Chapter 1 – The Last Light of Dusk
The streets of West Cross Alley were already sinking into shadow. Lanterns floated above crooked shopfronts, casting warm amber light, while the last streaks of dusk bled violet into the sky.
A boy in a black, travel-worn coat leaned against the doorway of a small tea shop, arms loosely folded. His gaze followed the clouds, expression unreadable.
*Eleven years in this world…*
From birth until now, Lukas Vale had grown up surrounded by magic — potions brewing in the air like perfume, carriages drawn by skeletal horses, words of power whispered as casually as greetings.
And yet, deep down, he still measured the world through different eyes. Eyes that had once seen another life entirely.
---
"Sir, it's almost time."
The voice came from behind him — polite, clipped, just enough to break his thoughts.
"Two more minutes." Lukas didn't look back.
A man in a crisp grey waistcoat stood a step away, hands clasped behind his back. Rowan always looked as if he'd stepped straight out of a portrait.
"The Master and Madam—"
"—said before six, I can do what I like." Lukas's voice was calm but edged. Then he glanced over. "And when we're in public, what do you call me?"
"…Boss," Rowan admitted reluctantly.
"That's right. Now, the shop?"
"Eight Galleons today."
Lukas gave a faint nod. For someone with his family's wealth, that amount was meaningless — but this shop wasn't about money.
Rowan never said it aloud, but he didn't understand. Why would the heir of the Vale family — a boy with vaults of gold at Gringotts and a name that could sway Ministry votes — spend his days here, selling enchanted tea to wandering witches?
The shop's brass bell chimed six.
Rowan's eyes flicked toward the fireplace. Lukas sighed.
"You do realise I can get home on my own?"
"Of course, sir," Rowan replied smoothly. "But your father's rules are… strict."
Lukas stepped forward, scooping a handful of Floo powder. The flames roared emerald green.
"Vale Manor."
He vanished in a swirl of green fire.
Rowan lingered just long enough to glance at the far wall — where the reflection in the glass showed not an empty shop, but two silhouettes seated at a table, sipping tea as if they had always been there.
"When does it start?" one murmured.
"Soon," the other replied. "The boy turns eleven this year. It's time."
---
Vale Manor's main hall was cavernous and quiet, smelling faintly of cedar and candle wax.
A house-elf stood ready beside the hearth, eyes fixed on the flames. The moment Lukas stepped out, the elf snapped his fingers — soot vanished from his coat, leaving it spotless.
"Thank you, Ollip."
"It is my honour, Young Master!" the elf squeaked, bowing low.
Rowan appeared a heartbeat later, receiving the same charm with far less ceremony.
"They're not home, are they?" Lukas asked.
Ollip hesitated. "No, sir."
"They *do* care," Rowan said carefully. "You've grown up with more protection than most could imagine."
Lukas's eyes flickered. "Protection? Or surveillance? I've been followed since I could walk, Rowan. You know it, I know it — and so do the shadows I can't see."
Rowan's lips pressed into a thin line. "Your imagination runs too far, sir."
Lukas didn't answer.
---
Upstairs, in the quiet of his room, Lukas locked the door and murmured, "Panel."
A translucent interface bloomed before his eyes.
```
[Host]: Lukas Vale
[Magic Power]: 700 (Intermediate Wizard – Your journey has just begun)
[Talent]: Once-in-a-Century (Upgradeable. Current bonus: +2 Magic Power/day; rate may vary with age and level.)
[Items]: None
[Magic Points]: 1001
```
It was laughably bare.
The system had appeared when he was nine — no beginner's package, no tutorial, just a minimalist display and a store menu with prices that mocked him.
Magic Points were precious. One point for signing in at home, two in Diagon Alley, more in certain places steeped in magic — most of which were off-limits thanks to his "protection detail."
That was why he kept the tea shop. Not for Galleons, but for the extra point every day he signed in there.
Two years of quiet persistence had finally pushed his total past a thousand.
Lukas leaned back on his bed, watching the number glow.
Tonight… he would spend them.
---