Dumbledore had barely finished speaking when he noticed Vaughn giving him a strange look.
Only then did Old Dumbledore realize that he had no need to put things in simple terms. However complex the question, Vaughn's vast knowledge of Muggles let him break it down and understand it.
"All right—" Dumbledore gathered his thoughts and tried again. "Being a Legend isn't a level of power. It isn't even about how strong someone is. It's a form of life that has escaped Destiny's control."
"Of course, that escape is limited. A Legend can't step outside Destiny altogether, the way you can."
Vaughn was quick to grasp and analyze things, and he immediately understood what Old Dumbledore meant.
The problem was—
He was the Variable Li Nanyu had spoken of. Old Dumbledore had just said he could step outside Destiny.
If escaping Destiny's control, even to a limited extent, was enough to become a Legend, then he should have become one long ago!
As though he had seen Vaughn's confusion, Dumbledore explained patiently, "Every living being in this world is caught in Destiny's web. They're powerless to resist it and can only be carried along."
"Only Free Will can rise beyond Destiny to a limited degree. But Free Will isn't a power. It's an intangible spirit born within us, representing a possibility."
"You possess that possibility, and you can step outside Destiny yourself. But that alone isn't enough to make you a Legend."
Vaughn considered Old Dumbledore's words. Put simply, all living beings were bound by Destiny, and only Free Will could offer a limited escape.
But plenty of people had Free Will. If it were that simple, Legendary Wizards wouldn't be so rare.
The key was turning Free Will into one's Path of Legends and strengthening that will until it could