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Harry Potter : Eldritch Horrors Chapter 4
🕑 Added 2025-09-01 08:30:10 +0000 UTCChapter 4: Departure
Adam didn't linger after successfully channeling his magical energy. He retrieved a somewhat heavy stone awl from one of the wooden desk's drawers and, following Merlin's instructions, reversed the ring's activation sequence.
This time, having established a connection with the outer god and successfully channeling his magical energy, Adam felt much better than when he arrived. His physical and mental state were much improved from when he had first departed.
Adam tried to reconstruct the timeline of events. He remembered being locked in around 9:30 p.m., during the nuns' evening rounds and bedtime prayers. The mischievous children had dragged him from his bed and doused him with cold water before shoving him into this storage room.
Now, pale blue light filtered through the cracks around the door, suggesting dawn was approaching. Based on the light quality, he estimated it was around 4 or 5 a.m. He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious before awakening in this body.
Using the stone awl, Adam struck the poorly maintained lock three times, breaking it. The storage room was located under the staircase on the first floor, with the reception hall just around the corner.
An old wall clock in the reception hall showed exactly 4:26 a.m.
Perfect timing—the nuns and orphans were still sleeping, creating ideal conditions him to leave.
Adam had already decided to leave the orphanage. While it provided basic necessities, it also severely restricted his freedom. More importantly, he couldn't practice magic safely within its walls without proper guidance.
The potential consequences ranged from damaged furniture in the best case to uncontrollable fires in the worst. Such a catastrophe could devastate this already struggling institution, potentially leaving hundreds of children homeless.
Adam felt no particular affection for the orphanage, but he couldn't bear the moral weight of practicing magic at the cost of displacing innocent orphans.
However, he was unwavering in his commitment to pursue the supernatural path. After more than twenty years of ordinary life in his previous existence, he refused to abandon this extraordinary power, regardless of the dangers and potential madness it entailed.
His current status as an orphan offered limited prospects anyway. Unlike his previous life with supportive parents, he now faced the challenges of an unfamiliar capitalist country without resources or connections.
At best, he might achieve community college education—public university tuition would be completely unaffordable given his circumstances.
Adam adopted a philosophical approach: sometimes destruction must precede construction. To grasp universal truths, one must abandon comfort and safety. Revolutionary change required sacrifice, and no meaningful progress could occur without leaving security behind.
Besides, he had access to the extraterrestrial library as a safety net. He wouldn't become immediately homeless, and the library contained valuable items and instruments from Merlin's extensive collection of artifacts.
For instance, the dull, inconspicuous stone awl he had just used to break open the lock was actually a Celtic druidic artifact Merlin retrieved from sacred Avalon. This key implement was traditionally used by Celtic druids for inscribing natural symbols and facilitating metamorphosis rituals.
There was also a failed Philosopher's Stone—a blood-red gem from one of Merlin's unsuccessful alchemical experiments that might still possess considerable value.
The Sacred Celtic Staff, taller than half a person and carved from a branch of a sacred Celtic tree, had served as Merlin's early magical implement. Even in his later years of advanced power, Merlin rarely used this staff except for certain rituals.
Various other magical artifacts awaited examination, representing an extensive collection of potentially valuable items.
In one desk drawer, Adam had discovered three leather pouches containing ancient coins—gold, silver, and copper currency spanning from the 11th-12th centuries through the printing era. These coins would have significant antique value for modern pawning, providing sufficient funds to sustain him for quite some time.
Adam methodically prepared for departure, returning to his room while his roommates slept. He gathered his clothes, bedding, and supplies, along with notebooks, pens, and ink from the orphanage. These items were transported to the extraterrestrial library for rtemporary storage till he found stable housing.
As a form of retribution, he placed a curse worm on the roommate who had bullied him most severely. He also "borrowed" his roommates' hidden savings—forty pounds total that he knew they had stolen from the donation box through careful skimming over time.
However, Adam recognized that the library's protective magic wasn't foolproof. While outer god consciousness was normally blocked by the stone's properties, the protection had potential weaknesses.
He was most vulnerable during sleep, when spiritual energy was most active and susceptible to external influences. The risk of unconscious connection with outer gods remained real, especially with thousands of ancient, dangerous books surrounding him.
The library could serve only as temporary storage, not as a permanent shelter. He needed to find worldly accommodations for his safety.
Adam made his final preparations, gathering kitchen supplies including bread and milk before climbing over the orphanage's front gate. He departed resolutely without seeking permission.
"From now on, I am a wandering mage," he declared to himself, viewing the rusted "Wool's Orphanage" sign in the dim morning light.
For a brief moment, he felt the urge to return to safety, recognizing the hardships that lay ahead. His adult soul was trapped in a child's body, and the struggles of independent survival would be immense.
But Adam refused to look back. He walked toward the downtown bus stop, having "borrowed" additional money from the church donation box on the way—three strikes with the black stone had opened that lock as well.
His destination was a downtown pawnshop near the theater where his parents had been killed, using the residual memories of this world to guide his way.
His first priority was exchanging the ancient coins for modern currency, followed by a proper meal to restore his energy. Only after addressing these basic needs would he plan his next moves and recover from his mental and physical exhaustion.
The path of the wandering mage had begun.
Comments
Delltree100
You do a great work for the translation.
