The stars on the night sky shone brightly as the gentle breeze caressed the trees. A pair of emerald eyes watched as a herd of unicorn traveled in the woods, a foal caught his gaze and stared back with curiosity in its intelligent eyes. The figure smiled lightly and pointed a finger where the foal's herd waited for it to catch up, the unicorn stared at him a for a few more moments before it followed its herd deeper into the woods.

"Enjoying the night, lad?"

Harry turned around and saw an old man gazing at the woods with fond eyes. He was a tall and well-built man despite his old age over two centuries. His hair was deathly white ever since his youth and it suited his old appearance. His eyes of sapphire were filled of regret and sadness.

His name was Aleister Romulus Archibald; an old hermit who had a lot of regret in his life but never allowed it to cloud his mind. He was the reason why he was still alive and as proficient in magic as he was. Of course, he was also the reason why his life was in danger most of the time. He had mixed feelings towards Al – as he preferred to call himself – he felt deep respect and gratitude for the old man but at the same time, he is annoyed at him for the constant lessons that include bodily pain.

"It's really peaceful here…"

"Indeed, that is part of the reason why I never left," Al sauntered beside him and sat on the fallen tree trunk. He admired the green scenery before them with fondness on his old eyes. "Of course that main reason is that I'm too old and many people would kill me if I return to the outside world."

Harry let out a chuckle.

"I think they should be the one scared of you," flashes of the 'lessons' appeared on his mind and he cringed from the memories. "You may look old but you kick harder than a horse."

"Ah, but compared back then, my strength now has diminished completely," the old man said with a laugh. "Had I been fifty years younger, my kick would tear through the thickest of steel. Age can be cruel."

Harry shuddered at the thought. The old man could kick through trees; his younger counterpart would surely kick his ass seven ways to Sunday. At the same time, he realized why this man was feared when he was still on the magical world.

"So, you mentioned something earlier," Harry recalled the lesson earlier today where the old man said something. "What do you mean by 'I have short time as it is'?"

The old man smiled and it was the grandfatherly smile that Harry knew he make whenever he would tell him stories of his younger years. He already had his thoughts about what Al said, but he wanted to hear it from the old man himself.

"Alas, I could feel it in my bones; I am nearing death," the old man said with a soft tone. Harry grimaced and looked at the ground. "Do not despair child. I am very old and I have accepted it a long time ago."

Although he would not admit it out loud, Harry had come to view the old man as his grandfather. He saved him and taught him how to use his gift. The man made him see how magic could be so beautiful yet so ugly at the same time.

"Old man… do you still have a dream?"

The old man paused for a moment and sighed. He looked at the skies and was lost on his thoughts. Meanwhile, Harry stared at his companion and noticed the several emotions surfacing on his tired face. He knew that Al had many regrets and he wanted nothing more than to correct them.

"My dream… back when I was young and foolish, I sought to follow my ancestors in their evil and mindless bloodshed. Because of that, I made many, many mistakes," Al seem to age as he spoke about his youth. "Part of the reason why I condemned myself in this island was to forget them. But I could not. Now, I dream of undoing the greatest mistake my ancestors have orchestrated. But it is a fool's dream because now I am old…"

The two of them remained silent, lost on their respective thoughts.

Then all of a sudden, Harry stood from his position.

"If that's the case, then let me take your place in doing them!" He said to the shocked man. "I mean, you can't expect me to stay here after you die. I might as well do something productive. I can't think of any so let me steal yours."

The old man stared at him as if he grew a second head.

After a few minutes, Harry grew annoyed at glared at the old man. Here he was being generous to offer him his aid once he drop dead and all he does was stare at him as if he was some kind of idiot. Harry frowned when Al suddenly laughed.

He laughed and laughed until tears were escaped his eyes and the trouble of not breathing took over.

"It's not funny…"

"-no, no. I apologize for that, lad. I am just overjoyed that you would do something so noble," the old man paused and regained his breathing. He looked at Harry with utmost seriousness he rarely displayed. "However lad, if you plan to help me achieve my dream, you have to get stronger. Stronger even when I was on my prime…"

Harry gulped at the intensity at Al's eyes, but he did not back down and stared back with determination.

"Bring it on."


Blood Adoption and Mystic Eyes


Harry stared back at his reflection in wonder. His appearance had taken a drastic change ever since he had undergone the Blood Adoption ritual. He did not know the reason why Al insisted that he do this but he said that it was important. The painful procedure had taken four long hours and made him unconscious for seven days straight. He could now see the subtle changes that had started to show effect. His skin was a lot paler from before, he also gained at least three centimeters in height. His hair showed signs of fading into white just like Al's. Last but not the least, his emerald eyes had gone several shades lighter.

"I see that you are awake," Al walked in with a bowl of green liquid that smelled so foul Harry could smell it in his position. "The changes will be more drastic after a few years so don't be surprised if by that time you looked nothing like you are now."

The effects of Blood Adoption ritual was pass him some of Al's blood and traits. Some of his old traits would still remain but not as significant as before. Harry knew this and now he wanted answers. Al did promise him some after all.

"Alright, so what's the reason for this?" Harry frowned. "What's the need for me to undergo that painful ritual?"

Al placed the bowl in the table and gestures Harry to sit.

"The reason is simple. Harry, I want you to take over the house of Archibald and change it for the better," Harry stared at Al with knitted eyebrows. Surely it can't be as simple as that. "Another reason is that I want you to destroy artifacts owned by my family. Some of our works are recorded in an archive in our manor, and only an Archibald can find its location. You would also need resources to track down some my ancestor's creation. Lastly, I want you to declare that another Archibald exist to cower those who would try to take my family's secrets."

"Why would they do that?" he asked.

"Many wizards would kill for a chance to claim the Archibald's fortune. My family was one the richest in Europe and they most likely to assume that we have grimoires in our treasures that grant us power," Al explained patiently. "The Archibald's have produced many Dark Lords over the centuries, me included. Although I never got to do anything as I was too busy on research of my family's creations."

"Wait, wait," Harry frowned as a thought hit him. "Wouldn't that mean that your family had lots of enemies? What would happen to me if I declare myself as an Archibald?"

Now don't get him wrong. Harry wanted to help Al to correct his and his family's mistakes but that doesn't mean that he would sacrifice himself to do it. He planned doing something after ten years or so. Besides, he would be most likely dead before he could do what Al wanted if he faced the people who would do anything to get their hands on the Archibald fortune.

"That's why I said that you would need to become even stronger than me," Al replied. "Aside from wizards, a lot of dark creatures has their eyes on my family. Some of them are ancient and possess power a few could match."

"O-kay, you have some plan to make me strong, right?" Harry asked with a strained smile.

"Indeed," Al nodded and looked at him seriously. "I plan to make you awaken the Mystic Eyes."

"Mystic Eyes?"

"Yes, Mystic Eyes. They are tools that would give you great power, that is, if you awaken them," all of a sudden Al's blue eyes changed into the color of gold. "Mystic Eyes grants the holder the ability to see magic and understand it. It also allows the user to cast magic with his eyes and offer protection from mind invading spells. Let me demonstrate."

Al stared at him and he yelped as he was lifted in the air. Al looked around the room and transfigured things then set them on fire. Harry watched with fascination as the old man cast magic with a mere look.

"So, I would get to learn that?"

"Among other things," Al dropped Harry in the ground and he fell with a thud. "However, awakening Mystic Eyes requires time. You must train to channel magic through your eyes before we awaken it. Even then, the process is painful and you would be blind for a month. During that time, I will train you to fight without sight and how to use your other senses."

"Figures, it had to be difficult," Harry muttered under his breath.

"Power comes with a price," Al said wisely as he picked up the bowl of green liquid. "I trained for a year to activate my Mystic Eyes. Even longer to fully master it. Now, drink this potion, we would need to start as soon as possible."

"What!? Don't I get a rest or something?"

"You have been resting for seven days, and my time is running out," Harry sighed and drank the foul potion. He coughed after downing it in one gulp but he could feel his strength return. "Let us begin with something that is useful and important to have. It is a branch of mind magic called Occlumency…"

Something tells Harry that this was going to suck.


Theory behind Magic


Harry evaded the volley of spells and then raised the earth to block some of the nasty ones. He punched the wall of earth in front of him and sent chunks to his attacked. The chunks were filled with magic and exploded upon contact. His golden eyes narrowed as he inspected the human shaped energy behind the earth wall. He ducked as a slashing curse split his physical shield in half and rolled in the ground, sending blocks of magic to the attacker.

Harry stood up and gathered lightning; he made sure to coat his hands with the right amount of magic to avoid being fried by the green lightning. He waved his arms and lightning was released in an arc. His master used the very air to slice his lightning. Harry cursed as he was sent flying by the blunt force that followed. He controlled the air around him to cushion his fall and released a volley of spells which were dodged masterfully by Al.

Their battle had been going on for the last thirty minutes and Harry could feel himself tiring. Al however, looked like he was walking his dog in a park. The old man had inhuman stamina despite his old age. He was truly a monster that was feared a long time ago.

Harry was hit by a bludgeoning spell and collapsed on his back. He panted for air as he watched Al approach him.

"Not bad… and it had been only a year since you unlocked your Mystic Eyes," he praised as Harry got back on his feet. "Sufficient for now, but I expect you to do better in the future."

Harry grunted as he casted a healing spell on himself. His body was covered with bruises and scratches. Luckily he did not broke a bone this time, it was a testament to his improvement in just one year under the tutelage of Al.

"Did you know why your control was so weak?" Al asked. "It's because you lack focus."

"Focus?"

"Yes, wizards use their wands as focus for their spells. Since we do not use a wand, we do not have anything to use as a focus," Al explained and created a ball of magic in his hand. "Your control lacked focus."

"But you said it yourself, we do not use wands. Does that mean we have to substitute for it or something?"

"Correct; but the question is, what can we used as a substitute?"

"Err… our body?

"Yes! So how come you did not use your body as a substitute?"

"I used my eyes as substitute!"

"That's wrong. You already said that the body should be the focus. If that is the case, then why only use your eyes?"

Harry's mouth contorted as an 'o' shape as he listened to the explanation of the old man. He was now thirteen years old and he looked completely different from his ten-year-old self. His hair was now pure white and his face structure had changed similar to Al's. He could pass now as Al's grandson and by the following years, he would look like his son because of the ritual he took over a year ago.

After he unlocked the Mystic Eyes, Al did not wasted any time and taught him how to control his gift. It took two months before he could cast a decent spell with his eyes but it was worth it. His Mystic Eyes was not as strong as his wandless magic but it was coming close. His physical strength was nothing to be laughed at. Although he could not kick through steal like Al said he could when he was young (he knew it was impossible for him), his kicks could break bones. He also trained close combat and how to use magic to improve his body.

He bled and sweated but he was still not close to defeat his master.

"Come; let us test how you can improve your magic."

Harry cursed as the old man sent volleys of spells onto him once again.


Saying Goodbyes


A fourteen-year-old Harry sat beside the bed where Aleister laid weakly. Two months ago, he had started to weaken and cough out blood. Even though Harry protested, the old man continued to duel with him. Harry had won, although he knew that he only did because Al was so weak that he could not use magic as he did a year ago. His condition continued to deteriorate until he could not stand or even eat anything.

"Ah, do not blame yourself lad,"

"But if we did not duel you could still—"

"We knew that this is going to happen eventually," the old man let out a dry chuckle. "I could still remember that day you came here. Drenched and cold, but the fire in your eyes reminded me of my younger self. Now, you are a strong young man in pursuit of my dreams… I'm sorry to have burdened you with my problems."

"Nonsense," Harry suppressed the tears that threatened to escape from his eyes. He knew that this would happen, but damn it he was not prepared. "I made a promise and I plan to fulfill it."

As his act of gratitude for this man who deeply regretted his past mistakes, Harry swore that he would destroy the evils that were created by the old man and his family. As the apprentice and grandson of Aleister Romulus Archibald, it was his duty.

"I'm sorry I could not guide you… but I have my confidence on you, lad," Al's breathing started to get heavy and Harry knew that it was inevitable. "I… am proud to have taught a brilliant mind like you. I consider you as a son lad, and I pray that you do not make the same mistakes as I did…"

"You know I wouldn't…"

"Yes, that's why I entrusted my dream to you; to change the Archibald for the better," Al tightened his grip on Harry's hands. "Go forth and don't let anything stand on your way… Herwald Rizevim Archibald… my heir,"

The hand that was holding his slowly lost its strength.

"I will, I promise you…"