Edited 04/24/2020

Harry learned quickly that regret over murder ran deeper than stealing an extra piece of toast. He carried a weight on his chest. It remained a week after Piers' death. When he thought back on it, he couldn't figure out why he did it. He hadn't felt like himself after he read that book. Now that he questioned it, there were discrepancies.

Harry sat in Dudley's second bedroom generously given to him by Uncle Vernon. Petunia didn't protest, they had been acting strangly, but Harry didn't want to question them. He was too busy looking within.

At his desk, he wrote out instructions from the book. Every word came out exactly as he read them. This wasn't right, he didn't have a photographic memory and he still didn't. Like lightning he was struck with a realization. It was the book it was seared into his mind. He filled out ten journals complete with exact diagrams for acupuncture and alchemy techniques. The knowledge was now in the physical world and not just in his head. After reading his work, he realized that there was no character or conflict, these weren't stories.

His journals had more to do with textbooks than a story of any kind. Where did the story he read come from? Remnant Malik and his tale of rising from a slave to a powerful immortal existed like a fading dream. Only the information from the journals still existed and the feelings.

Harry tossed his pencil across the room implanting it in the wall. He groaned and rubbed his scalp. This was getting complicated. It took the passage of time for him to sense something was wrong. There was a single black thread wrapped around his qi. Where that thread went, he couldn't say but when it tugged Harry wanted to spread knowledge.

After writing the books strands from the thread separated from him and moved on to the books. After finishing his task his mind began to clear up a little more. As the memories of the story faded, he held on to the lessons. Karma bounds must be severed. Steel sharpens steel. And the most important lesson of all, power is freedom.

He tossed away his clothes and took a pack of body wipes from a brown sack. Then he placed a rubbish bag over his meditation space. Uncle Vernon had begun buying him things as of late. Another point of oddity from his relative that was quickly mirrored by aunt Petunia and his cousin Dudley. He didn't believe the karmic reason was the same. It must have had something to do with the flashes of scales. Harry had more important things to think about than his odd relatives.

The black thread could only be seen by Harry due to the fact it was attached to him. Harry was certain there were other threads of karma binding the Dursleys in some way. Then there was the fact that Harry felt the need to spread knowledge when he left the house. While the compulsion weakened, it wasn't gone.

When a cultivator reached the first stage refinery, they often took up a concept. This concept became their first magic. Some took up the concept of reincarnation, immortality, karma, and sometimes strength. These points quickly became obsessions. They were temporary Daos the qi expert learned in their formative years.

Normally, he'd have until the 9th stage of refinery before he chose a concept. Magic of another Dao could be used without binding oneself to that Dao. He hoped thinking about a Dao would keep his mind together when he left the house.

While in number 4 private drive his mind was relatively clear. The second he stepped outside private drive his mind would be scattered again.

He assumed the black karmic thread was the cause. It didn't take a genius to realize that the whoever attached the karmic thread to him meant him harm.

Harry began to meditate on the concept of severing. While refining his qi further. During his first meditation the karmic thread had guided his mind. Now he had to do everything himself.

His mind constantly grew bored of thinking about cutting things. Each time that happened he stopped what he was doing and picked up a new journal. This was not something for others to read. In the journal, he wrote down a series of altered meditation techniques. Ripping out his full core and filtering it through his body to purify it each time wasn't conducive to severing.

It was a clue to the Dao of whoever gave him this knowledge. Their Dao was related to reincarnation in some way. That ruled out Remnant Malik. His Dao was related to maintenance.

The knowledge affected him. He had expert knowledge in cultivation or at least enough information to alter his technique at the refinery stage.

An insane idea came to mind. Harry wrote it down and thought on it for an hour. It was mad maybe mad enough to work. He used his sixth sense to focus on his qi. A swirling ball of qi slowly spun entwining itself slowly with the black thread. Every time it left his body and returned it became more connected to the black thread. Harry focused on creating a blade from his willpower. With a thought his qi stopped moving.

The blade moved slicing the qi in two. Severing as a concept wasn't just a blade it had many meanings. In this case, he chose to cut out what impurities he could.

Harry opened his now blood shot eyes. He fell backwards and bile rose from his throat. His nose burned as it poured out. He felt something drip from his ears and brushed his lobe. Blood had poured from his ears from the severing. His severing was still going on he could feel his will continue to cut. Another force had taken over, it reacted to his will. His sixth sense took over completely and the physical world vanished.

For an indiscernible amount of time, he waited absent of sight, sound, taste, and smell. All he felt was pain. He had told some force to sever the impure from his qi and it did so with glee. This was the force from earlier when he tried to save Peers. What was it?

Harry opened his eyes. There were two points of qi in his body now. The one he had severed away and the one connected to the black thread. His severed qi was green without any pollution from impurities. That force had taken over for him when the pain became too much. Why had it done that? Like a boulder rolling down hill, once it started it couldn't be stopped. Now that he had used the power a second time, he could grasp it slightly. He knew it was there somewhere.

Harry hadn't rescinded the order to sever the impurities. To rise to the next stage of refinery, Harry needed to begin taking in the essence of heaven and earth passively. There was no need to take in a lot, a tiny amount would due. The more essence he purified at a time the higher level of refinery he would be.

By refining 100 unites of qi a cycle, he would be considered in the third stage of the refinery level. At that point his physical strength was considered equal to 3 horses. His qi would also begin to take over some of his bodily function.

"Harry come down here right now." Aunt Petunia demanded.

Harry stood up filth rolling off his body. Thankfully he had meditated on top of a rubbish bag. Harry quickly wiped down his body removing what filth he could. His hair was caked with the stuff and would need a wash before school. He looked at the clock. It was Saturday, his aunt would want him to take care of the garden. With his current strength it wouldn't take him long.

He put on some clothes and rushed downstairs. Despite the change in attitude from the Dursleys, he wasn't brave enough to keep them waiting.

"Harry wash your head in the sink its filthy," Aunt Petunia shrieked. "and take a seat."

Harry looked around to see a set of peculiar candles lit and a strange book in Uncle Vernon's hand. There was an odd smile on his uncle's face. Harry couldn't ignore this much longer. The Dursleys had something more wrong with them than their obsession with normalcy. Harry looked out the window to see the lawn had grown over an inch higher than was acceptable.

Why hadn't they ordered him to mow the lawn? The flower garden was becoming overrun with weeds. It was mid spring. Why would his aunt let her garden go like this? The flowers hadn't been watered lately by the look of things. Then again Harry hadn't gone to school in the past week and the Dursley's didn't seem to care.

Harry closed his eyes but could only see the karma thread attached to the qi within him. Using the knowledge sowed karma. It was a karma he could see only inside the house. The Dursley's karma was invisible to him.

He washed his hair in the sink and wiped most of the blood from his face. Petunia hadn't reacted to the blood at all. Something was wrong with the Dursleys and it might not have anything to do with himself. If an immortal was messing with mortals it was his duty to defend them. But it was the Dursleys. Should he care about them?

He shut the sink off and dried his hair and face with a dish rag. If he was going to do anything about it then he needed to get stronger quickly. Unfortunately, he had no essence crystals, spirit stones, or medical pills. Harry had knowledge suited for the reincarnation Dao. It could be altered for his own Dao but there were discrepancies. The further he traveled along his personal cultivation the less useful the knowledge he had would be.

Power was freedom, he couldn't see the thread before but after a week of being in the first refinery realm he could. Now that he knew it was there, he could act accordingly. Something about this house did most of the work. Karmic threads are invisible until the ascended realm unless he possessed a drop of ascended blood. Harry didn't and he was barely in the first refinery stage.

The more powerful he was the more options he'd have to deal with the problem. Tonight, he would take in more essence.

Once dry, he returned to the living room to see Vernon in his suit. He held a pamphlet in his hand with a shite eating grin on his face. Petunia was also dressed in her best even Dudley looked well dressed.

"Um, Uncle Vernon what's the occasion?" Harry asked. His Uncle's eyes were beginning to look a little fish like.

"A great man is coming to meet us to discuss Dudley's entry into The SS school for Bright Children. It's a very upstanding school for the future leaders of the world. Our Dudley is sure to get accepted. Yours truly is very important after all." Vernon said.

"Yes, our Dudley is going to be very important. If you play your cards right, you might get in to as a student worker. We can't have you rubbing elbows with our Dudley you understand." Petunia said.

She had the audacity to smile at him like it was the greatest compliment possible. It freaked him out more than her glares. He took a calming breath then relaxed. There was no need to draw attention to himself.

His face twitched as he smiled emulating her. Whatever this was did this in a week. It took longer for it to work on Petunia and Dudley than it did on Vernon. Harry felt something poking at his mind, but his qi protected him for now. He needed to increase his power quickly.

"I'm unworthy aunt Petunia, why don't I stay in Dudley's second bedroom. I'm not dressed for it." Harry defended.

If he could get away with being invisible to whatever it is that did this, he would.

"I'm sorry Harry but it's this or no education at all." Aunt Petunia quickly huffed.

So, cultivate full time without a break. Harry thought that was the best idea she'd ever had. He could stay under the houses protection and reach the next level in relative isolation.

"Agreed, if you need me, I'll be in my room being so quiet you won't mention I'm there." Harry said. Harry turned to retreat up the stairs when the door rang.

"Oh, it seems our visitor arrived why don't you open the door." Harry didn't want what was on the other side of that door to come in.

Harry couldn't detect a thing from his sixth sense. That wasn't a surprise his sixth sense range was couple of inches without meditation. His hand shook when he turned the nob. Something powerful was beyond this door.

The door opened revealing a man in an outdated suit and a top hat. He looked like a captain of industry from the 1920s. His clothes were grey, and his eyes were alien. There was something off about the man's eyes. His pupils weren't shaped quite right. There were strange lines on the man's neck. If he looked closer, he could see tiny fish scales.

"Harry don't be rude let our guest in. We are the Dursleys the boy in front of you is our nephew he is interested in your indentured tuition plan right Harry." Uncle Vernon said.

Harry blinked and knew he wouldn't leave the house until he reached the 3rd stage. Instead of answering he nodded and smiled large enough for his cheeks to hurt.

The man smirked and stepped inside.

"Please come in Mr. Capper. This is my wife Petunia and my son Dudley. He can't wait to join your illustrious school." Vernon said.

"I'm sure," Capper said as he raised an eyebrow at Harry's retreating form.

"Your nephew doesn't seem interesting in going to my illustrious school. Why is that?" Mr. Capper asked.

"The boy is lazy like his parents. I'm sure if you put him to work, he'll grow out of it." Petunia said with a sniff.

"Where are his parents? Surely they'd want to see me?" Mr. capper asked.

"Dead they died in a drunken care accident." Petunia said.

"Madam, your lying, tell me the truth, I'm a friend." Mr. Capper demanded.

"Well I shouldn't but it's for my Dudum's future." A manic grin spread over Petunia's face. Harry didn't believe she could look smugger.

"His mother always thought she was better than me. My parents thought she was better. She went to a special school for gifted children. My sister was a witch. She married a wizard and," Petunia covered her mouth and let out a giggle.

Harry could feel his heart beating hard enough against his chest to hurt his ribs. Rules be damned he'd kill these mortals. The only thing staying his hand was his desire to know something true about his parents.

"Just a year after her freak son was born a dark wizard did the world a favor. He broke into her house, murdered her rich wizard husband, and I hope he tortured her to death." Her smile had crawled up her face and tears of laughter poured from her eyes.

Harry felt tears fall down his cheeks. This was the true Petunia he knew it. The bitter disgusting monster that she was on the inside.

"Then, I told her son they died in a drunken care accident. I tossed him in a cupboard for practically his entire life. And now he's going to be a servant in school while my Dudums is treated like royalty." She practically moaned.

Harry shook, he'd never felt this way before. Crack!

The handrail ripped off from his shaking. The wooden railing fell with a crash as Harry turned and walked up the stairs.

"Young man don't you want to go to my school and get an education." Mr. Capper asked.

"I decline, get out of my bloody home." Harry said in a voice bordering on hysterical.

He needed to meditate. Harry needed power, if he acted now, he'd lose his home. If he killed them, what then? He hadn't cared about Piers in the moment, but he did now. Would he kill them and realize it was a mistake a week later? Would it fester into him and make him like his aunt?

Hours passed leaving Harry alone with the essence around him. He took a tiny amount and severed it of what impurities he could before absorbing it. Sever the impurities integrate the essence add it to his qi then sever once more. He wanted it; the pain distracted him from his thoughts. His mother was a witch and his father a wizard. Tears fell down Harry's face. Did he have other family? Why didn't they want him? Who was he? Sever the impurities then absorb the essence, sever once it's in the body, and sever when the essence merges with his qi, that was a cycle. When he was strong enough, he'd sever his bound with the Dursleys.

To my readers. This might be a little fast but in story it only happened in a few hours. As for Harry this was the worst way for him to find out about his parents. Its going to mess him up for a while. You can probably guess why Harry can see the karma thread inside the house. Mr. Capper isn't directly against Harry or Petunia and doesn't raise the wards defenses. The black thread is more apathetic but directly harmful. Hopefully this chapter answered a few questions.

As for the Cultivation levels. They're my own based on various novels and a will eternal and I will seal the heavens. The I'll explain the stages.

Mortal Realm

Refinery, Foundry, Core, System, Platform, Specialized, Master, Demi Ascended

Immortal Realm

Ascended, Burning Soul, Divine Trials, Alpha Spiral, Omega Continuum, To be announced a