The night was as black as ink.
Thick clouds obscured the moonlight that should have been bright and clear.
Only a few unusually conspicuous stars still twinkled in the sky.
The castle's towers looked especially lonely in the darkness. Vines on the stone walls swayed gently in the night wind, making faint rustling sounds, as though something were moving outside.
It was rather creepy.
Ian's bedroom was located high up in the castle. The room Little Morgan had arranged for him was spacious and antique, with several old oil paintings depicting elegant landscapes hanging on the walls.
In the center of the room, there should originally have been a heavy oak desk, but Ian had moved it elsewhere and replaced it with a mirror taller than he was.
It was the Mirror of Erised.
The room was oppressively quiet.
Only Ian's soft breathing and the occasional crisp rustle of turning pages could be heard.
Before him, the mysterious Mirror of Erised stood silently, emanating an indescribable ghostly glow. The candles in the overhead chandelier burned, casting flickering shadows through the dim yellow light. Ian had not lit the lamps, instead sitting cross-legged before the Mirror of Erised in the candlelight.
"Man, what's going on here?"
Ian had already begun consulting the alchemy books in his collection. Clearly, he had encountered some difficulty. His brows were slightly furrowed, and from time to time, he raised his eyes to stare intently at the Mirror of Erised before him.
Under the Young Wizard's magic, intricate hidden runes emerged upon the mirror's frame. Every line seemed to contain some mysterious power. The surface was smooth as water, reflecting Ian's figure, yet his reflection appeared somewhat blurred, as if shrouded by an invisible mist.
Others could not see the image within it. Only Ian knew