Chapter 331: Promotion to Legend
"Phineas! I came as soon as I heard from Damon that you were back."
Sirius appeared at the gate of Nicolas's Manor and quickly walked toward the villa, speaking loudly.
Over the past year, Phineas had fled to America, Harry and Leah had taken refuge at Hogwarts, Hope had stayed at the manor to study alchemy, and only Sirius had taken great risks to maintain control over the Black family's power.
He even negotiated with the Council of Elders to divert their attention toward Phineas, giving the Black family enough time. But it was incredibly dangerous. The law enforcement team from the Council of Elders could easily arrest anyone associated with Phineas, just like they did with Corvus—and Sirius was one of those people.
Still, he had agreed to the plan.
Sirius fully understood the danger, and he knew that if their assumptions were wrong, he would be doomed without any chance of redemption.
But this was his younger brother—his only brother after Regulus disappeared—one of the last remaining members of the Black family. As the eldest, this was his responsibility and duty.
Fortunately, events unfolded just as they had anticipated. The law enforcement team's primary target remained Phineas. As long as Sirius avoided direct encounters, he would remain safe.
The year passed relatively smoothly.
"Sirius!"
Phineas, hearing Sirius's voice from inside the villa, ran out, followed by Harry and the others.
The two brothers hugged tightly, then moved to the living room, where they sat, drank black tea, and caught up on everything that had happened over the past year.
"The law enforcement team didn't specifically come after me or cause trouble at Hogwarts for Harry and the others. Like you said, their focus was on you. They only issued a wanted order for the rest of us."
Sirius smiled as he recounted the year's events, omitting the more dangerous details.
"So, as long as I stay hidden, I should be safe."
Though he said this lightly, Sirius's life had not been easy.
The Council of Elders issued a high-reward wanted order for several Black family members, drawing the attention of many dark wizards.
Unfortunately, many of the Black family's strongholds were in areas frequented by dark wizards, meaning Sirius was constantly pursued. He suffered multiple injuries, but he didn't share these details with Phineas. As an older brother, he bore them alone.
"Sirius, thank you for everything this past year," Phineas said emotionally. He was no naive student like Harry, nor was he ignorant of the risks Sirius had taken. If he hadn't needed a large number of souls to rapidly advance to the legendary level, or to study magic by analogy, he would never have chosen such a risky plan.
Originally, he had intended to slowly comprehend the soul's essence, but there simply wasn't enough time—and the Council of Elders wouldn't give it to him.
Luckily, everything had gone according to plan.
Just as Phineas was reflecting, Puff and Dumbledore appeared before them.
"Professor!"
Everyone stood to greet Dumbledore.
They had all studied at Hogwarts—even Hope had been an exchange student there—so Dumbledore was their shared Headmaster.
"Phineas, how are the preparations coming along?" Dumbledore asked after greeting them.
Phineas nodded.
"They were completed last night."
He led Dumbledore downstairs to the basement, which Nicolas had originally designed for magical research and experimentation.
Nicolas's alchemy room had also been located here, making it the safest and most secure place in the manor.
The soul sublimation ritual Phineas needed to perform for his promotion to Legend would be best conducted here.
This wasn't some quiet, meditative ritual—it required extensive preparation.
That was partly what Dumbledore had meant when asking about his readiness; the other part concerned Phineas's mental and spiritual state.
Phineas had made all the necessary preparations.
The Ceremony Setup:
Location: A fortified, secure basement.
Materials: Candles made of soul-calming materials to soothe the mind.
The most dangerous aspect of soul sublimation was not external threats but the possibility of soul loss. These special candles emitted smoke that reduced this risk.
Phineas had called on Dumbledore because a legendary wizard with deep knowledge of the soul could help a newly disoriented soul return to its body—though not if too much time had passed.
Dumbledore carefully inspected the candles, confirmed they were intact, and nodded.
"You are well prepared."
Phineas smiled and pointed to a nearby paint bucket.
Dumbledore glanced at it—and his expression shifted.
"This… this is—"
Phineas nodded.
"Yes, it's soul sand."
Soul sand, crafted from souls, shared some properties with the special candles—but that was secondary.
Its main purpose was to aid in understanding the soul. Phineas had frequently studied it during his time in America.
The true value of soul sand, however, lay in its scarcity: ten souls were needed to produce one gram.
The bucket in front of them held at least a kilogram. Given that soul sand is lighter than water, comparable to gas in weight, it likely contained at least a kilogram—over 10,000 souls.
Dumbledore was visibly disturbed. That many souls equated to the population of a small town.
Sensing this, Phineas calmly explained:
"Professor, don't worry. I had nothing to do with their deaths. I merely placed soul-collection devices in places where death was likely to occur. You know I've been living in the United States—death is common there."
Dumbledore let out a long breath. If those souls had died because of Phineas, he might have had to intervene out of fear of raising another Voldemort.
Now reassured, he smiled.
They both raised their wands and pointed at the jar of soul sand. Magic activated, and the soul sand created patterns on the floor.
Together, Phineas and Dumbledore shaped it into a large magical circle.
At its center was a massive pentagram—not the kind associated with devils in Muggle lore, but a symbol of the magician standing between heaven and earth.
The circle around the pentagram symbolized a continuous cycle of magical energy, and the pathways between them—the circuits—ensured magic flow. Runes filled the spaces between, forming the foundation of magical theory and alchemy.
These were the magical words left to Phineas by Ravenclaw—perfect for completing the circle.
Once all was prepared, Phineas took a deep breath and sat at the center of the circle.
"I'll leave the rest to you, Professor."
Dumbledore nodded, offering comfort and assurance.
"Don't worry. I'm here. Nothing will go wrong."
Phineas closed his eyes and focused entirely on his soul.
This was the first and simplest step of spiritual sublimation.
Any wizard seeking to become a Legend must first be able to perceive their soul.
But no one used soul-targeting magic lightly before reaching the legendary level.
The more Phineas studied this path, the more convinced he became that Voldemort's madness stemmed from tampering with his soul too early—when he was still at Hogwarts, making his first Horcrux.
Phineas had to admit that Voldemort's talent was extraordinary. Despite his damaged soul, he had still managed to reach the legendary realm.
Of course, Voldemort may have taken a slower, steadier path—unlike Phineas, who reinforced his soul during the promotion itself to save time and strength.
Gradually, Phineas sensed his soul.
Now, he needed to elevate his soul, perceive everything at the next level, and absorb that power to become stronger.
But this was the most dangerous part. The spiritual realm could nourish the soul—or tempt and destroy it.
Many wizards, upon reaching this stage, became intoxicated by the power and lost sight of their goal.
Sensing Phineas's changes, Dumbledore grew tense.
As a legendary wizard, he knew the spirit world's pull. But Phineas wasn't yet lost—if Dumbledore interfered now, he might rob him of the best moment to ascend.
Only if Phineas's soul truly faltered would he step in.
Luckily, everything proceeded smoothly.
Throughout the process, Phineas held tightly to his purpose: become a god, go home. These words anchored him, keeping him grounded.
Once he was sure he had reached the peak of the legendary realm, Phineas followed the mental chain of obsession back to his body.
His soul had never truly left his body—but it felt like a return.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the sealed room, extinguishing the candles.
The soul sand circle scattered.
Phineas slowly opened his eyes.
A burst of blue light shone from them, lighting the dark room.
Even Dumbledore was shocked.
Though Phineas had only just reached legendary status, his soul's power already rivaled Dumbledore's. Once he restored his magic and refined his understanding of the soul, he could become one of the most powerful, perhaps even invincible, legendary wizards—short of becoming a demigod.