Translator's Note:
First, I would like to sincerely apologize for not uploading the chapters as scheduled, and second, for not informing you all beforehand about the delay.
I understand that many of you look forward to regular updates, and I take full responsibility for failing to meet those expectations. I promise this will not happen again.
Moving forward, even if I cannot upload for a day, I will make sure to inform you all about any delays in advance.
Thank you for your patience and continued support.
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Returning to reality, Aiden turned his head just in time to see the alchemy matrix beginning to emit a dazzling, unstable light.
'Well, that doesn't look good,' the thought had just flashed through his mind when he immediately threw up a powerful defensive shield, wrapping the entire matrix in layers of protective magic.
"BOOM!"
A violent explosion rocked the room. Dumbledore instantly reacted, adding his own spell to strengthen Aiden's magical barrier. Under their combined efforts, the explosion was suppressed, though the force of it still sent a shockwave through the chamber.
"Aiden, you didn't tell me this thing would explode!" Oliver complained from the floor, where Snape had tackled him to protect him from the blast.
Snape stood up, his hair disheveled, a look of pure annoyance on his face. "I hope the two geniuses who nearly gave themselves a 'brain explosion' can properly handle the aftermath," he said venomously, then turned and stalked out of the room without another word.
Aiden walked to the center of the ruins and picked up the blackened diadem. He wiped it clean, revealing that it was completely undamaged.
"The founders applied strange and powerful magic to their relics, making them nearly indestructible," Dumbledore sighed. "I believe this is also why Tom later chose these treasures as his Horcruxes."
Oliver walked over, his eyes fixed on the diadem. "Is this Lady Rowena's relic? I heard it can give people wisdom."
His covetous thoughts were an open book to Aiden, who simply took the diadem and placed it on Oliver's head.
Empowered by the ancient artifact, Oliver entered a state of accelerated thinking. As he looked around the room, his understanding of every object, every magical trace, and all the knowledge he had ever learned about them appeared clearly in his mind, giving him a heady feeling of complete control.
Looking at his friend's addicted expression, Aiden snatched the diadem from his head.
"Hey, no! Let me experience it again!" Oliver reached out to grab it.
"If I let you experience it again, you will be completely lost to it," Aiden said, tucking the diadem safely into his pocket.
Oliver & Dumbledore: "..."
"Let me ask in advance," Dumbledore said, breathing a small sigh of relief. "You do know this is school property, right?"
"Of course, Headmaster," Aiden replied, using his abilities to put on a look of utmost sincerity. "I'm just borrowing it for a while."
"Sigh." Dumbledore, seeing he would get nowhere, didn't say anything more and simply left the Room of Requirement.
That night, back inside the Room of Requirement, Aiden and Oliver began to study the diadem. Looking closely at the relic, Aiden's gaze pierced through the boundary between reality and illusion, traveling to the collective unconscious sea. There, he saw a small, almost invisible rune engraved on the diadem. The Kenaz (ᚴ) rune.
"Did you see anything?" Oliver asked.
"It's Kenaz," Aiden replied. "Knowledge, creativity, inspiration. Lady Rowena's technique is very unique. I don't know what method she used, but she seems to have reversed this rune."
"Reversed?" A question mark appeared on Oliver's face.
"Under normal circumstances," Aiden explained, writing silver-white words in the air with his wand, "our use of Kenaz is sequential. We first gain 'knowledge,' then use that knowledge for 'creativity,' and finally, our creations provide 'inspiration' to others."
"But Lady Rowena is different. I don't know what method she used, but she bypassed this process." Aiden waved his wand, and the silver words in the air rearranged themselves. "She starts with 'inspiration,' which then leads to 'creativity,' and finally generates new 'knowledge'."
"You mean..." Oliver's eyes widened as he began to understand.
"Yes. The inspiration is not given to oneself, but to others. If the diadem can directly inspire others..."
Before Aiden could finish his sentence, a faint, ethereal light began to radiate from the Room of Requirement itself. The laboratory around them began to twist and warp, the wooden boards reassembling themselves with a series of creaking groans. Oliver and Aiden floated into the air as the room was completely reorganized around them. When the transformation was complete, an elegant, ancient study had appeared in place of the lab. The decoration was warm and soft. A book on the desk was still open, and wisps of smoke rose from an incense burner beside it.
"It means that someone left their own knowledge in this diadem, to inspire others." A gentle, female voice finished Aiden's sentence for him.
"It is an honor to meet you, Lady Rowena Ravenclaw," Aiden said, bowing deeply to the portrait behind the desk. He then kicked the still-stunned Oliver, who quickly mimicked the salute.
"How long has it been?"
The diadem floated up from Aiden's pocket and flew toward the portrait. The next moment, the figure of Lady Ravenclaw herself, shimmering and translucent, walked out of the painting.
"It has been thousands of years, my lady," Aiden said.
"That's truly wonderful," she said, her gaze seeming to penetrate the past. "Our ideals... have endured for a thousand years." She turned her head and looked at Aiden. "By the way, has Helena returned to Hogwarts? Barrow volunteered to look for her back then."
"This... I'm very sorry, my lady," Aiden said, lowering his eyes. "It's a tragedy." He told her the story he knew, of the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron.
"So, Helena is still wandering the academy," Lady Ravenclaw frowned slightly.
"Do you need us to help you invite her here?" Aiden asked.
She nodded lightly, and Aiden turned to wink at the dazed Oliver, who, realizing what was happening, immediately ran out to find her.
"Those familiar eyes," Lady Ravenclaw said, looking at Aiden for a long moment. "You look a great deal like a student I once had."
"Perhaps it's a family ancestor," Aiden replied. "Our lineage has made some progress in bloodline research." With that, he took off his hat, revealing the two small dragon horns on his head, which clearly piqued her interest.
"Has it developed to this extent?" she mused. "Salazar was more researched in this area back then. It's a pity I can't give you any advice, young man."
"It doesn't matter, my lady," Aiden said, deciding to reveal his true intentions. "Speaking of which, may I ask about your current state? I am personally interested in this aspect of magic."
"Hmm? A junior exploring the path of the mind?" Lady Ravenclaw was stunned. Originally, she thought he would follow the path of his draconic ancestors, but she didn't expect him to have taken such a different approach. "No wonder you came to Ravenclaw," she said, finally looking at him seriously and discovering the extremely well-hidden power of the mind within him. "For the exploration of mind and soul."
"To think even I can be deceived," she said, her previous sternness melting into a slight smile. "Such a person has appeared among our juniors again. Since you are also a traveler on the path of the mind, why not guess my current state?"
"Since thousands of years have passed," Aiden began, "your body and soul should no longer be here, and you would disdain to use such dirty methods as Horcruxes." The subtle flattery made Lady Ravenclaw's smile widen, and she continued to listen. "And you are not a wizard who is nostalgic for the world. In all likelihood, your mind-body has traveled far through the Distorted Illusion. So what remains here is... a projection of your mind?"
Clap, clap, clap. Lady Ravenclaw clapped her translucent palms together. "Yes," she confirmed. "You have come into contact with the concept of an anchor, have you not? Do you know why I, Salazar, Helga, and Godric would specifically leave behind our secret chambers and items bearing our symbols?" She picked up the book on the desk and handed it to Aiden.
"After existence, there will always be traces. The wizards' love for Hogwarts, plus our own reputations, and our relics. The three together constitute a stable anchor, allowing us to project our power back to the world we so deeply love, while avoiding the eyes and ears of those... dirty things below."
Lady Ravenclaw was about to say something more when suddenly, the door to the study was knocked open.
[Chapter Complete]
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