Dancing with the Thunderbird, A New Way to Play Animagus

Atop a high mountain in a Thunderbird sanctuary.

Are you ready?

Lucien patted Thunderbird's neck beside him.

This Thunderbird was selected by Lucien recently; it's around ten years old, past its juvenile stage but not yet an adult.

In order to select a suitable target, Lucien compared many Thunderbird, and the results were as he had predicted.

Young Thunderbird have limited stamina to fly 100 kilometers, and they are also playful, often getting distracted by other things while flying, causing their progress to be interrupted.

However, Thunderbird that is too mature is too fast; even when flying at full speed, Lucien cannot catch up with it, which also does not conform to the system's judgment.

In the end Lucien chose the Thunderbird in front of him.

It stands over two meters tall, and the feathers on its back are almost entirely golden.

"Chirp."

The Thunderbird cried out, stretched its neck to look up at the sky, and slightly spread its wings to indicate that it was ready.

"Okay, once it's all done, you won't be shortchanged on the agreed-upon meals."

"Chirp!"

Lucien turned and gave Newt an OK sign, who was standing not far away.

"Mr. Scamander, see you at the finish line."

Newt replied with an OK.

To be honest, when Newt heard Lucien say he was going to fly with the Thunderbird, he thought he had misheard.

But seeing Lucien take concrete action, Newt could only sigh that young people really have ideas.

Lucien nodded. Now that the witnesses were in place, they could begin.

According to the system's explanation, this dance in the clouds also requires a witness.

Lucien could only be thankful that the witness didn't have to fly the entire way; he only needed to be present at the starting and ending points.

With Newt there, there was no question about the choice of witnesses.

Stanley, on the other hand, was quite disappointed. He had been staying there perfectly fine just a few days ago, but was suddenly asked to leave by the Magical Congress of the United States of America.

The reason given was that a large number of hallucinogenic plants and psychedelic potions had recently flowed from wizards into the local Muggle community, requiring his involvement as Potions Master in related rescue and treatment efforts.

I heard the quantity was enormous, requiring the mobilization of almost all the potions masters in the United States. I wonder if this will have any impact on Muggle society afterwards?

Lucien still remembers Stanley's reluctant look before he left, how he left him his contact information, and how Stanley told him to come back to the United States if he had the chance, and preferably visit and experience Ilvermorny.

Lucien readily agreed, but unfortunately, he had other plans for the summer and couldn't find the time right now.

I looked up at the leaden-gray clouds, which were churning and rolling in the strong wind.

Lucien took a step forward and plummeted straight off the cliff.

Newt, who was not far away, was already used to it. Although he was startled when he first saw it and almost released his Airwing Bird to save the person, he then saw...

An ordinary owl flew out from under the cliff and soared into the sky.

"Animagus..."

"Lucien, it's not surprising that he'll do anything..."

Lucien, now an owl, took off on the wind and quickly disappeared into the clouds.

Of course, an owl's physique alone is not enough to dance with Thunderbird.

Even the fastest birds of prey are no match for the Thunderbird.

So some changes still need to be made.

Starting with basic units, changes occur, leading to creation and composition, much like the Transfiguration of Chimera.

This time, however, the object of the Transfiguration is oneself.

Under the cover of dark clouds, Lucien began Transfiguration beyond that of an ordinary Animagus.

His form began to fluctuate and distort during high-speed flight. This was not a simple switch, but a deeper reconstruction based on flesh and bones.

The owl's head is elongated, and its wings become wider and stronger as they extend. The feather structure is reorganized at the microscopic level to gain greater lift and wind-breaking ability.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a bird that had never existed before.

Originating from Loki's Faceless, Lucien's own Animagus has no form restrictions.

After numerous attempts, they finally managed to combine the fusion Transfiguration of the Chimera with that of the Animagus.

This is unique; only Lucien could do it.

"Bah!"

The Thunderbird also broke through the clouds and hovered beside Lucien.

Flickering sparks danced on its golden feathers. It was used to Lucien's "strange bird" form and was simply waiting for his command to begin.

The bird that Lucien had transformed into emitted a clear and melodious cry, which was the signal for the beginning!

Both took flight.

Using the airflow generated under the Thunderbird's wings, Lucien precisely adjusted his posture, sometimes running alongside it like two parallel bolts of lightning; at other times, he nimbly rolled past it, demonstrating unparalleled control.

As if it had found a playmate, the Thunderbird flew with increasing vigor, and the electric currents flowing through its feathers became more active, creating a continuous crackling sound in the gale.

With the surge in current, Thunderbird's speed also increased significantly, showing a tendency to leave Lucien behind.

But Lucien remained calm and instead resorted to other methods.

This is a recent discovery, which truly surprised him.

Lucien felt the wand, which had become part of his skin and feathers along with his clothes, flowing through his body and following the circuits to follow specific paths.

With a thought, an invisible ring of wind instantly formed beneath his wings, greatly reducing air resistance.

After adjusting the direction of his magic, and with a shift in his thoughts, Lucien felt as if his body had lost most of its weight, as if he were being lifted up by the sky itself.

Yes, as Lucien continued to develop Animagus, he discovered another special feature.

That means he can still use magic in animal form.

Although he doesn't wield magic as effortlessly as when he's in human form, Lucien still has no problem with relatively simple spells.

The only drawback is that Lucien must use Non-verbal Spell.

Even when he used the Chimera Transfiguration technique to give his animal-shaped self a human voice, it didn't work; the incantation he uttered simply couldn't be combined with magic.

Must one be in human form to use spells?

Lucien plans to explore this issue further later, and first completes the current Thunderbird Dance.

A series of speed-up spells, wind-blowing spells, propulsion spells...

Lucien simply put them all on, since he had plenty of magic power and his transformed body was strong enough to withstand it. He might as well test how far he could go with the extreme physical Transfiguration combined with magic assistance!

The Thunderbird was flying merrily when it suddenly caught a glimpse of a shadow flashing past it, quickly overtaking it.

Thunderbird's exceptional eyesight allowed it to clearly see the shadow, which was indeed the bird that Lucien had transformed into.

"Bah!"

This race ignited the Thunderbird's competitive spirit, and it flapped its three pairs of wings violently, creating a thunderous roar!

The 100-kilometer journey became a performance of strength and beauty.

With his unparalleled mastery of Transfiguration and rule-breaking magical assistance, Lucien managed to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Stormbird, completing a dance that spanned the heavens.