Eccentric Wizard Chapter 1: Void (Patreon)

Beta read by Shigiya and DOOMRAIDER.

Hey y'all, I was scrolling though my old files in Google docs and stumbled on this story I made about 2 years ago.

I decided to post it after retouching most of it with my current writing level and voila.

Honestly, don't know why I'm posting it.

If ya like it, maybe I'll continue writing without changing my schedule for my other stories.

It won't be as frequent as my other work. Probably a chapter every 2 or 3 weeks... For now.

Edit 1: Beta read.
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Alright, whoever said that the afterlife is a peaceful heaven, filled with everything we could ever desire, can go fuck themselves.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGHHH!!!!"

Do you hear that?

That's the sound of my neighbor, a soul who once used to be a guy called Henry. From the stories he used to tell me back when he was sane, the man was a World War 1 foot soldier who apparently died while fighting in the battle of Verdun.

Great guy, really swell… that is if you forget the many instants of rapes he's committed back when he was alive.

"So, got any more stories for me?" I asked the guy's soul beside me, burning in hellfire… or at least that's what I called them. There was no brimstone, lava lake, and a red-skinned guy carrying a pitchfork walking around poking us in the ass. "It's not every day I get to talk to someone from such an old time period. Hey, are you listening to me?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGHHH, MAKE IT STOP!!! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP…" And he continued shouting the same thing while being burned… alive? Dead? Anyway, aside from his screams, this had been going on for a while.

But there has been nothing much to do around here.

"Nothing, huh? Well, damn Henry, you're gonna kill me with boredom here and it's considered rude to not answer someone's question. If you're in pain… just stop burning mate, Hahahahahaha!" I swear that I'm not crazy.


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Or at least not entirely.

I was just on the brink of becoming one.

Now, I know this looks bad. Like 'Hey! Why are you besides this guy? Are you also a criminal scum!? Sentenced to burn in hell for all of eternity!?' was what many would think about if they found me lurking around this person all the time.

"As if." I snorted. "I don't even know if this is hell or something else."

Basically, I was a long-time resident in this dark void. Hell, Underworld, Niflheim, and whatever you want to call it; I've been here for a long time.

Every few years, someone would come by, like good old Henry here. At first, they would be fine, and we would talk, have a conversation about our past lives—bits and pieces of my life, that is if I was in the mood for it—and continue bonding like so for a long time. And indeed, the soul that came would slowly go insane with time and, for some unknown reasons, begin burning with a hellish blue flame.

I remember when I first saw this, terror flooded my being. Thought about how I would be the next to be burned alive by the demonic-looking flames.

Fortunately, it never happened.

Don't ask me why; I stopped questioning it after a few hundred people got burned afterwards.

In the end, aside from the conversations we would have, I would also find another form of entertainment by watching them burn and scream for help or beg for someone to end their suffering. Ahhhh~ watching souls burn slowly became like stargazing for me. The beautiful color of the flame would never get boring… much.

I realized that this revelation did not help the case of me not being crazy.

Speaking of souls, I used to be indeed a living person before. And was not, in fact, an entity created by the void.

The name is Johnathan Hill; most used to call me Johnny, John, or Jo; you can call me Jo. I do, in fact, remember my father and mother, though my early childhood memories were scattered entirely around, as well as the next few decades after that. What remained was just mashed-up bits and pieces scattered inside my consciousness and not my brain since I don't have one. I would sometimes remember specific memories and reminisce on them.

I remember dying after being rammed by a truck. Yes, I indeed got a visit from the infamous Truck-kun.

It was a hard truth to swallow at first. Unlike many people, which is sad, I had a loving family and a peaceful life. Aside from my parent's divorce in my earlier years, life was okay afterward. We weren't the most financially stable family, but we got by, food got scarce at times, but we always had something during those times.

Never got to finish my studies and started working at an early age. But as long as I could return to my father and little brother, I was happy with them.

The funny thing is, the first thought that came to my mind was the worry of how much the funeral might cost. I worried that my death would be an additional burden to the family. Part of me wanted them to just bury my body somewhere in the forest and not spend a coin on any unnecessary arrangements.

A messed-up way of thinking, but one that suits someone who hates himself. A feeling that emerged at the beginning of my parent's divorce, where I used—no, I still do think that it's solely my fault that they separated.

Logically, I knew that this wasn't my fault, but my heart just wouldn't accept the truth. Logic and emotions rarely coincide, which is why I felt that way.

Don't worry, I ain't going to drop the bomb on me for being emo or some shit like that. I had friends, a social life, and even was part of the tennis club back in school. It was just something like a side feeling that stuck with me for as long as I remember… never caring about myself. I was always worried about my family, only being happy when they were, which would explain why I pushed my brother out of the streets with no hesitation or fear when I noticed that truck was driving full speed without stopping.

Who am I kidding? Anyone with love for their family would do the same. I just didn't care whether I died then or at a later time. My priority used to be them and never me.

"As long as they are okay and healthy, I wouldn't mind rotting in the void for eternity." Did that make me suicidal as well? Who knows.

Now that I had enough time to reflect on myself inside this timeless void, I thought to myself. I should enjoy life for myself when I get a second chance. Sure I would care for other people, but I would always put myself first. I had a wrong way of thinking, and I wanted to fix it, even with my current circumstances.

"Wait, do I get to keep my memories if I get reborn?"

No one answered my question, and Henry still kept screaming his imaginary lungs out. Hang in there, bud; in just a few moments, you'll vanish just like the others.

"It's sad that I didn't get isekai'd…." Now that was a bummer; I had read enough of those mangas and watched anime in my past life to always find the idea of being transported to another world fun and interesting. Call me basic, but that shit was cool and funny as fuck. And I even fulfilled the requirement of getting squashed by that damnable truck! Wasn't that all it took!?

Like, come on, Truck-kun! Do your freaking job properly for me, at least. Maybe that's why I'm stuck here because someone either messed up or forgot about me.

Shhhhrrrrrr

The blue flames began dying down, and Henry here no longer had the strength or will to continue screaming.

"Help… me… Jo… please… you… are… my… only… frie… n…d…"

Oof, the despair hit quite hard in this one's voice.

"No can do, dude. Honestly, you ain't the worst that came around these parts. Ricky, who came before you, apparently was a killer, rapist, and cannibal. So his flame burned the brightest and probably was the most painful one as well. Yours was visually appealing at best. Don't know what version of hell you might be sent to or if you'll reincarnate afterward, but you'll definitely have a better outcome than Ricky, for sure." This was a cycle I became used to, wandering around here for the rest of my existence and encountering the worst people imaginable.

"Find some peace now that you will cease to exist. I don't know what the future holds for you or if you'll even continue to live, but don't become an asshole in case you reincarnate, okay? Live an honest life; if things get hard, I believe burning for such a long time would be a good deterrent." Again, that is if he remembers the painful experience.

Maybe that was my role.

To accompany the dead in their final moments, guess even the evilest part of humanity would get such luxury before being incinerated. I was their last friend, their last pal, listening to their life story and experience. To what led them to become as they are now, the countless tragic backstories were somehow perfectly remembered and cataloged in my mind.

The remaining cinders of his soul lingered around for a few more moments before disappearing completely. And just like that, Henry was no more.

"Haaaa, now I wonder who will be next…." With how much I talked with such people, I was confident to become a certified psychologist or listener for villains, if that was a thing. Like Harley Quinn, before she fell in that vat of acid… except for me, I won't be becoming a nutjob obsessed over a psycho.

Ohh, you killed an entire family in cold blood? Let's talk about it.

Do you like the taste of human flesh? Try some of these Swiss brand chocolate in your next life; it'll make you an addict in no time.

Caused a massive war to erupt between two countries with millions of casualties? That's rough, buddy.

I'm sure many of them wouldn't have ended up as criminals if their situations were better.

"Honestly, I know that I'm dead and all. But can't I get some sort of salary or benefit? Being able to use the internet would be much appreciated; I have a lot of series to catch up on. Haven't even started watching the Witcher series on Netflix." With a helpless sigh, I continued wandering around the dark void, searching out any other new arrival and my next 'patient' who would also double as my sole source of entertainment.

"Hm?"

I caught something shining in the far distance. Curious, I decided to check out what it was. Usually, the only source of light here was either the souls or the blue fire. So for something else to shine in the darkness, which didn't look to be a soul, really made me intrigued by its origins.

With each passing second, I increased my speed. My curiosity grew by the second and thus forcing me to travel faster. "Hohoho, I can't help but get excited here!" It was something out of the norm, so I got pumped up.

"Haa… haa… haa…."

After what felt like an eternity, holy shit, was that source of light far away! I didn't even know that souls could get tired from floating too fast! I really should work out in my spare time.

Low and behold, the source of the light and the thing that caught my interest was nothing more than a…

"A crack?"

In the void of nothingness was a small crack from which white particles of light escaped. There was no wall or floor, so this phenomenon happened in open space. There was no sound, no sensation of hot and cold. But just like any curious person out there, I was tempted to get near it and touch it.

The closer I got to it, the more I began hearing sounds. Some of which I hadn't heard since my death.

Chirp

Chirp

"Birds?" If I had a body right now, you would have seen me shaking like a leaf at the thought of what might be on the other side. Along with the chirping, I could hear the wind blowing and the shaking of the tree branches. Noises of cars and people honking. "Am I dreaming? I take back everything I said! I don't want to stay here; I'm not okay with this! Fuck you void, and hello freedom!"

Tremble

The void shook as it came nearer to the light. Scared, I backed off immediately, and the shaking stopped. "Hm…"

I got closer once, and shaking happened once again.

I floated back, and it stopped.

I went back and forth a few more times to confirm my suspicion.

"It doesn't want to approach this crack, which might be a portal to the outside world." I tried going even closer than before, ignoring the shaking. "Let's see if I can escape this place…." When the edge of my soul went through the white light, the shaking grew worse, and I felt like it was about to break.

Fwish!

To my horror, the blue fire started appearing everywhere and engulfed everything instantly.

It was making its way towards me!

"Oh shit! Like hell, I'm staying here!" Throwing any hesitation to wind, I forced myself through the white light and escaped just in time to feel the lick of a flame slightly singe my back!

"Holy moly, that's painful! No wonder those people went crazy—wait. Of course, they would go crazy by being burned whole! Stop being a dumbass myself!"

Kreeeeeeeee

A horrifying screech came from the disappearing darkness behind me.

"Nope! Nope! I'm not fucking with whatever that is!"

I didn't bother looking back and risked getting scared to death by whatever crawled out from the shadows and wanted to drag me back in; I continued flying through the white tunnel.

Until…

The soul, who once wandered the void for an innumerable amount of time, being stranded for so long that even memories of the past started becoming blurry, finally made it to the outside world.

"I… I did it." For what felt like an eternity, I finally laid my eyes on the Sun, illuminating the sky, a blue sky which I once gave up hope to ever actually see again. Feeling the sun's heat was way better than the blue flame. It felt like liberation, like I could breathe for the first time after being locked up in an air-tight container for a long time.

I could feel the cold wind, the sound of birds chirping, and the sight of a dark manor surrounded by a large forest which gave off an eerie feeling.

"Hahahaha! I'm the best! Who's the best!? I'm the best, bitch!"

If I had an actual body, I would be balling my eyes out while screaming my lungs out. Might even kiss the ground while I was at it.

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Wait… a manor?

My jubilance was replaced with curiosity as I didn't expect to end up somewhere so middle-aged European-type place. I was used to modern architecture, so this caught me a bit out of the blue.

Just where did I end up?

And why did that manor look so familiar to me? Like I had seen it somewhere in my past life. Weird, I tried to remember, but my mind was still a mess of broken memories that faded over time.

Did I perhaps visit this place or see it on TV? Considering my family didn't have the means to travel abroad, the second option seems more likely.

"—!" Suddenly, my entire being started being pulled by an unknown force. Like an invisible rope tangled around me and pulling me downwards, I was frightened and tried to resist but couldn't muster enough strength.

"It's the manor!?" I finally realized where I was being dragged off to.

The force got stronger each second to the point that I was approaching the manor at Mach speed. Is this what those ghosts in the Ghostbusters felt when they got sucked in those vacuum cleaners!?

"Ah, come on! I just escaped prison, and now you want to lock me up in another? That's not fair!"

I closed my sight, instinctively fearing for my life as the image of me getting splattered on the roof played in my mind.

While forgetting about being an intangible floating ball of light, I just passed through the roof and entered a luxuriously decorated room with two people sleeping on a king-sized bed.

It happened so fast that I didn't even have time to see their features and was absorbed by one of them.

…

'Where… where am I?' I couldn't see; I was back in the darkness.

No, not really. The surroundings felt different. It felt warm.

'I feel so… tired.'

My consciousness turned hazy, and I started feeling extremely sleepy.

'Just… what happened… to me?' It was my last thought before I slipped into a coma which, at that time, I didn't realize would last for the next few months.

{Break}

(January 10, 1980)

In the room where Jo had just been dragged into by force were two people peacefully sleeping, ignorant of what had just occurred.

Gasp!

One of the people woke up.

It was a woman.

She was tall, slim, had ashen skin, and could be considered beautiful. With blue, cold eyes and long blonde hair, she possesses the arrogant good looks characteristic of her family.

Narcissa Malfoy, formerly known as Narcissa Black, was the current wife of Lucius Malfoy, the head of the Malfoy House.

Many know her to be a very proud woman who frequently displays a snobby and cold attitude, looking down upon others. As she believes strongly in the importance of blood purity and values her family's wealth, she is disdainful towards Muggle-borns, other non-pure-bloods, and the so-called "blood traitors."

But despite her character, she had a loving marriage with her husband, Lucius Malfoy. They were the perfect union in her eyes, and she couldn't wait to have her own children to spoil and love.

And that was a dream that would soon come true.

Because she was, after all, three months pregnant.

Tonight, she had woken up from a burning feeling inside her stomach. She had never experienced it before, and she feared that something might have happened to her child.

"Lucius!" She hurriedly called out her husband with panic evident in her voice.

"Wh-what happened?" Seeing her change in demeanor, the head of the Malfoy immediately got up from bed and went to check on his wife. "Are you in pain?"

She nodded her head, "I felt something hot inside me. I fear something may have happened to our Draco. You must summon a healer quickly!"

"Of course, I have some personal contacts with the best healers in St Mungos's hospital. I'll send an owl, and we'll get you checked up as soon as possible!" He comforted his wife for a bit before quickly leaving the room to his office.

Like the rest of his house, the office was equally as opulent and extravagant as everything he owned. Being one the richest wizards out there, only second to his sister-in-law, Bellatrix Lestrange, he could afford such luxury.

"Dobby!" As soon as he called out, a small creature appeared in front of him in a bowed position. Wearing nothing but tattered clothes and a scrawny physique, this was one of the many house-elves working on the estate.

"Yes, master Malfoy, Dobby is at your command." Even after years of knowing this creature, Lucius could help but find its appearance disgusting and wanted nothing more than to kick it out of his manor. 'Such unsightly creatures.' Still, they did their job better than an actual human servant, so he kept them around.

"Make some preparation for some guests that will soon arrive. Don't. Disappoint. Me." He stressed each word, knowing that the elf knew what would happen if he failed.

"A-As you command!" Scared, Dobby vanished to start the preparation. He didn't want to suffer another beating from his master.

With a clearer mind, he realized that an owl would take too long. He didn't want to risk a possible risk to his wife's and child's health, so he used apparition to meet up with the healers.

{Break}

(An hour later)

In the main living room of the Malfoy manor, a handful of healers and wizards were gathered around Narcissa, who was resting on the couch, while the rest used charms and regular examinations to check her health.

Lucius, now drabbed in his dark robe and mantle, waited for their results impatiently. Continuously tapping the floor with his, one could see how this event was very stressful for the man who was worried for his family.

"Lord Malfoy." After they were done with their examination, one of the healers approached him.

"What are the results? Are my wife and child healthy?"

The healer nodded, "Yes, my lord, there is nothing you must worry about. Your wife and children are completely fine and suffer from no Ill effects."

Lucius sighed in relief.

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Wait, something wasn't right.

"Children?" He wondered if the healer had made a mistake or something.

"Indeed, after our examination, we have found the presence of two human life forces inside your wife instead of one. Which means that you are going to be the father of twins. Congratulations are in order, my lord." Everyone followed his example and congratulated the shocked couple.

To confirm once again, Lucius waited for everyone to leave and brought out his wand.

"Homenum Revelio." A bright light emerged from his want and expanded around the room. It was a charm that revealed the presence of other humans in the surrounding environment, a variation of the Revelio Charm.

For a highly qualified wizard like Lucius and former Death Eater to his lord Voldemort, such charms were trivial for him to cast.

Just like the healer has said to him, there were indeed two life forces inside his wife's belly.

"Dear, does this mean…" Narcissa spoke, barely able to hide the joy in her voice.

"Yes, it seems that we need to find a second name for our children." He chuckled, his nerves now relaxed. "I guess we will have two formidable wizards in our family in the future."

Even when they weren't born yet, Lucius began pondering if he should send them to Hogwarts or Durmstrang Institute to become accomplished and powerful Wizards in the future.

With how things were currently, he preferred the latter option. 'I still have enough time before making my decision.'

{Break}

And so word spread like wildfire in all of England. One of the most powerful—if not the most powerful—houses in the wizarding world, the Malfoys, would be having two offspring instead of one.

In the following days, the head of the House of Malfoy organized a large banquet and even invited the ministry to attend. Considering his status, he had also reluctantly invited the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.

A time for celebration for some.

And a worrying piece of news to others.