Come, join me…
The words were spoken so clearly, so invitingly, that for a moment, Black almost accepted the offer. But he was no fool.
Black had used similar tricks himself, getting others to agree to his demands.
Why would he let someone else manipulate him? The very idea was absurd!
However, Black misunderstood the true intent behind the words. Though they sounded like an invitation, they were something else entirely.
In the blink of an eye, Black found himself standing before an ancient bar.
He stood at the threshold, with nothing behind him, and the bar's common room in front. The room was filled with empty tables and chairs, and two stools at the counter.
Only one stool was vacant; the other was occupied by a figure in a brown robe, wearing a hat.
Black stood in stunned silence, taking in the scene. The hatted figure flicked a finger, gesturing for him to come in and take the empty stool.
Black's instinct was to attack. There were moments when staying calm was necessary, and there were moments when it was best forgotten.
If someone could pull him into another place, he had no reason to wait and find out why.
Such beings needed to be destroyed.
Black flicked his hands, expecting Murasame and Sounga to appear.
But his hands felt strangely light. He looked down, his eyes widening in disbelief.
The swords were missing. No, they hadn't just disappeared—they had never left his Inventory. No, that wasn't right either.
It was as if the sabers didn't even know he had tried to summon them.
Because he couldn't access his Inventory anymore.
This was absurd. He was an Item. How could an Item be unable to access its own Inventory?!
Things didn't stop surprising him there.
He tried to use Skills. Failed.
He reached for Death's Cloak of Disguise. Failed.
"…"
Cr-rr-kk!
The door creaked as Black pushed it open wider and walked in. He looked around.
At first glance, there wasn't much to see. The old wood looked ready to turn to dust at any moment. There were no paintings, no decorations, no signs of life. It was just an empty bar with thin walls and an even thinner roof.
Black moved toward the empty stool at the counter.
Then, he saw the hatted figure.
He almost stumbled back.
The figure had gloved hands, brown shoes poking out from under the robe, and clothing that was torn and patched all over. But it was the hat that caught Black's attention most.
The Sorting Hat!
Black could tell it wasn't some illusion or replica. It was the Sorting Hat.
Underneath the Hat, above the brown robe, there was no face—just darkness.
Within that darkness, two blobs of yellow light pulsated, staring into him as if they already knew everything about him.
Black sat down on the stool.
What else could he do? The Ad Infinitum had reverted to 0% Proficiency. He couldn't sync with Kai either. He had no power or way to recover his core memory from the Hat.
All he had now was the feeling bubbling within him.
Not all was lost.
Not yet.
No matter the lack of power, he was still lucky.
"Why do you want me?" the Sorting Hat asked, flicking the rim of its hat.
"Huh?"
"Don't huh me," the Sorting Hat replied, its tip bending slightly. The folds of the hat didn't move—it was clear the voice came from the darkness beneath the yellow lights. "My question was clear."
Black went quiet. Why did he want the Sorting Hat? What kind of stupid question was that?!
"If you become an Item, then…"
The Sorting Hat shook its head, cutting off Black's answer.
The Hat sighed. "Power. The Peak of Absolute Power," it mumbled. "Boringgggggggggggggg… Why are you lying to me? Gods… Why are you lying to yourself?!"
Black frowned.
The Sorting Hat took another deep breath, looking away. "Phew!" it breathed out. "Let's try it again. Why do you want me?"
This time Black understood the question.
Why did he want the Sorting Hat, when he certainly didn't need it? Well…
The answer to it was even more than obvious.
"Why not?" Black shrugged.
The Sorting Hat flicked its rim again.
"You want me… just because you can?" it asked, shaking its head. "Why? This constant need to own everything… This endless desire to manipulate everyone, even when you don't need to… This relentless hunger for power, even when you don't know my nature… This… avarice! Why?"
Black didn't know what to say.
The Sorting Hat had just described Kai Stormborn perfectly.
If he didn't act according to his nature, what was the point of living?
Why not just end it all and let worms feast on his corpse, let the wind scatter his ashes?
His insatiable desire for the Peak of Absolute Power was the driving force of his life. Without it, what was left?
Nothing.
"You know what your problem is?" the Sorting Hat asked. "You think you know everything and everyone. You believe you've figured it all out. Only you and your desires matter. Nothing else. But it's not true. What? You disagree with me? Wanna bet?"
Black had no desire to play games. Not with the Sorting Hat.
Who knew what laws governed this strange place? For all he knew, the Hat might just be talking nonsense to trap him into playing its game.
His inability to do anything against his situation had made Black calmer than ever.
There was no way he would be goaded into doing something against his will.
"Alright." Black nodded.
The Sorting Hat flicked the rim of its hat a third time. "Thank you."
WHAT?!
Black almost jumped to his feet, his jaw clenching and loosening, his teeth grinding against each other. What just happened? Why did he agree?!
But whatever had happened didn't matter anymore.
Between the two of them and the dusty bottles of rum and whiskey on the shelf opposite them, a video screen materialized.
…
"Bulstrode, Millicent!"
Professor McGonagall called out the name and then the girl got sorted out into the Slytherin.
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Finnigan, Seamus!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Granger, Hermione!"
Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.
…
The Sorting Hat looked at the paused video. "Look at her," it chuckled. "So eager. Tell me, in which House should I sort her?"
"Don't insult me!" Black snapped. "It's obviously… It's obviously…"
Thud!
The stool fell as Black shot to his feet, grabbing his head.
He… couldn't remember anything about Hermione. He… couldn't remember anything about any main storyline character. He… couldn't access those memories at all.
"What did you do to me?!" Black thundered.
The Sorting Hat flicked the rim of its hat. "Let the game… begin!"
**************
AN: Character image of Sorting Hat in the bar is available on Patre0n
Over 60 Chapters ahead of Webnovel are on Patre0n, excluding exclusive Side Stories. With each Tier, you will get ALL Monthly Uploads as well. You can also access all the backlog chapters, with Images and Gifs, enriching your reading experience, while simultaneously supporting the work.
Link: https://www.patreon.com/c/droopyauthor
Link (if you would be kind enough to donate a hot coffee): https://ko-fi.com/droopyauthor
50 Power Stones: +1 Bonus Chapter and +1 Bonus Chapter for every 20 Power Stones above that