If it had been the Kai from before visiting Island X, he would have undoubtedly chosen to kill, guessing that someone here had messed up with the Ad Infinitum.
In the past, Kai despised nothing more than having something taken from him—whether it was power, a servant, or a skill. It didn't matter. T
he ghosts of his past life and the enemies he had faced wouldn't have let him survive if he had even thought about letting go.
But during the 1,300 years he spent on Island X, Kai had undergone countless changes.
He had already let go of so much, time and again.
That's how Calm had been born within him.
It was his Concept.
His power.
And now, he was lucky.
Black looked at the Sorting Hat and knew things hadn't gone as badly as they could have.
It seemed he had lost everything, but… it just seemed that way.
The feeling bubbling inside him, overwhelming his anger and nudging his Calm, couldn't be anything but a warning.
Luck could only point out the most favorable path for him.
Whether Kai chose to walk that path was up to him. One wrong step, and the castle of conquest he had been building in this timeline would collapse before it was completed.
Black let out a breath, jumped off the stool, and smiled at Professor McGonagall.
When he spoke, his voice was clear and crisp. In the odd silence that settled over the Great Hall, his words reached every student and staff member.
"Forgive me, Professor," Black apologized, looking at the old witch and then at the teachers. "I thought I'd be the next Hatstall at Hogwarts. You know how special I am."
…
It didn't matter who laughed first.
What mattered was that the entire Great Hall suddenly thundered with laughter, snigger, and mocking gestures.
Some of the staff members shared the students' emotions, smiling ear to ear.
Professor Dumbledore smiled, too, though his blue eyes remained fixed on the young Black.
Of course, not everyone laughed.
Professor Snape's gaze was lost, focused on Professor Quirrell.
Dolores Umbridge's eyes were locked on Black, anger dancing within them.
The group of first years didn't laugh, either, as almost none of them knew what a Hatstall was.
…
Harry looked at Ron inquisitively, who was looking at Harry with the same eyes.
Harry gave him another look, as if to say, How would I know this?!
Ron's mouth went O in realization.
"Mudblood thinks he's a Hatstall," Draco scoffed. "Pff!"
Pansy neared the young Malfoy. "What's a Hatstall?" she asked. "Never heard of it."
Daphne had been eying the black-haired, black-eyed boy for some time now. She didn't know why, but whenever she looked at him, she felt something odd in her heart.
She would definitely bring it up with Darcie when she had the chance.
So, when Daphne heard the word, she blurted out involuntarily, "It's an old term used only at Hogwarts. A Hatstall is a student whose Sorting takes more than five minutes because the Sorting Hat finds them equally suited for different Houses. It's pretty rare—maybe once every fifty years."
The first years all looked at Black, suddenly finding him a little too full of himself.
Harry and Ron joined in the laughter with everyone else.
It was just the sort of thing Black would do. The three boys had spent the last week together under the same camp, and there wasn't much they didn't know about each other now.
Meanwhile, Pansy huffed, tossing her hair back. "Nobody asked you, second-hand Darcie!"
Daphne, as usual, ignored the snide comment.
Unknown to Pansy, or anyone else, including Kai—who had lost access to the Ad Infinitum's Echoes—Draco gave Pansy the nastiest look of disgust.
…
Professor McGonagall, of course, knew what a Hatstall was. She was one herself.
Black leaned toward the old witch and whispered, "I read about you after you visted my home. I thought it would be the coolest thing that could happen today."
The Deputy Headmistress lost all her annoyance instantly, her cheeks turning slightly red.
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Black," she said sternly, though her voice lacked its usual edge. "Now, if you'd be so kind as to join your House…"
Black gave the Sorting Hat one last look, then turned and walked toward the far-left table.
Despite having laughed at him, his fellow House members cheered the loudest. He circled the table and sat next to the Weasley twins, shaking their hands.
At that moment, he became the first student to be sorted into Gryffindor House.
At that moment, he also unlocked the Skill he had been waiting for.
…
[
Skill: My House, My Rules
Grade: C- (Growth)
Specification: Declare any room as the House Common Room
Requirement:
— Hogwarts Student
— Advance Magical Aptitude
— 1st Threshold
— Correspondence >40
— Worth >20
— Luck >10
— A Room
Attributes:
— Mana Consumption: 0.5 MP per square feet
— Min Area: 400 square feet
— Max Area: 900 square feet
— Mana Depletion: 10 MP per hour
Effect:
— The Contestant can declare any room, with a max limit, as House Common Room
— The Contestant can reject any one Rule within the House Common Room
— The Contestant can impose any one Rule within the House Common Room
— In the Contestant's absence, the Rules will persist till the Skill ends
— Only one Room can be declared as the House Common Room at a time
Skill Upgradation Conditions - 1st Year:
— Win a total of 100 Points for your House
— Your House—Gryffindor—must win the House Cup
— Prevent Slytherin from winning the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup
WARNING:
— The Contestant can cancel the Skill anytime before the Skill's auto-deactivation
— The House Common Room will continuously lose Mana
— The Contestant will be affected by the Rules as well
]
…
Black licked his lips.
"Hungry?" Fred asked, grinning.
Black smiled back. "Of course," he replied. "Making everyone laugh is tiring, you know."
"Haha!" The Weasley twins laughed, patting Black on the back. "It sure is!"
Professor McGonagall smiled, watching Black get along with the other students. She lifted the parchment, adjusted her glasses, and called the next name.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat, and Susan hurried off to sit next to Hannah.
Things were picking up pace. There was no one like Black. None wanted to be like him, anyway.
Getting sorted into a House in front of the entire school was embarrassing enough—who had the time or courage to sit on that stool and banter with Professor McGonagall?
Still, after Black's turn, a certain charm seemed to have seeped out of the ceremony.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
The table second from the left clapped as several Ravenclaws stood to shake Terry's hand as he joined them.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" also went to Ravenclaw, but "Brown, Lavender" became the second Gryffindor.
"It's so boring…" The words reached Black's ears as Lavender Brown took a seat opposite him, next to Percy Weasley.
"No. It's alright," Black replied instinctively, still eying the Sorting Hat.
"Huh?" Fred leaned over Black's shoulder. "Did you say something?"
Black frowned. "What? You asked first."
"No, I didn't."
"You certainly did."
George guffawed. "Fred, don't fall for it," he said, pulling his brother by the robes. "He's messing with you."
Fred was shocked. "You really are something, aren't you?"
"He sure is," George added, winking at the newly sorted boy.
The ground seemed to slip from beneath Black's feet. He gave the Weasley twins a blank stare and turned back to look at the Sorting Hat.
"Come, join me," the words rang in Black's ears like a haunting echo. "Kai Stormborn, is it?"
**************
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