Above the fusion furnace, chaos light swirled.
It didn't look particularly flashy—dim and subtle, now bright, now fading—but that faint sheen of primordial chaos somehow made every other talent in the rewards bar dim by comparison.
Even Blessed True Immortal and Proved Diamond Body Never Fails seemed to retreat into the background.
Theodore's heart pounded.
Whatever was being forged within that furnace—
It felt like it might be something above everything he had so far.
At the same time, a prickle of unease made him look up.
The Room of Requirement's ceiling showed the sky outside.
What had been a clear blue just moments ago was now twisting.
Clouds boiled into existence, and a strange, magnificent phenomenon unfolded.
A ring of radiant, five-colored clouds spun slowly into a vortex over Hogwarts, swirling and braided together in shimmering bands. It was beautiful, almost dreamlike.
But beneath the beauty was a crushing pressure.
The air grew thick and heavy. Even breathing felt like work.
The students in flying class were forced to descend one after another, brooms wobbling as they landed.
Even the boldest Gryffindor didn't dare rise back into the sky under that oppressive force.
The five-colored vortex continued to expand, spinning faster and faster.
Within its heart, streaks of five-hued lightning began to flicker—like blades of light hidden behind a curtain.
Up in his office, Dumbledore stared out at the heaven-spanning vortex, his expression grave.
"What now…?"
He didn't know what was causing it.
But he had no trouble sensing the terrifying power coiled inside those five-colored clouds.
The Elder Wand blurred in his hand.
Protective enchantments built into Hogwarts flared to their maximum. Invisible shields locked into place in layers around the castle, easing the choking pressure that had settled over the grounds.
Even so, Dumbledore did not relax.
His voice boomed out across the school grounds.
"All students, return to the castle at once. No one is to remain outside!"
After the events of the last few weeks, the students didn't need to be told twice.
They hurried toward the castle in surprisingly orderly lines.
Harry muttered under his breath:
"Before I came to Hogwarts, Hagrid told me this was the safest place in the entire wizarding world."
"Looking at it now… I'm starting to think the wizarding world must be pretty dangerous, then."
Elsewhere in the castle, in a small office, Professor Trelawney's eyes unfocused. Without anyone realizing, she slipped once more into a prophetic trance.
Down in the Black Lake, the giant squid that had once attacked Theodore surfaced quietly.
It stared up at the five-colored lightning in the sky, and, for a brief moment, a shred of clarity gleamed in its eyes.
It gurgled in a deep, distorted voice, speaking words that no one on shore could hear clearly:
"Prophecy…"
"Five colors of lightning in the sky…"
"The curtain of endings rises…"
"The long age… is coming to a close…"
That moment of clarity vanished as quickly as it came.
Madness swallowed the giant squid's gaze again, and it sank back beneath the lake in a froth of bubbles.
Elsewhere, Quirrell and Voldemort were also watching the five-colored lightning.
A chill pooled in Quirrell's gut.
"Master, last time it looked like this too. The sky went weird and lightning started hitting us out of nowhere."
"It's not going to happen again… is it?"
Voldemort himself didn't feel entirely at ease, but he gritted his teeth.
"Impossible."
"Last time was because you were stupid enough to stand under a tree in a thunderstorm. Even first-years know that gets you struck by lightning."
"This time we're inside the castle. We've got Hogwarts' wards around us. There are so many people around. Why would it hit us?"
Inside the Room of Requirement, Theodore's expression had also grown serious. A shiver of awe ran down his spine.
"Just what kind of talent is this furnace forging?"
"How can there be this much commotion?"
"Five-Colored Tribulation… It's a good thing this is the wizarding world. No matter how strong it is, there's a limit."
"If this were the Primordial World, a Five-Colored Tribulation like this could probably kill even Twelve Golden Immortals."
The chaos light in the furnace pulsed again, growing clearer, more defined.
High above, the five-colored lightning flickered violently.
It could sense that the thing it was meant to strike—the "target" of its tribulation—was nearing completion.
But it still couldn't locate that target's exact position.
Its temper flared.
Since it had come this far, it wanted something to hit.
A spear of five-colored lightning split from the vortex and stabbed down toward Hogwarts, homing in on the tower where Quirrell stood.
As it neared, the castle's protective magic flared.
Layer after layer of shimmering barrier absorbed the brunt of the strike, dispersing most of its power.
But a thin thread of five-colored lightning slipped through, streaking straight toward the tower and Quirrell.
Dumbledore's face changed.
If that bolt landed squarely on a student, there would be nothing left to save. They wouldn't even have the chance to become a ghost.
Just as he raised the Elder Wand to intervene, Quirrell's expression twisted even faster than Dumbledore's.
In his head, Voldemort was swearing furiously.
"Seriously?"
"Why me?"
"With all these people around, why me again?!"
He grumbled, but he still seized full control of Quirrell's body.
"We can't go all out with this many eyes on us."
"Run. We'll let Hogwarts' wards grind this lightning down a bit more."
"If we move fast, maybe some other poor soul will get struck instead."
He immediately bolted, Quirrell's robes flapping as he sprinted across the tower top.
But the five-colored lightning traced his path like it had eyes of its own, altering course with every dodge, always locked on Quirrell's back.
The professors and students watching from below stared, stunned.
"Did Professor Quirrell cast some kind of spell to draw the lightning away?"
"He looks a right mess, but… wow. Throwing himself in front of lightning like that? That's brave."
"I told you he was capable!"
Meanwhile, in the Room of Requirement, the fusion furnace's chaotic glow grew brighter and deeper, so intense even the room's magic seemed unable to contain it.
In the sky, the tribulation lightning still couldn't pinpoint Theodore's exact location—but now it had locked firmly onto the castle itself.
Bolts of five-colored lightning rained down in a storm.
This time, even Dumbledore knew Hogwarts' protections alone wouldn't hold.
He swept the Elder Wand through the air in great arcs.
Golden-red Gubraithian Fire exploded upward, meeting the lightning in midair.
The spell Firestorm roared skyward, flames and lightning tangling together in a breathtaking clash of power.
Fire-rain and shards of lightning spilled toward the castle.
McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape and the other professors all threw themselves into the storm, unleashing everything they had.
Spell after spell turned the deluge aside, keeping it from smashing into the stone walls.
Just when everyone was gasping, arms aching, another deafening peal split the sky.
The last of the energy condensed within the five-colored vortex suddenly collapsed.
What remained turned into a waterfall of lightning, five colors braided together, pouring down from the heavens.
Dumbledore's heart clenched.
A piercing phoenix cry rang through Hogwarts.
Fawkes dove into the storm, spitting torrents of golden fire.
Dumbledore's wand never stopped moving; he chained one Firestorm after another, wall after wall of flame slamming into the descending lightning.
Fire and lightning tore at each other high above Hogwarts, neither giving an inch.
Time seemed to freeze.
Only when the vortex finally scattered and the lightning faded did the storm end.
Everyone sagged, breathing hard.
Dumbledore was drenched in sweat. His hand shook around the Elder Wand. Fear still lingered in his eyes.
If that lightning waterfall had lasted a little longer—
He might have gone down in history as the first owner of the Elder Wand to be struck dead by lightning.
And then who, exactly, would the Elder Wand decide to call master?
He looked out over Hogwarts, exhausted and baffled.
"How have we had this many bizarre events in just the first term?"
"Is the place… cursed? Hexed?"
"Maybe we really should hold a purification ritual."
In the Room of Requirement, Theodore exhaled slowly, gaze snapping back to the furnace icon on the system screen.
His eyes burned.
"The talent… is done."
As the talent being forged finally took shape, the Five-Colored Tribulation faded away.
He swallowed, heart thumping.
"With that much fanfare… just what kind of talent did it make?"
He couldn't help himself; his eyes flew to the rewards panel.
There, even Blessed True Immortal and Proved Diamond Body Never Fails had obediently shifted down one line—
As if to say they were not worthy to stand beside this newcomer.
Chaos light curled and sank.
On the topmost line of the panel, the text finally began to clarify, stroke by stroke.
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