[Third Person's PoV]
Arthur grabbed his notes and rapidly flipped through the pages before stopping abruptly. With a burst of excitement, he closed the book, flipped to the back, and opened it again. A relatively simple magic circle was drawn there.
"I've been working on this magic circle for a while now," Arthur explained eagerly. "I drew it on the back of my notes as a goal for when my studies were complete. Now, I can finally recreate it."
Nicholas leaned over to examine the diagram. The magic circle consisted of two concentric circles with runes carefully drawn between them, forming the outer boundary, and a pentagram at the center.
"What does it do?" Nicholas asked curiously.
Arthur grinned. "It's better if I show you rather than explain. I've spent an entire week perfecting this magic circle—double-checking, making corrections, ensuring the spelling and positioning of the runes are flawless." He turned to Nicholas. "Mind if I draw on the desk?"
"Go ahead," Nicholas replied, influenced by Arthur's enthusiasm.
Arthur grabbed a piece of magic chalk and began to draw. He first outlined two perfect circles, then carefully copied the runes, his hand steady and precise, his expression filled with determination. Nicholas watched intently as the chalk lines glowed faintly. Once Arthur finished the last rune, he moved to the center and drew the pentagram.
The entire magic circle lit up brightly.
"Care to explain what you've drawn? And what it means?" Nicholas asked.
Arthur nodded, his excitement unwavering.
"The circles represent the flow of energy and where it's contained—the area of effect will be within the entire circle.
The runes serve as a guide, directing and shaping the energy, like an incantation that determines how and in which way the magic is released and focused.
The pentagram in the center is also a rune of sorts, representing two things simultaneously: our individual will and the desired outcome of the spell. It's really no different than a wand.
For example, this magic circle is based on Alchemy, so it's structured within a pentagram to symbolize the five primary elements of alchemy. That means I have control over how an object is transmuted." Arthur's eyes gleamed with a feverish passion.
"Wait, you mean to say—" Nicholas began, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Yes! This is a transmutation magic circle I developed." Arthur turned quickly, grabbing two gray gems from an open chest nearby.
He placed them inside the circle, then hovered his hand over it and took a deep breath.
"Thanks to our earlier creation I understand the atomic structure of the object in front of me, so structural analysis is complete. so the first step—Comprehension—is complete.
Next is Deconstruction, where we break down the physical material structure into a malleable state…"
The gems crumbled into fine dust, swirling like a miniature sandstorm trapped within the circle.
"And finally, Reconstruction—the realignment of matter into the desired shape and form." Arthur's voice carried a mystical quality as the swirling particles began to reform.
The dust moved with purpose, stacking together like building blocks, until a brand-new piece of magic chalk stood upright where the gems once were.
Nicholas stared, mouth agape, his eyes nearly bulging out of his face. Slowly, he ran a hand through his hair, still in disbelief.
Arthur had taken the traditional seven-stage alchemical process and condensed it into three steps—compressing hours of work into mere seconds.
"I could do this faster," Arthur admitted, lowering his hand. "But I slowed it down so you could understand how the magic circle works. It still follows the fundamental principles of alchemy…"
His voice trailed off, and his golden hair fell over his face as he looked down.
Nicholas snapped out of his shock when he noticed Arthur trembling slightly.
"Arthur?" he asked, concerned.
A soft chuckle escaped Arthur's lips. "Heheh… I did it," he muttered to himself.
The chuckling grew louder and stronger until he hunched over.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Arthur erupted into laughter, throwing his head back, his face contorted with pure joy. "WHOOOOHOOOO!!! I DID IT!! HAHAHAHAHA!! MERLINNNN!!!"
Before Nicholas could react, Arthur sprinted away, still laughing hysterically. His golden hair billowed behind him as he ran.
Up ahead, Merlin and Perenelle were walking toward them, curious about the commotion. Arthur nearly crashed into Merlin but skidded to a stop just in time.
"I DID IT!!" he shouted gleefully.
Merlin's face lit up with excitement. "YOU DID IT!" she exclaimed, matching his enthusiasm.
Without thinking, Arthur wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. "Hahahaha! I really did it! My hard work paid off!"
Merlin was briefly surprised but quickly embraced the moment. "YAY, YOU DID IT!!!" she cheered, hugging him back.
When Arthur finally set her down, Merlin tilted her head. "Now tell me—what exactly did you do?"
Arthur gave her a look that clearly said, If you don't know, why celebrate?
But his joy was too overwhelming to dwell on that thought. Taking both Merlin's and Perenelle's hands, he beamed.
"Come, come! I'll show you! Mer-lynn, you're going to love this—I just know it!" Arthur said, dragging them towards the lab.
When they entered, Nicholas was still staring at the spot on the desk. As Merlin and Perenelle approached, they followed his gaze and finally saw what Arthur had wanted to show them.
Merlin's eyes widened in shock. With just one look, she immediately understood what Arthur had created—and how it worked.
"This…" she muttered, simply staring.
She covered her mouth, deep in thought.
Perenelle, on the other hand, looked confused. "What exactly is this?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Can I do the demonstration while you explain it?" Nicholas asked eagerly, his voice filled with excitement.
Arthur nodded, and Nicholas cheered like a child who had just gotten his dream gift for Christmas.
Arthur turned toward Merlin, a triumphant and mischievous smirk on his face, but his expression faltered the moment he saw her reaction. Merlin's eyes had taken on a feverish, almost crazed look. Her cheeks were flushed red, and she was clearly trying to compose herself.
She slowly turned to Arthur, her gaze intense, and he felt a chill run down his spine. Her eyes screamed, We need to talk.
Arthur furrowed his brows, silently asking, Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?
Merlin shook her head, indicating that he wasn't in trouble—but they needed to have a serious discussion when they got home.
Arthur closed his eyes and nodded in understanding. "Alright, let's begin," he said, shaking off his nerves and launching into his explanation.
As he detailed the process behind the magic circle—how he had designed it, refined it, and ultimately brought it to life—Perenelle watched with the same look of disbelief her husband had worn earlier.
When she finally saw the magic circle in action and understood its implications, she whispered, "That's… incredible."
As an experienced Alchemist and Witch, she knew just how revolutionary Arthur's creation was.
She reached out and ruffled his hair with pride. "You came up with this all on your own? Arthur… I'm starting to feel a little scared thinking about what will happen once you finally receive your wand."
Arthur rubbed a finger under his nose, clearly embarrassed. "Aw, shucks…"
"I'm serious," Perenelle insisted. "To be able to think of something like this—let alone create it—there's no doubt you're going to be someone truly special in the Wizarding World." She pinched his still slightly chubby cheeks affectionately.
"Careful," Merlin scoffed. "Otherwise, he might just get a big head."
Perenelle and Nicholas chuckled while Arthur rolled his eyes.
"How about this," Perenelle suggested. "I know it's almost time for you two to leave, but if you can stay a little while longer, I'll bake something to celebrate."
"YES, PLEASE!" Arthur and Merlin exclaimed in unison, their love for Perenelle's baked goods overpowering all other concerns.
Perenelle chuckled. "Then why don't you send your parents an owl and let them know you'll be late? Or at least check if you can stay longer?"
Arthur and Merlin froze.
Perenelle, noticing their reaction, sighed softly. "I suspected as much… Be honest with us for just a moment." She met their eyes gently. "You two—you're orphans, aren't you?"
Arthur inhaled sharply, his voice barely above a whisper.
"…Butter biscuits," he muttered under his breath.
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