Wade held a truly magnificent Quill in his hand.
Its pale gold shaft was intricately engraved with fine magical patterns. Its slender, upright feathers were as white as snow, and where they joined the shaft, interlocking silver threads formed a bird in flight, spiraling around the Quill.
This was the result of Wade and Nicolas Flamel's work over the past few days.
Since it was just a toy made on a whim, neither of them considered the cost. Nicolas Flamel, however, had a collection of every kind of Alchemy material imaginable, and he didn't mind using extremely expensive and rare ones on this small Quill.
The new Daydream Quill lived up to its high cost; the dreams it wove were incredibly realistic. If not for the Spell always leaving a hint of conscious awareness, one wouldn't be able to distinguish between the dream and reality using only the five senses.
But realism was merely its superficial advantage. In truth, the Quill's greatest feature was its ability to write continuously and automatically, thereby maintaining the duration of the daydream.
An excellent Alchemist couldn't resist the urge to perfect a newly created Magic item.
Although Flamel and Wade had designed a series of "anti-addiction" measures, with this particular Quill, Flamel's modifications allowed the daydream to last until all the stored ink was used up.
Before the dream ended, the user would essentially be living in a completely real world.
Of course, this Quill was one of a kind. Other Daydream Quills were still ordinary versions, lasting no longer than thirty minutes.
After the modifications were complete, Nicolas Flamel reluctantly gave the Quill to Wade.
"Why?" Wade asked. "It's your creation; you could have kept it."
"No..." Flamel shook his head. "The gift you gave me is enough. This one... it would make it impossible for me to return to reality."
The old man looked at Wade, a helpless yet carefree smile on his face.
"I'm old, Wade... too old to fight my inner desires. I could easily become infatuated with such a fabricated illusion."
He slowly stood up and walked shakily to the wall, gently touching two long wooden boxes on a shelf. One was Wade's gift, and the other was one of their prototypes from the past few days.
"I'll keep these two, but even so, I won't use them normally... I'll save them for the very end, and then, with Perenelle, embark on the long night in the most beautiful dream."
Perenelle, Flamel's wife, was also over six hundred years old.
Wade had met the long-lived lady yesterday. Though a few years younger than Flamel, perhaps because her Magical Power wasn't as strong as her husband's, she appeared somewhat older than him.
The Elixir of Life couldn't truly keep them from aging. The pale-skinned Perenelle looked like she already had one foot in the grave.
Despite her efforts to be hospitable and kind, just a few words seemed to exhaust all her strength.
Hearing Flamel's words, Wade raised an eyebrow in surprise, about to say something, but then held back.
Flamel understood immediately, smiling as he said, "Did Murray tell you not to ask me about the Philosopher's Stone? It's fine, you can ask, Wade—what Alchemist wouldn't be curious about the Philosopher's Stone?"
Since he said so, Wade boldly asked.
"Sir, did you really destroy it?" Wade asked curiously. "What if... when that time comes, you regret it?"
Flamel laughed. He held out his hand, showing both sides.
His palm looked like it was molded from white clay, devoid of blood, and his fingernails resembled layers of peeling paper.
"Look at me, my boy, just look at me..."
Flamel said softly, "Even if others don't say it, I increasingly feel like I'm not alive... more like an Alchemy creation infused with a soul."
"No... rather, your Magic Golems are more vibrant than I am."
"I'm like a ghost living six hundred years ago. Though I've stolen some time from the cracks of eternity, Death has always stood behind me, never leaving... I am the ash left after the coal burns out, without warmth, not even knowing if I'm real."
"For Perenelle and me, eternal life has long ceased to be a blessing; it's more like a curse from God."
"So... yes, I destroyed the Philosopher's Stone. Because—as you said—I know full well my greed for 'living,' and I'm afraid that in the end, I'll suddenly lose the courage to move forward."
"So you left yourself no retreat," Wade said with emotion. "But isn't that also a form of bravery?"
"No, Wade," Nicolas Flamel shook his head. "True bravery should be like Albus Dumbledore's, never fearing what awaits, no matter how dark the path. He would be the guiding lighthouse... while I chose to escape."
The candlelight flickered, reflected in Nicolas Flamel's eyes. Wade saw both sigh and reverence in his gaze.
Wade softly said, "Professor Dumbledore?"
"Yes," a smile touched Flamel's lips. "You know what? I once wanted to give him the Philosopher's Stone. He's only a sixth of my age; to me, he's still a young lad with a long road ahead. But... do you know what Dumbledore said?"
Wade: "...Death is but the next great adventure?"
"Ah, you've heard that too, haven't you?" Flamel chuckled. "He also said... he found something more precious than immortality..."
The old man looked at the young man's clear eyes, as if hearing Dumbledore's unhesitating reply once more—
"I don't need eternal life, Nicolas."
"The continuation of life isn't in a cold stone, but in those young eyes..."
"Watching the light in their eyes, poring over books in the Library, running on the grass, watching them learn to make Spells burst from the tip of their Wand, I feel as if my own life and thoughts are continuing in another way."
Wade waited for a moment, seeing Flamel seemingly lost in thought, and couldn't help but press him. "Something more precious than immortality... is it 'love'?"
Flamel said softly, "No, it's you... and children like you... In Albus's eyes, you are the true 'Philosopher's Stone'."
Wade was stunned.
"He made me realize how foolish and arrogant my avoidance of death was—true immortality lies in legacy."
Flamel chuckled, "Wade, I once thought about giving all my books and research to Dumbledore, but then I thought, he already has enough troubles. So... would you accept this gift?"
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