Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

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Regulus entered the bathroom, turned on the brass faucet, and steam rose into the space, blurring the mirror.

He stood in the water, the hot water rushing over his head and flowing down his hair onto his face. He closed his eyes and let the water wash over his entire body.

After washing away the sweat and fatigue, he turned off the tap, and in the next moment, all the water droplets on his body evaporated and disappeared.

Then I changed into a dark gray loungewear, fastened the belt, and went back to the bedroom.

I sat down at my desk and tapped my fingers lightly on the surface.

Putting aside the malicious intent behind this gift, what it represents is worth pondering.

Magical inheritance typically takes several forms in the wizarding world.

Books record, oral transmission, sealed memories, and even the Black family, which sealed their ancestors' magical insights in inheritance crystals, which later generations could directly access by touching them.

But this dark enlightenment is different; it directly shows the soul what you can gain if you walk this dark path.

It lets you see cities crumble in your palm, lets you hear power surging in your veins, and lets you taste the thrill of controlling the fate of others.

It bypasses all intermediate steps and directly delivers the result, or rather, the result itself. It will be stuffed into your brain.

Voldemort was able to acquire and understand this thing when he was young, and he was able to create magical artifacts that others could experience.

His talent is truly astonishing, his strength is undeniable, and his understanding of magic is beyond comprehension.

The level of danger is indeed well-deserved.

In comparison, the Black family's inherited magic is gentler and more targeted.

For example, the core of natural magic inheritance is to guide external magic and understand symbiotic relationships.

The inheritance crystal contains the specific operational logic and the insights of the ancestor Eldrin; it does not forcibly instill anything.

But what's inside the bone box is different; it's chaotic, open, and has no fixed end.

It only says there are many possibilities, then shows the most prominent ones, enticing you to jump in.

More sophisticated, and more treacherous.

Regulus leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the Grimaldi Square outside the window.

Voldemort claimed that he gave the gift because of his performance at Hogwarts.

That might be part of the reason, but more likely, Voldemort sensed something amiss.

Even if his contact with Dumbledore were kept secret, it was still possible for clues to be detected.

Or perhaps, this was simply a preventative test by Voldemort due to his suspicious nature.

For any pure-blooded heir who displays extraordinary talent but has not fully aligned himself with him, he first throws a dose of poison at them to see whether they swallow it and become one of his own, or spit it out and reveal their disloyalty.

Thinking of this, a somewhat arrogant idea popped into Regulus's mind.

Could Dumbledore and Voldemort, these two figures standing at the pinnacle of the wizarding world, be engaging in a silent, remote contest, using him as a medium?

One tries to illuminate the way forward with harmless guidance, while the other tries to win over and corrupt with poisonous gifts.

Upon closer examination, it's not entirely impossible. Regulus's talent and abilities are undeniable, enough to tempt two powerful figures.

Dumbledore made the first move, and Voldemort followed closely behind.

To be fair, the two men's current behaviors are indeed similar in essence; they are both trying to influence him and shape his future path.

Voldemort's methods were direct, domineering, and full of temptation and threat.

For the vast majority of young wizards who crave power and embrace the pure-blood ideology, that dark enlightenment is nothing short of a divine gift, enough to make them devoted to it, or at least to awe and longing for it.

But for Regulus, this forceful gift, which he could not refuse, was more like a clear threat and constraint.

Follow my path, and I will give you strength; otherwise, you are nothing.

This reveals that Voldemort is gradually losing patience and becoming increasingly autocratic.

In the early stages, he may need to rely on the connections of pure-blood families, abide by those ancient social rules, and slowly win them over with benefits and ideals.

But now, he has begun to directly crush the rules with his power.

Bella's behavior today is a signal.

Entering the patriarch's residence directly through the Filo network without prior notification is an extremely serious offense in pureblood social etiquette.

Even among family members, it is extremely rare for them to do this.

The fact that she dared to do this only proves one thing: Voldemort and his core followers have gradually begun to despise and even deliberately trample on these ancient rules and dignity.

They believe that power is everything and can crush all traditions and etiquette.

This rudeness precisely exposes their inherent arrogance and desire to reshape order.

In contrast, Dumbledore's guiding style was completely different.

He doesn't force him, he only provides perspectives, such as the concept of leaving blank spaces in magic. He doesn't tell Regulus exactly what to do, but only gives him a direction to think about.

They provided crucial support, channeling resources through professors like McGonagall and Sprout, but never asked for anything in return.

They provided crucial support, channeling resources through professors like McGonagall and Sprout, but never asked for anything in return.

Most importantly, he returned the freedom of choice to Regulus.

His brilliance lies in the fact that, although he seems not to have pre-defined Regulus's path, he uses his ideals and himself to carve out a more worthwhile landscape for Regulus to pursue.

Dumbledore wasn't trying to recruit a henchman; he was more like cultivating a future companion or dialogue partner.

Of course, this may simply be a more sophisticated way for him to portray characters.

But at least, he gave the person being molded dignity and space to think.

Regulus got up and walked to the window.

My fingers parted a corner of the heavy curtains, and outside, the sunlight had completely pierced through the clouds, bathing the entire Grimoire Square in the bright light of a summer morning.

A Muggle postman rode by on his bicycle, his basket crammed full of letters.

The window on the second floor of the house across the street was open, and you could see an old woman watering the flowers on the windowsill.

Regulus accepted the gift, but that doesn't mean he'll follow the path Voldemort had laid out for him.

The Dark Revelation showed him two things: the intoxicating power of the secular world and the alluring mystery of magic.

In the magical world, power is often a byproduct of strength.

He pursues power, and authority may follow, but that is not what he seeks.

As for those powerful spells, they are indeed tempting.

But Regulus wouldn't stop at nothing to reach the summit immediately just because he saw a peak.

He believes that through his own research, accumulation, and exploration, he can also reach, or even open up new paths, and even surpass them.

Along the way, you might receive some help, such as this isolated dark knowledge, or shortcuts like family inheritance and professorial guidance.

But that must be under his control, as a tool, not as a master.

It is important to be clearly aware of the limitations.

The power of this enlightenment is undeniable, but its limitations are equally apparent.

It is essentially a highly addictive psychotropic drug and a pre-planned dark path.

Although he was temporarily isolated from the initial contamination, Regulus knew that the contamination would gradually worsen with continued exposure.

It will try to distort his cognition, emotions, and values.

He could imagine what it would look like when it finally completely eroded him.

One becomes obsessed with the immediate and dominant feeling brought by dark forces, and his thinking gradually becomes extreme and cold.

He saw Voldemort as the sole embodiment of power and truth, and ultimately willingly became his fanatical henchman.

Or worse.

Virtual personalities temporarily withstood the first wave.

But what if the pollution worsens subsequently?

One isn't enough, so we'll have another one?

Regulus stopped abruptly as he thought of this.

I just built the consciousness room yesterday and was thinking about what to put in it. Maybe I could turn it into a containment room?

The virtual personality resides within, isolating itself from the contamination of the main consciousness.

Then, the isolated Enlightenment Core is gradually and controllably introduced into this room, allowing the virtual personality to access, study, and even try to use it.

This way, we can acquire knowledge, confine the pollution within a specific cage, and test the characteristics and limits of dark forces.

However, consciousness rooms cannot be created indefinitely, and maintaining a virtual personality requires continuous mental investment.

This depends on Regulus's soul strength, total mental capacity, and recovery speed, and Star Orbit Meditation is the key to enhancing these aspects.

Currently, constructing and maintaining a fully functional containment room and a relatively complex virtual personality is probably his safety limit.

Any more than that could affect the clarity of one's main consciousness and daily control over magic.

Not only that, he can also set traps around the room.

Any unauthorized attempt by any spiritual force to invade the depths of his consciousness, such as a mind-stealer, or a direct spiritual attack similar to a dark revelation that he may encounter in the future.

Before reaching the core, you will be led into this room filled with dark pollution and virtual personalities.

They will be facing a mental minefield that is inherently polluting and could potentially backfire on the intruders.

This can be considered a creative advancement in mental defense.

Just do it.