze, and he saw something in her eyes, understanding, and perhaps… sorrow.

"You may not have known it at the time," she said, gently, "but your grandmother, Melina, before she died, she did more than just protect you."

Nero's breath caught.

"She left you a part of herself," Rowena said. "Through her will to protect you, through her sacrifice, she gave you part of her understanding of space."

The words felt like a thunderclap in his soul.

"Though she was far from mastering it," Rowena continued, "she opened the door for you. And now… whether you realize it or not, you have already touched upon a Principle, the most complex type of magic to exist. Your body has become tied to Space."

Nero's fingers clenched into fists.

Space.

His grandmother.

A power beyond anything he had ever comprehended.

And yet, somehow, it had always been a part of him.

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