I'M YOU

Ryan took his wand and left his house. It was still early and there was nobody in the streets. He strolled leisurely along the cobblestone path, taking in the fresh morning air. It was quiet except for the occasional birds chirping. After walking for a while, he arrived at the village square. Several shops were already open, their owners tending to their daily chores.

The carrier owls were delivering letters and packages everywhere. Ryan stopped to watch them fly past overhead. No matter how many times he sees them, he still finds carrier owls fascinating creatures. After a while, he continued his morning stroll. He walked passed the shops and made his way toward the park.

The park was located near the center of town and it was a popular place among locals. Ryan sat down on one of the benches and rested his legs. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of nature around him.

[What are you doing, kid? Stop wasting time.] The same voice that he heard during breakfast echoed inside Ryan's ears again.

Ryan opened his eyes immediately and looked around frantically searching for whoever spoke to him. However, there was no one around except for two old ladies chatting away nearby.

'Was that my imagination?'

[Fucking, imagination, my ass!] The voice sounded angry now. Ryan jumped off the bench in shock, knocking it over in the process. The two elderly women looked over at him curiously but said nothing.

"Haha, sorry about that. I get these seizures sometimes," Ryan apologized sheepishly as he righted the bench. Then he hurriedly walked away from the park. He was getting anxious.

"Who the fuck are you?" He murmured quietly so nobody heard him talking to thin air.

[I'm you, your lazy fucker. Azkaban, false charges, years of torment, that green crystal... Does it ring a bell? How long are you going to avoid the truth?] The voice snapped angrily. Ryan froze in place, his eyes widened in disbelief. His body trembled uncontrollably as memories flashed through his head.

'Azkaban, false charges, years of torment, green crystal...' A splitting headache assaulted his brain as he struggled to remember more details. Ryan clutched his head tightly while gritting his teeth hard enough to break them apart.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, his mind calmed down and he regained control over himself again.

"It was just a dream and how can you be me? Am I going insane?" He mumbled as he sat on the side of the road. Sweat dripped from his forehead, falling onto the pavement below. "If this really happened then why am I here? Wasn't I locked in Azkaban?"

[You still are...] The voice answered cryptically. Ryan stared blankly ahead of him, unable to comprehend what just occurred earlier.

"Then how come I am here? Is this all just part of my imagination?" Ryan questioned aloud, hoping for answers.

[On the verge of insanity, that green crystal created a chance for you or I should say me. This world you see around you was created by that crystal to keep the last trace of your sanity. The memories too. Right now, we are running out of time. You need to get stronger, Ryan. You get it? Use this place, master spells, become powerful...]

Ryan listened carefully to the voice explaining everything to him. Everything began to unfold within his mind as he processed his memories. The reason... Every morning starts the same, with the shopkeepers doing the same things, every day his aunt warns him not to go to the Grave Forest and he tries to use Expecto Patronum, only to fail over and over again. Everything repeats itself over and over again.

"Fuck! Am I stuck in an endless loop?" He cursed loudly drawing attention from passersby.

The voice chuckled, amused at Ryan's reaction.

[Loop, yeah, nice of you to notice and not go berserk on me after learning the reality.]

"You have no idea what's going on in my mind, right now. But now that I think of it... Fuck! How long do I have?" He asked nervously.

The voice stayed silent for several moments before answering.

[Two years top. You'll die after that.]

Ryan froze momentarily as he processed what he just heard.

"That's... That's too short!"

[You wasted three years in this loop, so, yeah, you fucked up and now, I had to step in. Damn you... I mean, me.]

"If I'm you, then how are we talking with each other?" He asked confused.

The voice chuckled again.

[Are we really talking?] It questioned mysteriously.

Ryan frowned, realizing what he meant.

"Am I actually speaking to myself?" He whispered softly as he pondered about his situation. He felt a shiver run down his spine when he thought about dying again. The mere thought of everything around him being fake and he being stuck in a time loop...

"...Fuck!"

[Yeah. Fuck!]

"What do I have to do?" Ryan inquired, his voice filled with determination.

The voice remained quiet for several minutes before finally replying.

[Necromancy. The crystal embedded some knowledge in your head. Go to the Grave Forest. There you will find an ancient tomb. Master the spells in there. That should be enough for you to have a little chance to save yourself.]

---

Ryan without further questions apparated straight to the Grave Forest.

The dark forest loomed ominously before Ryan as he stood at its entrance. He gazed warily at the thick vegetation covering everything around him. The trees were tall and majestic, towering above everything else, blocking most sunlight from reaching the ground. As far as he knows, the Grave Forest had been cursed for over a thousand years and anyone who ventured inside never returned.

'This place feels creepy as hell.'

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward into the dark interior, leaving behind the light of the sun and entering the darkness of the forest. Some say that the cursed ghosts of the past haunt the forest even after death. All he knew was to stay away from it or have a death wish. Yet, here he was, trekking deeper and deeper through the dense vegetation.

"Lumos," he said softly, his wand producing a small amount of light. The light provided enough illumination to guide Ryan's path. He continued to walk cautiously ahead, "Where the fuck should I go?" He stopped and looked around. Every way looks the same. Every tree looks the same. He was definitely lost in there. "Ah! Crap!" His heart nearly jumped out of his chest as two glowing red eyes stared directly back at him in the shadows.

[Hoot! Hoot!] An owl flew high above his head. Ryan sighed relieved.

"You scared the shit out of me."

He watched as the creature circled over the canopy. The owl hooted once more before descending upon a branch. It looked at him with its tilted head curiously.

Ryan walked up to that tree and extended his right arm toward the owl. There was something different about that bird that he couldn't put his fingers on, but he definitely felt it. Slowly and cautiously the bird flew down onto the proffered limb and allowed Ryan to scratch its soft feathers.

It remained still letting Ryan enjoy petting it for several minutes before starting hooting wildly.

"Oh? What did you say? You got something to show me?" He smiled as the bird hooted once again, "Then please lead the way."

'Wait! Did I just talk to a freaking bird?!' He was surprised because he clearly understood that owl's hoots. It wanted to take him somewhere out of this forest. Ryan hesitated whether he should follow this creature or not, but it was not like he had many options before him. Since he came this far, what more could go wrong? If what the voice told him is true, then the tomb should be somewhere in here. And that owl appearing at the perfect time, well, it's too good to be coincidental.

Hooot! Hooot!

Ryan shrugged his shoulders and followed after the bird. They wandered deep inside the forest. After a while, they reached an open clearing with an old hut made of stone in the middle of nowhere. There was even a large stream flowing by that hut. A couple of stags were grazing on the lush grass alongside the banks of the stream.

Upon seeing them, one of the beasts perked its head up and gazed warily at him and the owl. Ryan noticed this immediately and stood still waiting patiently for the deer to do something or flee in terror. But it went back eating the grass as if he didn't exist at all.

'Creepy!'

The owl flew to his shoulder and nuzzled its feathery head against his neck affectionately while cooing sweetly.

"You want me to go in that hut?" He asked after receiving those physical affections. It only cooed softly in response. "Alright. You are the boss." He understood the message of the owl perfectly.

He headed toward the small hut.

The wooden door creaked loudly as Ryan slowly opened it. Inside was an empty room containing nothing except a large mirror. Strange symbols were carved across its surface and a single word written in black runes could be seen in the very middle.

"Revelio!" He incanted.

At his spell, the symbols flashed brightly, illuminating the entire room with a golden hue. Words of power emerged within Ryan's mind instantly, along with visions of ancient texts and rituals.

"Arggghh!" He grabbed his head and knelt on the ground in pain. Tears rolled down his face as the foreign knowledge of necromancy flooded every inch of his soul.

He saw visions. Terrifying visions of an ancient civilization whose people lived and breathed the craft of death and dark magic, the embodiment of undeath itself. It showed him its secrets, the rise and fall of such people, the extinction of the gods, and the dawning of a new era for humanity. The source of life and death magic and beyond.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Ryan's soul calmed down, and his mind regained control. He managed to open his eyes and gazed with wonderment at the mirror.

He heard it in the background, faint whispers of the forgotten and lost, telling him stories of days long past. He learned everything. Everything needed to practice the craft and perhaps something more...

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