Midnight draped the Slytherin dormitories in heavy silence, broken only by the occasional hiss of the Black Lake lapping against the outer walls. Most students were asleep, but Aarav wasn't.
He stood before a wall he had passed dozens of times—a wall that shouldn't shimmer like water under moonlight.
System Alert:
▶ Hidden Chamber Detected
▶ Entry Requires: House Descent Rank: Slytherin
▶ Magical Seal Detected: Parseltongue Signature + Gaunt Blood
Access Granted.
Aarav whispered:
"Ssh'ven dratha Salazar."
The wall melted away like ink in water, revealing a narrow, spiraling stairwell of dark stone.
He descended.
The chamber at the bottom was smaller than he expected, but older than the rest of the castle—older than the Founders themselves.
A single object stood in the center.
A mirror, cracked down its middle, mounted in a serpentine frame of obsidian and jade. The inscription read:
"To see the self is to test the soul."
It was not the Mirror of Erised. This was… darker.
As Aarav approached, it pulsed.
The reflection did not show him.
Instead, it showed Voldemort, cloaked in green fire, standing inside the very halls of Hogwarts—with a group of cloaked figures behind him. One of them held a golden blade that pulsed with soul energy.
Then the reflection shifted.
It showed Aarav, bleeding, holding the Cloak of Invisibility, facing off against Voldemort under the shattered roof of the Great Hall.
System Warning:
▶ You are viewing a Temporal Vision Fragment
▶ This is not prophecy—it is *possibility*
▶ Mirror Type: Slytherin's Judgment Glass
▶ Function: Tests your resolve by showing divergent fates
Aarav stepped back.
So Voldemort was planning something soon.
And that blade—he had seen it once in his Marvel-world studies. It was the Soulrender, forged in realms beyond.
Voldemort's allies are crossing boundaries… just like me.
His thoughts were interrupted by a slamming door and a voice behind him.
"Thought you were the only one with secrets, Gaunt?"
It was Theon Mulciber, seventh-year Slytherin duelist, a pureblood fanatic, and the self-proclaimed heir to dark traditions. Behind him stood two more students—one of them holding a glowing wand carved from blackthorn.
"I've seen the way Flitwick favors you," Mulciber sneered. "The new pet prodigy. Think you're special?"
"I don't think," Aarav replied, sliding into dueling stance. "I am."
Mulciber's wand glowed with violent red light.
"Underground dueling rules. No teachers. No limits. First one to bleed twice loses."
The others cast a silent ward over the chamber—locking them in.
System Event:
▶ Event: Forbidden Duel – Duel Against House Upper Ranks
▶ Duelists: Theon Mulciber (Dark Hex Specialist)
▶ Conditions: 2 Blood Marks Ends Duel | Restricted Space | No Healing Until End
▶ Reward: House Prestige +1 | Claim of Mirror Guardian | Duel Skill Unlock
▶ Risk: Magic Injury Possible | House Suspicion Level Increased
▶ Accept Challenge? [Y/N]
"Yes."
The Duel Begins
"Diffindo Cruor!" Mulciber shouted.
A slicing hex tore through the air.
Aarav sidestepped and cast:
"Rift Flicker!"
He vanished in a blink and reappeared behind Mulciber.
"Chain Volt!"
Lightning cracked across Mulciber's side, searing his robe and drawing a line of blood.
1st Blood: Aarav.
Mulciber howled and retaliated:
"Fracta Vena!"
Aarav blocked—but partially.
His arm throbbed. Blood dripped onto the stone.
1st Blood: Mulciber.
The other students leaned in.
Mulciber snarled. "Let me show you what my father taught me."
He whispered a forbidden hex.
The floor cracked open as spectral serpents burst forth—lunging for Aarav with fangs of flame.
System Suggestion:
▶ Spell Unlocked: Wyrm Lash – Combines Arc with Targeted Dispel
▶ Activate in sequence: Wyrm Lash → Echo Somnus → Detonare Nova
"Wyrm Lash!"
A golden lash of energy cut through two serpent shades.
"Echo Somnus!"
A ghostly image drew the rest of them away.
"Detonare Nova!"
The air exploded in a flash of spellfire.
Mulciber fell backward—his robe torn, wand flung across the chamber.
Blood streamed from his shoulder.
Duel Over.
Winner: Aarav Gaunt.
The watchers stared.
Mulciber groaned. "What are you?"
Aarav walked to the mirror, placed his hand on its side, and whispered:
"The one you wish you had been."
The mirror shimmered—just for him.
Then the ward collapsed. The others fled in silence, leaving Mulciber behind.
System Notification:
▶ Forbidden Duel Completed
▶ +2000 EXP | Skill Unlocked: Duel Flow – +10% spell prediction
▶ House Prestige +1 | Mirror Guardian Status (Slytherin Exclusive)
▶ Vision Updated: Fragment Now 2/4 Revealed
▶ The Soulrender Blade will appear within 12 weeks
▶ Questline Triggered: Intercept the Soulrender Transport
Back in the dorm, Aarav placed his hand on the cracked mirror shard he had taken from the vault.
He could see Voldemort gathering pieces of forgotten power.
But Aarav was gathering his own.