Months slipped by.
I drifted from forest to farmland, never daring to approach wizarding communities or anything radiating magical power. Not yet. As a disembodied fragment, I was vulnerable — horribly so. Despite all the intellect and battle instincts Tom Riddle possessed… I had inherited his phobia of death as well.
The fear ran deep, instinctual, tightening around the core of my soul like cold iron chains. Anything with the slightest magical signature sent my spirit recoiling into shadows or burrowing into the nearest vermin.
Survival first.Strength second.Ambition later.
That was the only acceptable order.
It was during another night of hiding — coiled inside the hollow of an ancient Austrian tree — that understanding dawned on me like a bolt of lightning:
Austria. Grindelwald's old territory. His loyalists still lurk here.
A spark of true strategy surged through me.
Imagine it:The Death Eaters reborn, but not alone.Grindelwald's vision and resources merged with mine.No foolish blood-purity crusade to divide us.A unified magical world capable of controlling Muggles quietly — before they, with satellites and bombs and paranoia, discovered us and turned magic into a battlefield.
I shivered — partly in fear, partly in excitement.
Tom Riddle dreamed of domination.
I dream of survival through power and foresight.
If the magical world remained passive, the Muggle world's evolution would eventually corner them like frightened animals. Nuclear fire didn't care about wands. Satellites would see every secret. Technology would not stagnate.
Action wasn't cruelty — it was protection.
But… I needed a body. Now more than ever.
I allowed myself a cruel, hopeful thought:
What if Grindelwald himself could become my mentor? Perhaps even a father… to me?
Tom would have scoffed.I — the fusion that I am — saw opportunity.
A powerful child would earn his attention. A prodigy. A symbol for his vision reborn.
The System reacted.
[SYSTEM NOTICE — Minor Quest Generated]Acquire a magically gifted host in Austria.Reward: +100 Soul Integrity & System Shop Access (Tier 1)
My excitement almost made my thin soul flicker with light.
"Yes… yes, that will do nicely."
I left the tree, drifting low across cold grasslands. Not toward cities — too dangerous. But toward old wizarding estates, hidden behind wards my enhanced senses could now detect as ripples in the air.
I scanned for life. Magical sparks. Young minds still unshaped…
Then — I found one.
A grand manor nestled into the mountainside. Ancient enchantments woven like armor. Blood wards old enough to predate Hogwarts itself.
Inside…
a newborn cry.
Not weak — vibrant.Raw magic crackled from the child like static lightning.
My hunger sharpened.My ambition soared.
"Perfect…"
Yet a whisper of dread lingered:
What if I am discovered? What if someone stronger senses me?
I swallowed that terror — metaphorically, since I lacked a throat — and drifted closer. Every instinct screamed that this choice could change everything.
A new life.A new alliance.A new destiny.
And thus, with caution sharpened by fear but fueled by purpose…
I slipped through the manor walls like a phantom.
Toward the nursery.
Toward my future body.
Toward my resurrection.