"Paper figures. Living paper figures."
Wade reached down and grabbed one that had just passed by his feet, then smiled and stuffed it into Tom's hand.
"Well, I can certainly see that…"
The paper figure was covered in some suspicious transparent slime and struggled continuously in Tom's hand.
Tom grimaced in disgust and threw it back onto the ground.
The little figure sat there, shook its head, then stood up again and rejoined the group, resuming its work.
As it moved, the strange slime on its body was gradually absorbed into it…
"So how exactly did you do this?" Tom asked, flicking the slime off his hand, not noticing what had just happened to the paper figure.
Making paper figures move wasn't anything unusual. Tom was sure that any second-year with decent Transfiguration skills could manage it.
But making so many paper figures work in such an orderly manner, with such agility, was not something just anyone could do.
"That's rather complicated, Tom. It's hard for me to explain clearly. You just need to know that different Ancient Runes can form countless combinations, and each combination produces a different effect… I have to say, it's truly fascinating," Wade said with a smile, watching the paper figures scurry about.
Tom asked, "At most, they're just more agile constructs… but why did you say they can replenish magic by eating fruit?"
"Calling them constructs isn't entirely accurate, because only living beings can restore energy through food," Wade replied with a smile.
"You mean… these paper figures are alive?" Tom was startled.
"At least half of them are." Wade walked over to a box covered with a black cloth and pulled the cloth away in one motion.
Tom stared at what was revealed beneath it, his eyes widening in shock.
Beneath the black cloth was the culture vessel Tom had previously intended to help Wade set up here.
Now, the once empty, transparent vessel was filled with a clear, unknown liquid.
Inside it, a mass of crimson, vein-like filaments filled the entire container.
The filaments wriggled slightly within the liquid, looking like a tangled cluster of worms.
Tom stared at the contents and felt his stomach churn. It was disgusting.
Among those worm-like strands, paper figures were tightly entangled. As time passed, the red filaments slowly sank into their bodies.
"What… what is this?" Tom asked, forcing down his nausea.
Wade shook his head. "I just made it. I haven't even named it yet. But you can think of it as a kind of organism that can parasitize constructs."
"It has no consciousness. It only reacts instinctively when stimulated, contracting or expanding, like a Mimosa plant."
"So as long as I inscribe the right Ancient Runes on the paper figures to stimulate specific parts of this organism and trigger those instinctive responses, I can make the figures move. It's like how a nervous system controls human muscles. You could say the rune combinations on the paper figures act as their brain."
"Of course, a living organism still needs food… oh, and it seems to like fruit."
As he spoke, Wade picked up the bunch of grapes Tom had dropped.
He also grabbed a paper figure that was moving sluggishly, clearly weakened.
When he brought a grape close, a small red tendril extended from where the figure's mouth would be.
The tendril pierced the grape, and the fresh fruit shriveled rapidly. In moments, it turned into a dry, black residue.
Watching this, Tom gradually understood what Wade had done.
"The two combat constructs you replicated before moved because of the magical cores you collected… what you've done now is replace the magical core with a living organism to power them."
"Exactly!" Wade snapped his fingers. "You've hit the key point: energy. Constructs need energy to move. Magical cores can provide plenty of it, but… they're far too expensive and difficult to produce. Mass production is almost impossible. So why not use another method to supply energy?"
"Wizards use magic and Ancient Runes to make constructs move like living beings… so why not take it a step further? What could be more like a living thing than an actual living thing?"
Tom sighed. "So that's why your paper figures are so agile… Wade, you're insane."
"Thanks for the compliment, Tom." Wade smiled. "In fact, I should thank your ancestor. Most of the techniques I used for this kind of biological modification are derived from his rather terrifying experiments…"
Tom raised an eyebrow. "Slytherin? Hmph, he was insane too…"
"Compared to him, I'm still not that crazy. After all, stuffing a piece of Devil's Snare into a culture vessel is far more humane than stuffing a living person into one… though are you sure it's alright to speak ill of your own ancestor like that, Tom?" Wade said.
"But it's the truth, Wade. If it were me conducting the experiment… I'd at least knock the subject unconscious first," Tom said expressionlessly.
Wade hesitated before asking, "And how is that any different from your ancestor's methods?"
"Of course it's different. It makes me a kinder person," Tom said solemnly.
"Ha, I knew it. Your whole family line, all the way through, is full of such ..good people," Wade said, placing the paper figure back on the ground. "It's just the people around you who can't see that."
Tom ignored the sarcasm and steered the conversation back to the organism in the vessel. "This thing… used to be a Devil's Snare? I can't see a single trace of it."
"Yes. I can't create life from nothing. In theory, that's something only gods can do. So I can only modify what already exists," Wade said, looking at the mass in the vessel with satisfaction. "And it seems the results are quite good."
Tom observed the paper figures bustling about under command for a while before speaking again. "These paper figures of yours are impressive, but compared to true constructs, they still fall short. Real constructs don't get tired… yours need to be fed, and… they can grow fatigued. Living things get tired, don't they?"
Wade grinned. "You've got a sharp eye, Tom. You spotted the biggest flaw of these biological constructs right away."
"But there's nothing that can be done about that… what you've made is already very good. Unless you can find a source of energy that can supply power endlessly," Tom said with some regret.
"I do have some ideas about that…" Wade said calmly.
"You know of such an energy source?" Tom asked in surprise.
"Just some ideas… I still need experiments to verify them…"
"What energy are you planning to test?" Tom asked curiously.
"There's a kind of flame… said to never go out…"
"Gubraithian Fire?!" Tom blurted out.
Wade lightly pinched his fingers together, and a small cluster of Gubraithian Fire appeared, hovering at the tip of his index finger.
"I still need to run some tests. First, I have to understand why this flame can keep burning indefinitely. In theory, energy must be conserved. I need to find out what price it pays to keep burning. If the cost isn't too high… then it could completely replace biological energy and become the core power source for constructs…" A hint of excitement appeared on Wade's face.
"If it works, that would indeed be a major breakthrough, but… is it really worth getting that excited over? It's just an improvement in construct technology," Tom said, puzzled.
Wade had achieved significant progress in construct techniques before, yet he had never been this excited.
The smile on Wade's face grew even brighter. "Tom, think a little broader. If this succeeds, using it for combat constructs will only be one of many applications. This is energy. A new form of energy. If we master this, we might be able to usher in an entirely new era."
Tom still didn't fully understand, but from Wade's tone, it was clear that this technology could soon flourish in his hands.
…
"Are all the creatures in here?"
In the Forbidden Forest,
Wade looked at the large tent before him, putting in considerable effort to keep the corners of his mouth from rising too obviously.
At that moment, Grindelwald's capable subordinate, Abernathy, stood nearby.
Only after hearing Wade's question did he reply, "This is just part of them. The rest are spread out in other areas of the Forbidden Forest, each about half a mile apart. That's to avoid… what happened last time."
"Excellent." Wade smiled. "Do you have a detailed list?"
Abernathy took out a prepared list and handed it over.
Wade glanced at it, and the smile on his face grew even more pronounced.
"Set aside another tent. Some of the dark creatures here aren't suitable for student trials. Keep those stored separately for now."
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