Chapter 40: Soul Stitching
Chapter 40: Soul Stitching
Sherlock had experienced the mark on his left arm reacting twice before, and he was already very familiar with it. However, familiarity did not mean he had become accustomed to it. On the contrary, the sudden searing heat he felt in the library made him pause in surprise.
The mark had reacted twice before: once when he encountered the Malfoy Father and Son at the Leaky Cauldron Bookstore, and another time when he bumped into Neville at Hogwarts. Now, he was in the Restricted Section, a place generally off-limits to students, with no one around except for the countless forbidden books on the shelves.
This time, the burning sensation in his left arm did not stop abruptly as it had before; it continued persistently.
This unusual reaction made Sherlock frown. He took a few steps back, leaving the Restricted Section and returning to the regular study area where students usually worked. The burning sensation in his arm vanished quietly.
He then moved forward again, re-entering the Restricted Section, and the burning sensation returned, as if the mark was trying to tell him something.
Sherlock fell into deep thought. He clasped his arm and began walking along the first row of bookshelves in the Restricted Section. The closer he got to the inner rows, the more intense the burning sensation became. When he reached the sixth-to-last row of bookshelves, the sensation reached its peak. Moving further back, the feeling began to diminish.
Noticing this, Sherlock felt more confident that the mark on his arm was trying to convey a message, and the source of that message was somewhere in this row of bookshelves.
He stood in front of the sixth-to-last row of forbidden books and extended his left hand, lightly tracing the first row of books.
The burning sensation persisted.
He continued to trace the second row of books.
It remained unchanged.
As his fingers touched the first book on the third row, a sharp, needle-like pain suddenly jabbed his left arm!
The burning sensation immediately subsided, as if it had never reacted at all.
But Sherlock knew what it wanted: this book.
He gently pulled the thin, forbidden magic book from the shelf and, under the light, saw its title.
Soul Stitching
The title was handwritten in black ink, and the style of the letters suggested it was not very old.
The book was very thin, containing only about a dozen pages. It looked more like a notebook than a book. The texture of the pages was similar to parchment, but much thinner.
Sherlock stared at the strange book's title for a moment, not immediately opening it. Instead, he walked over to Madam Pince and registered the book.
While registering, he subtly observed Madam Pince's expression. She showed no significant change, as if Sherlock was just borrowing an ordinary forbidden book.
From the book's cover to Madam Pince's reaction, it seemed unremarkable. But Sherlock, who had already left the library with it, knew that anything that could make the mark on his arm react was far from ordinary.
Back in his office, he locked the door from the inside and then sat at his desk, placing the book titled Soul Stitching in front of him, face up.
In the magical world, almost every adult wizard has warned their children about one thing:
Never open unknown magic books, boxes, or bottles lightly!
This warning is as frequent as parents in the normal world reminding their children to look both ways before crossing the street.
Even Sherlock, who has only been truly involved in the magical world for four months, has heard this caution countless times from adult wizards to young wizards.
Faced with a book of unknown origin, he naturally knew the proper way to handle it.
Drawing out his wand, Sherlock gently tapped the book's cover to check for any traces of magic.
He then cast a General Unlocking Charm on the book.
After a gentle breeze passed by, nothing changed.
For the final step, he took a step back, standing about a meter away from the desk, and raised his wand slightly.
The first page of the book opened, and nothing unexpected happened.
From a distance, Sherlock saw the title page, which was entirely blank, not even a speck of ink.
Raising his wand again, he flipped past the blank title page. On the first page, he finally saw the contents of the book.
Even though nothing unexpected had occurred, he remained standing a meter away and began reading the contents of the book.
"When I barely escaped from Norka Town, I noticed something was wrong with my condition."
"Years of excruciating torture, though they didn't drive me mad, still caused damage to my soul."
"Initially, I only suspected it, but after a series of self-examinations, I confirmed my current state."
"My soul has been torn."
"Such a tear is not visible in everyday life, but the soul is crucial to magic. Because of this tear, my magical abilities have been affected, and the power of my spells has significantly diminished."
"I knew I had to find a way to solve this problem. My enemies would come after me again, and I needed to ensure my strength didn't decline."
"The first solution that came to mind was a potion. As the most common healing method for wizards, perhaps one of the countless potion formulas could heal the soul."
"I wrote to my teacher, but he told me that no potion had ever been known to affect a wizard's soul. Potions can only treat the physical body, while magic is the reflection of the soul."
"Well, at least my teacher gave me a direction. Magic is the reflection of the soul, especially ancient magic."
"I scoured almost every ancient magic book I could find, and while there were numerous spells targeting the soul, none could heal it."
"Ha! The wisdom of our predecessors has its limits. Since no such magic has existed from ancient times, I will create it myself."
"Healing the soul is extremely complex, but fortunately, like the body, it can self-repair, though the process is very slow."
"Especially in a torn state, the repair is even more difficult."
"Stuck in this dilemma, a muggle surgical procedure sparked my inspiration."
"When muggles suffer severe physical wounds, they use stitches to reconnect the wound, accelerating the healing process."
"Seemingly brutal, but it's a remarkably clever idea."
"Since the soul and the body are interconnected and both have the ability to self-heal, could I also stitch my torn soul to speed up its recovery, just like muggles do with physical wounds?"
(End of Chapter)
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