“Do you recall anything?” Skyler gazed into her eyes, profound as the stars, and spoke slowly.

The woman furrowed her brow, appearing to ponder for a moment, then shook her head slightly. She spoke softly, “I can’t remember anything. But I know our conversation was in English, and you and I are both wizards…”

A glint of realization flashed in Skyler’s eyes. Just as he anticipated, the woman’s memories of past experiences were lost in the soul reshaping process, yet her knowledge and awareness remained intact. It was the most favorable outcome for her.

“Since you have no recollection, your previous identity is no longer pertinent,” Skyler declared earnestly. “And given that you still acknowledge the existence of magic, deducing your current state shouldn’t be too challenging. In the past, you fell victim to an incredibly malevolent curse, which polluted your entire soul, causing a complete loss of self-awareness and humanity. It’s not an exaggeration to say that you were alive yet dead. It took two bottles of exceedingly precious potion ingredients to rescue you. Strictly speaking, I am your savior and your reborn guardian.”

After the soul separation, the subsequent step involves selecting a suitable Horcrux and infusing the soul into it. While any item can serve as a Horcrux, the process necessitates potent protective spells for the Horcrux and a substantial reservoir of magical power to accomplish the entire transfer.

This implies that even if a dark wizard possesses the malevolence to split their soul, the successful creation of a Horcrux remains unattainable without sufficient strength.

The book explicitly underscores the importance of dark wizards safeguarding their Horcruxes. Any harm to the Horcrux will invariably impact the primary soul, further fracturing the already precarious core. The immediate consequence is the dark wizard’s descent into madness and gradual loss of sanity. Surprisingly, their magical prowess doesn’t diminish; instead, the soul’s increasing malevolence makes them more adept at wielding dark magic.

The woman nodded in understanding, acknowledging that Skyler’s explanation was indeed accurate. Despite her significant memory loss, her knowledge of magic remained intact.

Before undergoing the irreversible transformation into a beast, she had spent time in the Arcanus Circus, a gathering place for peculiar individuals. Her knowledge surpassed that of ordinary wizards, and the concept of life debt wasn’t foreign to her, stemming from her experiences in the circus. Though her memories of the circus remained elusive, the knowledge acquired during her stay endured.

Casting a discerning gaze over Skyler’s handsome face and then down at her own form, she vaguely recalled a tale from a Far Eastern country about a snake demon repaying a favor. With a meaningful smile, she raised her head and inquired, “So, how may I repay you?”

Coincidentally, Skyler found himself recalling the same story about a snake demon repaying a favor. Shaking his head to dispel these peculiar thoughts, he replied, “I happen to be in need of an assistant. We can enter into a master-servant contract. You will serve me as my helper for a period of ten years. After that, you can regain your freedom. Whether you choose to leave or stay will be entirely up to your own wishes. How does that sound?”

The woman’s smile took on an even more peculiar quality, perfectly complementing her peach blossom-like demeanor. Her eyes and the graceful “snake face” exuded an enchanting charm. Skyler couldn’t help but entertain the notion that “beauties bring disaster.”

“Alright.” The woman approached Skyler, gracefully knelt on the ground, gently raising her two jade hands above her head, and softly uttered, “I do.”

Skyler felt a bit awkward and uncertain about the cultural background of this practice. As far as he knew, aside from Dumbledore and Grindelwald, passionate enemies who needed to interlock their fingers for a magical contract, normal wizards typically sealed agreements with a simple handshake.

Nevertheless, he extended his right hand unabashedly and delicately clasped the woman’s hand, her fingers coiling around his wrist like a spiritual snake.

Suppressing a twitch of his mouth, Skyler turned a blind eye to the woman’s unusual actions and quietly recited an ancient and lengthy mantra.

This isn’t an “unbreakable contract” but rather a time-sensitive magical pact. The benefit is that it doesn’t necessitate the presence of witnesses, but the drawback is that the magical bond gradually wanes over time. Given Skyler’s current magical proficiency, the most extended duration achievable for this contract magic is a ten-year commitment.

As the contract magic concluded, a snake-shaped ring materialized on each of their fingers. These rings, resembling an ouroboros connected end to end, mirrored the extra ring on the ring finger of Skyler’s right hand.

The snake’s body on his ring was black, with the eyes of the snake’s head subtly flickering with red light. On the woman’s right hand, the extra ring was light green, and the eyes of the snake’s head glowed faintly with white light.

“The contract is sealed! To commemorate your new life,” Skyler intoned with piety and solemnity, “Your name shall be bestowed upon you here. Since you’ve emerged anew from the serpent’s curse, your name will be Sarff!”

(Note: Sarff means snake in Welsh English.)

“Yes, Sarff understands.” The woman smiled sweetly, evidently content with her new name.

Following the completion of the magical contract, Sarff’s skin seemed to acquire a golden shimmer, radiating a faint golden halo. Skyler recognized this as a phenomenon resulting from the stimulation of magic within her blood.

When observed through magical eyes, Sarff’s magical power escalated at a rapid pace, reaching the level of an adult wizard before gradually decelerating. It came to an abrupt halt just as it touched the threshold of the Auror level. This indicated that her magical power was insufficient to reach the Auror level, categorizing it as a “quasi-Auror level” for the time being.

“Ahem, we must now clarify the rules governing our master-servant relationship,” Skyler composed himself and addressed Sarff seriously. “While the master-servant contract we’ve just forged may not be as potent as an ‘Unbreakable Vow,’ you should not underestimate its repercussions. The ring that now adorns your finger serves as the link between us, an unremovable bridge connecting our destinies.”

“This ring enables me to pinpoint your location at any time and compels your heart to be open to me without defense, granting me the ability to peer into your inner thoughts and emotional fluctuations. Furthermore, it allows me to overcome any spatial distance and convey my thoughts or commands to you through telepathy.”

“Due to the master-servant oath, you are unable to disobey my will or defy my orders. If you forcefully engage in an action that contradicts my directive or knowingly jeopardizes my well-being, you will experience the harsh repercussions of your oath. Believe me, you do not want to taste the backlash…”

Skyler drew inspiration for creating this contract magic from the original work’s connection between Voldemort and Nagini.

In the original book, after Voldemort turned Nagini into a Horcrux, he could not only share Nagini’s perspective but also issue orders from a distance, such as instructing her to assassinate Arthur Weasley at the Ministry of Magic and ambush Harry at Bagshot’s house. \

Skyler found this ability intriguing and akin to possessing an unlimited timeframe to address matters.

“If I’m not mistaken,” Skyler spoke slowly, “due to Gorgon’s serpentine curse, even though I’ve removed the curse’s influence on you, I suspect the abilities bestowed by the curse haven’t disappeared, have they? There’s no need to conceal it from me. As I mentioned earlier, your thoughts and emotions are an open book to me, and there are no secrets.”

“Huh,” Sarff responded with a slightly displeased pout, her cute cherry mouth forming, “I had no intention of hiding anything from you; you just assume things. I’m merely uncertain about the magical abilities I possess now… Well, let me test them out first…”

With that, she closed her eyes and concentrated on sensing the magic within her. After a brief moment, her entire body suddenly shrank and transformed into a giant green snake, twelve feet long and as thick as an adult man’s thigh.

As Skyler anticipated, she had acquired the Animagus talent, transforming into a giant snake without the need for formal study.

Upon reverting to her human form, Sarff proudly displayed her achievement to Skyler, opening her mouth and emitting hissing sounds. It turned out she had also mastered the skill of snake whispering!

“Excellent,” Skyler nodded with satisfaction. “Your talents are incredibly valuable to me. By the way-“

Wearing a triumphant smile, Skyler continued, “This master-servant contract allows me to tap into your magical abilities and talents regardless of the distance between us. I can call upon your magic whenever I need it, and I now possess your Animagus and Snake Whisperer abilities!” This marked Skyler’s most significant achievement of the day.

Not only did he acquire two rare and profound skills effortlessly (while obtaining Snake Whisperer and Animagus through conventional means requires significant time and effort), but also, by invoking Sarff’s magic, Skyler’s own magical prowess would ascend to the level of an Auror. If he had been adequately prepared with the right tactical approach, he would even dare to confront elite Aurors head-on, with a favorable chance of success.

[A master-servant relationship with Sarff has been established!]

[“Snake Whisperer Bloodline Talent” acquired!]

[The ability to transfigure into a Serpent has been obtained!]