Young Celestial Wizard [Celestial Grimoire, Harry Potter]

"Marble Serpents? Here?" Nicolas leaned forward with interest. "I thought they'd all gone extinct centuries ago."

Alexandros settled back in his chair with a weary sigh. "They're not the only creatures appearing where they shouldn't. We've had reports of all sorts of beasts that haven't been seen in centuries. Just last week, someone swore they saw a Nemean Cub near the Treasury."

"A living Nemean Lion cub?" Nicolas whistled softly. "That's quite a claim."

"We think there might be tunnels deep under the ruins," Alexandros continued. "Old passages that haven't been opened since ancient times. But nobody's been able to find the entrance, if it exists."

Nicolas and Perenelle shared an excited look. "If these creatures are coming out now, they must have been living somewhere all this time," Perenelle said. "And if the creatures survived..."

"Then the plants they feed on might have survived too," Nicolas finished. "Magical flora that's been extinct everywhere else..."

While the adults discussed increasingly obscure plant names, Harry quietly pulled out the representation of the Hero's Journal from his belt.

He flipped through the familiar pages, looking for anything new. Near the end, fresh words appeared in flowing script:

'Beyond the silver door lies the first step. Where every seeker's journey begins, the most forgotten path lies beneath their feet. The Oracle's first words were spoken in silence, and her last breath opens the way...'

Harry stared at the words. Something felt different about this hint - it wasn't like the usual nudges about where something might be or which direction to explore. This read more like a puzzle, almost like that time with Chiara and the Whomping Willow. Maybe he had to complete it before he had the right to go on the adventure?

The "silver door" part was obvious enough - he was sitting right behind one. And "seeker's journey" probably meant Oracle's Way outside, where all the fortune-tellers set up their shops. But what about the Oracle's first words being "spoken in silence"? That didn't make much sense. How could words be silent?

He thought back to what he'd just read in the Hogwarts library about the original Oracle of Delphi. The books said she would breathe in vapors from a crack in the earth, then speak Apollo's prophecies. Maybe that had something to do with the "last breath" part?

Harry closed the journal, and supported his head with his left hand on the table. The hint talked about things being "beneath their feet" and mentioned breathing. There had to be something about the ground outside - maybe near where the original Oracle gave prophecies?

At least this puzzle was more interesting than trying to figure out if Chiara was a werewolf from "monthly ordeal" and "violent tree." Though finding secret passages would probably be harder than following someone.

Harry raised an eyebrow when Nicolas and Perenelle both suddenly stood up from their chairs.

"We should check with the local authorities about those failing protective charms," Perenelle said, then gave Nicolas a knowing look. "Though I suspect someone just wants an excuse to investigate those creatures."

"As if you're not hoping to find some extinct magical herbs," Nicolas replied with a smile.

Perenelle laughed. "Harry, dear, would you mind staying here with Alexandros? We shouldn't be away for too long."

Harry nodded, careful not to seem too eager. This was perfect - he could investigate the journal's clue once they left.

After the Flamels left, Alexandros gestured to a door behind the counter. "There's a small library through there if you'd like to look around. Might interest you to learn about Greek magical history?"

Harry did want to learn more about Greek magic. Besides, he couldn't go solving puzzles outside with Alexandros watching. Better to wait for the right moment.

"Yes, please," he said. "I'd like that."

oo0ooOoo0oo

Two hours later, Harry looked up from an interesting passage about ancient Greek wizards when he heard soft snoring coming from the main shop. He'd already thoroughly examined the small library for any hidden exits, finding nothing but shelves of history books about magical Greece. While the texts about fake gods and ancient prophecies were engaging, the Hero's Journal's puzzle kept nagging at his thoughts.

Setting down "Records of the Wizards of Olympus," Harry carefully stood up from his reading nook. He moved quietly into the main shop area, where Alexandros had dozed off in his chair, an empty teacup balanced precariously on the armrest.

Just as Harry reached for the door handle, Alexandros jerked awake with a sharp intake of breath. Harry froze, heart hammering in his chest.

"The locusts..." Alexandros muttered, his clouded eyes half-open. "They're in the tea leaves again..."

Harry remained perfectly still, barely daring to breathe. The old seer's gaze swept across the room, passing right over Harry as if he wasn't there. For a terrifying moment, Harry thought those eyes might clear and take on that silvery sheen again.

But Alexandros just mumbled something else about stubborn insects and shifted in his chair, causing the teacup to wobble dangerously. His eyes drifted shut, and soon the soft snoring resumed.

Harry waited another full minute before moving again. He slowly eased the silver door open just enough to slip through, wincing at the slight creak of metal. Once outside, he gently pulled it shut behind him, relieved when no bell chimed this time.

Harry had barely taken three steps onto Oracle's Way when a middle-aged woman in eye-wateringly bright robes swooped down on him.

"Such a precious child," she cooed, jingling with every movement from her countless bangles and necklaces. "Surely you'd like to know what great destiny awaits you? Only one Drachma for a full palm reading!"

Harry tried to step around her, but she moved to block his path. "…No thank you. I'm actually just-"

"Oh but I insist!" She reached for his hand. "I sense great power around you, young one. The stars themselves whisper of your importance!"

Harry suppressed a flash of irritation. Every second spent here was time wasted, and the woman's theatrical performance was becoming increasingly grating. The street was crowded with tourists and local shoppers, making it difficult to simply push past her without causing a scene.

Well, if she wanted to be dramatic...

A thin tendril of mist, barely visible in the warm light of the floating amphoras, snaked down his leg and across the stone floor. Harry had long learned precise control of small amounts of mist since even before the Boggart incident, and right now he just needed enough to make her back off.

The fortune teller had managed to grab his wrist and was turning his palm upward when the mist touched her feet. She went rigid for a moment, her eyes widening as a hint of her own fears brushed against her mind.

Harry quickly pulled his hand free and darted past her, slipping between the crowd of shoppers. Behind him, he heard her theatrical voice crack slightly as she called out, "Wait! Your destiny-"

The words were lost in the general noise of the street, and now he could finally focus on…

His eyes darkened.

[Healthy Eating - Desolate Era: The Three Realms] – Costs 100CP, 150CP available to spend.

Being one of the richest and most prosperous in Swallow Mountain means a lot of things, but what it means the most is that you also ate a lot of Diremonster meat in your childhood, which is naturally full of minerals and nutrients to help a growing child. As a consequence, the only word to describe you would be either "handsome" or "beautiful", as it is clear that you're well bred and well raised, and it even shows in your demeanor, allowing you to present a calm cool facade to anyone giving a casual glance your way.

Harry ducked into a narrow alley between two shops, leaning against the cool stone wall as he considered the offer. His first reaction was dismissal - who cared about being handsome? He had more important things to worry about, like finding whatever secret the Hero's Journal was hinting at.

But then he couldn't help but think about his divine healing. He needed people's faith to make it stronger, and fame was the quickest path to faith. Wouldn't being more handsome make it easier to become famous? People seemed to pay more attention to attractive people, after all.

Harry frowned, remembering how his previous offers had worked. The Hun and Po souls had done far more than just split his soul - they'd refined his chi paths and changed how his Hero's Journal worked. And the divine healing offer had given him access to faith that worked perfectly with his soul structure.

This offer wasn't just saying "you'll be handsome." It was saying that eating this 'Diremonster meat' from childhood would make him handsome as a consequence. What else might this meat do? If it could change someone's looks and outward demeanor, it had to be more than ordinary food.

Harry could easily brew appearance-changing potions by now, but he had never read anything about meat having such effects, let alone permanent ones. Even magical creature meat didn't work like that at all, as far as he knew.

The offer wasn't telling him everything, just like his journal never gave complete answers. But maybe that was the point - figuring out the hidden synergies was part of becoming stronger.

After checking that no one was watching, Harry stepped deeper into the alley and accepted the offer, bracing himself for whatever changes might come.

They began subtly at first. Harry felt a strange tingling sensation throughout his body, as if every cell was remembering something it had forgotten. His muscles felt denser, more refined, and his bones seemed to hum with a quiet strength he'd never noticed before. It wasn't painful, but rather... nostalgic?

The strangest part was how natural it felt. Like his body was saying "ah yes, this is how we should have been all along." His chi pathways, or rather meridians, already refined from both his practice with firebending and the effect of his Po soul, began to undergo a great transformation. It started at his chi core, but more appropriately his dantian, his core energy center, which seemed to pulse with much greater vitality. The meridians, those channels through which energy flowed and transformed, began to expand - not painfully, but with a sense of rightness, like a flower finally getting enough water to bloom properly.

The meridians themselves, which he'd always imagined as strong channels carved in stone, were becoming more like rivers. The chi that normally flowed through them like a gentle current now rushed with the force of rapids, yet somehow remained perfectly controlled. Each meridian adapted to handle this increased flow, expanding greatly in width. Yet... Harry could still remember, hazily, learning about the system of true Fiendgods/Ki Refiners. The complexity was… much greater than his own energy system just from the little he could perceive from those faded memories.

His blue flames, born from the balance between Yin and Yang, took on an even deeper azure hue. The control he now possessed was something else entirely... Almost experimentally, Harry threw a quick fire jab, watching as a perfect sphere of azure flame flew out from his fist. But instead of letting it fly forward as he usually would, he held it in place with nothing but his chi control. The fireball flew back towards him and hung suspended above his head.

He smirked slightly, appreciating how easy it felt now. Before, maintaining a flame without constant physical movement had been challenging, requiring intense concentration. Now it felt as natural as breathing. The flame responded to his thoughts with ease, neither wavering nor fluctuating in the slightest. Perhaps this was a small taste of what those elders had meant when they spoke of achieving unity between intent and action...

Speaking of that, what caught his attention now were the faded memories. Not clear ones at all, more impressions really. Of sitting at grand tables filled with Diremonster meats, of esteemed elders discussing techniques while he played nearby, of watching in awe as Fiendgods and Ki Refiners flew through the sky trailing immortal energy. The memories were indeed hazy, like trying to recall a dream, but they carried with them a understanding of power.

He remembered stories of the Primal Daoists, how they would spend centuries cultivating their bodies and souls, seeking to understand the fundamental truths of the universe. His current abilities - the firebending, the mist, even his divine energy - they all seemed like mere stepping stones compared to what those legendary figures could achieve. Yet somehow, rather than feeling discouraged, he felt... inspired?

The philosophical frameworks he'd absorbed through his language comprehension ability were also finding new context in these half-remembered lessons about cultivation and dao. Everything seemed to be connecting in new ways...

But what really struck him was how small he still felt. Even with all his abilities, even with these new memories of a privileged upbringing among powerful Fiendgods and Ki Refiners, he couldn't help but feel humbled. The feats of the Primal Daoists he half-remembered hearing about... their power had been beyond comprehension, capable of destroying immense mountains with ease. Even Grandpa Dumbledore, as powerful as he was, would have been like a candle before the sun in comparison.

Harry shuddered slightly at the thought. Perhaps it was better that he was here, where such overwhelming power didn't exist. He was still way too weak to survive in that cruel and desolate world.