Andra was being attacked from all sides, with no possibility of escape or victory. The deadly spell immobilized her instantly, and her body fell to the ground like dead weight. The noise of the battlefield faded within seconds, leaving only the crackling of flames and the moans of the wounded. Some, touched by the black mist, had parts of their bodies melted, as if hit by acid.
The fight was over.
Lupin, the one responsible for casting the spell, stood with his wand raised, pointing at the corpse of the old Andra. His gaze, cold as ice, said it all: no one doubted she deserved that end. The dark magic that permeated her house and the terrible spells she unleashed confirmed they had faced a truly evil witch. There was no room for compassion, only a deep resentment for the lives she had taken.
The atmosphere grew grim. While some tended to the wounded, Tenebrius picked up Andra's lifeless body, storing it in his inventory with cold indifference.
"What's the tally?" I asked, looking at the bodies laid out. I moved toward the wounded, starting with the most critical ones.
"Eleven dead. Seventeen wounded, twelve of them seriously." Lupin replied, his voice heavy with anguish. This mission had been far more dangerous than anyone had anticipated.
I tried to heal the wounded, but dark magic infused their injuries, rendering many of my efforts useless. While some wounds could be regenerated with my magic, they were consumed again by the dark energy lingering in their bodies. It was no surprise that potions like Skelegro existed, but even with them, Moody was still missing a leg. Fortunately, I had essence of dittany and murtlap tentacles in my inventory. They weren't definitive solutions, but at least they would help stabilize the most critical cases.
"Gather everyone together," I ordered, preparing to use [Mass Travel] to teleport us back to England. "We'll send them to St. Mungo's."
Except for Andra and my invisible clone, everyone would be transported in ten minutes. While we waited, I collected the bodies to give them a proper funeral.
"Remember," I added, addressing the group, "No one must speak of what happened here or our presence. Technically, we entered the country illegally. I will meet with the merchant and the archmage to see if they have anything that might treat your wounds. Don't worry if St. Mungo's doesn't give you a good prognosis. If all else fails, I have a last resort that might even improve your condition, but it will take time to finance. Lastly, I will keep the bodies with me. Once the wounded are safe, we'll gather to organize the funerals and compensate the families. There will be extra pay for the unexpected risks of this mission."
No one responded enthusiastically. At most, they whispered among themselves, but it was clear that even with additional compensation, the feeling of loss prevailed. What they had gained from this mission did not compensate for what they had lost: friends, family... comrades.
Tenebrius and the werewolves faded into the darkness, while my other invisible clone stayed behind with Andra, looting what remained of the old witch's house. We weren't just looking for treasures, but also any records that could reveal what had happened to her during these years we knew nothing about. It was mainly my clones who investigated, acting under Andra's orders. Since they could die without consequences, they were perfect for a task likely filled with traps. After seeing what Andra was capable of, I was sure her house hid many dangers.
We spent the entire night and into the next day searching every corner, taking everything that could be useful. When there was nothing left to find, I activated [Mass Travel] once again, and we headed to the [Fief].
...
Upon returning, Eileen ran straight into her wife's arms. It had been a long time since she last saw her, and as soon as she heard from one of my clones that we were back, she rushed to wait for her at our usual teleportation point.
Eileen seemed ready to devour her right there, but we still had things to do, so I had to separate them. Eileen's fury was evident, and Snape's mother almost killed me on the spot, if not for Andra intervening to stop her. Reluctantly, and clearly against her will, Eileen agreed to let me take Andra away.
Together, we went to the merchant to sell the old Andra's corpse and buy it back before heading to the [Archmage's Tower] to continue our work. My research with unicorns was almost complete, and Andra having finished her mission was the final piece of the puzzle. As in the other timeline, we immersed ourselves in scientific mode. I pulled the old Andra's body from my inventory, and upon undressing it, I discovered even more dangerous magical items that had gone unnoticed during the first inspection.
The naked body floated in front of me, suspended by my magic, while my hands, glowing with an intense red from the accumulated power of my blood magic, prepared to work. I undid several clones to release more energy and stopped suppressing my malignancy. This work was not only grotesque, something a morally good person would have difficulty accepting, but it also gave me a boost in my darker experiments.
My blood magic invaded the corpse, cell by cell. Once I felt I had sufficient control, I initiated the process I had perfected after my experiments with the unicorns. The body began to compress and liquefy simultaneously, slowly losing its human shape. Its color turned dark and reddish as it decomposed under the weight of my power.
I spent several hours liquefying Andra's entire body until it was reduced to a single, pure, refined substance that could only be described as "Andra's essence." Once processed, I stored the essence in a container that Andra herself had brought. Later, she would take that container to the merchant to sell it and buy it back, in a cycle that had become part of our procedure. Though Andra felt strange about the whole process, she said nothing; her will was bent to mine.
With that phase completed, I began the second part of the experiment. I gathered various materials and started drawing a ritual circle around the lineage fusion chair. At the same time, I gave Andra detailed instructions on the minor rituals she had to perform on herself: some involved chants and dances; others required painting glyphs on her skin.
By the time everything was ready, midnight had passed. Before starting, I made her drink a few drops of Felix Felicis, the luck potion, sparingly to avoid any adverse effects. I, on the other hand, took a generous gulp, instantly feeling the power of luck flow through me. Curiously, the false sense of security that usually accompanies the potion didn't appear. My natural defense had blocked it, meaning I could consume it in large quantities without suffering the side effects others did. However, the potion's cost was still an obstacle that prevented me from overusing it.
"Ready for this?"(Red)
"I'm ready to fulfill your will," she said in a voice that, though obedient, hinted at her insecurity. I knew she wasn't entirely sure about what we were about to do, but she would still follow my orders.
"There's no turning back," I warned, more to myself than to her. "You might die, and everything could go to hell."
I knew that if I failed, I would lose an excellent subordinate, but it was a necessary risk. If this experiment succeeded, it would be a major step forward in my work with Elise.
"Alright, sit down. Let's begin."
Andra undressed and sat in the chair while I activated the ritual circles. These rituals increased the good fortune of the environment and the people within the area of influence, although their effects were usually minimal and short-lived. Creating these circles was costly, so few would use them, but in this case, they were of great value to us.
With a slight nod from Andra, who closed her eyes in preparation, I activated the machine. The container holding the essence began to empty rapidly, while the mechanical arms with needles glowed with a reddish light. Andra, sitting in the chair, clenched her teeth and gripped the arms of the seat tightly, feeling an indescribable power invade her body, filling her with something she couldn't fully comprehend.
The mechanical arms suddenly stopped, and Andra's body began to glow with a blinding intensity, hiding her for a few moments. When the light faded, her figure reappeared, though clearly weakened. As she tried to stand, she became dizzy and fell to her knees, supporting herself with her hands on the ground to avoid hitting her face. Her breathing was shallow, as if she had exerted herself physically.
"Andra, how do you feel?" I asked, approaching to support her and placing my hand on her shoulder to assess her condition.
"Mhh…" she exhaled deeply several times before composing herself a bit. "I think… I'm okay."
Her vision was still somewhat blurry, and everything was spinning, but she gradually improved. At first glance, there were no obvious changes in her appearance. Her skin seemed slightly lighter than before, the light tan she had acquired while searching for her past self had softened. Her figure appeared slightly slimmer, her overall appearance a bit more attractive. Her hair color was more pure, her facial features seemed more defined, her eyes deeper. Although the changes were subtle, almost imperceptible unless you paid close attention and knew her well.
After giving her time to recover, we continued with the investigation. We moved to the improvised lab in the tower. Andra was sitting on a stretcher, still naked, feeling her own body and performing movements to assess how much of the dizziness persisted. Although she still felt a bit unstable, her improvement was noticeable, and with time, the discomfort would completely disappear.
"Can you notice any changes?" I asked while jotting down the data I had gathered. The [Lineage Fusion Chair] had upgraded to [Level 2] after our experiments with unicorns, which added new features like the ability to measure lineage percentages. However, I preferred to use my own observations before resorting to that tool.
"Yes, I notice them, but I'm not sure if I can describe them well. I feel younger... Not like when you rejuvenated me before, but… different. It's as if I've really gone back in time."
"That's possible," I responded, recalling what I had perceived with my blood magic during the process. "When I rejuvenated you the first time, your body reverted to a state close to your 40s. Now it seems you've rejuvenated to about 35. Additionally, your vitality has increased, suggesting you might live at least 15 years longer than you normally would."
I noted the details as I explained. It was fascinating to see how the effects went beyond what was expected.
"I also feel stronger," Andra added. "Physically, I think my capacity has increased by about 15% to 20%. Magically, the increase is smaller, around 10%. But it's a noticeable change. Even though it's a small boost, it feels good to know I'm more powerful than before."
"Hmm… interesting. Anything else?" I asked, intrigued.
"Yes, I think my 'charm' has improved. Even if it's just a little, I can feel it. I can't demonstrate it without testing it on someone, but I deduce it because suppressing it now is harder than before." She knew testing it on me wouldn't make sense, as I was immune to her power, but maybe we could try it on her wife.
"Is that all?" I asked, feeling a slight excitement as I recalled Andra's lineage and anticipated the results the chair would show. My curiosity was at its peak.
"Yes, for now, that's all," she responded, unsure if there was anything more.
"Alright, let's return to the chair," I said, eager to confirm the changes.
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Weekly Chapter