When she caught sight of her own smudged, whiskered face, Luna tilted her head from side to side, clearly delighted. She even let out a soft, playful "Meow!"
"Little calico cat!" Wyzett laughed.
Luna turned to him, eyes sparkling, and suddenly reached out to gently swipe her fingertip across Wyzett's cheek, leaving three fresh streaks of ash.
"You're a little cat now too!" she giggled, holding up the blank card so he could see his reflection. Her laughter was as light as wind chimes.
A warm, melting feeling swept through Wyzett. He jumped up, momentarily dazed and forgetting what he'd meant to do.
Right—he needed a towel to clean Luna's face.
He hurried into the bathroom, splashed a few handfuls of cool water onto his own cheeks. It felt like a melted candle suddenly firming up in a chill breeze. Glancing at his fingertips—now dusted with gray—he couldn't help but chuckle.
He shook his head and muttered, "Some wizard I am, reaching for a towel when I know dozens of cleaning spells…"
Still, since he was already there, he sighed, dampened a towel, and returned to Luna, carefully wiping the marks from her face.
"Is it all gone?" Luna asked softly.
"All clean. Not a trace left," Wyzett assured her, setting the towel aside and reaching for the blank card to show her.
But before he could, Luna picked up the towel herself and dabbed at his cheeks, erasing the last of his marks. "You're clean too. Not a single spot left."
"My turn!" Xenophilius announced, his voice thick with emotion. He snatched the towel and scrubbed at his own face. Since he'd cried the hardest, his cheeks were the dirtiest—the towel quickly turned a sooty gray.
Once the towel and the breadcrumbs were cleared away, Wyzett finally felt calm again. He found himself pondering just what it was about the bread that had moved them all so deeply.
It made Luna think of her mother…
It made Xenophilius choke up with tears…
He suspected it was the events of the past few days—his own emotions had spilled into the bread, infusing it with such raw feeling that it resonated with everyone who tasted it.
As he reflected, his mind drifted to the bread he'd left in the headmaster's office a few nights ago.
He couldn't help but wonder—what sort of reaction did Dumbledore have after eating that loaf?
Compared to today's bread, those earlier batches had been even more refined. Surely the emotion woven into them was just as potent.
Wyzett shook his head, banishing the image of Dumbledore in tears—he didn't need that mental picture.
But now that he'd analyzed the problem, the solution was clear: all he needed to do was rein in his emotions and focus solely on making the bread delicious.
With that in mind, he steadied his feelings and set about baking another batch of magical bread.
Maybe practice really did make perfect—this time, the owl-shaped loaf turned out a lovely brown, with no hint of charring or blackened crust.
Luna and Xenophilius both gave it glowing reviews: the crust was still a little rustic, but the crumb was soft, and the flavor was spot-on.
…
After a long, eventful day, Wyzett retreated to his room and turned his attention to The Wizard's Practical Combat Guide in his mind.
A whole school year had passed, and the once-blank pages of the Guide had filled with notes and spells.
Scanning the somewhat jumbled pages, he reached out with his thoughts, intending to sort and categorize everything.
He skimmed through Custodis Meditatio (Guardian's Meditation), Intermediate Oculus Magicae, Ancient Magic: Refinement, Ancient Magic: Soul-Cleansing Purification Curse, and Ancient Magic: Self-Molding (Devil's Snare Form).
Drawing on his experience from his previous life and the functions of each spell, he grouped these as auxiliary magic.
The moment he formed the thought, the pages shuffled and rearranged themselves. Each one he'd just reviewed now bore a blue label: Auxiliary Magic.
Satisfied, Wyzett continued organizing.
Spells like Ancient Magic: Soaring Charm and Ancient Magic: Enhanced Nox Charm (Basic)—which allowed for levitation or snuffing out light—he marked as control magic.
There were two attack spells: Ancient Magic: Enhanced Severing Charm (Basic) and Ancient Magic: Projectile Mastery, both capable of direct offense.
There was one power spell: Ancient Magic: Enhanced Summoning Charm (Intermediate Creature Grasping).
Control magic received a yellow tag, attack magic a white one, and power magic a purple tag.
With everything sorted, the once-chaotic pages now lay in neat order.
Flipping to the last page, Wyzett discovered an ancient spell he'd nearly overlooked.
This one had only recently matured in the mirror world, even acquiring a new name: Ancient Magic: Shield Charm / Instant Shield.
He examined the entry closely.
Ancient Magic: Shield Charm: Through meditation and precise gestures, channel ancient magical power to generate a protective barrier…
This had been the very first spell he'd cast after acquiring the Practical Guide, and its description hadn't changed.
But now, there was a new section beneath it.
Ancient Magic: Instant Shield: No gestures required. Channel ancient power to instantly raise a magical barrier, though it cannot last long…
He caught the key points: no gestures, instant activation, brief duration.
Wyzett compared the details, trying to deduce its full potential.
No gestures meant he still needed Custodis Meditatio (Guardian's Meditation)…
Undoubtedly, this was a spell designed for true combat.
At least on paper, it demanded sharp reflexes and perfect timing to reach its full potential.
He classified it as protective magic, assigning it a golden tag, and then decided to test it out.
Standing in the center of his room, he began with Custodis Meditatio (Guardian's Meditation). That familiar sense of clarity washed over him, and he instinctively activated his Obscurus core.
It pulsed like a second heart, pumping ancient magic outward.
The energy expanded like a shimmering bubble, forming a small, transparent barrier around him. It glowed with a faint silvery-blue light, barely noticeable and never obscuring his vision.
Just as Wyzett leaned in to study it, the barrier popped—vanishing as if it had never been.
"Can't last long… So that's how it is?" he murmured, trying Ancient Magic: Instant Shield again.
After several rounds of practice, his understanding deepened.
The Instant Shield only lasted about two seconds, and there was a cooldown of roughly the same length before he could cast it again.
The process always began with Custodis Meditatio (Guardian's Meditation): meditation to control the Obscurus core, which then pumped out ancient magic to form the shield…
🔥 Want to read the next 20 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]