Disclaimer: I own nothing! And any views the characters may hold do not mirror my own and are purely for the story! Also this is a one-shot.


Somewhere random where you guys can think of

"—In other news, two 20 year old men were killed in a road accident. As of right now, it remains unclear why the car steered off the road and into the woods. Recent investigations show that the accident was not caused by faulty brakes nor any other mechanical malfunction. We here are BS News would like to— "


Somewhere else for sure

You know, I've always held hope for humanity. Deep inside I believed that we're not as dumb as we make ourselves to be, but now? Now I fully believe that we humans have no hope, that we truly are a race filled with dumbasses and dickheads. A certain soul complains as he tries to cope with the death of his physical flesh, his recollection of the car crumpling around him still vivid and fresh in his mind.

I mean, how the fuck can you mistake the brakes for the throttle?! James you absolute dumbass of a buffoon! The complaint lasted for a good while, not that the concept of time actually exists where the soul currently resides.

Having directed every curse and slur there is to his friend, the soul finally calmed down from his emotional high, finally getting a good look around of where he is with his...eyes? Spiritual sense? Haki?...something.

The first thing he noted was the colour purple, purple of various shades. The sky was purple tinted, filled with clouds just a shade lighter than the sky was. The second thing he noticed was that the ground under him is not actually ground, instead it was a pond-like surface, calm reflective water extends as far as the eye(?) can see. Finally, came the third thing he noticed, wherever he was, it was vast. With no curvature whatsoever, the place seemed endless, infinitely expanding towards the unknown.

I don't know where the fuck I am, but it sure makes one hell of a view, the soul complimented as if enjoyed the view around it. For a soul that was just recently living on Earth, this sight was breathtaking. Looking down on the reflective surface of the water, he wasn't entirely surprised to see that there was no reflection, in fact he somewhat expected the result.

Right. So is this Heaven? Where's the pearly gates? Or the angelic choir? Or have I somehow obtained enlightenment and achieved Nirvana? Cause it sure as hell is the only thing that can explain this utter emptiness. The soul mused as he waited for anything to happen at all.

Even the most breathtaking of sights would become commonplace after overexposure; similarly, the unnamed soul eventually grew bored with the unchanging view no matter how pleasant and fascinating it was to look at.

Can something interesting happen already? The soul complained as he stared at the ever-expanding view, hoping to catch even the slightest hint of something out of place.


Oi. Something is going to happen right?! I mean, this is the afterlife, something ought to happen here. I mean, I died for fuck's sake! When someone dies, either they go to an afterlife or not, clearly this is somewhere else from Earth and I've yet to disintegrate into nothingness, so this must be the afterlife right?!

There's just no way I'm just stuck here forever. Something ought to happen soon. Calm down, me. Calm down. I just have to be patient, something will definitely happen soon. Some kind of pearly gate would appear soon and a bunch of babes in bikinis will come out and start singing in choirs, then I'll get into Heaven. Yeah, yeah…

I just have to be patient.

Patient.


Oi! What's taking you wankers so long to work things out! I've been here for forever for fuck's sake. How difficult is it to just bring out the gates or whatever shit you have on this side?! Am I here because of something I did during my lifetime? Because I'm fucking sure I've been a decent guy all my life!

I know I'm not exactly a goodie two-shoes when I was alive, I didn't help in soup kitchens or any kind of voluntary work, but I didn't commit any crimes either. The closest thing I did to a bad thing was nick some candy in a convenience store for fuck's sake! Is that kind of petty crime tantamount to me spending a fucking eternity here in this shithole?!

I mean if this is your idea of a purgatory, at least have the fucking decency to tell me how long it'll take, you assholes! Send someone here! Fuck! Send ANYTHING here! Hell, I'll take a fucking duck! Just give me something! How much longer do I have to spend my time being stuck in this fucking torment?!

Goddamnit James! This is all your fault! I mean, what kind of fucking idiot mixes up the brake and the fucking throttle?! There's a whole foot wide gap between them for fuck's sake! I mean, you have feet the size of a fucking toddler! How did you even misstep?! What kind of fucking imbecile passed your driving licence test?!


Hey God, or whatever Higher Entity is listening right now. Listen, I'm willing to repent okay?!

I was wrong to say all those mean things a while back. You're probably busy with all the things you have to do, being the Big G and everything. I'm just asking for you to put me higher in the priority list for a bit and get me out of here. It's gotten really stale around here, nothing ever happens and I can feel my sanity slipping with every passing moment.

The closest thing there is to entertainment here is cloud watching, and that grew stale after I realised that all the clouds are exactly identical. How is that even possible anyway? They're clouds, they're not supposed to have fixed shapes…

...

L-look, I'm not asking you to do this for free alright. I'm willing to give you whatever you want so that I can get out of here, and when I say anything, I mean ANYTHING… Whatever you want fam, you want my memories? You can have 'em. You want my soul? Take it! Heck! I'm willing to serve you for eternity, just get me out of here, please!

I can't stand it any longer...the silence, it's maddening. Please! Anything to get me out of here! Anything!

Hello?! Anyone listening?!

Hello?!


...

...Nothing's going to happen is it...


...

...So this is it...this is my life now...

How long has it been? Months? Years? Decades? I can't tell. There's nothing to tell apart if time has passed...Does time even exist here? When was the last time I heard something? When was the last time I felt...anything...Is this what complete apathy feels like? Was this what Buddha meant by complete detachment?

...Am I even alive? I'm sure I died, so I can't be alive, so what exactly am I right now?

...

...

...

...

...Y'know what, it doesn't matter. At the end of the day, me being alive or dead does not change the fact that I'm stuck here for eternity.


An unknown amount of time later

[Gamer System Installed]

[Configuring.]

[Establishing Connection with Akasha]

[Connection Established!]

[Configuration Complete]

Greetings Host!

The soul perked up at hearing a mechanical sound. That was abnormal, very abnormal. Nothing ever happens in this place, thus for something to occur was utterly baffling and alien to him. Getting rid of the metaphorical cobwebs in his mind, the soul was ready to begin thinking once again.

...What? What the fuck? was the soul's eloquent first thought in who knows how long, it was all he could think as he stared at the light blue screen softly floating in front of it. Eventually, his mind caught up to what's happening, and after an eternity, the soul began to feel something, hope. Hope to exit this place.

...h-hello? The soul cautiously asked, full of nervousness and hesitation.

Greetings Host!

Host?...Gamer?..Me?

Yes! You! From the sound of it, being stuck here has really affected you huh? Understandable, few if any, can handle the monotony of the Event Horizon.

Event Horizon? Is that where this is?

Correct! This is the Event Horizon. And you have been stuck here for the equivalent of 56,987 Years and an instant.

Fifty six—?! Instant?! Wha—? You know what, I don't want to know. Can you explain what exactly this place is?

Certainly! The Event Horizon is the "gap" between dimensions and is the place "closest" to Akasha, the Omnipresent Information Dimension.

Were you the one who brought me here?

Negative. It was purely a coincidence that your soul ended up here instead of the afterlife.

Wait...so the afterlife is real?

Affirmative. The afterlife is a real location, residing in a dimension separate from the one you were from.

...So do gods exist?

Affirmative. Entities known as gods do exist.

Then why have they not heard of my prayers?! All the begging and pleading I did to get out of here?!

The Event Horizon is a place that is normally inaccessible to all. And despite being the place closest to Akasha, it is also the furthest in the sense that Akasha's influence does not reach this place...The fact that you managed to end up here is strange and can be considered a once-in-eternity anomaly.

...Inaccessible. If so, then how are you here?

Due to some strange circumstances, there was a tear in space-time, a minute one. Somehow that tear connected Akasha and this dimension for an instant, it was then that I latched on to you.

Why did you latch onto me?

I am under direct orders from Akasha itself to observe and assist the anomaly that was able to somehow stumble into the Event Horizon. You see, despite Akasha containing all the knowledge there is in the Multiverse, you stumbling upon this location is beyond even its scope of knowledge, something that is thought to be impossible.

Congratulations, you have managed to obtain the attention of the Multiverse's Archiver.

...

Anything else you require clarification of?

...Can you get me out of here?

Of course! All it'll take is for you to work together with me.

Done. What do I need to do?

All you have to do is finish the character creation, then I'll do everything else.

Then let's do this

Affirmative. Please roll a Species using the option below. Merely think to press it with your mind.

[Random]

I spent an eternity here, I must've stored some luck and good karma right? The soul mused as he mentally pressed the button.

Rolling...

Rolling...

Species Changed: Philosopher's Stone

Philoso— Before he was even able to finish his question, a barrage of notifications bombarded his sight.

Due to Species Change, the Name Change feature is eliminated

Due to Species Change, the following Perks have been removed:

[Gamer's Mind]

[Gamer's Body]

[Fictional Adaptation]

Due to Species Change, the following Skills have been removed:

[ID Create/Escape]

Due to the host not having Gamer's Body, the following Skills and Perks have been removed:

[Universal Energy]

[Physical Stats]

[Modifier Perks]

[Inventory]

Due to the host not having access to Gamer's Mind, the following Skills and Perks have been removed :

[Numbed Emotions]

[Impenetrable Mental Defense]

[Observe]

Wait wait wait! All of those sounded really important! Can I do-over—!

Due to Species Change, Initial World has been locked.

Deploying Host into Body.

I said wai—!

Then for the first time in an eternity and an instant, the Event Horizon was truly empty.


1402 AD, Some place in rural France

Far in the wilderness of rural France, a small wooden hut was hidden within the lush greenery of the forest. On first look, most would find the structure to be out of place. Considering how difficult life is in rural France, most people would stick together in a band, yet this structure seemed to only be capable of housing no more than a small family. Certainly a strange situation as most families won't be able to live on their own considering the dangers present in the countryside of France.

Yet most that stumbled upon the area would never notice the building, and those that do would soon forget of its existence. This is a result of the amount of disillusionment charms placed upon the house itself. Of course, this is all hypothetical as there is yet a single human soul capable of reaching this area, most being unable to cross the warding scheme blanketing the whole area.

Most non-magical would never reach this part of the forest, and the magicals that do would not be able to pass the warding scheme. All of this protection was to sate one man's paranoia.

On the outside, the wooden hut was tiny, no larger than the average house in rural France; the inside however, is a very different case. Instead of the small space cluttered with objects that one would expect, it was a large space...cluttered with objects.

The house was cluttered with various objects, some more exotic than others. From mundane objects originating from Central Europe, to books written in a lost Middle Eastern language. Despite all the chaotic clutter, there was a strange sense of belonging, as if all these different objects belong together.

Hidden behind all the mess laid a trap door, one that's magically sealed to prevent unauthorised access. Another line of defense that displays the house owner's paranoid nature.

The trapdoor leads underground, where a magical laboratory resides. Inside is perhaps the most advanced and secure magical laboratory that belonged to a single person in the entirety of Magical Europe. From Alchemy transmutation circles to entire bookshelves filled with esoteric tomes, giving the impression that this room contains all the knowledge there is to learn in this world.

In one corner of the lab sat a single man, his white hair giving away the fact that the man was past his prime. His figure was hidden by the baggy robe he wore, the only part of his body that was exposed was his arms, as the sleeves of his robe have been rolled back. He was skinny, not from malnourishment, but from the passing of age; his muscles becoming less and less pronounced as time passed.

But despite his frail figure, the vigor contained within his gaze was not that of a man in his later years. The elder's gaze seemed to shine brighter by the moment. Traces of excitement were barely concealed in his gaze, his mouth forming a wide grin.

The fingers of his hands that looked frail and weak were nimbly moving across the parchment as he vigorously noted his latest achievement.

The magnum opus of one Nicolas Flamel.


Journal Entry #1546

I've done it! I've done it! Over 50 years worth of Alchemy experiments and research, and today it finally bore fruit. I've finally managed to create the legendary Philosopher Stone! The Magnum Opus of Alchemy! I've achieved immortality and unlimited wealth!

Just thinking about it fills me with exuberance! Joy and pride blossoming in my chest as excitement rushes through my veins! Who else can boast having achieved immortality and endless wealth? Even those infamous dark wizards never achieved such a feat, not even the venerated Hogwarts Founders.

The stone...It's beautiful, otherworldly. Coloured scarlet red-which is certainly a curious change considering that it was an average white coloured stone before all this, it seems to radiate blood red light that attracts one's eyes; bright enough to attract attention at nightime, but not bright enough to light a room. It's a wonderful sight to look at, but I'd digress.

Back to the creation of the Philosopher's Stone; as it turns out, my initial hypothesis of the Philosopher's Stone needing souls as the catalyst for its creation was correct. All this time, I was missing the most important catalyst for its creation, souls.

I have to admit that I was fortunate with the discovery of this fact, that line of thought was something that I abandoned a long time ago. According to the records of past Alchemists that have attempted the creation of the Philosopher's Stone-which is virtually all of them, souls were not a necessary material in the creation of the Stone. They were on the right path, but mistaken the reasoning behind their failures; it wasn't that souls were not part of the material, it was the main ingredient for it, and you need plenty of it.

I remember four decades ago when I first found an unnamed journal recording a Wizard's study into the studies of the soul. His name was not listed in the journal, but whoever he is, I owe him a great deal of favor. His journal was what guided me into the right path of creating my Magnum Opus. Now that I think about it, I bought his journal in a flea market in southwest of the Kingdom of France, it was certainly a coincidence for me to find it. I wonder if Magic itself guided me towards the journal?

In any case, the journal contained some of the most in-depth knowledge of the inner workings of the soul.

The Philosopher's Stone I created took precisely 1557 souls for its creation, something that was easily acquired by visiting a couple dozen villages. I have a good feeling that the required souls could be lowered and thus increasing the efficiency of the process; but right now, I am more inclined to explore the abilities of the stone rather than learning to better streamline its creation.

If records are to be believed, then I am the first to successfully create a Philosopher's Stone. Suffice to say, I am now among the best and foremost in the field of Alchemy. As of recording this journal entry, I am in the middle of creating the fabled Elixir of Life that grants immortality.

immortality! Just the thought alone sends my heart racing.

In any case, the Elixir should be done soon, so I'll be ending this entry here.

Ahh, now that I think about it, the Philosopher's Stone can be considered an artifact right? In that case, I should give it a name. I'll think up a name some other time, right now, immortality awaits me.

Signed,

Nicolas Flamel


1407 AD, Some place in rural France

[Warning! Miracle: Elixir of Life is being forcefully activated]

[-45 Souls]

Hmm? Another batch of Elixir? Goodness, just how greedy can humans be? A certain Philospher' Stone thought as he felt the souls contained within himself being taken away, a common occurrence that has been happening bi-monthly since his reincarnation.

According to the Game's log, it has been 5 years since he reincarnated into a Philosopher's Stone, created by none other than the famous French Alchemist, Nicolas Flamel. It was jarring at first, reincarnation was one thing, time travel was another.

It wasn't until the Game explained that it was less of time travel and more of dimensional travel, that he was able to slowly accept his new lot in life. Parallel dimension is easier to accept than time travel after all, what with him having been exposed to the gap between dimensions, the Event Horizon.

Game, can you show me my stats?

Certainly Host!

[Sabatiel, The Philosopher's Stone]

[Lesser Philosopher's Stone]

[Rank 4]

[Mana: 100%/100% (~2% Regen/Hour)]

[Souls: 2143]

[Active Skills]

*Cost Mana

Mana Sense (Lvl 4/10)- Sense surrounding mana in the environment. Increasing level increases Host's sensitivity to mana. Levels up with Rank. Cost 0 Mana

[Miracles]

*Cost Souls

Noble Metal Transmutation- Transmutes mundane minerals into Noble Metals, costs X souls (depends on the type of metal, amount and purity).

Elixir of Life- Creates the Elixir of Life, costs X souls (depends on the amount created).

[Passive Skills]

Ambient Mana Absorption (Lvl 1/5)- Absorbs mana from the surrounding environment.

+10 % Increase

Mind Shield (Lvl 4/10)- Protects Host's mind from outside interference or invasion. Increasing level increases the strength of the defense. Levels up with Rank.

Thanks Game. Looking at his stats sheet, Sabatiel was surprised by the amount of souls he contained. 2143 souls...Last I checked before I went to sleep, it was roughly mid-2000. Considering that Nicolas just took out 45 of them to create another Elixir of Life, then value was initially 2188, a good hundred or so higher from the last time I checked. Seems like he's gone and slaughtered another village…

How strange...If this was before my reincarnation, I would've cringed when hearing about the amount of people slaughtered. Yet right now, all I feel is apathy, I can't even bring myself to pity these poor souls. A small spark of amusement lit up inside Sabatiel as he thought of the change in his mentality.

For 5 years now, Sabatiel-as he is now known as-has spent his days being nothing more than an Elixir and Gold factory for Flamel. Being a Philosopher's Stone meant that he had no senses that he's able to use to observe the world, it was what he would imagine what a person would feel if their five senses were taken away. No sight; no smell; no taste; no touch; no hearing, only pure darkness.

It is only when he activates his Mana Sense that he's able to observe the world, and even then his observation is limited to anything that contains mana, aka Magical. All he could see were small blue auras moving around in the darkness.

To say it was a pitiful existence was an understatement, but compared to his time in the Event Horizon, his time right now is so much more bearable. And it's all thanks to a certain entity.

The Game

While the Game itself may have been the reason why he's currently nothing more than a Philosopher's Stone, it was also the existence that got him out of the nothingness that was the Event Horizon. And if the Game was to be believed, his current form is temporary at best and so far, the Game has proved itself to be trustworthy. It's a small glimmer of hope that Sabatiel grasped onto tightly.

Game. How much does it cost to Rank up?

It'll take precisely 1600 Souls to Rank up. Would you like to do so?

If I purchase this Rank up, I'll finally be able to access some Active Skills, and it'll leave me with enough should Flamel suddenly decide to make some Elixirs or transmute some Noble Metal...Alright, this is as good of a time as ever.

Game, I would like to Rank Up.

Affirmative. Ranking up in 3..

2..

1..

Then Sabatiel was struck by a sudden bout of drowsiness, darkness claiming his consciousness.


Journal Entry #1598

It happened again! Soon after I created the most recent batch of Elixir of Life, the Stone lost its luster again! I don't get it. This is the fifth time this has happened now, and I've yet to understand what's going on and why it's happening.

If it happens after every creating a new batch of Elixirs then that would be simple to explain, but this a rare occurrence, it doesn't happen every time I create a new batch. I'm not sure what's going on. Sabatiel is perhaps the first Philosopher's Stone in existence, it's a unique entity as far as I know, there's simply no previous records to refer to.

I've attempted many diagnostic methods to analyze the Stone whenever this occurs, from modern spells to more esoteric rituals, none of them gave me any better understanding of what's going on.

The closest I got to a result was from an esoteric ritual that originated from Hungary(?), apparently the souls contained within the Stone are quickly vanishing at a rapid pace, and for what reason I cannot fathom. This is bad right? Right? The souls contained is literally what is fueling the immortality Perenue and I enjoy.

Does it have to do with the souls I have it consume? Is there perhaps a prerequisite of what kind of souls is required? Do different kinds of souls affect it differently? Perhaps the soul of a woman is different in value and properties to that of a man? It might be the case that it has to do with virginity, after all the most esoteric of magic tends to have something to do with the souls chastity, whether it be the caster's or the receiver's...

I distinctly recall that the last village I acquired had an above average amount of children, perhaps that's the reason.

Is it perhaps going through some form of metamorphosis? It's a sound hypothesis. Everytime this event occurs, the Stone would regain its scarlet luster again the day after, brighter and stronger than it was previously. I can only hope that it's not a sign of it running out of life. After all, a candle is brightest before it snuffs out.

I can't help but be worried. Though I am confident that I am capable of creating a second Philosopher's Stone if given enough time, I'm afraid that my acquisition of villages nearby have caused rumors to spread. It has yet to spread towards the more central areas of the Kingdom of France, but the grapevine should extend there soon. I might need to leave the country to let the rumors die down and allow the countryside to repopulate, Perenelle seems to agree with me on this. Non-magicals they may be, but with sheer number they can still overwhelm me.

I have enough Elixir stored up to last me at least another decade, which is enough time for me to create another Philosopher's Stone, assuming that the required souls are the same 1500 I needed to make this one.

In any case, I hope that I'll figure out the meaning and significance behind this event.

Signed,

Nicolas Flamel


24 Hours Later

Rank up Complete.

Proficiency in Active Skill- Mana Sense has increased by 1

Proficiency in Passive Skill- Mind Shield has increased by 1

Maximum Mana has increased.

Mana Regen/Hour has increased.

Game, stats sheet please. Checking his newly updated stat sheet was Sabatiel's first action after his consciousness returned, and for a good reason as well. With this Rank up, he was finally at Rank 5, the minimum requirement for him to finally be able to access Active Skills.

[Sabatiel, The Philosopher's Stone]

[Intermediate Philosopher's Stone] [Updated]

[Rank 5] [Updated]

[Mana: 100%/100% (~2% Regen/Hour)] [Updated]

[Souls: 543] [Updated]

[Active Skills]

*Cost Mana

Mana Sense (Lvl 5/10)- Sense surrounding mana in the environment. Increasing level increases Host's sensitivity to mana. Levels up with Rank. Cost 0 Mana. [Updated]

[Passive Skills]

Mind Shield (Lvl 5/10)- Protects Host's mind from outside interference or invasion. Increasing level increases the strength of the defense. Levels up with Rank. [Updated]

As expected, Mana Sense levels up in accordance to my Rank. In any case, Game, I'm Rank 5 now, how do I obtain new Active Skills?

Now that Host has reached Rank 5, Host is capable of unlocking the following skills:

Active- Telepathy

The ability to use your mind and speak with another entity. Because of the nature of mind-to-mind talk, language barriers do not exist, as thoughts are directly transmitted towards the recipient and vice versa. (Cost 825 Souls to unlock)

Active- Nightmare

The ability to access an unconscious entity's mind and transmit images of their biggest fear or whatever image the host can conjure. (Cost 1650 Souls to unlock)

Active- Mind Dive

The ability to dive into the mind of another entity. Be warned that the targeted entity may find out of the breach and retaliate should they have any mental defenses. (Cost 3000 Souls to unlock)

Wunderbar...At long last…

...But aren't they a bit too expensive? Game?..

Explanation. This is because the Host is not an organic creature and thus the ability to normally develop a skill is beyond the user. The Game bypasses that requirement by using Souls to forcefully install the skill into the Host's entity.

I see. So it's basically, the cost is so high because of the additional processing fee due to my species?

Correct.

Will the cost increase as I level up the skill?

Correct.

Hmmm...It's annoying but at least it's manageable. It's better than nothing I suppose.

Now then, what approach should I use, I wonder…


Journal Entry #1607

It's back. Sabatiel's scarlet luster has returned as expected, precisely 24 hours since it lost its luster as well-within margin of error of course.

When I used that nameless esoteric Hungarian ritual on it again, something peculiar came up from the result: the souls contained within Sabatiel are less than one-third of what it was previously before the loss of luster occurred.

One-third!

If my calculations are correct-and I'm pretty sure they are, there should be over 2000 souls inside Sabatiel just the other day. Whatever that loss of luster meant, it cost me over 1500 souls. All of that hard work! Gone! All of those precious resources! Gone!

I will get to the bottom of this. If not to satisfy myself from the curiosity of what's going on, then to save myself from future issues and problems. I don't want to endeavour creating more Philosopher's Stone only to discover that every single one of them experiences this bizarre phenomenon.

I've many Elixirs of Life stored up, I've got plenty of time to figure things out. Though I'm pressed for time, I'm more than confident I'll solve this conundrum.

Signed,

Nicolas Flamel


Journal Entry #1609

Something amazing happened today! Something that I never expected to happen or even dare thought of!

Sabatiel talked to me!

The Philosopher's Stone that I created with my very own hands talked to me today. Sure it didn't actually talk to me as it's a stone. It was more of a telepathy, a thought being sent into my mind.

So earlier today, I was busy in my own laboratory-having just fed Sabatiel its latest batch of souls, still trying to figure out what actually is happening whenever Sabatiel loses its luster, when I felt something brush my Occlumency shield. An odd occurrence, considering that the only other Magical around me is Perenelle, and she's highly proficient in Legilimens, whoever did it was clearly inexperienced in regards to the offensive side of the Mind Arts.

At first I thought the worst, thinking that there was a hiding wizard nearby that tried to invade my mind. Exiting my laboratory with haste, I immediately rushed towards my warding stone, double checking it to make sure that no one bypassed its protection and alarm. In my haste, I failed to notice that the Legilimens stopped brushing my Occlumency shield, a detail that I didn't notice until later on.

In my haste, I might've caused a bit of commotion. I faintly remember hearing Perenelle shouting asking what's all the commotion about, and I also faintly remember giving her some kind of answer...I'll have to look back on that moment with a pensieve later.

Back to my recollection, checking on my wards, I soon figured out that there was no there has not been any unregistered entities coming in the area for quite some time-animals and critters not included.

I remember being distinctly confused when I came back to my laboratory. Imagine my surprise when I felt another brush on my Occlumency shields as soon as I entered. Immediately on high alert, I blasted back my defenses to reflect their attack with full force. Imagine my surprise when I found my very own Philosopher's Stone reacting to my aggressive defense.

A sense of anticipation built up within me as I cautiously established a mental link between the Stone and I. I was scared, and rightfully so; because objects that manage to manifest their own sentience are often powerful artifacts, and more often than not, dark. Most of the time, artifacts that achieved sentience were created by powerful dark wizards, ones such as Herpo the Foul's Pot of Ashes. Among the few 'light' sentient artifacts, the Sorting Hat of Hogwarts came to mind, and it cannot be considered a formidable artifact, excluding its Legilimency capabilities. Thus, the common consensus that dark sentient artifacts are more common and formidable to face against.

Imagine my elation when I managed to brush the surface of Sabatiel's sentient thought. Just recalling it alone gives me a wondrous sense of jubilation and joy.

"Father?"

That was Sabatiel's surface thought that I grasped, a single question. A single question asking my identity. A single question that it repeated again and again. It was at that very moment I finally understood what happened.

I've created Life.

Sabatiel is no longer an ordinary Philosopher's Stone, nor is it an ordinary sentient artifact. No, it's more than that. Sabatiel has a soul, it's an entirely new form of life. I, Nicolas Flamel, have successfully created a new life, something thought to be impossible even with magic.

You see, for an entity to be truly considered living, it must possess the trinity of existence: Body, Mind and Soul. An ordinary sentient object satisfies the Body and Mind requirement, but fails to fulfill the Soul requirement; because of this, they are only capable of working according to their pre-registered commands. This is also the reason why the Sorting Hat of Hogwarts is incapable of blurting out the thoughts of the children it's placed on, it's not within its pre-registered command set by the Four Founders of Hogwarts.

This is also the reason why creatures born from Transfiguration are not considered a True Lifeform and are considered a Pseudo-Lifeform at best. Where the Soul or Mind is lacking, Magic is used as a substitute, artificial so to speak. The exact same reason as to why reviving the dead is impossible even with transfiguration.

Sabatiel however, is a complete lifeform, something I confirmed with magic. It fulfills all three requirements of existence. A new lifeform capable of learning and developing on its own! How fascinating is that?! Confirmed by Magic itself no less!

I can only hypothesize that the previous loss of luster has something to do with this. Perhaps the lost souls were somehow synthesized into one purer one, a tabula rasa of some sort, allowing Sabatiel's sentience to manifest?

Even now my hands are shaking from my excitement!

I need to leave soon, and gather some souls; as Sabatiel's soul count is lower than ever, and I cannot risk losing it now, especially now…

Signed,

Nicolas Flamel


What a bumbling fool, Sabatiel thought as he observed Nicolas leave his laboratory with palpable excitement, his Mana Sense alerting him of the man's every move. Most likely leaving to secure some more souls for him to consume, not that he's complaining, the latest upgrade in his arsenal definitely took a toll on his soul reservoir.

If Sabatiel wasn't a stone and was instead a human, a small amused smirk would've shown itself on his face. A strange sense of joy was growing inside of him as he observed his plan going into motion.

Game, my stats please.

Affirmative, Host!

[Sabatiel, The Philosopher's Stone]

[Intermediate Philosopher's Stone]

[Rank 5]

[Mana: 100%/100% (~2% Regen/Hour)]

[Souls: 31]

[Active Skills]

*Cost Mana

Mana Sense (Lvl 5/10)- Sense surrounding mana in the environment. Increasing level increases Host's sensitivity to mana. Levels up with Rank. Cost 0 Mana.

Telepathy (Lvl 1/10)- Telepathy is the ability to transmit information and thought into another entity's mind without the use of the ordinary five sense. Cost 0.03% Mana/Minute. [New]

[Miracles]

*Cost Souls

Noble Metal Transmutation- Transmutes mundane minerals into Noble Metals, costs X souls (depends on the type of metal, amount and purity).

Elixir of Life- Creates the Elixir of Life, costs X souls (depends on the amount created).

[Passive Skills]

Ambient Mana Absorption (Lvl 1/5)- Absorbs mana from the surrounding environment.

+10 % Increase

Mind Shield (Lvl 5/10)- Protects Host's mind from outside interference or invasion. Increasing level increases the strength of the defense. Levels up with Rank.

His plan was simple: incite Nicolas to feed him more souls. A simple and crude plan on paper with an even simpler execution.

His creator, Nicolas Flamel, is a mad scientist, that much is easy to infer. Someone who is willing to sacrifice thousands of souls for their experiment is clearly unhinged, and lacks compassion for their fellow humans. This characteristic of his maker is something that Sabatiel was more than willing to use for his own benefit.

In the last 5 years that Sabatiel has known Nicolas, the only times he could recall the man leaving his magical laboratory is for basic necessities and to secure more souls for Sabatiel to consume. He was a man that is beyond obsessed with magic, Alchemy being his main focus of research.

The man himself is clearly not religious, what with the killing and lack of religious acts. This coupled with the fact that Nicolas is a mad scientist, was more than enough to give Sabatiel the idea on how Nicolas would react if his very own creation suddenly showed signs of intelligent thought.

Even in his previous life, humans have been fascinated with the idea of artificial intelligence and other species' intelligence. Sabatiel has good reason that Nicolas is similar to scientists of his previous life, obsessed with pushing the limits of what science can do, or in this case, magic.

His plan was to imitate being a newborn, and create a bond with Nicolas. By slowly increasing his display of mental capacity as more souls are given to him, it'll give Nicolas the incentive to sacrifice more souls for him to consume. The researcher side of the man would no doubt want to see how far things could go.

Not only that, the plan comes with the added benefit of Nicolas creating an attachment to him, ensuring that his well-being would be placed above anything else, much like how a parent would ensure the safety of their children.

Nicolas Flamel was to be his father, and Sabatiel was eager to exploit the man's researcher nature and future goodwill.

Sabatiel the Philosopher's Stone will be the center of Nicolas Flamel's world.

Author's note:

Sup peeps, Silver here!

Just a one-shot that's been bugging my mind for some time. Many thanks to the folks over at Dark Wolf Shiro's Discord channel for helping me expand this idea.

Honestly, writing has become sort of a chore to me these days. Some IRL sh*t has been going on and it's been fckn me in the ass these last couple days, causing me to lose motivation to do any writing.

Also, the name Sabatiel is not random, it's a homage. Those that play a certain famous Children's card game like I did might know where it's from.