It was my Willing Choice

Chapter XI: A Realm In-Between

Now, I am sorry to trail on for so long, but I felt it was needed; especially, the warnings about the content. Onward!

Chapter XII: A Realm In-Between

Tom Riddle was currently pondering how vastly his own mindset had changed since the realization of the soul-bond had come about, and how vastly he had changed as a person since Harry had willingly defected to his side because of that revelation partially. How quickly he had adapted to the changes inside of himself and in his magic.

These changes were not ones that he typically would've had at all; especially for reasons that were best left unsaid. However, those changes also didn't change him as a wizard; they hadn't exactly changed his ideals, goals or agenda. They did change him in where he now saw what was too extreme and what might not be.

They hadn't changed his natural affinity for dark magic nor his inclination for it; only made him realize more clearly the dangers to being a dark wizard if not handled with proper knowledge and respect for the arts. It had allowed him to see where he had maybe made errors; errors he intended to never repeat.

It hadn't really changed his stance about death and dying; he still didn't fancy to become non-existent, but it had changed his views on how he was afraid of the topic and over whom. Normally, he would not have ever dared to follow this spiritual entity anywhere alone; especially not while so vulnerable due to his lack of garments and wand.

He eyed the being warily as he cautiously followed the spirit and eyed the place he had wandered into with great interest, curiosity, and hesitance. As much as he himself had once feared his own demise; the trappings of death and all the nuances that surrounded him/them, they had always fascinated the dark lord that he was in a way that he rightly couldn't explain to make sense.

Part of him; internally, was screaming at himself to turn around and to run. He felt caged, exposed and vulnerable like never before. But he couldn't leave now. The portal had closed; where would he have run to, even if he had tried? The other part; that was the part of him that wanted to know and to understand everything that had to do with magic and how it all worked?

That part wanted to stay here and to study it all; but Tom knew that him staying here in this plane for too long wasn't a good idea.

He knew that with how much magic he had at present and something he also knew was unlikely to grow further; he would never have been able to truly utilize necromancy; the black magicka arte that held the more intricate and advanced rituals, spells, potions and more. Ones that held powers over life and of death's trappings in small ways.

Magic that had been labeled and banned in Great Britain for what seems eons now. Hopefully, that may change with the coming of Harry's returning powers. He was hopeful, at least, that it was a sign of change as it was meant to be.

But, even if it was a good indication of prosperous changes to come; Tom was fully aware that he didn't have the massive needed reserves required of the mage to become a real necromancer. His were larger than standard, but not nearly on a level a necromancer would have. Even though he held the Resurrection Stone; the powers would never truly heed his commands without a struggle of dominance over his core. One that he would have eventually lost; the Stone was not a thing to trifle with carelessly. It is why the spirit had warned him; warned him to return the stone to Harry as the rightful inheritor.

And Tom intended to return it, but only after Harry was healed and had trained well.

He knew that he had knowledge of certain aspects to the necromantic arts; how to create inferi, how to control them or re-animated corpses that were not inferi. How to heal damages done to such creations so they could be re-used if needed. How to commune with the dead in certain ways and how to negotiate with the Dementors.