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Chapter 83: The Life Of Hogwarts
🕑 Added 2025-04-24 14:32:54 +0000 UTCDeep within the forest, two brothers walked side by side, their footsteps quiet against the soft earth. Solomon, the older of the two at thirteen, carried himself with a confident swagger, while Hogwarts, twelve years old, moved with a thoughtful, deliberate pace. The two had grown up in a tribe where magic was rare, and their abilities—lightning for Solomon and ice for Hogwarts—made them unique among their people.
As they ventured deeper into the woods, Solomon spotted a rabbit beneath a nearby tree. Without hesitation, he pointed his hand, and a bolt of lightning shot forth, striking the rabbit with a sharp crack. The creature fell lifeless to the ground, its fur singed and smoking.
Solomon grinned, clearly proud of his quick and decisive action. “Got it,” he said, his voice brimming with satisfaction.
Hogwarts, however, frowned as he approached the rabbit. He knelt beside it, examining the damage. “You overdid it again,” he said, his tone tinged with frustration. “You hit it with too much power. Its hide is all burned now. You need to learn how to control yourself.”
Solomon rolled his eyes. “You’re just like Father. It’s just a rabbit. That’s why it’s burned.”
Hogwarts picked up the rabbit, his expression thoughtful. “Why do you think they die when you hit them?” he asked. “What changes happen for something to stop being alive?”
Solomon groaned. “You’re still asking these weird things. It happens because it happens.”
Hogwarts tilted his head, his eyes focused intently on the rabbit. “Does it, though? What if the lightning makes the source of life leave the body, similar to how a wound does? If we can remove the source of life, can we add it back?”
Solomon sighed, clearly exasperated. “Hogwarts, just stop with these weird questions. We still have more to hunt.”
Hogwarts nodded, though his mind was clearly elsewhere. The two continued deeper into the forest, their eyes scanning for more prey. Soon, they spotted another rabbit. This time, Hogwarts acted first. With a wave of his hand, he froze the rabbit’s leg, immobilizing it. He approached the creature slowly.
Solomon followed, his brow furrowed. “Why not just stab it with ice instead of freezing it like this?” he asked.
Hogwarts didn’t look up. “I want to see how the rabbit dies closely,” he replied. “To see if there’s something no one has noticed before.”
Solomon frowned. “What’s the point?”
Hogwarts glanced at his brother. “We have an agreement. Last time, we went along with your suggestion. This time, we’ll follow mine. I want to check the rabbit.”
Solomon was clearly annoyed but didn’t argue further. He watched as Hogwarts knelt beside the shivering rabbit. The younger boy placed his hand on the creature, his eyes closing as he focused. Slowly, he began to freeze the rabbit, his magic working gradually to still its movements. After a few minutes, the rabbit stopped moving entirely, its life extinguished.
Solomon sighed. “Finally, we can go.”
But Hogwarts wasn’t done. “I felt it,” he said, his voice filled with wonder. “There was something with faint magic inside it. It left the body instantly.”
Solomon raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got something wrong, definitely.”
Hogwarts shook his head. “Let’s try it again and see.”
Reluctantly, Solomon agreed. The two continued their hunt, this time spotting a bird perched on a low branch. Hogwarts repeated the process, freezing the bird slowly and carefully. Once again, he felt the same sensation—a faint, magical presence leaving the body as the bird died.
Hogwarts looked at his brother, his eyes wide with excitement. “Something definitely ceases when animals die. Maybe we have it too?”
Solomon took a step back, his expression wary. “Are you saying you want to kill me just to check this madness?”
Hogwarts shook his head quickly. “No, I want to try and feel it inside you. I won’t kill you.”
After some back-and-forth, Solomon finally relented. The two sat beneath a tree, Hogwarts placing his hand on Solomon’s back. He closed his eyes, focusing intently. After a moment, he spoke. “The feeling is stronger in you—far stronger and clearer than in the animals.”
Solomon’s curiosity piqued. “Try to touch it with magic and see what happens.”
Hogwarts hesitated but agreed. He channeled a small amount of magic, reaching out to the source of life he sensed within his brother. The moment his magic made contact, Solomon screamed, his body jerking as if struck by an unseen force. Hogwarts pulled his hand back quickly, his face filled with concern.
“What was that?” Solomon asked, his voice shaky.
Hogwarts frowned, his mind racing. “I don’t know. It felt like the opposite of what happens when animals die. It seems to be the source of your life.”
Solomon’s eyes widened. “This might be a new magic—magic to control life.”
Hogwarts shook his head. “It’s different. Let’s test it more with animals and see what happens.”
Solomon nodded, his earlier annoyance replaced by excitement. The prospect of discovering a new kind of magic was too enticing to ignore. Together, the two brothers continued their experiments.
Solomon, despite his initial excitement, found himself struggling to replicate Hogwarts’ newfound ability. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t sense or manipulate the faint magical presence Hogwarts described. This left him dejected, his usual confidence subdued.
As the sun began to set, the two returned to their tribe, carrying the rabbits and birds they had hunted. Their father, Kael, was waiting for them, his expression a mix of relief and concern. “Where have you two been? You’re late,” he said, his voice firm but not unkind.
Solomon, eager to share their discovery, spoke up first. “Father, Hogwarts discovered a new magic!”
Kael’s eyes widened in surprise. “A new magic? Tell me more.”
The two brothers quickly filled him in on their experiments—how Hogwarts had sensed a faint magical presence within living creatures, how he had learned to remove and even return it. Kael listened intently, his astonishment growing with each detail. When they finished, he sat in silence for a moment, processing what he had heard.
“This might be a magic to control life,” Kael said finally, his voice filled with awe. “Or perhaps even the spirits themselves. But you must be careful. This kind of power could be dangerous.”
He turned to Hogwarts, his expression serious. “Your ice magic must come first. Do not abandon it in pursuit of this new discovery.”
Hogwarts nodded. “I won’t, Father. I’ll continue to develop my ice magic while exploring this new ability.”
___________
Three years passed, and the tribe continued to prosper. Solomon’s lightning magic had grown in strength, surpassing even his father’s fire magic in raw power. Hogwarts, while not as strong as his brother, had become the smarter and more skilled of the two. His ice magic was precise and versatile, and he had even developed a new form of magic—a binding promise between two magical individuals, which he called the Unbreakable Vow. Though it wasn’t particularly useful yet, it was a significant step forward, acknowledged by both Kael and Solomon. Hogwarts was steadily developing a new branch of magic.
One day, the two brothers were out hunting again. Solomon spotted a deer grazing in a clearing and raised his hand, ready to strike it with lightning. But before he could act, Hogwarts stopped him, shaking his head. Instead, Hogwarts used his ice magic to freeze the deer’s legs, causing it to stumble and fall to the ground.
Solomon looked at his brother, puzzled. “What are you trying to do this time?”
Hogwarts’ eyes gleamed with interest. “This is a bigger creature. Its spirit must be stronger. I want to try removing it and then pushing it back in to see what happens.”
Solomon’s curiosity was piqued, and he nodded. “Alright, let’s see.”
Hogwarts knelt beside the deer, placing his hand on its side. He closed his eyes, focusing on the faint magical presence within the creature. Slowly, he began to pull it out, using his magic to force the spirit from the deer’s body. The deer writhed in pain for a moment before going still, its life extinguished. In Hogwarts’ hand, a shimmering green light flickered, pulsing faintly.
Solomon stared at the light, his eyes wide. “Is that the spirit? Why is it green?”
Hogwarts frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe because I forced it out with magic, it gained color.”
He then tried to push the spirit back into the deer. To their astonishment, the deer’s body twitched, and its eyes fluttered open. It struggled to its feet, breaking free from the ice, and tried to run. But Solomon was quick—he raised his hand and struck the deer with a bolt of lightning, ending its life once more.
Solomon turned to Hogwarts, his face filled with excitement. “You can take life and give it back! Maybe one day, you’ll even be able to revive the dead!”
Hogwarts smiled, a sense of accomplishment washing over him. “Maybe. But there’s still so much to learn.”
The two brothers stood in the clearing, the weight of their discovery settling over them. Hogwarts’ progress was undeniable, and with each passing day, he grew closer to unlocking the secrets of life itself.
___________
After finishing the hunt, the two brothers made their way back to the tribe, dragging the deer they had hunted behind them. As they approached the clearing where their tribe was camped, they stopped in their tracks, their hearts sinking. The huts were destroyed, reduced to smoldering ruins, and the bodies of their people lay scattered across the ground.
The brothers rushed forward, their voices filled with panic and grief as they called out for their father and anyone who might still be alive. “Father! Where are you?” Solomon shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. But there was no response—only the eerie silence of death.
Solomon’s hands clenched into fists, his face twisted with anger. “Who did this?” he demanded, his voice trembling with rage.
The sound of apparition from behind alerted them. The brothers turned to see three elves standing a short distance away, their faces adorned with cruel smiles. One of them sneered, “See? I told you I heard someone. Two animals were missing.”
Solomon and Hogwarts froze, their blood running cold. They knew what these creatures were—elves, a powerful and merciless race that hunted humans across the land. Solomon stepped forward, his voice shaking with fury. “Why did you do this? What did we do to deserve this?”
The elves laughed, their voices dripping with disdain. “Your kind steals our sacred magic,” one of them said. “And so, you must be killed.”
Solomon’s eyes widened in disbelief. “We didn’t steal it! We were born with it!”
The elf snorted. “How foolish. The lines of magic in the world exist, and you live through them. You gain the magic that is supposed to belong to us, the noble elves.”
Hogwarts, who had been silent until now, suddenly acted. With a swift motion, he unleashed a barrage of ice projectiles toward the elves. Two of them conjured shields to protect themselves, but the third was caught off guard and impaled through the head, falling lifeless to the ground.
The remaining elves were furious. They retaliated, sending blue magical blasts toward the brothers. Hogwarts stepped forward, creating a wall of ice to block the attacks. Solomon, meanwhile, moved to the side, unleashing the strongest lightning he could muster. The targeted elf conjured a shield, but the sheer power of Solomon’s lightning shattered it, killing the elf instantly.
The last elf, seeing his companions fall, screamed in rage. “I’ll be back to kill you!” he shouted, attempting to disapparate. But before he could escape, a burst of lightning erupted from his body, causing him to scream and collapse to the ground.
Solomon stared in confusion. “What just happened?”
Hogwarts didn’t waste time pondering that. Instead, he quickly froze the elf’s body and approached him. Placing his hand on the elf’s head, Hogwarts used his magic to bind the elf’s spirit. “We will kill you,” Hogwarts said coldly. “But if you agree to serve us and do everything we tell you faithfully, we will let you live.”
The elf glared at him with hatred but eventually nodded in agreement. A binding contract was established between them, though the elf didn’t fully understand what had just happened.
Hogwarts wasted no time. “Why did you kill our tribe?” he demanded.
The elf sneered. “We already told you. As long as humans live, the elves will hunt them.”
Hogwarts pressed further. “What magic do the elves use?”
The elf reluctantly explained the basics of elven magic, his voice filled with bitterness. Hogwarts then asked the question that had been burning in his mind. “Where did the survivors of the tribe go?”
The elf’s answer sent a chill through the brothers. “There are no survivors. The rest of those not killed here were taken to the elves’ caves to be fed to the dragons. They are already dead by now.”
Hogwarts’ face darkened, and he turned to his brother. Solomon’s eyes were red with rage, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. “We have to avenge them,” Solomon said, his voice trembling with fury.
Hogwarts nodded but remained calm. “We will. But we need to leave for now. More elves might come, and things will become difficult. With time, we’ll grow stronger and come back to avenge our tribe.”
As Hogwarts spoke, the captured elf suddenly broke free from the ice and lunged at him. But the binding contract took effect immediately, and the elf’s magic backfired, killing him instantly.
The brothers stared at the lifeless body, their faces filled with hate. Hogwarts turned to Solomon, his voice firm. “Let’s leave. One day, we will come back and kill them all.”
With heavy hearts, the two brothers turned away from the ruins of their tribe, resolved to one day come back and avenge everyone. The elves had taken everything from them, but they would not rest until they had their vengeance.
___________
For weeks, Solomon and Hogwarts traveled far from the ruins of their tribe, their hearts heavy with grief but determined to go back one day. They eventually reached a secluded valley nestled near a great tranquil lake, surrounded by mountains and bordered by a dense forest. The area was peaceful and remote, a perfect place to rebuild and grow stronger. The two brothers decided to make a camp there, turning the valley into their new home.
Their days were filled with hunting and training. Solomon focused on honing his lightning magic, experimenting with controlling the shape and intensity of his bolts. His power output grew significantly, and he began to channel his rage into his magic, making it more precise and devastating.
Hogwarts, on the other hand, turned his attention to replicating the magic they had seen the elves use. He spent hours practicing, trying to create the same kind of shields the elves had conjured. When Solomon asked what he was doing, Hogwarts explained, “I want to replicate the elves’ magic.”
Solomon frowned. “You can’t use their magic. It’s not ours.”
Hogwarts shook his head. “They claimed we stole magic from the same source they use. If that’s true, then our magic is similar to theirs. We should be able to do what they do.”
Solomon dismissed the idea, skeptical that they could replicate the elves’ abilities. But a few days later, Hogwarts proved him wrong. He successfully created a shield around himself, just like the ones the elves had used. Solomon stared in disbelief as Hogwarts explained how he had imagined the shield and manifested it using his magic.
“You’re a special case,” Solomon said, still reluctant to try. “You have that spirit magic. I don’t think I can do it.”
Hogwarts insisted. “There’s no harm in trying.”
To both of their shock, Solomon managed to manifest a shield by sunset that same day, while it had taken Hogwarts days to achieve the same feat. Hogwarts smiled “It seems you’re more talented in elf magic than lightning and spirit.”
Over the next few months, the brothers dedicated themselves to mastering the elves’ magic. They practiced relentlessly, pushing their limits and exploring new possibilities. They learned to apparate, disappearing and reappearing in different locations with ease. Their mastery of the elves’ magic grew, and with it, their confidence.
The valley became a place of growth and discovery. The brothers trained together, their bond strengthening as they shared their knowledge and supported each other. Solomon’s lightning magic became more refined, while Hogwarts continued to explore the mysteries of spirit magic and the elves’ techniques.
As the months passed, the brothers grew stronger, their skills surpassing anything they had imagined. The valley, once a place of refuge, had become a training ground where they prepared for the day they would return to avenge their tribe. The elves had taken everything from them, but Solomon and Hogwarts were determined to take it back—with interest.
___________
Two years had passed since Solomon and Hogwarts had arrived in the secluded valley. In that time, they had grown exponentially stronger, their magic reaching heights they had never imagined. Solomon, in particular, had become a force of devastation. His lightning magic was now a terrifying weapon, capable of destroying anything in its path and instantly killing any living thing it touched. Hogwarts, while not as destructive, had refined his ice and elves magic to a level of precision and control that surpassed the elves’ own abilities.
The brothers had spent their days training, hunting, and preparing for the moment they would return to avenge their tribe. That moment had finally come. As they stood at the edge of the valley, ready to leave, Hogwarts gave the place one last look. “I wouldn’t mind living here and dying in this place,” he said.
Solomon nodded, his expression somber. “It is indeed a nice valley. A pity the others didn’t get to see it.”
Hogwarts’ eyes narrowed, the hate burning within them flaring to life. “And for that, we shall kill them all.”
With those words, the two brothers disapparated, appearing near the ruins of their old camp. The sight that greeted them was grim—the remnants of the destroyed huts and the bones of their people scattered across the ground. The brothers stood in silence for a moment, their grief and anger mingling into a single, revenge desire.
Hogwarts broke the silence. “Let’s travel in the opposite direction from where we came. Hopefully, we’ll eventually run into them.”
Solomon nodded, his eyes hardening. “Let’s go.”
The two began their journey, moving swiftly and silently through the wilderness. After a few days, they reached a rocky hill. From a distance, they spotted a group of elves dragging humans toward caves carved into the hillside. The sight sent a surge of rage through both brothers.
Hogwarts’ voice was low and cold. “This must be the elves’ caves from two springs ago.”
Solomon’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the elves. “Then this is where we start.”
The brothers exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with desire to murder. The time for vengeance had come. The elves had taken everything from them, and now they would pay. The path to retribution was clear, and Solomon and Hogwarts were ready to walk it—no matter the cost.
___________
The scene at the rocky hill was one of cruelty and despair. A group of fifteen elves stood in a half-circle, laughing as they dragged terrified humans toward the mouth of a cave. The humans cried and begged for mercy, but the elves showed no compassion. They were feeding their pet dragon, and the humans were nothing more than prey to them.
As the elves pushed the humans closer to the cave, the sound of apparition echoed through the air. Before the elves could react, lightning and ice surged toward them, striking with deadly precision. The elves fell one by one, their laughter turning to screams of pain and shock. One elf, standing further away, managed to raise a shield in time to protect himself. But as he tried to disapparate, lightning erupted from his body, forcing him to his knees in agony. Before he could recover, an ice shard pierced his head, ending his life.
Solomon and Hogwarts stood amidst the carnage, their eyes cold and unforgiving. They approached the humans, who stared at them in awe and disbelief. Hogwarts spoke first, his voice calm but firm. “Are there more of you taken anywhere?”
A man stepped forward, his face etched with grief. “The rest of our people were killed,” he said, his voice trembling.
Before they could continue, a deafening roar shook the ground. A dragon emerged from the cave, its massive form casting a shadow over the humans. The humans screamed and ran, desperate to escape the monstrous creature. But Solomon and Hogwarts stood their ground, exchanging a determined glance before nodding at each other.
Solomon raised his hand, sending a powerful bolt of lightning toward the dragon. The creature roared in pain and anger, its fiery breath surging toward Solomon. Hogwarts acted quickly, raising a wall of ice to shield his brother. At the same time, he sent ice shards toward the rocky ceiling above the cave, causing it to collapse. The falling rocks pinned the dragon to the ground, trapping it momentarily.
As the dragon struggled to free itself, Hogwarts sent more ice to bind the rocks together, creating a solid mass that held the creature in place. Solomon seized the opportunity, charging his most powerful lightning bolt. With a deafening crack, he unleashed it, striking the dragon directly. The creature roared in agony, its struggles growing weaker until it finally lay still, its massive body lifeless.
Solomon breathed a sigh of relief, his hands trembling slightly. “I almost thought it wouldn’t die.”
Hogwarts nodded, his expression thoughtful. “The hide of this monster must be resistant to magic. If we skin it and make clothes out of it, we’ll have additional protection against the elves’ magic.”
The humans, who had hidden nearby, cautiously emerged from their hiding places. They stared at the brothers with a mix of awe and gratitude. One of them stepped forward, his voice filled with wonder. “How did you manage to do that?”
Solomon’s voice was firm, his eyes blazing with determination. “We trained for a long time to come back and avenge our tribe. I will kill all the elves.”
But an old man shook his head, his face filled with concern. “You should run away,” he said. “It’s said the elves have an empire with thousands of them. Killing them all is impossible.”
The brothers froze at his words. If what the old man said was true, their revenge was far from over. The elves’ empire was vast, and their numbers were overwhelming. But Solomon and Hogwarts exchanged a glance, their resolve clear. They will not turn back till they get their revenge.
Hogwarts spoke, his voice steady. “Then we’ll take them down one by one. Until there are none left.”
The humans looked at the brothers with a mix of hope and fear.
___________
Solomon’s rage burned brightly, his desire to hunt down every elf and exact vengeance driving him forward. But Hogwarts saw the bigger picture. As they stood amidst the ruins of another elven ambush, Hogwarts spoke up, his voice calm but firm. “We can’t keep doing this alone. If we want to defeat the elves, we need more than just the two of us. We need an army.”
Solomon frowned, his fists clenched. “What are you suggesting?”
Hogwarts met his brother’s gaze. “We gather and save as many as we can. We teach the magical ones how to fight, how to use their powers. In time, we’ll have our own tribe—a force strong enough to stand against the elves.”
Solomon hesitated, his anger warring with his brother’s logic. Finally, he nodded. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”
And so, the two brothers began their new mission. They traveled far and wide, rescuing humans from elven raids and rallying them to their cause. Hogwarts took the lead in organizing the survivors, teaching those with magical abilities how to harness their powers. Solomon, meanwhile, focused on training them to fight, his lightning magic serving as both a weapon and a symbol of their resistance, a symbol of their retribution to the elvenkind.
Hogwarts led the growing group of humans away from the land of the elven empire, seeking remote and hidden locations to build their forces. They moved constantly, always one step ahead of the elves. But despite their efforts, the elves soon realized something was wrong. Their brethren were dying in dozens, and humans were disappearing from their grasp. The elves began sending larger and more powerful squads to hunt down the humans, their attacks growing relentless.
For three decades, Solomon and Hogwarts fought a grueling war of survival. Their people, though brave and determined, were no match for the sheer numbers and strength of the elves. Despite their training, the humans fell one by one, their lives lost in a seemingly endless struggle. Solomon and Hogwarts watched as people they had lived with, trained, and cared for died in battle. The weight of their losses was crushing, but they refused to give up.
Then, one day, something extraordinary happened. Solomon felt a strange connection, as if something from beyond their world was reaching out to him. He shared this experience with Hogwarts, and the two brothers were puzzled. What were these beings, and why had they chosen to contact Solomon?
The beings spoke to Solomon, their voices echoing in his mind. They promised him power—power to turn the tide, power to bring war and defeat to the elves. But there was a price. In exchange for this power, Solomon would have to sacrifice the spirits of animals and humans to them.
Solomon and Hogwarts were hesitant, especially when it came to sacrificing humans. But as they looked at their dwindling forces and the relentless onslaught of the elves, they realized they had no other choice. Their people, desperate for an end to the war, were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. With heavy hearts, Solomon agreed to the pact.
The battle against the elves entered a new phase, the great war began. Empowered by the mysterious beings, Solomon and his followers launched a series of devastating attacks against the elves. The tide of battle began to turn, but the cost was high. Each victory came at the price of lives and spirits, a burden that weighed heavily on Solomon and Hogwarts.
The brothers knew they were walking a dangerous path, but they had no other option. The elves’ empire was vast, and their cruelty knew no bounds. If they were to have any hope of victory, they would need every advantage they could get. The war against the elves had begun in earnest. The fate of humanity hung in the balance, and Solomon and Hogwarts were determined to see it through—no matter the cost.
___________
The elves were unlike humans in every way. They lived as a single, enormous community, united under the banner of the greater elven empire. There were no tribes, no families—only the collective. At the helm of their society was a council of elderly elves, the oldest and wisest of their kind. When news reached them of a human wielding black lightning, slaughtering their kind by the dozens and even hundreds, the council convened to discuss the threat.
After much deliberation, they concluded that a frontal assault against this human would be futile. Instead, they decided to wage a war of attrition. The elven empire boasted over twenty thousand elves, while the humans numbered less than a thousand. The elves would cull the humans slowly, using their superior numbers and the short lifespan of humans to their advantage. Time, they believed, was on their side.
Their strategy proved effective. Solomon, bound by his duty to protect his people, could not leave them to hunt the elves freely. The war dragged on for over five decades, a grueling and devastating conflict that took a heavy toll on both sides.
While the elves initially held the advantage in numbers, Solomon’s black lightning was a force of unparalleled destruction. It slaughtered the elves without mercy, and to their horror, they discovered that his lightning prevented them from disapparating. The tide of the war began to shift, but the cost was immense.
In the end, the surviving humans—200 non-magical and 30 magical—made their way to the heart of the elven city. The final battle was fierce and brutal, leaving only 150 humans and 100 elves alive. The elves, seeing no hope for victory, surrendered.
Hogwarts, his eyes burning with hatred, planned to kill the remaining elves and end their kind once and for all. But Solomon, weary after nearly a century of killing, stopped him. “Both sides have been nearly extinguished,” he said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. “I don’t want to end their kind anymore.”
Hogwarts was furious, and for the first time, the two brothers found themselves in conflict. But eventually, Hogwarts relented, agreeing to spare the elves under one condition: they would enter into a binding magical contract. The elvenkind would serve the magical people for as long as they existed. Solomon agreed, and with the help of the remaining magical humans, they created a hereditary contract that would be passed down through generations. The elves would be servants to the magical people for eternity.
With the war finally over, the two brothers sat together, reflecting on the lives lost and the senseless killing that had consumed their existence. Hogwarts broke the silence. “I’m not satisfied with this life,” he said. “The world is too big, and there are so many secrets we don’t know. I have so many questions with no answers.”
Solomon sighed, his body weary from the weight of their long lives. “We’ve lived more than a hundred springs,” he said. “We’ve grown old, and we don’t have much time left.”
The brothers sat in silence, the weight of their choices and the lost lives pressing down on them. The war had ended, but the scars it left behind would never fade. The elven empire was no more, and the humans had won—but at what cost? The brothers had sacrificed everything for victory, and now, in the twilight of their lives. The world was vast, and their time was short.
Finally, Hogwarts spoke again. “I’ve been experimenting with spirits,” he said. “I believe I can split my soul into two. One half will be stored in an object, while the other will die. The attraction between the two will guide the second half back from the dead.”
Solomon was shocked. “That’s too dangerous. what if it fails?.”
Hogwarts shook his head. “We are old and not much left for us, there is still so much left in this world that we didn’t see, I won’t accept this ending. Solomon, I’ve already made up my mind. I will split my soul, die, and one day, I will walk the world again.”
Solomon sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Then what next?”
Hogwarts’ eyes gleamed with determination. “I will explore the world, learn its mysteries. I want to try and have a family of my own, children of my own. Why not come with me? I can help you split your soul”
Solomon’s voice was soft, filled with sadness. “I am not like you, I am tired of conflict and living. I want to live what little left in peace and remain in peace after my death”
Hogwarts looked at his brother, his expression of sadness spoke for itself.
Solomon sighed and asked “What is the object you’re going to use?”
Hogwarts explained, “As we grew older, I felt our connection with magic deepen. I began to sense the source of it. The valley where we stayed in our youth, after the destruction of our tribe, is filled with magic. I suspect that’s why we grew so strong so quickly. I will return there and build a tomb. The object will be the tomb itself, and that’s where I shall be buried.”
Solomon’s eyes filled with tears, but he nodded. “When are you going to do this?”
Hogwarts sighed. “Tomorrow.”
___________
The next day, the two stood together atop a cliff, the wind carrying the scent of the ancient trees that had borne witness to their journey. The sky stretched endlessly above them, as if reflecting the boundless paths of magic they had once walked side by side.
Solomon turned to his brother, his gaze heavy with sorrow. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, his voice carrying both understanding and grief. “You are going against the very laws of nature.”
Hogwarts sighed, the weight of his decision evident in his eyes. “Oh, Solomon,” he murmured. “Did you not go against nature when you called upon powers beyond our world? Was it not you who first bent the laws that bound us?”
Solomon remained silent. Hogwarts continued, his voice tinged with longing. “There is so much left to see, so much to learn. And yet, our time runs short, a hundred springs passed in a blink. I refuse to let death take me before I have unraveled every mystery this world holds. I shall make death my servant, not my master.”
Solomon looked at him. Then, with a sad smile, he said, “I had hoped that we would spend what little time we have left together.”
Hogwarts stepped forward and embraced him. “I am sorry for leaving you early.”
Solomon closed his eyes, returning the embrace. “Then I wish you luck on your journey. And at its end, may you triumph over death and unravel all mysteries.”
With that, Hogwarts turned and walked away, vanishing into the unknown, chasing the impossible. It was the last time the brothers would ever meet. The wind carried Hogwarts’s footsteps into the distance, leaving Solomon alone atop the cliff, the weight of a century of memories and the promise of an uncertain future resting heavily on his shoulders.
