As everyone knows.
Every seven days, Ian would enter the Misty Illusion Realm in his sleep, though he did not yet know why he had this ability. However, over the years, he had developed the habit of keeping track of time.
Seven is a magical number.
At least in the world of Harry Potter, the number seven is very magical.
It has a special significance.
Many things in the Harry Potter world are closely intertwined with this number; it might be a magical number imprinted in the universe's rules within the Harry Potter world. Just like how 42 represents a universal constant in some worlds, in the Harry Potter world, the number 7 is the magic constant.
Of course.
No matter what the truth is.
The fact that Ian enters the Misty Illusion Realm every seven days is reality. He only needs to remember which day of the week he enters the realm, and for many years, he almost never made any mistakes.
This time is clearly an exception.
Mainly because night in the Harry Potter world, actually being daytime here, is indeed somewhat confusing, and the myriad events happening here distracted Ian too much.
Now.
In an unexpected moment.
Ian entered his Misty Dream Realm in an unprecedented manner—he had tried staying up all night before, yet he had never experienced such a "forced slumber" like today.
Ian wondered if the female Titan Claire had something to do with this or if it was related to the phase of time he was in. Nevertheless, his entry into the Mysterious Night was exceedingly abnormal.
In fact.
Not only was the entry method highly unusual, but the scene he saw upon entering this world was also unlike the usual. It's worth noting that before, Ian would appear in different places after entering the Misty Illusion Realm due to various reasons, but those were merely changes in geographic location.
Now.
The whole filter of the world has changed.
"What is going on here?"
Ian opened his eyes.
He looked around.
Feeling neither panic nor fear, he was curious to know what kind of dream mechanism had been activated, as everything around him seemed rendered in black and white tones.
Indeed.
These were not the colors Ian usually saw in the Misty Illusion Realm. Most of the time, the colors in the Misty Illusion Realm resembled those in the human world with little difference. The heavy filter surrounding him now felt as though Ian had entered an ancient Misty Illusion Realm.
The monochrome tones seemed to signify an immutable past.
Surrounding silence. No wind, no birdsong, no sound of heartbeat. The world seemed bereft of all signs of life, existing only in pure black and white.
Much like a faded old photograph.
Rigid and cold.
"An ancient Misty Illusion Realm? A world not yet a soul rendezvous?" Ian realized he might be dwelling in an unknown past.
Buried truths within history.
Regarding the Misty Illusion Realm.
And regarding wizards.
This world lacked the vibrant diversity of the Misty Illusion Realm Ian knew. The sky was leaden, void of clouds and sun, only an even, suffocating gray. The ground consisted of countless tiny black particles, akin to crushed charcoal, yet stepping on them sounded like shattering glass.
"What kind of place is this?"
His voice echoed eerily in the vast world. Looking down, even his own hands had lost their color, rendered only in black and white.
The magic wand was still in hand.
But its color had also blended into the surroundings.
"I must find out why I am here." Ian slowly stood up, the ground beneath was as hard as iron, with stones making weak friction sounds underfoot.
That being the sole sound attesting to the passage of time. In this world, Ian's breathing felt out of place—each breath seemed an intrusion upon silence.
Around him stretched an endless rocky wasteland.
No vegetation, no animals, not even dust drifted. Only, on the distant horizon, cracks spanned the land as though some tremendous force had once ripped it apart.
Ian began his exploration.
The black gravel moaned faintly beneath his feet.
Each step left an imprint.
The prints vanished seconds later. In the distance, sharp black stone pillars pierced upward, resembling relics of some ancient civilization.
"So, is the Misty Illusion Realm able to become what it is today still needing specific individuals to develop it?" Ian had encountered the Misty Illusion Realm while on past timelines as well. Previously, in the era of the Pompeii city, he could similarly enter the Misty Illusion Realm where time had not yet progressed.
At that time.
It seemed as if the Misty Illusion Realm's time was reckoned separately, no matter what the temporal point Ian was at, entering the Misty Illusion Realm would have no impact. Present circumstances are markedly distinct; Ian had seen no life and suspected that those he knew here were absent.
It's not that he entered a specific region.
Rather, Ian had arrived in a space belonging to the Misty Illusion Realm before its creation—at least the Misty Illusion Realm that Ian knew of had not yet come into being.