Chapter 23: The Riddle of the Forest
Days seemed to meld into one as I spent my time peacefully laying in a bed. I had a lot of time to think over what I need to do next now I had escaped the forest.
My end goal was to discover what 'thing' had brought me here, but that was an enigmatic goal currently. I'd need power… a lot of power in order to discover the cause of my appearance here. Currently I didn't have much to work with on the power front. My body was healing slowly but the foundations were frail, I was only 10 after all.
I needed to rebuild muscle and stamina as a starting point, especially considering what kind of people I could come into contact with in the future. I felt my mind flash back to the black forest and the fight between the Blighthearts and Blackfangs. The flashing lights of spells, the screams of those being killed and the roars of rage from both sides left an impression in me.
The world of Ha- no the Wizarding World was not just contained to Hogwarts. There was conflict, politics and places that spanned further than just England. I had always tried to picture this when I used to read the books but now experiencing it, seeing the martial magic of the Blackfangs and the methods of the Blighthearts in the black forest made me realise that I needed to really broaden my horizons more and not contain myself to the realms of the books.
I needed to consider the books yes, and use the knowledge to my advantage but I couldn't base my entire view on this world by the words on a page. With this in mind I could use some outside of the box thinking to create my own methods of spellcasting. I already touched upon such a method with the obscurus and I had a gut feeling if I worked on my control of the obscurus, by the time I got my own wand and learned spells hopefully, I'd be able to fuse my obscurus and the spells to create some sort of new magic unique to me.
It would be difficult, imbuing my fist was simply coating which visibly was easy whereas imbuing a spell seemed much harder in theory. It didn't seem impossible though.
With all this in mind I decided when I recovered fully, I spend my days working with Randolph and exercising when I could in my spare time and then in the evening, I'd refine my control over the obscurus.
My end goal was to be able to control the obscurus force within me as easily as I breathed...
.
On a particular day, Randolph walked into my room with some food. It had been a over a month now since I had arrived here and the time spent was mostly in bed. My face which was malnourished initially started to gain some colour and fat again. My body as well gained some strength also. It was a delicate process but I was definitely progressing the right direction.
Over the past month me and Randolph had spoken quite often. The thing I respected the most was he didn't ask questions about my condition at all. I could tell he wanted to but he truly respected my unwillingness to speak on the matter and held himself back.
He mainly spoke to me about broomstick making and what the current wizarding worlds climate was like. He mentioned many things and also told me about a specific boy who was starting his first year at Hogwarts, a boy who was famous even in the stretches of Europe.
Hearing Randolph mentioned Harry going to Hogwarts made me smile wryly. It was hard to imagine someone I read about and followed their life as they grew actually existing. It would be a weird day if we were to ever meet.
I also asked him how he realised I was a wizard initially as well and he told me it was a 'gut' feeling. It sounded far fetched to me but maybe he just assumed I was due to how I wasn't at all surprised about his workshop and how certain things moved on their own. My words before my collapse would have not been "can I have food" but more "what the fuck?".
As I ate my food, I looked out the window at the border of the Black Forest. I needed to give Randolph a story of some sort as it felt harsh just to leave him in the dark. I didn't want to mention the Blightheart or Blackfangs as mention of them could end up implicating him into something bigger than I could imagine. Exercising caution on this matter felt important.
"Randolph. You asked me when you first found me why I was in such a bad condition…"
Randolph who was eating with me put his fork down and stared at me.
"I told you Axel, you don't have to tell me if you don't want-"
"No, I do want to tell you, and I will even if you don't believe me…".
I started to then tell Randolph of my time in the Black Forest. I avoided using names like 'Jason Blightheart' or 'Felix Blackfang' but I painted a picture of groups of witches and wizards that fought each other and hunted me down. The only thing I completely left out of the story were specific names and my obscurus…
Randolph's face changed with every word I uttered. From confusion to shock to pity, he was enthralled in my tale from the last 2 years. I had covered my random 'appearance' here telling him that I had amnesia and woke up in the forest with no memory.
As the story came to a close, I felt a sense of relief in myself like I had shifted a weight within me. I had kept my experiences so close to my chest that it felt nice to tell someone what had happened to me. Randolph pinched his eyes as if they were strained and spent some time in silence before speaking.
"That's… you've been through a lot Axel. I don't even know what to say… I can tell your words are genuine but what I'm most confused about is how you saw so many clans and families in the Black Forest. I've literally gone into those woods' multiple times and its just empty, I've never seen a manor or a clan's campsite or anything ever…"
Hearing Randolph's confusion made Rufus' words 2 years back echo in my mind. He had mentioned the magical enchantment that coated the Black Forest, stopping anyone outside noticing their clan and any other family or clans' existence there. It seemed as though it was easy to leave the enchantment but maybe it was hard to get back into it.
Felix had left the Blackfangs for a long while though, over 2 years and managed to return eventually if that was him fighting Jason and the other dude. There probably was a way back into the Black Forest's 'secret' area but currently I wouldn't be able to go back at this moment… not like I really wanted too anyway.
I told Randolph about the ancient magical barrier and he seemed sceptical at first however he believed me eventually. I think he mainly had trouble wrapping his head around living outside an enchantment with ancient families and clans within this whole time. We continued eating as I told him more about what had happened to me in the Black Forest. As we finished our meals, he flicked his wand sending our plates down stairs through the air to clean themselves.
He left me to rest after a little bit more time chatting. I found that the more I spoke to Randolph the more it felt like he mirrored my father in some ways. He wasn't nearly as stoic but his outdoorsmanship style blended with what I learned from my father and the way he judged things were vaguely similar as well.
It was a comfortable feeling talking to him.
.
After being bed bound for so long as Randolph paid extra attention on getting me better, I was finally able to start walking again. I could walk weeks ago but Randolph pestered me about walking too soon after all the wounds and bruises I had accumulated. He said if I went to a muggle hospital it would have taken me longer to be fixed but he had sourced through his connections some powerful healing materials to help me get better.
I felt grateful towards him doing this for me. It had been so long it felt like since I was treated like a human that I forgot how it was. Rufus treated me more like a bomb than a boy and Jason well… yeah.
Randolph guided me out the front door of his house/workshop and gave me a tour of the place. The house stood just near a river and was pretty big in size now I looked at it properly. The shed attached to the house had a very open entrance and within the shed was tons of different blue prints, note books and broomstick materials.
Piles of logs were stacked all around the places, like landmines surrounding the entire area. Despite how big the place was, not a single other soul was here which again made me wonder why Randolph was working here alone. Looking at the river though I marvelled at the row of broomsticks I could see from my window when I was bed bound.
Each one was carved different and each was made from a different wood. The designs were all very artisanal and I felt grin appear on my face looking at them. Randolph noticing my interest looked at the brooms and sighed.
"They all look nice but I just feel somethings missing all the time…"
I guess to an outsider like me all these brooms looked stunning but to the artist themselves defects were abundant in each piece.
After walking around the area, a bit more listening to Randolph describe the place we eventually did a loop arriving back at the shed. Stepping inside the shed he showed me all the tools he had and to my surprise most of the woodworking tools were actually something 'muggles' would use.
I asked him about this, wondering why he used these tools when he could use magic and he stated that it "strengthened his connection to the broom he was making". I had no clue what he was talking about but it explained the splinters in his hands I'd always see. Just like wand makers I guess some broomstick makers see things differently and have their own ways of working.
As the 'grand tour' came to a close Randolph started to tell me what work he wanted me to do here. All he wanted me to do was act as a sort of 'sous chef' but instead of cooking it was broomstick crafting. He explained that as I helped him, I would also learn how brooms are made which was useful knowledge and if I showed talent, he would truly teach me.
Broomstick crafting did sound interesting honestly as well. Being able to wilfully make a mode of transport that allowed me to soar through the skies sounded really appealing and could help in many ways.
Seeing my interest, Randolph smiled down at me.
"Shall we get started then Axel?"
Looking at the workshop I showed Randolph a rare smile, "Sounds good".
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