Starry Sky Meditation

By mid-September, the morning mist over the Scottish Highlands had yet to fully disperse, but the History of Magic classroom on the third floor of the Castle was already full of drowsy first-year students.

When Professor Binns drifted into the classroom, hardly anyone looked up.

Hogwarts's oldest professor began the day's lesson in his unchangingly dry tone. "Today, we will continue discussing the Goblin Rebellion of 1612. The rebellion began at The Three Broomsticks Inn in Hogsmeade, where the goblin leader..."

Regulus observed the professor himself.

Professor Binns was transparent. When sunlight passed through his body, it cast an exceedingly faint shadow across the floor before the lectern.

What caught Regulus's attention was the Magic Fluctuation.

The magic power of other professors resembled Flowing Flame, Vigorous Life, or Deep Lake Water.

Professor Binns's magic power, however, was nearly nonexistent—or, more accurately, nearly impossible to perceive.

Regulus closed his eyes and focused his Magic Perception toward the lectern.

An ordinary wizard's magic power was like ripples on water, with a distinct center and edge, while Professor Binns's magic power was like a thin mist.

Uniform, sparse, stable—without rises or falls, without a core, almost blending into the surrounding environment.

He had learned from books as a child that the soul was the source of magic power. There had to be magic power sustaining a ghost's existence, so what form did a ghost's magic power take?

He recalled a concept from Physics he had read about in his previous life: the conversion of matter and energy.

After a wizard died, the body vanished and the soul remained. What, then, happened to magic power?

Did magic power transform from being attached to the body to being attached to the soul?

Professor Binns was still describing how goblins had used Counterfeit Galleons to strike at Gringotts's Financial System.

Regulus looked out the window. The morning mist was dispersing, revealing a corner of the Forbidden Forest in Dark Green in the distance, while his thoughts drifted farther away.

If ghosts were Residual Soul Forms, then what was the difference in magic power between a Complete Soul and a residual soul?

Was Voldemort's pursuit of Eternal Life an attempt to bypass the process of "physical death—residual soul"?

Through Soul Splitting?

With insufficient knowledge, Regulus could not reach a conclusion.

When the Dismissal Bell rang, Professor Binns had just reached the part where "the rebellion was ultimately suppressed by the Ministry of Magic." He did not even say class was over before drifting straight through the wall, leaving behind more than half the students still dazed.

At two in the afternoon, sunlight filled the East Side Area of the Library, while Madam Pince silently patrolled between the bookshelves with vigilant eyes.

Regulus intended to take a look around the outside of the Forbidden Section.

According to Hogwarts rules, first-year students could not borrow books from the Forbidden Section or even enter it.

But being unable to borrow them did not mean he could not look. The Forbidden Section's bookshelves were not completely sealed off, and from a distance, he could still make out some of the titles on the spines.

Madam Pince made a complete circuit of the Library every thirty minutes, lingering especially long whenever she passed the Forbidden Section.

Regulus timed it precisely and walked toward the Forbidden Section with steady steps, holding a copy of Changes in Medieval Magic Law as though he were merely passing by.

His gaze swept across the shelves, stopping only near the very back.

There was a thick leather-bound book with damaged edges. The writing on its spine had faded and mottled, but it was still legible.

A Brief History of Soul Magic. The author's name had been worn away.

Regulus tried to turn it directly with magic power, without using any spell—simply manipulating magic power itself.

He twisted his magic power into an extremely fine strand and extended it toward the Forbidden Section.

But he failed.

The instant his magic power entered the Forbidden Section, it was scattered by a vast, heavy surge of magic power. It was downright brutal.

Just as he was about to try again, a cold voice came from behind him. "Mr. Black."

Regulus instantly withdrew all his magic power and turned toward the librarian. "Madam Pince."

"You have been standing in front of the Forbidden Section for one minute." Madam Pince's gaze was as sharp as a blade. "First-year students are forbidden from approaching the Forbidden Section. I assume you know the rules."

"Yes, Madam." Regulus raised the book in his hand. "I was only looking for reference material. When I passed by, I was amazed by the number of books over there. Hogwarts's collection is truly astonishing."

His tone was sincere, and his expression was filled with nothing but yearning for knowledge.

Madam Pince's expression softened slightly, though her gaze remained wary. "The books in the Forbidden Section are sealed for a reason. Much of that knowledge is unsuitable for little wizards. Return to your seat."

"Of course, Madam." Regulus gave a slight bow and turned toward the Potions Section.

I need that book.

The Library gradually filled with more people. Regulus packed his things and prepared to return to the Slytherin Common Room to finish his Potions Essay.

At eleven that night, the Slytherin Dormitory was completely silent.

Avery was already asleep, his breathing calm and even. A faint light still shone behind Alex's bed curtains; he was probably previewing tomorrow's Charms Class.

Hermes's bed curtains were tightly shut, and no sound came from within. Regulus knew he was not asleep yet.

Regulus drew his own Dark Green bed curtains and cast a Muffling Charm.

Then he sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Astral Meditation lay open on his lap, turned to Chapter Three.

[Resonance with Orion]

The book said that Orion was the king of the winter Starry sky, and that the arrangement of its Belt Stars contained balance and strength.

The meditator needed to locate Orion in the night sky, touch those three stars with magic power, sense their Starlight Pulse, and finally synchronize their own Magic Guidance Cycle with the constellation's rhythm.

A typical piece of wizard mysticism, Regulus judged.

He had tried three times, and every attempt had failed.

It was not that the method was wrong. He had strictly followed the book's steps: sense the Starry sky, locate the constellation, extend magical tendrils—

This was nothing at all!

He could not sense any so-called Starlight Pulse.

Constellations were merely visual projections of distant stars. There was no actual connection between them, so where would a pulse come from?

But the method in the book had indeed worked, at least for its original author.

Perhaps the author possessed some special talent, able to sense things ordinary people could not?

But Regulus clearly did not possess such a talent.

Then he would replace it with what he did have.

What he had was an adult's way of thinking, basic astrophysical knowledge, and a sensitivity to geometry and mathematics.

He had Microscopic Magic Control and Magic Calculation like a Supercomputer.

He also had Magic Perception.

He should try a new method.

First, he would abandon sensing the Real Starry Sky. Regulus even felt that the author had written this book merely to show off.

I have what you don't.

The Slytherin Dormitory had no view of the sky, but that did not matter. He used magic power to construct a Constellation Model in his mind.

Magic power flowed through the depths of his consciousness, outlining the first point—Betelgeuse, the red supergiant at Orion's right shoulder.

Then came Rigel, Bellatrix... one Light Point after another lit up within the dark Consciousness Space.

Using the Star Chart data from his memory, he constructed a 3D Model according to their actual relative positions and brightness ratios.

It was exhausting. Maintaining the precise positions of twelve Light Points at once continuously consumed magic power and mental energy, but Regulus could endure it.

Next, he began connecting the Light Points according to Orion's Intent.

Magic power condensed into fine threads, extending from Betelgeuse to Bellatrix to form the right arm, and from Rigel to Saiph to form the left arm. The Belt Stars were linked by three parallel threads.

A glowing Orion took shape in his mind, its proportions precise and its lines smooth.

Finally, he tried to synchronize.

This was the key. The method in the book had one's own magic power follow the constellation's pulse. Regulus had no pulse to follow, but he had a model.

He imagined his Magic Guidance Cycle as a glowing river. Then he embedded the Orion model in his mind into that river, making the constellation's Geometric Structure part of the Riverbed.

When magic power flowed through Betelgeuse, its speed adjusted slightly. When it passed through the Belt Stars, it divided into three thin streams and advanced in parallel. As it flowed through the whole structure, it circulated along the constellation's outer contours.

At first, it was extremely stiff. His magic power resisted this forcibly imposed structure, and the model was unstable as well. The Light Points began to flicker.

Regulus slowed the flow of his magic power, making the cycle gentler.

At the same time, he adjusted the model's details. The Belt Stars should not form a perfect straight line; they needed a slight curve.

Betelgeuse was 1.3 times brighter than Rigel, so that point's pull should be stronger. Perhaps it could be strengthened proportionally whenever magic power flowed through it.

He kept adjusting, and gradually, the resistance weakened.

His magic power began adapting to the structure, thanks to the uninterrupted Magic Guidance Cycle training he had maintained all along.

It was like water finding a new River Channel. Though artificial, it was smooth enough.

One cycle.

Two cycles.

Three cycles.

Regulus opened his eyes and gently exhaled.

He sensed himself.

The speed of his Magic Guidance Cycle had not noticeably increased, but it was more stable, like ripples that had been smoothed flat.

With a thought, an invisible, heavy barrier rapidly expanded, instantly wrapping around his entire body. After maintaining it for one minute, he let it dissipate.

A moment later, he reached a conclusion. The magic power consumption had not changed, but his Magic Recovery Speed had increased somewhat. The change was slight, but it was real.

He had succeeded.