Chapter 175: The Trojan Soul

The magical force was not particularly strong, nor was there much of it, yet it was unimaginably resilient.

It extended countless tendrils, slowly but unstoppably penetrating every corner of his will, digging deeper into the foundation of his consciousness.

Simultaneously, it seemed to follow a certain rule, rearranging his will, flattening and reshaping his memories and emotional core into a different, unfamiliar form.

Gradually, he felt himself losing control over his own being.

He felt enveloped by a vast net from the inside out.

In the last moments before slipping into unconsciousness, he understood.

It was a seed.

Rooting and sprouting deep within his soul.

...

A Horcrux is one of the most powerful magical objects known.

Its most notable characteristic is its stability and difficulty to destroy.

Murphy had had the diary for nearly three years, and his research on Horcruxes had gone further than most wizards.

In his view, the formidable defensive capability of a Horcrux is an external manifestation of its extremely stable magical structure.

In theory, a Horcrux is merely a container for a fragment of a soul.

However, any mental magic spells fail to penetrate a Horcrux's defenses and affect the soul fragment within.

Its protection of the soul fragment is comprehensive and formidable.

Directly using spells on a Horcrux to alter the nature of its soul fragment is as difficult as physically destroying it with magic.

However, the strongest fortresses are breached from within.

Murphy first implanted the Seed of the Mind into Albert Roncone's soul, then used him as bait, allowing Tom to consume him willingly. Through Roncone, the "Trojan horse," Murphy bypassed the Horcrux's external defense mechanisms, planting the Seed of the Mind within the diary.

This Seed of the Mind was also specially developed by Murphy.

First, he combined the werewolf transformation mechanism to leave an interface in the Seed of the Mind for interaction with himself.

Second, he allowed this Seed of the Mind to penetrate the diary's core consciousness, obtaining the highest access rights.

Now, the diary, like a phone controlled by a Trojan virus with root access, allowed Murphy to control any of its senses, manipulate its emotions and intellect, add goals, values, beliefs at will, confuse its logic, and guide its will in any direction he desired.

The diary had completely become a puppet.

...

In the basement, Murphy emerged from the darkness, checking Albert Roncone's breathing.

He was dead, Tom having fully absorbed his magic and life force.

But Tom was still within the diary and had not appeared.

He was locked by the Seed of the Mind.

Murphy approached the diary, beginning to search within this Horcrux.

He saw Tom's memories.

He saw how, in the orphanage, Tom had hanged a rival Muggle child's pet rabbit with just a thought, and how he had stared at a foul-mouthed chubby boy until the latter broke his leg.

He saw Tom gradually mastering this method of "punishment," and how his initial panic upon truly discovering the injuries he caused slowly turned into pride at realizing he was different.

Loneliness, repression, and the hidden anger and vanity deep within.

This was Tom Riddle in his childhood.

Then there was Dumbledore.

The memories of the orphanage were sharp, cold, angry, and dark, but those involving Dumbledore were filled with a dreamy warmth.

Even now, he could feel from these memories Tom's excitement at confirming he had talents ordinary people did not, the joy of escaping the orphanage that did not accept him.

And... a strange, admiring affection for the first adult "kindred spirit" he met?

Murphy raised an eyebrow, surprised at Tom's perspective on this meeting.

But it was understandable, after all, he was just an eleven-year-old boy starved of affection at the time.

Then, he saw the changes in him at school, from the novelty of exploration to the slowly inflating ambition as he mastered the rules.

Then he saw the entire process of making the diary.

He was surprised to find that the diary was not initially a Horcrux. Tom used highly advanced Legilimency and several complex mental spells to weave his memories into the diary as a "textual portrait."

His approach to making the diary was similar to how wizards create "portraits."

Before becoming a Horcrux, the diary was an extraordinary magical creation capable of independent thought, possessing part of his personality, which is starkly different from other Horcruxes that merely serve as containers for soul fragments.

Only later, when he decided to make it a Horcrux, did he add a soul fragment to the diary, making it what it is now.

Murphy unearthed several spells that Tom had cherished from these memories, which he had not shown before, but none were of immediate importance to Murphy, who was not in need of powerful spells.

Rather, the memories of the diary's creation, the weaving of memories, and the steps of imbuing a soul into a Horcrux were more valuable.

After studying for a while, Murphy sent a message to the diary through the interface of the Seed of the Mind.

Then he retreated back into the darkness, watching.

A ghostly figure drifted down from the diary, standing on the ground, gradually becoming clearer, the 16-year-old Tom Riddle.

But his eyes were closed, as if he had not yet awakened from sleep.

With a thought from Murphy, the 16-year-old Tom began to shrink, his age regressing, becoming smaller and smaller, until he was about eleven or twelve years old.

Then, young Tom's face also gradually changed, becoming more and more like the Muggle boy "Lucas Brightson" Roncone had transformed into.

Soon, Tom was indistinguishable from the kneeling body. He walked forward, his translucent form slowly merging into the corpse.

A light shone at the forehead of "Lucas," where Murphy had released the Seed of the Mind, and a similar seed-like glow appeared on Tom's forehead. The two merged, and finally, the Seed of the Mind nailed Tom and Lucas's body together like a nail.

The light faded, and after a while, the basement was silent.

Then, Lucas moved, standing up, removing the adult clothes that did not fit him, and dressing in children's clothing taken from a drawer near the table.

He tucked the notebook under his arm and took an old eraser from the drawer.

Suddenly, his body twisted and vanished from the basement in an instant.

...

London, Reed Children's Home.

In the deep night, a few hours ago, someone had sneaked in and taken away Lucas Tom Brightson, who was still asleep. Now, his single room was empty.

But with a twist in space, a golden-haired boy appeared in the room.

He placed the diary on the table, then returned to bed to lie down.

...

The next morning, "Lucas" suddenly opened his eyes.

He looked around blankly for a while, eventually noticing the notebook on the table.

He walked over to it.

The diary gradually revealed a line of text.

"My name is Lucas Tom Brightson. On August 26, 1991, I woke up in the orphanage as usual. There's nothing different today, except my head is a bit dizzy, as if I've forgotten many things."

"In the morning, Mrs. Cornan, the head of the orphanage, told me

 that a couple wants to adopt me."

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