"Magic is an idealistic power."
The thought wasn't a memory from a textbook; it was a revelation, a key turning in a lock deep within Char's mind. That was the fundamental law of magic, an axiom that held true across every known system. Whether it was the love-fueled protection of the Patronus Charm or the twisted, evil desires that powered the darkest of curses, every spell required a corresponding will to drive it. Even the most common little charms required clear thought and focused intent. No matter how ancient the magic, this principle should be no exception.
The fog in his mind was clearing, faster and faster. He had finally locked onto the key factor he was missing.
Will. Of course, it was will.
Normally, human will has its limits. Even when facing life and death, or in the desperate desire to protect a loved one, that will, while surpassing its normal boundaries, is still finite. Lily Potter had cast the magic of love to protect Harry. Molly Weasley had killed Bellatrix Lestrange to protect her children. But even at that peak of human determination, they couldn't simply raise a hand and unleash a torrent of divine fire to incinerate Voldemort instantly. Nor could they break the laws of life and death, using sheer will to reverse a fatal curse. Human will, after all, has its limits.
"But what kind of willpower is needed to unleash the mythical power of ancient magic?" he wondered. "To stir up storms and fill the sky with thunder and lightning, what kind of will can possibly activate magic of such power? There must be a secret in this."
At this time, the teachers and students, startled by the lightning, were coming to their senses. In Dumbledore's absence, Professor McGonagall acted as a soothing presence. "Alright," she announced, her voice cutting through the fear. "No matter what happens in the outside world, Hogwarts is the safest place in the entire wizarding world. Headmaster Dumbledore has already rushed to the Ministry of Magic to deal with this matter. I believe it will be resolved soon. You still have half an hour to adjust your mood, then go to class!"
Under her command, the panicked hearts of the young wizards finally calmed down a lot. The final exams were coming soon, and compared to the rumors of monsters, the terror of failing was, for many, far more immediate. The professors who knew the inside story were also controlling their expressions, trying not to bring more psychological burden to the students. They also left the Great Hall one by one, preparing for their end-of-semester courses.
Professor Flitwick, as usual, returned to his office, took a sip of hot tea, and waited for the bell to ring. And at this time, a figure that surprised him quite a bit knocked on his office door. "Char?" Professor Flitwick looked a little strange. He had thought it would be some student trying to get him to highlight key points or even cheat on exam questions. He didn't expect that it was Char who had come. Then, Professor Flitwick felt a little happy again. After all, he had always admired diligent students like Char, whose performance in his first year had been nothing short of outstanding.
"Do you have any questions for me?" Professor Flitwick asked with a smile.
What came next, however, was a question that made him suddenly pause. "Professor," Char began, "I would like to ask you… it is said that the ancient runes contain the truth of the universe, that the secrets of the entire world are contained within them. But all the textbooks mention that a major determining factor in magic is the willpower used when casting the spell. Then what kind of willpower can unleash the secrets of the runes? Isn't this a paradox?"
After hearing this question, Professor Flitwick looked at Char in disbelief. It seemed unexpected to hear such a profound question from the mouth of a first-year wizard. After a long moment, he looked at Char. "You've already taught yourself the Runes?"
Char nodded. With a wave of his wand, one of the three runes he had been practicing formed several magic nodes in front of the professor. Flitwick sighed, his eyes full of admiration. "To be exposed to this level of magical knowledge in your first year… Char, you are indeed one of the best young wizards I have ever taught." Immediately, he answered the question. "You have asked a very good question. This goes to the core difference between ancient magic and modern magic."
Hearing this, Char's eyes flickered slightly. He didn't expect Professor Flitwick to directly mention ancient magic. The professor continued his explanation. "Ancient magic is usually extremely powerful magic with a very long history. They generally come from ancient Greece thousands of years ago, and of course, some come from other areas. According to legend, its power is sometimes far beyond the imagination of modern wizards. But today, it's difficult to find users of ancient magic. You might be curious why such powerful magic has not been passed down. That's because it often involves combinations of runes. One must unleash the true power of runes to master these spells. And as you asked, runes are believed to contain the truth of the entire world. How can human will control such tremendous power? Not even Headmaster Dumbledore could do it. There's only one way."
Speaking of this, Professor Flitwick paused, a playful glint in his eye, as if he was testing Char. "Have you heard the most famous legend about the Runes?"
Char reacted immediately. "You mean Odin from Norse mythology? Legend has it that he hung himself upside down from the World Tree for nine days and nine nights. That is how he gained the secret of the runes."
Professor Flitwick nodded. "That, my boy, is a metaphor. Many fools hope to emulate Odin and hang themselves upside down, as if pumping blood into their brains will reveal the secrets. But let me tell you, this couldn't be more stupid. The true meaning of Odin hanging upside down from the World Tree is that he bore the weight of the world. When he bore this weight, he could naturally penetrate the thirty-three runes. Now, do you understand the true difficulty of runes and why ancient magic was lost?"
Char stood there, his mind highly concentrated, analyzing the meaning of Professor Flitwick's words in detail. A moment later, he blurted out, "I see. The will that harnesses the secrets of the runes and activates ancient magic is not human will. Instead, we use the will of nature to activate the runes that contain the mysteries of the world!"
Professor Flitwick laughed, his face full of admiration. "Clever, clever! That's right. Odin bears the weight of the world, and the will of the entire world is infused within him. Thirty-three runes contain the mysteries of the entire world. From then on, he could naturally unleash their incredible power. Similarly, if you want to unleash the true power of a certain rune, then you must allow the corresponding portion of the world's will to be infused into your body. The simplest and clearest approach—if you wish to master the secrets of the runes associated with lightning, then endure the shock of lightning. When the lightning pierces your body, the will of nature that drives it will remain in you. But the prerequisite for everything is that you must be able to survive the process. This is why so few people are proficient in runes, and why ancient magic has disappeared. It's too dangerous."
Then, Professor Flitwick seemed to have thought of something. He asked Char in surprise, "Child. You're probably just here to satisfy your doubts, right? You wouldn't really do something crazy like that, would you?"
Char's face was serious. He spoke righteously and shook his head repeatedly. "How is that possible? This is too dangerous, Professor. I'm young; we don't do such things."
At this time, the preparatory bell rang. Char said goodbye to Professor Flitwick. The professor looked after him, a little uneasy. "He wouldn't do such a stupid thing, would he?" But a moment later, he shook his head. "It shouldn't be that bad. Even the most reckless Gryffindor would not do such a thing." He then put the matter behind him and walked towards his classroom.
At the same time, a bright light was shining in Char's eyes. The conversation with Professor Flitwick had made the mystery of how to get started with ancient weather magic completely disappear. It was certainly important to have the magical perception to complete the seven magic nodes, but more importantly, to truly unleash the magic's power, one had to obtain the "will of nature." No wonder he had completed five nodes before, but his progress was still so far from reaching the Black Iron level. This was the key.
His mind was now clear. The only problem was, was it really necessary to take this risk? He looked up at the sky. In the dark clouds, lightning was swirling, flashing with awe-inspiring power. After pondering for a moment, he made a decision. "Wouldn't it be stupid to just go get struck by lightning? What if even a legendary being that has been sublimated once can't withstand it and is killed directly? This death is too unfair. I have to test my tolerance for electric current first."
However, there was no modern technology in Hogwarts. And high-power power generation equipment, of course, did not exist. But after thinking for a while, he thought of how to use magic to solve his problem. He walked up to the seventh floor and came to the blank wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls. His Occlumency kicked in, clearing away all distracting thoughts. In the end, only a pure thought remained. "I need a place where I can get shocked. Try to make it as close to a real lightning environment as possible, but keep the power below the intensity that won't kill me."
As he walked past the wall repeatedly, a door suddenly appeared. His eyes lit up with joy, and he stepped into it. The scene before him made him realize that inside, it didn't look like a room but more like a storm in a bottle. A cloud of dark clouds hung in the space, and electric snakes were surging within it, flashing with a dazzling light. His eyes were filled with shock. The Room of Requirement could really do this? He had thought its biggest use was to hide things. But now it seemed it could do much more. After a moment, he suppressed his distracting thoughts. Looking at the dark clouds and surging lightning in front of him, he took a deep breath and took a step forward, facing one of the smallest electric snakes.
Immediately, a strong feeling of numbness and tingling ran through his body. His hair stood on end. The nose was filled with a burnt, coppery smell. Fortunately, the power of this electric snake was not too great and couldn't be compared with natural lightning. Although his physique allowed him to feel pain, he could still bear it easily. At this time, his eyes were fixed on the system panel. Accompanied by the strong electric current rushing into his body, he did not have a very clear feeling of the "natural will" that Professor Flitwick had talked about. But the black iron sheen on the ancient weather magic words was indeed a little stronger, one step closer to reaching the Black Iron level.
This made his eyes light up. The lightning environment created by the Room of Requirement was definitely no match for real lightning, but it was safe and convenient. If one flash of lightning wasn't enough, then he would take a few more. The next moment, he exerted force on his feet. He set his jaw, and with a glint of mad determination in his eyes, he strode forward, straight into the heart of the writhing, electric storm.
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