138: The Legend of the Three Brothers

The Tales of Beedle the Bard recorded a particular story.

The Tale of the Three Brothers.

Once upon a time, there were three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at dawn.

The three brothers eventually reached a river, one that was deep and treacherous, impossible to cross by foot or by swimming.

But these three brothers were skilled in magic, so with just a wave of their wands, they created a bridge to cross the river.

However, when they reached the middle of the bridge, they found a hooded figure blocking their path.

That figure was Death.

Death spoke to them.

He was angry that he had been outwitted by these three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in that river.

But Death was cunning.

He pretended to congratulate the three brothers on their magical skills and, because they had cleverly avoided him, he said each of them would receive a reward.

The eldest of the brothers, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any other, a wand that could win any duel.

So Death broke a branch from an elder tree and fashioned it into a wand, giving it to the eldest brother. That wand was the Elder Wand.

The second brother, who was an arrogant man, wanted to humiliate Death, so he asked for the power to bring others back from Death.

Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and handed it to the second brother, telling him that this stone had the power to bring the dead back to life.

That stone was the Resurrection Stone.

Finally, the youngest of the three brothers, who was humble and wise, did not trust Death. He asked for something that would allow him to escape Death's grasp.

Reluctantly, Death handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.

The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak.

These were the Deathly Hallows.

Later, the eldest brother was murdered for showing off his power, and the second brother, driven mad by the cold indifference of his resurrected lover, took his own life in despair.

Only the youngest brother lived a long life, using the Cloak of Invisibility until he was old, and finally, he met Death as an equal and left with him willingly.

The figure standing before John now claimed to be Death, and John felt a bit dazed.

"So... I'm going to die...?"

John asked, staring at Death's hood, trying to see the face beneath.

Death seemed to be in a good mood and smiled. "Yes."

"Well then, it seems I traded my life to save someone else....

"Suddenly, I feel really foolish."

John was not someone who easily accepted death. He had just taken his first steps on the path to becoming a White Dark Lord, and now, it seemed like it was all about to end.

But even though he didn't want to die, there was no way out. Death stood before him, and he had no power left.

So, John acted nonchalant, which surprised Death even more.

"You're not afraid of death?" Death asked.

John shrugged, spreading his hands with an indifferent expression. "What do you think I can do? Kill you and then make a run for it?"

He made no effort to hide his thoughts, because it seemed pointless now.

Death paused, then let out a low chuckle.

"You really are quite interesting."

As if amused, Death raised his hand, and John's nearly fading soul began to solidify again.

John was stunned, eyeing Death suspiciously.

Death smirked. "There was once someone like you—someone who accepted death calmly."

"You're not quite at the end of your time yet. In fact, if not for you, I wouldn't have been able to come here."

With another gesture, John felt a force pulling him away from the place.

"The liminal realm or the Limbo is where the wandering souls dwell. Those who toy with death cannot be tolerated. You helped me deal with one. As thanks, I'll send you back."

Everything before John turned blank, the white light stabbing his eyes, forcing them shut.

When John opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a face full of snot and tears, almost dripping onto him.

"Whoa! Whoa! Fuck Off!!!"

He shoved Damocles aside forcefully, horrified, checking to make sure none of it had stuck to him.

His face twisted in disgust, as if he hadn't just had a near-death experience moments ago.

Damocles was frozen in shock. Just a second ago, John had clearly stopped breathing. But without thinking too much, he suddenly erupted with joy, rushing toward John.

"Hey! Stop right there! I know you're excited, but calm down for now!"

John, revolted by how gross it all was, quickly stopped him in his tracks.

Damocles halted just in time, while John conducted a full body inspection on himself.

"Am I... really back?"

A moment ago, he had been facing Death himself, and now he was back?

Slap!

"Ow!"

Still feeling uncertain, he hesitantly slapped his own handsome face, hard.

John sucked in a sharp breath, his cheek swelling up.

"Looks like it's real."

After confirming he was truly back, he let out a sigh of relief, finally starting to feel the soreness all over his body.

Glancing at the ground littered with potion bottles, John could taste the overwhelming flavor of potions the moment he opened his mouth.

God knows how many potions Damo Alex had forced him to drink. His stomach felt bloated, and he was on the verge of throwing up.

He lifted his head and looked toward Nagini. The beautiful woman lay on the ground, her soul-filled eyes brimming with joy.

"I'm back, Nagini."

John greeted her casually, "And welcome back to you too."

He gently placed Nagini's soul back into her body. The sleeping beauty let out a soft moan, and when she opened her eyes, she blinked a few times, adjusting to the light.

The more she blinked, the more tears began to fall.

A smile spread across her face as tears rolled down her delicate cheeks.

"Thank you, John."

...

Life is truly precious, and love... love is precious too.

But for the sake of freedom, can't you have all three?

As someone who nearly died, John was filled with many emotions. He had transmigrated and had blurred memories of his past. It can be said that he had never seen death until now—Metaphorically and literally.

Phew~

Though there had been quite a few twists and turns, the result was good in the end.

However, Nagini's soul was still incomplete, so for now, she wouldn't be able to walk.

John made a wheelchair for Nagini, so she could rest and recuperate well at the Bellby Manor.

He wasn't sure if the blood curse had some sort of preservation effect. When John asked, he found out that Nagini was old enough to be a grandmother, yet she still looked like she was in her twenties.

If this function didn't turn you into a snake with little to no chance of cure, women in the magic world would probably beg to be cursed.

Rubbing his shoulders, John instructed Damocles to take good care of Nagini before preparing to return to school.

John didn't need to say much; Damocles was already ready to treat Nagini like his own mother.

After all, it was the blood curse.

The blood curse, which the wizarding world unanimously recognized as unbreakable, had been undone by John. The second Merlin First Class Medal seemed to be practically waving at Damocles.

If anyone dared to touch Nagini, even if it were Voldemort, Belby would be willing to fight back with an Avada Kedavra.

...

[Ding! Task completed. You have gained +1 Arbitrary Point]

[Soul Walker: Able to wander in the realm between life and death. With the Death Token, you can enter and exit the Limbo Realm.]

John Apparated back to Hogsmeade.

He had left in the morning, but by the time he returned, it was nearing sunset.

There was still some time to stroll around, but John wasn't in the mood for it.

He went to Honeydukes and bought a dozen pieces of chocolate. After eating the chocolate, the pale, bloodless look on his face finally improved a bit.

Earlier, John's face had been so pale that the shopkeeper at Honeydukes almost mistook him for a vampire.

'My hands aren't working properly. Is it because my soul is weakened?'

Looking at his trembling right hand, which was shaking even as it held a piece of chocolate, John sighed. It seemed like he'd need some time to recover.

After finishing his usual spell practice at sunset, John returned to Hogwarts by apparating in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, and cast a dissulment.

The trembling in his hand wasn't going to go away anytime soon, but fortunately, John used his left hand for his wand.

Once back in the Hogwarts castle, he headed straight to the common room.

He needed to sleep well; if he didn't, it would become a real problem.

By the time John woke up, dinner was already over.

Without hurrying, he made his way to the kitchen, where the house-elves were already used to his visits.

"Sir, Wick! What can I make for you?" one of the house-elves asked.

"Meat, preferably steak," John replied.

After a brief wait, a house-elf proudly presented him with a steak.

John ate slowly and calmly, letting the steak's nourishment restore his strength.

But as John savored each bite, his expression shifted from confusion to outright horror.

After finishing the steak, he asked for a slice of apple pie.

John took a bite of the apple pie, and his face turned ashen.

NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo!

No!

He had lost his sense of taste.

Earlier, when he had eaten the chocolate, he had been too distracted to notice. But now, as he put food into his mouth, there was nothing—no flavor at all, just texture.

It was like chewing wax.

"At least.. it looks good..?" He looked at the house elves' expectant gazes and sighed.

Mechanically, he finished the apple pie, his face devoid of life as he left the kitchen.

The cost of saving someone this time had been too high.

He sat in the common room for a long while before finally accepting the reality.

"To take away a food lover's sense of taste... Death, you motherfucker.. you're cruel," John muttered through clenched fists, a dark storm swirling in his eyes.

In that moment, a new thought began to form in his mind: Why not collect the Deathly Hallows himself and drag Death up here for a beating?

________

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