"Hiss—haa—"
The man's nostrils flared slightly, his chest beginning to rise and fall in a steady rhythm. His fingers twitched, followed by his entire arm, and then his whole body…
"Flawless."
Avada sensed that a complete set of perceptions belonging to a brand-new body had appeared in his mind out of nowhere—and that he was even watching himself from another perspective. If he hadn't already mastered true multitasking on a soul level, he would probably have passed out or gone insane on the spot.
Extremely satisfied, he controlled both bodies to nod at the same time. He then had the new body change clothes, all the while carefully feeling its movements. There was not the slightest sense of dissonance; it felt as if this body had always been his own.
This was the true purpose of the device Avada wore on his head. It allowed his mental power to descend directly into another body's mind and control its actions. Combined with his ability to split his focus, it effectively meant he now possessed two bodies that could move and act independently without interfering with each other.
The underlying principle of this technology came from the Vanishing Cabinet. Inside the wooden body's head—and in the device on Avada's own head—was a simplified Vanishing Cabinet system that could transmit only mental power. As a result, no matter how far away the wooden body was, or how many magical barriers lay between them, Avada could control it without any obstruction.
"This way, I can finally move around the wizarding world without any reservations."
The new body opened its mouth, producing a natural male voice with no hint of stiffness, and took a brand-new wand from Avada's hand.
"In other words, I now possess two bodies capable of independent action. My original body stays at Hogwarts, continuing its normal life—attending classes, living, researching magic… while this wooden body heads into the real wizarding world to start building a foundation."
"Let's test its capabilities first."
He controlled the new body to straighten its clothes, then did several push-ups and squats, stood on one leg for a while, and finally sat down to write a few lines with a pen—first with the left hand, then with the right.
After performing a series of increasingly complex and borderline absurd movements, eating some food and drinking water, and even splashing himself with a variety of strange potions, Avada finally formed a clear and concrete understanding of the new body—beyond what his magical senses alone told him.
Most importantly, his magical perception could be carried along with his mental power and function normally within the new body.
Because it was driven by magic, the new body had no endurance limit. In terms of strength, Avada had deliberately reduced the amount of Whomping Willow and Devil's Snare used to form its muscles in order to make room for more transfiguration materials, so its raw strength was merely that of an average adult. Aside from that, its five senses, balance, and agility were all excellent—qualities that were highly useful in magical combat.
In order to appear as human as possible, the body could also eat and drink, though this was purely superficial. Anything consumed would be erased directly by a Vanishing Charm, meaning there was no need for digestion or metabolism. The downside was that the body could not drink potions—but on the upside, it was completely immune to poisons.
Still, appearances mattered. Burping, sneezing, yawning, and even sweating could all be consciously simulated. Most impressively, Avada had made its breathing extremely realistic—it could even exhale visible white mist in cold air.
On a magical level, this body was naturally immune to the vast majority of Dark Curses. Traditional Dark Magic either relied on partial transfiguration or simple interference with mental power, and a body constructed using Animagus techniques and advanced transfiguration materials was nearly immune to any transfiguration spells that directly targeted the body. Avada's mental power only controlled it indirectly through the Vanishing Cabinet, so mental magic could not hit him directly either. There was no need to worry about someone affecting his true body by casting spells on this one.
In theory, this body could even withstand all three Unforgivable Curses—though that was only in theory. After all, the Killing Curse tended to explode when it struck non-living matter.
With this trait alone, combined with magical perception, the body could dominate fights against almost anyone, especially Dark wizards who specialized in curses and killing spells. Wizards like Dumbledore or McGonagall, however—those who favored creating entire armies through transfiguration—were a natural counter to it.
Furthermore, because Animagus techniques were involved, the body's transfiguration was exceptionally thorough. Unless a true transfiguration master examined it inch by inch with a wand, no one would ever realize it was actually made of wood. Even potions designed to break transfiguration, such as Revealing Drafts, would fail—though Avada wasn't sure whether Gringotts' Thief's Downfall would have any effect.
As for its appearance, due to the nature of Animagus techniques and the use of memory-based transfiguration materials, it was extremely difficult to alter. Only Avada himself could barely manage it. Each time the body needed a new appearance, it would require a full "factory reset," at a considerable cost. That meant each identity had to be used sparingly—he couldn't just run wild because his original body was safe.
"Let's test magic next."
Holding the new wand, the body smoothly cast several high-level spells. After that, both bodies began casting different spells simultaneously, then increased the frequency to simulate combat—eventually even having the two bodies fight each other directly.
"If both sides enter combat at the same time, the drain on my mental energy is enormous."
After an intense round of testing, Avada slumped into a chair, clutching his temples, his face pale.
"If this keeps up, it could throw my mind into chaos… I need to coordinate the rhythms of both lives and stagger activities that heavily consume mental power. Thankfully, this body isn't being sent to the other side of the planet—otherwise I'd never be able to sleep twenty-four hours a day…"
"Uh… that probably won't happen… right?"
For the first time, he sounded uncertain.
"Whatever. I'll deal with it when it happens. Time to pack—let's set off."
Using the new body, he retrieved a suitcase from the corner and opened it, checking the contents of the space expanded with an Undetectable Extension Charm—some alchemical equipment, basic disease-curing potions, a few books, an old broomstick, and a jumble of Galleons and Sickles.
"That'll do."
He tugged at his facial muscles into a smile, switched the suitcase into its concealed mode, and checked the basic daily necessities, Muggle currency, food, and water inside before firmly closing it. This, too, was inspired by Newt Scamander.
He remembered that the Ministry of Magic imposed certain restrictions on the use of Undetectable Extension Charms, but for the identity he was about to assume, that wouldn't be much of a problem. As long as he explained it clearly, it would be fine.
The new body stood up, straightened its clothes, slipped the wand into its pocket, and picked up the suitcase. Paired with its weathered face, it looked exactly like a travel-worn wanderer.
"From now on, this identity will be called… hmm, Nathan Clarke."
(End of Chapter)