A jarring impact sent Gabriel stumbling backward, his shoulder slamming into the cold wall of the train corridor. He blinked, disoriented, turning to confront his assailant. His eyes widened, a gasp catching in his throat.
"Move, mudblood!" A sneering, nasally voice cut through the air as a pale, near-white blonde-haired teen shoved past him, a smirk twisting his lips.
Is that Draco Malfoy?! Gabriel's mind reeled, his feet rooted to the spot. He'd just binged the entire Harry Potter series again, but surely he hadn't succumbed to that level of immersion, could he?
As Draco and his two hulking henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle, sauntered by, the reality of his surroundings slowly dawned on him.
The gentle rhythmic thrum of wheels beneath his feet, the fleeting glimpses of vast plains and dense forests through the compartment windows – he was on the Hogwarts Express. His mouth fell open as he looked down the hallway, seeing other students in their familiar school robes, animatedly chatting.
This has to be the weirdest dream ever.
Taking tentative steps, he found an empty compartment, slipped inside, and quickly drew the blinds, the door clicking shut behind him. He sank onto the oddly realistic and surprisingly comfortable seating, taking a deep, shuddering breath.
He needed to process this.
Following the cliché from countless novels, he pinched his arm.
A sharp yelp escaped him.
Gabriel sat befuddled, rubbing the tender spot. "Is this real?" he whispered, the pain far too vivid for a dream.
His last memory before waking up in this bizarre new reality was of himself at his computer, meticulously outlining a fan fiction novel. He'd spent hours scouring the internet, determined to find the perfect, overpowered ability for his main character. Gabriel was a sucker for stories where an ordinary human was thrust into a fictional world, only to discover a god-tier power that allowed them to dominate.
He slapped his forehead, a sudden, horrifying realization hitting him.
He'd spilled his glass of whiskey on the laptop, which then began to smoke, discharging a dangerous amount of electricity through his body.
I died, didn't I? Gabriel concluded morosely.
This must be some kind of afterlife, or maybe a medically induced coma? Though, I wouldn't have chosen the world of Harry Potter. Highschool DxD is more my style, or even Game of Thrones.
Shaking away the more intrusive thoughts, Gabriel slumped further into the seat, closing his eyes. A single tear escaped, tracing a path down his cheek as he mourned the life he'd possibly lost.
Sure, he was perpetually single and lived for his job, but he'd worked hard to get where he was. With no family and barely any friends, he wondered how long it would take for someone to find his corpse.
He tried to wipe away the tears, not wanting to stain the unfamiliar robes.
Fishing through the fabric for a tissue, his fingers brushed against something small and hard, accompanied by a piece of paper.
He pulled out the crumpled note and unfolded it, hoping for some identification, some explanation for his sudden arrival in the world of Harry Potter.
{Dear Gabriel,
I was really looking forward to reading your novel, but it seems fate has a funny way of doing things. I've given you a gift. I hope you use it well, just like your main character would have.
Regards, R.O.B.}
Gabriel flipped the page over, searching for more information, his mind racing.
ROB? I don't know anyone by that na - Wait! Random Omnipotent Being? Holy shit!
He gawked at his own conclusion, gently folding the note and placing it beside him. He'd always thought those stories were just made up, being saved by an R.O.B. and given a new life, but it looked like he was the next lucky winner.
Shaking with excitement, Gabriel's thoughts gained a new clarity. R.O.B. had mentioned a gift, something his main character would have used from his roughly written storyline. The faint, tangible feeling of the bottle in his pocket now made infinite sense.
Carefully, he pulled out the small vial containing a swirling, multicoloured liquid. His eyes widened into large circles, his breathing growing ragged as he gulped, saliva catching in his throat.
It's actually the essence... Holy fucking shit.
Thinking back to his story, he licked his lips, imagining all the things he could do and achieve with this item.
The Essence of Ideal Self from the CYOA posts... it's real, and it's in my hands.
The essence itself was ridiculously broken, in Gabriel's humble opinion. While other essences might instantly turn him into another R.O.B., he'd had his eyes set on this particular one for a reason.
The Essence of the Ideal Self fundamentally transforms an individual into the absolute pinnacle of their potential, granting them perfect physical and mental faculties. It systematically optimizes their personality by amplifying virtues and mitigating flaws, ensuring they embody the most perfect version of themselves.
Crucially, it enables continuous, exponential growth, where the individual constantly adapts, learns, and evolves to effortlessly surpass any limitation or challenge, inherently manifesting any desired abilities or negating weaknesses to become the ultimate expression of their being.
What this meant was that Gabriel could self-actualize anything he deemed an ideal version of himself. Seeing as he was now a wizard in the Harry Potter world, it meant his magical core would continuously grow larger and more powerful, with no limits. His intelligence would continuously grow, along with his physical aspects. Spell knowledge and magical applications would become a mere thought.
He would become the pinnacle of perfection, with no cap on anything. Along with that, he could theoretically grant himself different variations of Essences.
His existence would become singular and limitless.
His hands trembled quietly as he uncorked the vial. The multicoloured liquid shimmered, reflecting in his wide eyes as he swallowed, apprehension rising.
He brought the vial to his mouth, opened wide, and slowly allowed the liquid to flow into his mouth and down his throat.
A profound warmth began radiating throughout his entire body.
Gabriel closed his eyes, surrendering to the complete transcendence and sublimation of his mind, body, and soul. As if prompted by a higher power, a thought flowed into his mind: a reminder that he had the ability to change his physical appearance once. Though he didn't wish to make any changes now, Gabriel stored that option for later.
The warmth intensified, growing hotter as his body fundamentally changed.
His cells, tissues, bones, muscles, and everything in between were reborn, remade, and evolved. This process continued for an undisclosed period of time, Gabriel lost in the near-orgasmic sensation of becoming.
Ever so slowly, the sensation gradually dissipated.
Gabriel opened his eyes, truly seeing the world for the first time. Everything had changed. Colors were more vibrant, and subtle fluctuations of magic now appeared in his line of sight. His body felt incredibly strong, stronger than he had ever felt in either life, as if he could lift buildings with ease.
He released a long sigh, a contented smile spreading across his face. "That was amazing."
With his newly optimized mind, Gabriel rapidly sifted through every single memory he possessed, from his past life to this new one. He finally had a complete grasp on the situation he had found himself in.
As if by reflex, he flicked out a black wand, one he hadn't noticed before, and with minimal movement, waved it. The compartment door locked so strongly that even a professor would struggle to enter. The power and fluidity of his magic had been completely reborn.
"So, I'm an orphan. That's pretty on-brand," he mused.
"Unfortunately, I'm not some heir to a pureblood family, which makes Malfoy's statement earlier accurate. I'm in the same year as the Golden Trio, and oddly enough, we're in the year of the Goblet of Fire."
Shaking his head, Gabriel used his newfound mental powers to begin formulating a plan.
He needed to survive, thrive, and conquer.