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Chapter 251: Demonstration of Ancient Magic
Chapter 251: Demonstration of Ancient Magic
Felix and Hermione sat facing each other, his index finger tapping the armrest of the dark sofa. The young witch found herself silently transported to the Mind Chamber, separated from him by a small coffee table.
'Professor's casting is becoming increasingly seamless,' Hermione thought. It had been over a year since her first visit, and the transformation from the initial color and shape distortions to the current silent and effortless pull was a clear indication of his mastery over the magic.
Hermione was very familiar with the space, and she casually surveyed the room's decor, but then her brow furrowed.
The professor's half of the room remained largely unchanged: dominated by shades of brown, black, and dark green, with occasional touches of beige and soft gray, creating a rich and dignified atmosphere.
The deep chestnut-brown carpet was soft and comfortable, piled high with hundreds of large books. These books complemented the black wall bookshelves, the matte-finished square table, and the heavy dark green curtains.
Of course, there were also the increasingly numerous ancient Runic Symbols, which seemed to be the room's living spirits, bringing vitality and a magical visual experience.
Hermione could easily imagine the professor alone in the room—sinking into the sofa, summoning a book with a casual gesture, and playfully flicking away a mischievous Runic Symbol that had jumped in front of him.
But today, something felt off. Was it the dulled color of the carpet, or the green curtains that occasionally curled at the corners and seemed unusually quiet?
Perhaps it was all just her imagination?
"Miss Granger?" Felix gave his assistant a curious look, noting her tense and anxious gaze as she looked around.
Hermione, equally puzzled, said, "Professor, your Mind Chamber feels different. It's like it's become more... solemn, or weighty?" She stood at the boundary of their shared mental space, eyeing her own half with suspicion.
Her half of the room had a distinct modern decor: soft sunlight filtered in, casting a warm glow on the light brown carpet and the cream-colored curtains. The two potted plants on the central Xiao Yuan platform remained unchanged from a year ago.
'Comparing the two halves, the strangeness is even more apparent,' Hermione thought, finally finding the right word to describe her feeling: "Dark and heavy?"
Felix chuckled, "Why would you think that?"
Hermione shook her head, "It just came to me. On the surface, nothing seems different, but the details feel off."
Felix seemed to understand, nodding thoughtfully. "You've reminded me. This space is a reflection of our inner worlds. I've had some new insights into magic recently, and that might be affecting it. It should settle down in a few days."
"Let's begin today's lesson, Miss Granger."
Hermione set aside her concerns and returned to her seat. She and Felix began discussing the progression of Runic Scripts.
"Professor, from individual Runic Scripts to runic circuits, and the Runic Script spheres I've seen, as well as the complex overlapping and nested circuits on today's chestnut dish, does this mean that the more complex the Runic Script structure, the more advanced it is?"
"From a functional perspective, yes. Individual Runic Scripts have a single attribute, but humans always strive for more complex and powerful effects, so we push to combine more Runic Scripts together."
"Let me give you an example", Felix held up a Runic Symbol. "Fire. This Runic Script holds significant potential, and the effects differ greatly between my use and yours due to our different levels of understanding."
The magic symbol in his hand rapidly shifted between the Runic Script and fire.
Hermione quickly constructed a Fire Rune, but her transformation was noticeably slower, and after a few changes, the Runic Symbol's structure became unstable, finally dissipating with a faint hiss.
"Understanding the essence of magic is not something you can shortcut. You either grasp it or you don't, and there are no shortcuts. However, if you simply want to increase the power of fire, there are several methods—"
Felix summoned some Runic Scripts from the air. "For instance, to amplify fire—" He connected a dozen Runic Scripts to the initial fire symbol, and the palm-sized flame instantly expanded to the size of a pumpkin.
“I want it to burn more intensely…” He grabbed some more Runic Script and added it, like sprinkling in some spices. The pumpkin-sized fireball began to burn fiercely, accompanied by a crackling sound.
“At this point, the spell is already quite difficult to control. And I must emphasize, the Mind Chamber is not real. What I can do here doesn’t mean I can perfectly replicate it in the outside world… Returning to the main point, I want to increase the temperature—”
He combined new Runic Scripts and tossed them into the fire. The orange-red flames brightened, quickly transitioning to a vivid yellow, then a bright white, and finally showing hints of blue.
Felix said with a relaxed tone, “If this were in reality, without any protection, we would be burning up ourselves. So, the saying that Ancient Magic is very dangerous isn’t false. According to the ancient texts I’ve read, too many people have been destroyed by their first successful casting.”
“Continuing on—right now, we already have a powerful spell, but clearly, we want more: control, accumulation of Magic, or shaping…”
“If your understanding of magic is deep enough and your manipulation of Magic is very proficient, some steps can be skipped. Theoretically, all magic in the world is the result of manipulating and transforming Magic. But most people, including you and me, are far from reaching that level of mastery.”
Hermione watched the professor’s hand, which now held a blue fireball a meter in diameter. The air around it began to distort, and despite knowing that everything here was a mental construct, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of fear.
Felix waved his hand, and the blue fireball disappeared. “Alright, game over. What you just saw was just a mental demonstration. In reality, I can’t do it so easily. I hope this hasn’t given you the wrong impression.”
“I want to reiterate, Ancient Magic is very dangerous.”
Hermione clearly accepted this statement. Next, she methodically practiced Ancient Runes, learning new content and deepening her understanding of Runic Script. One of the key standards of understanding was “being able to convert Runic Symbols into their corresponding magical meanings.”
She counted on her fingers; truly understanding only a few, such as “Buffalo Strength,” “Light,” and “Fire.”
The road ahead was long and arduous.
Felix encouraged her, “At the next Rune Club meeting, I will break down an Ancient Magic and incorporate it into the lesson. If your progress is fast enough, I will teach you the Runic Script combination for this Ancient Magic. The same goes for others.”
Hermione’s heart raced. She knew that the professor had always been very cautious about Ancient Magic. In the year and a half they had known each other, their discussions about Ancient Magic could be counted on one hand.
Did this mean that the professor had already recognized her learning progress and magical control to a sufficient degree?
She began to think: in her first year, she had focused on translating Runic Script and practical runes, and in the second semester, she had been introduced to runic circuits, even successfully repairing a damaged beaded purse by the end of the term;
During the summer, she had consistently practiced carving Runic Script and runic circuits with a rune engraving knife;
At the start of the new semester, she had delved into Rune Transformation, placing more emphasis on understanding Runic Script itself. She couldn’t help but fantasize: by the end of her third year, would she possibly master an Ancient Magic?
Seeing Hermione’s enthusiasm, Felix added, “It will be the simplest Ancient Magic. Don’t imagine it having any real destructive power.” But this did nothing to dampen her enthusiasm.
By the end of the practice, Hermione felt unusually tired. She stood up to stretch, her gaze sweeping across the room. The strange feeling was still there, and the more she looked, the more uncomfortable it made her.
“Although the professor said it’s because of new insights, it still feels gloomy.”
She decided to clear her mind. Standing in one corner of the room, she kept looking around. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She picked up a potted plant and placed it on the professor’s cluttered square table, then squinted and smiled.
“This looks much better.”
(End of Chapter)
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