On a bustling street in Westminster, London, Noah strolled along leisurely.
As he passed a corner, his figure abruptly vanished from the mundane world.
When he reappeared, he had already entered the magical world.
London's Wizarding World remained as prosperous as ever. Seeing wizards bustling to and fro, Noah finally felt a sense of truly being home.
Finding a roadside café at random, he sat down and ordered a milk tea.
He pulled a mobile phone from his pocket-one that hadn't been turned on for at least half a year-and felt a brief pang of loss.
"Actually out of battery," Noah muttered, somewhat depressed.
Fortunately, the phone was a gift from Tony Stark. The device required no maintenance; simply leaving it in the sun allowed it to charge automatically. Neither of them was Thor, the human battery, who could charge a phone with a snap of his fingers.
As he waited quietly, Noah noticed people around him pointing and whispering.
Bewildered, he checked himself. His outfit was exactly what he had been wearing before he left. No issue at all.
"Your milk tea, sir." A waitress delivered his drink.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"Nothing for now, thank you." Noah shook his head and tried to turn on his phone again.
He noticed the waitress hadn't left, which struck him as odd.
"What is it? Is something the matter?"
"Excuse me... are you intentionally cosplaying as the Sorcerer Supreme?"
Noah froze. It was fortunate he wasn't drinking-he likely would have spat it out.
Cosplaying the Sorcerer Supreme?
Me imitating my teacher? No, myself? Why would I imitate myself?
Noah's face was a mask of confusion. He simply couldn't fathom the situation. Even if it were cosplay, no one would believe it-magical power levels didn't match appearances.
"What do you mean?" he asked, taking a small sip of milk tea. "Imitating the Sorcerer Supreme? Why? And even if someone did, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Do you really not know, or are you playing dumb?" The waitress's expression grew equally bizarre.
"Don't you know how exalted Lord Fennel's status is in Britain now? Furthermore, the Ministries of Magic in every country have explicitly decreed that while adopting Lord Fennel's style is fine, using magic to assume his appearance is strictly forbidden."
"Uh..." Noah was momentarily speechless.
He hadn't expected this after only six months away.
To be honest, he didn't see it as a huge issue. While magical intensity could verify identity, the Sorcerer Supreme's reputation wasn't something anyone would lightly fake. This was simply a hilarious misunderstanding-where even the "real deal" was being treated as a fake.
Noah's current magical intensity wasn't perceptible to just anyone. Demigod-level power remained potent even after twelve years of dormancy. Magical power had long become his core primordial force, perfectly compatible with his abilities. Returning after twelve years, he felt no clunkiness using it again.
If this were chakra, even two or three years of inactivity would have left him struggling. Different power systems, different origins-that was reality.
"So, a friendly word of advice: don't think we're easy to fool, especially in London." The waitress shook her head with a sigh.
"But you should cool your heels; the Aurors are already here."
"Aurors?" Noah realized the severity of the situation.
To think Aurors were being dispatched-he had really caused a misunderstanding.
Rubbing his chin, Noah wondered if he had lost his freedom for the foreseeable future.
Of course, the thought passed quickly. No matter the misunderstanding, he would resolve it. He couldn't worry about being mistaken for his own impostor every time he went out.
Noah tilted his head and saw the Aurors approaching.
Amused, he recognized the lead-his old classmate, Ron.
Ron had done well. After all these years, he was Head of the Auror Office within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Normally he wouldn't lead field missions, but he still liked to get out when things were quiet.
Noah remembered Ron's marriage to a Gryffindor girl. He smiled at how well his old friend had developed-especially after performing respectably in the Mage Alliance.
"A cup of tea, no sugar, thanks." Ron spoke to the waitress, then sat across from Noah.
"Another impostor? Honestly, the things people do these days."
"I never imagined that you, Head of the Auror Office, would personally come on a run." Noah sipped his tea. "Out for tea? Or was the office getting boring?"
"You're familiar with me?" Ron frowned.
Looking at Noah, he felt discomfort.
"You know, I really want to give you a piece of my mind. You're pretending to be someone I respect most, and then act like we're old friends. Seriously, you're annoying me."
"Aha." Noah paused, then laughed.
"My apologies for giving you that impression. Didn't expect it to be like this."
Noah picked up his newly powered-on phone. Messages flooded in, nearly overwhelming the device.
Fortunately, after about a minute, the phone recovered.
Skimming the messages, Noah noted most were group chats. Close associates had known he would leave the universe for a while, though the duration hadn't been specified.
After a brief review, Noah realized he'd been mythologized excessively.
A month after he left, Kamar-Taj began releasing Arcane knowledge to the public-part of Noah's plan. Students spreading the information caused almost the entire magical world to learn that Noah, the Sorcerer Supreme, had discovered a "new" magical paradigm.
A new magical paradigm wasn't inherently better, but cross-referencing provided insights. The Arcane craze spread instantly.
Coupled with Noah's recent ascension and Kamar-Taj's recent moves, mages became obsessed with what the Sorcerer Supreme was up to.
Wong, Mordo, and the Council remained silent, believing Noah was off-world.
Three months later, as vetted Arcane data was released, all mages reached a conclusion: "The Sorcerer Supreme has likely found a brand new magical civilization!"
The idea was uncontrollable-and it boosted Noah's prestige. Bringing back data from "other civilizations" implied generosity and competence.
The magical world's mood soared.
Many bored individuals dressed up as Noah-not maliciously, just to be the center of attention.
But Noah's popularity meant Aurors cracked down everywhere. Desecrating the Sorcerer Supreme was not permitted.
"I really didn't expect things to turn out like this," Noah thought, holding his phone.
"You're quite the actor, aren't you?" Ron said, taking the milk tea.
"The phone's brand and model match; looks like you really put in effort. But it ends here."
"Alright, Ron. Why are you still the same as when you were young, always getting muddled?" Noah sighed.
Putting away his phone, he continued slowly, "This round is on you. Pay attention, pal-though that line you just said sounded pretty cool."
As he spoke, pale golden lights emerged from Noah's body.
Ron froze. He stood immediately, but before he could react, Noah had vanished without a trace.