Press the switch, and you can transform into a Giant of Light.
That was the information the system provided. Well… Louis still picked it up.
Though he grumbled about it, who could really refuse the chance to become Ultraman?
"If I can't turn into Tiga of Light, becoming Dark Tiga isn't too bad either," Louis muttered as he pressed the switch.
Anyway, Ultraman could change size at will. Even transforming indoors wasn't impossible.
The "Shining Stick" opened on both sides, dazzling light flaring from within. But the radiance was like water without a source—after just a brief moment, it sputtered out and vanished.
Louis froze, dumbfounded. He tapped the stick a few times, suspicious that the thing might be broken.
Nope. Still nothing.
Sure enough, it was just a damn scam. Maybe he should just throw it away.
Unwilling to give up, Louis poured his spiritual power into analyzing the stick's structure. While he couldn't fully understand its principles, he did discover something resembling an interface.
Naturally, it wasn't a physical port for charging—rather, it was a spiritual one.
That interface connected to the light within one's heart, allowing those with justice in their souls to transform into a Giant of Light.
But since this was a special edition supplied by the system, there was no complicated ritual or offering required—no "big bone soup" nonsense.
Unfortunately, Louis lacked that bright, righteous spirit.
In short—Louis was black inside and out, through and through. A bad guy. Which meant he couldn't use the stick.
In the original story, someone did manage to transform into Dark Tiga by using machines in conjunction with the stick. But first, Louis had no such machine, nor the ability to build one. Second, the system's note was very clear: this stick only contained the power of a Giant of Light, nothing else. No alternate transformations supported.
A straight-up legendary piece of junk.
Rolling his eyes, Louis tossed the stick into his storage space.
Now his mood soured even further. So much that he didn't even feel like stirring up trouble.
Still, no matter how sulky he was, he couldn't actually do nothing.
Christmas was an important social holiday. As a friend, it would be rude not to prepare gifts.
So on the second day of vacation, Louis grabbed his wand and prepared to head for Diagon Alley.
Gift-giving was an art, even among wizards. Careful selection was a must.
As Christmas approached, "Mr. Wilson the Magician" was busy as could be—just his stage performances were enough to keep him running ragged. He wanted to go with Louis to Diagon Alley again, but couldn't spare the time.
Mrs. Wilson had work as well, so she couldn't accompany him either. That left Louis to make the trip alone.
Fortunately, Louis had always been a mature child. The Wilsons trusted him completely.
All the more so now that he was a wizard—though of course, they didn't realize that young wizards weren't allowed to use magic outside of school. Louis certainly wasn't going to tell them. After all, he couldn't use the magic of this world anyway, which meant the Ministry's trace was useless against him.
With keys and wallet in hand, Louis left the house.
Across the street, the Dursleys' place was unusually lively. Likely, they'd just received Harry's letter and were thrilled to know that "the freak" wouldn't be spending the holidays with them.
"Heh."
Louis sneered, and his body suddenly vanished. A gust of fierce wind whipped up on the spot before fading into silence.
The Snake Talisman. The Rooster Talisman. The Rabbit Talisman.
Using the three talismans together allowed Louis to fly swiftly, unseen by anyone else.
Normally, such usage would violate the principle of mutual reinforcement and restraint among the talismans, but with eleven of the twelve talismans already on the verge of collapse, those restrictions had become meaningless.
After countless days of honing them, only the Tiger Talisman remained intact; every other talisman was cracked and fragile, as though only a slight push would shatter them completely and force them to merge.
In that moment, Louis finally understood the revelation he'd received during Astronomy class at the start of the school year, when he studied the stars.
It had always been pointing toward the Twelve Talismans.
Grains of sand pile up to form a tower, drops of water gather to form an abyss—the message was clear: the twelve powers must be united, not as borrowed strength from foreign objects, but as a force Louis could command at will.
Why, in the original story, had Shendu still been toyed with by a dragon even after gathering all twelve talismans and breaking free from his seal? Why had he seemed bound hand and foot despite possessing the speed of the Rabbit Talisman?
Because the talismans themselves were part of the sealing system.
That so-called "mutual reinforcement and restraint" was merely righteous magic layered upon the twelve signs of the zodiac to bind Shendu's power. The Tiger Talisman did more than balance the other talismans—it was crucial in stabilizing the balance between the black qi within and the shell of righteous energy without.
Thus, the Tiger Talisman was the true core of the set, the focal point where their righteous force converged.
Louis had dealt with eleven of the talismans already, but that was only half the journey. The harder part lay with the Tiger Talisman.
Still, it wouldn't take long. He estimated that before summer arrived, he'd fully invade the righteous chains of the Tiger Talisman and fuse the twelve powers into one.
He just didn't know what kind of transformation would follow.
In the blink of an eye, Louis appeared at Charing Cross Road. Even as a Muggle—despite having magic and sorcery from another world—he could not see through the Muggle-Repelling Charms.
But his spiritual power spread outward like a tide, covering the entire street, easily guiding him to the door of the Leaky Cauldron.
Inside, the pub was as lively as ever. Tom the barman was directing his staff as they decorated for the holiday, filling the place with a festive air.
No one paid much attention to Louis, who stood alone. At most, some glanced at his tall top hat. With Hogwarts on break, it wasn't unusual for children to show up here.
Squeezing through the crowd, he reached the back door, pulled out his wand, and tapped a special brick in the wall.
What should he buy in Diagon Alley today? As Louis finished tapping and waited for the wall to open, he began mulling over what kind of gifts to prepare.
But after a long wait, nothing happened.
The wall didn't open.
Did he get the sequence wrong?
Frowning in confusion, Louis stared at the wall.
Footsteps sounded behind him—another wizard heading to Diagon Alley.
Quickly, Louis vanished into invisibility and stepped aside. He watched as the wizard tapped the bricks in the same order he had.
This time, the wall opened, revealing the passage to Diagon Alley.
Louis slipped inside with him, but the doubt in his mind lingered like a cloud.
Why hadn't the wall opened for him? Because he was a Muggle?
That didn't make sense. All it should require was a wand.
Emerging into a quiet corner of Diagon Alley, Louis revealed himself and stared at his wand, sinking into thought.
He suddenly remembered that time when Peter Pettigrew had attacked him with his wand.
The rat had tried to use the Killing Curse—but it hadn't worked. Almost as if he didn't know how to cast it at all.
But how could someone, fully intent on murder, use a spell they didn't know?
"…My wand has a problem?" Louis whispered, staring at it. Slowly, he lifted his head, gaze falling on the distant sign of Ollivander's wand shop.
That old man—he was the only one Louis had never been able to deceive.
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