Wade took a deep breath and focused his thoughts.
"The most important thing is to remember the Three Ds: Destination, Desire, and Deliberation," Toby reminded him solemnly.
"First, Master Wade must concentrate and visualize the destination in his mind as clearly as possible," Toby explained.
"Second, he must have determination and a desire to reach that place flood every fiber of his being!"
Wade closed his eyes and pictured the scene in his mind—the exact spot where he wanted to appear. He recalled every detail: the worn stone floors of the wizard tower, the dim lighting, the scent of old parchment and ink that lingered in the air.
"Third," Toby continued, "Master Wade must be deliberate. He must turn on the spot with absolute certainty, ensuring his magic pulls him through space."
Wade took a deep breath, his muscles tensing as he prepared himself. He clenched his fists slightly, concentrating on his desire to move from one place to another in an instant.
"Remember, Master Wade, the sensation might be uncomfortable at first," Toby warned, his large eyes watching intently. "You may feel a moment of compression, as if being squeezed through a tight tube."
Wade nodded and took his first attempt.
With a sharp twist of his body, he felt an overwhelming pressure wrap around him. It was suffocating, as if invisible bands were constricting every part of his body. His vision blurred, and a moment later, he felt solid ground beneath his feet again.
Disoriented, Wade blinked and looked around.
He had barely moved an inch.
"Now focus: Rotate in place, allowing yourself to enter the void state. The more confident and composed you are, the easier it will be to succeed. The more hesitant you are, the more likely you are to fail..."
Toby wasn't exaggerating. He truly had a deep understanding of Apparition for wizards.
With just a few words, he outlined the key points of the technique.
Five meters in front of Wade, where the humanoid target had originally been positioned, a one-meter-wide circle was now drawn on the ground.
That circle was Wade's target. He had to attempt Apparition and land inside it.
Holding an old wand in his hand, Wade fixed his gaze on the circle before closing his eyes.
Thanks to his excellent memory, the image of the circle was crystal clear in his mind.
Then, using the same method he had practiced with Occlumency, he focused on his strong desire to reach that exact spot.
Finally, he let go and entrusted everything to his magic. Without hesitation, he turned on the spot!
"Here goes nothing!"
Pop!
When Wade opened his eyes, he was already standing inside the circle.
"Aah! Master Wade is a genius! You succeeded on your very first attempt!" Toby shouted excitedly.
Even Wade himself was slightly incredulous. He had already prepared for the possibility of Splinching.
But on his first try... he actually did it?
Was Apparition really this easy?
"Toby, check me over—make sure I haven't left any parts behind."
Toby chirped happily, "Master Wade, Toby saw everything clearly! You didn't Splinch, not even a single hair! You succeeded! And you don't look like someone who just tried Apparition for the first time at all!"
"By Merlin's beard! When Toby helped Master Sofik learn Apparition, he practiced for over a week, got Splinched five times, and still hadn't mastered it—"
Toby suddenly froze mid-sentence, then immediately began smacking his own head with his fists.
"Oh! Toby is terrible! Toby is a bad elf! How could Toby say such things about his former master!"
Wade grabbed Toby's arm, his expression serious.
"Toby, your master now is me. If you must punish yourself, it can only be for my sake! Make sure you remember that!"
"Y-Yes, Master!" Toby realized his mistake and looked terrified.
House-elves, once they recognize a new master, must sever all ties with their previous one. This is why it's rare for house-elves to change owners—most of them simply cannot bear to part with their former masters.
Toby's reassignment was an "accident" caused by the system, but since he had already changed masters, he had to follow this rule!
In theory, he was now the property of his current master!
That meant he had no right to punish himself over someone else—even if that person was his former master!
The only one who had the authority to command his self-punishment was his current master!
"...Let this be the last time! Alright, let's try Apparition again."
To prevent Toby from punishing himself over his own mistake once more, Wade immediately issued a new command.
"Yes, Master!" Toby drooped his ears and responded.
"This time, let's try going somewhere farther..."
...
Perhaps it was because Wade had gained a deep understanding of magic while studying Occlumency, or perhaps it was due to the fact that his magical power was already at the level of an adult wizard. Well.. For whatever reason, his mastery of Apparition was progressing extraordinarily smoothly.
Before long, Wade was able to Apparate freely between different floors of the wizard tower at will.
As his confidence grew, he became bolder—he covered his face with a cloth and successfully Apparated multiple times to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, all on his own.
Not once did he fail, which left Toby utterly amazed.
Finally, when Wade successfully performed Side-Along Apparition with Toby from London back to the wizard tower, he had fully mastered the skill.
He hadn't expected that his prior study of Occlumency would be so beneficial in learning other magic. This realization delighted Wade—so this was what people meant by understanding one principle and applying it to many!
That day and night of effort had not been in vain!
"Master Wade, congratulations on mastering Apparition!" Toby squeaked excitedly. "However, wizards and witches must pass the Apparition Test administered by the Department of Magical Transportation's exam before they can legally use Apparition..."
"Mm, I know," Wade replied absentmindedly.
Just like how driving required a license, Apparition required an exam. Only after passing and registering with the Ministry of Magic could a wizard legally use it freely.
However, Wade had no intention of taking the exam anytime soon.
He planned to keep Apparition as a hidden trump card.
After all, there were hardly any wizards who mastered Apparition at such a young age.
If an eleven-year-old Wade were to take the exam now, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation.
Everyone would know he could Apparate.
And once that happened, his trump card would be completely exposed.
A revealed trump card could never serve as a game-changer at a critical moment!
…
Since practicing Apparition hadn't taken much time or drained much of his energy, Wade rested for a short while before preparing to continue with his original plan.
When he first arrived at the wizard tower, he had already selected several dark spells he intended to practice.
Among them, the one that intrigued him the most was a dark spell called Nightmare Magic.
This spell was recorded in a manuscript on the 3rd floor of the tower, collected by a former member of the Somnolen family, but its original creator was unknown.
This spell, upon hitting the target, could instantly pull them into sleep and allow the caster to manipulate their dreams at will.
In Wade's view, this spell might be even more effective for interrogation than Veritaserum or forced Legilimency…
And if used for torture, it would be even more terrifying than the Cruciatus Curse!
After all, with the ability to control dreams, one could decide exactly what the target would experience.
If their deepest fears were forced into an endless loop within their dreams… very few people could withstand such torment!
At a higher level of mastery, the caster could even silently infiltrate someone's dreams during natural sleep, manipulate their subconscious, and uncover secrets without leaving a trace…
Of course, while this dark magic was incredibly powerful, it was also notoriously difficult to master.
The manuscript had been sitting on the 3rd floor of the tower for years, and many members of the Somnolen family had read it, yet only a handful had successfully learned the spell.
This was because mastering the magic required an exceptionally strong soul.
Wade had long suspected that his soul strength was far greater than that of an average person, which was why he was willing to give this magic a try.
Moreover, this spell could be cast with extreme subtlety, even disguised beneath a surface-level Stunning Spell.
At this stage, Wade was in dire need of a hidden yet formidable trump card like this!
____
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