Chapter 2: Tom Riddle

The boy’s face turned ashen as he stared at Li Weide. After all the pointless arguments, this guy had simply rejected him outright?

“So… you’re messing with me?”

Li Weide waved his hand dismissively. “No, I’m not messing with you. I seriously considered your proposal and actually agree with your theory about fear. But… forgive me for being blunt, you haven’t shown me any ability that truly instills fear. So naturally, I have no reason to comply with your wishes. Besides, I don’t keep rabbits or any such pets…”

The boy fell silent, a flicker of crimson light flashing briefly in his dark eyes. Li Weide’s words rang in his ears like a sharp taunt.

“If you have nothing else to say, please leave. I still need to fix the door lock you broke,” Li Weide said calmly, signaling him to go.

“You’re provoking me… but you’re right about one thing: lacking ability is indeed insufficient to inspire fear. Then… how can you be sure I don’t have such power?” The boy fixed Li Weide with a cold, mocking gaze, like a venomous snake stalking its prey.

Just as Li Weide was about to respond, he suddenly noticed the scattered chair fragments he had tossed on the floor slowly rising into the air! He was certain he hadn’t done this!

“So this is your trump card?” Li Weide looked at the floating shards, surprise and realization lighting his eyes.

Clearly, there was indeed someone in this world like himself who possessed such extraordinary abilities—and that person stood right before him!

The boy noticed Li Weide’s lack of panic, which puzzled him. Yet, this slight doubt wasn’t enough to deter his resolve to teach Li Weide a lesson.

In the next moment, the fragments hurtled fiercely toward Li Weide.

Most children would be frightened by this eerie sight, but Li Weide was no ordinary child.

In fact, after hundreds of experiments and thousands of practices, Li Weide regarded the boy’s control over this ability as rather childish.

Without any unnecessary movement or even glancing at the flying shards, Li Weide calmly stared at the boy as if examining a perfect specimen.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

The shards froze abruptly just before Li Weide, unable to advance an inch. Undoubtedly, Li Weide’s mastery over this strange power surpassed that of the boy.

The boy stared in shock at the scene.

“What’s happening?! Could it be… you… you can do this too? No! Impossible! How could you possibly do this?! This is something only I can—”

“Why do you think you’re the only special one?” Li Weide teased.

The boy’s proud heart was deeply pierced by that gaze. “So… we’re the same kind of people?”

“The same kind? No, I’m not like you. You possess such a unique talent, but I see no signs of practice in you. You wouldn’t just use this power to scare ordinary people, would you? If that’s the case, then your talent is, frankly, a tragic waste.”

With a wave of his hand, the chair fragments clattered back to the floor.

The boy glared fiercely at Li Weide, eyes blazing as if ready to ignite. “You do have special abilities like me, but… that doesn’t mean you can act so arrogantly in front of me—”

“Thud!”

The next moment, the boy was horrified to find himself suddenly pinned to the ground, unable to move even an inch despite having nothing pressing on his back—like an invisible hand holding him down with brutal force.

Li Weide slowly approached, looking down at him from above. “What was that you just said?”

The boy glared angrily at Li Weide’s worn shoe, unable even to lift his head.

“N-nothing… I didn’t say anything…”

Unable to move and feeling an invisible weight growing heavier on his back, unease surged within him.

“I sense the aura of fear emanating from you. According to your own theory, shouldn’t you be listening to me now?”

Li Weide’s gentle voice came from above, but to the boy’s ear, it sounded like a demon’s whisper.

The boy nodded laboriously, his eyes clearing considerably.

Then, suddenly, the heavy pressure vanished as if lifted from his body.

“Good. I like obedient people.” Li Weide helped the boy up and thoughtfully brushed dust from his clothes. “By the way, I don’t even know your name.”

The boy gasped for breath, still shaken by the earlier encounter and the crushing invisible force. He clearly felt Li Weide could have killed him effortlessly.

“My name is Tom Riddle…”

“Ding! Detection of host’s intersection with the future Dark Lord! Merit system activated!”

“Ding! Host has harshly disciplined a naughty child; merit points awarded: 50!”

Li Weide: ?

…

Tom Riddle? The future Dark Lord? Merit system…

“So that’s it… Tom… Tom Riddle.”

Li Weide examined the boy named Tom Riddle more closely.

Tom felt a tightening in his chest under Li Weide’s suddenly intense gaze.

Although he might one day become the infamous Dark Lord, right now he was just a kid who had been bested and, more importantly, he did not want to die!

Thus, facing Li Weide, who seemed capable of ending his life at any moment, Tom’s fear was indescribable.

At that moment, Tom felt a weight on his shoulder—it was Li Weide’s hand.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Tom’s forehead.

“Don’t be nervous, Tom. I just find your name somewhat familiar.”

Indeed, the name was very familiar. The combination of the Dark Lord and Tom Riddle already revealed much.

At this point, Li Weide recalled two crucial facts he had previously overlooked.

This orphanage was called the Wu’s Orphanage, and the matron was Mrs. Cole. Undoubtedly, this was the birthplace of the second-generation Dark Lord, Voldemort.

Li Weide finally understood: he had traveled directly into the world of Harry Potter, though still decades before the novel’s main events.

In other words… the strange power he felt was not some supernatural ability but magic itself!